In an age of magic and myth, King Emrys reigns supreme in Camelot, alongside his noble brother, Uther, having defeated the Saxon invaders. But peace is a fragile thing.
The bard Taliesin mastered many of the secrets of magic while still only a youth, and knows the language as old as the earth. How he mastered this is a mystery, even to himself. But he will soon discover his mysterious past.
It is a tale of love and death, good and evil, sword and sorcery! An epic for the ages!
I was born. That may come as a surprise to people who thought I was hatched, cloned, or left by aliens. I don't like to mention that I was born in Cherry Point, North Carolina, because it raises all sorts of questions. "Where's your accent? Don't you hate the cold? What do you remember about the South?" The truth is, I have no recollection of NC. I was just born there, I didn't grow up there, which explains the absence of any sort of Southern drawl. My parents relocated the family to a small town in Northern New York which I guarantee you've never heard of. Contrary to popular belief, New York has vast tracts of largely uninhabited country, which I have called home for nearly my entire life. Much of my childhood was spent drawing, playing with building toys and amphibians that I found out later were poisonous. I would spend a lot of time making up stories and drawing them, possibly under the influence of toad venom. Not unlike Stephen King and many other authors before him, I had a very vivid imagination as a child. This caused any number of nightmares and greatly distressed my parents. Somehow I managed to survive childhood and had the idea for Legend of the Sword Bearer during a particularly fierce bout of writer's block. It has occupied much of my limited attention span for the past five years (give or take). Hopefully, the amount of time spent on this enterprise means that it has a certain quality that readers will recognize and appreciate.
I read this book in two days because not only is it fairly short, but I just couldn’t quite put it down for long! The story depicts characters from British history and mythology in a high fantasy Middle-Earth-like setting that is quite true to ancient Welsh legend. The Emrys that Ian Wilson depicts in this story feels quite true to what is known both form history and legend, and is a hero worth celebrating. I highly recommend this book for anyone who likes a fast-paced medieval epic or is an Arthurian aficionado like myself.
I enjoyed this fast-paced heroic fantasy/adventure. The story itself features a nice balance of fun, humor, and danger, and the protagonist, Taliesin, and his friends are well-drawn, distinct, and likable. A recommended read, especially younger folks who may be just getting into the genre.
In the days before Arthur Pendragon ruled, Camelot had a king named Emrys. He and his brother Uther stand firm against the Saxons, but the land has far more ancient enemies to worry about. A foe called Arawn seeks to return England to the old gods, and will destroy Camelot to make it happen. Meanwhile, the bard Taliesin is meeting strange figures who claim to know him. His strange gifts appear to be key for the coming conflict, but can he unravel the mystery and help save his king? Or will Camelot fall before the greatest legend can come to pass? I enjoyed reading a story that takes place before the time of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. It adds something new to the legends that have been a staple of fantasy for centuries. The story moves a little fast, but for many that would be a positive. Overall, this is a fine prequel to the Arthurian lore and worth reading. I will warn that this book has general fantasy peril. Characters are attacked by monsters several times, but that's to be expected and symbolizes the challenges we must face in life. One character stumbles upon a woman at a river but quickly turns away until she tells him it’s safe. Villages are mentioned as having been destroyed, but these actions are not seen. Parents and teachers can use this book to help teach that we can use our gifts to benefit others. Another great lesson to use this book to teach is we should be loyal and patriotic to our nations. There is also lessons on how our friends can help us get through our challenges.
I bought some lesser known books on kindle awhile back and wanted to work through them. This is a very short, classic medieval fantasy story that is the first in a series.