A Cavalry of Griffons
A Cavalry of Griffons
The story continues. I’m currently writing A Cavalry of Griffons, the third book in my epic fantasy series, A King Without a Crown.
Below, I’ve provided a chapter excerpt, reviews for the first two books, and news about the series.
A map of the world of Odma
Synopsis
The third book in Ryan Schuette’s masterful epic fantasy series finds a kingdom mustering its resolve against foreign conquerors. Loran’s peasants march on their capital city under the banners of an Army of the People, united in their quest for justice and riveting the eyes of the world.
With help from unlikely allies, King Jason Warchild forges his rabble into a formidable fighting force to overthrow the tyrants who stole his crown. Chief among Jason’s companions is his cunning advisor, Rathos Robswell, who begins to feel the stirrings of something previously unimaginable: hope for a world free of the cruelty and caprice of despotism.
Not everyone in Loran welcomes Jason and Rathos’s revolution. Holding fast to her children and faith in her gods, Lady Tess Sothos, wife to the powerful Gram Sothos, soon realizes that she must take up her fallen husband’s mantle and rally her fellow believers against a kingdom that wants them all to burn. On the far side of the world, another Elvarenist, Venya Qixihon, journeys west through haunted and war-torn lands. Her design for a new weapon promises to upend the world’s balance of power and usher in an age of reason.
Yet the darkness comes, manifested in a little girl and followed by fools . . . and all the world’s dragons, griffons, and sorcerers may not be enough to stop it.
Excerpts
Chapter 4, A Cavalry of Griffons
Praise for A Seat for the Rabble and An End to Kings
“From its electric first pages, Schuette’s epic adult fantasy debut grips with a rich, tense, multi-perspective story of a kingdom in unrest. . . . A journalist, [he] writes crisp, compelling scenes that demonstrate an understanding of power, conflicted loyalties, and the ways that history—both ancient and recent, true and made up—powers contemporary conflicts.” —BookLife by Publishers Weekly (Grade: A)
“Schuette’s extensive world is an enticing one. Religion, class systems, and past events play large parts in the conflict. . . . Griffins fly; swords cleave; and the unsuspecting are sometimes slaughtered. . . . Yet the fighting and feuding are matched in such a way to keep the intriguing plot moving swiftly. The competing interests make for a curious, highly detailed, engrossing fantasy.” —Kirkus Reviews
“Masterful storytelling and epic worldbuilding make this a must-read for fans of political fantasy. Ryan Schuette weaves a complex world of political intrigue, class conflict, and the pursuit of power in this enthralling epic fantasy.” —ALEXANDRIA DUCKSWORTH, Independent Book Review
“If you like getting marooned in a book, so far removed from real life that there’s no need for rescue, then A Seat for the Rabble was made for you! . . . [It’s] a sumptuous feast for the mind.” —NICKY FLOWERS, Indies Today (Rating: ★★★★★)
“[A]n unputdownable story. . . .” —SHERRY FUNDIN, fundinmental.com
In the News
Tolkien’s Collector Guide: Illustrating Tolkien’s Unfinished Tales – a chat with the artists