City of Shards (Spellgiver)

Rated by Fantasy Book Review as one of the 30 "best self-published books we've read."

Listed in top 10 debuts for 2018 by Fantasy Book Critic

Drop whatever fantasy you're reading and pick up this book right now. And I know this is a long review, but hear me out. This is one of the best epic fantasy series in existence."... --NetgalleyReview (fromGoodreads)

In the heart of the Dragon Empire, the Wormpile district sits like an enormous festering pus boil on the backside of the capital. It is a neighborhood where gangs rule the streets, urchins assail each other with minor magic, and the people seethe under the sway of a monstrous god. There, a misfit outcast named Larin shouts a mysterious three-word phrase at random, magical tourette-like outbursts that have invited the fists of every thug in the district. But while Larin is protected from the worst carnage by his drug-addled uncle Akul—an uncommonly lethal warrior with a mysterious past—gangs are the least of his worries. Because now, priests of the Six-Legged Gods have begun creeping through the Wormpile’s narrow alleyways, using good deeds and cries for social justice to mask their terrifying agenda.

When Larin learns the meaning of his phrase, he finds that the Six-Legged Gods aren’t the only ancient malevolences alive in the Wormpile. The words he shouts mark him as servant to Haraf, Lord of Demons, a prehistoric creature permanently at war with the the Six-Legged Ones. Though that servitude brings burgeoning power, Larin’s newfound skills come at no small price. For the Demon Lord brooks no middle ground, no alternative between two impossible choices: serve him in all things, or submit to a far greater evil that will turn mankind’s soul to ash.

Thus begins a plunge into the icy waters of magic, betrayal, and redemption. A plunge in which we will meet a scaly six-limbed general, a comatose king, a black-souled high wizard, and a monstrous God from a vanished race. In that world, where magic waxes and wanes with the moon’s phases, where the creatures of the earth are split into the six-legged indigen and the four-legged ones we know, Larin quests against the backdrop of a mystery: Not who are the indigen, but who are we?


Listed in top 10 debuts for 2018 by Fantasy Book Critic

Rated by Fantasy Book Review as one of the 30 "best self-published books we've read."

Listed in Blue-Ink Review's "Best Books of 2018"

"A unique and exciting dark fantasy..." --Readers' Favorite (5 star)

"A dazzling and captivating introduction to a new fantasy adventure series." --Foreword Reviews

An exhilarating tale for fans of sword and sorcery, fantasy, and rich world-building." --Kirkus Reviews

"A fictional world that shines with a rare degree of immediacy and realism--even with its wizards, monsters and six-legged gods. Readers will savor the journey." --BlueInk Review

Recommended Reading in Booklist magazine, Sep 2018

Drop whatever fantasy you're reading and pick up this book right now. And I know this is a long review, but hear me out. This is one of the best epic fantasy series in existence."... --NetgalleyReview (fromGoodreads)

Rated by Fantasy Book Review as one of the 30 "best self-published books we've read."===========Listed in top 10 debuts for 2018 by Fantasy Book Critic===========Selected "Recommended Reading" by Booklist magazine, September 2018.===========Bronze star from Readers' Favorite book award contest.==========="Drop whatever fantasy you're reading and pick up this book right now. And I know this is a long review, but hear me out. This is one of the best epic fantasy series in existence."...--NetgalleyReview (from Goodreads)Review link: goodreads.com/book/show/38119693-city-of-shards ===========  "...City Of Shards is a perfect debut for those readers who love high fantasy and are looking for the next Brandon Sanderson. Steve Rodgers might very well be the next in line to his throne."--Fantasy Book Critic Link: fantasybookcritic.blogspot.com/2019/01/mihirs-top-reads-of-2018-by-mihir.html ===========                                                         "Although I have many more books I've committed to read and review before the end of this year, I decided to put all of those aside and immediately purchase and read the next book in the series. That is probably the best endorsement I can give City of Shards: it made throw away my reading schedule because I wanted to find out what happens next. And that is a rare feat indeed. 
--Fantasy Book Review
fantasybookreview.co.uk/Steve-Rodgers/City-of-Shards.html
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 "Rodgers creates an intricate world of fabulous creatures, diverse deities, colorful locales, and spectacular battles.His characters, whether human or Lidathi, are empathetic, realistic individuals. The author's writing style is spot-on for this fantastic tale,never straying into the type of heroic language that can often turn into a parody of itself. Rather, the prose is crisp and image-filled.... An exhilarating tale for fans of sword and sorcery, fantasy, and rich worldbuilding."  
--KirkusReviews  
Review link: kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/steve-rodgers/city-of-shards/
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"...Rodgers manages to weave a stunningly refreshing take on traditional genre tropes. Plot developments are highly unpredictable, and the story is admirably nuanced, with Larin forced to choose between allegiances that each carry dark consequences. With a sharp, incisive narrative style, Rodgers delivers a colorful cast of fully developed characters and believably flawed heroes... the author has created a fictional world that shines with a rare degree of immediacy and realism. Readers will savor the journey."
--Blue InkReview  
Review link: blueinkreview.com/book-reviews/city-of-shards/
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"City of Shards is an engaging and immersive story, mainly because its world building is so detailed...These characters come to life through crisp, action-filled prose....City of Shards is a dazzling and captivating introduction to a new fantasy adventure series. "
--Foreword Reviews  
Review link: forewordreviews.com/reviews/city-of-shards/
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"...City of Shards by Steve Rodgers is a unique and exciting dark fantasy...City of Shards starts slowly as Rodgers immerses the reader in the rich and unique world before pushing Larin towards an impossible choice between future slavery and human sacrifice under the six-legged gods, or annihilation at the hands of the demons. Rodgers removes any truly good outcome from the premise and the effect is amazing."
--Readers'Favorite
Review link: readersfavorite.com/book-review/city-of-shards ===========  "This is adult fantasy at its best."---Kevin Gerard, Author Diego's Dragon