Wow, this was really a very good book. I can imagine people might be a bit hesitant to start a self-published book, because there are quite a few that do not deserve to be published, but in this case you needn't worry. This book would be worth a lot more than the €0.85 that I now paid for it.

The best about the book was definitely the characters. Not only are they very well-drawn and show believable and realistic development, they are also unusual in that the main character is a withdrawn and someone timid scholar, accompanied by a group of tough, well-trained, professional female soldiers. Although their world does not appreciate women fighting, Scriber (the book, not the character) treats them with respect. Not once are they diminished for the fact that they are (fighting) women. And, I'm glad to say, the same goes for the scholar. In some of the reviews he is called cowardly. I do not really agree. I would say emotionally deeply scarred and healthily cautious. However, due to the immense bravery of the women's captain, Bryndine, he manages to grow beyond that. But he does not become a soldier in any way, and he does not become someone who jumps into danger, which would be unnatural for him. His relationship with the women is amazingly natural, and so is the way it develops. At first, not all of them get along, but mutual respect and friendship grows slowly. All of this is very well done, with a surprising depth to it. The issues the characters struggle with are very real and in their dealing with it, they never grow beyond their natural potential, never become something they were not to begin with.

The story itself does not have as much depth to it, having only a single storyline which is not overly complicated. Within a quarter of the book, I had strong suspicions about the origins of the Burners, and I was right. It didn't disturb me at all, though, because the story was told well. I liked the flow of information, introducing us to the world gradually. Dennon's voice was appealing, and I liked the little bits of his journal and books that were given at the beginning of each chapter. The world itself was attractive as well, a good stage for the story that is playing out.

I think if Dobson at some point manages to put some more intricacy in his books, they will be amazing. As it is, Scriber is very good. Based on the overall experience and on the characters I would give this 4 stars. Add to that the end of the book, with the extra insights in Bryndine's character and the discussion she has with Dennon about guilt, and I have to raise that to 4.5 stars. And on strength of pure enthusiasm, I'll round that upwards to 5. ( )

Well once Again I am in the minority. By a lot. I am not going to give this book one star because I feel that the author himself knows how to write and writes very well. I think that the book was good...so you ask why did I dislike the book? For me, it was not for me and I truly hated the MC.. The MC in a book is normally worth one star for me themselves because if I do not like the MC I cannot really get into the story. I thouth that all of the characters were a little annoying and therefore the story really was not to interesting. Just did not get it.. ( )

I got this book for free and as return I get to review it. All I can say is that Mr. Dobson has done a great job in creating "Scriber". This book made ma laugh and cry so hard. It is a bit reminiscent of "Game of Thrones" but infused with new elements. I just love his 2 main characters especially Brynddine. She has a lot of similarities with Brianne of Tarth in "Game of Thrones". She is a strong, determined woman and a heroine who is not perfect but definitely someone to idolize. Dennon Lark is definitely a not so lovable character but he just seems so real even though is was an epic fantasy novel. He is so relatable and has so human. I do wish to read more of Mr. Dobson's works. ( )

Scriber is a stand alone fantasy novel that I enjoyed from the very beginning. Dennon Lark is a historian living in self imposed exile in a small rural village. He is tangentially aware of the instability going on in the kingdom but does not realize how bad it is until the king’s warrior niece Bryndine Errynson arrives looking for nearby rebels. Dennon may hold the key to finding the secrets behind the rebels, but the only ones who will help him are Bryndine and her company of female soldiers.

I think a large part of why I reacted so favorably to Scriber is that I really liked the central characters. At the beginning of the book, Dennon Lark is grouchy, antisocial, and a bit of a coward. All he wants to do is be left alone to wallow in his past failings. He can’t understand why Bryndine’s women chose to follow her. The culture of the kingdom has strict gender roles that say it’s not women’s place to fight, and Bryndine and her company are ill regarded by the general population. Yet Bryndine is courageous, noble, and physically imposing (she’s over seven feet tall). Eventually, she and Dennon grow to respect each other, and he begins to see why her women are willing to follow her into battle. Also, Bryndine is really really awesome.

While Dennon and Bryndine are given the deepest characterization of the whole cast, I was generally able to remember who the secondary characters were and I became attached to some of them (despite the generally high death toll). Most of the important heroic secondary characters were the women of Bryndine’s company, although Dennon had an elderly mentor who was rather important. It was really wonderful to see so many active female characters in a fantasy novel. The only complaint I’d have here is that I’m not sure about the way Grenna’s character was treated as the rape in the backstory seemed like a quick and cheap way to try and gain sympathy for her.

The worldbuilding wasn’t the best I’d seen, but it was functional. The kingdom had a past and a culture, even though it could have been more fleshed out. I did like the way that the events of the past tied so much to the events of the present – what else would you expect when the main character is a historian?

Speaking of that, I liked Scriber’s themes of history and what’s remembered. The book is framed with experts from memoirs that Dennon Lark wrote after the events of the novel, in which he continually calls for Bryndine and her company to be remembered as the true heroes of the situation. The narrative of history and how it is created and uncovered is very much an ongoing theme of the novel.

I overall really liked Scriber, although some of those character deaths did get me. I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a fantasy novel that includes active female characters even when the protagonist is male.

Originally posted on The Illustrated Page. ( )

Very nice read, steady and entertaining, 3.5 stars. This is a classic fantasy story, with a quest, mysteries, ancient powers, lore and debates on morality and redemption. The plot is linear and well-done, the prose is flowing and very apt. The best features are the worldbuilding and the characters, scriber Dennon and captain Bryndine with her company of warrior women. There is a feeling of Dungeons and Dragons, and I wasn't surprised to see in the author's bio that he likes to play the game; I think he managed to infuse all the most engaging aspects of such inspiration into the story.

I always like to read about unlikely heroes, particularly the bookwormish types, and it is paramount they stay true to character, I mean, you cannot expect a real scholar to become a kickass warrior in a heartbeat -if ever- right? Scribers are supposed to record and preserve history, not to forge it. That's the case with Dennon here, he is a normal man, a talented historian, neither unpleasant nor overly-charming. Burdened by the fear of a past mistake and caught up in an dire threat to the kingdom, as he develops he stays himself, he faces perils and reinvents but within his limits, what’s more, his very (understandable) cowardice may not be a detrimental flaw after all. I particularly liked the Sword&Sorcery feel coupled with very little sorcery and a scholar, it was actually a surprise. Of course, I loved the theme of knowledge and books explored in the story, too.

The characters and their world are introduced gradually and properly, with the protagonist-narrator telling about his current straits and his surroundings, enough to understand and raise curiosity but never too much at once. There are nice descriptions, not overly elaborate but to the point to imagine where the action is set.
Each chapter starts with a paragraph from the scriber’s journal or from his treatises about the past history of the realm. This was a simple and straight way to flesh out the context without cluttering. The religion is part of the story too, particularly the religious beliefs which enforce conventions and prejudices in the kingdom.

The story is well-paced and the characters sensible, no one portrayed here is too stupid to be alive or has a labyrinthine personality, the no-nonsense attitude of most of the good and evil guys alike actually proved a welcomed distraction from other similar books. Since the onset it was clear the author was not going to embark in difficult storytelling or a complex plot, but he meant business in what he was showing, there are several interesting turns and he kept true to his course. I value a clear direction above all, along of course with a pleasant and entertaining story.

It adds to the thrill that the whole group of protagonists is essentially a company of outcasts, shunned by the very people they seek to help. They embark on a treasure hunt to uncover the ancient knowledge which may be their only hope to understand the peril the realm is facing. Delightful little puzzles dot the way, and it’s very interesting to see the shifting dynamics of the inevitable team work. During the tale I wondered how a scholar could endure weeks of forced march and horse rides without a scrape, or how the women could carry so much gear with ease but as I read, only minor details were overlooked and nothing of importance was not properly explained or far-fetched.

The story never lags. There are no sparks of originality or anything truly unique, yet all the elements of the book are so undeniably nice and studied that I truly enjoyed the result, and I’m very happy I’ve picked it up among the many of the genre. I would have liked a map though. The narrator's recounting made up for this absence, but still. It gets a bit cheesy in the second half but I have to say, better to read about goodwill than hopeless humanity. I appreciated the ending a lot, it was not meant to be unpredictable, given the prologue and the way Dobson ratchets up the tension, but there is still a surprise in store and I truly enjoyed the tale from start to end. ( )