If you haven't read the preceding chapters, you can find Chapter 1 here.
Chapter 8 is now available, and can be found here.
If you would like to read the whole book (and I hope you do) it is on Amazon. You can read it for free if you have Kindle Unlimited, or purchase the e-book or as paperback.
I will post one or two more chapters, but pretty soon I'm going to transition to material from the sequel!
Blood and Shadows Volume 2, Sand and Steel is out now and continues the story of Vasil's adventures.
Chapter 6 is up!
Or you can read the whole book on Amazon, it's on Kindle Unlimited, and also available as an e-book or paperback.
Also, the sequel is out! Sand and Steel continues the story.
Blood and Shadows, Chapter 2
Fantasy
1911 words
I recently published my first novel, a sword-and-sorcery type fantasy about a girl named Vasil who is introduced as a street urchin, progresses to an organized-crime enforcer, then has to leave her city which forces her to become a pirate . . . she has a wild ride, just in the first book.
I posted a link to Chapter 1 here two weeks ago, and intended to post this chapter last week but was stuck in a place with no internet. If you checked out the first chapter, now there is more to enjoy, if you don’t then you can read both today!
I have also posted the cover art now.
As noted on my subreddit, the book is complete, and you can find it on Amazon.
https://www.reddit.com/r/marcuskestrel/comments/za40jg/blood_and_shadows_chapter_2/
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 5
Fantasy
2045 words
I published my first book and have been posting chapters on my subreddit. 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 an organized crime syndicate to provide for herself and her sister. The first two chapters introduced that pair, and now they are meeting people and making allies who will be there to help during the turmoil that is about to be thrust upon them.
https://www.reddit.com/r/marcuskestrel/comments/ztul0f/blood_and_shadows_chapter_5/
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.
I will continue posting chapters weekly, but if you would like to read the whole book now, it is available on Amazon for $3.99.
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.
If you haven't read the preceding chapters, you can find Chapter 1 here.
If you would like to read the whole book (and I hope you do) it is on Amazon. You can read it for free if you have Kindle Unlimited, or purchase the e-book or as paperback.
Chapter 9 is now available, and pretty soon I'm going to transition to material from the sequel!
Blood and Shadows Volume 2, Sand and Steel is out now and continues the story of Vasil's adventures.
Blood and Shadows, Prologue
Fantasy
2047 words
Vasil grew up in the slums of the capital, a world away from the glittering temples and palaces within the same walls. She is smart enough and ruthless enough to make her way in the man’s world of organized crime, even while raising her adopted barbarian sister. However
trouble beyond Vasil’s imagining brews on the edge of the world.
Blood and Shadows begins a gritty fantasy filled with distinctive and compelling characters, set in a vast and meticulously constructed world.
Join Vasil as she learns of the dangers that lurk just out of sight!
Perfect for anyone who enjoys Brandon Sanderson, Lois McMaster Bujold, or David Drake.
The link below is to the prologue, which hints at the stakes of the conflict. Vasil's story begins in chapter 1, which is available on my subreddit.
https://www.reddit.com/r/marcuskestrel/comments/10olxc0/blood_and_shadows_prologue/
Blood and Shadows, Chapter 4
Fantasy
3062 Words
I recently published my first book, and the sequel will be posted before Christmas! The novel is a sword-and-sorcery fantasy, with a female protagonist.
I have been posting chapters to my subreddit weekly, the first, second, third, and fourth are all available now. The first two chapters introduced the main character and her sister as orphans desperately trying to survive in the slums of a medieval city. In the third chapter the girls are now adults and working for the local crime syndicate. This newest chapter introduces them to a new character who will eventually prove more important to the pair of them than they would initially expect.
https://www.reddit.com/r/marcuskestrel/comments/zo8giv/blood_and_shadows_chapter_4/
It's available on Amazon as a kindle book, and I am working on the editing to make it available there as a paper book. That should be available fairly soon.
So you can buy it on Amazon if you click the link above. I think that's a store, but you won't be able to find it in a brick and mortar store . . . yet.
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!
If you'd like to keep reading, you can find chapter 5 here, and the full novel is available on Amazon as an e-book and on Kindle Unlimited!
You can find chapter 7 here. If you would like to read the whole book it is on Amazon. You can read it for free if you have Kindle Unlimited, or purchase the e-book or as paperback.
I will post one or two more chapters after that, but pretty soon I'm going to transition to material from the sequel!
Blood and Shadows Volume 2, Sand and Steel is out now and continues the story of Vasil's adventures.
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/