The Stormcaller: Book One of the Twilight Reign (Paperback)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

British literary agent Lloyd begins this dense and involved sword and sorcery debut by introducing Isak, a penniless young man with no fixed home who serves as a slave to his resentful, unhappy father. Worse, Isak is a white-eye, born with distinctive eyes, a large frame, unusual strength and an exceedingly quick temper. Isak's world changes in an instant when Aracnan, an immortal sorcerer, tries to offer Isak a mysterious scroll. Within a day, Isak has become heir to Lord Bahl of Farlan, and he learns that he is a nascent mage and the focus of a thousand-year-old prophecy. Whether Isak is willing or able to fulfill that prophecy is just the beginning of this tale. Lloyd pours enough testosterone into his high fantasy to power past a few inconsistencies, creating a fine start to a reported five-book series. (Nov.)
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Review

"Several key characters and plotlines are established and should figure prominently in future adventures of the young Lord and the many challenged he must face in this complex, utterly engrossing new series." --MonstersAndCritics.com, December 14, 2008 "Think a bit of Abercrombie mixed with a bit of Fallon and even Erikson...Overall, I found this to be a surprisingly good novel, and one of my favorite reads of the year so far (and I have enjoyed most everything I have read in 2009 thus far). If you are looking for a mix of the traditional 1980s style fantasy, along with the more recent "gritty" undertones, you will find a lot to like here. The characters are fleshed out, Gods are actively involved, there is quite a lot of fighting, and magic plays a large role. All the stuff I am looking for in a fun read. For those of you who have discovered you have the same taste in epic fantasy as me, I highly recommend giving this book a go." -- Fantasy Book News and Reviews, March 11, 2009 "Let it sweep you up or tiptoe through it, trying not to get drowned and it offers rich rewards. Relish the reflections on everything from politics to feminist societies, lost gods, and manipulation of the supernatural. You may come to look at superheroes, elves, and perhaps dragons in an entirely new light." -- Locus, Oakland, CA, January 2009

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Product Details

• Paperback: 449 pages
• Publisher: Pyr (October 21, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1591026938
• ISBN-13: 978-1591026938
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #141,562 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not Free SF Reader, January 11, 2009

By	Blue Tyson "- http://freesf.blogspot.com" - See all my reviews

Stormcaller was better than I thought it would be, throwing you in the quickly. Isak is a mutant, or something like that - a breed tha that is stronger, faster, tougher, more violent than your average person. So, soldiering is natural for them to aspire to, given they then get to take their aggro out and get paid.

They are also lots bigger than other people, so oversized babies in a primitive fantasy world tend to kill their mothers in childbirth. Isak's father resents him for this, and will be happy to be rid of him.

Things speed up when a stranger comes looking for him, and the gods decide to take a hand in speeding up his destiny.

No callow farmboy, here. He has been taught by an ex-elite soldier to handle himself. Gets to the city, gets in a fight, becomes the ruler in training, gets challenged on the training ground. The high priest trying to help him with innate magical brute force talents? Bad things, man.

So hick wandering kid has to grow into his powers, learn to survive in a city and noble politics, as well as wars with elves, other nations, vampires, pirates, mercenaries and more. Also try not to let that genetic temper get him killed.

I definitely liked this more than I thought I would, at first glance. A bit more than 3.5.


3.5 out of 5

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not great but, worth a read, December 21, 2008

By	T A V - See all my reviews

I enjoyed this book a lot. Tom Lloyd tells a good story. As part of his style, Lloyd starts each chapter with a section that tells you something going on in his world. Sometimes, that part of the story throws too many names of people and places at the reader making me treat those sections as references as I go (Hence the 4 stars).

I would buy it again. I'll probably read it again before the 2nd book in the series comes out next year.

BTW, thanks Harriet for another useless review.

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars It grew on me, eventually., November 26, 2008

By	GSH_67 "www.fantasyliterature.com" (North Carolina, USA) - See all my reviews

The Land is a world where Gods rule supreme. The time of the prophecies has come and old rebellions against the gods have resurfaced, including conflicts with nature itself. The tribes of man, and other species, must scramble and conspire to be on the winning side. Into this dark time, a white-eye (a god-created superhuman) named Isak has ascended and he may be mankind's last hope or final doom.

For a relatively small page-count, there are way too many characters to keep up with. I realize that many were only introduced to play a bigger role in the following books but I'm afraid I'll probably forget them by then. At times, the endless parade reminded me of being on a conference call with people I've never meant in person -- some of the names never even register while some others, if I ever do meet them, turn out to be nothing like the image I had in my head. Also, this is definitely a story that you have to devote some real time and effort to (the kind of time most of us with careers, spouses, and kids really don't have to spare). It took me twice as long to read as most good books of the same size, and I still felt like I was missing something. I'm well read, especially in fantasy, so if I don't get it, I tend to think more fault lies with the author's writing than my reading.

All that being said, after a few chapters, The Stormcaller did start to grow on me. There is something about this world simply called The Land that struck a primal cord. It's intriguing to be caught up in this war of gods and man, with an apocalypse looming near, and the key-players are the most alienated of their kind. When Mr. Lloyd's writing is at its best, there's a real edgy dark charge to it that makes me look forward to what his work will become with more experience.

Note on the physical book: The cover illustration of the British version better captures the story than the US cover does. While the US cover is skillfully done, at first glance it looks more like a YA book. And the small print on the inside must have also been intended for younger eyes than mine.