Book excerpt: -The Tattered Banner placed 8th on Buzzfeed's 12 Greatest Fantasy Books of 2013- Unique talent always attracts attention… In a world where magic is outlawed, ability with a sword is prized above all else. For Soren this means the chance to live out his dreams. Plucked from a life of privation, he is given a coveted place at Ostenheim’s Academy of Swordsmanship, an opportunity beyond belief. Opportunity is not always what it seems however, and gifts rarely come without conditions. Soren becomes an unwitting pawn in a game of intrigue and treachery that could cost him not just his dreams, but also his life. The Tattered Banner is the first book of the swashbuckling fantasy trilogy 'Society of the Sword'.