Futility of Defense
Book 2 of A Paladin’s Journey
By
Bryan
Cole
About the Book:
Publisher: Tellwell Talent
Publication
Date: June 30,
2023
Paladins are nothing but trouble. When Krell,
an uneducated nobody with a stubborn streak as wide as the sea, hears the call
from ReckNor, the capricious god of the seas and skies, the attention of the
rich and powerful turn their gaze toward him. Paladins are notorious for
upsetting the balance of power, to the detriment of any who don't worship their
deity.
When Krell stands against the might of the sea
devils and emerges victorious, concern and interest turn to fear—fear of their
secrets and plans being revealed and exposed, of the ruin that often follows in
a paladin's wake. Now he stands in defense of a pitiful town at the edge of
nowhere, even as the sea devil menace grows more dire for each day that passes.
For as deadly as the sea devils are to Krell,
his past choices and the consequences of his actions may be deadlier still . .
.
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Excerpt:
The commander’s face relaxed into an expression of superiority. He looked
down his nose at Krell. “I have little reason to worry, Krell. My men are
expertly trained soldiers of His Grace Mavram Hudderly, long may he reign, and
servants of His Majesty King Fideon the Second, long may he reign.
Whatever peril you have faced is now over.”
“I see,” said Krell.
“Me too,” said Dorn. He turned to Krell, pointing at the commander. “He’s
an idiot.”
Krell nodded in agreement, while the commander’s face flushed in anger.
“Commander, the sea devils are predators, swift and violent. Their claws
and teeth are like daggers, and they use them freely. When they smell blood,
they fly into a berserk frenzy. If you run, you die as they catch you from
behind. Your horses are of little use against them, since they would simply cut
them down. Then eat them.” Krell shook his head. “Have you or your men ever
faced sea devils before?”
What Readers Are
Saying:
A fantasy saga filled with interesting, complex characters, and dynamic
relationships alongside captivating battles and systems of magic, Bryan Cole's
FUTILITY OF DEFENSE is a worthy and ambitious sequel that takes Krell's story
in an intriguing direction. ~Jessica Thomas for IndieReader
"Packed with engaging action and a fellowship of entertaining
characters, this is a classic yet original hero's journey laced with fresh
magical rules and immersive storytelling, which is ideal for long-time fans of
high fantasy, offering a familiar fantasy landscape while carving its own path
due to Cole's detailed attention to character-building." Self-Publishing
Review,
About the Author:
Bryan
Cole is the author of the Paladin’s Journey series. New to the writing world,
he spent years working in the enterprise software space, focused on quality
assurance and delivery of software applications. Which is weird, because that
has nothing to do with writing fiction.
For
that, we need to go back – way back – to his first experience with Dungeons
& Dragons. His friend Chris brought over the box set for Myth Drannor,
eager to play. Together, they realized they had no idea what they were doing,
because neither of them owned a copy of the Players Handbook, Dungeon Master’s
Guide, or the Monster Manual.
From
those incredibly awkward beginnings, a lifelong passion for epic science
fiction and high fantasy adventure was born. Everything from his grade 4
teacher letting him stay after school to play a video game where you were the
wizard on a quest, defeating monsters by answering math problems, to some truly
memorable movies like Willow that showed him a world bigger and more exciting
than the real one.
Of
course, Star Wars and Star Trek have had a major influence on him. Want to get
in good with Bryan? Lead with a Star Wars meme.
From
one of the good movies. Otherwise your plan will backfire.
Bryan
is also an avid gamer, and enjoys video games, board games, and tabletop
roleplaying games.
These
days, he lives in Toronto with his wife and daughter, and his adorable cat.
Gest Post:
Consistency in storytelling
One of the unfortunately common things I see is stories that
forget the contrivances they’ve introduced. Classic examples of this are shows
that forget that cell phones exist, leaving me in a position of thinking “why
don’t these morons just call the police?” This is an example of worldbuilding
and story being disconnected. A different aspect of this is when characters are
granted powers or capabilities, and then in subsequent chapters or books in the
series completely disregard this introduced capability. The Time Turners in the
Harry Potter universe are a good example of this, and an excellent example of
why introducing time travel is extremely difficult to do in a way that will not
immediately destroy any future tension in your story.
This consistency is something I find I need in the media I
consume and informed a lot of my writing style. I wanted to write a story
focused on consequences, both within the same book and across books. This means
that plot threads introduced – whether Krell pursues them or not – don’t just
vanish without impacting the world.
And not all consequences need be dire! When characters do
the right thing, when they quite literally stand between terrible monsters and
those they’re trying to save, there should be a reaction to that from the
background characters. The world needs to be consistent with the fact that the main
characters exist and should change based on the actions they take. I reflect
this in the attitudes of the people of Watford, some of whom know Krell
personally, and in others who have only heard stories that roughly align with
the truth. Everyone in Watford knows them to one degree or another. Which is
consistent with our world. If I single-handedly rescued a school bus full of
kittens from the fifth floor of a burning office building, I have to believe
people in my own town would know my name, at least for a time. If I kept doing
similar noteworthy and seemingly impossible things, then I would expect my
notoriety to grow.
This is a double-edged sword for characters in books. Fame
can come with all sorts of perks – access to powerful individuals, goodwill and
free drinks, and many other benefits. It also means, however, that the stories
will be mined for information by their antagonists. Krell is widely known by a
different name – Darkblade – meaning that none of his enemies are going to be
surprised when he conjures his weapon. Indeed, they’ll not only be ready for
it, they’ll be expecting it, as a final confirmation that they have the right
person!
Finally, the world should not be static. Krell and his
companions in Futility of Defense are coming to realize the broader scope of
the challenge before them, and are seeking to learn more about it. That
attracts attention from those who eye Krell warily. Paladins in my setting are
notorious for upsetting the balance of power. As Krell begins probing into the
affairs of others, those antagonists will react accordingly to the threat that
Krell poses to them. That may mean sheltering their operations or even temporarily
shutting them down, or it might mean assassination.
Either way, book three is in the works and already pretty
fun! Or, perhaps I should say ‘fun?’!
Contact
Links:
Email - fat.paladin.contact@gmail.com
Website - https://www.fatpaladin.ca/
Amazon - https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B0BFV7T7PR
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/FatPaladin
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/fatpaladinbooks/
Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/22517522
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