Author: Patrick W. Carr
Genre: Fantasy
Release Date: January 1, 2013
Publisher: Bethany House Publishers
Description:
An Epic Medieval Saga Fantasy Readers Will Love
In the backwater village of Callowford, Errol Stone's search for a drink is interrupted by a church messenger who arrives with urgent missives for the hermit priest in the hills. Desperate for coin, Errol volunteers to deliver them but soon finds himself hunted by deadly assassins. Forced to flee with the priest and a small band of travelers, Errol soon learns he's joined a quest that could change the fate of his kingdom.
Protected for millennia by the heirs of the first king, the kingdom's dynasty is near an end and a new king must be selected. As tension and danger mount, Errol must leave behind his drunkenness and grief, learn to fight, and come to know his God in order to survive a journey to discover his destiny.
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The woman took another, slow step toward him, her smile stretching the cuts and bruises on her face. “I don’t care who kills you boy, but do you really want to die by the borale arrow?” She laughed. “Do you relish feeling it rip and tear its way out of your flesh leaving you to die from blood loss, screaming in pain?” She nodded back toward Balina. “The captain has a sword, freshly sharpened. He can make your end quick and painless.”
“Don’t believe her boy,” Merodach said. He pitched his voice to carry over the flood below. “A malus never kills quickly. They feed on pain. Come with me. I can take you to safety.” He took a step.
Errol’s tried in vain to watch everyone. The pounding of his heart merged with the flood waters. He cast the briefest of looks down, fought to keep from sobbing. The roiling depths were too far away to survive a jump.
He was going to die. All that remained was to choose between the arrow, the sword, and the water.
Without turning his back to Merodach or the malus-possessed woman, he climbed the railing.
The three of them inched forward.
“Come, boy.” The woman’s voice crooned. “There’s no need for such a death.” Her voice grew mocking. “Don’t you want to be buried in your faith? Don’t you want the priest to bless your grave?”
“Errol, don’t.” Merodach’s voice cut across the woman’s.
For a moment, something in the assassin’s voice penetrated the fear that clouded his thinking. Could he be telling the truth? If he’d wanted Errol dead, he could have simply fired. It would be impossible to miss at this range, but that would leave Merodach open to counter-attack by the malus and her guard.
He didn’t want to die. Errol took a tentative step toward the assassin, tried at once to ignore the arrow aimed at his chest and brace for its impact that would kill him.
An animal-like snarl erupted from behind him. Merodach raised the bow, drew.
He launched himself into space, heard the whine of the borale’s arrow merge with a cry of rage and pain. The water rushed up at him.
“Don’t believe her boy,” Merodach said. He pitched his voice to carry over the flood below. “A malus never kills quickly. They feed on pain. Come with me. I can take you to safety.” He took a step.
Errol’s tried in vain to watch everyone. The pounding of his heart merged with the flood waters. He cast the briefest of looks down, fought to keep from sobbing. The roiling depths were too far away to survive a jump.
He was going to die. All that remained was to choose between the arrow, the sword, and the water.
Without turning his back to Merodach or the malus-possessed woman, he climbed the railing.
The three of them inched forward.
“Come, boy.” The woman’s voice crooned. “There’s no need for such a death.” Her voice grew mocking. “Don’t you want to be buried in your faith? Don’t you want the priest to bless your grave?”
“Errol, don’t.” Merodach’s voice cut across the woman’s.
For a moment, something in the assassin’s voice penetrated the fear that clouded his thinking. Could he be telling the truth? If he’d wanted Errol dead, he could have simply fired. It would be impossible to miss at this range, but that would leave Merodach open to counter-attack by the malus and her guard.
He didn’t want to die. Errol took a tentative step toward the assassin, tried at once to ignore the arrow aimed at his chest and brace for its impact that would kill him.
An animal-like snarl erupted from behind him. Merodach raised the bow, drew.
He launched himself into space, heard the whine of the borale’s arrow merge with a cry of rage and pain. The water rushed up at him.
My top 10 favorite books or series and why
By Patrick W. Carr
1. The
Belgariad. This is actually five books. It was written by David Eddings
in the early 80’s. I love the way the characters feel so real and
Eddings way with dialog is awesome.
2. Magician.
This is by Raymond E. Feist. Nobody has done magic and elves better
than Tolkien, but Feist comes close. Plus his story has a warmth to it
that is hard to match.
3. The
Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, the Unbeliever. Written by Stephen R.
Donaldson back in the ‘70’s, this series elevated description and the
concept of an antihero to a whole new level. Have a dictionary handy.
4. The
Lord of the Rings. Nobody who wants to write fantasy should embark on
the task without taking a serious look at the master. You must find
where he succeeds, but also where he falls short.
5. The
Fionavar Tapestry. This is a little known work by Guy Kay. The reason I
list it here is because it provides a great example of how to tell a
grand story with a minimum of words. It’s an awesome read.
6. The
Wheel of Time. This series of 14 books (yes, 14!) by Robert Jordan and
Brandon Sanderson will probably be the longest fantasy of all time. If
it had been more tightly written, it might have the best series of all
time.
7. The
Chronicles of Narnia. How can you not love a story that teaches you
something new every time you read it. The beauty of C.S. Lewis’s work is
its appeal to any age group.
8. Calvin
and Hobbes. Watterson wrote this comic strip in the 80’s and 90’s and
you can still find compilations of it on sale today. As a writer I try
to mimic with words what he did with pictures. This is the best comic
strip of all time.
9. The World Book Encyclopedia. My parents bought the 50th
anniversary edition when I was a kid. Whenever I was bored (and even
when I wasn’t) I loved leafing through it for interesting articles. Yes,
I’m a nerd.
10. The
Bible. The influence of the Bible as a literary work is indisputable
and people quote it regardless of their religious affiliation. For me,
this is the source of my inspiration. Every theme writers touch on is
found here.
Thank you for stopping by the blog today and sharing your favorite books and series with us Patrick!
Patrick Carr was born on an Air Force base in West Germany at the height of the cold war. He has been told this was not his fault. As an Air Force brat, he experienced a change in locale every three years until his father retired to Tennessee. Patrick saw more of the world on his own through a varied and somewhat eclectic education and work history. He graduated from Georgia Tech in 1984 and has worked as a draftsman at a nuclear plant, did design work for the Air Force, worked for a printing company, and consulted as an engineer. Patrick’s day gig for the last five years has been teaching high school math in Nashville, TN. He currently makes his home in Nashville with his wonderfully patient wife, Mary, and four sons he thinks are amazing: Patrick, Connor, Daniel, and Ethan. Sometime in the future he would like to be a jazz pianist. Patrick thinks writing about himself in the third person is kind of weird.
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