C. L. Schneider
Fantasy Author
THE CROWN OF STONES TRILOGY
The Crown of Stones is an adult epic fantasy that follows the trials of Ian Troy, a man born with an addiction to magic, living in a world where magic is reviled - and its users are enslaved.
The Crown of Stones
Magic-Price
What if you were born with an addiction to magic? What if your pleasure meant their pain?
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The brutality of war was all Ian Troy had ever known. Peace was all he ever wanted. Fate had other plans when it placed the Crown of Stones, an ancient artifact of untold power, into his battle-weary hands. With one reckless wish, he ended a conflict that had been tearing the realms apart since before he was born. And paid a terrible price.
A decade later, Ian is still haunted by that tragic day. Running from the blood in his veins and on his hands, he struggles to forget—what he’s done and what he is. But when a fateful encounter with a pretty assassin brings his past crashing into the present, denial is no longer an option.
Hunted by enemies, old and new, with the realms burning and kings dying, Ian becomes embroiled in a violent race for control of the Crown of Stones. As the death toll mounts, and the deceptions unfold, his path becomes clear: to save the realms, Ian must embrace the one thing he fears most: his own power.
Bronze Medal - Epic Fantasy
Magic-Price
2017 Readers Favorite
International Book AwardsÂ
First Place - Fantasy
Magic-Price
2019 Top Shelf Book Awards
The Crown of Stones
Magic-Scars
They took it all: his will, his memories, his freedom, his magic.
Struggling to reconcile the man he once was, with the man prison made him, Ian Troy emerges from captivity to an unfamiliar world gripped with fear. In the wake of his fall, those he cares for suffered their own grim fates, leaving friends endangered and scattered. His old enemy, Draken of Langor, seized control of Mirra’kelan and named himself High King. Draken’s brutal reign sparked a desperate rebellion that Ian now finds himself a part of. His one task: recover and repair the Crown of Stones, in hopes it will tip the balance in their brewing revolution.
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As Ian strives to regain what was lost, the magic-scars streaking his body multiply faster. Searching for a cause, and the truth behind his link to the Crown of Stones, leads him to uncover shocking secrets buried for generations beneath the sand. To become the weapon the resistance needs, Ian must claim his magical inheritance. But can he curb the destructive appetite that comes with it?
FINALIST
Magic-Scars
AUTHORSdb 2017 Cover Contest
The Crown of Stones
Magic-Borne
In one fell swoop, the resistance was shattered. Lives were taken. Hope was lost. Peace slipped like grains of sand through his fingers. So did the Crown of Stones. Now, forced into hiding, Ian Troy grapples for a way to save the realm—and free its people—from the sadistic clutches of Jem Reth; Mirra’kelan’s new self-appointed emperor. Plagued with the knowledge of a tragic future, he strives to influence events and save those he cares for. But his magic has betrayed him, and Fate has other plans.
Marked by the crown, hindered by the transformation spell contained within, each cast brings Ian one step closer to becoming more beast than man. Each move brings the death and destruction foretold in his vision inexplicably nearer. With Langor on the brink of war, and King Malaq’s plan for peace hanging in the balance, Ian returns to the ancient past; seeking an end to the eldring spell and a means to thwart Jem’s growing domination. What he finds there sets off a chain of revelations that leads Ian places he never thought to go.
Entrusted with the future of his race, Ian becomes the linchpin for lasting change. But how much weight can one man carry? And how much is he willing to sacrifice in the name of peace?
The world of The Crown of Stones:
Mirra'kelan
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Once a single landmass ruled by the ancient Shinree Empire, Mirra'kelan is a land long-divided by war, prejudice, and fear. Five hundred years ago it was struck by a catastrophic quake, and the terrain was forever changed. The Empire was toppled, creating a shift of power and burying the Shinree's history, culture, and their secrets deep beneath the ground. The Shinree survivors, made vulnerable by their inborn addiction to magic, were drugged and enslaved.
The Langorians, once displaced by the Rellans and dominated by the Shinree, were free to claim the mountainous region of the west. They adapted to its harsh environment and evolved into brutal conquerors. Their relentless attempt to own the land of Rella continues to this day, as does Mirra'kelan's callous oppression of the Shinree.