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Review by J.L. Knox

3/1/2010

J.L. Knox, author of Musical Chairs posted this review on the 10th of February, 2010. She gave it 4 out of 5 stars and said:
I enjoyed this book. It was, to be honest, not my usual taste. I tend toward more realism, or the ultimate in realism: memoir. In fact, I only read King by Right of Blood and Might due to a book exchange. That said, it was really a great story, and now that I've read it, I might ease up a bit on my genre-specific bias.

OK, so the story is timely: interested in 2012? Read it. In the beginning an asteroid hits the moon, which sets of a series of climactic events that end up wiping out much of the human population. This sets the scene. Good.

The story is then centered on a King, who is faced with the opposition that is his standing. His is the story that truly drives the action, and the ravaged world that acts as the backdrop to the story is one that lends to the atmosphere.

I admire Anna Walls because I could never write something so fantasy-driven. I've tried, and it's just a place my writing mind won't go. I truly appreciate writer who can accomplish this, and do so well.

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Review by Pixie13 - Justrandomstuff.blogspot.com

2/8/2010

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Monday, February 8, 2010
Book Review: King by Right of Blood and Might by Anna L. Walls
A disaster of tremendous proportions destroys our world. An asteroid crashes into the moon, causing global upheaval & changing the human race forever. A million years into the future, Prince Harris O'Aidyn must learn to be a King & draw his land back together. His allies are shapeshifters, psychics, and magic. But so are his enemies.

I liked this book. In fact, I loved this book. I've been wanting to read it since September, when I first saw it on another blog. The story is one of the past set in the future. The writing is fantastic, with nothing to skip over or skim through.

What is even more amazing is the fact that the book is self-published. I LOVE that the author was willing to take such a chance on herself. If you like fantasy, I really think you should give this book a try.

Pixie13 Justrandomstuff.blogspot.com

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Review from Goodreads.com

12/5/2009

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Posted Nov 08, 2009
Jennifer rated it: 4 out of 5 stars (I couldn't get them to show)
A major catastrophe has occurred on Earth and only about 20% of the population survives the initial event. The aftereffects are devastating and climactic events follow, further decimating the surviving population. It isn't until over a million years pass by that the Earth has heals itself and humankind is able to live and survive. That's where this story begins. The prologue covers all of this.

Harris Penn is the son of the inept and shut-in King Aidyn of Pennland. Harris is sent to Carolinas to be fostered by that King. While there Harris learns how a real King should act and run his kingdom. Harris matures quickly and becomes quite knowledgeable, which is good since events cause him to have to raise an army to travel back and save his kingdom and people from evil doers.

The majority of the story is Harris' journey home and the relationships he makes with allies along the way. Harris respects the different people and their cultures and demonstrates his leadership potential. He is a very likable King and becomes well respected. Harris gives everyone a chance to join his cause since he is forthright and honest, but in the end he takes care of business, ridding the land of riff raff.

Overall this story has very good bones but I did have a few issues with the book. The reader sees the progression and growth of Harris, but he seems a little bland or wooden. It doesn't make him unlikeable. I just don't "feel" for him as much as everyone else in the book. I loved all of the secondary characters, even the bad guys.

There is a spiritual or religious element in the book called the Mother, which I interpreted to mean the Great Mother, like Mother Earth or the Goddess. I have no problem with that, but this religion is never explained. The significance or reasons for the Mother's actions (she makes several appearances) are never laid out. So I felt a little in the dark in that respect.

What I really liked was the set-up of the story and the story itself. Walls has some really great ideas, and I could definitely see a sequel or continuation. This story takes place on the East Coast of the United States and Walls uses the names of states for the names of her countrys, Pennland and Carolinas. The districts in Harris' country also have names that hearken back to before the "Big One".

All in all this is a pretty good story. Walls writing could use some tightening up, some of the dialogue was a bit off or something, but not so much that it was hard to read. For her first self-published book, Walls does a pretty good job and hopefully this only the first of many more good books to come.

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Review by Jean Oram

12/4/2009

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As seen on Amazon.com (4 stars - I can't get them to show.)

An Author to Watch, November 4, 2009 By Jean Oram - See all my reviews
While fantasy isn't my usual genre, Walls pulled me into this tale with ease.

Young Prince Harris has to learn how to rule his torn land as well as how to defeat the bandits that control his subjects. Fantasy elements round out this medieval tale (which is actually set in the future) and create interesting twists and turns, creating nice surprises for the reader.

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Review by Paul Lappen

12/4/2009

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As seen on Amazon.com

Very easy to read, October 6, 2009 By Paul Lappen (Manchester, CT USA) -
Most stories about knights and castles take place in the distant past. This one is set in the distant future.

Humanity is nearly wiped out by a large asteroid that strikes the moon, and breaks it into many pieces, sending the pieces toward Earth. If the initial earthquakes and tidal waves don't kill people by the millions, the later nuclear winter does.

Thousands of years later, eastern North America (where this is set) has reverted to a medieval level. Harris is the son of Aidyn, King of Pennland. Aidyn doesn't know (or seem to care) about conditions in his kingdom, and won't let Harris get on a horse to find out. Aidyn spends all day in his office, doing whatever monarchs do, and Lucida, his mother, rarely comes out of her rooms. Harris is very bored.

As a teenager, Harris is sent to the neighboring kingdom of Carolinas, to learn how to be a ruler. After several years of fighting battles, and recovering from a severe sword injury, Harris gathers an army and is determined to reclaim his kingdom.

