Pump Up Your Book - The Sword and Sorcery Series by Dylan Doose

 

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THE SWORD AND SORCERY SERIES

By Dylan Doose

 

Title: FIRE AND SWORD (Book 1)
Author: Dylan Doose
Publisher: Independent
Pages: 366
Genre: Epic Fantasy / Sword and Sorcery / Dark Fantasy

“An epic tale…”—Library Journal

A broken nation in need of a savior.

Ravaged by plague, decimated by dark magic, infiltrated by a foreign evil seeking to dominate from within, Brynth is on the eve of its dissolution. When all the good men are dead and gone, who is to answer the call and defy what is wicked for what is right?

A Twisted Tale of Three Unlikely Heroes.

Heretic monk turned Sorcerer, Aldous Weaver. Infamous crusader turned fugitive, Kendrick the Cold. Aristocrat, rogue, monster hunter, and legend in his own mind, Theron Ward.

Three men condemned to die for their crimes find in each other both the will and the means to survive. A dark brotherhood with Sword and Sorcery is forged, and all monsters meek and mighty do fear the three.

“Gritty, fast-paced and compelling!” 

Honorable mention in Library Journal’s Indie Ebook Awards and a Shelf Unbound Magazine Notable 100!

 

Amazon → https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B011H0JWCI

 

Title: CATACOMBS OF TIME (Book 2)
Author: Dylan Doose
Publisher: Independent
Pages: 120
Genre: Epic Fantasy / Sword and Sorcery / Dark Fantasy

“Dylan Doose is a master.”—Amazon reviewer

It’s going to be a long and bloody night.

The clock is ticking and Dr. De’Brouillard has a date. Dinner is at the Graves and a contract to cure one of the cursed is sitting on the plate. But when an old and dear friend reaches out from murky shadow for a helping hand, will the Doctor take it, risking all if he ends up being late?

New heroes join the fray. Are they friend or foe?

Dr. Gaige De’Brouillard believes science, not magic, conquers all. Even death is just an equation to be solved.

Malory “Butcher” Dahmer knows that life is but a dream, no wickedness, no sorcery too strange or obscene.

An Academic and a Gangster make for an interesting team.

Don’t miss the dark fantasy that reviewers are calling ‘visceral,’ ‘fantastic,’ and ‘intriguing’—get your copy of Catacombs of Time today!

 

Amazon → https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B017WUOWPY

 

 

Title: THE PYRES (Book 3)
Author: Dylan Doose
Publisher: Independent
Pages: 317
Genre: Epic Fantasy / Sword and Sorcery / Dark Fantasy

Monsters. Magic. Epic Battles.

The mountains and valleys of Romaria echo with the calamitous sounds of civil war. A New Order challenges old gods and on the festival night of the Pyres, the tides of destruction are fully unleashed. 

When the great white city of Brasov turns black with ash, when the sky goes red and the moon hangs like a dark void above, who will stand against the darkness? 

A Twisted Tale of Three Unlikely Heroes.

Heretic monk turned Sorcerer, Aldous Weaver. Infamous crusader turned fugitive, Kendrick the Cold. Aristocrat, rogue, monster hunter, and legend in his own mind, Theron Ward.

Three men condemned to die for their crimes find in each other both the will and the means to survive. A dark brotherhood with Sword and Sorcery is forged, and all monsters meek and mighty do fear the three.

Don’t miss the next thrilling instalment in the dark fantasy that reviewers are calling ‘gritty, fast-paced and compelling’—get your copy of The Pyres today!

“Grim, gritty, and good!” —Amazon Reviewer

 

 

Amazon → https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01J6C0VE2

 

Title: ICE AND STONE (Book 4)
Author: Dylan Doose
Publisher: Independent
Pages: 136
Genre: Epic Fantasy / Sword and Sorcery / Dark Fantasy

BOOK BLURB:

“Dark and excellent!”—Amazon Reviewer

Raise the sails! Blow the horns! It’s raiding season!

After a storm, Therick—raider from the frozen north—lands on the wrong foreign shores. With axe in hand and violence in mind, he and his warriors seek out villages to pillage and plunder. 

But when a timeless evil rises, Therick is forced into a battle not his own, a battle of gods and monsters…a battle he cannot win.

New heroes join the fray. Are they friend or foe?

Therick, son of ice, born with a serpent’s eye and a reptilian will to stay alive. 

Eona, daughter of stone, huntress of the great jungle. 

Will they unite, or fight as the world around them crumbles? 

 

 

Amazon → https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06XJQP93D

 

Title: AS THEY BURN (Book 5)
Author: Dylyan Doose
Publisher: Independent
Pages: 334
Genre: Epic Fantasy / Sword and Sorcery / Dark Fantasy

“Addicted!”—Amazon Reviewer

Darkness Returns to Brynth.

The shadow of a great invasion comes from the North, threatening to bring with it an oppressive new way of life, the way of the axe. A city recently saved now lies twisted and forever altered by a secret society within. 

Caught between these two wicked forces, the innocent citizens of Brynth need a savior…or three. 

A Twisted Tale of Three Unlikely Heroes.

Heretic monk turned Sorcerer, Aldous Weaver. Infamous crusader turned fugitive, Kendrick the Cold. Aristocrat, rogue, monster hunter, and legend in his own mind, Theron Ward.

Three men condemned to die for their crimes find in each other both the will and the means to survive. A dark brotherhood with Sword and Sorcery is forged, and all monsters meek and mighty do fear the three. 

 

 

Amazon → https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B077CCP1RS

Title: BLACK SUN MOON (Book 6)
Author: Dylan Doose
Publisher: Independent
Pages: 296
Genre: Epic Fantasy / Sword and Sorcery / Dark Fantasy

In the beginning there was madness and there was death.

A string of occult murders leads veteran holy-man-with-a-big-sword, Cullum Shrike, to Wardbrook, a treacherous place of pagan practices, corrupt leaders, and sinister sorcery. 

Cullum must purge his beliefs as he is forced to face the evil within, for when all light dies, only darkness can kill a shadow.

New heroes join the fray. Are they friend or foe?

Cullum Shrike, warrior priest of the holy Order of Seekers. Haunted by the ghosts of his failures, he clings to his faith even as treachery and insidious betrayal are revealed.

Nyva, the witch, is bound to the black house on the hill. She is stronger than she could imagine, she just needs someone to unlock her latent power.

An unlikely pair, but a pair they do make and when the dancing starts, they might just bring the house down.

Don't miss this thrilling—and terrifying—stand-alone full-length novel in the dark and gritty Sword and Sorcery series! 

 

 

Amazon → https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07JCX9SSL

 

Title: EMBERS ON THE WIND (Book 7)
Author: Dylan Doose
Publisher: Independent
Pages: 384
Genre: Epic Fantasy / Sword and Sorcery / Dark Fantasy

The Contract: Get to the Tower, Kill the Beast.

Simple enough? The problem is Theron, Aldous, and Kendrick are no longer in a world they know and between them and the tower are a few hundred miles of woods and waters infested with beasts and monsters. 

With a mutant and a dead man as their only guides, the three will have to rely on their trust for each other more than ever to get through. 

A Twisted Tale of Three Unlikely Heroes

Heretic monk turned sorcerer, Aldous Weaver. Infamous crusader turned fugitive, Kendrick the Cold. Aristocrat, rogue, monster hunter, and legend in his own mind, Theron Ward.

Three men condemned to die for their crimes find in each other both the will and the means to survive. A dark brotherhood with Sword and Sorcery is forged, and all monsters meek and mighty do fear the three. 

 

 

Amazon → https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08D8KCFRG

 

Dylan Doose is the author of the ongoing dark fantasy series, Sword & Sorcery. He also pens the new weird western series, Red Harvest. His debut novel received honorable mention in Library Journal’s Indie Ebook Awards and was a Shelf Unbound Magazine Notable 100.

Website: https://www.dylandooseauthor.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Dylan_Doose

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dylandooseauthor

Book Review by Sybrina - The Sword's Choice - The Sapphire Eruption By I.M. Redwright

The Sword's Choice 

 The Sapphire Eruption

By  I. M. Redwright

My first thought, as I read the last words of The Swords Choice – The Sapphire Eruption by I.M. Redwright was, “What?  It’s over??? Oh man, what a bummer.” That’s because I absolutely loved this author’s story-telling and did not want to stop reading. Luckily, the story continues in Book 2 so I will have an opportunity to read the full accounting.  

There’s so much depth and history throughout this book that it was easy to feel like I was immersed in Noakh, the phoenix’s world. Being a fan of Piers Anthony, I absolutely love it when an author assigns special meanings to words.  In this case, the main character’s name, Noakhhail, means “Don’t Give Up” and through many trials and tribulations, he completely lives up to that admonition. 

Don’t get me wrong, there are many times when he is on the verge of throwing down his sword, so to speak. Wondering whether he will or won’t is what keeps the story moving along so swiftly.  There are so many perils and situations that are full of action and adventure that there’s not a moment of boredom in the entire book. It reminded me a lot of The Sword In The Stone by T.H. White amongst many other rich, epic Arthurian fantasies. I also loved the idea of a world containing four separate elemental kingdoms.

Oh yes, I forgot to say, Noakh comes from the Fire Kingdom where a “phoenix” is chosen to become the new king. Since it happens so early in the story, it’s not really a spoiler to say that he is chosen to be that phoenix when he is a little baby and things go so awry that he must be spirited away to a safe place to avoid being murdered.

There are many other characters to be admired in the book but I have only concentrated on Noakh, here, because he was my favorite.  The review, itself, would be as long as a book if I delved too deeply into the others.  Suffice it to say, this is a great read.  Check it out for yourself.

I give this book

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Silver Dagger Book Tours - The Dragon Pillars - Water and Fire by Sanzaki Kojika

Water & Fire 

The Dragon Pillars Book 1 

by Sanzaki Kojika 

Genre: Epic Fantasy 

There is a legend that everyone knows- the legend of the Dragon Pillars. Every several hundred years, darkness befalls the land. The Dragons awaken and choose their Pillars, humans strong enough to withstand their powers, and together they drive back the darkness.

In the towering cathedral of Vivdaugas, students flock to study the archives built upon the legend and train to reach the glory of its heroes. Garred Conway is preparing for his test to become a true Defender when a storm threatens to destroy the citadel, and the land around it. Trapped in the catacombs, desperate to save those he cares for, he finds help from the most surprising place- the Water Dragon Aysu. Now, as Aysu's new pillar, he finds himself with more responsibility thrust on him than he could have ever imagined. 

**Only .99 cents April 7th-14th!!** 

Goodreads * Amazon

Earth & Wind 

The Dragon Pillars Book 2 

The Pillar of Fire Shula is left reeling with loss and a new heavy burden of responsibility. The Water Pillar Garred leads a small party into the dangerous Whispering Forest to seek out weapons that were blessed by the Light Dragon. Disaster is narrowly avoided, but it brings a dark secret to light.Once reunited, Shula steels her resolve and the journey continues. With two Dragons awoken, their quest for the third leads them to the harsh terrain of the desert. The sand dregs up a certain Defender’s self-proclaimed pathetic past and the hard feelings associated with it. Can a Dragon really chose a Pillar from an isolated people dedicated to a life of pacifism? 

**Only .99 cents May 4th– 11th!!** 

Goodreads * Amazon

Interview With The Author

Can you, for those who don't know you already, tell something about yourself and how you became an author?

            I write under the pen name Sanzaki Kojika. A quickie about my pen name…my real name is Fawn, and Kojika is Japanese for that. I cam up with the name Sanzaki originally by mixing letters from my real last name around. In Japanese, surnames are first.

            I’ve pretty much been reading from as early as I could. My mother was big into literature and mythology, keeping an abundance of books in our house, especially fantasy-based. I fell in love with the worlds that were scrawled across the pages, so it just felt natural to create my own. I wrote my first story with a friend back in fourth grade…about talking dogs in space. Yeah, it’s about as weird as it sounds.

What is something unique/quirky about you?

            I’m the type who constantly has to be doing something, well moreso, at least two of something. I work with sound or TV on in the background. I’ve even managed to play video games while drawing. I believe I developed this weird practice from being involved in hours of dance and merit/AP classes since elementary school. If I wanted to do something, I had to find time, and since I had none, so I just made it by doing multiple things at the same time. The biggest side effect to this has basically been my inability to ever turn my mind off.  

Tell us something really interesting that's happened to you!

            I like to think I’ve had a lot of adventures and my life is hardly boring, but if I were to pick out something that happened relatively recently…my “boyfriend” at the time took me to Japan back in August last year for two weeks. Both of us know Japanese fairly well so we really got to explore the country and visit places tourists don’t normally go. We even went to a comic event and bought way too much. I won’t bore you with all the details, but the first part we spent in Osaka, then Kyoto. We stayed one day in Hakone before spending the last week in Tokyo. We went to a private ryoukan (Japanese-styled inn) in Hakone that spoke no English. At one point, my boyfriend accidentally ordered a go board. The next day, he rented some sports cars to drive down the mountains in Hakone and afterwards proposed. It was super nerdy, but definitely our thing. He rented my favorite car even to propose in front of. I have such great memories of that trip overall.

What are some of your pet peeves?

            Gosh, I have quite a few. I think one of my biggest ones though actually does relate to writing. I absolutely cannot stand when people don’t use an oxford comma. I cannot fathom how someone would not want to add it in. It adds so much clarity. I’ve had people try to argue with me about this and explain their views, but this is just one silly thing I cannot budge on. Oxford comma, always. Or else.

Where were you born/grew up at?

            I grew up in Northwest Indiana, right near Chicago, IL. I really like the area because it offers so many of the perks of Chicago without dealing with a lot of the excess. Rent and gas are cheaper, traffic is lighter, but we still get to enjoy some of the same conveniences. We have a trainline that goes straight into Chicago. A lot of people in the area work in Chicago but live in what’s called “the region” for that reason.

If you knew you'd die tomorrow, how would you spend your last day?

            I’d like to keep it simple. Do some things I love with people I love. Get food with my family, spend time gaming with my fiancé. Cuddle with my cat, read a good book. Just relaxing and enjoying the time I had left. I would want to leave them all with good memories, so they could remember me like that.

Who is your hero and why?

            I have a rather cliché answer to this. Honestly, on a fundamental level, I have a lot of heroes, both real and fictional, that have inspired me greatly. My mother has been one of them for a long time. She taught my sisters and I about the magic in the world from a young age. She always took time out of her day to work with us, to teach us, and to read to us. She cleaned and delivered newspapers to help cover the costs of whatever activities we wanted to do or try. She drove us all over the US without complaint for competitions, then later, anime conventions. She is still the biggest supporter of what we do even after all these years.

What kind of world ruler would you be?

            I would want to be the type to rule with compassion rather than an iron fist. I believe that rulers who use fear as their instrument are destined to see their downfall. I would want to be benevolent and willing to make sacrifices for the greater good without condemning others in the wake. Flowery words that sound good on paper, but I’m not sure how easy it would be. It’s impossible to make everyone happy, after all.

What are you passionate about these days?

            Writing, of course. I spend a lot of time a week writing. I do my own works and even do editing for other authors. I have a lot of stories I want to tell, and not enough time to get them all out. I read a lot as well, not just for editing, but I try to read a bit before bed every night, too. I also spend a lot of time drawing, be it comics or just general art. I basically always keep myself busy, but I never lose sight of the things I love to do.

What do you do to unwind and relax?

            Mostly read and draw, but I read and draw what I want to for myself. I tend to do a lot of work, especially with illustration, for other people, or for specific projects, so it’s always nice to kick back and just draw something for the same of drawing. I also hop on videogames every now and then, especially games I can play with my friends. Monster Hunter World is my current to-go to.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

            I had been writing stories from a young age, but it wasn’t until high school when I took a creative writing class that I really felt like a writer. I wasn’t in the best place at the time, but it was a class I was interested in, and since I already liked writing, I figured, why not? My teacher was amazing. She really taught us to break out of the shells and restrictions society and English classes had forced on us. To me, it felt like the first time I was really told that it was okay to go crazy and just be yourself when writing. For our final project, I started what eventually became my first published novel “Beyond the Dancing Flames.” My teacher did private reviews with each of us on our project. She thoroughly enjoyed mine and implored upon me that should I ever finish it, she would be among the first to read it. She was the first person outside just a few close friends to ever read my writing and definitely the first to make me feel like “huh, guess I can write after all.”

Do you have a favorite movie?

            A few, because I am indecisive about a lot of things. I suppose more so, I like to say “movies I can rewatch over and over.” In no particular order…Twister, Anastasia (the animated one), Jurassic Park, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, Avengers…well, I’ll stop with just those. I really enjoy movies that have strong stories and strong character development. There are plenty of movies I love that I couldn’t rewatch as easily though.

Which of your novels can you imagine made into a movie?

            I actually think a few could work, but if I were to choose the one I’d like to see most as a movie, it would be my Dragon Pillars series. Two of the three books are out as of now, but it will hopefully finish in the next year or two. It’s been one of my more popular stories, and I am in love with some of the cast. Seeing them on the big screen would be a dream come true. A dream I’m sure so many authors share.

            Conversely, I think my series The Archive of Sinners would work better as a series than movies. The rest of my novels I think would do okay as movies.

Fawn Szymoniak, aka “SanzakiKojika” has been a resident of the fantasy world from a young age, growing up in a house full of books and mythology. Her mother introduced her to fantasy works by authors like Barbara Hambly and Terry Brooks. By the age of 8, she had already written her first novel (albeit crudely). Since then, she has taken to mostly writing fantasy, following characters through magical worlds full of wonder and danger. Her series “The Archive of Sinners” stands out as her only non-fantasy, being a paranormal mystery. 

On top of her writing, she is also a freelance graphic designer. Her love of art and writing, spurred her onto comics. She has several graphic novels self-published, including her webcomic “Zos Kias,” which is over 10 years old. 

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