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The Saulzar Codex

Tag Archives: Fantasy

The Complete Saulzar Codex

10 Monday Nov 2014

Posted by Aaron Brander in On Writing

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5 stars, Fantasy, Fiction, Saulzar, Saulzar Codex, Writing

It’s finally here! Get the complete Saulzar Codex at Amazon for $6.99.

CODEX

Saulzar is a mighty warrior that wishes for nothing more than a simple life with companions that he loves. But what happens when his life becomes entangled in forces far greater than he can imagine? Can he pay the price to keep the bonds of friendship alive? Or will the lure of power and a sword of legend teach him the true cost of revenge?

Follow Saulzar from his thieving youth in the bustling city of Sol and into the shadow of empire, where he seeks a focus for his wrath. He is a barbarian unchained, and the world will tremble when he finds a release from his rage.

The Saulzar Codex contains the original twelve chapters of the story, plus two bonus tales. It is approximately 300 pages.

It is just the beginning of Saulzar’s epic tale.

The Saulzar Codex

A Fall from Grace
#1 A Price to Pay – Saulzar battles his grief and the vengeful spirit of Flynn.
#2 The Bonds of Friendship – Saulzar and Janus seek the vessel of Herna.
#3 The Illusion of Control – Saulzar and The Wolves must assassinate the Warlord of Komarna.
#4 A Release from Rage – Saulzar completes his task as Kubetsai-jo, but suffers a great loss.

A Lesson in Honor
#5 The Cost of Revenge – A young Saulzar battles the criminal empire known as the Arah.
#6 The Lure of Power – A young Saulzar seeks to join the Durrant Heil.
#7 A Sword of Legend – Saulzar battles the undead to obtain the sword he is destined to wield.
#8 The Love of a Woman – Saulzar fights for the hand of the beautiful Jafina.

A Spark of Hope
#9 To Lead a Pack – Saulzar leaves humanity behind and joins with a wolf-pack.
#10 The Shadow of Empire – Saulzar’s wolves terrorize the Genai at the behest of the emperor.
#11 A Barbarian Unchained – Guided by Omen Taru, Saulzar seeks vengeance.
#12 A Focus for His Wrath – Saulzar seeks to balance the scales of injustice.

Bonus Stories
A Baptism in Blood – Saulzar’s family is attacked by wolves. Survival was just the beginning.
The Warrior – The email that started the series.

The Saulzar Codex is just a prequel to a much larger novel. If you enjoy this story, please leave a review on Amazon and share it with your friends. The more reviews and shares it receives, the more likely that more will be written.

Help me entertain you! Thank you!

Follow Saulzar on Twitter: @TheRealSaulzar 
Follow the author on Twitter: @brandera33

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brandera

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A Focus for His Wrath – Saulzar Codex #12

27 Monday Oct 2014

Posted by Aaron Brander in On Writing

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Fantasy, Fiction, Saulzar, Saulzar Codex

I’m happy to announce that A Focus for His Wrath is available! It is the twelfth and final chapter in the Saulzar Codex – a series of short stories focusing on Saulzar, a fierce warrior battling to overcome his own past. You can learn more about the project here.

I’d love for you to stop by and pick it up. It’s a short story at 12,000 words and is priced at $0.99.

How about some free reading? Here’s the same sample you’ll find on the Amazon website:

12_Focus for Wrath cover

The falling rain did nothing to lighten his mood. He trudged down the muddy road, the Poi River to his right, a broken past of failure and death behind him. He yearned for the wild and free days he spent with Mane and Dane, with the pack of wolves he had cultivated and led.
But they were gone. Slaughtered in a stunning betrayal that haunted his steps.
Dark thoughts swirled in his mind, stirred by all that could have been and would never now be. He thought of Omen Taru, his master from the Durrant Heil, whose last act was to try and redeem him. He wondered at the bright spark in his soul that the sword made; the sword Omen Taru bade him take.
“Balance,” Omen Taru had said.
But there was no balance. No hope to his desperation, no goal to his aimlessness.
The rain poured down, dripping off his long hair, rolling down his face. He did not care. He moved south because he knew he should, but with no hope of redemption, restitution, or revenge. He was a ship cast upon the ocean without a rudder.
A shrill scream reached him through his haze of downcast thoughts. He looked up and squinted into the rain. He was surprised that he was not alone on the road. A horse pounded north towards him. He jumped out of its way and noticed a look of terror upon the rider’s face.
The scream came again. Motion blurred in the rain a hundred paces down the road. The sword at his side pulsed, and he wondered again at its geas. His legs stretched into a fast walk, transitioned to a jog, then a dead sprint. The katana flashed into his hand, and a blinding need to deliver justice swelled through his arms.
As he closed, the shapes became clear. A wagon with a broken wheel. A dying horse. Two bloody and twisted corpses. Two armed bandits dragging a screaming young woman off the road. A third man wringing his hands in anticipation.
Justice was needed. The sword demanded it. Saulzar would deliver it.
He roared his intention, and the first bandit received a thrust different than he had thought to deliver. The katana snapped a rib, sliced his heart in half, then burst in a bloody spray out his back. Saulzar twisted the blade and tore it loose.
The two men had dropped the girl and were drawing their swords. Saulzar pivoted from the dying bandit and closed with the nearer enemy. His sword snapped down and the man’s weapon and hand fell to the ground. Saulzar drove his shoulder into the man’s chest, knocking him down, then spun left and met the strike from the final bandit.
The man’s fear drove his sword in a frenzy, forcing Saulzar back a step. The man’s eyes widened in triumph, for he saw the retreat as weakness and not the trap it was. Saulzar continued to step slowly back, catching the frenzied strokes on his katana and effortlessly redirecting them to the side. The man pushed forward, strikes coming fast and furious, victory shining in his eyes.
The man stumbled, his feet tangled on his comrade’s separated sword hand. Saulzar struck, too fast for the man to counter, the katana’s blade piercing his left eye and punching through the back of his skull.
“Justice,” Saulzar whispered.
He snapped the sword back and free of the man’s skull. The head bowed as it followed the sword, as if accepting the veracity of the judgment, then its dead knees buckled and slumped to the ground.
The living bandit whimpered as he cradled his bloody stump of an arm. He tried to stand, but stumbled and fell to his knees, both arms reaching out to stop his fall. The wounded arm ground into the mud, and the man screamed in pain.

You’ll find A Focus for His Wrath in Kindle format from the Amazon store  If you don’t already have a Kindle or a Kindle app, I highly recommend it to you. Here are a couple of ways to get started:

Read on a device you own for FREE

Buy a Kindle

Let me know what you think of it by leaving an Amazon review or a comment on this post.

Thanks!

Twitter: @brandera33 @TheRealSaulzar

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A Barbarian Unchained – Saulzar Codex #11

20 Monday Oct 2014

Posted by Aaron Brander in On Writing

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Fantasy, Fiction, Saulzar, Saulzar Codex

I’m happy to announce that A Barbarian Unchained is available! It is the eleventh chapter in the Saulzar Codex – a series of short stories focusing on Saulzar, a fierce warrior battling to overcome his own past. You can learn more about the project here.

I’d love for you to stop by and pick it up. It’s a short story at 8,000 words and is priced at $0.99.

How about some free reading? Here’s the same sample you’ll find on the Amazon website:

ABarbarianUnchained

Full winter had come to the northern lands, and with it the blessed return of deep night. With a furtive glance along the quiet alley, he slipped from the hovel. He was dressed in layers of warm, faded clothing, a fox fur hat, and a large hood that cast his face in deeper shadow. In his right hand he clutched a knife, honed to a keen edge during his days of fretful healing.
He slipped through the shadows, moving slowly as much for stealth as from months of forced inactivity. His left side and right thigh burned with a dull ache, but the pain fueled his efforts, an iron core his weakened body leaned upon.
The wind carried voices to him, and torchlight could be seen around the market square. Townsfolk had returned to Budria not long after his betrayal. Their hustle and bustle filtered through the walls and ground to reach his hiding place. He cared nothing for them and wished only to be quit of their cursed city.
Breathless minutes passed as he snuck through the city, avoiding its inhabitants until the wall loomed before him. He crouched in the doorway of a quiet, stone building in sight of the wall. His breath hitched at a sharp pain in his thigh, but he closed his eyes and willed it away.
“Saulzar,” Omen Taru hissed, “it’s too soon. You aren’t ready.”
Saulzar turned to regard the shadowed face of his old master. He saw concern in his eyes.
“Stay if you wish. But I leave. Tonight.”
Omen Taru reached out a hand and grasped at Saulzar’s shoulder, but he shook it off and stood. His eyes ranged the ramparts and noted the sentries before he crossed the dark road to the wall. He pocketed his knife, grasped a stone, noted the absence of ice that made his assault so difficult before, and hauled himself up. The climb was simple, but for the pain in his stiff shoulder.

You’ll find A Barbarian Unchained in Kindle format from the Amazon store  If you don’t already have a Kindle or a Kindle app, I highly recommend it to you. Here are a couple of ways to get started:

Read on a device you own for FREE

Buy a Kindle

Let me know what you think of it by leaving an Amazon review or a comment on this post.

Thanks!

Twitter: @brandera33 @TheRealSaulzar

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The Shadow of Empire – Saulzar Codex #10

13 Monday Oct 2014

Posted by Aaron Brander in On Writing

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Fantasy, Fiction, Saulzar, Saulzar Codex

I’m happy to announce that The Shadow of Empire is available! It is the ninth chapter in the Saulzar Codex – a series of short stories focusing on Saulzar, a fierce warrior battling to overcome his own past. You can learn more about the project here.

I’d love for you to stop by and pick it up. It’s a short story at 9,000 words and is priced at $0.99.

How about some free reading? Here’s the same sample you’ll find on the Amazon website:

TheShadowOfEmpire

The frozen wind whipped across the tundra, the snow beaten to a froth in the air, obscuring the herd of reindeer from his vision. He shut his eyes against the onslaught. When the wind died and the snow cleared, the midnight sun illuminated the herd, still moving away from him.
He had followed them for the better part of a week. He would show himself and walk towards them, arms stretched wide and open. The reindeer would turn and look, then continue their migration. It was a delicate dance as Saulzar slowly persuaded the thousand-strong herd to move west.
West to the cliffs.
He stepped out from behind his boulder and walked with confidence towards the herd again. A large buck turned towards him and huffed, his front foot stamped. Saulzar did not slow. He spread his arms wide. The wind stirred, and the snow bear pelt that he wore billowed out behind him. His eyes burned with a savage intellect as they focused on the buck.
The buck stamped again and turned away. It moved south, away from the cliffs.
Saulzar gestured with his left arm. From beneath the snow, a wolf stood. It shook off the snow that had buried it, revealing a tawny hide. Dane loped forward along the edge of the herd, sending the reindeer skittering back north.
Saulzar gestured with his right arm, and Mane revealed himself from his hiding place in the snow. The reindeer were alarmed. The bucks in the herd tried to move them all south once again, but three more wolves stood. To the north, another three wolves. They closed in on the pack, all the while Saulzar walked slowly forward, the noose tightening on the reindeer.
They were thousands against seven, but the ghostly appearance of the wolves had unnerved them. They were unthinking prey, surrounded by deadly predators, yet did not consider using their weight and numbers to run over the wolves.
It was the big buck that turned and stood its ground. It stared down Saulzar, fear and anger warred in its dark eyes. Bellows of vapor puffed from its nostrils. It grunted and stamped the ground. Saulzar stalked on, flung the snow bear cape back from his arms to reveal a musculature like corded iron, and roared at the reindeer.

You’ll find The Shadow of Empire in Kindle format from the Amazon store  If you don’t already have a Kindle or a Kindle app, I highly recommend it to you. Here are a couple of ways to get started:

Read on a device you own for FREE

Buy a Kindle

Let me know what you think of it by leaving an Amazon review or a comment on this post.

Thanks!

