Deacon Shader is a child out of time, removed as a baby from his Ancient world parents and raised on the Isle of Maranore.
On his seventh birthday, the philosopher Aristodeus arrives to commence the boy’s training with sword and mind. Nothing short of excellence will suffice, if Deacon is to fulfill his destiny and avert the Unweaving of all things.
But as Aristodeus pushes him to the limits, reavers are spotted approaching the coast, and a cloud of horror descends upon the village.
For these are no ordinary pirates. They sail under the Impaled Man, the grisly flag of Verusia, land of the undead and realm of the Lich Lord.
Ward of the Philosopher is a Shader Origins novella of 15,500 words introducing the character of Deacon Shader as a child.
The Shader Origins novellas (Ward of the Philosopher and The Seventh Horse) serve as an introduction to the bestselling Shader series:
1. Sword of the Archon
2. Best Laid Plans
3. The Unweaving
4. The Archon's Assassin
Ward of the Philosopher has been ranked as high as 7 in the overall Kindle Store, and 1 in SF/Fantasy Short Reads, Literature and Fiction Short Reads, and Metaphysical and Visionary.
Both this individual novella and the series that follows have repeatedly been on numerous bestsellers lists and sell consistently well.
Rankin as of Wednesday 9th December 2015:
#14,470 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
#45 in Kindle Store > Kindle Short Reads > 90 minutes (44-64 pages) > Science Fiction & Fantasy
#65 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy > Metaphysical & Visionary
#74 in Kindle Store > Kindle Short Reads > 90 minutes (44-64 pages) > Literature & Fiction
Eumelia checked on the the baby again. She knew from the snuffling, little Aris was fine tucked up in his furs, but she still had to look.
With her husband, Vassilis, not yet back from the Plains of Fire, her nerves were frayed. The army had been victorious, but still the stragglers were coming home. Every time the hoplites went out, she was a tortured mess until Vassilis walked through the door and seated himself by the hearth. Without either of them needing to utter a word, she would tend his wounds and pour him wine. Any other man might have stopped off at a tavern to get drunk and boast of bloody deeds on the battlefield, but not her Vassilis. He’d learned his manners and his morals at the Academy. His duty was to his family first, and the city-state next. Anything that got in the way of either was dross and vanity, to his way of thinking.
Aris stirred when she pulled his covers up, but he was soon lightly snoring once more. Eumelia turned down the oil lamp, leaving the alcove that served as the baby’s bedroom wreathed in flickering shadows from the hearth fire. With a will, she took herself across the hut’s single room and straightened the bed she and Vassilis shared for the umpteenth time. After the stress of battle, the last thing he needed was to return to an untidy house.
She moved from the bed to the hearth, threw on another log. Filling Vassilis’ goblet with watered wine from a jug, she set it on the low table by his chair. The act of doing so made it easier to believe he was coming home. She entertained the thought of taking a sip to calm herself, but Vassilis would taste it on her lips and accuse her of intemperance. Once he was deep in his cups, he’d encourage her to do the same, and then they’d fall upon the bed until he’d spent himself, so long as the baby didn’t wake up.
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French
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Already translated.
Translated by Cécile Bénédic
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Author review: Excellent work. |
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German
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Already translated.
Translated by Orlando Grossegesse
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Italian
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Already translated.
Translated by Mauro Piccillo and Elia Niccolini
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Author review: Mauro and Elia have been very easy to work with and have kept in touch throughout the translation. The translation was delivered swiftly and with due diligence. An excellent team. Highly recommended. |
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Spanish
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Already translated.
Translated by Maria Torrubiano Balcells
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