Shadowride

Five Lands Saga #0.5

by Cara Witter (Pseudonym), Janci Patterson, Lauren Janes

An action-packed, stand alone prequel in the Five Lands Saga.

In the war-torn kingdoms of the Five Lands, only the armies of Sevairn stand against the spread of old superstitions and dark magics, bringing order to chaos and winning the populace back from the worship of dead gods.

When a neighboring nation invades, Erich Dektrian—a brash young officer in the Sevairnese cavalry—and his regiment are stretched thin. Erich and his fellow soldiers are losing ground and losing hope.

Embarking on a daring plan that could turn the tide of the war, Erich pushes his small cavalry unit to their ultimate limit on a breakneck midnight ride. Alone and exhausted, they must hold a crucial bridge for days against an enemy that vastly outnumbers them.

Captain Dektrian and his men have only each other to rely on. There’s no turning back, and only one way forward—To win at all costs.

111 pages, Paperback

Published June 23, 2020

About the author

Cara Witter is the pen name of Megan Walker, Janci Patterson, and Lauren Janes, the epic fantasy writing trio. When they aren't writing, they can be found playing with barbies and watching reality TV.

Reviews

[Carolyn Vandine West · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good first book in this series.
Lots of action and adventure in this book. When an army from a neighboring land invades, Erich leads a small group of men to make a daring stand at a bridge. Against all odds they will attempt to hold ground against the enemy with limited forces and supplies.
First read by this author but I will be looking for the next in the series. Much better than I was expecting for a free book. Can’t give every book a 5 star but probably a 4 1/2 if I could. I received a free e-book from the author. But the opinion of this book is my own

[Katherine Cowley · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent prequel to the Five Lands saga, this book can be read at any point--before the series, during, or as a standalone. The main character is instantly compelling as you see him fighting to be heard and to use his ability to strategize and see the big picture even when his direct superiors do not. It's a quick and enjoyable military tale.

[Korynne · Rating 2 out of 5]

After reading and loving the whole Five Lands Saga and wanting to read more from this world, I decided to check out this standalone prequel novella, Shadowride. (Which you can download for free by joining the author’s mailing list!)

Unfortunately, I didn’t love this story like I did the trilogy. Shadowride follows Captain Erich Dektrian, my least favorite character in the series. I cannot figure out why the author decided this character was the character who needed his own story because he is so unlikable and I did not care about his backstory.

This entire novella is a long military battle, the battle that promoted Erich to Field Marshall and got him into Lord General Diamis’s clutches. I personally do not care to read 90 pages of military tactics and scheming and fighting, but if you do then you may enjoy this.

This novella was well-written, just like the books were, but I just didn’t care about the story it was telling. I wish it had followed a different, more likable, character instead.

[Mike P · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a quick read that did not disappoint. There was allot of action and the story line filled in overall context behind the 5-Lands Saga story itself.

Would have been a bit more interesting and useful as a prequel, after reading through Book #1 of the 5-Lands Saga if there would have been just a bit more detail regarding the DRIM, Kenton as well as the General-Commander.