Shadowlith

Umbral Blade, Volume 1

By: Stuart Thaman

Narrated by: J. Scott Bennett

From the author of The Goblin Wars and Killstreak comes a new epic fantasy adventure wrought with peril....

Alistair the Fourth was a mighty general from a long-forgotten war. Four hundred years later, Alster Lightbridge is barely a shadow of his legendary namesake. Crippled and confined to his family's estate, he spends his days dreaming of something larger than himself - something worthy of his name.

Encouraged by his tutor to explore the Lightbridge archive, Alster discovers a magical dagger with the power to cleave shadows from their bodies. Blade in hand, Alster finally understands his purpose, though he needs to find a four-centuries-old grave in order to fulfill it.

©2017 Stuart Thaman (P)2018 Stuart Thaman

Critic reviews

"Shadowlith has a dash of sword and sorcery that goes along great with modern fantasy. Its chapters are fast and the stakes are high, and you won't be away from the action for long. The timing is that of a good thriller, and it has a curb-stomping of a climax." (Hugo Huesca, author of Rune Universe and Dungeon Lord)

I really wish

there was a book 2. I just recently found this author and love this book, but for the life of me, could not find the sequel to this book.

Shadowlith

I received this book for free in exchange for a honest review 😎. If looking for a good read I recommend you to read this book, I am looking forward to volume 2😎

Captivating Fantasy

I really enjoyed this first book of the "Umbral Blade". The story was captivating. Once I started the audiobook, I found it hard to drag myself away from it. Having stated that, I did manage to finish this audiobook in one day. The story moved from one action packed scene to the next. The characters were fascinating. I'm hoping that there will be another book in this series soon. J. Scott Bennett's narration was great, and his performance kept my attention. I was given a free copy of the audiobook, and I have voluntarily posted this review.

Great Start to Series with a Great Narrator

I received this book for free. I voluntarily left this review. All opinions expressed herein are my own.

This is the first book I have read by this author and what an introduction. This is the first book is the series Umbral Blade. The story revolves around Alistair, who is crippled as a result of his father's brutality. His father has a position high in the King's Army and values nothing more than the willingness and ability to fight - something Alistair's brother possesses but unfortunately Alistair does not. Alistair, with his friend Elsey, runs away from home. However, his father is informed that someone has kidnapped Alistair. His father is, of course, indifferent to this news. Of course, it is during the adventure in which Alistair begins to grow and learn about his background -- all of which eventually comes into play in the end. This story has some great action sequences and some touching moments. Alistair is a very sympathetic character, while is father is clearly the villain [with no real redeemable features, so a bit cardboard but still a good counterpoint to Alistair.] I really liked the friendship between Alistair and Elsey. This is very well written and I am interested to see how the story progresses.

The narrator, J. Scott Bennett, was a great fit to this story. He did voices for the various characters and set a wonderful tone to the story. Part of the enjoyment of this book was the narration -- as a badly narrated story will distract or ruin a well written book, so too a good narrator can add or enhance a well written book. In this case, J. Scott Bennett enhanced and added polish to this diamond.

Great start to the series

This is a great start to the Umbral Blade series, you are immediately enamored by Alistair's plight and your heart breaks for the cruelty and brutality he endures from his father. Hidden powers,
adventure, struggle, action, magic, battles and shades hold you captive in this action filled story. The narrator fit the story well and gives individual personalities to the characters, bringing out the tension and emotion in the story. I will look forward to seeing how things develop in the next book.