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Mandestroy
The Sword of the Guardian must be forged of perfection.
Kantal is a fighter, and he sings the warrior song. He has had to. Born with nothing more than a girl's name, he has endured a life of torment. But large obstacles do not imply small expectations. Quite the opposite in fact.
And his country has long suffered too, investing five hundred fruitless years in trying to retake rich lands that were stolen by invaders from the sea. But that may be about to change. Kantal is destined to become guardian of the crown.
Because Kantal has a talent, and he has a plan. Now all he needs is to be heard. Can he finally ride the tide of his hard fought reputation, and succeed where all others have failed? Can he finally sing his warrior song?
More on this fictional sword fantasy for boys, girls, or young adults of any age.
This is a novella and the prequel in a YA Sword and Sorcery series: The Age of Ku. It consists of a story in a story, so it is perhaps a little unorthodox. The inner story is the story of Kantal's childhood, and his path to learning the warrior song. The outer story covers his time as guardian of the crown, and acts as a prequel to another series. I really enjoyed exploring Kantal, and I hope you do too!
This book will be perfect for anyone who enjoyed:
- Kel Kade's Kings's Dark Tidings series;
- Duncan M. Hamilton's Wolf of the North series; or
- Philip C. Quaintrell's Echoes of Fates series.
Happy reading.
Kantal is a fighter, and he sings the warrior song. He has had to. Born with nothing more than a girl's name, he has endured a life of torment. But large obstacles do not imply small expectations. Quite the opposite in fact.
And his country has long suffered too, investing five hundred fruitless years in trying to retake rich lands that were stolen by invaders from the sea. But that may be about to change. Kantal is destined to become guardian of the crown.
Because Kantal has a talent, and he has a plan. Now all he needs is to be heard. Can he finally ride the tide of his hard fought reputation, and succeed where all others have failed? Can he finally sing his warrior song?
More on this fictional sword fantasy for boys, girls, or young adults of any age.
This is a novella and the prequel in a YA Sword and Sorcery series: The Age of Ku. It consists of a story in a story, so it is perhaps a little unorthodox. The inner story is the story of Kantal's childhood, and his path to learning the warrior song. The outer story covers his time as guardian of the crown, and acts as a prequel to another series. I really enjoyed exploring Kantal, and I hope you do too!
This book will be perfect for anyone who enjoyed:
- Kel Kade's Kings's Dark Tidings series;
- Duncan M. Hamilton's Wolf of the North series; or
- Philip C. Quaintrell's Echoes of Fates series.
Happy reading.
111 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 28, 2016
43 people are currently reading
60 people want to read
About the author
James Hockley
12 books27 followersHey there - so this is where I introduce myself. Umm... [stands in corner with eyes to the floor].
Well, that's what the introvert in me says, but I'm sure we can do better than that, can't we?
First up, there's a picture of me right up there, which is a good start. And yes, I’m the one at the back – where the arrow is pointed. The cut-off mop of blond hair at the front is my son, who always seems to make it into my photos these days. It seemed rude not to include him...
But a photo isn’t really getting to know someone, is it? So, that’s why I thought I’d lay my whole life in front of you in this handy breakdown:
1. Sleeping [33.3% of my life]
2. Working [23.8% of my life]
3. Tidying up after the kids [20.5%]
4. Having fun with the kids [7.1%]
5. Running (to escape from the kids) [3%]
6. Watching anything but kids' TV [8%]
7. Writing [4%]
As you can see, there’s only a little slither of time for writing – right up there at the top. Not that I’m complaining or anything, but hopefully that explains why it has taken 17 years (yup, that’s seventeen) to get these stories down onto digital paper. Hopefully it’ll get quicker with practice…
In the meantime, if you fancy finding out more (or indeed saying hello), then please do. These are the best ways of getting in touch:
Website: jhockley.com
Email: jh@jhockley.com
It may alarm you to notice that there isn’t a link to a Facebook page at this juncture. Sorry about that. As you will see from the infographic, there isn’t any time put aside for social media, and so the Facebook page I did once setup became a desolate waste-ground that wasn’t helpful to anyone. So it got binned. Maybe one day it will get revived, but in the meantime come and visit me at the website or ping me an email – it’d be great to hear from you.
Well, that's what the introvert in me says, but I'm sure we can do better than that, can't we?
First up, there's a picture of me right up there, which is a good start. And yes, I’m the one at the back – where the arrow is pointed. The cut-off mop of blond hair at the front is my son, who always seems to make it into my photos these days. It seemed rude not to include him...
But a photo isn’t really getting to know someone, is it? So, that’s why I thought I’d lay my whole life in front of you in this handy breakdown:
1. Sleeping [33.3% of my life]
2. Working [23.8% of my life]
3. Tidying up after the kids [20.5%]
4. Having fun with the kids [7.1%]
5. Running (to escape from the kids) [3%]
6. Watching anything but kids' TV [8%]
7. Writing [4%]
As you can see, there’s only a little slither of time for writing – right up there at the top. Not that I’m complaining or anything, but hopefully that explains why it has taken 17 years (yup, that’s seventeen) to get these stories down onto digital paper. Hopefully it’ll get quicker with practice…
In the meantime, if you fancy finding out more (or indeed saying hello), then please do. These are the best ways of getting in touch:
Website: jhockley.com
Email: jh@jhockley.com
It may alarm you to notice that there isn’t a link to a Facebook page at this juncture. Sorry about that. As you will see from the infographic, there isn’t any time put aside for social media, and so the Facebook page I did once setup became a desolate waste-ground that wasn’t helpful to anyone. So it got binned. Maybe one day it will get revived, but in the meantime come and visit me at the website or ping me an email – it’d be great to hear from you.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
October 15, 2016
Having previously read 'Fear's Union' by James Hockley, I was eager to read a further instalment of the story. This book is set in a time prior to that of 'Fear's Union', but once again the use of language by this author inspired and held my interest from start to end. The journey through life from childhood is not an easy one for the main character, Kantal, and the hardships and bullying he has to put up with in his youth is well described in a way that I could not help but be intrigued by where his life would lead. This is fantastic writing and a story line that I believe would be suitable for anyone from teen years and on.
January 14, 2017
The protagonist in this story reminded me of an old song by Johnny Cash
The story began about 30% of the way through. It started out in a way that was painful to read because the moment was long, drawn out, redundant and lost my interest after the first page. Also, The Phrase that I grew to hate started on the first page. I continued to see The Phrase, repeated on every page, until about the 30% mark. Then The Phrase was thankfully abandoned, or maybe I had become so numb to it that my eyes just skipped it. In any case, when The Phrase resurfaced towards the end, I sprinted through the rest of the novella, just to avoid a rehash of my frustration. The Phrase was....well. I just can't write it. Nothing is offensive about The Phrase in itself, and I could deal with poetic license to use it with some repetition, but, for me, it was too much. I grew to hate reading it, which tainted my view of the story. Despite the repetition of The Phrase, the scarce examples of why The Phrase came about, didn't live up to the over-emphasis of The Phrase.
Too much repetition - in general. That's what bugged me throughout the story. Arses tightening. Anal rape. Enough already. At some point, the reader gets it. Also, too many long passages of reflection, which instead of going deep, were reiterations--ten ways of writing the same emotion is hard to read after awhile. I wish there had been more story telling that allowed emotional space to get to know the characters.
If all that were fixed, I think I could have enjoyed it more. Some parts were humorous, and I rooted for Jossie. I liked the relationship between a prince and a sword-maker's son. However, I didn't buy that the boy could become a martial expert in the manner it was accomplished. It didn't ring true for me.
The story began about 30% of the way through. It started out in a way that was painful to read because the moment was long, drawn out, redundant and lost my interest after the first page. Also, The Phrase that I grew to hate started on the first page. I continued to see The Phrase, repeated on every page, until about the 30% mark. Then The Phrase was thankfully abandoned, or maybe I had become so numb to it that my eyes just skipped it. In any case, when The Phrase resurfaced towards the end, I sprinted through the rest of the novella, just to avoid a rehash of my frustration. The Phrase was....well. I just can't write it. Nothing is offensive about The Phrase in itself, and I could deal with poetic license to use it with some repetition, but, for me, it was too much. I grew to hate reading it, which tainted my view of the story. Despite the repetition of The Phrase, the scarce examples of why The Phrase came about, didn't live up to the over-emphasis of The Phrase.
Too much repetition - in general. That's what bugged me throughout the story. Arses tightening. Anal rape. Enough already. At some point, the reader gets it. Also, too many long passages of reflection, which instead of going deep, were reiterations--ten ways of writing the same emotion is hard to read after awhile. I wish there had been more story telling that allowed emotional space to get to know the characters.
If all that were fixed, I think I could have enjoyed it more. Some parts were humorous, and I rooted for Jossie. I liked the relationship between a prince and a sword-maker's son. However, I didn't buy that the boy could become a martial expert in the manner it was accomplished. It didn't ring true for me.
February 6, 2017
Because you can't beat a Mandahoi.
Joss Kantal had a hard childhood - growing up a boy with a girl's name can do that to you. Youngest of 5 boys and seemingly a disappointment to all, he spends his time learning and dreaming in the library when not being bullied and abused. Until he discovers the meaning of his name, Kantal - or blacksmith - and creates a Mandahoi sword from Mandari steel. And now he has a purpose and a goal, if any will listen. He needs to win back the land the Mandari stole over 100 years ago, and prove his worth, not only to the world, but to himself.
Because you can't beat a Mandahoi . . . unless you have what it takes to become the Mandestroy.
Only complaint is that the prologue could have been abbreviated with just as much effect, and the use of the Mandahoi phrase became a bit overwhelming in its frequency of use in that chapter.
Otherwise, this story is gripping. It's an underdog story, at its heart, and a gritty tale of wit and guts and fear and hope. The story stops on quite a cliff-hanger, but it doesn't feel cheap. The story is rich and full, and it continues past the last page (thankfully with more pages :).
Fair warning - this is a very adult tale, in that it deals with difficult material, like his dark childhood beatings and assault that may not be suitable for a younger audience. All of it is handled well - not too graphic and even with a touch of humor without making light of the terrible situation.
It's not my usual read (definitely not the fairies and magic kind of fantasy), but if it's your kind of thing, it comes highly recommended.
Joss Kantal had a hard childhood - growing up a boy with a girl's name can do that to you. Youngest of 5 boys and seemingly a disappointment to all, he spends his time learning and dreaming in the library when not being bullied and abused. Until he discovers the meaning of his name, Kantal - or blacksmith - and creates a Mandahoi sword from Mandari steel. And now he has a purpose and a goal, if any will listen. He needs to win back the land the Mandari stole over 100 years ago, and prove his worth, not only to the world, but to himself.
Because you can't beat a Mandahoi . . . unless you have what it takes to become the Mandestroy.
Only complaint is that the prologue could have been abbreviated with just as much effect, and the use of the Mandahoi phrase became a bit overwhelming in its frequency of use in that chapter.
Otherwise, this story is gripping. It's an underdog story, at its heart, and a gritty tale of wit and guts and fear and hope. The story stops on quite a cliff-hanger, but it doesn't feel cheap. The story is rich and full, and it continues past the last page (thankfully with more pages :).
Fair warning - this is a very adult tale, in that it deals with difficult material, like his dark childhood beatings and assault that may not be suitable for a younger audience. All of it is handled well - not too graphic and even with a touch of humor without making light of the terrible situation.
It's not my usual read (definitely not the fairies and magic kind of fantasy), but if it's your kind of thing, it comes highly recommended.
January 11, 2017
Mandestroy is a prequel to a longer, larger work which, I presume, fills in aspects of political, cultural, geographical and social setting left largely blank in this shorter work. That the writer has a very clear and well developed conception of these things is beyond doubt. But rather than painting his fantasy concept as a wide canvas, the writer in this work confines himself to the inner landscape of the protagonist, Kantal, filling in his backstory from bullied youngest son of the blacksmith to trusted General in the King’s Guard. It will be interesting to those familiar with Hockley’s other work and be a hook to draw in those engaged enough to want to discover it.
That said, I had some issues with this novella as a stand-alone work. In fact, it made me a bit cross, and here’s why.
Generally speaking a book will begin with a question, a mystery perhaps or a conundrum of some kind, which the rest of it will then proceed to answer. This story opens as a desperate and unequivocally unwinnable one-on-one battle is about to commence between our hero and the never-beaten Mandahoi. The mantra ‘you can’t beat a Mandahoi’ is reiterated thirteen times (perhaps eight or nine too many?) and, of course, what we expect is that against all odds he WILL beat a Mandahoi (whatever that is). It is an absolute given that this brutal clash is going to be the dramatic zenith of the story; everything points to it, and because we don’t know what a Mandahoi is, or why it is unbeatable, or how it fights, this is the central question which the book must answer.
Before the battle can commence, though, we are whisked back in time twenty years to discover why this encounter is Kantal’s defining moment. The episodes in his adolescence are written with a great deal of self-analysis which sometimes feels like navel-gazing and are intensely self-deprecating in tone; this guy has a chip on his shoulder the size of Wales! But at times the writing breaks out of this introspective to have verve and sensitivity. The young Kantal is badly treated indeed, but the wounds inflicted in his youth seem never to heal; the doubts of the youngster reflect exactly the doubts of the older man facing his nemesis. It was hard to believe that a man still so riven with self-doubt could have risen to such high estate and made me wonder whether the hype and build-up in the opening chapter would come to nothing: perhaps, after all, Kantal WOULDN’T beat the Mandahoi? It’s a clever device, in one way - although the non-development of Kantal’s character rankled - it made me all the more eager to witness the fight and know the outcome, so, as far as that goes, the book was fulfilling its function and drawing me on to the answer of the question it had set.
But, in an act of utter perfidy, I was deprived of the much vaunted and all-important battle between Kantal and the grey, menacing figure of the Mandahoi! What sword-fighting techniques, supernatural powers, acrobatic prowess or skills of mind-control it might have brought to bear were totally denied me, and I felt like I’d been sold down the river.
What’s more, this non-denouement comes at a random stage in Chapter Five - 12 years ago, breaking the retrospective chronology which has been established rather than returning me to the ‘Now’ of the book’s present day. One minute the Prince and his squire are strolling back from the Smithy and the next we’re neck-deep in the melee which will bring General Kantal and the Mandahoi face to face. There’s a big build up - many more iterations of ‘you can’t beat a Mandahoi’, the thing emerges, wraith-like, from the mist, ‘it’s just you and me, buddy,’ says Kantal, or words to that effect and then… nothing, just a woolly aftermath. What the heck just happened? I have no idea.
Suddenly I can make sense of the writer’s teasing suggestion in his preface that I could read further scenes by signing up to his newsletter. Further scenes - sure, but not THAT scene, surely? What a pity! Because this is a fairly well-written story and I had engaged with Kantal’s character and predicament. But in the end, it left me feeling scammed.
That said, I had some issues with this novella as a stand-alone work. In fact, it made me a bit cross, and here’s why.
Generally speaking a book will begin with a question, a mystery perhaps or a conundrum of some kind, which the rest of it will then proceed to answer. This story opens as a desperate and unequivocally unwinnable one-on-one battle is about to commence between our hero and the never-beaten Mandahoi. The mantra ‘you can’t beat a Mandahoi’ is reiterated thirteen times (perhaps eight or nine too many?) and, of course, what we expect is that against all odds he WILL beat a Mandahoi (whatever that is). It is an absolute given that this brutal clash is going to be the dramatic zenith of the story; everything points to it, and because we don’t know what a Mandahoi is, or why it is unbeatable, or how it fights, this is the central question which the book must answer.
Before the battle can commence, though, we are whisked back in time twenty years to discover why this encounter is Kantal’s defining moment. The episodes in his adolescence are written with a great deal of self-analysis which sometimes feels like navel-gazing and are intensely self-deprecating in tone; this guy has a chip on his shoulder the size of Wales! But at times the writing breaks out of this introspective to have verve and sensitivity. The young Kantal is badly treated indeed, but the wounds inflicted in his youth seem never to heal; the doubts of the youngster reflect exactly the doubts of the older man facing his nemesis. It was hard to believe that a man still so riven with self-doubt could have risen to such high estate and made me wonder whether the hype and build-up in the opening chapter would come to nothing: perhaps, after all, Kantal WOULDN’T beat the Mandahoi? It’s a clever device, in one way - although the non-development of Kantal’s character rankled - it made me all the more eager to witness the fight and know the outcome, so, as far as that goes, the book was fulfilling its function and drawing me on to the answer of the question it had set.
But, in an act of utter perfidy, I was deprived of the much vaunted and all-important battle between Kantal and the grey, menacing figure of the Mandahoi! What sword-fighting techniques, supernatural powers, acrobatic prowess or skills of mind-control it might have brought to bear were totally denied me, and I felt like I’d been sold down the river.
What’s more, this non-denouement comes at a random stage in Chapter Five - 12 years ago, breaking the retrospective chronology which has been established rather than returning me to the ‘Now’ of the book’s present day. One minute the Prince and his squire are strolling back from the Smithy and the next we’re neck-deep in the melee which will bring General Kantal and the Mandahoi face to face. There’s a big build up - many more iterations of ‘you can’t beat a Mandahoi’, the thing emerges, wraith-like, from the mist, ‘it’s just you and me, buddy,’ says Kantal, or words to that effect and then… nothing, just a woolly aftermath. What the heck just happened? I have no idea.
Suddenly I can make sense of the writer’s teasing suggestion in his preface that I could read further scenes by signing up to his newsletter. Further scenes - sure, but not THAT scene, surely? What a pity! Because this is a fairly well-written story and I had engaged with Kantal’s character and predicament. But in the end, it left me feeling scammed.
August 5, 2016
Having not read any of James's other works, I didn't know what a ride I was on. This short novella was a very good read, highly informative, and fun. It can often be hard to wrap time shifts in a story together in a seamless way that makes things easy to ready, but James Hockley succeeds admirably.
Kantal is a somewhat tragic character, but you see how the circumstances of his life mold him into the determined and strong person he appears to be. There some somewhat strong violence and some sexual content, but it's not gratuitous. All in all I found this to be a great read.
Kantal is a somewhat tragic character, but you see how the circumstances of his life mold him into the determined and strong person he appears to be. There some somewhat strong violence and some sexual content, but it's not gratuitous. All in all I found this to be a great read.
April 6, 2020
Even though this was relatively short, Hockley manages to introduce a character that is deep and substantial. The world and environment had some real feelings to them and I can see this going places. To be honest, this reminded me of K.J. Parker's works at moments. I enjoyed the heck out of this!
May 3, 2019
Yup
Short but interesting read. Seems like a nice beginning of something spectacular. Will be waiting for more from this author.
Short but interesting read. Seems like a nice beginning of something spectacular. Will be waiting for more from this author.
March 3, 2019
Strange society, strange rules
I really voukn't dig into this book.
Middle age society with free access to library for all of people, from king to son if a blacksmith? What if son if blacksmith get money from a strsnger to stub king by knife whike he's reading.
Elder brother joins gang and bullies minor. Guy, your fellas willn't trust yih. If you cab't orofect your blood brother, how csn you pritdct your brother in arms?..
I don't believe, sorry
I really voukn't dig into this book.
Middle age society with free access to library for all of people, from king to son if a blacksmith? What if son if blacksmith get money from a strsnger to stub king by knife whike he's reading.
Elder brother joins gang and bullies minor. Guy, your fellas willn't trust yih. If you cab't orofect your blood brother, how csn you pritdct your brother in arms?..
I don't believe, sorry
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews