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Gryphonpike Chronicles #1-4
The Barrows
The mute elven archer known only as Killer. Azyrin, a half Winter-orc shaman and his human swordswoman bride, Makha. Drake, the charming, swashbuckling rogue. The fireball-slinging pixie-goblin, Rahiel, and her mini-unicorn, Bill.
These are the Gryphonpike Companions.
This omnibus collects the first four novellas in the Gryphonpike Chronicles:
Witch Hunt
Arriving in Strongwater Barrow, the Companions find the town riddled with plague and death. Ending the curse and saving the survivors means going into the swamps where monsters lurk and witches wait. Sounds like exactly their kind of day.
Twice Drowned Dragon
On route to the town of Coldragon, the Companions find a peaceful monastery threatened by necromantic evil and get a chance to answer an important question: How many times can you kill a dragon?
A Stone's Throw
A magical scabbard and a hundred year old story send the companions down into the caverns beneath the Barrowlands. Surviving the caverns and finding the legendary rapier will test Killer's friendship with the roguish Drake. Far more than half-truths and forgotten stories lurk in the dark beneath their feet.
Dead of Knight
As the Companions travel across the Barrows to join up with the High Road again, a terrible and unnatural earthquake unleashes an ancient evil on the quiet town of Fallbarrow. An undead army gathers and hellspawn await to destroy Killer and all she now holds dear. Can the cleverness, magics, battle-fury, and determination of the Gryphonpike Companions hope to stand against the Saliidruin and the powerful Death Knight leading them?
These are the Gryphonpike Companions.
This omnibus collects the first four novellas in the Gryphonpike Chronicles:
Witch Hunt
Arriving in Strongwater Barrow, the Companions find the town riddled with plague and death. Ending the curse and saving the survivors means going into the swamps where monsters lurk and witches wait. Sounds like exactly their kind of day.
Twice Drowned Dragon
On route to the town of Coldragon, the Companions find a peaceful monastery threatened by necromantic evil and get a chance to answer an important question: How many times can you kill a dragon?
A Stone's Throw
A magical scabbard and a hundred year old story send the companions down into the caverns beneath the Barrowlands. Surviving the caverns and finding the legendary rapier will test Killer's friendship with the roguish Drake. Far more than half-truths and forgotten stories lurk in the dark beneath their feet.
Dead of Knight
As the Companions travel across the Barrows to join up with the High Road again, a terrible and unnatural earthquake unleashes an ancient evil on the quiet town of Fallbarrow. An undead army gathers and hellspawn await to destroy Killer and all she now holds dear. Can the cleverness, magics, battle-fury, and determination of the Gryphonpike Companions hope to stand against the Saliidruin and the powerful Death Knight leading them?
239 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 9, 2013
35 people are currently reading
116 people want to read
About the author
Annie Bellet
83 books838 followersAnnie Bellet is a full-time speculative fiction writer. She holds a BA in English and a BA in Medieval Studies and thus can speak a smattering of useful languages such as Anglo-Saxon and Medieval Welsh.
Her books include Avarice (Pyrrh Considerable Crimes Division: Book 1), The Gryphonpike Chronicles series, and the Twenty-Sided Sorceress series.
Her interests besides writing include rock climbing, reading, horse-back riding, video games, comic books, table-top RPGs, and many other nerdy pursuits.
Want to be notified when her next book is released, receive free stories and books, and be notified about sales and other goodies? Sign up for Annie Bellet's mailing list
Or if you want sneak peaks, regular updates, and exclusive stories, consider supporting her Patreon. Patreon is here!
Her books include Avarice (Pyrrh Considerable Crimes Division: Book 1), The Gryphonpike Chronicles series, and the Twenty-Sided Sorceress series.
Her interests besides writing include rock climbing, reading, horse-back riding, video games, comic books, table-top RPGs, and many other nerdy pursuits.
Want to be notified when her next book is released, receive free stories and books, and be notified about sales and other goodies? Sign up for Annie Bellet's mailing list
Or if you want sneak peaks, regular updates, and exclusive stories, consider supporting her Patreon. Patreon is here!
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
November 17, 2013
This is a boxed set of four sword & sorcery fantasy novellas. I had the distinct pleasure of reading one previously (Witch Hunt (The Gryphonpike Chronicles)) and the following three are just as good. The concept isn't particularly new -- a group of traveling adventurers have a series of adventures -- but these are better written than the average. Author Annie Bellet has a good sense of story and pacing, as well as a fantastic imagination, and her use of "Killer" and her lost identity as an overarching storyline pulls the series together.
Especially enjoyable for this reviewer is "A Stone's Throw," which explores the deeper characterization of the group's rogue, Drake, and gives him a chance to shine on stage. While the final novella, "Dead of Knight," spends a bit of time showcasing the group's magic user, Rahiel, it doesn't provide the deeper characterization and leaves the little pixie-goblin as much of a mystery as before.
I have no hesitation in recommending these four novellas to fans of S&S. If the proofreading had been a bit more precise, the boxed set would have earned five strong stars.
Please note that I received a free copy of this title through the LibraryThing Member Giveaway program in exchange for an honest review. The price of the story has no bearing upon the review received.
Especially enjoyable for this reviewer is "A Stone's Throw," which explores the deeper characterization of the group's rogue, Drake, and gives him a chance to shine on stage. While the final novella, "Dead of Knight," spends a bit of time showcasing the group's magic user, Rahiel, it doesn't provide the deeper characterization and leaves the little pixie-goblin as much of a mystery as before.
I have no hesitation in recommending these four novellas to fans of S&S. If the proofreading had been a bit more precise, the boxed set would have earned five strong stars.
Please note that I received a free copy of this title through the LibraryThing Member Giveaway program in exchange for an honest review. The price of the story has no bearing upon the review received.
November 24, 2016
Entertaining series.
I picked this up after reading the twenty sided sorceress books. I really enjoyed the stories within and was kind of sad when it ended. Looking forward to more in the series.
I picked this up after reading the twenty sided sorceress books. I really enjoyed the stories within and was kind of sad when it ended. Looking forward to more in the series.
July 23, 2017
Gryphonpike Chronicles is a high fantasy series following a ragtag band of adventurers travelling the world, with the small twist of the main character being unable to communicate with her companions. Our narrator (I'm not sure we've actually been given her real name, but her companions call her Killer) is mute due to a curse but also cannot communicate physically with others through touch, nodding or shaking her head etc. This obviously makes for some frustrating moments for her and adds an intriguing edge to this series of novellas. We see her unable to draw on her full powers in battle or offer a friendly (or not so friendly) word to someone who sorely needs one. The effects of the curse are convincing and consistent, so nothing becomes too convenient for her.
The writing style in this series is straightforward but not too simplistic, taking you quickly and easily through each plotline. However it does feel like it was based on a D&D campaign right down to the point where each character is listing at the beginning of each novella by their race and class - Azyrin the half-winter-orc shaman, Drake the human rogue etc. This could be seen as a positive or a negative depending on the reader's view. I personally liked it since I'm currently into D&D but I think it could have been done with a little more subtlety. The information was given a little heavy-handedly at the beginning of each story and verged a little too close to infodumping.
The first story, Witch Hunt, did take me a little while to get into because there wasn't much to it. Arrive in town, find out about evil witches, defeat evil witches. I half-expected there to be some kind of twist where it turned out that the witches weren't actually evil and had been framed by the villagers, because it seemed too simple otherwise. But after that the stories picked up and I especially enjoyed A Stone's Throw and Dead of Knight. I really liked the growing friendship between Killer and Drake in the latter books and the action in Dead of Knight was especially well-written, when the series took a darker turn. Some scenes almost felt cinematic in their scope during the final fight.
Killer's companions are likeable and distinct with unique voices that make them easy to tell apart even without constant dialogue tags. I have a feeling the author favours Drake since he seems to hold most of the character development throughout the series and we see many more sides to him as the story goes on, and though I like him best too I'm hoping we'll learn more about the others in the final two books.
Overall a fairly easy read that is especially good for those who are fans of tabletop gaming and old-school sword-and-sorcery.
