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Simon Cantan
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The Bite on the Line (Bytarend Book 1) Kindle Edition

by Simon Cantan (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
3.7 3.7 out of 5 stars 788 ratings
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Clinging to the bar running along the front of the platform, Sergeant Osric has a lot of time to think about how he got there. About how he’s shooting through a forest on a rocket powered railcar. About how a grinning thief is clinging to the same bar beside him. Most of all, though, about how he’s heading for Bytarend; a town no-one has heard from in almost a hundred years. There has to be a reasonable explanation for their silence, after all. Osric tries to think of a reason that doesn’t end in his horrible death...

... he can’t come up with one.

The Bite on the Line is the first book in the Bytarend series. Fast-paced fantasy with plenty of humour along the way.

The Bite on the Line will grip you until the final page. Grab a copy today!

Previous page
  1. Book 1 of 6
    Bytarend
  2. Print length
    353 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  5. Publication date
    November 9, 2013
  6. File size
    3178 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  10. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

4/5 Stars from Lit Amri for Readers' Favorite

"A fantasy novel interwoven with mystery, magic and humor... one wonders about the duo's fate and what lies in the mysterious town."

"Characterization is solid and the straightforward prose helps to unfold the plot swiftly. Initially, the storyline is somewhat hectic and the backstory of each character seems loose and detached at first. That said, everything comes together as the story progresses and I truly enjoyed the action scenes and humor. Overall, an entertaining novel from Cantan."

About the Author

An avid reader from an early age, Simon Cantan loved to get lost in the worlds that Piers Anthony, Douglas Adams, and others created. When he read Harry Harrison's "The Stainless Steel Rat Gets Drafted" at the age of thirteen, he knew he wanted to write, and has been pestering people about it ever since. Two decades later, Simon has published several books, including the "Bytarend", "Black Silicon", and "Kyra Sarin" series. He continues to write science-fiction and fantasy, usually with a humorous slant to it. More details about Simon and his books can be found at http://SimonCantan.com.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00D9SRT9U
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Simon Cantan; 5th edition (November 9, 2013)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ November 9, 2013
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 3178 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 353 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    3.7 3.7 out of 5 stars 788 ratings

About the author

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Simon Cantan

Simon Cantan

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An avid reader from an early age, Simon Cantan loved to get lost in the worlds that Piers Anthony, Douglas Adams, and others created. When he read Harry Harrison's "The Stainless Steel Rat Gets Drafted" at the age of thirteen, he knew he wanted to write, and has been pestering people about it ever since.

Two decades later, Simon has published several books, including the "Bytarend", "Black Silicon", and "Kyra Sarin" series. He continues to write science-fiction and fantasy, usually with a humorous slant to it.

More details about Simon and his books can be found at https://SimonCantan.com.

Customer reviews

3.7 out of 5 stars
3.7 out of 5
788 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Tise
4.0 out of 5 stars Fun new author!
Reviewed in the United States on January 19, 2014
Verified Purchase
Get this one for free, but if you like Terry Pratchett and/or Robert Aspirin, just go ahead and buy the omnibus of the next couple of stories right now - you're going to want it. No, he isn't as good as either of those authors (yet) but I wouldn't be too surprised if someday he was. In the meantime, this was hands-down the best free kindle book from a new author I've found in quite some time.

This book isn't perfect, but my biggest complaint is that it isn't long enough, which should tell you something.

As soon as I figure out which is his first book, I'm going to get a paper copy of it, for two reasons. First, I want to encourage him to keep writing. If he doesn't, I'll pout, and that isn't pretty. Second, I suspect that in 10 or 20 years it will be quite the trophy, and it will be well worth the price to be able to say "yes, that is a first edition of his first book - I recognized his talent back in January 2014." Granted, my smug, know-it-all smile isn't any prettier than my pout, but it *is* a lot more fun :)

P.S. - this book is guaranteed free of a ditzy, annoying, beautiful-but-doesn't-know-it 17 year old clothing-obsessed girl who for some inexplicable reason instantaneously wins the eternal devotion of a (1) several-hundred-year-old uber-powerful studly vampire and/or (2) an uber-powerful studly diamond-in-the-rough wereanimal with a heart of gold and/or (3) an uber-powerful studly [insert name of currently trendy supernatural creature here] .
P.P.S. - if this author *were* to write a book with the above character, it would probably be funny, but on purpose.
3 people found this helpful
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A. D. Scism
5.0 out of 5 stars and even in my dotage (I'm 71 now) I still enjoy a good humorous fantasy sci-fi
Reviewed in the United States on July 22, 2014
Verified Purchase
Years ago I got hooked on Piers Anthony, and even in my dotage (I'm 71 now) I still enjoy a good humorous fantasy sci-fi. I'm not a fan of the horror, vampire, living dead stuff that's going around nowadays, but this book did a great job of including the "ick" factor without overdoing it. The "lifeless" and "leeches," both animal and human, were simply a part of the plot and not disgusting as so often happens. The characters were enjoyable and i enjoyed finding out what their next problem was going to be, from literally being "run out of town on a rail" to their final confrontation with the evil dark mages. I found this to be an enjoyable, light read.
,
One person found this helpful
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Kindle Customer
3.0 out of 5 stars A Novel About Losing a Kingdom and Trying to Get it Back
Reviewed in the United States on October 10, 2015
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SC has written a novel with a storyline synonymous with the Knights of the Round Table. This type of book is not my cup of tea. However, sometimes I do pick a book to read and I am confused from the git go. My rating would not be fair, but under the circumstances. That being said I will rate this in the middle. My understanding of the novel should not reflect on the writings of the author. This is a middle of the road rating.....ER
One person found this helpful
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TwirlsNwind
4.0 out of 5 stars Vampires x Zombies
Reviewed in the United States on April 5, 2014
Verified Purchase
Two soldiers get asigned to a town that no one has heard from in a long time. The town is over run by Vampire like creatures that suck out your life force, and turn you into Zombie like creatures. There is lots of action, twists, and turns, up till the end. if you like vampires, and zombies, this is a fun read. The first part of the book has nothing to do with the majority of the book, so that is a bit confusing at first, hence only the 4 star rating. This is just a fun read. Nothing here that is life changing, or characters that you will worry about days later. There is no cliffhanger endings, so that is good news to me.
One person found this helpful
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lmh
5.0 out of 5 stars Good story line
Reviewed in the United States on August 2, 2021
Verified Purchase
I really liked the pace of the story and the way magical people were woven in like they were normal parts of the world. I bought the rest of the books to continue reading.
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JSK
2.0 out of 5 stars Not actively bad
Reviewed in the United States on March 27, 2014
Verified Purchase
I got this for free, and I have more or less come to the conclusion that I didn't waste my time. There's a core interesting story, with lots of elements added in to make it more unique. Unfortunately, those elements don't actually seem to fit, so it all seems rather awkward.

There are two backstory sections before the main story, set in a completely different location and with side characters who are completely irrelevant to the rest of the story. I guess they were there to introduce the main characters, but they just seemed wedged in there. Despite the backstory, the characters still seemed pretty flat.

The steampunk / mad scientist inventions only sort of worked. They fit in better as the story went on.

The humorous elements just seemed incongruous.

And to top it all off, there was some romance tacked on to the end.

This would have made a good short story or novella, with the extraneous bits discarded and perhaps the humor integrated a little better. As published, it didn't actively suck, but it wasn't anything to write home about either.
5 people found this helpful
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Kelley
3.0 out of 5 stars I enjoyed
Reviewed in the United States on December 5, 2020
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Good overall story with some very funny scenes. I quite enjoyed reading it. But it had lots of plot holes.
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Seth A. Tucker
4.0 out of 5 stars A less than serious fantasy.
Reviewed in the United States on December 7, 2015
Verified Purchase
A fun romp that does not take itself too seriously. I was not sure what I was getting into when this book began. It appeared to be similar to other fantasy books that I've read, but then chapter 2 derailed that all together. With fun, comical dialogue between characters and memorable scenarios, Simon Cantan creates a fun world, populated by monsters and the city guard of Bytarend, which clash with comical weapons and disastrous results. A quick fun read for fans of fantasy that want to something that takes its source material a little bit less serious.
One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

stan clarahan
3.0 out of 5 stars Three Stars
Reviewed in Canada on September 29, 2017
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saving for a trip
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Chris
5.0 out of 5 stars A Fantastic Book
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 28, 2015
Verified Purchase
This book is written for anyone who likes action and they won't be disappointed. The two main characters are very different yet entertaining throughout and the bad guys are very original in design. The story is gripping and thoroughly enjoyable from start to finish. A must read for all. Can't wait to read the next story
One person found this helpful
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Godiva 2000
4.0 out of 5 stars Good Fun Read
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 28, 2015
Verified Purchase
I really enjoyed this book, it is a long time since I read a comic fantasy novel of this type and it made a refreshing change. The story was quite original (and very funny) and I thought that the characters were very well developed.
It was fun to have (effectively) vampires and zombies as adversaries and they, together with the 'mad professor/inventor' provided some really entertaining situations. I did however think that the ending was not as strong as the rest of the book.
Overall this book provides a very entertaining read and will keep you absorbed throughout. I have awarded it 4 stars rather than 5 as, although it is good, it doesn't achieve the standard of the discworld books which set the benchmark for this genre.
One person found this helpful
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sally
5.0 out of 5 stars entertainment for all ages
Reviewed in Canada on December 28, 2013
Verified Purchase
loved this book. it has the right mix of action, comedy and a hint of the ridiculous. I would recommend this book to fantasy lovers of all ages. it is rare to find a book that keeps you interested and makes you smile at the same time.
3 people found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in Canada on November 3, 2015
Verified Purchase
VERY HAPPY WITH STORY. LOVE READING THINGS THAT I CAN'T LIVE
One person found this helpful
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