Sword of the Dead

Sword of the Dead #1

by Morgan Rice

SWORD OF THE DEAD (Book One) boldly reimagines the Persephone myth as a jumping off point to launch us into a startlingly new epic fantasy world, replete with fresh villains, kingdoms, tragedy monsters, and heroes.

When Thea, the king’s 18 year old daughter, is snatched by a monster and taken miles down to an underground kingdom, Lance, a peasant boy who dreams of joining the King’s elite knights, vows to risk his life to save her. Lance embarks on an epic quest to prove himself before the king’s men, to find the secret passage to the underground, to brave intense trials, to battle hideous monsters, and to get her back.

Meanwhile, up above, with the king distracted and betrayed, a once-impregnable kingdom is crumbling, as enemies on all sides close in. Only a hardened girl thief, an unlikely hero, stands a chance of saving it all….

Genres: Fantasy, Mythology, Magic, Young Adult, Fiction, Amazon, Retellings

166 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 8, 2023

About the author

Morgan Rice is the #1 bestselling and USA Today bestselling author of the epic fantasy series THE SORCERER’S RING, comprising seventeen books; of the #1 bestselling series THE VAMPIRE JOURNALS, comprising twelve books; of the #1 bestselling series THE SURVIVAL TRILOGY, a post-apocalyptic thriller comprising three books; of the epic fantasy series KINGS AND SORCERERS, comprising six books; of the epic fantasy series OF CROWNS AND GLORY, comprising 8 books; of the new epic fantasy series A THRONE FOR SISTERS, comprising eight books (and counting); and of the new science fiction series THE INVASION CHRONICLES. Morgan’s books are available in audio and print editions, and translations are available in over 25 languages.

TURNED (Book #1 in the Vampire Journals), ARENA ONE (Book #1 of the Survival Trilogy), A QUEST OF HEROES (Book #1 in the Sorcerer’s Ring) and RISE OF THE DRAGONS (Kings and Sorcerers—Book #1) are each available as free downloads!

Morgan loves to hear from you, so please feel free to visit www.morganricebooks.com to join the email list, receive a free book, receive free giveaways, download the free app, get the latest exclusive news, connect on Facebook and Twitter, and stay in touch!

Reviews

[Brooke (B for Books) · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very straightforward retelling of the myth of Persephone. A peasant wants to join the knight's guard, and a princess who gets swallowed up by the earth, and facing monsters of hell. This may be a start to a solid little fantasy series. Seems like the myth retelling is the jumping block to more building later in the series.

I would probably recommend for younger readers ages 10-15 because of the simplicity of the plot.

[Alicia Huxtable · Rating 5 out of 5]

Start of another great story

I have read plenty by this author and no matter what the story entails, I'm surprised in a great way. I love the way the characters are developed throughout the story and the storyline never falters. Can't wait to read the rest of this series

[Savannah · Rating 2 out of 5]

1. I don't respect books that can't be read as a stand alone. Especially when it's the first book. Nothing from the plot was resolved. At that point just make the first book longer.

2. It's very game of thrones coded. But it's something I would give my 13yo to read.

3. The characters have potential but it's all very rushed and I wasn't able to fall in love with any of them. There's wasn't enough story about any one character thar made me feel like I knew them enough to care for them. Which is a big problem for me in the first book - it's what makes the reader read the second.

Might DNF the series, might not. But I would rather read a different series than buy the second book at this time.

[Julie Powell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was given an ARC of this book and I thought it was a great start to a new fantasy series. It's full of action, adventure, magic and a whole lot more.

I liked the cast of characters and it will be fascinating to see where their adventures end. There were plenty of fantastical creatures, heroes, villains, cowards and those in between.

Enjoyable and I look forward to reading more.

Recommended.

[Linda Rorex · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first book in the Sword of the Dead series by Morgan Rice. Meredith is the eighteen-year-old daughter of the king Lytos who has been abducted by a monster and taken miles down to an underground kingdom. Her disappearance sets off a chain of events that threatens the stability of the realm. Lance is a peasant boy dreaming of joining the King’s elite knights and vows to risk his life to save Meredith. Lance embarks on a perilous quest to prove himself worthy of the king’s men, discover the secret passage to the underworld, battle terrifying creatures, and rescue Princess Meredith from the depths below. Meanwhile, the kingdom above begins to unravel. With the king distracted and enemies closing in, a hardened girl thief emerges as an unexpected savior, her actions may determine the fate of the crumbling realm. This is an epic tale of fate, and destiny, of magic and love, of sacrifice and power. I really enjoyed this fantastic young adult epic fantasy novel.

[Linda Rorex · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first book in the Sword of the Dead series by Morgan Rice. Meredith is the eighteen-year-old daughter of the king Lytos who has been abducted by a monster and taken miles down to an underground kingdom. Her disappearance sets off a chain of events that threatens the stability of the realm. Lance is a peasant boy dreaming of joining the King’s elite knights and vows to risk his life to save Meredith. Lance embarks on a perilous quest to prove himself worthy of the king’s men, discover the secret passage to the underworld, battle terrifying creatures, and rescue Princess Meredith from the depths below. Meanwhile, the kingdom above begins to unravel. With the king distracted and enemies closing in, a hardened girl thief emerges as an unexpected savior, her actions may determine the fate of the crumbling realm. This is an epic tale of fate, and destiny, of magic and love, of sacrifice and power. I really enjoyed this fantastic young adult epic fantasy novel.

[Lillian Cummings · Rating 3 out of 5]

How far would you go to save someone?

Will Lance a commoner be able to save the princess? He knows that that him being a commoner works against him but he is going to prove to everyone that he belongs in the King's guard.
Princess Meredith just wants to spend some time with the new boy that she met but before that can happen she is kidnapped. Will Lance risk his life to find her? The journey isn't going to be easy as they will fight against many enemies. But Lance knows that he can't give up now. Meredith keeps on making plans to get free she won't allow herself to be swallowed up by evil. A good read. Great characters good & evil.

[Nian Yii · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF-ed this book because I couldn't bring myself to enjoy the writing. The writing style is juvenile and very tell instead of show. Things happen very fast for no apparent reason. A random peasant boy easily makes his way into the king's guard. Other guards 'hate' him in that cliche way bullies hate the main protagonist in teenage rom-coms. The princess has an immediate attraction to him -- why? Who knows?

I was enticed by the blurb for this book -- the premise sounded interesting, but unfortunately, I couldn't stand the writing long enough to get to the main plot.

[Pedro Bedro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Meredith was warned but she still went out on her birthday and the inevitable happened. Cue the start of an adventure for Lance as a new member of the King's guard and the only commoner to qualify. Despite one guard's prejudice he has support in the guard and saves lives through his courage and resourcefulness but will it help him defeat Zander, king of the world beneath, rescue Meredith and save the kingdom above ?

[Jenny Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

great!

I have come to expect fantastic novels with colorful characters and twisty plots from Morgan Rice. She didn’t let me down with this one.
Following Lance and Meredith on the cusp of adulthood and finding the powers that lay within them was a quite a journey that was started. The twists and turns of the storyline make it so interesting to read and hard to put down. I am looking forward to starting the next one to see where the journey goes next.

[Carol Riggs · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was decently written, interesting and adventurous, with lots of action and some character development. The stark cliffhanger at the end was annoying and left absolutely nothing resolved. I know it’s a series, but I respect books in a series that feel more complete—a pause in the action with some minor threads wrapped up, rather than abruptly chopped off. It might make some readers wish to continue on, but it does the opposite for me.

[Arthur R. Turner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another excellent series

We expect great writing from MS Rice, she does not disappoint with this series as well. Characters fleshed out and polish with a dash of magic. Different worlds described as if you were there. Love story with the heart of a commoner and the princess of the realm.

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sword of the Dead

Another good read from one of the masters of imagination, Morgan Rice. As usual, good and evil are at it again, just dressed up in different costumes. This first book is good, I hope MR kicks it up a notch as the books progress. Read on we must, monster slayers 💀

[Kevin Grigg · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this, but is it a book in itself, I would say no as the story has just started and I’ve finished it. I am going to read the next one as I am invested enough to want to know what happens next. If like me you like an easy to read engaging ( if lightly) fantasy then read this but know you will be reading the next as I am.

[Colleen Padilla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another Fantastic read

I really enjoy the ride that Morgan Rice puts her readers on. She has a way to take a hold of you and keep you engaged that you don't want the ride to end,and can't wait for the next ride.

[Mr Douglas Jarvis · Rating 2 out of 5]

short and simple

This is a little bit like a quick preview of a fantasy story. No real depth or detail here at all . The main character goes from farm boy to knight in days.. no real journey or difficulty. All in all a bit of a nothing

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a bit awkward in places as though it's a draft rather than the fully edited, back from the beta readers, version. The concept is excellent but I think the telling relies too much on the reader allowing the author to gloss over logical implausibilities which is a shame really.

[Carl Stewart · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading some other titles by this tremendous author this one took a little while for me to settle into the storyline and setting, however I still would recommend it to any readers who are into fantasy. A great story of destiny and adventure.

[Rowan Creech · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a good fantasy story that had plenty of action and a wonderful storyline. The characters are perfect true to Morgan Rice's story creations. This was a good book.

[Silvia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is one of the few books that just wasn't that good to me. I may try the second one or I may not. I have read most of his books, but this one was just ok to me.

[Tess · Rating 1 out of 5]

Im not supporting an author who uses an AI generated voice for their audiobooks!! This is so wrong

#supportYourNarrators

[Bea · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wish Morgan Rice wrote full size novels. His writing keeps me wanting to read more but each book I have read is cut short at important parts.

[Joel]

The plot moved too fast. This felt like more of an outline than a finished book. Not a lot of fleshing out motivations and nothing made sense.

DNFed at 31%

[Sally Antoinette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good beginning for a sword and love story!

This is going to be a really good story to follow! Can you ask for anything more than true love? Ok how about more ?

[Irena · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 ✨
If i had read it as a teenanger i would probably would have liked it more

[Alberto Paico · Rating 2 out of 5]

Inicia muy bien pero es predecible y sencilla, poco a poco se va perdiendo el hilo y se pierde el enganche de la lectura

[Yvonne · Rating 5 out of 5]

great

[Tuğçe Gürkan · Rating 1 out of 5]

I kept checking if I got like a shortened / summary version of the book.

[Sonia Santos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bravery beyond

This book is entwined with magic and two young people who may end up together but we don't find out just yet. This story has a different twist to it which is great. Can't wait to read what's next.