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Kingshold
(The Wildfire Cycle #1)
by
Mareth is a bard, a serial under achiever, a professional drunk, and general disappointment to his father. Despite this, Mareth has one thing going for him. He can smell opportunity. The King is dead and an election for the new Lord Protector has been called. If he plays his cards right, if he can sing a story that will put the right person in that chair, his future fame a
...more
Kindle Edition
Published
(first published April 17th 2018)
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Start your review of Kingshold (The Wildfire Cycle #1)

I received this as a review request – thanks Mr. Woolliscroft, I had a lot of fun with this one!
r/Fantasy Bingo Squares:
Published 2018
Indie Published
Under 2500 ratings
One Word Title
Reviewed (once posted to Reddit)
Protag who is a writer/artist/musician
Plot:
This book focuses on what it’s like to make a transition from a monarchy to a semi-democratic society that’s holding its first election.
The King and Queen were murdered under mysterious circumstances, you find out early on that it was the ...more
r/Fantasy Bingo Squares:
Published 2018
Indie Published
Under 2500 ratings
One Word Title
Reviewed (once posted to Reddit)
Protag who is a writer/artist/musician
Plot:
This book focuses on what it’s like to make a transition from a monarchy to a semi-democratic society that’s holding its first election.
The King and Queen were murdered under mysterious circumstances, you find out early on that it was the ...more

May 10, 2019
TS Chan
rated it
liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
arc-review-copy,
audiobook
I received a copy of the audiobook from Tantor Media in exchange for an honest review.
3.5 stars.
An enjoyable classic fantasy romp with some modern touches, Kingshold is a commendable debut by DP Woolliscroft.
This first book of The Wildfire Cycle is heavy on politics as its major plotline is centred around the election of a new Lord Protector to the Kingdom of Edland. With the current King dead and after many generations of useless monarchs, the ancient wizard, Jyuth, who founded the kingdom re ...more
3.5 stars.
An enjoyable classic fantasy romp with some modern touches, Kingshold is a commendable debut by DP Woolliscroft.
This first book of The Wildfire Cycle is heavy on politics as its major plotline is centred around the election of a new Lord Protector to the Kingdom of Edland. With the current King dead and after many generations of useless monarchs, the ancient wizard, Jyuth, who founded the kingdom re ...more

Kingshold is a fantasy book that is entered into Mark Lawrence’s SPFBO contest, and I was kindly given a copy by the author, D. P. Woolliscroft, to read and review.
👑
Without giving too much away, the book begins with the monarchy of Kingshold being dissolved and the instillation of a democratic republic system. The focus of the story is a murderous rivalry for position of the Lord Protector.
👑
The things that really stood out to me in Kingshold was the use of traditional magic with unique twists. ...more
👑
Without giving too much away, the book begins with the monarchy of Kingshold being dissolved and the instillation of a democratic republic system. The focus of the story is a murderous rivalry for position of the Lord Protector.
👑
The things that really stood out to me in Kingshold was the use of traditional magic with unique twists. ...more

Many thanks to the author for proving ARC of the book to the BookDragonNest for a review!
This is a new indie title and I had a lot of fun reading it. It just goes to show once more that independent writers do not pull their punches and in the last 12 month alone I was surprised again and again with the strengths of their game.
Kingshold is a perfect case-in-point. It is written in a very easy going style. Even though it is 500+ pages long - they melt away before you know it. I found this book p ...more
This is a new indie title and I had a lot of fun reading it. It just goes to show once more that independent writers do not pull their punches and in the last 12 month alone I was surprised again and again with the strengths of their game.
Kingshold is a perfect case-in-point. It is written in a very easy going style. Even though it is 500+ pages long - they melt away before you know it. I found this book p ...more

Full review below. Kingshold's custom cocktail is available at The Fantasy Inn.
Kingshold is an entertaining look at a fantasy world’s transition from monarchy to democracy. Jyuth, an ancient wizard, has been quietly pulling the strings behind the scenes for centuries. When the dark secrets of the King and Queen are revealed to him, he decides that he’s pretty much done propping up sociopathic royals and he wants Kingshold to be handed off to a better class of bastard. To this end, he murders the ...more
Kingshold is an entertaining look at a fantasy world’s transition from monarchy to democracy. Jyuth, an ancient wizard, has been quietly pulling the strings behind the scenes for centuries. When the dark secrets of the King and Queen are revealed to him, he decides that he’s pretty much done propping up sociopathic royals and he wants Kingshold to be handed off to a better class of bastard. To this end, he murders the ...more

I received a copy of Kingshold from the author in exchange for an honest review.
4.5 Stars.
The King and Queen are hated, then murdered and now election is upon Kingshold.
Kingshold follows a group of characters who are all linked. There's Mareth the bard, who doesn't really know what to do with life. He sleeps and drinks a lot. To me, that sounds like an amazing life, but he's not happy. Alana is the personal servant of the wizard, Jyuth. She's incredibly clever and her chapters were a joy to read ...more
4.5 Stars.
The King and Queen are hated, then murdered and now election is upon Kingshold.
Kingshold follows a group of characters who are all linked. There's Mareth the bard, who doesn't really know what to do with life. He sleeps and drinks a lot. To me, that sounds like an amazing life, but he's not happy. Alana is the personal servant of the wizard, Jyuth. She's incredibly clever and her chapters were a joy to read ...more

Click here for full review:
http://outofthisworldrev.blogspot.com...
KINGSHOLD is the debut offering from self-published author DP Woolliscroft and the first entry in his Wildfire Cycle. Woolliscroft hails from Derby, England and now resides in Princeton New Jersey (a hop, skip, and jump from my current city of residence by the way). But I digress.....My attention was drawn to this author when I began following him on Twitter and kept seeing all of the discussion regarding his first book just rele ...more
http://outofthisworldrev.blogspot.com...
KINGSHOLD is the debut offering from self-published author DP Woolliscroft and the first entry in his Wildfire Cycle. Woolliscroft hails from Derby, England and now resides in Princeton New Jersey (a hop, skip, and jump from my current city of residence by the way). But I digress.....My attention was drawn to this author when I began following him on Twitter and kept seeing all of the discussion regarding his first book just rele ...more

Full review at Fantasy Book Critic
Kingshold is an incredible political fantasy debut that could be the initial stepping stone for a truly remarkable series. This book has been on my radar for quite some time and I’m really glad I’ve finally gotten to dive into this fascinating world the author has so meticulously created.
The city of Kingshold is in upheaval after the unexpected assassination of its king and queen and dissolution of its monarchy. For the first time in history, the decision of who ...more
Kingshold is an incredible political fantasy debut that could be the initial stepping stone for a truly remarkable series. This book has been on my radar for quite some time and I’m really glad I’ve finally gotten to dive into this fascinating world the author has so meticulously created.
The city of Kingshold is in upheaval after the unexpected assassination of its king and queen and dissolution of its monarchy. For the first time in history, the decision of who ...more

Kingshold does almost everything right. The combination of proper humour, social satire and the commentary on real-world history in a fantasy setting works well for me. Add memorable characters to the mix and take my money.
Mr Woolliscroft's debut is ambitious, and it mostly succeeds on all fronts.
After the assassination of Kingshold's rulers, the ancient wizard behind the throne decides he wants kings and queens no more. But what's the alternative? Well, why not let the people vote and choose th ...more
Mr Woolliscroft's debut is ambitious, and it mostly succeeds on all fronts.
After the assassination of Kingshold's rulers, the ancient wizard behind the throne decides he wants kings and queens no more. But what's the alternative? Well, why not let the people vote and choose th ...more

If you're a fan of stories featuring a diverse cast, political intrigue, light humor, and a story that leaves you on the edge of your seat, you'll enjoy Kingshold. I had a small issue with the initial pacing, but it picks up from there and establishes itself as a promising debut. I look forward to more.
...more

Read the full review at my blog Digital Amrit
Introduction
Kingshold is one of those serendipitous moments that happens in life. I was randomly browsing through twitter when I saw that the author had asked for reviews of his forthcoming book – the third in the series. One thing led to another, I liked the synopsis and ended up reading both Kingshold and Tales of Kingshold back to back.
The verdict? Both these books were very enjoyable.
But before we get into why, what is Kingshold or for that matte ...more
Introduction
Kingshold is one of those serendipitous moments that happens in life. I was randomly browsing through twitter when I saw that the author had asked for reviews of his forthcoming book – the third in the series. One thing led to another, I liked the synopsis and ended up reading both Kingshold and Tales of Kingshold back to back.
The verdict? Both these books were very enjoyable.
But before we get into why, what is Kingshold or for that matte ...more

Admittedly, I went into Kingshold not expecting to particularly love it. I'm not huge on big, political stories. I prefer much smaller scale, personal stories. But I'm happy to say that the book surprised me in a really great way and ended up being the best of both worlds.
Woolliscroft took a larger scale framework and made it all about the characters. They're the driving force behind the narrative, rather than the political machinations. Luckily, all of the characters are highly entertaining in ...more
Woolliscroft took a larger scale framework and made it all about the characters. They're the driving force behind the narrative, rather than the political machinations. Luckily, all of the characters are highly entertaining in ...more

Full review is here on my blog!~
This is the story of a few different people, who live in (or around) the city of Kingshold. The King and Queen are dead, caught doing horrible shenanigans by their wizard, Jyuth. He has decided that since he was the one that started the monarchy, and that it’s been getting worse and worse every time, it is time for a democracy. So, he declares the monarchy abolished (by murderkilling the king and queen), and that there will be an election in a month to see who wil ...more
This is the story of a few different people, who live in (or around) the city of Kingshold. The King and Queen are dead, caught doing horrible shenanigans by their wizard, Jyuth. He has decided that since he was the one that started the monarchy, and that it’s been getting worse and worse every time, it is time for a democracy. So, he declares the monarchy abolished (by murderkilling the king and queen), and that there will be an election in a month to see who wil ...more

Kingshold by DP Woolliscroft came highly recommended. I picked this book up awhile ago, read the first several chapters, didn’t connect with it, and set it aside. Recently several folks told me I really needed to read this book and so I went back and gave it another shot. I’m glad I did. Kingshold is a unique fantasy adventure, one part epic fantasy and one part political thriller wrapped up with some fun humor.
Woolliscroft has crafted quite the cast of colorful characters. From a wizard who wa ...more
Woolliscroft has crafted quite the cast of colorful characters. From a wizard who wa ...more

Jan 13, 2019
Jason Aycock
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
indie-selfpublished,
fantasy
Regicide, politics, assassinations, pirates, magic, demons, and giant draco-turtles are just taste of what's in store for you in this solid and entertaining self-published debut from D. P. Woolliscroft. Kingshold made it to the semi-finalist round in this year's Self-Published Fantasy Blogg Off (#SPFBO) hosted by author Mark Lawrence and it's easy to understand why. Offering a fresh take on revolution and dynastic change in fantasy literature this first book in the Wildfire Cycle sets the stage
...more

With the Death of the King and Queen, the city of Kingshold begins switching to an election-based government, sparking a scramble for power as the population vies to throw their lot in and have a say in the outcome. Things get interesting when the front runners for the position of Lord Protector start dropping like flies.
Gosh, this book was a lot of fun. I have to admit I was skeptical about this one, just because I knew it was about switching governments and as much as I love intrigue and backs ...more
Gosh, this book was a lot of fun. I have to admit I was skeptical about this one, just because I knew it was about switching governments and as much as I love intrigue and backs ...more

Actual rating: 4.25
Full review with some added personal notes: starlitbook.com/2018/05/29/kingshold-...
I’ve got an ARC of Kingshold, so I’d like to thank D. P. Woolliscroft for reaching out to me asking for a request and providing me a copy.
The plot (at least in the beginning) is pretty simple: the King and Queen are dead by the hands of the ancient wizard Jyuth and although most people are happy with this outcome, the kingdom needs a leader nonetheless. And so Jyuth decides he had enough of kin ...more
Full review with some added personal notes: starlitbook.com/2018/05/29/kingshold-...
I’ve got an ARC of Kingshold, so I’d like to thank D. P. Woolliscroft for reaching out to me asking for a request and providing me a copy.
The plot (at least in the beginning) is pretty simple: the King and Queen are dead by the hands of the ancient wizard Jyuth and although most people are happy with this outcome, the kingdom needs a leader nonetheless. And so Jyuth decides he had enough of kin ...more

Kingshold is a fascinating multi-character-focused story about a kingdom changing to a democracy, and a community learning how to have a voice, all while keeping you on the edge of your seat wondering about the characters and the outcomes. It takes all the stereotypical elements of a classic fantasy story and puts them together in new ways without feeling like anything was "broken". It's fun, exciting, and interesting, and well worth the time it will take you to read (which probably is short, be
...more

High fantasy is one of my most favorite genres though I seldom read it because this genre is known for long, complicated books. So having to read a high fantasy because I have to is a good chance for me. I jumped into reading this book with high expectations and excitement and I’m not disappointed. I’m really glad I joined this blog tour.
The story started with the end of the monarchy in Kingshold which sets the story right away. I don’t think I’ve ever read a story with a post-monarchy setting b ...more
The story started with the end of the monarchy in Kingshold which sets the story right away. I don’t think I’ve ever read a story with a post-monarchy setting b ...more

The novel Kingshold by self-published author, D.P Woolliscroft and is the first offering of the Wildfire Cycle series. If I could describe Kingshold in a few lines, it would be a beautiful but complicated tapestry. It is written in the vein of dark and intricate fantasy, much like the Malazan series or The Darkness That Comes Before. There are magic and fantasy aspects in Kingshold, but they come second to the political and societal maneuvers of the characters. Because of the breadth and scope o
...more

At first I was wary of a female narrator for what seems to be predominantly male POV characters.
Thankfully, that fear was misplaced. Sheila Dearden is a brilliant narrator with some great voices and excellent control of tempo and vocal inflections.
Her one weakness, as is the case with a great many narrators, is the inability to create believable voices of the opposite gender.
Also, as the story opened, I was wary of the sheer number of POV characters that were introduced right away. The first fou ...more
Thankfully, that fear was misplaced. Sheila Dearden is a brilliant narrator with some great voices and excellent control of tempo and vocal inflections.
Her one weakness, as is the case with a great many narrators, is the inability to create believable voices of the opposite gender.
Also, as the story opened, I was wary of the sheer number of POV characters that were introduced right away. The first fou ...more

"The people of this city have no balls! For hundreds of years, they've let a few rule them when they have the greater numbers. A chieftain on the plains of my home would be challenged and killed for being as useless as these kings and queens. Now, the people are growing balls. Finally."
Kingshold is a unique story that's more about a city, and an electoral process than it is any particular person. The story begins with a wizard named Jyuth who kills the current (very corrupt) monarchs. With ...more
Kingshold is a unique story that's more about a city, and an electoral process than it is any particular person. The story begins with a wizard named Jyuth who kills the current (very corrupt) monarchs. With ...more

Jun 20, 2018
Rinaldo
rated it
liked it
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
people who loves medieval and political fantasy
3/5
This review is a part of TBRindr initiated by Weatherwax Report. I received a copy of this book in exchange to an honest review.
Kingshold is a story about transition of monarchy to democracy in a fantasy kingdom of Edland. Jyuth is the founding father of Edland and advisor wizard to the kingdom. He becomes embittered over centuries with the constant cycle of corruption of the descendant of the people he chose as kings. After the recent murder of corrupt and sexually deranged King and Queen in ...more
This review is a part of TBRindr initiated by Weatherwax Report. I received a copy of this book in exchange to an honest review.
Kingshold is a story about transition of monarchy to democracy in a fantasy kingdom of Edland. Jyuth is the founding father of Edland and advisor wizard to the kingdom. He becomes embittered over centuries with the constant cycle of corruption of the descendant of the people he chose as kings. After the recent murder of corrupt and sexually deranged King and Queen in ...more

An intriguing debut with a unique premise and interesting characters
I picked up Kingshold because I was intrigued by the idea of a democracy emerging in a fantasy world. While I was ready for a heavy political plot, instead I found myself reading a book that was driven by it's characters.
Sure there are some political happenings going on, but these mostly serve as a device to bring together an interesting cast of characters who rally together to elect one of their own who will govern their city ...more
I picked up Kingshold because I was intrigued by the idea of a democracy emerging in a fantasy world. While I was ready for a heavy political plot, instead I found myself reading a book that was driven by it's characters.
Sure there are some political happenings going on, but these mostly serve as a device to bring together an interesting cast of characters who rally together to elect one of their own who will govern their city ...more

7/7/19
Kingshold is available for your vote for the 2019 Epic Fantasy Fanatic EFFY awards. If you would be so good as to head over to https://epicfantasyfanatics.com/kings... and cast your vote, it would be greatly appreciated! Voting ends on July 14th.
12/18/18
Kingshold is part of PrimeReading for the next 90 days. That means if you are in the US and an Amazon Prime member then you read Kingshold for free! What are you waiting for?
4/30/18
Kingshold is now available! Happy book birthday to Kingshol ...more
Kingshold is available for your vote for the 2019 Epic Fantasy Fanatic EFFY awards. If you would be so good as to head over to https://epicfantasyfanatics.com/kings... and cast your vote, it would be greatly appreciated! Voting ends on July 14th.
12/18/18
Kingshold is part of PrimeReading for the next 90 days. That means if you are in the US and an Amazon Prime member then you read Kingshold for free! What are you waiting for?
4/30/18
Kingshold is now available! Happy book birthday to Kingshol ...more

3.5⭐️
Kingshold is a fun, light read with several POV’s, some cool magic, and decent world-building. Or should I say “City building” because the city of Kingshold is where most of the story takes place. This is a story of what happens when a monarchy is dissolved forcefully and an election is put forth to choose a new leader. The gallery of characters that find themselves in the middle of this shaky political climate include a serving girl, a bar owner, a wizard and his daughter, a bard, and a tr ...more
Kingshold is a fun, light read with several POV’s, some cool magic, and decent world-building. Or should I say “City building” because the city of Kingshold is where most of the story takes place. This is a story of what happens when a monarchy is dissolved forcefully and an election is put forth to choose a new leader. The gallery of characters that find themselves in the middle of this shaky political climate include a serving girl, a bar owner, a wizard and his daughter, a bard, and a tr ...more

Firstly I should talk about my expectations going in. I expected to be political fantasy about power struggle between different factions competing in the elections with a darker tone. Actually it's a fun adventure book, where the election is just a backdrop, rather than focus of the book. Protagonist are more or less good guys, who team up against the unpopular general, who is the main contender to win the elections.
Protagonists are fun to read about (there is 5 of them) and because of that I l ...more
Protagonists are fun to read about (there is 5 of them) and because of that I l ...more

4.5
Book source ~ Tour
Jyuth is an ancient wizard who founded the Kingdom of Edland and put the butt of the first king on the throne in Kingshold. Over the great span of years he’s had to return to kill a corrupt king and put a new one in place, so this time is no different. Except this king and queen are exceptionally corrupt and perverse and have left no heirs to inherit the throne. So, a weary Jyuth declares that there will be no more kings. There will instead be a Lord Protector and anyone can ...more
Book source ~ Tour
Jyuth is an ancient wizard who founded the Kingdom of Edland and put the butt of the first king on the throne in Kingshold. Over the great span of years he’s had to return to kill a corrupt king and put a new one in place, so this time is no different. Except this king and queen are exceptionally corrupt and perverse and have left no heirs to inherit the throne. So, a weary Jyuth declares that there will be no more kings. There will instead be a Lord Protector and anyone can ...more

An intriguing story of a fantasy kingdom brought into democracy by wizardly fiat.
The concept really hooked me; there may be other stories of fantasy-world democratization, but I don't really recall them, and certainly the idea of the Merlin-type getting sick of having to anoint new kings was a great spin on the genre.
Although the concept was great, a couple of the conventions chosen, while skillfully executed, were not to my personal preference, thus a 4 from me rather than 5. I'll discuss them ...more
The concept really hooked me; there may be other stories of fantasy-world democratization, but I don't really recall them, and certainly the idea of the Merlin-type getting sick of having to anoint new kings was a great spin on the genre.
Although the concept was great, a couple of the conventions chosen, while skillfully executed, were not to my personal preference, thus a 4 from me rather than 5. I'll discuss them ...more

I don't remember the exact search terms I used but I was looking for a good, relatively short fantasy novel to pick up and as with all my Google searches I added "reddit" to the end. Fortunately, I found a post by the author about his book and not knowing anything and just wanting to read something on a whim; I bought it on Amazon.
It was one of the better whims I have acted on. I'm not going to go into the synopsis as there are enough reviews that cover that but just say how much I legitimately ...more
It was one of the better whims I have acted on. I'm not going to go into the synopsis as there are enough reviews that cover that but just say how much I legitimately ...more
topics | posts | views | last activity | |
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/r/Fantasy Discus...: September 2018: Kingshold | 3 | 38 | Oct 01, 2018 06:40AM |
Born in Derby in England, on the day before mid-summers day, David Peter Woolliscroft was very nearly magical. If only his dear old mum could have held on for another day. But magic called out to him over the years, with a many a book being devoured for its arcane properties. David studied Accounting at Cardiff University where numbers weaved their own kind of magic and he has since been a success
...more
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The Wildfire Cycle
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“So far, their journey had been through a pie shop run by a man called Dibbler,”
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