Phoenix Rising

Balanced Sword #1

by Ryk E. Spoor

Epic fantasy with strong magic world-building, engaging characters and wondrous adventure. A young woman forges herself into a warrior to avenge her murdered family members and confront a corrupt, evil knighthood that has taken over her native land.

a highborn young woman whose life is shattered by the murder of her kin. But even as Kyri flees her beloved land Evanwyl, she knows that she is her family’s only hope for justice, and Evanwyl's only chance to escape a growing shadow of corruption and destruction.

Now Kyri must venture across Zarathan, a world on the brink of a long foretold Chaos War. It is a struggle that will rend the foundations of existence and may usher in a long age of darkness –that is, if Kyri and her companions do not succeed in holding back the tide of evil that is rising. Those companions include valiant swordsman Tobimar Silverun, Prince of Skysand, exiled on the turn of a card and a prophecy, who is now seeking his people’s lost homeland; and Poplock Duckweed, an unlikely hero whose diminutive size is as much weapon as it is a weakness.

Kyri’s quest is as simple as it is find a legendary, ancient weapon smith, take up the sword and armor of a new order of warrior-defenders, and bring the power of justice and vengeance to the evil and corruption that has darkened her native land.

About Phoenix Rising :
“A winner! Phoenix Rising gripped me and drew me in. Kyri, Tobimar, and Poplock became friends, people I care for and want to know more about and spend more time with. Great characters, and thrilling adventure. I want more!”—Ed Greenwood, best-selling author of the Forgotten Realms series

“[E]xciting adventure, scary monsters, strange gods, and wondrous magic.”—Lawrence Watt-Evans

"I became very involved with Kyri's quest for vengeance and justice."—P.C. Hodgell, author of the best-selling Kencyrath Series.

Genres: Fantasy, Ebooks, Fiction, High Fantasy, Epic Fantasy, Adventure

576 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published November 6, 2012

Reviews

[Kate Rauner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Phoenix Rising, Ryk E Spoor's book is not exactly part of a series, but the Afterword says other books have been set in this fantasy world of magic. The first five chapters were hard for me to get through. There are so many characters introduced, each with more than one name or title, and three story-lines of which two seemed like fairly typical sword and magic fantasies. I almost gave up on the book. Then I got to the third story line which features an intelligent toad named Poplock. This idea seemed fresh and the writing lighter. About half way through the 400 page book, there was a nifty plot twist that added a fourth story line that I liked

Those early chapters led me to this approach: Read a chapter of Poplock's story; then search thru the ebook for the next time his name appears and read that chapter. Two of the story lines converged fairly soon and I never missed the skipped portions of that third story line, which joined up with Poplock in the last 100 or so pages. There are plenty of open plot threads for a sequel. I finished the book and mostly enjoyed it. I don't think I will look for the sequel though.

[Jeff · Rating 3 out of 5]

Liked it ! Good fantasy sword & sorcery keeps the pages turning with fast paced action & interesting characters. Interesting mix of races & motives, active Gods & Demons. You don't see the dice rolling, yet can sense they are there.

[Matt Larkin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I'm the epic fantasy guy, and I've got a thing for phoenixes (obviously), so I took this project on knowing nothing about the actual story other than it was an epic. I have not read the author's earlier work, mentioned in afterward as connected, though I probably will if I can find it (a quick search of Kindle didn't turn it up).

Phoenix Rising primarily centers on Kyri Vantage, a girl heir to superhuman strength through her parents a respected member of society. Her family is murdered, setting her on a quest for "justice and vengeance," which takes her around the continent and stacks her up against some very powerful forces. The story also spends a lot of time with Tobimar Silverun, and Poplock, his Toad companion.

So I'm not gonna lie, the book has some flaws. And I still recommend it to fans of epic fantasy. First, some weak points. The dialog is usually okay, but sometimes the characters tend to all sound the same, and occasionally it veers into "as you know…" territory just a little. The story also has some shaky time transitions, especially early on when four years pass. I have no problem with time jumps in fiction--it's necessary to keep things moving forward. However, in this case, I can't say exactly when the jump occurred. I just realized, at some point, that events I had thought just happened, were now being referred to as four years in the past. No "Part 2" no "four years later," no real clear transition I saw at all. This was jarring, because I couldn't (without going back and re-reading) say exactly when the shift occurred.

One thing that irked me a lot was where Tobimar's plot (which was generally a bit less exciting than Kyri's) went off the rails. ***Spoiler alert*** Mid-story suddenly we see characters from our modern Earth, and it's jarring. Sure, as it goes on, I got over it and even accepted the reasons behind it (especially after gathering a bit more about the setting), but I can't say I quite like it. *** end spoilers ***

However, the story excels at world building. As with any epic fantasy, the beginning leaves us a bit mired in confusion (maybe more than the average epic fantasy), as the author does not info dump on us. Persevere through it, and you begin to see the hints of a deep world. The world is caught in medieval stasis, largely because of cyclic Chaoswars that occur every several thousand years due to the planet being the source of all magic.

Another highlight is Kyri's story. Without spoiling it, she follows certain somewhat predictable trends in her quest. These trends, while predictable, are still immensely satisfying. It's like seeing Luke become a Jedi. Sure, we all knew it was coming. It was still cool to see. Kyri's story manages to pack a few surprises, too, and I found myself always eager to get back to it. Tobimar and Poplock were not as compelling, but also served as interesting diversions, eventually intertwining their stories with hers. To be honest, I didn't love how easily all the heroes formed a coherent unit of friendship and understanding and respect and blah blah, but it was nice to see the story lines converge.

Does it sound like I had a lot of negative things to say about the book? As I said, it had it's flaws. And yet, I kept finding myself eager to come back and read more, to dive deeper. It's the story both of an epic struggle between deities, and of the redemption of a young girl, and through her a nation. So despite any flaws, I'm going to be reading the next part whenever it becomes available.

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m really glad I had the opportunity to read “Phoenix Rising” as it was a highly enjoyable read. I had never heard of the author or the book before and starting a book you know next to nothing about is always a bit of a jump in the dark. The first few chapters, though a good introduction to the rest of the story, were a bit tough because the customs and magic in this elaborate world the author created are really complex and detailed. But throughout the book we get to know the different sorts of magic and religions a bit better and the reading experience gets a lot more comfortable while the story progresses. It’s actually quite impressive how imaginative, original en elaborate the author made his world. Ryk E. Spoor has also created a wide variety of characters that bring an exotic touch and interesting diversity to the story.

The people who have been following my blog for a while will know that I love a Fantasy tale about a quest. I was therefore really excited when I noticed this story revolved around several quests: definitely my cup of tea! This mixed with an intriguing magical system, vengeance, ancient creatures, evil and horrifying enemies, corruption and secrets is definitely a recipe for a wonderful Fantasy story.
The characters were so-so, Kyri and Tobimar were OK, but didn’t pull me in as much as Poplock did. Poplock Duckweed is one of the most surprising and funny characters I’ve ever read about. The first chapter where Poplock takes center stage we don’t immediately know what he is. With all the interesting characters in this story he could be anything. But I was so surprised when I found out what he was I actually told my mum about it. He is a most unusual hero, but very entertaining to read about!

The writing is very compelling and easy to read. There are just some minor remarks I had: the names the author chose were sometimes a bit too difficult. I understand this was a conscious decision on some occasions but I don’t even try to read those names. It puts a kink in the reading experience and I just skip them whenever they get too hard. On the other hand, it gives a good example of the differences between the several populations and their languages and customs, so a bit of a dilemma there.
Also, and this is something I’ve been seeing a lot lately, there are a lot of italics in this book. Some of them are necessary, like when we’re listening to what some of the characters are thinking. But if it’s to emphasize certain words I don’t think that’s always necessary, I like to put my own emphasis on words while reading and being forced to do it really irritates me sometimes. Luckily it wasn’t that big of a problem here, just sporadically it could have been a bit less.

I absolutely enjoyed “Phoenix Rising”, it was an entertaining, elaborate and complex story with a strong backbone and a lot of action, magic and cultural diversity. I’d recommend it to any Young Adult or Adult with a love for Sword and Sorcery and quests.

[Helen Petrovic · Rating 4 out of 5]

A strong 4 stars for this novel.

Phoenix Rising is the latest novel from Ryk E Spoor, a fantasy adventure which packs a punch. The main story follows the quests of two young fighters; Kiri Vantage, who sets out on a dangerous quest to find the identities of the murderers who killed her parents and bring them to justice. Meanwhile, Tobimar Silverun, son of a displaced Lord, has journeyed forth, seeking his people’s ancient homeland.

As far as sword and sorcery fantasy novels go, this one does most things right. The characters of Kiri and Tobimar are sympathetic, if not particularly memorable, and Spoor imbues them with enough skill and daring to take on the hoardes of nasties he throws at them.

Although this novel gives plenty of nods to its D&D heritage, it is no slave to it. There are plenty of blow-by-blow action sequences, but there is also lots of mystery and humour interspersed throughout. Spoor adds just enough political intrigue and divine powerplay to enhance the novel without overwhelming it.

Whilst this is ultimately a quest novel, Spoor also adds plenty of originality to his story to freshen up well-worn tropes. My favourite character I must say is the plucky Poplock. He is an absolute original, both clever and meddlesome in turns. The chapter where he is introduced is absolutely delightful, and caught me off guard. I shan’t spoil it for you here.

The biggest plus for me when reading this novel was the world-building. Zarathan feels BIG; not just in terms of size and geography, but in the diverse cultures and the rich history which is often touched upon, but ultimately left to unfold in the background, giving the reader a definite sense of place. This is a world richly imagined and painstakingly created, a world which brims with unusual races, terrifying monsters and warring gods. As a reader you can feel the cogs of bigger events spinning beneath the main plot. This is a world of high magic (sometimes I little too high for me – crystals that record sound and pictures start to make me think sci-fi instead of fantasy), a world where anything is possible.

Phoenix Rising begs a sequel, as Spoor’s omniscient writing approach means that there are plenty of loose ends left to be tied up by the conclusion of the book, yet the ending is very satisfactory on its own. An enjoyable, light-hearted fantasy action adventure which will make you grab for the next one.

[Clare O'Beara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'd read some very dark books and wanted some adventures and fun for a change. So I turned to a fantasy with engaging characters, sinister conspiracies, spells and swordplay.

The disparate characters and scenes in the early chapters take a little time to fall into place and show us how they connect. I particularly liked the small adventurer Poplock Duckweed, and Victoria and Kyri Vance, orphaned by a mysterious fire in their noble family's castle. There's also a more standard young man called Tobimar, who belongs to a family with a strange doom. They need to search out the land of their ancestors, but every time they start the journey, a natural disaster befalls the land, such as earthquake or volcano. Interesting conundrum. Tobimar decides to leave home without intending to search, and maybe the answer will be found without his specifically intending it.

Races in this richly-described land of Zarathan include saurians and insectoids as well as the more usual elves, dwarves and humans. There's a demon army trying to break through a portal, to add to the fun, and the incorruptible brotherhood of warrior-judges called the Justicar is... sadly, more corrupt than anyone suspects. I particularly like a few instances of crime scene investigation.

Kyri carries a phoenix figurine as she travels to the oldest city in the world. Maybe her family can rise from the ashes as she follows her Aunt Victoria into the Guild of Adventurers.

Only downsides for me were that to start with, we meet reams of names and titles which establish that this is a complex world but could deter a younger reader; and there was so much going on and so many main characters that introducing five young people from Earth around halfway seemed unnecessary. It's hard to care about everyone at once. The tale is busy and complex with many strands, which I'll be keen to follow into the series. Especially with Poplock to enjoy.

[Silviu · Rating 4 out of 5]

So.. was this book enjoyable? Hell yeah!

For some reason, I imagined every scene from this book as if it was drawn from an anime. I dearly wish for more books to have this effect on me.

The only thing I found somewhat disconcerting: there isn't a very clear notion of how much time passes from one scene to another; a day, or a month, or a year? In some cases this wasn't immediately apparent, and it might be a source of confusion.

Another thing which is somewhat misleading: after reading the summary, I was expecting to read an entire book about a group of three adventures and their adventures across the world. Only the three mentioned in the summary meet each other only towards the end of the book. Hopefully the next book in the series will correct this this!

I'm eagerly waiting for more books in this universe.

[Stephen Graham · Rating 4 out of 5]

The opening of the novel does an excellent job of setting the main struggle of the book: corruption within. The plot moves along at a good pace, glancing in at some interesting places and introducing reasonably interesting characters. The conclusion is generally predictable but not annoyingly so. The revelation of the central villain is lacking, as we haven't spent significant time establishing that character in any other capacity than villain. Thus what would be a noticeable betrayal to the characters and to players in the original RPG is not particularly notable. On the other hand, the central villain was someone other than who I had suspected. The introduction of the Power Rangers into the story was a bit gratuitous as well.

[Jesse Mcconnell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun D&D-oriented fantasy tale. There is obviously a LOT of background material and hints of ties to modern Earth. The problem is that there is WAY too much of it.

The ties to Earth are just barely brushed. Only a small fraction of the interesting possibilities are explored, and the world is just barely explained.

If this were part of a series, then it would be an absolutely awesome first book, worthy of five stars. As it is though, as stand-alone book it is fun, but has way too many holes and unexplained things to truly become immersive - I kept getting bounced out of the world thinking "Wait, but what about.....!?"

Greak book, but frustratingly incomplete.

[Bingo · Rating 4 out of 5]

My lighting set the right tone for following the adventure. I read Phoenix Rising mostly at night, in the dark, with a flashlight on my head. It was as very fun read with a good ensemble. Pace was good, even swift, and the highly satisfying story delivered in an uncomplicated fashion suggests an enormous and inviting backstory, rich with history, and intriguing future possibilities for the characters.

I thought there were many nice touches here. The plot holds a great mix of possibilities, the events were fun to uncover, the setting is nicely enchanted, and my interest was strongest by the end.

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this difficult to get into especially since, to start with, I thought it was a sequel to "Grand Central Arena". There were all these characters wandering around in strange places and I had no idea what was going on. Then, suddenly, it all started coming together and I found I couldn't put the book down. A great read.

[Kurt Springs · Rating 4 out of 5]

A tail of justice and vengeance. Ryk Spoor wove a complex tale of treachery, courage and perseverance.

It had a slow start, and the subplots nearly got away from him. In the end it picked up and moved rapidly

[Joe AuBuchon · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good sword and fantasy read. Murder, vengeance, justice, humans and non-humans sharing a world. A youngwoman's quest and the journey to become herself.

[Ryk Spoor · Rating 5 out of 5]

As the author, of course I like this book. :) I can't judge directly how good it is, though I feel very good ABOUT it, but I give it an extra star over the rough average because of the book's importance to me.

Phoenix Rising, first volume in my The Balanced Sword trilogy, is the first presentation of my fantasy world, Zarathan, to the world at large. I've been working on Zarathan since 1978 -- 35 years -- and what I wanted to create was a world that was both a classic epic fantasy world, but... not. It had to have the key elements -- mighty warriors, powerful wizards, gods, monsters, ancient civilizations and fallen ruins, true Good and Evil, etc. -- but include elements that I mostly found lacking in my reading, such as consistency in magic, development and use of mystical powers in rational ways, intersection of various powers including technology, methods of making the warrior-with-swor not become irrelevant in a world with fireball-slinging mages, and so on.

Of course, to some extent, history caught up with me; there are written worlds now that do many of these things in one way or another, worlds that didn't exist in the early years of Zarathan's design. But I think there are still elements that I do rather differently, and certainly the specific combination of elements in Zarathan is very different than anyone else's universe.

As implied by the title, Phoenix Rising centers around Kyri Vantage, who takes the nom du guerre of Phoenix partway through the book. The entire trilogy, in fact, is driven by her quest to discover what forces were behind the deaths of her parents and her brother, and the weakening of the very god that her people have depended upon and worshipped for generations untold.

Yet this is only part of the story, and the presence of Tobimar Silverun, Seventh of Seven, and the little toad Poplock Duckweed, also drive the tale in different ways. The middle book of the trilogy will have considerably more focus on Tobimar's quest, returning main focus to Kyri's in the third novel.

This is a tale of the intersection of gods and mortals, of how the mortals can change the fates of the gods, and how the gods support the mortal world as much as they, in turn, depend on the support of the mortals themselves.

It is also a tale that shows that when the world is threatened, more than one group of heroes will be needed. Kyri, Tobimbar, and Poplock hear of, and even encounter, other groups of heroes who have to deal with other aspects of the world-girdling plans of the true adversaries. Each group has its own story; I hope that I'll get a chance to tell the whole tale, which is a trilogy of trilogies: The Balanced Sword, The Spirit Warriors, and Godswar. Spirit Warriors focuses on the five young people seen roughly in the middle of Phoenix Rising, of which group Xavier Ross is a member. Godswar follows several other characters from Phoenix Rising -- Kyri's little sister Urelle, her aunt Victoria, and the two escort/bodyguards they had hired just for the move from Evanwyl to Zarathanton: Ingram Camp-Bel and Quester.

All three groups will have desperately important parts to play in preventing the conquest of the world by Kerlamion, and in preventing potentially worse disasters caused by other villains who are less titanically obvious, but equally evil and perhaps, in the long term, even more dangerous.

I admit that this has the potential flaw of showing various looming threats which are dealt with off-camera, so to speak. Yet to NOT have such things, in my view, shows a world that's more limited and makes less sense. I can't, practically speaking, do all three in one trilogy, and I *really* didn't want to get into writing a series of at least nine books where I had (counts on fingers) something like 12 major protagonists, at least 4-6 major villains, and gods alone know how many secondary characters, often operating separately and without even knowledge of each other. I don't see how that would have worked as a single series.

Doing it in three separate trilogies does, however, have the advantage that if I finish one trilogy, I don't leave *hideously* dangling plot threads, as I would if I tried to do a 9+ book series and the publisher decided "I'm sorry, Mr. Spoor, but after the sales of book #5, we really can't contract for books 6 through 10".

I enjoy spending time with these characters, though -- like many readers -- my favorite has ended up being Poplock Duckweed, six-inch long intelligent Toad, dabbler in magic, mischief-maker, observer and gadfly... and much more dangerous than people expect. Not that I don't like the others -- Kyri and Tobimar and Xavier are fun to write with too -- but Poplock somehow, well, bounces through the text in echo of his species.

I am incredibly glad to have seen Phoenix Rising finally come out, and hopeful that I will be able to publish the other two volumes (fingers crossed!) EDIT: The other two volumes are under contract now, so yes, they will be published! I hope you enjoy your visit to Zarathan, and meeting with a young woman seeking answers, a young man seeking a homeland, and a little toad trying to keep his friends alive.

[Jason Hatter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Based on a tabletop gaming world of the authors creation. It's a great experience on how magic, and magical effects, can be both commonplace and magical, and how not all bad-guys are mustache twirling evil. Plus, Poplock Duckweed!

[Angus · Rating 5 out of 5]

A convincing start to a well-written, engaging fantasy series. I’ve never gone wrong with Ryk Spoor yet. Highly recommended.

[John Davies · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't expect to like this book, but it turned out to be a really good read. While the characters all seem a little too "super-powered", it's still a good story.

[Sal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good meat-and-potatoes high-fantasy, with a clear influence of D&D.

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Audiences are spellbound in Phoenix Rising, the first installment of the epic fantasy series, Balanced Sword. Here, we travel to the world of Zarathan, a teeming ecosystem inhabited by an array of different humanoid species (and some that aren't), all pulled along by the whims of the multitudes of gods that look down upon their creations. It's been twelve-thousand years since the last of the Chaos Wars, the tremors of which can still be felt to this day, and there is good evidence to suggest that another cataclysm is soon to descend. Kyri Vantage is a warrior from a long, noble line who wants one thing; justice and revenge for the death of her parents. Tobimar Silverun, a prince of Skysand, wants only to ease the suffering of his people, and runt-of-the-litter Poplock Duckweed yearns to explore the world, seeking adventure and righting wrongs. While it may seem unlikely that these three could have any effect on the coming storm, their individual worlds are turned upside down when tragedy and heartbreak strikes each one, sending them on their own quests that will set them on a collision course. As the evil begins to stir, Kyri will have to seek the aide of the gods themselves and become a champion of justice for all the world to behold.

Ryk E. Spoor spins a masterfully detailed fantasy in his Phoenix Rising. Without preamble, the story soon takes on a life of it's own and it's all we can do to hold on for the ride. Our three main characters (and most of the support) are highly individualized and are able to endear themselves to the reader. Set in a world full of magic, Phoenix Rising is sure to become a shining example of epic writing.

[S.B. (Beauty in Ruins) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I discovered fantasy in high-school, back in the late 80s/early 90s, so my fondness for the genre is firmly rooted in the likes of Weis, Hickman, Feist, Rawn, Lackey, Brooks, Jordan, Eddings, Donaldson, and others. I grew up with sprawling epics of magic and monsters, wizardry and wonder, where hope (and humor) tipped the balance of horror. I love its familiar tropes and its cliches, and its tried-and-true themes of heroism and sacrifice.

Sadly, stories that like have become the exception on shelves dominated by grimdark and historical fantasy, so when I find a book like Phoenix Rising, my heart swells and my imagination squeals like a teenager once again.

I was hooked by this from the first chapter. It has the settings, the mythologies, the characters, and the creatures that I so fondly remember. Ryk E. Spoor doesn’t just nod and wink to the reader, he welcomes us with open arms, giving us things like adventurer’s guilds and quests that are the stuff of roleplaying games. The stakes are cataclysmic, betrayal is everywhere, but you know from the start that goodness will prevail – it will struggle, there will setbacks and sacrifices, but goodness will win out.

By the end of this book we have our classic heroic trio fully formed: a highborn young woman imbued with the power of a magical knight, a noble questing prince from across the world, and a kick-ass intelligent toad who only fools underestimate. Quests are completed and villains vanquished, but the fate of the world still hangs in the balance, with two more books waiting to be devoured.


https://sallybend.wordpress.com/2023/...

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reads JUST like an RPG, which is not a bad thing so long as typed characters and situations (Hey, let's wander around looking for adventures!) aren't bothersome. Lots of monsters to kill, bad guys who sometimes SEEM to be good guys (bwaa ha ha), handy dandy "never fill" backpacks stuffed with just the weapons or tools you need, and plenty of revelations to come. Plus a hero-toad, Poplock Duckweed, who totally steals the show.

Memorable lines:

First pillage, then burn.

The archway lay in shattered, almost unrecognizable pieces; ash and scattered limbs were all that remained of the monsters, and scorchmarks were visible up the tunnel, as far as he could see, showing that Myrionar's Vengeance was complete and total; none of the creatures had escaped. "Whoa," Xavier said in a tone of awe.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

An exciting, old school quest adventure with hints of fantasy RPG influence, Phoenix Rising may not be breaking any new ground but I found it to be a very fun read. The two main protagonists are each on their own quests, one to avenge the murder of her brother the second to to discover the hidden secret of his people's lost homeland. One they meet they become embroiled in a conflict that has been brewing for ages. All the characters have their own distinct personalities and motivations and I found them quite likable. My favorite may be Pollock who is a member of a race of intelligent toads, a thief and apprentice mage. I highly recommend this to fans of fantasy adventure stories without any heave social or ethical messages.

[John Adams · Rating 2 out of 5]

Starts as an obvious (and pretty awful) novelization of a roleplaying adventure, takes a brief, tantalizing (but mostly saved for a sequel) left turn into 'real world folks in a fantasy world' territory, and then turns into a surprisingly satisfying Kill Bill adventure.

[Beth Revers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fast paced and full of action. Loved the toad.

[Frank · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very interesting Fantasy series. It reminds me of The Deeds of Paksenarian.