Gatekeepers: Crusade of the Emerald Gale

by Matt Starr

The demon horsemen tear the surface of the planet apart in their war for domination, one against the other, bleeding the nations of the land to extinction. Ang’Gelian berserkers attack will-o-the-wisps and the families they accompany, and no one knows why. Hiroc, the Emerald Gale, is unleashed to rescue the victims and solve the mystery. His determination is undeterred until he rescues a young widow and promises to reunite her with her daughter. To do so, he will need the help of exiled gods, and their service does not come free.

232 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 2, 2022

Reviews

[Hannah Mae · Rating 3 out of 5]

Matt’s first ‘Gatekeeper’ book may be rough around the edges. It’s true his imagery and sentence structures aren’t the easiest to follow. The gory violence level might be a bit much for sensitive readers, and the episodic brokenness of the plot often disrupts any sense of narrative flow. However, Matt Starr’s worldbuilding skills is hugely impressive both in scale and detail. No two locations or peoples feel the same. His usage of Celtic/Germanic mythologies provide a colorful cornucopia of adventure. His re-imagining of the classic will-‘o-the-wisps is particularly worthy of a standing ovation, and although the disjointedness of his tale resulted in its wonky pacing, this same episodic style does genuinely echo and capture the episodic feel of ancient folktales!

So a perfect book? Nah.
A fun book? Definitely.
A unique, modern flavored love-letter to the original adventure quest? You can bet your booty!

So pack your swords! Matt’s “Gatekeeper: Crusade of the Emerald Gale” is about to take you on one bumpy yet rollicking trip!

Read My Full Comprehensive Review Here:
https://www.flyingfaith.org/post/ff-b...

[Jason McCoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lightning paced fun

This book reads like a whirlwind of action. Excellent world building provides a delightful backdrop to a quasi-Biblical fantasy world full of monsters and heroes. I really enjoyed this story.

[Jennifer Starr · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent story reminds me of a D&D campaign at points, but in a good way. Similar to the Witcher book series. Hiroc is my favorite character he reminds me of Anakin Skywalker the cool one from the animated series not the whiny one from the live action. Would totally recommend. I give it 4 stars for the typos(but it is self published) and because that the end was sorta gory not my thing. The action sequences were written really well. I loved the world and the variety of characters.

[D.T. Powell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid book. I loved the world building, and it was interesting to see myth woven into a fantasy story. I would love to see this get a good grammar pass though, as there are a good many typos throughout the book.

[Michael Bob · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you’re looking for lots of action and creative world-building, this is the book for you! Fascinating synthesis of the Bible and Celtic mythology, sprinkled with hints and nods to other myths. I loved the cliffhanger ending! Can’t wait for the sequel!

[Laura Brewer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, this is an ambitiously complex debut novel; knights, fae, monsters, Nephlim, undead and completely new creatures never seen. The hero, Hiroc has the belief that he can handle Anything on his own, but his survival comes with a price as he is sent to put down ravaging monsters and rescue any he finds. He has a soft spot for the helpless, but I hope he learns how to accept help and work as a team with others, or he may not survive the next book!
This sword and sorcery page turner is one of the most original takes on an Epic Quest theme that I’ve read, and I’ve read a lot of them. I can’t wait until book two comes out!

Laura Brewer, Author of The Chronicles of Asgard series

[Jogagal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whew! At first, I struggled to even read it. I found it complex and sometimes difficult to follow. There are numerous typos and grammatical errors, which can be confusing at times. The story seems to flit around like a butterfly at first, but once it settles down, it becomes really enjoyable.

I'm really glad I stuck with it since I found it to be so enjoyable after a bit. There's loads of action, twists, and humor, and, in the end, becomes difficult to put down.