Paladin: The Thrill of Battle

by S.W. Gunn

Heroes of the Kingdom of Ackerland, the Order of the Light Bound serve as defenders of the nation and servants of the poor. They travel the land seeking to help those in need however they can. When the neighboring Kingdom of Genger invades, these Paladins step forward as front-line warriors. Eldwin Hoffman is a squire Paladin serving under his meister, Adolphus Weber. They have been assigned to help defend a fortress along the border of the two nations called Festung am See.
Outnumbered with one of the walls of the fortress already damaged, things are not looking good for the defenders. The arrival of the two Paladins swings the battle in their favor. With the creative strategies based on Adolphus’ long-won experience in war, they come up with aggressive battle plans to defend the fortress long enough for the militias of the nearby villages to prepare for war. Things take a dark turn in the fight, leaving the Paladins to fend off their enemies with weakening numbers and depleted morale. The two Paladins will face a challenge they never expected, and their lives are altered permanently by the results of this battle.

100 pages, Paperback

Published August 27, 2022

About the author

Born in Muskegon MI and raised in Concord CA, Heima: The Ninth Kostir is S.W. Gunn's first novel. He is 42 years old and married to his lovely wife Neeta. They have two boys, Shawn II and Spencer, and a cat named

In writing Heima he drew upon many of his own life interests and experiences. Things like his hobbies, which include writing, reading, video games (World of Warcraft), and card games (Magic the Gathering), have added little bits of inspiration or stoked his imagination.

One specific area that has inspired the words and phrases within Heima was Medieval Norse history (Specifically the era in which the Vikings existed). Personality quirks like his favorite color, which is purple, added to the novel (It is the favorite color of our erstwhile Princess Astir).

Other areas of inspiration that poke their heads in Heima include his Bachelor’s in History that he obtained from Chaminade University. Some of his favorite novels that are either especially entertaining or inspiring to him include: The Lord of the Rings/Hobbit series, any Star Trek book involving Klingons (especially from Keith R.A Candido), and lastly he loves the Trollslayer series from Warhammer. His favorite movie is “Tangled”, which he loves it because it is such a beautiful story with a pair of lead characters that play off each other both strongly and equally, which inspired the society of Heima.