Klubbe the Turkle and the Golden Star Coracle

by Philip Dodd

On the planet Ankor, Klubbe the turkle lives as a hermit. A marine mishap inspires him to be an inventor. His inventions and explorations change his life, his entire planet.
Turkles are close cousins of turtles. Unlike them, they have yellow golden skin and back shells, have the gift of language, and the ability to create their own culture.
The life of Klubbe may read like a light-hearted science fiction story, but it actually happened to him. Princess Corka thinks his invention is sublime. Ubbtosh, the pyramid priest, promises to guide him to the core of the cosmos. In space, there are no sign posts, he finds, but there are other beings. And on Ankor, there are mysteries to be solved. Is the Great Glom more than a myth? And what about the Great Archy Eopta?

Genres: Science Fiction

213 pages, Paperback

First published April 22, 2013

About the author

I was born in 1952 in Liverpool, England, have a degree in English literature from Newcastle University, and I have been writing songs, stories and poems since I was twelve. In October, 2016, I married Anahit Arustamyan, poet of Armenia, in her home city, Yerevan, Armenia. Angel War is my first published novel. I was thirty four when I first began to write it in 1986 and I was sixty when I completed the final version of it in September, 2012. As it took me twenty six years to write, I felt I owed it to my story to get it published. Angel War was chosen as one of the finalists in The Wishing Shelf Independent Book Awards for 2013, I am very surprised and happy to report. The Gold, Silver and Bronze medallists were announced in April, 2014 at Author.con.I have had poems published in my local newspaper, the Liverpool Echo, and one of my poems,'Searching For The Sangreal' was published in the Summer 2013 issue of The Dawntreader, a quarterly poetry magazine, published by Indigo Dreams Publishing. The Fair Majesty of Folk At Peace, another one of my poems, was published in the Spring 2014 issue, another two, Sigurd and Windmill and Rainbow in the Winter 2014/2015 issue, Blodeuwedd in the Spring 2015 issue and Enki in the autumn issue of the same magazine . My poem, Winter Night, was published in the Winter 2018/19 issue of the same magazine. Three of my poems, A Tale From A Bestiary Found In A Bazaar, Sand and Dust, and Iceberg were accepted for publication in Nomad's Choir, a quarterly poetry journal, published in New York, U.S.A. My poem, Song For Luthien Tinuviel, was published in Mallorn, the Journal of the Tolkien Society, Issue 55, Winter 2014. My poem, The Redundancy of Gods, was published in Greek Fire, an anthology of poems inspired by Greek mythology, published by Lost Tower Publications in June, 2015, and my poem, Dandelion Time, was published in The Poetry of Flowers, published by Lost Tower Publications in October, 2016. My poem, Riddle Of The Root Of War, was published in Beyond The Hill, an anthology of war poetry, published in 2017 by Lost Tower Publications. Some of my poems can be read on my blog, Philip Dodd: Author of Angel War: http://astro7747.wordpress. com My light-hearted science fiction story, Klubbe the Turkle and the Golden Star Coracle, was published in March, 2015 by Publish Nation. In October, 2015, it was chosen by indieBRAG as a Medallion Honoree and was listed on the Science Fiction page on Medallion Books on the website: http://www.bragmedallion.com/medallio... In February, 2016, it was chosen as a Finalist in the Wishing Shelf Independent Book Awards for 2015. Still the Dawn : Poems and Ballads was published in October, 2015. It contains 109 works, written between the years of 1983 and 2015. Published as a paperback and Kindle Version by Publish Nation. Last Flocks of the Geese, my second book of poems, was published in February, 2019. Harvey's Hutch, a memoir, was published by Mereo Books on Thursday, 11th, August, 2022. It was a Red Ribbon Winner in the Wishing Shelf Book Awards for 2022, I am pleased to say.
I have published some of my poems on the website: writing.com. My poem, Enki, was published in the July, 2013, edition of the online magazine, Pagan Pages. After July, it will be stored on their Archives page.
Angel War Inspirations, a board of prints I collected that are linked to my book, Angel War, can be found on Pinterest, as can Klubbe the Turkle and the Golden Star Coracle, a board of prints linked to my Klubbe story, and Chimneys and Clouds, a board of prints linked to my poems. Here is my Pinterest user name: http://pinterest.com/jom777jal43x641

Dawn Of An Idea, Chapter One, and The Ancient Parrot, Chapter Two, of my story, Klubbe the Turkle and the Golden Star Coracle, The Making Of The Pattern and The Archangel Brothers, the first two chapters of Angel War, and some of my poems can be read on Wattpad.

Reviews

[Max Lau • Maxxesbooktopia · Rating 1 out of 5]

“Space is infinite. To the mind that means freedom, liberation.’ So wrote Arisko, our greatest turkle philosopher, in his most famous work, ‘Thoughts In A Bathtub’,” said Dottia, dreamily, in an inspired state.”- Klubbe The Turkle and The Golden Star Coracle, Philip Dodd.

*Disclaimer: I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. However, that does not change my opinions about the book. (Thank you Philip for sending me this book!)*

My thoughts: Introduction

Oh, let us start off with the pacing of the book. The pacing of the book was so-very slow. There were fillers and info-dumps everywhere and the characters, which I will talk more about later on, mumbled to themselves too much.

I found some information that the author talked about unnecessary because it did not fit into the story, like not at all. The fillers dragged the story a little too much. I can’t help but yawned because the story dragged and dragged and…! It could have been a 150 pages book but because of the drag, it is 209 pages long.

I did really like the plot of the book and I liked where it’s moving the readers to, but the plot lacked luster and the story felt flat for me. That is the first reason why I can’t finish the book.

The second reason why I cannot finish the book is because of the almost-hit-me Reading Slump. This book was leading me into a reading slump! All book lovers hate reading slumps, it makes us feel like the end of the world. It took me 7 days to finish 132 pages (61% of the book) and there were actually more, but I have decided to put down the book because I cannot take it anymore so, I stopped reading the book.

There was a scene in the book about Klubbe’s people landing on Earth to fix their Control Dome in their ship. So, when they have landed on an island and a couple of humans saw them. This was their first reaction: “Wow”. Were they not supposed to run? Were they not supposed to be scared to see a bunch of extraterrestrials? I mean, of course it’s okay not to be scared but seriously?

Let us move on to the writing style now.

Writing:

The writing style for this book was crisp, eloquent and a little too flowery. Honestly, the writing style was the one that got me through 132 pages of the book. I liked Philip’s writing style, he writes like none other authors. It’s unique and I loved it. But even though Philip has a beautiful writing style, it still cannot get me to finish the book.

To address why I said a little too flowery, it’s because of some sentences in the book. Some of them have complicated words that were intended to make it more attractive, but it just makes it harder for the reader to get through those sentences.

I did like the way Philip described the things around the protagonist, Klubbe. It was remarkable and beautiful. He described things differently from the other authors. It is, again, unique!

The only thing I enjoyed about the book was the writing style and some side characters from the book which I will talk about after this.

So, let us move on to the characters!

Characters:

Klubbe: I did not like him. He mumbled to himself throughout the 132 pages of the book, I don’t know if he mumbled on and on to the end of the book but I do know that he mumbled a lot. He had no character development and mostly, he just felt flat for me.

Princess Corka: I loved Princess Corka! She had great manners and I actually wished she was the protagonist when I was reading the book! Overall, she had great character developement.

Kribb: I liked Kribb. He may be annoying at time, but he had a great personality! He was kind, generous and smart. He had a fantastic character growth and I loved to see that in books!

King Zilk: I really liked King Zilk! He was funny, witty and a little weird sometimes but still, he had a great character development/growth and a great personality for a King!

Overall:

DNF. (It stands for Did-Not-Finish) I read up to 132 page which is 61/100% of the book. Sorry guys, but this book is just not for me.

“I suppose it’s impossible to say that they will not invent anything else, because they might,” said Zubria. “And, of course, if one thought of something that they might invent, one would have thought of it oneself, therefore one would be the inventor of what one thought of, and they would not be, which would make one an inventor, like them.”- Klubbe The Turkle and The Golden Star Coracle, Philip Dodd.

This review is also posted at Maxxesbooktopia: Klubbe The Turkle and The Golden Star Coracle by Philip Dodd|| Book Review

[Vicki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Welcome to another world, a world different from the earth in many ways yet similar as well. This book is one that young readers that love creative descriptive and unique worlds will love. It was a fun read and a great adventure. The inventors were busy and they were interesting.

I liked this book and think people that love a good fantasy, will really sink their teeth into. Klubbe was great.

[Linda Dobinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a delightful story and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Ankor is an alien planet which we are told is rather primitive and its inhabitants, turkles, not very advanced. With land masses, beaches and oceans Ankor feels very much like Earth, so it is immediately familiar and welcoming.
Klubbe, the hero of the story is fresh out of school and living as a hermit while he decides what to do with his life. The final sentence of his school leaving certificate describes him as ''A popular pupil, who will no doubt contribute to the nut brown wholesomeness of turkle life''. Wholesome is exactly what turkle society is. They may not be very advanced but they are gentle, kind and polite. They describe themselves as ''ever positive'' and claim ''turkles tend to agree on what they say''. The only exception to this is feisty Kema who sometimes has teenage characteristics - she refuses to follow in her father's footsteps, questions one of her fathers decisions and calls her brothers ''bird brain''. Turkles are also helpful. When Klubbe sees an old karg crab struggling to pull a seaweed stalk out of a pool he helps it and when Klubbe goes to the capital city Unkka, the City Council are quick to register his invention and grant him planning permission.
However this is not just a delightful story it makes the reader think about how we treat others. Compare and contrast what happens when turkles land on Earth and when other aliens land on Ankor. When the Golden Star Coracle lands on Earth twice, on both occasions the language barrier prevents the people and turkles from communicating and when the Royal Navy and US navy quickly arrive Klubbe realises that they are unwelcome intruders and need to leave, while Dottia says ''I don't think they are ready for us yet... we are obviously too advanced for them''. Yet when the Ziddacharks land on Ankor, they are greeted by Zilk the turkles king. Although language is again a problem they overcome it with hand signals and the Ziddacharks are invited to say at the Palace and are entertained.
Ankor is a fully formed world with some things we would recognise like houses, a royal family, ponies and seagulls to name a few but there are a whole host of things that are new and wonderful with wonderful names. One of my favourite names is the name of Zeppe's 'experimental' band. What is the name? That would be telling. I recommend reading the book to find out.

[Sarah Stuart · Rating 5 out of 5]

5.0 out of 5 stars A Fascinating Must-Read Kaleidoscope of Colour – Highly Recommended, April 19, 2015
By Sarah Stuart
This review is from: Klubbe the Turkle and the Golden Star Coracle (Kindle Edition)

Klubbe the Turkle is introduced as a recent school graduate who’s become a hermit, and his life, on land and in the sea, is a fascinating concoction. Klubbe is intrigued by the hidden secrets in the depths of the ocean, but he’s distracted when waves made by a great globb fish turn over his coracle and leave him gazing at the sky. Suppose he can build a coracle that can fly? There’s a whole universe above him, waiting to be explored.

Mr Dodd contrives to hold readers gripped with spectacularly vivid, totally imaginary, worlds, and this is the second time he’s achieved it. Angel War is a carefully researched alternative view of the creation of the universe, whilst Klubbe the Turkle and the Golden Star Coracle is a biographical fantasy reminiscent of Jules Verne’s Around The World in Eighty days, taken at a delightfully leisurely pace.

It is the story of Klubbe’s youth to his marriage and beyond, and his adventures, and those of his family, are many, different, and mysterious, until each climax is revealed.

Recommended to all readers of Fantasy, Sci-fi, or anyone looking for a good book

[Milkweed Augustine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have had the privilege of reading the physical copy of the book "Klubbe the Turkle and the Golden Star Coracle" by Phillip Dodd. I found this book rather intriguing and very exciting, but often in a child-like manner of the mentioned. Phillip's words flowed remarkably well and fluid-like as he began the tale of the little "Turkle" being from the planet "Ankor," as he introduced him and the rest of his people as being like actual turtles, but walk upright and have created their own culture and spoken language, civilization, and social structured society with laws and even an organized form of religion and sacred texts. The overall tone of the story was lighthearted, exciting, and fluttered with various emotions, which redundantly pointed to a communal setting, but generously infused itself with moments of levity, momentary isolation which suggested solitude and heightened analytical thought, as well as highly vividly depicted formalities, especially since the humble main character known as KLUBBE, was lovingly welcomed by the Royal family after he created his initial invention, which was a star ship, or "CORACLE," that was destined to go aloft into the farthest reaches of space, but with the aspirations of perhaps, approaching other realms of intellect and culture and meeting other peoples worlds away.
Klubbe was intertwined with many versions of his "Turkle" people, after a technical problem rose on the scene, which propelled them far off from their home planet, and what would be perceived as light years away, which unintentionally propelled them to Earth, but in a place near England.[An isolate island called 'PUFFIN ISLAND', a real place of geological location.] With a brief meeting with two children on holiday as they strolled along the beach and their parents just behind, however, nothing relative to conflict happened. In fact, the Turkles, with the inclusion of the ship's inventor, Klubbe, made every attempt to be friendly, which the children were doing the same, but with the universal barrier of language, either party was unable to be understood, but it was unanimously seen that peace was the only subject and motive withheld in the clutches of agenda. There was much to do about their mysterious landing as this family was the subject of much questioning afterward, but in the meantime, the gentle and fun loving "Turkles", or these visitors who looked like Earthly turtles with golden skin, about the size and scale of small children walking upright, and with golden hard shells on they're backs, little faces with beaks like the mentioned, and contained very human personalities and gentle and happy demeanors, after making repairs they were able to retrace their figurative steps and returned back to Ankor; land of the TURKLES.
Inventions abounded as they literally fell from the brilliant mind of this gentle and fun loving little inventor, and he was highly involved with the Royal family as he was eventually intergated into the family and married one of the Princesses, but amidst this, "Klubbe", the inventor and the tale's main character, well included his parents, which as an author myself, often poised in layers of lovingness, deeply appreciated this attribute in Phillip Dodd's work of wonderful imagination and a form of awesome intellect, as he deliberately involved his said parents, "Klubbe's," as love for them was easily and copiously envisioned and experienced while reading this work. As the story continued amidst little scenes, which were interjected about the personal life and the inner dynamic of Klubbe and his longtime friends, and employees he has long ago hired to help make his said inventions into physical reality, there suddenly emerged on the unexpected scenery, visitors from another world. They were the ones, which completely unbeknown to the consciousness of Klubbe and his specially trained crew, had actually sped through their spaceship that had been anchored in suspension while in space as the Turkles sped through this said designated area. Once again, because of the lack of knowledge of the spoken languages of either party, nothing much could be achieved in this manner, but fortunately, because of the higher intelligence of these gentle visitors who descended to the planet of the Turkles, called "Ankor," they manipulated sign language, which served as a briefly experienced assistance to them, but unfortunately it was seen that nothing was going to be understood at this point. However, what WAS seen, was the fact that either civilization was NOT going to harm the other, and that peace served dominant, and after a lengthy trial of effortful communications it was decided they quietly leave the equally kindly and gentle "Turkles" behind.
The story was very interesting as it was eye opening, as the overall emotional dynamic was truly wonderful as it was comforting. The main character, again named KLUBBE, decided he had invented enough things to propel them forward, and he was realizing that his society, with all of its grandeur, was somewhat changing them, but only on a particular level,which signified a communal and deeply personal manner of conscience, yet at the same instant, his people were still highly involved in the likes of each other, but with the inclusion of the inventor himself. Amidst the intellect shared so humbly by this Turkle being, and many years later in his middle aged body, the time in his personal history, that is, where his loving parents had died away, and he was lovingly absorbed into the Royal family of Ankor, land of the Turkle people, raising a family himself, with his son who also became an inventor, and his daughter was an artist, who had also partaken much in the creative life of their famous father.
Deep reflections amidst much societal interests served as the backdrop for the main characters in this exciting tale with a lighthearted dynamic, but with the inclusion of positive emotions which were very cozy as I read this said story that flowed beautifully. In the beginning, however, I firstly suggested it was more like a children's book, which reminded me exclusively of "Dr. Sues" as the author of this same story created interesting names for animals, for objects, and even the manner of word usage amidst explanations and visual depictions that immediately suggested to me, as the reader, as well as an author, like a story which would flow and ebb tidally while at the same wavering moment of intent, touch me inwardly in a "CUTE" manner of emotional conveyance and depiction, as well as the overall tone of the story. The words Phillip Dodd used were intelligent as they were meaningful, and frequently spoke quietly of lovingness and delight in simplistic company of the other which made clear and concise sense as he made everything easily experienced and understood while he spoke emphatically about his character's wondrous creations and the personally conceived drive to make them emulse, or go forth, into actuated reality. Phillip Dodd possesses a gentle and highly loving tone, as well as spiritual intentions, especially by manner he spoke candidly and openly about the "Golden Pyramid Temple" on their planet, and the head Priest who partook in Klubbe's world of space travel which priorly was not known nor was it conceived until then. The joyous conveying of how he really feels about creation and the one God who is thusly responsible, which was disguised completely by another name in the Turkle race of souls who I really grew to admire and to love-these "CUTE" little Turkles who looked like turtles. Their gentle demeanor and mannerisms combined generously with gaity as they live their daily lives, simply enjoying the simplistic around them as individuals, and as a collective people, and remaining humbly eager to learn and to explore, but like Klubbe said to his son and to his daughter at the story's ending, [in so many words]," to enjoy life, and to not remain so engrossed on creating things that would otherwise become obtrusive and negate from the humble and often unseen wonders of mundane socialism, and to simply appreciate what we presently have; whether those thing be natural or "TURKEL" made." [by inventions]
I loved this book with a child-like sensation, but in addition, I truly loved the emotional dynamic pasted so lovingly throughout this interesting book of a playful manner of imagination with its well deciphered characters, who amidst such stated descriptions, moved me joyfully, as uniquely special, and inwardly 'sacred' things welled up within me from my own childhood's past, what was good, about my times down the "camp," which was explicitly talked about in my book "Eternal I.V. Pole"-the lake, and the TURTLES.
I give this book written by Mr. Phillip Dodd, an applaudful ovation, and a deeply heartfelt THANKS for taking me down memory lane-back to the LAKE, back to the TURTLES, to the NIGHT FROGGIN', back to "THE CAMP."

Review posted and written by Lama Milkweed L. Augustine PhD. Author.

Her Holiness;
The Most Venerable Lama Rimpoche, Miss Prof.
Milkweed L. Augustine PhD, DD
author of 14 books

[LitPick Book Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Far far away on the planet of Ankor there lived the Turkles, a species bearing close semblance to turtles on planet Earth but who remained completely unknown to humans for thousands of years. However, on one of his great journeys into the vast unknown, Klubbe, the main character in Klubbe The Turkle And The Golden Star Coracle by Phillip Dodd, bridged this gap between humans and the Turkles.

Turkles are a unique species because after they graduate from school, they develop an occupation based on their talents which they ultimately stick with for their entire life. However, while most Turkles find their occupation quite naturally, Klubbe is different as he struggles to see his true path onward after school. So instead of launching himself right into a career, Klubbe decides to pursue life as a hermit for awhile.

One day, as Klubbe lies floating on his back in the sea after his coracle (a type of Turkle boat) gets overturned by a great globb fish, a sudden idea comes to him - what if he made a coracle that could fly all the way into space and explore the great depths of the cosmos? Then he realizes that with that single thought of a flying coracle, he has turned himself into an inventor, the occupation he will pursue for the rest of his life! With this, Klubbe decides to end his life as a hermit and move to the capital city of Ankor to turn his thoughts and drawings into a real invention which he will call The Golden Star Coracle.

Will Klubbe’s Golden Star Coracle be a success? Will his inventive juices continue to flow even after he has tried his luck at a flying coracle? Where will life as an inventor take Klubbe next?

Opinion:
Klubbe The Turkle And The Golden Star Coracle by Phillip Dodd is a very creative and unique book. In fact, it is really unlike any other I have read. Its highly descriptive language and made-up words sometimes felt extraneous, and for me, kept this from being a fast read. On the positive side, it did have many different plot twists and periods of suspense that kept me reading.

This book had a large number of characters, and they all had Turkle names that were gibberish to me. The combination of these two factors made it rather difficult to keep the characters straight in my head. While I wouldn’t recommend this book to beginning readers, as it is quite long and contains some advanced language, it has several themes that could inspire middle school and even high school-aged readers.

Because the Turkles are optimists, they set an example for readers of staying positive even when a situation isn’t going as planned. In addition, Klubbe teaches readers to never give up on their dreams and goals. Even though several of his inventions initially seemed out of the realm of possibility to some Turkles, Klubbe persevered until he was able to prove that his inventions were possible, showing young readers that anything is possible if you put your mind to it.

I would definitely recommend Klubbe The Turkle And The Golden Star Coracle to science fiction lovers ages 10 and up. Readers who aren’t fans of the genre but are willing to give this book a try will be transported to a totally new, imaginatively described world.

[Derek Bailey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m the sort of reader that enjoys really gripping narratives that rip at my soul and make me think about life on a deeper level. As an avid fan of science fiction, fantasy, and every subgenre under the sun, it’s probably fair to state that I enjoy a degree of escapism from the normal world. A good book for me has compellingly conflicted characters, a creatively contrived world, and creates an arena for deeper reflection on things that exist in our daily reality. While KLUBBE THE TURKLE AND THE GOLDEN STAR CORACLE certainly fulfils my need for venturing into a wild world of the imagination, it doesn’t actually meet any of the other things that I look for in a book. So why five stars then?! Why finish the book? Why even bother writing a review? Well, although this novel is not in line with what I typically read, I found that I loved every moment that I spent in this vibrant and whimsical world.

The Style/Tone
The immediate hook of this tale is its magical tone. It sucked me in and just made me happy. I don’t know that I have ever only been able to say that a writing style simply brought me happiness and genuine smiles from time to time. It has all the charm of a Dr. Sues picture book, but in a full length novel. Both the dialogue and the grammar are just out of this world wacky which either made this work the easiest piece of writing to edit or the stuff of editorial nightmares. The language is so deliberately and consistently strange that never once did it feel off-putting or distract from the story in any way – if anything it is what makes this tale so special.

The Characters
The characters could certainly not be called compelling or at all complicated, but they are some of the most magnificent personas that I have enjoyed the company of in a long time. The majority of the cast is made up of Turkles which we find out are bipedal turtle-like aliens that live on the planet Ankor. The very foundation of who these people are is just silly and their perpetually cheery personalities only play into how fun they are. The main character is named Klubbe, but the cast around him play an immensely important part of the story and in the end it felt more like the heroes’ journey rather than the hero’s journey. Turkles are some of the kindest, most foolish, and charmingly innocent characters to cross the pages of modern literature. They are a scatterbrained race with high dreams and big hearts who might not remind me of anyone I have ever met in real life, but I still loved them all the same.

The Plot
I mentioned before that the concept of the hero’s journey is present, but that is not to say that this story is at all predictable in any way. No, in fact I found it to be quite the opposite. There is certainly a central theme to it all which I will not disclose because I think you ought to discover it for yourselves, but much of the action seemed random when I read through it. Not random in a bad way, mind you, just whimsically unpredictable. I never knew what sort of oddball character I would come across next or what strange feat Klubbe would pull off. The events of this book are so extraordinary that I felt I had no real way of anticipating what would be done or said next. I also noted before that this is not simply Klubbe’s story. While I do love stories that fully develop a single character and allow readers to watch them grow, there was something really special to me about getting to read about the growth of all these other personalities that exist around Klubbe. As our main character, Klubbe is still the most important presence and he is to be credited for a lot of the opportunities that other Turkles benefit from, but it was still really lovely to get to read a story that built up its side characters in such a way that they felt just as special and important to me as Klubbe did.

The World
The one thing that really defines the world of Anchor and the other worlds that the book took me to (it is space-centric science fiction so yes there are other worlds and other species) is the way that the author makes use of color. I made the comment before that reading this reminded me of a Dr. Seuss picture book. To be clear, this book has no illustrations or graphics of any kind beyond what is present on the cover. Despite this fact, I felt like I was looking at this magnificent painting the entire time I poured through this book’s pages – a swirly, cartoonish painting filled with vibrant colors that burst off of the page. While I would hate to spoil any of the specific locations in this book since they are directly related to how the plot unfolds, I do need to commend the way that the author makes this feel like such a visually engrossing experience when in actuality, I was only looking at words on a page.

Conclusion
I still love my dark, thought provoking, and heart-wrenching science fiction and fantasy novels, but KLUBBE THE TURKLE AND THE GOLDEN STAR CORACLE was an absolutely delightful break from the heavier sort of literature that I tend to engross myself in. I went in hoping for something light and fluffy to act as a short departure from my normal literary choices and I could not be happier with what I got in return. It may very well not be the sort of thing that appeals to everyone, but if that’s the case then you have probably stopped reading this review well before now and already turned your nose up to this work. If you’re still with me, though then I cannot recommend this book enough. It’s a fairly short read so if you’re just in between books or you need a break from your typical reads, then just give this one a shot because I don’t think you’ll regret it one bit. It’s not deep or really all that thought-provoking. It’s just silly and fun, and is all about bringing childish joy to those who read it. 5/5 for me, loved every word of it thoroughly and I’m not really sure what else I could possibly have asked from this book. It’s just a happy read, it’s a light read, and it’s something everyone should get the chance to indulge in.

[Mikayla · Rating 2 out of 5]

My first reaction to the title of this book was utter disbelief. Hesitation prevented me from clicking on it right away and looking at the description, but nevertheless, I thought of the old cliche "never judge a book by it's cover". Or in this case, don’t judge it by it's title. So when I clicked on the link, I was flabbergasted after reading the synopsis. I thought I had an active imagination, but compared to Philip Dodd, I do not.

Klubbe the Turkle and the Golden Star Coracle by Philip Dodd is a fantasy/science fiction novel with descriptive details and imaginative world-building. Klubbe (rhymes with cube or tube) is a Turkle, which are basically very advanced turtles that walk on two legs and manage to sustain their own culture on planet Ankor. Klubbe lives as a hermit, prior to becoming an inventor. He first aspires to become an inventor when he gets an idea to create the Golden Star Coracle to sail through space in. Once Klubbe starts having ideas, he doesn't stop. This story takes you through Klubbe's adventures and discoveries, while still masterfully developing characters and settings.

The only captivating part of this story was the imaginative aspect. The book took on a dreamy quality that had potential. It started off okay enough, but not too exciting. The world-building was wonderful and Dodd proved himself as an author in that regard. Also, the story was written very elegantly, except for the Turkle language which was severely difficult to pronounce.

Despite the wonderful creative aspect, there was no plot at all. I do not enjoy books that simply are whimsical without any substance, and this book was just that. It fell short of 'good' and only landed at competent. There were quite a few mechanical errors and unrealistic dialogue, but then again; they were animals... The different names for almost everything was not clever nor interesting, just annoying. When I read the paragraph that says, "in turkle time a lin is...blah blah blah...sixteen zans make a nik", I couldn't help but laugh out loud and keep reading purely because I was extremely amused. While I was sitting there thinking about that specific piece of diction, meanwhile the so called "plot" had moved on without me. The spacing and layout of the story was warped; sometimes a day would be a whole chapter, but then a couple times, a single paragraph would equal 10 years. What?! Needless to say, it was very frustrating.

I rate this book 2 out of 5 stars. I didn’t hate it, so I did not give it 1 star. Klubbe the Turkle and the Golden Star Coracle was a feel good story with descriptive imagery. For example, in the first chapter it says "his gaze wandered over the watery deep" and there are many other instances where Dodd masterfully uses imagery. I recommend this book only to those who truly love fantasy stories with talking animals. However, there was no substance to the story, so I could not enjoy it as much as I would enjoy a story with a well-developed plot.

[T.K. Flor · Rating 4 out of 5]

The planet Ankor is not unlike Earth. It has a breathable atmosphere, an ocean and seas teaming with fish and other creatures, and at least one continent, called Crustacea. The climate is mostly mild, but like on Earth, it varies from snowy fields to exotic jungles. The wildlife is rich and includes species unique to the planet and also those found on Earth. What makes Ankor very different from our planet is its “guardian race”, the Turkles. They are close cousins of turtles, but they “walk on their hind legs, and have the gift of language, and the ability to create their own culture.” And that culture is fascinating. It has familiar elements, such as a royal family, country folk working in fields, villagers, and the dwellers of the capital city with various institutions. There are Turkle innkeepers, artists, inventors, and even university professors, but one also meets hermits and priests. On its face, it's a familiar society, and one can sympathize with Turkles' fondness of food and understand their family life. Nevertheless, Turkles are very different from us. They are seemingly devoid of greed, envy, and malice.

It's hard to imagine such a society, let alone build an interesting and compelling world without villains, disasters and conflicts. Philip Dodd has succeeded. Klubbe the Turkle and the Golden Star Coracle, follows Klubbe's journey from the time he was a young hermit, to when he became an inventor, to his opening of the space era for Turkles. Klubbe's adventures are very different from our typical hero's journey, but they do have their share of twists and turns. Characters like King Zilk and Queen Zubria, and Kribb the aspiring journalist for the Turkle Times, add humor to the story. The reaction of Turkle society to changes brought by Klubbe's inventions make the story richer and more interesting.

While I mostly liked the poetic tone of the storytelling, some sentences felt convoluted and jarred my reading. For example: “ Then, like his sister, he attended to what the young man was saying, who was speaking out from the middle of the television screen, while sat in the bow of a grey motor boat, which bobbed up and down on fairly rough waves, with its engine turned off.” Nevertheless, Ankor and its inhabitants is a planet I've enjoyed to discover. Recommended for everyone who'd like to meet a genuinely nice race in our galaxy.

I received a free copy of the book in exchange for a non-reciprocal review.

[J C Steel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Philip Dodd’s Klubbe the Turkle and the Golden Star Coracle is set on the world of Ankor, not too far from Earth as it turns out, where the race known as turkles live. Amongst the turkles, inventors are rare and respected members of society, inventing all sorts of useful things like wheels and pencil sharpeners. Klubbe, having started life as a hermit turkle, was surprised one day by an encounter with a globb fish, which overturned his life view and gave him an idea. Staring up at the sky, Klubbe realised that he wanted to explore the oceans of sky above him, and the idea of a flying coracle came to him. His desire to make his idea real made him realise that his life’s aim was to be an inventor: the inventor of the first flying craft.

Klubbe the Turkle and the Golden Star Coracle is an enchanting story, light-hearted and following Klubbe through his adventures as an inventor, wherein he meets many helpful and curious turkles, and even becomes close with the royal family of Ankor through his inventions. Philip Dodd perfectly evokes the simple, ordered rhythm of unhurried turkle life, the importance of food and friends, and the simple and optimistic outlook of a turkle. Anyone who loves Tolkien’s hobbits will find themselves drawn to turkle society, not to mention turkle food and architecture. A highly-recommended read, ideal for younger science-fiction fans.

[Cy Wyss · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Klubbe" rhymes with tube or cube. "It is enough for a parrot to be a parrot, a walrus to be a walrus, an ape to be an ape, a crab to be a crab, but it is not enough for a turkle to be a turkle." Thus begins Klubbe's adventures as an inventor. First, he invents a spaceship and finds fame and honor building it, and intrigue in the stars flying it. He even stops at a little blue and green planet the inhabitants call "Earth." When Klubbe gets back home his adventures continue.

I would give Klubbe 3.5 stars (rounds up to 4). The writing is smooth and the descriptions are beautiful, but the book is short on dramatic conflict. Klubbe finds only minor resistance to building his planet's first spaceship out of nothing and what little resistance he finds is quickly and easily overcome. Similarly for his ship's maiden voyage. I felt a lot more could have been made out of (for example) a trip to Earth, or a trip to a foreign unknown space station but these potentials pass by with little conflict. Perhaps for middle graders Klubbe the Turkle will be well-received, especially for those who love the idea of world building and don't mind a slow pace. Here's hoping book 2 has more action and less description.

[Billy Buttons · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was entered in The Wishing Shelf Book Awards. This is what our readers thought:

Title: Klubbe the Turkle and the Golden Star Coracle
Author: Philip Dodd
Star Rating: 5 Stars
Number of Readers: 26
Stats
Editing: 9/10
Style: 9/10
Content: 10/10
Covers: 7/10
Of the 26 readers:
26 would read another book by this author.
22 thought the cover was good or excellent.
25 felt the writing style was excellent: easy to follow and descriptive.
16 thought the ending was excellent.

Readers’ Comments
‘This author created a very interesting world for his characters. I enjoyed it a lot.’ Boy, aged 13
‘Very easy to read. Fun and interesting.’ Girl, aged 13
‘A very light, fun read with an interesting plot and fab characters. I liked the style of language and the ending was fun. I thought the cover was not so good and the blurb’s a bit dodgy. But, all in all, a good read. My kids enjoyed it.’ Parent, aged 37
‘I liked the humour and the hobbit feel of the magical world.’ Girl, aged 12
‘Sweet and fun.’ Primary school teacher, aged 29

‘A fun, atmospheric novel. A finalist and highly recommended.' The Wishing Shelf Book Awards

[A.E. Dark · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was a really enjoyable light-hearted read. I’ve read a lot of fantasy and haven’t read anything like it before. It was refreshing and well written. It wasn’t something I would have naturally picked off the shelf, but I had the option to read the book and haven’t regretted doing so (it wasn’t done in any exchange I should point out).

It deals with the inventor Klubbe who has the idea for a golden coracle and then decides to build it. I especially liked reading about the Turkles, their society and culture just seemed a very nice friendly place to be.

There’s a few stylistically long sentences which leads itself to the odd moment of double-takes, but it’s such a minor point it shouldn’t detract anyone from reading this.

There’s a lot of potential for other stories of the back of this. I really can’t add much except it was a very good book.

[Mik Hetu · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the kind of book meant for readers who like to immerse themselves in another world. The descriptive details he includes show that he has thoroughly imagined the world and the story. The characters are likeable, and especially younger readers will probably find all of it charming.

[Hayley Morgan · Rating 1 out of 5]

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my review in any way and the thoughts expressed are my own.

To be honest I went into this book knowing little about the actual plot apart from the fact that the creatures are anthropomorphic turtles, Turkles. Klubbe starts his adult life as a hermit to discover what he wants to do with his life. He decides to be an inventor and creates a spaceship known as the Golden Coracle. From there we follow his adventures.

First and foremost, the formatting of this ‘book’ was horrible. It was set out more like a poem, one line then a gap and so on. The language was also reminiscent of poetry. I’m not a poetry fan, at least not long poems and really hated this format. Often various adverbs were used one after another like the author couldn’t decide on which word to use. The writing style was very blunt and told the reader every little detail, leaving no mystery.

From the blurb, I assumed the story would end once Klubbe landed home but instead we watched as he and his friends retold the journey, in detail, to their people. It felt like it was going way to long for what it was described as. To make this even more extreme, we followed him for years as he invented other machines, went on adventures, got married and had kids. We not only followed Klubbe’s entire life but we then change to follow his son on his adventures. That was definitely not what I was expecting and made the story feel even slower and twice as long.

From the very beginning we witness numerous scenes which had no point such as eating and had frequent info-dumps on the Turkle world making the story incredibly slow. The dialogue was repetitive and was incredibly scripted.

It lacked any emotion, Klubbe and the others never seemed to feel anything and I didn’t feel anything for any of them. Klubbe becomes interested in the princess, though it was very emotionless. I was hoping that the lack of emotion was a trait belonging to Klubbe but the other characters were equally as detached. A nobody inventor wanting to marry the princess should have caused some tension and conflict but it was all very simple. ‘Sure, let’s get married’.

Throughout the entire book there was never any conflict. Nothing was ever difficult, it was all very easy going. ‘You’re a turtle? Fine. You want to go to space? Why not.’ Klubbe goes on numerous journey that I assume would be dangerous but no one was ever worried nor was there any difficulties. It was all just dull.

Klubbe and his crew land the ship on Earth which felt like a desperate ploy to bring humans in to make things more interesting. It didn’t. The Turkles could have met any number of intriguing creatures and bringing in humans was just a letdown, especially since the Turkle planet should be galaxies away and the scene was simply out of nowhere.

I was disappointed and feel bad that I feel this way but this book just did not click with me and I believe it could do with a lot more editing. Also, it would be good to change the blurb, instead of having it describe only Klubbe’s first adventure. It was very boring and emotionless. I give it 1/5. Sorry to those who enjoyed this piece, I know it was rated highly by many others.

[Yvonne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found Klubbe the Turkle to be an interesting book. I think a young adult would find it very interesting and I plan to give it to my granddaughter to read. It is a shame that the world isn't more like this book. If those creatures would have landed here, we would have gone in with guns pointed. The aliens that they met were friendly. I hope the author keeps on writing.

[gj indieBRAG · Rating 5 out of 5]

We are proud to announce that KLUBBE THE TURKLE AND THE GOLDEN STAR CORACLE by Philip Dodd is a B.R.A.G.Medallion Honoree. This tells a reader that this book is well worth their time and money!

[Ann Keller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Young Klubbe, the Turkle, lives a rather calm and ordinary life following his graduation. Much like J.R.R. Tolkien’s Hobbits, a Turkle’s scope is more of a microcosm of the vast universe - and they quite prefer it that way. However, Klubbe’s path is abruptly altered by a marine mishap. Suddenly, he begins to wonder about flying machines which could lift a Turkle high into space, enabling him to reach out and explore strange, new worlds.

Rather than chuckle at his own folly, Klubbe pursues his idea. Venturing into the city, he approaches other scientific minds for their input and even reaches into the royal house for their assistance. Lovely Princess Corka is enchanted not only by his concept, but by Klubbe, the inventor himself. Dare a common young Turkle contemplate a romance and the possibility of marriage to a member of the crown family? It boggles the mind!

To every young individual, there comes a time when he must bolster his courage and strike out into new, and perhaps a little frightening, territory. For Klubbe, it is no different. Klubbe musters his team to create the great Golden Star Coracle and then bravely lifts off into the heavens. The Earth world that they discover is far different from their own shores, with strange bald-headed beings inhabiting the coast, and odd black flying objects with sharp whirling blades used for propulsion and lift. Still gaping at these new discoveries, Klubbe and his team somehow manage to return to Ankor, enlightened and courageous heroes.

As we know, the vast oceans are largely an unexplored realm and it is no different in Ankor. Upon returning home following his adventure into the stars, Klubbe’s focus then shifts to the world beneath the waves and the enticing possibility of Turkles living under the sea.

Most science fiction stories one reads are edgy, suspenseful, and sometimes a little horrific, with acid dripping aliens, huge clawed creatures or slithering vegetation which captures its prey whole then begins to digest it while it is still alive. This book is delightfully different. The reader will identify and chuckle at Klubbe’s misadventures, be charmed by his youthful desire for the hand of the fair Princess Corka, and nod with understanding as Klubbe wrestles with a host of life-altering problems.

The reader may take this book on two levels. On one hand, it is a whimsical adventure suitable for young science fiction enthusiasts. On the other, however, it is a fine statement to the common concept of realizing one’s place in a much larger universe and a true coming of age story. Mr. Dodd presents us with both and allows the reader the marvelous opportunity to select his own course. Well done.

[Anahit Arustamyan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great novel! One of the best novels I have ever read.