RIDMARK ARBAN is the Gray Knight, banished and outcast from the High King's realm. Yet Ridmark alone sees the danger. The dread Frostborn shall return, and unless Ridmark can warn the realm, the Frostborn will entomb the world in ice forever.
CALLIANDE wields mighty magic. Yet her memory is gone, her past forgotten. But her foes remember, and they are coming for her.
GAVIN is the son of the praefectus of the village of Aranaeus, and men and women and children are disappearing from their homes as shadowy, bestial shapes prowl through the forest.
Yet no one will heed Gavin's warnings of other creatures stirring in the darkness.
Creatures that feast upon the souls of their victims...
Standing over six feet tall, USA Today bestselling author Jonathan Moeller has the piercing blue eyes of a Conan of Cimmeria, the bronze-colored hair of a Visigothic warrior-king, and the stern visage of a captain of men, none of which are useful in his career as a computer repairman, alas.
He has written the DEMONSOULED series of sword-and-sorcery novels, and continues to write THE GHOSTS sequence about assassin and spy Caina Amalas, the COMPUTER BEGINNER'S GUIDE series of computer books, and numerous other works. His books have sold over one million copies worldwide.
Another great read. It seems as though of late I've had a rash of feast or famine reads. Either I like them a great deal or I could do without them all together.
Here you will recognize the setting at least somewhat if you are a veteran of fantasy fiction. There are some of what are often called "fantasy tropes" but they're handled very well and woven together to make a great story. I was driven to grab the next one as soon as I finished this. It's a good to great read...really...I like it. This is the second book in this series and I'm still involved.
You've got all the ingredients here. a troop of heroes and threat that will wipe out all and sundry and of course a clueless populace.
Really, don't miss this one if you are at all a fantasy fan.
I found this rather difficult to put down, and I'm still amazed at how prolific this series is -- 15 books! The action picked up from the first page, and I was able to recall the characters from the first book somewhat easily. Through some plot twists and turns, some rather delicious and unexpected, the climax literally exploded and was very satisfying. There was little of a resolution, but I must endeavour to read the next book very soon.
These books tend to be quick escapism. Just what I look for. They're also clean enough for youth to read in my opinion. Nothing too complicated, just good ole staff and sorcery.
Ridmar who is a fallen night and who is no longer a sword barer. He's been branded as a coward by one of the dux of the lands for something that was not all his fault. So he continues to roam the lands with no real home putting down evil waiting for the Frostborn to do what he can to stop it. He's got some great friends who he's gained in his travels; an orc who was once an enemy and tried to kill him. a member of the magistria, a 15 year old fighter who lost his whole family whom Ridmar amd the orc are training to use the sword and shield. They know that the Frostborn is coming it's a matter of when it's coming or will it be the death of all of the? Only time will tell.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
For instance, Ridmark is traveling with Kharlacht when they are attacked by beastmen and hear accusations of kidnapping. Caliande and Caius chase after.
It's when the first two encountering a young man, and undead kobolds attack the second two, that the story picks up with a menace in the land, unknown to all inhabitants, except in its effects, which they blame on the wrong people.
It goes on with a stepmother, Calliande's having an authority she didn't know, from the past, a senile old woman, sneaking in behind a waterfall, a new way to fight with magic, a knight in pursuit of a wyvern, and more.
At first I was annoyed that you could tell they (the main group) weren't going to get where they needed to be. However, as the story went on it grew on me.
RIDMARK ARBAN is the Gray Knight, banished and outcast from the High King's realm. Yet Ridmark alone sees the danger. The dread Frostborn shall return, and unless Ridmark can warn the realm, the Frostborn will entomb the world in ice forever. CALLIANDE wields mighty magic. Yet her memory is gone, her past forgotten. But her foes remember, and they are coming for her. GAVIN is the son of the praefectus of the village of Aranaeus, and men and women and children are disappearing from their homes as shadowy, bestial shapes prowl through the forest. Yet no one will heed Gavin's warnings of other creatures stirring in the darkness. Creatures that feast upon the souls of their victims... Unbelievable!!! I am impressed at the ability of this author to create worlds that are vivid, imaginative, and believable. I was concerned that the Frostborn books would not even come close to meeting expectations. The writing ability of Moeller exceeded any idea I had of what this series would be like. So far, this the second book in the series did not disappoint, Ridmark and his friends find danger where ever they go. I sat down and read this in a few hours, it kept me glued to the book til the end. On to the next!! Great reading everyone!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ridmark has decided to go visit the Dark Elves' stronghold and ask the Warden about the return of the Frostborn. First he must make his way out of the realm of men. Then he must get supplies for the long trek. Ridmark knows of a village where he stopped before. The armored orc, the dwarven cleric and the sorceress who has lost her memory decide to go with him. They run into a pack of beast-men who accuse them of stealing their women and children. They arrive at the village and everyone is accusing the beast-men of stealing villagers. Ridmark decides to look into the circumstances of both. And the knife of the title? You need to read the book to find out about that. I think you'll like it.
Continues the story of Ridmark the Gray Knight, Calliande the mysterious mage who awakened after hundreds of years, and their companions as they look for a way to protect the land from the return of the Frostborn. In this book they take a detour and investigate strange troubles plaguing a small village, finding a malevolent power lurking in the shadows.
A comfortable read, I continue to enjoy the series though as others have mentioned there are some editing mistakes. One more novel to go in my Omnibus collection, hope more answers are found there.
I have just finished the third book out of this series and this is by far my favorite of the three. I loved the story, the characters and the mystery of what was happening in the land. For me, this felt like a very original fantasy story because of all the unique creatures and races the author has provided. It still has the foundation of a fantasy story you would expect but there is just so much more I didn’t expect.
Im really enjoying the campaign aspect of these books.the side quests being made by ridmark arban and his unusual band of companions keep things very entertaining.just when you think you have everything figured out w curve ball comes your way.the addition of the teen age boy gavin to the story was a major plus.look forward to seeing where the next book goes.
Good plots and a nice mix of characters, shame the books are only short but then at this price what do you expect . Moving on to the next one with vigorous anticipation.
This series is literally keeping me going through our current corona lockdown.
Liking Ridmark more and more, four become five, Gavin is an excellent addition to the group. I am not a lover of spiders, this book has not changed my opinion!
Ridmark Arban the man of two choices. Advice, if he gives you both choices choose the first because the probability of coming out with a cracked skull is 90%
Having read the first in the series I was excited by the story line and hopeful that the simplistic nature of the writing would improve. I was disappointed.
The narrative follows a similar line throughout. The hero and his followers come up against a seemingly impossible task. They come against a foe who is by all accounts unable to be defeated. Through luck and bravado they defeat the foe. No casualties and move on to the next impossible foe.
I regret I am unable to summon up the will to tackle another in the series. I guess it’s ok if you are happy to reread the same scenarios but with different villains involved.
Novel ke-2 dalam siri Frostborn, bergenre high fantasy (sword & sorcery), di mana world building mengambil inspirasi daripada Tolkien lore dan Arthurian legend. Seperti buku pertama, buku kali ni juga masih padat dengan aksi2 pengembaraan, pertarungan dan konflik. Ditambah lagi dengan elemen2 misteri. Best dilayan untuk peminat2 genre ini.
Buku kali ni menyambung kisah pengembaraan Ridmark Arban dan rakan-rakannya; Calliande (Magistrius), Kharlacht (orc warrior), dan Caius (dwarf). Di sebuah kampung bernama Aranaeus, mereka telah berkenalan dengan seorang remaja bernama Gavin, dan mengambil keputusan utk menyiasat tentang misteri kehilangan manusia dan beastmen di sekitar kawasan itu...
Molto più "cronaca di una sessione di D&D" dei precedenti. Sempre ben scritto e scorrevole, tuttavia dopo il prequel a il primo libro si finisce per capire bene o male dove la storia voglia andare a parare. Il mistero di Aranaeus aggiunge un po' di pepe, ma la storia ha un respiro molto meno ampio, e a parte l'entrata in scena di un nuovo personaggio non aggiunge molto all'economia della saga.
Per questo motivo ho interrotto la lettura diversi mesi fa, completandolo solo oggi. Comunque è sempre fedele allo spirito della serie.
This is the second book in the series, Frostborn. Following the same group of people and adding a new member to the team!
These books so far seem very D&Desque, different races, creatures, and monsters. Each seems to be a quest with an overarching plot to the series.
I found this book enjoyable and a fun, easy read. Not much thinking is needed, which is a good thing. I don't always want to read books that have me thinking and stressing.
The characters are well done. Karlacht is definitely my favourite character so far.
I'm excited to see how the rest of the series pans out.
I debated what to say about this Frostborn book. I love the story and the characters. However, the author could use a better editor and proofreader. This book had many errors, which annoys me. I understand how easy it is to miss mistakes, but there were too many to ignore. I do want to read more in this series, but I am taking a break. As I said, I do love this series, the premise, setting and characters.
Still enjoying the series but the author has already found his pattern. Wander upon an innocent in trouble, detour to help them, fight many mini side fights, eventually get to the big fight. Prevail through everything without a scratch. Oh and the self loathing continues. I am going to read book 3 but not sure I'll make it to book 15 if this is the way it all goes. We need a diff pattern and a purpose.
The typos in this series have been noticeable. In this book, they were… confounding. And the steady pro Christianity backstory is frustrating. I prefer fantasy novels to create their own complex religion. I dislike my book based escapes reminding me of reality. But again, the story and characters were so strong that I could overlook all of that. I went ahead and got the next four books so I wouldn’t have to wait haha. Let’s dig into the next.