Vanguardian: Book I

by The Clerk

The empire of Monde is the envy of its neighbors. Nasrin, a war refugee in hiding, has lived illegally in the kingdom for years with her son, Lucian. Her raven-black hair and prismatic eyes mark her as a foreigner, ensuring she will never escape scrutiny. Lucian is also different, but not in the same way as his his silver-gray eyes can arrest someone with a glance, his memory is infallible, and his body recovers from wounds no one else could survive.

When Fabien de Vistré, Marshal of Monde, captures Nasrin, duty demands he punish her. Instead, he shields her and her child—threatening his standing with the king. The marshal knows his serve His Majesty and enforce the law. Yet his preoccupation with Nasrin drags him into dangerous defiance.

Lucian’s gifts cannot remain hidden. As he grows, he defies his mother’s warnings, drawing the attention of rival kings. When he reaches manhood, his powers shift—something darker begins to guide him. And after a long-buried secret surfaces, the empire that once offered refuge may become a battlefield.

Hardcover

Published August 1, 2026

About the author

The Clerk is a persona of S.N. Petro, a technical writer who incorporates elements of their life experiences into their stories and explores what might be behind the veil of individuals and relationship dynamics. They also reflect on societal ills. Their favorite writing topics include human mental and physical strength, speculation about the afterlife, unpopular opinions, and examining underdogs and villains from an empathetic perspective.

Reviews

[Hadassah Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such an interesting and amazing read. The different points of view throughout the story added more depth to the story and made it even more interesting. The story was a little scattered, but overall, Vanguardian was a fenominal read.

[Stephen · Rating 5 out of 5]

⚠️ SPOILER ALERT: This review contains major spoilers and plot details from the book. If you haven't finished the book yet, I recommend reading the book first before continuing.

I went into this book blind. No expectations. Just a recommendation from a friend who told me it was different. They were right. This is not your typical fantasy novel. It is slow and political and dark in ways I did not anticipate. It is also one of the most memorable books I have read this year.

The story begins with Nasrin, a woman living in hiding with her young son in a shack in the woods. She is not hiding from monsters or magic. She is hiding from a world that has already taken everything from her. When she is discovered by Fabien de Vistre, the Duke of Salvage, her life is torn apart. He captures her. He brings her to his estate. He holds her there. What follows is not a simple captivity story. It is a complicated and uncomfortable exploration of power and trauma and redemption and what it means to love someone who has hurt you.
Fabien is one of the most complex characters I have encountered in recent memory. I hated him at first. I was supposed to. The way he treated Nasrin in those early chapters made my skin crawl. But the author does something brave. She lets him change. Not quickly. Not easily. And not without cost. By the end, I was rooting for him, and I felt strange about that. That is good writing. That is a character who feels real.
Nasrin is the heart of everything. Her fear. Her exhaustion. Her fierce love for her son. Her slow and reluctant opening to the man who captured her. I felt all of it. The scene where she discovers her son can heal himself with a broken cup gave me chills. I had to put the book down for a minute. That moment changed everything.
And then there is Lucian. We meet him as a toddler and watch him grow into a young man with impossible strength, perfect memory, and a temper that becomes increasingly dangerous. His story is the thread that holds everything together. By the time his true father arrives to take him away I felt the loss as deeply as Nasrin did.
The worldbuilding is rich and dense. Monde, Hailstone, Dubark. The Holy Pardon faith. The class divisions. The political tensions. It is a lot to absorb. I will be honest. Some of it slowed the pacing for me. There were stretches where I wanted to get back to the characters instead of reading about trade agreements and council meetings. But I understand why those sections exist. They set up the world and the stakes for what is to come.
What worked best for me was the emotional core. The relationship between Nasrin and Fabien. The bond between Fabien and Lucian. The friendship between Fabien and Gabriel. The quiet moments. The garden bench. The toy soldier. The dragonslayer book. The river. Those small details are what I remember most.
What did not work as well for me was the romance between Lucian and Genavieve. It made me uncomfortable. Not because of the age gap. Because of her friendship with Nasrin. I understood the attraction, but I did not feel invested in their relationship the way I was with Nasrin and Fabien. It felt more like a plot device than a love story.
The ending left me wanting more. The war with Dubark resolved quickly. The epilogue jumped a hundred years and gave me a glimpse of what came after, but I wanted more time with the characters I had grown to love. That said, the final image of Leonardo staring at the sky hoping to see his brother stayed with me. It was a beautiful way to end.

Would I recommend this book? Yes. It is not for everyone. It is slow in parts. It is dark. It asks you to sit with uncomfortable questions about power and consent and redemption. But it is also memorable and ambitious and full of heart. I will be reading Book II.

[Smithsonian · Rating 5 out of 5]

The beginning kind of startled me. I was not sure what I had gotten myself into. But, as the story went on, the characters and their motivations, as well as the purpose of their actions to the plot, unfolded. I enjoyed the total cast of characters. Even those who seemed unimportant to the plot had their place in the end to pull it together. Characters I thought I would hate, I ended up sympathizing with, and characters I thought I would love (well, one really), I ended up hating. But, I guess that was the point.

The end seems to be a purposeful cliffhanger, so it appears this is the start of a series. 🤷‍♀️ This is an intensely character driven story, which makes it rich. If this is a series, I'm curious what happens next.

[Dee Layton · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very interesting read. I love how the author brought the world to life as the story progressed. I felt at times the story was a little rushed, but overall was an amazing read. I will say as soon as i thought one thing would happen a curveball would be thrown every time. I loved how there was multiple POV, and they were so smoothly transitioned between. Overall this was an amazing read. This is the first book by this author i have read and was very impressed. I cant wait to see if this story continues into a series, or read whatever this author puts out.

[Book Reviewer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vanguardian: Book I by The Clerk is a science fantasy novel with strong romantic, political, and coming-of-age elements. It begins with Nasrin, an exiled mother hiding in the harsh woods of Monde with her young son, Lucian, and gradually opens into a much larger story about power, identity, war, motherhood, and a boy whose life may not belong only to the world that raised him. The book moves from snowbound survival and courtly tension into cosmic questions, and that genre blend is one of its most distinctive features.

I liked the emotional pressure in this story. The early chapters are cold in every sense, with hunger, fear, class difference, and danger pressing in on Nasrin from all sides. I liked that the author does not rush past her vulnerability or her suspicion. She feels like someone who has learned to measure every room for exits. De Vistré is a difficult character to sit with, and I think that is intentional. The book asks the reader to watch people make choices that are not clean, not easy, and sometimes not comfortable. That gave the story weight.

The writing has a dramatic, old-world feel, especially in the way it handles estates, soldiers, rank, gossip, and public reputation. The prose lingers on appearances and formal gestures, but I came to see that as part of the book’s texture. This isn't a minimalist story. It wants atmosphere. It wants candlelit rooms, frozen gardens, whispered judgment, and the sharp edge of social power. Then, just when I thought I understood the shape of the novel, the science fantasy side widened the frame. Lucian’s arc gives the book its spark. His anger, confusion, gifts, and longing to understand himself make the larger mythology feel personal instead of abstract.

I would recommend Vanguardian: Book I to readers who enjoy genre-blending stories, especially science fantasy with romance, political tension, family drama, and a slow build toward a bigger cosmic mythology. It will probably work best for readers who like emotionally intense character dynamics and don’t mind a story that takes its time setting the table before revealing how large the feast really is. It's reflective, dramatic, and ambitious. Not light reading, exactly, but memorable.

[Patty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Truth and Honor.

The way this story began, I was not sure what to expect to happen. Set on a seemingly medieval world where kingdoms with very different philosophies clash for control, an otherworldly influence added a unique twist. I enjoyed watching the relationships between so many of the characters grow and change over time. It never fails that the quest for power and the control of others provide a strong basis for most of the story. As well, the insidious effects of rumours and the way messages can be “spun” to sway the masses is a reflection on our current reality. While I was engaged in the meandering plot that covered many years, the ending made me feel quite hollow. Perhaps this is just book 1in a series? I think there is message about the struggle to be the best and most honorable person you can be supporting those you care about despite being a very small cog in a much larger battle for control that we may be unaware of.

[Willow Webster · Rating 5 out of 5]

I started reading and could not stop until I finished it. A real page turner! 5 stars!

[Deanna]

This one wasn’t for me.