Larry Correia's Quest

A fantasy epic has a central requirement: a quest. It can be, on the surface, a search for a kingdom, a queen, a treasure, a secret; more deeply, it's a search for meaning or a hidden identity. Son of the Black Sword (Baen Books, $25), the first volume of Larry Correia's new series, Saga of the Forgotten Warrior, delivers requisite epic elements: gods, demons, a mysterious dream, a terrified populace, rebels, an ancient blade named Angruvadal and its wielder, Ashok, who has magic in his blood. Correia effectively draws on Indian imagery with place names like Gujara and Uttara and a stratified society that includes the "casteless." The hero, Ashok--a Protector who serves the Law, which has long ago replaced religion--is sent on a journey and, as in all good quest sagas, it's not the voyage he expects.

Larry Correia

Larry Correia took a somewhat unexpected journey on his way to becoming a bestselling author. He self-published his first book, Monster Hunter International, when he was an accountant and a gun dealer, and discovered how fundamental handselling is, along with a bit of luck. Don Blyly of Uncle Hugo's Science Fiction Bookstore in Minneapolis, Minn., asked for a copy, read it and finished it in one night. He purchased a large number of POD (print on demand) copies for the store and handsold them. Then fate appeared. The week Uncle Hugo's began selling the book, Entertainment Weekly ran the store's bestseller list, with Monster Hunter International at #3. Toni Weisskopf, publisher of Baen Books, speedily signed Larry to a one-book deal, which turned into 16 in less than six years. In addition, while promoting his POD edition, Correia traveled throughout the Mid- and Southwest, becoming a bookseller favorite. He's launching Son of the Black Sword with a tour that started in New England, continued to the Pacific Northwest, then traveled down the West Coast and across the desert, wrapping up in Scottsdale, Ariz. A voyage victory lap. --Marilyn Dahl, editor, Shelf Awareness for Readers

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