Stone Ram

Leopard King Saga #1.3

by T.A. Uner

Alternate Cover Edition for ISBN:1499145543 / ISBN13:9781499145540.

The Kingdom of Rek is in trouble!

It's holiest artifact, The Golden Mane, has been stolen by Xot Marauders and is on its way to the Darklands, a lawless domain under the rule of the Blood Reeper, an evil undead warlord who harbors plans for conquering Rek and its peaceful neighboring states.
When the Gold King of Rek issues a crusade to retrieve the stolen Mane, a blind shepherd boy named Fabian SilverSword accepts the challenge, much to the dismay of his parents. Along with his friends, Lager McVick, an exiled Starfighter pilot from Earth, and Marella Larue, a mysterious Stealer from the Republic of Pazland, Fabian must survive the trek through Rek's Eastern Frontier before navigating the unknown dangers of the three Hellion Doors.

237 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 22, 2014

About the author

Dear Reader,

My writing adventure started in 2003. Ten years later, I published my first novel. A few more followed, with a few novellas thrown in for good measure. After releasing 10+ works, I took a break, which brings me to my next venture.

I now have ten serials on Kindle Vella: A YA Fantasy called THE HARPY RISES; a Space Opera called THE NIGHTMARE SHIP; an Urban Fantasy Thriller called THE ISOLATION MIRROR; a Fantasy Romance called THE TOMORROW QUEEN; and another Fantasy Romance called THE YESTERDAY CURSE; a Dark Romance called CONCUBINE OF THE DARK SOVEREIGN; a Sci-Fi Erotica called MOON GIRLS, a Fantasy Romance called THE FALCON KING'S LADY; a comedy called PUMPERNICKEL THE HAMSTER; a Contemporary Fantasy called THE LAST AMERICAN DRAGON; and an upcoming Dark Fantasy called THE IRON SEA HORSE.

Any questions about my Kindle Vella stories?Contact me at: tuvan.uner@yahoo.com

Reviews

[Kirsty (Amethyst Bookwyrm) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thanks to T A Uner for giving me this book to review.

When the holy artefact, the Golden Mane, is stolen from the kingdom of Rek, blind shepherd boy Fabian SilverSword goes on the gold quest to revive it from the Blood Reaper. Along with his new allies, Lager, an exiled Starfighter from Earth, Marella, a mysterious stealer from Pazland and Matilda, his loyal dog. Fabian and the others must navigate the dangerous lawless domain of the Darklands and unknown dangers of the Hellion Doors, but will they be able to complete their quest.

The Stone Ram is an OK YA adventure novel, with a mixture of sci-fi and fantasy. It is not the fasted paced book and had a bit too much info dumping. However, I did remind me a bit of the Fable video games, especially with the Hellion Doors.

I did not like Fabian, as he was meant to be the stereotypical farm boy who turns into a hero, but he was too much wanting to be a hero, no matter what it costs others. Also I was confused with him, as even when Fabian was not able to see, it came across that he could. I liked Marella as she was street wise, courageous and quick. Lager is a drunkard from earth who is wise and wants to help Fabian.

I am guessing that is you have read the other books in this series the ending probably makes sense, but if you are reading this book as a standalone, the ending was very confusing and comes out of nowhere. I would recommend The Stone Ram to fans of the Leopard King Saga.

This and my other reviews can be found at Amethyst Bookwyrm

[T.A. Uner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Please note: It is strongly recommended you read The Leopard Vanguard first, and The Leopard Stratagem second before reading Stone Ram.

[Dianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

A war is being waged, a precious artifact has been stolen, a young man feels the need to answer the call to arms, but Fabian isn’t a normal boy and must begin his journey with only his trusted sheep dog by his side. So begins another young adult adventure from T. A. Uner and the birth of the hero known as The Stone Ram. From a sightless shepherd to a magically enhanced warrior, Fabian has heart, determination and a strong sense of right and wrong. He has vowed to return the artifact to the people Rek. His travels are joined by an alien on his planet, Lager, a warrior from Earth who becomes his mentor and his guide, as well as young Marella, a streetwise girl with sharp wit and more courage against evil than most. As they battle their way to the Darklands, magic is on their side, but the treacherous journey will be the most deadly at the end. Who will survive? Who will find a new calling? One thing for sure, no one will remain unchanged.

T. A. Uner has introduced another character from his Leopard King Saga in this easy to read, adventure that spills forth with much more action than seems possible from so few pages. Geared toward YA reading, this novella provides more than mere entertainment, it details the journey that made the Stone Ram the man he became. The rapid-fire pace requires suspension of the world as you know it as you travel to a distant land and become a citizen of a world far different from ours. Once again, T. A. Uner allows us to cross genres from an historical feeling read to one of science fiction and fantasy and he does it with his own signature flare. Let your inner child see and feel the wonder of another world, the excitement of battle and adrenaline rush of survival when on a quest as you are further prepared for The Leopard Stratagem.

