Spellgiver The Five-part Epic Fantasy
City of Shards
Book 1 of the Spellgiver series
In the Claws of the Indigen
BooK 2 of the Spellgiver series
To Flee a King
Book 3 of the Spellgiver series
Secrets of the Land
Book 4 of the Spellgiver series
The Spellgiver Series
Spellgiver is the story of a childhood left behind, a reconciliation with one terrible mistake from the past, and a quest for love ripped away.
Larin is a boy who suffers from strange tourette-like outbursts, seizures that force him to shout an unintelligible three word phrase. Hounded by gangs, he’s trapped inside four blocks of the Wormpile district, a grim neighborhood of narrow alleys that is rapidly becoming the flashpoint of a monstrous war. To make things worse, the only person Larin can discuss his problems with is his drug addicted uncle Akul, a sour warrior with a mysterious past and the emotional range of granite.
But when Larin learns what his outbursts mean, all other worries shrink to nothing. For those outbursts, spoken in the language of demons, have marked his destiny: to serve Haraf, an ancient malevolence whose merest mention has been used to scare children at bedtime for a thousand years. And while the last thing Larin wants is to increase his unbearable loneliness and isolation by joining with demons, his choices are stark. For only by following Haraf can he rid the world of a far more monumental threat, one that will turn mankind’s soul to ash.
At its heart, Spellgiver is a story of redemption. Redemption for an outcast boy coming into burgeoning power–a boy who is offered two impossible choices, yet finds a third way. Redemption for an emotionally-scarred warrior who makes his peace with a decision that has haunted his dreams. Redemption for a scaly, six-limbed general who fights his gods and his people to live alongside the two-armed creatures who have invaded his world. And redemption for an alcoholic priestess, who finds love amid war.
The Spellgiver series is a quintology (5 books). “City of Shards” (Book 1), and “In the Claws of the Indigen” (Book 2) tell the story of the Great War. Book 3 (“To Flee a King”, Book 4 (“Secrets of the Land”), and Book 5 (“Mage and Prophet”) tell the story of what came afterwards, and mankind’s quest to finally free the race of beings once known as demons. Books 1 – 4 are out on Amazon as of 12/31/2022, and Book 5 will be out sometime in 2024.
Artwork by Cornelia Yoder · www.corneliayoder.com
Artwork by Cornelia Yoder · www.corneliayoder.com
Praise for Spellgiver
Rated by Fantasy Book Review as one of the 30 “best self-published books we’ve read.”
Review Link: https://youandibooks.wordpress.com/2019/03/10/the-top-self-published-books-that-we-have-read-at-fantasy-book-review/
Listed in BlueInk Review’s “Best Books of 2018”
Review Link: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/124100.BlueInk_Review_s_Best_Books_of_2018
Selected “Recommended Reading” by Booklist magazine, September, 2018
Link: https://www.booklistonline.com/City-of-Shards/pid=9709122
Bronze star from Readers’ Favorite Book Award Contest
Link: https://readersfavorite.com/2018-award-contest-winners.htm
“Rodgers creates an intricate world of fabulous creatures, diverse deities, colorful locales, and spectacular battles. His characters, whether human or Lidathi, are empathetic, realistic individuals. The author’s writing style is spot-on for this fantastic tale, never straying into the type of heroic language that can often turn into a parody of itself. Rather, the prose is crisp and image-filled…. An exhilarating tale for fans of sword and sorcery, fantasy, and rich worldbuilding.”
Kirkus Reviews Review Link: https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/steve-rodgers/city-of-shards/
“….Larin’s hero’s journey features familiar fantasy elements: kings, monsters, magic and mysticism. Yet Rodgers manages to weave a stunningly refreshing take on traditional genre tropes. Plot developments are highly unpredictable, and the story is admirably nuanced, with Larin forced to choose between allegiances that each carry dark consequences. With a sharp, incisive narrative style, Rodgers delivers a colorful cast of fully developed characters and believably flawed heroes… the author has created a fictional world that shines with a rare degree of immediacy and realism—even with its wizards, monsters and six-legged gods. Readers will savor the journey.”
Blue Ink Reviews Review Link: https://www.blueinkreview.com/book-reviews/city-of-shards/
“In Steve Rodgers’s fantasy City of Shards, a boy learns that the hero’s journey is never a straight path; sometimes, the only way forward is to plunge into darkness….City of Shards is an engaging and immersive story, mainly because its world building is so detailed…These characters come to life through crisp, action-filled prose….City of Shards is a dazzling and captivating introduction to a new fantasy adventure series. Larin may not seem like the hero to save the world, but he proves to be one who can lead the way through the darkness.”
Foreword Reviews Review Link: https://www.forewordreviews.com/reviews/city-of-shards/
“…City of Shards by Steve Rodgers is a unique and exciting dark fantasy…City of Shards starts slowly as Rodgers immerses the reader in the rich and unique world before pushing Larin towards an impossible choice between future slavery and human sacrifice under the six-legged gods, or annihilation at the hands of the demons. Rodgers removes any truly good outcome from the premise and the effect is amazing.”
Readers’ Favorite Review Link: https://readersfavorite.com/book-review/city-of-shards
“Drop whatever fantasy you’re reading and pick up this book right now. And I know this is a long review, by hear me out. This is one of the best epic fantasy series in existence.”…
Netgalley Review (from Goodreads) Review Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38119693-city-of-shards
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