Bookworm for Kids presents books for toddlers to teens and everything in between: board books, picture books, chapter books, middle grade reads, tween reads, and young adult literature.
Thursday, January 14, 2021
Ian's Realm Saga by D.L. Gardner with Giveaway
Ian's
Realm Saga
Trilogy
Books 1-3
by
D.L. Gardner
YA Fantasy
Winner
of Book Excellence Award 2019
Three
books in one, this saga follows the adventures of Ian Wilson through
the portal and into a magical land called the Realm. From slave boy
to warrior, Ian encounters the dragon worshiping village, Menek,
their enemies the Kaemperns, and the all powerful fire-breathing
dragon Old Stenhjaert.
Part
1. Deception Peak
Ian's
Realm Saga, is a young adult adventure fantasy about a teenager, Ian
Wilson, who follows his father, Alex, through a portal that magically
appears on their computer screen while they are creating a game
engine. They travel into a deceptively beautiful Realm, where horses
run wild, the wind sings prophetic melodies, and their computer
avatar (Xylon) comes to life. But when the two are separated, Ian is
abducted by a tribe of dragon worshipers. In his struggle to be
released, he causes chaos in the village and is banished into the
wilderness with two other residents. They come upon a group of people
who live for the sole purpose to destroy the dragon. They agree to
help Ian find his father deep in the caves of the dragon's lair.
Alex
is found, but not without sacrifice, causing a deepened relationship
between Ian and the Kaempern leader, Amleth.
Alex
and Ian ride for the portal home with the dragon at their heels.
Alex, his father stops in his tracks and goes back with the intent to
slay the dragon, sending his son to the portal to wait for him with
the instructions that if he doesn't return by morning, go home
without him. Alex never returns.
Part
2 Dragon Shield
Integrity
isn't something you do, it's who you are," Aren tells the
confused Ian in The Dragon Shield.
Now
a young man, Ian returns to the magical Realm to fight against the
tyranny that has befallen his friends. But the Realm is a different
place, the forest is dying, the Kaemperns have lost the shield that
protected them from the dragon, and Ian has a hard time proving his
allegiance when trouble follows him through the portal. His struggle
to do right buries him in confusion when he's confronted with a young
boy who wields a powerful magical dagger which summons the
dragon.
Part
3 Rubies and Robbers
"I
will not let fear weaken us, not now" -says Ian as he dives into
the cold waters of Moor Cove to find the escapees.
Ian
has proven his abilities as a warrior and now the most dangerous
battle begins, the battle against the power of evil. Ian must unravel
the secrets of the mountain and discern whom his real enemy is, the
enemy both without and within. He tackles with the twelve-year-old
boy who seems to hold the fate of the entire Realm in his hands, and
yet the pressing Songs of Wisdom call for compassion in his dealings.
Ian leads his men in the fight against the powers of darkness. But he
must also be willing to sacrifice everything he ever hoped to have in
order to save those he loves.
When
Ian returns to the Realm in search of Abbi and Elisa he not only
encounters the fiery dragon, but falls prey to a lovely temptress and
a wicked queen.
When
Elisa's friend becomes a victim of a drive-by shooting, Abbi and
Elisa seek a magical cure in Ian's shield, but are accidentally
transported into the Realm with no way back. Ian suspects their
whereabouts and opens the portal to find them. His entry compromises
the integrity of the seal which prevents the dragon from returning to
the Realm. In his search for the girls, he stumbles upon a beautiful
enchantress who offers to help him.
After
the death of her precious soldier, Queen Hacatine, in a fit of rage,
commands her ambassadors to kill the Magic Thief and capture Layla's
murderer.
Ian
is a wanted man.
A
Taikan slave boy, Rolando, voyages with the assassins. The ship
encounters a squall and is soon battered to pieces. The Taikans
escape leaving Rolando on the sinking ship. He saves the Sage's chest
of incantations and barely survives himself. His intent is to find
Hacatine's ambassadors and return the clandestine strongbox—but
meets Silvio the Wizard instead.
Rolando's
world is turned upside down.
Brad
and Elisa Huntington return to Seattle from the Realm only to be
crudely interrogated by Drew, Abbi's father. After Brad passes a
polygraph test, his dad and Drew have no recourse but to believe his
story. Soon scientists are forging through the portal in search of
the Realm.
When
the old wizard Silvio eyes a woman dragging an unconscious young man
ashore on his beach, he suspects the worst. A sorceress warrior from
the island of Taikus could mean nothing but ill will. But who is the
boy? With a burst of magic, he freezes the warrior into a bronze
statue, and nurtures the boy back to health. The teenager, Ivar,
explains that he is on a quest to discover his past, but a violent
storm cast him into the sea.
Silvio's
suspicions grow, and he wonders why a Taikan would rescue an archer
from Kaempern since they are known enemies.
When
Silvio joins Ivar on his journey, his answers come all too quickly.
He, too, becomes the evil queen's prey, and there's a reason she's
keeping him alive.
A
unique YA Fantasy page-turner that spans the void between
vastly different worlds, Gardner captures the most endearing
qualities of the genre in a story that's both refreshing and
original. -Book Viral Review
Readers
who love excitement, peril and sweet romance will enjoy this
time-travel adventure.
Eighteen
years after her father visited the Realm, Cassie discovers a portal
to the same world when she takes a selfie with her cell phone.
Against the wishes of her friends, she goes in and finds herself
captured by a grumpy old wizard. Its through him she learns of the
unrest happening in the kingdom called Alisubbo. When a handsome
cavalry officer, Valerio, appears with his troops in all his pompous
attire, Cassie is taken breathless.
The
cunning Valerio immediately recognizes the opportunity of befriending
this lovely, young and naive stranger and sweet-talks her into
helping his cause. Her mission, deliver an Appeal for Peace to the
king. Cassie willingly takes the job, thrilled that she finally has
the adventure she's wanted all her young life.
Tragically
for her, the letter is not what Valerio says it is. Cassie discovers
she's been a pawn in a coup to overthrow the king. She discovers the
lies and false accusations too late. Before she can stop the
violence, her hands are stained in blood. She must somehow turn the
tide, save the life of the heir, and persuade him to return and
rescue Alisubbo from Valerio's tyranny.
Other
books in this series include Ian's Realm Saga and Diary of a Conjurer
and the Tale of the Four Wizards which are published on my website.
When
the young wizard Abbott is abducted as a little boy, he is taken to
the castle of the wicked queen Hacatine and condemned to wait his
young life as a prisoner until he comes of age and his sentence is
executed.
But
even as a child, Abbott has other plans. When he meets the beautiful
albino slave girl who spins silk from a butterfly's spittle he is
more determined to not only escape, but bring the entire queen's
court with him.
Ian pulled out his phone and checked the connection. “There’s been some signal in here, but it’s been spotty. If I could get enough reception to access my files, time wouldn’t be an issue at all.” After another failed attempt, Ian put the phone back into his pants pocket and focused on the flames.
“Is he going to meet us in Alcove Forest?”
“The portal isn’t there anymore. The portal is nearer the prairie. A longer walk for us, but an easier route for Brad and the Kaemperns.”
“All right. I’m ready to go home. Maybe you should get some sleep,” Abbi suggested, patting his knee. Her touch surprised him.
He thought of Layla and her warm gentle hands on his neck. He took Abbi’s hand and held it for a moment, and then placed it at her side. She looked hurt and folded her hands in her lap after that. “I will stay up and watch over the both of you,” he said.
“Ian…” she started, but when he looked into her eyes, her voice trailed. “Never mind.”
“Get some rest, Abbi.”
Abbi bedded down in what bit of soft dirt there was and closed her eyes. Ian continued to watch the fire, adding small pieces of timber and brush. When it died down, he stood and warmed his back, looking out into the dark of the night. Only the stars were visible beyond the campfire.
The stars, and a figure moving toward him came into view. He squinted, not sure if he were hallucinating from fatigue. “Layla?” he asked.
“Yes, Ian,” she said. She didn’t stop approaching him, but kept coming, and behind her were five other women dressed the same as she, fully armed, their hair playing colors with the firelight. She stepped up to him and before he could decipher the danger, she drew his sword from his sheath and handed it to a woman behind her. He struck out to stop her, but she blocked his thrust, taking hold of his wrist and bending his elbow behind his back.
“What do you want from me?” He squinted from the pain.
“The key to the portal, Ian. That’s all. There’s something locked up in there that we care dearly about.” She frisked his pockets until she found the phone, tossing the pocketknife to another woman. “This!”
“You have no idea how to use that. It’s useless to you.”
He eyed Abbi stirring. Elisa still slept.
“No. You’re right. That’s why you’re coming with us.”
“What’s happening?” Abbi sat up, wiped the hair from her eyes and jumped to her feet.
“Nothing to be too concerned about,” Layla said. “We’re taking your boyfriend to our ship until he answers some questions.”
“We could take them all,” one of the women suggested.
“No!” Layla answered quickly. “I want this one for my own.” She smiled at Abbi. “Your loss!”
Abbi made a move to fight but was immediately restrained by two of the women.
“Don’t, Abbi,” Ian said, fearful she’d be hurt. “Let me handle this. Take care of Elisa.” He could see the rage and terror in Abbi’s eyes when they locked onto his. He nodded, hoping she’d understand that he’d do everything he could to escape.
That was the last connection he had with her before he was escorted out of the camp, and through the rock-strewn landscape that led to the sea.
D.L.Gardner is an
award winning author and screenwriter, taking home the Book
Excellence Award for her Amazon's best selling Ian's Realm Saga as
well as various other prestigious awards for her audio books and
screenplays. Her young adult adventure fantasy and historical fantasy
novels are loved by youth and adults all over the world.
"Dianne's
wonderfully descriptive writing style will have you so involved in
the story that in a sense you will have forgotten that it was just a
story."
Dianne is a
columnist for Amazing Stories Magazine, one of the most popular
science fiction and fantasy magazines of all time. She's taught
workshops and participated on panels at conferences and film
festivals. Her concept film for Ian's Realm has won numerous fantasy
short awards in L.A., New York and New Zealand.
Dianne was born in
Ohio and raised in southern CA. She attended Northern AZ University
and later continued her education in the Pacific Northwest. She's an
oil painter, book illustrator, screenwriter and filmmaker.
No comments:
Post a Comment