Ordination: Book One of The Paladin trilogy

Daniel M Ford

Jun 2016 · Santa Fe Writers Project

About this ebook

A Country Shattered by War -- For generations, warlords fought bitterly for dominance in a land without a king, leaving a fractured, war-torn country plagued by thieves, slavers, and the servants of dark gods and darker magic... A Fallen Knight -- Allystaire Coldbourne, former castellan of Wind's Jaw Keep, walks away from his privileged position and into self-imposed exile amidst the ruins he's spent a lifetime creating. In the smoking remains of a destitute village, he finds an improbable survivor, a young girl named Mol. Reluctantly, he pursues the marauders who leveled Mol's village and sold the villagers into slavery. He follows their trail to a town of pirates and fugitives and exacts a bitter and violent justice. This sudden act of bravery and righteousness draws the attention of jealous and angry gods, embittered warlords, a downtrodden populace, and awakens a very ancient power, a long-absent goddess of mercy. A Legendary Journey -- Allystaire travels a treacherous path toward his Ordination as a holy knight of legend, a Paladin, a savior of the people. But to fulfill this role, he -- and the unexpected allies he finds along the way -- must face the demonic, sorcerous evil that stalks the land, the wrath of gods and men, and his own dark past.

Ratings and reviews

It was good...but not great. There was a certain flavor missing that really hindered the character development in my opinion.

a good read, pretty well written sword and sorcery stuff.

Good story with more depth than I'd expected.

About the author

Daniel M. Ford was born and raised near Baltimore, Maryland. He holds an M.A. in Irish Literature from Boston College and an M.F.A. in Creative Writing, concentrating in Poetry, from George Mason University. As a poet, his work has appeared most recently in Soundings Review, as well as Phoebe, Floorboard Review, The Cossack, and Vending Machine Press. He teaches English at a college prep high school in the northeastern corner of Maryland. Ordination is his first novel.