The Walls of Dalgorod

The Chronicles of Rostogov #1

by Benjamin Sperduto

The Volodarid dynasty has reigned over the harsh steppes of Rostogov for four strife-ridden generations. Regicide and civil war have become almost as regular an occurrence as the deadly winters that sheath the land in snow and ice for much of the year.

Serafima Vladekovna is the latest scion of her line to sit upon the throne in the great fortress city of Dalgorod, but her cousins have yet to set aside their own ambitions. When she is forced to rely on their military support to protect Rostogov’s frontier from invasion, she finds herself even more vulnerable to their schemes.

After a mysterious assassination attempt leaves Serafima’s body crippled and her mind trapped in a timeless netherworld, the strongest of her cousins, Kirill Voisilovich, moves to claim the throne for himself, no matter the cost. As the freezing winter draws nearer, the fate of Rostogov rests in the hands of Gerasim Makarovich, an inexperienced soldier who has taken command of Serafima’s battered army in a desperate attempt to defend the walls of Dalgorod.

328 pages, Paperback

Published February 9, 2015

About the author

As an only child growing up rural Ohio, Ben developed an overactive imagination. When it was no longer socially acceptable to fight orcs and cave trolls with his homemade wooden sword, he turned that imagination toward writing fiction and creating fantasy worlds for roleplaying games.

After some early success writing short stories, Ben took a hiatus from writing to attend graduate school at the University of South Florida, where he earned his MA in Early Modern European History. His graduate research on medieval and 17th century Russia became the inspiration for his first novel, The Walls of Dalgorod.

Ben currently resides in Tampa, FL, where due to his casual relationship with a razor and comb, he is sometimes mistaken for a person of interest.

Reviews

[LIsa Noell "Rocking the chutzpah!" · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took me awhile to finally get into this book, about 30%, but once I got past the big battle scenes I was hooked. It's some of the best writing in this type of genre, that I've seen in years. The build up of characters is great. Love them or hate them, they were all well rounded. I can't wait to read the next couple of books. I received this copy through Netgalley, and Curiosity Quills Press. Yep, I'd recommend this book and author.
Read at your own risk! The author seems to have no intention of finishing this series.
Bummer!

[Davia Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was enchanted by the dynamic charaters & descripters of settings. This story pulls the reader into the mystic/fantasy world created by the auther that captivates the reader all through the book. I was captipulated into a new world from the beginning to the end and I can't wait to see if there will be a sequal. Pure genius this book. Sorry, I am not telling what happens but it is awesome and a must read..

[Booktalk · Rating 4 out of 5]

What took me so long before I started reading this book? The cover! From the start on I disliked it and after reading this book I definitely feel it's needs a cover redo just to do justice to the story and storytelling. The book, the story, is great! It's detailed, it has speed, might take some time before it grasps you but when it does it won't let go.

What a great debut! Great attempt of bringing Russian history and fiction together.
But please redo the cover!

http://wp.me/p8rLdw-4o

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this one more than I thought I would. The world building was good but the names and titles got confusing.

[Rachel Potts · Rating 5 out of 5]

In The Walls of Dalgorod, Benjamin Sperduto does a fantastic job of putting you in his world and letting you know what’s at stake. The novel starts with a war that unites all the knyazes against their common enemy, the Dikarie. The war is won but an assassin attempt quickly follows, leaving Velikye Knyaza Serafima unconscious and the throne uninhabited. The race for Dalgorod commences and we begin to learn what is really at stake. Sperduto quickly pulls you into each characters’ world and will have you upset each time it changes POV because you want to know what’s going to happen next. The only thing left to say is, I can’t wait to read the next book!

[Tom Loney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ben, I've met him once and Sperduto is a twister to type, writes a down to the ground fantasy novel that fans of Game of Thrones and Doctor Zhivago can both get into. His gritty world is balanced by the phantasmagorical places that it touches. Being a fan of both historical fiction and high fantasy, I found myself comfortable in Dalgorod. I wonder if the more casual fantasy reader might need some bigger fireworks and if the historical fan might not yearn for a straight up Kiev Rus Muscovy period piece.