Nysta: Scion of Dragonclaw

by Lucas Thorn

Ninth in an ongoing Heroic Fantasy series, 'Scion of Dragonclaw' promises violent action, oddball mages, and a foul-mouthed wisecracking heroine tougher than a hardboiled egg. Following in the footsteps of Conan, Drizzt, the Gray Mouser, Elric, Druss, and many more heroes of Sword and Sorcery, the elf called Nysta will carve her own epic path. And that path will be bloody. --- She killed like a monster, he thought. A cruel one. Tore into flesh with reckless abandon. Hints of some training, but mostly berserk. He’d seen men fight like her before. Most burned out young. Those who survived were scarred creatures whose eyes regarded the world as a feast to be consumed. More beast than human. They had no friends. No family. Trusted only their weapons and their skills. He watched her chop into Figjam’s head. Used her heavy knife like an axe. He could hear the skull split open. Winced at the sound. Wanted to turn and run, but he wasn’t stupid. Knew enough about elfs to know they had sinister ears. Eyes which could pierce the dark. And could also smell an ant fart, is what his sergeant had told him. So, he stayed where he was. Breathing real slow. And trying not to fart. --- Her knives know no mercy... Nysta has been given her first assignment by the Order of the Iron Day. Complete it, and she's been promised more gold than she can carry. Fail, and gold won't mean a thing in the Shadowed Halls. It was meant to be easy. Hideg had it all planned out. But with a vengeful gang hot on her trail and a new troop of guards between her and her targets, there'd only be one way this was going to end. In blood. Lots of it.

238 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 3, 2018

About the author

I write blood-soaked fantasy, weird horror, and dark revenge stories about broken people who just won’t stay down.

If you like foul-mouthed assassins, eldritch monsters, grimy cities, or antiheroes who stab first and process emotions never — you’re probably in the right place.

I share behind-the-scenes lore, writing process breakdowns, and new fiction early on Patreon.com/lucasthorn — plus occasional rants and weird thoughts over on Discord and Facebook.

Come say hi. Bring knives.

More information about my books can be found on my website: http://www.lucasthorn.com.

Reviews

[Jeremy Pallant · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lucas Thorn's Nysta series is unusual in that it's quality has remained the same, or indeed improved, over the 9 book series. Yes, I did say 9 book series. Trail of the Necromancer should definitely be considered part of it.

I have previously described the series as a cross between George G. Gilman (who Lucas is a fan of) and J. R. R. Tolkien. This remains accurate, though in the last couple of books I would throw in Quentin Tarantino. If ever Tarantino were to make a fantasy movie, the Nysta series would be a prime candidate.

Not quite sure what Tolkien would think of Nysta. I like to think he would be horrified to discover that his elven trope has been so effectively turned on its head. Gilman, I suspect, would love it.

With the influences mentioned, and adding in that of the manga, Blade of the Immortal, it should come as no surprise that this isn't a series for the kiddies. Make no mistake, this is Grimdark with a capital "guh." Following the classic piece of advice to writers "if you're having trouble with the plot, kill someone" it is violent, bloody, profane and cruel, and the protagonist glories in it. If you were to take Tolkien's elven archetype, cut its throat and drink its still warm blood in an amusing fashion, you have some idea of what to expect.

What is curious is that if you read the entire series, the anti-heroine Nysta, is actually something of a sympathetic character. I'm not going to get into why this is, you have to read it for yourself. Lucas has achieved the interesting task of creating characters, not just Nysta, but Hemlock and Melganaderna as well (Trail of the Necromancer and Blade of the Vampire King), who despite being basically evil, are somehow not quite as evil as some of those they encounter, and you are definitely on their side as they drown the world in blood.

Highly recommended.

[Reece · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing series! Cant WAIT for the next one!!!

This series keeps you enthralled! Can't wait to see how far it goes! The style in which it unfolds is addicting .