Here Be Dragons

The Starship In The Stone #2

by M.R. Forbes

Thomas never expected to find Excalibur stuck beneath a Welsh lake. He never asked to be a hero. And he certainly never imagined standing between a tyrant and the fate of a galaxy.

Destiny doesn’t wait for permission.

From the mystical world of Avalyeth, Thomas’ journey will lead him and his growing crew into the heart of enemy territory, the halls of ancient dragons, and the path of knights who remember a time when hope still burned bright. Hunted by the Draconite and haunted by the past, they’ll need to risk everything to outmaneuver and overcome those who would see them destroyed.

As new alliances form and old rivalries re-ignite, Thomas must prove he’s more than just the captain of a legendary starship—he must become the leader others believe him to be.

Even if he still isn’t sure he believes it himself.

Genres: Science Fiction

388 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 1, 2025

About the author

M.R. Forbes is the author of a growing number of science-fiction series including Rebellion, War Eternal, Chaos of the Covenant, Stars End, and the Forgotten novels. Having spent his childhood trying to read every sci-fi novel he could find (and write his own too), play every sci-fi video game he could get his hands on, and see every sci-fi movie that made it into the theater, he has a true love of the genre across every medium. He works hard to bring that same energy to his own stories, with a continuing goal to entertain, delight, fascinate, and surprise.

He maintains a true appreciation for his readers and is always happy to hear from them.

To learn more about M.R. Forbes or just say hello:

Visit his website:
mrforbes.com

Send him an e-mail:
michael@mrforbes.com

Check out his Facebook page:
facebook.com/mrforbes.author

Join his Facebook fan group:
facebook.com/groups/mrforbes

Follow him on Instagram:
instagram.com/mrforbes_author

Find him on Goodreads:
goodreads.com/mrforbes

Follow him on Bookbub:
bookbub.com/authors/m-r-forbes

Reviews

[Stephen Levesque · Rating 5 out of 5]

Totally enjoyed it! This is a well written and has well developed characters. The story is catching and with the strong characters makes for a very enjoyable read. Great Reading Everyone!

[Lori · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here there be dragons!

First book in the series Is very good; this book was even better!
I like the anti hero and how humble he is. I'm excited that he's beginning to build a crew, and looking forward to who ends up on it.
One thing I've learned is not to get too attached to characters.
They may just get killed off.
It's heading toward war, and a lot of good people die in wars.
Hopefully so do a lot of bad people!

[Carol Darling · Rating 5 out of 5]

Magic and Tech

Using nanobots to fix injuries is one thing but the dominant race in Camelot is a gene altered Dragon that can no longer fly. They treat everyone else worse than vermin. Now that rumor of Excalibur's return has reached the downtrodden rebellion is starting to spread. Good Read, more please.

[Jesse Mathewson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect bending of fantasy and scifi

This book and series is absolutely amazing. Very well, put together, it really truly blends the arthurian legends with science fiction and different galaxys and makes it come to life in ways that are you doing just fun and keep you enthralled from the first page until the last.

[Virginia Murphy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exhilarating!

Thomas is growing into a leader. His bridge team is coalescing into power. With Lancelot's support it could be possible to achieve the goal of freefom from Draconite rule. But can they overcome the enimity between Lancelot and Merlin?

I love the Arthurian legand and this re-imagining has me spellbound.

[Brian Everson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A murderer most worthy

I find the author has a gin shown his ability to combine ancient stories in modern times and futuristic attitudes. He has developed his characters with astonishing grace and aptitude That make you want to admire each 1 of them for their own abilitiesabilities. Thank you dear author

[Vero · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good read with some problems, although not as good as the first installment.

What I noticed: a lot of repetitions of themes and even sentences, not sure if editing is an issue or if that is just the style of the author. The theme stays painfully simple, the villains painfully evil without any true personality, they are just evil and revel in bloodshed and cruelty.

[Bill Barnes · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too much perils of Pauline

Too much continual danger and little story or character development. Being a 70+ yr fan of SciFi with Azimov, Heinlein, Anderson, Verne etc. All developers of characters with a story around them. This is a story with characters stuck in. I couldn’t tell you the names. Sorry not for me

[Gary · Rating 1 out of 5]

Thomas meets Lance. Thomas draws a gun on Lance and has him dead to right. Thomas doesn't shoot, but lowers the gun. Lance says, I'll let you go this time, but next time I may take your life.

Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat???

Lance will let Thomas go???

That's at 2%. Does the book get better? You'll have to tell me. I quit reading at this point.

[Burt · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first half of the book served to develop the situation and characters. Training, interactions between the characters, learning to pilot Excalibur, etc. While necessary, it perhaps took longer than needed. The second half was considerably more interesting with important new characters arriving and key challenges and enemies faced. The second half definitely made the book well worth the read.

[Michael L. Orlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Better and better

I will continue reading the series. Unlike some series, which run out of ideas after a while, this one keeps going. I just downloaded the next in the series to see if the interest is still worth it.

[Bill Lents · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exciting action as the galaxy awaits its heroes....

Wrapping the legend of Camelot into a sci-fi tale that keeps the principal characters in the action is a sweet treat to experience.

[Philip Roessels · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Read

The protagonist is difficult to like, at first. But he grows as the story progresses, as a well-written character should.
A strange but enjoyable tale, a mix of science fiction and Arthurian lore. On to book 3.

[Daniel Fedko · Rating 5 out of 5]

great series

I'm amazed that this author can write so many fantastic novels, I hope that he never stops writing. His books are some of the best Entertainment  I have read and worth the time to read them. Thank you for a very fun entertaining read.

[Patrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here Be Dragons

This was quite interesting. I thought it was too good to be the last one in the series. The ending made it quite clear that there is another one coming. I’ll have to wait.

[david tucker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written story

Science fiction is my favorite form of literature I have read many science fiction novels over the years And this was 1 of the better ones Thank you for writing this because I will read more.

[Taylor, Larry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Read

This book is brimming with action.. It has evil enemies and a dragon. . Great tale There is something about Lancelot, Arthur, Merlin and Camelot. Then there is Sir Drake the unlikely hero,

[Leonard Loar · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little confused

I like the story and look too read more are you confused about the age of the ship because it was in the stone for 1500 years but it was only away from its time for 100 years so the ship is not an ancient device just a little old

[Calvin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Prison Break

Aside from a couple editing mistakes this book was really good. Forbes expands on the Draconite homeworld, showing that they don't have as tight of a grip on the galaxy as initially thought. Lancelot appears again and I'm super interested to learn more about him.

[Vitaly · Rating 3 out of 5]

barely hanging on…

I’m not sure I’ll continue. The story is compelling but the writing style is sophomoric. I’m not sure if it’s on purpose but this book should be advertised for teens or younger. Sigh.

[Kimberly Sparks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read...

I'm really enjoying this book in the series. I like all of the fight scenes. The main character is really starting to find his feet. I like the building of the story that's happening within the book.

[David Depriest · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written

This book, second in the series picks up right where the first ended. This book is robust and is full of character building. The original characters are exposed for their true characters, and the story expands magnificently. A series to definitely read.

[Mitch & Connie Traywick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Space Marvels

Space Knights standing for freedom, protecting the innocent and justice . Villains remain the same throughout history with terrorism, violence, assassinations, looting, arson and fooling the masses to remain in charge.

[Nick Morris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Deeper into Arthurian legend

A romp of a tale, with cliffhangers galore. I look forward to the next in the series. Arthur’s knights have never been so spaced out!

[Don Blank · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pretty good read.

I throughly enjoyed this book. It had a good story line and kept me interested throughout the entire story. I recommend reading this book.

[Kenn Goslin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Epic adventure awaits the reader!

Thomas is not an accomplished warrior or even a credible ship's captain, but there may be hope for Sir Drake!

[Thomas Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good fast paced read

I enjoyed this twist on Authorize legend. I highly recommend the series. Are there more books in the story line?

[Gary Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent

But both books are, unfortunately, scanners. I did enjoy them though. I enjoyed getting caught up on king Arthur and his nights in a sci-fi way. 🙂

[John T Mills · Rating 5 out of 5]

Damn good read

I have enjoyed this story. A new twist on the Arthurian realm. It's been a great read so far. This book was as good as the first. Now I await the next installment.

[Michael Hackerott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good Story!

This continues to be a very good story. I wish that Thomas would overcome his self doubt but that is a slow process.