Sunday Book Review: After Ours

This week I read and reviewed Cheryce Clayton’s After Ours, a collection of flash fiction stories that create an over-arcing stories. It’s a fun take on zombies and the Folk with a dark sense of humor. Tagline: Things are looking grim for the shop hobs.

I gave it a 4 star review for zombies, shop hobs, and a dark sense of humor. I received an ARC for this book free from the author, but that in no way changed my feeling about the book.

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A regular feature to my blog, Sunday Book Review, is simply a review of the book (or books) I read during the previous week on Sunday. Since I started adding videos, I started doing stars. I do say what I liked and didn’t like. You will notice that some will be independent titles, some will be mass market books, others will be classics. I write a review on whatever I read that week. I get most of my books from conventions from the author or bookstores, but as per FCC regs, I do mention if I received a book for free.

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The Martlet is finished!

I have finished my next novel, The Martlet an epic tale of friendship and betrayal about four assassins who play with necromancy on the side. Though this book does follow many of the tenants of epic fantasy, the story is full of rich characters that the reader will love to hate. I’m sending the novel to 48Fourteen first. While I do not know if they will be interested in this title since it is a different genre than Other Systems. Also it has four protagonists and they are all villains. Still I am curious to see what they say.

The novel opens with Lady Mira on a job to clean up a situation.

“Dressed in loosely woven flax rags and careful to keep my weapons covered, I stepped out of the Expanse into Vodnik Territory, and looked across the dusty port city. While I watched the on-goings of both commoners and nobility, clothed as I was, the populace ignored me. I meandered towards the Great House. I heard no rumors of the scandal I had come to set right.Good.”

She has enough to do, but runs into her uncle Roark who has been drinking blood of the living in order that he might have eternal youth. His presence effects her more than she lets on.

“Though his footfalls were inaudible, I felt his presence leave my side as he walked back towards the banquet hall. Outwardly I was serene, but inwardly confused and fuming. Lost memories inundated my mind. I wanted to laugh and keen at once.

When I was little, Roark used to tell me he read my developing mind in his sister’s womb and loved me before I was even born. Of course, like all members of the Guild, Roark is a born liar. Still I loved my daughter while she grew within my womb, so maybe he’s telling the truth. Part of me hopes he is.

Regardless, it is a mistake to trust him. It always has been.”

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Lord Roark and his companions Kian and Eohan, seek life eternal. After all, a Fairsinge only has a thousand years to live and that is simply not enough time. Their latest attempt is to direct the spirit of their  fallen comrade Lady Elana into Roark’s new born niece. When it is obvious that the experiment failed and the babe was nothing more than any other child, it is suggested she should be drowned in the Expanse. However as a Martlet, Roark sees victory even in the darkest failure. In an uncommon fit of remorse, Roark takes the child whom he names Mira and trains her in both the way of the Martlet and the Guild. Mira grows into a gallant warrior, however in their quest for eternal life, Roark and his companions plays fast and loose with Guild Law. When Roark is dishonored and Eohan is turned into a zombie during an experiment, Kian rushes to save them while Mira journeys to Underworld to bring back one of their own before he resurrects.

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