The Sword of Kings

by Matthew Iden

"...[Sword of Kings] has brought back to me the pleasure of the short story done well."- Amanda Reznick, 5 star review  "My sword is dying."King Andreas was confident, bold, courageous...until his sword--the living symbol of his power--began to crumble in his hands.With his brother Jon by his side, Andreas has little time to find out why the sword, passed down through a hundred generations, is failing now.The answer he finds may save his kingdom, but at a terrible price.Sword of Kings is a 4,100 word short story of high fantasy. Included in this volume is a Story Notes essay detailing the thought process and background behind the writing of the work.

Genres: Fantasy, Short Stories

17 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 1, 2012

About the author

I write fantasy, science fiction, horror, thrillers, crime fiction, and contemporary literary fiction with a psychological twist.

I’ve held jobs with the US Postal Service, international non-profit groups, a short stint with the Forest Service in Sitka, Alaska, and time with the globe-spanning Semester at Sea program. Trips to Iceland, Patagonia, and Antarctica added to the creative pot, as well, and I started to put all those experiences to good use about eight years ago--thinking, dreaming, and writing.

Please email me at matt.iden AT matthew-iden.com, Tweet @CrimeRighter, or find me on Facebook, http://www.facebook.com/matthew.iden.

The Marty Singer detective series is:
A Reason to Live (Marty Singer #1)
Blueblood (Marty Singer #2)
One Right Thing (Marty Singer #3)
The Spike (Marty Singer #4)
The Wicked Flee (Marty Singer #5)

Reviews

[seak · Rating 4 out of 5]

This short story was recommended to me by an avowed "dislike[r]" of fantasy. I am always extremely wary when this happens.

And that's for one BIG reason.

I'm a HUGE fan (and I mean HUGE, the all CAPS doesn't even do it justice) of fantasy. Therefore, if someone doesn't like fantasy and says they like a certain fantasy...shouldn't I HATE it?

Well, I'm happy to say this logic, while usually spot-on (of course), did not win the day in this instance. The Sword of Kings was a great story with a great ending. One of those endings where you go, I really should have seen that coming, the author was pretty much beating me over the head with it and yet I DIDN'T SEE IT COMING.

Well worth your time and the $.99 for the eBook.

4 out of 5 Stars (Loved it)

This review is dedicated to the nameless one, but not dark one because that would be way too close to something he would never ever read. :D

[Tom · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great story illustrating the sacrifices we make for power and the costs of holding it. The Sword of Kings, though in the fantasy genre, offers lessons in the weight we place on symbols and their importance throughout history. The setting is classic medieval fantasy where kings rule and symbols play a vital role in maintaining the authority to rule. Magic in this world is an indigent partner who requires our devout observance to its needs. The people here lose their way in following old traditions and must make amends to set things right.

Iden gives us a well-written fantasy/mystery that grabs your attention from the outset and leads you to a zinger of an ending. This is the first of his work I’ve read but it won’t be the last. His ability to meld imagery into well- crafted characters and plot are on par with some of my favorite fantasy writers (Brooks, Sanderson). This is a fantasy reader’s delight – a marvelous short story with novel potential. Well-edited, the only downside for me was that I really wanted more – a well-earned 4.7 stars.

Tom Clementson (Kindle Book Review)

Be sure to take a moment and leave your feedback and comments about the book on Amazon and goodreads.

[Literary Chanteuse · Rating 4 out of 5]

Once again this author has managed to write a compelling short story that doesn’t feel robbed of detail or plot, with a fantastic ending that is both unexpected and satisfying.

[Baarbaara Baaa · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fast paced short story, really enjoyed the characters and the suspense, the sword had a life of it's own, I recommend this book to anyone...

[Joan Mcdonagh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well done. The psyche of the principal was masterfully written. Great twist!

[Marge Moen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very enjoyable short story. The ending surprised me, which was a nice change!

[Rose Cimarron · Rating 4 out of 5]

[2012-06-21] Thanks Matthew - your giveaway is appreciated. Will read and review.

[201-06-23] Just read this short story whilst sitting the sun and stiff breeze (missing the rain showers!).

Actual rating 4.5 stars

What an excellent story! It is a complete package on its own - but leaves you with "what happens next?" and "how do I get to know these characters better?" ringing through your head. The ending is bittersweet and, at least to me, entirely logical with what we know of the situation. It is not a cliffhanger; this is a complete tale, but like all good stories, it invites you to imagine the ongoing lives of the protagonists. In addition, Matthew Iden structures this so that I also wondered about what had happened in the times before the glimpse into the Kingdon of Mercia that we are afforded.

This is a 4.5 start only because I felt the tale was told a little hurriedly. Just a few more sentences in several of the scenes would have made the whole shine that much more brightly.

Now: Matthew - when will the trilogy be out? I definitely feel that the potential is here!

Thank you for inviting me to the 2 day giveaway for this story...looking forward to the next two stories!

[Breath of Life · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alright this is the second book by author Matthew Iden. The first was Assassin and I reviewed it earlier. And as for this book, I will say that again refreshing as a short book as well as being another fantasy.

I did read this one just a quick as I read the first, and feel the same about this one. I did enjoy parts but some was just not for me. I liked the cover, the characters were well written, plot was okay, ending actually I was glad to get to the end.

So there is my thoughts, Yours may differ which is fine.

But for this book and author I will be giving a Breath of Life Rating:


Four Star Rating:

Disclosure: I did received the above book in exchange for my honest opinion and review. Opinions are my own and yours may differ.

[Charissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very well written short story; can read in about half an hour. Iden’s writing style makes any subject intense and riveting. His talent for pushing words around on the page is phenomenal. I love his sharp, succinct style and imagery. This fantasy medieval tale focuses on a sword with a soul and what a king must sacrifice to lead his kingdom with a powerful symbol of strength and victory. One part I loved was when the king laments the sword's slow death and says he would gladly give up anything to make the sword live. His wise adviser tells him that sacrifice isn’t something that is ever easy or gladly given. Great short story.

[Nicky · Rating 4 out of 5]

For a short story, this does remarkably well at getting me involved. It's very short, but it explores its idea well enough. The characters are quickly drawn but I could sympathise with them -- they're not bad guys or good guys, really, just normal guys who have to deal with what they're given. I like the exploration of the concept of the magical sword: they're a useful deus ex machina, in some stories, but doesn't everything have a price?

[Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Imagery was great - I could feel myself there in the cramped room watching the King pace while the Page Sister was trying to find the reference they were hunting for in the old manuscript. While I didn't fore-see the ending, I was nodding my head afterwards because all the clues were there leading up to it.

[Conny · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got this book as a free download and I am very glad I did, I loved it. Another great short story by Matthew Iden, the only negative thing I have to say about it is that I wished it was longer. I don't want to give anything away but since its a pretty quick read you will find out soon enough what is up with the Sword of Kings. I definitely recommend this book.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. So good.

Tightly crafted to give us a glimpse of the characters and develop the story in such a short space. I would love more, more, more of this but, it has brought back to me the pleasure of the short story done well.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

For such a short story, literally about a chapter long. I did like it a lot . I am drawn to fantasy stories with the feel of history. This is a good foundation to build multiple books or an epic novel.
I am looking forward to reading the next one..


Thank you Mathew Iden.

[Elia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed it. It's kind of a medieval fantasty world about the power of swords as a symbol and the mythology of lineage. A fun, quick story but in the end I enjoyed Assassin a little more and was kind of let down by the ending.

[Pruitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very good short story that tells the story of an ancient sword of power held by Kings that begins to lose its magic, and the search for why it is happening so it can be reversed. This is short story that any fan of medieval fantasy is sure to enjoy.

[Michelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

Eh, this wasn't really my kind of story I guess. I had to reading the ending twice to understand what happened. I think the story was way to short and didn't give me enough to grab onto, which could be the reason why I didn't really like it.

[Reynard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting story with meaningful insight, even though I feel the ending is a bit abrupt. Perhaps that's the way the author intended to drop a surprise bomb from the climax :)

[Michele · Rating 4 out of 5]

This short story was very well written and thought provoking. I enjoyed the story notes, as the author explained the thought process behind his idea for the story itself.

[Marissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting take on the lineage of swords. Wish the story was longer so we could see how the sword's "personality" worked.

[Karina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great short story. Would definitely read sequels.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing short story! I'm still feeling the chill I got at the end.

[Bill Harrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent short read with a surprising twist!

[J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. Just wow.