Bright swords. Dark sorcery. A city stalked by enemies.
Brand, though descended from chieftains, wanders the land of Alithoras with no possessions save the clothes he wears and his oft-needed sword. But the blade belonged to his forefathers, and he yearns to prove himself worthy of a long line of heroes.
Drawn to Red Cardoroth, he discovers that the city earned its name for good reason. Enemies without plot its downfall. Traitors within conspire toward its destruction. All about him swirls a cesspool of mistrust, betrayal and shadow-hidden sorcery.
Yet he meets Aranloth, a wizard, and finds that loyalty, trust and courage vie against the dark forces of the world. He swears to serve the king. But the king is under constant threat, and swords and spells alone will not save him. Nothing will. But that does not stop Brand. He gives no quarter to the schemes of men, is not cowed by sorcery, and will not yield . . . even to fate.
A Spell of Swords is a series of six tightly linked short stories. They are set in the same world as the epic fantasy novel, Renown of the Raithlin, but are stand-alone pieces.
From the author
I am a man born in the wrong era. My heart yearns for faraway places and even further afield times. Tolkien had me at the beginning of The Hobbit when he said, ". . . one morning long ago in the quiet of the world . . ."
Sometimes I picture myself in a Viking mead-hall. The long winter night presses in, but the shimmering embers of a log in the hearth hold back both cold and dark. The chieftain calls for a story, and I take a sip from my drinking horn and stand up . . .
Or maybe the desert stars shine bright and clear, obscured occasionally by wisps of smoke from burning camel dung. A dry gust of wind marches sand grains across our lonely campsite, and the wayfarers about me stir restlessly. I sip cool water and begin to speak.
I am a storyteller. A man to paint a picture by the slow music of words. I like to bring faraway places and times to life, to make hearts yearn for something they can never have, unless for a passing moment.
I love to read epic fantasy, and I have a passion to write, to weave a story with words that come to life on the page and draw the reader into another world.
Description:
Bright swords. Dark sorcery. A city stalked by enemies. Brand, though descended from chieftains, wanders the land of Alithoras with no possessions save the clothes he wears and his oft-needed sword. But the blade belonged to his forefathers, and he yearns to prove himself worthy of a long line of heroes. Drawn to Red Cardoroth, he discovers that the city earned its name for good reason. Enemies without plot its downfall. Traitors within conspire toward its destruction. All about him swirls a cesspool of mistrust, betrayal and shadow-hidden sorcery. Yet he meets Aranloth, a wizard, and finds that loyalty, trust and courage vie against the dark forces of the world. He swears to serve the king. But the king is under constant threat, and swords and spells alone will not save him. Nothing will. But that does not stop Brand. He gives no quarter to the schemes of men, is not cowed by sorcery, and will not yield . . . even to fate. A Spell of Swords is a series of six tightly linked short stories. They are set in the same world as the epic fantasy novel, Renown of the Raithlin, but are stand-alone pieces. From the author I am a man born in the wrong era. My heart yearns for faraway places and even further afield times. Tolkien had me at the beginning of The Hobbit when he said, ". . . one morning long ago in the quiet of the world . . ." Sometimes I picture myself in a Viking mead-hall. The long winter night presses in, but the shimmering embers of a log in the hearth hold back both cold and dark. The chieftain calls for a story, and I take a sip from my drinking horn and stand up . . . Or maybe the desert stars shine bright and clear, obscured occasionally by wisps of smoke from burning camel dung. A dry gust of wind marches sand grains across our lonely campsite, and the wayfarers about me stir restlessly. I sip cool water and begin to speak. I am a storyteller. A man to paint a picture by the slow music of words. I like to bring faraway places and times to life, to make hearts yearn for something they can never have, unless for a passing moment. I love to read epic fantasy, and I have a passion to write, to weave a story with words that come to life on the page and draw the reader into another world.