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Singers of the Sword Song: A heroic fantasy adventure.
- GenresFantasy
364 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 16, 2026
About the author
Steven A. McKay
61 books448 followersI was born in 1977, near Glasgow in Scotland and live in Old Kilpatrick with my wife and two young children. After obtaining my Bachelor of Arts degree I decided to follow my life-long ambition and write a novel. The Forest Lord series now has four novels, and various short spin-off tales.
My new book "The Heathen Horde" is the first in a brand series following Alfred the Great. It comes out on October 26 2023 so please check it out and pre-order if you can!
I play guitar and write all my books while listening to extreme metal.
In 2022 I started a podcast with fellow historical author Matthew Harffy. You can subscribe to Rock, Paper, Swords! on all the usual podcast outlets and also find the audio on Youtube every fortnight.
My new book "The Heathen Horde" is the first in a brand series following Alfred the Great. It comes out on October 26 2023 so please check it out and pre-order if you can!
I play guitar and write all my books while listening to extreme metal.
In 2022 I started a podcast with fellow historical author Matthew Harffy. You can subscribe to Rock, Paper, Swords! on all the usual podcast outlets and also find the audio on Youtube every fortnight.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
May 23, 2026
This exciting fantasy adventure is the 1st part of a new series called "The Sword Song Chronicles"!
At the start of the book you'll find a well-drawn map of West Valkyros, with Nemea and Dematae, while at the back a useful Author's Note can be taken notice of.
Storytelling is excellent, all characters come splendidly to life in this tale with action-packed battles, magical moments and some more great fantasy features.
The main protagonist is Wulfnoth, a young Infantry soldier of the Galnir army of the Dematae in West Valkyros fighting against the Nemeans, until he deserts and have to fight for his life just to stay alive.
Along his route towards freedom, Wulfnoth will encounter Greybeard (Adam) and Chrysante and they will become very close friends, while some others, including two Galnir assassins sent to capture or kill Wulnoth will eventually also become part of Wulfnoth's gang after a certain important revelation.
What is to follow is an engrossing and thrilling fantasy story, a little short but still with lots of fighting actions and some magical spells, and that is brought to us in a splendid manner accompanied with a wonderful plot and a very satisfied outcome for a first adventure.
Highly recommended, look forward to the next instalment, and that's why I like to call this first episode: "A Very Promising Fantasy Debut"!
At the start of the book you'll find a well-drawn map of West Valkyros, with Nemea and Dematae, while at the back a useful Author's Note can be taken notice of.
Storytelling is excellent, all characters come splendidly to life in this tale with action-packed battles, magical moments and some more great fantasy features.
The main protagonist is Wulfnoth, a young Infantry soldier of the Galnir army of the Dematae in West Valkyros fighting against the Nemeans, until he deserts and have to fight for his life just to stay alive.
Along his route towards freedom, Wulfnoth will encounter Greybeard (Adam) and Chrysante and they will become very close friends, while some others, including two Galnir assassins sent to capture or kill Wulnoth will eventually also become part of Wulfnoth's gang after a certain important revelation.
What is to follow is an engrossing and thrilling fantasy story, a little short but still with lots of fighting actions and some magical spells, and that is brought to us in a splendid manner accompanied with a wonderful plot and a very satisfied outcome for a first adventure.
Highly recommended, look forward to the next instalment, and that's why I like to call this first episode: "A Very Promising Fantasy Debut"!
April 21, 2026
A perfect blend of historical fiction and fantasy. Wulfnoth has reached his breaking point with the cruel Galnirian army and in a moment finds he has deserted and is being hunted. From here we are introduced to several more fascinating characters along his travels some of which become his friends and found family. There's battles and magic and plenty of emotion all along the way. My only complaint is that I finished the book too quickly and now have to wait for the next installment.
May 4, 2026
He’d been quite a soft child before the Galnir got hold of him, the brutal sergeants turning the boy into the young man he was now. A man forged in blood, and fire, and steel, and death.
Cannot wait to continue this series. It had everything you know and love from a McKay historical fiction and it carefully and cleverly placed magic and myth in to enhance the story.
The magic was subtle and even more intriguing for it. The character work was what stood out for me, those you love, those you hate and some in between but how they interact was the best part.
The plot kept twisting and turning and kept me on my toes throughout, some really well timed reveals too.
The world and its history was well written, interesting and never overwhelming, I hope we find out more about the back stories of characters and nations in the following books.
Cannot wait to continue this series. It had everything you know and love from a McKay historical fiction and it carefully and cleverly placed magic and myth in to enhance the story.
The magic was subtle and even more intriguing for it. The character work was what stood out for me, those you love, those you hate and some in between but how they interact was the best part.
The plot kept twisting and turning and kept me on my toes throughout, some really well timed reveals too.
The world and its history was well written, interesting and never overwhelming, I hope we find out more about the back stories of characters and nations in the following books.
April 27, 2026
I am not a great lover of fantasy novels. I usually associate them with fire-breathing dragons, flying serpents, talking bugs that are 6 feet tall, fairies and the like. So, you can imagine the shock that I experienced when one of my favorite authors* Steven McKay announced he was writing a fantasy novel. McKay has established himself over the past dozen or so years as a writer of outstanding historical fiction and now he was switching genres!? I immediately expressed my concern via a message on Facebook and was assured there would be no such outlandish critters which helped but I was still skeptical. How can you write a fantasy novel and not have some of these goofy beings? But, true to his word there were none in this book which I actually found to be - surprisingly - quite enjoyable.
Granted, there are a couple of outlandish characters: you have a minotaur, a being which features heavily in Greek mythology and you have to wonder if such a being may have actually existed in antiquity - probably not, but we live in a strange world and all things are possible. And, you have a mage, or magician/wizard which features prominently in the tales of King Arthur (Merlin), and a magic stone which is a transmission/receiving device, but that's it. No talking dragons flying through the air and so on. I can handle that. No problem.
Having said all that, without getting into the plot which I refuse to do, this then is the story of Wulfnoth (definitely a Scandanavian-Germanic type of name) who is a deserter from the military after having had enough, and who, facing punishment, kills his sergeant and flees. Eventually, he winds up being chased by several elite officers. Meanwhile, he has taken up with a forester who has his own secrets and together they set off through the land of Nemea which, even though there is no such place, seems realistic which is one thing about a fantasy novel, you can make up a nation, cities and towns to move the story along and McKay does this well. Along the way, they meet up with a singer, Chrysanthe, who joins with them and - extremely short version - through her, Wulfnoth learns that playing music can be just as rewarding as wielding a sword, if not more so.
Much blood is spilled as you might expect, people die in grisly battle scenes, and the group continues on to where they aren't sure, but somewhere. Along the way, they pick up a few other followers and eventually even those tracking him become allies and they continue their adventures. What will happen next since the magical stone has revealed something very interesting through a transmission will be revealed in the next volume, tentatively set for release in a few months which is much better than the usual year-long wait.
Surprisingly, I enjoyed this a great deal more than I thought I would and am actually looking forward to the next installment as long as there are no fire-breathing dragons and talking/flying serpents! Steven McKay has made a successful transition from historical novelist to fantasy writer, but let us hope he doesn't completely abandon historical fiction for the world of fantasy.
If you enjoy a good rip-roaring adventure though which has a little bit of everything, romance, battles, intrigue, you need to pick this up and get lost in the world Steven McKay has created. It will be well worth your time.
* Favorite authors: This is an elite group of writers whom I really enjoy and will buy anything they put out, except for ebooks-my eyes can't handle more than just a few minutes before words start blurring and jumping around all over the screen. These are writers - and there is no Number 1 - just a grouping - such as Bernard Cornwell, Ben Kane, Steve Berry, Simon Scarrow, Ian Ross, Alison Weir and, of course, Steven McKay.
Granted, there are a couple of outlandish characters: you have a minotaur, a being which features heavily in Greek mythology and you have to wonder if such a being may have actually existed in antiquity - probably not, but we live in a strange world and all things are possible. And, you have a mage, or magician/wizard which features prominently in the tales of King Arthur (Merlin), and a magic stone which is a transmission/receiving device, but that's it. No talking dragons flying through the air and so on. I can handle that. No problem.
Having said all that, without getting into the plot which I refuse to do, this then is the story of Wulfnoth (definitely a Scandanavian-Germanic type of name) who is a deserter from the military after having had enough, and who, facing punishment, kills his sergeant and flees. Eventually, he winds up being chased by several elite officers. Meanwhile, he has taken up with a forester who has his own secrets and together they set off through the land of Nemea which, even though there is no such place, seems realistic which is one thing about a fantasy novel, you can make up a nation, cities and towns to move the story along and McKay does this well. Along the way, they meet up with a singer, Chrysanthe, who joins with them and - extremely short version - through her, Wulfnoth learns that playing music can be just as rewarding as wielding a sword, if not more so.
Much blood is spilled as you might expect, people die in grisly battle scenes, and the group continues on to where they aren't sure, but somewhere. Along the way, they pick up a few other followers and eventually even those tracking him become allies and they continue their adventures. What will happen next since the magical stone has revealed something very interesting through a transmission will be revealed in the next volume, tentatively set for release in a few months which is much better than the usual year-long wait.
Surprisingly, I enjoyed this a great deal more than I thought I would and am actually looking forward to the next installment as long as there are no fire-breathing dragons and talking/flying serpents! Steven McKay has made a successful transition from historical novelist to fantasy writer, but let us hope he doesn't completely abandon historical fiction for the world of fantasy.
If you enjoy a good rip-roaring adventure though which has a little bit of everything, romance, battles, intrigue, you need to pick this up and get lost in the world Steven McKay has created. It will be well worth your time.
* Favorite authors: This is an elite group of writers whom I really enjoy and will buy anything they put out, except for ebooks-my eyes can't handle more than just a few minutes before words start blurring and jumping around all over the screen. These are writers - and there is no Number 1 - just a grouping - such as Bernard Cornwell, Ben Kane, Steve Berry, Simon Scarrow, Ian Ross, Alison Weir and, of course, Steven McKay.
April 27, 2026
Singers of the Sword Song
Okay, you wanted a review from an American reader, so I immediately got the book and started reading. Steven writes a great novel, and this one is up there with the rest. I prefer the historical novels, even if Robin Hood being historical is questionable. Regardless, this book was easy to read and very enjoyable and entertaining. The minotaur portion was, well, I guess entertaining, but my least favorite part. I liked the characters. I liked how the characters came together. Again, fantasy isn't my usual read, but I will definitely read the next one to see what happens to the characters.
Good job again Steven.
Okay, you wanted a review from an American reader, so I immediately got the book and started reading. Steven writes a great novel, and this one is up there with the rest. I prefer the historical novels, even if Robin Hood being historical is questionable. Regardless, this book was easy to read and very enjoyable and entertaining. The minotaur portion was, well, I guess entertaining, but my least favorite part. I liked the characters. I liked how the characters came together. Again, fantasy isn't my usual read, but I will definitely read the next one to see what happens to the characters.
Good job again Steven.
April 23, 2026
Singers of the Sword Song
5 🌟 stars review
This is the first fantasy genre from this author, I have to say that I’m a big fan of his other books especially his Warrior Druid series and was hooked from the first page, but I found with this book it took me longer to engage with the characters and storyline, but as I got into the book there were elements that I enjoyed a lot but some not so much.
I’m interested to see what the intrepid adventurers will be facing next, between modified warrior, evil king and scheming wizard 😉
5 🌟 stars review
This is the first fantasy genre from this author, I have to say that I’m a big fan of his other books especially his Warrior Druid series and was hooked from the first page, but I found with this book it took me longer to engage with the characters and storyline, but as I got into the book there were elements that I enjoyed a lot but some not so much.
I’m interested to see what the intrepid adventurers will be facing next, between modified warrior, evil king and scheming wizard 😉
April 28, 2026
Having read all of McKay’s books, some multiple times, l find an interesting characters, and plot themes, they are never the same!
His crafting of tales through the ages and climates of the countrysides bring depth and reality to each story, be it a Short Christmas Tide, or Series.
Always a pleasure to read McKay’s Adventures!
His crafting of tales through the ages and climates of the countrysides bring depth and reality to each story, be it a Short Christmas Tide, or Series.
Always a pleasure to read McKay’s Adventures!
April 23, 2026
What a phenomenal debut into the fantasy genre! Steven's books are all crackin reads, and Singers of the Sword Song is a brilliant read. It's nice to read more fantastical and magical elements and explore a new world with new characters. Brilliant from start to finish.
May 2, 2026
So. I’m massively invested in this author anyway. Fantasy, I don’t read a great deal of this sort of novel. I’m sold, read in three days. Simple premise, but I love it. Read it and enjoy. When’s the next one?
April 27, 2026
Sword song
Total new direction for steven intresting characters and story line can't wait to read how they all develop in the next book and the adventures that await them
Total new direction for steven intresting characters and story line can't wait to read how they all develop in the next book and the adventures that await them
April 28, 2026
A new hero
A new style of writing, a new set of heroes, still the same glorious read.
Mr McKay never fails to entertain in his own inimitable way.
A new style of writing, a new set of heroes, still the same glorious read.
Mr McKay never fails to entertain in his own inimitable way.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews