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Luke R.J. Maynard
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The Season of the Plough (Travalaith Saga Book 1) Kindle Edition

by Luke R. J. Maynard (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.5 out of 5 stars 54 ratings
The Prophecy was wrong. She was never the Chosen One.

Coming of age under the weight of an epic destiny wasn’t easy. All Aewyn ever wanted for herself was a home and a family. But to the farmers of Widowvale, she was always destined for greatness. After all, she was a fae-blooded foundling of mysterious birth. Her story was the stuff of fairy-tales. And the villagers, all refugees from a looming civil war, were in desperate need of something to believe in.

But prophecies can be misread, and the men who call themselves wise are often mistaken. When a primordial darkness stirs in the deep wood, and Aewyn’s dubious old mentor is sentenced to hang for treason, the supposed Chosen One must live or die by a choice of her own: Will she forsake her home and her new family for the dubious destiny she's been promised—or sacrifice it all for one chance to save them?
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If you enjoy classic high fantasy with rich worldbuilding, lush prose, and a diverse ensemble cast, you'll love Luke R. J. Maynard's powerful new epic. The adventure begins here. Pick up the Season of the Plough and step into the unforgettable world of the Travalaith Saga today!

★★★★★ “The attention to detail here is almost staggering…this promises to be a top-quality series.”—Amazon Reviewer
★★★★★ “I am astounded such a fantastic book came from a first-time author. This book was amazingly written.”—Goodreads Reviewer

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  1. Book 1 of 2
    Travalaith Saga
  2. Print length
    338 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publication date
    July 12, 2019
  5. File size
    2.8 MB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"What an impressive debut! I love The Season of the Plough. Characters that came alive and real the moment I met with them on the pages...this book often feels like a chronicle of a real place. Highly recommended." --Ed Greenwood, bestselling creator of The Forgotten Realms

About the Author

Luke R. J. Maynard is a writer, poet, scholar, lapsed medievalist, musician, and wearer of sundry other hats in the arts & letters. Born in London, Ontario, Canada, he received his PhD in English Literature from the University of Victoria in 2013, and his Juris Doctor at the University of Toronto's Faculty of Law in 2019. Luke's first CD, Desolation Sound, was released in June of 2018. The Season of the Ploughis his first novel. Luke currently lives in Toronto.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07S74HB6G
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Cynehelm Press (July 12, 2019)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ July 12, 2019
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 2.8 MB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 338 pages
  • Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 198954200X
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 out of 5 stars 54 ratings

About the author

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Luke R.J. Maynard

Luke R.J. Maynard

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Luke R. J. Maynard is a writer, poet, musician, literary scholar, and wearer of sundry other hats in the arts and the law. His poetry and short fiction have appeared in numerous small-press anthologies, and his first novel, "The Season of the Plough," was released in July 2019. Luke lives in Toronto.

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
54 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers enjoy the story of the book, with one mentioning its layered backstories. They find it worth the read.

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4 customers mention "Story quality"4 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the story of the book, finding it engaging and well-paced, with one customer noting how the author masterfully weaves layered backstories throughout the narrative.

"...Luke Maynard took each character, small or great, and layered backstories on them...." Read more

"...are introduced, but feeds you bits and pieces along, masterfully weaved throughout the story. I also loved the setting...." Read more

"Enjoyed the story drew me in and kept my interest. Started on volume two" Read more

"Reminds of an oral saga, meant to be told around a campfire. A slow start, but worth the full read." Read more

3 customers mention "Value for money"3 positive0 negative

Customers find the book worth the price, with one mentioning it kept their interest throughout.

"Enjoyed the story drew me in and kept my interest. Started on volume two" Read more

"...A slow start, but worth the full read." Read more

"Loved this book!..." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Greg S.
    5.0 out of 5 stars Powerful stuff
    Reviewed in the United States on July 17, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    Though somewhat full of itself in tone, I absolutely loved the way author Luke Maynard took each character, small or great, and layered backstories on them. There was a care for the characters that is decidedly lacking from many, many similar books. It’s almost the polar opposite of George RR Martin in this sense, but don’t be fooled— there’s plenty of violence, backstabbing, and other bits of mundane mixed with what would otherwise be a rather vanilla fantasy setting. The attention to detail here is almost staggering, and I enjoyed it.
    What would I improve? Hard to say, but it may prove difficult for any author to sustain this level of character depth for minor players. If he can keep it up, though, this promises to be a top-quality series.
    7 people found this helpful
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  • JS
    5.0 out of 5 stars Loved this book!
    Reviewed in the United States on March 28, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    I loved the in depth portrayal of the characters and how they continue to grow as they are faced with new challenges. The author doesn't just lay out everything about the characters when they are introduced, but feeds you bits and pieces along, masterfully weaved throughout the story. I also loved the setting. There was such detail, I felt like I was right there. The language was infused with such other worldly flavor that it just fits the story perfectly. Looking forward to reading book 2!
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Amazon Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Good story
    Reviewed in the United States on June 30, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    Enjoyed the story drew me in and kept my interest. Started on volume two
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Amazon Customer
    4.0 out of 5 stars A tall tale
    Reviewed in the United States on March 25, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    Reminds of an oral saga, meant to be told around a campfire. A slow start, but worth the full read.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • Kindle Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Refreshingly original yet nostalgic fantasy
    Reviewed in the United States on July 13, 2019
    I preordered this book and I'm glad I did.

    Fantasy is one of my favourite genres, but recently I’ve realized that for the past few years, aside from specific recommendation and some young adult literature, as far as fantasy goes I’ve just kept rereading Tolkien over and over again. (Okay, I’m still going to continue reading Tolkien over and over again for the rest of my life, but that’s neither here nor there.)

    This is the novel I’ve been waiting for.

    Like, seriously, this is how I remember feeling about reading when I was young and had much less discerning taste, so I thought most books were good and never got burned out on tropes or uncomfortable shipping or just the constant flood of low-grade sexism that is so freaking impossible to get away from. I didn’t realize how much I missed it until I had it back.

    Anyway, on a more helpful note: this book is really well-written and the prose is fantastic; it manages to encapsulate both appropriately poetic high fantasy turns of phrase (i.e. ‘columns of sparkless night’) and #relatable-ness (there were at least two points reading it where I literally yelled “YES, THAT THING! I KNOW THAT THING! I’VE DONE THAT THING!” or similar) without either being jarring. There’s also a ton of my favourite variety of fantasy/historical dry humour, which is easy to miss but so hilarious if you’re paying attention.

    The world-building is amazing and well-executed – the universe is extremely deep and well-fleshed out, but there are no clunky infodumps or areas where things are poorly explained and confusing. There are some really original takes on – well, on a bunch of stuff, no spoilers, but anyway it was both refreshing and lots of fun.

    As far as the plot goes, it’s intriguing and engaging and never predictable in the bad way, but all I’m really going to say is…

    SPOILERS:
    .
    .
    .
    This is the only book I’ve ever read where an audit is a huge, dramatic plot point, and my God does the author pull it off. I was literally more tense reading those chapters than if I was audited in real life.
    .
    .
    .
    END SPOILERS

    Anyway, if you’re burned out on fantasy, sick of GoT-style selective ‘realism’, or just want to read a really good book, I unreservedly recommend this one. Just be warned, it has some pretty serious sucking-in power, so I’d advise against starting it at 10 PM.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Kurt L
    3.0 out of 5 stars Great prose. Slow, plodding plot.
    Reviewed in the United States on March 5, 2020
    I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

    So, first, the good: the prose in this is beautiful. Elegantly written, well-crafted and overall just a pleasure to read. The author has a true talent for beautiful writing.

    That said, I dropped this book at the 43% mark because it didn’t really seem to be going anywhere. Other reviews have noted this book seems focused on world building and character development and I found that to be true as well. But it became tedious after a while as, at least speaking personally, I like a * little* more action sprinkled in to the character development.

    Normally, I give any book I don’t finish one star. Giving this one three stars because the prose is just that good and also because maybe others will enjoy the character development more than I do.

    It’s worth a read...as long as you understand what the book is and isn’t. This is not, by any measure, an action-packed thriller.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Tom Kane
    5.0 out of 5 stars Small Town Fantasy
    Reviewed in the United States on September 26, 2019
    From J.R.R. Tolkien’s Shire to Robert Jordan’s Emond’s Field, one of the things that defines the fantasy genre is its portrayals of cozy rural communities. Luke Maynard continues this tradition masterfully in Season of the Plough. Not only does Maynard immerse readers in the scenery and society of the village of Widowvale, he gives that village a place in the larger politics and economics of his world. When the Widowvale citizens’ independent ways bring them into a clash with outside authorities, this novel accelerates toward its climax.

    Rural communities are reputed to be hostile to outsiders. Maynard handles this theme effectively as well. The story revolves around Aewyn, an orphan growing up in Widowvale. Aewyn is different from those around her, and she forms a friendship with a creature the townspeople are inclined to regard as a monster. Her attempts to remain true to herself among people who often fail to understand her provide for powerful character development with real-life relevance.

    Aewyn also serves to introduce plot themes related to magic, faerie creatures, menacing beings known as Horrors and a legend about a Chosen One. Readers may hope to see Maynard continue this epic fantasy storyline in future volumes.

    Another bonus is Maynard’s occasionally lyrical writing style. This contributes further to the atmosphere of the story.

    An intelligent and appealing book.
    5 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Jeff B
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great Read
    Reviewed in Canada on July 7, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    I very much enjoyed this. Solid characters, engrossing storyline and vivid writing. Looking forward to the next book in the series.
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  • Brett Lavoie
    5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent start to an epic saga
    Reviewed in Canada on August 23, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    This is a wonderful book for fans of fantasy, deep character exploration, and even some philosophy. You can really feel that it's the start to something epic in scope. It's rare to find a book that has such a realistic setting, despite being a fantasy novel. It has a sense of a world that's always carrying on through the book rather than just waiting for the characters to interact with it. I highly recommend it!
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  • jeff hamilton
    4.0 out of 5 stars confusing prose
    Reviewed in Canada on December 19, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    This was a pretty good fantasy novel. The prose is confusing, though. It would be well served by a bit of judicious editing. Otherwise, it was nicely restrained and entertaining. Luke Maynard was not trying too hard to engage the readers. That's a good thing. Some authors try too hard and you can smell the desperation coming off the page. Not so, here. I bow to authors that just present the story and let us, the readers, build the world in our head.
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  • Diane stadnichuk
    5.0 out of 5 stars he's an excellent wordsmith
    Reviewed in Canada on August 14, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    The storyline is a basic hero's quest, however, the author has an excellent way with words. He continued to draw me into the pictures his words created, alluding to a hidden truth buried within the story, inviting me to turn the pages and seek its messages. A good read and am looking forward to reading book 2 in this series.
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  • Sharise
    3.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining, but clumsy
    Reviewed in Canada on September 22, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    The world is vivid and invokes curiosity, but it feels clumsy. This is reflected particularly in the missing paragraph indentations, and missing spaces between words and punctuation. Maynard clearly enjoys wordcrafting, so much so as to lose the point on occasion.
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