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Balanced Sword #3
Phoenix Ascendant
#3 in the Balanced Sword epic fantasy series, and series finale. Phoenix and her companions take on the King of All Hells in a final showdown with the fate of multiple worlds in the balance.
The King of All Hells Awaits
Kyri, Tobimar, and Poplock had managed—barely—to thwart the plans of the mad alchemist-mage Master Wieran, and defeat the monstrous Elderwyrm Sanamaveridion, saving the secret country of Kaizatenzei from the evil hidden at its core. Now they believe they have discovered the true architect of not just the fall of the Justiciars of Myrionar—god of Justice and Vengeance—but the unleashing of the forces of the Hells themselves against the other countries of Zarathan. They begin their journey back to Kyri's home, Evanwyl, to confront the being their new ally Miri calls Viedraverion, first son of the King of All Hells.
But behind that name lies an even more terrible secret, and a plan centuries in the making, a plan that depends on Kyri being who and what she is. Even if the three adventurers can escape the spies and traps within their own adventuring party, their final adversary awaits them eagerly. For with them they carry the key to their enemy's victory—a victory which will destroy not only Kyri, her friends, and her country, but also the gods themselves!
Yet Kyri and her allies have a hidden strength themselves. They are fighting for the right, and there are ancient gods and powers who may come to the aid of a true warrior's heart in the time of greatest need.
At the publisher's request, this title is sold without DRM (Digital Rights Management).
Ryk E. Spoor, while earning his masters degree in Pittsburgh, became a playtesting consultant and writer for the Wizards of the Coast, the leading publisher of role-playing games and related novels. He now lives in East Greenbush, NY, working as a technical proposal writer for a high-tech R&D firm, and spending his non-writer time with his wife and sons. Spoor is the coauthor with New York Times best seller Eric Flint, of the popular Threshold series of science fiction novels. Spoor's solo novels for Baen include Paradigms Lost, Grand Central Arena, and Spheres of Influence. He is also the author of epic fantasy Phoenix Rising.
About Ryk E. Spoor's Phoenix Rising:
“A winner! Great characters, and thrilling adventure. I want more!”—Ed Greenwood, best-selling author of the Forgotten Realms series
“[E]xciting adventure, scary monsters, strange gods, and wondrous magic.”—Lawrence Watt-Evans
About Spheres of Influence:
“Fast and entertaining action and a world that has the feel of Asimov’s Foundation series.”—Sarah A. Hoyt, author of the Darkship saga
About Ryk E. Spoor’s Grand Central Arena:
“…an imaginative piece of space opera that’s set on a near-future Earth where artificial intelligence is taken for granted.”—Shiny Reviews
“Grand Central Arena is space opera in the grand old tradition . . . but with modern sensibilities and awareness of current speculations in cutting edge physics.”—Fantasy Book Critic
About the Threshold Series by Ryk E. Spoor and Eric Flint
“. . . fast-paced sci-fi. . . light in tone and hard on science . . .
The King of All Hells Awaits
Kyri, Tobimar, and Poplock had managed—barely—to thwart the plans of the mad alchemist-mage Master Wieran, and defeat the monstrous Elderwyrm Sanamaveridion, saving the secret country of Kaizatenzei from the evil hidden at its core. Now they believe they have discovered the true architect of not just the fall of the Justiciars of Myrionar—god of Justice and Vengeance—but the unleashing of the forces of the Hells themselves against the other countries of Zarathan. They begin their journey back to Kyri's home, Evanwyl, to confront the being their new ally Miri calls Viedraverion, first son of the King of All Hells.
But behind that name lies an even more terrible secret, and a plan centuries in the making, a plan that depends on Kyri being who and what she is. Even if the three adventurers can escape the spies and traps within their own adventuring party, their final adversary awaits them eagerly. For with them they carry the key to their enemy's victory—a victory which will destroy not only Kyri, her friends, and her country, but also the gods themselves!
Yet Kyri and her allies have a hidden strength themselves. They are fighting for the right, and there are ancient gods and powers who may come to the aid of a true warrior's heart in the time of greatest need.
At the publisher's request, this title is sold without DRM (Digital Rights Management).
Ryk E. Spoor, while earning his masters degree in Pittsburgh, became a playtesting consultant and writer for the Wizards of the Coast, the leading publisher of role-playing games and related novels. He now lives in East Greenbush, NY, working as a technical proposal writer for a high-tech R&D firm, and spending his non-writer time with his wife and sons. Spoor is the coauthor with New York Times best seller Eric Flint, of the popular Threshold series of science fiction novels. Spoor's solo novels for Baen include Paradigms Lost, Grand Central Arena, and Spheres of Influence. He is also the author of epic fantasy Phoenix Rising.
About Ryk E. Spoor's Phoenix Rising:
“A winner! Great characters, and thrilling adventure. I want more!”—Ed Greenwood, best-selling author of the Forgotten Realms series
“[E]xciting adventure, scary monsters, strange gods, and wondrous magic.”—Lawrence Watt-Evans
About Spheres of Influence:
“Fast and entertaining action and a world that has the feel of Asimov’s Foundation series.”—Sarah A. Hoyt, author of the Darkship saga
About Ryk E. Spoor’s Grand Central Arena:
“…an imaginative piece of space opera that’s set on a near-future Earth where artificial intelligence is taken for granted.”—Shiny Reviews
“Grand Central Arena is space opera in the grand old tradition . . . but with modern sensibilities and awareness of current speculations in cutting edge physics.”—Fantasy Book Critic
About the Threshold Series by Ryk E. Spoor and Eric Flint
“. . . fast-paced sci-fi. . . light in tone and hard on science . . .
368 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 1, 2016
4 people are currently reading
56 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
January 27, 2016
Quite good!
June 5, 2016
From rescuing people trapped under rubble following a magical quake, to a battle with evil forces, the little band of adventurers has their work cut out in the final episode. If you have not read the earlier books you're better to read at least the first one, before jumping in to the conclusion of this fantasy trilogy.
Magic, magical swords and betrayals all play a part. A family member makes an unexpected appearance and a heroine realises her true nature and power.
As before I'm enchanted by the diminutive adventurer Poplock the Toad, convincingly and charmingly written. I also note that the origins of the tale in a D&D roleplaying game show through as people of various levels of stature and wealth converse as equals, something that didn't happen in medieval times. Fantasy fans will have fun with this book and the author also writes SF.
An ARC was supplied to me for an unbiased review.
Magic, magical swords and betrayals all play a part. A family member makes an unexpected appearance and a heroine realises her true nature and power.
As before I'm enchanted by the diminutive adventurer Poplock the Toad, convincingly and charmingly written. I also note that the origins of the tale in a D&D roleplaying game show through as people of various levels of stature and wealth converse as equals, something that didn't happen in medieval times. Fantasy fans will have fun with this book and the author also writes SF.
An ARC was supplied to me for an unbiased review.
May 12, 2016
Decent finish, but waaaay talky with scene after scene of characters chewing over what had already gone down and its meaning.
July 8, 2018
I thoroughly enjoyed the entire series. In the conclusion the entire world changes. The bad guys had created the conditions for the world to take a long step towards chaos but via the actions of our plucky heroes and others, the world instead takes a long step towards stability. Ryk's characters are strong and fun, the setting is full of wonders, and the challenges are as epic as the characters. If you like high fantasy, I highly recommend getting your hands on this series and reading it as fast as you can, you will not regret it.
March 19, 2019
Gripping High Fantasy
In a world where humans, non-humans, magicians, scientists and even aliens from another world all co-exist, the tale of the Phoenix is skilfully wrought with many a surprise and a satisfying conclusion.
In a world where humans, non-humans, magicians, scientists and even aliens from another world all co-exist, the tale of the Phoenix is skilfully wrought with many a surprise and a satisfying conclusion.
January 10, 2016
The characters are awesome, the plot is fun, the action excites. And the climactic battle includes several twists, all of them hinted at (some more subtly than others - if You've read the previous books it's not too hard to figure out Viedraverion's real identity). The battle is awesome, wrapped in awesome, dipped in awesome sauce. It is totally worth the cost of the EARC.
February 27, 2016
Concludes a fun story that reads like a really good RPG campaign.
May 15, 2016
An exciting ending to the trillogy.
September 14, 2016
There was a little too much religious themes for me. And it was a classic case of bad guy NEVER dies.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 14, 2016
A bit slow moving and what started out as an interestingly complex plot hit a bit too complex toward the end, then pulled back into a bit too simple. Still an excellent read.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews