Spellblade, Book Two follows all new characters in the territories of Az’Dayne and Goldgarden, in a parallel story happening simultaneously to the characters of Kingfall, Book One. Prepare for the actions of one character to greatly affect the fate of another halfway across the realm.
The youngest daughter of Khomo’Jhuvonus, aliased as Scarless, has forgone any duties aligned with her father’s brutal machinations in the north. She navigates through her own political complications, having elevated to become the guild queen of the Stormtrees, the Goldgarden city-nation’s most notorious crime syndicate.
All the while, Symbelle, a mentally conflicted introvert with a volatile split personality, is inadvertently injected into the Oathemic Cabal. With her unique abilities from being born a hyperi, she is schemed to reunite with her long-lost past to infiltrate the Stormtrees guild as a double agent to eliminate several high-profile targets, including Scarless.
In the southern Az’Dayne Dominadom, the disgraced house of lon’Chandoss, once held in the country’s highest esteem as a bloodline of famous spellblades, comes under its own issues arising among its newest generation when the triplet sisters have all just come of age.
Valaythea has managed to captivate the attention of Izayus, the prince of Az’Dayne himself. Adyssaira, born with the potential to become a mage, is having difficulty hiding her plight in a nation that harshly condemns such prodigies. And Odysserae, both mute and near-deaf, estranged and shunned, is not without dark secrets of her own. Finally, Athaniel, the eldest, is an assassin caught amidst a great conflict of interest between protecting his family and aspired legacy, or following his organization’s unbending demands.
Lastly, Sundorion, the cosmopolitan elvan explorer seeking out his missing brother at the Chandoss estates has his life put in jeopardy when he begins to dig too deep into what mysteries lie beneath the corrupt house of power.
Ezekiel Eversand was born in Southeast Texas, where he again resides in the Houston area after the global pandemic fatefully brought him back home from his exploits in Las Vegas, where he first published Kingfall, Book One of the Neverborne Series. He is happily married to his beautiful wife, Stephanie, his biggest supporter and best friend. Telling stories and creating worlds has been a prime interest of his since he was a child, always being an avid lover of the fantasy and science fiction genres. Telling the saga of the Neverborne Series and sharing the world of Penthara are his greatest passions in life.
Ezekiel has stopped by to talk about his captivating series and share a few insights into Spellblade, Book Two of the Neverborne series.
Do you have a preferred POV that you write from and why? Hmmm, good question … I can’t say a preferred POV overall, but I will say I LOVE my chapters with my particular characters that are known to be witty or comedic in their dialogue. Anything with that clever banter from Smiles, Westwalker, and Kyson from Kingfall or Xalo from Spellblade are my favorites to write.
Do your characters dictate what or how your write in any way? Absolutely. From the type of music I listen to for the theme, to my mindset, preparing myself to a level of method-acting almost, before transitioning into them. For example, shifting from Ebrielle (a naïve, fanciful teenage girl with a harsh aristocratic background) to Honorah (her mother, a decrepit soul of unbending prejudice and malice) and then back to the Westwalker (a hundred year old transformed human on a lifequest in a land half-a-world away from his own) is quite a feat to try to accomplish that often takes me more than a day to pull off. In Book 2, Spellblade, writing the POV of Symbelle, who suffers from her split personality when she becomes tormented by Fyheir (her more chaotic-evil persona) is fun but challenging as well.
Are you a painstaking plotter or are you a discovery writer? Painstaking plotter all the way. Before writing the first words to a book, I have all of my chapters written in synopsis form for the entire book. Before even beginning to write Book 3, I have to have all of the chapter summaries of Book 4 completed as well, because of how much each character’s POVs affect the fates of another. I find the biggest flaw fans find in their favorite TV series are that the creators seem to know how to write a perfectly catching 1st and 2nd season but lose their way the further they delve in. I refuse to fall into that category with my series.
Although it’s often hard to select just one, do you have a favourite or least favourite character? I think as a general rule, we as authors, try not to play favorites, but alas that is not always an easy endeavor. I will give two characters who I lean toward on favorites, but cannot really give a “least favorite”. For my most favored in book 1 Kingfall, he is not a POV, but by far not a side character. It would have to be “Smiles” (no spoilers on his real name). I actually came up with the concept of him when I was 17 years of age, 25 years ago. For book 2 Spellblade, I would have to say Symbelle, not only because her character concept was also around 2 decades old in maturing through my mind, but that I just enjoy the complexities of the villain dilemma that both “Smiles” and Symbelle face, one being more of a savage savior, and the other being an utterly tormented entity, controlled as a volatile tool by her powerful parents.
What sets them apart from the others? For book 1, Kingfall, “Smiles” … I will have to say its his overall cunning, several steps ahead of everyone else at all times, and the fact that he is more aware of the conspiracies going on than my POV characters. He has a charismatic wit about him that is likeable, and he is entirely brutally savage, but he doesn’t fit into the category of an actual villain once you peel the layers, as you gradually discover what his ultimate goals are. For book 2, Spellblade, speaking of Symbelle … It’s the relationship between her and her split personality, Fyheir, she is cursed with, and the position she finds herself abused in as a pawn of her mage parents. Symbelle is a hyper intelligent, introverted, tormented genius in the alchemical and pyrotechnic arts while her alter entity, Fyheir, that haunts her inner monologue is a confidently cocky, sinisterly evil, sensually sexy opposite version of Symbelle. My hope is for the reader to grow sympathetic to Symbelle’s dilemma she faces internally and externally as she falls deeper down the dark path of transitioning into the inevitable “bad guy”.
What’s your number one tip for an aspiring Author? Assuming we are setting aside the technical and business topics, and strictly speaking to fiction authors … My number one tip would be to LET THE STORY CREATE THE WORLD, DO NOT LET THE WORLD CREATE THE STORY. This is a quote I made that I follow, translating to something like this: Know your world you created, know the rules within it, and abide by them once you publish your first novel, BUT do not corner yourself into being trapped within the confines of the creation you made. This is your world. This is fiction. It can bend and shape with your imagination. Do not be afraid to conjure up concepts to make your story flow how you wish, so long as it adheres to your sense of realism and does not overly cloak your characters with plot armor for the sake of convenience.
What is the hardest part of editing- grammar checks, reducing content, or something else? I find that when working with my 3 professional editors (structural editor, copy editor, final proofreader) it is always the structural editing process that makes me the most nervous. When I do my own writing/edits it goes something like “write over wine at night, edit sober over coffee in the morning” routine! But when it comes to my structural editor challenging me for how I delivered “this” or when I should have delivered “that”, or perhaps where I delivered too much or not enough, those are the hard pills to swallow on if I should explain my “whys” or take his advice. My most difficult part in my writing is when, and how much, to introduce my new concepts to my reader without overwhelming them, and taking from the flow of the story and characters.
Is there any conflict between what you want to write and what you think your readers will like? Yes, to some degree. I also am constantly torn between making my story completely for the hardcore advanced fantasy fan, versus being able to be understood and enjoyed by those newer, or altogether foreign, to fantasy stories (props to the author of A Song of Ice and Fire Series, and the show creators of Game of Thrones, who have pulled exactly this off, which I greatly admire and aspire to).
What’s exciting you about your next project? Book 3 (of the 10), Greyfire, has ALWAYS been my most anticipated book of the entire series for me to write. The finale for each POV is just off the charts full of edge of seat thrills that make Kingfall and Spellblade seem like child’s play in comparison to the intensity. Another awesome thing about it is (*SPOILER WARNING*) that some of your favorite characters from Spellblade will be making an appearance in the POV chapters of Greyfire, as both stories merge with each other’s characters. So yes, when you read Book 4, Sol-War, you will get to see some of the same scenes (even death scenes of major characters) from a different perspective, making it exciting to relive.
Do you have a Mantra- a Quote you try to live by? “Some men see things as they are and ask ‘why?’ I dream things that never were, and say ‘why not?’” – George Bernard Shaw
My 5-Star Review of Kingfall, Book One of the Neverborne Series
There are fantasy writers; there are Epic Fantasy writers, and then there are the stellar few, like Tolkien and Steven Erikson, who build an entire universe in spectacular detail just to share a side story that has little or nothing whatsoever to do with the main story, but you cannot imagine reading the story and not knowing the side story because of the skill with which it’s relayed. Mr. Eversand’s spectacular tale is right up there in the stratosphere of extraordinary storytelling alongside such masters.
Character development in this sweeping saga is remarkable and the dialog between characters scores off the charts as well. Smiles and Norah quip and banter with the best of ’em, leading me to re-read again and again just for the sheer enjoyment of it. There are heroes to love and villains to despise, and some very intriguing sorts that you love to despise and despise that you love!
But this story has much more than amazing characters and dialog worthy of Henry Cavil or Robert Downey Jr., oh yes! Page one sends you careening into the tale through riveting action scenes that allow you to finally draw breath around Chapter Five! I Could Not Put This Book Down! There are 449 pages and each one is a sumptuous delight; a nerve-wracking edge-of-your-seat thrill; and a delicious temptation that keeps you turning pages, faster and faster and faster!
Now, don’t let me spoil it for you, but be prepared. Prepared to be awed, swept up and away, and unable to extricate yourself from the mastery of fantasy Mr. Eversand flawlessly displays chapter after intoxicating chapter. But draw breath. Step back and admire…and give yourself plenty of time to devour the last 1/4 of the book because I assure you the story will latch on and not let go.
If you want a true fantasy epic, something you can not only sink your teeth into, but utterly immerse yourself in and become entirely entangled, Kingfall is waiting for you.
Revel in the detail of Ezekiel’s realm by exploring the maps he personally created for the saga.
Find Ezekiel in these places:
Instagram: @author_ezekieleversand
I’d like to thank Ezekiel for sharing his valuable time with BooknVolume and wish him all the very best success with his spectacular series. I’m preparing to read book two of the saga and will be sharing my review in the weeks to come!
~Morgan~
Word Mongery and Musings 