The Sword and the Dragon (Revised) (The Wardstone Trilogy Book One) [Kindle Edition]

M. R. Mathias (Author)

Book Description

Read the reviews on this one, Jordan, Martin, and Hobbs, be wary. A new Fantasy Master has finally released his long written wares....

Deemed one of the top 10 indie Fantasy releases of 2010 by Fantasy Book Critic, and listed in the first ever Publishers Weekly Indie Select issue, this 235k word epic title was originally written in longhand in a Texas prison cell by M. R. Mathias.

*Note:  This title was fully revised in 2012 and in March 2013 was updated to include the Kingdom Map and a Table of Contents. If you purchased an earlier version and would like the update, please contact Amazon. 

The Sword and the Dragon

When the Royal Wizard of Westland poisons the king so that his puppet prince can take the throne and start a continental war, a young squire is forced to run for his life carrying the powerful sword that his dying monarch burdened him with from the death bed.

Two brothers find a magic ring and start on paths to becoming the most powerful sort of enemies, while an evil young sorceress unwillingly falls in love with one of them when he agrees to help her steal a dragon's egg for her father. Her father just happens to be the Royal Wizard, and despite his daughter's feelings, he would love nothing more than to sacrifice the boy!

All of these characters, along with the Wolf King of Wildermont, the Lion Lord of Westland, and a magical hawk named Talon, are on a collision course toward Willa the Witch Queen's palace in the distant kingdom of Highwander. There the very bedrock is formed of the powerful magical substance called Wardstone.

Who are the heroes? And will they get there before the Royal Wizard and his evil hordes do?

Whatever happens, the journey will be spectacular, and the confrontation will be cataclysmic.

*Enjoy the first 6 Chapters FREE of this 235k word (900 page) epic fantasy on your PC or Kindle device.  
*A larger version of the Mainland Kingdoms Map can be found at  mrmathias.com  
Thanks, M. R. Mathias

Editorial Reviews

Review

Overall The Sword and the Dragon (A+) is an impressive debut - a traditional fantasy that manages to be fresh. It succeeds in offering a complete reading experience. I was pleasantly surprised to see a high level of editing for a quite long independent novel.    See the full review here:  fantasybookcritic.blogspot.com 

--Fantasy Book Critic

Fans of Tolkien and CS Lewis will find much to enjoy to enjoy in M.R. Mathias' debut fantasy novel. This is a big book, with a steady flow throughout. Read this book. Take up your sword and get ready for a hugely enjoyable adventure.

--Book Smart UK

After reading all three of the Wardstone novels I find myself wanting more. I love Hyden, Mikahl, and Phen. This is a great fantasy trilogy. Well written and worth every penny. The characters may never leave me -- Review of The Wizard and the Warlord - The Wardstone Trilogy Book Three

-- Liz Cornwell, Amazon Review

"You've (Mathias) already achieved much, much more than so many people who like to think of themselves as writers."

-- @Gollancz The Deputy Publishing Director of SF, Fantasy & Horror list of the Orion Publishing Group.

I bought and read this wonderful story. It has so much action and interaction in it, and it never lost my interest. This story will go far and I am really looking forward to the next book in the trilogy. Sep. 04, 2010

--T. Ellis Smashwords Review

I was captivated with this book from the first page.  I recommend this book to anyone who wants to support a new author and who likes fantasy novels with lots of graphic action. Full review at:   books-treasureortrash.com/

--Books-Treasure or Trash

From the Author

I enjoyed writing this huge series, as doing so kept me sane in a place that was crazy. I can only hope you enjoy it too. Keep in mind I wrote this tale for me, not anyone else. I never expected to publish these titles.   M.R.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• File Size: 989 KB
• Print Length: 522 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1453862749
• Publisher: Michael Robb Mathias Junior (July 24, 2010)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B003X9775Q
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,254 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
  • #42 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Fantasy > Fairy Tales
  • #60 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > World Literature > Mythology

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 33 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars 600 Pages of Fun January 2, 2012

By Constant Reader

Format:Paperback

The Sword and the Dragon is high fantasy, a 600-page behemoth sporting a background teeming with characters and enough strange forest creatures to spook any readers' dreams. The reading is easy (sometimes too direct) and moves from scene to scene with record energy and fun, but can shift with little warning.

Readers need to keep the score in mind and I occasionally had trouble picking up the flow after putting the book down for the evening. A map of the Mainland Kingdoms is available online via a link at the book's start.

As with any long novel, the reader must invest time and effort to understand the course of the story, the bond Gerard and his brother share, and why only Gerard should use the magic ring. The writing is descriptive and direct if not occasionally stilted and clunky.

During a death-defying climb on a treacherous rock escarpment our hero wipes his hands of dirt, grime and hawk droppings. The quest is explained directly and loses tension as the words are forced out staccato-like: he did, it was, etc. The reader is cheated of a chance to learn the story through nuances like heat, light, and smell. The hawk dropping could have been a pungent and acrid smell experienced by Gerard instead of just a single word thrust at the reader.

If you like Fantasy and are ready for a character (and battle) driven story that takes you to a world of dragons, wizards, giants and dwarfs, this book will keep you reading for hours. Overall this is a nicely written story with some interesting twists, plenty of straightforward battles, and it allows the reader a chance to be immersed in a fantasy land created by a fertile mind that sports heroes you'll enjoy cheering for.

16 of 19 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars A case of trying to do too much... 2 1/2 Stars July 17, 2012

By R. Nicholson TOP 1000 REVIEWER

Format:Kindle Edition

"The Sword and the Dragon" (Revised): (The Wardstone Trilogy) is the first book an epic fantasy trilogy by author M. R. Mathias. This Kindle e-edition was a 1037Kb (approx 638 printed pages) and was priced at $3.88 at the time of writing this review.

This book also included related short stories "Roar" and "The Blood of Coldfrost" in addition to the main work.

PLEASE NOTE: The author provided me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Spoilers (general theme only)

Good King Balton dies under suspicious circumstances and it's not long after his funeral that Master Wizard Pael sets into motion events that will change all the different realms from living in a peaceful co-existence to one of death, despair and utter chaos. Left to try and salvage some hope for mankind are a varied and diverse group of adventurers with a few special talents, skills and artifacts.

End spoilers

Some thoughts on "The Sword and the Dragon"...

The Pros:
1.) an interesting and at times, entertaining story.

2.) lots of action, secret agendas, clandestine plotting and oh yes... battles

3.) a variety of characters... humans, giants, elves, dwarfs, dragons, wolves, a special hawk and hordes of undead.

4.) important characters can be severely injured or die. A realistic touch in this regard.

5.) maps... one global map of the entire area. A more detailed map is found on the author's website.

6.) cover art... a stunning picture of a fire dragon. I believe that the cover on the copy that the author sent me may be different then the one that is found on the amazon page.

The Cons:

1....) I'd mixed feeling towards this book, there were parts that I really liked, especially at the beginning and then other areas (like most of the last half of the book) that I had trouble getting through. Mostly because of Cons: 2.)

2.) unbelievable in may regards, even within the context of a fantasy setting. Just when it appeared that events of one segment couldn't get any more incredulous, it would pale by comparison to whatever would happen in the ensuing chapter. And all of these events seemed directly related in some way, shape or form to the omnipotent presence of one Wizard Pael... a figure that was so powerful it became quickly obvious no one had a chance against him.

3.) after some decent character development initially, the latter half of the book seemed to fall into a mainly action orientated affair.

4.) this story covered an entire continent... from the far northern mountains to the southern marshes, from Coldfrost in the west to realms of the far East. With so many things going on in so many places it was easy to lose your feel for the time required for traveling when the different parties were going on a long trek. They would leave one area and in the next chapter be at their destination.

5.) although not Young Adult (YA), nor was it described as such on the amazon page, it had a definitive YA feel to it on many occasions.

6.) and finally, (maybe a picky point)... Berda, the story teller, who the reader never meets, was referred to 39 times in the telling of this tale (verified by the Kindle search feature). An occurrence that was frequent enough to be noticeable.

Conclusion:

If you can suspend your sense of believability AND you like a story with tons of action, you might really enjoy this book.

But to me the most significant thing about this tale (a tale that I never fell in love with) was that it was that the story just seemed to go on and on and on... I was beginning to wonder if I'd ever finish it. I lost the excitement of the tale and simply became bored. I think this attitude was the one that really summed up my ultimate feelings towards this work.

It seemed to me that author tried to incorporate too much within the confines of one book. A case were less may have been much better.

As it is... 2 1/2 Stars.

Ray Nicholson
[e-mail] Read more ›

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars IS THIS FOR CHILDREN? October 21, 2012

By JOJO

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I'm a bit confused, this book seems to be written for children yet seems to presuppose a lexicon larger than that of most children. Then there are the spelling errors, missing words, etc.. The straw that broke my back was the constant explaining - as if the reader were a toddler. Some good ideas but the presentation was obviously an annoying deal breaker. In conclusion, the prose quality was extremely poor especially when compared to that of fantasy writers like Steven Ericson, Joe Abercrombie or Brett Weeks.

35 of 46 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Exciting and Magical Epic Fantasy March 12, 2011

By K_Malinczak

Format:Paperback

I'm conflicted. Part of me is glad I'm done reading because it's so long, but on the other hand, I feel like the characters have become a part of me and I'm sad to see them go. Really sad.

There were so many vivid scenes that are memorable in my mind. It's hard to explain, but when you are reading and you can picture a scene that's happening down to the most extreme detail in your own mind, then I believe you have an excellent piece of fiction in your hands(or on your computer).

The battle scenes are extremely well-written. Appropriate amount of action, gore, and detail. Somehow the book manages to cover every aspect of fantasy without being cheesy in any way. The climactic battle scene is just wow. It captures all the tension and I almost feel as if I'm standing there right next to the fighters.

This is a artfully done character driven novel with extremely deep and dimensional characters either likable or unlikable, but really detailed either way. A lot of the characters I like have died already. This makes me sad.

I read an interview the author did where he said Pael was evil. but likable. I didn't find him to be likable at all. He is grotesquely creepy. Just my observation. This is not a bad thing.

I am in love with Claret. I want a dragon of my very own. And the sword Ironspike feels like it has its very own personality. Strange.

I have heard criticisms on other boards about the lack of editing and grammar mistakes. I didn't find that to be a problem at all. There were a few, yes, but that is to be expected from a self-published novel. I have seen MUCH worse editing than this and I'm glad to say that it didn't detract from the magic of the story at all.

Also, I would like to add a personal thought to this review.... I read something the author posted somewhere about the fact that a publisher turned him down because they didn't believe him to be stable enough to make an investment in. I thing this is a shame, because his writing is amazing and I believe it would sell like crazy. It appears as though he's making more money publishing on his own though so good for him. And it's definitely their loss. They missed out.

Such a great epic fantasy, I mean it was magical, emotional, and really drew me in, but when you decide to read it you are making a Stephen King type commitment. This is a long book. But it is so worth the read. There are self-published gems out there. Read more ›

More About the Author

M.R. Mathias rose from unknown to award-winning, best-selling author at a pace most authors can only dream about. He is a prolific writer of epic fantasy novels, novellas, and short stories. Despite his busy writing, publishing, and promotional schedule Mathias continues to aid his fellow indie authors by posting about their books at Twitter and Facebook etc.

He shared his considerable knowledge of self-promotion in publishing The First Ten Steps. The book has become an important indie guide for navigating the often murky waters of using social media sites to get your eBook in front of avid readers.

Mathias has taken cross promotion to a new level in his "Indie Kindy" giveaways where he gives away a FREE Kindle Touch and or Kindle Fire loaded with independently published books. These events create a great deal of interest for the authors involved and to independently published books as a whole.

It is a pleasure working with M.R. Mathias and watching his amazing run at the top of the Amazon best seller lists.
William R. Potter
Indie author
Founder of the Independent Author Network

From the Author
The jewel you see glowing in the ring in my old authors photo isn't really a jewel at all. It is the crystallized tear of a real dragon. In my novel "The Royal Dragoneers" you might find the moment where this wonderfully magical tear drop fell from a green dragons eye. It hardened on its way down to land in a mess of troll corpses that the dragon was laying on.

My grandfather died before I was born, but the ring was given to me by my mother, after my grandmother recently died. My grandfather had apparently won it in a poker game near the Red River between Texas and Oklahoma sometime in the early 1900's.

It has been a boon, the magic of the teardrop, for it brought you here to me didn't it? Now treat yourself to something fantastic and try out the free sample of one of my novels. I hope you enjoy the journey. It will be spectacular. Thanks M.R. Mathias

Amazon Author Rankbeta 

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#24 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Fantasy

#31 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy

#32 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Action & Adventure

#50 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Action & Adventure

#52 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy

#24 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Fantasy

#31 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy

#32 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Action & Adventure

#50 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Action & Adventure

#52 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy