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Jeffrey Speight

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Paladin Unbound (An Archives of Evelium Tale Book 1) Kindle Edition

by Jeffrey Speight (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

4.3 57 ratings

Book 1 of 2: An Archives of Evelium Tale

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The last of a dying breed, a holy warrior must rise up against a growing darkness in Evelium.The most unlikely of heroes, a lowly itinerant mercenary, Umhra the Peacebreaker is shunned by society for his mongrel half-Orc blood. Desperate to find work for himself and his band of fighters, Umhra agrees to help solve a rash of mysterious disappearances, but uncovers a larger, more insidious plot to overthrow the natural order of Evelium in the process. As Umhra journeys into the depths of Telsidor’s Keep to search for the missing people, he confronts an ancient evil and, after suffering a great loss, turns to the god he disavowed for help. Compelled to save the kingdom he loves, can he defeat the enemy while protecting his true identity, or must he risk everything?PRAISE FOR PALADIN UNBOUND“In Paladin Unbound, Jeffrey Speight summons a new and fully-realized fantasy world of deftly-defined adventurers surrounded on all sides by terrifying evils. A strong new voice in fantasy, Speight has built a rich and immersive world that will leave readers eager to continue exploring.” —Kevin Fanning, author of Cutie Cutie Ghost Show and No More Selfies“Umhra has the tenacity of an Orc and the heart of a saint. Join him as he unlocks the chains of the warrior within.” –Blaise Ancona, Under the Radar Books

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Part quest fantasy, part dark adventure, with a splash of vampires and horror thrown in the mix, and this story turned out to be such a cool blend of so much of what I love in a killer read." - Out of This World SFF
"Paladin Unbound feels like I've witnessed an entire homebrew D&D campaign wrapped up into 334 pages. And I'm here for it." - Zack Argyle, Author of Stones of Light
"I think this is one of the best dark epic fantasy novels I've read this year. I absolutely loved the world building and characters." - Nimalee Ravi
"Paladin Unbound was a fun read, combining the feeling of real stakes, with the nostalgia of classical quest fantasy and the chaos of a D&D game." - Beneath a Thousand Skies
"Paladin Unbound is a richly imagined fantasy novel packed with adventure, creatures, gods, friendship, and goodness." - A Pocket Full of Tomes
"If books were table games, Paladin Unbound would be Dungeons and Dragons when everything else is simply Chutes and Ladders! This bright action-fantasy book is superbly imagined and skillfully executed, particularly with its evocative and immersive imagery." - Indies Today
"All in all, this is easily one of the best books I have read in the past decade, and tying for my favorite fantasy book of this year with Dragon Mage is no small feat." - The Bookwyrm Speaks
"You'll devour this book and end up wanting for more." - The Medjay of Fayium
"Mr. Speight's world building is fabulous as he brings Evelium to life for us. I highly recommend Paladin Unbound. You will not be disappointed." - Book and Nature Professor
"There are powerful stakes, heart-breaking scenes, quality writing prose and amazing combat scenes. I really enjoyed this. It's a 10/10 from me!" - Al Alhambra Book Reviews
"When people ask for books I'd recommend to a fantasy newbie, ones that represent all the wonderful things the genre has to offer, I have a few go-tos. The Hobbit, obviously, and the Dragonlance Chronicles (really, is anyone surprised?), and, more recently, The Ventifact Colossus. Now I'm adding Paladin Unbound to that list, because this book would make anyone fall in love with fantasy." - Witty and Sarcastic Bookclub

From the Back Cover

"In Paladin Unbound,Jeffrey Speight summons a new and fully-realized fantasy world ofdeftly-defined adventurers surrounded on all sides by terrifying evils. Astrong new voice in fantasy, Speight has built a rich and immersive world thatwill leave readers eager to continue exploring." -Kevin Fanning, Author ofCutie Cutie Ghost Show and No More Selfies

"Umhra has the tenacity of an Orc and the heart of asaint. Join him as he unlocks the chains of the warrior within." -BlaiseAncona, Under the Radar Books

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B093WY95HZ
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Literary Wanderlust (July 1, 2021)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ July 1, 2021
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 1227 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 324 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #471,048 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #7,061 in Sword & Sorcery Fantasy eBooks
- #7,282 in Sword & Sorcery Fantasy (Books)
- #7,513 in Epic Fantasy (Kindle Store)

Customer Reviews:
4.3 57 ratings

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Jeffrey Speight

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Jeffrey Speight’s love of fantasy goes back to an early childhood viewing of the cartoon version of The Hobbit, when he first met an unsuspecting halfling that would change Middle Earth forever. Finding his own adventuring party in middle school, Jeff became an avid Dungeons & Dragons player and found a passion for worldbuilding and character creation. While he went on to a successful career as an investor, stories grew in his mind until he could no longer keep them inside. So began his passion for writing. Today, he lives in Connecticut with his wife, three boys (his current adventuring party), three dogs, and a bearded dragon. He has a firmly held belief that elves are cool, but half-orcs are cooler. While he once preferred rangers, he nearly always plays a paladin at the gaming table.

