In the Shadow of Lions

by Travis Starnes

The King is Dead
In a kingdom torn apart by war and political intrigue, William Whitton must navigate a treacherous landscape of political machinations and conflict. Sent to war by his step-father to help clear the way for the manipulation of William's cousin Serwyn, the new king of Sidor, the young prince learns the harsh realities of leadership and the toll of conflict on both soldiers and civilians.

Back in the capital, Serwyn, under the guidance of William's step-father, begins to impose oppressive laws in an effort to limit the power of the barons and consolidate power, pushing the kingdom to the brink of rebellion. Torn between his duty to his family and his responsibility to his people, William faces shifting allegiances and uncertain loyalties as he tries to learn what it means to be a leader of men.

Can William rise above the chaos and become the man his kingdom needs him to be?

Genres: Fantasy

641 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 25, 2024

About the author

Travis writes science fiction, fantasy, and thriller novels (and the occasional coming-of-age story), with the hope of transporting and enthralling readers. Publishing novels since 2015, Travis’s passion is creating worlds and characters that live and breathe, and experiencing the joy of those stories with his readers.

When not writing, Travis enjoys connecting with readers and other writers, managing the popular Complete Marvel Reading Order website, where he works on his other passion for comics and graphic novels, and spending time with his family.

Reviews

[Dragos Macelaru · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent new series

Two medieval societies at war with each other; awesome ancestors wielding magic mentioned now and then. Excellent writing, as usual from this author. Main characters a bit too black and white.
Looking forward to the next book in the series, hope it comes soon

[Daniel Shellenbarger · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one was a bit tricky for me to tag, I ended up calling it low fantasy, which to me is a fantasy story set in a world that is clearly not our own (in that it has a different map, different peoples, different creatures, etc.) but is otherwise largely realistic without magic or supernatural things jumping out of the walls. The tricky bit is that there IS some magic in this setting, but it's all in leftover relics from a previous age and not only is it extremely rare and unable to be replicated but it never actually has any bearing on the events of the story; oh, and there's a sort of interdimensional portal that opens once a year to allow monsters to flood in from a hell dimension, but again, it's not something the locals control, it's basically a weather event, and it's only peripherally involved in the story. Rather the story is heavily inspired by disparate events from medieval English History (the Barons' Revolts, Wat Tyler's Rebellion, and the Hundred Years' War) and largely follows William Whitton, the unwanted stepson of the recently deceased King of Sidor's brother Duke Edmund. Edmund is an... ambitious man and with his brother dead and the crown passing to his... impetuous teenage nephew, he is eager to become the real power behind the throne and to push his private agenda against the Barons, whom he sees as too independent. As such, not wishing to be troubled with his stepson (but unable to get rid of him since the boy is his only heir), he sends him off to war. Prior to his death, the late king had begun a war with their neighbors to the east, the Lynesians, due to their meddling in his kingdom and funding of raids meant to weaken and destabilize it, a war that was going quite well prior to the King's death. William accompanies his other uncle, Duke Alaric, who has been picked to lead the war effort and finds himself thrust into the upper echelons of command. In the meantime, his megalomaniacal cousin, the new King Serwyn is busily making a right hash of his reign, oblivious to the terrible cost inflicted by his (and Edmund's) draconian edicts, which threatens to spark a popular rebellion.

All in all, I enjoyed the story and characters, I thought Starnes's writing here was much better than in his Sword of Jupiter/Imperium series, and while it isn't exactly Song of Ice and Fire quality, it's quite a serviceable and enjoyable start to a series in the same general vein (while keeping its ambitions more firmly reined in as it avoids the sprawling cast of characters and barely-connected plotlines of the SoI&F that basically have made it impossible for GRRM to finish the series).

[Doc Honour · Rating 3 out of 5]

well written but incomplete

Medieval swordplay, battle, and court intrigue in a fantasy world. Rich world-building, at times confusing due to the plethora of place names. Good characters that I cared about. My major objection is that the book does not complete its plots; the largest and deepest plots are “to be continued” in the next book.

[Preston DuBose · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable book with engaging characters. The villains don't show much nuance and are more of the mustache-twirling variety, but the military engagements were well written and had me wanting to find out what happened next. Speaking of which, be prepared for the ending to not feel very climatic. Like me, be prepared to continue right on to book 2.

[walter johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Read

Good story and easy read. It's a very nice book. Would recommend it for anyone who loves fantasy fiction genre.

[Tim Kelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars, but the book laid the foundation for something potentially great.

[Felicity S · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved it! Devastated to find out only the first book is out. Cannot wait to read the next one

[Robert L. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good book

This is a fine fantasy adventure novel. It is well written and edited. I especially like the MC. I anxiously await the sequel.