Heritage: Book One of the Gairden Chronicles

by David L. Craddock

Prince Aidan Gairden's life was planned out for him 800 years before he was born. On his sixteenth birthday, he will take up Heritage, the magical sword wielded by his mother and generations of Gairden ancestors before him, and lead the kingdom of Torel into a new golden age of peace and prosperity.

That's how his mother envisions his impending reign. Aidan prefers to see it as decades of sitting in an uncomfortable chair listening to old men bicker over property lines and taxes. If Aidan had his way, he would leave the sword and throne behind for a life free of responsibility.

To Aidan's utter shock, Heritage grants his wish. In front of his parents and the entire kingdom, the sword rejects Aidan, leaving Torel without an heir.

While Aidan struggles to find his place, an ancient evil awakens and provokes a war between Torel and the warrior tribes of the west. Thrust upon a bloody trail of deception and corruption, Aidan is forced to make a desperate lead Torel in a war he does not believe in, or be banished from his home and family forever.

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult

326 pages, Paperback

First published July 16, 2014

About the author

David L. Craddock lives with his wife in Ohio. He is the bestselling author of Stay Awhile and Listen : How Two Blizzards Unleashed Diablo and Forged a Video-Game Empire - Book I, and Heritage : Book One of the Gairden Chronicles, an epic fantasy series for young adults. Please follow along with him on his website/blog at DavidLCraddock.com .

Reviews

[Olive Persimmon · Rating 5 out of 5]

AGGGGHHHHH

This.book. was. so. good! Highly recommended for anyone who loves fantasy ( or even those who don't)I cant wait for the next one to come out in the series- I'm dying to know what happens.

[Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Zbavna knjiga ali malo naivna i predvidiva. Al brzo se cita i drzi paznju pa ko voli Young Adult Fantasy slobodno neka uzme stivo da cita.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heritage: Book one of The Gairden Chronicles by David L. Craddock

Finding Fantasy Fascinating

Let’s be honest we all come across books we fall in love with, or the characters in books we can’t live without. Books that make you FEEL and live the story and not just read it across the scattered pages. Heritage is one of those books.

I came across this title because, well I know the author personally. I went to school with him, and honestly never dreamed he would become an author. After getting bombarded daily on my Facebook feed about ordering the book and reading it I finally broke down and decided why not? (I am not saying that the bombardment is a bad thing, his marketing tools and ideas were great fun and very enjoyable to read.)

Fantasy is not my genre of reading, I am more of a “who done it” kind of girl; love me a sassy witch or a hunky vampire. To be straightforward I didn’t have hopes for enjoying the book, however I emotionally connected with the characters with each passing chapter. What happened next was a roller coaster ride of excitement from page one to page 308.

Summarizing Heritage

I want to note that this summary was taken directly from the back of the book. It sums up the story so wonderfully, so why reinvent the wheel and try to do it myself? So I respectfully give credit where credit is due.

Prince Aidan Gairden's life was planned out for him 800 years before he was born. On his sixteenth birthday, he will take up Heritage, the magical sword wielded by his mother and generations of Gairden ancestors before him, and lead the kingdom of Torel into a new golden age of peace and prosperity.
That's how his mother envisions his impending reign. Aidan prefers to see it as decades of sitting in an uncomfortable chair listening to old men bicker over property lines and taxes. If Aidan had his way, he would leave the sword and throne behind for a life free of responsibility.
To Aidan's utter shock, Heritage grants his wish. In front of his parents and the entire kingdom, the sword rejects Aidan, leaving Torel without an heir.
While Aidan struggles to find his place, an ancient evil awakens and provokes a war between Torel and the warrior tribes of the west. Thrust upon a bloody trail of deception and corruption, Aidan is forced to make a desperate choice: lead Torel in a war he does not believe in, or be banished from his home and family forever.

In My Opinion

The idea that one’s life is planned out is about appealing to me as it was to Aidan. Aidan is the main character and the story revolves around his development from a petulant child into a mature adult. I love the personal growth that David brings to his main character. Aidan fights his coming of age, allowing his selfishness and self-doubt to keep him from being prepared to take his rightful place as King of his kingdom. David writes from Aidan’s point of view allowing anyone to relate to the self-doubting Aidan. I am not a fan of a sullen loathsome child as a character; however, Craddock brings something to the development and growth of Aidan that makes him one of my favorite in the book.

David creates an array of different characters inside his book; Christine, Tyrnen, Daniel and Heritage, just to name a few. While reading Heritage I looked forward to each encounter or interaction with these characters. The personal development of Daniel, Christine, or Heritage throughout the book I took a vested interest in, from Daniel blinding following along to Christine second guessing her job or Heritage finally revealing her secrets. The way David writes each character made me become personally invested in this story. I felt emotionally connected, I felt the book. This is something only one other author has been able to do and I commend David for being able to do this.

I wish I could say this book was perfect, well honestly in many ways it was. I am not an author, and I am horrible at writing so criticizing something that I LOVE is very hard. However, there is something that stuck out with me and so therefore I know that I should point it out to other readers is word repetition. David makes some interesting word choices in certain sequences. I noticed that he used the word vomit multiple times to describe how something looked or after a battle scene; which came off awkward to me, but honestly that is all I can truly criticize about this book.

The Final Verdict

If you can read, you should be reading this book! There is my verdict! This is a must read for students grades 8 and older. David is definitely going to go far in the fantasy genre. I can’t wait to read what he has next and where this story leads.

[Denae Christine · Rating 1 out of 5]

Might have been 4 but . . . .

Several small inconsistencies and one big character problem. Aidan had sex with a girl he had recently met and who had more recently betrayed him. The only thing he knew about her (and only thing he thought about her) was how pretty she was, her hair, her legs, her hips. He is 16. He conveniently "forgot" about his lovely betrothed whenever Christine was in the room. Excuse me? No.

The little things. Spoilers. Why didn't Aidan's visitor steal the torch in the prison so Aidan could Darken? Why'd the Prophet let herself die? Why was the sword able to sometimes spit out fire? Why did Aidan sometimes use his neck lamp and sometimes acted like he didn't have one? Why did some of the scenes jump around so readers couldn't tell where the characters were? Why did people keep saying Aidan murdering a bunch of innocents wasn't his fault? Why could the crowd not recognize that green blood is not a normal human thing, and Aidan had to turn the harbinger into a corpse before the crowd knew what was going on? Why were there so many moments where I thought Aidan was suddenly going to do something clever, and he didn't? How could a crippled man with one sword overpower a harbinger when Aidan had trouble fighting one, and harbingers are "infinitely" more powerful than vagrants?

The sword's abilities were never fully explained. Aidan went from acting childish and selfish to self-sacrificing in one day just because he gained magical abilities. The sword lied, and Aidan never seemed grieved by her death. Quite a few scenes jumped around, in and out of character heads and in and out of time and place. During the climax, Edmund was in three locations, and I'm still not sure how they're connected (one was a dreamworld, I guess, but I couldn't tell if he went there before or after the other two). Aidan's cinder band is dangerous, and it's annoying he doesn't see that.

There were typos. Inevitable, but still. Even things like Aidan calling Anastasia his grandmother, but also missing periods and what not.

Some good: cool idea for a magic system with built in limitations that were not fully exploited and a system that wasn't fully explained or nailed down. Light magic . . . but what can they do and not do? Anything the author wants. World was moderately formed, though the reader barely got a taste. The religious magical aspect was neat, and had a twist Aidan finally caught on to. The characters had attitude, good. They sometimes took days to apologize, but they did eventually apologize to each other, okay.
Sigh.

Mostly, though, it was the adultery and "forgetting" he was already betrothed. Hullo! You've been betrothed your whole life! Why let yourself get distracted by another girl? Are they so meaningless to you?

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading a debut author in the fantasy genre, or any genre, is always a hit-or-miss experience. There are authors who hit the ground running with a hit, there are authors with talent that just needs a little 'fine tuning', and there are authors who seem to struggle.

David Craddock, while not completely new to the fantasy world, has released the first book in his YA fantasy series, and he falls within the first category of authors. Heritage is a page-turning, captivating, well-written YA novel that really leaves you wanting more – in a good way.

One of the first things that is obvious right off the bat is that Craddock knows how to build an entire fantasy world without engaging in tedious info dropping. Many times authors will overload readers with lengthy explanations and backstories to help aid in the world building, while others have a 'fly by the seat of your pants' approach where readers learn as they read.

Craddock knows how to create a world that readers can relate to, understand, and feel a part of, without having to boggle down readers or waste time with lengthy explanations. This is vital to the next part –pacing.

Sometimes while reading, I notice that novels are either paced too fast or too slow. I found Heritage to be paced at a just right speed. It had me turning pages and wanting to read further ahead, but I didn't feel rushed.

Last, but not least, is character development. The norm nowadays seems to be that you can't write a good fantasy novel with great world building and character development, and keep it under 400 pages. Craddock shows that this is not the case.

I really felt connected to the characters. It did take a little time to warm up to them, get to know them a little, but by the end I wanted more. I wanted to see what happens next, go through more adventures with them.

Heritage is definitely a wonderful start for not only the series, but Craddock's future at a fantasy writer. The quality of writing and pure talent that is evident will only improve as time goes on. Readers will notice that the influences authors like Terry Brooks, R.A. Salvatore, Robert Jordon, and David Eddings had on Craddock.

I really look forward to seeing Craddock grow as a writer and hopefully leave a lasting impact on the fantasy genre. Fans of Brooks, Salvatore, Jordon, and pretty much any other fantasy author will be sure to enjoy this novel. Anyone who is thinking of venturing into fantasy will also enjoy it, as it serves as a great intro to fantasy.

[Debra Browning · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am fairly new to the sci-fi/fantasy world, but this book encompasses all that I love about this genre. David L. Craddock focuses on the characters and story line, not on a chapter's worth of superfluous details that don't further the plot. At times with fantasy novels, I tend to get bogged down on all of the terms, names, places, etc. Not only was there a glossary in the back, but the author made it very easy for me to keep all of that information straight and organized. He made it so that I could simply enjoy the story and not worry about looking up the information constantly. Finally, the main character is real; he is a sixteen year old boy with enormous responsibility (both expected and unplanned), but he still acts like a sixteen year old boy; at times pouty and immature, at other times brave and impetuous and very intelligent. I can't wait for the second book of this series! I highly, highly recommend this to everyone, whether or not this is your typical genre or just want something different. This is the kind of book you will want to read over and over again and want to pass it on to everyone you know!

[Sheila · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW!! What can I say other than I so loved this book. The characters are real and believable. The plot contains twists and turns that you do not expect. The plot draws you in and you actually believe you are part of the book, traveling along with the main characters. I wanted to be part of the book because I actually felt the book, yeah I know, but I did. I felt how the characters interacted, how they made decisions, how they wanted and loved, how they lived and died, how each one of them faced those plot twists already mentioned. I can't wait for the next book.

I appreciated our author giving us the background for this book series and especially this first book. It gave me insight into the story's characters and their beliefs. Keep up the great writing!!!!

[Kellie Tayer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved Heritage! Cannot wait to see what happens next! David Craddock is on his way to being the new J.K. Rowling with this first book in what is sure to be a riveting series. Hollywood? Are you getting this? Excellent pacing and masterful plot twists! Love it!

[Tanabrus · Rating 3 out of 5]

Libro di esordio di quest’anno, che mi aveva attirato per le recensioni positive unite al prezzo irrisorio.
Si tratta del primo libro di una saga fantasy di stampo molto classico e di tipo direi young adult, un po’ per i protagonisti (abbiamo il principe sedicenne, la maga diciassettenne di cui si innamora e che è di lui a sua volta innamorata da tempo, l’amico guardia\ladro coeataneo del principe) e un po’ per certe tematiche e sopratutto per il modo in cui tutto viene trattato.

Nei ringraziamenti a fine libro, l’autore spiega come questo libro sia l’ultima incarnazione del testo su cui ha bene o male lavorato per nove anni, cosa comune per gli esordi, e come l’idea gli sia venuta dalle sue passioni per il fantasy e per le spade.
Il libro parla sì, infatti, del principe Aidan Gairden, del suo mondo quasi utopico, della signora dell’alba e del signore della mezzanotte, delle quattro terre che compongono il mondo e dell’antica guerra contro i serpenti del sud, ma parla sopratutto di Heritage, la spada magica donata alla sua famiglia ottocento anni addietro dalla Signora dell’Alba per combattere il male.

Una spada che contiene al suo interno le anime di tutti i suoi passati possessori (e dei loro consorti), un fatto che unito alla maledizione di un solo erede concepito da ogni Gairden e alla benedizione di poter conferire con le anime presenti nel rubino della spada, rende il possederla equivalente alla possibilità eterna di riunioni di famiglia, dove per famiglia si intende gli ultimi 800 anni di Gaidern (il Gaidern sul trono sarà la Corona del Nord, e Portatore della spada).

Il libro parla quindi di questa spada, nata anche in seguito alla morte del padre dell’autore, ma parla anche del protagonista, il principe.
Unico membro della famiglia a venire rifiutato dalla spada nel giorno del suo rito pubblico di passaggio, e che nel giro di pochi giorni si ritrova da felice principe dedito a scherzi e alla cieca obbedienza degli ordini ricevuti da genitori e mentore a vergogna per la propria famiglia, fino a diventare prima comandante di truppe nella guerra lampo scoppiata contro le popolazioni dell’ovest (un tempo patria della sua promessa sposa, poi divenuti nemici in seguito al fallito attentato ai suoi genitori) e poi fuggiasco, inseguito dai soldati del regno e dai propri genitori, per aver rifiutato una guerra in cui non crede e aver scoperto che il re, la regina e molte guardie sono state sotituite da cadaveri viventi che ne hanno assunto le sembianze.

Per sua fortuna ha al suo fianco Heritage (che solo nel momento più nero lo ha accettato garantendogli i suoi poteri e la sua guida) e Daniel, l’amico d’infanzia ora guardia reale. E, più avanti, la giovane maga Christine inviata dal suo vecchio mentore a dargli la caccia ma in realtà innamorata da tempo di lui.



La storia è molto classica, banale quasi nella sua divisione da manuale e utopica del mondo in quattro terre (il nord buono e saggio che protegge tutti, il sud che in passato è stato corrotto dalla magia oscura e ora è una terra devastata e priva di vita, l’ovest selvaggio diviso in tribù coraggiose e leali, l’est dei mercanti) che da otto secoli bene o male vivono in armonia rispettose delle rispettive diversità e fedeli alle alleanze, senza invidie per i poteri di Toren (la terra del nord).
Il fatto che prima di scoprire della guerra ci venga mostrato cosa accade a Nichel, l’erede dell’ovest, scoprendo così della morte dei suoi genitori per mano dei governanti del nord toglie quasi tutta la possibile suspance al libro, lasciando il lettore con l’unica domanda di quale sia stata l’esatta timeline degli eventi relativi alla famiglia reale di Toren.

Perché per il resto la complicità dei Toccati pare evidente (e nutro dubbi anche sul consigliere di Nichel), così come la falsità dei regnanti che dichiarano la guerra, il tradimento del fratello di Christine e la sua scelta di schierarsi con Aidan. Tutto molto, troppo prevedibile.

