Two fantasy novels! Two Heroes! Two magic swords that aren't quite
what they seem! Twice the fun and excitement! Enough plot twists to
satisfy even you. Fantasy Cereal contains the full text of both Alaric
Swifthand and Reflections of a Recovering Servant. More fun than that
between the covers would be illegal.
Excerpt
Introduction
Admit it…the title of this book caught your attention. You were flipping through a catalog, or surfing the web, or perhaps saw it in a bookshop and had to know what fantasy cereal was, didn’t you?
Perhaps Popeye and his spinach came to mind, or you could have been considering what the ingredient list looked like, or what you can get by sending in a couple of box-tops.
Here is a partial list of ingredients; wizards, warriors, damsels in a dress, giants, reflections that don’t quite do as they’re told, magic swords, potions, notions, battles, danger, love, humor, heartbreak, irony, heroism (even when it’s not intentional), betrayal, hard decisions, daring escapes, bizarre creatures (who aren’t all what they seem to be), plot twists and more strange happenings than you can shake a stick at.
Fantasy Cereal is all that and more. It’s a book of swords and sorcery adventure that stays crunchy even in milk. (Disclaimer: adding milk to this book will void your warranty.)
How did it begin, you might ask? In the fall of ’97, Alaric Swifthand, my very first fantasy serial appeared on the web. Yes, you guessed it…the title of this book is a pun, and a bad one at that. But then, if you read my work, you have to be ready for any sort of twist, for you never know where you’ll end up (and even if you do, it won’t be quite what you think it is). Does that sound like a challenge? Maybe it is.
Alaric Swifthand got to be pretty popular on the web and later, was a top-selling ebook. So why the name change?
It’s easy to publish a 60,000 word ebook, but not so easy to publish a paperback of the same length. I did a bit of math, figured it wouldn’t cost the buying public (i.e. you) much more to get a second novel. The value is extraordinary.
Which brings us to Reflections of a Recovering Servant, my second online fantasy serial, which if anything, was even more popular than Alaric. But wait, there’s more.
This book isn’t just a rehash of what was on the web. It’s complete reedited with not only new material, but whole new adventures. Think of this as not just Fantasy Cereal, but Fantasy Cereal with your favorite fruit (except prunes, cause that’s just nasty).
So where do we go from here? To the cash register, I hope (or the web page shopping card) to purchase a copy of this spectacular book. In fact, you should buy three copies, because if you collect the box-tops, you can save for a magic sword of your own. A few gold coins for shipping won’t dent your pocket much, will it?
Anyway, hope I’ve intrigued you, or at least entertained you.
So what are you waiting for? Enjoy!
Reviews
Alaric Swifthand relays the adventures of Alaric Swifthand. Alaric is a King's guard turned adventurer by a strange twist of fate, or perhaps more aptly by several strange twists of fate and a bit of magic. Though just an average man, Alaric seems to attract trouble, adventure, and rather unique companions. Moreover, he has a wry sense of humor that surfaces at just the right times, often stating exactly what the reader is thinking.
The story of Alaric Swifthand contains several of Alaric's adventures, or rather a sequence of challenging events leading to an adventure. This series of energetic tales leads the reader through fantastic hilarious adventures with nobles, assassins, spirits, giants, ratmen, magic weapons, and mages. The reader can't help but be drawn into the story and be completely entertained by the banter and sheer hilarity of Alarcic's situations. I can't wait to read about Alaric's next adventure.
As with Alaric Swifthand, Reflections of a Recovering Servant contains a series of adventures that lead to one central adventure. Many of these situations drip with irony. Others contain a little mystery and intrigue. All are completely entertaining. Also as with the previous story, the cast of characters is unique, distinctly original, and adds originality to the already creative story line. The best thing about these characters, however, is that these characters are human with all of the flaws of real humans. This aspect allows the reader to connect with the characters of the book even when the situations are fantastical. I look forward to more adventures about Straac and his friends.
Tami Brady, Blether Reviews
