Summary The gods favor the bold, they say, and Vahldan believed it. His boldness had led him to victory against the Spali, earned him the futhark sword, and made him the Lion Lord of the Amalus. Now he sought the power to lead his clan back to glory, and to bring those who oppressed his people to justice. He was well on his way to fulfilling the oath he’d made to his dying father. But his father had never seen the wealth of the stone cities that lined Pontea’s shores… The seeress had prophesied that Vahldan was the Bringer of...
Silverstone’s Book Blog Year in Review Part One
Hello and welcome to The Silverstone’s Book Blog Year in Review. The bloggers here will be reviewing their top three favorite reads of 2023. For me, it was a year of firsts as I published my first fantasy novel, received my first review, was invited to join Silverstone’s Book Blog, and participated in several contests for the indie community. I’ve made some amazing friends and hope to continue into 2024 with more triumphs. I read over fifteen Science Fiction and Fantasy (SFF) books this year out of twenty-seven total books. I tend to read about twenty-four books a year, with...
Guest Review: Tears of the Maelstrom by Timothy Wolff
By Bill Adams Summary: With Vaynex on the brink of civil war, Tempest Claw struggles for peace among his people, many of whom seek vengeance for their lost deity. As the recession grows deeper, one thing remains clear: Tempest will either find common ground with his brethren, or a tomb buried within the sand. Serenna Morgan struggles in her new role as Guardian leader. With insufficient time to mend the emotional scars from the last Harbinger, she must prepare a scattered team to defend the realm from old enemies reemerging in the South, along with a new divine nemesis scheming...
Guest Review: River in the Galaxy by Natalie Kelda
by Bill Adams Summary When Merlon's parents disappeared, his world fell apart. When his best friend died, he lost the ability to enjoy life. For Captain Merlon Ricosta, Lanier's death, two years prior, feels like yesterday. But when a map from his parents is discovered, he decides to push aside his grief to get closure and follow the route they vanished along eighteen years ago. Despite political trouble, Merlon leads his crew into the unknowns of strange galaxies in his quest to find out why his parents never returned. In River in the Galaxy, Merlon fights to keep his crew...
Bloody Rose by Nicholas Eames
Summary: A stand-alone epic fantasy adventure featuring a band of legendary mercenaries set in the world of Kings of the Wyld from author Nicholas Eames, who has been hailed as "the voice of modern fantasy" by Michael R. Fletcher. Live fast, die young. Tam Hashford is tired of working at her local pub, slinging drinks for world-famous mercenaries and listening to the bards sing of adventure and glory in the world beyond her sleepy hometown. When the biggest mercenary band of all rolls into town, led by the infamous Bloody Rose, Tam jumps at the chance to sign on as...
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
Summary It takes a graveyard to raise a child. Nobody Owens, known as Bod, is an ordinary boy. He would be entirely normal if he didn’t live in a cemetery, being raised by ghosts, with a guardian who belongs to neither the world of the living nor the dead. There are adventures in the graveyard for a boy—an ancient Indigo Man, a gateway to the abandoned city of ghouls, the strange and terrible Sleer. But if Bod leaves the graveyard, he will be in danger from the man Jack—who has already killed Bod’s family. Review In his compositions, Neil Gaiman...
The Hunter’s Lament by Steve Pannett
Summary Infamous bounty hunter Bitter Sweet has led his crew of like-minded miscreants for nearly three decades. They can track and capture any man or woman in the known world…for a price. But Sweet is tired. Decades of pursuing the lowest reaches that humanity has to offer have taken their toll. The grime, the lies, the danger, the death. He’s sick of it all. But it’s the only business he knows, and business is good in the aftermath of a long and bloody war. The unstoppable armies of the Vol Empire have conquered Pratia, obliterating all opposition and occupying the...
The Way of Mortals by Blake Carpenter
Summary In the city of Bhai Mandwa, towers of steel and glass reach for the sky while boiler-cars roll along streets that are inhabited by gangsters, demonic assassins, inept policemen and wandering ghosts. More than a million people call the city home, one in the midst of an industrial revolution, torn between the traditions of the old world and a new, frightening future. Below, the Genja River flows, waters possessed by spirits and magic from ancient times. Prem Marantha, third of four royal sisters, was kidnapped and trained to kill as a child. Upon returning home after her long absence,...
Shadows of Nyn’Dira by H.C. Newell
Summary Deep within the forests of Nyn’Dira, darkness rises, and Neer finds herself hunted at every turn. Fleeing from relentless enemies and vicious creatures of darkness, she embarks on a treacherous journey through the dangerous woodlands in search of strength and salvation. As the humans push further into the forbidden lands, the Nasir and his men close in, finding strength in the blood of the innocent. With the balance beginning to shift, Neer is caught in a war she was never meant to be in, and is forced to make a decision that could change the tides of fate, or...
All of Our Sins by Yuval Kordov
Summary “The mountains became plains, and the seas boiled into deserts.” So went the earth. First came the World War, humanity’s suicide. Then came the War against Hell, humanity’s redemption. Esther, the Eternal One, led the way from darkness to light. A new order, by her will. So went civilization. For a time. But as history fades and the Eternal One’s yoke tightens, man turns upon man once more. Ancient dreams of independence rise in Cathedral’s shadow. Bastion’s vengeance awakens. War beckons. And Hell is watching. Review The best word I can use to describe All of Our Sins is...