C Gockel Writes

Book Review: The Queen of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner

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Book Review: The Queen of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner

$1.99 on Amazon US & Canada September 11, 2023
Click for current price: Amazon US, Canada
(also available in United Kingdom, Germany, Australia)

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This isn’t really a review–it’s a heads up that this book is currently on sale in the U.S. I have read the entire series, and it is well worth your time. This is technically the second book in the series, but it can be read as a standalone.

Features authentic emotions and complex characters set in a mythological world reminiscent of ancient Greece. If you can’t get it at your favorite vendor, check your library. It is traditionally published, and a NYTimes Bestseller.

From the blurb:

Discover and rediscover the world of the Queen’s Thief, from the acclaimed novel The Thief to the thrilling, twenty-years-in-the-making conclusion, The Return of the Thief. The epic novels set in the world of the Queen’s Thief can be read in any order.

New York Times-bestselling author Megan Whalen Turner’s entrancing and award-winning Queen’s Thief novels bring to life the world of the epics and feature one of the most charismatic and incorrigible characters of fiction, Eugenides the thief. Megan Whalen Turner’s Queen’s Thief novels are rich with political machinations and intrigue, battles lost and won, dangerous journeys, divine intervention, power, passion, revenge, and deception. Perfect for fans of Leigh Bardugo, Marie Lu, Patrick Rothfuss, and George R. R. Martin.

The brilliant thief Eugenides has visited the Queen of Attolia’s palace one too many times, leaving small tokens and then departing unseen. When his final excursion does not go as planned, he is captured by the ruthless queen. The Queen’s Thief novels have been praised by writers, critics, reviewers, and fans and have been honored with glowing reviews, “best of” citations, and numerous awards, including the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, a Newbery Honor, the Andre Norton Award shortlist, and the Mythopoeic Fantasy Award. 

This edition of The Queen of Attolia includes “Knife Dance,” an exclusive story about Eugenides by Megan Whalen Turner, an introduction to the characters from the world of the Queen’s Thief, and a map of the world of the Queen’s Thief.

Book Review: Wolf’s Head (The Forest Lord Book 1) by Steven A. McKay

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Book Review: Wolf's Head (The Forest Lord Book 1) by Steven A. McKay

Click for current price: Amazon US, United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, Australia

I picked this very accessible retelling of the Robin Hood legend on recommendation of my author friend, Steve Beaulieu. I really enjoy the books from the time period, I respect Steve’s opinion, and I decided to take a chance.

The descriptions of the 1300s aren’t as detailed as in the Dooms Day Book (one of my favorite book of all time!) and Winter Pilgrims (also highly recommended.)

That said. I’m now three books in. The characters are very relatable, the tone upbeat, it’s very exciting, and the plot is fast paced, but with enough introspection to make me care.

If you’re looking for a rousing adventure in the middle ages, and a great retelling of Robin Hood, I recommend it.

Currently, Wolf’s Head is only available on Amazon. It is in Kindle Unlimited if you are a subscriber in that program.

Book Review: City of Storms (Nightmarked Book 1) by Kat Ross

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Featured Fantasy: City of Storms (Nightmarked Book 1) by Kat Ross

FREE as of April 16, 2023
Click for current price: Amazon US, United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, Australia

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C’s review: A delightfully complex blend of action, adventure, and romance in a unique fantasy setting. Think post-magic apocalypse “utopia.” If it has any flaw, it is that it might have been written in a serial style and the author wasn’t quite sure how to put the episodes together. The last 1/3 of the book could have been in book 2–erm, I may have had that issue before! It didn’t keep me from stopping at book 1, and I just bought book 3 last night.

Winner of the 2022 Readers’ Favorite Gold Medal! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

A city simmering with repressed urges…

A fallen angel bent on chaos…

And a conspiracy that could destroy them all.

Can one woman harness her own psychic power to stop it?

In a world with three layers of ever darker magic, few dare to wield the most dangerous. And those who try can fall prey to violent madness.

The Church keeps a tight leash on its citizens. It tests every child for psychological deviancy.

If you pass, you’re given a Mark. A tattoo that lets you use the ley power—and shields you from your most primal desires.

For the lucky ones, the world is at their feet. The rest suffer a life of menial jobs and hopelessness.

When tarot reader Kasia crosses paths with a young priest who hunts deviants, her own ugly secret is dragged into the light. Will they learn to trust each other in time to stop a greater evil from corrupting their world?

You’ll love the first book in this epic fantasy series because the lush weaving of intrigue, action and slow-burn romance will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Get it now.

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Book Reviews: Doomsday Book by Connie Willis

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Book Reviews: Doomsday Book by Connie Willis

$1.99 as of April 16, 2023 in United States
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(Also available in Canada, Australia, United Kingdom)

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Editor’s Note: This is one of my favorite books of all time. Sometimes darkly humorous, always heartfelt and engaging.

“A tour de force.”—The New York Times Book Review

Connie Willis draws upon her understanding of the universalities of human nature to explore the ageless issues of evil, suffering, and the indomitable will of the human spirit.

For Kivrin, preparing an on-site study of one of the deadliest eras in humanity’s history was as simple as receiving inoculations against the diseases of the fourteenth century and inventing an alibi for a woman traveling alone. For her instructors in the twenty-first century, it meant painstaking calculations and careful monitoring of the rendezvous location where Kivrin would be received.

But a crisis strangely linking past and future strands Kivrin in a bygone age as her fellows try desperately to rescue her. In a time of superstition and fear, Kivrin—barely of age herself—finds she has become an unlikely angel of hope during one of history’s darkest hours.

Book Review: Decision at Doona by Anne McCaffrey

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Book Review: Decision at Doona by Anne McCaffrey

Available at: Amazon US, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia

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This is a book of alien contact that I found charming … and charmingly dated in some ways! In the book the human settlers and members of an alien village get along just fine. Their respective governments, not so much.

Although the setup envisions populations on Earth that will likely never happen, the ennui of “captive” urban populations is prescient. Also, the desire for resources, and the human (and alien!) need for freedom and meaning.

Book Review (with caveats): Rogue Heroes: The History of the SAS, Britains Special Forces Unit That Sabotaged the Nazis and Changed the Nature of War by Ben Macintyre

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Book Review (with caveats): Rogue Heroes: The History of the SAS, Britains Special Forces Unit That Sabotaged the Nazis and Changed the Nature of War by Ben Macintyre

Available at: Amazon US, United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, Australia

Apple, Nook, Kobo, GooglePlay and your Public Library!

This book is greatly flawed with factual inaccuracies that make me want to give some people a stern talking too. It is also entertaining and informative if one reads between the lines.

I first became aware of Rogue Heroes through the BBC docuseries of the same name. It tells the adventures of the Brit’s guerrilla fighting force, the SAS, in the Sahara during WWII. The descriptions of the desert and the characters was very entertaining. However, watching it I was struck by something: the character of “Paddy” Maine the “mad Irishman” seemed to be not of a person, but of a stereotype of an Irish person. (In the U.S. the Irish are very accepted. Not so all over the world.)

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