Arms of the Storm

Tears of Rage #3

by M. Todd Gallowglas

In First Chosen, Julianna freed the ancient god Grandfather Shadow. He marked her as his high priest, forcing her to choose between her birthrights.

In Once We Were Like Wolves, Julianna meets a group of Grandfather Shadows followers for the first time, forcing her to embrace being the Lord Morigahn.

Now, Julianna will truly be tested as to what kind of leader she is going to be. Surrounded by allies and enemies, can she be sure who is an ally and who is an enemy? Everyone around her, both her followers and agents of the Kingdom of the Sun, seems to have a secret agenda.

In Koma City, estranged brothers, Xander Rosha and Damian Adryck, find themselves entangled in the dangerous web of politics in the Kingdom of the Sun. Can they survive that deadly landscape long enough to determine the rules of that game and who is the key players are?

As always, the gods watch, plot, and scheme for power.

Genres: Fantasy, Science Fiction Fantasy

395 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 25, 2012

About the author

M Todd Gallowglas has been a professional storyteller at Renaissance Faires and Medieval Festivals for over twenty years. After receiving his Bachelor of Arts in Creative Writing from San Francisco State University in 2009, he used his storytelling show as a platform to launch his fiction career. He is the author of the Tears of Rage and Halloween Jack series, which have spent time on various bestseller lists. He was a fiction contributor for Fantasy Flight Games and developed creative content for the reboot of the children's classic Reading Rainbow. Now he spends most of his time trying to find the perfect balance between family, writing, airsoft (because it's not as messy as paintball), and gaming while he's not off somewhere telling stories.

M Todd Gallowglas is a proud member of the Genre Underground.

Reviews

[Christopher Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first job of every writer is to tell a great story, and in that regard M. Todd Gallowglas has unquestionably succeeded. This series is full of awesome characters, twisting plotlines, and non-stop action. That should have made this at least a four-star book. I've downrated it, though, because it needs some serious editing. All three books in the series have suffered from minor errors of spelling, grammar, formatting, clarity, and plot continuity, but in Arms of the Storm these errors become much more frequent and serious. Most distractingly of all, Gallowglas frequently forgets to finish his sentences. I have a certain fondness for the indie publishing phenomenon, but a serious drawback is that few indie authors solicit and/or implement the feedback of a professional editor. Authors who publish with traditional publishers don't just get edited; they get edited aggressively and have little choice but to agree to most of the editors' suggestions. If indie authors want to compete, they need to actively seek and willingly submit to the same degree of quality control.

[Volpot · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

this one is the best in the series so far. much better paced than the 2nd book, the characters and conflicts work better here too (with the addition of a jealous morigahnti who resents Julianna's leadership) and more of the secrets that have been hinted at (like the motivations of some of the gods) are revealed. everything just feels deeper and more fleshed out, and it still has the fast paced action and fights and great magic system that the first two had.

[Michele · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this one too. The story continues....

[Meredith Scarborough · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gallowglas keeps the momentum up with the third installment of the series. Excellent storytelling.

[Lisa Cox · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are very few series I have read where I liked each book better than the last. The Tears of Rage series is one of that few. Gallowglas seems to have hit his writing stride in Arms of the Storm. The characters seem more real, the action is as good or better, the main plot and subplot lines flow and intertwine.

I’m still impressed by how he interweaves the mythology of the world into the story and the events happening to the characters. The gods and goddesses are distant enough, arrogant enough, that we don’t identify with them as easily as with the humans in the story, but they provide lots of interest and tickle the intellect, making us wonder what will happen next.

My favorite new character in this book is Don Gianni D’Mario yp Caenacht. He and Korrin together made me laugh out loud. I hope we continue to see him in the remaining books.

[skip this paragraph if you hate any hint of spoilers]
The climactic battle aboard the Stormrider is very well done, but I think my favorite scene in this book is when Faelin is forced to figure out how to see through the veil of lies that is keeping everyone from helping Julianna.

Once again, I think the series rivals Jordan or Tolkien, and I was very impressed, as well as entertained, by Arms of the Storm.

[Merissa (Archaeolibrarian) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the third book in the series and continues with the story of Julianna and how she is learning her path and who she can trust to do what. This set of books is very complex with more twists and turns than you know what to do with. This is still a darker shade of fantasy novel with plenty of violence, poisonings and assassination attempts. Although in another review, comments were made that the editing issues have been resolved, in the kindle copy that I had there was a multitude of errors.

I didn't find this book as engrossing as the second book in the series and although it finishes on a cliffhanger (as per the first two books) it says that the fourth book in the series is due out Winter 2012. As of August 2013, there is still no listing of "The Fires of Night" (Book 4 of the Tears of Rage Series) which is a disappointment. I am also wondering how long this book would be when there appears to be only a couple of things left to resolve. OK, they are major issues but still not many.

On the whole, I enjoyed reading this book but do feel that this is not the best of the series. Recommended for fans for dark, gritty fantasy.

[David Teachout · Rating 4 out of 5]

Violent and full of strong characters in a world that is charged with the struggle between divine manipulation and human need to make their own path, this series continues to impress. There were numerous editing errors but thankfully the Kindle allows for quick changing of font, but this didn't distract from the power of the story of Julianna's struggle to forge a people out of warring factions and the many subplots making this more than a flatland of prophetic fulfillment. What is greater in strength, divine power or the understanding given by human rationality? The answer isn't clear, but it certainly makes for a great deal of changes among those believing fervently in their cause. Great fun to read, can't wait for more.

[Fatma Alici · Rating 5 out of 5]

Let me say first I adored this book.

I liked the first one a lot, though I had issues with it. The second one lacked some of those issues, and tightened up a lot of the problems, and I really loved that book. But, this one was really great. We learned more about the different characters, characters I really liked. Julianna is starting to come into her own as a leader. Damian character got a nice new chunky bits I got to enjoy.

My only problem the book is the for some reason the formatting kept getting odd on my phone. I use the kindle app, so I'm not sure if is a problem with the book or the app. The problems were fairly minor.

But the ending, wow. Yeah, I would have read way worse formatting errors for that ending. What a kicker.

[Josh · Rating 3 out of 5]

I honestly was a little disappointed in this book. There were some storylines involving Julianna that could have been wrapped up in a strong manner that would have told the readers about some of the characters and their development. Instead the characters are going to be used by a different character in the book. I'm seeing a habit forming and I'm not sure I like it.

On the plus side I greatly enjoyed the development of the two half-brothers, Damian and Xander. They have quickly become my favorite plot-line.

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Warning: Electronic copy is horrendous! Typos and formatting issues.

M. Todd Gallowglas keep the action going in Arms of Storm. If you read the first two books the third, though not as good as the second, is still a page turner.

[Jamie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am absolutely loving this series. I do think the books could have been a little longer, but I have such a hard time putting them down, it's probably a good thing they're not! There are quite a few plot elements that remind me of Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time Series, but in a much briefer format.