Rust Sword: Third Book of the Lore of DayONE, by A. A. Wolfner

Rust Sword: Third Book of the Lore of Dayone by A.A. Wolfner

First, I'm glad they are thinking about a new publisher, other than PublishAmerica, which has a poor reputation when it comes to editing, author's rights, and so forth. They bought the rights back, or so I've been informed. I like the series, and I think they can do better. The formatting gaffes notwithstanding, and the spelling errors (quite a few more in the third one) didn't distract me from the story. It's essentially a good one, and it's improved with each book.

The prologues from the previous books are finally explained with an epilogue. I do have a few questions for the authors, but I'll need to find my copy of the book to re-read the epilogue and then query them.

And trust me, there are not a whole lot of spelling errors. PublishAmerica has a bad reputation when it comes to editorial processes. It's a pre-existing condition. In my opinion, the authors are educated enough to know the difference. Yes, authors. A. A. Wolfner is the nom de plume for two writers. And when I locate the book, I'll update this review.

Victoria is the star of this book. That's evident from chapter one.

This book deals with the travails of Victoria in her quest for repairs for her father's sword. I think it worked well.

In their search for the Fire Elves, they have a few obstacles to overcome, as well as an arduous desert journey. Yes, they do make it, but I'm not giving away the particulars of the story, save that some things, on the surface, are not as they seem. There are layers of persona, and layers of meaning, as well as layers of character intent. And yes, I could hunt for a thesaurus http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.giffor a word alternative, but the repetition here is, I think, important to the review, as well as the story. A good story is like a good banana. You need to peel it, to savor the fruit.

The one thing that bothers me... I wasn't expecting the prologue adolescent/babe to be Victoria's child, considering the events of the third book. I do hope there is some clarification of this circumstance in the next book.



Author's blog, Messages from the Lacuna, on Blogger.

BRONZE SWORD: The Lore of DayONE (Paperback)

BRONZE SWORD: The Lore of DayONE (Paperback)
Author: A. A. Wolfner
Genre: Fantasy
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9781604747195
Publisher: PublishAmerica
Publish Date: 3/24/2008
Pages: 396


The story takes up where the previous book left off. We witness the death of the Beast Rider, King Lionard, through treachery and deceit. Lionard's great Bronze Sword, the invincible and indestructible Dragon Blade, is shattered. Once again, the Great Dragon, Ramdierh, is loosed upon the world. A dragon, with both a conscience, and a great hunger which cannot be assuaged.

To have any hope at all to win this war and save his brother, the Elfin Prince Morais must find the 'ar, which is the only way to find the Fire Elves, the only beings who can repair the broken Bronze Sword and, with the dagger and the 'Ar, travel to the place where the Fire Elves may, or may not, live.'

I think the trilogy is improving with each successive book. The prologue and the epilogue, while unrelated to the story in the book (as with the first one) reveals more details, and quite possibly shall be important in the third volume.

The story itself... Some secrets are revealed, some questions laid out in the first book are answered, and some prophecies are, so to speak, mislaid.

I enjoyed reading this. I like the way the story is progressing. While the first book is more panoramic in its world view, this one is more tightly focused. We learn more about the bronze sword, and about the Great Dragon, Ramdierh. A little something is also revealed towards the end of the book which, in the story's context—well, I don't want to give anything away too soon. ;-)

Lore of DayONE: Bronze Sword by A. A. Wolfner

King Lionard's sword holds secrets long hidden - secrets from the beginnings of the known world. The Liosdoackalfar Empire struggles to survive the disruptive forces of civil war and impending economic collapse, while one brave woman bears the Bronze Sword across lands plagued by war and blood in an effort to fulfill her personal mission of revenge.

I am looking forward to reviewing this one. ;-)

[Review] Beyond Dancing: A Veteran's Struggle, a Woman's Triumph (Hardcover)

Hardcover: 311 pages $23.95
Publisher: Bartleby Press (November 2003)
ISBN-10: 091015550X
ISBN-13: 978-0910155502

It’s taken me a while to figure out how to approach this review. See, I’m used to reviewing fiction, and not autobiographies.

Anita’s story helps to bring to life aa period during WWII, and circumstances of which I was only peripherally aware of one, and that was the WAAC’s mainstreaming and transition to the WAC. For the uninitiated, that’s from the Women’s Auxiliary Army Corps to the Women’s Army Corps. Injured in an incident in boot camp, which I’ve taken to thinking of as a case of “friendly fire” (and medical malpractice), and disabled as a result, this book takes us through Anita’s struggles to be recognized as a disabled veteran, injured in the service of her country. It’s her story, but it happened during that period, and her life, and the transition, and the struggle for the rights of those women veterans disabled during the transition adds a dimension to this story. It’s one woman’s struggle, and ultimate triumph, that illustrates the struggle, not only for women veterans, but for all veterans. It’s an important part of history that should not be overlooked, and brings to life the period in which it transpired. Anita was also the first woman to pass a drivers license test using hand controls. Considering that this period was WWII, that point also shows that civilization was not quite so barbaric as some of the medical methodology was, for that period. ;-

I have to admit that I was looking at the story and thinking about how different it was from the America portrayed in A TREE GROWS IN BROOKLYN, which was more about a depressed economy than about the child of a business owner. A different economic strata is portrayed, and this book, unlike that one, is not fiction. Still, I could relate to Anita’s story. I never was in the military, but…

I would recommend this book to both historians, and to people who like to read human interest stories. Other folks might find it interesting, too.

Bad Guys & Villains

Bad Guys & Villains

INSTINCT by Mark Anderson

This is the first short story in an anthology from the Yahoo! group called THE PARASITORIUM. It is the second volume pf short horror fiction from the group, called PARASITIC SANDS.

It's the story of a group of three guys who go to the beach for an annual event, watching as instinct takes over, and there's a mass exodus into the ocean, where dead bodies start piling up. Human bodies. People are driven to go to this particular beach, and jump off the dock and into the ocean.

Of course, it's not a story about the annual event, but rather, about the three young men who go to the beach to watch it.

Apparently, the title says it all. There's no mention of what instinct drives these people to the beach, only the carnage and the guys sitting, drinking beer, and talking among themselves.

The end of the story, though... Well, I'll leave that for the reader. The image is actually rather funny.

[Review] GOBLIN HERO by Jim C. Hines

Goblin Hero
by Jim C. Hines.
Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: DAW (May 1, 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0756404428
ISBN-13: 978-0756404420


No sane goblin wants to be a hero. They usually wind up dead.

Then again, since when has sanity ever stopped a goblin?

Jig Dragonslayer, for instance. He's not insane. Then again, he's a runt. He also admits, freely, that he's no hero. Still, he's the voice on Earth for the god Tymalous Shadowstar, and he can heal goblins, hobgoblins, and even ogres.

Speaking of ogres...

The events in Goblin Hero take palce one year after the first book, Goblin Quest. One year after the events in the preceding book, an ogre comes to Jig for help. It seems that his family's been enslaved by something. Now, orges are the biggest, baddest, and smartest (at least, compared to most goblins) creatures in the mountain. Jig's a runt. Still, with TS on his side...

What do you do when your people's leader wants you dead (though not overtly), because she fears you as a political rival? Or when an ogre comes seeking your help, because he's under the erroneous impression that you actually killed a dragon?

Jig never wanted to be a hero.

For that matter, no sane goblin wanted to be a hero.

Goblin heroes tend not to live for a very long time, you see. They charge into battle without thinking, always getting themselves killed.

Regardless, Jig has survived being a goblin hero for one, whole, year, since the events in Goblin Quest. Jig Jig doesn't think of himself as a hero. For one thing, he's still alive, which proves it to him.

The scrawny, bespectacled goblin was not even that much of a warrior, really, so why did everyone seek him out under the mistaken impression that he was?

Of course, this time, Jig has competition, in the form of a fledgling goblin wizard and hero wanna-be named Veka.

Veka is an unusually large goblin who some call "Vast Veka" behind her back, and sometimes even to her face. When Jig doesn't want to take her on as his apprentice in magic and heroism ("binding spell", indeed!) Veka sets off on her own, though on a parallel course to Jig. She recruits a "heroes' sidekick" she calls Slash, for the scar on his face. Not that Slash is all that interested in side-kickery. Veka tricked him into coming along, you see. Oh yes, Slash is a hobgoblin, and not on friendly terms with goblins.

Enemies make for strange bedfellows, but Jig's the one who, er, has to "get Jiggy" with it, and unite both goblin and hobgoblin, if he wants to defeat the enemy. Remember the Necromancer from the past book? Well, there was only one of him...

Oh, and keep an eye on Smudge, too. For one, he actually doesn't die in this book. For another, he gets to... Nah, I don't want to give too much of the story away, do I?