The Trials of the Lion

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

Read volume oneon Kindle, Kindle Unlimited, or in paperback today!

BEHOLD THE COMING OF THE LION!Ulrem is an exile, cursed by destiny to wander a grim and deadly world. Reviled by some and held as a savior by many, he has been a thief, a soldier, a pirate, and a vanquisher of great evils. Some call him the Slayer. Others call him the Lionborn. And some... some see in his trials the grim portents that would end the age in fire and blood.

Filled with monsters, mysteries, and cutthroat action, these eight interconnected stories chart Ulrem's adventures as he seeks his destiny. This is heroic fantasy and sword and sorcery like you've never seen before!

Chapter Release Schedule:

Right now, I'm releasing chapters in short bursts as story arcs are created. This means that some time may pass between each arc, but it also means when the story is ready, you'll get the whole thing very quickly. Let me know if this works for you!

Information

Status: Hiatus
Year: 2021
Author: L.R. Knight

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 5.0/ 5.0
Followers: 88
Views: 20,502

Chapters(28 total)

Reviews

No reviews yet. Be the first to share your thoughts!

Community Reviews(10)

BullerRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
From what I've read, there has clearly been put some work into this stuff. Feels like a passion project more than anything from somebody new. You can quite clearly see that some- oh, wait, already said that one.
Anyway, I have nothing to point out as terrible. There might have been errors and all previously, but serious editing has made this a work without it. Pacing is good, grammar is perfect, and there is nothing to really be angry about. 5/5
History QuoterRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I am currently up to date on all of this author's content and have not been disappointed yet. If you are looking for action and adventure done in a new and exciting way then you have found the right book. Knight takes us on a journey through the viewpoint of Ulrem a brutal fighter. We watch as Ulrem learns more about a power that he has obtained. This book is full of interesting characters, difficult choices, and vibrant lands. Although the book is comprised of short stories they are all connected in developing Ulrem as the tough, honest, and fearless fighter; enhanced by the power that he gains. As the character develops we see him turn into a more composed and established version of himself. The stories are told in different styles, from supernatural to outright conquest there is never a dull moment. Knight's grasp of the English language is impressive and many of the scenes and characters jump off the page. His writing is beautifully crafted and creates a landscape that is detailed and varied. There seem to be great things in store for Ulrem and I am curious to see where Knight takes him.
I would recommend this book to people who enjoy Conan the Barbarian, sword and sorcery, and action adventure novels.
Honurb Sotham of LusiadRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
My first impression was beautifully simple. The product of a master that knows his craft.
Character / Story:
This is a fiction following the adventures of Ulrem, who could be described as a classical Hero meant for greatness, in pursue of new challenges to refine himself and satiate his desire to fight.
A trial is a short story showing a different moment of his life and also the world in which the story takes place. Despite each being 4 to 5 chapters long there is wordbuilding, and plenty of action. Every person that make an apperance seem to fit perfectly into the world and not being just an extra for the plot.
Grammar / Style:
This is the big jackpot (for lack of a better word).
From the very first chapter a clear understanding and precise mastery of english is shown through a natural and fluid story telling. The reason why "simple" came to mind after reading. It's the best written story on RoyalRoad.
Grammar and Style makes each short story feel like one novel on it's own.
Weird example: Like a sword master using basic moves, despite his movements being simple when he performes them they are much more.
I can´t make it justice with this review, check it out yourself.
A quick 5 stars for the cover art, it brought this gem to my attention and for some strange reason I really like it.
JMWebbRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I just have to say that I am very satisfied with the style. Excellent word choice everywhere, excellent dialogue, excellent setting.
It reminds of Matt Colville's writings a lot (which is a very good thing)
My only complaint is that I wish it was more. I would love to read a full novel in this author's style, I think the short form hurts the chances of popularity on this sight, and that's an eff-ing shame.
JaKovianRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I actually said out loud, "This is actually really fucking good."
The Trials of the Lion is separated into arcs. I'll be reviewing Shards of Iron since I was asked.
I also read the first chapter for comparison, and while there isn't a dramatic improvement in quality, it seems that the author's writing was on point from the start so it really didn't need much change.
The Shards of Iron story follows Ulrem, a barbarian fighter. Who in his bid to free captives is made a captive himself. He is brought to a pit, by so called 'shadows' where he is forced into the fight of his life. Can he survive? Well you find the rest out on your own.
Of what I have read.....this story is of publishable quality, hands down, no doubt about it. It is written with a style that shows experience, L.R Kight is no amateur, he has honed his craft to a tee and his storytelling is captivating. Every detail, every description is on point. There isn't a dull moment to speak of. There is plenty of action and intrigue to keep you on the edge of your seat.
The way this series is set up, and the way it is told reminds me a lot of the Witcher. I won't call Ulrem a Geralt of Riva-esque character, but I felt myself being reminded of him constantly throughout this. I'm not quite sure why.
The style is a treat for the senses, it's a reason why the story is so fluid. But the grammer is no slouch either. Very few errors. Emersion was not broken, in fact it was a seamless experience.
The story was also very simple and easy to follow making the reading experience pleasant.
All and all, I would say that this author is a rising star with a lot of potential on his hands. Publish a full set of book dammit!
Congrats you got a winner on your hands.
KrakensilverRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
The Trials of the Lion reads as a love letter to Robert E Howard, and Fritz Leiber. The stories themselves are classic sword and sorcery pulp, but written with a modern style of fantasy. Ulrem the Lionborn is a classic hero, similar to Conan the Barbarian or Fafhrd, and the short stories we read are similar to the magazine serials that those great hero's were written on. This is a must read for anyone who loves sword and sorcery, and I've found that it's much easier to digest then some of the classic Conan tales.
STYLE:
These stories are written in the classic pulp sword and sorcery style. If you're not familiar with this kind of style, the best way to describe it would be flowery prose about hard men. Fight scenes are brutal, and described in detail, but the focus is on the characters and how they act, and not on flashy moves or descriptions of viscera and gore. Overall, the language while sometimes archaic, fits the style of pulpy fantasy writers, but it's modernized to fit todays readers.
STORY:
I'm not going to talk about the individual short stories. They're all great, but I think this work shines because of how they're ordered and how they connect. The Trials of the Lion start with Ulrem having some experience, and as we follow him throughout his life, we can see how he grew and how he became the man we see in the first short story.
GRAMMAR:
Nothing to say here, the author has done multiple editing passes, and there's no spot in the story that poor grammar ruins the experience. Pretty much all of the stories are grammatically correct, and read like a professional novel.
CHARACTER:
Ulrem the Lionborn is our focus, and he's a wonderful focus. Honestly I don't have much to say here, characters and their motives are easy to understand, and Ulrem provides a nice grounding character who's reactions to others helps us understand what these other people want.
If your a fan of sword and sorcery novels, you would enjoy this one. I will definitely buy the full book if it
NatarajaRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Suite of short stories around the hero Ulrem. If you like action and want to try the mercenary slice of life style. This is for you.
- Style & Grammar
This is well written, no grammar, syntax nor style issues. It's written in a way that encourages action and fits the theme perfectly. The layout is good which makes the text pleasant to read. However, English is not my native language, so I may have missed some things...
- Story
We follow the life of a mercenary. It's full of action, adventures and encounters. There are also stories about magic and ghosts. The dialogues could be a bit shorter to keep the focus on the action. The fiction is divided into several distinct parts, which prevents a real red thread, a plot that would develop throughout the chapters. I like complex plots so I'm a bit disappointed about this point.
- Character
The characters are well developed, they have a culture, a past, a reputation that affects their current relationships. Their emotions don't have much place in the story but at the same time the genre is action based. The MC is obviously the best one and we can see him during different moment of his life, but the secondary characters are also very interesting!
SR FauthRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Ok, let me preface this by saying that I read up to the ... third short story I believe. Maybe the fourth. I don't know, I binged them and I beinged them HARD.
With that being said, let us begin:
STYLE SCORE 5/5: You. You have a style that grabs my attention like the 12 labors of Hercules and then shoves them down my throat to fatten me up for a cannibalistic ritual. And I consumed it willingly. Your world building is simply amazing. Your story arcs, time skips, backward travels, and settings are in my top 5 from Royal Road now. Sorry, you get another follower. Deal with it.
STORY SCORE 5/5: Your story is amazingly well written. You touch on all the finer points while leaving just enough left unexplained to make me want to read the next chapter. Honestly if I didn't love you so much for the level of detail and style you throw down we would be mortal enemies.
GRAMMAR SCORE 4.5/5: Some minor punctuation on dialogue scenes. But that's it man. I had to go back and nit pick on something to improve. So there. I said it. I nit pick. I also pick nits. So if your furry fellow needs a lice treatment come see me.
CHARACTER SCORE 6/5: I just ... I don't even know at this point. How you put your characters together so well, and make them flow, goes beyond any story board concepts. Honestly you must have been born with a pen in your hand. Seriously well done. Your characters have depth, feeling, and at the end of a story you just drop them for another scene. Hi Thogar the Mighty how is your ... and then there are dragons. Wonder what Jim had for breakfast yesterday?
Your scene changing and character development is phenomenal. I do it no justice here.
OVERALL SCORE 5/5: I wish I could give you a higher score. Truly I do. But no higher score exists in the land.
So be happy with a 5/5 you stingy bastard.
But keep writing. Seriosuly, this is amazing stuff and I am coming back for more.
Uncle_LyleRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Obviously, a very early review (reviewed at the second chapter) but this story already seemed like something from a big-time writer and was just too good to pass up doing a review on.
STYLE
Lots of excellent prose and imagery are used here. Maybe a bit too archaic or obscure in the word choice; though it doesn't seem like Knight just has a thesaurus open. However, that doesn’t happen too often, and those words actually lend themselves to the feel of an epic tale that the Knight seems to be going for.
STORY
Can’t put much here as the story is just getting started, but I already have guesses as to the future plot, and I suspect I will be wildly off. This tale itself is definitely a snapshot of a bigger story, so am hopeful that we will learn more of Ulrem both before and after this small arc comes to its conclusion.
GRAMMAR
Pretty much no problems with the grammar, though I am only one review. I may have devoured the writing too quickly to notice tiny tiny details, but again I think it's fine.
CHARACTER
The side characters have life and backstory, even though we don't actually follow them; so when we getting to the main character(s?) it makes you want to read more about them, their backstory, and how their arc will grow. Feels less like fleshing out characters, and more like getting an omniscient view into an established mythos.
5/5, will eagerly await more
WhimsicalDeityRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
The story is a particularly solid one, following our main character Ulrem the Slayer. Instead of the traditional chronological storyline, we're given multiple shorter pieces of his life which hop around. The first chapter, for example, takes place after the second.
Overall, it's well-done and enjoyable to read so far. More than that, it's done very competently, with a strong control over language.
Style:
I've rated all categories 5s, but this was likely the best of the lot. The vocabulary is likely the best I've seen on Royal Road thus far (and it feels natural, not like the author put the work through a thesaurus). Sentence structures vary cleanly, and the language flows nicely.
Grammar:
No notable mistakes (outside a few missplaced semicolons, but let they who have not misused a semicolon throw the first stone). Writing seems very well-edited, and even if you're a super-grammar stickler, you'll be able to read this happily.
Story:
Nice and refreshing. The pacing is done really well, as we get a little bit of worldbuilding and setup, and then our MC is introduced and flows into action quickly. The first "chapter" (of four parts) does a good job of whetting our appetite to see and learn more of the MC while also naturally introducing the world in a way that doesn't feel forced. As I left off, there were also signs that the second chapter would be potentially even more interesting than the first.
It's not the traditional storyline, as it jumps around and gets presented more like vignettes of a sort, but despite not having a central chronological plotline, there's a sense that the story will build up as we learn more of the MC.
Character:
A good solid character. The text is written in such a way that we see the world through his lens and his thoughts are conveyed well to us. He has notable qualities, items, and quirks, and he's very much the battle-tested warrior figure. We've met few other characters at this point in the book, but the other two of note, Kinro and Zor