Official Book Review: The Equinox Tor, Book Three of David Doersch's Chronicles of the Raven

I have finished The Equinox Tor, Book Three of David Doersch's Chronicles of the Raven and, as the author requested, now give it an Official Book Review.

Book One was called The Gathering Storm, and The Equinox Tor could just as easily have been called "The Storm Breaks," for not since Robert Jordan's A Memory of Light have I read a book that was one long heart-stopping climax. Heart-wrenching at times too, for the sadistic Angor blood-shamans and their Barbár puppets shied from no depravity in their efforts to claim Tor and Green Mount for the Shadow Lord. As Latrans the so-called Fool told them though, "We're back", so the Raven Corvus Corax and his friends were not without without their own supernatural supporters as a war as old as time continued. All while the Church of the Five and the infamous Blades of Sebastian fall closer to Fel, and Queen Darienne enjoys a brief respite before blossoming between sword and sorcery into the deadly Moonflower destiny has proclaimed her to be.

In short, David Doersch delivered exactly what I anticipated: another thrilling chapter in the world of Hortus, as full of deadly intrigue and breathtaking battle as warm moments of family and personal reckoning. Among other things, for while the Tor upon Green Mount is safe...the other Tors are not. So three minstrels march north, the Moonflower prepares for invasion while a different Queen readies her wedding, and, as the next book is titled The High King, Corvus' life is doubtlessly about to change again.

The battle cry goes out as swords are drawn… "Protect the Tor!"

IndiesToday's Editorial Review of The Dragonkin Legacy

The latest 5 Star Editorial Review of my book, courtesy of IndiesToday:

"The Archipelago of Cynnahu is a scattered realm that was born of history and shaped by war. Once a unified continent, Cynnahu is no longer an unbroken land populated by the peaceable Dragonkin. Human mages made sure of that. Now, an aggressive threat known as the Naga is making dangerous inroads. Prophecy points to a decisive conflict, the Last War, and with the Naga mounting a massive invasion, Cynnahu folk put their hope in a mismatched group of reluctant heroes. The group, which includes a curmudgeonly Fire Mage, an astute boy hiding in his father’s long shadow, a visionary leader, a bereft girl with insatiable curiosity, and a traveling mage known for his connections, is tasked with solving a riddle and finding a long-hidden key to victory. They haven’t trained together as warriors, but defend their home they must, for the Naga will show no mercy. There will be challenges, tortures, and losses, along with small wins, deep connections, and new friendships. Even if the five can triumph over the dangers, unravel pieces of veiled history, and defeat the Naga, will deeper mysteries reveal even greater foes?

Exactly the force their world needs, a team of unlikely allies will have to rely on the past to protect the future in Ian E.S. Adler’s magical adventure omnibus, The Dragonkin Legacy. The author dignifies readers with elegant prose, sophisticated language, and nuanced characters, no small feat for a book geared toward younger audiences but attractive to all. Among the well-developed characters, readers will be hard pressed to choose a favorite. Though attention is focused on the five, even secondary characters are given weight, personality, and significant space in the advancing story. At times, the intensity of the action and the unexpected maturity of the younger protagonists allow readers to momentarily forget just how young they truly are. However, moments like a dramatic rescue sequence expose their vulnerability, making their age unmistakable. Fantasy lovers will revel in the frenetic set-pieces, while the unraveling mystery and shrouded history will keep readers utterly engrossed, eager to uncover what lies beneath. Immersive and impressive, the novel’s lore is so complete, so intrinsic, that the old sayings and well-loved adages of the region feel less contrived than remembered from a world that seems to have existed long before the first page. The plot has many movements that culminate in a dramatic twist, seamlessly locking earlier events into place while delivering a deeply satisfying revelation. A sprawling tale of transformation, The Dragonkin Legacy reminds us that even in a world forged by fire, we can still choose to be led by what we love rather than the things we hate."

Quote of the month

"The hope is always here, always alive, but only your fierce caring can fan it into a fire to warm the world." - Merriman Lyon

LGBTQIA+ Pride Month

An inveterate Magic: the Gathering player, I pay close 
attention to the lore and THIS STORY,  Not for a Stranger, 
is the one for this month. A toast to Huatli and Saheeli.

"Hail royal June, sun-bright with poppies crowned" said John Cowper Powys, the English philosopher, lecturer, novelist, critic and poet. But I echo that hail today for another reason in addition to joyous Summer. It is LGBTQIA+ Pride Month, and with it let me continue to offer my undying support for the LGBTQIA+ community and reiterate the role Fantasy literature plays in supporting them by, to start, inviting people to read my LGBTQIA+ in Fantasy page, and listen to what happened to me today. As I state on the just mentioned page, I personally am not LGBTQIA+. However, I have students who are and one year I told them – quite truthfully, by the way – that I was writing a Fantasy book in which one of the key characters is lesbian. Their eyes lit and they were on their feet in less time than it takes to say it. But it is the moment when I told them that the character is a Queen that I shall forever remember, for the glow on their faces out-shown the lights on the ceiling by a leap and a bound. They began questioning me about the character, wanting to know her name, what she looked like, all about the land she ruled and, most importantly, when the book was coming out. To this last I gave them a disappointing answer, for an unfinished rough draft of a 500+ page book is naturally years away from publication, and they asked me how they were supposed to wait that long for a book with a gay Queen. They want to see the rough draft as it stands and one who has some artistic skill began drawing this Queen based on my description. The moral of the story? Representation matters, people. Seeing yourself in literature matters in a huge way. Indeed, when I found these students they were eagerly pursuing the school library's LGBTQIA+ Pride Month book display.

On that note, let me also reiterate that I utterly condemn such book banners, and they feel the full force of my contempt so hard it ought to frost their windows. So if you are anti-LGBTQIA+ and are reading this, do not even THINK of commenting on this or any other Stars Uncounted page or post spouting your intolerant drivel, because I will take one look and delete it. It will never appear, and I will lose no sleep over it. Rather, I will be laughing at how you are so insecure that you feel the need to rant on a Fantasy blog while reflecting on the truth of another Mercedes Lackey quote: "Make someone a devout, fanatical anything, and his brain turns to mulch." Then I will stop laughing and forget all about you, because I categorically deem anti-LGBTQIA+ people as a class of idiot so utterly unworthy of respect that I will not waste any more minutes thinking about you. You are a mosquito whose comment was a bite on this blog, and I will flick your comment away with as little thought or care as I would an actual mosquito misguided enough to try to get at my blood. Less care, actually, since, unlike true mosquito bites, deleted comments do not itch after the fact.

"The young must grow old,
Whilst old ones grow older,
And cowards will shrink,
As the bold grow bolder.
Courage may blossom in quiet hearts,
For who can tell where bravery starts?
Truth is a song, oft lying unsung,
Some mother bird, protecting her young,
Those who lay down their lives for friends,
The echo rolls onward, it seldom ends.
Who never turned and ran, but stayed?
This is a warrior born, not made!
Living in peace, aye many a season,
Calm in life and sound in reason,
'Til evil arrives, a wicked horde,
Driving a warrior to pick up his sword,
The challenger rings then, straight and fair,
Justice is with us, beware. Beware!"

-  Brian Jacques

I have started The Equinox Tor, Book Three of David Doersch's Chronicles of the Raven

At the author's request I have started The Equinox Tor, Book Three of David Doersch's Chronicles of the Raven.

I predicted that this book would begin with battle and I was right, for the Autumn Equinox is but a day away and Fel's servants must be stopped ere far more than Daffyd falls. Yet the Barbárs hordes and their sadistic Angor blood-shaman allies hold the Tor and advance deeper into the Green Mount, spilling Highlander blood all the way. While further south, though Lachland is for the moment safe, the Church of the Five are up to their polite necks in bloody plays for power... and has it in for Queens the world over. All of it wrapped up in a web of far-reaching plots complex enough to make a spider envious, so here's hoping that Queen Darienne and the Raven Corvus Corax and their kith and kin can – even without full understanding – fight their way through it since the price of failure is...total.

The battle cry goes out as swords are drawn… "Protect the Tor!"

 

(Naturally the Official Book Review will come after I finish the book.)

My father and I just finished The Age of Enchantment, the first of Anna James' Chronicles of Whetherwhy

My father and I just finished The Age of Enchantment, the first of Anna James' Chronicles of Whetherwhy.

Just because an author wrote one book you loved does not mean that one automatically reads, much less likes, their other, future books. Sometimes ones does, others times not – and this was absolutely the former! Coming strong off her Pages & Co. series, Anna James once more weaves her enchantment in this new series on the magical island of Whetherwhy, only instead of books the magic is rooted in the four seasons and everyone has the magic of the single season. All save Enchanters, who have the magic of them all.

Of course, this is Anna James, which means the plot – like the weather – is unpredictable. Juniper had more trouble getting her school of magic than I have ever read (I will never look at plant bulbs the same way again) and her twin Rafferty got himself into a bigger tangle, a harder knot, that Juniper's magpie and Zinnia's bloody stag. For all is not well in Whetherwhy, dark plots born of jealously and a desire for fairness spouting grim vines. Fortunately they contained the blight and healed their own divide. But the magical balance of the island is still off and we never did learn where the Queen stands in this.

IT'S OUT!

My full debut Epic Fantasy series, The Dragonkin Legacy, is now available on Amazon.

By the way, I did not choose June 1st at the release date arbitrarily. It just happened to also be the day the June edition of Kirkus Reviews Magazine came out – which includes their stellar review of the book.

“The worldbuilding is superb...[and] the characters are just as memorable...an enthralling epic teeming with valor, camaraderie, and searing battles.”
– Kirkus Reviews

 

I just finished Gift of Magic, Book 6 of Lynn Kurland's Novels of the Nine Kingdoms

I just finished Gift of Magic, Book 6 of Lynn Kurland's Novels of the Nine Kingdoms and the conclusion of its second trilogy.

Sometimes you have to walk back in order to move forward. You can choose your friends, but you cannot choose you relatives. Two age-old phrases that Ruithneadh of Ceangail and Sarah the dreamweaver would find very special appreciation for after learning who was leading them about, that Miach's theory was quite right, and where they ended up fighting a battle and building a home (two separate places these). And is not even talking Sarah's family history into account. But both family matters, and Gair of Ceangail's lifework, have been firmly to rest.

I will now say what I did after finishing the first trilogy: "I seldom dive into Romantic Fantasy...but this series caught and pulled me along with its ceaseless, heartfelt action. Seldom has any series chewed up entire afternoons the way this one has. Which is why I shall miss" Ruith and Sarah, for watching them first struggle against black mages and the past before ultimately prevailing was a gripping joy. Better still, they made it back to Mhorghain and Miach's wedding on time.

(Will I ever read the rest of the Novels of the Nine Kingdoms? Likely not, but who knows. I would like to see more of Rùnach and I just know the fate of the exiled Bruadair royals are involved, yet six more books is a lot to chew on though, and shelf space is, for me, almost as valuable as magic.)