The Exciting Opening of the Acclaimed Trilogy – The Staff and the Sword Book 1: A Cast of Stones
The Fate of the Kingdom Awaits the Cast of Stones
In the backwater village of Callowford, roustabout Errol Stone is enlisted by a church messenger arriving with urgent missives for the hermit priest in the hills.
Eager for coin, Errol agrees to what he thinks will be an easy task, but soon finds himself hunted by deadly assassins. Forced to flee with the priest and a small band of travelers, Errol soon learns he’s joined a quest that could change the fate of his kingdom.
Protected for millennia by the heirs of the first king, the kingdom’s dynasty nears its end and the selection of the new king begins–but in secret and shadow.
As danger mounts, Errol must leave behind the stains and griefs of the past, learn to fight, and discover who is hunting him and his companions and how far they will go to stop the reading of the stones.
“Carr’s debut, the first in a series, is assured and up-tempo, with much to enjoy in characterization and description–not least the homely, life-as-lived details.” –Publishers Weekly
- Winner Carol Award for Speculative Fiction
- Finalist Christy Award for Speculative Fiction
- Finalist Christy Award for Debut Novel
- Winner Clive Staples Award
The Original Sketch for the map of The Staff and the Sword
Okay, this takes a bit of explanation. Back when I wrote A Cast of Stones, I really wanted a cool map to go with it inside the front cover of the book. The problem was, I was working full time as a math teacher, and I had no skills, no software, and no idea how to do that.
I sent the sketch to Bethany House to see if they had anybody on staff that could do some magic on this and make it look good. No luck there either. So the decision was made to run the books without the map, and it remains the biggest regret I have of that first series. Here is the original sketch. Someday, maybe, I will work up the real deal.
