reviews |

Meanwhile, Somewhere Else in the World

by Nick Hayden
April 7, 2017

Last month, Timothy Deal revisited The Select’s Bodyguard, the first story in the Children of the Wells saga. This month, I’d like to revisit The Fall of the House of Kyzer by Nathan Marchand.

Early on, we here at CotW decided we wanted to have two concurrent plotlines. Doing so gave us a greater window into the world we were creating. While I constructed the technocratic city of Jalseion, and its two semi-obsessive main characters, Nathan Marchand was busy unveiling a different type of story.

Thyrion is the center of the Children of the Wells’ world, Lomara. It’s where the political and religious power is concentrated. It’s where the Cataclysm started. And it’s where we begin the journey of a character very different from Bron or Calea.

Jaysynn Kyzer, black sheep of the Kyzer dynasty, has no magic. He has no real authority, although he was born into the royal family. The Fall of the House of Kyzer is the story of his search for meaning intersecting with his empire’s struggle for survival. It’s a hero’s journey.

Unlike Bron and Calea, Jaysynn is more relatable. He’s insecure but he wants to do the right thing. He’s out of his depth, but he wants to find a way to help people. His challenge is to become the man his people need.

So, unlike The Select’s Bodyguard, which is intensely focused, we get a story set against a larger political background. We get a friend who might be a villain. We get hints about the Cataclysm. We get family strife. And we get tracing.

The tracing is really cool and completely Nathan’s addition. While Bron has his brute force, Jaysynn has his speed and gravity-defying, building-leaping acrobatics.

In the end, Nathan creates a story that explores the world of Lomara in a distinct way, setting the events of the Cataclysm in a larger political realm, while maintaining the focus on character that is one of our guiding principles here at CotW. Jaysynn is not like Bron or Calea, and Thyrion is definitely not Jalseion, and those are two of the biggest reasons the concurrent storylines appealed to us as writers. Hopefully, it appeals to you as well.

If you haven’t read The Fall of the House of Kyzer, give it a try. It’s the story of the underdog thrust into power–and the forces, internal and external, working against him. It’s the start of an adventurous series of novels, with more on the horizon. And if you have read it (or even if you haven’t), stay tuned for a new short story to be published in two weeks that gives further insight into the sort of corruption that worked its way throughout the House of Kyzer, and which disgusted Jaysynn so much.

April 7, 2017 - Tags: Nick Hayden, promo, reviews, The Fall of the House of Kyzer Posted in: Blogs

Updates, Reviews, and Stubborn Characters

By Timothy Deal
March 3, 2017

Helloooo?

Oh hi! Thanks for taking a look at this blog! Good to know we’ve still got readers out there. Here, let me just blow some of this dust away and sweep up these cobwebs.

Yeah, we haven’t been as active around here the last month or two, but we’re still around and we’ve got some fresh content in the works. Of course, the big project currently in development is Bron & Calea #5, written by Children of the Wells co-founder Nathan Marchand. This will be Nate’s second novella for us, but his first foray into the tortured psychosis that is Calea Lisan. Pray for him.

In the meantime, author Greg Meyer will be offering his own take on the former Select in a short story to be released here on the site next week! This story will be a tie-in to The Select’s Bodyguard (Bron & Calea #1) and we hope to make it the first in a new series of short stories & flash fictions connected to each of our novellas. There are always side stories to be told in a shared universe like ours, so we’re looking forward to exploring more of its nooks and crannies this year.

But also, this series will give us the chance to take another look at each of our novellas, or perhaps for some of you, to introduce it for the first time. Our very first novella – not just for the Bron & Calea series but for Children of the Wells as a whole – is The Select’s Bodyguard. It was written by my podcast partner-in-crime, Nick Hayden, and his stylistic fingerprints are all over it. Inner turmoil, brutal danger, subtle ideas, a cast that includes academic elites and memorable commoners, and of course… stubborn, stubborn, strong-willed characters.

Anyone who’s read Nick’s work for the past dozen years or so can tell you he has a fascination with this type of character. From Makalos to Stuart Lem to Strin to Obed and now to Bron and Calea, Nick has a history of taking characters with a stubborn understanding of themselves and putting them through extreme trials to see if they break. Perhaps it’s his way of exploring how the incredibly obstinate person resisting God may need an incredibly painful experience to realize he can’t make it on his own.

Both Bron and Calea are hardcore, determined individuals in The Select’s Bodyguard, but Bron has a certain advantage in earning readers’ favor. Bron’s goal and determination – whether misguided or not – are heroic and honorable. Meanwhile, Calea is completely self-centered and pushes away anyone she deems unworthy of her. While she is clearly hurting on the inside, her hatred of receiving pity leads her to lash out at anyone who might try to get close.

This makes Calea a challenge for Bron, as well as for CotW readers and writers alike: How do you love the unlovable? Trying to understand the unlovable helps. Nick does a fine job in The Select’s Bodyguard of revealing Calea’s life bit by bit while simultaneously keeping a certain distance until the end. If you’ve not read it before, you might have to give it a try to see what I mean.

Along the way, you’ll witness a world in free-fall, beginning with the moments directly following the fateful Cataclysm that changed Lomara forever. Magic was the ecosystem, field of study, and way of life for the citizens of Jalseion, but when that magic disappeared, chaos destroys the city’s perfect order. In the midst of the upheaval, a crippled woman and her devoted bodyguard struggle to find a sliver of hope to grasp onto.

High stakes, deep characterization, and a modern fantasy setting plunged into an apocalypse. If all that interests you, give The Select’s Bodyguard a try!

March 3, 2017 - Tags: announcements, reviews, The Select's Bodyguard, Timothy Deal Posted in: Blogs

Visiting Nick Hayden’s ‘Isle of Gold’

by Nathan Marchand
March 24, 2015

My apologies, dear readers, for this late blog. There are a couple reasons for this. First, my family has been dealing with the death one of my uncles. This, among other things, aggravated the second reason: it delayed my reading of the book I wanted to write about for this good reads blog. I very much wanted to discuss this particular book because 1) it’d been sitting unread on my shelf for too long, 2) it’s an amazing piece of literature, and 3) it keeps things in the Children of the Wells family.

That book is The Isle of Gold by none other than our very own Nick Hayden.

The tagline for this book says, “He sailed into unknown seas to discover wonders, women, and wealth. Now all he wants is a drink of water.” Some may think they’ll be getting a Pirates of the Caribbean-esque adventure story or perhaps a fantastical take on Robinson Crusoe. In truth, it’s a bit of both. It begins with a shipwrecked sailor—who has a silver arm—awaking on the beach. He explores the island to quench his extreme thirst only to discover a beautiful living statue of a woman whose curse he tries to lift.

While it’s full of fantastic creatures and characters, this story is more about philosophy than plot. The narrator, much like Nick himself, is always espousing and evaluating ideas. He asks questions, but he doesn’t always answer them. In the hands of most writers (perhaps even me) this might’ve been a simple, straight-forward, though creative, adventure story, but Nick elevates it to what is arguably literary fantasy. Many plot points, characters, and settings are rife with symbolism. Someone could easily re-read this book just to mine the plethora of multilayered ideas. Like most classic literature, these ideas are understated and must be discovered through careful reading.

The style reminded me of C. S. Lewis and to a lesser extent J.R.R. Tolkien. Lewis because of the densely layered philosophies and ideas injected throughout. The story itself is very Lewis-ian. Perhaps equal parts Perelandra and The Great Divorce with some Narnia sprinkled on top. Actually, it might be more accurate to say it draws from Till We Have Faces. The prose itself is beautiful and articulate. However, there aren’t many big and/or obscure words to daunt some readers. Like Tolkien, Nick in this book takes small words and fills them with meaning. The protagonist speaks frequently of “the Sea,” often comparing it to a woman, and the wonders he’s seen traveling it. A simple word—“Sea”—is given a greater significance than any polysyllabic word. Only great writers can accomplish such feats.

What’s more impressive is he does this in only 60 pages. You read that right. I didn’t forget a “0.” This book is a breezy read that can be finished in one sitting.

Yes, I’m fanboy-ing Nick writing this. Nick is also a friend. More people should read his stuff. Nick is a gifted writer, but he’s a terrible promotor. So, I’m doing him a favor by endorsing this book. I’m an admitted shameless self-promotor, but often I use my powers for the good of others. 😛 (This isn’t the first time I’ve done this for him.)

So, when you finish reading Nick’s next Children of the Wells novella, go buy this book! You’ll enjoy the journey.

March 24, 2015 - Tags: books, Nathan Marchand, reviews Posted in: Blogs

Greg’s Shelf Gives Sanctuary to The Outcast of Redwall

By Greg Meyer
March 14, 2014

When I found out that this month’s theme was Good Reads, I decided to take a look back at one of my most cherished fiction worlds: the late Brian Jacques’ Redwall series. When Brian sadly passed away a little over four years ago, he left readers with a whopping twenty-two books in his beloved series, a true testament to his deft skills as a teller of tales.

The books tell the tales of a world full of talking animals going on fantastic and dangerous adventures, singing humorous ditties and barrack room ballads, and devouring delicious and mouthwatering feasts. Every story in the Redwall series focuses on the events concerning Redwall Abbey, a sanctuary for beasts that live around Mossflower Country. Mice, squirrels, otters, hedgehogs, hares, shrews, and badgers live in harmony together and stand up against the injustice performed by vermin such as crafty foxes, rotten rats, and sneaky stoats and ferrets. Heroes are born, villains lay siege, weapons clash, and good beasts fall, all in the name to protect the Abbey from the clutches of evil.

Whenever people talk about the Redwall series, they usually talk about the first book—Redwall. Now, Redwall is a great book. In fact, if you’ve never tried Redwall, but would like to get into the series, I’d recommend you read it first. But when all discussion focuses on the first two or three tales on the series, the rest languish in the shadows. Well, not today!

Here’s a secret: you can jump into almost any of the books without worry about losing the overall story. Many of the books are self-contained, with only a few that have suggested prerequisites. While my choice does have a preceding book that you should probably read (Mossflower), I’m still going through with my recommendation. That book is The Outcast of Redwall the eighth Tale of Redwall, and one of my personal favorites.

Sunflash & Skarlath photo from Redwall.wikia.com

“Each of us is born to follow a star, be it bright and shining or dark and fated. Sometimes the paths of these stars will cross, bringing love or hatred.” – Rillbrook the Wanderer, in the opening to The Outcast of Redwall.

Thus begins the epic tale of The Outcast of Redwall. Just as the narrator intones, the paths of a young badger with a golden stripe and a cruel six-clawed ferret named Swartt Sixclaw cross and entwined until one can defeat the other. Swartt has cruelly bound and enslaved the badger, whom he calls Scumtripe, for as long as the badger remembers. He once had a different name, a home, and loving parents, but they’re just a dream at this point. The badger isn’t an amnesiac, but like us, we forget who we are sometimes in terrible trials.

But not is all lost, for a wayward young hawk named Skarlath crashes near Swartt’s camp, half frozen to death from a snowstorm. The ferret has Scumtripe guard the hawk for his morning breakfast, but the desperate badger has other plans. Scumtripe revives Skarlath from his frozen condition and Skarlath in turn frees the badger from his long constraining bonds. Taking a massive limb from a tree, the badger fashions it into a mighty mace and seeks his revenge upon the camp of his mocking captors, slaying some and ruining the left paw of Swartt Sixclaw. The badger and ferret swear oaths to one day kill each other before the badger and Skarlath make their escape. Skarlath and the badger become the dearest of friends, with Skarlath christening the badger with a new name— Sunflash the Mace!

Sunflash and Skarlath spend the next few seasons gaining a name for themselves, defending the weak beasts of Mossflower country and scattering vermin wherever they go. After a near-death experience, Sunflash dreams of his family and accepts his destiny to rule the mighty mountain fortress of Salamandastron. But Swartt Sixclaw isn’t twiddling his claws waiting for Sunflash; he’s busy gathering an army of vermin and becoming a powerful warlord. Sunflash and Swartt haven’t forgotten each other, and the day will come when the two meet for the final time in the field of battle and blood.

Caught in the middle of this conflict are two beasts at Redwall Abbey. Swartt’s infant son Veil was lost in a failed battle in the woods of Mossflower and taken to Redwall to be raised by the peaceful beasts of the Abbey. There, the young mousemaid Bryony decides to adopt the infant as her son, loving him as if he was her own. But as the lad grows, Veil becomes more and more like his father, stealing and lying to others, despite Bryony’s attempts to steer him in the right direction.

When Veil is caught trying to poison one of the Abbey beasts, the brothers and sisters of Redwall choose to banish Veil, making him the titular “Outcast of Redwall.” But a mother’s love is not easily broken, and Bryony follows after her son, and the two head straight towards the final deadly conflict between Sunflash the Mace and Swartt Sixclaw.

Veil Sixclaw photo from Redwall.wikia.com

What makes Outcast of Redwall one of my favorite books in the series is that the story follows Sunflash’s journey from his life as a slave to him taking his rightful place as Badger Lord of Salamandastron. Almost all of the Redwall books take place over a season or two, giving the reader only a small window of time for the book’s cast. However, The Outcast of Redwall acts more like a chronicle of the lives of Sunflash and Swartt Sixclaw, detailing their differing rise in power. Normally, Redwall villains are at the height of their power when they first appear. Instead, Swartt experiences a type of villain’s journey, going from a small time rover to the leader of a vermin army.

Sunflash makes for an interesting hero as well. The badger is headstrong, almost single-minded in his quest for vengeance against the ferret. This leads to moments where Sunflash makes poor decisions, endangering himself and causing others to come to his rescue. The young badger has a lot to learn, and we experience Sunflash’s triumphs and failures, his joys and his deep sorrow. Sunflash’s journey from Scumtripe to Badger Lord is an exciting and dramatic read, making it one of the very best tales in a series well known for its high adventure.

I first read Outcast back in 2010, already having read quite a few Redwall books during my first trip through the series. While I enjoyed all the books I had read up to that point, Outcast stuck with me, mainly due to Sunflash himself. Watching Sunflash rediscover who he is and travel headlong to his destiny struck a chord with me as I worked through discovering who I was as a writer. Likewise, Sunflash’s close friendship with Skarlath reminded me of the unbreakable friendships I had forged in my life, and the sacrifices we’ve made in helping each other. Though the roads of life can take us in opposite directions, those bonds remain strong through the mire and trials this life brings.

If you’re looking for a book to read during a stormy spring day, I can’t think of a better book than The Outcast of Redwall. So come with me to the land of fearless Badger Lords, bloodthirsty warlords, and tranquil Redwall Abbey and dive into the adventure today!

Eulalia!

March 14, 2015 - Tags: books, Greg Meyer, influences, reviews Posted in: Blogs

Natasha’s Shelf is Exploding with Good Reads!

By Natasha Hayden
March 5, 2015

This month we are blogging about some of the latest and best of what we’ve been reading, which is right up my alley. I review just about everything I read on my blog natashasshelf.blogspot.com, though I am behind by about three books. Of the last five books I’ve read, I’ve rated four of them four or five stars. They’ve been so good lately I’ve just kept reading without reviewing, so some of these reviews are making their first appearance here before my blog. I think my reading thus far this year has been varied enough (though, admittedly, still mostly young adult fiction) that there ought to be something below that appeals to you. (more…)

March 5, 2015 - Tags: books, Natasha Hayden, reviews Posted in: Blogs