The writing style in this series is straightforward but not too simplistic, taking you quickly and easily through each plotline. However it does feel like it was based on a D&D campaign right down to the point where each character is listing at the beginning of each novella by their race and class - Azyrin the half-winter-orc shaman, Drake the human rogue etc. This could be seen as a positive or a negative depending on the reader's view. I personally liked it since I'm currently into D&D but I think it could have been done with a little more subtlety. The information was given a little heavy-handedly at the beginning of each story and verged a little too close to infodumping.
The first story, Witch Hunt, did take me a little while to get into because there wasn't much to it. Arrive in town, find out about evil witches, defeat evil witches. I half-expected there to be some kind of twist where it turned out that the witches weren't actually evil and had been framed by the villagers, because it seemed too simple otherwise. But after that the stories picked up and I especially enjoyed A Stone's Throw and Dead of Knight. I really liked the growing friendship between Killer and Drake in the latter books and the action in Dead of Knight was especially well-written, when the series took a darker turn. Some scenes almost felt cinematic in their scope during the final fight.
Killer's companions are likeable and distinct with unique voices that make them easy to tell apart even without constant dialogue tags. I have a feeling the author favours Drake since he seems to hold most of the character development throughout the series and we see many more sides to him as the story goes on, and though I like him best too I'm hoping we'll learn more about the others in the final two books.
Overall a fairly easy read that is especially good for those who are fans of tabletop gaming and old-school sword-and-sorcery.
July 17, 2022
What a gem. This book is legit just a bunch of friends doing side quests and trying to survive long enough to level up and I love it.
It took me a lot longer than expected to get into this one, but once I did it gave me these perfect 'I've known these characters forever' wonderful relaxed sink-into-it fantasy homey book vibes. These characters are so real and unique in the way the interact with the world and each other and I adore them all. I'm so invested in their quests. It's a perfect sit back and enjoy pure D & D/Fantasy RPG style adventuring story. The stories are a great mix of tense, fun, and lots of action. Some moments will definitely pull at your heart strings. The characters' histories are revealed throughout, and Killer's personal quest keeps coming back. All the party members hold their weight in different ways, some featuring more prominently depending on the circumstance. There's no "bad" character here. The enemies are creative and deadly, and I loved the magic too. I love that everyone was accepting of Killer's inability to speak and didn't treat her in any way as lesser than. Quite the contrary actually. Occasionally some things will happen where you have to suspend your disbelief (finding a replacement for destroyed armor for instance) but I don't freaking care, I'm having too much fun. Also, I'm kinda wishing for Killer/Drake romance?? Yes? No?? Bah. Anyway. That just sort of developed and I'm feeling it. Overall everything is creative and delightful and bloody and classic fantasy quest style adventuring and comradery and I wouldn't change a damn thing.
There are two more novellas and I'm going to be really sad to see the end of this I think. They're not in my local library, but I might end up buying the 7 novella set because I can see infinite re-reading potential in this. Annie Bellet is a beautiful author (now firmly in my favourites list) and I'm thrilled I discovered her this year. Ugh. I just love these guys so damn much. Read it.
It took me a lot longer than expected to get into this one, but once I did it gave me these perfect 'I've known these characters forever' wonderful relaxed sink-into-it fantasy homey book vibes. These characters are so real and unique in the way the interact with the world and each other and I adore them all. I'm so invested in their quests. It's a perfect sit back and enjoy pure D & D/Fantasy RPG style adventuring story. The stories are a great mix of tense, fun, and lots of action. Some moments will definitely pull at your heart strings. The characters' histories are revealed throughout, and Killer's personal quest keeps coming back. All the party members hold their weight in different ways, some featuring more prominently depending on the circumstance. There's no "bad" character here. The enemies are creative and deadly, and I loved the magic too. I love that everyone was accepting of Killer's inability to speak and didn't treat her in any way as lesser than. Quite the contrary actually. Occasionally some things will happen where you have to suspend your disbelief (finding a replacement for destroyed armor for instance) but I don't freaking care, I'm having too much fun. Also, I'm kinda wishing for Killer/Drake romance?? Yes? No?? Bah. Anyway. That just sort of developed and I'm feeling it. Overall everything is creative and delightful and bloody and classic fantasy quest style adventuring and comradery and I wouldn't change a damn thing.
There are two more novellas and I'm going to be really sad to see the end of this I think. They're not in my local library, but I might end up buying the 7 novella set because I can see infinite re-reading potential in this. Annie Bellet is a beautiful author (now firmly in my favourites list) and I'm thrilled I discovered her this year. Ugh. I just love these guys so damn much. Read it.
July 23, 2017
A collection of four stories involving a band of adventurers. Interesting characters, interesting world, interesting stories. A fun light read.
Kindle e-book. Liked her Twenty Sided Sorceress series.
=====================
The mute elven archer known only as Killer. Azyrin, a half Winter-orc shaman and his human swordswoman bride, Makha. Drake, the charming, swashbuckling rogue. The fireball-slinging pixie-goblin, Rahiel, and her mini-unicorn, Bill.
These are the Gryphonpike Companions.
This omnibus collects the first four novellas in the Gryphonpike Chronicles:
Witch Hunt
Arriving in Strongwater Barrow, the Companions find the town riddled with plague and death. Ending the curse and saving the survivors means going into the swamps where monsters lurk and witches wait. Sounds like exactly their kind of day.
Twice Drowned Dragon
On route to the town of Coldragon, the Companions find a peaceful monastery threatened by necromantic evil and get a chance to answer an important question: How many times can you kill a dragon?
A Stone's Throw
A magical scabbard and a hundred year old story send the companions down into the caverns beneath the Barrowlands. Surviving the caverns and finding the legendary rapier will test Killer's friendship with the roguish Drake. Far more than half-truths and forgotten stories lurk in the dark beneath their feet.
Dead of Knight
As the Companions travel across the Barrows to join up with the High Road again, a terrible and unnatural earthquake unleashes an ancient evil on the quiet town of Fallbarrow. An undead army gathers and hellspawn await to destroy Killer and all she now holds dear. Can the cleverness, magics, battle-fury, and determination of the Gryphonpike Companions hope to stand against the Saliidruin and the powerful Death Knight leading them?
Kindle e-book. Liked her Twenty Sided Sorceress series.
=====================
The mute elven archer known only as Killer. Azyrin, a half Winter-orc shaman and his human swordswoman bride, Makha. Drake, the charming, swashbuckling rogue. The fireball-slinging pixie-goblin, Rahiel, and her mini-unicorn, Bill.
These are the Gryphonpike Companions.
This omnibus collects the first four novellas in the Gryphonpike Chronicles:
Witch Hunt
Arriving in Strongwater Barrow, the Companions find the town riddled with plague and death. Ending the curse and saving the survivors means going into the swamps where monsters lurk and witches wait. Sounds like exactly their kind of day.
Twice Drowned Dragon
On route to the town of Coldragon, the Companions find a peaceful monastery threatened by necromantic evil and get a chance to answer an important question: How many times can you kill a dragon?
A Stone's Throw
A magical scabbard and a hundred year old story send the companions down into the caverns beneath the Barrowlands. Surviving the caverns and finding the legendary rapier will test Killer's friendship with the roguish Drake. Far more than half-truths and forgotten stories lurk in the dark beneath their feet.
Dead of Knight
As the Companions travel across the Barrows to join up with the High Road again, a terrible and unnatural earthquake unleashes an ancient evil on the quiet town of Fallbarrow. An undead army gathers and hellspawn await to destroy Killer and all she now holds dear. Can the cleverness, magics, battle-fury, and determination of the Gryphonpike Companions hope to stand against the Saliidruin and the powerful Death Knight leading them?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 29, 2017
With a mute elven archer (Killer), a half winter-orc shaman (Azyrin), a human tank and swordfighter (Makha), a human fencer (Drake), a pixie-goblin magic-user(Rahiel), and a mini-unicorn (Bill), there's more than a few people to keep track of. The episodic nature of this collection means you're reminded of who they are, again and again, of you read the whole thing back to back. Which isn't difficult, given the length of each section--this means that most descriptions are a bit vague and physical, with less exploration of the backstory. Things are more hinted at--how the adventurers met each other, and especially why they set out from their homes. It's mentioned that many can't return, though less about why.
