Bone-Crusher: A Godric MacEuan Novella

Siege Master

by Tom Vetter

A TALE FROM THE SIEGE MASTER SERIES, THE EPIC STORY OF THE FIRST CRUSADE, TOLD AS NEVER BEFORE: FIRST-PERSON NARRATION OF A SIEGE LORD WHO BATTLES TURKS, TRAITORS, STARVATION AND DEATH ITSELF TO WIN A CRUSADE AND RECLAIM HOLY JERUSALEM.

Sheriff-at-large Baron Godric MacEuan is testing his new prototype siege engine when King Malcolm summons him: Stop a rogue Viking earl from raiding convents and monasteries, massacring clerics to steal treasure. But OdinsØye has hidden well, in an impregnable stone tower concealed within an isolated loch. Can it be taken? Can OdinsØye be stopped? Or will attacking him instead start a vicious new war between Scot and Viking?

Read BONE-CRUSHER to find out!
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This novella will introduce readers to the SIEGE MASTER series and CALL TO CRUSADE, the first book of the series. It has all of the action and intrigue of full-length novels, a memorable cast of characters from the series, and a unique point of view: That of a brilliant young siege master who fights with his brain even more than his brawn.

The Siege Master stories offer readers a fresh new look at the Middle Ages and the Crusades: stories of warriors just as smart as the finest fighting men of today; resourceful men who make novel use of the engineering skills and high technology of their age to defeat impregnable fortresses under insurmountable odds. Best of all, the stories are fact-based -- rousing fiction threaded through real history!
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87 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 23, 2014

About the author

Those who can, do. Those who can do no longer, teach - or better still, write. Tom Vetter has done both - living it first and then writing about it. As a naval officer he served more than two decades in submarines and deep submergence vehicles. During his career then-Commander Vetter sailed more than 100,000 miles on and undersea. He operated diesel and nuclear submarines during the Vietnam and Cold Wars, piloted the Navy’s bathyscaph TRIESTE II (DSV-1) and commercial submersibles, and found men, equipment, aircraft and shipwrecks on the seafloor on dives venturing deeper than 3 miles. His undersea exploration and search innovations are still used by the U.S. Navy and others.

After living several lives' worth of adventure at sea, Tom retired from the U.S. Navy's Submarine Force and worked another career in IT and telecoms, operating a successful IT architecture business for a decade before his wife's declining health required a second retirement. Writing has become his third career. In the past year, Tom has written a memoir of his undersea adventures and the first book of a historical fiction series centered on The First Crusade. Tom lives with his wife in Virginia.

Reviews

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very good read, very well reseached novella, it gets better as the story goes along, a very quick read.

not sure about some of the dialogue used seems abit modern to me.

some very small editing issues, which will annoy some readers, I will be messaging the author about these so he can correct them.

it also gives us a taste of the authors style of writing which good and show promise of good things to come.

ps it was a free book.

[Jackie · Rating 5 out of 5]

For anyone who is into the crusades and the time period catholic or not this is a great series and a even better book. I think you could pick it up read it and have no clue about the story line and really enjoy it. I loved it well written, developed and this point in the story line the characters have really blossomed into something memorable and true. I have not a single thing I can say bad about this book. Well done Mr. Vetter take a bow Sir!

[Christine J Randall · Rating 4 out of 5]

I started reading this novella last night, intending only a quick read before sleep, but I couldn't put Bone-Crusher down! Already intrigued by the storyline from the time I heard of the Siege Master series, I eagerly grabbed this free novella from the author's website.

Tom Vetter presents a smoothly-told account, in third person, crediting the invention of the 'tree-bucket' to his Baron - the Siege Master - skillfully blending fact and fiction without being overly burdensome with history. I was never bored. If you love Bernard Cornwell's tales, you should enjoy this.

Do read the Author's Note at the end. There, I learned more about the history of the time, and how this novella fits in with the Siege Master series. I also gained a healthy respect for the author's research. After such a terrific introduction to the cast, I'm keen to read the series. I just bought 'Call to Crusade'.

[Dave · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this story of Godric the sheriff. I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys reading about the era of vikings, knights, crusades, and castles and likes the story to be reasonably accurate.
Great job Tom, I look forward to reading more of yours.

[Katharina Gerlach · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this in one sitting. It was just as good as the preceding novel "Call to Crusade". The language flows well, and the characters are very believable. I enjoyed seeing some of the people again. Since it's a free book, you can't go wrong.

[Juneta Key]

This is not my normal read but I loved it. It was well written. I like the character and I could see the scenes in my head playing out. If you like stories involving history you will definitely enjoy this short read.