Earthburst

The Earthburst Trilogy, Book 1

By: Dan Megill

Narrated by: Kyle Tait

Length: 11 hrs and 20 mins

Publisher's summary

Born to a warrior culture gifted with energy projection abilities, Airn’s sole ambition is to battle deceivers in service of the patrons. But when his talents attract attention from both sides of the conflict, he learns that he is the one who has been deceived. Now, to set things right, he must leave his home and take on an interstellar empire, and as he forges new allies and learns his own limits, this one boy’s quest for Truth will reverberate across his planet and change the balance of power in the galaxy forever…

©2023 Daniel F. Megill (P)2023 Daniel F. Megill

Fun read in a fascinating new Sci-Fi world

I really enjoyed listening to this story and am definitely going to continue with the second book. It does start off a bit slow with lots of new terminology, but I think this is to be expected as Megill introduces you to his unique world and characters. Push through and you won’t regret it! Once you get a couple hours in, things get really interesting and exciting. I also thought the narrator did a great job on the audiobook edition!

Pretty good, coming from a newer author

The story was pretty good and the pacing was pretty quick, (which I prefer, especially if I was reading it). The narrator had a good voice for most of the characters.
You could always listen to the big name popular books, but it is really nice to support newer authors!

[Spoiler-free review] A unique world-building fantasy, enjoyable for young adults and up

As the title says, I think this book is solid. Definitely worth picking up if you’re looking for a fun sci-fi fantasy read. The audiobook version is very skillfully narrated from start to finish. So much so, that I’m pretty interested in looking into other books that Kyle Tait (narrator) has recorded.
The biggest enjoyment from reading Earthburst comes from steadily learning about this unique, unforgiving, and ever-growing universe Megill has created, and the evolving combat powers that our young heroes intensely work to develop. Anime fans may be excited to find this story somewhat akin to shonen-style warrior society sagas (like Naruto) where the lifestyle of the civilization’s youth revolves around honing their unique abilities to preserve their way of life.
The interesting twist/question posed within this story is this (no spoilers, but using another anime comparison): what would the main characters do if they found out the Hidden Leaf Village was evil? Would they even be able to realize it? And if they did, would they be willing to face the gravity of abandoning everything they knew to fight for truth and good?
From the book’s continulously interesting descriptors to its world-specific vocabulary, Megill's use of language is also a big draw, and again, without spoilers, this book has an ending that’s both satisfying, and leaves you clamoring for more.
Another thing that’s unique about this story: while friendships are formed (and broken) throughout this adventure, you won't find an excess of tender, intimate relationship moments - at least not yet (this is only Book One). However, this makes sense given the culture our young heroes were born into, in which individuality is fiercely discouraged and interpersonal relationships are not celebrated. While not often expressed directly through the words of our characters, we as readers are still able to understand their bonds via their shared discoveries, their subtle actions, their camaraderie, and their demonstrated trust in one another.
In the same vein, Airn and his friends are forced to be reactionary and decisive to survive and enact necessary change as the story hurls at them massive trials and tribulations. Though many of the characters aren’t exactly dripping with personality from the book’s start (again, no spoilers), there’s a very clear narrative reason and purpose for this. And our young heroes begin to grow into their own as the story progresses and they are forced to face the story’s heavy themes of dramatic consequence and unwavering perseverance.
Finally, for potential readers that aren’t religious, please don’t be dissuaded by Amazon’s classification of this book as “religion & spirituality.” While the author is religious and loose religious allegories may exist, they were so subtle that I (fairly knowledgeable about Christianity) was unable to detect them. If a fun fantasy read is what you’re looking for, that’s exactly what you’ll get from this story.
All in all, this is an excellent first showing from a promising new author, and I’m really looking forward to seeing how our young heroes move forward from here.

[Quick Update] In response to another reviewer’s comment that the story’s vocabulary made it unenjoyable to read, I disagree completely. As I mentioned above, language was a huge highlight for me. The author gives plenty of context related to new terms as they’re introduced, and if anything isn’t immediately intuitive, you’ll understand what you need to in due time – which as a reader, I appreciate, as I feel like it’s the author’s way of giving me some credit. For readers that have trouble with learning a few new words unique to a fantasy story, I’d highly discourage them from reading such classics as Clockwork Orange and 1984, which employ a much higher degree of story-dependent vocab.[Spoiler-free review] A unique world-building fantasy, enjoyable for young adults and up.