Thursday 7 January 2016

The Reaper - Twin Worlds Trilogy, Vol 3 (Dominic H. King) in One Thousand Words

Today One Thousand Worlds welcomes back a long time friend and supporter of this blog, Dominic H. King, with The Reaper, the brilliant conclusion to his Twin Worlds Trilogy. If you missed his earlier features on this site you can still check out Vol 1 The Chamber and Vol 2 The Black Gate.


The Reaper - Synopsis

"This is the end; the final reckoning. We are now at the crossroads of all that has gone before. For this world, the sun will rise or it will set. It is you against him; for one of you, there is no tomorrow." - Juquor.
Kal and Daine escaped through the Black Gate in the stone troll city of Urth to find themselves back in Kal's world in an abandoned fort in the middle of the ocean, the Reaper and his deadly arrochom hot on their heels.
Kal meets old friends and foes as he battles his way back from slavery to reach Murucia in a bid to see his father again. Daine is lost, trying to make sense of her life an assassin, caught between her father and her mother who sit on opposite sides of the war. And all the while, the Reaper is gathering an army to end the war he started a generation before.
Salvation or damnation awaits.

The Reaper is the thrilling conclusion to the Twin Worlds trilogy, an epic tale of swords and sorcery; travel and adventure; love and loss; good and evil. But most of all, a tale of adolescence and growing up.


Meet the author-

Dominic was born in Bath, UK in 1982. 

He is the author of the Twin Worlds trilogy that follows Kal and Daine in their epic battle against the Reaper. The first two instalments, The Chamber (2012) and The Black Gate (2013), were published in 2012 and 2013 respectively. Dominic cites writers such as Tolkien, Pullman, Martin and Bernard Cornwell and time spent in China, India, Nepal and Latin America as his major inspirations.


Sports-mad he aspires to greatness as a football, cricket, rugby, hockey, golf and squash player, but has to settle with mediocrity. He has been more successful at charity challenges including the Blenheim Triathlon, the 3 Peaks Challenge and the London Dragon Boat race.


He works as an in-house economist at a global consultancy for whom he has written over 100 reports on the world economy. He lives in London with his Mexican wife Liz (and, from October, daughter Elena).





Section 1.i (Kal)

He floated in darkness, drifting soundlessly across an invisible current. There was no time before this, no time after this. The present was all and it consumed him, pressing down, suffocating him, enveloping him in a thick black shroud. He did not breathe; he did not move; he merely existed.
But I do more than exist; I live.
The thought tore through the darkness like a streak of lightening, illuminating a path to a slit in the dark cloak that surrounded him and he willed his being towards it. At first, it resisted, holding him in its ethereal embrace, but he pushed harder and harder until it relented. The gap grew larger and the brightness so intense that he wished he could avert his gaze; but he was not looking through eyes. As he passed through the slit, the darkness fell away. Now there was only light.
He blinked.
The light was intense and he closed his eyes quickly. He lay face down on a hard surface. Small stones dug gently into his palms, chest and hips, and his back burned hot but he did not roll over. Sounds flittered down from around him but something inside, a deep instinct, told him not to make any sudden movements. He heard rough shouts and calls in a language he could not decipher that seemed to be getting louder.
I cannot just lie here.
He opened his eyes again, blinking furiously as the light bore into his skull. Squinting ahead, he could see a curved stone wall with four layers of arched walkways stretching up into a bright blue sky. It had clearly once been a magnificent piece of architecture but there was an overriding sense of decay about the place. The masonry was cracked and chipped, and more than one of the arches had buckled. The circular courtyard in which he lay alternated between baked earth and dusty stone. Small clumps of weeds grew up from the patches of earth, like brown snakes, their skin flaking, climbing up the first tier of arches. Many of the paving stones had been torn up, as though someone had been looking for a way out, although nothing but dark rock was exposed beneath.
He froze as a deep groan came from somewhere behind him.
What the hell was that?
He turned his head as slowly as he could, trying to make the motion as smooth as possible. A girl lay next to him, wearing a black suit that covered her from head to toe. Her face was turned away from him and a wooden quarterstaff was strapped to her back.
I know her.
He reached out a hand to touch hers but froze as a shout echoed around the courtyard. It was followed by another and dark shapes flitted between the columns, their voices more agitated now.
Kal knew who he was now. He pushed off the ground and gripped the girl by the shoulders.
Her name is Daine. And I have to get her out of here.



Section 1.ii (Daine)

She felt a great wrench; a sharp tug from an immeasurable distance that jerked her backwards. The darkness around her trembled and then it was still.
Something is trying to break in. Or break me out.
Another great wrench, this time more insistent causing her black shroud to shudder and then crack. A bright light pierced the gloom and she soared towards it. She heard a voice, hard and rough in her ear. Her fingers grazed against a hard surface and she tried to open her eyes, but the light seeping through was blinding. The voice again, more conciliatory; warning her of something. A firm pressure across her stomach.
Then the ground moved.
She rose away from the hard surface, bent in two at the waist. Her face collided with something softer, rebounding away, then bouncing back. There was no strength in her body. Urgent shouts and calls echoed around her but she could not make out the tongue. The air had a salty cleanliness that stung her nostrils, but it was tinged with mild decay and the musty sweat of the person carrying her which was somehow familiar. A wave of cold air washed over her just as a great roar erupted from somewhere overhead, followed by the sound of wood splintering. The light was weaker here and when she was felt the touch of cold stone on her legs and back, she opened her eyes to find herself in the corner of a cell, some ten paces square. Ahead of her, a figure dressed from head to toe in black was dragging the remnants of what might once have been a bed across the only entrance. His long blonde hair hid his face but as he succeeded in partially blocking the doorway, he turned to face her.
Her eyes snapped wide open.
I know you.
“Daine...” he began.
But she could already feel her grip on the room slipping away. He grabbed her face between his hands but his touch was little more than a gentle stroke like the breeze on her cheeks.
“...you have to fight it. Stay with me...”
His face swayed as the room about her pitched and buckled. She was being sucked backwards into her mind. Her brain whirred, the cogs of recognition spinning faster and faster.
The boy’s face split into a thousand different images.
And she was drowning.



Available to buy from Amazon

Links:

·         Website
·         Twitter
·         Goodreads






Tuesday 8 December 2015

James & the Dragon - The Farloft Chronicles (Theresa Snyder) in One Thousand Words

So One Thousand Worlds is alive and kicking, and back up and running. To get the ball rolling again, I'm reposting the first ever feature from September 2013 which welcomed Theresa Snyder to One Thousand Worlds. Theresa was the first author to showcase her work in one thousand words and has since become a great supporter of  this blog. So if you haven't already, take a sneak peek at the opening of James & the Dragon (The Farloft Chronicles).


James & the Dragon-
What would you do if you were adopted by a dragon? When ten-year-old orphan James nearly drowns in a bog, he finds himself rescued by Farloft, a centuries-old dragon with a glittering collection of treasures and an even richer collection of stories. But, dragons and boys are not meant to live together – or are they? When Laval – a wizard harboring a secret hatred for Farloft finds out about James, he sees his chance for revenge.


About this author-

Theresa has worked as restaurant hostess, zoo keeper, dog groomer, professional make-up artist, dispatcher, jeweler, bookstore owner, legal assistant, retail manager, marketing coordinator and print shop supervisor among other things. She used to say, “The only thing I haven’t done is go to jail and be a nun.” A few years ago she did make-up for a documentary in the state penitentiary. At this stage of her life, she feels it is more likely she will be a renowned author then become a nun. She hopes you all follow her on her quest to fulfill that dream.





Chapter One

-THE DRAGON-
Farloft, the dragon, had been living in this region for centuries. Once a friend of man, over the years he had become shunned. Now he lived quietly in his mountain top retreat - an observer rather than a participant in the lives of humans.

Farloft sat on his rocky perch above the entrance to his lair, his piercing golden eyes following the approaching wizard.

The cold morning air had no effect on a dragon for he felt neither hot nor cold. His observation of Laval began early this morning. He first caught sight of the wizard through the fog on the valley floor as he emerged from the forest below out onto the plain. The human would need another hour or so to wind his way up the path to the cave.

Farloft flexed his iridescent green wings in the morning sun that caressed the mountain top - his wing span as large as any sail on the ships at sea. His massive claws bit at the stone of the ledge to keep him from involuntarily taking flight. He wanted to hunt this morning, but with the wizard's pending arrival his stomach would have to wait.

Farloft's last experience with Laval was a most unpleasant memory. The dragon did not intend to leave his lair unguarded. He gave only a momentary thought to flying down to meet the wizard, than thought better of it.

Best to sit and wait.

Best he let the wizard come to him.

Best to be on your own ground when dealing with someone that could not be trusted.

Chapter Two

- THE WIZARD -

Laval rode steadily on in the bitter cold. Only an escaped lock of his long, raven black hair and his crooked nose could be seen from the depths of his crimson colored robes. He was a man on a mission. 

The King always kept a ‘master wizard,’ as his father and his grandfather before him. No one could remember how Laval came to be at court or how long he had been there. It was as if the kingdom had never been without his powerful magic. The wizard was the King’s most trusted advisor. His magic struck fear in those that were his enemies, and awe in those few that were his friends.

