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Paul Francois
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Shadowbane: Age of Aelfborn Kindle Edition

by Paul Francois (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 25 ratings
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During a time of strife, Megildur must traverse Aerynth to rescue his sister and fulfill a destiny ordained by the All-Father. Finding Shadowbane, the mighty but cursed sword, will be challenging enough for this young Aelfborn. In a world torn apart by treachery and conflict, it is every being, or creature, for themselves.

This novel combines qualities from Lord of the Rings© and Greek mythology, with a few twists on some new races. This is the first novel to reveal the lore behind the epic player versus player game, Shadowbane.

Aerynth exists within a shroud of betrayal and deceit for over 100 years. In this realm of chaos, Megildur finds help from an unlikely pair…a sneaky Shade and a nomadic Nephilim. Can this unique trio bring peace and order to Aerynth, or fall prey to the Terror of Terrors?
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  1. Print length
    314 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publication date
    October 24, 2016
  5. File size
    861 KB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  9. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

In Shadowbane: Age of Aelfborn by Paul Francois, young Megildur must traverse Aerynth, a world in constant turmoil, to rescue his sister and fulfill a destiny ordained by the All-Father. He must find the mighty but cursed sword, Shadowbane, and lead everyone to unity and peace. The story premise is a familiar concept in the fantasy genre - you have a come-of-age protagonist chosen to find a mystical item and embark on a perilous quest. That said, a skilled storyteller can put a fresh spin on a classic theme, and Paul Francois successfully did that.

There are evident inspirations from other well-known fantasy fictions for its world-building, but there are also unique qualities to keep readers interested. In terms of characterization, protagonist Megildur will not disappoint you. As an Aelfborn, or half Human and half Elf, Megildur already experiences hardship due to his race. He's easy to root for and has traits that we would want in a lead character or a hero.

The narrative and the dialogue are clear cut. The plot is well-structured, even though I feel that some parts can be more polished in terms of pacing. On the other hand, Shadowbane: Age of Aelfborn is overall a solid and enjoyable read, ticking all the necessary prerequisite of a fantasy novel. Francois has an interesting story to tell, and no doubt he has more to share with readers. He's another worthy writer in this genre and I look forward to reading more of his work in the future.

Review Rating: 4 stars.
Reviewed By Lit Amri for Readers' Favorite

********************************************************

"Enjoyable read. This story captured my imagination from the very outset and plunged me into yet another mystical world of adventure. I immediately warmed to Megildur, the main character and the troubles he faced. The setting of the story was truly original and exciting, the characters had depth and their presence in the world often entertaining.
I hope Paul Francois continues with this genre, and becomes a veteran fantasy writer. I feel he has a lot to offer in this genre." - Jay Freeman

About the Author

By day, Paul Francois is a mild mannered IT professional. He has been in the technology field for over 20 years. One day, in 2011, he started pondering story ideas until they leapt out of his brain and onto paper... onto the computer to be precise. Join him as he discovers which genre suits his writing style best. Fantasy, Sci Fi, Thriller, or perhaps...all of the afore mentioned genres. The road is dreary and his journey long, sit back and enjoy a tale as we travel it together.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B01M3UFR4X
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Paul Francois (October 24, 2016)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ October 24, 2016
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 861 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 314 pages
  • Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 1537706780
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 25 ratings

About the author

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Paul Francois

Paul Francois

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By day, Paul Francois is a mild-mannered IT professional. He has been in the technology field for over 20 years. One day, in 2011, he started pondering story ideas until they leapt out of his brain and onto paper…onto the computer to be precise.

Join him as he discovers which genre suits his writing style best. Fantasy, Sci Fi, Thriller, or perhaps...all of the afore mentioned. The road is dreary and his journey long, sit back and enjoy a tale as we travel it together.

Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
4.7 out of 5
25 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Brian
5.0 out of 5 stars Good Book
Reviewed in the United States on May 12, 2017
Verified Purchase
Good book. I enjoyed the book. It's better than most of it's type story. I recemmend it hightly. I think there are places where the same dialog stated over and over, but the goodness of the characters more than make up for it. There is sex only at the end. They could have waited until they had married, but things as they are I guess people expect it.
One person found this helpful
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Dave Swanson
5.0 out of 5 stars Great work.
Reviewed in the United States on March 8, 2019
Verified Purchase
Brought me back to the world of Shadowbane. I hope the author writes more in this universe.
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Anne MacKay
5.0 out of 5 stars Loved the variety of characters.
Reviewed in the United States on April 8, 2017
Verified Purchase
Appreciated all the different types, genders, body configurations, different belief systems and all the other creative enjoyable memorable persons met.
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Voracious Reader
4.0 out of 5 stars Decent start to an epic story but fell a bit short from being great.
Reviewed in the United States on April 18, 2017
Shadowbane: Age of Aelfborn written by Paul Francois is what I understand to be the beginning of an epic fantasy tale or at least the door is left open for there to be more to the story. It is the tale in which our young hero must traverse his world amid constant strife to rescue his sister and fulfill a destiny ordained by the All-Father.

Shadowbane caught my interest as having been said to have similarities to Tolkien and Salvatore books; both of whom are two of my favorite authors. I love an epic fantasy tale so definitely had to read this one. It did in fact share some similarities but did not quite reach the level of craftsmanship.
The story overall was good but there were a few things that bothered me and kept me from really enjoying it. First of all our young hero, Megildur, who started out an inexperienced schoolboy in a small village, seemed to take to commanding and strategy too well and too fast. Now I understand an author doesn't have the time and space to develop the hero's skills too slowly but a few mis-starts would've helped. Where he started out being respectful to people he later was often disrespectful which appeared to have something to do with making people see him as a commander but I definitely had problems when he treated his parents with that disrespect. At one point he did apologize to his mother for his behavior but too many times he didn't appear to notice it. Now I understand this is based on a video game of which I am unfamiliar so the behaviors I have issues with may just be keeping him in character with the game. Also while on the topic of behavior the characters smirked a little too much.

Another issue I had with the book was vocabulary and word tenses. Some of the vocabulary didn't seem to me to fit the context of the sentence so threw me out of the story as I tried to determine exactly what the author was trying to convey. Possibly those words had obscure meanings I wasn't familiar with but the most common meanings didn't fit. Also there were times when the tenses didn't seem right so once again it threw me out of the story while I tried to figure out the correct one. Also I am no English major so I could be wrong; the vocabulary and tenses could've been perfectly correct. This may not bother some people and for those I say definitely read this; you will very likely get the enjoyment of the story that I lost from it.

I received a complimentary copy of this book which I am voluntarily reviewing. As should be obvious, the opinions are my own.

Update: some of you may have read my review when I first posted it and wondered why I changed my rating. My rating changed because I ran across some postings where people were talking about how they rated books they reviewed and realized I was being a little harsh in my rating system. I rated by how much I enjoyed books using more of a hated, didn't like, liked, really liked and loved system so in my book a 3 star was not a bad rating it was good , 4 stars were better and 5 stars were best the 5 stars were books I immediately wanted sequels, made me really think, or really moved me in some way. Apparently that is not how others look at that system and I may be making people rethink purchasing a very good book, so keeping this in mind I will start looking at books a little differently in the future.
One person found this helpful
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Anthony Avina
5.0 out of 5 stars Thrilling Epic-Fantasy Must-Read Novel!
Reviewed in the United States on January 23, 2022
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

This was such an epic and captivating fantasy read. This definitely would feel right at home for fans of epic, deep-cut level fantasy storytelling, delving into a world of mythological creatures from all varieties of mythological backgrounds. I absolutely loved this mashup of different cultures and myths to delve into, as well as the author’s use of imagery and atmospheric buildup in the narrative.

What struck me was the utilization of the hero’s journey for this novel, as protagonist Megildur grows from a young boy desperate to save the last person connected to his family to a leader and hero that is destined to save the world. The author’s use of writing style felt very much like it was written for fans of video games, which was such a breath of fresh air for the genre. From the journey itself feeling like an open-world game to the various creatures the protagonist had to face (or bosses), the stylistic choices of this narrative made this a true standout novel.

A remarkable, entertaining, and epic fantasy novel, author Paul Francois’s “Shadowbane: Age of Aelfborn” is a must-read novel. Fantastic world-building and mythology kept me hooked the entire time, and the cast of characters kept readers invested in the hero’s journey the protagonist found himself on, making this a remarkable story worth diving into.
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Ann Keeran
5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic Fantasy
Reviewed in the United States on August 11, 2017
Paul Francois has written a fabulous tale of an Aelfborn named Megildur. When he is sixteen, he begins a quest to find Shadowbane. With the help of a wizard, bards and other friends, he searches the land for the greatest sword ever forged. His journey brings him into contact with dwarves, elves, vampires, half-giants and even a dragon. This is an amazing story of adventure, friendship, family ties and love. Join Megildun on a fantastic journey to uncover Shadowbane!
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G. Walden
5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic story!
Reviewed in the United States on August 8, 2017
Disclaimer: I received this book free for an honest review... An incredible and imaginative story. So well crafted, with more action and magic you could ask for. Follow Megildur on his journey to save his world along with his comrades. He faces challenge after challenge dealing with humans, elves, dwarfs, villains and other strange creatures. A powerful story. I highly recommend this book.
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Dionne Washington
5.0 out of 5 stars Very well written and such!
Reviewed in the United States on February 16, 2017
This was very good. So good I couldn't put it down until I finished it. It was an experience in reading especially when walking. I'd never done that before and this book had me doing just that. Well except for taking a shower. But I loved the book and it was entertaining and intriguing. If there's anymore I'll be there to read them too.
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Top reviews from other countries

E L Hewitt
5.0 out of 5 stars I would recommend this to fantasy fans as it struck me like ...
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 17, 2017
Verified Purchase
Shadowbane: Age of Aelfborn

The cover for this book is vibrant and warmth and eye-catching given the colours used and the bold imagery. The book is very detailed from the prologue which sets the story up right, Although this is not the most original story it is one that captures the reader within the first few lines. My initial reactions from the prologue were one of wanting to read further into the book. The characters are strong and well thought out, the main character is a young boy called Megildur again a well-rounded character. The lead character is Megildur who witnesses the murders of his family and then finds himself on a magical path as he searches for his sister, it is an intriguing and exciting story. I would recommend this to fantasy fans as it struck me like many of the tales of King Arthur and Robin Hood stories did as there was a variety of fantasy beasts throughout although there was time when I thought that the story was rushed and not explained properly.
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