E troppo semplicistico quando Aidan impara a usare la magia del buio, oltre a quella della luce, diventando il primo Gairden in ottocento anni a provarci e a realizzare che usa la stessa lingua della magia della luce, che non ha strani effetti collaterali e che né il suo patrono né la dama della luce interferiscono granché con le vicende mortali, a parte il dono di Heritage ai suoi antenati.
O quando entra in scena Daniel, che scopriamo essere cresciuto come compagno di giochi del principe pur essendo arrivato in città dal nulla con i genitori trasferitisi di corsa per sfuggire a dei problemi con la legge nella precedente città, e che oltre alla stranezza di questa vicinanza col principe si ritrova in mezzo a un tradimento e a stranissimi assalitori, non batte ciglio e crede ciecamente in Aidan in tempo zero. Abbastanza assurdo.
Come anche il fatto che quando Aidan decide di tornare a casa per smascherare gli impostori (che governano) senza il minimo piano e viene giustamente catturato immediatamente, non è ucciso subito ma imprigionato e infine condotto a una decapitazione pubblica. E addirittura viene fatto parlare, dandogli modo non solo di guadagnare tempo ma anche di arringare la folla! Follia allo stato puro, per mascherare l’impossibilità altrimenti di uscire da quella situazione.
Troppo semplicistico e prevedibile, insomma, ma ci sono cose buone.La scrittura, per dirne una. Heritage, per dirne un’altra, e un po’ tutto il sistema di magia compresi i tunnel neri usati dai ladri.
Una lettura rapida, senza molte pretese, e un esordio che presenta qualche spunto interessante. Non so quanto potrà migliorare la serie nel prossimo libro, se il prezzo sarà simile a questo immagino gli darò una possibilità.

[Karsa Orlong · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good

Good book. Really felt bad for the Aidan. To have his world ripped apart like that. But all his losses made him grow up and become a man. I enjoyed this book and will read the next. Good job mr Craddock

[Nicole Adams · Rating 3 out of 5]

This wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t great either. There were some really cool ideas and aspects I thought were going to be interesting in the story, but they aren’t really touched on. I had a fine time reading it, but I really think it would have benefited from another round or two of edits.

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick Enjoyable Read

Heritage was recommended to me by a fellow fantasy enthusiast. I was a quickly captivated by the story and the sword, initially I did not connect strongly with the protagonists, however the story hook sufficiently caught my interest. Before I knew it I was invested. During the hook the author changed character perspective, the author also did this in a couple situations throughout the story, however one of the characters introduced this way during the hook disappeared after the hook. Once introduced to a character perspective I expect occasional updates, I did not get that for one off the characters. The protagonist grew on me and I found the story quite captivating, however the ending left me wanting more of a conclusion like when Peter Jackson breaks up on story into multiple movies as opposed to how Brandon Sanderson Mistborn trilogy has three separate and complete but connected and sequential plots . I really liked the authors interesting and entertaining storytelling and I will be sure to pick up the next book.

[Neilie J · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this one more than I expected to. Though here and there, the character exchanges are a little mawkish, that's not something a tween would probably notice (young adults being the intended audience) the premise is a bit cliche, but there are some cool, fresh ideas regarding magic that keep things interesting. Overall, the writing style flows nicely from scene to scene and the author creates some likable characters. Once in a while the verbiage feels a bit too contemporary, but the biggest problem is the end, which doesn't really wrap up satisfactorily. It sort of peters out, and then you're faced with "part two coming in 2016." Two years? That seems a bit long to wait for a YA sequel.

[Britt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Honestly it's more like a 2.5, but I don't like to under-star. Intriguing world-building, fresh take on magic that I found interesting, but had a sort of inconsistent tone at times with the language. The plot read kind of like an action-adventure movie--lots of action, but kinda light on build-up and character. If you want a light read that isn't too emotional to bring you down after something heavier, this might be a good choice.

[Brindi Michele · Rating 1 out of 5]

Read this title because it was for book club...I had to force myself to sit down and read. Once I was 63 pages in, I had to start skimming. I could not take this seriously...I just kept seeing it play out in my head as a video game and couldn't get past that. Definitely not my kind of fantasy.

[Magdalena · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good adventure, but I find that the main hero being 16 years old and meant to be a great king and hero to be highly implausible. Not sure if I'll keep reading this series.

[Andrea D. McCarthage · Rating 1 out of 5]

I received this book as a gift.

Boring even by YA and fantasy standards. Did not finish.

[Barbara Sherrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book. Very suspenseful throughout. Can't wait for book 2