Warden of the Ash Tree

by Joshua Robertson

Maksim Artur, a Vucari noble, heard the rumors of Reds killing their god at Anaerfell. Without the threat—and promise—of the Horned God, the Vucari society is ready to rip itself apart. When a group of skin-switchers sneak away to find out the truth, Maksim is given free rein to stop them. Now, while attempting to protect the Vucari tradition and his personal legacy, Maksim will discover what it truly means to be a Warden of the Ash Tree.

75 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 31, 2017

About the author

You may recognize him as the dude whose dragons were said to destroy George R.R. Martin's and Christopher Paolini's dragons in a very biased Twitter poll. His first novel, Melkorka, was released in 2015, and he has been writing fantasy fiction like clockwork ever since. Known most for his Thrice Nine Legends Saga, Robertson enjoys an ever-expanding and extremely loyal following of readers.

Joshua Robertson is the CEO of Crimson Edge Press, the Goblin King from the Goblin Horde on YouTube, and a bestselling author in dark fantasy. Robertson is a Licensed Master Social Worker, who received his degree from Wichita State University. He has worked with children and families for the past fifteen years in a variety of unique venues: a residential behavior school, a psychiatric treatment facility, and the child welfare system. He has functioned as a supervisor, an educator, a behavior specialist, and a therapist during his career. Mr. Robertson has presented trainings for hundreds of professionals and military personnel on topics that include child abuse and neglect, human trafficking, strengthening the parent and child relationships, and the neurobiological impact of trauma.

He currently lives in North Carolina with his better half and his horde of goblins.

Reviews

[Al Burke · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author proves again he is a master of his craft with a short story based in his Thrice Nine Legends saga. The protagonists are Wardens, clerics tasked with maintaining the faith. They discover how blind faith can be, as much of what they believe in is thrown into question. The story is fast-paced (you'll probably read it in an hour or so), but engaging throughout, and the author's use of Slavic legends gives it a nice twist on standard fantasy fare.

Why only four stars for a glowing review? There were a couple of editing booboos that actually surprised me, as the author's work is usually of the highest standard.

Still, it's a great read otherwise - check it out.

[Rebekah Jonesy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once again Robertson shows us that truth is fluid, and so is right and wrong. This is the other side of the story after Anaerfell. Where the old maybe bad guys are the new maybe good guys. As good and bad as any realistic group of peoples can be.
Which is what makes this book, and this entire series, so friggin good! Great, realistic, relateable characters that you sympathize with as they struggle with their responsibilities and try to do what's right while doing their best to save their world, their god, and their way of life.

[C.L. Cannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Robertson knows how to write diverse and interesting characters. The dialogue was believable, and I really enjoyed the interactions between the characters. The story was short, but held my interest from start to finish!

[Tony Fecteau · Rating 4 out of 5]

It felt like the story was just getting started when it ended. I will need to re-examine this world for sure.

[Jackie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Totally too short. Loved the story of good and bad, but got to the end too quick. Received a free copy.