Shardfall

The Shardheld Saga #1

by Paul E. Horsman

Muus is only a thrall, a chattel without rights, but he knows the small, blue shard he picked up belongs to him alone. His commonsense saves their lives from cold and starvation.

Kjelle, heir to the Lord of a rich mininghold, is spoiled, and covetous of his thrall's tantalizing find. His greed causes an avalanche that leaves both young men marooned on an icy mountain slope.

Birthe, young wisewoman and huntress, mother of baby boy Búi, is brave and clever. She knows her way through the snowy wilderness of the Norden and her songs are filled with magic.

Now they are bound together on a danger-laden journey to a lost and burning land, where Muus needs to connect the skyshard to the Kalmanir, the standing stone that is the world’s fount of all magic. The Kalmanir's time is almost up and it urgently needs to be replenished before the magic of Gods and men runs out. The two boys have to learn to trust each other, for all around them, enemies abound. Rebels threaten both the kingdom and Kjelle's holding, and a tribe of mad idolaters is trying to recall the banned primordial Old Gods. Even more imminent is Muus' danger, for it comes from nearby, from the shard itself.

An action-packed adventure in a snowy land full of betrayal, rebellion and danger.

Genres: Fantasy, Adventure

142 pages, Paperback

First published June 6, 2013

About the author

Paul E. Horsman (1952) is a Dutch and International Fantasy Author. Born and bred in the Netherlands, he now lives in Roosendaal, a town on the Dutch-Belgian border.

He has been a soldier, a salesman, a scoutmaster and an instructor of Dutch-as-a-Second- Language and Integration to refugees from all over the globe.

Now retired, he is a full-time writer of fantasy adventure stories suitable for a broad age range. His books are both published in the Netherlands, and internationally.

His works are characterized by their rich, diverse worlds, colorful peoples and a strong sense of equality between women and men.

Many of his stories, like The Shardheld Saga trilogy and The Shadow of the Revenaunt books, have mythological or historical elements in them, while others, especially Lioness of Kell. the Wyrms of Pasandir-series and his current Space Fantasy Broomriders in Space books, contain many steampunk elements.

Reviews

[Sylvie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had a bad week and this book helped me go throught with it. Very good book.

[Philip Dodd · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this book as a Booklikes giveaway, I am very pleased to say. Never won a book before. Firstly, I was drawn to this book by its cover, which displays a very fine illustration by an artist called Jos Weijmer. Now that I have read the book, I know that it depicts the struggle in Chapter One, between Kjelle, the young heir to the mininghold, and his slave, Muus, on a snowy mountain slope, in the moment after they have found the magical object that has fallen from the sky, which is called the skyshard. After the avalanche, caused by the small stone with its strange blue glow, the two young men, who have only hatred for eachother, are forced to journey together and to depend on one another, first on their way down an icy tunnel, then out into the world of wolves and feuding bands of Vikings.
Shardfall is at root a swiftly moving adventure story, set in the Viking Age in the north lands, in a violent, hostile world where it seems far easier to be killed by sword, arrow, fire or spear than to live for another day. It is not a fantasy novel, set in an imaginary land, more of a wild and rough adventure story, in a land that sounds most like to me the west coast of Norway. From the first page, however, there is magic in the tale. A watchman, on duty, guarding a mininghold, at the foot of a mountain, called Silfjall, sees a tiny ball of light fall from the sky. It lands in the snow, near the top of the mountain. It is Muus who holds it first, and becomes its bearer, the Shardheld, as he is named by Asgisla, the Volva, an old woman, who practises what is called in the book seidr magic. She to me is like the seeress, summoned by Odin in the Voluspa, my favourite among the poems of the Elder Edda. She tells him that he must reunite the skyshard with the Kalminir, a standing stone, to stop magic from dying from the world. So like all good quests, the quest of the skyshard, though it takes place in the physical world is, at root, a spiritual quest. It is undertaken by Muus, in the company of Kjelle, and others they meet on the way, such as Hrabb, the young thief, Birthe, the wild girl with her baby son, Bui, wrapped in a cloth bundle, and Ajkell, the bear warrior. What could be more important than achieving a quest that will save magic from vanishing from the world?
Being a lover of Norse mythology, I enjoyed hearing the characters in the book name the gods and goddesses of Asgard, such as Odin, Thor, Loki, Freya and Njord. Odin himself appears in the book in his human form as Harbard, a mysterious, one eyed old man. Of course, this is only Book One of the Shardheld Saga. I look forward to reading Book Two and Book Three, to see how the quest of the skyshard is achieved. There is magic in this book, as there is in real life, but it needs to be constantly sought for and when found, it ought not to be taken for granted, but cared for and honoured.
Of the books in my book collection, this book reminded me most of Weland: Smith of the Gods by Ursula Synge, a retelling of the tale of Volund the smith and the swan maidens of Valhalla from the Elder Edda. That tale too is a wild and rough adventure story, which involves magic and supernatural events and influences. All the way through the wild, often violent events of Shardfall, there is the magical, blue glow of the skyshard, the small stone that fell from the sky that Muus keeps in a pouch hung round his neck, and the awareness of a grander, older world than the mortal world, that of the gods and goddesses of the north. A longship sails towards a fjord mouth near the end of the book, so well described by the author that it willed me to want to read the saga to its end, which I will.

[Cate's Book Nut Hut · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the Author’s debut novel, and the first in The Shardheld Sage series.

The saga is set back in history during the time of the Norse Men, and is very well researched. As the reader progresses through the pages they receive a glimpse of life as it was, not only for the Norse Men themselves, but also for the poor souls they captured and used as slaves. But don’t think that this is just a historical novel, as it’s not; it is so much more than that.

As this is the first in the series, the character development takes it time and no one character takes the foreground as being the main lead throughout this book. Each comes into focus, and then drops back for a while to give the other a chance at the limelight. I felt this worked well as it served as a ‘hook’ into the rest of the series. It made me feel as if I want to read the rest of the saga to find out where the development of the characters would lead, and who would come out on top. The part of the chattel, and again I can’t go into too much detail without revealing spoilers, is written beautifully and you can feel the anger and resentment that this person has for their master as well as others he interacts with who try to show some kindness. His bitterness, and also loss of self, engulf his every moment in this novel and, I was sure when I started reading that he would be the main lead. His master also features strongly in this first book, and is not the stereotypical Norse Man of history. He is weak, self-centred and, I have to say this, a downright coward; the kind of person who you just want to shake. However, the Author explains the reasoning why he is like this, rather than leaving us guessing and hoping it would all be explained in later books. This makes me want to read on and see will his character develop to become the type of Viking his Father can be proud of, or will he return to his habits of old.

The world inhabited by these characters is well written and descriptive; you can feel the cold of the biting wind and hearing it howling when it blows and your arms ache from the everyday tasks to keep the town alive. It’s not only a well written book from the visually descriptive angle, it also assaults your nostrils as well, which is not an easy thing to do when placing words on paper but, the Author manages to do this without effort and it adds to the well created medieval fantasy this book is.

My only criticism about this book was there were some sloppy grammatical errors that a diligent proof-reader should have picked up on, if not a good editor. Although they did not detract from the plot in any way, the repetition of some words back to back (the the, for example) eventually became irritating, and is the reasoning behind my rating this book as I have. Having said this, I would like to read the remaining books in the saga, as they are published, just to satisfy my curiosity as to how things will pan out.

I would recommend this novel to anyone looking for a quick and enjoyable read, as it’s only 142 pages in length, but it will also appeal to lovers of the sci-fi and fantasy genres, plus readers looking for something a little different in the Norse and Viking arena.

Originally reviewed on: http://catesbooknuthut.wordpress.com/...




This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

[Merisha28 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shardfall by Paul E Horsman
Print Length: 143 pages
Page Numbers Source ISBN: 9491730037
Publisher: Red Rune Books (June 6, 2013)

My Review~
I received this book in exchange for a honest unbiased review!
This is not my typical read, but I'm happily surprised at what a great book it is. This is a very fast paced read that once you start you will not put it down until the very end! The characters are awesome and I loved the story line and plot. The set-up for the upcoming books is wonderful. I love that there was a female character named Birthe that is standing up just as well as the male characters. I just love this read and I can't wait for the next one in the series. I love the dialog and well everything about this book. There is nothing not to like. I love the imagery and the descriptions of the scenes and characters. This is a fantastical Mystical Medieval World that will leave you spellbound and wanting more! I loved how I could connect with the characters and experience the emotions as though they were my own. Great Job!!!



Amazon Book Description~
Muus is only a thrall, a chattel without rights, but he knows the small, blue shard he picked up belongs to him alone.

Kjelle, heir to the Lord of a rich mininghold, is strong, and covetous of his thrall's tantalizing find.

The one's greed causes an avalanche that leaves both young men marooned on an icy mountain slope. The other's commonsense saves their lives from cold and starvation.

Now the antagonists are bound together on a danger-laden journey to a lost and burning land, where Muus needs to connect the skyshard to the Kalmanir, the standing stone that is the world’s fount of all magic. The Kalmanir's time is almost up and it urgently needs to be replenished before the magic of Gods and men runs out. The two antagonists have to learn to trust each other, for all around them, enemies abound. Rebels threaten both the kingdom and Kjelle's holding, and a tribe of mad idolaters is trying to recall the banned primordial Old Gods. Even more imminent is Muus' danger, for it comes from nearby, from the shard itself.

Muus is the only one person in the world who can wield the powerful skyshard. Will he succeed with Kjelle's help to reach the standing stone before the world's magic dies?

[Melissa Haggerty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shardfall is the first book in The Shardheld Saga. Sometimes with a first book the kinks are still getting worked out, but I didn’t find that problem at all with Shardfall. I was interested immediately, and I thought the book was very well written. The characters are engaging, the scenery explained well, and the plot exciting.

The book centers around four main characters, with plenty of secondary characters throughout. I was invested in each of these characters and how everything would turn out for them. I enjoyed Muus in all of his strength. I started out disliking Kjelle, but I loved the growth he went through in this book. Birthe is a bit in your face, which I really enjoyed. Tuuri is a character that I assume we’ll learn more about later. He is the only character that I didn’t completely connect with, but that may be because I was so distracted by Muus, Kjelle, and Birthe’s adventure. There were also many secondary characters that I loved, especially Hraab.

I have read some fantasy books, and while they all tend to center around some type of journey, I found Shardfall to possess plenty of aspects that made it very original. I enjoyed getting to know all the characters and following along on their adventure. I loved the magic, the gods, and the interesting glimpse into the society’s hierarchy. I think that lovers of fantasy will enjoy reading this book. I can’t wait to read the next one.

I received an e-copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are 100% my own.

[Stacey Blake · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shardfall is a fantasy story set in Viking times. It begins with a slave named Muus having to travel with his master Kjelle, the heir to the king, up a snowy mountain to find the source of a blue light. There, an avalanche occurs, and the adventure begins for these two boys. They hate each other which adds to the drama of their journey.
I really enjoyed this book; it was fairly easy to follow even with all the different names for people, places, and things. Throw in some magic and you have a great read. The descriptions of the snowy locale were so vivid that I could really feel it.
The characters were all diverse, from slaves to nobility to a völva. The author did a great job revealing their nature to me as I read. I especially liked Birthe, a young widow with a baby. She was tough and smart and very strong-willed.
The main character is a teenage boy but due to violence, subject matter, and some mild profanity, I wouldn’t call it YA. But it could be read by an older teen. It could be a great way to learn about Vikings and hopefully spark some interest in learning some more.
I like a book that moves along, with not a lot of slow spots and this book did just that. Which is hard to do when you are world-building. The only complaint I had was that I felt the story ended a bit abruptly. But I did like how it ended (which I won’t spoil here) and am now wanting to see what happens next!

[Andrea Kruse · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shardfall is the first book of the Shardheld Saga, written by Paul E. Horsman. In this book the cast of characters is assembled and the great quest is outlined. I immediately felt compassion for Muus and disliked how Kjelle treated him. But since Muus is the main character in the book, and Shardheld, the tables soon turn and the "thrall" or slave becomes empowered. I have to hope there will be some redemption for Kjelle, maybe in the upcoming books, since he is just such an un-likable character. I like how Horsman developed his characters throughout this first book and little by little showed us the past of each character and the motivations that made them who they are in our present story.

I appreciate that the story was not just steeped in testosterone. I was pleasantly surprised to see a female character, Birthe, holding her own in the story. And with a young babe, no less.

Overall I enjoyed reading Shardfall. There was a lot of names and background to become familiar with in this book, but I expect to devour the next ones and just continue on with the story where Shardfall left off.

[Abby Flanagan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so amazing you will love it and you will not let the book go out of your hands and and if you are in school and your teacher tells you to out down the book you will never stop I was advices to it I am in middle school now

[L.S. Palafox · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is really fantastic.

[Shree · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story beings with a “lighting ball” falling over a sacred mountain. The holder of Eidungruve (analogous to a chief of that particular village) sends his son,Kjelle along with his slave, Muus to investigate that peculiar occurrence.
When the salve, Muus touches the “lighting ball” stone, the stone bonds with him and he is essentially freed from being a slave. When Kjelle grabs the stone from muus,an avalanche occurs causing the mountains to collapse and blocks the search party's return path forcing them to use tunnels and what not to find their way back to their village.
On the way back they meet asgisla, a female magician who tries to find out who really Muus and why the gods choose him to be the shardheld ( The holder of that “lighting ball” stone). In an unfortunate turn of events Asgisla is murdered and Muus along with Asgisla's disciple Birthe and Kjelle escape from the murders.
They finally find their way to the village of Eidungruve only to find it massacred and the holder dead. What follows is the story of a Jarl trying to overthrow his king and muus getting entangled in the mess thanks to the fact that he is a shardheld.
I have no qualms with the plot as such. It's a good book with a great story line. The writer has managed to keep the plot alive by throwing in adequate suspense elements.The emotions are beautifully portrayed. Especially when Kjelle treats Muus badly.
One thing I found slightly annoying was the lack of proper introduction of characters. Such narration tends to confuse the reader. It took me a while to understand who is who. Also given that the names are offbeat (Read not English, probably Dutch as the writer is dutch!),it makes things even worse.
The book is set in Viking era. Not many are aware of that history (Implies I don't know a thing about Dutch history or Viking era)though the writer has given a glossary of all those “technical viking terms”, it doesn't help much because I still don't really know who or what a Nord is (Yes. He missed out what that means! Rest is pretty much covered).
Overall, the book needs a bit more of polishing!
VERDICT: A great story line that could have been narrated better. Pick it up if you can manage being slightly hazed at times.

[Rae Ryans · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a lover of both fantasy (all types) and anything that dives into mythology (all types but I love Norse mythology more). If you follow my reviews, you know this, but I always like stating it upfront, so readers know where I'm coming from ;)

This is a multi-pov novel introducing us to the key players within the series itself. The first is always the toughest, but if you love learning in-depth about the characters, it makes perfect sense to read fantasy in this point-of-view. I personally loved getting intimate with each character, and gaining a better understanding of them and the world itself through their eyes. Back in those times, with the class systems and slaves, life wasn't easy no matter what side you were on.

When these two collide you really get the sense of that as they struggle along their journey together. Yet at the same time, you never grow bored, as the story keep moving and unfolding. Most times I want to became enthralled with the characters inner battles more than the story itself. This was one of those reads for me because I saw how they all ticked under their skins.

The plot didn't start off slow, which is typical for fantasy, because you're building a world in addition to your characters. This is especially true with magic and magical artifacts, but I found the pacing perfectly executed.

What I loved the most was the blending of fantasy with the historical vikings. Have I mentioned how much I love vikings and historical fantasy?

What I didn't like? Well I'm not a huge fan of cliff hangers, but they're necessary and I never fault (in the star rating) an author for using them. The names, some of them I found hard to pronounce. I understand with the historical setting why the author chose the names, but a pronunciation guide would be awesome too. Granted, I have a tough time with names in general, so maybe its just me.

Recommendations: Fantasy lovers, mythology lovers, adults, and mature YA readers will enjoy Shardfall. I certainly look forward to reading the next installment in the Saga.

I received a copy in exchange for my review, but as always, opinions are my own.

[Awesome Indies Book Awards · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awesome Indies Book Awards is pleased to include Shardfall by Paul E. Horsman in the library of Awesome Indies Book Awards' Badge of Approval recipients.

In Shardfall, something mysterious falls from the sky. The village chief sends his son, Kjelle, and the son’s slave, Muus, to retrieve it. But it is the slave, not the chief’s son, who, it turns out, is the shardheld, for whom the stone brings a bit of magic and a change in destiny. The story is filled with Norse names and mythology, and it works quite well. There’s a glossary at the back for the unfamiliar words, but I didn’t have any trouble sussing out what was what while reading.

The world is vividly evoked and the characters have strong, individual personalities. The mystery of Muus’s forgotten past is a good one, and the unveiling of his history is handled well. Kjelle’s growth as a character rings true. (Thank goodness, because he starts off as a stupid jerk.) The story is fast paced and interesting, and will hold the attention of most readers from middle grade to adult, but will likely be of most interest to a younger audience. There are some nice, sense-driven descriptions of places. The magic systems are fun and well done. Although this is the first book in a series, the author does a good job of wrapping up the story while leaving the reader primed for more.

On the ‘not so positive’ side: there is a lot of internal dialog, especially in the early chapters, that neither gives us new information nor a deeper sense of the characters. I wish the author had cut them. There are a few odd phrases: stomachs that growl like pigs—pigs growl? Fear that stinks of sweat—fear itself has no scent. A few misplaced quote marks and missing commas, etc. caught my eye, but not enough to spoil the reader’s enjoyment of the story.

This is a fun book, especially for younger readers. 3.5 stars rounded up to four.

I received a free copy of this book in return for an honest review.

[Kayla West · Rating 4 out of 5]

When a strange stone seems to fall from the sky and lands at the top of the Silfjall mountain near Eidungruve Hold, it sets a string of events in motion that could change lives forever.

Muus is a thrall, a lowly companion to Prince Kjelle. Captured and brought to live with the Nords as a boy, he has a past he cannot remember and so must deal with the fate life has dealt him. But fate has more in store for him than he realizes.

When the prince is called by his father to investigate the matter of the strange stone at the top of the mountain, he has Muus come with him. When they arrive at the sight of the landing, Muus' courage in the face of the unknown causes him to pick up the stone, causing the stone to choose him for a destiny that will take him back to his home. His true home. The home he was taken from and now barely remembers. Throughout his journey, he is going to learn more about himself, the legend of this stone he now holds, and the magic buried deep within.

I quite enjoyed this book. Fantasy is a genre that I absolutely believe can take your breath away, if done right. This book had very vivid scenes, and I love the storyline. It seemed a quick read to me once I got about a chapter or so in, and I couldn't put it down. Will absolutely read the second book to this series, and also am anxiously awaiting the release of the third book.

Wonderful start to this series.

[Becca · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book. I loved that it was set back in time during the Viking era. Everything begins as you meet a slave named Muus, who has a master that is named Kjelle. Kjelle and Muus go on a hike up the mountain to find the source of what is making the blue light. An avalanche ensues after that and this is where everything truly begins of them having to work together to survive and find answers. I will warn that a lot of the names of the people are a little hard to pronounce but whatever you decide to call the characters in your head is perfectly fine as there are not many to remember.

The author was very into describing how the characters felt and what their surroundings were like so that you could really get a feel for everything that they were having to endure. One of my favorite characters in the book that seemed to me to be the most calm in all the sticky situations was Birthe, the Volva. When everyone else was scrambling, she was almost always the voice of reason.

I can not wait until the next installment in the story because I was left hanging a little too much at the end of this one. Overall, this gets FIVE STARS because I enjoyed the plot and the characters and it left me begging for the next book.

Disclosure: I was given a free copy of this book for my open and honest view. All opinions are my own.

[Deb · Rating 3 out of 5]

Terribly, terribly sorry.
The story could very well be very good, but I've just run out of patience. I sense the potential, and i may come back to it and find that it turns out really great, but I just can't leave it hanging at the moment.
I'm not drawn-in. I think I am a really harsh critique for that, though. I am. And yet, it's the main thing I look for an any book, knowing full well how rare it is.
One day, I may have more time and I may be able to commit to a story that I'm not living...

But, you know what? For anyone looking for another fantasy quest tale... Give this one a go. I think it has the potential to appeal to many.

[Niki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shardfall is playing in a Viking like time where you meet Muus and Kjelle, in an adventure. They climb on the mountain to find out the source of the blue light, when a avalance hit them. They are totally on their own and need to find a way to survive and to work together to safe their town. I loved Birthe, a young widow with a baby, Very strong and smart. This is a book full with Norse mythology. fantasy and magic. Written in a fast past. I loved every second of it and can't wait for the next.

I received a copy of this book for a honest review.

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm being generous in giving this book 3 stars. It was closer to 2.5 due to the numerous grammatical errors that should have been caught by a good editor.
The plot moves along quickly and the characters are interesting so those were definite pluses. With just a bit more effort this story could have been developed even further.