Tag Archives: fantasy
The Wolf Pack Characters
I’ve been having fun with Microsoft’s free image creator. Diana Wallace Peach posted some she made using it on her site, Myths of the Mirror. I thought I’d try to create something of the characters from Book 1. The Wolf Pack.
Here they are:
This is the half elf mage, Carthinal. He is an apprentice at the beginning of the book, just about to take the tests that will let him enter the ranks of mages. He is someone whom the ladies all go for. He has some feelings that he is inadequate, although he becomes the leader of Wolf, the name the group give to themselves.
The elf, Aspholessaria, known as Asphodel. She is a priestess of the goddess Sylissa, whose remit is life and healing. At the beginning she is a novice. She is strong-minded and will always follow her conscience, no matter what the consequences are to herself. That is the reason for her being sent from Bluehaven to Hambara where there is a stricter leader.
The dwarf, Basalt. Met on the road to Hambara. He has a somewhat grumpy exterior, but inside he is caring. He left his homeland when he was cheated out of his part of the family mine’s inheritance by his brother and wife. An excellent metalsmith, he can also carve wood.
Fero. He is a ranger from south of the Great Desert. He was turned out of his home when he refused to follow his father in his sandal-making business. A man of the outdoors and wild places, he cannot live for long in a city. His skin I would have liked to be a little darker, but not black. A bit like someone from India, or the middle east.
Davrael is the son of the chief of the Swooping Hawks tribe. He is a Horselord, and has lived all his life on the plains beyond the Western Mountains. He and his wife, Kimi, eloped when their parents refused to allow them to marry.
This is the nearest I could get to Davrael. His facial tattoo is actually a hawk with wings over his brows, head down his nose and talons on his cheeks, giving him a rather scary appearance.
Kimi is Davrael’s wife. They were married after they eloped. She is a settler, belonging to a group of erstwhile wandering Horselords who decided they could breed better horses if they didn’t wander.
She is a rather plain girl, tiny in stature with brown hair and eyes. Davrael calls her ‘Little Mouse’. She can’t get over how she has won the love of Davrael.
Randa is the only child of Rollo, Duke of Hambara, and heir to the duchy. She considers all beneath her except others of the nobility, and especially foreigners and other races. Hence there is tension in the group, especially since she thinks she is the natural leader and not Carthinal. She is an excellent horsewoman and is the only one who can ride and control her beautiful black stallion, Storm.
She decides to follow Carthinal and his friends when they leave Hambara to search for Sauvern’s Sword, which is prophesied to be needed soon to save the country.
Thad is a very young thief, around 15 years old, from the Warren, the poor quarter in Hambara. He met Carthinal when he stole a figurine from the mage. Carthinal managed to persuade him to get it back.
Thad followed the group because he felt he was in danger in the city.
This is the main cast of The Wolf Pack. I was reasonably pleased with the results, although they are all rather handsome. If I was disappointed in any, it would be Kimi as the picture is a little too pretty.
If you want to have a go, here’s a link. It’s great fun.
https://www.bing.com/images/create
If you would like to find out about the adventures of these people, click on the book cover, The Wolf Pack, in the side bar.
Review of A Door into Evermoor by Kent Wayne.
Overview
This book is billed as a YA book. Much of the story is an ideal YA book, but I think that Mr Waybe puts a little too much philosophy in for that age group. I could see many, if not most young people skipping those bits, although I, personally, found them interesting.
Story
A young man, by the name of Jon Dough, who is starting out on his career wonders how his life will turn out. He does not relish the usual 9-5 dreary office job, marriage, kids, divorce etc so he goes to enlist in the army. There he meets a man called Atraya. (If you’ve read Mr Wayne’s Echo books you’ll recognise him.) Atraya gets him to sign a very vague contract.Jon begins to see ‘visions’ of another world in every door and window. This world could easily be straight out of a Dungeons and Dragons scenario. Eventually, Jon, wandering in a forest, sees a door appear in a tree. He enters and finds himself in the world of Evermoor.Knowing nothing about this world he is lucky to meet someone who will help him, and is dragged into the problems facing the land of Evermoor.
This is a fairly standard Fantasy story–young person finds themselves in another world where there is someone who is ruling with cruelty and s/he has to help overcome the situation and defeat the tyrant. However, this is done well, and it does not seem like a cliche.
Characters
The character of Jon is like a typical young man in his late teens. He is well-drawn and likeable. He does not really know who he is, but he does know that he doesn’t want to live the life he foresees.
Mr Wayne does a good job of making him naive and a little clueless, but I did think he learnt to use weapons rather easily.
Erany is a half elf princess. She is Jon’s love interest. He is a little clumsy around her because of his attraction. She is confident and knows her way around this strange new world. I found myself growing to like her more as I continued to read.
The other players all have different characters and skills. I found myself liking them in spite of some negative characteristics. But that is what makes them real. They don’t all get on well.
Writing
The difference between the two worlds is vividly drawn. The action scenes are exciting, and there is one surprise that I enjoyed, but I won’t say what it is except that it is to do with the identity of one character.
Grammar and punctuation are good.
I give it 4*.
My ranking of books.
In order to get a particular number of stars, it is not necessary to meet all the criteria. This is a guide only.
5* Exceptional. Wonderful story. Setting well drawn, and characters believable–not perfect, but with flaws. Will keep you up all night. No typos or grammatical errors.
4* A thoroughly enjoyable read. Great and original story. Believable setting and characters. Very few grammatical errors or typos.
3* I enjoyed it. Good story. Characters need some development. Some typos or grammatical errors.
2* Not for me. Story not very strong. Unbelievable and flat characters. Setting not clearly defined. Many typos or grammatical errors.
1* I hated it. Story almost non-existent. Setting poor. Possibly couldn’t finish it.
How I became a writer, and some of the books that led me here.
Image by Lubos Houska from Pixabay
I’ve always been a writer, although I didn’t understand that until late in my life. I wish I had realised earlier, but I didn’t. Nothing I can do about the past, but I can make up some of the time now.
I’ve always loved stories from being tiny. I can still remember my favourite story. It was about two little pandas called Pink and Ponk. I can still quote the first few lines, but I do remember the story quite clearly.
Later, when I could read myself, I devoured Enid Blyton books. Early on it was Noddy and The Faraway Tree. Later I loved Shadow the Sheepdog. I remember that the first ever story I wrote was about a dog, inspired by this story. I was only young–probably about seven or thereabouts – because my spelling was a bit dodgy. I spelled ‘of’ as ‘ov’ , all the way through.
I also really enjoyed her Famous Five books, and the Adventure series. And although I read a couple, I was never really enthusiastic about Mallory Towers books.
Another book I loved reading was Black Beauty, about the life of a horse. It told of his life from his early days with his mother, through different owners, some good, some bad, to his retirement.
When I graduated from the children’s section of the library, I discovered Jeffrey Farnol and Mary Webb. Later, I read many Agatha Christie books, and other books in that genre, and I loved Georgette Heyer and other historical novelists.
Of course, there were the classics. I always loved the Brontë sisters’ books, especially Wuthering Heights.
I remember making a little fairy out of grass and telling my younger sister stories about him/her.
At school, I loved it when we were given a title, or first line to write about. I can’t remember any of the stories I wrote then, but in my teens I wrote a very bad romance that I read to my friends. They said they liked it, but I suspect they were just being kind.
At Teacher Training college, I began my poetry writing. I had my first ever publication in the Manchester University Institute of Science and Technology magazine. The poetry era ended until I was teaching in 1990 when I wrote a poem for the staff Christmas party. I had to write one every year, by popular demand, after that. Sadly these have all been lost except the one in the UMIST magazine.
I loved reading Science Fiction, too and read all the well-known writers.
Then I found Fantasy. A young boy, by the wonderful name of Fred Spittal, asked me if I’d read The Lord of the Rings. He was reading it, but said I should start with The Hobbit. I found it in the college library and from then was hooked on fantasy.
I won’t go into all the fantasy books I’ve read. It would take too long.
Since writing Book 1 of my Wolves of Vimar series, I have published almost a dozen books. I have also drifted into historical fiction and begun writing poetry again. My first published poetry book is called Miscellaneous Thoughts.
So you see, I have always been a writer, but didn’t know.
Do you remember books that influenced you as a child? Tell us about them in the comments section.
The Wolf Pack book 1 of The Wolves of Vimar series
All Carthinal wants is admission to the ranks of the mages. Traveling from Bluehaven to Hambara, where his rite of passage is to take place, he doesn’t expect to end up on a quest to find the long-lost sword of the legendary King Sauvern. With strangers he meets on his journey, Carthinal sets out on the seemingly impossible quest. Followed by Randa, the snooty aristocratic daughter of the Duke of Hambara, and the young runaway thief Thad, Carthinal and his companions face tragedy and danger. Watched by the gods and an implacable foe, they will have to accept help from the least likely sources and face their innermost fears. As the fate of their world hangs in the balance, they realize that this is more than an adventure. This quest will change them all.
This book came from a Dungeons and Dragons scenario I wrote for my D & D club at the school where I worked. I had been buying scenarios, then I thought I could write one myself. I wrote one from which this series has emerged.
I played Dragonlance, both as a player and a DM, and when I discovered that Weiss and Hickman had turned it into a series, I thought, ‘Why not?’ Thus The Wolves of Vimar series was born.
I only intended it to be one book, but it sort of grew into what will eventually be a five-book series. I’m unsure that my players will recognise it now, although some things are the same, such as searching for Sauvern’s Sword (Book 1) and the name of the antagonist.
HERE’S A REVIEW FROM AMAZON
Discerning Reader
5.0 out of 5 stars A solidly done, and crafted fantasy novel.
“The Wolf Pack” is an original and well crafted fantasy novel. If you like novels like the “Earthsea Saga” by Ursula Le Guin or “When the Heavens Fall” by Marc Turner then I suggest that you may well enjoy “The Wolf Pack.” British style and spellings throughout. Not really a negative, just a difference to be noted.
I found the characters well developed, and complex (in a good way).
The plot is unique and unusual. It is not easy to explain, but does unfold nicely as one reads through the book. I am trying to avoid spoilers, so I do not want to give too much away.
Dialogue is well written and each character has his or her own voice
- Amazon Best Sellers Rank:
- Customer reviews: 4.3 out of 5 stars
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- Not quite sure how it gets into the Teen and Young Adult Interactive Adventures ebooks as it’s not interactive, and was not written for the teen market! Still, top 100 is not shabby!
To purchase from the seller of your choice click on the book cover in the sidebar, or on the button below.
The book is available as:
ebook, paper back, hard back, large print, pocket book and audio book.
The ebook is free on all platforms except Amazon where it is 0.99 (pounds or dollars.)
Review of Dragon Train Rebellion by RJ The Story Guy.
Overview.
A Good Teen and YA story.
This book is the second in the Dragon Train series. It begins two years after the events of Dragon Train.
It is an original take on dragons. There was, many years before, a war between dragons and humans. The humans won and enslaved the dragons, treating them badly and making them pull their trains.
The humans–most of them–are unaware that dragons are intelligent and can speak to each other through telepathy.
Story.
Jaidon is visited by the Dragon, Skye, whom he rescued from the dragon train along with her mate and three youngsters. She wants his help in freeing the dragons from slavery.
Jaidon goes with her to where the free dragons live–a less than hospitable place, where he is enlisted to help.
I don’t want to give too much away, so I’ll leave it there.
Characters.
Jaidon is a believable character. He has problems with his father, as many teenagers do, but he is loyal in his determination that the dragons should not be enslaved. He is likeable and brave, too.
The dragons all have different personalities. Skye seems to look on Jaidon as one of her own children and there are occasions when he thinks she is behaving like a mother. Her mate is not quite as certain of Jaidon as Skye, but is willing to trust him, in order to gain dragonkind’s freedom.
And there is one very scary dragon who has never been enslaved. He is a huge blue called Helmut. He has his doubts about Jaidon, but decides that he has to trust him, but only up to a point.
Writing.
RJ draws a clear picture of the dragons and their situation. He makes us feel sympathy for them. I think there is just enough description of the surroundings for us to be able to envisage it.
He certainly makes Helmut scary!
There were not many typos, although I did notice a few, but the grammar and punctuation were flawless.
Do you enjoy teen stories? I know quite a lot of adults do! Let us know in the comments.
I really love dragons, and have them in most of my fantasy books to date. If you would like to read about my dragons, click on the covers in the sidebar. They are available in all formats and from many platforms.
You can also buy merchandise related to the books by visiting
Review of Return of the Dragons by R.S.Williams
As you will have noticed, I took the festive season off. Now I’m back!
Happy New Year to you all.
Today I’m posting a book review. I finished reading this book a while ago, but have only just got around to reviewing it.
Overview.
This book is the second part of the Kane Saga. It continues where the first book left off.
Story
Elijah, the prince who was believed to be dead, has returned and is now betrothed to Princess Sienna.
The dragons, hidden in human form, are making themselves known.
But Elijah has to go on a quest and leave his beloved behind. The dragons tell him that two things are needed to defeat the Master. One is a staff and the other a time.
He sets off with his trusty friend, Salah, a grumpy dragon called Maelor and a feisty elf.
Needless to say, all does not go according to plan.
The plot is interesting and gripping. But sadly, it does not resolve the problems but leaves you hanging in the air, waiting for the next book. I don’t like series that do this. It’s a serial, not a series. Although in all fairness, Ms Williams calls it a Saga, not a series.
Blurb
Having grown up in Rheanydd, all Elijah wanted to focus on was entering the annual Hollom horse race. A year later, he’s one of Princess Sienna’s Elite bodyguards in Adelith, where he learns more about his hazy past every day.
King Roderick’s solution to Eli being revealed as the missing crown heir is to marry Eli to Princess Sienna and combine their two bloodlines. But when a body is found with a blood-splattered message and the queen reveals a secret about Eli’s magic, a wedding is the last thing on everyone’s mind.
Eli starts to doubt the Dragon Elders’ motives when their answers only come in the form of cryptic messages. Yet he can’t help but feel a connection between the dragons and himself. So, he agrees to fulfil their task to get the relics before The Master’s Agents of Cyran.
But the agreement between the dragons and his father is due to end soon, setting the dragons free from their human forms and able to rebuild their race. Unless The Master gains control of them.
Can Eli and the dragons work together to stop The Master from getting the relics, or will he gain control over the dragons to rebuild the world and become a god?
Characters.
I enjoyed the characters in this book. They are all different, with their own characteristics. Maelor is always grumpy. Salah is always loyal.
They are all well-drawn.
Writing.
Sadly, like the first book, this is riddled with errors. I found a number on every page. Grammar, wrongly used words, typos, syntax. Also, I understand that the author is from Somerset, England, yet at least once she uses the American, ‘gotten’. While not wrong in an American book, it struck a harsh chord here.
There were other things not strictly wrong, but that gave me a strange picture. Like ‘Eli dropped his eyes to the ground.’ Too many superfluous words, mainly prepositions, too.
Punctuation also left a lot to be desired, too. Often there were commas where there should have been a full stop, and missing commas when someone was named. And there were a few places where I had to go back and read a sentence or paragraph more than once to make sense of it
This is such a pity, because the story is good, but because of my experience with the writing in the first two books, I am wondering if I can manage to read the next one.
This month is National Reading Group Month.
October is National Reading Group Month.
If you are a member of a reading group, would you like to share with us what your group is reading?
I would be interested in what you have to say about reading groups.
- Do you think they are helpful? If so, in what way?
2. How does your group choose the books you are going to read?
3. How long do you have to read it before you meet to discuss it?
4. Do you meet and discuss parts of the book?
5. What kind of things do you talk about when you meet?
6. Are there any groups that specialise in particular genres; for example, historical fiction, women’s literature, science fiction, literary etc.
If you aren’t in a reading group, perhaps you could tell us something about your favourite genre, and what is your favourite book?
I’m not in a reading group. However, I enjoy fantasy, historical fiction and science fiction. Having said that, there are many books not in those sections that I enjoy.
As to my favourite books. Well, that’s a difficult one. It might well be the last book I read, provided it’s not dire!
I really enjoyed reading the latest book by Diana Wallace Peach, The Necromancer’s Daughter. You can read my review of it in last Monday’s post.