I received this copy from T. A. Uner in exchange for my honest review.

Series: Leopard King Saga - Book 1.3
Publication Date: April 22, 2014
Publisher: T. A. Uner
Genre: Fantasy | YA
Print Length: 237 pages
Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Reviewed for: http://tometender.blogspot.com

[Zipporah Aniko · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I started reading this book, I was immediately captivated by the battle.
A little later, I thought the quest would be straight-forward, with the major rule being "don't die", and in a way it was, but I was quickly amazed at just how many brushes with death the characters had, how little time they had to regroup between battles and their anxiety-inducing encounters. I also liked how the characters were portrayed, especially the "Alien", Lager.
Generally, I think it's a great story, and I'm looking forward to reading more about Fabian in The Leopard Stratagem.

[Ora · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hmm. Not quite sure how I feel about this one. Kind of scratching my head with too with figuring it out. With reading the Leopard Stratagem already, it seems like Fabian should have thought a little bit more about what wish he asked to be granted.
With the Golden Mane stolen, a domino effect starts to happen with people losing faith in their King. The stock market crashes, people start to leave to move to greener pastures when the Blood Reeper’s army invades when demands aren’t met. In order to restore the Golden Mane, the King issues a Gold Quest with the prize of any wish granted to the one who returns it.
Fabian is on a steep learning curve for being an adventurer. The manner his parents instilled in him as a child have little use for him now along with being extremely naïve. He also needs to learn the difference between strength and being a bully. He has Lager to help teach him the difference along with training him to fight. I’m not sure how I felt about Lager allowing Fabian to be in charge without any bit of a fuss. I get that Fabian started this quest without anyone helping him, however he is young and inexperienced with the way the things are outside of his home.
Along his journey they fight perilous odds and are put into dangerous situations. As his journey progresses he grows quite a bit and becomes a man. After completing his quest and retrieving the Golden Mane, he is very determined to wish to go back to ancient Rome in the 1st century.
I would say hindsight is 20/20 and be careful what you wish for. Fabian will learn that the hard way in the Leopard Stratagem.

[Meka♥books · Rating 4 out of 5]

Prior to reading “Stone Ram,” I was aware it was written as a YA which I’m fine with as I enjoy the YA genre. With that being said, that special “umph” was missing that I always feel while reading T.A. Uner’s writing. In my opinion “Stone Ram” is not as great of a read compared to the author’s other novels but still very much enjoyable.

This installment briefly mentions: Helen Keller, Pearl Harbor, Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde.

Characters are likeable. I found myself irritated every time Fabian had to explain he was old enough to drink or old enough to lead Lager and Marella on the quest for the stolen Golden Mane. I kept saying to myself get over his age already.

Enjoyable also was Fabian and Lager's dynamic and the advice given and/or experiences shared. I also liked Fabian and Marella’s relationship. Marella was my favorite character and a good match for Fabian. One of my favorite interactions between Fabian and Marella was the conversation regarding being “whole” and having “heart.”

I am aware Fabian’s story continues in Tome two of the “Leopard King Saga” however “Stone Ram” left me with a less than desirable ending. Because of this, I’m glad the books are standalones that can be read as prequels. I found that reading the books in order provided an insight to the character backgrounds.

Overall “Stone Ram” is a quick and easy read. Because I liked the character relationship/communication so much I give SR 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

***I received a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review***

[Krissys Bookshelf Reviews · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a digital copy in exchange for an honest review from the author.
Stone Ram is a continuation of the Leopard King Saga and can be read in order or by itself.
This installment seemed less historical and more sci/fantasy with the reader base geared more YA than NA however I thought the characters still played out strong, the plot twists continue to carry weight through the story and TA prepared to keep his readers interest always introduces something fresh and new to keep fans drawn in. I would say it could fit for either YA or Adult readers alike.
Another enjoyable read from TA. :)

[Julien Fabre · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stone Ram is the last intermediary book of the Leopard King Saga. It provides background to one of the new characters of book #2. Although this books is somehow rated lower than the other two intermediary books (Kill Zombies and The Bloody Ripper) I think it is the one I liked the most. The story follows Fabian SilverSword, a 16 year old blind boy that goes on a quest to retrieve a sacred artifact. The journey is, as one can expect, filled with many obstacles, encounters, revelations and has overall an Epic feel to it.

If you enjoy adventure books, give this one a try, you won't regret it!

[J · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was the last of the intermediary stories for "The Leopard King" saga and probably the one that more or less was truly a standalone book of its kind. Not until towards the ending of the book does it really ever relate to the other books so you don't get as much a chance to figure out where this one may fit in with the other books.

