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The Dark God Rises #1
The Pale Swordsman
Ancient evil wakes from eons old sleep, and pits its strength against the world of man…
Brand, exiled since his youth from the land he should rightfully rule, returns home. But nothing is as it seems, and the usurper who murdered his parents and sent countless assassins to kill him is not his greatest threat.
A magician serves the usurper, and his power is of a kind both deadly and rare. Brand does not know of his existence, but the magician divines his coming and his purpose. He cannot let Brand live, for he is the sort of man who can tumble thrones and challenge fate itself.
Brand, intent on righting past wrongs, gathers an army as he journeys. But enemies beset him. Beasts of magic hunt him. And the pale swordsman who is not a man stalks him across the land. Brand enters a world of magic, a time of chaos and a crossroads of destiny. For a dark shadow of evil reaches forth to conquer, and one man will not stop it, nor will one kingdom sate its lust for dominion…
Brand, exiled since his youth from the land he should rightfully rule, returns home. But nothing is as it seems, and the usurper who murdered his parents and sent countless assassins to kill him is not his greatest threat.
A magician serves the usurper, and his power is of a kind both deadly and rare. Brand does not know of his existence, but the magician divines his coming and his purpose. He cannot let Brand live, for he is the sort of man who can tumble thrones and challenge fate itself.
Brand, intent on righting past wrongs, gathers an army as he journeys. But enemies beset him. Beasts of magic hunt him. And the pale swordsman who is not a man stalks him across the land. Brand enters a world of magic, a time of chaos and a crossroads of destiny. For a dark shadow of evil reaches forth to conquer, and one man will not stop it, nor will one kingdom sate its lust for dominion…
- GenresFantasy
259 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 7, 2018
413 people are currently reading
189 people want to read
About the author
Robert Ryan
38 books122 followersI am a man born in the wrong era. My heart yearns for faraway places and even further afield times. Tolkien had me at the beginning of The Hobbit when he said, ". . . one morning long ago in the quiet of the world . . ."
I love to read high fantasy and epic fantasy novels, and I have a passion to write, to weave a story with words that draws the reader into another world.
I love to read high fantasy and epic fantasy novels, and I have a passion to write, to weave a story with words that draws the reader into another world.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
January 14, 2022
Brand is a strong, badass MC that fights for what he believes in. Not once did he falter. This was quick read with plenty of interesting characters. I can’t wait to find out more about the magician, who is one of the villains of this story. He is by far the more interesting of the two baddies. 4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 4, 2019
A great read!
I have just have no words to describe how much I love this author’s books. They engage me totally and I appreciate so much that I can trust that there is nothing in his books that I would be ashamed to have my family read. There is darkness and light.. and though I know good will prevail, I still get anxious as I read for the hero. The heroes in this book do not disappoint! I can’t wait for the next one in the series!
I have just have no words to describe how much I love this author’s books. They engage me totally and I appreciate so much that I can trust that there is nothing in his books that I would be ashamed to have my family read. There is darkness and light.. and though I know good will prevail, I still get anxious as I read for the hero. The heroes in this book do not disappoint! I can’t wait for the next one in the series!
February 25, 2020
Going Home.
It's great to be reading about Brand again. His final quest in life to take back his homeland. His two best friends at his side didn't expect anything less. How easily others fallow Brand just by his kindness, his strength, his power with words. I would fallow Brand an I have in this amazing journey in book one. The Author has delivered another great story line.
It's great to be reading about Brand again. His final quest in life to take back his homeland. His two best friends at his side didn't expect anything less. How easily others fallow Brand just by his kindness, his strength, his power with words. I would fallow Brand an I have in this amazing journey in book one. The Author has delivered another great story line.
November 21, 2021
The writing can be a bit overburdened at times. Characters are flat and simple, generally only motivated by honor/duty or power. I never felt invested in any of the characters except maybe one of the antagonists they meet. A story about her would probably have been a better book but maybe that would have been a "Grimdark" novel instead of the "Noblebright" novel the author was going for. Attempts at fleshing out Brand (the protagonist) fall flat especially at the end of the book.
The character the book is named for is hardly even part of the story and I feel like they could have been used much more effectively. They cause hardly any tension at all for Brand.
The character the book is named for is hardly even part of the story and I feel like they could have been used much more effectively. They cause hardly any tension at all for Brand.
June 24, 2023
This book, as another reviewer put it, is written in an overburdened style. It is not terrible and did not make me want to stop reading, but it was difficult to immerse myself in the story at hand.
