The Lost Prince

The Legends of Ansu #5

by J.W. Webb

Queen Ariane, Longswordsman Corin an Fol and friends, having narrowly sprung the trap in Crenna, sail south in pursuit of the lost prince, Tarin and missing fragments of the crystal crown - the Tekara. Zallerak, a mysterious Warlock/bard, has joined their cause, informing them that Tarin is bound for the Permio Deserts, to seek the blind Smith-God who will re-forge the crown to redress his earlier crimes. Corin doesn’t trust Zallerak although the bard’s trickery has helped them twice. Despite Corin’s misgivings, Ariane believes their only hope now lies in taking the bard’s advice, and overtaking Tarin before Caswallon’s ally, the Sultan of Permio catches up with the prince.
Meanwhile Rael the Assassin of Crenna is hot on their tail again. Furious at being fooled in his own castle, Rael has vowed to slay them all, except the queen who he will deliver in chains to Caswallon. Corin, for his part, has sworn to kill the Assassin and avenge the death of a friend. In Permio Ariane’s friend, the merchant Silon, meets with a desert chief in secret. Together they plot the downfall of the despised sultan. Silon knows that with Permio onside they can bring the fight back to Caswallon. But the usurper is informed of their various plans by his goblin spymaster, Gribble. And once again Caswallon’s net closes on Queen Ariane and her desperados.

Genres: Fantasy

544 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 2, 2015

About the author

Lost In The Woods
I was born near Doncaster England in the early sixties but later moved south to Sussex, where I lived for many years. One of my (several schools) was at Battle, a small town named after that historic conflict in 1066. You know the one, it culminated with poor Harold getting that arrow in his eye and those rude Normans invading our green and pleasant land. Growing up so close to that scene of ancient carnage awarded me a fascination for all things Dark Age. I'd fallen victim to a weird and random imagination, resulting in a love of epic stories and epic story telling. This affliction prompted me to delve deep into the worlds of Tolkien, Peake, Eddison and Moorcock. Also about this time I commenced drawing imaginary maps and inventing stories about wonderfully nasty folk, doing wonderfully nasty things, whilst pent up in gloomy unpleasant places.

Then at 18 years daft, I found myself thrust deep into the Queen's Household Cavalry. How I arrived there I cannot quite recall. The result was a sharp dose of reality. But not a cure – the affliction ran deep. I left the regiment, and for a time wandered hazy through life hitting nails with hammers, sailing brigantines through southern waters, drinking venomous concoctions with venomous companions, and yes, reading lots more ghastly fantasy books. At 27 years I became to a degree sensible. I married my beloved Rae, a watercolour artist and passionate Celt, and got a sensible career hauling trucks around the British countryside. The trouble with hauling trucks around the British countryside is that it lets the mind ramble willy nilly, when not being tortured by local radio. The result of that rambling was more stories flittering around inside this errant trucker's dizzy head.

Then, during one dark winter night back in 1993, whilst parked forlorn outside a dreary inn, something profound happened. I stumbled into Corin an Fol: a moody, rather difficult individual, mooching about in a deep tangled wood (my imagination). That wood grew into a world (not as hard as it sounds when you write fantasy stuff). The world became Ansu, home to all manner of mismatched mortals and grumpy gods. Late 2001 a plot appeared through the murky trees. It found Corin lost and wandering and introduced him to some other unruly types, resulting in The Shattered Crown. This epic debut was scrawled out with biro ink on paper and still lurks somewhere close. I'm too scared to read it. But The Shattered Crown couldn't contain its characters. These were (and still are) a very rough lot. They demanded a sequel. Instead (just to show who the boss was,) I focussed on a prequel, Fall of Gol being the result. But still the characters would not leave me alone. And so started The Legends of Ansu a forthcoming series of otherworldly tales, mostly involving Corin and his friends.

In late 2012 Rae lost her battle with cancer. I had always promised her a Cornish ghost story based on one of her evocative paintings. And so was born a novella called The Haven. A spooky yarn blending mystery and suspense with past and present. I hope that she likes it. We both loved Cornwall where we lived for many years. During our time there I met with Roger Garland the Tolkien Illustrator, who kindly consented to creating some fabulous images and illustrations for my work. And also designing this superb website! During 2013 I left the world of big wheels behind and focussed instead on writing full time. I moved to Georgia, married my gorgeous former shipmate Joanne, who I've known for 30 years. Since then I have rewritten Fall of Gol shortening it's title to Gol and finally (with substantial assistance from my erudite and excellent editor, Catherine Romano) re-shaped The Shattered Crown into a rivetingly nasty read. Now after twenty-one years in the woods, I am more than ready to unleash these first two offerings in the Ansu series along with The Haven. The third legend: The Lost Prince will be available later

Reviews

[James Webb]

The Lost Prince is an epic fantasy saga and part of an ongoing fantasy series. It will appeal to readers who love the mythic grandeur of JRR Tolkien, whilst enjoying the gritty reality of GRR Martin. This 'Legend' is Book Three in the Legends of Ansu series by J.W.Webb.

The story takes off where The Shattered Crown left it, with Corin an Fol, (a mercenary who doesn't have the best luck) Queen Ariane and co having just sprung the trap in Crenna. But things don't look good for our team. Ariane has been coerced into pledging her soul to the lusty Sea God, and Corin is haunted by various weird spirits warning him of what is to come. Meanwhile, the Assassin - Rael - (very unpleasant) is hot on their tales, as is the usurper/sorcerer - Caswallon. Lots of swordplay, wizardry and general bad behavior!

The Lost Prince features bespoke illustrations by Tolkien Artist Roger Garland, who also designed the stunning maps and book's cover. For more information on Roger Garland visit lakeside-gallery.com And for J.W.Webb check in at legendsofansu.com

[Lana · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the third book in the series the Legends of Ansu and Corin an Fol is the main protagonist and I must admit I cannot have enough of these very exciting books. I am enamoured by J.W. Webb's writing, he is a master of words and his books have the most marvellous descriptions that I was finding myself transported to the distant climes of the desert where I could almost feel the heat and the sand, and the forest where i could feel the greenery and hear the small animals hiding therein be they beautiful forests or those overrun by the dark creatures of one night himself and the ocean voyages on Balin's ship at times in calm waters but more often in turbulent seas. I also love the drawings in these books. I also love the character Zallerak the bard and of course Balin and the beautiful desert nomads. Webb's descriptions of the fights which take place in so many different places all around the four kingdoms are also very well depicted in all their gruesomeness, as are the areas around the ports full of cutthroats, whores and filthy streets so different to the areas of the rich looking down at them from their heights! A very thrilling read right from the very first line till the last one, a book which could not be put down and another long read, a favourite of mine too! i highly recommend this series to all who love fantasy reads full of sword and sorcery and the fight of good against evil, light against the dark! A God's fight using mortals as their pawns particularly Corin their chosen one even though he has no idea why he has been chosen!

[Christina Morley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I own the Complet Chronicles of Corin an Fol (The Legends of Ansu Books 1 - 7) including The Lost Prince (Book 6), but I also received an audiobook code from the author. I prefer listening to these books instead of reading them as they aren't my typical fantasy genre of choice, and Andrew McDermott is great to listen to. You don't have to read the series from the beginning, but you should at least read The Shattered Crown (Book 5) as it's the first book in The Crystal Crown Trilogy.

Young Prince Tarin has escaped the hell Rael put him through in that cage in the oubliette, but the nightmare of it follows him on his journey to collect the shards and reforge the crown. But he's not alone for too long and soon meets up with Corin and others.

Corin continues to be rough around the edges. He is surrounded by a variety of colorful characters and they keep the story vibrant. Corin and his friends never give up even when the odds are stacked against them. If you like lots of battles and good winning over evil, then you will enjoy this series.

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

The writing is starting to go awry for me. There were a few hurdles I could look past in the beginning stories, but they are starting to build up. The wording in referencing drugs, drinking coffee, tooth pains, crawling under a "fence" to have the horses walk right through it? Gross habits that are becoming more frequent. I have to go back and listen, because I think one character, has 2 different story lines. I didn't catch it at 1st, and maybe I am incorrect , but I have not seen the original line come back into play yet, and the past character background is the same. I am already a few hours into the next book, because I am invested into this tale, but I am getting scared about the writing

[Brian Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fantastic book. JW Webb is greatly talented and as the story evolves he seems to get better and better. This one is best one yet. I enjoy swords, wizards, fighting and etc. This one has it all good vs evil. A great fighting queen and a not so perfect bunch of heros. I truly, highly recommend this book. Experience it for yourself. JW puts you right there with smells, pain, blood and all this things in the story.

[Roger · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Lost Prince (The Legends of Ansu, #3) my fourth read from author J.W. Webb. Great characters, non-stop action, a great read/listen. I was given an Audible copy of this book in December of last year & am voluntarily reviewing. Andrew McDermott’s excellent narration & accent again add to the book's enjoyment. (RIP Marley January 20, 2014 - July 24, 2018).

[Rose Frazier · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent

Loved this book, it was written excellently. It keeps you on the edge of your seat so to say. Look forward to more

[Charlie Vasquez · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like that “The Lost Prince” is packed with action and less setup than the previous books. It is dark, exciting, and sometimes quite violent… and weird. But I mean that as a compliment. There are paranormal characters, but this is not a romance. There are no sparkly vampires or lovelorn werewolves. The main character, Corin an Fol is a very reluctant hero. There is not much he has done right in his life, and he continues to screw up and struggle with his personal demons throughout the book. He is extremely likable, though, and you will find yourself rooting for him even while you are not surprised by his poor choices. I was impressed how the author was able to keep him true to his character while still showing his growth from the beginning to the end of the book. The supporting characters in the book are also very intriguing and creative. Liked the roles of the gods and the other immortals, as this to me felt the most original. While there are a few typos/word switches in the book, overall the writing is fantastic. I felt like I could see, hear and feel everything the characters were doing, but I didn't notice much exposition or overdone description. Suited for older fans of epic fantasy and sagas.

[Cale · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't want to finish “The Lost Prince”, but I mean that in a good way. I just didn't want to have to stop reading and have The Legends of Ansu series be that much closer to ending. I have really lost myself in these books over the past several months, and I have been continuously surprised with how much I love it and thought the plot was great, even though I'm not normally so in love with how Fantasy as a whole is written. I usually find it a tad bit boring/cliché when it comes to the world-building in this genre, and I'll admit it...the weird names usually throw me for a loop, and the sheer number of characters who come and go always gives me vertigo. However, the way the lives of the main characters in this story were interwoven into each other was so interesting, that I couldn't help but enjoy reading every last bit of this book. It also possibly helped that I could (I think) pronounce most of the names. The world building was vivid, and for once I could actually envision the scenes as they unfolded, feeling like I was watching a movie. Great action throughout, and the ending is making me wish the next one was already published. Because now it is time for war!