TRIBESMAN by Paul Freeman

Tribesman

by Paul Freeman

This book is a must read for all Epic Fantasy lovers!

TRIBESMAN by Paul Freeman is an epic fantasy tale of a true warrior and an outcast, Culainn, who sets on a perilous journey in search of Cotterell the merchant’s daughter abducted by clansmen. In the lands he wanders Culainn is often prejudiced, people calling him Tribesman, which he considers an offence. There are a lot of things I enjoyed about this novel and first of all I’d like to say I enormously loved the main characters, Culainn and Persha (a woman Culainn saves from a group of villains on one occasion).

Paul Freeman is really great at characterization! Culainn makes a fantastic character. He is a strong, experienced warrior, blessed with the gift of sensing danger, yet haunted all the time by a dark goddess Morrigu, who is most often the sign of someone’s impending death. Culainn and Persha are together wandering the deserts, facing malevolent demons and other creatures that seek to kill whoever they find in their way. It’s a journey fraught with dangers and full of unpredictable twists and turns.

The book is filled with masterfully-written descriptions of the harsh and barren scenery. There are also quite a number of intense action-packed scenes here that are very visual and really well-done. This will especially appeal to action-oriented readers, I’m sure.  

I just can’t help admiring the author’s ability at writing such intense scenes as this one:

“Up close the creature’s hot and putrid breath assaulted him as it snapped its massive jaws. The claws on its hind legs ripped at his thighs, while the front paws pinned him to the ground. He needed both hands to prevent the creature from ripping out his throat, all the while his legs and torso were being torn to shreds. … He saw the blood-red eyes staring into his own and knew the beast was too powerful, his strength was failing fast. The creature shook its head violently from side to side in order to break free of his grip and get at him with its fangs. His muscles were beginning to burn from the agony of the demon’s ripping claws.”

There were also a few flashback scenes into Culainn’s childhood that helped relate to the warrior on a deeper level, and helped me get to know Culainn better. And it’s not only about him, I should say, but about the other characters as well.

I enjoyed Mr. Freeman’s manner of writing—it’s strong, mature, and just to the point. The scenes—especially the fight scenes—were very easy to visualize. It felt as if I were there, in the thick of the events. There were also a few romantic bits, not sickly sweet romantic, but appropriate for an epic fantasy book.

One of the parts of the book that I enjoyed the most was Culainn’s visit to Azral-Murbo, the city of the Dead, where he goes to save Persha. A great climax to the book!

To sum up, this is a must read for all fantasy lovers, especially those who enjoy epic fantasy! I look forward to future releases by this author!

THE BOOK’S DESCRIPTION

A warrior in exile seeks a path home.

Banished from his homeland, a warrior of the Northern Clans grows weary of life in a harsh, alien land.

With the dark god Morrigu haunting his dreams, and a desert princess as a companion, Culainn, a warrior and champion sets forth on a journey north in search of a merchant's daughter abducted by clansmen and taken back across the mountains. Through a land baked by a scorching sun, where bandits roam free and dark beasts stalk the night.
An ancient evil is rising from the desert. A Benouin myth of a ghost city inhabited by the souls of their ancestors, a bridge to the Underworld is unleashing demonic creatures on an unsuspecting world. Culainn and Persha, warrior and mage stand alone against a tide of darkness. All the while, Morrigu, the dark war god of the north seeks to use Culainn as her own tool, her own champion.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Paul Freeman is a warrior, adventurer, and zombie hunter. He is from Dublin, Ireland, where he now works, plays and writes. In the past he has lived in Germany and America but is now content to keep his roaming to the worlds he creates and writes about.

Tribesman is his first published novel. He has also published a short story in the steampunk anthology, Strange Tales From the Scriptorium Vaults. A horror book, Season of the Dead, written with three other writers will be published by Spore Press in spring 2013.

He is currently working on Book 2 in the Tribesman series.

Visit Paul Freeman’s Blog Here: http://tribesmanseries.blogspot.com/

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DOUBLES by Melissa Simonson

Terrific Debut Novel!

Doubles

by Melissa Simonson

This is, in my opinion, the best book in the Thriller genre that I’ve read in a few years. Melissa Simonson’s Debut Thriller/Horror DOUBLES is one of my recent finds, or better say, jewels. If you are a fan of thriller books, this one is a must read for you!

I never expected to love the book the way I did, and after reading page 1 of this Manuscript I went on and on and just couldn’t stop. I’m a slow reader in general, but with DOUBLES I just wanted to keep reading faster and faster as I really wished to find out what would happen next.

DOUBLES is a Thriller with elements of Horror, featuring a twenty-one-year-old Cameron kidnapped by a ruthless maniac, Sam Atwood. Cameron’s got a twin sister, Amy, who had been previously kidnapped by the same maniac, but who managed to escape him. Now that he’s got Cameron, Sam wants to have the twin, Amy, as well.

Writing a book with multiple Points Of View is always a tricky thing because it’s really hard to write one convincing POV, let alone a few, but I must say Melissa Simonson made the most of it. There’s Cameron’s POV that is given in the first person, and there are the others that are third-person narratives. I didn’t feel uncomfortable or confused about them. Each is recognizable, believable, relatable, which shows the author’s ability to create unique yet believable characters. Of all the POVs, I enjoyed Cameron’s and Sam Atwood’s POV the most, although the others were well-written as well.

Another point I’d love to mention is Melissa Simonson’s manner of writing. I’ve been immensely impressed by it. It is very visual, and I could clearly picture each scene in the book. The short chapters kept the pace fast throughout the book, which eventually made it into a highly engrossing book. It’s also remarkable how masterfully the author triggered my imagination to run wild. Let’s just take this scene that impressed me a great deal:

“We’d both needed a stiff drink, or several, when the man had disassembled Julia’s body the way my brother used to snap the limbs off my Barbie dolls when I was little. He didn’t do it in front of us, but we could hear him sawing through her bones, his frustrated grunts, and the sound of her blood spraying like the stream of a hose, ricocheting off the door of the basement.”

Although Cameron didn’t see Sam performing this ceremony, she could picture what he was doing, and so could I through her descriptions. It was amazing! The images just kept racing through my mind. It’s not easy to accomplish, but Melissa Simonson managed it!

When I started DOUBLES, it reminded me of Nicci French’s LAND OF THE LIVING. If you read French’s book and loved it, I think you should try out DOUBLES because you’ll enjoy it so much more. It’s without a doubt a 5-star book!

I can’t wait to read the next book by this author! 

the book’s description:

Cameron is twenty-one and drunk when she’s abducted after a homecoming party. She doesn’t know where she is, why this has happened to her, or anything about her new cellmate, Colin. She has time to figure it all out though—nothing but time.

Amy, Cameron’s twin, doesn’t think much of her sister’s disappearance. She’s got her own life to contend with. Since Cam has gone missing, Amy’s been the glue holding her family together, but she’s not bulletproof, and she can’t shake the feeling that she’s being watched.

Sam has too much anger, a penchant for blondes, and a fondness for voyeurism and electromagnetic shock. He’s good at hiding—not even his wife knows he’s a monster dressed in janitor’s clothing. Maybe that’s why he’s gotten away with his dark desires for so long.

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Visit Melissa Simonson’s page on Goodreads Here

Melissa Simonson’s Blog Here

THE BOOK OF THE FORSAKEN by Yannis Karatsioris

If you ask me, “What’s the most original fantasy you have ever read?” I will not even have to think, because the answer is: “The Book of the Forsaken” by Yannis Karatsioris. It’s the first book in “The Game” Series, and I’ve been lucky to read it when it was on its way to the top of Authonomy.com chart. If you love Fantasy, “The Book of the Forsaken” by Mr. Karatsioris is for you. If you love books with a unique voice, do not miss the chance to read this one.

The Book of the Forsaken
(The Game Series, Book #1)
by Yannis Karatsioris

A sarcastic storyteller traps three characters in his web in order to get hold of a special book. Daniel, Cassidy and Igor are three unique individuals, considered outcasts for different reasons. They are about to meet and stick together, as coincidences and forced situations lead them to a journey all around Europe. As everyone is after the Book of the Forsaken, the coming Game is about to take place on the dark side of the moon. But there is a cost to that knowledge. Let alone to the wish to partake.

a few words from the author: “What I tried to do here is write the story in 3rd person unlimited, which in the process is transformed into 1st person unlimited. It is 3rd person POV “included” in 1st person POV. All this wrapped up in witty storytelling and original ideas about old gods, vampires and werewolves (and the rest of them really).”

 

PRAISE FOR THE BOOK OF THE FORSAKEN

 HarperCollins Wrote:

“The text is engaging and the story is highly original. … Although unusual and definitely niche, I do feel that there is a market for this kind of book and the fact that this is a series would definitely be attractive to publishers who would see an opportunity to recruit fans over a long period.”

 Mary Fan wrote:

“Yannis keeps his writing crisp and to-the-point, wasting no words on flowery descriptions or lengthy monologues. The sparseness of the sentences coupled with the vividly imagined fantastical elements makes The Book of the Forsaken an exciting and fast-paced read.”

 Lambert Nagle wrote:

“Slick and sophisticated, witty and highly imaginative.”

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ALSO BY YANNIS KARATSIORIS

The Abyss Wars Saga (Book 1)

The Ten Arcane Traditions of the northern lands of Arnath gather to face an enemy moving in the shadows for thousands of years.

The One Council is being summoned once again long after its last appearance. Six sentient ones, who serve the purpose of the One Council, take on responsibilities that lead them to the eye of the cyclone of the war raging in every part of the north.

Imprisoned spirits, corrupt governments, dark assistants and powerful allies that turn into traitors: all force their way into the lives of the six mages, in a time when the world is the stake and results do matter.

a few words from the author: “In the beginning, it’s going to be one of the most burdening epic fantasies. It is a drag, a slow drag that will pick up when you least expect it (and most want it) and lead you in twisted ups and downs to an inspiring end. You will want more of the world of Arnath if you give the beginning a shot.”

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About the author

Yannis Karatsioris, Greek born and raised, is 29 years old and lives in Athens, Greece. He has already staged a play, published a fantasy novel in Greek and, after winning with The Book of the Forsaken the gold medal on HarperCollins’ competition on Authonomy.com, is now making his first steps in the publishing world out of Greece.
His tastes, dark and sarcastic, guide him to a style reminiscent of Neil Gaiman, Douglas Adams, Jonathan Stroud and Mikhail Bulgakov.

Visit Yannis’ Website Here: www.yanniskarats.com

Visit and Like Yannis’ Facebook Page Here: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Yannis-Karatsioris-Author/219293951499809?ref=ts&fref=ts