The Dragon Queen tells you about each of the Guardians, the Ancients, the talismans and which elements each Guardian was linked to. How did a Guardian become linked to a flyte of dragons and why. Who betrayed the Guardians and why? The story will tell you why the kingdoms were shattered and by whom. The Dragon Queen is a story of courage, and adventure, betrayal and love.

This is definitely a book for pure reading enjoyment. I cant wait for the third book.

Catherine Dahrens is the owner of Far West Books and Gifts at http://www.booksatfarwest.com

Author: Catherine Dahrens
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Best of friends, Peter (an intelligence agent) and Bo (an astronaut), have a bond that even Peter’s affair with Bo’s wife could not break. Bo and some other scientists perish in a mysterious fire just after completing an assignment. The government cover-up pushes Peter to find out what really happened and he becomes torn between patriotism and humanitarianism. He never loved a woman until he met Molly – but can he trust her? In fact, he wonders if he can trust anyone at all.

This is definitely an intelligent read; the author incorporates incredible alien artifacts, mysteries, murders, government espionage and complex cover-ups, cat and mouse chase scenes, archeological finds and ancient societies, deceit and a love story that transcends this life into the next.

Second Eden certainly has a plot that will make its readers think deeply about our world. Carlton shows us the dangers of where our science could lead. His story teaches that there are repercussions for every single choice that we make – both as individuals and as a society. He brings up social issues, like reminding us of the importance of recognizing the value of women who choose to be mothers – as a career, rather than as a side project. He even includes enlightening views of what might happen to a soul when the body can no longer serve it.

I really cannot say enough about Carlton’s novel. Truly, I could barely put it down to go to work or prepare meals! Second Eden will remain on my bookshelf for years to come and will, no doubt, be read many times by my family.

ISBN#: 0595316530 – soft cover 0595663567 – hard cover Publisher: iuniverse, Inc.
Author: Carlton Austin

~ Lillian Brummet: co-author of the books Trash Talk and Purple Snowflake Marketing, author of Towards Understanding; host of the Conscious Discussions radio show (http://www.brummet.ca)

Author: Lillian Brummet
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J.J. Pritchard, author of 6 books including The Seventh Jewel, has participated in a climbing expedition in Peru. His first hand knowledge of Peru, global warming and ancient Inca history is shown by tasteful and accurate use of facts. He couples this with highly plausible events throughout the story, making this book very well rounded, unique and realistic.

There are four main characters: Emma, a gutsy and witty teenage amputee, teaches the reader understanding and respect for what amputees experience. I think she could be a role model for many readers. Joel, her brave 11-year-old brother, displays a loyal adventurous heart. Uncle Jake, a well-connected treasure hunter by trade, plays the part of a hero and protector during a few points in the story. Estrella, a beautiful professor, has a chip on her shoulder that begins to melt when she meets Uncle Jake. Her life long dream is to honor her people by discovering the mysterious jewel of the Ancient Inca.

They are all thrown together when scientists discover that knowledge of an extremely rare element may exist in the ancient records of the Inca. This element has the potential to combat global warming and it is worth an inconceivable amount of money. Because of this value, people of questionable character are attracted to treasure hunt – but they play by their own rules and answer to their own ethics.

The Seventh Jewel was an exceptional read. I highly encourage readers to pick up a copy of J.J. Pritchard’s latest book. You won’t be disappointed!

ISBN#: 0595336744
Author: J. J. Pritchard
Publisher: iUniverse

~ Lillian Brummet: co-author of the books Trash Talk and Purple Snowflake Marketing, author of Towards Understanding; host of the Conscious Discussions radio show (http://www.brummet.ca)

Author: Lillian Brummet
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It Opens With A Curse

The setting of the fantasy novel is twenty two centuries into the Age of Everon that began when humans defeated the Skasloi, a powerful and mysterious race that enslaved humans and put them through cruel labors and tortures. The Skasloi were defeated after much epic struggle by the Born Men, who were people from outside the enslaved societies of the Skasloi. Genia Dare, known as the Born Queen, led her fighters beyond the killing fields of grim struggle and used the sedos power to defeat the Skasloi.

In her moment of triumph, though, the Skasloi lord beneath her boot heel declared that she had cursed her heirs by using the sedos power. The day would come when the world would rot and consume humanity. Genia Dare cares little for his prophecy because the Skasloi are despicable and to vanquish them is good.

Faded Legends Come To Life

After a stunning opening in which this crucial scene between Genia Dare and the Skasloi is revealed, the novel begins anew over two thousand years in the future. The power of the sedos still exists in certain places, but the curses of the Skasloi have faded into legend. Keyes does a good job of weaving into the novel bits of folklore and songs that describe the ancient forces that are soon to trouble the land. For example, the Briar King is known in some regions as Baron Greenleaf, which is a nice touch that adds to the depth of the story because regional differences in myth and legend typically occur.

It is within the vast King’s Forest that the first rumblings of trouble emerge. This forest was originally set aside as a reserve for the Briar King, and if his forest is violated by human encroachment which has been happening he will wake and crush humanity and remake the world.

In this forest Aspar White, a gruff and dependable character, serves as the guardian of the land and enforces the law of King William Dare. When Aspar begins to investigate the mysterious murders of some forest squatters, he assumes it will be a routine mission. But then he finds the gruesome leavings of human sacrifices and encounters a beast called a greffyn. Its very image is poison and even touching those who were killed by the greffyn can kill a person.

Meanwhile, as supernatural horrors are brewing in the King’s Forest, multiple conspirators plot against the Dare Dynasty, led by King William. His younger brother Prince Robert presents himself as a fairly obvious villain, but men apparently under the direction of the Church are plotting the deaths of the entire Dare family as well. They want to kill the Queen and all the Dare heirs, especially the female heirs. Presumably this ties in somehow with the belief that a queen must be present when the Briar King wakes. Whether the presence of a queen will help, it is not made clear and the motives of the assassins are murky.

The youngest daughter of King William, Anne Dare, is a major character in the book. She has appeal as a headstrong teenage female character. Anne’s strong will should be endearing to readers because the author managed to create a spoiled princess that is not annoying.

The rest of the characters also come across as genuine and several are interesting and entertaining, especially Stephen Darige and Cazio. In some instances, however, a character will fall flat and feel like just filler, like Winna, the love interest for Aspar White.

A Fantasy Novel With Light Wounds

The Briar King has more complexity to its plot than what can be described in this review. The story unfolds comfortably as Keyes lets the reader know just enough to stay interested without getting frustrated. This book blessedly avoids the propensity of many fantasy novels to keep everything a mystery until the fourth book. Yes, you will get to see the Briar King.

Although this is an enjoyable and intelligent fantasy novel, my main criticism is the author’s overuse of the device in which a character reaches a crisis and then the narrative jumps to the person waking up in someone’s care who then explains how the character escaped death. It would have been better to simply read how the action played out. This happens several times in the book.

Then, near the end, the narrative gets choppy. Some of this is understandable because it is difficult to interweave action sequences of numerous characters in multiple locations all in crisis on the same night. However, there was an overuse of the device of leading up to an interesting conflict or meeting and then switching to something else. The narrative was trying too hard to force me to keep reading when I was already interested in reading. I would have preferred fewer interruptions and bouncing around. Whether Keyes did this or an overzealous editor had at it, I don’t know.

Aside from a few forgivable flaws, The Briar King is an exciting story placed within a well thought out and creative world of magic, religion, politics, and myth. I would call it an above average fantasy novel but not place it in the awesome category.

Further recommended reading for fantasy readers includes The Rys Chronicles an epic fantasy in which multiple characters vie for high stakes power and wealth. Fantasy enthusiasts can also indulge their fascination with dragons or learn about how to buy swords.

Author: Tracy Falbe
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