Richard S. Tuttle

Ages ago the continent was invaded by massive armies intent on creating a new home for themselves. The peaceful indigenous peoples fled before the marauding hordes and hid defiantly in the mountain peaks awaiting a signal from god. They learned the arts of magic and warfare as they hid from the intruders, who divided the land amongst themselves and set up a civilization where the many toil and slave for the elite few.

The Forgotten Legacy series begins with Young Lord of Khadora as Marak, a young soldier in the service of one of the clans of Khadora is chosen as a sacrifice for the benefit of his lord. Marak is sent on a fool’s mission to defeat one of the small bands of indigenous people known as the Chula, a race of dreaded cat-people.

Marak, however, is not your normal clan soldier. His mother is a mage slave to the clan lord and his father is unknown, presumed dead. What makes Marak different though, is his abhorrence for Khadoran culture, a society that feeds on the helpless and victimizes all but the most wealthy and powerful. Refusing to accept his given role in life, Marak sets out to change the very fabric of society.

The young soldier has a brilliant military mind and warrior skills that so far have not been bested, but his real weapons are the resources that Khadoran society discards. In Khadora mages are typically slaves who tend the fields, often thought of as little more than farm implements. The average Khadoran soldier is taught to follow orders and not think. The workers on the clan estates are treated barely better than the slaves.

Marak intends to use a secret weapon to not only accomplish the futile mission he is sent on, but to start a reform of the entire society. His weapon is compassion and it is an emotion that has long been dead in Khadora.

It is a fine edge that Marak must walk to stay alive. While not knowing how a populace will react to his endeavors, Marak has little doubt what the reactions of the clan lords will be. Marak will have to defend himself against rival clan lords fearful of his efforts, the dreaded cat-people who hate all Khadorans, and even his own clan to whom he owes his very life and allegiance.

Volume 1 of Forgotten Legacy series

Patricia Spork - eBook Reviews Weekly

Richard S. Tuttle expertly delivers a fast-paced fantasy tale in Book One of Forgotten Legacy. Young Lord of Khadora is filled with exceptional dialogue, exciting action, intriguing suspense, and clever and conniving characters that seem all too real. Tuttle definitely has a gift for fantasy writing. I look forward to reading the second book in this series. I highly recommend Young Lord of Khadora as an ideal fantasy read.

Molly Martin, Molly's Reviews

Writer Tuttle has a fine start on a fantasy series based on another world filled with well developed situations, people, locations and mores. The Young Lord of Khadora is a fast paced action filled work that reaches out to grab the reader from the opening scenes when we begin to understand what this strange and often time dangerous world the land of the Khadorans is all about. Tuttle's main character is a likeable young man torn between his duty as military squad leader and his love for the only parent he has known.

The Young Lord of Khadora is filled with gritty scenes and gritty dialogue sure to keep the reader on the edge of the seat. Marak faces not only the unfairness of having to pretend his mother is not right before him most of the time, but his commanding officer wants to cause Marak a problem that will lead to the youngster becoming a slave as is his mother. The reader is drawn right into the turmoil by Tuttle's clever use of language. Before long the reader is cheering as Marak begins to see his life improving a little.

The Young Lord of Khadora is a must read for those who enjoy 'other world' and fantastical characters presented in a plausible manner by a skilful weaver of tales.

Darryl Kenning, science fiction editor of Reading for Pleasure