The mute elf is the narrator, and her curse strikes her for even trying to communicate with gestures or snorts/grunts/etc. Even touching someone can bring pain and nausea. This, at times, makes her a vexing protagonist. What she knows, she can't easily share, and much of her story is taken up by understandable frustration at this fact. The adventures are neatly episodic, with each place containing some fresh monster, usually several challenges before the true cause emerges. Minor battles are won, but it feels like the start of a story, not a complete arc. Which, perhaps, it's intended to be. They have a long way to go before whatever their long term goals are revealed and achieved.
The mute elf is the narrator, and her curse strikes her for even trying to communicate with gestures or snorts/grunts/etc. Even touching someone can bring pain and nausea. This, at times, makes her a vexing protagonist. What she knows, she can't easily share, and much of her story is taken up by understandable frustration at this fact. The adventures are neatly episodic, with each place containing some fresh monster, usually several challenges before the true cause emerges. Minor battles are won, but it feels like the start of a story, not a complete arc. Which, perhaps, it's intended to be. They have a long way to go before whatever their long term goals are revealed and achieved.
May 15, 2017
Very entertaining, and I would absolutely read more stories to find out if Killer reaches her salvation. And it just occurred to me as I started to write the review, I cannot recall our heroine's name. I'm not entirely sure it was given in the book. She's not going to think of herself in the third person, and she can't speak to tell her companions her name. I have no idea if it's in the summary of the book either. Welp, I like her anyway.
May 26, 2017
Characters with depth and adventures to keep pages turning
It feels a little like you have been dropped into the middle of a story but that doesn't matter. Hard to put down, so. don't start too late at night. Looking forward to more stories about Killer and the Adventurers.
It feels a little like you have been dropped into the middle of a story but that doesn't matter. Hard to put down, so. don't start too late at night. Looking forward to more stories about Killer and the Adventurers.
December 15, 2018
Mute elemental elf and friends
A collection of short stories connected together about an group of adventures. A very diverse and interesting group as it turns out. The stories are repeated from a mute elf and are very entertaining. Will be looking for more books about the group
A collection of short stories connected together about an group of adventures. A very diverse and interesting group as it turns out. The stories are repeated from a mute elf and are very entertaining. Will be looking for more books about the group
May 23, 2017
Should not be listed as book one.
While I totally enjoyed the book, there's a couple of stories that had to of come before. Well onto book two.
While I totally enjoyed the book, there's a couple of stories that had to of come before. Well onto book two.
February 12, 2019
These were fun to read on the plane but I wouldn't really count these as favorites personally. They're like bad action films. Fun, but not really great.
December 13, 2019
Interesting Sword & Sorcery novel with fast pacing, good plots, and engaging characters. Now I have two of Annie's series to enjoy.
February 5, 2017
Killer is a an Elemental Elf, a near immortal being who can level mountains with a word and sing a forest to life. Except she's cursed, unable to communicate with others or speak her words of power, she's essentially become another elf who just so happens to be a mute. She has to do a thousand good deeds to lift the curse.
I really enjoyed this collection. Each story is unique and self-contained, with a bit of mystery and plenty of action.
Killer can't even show affection through touch without her curse causing her nausea or threatening to make her faint. She seems one way to the group, but we get to see more of her real self through her POV. There are a few moments where this is extremely frustrating, but that's the point. It's most impactful not when she can't use her power to fight, but rather when she can't reach out to console an ally.
The adventuring party is made up of interesting characters that each have strongly defined traits, the kind that make it easy to spot who's talking without dialogue tags. They're all heroes, self-sacrificing and willing to go beyond what's needed to help others, and they each get their moments to shine. I'm also happy to see an orc, because anyone who follows me knows I'm a sucker for all things orcish.
There's also a teeny tiny adorable pony-sized unicorn.
There's a certain authentic lightheartedness to this book. That doesn't mean there aren't moments of intensity or sadness, they're there and done well. It's like a good animated feature, it doesn't need to murder everyone to get its hooks in you.*
*A lot of people get murdered though.
I really enjoyed this collection. Each story is unique and self-contained, with a bit of mystery and plenty of action.
Killer can't even show affection through touch without her curse causing her nausea or threatening to make her faint. She seems one way to the group, but we get to see more of her real self through her POV. There are a few moments where this is extremely frustrating, but that's the point. It's most impactful not when she can't use her power to fight, but rather when she can't reach out to console an ally.
The adventuring party is made up of interesting characters that each have strongly defined traits, the kind that make it easy to spot who's talking without dialogue tags. They're all heroes, self-sacrificing and willing to go beyond what's needed to help others, and they each get their moments to shine. I'm also happy to see an orc, because anyone who follows me knows I'm a sucker for all things orcish.
There's also a teeny tiny adorable pony-sized unicorn.
There's a certain authentic lightheartedness to this book. That doesn't mean there aren't moments of intensity or sadness, they're there and done well. It's like a good animated feature, it doesn't need to murder everyone to get its hooks in you.*
*A lot of people get murdered though.
February 20, 2015
excellent pleasue
There are a lot of good writers out there and sometime you get lucky and bump into one that fulfill all your expectations. Annie Bellet is one of them and I am happy to join her followers. Few authors have the ability to express a lot, in terms of action, feelings and descriptions that allow the reader a full picture with minimum words. When I find one I immediately buy all their books and indulge myself In the pleasure of a well written story. Anyone who shares my view will find AB books well worth the time. Well done Annie Bellet. I look forward to more hours of pleasure.
There are a lot of good writers out there and sometime you get lucky and bump into one that fulfill all your expectations. Annie Bellet is one of them and I am happy to join her followers. Few authors have the ability to express a lot, in terms of action, feelings and descriptions that allow the reader a full picture with minimum words. When I find one I immediately buy all their books and indulge myself In the pleasure of a well written story. Anyone who shares my view will find AB books well worth the time. Well done Annie Bellet. I look forward to more hours of pleasure.
November 13, 2013
*** Received this book from a LibrayThing Giveaway*
I truly enjoyed this book. It was a fun and entertaining collection of fantasy/adventure short stories.
The characters were colorful and tough. I couldn't help wanting to get to know them better. On the downside, the dialogue was not very strong.
Overall 3.5 stars.
I truly enjoyed this book. It was a fun and entertaining collection of fantasy/adventure short stories.
The characters were colorful and tough. I couldn't help wanting to get to know them better. On the downside, the dialogue was not very strong.
Overall 3.5 stars.
February 5, 2015
good read, but
While I did enjoy these books, I feel that 2.99 for 40 pages is way overpriced, the 3.99 for the collection of four is much more reasonable, that said they are a good read with engaging characters and I will read more, but only from a library again the price is too much for such short stories.
While I did enjoy these books, I feel that 2.99 for 40 pages is way overpriced, the 3.99 for the collection of four is much more reasonable, that said they are a good read with engaging characters and I will read more, but only from a library again the price is too much for such short stories.
February 15, 2015
Great story hope I can read more of her adventures.
I recommend you read the entire series. It's a great tale of adventuring. If only life was this simple. Can't wait to read about her return home, if she even decides to go.
I recommend you read the entire series. It's a great tale of adventuring. If only life was this simple. Can't wait to read about her return home, if she even decides to go.
March 20, 2022
Very Good Stories
These are 4 stories starring the Gryphonpike adventurers. A band of 5 with a mini unicorn helping others, taking on adventurous jobs, arguing, etc. I enjoyed them. Very appropriate for most ages.
These are 4 stories starring the Gryphonpike adventurers. A band of 5 with a mini unicorn helping others, taking on adventurous jobs, arguing, etc. I enjoyed them. Very appropriate for most ages.
September 1, 2015
Good series
January 1, 2016
This was just a snippet of what to expect. I will be buying the rest. I hate dropping a series when I find one I like.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews