The Runner

The Vale #0.5

by Brian D. Anderson

Drake Sharazi, disgraced former captain of the Royal Guard has spent the past seven years chasing fugitives as a hawker. He has never failed to complete an assignment. And this new runner will not be an exception. But being able to do a thing, does not mean you should. Now he is forced to question the world around him as never before.

Genres: Fantasy

64 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 20, 2018

About the author

Known as one of the O.G. independent authors of the 2010-2012 indie explosion, Brian D. Anderson gained massive popularity right out of the gate with his debut series, The Godling Chronicles. His follow-up series, Dragonvein, was just as popular, Book One becoming a Top Five Finalist on Audible.com for Fantasy Book of the Year in 2015 – becoming the very first independent to reach the finals. But Anderson was far from finished.
After co-authoring Akiri with Steven Savile (Warhammer, Pathfinder, Dr. Who, and Sherlock Holmes) Anderson became the first independent author in history to secure a six-figure audio only deal for his highly anticipated two-book sequel of The Godling Chronicles.
Anderson continued with his indie career with The Vale series. But even after twenty novels, he felt there was more to accomplish. So he secured a three-book deal with Tor Books for The Sorcerer’s Song series.
When not writing, Brian D. Anderson divides his time enjoying his friends and family at home in the sleepy little southern town of Fairhope, Alabama, and riding atop his Harley Davidson, dubbed The Mighty Puck, traveling the country from convention to convention, meeting fans and signing books.

Reviews

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really fast paced little story in the world of the Vale. Pretty great introduction to the life Drake Sharazi leads just prior to book one. This would be a great place to dip a toe into this world to see if you like it! :)

[Andrew Hale · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having enjoyed Brian Anderson's writing in The Child and The Jewel of Dantenos, I looked forward to this tale of Drake Sharazi. Some degree of action but a lot of time is spent on the atmosphere and Drake's reservations. I think I'll give the first book of each series a shot and go from there.

Hilton Landing, like the rest of Vale, is a gritty rundown environment where law and order still rule, but within the confines of corrupted officials and over-regulated ordinances for the people. Though technology and magic exist, the atmosphere is more akin to the wild west, and bounty hunters (called hawkers) live by a slightly different standard than most, where some hire out basically as mercenaries. Drake, exiled from his royal guard position within the noble hierarchy, takes on a pretty good bounty in hunting down Brant Varish, but Brant seems to have friends and scruples that set him apart from Drake's typical mark. With claims of conspiracy and shadowy shotcallers behind the vale of simulated wastelands, Drake's hopeless pessimism may have to take a backseat while Drake faces his biggest bounty yet: his own life.

Notes:
- Hawker - bounty hunter; Drake Sharazi (exiled from city of Troi; ex-royal guard)
- Runner - bounty on them; Brant Varish
- Cal - mana-infused vehicle that Drake drives
- Vale - rundown county/country?
- Hilton Landing - in Vale (where Drake hunts Brant)
- Lucky's Tavern - owned by Bull; errently named after wife Lucy

[Shawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the setting Brian Anderson has created in The Vale. It reminds me of the atmosphere from the Fallout games, but with magic -- speaking of, I'd love to see a game adaptation of this.

The writing is easy to follow and keeps the pages turning. The ideas here are great (the P37 gun that uses magic/energy siphoned from a device in the character's chest [I was imagining a Tony Starks look there], the badass post-apoc/futuristic car and its creation, this big mystery with the world/Vale/Troi and how it got to be that way, the creation of the Hawkers and mages, just...everything!) and I need to know more about them so I'll definitely be checking out the novel that comes after this.

[Francis Chamberland · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Runner (From the World of the Vale Review

Dear Brian, what an excellent introduction to Vale your next book in the series. I have already read Vale and reviewed it. Loved it as well as this short story. This story set up the main hero Drake nicely. I highly recommend reading this short story first and to anyone interested a great story enjoy. Thanks for the entertainment.