The road took Laval through the sparse countryside. Nothing had grown well this past year, not crops or children. The young and the elderly had been the first to die of the plague. The villagers had been hardest hit. The King had closed the castle to visitors at the first sign of plague and therefore kept the ruling class free of the disease. But, beyond the walls of the castle, the land and its people were barren and cold.

As Laval approached yet another village he noticed the vacant, hungry look of the people as they peered out their doors or looked up from what duties could not be ignored that brought them out in the bitter cold. He heard the sound of the mucus filled coughs that accompanied those that were bound to die from this horrible plague. He reflexively pulled his cowl up higher from around his neck to over his mouth and nose. No sense taking chances. There were thatched roof houses in this village with no signs of life – no smoke from the chimneys – no coughing – only silence.

Laval steadily urged his mount forward. A peasant rose up from nowhere and grabbed his leg above the leather of his boot.

“Somethin’ for the children? A crust of bread?” he begged, as he walked beside the wizard’s steed.

Laval knew better than to give into the man. If he gave to this poor wretch, he would be mobbed by all who saw he had anything to give. He pushed the man away with his booted foot, almost knocking him to the ground even though the push had been light. The man was that weak.

“I have nothing to give.” He spurred his horse and rode on through the village at a trot.

Laval looked back. He could remember when that place had been full of laughing children with round faces. Now there were only the sights and sounds of death. This past spring and summer during the long months that the plague ravaged the land, he had worked all his considerable magic to stop the spread of the disease. But, it was no use. The people continued to die.

Laval’s mission was to obtain a portion of the wing from Farloft the dragon. Combining the magic within that wing with his own considerable wizard's magic, he was sure he could create a potion that would stop the ravaging disease. Dragon’s wings were known for their healing power.

Even with Laval’s considerable skills, it had taken over a week to locate the dragon’s lair. The last time he had seen the dragon was years ago when he was wizard to the former King. Dragon and wizard had exchanged heated words over an error of judgment on Laval’s part, he was sure Farloft would remember. Dragons had excellent memories. That past transgression would make it difficult to convince the dragon to give up the needed portion of his wing.

Laval rode on for the rest of the day. He fought his way through the dense forest at the edge of the kingdom and emerged below the western ridge where the dragon’s lair perched on the highest peak. It would take him another hour, a least, to reach Farloft. The wizard pulled his heavy robe tighter around his lean frame. He hunched lower in his saddle against the bitter wind through the valley he must cross to the mountain heights.



Where to buy James & the Dragon:

Books Available on Amazon / Smashwords / CreateSpace / Google play

Where to connect with Theresa Snyder:

Website: www.TheresaSnyderAuthor.com





“Scifi reminiscent of Isaac Asimov and Robert Heinlein”

“Paranormal like a breath of fresh air in a genre that has become formatted”

“Fantasy beautifully written with complex characters that children to adults can appreciate”

“Memoirs that are heartwarming, funny and soothing to the spirit”

One Thousand Worlds is back!

The title says it all. After a very long period of inactivity, I'm delighted to say that One Thousand Worlds in One Thousand Words is back in the business of supporting and promoting fantasy and sci-fi writers. Hopefully the first feature will be out within a week, so if you want a piece of the action check out the submission page.

Tuesday 15 April 2014

One Thousand World Interview with Mark Boyd

 One Thousand Worlds is delighted to welcome back Mark Boyd, who showcased the first one thousand words of his debut novel, The Prophecyhere last month. The Prophecy is the first book in his trilogy, A Dragon's Tale.


Tell us about The Prophecy.

The Prophecy is the first book of ‘A Dragons Tale’ trilogy. It sets the storyline and introduces the dragon/human element of the trilogy.
To backtrack, Mishmakon, The Dragon King is the third book. The Dragon King is born of human/elven/dragon blood and unites the races in the final battle for control over life or death of the world. 
The Prophecy tells of this foretelling and of its initiation with the love between Anaterri (a blue dragon in human form) and Prince Leandro Sargovia. There are those that fervently seek to stop this union before it goes any further and thus the story is told.        

How many books have you written?  

The Prophecy was the first and I have just completed Book 2, The Book of Genevieve.

What are you working on at the moment?    

The Book of Genevieve is now in the final editing stages and should be released, April 2014. I have already started writing on the third and final book of the trilogy, Mishmakon, The Dragon King.

What are the most important attributes to remaining sane as a writer?  

Patience, humility and a dedication to your reader base tends to keep one sane.  Also listening to and trusting in where your story is coming from.  A must is also trusting that the Universe will deliver all of that when it is required.

How much impact does your childhood have on your writing?    

A lot. I lived in a fantasy world much of my young adult life. It was easy to get lost in books when my world was not going well. It opened my mind to universe’s and realms to discover and conquer.

What was the greatest thing you learned at school?

Making out with girls, you asked.

  
If you could meet any of your own characters, who would it be?    

It would have to be Anaterri, a female blue dragon that chooses to live in human form. When she came to my mind, she was my ultimate fantasy for a partner, loving, sexy, tough, intelligent, beautiful, and a healer.

Do you have a favorite character among the ones you've invented?   

I would say Leto Sargovia is my favorite at this point.

What do you want to be when you grow up?

I can let you know...if I ever decide to grow up.

If you could trade places with any other person for a week, famous or not famous, living or dead, real or fictional, with whom would it be?  
Gandhi.

What do you think about when you are alone in your car?  

Why are all these idiots on their cell phones? Get a clue people.


What song best describes your work ethic?    

Wow, this is a tough one but the first song that came to my mind was Free Bird by Lynard Skynard. I love the idea that I am free to write, free to publish at my discretion and free to speak my story. My mentor, Terri Valentine, an award winning romance author told me to never let an editor take my voice away. The traditional world of publishing has been bogged down with so many self interests that it will soon be a dying breed. Right now, it’s better to be a Free Bird.


Where you can purchase The Prophecy:


Connect with Mark Boyd:

Thursday 10 April 2014

Jason's Indie Review - Fiona Skye's "Faerie Tales" on One Thousand Worlds

Faerie Tales


Faerie Tales is the first book of the "Revelations" trilogy by Fiona Skye.  Ms. Skye can be found on Twitter (@FionaSkyeWriter), Google+ (+Fiona Skye) or at her blog (http://fiona-skye.com/).  I met her on Twitter and she gave me a copy of Faerie Tales for an honest review.  You can find the book on Amazon (http://amzn.to/1imESg0).

Faerie Tales was featured on One Thousand Worlds in February 2014. You can read that post here.

Riley O'Rourke is a werejaguar responsible for exposing the world of the Preternatural to the rest of Humanity. But not all the things that go bump in the night are happy with the new world order.

The Queen of the Winter Court, a cruel and vicious faerie, is determined to punish Riley for her role in the Night of Revelations and sends some of the nastiest storybook characters imaginable after her.

Salvation comes from the Summer Queen, who asks Riley to steal a magical artifact from the Winter Queen, a mirror that will determine the winner in the eternal war between the Fae Courts. Riley's reward for returning the mirror is the protection of the Summer Court.

Joining Riley on this quest are her mentor, a 3,000-year-old vampire, and Riley's lover, a federal law enforcement agent with a secret of his own.

Their successful completion of this quest has unexpected consequences that could doom the entire world.


Fiona Skye writes well in Faerie Tales.  She has a sharp command of language, and the book comes across well edited.  I was impressed with how Ms. Skye's prose flows throughout the book. 

As I read this book, I most enjoyed the way Ms. Skye intertwines several different types of modern fantasy details into the novel.  There are were-creatures (not just wolves either, but many animal types), vampires, faeries, and magicians.  Magic exists, both old and new.  Ms. Skye takes the time to mix various real life myths and superstitions into one universe, and I found it worked to move the story along.

The book is written in the first person, from Riley's point of view.  It makes sense then, when Riley transforms, so does the author's writing style.  The character changes to something more primal and instinctual, no longer concerned with telling a story.  The glimpses of "Jaguar's" motivations and understanding of the world added to Riley's own emotions about being a preternatural.

If there was one part of the book I had trouble connecting with, it is with Riley and her romantic relationships.  As a man married most of my adult life, I could not relate to Riley in this regard.  Riley struggles with her feelings toward a love interest throughout the book.  Still, Ms. Skye spends ample time explaining Riley's troubled past, which helps put Riley's struggles into perspective. 

I wonder if in the future Riley will come to realize some of her issues with relationships are actually based in how the character approaches relationships and sexuality in the first place.  It would be interesting to see her grow in this regard in future books, and not fall into some sort of "love conquers all" simple solution.

While the book is a little slow to build up to the action, I was satisfied in the end.  I felt the book successfully sets up the world in which Riley lives and builds the necessary tensions and antagonists that will take the trilogy forward into book two.

I am excited to see how Fiona Skye continues the Revelations Trilogy.  She most impressed me with her clean writing style and ability to intertwine a number of disparate elements into a cohesive world. 

I recommend Faerie Tales to anyone looking for a modern fantasy tale of magic and preternatural action with a little romance thrown in, and look forward to seeing more of Ms. Skye's work in the future.