Apprentice Swordceror

Blademage Saga #1

by Chris Hollaway

Apprentice Swordceror, Volume I of the Blademage Saga, is a debut novel that tells the story of a young man trapped between the separate and incompatible worlds of Wizards and Warriors. The main character, Kevon, is easily identified with, possessing the raw talent we all wish we had, and the naiveté we hope we lack. His journey through betrayal, love, loss, and personal growth is accentuated by the friends and allies that he comes to surround himself with. The story will appeal to classic fantasy fans, while the different angles on magic and standard fantastical races will satisfy those who need something different than the usual fare.

Kevon begins his story as a Wizard's Apprentice in a small town, far from anywhere important. He finds himself thrown out into the world, sorely unprepared. Forced to hide his identity to survive, he journeys across the Realm searching for vengeance and redemption.

Genres: Fantasy, Magic, Fiction, Adventure, Young Adult, Epic Fantasy, Science Fiction Fantasy

263 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 27, 2012

Reviews

[Mike (the Paladin) · Rating 5 out of 5]

After careful consideration I've decided not to put this on the YA fantasy shelf. It is at a level that will be easy for young adult readers, it's not complex. On the other hand I don't think it's "YA" so as to put off adult readers who don't care for "YA" reads.

This is a pretty straight forward fantasy with elements that we've all seen before (that is if the "we" are regular fantasy readers). I'll have to be careful not to tip the book's hand, give spoilers in other words, but here's a thumbnail sketch.

We have the r4equsite young man who's lost his father but is hard working, honest and wants to make something of himself. His hard working mother who takes in laundry and sewing is willing to do what it takes to give him the proverbial leg up.

As the book opens our young hero is gathering herbs for his master (you see he's apprenticed to a wizard) when he witnesses a bear kill a warrior. Now according to the books mythology/magic system wizards can not touch iron. It could even kill them. However when the fallen and dying swordsman begs our hero (Kevon) to bring him his sword he decides to try. While he does get a nasty shock when he touches the sword's hilt, he suffers no other ill effects (well except that he can't cast magic for a short while afterward. Touching the steel seems to have "grounded him out).

From here the story takes off with Kevon being sent on an errand by his master (after said master promotes him to Journeyman wizard) to another wizard friend of said master. Things of course do not go as planned by Kevon.

Of course if they had this would nave been a much duller book...

So off we go for adventures of multiple types and to watch out young hero begin to grow and develop. He's learning about the world and himself...and why he seems to be different than all other wizards. Through events in the book Kevon begins to train as the world's only Swordceror...a sword wielding wizard.

As noted the book is pretty straight forward and I suspect the "surprises" will be spotted by the reader before they are the characters. This however isn't really a big deal as the characters are easy to get to know and get involved with.

I like it 9as the 5 star rating might indicate) and I can recommend it for fantasy fans, sword and sorcery fans, probably epic fantasy fans and action fans. My only real complaint is that I got this one on Audible, and the second isn't available that way.

FOUL!

Anyway I plan to read the next, probably have to get it on my Kindle or something.

Oh well.

Recommended, enjoy.

[Dennis Fahey · Rating 2 out of 5]

Boring, improbable YA

I "discovered" that I had this book for a while, wondered why I hadnt read it, so attempted to do so. I soon knew why... By the end of the first few pages I realized that I had, in fact, started this book once before, only to abandon it as another poorly written effort at YA. I gave it to my pre-teen grandson to try, he didnt make it through 20 percent before giving up. I forced myself to read/skim through it and was asking myself the whole time why I was bothering. Simplistic plot, one dimensional characters, blah blah...I hope I got this for free. Deleting fron my acce...avoid.

[Evan Scangas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoy the plot so far and look forward to the next book with some caveats that will hopefully be tuned in future releases.


spoilers but not book killers

Did not like the glossing over...over simplifying... not sure how to explain it exactly, way that the main character decides to kill anyone ever associated with his master without even taking the time to ascertain their guilt.
Poor farm-boy with little to no experience in the big bad world is a bit to desensitized to the thought of killing for me to not shake my head occasionally at the flow of the book.

[Ron Sturm · Rating 5 out of 5]

I hate to admit it, but when i read the synopsis for this book i did not want to read it, I kept ignoring it and ignoring it as it kept popping up on Amazon and on Goodreads as a book to read. So, finally after having nothing else to read, i got this one.

Wow, and wow! I really enjoyed the book, the character development, the story, the additional chars are brought to life. Sigh, now i can't wait for book 2.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this after reading The Heresy Within and there was considerable contrast between the two books both in style and story. While Heresy Within was action packed and gritty, with a blunt writing style, Apprentice Swordceror was a much simpler style and easier to read. Some folk reviewing it have said it's standard fantasy, but I found it to be very easy to read and quietly enjoyable. There are Orcs, but their introduction heralded and interesting type of creature and threat. Magic is different to other books I've read and perhaps more similar to that found in fantasy games such as Diablo, with scrolls and staffs of a particular magic type.

The main character develops well with an interesting mix of magic and swordsmanship. Apparently the two shouldn't go together and the author leaves you guessing why this might be and promises a tale for the future.The tale holds a lot of promise and I enjoyed the first book and will certainly read the next.

[Lukas Lovas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad...not great either, but a valiant effort.

The stuff I liked:
Magic system. The author managed to create a workable magic system that could be used in computer games and had in itself magic of all sorts (elemental, summoning, illusion...), potions, scrolls, staffs....if he'll write more about it in his next books (why the runes work and so on), it would become one of the better magic systems used in fantasy.

Stuff I didn't like:
I can't say I enjoy levelling in books. The main character got too strong, too fast in too many things. I sort of want to believe it, but I couldn't in this particular book. The characters were very two dimensional and very shallow. Either evil, or good to the core. Nothing in between.

Stuff I feel ambiguous about but thought I'd mention it:
The plot is easy to follow, no great politics or manouvers were involved.

That's about all that stuck with me after finishing this book. As I said....not great, but good enough :)

[Cor Markhart · Rating 2 out of 5]

Below average Fantasy with some hope for improvement. Often seems a bit wooden and simplistic. The plot lacks real challenges or surprises and the characters lack depth.

Read if you are interested in fantasy and have some time to waste.

[Kelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of the times I wish I could give 3 1/2 stars. For me it was a good quick entertaining read. The book had some problems with the logistics of the world and some concepts were not well thought out. These were not enough to really bother me and I look forward to reading more.

[Dummiesday · Rating 4 out of 5]

Downloaded it for free in a whim from the Amazon Lending Library without expecting much and was really surprised. The style is very down-to-earth and it's easy to empathize with the characters. The world is also very consistent and interesting. Looking forward to the next chapter in the saga!

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fairly formulaic fantasy, but still enjoyable. I will likely read the followup books in the series.

[Philip Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

The storyline so far is simple but gripping with enough intrigue to keep me reading.

A definite saga to read.

[Ptdog · Rating 5 out of 5]

While it felt like a slow starter, the pace picked up and yielded a fine first tale in the series. I'm starting the second in the series now. Join me

[Jesse · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun read. A little abrupt at times but worth a read.

[A.K. Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed the book. Looking forward to more adventures with the battlemage. It was well written and sensiblely logical unlike many fantasy books. Some oof the character development was a little predictable but well presented none theless. I will be seeking mmore of chris' worj,

See above in field with subject i enjoyed the book immencely and would recommend it to all fantasy fans this authervis one to watvch

[Giriniss · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cheap crap by a novice writer. Want to jump on harry potter and kingkiller chronicles? Jump higher and harder use steroids if necessary. There are gazillions of similar stuff floating by the docks nearby.

[Dylan Sherman · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun read

Lots of action and a story that is pretty fast paced. Kevon is a likeable character but things seem to be a bit too easy for him. I still enjoyed the book and will read the next one.

[Ralph Trickey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun simple story

This is just a nice YA novel, nothing fancy or gritty, just a well told fantasy novel. If you want an uncomplicated story, this is it.

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good start

Interesting approach to a magic system. Story felt rushed as near ending. Some characters were killed too quickly for the amount of time creating them

[Linda McLaughlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great

I enjoyed this book, I plan on reading the next book as soon as possible. I bet it will be A very good .

[R FITZPATRICK · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good start

I would like a bit more depth to the characters. Story arc quite rushed. Will see how it develops in the next instalment.

[Vicky Camp · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun reading.

I really liked this book. The characters are good and the storyline is fun with plenty of mystery.

I recommend this story to anyone who likes sword and sorcery tales.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has a different twist on sorcerers. Iron neutralizes their power, but one apprentice has found a way to wield the power of magic and the sword. There is a lot of vivid imagery throughout the book, making it easy to visualize what is happening. And the author pays close attention to detail, adding in minor details that help build his characters and setting. In addition to savoring the words, I enjoyed the story as well. It has love, betrayal, friendships won and lost, and magic. A good combination for an enjoyable read.

[Muhammad Gibran · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too bad I can only give 2 stars for this book. Its seems really promising. This book lack something.

First, about the cover, not really attract the reader. Second, MC development is moderate at best, and the support character is underdevelop.The magic system not too complex, and little variety show in the story.

I hope it gets better in the second book. Look forward to it.

[Chris Hollaway]

The whole purpose of writing this book was to create something I would like to read. It's not perfect, by any stretch of the imagination, but has surpassed my wildest expectations. I only hope my readers will be as enthusiastic, and more forgiving with the sequel, as I expect there to be at least a few angry letters. Be patient... there is a method to my madness.

[Sean Randall · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating look into a world where swords and sorcery never mix, until now. Our hero is no Manning's Mordecai and still less a Kvothe and yet compellingly I read this to the end, as it wasn't too long and went in a few interesting directions. A recognisably amateur effort, but with potential indeed.

[Stacy Gallina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good but not great

I liked the premise to the book, and I enjoyed it. However, it needed more "meat" in the story. It just seemed to be lacking details that would help a reader become immersed in the story, instead of just reading it to find out how the story ends. I will read the next book, I just hope it provides more "umph"

[sherry oviatt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sword Fighter

How do I explain a book that I was so enthralled with that I reached the end and was shocked. I will wait for the next one with a great deal of nervous energy.

[Fayley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although this was a pretty good standard swords and sorcery fantasy, I can't recommend it because it has a cliff hanger ending and the sequel is rubbish.

[M.L. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is quite an enjoyable book. It has good pacing, though it is a little light on detail. Despite that, this installment still manages to entertain with a simple but interesting magic system.

[Krissy (yepireadthat) · Rating 1 out of 5]

Two stars because I see potential, but this book didn't quite do it for me. The world really does have possibility, but there were a few quirks that just kept me from getting into the story.