Customer Reviews

The Sword and the Pen

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
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Ever heard the saying "The Pen is Mightier than the Sword"? Well, when it comes to this book, that could not be closer to the truth. You hear authors say all the time how their characters talk to them and sometimes take over the story insisting it go this way or that way, that they seem so real to them. Imagine if that were to really happen; a character becoming a living, breathing person.

That's exactly what happens to Brandon Alexander Davis. He is a writer of an extremely successful fantasy series. However writer's block hinders him from writing the final book and for reasons unknown to him, Brandon's leading female protagonist Serilda appears in his home! Brandon thinks she's a lunatic fan, and Serilda thinks he's a powerful wizard who used magic to bring her to his world.

Thinking this lady is a wacko fan, but not sure what to do with her, Brandon begins to wonder if maybe she really is who she says she is. He's constantly thrown off guard when Serilda mentions something that is part of backstory that only he, the author, knows as backstory! How could she possibly know?

Brandon realizes by the end of the book that what he wants, isn't always what the characters want!

I thought this was a fine book. I enjoyed it and appreciate the uniqueness. Elysa Hendricks has a great writing voice, very smooth flowing. When I picked this book up, I thought it would be kind of a fun humorous tale. Especially considering the heroine, Serilda, is from a fantasy world that has a historical feel to it. So when she discovers phones and cars and electricity and other things of our modern world, I was pleasantly surprised to see that the characters reactions were not silly. The story had a seriousness to it that I'm glad it did, even though I assumed it would be more on the humorous side.

[...]

What are you going to do when you are a man odds with your reality? What do you do when your one true fantasy comes to life in front of your eyes? What do you do when you are a near true introvert and you are forced back into the public eye in ways you really think would set you out of your own skin? Do you really think you can survive having to face life when you have more fears than reason?

Brandon Davis is a creative author and renown for his series of a far away land with kings, sorcerers, toil, survival and one woman that would change her lands fate by destroying the man that tries to rule in terror after killing her family.

Serilda D'Lar is the warrior woman after 'Xena's' on heart. Shes got the gusto to open not only threaten a beating on you but open the can of whipass herself and deliver it in such copious amounts.

Brandon hates people and hates life. He likes being unseen and living in a quiet place in his own head. He doesnt realise his family descends from those with the power to blur the lines of fantasy and reality their will. His grandmother warns him as a young man that this is why his father disappeared.

His ability helps him create the perfect woman for him. Shes strong, independent, intelligent, fierce in her love for those that reach her heart. To bad shes in his head and only alive to the rest of humanity in a book. Atleast until the shes appears with a bolt of lightening in his room with her sword drawn, enough to scare the crap out of the heartiest of people.

Shes with him for a short time and she swears that shes Serilda. She knows nothing else but her world and her confusion in this new techo-mage home that is so far removed from her beloved homelands. Then out of nowhere she poofs away.

Once Brandon has a taste of what is more real to him than the crap life he lives he is willing to go to any lengths to protect it and keep it close to his heart. Once Serilda disappears as fast as she appeared he's got no choice but to believe shes a true part of his imagination come to life. Once he accepts that he has to figure out anyway to get to her and give her a reason to live as the biggest thing in the book is the ways he's come up with to kill her.

Will Serilda survive the many ways Brandon kills her off? Will Brandon be able to write a saving grace ans change Serilda'a chosen destiny? Will he be able to over come his own fears and tack her across realities to bring them both the one chance at love they have lacked?

Find out why the Pen is mightier than the sword because until you do you will always wonder how it can be possible....

The Sword and the Pen is a wonderful, innovative, fun, exciting fantasy blending modern and ancient world in a great love story. Which world is the real one? The modern, into which a woman warrior tumbles? Or the "ancient" one where a modern author tries to change his fictional history. All this and a great love story too. What more could you want! I completely recommend this book!

The Sword and the Pen carries readers on a fantastic journey, hopping point of view and dimensions beautifully. Anchoring you to the unpredictable plot are the two main characters, Brandon and Seri, who both captured my attention and affection at once. Strong and confident, Seri stands apart from more standard waif-like heroines. And I'm not sure I've ever met a hero more believable than Brandon. More than merely scrumptious, Brandon is stubborn, silly, and even a little frightened at turns. In a genre often dominated by flawless, broad-shouldered leads that seem more closely related to statues than men, Brandon is wholly and deliciously human. The characters bring a solidness to the story and by bringing them to life, Ms. Hendricks makes you believe in the impossible.

I've been a fan of Elysa Hendricks' books for a long time. Without a doubt, this is her best work - and some of her best world-building - yet. Ms. Hendricks has deftly drawn characters that seem to live and breathe. Seri and Brandon, the heroine and hero, become as real to the reader as they become to each other in this amazing blend of contemporary romance and medieval fantasy. Any fan of either genre will be delighted and ultimately satisfied with this lyrically told, engaging tale in which love is mighter than either the pen or the sword.

The Sword and the Pen by Elysa Hendricks is a thoroughly enjoyable story of fiction meets fact. When author Brandon Davis comes face to face with his fictional creation (in the flesh) both his fantasies and his reality are forever changed. The characters are strong, believable and likable and the book is an entertaining, fast read which will have you smiling--even if you're squeezed into the center seat on a coast to coast flight! I look forward to many more stories from this talanted new author.

Author Brandon Davis knew he was out of ideas for his popular sword and sorcery saga Warrior Woman after ten novels. His plan is to kill off his heroine Serilda D'Lar; thus ending the series. Beyond that he has no idea what next except taking time off from writing so he can live life again.

However, as he nears finishing the end, standing in a skimpy fantasist's unreal outfit is a Serilda look alike; as he envisioned her in his imagination. She claims to be Serilda and he is the wizard who summoned her from her world to complete a quest. Brandon assumes either he or she is crazy, but Brandon refuses to let her leave as she has awakened his life. When she manages to go home, Brandon vows to follow her to bring his beloved home.

Though the concept of a fictional character coming to life has been done before and recently cleverly twisted in the Thompson-Ferrell movie Stranger than Life, Elysa Hendricks refreshes it with her lead pairing. Serilda understands what is going on by simply believing writer Brandon is a powerful wizard; Brandon believes that one or both is crazy. Told mostly in a first person viewpoint from the lead couple, fans will enjoy this super romantic fantasy as the heroine knows the pen is mightier than the sword but the hero believes the heart is mightier than THE SWORD AND THE PEN.

Harriet Klausner