Prophecy of the Flame: Book One [Kindle Edition]

Lynn Hardy (Author), Yivgeni Matoussov (Illustrator)

Book Description

In a blinding flash of light, five strangers are yanked from this world and thrust into a land of sorcery as they are granted the looks and abilities of the people they were playing. This band of wannabe heroes soon discovers that having the powers they have always dreamed of, does not make life a dream come true. The Crusaders of the Light struggle to form a cohesive band as they blend twentieth century technology with the supernatural powers of this new world, fighting to liberate the kingdom of Cuthburan from the evil horde threatening humanity.


Battle is also waged within Reba, an ordinary housewife who has become the most powerful mage on the planet, as she struggles to remain true to her wedding vows. Drawn against her will to the arms of Prince Alexandros, Reba must choose between a marriage to a handsome prince in a magical world or returning to the husband she left behind.



A Note from Lynn Hardy


This is the first book in the Prophecy of the Flame series. Although classified as Fantasy, it has a dash of romance with a contemporary slant. Many teen readers have been drawn to this book, though it was never intended for the young adult audience.

Since I am a new author, I have decided to give this book away for free. Yes, a Free Kindle Book. The way I see it, If you like Book One, you'll buy Book Two. I've price Book Two in the Prophecy of the Flame series a bit high, to make up for the free book. Forthcoming books will be priced at the market average for Kindle ebooks.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A  strikingly accomplished young writer with a true flare for storytelling and character development. You dive into this book and hope it will never end." 

  ~ Kate Delano-Condax Decker


"I caught the first one back when it was being offered for free for a short time period. I loved it so much I bought the second one, and am patiently awaiting the time another book is published in the series. Ok, not really so patiently, but what choice do I have? haha. To be honest I had never even heard of Lynn Hardy before I found that free book, but I would now consider her to be on my list of favorites." 

  ~ Amazon Reviewer

 

"I read the first book on my kindle yesterday. (Yes, the whole book.)... I just now bought Book Two and Book 2.5. That is how addicting I find Prophecy of the Flame." 

  ~ Elizabeth Polley

From the Author

Self-published books have a reputation for having bad covers and horrible edits. I have taken measures to overcome these obstacles:

1. Tor is the largest publisher of Science Fiction and Fantasy in this country. I consulted one of their leading artists about my cover. I hope you approve of its design.
2. I hired Andrea Howe to edit my book. Andrea was an editor at Wizards of the Coast - another leading publisher of fantasy books in this country. She has even edited a New York Times bestselling novel.

About the books:

I originally wrote Book One and Two together, intending a trilogy. Unfortunately, self-publishing an 800 page book isn't really feasible. 

Eragon's Eldest had just appeared about that time. I decided, "If he could cut right after the main battle, so could I." I split the book into two pieces. At 375 pages each, the books are still fat, providing enough story for readers to sink their teeth into.

It really worked out rather well. I'm a new author, and most readers feel they are taking a risk when they pick up my titles. Now I can give Prophecy of the Flame - Book One away for free so that readers can get a taste of the writing to see if they want to spit it out or take another bite.

 

I have increased the price on Book Two, so that it reflects the combined price for both books. Future books in the Prophecy of the Flame series will be priced at the market average.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• File Size: 798 KB
• Print Length: 399 pages
• Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
• Publisher: Resilient Publishing; Third Edition - Kindle edition (March 8, 2008)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B004KKXSNC
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,074 Free in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Free in Kindle Store)
  • #51 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Fantasy > Sword & Sorcery
  • #95 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Romance > Fantasy

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 32 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars A frustrating read: Good premise, eye-roll worthy characters, wandering plotline March 4, 2012

By Sarah Edmondson

Format:Kindle Edition

2.5 stars. I wanted to like this book. The premise - of several role players being magically transported into a world where they took on those roles and their magical abilities - was wonderful. It's a creative, imaginative, fun idea. The illustrations were really, really cool. In the hands of a masterful storyteller, the unremarkable (or too perfect) characters, wandering subplots, and forced dialogue/situations might have had their edges smoothed away. I read the third revision of this story, and the rough edges were still very, very apparent.

First, the characters were difficult to connect with. The Archmage Reba managed to have epiphany after epiphany about how to save everyone and the world. She was the only person in the world who could figure these things out and weave a magic spell to make everything right again. This grew old after, oh, the second time it happened. She was also very inconsistent, like when she was preaching about how - in our world - married couples don't have relations outside the marital bed. And then she defends sleeping with a guy and claims it's ok, because nothing really happened. And what on earth is this with her obsession with another man (not her husband) who treats her like crap? She obsesses over a prince, discusses her sex life with her servant, preaches Christianity and manages to lose complete focus as a character during the portion of the book where she should be developing and overcoming her issues. She's made out to be too powerful (and almost too perfect) at the beginning, and that manages to carry through the entire book, despite the odd distractions about her sex life and attraction to a smarmy prince. Oh, and making her boobs bigger. She can use magic to save this other universe's world, alter her physical appearance and to do anything else she wants - just not get home.

If the main character isn't challenged by anything (more than the headaches she gets at the beginning that are gone by mid-book), then I'm not sure there's really a story to tell. The other characters aren't very well fleshed out either; they were interchangeable in my mind, because none of them had depth. Not to mention, some of the situations they were put in - perhaps as an attempt to provide the much-needed depth? - were meaningless distractions to the actual plot. There is also a lot of redundancy between what the characters are saying and doing (or thinking, in the main character's case.)

