Immortal Zero: The Seven Stones

Immortal Zero #1

by A. Mussbacher

The Seven Stones is the first book of an adventure-fantasy arc.

Battle has temporarily ceased between Uvar and Lamora. A treaty must be signed to prevent any more bloodshed. Leonahari Almadzi, the General of Lamora, is in charge of the Empress’ safety, and would risk her life to protect the Empire, but a new darkness is rising, and she alone cannot stop it.

Leona must swallow her pride and rely on the help of a few unlikely an Uvarian exile, a blacksmith and a master thief.

Together they must set their differences aside. The fate of the world depends on it.

500 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 17, 2012

About the author

Ashley Mussbacher is an entrepreneur, marketer and writer. She graduated from the University of the Fraser Valley with a Bachelors in Creative Writing, and worked as a journalist for several years.

She is published in The Louden Singletree, and her short stories, We, The Infinite and The Little Things, won awards in 2013 and 2014. In 2011 she founded an independent marketing company focused on bringing value to local businesses through unique content writing and digital strategies.

Today she works with aspiring writers and running writing workshops for university students, inspiring and shaping the creative community in her home city, Vancouver.

Reviews

[Jack Chaucer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed reading A.E. Croft's fantasy e-book "Immortal Zero: The Seven Stones." She does a wonderful job of creating a whole new realm, focusing in this first installment on the dueling border kingdoms of Lamora and Uvar. In between the book's intense confrontation scenes, Croft leaves plenty of room for comfortably paced character building and fascinating interactions among a group of uniquely voiced main characters -- particularly General Leonahari Almadzi of Lamora, blademaster Farid Lu, master thief Leas Steele and ace hovership pilot Tainean Solador. The wounded general is kidnapped by Leas and Tainean early in the book, and following the surprising arc involving these three strong, roundly depicted female characters is a fun and interesting journey. Leas, Tainean and eventual love interest Farid all end up aiding General Leonahari in her attempt to liberate Lamora from invading Uvar. Croft does a masterful job of not only writing sharp, revealing dialogue between characters, but also capturing the subtle glances and nonverbal clues that bring these people to life. The highlights range from sailor-mouth Leas, who blurts out plenty of laugh-out-loud one-liners and insults along the way, to the beautifully crafted start-stop-restart love affair between General Leonahari and Farid. You can't help but root for these two in the midst of all the curve balls thrown at them, including an earthquake of all things. That's one of the best things about this book. You absolutely have no idea what's coming next, especially when the seven immortals of Croft's world sometimes choose to take on an array of human forms, including that of a little girl in one case. There are more than a few typos along the way, so the book would benefit from one more edit, but all in all I highly recommend Croft's book to all fiction readers.

[Mark Attoni · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was pleasantly surprised. I was not sure what to expect after seeing that three of the main protagonists were female. I was afraid that it would turn into some sort of ‘flower power’ showdown. As male in my twenties, you could tell I was hesitant in ordering this book after finding out I might only be able to sympathize with one of the protagonists (the only male protagonist). After reading it I’m embarrassed to admit that I ended up liking the female protagonists a lot more than I expected. The conventional girl falls in love plot is still hidden in the thatch work of this well plotted novel, but it’s got a bit of a twist that I found stood out for me in a lot of ways. Croft seems to be experimenting with gender roles in this book. That much is certain. The female protagonists all have some sort of connection to powerful roles in the story – without giving too much away. And not only that, but Croft raises some interesting questions about same-sex intimacy and marriage. Something I was not expecting, but the way in which Croft uses it in the story made it feel natural. I will definitely be looking out for the next book of the series. Thanks for the great read.

[Soraya · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found the book to be well written and with fantastic pacing. There is violence and mature themes, but the intimate scenes were written sparingly and with class. I wouldn’t hesitate to let my teenage daughter read this. The plot twists keep you guessing at what will happen next, and the characters develop nicely with the story. I really enjoyed the omniscient narrator approach to the story. All in all, an excellent fantasy-adventure! I eagerly await the arrival of the second book.