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The War of the Moonstone #1
The War of the Moonstone
Imagine the epic reach of Tolkien, the grit of George R. R. Martin and the nonstop adventure of Robert E. Howard, and you will have some idea of the thrills awaiting you in "The War of the Moonstone", a tale of love, bloodlust and tragedy set in a land on the brink of destruction. Black times have come to Felgrad. Once one of the jewels of the Crescent, now the dark powers have turned their gaze upon it, and Giorn Wesrain, son of the baron of Fiarth, has become inextricably drawn into the machinations of the Dark One, along with his beloved Niara, High Priestess of Illiana. They have loved each other in secret for years, but that love will be tested as the armies of the Dark One strive against Felgrad. Worse, one of their own, Raugst, is in truth an agent of the enemy, and Raugst will soon bend the barony to his will. If Felgrad falls, so too will the rest of the Crescent, and then the Dark One will be unleashed upon the world. Only Giorn and Niara can stop him, but how can they when the legendary Moonstone, the great artifact of the Light that has kept the fell powers at bay for thousands of years, has been taken? As Giorn sets out into the waste lands after it, to either reclaim it or find out what the Dark One wants it for, enemy hordes swarm the mighty city of Thiersgald and Niara is trapped behind its walls . . . with Raugst. This is only the beginning of the adventure that awaits you in "The War of the Moonstone".
482 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 27, 2013
105 people are currently reading
502 people want to read
About the author
Jack Conner
84 books91 followersRaised in Austin, Texas, Jack Conner is the bestselling author of the Black Tower Trilogy. He's an ardent fan of fantasy, horror and weird fiction, and writes them all. He's lived all over the United States and has traveled across the world, but recently he's moved back to his beloved Austin.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
November 16, 2015
This was a classic fantasy tale set in a medieval-type world where honorable humans and elves attempt to hold back the creatures of the Dark Lord. It has loads of combat, tons of magic, more than its fair share of lore, and even a twisted plot where the hero is not quite who you believe it is. I enjoyed it. Full review coming soon.
March 11, 2014
I was kindly asked by the author to read "The War of The Moonstone" and provide an honest review. The story (five second version) revolves around Gilgaroth's quest to retrieve the Moonstone in order to facilitate his quest to bring down the Crescent Alliance and rule all lands with impunity.
There were two main protagonists in the story, Giorn and Raugst, with a very strong supporting cast of benevolent and malevolent characters including Niara, Vrulug, Saria, Gilgaroth, Fria and numerous interesting creatures. The pace of the book picked up steadily as the story evolved. The author's writing style is very descriptive and engaging. There were a lot of twists and turns that kept the story fresh. I particularly enjoyed Niara's dilemma and how she resolved it. The battle scenes and acts of debauchery were well thought out. The book was also properly proofread, which is often lacking from many indie authors.
This book in my opinion is really only intended for adults due to the very vivid and graphic descriptions of violence and to a lesser extent sex perpetrated on and to countless humans of both sexes. At times the book is quite visceral. These scenes are spread sporadically throughout the book, but when they come, it's a gut wrencher to say the least. Some reviewers have stated or implied the author over did it with the violence. Personally, I felt the author used the violence and grisly carnage effectively for the purpose of conveying to the reader that these malevolent entities really lived for this stuff. He really was quite inventive with ways to torture someone.
For me, "The War of The Moonstone" cleansed my palate in an unsavory sort of way, compared to the the countless other fantasy novels I have read. Make no mistake, as the reader, you can't help but cringe when you read what the Borchstogs, Vrulug, and Saria did to all the humans. The horror the humans went through (including young kids) made for really uncomfortable reading at times, but yet the story seemed very realistic and was ultimately why I ended up enjoying it. I think sometimes you need a story like this to take you out of your comfort zone and, rest assured, this will. The author created a solid storyline with a dynamic plot and engaging characters (good and bad) that were interesting.
Spoiler Alert (Just in case)
There were some detractions from the book. As many reviewers have stated, this book needs a map badly. The story was constantly evolving and moving through different regions and kingdoms. A map would definitely benefit the reader. For example: The bridge over the pit of Eresine. This is where a map would have been helpful. The Borchstogs were the ones who originally destroyed it to keep the humans at bay and at the same time, they had to rebuild it in order for their larger army to invade. This made no sense to me. Why destroy it to begin with if in the bigger picture, the larger army was on its way. A map depicting all the kingdoms or regions (including Gilgaroth and his minions) would have made life so much easier to figure out where all parties originated and were located in relation to each other.
Also, a lot of things had to happen in very short order for Raugst to attain his ultimate goal throughout the story (from choosing his staff to planning meetings with enemies and compatriots). As the story was really rolling, it seemed to all come together very quickly and it just did not seem very realistic for Raugst to have the foresight (let alone time) to make all this stuff work, since the situation was very dynamic and changing. He would of had to have runners traveling all over the land in a hostile environment to arrange meetings and form alliances. It all seemed to come together for him, but again a map would have been helpful to see where one kingdom was situated in relation to another.
As the battles raged on and more kingdoms were razed and ransacked, there seemed to be an endless supply of priestesses that succumbed to the Borchstogs wherever the battle ensued. I was questioning how many could there be and how did they all have amulets (especially where they came from). I am pretty nitpicky, so I want to know all the details. Why is it that all the Borchstogs were male? I know they are soldiers and not human, but don't they reproduce on their own or are they just magically created by Gilgaroth? No females or children Borchstogs are ever mentioned in the story. How are they created as there seemed to be an endless supply of them. What did they do in their homeland when they weren't invading, waging war, or thinking of new ways to torture someone.
Lastly, because of the visciousness of the Borchstogs, I felt at times the author didn't effectively convey to the reader the sheer helplessness and extreme fear most of the humans including soldiers had to be experiencing as they approached their kingdom's doorstep. I would be scared _hitless if I knew what awaited me after hearing about it from word of mouth or seeing it with my own eyes. Some of the actions the people were doing prior to invasion or immediately after just didn't seem very realistic in light of the sadistic enemy they faced.
All in all, the detractions noted were minor and did not take away from the author's effective storytelling. The book kept my interest throughout. Overall, "The War of The Moonstone" is a very engaging book and I'm glad I read it. I look forward to the sequel "The War of the Black Tower".
Jeff
indieproofreader@gmail.com
There were two main protagonists in the story, Giorn and Raugst, with a very strong supporting cast of benevolent and malevolent characters including Niara, Vrulug, Saria, Gilgaroth, Fria and numerous interesting creatures. The pace of the book picked up steadily as the story evolved. The author's writing style is very descriptive and engaging. There were a lot of twists and turns that kept the story fresh. I particularly enjoyed Niara's dilemma and how she resolved it. The battle scenes and acts of debauchery were well thought out. The book was also properly proofread, which is often lacking from many indie authors.
This book in my opinion is really only intended for adults due to the very vivid and graphic descriptions of violence and to a lesser extent sex perpetrated on and to countless humans of both sexes. At times the book is quite visceral. These scenes are spread sporadically throughout the book, but when they come, it's a gut wrencher to say the least. Some reviewers have stated or implied the author over did it with the violence. Personally, I felt the author used the violence and grisly carnage effectively for the purpose of conveying to the reader that these malevolent entities really lived for this stuff. He really was quite inventive with ways to torture someone.
For me, "The War of The Moonstone" cleansed my palate in an unsavory sort of way, compared to the the countless other fantasy novels I have read. Make no mistake, as the reader, you can't help but cringe when you read what the Borchstogs, Vrulug, and Saria did to all the humans. The horror the humans went through (including young kids) made for really uncomfortable reading at times, but yet the story seemed very realistic and was ultimately why I ended up enjoying it. I think sometimes you need a story like this to take you out of your comfort zone and, rest assured, this will. The author created a solid storyline with a dynamic plot and engaging characters (good and bad) that were interesting.
Spoiler Alert (Just in case)
There were some detractions from the book. As many reviewers have stated, this book needs a map badly. The story was constantly evolving and moving through different regions and kingdoms. A map would definitely benefit the reader. For example: The bridge over the pit of Eresine. This is where a map would have been helpful. The Borchstogs were the ones who originally destroyed it to keep the humans at bay and at the same time, they had to rebuild it in order for their larger army to invade. This made no sense to me. Why destroy it to begin with if in the bigger picture, the larger army was on its way. A map depicting all the kingdoms or regions (including Gilgaroth and his minions) would have made life so much easier to figure out where all parties originated and were located in relation to each other.
Also, a lot of things had to happen in very short order for Raugst to attain his ultimate goal throughout the story (from choosing his staff to planning meetings with enemies and compatriots). As the story was really rolling, it seemed to all come together very quickly and it just did not seem very realistic for Raugst to have the foresight (let alone time) to make all this stuff work, since the situation was very dynamic and changing. He would of had to have runners traveling all over the land in a hostile environment to arrange meetings and form alliances. It all seemed to come together for him, but again a map would have been helpful to see where one kingdom was situated in relation to another.
As the battles raged on and more kingdoms were razed and ransacked, there seemed to be an endless supply of priestesses that succumbed to the Borchstogs wherever the battle ensued. I was questioning how many could there be and how did they all have amulets (especially where they came from). I am pretty nitpicky, so I want to know all the details. Why is it that all the Borchstogs were male? I know they are soldiers and not human, but don't they reproduce on their own or are they just magically created by Gilgaroth? No females or children Borchstogs are ever mentioned in the story. How are they created as there seemed to be an endless supply of them. What did they do in their homeland when they weren't invading, waging war, or thinking of new ways to torture someone.
Lastly, because of the visciousness of the Borchstogs, I felt at times the author didn't effectively convey to the reader the sheer helplessness and extreme fear most of the humans including soldiers had to be experiencing as they approached their kingdom's doorstep. I would be scared _hitless if I knew what awaited me after hearing about it from word of mouth or seeing it with my own eyes. Some of the actions the people were doing prior to invasion or immediately after just didn't seem very realistic in light of the sadistic enemy they faced.
All in all, the detractions noted were minor and did not take away from the author's effective storytelling. The book kept my interest throughout. Overall, "The War of The Moonstone" is a very engaging book and I'm glad I read it. I look forward to the sequel "The War of the Black Tower".
Jeff
indieproofreader@gmail.com
July 13, 2017
Definitely Dark and Epic
I look forward to reading more on this epic tale especially about Giorn , Raugst , and Niara and the ongoing war (dark and more detailed than most fantasies). Can the Moonstone (nice hiding spot) be saved and cleansed is definitely a question that will hopefully be answered? Will the city finish falling or will there be a last minute moment of light? Will Saria be part of it or is she only a toy? It however does have an horrible stopping point for the end of this book
I look forward to reading more on this epic tale especially about Giorn , Raugst , and Niara and the ongoing war (dark and more detailed than most fantasies). Can the Moonstone (nice hiding spot) be saved and cleansed is definitely a question that will hopefully be answered? Will the city finish falling or will there be a last minute moment of light? Will Saria be part of it or is she only a toy? It however does have an horrible stopping point for the end of this book
June 21, 2018
What again!!!!
Too much of this book was repeated from the previous parts of the series . The same things that was fought for is being repeated. I will have to really consider continuing or not.
Too much of this book was repeated from the previous parts of the series . The same things that was fought for is being repeated. I will have to really consider continuing or not.
February 17, 2017
The Lord of the Rings movie sure have some graphic moments, don't they? But they could be even more so, depicting monstrous beings who not only butcher their enemies but disrespect them, too. That is perhaps the idea behind The War of the Moonstone, a story where men are men, women are not, and beings called "Borschstogs" are utter barbarians. In addition to the graphic depiction of war, there's an interesting plot twist about an enemy mole who is given too much trust and power. Couplings between men and women don't extend beyond the sexual, though, making it hard to care about them.
June 16, 2014
The War of the Moonstone by Jack Conner is what fantasy novels are meant to be. This is one of this best fantasy adventures I have read in a long time.
The author did an excellent job of telling a tale of high adventure that is full of non-stop action. It grabbed me by the seat of my pants and pulled me into this world of knights, priestesses of light, and all manner of evil creatures. It is the classic story of good versus evil but it is full of twist and turns which keep you guessing as to want will happen next.
Jack Conner developed a cast of characters that were both real and easy to identify with. He gave just enough background info to make them come alive with a story of their own. I soon found myself identifing with and cheering our heroes on.
I really like The War of the Moonstone by Jack Conner and I highly recommend this book.
[Please note: I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.]
The author did an excellent job of telling a tale of high adventure that is full of non-stop action. It grabbed me by the seat of my pants and pulled me into this world of knights, priestesses of light, and all manner of evil creatures. It is the classic story of good versus evil but it is full of twist and turns which keep you guessing as to want will happen next.
Jack Conner developed a cast of characters that were both real and easy to identify with. He gave just enough background info to make them come alive with a story of their own. I soon found myself identifing with and cheering our heroes on.
I really like The War of the Moonstone by Jack Conner and I highly recommend this book.
[Please note: I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.]
October 9, 2015
This is the second Jack Conner book I read and the second 5 star rating I gave his work. So I think it is fair to say that I found a writer that write exactly what I want to read. This book is more standard fantasy than sword and sorcery but I love every page of it. The key for me is that Conner's style of writing is perfectly balance; just enough details to imagine the world and characters in your mind but so easy flowing that the action and story keeps moving effortlessly. All along my reading of the book I remembered all the characters and the story development without having to stop and look back in the book or jog my memory to remembered who was that character or what was that certain situation. As for the story it is obviously very good, action pack and a bit gritty and dark with evil monster, sorcery and war. If you like action oriented fantasy, easy reading prose and general sword and sorcery adventure you will like this book.
July 13, 2016
This was a really good book, with great pacing, that kept my attention throughout. I really liked the concept and idea. Jack has piqued my interest and I will have to read the conclusion in the next book. I did find some of the conflicts seemed to resolve to quickly/easily which was somewhat disappointing. I never really felt like I have a full connection with the characters which could use a little more development. I also found to much telling vs showing. Cleaning up the passive voice could help with this.
All in all, I had the above issues but they never stopped me from reading. I had to continue and the cliffhanger was enough to encourage me to get the next book.
All in all, I had the above issues but they never stopped me from reading. I had to continue and the cliffhanger was enough to encourage me to get the next book.
May 31, 2016
This was a very fast paced story but I was still able to follow the protagonist and antagonist and get the story. The writing was well done. It really captured the mood of the time and place. There were really just a couple of things that bothered me: the characters were a bit childish and not very intelligent and the over usage of "You Lies!" were annoying.
December 7, 2015
Absolutely brilliant
I cannot heap enough praise on this gem of a book. I must admit to having low expectations as it was free but was pleasantly surprised. I urge all those who love to read fantasy fiction to read this book, immediately.
I cannot heap enough praise on this gem of a book. I must admit to having low expectations as it was free but was pleasantly surprised. I urge all those who love to read fantasy fiction to read this book, immediately.
January 5, 2015
Not bad for a debut novelthis is definitely a classic tale of good versus evil. I don't connect with any of the characters, however, it is definitely a roller coaster ride! Very well done.
February 13, 2015
Great Book
I enjoyed the book so much that I read it in one day. I highly recommend the book to all
I enjoyed the book so much that I read it in one day. I highly recommend the book to all
October 6, 2015
Not a good read.
Not impressed with this book at all, I got 70% of the way through before getting rid. There's no character development, the antagonist is bland.
Not for me
Not impressed with this book at all, I got 70% of the way through before getting rid. There's no character development, the antagonist is bland.
Not for me
November 29, 2015
If you enjoyed Lord of the Rings give this book ago. Its full of great characters and plenty of action its a lot darker than Lord of the Rings
and its a real page turner
and its a real page turner
June 12, 2016
Great read
I really enjoyed this book. Jacks writing style was great enjoyed the environment and the very interesting characters . A must read for sci-fi fantasy fans
I really enjoyed this book. Jacks writing style was great enjoyed the environment and the very interesting characters . A must read for sci-fi fantasy fans
July 25, 2016
An intriguing start
So, a hero rises, a villain conquers, but will hope and light cast out the darkness? Maybe. I'll need the rest of the series to know. I'm hooked.
So, a hero rises, a villain conquers, but will hope and light cast out the darkness? Maybe. I'll need the rest of the series to know. I'm hooked.
October 16, 2016
Good v Evil
Great story jus anxious too see how it ends. The main female character needs to be more invincible, she has great powers.
Great story jus anxious too see how it ends. The main female character needs to be more invincible, she has great powers.
November 9, 2016
3.5*
review to come
review to come
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews