Steven A. McKay's Blog, page 32

A review of Blood of the Wolf

Blood of the Wolf by Steven A. McKay Reaching the end of this book, and indeed the Forest Lord series, is like saying farewell to a dear friend. We have followed the tale of Robin Hood from his ear…

Source: A review of Blood of the Wolf

Ye Olde Christmas Traditions

This post originally appeared on the English Historical Fiction Authors blog in 2015. Enjoy!

 

Christmas isn’t a new invention – it’s been around for quite a while, in one form or another, as you’re probably aware! Many of our favourite traditions are relatively recent additions though, such as the red-suited, white-bearded Santa with his elves, Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer and Slade with their annoying yet brilliantly catchy song.

Of course, winter has always been a time for people to celebrate, as the old year gives way to the new and we look forward to what the future will bring us. Medieval folk shared many of our customs and they had some interesting ones of their own that didn’t carry over to the present day.

With the passing of summer, things become bleak and drab so, at Christmas we decorate our houses to chase away the gloom. In the middle-ages they used evergreens like holly, ivy and mistletoe to brighten the place, a tradition stemming from the Roman festival of Saturnalia.

Icy holly by Liz West

Holly was thought to deter witches while men wore it to attract female admirers. Ivy also kept evil forces away but it was kept outside the home, while mistletoe – a plant venerated by the pagan Druids – was really frowned on by the Church but that didn’t stop suitors kissing beneath it as they do to this day.

Of course, the main evergreen we use to see in Christmas nowadays is the fir tree, with its fairy lights and shiny baubles. Medieval people didn’t have a tree in their house but a candlelit fir was displayed in London in the fifteenth century and, in general, it was seen as a Christian symbol, possibly to combat the pagan oak.

Many of those traditions originated in even earlier times, with the Vikings, who celebrated the winter solstice, their Yuletide, around the same time as we enjoy Christmas.

Our lovely, chocolatey Yule Log, for example, which is a cake nowadays but in pre-Christian days it  was an actual log or even a small tree, carved with protective runes and brought inside with great ceremony to be used as fuel for the household’s fire during December.

That should last a while!

Santa Claus takes many elements from the Viking legends. They believed Odin, or Old Man Winter, a white-bearded old man in a hooded robe who flew around the world on an eight-legged horse, gave out gifts to the good and punishments to the bad. He would even be invited into people’s homes with food and drink.

Yuletide was often referred to as “drinking yule”, which suggests drinking a lot of alcohol played a big part in the Viking celebrations, with feasting, games and songs. Which of course carried on into medieval times and nowadays…well, I’d imagine more booze is sold in December than any other time of the year. We certainly carried on that custom!

Getting back to medieval times, the people had various saints’ days which were celebrated throughout the winter, with some of them even carrying over after Christmas Day (which is still the case for those of Catholic faith).

December the 26th was St Stephen’s day and it saw sword dances and mumming plays which sound pleasant enough, but the animals were also bled (in those days, of course, bleeding was seen as healthy!) and in Wales, female servants would have their arms and legs beaten bloody by young men with holly branches! Ouch. Thankfully that tradition died out…

Odin/Father Winter

There was also Holy Innocents’ Day on the 28th, and Epiphany on January 6th, but most interesting to me was St Lucy’s Day, which was on the 13th of December and was a celebration of light. This is another feast day that has links to earlier, pagan times, with candles and processions. Of course, Lucifer, before he became synonymous with Satan, was known as the light-bringer, so it seems clear to me that St Lucy’s Day was actually a celebration of Lucifer (bear in mind, the Latin word lucifer was once even applied to Jesus)…

Which brings me rather neatly to my own little take on medieval festivities.

Friar Tuck and the Christmas Devil is my brand new novella and December 1323 is the backdrop for much superstition and fear. I greatly enjoyed writing and researching it and, who knows, maybe reading it each December will become as much a modern tradition as Scrooge and Noddy Holder/Mariah Carey! It’s available on paperback, Audible audiobook and Kindle as part of the exclusive Kindle Singles Programme. Also now available in German!

*2016 update* – I’m currently running a Goodreads giveaway HERE where you can win one of two signed copies of the book, so check it out, it’s free to enter!

To buy Friar Tuck and the Christmas Devil click HERE

To find all of Steven’s books on Amazon, click HERE 

Sign up HERE to Steven’s email list and get a FREE short story, “The Rescue”

 

References:

Jackson, Sophie – The Medieval Christmas (The History Press, 2005)

http://skandland.com/vikxmas.htm

http://www.whychristmas.com/customs/yulelog.shtml

http://freya.theladyofthelabyrinth.com/?page_id=397

http://www.timetravel-britain.com/articles/christmas/santa.shtml

http://www.mrshea.com/germusa/customs/lucia.htm

HAVE A FANTASTIC CHRISTMAS AND EVEN BETTER 2017 EVERYONE!

Win personally signed copies of the entire Forest Lord series!

The series is finally finished and Robin is…well, you’ll have to read Blood of the Wolf to find out. It’s all done though, and it’s been an amazing journey over the past three years!

Four full length novels, all of which have been number 1s in the Amazon charts at some point, and two novellas, one of which – Friar Tuck and the Christmas Devil – was good enough to be accepted into Amazon’s exclusive Kindle Singles Programme while the other – Knight of the Cross –  is seen as my best ever work by bestselling author Matthew Harffy.

Phew.

So who wants personally signed copies of ALL  OF THEM?! I have a full set to send out to lucky winners anywhere in the world and ANOTHER set to send out to people on my email list so sign up here if you’re not already on it. Hey, you get a FREE short story , “The Rescue” that’s not available anywhere else for joining so it’s not all bad.

 

It’s FREE and it kicks ass. Sign up here NOW!

I know some of you will have signed copies already, especially if you’ve signed up to that Email List, as I give them away regularly. But for those who don’t have any, here’s your chance to win a nice Christmas present for yourself or someone who loves historical fiction! And I will sign whatever you like in them.

Now, the nitty gritty….

To enter, all you have to do is post a NEW review of ANY OF MY BOOKS on Amazon and/or Audible or Goodreads. I’m not asking you to make up a 5 star review to get in on this, I want real, honest reviews even if they’re not that complimentary. You can post a long, detailed review or just a single line, it’s entirely up to you.

Post your review of any of my books on Amazon and/or Goodreads and tell me you’ve done it!

Reply to this message OR use the CONTACT button up top, OR email me at stormwatch1977@hotmail.com) to let me know you’ve done it. If you are friends with me on Facebook or Twitter, just message me on there to let me know. Importantly, EVERY TIME YOU POST A NEW REVIEW YOU’LL GET ANOTHER ENTRY so post reviews for every single book and you’ll get SIX entries but don’t forget to let me know you’ve done it!

As an example, if you leave a brand new review for Wolf’s Head, and let me know about it, you get one entry. Post another review for Blood of the Wolf and that’s TWO entries. Add another review for Friar Tuck and the Christmas Devil, let me know, and you’ll have 3 chances to win etc etc with a maximum of 6 chances!

Go on then – get reading, post those new reviews and let me know you’ve done it!  A SHARE on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ etc etc would be nice too…

 

 

 

 

 

 

Review: The Wolf and the Raven by Steven A. McKay

Excellent new review of my second Forest Lord novel by a true fan of historical fiction. Praise like this seriously – seriously! – makes my day.

Signed copies as an extra for someone’s Xmas?

Nice wee present for a loved one in the run up to Christmas! This novella has no f-bombs or other really bad language – I specifically wrote it so families could enjoy it. I gave my daughter a copy last year when she was 8, so it’s suitable for all ages pretty much. Some violence and a wee bit of sweariness but it’s really a fun Xmas tale!


£7 within the UK, signed and delivered! Will be a little more for worldwide postage. Use the “CONTACT” button at the top of the page to send me a message if you’d like one (or more)…



Don’t forget there’s an audio version available from Audible and iTunes which is brilliantly read by former James Bond actor Nick Ellsworth. If you already bought the Kindle version you can get the audio for a reduced price through Amazon, check it out!

Blood of the Wolf – Forest Lord 4 by Steven A. McKay

Hoover Book Reviews have given their verdict on Blood of the Wolf, take a look!

Historical Fiction reviews

Robin has been pardoned, he is no longer an outlaw; indeed he is even working for the law now.  He is reunited with his wife and son.  Life is good, Robin should be a happy man.  But alas, conflicted feelings about his job and how harmful the enforcement of the law can be and increasing  tension at home rears over his job as well.  The finale of this engrossing set of tales brings together Robin and what’s left of his old gang to pursue and destroy an enemy who is out for revenge against them.  Plus there is another old score waiting to be settled by a most loathsome churchman.  Taut, tense and full of action and surprises, Mr. McKay gives the reader an entertaining and fitting end to his Robin Hood series.  My only, well, make that two complaints, is that the tension in some spots is such that…

View original post 70 more words

My small collection of historical and fantasy weaponry

I’ve been a fan of historical and fantasy fiction since I was a teenager so, when I got my own house as a nineteen-year-old  (twenty years ago) and I found a website called BattleOrders, I realised I could fulfil my fantasies and own all sorts of awesome swords and stuff. And at that time there were no legal restrictions, it was awesome!

I never really got into it much after that initial enthusiasm though, since I was just a young lad with a mortgage, then kids came along… I only have a small collection compared to guys like Ben Kane, Anthony Riches and Christian Cameron who you should badger to show you their stuff. It’s much better than my meagre lot. I’m quite sure many of you have lots of fantastic weapons and armour so please share it here with us!

The one thing I’d like to add would be a realistic replica of Dirty Harry’s .44 Magnum but that’s never going to happen in the UK. We’re not even allowed air guns over here which I have no argument with.

Anyway, here’s my small collection…

Sting, Excalibur, Sword of the Witch King, medieval arrows, SS Officer’s dagger, Roman Senator’s dagger.

STING

Sting was, of course, Bilbo’s sword which would glow blue when evil Orcs or Goblins were around and he passed it on to Frodo who carried it in the excellent films. Mine never glows but it is a really nice copy of the short sword you can see in those LotR movies. Most replicas I’ve come across have a dull edge to the blade but this thing is razor sharp!

The Sword of the Witch King

This is the sword that belonged to the Lord of the Nazgul. This one is a massive piece, comes right up to my shoulders from memory. This was the first sword  I ever owned and my girlfriend (now wife) bought it for me. It’s an exact licensed replica of the one used in the LotR movies.

Excalibur

This is an exact replica of the real sword King Arthur was given by the Lady of the Lake.

Hahaha, nah, of course not, that would be ridiculous!

It’s an exact replica of the sword Arthur pulled from the stone around AD 480.

 

 

 

SS Officer’s dagger

Let’s just head this one off at the pass: I’m not a neo-Nazi despite my shaved head. I’m just bald, and the Nazis were pure evil.

A real one of these would sell for a lot of money (Lemmy owned a few)  but this is quite a crude copy. I don’t even think they sell these in the UK any more, presumably because people found them offensive which is fair enough. It’s not something I’d display openly. I’m sure Battle Orders used to sell these with gold or silver trim and I just bought this silver one because it was really cheap.

ROMAN SENATOR’S DAGGER

This thing was billed as a “Roman Senator’s dagger” but I don’t think that’s very accurate. It’s a nice little dagger that would do some real damage but I have no idea where the design might come from. Anyone got any ideas? Let me know!

 

 

Now comes the favourite – and pointiest – part of my small collection!

My Jackson Kelly guitar alongside the medieval arrows my friend Chris Verwijmeren made for me. Look at the size of those things! Imagine one of them fired from a warbow, slamming into your chest….I have to say, the guitar is amazing too – Megadeth fans would love it.

So, readers – do you have any weapons or armour? Are you a re-enactor with a load of nice kit? Share your links with us, either here in the comments or share your links to my Facebook page!

 

Audiobook Reviews October 2016

Here’s my regular round of reviews from my recent Audible purchases. A couple of fantasy books and a couple of true classics, with a kids book at the end! But are any of them worth your time and money? Read on and find out…

 

First up is The Wise Man’s Fear by Patrick Rothfuss. This is the sequel to The Name of the Wind which I raved about not long ago as it was the best fantasy novel I’d read/ listened to in years. And, for the most part, this second book continues the series in similar, great fashion. It is insanely long (42 hours!) so you are getting quite incredible value for money if you use a monthly credit for this thing and, like the previous story, the narration is perfect. Rupert Degas has a huge repertoire of voices and accents and he’s just a pleasure to listen to. The best narrator I’ve ever heard? Yes, I think so!

The story is a good one, with our hero Kvoth now a bit older, a bit more settled in himself and he has some great adventures in this tale. However, I found myself becoming a little bit irritated this time around as our hero is a master at EVERYTHING. From playing his lute to bedding women to fighting like a samurai to throwing magic around like a young Gandalf (yes, he’s still a teenager)…it becomes ever harder to suspend disbelief. By the time he’s seduced a Goddess and she’s found him the best lover ever you start to remember this is just a book, Kvoth isn’t a real man, and it’s hard to remain lost in the world Rothfuss has so diligently crafted.

But overall this is still a five star listen and highly recommended.

Rating – 5/5

Another fantasy book, this time from the Dragonlance mythos. I always thought the mage Raistlin, and his big, dull-witted twin Caramon were the best characters in the whole series and this particular trilogy is ideal as it follows them on an adventure through time. My biggest issue with 80’s fantasy is how twee it often is – when people are dying there’s always some element of slapstick or silly one-liners that destroy any suggestion of realism and make them seem like more of a children’s story. Time of the Twins isn’t as bad as some of the Forgotten Realms books in that regard, and Raistlin is a nice, dark character, utterly selfish and nasty but, irritatingly the kender, Tasslehoff Burfoot (even his name is twee!) tags along and brings that annoying element of misplaced humour to proceedings. Occasionally the authors use the kender in a more interesting way – when bad things happen and the childlike character is upset it really does add an extra edge of horror. In general though, I wish fantasy authors would forget the comedy characters.

I loved this book when I first read it as a teenager and to be fair it’s still a good story. Certainly worth a listen even if the narrator misprounces words and names  which is not his fault as someone should have been proof-listening and pointing out the many errors.

Rating – 4/5

Now to the first of the stonewall classics – Sherlock Holmes! This is another long one representing enormous bang for your buck at FIFTY EIGHT HOURS!

I’m a huge fan of the Jeremy Brett TV series from the 80’s and 90’s and, for me, Brett is and always will be the real Holmes so I wasn’t sure how I’d like someone else’s voice reading the dialogue but I needn’t have worried. Simon Vance is perfect and runs Rupert Degas close as one of the best narrators I’ve heard yet. He has that refined, upper class accent that works so well with the setting and he has just enough voices to make it all hugely entertaining. I actually stopped listening to this at one point because I was enjoying it so much that I didn’t want it to ever end! Although in saying that, I have found myself not enjoying the later stories to the same extent but I’m not sure if that’s fatigue or because Doyle’s latter-day Holmes stories simply weren’t as good as the earlier classics.

Still, for such a long book, read so well and featuring two of the best characters ever created, this is one of the best Audible buys around.Do yourself a favour and use one of your credits for this!

Rating – 5/5

The next of the true genre-defining classics is set in a far different time and place to Holmes’s London but I was really pleased to realise it’s also read by Simon Vance! There’s some other voices who chime in here and there making this something of a more lavish production, but overall it’s just Vance and he does a fine job again.

Dune is a strange book – I first read it when I was about 15 and thought it was a boring pile of crap. Then I tried again a couple of years later and it blew me away. I returned to it once more in my thirties and again loved it. The rest of the series isn’t so great, especially the later books, but this first novel is so good if you’ve never read it before please give it a try.

I suppose the hero, Paul Atreides, is similar to Kvoth in the way he’s so good at just about everything but here it seems natural. I have already used my latest credit to buy the sequel, Dune Messiah, so look out for my review of that in due course although at only 9 hours it’s much shorter than Dune which clocks in at around 21 hours.

The book inspired an excellent Iron Maiden song – “To Tame A Land”, check it out HERE where it’s backed by parts of the not-so great movie…Frank Herbert HATED heavy metal so wouldn’t let them call the song “Dune”, unlike Patrick McGoohan who was happy to allow them to call another song “The Prisoner”.

Rating – 5/5 again!

I’ve listened to some excellent audiobooks in recent weeks although I also bought the Forgotten Realms “classic” Pools of Radiance which I always fancied as a kid but never got around to reading.

I’m not even going to bother with a review for it but I won’t be trying any more from the series. It was like watching someone else play a bad computer game. Anyone a fan of this series?

 

Finally, something a little bit different! My 9-year-old daughter loves books too and has started listening to Audible which I buy extra credits for. I must admit, being a thrifty Scot I rather grudge using a credit for a kids book as they generally last for about 1-2 hours! But my daughter has really enjoyed some so I asked her to write a little review for her favourite so far.

The World’s Worst Children by David Walliams

Reviewed by Freya McKay

The narrator (David Walliams) spoke very clearly and had good expressions in his voice. It was disgusting when the boy picked his nose and made it into something even more disgusting! My favourite character was one of the girls who always did naughty things and blamed it on her wee brother. They are all very naughty! This book is very interesting  and I sometimes wonder how the writers comes up with such good stories.

 

So there you go, I hope you’ll check out some of these and enjoy them as much as Freya and me. If you are waiting to use a credit on the fourth and final book in my own Forest Lord series, Blood of the Wolf is in production right now. Nick Ellsworth returns to voice Robin and John and the rest of the crew and I cannot wait to hear it!

Friar Tuck in German and haunted Mortham Tower

Friar Tuck and the Christmas Devil is now available (Kindle and paperback) in German. Get it HERE, in time for Santa coming!

On another note, you may recall my brand new FREE short story (sign up HERE to get it) “The Rescue”. I found the cover art in Wikimedia Commons but I had no idea what it was – it just looked atmospheric and “medieval” so I used it. I have since asked my regular cover designers to tweak it with better fonts and I also found out the place is Mortham Tower in Rokeby, England.

Mortham isn’t in the story, but it IS in North Yorkshire so it’s actually pretty close to the action which takes place in Wakefield. The building was listed for sale last year and I might have thought about putting in an offer if it hadn’t been £3,000,000!

Photographed by Elijah Yeoman (1849-1930)

Built some time around 1500 the place is reputedly haunted by Mortham Dobby, a headless lady in fine dress, trailing a piece of white silk, who was apparently murdered. Bizarrely, she was said to have eyes, nose and a mouth in her chest and hair trailing from her shoulders. Now that sight would freak anyone out! A parson supposedly banished this poor spectre beneath a nearby bridge but a flood in 1771 destroyed the structure and she was freed.

Image copyright Durham County Council, 2003

Whatever the truth, Mortham Tower is a beautiful building and made a nice cover image for “The Rescue”. Don’t forget to get it HERE – enjoy!

 

The original image, by, I believe, John Buckler and engraved by Alan Robert Branston.

 

 

Blood of the Wolf by Steven A. McKay – Review

Another new review for Blood of the Wolf. Take a look!

David's Book Blurg

Title – Blood of the Wolf

Author – Steven A. McKay

Genre – Historical Fiction

Length –  386 Pages

Publication – 14th October 2016

My Rating – 5/5 Stars

Synopsis

ROBIN HOOD RETURNS!

And this time the legendary wolf’s head is working for the sheriff…

After winning his freedom in Rise of the Wolf, Robin – with his faithful lieutenant John Little at his side – now spends his days travelling around northern England dispensing King Edward II’s justice.

When a new band of outlaws appears in Barnsdale, Sheriff Henry de Faucumberg sends Robin and John to deal with them. Before the lawmen can track them down though, Will Scaflock is attacked and another of their old companions murdered in his own home by the outlaws whose leader seems to have only one thing on his mind:

Bloody vengeance!

Will Robin’s reunited gang be enough to defeat this savage new threat that seeks to…

View original post 645 more words