The Return of the Knights (The Dance of Light Book 1)

Related Posts
The Pariah (The Covenant of Steel, 1)

"A gritty, heart-pounding tale of betrayal and bloody vengeance. I loved every single word." —John Gwynne The Pariah begins a new epic fantasy series of action, intrigue and magic from Anthony Ryan, a master storyteller who has taken the fantasy world by Read more

The Return of the Knights (The Dance of Light Book 1)
MainCategory:
Type:
Lenght:
Seriesize:

Mark Lawrence: One for the worldbuilding fans. A fantasy world with an extensive history thoroughly explored for you to an accompaniment of swordplay, sieges, and drama.

Grimdark magazine: The Return of the Knights is recommended for epic fantasy fans wishing to quench their thirst for all the classic tropes. Gregory Kontaxis clearly has a lot of talent, and I look forward to reading more from this up-and-coming author.

——————-

The Palace of the Dawn will soon be stormed. The most ruthless man of all time is one step away from assailing on Iovbridge and dethroning Sophie Delamere. The Queen of Knightdorn is now alone, with neither allies nor an army capable of rebuffing the enemy which is approaching her city. Everything appears to be over, until a mysterious young man, Elliot, makes his appearance.

Entangled in a web of lies and politics, Elliot will try to draw Walter away from Iovbridge and face him in the stronghold of Wirskworth. He will attempt to rekindle relations and revive the old alliance between the Queen of Knightdorn and Syrella Endor, the Governor of Wirskworth. Elliot’s mission will take every fibre of his will and if he fails, so shall the kingdom.

Game Of Thrones meets Greek mythology in this explosive epic fantasy story, packed with war, medieval lore, magic, loyalty and bravery. The first book in the series, The Dance of Light, will take you on an epic journey to a fantasy world of men and mythical creatures which will keep you spellbound till the very end.

City of Dreams & Nightmare: City of a Hundred Rows

City of Dreams & Nightmare: City of a Hundred Rows
Date:
MainCategory:
Type:
Lenght:
Seriesize:
Author:

THEY CALL IT “THE CITY OF A HUNDRED ROWS”.

City of Dreams & Nightmare is the first in a series of novels set in one of the most extraordinary fantasy settings since Gormenghast – the ancient vertical city of Thaiburley.

From its towering palatial heights to the dregs who dwell in The City Below, this is a vast, multi-tiered metropolis, and demons are said to dwell in the Upper Heights…

Having witnessed a murder in a part of the city he should never have been in, street thief Tom has to run for his life. Down through the vast city he is pursued by sky-borne assassins, sinister Kite Guards, and agents of a darker force intent on destabilising the whole city.

Accused of the crime, he must use all of his knowledge of this ancient city to flee a certain death; his only ally is Kat, a renegade like him, but she has secrets of her own…

sequel here

The Double-Edged Sword: A Tale of the Fallen Hero

A disgraced swordsman leaves town one step ahead of justice.

In search of gainful(ish) employment, he heads for a former haunt, the seaport city of Cray. His past, however, soon catches up with him in the form of Julia, a notorious thief and sometimes assassin. He finds himself thrust into an impossible situation, caught in the midst of a bitter feud between the city’s two ruling families, and is forced to embark on what will surely prove to be a suicide mission.

A novella of sword play, betrayal, and derring-do, seen from the perspective of a cynical anti-hero who struggles to live up to expectations but excels at living down to them.

“A cheerfully brutal story of betrayal and skulduggery, vicious fun from start to finish.” – Adrian Tchaikovsky

“A quick, highly readable, swords & sorcery romp… you can see Whates has learned his craft.” – Mark Lawrence

The Double-Edged Sword is a slice of pure golden-age sword and sorcery action, packed with rogues, betrayals and dubious morals.” – Jen Williams

“Action, deception, a daring heist and lots of twists and turns. Excellent world building and intriguing characters. I really enjoyed it!” – Gail Z. Martin

The Sword Defiant (Lands of the Firstborn)

The Sword Defiant (Lands of the Firstborn)
MainCategory:
Newstuff:
Type:
Lenght:
Seriesize:

THE SWORD CARES NOT WHO IT CUTS

Many years ago, Sir Aelfric and his nine companions saved the world, seizing the Dark Lord’s cursed weapons, along with his dread city of Necrad. That was the easy part.

Now, when Aelfric – keeper of the cursed sword Spellbreaker – learns of a new and terrifying threat, he seeks the nine heroes once again. But they are wandering adventurers no longer. Yesterday’s eager heroes are today’s weary leaders – and some have turned to the darkness, becoming monsters themselves.

If there’s one thing Aelfric knows, it’s slaying monsters. Even if they used to be his friends.

Set in a world of dark myth and dangerous prophecy, The Sword Defiant launches an epic tale of daring warriors, living weapons and bloodthirsty vengeance.

‘The front runner for my book of the year . . . The Sword Defiant is a love letter to roleplaying games, to Tolkien, to what epic fantasy has been about for me through my whole life. I adored this book from the first page to the last. Hanrahan has taken the best of the old, the best of the last two decades, and then brought it screaming into the modern era. Fans of Gemmell and Abercrombie need this on their shelves’
Ed McDonald, author of Blackwing

The Skald’s Black Verse: A Grimdark Scifi Fantasy (The Dreadbound Ode Trilogy)

The Skald's Black Verse: A Grimdark Scifi Fantasy (The Dreadbound Ode Trilogy)
Date:
MainCategory:
Type:
Lenght:
Seriesize:
Narrator:

Brohr needs out of his village before they put a noose around his neck.

Wanted for the bizarre and brutal murder of an occupying soldier, the true culprit is too horrifying to comprehend.

Hunted by invaders from another world, Brohr wrestles to uncover the truth of his brother’s death, and to spur his downtrodden kinsmen in a desperate revolt against an empire that spans the heavens.

But a fallen god lurks in the shadows, intent upon a rebellion of its own.

Above Brohr’s head, looms a dire omen, one that spells the end of his homeworld. Will he turn to the shadows for strength? How can one scorned half-breed, an outcast, a berserker, stand against an empire, against a god, against the very sky falling?

The Brand of the Warlock (The Counterfeit Sorcerer Book 1)

The Brand of the Warlock (The Counterfeit Sorcerer Book 1)
Date:
MainCategory:
Type:
Lenght:
Seriesize:

A hooded man, his face marred by a mysterious black brand, walks the Plain of Savlos. Some say he has the power to summon demons. Others say he is the only one who can vanquish them. His name is Konrad, and he has a secret….

Once an ordinary soldier, his life was forever changed by a fateful meeting with a dying sorcerer. Now he is all that stands between civilization and the creeping evil of the shadow world. The Brand of the Warlock is the first book in the fast-paced sword & sorcery series THE COUNTERFEIT SORCERER.

Pick up The Brand of the Warlock and start your adventure today!

Mountain of Daggers (Tales of the Black Raven)

Mountain of Daggers (Tales of the Black Raven)
Date:
MainCategory:
Lenght:
Seriesize:
Narrator:

Disenchanted (Land of Dis)

Disenchanted (Land of Dis)
Date:
MainCategory:
Type:
trope:
Lenght:
Seriesize:

Robert Kroese’s Disenchanted comes fully loaded with the wit and charm of The Princess Bride and a sense of humor all its own. This clever take on the traditional fantasy includes footnotes that keep the narrator honest, a cast of characters that resembles something out of the Island of Misfit Toys, and a fantastic setting filled with words and names that test pronunciation skills.

Being assassinated doesn’t have many upsides, so when King Boric is felled by a traitor, the king comforts himself with the knowledge that, like all great warriors, he will spend eternity carousing in the Hall of Avandoor.

There’s just one problem: to claim his heavenly reward, Boric must release the enchanted sword of Brakslaagt.

Now, to avoid being cursed to walk the land of Dis forever as an undead wraith, he must hunt down the mysterious Lord Brand who gave him the sword twenty years ago. So begins Boric’s extraordinary journey across the Six Kingdoms of Dis, a walking corpse who wants nothing more than to be disenchanted and left in peace.

Along the way he’s advised by the Witch of Twyllic, mocked by the threfelings of New Threfelton, burned, shot at, and nearly blown to bits. But nothing can prepare him for coming face-to-face with Lord Brand. For in that moment, Boric discovers that nothing—in life, in death, or in between—is exactly what it seems.

Critical Failures (Caverns and Creatures Book 1)

Critical Failures (Caverns and Creatures Book 1)
Date:
MainCategory:
Type:
Lenght:
Seriesize:
Author:

What if you and your friends got to live the game for real? What if you and your friends were assholes? After relentlessly mocking their strange new Game Master, Tim and his friends find themselves trapped in the bodies of their fantasy game characters, in a world where the swords, the magic, and the gastrointestinal issues are all too real.

They learn hard lessons about tolerance and teamwork, and a new meaning for the term “dump stat”. Ha ha. Just kidding. They don’t learn shit. Never before have comedy and fantasy come together so much like a train wreck, in which each train was carrying a shipment of burning dumpsters.

You just can’t help but continue to stare. Don’t be the last of your circle of nerds to read this book. Shake the Dorito crumbs out of your neck beard, grab your large sack, and prepare to enter the world of Caverns & Creatures. Get it NOW!

Death Dealers & Diabolists

Death Dealers & Diabolists
Date:
MainCategory:
Lenght:

Are you ready for adventure? This anthology will take you from fifth-century Constantinople to Dark Age Finland to places beyond imagining. You will encounter a former gladiatrix in the employ of demon summoners, an overly ambitious barbarian chieftain, a doddering pyromancer, and incarnations of holy warriors of India.

Death Dealers & Diabolists contains eight exciting tales of swords and sorcery by an assortment of talented authors, including Buzz Dixon (writer for the Transformers, G.I. Joe, and Thundarr the Barbarian cartoons) and Keith Taylor (author of the Bard series).

Stories included:

“Q’a the Librarian” by Buzz Dixon

“The Man With the Evil Eye” by Keith Taylor

“The Vault of Geigar Verakas” by Kenneth R. Gower

“Lord of the Wood” by Geoff Blackwell

“Ranorax, Son of the Tiger” by Mark Taverna

“Intrigue in the Unassailable City” by Carl Walmsley

“Three Coins of Doom” by Bryan Dyke

“The Age of Crows—The Return of the Swarm” by Jed J. Del Rosario