Sapphire of the Fairies

Sword of Heavens #1

by Richard S. Tuttle

The sky is dark. Neither the sun nor the moon have been seen in decades. The land is fruitless, and the seas are barren. No law exists, only the rule of might is exerted over a hapless people by those who can wield it. In a land of darkness and despair, there is one shining light, an ancient prophecy that foretells of the coming king and his companion, the vanquisher of evil. Sapphire of the Fairies is the first of seven volumes of the epic fantasy series Sword of Heavens. Explore a vast continent where elves, dwarves, unicorns, fairies, demons, dragons, and man all exist. Sapphire of the Fairies begins the saga of five humans on the verge of adulthood. Living in a land where no one can be trusted, these five adventurers must restore the magical Sword of Heavens and defeat the Evil One, an evil sorcery whose minions roam the world in an attempt to defeat the ancient prophecy.

Genres: Fantasy, Fairies, Ebooks, Young Adult, Adventure, Fiction, Magic

190 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 1998

About the author

Richard S. Tuttle began his writing career in 1997 with the release of the Targa Trilogy (Origin Scroll, Dark Quest, Ancient Prophecy). That trilogy became the foundation for the Alcea Collection, a seventeen volume epic fantasy collection of three series (Targa Trilogy, Sword of Heavens, Demonstone Chronicles).

His other works include the Forgotten Legacy, an eight volume series, and the Amica Saga, his most current work which contains eight volumes.

Reviews

[Stephanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I haven't done the research to know for sure, but I'd be willing to bet this is a vanity published book. It's not terrible. Just needed a better editing job.

The writing style is stilted and narrative reliant; the author seems to not know how to tell us something without having characters discuss it. Makes for kind of a dull read.

The plot is entirely predictable, including the Big Revelation at the end. The characters are one dimensional and lack depth.

I don't see me continuing this series, and I'm just glad it was a free download.

[Meryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have read this whole series, and I will warn you now- the storyline is simplistic, and each consecutive book becomes worse. I tend to judge books based on how well the author writes the dialogue. In this series, the dialogue is stilted and not believable. it can at times feel simplistic, as if some of the adults think and speak like young teenagers. I was hoping this series would be similar to other fantasy epics, but I was let down, sorely. I was sucked in by the story, so I did finish the series, its just not worth starting.

[Jeffrey Schmieder · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent adventure yarn, but the author drove me to distraction by emphasizing minutes when the characters are talking to each other. Example: We ride in ten minutes. But no one has a watch. And there was not even a visible sun to tell time.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Plain old fantasy, writing is a little forced.

[PapaTrain · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little of everything

Nice story with well developed characters, magic, elves, fairies, the hint of ogres and dwarfs. I only wish I could afford the rest of the series.

[Maki ⌒☆ · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a huge story. I saw that there were six other books in the series, and I can believe that it really takes that long to tell the entire story with everything that the author tries to squeeze in. However, something about this book bothered me, grating on the edge of my nerves. It took me about half of the book to figure out what it was. When I finally realized what was annoying me, I wondered why I hadn't noticed it sooner: all of the characters talk exactly the same.

There is no difference in diction between the seventeen-year-old children of fishermen and the forty-year-old master of disguise, or the most powerful magicians the world has ever seen. They don't use contractions. Their word choice is exactly the same. They all speak with the same rhythm and meter. EVERYBODY talks exactly the same, with the exception of two guards in a town who actually used contractions, and had what felt like regional accents.

The story line was a typical "prophecy to save the world" deal, a lot of time was put into each of the characters - their backgrounds, their personalities, their skills and talents. Each Prophecy Child was their own person, which can be difficult to manage when you're dealing with so many characters. I was worried early on that Arik and Tedi would be too similar, but they each grew into their own person, and even had differing views on subjects.

Niki was the only character who really annoyed me, though to be fair I'm pretty sure that was the intention with the way she was written. Frederick was by far my favorite character of the entire book. The kid's got magical powers AND he's a thief. He's damn near perfect.

The ending was a bit sudden, and contained a twist that surprised nobody, ever.

[Lisa J.olsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This books is part of a saga written like Lord of the Rings. Sordoa has faced a cataclysmic event and only children of the prophesy can save it from the Dark One, evil witches, and Dark Riders. Surprising, the story was fresh and intriguing.

Arik and Tedi are children of the prophesy that must flee their village of Sordoa to escape capture and possibly death from an evil with and her Dark Riders. On their journey, they meet Garth and Kaline, who instruct them in the art of weaponry and staying alive. While traveling, they meet other children of the prophecy and are sent on a quest to find magical items crucial to defeating the Dark One.

This book was interesting and an enjoyable read.

[Asli Fratarcangeli · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought that this book was well articulated. The way the author writes these characters makes them so appealing and attractive the reader. The bond between Arik and Tedi is indescribable. They're not the stereotypical strangers that come together for reasons unknown, but two boys that grew up with each other and are as close to being actual brothers. I also enjoyed watching the main characters mould into a solid, single unit.

I truly enjoyed the watching the plot build up and figuring out what was going to happen and the anticipation of everything falling into place. I felt compelled to continue reading, because I wanted so badly to know everything that was going to happen.

I'm truly excited to read the book!

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I may change my mind and give it a 5 after I've read the entire series (7 books). It was very good but I guessed at some would be surprises. It is fast moving, easy reading, probably more for 12 -13 yr olds. He does a good job of developing the personalities of the individuals. The next one to read is Opal of the Unicorns.

[Stephani · Rating 4 out of 5]

OH! Just by looking at the book I had questions. Personally the cover on this book is horrid and repulsive... Then I started reading...whew! Clean writing, easy to read, would be great for my step son to indulge in!!! Love magic, love adventure, good job!!!!! Will recomend to others!!

[Jacquelyn Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sardoa has to face cataclymic event that only children of the
prophesy can save them from, it's called evil.

Arik and Tedi must run to keep from being killed.

This story has everything in it dragons, demons, unicorns, fairies, and the whole magical world.

Nice read.

[AH]

Kobo free download 7/29/11

[Laurie D'ghent · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty dang good book. No sex at all, and very few swear words. Might have to get the rest of the series...

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this book to be very engaging and entertaining.Young people who become great fighters,add in a few fairies and magic-its a receipe for q great read

[Book_Lover101 · Rating 5 out of 5]

i found this book really good and richard has other books on alex and jenneva when they were young

[Barbara Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

First of seven in the Sword of the Heavens series. Good character development, adventure, fantasy.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good book. Kinda fun.

[Rand al'Thor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the book, in fact loved this whole series

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book. I have too many books to read right now but when I get through those I want to finish this series. I would suggest this book to anyone. I liked the plot and storyline.

[Pretty Peony Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

The pacing was a bit off. It was a long drawn out story but then ended really quickly with very little explanation.

[T.J. Burns]

I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Cassie Meigs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful - fast-paced & creative, immediately bought 2nd book in series