Whetstones of the Will

Lords of Order and Chaos Series, Book III (Bloodlines Reforged Saga, Book VI)

By: R.J. Hanson

Narrated by: Terry F. Self

Dunewell, seeking the path that embodies both his oaths and his conscience, is pursued by honest and just men across the wilds of Stratvs. Moving as both predator and prey, he and Jonas track the legendary vampire Lord Slythorne. Will their uneasy alliance hold long enough to destroy the monster before it’s too late?

Slythorne has enthralled many, honest and devious alike. Can Dunewell evade his pursuers without spilling innocent blood? Wearing the mark of an outlaw, what other allies will the Lord of Order be forced to trust?

Silas, meanwhile, secures his position by way of treaties and pacts under the astute tutelage of the drow and his mistress, Lady Dru. Now understanding the threat Slythorne poses, will Silas manipulate Dunewell, wielding his brother’s devotion as a shield against this master vampire? Can there be reconciliation between Dunewell and Silas, or will their pride doom their fate and perhaps the fate of the world?

The Original Betrayer, the Warlock of the Marshes, walks the shores of Tarborat. What could bring the terrible and mighty Lynneare forth from his cursed fortress? The Warlord Verkial must betray someone, but who?

Join us for another tale of high adventure in the world of Stratvs, as the Bloodlines Reforged Saga continues in Whetstones of the Will.

©2020 Randy J. Hanson (P)2022 Randy J. Hanson

Baskerville Book Reviews

I’ll start this off by making my bias’ known. I’m (newly) a beta reader for this series, I’m an admin on the official FaceBook group and I run the official wiki for the series. While I may be biased in favor of this series, I will say I wouldn’t be if It wasn’t good. Go read my review of Christopher Paolini’s The Fork, The Witch, and the Worm for proof that I hold no series sacred. If you’re curious about why I like this series so much, keep reading.

This is one of those sequels that’s more of the same. If you liked the previous books, then you’ll like this one. It continues on, right where the last book left off.

This series, this saga as a whole scratches an itch that I’ve had for over a decade. I’ve been reading Christopher Paolini’s Inheritance Cycle over and over since 2008, but I’ve been interested in it since 2004. But after a decade of empty promises about book 5 and a lack of interesting or compelling stories set in the universe, it’s difficult to care anymore. Either it happens or it doesn’t, I’m over getting excited about the news (or lack of).

Oftentimes, I find fantasy writers end up creating worlds for their characters that are more interesting than the protagonist and their problems. They then proceed to ignore all of that potential in favor of releasing a few books centered around their protagonist or abandoning the world entirely.

In August 2021, I signed up for StoryOrigin and just requested everything that was under the genres I like. Among those books was the trilogy audiobook for Heirs of Vanity and Fires that Forge.

When I finished reading Fires that Forge and read the summary, I spotted Heirs of Vanity. I recognized it from my review copy list and was immediately hooked. Fires that Forge had its claws in me with an interesting story, lore, characters, world, etc, etc. And then I find out that there’s already another series set in the same world I could dive into. It was everything I’ve wanted in a fantasy series for more than a decade.

Heirs of Vanity was everything I loved about Fires that Forge and was 3 books in 1, so I didn’t have to wait for the sequels. One thing that made it slightly difficult to get into the audiobooks was the lack of context on the lore. I went looking for a wiki for the series, only to find nobody had made one yet. Being a wiki editor, I made it myself.

I was inspired primarily by the wikis for fantasy series I love. After spending countless hours reading articles for the Elder Scrolls, Dragon Age, Risen, Two Worlds, Witcher, etc. I wanted to be a wiki editor. Now I can funnel my passion for this series into the wiki

I joined the FaceBook group and created the wiki because I wanted to nerd out on the lore for this series. I wanted to see it documented properly and I hope the OBRS Wiki will make it easier for possible other fans to get into this series as well. So as I’ve said, while I may be biased, I think it’s because this series is worth it. It’s worth my time and passion because R.J. Hanson is clearly just as passionate about writing this series as the fans are reading it.

As always, Terry F. Self does an absolutely fantastic job of bringing life and personality to the characters of Stratvs. He really is one of the best damn narrators I’ve heard and I primarily review audiobooks. I’ve listened to narrators of all kinds.

NOTE: This copy was provided to me free of charge as a digital review copy. The opinions stated in this review are mine and mine alone, I was not paid or requested to give this book a certain rating, suggestion, or approval.

great book series

Great book easy to read. great to listen to. Highly recommended the series
I like the characters

Brother against brother!

This was book three of the series, but can be read as standalone.

As a new reader of the series, I thought the worldbuilding was well done. So many alliances and enemies that change as the story progresses — or do they really?

Plenty of twists and turns to keep the pages turning. Each one of the characters goes through a lot, so there are some drama and feels in addition to the action.

Terry F Self did a great job with the narration.

Excellent Fantasy

Book 3 in the "Bloodlines Reforged Saga" was excellent. The author put his characters through a lot of trials and tribulations and then he added more twists and turns to the plot. This story was amazing, and I couldn't stop listening to the audiobook as I had to know what would happen next. I am looking forward to the next book in the series. I recommend it to others who enjoy this genre. Terry F Self's narration was stellar, and he kept my attention throughout the book. I was given a free copy of the audiobook and I have voluntarily left this review.