{Put This One on Your TBR List} Book Review: Astarion (Baldur's Gate III) by T. Kingfisher by Karen S. Wiesner

 

{Put This One on Your TBR List} Book Review:

Astarion (Baldur's Gate III) by T. Kingfisher

by Karen S. Wiesner 

 

My mother taught me that, if I can't say something nice, then don't say anything at all. This philosophy has always been my guideline in reviewing. Only infrequently have I posted a review that wasn't basically positive. For that reason, I wasn't going to review Astarion after I read it. However, I was specifically asked to provide my perspective on the novel given my passing familiarity with Baldur's Gate as well as the Dungeons & Dragons/Forgotten Realms franchise. That said, I advise that everyone take what I say here with a grain of salt and to be aware that I don't believe Astarion was poorly written in the least. It simply wasn't something I enjoyed (others have and will appreciate it in varying degrees). Throughout this overview, combined with my review of the novel, I'll explain why I personally felt so let-down by Kingfisher's prequel novelization that includes the character Astarion's backstory. 

To start with, I'll say that I read Astarion for two reasons: 1) I read everything T. Kingfisher writes, so this was a given, and 2) because I have some experience with playing the Baldur's Gate videogame series (though I will say I probably wouldn't have read the book at all if it hadn't been written by this particular author). 

My first true foray into this universe was R. A. Salvatore's The Dark Elf Trilogy (read my review here: https://aliendjinnromances.blogspot.com/2023/07/book-review-dark-elf-trilogy-by-ra.html) which featured the dark drow character of Drizzt Do'Urden and the Underdark setting in Menzoberranzan. In this place, cunning, scheming, and unscrupulous politics are the order of the day. There is no room for honor, love, or even friendship. Drizzt was born into this horrible (though fascinating) place. One of the biggest reasons I was so amazed by this trilogy was that, in normal stories, good characters are in a place where basically good is done and expected by all, and then a villain enters and disrupts that equilibrium. But, in The Dark Elf Trilogy, we have a good character surrounded by the worst kind of evil, in a location where all of society and its attitude is centered on cut-throat survival of the fittest. Drizzt is different. He's selfless and heroic. I've read several other miniseries under the Drizzt umbrella, but nothing else that topped it when it comes to utterly captivating me. 

Beyond that, my daughter bought me a copy of both Baldur's Gate I and II Enhanced in one physical package in 2020, I think. At that time, through tenacity, I was able to play both of these games back-to-back. I remember enjoying them very much, though at this time I recall little or nothing about them beyond that the gameplay was incredibly convoluted and not in the least intuitive. I powered through, nevertheless, because I was very interested in the setting they took place in after having read The Dark Elf Trilogy. Also, I fell into a rhythm that allowed me to be able to flourish in completing the games. However, when I attempted to return for a second play-through about a year later, I couldn't get the hang of the weird gameplay, and therefore wasn't able to play them again. (I'm not alone in this situation. Others I've talked to have also said that they always forget how to play the game between playthroughs.) 

Fast-forward several years later. My nephew learned I'd played the first two games, so upon its release he secured a deluxe edition of Balder's Gate III that came with a physical copy of the game and double soundtrack (which is absolutely stunning and made the shocking price for this edition well-worth it), posters and miscellaneous memorabilia. [Note for those unfamiliar with the series or videogames that BG III is the one that the character Astarion made his first appearance in.] 

I started the videogame with high hopes, but I instantly disliked many things about it. I don't know how else to describe this, but the game is presented in a "fish-eyed" manner with oddball control schemes and camera angles. Everything is almost microscopically tiny, and you're viewing a massive setting through miniscule eyes, causing you as the main character to feel off-balanced, dizzy, and almost ludicrously small. All this makes it almost impossible to see anything with any degree of clarity in this fishbowl of a world. Also, the subtitles were clearly intended for people who can read smaller-than-normal print, and therefore I wasn't able to catch contextual clues without having my face pressed up against the TV monitor at all times. If you've played the game and haven't experienced this, I expect it's because you're young and have good eyesight. Additionally, the combat style in III is the old, horrible kind that's turn-based, dice-roll determination--you know, how battles were fought before videogames got really good, fun, and easy to play, especially for older people like me! Before and during my initial time playing this videogame, I read multiple game guides and searched online for some clue how to do anything by way of engaging in battle. I didn't understand the mechanics, nor did anyone want to explain it. In lieu of direction, I was invariably treated to barely veiled, contemptuous implications that I was a moron because I didn't get it and they wouldn't lower themselves by explaining it. 

After countless, needless deaths, I turned to my husband, who tried to fight the battle for me but gave up almost immediately. You know a videogame is too hard and complicated when you're only in the first few minutes of gameplay, you're playing on story mode (which is easier than easy), and yet you can't win a battle to save your life. Weeks or months later, I can't remember, my daughter (who considers the combat in this game boring) played some of it and got me a little further along in the battle, but I still wasn't able to complete it on my own. At last another nephew finished that combat for me, but I was exhausted trying to learn that much and felt defeated. That final time, I actually escaped the ship and was in the wider world with my new companions that I'd rescued from the mind flayer's ship (picking up Astarion just after the getaway). I couldn't go any further. I was too discouraged by how hard this initial portion of the game was to want to induce more trauma on myself. That's as far as I ever got in BG III. I do want to try again in the future because I believe the story might be rewarding enough to put up with the stupidity of the difficult gameplay and visuals. I'm not optimistic that it'll go any better, but we'll see. 

Note that BG I and II are connected--you play as the same character with many of the same companions. Shortly after the events of I, II begins. Novelizations of the games were also made available by various authors, including Drew Karpyshyn, who was involved in my favorite franchise Mass Effect. Game I included much less complex characters and conflicts than game II, with developers taking into account the "constructive criticism" of I's players. III takes place a hundred years after the events of II and features more complicated characters and conflicts. In the opening scene, the primary character you play as is imprisoned on board an illithid (mind flayer) ship, which crashes, and you're intended to rescue several prisoners who become recruitable companions, depending on dialogue and actions. All have been infected with a parasite. Without a cure, transformation into a mind flayer is certain. That's the gist of the game. Almost all the infected characters want to be rid of "the tadpole", but Astarion is the exception to this for complicated reasons that are discovered during the course of gameplay. 

High Elf Astarion Ancunin can either be a protagonist or a recruitable party member in the game, as the player sees fit. He's a rogue and a vampire spawn--not a full vampire, since in this fictional world, vampires are very powerful and this didn't fit his character development, according to the senior writer, Stephen Rooney, who created him. Before being made into a vampire spawn by Cazador Szarr, Astarion was a magistrate who loved decadence and was an unrepentant hedonist. While he might consider himself just, the fact was, he was manipulative and dedicated to his own aims. Always. His own pleasure and advancement are at the core of his being. Becoming a vampire thrall didn't change him so much as refine his original modus operandi of being free and answerable only to himself. Morality isn't a goal or even of any interest to him within Astarion the novel--and everything I've read leads me to suspect it isn't in the BG III videogame either. However, the basis of most modern videogames is, of course, that your choices influence the character you're controlling as well as your party members. So it is entirely possible that Astarion could be persuaded to redeem himself if your decisions resonate with him throughout the game. That said, everything I've read, including the 400-page official game guide, convinces me that true morality isn't something he'll ever achieve, nor will he desire to. 

T. Kingfisher's prequel to Astarion's character has the story shifting between Astarion's early days as a working-class boy taken in by rich relatives to his present life as Cazador's slave. While it's true that Astarion (along with many other unfortunates) has endured centuries of mental and physical torture at the hands of a cruel master and the reader isn't immune to feeling shocked and horrified, Astarion is portrayed as possessing with little by way of squeamishness let alone true deep trauma. Kingfisher's infatuation with the character simply won't allow that. As such, he has no trouble performing whatever acts Szarr requires of him, though he'd clearly rather be off doing life on his own terms. Who Astarion was all through his youth and into adulthood, as well as into his thrawn years, isn't all that much different…save for the fact that he isn't his own master and he's forced to do things that aren't his choice. He would have been the same person regardless of what direction his life might have taken him. It's who he is and, even being under the relentless and bottomless abuse of an evil master doesn't and can't change him. His quest in this book is undertaken solely as an attempt to free himself and become his own boss. Not unexpected or even uncommon. But I wanted more--much more altruism, loads less self-centeredness. 

From start to finish, Astarion might be seen as a charming rogue, but he wasn't one who drew my sympathy or, more importantly, my respect at any point. As such, readers are shown almost no true character growth in Kingfisher's story as a direct result of the author having her hands tied. She agreed to that. She eagerly undertook the project, being a massive fan of BG III, which she's played many times and feels she knows the characters and world extremely well, certainly enough to undertake a prequel of one of its most lauded characters. She was given direction by the Wizards of the Coast developmental team as well as others associated with this character, but ultimately she had to play in their sandbox and follow the canon as she was directed to. The result of that situation means that, in Astarion's precursor story, his growth and arc, including the resolution, could never come to fruition, as all of those things are developed and concluded in the BG III game. In other words, anything that comes before BG III had to fit into the mold of the future events in the videogame. Kingfisher is brave and bold to do this, and (my dislike of the book notwithstanding) I believe she was the perfect person to write the story. Her The World of the White Rat stories all align very closely to this and D&D in general. Unfortunately for me, anything she did with this story would have had to be disappointing to me because I need authentic character arc progression and a satisfactory redemption resolution. In reading the basics of Astarion's within the videogame, I've discovered there are two outcomes for him in BG III--power that turns him into an unredeemable monster or love (with the character you're playing as) allowing him to go along with your decisions but never actually bringing him to full absolution. 

My introduction to a high elf in this universe was Drizzt. Drizzt is noble, complex, and ever-evolving. Quite simply, Astarion is not. Drizzt had countless experiences that tested him and could have turned him into a monster, but he ultimately took the high road. Astarion was the opposite of Drizzt. Astarion had no drive to redeem himself in a way that I could get on board with. He wanted to be free to indulge himself, not to selflessly help others. He didn't care to make the world better, only to make his own world better for himself. Yes, he may be persuaded by your BG III character to support--nothing more, nothing less--you, but that's the extent of it. Deep down, he was and always will be selfish, sightless, and extremely unappealing to someone like me. I believe only a reader who's wholly unfamiliar with the character of Drizzt in this wide universe would find Astarion anything but boring, superficial, immoral, and unworthy of being rooted for. Harsh, I know. Apologies. Recall that I wasn't going to post my review of the book, and I'm a bit uncomfortable doing so like this in a public setting. 

Do I think the book Kingfisher wrote is bad? No. If I'd finished playing BG III, I might have found myself seduced by this character, the way the author clearly is. But, having only read her book, I was mainly just disgusted by him. Also, while Kingfisher does write for children and young adults, for the most part even her adult fiction is PG-13. I wasn't prepared for the language and shocking nastiness of this novel at all. That aspect made it very difficult for me to finish reading. That said, I'm sure she's written nothing that hasn't been done before in the universe. My experience, however, has mainly been with the heroics of Drizzt and friends and Salvatore's "suitable for children" adult adventures. Bottom line, I found this character to be a poor man's Drizzt, not worth my time or notice. But that's just my opinion. I fully expect a lot of people will like him and enjoy this book, especially those who have played the game. 

To wrap this up, I'll mention that HBO may be developing a TV series of BG III. I'd certainly watch it to get the story in BG III without having to try to play the impossible game. 

Karen Wiesner is an award-winning, multi-genre author of 156 titles and 16 series. Visit her website here: https://www.writers-exchange.com/Karen-Wiesner/

Astarion

ASTARION, by T. Kingfisher, is a media tie-in fantasy novel by one of my favorite authors, set in the world of the “Baldur’s Gate” computer game. Although I’ve never played the game, as predicted I had no trouble following the story. Over forty years of playing tabletop Dungeons and Dragons more than adequately prepared me for the setting. In fact, probably any fan of sword-and-sorcery fantasy would understand this novel even without D and D experience. Astarion, the protagonist, is a major character in Baldur’s Gate, but prior knowledge of him isn’t needed to enjoy the book, either. Kingfisher smoothly fills in the reader on essential elements of his past.

Formerly a magistrate, Astarion was attacked in revenge for an adverse trial judgment. The vampire lord Cazador “saved” him by transforming him into a vampire spawn. I get the impression from flashbacks to Astarion’s human past that he wasn’t a truly evil person when alive, though already cynical and hedonistic. Becoming undead has embittered him without eliminating his sardonically humorous view of the world. Spawn, not being full-fledged vampires, suffer all the limitations of the undead condition but don’t possess all its powers yet and are compelled to obey their makers. As a thrall to Cazador along with several others, Astarion leads a mostly miserable existence, but at least he enjoys some freedom on the nights he goes out to lure victims for his master. The spawn aren’t allowed blood from human victims, for that would elevate them to full vampire status. Instead, they’re restricted to animal prey. Cazador is capricious with his favors and creatively sadistic in punishments. The only thrall who gets much leeway is his pet alchemist. Any spawn with treasured possessions must hide them from the master (difficult in itself, given his power to read their minds over a limited distance), who would confiscate them. The thralls don’t trust each other, with good reason. Astarion has only two almost-friends, the alchemist and an older woman who’s his occasional sexual partner, and even with them trust remains only provisional.

As the inciting incident of the plot, Cazador announces a contest: Whoever brings him a sample of the most exotic and delicious blood will get changed into a true vampire. Of course, they know he’ll probably invent a reason not to bestow the award on anyone, but they have to try. Astarion decides to seek the blood of a dead god from the shrine of the deity’s obscure underground (in both senses) cult. In the process, he accidentally picks up a paladin imprisoned by the cult along with him. They agree to a reluctant truce. A paladin has a duty to destroy undead, yet they need each other to complete their escape. Astarion convinces Hahn den Suriel the latter won’t be breaking his vows if he resolves to kill the vampire at the first opportunity after they escape from the caverns and their truce ends. To add to the inconvenience of their alliance, not only does Suriel bear powers and magical objects harmful to the undead, he can cast truth spells. The only saving grace is that within the spell’s area of effect the paladin can’t lie, either. And Astarion has great skill at giving evasive replies.

Readers of books in the author’s world of the White Rat will be familiar with her talent for portraying paladins. Suriel, a devotee of the order of the Argent Badger, which hardly anybody has ever heard of, is as delightful a specimen as one would expect. The snappy dialogue between him and Astarion injects dark humor into even the direst of plights, as they battle cultists, animated skeletons, and soap mummies (not a typo) in the process of escaping. Naturally, the two become strongly attracted to each other, much against the principles of both. Back at Cazador’s lair, the double-crossing and hostility we’d expect ensue. However, Suriel’s obligatory mission to slay the vampire lord concludes with a twist that surprised me. As Kingfisher mentions in her afterword, writers of media-based fiction labor under strict constraints. They can’t alter the status quo established in canon. Therefore, since this novel takes place before the events of the game, Astarion can’t get a happy ending. Yet Kingfisher manages the difficult feat of not only winding up the quest plot in a satisfying way but allowing Astarion some measure of acceptance as he moves forward into the next phase of his undead existence.

Margaret L. Carter

Please explore love among the monsters at Carter's Crypt.

The Trouble With Transparency

How many LLCs do you have?

 

If you write professionally for hire (as opposed to writing fiction), you probably ought to have at least one 

for limited liability protection and tax savings (assuming you would otherwise file as an S-Corp.

 

The Authors Guild has a good article on the topic.

https://authorsguild.org/resource/do-authors-need-an-llc-or-s-corporation/

 

However, when you have an LLC, you have to file an annual report with your State. That's no big deal, although you do have to be accurate and truthful, and you pay a small fee every year. In my State, the fee

is $25.

 

The trouble is, your filing includes the name of your LLC, the owner, member or agent's name, address, and contact information (email etc), also filing date, also renewal date.... and anyone can look it up.

 

Scammers are doing so.

 

If you receive a "reminder" email that appears to be from your State, letting you know that your annual report filing is due, do not click the link. Scammers are trying to trick you into paying $125 or more for a filing that ought to cost $25.

 

For more information, use a search term such as "llc renewal scam".

 

All the best,

Rowena Cherry 

 

{Put This One on Your TBR List} Book Review The World of the White Rat: Daggerbound, Book 2 of Swordheart by T. Kingfisher by Karen S. Wiesner

 

{Put This One on Your TBR List} Book Review

The World of the White Rat: Daggerbound, Book 2 of Swordheart

by T. Kingfisher

by Karen S. Wiesner

 

It's always a treat to return to T. Kingfisher's The World of the White Rat, an umbrella that covers many connected series. Do a search here on the Alien Romances blog to find reviews associated with this universe. Given that there's a lot already written and available, you might be wondering where to get started. I'll point out that, prior to this new release, the author suggested that the best order to read these books in was the same as the publication order. That may or may not remain the case, but it's easy to assume the story here takes place not too long after the events of Swordheart. For convenience, here's my list of The World of the White Rat universe offerings: 

Clocktaur War

Clockwork Boys, Book 1 (November 2017)

The Wonder Engine, Book 2 (July 2018)      

 

Swordheart

Swordheart, Book 1 (November 2018)

Daggerbound, Book 2 (August 2026 and this tale may actually take place later--after The Saint of Steel books, but there's no way to be sure)

Shieldborn, Book 3 (coming August 2027 and again it's hard to know what order it will fit in with the other series books)

 

The Saint of Steel

Paladin's Grace, Book 1 (February 2020)   

Paladin's Strength, Book 2 (February 2021)            

Paladin's Hope, Book 3 (October 2021)       

Paladin's Faith, Book 4 (December 2023) 

 

On her Red Wombat Studio website, the author stated that "there are seven books planned in the Saint of Steel series!" but the fact that Daggerbound (among other new and upcoming releases) aren't listed on it at all tells me it's not kept especially up-to-date. As such, Saint of Steel may or may not be getting anything new in the future. 

Kingfisher's medieval romances are anything but ordinary. While I had a few minor issues with Swordheart, for the most part I enjoyed it immensely, so I was eager to read whatever followed. At the time of my previous review for the first book in the series, the fate of the last two weren't decided yet. The author spoke about wanting to write the stories of the others cursed to be bound to a weapon but that she "had a lot of trouble getting the Dervish's story to come out". She clearly did figure it out, but I believe she originally intended Daggerbound to be the third in the trilogy instead of the second. No matter. 

In the newest installment, we revisit the enchanting medieval world all the other stories are set in and find Learned Edmund--featured in the Clockwork stories--tasked to transport another sword relic from one temple to another. Little does anyone realize that he's decided to be done with this frustrating profession. He intends to take the stubborn mule he's given for transport, drop off the relic, and forever wave sayonara to the order he's given his life to up to this point. Along the way, he's attacked by bandits. Unthinkingly, he grabs the sword to protect it from harm, and, lo and behold, out pops what he believes to be a hunky angel. In actuality, the Dervish is anything but. He's an immortal warrior trapped in the sword, and he is not happy about it one bit. He's never felt anything but outright scorn for the previous wielders of the sword. Edmund is vastly different than any of them. As a result, the Dervish finds a protective side of himself he never realized he had. 

This story is, at turns, hilarious, suspenseful, poignant, and compelling. Populated with a host of new and old, complex characters that are human, insect, and animal (including another lovable gnole!), the world expands and contracts accordingly as the gang travels nonstop through plenty of adventures and unexpected high jinks. Beware! There's a menacing dragon lurking on these pages. Huzzah! I loved that the author brought us back around to meet up with the previous group of characters--Halla and Sarkis and their equally unusual troupe--so we can see what's become of them and their happily ever after. In the process, Kingfisher also dropped a few hints about Sarkis and the Dervish's female companion, Angharad Shieldborn, bound in the third cursed sword, getting us eager for the final volume in the trilogy. 

An insightful Goodreads reviewer perfectly summed up how satisfying this story is with the words, "smart, character-driven, emotionally grounded, and just a little bit weird". What's not to love? T. Kingfisher usually delivers a rollicking good tale, and Daggerbound is no exception. If you haven't read anything in this universe, or something else by this author, it's long past time to jump in and join the fun. 

Karen Wiesner is an award-winning, multi-genre author of 156 titles and 16 series. Visit her website here: https://www.writers-exchange.com/Karen-Wiesner/

Daggerbound

DAGGERBOUND, by T. Kingfisher, is the sequel to SWORDHEART, which you don’t absolutely have to read before this one, but doing so would enhance the experience. As Karen's review (forthcoming tomorrow) explains, the books take place in the same world as the Clocktaur duology and the Paladin series. In DAGGERBOUND, it’s a pleasure to encounter familiar characters from earlier novels, including the paladins (brief cameo), badger-like gnoles, Bishop Beartongue, cursed sword warrior Sartis and his wife introduced in SWORDHEART, and Zale, levelheaded, logical, humane, keenly intelligent lawyer from the Temple of the White Rat, my favorite of Kingfisher’s secondary characters. DAGGERBOUND offers an accessible introduction to this world as well as a treat for fans of the other novels.

Edmund, first seen as a naïve, cloistered young scholar on his maiden foray to the outside world in the Clocktaur duology, is the primary protagonist of this new work. About eight years later, deeply disappointed that he can’t get the hidebound, misogynistic priests of his god to listen to what he learned on that expedition, he decides to leave the order. On a journey to deliver some books and an ancient sword to a distant city, he plans to complete his assignment and not go back. He’ll be technically stealing the mule, Sweetness (almost a character in herself, whose personality totally belies her name), but he manages to square the deed with his conscience. Attacked by bandits, he accidentally separates the sword from its sheath. In a burst of silver light, a warrior with silver eyes appears.

After some confusion, Edmund learns the Dervish isn’t an angel, as he thought, but a soldier trapped in the enchanted weapon. The magic compels the Dervish to guard the wielder’s life at all costs. He’s functionally immortal; reversion into the sword whenever it’s sheathed heals all injuries and even restores him from death. The silver marks that Edmund mistakes for tattoos are in fact scars of the Dervish’s many wounds. A hardened cynic who has hated all his wielders, with good reason, he’s prepared to take the same attitude toward Edmund. The scholar, though, displays such an irresistible combination of intellectual curiosity, encyclopedic knowledge, innocent tendencies to believe the best of everyone, and sheer kindness that the Dervish can’t help liking him. For instance, when Edmund discovers the magic enables the servant of the sword to speak the language of his wielder, Edmund immediately gets excited about the translation possibilities. (He’s disappointed to learn it won’t work that way.) The sword-cursed warrior has to keep reminding himself Edmund isn’t his type.

On the way to Edmund’s destination, they encounter bandits as well as villagers in the habit of sacrificing people to a dragon, among other hazards. They pick up two companions, a gnole and a giant, sapient pill bug, who was captured while on a diplomatic mission to the capital. She carries a device that translates her words into human speech, since neither species can physically pronounce the language of the other. Unfortunately, the sociopathic necromancer-smith who bound the Dervish and two comrades into swords centuries earlier has become revered as a saint by a small cult. Its fanatical members will go to any lengths to possess the enchanted weapon. As always, the worldbuilding is fascinating. (For instance, many different deities coexist, with amicable relations among most of their worshipers, but not all. Males in the pill bug’s species are non-sapient and much smaller than females. Gender in the gnole language signifies caste, not biological sex. There’s a perilous region that randomly shifts around and tends to trap travelers who wander into it.) I love the secondary characters, engaging dialogue –- which often injects humor into even dire situations –- and the developing relationship between the two protagonists, each of whom changes and adapts in his own way. Minor warning: This novel includes a couple of male-on-male sexual encounters. Since the scenes are brief, you can safely skim past them if you dislike that sort of thing.

I'm thrilled that SHIELDBORN, the third volume in the trilogy, will appear in August 2027.

Margaret L. Carter

Please explore love among the monsters at Carter's Crypt.

{Put This One on Your TBR List} Book Review: "The Bishop of Durham Attempts to Surrender the City" by Susanna Clarke by Karen S. Wiesner

 

{Put This One on Your TBR List} Book Review:

"The Bishop of Durham Attempts to Surrender the City"

by Susanna Clarke

by Karen S. Wiesner 

 

Susanna Clarke is the author of Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, published in 2004. It was an enormous, epic fantasy that was the author's debut novel. A worldwide bestseller, that "fairy" tale of alternative history nevertheless felt incomplete because it ended on a cliffhanger with critical threads never achieving resolution in the volume. The author intended a sequel set a few years after the first. More of that world was explored in the author's short story collection, The Ladies of Grace Adieu and Other Stories, released in 2007. Diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome, Clarke spent the next decade all but unable to write. During that time, she reported that the fate of the novel's sequel is still “a long way off” and may never be finished. 

Let me state for the record that I would follow Susanna Clarke anywhere, literarily speaking, especially if it's back into the world she created in Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell. A new installment is cause for instant purchase of the hardcover in this house. "The Bishop of Durham Attempts to Surrender the City" is a 96-page novella released October 2026 by Bloomsbury Publishing that introduces the origins of the Raven King (aka John Uskglass--magician and ruler of Northern England). Written as a fable, historical fantasy, as well as in the tone of a children's story, this book is physically similar to her previous release, "The Wood at Midwinter" (not related to Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell). Gorgeously illustrated and gilded, this edition has to be seen in hardcover format to be truly appreciated. The fabulous Victoria Sawdon illustrated it, as she did "Midwinter"--and again, she didn't get her name on the cover! A crime! Every single page spread has unique border drawings with full-pages ones between the few chapters. I recommend reading the story, then going back and carefully studying the artwork. 

"The Bishop of Durham Attempts to Surrender the City" takes place seven hundred years prior to the main volume and is essentially summed up in its very odd title. Taking place amidst real-life figures, settings, and historic events in the twelfth century, a bishop risks all to ensure his own status and well-being when human and fairy vie for control of Northern England. 

While the initial chapter was little more than backdrop landing on the page like autumn leaves scattered in the wind without perspective, subsequent chapters set up Ranulf as the lead character who, with his unblinking ambition and unwavering know-how, swept me into a morsel of a tale that one Goodreads reviewer aptly called "a captivating little story, full of the peculiar magic and political maneuvering (or political magic and peculiar maneuvering) that makes Clarke's fictional world so interesting". That same reviewer also called this "posh edition for full-novel price" a "foil-edged symptom of Bloomsbury's impatience for another Susanna Clarke book". 

Honestly, I can't blame the publisher. I'm so hungry for more of this world, I grabbed and gobbled this one as soon as it hit the plate. Unfortunately, I instantly wanted more because "The Bishop of Durham Attempts to Surrender the City" isn't really a story so much as a peek-hole glimpse of the beginning of one. What I really hunger for is for the story gifted to readers twenty-two years ago in Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell to be resolved--if not properly than at least satisfactorily. We have been fed a few tidbits of late. These small projects are clearly more manageable, considering the author's condition (which I fully sympathize with) and it gives me hope that, though I don't expect to ever get another massive volume like the first, perhaps a final, uncomplicated chapter to round out the jagged edges of that plot will eventually be served. Alas, what a holiday feast that would be! 

Oh, if you're interested, "The Bishop of Durham Attempts to Surrender the City" includes a long essay from Clarke detailing her love of childish things, which is what led her to fantasy fiction in the first place. Also, do a search for the author on this blog to find out what's currently available and to read my reviews of her previous works. In the meantime, Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell is calling to me for a long overdue re-read. 

Karen Wiesner is an award-winning, multi-genre author of 156 titles and 16 series. Visit her website here: https://www.writers-exchange.com/Karen-Wiesner/

Are Scary Stories Good for Children?

Here's an essay that declares being frightened in a "low-stakes setting" and the "safe place" of fiction can be good for child readers:

How Kids Benefit from Scary Stories

An author interviewed in the article calls horror stories a "sounding board" that can help children "identify their fear so they can deal with it." Since real life often includes sad and/or frightening experiences, it makes little or no sense to exclude such material from fiction. "Kids need to experience a healthy dose of fear, disappointment and sadness in order to prepare them for life’s inevitable ups and downs. Experiencing these powerful emotions helps build confidence and fosters a greater understanding of how to cope with threatening situations."

C. S. Lewis, who frequently suffered from nightmares in childhood, pointed out that it's impossible to prevent children from ever being frightened. We can never predict what may scare a particular child. (For instance, my lifelong fear of heights -- more specifically, of falling -- extended itself in my early years to a general fear of public monuments. Seriously! After one ordeal of climbing steep stairs in the Wright Brothers memorial, I recoiled with suspicion whenever an adult suggested entering any similar building.) If they're going to experience fear no matter what, fear of burglars and reliance on police protection, he suggests, may be less reassuring to contemplate than the threat of dragons and the comfort of a knight in shining armor. Although I myself was a terribly timid child, afraid of the dark, and I remain extremely risk-averse, I discovered horror stories around age twelve and never looked back.

The article cited above also mentions the biochemical basis for enjoying some kinds of fear. The rush of dopamine and adrenaline associated with danger can be exhilarating when one isn't at risk of any real harm. Riding a roller coaster is one non-literary example. Not for me, however. The physical falling sensation of a roller coaster or even just climbing a ladder triggers terror that feels too real, even when my brain insists I'm safe. I'll stick with danger on a page or screen.

I'm reminded of an episode in the ARTHUR cartoon program when the parents of the town rich girl, Muffy, start a crusade to ban the kids' favorite books, the "Scare Your Pants Off" series, from the public library. Although the parents haven't read the books themselves, they think the stories are harmful because one of them frightened Muffy. She finally speaks up to insist she likes the books and still wants to read them even though they're scary.

To people who think the villains and monsters in traditional fairy tales are too terrifying for kids, authors such as Lewis, Terry Pratchett, and Neil Gaiman, among others, quote the famous statement by G. K. Chesterton most often paraphrased in these words: "Fairy tales do not tell children the dragons exist. Children already know that dragons exist. Fairy tales tell children the dragons can be killed."

Margaret L. Carter

Please explore love among the monsters at Carter's Crypt.

{Put This One on Your TBR List}: Review of A Botanical Daughter by Noah Medlock Accompanied by Karen Wiesner's Original Artwork by Karen S. Wiesner

 

{Put This One on Your TBR List}:

Review of A Botanical Daughter by Noah Medlock

Accompanied by Karen Wiesner's Original Artwork

by Karen S. Wiesner 

  Beware spoilers! 

I was looking for something to read on my Libby library app, and A Botanical Daughter by Noah Medlock came up, no doubt because of my newfound love of gardening and horror literature. This 2024 Victorian gothic chiller was the author's first book. The basic story is two Victorian-age, quirky gentlemen live a cloistered existence in an equally eccentric botanical garden. Simon is a taxidermist who views his usually whimsical (i.e., not disturbing) craft as art. Gregor is a celebrated, though somewhat spurned, horticulturist whose greatest love is cultivating wildly exotic plants. His latest acquisition is a strange fungus he's convinced is capable of unprecedented intelligence. He's determined to make it his masterpiece. Throw in a spirited housemaid named Jennifer who's a bit of an oddity herself in the community they live, and readers are treated to a whole menagerie of curiosities to explore. Jennifer has recently lost the friend she loves, one she believes was murdered by her own father, though she has no way to prove it. 

