By Darkness Revealed (Blackwell Magic) [Kindle Edition]

Kevin O. McLaughlin (Author)

Book Description

Ryan Blackwell thought to escape his magic by burying himself in the military college at Northshield, Vermont.

Instead, he finds himself in the midst of a deeper and more dangerous sorcery than he has ever encountered before.

Suddenly, only Ryan's wit, will, and the talent he once hoped to leave behind stand between a nightmarish creature and everything he cares for.



ABOUT THE AUTHOR
When not practicing hobbies which include constructing medieval armor and swinging swords at his friends, Kevin McLaughlin can usually be found in his Vermont home with his wife and three children. Kevin's award-winning short fiction is now available in digital form at all major ebook retailers. His debut contemporary fantasy novel, "By Darkness Revealed", will be followed by the sequels "Ashes Ascendant" and "Dead in Winter".

Product Details

• File Size: 259 KB
• Print Length: 120 pages
• Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
• Publisher: Role of the Hero Publishing (August 6, 2011)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B005G8L3X4
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Not Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #315,081 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Couldn't put it down. April 30, 2012

By Amy

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I picked this up yesterday evening and read it in one sitting. Solid writing, a genuinely heroic main character, realistic interactions and an internally consistent magical universe added up to a tale of a magical battle against pure evil that I could not put down.

The main character, Ryan, is immediately and likably heroic, someone I wanted to spend more time with. The story style reminded me slightly of Jim Butcher's Dresden Files, but with a younger feel.

Definitely series I want to see more of.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Entertainment: Even Better if Fleshed Out with 20,000 Extra Words April 1, 2012

By Mr. Richard Lw Bunning

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

This is an urban fantasy story by a better than competent writer. One that has no trouble keeping one entertained. The well-constructed story is set in and around a very realistic feeling, modern, military academy, whilst the plot makes use of many well established "superstitions" surrounding the "dark arts".
The inter-play of characters was interesting, although too many of them were rather underdeveloped. I would particularly have liked the white knight figure of the gardener to have been more deeply explored, along with that of the undergraduate who released the ancient evil. The recovery just in time approach to solving a struggle was perhaps used once too often, but the action scenes were certainly exciting. Possibly the fact that the College kept running almost normally with so many deaths was slightly difficult to go along with. All these irritations were almost certainly due to the constraints of fashionable concise writing, and not to any lack of inventiveness in telling story.
Despite my minor criticisms, this book is a very well worthwhile fantasy read with plenty to keep the reader interested in searching out ongoing stories of Blackwell magic. This is one of the best long "short-stories" I have read, but I really hope McLaughlin starts to risk a bit more paper. This is a very clever use of the Occult in a modern "urban fantasy", by an author that all readers will be keen to read more of.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars I thought I won't like the book but I ENJOYED IT! December 24, 2011

By S. Torossian

Format:Kindle Edition

I didn't expect to like this because of the military setting. Turned out story was one of the better fantasy novels I've read. Setting is captivating. Magic that author created for the book is unique and proved that fiction is, after all, make-believe - author did a great job of doing it with this book. Thanks for the read.

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