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Above the Storm (Book One of the Storm Below) Kindle Edition
…Ary’s people have little chance.
Can he find a way to defeat them?
At 19, Ary has spent ten years mourning his father’s death. The aftermath of the attack still haunts him. Now, on the eve of the draft he faces his greatest fear, being sent to become a marine.
He knows the cost of war.
All he wants is to marry Charlene, who he has loved since they were kids. Building a farm and starting a family sounds perfect. There’s just one problem, his best friend Vel adores her, too. He’d give anything for peace.
But wanting the Stormriders to stop attacking…
…isn’t going to make it happen.
For love, for his people, and especially for the life he wants, Ary makes a decision that will change everything.
The adventure begins.
You’ll love this beautifully creative dark fantasy, because James Reid knows how to create characters and worlds you’ll grow to adore.
Get it now.
- LanguageEnglish
- Publication dateOctober 23, 2018
- File size10.2 MB
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This option includes 3 books.
This option includes 5 books.
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Product details
- ASIN : B07H6SG15C
- Publisher : Dreaming Between Worlds Publishing LLC
- Accessibility : Learn more
- Publication date : October 23, 2018
- Language : English
- File size : 10.2 MB
- Simultaneous device usage : Unlimited
- Screen Reader : Supported
- Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
- X-Ray : Not Enabled
- Word Wise : Enabled
- Print length : 557 pages
- Page Flip : Enabled
- Book 1 of 5 : The Storm Below
- Best Sellers Rank: #15,704 in Dark Fantasy
- #25,127 in Epic Fantasy (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author

JMD Reid has been a long-time fan of Fantasy ever since he read The Hobbit way back in the fourth grade. His head has always been filled with fantastical tales, and he is eager to share the worlds dwelling in his dreams with you.
Reid is long-time resident of the Pacific Northwest in and around the City of Tacoma. The rainy, gloomy atmosphere of Western Washington, combined with the natural beauty of the evergreen forests and the looming Mount Rainier, provides the perfect climate to brew creative worlds and exciting stories!
When he's not writing, Reid enjoys playing video games, playing D&D and listening to amazing music.
Customer reviews
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Steam/ fantasy , perfect combo!
Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on March 25, 2020This fantasy adventure by JMD Reid has great world-building! I like the steampunk touch of gemstone powers for machines combined with human powers, such as control of wind or lightning. Descriptive imagery pulled me into the story. An old, avian priestess notes her dull plumage. “I’m hardly so radiant any longer.” Her helper notes, “The setting sun is just as beautiful as the rising.”
The characters are appealing. Ary and Chaylene are best friends who suffered through difficult childhoods. Chaylene has insecurities from facing a lifetime of derision, while Ary has a dangerous secret that’s tearing him apart. “Fear spread inside him, a sickly flower opening to a black sun.” All the characters develop naturally through the book. There’s a complex hero’s arc that completes within this story while setting the stage for the next book. Well done!
- Reviewed in the United States on October 24, 2018The fantasy genre has largely shifted away from the wondrous, magical fields of epic fantasy, and into the darker, more human dungeons of grimdark. It is a shift that has alienated me to some extent, since I have always looked to the genre for a joyous escape, which is why Above the Storm caught my attention with the opening scenes.
JMD Reid launches into the story with a temple above the clouds, an aging avian woman (complete with beak and feathers), her reptilian protector (warm and caring despite his cold eyes), and a shocking maelstrom rising from those clouds, with warriors of a humanoid race assumed long-dead riding to battle. The whole scene is as unsettling as it is wondrous, and it demands you keep reading. That is how I like my fantasy to begin!
There is a coming-of-age element to the story, along with a strong romantic element, marked by those conflicting, confusing emotions of young love. In the wrong hands, those elements can drag a story down and leave more mature readers rolling their eyes, but Reid clearly has a grasp on the characters and their relationships, allowing him to draw us in and engage us emotionally as well as intellectually.
Surrounding all of that, however, is a violent, energetic, action-packed tale of magical and military conflict that offers a lot in the way of wonder and amazement. We have pirates and soldiers, air ships and magical steeds, and a mix weapons and magic that keeps the story fresh and original. I tend to gravitate more towards swords-and-sorcery quest fantasy than muskets-and-magic military fantasy, but the way this plays out, and the way Reid keeps the focus on the characters, made it work for me. It is wonderfully paced, with a strong sense of tension throughout, and numerous twists that feel like a natural extension of the story, as opposed to a deliberate attempt to shock the reader.
The mythology here is fantastic, with a lovely amount of world-building that really brings the story to life. More importantly, though, we care about what happens to the people and their world, and that makes the next story of The Storm Below a must-read.
- Reviewed in the United States on January 31, 2022This book - and I’ll assume the rest of the series - will be nearly unaccessible for most non-fantasy readers.
Reid is a world builder like a Dungeons & Dragons Dungeon Master. He’s a DM that doesn’t have any players, so instead he writes the adventure himself. I found myself getting annoyed with the layer upon layer of tired tropes that I’ve read countless times across the genre.
I just didn’t care at all about any of the characters. No heart. No realism. Unpronounceable bird people names. “Oh no! Zzthreuxxz died.” “Xvreauizy didn’t survive the attack either.” Come on man. Some of these names make me think a cat ran across a keyboard and voila: new name.
Yes. He built a world. Most fantasy authors are quite good at doing this. Timelines, mythologies, and so on. That’s all well and good, but how about we focus on telling a compelling story?
This author had been hyped up because of his prolificacy. Yeah. He’s great at dreaming up new realms and he must write fast, but crap at fleshing them out beyond surface level BS. This book has so, SO much fat that needs to be trimmed.
3 stars. It doesn’t have many flaws syntax wise. It’s formatted well. The story itself is average. Bulbous. Like a bad date that just won’t end or company that overstays their welcome.
- Reviewed in the United States on June 10, 2021The characters come to life, as the story captures and holds you.
A story you can get so wrapped in, that you won't want to stop reading till the end. Only to rush to the next book to read what happens next.
- Reviewed in the United States on January 2, 2021I love this audio book! Great read. This has a lot of growth for the characters. I feel it will set up book 2 perfectly! I am not sure if I can wait for book 2 to be put into audio. I am very fortunate to have found this Author!
4.0 out of 5 starsI love this audio book! Great read. This has a lot of growth for the characters. I feel it will set up book 2 perfectly! I am not sure if I can wait for book 2 to be put into audio. I am very fortunate to have found this Author!Steam/ fantasy , perfect combo!
Reviewed in the United States on January 2, 2021
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Top reviews from other countries
- GRReviewed in the United Kingdom on November 14, 2018
5.0 out of 5 stars Great read
Five stars for this beautifully written epic fantasy novel.
Ary and Chaylene become soldiers to protect their world, Above the Storm. They love each other deeply, but they keep secrets from each other.
Ary was touched by the dark goddess thus his soul is tainted, and Chaylene has a secret passion for Ary’s best friend.
The secrets they keep will influence their decisions and their relationship.
The world building is original, different from other epic fantasy novels, with lovely characters and lots of action. Strongly recommend it.