by Kelly Hess
Print Length: 201 pages
Publisher: Dragon Moon Press
Publication Date: September 1, 2016
In the kingdom of Dragon’s Launch, young Denrikk’s aspirations of becoming a knight are dashed when he is instead apprenticed to the king’s fool. Embarrassed and devastated that his new position will ruin all hopes of winning the hand of the girl he loves—the princess Alendria— Denrikk reluctantly begins training under his new master, Fumbles, the king’s aging fool. He quickly learns, however, that being a fool in Dragon’s Launch is much more than juggling and laughing like a hyena.
But when a shocking murder within the castle walls shakes the palace, all evidence points toward Denrikk. Now, with his new skills, a bit of luck, and the help of some unlikely friends, the fool’s apprentice must race to prove his innocence, all while evading capture.
Excerpt
Denrikk sighed. “Please, call me Denrikk. It’s my true name.” “It will be my honor, friend Denrikk,” the prince proclaimed. Denrikk rolled his eyes. Did royalty always speak this way? And the prince didn’t stop there. Kaleb spewed forth a constant and continuous stream of commentary and questions
for the next several hours. By the time the sun was high in the sky and they had stopped to water their horses, Kaleb had told Denrikk all there was to know about Falcon’s Ridge and the steadily growing rebellion there. Kaleb was of the obvious opinion that the people rising against the kingdom were ungrateful peasants who couldn’t understand the intricacies of running a kingdom. Falcon’s Ridge had, in recent years, ended a long-going and costly war with Lion’s Hollow and in order to rebuild and maintain the kingdom, King Weston had sharply raised taxes on his people. With no foreseeable relief in sight, some in the kingdom had begun to openly rebel against the royalty. “They simply will not concede that in difficult times, sacrifices must be made,” Kaleb complained to Denrikk as they
stretched their legs during the short respite from travel. “What exactly have you sacrificed?” Denrikk asked the prince.
“Pardon me?” Kaleb appeared stunned by the bold question. “You said that sacrifices must be made,” Denrikk reminded him. “What sacrifices have you made?” “Denrikk, we are of noble birth. We are not serfs,” Kaleb scoffed. “It has forever been the burden of the common man to provide for the kingdom that protects his family and his land. But if you must know, several of our estates in the eastern hills have fallen into disrepair. And we have had to cancel two, no three, state dinners with foreign ambassadors so as to avoid the appearance of squandering.” “To avoid the appearance of squandering,” Denrikk repeated Kaleb’s words back to him. “How many actual meals have your people had to skip because they cannot afford to put food on their tables?” Kaleb raised his chin. “Of course we sacrifice in different ways, but we all endure our hardships.” Denrikk shook his head. “Somehow, I think a man who hasn’t eaten in days wouldn’t consider your eastern estates falling into disrepair as much of a hardship.”
About the Author
Kelly Hess is the author of the BlackMyst Trilogy. His childhood love of reading science fiction and fantasy inspired him to write his own fantasy trilogy for young readers. He lives in Vacaville, California with his wife and son, and is working diligently on his next adventure.
Favorite Book: Growing up, my favorite book was Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card, and I’d have to say that even today, if I want to go back and read a tried and true favorite, Ender’s Game is my likely choice.
Favorite Movie: I’ll admit it, Star Wars is still tops for me. The prequels may have dampened my enthusiasm a bit, but the original trilogy is still a guilty pleasure that I love. The Princess Bride and The Lord of the Rings trilogy are close seconds.
The Fool's Apprentice by Kelly HessMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
First, I would like to thank the author Kelly Hess for gifting me this book. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. The characters are well developed on thought out. The storyline is very good and keeps you guessing until the very end. I loved this story and look forward to reading more from Kelly Hess.
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