Rob Donovan's Blog, page 14
September 12, 2013
Book Review: Fool Moon (JS)
Fool Moon: The Dresden Files Book Two by Jim Butcher
Having enjoyed Storm Front, I was looking forward to reading the next instalment as I had found the authors writing enjoyable. I have found that it is better not to go from one book of a series to the next so I fought the urge and read a few different books until all I had left on my Kindle was this one.
This is the description:
Meet Harry Dresden, Chicago's first (and only) Wizard P.I. Turns out the 'everyday' world is full of strange and magical things - and most of them do not play well with humans. That is where Harry comes in. Business has been slow lately for Harry Dresden. Okay, business has been dead. Not undead - just dead. You would think Chicago would have a little more action for the only professional wizard in the phone book. However, lately, Harry has not been able to dredge up any kind of work - magical or mundane. However, just when it looks like he cannot afford his next meal, a murder comes along that requires his particular brand of supernatural expertise. A brutally mutilated corpse. Strange-looking paw prints. A full moon. Take three guesses. And the first two do not count . . . Magic - it can get a guy killed.
I must admit that though I was looking forward to reading this book, I was slightly concerned that the idea behind the series might not work so well beyond the first book, although I had been told that the series got better as it went on. Within a few pages into the book, I knew that I need not have worried.
As in the first book, the story is from Harry’s point of view and as before he is desperately short of cases and so money is very tight. Even Murphy from the Police Departments Special Investigations is reluctant to involve him in cases due to the rumours revolving around him and his relationship with Chicago’s gangsters. However, when people start dying from what looks to be animal attacks during the full moon, Murphy turns to Harry for help.
This has a slightly darker feel than the first book and the writing is slightly tighter, I do not want to give away any spoilers but the descriptions of the various kinds of a certain supernatural creature (see I did not mention the W word) are well done and the murder scenes are very gory.
There is lots of action with police, FBI and a street gang all after Harry, and this is where my only complaint comes in about the book. Harry gets hurts quite frequently throughout the story and there is a repetition in the mention of amount of pain that he is suffering from and the trouble that this causes him in the use of his power.
Do not get me wrong though, this is an entertaining novel that made me wish my journey into work were actually longer so I could read more. There are many of the original characters in this story and the author develops the relationship between Murphy and Harry. There is also a sub plot that relates to Harry’s past. Did his parents die naturally or was there something behind their deaths? This is a theme, which obviously is going to go into the next instalment.
You could read this book without reading Storm Front, but for a better enjoyment, I recommend that you read them in the correct order, but definitely read them.
9 out of 10
Having enjoyed Storm Front, I was looking forward to reading the next instalment as I had found the authors writing enjoyable. I have found that it is better not to go from one book of a series to the next so I fought the urge and read a few different books until all I had left on my Kindle was this one.
This is the description:
Meet Harry Dresden, Chicago's first (and only) Wizard P.I. Turns out the 'everyday' world is full of strange and magical things - and most of them do not play well with humans. That is where Harry comes in. Business has been slow lately for Harry Dresden. Okay, business has been dead. Not undead - just dead. You would think Chicago would have a little more action for the only professional wizard in the phone book. However, lately, Harry has not been able to dredge up any kind of work - magical or mundane. However, just when it looks like he cannot afford his next meal, a murder comes along that requires his particular brand of supernatural expertise. A brutally mutilated corpse. Strange-looking paw prints. A full moon. Take three guesses. And the first two do not count . . . Magic - it can get a guy killed.
I must admit that though I was looking forward to reading this book, I was slightly concerned that the idea behind the series might not work so well beyond the first book, although I had been told that the series got better as it went on. Within a few pages into the book, I knew that I need not have worried.
As in the first book, the story is from Harry’s point of view and as before he is desperately short of cases and so money is very tight. Even Murphy from the Police Departments Special Investigations is reluctant to involve him in cases due to the rumours revolving around him and his relationship with Chicago’s gangsters. However, when people start dying from what looks to be animal attacks during the full moon, Murphy turns to Harry for help.
This has a slightly darker feel than the first book and the writing is slightly tighter, I do not want to give away any spoilers but the descriptions of the various kinds of a certain supernatural creature (see I did not mention the W word) are well done and the murder scenes are very gory.
There is lots of action with police, FBI and a street gang all after Harry, and this is where my only complaint comes in about the book. Harry gets hurts quite frequently throughout the story and there is a repetition in the mention of amount of pain that he is suffering from and the trouble that this causes him in the use of his power.
Do not get me wrong though, this is an entertaining novel that made me wish my journey into work were actually longer so I could read more. There are many of the original characters in this story and the author develops the relationship between Murphy and Harry. There is also a sub plot that relates to Harry’s past. Did his parents die naturally or was there something behind their deaths? This is a theme, which obviously is going to go into the next instalment.
You could read this book without reading Storm Front, but for a better enjoyment, I recommend that you read them in the correct order, but definitely read them.
9 out of 10
September 11, 2013
Pewtory the Lesser Bard: part 6 - Jacquard the half-hearted.
To celebrate the release of “Ritual of the Stones,” I am releasing a free serialised story set in the same world of Frindoth. The story will follow the journey of Pewtory the Lesser bard as he travels to Lilyon to witness the Ritual. I hope you enjoy.
Click here to read part 5 - Jacquard the brave
Chapter 6 – Jacquard the half-hearted.
Tragedy. Tragedy is the answer. Tragedy is what changes a man from a ferocious warrior and fearless leader to having the fight knocked out of him. Our noble King was promised to a beautiful princess. Miranda was her name and it was said that she was truly the epitome of beauty. I cannot say with certain as unfortunately I never met her. Folk said her hair was as radiant as the sun and her manner as genteel as a butterfly.
The two met and instantly fell in love. They were married shortly after Jacquard succeeded his father on the throne (for his father did not approve of the match - but that is a story for another time).
Their marriage was a happy one. The King had quelled all troublesome areas to his Kingdom and Frindoth lived in peace. Miranda bore the King a son, prince Althalos and the two doted on that boy more than any parent has ever doted on their child.
If only all stories had happy endings, then I could gladly leave King Jacquard’s story there. Alas, I do not make up these stories, I only tell them in their truest form,”
Pewtory paused as the comment drew some sniggers from the audience.
“The Prince was only two years old when the news broke. Miranda had been riding Clipper, her favourite horse. She often took the mare out of a morning after breakfast. Clipper had been startled by a snake on the path and had reared suddenly. Despite being a skilled rider, the queen was unable to steady the horse and tumbled to the ground where her head fell against a rock and her feet tangled in the stirrups.
The impact shattered her skull and killed her instantly. Clipper disturbed by the commotion bolted from the scene, dragging the queen behind him on the rocky road. When the horse was finally subdued by one of the Queen’s handmaidens, Miranda was a battered mess. Her once pulchritudinous features were destroyed. The handmaiden was said to have later killed herself, so haunted by the images of that gruesome day.
The King was inconsolable. He became withdrawn from public life, a recluse almost. He delegated more and more responsibility to his chief advisor Jefferson whilst he grieved. As a result Frindoth suffered, as although Jefferson was a wise man who had advised Jacquard and his father before him, he was now old and made many strange decisions.
It took Jacquard half a year to engage with the public again and even then it was for essential appearances. The warlords that governed the regions grew restless. The sympathy they felt towards their King grew thin as they began to fill ignored.
People have short memories and many of Jacquard’s heroic deeds were forgotten. Slowly, he returned to his duties but it was said he was not the same. He was a man that was going through the motions.
That was until he became obsessed with the Ritual of the Stones.”
Pewtory sensed the shift in mood in the room as the Ritual was mentioned. Smiles fell from people’s faces. The Ritual occurred every twelve years and in a few months it would occur again. The ceremony of the stones where twelve unfortunate individuals would find a stone upon them, marking that they had been selected to participate in the Ritual was even closer.
Pewtory hoped that whilst travelling to the capital city, Lilyon where the Ritual took place he would encounter one of the stoneholders so he could interview them and write a song about what could potentially be their last days.
“During his reign he had presided over just one Ritual. It was early on in his reign and the sacrifice broke his heart. It was nothing compared to the devastation to his soul the next one would cause him.
There are children present so I will not go into details but I am sure many people here will recall the tragic events of that day.”
Pewtory paused again. Several members of the Inn swiped their eyebrows and pointed their index fingers to the ceiling. It was a variation on an ancient superstition to ward off evil. The atmosphere had turned melancholy and whilst Pewtory wished to evoke all emotions, he wanted to the audience to go away feeling happy.
The last Ritual had been one of the most distressing in recent history. A young girl was chosen for the sacrifice and was viciously murdered by the Gloom. The Gloom did not discriminate between age or sex and took its time devouring the girl. Many of the audience were unable to look, some were violently ill. Despite this, people would still turn up in the thousands to witness the next Ritual.
“Needless to say,” Pewtory continued now eager to progress the story. “The King was as distraught over the event as anyone. The horrific event sparked a new vigour in him and he was more determined than ever to discover a way to stop the Gloom once and for all. It was a fool’s quest, many King’s in the past had undertaken such a mission and they had all failed.
This did not stop Jacquard. He commissioned scholars, witches, warriors and bards to discover the origin of the Ritual. He himself followed long dead leads, venturing beyond his region for the first time in years. He maintained in close contact with the parents of the poor victim, vowing to avenge their daughter.
Then one day, about a year later. He just stopped. He was riding through Meadowmead on a quest to track down an ancient brotherhood when he ordered his party to stop. He stared out across the fields ahead of him for a few minutes as if in a trance. He ignored the questions from his knights enquiring whether he was feeling well and then without saying a word, he turned his horse around and guided it back towards the White City.
That was it, no explanation, no reason but it was clear King Jacquard’s search for the answers to the Ritual was over.
He still continued with his reign but his actions were perfunctory now. There is no one that could argue he did not rule justly but his enthusiasm, his zeal had gone. He no longer tackled each problem with the same vigour he displayed before. He had become Jacquard the half-hearted.
Click here to read part 5 - Jacquard the brave
Chapter 6 – Jacquard the half-hearted.
Tragedy. Tragedy is the answer. Tragedy is what changes a man from a ferocious warrior and fearless leader to having the fight knocked out of him. Our noble King was promised to a beautiful princess. Miranda was her name and it was said that she was truly the epitome of beauty. I cannot say with certain as unfortunately I never met her. Folk said her hair was as radiant as the sun and her manner as genteel as a butterfly.
The two met and instantly fell in love. They were married shortly after Jacquard succeeded his father on the throne (for his father did not approve of the match - but that is a story for another time).
Their marriage was a happy one. The King had quelled all troublesome areas to his Kingdom and Frindoth lived in peace. Miranda bore the King a son, prince Althalos and the two doted on that boy more than any parent has ever doted on their child.
If only all stories had happy endings, then I could gladly leave King Jacquard’s story there. Alas, I do not make up these stories, I only tell them in their truest form,”
Pewtory paused as the comment drew some sniggers from the audience.
“The Prince was only two years old when the news broke. Miranda had been riding Clipper, her favourite horse. She often took the mare out of a morning after breakfast. Clipper had been startled by a snake on the path and had reared suddenly. Despite being a skilled rider, the queen was unable to steady the horse and tumbled to the ground where her head fell against a rock and her feet tangled in the stirrups.
The impact shattered her skull and killed her instantly. Clipper disturbed by the commotion bolted from the scene, dragging the queen behind him on the rocky road. When the horse was finally subdued by one of the Queen’s handmaidens, Miranda was a battered mess. Her once pulchritudinous features were destroyed. The handmaiden was said to have later killed herself, so haunted by the images of that gruesome day.
The King was inconsolable. He became withdrawn from public life, a recluse almost. He delegated more and more responsibility to his chief advisor Jefferson whilst he grieved. As a result Frindoth suffered, as although Jefferson was a wise man who had advised Jacquard and his father before him, he was now old and made many strange decisions.
It took Jacquard half a year to engage with the public again and even then it was for essential appearances. The warlords that governed the regions grew restless. The sympathy they felt towards their King grew thin as they began to fill ignored.
People have short memories and many of Jacquard’s heroic deeds were forgotten. Slowly, he returned to his duties but it was said he was not the same. He was a man that was going through the motions.
That was until he became obsessed with the Ritual of the Stones.”
Pewtory sensed the shift in mood in the room as the Ritual was mentioned. Smiles fell from people’s faces. The Ritual occurred every twelve years and in a few months it would occur again. The ceremony of the stones where twelve unfortunate individuals would find a stone upon them, marking that they had been selected to participate in the Ritual was even closer.
Pewtory hoped that whilst travelling to the capital city, Lilyon where the Ritual took place he would encounter one of the stoneholders so he could interview them and write a song about what could potentially be their last days.
“During his reign he had presided over just one Ritual. It was early on in his reign and the sacrifice broke his heart. It was nothing compared to the devastation to his soul the next one would cause him.
There are children present so I will not go into details but I am sure many people here will recall the tragic events of that day.”
Pewtory paused again. Several members of the Inn swiped their eyebrows and pointed their index fingers to the ceiling. It was a variation on an ancient superstition to ward off evil. The atmosphere had turned melancholy and whilst Pewtory wished to evoke all emotions, he wanted to the audience to go away feeling happy.
The last Ritual had been one of the most distressing in recent history. A young girl was chosen for the sacrifice and was viciously murdered by the Gloom. The Gloom did not discriminate between age or sex and took its time devouring the girl. Many of the audience were unable to look, some were violently ill. Despite this, people would still turn up in the thousands to witness the next Ritual.
“Needless to say,” Pewtory continued now eager to progress the story. “The King was as distraught over the event as anyone. The horrific event sparked a new vigour in him and he was more determined than ever to discover a way to stop the Gloom once and for all. It was a fool’s quest, many King’s in the past had undertaken such a mission and they had all failed.
This did not stop Jacquard. He commissioned scholars, witches, warriors and bards to discover the origin of the Ritual. He himself followed long dead leads, venturing beyond his region for the first time in years. He maintained in close contact with the parents of the poor victim, vowing to avenge their daughter.
Then one day, about a year later. He just stopped. He was riding through Meadowmead on a quest to track down an ancient brotherhood when he ordered his party to stop. He stared out across the fields ahead of him for a few minutes as if in a trance. He ignored the questions from his knights enquiring whether he was feeling well and then without saying a word, he turned his horse around and guided it back towards the White City.
That was it, no explanation, no reason but it was clear King Jacquard’s search for the answers to the Ritual was over.
He still continued with his reign but his actions were perfunctory now. There is no one that could argue he did not rule justly but his enthusiasm, his zeal had gone. He no longer tackled each problem with the same vigour he displayed before. He had become Jacquard the half-hearted.
September 8, 2013
Book Review - Vicious Circle
Vicious Circle – Mike Carey
I thoroughly enjoyed Mike Carey’s first book. I read two debuts around the same time of urban fantasy novels and Mike’s stood out as the superior novel (The other was Jim Butcher’s Harry Dresden’s series) and I was hoping for more of the same.
The blurb:
Castor has reluctantly returned to exorcism after the case of the Bonnington Archive ghost convinced him that he really can do some good with his abilities ('good', of course, being a relative term when dealing with the undead). But his friend, Rafi, is still possessed; the succubus, Ajulutsikael (Juliet to her friends), still technically has a contract on him; and he's still--let's not beat around the bush--dirt poor. Doing some consulting for the local constabulary helps pay the bills, but Castor needs a big, private job to really fill the hole in his overdraft.
That's what he needs. What he gets, good fortune and Castor not being on speaking terms, is a seemingly insignificant 'missing ghost' case that inexorably drags himself and his loved ones into the middle of a horrific plot to raise one of Hell's fiercest demons. When Satanists, sacrifice farms, stolen spirits and possessed churches all appear on the same police report, the name of Felix Castor can't be too far behind...
Not since I read Paul F Wilson’s “The Keep” and then the sequel “The Tomb” has a first and second novel felt so different in feel and tone. Whereas Mike Carey’s first novel was a slow burner, where Felix Castor investigated a haunting in a library by interviewing the employees in the building, Vicious Circle sees him in over his head and frantically avoiding an attack every five minutes as he struggles to figure out what the hell is going on.
This is not a bad thing and it is certainly not an inferior novel as a result, it just took me a little while to adjust to the different style.
Felix is fleshed out a lot more in this novel. We learn more about his past and in particular his guilt over his best friend’s Rafi’s problem. Felix is still the same confident and obsessive investigator but Mike Carey seems to enjoy the character more in this sequel, as Felix is always quick with a sarcastic comment or quip. He is also more reckless, taking chances with his mouth when a gun is pointed at his head often. In short, he is great.
The supporting cast are also good. Pen (Felix’s roommate), is great as his conscious that he does not listen to. There is a nice tension between them underlined by a lot of respect.
Juliet the Siren is also great. One of antagonists in the first novel, Vicious Circle sees her team up with Felix as she tries to learn how to be human. It is a great dynamic, as Felix constantly has to struggle in her presence to avoid the natural propensity to fall head over heels in lust with her.
The other good character is Peace. I wasn’t crazy about the name, for some reason it could never flow in the sentence as I read it, but he is a great character. A chequered past and seemingly a stronger skill with the supernatural, Peace is someone that invokes intrigue.
As I mentioned earlier, Vicious Circle moves as at rapid place. Felix takes on far too many jobs and does not really have a firm grasp on any of them. As he tries to make sense of the few leads he has, he stumbles across incident after incident and gets his butt kicked. The confusion Felix feels, rubs off on the reader, and initially I felt a little overwhelmed trying to remember what character was associated with which case. In some ways this is a good thing, as you really get a sense of the uphill battle Felix is facing, but when I was expecting a slow burner like Mike Carey’s previous book, I was a little shell-shocked.
Having said that, once I got a firm grasp on the plot, I loved the intrigues and mystery. The plot was very reminiscent of a Robert Crais or Harlan Coben novel only with ghosts, were-creatures and demons.
Inevitably, all of the plots weave their way together and accumulate in realistic and satisfactory way. Felix’s actions are logical and although he faces death about 49,254 times in the book, it never feels like he is let off without good reason or is saved by an outside force.
The ending presents an epic showdown worthy of the plot and even pulls on a few emotional strings as Felix is put through the ringer. Battered,bruised and emonally drained I can't wait to see what happens next to Fix.
My rating: 8.7
I thoroughly enjoyed Mike Carey’s first book. I read two debuts around the same time of urban fantasy novels and Mike’s stood out as the superior novel (The other was Jim Butcher’s Harry Dresden’s series) and I was hoping for more of the same.
The blurb:
Castor has reluctantly returned to exorcism after the case of the Bonnington Archive ghost convinced him that he really can do some good with his abilities ('good', of course, being a relative term when dealing with the undead). But his friend, Rafi, is still possessed; the succubus, Ajulutsikael (Juliet to her friends), still technically has a contract on him; and he's still--let's not beat around the bush--dirt poor. Doing some consulting for the local constabulary helps pay the bills, but Castor needs a big, private job to really fill the hole in his overdraft.
That's what he needs. What he gets, good fortune and Castor not being on speaking terms, is a seemingly insignificant 'missing ghost' case that inexorably drags himself and his loved ones into the middle of a horrific plot to raise one of Hell's fiercest demons. When Satanists, sacrifice farms, stolen spirits and possessed churches all appear on the same police report, the name of Felix Castor can't be too far behind...
Not since I read Paul F Wilson’s “The Keep” and then the sequel “The Tomb” has a first and second novel felt so different in feel and tone. Whereas Mike Carey’s first novel was a slow burner, where Felix Castor investigated a haunting in a library by interviewing the employees in the building, Vicious Circle sees him in over his head and frantically avoiding an attack every five minutes as he struggles to figure out what the hell is going on.
This is not a bad thing and it is certainly not an inferior novel as a result, it just took me a little while to adjust to the different style.
Felix is fleshed out a lot more in this novel. We learn more about his past and in particular his guilt over his best friend’s Rafi’s problem. Felix is still the same confident and obsessive investigator but Mike Carey seems to enjoy the character more in this sequel, as Felix is always quick with a sarcastic comment or quip. He is also more reckless, taking chances with his mouth when a gun is pointed at his head often. In short, he is great.
The supporting cast are also good. Pen (Felix’s roommate), is great as his conscious that he does not listen to. There is a nice tension between them underlined by a lot of respect.
Juliet the Siren is also great. One of antagonists in the first novel, Vicious Circle sees her team up with Felix as she tries to learn how to be human. It is a great dynamic, as Felix constantly has to struggle in her presence to avoid the natural propensity to fall head over heels in lust with her.
The other good character is Peace. I wasn’t crazy about the name, for some reason it could never flow in the sentence as I read it, but he is a great character. A chequered past and seemingly a stronger skill with the supernatural, Peace is someone that invokes intrigue.
As I mentioned earlier, Vicious Circle moves as at rapid place. Felix takes on far too many jobs and does not really have a firm grasp on any of them. As he tries to make sense of the few leads he has, he stumbles across incident after incident and gets his butt kicked. The confusion Felix feels, rubs off on the reader, and initially I felt a little overwhelmed trying to remember what character was associated with which case. In some ways this is a good thing, as you really get a sense of the uphill battle Felix is facing, but when I was expecting a slow burner like Mike Carey’s previous book, I was a little shell-shocked.
Having said that, once I got a firm grasp on the plot, I loved the intrigues and mystery. The plot was very reminiscent of a Robert Crais or Harlan Coben novel only with ghosts, were-creatures and demons.
Inevitably, all of the plots weave their way together and accumulate in realistic and satisfactory way. Felix’s actions are logical and although he faces death about 49,254 times in the book, it never feels like he is let off without good reason or is saved by an outside force.
The ending presents an epic showdown worthy of the plot and even pulls on a few emotional strings as Felix is put through the ringer. Battered,bruised and emonally drained I can't wait to see what happens next to Fix.
My rating: 8.7
September 4, 2013
Book Review - World War Z (JS)
World War Z by Max Brooks
Review by Jacqui Slaney
Now I have read a few Zombie books and played some of the usual electronic games, have found them particularly good, when you have had a rubbish day at work and you can take it out on someone. Actually, it’s a bit worrying how good my aim is getting!
Unlike most people who have read this book, I have not read the first instalment- the Zombie survival guide, but with the hype of the film, I thought I would give this one a go.
The description:
It began with rumours from China about another pandemic. Then the cases started to multiply and what had looked like the stirrings of a criminal underclass, even the beginnings of a revolution, soon revealed itself to be much, much worse. Faced with a future of mindless, man-eating horror, humanity was forced to accept the logic of world government and face events that tested our sanity and our sense of reality.
The book is set after the ‘war’ is over and is written as a series of interviews with people who were involved or affected by what went on, so you get a series of short stories really rather than one long tale.
This is quite effective as you gets lots of different nationalities, Americans, Japanese, British to name a few and different types of characters: children who grew up in the war, soldiers, and just everyday people whose lives are dramatically changed. There are some great descriptions of people in the entertainment industries reacting in horror, that now they have to dig ditches and tend crops as they usual career is now obsolete.
There is no flowing plot, but you find as you read each chapter, you get more and more pulled into it. It is gruesome, obviously, but even though some of the stories are short, you get to like the characters. Some that stick out are the K9 trainer, submarine officer and definitely the blind gardener, but I could name loads more.
Although these are separate stories, certain events are mentioned in each one and you have the running theme of how some countries were more prepared than others, and the very old story of the differing governments trying desperately to hang on to power though the world is falling apart around them.
This is a very enjoyable read, the way it is written makes the idea of the dead reanimating very plausible, and as the reader, you accept this with no problem. I would definitely recommend it for Zombie fans and those who are new to the genre
My rating: 10 out of 10
Review by Jacqui Slaney
Now I have read a few Zombie books and played some of the usual electronic games, have found them particularly good, when you have had a rubbish day at work and you can take it out on someone. Actually, it’s a bit worrying how good my aim is getting!
Unlike most people who have read this book, I have not read the first instalment- the Zombie survival guide, but with the hype of the film, I thought I would give this one a go.
The description:
It began with rumours from China about another pandemic. Then the cases started to multiply and what had looked like the stirrings of a criminal underclass, even the beginnings of a revolution, soon revealed itself to be much, much worse. Faced with a future of mindless, man-eating horror, humanity was forced to accept the logic of world government and face events that tested our sanity and our sense of reality.
The book is set after the ‘war’ is over and is written as a series of interviews with people who were involved or affected by what went on, so you get a series of short stories really rather than one long tale.
This is quite effective as you gets lots of different nationalities, Americans, Japanese, British to name a few and different types of characters: children who grew up in the war, soldiers, and just everyday people whose lives are dramatically changed. There are some great descriptions of people in the entertainment industries reacting in horror, that now they have to dig ditches and tend crops as they usual career is now obsolete.
There is no flowing plot, but you find as you read each chapter, you get more and more pulled into it. It is gruesome, obviously, but even though some of the stories are short, you get to like the characters. Some that stick out are the K9 trainer, submarine officer and definitely the blind gardener, but I could name loads more.
Although these are separate stories, certain events are mentioned in each one and you have the running theme of how some countries were more prepared than others, and the very old story of the differing governments trying desperately to hang on to power though the world is falling apart around them.
This is a very enjoyable read, the way it is written makes the idea of the dead reanimating very plausible, and as the reader, you accept this with no problem. I would definitely recommend it for Zombie fans and those who are new to the genre
My rating: 10 out of 10
September 3, 2013
Pewtory the Lesser Bard - part 5: Jacquard the Brave
To celebrate the release of “Ritual of the Stones,” I am releasing a free serialised story set in the same world of Frindoth. The story will follow the journey of Pewtory the Lesser bard as he travels to Lilyon to witness the Ritual. I hope you enjoy.
Click here to read Part 1 - Introducing Pewtory the Lesser Bard
Click here to read part 2 - Approaching Gandarra
Click here to read part 3 - The Falconer's Stump
Click here to read part 4 - The performance begins
Chapter 5 – Jacquard the brave
“King Jacquard risked a quick glance over the broken wall and swiftly lowered it again as two arrows whistled over and thudded into wagon behind him. If he had looked for a second longer those arrows would have sent him to the afterlife.
His heart thundered against his chest and with a shaking hand, he wiped the sweat from him eyes. The sight he had witnessed would have made ordinary men go weak at the knees for hundreds of bloodthirsty Kronian’s disembarked from their ships and attacked the Barembaugh castle.
These were remorseless enemies of Frindoth, pirates of the sea, scourge to all traders who had decided to progress from their cowardly tactics and take Rivervale for themselves.
They charged with scimitars, lances and crossbows, wearing their flamboyant coloured frilled shirts and dripping with gold jewellery.
“I’d say they have us pretty well pinned down,” he said to Longshaw the daring, his chief knight.
“This could be the day we finally lose,” Longshaw replied.
“Nonsense,” the King grinned. “They only outnumber us three to one.”
Pewtory the Lesser Bard paused. Within seconds he had the room’s attention again. He ducked behind the stall on the stage to simulate King’s Jacquard’s actions. In the front row he spied the boy who had requested the story, lean forward in his seat and Pewtory struggled not to smile.
He was of course telling the story of the defence of Barembaugh, where King Jacquard and his knights had fought the Kronian’s in the ruined castle as they invaded Vale Bay.
Although the Kronian’s were notorious pirates, they had never bothered with the treasures on land before. Jacquard had little warning of their attack and so only had time to assemble his own army and personal knights. There would be no assistance from the other regions. Pewtory resumed the story adopting a deep baritone voice for the King.
“We just need to hold them,” the King said.
“Easier said than done,” Longshaw replied.
At that moment a Kronian launched himself over the wall and landed in front of Jacquard. Longshaw stabbed him through the heart immediately before the man had time to turn around.
The King did not wait to see the man die, but jumped up to meet the next assailant. He was a huge man, bellowing with rage as he stood on top of the wall. He twirled an axe over his head and looked upon the King with hatred in his eyes that would give any child nightmares for life.”
With that Pewtory jumped off the stage, landed in front of the boy and roared at the top of his voice. A few of the woman gasped but the boy just grinned from ear to ear. Again, Pewtory continued.
“Jacquard was not intimidated though, he calmly swiped at the man’s shins opening up two enormous gashes. The man howled in agony as the King jumped up to meet him on the wall and kicked him into the enemy.
This time when an arrow flew towards him he batted it away with his shield before doing the unthinkable and jumping into the mass of attackers below. He landed on three of them, taking them to the ground, before springing to his feet and meeting the next attack from a bald man yielding a short sword. Jacquard parried the blow, twirled around and decapitated the man’s head in the next stroke.
For a moment, his knights could only stare in horror at the King’s exploits. It was impossible to think a King would place himself in such mortal danger. Was it reckless? Was it stupidity? Had battle fever driven the monarch to madness?
The answer to these questions is no. The King was demonstrating bravery of the highest order. For whilst he fought like a lion, accompanied by his fellow knights, Ulric Von Coolidge, his loyal friend, known as the “no-nonsense” knight, had secretly been dispatched by the King to attack the Kronian’s by sea.
The King’s intention was to keep the focus on himself. For whilst Jacquard made himself a large target too tempting for the cowardly pirates to ignore they were distracted from watching their backs.
This allowed Ulric Von Coolridge to destroy the enemy ships by raining down fire arrows onto the sails and burning them into the sea.”
Pewtory continued to narrate the tale, embellishing King Jacquard’s exploits and portraying how brave he was in battle. As he talked he acquired an old man’s walking stick which he used as a pretend sword. He swished the imaginary weapon back and forth to the delight of the audience and the resentment of the old man.
In truth, although over the years, the Kronian war has become known as a great victory, it was a straightforward win for the King. The pirates were ill-disciplined and once their ships were on fire, they were caught like rabbits in a trap. The significance of the tale was the achievement of Jacquard ending years of skirmishes and pirating in one decisive battle.
From the battle of Barembaugh Pewtory moved onto recall the siege of the Terror Tombs and then he told the story of the “Ghost Assassin,” which demonstrated the King’s bravery off the battle field in making an unpopular decision not to execute a criminal.
“There is little disputing our honourable King was a brave man. Who knows? Maybe he still is. But you my friend,” he pointed to the young boy who now sat so far on the edge of his seat Pewtory thought he might fall off, “wanted to know why he is now Jacquard the disheartened...
Click here to read Part 1 - Introducing Pewtory the Lesser Bard
Click here to read part 2 - Approaching Gandarra
Click here to read part 3 - The Falconer's Stump
Click here to read part 4 - The performance begins
Chapter 5 – Jacquard the brave
“King Jacquard risked a quick glance over the broken wall and swiftly lowered it again as two arrows whistled over and thudded into wagon behind him. If he had looked for a second longer those arrows would have sent him to the afterlife.
His heart thundered against his chest and with a shaking hand, he wiped the sweat from him eyes. The sight he had witnessed would have made ordinary men go weak at the knees for hundreds of bloodthirsty Kronian’s disembarked from their ships and attacked the Barembaugh castle.
These were remorseless enemies of Frindoth, pirates of the sea, scourge to all traders who had decided to progress from their cowardly tactics and take Rivervale for themselves.
They charged with scimitars, lances and crossbows, wearing their flamboyant coloured frilled shirts and dripping with gold jewellery.
“I’d say they have us pretty well pinned down,” he said to Longshaw the daring, his chief knight.
“This could be the day we finally lose,” Longshaw replied.
“Nonsense,” the King grinned. “They only outnumber us three to one.”
Pewtory the Lesser Bard paused. Within seconds he had the room’s attention again. He ducked behind the stall on the stage to simulate King’s Jacquard’s actions. In the front row he spied the boy who had requested the story, lean forward in his seat and Pewtory struggled not to smile.
He was of course telling the story of the defence of Barembaugh, where King Jacquard and his knights had fought the Kronian’s in the ruined castle as they invaded Vale Bay.
Although the Kronian’s were notorious pirates, they had never bothered with the treasures on land before. Jacquard had little warning of their attack and so only had time to assemble his own army and personal knights. There would be no assistance from the other regions. Pewtory resumed the story adopting a deep baritone voice for the King.
“We just need to hold them,” the King said.
“Easier said than done,” Longshaw replied.
At that moment a Kronian launched himself over the wall and landed in front of Jacquard. Longshaw stabbed him through the heart immediately before the man had time to turn around.
The King did not wait to see the man die, but jumped up to meet the next assailant. He was a huge man, bellowing with rage as he stood on top of the wall. He twirled an axe over his head and looked upon the King with hatred in his eyes that would give any child nightmares for life.”
With that Pewtory jumped off the stage, landed in front of the boy and roared at the top of his voice. A few of the woman gasped but the boy just grinned from ear to ear. Again, Pewtory continued.
“Jacquard was not intimidated though, he calmly swiped at the man’s shins opening up two enormous gashes. The man howled in agony as the King jumped up to meet him on the wall and kicked him into the enemy.
This time when an arrow flew towards him he batted it away with his shield before doing the unthinkable and jumping into the mass of attackers below. He landed on three of them, taking them to the ground, before springing to his feet and meeting the next attack from a bald man yielding a short sword. Jacquard parried the blow, twirled around and decapitated the man’s head in the next stroke.
For a moment, his knights could only stare in horror at the King’s exploits. It was impossible to think a King would place himself in such mortal danger. Was it reckless? Was it stupidity? Had battle fever driven the monarch to madness?
The answer to these questions is no. The King was demonstrating bravery of the highest order. For whilst he fought like a lion, accompanied by his fellow knights, Ulric Von Coolidge, his loyal friend, known as the “no-nonsense” knight, had secretly been dispatched by the King to attack the Kronian’s by sea.
The King’s intention was to keep the focus on himself. For whilst Jacquard made himself a large target too tempting for the cowardly pirates to ignore they were distracted from watching their backs.
This allowed Ulric Von Coolridge to destroy the enemy ships by raining down fire arrows onto the sails and burning them into the sea.”
