Imperial Hostage, Book 1 of The Destruction Series [Kindle Edition]

Phil Cantrill (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

From the moment 12-year-old Prince Erechtheus docks in Poseidia, capital of the Empire, to be a hostage for 13 years, nothing in his life is easy – or safe.

An unexpected and foreboding prophecy, uttered by a blind seer, puts the prince immediately in the crosshairs of Al-Jinn, the powerful and paranoid High Priest from the Temple of Bel. In a fit of perverse desperation, Al-Jinn and several other priests ravenously abuse Erech before placing him on an altar for ritual sacrifice to Lord Bel. Only last-minute intervention from Kul-Kan, High Priest of the rival Temple of One, saves the prince from a gruesome fate.

At the Temple of One, although he remains a hostage, Erech is befriended by others his age as they are all educated in the Empire's arts and sciences. The Temple offers relative sanctuary, but the prince is repeatedly attacked. He survives with the help of his new-found friends and hand-to-hand combat training from Myriné, heir–apparent to the Queen of the Amazons.

Erech gains exceptional fighting skills and an understanding of the natural world as he matures, but he suffers a series of crippling, heart-breaking losses – most as a result of the many attempts on his life. At the twilight of his captivity as a hostage, the 25-year-old prince encounters one last trial, a trial that could very well lead to war between his native land and the Empire.

Product Details

• Format: Kindle Edition
• File Size: 736 KB
• Publisher: JournalStone (May 29, 2011)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
• Language: English
• ASIN: B0037261FQ
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #586,003 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

More About the Author

Phil Cantrill grew up on a farm near Orange, New South Wales. He has been an avid eclectic reader since he was old enough to hold a picture book.

After graduating from High School, Phil worked for the government while studying law at night but says his most interesting and rewarding lessons have been in the university of life.

Following admission as a barrister he practiced law in various parts of Australia and in Hong Kong, enjoying the opportunities provided by both legal practice and travel. Most of all he enjoyed meeting and understanding new people, seeing and learning from beliefs and cultures very different from his own. Some of the interesting scenes and characters he encountered provide source material for his stories.

His hobbies include being a gliding instructor and a scuba diver. Phil believes that seeing the world from these two very different perspectives has helped him better understand it, while more fully appreciating its beauty and fragility.

Later in life, Phil decided to leave his legal practice to satisfy a desire to write fantasy. "Imperial Hostage" is his first published novel, but he hopes there are more where this came from.

His family includes five children, all of who are now adults. Phil lives on the Sunshine Coast of Queensland with his wife and poodle while working on his next novel.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Imperial Hostage, July 24, 2011

By 

Mary E. Young "JanaRose1" (Covington, Georgia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Imperial Hostage, Book 1 of The Destruction Series (Kindle Edition)

Prince Erech is sent to Poseidia as an "Imperial Hostage" at the age of twelve. For the next thirteen years he is to live and learn about the Empire. On his first day, a blind seer foretells that he will be the destruction of Al-Jinn, a High Priest from the Temple of Bel. Al-Jinn attempts to sacrifice him to Bel, but he is rescued by Kul-Kan, High Priest of the Temple of One. Erech is taken to the relative safety of the Temple of One, where he makes life-long friends and learns about the inner-workings of the Empire. Despite the protection of the Temple of One, he is under constant threat from Al-Jinn and his assassins and must learn how to protect and defend himself.

Well written, I highly enjoyed this book and am looking forward to reading more from this author. The characters were dynamic and engaging and the book moved at a steady pace. Overall, I am pleased with the writing style, character development and story-line of Imperial Hostage and would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys fantasy

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful YA Adventure, July 2, 2011

By 

Tracy Smith - See all my reviews

This review is from: Imperial Hostage, Book 1 of The Destruction Series (Kindle Edition)

Tragedies, prophecies, friendships, and lots of heart create the story of an "Imperial Hostage."

Taken from his home and entred as a hostage for the next twelve years, young Erech, Prince of Attike, must face terrible atrocities at the hands of the priests of the Temple of Bel before finding comfort and solace at the Temple of One. Follow his story as he makes numerous friendships and discovers powers within himself to survive many personal attacks aimed to do away with him completely. Will he learn enough fighting strategies to keep himself safe against these known assassins? Can he learn that friendship sometimes isn't enough and neither is love? Will an old crone's prophecy be his definite destiny in life? Come on his journey from boyhood to a young man that is filled with lots of lessons to be learned, some gut-wrenching heartaches, and lots of underlying love and loyalties.

I really enjoyed getting to know the characters in this story. The author brought them to life with very vivid descriptions and great dialogue. I especially enjoyed the character of Myrine, the very talented and strong Amazon princess. She was such a fearless young lady and wasn't afraid to show it. You don't see young female characters like that as much as you need to.

I had never read anything by this author before, but I am really looking forward to seeing what is coming up next in this wonderful series.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys YA fiction filled with adventure and a mystical twist.

This book was kindly provided to me by Journalstone Publishers for my honest review.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Waiting patiently for book 2!!, June 12, 2011

By 

Amy Eye (IL, US) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Imperial Hostage, Book 1 of The Destruction Series (Kindle Edition)

Being a prisoner is being a prisoner no matter how nicely someone treats you. Prince Erech learns this that hard way. Taken as a preteen from his home he is taken as a hostage until he reaches the age of 25. These hostages are kept to teach them about the Empire to be used as ambassadors or at least help to educate their homelands about the ways and history.

When Erech first arrives, a prophecy is made about him. This prophecy leads him to be almost killed in a religious ceremony, naked and in front of the entire temple's congregation. At the last second young Erech is saved from the dagger blade and whisked away to another temple in the Capital. Needless to say, after Erech's less than friendly introduction to the people in the Empire, he distrusts all there, even those who came to his aid.

After a time, Erech makes friends and even falls in love. But, nothing can ever be so easy and carefree. There are those who are jealous of Erech. His skills, his looks, and his disposition is desired by the women something to be wary of in the men. There are many things to learn here in the Empire, and one Erech learns quickly is to never let your guard down. More than one attempt has been made on his life, and unfortunately for him, there will be no shortage of continued tries. Will Erech survive to see his return to his kingdom and his family at the age of 25?

It takes a lot for me to give a book 5 stars, but I believe this book has earned every one of them. I loved the plot, the characters, the twists in the story, and the relatability to everything that Erech is feeling and experiencing.

The women in this story are just as fierce, important, and capable as the men - definitely a bonus for this reviewer. With this being said, none of the characters were cookie cutter figures. Some of them were definitely more powerful and gifted than others, but many showed faults, weaknesses, and times of bad judgment. I love the depth of the characters in this story.

The different scenes and locations in this book were very vivid and full. I could easily imagine myself there without the author having to take forever to explain it to the reader (I do have a problem with those types of scenes as anyone who has read any of my reviews will know!!) Many of the places were quite beautiful and others quite creepy. I loved it.

This book is full of action, fun, love, mystery, and friendship. The only thing else that was missing was the sequel for me to read once I finished this one!! By the way, did I mention I REALLY LOVED THIS STORY??