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Quest for the Red Sapphire (Sapphire Chronicles Book 1) Kindle Edition

4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 25 ratings

General Linvin Grithinshield was used to enemies trying to kill him on the battlefields of the medieval world of Lavacia. Now he has the fear of being killed anytime, anywhere. He thinks he is summoned home from the goblin wars to oversee the family merchant empire after his father’s disappearance; and for a while he is right. Then his mother is assassinated and Linvin’s true purpose is revealed. He must seek out and find the all-powerful Red Sapphire and claim its might before the murders find it…or him. With new dangers around every turn in an ever-escalating spiral of violence, he must prove himself worthy of the gem and lead his party to success against insurmountable odds. To fail would mean death for far more than just him. The world, itself, could fall into permanent shadow and darkness.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00DZ100MO
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Solstice Shadows; First edition (December 18, 2013)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ December 18, 2013
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1139 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 578 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 25 ratings

About the author

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Rival Gates
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Author Biography:

Rival Gates

I was born in Port Huron, MI and was the youngest of four surviving children. At the age of five my Father took a position as a magazine editor in Toronto, Ontario Canada. We moved to a large city just outside Toronto called Mississauga. The different cultures and demographics to which I was exposed formed many of the ideas for my story.

When I was thirteen, my Father’s declining health forced him out of work and our family struggled. It was at that time that I decided to channel my negative energy into a constructive purpose. I set out to write a short story about a magical gem called the Red Sapphire. My brothers teased me that such a stone was simply a ruby. That irony was part of the attraction for me. After all, who would be writing about a Red Sapphire? Years went by and we moved down to my Father’s home town of Harrow, Ontario on the shores of Lake Erie. It was a drastic change from city life and I found myself retreating more and more into my ever growing story. By age fifteen I had a two-hundred page hand written manuscript.

Advancing from high school to college at Michigan State University there was little time for writing and the project sat in a drawer in my parent’s home. In spite of my lack of attention to writing, every night I would fall asleep working out details of the book and the series to follow.

I met a wonderful woman at Michigan State who agreed after graduation to become my wife. As we started our family I began a career in retail management and sales. For over twenty years I excelled in the field and even incorporated some of my knowledge into the book. I hold my position in the greatest esteem.

While I rewrote the story several times on my computer, I did not attempt to publish it until the longest supporter of my writing, my Mother, became terminally ill. She told me the last time I saw her how proud she was of the story I had created and made me promise to publish it and share it with the world. With the loving support of my wife, our three children and the help of the good people at Alpha Wolf Publishing, I am fulfilling that promise.

When my Father (ever the editor) read the book, he told me how proud he was and that somewhere he knew my Mother was equally proud. I present to you the first part of the saga which is my life’s work, “Quest for the Red Sapphire.” May it bring you as much joy to read as it has brought me to write.

Rival Gates

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
25 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers enjoy the book's story and plot. They find the characters well-developed and relatable.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

4 customers mention "Story quality"4 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the story quality. They find the plot engaging with thorough details. While it's a new story, it feels familiar to them.

"...It is a really nice bland of action, story and strong characters. Every time I thought I knew what was going to happen, I was surprised...." Read more

"...First, I want to say that I'm so far enjoying the story, and look forward to working through this book...." Read more

"Great story, relatable characters and fun. It's a nice trip down memory lane for those of us who read fantasy in our youth...." Read more

"Nicely written. Great plot. The details are quite thorough. The main person is of one you would like to read about." Read more

3 customers mention "Character development"3 positive0 negative

Customers find the characters well-developed and relatable.

"...It is a really nice bland of action, story and strong characters. Every time I thought I knew what was going to happen, I was surprised...." Read more

"...I thought the characters were developed really well with enough back story to make them interesting...." Read more

"Great story, relatable characters and fun..." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on August 21, 2013
    This was so much better than the usual 'quest" type stories. The characters were well developed and easy to relate to. There is lots of action but you can see how the story was well thought out. The main character is Linvin Grithinshield and is the kind of hero you want to root for. He has his flaws like anyone but he slowly addresses his shortcomings in the book. His cousins are annoying like people I think everyone must know. They make me as a reader feel the frustration Linvin feels. The uncle is wise and makes valid point after point. There is a lot of good to take away from this book. It is a really nice bland of action, story and strong characters. Every time I thought I knew what was going to happen, I was surprised. It was hard to put this book down. I can't wait for the sequal! There is so much more to find out. I would definately recommend this book to anyone who loves a good story.
  • Reviewed in the United States on August 3, 2013
    Quest for the Red Sapphire (Volume 1)Just finished, Rival Gate's Quest for the Red Sapphire. Wow what a good book. It is a page turner.
    He left them in the marsh with goblins on their tails. Give it a read if you like fantasy you'll love this!
    The quest takes you to places like Thornhaven Forest, elves cities, man taverns and caves. It show how being half elf half man has shaped his main Character into a person with tolerance for all different races and why he is so short tempered with his cousins.
    I thought the characters were developed really well with enough back story to make them interesting. I love how Rival Gates built his main character Linvin Grithinshield a half Elf, half human to be not only a great General with compassion and who has learned for life experiences, he also know how a business should be ran and is very intelligent, and let's not forget about his temper.
    I think his use of color when it comes to Anvar the uncle who happens to be en elf with magic was a good visual aid. It brings meaning to the titles of his books.
    Being a twin myself I can relate to the character Randar and Bander and how each other are so connected.
    I think Linvin Grithinshield will be greatly surprised when he finds out who villain really is, and will need all the skills and tolerance he is learning on his life quest to deal with him.
    Can't wait for book II the Sapphire Crucible!
    3 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on October 30, 2013
    I'm early in the book yet, but have a few comments.

    First, I want to say that I'm so far enjoying the story, and look forward to working through this book. The concept is interesting, and the atmosphere is painting a picture for me.

    However, I am finding myself distracted by too many punctuation errors, specifically use of too many commas where commas are not called for. For example (and I'm making this up to make the point - my Kindle is at home right now): "The General walked in, to the room which was warmed by the glow of firelight." In this sentence, there should be no comma after 'in', but there should be one after 'room'. The comma is read as a pause, and lack of comma is read as continuation (or lack of pause). I'm finding myself pausing in awkward places, but rambling on in others, that don't sound natural if converted to speech.

    Also, I find that sometimes there's an "obvious factor", where description goes too far and doesn't really need to be there. For example (again making this up to make my point): "Linvin saluted to the soldiers as he passed. The soldiers each raised their hands in salute back to their general." While I get the idea, and it describes what happens, something like this is maybe better left to the imagination - we assume that lesser-ranked soldiers had better well salute back or find themselves cleaning latrines for the next month. Some descriptions like this seem to fall flat, instead of inspiring one's imagination to really be in the scene; it feels like you know you're reading a story rather than being involved with and really seeing the story. Perhaps a more effective way to write the same thing (using the example above) might be something like: "Riding past the tower guard, Linvin saluted his men, who snapped smartly to attention once they realized just who sat astride the horse before them."

    Again, I'm enjoying things so far. Best of luck to you!
  • Reviewed in the United States on January 23, 2016
    Great story, relatable characters and fun. It's a nice trip down memory lane for those of us who read fantasy in our youth. While it's a new story, it feels familiar. I'm eagerly awaiting the rest.

Top reviews from other countries

  • T Th
    5.0 out of 5 stars This was a fantastic Epic Fantasy story with great character and lot development
    Reviewed in Canada on November 25, 2014
    This was a fantastic Epic Fantasy story with great character and lot development. There was plenty of action and the scenes were described so well. It slowed down a little in the middle but there was a lot going on to keep my interest. There were all the things you would want in a quest including two insufferable cousins who add some great comic relief. This is a page turner. No doubt about it. The next book should be great.

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