This story began in a wonderfully witty, charming way that captured me instantly, especially when the story turned into a gardener's version of Frankenstein. Seriously, what more could you want? I was mesmerized with the wonderful characters and their irresistible setting. Jennifer was unexpectedly vibrant, not willing to be defined by those around her, and fiercely true to herself and her values. Simon and Gregor were at first alike only in that both displayed erratic artist temperaments, yet the author made them very unique…at least initially. 

The first half of this book was amazing. I enjoyed every word, all the unorthodox developments, the author's clever turns of phrase that had me laughing out loud from one page to the next. I wanted to include at least one or two of the best of those gems here but my library app took the ebook back too quickly. 

Despite such a winning start, the last half of the story, regrettably, became a confounding garble of twisted, choking inconsistencies that eventually threatened to wreck the foundation altogether. It got to the point where I couldn't tell which character was Gregor and which was Simon. They became as the same person and unrecognizable from their formerly established characters. I lost track of the story because the main characters abruptly were so muddied and odiously unlikable. It was as if the author himself forgot who was who in his literary madness. Not only did the story turn to something painfully unreadable but the situations the couple's bad choices entangled them in resembled an abyss that got deeper, darker, and far less amusing than I could tolerate. The characters committed horrible atrocities that were presented in a way that ultimately condoned their behavior. Similar to another "holobiont"* set of books I recently read and was faintly appalled by**, the degeneration of values and lack of respect for life (human and plant alike) depicted at the end of this story all but crumbled to incomprehensibility, leaving me cold and filled with regrets for what could have been a brilliant first novel. The initial half was so enjoyable and fun. While I wouldn't have called this outright horror, it had moments of dread that I relished in context with all the plant concepts. I'm not entirely certain if it was an inexperienced author that was to blame for the crimes committed in the writing of the second portion of this tome, or an editor who let far too many mistakes creep in that went unrevised--probably both of these in combination. A third alternative is that this is simply the unimaginable (to me), new way books are written, and I'm just too old to appreciate it. Sigh. 

*Various symbiotic organisms joined as an ecological unit--read more about this on Wikipedia if you're interested. 

**The Southern Reach Series by Jeff VanderMeer. 

Despite my regrets for what might have been, I must say, what a lovely cover. I adore it!  Bravo, Julia Lloyd! 

To go along with the theme of this review, here's a botanical art project I recently finished for my daughter's birthday.

"Autumn…Where Nature and Imagination Merge"

(rendered in coloring pencil)

© Karen Wiesner (all rights reserved)

 Karen Wiesner is an award-winning, multi-genre author of 156 titles and 16 series. 

Visit Karen here: https://www.writers-exchange.com/Karen-Wiesner/

Vampire Retro-Review: Darkness on the Ice

DARKNESS ON THE ICE (1993), by Lois Tilton, takes place in 1944 at a German weather observation station in Greenland. I enjoyed it because of the World War II background and especially the plot device of a vampire's taking full advantage of the months-long Arctic night. While that trope has shown up in subsequent books and movies, as far as I know this horror novel by Tilton was the first to introduce it.

To the surprise and dismay of Dietrich, captain of the Greenland squad, an SS officer named Wolff appears with orders to take charge of security for the operation. Wolff has the assignment of protecting the German outpost against its American counterpart. After some of Dietrich's own personnel die, however, he begins to suspect the truth about Wolff.

The alleged SS officer, of course, is a vampire, persuaded to accept the mission by the prospect of rich hunting and four months of darkness. He struggles to control his thirst for blood in order to avoid exposing his inhuman nature to his comrades. Whenever he runs short of Americans to feed on, though, he drains members of the flight crew that brought the weather team to Greenland, men who have been designated as expendable.

The harsh Arctic setting is vividly portrayed, and the author's afterword gives some indication of the scope and depth of her research. Opening and closing segments set in 1995, in which Dietrich reveals the harrowing experiences he'd never expected anyone to believe, frame the wartime story. The 1944 point of view shifts among Dietrich, the Americans, and Wolff himself, all of them believable characters. Another thing I like about this novel is that the vampire, albeit evil, has complex thought processes and rational motives. He isn't a mindlessly homicidal monster. Also, the Germans aren't caricatures of villainy, either. Even though Dietrich fights on the wrong side, the reader can't help sympathizing with the captain's plight as he watches the "security officer" kill off members of his command.

Earlier, Tilton also wrote VAMPIRE WINTER (1990), a post-apocalyptic novel of a vampire thriving amid the chaos and perpetually shrouded sky of a nuclear winter.

Margaret L. Carter

Please explore love among the monsters at Carter's Crypt.

Toddler Tycoons or {Put This One on Your TBR List}: Review of Wildwood Dancing Series by Juliet Marillier by Karen S. Wiesner

 

Toddler Tycoons or {Put This One on Your TBR List}: Review of Wildwood Dancing Series by Juliet Marillier

by Karen S. Wiesner

 

Beware spoilers!

 

The entertainment industry these days seems to be populated with toddler tycoons. The attention spans of those making the choices about what the population will be allowed to read, watch, play, or listen to is on par with that of a toddler. At that age, children tend to have trouble focusing on one thing for long, and they're forever abandoning the "old" in favor of something new that will only temporarily hold their interest. To add insult to injury, these "toddlers" are looking for profit above all. If it's not there in sufficient quantities, it doesn't matter how good the material is. Some of the most valuable works of art have been abandoned for little more justification than that it's the belief of some toddler tycoon that it wasn't profitable enough to warrant continuance. Many of us who enjoy these entertainments have become wary about investing ourselves and our money in anything that reaches into series territory for fear that the work will be dumped unceremoniously at any point. In the process, satisfactory resolution to the material may never be obtainable.

 

 

It's unfortunate that my first attempt at jumping into author Juliet Marillier's body of work was met with this situation. It was 2023 that I read The Bridei Chronicles, her third series of historical fantasy novels. I'd purchased them as hardcovers. In this set of stories, Bridei is sent to be educated by Broichan, a druid, in the sixth century (depicting King Bridei I of the Picts). Before long, Bridei finds a baby of the Good Folk, whom he names Tuala. The two grow up together. Even as they fall in love, their union calls them to very different destinies. How they reconcile themselves to their fates is developed throughout the series. I reached the end of the third book and realized there were no more stories forthcoming, despite that there were unresolved threads in the series! I was appalled. At that time, Marillier had spoken of the publisher for the work deciding not to continue it and hoping, for the most part, that she'd done an adequate job of tying up loose ends. I wasn't satisfied with the way things ended. I left the series very disappointed, though I admit I was impressed with the writing as a whole. Characters, conflicts, settings, relationships were all fantastically and beautifully rendered.

 

Concerned about embarking on another series that could be forsaken by the publisher, I instead tried one of Marillier's rare single titles. My review of Heart's Blood was posted on the Alien Romances Blog in early 2024 here: https://aliendjinnromances.blogspot.com/2024/01/karen-s-wiesner-put-this-one-on-your_0103362056.html. I did enjoy it immensely but wasn't willing to invest in another series, which is what the author specializes in.

 

In mid-2026, the author came up on my library app, and I recalled how much enjoyed her approach. Marillier roots her fantasy elements into historical fact in an intriguing way. I remembered vividly that her writing style was timeless, beautifully lush and elaborate, and I decided to try another of her series. Ebooks for her Wildwood Dancing Series were immediately available (the only ones that were) so I checked them out.

 

 

Wildwood Dancing, Book 1, is a fascinating reinvention of the Brothers Grimm's The Twelve Dancing Princesses, though I feel The Frog Prince might have been an inspiration as well, as the author didn't marry herself fully to either fairy tale. In this series, there are only five sisters and the main character "princess" (Jena) isn't spoiled. The frog is her close friend whom she values. In addition to these influences, this particular story also plays with 16th-century Transylvania folk legends about Dracula, which injected an awesome angle into what might have otherwise been a straightforward story. Jena is the point of view character, the second oldest daughter of a wealthy merchant. As one of five daughters, ages five to seventeen, Jena and her sisters enter a portal in the woods surrounding their castle to the Other Kingdom every full moon. There, they dance and mingle with magical creatures. When their father falls ill and has to recover for the winter on the coast, Jena and her oldest sister are left in charge with his merchant partner as well with their father's relative. In their childhood, Jena and her cousins Costi and Cezar were tricked by a magical creature. Costi was lost to them, and Cezar never forgot. Ever after, he's sought revenge. Each visit through the portal brings the sisters back to a deteriorating home situation, as Cezar vies more and more power.

 

These stories are cited to be young adult stories targeting 12 to 15 year olds. I'm not sure there are many in that age range these days that would choose something this complex, but the tales are certainly age-appropriate. Adults who are interested in the story themes should feel free to indulge, as I'm convinced the pair are suited just as well or possibly more so to and for adult readers.

 

 

Cybele's Secret, Book 2 of the Wildwood Dancing Series, features Paula, the fourth sister of five and a scholar. It's been six years since the events in the first story. Within the first couple hundred pages, the author finally decides to get caught up with events from the last installment, and we see a happily ever after for Jena and Iulia, while the eldest sister Tati, who'd chosen to remain in the Other Kingdom with her love Sorrow, is presumed to be happy with her choices. Little sister Stela is now eleven.

 

In Cybele's Secret, Paula has accompanied her father on a business trip to Istanbul. They're on the hunt for the statue of the goddess Cybele. The setting provides a rich tapestry for the events of this story, with a compelling Robert Langdon urgency to them, as the quest for ancient artifacts and the secrets associated with them become more and more dangerous. There's a connection between this plot thread and events from the first book with dreams Paula has of her sister Tati. It is within those dreams that Paula learns the eldest sister was trapped beyond the portal because of her decision to stay with Sorrow, who can't leave the Other Kingdom. The fairy queen won't allow Tati to leave either without payment in the form of a dangerous quest undertaking to  gain favor with the fairies. Within Cybele's Secret, the gentle love story between Paula and her bodyguard was wonderfully drawn. Paula herself was a formidable and worthy heroine, as her sister Jena was before her, displaying wisdom and tenacity beyond her years.

 

Both books started a little slowly as the author set up locations, characters, backgrounds, and conflicts. For the first couple hundred pages, nothing serious seemed to be happening and there was little suspense other than that of (in Book 1) five young girls being put into positions of power in a time period where women were largely ignored and overlooked as intelligent beings. In Book 2, Paula also faced too many people who underestimated her and tried to cram her into their narrow definitions of what a female her age should be. The situation with the frog in Wildwood Dancing was predictable but including "Night People" (vampires), fairies, and other creatures that inhabit the Other Kingdom added a unique, welcome twist to the plots of both stories.

 

From the first book, I assumed each sister would get her own story, but it was clear in the early part of Book 2 that the author tried to tell several of the sisters' stories already, in brief summaries instead of full narratives. Perhaps Marillier anticipated that what she was planning as a series could be cut off before she could complete them all. The author spoke of intending to write Stela's story, but, when the publisher asked her to be done with Wildwood Dancing Series, advising she start a new one, Marillier let go of the idea of a larger series and moved on to something different.

 

Alas, any possibility of a trilogy has been tabled, once again, by the toddler tycoon of the entertainment industry. Sigh. How is it I always end up choosing the truncated series by this author? Surely not all her series can end abruptly with readers longing for more of the world and its characters and feeling disappointment that there will be no continuation? Luckily, Wildwood Dancing is a standalone series with both books telling a full, encapsulated tale within its own installment. While I might want Stela's story, I knew in advance of finishing my reading of Book 2 that it wasn't a possibility.

 

While I would love to read all of Marillier's series, I continue to be wary about investing time and money only to find that a series was left unresolved because of toddler tycoon syndrome. I imagine the author has also had a lot of disappointments in this regard over the years as she writes for a fickle entity that favors new and profitable over wonderful and worthy. (Not to imply that Marillier doesn't regularly provide all four of those aspects in her wonderful work.) As such, I'll be checking her ebooks or audiobooks out from the library (app) prior to considering making a purchase. This will allow me to ensure I haven't inadvertently purchased expensive books in a series that will never be finished.

 

Juliet Marillier is an author that any fan of history and fantasy, especially when combined, is sure to love. All of these series are recommended with the reservation that you'll deserve more in the case of some of them--more that some toddler tycoon huckster has deprived you of for poor reasons. However, this is balanced by the fact that you'll want more from this author anyway. Her books are addictive and her writing talent is well-worth your attention. 

Karen Wiesner is an award-winning, multi-genre author of 156 titles and 16 series. 

Visit Karen here: https://www.writers-exchange.com/Karen-Wiesner/

Reading Sequels and Catching Up

I've recently read the third volumes in two trilogies. Although years have passed -- in one case, many years -- since I read the respective second books, I've had no trouble following the stories, thanks to the authors' skillful writing. Each catches up readers as much as necessary without resorting to a prefatory "the story so far" synopsis. Tolkien does that in the second and third volumes of LORD OF THE RINGS, but he's Tolkien! Anyway, I wouldn't be surprised if the publisher suggested those introductions. LOTR of course, was composed as one continuous novel, divided into three books only for publishing convenience (thus inventing the fantasy trilogy as we know it). Although the synopses are useful for refreshing a reader's memory of the earlier installments, they wouldn't help anyone accidentally picking up a later book first. I know, because I tried to read the middle volume, THE TWO TOWERS, with no knowledge of the first one and soon got bored and lost despite the synopsis. (It didn't help that, as I felt when I eventually read the whole epic in proper order, the first half of THE TWO TOWERS is the least interesting section -- aside from some cool features such as the Ents.)

I don't share the opinion that a reader should always be able to pick up a later book in a series without reading the earlier ones and still understand the plot and characters. If a series (whether trilogy or longer) is one continuous story, the fact that it needs to be read as such isn't a downcheck. Gray areas exist, of course. Mystery series that include the detective's character growth and relationship developments can often be read out of order, although following the chronology of the protagonist's personal life will enrich the reading experience. For instance, J. D. Robb's "In Death" futuristic police procedurals.

The original books of the two trilogies referred to above didn't start out looking like series openers. In each case, the first installment read like a stand-alone. It seems probable that the authors only later decided on sequels to extend and expand the stories. The concluding volumes in question are THE GATES OF MIDNIGHT, by Helene Wecker, following THE GOLEM AND THE JINNI and THE HIDDEN PALACE; and OTHER WORLDS THAN THESE, by Stephen King and the late Peter Straub, concluding the character arc of Jack Sawyer from their earlier collaborations, THE TALISMAN and BLACK HOUSE. In each case, one really needs an acquaintance with the earlier books to enjoy the third and final ones. However, you don't need a detailed memory of events in the middle installments to appreciate the final ones, for the respective authors expertly weave in the necessary backstory information little by little. Characters' memories of important past events rise to the surfaces of the narratives in smooth, plausible ways rather than appearing forced. King also uses the device of a memoir the widowed Jack Sawyer wrote for the benefit of his wife during their marriage, but he rereads selected passages in small doses at plausible moments to jolt his own memory along with the audience's. As for the "Dark Tower" Mid-World setting of the novel, familiarity with the Dark Tower saga isn't absolutely necessary, but readers of OTHER WORLDS THAN THESE who haven't read any of the former books would miss interesting resonances.

Another sort-of sequel I've just read works a bit differently. MAZYWOOD, by Tananarive Due, includes two timelines, the present and the silent film era through Hollywood's golden age, which function as sequel and prequel to a pair of Due's previously published stories, "Incident at Bear Creek Lodge" and "Return to Bear Creek Lodge." To understand and appreciate MAZYWOOD, we needn't have read those two pieces, although knowing about them would enhance the reader's enjoyment. They take place during the childhood of the present-day protagonist, grandson of actress Mazelle Washington, protagonist of the historical timeline. His brief memory-flashbacks to the traumatic events of the two short stories tell us all we need to know. Readers won't feel they're missing a thing.

Opinions? As a reader, how much backstory do you require for appreciation of a sequel if you're unfamiliar with the previous book(s)? Or would you simply not pick it up without reading the prior material first?

Margaret L. Carter

Please explore love among the monsters at Carter's Crypt.<.p>

Settings as a Starting Point for a Story

Please welcome a guest post by mystery and romantic suspense author M. S. Spencer:

First off, let me explain that I write murder mysteries in the vein of Agatha Christie. They are not “cozy” mysteries, which usually have heroines who cook, bake, knit, or keep cats and yet find the time to solve sudden deaths occurring in their close-knit Vermont or West Virginia hamlet. True, my stories have happy endings, and my heroes and heroines are amateur sleuths, but with the exception of one who made jellies out of wild Florida fruits (Whirlwind Romance), they don’t cook. Or knit. In fact, in my new book Fair Winds and Foul Play, Zoe pokes gentle fun at the genre. She tells the hero about the local novelist Hilda Gringold. “Her latest cozy relates a riveting tale of English gold hidden from the American revolutionaries and buried somewhere on the Maine coast. Of course, her heroine, Daisy Bluebonnet, deftly solves the mystery and finds the treasure, which she shares with her love interest, Hugo Perlmutter. Despite being now fabulously wealthy, Daisy resumes her doughnut bakery business, whence she solves any and all of the murders that so often occur in a small village.”

Most authors write about what they know, but I’m not sure how many authors start with the setting and build a story around it. My nineteen books can be divided by setting: four are set in Maine; six in Florida; six in the DC area; and two on Chincoteague Island (One outlier is set in the Amazon). The setting isn’t just the location, but usually a specific spot in that location that cries out for a story. The Pit & the Passion: Murder at the Ghost Hotel, refers to a partially built Ritz-Carlton that sat on a Florida key for almost 40 years. in Artful Dodging: The Torpedo Factory Murders, my tower office, reached by secret stairs in a cavernous old building, was the perfect place to find two corpses. The Wishing Tree: Love, Lies and Spies on Chincoteague Island, is based on an actual dead tree on the beach that is covered with trinkets and mementos.

My new release, Fair Winds and Foul Play: An Amity Landing Mystery, is set in Maine. It was born from the smoking ruins of a house in the village. I thought, “It could have been a witness protection safehouse, burned down with evidence inside!” Here’s the story: At midnight on a deserted island, Gunnar Nordstrom, assistant secretary of the Interior, falls from the sky, to be ripped to shreds by the blades of a wind turbine. Sebastian Guthrie—the lone witness—is rushed into the witness protection program. Nordstrom was about to approve an offshore wind farm in Maine, a project opposed by all but a handful of people. Sebastian finds an ally in Zoe Thibodeau, and together they sort through a Gordion knot of dead ends, red herrings, murders, and suspects.

In short, I use setting rather than characters or plot to ignite my imagination and build a story. I would be interested to hear what other authors do and think about this approach. I’d also love to hear what readers feel about the importance of a setting in their choice of books. Fair Winds and Foul Play can be ordered in print or ebook from all fine online book stores. Here’s a universal buy link:

Fair Winds and Foul Play