Book Review: Sword Scroll Stone by Scott Michael Decker

Title: Sword Scroll Stone
Author: Scott Michael Decker
Publication Date: Feb 17, 2016

I received a copy from the publisher Creativia for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion in any way.

Goodreads Summary:

One by one, three ancient and heavily-guarded talismans disappear.
Columba Riverford has just been inducted into the Hall of Swords. But during his swearing-in ceremony, a sacred sword known as Genesyx is stolen and Columbia is accused of its theft. Elsewhere in the realm, Aridisia Myric is about to be granted membership to the Crypt of Scrolls when the One Scroll Canodex vanishes. Soon after, the One Stone Luxullian disappears and Baron Marl Gneiss is denied induction into the Vault of Stones.
Banished, all three embark on a quest to recover the sacred artefacts and restore their good names. Yet unbeknownst to all, an ancient Necromancer seeks to destroy the Order of Magic and claim the talismans as his own.
Scott Michael Decker once again crafts an imaginative and captivating world in Sword Scroll Stone, an epic fantasy adventure.

An epic fantasy complete with a quest for three magical objects and adventure, Sword Scroll Stone was an enjoyable and at times captivating read once I got past the old English language derivative used in the dialogues.

We follow three characters, Columba. Aridisia and Baron Marl, each accused of theft of one of the magical talismans. They need to find and return the items if they value their lives. Doing so will lead each on their own adventures and they will encounter others who love to get their hands on the items too. They must also figure out who has stolen these very hard to steal talismans and for what purpose.

The plot is intricate and well-paced and the characters are well-rounded and likable. There are action-scenes, intrigue and mystery which draws the reader in and keeps the reader engaged and interested. The world-building is adequate, the dialogue flows realistically and the magical elements are creative and unique. I especially found the way the scroll could be used really cool.

Sword Scroll Stone is a must-read for fantasy fans who loves a story centered around a quest for magical items, liberally interspersed with splashes of intrigue, mystery , magic and adventure.

About The Author

Scott Michael Decker, MSW, is an author by avocation and a social worker by trade. He is the author of twenty-plus novels in the Science Fiction and Fantasy genres, dabbling among the sub-genres of space opera, biopunk, spy-fi, and sword and sorcery. His biggest fantasy is wishing he were published. His fifteen years of experience working with high-risk populations is relieved only by his incisive humor. Formerly interested in engineering, he’s now tilting at the windmills he once aspired to build. Asked about the MSW after his name, the author is adamant it stands for Masters in Social Work, and not “Municipal Solid Waste,” which he spreads pretty thick as well. His favorite quote goes, “Scott is a social work novelist, who never had time for a life” (apologies to Billy Joel). He lives and dreams happily with his wife near Sacramento, California.

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