The Hand of Fate

I decided I would release another of my novelettes as its own kindle, The Hand of Fate its one of my oldest stories and it is included in the earlier collection The Mad Song but I just felt like putting it out there on its own anyhow.

It is a tale I've always really loved, blending sword and sorcery elements with Mongolian death worms and Tuareg lore, oh, and Humphrey Bogart's SAHARA was an influence too.

The cover is a modified pic I recently took of another trip to the four corners area, I liked the big raven sitting on the ruined tower, I adjusted the color some and I did add the arrows.

Here is my brutally simple description:

A FANTASY TALE OF DEATH AND HONOR 

When desert nomad Ahimoth, takes in defeated conqueror Seantum, extending him the hospitality of his people, he is obligated to defend his guest against all foes whether they be forces of nature, man or worse. 

But when the victorious enemy insults Ahimoth and takes Seantum prisoner, the nomad's honor cannot rest until he sets things right and the Hand of Fate will not allow him to turn the other cheek.

The Mad Song is LIVE!

My latest collection of Sword & Sorcery is live! and today only I'm pushing the kindle version like a street hustler for .99
tomorrow I'm getting it bumped up to 2.99. Get it here!

Yes, its all about those rankings.

A few of these are previously published stories that some of you may have read, but a lot of them are new that I hope you enjoy - including the first 3 chapters of my Walking Through Walls which is currently running in UGEEK magazine.

Check it out!

Shadows & Light 2 : Book Review

Shadows & Light 2 is a fantasy anthology, that has a story of mine along with 12 others.

It opens pretty strong with Choices in the Dark, by Ray Tabler. It has a Nordic flavor while at the same time the hero of this piece is an Orc-you don't see that everyday and I like Tablers presentation. He catches your attention immediately-I don't want to give away anything more-because it had some good twists.

Master Race, by Gerald Costlow has Nazi's breaking into a fantasy dimension and the havoc an territorial dragon gives them.

Then there is my tale, The Hand of Fate ~ (the actual first pro short story I ever wrote) in case you missed an earlier mention-its about a desert warrior and his code of honor he must live up to-lot of action and sword fighting & Mongolian Death worms transplanted to my fantasy desert realm.

Azierian:The Secret in the Mist by Christopher Heath. This was probably my favorite story in the anthology (next to mine hehe). Heath has great prose and timing and it makes me want to track down more of his stuff which is set in the fantasy world of Azerian.

Mania's Children, by Gustavo Bondoni. I love the concept behind the struggle of Etruscan's against encroaching Romans (this has to be the first story I have read of that historical event) Bondini's writing is great-but I have to admit I really didn't like the ending of this tale~maybe that's why its the one I think about the most out of all of these, now that I have finished.

Champion, by Marc Sorondo is the next tale that juxtaposes fantasy and a at least semi-current setting (like Master Race) This involves a bit of a love story between a couple engaged and touring Europe. An evil sorcerer kidnaps the bride and the fiance must rescue her-to do so he defeats a dragon first which offers him great deal of help in the process. I was lost on the motivations of the sorcerer though.

Night Ambush, by Scott Harper and Diane Smith. I thought this had great pacing and prose, even while I anticipated the ending.

The Tithe of Hell, by Edward McKeown. I love the title and McKeown has flawless style-but I don't care too much for the modern day setting of fantasy tales. I may have missed something, but I had to keep wondering why the Double-D vampire chick was even helping the Templar knight against the gnomes and fairies? Just not my cup of tea.

The King of Sorango, by John Whalen. I liked this one a lot. The setting and characters reminded me of the old Sinbad movies I loved as a kid (and still do for that matter) The story had a great ending and I look forward to the next installment with Whalens S&S characters.

Zhea, by Gregory Norris. This story about a girl named Zhea is also a modern set piece and I had a very hard time getting into it.

Spread Your Wings and Die, by Lydia Sharp. Enslaved dragons are manipulated into being engines of war. I liked the use of copper (you'll have to read the story). Treachery, war, and a good twist at the end.

Son's of Odin, by John Richard Albers. Great prose and setting detailing the struggle of the Northern European pagans and the coming of Christianity in medieval Europe. Again I may have missed something, but the very last sentence made me go "Huh?"

Aquila's Ring, by Cat Rambo. This last tale left me a little torn. Rambo has very fine prose-some of the best in the book-but I just didn't care about the story itself.

Overall its a good fantasy collection and you can get it HERE. Support the Death Worms.

Quick aside in other news~ my novel Heroes of the Fallen has been discounted for the Kindle down to 2.99 ~ SO for the price of a Death Worm sandwich you could read more of me HERE.

The Hand of Fate: Shadows and Light 2

My novella, The Hand of Fate has just become available - you can order a copy here.

I don't even have a copy yet, but I look forward to reading the whole thing and I'll do a review soon. I have to admit I like the black background a lot better than the white one it had (I posted that couple months ago)

Anyway for a refresher - The Hand of Fate is my arabian nights flavored fantasy. Wish I could have put a genie in it but alas I did not. It is about honor, those who can or can't learn redemption, extreme bodycounts, FIRE, brutal sword-swinging action, horses jumping off castle walls and I throw in a few Mongolian Death worms to boot.
I'd appreciate you getting a copy-you won't be disapointed.