Ancient Appetites

Ancient Appetites

By Oisin McGann

A really enjoyable story, with interesting characters, a sharp plot, and inventive fantasy elements.

Nate Wildenstern has enjoyed a life of privilege and extreme wealth. His family is ruled efficiently and ruthlessly by his father, as well as by a system of dark traditions - such as the Rules of Ascension, which determine how and when it is ok to murder a family member to improve your position as the next Heir.

All is going well for Nate, until his older brother Marcus is killed. Nate is forced back into the business-side of the family empire, he is accused of his brother’s murder, and he must forge new relationships with his remaining siblings and their partners. The major themes of family, grief, betrayal, murder and revenge are all well explored.

An atmospheric setting, strange creatures called engimals, and the reappearance of some ancient Wildenstern ancestors, all work to make this story quite an adventure.

The Portal

The Portal

By Andrew Norriss

William, aged 13, and his brother Daniel, aged 8, live a fairly ordinary life with their parents. But one day their parents disappear, and the two brothers learn very extraordinary things about their home, their parents and themselves.

This a very enjoyable book – Norriss writes with such humour and understanding of his young characters, and the story’s plot has touches of science-fiction, mystery, adventure and family drama.

William struggles to understand the disappearance of his parents, and is confused about how to help his younger brother cope. Friends of his parents offer him help and advice, but it is William himself who eventually solves the mystery. Mixed with this is the discovery that William’s dad was the Station Master for an intergalactic portal, and that he is expected to take over the role while his dad is missing, meeting and greeting visitors from other worlds.

A fun book, with an exciting story and interesting characters.

Viking Warrior

Viking Warrior

By Judson Roberts

A strong, violent, bloody story set in 9th century Denmark marks the first book in a new series titled The Strongbow Saga.

Young Halfdan, the main character and narrator, is a slave in his father’s house due to his illegitimacy. When his father is mortally wounded in battle, his mother makes a tragic sacrifice which frees Halfdan to be fully recognized by his half-brother and half-sister. Characters important to Halfdan, and his journey from slave to warrior, are richly drawn and are the key revealers of the minutiae of Viking life. Historical detail is so intimately interwoven into the story, making the time and place of the story believable and real.

The language of the story is beautifully done – Halfdan’s voice is a perfect mix of high fantasy, heroic sagas, Viking legends and enough contemporary to make for an ease of reading.

This is an incredibly violent tale though, set in cruel and violent times. Halfdan faces many trials and tragedies, some quite heartbreaking. The strength of his character is revealed in the way he copes and adapts and changes during his journey. This story is so much more than an historical adventure. So looking forward to the next in the series!

Marty's Shadow

Marty’s Shadow

Author: John Heffernan

Marty knows something is not right. There is something in his past that has left a shadow over his life. His nightmares, flashbacks and erratic behavior leave him fearful and confused. He wants to know what happened, just as much as he fears what that knowledge could mean.

This novel is difficult to read – not the prose though, which is unrelenting in it’s stark unveiling of Marty’s psyche – but in the sheer weight of the sorrows, traumas, fears and confrontations that Marty exists under. There’s the Event in his past, his alcoholic mother, abusive father, racial tensions in the town, cruel teachers, possible girlfriend, bullying at school, his pet dog, and his uncomfortable relationship with his brother. The way he deals with all this is shadowed by the Event in the past, which is slowly revealed in a series of Post Traumatic Stress induced flashbacks.

There’s brutal realism in this story; Heffernan takes Marty to the very edge of life, destroying everything Marty has ever clung to, leaving only a shadow behind. I found the ambiguity of the ending quite frightening – is his father, to continue to protect the secret from the past, actively working to ensure that Marty remains in his traumatized state? To me, that can be the only possible reason for the gift they take him…

A disturbing, engrossing read, that has left me thinking on its themes. And it’s left me wanting to read Marty’s brother’s story now, wanting to know his experience of his family, his town, his brother.