This book was a little bit on the lengthy side and had almost the opposite problem as "Kill Zombies". In the latter there was too much story but not enough pages while in this one there wasn't a lot of story but too many pages in my honest opinion. What seemed to compound this problem for me is we end up meeting almost a similar formula of characters again as in the first intermediary book: a trio with one at least being drunk.

The other problem that this book seemed to have was the fact that part of the story didn't make sense. Rather early on we are told that Matty is old but loyal. And throughout the story, though, she doesn't act like an old dog. Furthermore there is large mention made of Starspeed, the hero's horse, who is like a super horse and yet we hear nothing about the poor creature besides occasional hinting at this glorious beast.

Now what I do like about this book is the wisdom that can be found in the story and more than likely coming from the drunk Earthmen. He takes the wisdom of his "evolved" planet to teach a stubborn boy who wants to be a hero while showing there is much more to being a hero while the boy doesn't listen much to the young woman whose lessons are just as important.

The Quest itself is rather long - being drawn with very little action, which is unusual to T.A. Uner's writing. In a sense that is refreshing for he can be a bit graphic but it also took away from the story as he grappled with bribing, sneaking around or being headstrong.

Altogether the end is the best part for you don't see it coming. It is a simplistic yet slightly emotional ending that doesn't give any clue to the upcoming 2nd book of the series while at the same time humbling Ram. Will he become a hero in the next story? It is anyone's guess, especially now that he is totally alone....

**Received this book for free in exchange for a review**

[Camly Nguyen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really think that this book would’ve been a lot better if it was a solid 500 paged novel because I felt like the story was way too rushed toward the end and some of the could’ve- been- fun parts are missing.
When Fabian wore his special armour and he could suddenly see again after 16 years of being blind and still wanted to continue the quest… well I found that very hard to believe. Honestly, if I were blind for my whole life and the fact of just wearing a suit can cure my blindness, then I don’t think that I would continue a random quest for a king that I probably don’t care about and risk my life just to have the possibility to gain my sight AGAIN or be rich.Hmmm actually, I take that back maybe I'm just a chicken that enjoys a safe and calm life.
I wished to see more of Fabian’s training to become a warrior because it seemed to me like the transformation from blind and naïve shepherd to super-well- trained- smart- and- tactful -warrior didn’t even last a day (which is very odd even if there’s magic involved). I also think that for a short novel, the plot took a very very long time to develop. I had to read up to 50% of the novel before it started to get interesting because the first half was a lot of character development and world building. Strangely, I also thought that the writing in Stone Ram was very “choppy” (kind of like an awkward high school play) which is quite different for Uner’s other books that are extremely well written. However, I REALLY REALLY LOVED Marella.She's so badass and sooo freakin' cute. I found myself smiling every time she called the main character "Hero Fabian". In general, it was a decent book and fun read but my favorite from Uner (so far) remains The Leopard Vanguard.

[Morgan Duplechin · Rating 3 out of 5]

**I received a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review**
I really wanted to love this book as much as I loved the other books in this series but I just couldn't. There were so many things that added up in this book that I just couldn't love it. I honestly just realized that this was a YA book when I flipped past the title page and on the next page it said a "young adult adventure". This book didn't feel like a young adult book. Although the main character was 16 he didn't act it. Honestly he spoke and acted like a man in his thirties which frustrated me because I couldn't relate to him. He could also comes across as "flawless" it felt like his blindness was just added in to give him a weakness so he felt less flawless but it didn't work. It also never felt like he was blind. It felt like he still had his sight and nothing was wrong with him. Sometimes I even forgot he was blind until it was mentioned a chapter later. I also was VERY confused on the setting of the book. Because the Leopard Vanguard takes place in Rome I assumed this one did too by the characters and how they spoke and acted but then they would talk about how Lager was from earth so then I wondered if this was a completely different planet. This was never really explained so I'm still very confused on that. As much as I wanted to like this book I just couldn't love it as much as the others.

[Carl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although I don't usually read YA stories, I read this to give an honest review for my friend Mr Uner.
As per all his stuff the story is well written and keeps moving along nicely. It is a simple story, sci-fi and fantasy reminiscent of the great John Carter novels, which I loved as a child.
It features the usual young hero and a grizzled mentor but with a few twists thrown in. A quest for a holy artefact and a kingdom to save! Magic and science overlap and the detail puts the reader on another world.
Lots of stuff to like and keep you interested.
Another good read from T A Uner.

[Bobbi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabian is blind, but he can see in many other ways. He sets out on an adventure to prove to everyone he isn't impaired but what he doesn't realize is he is proving to himself that he can do anything that he sets his mind to. He encounters a couple people to help him on his quest and they prove to be more like family and a boost to his pride. He learns to fall in love and what it's like to feel pain. T.A. Uner did an amazing job bringing out the fact that we all can concur our fears and disabilities.

I received this book for an honest review.