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L. A. Hammer has a new series sample to offer ...

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Book One of the Heroes of Legend: The Archer, the Princess, and The Dragon King, by L. A. Hammer.

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This is a fantasy novel that blends Robin Hood, King Arthur, Cleopatra, all fighting Dracula, in a world growing out of research of Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung, and Joseph Campbell. Studying the Heroes Journey of Campbell's The Hero with a Thousand Faces on which I wrote my Master's thesis with this story as my creative exegesis.
This novel is the one that will lead to a warm welcoming by thousands of readers in my lifetime. I hope it is appreciated as a work of art, expressing human cultures, spiritual beliefs, archetypes and psychoanalysis, but most importantly, that it is a story that readers can enjoy stepping into. That it makes the reader feel comfortable, exhilarated, interested, and emotionally engaged in the story telling that is heartfelt.

Kind regards,
L. A. Hammer

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Praise from Kirkus Reviews.

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Three young heroes find themselves in a world descending into chaos in this high fantasy novella.

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The Dark Days have returned. Ten-year-old Matthew is an orphaned prince in exile, looked after by his tutor and wizard,
Eldarus, and his new pet dragon, Utredius. The boy’s ultimate goal is to take back his dead father’s kingdom from a
conquering emperor, but rumored happenings suggest that other, more imminent trials may be in store. A white wolf with
red eyes has been born, and a phoenix has appeared out of the desert. Even worse, the Vampire King who has slept since
time immemorial has reawakened to unleash a plague on the land. “All hope depends on you, Matthew,” Eldarus tells him.
“Not just to rule your people, but perhaps to also lead the battles that will eventually destroy the Vampire King.” It’s a lot for
a 10-year-old to handle. Matthew gets separated from Eldarus when the Vampire King sends a minion to kill the boy and
steal his dragon, but he soon finds himself in the company of a capable new friend, the Cloudwalker Sun Wukong, who
has mastered the ability to fly. Matthew isn’t the only young person whose life has been thrown into turmoil by recent
events. Eighteen-year-old Princess Cybele is the one who brought the phoenix into being by shooting fire from the palm of
her hand. Twelve-year-old Tristan comes from a clan renowned for its archers, and he is destined to be Cybele’s steward
and protector. The white wolf with red eyes happens to be his pet. Can these young protagonists and their animal
companions rise to the occasion to keep the world from being overrun by darkness? Just how the prophecies will unfold is
anyone’s guess.

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In this series opener, Hammer’s prose evokes the romantic diction and mythological complexity of the high fantasy genre,
sometimes to an eye-rolling extent: “If the prophecies are to be believed, the Snow Wolf will be born this night,” Tristan’s
father tells him. “Frostgale’s mate was the king of all sabre-wolves, and so the prophecies state that he shall sire the Snow
Wolf. You know the story, boy. Do I have to tell it again?” There isn’t much here that can be considered original thinking,
and some of it even comes across as a tad bit lazy. The Vampire King’s name? Drahkuhl. The emperor’s? Caesar. That
said, the author gets things started with an admirable economy. It’s a 93-page novella, and readers will meet most of the
major players by Page 6. It’s unclear how many more installments Hammer has planned—one suspects it’s quite a
few—but so far the pacing is brisk and the world, if not completely unique, is quite fun. Matthew and Eldarus travel on a
ship with a crew of pirate ghosts. Drahkuhl stalks ancient ruins and subsists on the blood of sheep. This story may not
prove to be a crossover hit like some of the books that inspired it, but readers who love the fantasy genre will find much
here to enjoy.

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A derivative but skillfully executed and engaging fantasy. -- Kirkus Reviews.