“The Way of the Shield” Maradaine Elite By Marshall Ryan Maresca: Review/Giveaway

by Terrance McArthur

Details on how to win a copy of this book and links to purchase it.

Maradaine is quite a city.

There’s a magic-using avenger on the loose, a he and she pair of steampunk/paranormal constabulary detectives is closing cases nobody wants to open, and a bunch of one-time criminals is using Ocean’s 11 tactics in capers designed to uncover why their neighborhood was burned to the ground. Marshall Ryan Maresca has given them all their territories in the metropolis. Each has a series of books, with a bit of crossover cross-pollination.



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Now, Maresca introduces us to a fourth section of this society, tied up with threads that weave a tapestry of intrigue. The Way of the Shield brings us Dayne, a Candidate of the Tarian Order, a towering knight-in-training with a righteous compulsion to protect the wronged. Jerinne, a young Initiate in the Order, joins him in a political thriller where the fate of Maradaine is manipulated by a small group trying to regain the glory of the past…on their own terms.
fantasy
Image Source DAW

This is a land of plots within plots, conspiracies within conspiracies. A terrorist cell of assassins with shadowy support uses the sewers of the city to wage war on politicians. An old love introduces Dayne into the nobility and its decadent diversions. Radical journalists aid Dayne in ferreting out the facts…and in giving him more publicity than he desires. Jerinne finds her own kind of love along the way.

Events in Dayne’s past make him crossbow-shy (They don’t use guns in Maradaine) when it comes to using physical force. Is he setting himself up to be kicked out of the Order, or is he part of the conspiracy, just another puppet with strings worked by mysterious others?

Part Tom Clancy, part J.R.R. Tolkien, and all fascinating, it’s the fantasy version of a conspiracy theory convention. Maresca juggles all these stories without missing a beat. The reader feels for Dayne’s self-doubt, marvel sat the intricacies of the attacks on the government, giggles at some of the twists, and reels in disbelief when the ultimate puppet masters step forward…BUT, that’s not all, folks! There are more books to come!

I can hardly wait.

To enter to win a copy of The Way of the Shield, the first book in the series, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line “shield,” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen January 12, 2019. U.S. residents only. If entering via email please include your mailing address (so if you win we can get the book sent right out to you), and if via comment please include your email address. You can read our privacy statement here if you like.

You can use these links to purchase the book. If you have adblocker on you may not be able to see the Amazon link:




Terrance V. Mc Arthur is a Librarian in Fresno County, California. He is also a storyteller, puppeteer, magician, and maker of pine needle baskets. On top of that he writes stories that range from rhymed children's tales to splatterpunk horror. He's an odd bird, but he's nice to have around.

Disclosure: This post contains links to an affiliate program, for which we receive a few cents if you make purchases. KRL also receives free copies of most of the books that it reviews, that are provided in exchange for an honest review of the book.


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