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Glimmer Vale Chronicles #1
Glimmer Vale
On the run from their past, swordsmen Raedrick Baletier and Julian Hinderbrook search for a place of refuge where they can start over.
That search sends them through a remote mountain valley called Glimmer Vale, where unbeknownst to them, dark forces threaten the population's lives and fortunes.
With their hopes of quiet passage through the Vale dashed, and facing a deadly conflict against overwhelming odds, Raedrick and Julian will need all of their wit, courage, and skill just to survive, let alone prevail.
Fans of sword and sorcery will enjoy this fast-paced tale of redemption set in a world of valor and magic.
That search sends them through a remote mountain valley called Glimmer Vale, where unbeknownst to them, dark forces threaten the population's lives and fortunes.
With their hopes of quiet passage through the Vale dashed, and facing a deadly conflict against overwhelming odds, Raedrick and Julian will need all of their wit, courage, and skill just to survive, let alone prevail.
Fans of sword and sorcery will enjoy this fast-paced tale of redemption set in a world of valor and magic.
251 pages, Paperback
First published July 20, 2012
44 people are currently reading
391 people want to read
About the author
Michael Kingswood
112 books16 followersMichael Kingswood has written numerous science fiction and fantasy stories, including The Pericles Conspiracy, The Glimmer Vale Chronicles, and the Dawn of Enlightenment series. His interest in scifi/fantasy came at an early age: he first saw Star Wars in the theater when he was three and grew up on Star Trek in syndication. The Hobbit was among the first books he recalls reading.
Recognizing with sadness that the odds of his making it into outer space were relatively slim, after completing his bachelors degree in Mechanical Engineering from Boston University, he did the next best thing - he entered the US Navy as a submarine officer. Eighteen years later, he continues to serve on active duty and has earned graduate degrees in Engineering Management and Business Administration. Fitting with his service onboard Fast Attack submarines (SSNs), he does his writing on Saturdays, Sundays, and at Night.
He is married to a lovely lady from Maine. They have four children, and live wherever the Navy deems to send them.
Sign up to receive email announcements of Michael's new releases and other exclusive deals for newsletter subscribers here: http://michaelkingswood.com/newslette...
Recognizing with sadness that the odds of his making it into outer space were relatively slim, after completing his bachelors degree in Mechanical Engineering from Boston University, he did the next best thing - he entered the US Navy as a submarine officer. Eighteen years later, he continues to serve on active duty and has earned graduate degrees in Engineering Management and Business Administration. Fitting with his service onboard Fast Attack submarines (SSNs), he does his writing on Saturdays, Sundays, and at Night.
He is married to a lovely lady from Maine. They have four children, and live wherever the Navy deems to send them.
Sign up to receive email announcements of Michael's new releases and other exclusive deals for newsletter subscribers here: http://michaelkingswood.com/newslette...
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
July 27, 2014
The description on Amazon appealed: bandits plus frontier town plus army deserters with hearts of gold. It delivered on that promise. There's a pleasure in a simple story, simply told.
What wasn't obvious from the description, and may not be intentional, is its resemblance to a Western. I'm no expert in that genre, but have always been curious how much of that genre could be borrowed into sword and sorcery. The two seem basically compatible. I'd like to see if the rest of the series keeps in that direction.
Unfortunately, I think that Kingswood has some work to do on his writing itself. Sentences wander and have unnecessary appendages (p. 48: "The room brightened noticeably as the front door swung open, admitting the morning's sunlight far more effectively than the few windows in the walls did.")
There was one use of the expression "going off half-cocked" which, despite being in narration, annoyed just because it was anachronistic, having originated as a term in flintlock firearms.
What wasn't obvious from the description, and may not be intentional, is its resemblance to a Western. I'm no expert in that genre, but have always been curious how much of that genre could be borrowed into sword and sorcery. The two seem basically compatible. I'd like to see if the rest of the series keeps in that direction.
Unfortunately, I think that Kingswood has some work to do on his writing itself. Sentences wander and have unnecessary appendages (p. 48: "The room brightened noticeably as the front door swung open, admitting the morning's sunlight far more effectively than the few windows in the walls did.")
There was one use of the expression "going off half-cocked" which, despite being in narration, annoyed just because it was anachronistic, having originated as a term in flintlock firearms.
January 13, 2016
"Glimmer Vale" by Michael Kingswood which I won from Goodreads Giveaways opens in the small fishing village of Lydelton where Julian Hinderbrook and Raedrick Baletier have brought a prisoner to be incarcerated, a member of a brutal band of thieves that had accosted them. What they don't expect to hear is that the brigands have been terrorizing the town, and that they've been enlisted to bring justice and peace to the vale.
With the help of several rugged fishermen and a female mage, Julian and Raedrick not only have to find the robbers' lair, but concoct a plan to stop their brutality. What the two army deserters fear is that their secret will be uncovered, the town will turn against them and that they will lose their freedom and possibly their lives.
This is a well-written, fast-paced plot that heats up as the robbers become more deadly.The story's intoxicating with its tinge of Norse tradition and its science fiction allusion to a trans-planar rift.
Like the plot the core characters are well-developed and realistic with all their weaknesses and strengths. Julian Hinderbrook is a charming rascal who's pragmatic and brave. Raedrick Baletier is a man of honour, who's quick, unassuming and persuasive. Melanie Klemins seems cold and detached, even rude but as the story progresses she begins to show a caring side to her personality. Molli Millens is a no-nonsense blunt woman that is respected by her patrons. Constable Lucian Malory can be condescending, but is respected as a man of principals while Fendig, his deputy is conniving and duplicitous. I liked Selam, the humble fisherman with a warrior spirit and deadly fighting skills.
Of the villains in the story, Theobald Isenholf (Farzal), a former army squad leader is the antithesis of Julian and Raedrick. He's cocky, cold-blooded and merciless; a man without any integrity. His mage is arrogant and daunting, a power to be reckoned with when the forces collide in a showdown. All the characters influence and strengthen a story that is entertaining from the first page to the last.
Although I'd like to have seen more background development especially in respect to the war,and more complexity in the characters' personalities, I thoroughly enjoyed "Glimmer Vale" and can't wait to read the second book in the series.
With the help of several rugged fishermen and a female mage, Julian and Raedrick not only have to find the robbers' lair, but concoct a plan to stop their brutality. What the two army deserters fear is that their secret will be uncovered, the town will turn against them and that they will lose their freedom and possibly their lives.
This is a well-written, fast-paced plot that heats up as the robbers become more deadly.The story's intoxicating with its tinge of Norse tradition and its science fiction allusion to a trans-planar rift.
Like the plot the core characters are well-developed and realistic with all their weaknesses and strengths. Julian Hinderbrook is a charming rascal who's pragmatic and brave. Raedrick Baletier is a man of honour, who's quick, unassuming and persuasive. Melanie Klemins seems cold and detached, even rude but as the story progresses she begins to show a caring side to her personality. Molli Millens is a no-nonsense blunt woman that is respected by her patrons. Constable Lucian Malory can be condescending, but is respected as a man of principals while Fendig, his deputy is conniving and duplicitous. I liked Selam, the humble fisherman with a warrior spirit and deadly fighting skills.
Of the villains in the story, Theobald Isenholf (Farzal), a former army squad leader is the antithesis of Julian and Raedrick. He's cocky, cold-blooded and merciless; a man without any integrity. His mage is arrogant and daunting, a power to be reckoned with when the forces collide in a showdown. All the characters influence and strengthen a story that is entertaining from the first page to the last.
Although I'd like to have seen more background development especially in respect to the war,and more complexity in the characters' personalities, I thoroughly enjoyed "Glimmer Vale" and can't wait to read the second book in the series.
February 11, 2014
I'm going to try my best to not spoil much of anything in this story so I apologize if I don't go into too much detail regarding the story.
That being said, this book is a solid start to a series. The two main characters are very likable and have pretty colorful personalities that differ enough to solidify their identities while keeping the dialogue between them interesting. The side characters are also pretty well done and I found myself genuinely caring for some of them more than the main characters themselves. The story is rather simple and doesn't offer very many surprises which isn't a bad thing at all but there isn't very much mystery or uncertainty that a lot of series tend to hide from the reader to string them along in the following entries. The story here is pretty good though, there aren't any glaring issues or plot holes and it moves along at a fine pace without lulling in any places for too long. It kept me interested throughout which, for me, is the most important part of any story. One thing I really enjoyed were the action scenes depicted in the story. Though I wish there was more of it, the action in the story is well depicted and was always exciting.
There isn't too much I would change about Glimmer Vale. But if I had to be critical these are some of the things I would mention: The editing could be worked on a tiny bit. There were a few typos here and there and while it's definitely not a big deal at all, it's an easy problem to fix. I also wish that some of the environments were portrayed a little better. There were a few instances where I had relatively no idea in what sort of environment the events were taking place. Also, I would have liked a little more background on some of the world specific details within the story. Some of the characters have traits and abilities that were not quite explained. For instance, the way magic works in this world is never fully detailed. It's almost a mix of magic and alchemy. There's apparently a certain amount of magic one can use before running out and I'm not sure if anyone can be a mage if taught the right things or if you are born with it or what. Though it didn't take away from the story at all, it would have been nice to have that explained for me to get a better feel for the type of world being dealt with here.
Overall though, I really enjoyed this book. It was a fun, fast, and easy read with some great action scenes and meaningful characters. The ending wraps things up pretty nicely as well making it almost a stand alone novel.
That being said, this book is a solid start to a series. The two main characters are very likable and have pretty colorful personalities that differ enough to solidify their identities while keeping the dialogue between them interesting. The side characters are also pretty well done and I found myself genuinely caring for some of them more than the main characters themselves. The story is rather simple and doesn't offer very many surprises which isn't a bad thing at all but there isn't very much mystery or uncertainty that a lot of series tend to hide from the reader to string them along in the following entries. The story here is pretty good though, there aren't any glaring issues or plot holes and it moves along at a fine pace without lulling in any places for too long. It kept me interested throughout which, for me, is the most important part of any story. One thing I really enjoyed were the action scenes depicted in the story. Though I wish there was more of it, the action in the story is well depicted and was always exciting.
There isn't too much I would change about Glimmer Vale. But if I had to be critical these are some of the things I would mention: The editing could be worked on a tiny bit. There were a few typos here and there and while it's definitely not a big deal at all, it's an easy problem to fix. I also wish that some of the environments were portrayed a little better. There were a few instances where I had relatively no idea in what sort of environment the events were taking place. Also, I would have liked a little more background on some of the world specific details within the story. Some of the characters have traits and abilities that were not quite explained. For instance, the way magic works in this world is never fully detailed. It's almost a mix of magic and alchemy. There's apparently a certain amount of magic one can use before running out and I'm not sure if anyone can be a mage if taught the right things or if you are born with it or what. Though it didn't take away from the story at all, it would have been nice to have that explained for me to get a better feel for the type of world being dealt with here.
Overall though, I really enjoyed this book. It was a fun, fast, and easy read with some great action scenes and meaningful characters. The ending wraps things up pretty nicely as well making it almost a stand alone novel.
February 27, 2015
I knew this was the first book in a series when I got it, but I forged ahead anyway, despite myself. It is, in my opinion, about 3.5 stars, but as always I grade up. The plot is simple and well-known. Julian and Raedrick are two deserters from the army (with good reason, though so very cliche) who are heading out of reach of the kingdom they deserted. Raedrick leads them to Glimmer Vale, a city nestled in a valley that he knew from his younger days. On their way in they are attacked by a group of brigands, which they defeat. But when they enter the city they find that the entire city is besieged by not just the few they encountered but by a large group. Can two men, and a somewhat reluctant town "guest," free the city?
On the plus side, the book flows well and is easy to read. You can put it down and pick it back up without much trouble. It is not, however, a compelling read where you hate to put it down. The characters, for heroes, are more human than the average stereotype for these kinds of books. The dialog is fairly natural, and there isn't a whole lot to quibble with in terms of expectations. There are some interesting plot twists and though the ending is predictable, it's mostly satisfying.
There are, however, some problems I had. First, though this is the first book in the series there were far too many times I kept thinking that I missed something. There were hints at past actions and people that kept pulling me out of the story. And I never could wrap my head around the situation. I knew that Glimmer Vale was in a valley with a big lake, but I kept wanting to think it was a Western while it acted more like a sword and sorcery story. In other words, the world in which it happened was just too vague. Well, and a little inconsistent. There are parts where you have to believe the city is huge, but then it doesn't make sense that a few brigands hold it hostage. You do learn why near the end, but by then it's too late.
I liked this book. Not a lot, but I liked it. But it just didn't do anything for me. I didn't grow to care enough about the characters, and the feeling that too much back story was hinted at was too disconcerting. It's a decent yarn, but it won't get me into the series.
On the plus side, the book flows well and is easy to read. You can put it down and pick it back up without much trouble. It is not, however, a compelling read where you hate to put it down. The characters, for heroes, are more human than the average stereotype for these kinds of books. The dialog is fairly natural, and there isn't a whole lot to quibble with in terms of expectations. There are some interesting plot twists and though the ending is predictable, it's mostly satisfying.
There are, however, some problems I had. First, though this is the first book in the series there were far too many times I kept thinking that I missed something. There were hints at past actions and people that kept pulling me out of the story. And I never could wrap my head around the situation. I knew that Glimmer Vale was in a valley with a big lake, but I kept wanting to think it was a Western while it acted more like a sword and sorcery story. In other words, the world in which it happened was just too vague. Well, and a little inconsistent. There are parts where you have to believe the city is huge, but then it doesn't make sense that a few brigands hold it hostage. You do learn why near the end, but by then it's too late.
I liked this book. Not a lot, but I liked it. But it just didn't do anything for me. I didn't grow to care enough about the characters, and the feeling that too much back story was hinted at was too disconcerting. It's a decent yarn, but it won't get me into the series.
August 8, 2016
The characters are good. Even if a wee bit predictable, I did find them interesting. A little complaint though - with all that superior behaviour and condescending manner, it is a shame that lady was finally, just another damsel in distress. Felt like an anti-climax.
