Originally posted by Joshua Robertson:
About a week ago, I was pleasantly surprised by a 5-Star Review on Melkorka, Book 1 in The Kaelandur Series. Confession: Being that Melkorka was my first published novel, I am always concerned I did not nail the story as well as I would have liked. Without a doubt, I am aware that my books have improved over the years. I think this is true with most writers as they learn more about crafting more-believable characters and a more-engaging plot. Nevertheless, I was absolutely thrilled to see a reader–not only give the book 5 stars–but to grasp what I was attempting to master with this complex tale!
For anyone who has followed me for some time, you know The Kaelandur Series is complete and available on Amazon. You may also know that the world where this series takes place is part of my larger saga, Thrice Nine Legends. Currently, the stories of Thrice Nine Legends are growing exponentially with many books coming in the next few months. While I typically tell readers to start with Anaerfell or Melkorka, here is the current line-up of books. Readers can feel free to pull the series out of the list and read them separately.
The Highborn Longwalker (119 CE) – Coming 2018
Death at Dusk (1348 CE) – Coming 2018
Maharia (1352 CE), The Kaelandur Series, Book 3
Heshayol (1352 CE), The Blood of Dragons, Book 2 – February 2018
Heshayol (1352 CE), The Blood of Dragons, Book 2 – February 2018
The Skincutter’s Daughter (1370 CE) – Coming March 2018
The Deathless Series – Coming Soon
Enjoy the Reader’s Favorite, 5-Star Review By Caitlin Lyle Farley
Melkorka leads the reader into Joshua Robertson’s The Kaelandur Series with an epic quest. Branimir Baran is a Kras, a race enslaved by the Highborn men of the North for generations. Much of the history and culture of his own people is lost to him, and the ways of the magic-wielding Highborn are often incomprehensible. The Highborn do not craft weapons, yet Branimir witnesses the forging of the dagger, Kaelandur, destined to execute Nedezhda, a Highborn found guilty of practising death magic. On the eve of Nedezhda’s execution, a horde of demons descends from the crags and falls upon the Highborn fortress of Melkorka. The Highborn and their Kras slaves are all but destroyed in the battle, leaving only a handful of Highborn and Branimir to seek out the Tree of Life and prevent Nedezhda and her demons from destroying it.
The magic system of the Highborn is simple yet captivating, and impacts on the plot of Melkorka in unexpected ways. Branimir is a likable character, but his most compelling aspect is the way generations of slavery have coupled his sense of heritage to servitude. This intertwines with his desperation to know about Kras civilisation and culture prior to their enslavement to form a subtle yet complex internal conflict. Dorofej’s tendency to voice every snarky thought without an ounce of tact never fails to entertain while his kindness towards Branimir is endearing. Joshua Robertson takes an alternative route with regard to the characters’ moral compasses, emphasising the ideal that the lives of the many outweigh those of the few. The result is refreshing, as it prevents the rise of that tiresome plot device wherein the hero dumps the world-saving quest in favour of saving family or friends, usually with disastrous results.
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Joshua Robertson is an award-winning author in epic, dark fantasy. You may recognize him as the dude whose dragons were said to destroy George R.R. Martin’s and Christopher Paolini’s dragons in a very biased Twitter poll. His first novel, Melkorka, was released in 2015, and he has been writing fantasy fiction like clockwork ever since. Known most for his Thrice Nine Legends Saga, Robertson enjoys an ever-expanding and extremely loyal following of readers. He currently lives in North Carolina with his better half and his horde of goblins. Learn more at http://www.robertsonwrites.com or connect with him on Twitter @RobertsonWrites.
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