SPFBO6 Self-published Fantasy Blog-Off Entries 2020

Entries into Mark Lawrence's Self-published Fantasy Blog-off in 2020 (the 6th year of the contest).

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Towers of Dawn (Exmortus #1)

Towers of Dawn (Exmortus #1) by Todd Maternowski

SPFBO6

The holy men of Exmortus Abbey have unearthed a terrible evil. To save their floundering faith, they dug up an artifact of immense power -and unleashed the demon avatar of long-dead gods. Ash Xavier, a brilliant young knight-in-training, survives the avatar's brutal onslaught on the Abbey only to see his entire world crumble around him. With no weapons, no horse, no map and no chance, he must use his wits alone to take the artifact across hundreds of miles of hostile terrain to safety in the fabled city of Helios -provided he can survive that long.


The Madness of Hallen (Khalada Stone #1)

The Madness of Hallen (Khalada Stone #1) by Russell Meek

SPFBO6

Battle raged on the desert sands of the Great Depression. A land of tribal warriors, scattered and leaderless, was finally united under one mind, a man proclaimed as Husam al-Din, the Sword of the Faith. On the dark day of his death, al-Din’s priests tore his mind apart, preventing his treacherous wife, Maymunah, from taking control of the armies. They disappeared beyond the borders of the known lands, taking with them six harmonic stones containing the mind of al-Din, leaving the tribes leaderless and united only by faith. Revenge vowed, Maymunah set her descendants on a quest to recover the lost stones. Centuries passed as nothing was found, until twenty generations later, in an ice cave deep in the Meil’vohllen Mountains, Hallen made a discovery that would change the world forever. Unable to contain the power of the stones, Hallen’s mind was lost, and for three further generations the daughters of Maymunah have only heard whispers in the wind... The Madness of Hallen is the first of four epic fantasy novels, following the lives of two brothers in their quest against the rightful heir to the mind of Husam al-Din.


Falling Shadows: Guardians of Reyth. Volume 1

Falling Shadows: Guardians of Reyth. Volume 1 by Joan Lightning

SPFBO6

A young Sorceress faces a threat which could destroy her people's way of life. She and her people, the Guardians of Reyth, must defend their Protectorate Kingdoms against the followers of an insane and imprisoned creature who believes himself to be God, the creator of everything. She and her friends will need all their courage and power to repel an invasion which is not what it seems. In the finish, success will depend on the faith and courage of sorcerers, warriors, and even humble craftsmen, and on their willingness to risk everything - lives and even honour - to fight for their God, the Lord of Light, and to defend their world. If they fail, the sorceress will become their enemy's bride and conquer all of the kingdoms for him. The Congregation of Light will end and shadows will fall across the whole face of their world. This is volume 1 of a long tale of magic, courage, faith, and choice. A God of Light, and an enemy of shadows who can be defeated only by sacrifice and steadfast courage. Please note that this is not a standalone story.


Rivers Run Red

Rivers Run Red by A D Green

SPFBO6

In the Nine Kingdoms, lords and churches dance a familiar dance. A dance of wars and plots and murder. But unknown to the players, the dance is changing. The Tainted One has returned; harbinger of a cycle of destruction as old as humankind itself. An era is on the verge of collapse, humankind is on the fringes of annihilation – but the lords and ladies, the holy men and the apostates, the great and the small; they all just keep spinning with the music. Nihm is a young woman, living peacefully on the edges of the wilds. But as the hordes descend upon the Nine Kingdoms she finds herself at its forefront, in a race for survival. A race where truths will be revealed that will change her world. Challenging who and what she is. Renco is a student and a mute, suffering from a past trauma. His Master, an outcast from an Ancient Order, has raised him. Honed his skills and his art but for what purpose? Join an Epic Fantasy and follow Nihm and Renco as their journey unfolds. Can two people really change the fate of a world?


Ascension (The Witches of Pioneer Vale #1)

Ascension (The Witches of Pioneer Vale #1) by David A. Combs

SPFBO6

Angelica Brighton is a typical 21st Century High School senior - a diligent student, a track star, and surrounded by good friends. Life on her family’s farm is tranquil, happy, and prosperous. The arrival of a mysterious letter turns her world upside down, unveiling a destiny that leads her into the ancient heart of the nearby forest and face to face with the local urban legend of her sleepy New England town. Anne-Marie Carmichael is a compassionate and hard working wife and mother from the late 17th century. Determined to save her family’s struggling farm from financial ruin, she enters into a hasty bargain that unwittingly turns her into a soldier in a war that has lasted for millennia. Imbued with the primordial magic that extends her life and grants earth shattering power, the fiery natured farmwife must recruit the children of her family for generations to come to stand against the demonic Shade, Father of Nightmares. As the barriers between our world and the Realm of the Demonkin falter, Anne-Marie must awaken in Angelica the might that lies dormant in the Blood of the Firstborn and shape her into the weapon that fate has called for her to become. For only the Witches of Pioneer Vale can hope to win the battle that threatens to destroy not just the pastoral community that Angelica has known her whole life, but existence itself.


Street of Lost Gods (Tales of the Thief-City, #1)

Street of Lost Gods (Tales of the Thief-City, #1) by Gareth Lewis

SPFBO6

Rax Darkthorn was the greatest Knowhound in Nexi, the thief-city, and one of the few to ever escape it. When a friend dies, he returns to learn what can kill a god, even one reduced to selling miracles on the Street of Lost Gods. A 7000 word fantasy short story.


A Knight of Cold Graves (The Revenant Reign Book 1)

A Knight of Cold Graves (The Revenant Reign Book 1) by Clara Coulson

SPFBO6

"Even the strong force of fate can’t blow the coming storm off course." Until they were eleven years old, identical twins Saul and Tanner Reiz were inseparable. Then a terrible accident sent Saul spiraling down a delinquent path that ultimately spurred him to run away from home. And so Tanner wandered into an average adulthood alone, while Saul wandered into something altogether…different. But when a case of mistaken identity unexpectedly throws Tanner and Saul back together after twelve long years of separation, the brothers find themselves stumbling through a race to stop a dangerous magic conspiracy that’s been building in the shadows of the world for generations. Three innocent girls have been kidnapped. A dangerous weapon has been stolen. And a deadly ritual has been set in motion that, if successful, could disastrously alter the course of the future. Saul and Tanner have mere hours to unravel the mystery and rescue the girls. But the enemies they face harken back to a time of myth and legend, populated by knights and wizards and powers beyond belief. So if the brothers can’t quickly reconcile their decade’s worth of differences, they may very well lose the battle…and the world may lose the war. A Knight of Cold Graves is the first novel of The Revenant Reign, a dark paranormal action series with elements from Arthurian myth.


Shadow of a Dead God (Mennik Thorn #1)

Shadow of a Dead God (Mennik Thorn #1) by Patrick Samphire

SPFBO6 SPFBO Finalist

It was only supposed to be one little job - a simple curse-breaking for Mennik Thorn to pay back a favour to his oldest friend. But then it all blew up in his face. Now he's been framed for a murder he didn't commit. So how is a second-rate mage, broke, traumatized, and with a habit of annoying the wrong people, supposed to prove his innocence when everyone believes he's guilty? Mennik has no choice if he wants to get out of this: he is going to have to throw himself into the corrupt world of the city's high mages, a world he fled years ago. Faced by supernatural beasts, the mage-killing Ash Guard, and a ruthless, unknown adversary, it's going to take every trick Mennik can summon just to keep him and his friend alive. But a new, dark power is rising in Agatos, and all that stands in its way is one damaged mage...


The Hidden King (The Coming of Áed #1)

The Hidden King (The Coming of Áed #1) by E.G. Radcliff

SPFBO6 Indie Recs Indie SFFOasis

Hidden truths. Hidden power. Hidden destiny. On the shores of a rusty sea, in the streets of a starving city, a young man named Áed scraps to build a life for himself and the makeshift family he loves. Scarred by a trauma he cannot remember, and haunted by the brutal damage it left behind, he has no idea of the courage his future will demand. When tragedy strikes, a desperate Áed risks a treacherous, life-changing journey in his last chance to save the only family he has left - but an ancient legacy smoldering within him is about to turn deadly. Neither he - nor a kingdom - will ever be the same.


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