A Cast of Stones (The Staff and the Sword #1) by Patrick W. Carr

Summary
Since the death of his uncle, Errol Stone has been nothing but a drunkard; working for the local herb woman to earn him enough coin to drink.  When a church messenger arrives with an important message for the local priest, who lives like a hermit in the hills, Errol takes upon him the task of delivering the missive.  While trying to deliver his pack to the priest, Erroll is attacked and hunted by assassins.  Errol leaves his homeland on a journey with the priest and his helper.  Little does Erroll know that he has a unique gift of reading stones, foretelling the future and that he will be entangled in a game of hide-and-seek as he goes on a quest to help save the kingdom?  

Available to Purchase on Amazon:
Free on Kindle
Paperback

Author Information
Patrick Carr was born on an Air Force base in West Germany at the height of the cold war. He has been told this was not his fault. As an Air Force brat, he experienced a change in locale every three years until his father retired to Tennessee. Patrick saw more of the world on his own through a varied and somewhat eclectic education and work history. He graduated from Georgia Tech in 1984 and has worked as a draftsman at a nuclear plant, did design work for the Air Force, worked for a printing company, and consulted as an engineer. Patrick's day gig for the last five years has been teaching high school math in Nashville, TN. He currently makes his home in Nashville with his wonderfully patient wife, Mary, and four sons he thinks are amazing: Patrick, Connor, Daniel, and Ethan. Sometime in the future he would like to be a jazz pianist. Patrick thinks writing about himself in the third person is kind of weird.

Connect with Patrick on:
Goodreads
Facebook
Amazon
Website

Review
In the novel A Cast of Stones, author Patrick W. Carr has created story that will intrigue both boys and girls.  There is exciting adventure, fantasy, science fiction, and a bit of history all tied into one novel that comes out to tell the story of young Erroll Stone.  This story is about how a young boy turns his life around from an immature youth, to learning how to fight with a long piece of wood and going on a journey that will lead him to manhood.  Engrossing readers from page one, Patrick has shaped a daring story that will cause readers to continue reading this three book series.

Series: The Staff and the Sword
Genre: fantasy, fiction, adventure, historical fiction, science fiction
Publisher: Bethany House Publishers
Publication date: February 1, 2013
Number of pages: 432
Age: 13+
Grade level: 8th+

Other books in the series:
2-The Hero’s Lot
3-A Draw of Kings