Sand and Steel (Blood and Shadows, Volume 2) is now live on Amazon!
I still don't paint, but my wife still does so she graciously created another original cover for me. The swords depicted are the pair that Vasil had forged at the end of Blood and Shadows, and the runified characters in the fullers of the weapons do actually read Tempest and Squall, in Vasil's native language.
Sand and Steel is available on Kindle Unlimited, and can be purchased as either an e-book or a paper back.
I will post several chapters from the new book over the next several weeks.
Blood and Shadows, Chapter 6
Fantasy
3131 words
I published my first book a few weeks ago, and I have been posting chapters here. The novel is a high fantasy, but has been pretty down to earth in the first five chapters. Chapter 6 starts to introduce elements of the uncanny. As this passage begins, the main character is headed to a cemetery with her sister and another friend to confront grave-robbers. The question of
why anyone would bother steal corpses from a graveyard in the slums may soon be answered.
https://www.reddit.com/r/marcuskestrel/comments/zz8xr6/blood_and_shadows_chapter_6/
The second book in the series, Sand and Steel, is out now, and I plan to offer a few chapters of that volume as well in the coming weeks.
Blood and Shadows, Chapter 9
Fantasy
4158 words
Blood and Shadows is my debut novel. It’s a high fantasy, with elves and dwarves, but also with slums and organized crime. The main character is a girl who has joined the local mob to provide for herself and her sister. Previous chapters have introduced that pair, as well as a friend and begun to hint at the major threat they’ll be facing over the course of this series. In this chapter they meet their last new ally of this book, and start the next major part of their adventure.
Next week I will post the prologue, after that I will start promoting Sand and Steel, the second volume in the series, which is out now.
This is the prologue to the book, the main story continues with Chapter 1.
If you'd like to read the whole novel, Blood and Shadows is available on Amazon via Kindle Unlimited, as an e-book, or as a paperback.
The second volume in the series Sand and Steel, is likewise available, and I am presently working on editing volume 3 for publication. Volume 4 has also been drafted and I am completing the first draft of volume 5, so there will be plenty more to read if you enjoy the story.
Blood and Shadows, Chapter 7
Fantasy
4729 words
I published Blood and Shadows a few weeks ago and I have been posting links to the first few chapters here. You can find Chapter 1 on my subreddit and follow it through to chapter 7, if you’d like to start at the beginning.
The book is a sword and sorcery novel, but the first few chapters have been establishing the world, which strongly resembles our own where the story starts out. In this chapter the main character has her first personal encounter with magic. She doesn’t like it much.
https://www.reddit.com/r/marcuskestrel/comments/10594pq/blood_and_shadows_chapter_7/
The sequel, Sand and Steel, is already available, and the third in the series will follow in a few weeks!
Sand and Steel
Fantasy
670 words
This is a straight self-promotion post. I recently published my first novel, and posted some links to portions of it here. My second novel is also available now and I hope you'll check it out. You can try the prologue here if you're interested.
Vasil was a mob enforcer until an encounter with a necromancer put her at odds with a rival gang. Now an outlaw in her native kingdom, Vasil will voyage deep into foreign lands, and tread paths feared by common folk. Vasil expects to face a harsh desert and hostile people, but she has no idea the uncanny perils that lurk in the trackless expanse of the arid wasteland. The ancient evil which instigated Vasil’s journey is gathering power, and its lingering traces rise to prominence again.
Sand and Steel continues the tale begun in Blood and Shadows. It is a gritty fantasy filled with memorable characters, set in a vast and meticulously constructed world. Travel with Vasil as she explores forgotten and dangerous territory!
Perfect for anyone who enjoys Brandon Sanderson, Lois McMaster Bujold, or David Drake.
Blood and Shadows, Chapter 8
Fantasy
2175 words
I published my debut novel, Blood and Shadows, a few weeks ago. It’s a sword and sorcery story about a girl struggling to survive in a setting that combines high fantasy with low crime. She makes her way with cleverness and by being willing to take on roles traditionally denied to women.
I have been posting chapters to introduce the book and characters, the first chapter can be found here, and you can follow links in the comments to everything I have up at this time. Alternately, if you want to jump to the action, chapter 7 has the first serious fight.
Today I have posted chapter 8, which marks a transition from what I consider the introduction to the greater story to the main body of the tale that will make up the rest of this book and those that follow.
Blood and Shadows is complete, as is the sequel, Sand and Steel. Both are available on Kindle Unlimited, as e-books, or paperbacks!
https://www.reddit.com/r/marcuskestrel/comments/10b7d70/blood_and_shadows_chapter_8/
Thanks! This is my first published work, so I really appreciate positive feedback.
I just got the email back from Amazon last night that the second volume in this series (Sand and Steel) is now available, so I will post a few chapters from the new novel soon.