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    The Last Seal
    The Last Seal
    The Last Seal
    Ebook438 pages7 hours

    The Last Seal

    By Richard Denning

    4.5/5

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    About this ebook

    September 1666: a struggle between two secret societies threatens to destroy London. Three hundred years previously the Praesidum defeated and incarcerated a demon beneath the city. Now the Liberati aim to release it and gain its power for themselves.

    Meanwhile agents of the King are seeking four suspected foreign spies who are, in reality, disparate and unlikely heroes: GABRIEL, the sole remaining member of the Praesidum, crippled by his fear of failure; FREYA, a young thief orphaned by the Great Plague, driven by poverty and self-interest; TOBIAS, a cynical physician, obsessed by his desire for vengeance against the Liberati cavalier who killed his father, and finally and most vitally, BEN, a Westminster schoolboy, whose guilt over his parents’ death threatens to destroy him.

    Thrown together by chance when Ben finds an ancient scroll revealing the location of arcane seals that bind the demon beneath London, the story launches into a battle between the Liberati and Praesidium, a battle which takes place within the Great Fire of London. These four must overcome their personal problems and work together if they are to foil the plans of the Liberati, protect the city and gain the means to defeat the demon.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRichard Denning
    Release dateDec 21, 2009
    ISBN9781452303819
    The Last Seal
    Author

    Richard Denning

    Hi - I am Richard Denning. I was born in Ilkeston in Derbyshire and I live in Sutton Coldfield in the West Midlands. For 27 years I worked as a GP before leaving medicine to focus on writing and games.Activities and InterestsI am a writer with a strong interest in historical settings as well as horror and fantasy.Reading - Well I love to. Here are some of my favourite booksLord of the RingsSharpe Series (Bernard Cornwell and his other books)Eagle Series Simon ScarrowDisk world books - Terry PratchettNeverwhere Neil GaimanGamingI am also a keen player of board games and other games and run UK Games Expo (the UK's largest mixed format Games convention). I am a game designer and have pubished several games one of which was inspired by the Great Fire on London.My websitesFor my writing projects go here: http://www.richarddenning.co.ukFor more on Great Fire: London 1666 (the board game): http://www.medusagames.co.ukFind out more about UK Games Expo: http://www.UKGamesExpo.co.uk

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    Reviews for The Last Seal

    4.5/5

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    • 5/5
      Richard Denning has written a humdinger.The action starts on page one and builds and ebbs throughout the book. It's this constant building and releasing of tension and action that keeps the reader on the edge of her seat.The characters of Ben and Freya are well developed. They are so very different from each other but together they just work. I adored them both. Evil is personified in Dantalion, the demon. His introduction was enough to keep me nervous about his inevitable return. I did have a few issues with the name 'Dantalion', though - for some reason I kept thinking of a musketeer. That's probably just me.The 'Power Words' and 'Historical Note' at the back of the book were both great additions and I'd like to play on that a bit. The five 'power words' I would use to describe this story are: riveting; powerful; exciting; magical; compelling. Even after reading all 374 pages, I wanted more. Thankfully The Last Seal is the first in a series. I can't wait for the next one. Boys and girls from middle school age to adulthood will be totally captivated by Mr Denning's book.
    • 3/5
      I liked the elements of mystery in this story. It was the mysteries that kept me turning the pages. I was disappointed when several mysteries was revealed halfway through the story. I thought that it would have been more effective if revealed in a somewhat more dramatic way nearer the end of the story or at the climax. There was a minor surprise at the end of the story, but it didn't help to lighten the calm ending.This story had an exciting climax. It was an outright good versus bad climax and that made the ending of this climax very predictable. Nevertheless, I found the action in the climax entertaining. The majority of action in this book makes the book seem tween-ish. I rarely read tween action books and was surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. The horror parts weren't eerily frightening and I liked that. I also found it amusing that Dantalion sounded like a little kid during the climax.It was interesting how Richard Denning tries to explain the start of the Great Fire of London. Historical facts are mixed with fictional fantasy. There were plenty of Biblical references, too. The narration wasn't really smooth at some parts, but The Last Seal had sufficient mystery and intrigue to keep me hook on to the story.
    • 5/5
      The date is September 1, 1666. London is about to be ravaged by the worst fire in its history, but they only think they know the cause...Benjamin Silver knows all too well about fire- he lost his parents to one not long ago. Since their death, he's been acting out at school and repeatedly getting into trouble. Today is no different- after being told to stay in his room, he decides to sneak away from the school and wander London. He ends up at a bookstore where he sees a symbol of a portcullis that matches a pendant he wears around his neck.From the moment Ben walks into the bookstore, his life changes forever. He suddenly learns there is more to the world than anyone had ever imagined. Hiding within the city of London is a beast of unspeakable horror and power-hungry men who have decided they want to unleash the beast. In just a few days, Ben discovers many new things about himself and with the help of a few new friends, he hopes to save London from a worse fate than the fire. Can they do it?I received a copy of this book from Richard Denning in exchange for an honest review. I think what I love most about Richard Denning's books is the fact that he manages to integrate true historical events into his stories and successfully integrate elements of fantasy and the supernatural. Today is in fact the 345th anniversary of Day 3 of the Great Fire of London, so I love that I'm reviewing a book about it today! Did you know that 13,000 homes were destroyed, leaving 70,000 of 80,000 London residents homeless? Fortunately, the fire only killed a dozen or so people, but it also killed off the rats that carried the fleas that transmitted the bubonic plague!The writing in this book is fairly simple- it's youth fiction, so it's easy reading. The character interactions are entertaining, and you learn a bit of background on each character as the story moves along. The characters also grow as individuals as the story develops- Ben confronts the trauma of his parents' death, Gabriel confronts his fears, etc. The story itself was quick paced. Just when things seemed to start slowing down for the characters, something else would go awry and they'd be off and running again! It isn't all death and mayhem though- there is a bit of humor intertwined with the story to lighten the mood a bit!Mr. Denning has obviously done his research- the beast Dantalion isn't merely the the fruit of his imagination, but a powerful demon with various abilities, according to demonology. These abilities are all exhibited in The Last Seal. He also explains various events surrounding the Great Fire of London, such as how the winds spread the fire and suddenly stopped after three days. I love when books are well researched! It makes me feel as though I'm actually learning something new as I'm reading! In fact, I know quite a bit more about the Great Fire of London since reading The Last Seal!If you enjoy tales of the struggles between good and evil, I highly recommend this book to you! It's a fun, quick paced read that you won't be able to put down! It made for an excellent summer read!

    Book preview

    The Last Seal - Richard Denning

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