Swords of Talera: Book One of The Talera Cycle [Paperback]

Charles Allen Gramlich (Author)

Book Description

Series: The Talera Cycle | Publication Date: May 8, 2007

Abruptly transported from Earth to Talera, Ruenn Maclang must slash his way through a world of alien warriors and deadly beasts, where every move can result in death. To stay alive and find his missing brother, Ruenn must quickly learn the discipline of sword and spear, and experience the bitter stench of battle. And he must uncover the many hidden secrets of Talera, a weird and wonderful world very different from our own.

Product Details

• Paperback: 204 pages
• Publisher: Wildside Press (May 8, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1434400816
• ISBN-13: 978-1434400819
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,312,151 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Charles Gramlich grew up on a farm in Arkansas but moved to the New Orleans area in 1986 to teach psychology at a local university. He's since published four novels, two nonfiction books, two collections of short stories, and a chapbook of vampire haiku. Charles likes to write in many different genres but all of his fiction work is known for its intense action and strong visuals.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Edgar Rice Burroughs Rides Again, July 12, 2007

By 

S. Malley "noir thrillers" (Christchurch, New Zealand) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Swords of Talera: Book One of The Talera Cycle (Paperback)

Talera is swashbuckling high adventure. Swordplay, alien races, beautiful maidens, this book has it all!

Ruenn is a two-fisted hero capable of going toe to toe with any of the heroes of Pellucidar, Mars, Cimerra, Atlantis or the jungles of Tarzan's Africa. Rannon is noble, beautiful and tough as nails herself. One almost expects her to step out of a Frazetta canvas.

This is a tale well told. The characters are vivid, true to life, and stay with the reader long after the final page is turned. I can't wait to read the rest!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fun adventure., May 15, 2007

By 

Scifimatter Brad - See all my reviews

This review is from: Swords of Talera: Book One of The Talera Cycle (Paperback)

I found this book to be a real page-turner, as I kept picking up the book every time I sat down, even for just a few minutes. I really enjoyed the John Carter of Mars series and this gave me a new dose of that 'sword and planet' genre. The author does not quite go into the depth of world building that Edgar Rice Burroughs did (Burroughs was a master at it and few authors can match him), but the story and the heroic adventure moved along well, and there was enough world building that I was very satisfied.

Gramlich proved to me he understands this genre and I will definitely buy the next book in the series when it comes out.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Edgar Rice Burroughs lives!, May 29, 2011

By 

Ty Johnston, Author (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Swords of Talera: Book One of The Talera Cycle (Paperback)

All kinds of awesome to be found here. I'm not all that well read in the Sword and Planet genre, but I've read some Edgar Rice Burroughs ... and this is better, far better. Swords of Talera could easily be considered a modern equivalent to A Princess of Mars. All the right ticks are there ... 19th century male protagonist, unknown world, a little sorcery, monsters, alien races, female love interest and more ... yes, it's all there. But it's also all different. The world is different, as are the protagonist and the love interest, and I mean different not only in a technical sense but that they are thematically different, as well. The writing is modern, yet hearkens back to the likes of Burroughs. For anyone who is interested in Sword and Planet fiction, or any of the sub-genres of old-school pulp fantasy, you need to read this book. It's better than the originals. Burroughs would be proud, and perhaps a little concerned about keeping his throne as king of S&P fiction.