Fantasy series - Floreskand 1: WINGS

 

FLORESKAND 1: WINGS by Morton Faulkner

This is quite clearly the first volume of what is intended to be an entire sequence of stories about the world of Floreskand, a very cultivated creation – BFS Review

The sky above the city of Lornwater darkens as thousands of red tellars, the magnificent birds of the Overlord, wing their way towards Arisa.

Ulran discovers he must get to Arisa within seventy days and unlock the secret of the scheduled rites. He is joined in his quest by the ascetic Cobrora Fhord, who harbours a secret or two, and also the mighty warrior Courdour Alomar, who has his own reasons for going to Arisa. They learn more about each other – whether it’s the strange link Ulran has with the red tellar Scalrin, the lost love of Alomar, or the superstitious heart of Cobrora.

Plagued by assassins, forces of nature and magic, they cross the plains of Floreskand, combat Baronculer hordes, scale snow-clad Sonalume Mountains and penetrate the dark heart of Arisa. Here they uncover truth, evil and find pain and death.

 

Amazon UK - https://tinyurl.com/zafp24cb

Amazon US - https://tinyurl.com/4ufsaj2p

 

The author Morton Faulkner is the pen name of the writing team of Nik Morton and Gordon Faulkner. Nik hails from Whitley Bay, North Tyneside and joined the Royal Navy as a writer. He has travelled all over the world both privately and with the Navy. He gained his Open University BA Degree in 1987 and, on leaving the RN, he began a civilian career in computing. Nik has sold articles and numerous genre short stories espionage, science fiction, fantasy, horror, love, adventure and ghost, and has had 32 books published. Gordon was born and raised in the West Riding of Yorkshire. During an extended stay in hospital in his youth, he developed what turned out to be a life-long passion for Oriental culture, especially Chinese, after reading the travels of Marco Polo. He started training in Oriental martial arts in the late 1960s and after joining the Royal Air Force in the early 1970s started to specialise in Chinese martial arts and Daoist philosophy. During his 22 year career in the RAF, he was one of the founders and General Secretary of the RAF Martial Arts Federation, a post he held until his retirement from military service, when he became a full-time Daoist Arts teacher. This resulted in extensive travel within Europe and North America where he was invited to run seminars and give lectures.

Wings reviews

1.      A beautiful and atmospheric tale. The author has skilfully developed the characters in a way that you feel you are right there with them on their quest. I can say that I have read many fantasy stories I have truly enjoyed, but only a few have left that lingering haunting feeling within me. Can't wait for the next instalment.

Started reading this genre like most people with Tolkien moving on to Feist and Eddings. Grand in scale, well written and certainly the start of the next series on my bookshelf. A gripping read and well worth the wait, congrats Gordon & Nik. Gordon’s vivid imagination has been brought to life by Nik.

3.      It took a chapter or so to get into the world of Floreskand and process the characters, language and sense of place, then I was off! Great story-telling which carried me through quickly to its conclusion, making me impatient for the next book in the series. Well drawn characters with enough mystery about their back story to keep you interested. Well-written too... I could see this as a film - now you just need Vigo Mortensen for the hero and you are set.

A  A fabulous fantasy world so well described that it is easy to see oneself in it, well developed and realistic characters, an exciting plot which does not slow down throughout and makes the reader eager to read on.

A great fantasy adventure with an amazing imagination. You get totally involved in the story from beginning to end. Highly recommend.

This book will keep you turning the pages as it draws you in to the fantastic world of Floreskand

7.    Wings was a great piece of fantasy fiction which I really enjoyed.

8.      Wings is a very good read and one that I'd happily recommend to anyone. It's clear that this is just an introductory, small slice of a well thought out, detailed and interesting world called Floreskand. I'm very much looking forward to future volumes in order to find out more about this world and its people. This time around we meet Ulran, a more than competent inn-keeper, and his two companions on a mysterious quest. The quest resolves itself nicely with a very interesting twist however enough doors are left open to make the wait for the next volume a bit difficult.

Once I had familiarised myself with the world of Floreskand the characters, language etc I soon became engrossed in the story eager to find out what happens next. Great imagination. I loved the characters especially Ulran. Once I had finished the book I was eager to read the next volume in the series. I would thoroughly recommend this book it’s a great fantasy adventure. I could see this as a film.

10. A fast-paced fantasy adventure as an innkeeper, a city dweller full of surprises, and a long-lived warrior, join forces in a race against time. Their quest is to save the red tellars, the giant birds, which are the wings of the overlord. Along the way even the weather becomes a powerful adversary and the three are tested almost beyond endurance. Tensions and evocative language keep the reader turning the pages to the very end! 

  1. An expansive and well thought story, a must-read for lovers of magic and military fantasy.