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.

Book Feature & Giveaway: The Accidental Apprentice by Anika Arrington

DON'T FORGET THE GIVEAWAY AT THE END OF THIS POST!

Book:  The Accidental Apprentice

Author:  Anika Arrington
Pages:   220
Format:  Paperback, ebook
Publisher:  Xchyler Publishing
Book Source:  responsible for project
Category:  Young Adult to Adult fantasy
Style:  Easy, conversational style, added depth to appeal to mature readers

Synopsis:

Brilliant and ambitious, Rezdin the Wizard has one goal: impress the king, but he answers to Baron von Dappenshien who refuses him access to Court. Before Rezdin can maneuver himself into the limelight, the king charges von Dappenshien for treason, and Rezdin goes to ground. The wizard finds himself dependent upon the wits and good will of a starving street urchin. But what can he offer little Tommy in return? When old dangers and new alliances rear their menacing heads, Rezdin must decide where his true loyalties lie, and what to do with his new-found entourage of one.

My Take:

Anika Arrington first came to my attention when she submitted her short story, "Sense and Cyborgs," to Xchyler Publishing's first Steampunk anthology competition requesting extensions of classic literature. Anika's writing so delighted me, I placed her offering as the leading story in the resultant book, Mechanized Masterpieces: A Steampunk Anthology.

Blog Hop: Star of Eldon by M.L. Hamilton

Book:  Star of Eldon (World of Samar #3)
Author:  M.L. Hamilton
Pages:   634
Format:  Paperback, Kindle
Publisher:  Wild Wolf Publishing (June 22, 2012)
Book Source:  Provided by Author
Category:  Fantasy

Synopsis from GoodReads:

The Seven Protectorates have enjoyed years of peace under Tav's leadership, but a growing worry has surfaced.  What about the land beyond Loden's border?  Where once there had been overtures of trade, now there is nothing. Tav decides to send a diplomatic expedition to re-establish contact, but who should go?

Adventure runs in the blood of Tash's children, especially in his head-strong daughter, Shara.  Shara wants nothing more than to be part of the expedition to Nevaisser, but her father will never agree.  He fears for her safety, but a rash decision on his part takes the choice out of his hands and sets up a chain of events that will have far reaching consequences.  Nevaisser is a land teeming with conflict and at the heart of it is a mysterious stranger, hiding secrets that will test the alliance of the Seven Protectorates.  A journey begun to protect Loden may result in tearing it apart.

Continue the adventure with the third installment in the World of Samar series. . . . more

Flash Fiction Friday: Strange and Stranger

Editor's Note:  Over at InD'Tale Publishing, they're having a little flash fiction competition using the picture below as inspiration.  The rules restrict it to 100 words.  Here's my entry:

Katie's Lamb

Three days in the desert, scorched by the blistering sun, resulted in nothing but heartbreak. I paused before the stone wall that encircled the great house, Whistle Rock proper, a lush and rare oasis sheltered between two buttes amongst the otherwise arid and barren world of sand and stone. I stalled before the adobe hacienda as I mustered the courage to take my bad news into the house. Thinking better of it, I set the sun-bleached skull and coiled, rusted barbed wire on the fence post, then stepped through the gate to tell Katie her precious pet would never return.

Xchyler Publishing Challenge

Over at Xchyler, the most interesting challenge attracted two entries and included the following words:  chimera, transmogrified, abrupt, and foible.

The Lab by Penny Freeman

Call it a foible. Call it a fault. However you wish to classify it, I found it a debilitating failing. I could never accustom myself to the abrupt changes the “exposure” made in me; an unrelenting cycle of metamorphosis: first from one mythical beast, then another and then another still. I don’t know what to call myself. The white coats call me a chimera. I suppose that’s as good a name as any other for someone like me. When the wind rose, when that deafening high-pitched screech filled my ears and the pain of it brought me to my knees, when a myriad of fluorescent colors swirled me up into a vortex of brilliant white light—whatever happened to me, I lost my humanity.

Author Interview: Holly Barbo, author of The Founders

Today, we're very proud to participate in the blog hop for Holly Barbo and her book The Founders. See my review of the book here.

Author Bio:  

Holly Barbo's world is shaped by her love of her family, the beauty of the natural world in Northwest Washington State and an irrepressible creative drive.

Living where the scenery is incredible with a rich abundance of wildlife "is so special and soothing that it feels like a quiet kind of magic," according to Barbo. She is drawn to creating stories where there is just a bit of something unworldly, perhaps it is magic or psychic skills. Her stories are mostly in non-urban settings and usually have some focus on nature, building a discordant drama inside the peaceful frame.

Author Interview:

Penny:  Ms. Barbo, I enjoyed the world you created in The Founders and look forward to learning more about it. First, tell us a little bit about yourself.

Holly: My world is shaped by my love of my family, the beauty of the natural world in Northwest Washington State and an irrepressible creative drive. I draw wildlife, make beautiful things out of wood and I write.

Penny:  Who are the authors that have influenced you the most?

Holly:  I read many genres and authors but some of my favorites are Anne McCaffrey and Patricia McKillip.

Penny:  Do you write only science fiction/fantasy? In which genre would you catalog The Founders?

Holly:  If you disregard the fact that The Founders takes place on another world and that the planet and the sages have interesting idiosyncrasies ...some of the books could be murder mysteries while others classic mystery or suspense.

Book Review: The Founders by Holly Barbo (Sage Seed Chronicles)

Book:  The Founders
Author:  Holly Barbo
Pages:   276
Format:  Paperback, Kindle
Publisher:  Paper Crane Books
Book Source:  Provided by publisher
Category:  Science Fiction/fantasy
Style:  Conversational prose, some violence

Synopsis from GoodReads:

Recruited by an ancient race, a group of people from Earth colonize the lovely planet Ose in a far corner of the galaxy. Thirty-two years after the Founders settle the unanticipated happens. A small asteroid hits on the edge of the continent instantly throwing them into a "nuclear winter" weather pattern. Struggling to survive, the young culture slips ever nearer to a survival of the fittest world.

In this climate of hardship, Marisily comes of age. She flees for her life after watching her mother die. Unexpectedly, she discovers the cave in which she seeks refuge was a hidden Ancient's shelter and the secrets within it reveal that she is a sage: a small group of seemingly unrelated people with heightened extra senses that are strangely linked to the planet itself.

The conditions reach dangerous levels as more citizens become victims of the outlaw bands. Marisily struggles to stay safe when she is targeted for slavery. A clandestine plan is devised to take back the society and reestablish the founding culture. Can they do it in time? . . . more

My Take:

Ms. Barbo starts with an promising premise in The Founders: mysterious "Ancients" recruit humans from Earth to participate in their little experiment in colonizing an unstable planet.  Eighteen long-lived Sages (including the Great One), individuals with paranormal abilities, fill the vital role of subduing the volatile tectonic plates of Ose.  Although they fail to understand the mechanics of it, their simple presence somehow provides the necessary control.  Some sages use telepathy, some levitation, others speak to animals, sense impending danger, or can foretell the future.  They conceal their abilities to forestall any fear or resentment from the general populace, although they allow a few enlightened non-Sage citizens in on the secret.

Although solar- and wind-powered generators provide electricity to private homes, the limited size of the habitable "continent" (an island, really) supports only an agrarian lifestyle for the small number of its inhabitants.  Frequent electromagnetic disturbances prevent the use of any advanced digital technology—except, of course, for the Great One and Marisily who communicate telepathically and keep tabs on everyone via gadgets left in place by the Ancients.  Healers pride themselves on their extensive knowledge of the native and transplanted flora, concocting and administering their herbal cures to a grateful populace.

Author Interview: C.M. Gray, Author of Shadowland

See my review of Shadowland here.

Author Bio:

Born in Essex, England, I have since been lucky enough to live and travel in many countries around the world. In fact I have lived more time outside of England than I have living there! Home for me now is just outside of Barcelona, Spain where I live in a house in the middle of the forest with my Dutch born wife and two children.
      My writing is mostly fantasy and many of the experiences I have had in Asia, Africa and the middle east come to life in my writing. The Flight of the Griffin follows the adventures of a group of young orphans as they battle demons and bandits on a magical quest to stop the world tipping into Chaos. Shadowland blends fantasy with history as an old story teller takes his audience back to Britain's dark ages.

Interview:

Penny:  I really enjoyed Shadowland, especially the vivid post-Roman world you created.  I could feel my feet sticking the sucking mud and twitched at the feel of flees and lice.  Are you an historian by profession or a dedicated enthusiast?

Chris:  Hi and thanks for the welcome to your fantastic blog, I'm thrilled to be here. I'm really happy you enjoyed Shadowland and I'm blushing furiously at any thought you might have that I have any background in history! No, I'm not a historian but the past does interest me greatly. When I was a kid my favourite hobby was to dig up old bottles from Victorian rubbish tips! I love history, but it also kinda scares me to think what went on as 'normal' hundreds of years ago, it can be a bit of a morbid interest at times.
      In the era I write about in Shadowland, women went into battle alongside their men and most brought their dogs as well, many warriors fought naked, Fascinating!

Penny:  Your love of nature and of England also flows strongly through the book.  Does your vocation or avocation give you such a broad knowledge base?

Chris:  I love the natural world and would far prefer to spend the day in the woods or mountains than in a city. I grew up living in the countryside and live in a house in the woods now, just outside Barcelona in Spain. My job is raising money and awareness for a company that replants the rainforest, which is very fulfilling. I still love England, but I also love our world as a whole and have traveled extensively in Europe, Asia and Africa, I think my experiences in these places comes though in my writing.

Book Review: Shadowland by C.M. Gray

Book:  Shadowland
Author:  C.M. Gray
Pages:   222
Format:  Paperback, Kindle
Publisher:  Amazon Digital Services
Book Source:  Provided by Author
Category:  Young Adult Fantasy/Adventure
Style:  Engaging page-turner, magic, contains graphic violence

Synopsis from Goodreads:

‘I have lived more years than I can remember, probably more than the sum of all your years combined. Kings have called me friend and brigands have sworn to burn the flesh from my bones even if they have to search all seven halls of the shadowland to find me.’

On the night of midwinter’s eve, a storyteller takes his listeners back to the Dark ages and a tale from his youth.

Deserted by its Roman masters, Britain has been invaded by the Saxons at the invitation of Vortigern, traitorous leader of the Britons. Now, as the tribes unite to reclaim their land, one man must rise to lead them and become their true and only king. . . .more

My Take:

The storyteller's story centers on two fourteen-year-old boys, Usher Vance (put that on your 'name the baby' list) and Calvador Craen, who, late for supper one evening, escape the brutal slaying of their entire village in the thickly forested East Anglia.  Treed by a ferocious pack of wolves, the pair watch helplessly as ravaging Picts, venturing far too far south of Hadrian's Wall, murder, pillage, and drag away several children, including Calvador's younger sister, Clarise.

Come morning, abandoned by the frustrated wolves, Usher and Cal venture into the village to take stock, then promptly set out in pursuit of the Picts, intent on rescuing eight-year-old Clarise from the Picts.  Unaccountably, the undefeatable warriors from the Highlands of Scotland continue their murderous rampage further south, leaving an easy trail of mayhem for the two boys to follow.

Friday Flash Fic: There Be Dragons Here

Over on our Facebook Xchyler Publishing Authors Group, I've been challenging our writers with various scattered words for a flash fic a day, which also incorporates our word of the day.  Here are the results of our first challenge.  Words:  dragon, escalator, burrow, matte (word of the day).

Summer Vacation by Penny Freeman

Down, down, down the stones steps etched into the side of the caldera zigzagged like escalators at a shopping mall from hell. Below, vented from beneath the deceptively blackened surface of the caldera, belched noxious fumes of brimstone and potash to create a sickly yellow-green haze. When I booked my Nordic cruise for summer holiday, no one mentioned this particular leg of the day trip into the Icelandic interior.

The whop-whop of the helicopter turbines pummeled the air as it hovered overhead, triggering a shower of razor-sharp shards of slag falling down upon my head. I crouched against the side of the cone, matte black and deceptively solid, for the unstable rock broke away at the least touch. I could not fathom what power stabilized those crumbling steps. I only knew it that same something drew me here. I knew it one and the same.

Over Burrowed in the deepest recesses of my mind, that primordial place where naught but animal instinct dwells, a voice sang to me and lured me to this place. Whether shrill and piercing or deep and rumbling, I could not say. It simply was, and it never left me. That voice called out to me in my dreams, made me restless and discontent, frustrated and filled with despair. It laid bare my empty, bleak existence and the grayness of my world.  It denied any reason to continue.

That same force usurped my meager savings and my carefully hoarded leave when it compelled me to book this holiday. It propelled my feet up the gangway of the cruise ship, knowing I forever left my life behind.

Inspiration: Dredging Up Onisea

Back in 2007, when my #2 son got engaged, I wanted to get to know his affianced a little better.  This was problematic, as she and D2 were both at school at the time, 1100 miles away.  What's a mother-in-law to do (besides sign up for Facebook and toss sheep back and forth)?

At the same time, I was back-and-forthing with my young niece, Alena, who loves to write.  She was in seventh grade at the time, I think (and also 1100 miles away).  This was back when she wasn't too busy with high school, homework, marching band and a social life to hang with me, and we'd chat a lot on Google or Facebook.

I loved to encourage Alena's writing (I still do) and so we were playing a writing game.  She'd start a plot and write up to a pivotal point and then turn it over to me and I'd do the same.  It was fun.  We bonded.  I've never lived within 1100 miles of her, except for the summer she stayed a month with us, but she's in the top three of my multifarious nieces and nephews as far as mutual attachment is concerned.

Well, I knew that Lynda liked to write fantasy, which was one of the big things she and D2 had in common.  I liked to read fantasy, although I'd never tried to write any.  Given my success with Alena, I thought pooling our imaginations might work with Lynda as well.  You learn a lot about a person by the things they invent in their heads.  We could open a dialog.

Book Review: New Spring (Wheel of Time Book "0")

Book:  New Spring (Wheel of Time Book 0)

Author:  Robert Jordan

Pages:  337
Format:  Hardcover, paperback, Kindle/ebook

Publisher:  Tor Fantasy (July 2011)
Book Source:  Independent Purchase

Category:  Fantasy

Style:  Page-turner

One of the shortest books in Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series, New Spring differs in several ways. First, it is a prequel, beginning some eighteen years prior to The Eye of the World, and rather than the three youths, Rand, Mat, and Perrin, focuses on the Aes Sedai, Moiraine, her best friend, Siuan, and her warder, Lan Mandragoran. It also is much faster in pace, with less attention to the details of setting, countries, and customs and more to the characters and the plot development. Written after ten previous volumes, Mr. Jordan seems to assume his readers are already comfortable in (if not natives of) the Wheel of Time world, which approach lends greatly to the enjoyment of this book. Two or three of his other late-in-the-series books could have benefited from this same approach.

In this book, two of our favorite supporting characters, Moiraine Damodred and Siuan Sanche are young Accepted at the White Tower when they witness a Foretelling prophesying of the birth of the Dragon Reborn. In the meantime, Lan Mandragon is outside the walls of Tar Valon fighting the last skirmishes of the Aiel War. Over the course of the book,the two friends begin their perilous quest to find the new babe who will one day hopefully save the world, and sweep up Lan into it as together they battle against the dreaded Black Ajah.

I enjoyed this book and finished it quickly. Mr. Jordan initially intended to make this a three-volume series, but his untimely death prevented it, as it did his completion of the last volumes of The Wheel of Time. Brandon Sanderson has thus far done a marvelous job completing two of the three last volumes of the first series with the help of Mr. Jordan's extensive notes and writing. It is to be hoped that completing the youthful tale of Moiraine, Siuan and Lan is on his to-do list.


Final word: I own this book. It goes on my 'enjoy again' shelf.

FTC Disclaimer: This book was independently purchased. I received no compensation from the author or their agent for this content.