Foxwise

The Legend of Vanx Malic #2.5

by M.R. Mathias

Deep in the Lurr Forest, there is a valley called Saint Elm's Deep. This secret valley remains in a perpetual state of spring and hosts the thousands of fae who live there. The Heart Tree's magic sustains the boundaries that protect them all and their lush forest, but the Hoar Witch has poisoned its roots. Queen Corydalis needs a certain shard to cast a beckoning so that the Emerald-eyed Champion of lore might come and save them all, for he is the only one who can end the Hoar Witch. If they hope to save the Heart Tree, that deed must be done. Join Thorn, Bristle and Barb, the Pixie Queen's fiercest, smartest and most loyal elves as they take a thrilling journey out of their protected world into true Overland, where danger hides around every corner and everything they have ever loved is at stake. A note from the author about the timeline of this This tale starts at about the same time The Legend of Vanx Malic Book Two - Dragon Isle, does. It can be read at any time during the series, but will serve readers best if they read it before they read book four, That Frigid Fargin Witch, which is due for release Jan. 9th 2014. This story is not part of the main Vanx Malic tale, but the character Foxwise Posy-Thorn is destined to become relevant, if he can survive this ordeal. Thank you and enjoy, M. R. Mathias

Genres: Fantasy

28 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 20, 2013

About the author

M. R. Mathias is a member of the Authors Guild who cares for his wife, a Breast Cancer Warrior who has Parkinson's. After raising two boys into fine young men, they and two dogs split their time between a modest smalltown home, and an apartment built on a floating dock on Lake Ultura (aka Lake Texoma) which foots into an amazing State Park brimming with all sorts of wildlife. Like the wizards of old, he tends to the animals who share the area and inspire the creatures in his works. He likes to fish, write, play guitar, and he builds all sorts of things out of reclaimed wood. He sold over two million eBooks most of them before eBooks were cool. His work is critically acclaimed, and has earned multiple literary awards, including a coveted Locus Poll nomination.

**Featured in the March 2020, Publisher's Weekly article, "As Luck Would Have It"

"The Master of Epic Fantasy" - Kindle Nation Daily, Nov. 2017

Mathias has authored several fantasy series and compiled an admirable list of accolades along the way.

--Devious Arcana, (ongoing)

--The Wardstone Trilogy (3 Books)

-- Perpetual Fantastica Fantastica (4 Books)

--The Dragoneer Saga (6 Books)

--The Legend of Vanx Malic (10 Books)

--The Crimzon and Clover Short Story Series (8 Books)

--Master Zarvin's Adventures (3 Books)

--Dragon Racers (3 books)

If you are a Kindle Unlimited user, treat yourself to some of the best "hidden gem" fantasy ever written.

Find M. R. Mathias online: mrmathiasbooks .com

Here is what others are saying about M. R. Mathias:

"There are few writers in the genre of fantasy that can equal the creative mind of M.R. Mathias - now acknowledged as a master in this genre of dragons and dwarves, and magic, and spells, and all aspects of fantasy."-- Top 100, Hall of Fame, Vine Voice, Book Reviewer, Grady Harp

"M.R. Mathias imagines a setting that will entice readers and lead them, along with his characters, on a breathtaking adventure." -- Readers Favorite Book Awards review of M. R. Mathias's 2017 Award Winning novel "A Gossamer Lens" from The Legend of Vanx Malic series

"M.R. Mathias is a master at world building and is so good with creative descriptions that you can almost feel the wind whipping through your hair as you soar along on the back of a dragon." -- Readers Favorite Awards review of M. R. Mathias's 2015 "Gold Medal" Award Winning novel "Blood and Royalty" from The Dragoneer Saga"

"You've (Mathias) already achieved much, much more than so many people who like to think of themselves as writers." -- @Gollancz The Deputy Publishing Director of SF, Fantasy & Horror list of the Orion Publishing Group, 2013

Reviews

[Jon]

Vanx Malic: Foxwise Posy-Thorn

This novella takes place before book 4 begins, which is where we meet Thorn for the first time.

I recommend reading this after book 4 so you already have a feel for the character.

[Cathrine]

Good short story to tie in main legend

Prequel to books 3 and 4 of main story line of Vanx Malic. Quick, interesting read. Vanx is not actually in this book.

[David Plunkett]

Great story

Great story really enjoyed it. Reading all Vanx MAlic series now very good stories. Sometimes the wording gets a wee bit simplified but still happy with it.

[Jeffrey A. Dewey]

Short but effective

Short but effective defeat into other tales of magic and fighting of the presence that is evil in the realm

[Melinda]

Incomplete with Weak Premise

While not many will debate the fact that M. R. Mathias can write epic fantasy, it is not clear that he knows how to craft a short story. With Foxwise, the premise of the story is that the three heroes must go to the towers to get the shard so that the Queen can set up a beacon for a new champion to come save them all.

Mathias never expounds on the dangers at hand that are putting their world at an extinction level event. Seems to me like this would be a critical part of the suspense in the story, but all that is mentioned is a tossed off line about a dying tree branch and a witch.

The story plays out more like a first person video game where Foxwise is the player. First you go to the Queen and get your assignment, next you travel to the lair of evil and magic where your treasure lies buried. You fight creatures and solve puzzles while using magic to find the hidden treasure. Trite huh?

There was more written about the Dire Rats than one of the three protagonists. During the final battle, things are unclear.

The ending made it obvious that this was just a puff piece to promote the Vanx Malic series, and not a very good one. It has what I call a moment in time ending, where it just cuts off after making a statement and you can't believe the book is over, so you look for more pages, but they don't exist. It is a cheap effort by authors to get you to purchase further books. I find it insulting. I know it is popular to resort to these tricks to extort revenue from readers, but I would buy more books from an author who gave me a satisfying ending while keeping enough questions unanswered for a sequel. Just my humble opinion.

If you have read the other Vanx Malic books, then you will probably like this, otherwise, skip it.

[Alison]

Not read any Mathias before and this was not a good first impression. Whilst this might be a good read-between book for those who read his other books - especially those set in this world - as a standalone short story it really doesn't stand up.
You barely get chance to start distinguishing between characters and get to know the locations to form an image in your mind.
Mathias could have made this a long short story, with a little more depth, explanations and descriptions and this would be a much better little story.

[MEG Munro]

Good read

I think this is a good read because it gives the readers the background information to understand where Vanx Malak comes from. I believe the author mentioned something about the future development in the Vanx Malak books.
This author is tried and true, so take time to read his great stories.

[Bill Tillman]

Oh this is a short story by one of my favorite authors; M.R. Mathias. Foxwise is General Foxwise Posy-Thorn and head of a mission for Queen Corydalis. Along with Barb and Bristle they must retrieve a "Shard" of magical power to defend the realm.

[Brian Everson]

The Fulfillment

The Fulfillment

The author tickles you by filling in areas of the Vanx Malic tale which leaves you wanting even more. He does an excellent job in doing this without finishing the tale.

[Kim Jackson]

Interesting concept. I look forward to reading the follow up to this book.

[Irishlazz]

Too Short

This backstory could have been a whole other book and I'd have been glad to read it. The writing and story telling is quite engaging.

[Fernando Ricci]

character intro

Great introduction to a new main character in the series. Vanx Malic and the powers of old surround him with hero's who are worthy of his cause.

[Gen Giggles]

A fast paced short story. Little in way of character development, but that is expected for a story that is tied to a novel series.

[Dave]

A well written back story to the series. I had already read book 1 before reading Foxwise and I still was totally interesting to me. Well balanced between action and story. Good job.

[Andrea Sue Herring]

Good but had a few errors.

Good but had a few errors. Missing a few letters in words but other than that a good short story.

[Patrick]

To start off I thought this book was going to be much longer. It was an interesting fairy tale. It had all the elements of a proper tale including action-adventure, love and fairies /elves. Be a good book for anyone who likes these sort of things. In the very end though it didn't make me want to continue to read in the series.

[Riley Amos Westbrook]

Nice and short

Nice and short with just enough details to keep you interested. It set a steady pace from the beginning that was enjoyable to read.