Jump to ratings and reviews
Rate this book
Rate this book
A warrior to a dying king discovers a destiny he never imagined. The first novel in the bestselling The Cloud Warrior Saga.

Part 1 - First Warrior
Lacertin has served his king faithfully for decades, but has failed on his final mission for him. When he returns to the kingdoms, he discovers a dark secret to the king’s illness, and the only person who can truly help him hides a secret of her own. Lacertin must decide how much he will sacrifice for the people he cares most about.


Part 2 - Servant
Trapped in Incendin and tormented while searching for answers, Lacertin is rescued by a mysterious priest of Issa. Released from his torture, the priest reveals secrets of Incendin that challenge everything Lacertin thought he knew, and gives him a chance to be something more than the warrior he had been… if only he’s willing to believe in his calling to serve fire.

340 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 16, 2016

406 people are currently reading
630 people want to read

About the author

D.K. Holmberg

329 books991 followers

Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?
Rate this book

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
173 (41%)
4 stars
143 (34%)
3 stars
79 (18%)
2 stars
17 (4%)
1 star
4 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
Profile Image for Ryan Mueller.
Author 9 books83 followers
August 3, 2017
This prequel novel (told in two parts) gave me some interesting background on one of the characters in the Cloud Warrior saga. Overall, I enjoyed it quite a bit. I was able to find out more about the world, and the stories in each part were engaging.

Rating: 8.5/10
Profile Image for Barry Edstene.
529 reviews3 followers
November 13, 2018
what a great start to a series, thankfully I got started at the beginning. If you want a great story with people you want to know more about about, check this out! I loved it... I just downloaded Chased by Fire, looking forward to it..
Profile Image for Julian White.
1,711 reviews8 followers
November 28, 2018
Kobo edition

There are several (eleven) books in this series and judging by this prequel they are worth tracking down. The world here has a magic system (shorthand for I'm not sure exactly) based on four elements. Sensers and shapers can do what those names suggest, usually with a limited number of the elements. Those capable of manipulating all four are warriors - and the protagonist is one of those warriors: First Warrior to King Ilion, in fact. The king is ailing fast and will soon be succeeded by his son. Ilion's last charge to Lacertin is to find who has poisoned him. That task takes him to Incendin, with whom the kingdoms are at war - and here Lacertin becomes a Servant (of Issa, the Incendin god of fire).

I wasn't entirely sure what to expect but this is a more than decent book - the use of the elements and the world, while reminiscent of many fantasy books, is well structured. Lacertin himself is a bit of a puzzle - to himself as well as the reader - but grows during this sequence.

Most enjoyable - and intriguing.
Profile Image for Jamie Mcclimon.
57 reviews
August 12, 2022
OMG!

I read this book after the first 3 of The Cloud Warrior Saga. Lacertin was a strong warrior but came into the series and it was unknown if he was good or not. This book give him a back story and fills in the unknowns of him. Now I simply wish to follow Lacertin further. Hopefully he finds all that he deserves, because he is possibly my favorite character in this series. He is misunderstood by others and filled with self-doubt, yet he doesn't want others to suffer. He IS good...... better than good.
Profile Image for Daniel Learn.
58 reviews
November 24, 2018
I did not know what to expect from this book. I certainly did not expect that while reading a book for free i would then turn around and spend 40 dollars on the full Cloud Warrior Saga collection and that the series contained 10 books. Point is i liked it and it was one of those books i just want to keep reading.

It is not a very complex book and it actually kept me thinking of Avatar (last air bender not blue guys) I'm excited to get started on the real series.
56 reviews
January 14, 2019
Excellent reading

I liked reading Lacertin's side of the story. He sounded like a bit of a rogue in the other series, and yet his experiences in these books filled in the questions one had about his character.
Incendin was also cast in a different light with all the different characters.
It certainly gave the place a different perspective.
I highly recommend the series and these two books.
Profile Image for Tony Breault.
40 reviews
February 1, 2019
Great prelude and introduction to The Cloud Warrior series

Firstly, this was the first book I’ve read in this series. Now, after reading this prelude, and wanting to learn more about this world, I have already downloaded Book 1 of the Cloud Warrior Saga and start in on that next. The author uses good prose, with the character development and plot flowing smoothly. If this Prelude is a “lighter” version or introduction to the more complete saga, I look forward to diving in.
Profile Image for Ryan Mueller.
Author 9 books83 followers
August 1, 2017
I really enjoyed this one. It was interesting and exciting to learn more about a mysterious character from the Cloud Warrior Saga. Again, I found the story to be fast-paced and entertaining. It's the kind of fantasy that I enjoy. I'm glad that Holmberg is such a prolific writer. I doubt I'll run out of material to read.

Rating: 9/10
414 reviews
October 16, 2019
Prelude to Fire

I wish I had read this one first. You get a better understanding of what is going on. The book is great. I feel bad for Lacertan because everything keeps going bad for him. He tries to serve his king but ends up being accused of things he didn't do. He tries to find the answers but hasn't had much luck before being chased from the kingdom.
9 reviews
May 27, 2019
This book is quite confusing in the beginning and hard to figure out what is going on. I am OK with science fiction but this is quite out there. I had a bit of trouble visualizing what was going on. This was an interesting story but not sure if I will pursue reading any of the other books.
Profile Image for Amber Ivers.
Author 9 books21 followers
June 11, 2019
Surprising find.

Enjoyed this book so much that, sometimes, I asked myself, "do I really need to go to work?" The second part of the book had me sympathising with the lead character through different emotions.
Profile Image for Caitlin Taylor.
Author 4 books30 followers
January 25, 2020
Amazing world building with an elemental type magic, kings, warriors and secrets. The characters are strong and deep and you want to know more about them.
The book total drew me in and I'm looking forward to reading more in this series. Some of the best fantasy I've read in a while.
99 reviews
June 13, 2021
Part 1 had me intrigued and looking forward to part 2. Unfortunately found myself quick reading part 2. I wonder if reading this "after" the trilogy would have been more interesting. Will give D.K. Holmberg books another read if the opportunity arises.
Profile Image for Jackie Meyers.
21 reviews
October 8, 2017
A good prelude

I really enjoyed learning some of the back story of Lacertin and the many of the other characters we met in the Cloud Warrior series. Looking forward to more.
15 reviews
November 12, 2018
Circles within

This was a hard book to put down. Well developed characters and lots of questions.
Looking forward to reading more.
15 reviews
November 16, 2018
Dfgred



Pppppppp pppppppp bbbb hhhh. T yvyy vvhn f
Rtttewhhutg. Bvg. This nj8ig fffub ruiiob f this. Hi. Vtjoh. Casey gulf
1 review
January 5, 2019
Great

Great book. Very well written and a fun story to follow and read.😀 if you like this kind of supernatural, you will enjoy
Profile Image for Naticia.
812 reviews17 followers
May 31, 2019
An interesting prequel to the Cloud Warrior series that definitely puts a different spin on the "bad guys", yet generally felt predictable and the main character was too angsty for me. Decent, but not great.
Profile Image for Alex.
131 reviews1 follower
September 20, 2021
I enjoyed the book and the character development. I'd like to see more about the characters - maybe go back a to before this started...
Profile Image for Marie.
190 reviews4 followers
June 2, 2016
Great prelude to a wonderful series

I rarely give five stars but this series shines. Really exciting world. Read this and you should like it!! Great heroes and interesting magic..thought provoking!
187 reviews
May 28, 2016
Prelude to Fire: Parts 1 and 2 (The Cloud Warrior Saga) by D. K. Holmberg

Two fantastic books, I wish I had read them first. They made things much clearer when I read the other books in the series.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews

Can't find what you're looking for?

Get help and learn more about the design.