Leviathan Saga: The Great Beast, is the first novel written by the collective known as The Combustion Industries Quality Writers Concern. After four years of writing, and one year of claiming to have completed it, the manuscript was completed (the term 'beta' was used) minutes before January 1 2010. It is the first book of a trilogy of seven.
Mona has wanted nothing more than to become a knight. And after eight years, that dream has come true. Unfortunately, in this economy, the once noble mantle of knighthood isn't the most lucrative or desired position. Kings and politicians use mages for protection, and her fellow knights are so obsessed with keeping their jobs that they cling to their posts. Despite her martial prowess, she finds herself taking many odd jobs that are less than chivalrous, and she can't help the feeling that people are laughing at her.
After helping the right person, she is able to snag a commission working for the kingdom of Enfant. The job ends up with her being ranked even lower than when she was a squire. Reduced to a mere intern for juvenile knights, Mona resigns herself to a fate of being a gopher for a barrack filled with drunken frat boys. However, one day, while fetching donuts and coffee, her kingdom is attacked. The souls of every man, woman, and child are stolen, save for her. Though she has little love for the kingdom, she feels honor-bound to avenge the massacre, if not rescue all of their souls. With little more than a sword and a large purse of money, Mona sets out to get right this wrong. It is a shame that she has no idea what she's doing or where she's going.
It can only go uphill from there.
Currently seeking a publisher, or an agent.
Followed by Leviathan Saga: The Minus World, currently in progress.
This work contains examples of the following tropes:
- BFS: Mona's sword of choice. Its apparently a practical weapon choice on Dione.
- Break the Cutie: Poor, poor Mona. Also, the Mages Guild seems intent on accomplishing this trope before apprentices hit puberty.
- Crapsack World: Dione is referred to several times in the series as an "Opportunistic Rock," due to the near constant Xanatos Speed Chess going on at nearly every level of society.
- Earn Your Happy Ending: Literally.
- Lady of War: Possibly part of the Author Appeal. The Kiriyama title is built upon this, mixed with a helping of insanity.
- Kiriyama Kazuko: Dissonant Serenity
- Kiriyama Rya: Unstoppable Rage
- Kiriyama Isuka: Berserker Tears
- Big Brother Mentor: Mage Sour.
- Bittersweet Ending: Mona saves her kingdom and becomes the knight and hero that she always wanted to be, at the cost Sour's life.
- Doomed Hometown: Enfant
- Expy: The E-Ship crew.
- Heroic BSoD: Mona after Sour's death, and earlier, Sour after using the Infernal Seal.
- Magically-Binding Contract
- Mentor Occupational Hazard: Mage Sour seems to expect this to happen at some point. It does.
- The Only One: Subverted in that Mona is the first person to have Jumped at the Call, but was by no means the only one that could have at any point in the last 4000 years.
- Rasputinian Death: Sour. Shot, stabbed and blown up before losing his soul.
- Surprisingly Realistic Outcome: What happens when level one character hears the call but has no idea what the hell the call is saying to them. This lasts until near the end of the book.
- Why Won't You Die?: Played straight.
- Wrong Genre Savvy: Fats, when not ignoring the Fourth Wall, seems to think that the world is a video game. Mona herself seems to think that knighthood operates on a kind of quest-reward system.
- Alternate History: In this timeline, the war that lead to Mona's ancestors arriving on Dione never happened, changing 4000 years of history.
- Blood Knight: The second major theme in the story.
- Coup de Grâce: Averted twice.
- Darker and Edgier
