Ceremonia - Shop now
Kindle Unlimited
Unlimited reading. Over 4 million titles. Learn more
Read for Free
OR
$0.99

Promotions apply when you purchase

These promotions will be applied to this item:

Some promotions may be combined; others are not eligible to be combined with other offers. For details, please see the Terms & Conditions associated with these promotions.

Sold by Amazon.com Services LLC.
Read with our free app
You've subscribed to ! We will preorder your items within 24 hours of when they become available. When new books are released, we'll charge your default payment method for the lowest price available during the pre-order period.
Update your device or payment method, cancel individual pre-orders or your subscription at
Your Memberships & Subscriptions
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the author

T O Munro
Follow
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

Lady of the Helm (The Bloodline Trilogy Book 1) Kindle Edition

by T O Munro (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.1 out of 5 stars 67 ratings
(Now with three prequel short stories to celebrate the completion of the trilogy)

For 5 years Niarmit, once a priestess and a princess of the Salved people, has been an orphan, thief, outlaw and assassin in her own land.

For a thousand years Maelgrum, enslaver of the Salved, has been imprisoned and forgotten.

Now, from the mountain fortress of Sturmcairn to the forests of Hershwood and beyond, the Salved Kingdom will quake at the dark lord’s return.

And Niarmit must choose. Can she

aid a people who abandoned her and her father?

overcome her darkest fears of madness and betrayal?

find a way to kill that which is already dead?

"He savoured the moment as he stood at the foot of the outsized bed, loosening the straps of the battered steel breastplate. He tried to gauge from the quivers in the bed clothes where the captain had hidden this evening’s frightened plaything. He guessed which side just as the metal armour fell silently to the marbled floor. Flinging aside the bedding, he had just a moment to register the oddity of the noiseless clang of metal on stone before he saw her.

She was not the type that the captain normally picked out for him. In a second he saw she was older, just past the end of adolescence as far as he was any judge of human flesh. Taller than most and sinewy, clad in dark shirt and breeches rather than the night shift he expected. Flame red hair spilled across her shoulders and green eyes blazed at him with a defiance rare in someone brought before Mayor Nordag. Rather than lying trembling within the folds of bedding this one crouched on her haunches looking up at him. The final abnormality he had time to notice was that her hands were not bound behind her, but free infront of her. One held a glinting steel dirk and the other fist grasped a crescent talisman.

Then she erupted like one of those amusing jack-in-the-box toys that more astute freeholders had learned to give Nordag as a gift. Driving upwards sword arm outstretched before her, she sprang towards him, driving her blade into his throat even as his mouth gaped open in astonishment. Standing now on the edge of the table her face was level with his chin, her green eyes glaring into his dimming yellow ones."
Read more
Previous slide of product details
  1. Book 1 of 3
    The Bloodline Trilogy
  2. Print length
    406 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publication date
    December 22, 2013
  5. File size
    2.6 MB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
Next slide of product details
Unwell Hydration from Alex Cooper
Hydrate & focus with every sip Shop now

Shop this series

 See full series
There are 3 books in this series.
This option includes 3 books.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00DBMQH5Q
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ ; 2nd edition (December 22, 2013)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ December 22, 2013
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 2.6 MB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 406 pages
  • Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 150315226X
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.1 out of 5 stars 67 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
T O Munro

T O Munro

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

T.O.Munro began writing books at the age of 13 - inspired by a variety of genres that appealed to him.

Some decades later having dabbled in naval novels of the Nelsonic era, and contemporary murder mysteries based in school settings, he has published his fantasy epic "The Bloodline Trilogy" supported by the enthusiastic beta reading of his youngest daughter.

With a busy work and family life, he lacked the time to pursue the traditional avenues of agents and publishing houses. Instead he chose the simpler opportunities of self-publishing in order to offer "Lady of the Helm", "Wrath of the Medusa" and "Master of the Planes" to readers.

Like most writers, he is an avid reader, as far as the rest of life allows it. and reviews books on his blogspot http://tomunro.blogspot.co.uk/

He also is happy to engage with readers through twitter (TO Munro@TOMunro) and facebook (T.o. Munro)

Customer reviews

4.1 out of 5 stars
67 global ratings

Review this product

Share your thoughts with other customers
Write a customer review

Customers say

Customers find the book's storyline engaging with many twists and turns, and one customer describes it as an epic fantasy in the classic sense. They appreciate the character development.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

Select to learn more

11 customers mention "Story quality"11 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the storyline of the book, which features many twists and turns and moves at an enjoyable pace, with one customer describing it as an epic fantasy in the classic sense.

"...But this is an advantage in that the story is the most important and you don't have to get bogged down by tonnes of history and set up, allowing for..." Read more

"loved the story" Read more

"...the helm of the title is also awesome. it fulfills all fantasy expectations and then kicks you in the face with them...." Read more

"This book has many twists and turns. It is portrayed in a era of castles, elves, dwarves, wizards, priestesses with healing powers and dragons...." Read more

4 customers mention "Character development"4 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the character development in the book.

"...moving all parts of the story forward at once and not leaving characters behind...." Read more

"...The personalities of the characters are both quite believable and stay focused with the current path through out the tale...." Read more

"...The book is well-written and the characters are deep and have several dimensions. I highly recommend the book." Read more

"Just finished the trilogy. Wonderful stuff! Great characters ("Dema" is one of my favorite characters from 40+ years of reading), great..." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Fiachra Horan
    5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic Read, Glad I Found it
    Reviewed in the United States on March 4, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    As with everyone who looks at or considers buying this book I had initial apprehension. Solely because very few have read it and it's selfpublished, but everyone has to start somewhere.

    I found this author through Mark Lawrence (Prince of Thorns) for which Munro did a short story audiobook reading. At the end of which was an excerpt for "Lady of the Helm." This piqued my interest and I bought it. Surprisingly the book itself was quite different in overall setting to what I had imagined from this snippet though to its credit.

    I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The character development isn't done for the sake of it. All the information you gleam is plot driven, not the general superfluous stuff one normally gets in fantasy style books. There's no unnecessary rehashing of scenes or the constant reflection from characters over the same problems that I generally wish editors would take out. The story moves at an enjoyable pace and the swapping of pov is both enjoyable and helps to keep the pace of the book interesting, moving all parts of the story forward at once and not leaving characters behind.

    Since the release of information to the reader regarding the world, it's history and those who inhabit it is all done through interaction of the characters, it will take till about 1/3rd of the way through to have a reasonable grasp of the royalty, bloodlines and locations. But this is an advantage in that the story is the most important and you don't have to get bogged down by tonnes of history and set up, allowing for many twists. Every time I think I know where the story will go I'm pleasantly corrected in my assumptions.

    Now I'm off the read the 2nd book in the trilogy because I already feel invested in this saga and want to know where this is going.
    9 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • gerald Sutherland
    4.0 out of 5 stars great
    Reviewed in the United States on January 2, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    loved the story
    Helpful
     Report
  • Amazon Customer
    3.0 out of 5 stars I Really Wanted To Love This Book
    Reviewed in the United States on October 13, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    The main problem that I had with 'Lady of the Helm' was the way in which the narrative was related. First a page of one character, followed by maybe a half dozen pages of another, followed by a short section on yet another character, all in the same chapter, and with none of the characters sharing the same scene or even being geographically related. I suppose that this is one way to make an epic read, but it just felt so schizophrenic and I had such scant investment in the characters that I found my attention drawn to other books on my list.
    Helpful
     Report
  • Lucas Thorn
    5.0 out of 5 stars well, stone me
    Reviewed in the United States on November 30, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    if you'd have asked me what the strangest thing you could throw into a european-style fantasy novel was, i'd have said a ninja. then, if you'd have got me a few more drinks, i would have told you a medusa. i wouldn't have told you the medusa straight out because you would have thought i was weird just for thinking about it. greek myth in a predominantly euro-style fantasy? pah! ridiculous.

    there's a lot of awesome things about this book. niarmit kicks butt. she's like a ninja, so it's almost fair to say there's ninjas AND a medusa in it. the helm of the title is also awesome. it fulfills all fantasy expectations and then kicks you in the face with them. side characters who are variously interesting and fleshed-out? also awesome.

    but the truly most astounding thing about this novel is you can spend the whole time reading it wondering if mister munro makes his living as a conman. he should. he managed to put a medusa in this book. i repeat: a medusa is in this book. and it WORKS! he actually makes it work so seamlessly that you'd think the medusa was as english as tea isn't.

    how the hell did he do that?

    there's a trick to it. must be. the worst thing is, there's a medusa in the book, so you just KNOW it's got something to do with mirrors. but he still makes it work. it's not fair. i'm being conned, but i don't know how.

    what did i think of it overall? well. given there's a medusa in this book (did i mention that?), i'll say the whole thing rocked. 10/10 didn't even get stoned reading it. which is probably for the best as there's no cure.
    2 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • Beester
    5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderfully Brilliant
    Reviewed in the United States on October 29, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    I was weary considering this was self published and couldn't find it on Goodreads or B&N but all trepidation was put to rest. The book was a bit scattered to begin with but the world in which T O Munro has built, a passing glance at it won't cut it. The development of the world in Lady of the Helm comes to light throughout the book. I have always enjoyed writers that can bring about the plot, characters and the world it takes place in, bit by bit. It was about halfway when I had a grasp on the various regions and family lines and how they tied together. Well worth the wait.. :)

    The characters are slowly developed giving the reader the treat of learning about them as you would a new friend. The personalities of the characters are both quite believable and stay focused with the current path through out the tale. I could see into the characters realizing the back stories and their histories are rich and complicated but T O Munro did not delve out tidbits here and there just to let you see a bit of insight into the characters. The information came forth as relevant to the plot and establishing the psychological motivation for several of the main characters.

    The inventiveness of the Helm was a pleasant surprise. (no spoilers here) I was expecting the possible cliche' magical device but that was not the case. The culmination of the ending left many questions unanswered and details of the main characters open to speculation to pique my interest in what will come next and wet my appetite in anticipation.

    Can't wait till December when the next book come out.

    BC
    6 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • Jan Helge Lillevik
    5.0 out of 5 stars A dark and brilliant tale.
    Reviewed in the United States on April 5, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    I had never read anything self-published before, and I was as many very skeptical as I started reading this. People on Twitter were those who put me onto this, among TO himself, even though he never said so.

    The book is well-written and the characters are deep and have several dimensions. I highly recommend the book.
    One person found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report

Top reviews from other countries

  • Celyn
    5.0 out of 5 stars A pleasant and intriguing surprise
    Reviewed in France on March 17, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    I bought this book on whim and was very pleasantly surprised by it.

    The story takes place in a world that is well built and while its history and mythology are significant to the plot, everything unfold at its own pace leaving us with just enough information to know what is going on and what is at stake while keeping us intrigued.

    The same goes for the characters, some of them might seem a bit stereotyped at first but as the story goes on, their motives appear in a clearer if not completely different light without ever sacrificing consistency.

    Lady of the Helm ends with a few plot twists, some pretty predictable, others much less, that keeps the reader wondering how some of the characters will manage to reconcile their motives with what is expected of them and how some others will find their place in a world at war that is about to change, for better or worse.

    I'm looking forwards to reading the next book and find out what fate has in store for Dema, Niarmit, Hepdida, Udecht, Kaylan, Kimbolt and the others.
    Report
  • LMH
    5.0 out of 5 stars A grim, dark debut that pulls no punches
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 25, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    Darkly entertaining fantasy that doesn't pull any punches. Munro draws on tropes both classic and original and unleashes them fearlessly in the path of powerful and original protagonists. Lady of the Helm is a grim, dark debut; rough around the edges, yet pure enjoyment from start to finish.
    Report
  • Andrew Menzies
    4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 19, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    Had this book a while but kept getting pushed back in my TBR pile. Now I wish it hadn't. Excellent pace and had to drag myself away from it a few times. Still don't know which side I'm routing for as quite a few characters are so likable and you don't want them to fail even though they are on opposite sides. Now onto book 2 and this time not near the end of my TBR pile.
    Report
  • G. R. Matthews
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great start
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 13, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    As the book begins you meet characters you come to quickly care about. And care you must. With not a wasted scene the story unfolds and carries you along with all the pace of fast flowing river. Pools of calm water are churned by rapids and each characters arc meanders between boulders if action and betrayal. Hopefully part two is not too long in coming!
    Report
  • Amazon Customer
    3.0 out of 5 stars Has potential
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 31, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    I like the plot twists & the fact that the author is not afraid to kill off characters that as a reader, we engage with quickly. But it does get very bleak very quickly & there never seems to be the prospect of a happy ending. Perhaps that's why I lost interest & haven't finished this book yet.
    Report

Report an issue


Does this item contain inappropriate content?
Report
Do you believe that this item violates a copyright?
Report
Does this item contain quality or formatting issues?
Report