Follow Up on The Tomb, Freeing the Bastards, and Brain Stretching

 

I promised more about The Tomb, Book 1 of The Watchers Series by Carl Novakovich and didn't want to let you down. So, here goes!

This independently published book is a roaring good time practically guaranteed to make you laugh out loud, hold your breath, and groan in dismay. Sometimes all in the space of one page! Chicago Police Detective, John Gideon and his partner cum father figure, Walter are working multiple missing persons cases. One of which holds particular interest for them both, the case of John’s missing mother. When a suspect in these cases, Steven, is taken into custody, John and Walter find themselves catapulted into a world they never knew existed. A world of demons which operates alongside the human world, forever plotting and planning, to unleash Hell on earth.
 
With the aid of a witch-turned-demon, Beth, John learns his family has a historical tie to the battle to keep Hell in its rightful place. He also discovers that his mother’s disappearance is not only connected to the demonic designs but that CPD leadership is somehow “in on it.” Can Beth and John rescue Walter, solve the case of John’s mother’s disappearance, and save the world from possession?
 
Told in the first person omniscient, with occasional fourth-wall breaks, The Watchers: The Tomb is well worth the space on your calendar to read. I promise.

I confess to anxiously waiting for the third installment of The Bastards series by Jonathan French and I have to say, The Free Bastards does not disappoint! Fabulously filthy and fun, Fetching, Jackal, and Oats grudgingly partner with Crafty, the half-orc wizard who they feel is responsible for the disintegration of their hoof, to take on Hispartha and wrest control of their home, the Lot Lands, away from the crown. The mongrels come into their own and realize their potential in this exciting trilogy conclusion. I have to admit, I hope French continues to tell us about their adventures as truly free bastards in the years to come. I will read each and every story without regret or remorse. 

The Red Grouse Tales, by indie author Leslie Garland, spins us in a completely different direction. Think Aesop's Fables meets Modern Morality. Constructed as an anthology (of sorts) of stories told around a pub table by a group of long-time friends, The Red Grouse Tales each stand alone without need for further explanation or exploration. However, don't write this off as just a fun time. The Little Dog, The White Hart, The Crow, The Blue Horse, The Golden Tup (and others) are thought provoking, philosophically challenging and engrossing. Garland's compelling stories kept me turning pages well into the wee hours when I should have been sleeping instead of reading. He masterfully weaves social commentary into tales of the uncanny without being heavy-handed or overbearing.

Thoroughly and effectively utilizing the story-as-lesson trope, Garland presents readers with gorgeously crafted narratives which are excellent on the surface and yet also address larger concerns such as the nature of good and evil, heartbreak and betrayal, redemption, vengeance, gender equality, and simple pleasures versus material strife. Several times in each short story, I was drawn up short to re-read and thoughtfully consider what I'd just read - even though I desperately wanted to forge ahead and find out what happened next! 

I'll be continuing my journey through the other Red Grouse Tales not included in this collection. I'll also be recommending these to educator friends and colleagues as discussion prompts.

Fantasy For The Win This Go 'Round!

Let's get this party started!

Beneath a Brass Sky by independent author, Eli Steele, is a fantasy adventure tale told from the third-person omniscient POV which follows Ulfric Halehorn and his band of sellswords as they embark on a dangerous mission across the Brasslands. From the beginning readers are dropped into an unfamiliar terrain with often confusing yet compelling power structures. Still, Halehorn, former Lord of Wyrmwatch from Prydia, has made his way to the lieutenancy of a sellsword company. He’s turned his back on his rightful place in the nobility for a life on the road, securing contracts, and working in the company of men whose demons are as familiar as his own. When his company, the Fives, secures a contract to deliver “something” valuable to the coastal city of Kush, his survival and drive for justice are put to the test.

Set upon by brigands in the Brasslands, a vast sprawling desert which divides the continent, Ulfric is knocked unconscious and awakens to find that only he and one other, Spero the Banker, have survived the attack. Halehorn is promoted to Captain by default and the two join forces with a mummer’s troupe for security in numbers. Determined to meet the terms of the contract and make the delivery to Kush, Halehorn’s contingent of misfits encounters a band of men led by The Huntsman, a charismatic, enigma who draws followers to him and leaves a destructive, killing trail in his wake across the Brasslands. Following a trail of crucified men, scalped corpses, and defiled children, it isn’t long before Halehorn and Spero realize The Huntsman is also headed for Kush. This realization redoubles their urgent push to the city and their desire to put an end to The Huntsman's murderous path.

With a mind-bending cast of characters (GoT fans will be thrilled), and a dizzying landscape which demands a map which is, sadly, not included, Steele delivers world building prose which borders on purple at times.

“A gust moaned in from the east, carrying with it thick smoke that reeked of scorched stone, and charred timber, and seared manflesh, and half a hundred other odors acrid and unknown. A bouquet of slaughter…His eyes burned.”

Occasionally, it is difficult to keep track of who’s speaking, why they're important, where they are, or where they’re going. But, it really doesn't matter. The blistering plot moves inexorably forward as quickly as Halehorn’s quest across the Brasslands; racing across endless dunes, winding through slot canyons, clambering over towering mountains, always on the lookout for dangers both real and imagined. Rife with misunderstood magics, creatures both familiar and strange, friendships forged and lost, Beneath a Brass Sky is worth the read and Ulfric Halehorn is a compelling, complicated hero. “And if rage was this sweet, it’s all I’d ever eat…”

Understand this before you venture into the Brasslands, “This is a hollow country – never forget that – all it does is swallow things up.”

The Wrack by John Bierce is an eerily relevant and timely work of fantasy about a plague which ravages the continent of Tyringia. Told from multiple points of view and with varying perspectives, The Wrack provides readers with fascinating insight into how a seemingly unstoppable, infectious disease affects everyone from kings to paupers. 

When a northern prince is suddenly struck with a crippling, immensely painful ailment, poison is immediately suspected and healers are called to assist. When healers are unable to find an antidote, they turn to a seer for aid. In Tyringia, seers tap into the spiritual flow and vibrations of all the elements which make up and surround the physical world. Seers spend years training in their art and of necessity, pluck out at least one of their eyes in order to use gemstones to help them navigate the aethers. This is where the magic happens.

"Having one's eye put out as a youth to gain the ability to see the spirit flows was also a rather challenging aspect of learning magic, of course."

The seer can see the illness in the prince and understands there is no poison but a new, virulent disease instead. 

Known as the Wrack, the disease ravages across the continent, killing and crippling thousands. Each new case signaled by the sudden screams of its new victim as they convulse in wild, excruciating muscle spasms. Many resort to filling their ears with wax in an attempt to drown out the sound. Insultingly, if the Wrack doesn't kill it's victims, it leaves their fingers and toes scorched and useless. 

News of the disease, its course, its suspected causes is spread across the world through semaphore. A network of lines, placed in the spirit currents surrounding the world in the rare places where the currents dipped low to the ground. As villages, towns, cities, and countries are brought to their knees by the Wrack, the semaphore lines of communication are brought to a near-stand still. Survivors are left to fend for themselves and often descend into rumor and superstition to protect themselves. 

The Wrack is an engaging and well-written work of fantasy which manages to avoid comparison to the current pandemic while still respecting the fear modern readers face in the face of uncertainty. 

I just started reading The Tomb - The Watchers Book 1 by Carl Novakovich, a tale of demons, both good and bad, roaming the Windy City of Chicago. Novakovich reached me on Twitter and asked if I'd consider reading his work. When he pitched the story, I have to admit, I was immediately hooked by the idea of demons in Chicago, one of my favorite cities in the US. I'm only a few pages in and have to admit, so far, it's very good. I'll have a complete review for you next time!

Thanks for reading!

W