Town by town, and district by district, Harris finds utter devastation. Most places are nearly deserted, because everyone has been enslaved, or killed, by a barbarian/rebel leader named Kain. Harris and the army spend time in each place, helping to rebuild. He shows the people that he is for real, instead of merely ordering them to obey them. Even then, some people are very reluctant to accept him as king. When he gets home, he finds more utter devastation. Aidyn is dead, poisoned by Lucida, who has descended into full-blown insanity. The castle itself is beyond filthy and disgusting. It is as if a combination of an invading barbarian horde, and the ultimate in wild and drunken parties, happened several months ago, and no one has bothered to clean up. Will Harris be able to remove Kain, the cause of all this, once and for all?

This one is really good. It's very easy to read, and the author does a good job with the story and characters. First in a series, this is worth checking out.

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Review by Larry Underwood

12/4/2009

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As seen on Amazon.com

Doing the Right Thing in the Kingdom of the Future,, August 31, 2009 By Larry Underwood "Author, 'Life Under the Corprprate Microscope (Scottsdale, AZ) - Anna Walls wrote a wonderfully detailed and inspiring story about a young man coming of age, just in time to save the family business; in this particular case, the "business" was running a kingdom.

The story takes place in the future; thanks to some cataclysmic events, we're blasted back to a more primitive state of being, where kings & queens are in charge, and they've got princes to train; otherwise, there goes the kingdom.

Our hero is a young man named Prince Harris, the son of King Aidyn & Queen Lucida of Penn. Both parents are flawed, but Aidyn does have the prescience to realize he'd better send young Harris down south, appropriately to the Carolinas, to learn the ropes of leadership from none other than King Carroll. While this transaction is taking place, Carroll sends his son (Prince Jonathan) up north to offer help to the flawed Aidyn, since he's got his hands full dealing with running a kingdom with a lunatic for a wife; not an easy task. I think Harris got the better of that deal.

The story becomes quite compelling as it develops & once you start reading it, you'll want to keep going; that's the mark of a well-written piece of literature. Walls does an excellent job of engaging the reader to the host of characters in this story and makes them interesting enough to want to find out how they're going to fare during their exploits.

The ending is filled with enough inspiration to make you feel good you read it. The storyline is timeless, and Walls does a great job of making a pretty far-fetched tale seem believable, and most importantly, something you care to read.

If you're looking for a little inspiration, this is a highly recommended piece of fiction; in the end, even though the future may hold some harsh realities, there's still enough honesty & integrity to save the day.

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Review by Carter Martina

12/4/2009

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As seen on Amazon.com

A great read for any age!!, August 7, 2009 By Carter Martina "cc-chronicles at blogspot.com
What if the world as we know it catastrophically destroyed and only a small number of humans were left to survive in a world practically taken back to the stone ages, or more precisely the ice age? Those survivors would be charged with rebuilding the world and dealing with the effects of starvation, radiation poisoning, genetic mutation, re-learning how to survive without all our modern conveniences. Now imagine if you will thousands of years into the future. The modern Ice Age has ended and future generations have learned not only to adapt but to reform societies again. Those genetic mutations have taken the form of people gifted with the power to move objects, shape shift, heal, read thoughts and bend minds. Have they become more highly evolved beings or is mankind still destined to follow the footsteps of those who lived through the dark and middle ages of history?

At first glance, King by Right of Blood and Might looks like your typical medieval tale. Don't let the cover fool you, this book doesn't take place in the distant past, it takes place in the distant future after the world has healed from a global devastation. This is the first novel self published by Anna L. Walls.

The first thing that struck me as unique was finding a Table of Contents. Outside of textbooks, non-fiction books and anthologies, it is not something I often find in fiction books published today. Seeing so many short chapters, my first thought was, "uh-oh, this is going to be really choppy." In reality her shorter chapters flowed beautifully and kept me up most of the night because I'd say to myself, "the next chapter is only a few more pages and I have to see what happens." Then at the end of that chapter, "Oh, I can read just one more.." Needless to say I finished the book in one night.

King by Right of Blood and Might, is the journey of a sixteen year old boy. A prince who has led a sheltered life inside the walls of palace. Prince Harris is the only son of King Aidyn and Queen Lucida of Penn. In the beginning, Harris appears to be an over-protected, bored child. His father obviously loves him but lets his fear for the safety of his family from allowing them to grow and flourish. King Aidyn goes through the motions of being king, allowing other to make the decisions by merely signing whatever is put before him. He knows he can not let his kingdom continue this way, so when King Carroll of the Carolinas sends his envoy and 3rd son, Prince Jonathan to Penn, suggesting they foster each other's sons, King Aidyn sends Harris south to Carolinas. Before he leaves, Harris begins what will be a lifelong bond with Prince Jonathan.

And so the adventure of Prince Harris begins as he is thrust into a kingdom nothing like his own. He will learn what it really means to be a diplomat and a ruler from King Carroll and his family, while back home his own kingdom is crumbling to ruins. He will need all these valuable lessons as he must face the challenge of united former foes to create an army to save his people and rebuild his Kingdom. Some of the interesting characters who will join him along his journey will be Sholeh, the healer; Juan, the son of the Nomad leader, Duncan; Safi, a truthsayer child who will become his ward and bodyguard; Evan, the nomad shapeshifter and many more.

Does Harris have what it takes to bring a truce to all the kingdoms and bridge the gaps and prejudices of the different races? I could tell you, but I want you to go out and buy this fabulous book for yourself. You will not be disappointed. Anna Walls succeeds in taking the reader on an epic journey and leaving them wanting more. Luckily she has another installment in the works. This book is a great read for any age, but would make a great gift to any young adult in your life.

Carter Martina

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Forward>>

Review by J.L. Knox

Review by Pixie13 - Justrandomstuff.blogspot.com

Review from Goodreads.com

Review by Jean Oram

Review by Paul Lappen

Review by Larry Underwood

Review by Carter Martina

Anna L. Walls

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