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Epic Fantasy *With Dragons Paperback – February 26, 2017
Purchase options and add-ons
- Print length640 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- Publication dateFebruary 26, 2017
- Dimensions6 x 1.45 x 9 inches
- ISBN-101680630253
- ISBN-13978-1680630251
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About the Author
Product details
- Publisher : Myrddin Publishing Group
- Publication date : February 26, 2017
- Language : English
- Print length : 640 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1680630253
- ISBN-13 : 978-1680630251
- Item Weight : 1.86 pounds
- Dimensions : 6 x 1.45 x 9 inches
- Customer Reviews:
About the author

Stephen Swartz is the author of literary fiction, science fiction, fantasy, romance, and contemporary horror novels. While growing up in Kansas City, he dreamed of traveling the world. His novels feature exotic locations, foreign characters, and smatterings of other languages--strangers in strange lands. You get the idea: life imitating art.
After studying music and even composing a symphony, Stephen planned to be a music teacher before turning to fiction writing. Today Stephen teaches writing at a university in Oklahoma. Stephen Swartz has published poetry, stories, essays, and articles for scholarly journals in the U.S. and Japan.
EXCHANGE (May 2020)
SUNSET (conclusion to the Stefan Szekely Trilogy, Book 3) (February 2019)
SUNRISE (sequel to A DRY PATCH OF SKIN, Book 2 of the Stefan Szekely Trilogy) (April 2018)
EPIC FANTASY *WITH DRAGONS (February 2017)
A GIRL CALLED WOLF (December 2015)
AIKO (June 2015)
A DRY PATCH OF SKIN (October 2014)
A BEAUTIFUL CHILL (February 2014))
THE DREAM LAND Book I "Long Distance Voyager" (The Dream Land Trilogy) (December 2013)
THE DREAM LAND Book II "Dreams of Future's Past" (The Dream Land Trilogy) (2013)
THE DREAM LAND Book III "Diaspora" (The Dream Land Trilogy) (2013)
AFTER ILIUM (2012)
Blog: stephenswartz.blogspot.com
Twitter: @StephenSwartz1
Facebook: Author Stephen Swartz
EXCHANGE (2020) In the wake of a mass shooting that killed his wife and daughter, a high school teacher struggles to put his life back together even with on-going crimes and the foreign exchange student who arrives not knowing what has happened.
SUNSET (2019) is the conclusion of the Stefan Szekely Trilogy, Book 3. Now Emperor of Europa, Stefan must avoid multiple assassination attempts while concocting the perfect escape from his unholy duties.
SUNRISE (2018) is the sequel to A DRY PATCH OF SKIN (2014), Book 2 of the Stefan Szekely Trilogy, the story of an innocent man transforming into a vampire against his will. In SUNRISE he realizes his desire to live the vampire playboy life but finds there are serious obstacles.
EPIC FANTASY *WITH DRAGONS (2017) is the brawny tale of a banished dragonslayer's quest through the Valley of Death to find and destroy the dragons' nesting ground, a quest that is not so simple as he imagines.
A GIRL CALLED WOLF (December 2015) is the tale of a poor Inuit orphan girl from Greenland who grows up and saves the world. Inspired by a true life.
AIKO (June 2015) is a mystery/romance set in 1980s Japan, a modern reversed version of 'Madame Butterfly' told from the man's perspective.
A DRY PATCH OF SKIN (October 2014) is the only medically accurate vampire thriller set in Oklahoma City, upstate New York, New Orleans, and Eastern Europe.
A BEAUTIFUL CHILL (February 2014) is a contemporary campus anti-romance where a forbidden relationship is turned inside out - available for Kindle and paperback.
AFTER ILIUM (2012: 2nd edition), a romantic adventure tale of seduction and betrayal set in modern Greece and Turkey with flashbacks to ancient Troy.
THE DREAM LAND Trilogy (2012-2013) is an epic of interdimensional intrigue and world domination by a pair of well-meaning nerds, marbled with twisted humor and steampunk pathos, a patina of psychological thriller, and the quirky conundrum of time and space.
Book I: Long Distance Voyager
Book II: Dreams of Future's Past
Book III: Diaspora
Customer reviews
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- Reviewed in the United States on April 1, 2017Format: KindleVerified PurchaseIndie author, Stephen Swartz’s recent novel is an ambitious project. I had the opportunity to be a beta reader and liked the book in its proto version very much. I’m just going to say at the outset—this is not your grandma’s epic fantasy.
As I said, I liked the early draft but enjoyed the book in its final form immensely. The world it is set in is barbaric and exotic. Corlan is a solid character, a great protagonist who is unlike most squeaky clean, modern heroes. In a purely human way, Corlan has faults and blind spots. But he attracts an odd assortment of people, wonderful characters who force him to see the world more realistically. In his travels, Corlan becomes a worthy hero, but never loses his human nature.
Swartz’s dragons are most definitely not the friendly sort of dragon Anne McCaffrey wrote about. It is Earth as we know it, but it is a future Earth radically altered by genetic tinkering. What the world was like before the genetic apocalypse is no longer even a part of their history. It is a place where dragons constantly fly overhead, snatching children and livestock, setting roofs on fire, depositing their waste everywhere. To combat such a menace, an elite corps of “gamekeepers” has evolved, and Corlan considers himself the best.
The society Corlan lives in is dangerous and the perils are not always obvious at first glance. Violence is a fundamental part of life. At the outset, Corlan is arrogant and full of himself. He is possessed of that raw self-centeredness that many of Roger Zelazny’s greatest protagonists embodied.
All of the traditional tropes of epic fantasy are present: the princess, the wizard, the kitchen boy, the warrior, the traitor, the thief—all the usual suspects are in place, but with Swartz’s unique twist. The various cultures, the wonderful creatures he rides and battles, all have roots in what is familiar, yet they are taken to an extreme, bringing a uniqueness to this tale.
Swartz’s prose is heavy with words in a "Roger Zelazny meets Tolkien" way, immediately establishing an atmosphere of barbaric splendor. Corlan’s purely human hubris, the unusual and mysterious settings, the people he meets who help him along the way—all these elements combine to make a story unlike any other.
Naka Wu is a wonderful character, as is Tam. Without them, Corlan would be just another dead failed hero. Corlan suffers from an over active libido, which he soon realizes is not in his best interests. In Corlan, the Hero's Journey is both a physical and a mental one, culminating in a complete spiritual death and rebirth.
I highly recommend this book to fans of epic tales and the Hero’s Journey.
- Reviewed in the United States on June 26, 2017Format: KindleAn epic journey of a dragonslayer on a mission to destroy all dragons. Death waits at every turn. Travelling companions meet their death, or severe injury, as the dragonslayer relentlessly pursues his mission. The journey comes to a surprise ending. The interlude chapters are important, but not in the way you would think.
- Reviewed in the United States on June 29, 2017Format: KindleI loved this fantasy novel!
The well written story is about a dragon slayer named Corlan who gets banished from his kingdom for daring to announce a plan to venture where dragons nest, to rid of the dangerous species. During his journey, he discovers new cities plus makes enemies and allies.
The book was filled with adventure, excitement, romance, humour, danger, battles, and original creations from the author's mind.
You will find new species of animals, magic, cities of man hating woman, cities where deformity is overly welcomed and sympathize, bird women, and of course dragons.
I loved how the book's intriguing side story brought everything together near the end.