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Ascendant #1
Deathspell
A boy orphaned by violence grows up in the shadow of his father's murder. His older brother offers him a home, but the life of a farmer is a poor fit for Christian Richardson. Set in England in the 1400s, the Wars of the Roses litters the country with plenty of jobs for a young mercenary trained in how to wield a sword. Christian grows out of his youth and becomes a capable fighter, one who inherited his father's blade. As a member of the Brotherhood of the Black Rose, he puts coins in his pockets and food in his stomach, but every day he searches for the sigil of the men who took his father's life. Finally, after years skirting the edges of a group called the Luminaries, he'll make a discovery that will put him in reach of his goal. Vengeance. The sword was not the only possession his father had given to him, though, and unbeknownst to Christian, the Luminaries have been hunting for Richard's son - the boy who escaped from them nearly a decade ago - just as he has been scouring for signs of them. An almost successful attempt on his life reveals hidden gifts, and even more secrets that his father had taken to the grave. As Christian reaches the threshold of claiming revenge, he faces the realization that retribution might come at a high price. Will he listen to the pleas of his loved ones, cautioning him away from danger? Or will his pursuit for justice take him down a path from where he can never return?
182 pages, Paperback
First published April 13, 2015
19 people are currently reading
121 people want to read
About the author
Peter W. Dawes
15 books76 followersPeter Dawes is the pen name of USA Today bestselling author of dark and historical fantasy, Connor Peterson. Local to the Philadelphia, PA area, Connor is the wordsmith behind the Vampire Flynn and Deathspell series and has also contributed to the story cycle Red Phone Box (published by Ghostwoods Books) and the anthology Nocturnal Embers (published by Crimson Melodies Publishing). He is also a member of the LGBTQ+ community, an active participant in the Philadelphia writing community, and volunteers as a municipal liaison for National Novel Writing Month.
While Peter Dawes is also the name of the fictional protagonist of the Vampire Flynn books, Connor assures the reader he is not now, nor has he ever been a vampire. (Any similarities are purely coincidental.) You can follow him on Twitter (@peterdawes) and Facebook (@AuthorPeterDawes), where he actively avoids being on time for any of his publication deadlines.
While Peter Dawes is also the name of the fictional protagonist of the Vampire Flynn books, Connor assures the reader he is not now, nor has he ever been a vampire. (Any similarities are purely coincidental.) You can follow him on Twitter (@peterdawes) and Facebook (@AuthorPeterDawes), where he actively avoids being on time for any of his publication deadlines.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
June 29, 2015
deathspell
Despite turning into a vampire thing, this started off interesting. I think the concept has been done better Michael G Manning springs to mind but the plot was compelling and the romance didn't interfere, although nor did it really add much to the story. I'd read another set in the world, just to see where things ended up.
Despite turning into a vampire thing, this started off interesting. I think the concept has been done better Michael G Manning springs to mind but the plot was compelling and the romance didn't interfere, although nor did it really add much to the story. I'd read another set in the world, just to see where things ended up.
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August 10, 2015
The Premise:
As a child, Christian is witness to his father's murder at the hands of men who can kill without touching and whom blades do not harm. He barely escapes with his life, bearing with him a pendant and a scroll, all he has left of his father. He swears vengeance, but his only clue is the red cloak of the perpetrator, and his sigil, a flame within a circle.
Christian becomes a mercenary and devotes his life to the art of killing, determined someday to confront and kill his father's murderer. But as his search progresses, he finds that the circle in a flame is far-reaching, a secret society inhabited by some of England's most powerful men, for whom killing with a thought is child's play. Fortunately, Christian has some curious abilities of his own.
The Good:
As always, Dawes is a master storyteller.
Christian is sort of like a darker, grittier Inigo Montoya, and much of the banter and wit has a very Princess Bride feel about it. Of course, the similarities are limited. Christian does have a life outside of his quest for vengeance: a tentative romance with one of his fellow mercenaries, a brother and sister in law and two charming nieces whom he sometimes visits, a hilariously authentic exasperation with his boss, and a creepy enjoyment for the destruction his job entails.
Paolo, the romantic interest, is a whimsical, puckish thief, but his care for Christian runs deep and true. The Lady Cavendish is mysterious and seductive. (There is a lot of sex, but many kudos to Dawes for not making the Lady's power reside exclusively in her sexuality. She's dangerous, but not merely because her body is just so darn distracting.) The grand, global conspiracy of the Luminaries is frightening.
The research is excellent, also, and I love it when you can tell the author knows what they're talking about without expounding on minutia for pages. No long, didactic passages, just authentic, interesting detail.
The Bad:
If I had to pick a flaw, it would be that Dawes's language is sometimes unnecessarily decorative when elegant simplicity would have been more appropriate. There are a lot of flowery turns of phrase, sometimes close enough together to be distracting. There are also some weird usage issues that caused me to reread some sentences.
In Conclusion:
Reads like a nifty combination of Princess Bride, Three Musketeers, and A Song of Ice and Fire. Magic, politics, and mercenaries ftw.
Four stars, would recommend.
Not a book for those who don't enjoy lots of sexually explicit content.
As a child, Christian is witness to his father's murder at the hands of men who can kill without touching and whom blades do not harm. He barely escapes with his life, bearing with him a pendant and a scroll, all he has left of his father. He swears vengeance, but his only clue is the red cloak of the perpetrator, and his sigil, a flame within a circle.
Christian becomes a mercenary and devotes his life to the art of killing, determined someday to confront and kill his father's murderer. But as his search progresses, he finds that the circle in a flame is far-reaching, a secret society inhabited by some of England's most powerful men, for whom killing with a thought is child's play. Fortunately, Christian has some curious abilities of his own.
The Good:
As always, Dawes is a master storyteller.
Christian is sort of like a darker, grittier Inigo Montoya, and much of the banter and wit has a very Princess Bride feel about it. Of course, the similarities are limited. Christian does have a life outside of his quest for vengeance: a tentative romance with one of his fellow mercenaries, a brother and sister in law and two charming nieces whom he sometimes visits, a hilariously authentic exasperation with his boss, and a creepy enjoyment for the destruction his job entails.
Paolo, the romantic interest, is a whimsical, puckish thief, but his care for Christian runs deep and true. The Lady Cavendish is mysterious and seductive. (There is a lot of sex, but many kudos to Dawes for not making the Lady's power reside exclusively in her sexuality. She's dangerous, but not merely because her body is just so darn distracting.) The grand, global conspiracy of the Luminaries is frightening.
The research is excellent, also, and I love it when you can tell the author knows what they're talking about without expounding on minutia for pages. No long, didactic passages, just authentic, interesting detail.
The Bad:
If I had to pick a flaw, it would be that Dawes's language is sometimes unnecessarily decorative when elegant simplicity would have been more appropriate. There are a lot of flowery turns of phrase, sometimes close enough together to be distracting. There are also some weird usage issues that caused me to reread some sentences.
In Conclusion:
Reads like a nifty combination of Princess Bride, Three Musketeers, and A Song of Ice and Fire. Magic, politics, and mercenaries ftw.
Four stars, would recommend.
Not a book for those who don't enjoy lots of sexually explicit content.
March 23, 2019
This is an engaging slow-burn of a novel with a compelling narrator in Christian Richardson. I'm not usually a historical fiction reader, but Peterson does a great job at keeping the plotline relatable even in an unfamiliar time period by grounding the story in Christian's desires and journey. I particularly enjoyed his loving relationship with Paolo and how his relationship with his brother changed over the course of the story. There are depths to the relationships in the Richardson family that I hope will be explored in future volumes. The reveal of the nature of the Luminaries came as a surprise, and the ending was particularly intriguing. I'm curious to see where Christian's story goes next.
February 18, 2018
If you're looking for rogues, magic, and strained family dynamics, this is a read for you. Christian Richardson is my new favorite mess child. When he was young, he witnessed his father's murder and has been on the run and on the hunt ever since.
The characters are compelling and not one-note. My favorite relationship was the ever-evolving tension between Christian and his brother. Dawes does a great job highlighting both brothers' perspective on life. His brother wants to leave the past behind while Christian can't stop chasing it. And that journey goes to several unexpected places. There's a really good slow reveal of the magic and supernatural twists in the world of 1400's England. Every bit is a surprise to the character and the reader and we get to learn as he do.
I think the distribution of non-magic to magic was a little bit end-heavy. I think there could have been more nods sprinkled throughout. There was enough intrigue around the secret society hunting Christian to keep up the momentum, that being said.
An enthralling read with heart, I can't wait to see how Christian's journey will progress and I hope to the lords that nothing bad happens to my favorite, Paolo.
The characters are compelling and not one-note. My favorite relationship was the ever-evolving tension between Christian and his brother. Dawes does a great job highlighting both brothers' perspective on life. His brother wants to leave the past behind while Christian can't stop chasing it. And that journey goes to several unexpected places. There's a really good slow reveal of the magic and supernatural twists in the world of 1400's England. Every bit is a surprise to the character and the reader and we get to learn as he do.
I think the distribution of non-magic to magic was a little bit end-heavy. I think there could have been more nods sprinkled throughout. There was enough intrigue around the secret society hunting Christian to keep up the momentum, that being said.
An enthralling read with heart, I can't wait to see how Christian's journey will progress and I hope to the lords that nothing bad happens to my favorite, Paolo.
June 26, 2021
This book had some interesting concepts. I thought the magic system had at least some potential. The conspiracy was interesting. The ending kinda got a bit weird. I still almost want to see where the conspiracy goes. But the writing was kinda bad. There were lots of anachronisms and even more writing mistakes. Three stars is quite generous. I am intrigued by the world the author was building. But not enough to suffer through more of this writing.
February 22, 2016
*spoiler alert* This could have been so much better if it wasn't a vampire book. And I had no idea it was a vampire story until almost the end. It didn't need to be a vampire story - it was doing well enough on its own supernatural theme. The bisexual male protagonist made it feel like a ripoff of Anne Rice's vampire chronicles.
February 28, 2022
It took me a while to get around to doing, but I've written a review of this book and posted it on Medium.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews