The Battle of Stryker Pass / Susan Stuckey

Reviewed by: ?wazithinkin

Genre: Fantasy/ Coming of Age

Approximate word count: 10-15,000 words

Availability    

Kindle  US: YES  UK: YES  Nook: YES  Smashwords: YES  Paper: NO

Click on a YES above to go to appropriate page in Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Smashwords store

Author:

“Susan Stuckey currently lives in the Midwest and is a wife and mother. She writes stories of duty and honor, courage and sacrifice, with dollops of magic and loyalty tossed into the mix.” Find out more about Stuckey and her other stories at her website or connect on Facebook.

Description:

“An implacable enemy. A desperate stand. Stryker Pass is the last hope of Clovis Telmar’s people to stop the invading Halurdow. Outnumbered six-to-one, the followers of the Twin Gods prepare for their ultimate battle, an all-or-nothing defense of the pass leading to the soft heart of all the Kalieri Kingdoms. Clovis Telmar, son of the Chief of the Wolf Clan, holds the key to the defense of Stryker Pass, but why should the anxious defenders follow the lead of a 12 year old boy?”

Appraisal:

The Battle of Stryker Pass is a novelette that contains the history of Ms. Stuckey's fantasy world Aldura. She is weaving together an impressive ground work for an epic fantasy of grand proportions.

The Halurdow's are brutal invaders and followers of their jealous God Urdow whose aim is to wipe-out the Kalieri race. Clovis is just a boy who has received a divine plea and is unsure about his untested abilities to really be of any assistance to the Kalieri protecting Stryker pass. Although every Black Wolf in the area has converged to offer their support, which is a sign to the leaders of the Kalieri forces that he is to be listened to.

Clovis alone is able to see past his insecurities and offer a plan that may just work if he can figure out how to pull it off. This is a powerful coming-of-age war story and leads Clovis to an unsure future. The plot is well paced and Ms. Stuckey has done an excellent job building her fantasy world and the magical elements that may help the Kalieri survive the Dark God Urdow's fit of rage. I have found all the the Kalieri Tales I have read so far engaging and can't wait to read more.

FYI:

Based on the stories I have read in this series, I don't think the reading order is important. That may change as the stories continue though.

Format/Typo Issues:

I found no editing or formatting problems.

Rating: ***** Five stars