Ahoy matey, (what have I become?)

The 'Chronicles of the Dawnblade' series is returning for it's third instalment June 2023.

This novel continues the series usual blend of epic fantasy adventure and humour...but this time it's at sea.

And of course I include everything you'd expect from a nautical adventure. We have pillaging pirates, mighty ships, fantastic islands, terrible sea monsters and a faun (spoiler warning: not a very nice one).

Sounds horrible doesn't it? At least Nicolas won't have to go through it alone as all of his companions return as well as some intriguing new ones!

I cannot wait to share this book with everyone!

Keep adventuring,

Andrew4 s Beba Andric1,051 52

Nicolas is hands down the most reluctant hero I've ever come across, he keeps getting himself into situations where he saves or helps when all he really wants is to go home to a quiet existence, to be as boring as possible. Well, news flash Nicolas, you ain't seen nothing yet! He's the quintessential fearful coward, adventuring is his worst nightmare, he would avoid it at all costs, if he could, that is. Unfortunately, it appears fate has thrust him to the fore, his bumbling has made him a very unly, reluctant and extremely unwilling hero. His quest to deliver a simple message has certainly gone awry in the most spectacular way!

So, Shift is a Shifter, Garaz is an orc, Auron is a spirit and Silva an assassin who's deemed Nicolas her role model, yeah that's a good idea Silva! Anyhoo, these are Nicolas's friends, more a "gathering" of people I suppose, and a spirit lest we forget, who are thrust together time and again. I love their distinct personalities, you couldn't get a more diverse bunch if you went looking for them! The humour is so easy, almost slapstick style in it's delivery, that I was snorting and hooting throughout. I mentioned that all Nicolas wants is to go home but he's ended up on an island nowhere near his home! Thankfully he's not alone, I say thankfully because they encounter zombies, zombies that don't know how to die, but having his friends with him, you betcha the bumbling shenanigans abound again. In the most entertaining way, in the most humourous way and sometimes, yeah, in the goriest of ways.

Just when they're finally rescued, by a dashing captain no less, Nicolas is convinced he'll finally go home, but he's fated to another adventure, much to Nicolas's horror. So what he do? Why, he goes along with it, reluctantly, and ends up saving a princess and a whole bunch of kids, averting a war, you know, the usual..... Ok, to be fair, not Nicolas per say, but his hero status clings to him a shoe does to dung, no matter how much he tries to shake it off, it stubbornly refuses to dislodge, so we'll take it as the win it was. I got a quiet chuckle when Nicolas felt a few niggles of, well excitement! Much to his disbelief of course, so logically, he actually started thinking he was possessed. It's a hoot seeing Nicolas growing a pair...umm...a backbone. Being confronted by vampires, harpies, sirens, krakens, these being just a few, in his travels, well, they would either break him or make him. So our extremely reluctant hero becomes a true hero, how could I do anything other than swell with pride! Just loved seeing the evolution of Nicolas, scaredy cat Nicolas is a thing for the history books! And the best part? He's lost none of his naive charm with his newfound confidence.

This isn't a tale all about Nicolas's cowardice or reluctance, it's a wonderfully woven fabric of daring and bravado, even when it appears to be lacking; a tale of rescue, of overcoming obstacles and challenges that would certainly raise the hair on my head, of beautiful, albeit unusual friendship and a sense of camaraderie none other. An entertaining read you will be hard pressed to put down, all the while having giggles escape you, being thrust into an inspiring almost intoxicating read, leaving one wondering, WILL Nicolas ever get home? But the cherry on the top was the epilogue, I was NOT expecting that! A perfect set up for an even greater adventure to come!
1 Sara G.Author 1 book

My top note on this review: Our main character Nicolas grows in this book. Which is really nice to see.

There are zombies in this one. (I hate zombies. Something about the walking embodiment of death inexorably coming for you, scratching at your door, waiting, waiting, waiting... it gives me nightmares.) Luckily, there are only a few zombies in the very beginning, with the threat of more in future books. D:

Thankfully (for me!) most of this book focuses on pirates and a pied piper fawn villain. The adventure scenes are really well done, with psychological drama driving them, which I always appreciate.

Gonna be honest, the central crux of this one made me wince a little. It's a very long workup to a cringe-worthy punchline. Throughout the novel, it dances on the edge of being thoughtful social commentary, but does not quite pull it off, in my opinion.

But during this build up, Claydon writes some excellent fun with jealousy and sea monsters. I very much enjoyed the growth of side characters Shift and Silva.

Overall, Claydon may not yet be a Terry Pratchett, but he is definitely a multi-legged box of sapient pear-wood determined to catch up. (Please read this as a complement! :)

***I purchased this book through his Kickstarter campaign.***funny humorous light1 Emma45 3

I received a digital advanced reader copy of this book from the author for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I have read the previous two books in Andrew Claydon's Chronicles of the Dawnblade series and absolutely loved them. So I was extremely excited to read The Odd Sea and it did not disappoint at all. I think this may be my favorite book of the series so far.

This was a fun pirate adventure with all of the gang from the first two books, along with many unique and wacky new characters to enjoy. While this book still remains a humorous fantasy adventure, there are many serious moments throughout the book as well that add so much depth to the story.

It's been so much fun to see Nicolas get dragged on all these adventures and to see his growth throughout all of the books so far. He may even be starting to enjoy his adventures, though as always he is reluctant to admit it.

I highly recommend The Odd Sea, and the previous two books (The Simple Delivery and Strange Companions), to those who love a good fantasy adventure with lots of humor and great characters.1 Leigh W139 1 follower

Another great story of the reluctant hero as he starts to accept that maybe he can be the hero. One thing I really enjoy is that Nicholas doesn't instantly become the hero, that he does change and evolve but doesn't magically know how to use the sword without training and is awkward. It was something I always enjoyed about the series. The jokes amongst the group had me laughing cause it just felt real, things I would say to my friends or coworkers. The easter egg jokes were also great when I caught them and I found myself laughing out loud several times while reading this. This series also gives great secondhand embarassment which is not a common thing for me to find and I am all for it. The story picks up where the last one left off and the adventures that the group gets dragged into just keep coming. I don't want to spoil things but I will say that their adventures at sea, the pirates they meet, and the dark things they deal with all make a great story. I definitely need the next installment.1 Elisa MenzAuthor 2 books38

I've never been particularly interested in the sea.
Except when there are pirates, merpeople, sirens, treasure, and thrilling battles where people dodge cannon balls, swords, and other people swinging from ropes! (if you expected nautical jargon from me, you'll be mighty disappointed).
If you're a fan of seafaring fantasy you must read The Odd Sea, but only after surviving the first two books of the Chronicles of the Dawnblade. Adventure does not stop for Nicolas, but at least now he's getting the hang of it.
Our favorite reluctant hero is becoming less reluctant about this heroing business. He's learning how to defend himself, how to use his sword, how to outsmart dangerous foes, and all of this while accepting he has the strength to become a source of hope for those in need.
After a dangerous season at sea, the team is on the road to their most daring adventure so far, and Nicolas has a newfound peace that will help him push through the... the... Oh, no.
Oh, please... no.
We're doomed...1 Vancil C. Thomas63

The Odd Sea (book 3 of The Dawn Blade)
I received a digital advanced reader copy of this book from the author for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Having read the previous two books in Andrew Claydon's Chronicles of the Dawnblade series (The Simple Delivery and Strange Companions), be aware that there will be possible spoilers!

Nicolas comes to his senses and finds himself alone on an island, having no idea where said island is located or why he was sent here. Luckily though, the other members of his team of adventurers arrive and the fun begins! True to his seemingly natural ability to find trouble, (or trouble to find him!) Nicolas provides a lot of humorous action filled scenes, lots of surprisingly good advice to others, and several equally surprising very serious moments with his friends.

Nicolas does admit that he is beginning to enjoy this adventuring thing; he even asks his friends for help with his fighting and survival skills. Nicolas begins to take his new purpose in life quite a bit more seriously - helping the helpless, ridding the world of ruthless evil people/creatures, and learning to believe In himself.

Andrew Claydon has written a great story with amazing characters, a very creative world in which these stories take place, and more than enough humorous scenes that would make Laugh In, Saturday Night Live and Steve Martin envious!!!

Do you love a great fantasy adventure? Then I highly recommend this marvelous series which continues to capture my total attention with every new book that he releases! Yes!!! There will be more awesome stories to come!This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.Show full review Arista HolmesAuthor 2 books11

The Odd Sea is the third instalment in the "Chronicles of the Dawnblade" series by Andrew Claydon, and I have enjoyed watching the progression of this series as it continues to grow.

And The Odd Sea doesn't disappoint! With desert islands, shipwrecks, pirates, merfolk, giant sea turtles, and more undead than you can shake a pointy stick at, it's a wonder that Andrew Claydon can still find space within the pages for his witty brand of humour.

Having said that, Book Three feels a strong, pivotal, turning point in the narrative arc, which puts its tone a little more serious than the previous instalments in the series.

There are a couple of instances early in the book, around the first third, that caused me such strong second-hand embarrassment for our main character, Nick, that I almost had to walk away, and found myself genuinely worrying that I might be forced to leave a low-star review.

But those moments of levity were needed, because the enemies in this book were darker, gritter, and brought dear Nick closer to his limits than ever before.

Despite my early reservations, Claydon managed to balance the tone of this volume with skill and aplomb, and by the final pages, I am once more left on the edge of my seat, eagerly awaiting the next instalment with not-so-subtle grabby hands!

I received a free copy of this book from the author and am voluntarily leaving a review.1 Jan FosterAuthor 9 books35

Once again, Claydon has brought us a tale of woe, strife and outrageous laughter! Having read the rest in this fantastic series, I was delighted to be selected as an advance reader and Odd Sea didn't disappoint. The author's skill lies in placing his troop of characters in completely unforgiving situations, with odds stacked against them, and somehow, by the skin of their teeth, a liberal application of sass and sometimes, sheer, dumb luck, they survive to complete the task. It's easy to get lost in the narrative and just hang on for the ride.
As usual, poor reluctant Nick find himself stranded on an idyllic desert island, luckily with all his mates. After finding a stranded pirate ship the mystery starts to be revealed, but, of course, there's zombies attacking! And that's just the start of this twisty-turning adventure. The rest of the tale unfolds at a rapid pace which will keep you turning the pages as you giggle along to an epic conclusion.
I highly recommend The Odd Sea; it's not necessary to have read the rest of the series but you will want to after reading this! Reading the series is a bit joining up with a bunch of your mates for what promises to be a fun night out, then realising you don't want to leave them when peril strikes, in fact, you can't leave them because you want to make sure they are alright in the end.fantasy2 s Debbie Eyre4,904 98

I have very much enjoyed this series so far! It’s has some incredible world building, descriptive and detailed so much so that you feel as though you are actually there with these fantastic gang going with them on their adventures. Nicolas Percival Carnegie is the most reluctant hero that I have ever met in a fantasy adventure and from book one all he has wanted is to be home in his little village. Instead he has had adventures no other and saved the day more times than he can count and now in this third book he finds himself taking on pirates, saving a princess and stopping a war! He and the other characters have grown so much in these stories and it has been an amazing journey filled with all kinds of beings from pirates to merfolk to giant sea turtles and the undead and although a little darker then the previous books there is still humour and joviality. It’s an incredible read and an amazing addition to an amazing fantasy series that started with the delivery of a message. Gemma ClatworthyAuthor 20 books46

I am giving this book 5 stars because I loved it! We're back with Nicholas as he copes with being abandoned on a desert island, rescued by pirates and ends up in the middle of a war. He remains a reluctant hero and Nicholas' character growth and the banter with his friends / crew is so realistic I love it. There were some darker times compared to the previous books but a lot of times when I laughed out loud at the jokes. I strongly recommend this series. If you reluctant heroes, action and character growth spattered with humour, you will enjoy this book.

Spoiler:
I do have to say that I am still waiting for the shark tale - taps fingers impatiently - come on Claydon, I neeeeeeeed to know!1 Lorenza3

Thoroughly enjoyed this book. This is the third in this fantasy series - Chronicles of The Dawnblade. It follows Nicholas, a local, common man who just wants to be at home with his creature comforts and helping out in his parents' bakery, who is thrust once again on an adventure he didn't ask for with a group of unly companions due to a crazy Deity. He is stuck on an island with no way of escape and getting sand in places he'd rather not mention.

This book had me laughing out loud and even emotional at times. The story of poor Nicholas is just getting started and I cannot wait for the next installment. His abilities are evolving and there's still so much more to give.

I highly recommend this book, as well as the first 2 and prequel in this series.

Keep Adventuring!adventure fantasy sea-adventure ...more1 Becky JamesAuthor 13 books201

Another fantastic adventure by Claydon. Found family at it's finest, with the reluctant hero Nicholas Carnegie (NOT Carnage, hopefully that name won't stick in infamy).

Nicholas thought he was on his way home at last when he and the gang wind up on a desert island. Cue dashing pirates (more than a nod to the Dread Pirate Roberts) and hi-jinks galore!

Definitely pick this up if you fancy a defiantly different squad, who in true British fashion rib each other all the time but would also die for their friends (unless they are already dead. Looking at you, Auron.)1 Paul Birch6

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