Ryan Cahill is a Fantasy author most known for the Bound and the Broken series.
Synopsis from Ryans website:
Epheria is a land divided by war and mistrust. The High Lords of the South squabble and fight, only kept in check by the Dragonguard, traitors of a time long past, who serve the empire of the North.
In the remote villages of southern Epheria, still reeling from the tragic loss of his brother, Calen Bryer prepares for The Proving – a test of courage and skill that not all survive.
But when three strangers arrive in the village of Milltown, with a secret they are willing to die for, Calen’s world is ripped from under him and he is thrust headfirst into a war that has been raging for centuries.
There is no prophecy. His coming was not foretold.
He bleeds like any man, and bleed he will.
This is one of those series that I have been hearing about for a while. When I went to Fantasycon last September I bought the entire set signed and met Ryan. Top bloke, very down to earth and friendly.
I read The Fall first (the prequel to Of Blood and Fire) which upset some fans who think I shouldn’t have started with it as it was released after. But I thought it gave me a bit of an intro into the world of Epheria. Of Blood and Fire is an amazing story and a fantastic start to this series that is now well over 1 million words. The book starts with Calen and his two friends Dann and Rist, and from the start, I liked these three and knew they were going to see some amazing things. Their adventure starts when they are on a rite of passage from their village. this is where their story starts and we know something isn’t right. the main POV is Calen, but his sister Ella also gets some of the spotlight, her story running alongside her brothers, it will be interesting to see where her journey will take her.
Calen is your typical normal lad pulled into something a lot bigger than himself and him rising to the challenge, as his story progresses his personality matures as he realises his old life is over and now he has responsibilities. I don’t want to spoil too much but from the synopsis and the cover you know there is a dragon egg and dragons, usually, that’s enough for me to pick up a book but I love the way Ryan has introduced this, and developed it throughout the story. Amazing!
While reading this it was easy to forget that Ryan self-published these books, the story is engaging and the world is well-built and full of history. The book is well written and a great start to this series, I cannot wait to start book 2. If you love Fantasy and things like Wheel of Time you will enjoy this book. Also, did I mention… there are DRAGONS.
If you haven’t read it, get on it. The book is fantastic.
You can purchase The Bound and the Broken books from The Broken Binding, very nice quality versions of the books, signed as well. Or if you want you can shop at your local Waterstones, or online at Amazon
