"Shield of the People" By Marshall Ryan Maresca: Review/Giveaway

by Terrance McArthur

Details at the end of this post on how to win a copy of this book and a link to purchase it.

Marshall Ryan Maresca loves the land of Maradaine. He keeps adding to his creation, increasing its depth, texture, and complexity. He introduced us to a student vigilante with magical equipment (The Thorn), then added a pair of police detectives (The Maradaine Constabulary: a man with rogue magical powers and a woman with implanted information from her previous covert operations). There is also a group of former crooks trying to unravel a scheme that burned their neighborhood to the ground (The Holvert Alley Crew), and…a knight-in-training in the Tarian Order (an anachronistic organization in a society that teeters between magic fantasy and steampunk) caught in a conspiracy that plans to get rid of the monarchy and remake the country to their own liking. That’s where the second book of the Maradaine Elite, Shield of the People, begins.

---

➡ switch to KingsRiverLife.com for more articles ⬅

---

Image Source DAW

Dayne Heldrin thinks himself a failure, even though his efforts averted several disasters and stopped. Shunted off into a job as liaison with the Parliament, with no power and undefined duties, he feels like a glorified errand boy. The cadet he worked with, Jerinne Fendall, finds herself at the bottom of rankings for advancement, despite being recognized by her peers as a leader and a powerful fighter. Their problems stem from their part in the plans of the shadowy Grand Ten, representatives of the power classes of the country, who meet wearing masks. Each member of the ten gets their own front-and-center time, revealing their plans, showing their character…or lack of same.

This all takes place against the backdrop of a divisive election with echoes of Brexit and Women’s Suffrage, interference, riots, and attacks. It’s a good thing that stuff like that doesn’t happen nowadays, right?

Maresca creates an amazing, detailed world that includes upper, lower, and criminal classes. He provides protagonists with weaknesses and doubts, who try anyway. He creates action scenes where you can count the blows and not need to disregard the laws of physics. The second book in this series, it is the eighth in the storytelling arc. Savor all of them.

To enter to win a copy of Shield of the People, 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 11, 2020. U.S. residents only and you must be 18 or older to enter. You can read our privacy statement here if you like. We delete all emails after the contest is over.

You can use this link 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.