I
recently finished three great novels, all indie books. Dale Furse’s Curse of Wexkia is suitable for any age,
but seems written especially for a younger set, maybe eleven and up. It’s
imaginative, literally out-of-this-world in its scope, and somehow takes me
back to my own childhood fantasies, where almost anything was possible. Loretta
Proctor’s literary novel, The Long Shadow,
is a heartrending, brutally realistic account of World War I in Greece,
told through the eyes of two lovers and later, their son, who goes in search of
his father and his identity. Black Tiger is
completely different: a paranormal romance set in the jungles of India,
bringing a flavor of Kipling though it’s written to modern tastes, and brings
to life a unique love affair. I’ve watched this genre explode in popularity in
recent years. Humans are something more: an animal, or a blending of human and
animal, or with the soul of a beast. It intrigues me. I think we’re drawn to
stories like this because most of us experience at one time or another inexplicable
actions in animals that suggest they are more than they seem, more than history
has portrayed them, more than they are given credit for, and in many cases,
show they possess what is believed to be the best of humanity.
All
three books highly recommended.
Loretta
has two other books available: Middle
Watch and The Crimson Bed. Dying Phoenix, her fourth, is
forthcoming.
Greta
also has several other books in the sci-fi fantasy genre: The Iron Admiral, Morgan’s
Choice, and Supertech, to name a
few.
Dale
is finishing work on Secret of Wexkia.
Curse of Wexkia, by Dale Furse
A
delightful middle grade, young adult, and adult story:
This
book was an amazing fantasy ride, full of unique characters and vivid scenes.
Nell is facing college and has secretly applied to one. But there's a reason
her father doesn't support this idea, and it isn't any reason you've ever heard
of before. For seventeen years, Nell has lived a rather lonely--but fairly
normal--life. Then one day an alligator speaks to her, and from that moment on,
BIG changes come barreling, sweeping her away from any hint of normalcy, and
taking her good friend Sam with her. This story surprised and delighted me at
every turn. I don't want to give any spoilers, but The Curse of Wexkia has a
lot going on. It's a little bit sci-fi, a little bit fantasy, a little bit
teenage angst, a little bit rebellion, and a little bit sweet budding romance.
While the story ends very satisfyingly, there is definitely room for a sequel.
The Long Shadow, by Loretta Proctor
The
memories linger…
The
Long Shadow is destined to become a literary classic.
Characters who grab you and won't let go. Scenes ripped from history. Drama,
and the violence of war. Interludes of beauty and joy in the midst of chaos and
terror.
The two male characters are so lifelike and compelling, I fell in love with
both of them. Andrew and Costas, very different, yet in many ways identical,
both bringing to life a magical fantasy of female daydreams.
The Long Shadow not only contains fascinating, unforgettable, mesmerizing
characters, it has history: lots of it. It brought forth the horrors of World
War I Greece, and also managed to capture those precious moments of fulfillment
that occur even in the grimmest circumstances. The end, which I never could
have predicted, was perfect and satisfying. It reminded me of Hemingway's work in many ways. This author is becoming one of my all time favorites.
Black Tiger, by Greta van der Rol
He
haunts the jungle, and her dreams...
Black
Tiger is one of those special paranormal romances that transcends the ordinary.
Set in India, around the vividly well-characterized protagonists, Ash and
Sally, the reader is swiftly drawn into the heat, majesty, and charisma of this
ancient, evocative land and its beliefs, sometimes magical, other times violent
and cruel.
Ash is a mesmerizing romantic hero. He's standoffish, but not necessarily
because he wants to be: he has certain special obligations he dares not share
with anyone.
He's drawn immediately to Sally Carter, a doctor he's recruited to care for the
villagers he's in charge of. He resists the attraction: for as long as he's
lived, he's known he can only get together with a certain kind of woman.
The Legend of the Black Tiger pulls them both irrevocably into its mystery, its
grace, its terror, and Sally discovers more about herself than she ever could
have imagined.
The proceeds from this book go toward tiger preservation.
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