Held captive by a mad cult, violence and chaos all around him, young Tolen is faced with a choice: to become a murderer, or to die a victim. When the ultimatum comes, will he be the one holding the sword, or the one at the end of it? Tolen must make the fatal choice: to join them in their rites of death, or become just another corpse. In the dark depths of a monastery catacomb, he will be forever changed, thrust into a world of violence, fanaticism and insanity. Yet in the brutal contests of the war-cult, Tolen will discover the truth of who he is. His own monstrous destiny forced upon him, the young man becomes the dark champion of those he should hate with all of his heart. As Tolen is led deeper into what the cult leaders claim is his destiny—his very birthright—he will be forced to come to terms with dark aspects of his true self that may shake both his sanity and the world around him.
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By Damian Oleksiuk
Jan 12, 2010
Writers who take the road less traveled are the writers we all talk about. Mark's one of those writers. He really pushes the reader's ability to handle darkness. His writing also suggests some interesting views on society's struggle between spending time on one's personal goals versus spending time building relationships. Many can relate to Tolen's struggles. It's also a fun read. The battle scenes have just the right amount of description. Some books don't paint a picture. Some books repeat too many details, boring the reader. "From a Stronger Steel" is neither of these. One of my favorite lines in the book is when he describes the howl of a sword, calling the sword "just as much an instrument of music as of murder." Pick it up if you're looking for a dark fantasy. If you prefer something fluffy, you've come to the wrong place.
This is an immature attempt at writing a book. It is full of violence, hate, recurring page after page. I am not sure who it is written for, perhaps dungeon and dragon youths, however the violence and senseless deaths of children against children doesn't make sense even for that crowd. There are many grammatical mistakes as well as logical ones trying to make a story. The character Tolen, a devil child, is the main character, confused as what life is, and focused only on killing. The author I think has the capability of writing, he only however needs a good story. This one is totally trash and not fit for reading unless you love to kill. If it ever gets paper published it will be a sad day.
Very interesting read. The writer has created a main character (Tolen) that I wanted to learn more about and see if I could figure this character out, as to why he acted in this manner.