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Amazon Customer

A classic in the making!

Reviewed in the United States on December 21, 2021

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One of the best fantasy novels I have ever read. Well written, lots of action and terrific characters. I can’t wait for the rest of the trilogy!

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Nathan's Fantasy Reviews

Fun (if a tad shallow) Fantasy Quest

Reviewed in the United States on March 17, 2023

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Sometimes you just want to go on a fantasy adventure, you know?

Paladin Unbound is a Dungeons and Dragons inspired fantasy quest about a band of adventurers trying to stop a great god-like power from returning to the world. If you are looking for a book with that classic fantasy feel, look no further than this book. Within these pages you will find half-orcs, clerics, gods, vampires, magical talking weapons, and more.

The main character of Paladin Unbound is Umhru, a half-orc with a mysterious and magical past that gets explored later in the book. Unfortunately for Umhru, his band of orc warriors meet their demise fairly early in the narrative, leaving Umhru to team up with another questing party, The Barrows Pact, and together they adventure to try and stop an evil group of people from resurrecting a god set on the destruction of the world.

The biggest and best compliment that I can give to this book is that it is fun. Speight populated his adventuring party with some really wonderful characters, each with their own distinct personalities, quirks, and goals. The low page count means that there are definitely still layers to each of these characters left to be revealed, and I hope that Speight can add even more depth to each of them in future volumes. Gromley (the cleric) and Shadow (the Thief) particularly stood out to me as clever and funny characters. Umhru is probably the weak point in this cast of characters; he reminds me a lot of Geralt from The Witcher, strong, stoic, and internally emotional. This doesn’t make him a bad character, but he doesn’t leap off the page like so many of the others do.

Anyone who reads my reviews knows I adore a good villain character, and Paladin Unbound has a good one. We get to dwell in his POV every once in a while, and he is very much the classic villain character. He was sinister and powerful, while being grounded in his own humanity. He nicely rounds out this cast of characters.

My one criticism of the characters is the lack of women in the story. It isn’t that Speight is bad at writing women….it’s just that there are only really two women characters in the entire book (one is a goddess figure and the other one is part of the adventuring party). Your mileage will likely vary based on how important it is to you that women play a big role in the story, but it is very noticeable how male-dominated this book is.

Speight’s prose makes for a fast and immersive reading experience. The writing is smooth and fades into the background as you are transported to Evelium. Speight writes in an “old timey” style that really works for the narrative. One common complaint with fantasy today is that everyone sounds too “modern”, even in worlds inspired by pre-modern settings. Speight evokes a distinct style that feels ancient and different, while still being accessible to the reader. There is one very clunky scene early on in the book that is an awkward backstory/info-dump, but don’t let that dissuade you from continuing. The rest of the book very much evens out and moves along at a nice pace.

If you are a reader who just wants to be swept up in the quest, then you’ll absolutely devour this book. However, if you are looking for something deeper, you may find yourself walking away a bit disappointed. The plot in Paladin Unbound is pretty thin. The over-arching fight against the resurrection of an evil god becomes merely a framing device for the individual adventures rather than really driving the narrative. One of my issues with this book was the sheer number of side quests the characters embarked on. There were so many secondary and tertiary plot threads and antagonists that contributed little or nothing to the overall story, and I got slightly bored of the characters being given unnecessary tasks to complete. I hope that the sequel embraces the larger plot arc a bit more strictly, as Speight has developed a fascinating deeper story here that I would really like to sink my teeth into.

It is clear from reading Paladin Unbound that Speight was adapting one of his own ttrpg adventures. Readers looking for this kind of narrative should definitely pick up a copy, but I personally would have preferred more drastic changes from the tabletop game version of this story and the novel version.

Concluding Thoughts
Fans of Dungeons and Dragons and similar games, or anyone who wants that classic fantasy feeling, will feel right at home with Paladin Unbound. It is a bingeable story populated with a memorable group of adventuring heroes. Readers looking for a more cohesive story absent of side quests or a thematically deeper work might want to avoid this one, but anyone looking for a few hours of fun should check this out.

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Allan Craig

A quick, fun read for fans of D&D

Reviewed in the United States on June 24, 2022

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You can always tell when something influences an author in a profound way. In the back of the book, author Jeff Speight lists that he is an avid lifelong Dungeons & Dragons player and that passion for the game and fantasy come across throughout the book.
There are a lot of parallels between Paladin Unbound and a D&D campaign, very similar beats and ebbs and flow of the narrative. Fans of D&D will feel right at home.
None of the bloat or naval gazing or time wasting characters agonizing over their choices here. Just the meat and potatoes of a fast paced fantasy adventure.
His world is fully realized and occupied, nothing feels empty, no word feels wasted. It is an elegantly written book and well worth anyone’s time. At only 300 pages, it’s also a quick read.

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JW

A classic fantasy adventure with all the tropey trimmings done right!

Reviewed in the United States on October 10, 2021

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Great debut! Speight drops you into a classic fantasy world with all the tropey trimmings you want in a good adventure. I got sucked right into the story and found myself having trouble putting the book down – the author has a straightforward, no-nonsense, way of writing that reminds me at times of the spartan style of Gemmell, while also bringing back classic tales and characters seen in Dragonlance and Shannara. At times I wanted a bit more in character development, but it didn’t stop me from being fully immersed in an exciting story and world that checked all the boxes – and the weaving of material and higher planes and gods into the story gave it an added depth I greatly appreciated. Will 100% read the next one!

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Behind the Pages

A dialogue driven adventure story

Reviewed in the United States on October 15, 2021

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Sacrifices are being made to bring back the power of a God. But if his power sweeps across Evelium, evil will coat the land and death will surely follow. When Umhra and his companions take on a quest to find those who have gone missing, they will uncover a host of horrors. But it is only the beginning for Umhra. He must embrace powers he has suppressed and hidden in order to stand against the growing tide of evil.

Umhra's character has so many conflicting angles. His personality truly shows how being different can cause someone to fold into themselves and keep away from the general populace. While he isn’t the most self-confident character, he certainly makes up for it in his willingness to help his companions. As readers become immersed in the story, they’ll be able to see how honorable and kind-hearted Umhra is and the internal struggle he fights every step of the way.

The beginning of Paladin Unbound builds up Umhra’s unease with his orc heritage. His band of fellows has all seen the disgust people share for those of their kind. And yet as they journey into town for a job, they encounter very little conflict over who they are. There are a few brief moments where people admit their disgust at orcs, but these encounters do not allow the tension to build. As much as Umhra does not want to cause a scene, I would have liked to feel more emotion and unease brought into these scenes to really make them stand out.

Jeffrey Speight is a master at developing settings. Each time the characters entered a new area special attention was taken to highlight even the smallest of details. Readers will feel as if they are right alongside the characters taking in each moment. There is also a wealth of information given to the histories of the world and the character’s backgrounds. Although I do wish the information were broken down into smaller chunks, it allows readers a full view of each character.

I recommend this for readers who enjoy dialogue driven stories. Emphasis is made on the adventuring side of this tale and the bonds between characters. This does make the story slower in pace, but no less entertaining. And if you are a fan of Dungeons and Dragons you will feel as if you are embarking on a new campaign.

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JL

Love!!

Reviewed in the United States on January 9, 2024

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I love this book so much! I will be rereading it several times and I will definitely be keeping this book and the second one forever.

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Amazon Customer

An Author in His Element

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 9, 2022

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Umhra the Peacekeeper is a half orc adventurer with a secret. He is a paladin, a Holy warrior the likes of which Evelium has not seen for decades. After his band of adventurers, The Bloodsworn, uncover a malignant evil at the heart of Telsidor’s Keep, Umhra soon finds that he is the only one who can save the land from the resurrection of an evil god.

While this book has been out for a while (July 2021) I missed it the first time around. I’m a little sore about that as I see a lot of hype around Paladin Unbound. Thankfully I’m caught up and I am so happy that’s the case. Paladin Unbound is every bit the stalwart half orc paladin of a book it sets out to be.

Firstly, it’s worth bearing in mind that Jeffrey Speight is paying homage to D&D campaigns with his sons with this title. It feels very much like a labour of love in the best way. There are scenes that seem to be lifted directly from the tabletop that were great to see. With a title like Paladin Unbound, it’ll come as no surprise that this story very much follows the good guys.

But breaking away from its D&D roots PE delivers some gritty high fantasy throughout. The Bloodsworn, Umhra’s orcish adventuring band, are jovial warriors who enter the meatgrinder. Speight drops the floor out from under you barely two chapters in, with an incredibly ballsy and bloody spiral into chaos. I loved it.

Battered and broken, we see the true essence of Umhra’s power in the bowels of Telsidor’s Keep. It’s when he joins the Barrow’s Pact that the dice really starts to roll well. Speight serves up the quintessential party members: rogue, cleric, druid et al but the dynamic still gives us some great moments between the characters. It all feels like well-loved characters from the D&D campaign getting a chance to be heroes in prose.

Roll Your Damage

One aspect of the writing that really rises above the rest in PE is Speight’s wonderful combat scenes. Battles are delightful splatterfests - you know I enjoy a good splatterfest - where you can tell even Speight himself is whirling a battleaxe about his head as he writes. Here is an author in their element, having some fun with their craft and delivering some of the best combat scenes I have read lately.

All the heroes have their signature moves and moments in the spotlight but none of them are invulnerable. Plot armour is not a thing in PE and all the better for it. We have monsters, undead and even epic godly battles all in one place. The action ramps up right until the climactic battle scene which spans across two existential planes and doesn’t disappoint. Like any good D&D campaign, the stakes couldn’t be higher.

Umhra the Peacekeeper

While PE serves as a standalone novel I’d love to read more tales set in the Evelium universe. PE shows plenty of glimpses of a sprawling world but doesn’t devote a great deal of time to some of the more minor plot points. Umhra’s sentient sword’s origin is touched upon but the plot doesn’t linger too long in favour of moving along the main quest. There certainly seems to be more tales to be told and a score of characters to find out more about.

I can see why Speight’s first novel has been gaining a solid reputation in the halls of fantasy. I love supporting an indie press too, and this is a solid fantasy offering I’m happy Literary Wanderlust took a chance on. If you like battling, heroic fantasy and TTRPGs, Paladin Unbound needs to be at the top of your TBR.

Charles Cavendish

Hold onto your sword and get ready for an Adventure

Reviewed in Australia on March 29, 2023

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When I first started getting into indie books, one of the first books I kept hearing about was Paladin Unbound by Jeff Speight. I’m only sorry it took me this long to get around to reading it.

I’m reliably informed that Paladin Unbound is very much in the vein of a classic Dungeons & Dragons adventure, I don’t have a D&D background or a great deal of knowledge in that area but that in no way diminished my enjoyment of the story. The story has a fast pace and it kept me engaged through out. Without giving any spoilers the way, the direction of the book changed was a key aspect of why I enjoyed it so much.

This is in many respects a classic fantasy adventure, with our band of heroes facing a number of side quests on route to the major quest at the end of the book. I read that some readers found these distracting from the overall quest but for me I really enjoyed them. It was a chance to see a little more of the world of Evelium and to see the team in action.

Jeff has created a raft of characters both our band of heroes but also the villains and nefarious creatures they encounter, that you get the feeling these are only a taste of what the world of Evelium has to offer. We learn a little of the main characters back story’s but I’m hoping more will be revealed in subsequent books (maybe even some prequels?). Thankfully the second book in the series (Mystic Reborn) is literally days away from being published so we don’t have to wait for the next instalment.

If you are ready for an extremely fun and engaging story, with then please do yourself a favour and pick up a copy of Paladin Unbound.

Trudie Skies

A classic fantasy adventure that will feel at home for fans of Dungeons and Dragons

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 24, 2021

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There’s this meme you may have seen which states that a single player Dungeons and Dragons campaign is basically writing a fantasy book, and Jeffrey Speight has certainly taken this to heart by translating his own Dungeons and Dragons adventures into a fantasy adventure in Paladin Unbound. I’ve played many role playing video games in my time, but have only just begun to embrace Dungeons and Dragons, the original fantasy game that inspired the genre. So much of Paladin Unbound feels instantly familiar and relatable to me as a gamer and as a new player of D&D. It’s a charming classic fantasy tale which hits all those tropes in an almost Lord of the Rings-style whimsical way. If you’re a fan of Dungeons and Dragons, or just classic fantasy in general, then Paladin Unbound may be the perfect read for you!

I describe Paladin Unbound as whimsical as the world is full of honourable and polite characters that really fit the noble bright subgenre of fantasy, despite the somewhat bloody battles throughout and macabre quest line. My biggest problem with this is I don’t feel the characters struggle enough. Maybe I’m just mean, but I do like to see characters challenged, and in Paladin Unbound I feel there is a lack of emotional depth which could definitely be improved with higher stakes and more suffering. Don’t get me wrong, the ensemble cast of adventurers are rather charming, especially Shadow the rogue, but I’d love to see more development with these characters in future.

I’m also rather sad we didn’t get more Orc action in the book, as I was sold on the premise of an Orc-band of warriors! Give me more Orcs!

As I said above, Paladin Unbound really does hit all of the classic fantasy adventure tropes as the main character of Umhra, a half-Orc, brings together a party of adventurers ranging across the main fantasy races and classes to complete a mighty quest and save the world from evil. What this entails is a journey across the world of Evelium with some side quests along the way and fantastic world-building to keep the journey fresh and interesting. It really did remind me of playing an old school RPG. I look forward to seeing where the Barrow’s Pact crew end up next!

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