Perpetual Chaos of a Wandering Mind: SIGIL OF THE WYRM Book Review and Blog Tour

Book: SIGIL OF THE WYRM

Author: A.J. Campbell
Pages: 312
Format: Paperback, Kindle, Kindle Select
Publisher: Xchyler Publishing
Book Source: publisher
Category: Urban Fantasy
Style: Magical realism written in an easy, approachable style, incorporating local folklore but set in contemporary Northumbria, UK.
Giveaway: Scroll down to enter! or visit Rafflecopter or the XP Facebook page.

Synopsis:

Richard Lampton never believed in fairy tales, so when a stunning stranger at his uncle’s funeral warns him of an ancient family curse, he pays no heed—until a very real wyrm attempts to destroy him. Now, with the help of a homeless runaway, a fledgling jackdaw, and a key none but he can use, Richard must find the courage to meet his death or his destiny as he plunges headlong Into the Weirding.

About this project:

Sigil of the Wyrm is another Xchyler offering, one I'm quite proud of. AJ Campbell is a "Geordie", what natives of northeast England affectionately call themselves. Although she now lives in the south , her story is a homage to the land of her birth and the local lore that she grew up with. However, when the editor who initially chose to take on this project had to back out, it got stalled. Preserving the British but especially Geordie flavor of the tale meant finding just the right team to pull it off. We didn't want to Americanize it so much it lost its identity.

Then, Sarah-Beth Watkins joined our staff. While she currently lives in Ireland, she's a native Brit, and she and AJ made the perfect duo to put this book together. Add MeriLyn Oblad as line editor, who has a master's degree in history and doesn't allow the least bit of slacking in the technical department, and we had ourselves a dream team.

I think this ladies did a fabulous job of shepherding this book to print. They preserved heart of the story, the legend of the Lambton (Lampton) wyrm, while at the same time both making it contemporary and drawing from other folklore from around the island. It's all stitched up in a neat little package, yet set our heroes up to set out on new quests in the future.

The beautiful cover was created by Emma Michaels who does some amazing work. Several species of Corvidae play roles in the story, as they so often do with stories involving the supernatural. With jackdaws, magpies, and crows and playing their part, we figured a cover feature was in order.

Bottom Line:

This is a engaging story well-told with interesting, compelling characters. It does a lovely job of balancing fantasy and reality, action with character development, and remaining true to its roots. Readers who enjoy contemporary fantasy and/or magical realism, will gobble up this book.

About the Author:

Born and raised in the wilds of Northumbria, A.J. Campbell was brought up on a diet of stories and local folklore, of which the Legend of the Lampton Worm was a perennial favourite. She eventually left her home town to study English and Creative Writing at the University of Warwick and now lives in Hampshire, (which she persists in calling the “wrong” end of the country), with her fiancé and a succession of dead houseplants. At weekends she can often be found dressing up and pretending to be other people, immersing herself in the lives of fictional historical characters—or as it is better known, “LARPing”. She makes her own costumes and has a weakness for detective stories.