The First 50 Review: The Ashen Levels by C.F. Welburn

Welcome to The First 50. Indie fantasy book reviews that tackle the first 50 pages of a novel, answering the ever-lingering question up front so you don’t have to: finish or DNF?

First up on the chopping block is C.F. Welburn’s The Ashen Levels, a complete collection of all 5 books in the series of the same name.

Without further adieu, leggo.

The Premise

Balagir awakens at a fire with no memory of where he is or how he arrived there. He finds three mysterious characters who answer his questions with riddles and deception. Relying on his wits and bravery, Balagir sets out on various adventures to discover the truth. Along the way, he meets all sorts of odd strangers in a world rife with challenges and lurking dangers on all fronts.

Elegant, old-school prose

I was hooked from the first few sentences. CF Welburn has some serious chops in the ol’ pen hand. The prose is elegant and beautiful. He boasts a hefty vocabulary at parts without ever feeling ostentatious (had to give that one a Goog’). The text’s ornamentation (this one too) doesn’t distract either. Scenes are rendered clearly and the prose flows smoothly and easily.

It’s written in a third-person omniscient that some would consider outdated while reading a 2023 fantasy novel. But, it really works here. It evokes that otherworldly feeling of antiquity that persists on every page perfectly.

The tone and writing style may even bring ancient Greek myths in a minimal fashion to mind as you read.

Atmospheric worldbuilding

The Ashen Levels does hard worldbuilding the way it should be. Details and rules of Warinkel and beyond are peppered on the breadcrumb trail you’re led down. No big exposition dumps. Never overwhelming. Just enough to keep you and Balagir informed while maintaining the atmospheric sense of intrigue that hangs heavy throughout.

Fans of the Dark Souls series would really dig this setting. Plenty of parallels between the game’s world and Warinkel.

Shady, mysterious characters that answer in indiscernible half-truths: check.

Dreamlike vibes where nothing is quite as it seems: check.

Bonfires: you bet your ass.

LitRPG… But good?

Full disclosure up front y’all: No shade if you’re a LitRPG fan. But, the style ain’t my cup o’ tea.

So, I was pretty surprised to read the blurb after this Grimdark book firmly had its hooks in me to find it has “underlying GameLit elements.” I guess it shouldn’t have come as a shock considering all the Dark Souls energy it emanates.

Where (I think) a LitRPG book distracts with stats, progression notes, and other video-gamey filler, this just gets the job done. No pretense. No insisting upon what it wants to be. Like a well-made RPG, all the nuts and bolts are taken care of far off behind the scenes. That leaves you to enjoy the ride, unobstructed.

This probably doesn’t deliver what a hardcore LitRPG head is looking for. But The Ashen Levels instead feels palatable for any fantasy book fan. Give this one a go if you’ve wanted to dive into the LitRPG world but would like to dip a toe in first.

The First 50 Final Verdict:

Keep reading!

A thoroughly enjoyable first 50 pages that wastes no time setting up the world well enough to throw you straight into its fast plot. Strongly recommend this bad boy for video game, classic fantasy adventure, and Dark Souls fans all.

This Grimdark fantasy earns a strong four bonfires out of five.

🔥🔥🔥🔥🪵

Buy The Ashen Levels on Amazon.

Find C.F. Welburn on his website, Instagram, or Facebook.

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