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The Grim Company #0.1
A Ring to Rule Them All
"A Ring to Rule Them All" tells the story of how the legendary swordsman Brodar Kayne escaped the clutches of his immortal master, the Shaman. The first, thrilling short story set in the world of the Grim Company also acts as a prequel to the award-nominated series.
A week inside a wicker cage will break a regular man. A month will push the bravest to the very edges of their sanity.
For Brodar Kayne, it has been almost a year since he was forced inside the fiendish prison. His crime? To defy his master's command to massacre a town and people he once loved.
Even a year trapped in a cage could not break the spirit of the legendary Sword of the North. But having just watched his wife burned alive on a pyre, death would now be a merciful release.
However, Kayne's most loyal friend has other ideas. The Wolf is as grim and implacable as death itself. And he never forgets a promise.
A week inside a wicker cage will break a regular man. A month will push the bravest to the very edges of their sanity.
For Brodar Kayne, it has been almost a year since he was forced inside the fiendish prison. His crime? To defy his master's command to massacre a town and people he once loved.
Even a year trapped in a cage could not break the spirit of the legendary Sword of the North. But having just watched his wife burned alive on a pyre, death would now be a merciful release.
However, Kayne's most loyal friend has other ideas. The Wolf is as grim and implacable as death itself. And he never forgets a promise.
- GenresFantasyShort Stories
20 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 14, 2019
11 people are currently reading
253 people want to read
About the author
Luke Scull
14 books910 followersLUKE SCULL is a British author and videogame designer. Luke’s first novel, The Grim Company, was shortlisted for the Gemmell Morningstar Award and earned a starred review from Kirkus as well as praise from the Guardian, the Sun, and the Daily Mail. Luke’s game design credits include several acclaimed titles for Ossian Studios. He has worked on The Witcher, Neverwinter Nights, and Baldur’s Gate franchises and is currently design lead for several projects.
You can keep up to date with Luke’s various projects by following him on Twitter at @Luke_Scull and visiting his website at www.lukescull.com
For book-specific monthly updates, join his mailing list and receive the short story “A Ring to Rule Them All” absolutely free!
You can keep up to date with Luke’s various projects by following him on Twitter at @Luke_Scull and visiting his website at www.lukescull.com
For book-specific monthly updates, join his mailing list and receive the short story “A Ring to Rule Them All” absolutely free!
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
August 6, 2019
As always this review can also be found on my blog The Tattooed Book Geek: https://thetattooedbookgeek.wordpress...
Brodar Kayne has been trapped in a wicker cage for a year. Once the Shaman’s champion, he disobeyed the orders of the immortal ruler and his master and the consequences, the punishment has been his imprisonment meant to beat him down and break him. Kayne has abided, he has endured the torture but his wife, Mhaira has just been burnt on a pyre before his eyes. Of his heart, his love his soul there is now nothing left but ash and charred bones.
Left under guard, his soul shattered, his spirit finally crushed, Kayne has curled up to die, to wither away in the confines of the cage. But, concealed by the darkness of night and a snowstorm Jerek fulfils his promise to Kayne.
I’m a big fan of The Grim Company trilogy by Scull and, in particular, the old and grizzled duo of the legendary highland warrior Brodar Kayne and Jerek the Wolf who were two of my favourite characters in the trilogy. Brodar Kayne, once known as ‘the Sword of the North‘ was the greatest swordsman in the North but age and time have caught up with him though he is still a formidable adversary and highly skilled with a blade. He is more calm and measured and someone who offers words of wisdom. While Jerek is angry, blunt, coarse and foul-mouthed with a gruff, surly and bad-tempered countenance. He is someone whose demeanour belies the depth to him as a character. Jerek often has many fucks to give and they are usually accompanied by the bloody blades of his twin axes.
If you haven’t read The Grim Company trilogy then A Ring to Rule Them All serves to whet your appetite and acts as an introduction. Offering you a snapshot of Scull’s work, his writing and a glimpse into the world and a couple of his characters. But, if like me you have read the trilogy then A Ring to Rule Them All adds a little extra detail, depth, emotion and history and it is like being reacquainted with a couple of old friends, even if only for a quick visit.
Those who have read the trilogy already knew that Kayne, with the help of Jerek, escaped from his prison, from the Shaman and that is why the pair were heading south in The Grim Company, to evade the Shaman and his wrath. With A Ring to Rule Them All Scull gives us a prequel, a short that precedes The Grim Company and with it, he gives us the chance to witness the escape first-hand and to see the events as they unfolded on that fateful and snowy night.
Even though A Ring to Rule Them All is only 20 pages in length, it is as gritty and grim as ever and I enjoyed it immensely.
Brodar Kayne has been trapped in a wicker cage for a year. Once the Shaman’s champion, he disobeyed the orders of the immortal ruler and his master and the consequences, the punishment has been his imprisonment meant to beat him down and break him. Kayne has abided, he has endured the torture but his wife, Mhaira has just been burnt on a pyre before his eyes. Of his heart, his love his soul there is now nothing left but ash and charred bones.
Left under guard, his soul shattered, his spirit finally crushed, Kayne has curled up to die, to wither away in the confines of the cage. But, concealed by the darkness of night and a snowstorm Jerek fulfils his promise to Kayne.
I’m a big fan of The Grim Company trilogy by Scull and, in particular, the old and grizzled duo of the legendary highland warrior Brodar Kayne and Jerek the Wolf who were two of my favourite characters in the trilogy. Brodar Kayne, once known as ‘the Sword of the North‘ was the greatest swordsman in the North but age and time have caught up with him though he is still a formidable adversary and highly skilled with a blade. He is more calm and measured and someone who offers words of wisdom. While Jerek is angry, blunt, coarse and foul-mouthed with a gruff, surly and bad-tempered countenance. He is someone whose demeanour belies the depth to him as a character. Jerek often has many fucks to give and they are usually accompanied by the bloody blades of his twin axes.
If you haven’t read The Grim Company trilogy then A Ring to Rule Them All serves to whet your appetite and acts as an introduction. Offering you a snapshot of Scull’s work, his writing and a glimpse into the world and a couple of his characters. But, if like me you have read the trilogy then A Ring to Rule Them All adds a little extra detail, depth, emotion and history and it is like being reacquainted with a couple of old friends, even if only for a quick visit.
Those who have read the trilogy already knew that Kayne, with the help of Jerek, escaped from his prison, from the Shaman and that is why the pair were heading south in The Grim Company, to evade the Shaman and his wrath. With A Ring to Rule Them All Scull gives us a prequel, a short that precedes The Grim Company and with it, he gives us the chance to witness the escape first-hand and to see the events as they unfolded on that fateful and snowy night.
Even though A Ring to Rule Them All is only 20 pages in length, it is as gritty and grim as ever and I enjoyed it immensely.
August 21, 2019
Read from Grimdark Magazine Issue #12
I know it's only 20 pages, but I read this really quick. I was drawn in and now I'm eager for more. I think I just found me a new epic fantasy author.
March 13, 2020
A short review of a short book – I liked it.
Here’s a slightly longer version.
Luke Scull achieves a lot in a short space of time. A Ring to Rule Them All contains hard-bitten warriors and moral dilemmas. The latter can be seen as treachery or honour depending on whose side you are. There’s humour to balance out a horrific event. The story has violence. There is a sense of history and depth to the world of the Grim Company, which is impressive in a such a short work. I never got the sense I was being overwhelmed with information or names that have more punctuation in them than letters. And there’s a resolution to the story that sets it up nicely for more.
In short (there’s that word again), I was impressed. I’ll be reading more by this author.
Here’s a slightly longer version.
Luke Scull achieves a lot in a short space of time. A Ring to Rule Them All contains hard-bitten warriors and moral dilemmas. The latter can be seen as treachery or honour depending on whose side you are. There’s humour to balance out a horrific event. The story has violence. There is a sense of history and depth to the world of the Grim Company, which is impressive in a such a short work. I never got the sense I was being overwhelmed with information or names that have more punctuation in them than letters. And there’s a resolution to the story that sets it up nicely for more.
In short (there’s that word again), I was impressed. I’ll be reading more by this author.
February 19, 2020
#lifehack - never steal a dying dude's jewelry
A fair introduction to a world I'll enjoy reading more in. Scull does some good character work in this short story and lets even his "bad guys" have nuance and soul. An unintended life-lesson I learned was that if you're true to your wife she'll die and be burned on a pyre and if you're unfaithful you'll get an STD, but survive. Cool. 👍
A fair introduction to a world I'll enjoy reading more in. Scull does some good character work in this short story and lets even his "bad guys" have nuance and soul. An unintended life-lesson I learned was that if you're true to your wife she'll die and be burned on a pyre and if you're unfaithful you'll get an STD, but survive. Cool. 👍
Read
September 17, 2021Intriguing and well written tale, linked to Luke's Grim Company series, which I have yet to read.
May 22, 2022
A short but solid read about keeping your promises. Well worth a read for Grim Company fans, or those looking for a taste.
February 15, 2020
I'd heard good things about Luke Scull's Grim Company trilogy, but hadn't had time to take the plunge and read them. On a FB group I saw a notice that a short story that acted as a prelude for the trilogy was available for free on Amazon and I snapped it up.
It's a very short story, more of a fragment or first chapter to a book, as you could tell that there was a mountain of subtext lying just below the surface. On its face, A Ring to Rule Them All is a grim tale, packed with emotion, that gave me a very good idea of what I should expect with the trilogy.
The writing is crisp, descriptive, without being overly so, and fast paced. I was impressed by Mr. Scull's ability to add so much angst, dread, and despair in such a short narrative, while still able to present fully fleshed out characters, though not the ones that seemed the most intriguing. I can only assume that they are the main protagonists in the trilogy.
If you are curious about the Grim Company trilogy and want to make sure it's something you'd enjoy, then I urge you to give this short story a try. I read it in one sitting and enjoyed it greatly.
I guess the Grim Company is moving up in my TBR pile.
It's a very short story, more of a fragment or first chapter to a book, as you could tell that there was a mountain of subtext lying just below the surface. On its face, A Ring to Rule Them All is a grim tale, packed with emotion, that gave me a very good idea of what I should expect with the trilogy.
The writing is crisp, descriptive, without being overly so, and fast paced. I was impressed by Mr. Scull's ability to add so much angst, dread, and despair in such a short narrative, while still able to present fully fleshed out characters, though not the ones that seemed the most intriguing. I can only assume that they are the main protagonists in the trilogy.
If you are curious about the Grim Company trilogy and want to make sure it's something you'd enjoy, then I urge you to give this short story a try. I read it in one sitting and enjoyed it greatly.
I guess the Grim Company is moving up in my TBR pile.
September 28, 2021
You a man of your word?' No, Skafar thought. I wasn't. But I am now.
Okay if you don’t like swearing in your books this one is not for you. This story starts out with Borun staring at the charred remains of a cage and a woman that was inside of it. There is another cage with a man inside, Brodar Kanye, the woman was that his wife. Borun apologizes to the man in the other cage but he knows it won’t make a difference. He looks beyond the burned out pyre , see the home of the Shaman. He hears his former friend sobbing, Borun has betrayed Brodar. Borun leaves and two other guards take over, Skarfar and Raz, they begin talking about someone named Wolf.
Grim this story certainly is. An Awesome read but not for the feint hearted
Okay if you don’t like swearing in your books this one is not for you. This story starts out with Borun staring at the charred remains of a cage and a woman that was inside of it. There is another cage with a man inside, Brodar Kanye, the woman was that his wife. Borun apologizes to the man in the other cage but he knows it won’t make a difference. He looks beyond the burned out pyre , see the home of the Shaman. He hears his former friend sobbing, Borun has betrayed Brodar. Borun leaves and two other guards take over, Skarfar and Raz, they begin talking about someone named Wolf.
Grim this story certainly is. An Awesome read but not for the feint hearted
October 17, 2020
You done it again. Brief but wanting more WOLF!
Well Mr scull,
Although brief the grim a felt towards wolf was amazing!!! As I told you before on social. I can't wait for more of them. Take care and keep writing. Fantastic.
And to those considering this, or grim company get them the characters are great!
Well Mr scull,
Although brief the grim a felt towards wolf was amazing!!! As I told you before on social. I can't wait for more of them. Take care and keep writing. Fantastic.
And to those considering this, or grim company get them the characters are great!
November 17, 2019
Quality little tempter to the world of the High Fangs and The Trine. Love Jerek and Brodar. Makes the unexpected confrontation between them and Borun much more meaningful but such a shame it's such a short throwaway scene. We until I read this it was. Interesting stuff
May 5, 2020
I read this with my Kindle Unlimited sub. Though sad, it was a great to see, first hand, events leading into the series. Only problem was it was too short! Made me want to read the series again already.
June 30, 2019
A short, gritty little tale that serves as an introduction to Scull's world.
Left me wanting more so, job done I guess.
Left me wanting more so, job done I guess.
July 14, 2019
Awesome like the rest of the series
August 22, 2019
Great revisiting these characters. Didn't realize how much I missed them!
September 22, 2020
Even though it's short I'll take any bit of Brodar Kayne I can get 😀
March 3, 2022
5 / 5 for 'A Ring To Rule Them All' by Luke Scull
A cracking short story, giving fans of The Grim Company (like me) a much-needed fix of Brodar and Jerek wonderfulness.
My only negative is that I wish it was longer, and that's not even a real negative...it's more of a positive, because I enjoyed it so much, I was gutted when it was over and I immediately wanted more.
Scull packs a surprising amount of characterisation and emotion, as well as a bit of action into this short story, and by its end, I felt thrilled, emotional, and dirty....exactly how one should feel, after a bit of Grim Company.
The fact that the author offers this short story as a free ebook, just for signing up to his newsletter makes it even better.
Loved it! More Grim Company, please :)
5 / 5
A cracking short story, giving fans of The Grim Company (like me) a much-needed fix of Brodar and Jerek wonderfulness.
My only negative is that I wish it was longer, and that's not even a real negative...it's more of a positive, because I enjoyed it so much, I was gutted when it was over and I immediately wanted more.
Scull packs a surprising amount of characterisation and emotion, as well as a bit of action into this short story, and by its end, I felt thrilled, emotional, and dirty....exactly how one should feel, after a bit of Grim Company.
The fact that the author offers this short story as a free ebook, just for signing up to his newsletter makes it even better.
Loved it! More Grim Company, please :)
5 / 5
August 3, 2022
4/5 Stars
May 15, 2024
A great short story to reel you back into the grim company world. Powerful and emotional.
August 30, 2020
But a taste
3.75/5
I've never read anything by Mr. Scull but he promoted this slim short story recently for $0 so I thought I'd give it a whirl. I feel I would have enjoyed this more had I known the characters within the story from the Grim Company trilogy he completed but was provided enough to whet my appetite. I can see this appealing to those into the violent, almost pastiche end of the grimdark spectrum, what with every warrior being a muscled man's man but it was fun and had a Tarantino/Hateful 8 set up. I may check out future work from this author and really appreciate the free entertainment.
3.75/5
I've never read anything by Mr. Scull but he promoted this slim short story recently for $0 so I thought I'd give it a whirl. I feel I would have enjoyed this more had I known the characters within the story from the Grim Company trilogy he completed but was provided enough to whet my appetite. I can see this appealing to those into the violent, almost pastiche end of the grimdark spectrum, what with every warrior being a muscled man's man but it was fun and had a Tarantino/Hateful 8 set up. I may check out future work from this author and really appreciate the free entertainment.
December 13, 2019
A wonderful short introduction to the world of the Grim Company. It's been a few years since I read the main books, but I think this is something of an expansion to one of the opening scenes from the first book. A really good chance to get a feel for Scull's writing style before getting stuck into his trilogy (which I would heartily recommend).
August 1, 2019
Great story
Nice little story to open you up to the fine things in The Grim Company series. This is a prelude to that work.
Nice little story to open you up to the fine things in The Grim Company series. This is a prelude to that work.
December 6, 2019
Imprisonment
Good back story to read if you have read the Grim Company series. Sets the tone and it provides an insight into the way the Wolf thinks about life.
Good back story to read if you have read the Grim Company series. Sets the tone and it provides an insight into the way the Wolf thinks about life.
July 13, 2021
Betrayal
Nice little introduction to the series A Grim Company, this little short story gives an in-depth to what will come in the main trilogy, death and revenge...😁
Nice little introduction to the series A Grim Company, this little short story gives an in-depth to what will come in the main trilogy, death and revenge...😁
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews