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Red Horn Saga #1
The Prison Stone
Only one thing keeps an ancient evil at bay. And now that thing is gone…
Through the power of the Prison Stone, the summoners succeeded in banishing the Dark Lord from the Universe. Lost for a thousand years, the Stone has once more been found…
The life of a gentle haffolk is thrown into chaos when he is chosen to carry the Stone from one dwarf world to another. But when the Stone is stolen, his every hope is dashed…
An angry prince, humiliated by this father the king, raises his hammer over the Stone, intent on releasing the ultimate power—a power that will prove his father wrong, a power that will raise him to the place of honor he deserves, a power that will mean the doom of every living thing…
The Prison Stone is the first book in the Red Horn Saga, an epic fantasy that skillfully blends high fantasy, steampunk, Cthulu, and space opera. The magic is unpredictable, the spaceships run on coal, and no power known to dwarf, elf, or man can stop the carnage. Only a hero small enough can save us now.
Through the power of the Prison Stone, the summoners succeeded in banishing the Dark Lord from the Universe. Lost for a thousand years, the Stone has once more been found…
The life of a gentle haffolk is thrown into chaos when he is chosen to carry the Stone from one dwarf world to another. But when the Stone is stolen, his every hope is dashed…
An angry prince, humiliated by this father the king, raises his hammer over the Stone, intent on releasing the ultimate power—a power that will prove his father wrong, a power that will raise him to the place of honor he deserves, a power that will mean the doom of every living thing…
The Prison Stone is the first book in the Red Horn Saga, an epic fantasy that skillfully blends high fantasy, steampunk, Cthulu, and space opera. The magic is unpredictable, the spaceships run on coal, and no power known to dwarf, elf, or man can stop the carnage. Only a hero small enough can save us now.
306 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 1, 2020
190 people are currently reading
898 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
April 18, 2020
Mabry and Asteriou’s new series has one of the most unique settings I have ever encountered in fantasy literature. It’s a galaxy worth of worlds—each with their dwarves and elves and humans—but despite the essentially medieval level technology they are reached by dwarven built spaceships. I suspect that it is magic powering those ships, but they are spaceships nonetheless and that makes for a very distinctive mix of high tech and low tech interactions that gives this series a wonderful flavor.
The plot revolves around a totally evil big bad guy who destroyed entire worlds a millennium earlier before the good guys managed to trap him in the prison stone. That’s just long enough ago that even the long-lived dwarves think of these events as stories rather than history (many elves actually remember the big bad) so when the stone is rediscovered (and one does wonder how you lose something that important) it isn’t given the proper respect it deserves. In a decision that must go down as one of the worst ever made, a dwarf king decides to transport the stone by humble courier instead of by armed battalion. This being an epic fantasy series, no one will be surprised when that decision goes bad and the fate of worlds is once again endangered.
There are a lot of great characters in this story but none so endearing as Ellis, the haffolk. I admit I initially rolled my eyes when I saw the race. Hobbits or halflings are a staple of fantasy literature—gentle, inoffensive, and often loved by all. But here again, Mabry and Asteriou have taken their own route. The haffolk are still basically gentle, but they are not a race. They are instead mules—the infertile product of a dwarf and human mating who are despised by just about everyone—and it quickly becomes apparent that that is going to have major implications for the development of this story.
So the setting of the Prison Stone is exceptional, the foundations are strong, and now my expectations for the rest of the series is sky high. Can’t wait for the next book to be published.
If you liked this review, you can find more at www.gilbertstack.com/reviews.
The plot revolves around a totally evil big bad guy who destroyed entire worlds a millennium earlier before the good guys managed to trap him in the prison stone. That’s just long enough ago that even the long-lived dwarves think of these events as stories rather than history (many elves actually remember the big bad) so when the stone is rediscovered (and one does wonder how you lose something that important) it isn’t given the proper respect it deserves. In a decision that must go down as one of the worst ever made, a dwarf king decides to transport the stone by humble courier instead of by armed battalion. This being an epic fantasy series, no one will be surprised when that decision goes bad and the fate of worlds is once again endangered.
There are a lot of great characters in this story but none so endearing as Ellis, the haffolk. I admit I initially rolled my eyes when I saw the race. Hobbits or halflings are a staple of fantasy literature—gentle, inoffensive, and often loved by all. But here again, Mabry and Asteriou have taken their own route. The haffolk are still basically gentle, but they are not a race. They are instead mules—the infertile product of a dwarf and human mating who are despised by just about everyone—and it quickly becomes apparent that that is going to have major implications for the development of this story.
So the setting of the Prison Stone is exceptional, the foundations are strong, and now my expectations for the rest of the series is sky high. Can’t wait for the next book to be published.
If you liked this review, you can find more at www.gilbertstack.com/reviews.
December 21, 2024
As the author writes at the end of the book "what if all the races in Lord of the Rings were spacefaring?" That's exactly what this book is, except you replace Sauron with Cthulu. Hey, I'm not complaining! Bring it on!
The book has the elements of a classic hero's journey, with out very own Halfling and Wizard duo, smoking away on their pipes. If you don't take the book too seriously, it's quite enjoyable. It's no literary masterpiece, but then again, it doesn't need to be.
Only one major complaint, I find the character of Jack (the bird) extremely annoying and unnecessary. If you want to write a sentient bird character, then look no further than Craf in Malice by John Gwynne. That's how you do it. Jack was just plain annoying.
The book has the elements of a classic hero's journey, with out very own Halfling and Wizard duo, smoking away on their pipes. If you don't take the book too seriously, it's quite enjoyable. It's no literary masterpiece, but then again, it doesn't need to be.
Only one major complaint, I find the character of Jack (the bird) extremely annoying and unnecessary. If you want to write a sentient bird character, then look no further than Craf in Malice by John Gwynne. That's how you do it. Jack was just plain annoying.
May 13, 2020
Gorgeous cover!!!
This is a very braided, multi-character story with Tolkien-esk ties. The biggest strength is the characters themselves. They are one-and-all wonderful. Even the despicable bad guy had a strong rootability factor. I shouldn’t have liked him, but I totally did.
My favorite character was Ellis the Haffolk (think Hobbit, but entirely different creature/backstory). He’s naïve and charming and a postal worker. His goal in life is to be the postmaster, but through a delivery assignment he gets dragged into an inter-world catastrophe.
The plot itself is centered around an ancient, evil God that has been separated from this small universe of humans, dwarves, elves, and haffolk. The universe if a mix of horse carriages, swords, and space flight (the space flight is about like traveling on the roughest roller-coaster in existence). There’s a plug (I envision this about like a cork on wine bottle between worlds) that keeps the evil God outside this universe. The plug had been hidden way, but now it’s been re-discovered.
Ellis gets the job of transporting the plug. The evil guy wants the plug to release the God. There’s also an elderly magician who’s a step behind evil guy and Ellis, an ancient human oracle who just sits there on a stone except for when he randomly spouts wisdom, elf and dwarf princesses both with fathers in need of shoves in the backs, and a hero (brother to evil guy) whose so righteously blind it’s hard not to like him too. Really. The characters are the best.
So why not a higher rating? Well, I waivered a bit on the rating. Love the characters. The writing is solid. The story is fun.
But there were times in the second half of the book that I lost interest. And the reason why is that some of the scenes were too obvious. An example of this would be the scene where the father of the bad guy has just been given information about his son. The father has a multiple page discussion with his Enforcer on what to do about the situation before making a decision. The problem is that I already know every bit of information that the father goes on about. The decision he needs to make is so obvious that him debating it makes him seem dense. The entire scene would have been better summed up in a paragraph where the Father sent a knowing glance to the Enforcer and gave instructions on what to do.
There were a number of scenes like this in the second half. I just knew the story/characters so well by the midpoint that I didn’t need to be spoon fed quite so much. Having said, that it didn’t stop me from finishing, but I skimmed some scenes to get to the next place where the story picked up the pace.
Then my second issue was that there were a number of things that were relevant to the story which didn’t quite make sense to me. One example is Ellis’s postal service. He lives on a ‘moon’ (I think) and as a courier delivers mail and bills (utility bills are mentioned), but primarily to only other Haffolk (who all live on this moon too) except in rare cases where humans or elves or dwarves call for a special courier. The humans and elves and dwarves don’t appear to use the mail service other than special couriers. There is no internet. So how do they receive and pay their utility bills? And if this is a land of horses and swords, would utility companies really exist?
I know… this is all a bit silly of a complaint… But I kept wondering how the postal service worked exactly as its such an underlying part of Ellis’s story, and there were several things like this.
Another example would be the magic system. Other than vague feelings and the occasional spouting of the oracle, the Magician never seemed to quite know what was going on with the plug/evil-God. Then he produces a vision of what the evil-God was doing in that exact moment. Which left me with a ‘huh?’ If he could do such things, why not do that in the first place and save himself a bunch of time?
Still, even with my complaints (which really are minor in scope), this was a fun read and I would recommend the book. I enjoyed it, and the characters alone are worth it. And did I mention that the cover is gorgeous!!!
This is a very braided, multi-character story with Tolkien-esk ties. The biggest strength is the characters themselves. They are one-and-all wonderful. Even the despicable bad guy had a strong rootability factor. I shouldn’t have liked him, but I totally did.
My favorite character was Ellis the Haffolk (think Hobbit, but entirely different creature/backstory). He’s naïve and charming and a postal worker. His goal in life is to be the postmaster, but through a delivery assignment he gets dragged into an inter-world catastrophe.
The plot itself is centered around an ancient, evil God that has been separated from this small universe of humans, dwarves, elves, and haffolk. The universe if a mix of horse carriages, swords, and space flight (the space flight is about like traveling on the roughest roller-coaster in existence). There’s a plug (I envision this about like a cork on wine bottle between worlds) that keeps the evil God outside this universe. The plug had been hidden way, but now it’s been re-discovered.
Ellis gets the job of transporting the plug. The evil guy wants the plug to release the God. There’s also an elderly magician who’s a step behind evil guy and Ellis, an ancient human oracle who just sits there on a stone except for when he randomly spouts wisdom, elf and dwarf princesses both with fathers in need of shoves in the backs, and a hero (brother to evil guy) whose so righteously blind it’s hard not to like him too. Really. The characters are the best.
So why not a higher rating? Well, I waivered a bit on the rating. Love the characters. The writing is solid. The story is fun.
But there were times in the second half of the book that I lost interest. And the reason why is that some of the scenes were too obvious. An example of this would be the scene where the father of the bad guy has just been given information about his son. The father has a multiple page discussion with his Enforcer on what to do about the situation before making a decision. The problem is that I already know every bit of information that the father goes on about. The decision he needs to make is so obvious that him debating it makes him seem dense. The entire scene would have been better summed up in a paragraph where the Father sent a knowing glance to the Enforcer and gave instructions on what to do.
There were a number of scenes like this in the second half. I just knew the story/characters so well by the midpoint that I didn’t need to be spoon fed quite so much. Having said, that it didn’t stop me from finishing, but I skimmed some scenes to get to the next place where the story picked up the pace.
Then my second issue was that there were a number of things that were relevant to the story which didn’t quite make sense to me. One example is Ellis’s postal service. He lives on a ‘moon’ (I think) and as a courier delivers mail and bills (utility bills are mentioned), but primarily to only other Haffolk (who all live on this moon too) except in rare cases where humans or elves or dwarves call for a special courier. The humans and elves and dwarves don’t appear to use the mail service other than special couriers. There is no internet. So how do they receive and pay their utility bills? And if this is a land of horses and swords, would utility companies really exist?
I know… this is all a bit silly of a complaint… But I kept wondering how the postal service worked exactly as its such an underlying part of Ellis’s story, and there were several things like this.
Another example would be the magic system. Other than vague feelings and the occasional spouting of the oracle, the Magician never seemed to quite know what was going on with the plug/evil-God. Then he produces a vision of what the evil-God was doing in that exact moment. Which left me with a ‘huh?’ If he could do such things, why not do that in the first place and save himself a bunch of time?
Still, even with my complaints (which really are minor in scope), this was a fun read and I would recommend the book. I enjoyed it, and the characters alone are worth it. And did I mention that the cover is gorgeous!!!
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June 27, 2020🎁 FREE on Amazon today (6/27/2020)! 🎁
January 4, 2025
Surprisingly good! Got this as a freebie as it sort of appealed, and despite it's eclectic nature - it swings between fantasy and steam punk - I liked it.
It was, a bit like the haffolk of the book I suppose, something that snuck into me enjoying. Despite the book's weaknesses; the inconsistency within genres, the somewhat obvious format and classic fantasy plotline - in fact it seemed like a futuristic homage to Lord of the Rings - the book won me over.
Maybe it was the characters, the good writing, and the fact it didn't try too hard. The quirky nature of the book is a strength as well as weakness. Whilst the inconsistencies are frustrating, it does provide a unique take on many classic fantasy tropes and provides something that is different and stands out in a crowded genre.
Likewise it struck the right balance with the classic plotline of "heroes against seemingly overwhelming odds" of keeping me invested without thinking it needs an impossible/implausible leveller or for the good guys to come through.
On reflection the first book is a little slow: you don't get that far in the story, which is again another negative. And yet despite all the obvious faults of the book I'm invested! Like haffolk, or hobbits, it has an indefinable quality. I want to read the sequel.
It plays on a classic fantasy trope but manages to do it in a way that is both distinct and pulls you in. For this reason it's a 3.5 book which I've bumped to 4 stars for getting me so engaged.
It was, a bit like the haffolk of the book I suppose, something that snuck into me enjoying. Despite the book's weaknesses; the inconsistency within genres, the somewhat obvious format and classic fantasy plotline - in fact it seemed like a futuristic homage to Lord of the Rings - the book won me over.
Maybe it was the characters, the good writing, and the fact it didn't try too hard. The quirky nature of the book is a strength as well as weakness. Whilst the inconsistencies are frustrating, it does provide a unique take on many classic fantasy tropes and provides something that is different and stands out in a crowded genre.
Likewise it struck the right balance with the classic plotline of "heroes against seemingly overwhelming odds" of keeping me invested without thinking it needs an impossible/implausible leveller or for the good guys to come through.
On reflection the first book is a little slow: you don't get that far in the story, which is again another negative. And yet despite all the obvious faults of the book I'm invested! Like haffolk, or hobbits, it has an indefinable quality. I want to read the sequel.
It plays on a classic fantasy trope but manages to do it in a way that is both distinct and pulls you in. For this reason it's a 3.5 book which I've bumped to 4 stars for getting me so engaged.
July 1, 2020
A good epic
There are a lot of different characters in here. If you like Tolkien and Lovevraft, you'll like this story. Elves, dwarves and other creatures live on different planets. An ancient force is returning . I like the first half of the book better than some of the second book. I look forward to the next book.
There are a lot of different characters in here. If you like Tolkien and Lovevraft, you'll like this story. Elves, dwarves and other creatures live on different planets. An ancient force is returning . I like the first half of the book better than some of the second book. I look forward to the next book.
July 23, 2020
A book I bought on a whim, I didn't think I'd like it as much as I did. It's a gripping story, with fleshed out characters and an intriguing plot that had me going page by page. It's a great mix of fantasy and steampunk, so anyone who's a fan of both would have to give this a read.
I can't wait to read the next books in the series!
I can't wait to read the next books in the series!
September 6, 2023
Great story you didn't want to end!!
Tes story holds you from the start, capturing each character into your mind and thinking. You truly get to see and feel what is happening in this story as you read and can't wait for the next page to turn. Story was so great that I purchased the entire series before half read book 1, so I wouldn't be left waiting.
Tes story holds you from the start, capturing each character into your mind and thinking. You truly get to see and feel what is happening in this story as you read and can't wait for the next page to turn. Story was so great that I purchased the entire series before half read book 1, so I wouldn't be left waiting.
April 21, 2020
Enjoyed the storyline
May 14, 2020
Currently reading off and on with some of my other TBR list. I won this book in a goodreads giveaway and will update my review when finished.
Star rating based on cover as well as discription.
Star rating based on cover as well as discription.
March 14, 2021
Couldn't finish
December 21, 2022
Action pack SiFi read - All SiFi fans will like this book.
March 21, 2020
This book is a wonderful mix of fantasy and science fiction from the dynamic duo of J.R. Mabry and Mickey Asteriou. The Prison Stone (Book 1 of the Red Horn Saga) kicks off with the discovery of a sacred stone that is soon entrusted into the hands of Ellis, a lovable, hobbit-like mail courier. When a mishap occurs, it plunges the races of men, dwarves, elves, and other dark creatures (including one villain that somehow makes the Death Star seem small) into chaos and doom across the universe. There’s lots of action to keep the pages turning fast and many laugh out loud moments, more than a few dark and twisted. The authors give readers many characters to root for across multiple POVs, and the story doesn’t suffer from certain characters being any less compelling than others. A personal favorite scene involves a meeting between an elf, dwarf, and a duck. Also, keep an eye out for one of the best named taverns you’ve ever heard. Fans of Tolkien, Star Wars, Lovecraft, and steampunk will enjoy the ride as all these influences are woven seamlessly together into a great adventure that zips along, without boggling the reader down in tedious info-dumping and world-building, and instead lets you sit back and enjoy this fun ride. The ending will leave you eagerly anticipating the next installment.
I received a free copy of this book, and this review was posted voluntarily.
I received a free copy of this book, and this review was posted voluntarily.
July 28, 2020
This is the first book in a series written by two best friends from elementary school. The afterword explains their friendship and their rivalry, and the original premise of this book: What if the characters from "The Lord of the Rings" had space travel? The entire series rests on that premise. There are elves, dwarves and men and the haffolk. The plot involves all the races. They have settled many planets and travel in copper space ships that usually shake horribly, but they get to where they are going. There is a young haffolk who works as a courier and who loses his most important package to a disgruntled second son of the high king, and consequently loses his job. This second son manages to use the contents of the package, along with a goat, to bring back the elder god Samael. This is a decent beginning to a series and gives a foundation for everything that follows.
December 20, 2023
This book needs no instructions to know how to ROCK!
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews