Mythical (Stone Soldiers #1) [Kindle Edition]

C.E. Martin (Author)

Book Description

(Stone Soldiers #1)


Teens Josie Winters and Jimmy Kane are drawn into a world of monsters and magic they never knew existed when they find a soldier lost in the Arizona desert.

Colonel Mark Kenslir is the last of the cold war supersoldiers, and he's just come back from the dead. With his memory partly missing, he sets out to remember who, or what, killed him. Can the Colonel complete his last mission, or will the heart-eating shapeshifter he hunted kill him again?</span>

Editorial Reviews

Review

"MYTHICAL is something old made new and a true pleasure to discover.  And it's only the first step in what I predict is going to be an amazing series.  Buy your ticket and get on board now!"
-Ron Fortier, Pulp Fiction Reviews

"The more I read the more I got hooked. The excitement builds gradually until it comes to a stupendous climax. "
-LAS Sci-Fi/Fantasy Reviews

"I was excited to get through each chapter and move on to the next, I cared for the characters, and I genuinely wanted to keep reading."
-Billy, Amazon Reader

"C E Martin creatively wove together a story of super humans, other-worldly powers and the ever fascinating Greek mythology along with typical teenagers in to a thrilling story. The end leaves you hanging... in preparation for sequel?"
-Once Upon a Twilight

"This is an outright testosterone fest, I dare a manly man to read this and not like it. I liked it and will continue reading the series!"
-Mommsaysread.com

Product Details

• File Size: 348 KB
• Print Length: 162 pages
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B008913B3U
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Not Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #106,112 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Review of Mythical: Heart of Stone April 24, 2013

By Johnny E. Rentfro

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

Mr. Martin has created a whole new world for me to play in and I love it! From the moment the kids found the stone "corpse" I knew this was going to be an exceptional story and I was NOT disappointed. For those who like this genre, this is an 'above average' story that leaves the reader wanting more and this is just the first book in a new series by an imaginative WRITER that knows how to translate his offbeat imagination into a story well worth reading and he's not asking near what this series is worth.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Good storyline but graphically violent August 26, 2012

By S. Schairer

Format:Kindle Edition

MYTHICAL (Heart of Stone #1) by C E Martin

MYTHICAL is a YA/teen novel written in a mixed genre including paranormal, science-fiction, horror and fantasy. The novel and its' characters read like a comic-book storyline without the pictures, but you can use your imagination as the author manufactures an action-reel of adventure with his telling of the story.

18year old Josie Winters and her friends are having one final camp-out and dirt bike excursion before heading off to college. What they didn't expect was to find the charred remains of a boat in the middle of the desert complete with its' own badly decomposing corpse riddled with unnatural wounds and a gaping hole where his heart once beat. But upon closer inspection, it wasn't a body at all, but a statue--or was it?

Mark Kenslir needed water. Finding himself burned, injured and without the ability to heal himself. Mark wanders into a campsite that included a cooler full of bottled water and a group of armed teens ready to end his life-again. But it is Josie who recognizes the badly injured man, and to everyone's horror, it is the corpse from the misplaced ship in the desert.

Mark's ability to heal becomes exponentially faster with the addition of water, as does his strength and speed. Weapons, military style manoeuvres and a slew of specialized abilities will come in handy as Mark and his foundlings including Josie and Jimmy, must outrun and out smart the FBI, Special Ops Forces and teams of `super heroes' brought in by the military. But isn't Mark one of the good guys?

As Mark's memory returns, he begins to recount to Josie and Jimmy how it is he found himself in the desert and to their horror, Mark is not completely human. And there are more `parahumans' just like him.... But it was his last assignment that went horribly wrong and Mark knows that whatever he was hoping to capture is still out there-looking for its' next meal. Not only does Mark encounter the `beast' that stole his heart, but he and Josie soon become the targets of the US Special Forces and their elite group of super-human heroes. As the `beast' grows in power, so do the number of missing bodies without a heart.

To be honest, I am not sure in which direction to point the reader as it pertains to the age level of the storyline. The intended audience is young adult, but many of the military references require a guideline for description and definition. As well, the dialogue is fairly simple, almost adolescent at times, which leads me to presume, it is intended for a younger audience. The passages waver between smart intelligent descriptive narration and then drop to a more-simpler text as though there are two distinct writers. There is plenty of `blood, guts and gore', graphic violence, dismemberment and beheadings, as well as sci-fi military-style weapons and experiments, and the paranormal phenomenon of otherwordly creatures and shapeshifters. The young adults carry guns, knives and tasers as though they were pieces of jewelry and are quick to use their weapons without benefit of doubt. C E Martin deftly avoids a complete explanation as to how Mark and the others became part of an elite operation of super soldiers, but reveals small bits of information when necessary for impact. Like our hero's memory, I guess that information will be revealed a little at a time and on a need to know basis. Book 2 in Martin's Mythical series should hopefully reveal more about how and why our hero and his fellow super soldiers are the way they are.

MYTHICAL is an interesting story and one that will captivate some readers but I found that many of the passages were very violent especially for younger audiences. Mythical is not for everyone. Although many YA novels are enjoyed by readers of all ages, there should be a warning as it pertains to the graphic nature of the content.

Again, MYTHICAL is probably not for everyone. A number of popular YA novels and series include violent storylines with death and destruction but it is the graphic nature of MYTHICAL that may be too much for some younger readers. I am well aware that young adult readers are very knowledgeable and most are able to distinguish between reality and fiction, but sometimes a line has to be drawn and if that line is only a few words of warning-CONTAINS GRAPHIC VIOLENCE-then I will be happy.

see all of my reviews at : threadingcafe.com Read more ›

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A fun, quick read August 20, 2012

By billy

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I really enjoyed Mythical (Now Mythical: Heart of Stone as I realized when I purchased Brothers in Stone a few minutes ago) and its pulpiness--it is not the most academic book I've read, but it was a genuinely fun read. I was excited to get through each chapter and move on to the next, I cared for the characters, and I genuinely wanted to keep reading. When I realized that another book was out there, I immediately purchased it (so say like... fifteen minutes ago?). I also think that it's something I'd enjoy in high school--it's appropriate for a variety of audiences and I found it genuinely compelling.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Read August 1, 2012

By LAS Reviewer

Format:Kindle Edition

Five motorbike riders zoom across the desert and find a burnt out boat. With the boat is a scorched and broken corpse. A sudden storm sends the riders back to their camp, leaving the corpse and boat as they found it.

The corpse is soaked by the rain and gradually his wounds fill with stone which then becomes flesh. Once he is fully restored the stone man, now human in appearance, crosses the desert and finds the bikers camp. Josie and Jimmy, two of the bikers, join forces with him and help him regain his memory and fend off his enemies, despite the danger to themselves.

Definitely a science fiction book with a unique premise. Stone men, ordinary humans and a shape shifter all combine to make a good story. Josie and Jimmy, the two main humans, are typical teenagers. He's fascinated by Josie, she considers him a friend. The stone man is able to reconstitute himself when hit by bullets or knives and even after major attacks on his body. He is both an unusual and well developed character.

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. At first slow going, I found it difficult to keep my interest, but I persevered and was glad I did. The more I read the more I got hooked. The excitement builds gradually until it comes to a stupendous climax. It's certainly worth pushing through to the end as the last few chapters make the slow beginning worthwhile. The end brings the story to a finale, but still leaves hooks to bring the reader back for the sequel. Well done C.E. Martin, a book with a good story and well edited.

Originally posted at LAS Sci-Fi/Fantasy Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Cool Story. May 14, 2013

By J. Nelson

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

Interesting take on The Hero's Journey. Was refreshing to read about a unique character in the "stone soldier." Look forward to reading the rest of the storyline.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable, exciting read February 21, 2013

By Dale

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

There isn't a lot I can add about the plot that hasn't already been written. This is the first book in a series and so has to have a lot of explanation in the text but it does not detract from the action and the action is plentiful. The violence is graphic as has been said in another review but it is in keeping with the subject matter. I enjoyed this book and am adding Mythical #2 to my to be read pile very soon.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Once Upon a Twilight.com Reviews October 26, 2012

By Yara Santos

Format:Kindle Edition

An elite soldier with super powers is dead in the Arizona desert. His lifeless body is found mutilated and burned by five friends that are enjoying a post high graduation vacation. After the friends leave the horrible scene, knowing there was nothing they could do to help and feeling more than a little freaked out, they head a few miles back to their camp.

What they soon learn is that the soldier (Mark Kenslir), is no stranger to dying. After stumbling in to the teenagers camp he completely regenerates his body with the help of water. Unfortunately he initially has no memory of anything beyond the year 1962. With the help of two of the teenagers, Josie and Jimmy, he starts the search for answers to who killed him and why.

Adjusting to the strangeness of Mark's return to the living, Josie and Jimmy will also be pulled into the world of magic, mind-readers and terrifying monsters. They also quickly learn that even the good guys might not be trustworthy allies. Mark isn't the only creature that is seemingly immortal as they battle a homicidal shape shifter that rips out the heart of it's victims and consumes it to absorb their powers. Mark needs Josie and Jimmy to help navigate the modern world while his memories slowly come back and Josie and Jimmy need Mark just to stay alive.

I am not usually a fan of straight sci-fi or short stories. Mythical Heart of Stone was both, but this was a quick enjoyable read for me. I liked the writing and was pulled into the action scenes. Mark and his unlikely team of teenage heroes were captivating characters. I would have really enjoyed more background information into all the characters though, especially Josie.... C E Martin creatively wove together a story of super humans, other-worldly powers and the ever fascinating Greek mythology along with typical teenagers in to a thrilling story. The end leaves you hanging... in preparation for sequel? - Carrie Read more ›

More About the Author

C.E. Martin resides in the midwest with his wife and two daughters.

After serving four years in the USAF, C.E. returned to the midwest in 1994. Toiling by day as a civil servant, C.E. enjoys classic pulp novels and B Movies in his spare time. When not writing, C.E. can be found lurking around the internet, as @Troglodad or even on Xbox Live- when his kids let him have the TV.