Miserichorde by Cynthia A. Morgan is another fantasy I’ve enjoyed recently. You can read my review here.
Of course there is The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan. A brilliant series. The characters really gripped me. It is currently being filmed by Amazon and screening on Prime. I’ve not reviewed any of these books, but be assured, they are excellent.
I enjoyed Down to the Needle, by Mary Deal, too. Another talented writer. This is a gripping tale of a woman’s search for her daughter, and her fight to save her from execution. My review is here.
Shadow Stalker series by Renee Scattergood is another good fantasy series (my review of book 2 is here.) as is The Secret of Excalibur and the other Excalibur books by Sahara Foley. (My review of Book 2, the Revenge of Excalibur is here.)
Please answer in the comments box.
And while I’m at it, Jealousy of a Viking is now available as an audiobook. Here is something of what the narrator, Ink Arnadine, said about it.
I am absolutely loving the book and have read on to chapter 20 in the guise of ‘prep’ but honestly, it’s because I am loving the story! These are the signs of a really enjoyable, great read and it’s a real pleasure (and honour) to have the opportunity to narrate it.
I like your writing, the flow is elegant and informative and utterly compelling. Absolutely fab. Your amazing narrative flow is the absolute backbone of this story.
You really are a great writer and although this is only the second book of yours I have read, I am keen to add more to my recreational reading list! There is an honesty of emotion and emotional strength in your writing that I absolutely adore.
If you would like to listen, here are the links.
Or if you prefer to read it, follow this link and it will take you to where you can buy it from your favourite supplier.
Review of The Prodigy of Rainbow Tower by Charles E. Yallowitz
Review of Prodigy of Rainbow Tower by Charles Yallowitz
OVERVIEW:
This is a continuation of the story told in The Beginning of a Hero. In this book, Luke and his companions, Fritz, the gnome, Nimby, the halfling, Aeden, the priest,and Fizzle, the little dragon-like creature known as a drite, set off to escort the heir to Duke Solomon home to Gods’ Voice.
First, though, they need to collect a caster apprentice from Rainbow Tower. She is a very prickly individual. Her first meeting with Luke does not go well.
The book is full of action. On the journey along the L’landrin River, they meet with traps and agents of the litch from book 1 that are trying to kill them.
We also learn that the litch is serving a much more powerful master that even the gods themselves fear.
This book has some shocking twists, but \I won’t spoil it by letting the cat out of the bag.
You will laugh and cry reading this book.
BLURB
Luke Callindor and his friends are about to learn that the life of an adventurer can be brutally unforgiving.
Hungering for another adventure, Luke agrees to escort the heir of Serab along the L’dandrin River and into the safety of Gods’ Voice. A deadly gauntlet of cunning traps and savage creatures lay before the young warrior and his companions. Lacking the powerful magic needed to combat his enemies, Luke’s survival and victory may be in the hands of his newest ally. That’s if the temperamental Nyx doesn’t set him on fire first.
Luke will bravely face everything that is thrown at him, but how can he defend himself when he’s ignorant of the truth behind his mission?
CHARACTERS
Mr Yallowitz has continued to enthral his readers with his story. We meet a new character in this book. She is the Prodigy of the title. Her name is Nyx and she is an extremely powerful caster. Sadly, she has a character flaw. She loses her temper extremely quickly, and with her being such a powerful caster, with a tendency to use fire magic, she is a dangerous individual.
Mr Yallowitz writes strong women. I love them.
We meet a new enemy, Trinity, the Queen of the Chaos Elves, who wishes to exact revenge on Nyx after they fight over the rooftops. Of course there is the Hellfire Elf who seems almost human in his desire to get his revenge on Luke.
There is the usual squabbling between friends, but nothing serious. This is how friends behave in real life. And we see lasting friendships beginning to form.
Nyx’s growing friendship with Luke makes her become less prickly.
As before, Luke and his friends are well-drawn. I fell in love with them all, but especially Fizzle.
WRITING
The world is believable, and fully realised and described.
We are introduced to a number of fight scenes that Mr Yallowitz describes excellently. As I have already said, the characters are well drawn and believable, and change as we progress through the book.
Sadly, though, this book has many typos, as well as grammatical errors and the wrong word used in some cases. (as Nyx’s weapon, a morning star, which Mr Yallowitz calls a mourning star all through the book.)
This gave me a problem as to how to rate it. The story deserves 5*, but the typos and grammar should have put it at 3*. I compromised by going with the average.
I gave the book 4*
My ranking of books. In order to get a particular number of stars, it is not necessary to meet all the criteria. This is a guide only.
5* Exceptional. Wonderful story. Setting well drawn, and characters believable. Not perfect, but with flaws. Will keep you up all night. No typos or grammatical errors.
4* A thoroughly enjoyable read. Great and original story. Believable setting and characters. Very few grammatical errors or typos.
3* I enjoyed it. Good story. Characters need some development. Some typos or grammatical errors.
2* Not for me. Story not very strong. Unbelievable and flat characters. Setting not clearly defined. Many typos or grammatical errors.
1* I hated it. Story almost non-existent. Setting poor. Possibly couldn’t finish it.
Book review, review of Legends of Windemere, Charles Yallowitz, The Prodigy of Rainbow Tower, fantasy, fantasy review,
Review of Beginning of a Hero by Charles Yallowitz
OVERVIEW:
I got this as a bundle of 3 books, but I am going to review them separately as I read them.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading about Luke Callindor, even though he has a very Earth-like name for a half-elf!
It is filled with action and great characters. We have a mystery at the beginning. Luke is contracted to safeguard the heir to Serabia. There is only one problem. He doesn’t know who the heir is, for even whether he’s protecting a male or female. When Luke discovers who it is, he is plunged into further problems as he is pursued by a powerful lich and a demonic elf.
BLURB:
Every hero must take the first courageous step into adventure. For Luke Callindor, it’s more of a blind stumble.Depending more on bravery than common sense, Luke sets out to protect a royal heir who is attending the prestigious Hamilton Military Academy. With a demonic assassin in the shadows, the determined warrior will have to think on his feet to defend his charge. If only he waited long enough to find out which student is the hidden noble.With Luke’s dream on the horizon and a deadly enemy on his path, how will he transform from a reckless adventurer to a true hero of Windemere?
CHARACTERS:
Luke Callindor is the main character in this story. He is a forest ranger, tasked with keeping the forest in good health, but he is not the only one of interest.
There is a halfling called Nimby who is great fun. He’s a retired thief and helps Luke in his quest to find out whom he is supposed to be protecting.
Fritz, a gnome, is an illusionist and his illusions are a help in the story. His steed, bizarrely, is a sheep!
Luke, Nimby and Fritz are joined by a half-elf priest, Aedin who is invaluable when people get injured. As they do during the practice fights in the Acadamy.
My favourite character, though, is not humanoid, but a small dragon, a drite called Fizzle. Fizzle is a simple creature, but not without intelligence. He loves apples, especially when baked in a pie.
And there is Luke’s loyal companion, a dog called Stilletto.
As the main character, Luke develops from an inexperienced young fighter to one who learns that strength isn’t the only way to win fights.
All the characters are well-drawn, and have their own clear characteristics, as well as character flaws.
WRITING:
There are a few typos, and, in a couple of places a wrong word is used, but on the whole the writing is good.
Mr Yallowitz paints a clear picture of the world he has created. He shows us how the characters react to each other so we can easily picture the scene.
I enjoyed reading this book and will soon be starting on the second one.
I gave the book 4*
How I rank books.
In order to get a particular number of stars, it is not necessary to meet all the criteria. This is a guide only.
5* Exceptional. Wonderful story. Setting well drawn, and characters believable. Not perfect, but with flaws. Will keep you up all night. No typos or grammatical errors.
4* A thoroughly enjoyable read. Great and original story. Believable setting and characters. Very few grammatical errors or typos.
3* I enjoyed it. Good story. Characters need some development. Some typos or grammatical errors.
2* Not for me. Story not very strong. Unbelievable and flat characters. Setting not clearly defined. Many typos or grammatical errors.
1* I hated it. Story almost non-existent. Setting poor. Possibly couldn’t finish it.
Dragons Rule OK. V.M.Sang (author) 