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Seeking the Veil #1

Seeking the Veil, Part 1

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This is an alternate cover edition for B00OH672FY

Seek your Purpose, Seek your Power. Seek the Veil.

Young Hestea left his secret home to fight back against an age-old enemy. But he has no power, only the untested warhammer on his back. With his unwitting magi companion Gunter at his side, they seek their destinies in the cold wilds of Beckenburg.

Joining a band of mercenaries, Hestea will struggle to find his place in a group of unlikely heroes; and when all seems lost: discovers a power within, that he can not explain.

Seeking the Veil is a story of adventure, friendship; and the exciting prequel 3-part series to the Epic Fantasy novel Veil of a Warrior.

CONTENT: Part 1 is approx 60 book pages long, all 3-parts total about 250 pages. There is some violence and gore, minor and infrequent swearing and some implied sex. Recommended for 13 and up, or mature, younger readers.

68 pages, ebook

First published October 13, 2014

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About the author

Clifton Hill

5 books41 followers
Clifton Hill discovered robots in the Fourth Grade when his grandmother handed him a book by Isaac Asimov. Science fiction absorbed him for the next couple years until a little piece called the Belgariad came along, bringing magic and an incredible new world.

Bouncing throughout speculative fiction, Clifton became absorbed by video games, comics and has a degree in Computer Animation. He has dabbled in various art forms, sought to design video games, co-created a web comic, chased after tornadoes, and fights moss whenever he can. After years of neglect, he picked up a story idea buried in a layer of dust, blew it off and has never looked back.

Clifton lives in the Pacific Northwest with his wife and two children, working in mortgage, his head thoroughly lodged in the clouds.

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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
Profile Image for Dianne.
6,766 reviews590 followers
February 29, 2016
A restless young man travels to seek his destiny as a warrior against an ancient enemy with the dreams of heroism on his mind. Hestea was untested in battle, a tall young man, he carried his warhammer on his back, but using it was another matter and the echoes of his father’s words came to him as he faced his first taste of war, death and the true meaning of bravery and it didn’t mean you were not afraid.

Follow Hestea and his Magi companion, Gunter as they join a band of mercenaries and become part of the battle of evil magic versus sometimes unexplained magic from within.

Sometimes epic fantasy and tales of warriors and travels and self-discovery take pages and pages to fully blossom, but author Clifton Hill has broken down this tale of Hestea into bite sized morsels that pack all of the punch, wonder and atmosphere of the fantasy world. Seeking the Veil, Part I is packed with intriguing scenes and world-building, as well as clearly defining the main characters and prepping readers for even more to come! Complete in itself, but one knows there is more to come! For those not able to sit still through a longer tome, this is enough to get you started on a dark journey that will change a boy to a man.

I received this review copy from the author, Clifton Hill in exchange for my honest review.

Publisher: Clifton Hill
Publication Date: October 13, 2014
Genre: Fantasy | Scifi
Print Length: 68 pages
Available from: http://www.amazon.com/Seeking-Veil-Pa...
For Reviews & More: http://tometender.blogspot.com


Profile Image for Boundless Book Reviews.
2,242 reviews65 followers
May 11, 2016
After reading Seeking the Veil, it’s obvious that this is the beginning of an AWESOME series. Hestea is the perfect character to develop first. I enjoyed sharing his journey to adulthood. All the characters were great. I was at the edge of my seat one minute, and laughing my bum off the next. I look forward to this series and getting to know all the characters better. To sum it up; Love it!!!! Definitely, a 5 star rating!...Beth

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Profile Image for Sean.
678 reviews20 followers
August 21, 2015
I thoroughly enjoyed this 1st part of prequel trilogy with Hammerblood.

Hestea is really well thought about and a very likeable character who finds his goal in an unlikely occasion.

I found it a very good read and will definitely read the next 2 in Hammerblood series.
Profile Image for Donna Sanders.
373 reviews3 followers
April 21, 2017
A thrilling, fast paced fantasy adventure. I was gripped from the very first page. The author has done an amazing job with the character and plot development. Each chapter easily flows into the next. I can't wait to get my hands on part 2.
Profile Image for Lars Teeney.
Author 5 books44 followers
October 5, 2015
Seeking the Veil is a great introductory read for those new to Clifton Hill's writing. Hill paints a very vivid medieval style world, with miniscule details befitting a Martin or Tolkien.

It follows protagonist Hestea during his formative years attempting to become a warrior. He tries and is humiliated but eventually makes progress. The Magi were also a nice touch for the story.

Readers who enjoy a fantasy for its fantasy merits will enjoy the fighting. If you are a reader who has researched medieval weaponry and tactics (which most readers probably haven't) you may have a problem with the main character using a Warhammer in all circumstances. It's the problem I had with Robert Baratheon in GOT - a Warhammer is a very specialized weapon used in the late medieval period to crush full plate armor. BUT, I digress!

Fans of fantasy should give this classic-style fantasy tale a try!
88 reviews4 followers
March 5, 2015
Excellent descriptive prose and as a prequel to Veil of a Warrior it works well and keeps you keen to read more, as towards the end you are left wondering what the untold mystery is. Plenty of action, even Hestea's more mundane moments are written interestingly. The only irritation for me was the overuse of the word `braided' when referring to body hair. Omit a few or swap it for `plaited' nasal hair or `woven' armpit hair etc would help. Jokes aside the book is written much more seriously than I am making it sound, even so it still retains some humour as Hestea tries to hone his fighting skills in training sessions with his other camp members.
Profile Image for Kayla.
480 reviews5 followers
November 19, 2015
Seeking the Veil, Part 1 is a good choice for those that enjoy the classic medieval style books.

I enjoyed the author's writing style. It's vivid without being convoluted or boring. The pacing was done well. The characters were interesting and I'd be interested to see how they develop over the course of the series.

* This book was received from the author in exchange for an honest review. *
500 reviews8 followers
December 3, 2016
Short story or novella?

Swords and sorcery take center stage in this short story. A young man searches out a mercenary group to fight a dreaded enemy. At first he doesn't seem like much and is assigned to the kitchen of the mercenary band. When the cook is killed by the enemy, the young man finds his own berserk self in battle.
Profile Image for Denise Spicer.
Author 14 books61 followers
August 19, 2021
16-year-old Hestea, with his Magi companion Gunter Krause, sets off to join in battle against his country's enemies. Captured by Orangebeard and his band, they are allowed to stay with them but Hestea is humiliated to learn that he must work as a lowly cook for the warriors. There is lots of travel, action, fighting, and a real battle where Hestea finally proves his worth! This book is Part One of a Sword and Sorcery type Fantasy series. The intriguing cover art has no artist credit.
Profile Image for Tom Britton.
242 reviews
June 23, 2021
Novella should be right to the point . I’ll thought it a Trilogy. It not going no wear . Not my cup of tea
Profile Image for L.K. Evans.
Author 6 books53 followers
Read
April 6, 2016
It’s always hard to review short stories. This one came in at a mere 60 pages, and as with most sort stories I read I just didn’t connect. It was not bad at all, just didn’t pull me in enough. I know this is a prequel and there’s a bigger story out there. Sorry to say, but this review will be rather short. Don’t want to give anything away and I don’t have a lot of material to review.

This story follows Hestea as he embarks on a mission to find purpose and fight against an enemy.

Honestly it’s a little shaky. It felt rushed for a prequel. I would have thought this would be the time to explain the world and the enemy, the magic and the history of the band of mercenaries he meets up with, but I didn’t get much on that front. I’d also expect a lot of character building, but I sadly felt a tad cheated there as well. I didn’t want a huge back story, and as a matter of fact the little hints we were given on Hestea’s past was all that remotely piqued my interest in the main series

So as far as world building goes, this lacked the depth many would seek. Even for a person like myself who doesn’t care much for detailed worlds found this sparse.

As for the characters, Hestea seemed like a boy, which he was, and had his pouting phases as the young often do. He trains with other warriors in the mercenary band as they march toward the enemy. Then boom! We have a fight and discover something very interesting about Hestea. Then the story is over. The other characters are touched upon, but not personally enough for me to become invested.

There were parts of the story I enjoyed more than others, and I think I would’ve liked it if Hestea was older, acting more adult than he did. I don’t have children, and I have zero patience for huffing and puffing teens. However, when the battle came, I felt Hill did an amazing job showing how shocking battle can be for one who’s never seen it.

So my recommendation is to pick up the first book the main series. I honestly don’t think this prequel will be vital in understanding what will transpire in future books. I wish I would have just started the series. I might have found it more entertaining. As it is, I’ve added it to my to-read list because I am a tad curious about Hestea’s past and power. Seems like there’s a good story to come. I should mention that the prequel is part of a three story prequel, and the other two might very well be worth checking out before starting the main series. Currently all three prequels are available as free ebooks on Barnes and Noble, Kobo, and iBooks, so if you're remotely curious it won't cost you a thing to find out.

You can see this and other reviews on my website: http://booksbylkevans.com
Profile Image for Jon Cassan.
24 reviews1 follower
January 6, 2016
This review might be doing a disservice to the author since the reality of the situation is that this (to me) isn't a complete book. I'm under the assumption that a true complete book would be taking into accounts part 2 and part 3 - and perhaps my rating would fluctuate depending upon the content of those 2 additional parts.

Specifically for this story, I did like / enjoy the book. The characters were entertaining, and the plot line was definitely likable. The story actually leaves me wanting more...

More what you say considering I said I liked it... Well... it felt sorta like riding in a roller coaster... in the dark... you like the ride - but you really don't know where you are, were or going to be.

I would have liked more background on the main protagonists - not necessarily chapters worth - but the basics, who is Hestea's father that he talks about? What is his background (rich? / poor?) What do these folks look like (I get vague images only - Hestea is big and 17... Gunter - unknown age, but has a beard)? How did the 2 meet? What is the basis of the magic in this land? The land I have no clue about - it rained for part of the story - and I know that they arrived by ship to start with there were some hills and trees and a town.

I would like to see what the author sees in his imagination when he writes the book - obviously not to the fullest extent of the author's vision... but there should be enough to paint a picture.

In all honesty, I am not a writer - but I have read an awful lot and have dabbled in trying my hand at it in my free time... but I could definitely see where this part 1 < 100 page "book" could have been enhanced to bring the world to life a bit more with some scene painting, some more around the character background, some more about the history of the land and peoples within the land.

With all that said I would like to read the next 2 parts (or at the least the 2nd part) and see if any of my questions were addressed.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Clifton Hill.
Author 5 books41 followers
January 18, 2016
What can I say, I'm biased. Seeking the Veil was born out of a curiosity: What came before Veil of a Warrior? Was there a shorter story that might invite readers into the world without having to commit to a giant 500+ page epic fantasy novel?

Yes there was. Part 1 of Seeking the Veil is free on Amazon & Kobo and Parts 2 & 3 are free for signing up for my newsletter http://eepurl.com/SVhLr
Profile Image for Greg Benham.
197 reviews
May 18, 2016
Hall's certainly a decent enough writer (especially among the field of self-published fantasy novelists), but the story itself was fairly ho-hum. Hestea's world could have done with a bit more fleshing out, but I imagine/hope that comes with later instalments.
Profile Image for Tom Britton.
154 reviews1 follower
June 12, 2016
Little slow for quick read ,only picks ups near the end ,not bad for fantasy book ,recommended because it free
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews

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