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Legacy of the Blade #1
Soul Stealer
Heaven has fallen.
The legions of Chaos have overrun the world.
Uërth is in ruins.
With the Heavenly Host’s fall, Angel Swords rained from the heavens, littering the world in what was. Only the most honorable and purest of heart are able to take up the Angel Swords and wield them against the throngs of Chaos.
These mighty Empyrean Knights are all that stand between Uërth and annihilation.
Saedeus is neither pure of heart nor honorable. Nor does he wish to wield an Angel Sword. He just wants to be left alone with his mushrooms. And his pet rock. But he might not have a choice.
When he inadvertently takes the soul of a dying Empyrean Knight into himself, his world, and his obligations, grow forever larger.
With the help of his pet rock, the spirit of a heavenly knight, and the sword of a fallen angel, he might be able to make all the difference.
If he doesn’t die first.
The legions of Chaos have overrun the world.
Uërth is in ruins.
With the Heavenly Host’s fall, Angel Swords rained from the heavens, littering the world in what was. Only the most honorable and purest of heart are able to take up the Angel Swords and wield them against the throngs of Chaos.
These mighty Empyrean Knights are all that stand between Uërth and annihilation.
Saedeus is neither pure of heart nor honorable. Nor does he wish to wield an Angel Sword. He just wants to be left alone with his mushrooms. And his pet rock. But he might not have a choice.
When he inadvertently takes the soul of a dying Empyrean Knight into himself, his world, and his obligations, grow forever larger.
With the help of his pet rock, the spirit of a heavenly knight, and the sword of a fallen angel, he might be able to make all the difference.
If he doesn’t die first.
- GenresFantasy
274 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 7, 2015
About the author
Joseph J. Bailey
51 books25 followersThrough such simple questions as, "What if we lived in a world where our beliefs were real, tangible, and actualizable?" Joe explores the possible through thought, fantasy, wit, and character.
Including influences such as Shunryu Suzuki, Tolkien, Krishnamurti, Iain M. Banks, Laozi, Stephen R. Donaldson, Philip Kapleau, Raymond E. Feist, Edward O. Wilson, Dan Simmons, and David Bohm, Joe creates existential fantasy filled with rich worlds, concepts, stories, and ideas.
Joe holds an advanced degree in environmental management from Duke University where he also studied religion with a focus on meditative, experiential, and transformative traditions.
When not at play with his family, he enjoys reading, writing, and relaxation. When he can, Joe also practices various martial traditions in which he has attained the victim level of proficiency.
For more information, please visit Joe's website at: www.josephjbailey.com.
Including influences such as Shunryu Suzuki, Tolkien, Krishnamurti, Iain M. Banks, Laozi, Stephen R. Donaldson, Philip Kapleau, Raymond E. Feist, Edward O. Wilson, Dan Simmons, and David Bohm, Joe creates existential fantasy filled with rich worlds, concepts, stories, and ideas.
Joe holds an advanced degree in environmental management from Duke University where he also studied religion with a focus on meditative, experiential, and transformative traditions.
When not at play with his family, he enjoys reading, writing, and relaxation. When he can, Joe also practices various martial traditions in which he has attained the victim level of proficiency.
For more information, please visit Joe's website at: www.josephjbailey.com.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
January 23, 2017
Really long winded writing style that in the beginning served a purpose but throughout the story i just wanted it to finally end. there is no real plot to the story and i felt this book served no purpose.
October 31, 2015
Cool idea, poor execution
I actually liked this book. The author can write and the plot is a cool idea. So why did I rate this 1 star. The book is incredibly short. Listed at over 300 pages, that is only possible with an incredible amount of sentence fragments with weird spacing ( on top of double spacing ) and a whole lot of repetitive internal mental dialogue and sarcasm. If you write a cool short story don't turn it into a pile of crap with cheap attempts to make it longer.
I actually liked this book. The author can write and the plot is a cool idea. So why did I rate this 1 star. The book is incredibly short. Listed at over 300 pages, that is only possible with an incredible amount of sentence fragments with weird spacing ( on top of double spacing ) and a whole lot of repetitive internal mental dialogue and sarcasm. If you write a cool short story don't turn it into a pile of crap with cheap attempts to make it longer.
April 25, 2017
Oh, my, freaking, gosh. I'm only 30 pages in, and the prose is so purple I've got a headache. Every sentence is laden with adjectives and adverbs, and reads like it was written with a thesaurus in hand.
I'm a sesquepedalian, and I love long and/or unusual words, but they're like hot spices in cooking. They should be used sparingly, not heaped on top of every dish! The constant polysyllabic bombardment makes the text all but impossible to read, and destroys any possibility of immersion in the story.
I am so moving on!
I'm a sesquepedalian, and I love long and/or unusual words, but they're like hot spices in cooking. They should be used sparingly, not heaped on top of every dish! The constant polysyllabic bombardment makes the text all but impossible to read, and destroys any possibility of immersion in the story.
I am so moving on!
January 26, 2016
The concept was good and execution was ok but the author seemed to cheat by adding filler nonsense to change it from a short story to a book. The hero would have long one way conversations with himself which would take up many pages.
May 12, 2016
This is brilliant. The author uses English like the ninja uses a blade. We read to enjoy a story well told and the captain of this tale navigates the shoals with competence and a flair for language equal to my own. Enjoy.
August 17, 2023
Just what I wanted
This was a very enjoyable read. It captured my imagination but was short enough that it never became a chore to read.
The author is not ashamed to use a deep and varied vocabulary.
One mild criticism is the character's internal dialogue sometime feels a little too contemporary for the setting, and couple of times I felt that the humor competed with the narrative. This was a little jarring, but I wouldn't have felt this if I wasn't engaged with the story and its characters.
In summary, I can wholeheartedly recommend this book. It's a quick, but engrossing read!
This was a very enjoyable read. It captured my imagination but was short enough that it never became a chore to read.
The author is not ashamed to use a deep and varied vocabulary.
One mild criticism is the character's internal dialogue sometime feels a little too contemporary for the setting, and couple of times I felt that the humor competed with the narrative. This was a little jarring, but I wouldn't have felt this if I wasn't engaged with the story and its characters.
In summary, I can wholeheartedly recommend this book. It's a quick, but engrossing read!
August 7, 2018
Rose
Joseph Bailey has done an excellent job of showing that not everything is as it seems in the world of "Soul Stealer". How a young man is not totally how he seems to others is not easy to portray. But he has done a wonderful job in this book. Congratulations Mr. Bailey!
Joseph Bailey has done an excellent job of showing that not everything is as it seems in the world of "Soul Stealer". How a young man is not totally how he seems to others is not easy to portray. But he has done a wonderful job in this book. Congratulations Mr. Bailey!
August 20, 2017
Great read
Monsters and magic with a funny, sarcastic, inept hero. Loved it... Laughed a lot of times... Looking forward to the next book!
Monsters and magic with a funny, sarcastic, inept hero. Loved it... Laughed a lot of times... Looking forward to the next book!
October 2, 2016
Enjoyed
I read this book a while back. I remember thinking it was good, I didn't feel unsatisfied with the ending or anything like that. I just finished rereading this book because I saw the author had two more books out and I wanted to refresh my memory. This time around I really got to enjoy the whole book with no interruption. I really enjoyed this book. The main character was funny and honest about himself. Can't wait to read the other two.
I read this book a while back. I remember thinking it was good, I didn't feel unsatisfied with the ending or anything like that. I just finished rereading this book because I saw the author had two more books out and I wanted to refresh my memory. This time around I really got to enjoy the whole book with no interruption. I really enjoyed this book. The main character was funny and honest about himself. Can't wait to read the other two.
December 4, 2015
Its complicated.
I liked it,more or less. I had a trouble with the words he used and somewhere i felt it useless. The story was fine, interesting and Saedeus is one pf my fav character ever written. Although the ending is somewhat left me feeling unfinished.
I liked it,more or less. I had a trouble with the words he used and somewhere i felt it useless. The story was fine, interesting and Saedeus is one pf my fav character ever written. Although the ending is somewhat left me feeling unfinished.
February 10, 2016
Mushroom singer rules
A hero worthy of Terry pratchett. Brilliantly written, engrossing story that was hard to put down. I just love the pet rock. Well done sir keep weaving your magic
A hero worthy of Terry pratchett. Brilliantly written, engrossing story that was hard to put down. I just love the pet rock. Well done sir keep weaving your magic
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews