Thrall [Paperback]

Steven L. Shrewsbury (Author), Louise Bohmer (Editor), Matthew Perry (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 23, 2010

"Gorias is definitely one of the better characters in fantasy, and an amazing hero. Furthermore, this is a well-written story with great dialogues, containing a hint of philosophy I very much enjoyed, and an awesome climax."- The Ranting Dragon (review)

"Thrall just had everything that I love, it was gritty, dark, epic fantasy and written tightly. Nothing drags on, or tries to complicate things. Thrall just delivers you action, great dialog, and left me very satisfied. As Gorias often said “Deliverance will come.” And Thrall delivered for me." -Watch Play Read (review)

"The press release suggested this book was in the vein of Conan, but Thrall would kick Conan’s butt."-The Azure Dwarf's Horde of Fantasy and Sci-Fi (review)

Synopsis:
Set in the mists of ancient times, Thrall tells the story of Gorias La Gaul, an aging warrior who has lived for centuries battling the monstrosities of legend and lore. It is an age when the Nephilum walk the earth, demonic forces hunger to be unleashed, and dragons still soar through the skies … living and undead.

On a journey to find one of his own blood, a young man who is caught in the shadow of necromancy, Gorias' path crosses with familiar enemies, some of whom not even death can hold bound. Thrall is gritty, dark-edged heroic fantasy in the vein of Robert E. Howard and David Gemmell. It is a maelstrom of hard-hitting action and unpredictable imagery, taking place within an incredible antediluvian world. In Gorias La Gaul, Thrall introduces an iconic new character to the realms of fantasy literature.

Thrall invites the reader to go on a perilous journey where it is not a matter of whether one has the courage to die, but whether one has the courage to live.

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Seventh Star Press, LLC (November 23, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0983108633
• ISBN-13: 978-0983108634
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,819,484 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars REH reincarnated... January 26, 2012

By R. Thomas Riley

Format:Kindle Edition

I discovered Shrewsbury's work back in 2006 and was hooked. Seeing him do a live reading certainly sealed the deal. Now I can't get his voice out of my head whenever I read his work, which isn't a bad thing. THRALL is everything a S&S fantasy story should be. It's violent, it's fast paced, filled with intriguing characters. Shrewsbury is a student of REH and it certainly shows here with THRALL. He hits all the right notes and his prose is sparse, brutal, and directly to the point, there are no wasted words here.

R. Thomas Riley

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Olden tone fantasy that is very entertaining! January 9, 2012

By Cassandra (The Book & Movie Dimension blogger)

Format:Paperback

Full, non-spoiler review courtesy at ~ Book & Movie Dimension a Blog ~

Gorias La Gaul is a complete warrior legend in the world of Thrall. He is known best in Khaubnur but also in other lands as the man who has slayed dragons and lived! After so many years, La Gaul is just trying to relax and being here and there. When a mercenary calls him out. This woman can hardly guess the man she is so bothering is the man of legend himself. When he slays her he's captured by other mercenaries led by Lira Rhan. Rhan is a woman of power. After much introduction Lira Rhan reveals to Gorias that his help is needed in Khaubnur to stop who is ravaging the land with vampires. A man by the name of Lord Nosmada who is corrupting the land's youth. That isn't all that is troubling but savage barbarians are causing destruction as well. These two ill-intentioned forces are getting ready to battle it out. Nosmada's army led by General Tolin are fircely determined to end the barbarians and deliver what dark Nosmada wants. Through an interplay of tactics by all the characters alliances are forged and enemies are newly made. Just as Gorias believed it would be easy on his part to enter and slay those he must it proves harder. Deliverance Will Come in a raging death-struggle it seems.
For many fantasy fans, Thrall, is a very fun diversion. All the characters can be counted on delivering their unique one-liners which are truly hilarious. All the characters are in each of their own way a pleasant contribution to Thrall. None is more interesting though than Lord Gorias La Gaul. As can be seen in the way he pensively speaks such as:

"Doesn't sound fair," Maddox muttered. "No one said it was supposed to be. Don't be a baby. Life is awful and one has to do the best one can...." "Why would God be at such mischief?, Tommas said."Perhaps to see if his children deserve to survive in this world. Any man close to the earth will tell you that, at times , one has to fish or cut bait. Think on the theory this way: Hold your own baby in your hands and swear you would do anything for it, even die for it. The baby doesn't even know you by name, save for the sensation of your care. Yet you understand that it is a part of you, flesh and bone. You'll die for your children even if they reject you. That's how God is with us. Even if we give him the brush off, I wagger he's always there. Does patience have a limit? Sometimes I think it makes him mad he made us."

Steven Shrewsbury gives some very good use of pace movement with some equally vivid written fighting scenes. The fighting scenes are alive so much! For fantasy just perfect. Thrall can also be seen to possess an olden tone of feel with a humorous voice.
Should you ever find yourself looking for a fantasy read to surely devour ,Thrall, should be your next stop at reading. Should be entertaining. If you have a taste for a fantasy series than Thrall is good to go. Actually leaves off with an opening for a sequel!
Overall: Amazing read!
Genre: Fantasy, Dragons, Wizards, Vampires

Contains: Blood and Gore Scenes, Sexually-Charged Scenes, Foul Language Read more ›

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Deliverance has come! February 7, 2012

By Craig H. Rettig

Format:Paperback

After a confrontation in a tavern results in the death of a local official's mercenary, legendary warrior Gorias La Gaul is commissioned to prevent the resurrection of a cult leader. Accompanied by his grandson, the official's daughter, and a bard, Gorias traverses the vampire-plagued land only to find himself caught between an invading horde of barbarians, a powerful necromancer's advancing troops, and two old enemies from his past. Gorias must rely on his own experience and tactical planning to prevent an even greater evil from ravaging the land.

Steven Shrewsbury crafts an engaging tale, much in the tradition of Robert E. Howard and Clark Ashton Smith. The action scenes are depicted in brutal detail, putting the reader at the center of the action. Shrewsbury also has a good sense of tactics and timing, which works well as the forces converge and Gorias's plan begins to unfold.

If I had any complaints, the first chapter is a little slow in its set-up, appearing almost directionless until Gorias gets his mission. Also, there were times when I had difficulties with the dialog as the characters' voices switched between the more traditional fantasy style of speech versus the modern, contraction-laden vernacular. The electronic copy of the book I read also had some infrequent grammar and spelling errors and would have benefited from another round of editing.

Despite these minor issues, this is a welcome addition to the sword-and-sorcery fantasy genre, and fans of the aforementioned authors should enjoy this book. I look forward to reading more of Shrewsbury's work, as well as the forthcoming books in this series.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A decent solid fantasy romp May 12, 2012

By Daniel Cann

Format:Paperback

Here is a novel set `in the mists of ancient times' and sees an aging legendary warrior in Gorias La Gaul who has spent centuries battling monsters of lore. Shrewsbury's novel takes place where demonic forces known as Nephilum walk the earth and dragons are creatures of reality not myth. On a journey to discover the whereabouts of an estranged relative caught in the shadow of necromancy Gorias' path crosses with familiar enemies, some who enjoy supernatural powers and abilities.

One thing becomes very clear early on in `Thrall' and that is Shrewsbury's powerful and vivid imagination. Right from the start the reader is thrust in the thick of this ancient world with the threat of violence and a swift gruesome death never far away.

Gorias reminded me of a `Swords and Sorcery' version of `True Grit's' uncompromising Marshall Rooster Cogburn, both share the same fatalist philosophy, both are curmudgeonly and at times anti-social, both enjoy larger than life reputations and most importantly of all both have courage and character in abundance.

He is aided in his quest by an interesting assortment of allies in Kayla: a free spirited but no-nonsense young female warrior, Maddox: his giant warrior grandson trying to live up to his famous relative's reputation and Tammas: a bard who finds himself on a steep learning curve!

`Thrall' is packed with incident and swift and bloody action. The gore quotient is off the scale, yet it also manages to be humorous in a darkly wry, knowing and cynical way. The dialogue is cracking and I really enjoyed how the characters bounced off each other each expressing their own individual viewpoints amidst all the mayhem.

The bad guys really are bad indeed, especially Nosmada.... Thanks to him hell truly is unleashed on earth and Gorias and his merry band are really up against it.

The plot can be slightly meandering at times but that can be forgiven as this is such a great character study. Everything builds up nicely to an impressive climactic battle with some neat twists thrown in for good measure.

This is a decent solid fantasy romp which manages to hit the right spot. Read more ›