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Magefable
Magefable is a beautifully illustrated fantasy adventure. This is the first book in an epic tale filled with magic, treasure, humor, and friendship, as well as many ferocious enemies and the dangerous trials of nature.
Durbin has always dreamed of becoming a swashbuckling adventurer like his legendary father. But unfortunately he's stuck in the secluded valley forest of Verdancia, far away from the sway and swagger of the sea. On one fateful evening a mouse named Clove and her spear hog companion Herod stumble into his village. They had escaped from the terrible lion Sinvicious who wants to stop Clove before she can gain the full power of a geomancer--a mage with the ability to control the elements. Fire, water, wind, lightning, all can be controlled by a geomancer. They can fly, turn themselves invisible, make their skin as solid as rock, shift the earth, and even control life... Although all Clove can do at this point is make weeds move.
The next morning when Durbin awakes he finds Clove and Herod gone. Unable to resist the call of adventure, he journeys out into the woods to find them, dragging along his reluctant friend Morro the hedge hog, who would rather be sitting at home eating scones and berries. On their way they meet other new friends such as Reverie, a wounded sparrow who can mesmerize animals with his singing, and Bailey, a courageous and boisterous young squirrel who is hunting for a dragon to tame. But as Durbin and Morro seek Clove and Herod, so does Krochek the Hunter--the most vile, savage rat ever to emerge from Sinvicious's kingdom. Along with his horde of bloodthirsty rodents he will tear the forest apart in his effort to find them.
Durbin has always dreamed of becoming a swashbuckling adventurer like his legendary father. But unfortunately he's stuck in the secluded valley forest of Verdancia, far away from the sway and swagger of the sea. On one fateful evening a mouse named Clove and her spear hog companion Herod stumble into his village. They had escaped from the terrible lion Sinvicious who wants to stop Clove before she can gain the full power of a geomancer--a mage with the ability to control the elements. Fire, water, wind, lightning, all can be controlled by a geomancer. They can fly, turn themselves invisible, make their skin as solid as rock, shift the earth, and even control life... Although all Clove can do at this point is make weeds move.
The next morning when Durbin awakes he finds Clove and Herod gone. Unable to resist the call of adventure, he journeys out into the woods to find them, dragging along his reluctant friend Morro the hedge hog, who would rather be sitting at home eating scones and berries. On their way they meet other new friends such as Reverie, a wounded sparrow who can mesmerize animals with his singing, and Bailey, a courageous and boisterous young squirrel who is hunting for a dragon to tame. But as Durbin and Morro seek Clove and Herod, so does Krochek the Hunter--the most vile, savage rat ever to emerge from Sinvicious's kingdom. Along with his horde of bloodthirsty rodents he will tear the forest apart in his effort to find them.
- GenresFantasy
ebook
First published July 1, 2012
1691 people want to read
About the author
Heimdall Thunderhammer
6 books9 followersHeimdall Thunderhammer was born where the rocky tor meets the frigid shore. His home a rustic village sitting upon a cliff below an ever-stormy gray sky. And during the time of year when the frost clings to the roots of the trees, the northern lights can be seen glimmering off the far horizon. The small cottage in which Heimdall Thunderhammer was born sits on the far eastern edge of the village, mingled amongst the wharfs and jetties.
From the time that he figured out how to set a hook and trawl a net, he voyaged out to sea on his father's boat. While on the bounty, Heimdall learned to draw maps and to navigate using only sun stones by day and the placement of the stars by night. During the downtimes between catching fish and rigging the sails, his father and the other fishermen told him the tales of his ancestors and their gods. The moment Heimdall heard these stories and learned to read he knew that he would grow up to be a writer himself and weave such tales as he had heard on the swaying tides of his youth.
It was while out at sea that the inspiration for his writing struck. He spotted two mice on the bow of the ship, both seemingly oblivious to the existence of the human crew. The mice were perched on the gunwhale, their gaze focused on the far horizon, with a sparkle of adventure glimmering in their tiny eyes. Where had they come from? And what great journey awaited them?
When he asked those questions out loud, his father proceeded to tell Heimdall about the great beasts of the world, not only of the mice and other such forest critters, but of lions and dragons and similar beasts that Heimdall had never seen. And his father and the other fisherman told Heimdall of geomancy, the magic of such critters. Magic based on the six elements of nature. And so it was while pondering the adventures of those two mice and the hidden magic that they surely held that Heimdall realized his life's ambition;
Magefable.
Heimdall Thunderhammer has spent the past ten years writing and illustrating Magefable. He enjoys crafting tales and sharing them with those who also love magic, treasure, and great adventures. He appreciates the opportunity to interact with his fans, so if you ever have any questions or comments, do not be afraid to contact him.
Twitter: @h_thunderhammer
Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/Magefable/3882... and www.facebook.com/heimdall.thunderhammer
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/...
