Took me a bit longer
than expected, as one of the samples was enormous (maybe 40,000 words
or more). After this, I’m going to do a post with the samples that
intrigued me most and which I might end up buying, and then take a
break from the snapshot reviews.
Gryphon Riders Trilogy
Boxed Set, by Derek Alan Siddoway
The story follows
Evelyna/Eva, who is reluctantly adopted by the blacksmith Soot. Soot,
and his helpful golem Seppo, raise Eva without telling her of her
illustrious parentage, only for events to conspire to drag her out of
her comfortable life in the smithy and into the life of being
Windsworn (a gryphon rider). The awkwardness of this change is
well-written, as is the preceding story sketching her time working in
the smithy. The tone feels a bit YA for me, but the writing quality
is good, the story moves along at a good pace without being
breakneck, and the sense of nervous anxiety and awkwardness is
sympathetically realistic. Probably not for me, but if you’re after
a YA story, it’s well worth a look.
Dragon School: First
Flight (volume 1), by Sarah KL Wilson
I did wonder about
shuffling the order here as it sounded very similar to the Gryphon
Riders sample. Anyway, my first impression after the first page was
that it was well-written but even more YA. The sample, which is very
short, follows Amel, a young woman whose leg was badly broken and
never healed. She’s seeking to become a dragon rider, and the
opening chapter involves everyone else getting picked first to select
their beast (colour determines role, whether war, diplomacy etc). But
instead, a dragon seeks her out. I’ve got to say, it’s very
well-written indeed. I might even put it on the list, despite it not
being my usual cup of tea.
The Chronicles of the
Black Gate (books 1-3), by Phil Tucker
I’ve got to say, this
sample is massive. I’d be surprised if it were much under 40,000
words and may well be larger. Thankfully, given its enormity, I
really liked it. The story follows multiple POV characters, mostly
focusing on Asho. In a mythical world with different castes, he’s
on the lowest rung, but due to a series of events starts the first
chapter as a squire and ends it as a knight and almost the only
survivor of a battlefield massacre. This puts him in rather an odd
position and neither he nor others know quite what to make of it.
Other POVs centre on his main location, the Kyferin castle/town,
though one, Tharok, is entirely separate. Tharok is a kragh, a
non-human and rather strong fellow, being hunted in the mountains.
The writing style has a
little more description than most nowadays. Generally this works very
well although here and there it does rob the story of pace. I also
like that the multiple POVs help add depth to the Kyferin situation,
and create worldbuilding without infodumping. I checked, and the full
thing is over 1,500 pages and costs just over £2, so that’s
definitely going into the to-be-considered blog I’ll write when I
finish the current batch.
The Wendy, by Erin
Michelle Sky and Steven Brown
An alternative history,
it seems, set in the late 18th century England. A host of
orphan babies are left in old London town, and one of these, Wendy
Darling, is the character around whom the story revolves. The sample
covers her awkward time in a foundling home, when she and her only
friend start being taught sailor skills but are forced to take on
jobs from the Home Office, as the alternative (as a young lady) is to
become an apprentice to a seamstress or suchlike. The writing style
is notably whimsical but I found it worked rather well. Magic and
vampires seem like they’ll have a role beyond the sample. Not my
usual fare but entertaining and well-written.
The Spirit Chaser
(Spirit Chasers book 1), by Kat Mayor
This whole book is
free, so I just read the first two chapters.
It’s a paranormal
book set in the real world, following a TV show and its star
presenter as they investigate demonic and ghostly activities. Early
on, the show’s psychic has a warning ignored which leads to him
being possessed, just about cured, and resigning, leaving the
presenter with having to recruit someone else. The writing’s
simpler and lower on description than I’m used to, but the pace of
the story does zip along at a good pace (weirdly, the lack of
flim-flam reminds me a bit of Machiavelli’s approach in The
Prince). There’s some head-hopping (sudden POV changes) which may
irk some people.
Thaddeus
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