Tempest Blades: The Withered King
Written by: Ricardo Victoria (visit Ricardo's website)

ISBN: 978-1-932926-74-3 (paperback) and 978-1-932926-75-0 (eBook)
Publication Date: August 20, 2019
Format: Paperback
Price: $17.95
Pages: 324
E-Book version also available! Download to your favorite e-reader.
You can download it for the Amazon Kindle, Nook, or Kobo.

Fionn is the wielder of a legendary Tempest Blade, and he is blessed -- or cursed -- by the Gift. Though his days as a warrior are long over, his past leaves him full of guilt and regret. Life, however, has other plans for him, when he agrees to help a friend locate a missing person.

Gaby and Alex never expected to become heroes...until they met Fionn. As an ancient evil arises and consumes the land, Fionn must help them to master their own Gifts and Tempest Blades.

Together the three of them, and their friends, will chart a course aboard the flying ship Figaro to save the planet. Will Fionn's past be an anchor, or will he overcome the one failure from his former life before time runs out?

In a world where magic and science intermingle, anything is possible.

Including second chances.

Reviews:
Maria Haskins - Author and B&N Blogger
The Withered King is an action-packed blend of magic and mayhem, sword and sorcery, science fiction and fantasy. The book is full of entertaining characters, has a sense of humor and adventure, and there's a crackling video-game vibe added for good measure. It's a book that should appeal to readers looking for adventure and fun.

Booklist: (Tiffany Austin)
Victora's first full-length venture into sf brings readers an anti-hero in the form of ancient warrior Fionn the Greywolf. Fionn thought his battle days were over, until he was brought into the present. When Professor Leonard Hunt disappears mysteriously, Harland Rickman and his friends convince Fionn to help The Foundation find the Professor in time to stop the villainous Bryon from bringing back the Beastial, a nightmarish shadow creature from another dimension whom Fionn defeated in a previous war. Along the way, Fionn meets up with Gaby and Alex, two students with hidden talents who, with training from Fionn, can help stop Byron's destructive plans. Fionn's own daughter Sam joins the mission to save the land of Theia from Byron and his genocidal ideology. With swords forged from ancient magic and powers that defy science, Fionn and his band of intrepid warriors enter a maze of magic and history to win it all for the Freefolk. A glorious sci-fi adventure for any reader of the fandom of the classic video game Soul Blade.

Overall, The Withered King is an impressive debut that any reader of speculative fiction should enjoy.

Straight off the bat, this is a whirlwind of a book, it’s colourful, imaginative, with great characters and world building.

So hop aboard. It's a science fantasy epic that bursts with originality. It is new, it is fresh, and it makes the imagination soar. In short, this is not something you've read before.

The story read a bit like a video game- and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. It was a fun, fast book, full of action beats. It was also surprisingly introspective and deep. As entertaining as it was, this is ultimately a book about second chances. I found it highly enjoyable.

Victoria does a fantastic job with painting an epic science fantasy world that encompasses so much of nerd culture. There’s a very modern setting that seems out of place here, but actually grounds the world, while still being amidst sci fi and fantastical marvels.

It’s a breath of fresh air in a literary market that’s currently enamoured of “grim-for-grim’s-sake.” I am invested in this universe and definitely look forward to any future books in the Tempest Blades series!