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C. S. Boyack

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Serang (The Lanternfish Series) Kindle Edition

by C. S. Boyack (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

4.7 23 ratings

Related to: The Lanternfish Series

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Monastic life is all about duty, service, and harmony. For Serang, a young girl abandoned at the temple by her mother after the death of her father, that life becomes all she knows. The monks give her purpose, and become her new family.

When political upheaval brings chaos throughout the land, Serang again loses everything and everyone she loves. Alone, she struggles to survive. She convinces a wandering monk to take her under his wing and complete her training. Thus begin her adventures through strange lands and her trials to become a confident, capable, independent adult.

This is a coming of age story set in fantasy world. It's filled with monsters and martial arts, difficulties and dangers. The serious situations preclude the story from the levity of it's predecessor, Voyage of the Lanternfish, but it provides a compelling look at the origin of one of the saga's most fascinating characters.

Print length

237 pages
Language

English
Sticky notes

On Kindle Scribe
Publication date

November 3, 2019
File size

2841 KB
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Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07ZYPPV8K
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Self (November 3, 2019)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ November 3, 2019
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 2841 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 ‏ : ‎ 237 pages

Customer Reviews:
4.7 23 ratings

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C. S. Boyack

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I was born in a town called Elko, Nevada. I like to tell everyone I was born in a small town in the 1940s. I'm not quite that old, but Elko has always been a little behind the times. This gives me a unique perspective of earlier times, and other ways of getting by. Some of this bleeds through into my fiction.

I moved to Idaho right after the turn of the century, and never looked back. My writing career was born here, with access to other writers and critique groups I jumped in with both feet.

I like to write about things that have something unusual. My works are in the realm of science fiction, paranormal, and fantasy. The goal is to entertain you for a few hours. I hope you enjoy the ride.

Craig

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4.7 out of 5

23 global ratings

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ACFlory

Coming of Age in a time of chaos

Reviewed in the United States on October 8, 2020

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Serang bears a slight similarity to the Karate Kid story, but only because the main character is young and learns martial arts. Beyond that, Serang is a lovely, unique story about a young girl who is given to the Temple to be raised by monks. These monks are both male and female, and there is no qualitative difference between them. All monks learn martial arts. Which style of martial art they learn depends upon their individual personalities - i.e. what suits each monk the best.

When the temple is destroyed, Serang is saved by one of the wandering monks who also survived the carnage. He continues Serang's education in martial arts and living off the land. There are exciting fight scenes, but they are not the main focus of the story. Serang's development and growth are the drivers, and I have to say that I loved the story from start to finish.

I would recommend Serang to anyone who loves reading about 'becoming' and the triumph of the human spirit.

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Kindle Customer

Excellent companion to the Lanterfish novels

Reviewed in the United States on February 23, 2021

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This is a solid book with the interesting coming of age story. I enjoyed the read and learning the character more from the author's Lanternfish books. The culture and fantasy were both well conceived and well written. I'm looking forward to more about the world in which the Lanterfish is set and this book builds onto with this very satisfying book.

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D.L. Finn

A fantastic fantasy coming-of-age tale that I highly recommend.

Reviewed in the United States on February 22, 2020

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“Serang” is a companion book to “Voyage of the Lanternfish,” but it isn’t necessary to have read it to enjoy this story. I was very excited to explore Serang’s history, and this book didn’t disappoint. Her mother abandons her at a temple as a young girl, but I like Serang is given a choice about that later. When the new Emperor removes her way of life, everything changes again. This journey into adulthood and her relationship with a monk were the heart of this story. The fights were exciting, and the moments of learning were thought-provoking. The detail in the scenery brought me into her world as they battled, searched for water in the desert, or slept in a cave. There were times I was worried for Serang and other times enjoyed her accomplishments. A fantastic fantasy coming-of-age tale that I highly recommend.

Reviewed in the United States on November 11, 2019

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A vivid story that follows an orphan's path as she matures from a child adrift, to a confident young woman and warrior. Serang is a character from Boyack’s popular Voyage of the Lanternfish tale, but you needn’t have read that book to enjoy this story. It stands on its own, allowing the reader to grow with Serang.

Through the course of the story she learns valuable lessons—many from a wise monk—faces multiple challenges and discovers herself along the way. There is danger and adventure. Heartbreak as well, but there is also plenty of humor, and the ending delivers a beautiful reward. As a reader I loved seeing the growth of Serang’s character. Enjoy this as a backstory to Voyage of the Lanternfish, or as a brand-new tale. Either way, it is a wholly entertaining read!

Reviewed in the United States on July 27, 2021

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A very interesting book, unlike any I’ve read. It’s not only entertaining but makes a person think about their self and their relationship with others. I believe that I will save this book to reread again in a few years.

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writester

Gripping Coming-of-Age Story

Reviewed in the United States on November 12, 2019

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Readers were first introduced to Serang in Boyack’s VOYAGE OF THE LANTERNFISH. I was immediately taken with her obvious strength and her hidden vulnerabilities. It was clear to me that she’d suffered in her past.

SERANG puts an end to my questions and reveals her backstory.

Readers who are looking for the light-hearted banter and hilarious antics of Lanternfish’s root monsters will not find it here. This is a serious tale covering serious topics. But Boyack handled them brilliantly. I felt her pain, her despair. I reveled in her determination and her strength. I feared for her life and celebrated her triumphs.

You can’t ask for more than that.

This is an excellent companion piece to the Lanternfish franchise. One I highly recommend.

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JanS

Fabulous World-Building

Reviewed in the United States on December 19, 2019

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This story was one that I couldn't put down! I was intrigued by Serang's character when she was introduced in The Voyage of The Lanternfish and it was great to learn her backstory. To say she faced hardships and trials would be putting it very mildly. As she came of age, under the teachings of Master Yong, she learned to become a fierce warrior and her intuition grew. The way she received her master weapon, the Guandao was fascinating. Her journey to the Temple of the Wind and then through the caves was heartstopping. This book is fantasy at its best! I highly recommend it to anyone who loves a good story and fabulous world-building!

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Deborah Jay

Reminded me of Kung Fu, but with a female protagonist and in a fantasy setting

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 19, 2020

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Serang’s life falls apart after her fisherman father dies at sea, and her mother, unable to support a child alone, leaves her at the local temple to be taken in and trained by the monks. The story follows Serang as she slowly begins to accept the massive change of direction her life has taken, and embrace the physical and mental challenges of her training. Then, a few years and a lot of lessons later, the outside world intrudes again, when the new emperor declares the monks no longer welcome in society, and backs this up by destroying the temples and having all the monks killed, forcing Serang down yet another path.
This is a slow burn novel plot-wise, but the monastic training (think Kung Fu, not Cadfael) is detailed and fascinating, bringing about a beautiful development of the eponymous character. She has her flaws and is often somewhat rebellious about accepting these, just like any teenager, but she possesses plenty of charm and a marvellous work-ethic, plus an interesting moral code that keeps evolving throughout the book.
The secondary characters are delightfully quirky, and the magic doesn’t take over the story but blends seamlessly into the world building, leaving you with a feeling that this is a familiar world, and yet not. It is also an easily visualised tale, with excellent fight scenes.
I have not read The Voyage of the Lanternfish, the novel in which Serang first appears, so I can assure you this book reads just fine as a standalone, and not only as a companion piece. Overall, if you are NOT looking for a rapid-fire action adventure, then I recommend this as a captivating coming-of-age story that held my attention the entire way through on the strength of the characterisation.

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