Product Description
Sheri L. McGathy, the author of such stories as The Ancient One and Thief of Dreams presents her latest fantasy novel: Within the Shadow of Stone, a journey through legend and myth to the time of the standing stones. To a world where warriors are bound to the silent megaliths and the Shroud Born walks within the mist. Bree of Clan Dunstan, and her people, the Skye, worship the stones, though they fail to remember the reasons why. The Skye no longer hear the song within the silent megaliths for they’ve forgotten how to sing. Now, as the pulse of the land slows, and the seasons fail, it’s to the stones that Bree, a true Shroud Born, must turn, and their whispers she must hear. For within their still forms is a tr… More >>
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Twelve years old Bree of the Skye people worships the nearby stones. While the pre-teen visits the stones, Alric intends to force Bree into declaring she is his.He wants her “gift” as a “Shroud born” and ultimately the lands she will inherit. Desperate, Bree prays to the stones that legend says will provide warriors in a time of need; her pleading is answered freeing Bree from the assault.
Years later, the Reformers consolidate power around a new religion. They outlaw worship of the stones, destroying most of them. One circle remains so Bree goes to the stones that saved her from Alric as the world seems in trouble. She learns that Chief Reformer Lord Blight is coming; only renewal in the belief of the stones by Skye clans can stop the destruction. Bree is the last hope but Blight already knows that. The mystical Hertha keeps her safe if her belief does not linger, but only Bree can save the Skye people if she can get them to believe in the Pact their ancestors made when they believed.
This is a terrific allegorical fantasy that provides cautionary warnings on several paths besides the obvious religious overtones and the eco-environmental plea. The key cast members including Alric and Hertha seem genuine so that the audience understands motives of the good, the bad and the greedy. Bree is a female Moses filled with doubts about her self-worth to lead the flock back to the Promised Land yet her faith makes her the obvious one. WITHIN THE SHADOW OF STONE is an excellent cautionary fantasy.
Harriet Klausner
Rating: 5 / 5
Bree of Clan Dunstan was chosen. She was to become a true Shroud Born. At the young age of thirteen, in the Year of the Stone 1200, Bree was cornered by Alric of Clan Tynan at the sacred stones called Eldrin’s Circle. Alric was determined that Bree would choose him and therefore grant him the power and land of her people, the Skye. This would erase the taint of his clan’s sin, done in the Year of the Stone 840. Her need for help was great and a Warrior of the Stones appeared to rescue her. He was her “One”. Denied the honor of becoming Bree’s Chosen, Alric joined the new order called the Way of the Reform. He vowed to someday claim Bree as his own.
In the Year of the Stone 1208 all had changed. The evil one called Blight, a Son of Twilight, was slowly claiming Bree’s land. Dayan Thane, High Commander, and creator of the Way of the Reform was Blight’s head minion. He and his men, the Reformers, were almost finished tearing down all the of the sacred stones. The Plague of 1201 had killed all the known Shroud Born except Bree, who was considered a harmless child. Worship of the stones, and the goddess called Hertha who was believed to have created them, was forbidden. The punishments to those who were caught honoring the Old Ways were dire. Eternal darkness would soon claim the land. There was no one left alive who recalled how to waken the Guardians in the stones, the Warriors of the land.
Bree was twenty-one when Hertha, Daughter of the Dawn, appeared. Hertha charged Bree with the task of bringing back the Skye who had gone beyond her reach, past the mists, beyond the veil, and to renew the Pact. Bree must somehow avoid the Reformers who searched for her, especially Alric, and somehow learn the Old Ways. Only Bree could awaken the Warriors and renew life to the land. Only Bree could call forth the One from Eldrin’s Circle and keep Blight from taking over.
***** This novel starts with a spell that will enthrall readers from the first page until the last! I was unable to tear myself away from this tale. I simply HAD to know what was going to happen next. Before I knew it, hours had gone by.
Highly recommended for fans who enjoy magic in their Fantasy books! Excellent! *****
Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.
Rating: 5 / 5
Bree is upset with the loss of her heritage. When the plague hit and wiped out most of her people, the Reformers came into power. Bree’s people have always worshipped the Stones. The Reformers are trying to wipe out all existence of the Stones. They have even outlawed the worship of Hertha, their Goddess. Bree was born a Shroud and should have had a leading role with her people. Since the Reformers came into power, Bree knows this will never happen. As if this loss wasn’t enough, Alric is still after her. Alric tried to get Bree to claim him as her Chosen. When Bree declined, he make it clear he wasn’t done with her.
After Bree and Shanis, her grandfather, lose their home, Bree is called by Hertha herself. As Shroud, Hertha has a mission for Bree. Bree is go beyond the land of the mist and bring back all the lost tribes. She will have to get the people worshipping the Stones again, or the land will die.
And so, Bree and Shanis take off to accomplish what the Goddess desires. Bree ends up with a nymph, Rowan. Rowan tries to teach Bree how to use her magic. She also ends up being saved a warrior, Nathan, who comes whenever she has need. Shanis finds an old friend, Jon, and they end up with Pheri. The two of them, with Pheri’s help of course, are going to try and get people believing in Hertha and the Stones again.
Will Bree’s mission be successful? What of this mysterious warrior that shows up whenever he is needed? What of Shanis and Jon? Will they ever meet up with Bree again? Will the Reformers be victorious and kill the land?
Sheri L. McGathy’s works are always a delight to read. The words are sheer poetry and I find myself getting lost in them, their rhythm and the images they invoke. Sheri L. McGathy is a very talented storyteller. Whenever I pick up anything she’s written, I know I will be transported to a simpler time and place where ordinary people become heroes and WITHIN THE SHADOW OF STONE is no exception. The heroine is an ordinary woman, pushed into extraordinary circumstances and must prevail to save her world. But like Aesop and the Brothers Grimm, Sheri L. McGathy always has a lesson to be learned in her stories. And just like all good storytellers, Sheri L. McGathy doesn’t tell us what she wants us to know, we learn, along with Bree, as the story develops. If you haven’t had the opportunity to read anything by this very talented woman, pick up a copy of WITHIN THE SHADOW OF STONE. You won’t be sorry you did.
Rating: 5 / 5
Within the Shadow of Stone there dwells a secret that has faded into myth.
Once great warriors served the Shroud born and protected the Skye people from harm. But when a Spirit Priest defies his own goddess for mortal gain a warrior is forced to choose between dishonor and imprisonment within the standing stones.
For centuries his promise has been born silent witness to his choice; carved upon the surface of the stones.
” When your need is truly great, the stone shall not forsake ”
Centuries later, the Skye need that promise fulfilled, but the true Shroud born doesn’t remember how to sing her plea to the stones.
Born to a dying world, Bree knows only that her people are being persecuted for their beliefs and there seems to be little she can do to stop it. The standing stones are being toppled and destroyed and with their demise, the land dies more each day. Bree turns to her goddess for help and finds that the answer isn’t as easy to understand as she had hoped. Before the last stone falls, she must find a way to call to the great warriors.
McGathy’s character’s are alive and vibrant. Bree is an engaging protagonist and her struggle to save her life and her world is compelling and entertaining. Well written and told with an easy flowing style, the story kept me reading far into the night. It takes a special quality to make me sit in front of my computer for hours at a time but this story has it.
Available from Double Dragon Press as an ebook, it’s sure to keep others reading longer than they intended. However, for those who do not want to read from a computer screen, Within in the Shadow of Stone will be available in print from Double Dragon Press in the spring.
Within the Shadow of Stone is a journey of faith doubted and fulfilled. This magical tale takes a unique twist on the myths surrounding the standing stones.
From the first page of the prologue I wanted to see how the story would unfold and McGathy delivers in this * * * * * star read.
Tina Morgan
Managing Editor
Fiction Factor
http://www.fictionfactor.com
Rating: 5 / 5
WITHIN THE SHADOW OF STONE by Sheri McGathy is the best fantasy novel I’ve read in a *long* time. The plot was original, the characters compelling. I was rooting for them from the very first page, and couldn’t put the book down until the end. McGathy has clearly done her homework, with all the little authentic touches she uses about the prehistoric stone megaliths and their related mythology. Grab this one now and dig right in–you’ll love it! Then, pick up her other books. I haven’t read anything by McGathy that I haven’t loved.
Rating: 5 / 5