The First Blade of Ostia: Society of the Sword, Book 0

by Duncan M. Hamilton, Derek Perkins (narrator)

The “First Blade of Ostia” is an accolade few will achieve. In Ostenheim, a city obsessed with duelling, it is one that nobody forgets.

Bryn’s earliest memory is of watching duels in the arena. His earliest dream is of taking his place there.

Amero dal Moreno has no dreams. His life has been about fulfilling the expectations of others. In search of a path of his own, the dreams of others are too tempting to resist.

After years of sacrifice and hard work, Bryn Pendollo is finally a professional duellist. Becoming the First Blade of Ostia no longer seems the childish fantasy it once did. To find the man standing in his way is also his best friend will test him in ways he would never have believed.

The First Blade of Ostia is a standalone swashbuckling fantasy adventure novel set in the Middle Sea World of the Society of the Sword Trilogy.

Genres: Fantasy, Audiobook, Adventure, Epic Fantasy

Audible Audio

First published November 26, 2014

About the author

Hi, thanks for visiting my page. I’m Duncan, a fantasy and science fiction author from Ireland. I love to blend my passion for Medieval and Renaissance history with the freedom of fantasy environments to create fast paced heroic fantasy adventures with compelling characters and high stakes—exactly the types of stories that I love to read, so I hope you’ll like them too.

You can find more of my online hangouts and my work at the links below. Don’t forget to sign up for my news letter if you want to keep up to date on all my news and new releases!



I’m delighted to announce my most recent trilogy with Tor, Dragonslayer - a heroic fantasy tale about redemption, revenge, and megalomania. Oh, and dragons. Plenty of dragons! The entire trilogy - Dragonslayer, Knight of the Silver Circle, and Servant of the Crown - is now out in the wild, and available to purchase. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it.



My next trilogy is already well under way, and I've a couple of new projects that occur in different worlds (and genres!) that I'm very excited about, and hope to start releasing this coming Spring 2021.If that’s too long to wait, then please check out my other books, all of which are currently available!

Society of the Sword



The Tattered Banner was one of Buzzfeed's 12 Greatest Fantasy Books of 2013!

In a world where magic is outlawed, ability with a sword is prized above all else. For Soren this means the chance to live out his dreams.

Plucked from a life of poverty, he is given a coveted place at Ostenheim's Academy of Swordsmanship, an opportunity beyond belief.

Opportunity is not always what it seems however, and gifts rarely come without conditions. Soren becomes an unwitting pawn in a game of intrigue and treachery that could cost him not just his dreams, but also his life.

Wolf of the North



It has been generations since the Northlands have seen a hero worthy of the title. Many have made the claim, but few have lived to defend it. Timid, weak, and bullied, Wulfric is as unlikely a candidate as there could be.

A chance encounter with an ancient and mysterious object awakens a latent gift, and Wulfric’s life changes course. Against a backdrop of war, tragedy, and an enemy whose hatred for him knows no bounds, Wulfric will be forged from a young boy, into the Wolf of the North. This is his tale.

If that’s not enough, I’ve a standalone novel, and some shorter work to give you a taste of what I write. You can get a free digital copy of the Marcher Lord if you sign up for my news letter!

Reviews

[Little Timmy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent prequel to the trilogy. Great action packed read with a very interesting world. Very recommended

[Eddie · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s my first time reading this book, which was the prequel to the other one that I read many many years ago, which I’m going to continue reading it now again, but this book was really well done!

I did the audio in this was done by Derek Perkins before his fame with Ryan Cahill !

He does a great job the bottom line….. the story is about choices and what’s important and how emotions get in the way …how ego can destroy a friendship or blind you for what in front of you!!

Well, done Duncan!! onto the trilogy!!🤺🤺🤺🤺

[Zachariah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like the Karate Kid with a medieval fantasy setting and fencing instead of karate. And much more depth of character. And a more satisfying ending.

[Truls Ljungström · Rating 4 out of 5]

En söt och inte överdrivet komplicerad historia placerad i en motsvarighet till riddarakademierna i centraleuropa under 1600-talet.

[Justin Wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book overall, but there were some promises being built up towards the end for the climax that went unfulfilled. The story takes a completely different direction and though I see what the author did by throwing a curve ball, to me the book felt unfinished. I would have liked to seen a final confrontation between the two main characters. I know this is a prequel and have since started the first book of the series and now see the reasons as to why the expected showdown did not take place.

[Jason Murray · Rating 1 out of 5]

A charming tale of the rich getting richer, and the poor learning that having a dream is foolish and wasteful. Wrapped up with a "but love conquers all" trope.

If I wanted reality, I'd watch the news. Skip.

[Christian · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first blade of Ostia is a very loose prequel to the events depicted in the society of the sword. I say loose, as all it connects is the sword craziness of the citizens of Ostenheim and Amaro da Marino. And with this being a prequel the number of things that can happen to Amaro are pretty limited, so thank good our Hero is not the flashy swordsman but again a "friend" of his.

There are two things to be said about the book. As a standalone story it is very good, i think on it's merits as a novel I liked it better than the other three.
The second is I would recommend readers starting with this novel, it keeps the tension of what will happen to the characters higher.

This was exactly the kind of escapist, swashbuckling adventures I like to read, it's not high literature, but never pretends to be. The hero, continuously is making mistakes, and occasionally, learns from them but he is charming enough to route for him

[T.L. Routledge · Rating 5 out of 5]

I decided to read this book before the trilogy and I think I’m glad that I did. I really liked the characters and following Bryns journey. I’m curious to see where he plays a part in the trilogy.

[Steven Allen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had a hard time getting into this book. Now I love me some swashbuckling high adventure having gobbled up Fritz Leiber, Frank Herbert, ER Burroughs, and the classics such as Ivanhoe and the Three Musketeers.

This book is rather tedious at the beginning and at first I didn't really care for the characters. Not until about the half-way point does the story get going and really good.

I don't think I will be picking up this author's other series in this world - at least right now. There are other books I am more interested in to get for my Kindle.

[Bryan Gromowski · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book more but the characters were too shallow and the constant repetition of "Banneret of the Blue" finally became annoying more than anything. I wanted more world building and depth and the book didn't have it. I finished but was glad I got the book free and probably won't read another by this author.

[Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you're looking for a fun book that acts as a palate cleanser between great reads, The First Blade of Ostia is a solid choice. You might be thinking, "Why not just read five-star books?" Well, sometimes you just want McDonald's. It's enjoyable, satisfying in the moment, and exactly what you're in the mood for.

As I said, it's a decent book rather than an amazing one, but it's good enough that I'll definitely be checking out the rest of Duncan M. Hamilton's books.

I read the prequel first, so it'll be interesting to see how the rest of The Society of the Sword series unfolds. Since many of Hamilton's books are set in the same universe, I'm looking forward to seeing how everything connects over time.

I also think Derek Perkins did a great job with the narration. He really brought the characters to life.

[Roger Koo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting prequel...

I read the trilogy with Amero that followed the First Blade of Ostia before I did this book. It was very entertaining as well but this book clarifies how Amero was before he became the great swordsman and that he used magic to help him achieve it. Overall the trials and challenges that Brinn faced to fine happiness and peace was very representative of real life.

[Jason · Rating 2 out of 5]

Overall I did enjoy this book, and I do like this author a lot! I have read 10 of his books and enjoy most of them! If there is any disappointment I have it is the endings and how they are wrapped up… That is the same with this book, while I understand it is considered a prequel standalone and you can read the next books, since it is a stand alone I expected a little more story wrap ups and just fill the ending was kind of flat…

[Liam · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked this book. The ending was not what I was expecting and that is good. Instead of being a part of a trilogy this is a stand-alone book which in my experience for this writer is better. He trilogies sometimes have weak endings. I enjoy his style and will be reading the final book from the author. I would recommend all the books from him.

[Rob · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great story, felt a bit rushed.

A very good story. I really enjoy his work. My only dislike is that the story felt rushed. Too much time goes by in the book without explanation. One moment your here next your there. It was the same in the other books I've read by him. But for all that they are great stories and still a lot of fun to read through.

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story was somewhat ruined for me since I’d already read The Tattered Banner and knew what to expect from the antagonist. At the same time trading this first would also make the trilogy less enjoyable since the major twist wouldn’t be such a surprise since you’d already know the type of person Amero is and what to expect from him.

[Jkane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was a little concerned that this novel would not be a complete one, since Duncan typically writes in trilogies, and this was a prequel where we already know the outcome of one of the two main characters from the Society of the Sword trilogy. My concerns were swept away by a surprisingly great novel from beginning to end.

[Steven · Rating 5 out of 5]

Satisfying

I read The Tattered Banner a year or so back and thought it was good. This book was better. The author has matured. The story is quite captivating, the characters engaging and accessible. I have come to really enjoy this world Mr. Hamilton has created. I will have to revisit it soon.

[Gina Basham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good read

I love prequels. If you remember enough from the original series you will enjoy this. If needed go back to the book descriptions and you can easily pick up the characters and conflicts. I can recommend. Gbash

[Adam Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic!

This was a delight from start to finish. I generally prefer more magic in my fantasy, and usually prefer broadswords to rapiers, but this book kept me enthralled from start to finish!

[Andy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Excellent narration of the audiobook.
Disappointing prequel with backstory of the bad guy. The problem is the whole plot revolves around how this scheming violent sociopath was initially a darn good friend and no one could see, even living with him 24/7, what he was really like.

[Peter Wesolowski · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good prequel book to the “Tattered Banner”. Nice to see where the characters came from and why there was animosity between them in the other series. Again, the fight scenes are well done and you appreciate the time that goes into sword fighting.

[Vicki Dee Rock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it. I'm not writing more because its been a while since I read it. But loved the world and the characters.

[Leigh Calloway · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed the books. Unique world and premise. Well written and no lack of action. Hope to see more by this author.

[Jason · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely fantastic!

[Steve Hart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great stand alone read that is a prequel to the Society of the Sword series.

[Angelique Cunningham · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a prequil book to Dncan M. Hamilton's Society of the Sword trilogy. It is a stand alone and one that I enjoyed even better than the trilogy itself.

[Steve Jennings · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good character building and story. Bad guy painted a little heavy and a little too many woes on the hero. But overall very enjoyable

[Netta Pressman · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5. I think the book was interesting and well-written, but again, the ending was very unsatisfying and weak..

[Jeremy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. Picked up the trilogy because of it.

I am enjoying the trilogy, but not as much as I enjoyed this prequal. I didn't realize the level of fantasy the series is.