Shadowbane: Age of Aelfborn

by Paul Francois

During a time of strife, Megildur must traverse Aerynth to rescue his sister and fulfill a destiny ordained by the All-Father. Finding Shadowbane, the mighty but cursed sword, will be challenging enough for this young Aelfborn. In a world torn apart by treachery and conflict, it is every being, or creature, for themselves.

This novel combines qualities from Lord of the Rings© and Greek mythology, with a few twists on some new races. This is the first novel to reveal the lore behind the epic player versus player game, Shadowbane.

Aerynth exists within a shroud of betrayal and deceit for over 100 years. In this realm of chaos, Megildur finds help from an unlikely pair…a sneaky Shade and a nomadic Nephilim. Can this unique trio bring peace and order to Aerynth, or fall prey to the Terror of Terrors?

Genres: Fantasy, Dragons

314 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 27, 2016

About the author

By day, Paul Francois is a mild mannered IT professional. He has been in the technology field for over 20 years. One day, in 2011, he started pondering story ideas until they leapt out of his brain and onto paper…onto the computer to be precise.

Join him as he discovers which genre suits his writing style best. Fantasy, Sci Fi, Thriller, or perhaps...all of the afore mentioned. The road is dreary and his journey long, sit back and enjoy a tale as we travel it together.

Reviews

[Amy Leigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this epic fantasy almost video game style book. The author said he was inspired by Tolkien and you can definitely see it as well as hints of other fantasy writers like Salvatore and there's even a slight Percy Jackson feel but In a much different atmosphere.
Megildur, the hero of this story, is a young boy half human & half elf- an Aelfborn. This means he has characteristics from both races but a curse was put on all Aelfborn by the Elven Queen Silesteree Allvolanar when humans and elves decided to first procreate and the aelfborn can not themselves have heirs. Aranel, his very young sister is very whiney and persists til she gets her way- so it's no surprise she is easily captured (even in hiding) when their village called Fort Viatrus (that is supposed to be safe for humans, Aelfborn and half-giants) is attacked by full-blood Elves. When people die in this fantasy world they re-spawn somewhere else but none the less Megildur's father Aedan tells him he is in charge of the family now and tells him to protect his mother Vanya & sister Aranel. His mother dies (re-spawns elsewhere) so it's only his sister he is in charge of but he failed when she was kidnapped. He himself dies but before he re-spawns he finds out from the great and almighty All-Father that he is on a mission. A life changing mission for chosen yet ordinary boy to find the great sword Shadowborn from the Tree of Life all while he is on a separate quest to find & rescue his sister. It's very fun to read a book that feels like a great video game and even has Arthurian themes to it. The mystical "bosses" he faces and fights range from monsters from all ends of fantasy and mythology.
Since I am a fan of fantasy and a gamer I truly enjoyed this book and loved the manner in which it was written. If you like Tolkien or even mmorpg/rpgs I think you will greatly enjoy this book as I have!

[LordTBR]

First things first: hire a decent editor if you are going to publish a novel. Nothing against Francois, but this happens all too often in self-publishing (and I for one know as I have edited several indie novels in the past). From the simple misuse of a semi-colon to a paragraph misplaced in the context of the story, these things really distract some readers from really diving into the story.

Megildur is our main character. This is something you will never forget throughout this novel as his name is mentioned about every other word. He is on a journey with two different paths: one to save his sister and another to acquire a legendary sword, Shadowbane; his "destiny". On these journeys, he comes across a myriad of obstacles and creatures that he must defeat in order to claim what's his.

Sound familiar?

Francois does a good job intertwining several different mythos and bringing all sorts of creatures to the table, but your head will spin at certain points as you'll forget what is what. He also introduces several "new" races to the table and does a decent job of creating interest. The main issue I had with the novel was prose. The sentence structure is very amateur and lacks guttural punch. Instead of an epic fantasy novel with true grit and melody, being compared to Lord of the Rings, it felt like reading a LitRPG novel written for kids. Guess that makes sense as this novel is to reveal the lore behind the PVP game, Shadowbane.

All in all, I'm not one for lighthearted fantasy so this really wasn't my cup of tea. If you have an interest in Shadowbane lore or want a quick, easy fantasy novel to cleanse your pallet, grab this one.

[Bill Tillman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, this fantasy tale is the kitchen sink verity of fantasy. All is done in good fashion and should be enjoyed by all ages. Slight undertones of English as a second language can be noticed, but only if you speak French and English.
This tale has very little down time, as it goes from obstacle to another. Megildur is our hero here. He must traverse Aerynth to rescue his sister and fulfill a destiny the All-Father has set before him. Finding Shadowbane, the mighty but cursed sword, will be challenging enough for this young Aelfbornis. Along the way he meets a sneaky Shade and a nomadic Nephilim. There is so many different mythologies mixed together your head might spin. Look forward to the follow-up book to this one.

[Brian Wilkerson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Paul Francois asked me to read his novel "Shadowbane: Age of Aelfborn". It is an Epic Fantasy focused around finding a legendary sword and reviving a lost kingdom to restore planetary peace. I will examine Plot, Character and Polish.

Note: Yes, this is the same setting as the Shadowbane MMORPG that shut down some years ago. The author says this book is about using that game's lore to tell stories.

Note: There are spoilers in this review. WARNING! WARNING! SPOILERS! SPOILERS!

SPOILERS!!!!!!!!!!!!

Okay, now for the review

PLOT

It starts off with a prologue talking about the world. It is a good start, in my opinion, because it sounds like an epic-storytelling-campfire thing. Considering that bards are so important here, both in the world and the main cast, it makes for a suitable introduction both in and out of universe.

This book basically has two plots: one for Megildur to find his kidnapped sister and then to find a legendary sword. They occur in the same story because the latter is a Mission From God that grants him the authority to tap allies needed for the former, which is strictly personal.

I have mixed feelings about this story's plot. On one hand, it relies heavily on Because Destiny Says So which leads to Foregone Conclusion, Deus Ex Machina and other things that weaken a story. On the other hand, it is possible that this is the only story that follows the trope to its logical conclusion. If Destiny/God/The Powers That Be really said "X is going happen because it is fated to happen" then X is going to happen and those get in the way would be smote with a Bolt of Divine Retribution and that is precisely what happens here.

Then there's another problem. It's a jarring thing at the start at the story's proper. Megildur knows nothing about the world. He doesn't even know about the Tree of Life stuff. One could say his village never needed it, it never came up, he wasn't told etc. but his much older father apparently doesn't know. In the first act, he goes all "you're the man of the family now" while dying even though he knows he's going to immediately respawn nearby. It's an incongruous thing that I can only imagine is meant to make Megildur an Audience Surrogate. Readers who haven't played Shadowbane don't know about the Justified Extra Lives mechanic but they will still find it jarring like I did. Readers who have played it will likely see it as a waste of time.

Speaking of wastes of time, the first several scenes of the second act are basically filler. Megildur respawns at Sea Dog's Rest and Zeristan is all "let's start your adventure!" Megildur refuses and teleports somewhere close to his raided village. He's captured and rescued a couple times and then ends up right back where he started. The only plot progress there is introducing his love interest but that is a brief introduction and she doesn't appear again until the ending. On Tvtropes, we call this Strangled By The Red String.

I'm not quite sure how the ending works, in or out of universe. If the All-Father choose Megildur to recover a sword then why does that redeem all of the world? It can't be a "cooperation" thing because Megildur tried to do it with as few people as possible (though he still has to be bailed out frequently). Also, removing the "Tree of Life respawns" would fundamentally change the setting and so it wouldn't be the same Shadowbane. If this book is about the game's lore then it just made a substantial change to it instead of expanding it.

There's a reliance on Deus Ex Machina. There are three big problems that are saved by explicitly Divine intervention and a fourth where a nameless and faceless character comes out of nowhere and uses a divine-aligned heroic-sacrifice-style spell (not really a sacrifice given the mechanics but he still dies, temporarily). This is another mixed bag sort of thing. On one hand, if the Top God of a setting wanted a character to do X then they would assist them in doing so, right? It just so happens that most stories have this deity assign the mission and then disappear because such a character constantly helping your hero would be a storybreaker. It is, but speaking in-universe it makes a certain amount of sense. It's like non-verbal communication from the All-Father; something like "Seriously, I want this guy to do X. Stop interfering." Then again, this ties into the problem of how did Megildur personally restore his faith in humanity by finding a sword? Anyone could have done this with that kind of assistance.

There are too many questions, plot holes or inconsistencies for me to mention here. At this point, I don't care.

The ending is good. It concludes the book's conflict, ties up a few loose ends, and then points towards And The Adventure Continues.


CHARACTERS


Megildur, this story's hero and protagonist, is a mixed bag (much like the plot itself). He starts out in relation to his sister. When she's around, his personality is at its most clear. Otherwise, his personality is muddy. This means he often feels like an excuse for exposition about the world or some empty vessel to instigate the cooperation of other characters. I think the author tries to present his relationship with Zabrina as this deeply-romantic, love-at-first-sight (or smell) thing but it is pretty shallow (partly because of her minor screen time). Randomly kissing someone you've just met does not sound like something the champion of a benevolent Deity would do.
He constantly needs to be rescued but given his lack of skills and training (he's a beginner with a sword and dagger and doesn't have anything else) that makes sense and it has the effect of preventing him from being an inexplicably powerful Gary Stu just because he's the Choosen One. I get the sense that he considers his task from the All-Father and future duties as the High King to be a hassle. It's like the assistance he receives for saving his sister is payment up front for undertaking this divine mission.

Honoria, one of Megildur's two traveling companions, is better. Her personality is more consistent across the story. Her humility is played up and tied into her job and passion as a bard which adds meat to her character. She has a realistic sense of betrayal following an incident with a friend of hers and an equally realistic making up afterward. However, her backstory is clumsily delivered.

Gaal is a solidly written thief-rogue type. He is sneaky, crass, greedy etc. but he also has redeeming features such as Honor Among Thieves and loyalty via I Owe You My Life. It's nothing original but it is well done and harkens to the traditions of medieval fantasy style RPGs, upon which this book is based.

Aranel is cute. I would have liked to see more of her.

I can't really say there's a villain here. There are a number of enemies but all of them are sparsely developed and quickly dealt with so they don't count. They range from hostile guilds to political rivals to monsters.

POLISH

"Amateurish" is how I would describe the prose. I do not mean this in the sense of spelling or grammar errors because I saw few, if any, of those. I mean it in the style. The narration states the obvious. The sentence construction and paragraphs lack punch. It is like it is trying to be epic and exciting and failing (thinking it is more epic than it is).

This has been a free review request. The author requested an honest review so I provided one.

Trickster Eric Novels gives "Shadowbane: Age of Aelfborn" a C

[Fantasia Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story is perhaps not the most original, and the pacing could be better, but overall Mister Francois delivers a story that is entertaining for those who love the genre. Likely due to his inspiration from Tolkien, from whom so much of the genre is derived, his world feels a little generic at times, though there are moments that are powerful enough to lift off that heavy shroud and show some unique qualities that we cannot give away without telling more than we would like. If you love the works of Tolkien or R. A. Salvatore, Shadowbane has been struck from their molds, leaving something that feels familiar and safe, but still fun.
One place where Shadowbane: Age of Aelfborn shines the most is in the characterization of Megildur, who is everything that we yearn to see in a protagonist, and as we followed him along this journey we could not help but feel for him and grow to love him. Mister Francois has created a vivid world with real characters, and that is no simple task.

[Jay Freeman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story captured my imagination from the very outset and plunged me into yet another mystical world of adventure. I immediately warmed to Megildur , the main character and the troubles he faced. The setting of the story was truly original and exciting, the characters had depth and their presence in the world often entertaining.

There were times throughout the story where I felt events were rushed or not explained in enough detail, for example where Megildur turned from a novice into an inspired leader and accomplished fighter. Other scenes where the party would be faced with an important task, only to have it fulfilled by default due to their status in the world. There could have been more action here. This is the author's first step into the world of fantasy, so I can forgive him here as this is a really amazing story that I enjoyed feeling part of.

I hope Paul Francois continues with this genre, and becomes a veteran fantasy writer. I feel he has a lot to offer in this genre.

[Emma Hewitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shadowbane: Age of Aelfborn

The cover for this book is vibrant and warmth and eye catching given the colours used and the bold imagery. The book is very detailed from the prologue which sets the story up right, Although this is not the most original story it is one that captures the reader within the first few lines. My initial reactions from the prologue was one of wanting to read further into the book. The characters are strong and well thought out, the main character is a young boy called Megildur again a well rounded character. The lead character is Megildur who witnesses the murders of his family and then finds himself on a magical path as he searches for his sister, it is an intriguing and exciting story. I would recommend this to fantasy fans as it struck me like many of the tales of king Arthur and Robin hood tales did as there was a variety of fantasy beasts through out.

[Peter Gould · Rating 2 out of 5]

I can be very critical. I know a lot of work goes into writing. But I will be honest about my opinions.

I did not like this book, and would therefore give it one star except for one thing. I hardly got started on this book let alone finished it so I feel it's unfair to give it the lowest rating possible. It says here that 2 stars is "okay" but I want it to be 2 stars and "did not like"

I would have liked this book a lot better when I was a lot younger, (I'm 42) which is the other reason why I did not want to give it 1 star. It may be that it was listed as young adult fiction/children's fiction but if it was it flew under my radar.

It started off through the eyes of a teenager and everything was simplistic which fits with that.

There is action early on, swords and axes and daggers with blood and all that. I always find appealing.

The pacing seemed very fast (which would be good for younger readers, maybe a bit too fast for those who want deeper more believable characters and more explanation). The level of fantasy in this book is quite high, most of the characters from the introduction till i stopped reading are fantasy races, and that trend continues in the first fight scene which happened pretty fast. More tellingly we realize pretty fast that magic will play a big role in who lives and who dies and it seems like anything is possible.

I didn't get much farther because rather than inspire my sense of wonder and mystery which normally draw me to fantasy, the book just didn't feel credible. It seemed too much too fast. so I stopped reading.

I don;t think i can offer a fair or balanced rating based on barely starting it.

[Anthony · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Review

This was such an epic and captivating fantasy read. This definitely would feel right at home for fans of epic, deep-cut level fantasy storytelling, delving into a world of mythological creatures from all varieties of mythological backgrounds. I absolutely loved this mashup of different cultures and myths to delve into, as well as the author’s use of imagery and atmospheric buildup in the narrative.

What struck me was the utilization of the hero’s journey for this novel, as protagonist Megildur grows from a young boy desperate to save the last person connected to his family to a leader and hero that is destined to save the world. The author’s use of writing style felt very much like it was written for fans of video games, which was such a breath of fresh air for the genre. From the journey itself feeling like an open-world game to the various creatures the protagonist had to face (or bosses), the stylistic choices of this narrative made this a true standout novel.

The Verdict

A remarkable, entertaining, and epic fantasy novel, author Paul Francois’s “Shadowbane: Age of Aelfborn” is a must-read novel. Fantastic world-building and mythology kept me hooked the entire time, and the cast of characters kept readers invested in the hero’s journey the protagonist found himself on, making this a remarkable story worth diving into.

[Shakera · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was good start to a series. I must say I wasn't a fan of the prose, but the overall storytelling was great. There was a wonderful variety of characters. There were moments where the pace was a bit slow, but not painfully so... on the flip side, some parts went a little too fast and could have been flushed out a bit. I'm sure no author wants comparisons, but Shadowbane was very similar to Lord of the Rings; which I love, so this was a treat. I write enjoyed reading this adventure. I don't know if this is Paul Francois's debut, but if it is... I think he's off to a good start and I look forward to seeing where this leads.

[Gayreth Walden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Disclaimer: I received this book free so I can give an honest review. I felt this was an incredible and imaginative story. So well crafted and wonderful characters. More action and magic you could ever ask for. Megildur and his companions face challenge after challenge on their journey. Elves, humans, mages, dwarfs, villains and other strange creatures. A powerful story. I highly recommend this book.

[Ann Keeran · Rating 5 out of 5]

An exciting fantasy of a young boy and his quest to find the magnificent sword, Shadowbane. Starting with an attack on his village, the Aelfborn is soon given a mission to find the sword and become king of his people. Friends and enemies include dwarves, elves, vampires, half-giants and a Nephilim. Follow Megildur through portals to fantastical worlds as he fulfills his task.

[Jackie · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wonderful magical story of fantasy. Just loved it

[Barbara Senteney · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great adventure with a lot of different creatures, lots of half human/elf, or half human horse, wizards and all kinds of escape scenes, battle, and more. Friendship and devotion is sometime put to the test. An Aelfkind loses his family but finds himself, With help, he escapes certain death, and must battle to save all those around him, and avenge his lost family.

[Paul Francois · Rating 4 out of 5]

EDITORIAL REVIEW

Reviewed by Lit Amri for Readers' Favorite

In Shadowbane: Age of Aelfborn by Paul Francois, young Megildur must traverse Aerynth, a world in constant turmoil, to rescue his sister and fulfill a destiny ordained by the All-Father. He must find the mighty but cursed sword, Shadowbane, and lead everyone to unity and peace. The story premise is a familiar concept in the fantasy genre - you have a come-of-age protagonist chosen to find a mystical item and embark on a perilous quest. That said, a skilled storyteller can put a fresh spin on a classic theme, and Paul Francois successfully did that.

There are evident inspirations from other well-known fantasy fictions for its world-building, but there are also unique qualities to keep readers interested. In terms of characterization, protagonist Megildur will not disappoint you. As an Aelfborn, or half Human and half Elf, Megildur already experiences hardship due to his race. He’s easy to root for and has traits that we would want in a lead character or a hero.

The narrative and the dialogue are clear cut. The plot is well-structured, even though I feel that some parts can be more polished in terms of pacing. On the other hand, Shadowbane: Age of Aelfborn is overall a solid and enjoyable read, ticking all the necessary prerequisite of a fantasy novel. Francois has an interesting story to tell, and no doubt he has more to share with readers. He’s another worthy writer in this genre and I look forward to reading more of his work in the future.

[Chris Sanford · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shadowbane : Age of Aelfborn, is a fantasy set in the mystical and mythical world of fantastic creatures vengeful Gods and waiting adventure. Young Megildur comes of age as he is chosen and sent by the All Father to find the great blade Shadowbane to unite the creatures of his world. When his village is attacked Meglidur is launched on an epic journey tasked with finding, rescuing and protecting his young sister. Right away we are introduced to a variety of creatures in the attack and our hero Meglidur is killed, but this is where the adventure begins. Due to the past transgression against the All Father people on his world do not die or reproduce but when killed they respond at an organ gate that is different for the races. When he is killed we find out is true purpose for he is chosen by the All Father to find Shadowbane and lead all to a peaceful existence. This coming of age adventure story has all the aspects of fantasy adventure, a great journey or search for the sword, coming of age, a weak young person becoming the unlikely hero, rescuing a young lady, epic fights, mythical creatures, it is al there as Meglidur toys to save his world. The wars and strife are he must overcome is nothing compared to the mythical best and creatures. He is part human and part elf, but his foes range from Vampires, shades, dark elves, Amazons, dwarfs to Manticores and Gods. This is a typical fantasy quest tale but the characters are well developed and the world vivid and exciting. The pace was a bit choppy and slow for me which is why I could only I've it four stars. It felt almost like there were to many adventures place into the quest. The flow was not smooth but I could see this being a good introductory book to many other stories. I would recommend this to people who enjoy fantasy and mythical creatures.

[Dionne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book very much. I love dragons and things dragon related so it was something I was bound to enjoy. You have a terrific flair for the imagination. I couldn't even put it down until I'd finished reading it. It was that good. If there's another out there, I'm willing to read it too.

[Jennifer Priester · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although I am one of those readers that gets slowed down and has a hard time with fantasy names, I love reading fantasy. Often I find the kind of fantasy that is exciting with deeply built worlds and characters to be hard to follow and understand. There were a few times when I had to slow down, back up, and reread to understand it, but otherwise once I got familiar with the names, I didn't find this one to be too confusing. This story was familiar and comfortable to read while being new and exciting at the same time. I was often reminded of some of my favorite epic fantasy adventures as well as some video game quests I have played due to a few of the more common similarities and feelings while reading this book. The main character, Megildur, is someone I think many people can identify with as he is disliked by so many for existing and being different because of prejudice against his kind. I received this book for free and voluntarily reviewed.

[Voracious Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Decent start to an epic story but fell a bit short from being great

Shadowbane: Age of Aelfborn written by Paul Francois is what I understand to be the beginning of an epic fantasy tale or at least the door is left open for there to be more to the story. It is the tale in which our young hero must traverse his world amid constant strife to rescue his sister and fulfill a destiny ordained by the All-Father.

Shadowbane caught my interest as having been said to have qualities of Tolkien and Salvatore books; both of whom are two of my favorite authors. I love an epic fantasy tale so definitely had to read this one. It did in fact share some similarities but did not quite reach the craftsmanship.

While overall it had great potential the basic story was quite good, there were a few things that bothered me while reading. First of all our young hero, Megildur, who started out an inexperienced schoolboy in a small village, seemed to take to commanding and strategy too well and too fast. Now I understand an author doesn't have the time and space to develop the hero's skills too slowly but a few miss-starts would've helped. Where he started out being respectful to people he later was often disrespectful which appeared to have something to do with making people see him as a commander but I definitely had problems when he treated his parents with that disrespect. At one point he did apologize to his mother for his behavior but too many times he didn't appear to notice it. Now I understand this is based on a video game of which I am unfamiliar so the behaviors I have issues with may just be keeping him in character with the game. Also while on the topic of behavior, there was too much smirking going on for my liking.

Another issue I had with the book was vocabulary and word tenses. Some of the vocabulary didn't seem to me to fit the context of the sentence so threw me out of the story as I tried to determine exactly what the author was trying to convey. Possibly those words had obscure meanings I wasn't familiar with but the most common meanings didn't fit. Also there were times when the tenses didn't seem right so once again it threw me out of the story while I tried to figure out the correct one. Also I am no English major so I could be wrong; the vocabulary and tenses could've been perfectly correct. This may not bother some people and for those I say definitely read this you will very likely get the enjoyment of the story that I lost from it.

I received a complimentary copy of this book which I am voluntarily reviewing. As should be obvious, the opinions are my own.

Update: In case anyone noticed I changed my initial rating for Shadowbane, I came to realize I had been a little harsh for things that may have only been personal issues and not real issues so in the interest of being fair I changed the rating.