Morgan Le Fey: Small Things and Great

 

Author Jo-Anne Blanco provided a print copy of Morgan Le Fey: Small Things and Great for review. This is the first book in the Children of the Moon Trilogy.

This book presented a quite different telling of Morgan Le Fey's story. I must admit my only real knowledge of her comes from the movie Excalibur, so I cannot claim any authority as regards Arthurian legend. 

This first installment of the trilogy joins her story at five years old. I had to keep telling myself that as I read because what Morgan experiences and accomplishes at such a young age is incredible. This story takes place chronologically prior to the aforementioned movie. The character who really surprised me was Merlin, yes that Merlin (at least I think so). He is the same age as Morgana and at times an antagonist. 

We get a dose of several mythic characters from the world of Fae. It is a fairly dark story of a young girl caught up in the political intrigue of her noble parents. As well as the dizzying developments in a world most can not see, or even believe in. Authoress Blanco takes the reader on a emotional roller coaster of an adventure. To quote an old movie "hang on it's going to be a bumpy ride". 

Morgana is not necessarily wise beyond her years but she is intuitive and strong minded. Blanco does an admirable job of setting a scene, I found myself uncomfortable when the story called for it, fearful when appropriate, and relieved when things work out. I was fully immersed in the story. Very well written, and though it is the first in a trilogy, NO CLIFF HANGER! (Thank you, thank you, thank you)

If you are an enthusiast of Arthurian/Medieval tales, Morgan Le Fey: Small Things and Great should satisfy that itch. If you haven't yet tried this genre, this would be a good place to start. Enjoy!

Mike

Northfighters: The View From the Chrystallis

 

Author Colm O'Dowd provided an e-copy of Northfighters: The View From the Crystallis for review.

This is a great mix; think The Time Tunnel meets Arthurian legend. We have a group of kids (not all friends) who travel to a sword and sorcery land where they are part of a grand prophesy. 

Talk about a fish out of water, we have kids from our time meeting up with warriors of mythic times. The kids are as out of place in their new setting as the warriors are being suddenly tasked with caring for and helping kids they just don't understand. 

Great mythological beasts, blood and guts warriors who still have humorous side. An evil person set on world domination and a unique set of rules to follow. Awesome fantasy, I loved it. World building extends to a few different worlds and the author balances them beautifully. Nothing but praise for this one. It is what I read fantasy for; a good action packed adventure. Enjoy!

Mike

Downrigger Drift

 

Another foray into my not so secret vice; the Deathlands series.

Depending on what site you use, Downrigger Drift is either #95 or #96 in the series.

As the title suggests this entry has a more nautical theme. This theme, throughout the series, has probably been my least favorite over all. Downrigger Drift does not fall into that category however. 

Set on the shore of Lake Michigan, we find our intrepid group of survival warriors meeting up with an old friend. We get a taste of Native American culture mixed in with the ultra violence that is the hallmark of the deathlands books. 

We meet a new kind of monster here which adds to the appeal of the story and even a bit more character development than usual. Fear not however, there is no shortage of violence, death and dismemberment. 

Again these are my private unapologetic indulgences and I thoroughly enjoy them offering no apology or literary defense. They are good escapist entertainment. Enjoy!

Mike

The Saturday Night Ghost Club

 

A Goodreads giveaway provided a print copy of The Saturday Night Ghost Club by Craig Davidson.

This middle grade coming of age story of Jake, his childhood friends and his uncle Calvin. The book calls Calvin "eccentric" but that appellation is usually reserved for a rich relative and I don't think he is. Anyway, he does have an abiding interest in the occult and is always including Jake and a couple of his friends on eerie adventures.

The adult Jake is the narrator and his stories are told episodically as memories. I can't reveal much of the story line here as it would lead quickly into spoiler territory. Suffice it to say the adventures are suitably creepy and unnerving. 

The author does a great job of painting a picture of youthful angst, feeling different from everyone else yet finding friends he can relate to. Author Davidson hooks the reader and draws them into The Saturday Night Ghost Clubs adventures and blind sides us with a climax that, I at least, did not see coming. Even though it is offered as a middle-grade read, this old grade reader really enjoyed it. The interactions with the familial characters were wonderfully written, very positive and loving. I recommend this book for young and old readers alike. Enjoy!

Mike 

Secret Santa

 

I won a print copy of Secret Santa by Andrew Shaffer in a goodreads giveaway.

First, Secret Santa is not really a Christmas story per se, Christmas is the vehicle to present a pretty good horror story. I don't point this out as a negative, merely to say don't expect a lot of ho, ho, ho. 

Do expect a slow burn kind of horror tale. A good mystery involving an old german toy. Kind of made me think a bit as my wife owns some old german toys. Not a real secret or spoiler to share that the toy is central to the story, but how and why are. 

Set in a publishing house with many secrets, we get Lussi (pronounced like Lucy) an editor tasked with finding the next Stephen King. Her task is hampered by a less than friendly group of coworkers.

Lussi is the story teller so we get the full effect that the nefarious goings on impact her. I liked this approach, it engaged me quickly. The author does an admiral job of painting a sufficiently gloomy and terrifying  setting. His description of the publishing house has a kind of House of Usher vibe to it. It keeps the reader figuratively looking over their shoulder while reading. The cast of characters are truly as an eclectic eccentric group as one could wish for. 

Secret Santa is a good horror mystery. The authors use of very short chapters kept me reading longer than I might have because each chapter was only a few pages long so I'd think; okay one more and wind up reading several. All in all a goody quick creepy read. Enjoy!

Mike

 

First off, yes I am the author's husband. So take my review with however many grains of salt you feel you must. 

Dark Glen is set in a future where the government, and society, have gone completely off the rails. It follows the attempts of people who stand firm in their desire to live life following traditional family values and the constitution. The reader will not find hate speech (except maybe at the seriously wicked politicians). They will find a positive outlook for everyone in their community. This small community is made up of people from several social, religious, cultural and racial backgrounds.

They meet with another community of decidedly different people; creations of scientists interested in what they could do without considering if they should. I found it to be very imaginative, refreshing and creative. We get an ensemble versus a single hero. Cooperation, ingenuity and realism. Basically the author's vision of what a rebuilding could be when people decide to rebuild rather than continue to destroy. Several early readers commented on the story's predictions of current events when written a year ago.

There is a trigger warning, mainly because of some negative feedback Sonya received from early readers. That's okay, but keep in mind Dark Glen is not a political manifesto. It is a work of speculative fiction looking at one possibility. For me it fills the bill of what I like to read; post-apocalyptic, fantasy and escapism. I truly think that if the reader looks at the story that way, they will find a highly enjoyable book. Trying to turn it into a socio-political treatise will probably lead to frustration. Enjoy!

Mike

Sea Spray (Time Box#3)

 

Author John A. Heldt provided an e-copy of Sea Spray the third installment of the Time Box series. It is also the eighteenth book Mr. Heldt has offered. I have read them all and continue to thoroughly enjoy them. It has been great fun watching his talent grow and develop along the way. I don't mean to intimate that his earlier works are somehow inferior to his more recent offerings. Make no mistake, his storytelling ability is, and always has been, very impressive. What I mean by growth and development is his continued expanding and reimagining his time travel stories. Mr. Heldt does not fall into the trap of resting on a formula, but pushes himself to bring new and exciting situations to his work. I can (but won't) name best selling authors who don't challenge themselves this way.

Sea Spray demonstrates this growth splendidly. The third installment of the adventures of the Lane family takes a decidedly more serious and somber tack (you'll get that joke after you read the book). After all, someone is trying to kill the whole family. We still get Heldt's masterful interweaving of history, life and death drama, bittersweet romance, humor, coming of age angst and an unshakable zest for life. 

The people who are out to kill the Lanes are well developed also. They are not one-dimensional evil guys. The Lanes themselves are not pacifist pushovers. They take a much more proactive stance against their antagonists. I enjoy spending time in John Heldt's literary worlds. So much so that I read more slowly, to spend as much time with them as I can. Some of the action sequences however made that impossible; the shoot-out at Block Island is nothing short of riveting. In fact, the last 20% of the book just wouldn't let me go. I stayed up much later than usual because I just couldn't put it down and at the same time being sad because I knew I was going to be leaving them again.

Mr. Heldt does not (thankfully) rely on the dreaded and in my case despised cliffhanger, yet he does entice us with a hint at what's coming. He tells us where the next installment is set to begin. Wow! The only drawback to a good series is the wait between books. With John Heldt's work, these interludes are becoming more and more difficult.

If you haven't yet guessed, I give Sea Spray highest praise. It's a great continuation of the Lane's saga. I strongly encourage readers to check this one out. Enjoy!

Mike