The Forsaken Knight

by Vaughn Heppner

Treacherously slain in battle but denied the peace of death, Sir Rollo Iron-Arm walks the earth as an undead knight, cursed to an eternity of torment.

The curse has one it fails to chain his will, leaving him free to defy the darkness.

Instead, he chooses to protect his people from horrors that rise up to consume them. Although he is doomed to a lonely existence, Rollo determines to wage a one-man war against the powers that seek to control him and devour his land. He will use his damned state, turning it against his masters in ways they could never foresee.

Can the Forsaken successfully defy the powers of night—or will they drag his very soul into the abyss?

242 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 7, 2024

About the author

You can visit Vaughn at www.vaughnheppner.com

I was born in Canada and remember as a small boy crawling in my snow-fort. I closed my eyes, and when I tried to open them, they were frozen shut. I didn't panic, but wiped away the ice crystals, unglued my eyes and kept on building my tunnel. Those were great days! I moved to Central California before seventh grade and couldn't believe I lived in a land where oranges grew on trees and you could pick grapes from the vine.

I used to wonder what I wanted to do with my life, what kind of work specifically. I was miserable not knowing and bordering on desperate. Then one day a friend gave me his typewriter. I began working on a novel. A different person told me it was much easier on a computer, so I bought one and began getting up at 4:30 A.M. each morning before work, writing for three hours. My eyes were unglued once again as the pang of misery left my gut. I knew exactly what I wanted to do: write. So now that's what I do, I write, and write, and write, and I love it.

Reviews

[Eric Fieldstone · Rating 4 out of 5]

The premise hooked me right away. As a longtime Dark Souls fan, the idea of a knight waking up to discover he is undead truly hit the mark. The opening chapters carried real promise: a strange curse, a hostile world, and hints of political intrigue. The setting has texture, too—a land shaped by past invasions, reminiscent of the British Isles. A wandering jongleur with suspicious knowledge of magic was intriguing, as was the hero’s wife, who pursued new interests after his apparent death. The bones of a strong series are here.
Unfortunately, those early promises fail to deliver. The protagonist begins overpowered and only grows stronger, robbing the story of tension. His devotion to a vague, uninvolved god offers little emotional weight, especially when the rival dark deities steal every scene they’re in. The supporting cast, with one lively exception, feel like names and titles rather than fleshed-out people. That lone vibrant companion is missing from the epilogue, leaving the ending feeling unfinished.
The intrigue among lords and knights flirts with depth, but the characters never grow depth. This isn’t Game of Thrones; it isn’t even close. The promised conflicts between nobles, factions, and kingdoms fade into background noise, and the final confrontations seem rushed, anticlimactic. A major villain’s death had me chuckling at the flat description.
On a technical level, the book reads like a second draft. While the occasional typo is forgivable, confusing action scenes and prose that seems hurried broke my immersion multiple times. Combined with the modest length and full indie price tag, the disappointment stings worse. Being an author myself, I believe readers deserve more, which is why I pushed myself further in my own books.
What began as an exciting premise sadly collapsed into mediocrity. There is a world here worth exploring—but without vivid characters, the experience feels as lifeless as the protagonist.

[Abigail Hammond · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vaughn Heppner is excellent at writing stories centered in worlds that feel lived in. The opening page of The Forsaken Knight hooked me immediately, but what I loved most is how rich the world and lore is right from the start. You feel as though you’re dropping into the middle of the action, that the world and characters existed before you and will continue to exist after you. This isn’t an easy thing to do, but he does it without fail every time. The Forsaken Knight is a fantastic, gripping story with an extremely engaging premise and a world full of interesting and quirky characters (San was my favorite!) I absolutely loved it!

[Jamie Burgess · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Beginning

This was a great story, I would love to see more of Sir Rollo's adventures. I only have one request, please make the Grimold easier to understand. I have a passing familiarity with Old English, so I understood him for the most part, but anyone else reading this might not.

[Lori Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

better than expected

Well plotted. Engaging. Reminded me of a death knight from wow. Would read more. I didn’t get the wife though seemed she should have had a larger part than she had.

[Dean Falzarano · Rating 5 out of 5]

With Great Power..

A good man, cruelly used, refusing to forsake his principles and perceived duties. An excellent read which I highly recommend.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Fine Tale!

I thoroughly enjoyed ethics story and
Look forward to others of Vaughn Heppner. It truly seemed as if a human being wrote it.