Second, the plot. What IS the plot? I'm a fan of complex plots, but this storyline had too much down time, distractions and cluttered ramblings. It's as if the author wasn't sure where this book was going, decided to try this route and nope - that wasn't it. So the author decided to try something else. Authors do this all the time, but they normally edit out the subplots that don't add value to the story or depth to the characters. This book needs that type of thorough edit. Since the Archmage was so powerful, it's almost like there wasn't a chance to build tension in what I presume was the main plot: to defend this kingdom against demonic forces. She could whip up a magic spell at the drop of a hat, and wouldn't you know it, it always worked. So ... what's the book about, if she's got every issue licked? I don't know, either.

These folks get whisked away from our world, and somehow, find it logical and acceptable to become not only different (much better looking) people, but to land in a different world altogether. None of them seem concerned with this or with getting home. Instead, they hop on the bandwagon of what complete strangers tell them might be there purpose there -to help some royalty with issues that should probably be more concerning, if they weren't more than a second heaping of unremarkable characters, cluttered writing and wandering subplots. A lot of other reviews seemed thrown by the Christianity angle. I guess this didn't bother me as much, probably because it fit with the chasing-plots-down-a-rabbit-hole style.

Which brings me to my third point of consternation. Not only did much of the dialogue feel forced to put Archmage Reba in a position where she could show that she does indeed have the answer to every problem, but some of the prose was bizarre. In general, the writing was very heavy-handed, and there was a lot more telling than showing. I found myself distracted by the sheer amount of inconsequential details describing what each person was doing and how they were doing it. I also found myself stumbling a lot over what the author was saying. For example: "The fanning stairway broadens." "I lengthened my stride for maximum efficiency and speed." "An echo surrounds her." And some of the Archmage's spells (which were all forced to rhyme) were so bad, they took away from what could've almost been a serious situation (assuming, of course, the Archmage wasn't omniscient and omnipotent.)

The premise of this book has potential, but the execution rendered it frustrating to get through. I don't plan on reading the sequel or recommending this one.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Prophecy of the Flame Book April 1, 2013

By Jean

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I loved it. it as riverting from the first page, an adult fantasy story with wizards, dwarfs and magic, can't wait to read book 2

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Imaginative, Fantasy Adventure with Badass Female Lead March 23, 2013

By Between the Leather Binding

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

The difficulty with deciding to purchase a self-published book is that you're taking a gamble both with your money and your time (if the book was free.) Life is short--you don't want to spend hours reading a poorly written, dull story. And if you, like me, have strict yet at times irritating reading principles ingrained in you then you also will hate not finishing a book. Thankfully, my reading principles weren't compromised with Prophecy of the Flame.

First and foremost the cover of this book caught my attention. It's not overly detailed, a trait I come across perusing Amazon books which shamefully will cause me to dismiss a potentially good read. The image of a solitary, red-headed female clad in a blue-silver cloak had an air about her that screamed badass warrior. I normally am more partial to male protagonists when it comes to fantasy and sci-fi. But from the first chapter I knew Archmage Reba, the lead in this work, was a heroine of a different flavor.

I don't believe in giving away plot details in a book review. All you need to know is that the plot premise is simple yet imaginative. Five characters including Reba (Rebecca while still on earth) are initially still on earth in a hotel at a Live Action Role Playing convention. In a flash of light, they are summoned to a parallel universe--a kingdom called Cuthburan that is in grave need of the services from these newly transformed warriors.

While Reba is the only woman among the company, she isn't 100% warrior like her male peers. She has a definite feminine side the author brings out, describing Reba's inner conflict of remaining faithful to her husband who is back on earth while being immersed in a new culture where nobody gives a second thought to infidelity or promiscuity. I believe women who enjoy fantasy/paranormal romance novels would identify with this character and her struggles that are similar to that of many women in today's world. Reba struggles to remain in check while being constantly pursued by a crown prince she finds physically irresistible if not personably. All the while the crown prince's brother provides a relief to the reader as a more likable character and match for Reba, even if she isn't taking the bait. At the end of Book 1 we still don't know how this game of cat and mouse ends up, but luckily the next two books are already available on Amazon.

While I am not a religious person and usually shy away from novels with any mention of religion, the Christian undertones in this book were subtle and did not mess with the plot. There is enough romance in this book that is enjoyable without the graphic sex scenes that can be irritating and feel out of place and sometimes take over the plot entirely. To conclude, this book was a quick read and I found myself wanting to find out what happens next which is the ideal reading experience, I think most readers can agree. I highly recommend this novel for fantasy readers, especially females who love a good, strong ass-kicking heroine like Archmage Reba.

More About the Author

Led by a series of dreams and encouraged by friends, Lynn Hardy began the journey to become an author. She stored her work in a computer file labeled "second job." Writing began as a passion she could not contain and has become much more than she ever expected.

In the Fall of 2010 Prophecy of the Flame - Book One reached #1 on Amazon kindle, shortly after Book Two in the series released. In the spring of 2011, Lynn released the Full Cast unabridged audio book of Book One. Now both fans and newcomers can hear the book come to life as every character jumps of the page with their own unique voice.


The road has been longer and more complicated than she would have ever guessed--not always smooth, but filled with wonderful surprises. Like most stories, Lynn is sure that her journey has only just begun.

My homepage is being revamped, but you can find my blog, with many of the same features and pages, off to the right.