Book Review - The Hidden Oracle (The Trials of Apollo Book 1) @camphalfblood

'I couldn't recall the last time someone had care about me enough to curse my enemies with rhyming couplets.'

Way back in 2005, I was in the children’s section at Waterstones looking for a book that had a Roman or Greek theme. My eldest loved everything ancient history – and, incidentally, still does. One book caught my eye. It had on the front cover these words…

Half Boy 

Half God

All Hero

I picked the book up, took a quick look at the back cover, like what I saw and bought it. And so began my family’s love affair with The Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan. We have all the books, including The Heroes of Olympus series, so when I was offered the chance of reviewing the ARC of Rick Riordan’s latest book, you can imagine my response.

 

Let's take a quick look at the book...

How do you punish an immortal?

 By making him human.

After angering his father Zeus, the god Apollo is cast down from Olympus. Weak and disorientated, he lands in New York City as a regular teenage boy. Now, without his godly powers, the four-thousand-year-old deity must learn to survive in the modern world until he can somehow find a way to regain Zeus's favour.

But Apollo has many enemies - gods, monsters and mortals who would love to see the former Olympian permanently destroyed. Apollo needs help, and he can think of only one place to go . . . an enclave of modern demigods known as Camp Half-Blood.

What did I think of the book?

There are some truly gifted children’s authors out there, and then there is Rick Riordan, who, in my opinion, is in a class of his own.

I adored the Percy Jackson series and I loved The Trials of Apollo. It is classic Riordan -- fast paced, laugh-out-loud funny, with really likable characters and horrible evil immortals who want to rule the world.  Apollo’s struggle to adapt to being mortal was incredibly well crafted, and it was great to go home to Camp Half-Blood, as well as meeting up with old friends such as Percy and Chiron.

I loved the idea of Apollo losing his godly powers and having to face life as a mortal. He really struggles to adapt to being just a regular teenager, sometimes with hilarious consequences. And despite coming across, for most of the book, as a narcissist, he was in fact a really likable character and I look forward to reading about his trials in the following books.

Despite the mythological world Riordan's books are set in, he does address some other ‘mortal’ issues with a delicate skill that should be commended. I think his books are fantastic for teaching tolerance. We are all human and we shouldn’t be judged - or judge - because of what we look like, whom we love, or where we come from. With this in mind, it is worthy to note that unlike the Percy Jackson series, this book seems to be targeted at a slightly older audience - it read as more of a Young Adult novel.

If you are looking for a fun mythological read, either for yourself (because I'm a grown-up and I loved it) or for your older children - teens - then look no further than the books by Rick Riordan.

I Highly Recommend.  

Where can I purchase this fabulous book?

Amazon US

Amazon UK

And all good bookshops!

 

About the author

Rick Riordan is the author of the #1 New York Times bestselling Percy Jackson and the Olympians series for children and the multi-award-winning Tres Navarre mystery series for adults.

For fifteen years, Rick taught English and history at public and private middle schools in the San Francisco Bay Area and in Texas. In 2002, Saint Mary's Hall honored him with the school's first Master Teacher Award.

His adult fiction has won the top three national awards in the mystery genre -- the Edgar, the Anthony and the Shamus. His short fiction has appeared in Mary Higgins Clark Mystery Magazine and Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine.

His Percy Jackson series features a twelve-year-old dyslexic boy who discovers he is the modern-day son of a Greek god. The Lightning Thief was a New York Times Notable Book for 2005. Film rights have been purchased by Twentieth Century Fox and a feature film is in development. The Sea of Monsters was a Child Magazine Best Book for Children for 2006 and a Publishers Weekly and BookSense national bestseller. The third title, The Titan's Curse, made the series a #1 New York Times bestseller, and the fourth title, The Battle of the Labyrinth, had a first printing of one million copies. Rick is also the author of The 39 Clues: The Maze of Bones, another #1 New York Times bestseller. Film rights for The 39 Clues have been purchased by Steven Spielberg and DreamWorks.

Rick Riordan now writes full-time. He lives in San Antonio with his wife and two sons.

Useful Links

Website.

 

 

 

Blog Tour - Argos @chapterxchapter @PhillipWSimpson @month9books

 

Happy Release Day to

Argos by Phillip W. Simpson

Join us in celebrating this new release from Month9Books!

Enter the giveaway found at the end of the post.

Happy Book Birthday, Phillip!

 

 

Loyalty has no limits

Raised from a pup by Greek hero, Odysseus, Argos has come to learn the true meaning of love and loyalty. But when Odysseus leaves for the Trojan War, little does Argos know it will be 20

years before he sees his master again. With Odysseus gone his wife, Penelope, and son, Telemachus, are easy prey for neighboring kings and the Gods themselves.

But Argos was tasked to keep them safe until Odysseus returns and that is a promise he is

determined to keep – whatever the cost. Told through his eyes, Argos recounts the story of his

life – his pain, his joy, his triumphs and failures; his endurance in the face of hardships almost too great to believe.

Above all else, Argos strives to do what is right – and to remain loyal to his King when all others have given up hope. To live long enough to see his beloved master one more time.

This epic myth of love and loyalty proves that a dog really is man's best friend.

Argos by Phillip W. Simpson Release Date: May 10, 2016 Publisher: Month9Books

 

Amazon | B&N | TBD | Chapters | BAM

 

 

Phillip W. Simpson has written over 50 children’s books for both middle grade and young adult readers. He has a background in Ancient History and Archaeology, and has partially completed his doctorate in Archaeology. He lives in Auckland, New Zealand, with his wife Rose, their son, Jack and their two border terriers, Whiskey and Raffles. When not writing, he works as an elementary school teacher.

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The Land of King Arthur - Dozmary Pool

A slender arm that gripped a sword

rose slowly from the water.

"I'll save her" cried young Arthur.

"She must be some knight's daugter..."

"Be still," hissed Merlin. "There you see

the Lady of the Lake.

She's like a kind of mermaid.

That sword is yours to take."  

Excalibur the Magic Sword- Crazy Camelot Capers  Tony Mitton and Arthur Robins

My children loved the stories from Crazy Camelot when they were little. There is nothing like children stories in rhyme and the illustrations that are inside the book are fabulous. If you have young children and you want to introduce them to King Arthur and his knights then this is a fun way to do it.

Before I take the rest of this post to praise Crazy Camelot, I actually wanted to talk about a very famous lake in Arthurian legend.
 
There are two stories as to how Arthur came by his magical sword. Both will be familiar I am sure. The first one claims that Arthur pulled a sword from a stone. The other states that the sword was gifted to Arthur by the Lady of the Lake.

But where is the Lake?

Could Dozmary Pool be the lake in question??!

Dozmary Pool can be found in Cornwall, in the parish of Altarnun on Bodmin Moor. It is a Site of Special Scientific Interest and is within the Cornwall Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty - I can understand why. And from the picture above, it is easy to imagine a sword rising from the water.

Now, Excalibur came with instructions - not quite a 'how to use' manual - I am sure Arthur knew how to handle a sword. The instructions were simple. I shall quote from Crazy Camelot again, so prepare yourself for some more rhyme...

I am Excalibur, your sword,

and I will never break.

But when your reign is over,

return me to the lake.

The general consensuses is that Arthur was mortally wounded at the Battle of Camlann. Arthur recalled the instructions about the sword. He had to get back to the lake. Sir Bedivere, the only surviving knight of The Round Table - took Arthur back to the lake, but Arthur was too weak to throw the sword back into the lake, so he instructs Sir Bedivere to do it for him. But Sir Bedivere could not bring himself to throw such a beautiful sword into the water, so he hid it and returned to Arthur. Arthur asked him if he had thrown the sword back in the lake. Sir Bedivere lied and said he had. Arthur could see through the lies and told Sir Bedivere to do as he instructed. But Sir Bedivere just could not do it. He lied to Arthur for the second time. Once again, Arthur could see through the lies and for the last time told Sir Bedivere to do as he was instructed. Against his better instincts, Sir Bedivere threw the sword into the lake. To his very great surprise, a hand reached up from the water and grabbed the sword, drawing it back down into the watery depths, out of sight forever more. Sir Bedivere returned to Arthur and told him what he had seen. This time, Arthur believed him.

Dozmary Pool is bottomless and has a secret tunnel that leads directly to the ocean - a perfect home for the Lady of the Lake.  

 

Back to the question is Dozmary Pool - that lake?

It is certainly atmospheric enough, but...

It isn't bottomless - in 1869 the pool dried up and apart from finding some amazing Neolithic arrowheads, there was no tunnel - so there goes that theory.

It is also argued that Dozmary Pool is too far away from the proposed site of the Battle of Camlann.

 So the bottom line is that it is very unlikely that Dozmary Pool is that lake - but it is stunning.

Friday Knights - The Fisher King and Arthurian Legend

  "[he]....was wounded in a battle and completely crippled, so that he's helpless now, for he was struck by a javelin through both his thighs; and he still suffers from it so much that he can't mount a horse. But when he wants to engage in some pleasure and sport he has himself placed in a boat and goes fishing with a hook" 

Chrétien de Troyes, Perceval

Ouch! I am not surprised The Fisher King could not mount a horse with this injury. However, there is more to The Fisher King than a fishing boat and an awful war wound.

The 12^th Century, French poet, Chrétien de Troyes, was the first to introduce The Fisher King to the Arthurian Legend, in his great work Percival. It is suggested that de Troyes was influenced by an earlier Celtic story about Brân the Blessed. There are similarities between the two characters. Bran is injured in the foot - The Fisher King is injured in the leg. Bran has a magic cauldron that can restore life - The Fisher King is the keeper of the Holy Grail, a magical cup that can sustain life. 

Back to the story...unfortunately, The Fisher King, thanks to his injury, can not sire a child - his kingdom reflects his injury, it becomes a waste land....barren.

But, there is hope for the Fisher King - he is not destined to spend the rest of his days fishing. One day a knight will heal him - it has been foretold.

Percival stumbles upon an old man fishing and, being a nice sort of chap, he strikes up a conversation with the elderly man. The fisherman directs Percival to a beautiful castle. To his surprise, Percival is welcomes by the fisherman - The Fisher King.  The Fisher King is the most hospitable host. He presents Percival with a sword and he announces that a huge feast is to be held in Percival’s honour.

Now, Percival has spent his entire life in the woods - his mother having shunned the world after the death of Percival’s father. Percival has never been to a feast before and he is on his best behaviour. His mother has installed in him good manners, so when he is shown a candelabrum, a bleeding lance and a grail, he bites his tongue to stop asking any questions about these mysterious set of objects.

Of course, in a bitter twist of irony, the Fisher King’s only hope of being healed was for Percival to ask him questions about these objects. One can only imagine what The Fisher King must have been thinking!

The feast comes to an end and Percival toddles off to bed. But where he awakes in the morning, he finds the castle in ruins and he is alone.

Unfortunately for us, Chrétien de Troyes died before he could complete his great work.

Some forty years later, Wolfram von Eschenbach takes up the story in his work, Parzival. This story keeps to the original, with a few subtle differences. Firstly, he gives The Fisher King a name - Anfortas. We learn how The Fisher King received his wound - he is a Grail Keeper and therefore is not allowed a wife, but he marries her anyway and this is his punishment - intolerable pain. Percival rights the wrong and later cures The Fisher King.

Around the end of the 13th Century, Robert de Boron, continued The Fisher Kings story. The Fisher King - who now goes by the name of Bron -  is the brother-in-law of Joseph of Arimathea. Joseph entrusts the sacred Grail to Bron. Bron becomes the first Grail Keeper - eventually the title of keeper of the Grail is passed on to Percival.

And then things really become complicated...!

In Lancelot-Grail, there are two Fisher kings  - or should I say one wounded king called Pellam and a Fisher King called Pelles. It is Pelles who tricks Lancelot into begetting a child with Elaine - there is a prophesy that states Galahad will retrieve the Grail and heal the land.

Not to be outdone, Malory, has four possible Fisher Kings in his famous story, Le Morte d'Arthur.

1. King Pellam

2. King Pelles

3. King Pescheour - Lord of the Grail Castle

4. A bed ridden nameless king who Galahad heals.

Of course with the passage of time the story has been retold until, it became just another part of the story...a part of the legend.

Meeting the King - Merlin

So there we have it, a brief outline of The Fisher King.

 

Book Review - The Master And The Maid @LauraLibricz

“Listen to me! You see this child? If they find the child they will kill her. If they find me with this child, they will kill me to. They’ve already killed her mother. Syball saw them do it. But they won’t kill you. I’ll see to it. But you must swear to care for the child as your own. Never tell a soul where she came from or I will slit your throat.”

I was privileged to receive an ARC of The Master and the Maid by historical fiction author, Laura Libricz. Before I talk about my feelings for the book, lets have a closer look at the story.

She's lost her work, her home and her freedom. Now, harboring a mysterious newborn, she could lose her life.

In 17th Century Germany on the brink of the Thirty Years War, 24-year-old Katarina is traded to the patrician Sebald Tucher by her fiancé Willi Prutt in order to pay his debts. Forced to move into the Tucher country estate, Katarina is met by a crazed archer, Hans-Wolfgang, carrying a baby under his cloak. He tells her a confused story of how his beloved was executed by a Jesuit priest for witchcraft right after the birth and makes Katarina swear on her life to protect the child. She could fall in disfavor with her master. She could be hunted by the zealots who killed his beloved. Can Katarina's love for the baby and Sebald Tucher's growing desire for her keep the wrath of the zealots at bay?

Set in Franconia, The Master and the Maid is an accurate, authentic account of a young woman's life in Germany in the 1600's, illustrating her struggle for freedom and her fight for those she loves.

What did I think of the book?

Historical Fiction at its best.

Was ever there a story more captivating and charming than The Maid and the Master? The attention to detail was exquisite - I felt like I had travelled back in time to 1616. The story telling was spellbinding to say the least. Once I started reading this book, I could not put it down.

The protagonist of the story, Katarina, is a young woman who has foolishly given her heart to the wrong person. Her situation is precarious – she is a fallen woman, living with a man whom she is not married to, but she is honest and ever hopeful that one-day fate will deal her a better hand. But alas, her beloved “trades” her to pay off a debt to his landlord and Katarina finds herself at the mercy of her new master, Herr Tucher. I thought Katarina was beautifully portrayed. She was totally believable and I really came to care about.  Through her, Libricz depicted how hard it was for a woman in a time of religious unrest.

Ralf, a career obsessed priest, will stop at nothing to open his Jesuit school. He will even go as far as to commit murder to achieve his aims. Ralf really made my skin crawl – he was cruel, devious, manipulative and vicious. Libric painted a very dark picture of this evil man. He was the perfect antagonist. I really began to fear what this horrid man was going to do next.

I would really like to commend Libricz on such a masterpiece. This book really ticked all of the boxes for me - Fleshed characters, fantastic plot and the most beautiful prose. I cannot wait for the rest of the trilogy. I Highly Recommend this book.

Where Can I purchase this fabulous book? 

Amazon US

Amazon UK 

About the author

 

Laura Libricz was born and raised in Bethlehem PA and moved to Upstate New York when she was 22. After working a few years building Steinberger guitars, she received a scholarship to go to college. She tried to 'do the right thing' and study something useful, but spent all her time reading German literature.

She earned a BA in German at The College of New Paltz, NY in 1991 and moved to Germany, where she resides today. When she isn't writing she can be found sifting through city archives, picking through castle ruins or aiding the steady flood of Höfner musical instruments into the world market.

Her first novel, The Master and the Maid, is the first book of the Heaven's Pond Trilogy. The Soldier's Return and Ash and Rubble are the second and third books in the series.

Useful Links

Website

Author's Inspirations - Nancy Blanton @nancy_blanton

It is my great pleasure to welcome historical fiction author, Nancy Blanton, on to the blog today to talk about her inspirations behind her latest book...

The Prince of Glencurragh 

(Due for release July 2016) 

Sex Appeal and the Earl of Ormonde

 

While researching 17th century Ireland for my historical novel, The Prince of Glencurragh, I was stopped in my tracks by an arresting portrait of James Butler, the 12th Earl of Ormonde and the 1^st Duke of Ormonde.

Ascending to earldom in 1634 at just 24 years of age, this earl became the Royalist leader of the Irish confederate forces in 1649, uniting the old English nobility, Catholics, and Irish rebel soldiers in a passionate stand against English dominance that was doomed to failure under the boot of Oliver Cromwell and his army.

The portrait captures and older Ormonde, looking magnificent in ceremonial robes as he is created the first Duke of Ormonde. He wears white satin trimmed in red and blue. Delicate hands grasp lance and sword; his jaw is proud, his eyes soulful and knowing. The long golden locks affirm his noble stature and remind me of a young, proud-faced Roger Daltrey, out to change the world in his own particular way – perhaps with similar sexual energy but without Daltrey’s penchant for fisticuffs.

No less appealing would have been James’s enormous wealth and power. He was born into a family tracing back to the Norman Invasion in the 12^th century. His ancestor, Theobold Walter, was named Chief Butler of Ireland, and thus the name stuck as a surname and reminder to everyone of the family’s prominence and favor under King Henry II. The family seat became the great Kilkenny Castle from which they controlled the vast kingdom of Ormonde (basically including counties Waterford, Tipperary and Limerick).

Ormonde landholdings in southwest Ireland were second only to the Desmond earldom by the 14^th century. Rivalry and skirmishes between the two earldoms escalated into a private war in the 1560s, one that infuriated Queen Elizabeth I, and in part led to the first Desmond Rebellion in 1569.

When James’s father Thomas died in a shipwreck in 1619, James became the nine-year-old heir to his grandfather Walter Butler, the 11^th Earl of Ormonde, and was given the courtesy title of Viscount Thurles. Walter was a devout Catholic, much to the dismay of King James I who schemed for Protestant control of Ormonde estates, imprisoned Walter for eight years, and sent James to be schooled as a Protestant by the Archbishop of Canterbury.

When the earl was released in 1625, most of his estates were restored to him. James went to live with him at his house in Drury Lane, London.

While in London, James learned the Irish language, which was to serve him well later in life; and also met his cousin Elizabeth Butler, daughter of Sir Richard Preston, Earl of Desmond. Their marriage in 1629 ended the long-standing feud between the two families.

When his grandfather died five years later, James became the earl. In 1642, he was named the Marquess of Ormonde; and, after living with the king in exile during the Commonwealth years, in 1661 Charles II created him the first Duke of Ormonde.

But wait, there is even more to Ormonde’s appeal. Most of my research has focused on James’s early life, and my favorite story thus far is about his first attendance of the Irish Parliament in 1635. The new Lord Deputy of Ireland, Thomas Wentworth, called the Parliament under King Charles I’s authorization, and was proud to have Ormonde on the roster.

In his biography of Wentworth, C.V. Wedgwood describes James Butler as a “high-hearted” nobleman: “Handsome, intelligent and valiant, he was also to the very core of his being a man of honor: loyal, chivalrous and just.”

And let’s not leave out dauntless (aka cheeky). When Wentworth ordered that the wearing of swords in Parliament would not be permitted, Ormonde told the official who tried to take his that the only way he’d get the sword was if it was “in his guts.” Wentworth summoned Ormonde before his council to answer for this behavior, and Ormonde arrived with his earl’s patent from the king. He threw it on the table. The king had made him earl, he said, and for anyone less than the king he would not ungird his sword.

“Wentworth [who was not yet an earl] conceded the force of the argument,” Wedgwood wrote.

Appealing as he was, Ormonde was not always everyone’s hero in life. As the Protestant in the family, he avoided the land confiscations that Catholic family members still suffered, and he was not above evicting Irish tenants if he believed he could earn higher rents from English ones. Still, when Ormonde died in 1688, he was lauded by poets of his time and was buried in Westminster Abbey.

In my novel, Ormonde is featured as a contemporary of the main characters who brings his significant power and influence, his chivalrous mindset, and his own agenda to the story, along with a fierce belief in fairness, justice, and love.

The Prince of Glencurragh, publishing in July 2016, is the story of an Irish warrior who abducts a young heiress to help restore his stolen heritage and build the Castle Glencurragh. He is caught in the crossfire between the most powerful nobles in Ireland, each with his own agenda. It is the stand-alone prequel to my first historical novel, Sharavogue, which begins with the arrival of Cromwell in Ireland, and follows the protagonist to her indenture on an Irish sugar plantation on the island of Montserrat, West Indies.

May Newsletter from author Mary Anne Yarde

I hope you have had a great month. The weather in England has been pretty depressing - grey clouds, cold winds and rain…let’s not forget about the rain. We have even had hailstorms and dare I say a little bit of snow.  Thankfully, the trees are now beginning to come back to life. Winter in England may be unpleasant, but she more than makes up for it in the spring and summer. I cannot wait to be able to venture outside without wrapping myself up like I am about to embark on an arctic adventure!

We did manage to climb up Glastonbury Tor today…in-between the rain clouds. It was such fun to watch the new born lambs racing around at the bottom of the Tor, playing their version of tag and leaping high in the air at the sheer joy of being alive.

 So, apart from the cold, damp weather and the sweet baby lambs, what’s new in my world?

Well, to start with, I published my novella, The Pitchfork Rebellion, on Amazon. ‘Pitchfork’ went straight in to the top ten in the UK and in US, which was fantastic. I wasn’t expecting this book to generate so much interest, but it did.  So a big thank you to all who have bought it.

I finished the first draft of The Du Lac Devil (Book 2 of The Du Lac Chronicles), just the other day. I now face the not so pleasant task of re-writes and making sure the book is exactly how I want it to be, before I send it off to the editor. I will of course keep you posted as to the books progress. But I am aiming to release the book around fall.

I have loved every minute of writing The Du Lac Devil. I have enjoyed getting to know Merton du Lac better, and I was intrigued as to where the story was going to take me. I knew, before I wrote the first sentence of this book, how the story was going to end, but I left it up to Merton as to how I was going to get him there. I should have known better. He certainly threw some spanners into the works – I know this sounds totally mad, but at times he seemed to have control of this story – he would leave me gasping in shock, crying, “Merton! No, what are you doing?” Little good it did me, Merton always does what he wants. No wonder Budic isn’t talking to him!

Anyway, that is all for now. I hope you have a fantastic month - there is a lot going on in the blog this month, so be sure to keep an eye on it. 

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