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Thread of Souls #1
Phantom Five
In the first installment of this thrilling series aspiring paladin Zok hopes the sleepy coastal village he traveled to will be his new home. A place to become a full-fledged paladin of his dragon god away from large cities where his half-elven heritage is shameful. But his world is rocked when the temple high priest, his beloved mentor, is murdered. Now Zok finds he can’t trust anyone in a place that once felt like a safe refuge.Seeking answers within the catacombs beneath the temple, a dark plot reveals itself. Zok teams up with old and new friends on a journey for answers and for justice. He discovers that if he is ever to become a paladin, he will have to rise to a challenge that takes him further from home than he’s ever been, and against the most dangerous enemies he’s ever faced.In the Thread of Souls "Spider Octology", ten adventurers are caught in a web of deadly secrets, warring cults, and untrusting alliances when they meet a cult runaway seeking freedom. They must overcome their differences in order to stop a god’s release from an abyssal prison.Thread of Souls is an award-winning eight-book epic fantasy series. These stories weave a world of deep history, cultures, and lore with a fascinating pantheon of good and evil gods. Adventure across the vast world of Corventos while diving right into the heart and soul of a diverse and colorful cast of characters whose passions, strengths, and failures drive the story.Thread of Souls is a must-read fantasy epic that blends swords and sorcery, dragons and mythical creatures, and fully realized locations that take your breath away. From the desert wastelands of the Expanse, down the twisting caverns of the Deep Hollows, through the beautiful streets of the lakeside capital city, and all the way to the icy tundra home of the Citadel.The books in Thread of Souls’ “Spider Octology” currently 1 – Phantom FiveBook 2 – Ash & ThunderBook 3 – Path of the SpidersBook 4 – AsunderBook 5 - Coming 2024And more to come! Cover and interior updated as of November 2022.
463 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 1, 2019
6 people are currently reading
36 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
August 10, 2021
Thread of Souls: Book I: Phantom Five
The Book’s synopsis on Amazon:
The sudden death of a high priest in a sleepy coastal village has rocked aspiring Paladin Zok’s world. Finding evidence of murder, he can trust no one in the temple as a dark plot unravels itself. Zok teams up with a group of adventurers to seek answers deep within the desert.
He’s joined by a nomadic Druid who is haunted by visions of a calamity, and an orphan thief who is chasing her kidnapped sister across the planes. And by a boisterous pirate, an enigmatic Wizard, and a Ranger fugitive of war. If they cannot put aside their differences, they will not survive the world of occult magic, interplanar monsters, and hungry undead that await them.
And halfway across the land, Taliesin and Ruuda are two fugitives from their oppressive homes. They venture out in a world where they must hide their identity or risk execution.
I will try and refrain from putting any spoilers in this review. Having played Dungeons and Dragons for over 30 plus years this book fit me like a glove. It felt exactly like I was part of an adventuring party, which was the main party of characters in this book. It was a classic team of differing types of PC's, led by the paladin Zok. The paladin has always been my favorite player character and so I immediately was energized by this half elf paladin who wields a fierce iron hammer.
The party has several other interesting members including Jade, a female druid, who reads like your basic adorable hippie chick, who could have come straight from Woodstock, and Sen, the brawling barbarian dragonborn. These three meet up at the Arrowed Knee Tavern, a chuckle worthy nod to every D&D aficionado’s favorite video game, Skyrim. The writing has a wonderful sense of humor, and I'm willing to bet the author has had some serious experience playing DND.
The writing is crisp and does not drag. Nor does it shortchange the reader. I would like to hear this as an audiobook. This first installment in this series has me ready to read the second one and excited about it.
Though the kidnapping plot is a familiar trope, and might be considered a stereotypical one, it is a familiar trope because it works, and it works in this case. I won't say anymore about that so that I don't give anything away there. This book is well worth the time end the money.
That being said on a scale of 1 to 10 I'll give Thread of Souls: Book One: Phantom Five a 9.25 out of 10.
The Book’s synopsis on Amazon:
The sudden death of a high priest in a sleepy coastal village has rocked aspiring Paladin Zok’s world. Finding evidence of murder, he can trust no one in the temple as a dark plot unravels itself. Zok teams up with a group of adventurers to seek answers deep within the desert.
He’s joined by a nomadic Druid who is haunted by visions of a calamity, and an orphan thief who is chasing her kidnapped sister across the planes. And by a boisterous pirate, an enigmatic Wizard, and a Ranger fugitive of war. If they cannot put aside their differences, they will not survive the world of occult magic, interplanar monsters, and hungry undead that await them.
And halfway across the land, Taliesin and Ruuda are two fugitives from their oppressive homes. They venture out in a world where they must hide their identity or risk execution.
I will try and refrain from putting any spoilers in this review. Having played Dungeons and Dragons for over 30 plus years this book fit me like a glove. It felt exactly like I was part of an adventuring party, which was the main party of characters in this book. It was a classic team of differing types of PC's, led by the paladin Zok. The paladin has always been my favorite player character and so I immediately was energized by this half elf paladin who wields a fierce iron hammer.
The party has several other interesting members including Jade, a female druid, who reads like your basic adorable hippie chick, who could have come straight from Woodstock, and Sen, the brawling barbarian dragonborn. These three meet up at the Arrowed Knee Tavern, a chuckle worthy nod to every D&D aficionado’s favorite video game, Skyrim. The writing has a wonderful sense of humor, and I'm willing to bet the author has had some serious experience playing DND.
The writing is crisp and does not drag. Nor does it shortchange the reader. I would like to hear this as an audiobook. This first installment in this series has me ready to read the second one and excited about it.
Though the kidnapping plot is a familiar trope, and might be considered a stereotypical one, it is a familiar trope because it works, and it works in this case. I won't say anymore about that so that I don't give anything away there. This book is well worth the time end the money.
That being said on a scale of 1 to 10 I'll give Thread of Souls: Book One: Phantom Five a 9.25 out of 10.
June 22, 2021
The Review
This was such a fun and engaging fantasy read. Detailed with both character backstory and mythology, the authors have done a masterful job crafting a story with both magical and larger-than-life action that blends with personal narratives that really connect the cast of characters with the reader.
The balance of dark fantasy and character growth really elevates the narrative here. The danger and stakes of this fantasy world are made apparent early on in the story, as one of the main characters watches her sister taken right before her eyes by a large flying creature out of a nightmare. Yet it is the bond between the characters that really steals this story, as the blend of humor, charm, and heroism mixes with the personal problems each of these characters faces with their pasts and futures. It speaks of the classic swords and daggers, hero’s journey elements of adult fantasy novels that fans have come to know and love over the years.
The Verdict
An exhilarating, thrilling, and breathtaking fantasy-driven story, authors Scott and Ashley Roepel’s “Thread of Souls” is a must-read novel for fantasy fans of 2021! The first in an exciting 8-part fantasy series, the authors have created a brilliant and engaging story that hosts the magic and wonder that so many fans of the fantasy genre have always loved, and fans will not want to miss out on this series for themselves. Be sure to grab your copy today!
This was such a fun and engaging fantasy read. Detailed with both character backstory and mythology, the authors have done a masterful job crafting a story with both magical and larger-than-life action that blends with personal narratives that really connect the cast of characters with the reader.
The balance of dark fantasy and character growth really elevates the narrative here. The danger and stakes of this fantasy world are made apparent early on in the story, as one of the main characters watches her sister taken right before her eyes by a large flying creature out of a nightmare. Yet it is the bond between the characters that really steals this story, as the blend of humor, charm, and heroism mixes with the personal problems each of these characters faces with their pasts and futures. It speaks of the classic swords and daggers, hero’s journey elements of adult fantasy novels that fans have come to know and love over the years.
The Verdict
An exhilarating, thrilling, and breathtaking fantasy-driven story, authors Scott and Ashley Roepel’s “Thread of Souls” is a must-read novel for fantasy fans of 2021! The first in an exciting 8-part fantasy series, the authors have created a brilliant and engaging story that hosts the magic and wonder that so many fans of the fantasy genre have always loved, and fans will not want to miss out on this series for themselves. Be sure to grab your copy today!
July 31, 2022
If you like Lord of The Rings or Critical Role then this is a series for you! This book is based on a Dungeons and Dragons campaign. It keeps the chaos and fun characters that you expect in a table top role playing game! Thread of Souls is a quick paced read with deep connections to the characters and the story. This first book is a great introduction into the fantasy world with meaningful descriptions and introductions to character races and classes. There’s plenty of characters so you will be sure to find one to love! There were some spots that seemed to pass too quickly or too slowly, and some spots where more information or less could have helped with pacing and connection. Overall, it is a great fantasy read that is sure to remind you of your own table top role playing adventures. From eccentric to sometimes silly characters, and high stakes encounters, you’ll be hooked. I can’t wait to see where the characters end up in the next book!
January 26, 2023
Big fan of D&D and progression novels. The multiple story lines in this book felt disjointed for most of the telling. A lot of side information thrown in during conversations with a lot of character's telling us the things the've done instead of actually doing them in the story. I did find the characters Unole, Ruuda and Taliesen intriguing and may revisit the other books in the series to see where their stories lead.
January 1, 2023
I highly recommend this amazing fantasy series. From book one I was sucked into this vivid amazing world. The depth of the characters and their stories keep you wanting more.
January 28, 2023
Epic fantasy at its finest! I loved the wide cast of characters, each were really enjoyable. I felt this was a very solid start to this series. The world-building was really impressive, though not too much to get overwhelming. I liked the varying POV's, it was fun to get into the heads of each character. There was a lot of heart in this, it felt like every plot point was character-driven. Also, this book has a different cover on Amazon, so this seems to be out of date.
August 6, 2021
I loved this book! A great read for any fans of epic fantasy. The characters were dynamic and interesting, and the world is really big and complex.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews