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Wraithshard #1

Sword & Flame

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Mazael Cravenlock is the lord of the Grim Marches, and no one dares to attack his lands or the people under his protection. He has crushed every enemy…but it will take more than swords to defeat his new foe. When the dreaded necromancer Lucan Mandragon returns from the grave, Mazael will need to rally all his allies and followers to face the threat. But the things hunting Lucan are far more dangerous…

282 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 1, 2020

186 people are currently reading
64 people want to read

About the author

Jonathan Moeller

407 books670 followers
Standing over six feet tall, USA Today bestselling author Jonathan Moeller has the piercing blue eyes of a Conan of Cimmeria, the bronze-colored hair of a Visigothic warrior-king, and the stern visage of a captain of men, none of which are useful in his career as a computer repairman, alas.

He has written the DEMONSOULED series of sword-and-sorcery novels, and continues to write THE GHOSTS sequence about assassin and spy Caina Amalas, the COMPUTER BEGINNER'S GUIDE series of computer books, and numerous other works. His books have sold over one million copies worldwide.

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5 stars
90 (57%)
4 stars
47 (30%)
3 stars
16 (10%)
2 stars
2 (1%)
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1 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
Profile Image for Barefoot Gypsy Jimerson.
714 reviews55 followers
May 13, 2020
Mazael is Back!!!!

Demonsouled is the first series I read from Jonathan Moeller. Mazael Cravenlock is a fighting machine an has a family just with like mind. This new series is just as powerful as before. There is a new evil that's come to the Marsh Land's an Mazael has called all his vessels to fight this new evil.
The characters are all outstanding. The story is fast pace an just as exciting as his previous work's. You are pulled in with sword in hand standing side by side fighting a war protecting your land's. Hoping Lacun finally dose the right thing to do for once in his life. Whether the know it not he is involved.
Mr. Moeller has brought DEMONSOULED back to life once again in this new series. A impressive read.
Profile Image for Juliana Veale.
304 reviews9 followers
March 9, 2020
It's been a while since I read the tale of Mazael and the world he occupies. In a way, this is a sequel taking place not very long after Mazael had finally managed to defeat the Old Demon and expel the Demonsouled from the world, leaving only him and his daughter Molly as the only Demonsouled in existinece.

Old Demon may be gone, but the wily first Demonsouled kept a lot of old dark powers at bay and now that they realise he is gone, nothing is stopping the ancient evils to try and take over/destroy or remake the world.
It's a dive into the mythology and history of Mazael's world and the author is very fond of redemption arks, focusing a big part of the book on Lucan Mandragon, a villain from the previous series. There are giant insect necromancers, dragons and the original fight between the High and Dark Elderborn that has yet to finish.

It"s a fresh perspective on existing characters and every so often I glimpse similarities in some of the Frostborn series, yet this is still a distinctly unique world that an author, who had evolved in his craft, is bringing to life again. Whilst I still recommend the original Demonsouled series, this book can be read without having read the series.

This world is darker and Mazael is no Ridmark Arban, in fact there is more in common with the Sword and Sorcery genre that has Conan as its most recognizable protagonist than with a slightly more ordered Frostborn world. It's still a great fantasy adventure t get stuck into.
Profile Image for H.M..
Author 5 books23 followers
March 8, 2020
Mazael is back! I love the world that Jonathan Moeller has created, and it’s exciting to read another story with Mazael and Romaria and Lucan. I’m glad Lucan has returned, because he and Mazael are two of my favorite characters. I like how Lucan has been given a chance to redeem himself. Tymaen is annoying, and I hope she is going to get a spine in this series. I’m waiting for sparks to fly when Mazael discovers that Lucan is alive. (They’re obviously going to meet face to face; the book was full of hints that if they ever saw Lucan again they would probably lynch him.) I’m really excited to return to the world of the Demonsouled!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for John Mackey.
214 reviews11 followers
May 9, 2022
Love the fact that there are new foes threatenng Maezel and some old once friends turned enemies come back to haunt him but will it be for better or worse I'm not sure. I do know one thing and that is that Jonathan Moeller knows how to write a story that keeps you wanting more. Love his books and I look forwared to the next one.
Profile Image for Donna.
1,776 reviews1 follower
May 2, 2020
Another great adventure by Mr. Moeller. Mazael is a somewhat reluctant liege lord of the Grim Marches but don't anybody mess with his land or those he oversees. His retinue is headed to Castle Highgate to attend the marriage between Lord Robert and Guthinga (really? that is a snortworthy name) Guthinga is having a hissy fit because Robert's second wife, Tymaen, whom everyone thought was dead, has reappeared. Guthinga is not shy in expressing her feelings about this.

Meanwhile, Lucan has also returned from his own personal hell and finds himself in Liminalus, a place halfway between his world and where the Great Demons reside. He is told by the Guardian of Liminalus that his assistance is needed to find the two missing pieces of the Wraithshard. Lucan has one implanted in his arm. Later it's revealed that another piece is in the hands of the Dark Elderborn named Razalis who also resides in Liminalus. So Lucan wasn't really needed to locate it; more like to recover it.

Unbeknownst to anyone of Liminalus, the third shard is embedded in Tymaen's arm. All three pieces have to be recovered so that the Guardian can destroy the wraithshard and prevent Razalis from summoning a Great Demon.

What's wrong with this sentence? "Soon fresh annubaki blood dripped from Lion and spattered across his golden armor." (Chapter 17)

Hint: "Mazael often regretted that Lion had not survived the final battle with the Old Demon in Cythraul Urdvul..." (Chapter 5)
156 reviews
May 23, 2021
Demonsouled: Wraithshard - Sword & Flame

Mazael Cravenlock is back again in the Wraithshard saga of the Demonsouled series. The Grim Marches wouldn’t be the same without Mazael’s best bud Lucan Mandragon, who won’t let something as simple as death prevent him from making well intended mistakes. In fact, one of his previous errors in judgement is the cause for the current infestation of baddies. The gang is all here as another of the evil powers the Old Demon suppressed has awoken. The Trichirabi Lord Vel-Anzakh and his minion Annubaki beastmen have come for one of the three remaining Wraithaldr shards but Mazael and company aren’t about to let that happen.
Profile Image for Carole Eshenbaugh.
255 reviews
September 9, 2020
Pete and repeat

Love this series. This is like season three. The grim marches tend to be a place of adventure and intrigue. The main characters are and have been well developed, until you think of them as old friends. The only reason I gave this a 4 was the repeating of some of the older story lines. I guess this was to make this series stand on its own or make you want to go back and read the first books. This was actually a fairly short story. Like an opening to a much bigger play. I like this author and the way he brings a story to life.
Profile Image for arnold miller.
129 reviews
October 3, 2020
Thanks

Another great book from JM. Just buy it, you won’t regret it. He is for my money the best fantasy writer right now. I say this as a fantasy lover in a genre with so many talented writers
11 reviews3 followers
April 22, 2022
The Saga Continues

I’m reading these all in sequence and perhaps I’m becoming a wee bit jaded. Still rolls along perfectly well though.

Would have been 4 stars but the books are absolutely chock full of typos every couple of pages. Poor show.
191 reviews1 follower
June 21, 2020
Real page turner

There were demons large insects more creatures
And they made for a great story. But all the characters remained as survivors
19 reviews
May 20, 2021
Jumping back and forth

Moved around the world to quickly. Needed to slower paced with more in-depth characters. I still enjoyed will read the next one the series.
8 reviews1 follower
October 23, 2021
DO NOT READ

Unless you wish to be captivated by this believable story. It starts with this episode and becomes completely unputdownable if there is such a word
Profile Image for Travis.
2,941 reviews49 followers
July 1, 2020
I'm seeing from the other reviews that this is part of a series. Well, I hadn't read any of the other books, and honestly, I didn't really like this story all that much. Sure, it had it's interesting parts, but as a whole, the story just didn't do it for me. It's a story that's been told many times before, and this one can't be rated in my top 10 by any stretch of the imagination. Sorry, but this just didn't work for me.
Profile Image for Jim Pike.
204 reviews7 followers
September 3, 2020
Another exciting chapter in this series. Full of twists and turns, that keep you on the edge of your seat, in some spots. Action packed from start to finish, with multiple events happening at the same time. highly recommend this series, to epic fantasy readers.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews

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