Search for the Runes

Ohlegan's Treasure #1

by Brian Gardner

Nall spends his days fishing, sleeping on the beach, and reminiscing with his childhood love interest on the peaceful island of Clearwater. But, despite his easygoing life, the young man has an inexplicable urge for adventure. On the morning of a festival, a ship arrives at port. As Nall listens to the captain’s incredible stories, his thirst for adventure increases. Following the shocking death of one of the sailors, Nall finds the opportunity to leave the island. While at sea, he meets other travelers who seek a famous treasure. Nall learns of Ohlegan, an explorer who marked his place in history as charting the known world. Legends say a mysterious treasure—four runes—was responsible for his rumored destruction of the Lost Continent. Nall’s new companions tell him the treasure comes with a mystery—how did Ohlegan discover the four runes, and why did he give up his exploration and scatter them across the world? Together, the treasure seekers battle monsters, solve ancient puzzles, avoid traps, sail oceans, cross burning deserts, and traverse Mount Noleta, the last known location of Ohlegan himself. However, unbeknownst to our heroes, someone else searches as well...

Genres: Fantasy

214 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 24, 2023

About the author

Brian lives in Florida with his wife and daughter. Starting from a young age, Brian fell in love with the world of fantasy. His debut novel, Ohlegan's Treasure: Search for the Runes was inspired by a love of JRPG's and a thirst for adventure.

When he’s not writing, Brian enjoys drumming with his nineties rock tribute band, playing flag football, pub trivia, and taking his two dogs to the beach.

Instagram: @OhlegansRunes

Reviews

[Janae Pinheiro · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got this book from a goodreads giveaway, and I am sure glad I sat down to read it!

I was drawn in from the first chapter and couldn't stop reading it after that. The world building is phenomenal, and I can't wait for the second book to come out.

Bright is by far my favorite character. He gives me life with his witty banter. He definitely lives up to his name with looking at the bright side of things.

[Kate Kemmet · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won this book in a giveaway and what a joy it was to have found it! This is a book full of hope, friendship, and one hell of an adventure. I can’t wait for the next one!

[Tabitha · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was fantastic! The characters were well written, and the world building was great! I felt so immersed in the world, and loved following the story of friendship and adventure!

[Tom Mock]

This is not a full review. I read through the beginning of all 300 SPFBOX contest entries. This was a book I wanted to read more of.

A young fisherman gets to work as a peaceful island town wakes up. Everything is as it should be, except for his strange, reoccurring dream of danger in this promising debut.

This has a calm, pastoral opening that is competently written once it properly starts. Nothing unusual happens and everything seems very nice and peaceful. Surely that won’t last.

I say “once it properly starts” because this novel starts with a prologue (not labeled as such) that is blandly superficial. It does not represent the style, quality, or pacing of the main narrative.

The prologue is rushed, lacks detail, and drove me right out of the book, reading more like a d&d characters backstory than fiction, except that the character (subject feels the more apt term) it presented is never even named.

I only continued reading into the next section because I wanted to give this undiscovered entry a chance. I was rewarded for doing so.

The prose I found was clear and concise and a pleasure to read. This proper beginning to the story has a nice, gradual pace that competently introduces a variety of interesting setting and colorful character details.

The descriptions come steady and clear, painting the picture of this island life and the people who inhabit it. The character portraits feel especially precise, and the dialogue is natural and lively.

There is no apparent conflict or tension and little promise of any to come except for the pastoral comfort that surely can’t last. I suspect this was the reason for the prologue - the promise of something terrible.

Skip the strange prologue, and dive into this slow, pleasant open of this story with nice characters. I don’t know where it’s going, but I’d happily keep reading, so, for now, I’m in!

[Leah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Megan - Such a surprisingly fun little read. Highly recommend for some light adventure fantasy. More of a 4.5 than a 4

Brian - I SO enjoyed the characters and the plot was nicely paced. The foreshadowing has me excited to see what is next in store for Nall, Bright, Steiner, and Ruby - not to mention continuing to explore the fun world you've created. Thanks for offering it as a giveaway!

[gibbsuwu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great world building and characters! Couldn't put this book down and super excited for the next in the series!

[John J Questore · Rating 4 out of 5]

OK, so I get this random text from my very good friend Joe, with a photo of this book cover. He’s at a comicon in FL and asks, “Have you ever heard of this book or the author.” I respond I haven’t, and he picks up a copy for me - signed of course - with the response, “I know you’re into runes.”

Well, considering I have a Fehu tattoo on my right forearm, and have at least three sets of Runes, that would be an understatement.

The book arrives, and I figured, what the heck, I just finished another book I was reading, let me throw a non-horror one into the mix, and see what it’s all about.

I have to say, it wasn’t what I was expecting. First, and unbeknownst to Joe, or myself, it really had nothing to do with Norse Runes. The use of the word “rune” in the title just refers to magic marks, or letters, on some artifact. That being said, judging a book by it’s cover was certainly a good thing in this case.

Brian Gardner builds a Tolkien worthy world, filled with magic, adventure, danger, friendship, and hope. His writing draws you in, and finds losing time because you have to turn the next page to see what happens.

It should be noted that this would probably be considered YA (not that that’s a bad thing), and may not be everyone’s cup of tea. But that shouldn’t dissuade you from giving it a read if you like fantasy novels. I can’t wait for the next one!

[Isabella Lopez · Rating 4 out of 5]

I met you at the SWFL con, and you were very polite and kind throughout our interaction! Needless to say, I enjoyed this book. While sometimes the plot would feel a bit rushed, or the characters could be written in a way that didn't seem like they were your basic run-of-the-mill protagonists, I loved seeing how you developed your ideas and made each character one we would remember! My only thing is how during the early description of characters, you describe them with features that could almost be seen sexually, like with Tengar and a little bit with Rachel. Still, I understand that is your personal writing preference as an Author, and the book isn't publicly age-rated. But the figurative language you used throughout the book to describe Nall's inner emotions and the conflicts you create between characters are so well written that it quickly became a favorite read of mine. I hope you didn't mind the constructive criticism, and I can't wait to read more of your work! Keep writing!

-Isabella J. Lopez

[Gabe Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ohlegan's Treasure is an incredibly delightful story of adventure, friendship, and of course treasure! I'm a big fan of the Wheel of Time series, and this book felt like a love letter to that series. It has deep characters and made me laugh nearly every single page. Can't wait to see what happens next!

[Garnette · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book felt a little rushed in the beginning, but in no time, I found myself rushing to get to the end. I love the party's banter and their journey to find the runes. I can't wait to see what happens next!

[Celia Kottakis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m so glad I️ bought this at Supercon earlier this year! After talking to the author in length about the story, I️ was immediately hooked. Exceeded my already high expectations! Can’t wait to read the next one!

[Cesily · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was so good! I was pleasantly surprised

[Luminita LaFlash · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recently read Brian's book Search for the Runes (Oblegan Treasure #1), which was my perfect bedtime story. Although it's targeted towards young readers, I thoroughly enjoyed it. The story's pace is relaxing, and the characters are well-developed, taking me on an adventurous ride. I highly recommend it to anyone who loves great stories. Even though it's fictional, it's even better because it allows you to dream about a different world. I suggest you grab a copy of Brian's book and tell him how you feel about his work after finishing it. Congratulations to Brian and Rebecca for writing such an exciting book. I hope to read the next one soon, Brian!"

[Jennifer Pagano · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very cozy and fun story. It has both a unique villain POV and unique character concepts. The dialogue and friendships are also more relatable than other books I have read in this genre. Highly recommend if you want an easy read that also feels real. Excited for the next one!