Tag Archives: fantasy

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The Brotherhood of Dwarves - Book One

Here are the two newest reviews for The Brotherhood of Dwarves.  Thank you to both of these reviewers for taking the time to read the book and write up their thoughts.  The first is from Soliloquy: the Personal Blog of Kaitlin Michelle:

REVIEW:

This book was received as a review copy.  I enjoyed this book a lot, and look forward to reading the sequels.  Roskin is the main character, and he is heir to the throne of one of the Dwarven Kingdoms.  He is given the choice to take a year to “find inner peace”, before accepting his role in the counsel.  His heart seeks adventures so he decides to leave his homeland and seek glory in other lands.   He goes on many adventures, but his main goal is to seek the statue The Brotherhood of Dwarves, from the Black Rock Fortress.  I felt like this was a very good fantasy novel.  D.A. Adams keeps the reader entertained throughout the book.  It was very short, so it was a quick read.  The characters are detailed, and every time they get comfortable something comes along to mess things up, which keeps you entertained.

THE VERDICT:

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good fantasy novel, and likes a short read.  If you liked The Hobbit, you will probably like this book

The second is from The Independent Review Site by Daniel Cann:

The first in a series of novels by D.A. Adams finds Roskin, heir to the throne of a remote, peaceful kingdom of dwarves, craving excitement and adventure. Roskin is the son of King Kraganere and the heir of Dorkhun; he is also half dwarf and half elf. Hot-headed and impulsive he craves adventure and experience.

The story follows him as he serves ‘a year of isolation to find his inner peace.’ It was interesting to read a story with a privileged dwarf at its centre going through his own rite of passage.

I particularly enjoyed Roskin’s interactions and relationship with the old warrior Red who serves as wise counsel and mentor to the green Roskin. Together they get into plenty of brawls and scrapes. The action is not for the sake of it as the reader can see Roskin learning from his mistakes. He also takes quite a few knocks as he evolves from a coddled royal into a hardened traveller and adventurer.

As well as Red, the young dwarf is joined on his journey with some unusual and interesting characters such as Molgheon a female dwarf, Vishghu a female ogre, and Kwarck, a half-elf wizard. I would have liked a little more depth and back story but perhaps that is missing the point as Adams keeps the action coming thick and fast.

This is very much a ‘land divided’ with many kingdoms and disputed areas. There are also three types of dwarf: Tredjards, the Ghaldeons, and the Kiredurks. Factor in disputed human, elvish and orcish lands and you have a melting pot and plenty of scope for conflict and danger.

The novel is packed with in-fighting and scheming as well as an impressive roll call of dwarves, elves, humans, ogres and orcs. Roskin’s main quest is to find and return a stolen platinum statue known as ‘The Brotherhood of Dwarves’ which used to symbolise the unity of the nations in the past.

The unlikely group of allies assembled around Roskin find themselves venturing to Black Rock, an imposing fortress to retrieve the artefact. I would have liked more background and detail on the statue and after being mentioned it is never brought up again, but perhaps as this is a series of books its importance will become more apparent later.

I really enjoyed learning of the differences in culture between all of the lands. Adams is great at reminding us that there are many languages spoken including orcish and elvish. This helps in making this world solid and more vivid.

Roskin certainly discovers the harsh realities of this world as he endures first-hand the suffering of the slaves at the Slithsythe Plantation which is ran by amoral and sadistic orcs.

I found the addition of buffalo to this fantasy world unusual but I suppose there is no rule book saying that there can’t be. The plantation also seems to belong more to the Antebellum South of the nineteenth century than fantasy fiction but again it is used to good effect in highlighting the cruelty of the orcs.

The novel is short and sharp but always entertaining even if it does end rather abruptly. The main purpose of this entry seems to be in setting the scene: introducing characters as well as the history and geography that I am sure we will get to know much better. It’s a good opening effort and I will be looking out for the sequels and hope they will give us a little more depth to what is a promising start.

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Monday Afternoon Ramblings

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How I envision my retirement party…

I dream of the day when I can comfortably retire from education without needing the income.  That’s the most lurid fantasy I have, and I imagine it almost daily.  As I look at this mountain of grading before me, I envision the day when I’m sitting in HR and filling out the paperwork.  In the wildest version of this fantasy, it happens soon because of a huge royalty check or grotesque advance for movie rights, and I courageously choose to walk away from teaching to throw myself into writing and promoting full-time.  Some days, I can smell the freedom.

In reality, I recognize that I’m stuck at this for a little while longer.  My child support isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, and while Seventh Star is doing an excellent job with the series so far, it’s improbable to expect a six figure royalty check any time soon.  Realistically, that’s what I would need to feel safe leaving behind the income and benefits.  Not that I earn six figures now, but by my estimation, a royalty check like that would give me a 2-3 year cushion to live on.  Since that’s unlikely to occur in the next couple of years, I comfort myself with the fantasy.

I hate feeling this way about the job because there was a time when I truly loved teaching, but the system is geared to use us up and burn us out well before our prime.  The course load and student ratio are set too high for composition teachers, so the constant grind of grading is nearly unbearable.  Then, to compound the issue, from All Children Left Behind and the Race to a Stop, the students get less and less capable each semester, which means we have to work harder just to cover the basics.  When we grumble among ourselves, most of us express at least some desire to escape the profession.  Some are hanging on to reach the last level of vesting, others for another opportunity to open up, and some like me for their other career to become self-sustaining.  I know very few teachers today who openly claim to be in it for the long-term.

The sad part is, the ones who are the most burned out are the most capable teachers because it’s doing the job properly that causes the over-exertion.  The crappy teachers who don’t follow due  diligence  with their lectures and grading never feel the burn because they aren’t putting forth the same level of effort.  They just coast along, doing just enough to fly under the radar but not really providing the students with a quality education.  Even last semester, when I was so sick I could barely walk from my office to the classroom, I still delivered dozens of pages of notes and drilled my students on the fundamentals of good writing because I believe in the importance of writing, not just for the individual students, but for our society as a whole.

Despite this level of dedication on my part, I promise that if I received a six figure royalty or advance tomorrow, the college would be running an ad for my position this summer.  I would finish out my contract, but that would be all, and I would only finish it because of the respect I have for my dean and colleagues.  That’s why I’ve purposefully stayed on a year-to-year basis, so that I can walk away on relatively short notice without burning a bridge.  But until the day arrives when I can leave, I’ll have to sate myself with the fantasy.  As for now, it’s time to get back to grading.

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Con Nooga Ramblings

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connooga
First off, let me say that Con Nooga 2012 was an excellent event and an awesome weekend.  An enormous shout-out and thanks to Todd and Robby for putting together such a great event.  I’ve been a guest author at this convention for four straight years, beginning with the second year it was held, and each year it has grown and gotten better.  It’s a good feeling to be a small part of something like this, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to share in the experience.  This year, there was an energy to the show that was palpable, and that energy spread throughout the entire convention.

Things started a little shaky because the hotel had made some changes to the space where the exhibitors’ hall was located, and a handful of us authors had to be moved to a different building.  At first, it felt like a slight to be booted from the hall, but as the weekend progressed, our new location turned out to be a blessing.  Also, I fully understand the reasons why we had to be moved and no longer feel as if there was any malicious intent behind the decision.  It’s all part of the growing pains as a convention expands its reach, and again, the new location ended up providing us with excellent foot traffic throughout the weekend.

On Friday, Stephen Zimmer and I made the decision to work our table for as long as the building was open each day, which meant we were at our booth pretty much the entire weekend.  It was exhausting but allowed us to reach a lot more people than we could have otherwise.  I would estimate that 1/3 of our sales for the weekend came after the exhibitors’ hall had closed, so it was worth scrapping our plans for relaxation on Friday and Saturday nights and working the crowds that came through our hallway.  We may have missed out on a little fun, but as I’ve always said, I go to conventions to work, not play.

This year, I only had three panels total, which was a little light for my usual load, but I feel like the three I did participate in were excellent, and I received positive feedback from both my fellow panelists and many people in the crowd at each one.  Andy Deane, Sean Taylor, and Allan Gilbreath are always a blast to work with, and each panel was well-attended by attentive, curious audience members.  It truly doesn’t get much better than that.

The coolest thing that happened for me all weekend was Saturday night.  Andy’s band, Bella Morte, was playing in our building at 10:00 PM, and for three years, I’ve been trying to catch them live.  Unfortunately, every time we’ve been at the same show, something has come up that prevented me from attending.  This year, I decided that I was going to the concert no matter what, and Stephen was gracious enough to watch the booth by himself while I went.  I met some very cool people in line before the show and had a great time cutting up and joking during a 30 minute sound check delay.  Despite the delay, the show was outstanding.  Bella Morte has a great sound, and Andy has an excellent voice.  It was the first concert I’ve been to in many, many years, and while I feel like my rock and roll days are behind me, I loved being there.  Before the last song, Andy took a moment to acknowledge me in the audience and plug both mine and Stephen’s books, and that was a truly special moment for me.  It’s not everyday I get hyped at a rock concert, and I hope he knows how much I appreciate it.

I don’t want to mention any one reader for fear of leaving out someone, but thank you to all of my friends and readers who came by the booth.  All of you are special to me, and I appreciate each and every one of you.  Your support and feedback and encouragement are what sustain me.  With all I’ve been through in the last five years, from the failure of my marriage to the couple of heartbreaks to the illness, you guys have been there for me, and I wish I could express my gratitude fully.  This weekend was an excellent step in the healing of my body, heart, and soul and reminded me of what truly matters in life.  I look forward to seeing everyone at Con Nooga 2013.