What do you think?
Rate this book
The Apprentice Stone
(A Science Fiction Novel: The temporal war was won, but they were stranded in the past.)
In Medieval Spain, when Christians and Moors fought for both land and the hearts of men, Francisco escapes from his drunken uncle. Orphaned on the streets of Toledo, Francisco has nothing more than the clothes he wore and the family’s most prized possession. A secret. A simple stone with mystic powers that heals all ills and injuries. With it, he struggles to restore his honor.
Since 3188 BC, the surviving soldiers from a future time war have fought among themselves and altered Earth’s history in the guise of gods or in the cover of shadows. The Key’ari consider the Earth timeline a fresh chance to correct the errors of alternate histories, and they intend to manipulate it in hopes of creating a utopia. The other faction, the Sittiri, fear that continued intervention will further disrupt the continuum and destroy the galaxy.
As the Key’ari threaten to overrun the outnumbered Sittiri, the Sittiri discover that Francisco is the answer to prophesy and could end the war. Each faction strives to recruit him without killing him or ripping the timeline again.
In Medieval Spain, when Christians and Moors fought for both land and the hearts of men, Francisco escapes from his drunken uncle. Orphaned on the streets of Toledo, Francisco has nothing more than the clothes he wore and the family’s most prized possession. A secret. A simple stone with mystic powers that heals all ills and injuries. With it, he struggles to restore his honor.
Since 3188 BC, the surviving soldiers from a future time war have fought among themselves and altered Earth’s history in the guise of gods or in the cover of shadows. The Key’ari consider the Earth timeline a fresh chance to correct the errors of alternate histories, and they intend to manipulate it in hopes of creating a utopia. The other faction, the Sittiri, fear that continued intervention will further disrupt the continuum and destroy the galaxy.
As the Key’ari threaten to overrun the outnumbered Sittiri, the Sittiri discover that Francisco is the answer to prophesy and could end the war. Each faction strives to recruit him without killing him or ripping the timeline again.
419 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 7, 2017
5 people are currently reading
39 people want to read
About the author
Darrell Newton
6 books7 followersJohn Newton is the author of science fiction short stories and novels based on questions like:
What would you do with a stone that heals anything?
If you could look like anyone, who would it be?
When time travelers lose their tools, what happens?
Born in Simi Valley, California, John attended 12 different schools until he finally got it right and was graduated from a high school in Cyprus. No, not Cypress, California, but Cyprus the island in the Mediterranean.
The Cypriots soon realized it was in their national interest to ship John back to the US. He meandered through college until the administration bribed him to leave with two apparently contradictory degrees: Theology and Electrical Engineering. He is currently working as an electrical engineer, robotics programmer, landlord, and father of seven. Sometimes he even writes a thing or two.
What would you do with a stone that heals anything?
If you could look like anyone, who would it be?
When time travelers lose their tools, what happens?
Born in Simi Valley, California, John attended 12 different schools until he finally got it right and was graduated from a high school in Cyprus. No, not Cypress, California, but Cyprus the island in the Mediterranean.
The Cypriots soon realized it was in their national interest to ship John back to the US. He meandered through college until the administration bribed him to leave with two apparently contradictory degrees: Theology and Electrical Engineering. He is currently working as an electrical engineer, robotics programmer, landlord, and father of seven. Sometimes he even writes a thing or two.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
January 9, 2018
The Apprentice Stone by author Darrel Newton was kind of a mixed bag for me. I thoroughly appreciate how time consuming it is to put a book like this together. The sci-fi time travel nerd inside of me was excited at the prospect of this book and the idea of time travel within in the 1200’s. But between the Sittiri/Key’ari war, the actual Crusades, and the protagonist’s own family problems, I had a hard time keeping track of everything that was going on. Also, in the beginning of the book it makes it seem like Miyuki is coming from space, and then you kind of forget it about… then at the very end of the book there is the reveal about where she’s actually coming from. The two moments were too far apart and you REALLY have to pay attention to all the details or you get lost. That was the big problem with this book for me, there was just too much. And then for it be a set up was disappointing. We didn’t see anything after Francisco’s choice, which would have made the ending more satisfying.
I’m giving this book 4 stars for the sheer amount of effort the author put into this book. There are NO plot holes, which is amazing. It just didn’t do a good job of holding my attention through the first 70% of the book. The concept and technology are very interesting though. I think the author just got bogged down in semi-interesting but ultimately not plot important details in the first half.
I’m giving this book 4 stars for the sheer amount of effort the author put into this book. There are NO plot holes, which is amazing. It just didn’t do a good job of holding my attention through the first 70% of the book. The concept and technology are very interesting though. I think the author just got bogged down in semi-interesting but ultimately not plot important details in the first half.
October 11, 2017
Do you love Star Wars? How about Guardians of the Galaxy? Then my guess is you’ll love the APPRENTICE STONE.
The one unique thing that sets this book apart from the others is the element of time travel. A major factor in this tale…but there’s a twist. You can no longer travel back in time, only forward. The adventure begins with Francisco, a young medieval Spanish boy whose inherited a healing stone…only to be used for good otherwise you chance damaging the stone.
Francisco is challenged with living on the streets of Toledo Spain and hiding from his uncle. As if this weren’t enough for the young healer to deal with he’s now tempted to join up with the Sittiri or KEY’ARI to help save the world by full filling an ancient prophecy or taking a different path and becoming powerful creating a new destiny for all those involved.
The author has crafted a very believable world with sticking to true life events and detail of setting. How one wouldn’t believe they were running with Francisco and a group of teens in medieval Spain , fighting in the battle of Las Navas de Tolosa, or being sold in a 14th century slave market, I couldn’t comprehend after reading these pages.
The authors use of historical facts and Sci-Fi blend beautifully. The aspect of Sci-Fi works well especially the time travel. I’ll be honest. Time travel baffles me…the concept and mechanics of it all, but after reading the Apprentice Stone I’ve got a better handle on it. It’s the fact that the author’s approach is not overbearing and so far out there that it helps make it more understandable and believable. You’ll wish you had your own oclocks or Plexus bed.
All I can say is Wow! Wow! Wow!
If all Sci-Fi were written this well and entertaining my bookshelves would be filled with them.
My only problem seemed to be picking a favorite character. All had a unique voice. All had a unique story of their own. All created a unique problem for me to root for just one. So I took a unique approach and am rooting for all of them! From our hero, Francisco to the bad guy, Ceowolf I can guarantee there won’t be a character to dislike. Each are written with their own Joie de vis.
I highly recommend this book and look forward to the next edition to this series.
The only question I have for the author and his well crafted novel…Aare you in any way related to Sir Isaac Newton?
Lucky if you are, wonderfully written if not, but all in all, brilliantly done!
The one unique thing that sets this book apart from the others is the element of time travel. A major factor in this tale…but there’s a twist. You can no longer travel back in time, only forward. The adventure begins with Francisco, a young medieval Spanish boy whose inherited a healing stone…only to be used for good otherwise you chance damaging the stone.
Francisco is challenged with living on the streets of Toledo Spain and hiding from his uncle. As if this weren’t enough for the young healer to deal with he’s now tempted to join up with the Sittiri or KEY’ARI to help save the world by full filling an ancient prophecy or taking a different path and becoming powerful creating a new destiny for all those involved.
The author has crafted a very believable world with sticking to true life events and detail of setting. How one wouldn’t believe they were running with Francisco and a group of teens in medieval Spain , fighting in the battle of Las Navas de Tolosa, or being sold in a 14th century slave market, I couldn’t comprehend after reading these pages.
The authors use of historical facts and Sci-Fi blend beautifully. The aspect of Sci-Fi works well especially the time travel. I’ll be honest. Time travel baffles me…the concept and mechanics of it all, but after reading the Apprentice Stone I’ve got a better handle on it. It’s the fact that the author’s approach is not overbearing and so far out there that it helps make it more understandable and believable. You’ll wish you had your own oclocks or Plexus bed.
All I can say is Wow! Wow! Wow!
If all Sci-Fi were written this well and entertaining my bookshelves would be filled with them.
My only problem seemed to be picking a favorite character. All had a unique voice. All had a unique story of their own. All created a unique problem for me to root for just one. So I took a unique approach and am rooting for all of them! From our hero, Francisco to the bad guy, Ceowolf I can guarantee there won’t be a character to dislike. Each are written with their own Joie de vis.
I highly recommend this book and look forward to the next edition to this series.
The only question I have for the author and his well crafted novel…Aare you in any way related to Sir Isaac Newton?
Lucky if you are, wonderfully written if not, but all in all, brilliantly done!
December 8, 2017
I'm not drawn to science fiction stories, but I love history and The Apprentice Stone. The book kept me questioning what the writers next move would be. It wasn't predictable! I liked the way the author used real historical events and crafted a fictional story around it. I felt sympathetic to Francisco and his struggled with his cruel uncle...but I was drawn deeper into the story because of the charged tension between the Sittir and Key'ari. I will admit, there were a lot of different kinds of names and term in the glossary, but the foot notes really helped. However, it also showed me that the character were fully formed, and because they had current names, relevant to that time and location. It helped make it a more believable story line and the foot notes helped refreshen my memory with Avar technology. The constant change in scene and character POV added to a rich texture of hidden intrigue to a well developed story world.
It's threaded lightly with Christianity which added to the internal conflict of the story. The twists and turns in the complexity of the story line make it a really good read.
It's threaded lightly with Christianity which added to the internal conflict of the story. The twists and turns in the complexity of the story line make it a really good read.
February 3, 2018
I did find the book hard to follow at first, but once I got more into it, I thought it was great. About healing stones, time travel, and so much more. I will now like to read the Child of the Stone, to get a background on how the stone came to Francisco and his family.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews