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Rise of the King #0.5
Excalibur Rises
A legend begins.
When Vivian, the Lady of the Lake, is asked by Merlin to help him obtain a powerful sword, she leaves Avalon to find the Forger of Light in Dragon’s Hollow. But he has a reputation and she fears the cost for such a sword will be high. How much is she prepared to do for Merlin and the future King Arthur?
This is a short story prequel to the series Tom's Arthurian Legacy, a series about Tom's adventures with King Arthur in the Other. If you love myth and magic, you'll love this re-imagining of an old tale.
Buy now to find how Excalibur was made, and how Tom's journey began.
When Vivian, the Lady of the Lake, is asked by Merlin to help him obtain a powerful sword, she leaves Avalon to find the Forger of Light in Dragon’s Hollow. But he has a reputation and she fears the cost for such a sword will be high. How much is she prepared to do for Merlin and the future King Arthur?
This is a short story prequel to the series Tom's Arthurian Legacy, a series about Tom's adventures with King Arthur in the Other. If you love myth and magic, you'll love this re-imagining of an old tale.
Buy now to find how Excalibur was made, and how Tom's journey began.
- GenresShort Stories
ebook
Published June 8, 2018
1 person is currently reading
52 people want to read
About the author
T.J. Green
79 books715 followersI'm a writer, a pagan, and a witch, and consequently love all things magical. I write fictional books about witchcraft and the paranormal, and they are jam-packed with fabulous characters, colourful settings, plenty of action, and lots of humour.
I was born in England, in the Black Country, but moved to New Zealand in 2006. I lived near Wellington with my partner Jase, and my cats Sacha and Leia. However, in April 2022 we moved again! Yes, I like making my life complicated… I’m now living in the Algarve in Portugal, and loving the fabulous weather and people. When I’m not busy writing I read lots, indulge in gardening and shopping, and I love yoga.
Confession time! I’m a Star Trek geek – old and new – and love urban fantasy and detective shows. Secret passion – Columbo! Favourite Star Trek film is the Wrath of Khan, the original! Other top films – Predator, the original, and Aliens.
In a previous life I was a singer in a band, and used to do some acting with a theatre company. For more on me, check out a couple of my blog posts. I have also written a blog about how I finally became comfortable about calling myself a witch. It's called Leaning into my Witch.
I was born in England, in the Black Country, but moved to New Zealand in 2006. I lived near Wellington with my partner Jase, and my cats Sacha and Leia. However, in April 2022 we moved again! Yes, I like making my life complicated… I’m now living in the Algarve in Portugal, and loving the fabulous weather and people. When I’m not busy writing I read lots, indulge in gardening and shopping, and I love yoga.
Confession time! I’m a Star Trek geek – old and new – and love urban fantasy and detective shows. Secret passion – Columbo! Favourite Star Trek film is the Wrath of Khan, the original! Other top films – Predator, the original, and Aliens.
In a previous life I was a singer in a band, and used to do some acting with a theatre company. For more on me, check out a couple of my blog posts. I have also written a blog about how I finally became comfortable about calling myself a witch. It's called Leaning into my Witch.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
June 6, 2022
I found this interesting. I know a fair bit about Arthurian legends, and was intrigued to see which direction would be taken here. Following Vivien, who is sometimes conflated with Nimue in some stories, and purported to be Merlin's undoing, was a nice break from what the norm seems to be. I also liked that the other 8 women who reside/rule/protect Avalon were mentioned as well.
Never having heard of Giolladhe, I'm now going to go do some googling. He was a mystery. Because we see through Vivien's eyes, you know there's something not quite right about him, and yet...sigh...she's willingly taken in by him. Which irked me.
Be smart woman!
All in all, this was a nice teaser to her other series, which I have yet to read, and may just pick it up now.
Content:
Language: None that I recall
Violence: None.
Sexual: There is a maybe implied fade to black type scene. Just kissing, but my brain was like, uh huh, that likely happened "off screen" but nothing is said or seen, you can imply either way.
Never having heard of Giolladhe, I'm now going to go do some googling. He was a mystery. Because we see through Vivien's eyes, you know there's something not quite right about him, and yet...sigh...she's willingly taken in by him. Which irked me.
Be smart woman!
All in all, this was a nice teaser to her other series, which I have yet to read, and may just pick it up now.
Content:
Language: None that I recall
Violence: None.
Sexual: There is a maybe implied fade to black type scene. Just kissing, but my brain was like, uh huh, that likely happened "off screen" but nothing is said or seen, you can imply either way.
June 13, 2018
This was a much needed prequel as it ties up beautifully with the rest of the books in the series and fills in some gaps which we had as readers of Tom's Arthurian Legacy. Vivienne is a delightful character, usually so strong willed and also magically powerful yet so easily swayed by Giolladhe. In this book we also get to meet Nimue and see the immediate attraction Merlin had to this woman, he as usual is always a pleasure to read about, at least for me he is as I am a great fan of Merlin! This short story was such an enjoyable read, my only complaint is that it was too short as I would have loved to go on reading about the start of a legend which was Excalibur, Arthur's magical sword which in turn was to bring peace to the turbulent times in Britain. I highly recommend this short prequel to all those interested in Arthurian lore and stories about Merlin the greatest wizard of all time!
August 8, 2022
Received as a freebie for signing up for the author's newsletter.
Meant to be a sneak peek of how Excalibur came to be from the POV of the Lady of the Lake; I really felt like this book missed the mark. Also, it reminded me of why I prefer queer romance over hetero ones. The whole relationship between Vivian and Excalibur's forger felt weird and unbalanced, hinting that whats-his-name was dangerous, bad, or manipulative. Then, she slept with him anyway? It reeked of the 'women just love bad guys' trope, which I HATE. The entire romance was underdeveloped and unnecessary to the flimsy plot.
The writing style and the dialogue kept throwing me out of the timeframe, making it impossible for me to believe that we were in a world of magic and kings. Also, the whole other world with the second forge seemed like a random non-sequitur. The whole story felt like a mess.
Meant to be a sneak peek of how Excalibur came to be from the POV of the Lady of the Lake; I really felt like this book missed the mark. Also, it reminded me of why I prefer queer romance over hetero ones. The whole relationship between Vivian and Excalibur's forger felt weird and unbalanced, hinting that whats-his-name was dangerous, bad, or manipulative. Then, she slept with him anyway? It reeked of the 'women just love bad guys' trope, which I HATE. The entire romance was underdeveloped and unnecessary to the flimsy plot.
The writing style and the dialogue kept throwing me out of the timeframe, making it impossible for me to believe that we were in a world of magic and kings. Also, the whole other world with the second forge seemed like a random non-sequitur. The whole story felt like a mess.
August 12, 2021
A brilliant little short story from Rise of the King series, a fantastic new take on the Legendary Sword Excalibur, in this beautifully written tale we follow Merlin and the Lady of the Lake, Merlin asks the Lady of the Lake if she can have the most magical sword made to bind the realms together and drive the invaders from Britain, With a new King a young sixteen year old Arthur, he must have a sword that will bring peace to the kingdom, she travels to see Giolladhe, the famous sword maker in all the lands, a trip into to the Realm of Fire and the legend is born, Excalibur, absolutley great, fun read, I love reading different authors takes on legendary stories, highly recommend...😁
August 6, 2019
This is a short story prequel to Tom's Arthurian Legacy. I wrote it because when I'd finished book 3, Galatine's Curse, I realised there was more to share about Giolladhe's past and Vivian's. And it's a bit of a love story.
Vivian, the Lady of the Lake, is complex and secretive, so I enjoyed fleshing out her history. And of course, the heart of this story is about how Excalibur came to be forged by the Giolladhe, the Forger of Light.
It's not published at the moment. If you want to read it, you can do so by subscribing to my newsletter, and then it's free!
Vivian, the Lady of the Lake, is complex and secretive, so I enjoyed fleshing out her history. And of course, the heart of this story is about how Excalibur came to be forged by the Giolladhe, the Forger of Light.
It's not published at the moment. If you want to read it, you can do so by subscribing to my newsletter, and then it's free!
March 30, 2019
You have to read this short book before delving into the series. It sets the stage. I liked it a lot. Went on to start reading the series & am not disappointed in the series. Looking for more time to keep reading the books by this author. I received a free copy through Bookfunnel. This is my voluntery review.
July 20, 2018
This is the story of how Vivian, the Lady of the Lake, has Excalibur forged for Merlin. Wonderfully written short story. Makes you want to know more about Vivian, Gilladhe, Nimue and Avalon. Looking forward to more stories.
January 2, 2022
*I received a copy from the author. This does not affect my review. *
This is a very well written story, one which grabbed my interest very early and maintained that interest for the rest of the story. In other words, it is everything I feel a story should be!
This is a very well written story, one which grabbed my interest very early and maintained that interest for the rest of the story. In other words, it is everything I feel a story should be!
May 16, 2023
I am not too familiar with the Arthurian legend, but I felt this novella was a good beginning to a series. There were several grammatical errors throughout, which did make reading this a tad difficult at times. The book was okay, but not enough to make me go out and read the series.
August 24, 2018
Mystical, magical. A fabulous story-behind-the-story, about Excalibur's creation and how it was planned that it should come into Arthur's possession.
May 25, 2019
Short story, prequel to a series I 'm about to start reading. This explains why and how the sword was made and of a promise given by Vivian and Merlin.
December 15, 2019
This a fascinating short story about how Excalibur came to be. Very good.
March 16, 2022
Loved this small book about how Excalibur was forged. I wished that it was longer but it was a good prequel to Call of the King which I am looking forward to reading.
April 17, 2022
I enjoyed this short story. I haven't read many books about King Arthur but this has whetted my appetite, I feel a new series coming my way.
October 30, 2022
A great short story with a different take on the origin of King Arthur's sword Excalibur
August 17, 2023
Short and sweet.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews