Review - The Ghosts of Tieros Kol
Indie '25 - Lap Six
“I am a Princess of Tieros Kol, if I want to walk around my own palace naked it’s no one’s damned business! Anyone wants to stop me in my stride I’ll order their eyes gouged out of their heads. Someone has to take control of this place, might as well be me, ass out and all!”
Welcome back to my Indie '25 reviews! And this one is a banger. I just finished
’s recently released novel The Ghosts of Tieros Kol, and let me tell you: this novel has a bit of everything for the readers out there. In Kuznak’s signature pulpy style, it includes elements of classic science fiction, modern fantasy, romance and light erotica, mystery and noir, adventure and spacefaring, political drama, and even surprising themes of environmentalism mixed in.And cigarettes. So many cigarettes. Let’s light one up and warp to Tieros Kol together, shall we?
The Ghosts of Tieros Kol (which will henceforth be shortened to GTK) takes place on the titular planet; a branch off of Earthen society long removed from the original spacefaring pilgrims, forgotten and untouched for generations, building a unique society on a vacant planet inherited from yet another race of mysterious beings that have since been lost in the sands of time. Tieros Kol is a beautiful and exotic landscape, that I cannot possibly describe better than the description near the onset of the book:
Tieros Kol bled memories through the surface scan, as enchanting as he left it, all the colours leaching into one another like a nebula of flora, of watersheds and farmland, deceptively virginal. A magic place. The cities were extravagant and delicate paint palettes; spots of silver flake, ivory black, and titanium white amongst countless brilliant hues. As he landed the shuttle, the chunk of countryside turned from palette to painting—every blade of grass made of blues and greens, pointillation that heaved in the breeze. Purple and orange lichens grew on rocks, the rocks themselves shimmered like tears. The air had that unmistakable tang.
This fantastical landscape is home to equally enchanting people; humans whose sweat glistens like the veins of the native tierosite, a blue-glowing mineral that is native to the planet, whose strange properties interfere with modern technologies and make commonplace modern things like robots an impossibility on Tieros Kol. It is also distinctively marked by sooty black monoliths, huge carved stones etched with strange runes and burnt black by the planet’s ancestors. These monoliths are pivotal to the Tierosan religion (as the locals can hear them singing), but also form the jump off point for the plot of the novel.
Enter Nikolai Lev: scoundrel, smuggler, thief, and con man. GTK begins with Lev brokering an illicit deal with Sir Dene of Tieros Kol, selling him ill-gotten information as Dene conducts mysterious research of the aforementioned monoliths and the caves of tierosite beneath the planet’s surface. When the deal goes south and Lev’s ship is shot down before he can leave Tieros Kol in his rearview, he tumbles ass-over-tea-kettle into more trouble when he is rescued at the crash site by Brena, a Tierosan Princess and priestess-apprentice.
Brena is the third daughter of King Cedri, the ruler of Tieros Kol who has been ailing and absent of late. The absence of the king is worrisome, but more so for the alleged powers that he seems to be granting to Sir Dene; the upstart knight gaining power to the point of becoming betrothed to Cedri’s youngest daughter, Princess Meer. As the betrayed Lev divulges his dirty dealings with Dene (say that three times fast) to Brena, she swiftly uncovers a nefarious plot as Dene makes his move and stages a coup in the Tierosan palace.
Brena and Lev, an unlikely duo who begin a fiery, frantic, and ferocious affair in the amidst of the dangers, pit themselves against Dene as they work to uncover not only the motives behind his attempted coup, but also his purposes for researching the monoliths and what sinister plans he has for the Tierosan royal family. Can they stop him before it’s too late? Will they be able to unravel the riddles of the past in order to save the future of Tieros Kol?
You’ll have to grab a copy to find out.
It’s no secret that I am a good pal of Lisa Kuznak’s, having been her critique partner for years, and am a big fan of her writing (even having previously reviewed her debut novel Pallas in a previous post this year). So naturally I can say this next bit completely without any sort of bias: I freakin’ loved GTK. It is equal parts exciting, clever, sexy, steamy, tragic, funny, and bittersweet. And while the mystery of Dene’s research surrounding the monoliths and tierosite is the base of the plot, GTK’s real show stopper is that it’s actually a love story. Don’t let that turn you off, though. It’s not a capital-R Romance by any means, but I will not deny that the fervent love affair between Lev and Brena gave me all the feels.
Well laid out in a classic three act story, GTK is just so very clean in its execution. There was no part of this story that drags as it leads you through the central mystery of the plot, keeping things clear and concise even as you are introduced to the foreign and fantastical elements of the world. And such a world it is! Tieros Kol is not just any planet, but one full of lush beauty that almost feels dangerous in how majestic it is. And while the setting remains resolute throughout, the acts of the story themselves are written in a neat way in the sense that they all have a distinct style that actually made me feel like I was reading three separate stories in sequence.
Act One is a classic spacefaring adventure; royals and rogues on distant planets, laser guns and sword fights, daring escapes in space craft travelling at breakneck speeds, and the underdog heroes clashing against the big bads. This all rolls into Act Two, which comes at you with more of a detective/noir novel vibe. Intrigue and grit walk hand-in-hand with the political drama inside the palace of Tieros Kol as the central mystery is explored through interrogations of the guilty parties not only at an official level, but also in a grittier movement that includes flushing out the rats and putting the boots to them. It all culminates in Act Three, where the fever dream of Tieros Kol ramps back up and we see some of the truly wonderful elements of fantasy mixed into everything, with more strife and battles that hit you hard in the feels…
Oh, and don't neglect to read the epigraphs! That's where A LOT of the worldbuilding and history hides!
Before I wrap this up, I really can’t ignoring touching on Kuznak’s characters as they are consistently my favourite part of any of her work. Lev and Brena are the most obvious to comment on, the star-crossed lovers at the center of the novel that mirror one another so perfectly. Lev is roguish, quick witted, crude, and doesn’t give a damn about authority. He loves fiercely, isn’t afraid to fight for what he loves, and shines up like a new penny despite his lowborn status. Brena, in turn, is playful, sharp, and nearly as crass as Lev (though her coarseness is hidden behind a layer of regal veneer). She is devoted and passionate, unafraid to lower herself down to Lev’s level when he needs a good swift kick in the ass. And while their relationship borders on the obsessive at times, you’ll find yourself rooting for both of them over the course of GTK.
If I had any criticism to offer on this novel, they would be miniscule things like wanting to see more of my favourite side characters. Lev’s crewmates aboard his ship Star-Eyes, Marco and Tawny, seem to fade into obscurity as he cements himself more firmly on Tieros Kol. Brena’s sister, Princess Meer, doesn’t really shine until the third act. And of course, Kest… Well, there was admittedly a lot of Sir Kest, but he was such a cool guy that I wanted more of the banter back and forth between him and Lev.
Luckily, Kuznak is going to write a prequel, sequel, and/or companion novel based on all my suggestions… Or at least we have talked about it… Commented on it… Alright, I kind of begged her and she was partially maybe a little bit kind of convinced and not at all just humouring me. I hope. (Lisa, please.)
The Ghosts of Tieros Kol is one of those novels that I am going to be recommending for years to come, as it is too fun not to. If I have convince you of that, slam the link below and get yourself a copy today.
That’s six for six on Indie ‘25, and thank you for stopping into read my review. I have my seventh read of the year already picked out and ready to go, but that does not mean I can’t entertain more pitches. Have an indie book out that you’d like me to review? Comment below or message me directly, don’t be shy! I’m doing this all year, baby.
Reject corporate fiction. Be your own boss. Believe in the me that believes in you.
Uh… Et cetera.
TTFN.
I just got it, so now I'm really looking forward to it.
I’m halfway through it. Loving it so far.