Second Editorial Review of The Last War: Book One of the Cynnahu Saga

I am thrilled to announce that Feathered Quill Reviews has reviewed my book, The Last War! I am not going to quote the whole thing here as it contains spoilers – seriously, only read the whole review if you are at least halfway through the book – so here is the gist of things:

"Adler has built a complex and detailed fantasy world full of adventure and excitement that keeps readers turning the pages. The author provides explanations of what people perform in their jobs that go along with their titles, such as Dragon Guardians, Isle Masters, Loremasters, and Mages, to name a few. A strong and ideal cast of characters who are dealing with grief, sacrifice, tricky interactions, and bravery in the face of overwhelming odds populate the story. The characters also undertake risks, whether it is being involved in battles where magic plays a part or in trying to overcome outside forces and internal challenges when it comes to solving the secret code in ancient writings...The Last War is a gripping fantasy story that pulls readers into a magical world with nonstop action and suspense that revolves around an armed confrontation of epic proportions."

"Weird! What a shape! This is money?" - Ron Weasley

Ron Weasley (and the Wizarding World in general) may not think much of Muggle coinage but, fortunately for the people of England, the Royal Mint does not share that sentiment. Indeed, they just made the following announcement:

"We are thrilled to announce that we will be releasing a new collection of UK coins celebrating 25 years since the publication of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, a book that continues to inspire a love of reading in countless people all over the world. The idea for Harry Potter, the boy in glasses who didn’t yet know he was a wizard, first came to J.K. Rowling during a delayed train journey from Manchester to London. From that moment of magic, the Boy Who Lived was imagined into being – an unassuming, eleven-year-old hero destined to face terrible danger, but also find greatness within himself. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone was published by Bloomsbury Children’s Books in 1997, the first of J.K. Rowling’s spellbinding adventures of Harry Potter, and his unforgettable friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. In 2015, Bloomsbury commissioned artist Jim Kay to create the first fully illustrated edition of J.K. Rowling’s classic story."

Followed by a proclamation from Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II: “determining the specifications and designs for a new series of two hundred pound, twenty-five pound and fifty pence gold coins; a new series of ten pound, five pound, two pound and fifty pence silver coins; and a new series of fifty pence cupro-nickel coins.”

These coins will have a variety of classic and in some cases comic Potter quotes. In fact, I suspect the classic comic ones will be the most prevalent, as I have it on good authority that one will be the Latin words for “never tickle a sleeping dragon”, with another being Dumbledore's immortal "Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!" So we can chalk up another, this time royal, piece of evidence of the power of Fantasy. Now the English (& Scottish & Welsh) can buy Fantasy books with Fantasy-inspired coins.

I just started Quintana of Charyn by Melina Marchetta

I just started Quintana of Charyn by Melina Marchetta, book #3 of her Lumatere Chronicles.

 

A baby must be born to break the curse, two lovers must reunite to save a kingdom, any numbers of secrets must be revealed, and anger must be put aside if all can truly live together in love and peace. The Lumaterans search for Froi, Froi seeks Quintana, all seek truth in a tangle a ball of yarn would envy - the necessary untangling of which will be painful for all involved. Nothing like a good quest to get the blood pumping.

I just finished Froi of the Exiles

I just finished Froi of the Exiles by Melina Marchetta, book #2 of her Lumatere Chronicles.

Assassination attempts and successes, plots and counterplots, truths and lies, traitors betraying those friends and enemies they had once betrayed and vice versa (try to work that out), a half-mad princess and good old angry and caring Froi with a song and redemption in his heart plus a fierce love entwined with a relentless curse and tangled politics. All amounting to a maze of hurt and love and foul acts done with the best intentions coupled with a desperate desire for peace. The question now is, can Froi find Quintana of Charyn?

Magic vs. Mental Illness

If you did not note it above, here is the newest page: Magic vs. Mental Illness

The Rings Of Power - Stories from the Legendarium Featurette

Before people start complaining about them butchering the Second Age, ask yourselves how else they could have done it and be grateful we have this instead of nothing.