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The Reader of Acheron (The Slaves of Erafor Book 1) Kindle Edition

by Walter Rhein (Author), Morris Janet (Editor) Format: Kindle Edition
4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 138 ratings
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Book One of the Slaves of Erafor series: Reading is forbidden, and the penalty for non-compliance is a life of slavery enabled by the forcible administration of a mind rotting drug. Yet, there are those possessed of the will to seek illumination. Kikkan, a former slave on the run, and Quillion, a mercenary and self-taught scholar. Together they seek out a small bad of rebels living in hiding who offer the promise of a better world. Their leader is a mysterious figure known only as The Reader of Acheron.
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  1. Book 1 of 2
    The Slaves of Erafor
  2. Print length
    414 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  5. Publication date
    January 4, 2014
  6. File size
    624 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  10. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Walter Rhein was born in Wisconsin. After earning a degree in English Literature, he moved to Lima, Peru where he lived for close to a decade. While in Lima, he worked as a writer, translator, editor and English teacher. He still maintains a web page about Peru at StreetsOfLima.com. In 2009 he returned to Wisconsin with his wife because he missed the snow and sub freezing temperatures. These days he can often be found lurking on the Heroic Fantasy group on Facebook, or at HeroicFantasyWriters.com. To contact Walter for interviews or speaking engagements, write: walterrhein@gmail.com.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00HS1532E
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Perseid Press (January 4, 2014)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ January 4, 2014
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 624 KB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 414 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 138 ratings

About the author

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Walter Rhein

Walter Rhein

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Walter Rhein was born in Wisconsin, but moved to Lima, Peru in his twenties. There, he supported himself by writing, teaching, translating and editing. He currently splits his time between Wisconsin and Peru.

He is currently a writer for Singletracks.com and his articles also frequently appear in Silent Sports and Cross Country Skiier Magazine. He was also a featured writer at the Chippewa Valley Book Festival and the Fox Cities Book Festival.

Customer reviews

4.1 out of 5 stars
4.1 out of 5
138 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Edwin Hanks
5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating setting & characters
Reviewed in the United States on March 24, 2014
Verified Purchase
I saw a bumper sticker today. It read, “I think, therefore I am dangerous.”

Walter Rhein’s The Reader of Acheron is a compelling tale about “dangerous” men in a culture where reading and thinking among the lower classes is actively discouraged by the ruling class.

Part way through you realize this isn’t a typical fantasy setting. The old civilization has fallen, to be replaced by a tyrannical class of elites who rule over a frightened population of illiterates and drug-addled slaves. It’s a society whose stability rests upon a foundation of ignorance. Those who won’t remain in the dark become threats.

And yet, it’s not that simple – a secret twist lurks in the background.

There are four or five major characters. Each is tantalizingly fleshed out. Two main heroes – one a slave, one a soldier – each suffer under their own burdens of servitude, and each fights back by seeking both freedom and awareness.

I most enjoyed the main character named Quillion. He’s a clever, crafty, “chaotic good” figure whose methods are unorthodox and inscrutable (he reminds me of Mel Gibson’s character in the “Lethal Weapon” movies). I laughed when I got to the line, “This wasn’t the first time in his life of questionable acts that he wondered if he’d made a fatal error.” That’s the essence of what makes Quillion an entertaining, catalytic element who keeps the reader flipping pages to find out how he’s going to get out of his latest fix.

I could not identify so well with Kikkan, the slave. This is partly because his motivation and drives are so relatively simple. Yet he also exhibits a high degree of sophistication in his thinking and actions at other times. By the end of the book it feels natural, but the dissonance was a bit jarring early on.

This is a professionally done work that compares favorably with books you’d find on the shelves of your local bookstore. I had remarkably few editing niggles, and they didn’t detract from the story at all.

Rhein’s craft draws you in. His writing is atmospheric, portentous, descriptive, ironic, emotive. He gives clever attention to human nature and the nature of authoritarian government, and even bureaucracy. It’s a thoughtful book with a lot to say about philosophy and politics.

And by the end you know the adventure has only begun, which perfectly builds the reader’s anticipation for the next volume in the series.
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Ian Blackport
4.0 out of 5 stars An original world where oppression comes in the form of writing
Reviewed in the United States on March 17, 2014
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"The Reader of Acheron" offers an intriguing notion: a world without reading and writing. Not one in which the art has been lost, but where it’s actively repressed. This isn’t a typical medieval society and is as much a commentary on social injustice and oppression as it is a fantasy novel.

A common thread that I enjoyed was the idea that nothing is both more dangerous and freeing than knowledge. For people denied learning and left ignorant, even a rudimentary ability to read can bring hope and attract unwanted attention from those who enforce the status quo. Early on a character even muses that the simple act of writing might represent the most dangerous markings known. It’s a unique stance for a fantasy novel to take and is a breath of fresh air. Rather than elaborate magic or noble birth representing power in this world, letters and numbers give strength. I admire Rhein for taking an original stance.

By novel’s end enough questions are left unanswered to create interest in the sequel, without feeling as though it finished on an intentionally manipulative cliff-hanger as some authors do. It was a satisfying ending while the characters embarked on a new phase in their lives seeking answers to a number of pressing questions.

It should be said that there are a number of small grammatical issues. Not enough to put off any readers, but simple mistakes such as having a comma where a period should be and vice versa. However, in no way does it detract from the story. I also found myself wishing Rhein would reveal more information about this world, though I suspect it was a conscious decision to keep readers hooked. Even so, I would have preferred more hints about what caused the world to fall into its current state.

Overall it was a satisfying read and I’m eager to have my questions answered in forthcoming issues.
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Top reviews from other countries

Stuart Aken
5.0 out of 5 stars A Thoughtful Adventure in a Future World of Prohibition
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 6, 2014
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Walter Rhein’s The Reader of Acheron, is book one of the Slaves of Erafor series, a fantasy set on a future Earth at a time when reading is prohibited. The eponymous Reader is, necessarily, a figure of mystery living under threat of torture and death.

There is a prologue to the tale, which I’m not certain is essential and which may even stop some readers from moving into the tale itself. I have to tell you that it’s definitely worth getting past this short barrier. The real story, couched in language that evokes another time, builds inexorably to the denouement and an ending that closes this portion of what is clearly going to be a continuing adventure for those characters remaining.

There are two story threads that interweave. Initially, there appears to be no connection between these accounts, though clues and hints slowly build. Both tales describe the domain in which the characters exist, unfolding a world of slavery and class, where those not in the upper strata are either drug-addled slaves in everything including name or are paid slaves in everything but name. The whole of society is structured to maintain the status quo of those few with power and position.

Characters are well drawn and have their idiosyncrasies, making them human and accessible. As with a great number of books in this genre, women are little represented. But that results from the narrative viewpoints, which, in one case reduces female contact to the wife and child of the slave owner and, in the other, provides the typical mercenary soldier’s view of women.

There is a well expressed underlying theme here of the abuse of knowledge; the way in which society may be structured in such a way as to filter information and program learning so that it truly benefits only those at the peak of the social pyramid. Those in power, curating the knowledge, have a terror of their underlings discovering this knowledge, of course. The message is sobering and pertinent, but doesn’t get in the way of the story, which is well told and absorbing.

I thoroughly enjoyed this read. I was able to empathise with the characters and understand their motives, desires, hopes and anxieties. There is a great adventure here, but there is also a great deal more going on beneath the surface, and I have no hesitation in recommending this book. I look forward to the sequels.
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ABmonkey
5.0 out of 5 stars Deeply complex, darkly intelligent
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 24, 2014
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This is a very complex dystopian fantasy, which is a good deal more than it first appears. It is a story of self-discovery, the search for freedom and what that means, and a picture of an ignorant and dark society in which reading and self-improvement are forbidden. The characters are intriguing, especially Kikkan, an escaped slave, who is trying to survive in a world he knows nothing about. Freedom is terrifying and yet glorious and, unlike most slaves who are drugged into docility, his mind is sharp and he craves learning, but like a child he is untutored and the journey of his mind and his experience is enthralling. That said he kills, both symbolically and physically and asks questions no one will ask. Quillion, too is interesting, a rebellious mercenary who experiences servitude and prejudice, holds a contempt for stupidity and also must find his way in this dangerous world. He approaches gaining his power from a different direction.
Power is key, and its definitions are rapier sharp in this book. More than a fantasy, more than a dystopian novel, this is in part a social commentary. Don't let that put you off, as this is also a well-written adventure complete with swords, monsters, heroes and villains and with a dark humour and intelligence throughout.
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Mike Tyson
5.0 out of 5 stars If you are a fan of a great story, get this book.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 21, 2015
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First let me say, I don't normally read dystopian stories so I would usually shy away from a book like this, but something about it caught my attention and I'm glad it did.
I'm not a fan of a prologue either and sad to say, the one here didn't change my mind, although that's a personal preference so don't let it sway you because the rest of the book is excellent. I really enjoyed the setting, an almost medieval world, post the technological age and the characters were well rounded and interesting. There were plenty of threads running in the story and I found myself watching the progress bar on my kindle and realising that there was no way every single thread could be tied off in what was left and I knew I'd be looking for the next in the series.
If you are a fan of a great story, you should read this book. It has great pace and depth and will keep you hooked, not just on this one, but on what's to come.
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