Over all, nothing new here, but, a good light adventure to pass time.
Over all, nothing new here, but, a good light adventure to pass time.
April 19, 2023
With only two mages present and a small pocket universe, this made it into the fantasy genre?
Uh, this reads like a western from beginning to end.
Let’s also pile on the abundant cliches of the equivalence of a college-age frat-boy with loads of dumb luck (that’s how the character read to me), a snooty woman looking down her nose at everyone but is the MOST beautiful and desired person ever, and the grizzled man with loads of experience but written as such that dumb luck is the constant winner. 😒
Uh, this reads like a western from beginning to end.
Let’s also pile on the abundant cliches of the equivalence of a college-age frat-boy with loads of dumb luck (that’s how the character read to me), a snooty woman looking down her nose at everyone but is the MOST beautiful and desired person ever, and the grizzled man with loads of experience but written as such that dumb luck is the constant winner. 😒
August 24, 2017
enjoyed this book i received as a giveaway from Goodreads. s&s with good story of deserters who free a town with a little help. reads along the lines of a western. I would definitely like to follow up with the series.
June 17, 2020
Michael does a great job of world building while immersing the reader in the ongoing conflicts his protagonists are faced with. I'm looking forward to the next volume to see where he takes his characters.
January 25, 2022
This book is 90% western novel, 10% fantasy, and I am 100% down for it. Quick little weeknight read that isn’t anything genre breaking or remarkably clever, but it was a lot of fun and really well written.
November 27, 2022
Paint by numbers Adventure
May 3, 2023
Excellent character development in this semi-military adventure 'city rescue' tail of heroes and villain. Purchased this item on August 14, 2022, from Amazon for free.
January 8, 2020
I've read all the Glimmer Vale books by Michael Kingswood. They are entertaining stories that are fun and easy to read. Good entertainment when you need it.
May 24, 2014
I won this book from goodreads.com First Reads giveaway. I really enjoyed this book, it is well written and a very good read. It had me hooked from the very start. I didn't want to stop reading because I wanted to know what was going to happen next. The way the background scenery was described and the cast of the book was written made you feel like you were right there. I don't want to tell the whole story because that would ruin it for the other readers, but the two main characters helped a small town in a valley against highway robbers with the help of a woman that could do magic. Can not wait to read the next book in this series, {Out-Dweller, Glimmer Vale Chronicles #2}.
January 24, 2016
It took a little time to get into, as I was reading other books as well. Once I did, it was definitely worth while. It's _not_ the usual S&S type Fantasy, which takes adjustment. GR rated it as 3 but it's really 3.5 stars.
At first, it's hard to "like" the Main Characters, but like Moss they grow on you. They seem like typical "principled" deserters, but their "desertion" is for a really good reason. A reason that we learn _late_ in the book, and it tells why they do what they do. I look forward to learning more about all of them.
At first, it's hard to "like" the Main Characters, but like Moss they grow on you. They seem like typical "principled" deserters, but their "desertion" is for a really good reason. A reason that we learn _late_ in the book, and it tells why they do what they do. I look forward to learning more about all of them.
April 28, 2016
Routine fantasy that reminded me of the Forgotten Realms books of the 90s. Some nice characterization and action scenes, padded with long and somewhat rambling conversations. I found nothing that was new in this book. It wasn't badly written, it just didn't stand out. Also, Kingswood desperately needs a copyeditor. There were typos or misused words on virtually every page. The author has potential, he just needs to put more work into his book and publish it with more care.
March 9, 2015
I enjoyed this sword and sorcery tale that reads somewhat like a western cowboy story. The heroes and heroine are fun to identify with and I like that they are not super people. Good read. Suitable for all ages.
May 15, 2015
Good adventure
I had a good time with this fantasy adventure story. There weren't any real surprises and all went as I basically expected but it was well written. Good characters and storytelling so I enjoyed it.
I had a good time with this fantasy adventure story. There weren't any real surprises and all went as I basically expected but it was well written. Good characters and storytelling so I enjoyed it.
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March 18, 2015Glimmer Vale
When one goes after another like a war almost. And the fight parts can get bad at times.
I'd like to have my friends see for themselves.
I give it 3 stars
When one goes after another like a war almost. And the fight parts can get bad at times.
I'd like to have my friends see for themselves.
I give it 3 stars
April 21, 2015
A basic fantasy story. Decent plot and characters but nothing that stands out. I got the kindle edition for free on Amazon.
January 21, 2016
Good read
Fantasy readers will like this book. Good story line, likable characters. Recommend this book to people who read game of thrones and others in that genre
Fantasy readers will like this book. Good story line, likable characters. Recommend this book to people who read game of thrones and others in that genre
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews