The Horn King: Stories of the Nine Worlds

The Cursed Blood Chronicles #1

by Alaric Longward

In the world of Aldheim, humans serve the great elven houses faithfully, or die. If you are a human who happens to hate elves with a passion, no other job is better in Aldheim, than that of an assassin. Gutty is very good at this job. He and his team of misfits execute their contracts not only with skill, but passion. And yet, even such a talented killer can occasionally go too far, and so, Gutty is faced with a choice. Serve your enemy elf on a suicidal mission, or get booted from the guild, and be hunted by everyone. There is no choice. There is no discussion. Gutty sets out to find a lost, perilous treasure with his new elven masters, who know a great deal about him. Soon, they find themselves in a trouble few humans, or even elves could survive. And yet, Gutty is not exactly a human. Not strictly, that is.

Genres: Fiction

416 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 20, 2017

Reviews

[Brittany · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was very enjoyable. It had the action and gore that I like in a good fight story. There were many plot twists and the author did a decent job developing the main character. I feel the ending set up the next book to be more heavy with the Norse type lore. The fight scenes we well written and easy to follow. I look forward to seeing more of the story!

[Judson Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Holy Cow! Alaric Longward has quickly become one of my favorite authors in the mythology/adventure/whatever this is genera. He creates characters and stories that are engaging. These books make falling asleep at night very difficult! The Horn King is another great start to a series. Gutty is fleshed out (no pun intended) and we begin to learn more about the character we met in the end of Throne of Scars. I look forward to this series and the rest of Alaric Longward's Stories of the Nine Worlds.

[C.M. Rutherford · Rating 4 out of 5]

I must admit the first chapter I had my doubts about this book. The chapters are extremely long. I am glad that I don't give up on books (ever). I ended up really getting engrossed in the story. The characters are unique and interesting. The premise of the story is very good and the author has created a highly detailed world for the story to take place. I highly recommend this book for fans of the fantasy genre.

[Epper Marshall · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5* (rounded up as it fell into my favorite niche) A decent enough read but there were parts that I felt were unnecessary. The story came together much like RJ Barker's series, where you're trying to figure out who is who, what is going on behind the scenes, and then the reveal comes and it isn't near what you thought you knew.

[Jobathan Griffin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome book

Probably one of the best books I've read in a very long time can't wait for the next one to come out

[nancy jaecks · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found the book to be captivating. I will buy the rest of the series.

Very entertaining. I read it every night before I went to bed. Most nights I couldn't put it down. Explicit.

[Shannon Lorraine Enriquez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good, engaging story

This was an interesting read...because it was very different from the norm! I highly recommend it to anyone looking for something different

[Jody · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful story filled with colorful and intriguing characters that have substance. This is another series that is well worth a reading. It is very entertaining for adults and older kids alike. The Horn King is a must have addition to the other books by Alaric Longward.

[Ian Langham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Being the start of a new series by the prolific writer Alaric Longward I was rather happy to see it was the third series to be set, in the Norse Mythology based Nine Worlds. A grim, dark and violent place if ever there was one. Life can be brought and sold for very little. This one is set in the realm of Aldheim. The rulers of this realm are elves, and if your expecting Legolas type elves all noble and heroic. Sorry wrong book. In this tale the elves look with disdain at humans and subjugate them at best, or depending the elves, humans are slaves and worse.Central to the story is Gutty a fat drunken human thug/assassin.The writer has created a character at first look is a mindless thug who kills without reason if your an elf. After being over zealous on a job Gutty is forced to take a job for some of the hated elves. Thus hoping to protect his friends from another elves vengeance, oh how wrong can one man be. Along with learning about his true nature. The plot unfolds with pace and Gutty becomes more thoughtful and less rash in his actions as he witnesses the true duplicity of the Elves. With betrayal layered on betrayal it becomes clear that not everyone is who and in some cases what they appear to be. Gutty especially. Magic is thrown around with abandon, violence is never far away and at times graphic.
This is book that draws you in from the opening clashes to the final fights. Who wins, loses and in some case win but lose in the long run?? Read it and find out.
As I said at the beginning a great start to another series and when this series is finished it will tie in with the other two series the based in the nine worlds so get all three series..
Last question is. When is volume two out??