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Felix O. Hartmann
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Dark Age Kindle Edition

by Felix O. Hartmann (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.0 4.0 out of 5 stars 162 ratings
See all formats and editions
In 2154 the world as we know it has fallen into oblivion. Mankind lives decimated and scattered in the remnants of the old world. But only few know what really happened. Growing up in a secluded city ruled by a dogmatic tyrant, Adam watches hunger starve the poor, sickness claim the young, and war kill his three older brothers. Turning seventeen, he has one year left before being forced to join the Grey Guard and follow his brothers into the unknown. Wanting to put an end to the broken system and mindless war, to seek a life of harmony with the one he loves, he decides to do whatever it takes to bring the tyrant to his knees.

Felix Hartmann’s powerful debut novel tells a tale of good and evil, truth and deceit, and paints a riveting and ruthless picture of a rebellious young man that must choose between surviving under a tyrannical regime, and risking everything in an ultimate fight for freedom.


"An amazing story that will stay with you forever... Highly recommended."
- Tyler Wagner, Bestselling Author

“The scope of Dark Age is both admirable and ambitious, combining elements of human evolution, conspiracy, and end of the world scenarios.”
- Tayo Rockson, Huffington Post contributor & CEO of UYD Media
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Previous page
  1. Print length
    346 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publication date
    June 19, 2016
  5. Reading age
    13 - 18 years
  6. Grade level
    7 - 12
  7. File size
    3618 KB
  8. Page Flip
    Enabled
  9. Word Wise
    Enabled
  10. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  11. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Dark Age blends the dystopia of George Orwell's '1984,' the raw yet complex nature of 'Game of Thrones' and the medieval-religious setting of Ken Follett's 'The Pillars of the Earth.'"
- the Sun-Sentinel "The scope of Dark Age is both admirable and ambitious, combining elements of human evolution, conspiracy, and end of the world scenarios."
- Tayo Rockson, Huffington Post contributor & CEO of UYD Media
"It was intense. Could not put it down!"
- Mahbod Moghadam, Co-founder of Genius and Everipedia "An amazing story that will stay with you forever... Highly recommended."
- Tyler Wagner, Bestselling Author

About the Author

Felix Oliver Hartmann was born in Germany in the mid-nineties and immigrated to the United States in 2008. At just 21, he is a student of political science, full time startup entrepreneur, experienced financial trader, and now published author. Since early years, Hartmann has had an affinity for writing, which came to fruition when completing his first novel, Dark Age. 

His debut novel Dark Age brings together many of Hartmann's influences, from his interests in Artificial Intelligence and tech, over his love for political theory and philosophy, to his childhood hometown that is reminiscent of the dark ages. It became an instant success as an Amazon bestseller for several months. In 2016 it was named a finalist of the prestigious Dragon Awards in the Apocalyptic Genre. Hartmann continues to pursue a vast variety of genre-crossing writing projects that are set to be released throughout 2017 and 2018.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B01FI2FFXQ
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Hartmann Publishing; 1st edition (June 19, 2016)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ June 19, 2016
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 3618 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 ‏ : ‎ 346 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.0 4.0 out of 5 stars 162 ratings

About the author

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Felix O. Hartmann

Felix O. Hartmann

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Felix Oliver Hartmann was born in Germany in the mid-nineties and immigrated to the United States in 2008. At just 21, he is a student of political science, full time startup entrepreneur, experienced financial trader, and now published author. Since early years, Hartmann has had an affinity for writing, which came to fruition when completing his first novel, Dark Age.

His debut novel Dark Age brings together many of Hartmann’s influences, from his interests in Artificial Intelligence and tech, over his love for political theory and philosophy, to his childhood hometown that is reminiscent of the dark ages. It became an instant success as an Amazon bestseller for several months. In 2016 it was named a finalist of the prestigious Dragon Awards in the Apocalyptic Genre. Hartmann continues to pursue a vast variety of genre-crossing writing projects that are set to be released throughout 2017 and 2018.

Customer reviews

4 out of 5 stars
4 out of 5
162 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

LargeCandle
5.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining.
Reviewed in the United States on July 4, 2016
Verified Purchase
Pros:
* well-thought out and entertaining storyline
* politically thoughtful without beating you over the head with it
* protagonist has decent character development

Cons:
* Self published without an editor, and it’s noticable
* Secondary characters tend to blend together a bit
* Seems better suited as a made-for-TV miniseries than a novel

Would I recommend it to a friend?
—> Yes, I would hand over a copy and detail the above pros and cons

Should you read it?
—> Sure, it’s a fun read

Is the book really like 1984?
—> No. Sure, it’s set in the future (1984 was the future at some point). In 1984, “the state” is somewhat of a monolithic villain whose only goal is to maintain power, spy on its citizens, and trample our sensibilities about civil liberties. In contrast the (cough) evil state in Dark Age is used to explore what happens when society crumbles and the remains of humanity try to put the pieces back together. More precisely, what happens a few generations after emergency societies are set up and rules that made sense at the time of inception have become blind tradition.

Is the book really like Game of Thrones?
—> No! They have nothing in common! It’s like people haven’t even read the series Game of Thrones. The only thing they have in common are mysterious monsters in the distance, but unlike GOT, Dark Age humanizes the monsters.
6 people found this helpful
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Susan
4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting premise, enjoyable read
Reviewed in the United States on December 13, 2016
Verified Purchase
I will start by saying that there may be spoilers in this review, so warning.

The premise of the book was one that I hadn't encountered before, so it was unique to me. The idea of an isolated community that battles monsters outside their walls isn't new, but the back story to all of that was new to me.

I'm conflicted about my feelings for this book. Like how the main character is constantly knocked down, there is nothing good in this poor guy's life that isn't taken away from him. I don't like that. I didn't like that the bad guys seemed to constantly win. But I know that when corrupt people are in charge, that's generally how it goes.

The characters were believable, and mostly likeable. Some of the more interesting ones were killed off, unfortunately.

But I did enjoy the writing. The story had a few grammar errors, "prompt" used instead of "propped" is one that comes to mind, but not so many as to take me away from the story too much.

This is not a standalone book. It's just the beginning and you're left on quite a cliffhanger. It will be interesting to see what the author does with the story.
3 people found this helpful
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Vasil Bochev
3.0 out of 5 stars An OK Fantasy Story
Reviewed in the United States on July 13, 2019
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This was recommended to me but alas it falls flat. The short of it is that the story concept is creative but the editting is poor.

In a few more words, the concept is an interesting approach for the "What if a nuclear world war happened?" question but unfortunately it isn't developed well enough. It feels like you're on a train ride through a picturesque scenery, but it's twilight and the train is zooming so quickly that you can sort of make out the shapes but you can't enjoy the scenery.

The plot is predictable. All the 1 in 1 000 000 things that can happen do happen. The bad guys are obviously bad and there's no twist in their actions. The good guys are successful from the first time they try and do something.

The characters act like real people but you don't have the time to get to know them. They are introduced in a list-like manner and they are present through the story but I couldn't form a feeling of connection and I couldn't get to "know" them. That being said, sometimes they act out of character, which happens only in crucial moments. A non-spoiler example is how the protag doesn't deliver a killing blow to the root of the issue because another character, who has had no more than 2-3 pages of dialogue and action (which were supposed to show how the protag and said character have become close friends after meeting 2-3 times in total) will feel more alone than she already is. Considering what the protag does for a living and how little it feels like he knows that other character... I wasn't buying into it. His reasoning wasn't his reasoning. It was clear that the author was stepping in with plot armor for the baddie.

Other characters switch and act 100% differently to how they did with no foreshadowing that actually things aren't as they seem to be. This happens more than a few times.

These things aren't dreadful on their own but there is a LOT of telling. Felix O. Hartmann hasn't spent the time to show us how the characters grow up and develop new relationships and skills. He tells us that something happened and the few times that he spends the effort to show us, we get a Mary Sue (or in this case, a Gary Sue) who wins with nothing but a few scratches and people cheer for him.

The truth is that while I often muscle through stories, I had to put this one down close to finishing it. I doubt that it will surprise me and if it does have a twist at the end... it's poorly set up since I wasn't made to be curious how it will finish. From where I'm standing with the story so far, I am doubtful that anything else but the obvious will happen.
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Paul McNeal
5.0 out of 5 stars there was something about him I liked. And it appears I was not alone
Reviewed in the United States on June 27, 2016
Verified Purchase
I met Felix a little over a year ago. When I found out he wrote a book, I knew I had to read it. I didn't expect to find myself so engrossed in the book that I'd read it over the weekend. From the moment I read the first page until the very last page, I experienced a range of emotions. When I met Adam, there was something about him I liked. And it appears I was not alone. His character development was just good enough to get you to wonder about their history their background their backstory. I found myself dreaming about my own life and what it would be like if I were him. What would I do? How would I handle the hairy situation? I found myself wanting to strangle a few of the characters and some I would have killed with my bare hand. Felix brings you right to the edge of hope then sticks a dagger right in your heart! Yes, I am friend of his but I can assure you this book will make you feel emotion, it will make you cheer, cry, and wonder about life. I can see this being played out on the Big screen one day. Kudos to you Felix!
4 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Neill Smith
3.0 out of 5 stars An interesting premise that badly needs editing.
Reviewed in Canada on May 5, 2018
Verified Purchase
On the day of the full moon during the month a boy turned seventeen he was inducted into adulthood with all the religious and political implications that entailed. Adam was the only inductee this time - all the rest of the boys born seventeen years before had died in a plague. He was the son of a blacksmith - one of the Craftsmen class, lower in status than the Merchants who had their own District and the religious groups who lived in the Temple District, but higher than the Industrials who lived further back in the District called the Works. He worked for a carpenter, building furniture and on some nights stole items to sell to raise money to feed the poor. At seventeen he was going to be sent to train and fight in the Grey Guard - for ten years if he survived. Most didn’t. In the Grey Guard he learned the truth of his society and the eventual role he must play. This would be a much better book had it been edited and spellchecked. It is a compelling story but the misused words and tenses are at times somewhat jarring.
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Really great book that is worth of ordering :)
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 13, 2016
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It was great! Amazing! The book was really well written and I liked the medieval theme which had been brought up really well and realistically. It was also delivered on time. Dark Age was a bit different from what I'm used to read but I loved it anyway! Thank you Felix O'Hartmann for writing this amazing book! Can't wait for more your works! :)
One person found this helpful
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Meron
4.0 out of 5 stars A dark story of violence and political intrigue
Reviewed in Australia on November 26, 2016
Verified Purchase
Interesting concept, set in futuristic world, a young man fights for his ideals in a less than ideal world where at the age of 18 he like all other boys must join the Greyguard for 10 years. Away from family and friends he fighrs for survival and the right to live in a better world. Beaten in to submission by the violent events that follow his efforts to change his world, he eventually chooses a surprising path as a leader of his people.
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David Hartmann
5.0 out of 5 stars Gut-Wrenching
Reviewed in France on June 19, 2016
Verified Purchase
This book will take you in fast, and won’t let you go until you’re done. This book isn’t for the weak either, it’s called Dark Age for a reason. So if you like fellow writers grim writers like Mark Lawrence or George R. R. Martin, you’ll love Hartmann’s writing. But aside the incredible action-packed plot, there’s a lot of profound depth to it, which makes Dark Age a very unique gem.
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Ali Sani
3.0 out of 5 stars The same old story which has happened numerous times in ...
Reviewed in Canada on September 10, 2016
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The same old story which has happened numerous times in history (unlimited power for life), but this time in the future.
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