If you as a reader are excited to find out and read about the character who the book is named for, you will be disappointed. That character shows their face more than halfway through the book and is rarely seen even after that.
The author wanted to have a wide range of perspectives to get the full picture of what was happening in the world as a whole, but it made it harder to follow the story. What would have been better was to stick with the protagonist, Brand, and spend time developing his character. Brand was a very flat character and so was the rest of the characters around him. There really is not a character that has two sides to them. Each has a trait or two and that is all that they ever will be.
The world is something that clearly Ryan put a lot of time into. There are two appendices at the end of the book so that nothing will be misunderstood. It is a nice touch that not all of the world building was shoved into the pros as it is not all needed. That information is still given, just in the back of the book. It makes sure that the book does not feel cramped. While the characters need plenty of work, the world does not.
Time passing is not written well. There was not a single time that I could pinpoint how much time had passed from one chapter to the next. The book as a whole passed in an amount of time, but again I do not know how long.
The lack of time and the poorly developed characters are a big part on why this is a three star review. Actions by Brand really nailed in the mediocrity of this book.
Here there will be some spoilers.
Brand did not fail a single time. When something bad happened to him, like when he was whipped at the beginning of the story, it was all intentional and it was all a part of his master plan. There was a character who I did like reading about in this and that was the magician. Horta failed so many times and it was more interesting than reading about Brand being so cool and winning all the time. Brand seemed invincible and so did his close circle.
Multiple times some one would get seriously injured and in the next section they would be fine. At the beginning, they were attacked by wolves and in a day or two, I think, they were perfectly fine and gathering men like they were not just on death's door.
If you like reading about a guy who never fails and always is the best then give this a read, but if you want to read something that goes deeper than "honor is what guides me to the top" it is best to skip this. It is not the worst thing to be written, but there is no tension and just filled with "and they won"s.
If you as a reader are excited to find out and read about the character who the book is named for, you will be disappointed. That character shows their face more than halfway through the book and is rarely seen even after that.
The author wanted to have a wide range of perspectives to get the full picture of what was happening in the world as a whole, but it made it harder to follow the story. What would have been better was to stick with the protagonist, Brand, and spend time developing his character. Brand was a very flat character and so was the rest of the characters around him. There really is not a character that has two sides to them. Each has a trait or two and that is all that they ever will be.
The world is something that clearly Ryan put a lot of time into. There are two appendices at the end of the book so that nothing will be misunderstood. It is a nice touch that not all of the world building was shoved into the pros as it is not all needed. That information is still given, just in the back of the book. It makes sure that the book does not feel cramped. While the characters need plenty of work, the world does not.
Time passing is not written well. There was not a single time that I could pinpoint how much time had passed from one chapter to the next. The book as a whole passed in an amount of time, but again I do not know how long.
The lack of time and the poorly developed characters are a big part on why this is a three star review. Actions by Brand really nailed in the mediocrity of this book.
Here there will be some spoilers.
Brand did not fail a single time. When something bad happened to him, like when he was whipped at the beginning of the story, it was all intentional and it was all a part of his master plan. There was a character who I did like reading about in this and that was the magician. Horta failed so many times and it was more interesting than reading about Brand being so cool and winning all the time. Brand seemed invincible and so did his close circle.
Multiple times some one would get seriously injured and in the next section they would be fine. At the beginning, they were attacked by wolves and in a day or two, I think, they were perfectly fine and gathering men like they were not just on death's door.
If you like reading about a guy who never fails and always is the best then give this a read, but if you want to read something that goes deeper than "honor is what guides me to the top" it is best to skip this. It is not the worst thing to be written, but there is no tension and just filled with "and they won"s.
March 21, 2020
A good book, a little shorter than I was expecting, but that didn't take from my joy - the story moves quickly, at times too quickly, and though it's hard to get characterization in so short a story, the reader still gets a flavour of who the characters are and their actions tend to speak louder than their thoughts, making this an incredibly interesting first book in a series, and I will take a read of the next, it will be worth it xx
December 31, 2020
Dark god Rises Trilogy
Another good book by Robert Ryan. I enjoy reading his stories. This is like alot of others where family gets killed and son is trained in the art of war to get revenge for his Family and take back what was taken. I look forward to the next book in this series.
Another good book by Robert Ryan. I enjoy reading his stories. This is like alot of others where family gets killed and son is trained in the art of war to get revenge for his Family and take back what was taken. I look forward to the next book in this series.
January 25, 2021
We return to the land that Mr. Ryan has created around the same time frame that his other series takes place. But the location and the characters are different. Same pacing. If you like the other series, then you will probably like this one too. It will be interesting to see IF he brings the two series together????
January 24, 2019
Weird pacing
I just thought it was weirdly slow and then really fast paced with no middle ground and I found myself skimming through much of it. I gave two stars because it was not badly written so it did not deserve a one, but it’s pacing was not good enough for more.
I just thought it was weirdly slow and then really fast paced with no middle ground and I found myself skimming through much of it. I gave two stars because it was not badly written so it did not deserve a one, but it’s pacing was not good enough for more.
November 11, 2019
Tepid
Very timid in its plot, feels like superman has returned. Did nothing to inspire me to continue with this series. Plot is slow in build up characters very thinly defined, will nt be continuing with series.
Very timid in its plot, feels like superman has returned. Did nothing to inspire me to continue with this series. Plot is slow in build up characters very thinly defined, will nt be continuing with series.
February 14, 2021
I enjoyed this book a great deal
The book is well written and moves at a good pace which I liked. I finished it in two days which is fast for me. The book is a great reference for the other series the author is working on now.
The book is well written and moves at a good pace which I liked. I finished it in two days which is fast for me. The book is a great reference for the other series the author is working on now.
April 19, 2021
Great
As I started reading I realized that Robert Ryan was telling a story the way Louis L'Amour wrote! He is bringing the characters alive and and helping you imagine you are their! Thanks
As I started reading I realized that Robert Ryan was telling a story the way Louis L'Amour wrote! He is bringing the characters alive and and helping you imagine you are their! Thanks
May 27, 2021
The Pale Swordsman
First book in a new trilogy from Robert Ryan. A good story developing slowly. Book dragged a bit while the author set the stage for the series I'm looking forward to the next book and hope Ryan ups the ace a bit
First book in a new trilogy from Robert Ryan. A good story developing slowly. Book dragged a bit while the author set the stage for the series I'm looking forward to the next book and hope Ryan ups the ace a bit
January 17, 2022
Robuster
Very good story . Well written , good hook , a likable protagonist and his side kicks.
What the story lacks , is a romantic individual for the protagonist to confide in.
Absolutely recommend this fine work.
Very good story . Well written , good hook , a likable protagonist and his side kicks.
What the story lacks , is a romantic individual for the protagonist to confide in.
Absolutely recommend this fine work.
August 4, 2022
A good start
I thoroughly enjoyed this first instalment, characters are introduced and believable, and the story proceeds along at an interesting pace, which builds nicely into the climax. It is worth reading, and I am now starting the 2nd book.
I thoroughly enjoyed this first instalment, characters are introduced and believable, and the story proceeds along at an interesting pace, which builds nicely into the climax. It is worth reading, and I am now starting the 2nd book.
August 31, 2023
All the books that Robert Ryan write always are off the highest level they are really great to read, as I said with previous Reviews I would highly recommend any one to read his books Laurie Stuart Blacktown Sydney
October 23, 2025
Really enjoyed this book. Around 240 pages which is great. First time trying this author and I am glad I did.
Great story telling about friendship, belief and great characters.
Onto book 2 for the bus journey to work
Great story telling about friendship, belief and great characters.
Onto book 2 for the bus journey to work
February 14, 2019
Noblebright
This author captures my imagination with his complex characters and emotive language. I try to bring to my tabletop games what he gives me in his books.
This author captures my imagination with his complex characters and emotive language. I try to bring to my tabletop games what he gives me in his books.
July 20, 2021
Interesting
Following Brand as he tries to win back the land that was stolen from him when his parents were murdered. It's an interesting tale of magic and trickery
Following Brand as he tries to win back the land that was stolen from him when his parents were murdered. It's an interesting tale of magic and trickery
September 10, 2021
Poorly written
Bad read. Won't read anymore by this author. Good thing I didn't pay anything for this. Once again poorly written
Bad read. Won't read anymore by this author. Good thing I didn't pay anything for this. Once again poorly written
May 28, 2023
The Pale Swordsman
Reminds me of the works of Ursula K LeGuin and J R Tolkien with the hidden depths of history and fantasy entwined.
Reminds me of the works of Ursula K LeGuin and J R Tolkien with the hidden depths of history and fantasy entwined.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews