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Alastair Stone Chronicles #4
The Source
The portals are closed. The Evil have lost their pathway between their home and ours. No longer does humanity need to worry about extradimensional bodysnatchers with a thirst for pain and terror pouring through to wreak destruction on Earth.
So that means Stone, Jason, and Verity can rest for a while, right?
Yeah, maybe not.
The problem is, while there might not be any new Evil coming through, a whole lot of very powerful, very angry Evil are still stuck on our side. Desperate now, they're forced to put aside their differences and work together to come up with an ambitious plan to get their pipeline of soldiers up and running. And now they've got a dangerous ally on their side: a black mage with a longstanding hatred of Stone.
Will Stone and his friends figure out what the Evil are up to before they can set into motion something that can't be stopped--and that will end up killing thousands of people in the process?
So that means Stone, Jason, and Verity can rest for a while, right?
Yeah, maybe not.
The problem is, while there might not be any new Evil coming through, a whole lot of very powerful, very angry Evil are still stuck on our side. Desperate now, they're forced to put aside their differences and work together to come up with an ambitious plan to get their pipeline of soldiers up and running. And now they've got a dangerous ally on their side: a black mage with a longstanding hatred of Stone.
Will Stone and his friends figure out what the Evil are up to before they can set into motion something that can't be stopped--and that will end up killing thousands of people in the process?
412 pages, Paperback
First published December 15, 2015
204 people are currently reading
151 people want to read
About the author
R.L. King
68 books332 followersR. L. King is the author of the Amazon-bestselling urban fantasy series The Alastair Stone Chronicles.
When not doing her best to make life difficult for her characters, she works as a software technical writer for a large Silicon Valley database company.
She also freelances for Catalyst Game Labs, publisher of the popular roleplaying game Shadowrun, where she's contributed fiction and game material to numerous sourcebooks and one full-length adventure, "On the Run," which was included as part of the 2012 Origins-Award-winning "Runners' Toolkit."
Her first novel in the Shadowrun universe, "Borrowed Time," was published in Spring 2015. She's working on her second Shadowrun novel, "Veiled Extraction," which will be released in late 2016 or early 2017.
When not writing or working, she enjoys hanging out with her very understanding spouse and her small herd of cats, and watching way too much Doctor Who.
When not doing her best to make life difficult for her characters, she works as a software technical writer for a large Silicon Valley database company.
She also freelances for Catalyst Game Labs, publisher of the popular roleplaying game Shadowrun, where she's contributed fiction and game material to numerous sourcebooks and one full-length adventure, "On the Run," which was included as part of the 2012 Origins-Award-winning "Runners' Toolkit."
Her first novel in the Shadowrun universe, "Borrowed Time," was published in Spring 2015. She's working on her second Shadowrun novel, "Veiled Extraction," which will be released in late 2016 or early 2017.
When not writing or working, she enjoys hanging out with her very understanding spouse and her small herd of cats, and watching way too much Doctor Who.
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March 24, 2016The Source, Alastair Stone Chronicles, #4
by R. L. King
Finally. A book in the series that depicts Stone as actually having the talent he has been rumored to have, but that never seemed to show up in the past three books.
I almost rated this book 5 stars, but was held back by the nagging feeling that: a) we will never be through with The Evil and I, for one, was ready to be done with them and move on after the second novel; b) the feeling, in the climatic end, that there was just too much going on and that was distracting for me (and I found myself skimming pages, having to make myself go back and read to make sure I didn't miss any important parts); and c) this one did have a sort of cliffhanger ending. Yes, the situation the novel centers on is resolved, but it leaves Stone himself in a limbo state. If I didn't already have the 5th book in the series, I would have dropped the series right then and there. Grrrrr
I almost relented and gave that 5th star just because the author finally stopped using "p'raps" as part of Stone's speech pattern. But, nah. It stays at 4 stars.
I do really like Alastair Stone, even though a lot about the author's writing drives me a bit nuts (see above).
In this episode, Stone and his gang of 3: Jason, Verity and Sharra, are going to Burning Man. Based on some mysterious activity involving stolen magical how-to books, they believe The Evil are planning to either build a new, permanent portal to their world/dimension, or planning a summoning of an entity that can produce said portal. After a study of places where ley lines cross, they think The Evil's plan will take place at Burning Man. So, it's off to the outfitters for supplies and off to the car dealership for an RV and then it's off to Burning Man.
Present in this episode are many of the lesser Evil possessed, plus most of the more powerful Evil possessed, including a blast from Stone's past, Trin, the young black magic mage from the first novel. Also, there's a big baddy from another dimension, lots of eclectic and eccentric characters populating the Burning Man site, and action that runs the gamut from annoyance to danger. It will take all of Stone's strength and more if the group is to escape with their lives. And, in the end, is the cost too much?
As I said, I loved that Stone is depicted more powerfully in this novel than in previous novels, and also, more determined and sure of himself. The ending climax was, as it should have been, chaotic, but so chaotic as to be a bit frustrating to try and keep everyone's location and doings in order. Yes, I am moving on the the fifth (and currently last) in the series as I already have it. It will be interesting to see how Stone's predicament plays out.
by R. L. King
Finally. A book in the series that depicts Stone as actually having the talent he has been rumored to have, but that never seemed to show up in the past three books.
I almost rated this book 5 stars, but was held back by the nagging feeling that: a) we will never be through with The Evil and I, for one, was ready to be done with them and move on after the second novel; b) the feeling, in the climatic end, that there was just too much going on and that was distracting for me (and I found myself skimming pages, having to make myself go back and read to make sure I didn't miss any important parts); and c) this one did have a sort of cliffhanger ending. Yes, the situation the novel centers on is resolved, but it leaves Stone himself in a limbo state. If I didn't already have the 5th book in the series, I would have dropped the series right then and there. Grrrrr
I almost relented and gave that 5th star just because the author finally stopped using "p'raps" as part of Stone's speech pattern. But, nah. It stays at 4 stars.
I do really like Alastair Stone, even though a lot about the author's writing drives me a bit nuts (see above).
In this episode, Stone and his gang of 3: Jason, Verity and Sharra, are going to Burning Man. Based on some mysterious activity involving stolen magical how-to books, they believe The Evil are planning to either build a new, permanent portal to their world/dimension, or planning a summoning of an entity that can produce said portal. After a study of places where ley lines cross, they think The Evil's plan will take place at Burning Man. So, it's off to the outfitters for supplies and off to the car dealership for an RV and then it's off to Burning Man.
Present in this episode are many of the lesser Evil possessed, plus most of the more powerful Evil possessed, including a blast from Stone's past, Trin, the young black magic mage from the first novel. Also, there's a big baddy from another dimension, lots of eclectic and eccentric characters populating the Burning Man site, and action that runs the gamut from annoyance to danger. It will take all of Stone's strength and more if the group is to escape with their lives. And, in the end, is the cost too much?
As I said, I loved that Stone is depicted more powerfully in this novel than in previous novels, and also, more determined and sure of himself. The ending climax was, as it should have been, chaotic, but so chaotic as to be a bit frustrating to try and keep everyone's location and doings in order. Yes, I am moving on the the fifth (and currently last) in the series as I already have it. It will be interesting to see how Stone's predicament plays out.
June 2, 2019
This is the fourth in the series I have read. I fairly well rated it similarly, I would have given it a 3.5 if the ratings were more refined, to the first three and found it to be a good read. I noticed that she seems to crank one out about every 3 to 4 months. That said I have enjoyed the first four but do find them a bit lacking compared to other urban fantasy series I enjoyed. The differences seem to be along the lines of character development and unique quirks for each character, particularly Stone. They are more like the gang gets a new problem to investigate and does it but you don't get pulled into the world with the quirks and eccentricities of the people and in urban fantasy those should play a big part in the stories. I bought this and the previous three in a set of ebooks and have checked but our library does not carry any books by the author. Therefor I'm not sure if I will continue or not. I'll have to check on pricing and there are so many good reads in the two or three genres I like the price plays a big part in what to read. I used to collect the books I read but found a few years back it ended up cluttering and we just have too much stuff anyway so the library or an ebook has become the norm lately.
January 8, 2018
What a ride!!! With the portals destroyed, hopefully our heroes could rest & move on to other things. But a lot of the Evil still existed on our side, & a black mage, with a long standing hatred of Stone, plans to "rally" their soldiers & create a new pipeline that would once again allow them to enter our realm.
Stone, Jason, & Verity have their jobs cut out for them. Will they be able to overcome such odds, & save humanity?
Stone, Jason, & Verity have their jobs cut out for them. Will they be able to overcome such odds, & save humanity?
January 24, 2022
RL King is great!
If you are a fan of Dresden or any other urban fantasy, you will love this series. Ali star Stone is great character and his friends are all well developed characters as well. Enjoy, I sure am.
If you are a fan of Dresden or any other urban fantasy, you will love this series. Ali star Stone is great character and his friends are all well developed characters as well. Enjoy, I sure am.
April 17, 2023
This was #4 in a boxed set. That is why the dates are all the same.
Initially, this very powerful mage didn't seem all too powerful. He didn't seem to be able to do much on his own. But he came in to his own as the books progressed.
Initially, this very powerful mage didn't seem all too powerful. He didn't seem to be able to do much on his own. But he came in to his own as the books progressed.
February 4, 2017
The characters and the story line just get stronger and better with each book. Love the burning man set.
February 16, 2018
The series continues to improve. This is the best one yet
December 14, 2020
Overall I enjoyed it, but the numerous pages of the main characters having personal introspection caused me to skim
August 22, 2021
Awesome Indies Book Awards is pleased to include THE SOURCE (Alastair Stone Chronicles #4) by R.L. KING in the library of Awesome Indies'
Badge of Approval
recipients.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews