Red, Green, Blue and Wolfen by Hans Erdman

 This is a short story, primarily introducing Tessa Chart the mapmaker.

This is set in the same world as The Gewellyn Chronicles, and so some of the types of beings and interactions are familiar.  However, having only read the first two of the series, some of the givens in this book have almost been spoilers, as in my frame of reference, some things haven't happened yet.

The blurb says:

Tessa Chart, the Mapmaker, has long, beautiful red hair. So does Abilynn, High Princess of the Elves.
When Wolfen, super-werewolves attack the Fairy Circles, the Blue Fairies turn to the Princess for help. But when they mistake the mapmaker for the princess who was raised by the Wolf King, Cormac Mac Art, it could spell doom for the Blue Fae.
They risk ire of the Leprechaun Queen Fillian who rules over the green and blue wee folk alike. It will take a headlong dash across Ireland in Abilynn’s Stutz Bearcat and a Rolling Royce (or something like that), with help from a Drow elf, an assassin-turned-spy, and the Wolf King himself, if they hope to turn the tide and send the Wolfen back where they belong.
Then there is the ever-watchful eye of Fiona, the High Queen of the Magical Folk of Ireland and the Aerielands, the most powerful elf in the entire Nine Worlds, and Princess Abilynn’s mother.
What’s a Princess to do?

This is a very short book (only 39 pages according to Amazon) so it does move at a fast pace.  My preference would be for it to be slightly longer, so we can delve in the world more fully.

For anyone contemplating reading this book, I would recommend that you read the others in the series/world first.

Weekly Update Y2w42

This past two weeks haven't been great, in all honesty.  We've got a dog (yey!) who isn't sleeping much at night.  Touch wood, she is starting to improve, but for the past week both my husband and I have been very tired, so been eating more high calorific foods needing the energy and because we can't be bothered to cook.  

Unsurprisingly, my weight has sky rocketed.  There was even a few days where I totally forgot to weigh myself a couple of mornings after sleeping on the sofa all night.  

I am doing better today, though - I had a small bowl of no-added-sugar granola for breakfast and a chicken and salad sandwich on seeded bread for lunch.  And I plan to make lasagne with courgettes instead of pasta sheets for dinner tonight.  Now it's half term (from dance, if not actually from school yet) so I don't have to rush about here, there or anywhere, so I have time to cook.  

I'm not giving up.  I know I can get below 90kilos eventually, and I hope it's sooner rather than later.

Trinity of the Truthbearer by Hans Erdman

This is book 2 of The Gewellyn Chronicles.  I have previously reviewed book 1 (here) and as a result of my review, the author Hans Erdman got in touch and gave me a copy of the next book to see if his writing has improved. As I was doing my A-Z of authors challenge, I did warn him that it may take me some time to get around to reading it, but as promised, once I finished the challenge I did read it.  
I purposely haven't reread my previous review, as I didn't want in influencing what I thought of this sequel, but I do remember thinking the ideas were good, but it felt like a dream.

This book continues the adventures of Connor Clark, his wife Iolena and adopted daughter Menta Kai, as they form the Trinity of the Truthbearer, and continue Connor's quest of taking The Truth to the 9 Kingdoms.

The blurb says:

BEHIND EVERY GOOD MAN IS AN EXTRAORDINARY WOMAN… OR TWO. Connor Clark is a strong man in body and spirit. But he is nothing without his soulmate, the beautiful Iolena Yaleria, and their adopted daughter, Menta Kai, by his side. It’s a lesson that Connor learns the hard way when he tries to confront the Dark Lord, Declan Dhark, on his own, and almost loses everything worth living for. Admonished by his friend and mentor, the wizard/cleric Padraigh, Connor vows to never split up the Trinity again. But Lord Dhark will not be denied. He will send a team of 20th-century Irish assassins and even a steam-driven tank to try and stop Connor from carrying the Truth to the Nine Worlds. The lies and deception are so strong that even the act of Confession may not succeed in finding the truth. From the Queen of Hevanok, to the pub in Bolandria, to the streets of Gewellyn itself, and across the shimmering portal of the Bridge above the stars, Connor and his Elven wife and daughter race the Dark Lord’s forces to save a child and bring the Truth to the remaining six Worlds, facing new danger and new adventures at every turn. Truthbearer 2: Trinity of the Truthbearer, the exciting sequel to Truthbearer, is the second book in the Journeys of Connor Clark.

I really enjoyed this book.  The pace was good, and it flowed really well.  There's a real sense of following Connor and the Trinity, rather than jumping about from place to place without understanding why.  I would have liked a bit more of a background of Declan Dhark - how did he get the title Dark Lord, and what exactly is his problem with Connor, that has meant altercations in different worlds?  But that could be resolved in subsequent books. 

It did not take me long to read this book, only about a week, which shows it kept my interest.  I am now going to read back my review of the previous book (here) so I can contrast them.

Ok, The strong ideas in the book are still there, so that is good, but as I have said, it is much better paced.  We understand where the characters are going, why, and there is a reasonable length of time for the journeys so it doesn't seem instantaneous or sudden.  There are some new characters introduced, who in turn join the larger family, and the characters we have already met show growth as time goes on.

Previously I said I would not continue with this series, given the improvement from the first book to this one, I will add the rest to my wishlist as I'd like to know whether the Truth can indeed be brought to all the kingdoms.

The Forever Man: Book 1: Pulse by Craig Zerf

 Pulse by Craig Zerf is the last book in my alphabet challenge, and it was a good one to end on!

The blurb says:

His training prepared him for anything. This invasion will test his limits…

American Embassy, London. Master Gunnery Sergeant Nate Hogan stands for integrity. But he’s not equipped to face violent solar flares that decimate the population, plunging survivors into war and chaos. Following a strange compulsion to leave his post for Scotland, Hogan discovers massive radiation from the cosmic disaster has transformed him into a superhuman.

But after a savage army of Orcs arrives in the UK through a rift in time and space, he’s hopelessly outnumbered by the bloodthirsty horde. With the fate of the world hanging in the balance, he embarks on a desperate quest to alter the course of history.

Can Master Gunny Hogan win a one-man war against a powerful foe and prevent the end of humanity?

As I chose this book based on author's name, I hadn't read the blurb until I copied it just now.  I have to say, though, that I don't think this is a good write-up, as by the end of the book, the army of Orcs haven't actually invaded yet...

To me, this is a book of 2 stories, and as yet (probably because they haven't interacted) they are almost totally distinct.  

Firstly, you have the post-apocalyptic fiction: a Pulse of unknown origin, leaving the sky looking like the Northern Lights, has occurred, wiping out all electrical devices.  Cars stop on the motorway, planes fall out of the sky, and humans are plunged back into the dark ages, and with that, a loss of civilisation.  Master Gunnery Sergeant Nathaniel Hogan decides that his best course of action is to leave the American Embassy in London, where he was stationed, and to head north.  On his way, he comes across a private boarding school and stays to help them defend themselves against potential looters and discovers that he is The Forever Man.

This story is amazing.  It is really horrific in places (not graphic, but not suitable for younger teens) as you see the worst of human kind.  There are some characters that restore your faith in humanity too, as they band together to help each other and those less fortunate than themselves.  Some of the characters are a bit stereotypical - Americans who think they'll solve the pulse after a day or two, an Irish priest who likes his drink a bit too much... and it annoyed my unnecessarily that one of the character's name is spelled wrong (I can understand it, because I imagine a lot of people don't realise it's pronounced Keeva, but I daresay that Irish travellers would actually spell the name Caoimhe), but tbf, that is me nit-picking.

Secondly, you have the story of aliens: Stereotypical grey, humanoid aliens are in a war with an Elven army, when the Life Light disappears.  The Life Light is the source of their magiks (sic) so they determine that they need to pack up and follow the Life Light across the universe, as they have many times before. The realise the Life Lights have moved to Earth, so gather together their army of Orcs and Trolls and prepare to invade Earth.

This story is just a bit random.  I get, from the description, that this book is meant to be "genre-bending", but these two stories are so separate, I feel that they should be separated.  What species are these aliens? Why are they in a war with Elves? Why are they using Orcs and Trolls and other created creatures?  As none of these questions are answered, I feel that this first book could have not mentioned the aliens at all, and it would be better.  Or, because you want to introduce them before the second book, maybe an epilogue introducing the aliens and the start of their journey to Earth.

Overall, I have really enjoyed this book, and I have added the rest of the series to my wishlist.  I want to find out what happens next to The Forever Man, and see whether he helps many other people.  This book hints at his destiny (and the blurb says he is to go up and fight against the invading aliens) so I do want to know what happens next. 
I just need to get through the majority of the unread books on my kindle first.

Forged In Rage by Sean Young

Forged in Rage by Sean Young is my penultimate book in my alphabet challenge I set myself.  I chose it because the title and book cover looked interesting; I hadn't realised that is was historical fiction.

The blurb says:

For generations, the copper scroll has remained buried, concealing the treasure it protects and the prophecy it contains. Now that secret is about to be unleashed. In the right hands, the scroll could bring about Israel's freedom from Roman occupation, but used improperly, it could destroy her.

Barabbas, a warrior zealot and sworn protector of the scroll, has vowed to overthrow his Roman oppressors. He has raged against an empire and lashed out at its military might. But his greatest enemy remains the pain within.

His quest for vengeance and Roman blood, his love for a peace loving woman, and his commitment to the mysterious scroll pull him in vastly different directions. Death and betrayal loom around every corner as Barabbas searches for a truth that he has yet to fully understand-the force that drives him forward and ultimately requests the ultimate sacrifice to be made by a man.

As a Christian, the name Barabbas is well known as the murderer who was released instead of Jesus at the crucifixion. This novel is an interesting take on who Barabbas was, what he stood for, how he earned the reputation of being a murderer, and the suffering he endured.  Whilst being set in the time period 29-33AD, it is not centred around Jesus at all, but Barabbas and the search for the copper scroll.

This book is full of action.  Barabbas has to pit his wits against Gaius, a Roman Centurion, as they try and outsmart each other and capture/evade capture whilst finding the truth about the scroll.

The chapters in this book are fairly long (~20min/chapter) which meant I only read the book when I had time to read a whole chapter, but it is really good.  It kept me on the edge of my seat, as I was wondering whether the zealots would manage to escape, whether Barabbas could rescue his friends, and throughout the torture, death and loss of family and friends.

In fact, my main disappointment with this book is that Book 2 in the Violent Sands series, When Shadows Scream, isn't available yet!  A good read!

Weekly Update Y2w40

From last Monday to today, my weight has dropped.  However, for much of the week my weight had sky-rocketed. I don't know why - I can't think if what I ate that would have resulted in such a jump, but it did.

Unusually, for me, my weight has actually been stable, when looking at it daily.  Usually it bobbles up and down each day, but there is a general trend.  This past week, however, (Do I use "however" too much?  I feel like I do, but can't think of a better word.) it jumped to 90.9kilos and remained there for some days, before stepping back down to 90.3kg a few days ago, and where it remains.

In terms of my food and drink, I am managing at least 2litres of water each day, if not 3.  I am eating more vegetables, though I have snacked a bit more than I normally would in the past couple of days.  Exercise has gone out of the window, tbf, since I did Race For Life, but we get to bring home our puppy this week, so that will certainly change.

I am still working on getting below 90kilos.  I am still working on getting to 60kilos, but that will take a looooong time, so trying to focus on 90kg.  Even that seems unachievable atm, though my more logical brain knows it isn't, and I just need to keep going.  Keep trying. Persevere. Don't stop. Never give up. Hold your head high and reach the top. (And yes, I hope you're now singing along with me.)

The Ultimate Yorkiepoo Dog Manual by Hoopendale and Moore

 

We're getting a Yorkiepoo!  Both Yorkshire Terriers and Poodles are classed as hypoallergenic due to their low/non shedding coats, so having a pup that is a mix of the two breeds is great for me.

The blurb says:

The Ultimate Yorkiepoo Dog Manual will answer all the questions you may have when considering sharing your home with this cute and cuddly intelligent mixed breed.

Learn everything there is to know, including little known facts and secrets, and how to care for every aspect of the Yorkiepoo’s life.

This Manual contains all the information you need, from birth to the Rainbow Bridge, including transitioning through house breaking, care, feeding, training and end of life, so that you can make a well-informed decision about whether or not the Yorkiepoo is the breed for you.

This book really does cover everything you could want to know about the breed, and is worth reading before you've made the decision whether this breed is right for you.  Each chapter is not too long, and goes through things to consider before you buy, how to choose the right do, how to feed and train your puppy, how to socialise your dog, finding the right vet, through to how to care for aging dogs.

This book is primarily aimed at the American market, but there are a few links and example prices for the UK too. I would say that probably only half the book is specific to yorkiepoos - the other half being sensible advice for any breed of dog.  Whereas Easy Peasy Puppy Squeezy focussed on training (and I will follow that book, rather than the short chapter in this one), this book covers all the other parts of looking after a pet and has given me confidence that I know more what to expect.  

If you already own this breed, or are experience with other small breeds of dogs, this probably isn't the book for you.  However, if you are a total newbie like me, it is worth giving it a read.