What do you think?
Rate this book
Nightblade: Episode One
A Dream of Greatness. A Life of Turmoil.
A new heroic fantasy saga from independent author Garrett Robinson
Loren has grown up a simple woodsman's daughter, raised by hateful parents in a village too small to warrant a name. But all her life she has dreamed of escape, of roaming the world as Nightblade, a master thief who restores balance between the powerful rich and the downtrodden poor.
When a fugitive wizard passes through her town on the run from the law, Loren seizes her chance. But the world beyond her village is more complicated and more dangerous than she could ever have imagined. Loren swiftly learns that if she wishes to shed her past and assume the mantle of Nightblade, she will have to do it herself.
Begin your journey in this epic heroic fantasy.
A new heroic fantasy saga from independent author Garrett Robinson
Loren has grown up a simple woodsman's daughter, raised by hateful parents in a village too small to warrant a name. But all her life she has dreamed of escape, of roaming the world as Nightblade, a master thief who restores balance between the powerful rich and the downtrodden poor.
When a fugitive wizard passes through her town on the run from the law, Loren seizes her chance. But the world beyond her village is more complicated and more dangerous than she could ever have imagined. Loren swiftly learns that if she wishes to shed her past and assume the mantle of Nightblade, she will have to do it herself.
Begin your journey in this epic heroic fantasy.
- GenresFantasyYoung Adult
50 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 18, 2014
18 people are currently reading
223 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
February 19, 2015
I gobbled up this volume. Loved it. And I want more. Love the main character and am intrigued on where this author is gonna take her. Must read the rest of the volumes. Highly recommend.
March 31, 2016
4/5
A promising start to a new fantasy series. Will definitely be picking up episode two.
A promising start to a new fantasy series. Will definitely be picking up episode two.
July 25, 2014
A fascinating start to a promising series - I look forward to reading more about this world and Loren's journey toward her destiny.
August 20, 2014
So far the only terrible thing about this is there is no "volume" or "bundle" for me to commit to so I can get more of the story in one sitting.
October 27, 2023
The First Theft?
I don’t get this story at all. All I’ve read about is a girl called Loren whose father abused her and treated her like a slave. Her mother was no better. There was a boy in her village, Chet, who was in love with her but he couldn’t afford the dowry her parents wanted for her so all they were were friends. Loren escapes in the end with a man she tracks down after seeing him in the woods. But he leaves her in the end so I’m not sure where this series is going at this time.
I don’t get this story at all. All I’ve read about is a girl called Loren whose father abused her and treated her like a slave. Her mother was no better. There was a boy in her village, Chet, who was in love with her but he couldn’t afford the dowry her parents wanted for her so all they were were friends. Loren escapes in the end with a man she tracks down after seeing him in the woods. But he leaves her in the end so I’m not sure where this series is going at this time.
January 13, 2024
Introduction to an adventure
This has promise to be a good adventure with a female lead character setting off to escape her past, but is just a teaser, just an introduction.
This has promise to be a good adventure with a female lead character setting off to escape her past, but is just a teaser, just an introduction.
November 27, 2014
Possessing both a complex female protagonist and mentions of abuse without either homily or glossing, this work demonstrates that high fantasy and gritty realism are not incompatible.
Loren has lived her entire life in a small village in Selvan Forest. Viewed as merely source of free labour by her father, a good dowry in waiting by her mother, and a target for abuse by both, her only escape are her fantasies of becoming the most famous thief in the world. A chance encounter with Xain, a fugitive wizard, leads to a snap decision to leave everything she knows behind.
Robinson’s style and pacing are assured, making immersion and flow easy even when the story deals with difficult concepts.
The choice of a naïve villager as narrator works well for this format. The majority of the limited space is devoted to the immediate issues of Loren leaving the village, both technical and emotional, without the reader feeling the absence of any detail on events beyond the village.
The revelation of Loren’s character is skilfully handled, allowing the reader to see her fantasies as escapism then subverting the reader’s judgement by introducing evidence of the abuse that underpins her desire to be someone and somewhere else. Robinson similarly shows the sudden shifts between trained submission to an abuser and overcompensating strength to others that some abuse victims develop.
However, her character is not defined solely by her abuse. Her relationships with others are also influenced by the same feeling of indestructibility and lack of life-experience that so often afflict those on the verge of adulthood in any time or setting.
Given the short length of the work, there is little space for side plots to reveal background. Instead, Robinson’s carefully balances stereotypical cues with unique detail, creating a cast of supporting characters who have varied and plausible personalities.
Although this is a part-work, it does not suffer from the issue of extensive partial plot arcs that are common to the format. While the major plot of her flight with Xain extends into later episodes, it is brought to a natural break point at the end of this episode.
The various sub-plots arising from both Loren’s past and her flight from the village are similarly either resolved or brought to a point where the reader does not feel an immediate sense of need for the next events.
Overall I enjoyed this work enough to balance my dislike of serialised snippets. I recommend it to reader’s who like fantasy driven by realistic characters rather than epic quests.
Loren has lived her entire life in a small village in Selvan Forest. Viewed as merely source of free labour by her father, a good dowry in waiting by her mother, and a target for abuse by both, her only escape are her fantasies of becoming the most famous thief in the world. A chance encounter with Xain, a fugitive wizard, leads to a snap decision to leave everything she knows behind.
Robinson’s style and pacing are assured, making immersion and flow easy even when the story deals with difficult concepts.
The choice of a naïve villager as narrator works well for this format. The majority of the limited space is devoted to the immediate issues of Loren leaving the village, both technical and emotional, without the reader feeling the absence of any detail on events beyond the village.
The revelation of Loren’s character is skilfully handled, allowing the reader to see her fantasies as escapism then subverting the reader’s judgement by introducing evidence of the abuse that underpins her desire to be someone and somewhere else. Robinson similarly shows the sudden shifts between trained submission to an abuser and overcompensating strength to others that some abuse victims develop.
However, her character is not defined solely by her abuse. Her relationships with others are also influenced by the same feeling of indestructibility and lack of life-experience that so often afflict those on the verge of adulthood in any time or setting.
Given the short length of the work, there is little space for side plots to reveal background. Instead, Robinson’s carefully balances stereotypical cues with unique detail, creating a cast of supporting characters who have varied and plausible personalities.
Although this is a part-work, it does not suffer from the issue of extensive partial plot arcs that are common to the format. While the major plot of her flight with Xain extends into later episodes, it is brought to a natural break point at the end of this episode.
The various sub-plots arising from both Loren’s past and her flight from the village are similarly either resolved or brought to a point where the reader does not feel an immediate sense of need for the next events.
Overall I enjoyed this work enough to balance my dislike of serialised snippets. I recommend it to reader’s who like fantasy driven by realistic characters rather than epic quests.
September 17, 2014
NIGHTBLADE BY GARRETT ROBINSON is the first installment of a seralised novel. At five chapters and around fifty pages, it's a short story with new episodes published on a weekly basis.
From the beginning, it's clear that fifteen year old Loren leads an unhappy life. Between backbreaking farm labour and regular beatings from her father, it's no wonder she harbours dreams of escaping to explore the world where she can become the feared vigilante robber of her fantasies - Nightblade.
A chance encounter with a wizard on the run from the law could give her the chance to escape, and thus begins Loren's first tentative steps as Nightblade as she flees her home and the wrath of her father.
All in all, a good short read, which intrigues me enough to continue with the series. Three out of five.
Reviewed for Bit'N Book Promoters
Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Book Tours
From the beginning, it's clear that fifteen year old Loren leads an unhappy life. Between backbreaking farm labour and regular beatings from her father, it's no wonder she harbours dreams of escaping to explore the world where she can become the feared vigilante robber of her fantasies - Nightblade.
A chance encounter with a wizard on the run from the law could give her the chance to escape, and thus begins Loren's first tentative steps as Nightblade as she flees her home and the wrath of her father.
All in all, a good short read, which intrigues me enough to continue with the series. Three out of five.
Reviewed for Bit'N Book Promoters
Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Book Tours
January 9, 2015
I got this on smashwords because of the cover. I wasn't expecting much and so it stayed in my to-read pile for a while. I wish I had gotten to it sooner because it was good. I wasn't expecting that.
The dialogue in the beginning between Xain and Loren was hard to follow.I had to read it over a few times to get their old language. Maybe that's just me being so used to modern ways of speaking so don't mind me.
I'm so mad. I'm mad because just as I was really getting into the story, it ended. Just like that. I didn't even have episode two on hand which was unfortunate.
I like books like this one and I want to read more.
Loren's parents I found extremely detestable. I hate them and people like them. Her father is such a pain. Thank God Loren left them.
Overall, I liked the first episode. I liked Loren, the small glimpse I read of her. I liked the way I was already immersed in the new world and would like to know more about it.
The dialogue in the beginning between Xain and Loren was hard to follow.I had to read it over a few times to get their old language. Maybe that's just me being so used to modern ways of speaking so don't mind me.
I'm so mad. I'm mad because just as I was really getting into the story, it ended. Just like that. I didn't even have episode two on hand which was unfortunate.
I like books like this one and I want to read more.
Loren's parents I found extremely detestable. I hate them and people like them. Her father is such a pain. Thank God Loren left them.
Overall, I liked the first episode. I liked Loren, the small glimpse I read of her. I liked the way I was already immersed in the new world and would like to know more about it.
May 15, 2016
A good solid read. Jordel seems like he might turn out to be an interesting character. Loren was a interesting character at times. There is magic in the book but it's not defined in anyway, wizards are apparently outlawed, but there are 'mystics' which aren't. Not sure if the following books will add more definition to the magic system or not.
Not sure how really to define why I didn't like the book more. Maybe too much time in the one city, there was action but it didn't really feel like action? The book ended but I'm not really sure what portion of Loren's story was completed in this book. She left home, got a couple party members and is chasing down at least one more, but other than surviving and finding out about a mystery attached to her dagger I'm not sure she really accomplished all that much.
Overall I'd say I'd give the second book a chance.
Not sure how really to define why I didn't like the book more. Maybe too much time in the one city, there was action but it didn't really feel like action? The book ended but I'm not really sure what portion of Loren's story was completed in this book. She left home, got a couple party members and is chasing down at least one more, but other than surviving and finding out about a mystery attached to her dagger I'm not sure she really accomplished all that much.
Overall I'd say I'd give the second book a chance.
November 27, 2014
A great first episode, and the start of what could be a really good serial. This follows the journey of Loren, a girl living in the woods with her parents who treat her poorly. When she meets a strange traveler, she realizes that there's more to life than living in her parents' shadow. She flees and embarks on a journey of discovery and self-reflection---and one full of action.
It's hard not to love the cover of this book. The writing is good, too, though the dialogue is a bit too stilted for my taste, even for fantasy.
The author will be writing this serial for as long as he can, and I'm interested to see where it goes.
It's hard not to love the cover of this book. The writing is good, too, though the dialogue is a bit too stilted for my taste, even for fantasy.
The author will be writing this serial for as long as he can, and I'm interested to see where it goes.
June 11, 2015
An okay first chapter to a series, maybe some readers would feel cheated at its length but more so that it really is just a taster...although the next episode is offered free if the reader posts a review.
The writing wasn't bad but the protagonist could be thought of as somewhat contradictory in that she is seemingly strong yet decides to stay in a bad situation...maybe it is merely down to a lack of the development of character?
For me it is an okay read but books are subjective and I am sure others would appreciate it more...it's just a matter of taste.
The writing wasn't bad but the protagonist could be thought of as somewhat contradictory in that she is seemingly strong yet decides to stay in a bad situation...maybe it is merely down to a lack of the development of character?
For me it is an okay read but books are subjective and I am sure others would appreciate it more...it's just a matter of taste.
August 27, 2014
This is a promising start to a new series. The world is lightly explored, giving clues to things to come (such as a mysterious dagger, and wizards!) The gem comes in the very relatable and believable title character, Loren (who dreams of a fantasy of herself that she calls Nightblade.) I'll be interested to see where Loren's adventures take her.
August 12, 2014
Read this last night and loved it! A great main character, interesting plot, and a fantasy setting. Only thing that's missing is a map showing the region. I look forward to reading the other episodes. I will definitely read ths one again. Great story, Garrett Robinson!
October 24, 2014
Starts out good you get interested in the characters but will probably never read the whole book because it is in episodes(chapters) and you have to get the next book to read on. You don't even get a whole story.
March 8, 2015
This was so quick to read and I thought it was going to be the whole book but apparently it's split into lots of sections? Anyway this was very fast paced and I already love the main character Loren. This was a very good start to a series that I think I will enjoy very much!
January 18, 2016
First time reading this author and it came across, fresh. The characters were well developed, the story is taking its dear sweet time, but it ps getting there. It is Intriguing enough to read the next book and see where it goes.
November 1, 2015
Good... but short. I didn't like where it ended. It was like it was only 1/3 of a book.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews