Would you like to walk an Ancient Pilgrim Way?
Joanna (J. F.) Penn’s most recent book Pilgrimage is so poetical. I loved the quotes, I love the fonts of the quotes, and most of all I loved all the probing questions she asks you, the reader. Questions you should certainly consider before setting out on a journey of discovery. I have, however, some suggestions […]
Does fiction stuffed full with pleasant characters bore you?
Those of us who have studied the craft of writing have been told repeatedly that if nothing changes in a scene, then that scene has to be abandoned, thrown away. Something must happen, we are told. Either an event which advances the plot. Or a character in the story must end the scene feeling entirely […]
Would you have been able to suppress a gasp of surprise when a total stranger opened your front door?
Imagine that you are loitering outside a front door in Kensington, a rather lovely corner of London, when a short man arrives with a bundle of dry cleaning on his arm. He fumbles for something, possibly a key, and then pauses. After a moment, he walks up to the front door and rings the bell. […]
Would you be disappointed to find out that Helen of Troy was not beautiful?
Wow ~ what an epic! It was so enjoyable it kept me up into the wee hours. For those of you who do not know, this Trilogy (LORD OF THE SILVER BOW, SHIELD OF THUNDER and FALL OF KINGS) is David Gemmell’s take on the Trojan War. Like Homer’s ILIAD, this tale has plenty of […]
What can you do to celebrate Lady Cecylee’s 608th birthday?
How about tapping the button below to view Thwarted Queen on NetGalley? Lady Cecylee Neville (1415-1495) was born in May. Some say she was born on 3 May 1415, which is coincidentally the same day that her youngest daughter Margaret, Duchess of Burgundy was born in 1446. Some say she was born 31 May 1415. […]
Do you think this novel suffers from a tacked-on ending?
While Volume One of this Trilogy LORD OF THE SILVER BOW had a raucous energy that brought the events of the Iliad and the Odyssey to life, this novel didn’t succeed as well. The problem as I see it is that it changed mood and tone so dramatically that I felt as if the ending […]
Who is the Lord of the Silver Bow?
Have you ever heard of Helikaon? Or Kolanos? What about the Great Hero Argurios? Maybe you have a faint idea that Andromache is Hector’s wife. And if you come from Europe or have had a Liberal Arts eduction in the US, you’ve almost certainly heard of Odysseus, Priam, Hector, and maybe Aeneas. For those […]
Would you enjoy being pursued by a determined ghost?
Historical novelists generally seem to all into two camps ~ those who do impeccable research, but fall short on their story-telling skills. Or those who are wonderful storytellers, whose research brims over with errors, often in the form of anachronisms which jar the reader out of the Fictive Dream she is trying to immersive herself […]
How would you feel if a gorgeous-looking flirtatious boy mauled you one night?
Zodiac Academy Volume 9 retells the Volume 1 story The Awakening from the point of view of the boys. IMHO this volume provided valuable information that was missing from Volume 1, which is written in a braided narrative with alternating chapters from Tory’s and Darcy’s POVs. But was it really necessary to write a whole […]
Are you drained by more than five volumes?
Zodiac Academy #8 ~ Sorrow & Starlight deals with the fallout of the disastrous battle that ended the last volume. Darcy and Orion are captured by King Lionel Acrux, and Orion makes a death-bond to free Darcy from Lavinia’s curse. This bond is set to expire in three months, so everything should be okay. Right? […]