Twitter: @brandera33 @TheRealSaulzar

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To Lead a Pack – Saulzar Codex #9

10 Friday Oct 2014

Posted by Aaron Brander in On Writing

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Fantasy, Fiction, Saulzar, Saulzar Codex

I’m happy to announce that To Lead a Pack is available! It is the ninth chapter in the Saulzar Codex – a series of short stories focusing on Saulzar, a fierce warrior battling to overcome his own past. You can learn more about the project here.

I’d love for you to stop by and pick it up. It’s a short story at 7,000 words and is priced at $0.99.

How about some free reading? Here’s the same sample you’ll find on the Amazon website:

ToLeadAPackcover

The thick clouds parted and a shaft of moonlight speared down to silhouette his prey in its silvery light. Saulzar crept forward, silent and wary. His hair was matted and greasy, his clothes torn to tattered shreds, his feet bare.
And he was hungry, so very hungry.
The rabbit sniffed the air. Its large ears twitched right.
“Damn him,” Saulzar breathed. Mane, the youngest wolf, had made a sound. Saulzar tensed, waiting for Mane to spring the trap.
A shadow erupted into motion. The rabbit screamed. Saulzar sprinted.
His heart beat loudly in his ears as he flowed across the field. Mane pushed the rabbit left, angling towards Saulzar.
It was fast, much faster than Saulzar would ever be, yet Mane closed on it in bounding strides.
Saulzar gambled and angled farther left. He took ten long strides and turned back to his right. Mane closed on the rabbit which zigged and zagged in the moonlight. Mane was close to the prize, his mouth open and ready for the lunge. Then Dane darted into the fray from her hiding spot.
“That’s my girl,” Saulzar said.
Dane flushed the rabbit left, directly at Saulzar. With two wolves in hot pursuit, the rabbit did not fathom that the human was a threat. Saulzar slowed and crouched, ready to dart in and catch it.
The rabbit screamed and died as teeth closed around its neck. Batai had lunged at the last moment to claim the prize.
Again.
Saulzar slumped down to the ground next to the big wolf, breath coming in ragged gasps, strength ebbing. He would have to settle for scraps as Batai feasted.

You’ll find To Lead a Pack in Kindle format from the Amazon store  If you don’t already have a Kindle or a Kindle app, I highly recommend it to you. Here are a couple of ways to get started:

Read on a device you own for FREE

Buy a Kindle

Let me know what you think of it by leaving an Amazon review or a comment on this post.

Thanks!

Twitter: @brandera33 @TheRealSaulzar

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The Saulzar Codex

27 Saturday Jul 2013

Posted by Aaron Brander in On Writing

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Fantasy, Saulzar, Writing

During my freshman year at Grand Valley State University, I was killing time between classes. I had a small idea in my head about a scene for a story. That in itself was a strange thing, for though I had always enjoyed writing, I hadn’t put much fiction down on paper. I really liked the couple hundred words that I put down, and over the next fifteen years, the story and the character have grown in my mind.

I attempted writing what is no doubt a large novel about the character, only to be crushed under the weight of my first attempt. Last year, I pushed farther on a different story and found a way to complete 150,000 words. There’s lots of work left to do on it, but I finally figured out how to finish something.

While I was writing Shattered, I was also reading Robert E. Howard and really enjoying the Conan the Cimmerian stories. I felt the short story style fit Saulzar, that first lonely warrior I created back in college, and in a flash of insight I wrote down an outline to twelve stories that took place before the large novel I didn’t finish.

After much mental prodding, I have started on the short stories, and I plan on publishing one a month for the next year. It’s ambitious, but I also think it’s going to be a lot of fun. I hope you think so too.

That means that A Price to Pay will be hitting the Kindle store on August 1st! It will cost $.99, and should be a quick and entertaining read. I even have a real cover for it, thanks to a very artistic friend. Check her out on twitter at @brokenbrawler.

I’ll leave you with three things.

1) Saulzar has learned how to tweet. Check him out @TheRealSaulzar.

2) Here’s the cover art for A Price to Pay

price-to-pay[halfsize]

3) And here’s that very first email I wrote that started this entire story arc. Yes, this is unedited, email writing from 16 years ago, so let’s just keep that in perspective, shall we?

