Ashes: An Epic Sword & Sorcery Novel

Name: Ashes: An Epic Sword & Sorcery Novel
Rating: 4.626865863800049 (67 reviews)

Paul J Bennett

Sep 2019 · The Frozen Flame - Complete 8-book series Book 1 · Paul J Bennett

4.6

67 reviews

Ebook

320

Pages

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About this ebook

Magic is the key... but will it save them, or consume them?

To be discovered with magical potential is to be feared. The gifted few dread their future, for while a life of ease awaits those who succeed, failure leads to a much darker destiny.

For Natalia, whose magical abilities revealed themselves at an early age, there is no choice. Torn from her mother's arms, she was borne away to the Volstrum, an institution steeped in mystery. There, trained as a battle mage, she has the potential to be one of the most powerful spellcasters ever. Yet the price they demand of her is too high!

Athgar's life was shattered the day his magical potential was released by the very fire that nearly consumed him. Even while the Orcs taught him to master his new talents, he could not forget those who were savagely ripped away. Blindly driven by revenge, it's not until he meets Natalia and nearly dies again that he realizes something much more sinister is unfolding.

Now, she is on the run from her family while he desperately hunts for his! Together, they embark on a voyage to unearth a dark conspiracy that has remained secret for years.

Discover a land infused with magic and mystery as Paul J Bennett's Sword & Sorcery series, The Frozen Flame, begins in Ashes.

Curl up with your copy of Ashes and enjoy a spellbinding tale today!

What readers are saying about Paul J Bennett’s books:

★★★★★ - “Fabulously written, loved it.”

★★★★★ - "Another excellent book series!!"

★★★★★ - “Wow! Best book I’ve read in a LONG time!”

★★★★★ - “If you like fantasy fiction, then this is a must read!”

★★★★★ - "This story gripped me and kept me turning the pages."

★★★★★ - "Action, Intrigue, Adventure, Romance and some twists!"

★★★★★ - "I love the book, had me on edge and could not put it down!"

★★★★★ - "The most amazing adventure with a strong magical influence."

★★★★★ - “The tale flows effortlessly along, blending action, adventure and heartwarming scenes.”

★★★★★ - “It’s really difficult to stop reading these books. Looking forward to more books from this author.”

The Frozen Flame Series:

Awakening - Prequels

Ashes

Embers

Flames

Inferno

Maelstrom

Vortex

Torrent

Cataclysm

The Duality of Magic Series:

Voices From The Past – (Spring 2025)

Heir to the Crown Series:

Battle at the River - Prequel

Servant of the Crown

Sword of the Crown

Mercerian Tales: Stories of the Past

Heart of the Crown

Shadow of the Crown

Mercerian Tales: The Call of Magic

Fate of the Crown

Burden of the Crown

Mercerian Tales: The Making of a Man

Defender of the Crown

Fury of the Crown

Mercerian Tales: Honour Thy Ancestors

War of the Crown

Triumph of the Crown

Mercerian Tales: Into the Forge

Guardian of the Crown

Enemy of the Crown

Mercerian Tales: The Spark of Change

Peril of the Crown

Power Ascending Series:

Tempered Steel - Prequel

Temple Knight

Warrior Knight

Temple Captain

Warrior Lord

Temple Commander

Warrior Prince

Temple General

The Chronicles of Cyric:

Into the Maelstrom – Prequel

A Midwinter Murder

The Beast of Brunhausen

A Plague in Zeiderbruch

Ratings and reviews

4.6

67 reviews

Mariette Mayisa

December 15, 2022

I wouldn't say the story was bad, but it isn't thrilling either. I felt no emotional connection to either of the protagonists and at times it felt like the author was just checking off events in the plot to move the plot along. For example when Natalia decides to escape from her "family" the reason given is that they want her to "breed" but the story suggests that from the beginning she knew exactly the requirements of being part of the "family" and what's more the hunter who found her seemingly risks his life to let her escape for no tangible reason as their relationship seems shallow at best. And as for Athgar he apparently learns magic that is hard to learn in no time at all and runs off to get his revenge, the timing clearly to allow for the two protagonists to meet, but then why all the build up with the Orcs? I know this is only book 1 and I presume more depth will be added along the way, but for me it's not worth continuing based on such a lacklustre introduction.

Helen Schultz

September 27, 2019

Paul Bennett hits it out of the park with his new series opener. Great new characters in a brand new situation. It leaves me wondering if his two story lines will connect in the future. I am ready to read more about this one. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review and asked to read this book before the prequel. In my opinion, you should read the prequel first.

2 people found this review helpful

Lesley Ralph

September 23, 2019

A winner for sure! The story is well written with much attention to the characters. This serves to make the story all the more poignant and makes it far more relevant to the reader. As usual Paul J Bennett has a clear and easy to read style making reading a pleasure. My only complaint is that the next book in this series has not been published yet. This book does not contain cliff hangers and although it has a well rounded finish, it is part one in the series so it is not going to give you answers to all the mysteries and questions raised in it. No prior knowledge of any other works by the author is required.

4 people found this review helpful

About the author

Paul J Bennett (b. 1961) emigrated from England to Canada in 1967. His father served in the British Royal Navy, and his mother worked for the BBC in London. As a young man, Paul followed in his father’s footsteps, joining the Canadian Armed Forces in 1983. He is married to Carol Bennett and has three daughters who are all creative in their own right.

Paul’s interest in writing started in his teen years when he discovered the roleplaying game, Dungeons & Dragons (D & D). What attracted him to this new hobby was the creativity it required; the need to create realms, worlds and adventures that pulled the gamers into his stories.

In his 30’s, Paul started to dabble in designing his own roleplaying system, using the Peninsular War in Portugal as his backdrop. His regular gaming group were willing victims, er, participants in helping to playtest this new system. A few years later, he added additional settings to his game, including Science Fiction, Post-Apocalyptic, World War II, and the all-important Fantasy Realm where his stories take place.

The beginnings of his first book Servant to the Crown originated over five years ago when he began running a new fantasy campaign. For the world that the Kingdom of Merceria is in, he ran his adventures like a TV show, with seasons that each had twelve episodes and an overarching plot. When the campaign ended, he knew all the characters, what they had to accomplish, what needed to happen to move the plot along, and it was this that inspired to sit down to write his first novel.

Paul now has four series based in his fantasy world of Eiddenwerthe, and is looking forward to sharing many more books with his readers over the coming years.

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