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2017 Independent Publishers Book Awards bronze medal for BEST FANTASY E-BOOK.
How old is the Watcher in the Hill? Even our elders cannot say. Is the Watcher real or an invention of the Vanya storytellers who travel the riverways of Vangyr? Either way, its legend hangs over our town like a deepening shadow, spreading slowly with each passing generation.
Out of the western lands the drifter came. A soldier. A slayer. They say he fought for dread King Dwyer, that the blood of the war still stains his hands. They say he lost his wife and child when Easthorn Castle fell. They say many things about the drifter from the west.
He brought with him the sword with runes that burn -- Vathiriel. Does that blade belong to him or does it possess him? None dare to ask. But on the frontier, we have never chosen our heroes. We take them as they come, if they ever come at all.
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Damien G. Walter (The Guardian/Wired/BBC):
"If the early set-up echoes Game of Thrones, the real story of The Vathiriel Blade is a fantasy themed 'stranger comes to town' narrative in the style of Jack Reacher, the drifter hero created by Lee Child. The town of Skoagy is a fantasy take on exactly the kind of one horse town the stranger commonly washes up in, which in turn places Brantingham's tale firmly in the emerging Weird Western genre. The town's villains, up to their armpits in a land grab of local farms, take some inspiration from Al Swearengen and crew in the classic Deadwood.
"All of this makes for a highly appealing genre mash-up. Brantingham winds the tension up in a long, quiet build of subtle character work before Sean Fitzpatrick is forced to face both Skoagy's dark side, and his own violent past. The return of Solomon, the town's enforcer, from the same war that claimed Sean's old life, produces a violent conflict that resonates far more deeply than the petty murder which ignites it.
"The Vathiriel Blade's ambition is remarkable."
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Kirkus Reviews:
"Brantingham's prose moves quickly, generating constant tension, and multiple battle scenes, with their blood spatter and plunging knives, further raise the stakes. Much of the plot follows the a-stranger-rides-into-town narrative more closely associated with Clint Eastwood films than fantasy novels, right down to the saloon, the prostitutes, the corrupt sheriff, and the sniveling cowards who assist him. In some aspects, it's unavoidably formulaic (one wishes for more complex representations of the female characters, whose roles are largely limited to wife, mother, bride, or whore), but the Western style also helps to ground Sean's quest and adds welcome verve to the fantasy premise. Sean is the essence of a stoic hero whose suffering is neither touted nor glossed over. Ultimately, the unusual genre mashup and crisp prose make this novel a fun read.
"An unexpectedly compelling lone wolf narrative in a Western-flavored fantasy world."
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Sean Fitzpatrick is a warrior, a bodyguard and loyal soldier who stood with his king until the end.
Sean Fitzpatrick is a broken man who lost his only love when Easthorn Castle fell.
Sean Fitzpatrick is a drifter. He arrived in town half dead, taken in by a family not unlike his own.
Sean Fitzpatrick is a man working hard to build a new life. Will he give it up to protect his friends?
Find out in The Vathiriel Blade, a blood-pumping new adventure by Mark David Brantingham!
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"Game of Thrones meets Jack Reacher -- The Vathiriel Blade is in the top rank of indie published fantasy novels." -Damien G. Walter (The Guardian/BBC)
"A new indie published fantasy novel that sets a high bar for the field." -Damien G. Walter (The Guardian/BBC)
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