The warrior rested as he reached the crest of the plateau. Before him, the harvest moon, the “Blood Moon”, loomed large and hung low upon the horizon. Behind him, he could still see the glow of the village he had pillaged just hours before. Pillaging is tiring work, he thought to himself with a wry smile, remembering perfectly well what consequently happens directly after one pillages. He understands that what he does, many consider evil. But is he not just doing his job? Sure, that’s part of it. He reminded himself that he was unable to see the whole picture, the real purpose behind his destructive tendencies. As he sheathed his blood-ripened sword, he posed himself a grisly thought, what if all this was for naught? Was the emperor he served a heartless killer, or did the destruction instituted here gravitate toward a well-meaning purpose, something that the world as a whole was too feeble minded to comprehend. If this emperor were a madman, than he, a mercenary from the north with a penchant for destruction, would be forever viewed as an exceedingly evil myth. But, if this emperor truly did have the world’s betterment in mind, then he, Saulzar, would be viewed as not only a legend, but as someone who possessed the capability to rule a great portion of the empire.

Insightful thoughts for someone who bathed and drank from the same water. Never the less, Saulzar, at the very least, was a genius in his own right. Why else would the emperor have picked him to carry out this fateful task? He mounted his steed and began to move on. He continued over the crest of the plateau and into the next valley, inevitably moving closer to the next peasant-filled village, all the while contemplating his own place in the order of the world.

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Shattered – Episode 2: The Mage

29 Wednesday Feb 2012

Posted by Aaron Brander in On Writing

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Fantasy, Fiction, Shattered, Writing

***************************************

It has been a while since I have posted any of Shattered. But, since the new year dawned, I have written at least 5,000 words a week on this. So, I thought I would share out a few scenes or parts of scenes for your enjoyment.  I’d love to hear what you think as I’m writing through this novel.

Just a note, this is still very rough. I read through it and pulled out a few big mistakes, but you will find typos and things that do not quite make sense. Just roll with it!

For the entire first Episode, see this link: https://aaron-brander.com/tag/shattered/

***************************************

Percy heaved a great sigh, the force of which stirred up dust from the old parchment that he was studying.  The Farming Practices of the Mid-Velurian Peasant Class made for a long and boring day. And yet, his desire and his purpose was to learn all there was to know of the world.  It was the very reason he had constructed the Tower of Knowledge many years ago, when he was still a young man.

Percy was no longer that young man in physical appearance. He was not much in physical appearance at all.  Percy had left that all behind after helping his friends rid the world of evil at the Battle of Utand. Since then, his hair had grown stringy and wild with neglect. His body had wasted away until he was little more than flesh and bones. His gaunt aspect exaggerated the hook of his sharp nose.

He looked up from Farming Practices and out of the window to his right. He was in the room at the top of the tower and the views of the surrounding countryside from twenty stories up were magnificent.

Percy hardly noticed it anymore. He had no eye for the mountains rising magnificently on the horizon, the wide, brown river cutting across the landscape and past the tower, or the dark, full pine forest that radiated out from the tower.  Instead, his mind was on the hundred or so books in his reading room. They were the books that he was currently studying. His mind was quick and sharp, and he devoured the knowledge in the books faster than most would devour a good meal after days living off of roots and berries.

Most books, that was.  He had been working on Farming Practices for at least an hour now, and was barely half way through it. At this pace, he was starting to wonder if he would get the typical four books in today.

It was time for a change of scenery. That was what he needed to get his mind going again.

Percy stood, and walked slowly and painfully down the stairs.  He wondered where that unreliable apprentice of his was. What was his name again? Ah, yes. Petr.

Percy was so in thrall to his own thoughts that he once again walked right passed Petr and the breakfast that he held out to him.  Petr did his best to keep his master fed, but it was a rare success to bring the meal to bear.

Down Percy went, passing through floor after floor of reading rooms full of books and scrolls and parchments.   Percy passed his living quarters on the tenth floor, and Petr’s rooms on the ninth, and the kitchen, and the reception hall and the art gallery, and the treasure room. He did not notice where he was going so intent was he on his musings.  Petr trailed silently behind, ready to intervene if his master did not realize he was walking down the stairs or out a window.

Percy reached the ground floor and walked out of the tower towards the training ground.  Petr was surprised and a bit concerned. He had not tended to the training ground in years, as Percy had not paid attention to it in thrice as long.  Since the Battle, Percy had not trained once.

Percy stopped walking and blinked a few times. He looked around, clearly confused to be out of doors.  The wind rustled his stringy, white hair as absentmindedly as Percy himself.

“What a strange place to find myself,” Percy muttered. He looked at the training grounds, and smiled. The smile lit his face, and had Petr been close enough, he would have seen a glimpse of the man Percy once was.

Percy moved a few more steps and stepped in front of the training ground. He faced into what was essentially a large cave, except the cave was completely above ground and man made.  Inside the dome of the cave, half walls, barrels, crates and cliffs formed cover and variation in terrain.  The dome was solidly built out of stone, and invested with runes of power meant to contain the fury of Percy’s spells within the cave.  Percy wielded great power and he did not want to level the surrounding landscape when he was practicing.

Petr took a gamble on his master’s mood and muttered the incantation that brought the training ground to life.

Out of the dome, a dozen ugly goblins charged forward in a rough wedge. The leading goblin, a particular rough and dirty specimen hefted a giant mace as he bellowed.

Percy looked up and regarded the mass of marauding goblins. His bushy eyebrows raised up and he was genuinely startled.  Petr cringed and hoped that he had not overstepped the bounds. He readied the spell that would override the training spells and send the goblins back to whatever dimension they had been pulled from.

Then Percy turned to face them. His eyes lost their glaze of introspection and he focused intently on the leading goblin.

It exploded.

There was no sound. There was no fury. There were no screams.  One moment the ugly thing was charging and yelling. The next it was bloody, messy goo covering the the other goblins and stopping them short in their bewilderment.

Percy pointed at the next goblin, his focus never wavering. This time a narrow, controlled beam of fire drilled through its head.  Percy turned to the next and killed it with a beam of ice. It was light for the next, then wind flung a goblin hard against a wall. The earth opened and took a pair down before closing and crushing them out of site.  Percy killed each goblin with precision and control and gruesome variety.

“Thank you Petr, that’s enough for now.”

Petr regarded his master with awe and not a little fear.

“Master, that was astounding. Would you teach me how?”

Percy smiled. “Of course not. There is no need. What would be the point in learning destructive magics like those when there is no one that would benefit.  We must focus your learning and studying on farming and weather and government.  We will find ways to better the lives of our fellow men.”

Percy turned and began walking to the tower to begin the long ascent to his room. He wasn’t sure what it was that led him down to the tower.

“Was that you, Wodanaz?  I have not heard from you in many years.” Percy said to the air.  Like every time he had asked since the Battle, there was no response.

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The Wise Man’s Fear by Patrick Rothfuss

22 Tuesday Mar 2011

Posted by Aaron Brander in On Books

≈ 1 Comment

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4 stars, 5 stars, Fantasy, Fiction, Patrick Rothfuss

A few years back I read a book that changed my perspective of the fantasy genre.  I’ve enjoyed stories of swords, sorcery, orcs and heroic quests for a long time now.  But for me, after you get past Tolkien’s seminal work, the rest of the stories tend to devolve into the same old story of an unlikely hero, a great evil, an impossible task, and eventual victory. 

Now don’t get me wrong.  There are any number of ways where that tried and true formula can turn into a very enjoyable book.  That’s why I keep reading fantasy.  Rothfuss, though, with his debut novel of The Name of the Wind, and the recent sequel, The Wise Man’s Fear, has found a way to take a sweeping epic and turn it into something infinitely more intimate.

Kvothe, our flame haired protagonist, trouper, hero and innkeeper has led an exciting, yet short life.  When the book opens, we find him assuming the mantle of a mild mannered innkeeper. He works very hard to hide who he is. And who he happens to be is a legend in his own time. Everyone knows of and tells stories of Kvothe.

In an interesting storytelling device, a man named The Chronicler has tracked Kvothe down and convinced him to have his story recorded. To set the record straight, so to speak.  Thus begins a masterful tale of tales.  Over the course of three days, Kvothe will set down how he became a master magician, the smartest kid at the University at a time when most children have not thought of attending school yet, slayed a dragon, outsmarted a Queen of the Fae, killed a king and started a war.  Yet when Kvothe tells it, you can see how a simple story can become a legend. He isn’t humanities only hope from a Dark Lord. Rather, he’s a kid driven to find an answer to a question. With an indomitable will, he makes things happen.

While I enjoy the story that Kvothe is telling, and innumerable stories that are told to him or by him to other characters during his recounting, it is not the story that draws me to these books.  In the end, you can still boil this down to unlikely hero, a great evil, an impossible task, and eventual victory. Or so it seems two books into what appears to be a trilogy.

No, rather it is Rothfuss’ masterful grasp of the language and the art of telling a story.  His description of Kvothe playing music can move you to tears.  You will feel Kvothe’s triumphs and defeats.  You will read pages of description of arcane magics and systems of science in a make believe land, and later try to replicate it yourself fully expecting it to work in our world.

One last superlative for this book. I reread the first book in 3 wonderful days. I picked up the 1000 page sequel and had it done in under a week. I typically read before bed and fall asleep within 30 minutes. Instead, hours later, I would still be reading. I had to force myself to put the book down and go to sleep lest my job suffer. And even then, I felt myself fully immersed in the world he created even when I was not reading.  It’s that good.

As for Rothfuss, I am a fan of the man as much as the writing. His Worldbuilders fund raising drive has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars, which he has been kind enough to match. His blog is all sorts of witty and funny. Check him out. http://blog.patrickrothfuss.com

The Name of the Wind: 4.5
The Wise Man’s Fear: 5

You need to buy this book and read it. It’s #1 on the New York Times Bestseller’s list as of today (3/21/2011)

Buy it Now at Amazon

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Summer Reading – 2010

22 Friday Oct 2010

Posted by Aaron Brander in On Books

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2 stars, 3 stars, 4 stars, Bernard Cornwell, Dresden Files, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Jim Butcher, R.A. Salvatore, Roman Empire, Romans, Wizards

It’s been a busy summer of devouring books as fast as I can; so fast that I couldn’t get a review written of each of them. So, instead, here’s a rapid fire list of what rocked and what was as dull as a rock.
Books that Rocked:

Outliers: The Story Of Success – Malcolm Gladwell
Gladwell is always an interesting read. His ability to find connections in places where they aren’t expected is uncanny.  In Outliers, you will learn that where and when we are born have a large influence on our future.

 

 

 

 

Time to Hunt – Stephen Hunter
I’ve read a few of the Bob Lee Swagger novels, and this one is the best so far.  Go back in time to Bob’s harrowing escapades in Vietnam, and learn why they call him “The Hammer”.

 

 

 

 

The Dresden Files

  • Blood Rites (The Dresden Files, Book 6) – Jim Butcher
  • Dead Beat (The Dresden Files, book 7) – Jim Butcher
  • Proven Guilty (The Dresden Files, Book 8 ) – Jim Butcher
  • White Night (The Dresden Files, Book 9) – Jim Butcher
  • Small Favor (The Dresden Files, Book 10) – Jim Butcher
  • Turn Coat (The Dresden Files, Book 11) – Jim Butcher

Yup, it’s been a summer of Jim Butcher. I’m not surprised. Harry Dresden is a perfect lead character. He’s filled with doubt and weaknesses, but always has enough steely resolve and powerful magic to pull himself out of the tightest places.  Each book is better than the last, and I can only hope that Butcher keeps kicking them out.

 

The Night Angel Trilogy

  • The Way of Shadows (The Night Angel Trilogy) – Brent Weeks
  • Shadow’s Edge (Night Angel Trilogy) – Brent Weeks
  • Beyond the Shadows – Brent Weeks

The Night Angel Trilogy was an interesting fantasy series. It focused on a young boy who wants to escape his danger our and hopeless life as an orphan.  He gets himself apprenticed to the greatest assassin of the land and ends up having a drastic influence on the world while defeating a great evil.  Yup, that sounds like just about every fantasy series out there.  Great characters and interesting plot twists make this a worthwhile read.

 
The First Law

  • The Blade Itself (The First Law: Book One) – Joe Abercrombie
  • Before They Are Hanged (The First Law: Book Two) – Joe Abercrombie
  • Last Argument of Kings (First Law: Book Three) – Joe Abercrombie

Other than the Butcher books, this was my favorite series of the summer.  The story was full of intrigue and plotting, but what was interesting is that for all the machinations of man, there was a handful of demi-gods running around pulling the strings that no one really believed in.  Couple that with a half dozen morally gray heroes and heroines and you’ve got a formula for a great read.  Each chapter switches to a different hero’s perspective, and Abercrombie was able to make it so you instantly know which character you are with.

 
The State of the Union – Brad Thor
An interesting thriller that explores what would happen if Russia was playing possum and only pretended to lose the Cold War.  Think Tom Clancy crossed with Dan Brown.

 

 

 

 

As interesting as rocks

Daemons are Forever (Secret Histories, Book 2) – Simon R. Green
Loved the first book for its sheer volume of fantastical creatues.  The follow up fell flat for me.

The Orc King: Transitions, Book I – R.A. Salvatore
Salvatore has dozens of great books starring the dark elf, Drizzt Do’urden.  As he has progressed, the books have taken on a morally preachy timbre. I love the action, but could do without the sermons.

Agincourt: A Novel – Bernard Cornwell
A book about my favorite historical battle?  Count me in.  I can’t remember now why this was bad or good, and I guess that’s enough to say about it. However, Cornwell typically hits the mark and I would not hesitate to recommend him.

The Red Wolf Conspiracy – Robert V. S. Redick
The whole book takes place on a boat.  There’s some interesting characters, but I didn’t really get into it.

Sharpe’s Trafalgar: Richard Sharpe & the Battle of Trafalgar, October 21, 1805 (Richard Sharpe’s Adventure Series #4) – Bernard Cornwell
I really enjoy the Sharpe series, and I’m going to keep reading them. This book wasn’t that bad, but it wasn’t that great either.

Soldier of Rome: The Sacrovir Revolt: A Novel of the Twentieth Legion During the Rebellion of Sacrovir and Florus – James Mace
I really wanted to like this series, but it is entirely too dry for me.  I guess I’ll find a different Roman era series to read.

That’s 21 books read since March, not too shabby. Luckily, most of them have been good, including 3 series: The Night Angel Trilogy, The First Law, and The Dresden Files. Get some!

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Princeps Fury and First Lords Fury by Jim Butcher

27 Tuesday Apr 2010

Posted by Aaron Brander in On Books

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4 stars, Fantasy, Jim Butcher

I powered through the last two books in Butcher’s Codex Alera on my Kindle.  It took my just 3 days to read them all; I guess that is what happens on a rainy weekend with a couple of great books.

If you haven’t read the rest of my reviews for this series, do a search for “Jim Butcher” on the site and you’ll find them.  Butcher isn’t breaking a lot of new ground in this series, but as I’ve said about his writing in numerous other reviews, he makes the story fun.

The final two books are fought against the Vord as they spread quickly and violently throughout the planet.  Old enemies across the world have to ally with each other in order to face a great threat.  Through the destruction, new friendships form and a new way of life emerges.

The only problem I had with the last two books is that the enemy becomes so powerful, no one can overcome it. It ends up being the planet itself that finds a way to destroy it. I think Butcher may have made things a little too desperate and had to resort to a bit of a trick to wrap it all up.  I’ll give Butcher this, though, he setup the possibility for this ending from the first book. So it was a trick, but one that was available to him from the first.

All in all, there aren’t many six or more book series that is really excellent from start to finish.  Stephen King’s Dark Tower is another that springs to mind.

Rating:  4 out of 5

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