Jason is an expert at running from his past. But when it catches up, he finds himself hiding in a peculiar inn listening to a tale from centuries past. The story is Anargen’s, a teen who is pulled from all he loves to follow his oaths of loyalty to the fabled King of the Realms. Together with his mentor, Cinaed, he rides north on a special quest to mediate peace talks between ancient foes—the men … foes—the men of Ecthelowall and the dwarfs of Ordumair. Nothing goes as planned. Many on both sides of the dispute despise Anargen’s Order. Worse, an arcane evil has returned to the North. This “Grey Scourge” seeks to ruin the peace talks and ensure a lost treasure held by the dwarfs is never found by those for whom it is meant.
As Anargen’s story unfolds, Jason begins to wonder whether it is truly just a fable. He soon finds himself drawn into the conflict Anargen faced. A battle which has shaped and can destroy his world.
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My Thoughts on The Gathering Dark:
First warning, this is the first book in a series so you’re going to find some cliff hangers and an ending that leaves you wanting more. Sorry, that’s just the way it is.
I loved the cover. Covers draw me in and make me want to read a book so this one definitely did its job.
This is not the genre I love. Honestly, it’s probably some of my least favorite genres but it happens to be my oldest sons favorite and I pre-read books before letting him read them. My husband does some of this prereading but not as much as I do, due to he doesn’t have the time.
Join the world of Jason as he ventures into a tale that will suck him in. Literally maybe as well as figuratively? He has to decide what he stands for and where he will fight.
Good book. It’s well written and keeps you reading. The protagonists keep you interested and the conflict keeps you reading. I like this author’s style and am sure we’ll be reading the rest of the series as well.
I have voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from JustRead Publicity Tours. All views expressed are only my honest opinion. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way. All opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC regulations.
” This book seemed, when I began to read it, as if it would be much like the hit video game series Assassin’s Creed. The story begins with a character who does not take the title of protagonist. I assumed the book would jump back and forth between Jason, the character from the start of the book, and Anargen, the main protagonist in the story Jason is told is about. While it did not do that as often as I had expected, I was pleased to learn the book did, indeed, do this a few times. Jason and Anargen both were interesting characters. Anargen and his relationship with Seren was another interesting departure from the way most authors write their romantic portions. The twist revealed in the final pages of the book, is, indeed, quite an amazing turn the book takes. I enjoyed the book quite a bit, and do, indeed, recommend it. ”
We received a e-book copy courtesy of the author and Just Read Tours. All opinions are our own and we were not asked to give a positive review. My son enjoys these types of books and this review is his.
Neither of us, are the best e-book readers. We like paperback, so it took him a while to get through the book, and likely would have gotten into it more had it been a paperback.
I love when Biblical Truths are wrapped in a well-told story! Even more so when it’s written for teens and adolescents.
The characters were well represented, authentic in their struggles with their journey and in their squabbles with each other. The 14th century setting was rugged and crude. At first the narrative at the beginning threw me, but as the story developed and the narrator appeared in “interludes,” it made more sense. The innkeeper was a mysterious character, and the twist at the end was a surprise!
It did seem that this entire story was a journey that never arrived at a destination. But sometimes the journey IS the destination. What the boys learned as they traveled, the profound allegory to Biblical Truth, makes this story a great read for its audience.
ROBIN’S FEATHERS
FOUR FEATHERS
I received a complimentary copy of this book, but was under no obligation to read the book or to post a review. I offer my review of my own free will. The opinions expressed in my review are my honest thoughts and reaction to this book.
#Blogwords, Tuesday Reviews-Day-on-Saturday, #TRD, Book Review, The Gathering Dark, Brett Armstrong, Quest of Fire Book 1
Fans of adventure, knights, and mystical creatures should jump at the chance to read Quest of Fire: The Gathering Dark by Brett Armstrong. Armstrong is a fabulous writer who really dives into his character’s minds. Most of the fiction written is written by women, so when a male writer comes along who dives into the male thoughts, it really grabs my attention. I love how Armstrong really dove into the male side of the romantic feelings for his hero Anargen. It was a nice change to see the different side of the romance. As for the plot, it was a little slow at first. Up to the first interlude, really nothing happened except these four young knights on a journey to somewhere, but then the second interlude really jumped into the action, and Armstrong does a wonderful job at showing the story for the reader. It was an original story with a spellbinding ending that I didn’t guess correctly. The spiritual elements shouldn’t be ignored either by the observant reader. Armstrong does a fabulous job at intertwining those into the texts too. Overall, The Gathering Dark by Brett Armstrong is a deeply rich fantasy populated with fantastical heroes and a high chase plot for fans of fantasy. I believe fans of Tolkien and Patrick R. Carr should pick this novel up and wait anxiously for the next installment.
I received a complimentary copy of The Gathering Dark by Brett Armstrong through the JustRead Tours, but the opinions stated are all my own.
The author has created a world that is both foreign and familiar. The story pulls you along and leaves you hungry for the next chapter in the epic tale.
Wow. This book reminded me a lot of the kind of adventures Tolkien took us on. The author does a great job of keeping you on your toes, turning pages, and wanting more. Beautiful world building. Lots of gorgeous allegories. Interesting characters. Great start to the series and I can’t wait to see what happens next.
Action packed!
Good versus evil. It is such a familiar theme in fiction, especially in fantasy, and yet it never seems to grow old. Perhaps because it is so much a part of our world.
The Gathering Dark is the first book in the Quest of Fire series that is full of adventure and peril. Somehow, when I read the synopsis, I was expecting something darker. I was pleasantly surprised to find a story with glimmers of hope amid perilous times.
Anargen is a young man determined to follow his calling as a knight of the High King despite the potential cost. Leaving everything behind to heed the call, he faces danger along with three of his close friends. I appreciated the fears and doubts he struggled with and loved seeing him choose to do what was right – which he did most of the time. I got so frustrated with him for not doing what he should have done (especially when he went along with his friends’ ideas!!) but, it was age-appropriate and was the way it needed to be in order to keep the characters realistic.
Christian readers will recognize the spiritual significance in the references to the servants of the High King, the armor given to the knights to protect them from all harm, and the “Spiritswords” that are filled with light and are powerful and effective. This was not the type of allegory used in The Pilgrim’s Promise where every other sentence seems to tie back to Scripture. Instead, it is a picture of the Christian life, fighting against the enemies of God simply because He has decreed we should. Some of the most beautiful pictures of this life showed up in the dangerous battles as Anargen was directed with a mere whisper of thought in what to do.
The history of Anargen is wrapped in a story told by an innkeeper hundreds of years later, where another young man, Jason, hears these tales for the first time. His story is only beginning to unfold and I am eager to learn more about why he came into a town that had shunned him and why he was shunned.
Readers who enjoy fantasy with knights and dwarfs and battles against evil will enjoy The Gathering Dark.
Read my review of The Gathering Dark by Brett Armstrong at AmongTheReads.net
This is definitely an epic fantasy that will leave you at the edge of your seat! I was invested in the characters, the world and the plot. This reads liking a coming of age so it’s a mix of action and growth. Meredoch really calls for attention from the beginning to the end. I loved the writing and how easy it was for me to be pulled into the world. I loved the creatures of the world. I enjoyed the stakes and danger that came about for Meredoch and the other characters. I am a major fan of these books and can’t wait to continue on with the series and more of Brett Armstrong’s writing.
“Sometimes we are called to make a stand, even if it ends in sorrow. Sometimes it is the stand which is the most powerful implement for the High King to cast off darkness.”
3.5 stars for this interesting fantasy novel by Brett Armstrong. The story starts out with Jason who stops by a tavern and gets sucked into an epic tale of old told by a storyteller at the tavern. The role that Jason plays in the overarching plot isn’t clear until the end of the book…so I’m thinking there is at least another book, if not more, to come. The plot concentrates mostly on a legend of the Northwestern Lowlands and how that legend came to be from days long ago. Anargen is a newly commissioned knight who is called to pledge allegiance to the High King. He and three other young knights follow their mentor Sir Cinaed into lands unknown and hostile to battle such thick fog of evil like they’ve never seen before.
The plot and story are interesting but I found the details surrounding the history of the battling countries a bit confusing and prolonged. There is plenty of war action and I appreciated the literal manifestation of the armor of God as armors for the anointed knights. Anargen is a likable main character with his unwavering loyalty and courage. Sir Cinaed is mysterious and alluring. How Jason, Anargen, and Sir Cinaed all intersect will be quite interesting to find out as the story continues in the next book.
I received a copy of the book from the publisher via JustRead Publicity Tours and was under no obligation to post a positive review. All comments and opinions are solely my own.
What a wonderful journey this new to me author took me on!! And yep I done it again got in the middle of the series. Now, I’m going to have to back and read the others.
At first I wasn’t sure I was going to like it because it started out slow and uninteresting. However as it went along I did start to enjoy it. Knights and shinning armor and fantasy to boot! What’s not to love about this book.
Jason is an interesting character to me. I think it’s because I can relate to him so much! I had to grow up pretty fast too after I lost both parents and let me tell you it was no fun at first since I missed them. I still do.
I think that most of us can relate to Jason too, is the way we feel about the world sometimes. It can make us feel like we have the weight of it on our shoulders. I know I feel like that especially right about now. They say that God never gives us more that we can handle. I believe it but sometimes it sure doesn’t feel like that!! I think that’s when we really need to lay our burdens at His feet and believe me, I have a very hard time in doing that. I’m sure Jason does as well.
I like that the author has offered hope, and redemption, forgiveness all those things!
In my opinion, I think it’s pretty cool when a male author writes a book! Gives us an interesting point of view other than the female authors. This year alone I’ve read about 5 or 6 books written from the male’s side. Very different!
I liked the style of writing Brett has done. He has made his characters very real and their feelings came through loud and clear to me. I felt like I was in the story with Jason and his crew. The supporting characters were awesome too!!
And the cover!! just wow!! I think the story inside matches with the books cover!
I love being in the middle of a book like this!
I think I finished this book in 2 days it was so very good! A lot of twists and turns along the way as well
I strongly recommend this book! Especially if you like this kind of book! It will leave you sitting on the edge waiting to see what happens next!
My thanks to #JustReads for a complimentary copy of this book. NO compensations were received and all opinions are my own.