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Blood Mercenaries #1
The Crimson Flame
A strange mark on her neck…
…a mysterious connection to fire...
…an ancient secret soon to be revealed.
Aeron failed to stop the cult of the Crimson Flame from kidnapping his sister. But as a former wyvern knight, he’s determined to find and rescue her—and to lay waste to the cult in the process.
When the trail grows cold, Aeron and his mage companion join forces with a half-troll mercenary and an assassin. Together, they embark on a job for a dark lord that will put them squarely in the Crimson Flame’s line of fire.
And that’s exactly where Aeron wants to be.
The more cultists he can find, the closer he gets to locating his stolen sister...
…and the more of them he can kill.
Though the job seems like the perfect gig, the cult thwarts Aeron’s efforts at every turn. And all the while, Aeron and his comrades gradually unravel the ancient secret of the Crimson Flame.
Faced with a series of deadly choices, Aeron must confront his fate and risk everything to rescue his sister—even if it costs him and his fellow mercenaries their lives.
The Crimson Flame is the first novel in an epic sword-and-sorcery series sure to thrill you with magic, action, and adventure. Dive into this unique fantasy world full of twists and mayhem, written by award-winning author Ben Wolf.
Get it now.
…a mysterious connection to fire...
…an ancient secret soon to be revealed.
Aeron failed to stop the cult of the Crimson Flame from kidnapping his sister. But as a former wyvern knight, he’s determined to find and rescue her—and to lay waste to the cult in the process.
When the trail grows cold, Aeron and his mage companion join forces with a half-troll mercenary and an assassin. Together, they embark on a job for a dark lord that will put them squarely in the Crimson Flame’s line of fire.
And that’s exactly where Aeron wants to be.
The more cultists he can find, the closer he gets to locating his stolen sister...
…and the more of them he can kill.
Though the job seems like the perfect gig, the cult thwarts Aeron’s efforts at every turn. And all the while, Aeron and his comrades gradually unravel the ancient secret of the Crimson Flame.
Faced with a series of deadly choices, Aeron must confront his fate and risk everything to rescue his sister—even if it costs him and his fellow mercenaries their lives.
The Crimson Flame is the first novel in an epic sword-and-sorcery series sure to thrill you with magic, action, and adventure. Dive into this unique fantasy world full of twists and mayhem, written by award-winning author Ben Wolf.
Get it now.
- GenresFantasy
416 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 30, 2019
83 people are currently reading
204 people want to read
About the author
Ben Wolf
99 books118 followersAt the age of nine, Ben Wolf slayed his first dragon.
As the dragon perished, it bequeathed a measure of its power to Ben.
It told him, "You now have the ability to lie more creatively than any other being on this planet--except for politicians. Use this power wisely."
The dragon died with one final puff of smoke from its lungs, but Ben Wolf lived on.
For years, Ben honed his craft. At the age of twelve, he lied to his sister about having thrown darts at a poster of her favorite boy band.
At the age of sixteen, he lied to a policeman who'd pulled him over for speeding, and it got him out of a ticket.
At the age of eighteen, he lied to himself about what a good decision it was to go to Bible college and major in Pastoral Studies (that one has come back to haunt him several times).
Given the unique power he'd inherited from the dying dragon, Ben Wolf had expected his life to look very different from how it did when he turned twenty-three.
Then the dragon's words regarding his power returned to him: "Use this power wisely."
The truth was, Ben hadn't been using the magnificent power wisely. He'd been using it for personal gain, and to dig himself out of bad situations (or, in the case of Bible college, to get himself into them).
So he asked himself, "What would be a wise way to use this power?"
At that very moment, a bus drove past the street in front of him. On its side was emblazoned the phrase, "You should write a novel!"
Having graduated from Bible college a year earlier, Ben took it as a divine message. What's more, he'd already written one novel at that point, and he'd enjoyed it, so he figured he might as well write a few more.
That was 2009. Now, more than ten years later, Ben has written north of ten books, including an award-winning children's book and an award-winning novel.
Awards are great, but what Ben has found even more reassuring is the consistently great feedback he's gotten from readers. They've raved about his work and told him he was the best, most creative liar they'd ever heard of.
So now Ben is on the cusp of making serious headway with his lying skills. His debut fantasy saga, the Blood Mercenaries series of dark/epic/sword & sorcery novels, is raking in tons of stellar reviews from readers everywhere.
And now you can be a part of his creative lying journey. If you've read Ben Wolf's work, love him as a person, or plain old just think he's a handsome guy (he is, and he is now making it known that it wasn't him who wrote this (but it was actually him)), then please review his books here and on Amazon.com.
Ben, who we swear didn't write this, thanks you.
As the dragon perished, it bequeathed a measure of its power to Ben.
It told him, "You now have the ability to lie more creatively than any other being on this planet--except for politicians. Use this power wisely."
The dragon died with one final puff of smoke from its lungs, but Ben Wolf lived on.
For years, Ben honed his craft. At the age of twelve, he lied to his sister about having thrown darts at a poster of her favorite boy band.
At the age of sixteen, he lied to a policeman who'd pulled him over for speeding, and it got him out of a ticket.
At the age of eighteen, he lied to himself about what a good decision it was to go to Bible college and major in Pastoral Studies (that one has come back to haunt him several times).
Given the unique power he'd inherited from the dying dragon, Ben Wolf had expected his life to look very different from how it did when he turned twenty-three.
Then the dragon's words regarding his power returned to him: "Use this power wisely."
The truth was, Ben hadn't been using the magnificent power wisely. He'd been using it for personal gain, and to dig himself out of bad situations (or, in the case of Bible college, to get himself into them).
So he asked himself, "What would be a wise way to use this power?"
At that very moment, a bus drove past the street in front of him. On its side was emblazoned the phrase, "You should write a novel!"
Having graduated from Bible college a year earlier, Ben took it as a divine message. What's more, he'd already written one novel at that point, and he'd enjoyed it, so he figured he might as well write a few more.
That was 2009. Now, more than ten years later, Ben has written north of ten books, including an award-winning children's book and an award-winning novel.
Awards are great, but what Ben has found even more reassuring is the consistently great feedback he's gotten from readers. They've raved about his work and told him he was the best, most creative liar they'd ever heard of.
So now Ben is on the cusp of making serious headway with his lying skills. His debut fantasy saga, the Blood Mercenaries series of dark/epic/sword & sorcery novels, is raking in tons of stellar reviews from readers everywhere.
And now you can be a part of his creative lying journey. If you've read Ben Wolf's work, love him as a person, or plain old just think he's a handsome guy (he is, and he is now making it known that it wasn't him who wrote this (but it was actually him)), then please review his books here and on Amazon.com.
Ben, who we swear didn't write this, thanks you.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
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January 28, 2020 🎁 FREE on Amazon today (1/28/2020)! 🎁
August 29, 2019
Ok, so I’m much more of a romance reading kind of gal. Knight on the white horse rescues girl. So when I was introduced to Ben Wolf’s books and received an invitation to try four of his novellas for free, I figured why not? Ben’s presentation was terrific and I was looking forward to his novellas. I read Ironglade and was immediately hooked. I continued on to Etheridge, which has just enough romance to keep me interested. All four novellas were surprisingly good. Surprisingly, because (except for Kristen Britain and Robin McKinley) I generally don’t read fantasy.
I read the novellas quickly, immediately regretting not purchasing an advance copy of The Crimson Flame at the conference when I had the chance. I had to wait for the official publication release date to find out what happened to the characters! The Crimson Flame picks up where the novellas leave off and brings the characters together in an adventure of intense action, strong emotions, and first-rate writing and storytelling.
I don’t know what publisher didn’t pickup The Crimson Flame, but did they make a huge mistake.
Four of five stars, only because I’m impatient and now have to wait for the next book!
I read the novellas quickly, immediately regretting not purchasing an advance copy of The Crimson Flame at the conference when I had the chance. I had to wait for the official publication release date to find out what happened to the characters! The Crimson Flame picks up where the novellas leave off and brings the characters together in an adventure of intense action, strong emotions, and first-rate writing and storytelling.
I don’t know what publisher didn’t pickup The Crimson Flame, but did they make a huge mistake.
Four of five stars, only because I’m impatient and now have to wait for the next book!
February 7, 2020
Do yourself a huge favor and BUY THIS BOOK NOW !😍
Everyone Reading 📚 This Offering Of My Opinion Of This Book And The author! The Characters In This Storyline I Found Exciting , It Was Able To Keep My 😲 Interest . Even When I Was Dozing Off And 😲 Fought To Stay Awake ⏰!😍 Except For The Ending! It Was Disappointing! All In All, I Recommend This Book! 😍😍🤗😇😍 BUY THIS BOOK NOW!😍
😲
Everyone Reading 📚 This Offering Of My Opinion Of This Book And The author! The Characters In This Storyline I Found Exciting , It Was Able To Keep My 😲 Interest . Even When I Was Dozing Off And 😲 Fought To Stay Awake ⏰!😍 Except For The Ending! It Was Disappointing! All In All, I Recommend This Book! 😍😍🤗😇😍 BUY THIS BOOK NOW!😍
😲
April 13, 2020
Loved it. I was engaged from start to finish. Because of the prequel, I was already rooting for each of the characters, so this just expanded upon that basis.
On to the next book...
On to the next book...
October 6, 2019
Fun, fast-paced and engaging. Be warned though, there are some gruesome scenes.
Mr. Wolf does a good job keeping his readers in suspense as he slowly rounds out each character’s background, developing them as the story progresses. What exactly is the Crimson Flame and why do they want Aeron’s sister.
The action scenes are exciting and well written.
By the end, though, I questioned some of the decisions made by certain characters and was surprised by the twist. Though, in my opinion, this book is best suited to young adult males, I already picked up the next book in this series.
Mr. Wolf does a good job keeping his readers in suspense as he slowly rounds out each character’s background, developing them as the story progresses. What exactly is the Crimson Flame and why do they want Aeron’s sister.
The action scenes are exciting and well written.
By the end, though, I questioned some of the decisions made by certain characters and was surprised by the twist. Though, in my opinion, this book is best suited to young adult males, I already picked up the next book in this series.
July 17, 2023
Aeron used to be a wyvern knight, part of an ancient and proud tradition. Now he's looking for his kidnapped sister with the help of three equally-disaffected companions. Finding her will put him in the path of the dangerous organization known as the Crimson Flame.
This is a solid fantasy adventure story. Something I really enjoyed about it was its interesting perspective on heroism. None of the characters are traditional fantasy heroes (for one thing, they're older--I think Aeron is in his mid-30s, and I always appreciate an adult protagonist). But I also wouldn't call them anti-heroes. More just, an unconventional perspective on heroism, which I appreciated.
The plot is also great. There's a pretty thrilling heist story embedded in a fantasy quest narrative. I was impressed with how these different sub-genres were woven together. This was a solid start to a new series and an introduction to this new world.
This is a solid fantasy adventure story. Something I really enjoyed about it was its interesting perspective on heroism. None of the characters are traditional fantasy heroes (for one thing, they're older--I think Aeron is in his mid-30s, and I always appreciate an adult protagonist). But I also wouldn't call them anti-heroes. More just, an unconventional perspective on heroism, which I appreciated.
The plot is also great. There's a pretty thrilling heist story embedded in a fantasy quest narrative. I was impressed with how these different sub-genres were woven together. This was a solid start to a new series and an introduction to this new world.
December 4, 2022
The crimson flame Burns hot
This read was intense. The story moved fast from the beginning to the end and left me wanting more. Ben Wolf masterfully authored this story, it's characters and it's intensity. Overall magical!
This read was intense. The story moved fast from the beginning to the end and left me wanting more. Ben Wolf masterfully authored this story, it's characters and it's intensity. Overall magical!
April 5, 2020
Great dialogue! This book is a lot more interesting than the average fantasy fellowship. Looking forward to more from Ben Wolf.
February 18, 2021
Fantasy adventure
Another action packed fantasy with lots of adventure. The plot has tons of twists, turns and betrayals and now dragons are coming
Another action packed fantasy with lots of adventure. The plot has tons of twists, turns and betrayals and now dragons are coming
October 24, 2025
Action packed with the perfect touch of humor
December 9, 2025
I mean yea the cover sucked me in but this was just kind of a snooze? It took forever to get to the action?!
July 2, 2019
Magic, swords, dragons (well, wyverns), a dark mage, fanatical cultists, and four antiheroes in the middle of it all. This is two stories in one. Wyvern rider Aeron needs to rescue his kidnapped sister, while he and his three compatriots are tasked with the near-impossible goal of retrieving a powerful object for a dark mage. A fun and exciting plot, and some pretty damned good storytelling. For example, I have a fear of heights, and the description of an effort to scale a rocky fortress without - you know - dying, actually made me uneasy. Kudos!
July 8, 2019
A strange mark on her neck…
…a mysterious connection to fire
...an ancient secret soon to be revealed.
Crimson Flame kidnapped Aeron's sister. He's determined to rescue her. He joins forces with a half-troll mercenary and an assassin.
What a book. There's adventure throughout the story. Twists and surprises await the reader.
I typically don't read fantasy, but I've read Ben's other books and loved them. He a great writer and storyteller. I look forward to the next book in this series.
…a mysterious connection to fire
...an ancient secret soon to be revealed.
Crimson Flame kidnapped Aeron's sister. He's determined to rescue her. He joins forces with a half-troll mercenary and an assassin.
What a book. There's adventure throughout the story. Twists and surprises await the reader.
I typically don't read fantasy, but I've read Ben's other books and loved them. He a great writer and storyteller. I look forward to the next book in this series.
July 2, 2019
A great start to an epic series!
Ben Wolf draws you into his world right from the opening scene of The Crimson Flame. It's a perfect blend of peril, death, and humor, and the cast of unique and interesting characters keep you turning pages till the end. A must read for dark fantasy and epic fantasy fans alike!
Ben Wolf draws you into his world right from the opening scene of The Crimson Flame. It's a perfect blend of peril, death, and humor, and the cast of unique and interesting characters keep you turning pages till the end. A must read for dark fantasy and epic fantasy fans alike!
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews