Amazon Books by Steve Lazarowitz Category:  Fantasy Publisher: Zumaya Publications ISBN-10:  155410128X Pages: 365 Copyright: January, 2004 Two fantasy novels! Two heroes! Two magic swords that aren't quite what they seem! Twice the fun and excitement! Enough plot twists to satisfy even you. Don't believe me? Just listen... Conan had strength, Arthur had Excalibur, Rambo had guns--Alaric Swifthand has an uncooperative magic sword, which doesn’t seem to be any help at all. How could an ordinary guy possibly get into so much trouble, and why does it keep happening to him? The answers may surprise you. Never has a hero been less prepared to save the day! But that's not all, act now and you get Reflections of a Recovering Servant, a fantasy like no other... Like your tales twisted? Look no further than Reflections of a Recovering Servant. Travel with Straac, a fugitive from injustice and a band of not so merry knights, on a quest to find a cursed sword with which they plan to avenge the king’s death. Watch as one by one reflections start disappearing, leading to a conspiracy so dark, so secret, so diabolical, so awe-inspiring...that I had to reach for my thesaurus to describe it. Excerpt Admit it…the title of this book caught your attention. You were flipping through a catalog, or surfing the web, or perhaps saw it in a bookshop and had to know what Fantasy Cereal was, didn’t you? Perhaps Popeye and his spinach came to mind, or you could have been considering what the ingredient list looked like, or what you might get by sending in a couple of box-tops. Here is a partial list of ingredients; wizards, warriors, damsels in a dress, giants, reflections that don’t quite do as they’re told, magic swords, potions, notions, battles, danger, love, humor, heartbreak, irony, heroism (even when it’s not intentional), betrayal, hard decisions, daring escapes, bizarre creatures (who aren’t all what they seem to be), plot twists and more strange happenings than you can shake a stick at. Fantasy Cereal is all that and more. It’s a book of swords and sorcery adventure that stays crunchy even in milk. (Disclaimer: adding milk to this book will void your warranty.) How did it begin? In October 1997, Alaric Swifthand (my very first fantasy serial) appeared on the web. Yes, you guessed it…the title of this book is a pun, and a bad one at that. But then, if you read my work, you have to be ready for any sort of twist for you never know where you’ll end up (and even if you do, it won’t be quite what you think it is). Does that sound like a challenge? Perhaps it is. Alaric Swifthand found a small degree of popularity on the web and later became a top-selling ebook. So why the name change? It’s easy to publish a sixty thousand-word ebook, but not so easy to publish a paperback of the same length. I did a bit of math and figured it wouldn’t cost the buying public (i.e. you) a whole lot more to get a second novel. The value is extraordinary. Which brings us to Reflections of a Recovering Servant, my second online fantasy serial, which if anything, was even more popular than Alaric. But wait, there’s more. This book isn’t just a rehash of what was on the web. It’s complete reedited with not only new material, but whole new adventures. Think of this as not just Fantasy Cereal, but Fantasy Cereal with your favorite fruit (except prunes, cause that’s just nasty). So where do we go from here? To the cash register, I hope (or the web page shopping cart) to purchase a copy of this spectacular book. In fact, you should buy three copies, because if you collect the UPC codes, you can save for a magic sword of your own. A few gold coins for shipping won’t dent your pocket, will it? Anyway, hope I’ve intrigued you, or at least entertained you. So what are you waiting for? Enjoy! Steve Lazarowitz Moonah, Tasmania

SFSITE
The setting is medieval, but the book is filled with modern sensibilities. Though this could have cut into the story's credibility, it does not. It actually works very well and rounds out some of the already interesting characters.

With swift action, surprises, and thought-provoking problems, Alaric Swifthand is a joy to read.


Timeless Tales
All of the characters are engaging. Mr. Lazarowitz deftly provides a solid ensemble cast and so many plot twists that at times you're not sure whom to root for, but you won't stop cheering Straac on in this entertaining tale of reflections and redemption.

Baryon Reviews
Lazarowitz still has the magic touch and this is just another feather in his cap. After you finish REFLECTIONS OF A RECOVERING SERVANT, you can sit and reflect on the freshness of the ideas there-in.