Pewtory continued to narrate the tale, embellishing King Jacquard’s exploits and portraying how brave he was in battle. As he talked he acquired an old man’s walking stick which he used as a pretend sword. He swished the imaginary weapon back and forth to the delight of the audience and the resentment of the old man.
In truth, although over the years, the Kronian war has become known as a great victory, it was a straightforward win for the King. The pirates were ill-disciplined and once their ships were on fire, they were caught like rabbits in a trap. The significance of the tale was the achievement of Jacquard ending years of skirmishes and pirating in one decisive battle.
From the battle of Barembaugh Pewtory moved onto recall the siege of the Terror Tombs and then he told the story of the “Ghost Assassin,” which demonstrated the King’s bravery off the battle field in making an unpopular decision not to execute a criminal.
“There is little disputing our honourable King was a brave man. Who knows? Maybe he still is. But you my friend,” he pointed to the young boy who now sat so far on the edge of his seat Pewtory thought he might fall off, “wanted to know why he is now Jacquard the disheartened...
September 1, 2013
Book Review - Fear the Worst
Fear the Worst – Linwood Barclay
My wife introduced me to Linwood Barclay last year. His first two books were very much in the same mold as Harlan Coben’s standalone novels, although they zip along at twice the speed. Sometimes you just fancy a quick thriller.
The blurb:
That's what Tim Blake finds himself asking when his daughter Sydney vanishes into thin air. At the hotel where she was supposedly working, no one has ever heard of her. Even her closest friends can't tell him what Sydney was really doing in the weeks before her disappearance. Now as the days pass without a word, Tim is forced to face not only the fact that Sydney is missing but that the daughter he's loved and nurtured, the daughter he thought he knew as well as anyone, is a virtual stranger.
As he retraces Sydney's steps, searching for clues to her secret life, Tim discovers that the suburban Connecticut town he always thought of as perfectly ordinary has a darker side. But what he doesn't know is just how dark. Because while he's out searching for his daughter, questioning everyone who might have known her, someone is watching him.
For Tim isn't the only one who'll do anything to find Syd. Whatever trouble she's in, there's a lot more on the way.and it's following in Tim's footsteps. The closer Tim comes to the truth, the closer he comes to every parent's worst nightmare.and the kind of evil only a parent's love has a chance in hell of stopping.
I find these type of books strange. When you break it down they all follow the same premise: Someone in a family goes missing, their loved one looks for them and in doing so discover that the missing person’s life was full of secrets beyond everyone’s wildest dreams. The thing is, I have read a ton of these books now and never get bored of the concept.
A lot of the time they are far-fetched but there is something how they involve ordinary people that make them seem very realistic. It could happen to you and that is the scary thing.
“Fear the Worst” is one of the better versions of these stories. Linwood Barclay has managed to include so many twists and turns in this novel that at one point I actually sat back and reflected on how sorry I felt for the protagonist.
The said protagonist is Tim. He is instantly likeable. His wife has left him and although bitter about the whole scenario, he does not wallow in self-pity. Instead, he is your every day man. He reacts to situations in a way you would expect, which makes you instantly root for him.
The supporting cast is strong. Tim’s ex wife is fairly complex. She has her new man but although there are issues with Tim, the two have a pragmatic relationship. It is nice to see, so often the easy route in fiction is to have divorced couples butting heads.
Her new husband Bob is great. He has some characteristics that mark him out to be a bit of an ass, but again Linwood avoids the easy route of having the reader hate him, by giving him several redeemable features. Everything he does also makes sense.
Perhaps the best character is Patty. Patty is the best friend of Tim’s missing daughter Syd. She is the typical, troubled teenager but has a level of complexity to her that endears the reader. Every time she acts in a positive way, she immediately makes a mistake or gets into trouble.
Linwood Barclay introduces a whole host of other characters but all of them are utilised effectively and all serve to add unexpected obstacles to the plot and throw the reader off course.
As for the story, I mentioned the pace of the plot moves on at a million miles an hour, but Barclay also allows several moments of reflection and for Tim to really allow the events to hit him. Some of them are quite emotional which is rare for a book of this ilk.
If I had a minor complaint is the ending needed a little bit more. The actual climax is good but I felt the book was in dire need of an epilogue, just to wrap up all the loose ends and explain the outcome of several of the character’s fates.
Overall, I thought “Fear the Worst” was great. I devoured the book in two days and loved every minute of it. The characters were more than just your two dimensional plot devices and I actually cared what happened to them.
My rating: 8.7
My wife introduced me to Linwood Barclay last year. His first two books were very much in the same mold as Harlan Coben’s standalone novels, although they zip along at twice the speed. Sometimes you just fancy a quick thriller.
The blurb:
That's what Tim Blake finds himself asking when his daughter Sydney vanishes into thin air. At the hotel where she was supposedly working, no one has ever heard of her. Even her closest friends can't tell him what Sydney was really doing in the weeks before her disappearance. Now as the days pass without a word, Tim is forced to face not only the fact that Sydney is missing but that the daughter he's loved and nurtured, the daughter he thought he knew as well as anyone, is a virtual stranger.
As he retraces Sydney's steps, searching for clues to her secret life, Tim discovers that the suburban Connecticut town he always thought of as perfectly ordinary has a darker side. But what he doesn't know is just how dark. Because while he's out searching for his daughter, questioning everyone who might have known her, someone is watching him.
For Tim isn't the only one who'll do anything to find Syd. Whatever trouble she's in, there's a lot more on the way.and it's following in Tim's footsteps. The closer Tim comes to the truth, the closer he comes to every parent's worst nightmare.and the kind of evil only a parent's love has a chance in hell of stopping.
I find these type of books strange. When you break it down they all follow the same premise: Someone in a family goes missing, their loved one looks for them and in doing so discover that the missing person’s life was full of secrets beyond everyone’s wildest dreams. The thing is, I have read a ton of these books now and never get bored of the concept.
A lot of the time they are far-fetched but there is something how they involve ordinary people that make them seem very realistic. It could happen to you and that is the scary thing.
“Fear the Worst” is one of the better versions of these stories. Linwood Barclay has managed to include so many twists and turns in this novel that at one point I actually sat back and reflected on how sorry I felt for the protagonist.
The said protagonist is Tim. He is instantly likeable. His wife has left him and although bitter about the whole scenario, he does not wallow in self-pity. Instead, he is your every day man. He reacts to situations in a way you would expect, which makes you instantly root for him.
The supporting cast is strong. Tim’s ex wife is fairly complex. She has her new man but although there are issues with Tim, the two have a pragmatic relationship. It is nice to see, so often the easy route in fiction is to have divorced couples butting heads.
Her new husband Bob is great. He has some characteristics that mark him out to be a bit of an ass, but again Linwood avoids the easy route of having the reader hate him, by giving him several redeemable features. Everything he does also makes sense.
Perhaps the best character is Patty. Patty is the best friend of Tim’s missing daughter Syd. She is the typical, troubled teenager but has a level of complexity to her that endears the reader. Every time she acts in a positive way, she immediately makes a mistake or gets into trouble.
Linwood Barclay introduces a whole host of other characters but all of them are utilised effectively and all serve to add unexpected obstacles to the plot and throw the reader off course.
As for the story, I mentioned the pace of the plot moves on at a million miles an hour, but Barclay also allows several moments of reflection and for Tim to really allow the events to hit him. Some of them are quite emotional which is rare for a book of this ilk.
If I had a minor complaint is the ending needed a little bit more. The actual climax is good but I felt the book was in dire need of an epilogue, just to wrap up all the loose ends and explain the outcome of several of the character’s fates.
Overall, I thought “Fear the Worst” was great. I devoured the book in two days and loved every minute of it. The characters were more than just your two dimensional plot devices and I actually cared what happened to them.
My rating: 8.7
August 31, 2013
Writing Update
So following the welcome news that Dag over at SFFworld.com wanted to feature Pewtory the Lesser Bard in a regular weekly slot, the eccentric bard has kind of grown into a bit of a beast. I am finding it increasingly difficult to restrict the chapters to just 1,000 words (averaging 1,193 words per chapter) and even more arduous to move the story along swiftly. In short it is rapidly developing into a novella.
I never intended for this but as the story seems to be getting positive feedback I am also quite excited about it. As things stands, I have posted the first four chapters but have written 8,350 words in total (another 3 chapters worth). Whilst this is a great stuff and it is good to flex new writing muscles (Pewtory you may have noticed is written in a more tongue in cheek way from Ritual of the Stones), I can’t help thinking this is another 8,350 words or two chapters I could have written for book two. Not only that, but it is also taking up valuable time I should be dedicating to book two.
What is the solution? Do I have one even? The answer is yes. I know what I wanted to achieve with Pewtory the Lesser and that is introduce the world and some of the characters. So far I have successfully achieved some of that. My aim is to wrap up the story around the 20,000 word point, I can then publish as a short story free of charge to gain more exposure.
It will mean I have to have the book edited properly and go over it more thoroughly but it will be worth the effort in the long run. It will also be another piece of work to add to my portfolio.
Maybe I will aim for a Christmas release – who knows?
Book 2
As for book two, I have making some more positive progress. I have recently completed another chapter and I am on the down hill leg of the journey.
I have recently stopped and really sat back and assessed the direction of the novel and mapped out what needs to happen and how the characters are going to get there. This has meant doing a smiliar exercise as I did with the first book in that I plotted the remaining scenes of each of the characters and how many chapters I had left to write.
If I am right, then book two will come in at a heftier 140,000 words. Still not quite up there with the larger fantasy novels but I am a great believer in telling the story I want to tell and then get out of there.
I never intended for this but as the story seems to be getting positive feedback I am also quite excited about it. As things stands, I have posted the first four chapters but have written 8,350 words in total (another 3 chapters worth). Whilst this is a great stuff and it is good to flex new writing muscles (Pewtory you may have noticed is written in a more tongue in cheek way from Ritual of the Stones), I can’t help thinking this is another 8,350 words or two chapters I could have written for book two. Not only that, but it is also taking up valuable time I should be dedicating to book two.
What is the solution? Do I have one even? The answer is yes. I know what I wanted to achieve with Pewtory the Lesser and that is introduce the world and some of the characters. So far I have successfully achieved some of that. My aim is to wrap up the story around the 20,000 word point, I can then publish as a short story free of charge to gain more exposure.
It will mean I have to have the book edited properly and go over it more thoroughly but it will be worth the effort in the long run. It will also be another piece of work to add to my portfolio.
Maybe I will aim for a Christmas release – who knows?
Book 2
As for book two, I have making some more positive progress. I have recently completed another chapter and I am on the down hill leg of the journey.
I have recently stopped and really sat back and assessed the direction of the novel and mapped out what needs to happen and how the characters are going to get there. This has meant doing a smiliar exercise as I did with the first book in that I plotted the remaining scenes of each of the characters and how many chapters I had left to write.
If I am right, then book two will come in at a heftier 140,000 words. Still not quite up there with the larger fantasy novels but I am a great believer in telling the story I want to tell and then get out of there.
August 30, 2013
Pewtory the Lesser Bard part 4: The Performance begins
To celebrate the release of “Ritual of the Stones,” I am releasing a free serialised story set in the same world of Frindoth. The story will follow the journey of Pewtory the Lesser bard as he travels to Lilyon to witness the Ritual. I hope you enjoy.
Click here to read Part 1 - Introducing Pewtory the Lesser bard
Click here to read Part 2 - Approaching Gandara
Click
here to read part 3 - the Falconer's Stump
Chapter 4 – The Performance begins
Pewtory looked in the mirror for a final time and took a deep breath. He held it for a few seconds and then exhaled. He looked good. He wore a purple feather in his ear and had applied a similar shade of make-up under his eyes. His stomach churned. He had slept for an hour and then taken a nice hot bath allowing the steaming water to relax his muscles and wash the tension of days on the road away.
Over the last few hours he was conscious of more and more people entering the inn downstairs. The excited chatter from the bar below filtered up through the floorboards, so that it felt like he stood on a hive of bees. The green and blue moon had ascended in the sky. The red moon had yet to make an appearance.
One or two of the revellers took it upon themselves to regale the inn with their own drunken songs. They sounded abysmal which suited Pewtory fine. He would shine like silver next to rust when he opened his mouth.
He checked the mirror a final time and smiled. He winked at himself and turned away with a spring in his step.
“Ready gents?” he said to Willow and Wisp.
The two fish shot to the surface sending a stream of bubbles across the water. Wisp looked very much alive now and showed no effects of the whiskey he had consumed earlier. He picked up the bowl and Beth and left his room.
As he approached the stairs the clamour below grew louder. He was surprised to see people sat on the staircase as he descended. The first five or six steps were occupied by six people. Three rows of pairs seated side by side. The closest couple a man and a woman looked up upon hearing him. The man was bald with ugly looking warts on his scalp, where as the woman had a short bob of dyed red hair at the base. They turned in unison, a broad grin spread across both their faces.
The woman hooted in delight and clapped her hands and the man announced Pewtory’s presence to the rest of the room. The bard acknowledged the welcome and stepped through them as they scuttled over to let him past. He stopped as he looked at the sight before him.
Every part of the floor was taken up with chairs. People overspilled from the bar and swamped those that seated so that the seats were pretty much a waste of time. In the centre of the common room the innkeeper had erected several crates for Pewtory to stand on.
The crowd erupted into a huge cheer and spontaneous applause. Pewtory hesitated for just a moment before adrenaline took over. He beamed at his audience and skipped through the throng of people and jumped onto the stage.
With one hand grasping the bowl under his arm, he raised the other to quieten the crowd. They obliged immediately. When there was complete silence he spoke.
“Can I help you at all?” Pewtory said and received a small ripple of laughter.
“Ladies and gentlemen, I am Pewtory the Lesser bard. Not yet as famous as my namesake but twice as witty and thrice as handsome.” He winked at a large lady in the front row who blushed in response.
“Yes I’m Pewtory the Lesser but I am so much more, with a voice of a nightingale and a library of stories to rival the archives of Mantini. Ladies and gentlemen, settle in and enjoy a night you’ll never forget.”
With that, Pewtory placed the fish by his side and unveiled his mandolin. He strummed it once and then burst into “The frog and the newt,” a song that was universally known and elicited a strong response due to its catchy chorus. He was delighted when everyone in the room joined in immediately in all the right places.
Whilst he sang he danced over the bowl. Both fish responded to the music by jumping out of the water and splashing down into the water. Their movements seemed rehearsed, as they co-ordinated their jumps so that one splashed down as the other took off. When Pewtory’s right leg passed over the bowl, Wisp would jump out of the water and Willow would respond to the left leg in the same way.
It took a while for the audience to notice the trick but they soon became captivated in the performance and hooted with delight whenever the fish performed a trick.
When the song was complete, Pewtory followed it with, “The travelling man,” “The sorrow of the Spirit saga” and “Gregorian, Gregorian what will you build next?” All three songs went down a storm and the crowd was raucous.
By the time he recited the epic poem of “the last Firelion,” he was parched. He signalled for a drink as the crowd discussed the performance.
“Happy?” he said to the innkeeper as a mug of ale was thrust into his hand. The man stank of cooking oil.
“Reasonably. What’s next?”
“Next is story time. I ask for any request from your patrons and then regale them with the version that they have never heard before.”
The innkeeper grunted and made his way through the crowd back to the bar. Pewtory gulped the rest of his drink and climbed back on the makeshift stage. He saw Archie sitting on a stool speaking cosily to a young blond lady, who couldn’t look less interested. The peddler looked up and toasted the bard, slurping his drink in the process over the young girl. She stood abruptly and marched away. Archie shrugged and smiled at Pewtory in a ‘what can you do’ fashion.
Pewtory plucked a few chords on the mandolin to signal for the inn to be silent.
“I have sojourned many regions and hundreds of towns where I have performed in front of countless numbers. Yet I can honestly say the “Falconer’s stump” is the best audience I have ever played in front of.
A drunken cheer went up.
“To Pewtory the Lesser,” a large bearded man toasted and everyone echoed.
“To Pewtory the exaggerator,” a voice called from the back, and received affectionate laughter.
Pewtory laughed along with the banter. “Who wants a story?” Another cheer erupted. “What story would you like?”
Several suggestions were hurled at him. Most he knew, some he did not, although he would never let on to this fact. He closed his eyes and held out his arm, pointing to the audience. He then span on the spot three times. When he stopped he opened his eyes to discover he was pointing at a young boy, who could not have been more than ten summers old.
The boy had wet hair brushed in a side parting and held his father’s hand: a man sporting a similar hair style. Pewtory smiled at the pair before crouching down to be closer to the boy.
“It appears young man that tonight you have the honour of selecting the story I tell. What will it be?”
The boy stared wide eyed at the bard before his father squeezed his hand and motioned for him to answer.
“I would like to hear about King Jacquard the half-hearted,” the boy said. The suggestion was met with a collection of groans. Of all the stories the boy could have requested, a story about their present King was hardly new information to many in the tavern.
“A fantastic choice,” Pewtory said quietly to the boy. He then stood a projected his voice more loudly. “Tonight’s story will be about our good King Jacquard.”
More groans greeted the announcement. “What is this I hear? Disapproval? Reluctance? Surely this cannot be true?” Pewtory said.
“We know all about our King. Tell us an exciting story,” someone said.
“I beg to differ my dear fellow. For if you knew all about our King then you would be eager to hear the story. For the tale I know is one full of bravery, tragedy and courage. Strap yourselves in my dear friends whilst I tell you the story of “Jacquard the half-hearted...”
Click here to read Part 1 - Introducing Pewtory the Lesser bard
Click here to read Part 2 - Approaching Gandara
Click
here to read part 3 - the Falconer's Stump
Chapter 4 – The Performance begins
Pewtory looked in the mirror for a final time and took a deep breath. He held it for a few seconds and then exhaled. He looked good. He wore a purple feather in his ear and had applied a similar shade of make-up under his eyes. His stomach churned. He had slept for an hour and then taken a nice hot bath allowing the steaming water to relax his muscles and wash the tension of days on the road away.
Over the last few hours he was conscious of more and more people entering the inn downstairs. The excited chatter from the bar below filtered up through the floorboards, so that it felt like he stood on a hive of bees. The green and blue moon had ascended in the sky. The red moon had yet to make an appearance.
One or two of the revellers took it upon themselves to regale the inn with their own drunken songs. They sounded abysmal which suited Pewtory fine. He would shine like silver next to rust when he opened his mouth.
He checked the mirror a final time and smiled. He winked at himself and turned away with a spring in his step.
“Ready gents?” he said to Willow and Wisp.
The two fish shot to the surface sending a stream of bubbles across the water. Wisp looked very much alive now and showed no effects of the whiskey he had consumed earlier. He picked up the bowl and Beth and left his room.
As he approached the stairs the clamour below grew louder. He was surprised to see people sat on the staircase as he descended. The first five or six steps were occupied by six people. Three rows of pairs seated side by side. The closest couple a man and a woman looked up upon hearing him. The man was bald with ugly looking warts on his scalp, where as the woman had a short bob of dyed red hair at the base. They turned in unison, a broad grin spread across both their faces.
The woman hooted in delight and clapped her hands and the man announced Pewtory’s presence to the rest of the room. The bard acknowledged the welcome and stepped through them as they scuttled over to let him past. He stopped as he looked at the sight before him.
Every part of the floor was taken up with chairs. People overspilled from the bar and swamped those that seated so that the seats were pretty much a waste of time. In the centre of the common room the innkeeper had erected several crates for Pewtory to stand on.
The crowd erupted into a huge cheer and spontaneous applause. Pewtory hesitated for just a moment before adrenaline took over. He beamed at his audience and skipped through the throng of people and jumped onto the stage.
With one hand grasping the bowl under his arm, he raised the other to quieten the crowd. They obliged immediately. When there was complete silence he spoke.
“Can I help you at all?” Pewtory said and received a small ripple of laughter.
“Ladies and gentlemen, I am Pewtory the Lesser bard. Not yet as famous as my namesake but twice as witty and thrice as handsome.” He winked at a large lady in the front row who blushed in response.
“Yes I’m Pewtory the Lesser but I am so much more, with a voice of a nightingale and a library of stories to rival the archives of Mantini. Ladies and gentlemen, settle in and enjoy a night you’ll never forget.”
With that, Pewtory placed the fish by his side and unveiled his mandolin. He strummed it once and then burst into “The frog and the newt,” a song that was universally known and elicited a strong response due to its catchy chorus. He was delighted when everyone in the room joined in immediately in all the right places.
Whilst he sang he danced over the bowl. Both fish responded to the music by jumping out of the water and splashing down into the water. Their movements seemed rehearsed, as they co-ordinated their jumps so that one splashed down as the other took off. When Pewtory’s right leg passed over the bowl, Wisp would jump out of the water and Willow would respond to the left leg in the same way.
It took a while for the audience to notice the trick but they soon became captivated in the performance and hooted with delight whenever the fish performed a trick.
When the song was complete, Pewtory followed it with, “The travelling man,” “The sorrow of the Spirit saga” and “Gregorian, Gregorian what will you build next?” All three songs went down a storm and the crowd was raucous.
By the time he recited the epic poem of “the last Firelion,” he was parched. He signalled for a drink as the crowd discussed the performance.
“Happy?” he said to the innkeeper as a mug of ale was thrust into his hand. The man stank of cooking oil.
“Reasonably. What’s next?”
“Next is story time. I ask for any request from your patrons and then regale them with the version that they have never heard before.”
The innkeeper grunted and made his way through the crowd back to the bar. Pewtory gulped the rest of his drink and climbed back on the makeshift stage. He saw Archie sitting on a stool speaking cosily to a young blond lady, who couldn’t look less interested. The peddler looked up and toasted the bard, slurping his drink in the process over the young girl. She stood abruptly and marched away. Archie shrugged and smiled at Pewtory in a ‘what can you do’ fashion.
Pewtory plucked a few chords on the mandolin to signal for the inn to be silent.
“I have sojourned many regions and hundreds of towns where I have performed in front of countless numbers. Yet I can honestly say the “Falconer’s stump” is the best audience I have ever played in front of.
A drunken cheer went up.
“To Pewtory the Lesser,” a large bearded man toasted and everyone echoed.
“To Pewtory the exaggerator,” a voice called from the back, and received affectionate laughter.
Pewtory laughed along with the banter. “Who wants a story?” Another cheer erupted. “What story would you like?”
Several suggestions were hurled at him. Most he knew, some he did not, although he would never let on to this fact. He closed his eyes and held out his arm, pointing to the audience. He then span on the spot three times. When he stopped he opened his eyes to discover he was pointing at a young boy, who could not have been more than ten summers old.
The boy had wet hair brushed in a side parting and held his father’s hand: a man sporting a similar hair style. Pewtory smiled at the pair before crouching down to be closer to the boy.
“It appears young man that tonight you have the honour of selecting the story I tell. What will it be?”
The boy stared wide eyed at the bard before his father squeezed his hand and motioned for him to answer.
“I would like to hear about King Jacquard the half-hearted,” the boy said. The suggestion was met with a collection of groans. Of all the stories the boy could have requested, a story about their present King was hardly new information to many in the tavern.
“A fantastic choice,” Pewtory said quietly to the boy. He then stood a projected his voice more loudly. “Tonight’s story will be about our good King Jacquard.”
More groans greeted the announcement. “What is this I hear? Disapproval? Reluctance? Surely this cannot be true?” Pewtory said.
“We know all about our King. Tell us an exciting story,” someone said.
“I beg to differ my dear fellow. For if you knew all about our King then you would be eager to hear the story. For the tale I know is one full of bravery, tragedy and courage. Strap yourselves in my dear friends whilst I tell you the story of “Jacquard the half-hearted...”
August 29, 2013
Book Review - The mists of Avalon (JS)
The Mists of Avalon- by Marion Zimmer Bradley
Review by Jacqui Slaney
I have always been interested in the various Arthurian legends, probably helped by the school I attended where the pupils were split into various houses all named after the Knights of the Round Table. I first came across this story years ago and must admit that when I first read it, I did struggle with the book which is surprising as it is an interesting take on the story and ending up giving on the whole thing. I do not like doing that with books, so recently revisited it to see if I felt different towards it.
This is the description:
Here is the tragic tale of the rise and fall of Camelot - but seen through the eyes of Camelot's women: The devout Gwenhwyfar, Arthur's Queen; Vivane, High priestess of Avalon and the Lady of the Lake; above all, Morgaine, possessor of the sight, the wise, the wise-woman fated to bring ruin on them all...
As the description says the story is told through the eyes of the women around Arthur – The main character is Morgaine or Morgan le fey as she is normally called; she talks of Arthur before he becomes King and after and shows how their relationship following the trickery of Vivane helped to cause the destruction of Camelot by Mordred
I really liked Morgan the most, she is strong and humorous, and you can see as the book goes on and life changes her to a dark and powerful woman why she does what she does.
Gwenhwyfar or Guinevere, I found annoying even on the second reading - at one stage I found myself wanting her to be real so I could slap her, as she was weak and annoying at all times and always seems to be complaining about something
.
The male characters are also little one dimensional, which I suppose is understandable as this is a tale from the womens point of view, even Arthur himself comes across as a little weak
This is a long book, and I am afraid that it does drag at times, with little action and a lot of the emphasis of the plot being on the struggle between paganism and Christianity.
A lot of reviews I have read on this book say that this is the best book that they have ever read on this subject and only a very few go against this and go to the opposite extreme and say it’s awful.
I would say that though I do not hate this book, I do not love it either. It did take me two attempts to read it, but once I had, I was pleased I had persevered.
I have read better (Bernard Cornwell’s The Warlord Chronicles for a start) but this is still a good book. Getting the womens point of view does give it an interesting twist, if you can get past Guinevere that is!
Therefore, if you are interested in tales of Britain and King Arthur, then I would say give this book a go, and I hope that you enjoy it.
7 out of 10
Review by Jacqui Slaney
I have always been interested in the various Arthurian legends, probably helped by the school I attended where the pupils were split into various houses all named after the Knights of the Round Table. I first came across this story years ago and must admit that when I first read it, I did struggle with the book which is surprising as it is an interesting take on the story and ending up giving on the whole thing. I do not like doing that with books, so recently revisited it to see if I felt different towards it.
This is the description:
Here is the tragic tale of the rise and fall of Camelot - but seen through the eyes of Camelot's women: The devout Gwenhwyfar, Arthur's Queen; Vivane, High priestess of Avalon and the Lady of the Lake; above all, Morgaine, possessor of the sight, the wise, the wise-woman fated to bring ruin on them all...
As the description says the story is told through the eyes of the women around Arthur – The main character is Morgaine or Morgan le fey as she is normally called; she talks of Arthur before he becomes King and after and shows how their relationship following the trickery of Vivane helped to cause the destruction of Camelot by Mordred
I really liked Morgan the most, she is strong and humorous, and you can see as the book goes on and life changes her to a dark and powerful woman why she does what she does.
Gwenhwyfar or Guinevere, I found annoying even on the second reading - at one stage I found myself wanting her to be real so I could slap her, as she was weak and annoying at all times and always seems to be complaining about something
.
The male characters are also little one dimensional, which I suppose is understandable as this is a tale from the womens point of view, even Arthur himself comes across as a little weak
This is a long book, and I am afraid that it does drag at times, with little action and a lot of the emphasis of the plot being on the struggle between paganism and Christianity.
A lot of reviews I have read on this book say that this is the best book that they have ever read on this subject and only a very few go against this and go to the opposite extreme and say it’s awful.
I would say that though I do not hate this book, I do not love it either. It did take me two attempts to read it, but once I had, I was pleased I had persevered.
I have read better (Bernard Cornwell’s The Warlord Chronicles for a start) but this is still a good book. Getting the womens point of view does give it an interesting twist, if you can get past Guinevere that is!
Therefore, if you are interested in tales of Britain and King Arthur, then I would say give this book a go, and I hope that you enjoy it.
7 out of 10
August 25, 2013
Book Review - The Wander in Unknown Realms
The Wanderer in Unknown Realms – John Connolly
Apart from loving the Charlie Parker series, I am huge fan of John Connolly’s other books especially his short story collection, Nocturnes. When he announced he was releasing a digital only novella I was very excited. His short stories tend to have a stronger element of the supernatural which I think he does extremely well.
The blurb:
Lionel Maulding, a rare-book collector, has gone missing from his country home in Norfolk. When his nephew approaches Mr Maulding’s solicitor, Mr Quayle, to look into the matter, the investigation is passed on to Soter, a WWI veteran, who has done similar detective work for Quayle.
From the nature of books in Lionel Maulding’s impressive library at Bromdum Hall, it is clear that he was greatly interested in the occult. But how far did that take him? There is evidence of the withdrawal of £10,000, an extraordinary sum of money for the purchase of a single book.
As Soter delves deeper into the connection between Lionel Maulding’s disappearance and the possible existence of the rare book Atlas of Unknown Realms, he starts to question his own sanity. Did Lionel Maulding release evil into the world, or is Soter suffering from post traumatic stress?
As we follow Soter from the slowly decaying Bromdum Hall to the sinister bookseller in Chelsea and the book scout in Whitechapel, we enter his nightmare world where his horrific experiences in the trenches echo the fearful reality unleashed by his search.
From the opening paragraph of this story, Connolly sets the scene well. The language he uses (always one of his strong points) helps convey the time period. Normally I find this off putting but with Connolly you know you are in safe hands. Within paragraphs you are immersed in the story and the language feels like you have been reading it all your life.
Soter is a good character. He is no nonsense, straightforward guy who is willing to do what it takes. In short, he is the kind of guy you want to read about. The book focuses on him uncovering the mystery of the disappearance of Lionel Maulding.
As Soter investigates the circumstances become more mysterious and Soter discovers more questions or answers. The success of this novel hinges on the mystery and whilst it is nothing new, the characters Soter interacts with makes it feel fresh.
There is a higher power involved here, but one than Soter struggles to understand. Connolly takes the reader along for the ride and fully immerses them into the investigation and so when it is suggested Soter might be going crazy, it is the first time the reader is aware of it. It is nicely done, as I found myself questioning what was the reality and what was false.
The technique automatically makes the reader uneasy and the writing feels dirty, as if you shouldn’t be uncovering the truth but like Soter you just can’t stop. This sense of the uncomfortable is aided by the crustaceans Soter keeps on seeing, truly creepy creatures that add to the intrigue and tension.
The secondary characters are good and serve their purpose well. Obviously with a short story you are not going to get layer upon layer of background detail, but they are interesting enough to stand out from the background.
The ending is somewhat predictable. It feels like I have read the ending a thousand times before which is a little disappointing. There is nothing wrong with it, but with the quality of writing and John’s usual high standards I was just hoping for something more original.
Overall, this is a great demonstration of how to create a brooding, uneasy tale with a gloomy atmosphere. Connolly’s writing is a superb as ever, it is just as shame that the ending is too familiar.
My rating: 8.1
Apart from loving the Charlie Parker series, I am huge fan of John Connolly’s other books especially his short story collection, Nocturnes. When he announced he was releasing a digital only novella I was very excited. His short stories tend to have a stronger element of the supernatural which I think he does extremely well.
The blurb:
Lionel Maulding, a rare-book collector, has gone missing from his country home in Norfolk. When his nephew approaches Mr Maulding’s solicitor, Mr Quayle, to look into the matter, the investigation is passed on to Soter, a WWI veteran, who has done similar detective work for Quayle.
From the nature of books in Lionel Maulding’s impressive library at Bromdum Hall, it is clear that he was greatly interested in the occult. But how far did that take him? There is evidence of the withdrawal of £10,000, an extraordinary sum of money for the purchase of a single book.
As Soter delves deeper into the connection between Lionel Maulding’s disappearance and the possible existence of the rare book Atlas of Unknown Realms, he starts to question his own sanity. Did Lionel Maulding release evil into the world, or is Soter suffering from post traumatic stress?
As we follow Soter from the slowly decaying Bromdum Hall to the sinister bookseller in Chelsea and the book scout in Whitechapel, we enter his nightmare world where his horrific experiences in the trenches echo the fearful reality unleashed by his search.
From the opening paragraph of this story, Connolly sets the scene well. The language he uses (always one of his strong points) helps convey the time period. Normally I find this off putting but with Connolly you know you are in safe hands. Within paragraphs you are immersed in the story and the language feels like you have been reading it all your life.
Soter is a good character. He is no nonsense, straightforward guy who is willing to do what it takes. In short, he is the kind of guy you want to read about. The book focuses on him uncovering the mystery of the disappearance of Lionel Maulding.
As Soter investigates the circumstances become more mysterious and Soter discovers more questions or answers. The success of this novel hinges on the mystery and whilst it is nothing new, the characters Soter interacts with makes it feel fresh.
There is a higher power involved here, but one than Soter struggles to understand. Connolly takes the reader along for the ride and fully immerses them into the investigation and so when it is suggested Soter might be going crazy, it is the first time the reader is aware of it. It is nicely done, as I found myself questioning what was the reality and what was false.
The technique automatically makes the reader uneasy and the writing feels dirty, as if you shouldn’t be uncovering the truth but like Soter you just can’t stop. This sense of the uncomfortable is aided by the crustaceans Soter keeps on seeing, truly creepy creatures that add to the intrigue and tension.
The secondary characters are good and serve their purpose well. Obviously with a short story you are not going to get layer upon layer of background detail, but they are interesting enough to stand out from the background.
The ending is somewhat predictable. It feels like I have read the ending a thousand times before which is a little disappointing. There is nothing wrong with it, but with the quality of writing and John’s usual high standards I was just hoping for something more original.
Overall, this is a great demonstration of how to create a brooding, uneasy tale with a gloomy atmosphere. Connolly’s writing is a superb as ever, it is just as shame that the ending is too familiar.
My rating: 8.1
