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Seventeen #0.2
Dancing Blades
1624. Edo period. Japan.
When hunted half-breed immortal Lucas Soul hears tales of legendary samurai Musashi Miyamoto during his travels in the Far East, he sails to Japan to meet the great man and convince him to take him on as an apprentice.
Musashi refuses to agree to his request, leaving Soul with no option but to shadow the samurai and repeatedly challenge him to duel, in the hope of proving his worth. But things takes a sinister turn when Soul stumbles upon a plot that threatens the life of Musashi’s son.
Can the immortal rescue the young man in time and change the master’s mind?
Join Soul as he embarks on an exciting adventure that sees him grow as a warrior and gain the respect of the greatest samurai who has ever lived.
Dancing Blades is a short story set in the action-packed world of AD Starrling’s award-winning thriller series Seventeen.
When hunted half-breed immortal Lucas Soul hears tales of legendary samurai Musashi Miyamoto during his travels in the Far East, he sails to Japan to meet the great man and convince him to take him on as an apprentice.
Musashi refuses to agree to his request, leaving Soul with no option but to shadow the samurai and repeatedly challenge him to duel, in the hope of proving his worth. But things takes a sinister turn when Soul stumbles upon a plot that threatens the life of Musashi’s son.
Can the immortal rescue the young man in time and change the master’s mind?
Join Soul as he embarks on an exciting adventure that sees him grow as a warrior and gain the respect of the greatest samurai who has ever lived.
Dancing Blades is a short story set in the action-packed world of AD Starrling’s award-winning thriller series Seventeen.
- GenresUrban Fantasy
25 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 28, 2015
16 people are currently reading
132 people want to read
About the author
A.D. Starrling
42 books515 followersA.D. Starrling is a bestselling author renowned for her pulse-pounding fusion of urban fantasy, action, adventure, and supernatural suspense. With a passion for history and a gift for intricate plotting, she crafts captivating narratives that transport readers across time and continents. Her Seventeen series, featuring immortal warriors with extraordinary abilities, has garnered critical acclaim and a dedicated global following. Her authentic research and skillful character development keep readers hooked, while her love for action movies infuses her work with electrifying combat sequences and story lines.
When she’s not busy writing, A.D. can be found eating Thai food, being tortured by her back therapists, working part-time as a doctor on a Neonatal Intensive Care unit somewhere in the UK, reading manga, and watching anime. She has occasionally been accused of committing art with a charcoal stick and some drawing paper.
Click FOLLOW to be notified of new releases.
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When she’s not busy writing, A.D. can be found eating Thai food, being tortured by her back therapists, working part-time as a doctor on a Neonatal Intensive Care unit somewhere in the UK, reading manga, and watching anime. She has occasionally been accused of committing art with a charcoal stick and some drawing paper.
Click FOLLOW to be notified of new releases.
Sign-up to her mailing list for a FREE BOXSET, exclusive giveaways, and special promotional offers:
➤ https://www.adstarrling.com/e0kp
Join her Facebook Reader Group for exclusive sneak peeks at her upcoming books:
➤ https://www.adstarrling.com/thesevent...
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
November 11, 2024
Dancing Blades
By A.D. Starrling
It's hard to rate this due to how incredibly short this is. It basically is one of many prequels that set up the novel. This one tells a little about each of the main characters.
By A.D. Starrling
It's hard to rate this due to how incredibly short this is. It basically is one of many prequels that set up the novel. This one tells a little about each of the main characters.
March 1, 2020
Lucas knows danger will find him. So he plans to be as prepared as possible when it does.
Musashi Miyamoto is a legendary samurai and Lucas wants to train under him. Musashi is reluctant but Lucas has nothing but time. So he continues to follow and challenge him.
August 15, 2015
3.5 Stars
Read all my reviews on http://urlphantomhive.booklikes.com
Another short story in the Seventeen series that you can now get for free if you subscribe to the author's newsletter.
In this (very) short story Lucas wants to train in Japan.
I wished the story would have been a bit longer, because it really felt too short to add anything substantial to the overall storyline. Also, I'd like to read a bit more about this Japanese period. That doesn't mean it was not an interesting read, but it felt too short for me. But as it only takes about half an hour to read, I'd recommend it anyway!
Dancing Blades is a short story prequel to the Seventeen series. There are more short stories like First Death and The Meeting, as well as four full length novels called Soul Meaning, King's Crusade, Greene's Calling and Ashstorm.
Read all my reviews on http://urlphantomhive.booklikes.com
Another short story in the Seventeen series that you can now get for free if you subscribe to the author's newsletter.
In this (very) short story Lucas wants to train in Japan.
I wished the story would have been a bit longer, because it really felt too short to add anything substantial to the overall storyline. Also, I'd like to read a bit more about this Japanese period. That doesn't mean it was not an interesting read, but it felt too short for me. But as it only takes about half an hour to read, I'd recommend it anyway!
Dancing Blades is a short story prequel to the Seventeen series. There are more short stories like First Death and The Meeting, as well as four full length novels called Soul Meaning, King's Crusade, Greene's Calling and Ashstorm.
December 29, 2015
This has to be one of my favorite short stories to date. We meet Soul as a child in First Death in a beautifully written, heart-breaking story. In Dancing Blades we see Soul as a relatively young man on a quest to learn from one of the greatest swordsman of all time, Musashi Miyamoto.
The full review can be found at http://katetilton.com/january-2015-k8...
The full review can be found at http://katetilton.com/january-2015-k8...
July 9, 2015
Okay, I'm liking these novellas a lot! Dancing Blades was an entertaining read and super short (much to my dismay!). While First Death was about young Soul running for his life after his parents were murdered, Dancing Blades is about Soul trying to convince the greatest samurai to train him.
Soul is older now, but stuck looking like a young man since he's an immortal and doesn't age. He is wiser though and I liked that he's focused on getting better at fighting to survive any circumstance that may present itself. It was nice that this character has a bit of humour inside left since I thought he would be more dark and serious. His antics of trying to convince the samurai to train him were amusing, and I loved how when he least tried to convince him, it's when it finally worked.
Now I'm off to check out the next novella! It's so exciting that I'm finally getting closer to the first full-length novel, Soul Meaning, because by the looks of it, the Seventeen series will be amazing!
*This review can also be found at The Reader and the Chef! Huge thanks go out to the author for the copy in exchange of my honest opinion.*
Soul is older now, but stuck looking like a young man since he's an immortal and doesn't age. He is wiser though and I liked that he's focused on getting better at fighting to survive any circumstance that may present itself. It was nice that this character has a bit of humour inside left since I thought he would be more dark and serious. His antics of trying to convince the samurai to train him were amusing, and I loved how when he least tried to convince him, it's when it finally worked.
Now I'm off to check out the next novella! It's so exciting that I'm finally getting closer to the first full-length novel, Soul Meaning, because by the looks of it, the Seventeen series will be amazing!
*This review can also be found at The Reader and the Chef! Huge thanks go out to the author for the copy in exchange of my honest opinion.*
October 4, 2025
I am really enjoying these little snapshots into Lucas's early life. Here we learn how he finally became an apprentice to a Samurai warrior and learned how to use his blades. Early Japan felt atmospheric and Lucas's tenacity and determination shone through.
February 4, 2018
Short book , that tell history of main character . Right too the point
December 24, 2020
An interesting scenario that maybe good as a short three page story but not as a novella! Hoping the series reads better than this did!
March 13, 2025
Uma narrativa sobre perseverança, lealdade e sobrevivência no Japão do século XVII, em que ocidentais são vistos com suspeitas e desconfianças. Muito bom.
October 6, 2025
Lucas wins apprenticeship to Japan's greatest swordsman. Starrling's short stories are fillers, but very well done.
May 3, 2015
Lucas Soul, hero of "First Death" and "Soul Meaning" is an immortal who was born of parents who belonged to the two different immortal bloodlines. Soul knows that his life is not going to be easy and in this story, we meet him trying to learn from the best possible teacher how to defend himself. It isn't going to be easy even to get started, and Soul must prove to Musashi Miyamoto that he is worthy of learning from the great master before it's too late for all of them.
Yet again, this short stories bring us closer to the immortal characters brought to life in A D Starrling's "Seventeen" series. Lucas Soul is my favourite of her characters and I always enjoy reading about him, particularly in his younger life when he isn't so polished a personality and doesn't always get things right!
Starrling brings us closer to her characters with humour amidst the necessary violence of Soul's terrifying lives and it is always good to see a little extra layer added to a favourite character. As a fan of the series, I always enjoy coming back to meet the original characters as well as looking forward to the next instalment and meeting new ones. If you'd like a little entertainment for an afternoon, this one comes highly recommended.
Yet again, this short stories bring us closer to the immortal characters brought to life in A D Starrling's "Seventeen" series. Lucas Soul is my favourite of her characters and I always enjoy reading about him, particularly in his younger life when he isn't so polished a personality and doesn't always get things right!
Starrling brings us closer to her characters with humour amidst the necessary violence of Soul's terrifying lives and it is always good to see a little extra layer added to a favourite character. As a fan of the series, I always enjoy coming back to meet the original characters as well as looking forward to the next instalment and meeting new ones. If you'd like a little entertainment for an afternoon, this one comes highly recommended.
September 18, 2016
This is the second novella in the Seventeen series, and Lucas is a bit older now, he is out on his own traveling around looking for the best people to train him to stay alive. Because he knows he is the most hated of all beings a abomination of both his dead mother's and father's people.
This is another wonderful novella and an awesome audio narrated by Michael Bower. Michael Bower made the audio awesome with his command of the characters and their attitudes. His use of different voices for each character is wonderful. This audiobook is just all round great.
This is another wonderful novella and an awesome audio narrated by Michael Bower. Michael Bower made the audio awesome with his command of the characters and their attitudes. His use of different voices for each character is wonderful. This audiobook is just all round great.
August 17, 2015
Dancing Blades - This short story has a bit of humor and quite a bit of action. Lucas is hellbent on learning for a master so much so that he pretty much becomes a stalker in a funny way. He befriends a child that may be the key to getting the training he so desperately wants.
January 18, 2017
Outstanding read, the narrator does a wonderful job with voices; bring the various characters to life! Author A.D. Starrling returns 1624, documenting Lucas quest to hone his swordsmanship. I look forward to the next book.
March 27, 2023
This one was my favorite of the short stories. Lucas has traveled to Japan to train under Musashi Miyamoto and he’s not taking no for an answer. His cheekiness was on full display. He basically stalks the man for nearly a year trying to get him to change his mind.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews