The Flight of the Whisper King

The Song of the Shattered Sands #4.5

by Bradley P. Beaulieu

Mala is a street thief with a knack for manipulating shadow. When the city’s garrison is left empty after a terrible battle, the leader of Mala’s gang decides to steal from it. Larger gangs might steer clear, fearing retribution from the Silver Spears, but Mala’s crew is young and foolhardy, and the potential score is simply too big to pass up.

After using her talents to steal into the garrison, Mala stumbles across Shohreh, an injured woman wearing a blood-red battle dress. Shohreh is a Kestrel, one of the elite swordswomen who serve the twelve kings of Sharakhai. Knowing Shohreh will be killed the moment the others learn of her, Mala helps her to escape through a secret door and into the city’s catacombs.

Near death, Shohreh is healed by the Crone, a near-mythical figure in Sharakhai and the leader of the Kestrels. After revealing a plot to kill Zeheb the Whisper King, the Crone commands Shohreh to save him and to kill Mala for having learned the location of their underground lair. What follows is a deadly game that threatens not only the Whisper King but Mala and everyone she knows.

Genres: Fantasy, Ebooks, Fiction, Epic Fantasy

136 pages, Paperback

First published May 19, 2020

About the author

Bradley P. Beaulieu began writing his first fantasy novel in college, but life eventually intervened. As time went on, though, Brad realized that his love of writing and telling tales wasn't going to just slink quietly into the night. The drive to write came back full force in the early 2000s, at which point Brad dedicated himself to the craft, writing and learning under the guidance of writers like Nancy Kress, Joe Haldeman, Tim Powers, Holly Black, and many more.

Brad and his novels have garnered many accolades including two Hotties—the Debut of the Year and Best New Voice—on Pat's Fantasy Hotlist, a Gemmell Morningstar Award nomination for The Winds of Khalakovo and more:

* Top Ten Book and Debut of the Year for 2011 on Pat's Fantasy Hotlist for The Winds of Khalakovo
* Best New Voice of 2011 on Pat's Fantasy Hotlist
* 2011 Gemmell Morningstar Award Nomination for The Winds of Khalakovo
* Top Ten Debut for The Winds of Khalakovo on Ranting Dragon's Best of 2011
* Top Ten Debut for The Winds of Khalakovo on Mad Hatter's Best of 2011
* Top Five Book for 2012 on Pat's Fantasy Hotlist for The Straits of Galahesh
* 2012 Most Anticipated for The Straits of Galahesh on Staffer's Book Review
* 2012 Most Anticipated for The Straits of Galahesh on The Ranting Dragon
* 2013 Most Anticipated for The Flames of Shadam Khoreh on The Ranting Dragon

Brad continues to work on his next projects, including an Arabian Nights epic fantasy and a Norse-inspired middle grade series. He also runs the highly successful science fiction & fantasy podcast, Speculate, which can be found at speculatesf.com.

Novels

THE LAYS OF ANUSKAYA
* The Winds of Khalakovo
* The Straits of Galahesh
* The Flames of Shadam Khoreh

Short Story Collections
* Lest Our Passage Be Forgotten & Other Stories

Novellas
* Strata (with Stephen Gaskell)

Contact Information
Website: www.quillings.com
Twitter: @bbeaulieu
Facebook: facebook.com/bradley.p.beaulieu

Reviews

[rfantasyreads · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great quick novella for any fan of Bradley Beaulieu’a shattered sand series. Definitely steer clear if you have yet to read book 4 though as it contains major plot points throughout relating to events that took place during beneath the twisted trees. This story focused on Mala, a street urchin who through no real intentions of her own, gets herself involved in plots concerning the king of whispers himself and an attempt to take his life in favour of his son, the king in waiting. An enjoyable quick read, that had me invested in the outcome for these characters in such a short space of time. In particular I enjoyed how it continued to build further on the world building of the series and also introduced us to some possible new characters for book 5. A solid 4/5.

[The Chapter Conundrum (Stacey) · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 Stars

[Logan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The most compelling novella in the Shattered Sands so far!

[Jules · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really like how the author creates these smalls stories to go a little deeper into characters that are not part of the main story line but still have their own parts on the overall design of Sharakhai.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a story of Maia, a young girl who is part of a street gang, struggling to survive and take care of her mother and little sister. The gang takes advantage of an attack on Sharakai by breaking into the garrison. Maia is caught in the wrong place at the wrong time, and although the Silver Spears are not at the garrison, a Kestrel - Shoreh - is there, and she is injured. Maia helps her get to safety, but now the leader of the Kestrels, the Crone, wants her dead because she knows too much. The story is very fast-paced, and also focuses on the Whisper King, Zeheb, who has been driven mad by King Ihsan and is in danger of being assassinated before he can escape the city. The Kestrels are sworn to protect this King, but there are politics and family and power in the balance. This book is part of the Shattered Sands series, and it makes more sense if read in order, but it's not bad as a stand alone story, either. Good read.

[Taylor Ellwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is another excellent novella in the song of shattered sands universe that does a great job of highlighting some of the side character stories, in conjunction with what's happening in the main series. I would say this novella is crucial to read if you want to understand what happens in book 5, but the overall story is so good you'll want to read it any way.

[Jake · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars

Another great, fun Shattered Sands novella! Reading this one before book 5, When Jackals Storm The Walls, and I'm thinking (hoping) that this story is a bit of foreshadowing for what's to come in book 5. Getting close to wrapping up one of my all time favorite fantasy series!

[J.A.R. Huygebaert · Rating 5 out of 5]

As always, Beaulieu captivated me with his astonishing worldbuilding and charachters. What a read. Can't wait to delve into Jackals Storm the Walls!

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this short story, and was yearning to know more about the Kestrels when they were first mentioned in Veil of Spears. Fun, fast paced, and surprisingly sweet story.

[Annette · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is definitely my favorite of the novellas. It was fast-paced, did some good worldbuilding, and was interesting in its own right.