Read One to Win One – Prize
“A Darkness Forged in Fire” by new Canadian author, Chris Evans, is a cross between traditional epic fantasy and military fiction, with enough elements of either one to appeal to readers of both.
PLOT SUMMARY: In an unforgiving world of brutal conflict—where musket and cannon, bow and arrow, magic and diplomacy are all weapons in the Calahrian Empire—there’s no denying that Konowa Swiftdragon, former commander of the Empire’s Iron Elves, could be looked upon as anything but ordinary. He’s murdered a Viceroy, been court-martialed, seen his beloved regiment disbanded, and finally been banished to the one place he despises the most—the forest. Now all he wants is to be left alone . . . but for Konowa, nothing is ever that simple.
A falling Red Star in the east heralds the return of magic long vanished from the earth, sparking a frantic race within the Empire to reach it first. Now Konowa is recalled to duty and asked to reform the Iron Elves—only the soldiers he gets aren’t quite what he was expecting. And worse, their key adversary to obtain the Star is none other than the dreaded Shadow Monarch—a legendary elf-witch whose machinations for absolute domination spread deeper than Konowa could ever imagine
“A Darkness Forged in Fire” is a clash of two different worlds. On one side you have elves, dwarves, orcs, wizards, dragons, powerful magic and other classic fantasy trappings that recall Terry Brooks and J.R.R. Tolkien. On the other side you have muskets, cannons, howitzers, military tactics, and so on, taken right out of a Bernard Cornwell Napoleonic epic. Besides the setting and military aspects, other strengths include the descriptive prose, the short chapters and quick pacing, imaginative flora/fauna and amusing wholesome laughs.
It may disappoint in a number of areas, most notably the plot, underdeveloped subplot, and a surprise twist at the end that is not very surprising. Overall though,
“A Darkness Forged in Fire” is a solid first effort—a book that readers of fantasy can enjoy and that the author should be proud of—and the start to a series that should only get better…
http://fantasybookcritic.blogspot.com/2008/07/darkness-forged-in-fire-by-chris-evans.html
Read One to Win One
Celebrate Canada Day with a good book by a Canadian Author!
Check out a book by a Canadian Author during the month of July. Once you’ve finished reading it, come to Reader’s Advisory, fill out a ballot for a chance to win a brand new copy of the latest book by Canadian Author Chris Evans: “A Darkness Forged in Fire”
What Staff is Reading at BPL
Read my Heart : a Love Story in England’s age of Revolution by Jane Dunn.
Far from a paperback romance, this love story reads more like a historical novel, taking you on a ride through 17th century England. This is a tale of Sir William Temple and Dorothy Osborne’s persistent love affair – in a time when the ruling classes married strictly for money (and never for love!). It offers the reader a revealing first person view into English society during a turbulent time in her history: Using the few surviving letters written between these two lovers as the basis for her thesis, Dunn weaves fact and a certain amount of speculation into her heroic story. The strength of her book lies in the details she includes in her descriptions of life at this time. Whether discussing medicine and medical procedures, the fire of London, or the social habits of the politicians and other “great leaders” of the time, the author manages to entertain while she educates. Her writing style is intelligent, yet easy to follow.
If you are looking for a steamy love-story, you will be disappointed, however if you are looking for an entertaining biography – and enjoy history, you should truly enjoy this book.
The Great Gargoyle Debate
Staff member #1 said:
Canadian author Andrew Davidson’s debut novel The Gargoyle has been reviewed by many critics, all with varying opinions. After reading many harsh reviews, I still maintain that The Gargoyle is a great book. Davidson does a superb job creating a story that explores somewhat perverse human experiences in a truly innovative way. Although many readers detest the coarse tone of the prose, you have to remember that this is the tone of the narrator, not of the author. While this novel might not win the Pulitzer Prize, it is still an interesting read, and one very much worth taking time for.
Staff Member #2 said:
Much has been said about this book, from “This much-hyped book is eye-bulgingly atrocious, packed with medieval history to disguise prose that’s worse than your average Dungeons & Dragons blog” to “ within the last forty pages lie the most beautiful description of love that I have ever read”.
The truth probably lies somewhere in between. If I hadn’t had to read this book for book club, I wouldn’t have got past the accurate but vivid descriptions of the treatment of burns victims. At the beginning of the book the main character is very unlikeable: a self-centered, misogynistic, coke-addicted porno star. To the author’s credit, by the end I found myself hoping that he would find some sort of peace and acceptance of his situation. Seven years of research are evident in the authenticity of historical and medical details. The storylines flow well and are easy to read despite a seven century timeline. The most interesting parts of the book are the legends which the narrator’s sculptress saviour relates to him during his recovery. In my opinion, Davidson labours the Heaven/Hell debate unnecessarily, and some of his descriptive passages are just cheesy! The book can be summed up well as follows:
“A wild page-turner and a boldly impudent work that flirts with the trappings of gothic romances, historical novels and fantasies while skirting their clichés and remaining defiantly unique.”
— Edmonton Sun
What Staff is Reading @ BPL
The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson
An extraordinary debut novel of love that survives the fires of hell and transcends the boundaries of time.
On a burn ward, a man lies between living and dying, so disfigured that no one from his past life would even recognize him. His only comfort comes from imagining various inventive ways to end his misery. Then a woman named Marianne Engel walks into his hospital room, a wild-haired, schizophrenic sculptress on the lam from the psych ward upstairs, who insists that she knows him – that she has known him, in fact, for seven hundred years. She remembers vividly when they met, in another hospital ward at a convent in medieval Germany, when she was a nun and he was a wounded mercenary left to die. If he has forgotten this, he is not to worry: she will prove it to him.
And so Marianne Engel begins to tell him their story, carving away his disbelief and slowly drawing him into the orbit and power of a word he’d never uttered: love.
– Random House.ca