From the time that he figured out how to set a hook and trawl a net, he voyaged out to sea on his father's boat. While on the bounty, Heimdall learned to draw maps and to navigate using only sun stones by day and the placement of the stars by night. During the downtimes between catching fish and rigging the sails, his father and the other fishermen told him the tales of his ancestors and their gods. The moment Heimdall heard these stories and learned to read he knew that he would grow up to be a writer himself and weave such tales as he had heard on the swaying tides of his youth.
It was while out at sea that the inspiration for his writing struck. He spotted two mice on the bow of the ship, both seemingly oblivious to the existence of the human crew. The mice were perched on the gunwhale, their gaze focused on the far horizon, with a sparkle of adventure glimmering in their tiny eyes. Where had they come from? And what great journey awaited them?
When he asked those questions out loud, his father proceeded to tell Heimdall about the great beasts of the world, not only of the mice and other such forest critters, but of lions and dragons and similar beasts that Heimdall had never seen. And his father and the other fisherman told Heimdall of geomancy, the magic of such critters. Magic based on the six elements of nature. And so it was while pondering the adventures of those two mice and the hidden magic that they surely held that Heimdall realized his life's ambition;
Magefable.
Heimdall Thunderhammer has spent the past ten years writing and illustrating Magefable. He enjoys crafting tales and sharing them with those who also love magic, treasure, and great adventures. He appreciates the opportunity to interact with his fans, so if you ever have any questions or comments, do not be afraid to contact him.
Twitter: @h_thunderhammer
Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/Magefable/3882... and www.facebook.com/heimdall.thunderhammer
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/...
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
January 9, 2013
This is a cute story, with simple but endearing illustrations. Alas, it seemed too heavily flavoured by Redwall to truly capture my full attention. The story is fairly standard - a heroic Spearhog, Herod (which I think is supposed to be a porcupine, although they are neither related to hedgehogs nor can fire their quills, so maybe not) and his elementally-skilled mouse companion, Clove, are set on finding a hidden temple whilst being pursued by angry rats. Despite the fact that the rats are following them in a destructive, cannibalistic wave, Herod deems their mission more important than the lives of many poor forest dwellers tht get caught up in it, along the way (including a village of colourful birds). This viewpoint is later changed, and Herod certainly proves his worth.
Anyhow, the other two characters are a mouse, Durbin, and his hedgehog friend, Morro. These two are a destructive force of their own, as Durbin tricks his naive young friend into disturbing the lives of the poor villages as much as possible - from wanton vandalism to thievery. When they stumble upon Herod and Clove, Durbin develops an interest in the young mouse maid, and persuades his gullible friend to join him - first in finding them and then in joining their party. Along for the ride is a bold and brash young squirrel, and his "dragon" companion. The rats are suitably nasty, and also relatively bumbling, a few reasonable tacticians and our band of heroes would have been dinner. There is also, of course, an open ending to lure readers into buying the sequel.
One thing I did find quite off-putting was the typos, always a challenge in self-published novel - there were various places where words were missing, or quotation marks, one "you're" instead of "your" that made me shudder, and the author appears to lack the ability to spell "entrails" consistently - getting it right on 1 out of 3 occasions (also "endtrails" and "endtries"). Thus the novel could do with another, more thorough, proofread.
Overall, a cute read for Redwall fans who are mourning the lack of further stories, but no real surprises and I found the irresponsible nature of the main protagonist somewhat off-putting. I know it is supposed to show his impulsive, feckless nature, but I could not help but feel terrible for the poor lady whose crop he demolished and the following trail of destruction. He does, however, show a certain growth in maturity as the story progresses.
Anyhow, the other two characters are a mouse, Durbin, and his hedgehog friend, Morro. These two are a destructive force of their own, as Durbin tricks his naive young friend into disturbing the lives of the poor villages as much as possible - from wanton vandalism to thievery. When they stumble upon Herod and Clove, Durbin develops an interest in the young mouse maid, and persuades his gullible friend to join him - first in finding them and then in joining their party. Along for the ride is a bold and brash young squirrel, and his "dragon" companion. The rats are suitably nasty, and also relatively bumbling, a few reasonable tacticians and our band of heroes would have been dinner. There is also, of course, an open ending to lure readers into buying the sequel.
One thing I did find quite off-putting was the typos, always a challenge in self-published novel - there were various places where words were missing, or quotation marks, one "you're" instead of "your" that made me shudder, and the author appears to lack the ability to spell "entrails" consistently - getting it right on 1 out of 3 occasions (also "endtrails" and "endtries"). Thus the novel could do with another, more thorough, proofread.
Overall, a cute read for Redwall fans who are mourning the lack of further stories, but no real surprises and I found the irresponsible nature of the main protagonist somewhat off-putting. I know it is supposed to show his impulsive, feckless nature, but I could not help but feel terrible for the poor lady whose crop he demolished and the following trail of destruction. He does, however, show a certain growth in maturity as the story progresses.
September 14, 2014
I really enjoyed this book, it is aimed at a middle grade audience but even as an adult I really liked it.
There was a nice balance between action scenes and slower scenes, with time spent on showing the characters personalities and developing them. The action scenes did get a little repetitive as they were almost always battles between the good characters fighting against the rats or some other evil foe.
The descriptions were a good, they didn't go into great detail but were descriptive enough to give a good idea what they world looks like. They were short enough that the pacing was quick.
The characters were great and very suitable for the target audience. The main good characters were kind, funny and brave. While they are all have these traits they also each have their own quirks making each of the unique.
The artwork in the book was a cute touch. Nicely drawn, fairly simple pictures that go well with the story and writing style.
It should be said there were some violent scenes and death, while it doesn't go into any detail there were some parts, such as animals getting chopped in half, animals eating other animals or main characters dying, making this book unsuitable for young children.
There were some similarities between this book and the Redwall series, although there were plenty of differences to make this book worth reading even if you have read Redwall already.
In full disclosure I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway. I also got an adorable book mark, featuring artwork of Durbin and Morro and a cute little plastic leaf on it.
May 26, 2013
Durbin (a mouse) didn’t understand what he had gotten into when he and his best friend, Morro (a hedgehog), followed a spear hog (porcupine) named Herod and his friend Clove (a mouse) when they left their village. Durbin always wanted more adventure in his life by he was stuck in the boring land of Verdancia. When Herod and Clove came to town they told Durbin they were fleeing from Sinvicious (an evil lion) in Feralis because he wants to stop Clove because she can get her full powers as a geomancer (a Mage who can control the elements). Clove said she was trying to find a temple somewhere in Verdancia so she can become a better Mage. After Clove and Herod leave to find the temple, Durbin convinces Morro to come with him to find them Even though Sinvicious sent a band of vicious rats to get Clove and kill anyone in their way, Durbin is still convinced to help Clove and Herod.
I really liked the story in this book. I liked the anime style illustrations all throughout the book. Durbin is a great character. I like a character that is seeking adventure and goes to find it. He also seems like a brave and dedicated mouse. The book was an easy read for me and it seems it was written for a middle-grade level. There was some violence with the animals fighting each other but nothing graphic. I would have liked a little more description of Verdancia. The plot was fun and kept me reading. I think that the story and characters reminded me a little too much of Brian Jacques’ Redwall series (my favorite series of all time) but I would also give the next book in this series a try. I also found quite a few small errors (typos) that were throughout the book.
**NOTE I got a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I really liked the story in this book. I liked the anime style illustrations all throughout the book. Durbin is a great character. I like a character that is seeking adventure and goes to find it. He also seems like a brave and dedicated mouse. The book was an easy read for me and it seems it was written for a middle-grade level. There was some violence with the animals fighting each other but nothing graphic. I would have liked a little more description of Verdancia. The plot was fun and kept me reading. I think that the story and characters reminded me a little too much of Brian Jacques’ Redwall series (my favorite series of all time) but I would also give the next book in this series a try. I also found quite a few small errors (typos) that were throughout the book.
**NOTE I got a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
August 31, 2014
This book had a lot of potential, but the grammatical errors really made it difficult for me to concentrate on the story.
I picked this book up off the shelf because it called itself a middle grade fantasy. Typically I enjoy fantasy books, especially about cute animals, but this was a tough read for me. The story was bare bones, and definitely needed to be fleshed out a lot more. The only parts that seemed to have some detail were the parts where mice were getting stabbed and beheaded. The battle scenes, in my opinion, were overly descriptive for middle grade readers. Even other middle grade novels that I read didn't get into that much gore. I don't want to give any examples in case young readers take a look at the reviews.
I think this story would have been better portrayed through a graphic novel, minus the gore. The story was told heavily through dialogue, and we didn't get to know much about what the characters were thinking. I didn't feel very connected to any of the characters, so when bad things started to happen, or in scenes that should have been suspenseful, I felt nothing. I think there is a good foundation here, but there's a lot left to build.
I picked this book up off the shelf because it called itself a middle grade fantasy. Typically I enjoy fantasy books, especially about cute animals, but this was a tough read for me. The story was bare bones, and definitely needed to be fleshed out a lot more. The only parts that seemed to have some detail were the parts where mice were getting stabbed and beheaded. The battle scenes, in my opinion, were overly descriptive for middle grade readers. Even other middle grade novels that I read didn't get into that much gore. I don't want to give any examples in case young readers take a look at the reviews.
I think this story would have been better portrayed through a graphic novel, minus the gore. The story was told heavily through dialogue, and we didn't get to know much about what the characters were thinking. I didn't feel very connected to any of the characters, so when bad things started to happen, or in scenes that should have been suspenseful, I felt nothing. I think there is a good foundation here, but there's a lot left to build.
September 29, 2014
This book was alright. It did have it's supensful parts and there were some chapters I kinda liked but there was a bit too much blood n' guts description in the battle parts for me. This book also could have been edited a little bit better as well since there were a few typos here and there. I guess if the book had been terrible then I wouldn't have finished reading it so overall I probably would give this book 2.5 or 2.6 stars.
August 24, 2016
A fun little fantasy adventure story. A little predictable at times but considering it's a children's book I think it was pretty decent. I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews