Free UK Kindle eBook - Spellwright

TheKindleWorm · 08-31-2010, 05:38 PM

A new fantasy freebie for UK members - Spellwright by Blake Charlton

Over at Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Spellwright/dp/B003P9X70I

Product description:

"Nicodemus Weal is a cacographer, unable to reproduce even simple magical texts without 'misspelling' – a mistake which can have deadly consequences. He was supposed to be the Halcyon, a magic-user of unsurpassed power, destined to save the world; instead he is restricted to menial tasks, and mocked for his failure to live up to the prophecy.

But not everyone interprets prophecy in the same way. There are some factions who believe a cacographer such as Nicodemus could hold great power – power that might be used as easily for evil as for good. And when two of the wizards closest to Nicodemus are found dead, it becomes clear that some of those factions will stop at nothing to find the apprentice and bend him to their will…"

queentess · 08-31-2010, 06:05 PM

Not available for free in the US (of course, it's Amazon UK!), but I may pay full price for this one. It sounds very interesting AND there's a short quote on the cover by Robin Hobb!

TheKindleWorm · 08-31-2010, 06:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by queentess

Not available for free in the US (of course, it's Amazon UK!), but I may pay full price for this one. It sounds very interesting AND there's a short quote on the cover by Robin Hobb!

It does sound promising AND (apart from Winnie-the-Pooh) it's the first new fiction freebie we've seen in the UK for weeks I think as everything has been factual. So very welcome!

koland · 08-31-2010, 06:23 PM

Not even available to those in the US!

arcadata · 08-31-2010, 11:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by koland

Not even available to those in the US!

Yes, it is - just not free! Here's Spellwright Kindle (US)

I've read it and I love the world-building, and how the author made magic new. In this world, it's not enough to just call out Abracadabra and wave a wand. You need to be able to spell it out and then the magic becomes real. I love the book and highly recommend it even at full price, for me, it's one of the most original new fantasy series around.

(I guess it helped that the author is a medical student and he incorporated his genetics/DNA classes into the mix. I was studying about DNA/proteins while I was reading the book and knew where the author got his idea).

koland · 09-01-2010, 02:31 AM

Ahh, separate ASIN's and covers for the two countries.

I would not buy it at full price - the paperback is due anytime, so the price will go down here in the states.

ChristopherTD · 09-01-2010, 04:18 AM

I jumped through various hoops to buy this from one of the USA eBook stores, and now it is a freebie here. All things come to those who wait I guess.

pdurrant · 09-01-2010, 04:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheKindleWorm

A new fantasy freebie for UK members - Spellwright by Blake Charlton

Thanks for this — it does looks interesting.

pdurrant · 09-27-2010, 10:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Thanks for this — it does looks interesting.

And it is quite fun, although at just over half-way, the first paragraph of Chapter 29 is a bit disappointing:

Quote:

Sinking fast but still gloriously bright, the nearly full blue moon sat just above the Pinnacle Mountains. The white moon, in the identical phase as her smaller blue sister, hung high in the Western sky.

OK, this is a fantasy novel, and this is obviously not the Earth. But unless something extremely weird is going on, there's no way a moon about to set and a moon that's still high in the sky can possibly be in identical phase.

koland · 09-27-2010, 01:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pdurrant

OK, this is a fantasy novel, and this is obviously not the Earth. But unless something extremely weird is going on, there's no way a moon about to set and a moon that's still high in the sky can possibly be in identical phase.

Two suns? Really bright light source on far side of the planet?

It did say, didn't it, that on this world "words can come to life"?

GeoffC · 09-27-2010, 01:22 PM

Right, okay . checks ... Amazon.co.uk .....

It's a free book - priced at £8.70 and Kindle only ! ....

mmmmm and it looked interesting if the previous posters said so ....

pdurrant · 09-27-2010, 01:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by koland

Two suns? Really bright light source on far side of the planet?

It did say, didn't it, that on this world "words can come to life"?

Oh, there are possible ways around it. But this is quite a way through the novel, and night and day have been mentioned, but nothing about more than one sun, or strange light sources elsewhere on the world.

And now I'm nearly at the end of the book, and no further mention has been made of the moons and their phases.

So on the whole I think it's just a silly mistake by the author who didn't consider properly what causes a moon's phases

pdurrant · 09-27-2010, 01:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GeoffC

Right, okay . checks ... Amazon.co.uk .....

It's a free book - priced at £8.70 and Kindle only ! ....

mmmmm and it looked interesting if the previous posters said so ....

It does seem to no longer be free in the Kindle store. That's one reason why I try to grab free books as they appear, even if I'm not going to read them immediately.

queentess · 09-27-2010, 01:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pdurrant

OK, this is a fantasy novel, and this is obviously not the Earth. But unless something extremely weird is going on, there's no way a moon about to set and a moon that's still high in the sky can possibly be in identical phase.

Wow, never in a bazillion years would I have caught that. I am impressed

koland · 09-27-2010, 01:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pdurrant

So on the whole I think it's just a silly mistake by the author who didn't consider properly what causes a moon's phases

Or one who skipped all those hard science classes in school and instead took a lot of English classes so he could read novels instead.

08-31-2010, 05:38 PM	#1
TheKindleWorm Guru Posts: 860 Karma: 177868 Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: East Anglia UK Device: Kindle 3G, iPhone 3G, iPod 4G, PB 360, Sony 600 sold, Kindle 2i sold	Free UK Kindle eBook - Spellwright A new fantasy freebie for UK members - Spellwright by Blake Charlton Over at Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Spellwright/dp/B003P9X70I Product description: "Nicodemus Weal is a cacographer, unable to reproduce even simple magical texts without 'misspelling' – a mistake which can have deadly consequences. He was supposed to be the Halcyon, a magic-user of unsurpassed power, destined to save the world; instead he is restricted to menial tasks, and mocked for his failure to live up to the prophecy. But not everyone interprets prophecy in the same way. There are some factions who believe a cacographer such as Nicodemus could hold great power – power that might be used as easily for evil as for good. And when two of the wizards closest to Nicodemus are found dead, it becomes clear that some of those factions will stop at nothing to find the apprentice and bend him to their will…" Last edited by Dr. Drib; 09-01-2010 at 08:46 AM.

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08-31-2010, 06:05 PM	#2
queentess Reading is sexy Posts: 1,303 Karma: 544517 Join Date: Apr 2009 Device: none	Not available for free in the US (of course, it's Amazon UK!), but I may pay full price for this one. It sounds very interesting AND there's a short quote on the cover by Robin Hobb!

08-31-2010, 06:23 PM	#4
koland Grand Sorcerer Posts: 8,563 Karma: 8033155 Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: TN, USA Device: kindle(all), nook, nookcolor, Sony, Kobo, epic, iphone, iPad, pc	Not even available to those in the US!

09-01-2010, 02:31 AM	#6
koland Grand Sorcerer Posts: 8,563 Karma: 8033155 Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: TN, USA Device: kindle(all), nook, nookcolor, Sony, Kobo, epic, iphone, iPad, pc	Ahh, separate ASIN's and covers for the two countries. I would not buy it at full price - the paperback is due anytime, so the price will go down here in the states.

09-01-2010, 04:18 AM	#7
ChristopherTD Addict Posts: 343 Karma: 1010002 Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: London. UK Device: Marvin Reader on iPad Air (via Calibre)	I jumped through various hoops to buy this from one of the USA eBook stores, and now it is a freebie here. All things come to those who wait I guess.

09-27-2010, 01:22 PM	#11
GeoffC Chocolate Grasshopper ... Posts: 27,599 Karma: 20821184 Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Scotland Device: Muse HD , Cybook Gen3 , Pocketbook 302 (Black) , Nexus 10: wife has PW	Right, okay . checks ... Amazon.co.uk ..... It's a free book - priced at £8.70 and Kindle only ! .... mmmmm and it looked interesting if the previous posters said so ....