Kandor the Warrior

by Leo .

In his quest for justice and peace, faced with incredible odds and with time running out, only Kandor has the ability to stop Morgana’s plan to take Cerminian for herself and bring with it the Kingdom’s inevitable destruction.

Waking up alone in the depths of the magical Great Forrest with no memory of who he is or how he got there, Kandor’s day hasn’t gotten off to the best start. Lost and alone he finds a scroll detailing the reasons for his dire situation, and an already bad day somehow gets even worse.

The personal bodyguard to King Athner of Cerminian, Kandor has embarked on a mission to thwart an enemy about to make a deadly move from the shadows. Athner has been poisoned by the power-hungry Morgana, and it’s up to Kandor to save his friend and King from not only losing his life, but the strong iron-clad grip that prevents the Kingdoms surrounding Cerminian from plunging into total chaos.

Searching exotic lands in order to bring aid to Athner and foil Morgana’s insidious plan to usurp the throne and take power for herself, Kandor finds himself facing personal demons as he struggles with the burden of carrying the fate of the entire realm on his shoulders. Accompanied by his Dwarven ally Rockwood, the two embark on a great adventure across the Kingdoms as they contend with unforgiving blades, magical aggressors and political infighting that threaten to derail their quest before it can even begin.

Genres: Fantasy

288 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 4, 2017

About the author

Leo (pseudonym) was born in late August in Bristol, UK and he adores cats of every shape and size.

https://twitter.com/Clubberchops

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🐯👍




Leo's Esoteric Prose, is here
Mental illness, a glimpse through the veil and fear
Cos' Rules are Lures, and Laws are Walls
And all the people, are silly Fools
Glued to A black mirror, a veil, a Screen
Since it's conception, it's all its ever Been
By Leo

Reviews

[Leo .]

Update: 1/1/2021

2021...A new start...a new year
Hope things change...recognition of my books...make Leo cheer
Lift me out of this rut...begin writing again
2020 was a tough year...fear...depression...and pain
Need a break...a light to guide me on
Accept I am an author...it is my profession
# leo'sesotericprose

 

Hey guys.

Kandor The Warrior is an adult fantasy tale.  It will appeal to teen agers and upwards who like Fantasy in the genre of Dungeons And Dragons and the Fighting Fantasy Gamebooks.  It is a fantasy novel that has graphic violent scenes and sorcery and fantasy characters.

It is not suitable for children of any age under 16, in my opinion.  Kandor The Warrior will appeal to people who like escapism, and want a release from the day to day humdrum of modern day life.  I wrote this book back in 1999 but, only published recently.  I am writing a sequel which, will carry on after Kandor The Warrior ends.  I try to describe what the character is seeing and the consequences there after, and some readers find it too much.  I thought I best point this out.  If too much information about a gory scene in one of my books is not to a readers liking then it might be best to give my books a miss.  A lot of fantasy writers have referenced Brothers Grimm for inspiration.  I know I do.  The unfortunate thing is that Hollywood/Disney has made the tales of Grimm all light and fluffy.  People need to realise that the Grimm Brothers were far from light and fluffy.  They wrote about folklore and their books and tales are actually very dark, grim and let's face it, scary.  A Disney "Fairy" is not the same as a Grimm "Faerie".  That is how I see the fantasy genre.  I try to capture the terror and I want the reader to be horrified and scared.  I would not recommend reading it to a child for a bedtime story.  LOL!  I loved the TV series Grimm.  Now that is how I see it.  It was violent, scary, gory and all of the above.



Where do the Elves live? Where do they reside?

In the woods, the mountains, the vales, do they hide?

Along with the Dwarves, the Gnomes and the Mages

Hidden away, beyond the Veil, for Ages

Where are the Centaurs? Where are the Fauns? Who is the Lady In Red?

The Faeries and the Sprites, Willow The Wisp, how far do they spread?

On every Continent, country, Ocean and Sea

Hidden away, kept secret, from Humanity

The Ogres, the Trolls, Giants of Old

Dragons and Wyverns, and Knights that are Bold

Griffons and Harpies, Half Man and Half Bull

Satyrs and Banshees, Vampires of Dracuul

Thieves and Vagabonds, and Pirates of High Water

Battles and Duels, and no given Quarter

Demons and Devils, and Leviathan of the Deep

Behemoth and Monsters, and Princess's in Eternal Sleep

Frogs and Princes, and Tales of Woe

Paladins and Maces, and Pikes and Sorrow

Cyclops and Mermaids and Quests and Magic

Witches and Hags, and Stories so Tragic

Morning Stars and Warriors, Adventurers on Quests

Fighting Evil, and Darkness, searching for Hidden Treasure Chests

Alliances and Armies, Soldiers and Kings

Sorceresses and Queens, and Enchanted Rings

Portals and Wormholes, and grieving Mothers in Tears

Invasions, and Slavery and Self Guiding Spears

Wizards and Orcs, and Creatures from the Pit

Honour and Valour, Courage and True Grit

Palaces and Temples, Priests and Druids Too

Shape Shifters and Hobbits, and Sirens is it all True?

Fuelling imagination, in Fantasy Novels, for Me and for You

By Leo. 👍🐯😸



Whilst walking in the woods one day, I took shelter under a large conifer tree

The clouds had gathered, and a downpour of water droplets were all around me

They cascaded down like jewels sparkling in the Spring Sunshine

Just a shower, enough to fill the air with a sweet scent of pine

A Squirrel danced across a branch when he saw me

Gracefully, and spirited, full of jollity

He leapt from branch to branch, skipping with glee

I was certain he was giggling and smiling at me

Then he was gone, as quick as a flash, leaving me on a high

This cutest little fellow, who just past by

Then I heard a bird sing, and it was pleasant to my ear

A melody of nature, all should hear

The shower was brief, and the clouds moved on

And a beautiful rainbow appeared, as the Sun shone

I wondered at its colours, how pretty, and clear

Like a prism bending light, up in the atmosphere

I heard a noise and saw something out the corner of my eye

A tiny little fellow, green tunic, green pointy hat, and a tiny chequered tie

He gave me a wave, and nodded with a smile

And I just stood there transfixed, for quite I while

"Are you an Elf?" I heard myself say

"Not at all, I am a Leprechaun." Said he

"I come from a land, over the rainbow, and full of fantasy."

He scratched his chin and continued to say

He had lost his girl, and was willing to pay

A pot of gold if I helped him pick up her trail

He had been calling her name but, to no avail

I asked him what she was wearing, what should I see

He told me that her attire, was exactly the same as he

They were running through a meadow, and fell did she

Swallowed up by a hole, leading to a rabbit colony

Followed her he did, worried with fear

He saw lots of pretty colours, and ended up here

Then he saw the squirrel, as it took flight

Running and leaping from tree to tree, and it gave him quite a fright

"My goodness!" I exclaimed. "You've had quite a day!"

"I have no use for gold. Answer me some questions, and when she is found, be on your merry way."

"What do you want to know?" Said he with an air of curiosity

"What happened in the rabbit hole?". Enquire did I

He said he had quite an adventure, met many passers by

He crossed paths with a madman wearing a tall hat

And was shocked when before him appeared, a smiling cat

A hare was running round and around, chasing his own tail, again and again

Like a spinning top he was, loopy loo, insane

A girl called Alice whispered in his ear, and put him at ease

Her breath was soothing, like a summer breeze

" She was very eloquent, and easy to talk too"

He was very happy to let me know, all what she had seen

A very nasty little woman, claiming to be the Red Queen

Tweedledee and Tweedledum, twins they are

And a caterpillar, smoking what he thought was a cigar

He found himself splutter, and almost choke

From all this pungent billowing smoke

In fact it was a pipe, that was on show

And also a funny little mouse, and a DoDo

I told him I read about this story, some time ago

A world within a world, where fantasy characters to and fro

She told him of a Jabberwocky, a mushroom, and very nasty Cook

A fishfootman, an executioner, playing cards as Knights and Guards

A Mock Turtle, A magic looking glass, beautiful gardens and courtyards

I heard a dog bark, and turned to see

As the dog cocked it's leg, ready to pee

A few seconds past, and then the dog was gone

But when I turned my head again, so too was the Leprechaun

By Leo.👍🐯🐯👍


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https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=yQyWOWq...

Thank you Cody!👍🐯

https://ensnaringlibri.blogspot.com/2...

Thank you Sebanti! :-)

My twitter page:

https://mobile.twitter.com/Clubberchops


HAPPY NEW YEAR ALL. HOPE 2019 BRINGS JOY AND PROSPERITY TO ALL. GOD BLESS US...EVERYONE

😇👍🐯💓

[Linda Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

I played the Fighting Fantasy gamebooks in my younger days.  Hours of joy.  Amazing plot lines and scenarios.  Magic and swordplay.  These books really soaked up so much of my time, my friends too, and I adored the take on the fantasy fiction genre.  My friends and I would lock ourselves away in our rooms and escape into a new world away from the mundane and ordinary hum drum of modern day reality.

Leo's Kandor The Warrior has all of the above but, in a novel, not a role playing game.  I thoroughly enjoyed it!!!

I bought the paperback for £6.99 on Createspace/Amazon and was captured by the cover and the title had a ring of Conan The Barbarian about it.  I was so exited when the book arrived three days ago and over the last two nights my bedtime reading left me with dreams of high fantasy.

I love Kandor.  He is brave and has so much love for Mercedes.  Nicademus is a mercurial old fellow but, Morgana!!!!   She is one powerful lady.  Do not mess with her.  It is so refreshing to see that the female of the species in this book takes no nonsense.  Banished from her homeland she is filled with vengeful hate.  She has the knowledge and power  over many of her peers and Kandor along with his dwarf friend Rockwood has to overcome perils and assassins to reach The Mountains Of The Dead before Morgana, and her lover Zoltan, can gain absolute power.

Anyhow, this book is fast paced, exhilarating at times, with a unique plot.  It is very much Dungeons and Dragons and Fighting Fantasy inspired.  I bet Leo played these books too.  The characters and world building is very absorbing and I loved the dialogue.

If you like the Fighting Fantasy take on the genre then Kandor The Warrior would be very entertaining.

I can't wait for the next in the series.

[Marc Littleton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kandor the Warrior was for me, a fun read. What surprised me about this book was the pace at which Leo sets his story. I admit it took me a few chapters to get used to it because most books I read start with a much slower approach and build to a climax and then repeats –sometimes three or four times per novel. Kandor doesn’t do much of that. It foregoes a lot of scene and character building for an action-packed charge that covers a lot of ground quickly. I believe it may have been his intent to trust the reader to fill in the blanks as they see fit. I’m ok with that.
As of late, I’ve found myself thinking of fictional stories in respect to songs. They have a rhythm and tempo. Kandor has a familiar rhythm set within an allegro tempo! If Leo’s book morphed into a song, I think it would be “Thunderstruck” by AC/DC.

[Ant · Rating 4 out of 5]

At the end of last year, I was delighted to be given a copy of this book by the author in return for an honest review. So, to keep my end of the bargain, I've put a bit more effort into this review than normal.
A long time ago in when I was a young boy I would go to W.H. Smiths most weeks and buy a Fighting Fantasy book - the type where you take on the role of the hero and make decisions by turning to the specified page number to see what the outcome would be. The stories in these books unusually contained a limited number of characters, a straightforward plot and a clear distinction between good and evil. I mention this because Kandor The Warrior is firmly rooted in these traditions and I don't think you can understand this book without understanding that.
The opening few chapters captured the feel of the Fighting Fantasy books so well that I was transported back to my childhood, sitting in my room, reading with my feet up on the radiator. When Kandor met his first adversary I thought "oooh, an encounter" and I was ready to choose an option.
The book stays true to its roots throughout but develops into an adult novel where bad things can happen and for me, it found a nice balance between reminding me of my childhood and holding my adult interest.
I found the story fast-paced and easy to read. However, a lot of the joy I got from this book came from, what could be seen as, insider jokes. For example, I genuinely smiled when I realised the author had managed to work a healing potion into the story. I'm not sure that someone who didn't "get" these things would have the same positive experience that I did.
If you were a fan of Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone then I recommend you give yourself a treat and buy this book.

[Andrew Caldwell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Firstly, I should say that the author gave me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. In a nut shell I really enjoyed his work. It was a rip roaring, adrenaline soaked adventure. Never a dull moment from beginning to end.

As other reviewers have mentioned it is reminiscent of the Steve Jackson/ Ian Livingstone fighting fantasy books published by Puffin lapped up by a ten year old me! This book reminded me of one of my favourites "Forest of Doom".

Written throughout in the present tense this book has an urgency about it that carries the reader along at a break-neck pace. I'm not a massive fan of present tense writing, but Leo's style and action suites it. It has all my favourite races of a generic fantasy world Orcs, elves, dwarfs, ogres etc. What I particularly enjoyed was watching how these related to each other.

There are a number of scenes that stood out for me, buying and using the ring of pugilism was brilliant. The vampiric cave people was well described and very creepy and the climactic battle where my favourite character died was heartbreaking! How could you Leo!

Kandor was hugely endearing. I enjoyed the way he acted thought, loved and behaved. The villains were well developed, slightly over the top at times which I like, while Morgana was particularly interesting and at times complex.

I really great and enjoyable adventure. I look forward to more .....

[Greg Hickey · Rating 3 out of 5]

From the opening scene that evokes comparisons to Lost and Game of Thrones to the climactic final battle, Kandor the Warrior takes readers on a classic fantasy adventure. In his quest to find and defeat the evil sorceress Morgana, eponymous hero Kandor joins forces with allies of different races and must battle a wide variety of frightening villains. Throughout the story, the plot takes several unexpected and compelling turns. Mononymous author Leo also successfully weaves together multiple characters and plot lines and offers intriguing backstories for many of his characters, including—in a welcome departure from common fantasy novels—the book’s archvillains.

On the downside, these biographies could have been revealed more artfully, as the shifts from present story events to sudden unrelated flashbacks are jarring at times. And on the whole, a similar lack of seamless world-building separates Kandor from the top novels in the genre. For example, the preface describes the regions of Leo’s fictional world, including people and places who never appear in the remainder of the story, and concludes with a summary of the plot to follow and the self-evident line, “This is the story of the great adventure.” And while more attention could be paid to evoking the magic and mystery of the people, languages, places and customs of this fantastical realm, too much space is often given to trivial details, such as the thrice-repeated and incorrect definition of “organisms.”

As a final note, this book is gorier than most others in the fantasy genre. Readers who appreciate graphic descriptions of violence will enjoy the gruesome battles and deaths in the book. Those who don’t will likely prefer a less brutal story.

[David]

I really wanted to like this book more than I did. I have the greatest admiration for anyone who actually writes a book and gets it out into the world for people to read. The closest I ever got was drawing copious maps of the fantasy realms my novels were going to be set in and this was many years ago as a teenager.

Unfortunately Kandor the Warrior is rather flawed. The decision to write in the present tense is always a difficult one to carry off, to me it was off putting and rather like having the scene set for me by a dungeon master. Fond memories of my teens again playing RPGs like MERP. The choice of some character names and relationships were a tad derivative, Nicademus and Morgana being way too close to the Arthurian Merlin and Morgana. The plot was very episodic with a touch of the Deus ex machina about certain devices such as the silver dagger and Macure Tailriff appearing or being mentioned five minutes before they are needed. I admired the element of gore being brought in to fantasy, probably from the authors love of horror books, though it on occasion went too far and probably would limit readership. As the book was self published it is understandable that in areas there were plot holes or factual errors which would have been addressed by a professional editor. And the word longingly was used way too often.

Overall I can overlook the flaws and laud Leo’s tenacity in getting his first novel published. Congratulations.

[Sebanti · Rating 3 out of 5]

It starts with the journey of a warrior...

It is a fantasy novel, set in another world all together.
...
As expected from a fantasy novel the author had to build a whole new world. It is a daunting task actually and if not executed perfectly the whole world comes crashing down. But the author here has been able to more or less make a solid backdrop for the story.

It is filled with witches, sorceress, warriors, goblins, orcs, slaves, dragons, demons, hydra , kings, Queens, and other monstrous beasts and creatures from the fantasy realm. It can be called a cross between 'Narnia' and 'Lord of The Rings'

check out the link below for the full review complete with long excerpt from the book.

https://ensnaringlibri.blogspot.com/2...

[Tucker · Rating 3 out of 5]

This feels D&D-inspired, and a very Halloween D&D it is. If you like creative descriptions of gore and magic-enhanced suffering, this is for you.

These characters seem to know what they want. They are savvy and play by the rules of their magical realm. A lot of detailed attention has been given to the setting.

For me, the violence (I could never decide if I found it delightfully twisted or off-putting) detracted from my ability to focus on the character's motivations and quests.

[Adrian Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

First of all I want to say that this is an exceptional book. The landscapes and characters are classic and legendary. The story is riveting and takes a few twists that the reader doesn't expect, which makes it all the better. And, though some of the characters may not be as fully realized as they could have been, that doesn't mean that they're not interesting (Morgana was great).
If there are any flaws to be found in this book, it is in the presentation. I don't know if it was the way it was written or the way it was edited, but there are several moments in which past and present tense are mingled within a single sentence, and this makes for times when the reader has to pause (irritatingly in the middle of some of the action) and go back to reread something that seems garbled due to this problem.
Other than this, I would say to the author, please keep writing. I would definitely read other books written by this author, especially if it is this kind of theme, which he seems to have a gift for. But, be more careful with the structure of sentences and the editing process that is required to get it right. As a new author myself, I know that this can be tedious, but it will be worth it in the end. You have the touch and the imagination to be an extraordinary author. Keep the faith.

[Udit Tyagi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have little experience with the fantasy genre. I love the Harry Potter series; but, as I understand it, it is closer to the periphery than core of this genre. I was keen to explore more of it. So, when the author offered to send me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review, I gladly agreed. Kandor The Warrior has all the elements of a fantasy. There are wizards, fantastical creatures, forces of good and evil, and a battle. This is what I thought about it:

1. I enjoyed the writing style: the choice of words and the structure of the sentences. I had already read some of quotes and reviews written by the author on Goodreads and liked them. The book was the same.
2. The story flows very smoothly. It took me two days to read the book over three or four reading sessions. Not once did I feel exhausted or bored. There were no tedious descriptions or unnecessary, confusing sentences. It was clear, concise and a breeze to read.
3. While the overall theme of the book is grim, there are minor incidents or conversations every now then that keep it light and balanced. I enjoyed them.

Overall, it’s an enjoyable book without the boring details you have to get through before anything exciting happens (like in LOTR). I keenly look forward to the sequel.

[Helene Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was attracted to this book due to the title: Kandor, the Warrior. I have little experience with the fantasy genre and must admit that I am not a fan of fantasy but thought I would give it a try. This was adult fantasy at its best: witches, sorcerers, warriors, goblins, slaves, dragons, demons, hydra, kings, queens, and other wicked beasts. The discovery of a spear made out of a unicorn horn that targets enemies on its own fascinated and intrigued me. The book was well written and moved at a fast pace. The author, Leo gave general descriptions of characters without being too explicative. The author used high-class, polished English and maintained the same writing style throughout the novel. It was easy to identify which character was speaking since each character had a unique voice. The novel is definitely an adult fantasy due to its gory and graphic details

[Seth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nostalgic is the first word that comes to mind. As a little kid, The Neverending Story was my favorite movie and my book, The Hobbit. As a teenager I got lost in the tabletop RPG Vampire the Masquerade and the collectible card game Magic: The Gathering. This book transported me back to all those wonderful fantasy worlds with brave warriors and terrifyingly evil creatures! If you have an appreciation for any of the things I mentioned above, you’ll love this book. I felt truly immersed in Kandor’s world!

There’s a number of things I really loved about this book. First off, was the pace that the story moved. It was fast paced and the action/adventure didn’t stop at all. I’ve had trouble in the past focusing on some books in the fantasy genre because they are just too overly detailed about stuff I don’t really care about. Even though I can appreciate a lot of those books are well written, I don’t really need to read ten pages describing the armor and sword of the warrior. This book never lost sight of moving the story along never losing sight of what’s important.

Second, it was very easy to understand. Once again, with this genre, stories can tend to go on my tangents where I’ve gotten a bit lost due to their complexity. This story however was straightforward and solidly told and I didn’t get confused at all. Now, that’s not to say it was predictable. Quite the contrary, there were quite a few times that I was so not expecting what had happened.

Another thing I loved about it was bringing horror elements into this fantasy world. As a horror fan I enjoyed the darkness of the character of Morgana and her demonic creatures and Leo’s amazing description of the gory fight scenes.

I throughly enjoyed this ride and the only thing that kept me from giving it 5/5 was that I just wanted to know more about Kandor. He’s the protagonist and the name of the book, yet I found myself not being that invested in him as a character. I cared more about Morgana and about Kandor’s quest to save the king than him as an actual person. I just wanted more personality and backstory for him to get me more emotionally invested. But definitely a great book overall and I’ll look forward to the next one in this series.

[Oakroot · Rating 2 out of 5]

evil Morgana
Kandors self-guiding spear kills
rabbit for dinner

[Urabe · Rating 4 out of 5]

First of all, apologies for my late review.

The overall plot worked out. I liked general Graygher route the most. It was interesting to see his journey on finding new recruits.

Battle was decent and had a nice twist beforehand.

However...

I have noticed the use of multiple perspectives. They can work out well, but Kandor the Warrior had too much of those. I would keep it to a max of 4, maybe 5 perspectives.

Also had a few issues with the gore. In a fighting scene, it is most normal to have a bit of that but in this case, it was described with too much detail. Some readers will like this, but others like me, will have problems with it.

Overall this was a very good effort by LEO!!!
I am looking forward to the revenge of Morgana.

[Bobby Luke · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. As such, I will try to be as fair and constructive as possible.

The Good:
-So many monsters, of all types.
-A spear made out of a unicorn horn, that targets enemies on it's own. (Seriously, that's cool)
-Unique relationship between main villain and one of the "good guys".

The Bad:
-Difficult to relate to some of the characters due to minimal character development and backstory.
-Heavy reliance on Deus Ex Machina to get out of situations, or using mythology mentioned only one chapter earlier. (Mythology/worldbuilding was never only for worldbuilding sake - so I began to expect that whatever I was learning about would be making it's way into the story in the next chapter or so.)

[Richard Pearce · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic read hope there are more to come

[John Nobrega · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant book , loved it , written by a very talented author.

[James Foard · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It has a great pace to it and there is no filler, thus it kept my interest throughout.
It reminded me so much of my youth reading the Fighting Fantasy Books albeit, without the need for dice.
The enemies are suitably evil and their various minions are unleashed on the heroes frequently, becoming progressively fouler as the warriors quest unfolds.
Elements of the ending were quite surprising and is set up perfectly for the a sequel.
Well done Leo. I look forward to reading the next instalment.