Tales of Wythenwood by J.W. Hawkins; Bedlam Trances by Nicholas Wagner; Two Anthologies Reach the Dark Side of Human and Animal Nature

 

Tales of Wythenwood by J.W. Hawkins; Bedlam Trances by Nicholas Wagner; Two Anthologies Reach the Dark Side of Human and Animal Nature 

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews 

Spoilers: I have been reviewing a lot of anthologies this year. If you can't say it in a long novel, say it in a short story or novella and these authors do. Do they ever. 

Aside from being speculative anthologies J.W. Hawkins’ Tales of Wythenwood and Nicholas Wagner’s Bedlam Trances would have very little in common. Tales of Wythenhood is a fantasy about talking animals in an enchanted woods and Bedlam Trances is a Supernatural Horror and Crime Thriller about creepy people doing creepy things. But if we dig deeper, we discover that these books have a great deal in common. They are bleak looks that explore the dark side of human and animal nature. One is just more subversive about it than the other.

Tales of Wythenwood by J.W. Hawkins may be an anthology about talking animals, but don’t for a second think that it’s anything like Charlotte’s Web or Beatrix Potter. Think less Charlotte’s Web and more Animal Farm. Less Beatrix Potter and more Watership Down. Less Mickey Mouse and more Maus. It’s a very dark, at times disturbing and graphic fantasy novel that personifies animals with human traits and not very pleasant ones. Many of the traits that the flora and fauna represent include prejudice, avarice, wrath, vanity, aggressiveness, hatred, and vengeance. It is not some sweet adorable romp in the forest. Instead it is a commentary on human nature and it is forthright, savage, cruel, terrifying, beautiful, and captivating.

There are six stories total and the best are:

“Gerald the Mangy Fox”-What could be a decent variation of “Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer” where a misfit who is judged by their appearance becomes a hero by helping the people who insulted them instead becomes much more subversive and yet somehow more honest.

Gerald is insulted by other animals, particularly the other foxes because they have beautiful coats and his is covered in mange. The foxes are also facing conflicts with the Great Oak, who is the leader of the Wythenwood. They resent having to give back to the forest what they take from it. Gerald, angry at the other fox’s treatment, starts a chain reaction that affects himself and the other foxes.

Gerald is reminiscent of human outcasts, people who are turned away by others because of their appearance or place of origin. Gerald, like many, grows to resent the treatment that he has been given to the point that he wants bad things to happen to his tormentors and doesn't care if they inadvertently happen to him. He is filled with anger and regret towards those who made him miserable. It makes him an outsider but it also makes him understandable.

We have all had situations like that where we were scapegoated and treated horribly like others. Better people often forgive them and work towards positive things in spite of or because of that derision. Most people to be honest simmer with anger and justifiable hurt. They hurt us so we want to hurt them back. Gerald is like that to the point that he makes deals with wolves and the Great Oak to get even with the other foxes. 

The final pages drip with irony as the results are not what any of the characters expected. It shows a reversal of beauty and ugliness where true natures are shown and exposed. It becomes a test of honesty, kindness, and mercy which reveal the appearance of the souls underneath. 

“The Fall of the Orchid Copse”-This story takes a strange but meaningful look at interconnectivity within countries and how much people claim independence but we are often linked by economic, political, and social interdependence. No one truly stands alone. People buy and sell goods and services. We live off of each other’s work and survive because of those connections.

Some animals of Wythenwood live in the Orchid Copse which is a specific part of the woods that operates by its own laws and regulations. It’s the time of year when the animals of Orchid Copse must decide which one of three animals, selected by the Great Oak herself, will be the leader of the Copse and whether the Copse is to remain an independent area or become a complete part of Wythenwood. 

This novella represents the way various nations are formed and the struggle that many face to become an independent country to themselves or to remain with a larger one and if so which one. There are many questions and arguments made by the various characters whether this is a flawed system or one that works. It doesn’t give any easy answers and allows the characters and Readers to decide for themselves.

Most of this story is seen through the eyes of Sriya, a fiery mongoose that questions this system that she has been given. She wants to know whether choosing only animals that are selected by the Great Oak is a real choice or whether it’s just the appearance of a choice. Is the Great Oak a dictator, an apathetic disinterested leader, or a loving parent watching her children? What does the Orchid Copse gain from maintaining its own complete autonomy from the Great Oak and what does it have to lose? 

Sriya represents the rebel, the one who recognizes the flaws in the system and has the passion to fight against and change it. When a violent action takes place, she is able to gather enough interest and a following for the Copse citizens to seriously consider breaking away from the Great Oak. But it comes at a great cost to their own freedom and security. 

Because it is based on the Hong Kong Umbrella Revolution of 2014, it also recounts what happens when rebellion falters and asks whether idealistic ideas are enough to sustain a community. It’s all well and good to break away from a government, but if there isn’t anything substantial to back it up and an actual plan in place, ideals and arguments are all that remains. 

“The Artfulness of Stupidity “-With all of the sweeping themes of politics, prejudice, and other important issues, Tales of the Wythenwood doesn’t lose sight of capturing good characters inside their fur and feathers. This is a particularly strong character driven piece in the anthology. 

In a colony of beavers, everyone does their part to build their dams and contribute to their community, everyone except Indoli. His outsider status, avaricious manipulative nature, and his insistence on obfuscating stupidity ends up causing problems for everyone in the woods, especially the beavers and himself.

Indoli, similar to Gerald and Sryia is also an outsider but unlike his appearance and his ideals, it is Indoli’s personality that makes him different. Instead of doing the hard work of his fellow beavers, he prefers to scheme and manipulate others. He plays dumb but is actually very clever in seeing problems and potential solutions. 

He is the type that knows where to point and put others in certain directions to acquire his own benefits, retain his own sense of leadership, or sometimes just to get even with others. He is a character who in other stories would become an outright villain. He could be reminiscent of corporate CEO’s or oligarchs who become wealthy not from their own merits, but from the labor of others. They control things from behind the scenes and are so drunk on their own power that they would rather hurt others, even if it means destroying all that they have worked for. They don’t see the danger that could backfire on them and in destroying others, they ultimately destroy themselves.

There is another possibility of Indoli’s character, one that is more positive towards him.Hawkins subverts those expectations of making Indoli a full villain by giving him certain character strengths and also a son, Pickwick whom he truly loves. Instead of being seen as a symbol of corruption and manipulation, he could also be seen as creative. He has a different mindset from those around him that causes him to function differently from the rest of the colony. He may not fit in, not because he chooses not to but because he can’t. This mindset allows him to come up with creative solutions that could be beneficial to the other beavers if they were implemented. Those traits that Indoli has gives him the ability to think and act differently, but also keeps him away from everyone else.

One of Indoli’s most positive characteristics is his love for his son, Pickwick. The young beaver is Indoli’s main confidant and sees the more vulnerable side that he keeps hidden from others. The two are at odds with Indoli’s means and methods, but they are still devoted as father and son. Pickwick doesn’t see a corrupt influence or an iconoclastic eccentric. He just sees his father. Likewise, Indoli doesn’t see a disappointment or one of the mindless herd working on the colonies. He sees his son. He gives Pickwick the love that he often felt was denied him by the rest of the colony and the Wood.

Bedlam Trances by Nicholas Wagner Bedlam Trances by Nicholas Wagner is familiar territory to the blog. It involves graphic horror in many different forms. Most of the stories focus on manipulation and control. One party uses violence and threats in their greatest extremes to control another. There is a feel of unease in each story as the truly violent means are executed and characters are left with broken lives, minds, hearts, and souls.

“Crown of Switchblades”-This story combines crime thriller with psychological horror and does both genres rather well. A criminal gang is caught up in a war between their employer and another upstart. What starts out as a crime spree of violence, public property damage, drunkenness, and debauchery becomes much darker as they run into a strange, morbid, and terrifying cult. 

“Crown of Switchblades” runs on two tracks and because of that the tone is drastically different. The first part is a black comedy along the lines of the Italian Job, Lock, Shock, and Two Smoking Barrels, or any Quentin Tarantino film. It consists of seedy characters having clandestine meetings, bodies tumbling out of cars, and plenty of f bombs shouted by no-hopers. It’s a grim but weirdly comic situation as the gang, particularly the main protagonist, Doss hit spots like pubs and football clubs as though they were just having a Lad’s Night Out rather than breaking the law on behalf of their leader. 

The story then takes a severe turn into something else as Doss and his cronies end up farther away from their city environment into a rural area dotted with abandoned buildings and metal sculptures called the pipe men. They then encounter the people behind the pipe men, a cult who is looking for someone called “The Prophet.” 

Once Doss encounters the cult, he is put in a situation in which he is not prepared. Before he and his friends were able to face these conflicts. They can deal with crime bosses, drug deals, and the occasional violent act. But this cult isn’t like that, they have darker purposes. They have no motives and they don’t care who fits their vision. They want to fulfill it and they draw Doss in a way that is incredibly bone chilling and ominous.

““The Tragic Events Befalling Lizaveta”-The darkness that these stories encounter carries over into the Medieval Era as Oresetes, a monk investigates some strange happenings in a monastery after a novitiate turns up dead. 

The murder mystery is effective as Oresetes and his superior, Wittelsbach investigate the murder and the various leads. The setting of the monastery is deceptively described in the first page which features children playing. It gives the impression of a good kind giving place which welcomes all. But the more that the protagonists visit the cold austere stone walls and the monks keeping secrets, the more an ugly side resonates. 

Things become more apparent when they enter an area called “The Hurting Place.” In a few pages, the secrets are revealed in a bloody violent confrontation. It shows the ancient outdoor Pagan subconscious inside the Gothic indoor Christian surface. It says that inside many law-abiding seemingly upright pillars of the community hides souls that seethe with wrath, sexuality, violence, anger, and hypocrisy.

“Notes from the Yucatan”-This is a very short story which makes the most of its setting to show the eerie sense of dread when one is out on an unfamiliar landscape and how it mirrors the dark souls that inhabit it. The Narrator is searching for a man named Sir Reginald with the help of a guide, Bartholomew. 

The setting has many descriptions of sinister trees, ruins, particularly pyramids, and harsh rain. It seems like the end of the world where someone is listening to every sound and seeing every shape and is in fear of what could be out there, whether it is animal or human. Whatever it is, it is coming for you. Worst of all, the body could be thrown somewhere and never be found.

The fear and paranoia in the setting is mirrored in the behavior of the characters that surround it. It  is like an Edgar Allen Poe story in which the Reader explores the Narrator’s fractured psyche and we see the violence in the main character is just as prominent as it is without. If anything it was even greater within the Narrator. He is not acting out of any motive or or reason. He is violent for violence’s sake, almost like a force of nature around him.

“Hecato’s Dream”-This story takes us to the decline of the Roman Empire.Two guards, Hecato and Rufus chase after an assassin and come face to face with their own mortality. 

This is set towards the end of an era and that is felt throughout the story. There are discussions about Gauls, invading armies, cults springing up, and lawlessness. The Empire that maintained such a wide control over various nations is on its way out the door. With that decline became a decline of structure, rules, regulations, defense things people like Hecato and Rufus were familiar with but had long taken for granted. 

Now during these times, bloody crimes occur but not in a way that feels justifiable or understandable, not for any specific reason. It is because there is no structure and the one that remains is so fatigued by the forces outside that they don’t care about the struggles within. If there are no laws, no one can be punished. If no one can be punished, there is no fear of being caught. Hecato and Rufus’ world is crumbling so they are taking what they can. They know that their time is short, just like that of the Empire and the only thing that they have left is their own violent avaricious angry urges that need to be satisfied. Once those are spent, they truly meet their ends in an afterlife in which they know but can’t accept that an inevitable end is coming. 

“Ceremony”- This story covers similar ground with “Crown of Switchblades” in which a seemingly badass group is undone by a supernatural presence and all of their braggadocio becomes a joke, whereas “Crown of Switchblades” excels in a shift in tone. “Ceremony” excels in dark comedy dialogue. Declyn, an investigator, is looking into  the rock group “The Raging Bastards. His lover, Misty, who is involved with not only him but the three guys in the group is his main contact. Declan’s time with the Raging Bastards begins with plenty of sex, drugs, and rock and roll and ends with blood, guts, and terror, especially after Misty disappears.

The key advantage is the dialogue. Many characters dance around the truth with plenty of strong language, sexual overtones, and violent metaphors. Many of the phrases like when Bastards member, La Roe sarcastically describes the group as “tree huggers preaching peace and love” brings ironic smirks. Other comments like “If I had your eyes, I’d drive us off a cliff” carry an edge of suspense undertones hidden inside the dark comedy overtones.

One of the more interesting aspects of the dialogue is the amount of foreshadowing. After the story is over, it’s worth going back and putting together the tantalizing clues that the characters dance around. The constant references to blood, animals, violence, and aggressiveness spill some of the tea before the entire kettle is knocked over. There are also warnings when people tell Declan that he should stay away and that he doesn’t want to know what Misty and the Bastards are up to. It’s one of those stories that lays the plot in front of you so when you go back and reread it, you think, “Of course, it was there all along!” 

The violence is graphic but detached in a way that makes it more grotesque or comic than scary. The moment when Declan reaches the truth is dripped in irony and gore. The final line is blunt in violence that comes out of nowhere leaving Readers to sort out the aftermath.

Weekly Reader: The Cat With Three Passports by C.J. Fentiman; Sweet Travel Book With Plenty of Cat-itude

 

Weekly Reader: The Cat With Three Passports by C.J. Fentiman; Sweet Travel Book With Plenty of Cat-itude

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews

Spoilers: As anyone who has a cat knows: cats are the true rulers of any household and we humans are simply their over glorified servants. How often do cats demand just that specific brand of cat food and turn their nose up at any other substitutes? How often do they swat their paws at any other pet that gets into their territory or give their humans  imperial stares to remind them who’s in charge? How often do cats turn their backs to be left alone but will sit on our laps or keyboards right at the most inopportune moments to get attention? My personal favorite is when a cat designates a specific human as their “Official Human Mattress” so they can sleep on them all night while their human servant underneath struggles to be comfortable with a five to ten pound weight laying on their hips or legs. Yes, cats are something else: independent, fussy, quirky, argumentative, but somehow lovable and adorable. 

C.J. Fentiman’s The Cat With Three Passports is a lovely book for any cat lover or owner uh I mean servant. It details Fentiman’s life in Japan when after a time of fruitless wandering and searching for meaning, she finds it in a new country with her partner and an excitable bundle of feline fur and nonstop energy.

Fentiman’s first time in Japan was in her mind a disaster. She and her partner, Ryan, were hired to teach English in one of the largest multi language schools in Osaka. What she hoped for was an opportunity to get to know the city, interact with students, and find some purpose. What she got instead was a dehumanized approach to education which lumped Fentiman with the other “Anglo” teachers, remote teaching without connecting with the students, and a school whose administration practically owned her time away from campus. Fentiman wrote that she and Ryan didn’t stay even a week before they packed their bags and returned to their native England. Unfortunately, Fentiman was beginning to realize that running away was a distinct pattern in her life from a troubled youth in England, to Australia, then to Japan. She realized that she wasn’t looking for something so much as she was constantly leaving at the first sign of trouble. 

As she describes it she and Ryan were “lured back to Japan by two cats.” Feeling guilty about leaving so quickly, Ryan and Fentiman found another opportunity to teach English in a more remote location Hida-Takayama, about 312 km north of Osaka. As if the fact that there would be more human interaction wasn’t enough of a draw, what really turned them around was the fact that their potential apartment was housed by two cats. The former owners had to leave and they couldn’t find anyone to take care of their small gray kittens, so Fentiman and Ryan found new teaching opportunities and two furry roommates named Iko and Niko (one and two in Japanese). Iko, the cuddler, and Niko, the timid one, made their human’s lives more colorful and friendlier as they adjusted to their new lives of working and living in a foreign country.

Iko and Niko were great companions and stress relievers for their humans. When Fentiman hit a rough patch in her teaching, she considered once again packing up and leaving but one look at those two precious faces gave her anchors to remain, smooth out the edges, and work alongside the students, staff, and community.

After she chose to remain in Hida-Takayama, Fentiman found another responsibility. Ryan rescued a small kitten from trying to cross a busy street. The couple took the little guy home and he became a permanent fixture in the household. The couple originally had a hard time introducing their new little friend to his future roommate and adjusting to the new apartment. At first the couple tried to lure him out with toys which he liked to play with but when they wanted to pet him, he hissed and scratched at them. It took about two weeks before he accepted his new human friends. They separated the cats letting them spend small amounts of time together so they could grow used to each other. The older cats at first hissed at him but grew accustomed to their new brother (or at least knew that bribing him meant food was present). The kitten accepted his new home and upon realizing that music soothed the tiny beast, Fentiman and Ryan named their newest fur baby Gershwin or G for short.

Gershwin may have adjusted to his new home, but he was not exactly the easiest cat to live with. Unlike the older and slower moving Iko and Niko, Gershwin was young, feisty, mischievous, and sometimes considered trouble on four legs. Many times, he would leap up and attack anyone who approached, earning the moniker “Ninja Attack Kitten.” He also wasn’t above attacking anything twice his size needing Fentiman and Ryan to discipline him. Fentiman wasn’t kidding when she described Gershwin as “kawaii” for cute but also “kowaii” for scary. Gershwin was a lot of both.

Their cat circle grew wider as they took in Takashi, a sickly kitten that they had examined for Feline HIV. Thankfully, Takashi didn't. The newcomer caught the cat flu and made a full recovery thanks to the care and devotion of the human companions.

The Cat With Three Passports is a great guide for anyone living with one or several cats, especially a sometimes troublesome cat who makes life “interesting” for the humans unfortunate enough to be caught up in their presence. It’s not exactly a guide for pet owners, but it does lead by example to show how a pair of loving pet owners loved and managed the felines in their lives. 

Besides a wonderful book about caring for and loving pets, it’s also a great travel book. Fentiman captures Japan’s natural beauty, customs, and technology . When they first arrived in Osaka, it was spring and the blossoms were present and fragrant. The flowers were such a part of the people’s lives that their football team was called The Blossoms. 

Fentiman and Ryan witnessed various festivals such as the Fertility Festival in which some create effigies of men's umm little friends. (Don't worry in keeping with Shinto's themes of balance, they have a festival to honor women's little hidden friends as well). Fentiman's descriptions of the festivals including the colorful decorations and graceful floats make the festivals come alive.

The festivals also gave Fentiman a sense of closure in her own life. During the Obon Festival, which people honor their deceased ancestors, Fentiman thought of her own difficulties with her family, such as her deceased mother and distant father and began the process of letting go of her hurt and angry feelings towards them. Later she contacted long lost relatives. Even though reconciliation and moving on were long processes, the festival allowed Fentiman to stop focusing on her past and live solely in the present to become a better teacher, partner, and pet mother.

Fentiman indulged in many activities like mountain climbing and community bathing. In one chapter, Fentiman was talked into getting a traditional makeover complete with kimono, obe, and updo. Far from looking like an elegant geisha, Fentiman felt self-conscious and unattractive until she went outside and got caught up in bystander's enthusiasm. Wearing those clothes also gave her insight into the daily lives of Japanese women and how restrictive some traditions were. 

Fentiman and Ryan found their time in Takayama cut short because of increasing expenses and debt. They had to accept better paying teaching jobs in a school called British Hills, an English training center and resort, in Fukushima. That meant saying goodbye to the friends and village that they had grown to love and especially the breakup of their cat haven home. They made sure that Iko, Niko, and Takashi had good homes. The constant interviewing and inspection of each future cat owner is one that many will relate to as well as the tearful goodbyes when the end comes. 

However, Fentiman and Ryan opted to keep Gershwin because they weren't sure if the feisty little guy would adjust to a new home and even though he was a mischief maker, the Ninja Attack Cat was their favorite. 

Readers will understand the difficulties of making pets ready for travel including getting them used to a long trip,making sure they have their vaccinations, and getting them spayed and neutered. It's a stressful ordeal alongside the packing, getting rid of things, and saying goodbye to friends. 

Cats are notorious for having difficulties with change. It was no doubt a miracle that Gershwin became used to his new home and being an only cat. The exploring of his new domain and the cuddling and spoiling by his humans certainly helped with the transition. Gershwin's adjustment also allowed Fentiman and Ryan to make a bigger move to Australia with cat in tow.

Ikigai is a strong theme throughout this book. It means finding one's purpose. In the past, Fentiman was always wandering, running away when things got hard, and looking for something to belong to. Her time in Japan and taking care of the cats, especially Gershwin, revealed her purpose. Teaching, traveling, and caring for cats was her ikigai and if not for Gershwin and Japan, she never would have found them.

The Cat With Three Passports is a wonderful book about travel, animals, and finding one's true purpose. It has plenty of beauty and plenty of cat-itude.

Lit List Short Review: ABC Animals by T.L. Anderson; Everybody Poops by Justine Avery and Olga Zhuravlova; I Don't Want to Turn 3 by Gramps Jeffrey

 Lit Lists Short Reviews: ABC Animals by T.L. Anderson; Everybody Poops by Justine Avery and Olga Zhuravlova;  I Don't Want To Turn 3 by Gramps Jefferey

By Julie Sara Porter

ABC Animals by T.L. Anderson

ABC Animals by T.L. Anderson is a simple brightly colored fun book for children ages 2-6 to learn not only their alphabet but about different animals.

The illustrations are eye-catching with adorable animals with friendly expressions on their faces. It's hard not to smile when you see grinning dogs, dolphins, and deer. 

The text is easy. It only features the letters and the names of animals so children can read and understand the words. The pages just say things like "H Horse Hamster Hippopotamus."

 Anderson also chooses unusual animals to fit the letters, possibly to invite conversations between children and their parents. A child might wonder what an impala, an ibex, or a jerboa are and their parents could look it up or answer. The various animals could provide interactive conversation over the animals themselves.

ABC Animals is a bright fun and educational book that will teach children their letters and about the creatures with whom they share this world.

Everybody Poops by Justine Avery and Olga Zhuravlova

Kids like to laugh about disgusting things so they will certainly have fun with this book. It is funny and brings open something that people don't always like to talk about.

The book is repetitive reminding young Readers that everybody poops, children, adults, animals, even superheroes. It would be nice to explain why pooping is so important to the body for waste removal. But it is simple for children to read.

The illustrations are humorous showing characters in discomfort and then relieving themselves. Of course with a subject like this, they are bound to funny and they are hilarious.

Everybody Poops is a funny book that explains something perfectly natural and does it in a fun way. 

I Don't Want to Turn 3 by Gramps Jeffrey

One can imagine this book originated from a conversation between author, Gramps Jeffrey and his children or grandchildren.

I Don't Want to Turn 3 is about Jordan who isn't excited about his upcoming third birthday. He is used to being treated like a baby and adults letting him have his way because he is so young. When he turns three, he will have to learn about rules, sharing, and responsibility. The more Jordan thinks about it, the more he is looking forward to his upcoming birthday and growing older.

This is a simple story which teaches kids social skills, getting along with others, and the advantages and disadvantages to growing up and growing older. It is written from a child's point of view with an awareness that kids can be selfish and bratty at times but are also capable of learning and understanding.

The illustrations are charming in a cartoonish way. Jordan is always at the center because kids often want to be the center of attention. He is often surrounded by toys and other people struggling with what he wants and what he has to do.

Kids will find I Don't Want to Turn 3 completely relatable and parents will be able to recognize the world from their child's point of view.

Weekly Reader: Spirit Sight (Last of the Gifted Book One) by Marie Powell; New Epic Fantasy Series Set in Wales Has Interesting Leads With Extraordinary Abilities

 Weekly Reader: Spirit Sight (Last of the Gifted Book One) by Marie Powell; New Epic Fantasy Series Set in Wales Has Interesting Leads With Extraordinary Abilities

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews

Spoilers:

First I want to apologize for being late with this review. I had Covid vaccine #1 and it drained me for a couple of days as well as left my arm bruised. Well I did my bit and will do so again on June 9. 

Now on with the review.

As I said this has been quite the time for Epic Fantasies. I am currently reading or reviewing a total of seven Epic Fantasies. We started off with Gol Legend of Ansu by J.W. Webb, a dark bleak fantasy set in a fictional universe with two lovers who go on separate personal journeys and live in a world that regardless of whether they defeated the Big Bad or not they still have to move on to another world. 

Well Epic Fantasy Series #2 is The Last of the Gifted by Marie Powell and is a less imaginative setting. It is set in 13th century Wales and borrows some of its plot from history. It is set during the war between the English King Edward de Longshanks and the Welsh Prince Llywelyn ap Gruffydd during the deaths of both the prince in battle and his wife, Elinor de Montfort in childbirth right when Wales was left in chaos, war, and panic over who would rule in Llywelyn's stead. His only child was his newborn daughter. The heir ended up being Dafydd, Llywelyn's younger brother who was executed by being drawn and quartered. Ultimately, Wales was conquered by Edward de Longshanks and his son Edward II became the first English Prince of Wales.

 This was a tense stressful time in Welsh history in which the wrong move could have spelled chaos for generations to come. Powell's version of these events do not cover only history but fantasy that comes in the form of two young siblings who have very unusual gifts that they use to aid their country in its time of need.

Hwy is the son of one of Llywelyn's strongest supporters. Hwy  possesses a unique ability. He can see through the eyes of animals, particularly birds. He astral travels and shares consciousness with the animals and is able to retain their senses. He is sometimes used to fly overhead and spy on enemy territory. Hwy inherited this strange ability from his maternal uncle, Gawain, and seems to hearken back to the old Pagan ways. Because of this pre-Christian connection, Hwy is cautioned to keep his abilities a secret. Only a select few, like his immediate family and a few friends and allies know.

That isn't the only ability that Hwy possesses. He discovers this just after Llywelyn is killed. The Welsh prince's spirit leaves his body but doesn't get very far. In fact, it enters Hwy's mind. Hwy communicates telepathically with a prince who is determined to lead his army and defeat his enemy while trapped in the body of a teenage boy.

Meanwhile, Hwy's sister Cat discovers that she has some abilities as well. She can scry, see images of the future through water. Both Hwy and Cat find that their abilities put them at the forefront of this war and right into certain danger.

Spirit Sight is good on both a fantastic and realistic level. Cat and Hwy's abilities are explored with all of their benefits and discomforts. There are some lovely passages that describe how Hwy views the world through an animal's eyes. They describe him flying overhead and looking down on the human world with a sense of detachment.

However, there are concerns with this ability. For example if someone attacks the animal body would that affect him? Can Hwy shapeshift into the animal and if he could what if he loses sight of being human? 

His contact with the spirit world is a new development and it is barely known before Llywelyn's spirit hitches a ride inside Hwy's mind. Naturally, both of them are confused and terrified. ("Will you sell me to the Tywlyth Teg next?" Llywelyn sarcastically asks, referring to the Welsh fairies.) The prince also has to contemplate whether his spirit remains for vengeance or to help his kingdom move forward in his absence. There are many chapters where the prince is forced to direct traffic from inside this young man by telling him where to go and give insider information about whether allies can be trusted or not. It appears that Hwy's abilities increase during this stressful time perhaps as a reaction to defend the Welsh kingdom from invaders. 

Hwy isn't the only one who is exploring their abilities to the fullest during this time of great need. Cat is given terrifying visions of the future that she barely understands but proves useful for predictions in battle. Sometimes she can't see the full picture leaving her visions to speculation at times. For example, she sees someone falling in a field but is uncertain whether they actually died or survived and were just injured leaving open the possibility that fate can be postponed or even cheated. 

Cat's abilities aren't explored as fully in this volume as they are in the next book, Water Sight. However, there is an interesting conversation that she has with her betrothed, Rhys in which he questions whether she is destined to stay unmarried and untouched so she can continue her abilities or get married and potentially lose them.

Besides the fantasy, there are some real world conflicts that show the constant stress of living in a land torn apart by war. Hwy, Cat, and their friends and family are constantly on the run, taking sanctuary with potential allies and friendly kingdoms. Cat spends a lot of the book helping her mother look after the infant princess. There is great tension when she or one of her household flees with a babe in arms. 

Hwy was raised and trained in an English household and worries about the possibility of facing his closest friend, James, in battle. (Further complicating things, James also knows about his abilities.) 

Sometimes the only way that Hwy knows whether someone is friend or foe is by his animal sight or through Llywelyn's words. Not everyone is that lucky and they pay for trusting the wrong people. There are many lords that will turn their coats and some that play both sides, like one that will take Welsh prisoners but then treats them kindly. Then there is Dafydd, who Llywelyn wonders if his competitiveness with his brother and inexperience could lead to Wales' undoing.

 This is a stressful situation and is felt by all the characters and their actions. This is not some mythological evil that they are up against. The English soldiers are a real army that history shows ultimately defeats them. There is a strong sense of fatalism that no matter what they do, they are only postponing what is inevitable. When an army loses the war, sometimes there is very little that can be done except pick up what remains and move on, no matter what supernatural abilities that you possess.

Spirit Sight is a great blend of Fantasy and History that tells a great story. Like the stories of King Arthur, the fantasy inserted into the history gives us a perspective of what the people were like, what they believed, and what they looked to for protection and guidance in a changing world.

New Book Alert: The Sounds of Fall: Reilly's Story by Karin Wyman Vardaman;. Beautiful Tail Exploring The Love Between Human and Pet

 New Book Alert: The Sounds of Fall: Reilly's Story by Karin Wyman Vardaman;. Beautiful Tail Exploring The Love Between Human and Pet

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews

Spoilers: To Karin Wyman Vardaman, the hills are not only alive with the sounds of fall, but those sounds are credited with helping her find her dog, Reilly. In the beautiful and touching book, The Sounds of Fall: Reilly's Story, Vardaman explores the loving almost psychic connection shared between humans and their pets.

In November 1994, Vardaman's four year old English Black Lab, Reilly, went missing. Like any pet owner, Vardaman was devastated but determined to find Reilly. The book covers Vardaman's active search for the dog trying everything from putting up posters, to searching the nearby Hot Springs Canyon, to consulting a parapsychologist to search for her four legged furry best friend.

Animal lovers will be moved by the book and will relate to Vardaman's anguished search and fury when others tell her that Reilly is "just a dog." To Vardaman, Reilly was more than a dog. He was her friend, companion, and baby. He gave unconditional love, was pleased with his cushy bed and beloved stuffed toys, and never asked for anything but a brisk walk and a gentle pet on the back.

Vardaman's guilt is well realized as she blamed herself for Reilly's departure. She was haunted by the times when she left leaving her saddened lab behind waiting for her to come home. In one moving passage, Vardaman described her anticipation and hope that Reilly would come home on his own. She wrote, "I did not know if (Reilly) was alive or dead, in pain or afraid. Was he lost or in those hills or had someone taken him? Staring down the driveway, I visualized him trotting toward me, happy to be home but excited about his adventure the night before…..I waited, but it was now clear that Reilly would not be coming home on his own."

A lot of animal stories often contain beautiful descriptions of nature, and The Sounds of Fall is no exception. The opening paragraphs alone are a treat for the senses. Vardaman poetically wrote:

"The last golden leaves clung to the trees in defiance of winter's call. Angled shadows foretold shorter days and longer nights as autumn gave way to the season of slumber through nature's transitional window.

The night had surrendered to day, yet the crickets droned on, their declarations stirring an image of fatigued soldiers whose marching cadence is merely carried on by discipline. The stream stilled, the bird's song subdued, dry bush crackled under a scurrying rodent. These sounds were as distinctive as the change of color in the leaves, the shift of the sun's rays, and the cooling of the air. They anticipated the coming of winter and echoed the passing of summer. These were the sounds of fall."

It was the sounds of fall that allowed Vardaman to locate Reilly. In an act of desperation to find any clue to the Lab's whereabouts, Vardaman contacted parapsychologist, Dr. Vivien Lee-David. Lee-David predicted that Reilly was alive and that Vardaman would find him. She had a vision in which Reilly was injured, weak, hurt and waited for Vardaman near a peak southwest of her house close to water. Most importantly, that since Vardaman and Reilly were spiritually connected, she should listen to his silent cry. Based on Lee-David's suggestions, Vardaman took a makeshift pendulum that connected with her subconscious and listened to the sounds around her.

Vardaman took a long taxing trip through the nearby canyons to search for her friend. It was a journey that was physically and emotionally draining for her. There are a few chapters where Vardaman doubted her search and Lee-David's advice. The only thing that kept her going was that she was Reilly's only chance for rescue and survival. Those who are close to their pets will completely relate to the toll that the search had on Vardaman and Reilly.

But during the search, Vardaman heard and focused on the sounds around her. Her senses became more acute and she interpreted the meaning behind each sound. "I could discern the difference between a rodent scurrying under the brush and a bird rustling in the sage," Vardaman wrote. "Any change in the pattern of the sounds drew my instant attention. I felt like one of those wild animals living in the chaparral, tuned to recognize the signs of predator and prey."

While searching the ravine, Vardaman heard the trickling water,  rustling sage, clinking of a tag, and the unmistakable panting and crying of a beloved dog. 

Vardaman and Reilly's reunion melts the heart as she found her buddy with an injured hip and bruised paws and found the strength to carry him out of the canyon ravine. She hitched a ride to take them home. Reilly was treated by a veterinarian and within three months made a full recovery. 

The Sounds of Fall: Reilly's Story is a heartwarming story that reveals how deep the connection can be between human and animal. That connection allows them to hear and sense each other's presence even from great distances, to rescue one another, and to bring them home.

New Book Alert: Star Wolf: A Space Opera (Songs of Star and Winter Book One) by L.A. Frederick; Brilliant Start to Science Fiction Series Starting Anthromorphic Animals

New Book Alert: Star Wolf: A Space Opera (Songs of Star and Winter Book One) by L.A. Frederick; Brilliant Start To Science Fiction Series Starring Anthromorphic Animals

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews


Spoilers: If the Star Fox video game franchise, Brian Jacques' Redwall series, Game of Thrones, and Star Wars had a group orgy and a baby came from that strange union, L.A. Frederick's Star Wolf would be that baby. It is derivative of other science fiction works especially ones with animals in the lead, but somehow it works and is engaging.


Star Wolf is the son of Sun Wolf, the leader of the wolf planet, Lupus. In this universe, anthromorphic animals live on their own planets and are able to walk, talk, wear clothing, think, and reason. They have been able to do this since the Big Bang. Oh they are aware of Earth, but it is a prison planet where animals are sentenced to have their sentience removed and serve as the animals in which we are familiar.

Rather I should say Earth used to exist. In the first few pages, it is destroyed by a colossal weapon operated by Winter Tiger, head of the Tiger race. The Tigers are at peace with the other Worlds since the Apex Wars between them and the Lions ended. However, what the other animal races don't know is that Winter Tiger and his crew have destroyed five planets. In public, they blame it on the Space Kraken. Star Wolf is suspicious, so he and his crew investigate the possibility that the Tigers are lying. This investigation puts them in direct conflict with the Tigers who now have Star Wolf and his team on their hit list.

The world building is rather clever, especially for people who know a lot about animals. Even though the characters are human-like, they still retain their animal environments. (Gazelles live on a planet filled with grassy plains, Lions live on a planet-wide savanna.) They also have their animal like traits. (The Wolves have great hearing. A Blodhound character's sense of smell is useful.) Frederick no doubt studied the behaviors and environments of animals before writing this work and it shows.

There are some cute references to how animals behave on Earth. The leader of Canis, the dog planet, is revealed to be a Jack Russell Terrier. Star Wolf remembers that when they were sent to Earth, Jack Russells ended up "high on energy but void of brain." (Something tells me that Frederick is well acquainted with the breed).


Star Wolf shows the typical leader-like qualities with a strong youthful impetuosity that puts him at odds with his more conservative traditional father. He is clever enough to recognize that Winter Tiger is lying by observing the behaviors of other animals that are clearly on Winter Tiger's payroll, but reckless enough to denounce him during the Council of Worlds meeting. This outburst causes the Wolves' exile from the Council and them to be temporarily devoid of allies.

The greatest thing that Star Wolf does is create a Band of Breeds, a group of different animals united to fight against the Tigers. Everything from a crotchety old Badger, to a loyal Bloodhound, to a cunning Fox that plays both sides, are on the team. Their great qualities merge as they band together to take down Winter Tiger.


The final chapters reveal a new member to the Band of Breeds and some greater Tiger-caused destruction. This makes the second book possibly a great follow up.

New Book Alert: The Voyage of Gethsarade: Book Two of the Everwood Chronicles by M.G. Claybrook; A Cynical Hard-Edged Take for Adults Disguised As Cute Children's Book

New Book Alert: The Voyage of Gethsarade: Book Two of the Everwood Chronicles by M.G.Claybrook; A Cynical Hard-Edged Tale of Heroism For Adults Disguised As Cute Children's Book

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews



Spoilers: On the surface, M.G. Claybrook's book, The Voyage of Gethsarade looks like a children's book. The cover features bright adorable creatures in vibrant colors. The plot involves cute little squirrels, pirate rats, buried treasure, and adventure on the high seas.


However, if the Reader looks closer, they will find a book that is written for adults similar to Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh, Animal Farm, Watership Down, or Maus. Adult Readers will find a hard edged cynical satire of heroism, fame, and the lengths some will go to for money and to make their names heard disguised as a cute adventure story about talking squirrels.


The story begins with Sangareth, a flying squirrel/sea captain who has a reputation as a daring adventuror and hero. He is travelling with his crew, his wife, Alya, and his and Alya's infant son. He is journaling a mysterious message when the ship is overrun by pirats, rats that are pirates (get it?), led by the sinister Barrogan Black. Alya manages to get the little one safely away on a lifeboat before the ship is overrun and she and Sangareth are drowned trying to escape. Meanwhile, their squirrel pup is pulled ashore by Lady Ridroga, a kindly elderly ground squirrel who raises the pup as her own and names him Gethsarade.


Years later, Gethsarade is a struggling musician who writes and performs songs about a legendary figure of his own creation called Vincent Poppaldi. As he flees from creditors, town roughs, and a non-paying boss, Gethsarade stows away on a ship that happens to have pirats and of course the pirats are led by Barrogan Black. (The narrative questions this contrived coincidence so the Reader doesn't have to.)

Gethsarade fights his captivity with the help of Gyr and Tiburtine, a pair of stage magicians/con artists. He spins the fiction that he is Vincent Poppaldi, leader of the Free Army now in exile. So his new friends believe him to be Vincent, a hero, and help him escape from the pirat's prison.

After the pirats are removed from the ship, Gethsarade and the boys find a journal which speaks of a place called Hesperia where squirrels can fly and there is an ultimate treasure as well as a prophecised hero who will save Hesperia from danger. Well, there are three broke squirrels with nothing to do, a new ship, and little cash so on they go to Hesperia.


There is a sense of humor to this book that adults will get but kids won't. Gethsarade's beloved guitar's name, Lucinda, will go over kid's heads but music savvy adults will acknowledge the tribute to B.B. King's special lady, Lucille. One character exclaims "Great Grendel's Cabbages!" and Tiburt boasts that he kissed a squirrel and "(he) liked it." (I apologize for the Katy Perry earworm. You have no idea how much I am paying for it.)

This is also a book that isn't afraid to throw out salty language or hint without subtlety what pirates like to do to their female captives. It cannot be stressed enough how adult this book is despite the juvenile exterior.


The biggest commentary is on heroism and the reputation that comes with it. An ongoing line from one of Gethsarade's Vincent songs is repeated: "All righteous revolutions always begin the same way-by not being paid." Suggesting that despite the ideals and vilifying and heroification of the people involved, these struggles are based on the basic needs for money. In war and revolution, no one is innocent because everyone wants the same things.


That is the prevailing attitude found in The Voyage of Gethsarade. The line between heroism and villainy is seriously blurred. No one is particularly guilty, because no one is particularly innocent. The only difference is how bloodthirsty and murderous characters will get to achieve their means.

When Gethsarade, Gyr, and Tiburt encounter other prisoners, they argue whether to set them free or sell them to slavery. Later Barrogan Black uses this conversation to manipulate the former prisoners to join him. He lets mistrust grow which had already been planted by the actions of Gethsarade and his friends.


Things become more complicated when Gethsarade and the others reach Hesperia. This may seem like "the typical outsider is mistaken for hero of legend and becomes hero for real" plot seen in such works as The Three Amigos and Galaxy Quest. However, the behavior of the Hesperians calls that plot into question. For one thing, there are questions if there even was a legend or a hero to speak of. Gethsarade is mistaken for Sangareth by the Hesperians and is hailed as a hero by many. However, the comments made by some including the Great Father Tadwick, the leader of Hesperia and his daughter, Amalie suggest that Sangareth was not as heroic as he seemed.

Further complicating things is that if Gethsarade is not who he pretends to be, and neither was Sangareth, then neither is anyone else. This confession is revealed later when Gethsarade comes clean about his real identity throwing over his previous presumed monikers of Vincent Poppaldi and Sangareth. After he confesses, it is revealed that Tiburt, the Great Father, and Amalie are hiding secrets as well. The book turns into a den of cons who strive to outdo each other and need to admit the truth before they are worthy to recognize treasure when they see it.


While honesty becomes an important plot point, there is also value in the legend as well as recognizing one's worth and identity. This is realized in a bizarre philosophical conversation that Gethsarade has with a lonely shark. The shark does not realize what he is until Gethsarade tells him. He even asks how can he know he's a shark unless someone calls him one? Likewise, how can anyone know that they are a hero, unless someone calls them one?

There are many times that the narration calls this theme forward. The first person narrator, who is revealed at the end of the book, chronicles Gethsarade's adventure well aware that he must separate reality from legend. In the opening reveals how when he met Gethsarade, he believed his stories about being the leader of the Free Army and then spends the rest of the book dissecting the legend that the narrator believed. However, the final chapter presents two alternate endings: one where treasure is found, heroes are honored, lovers are united, and more adventures lay just beyond the horizon. The other ending is less cozy, darker, more violent, and not as tidy. The narrator asks the Reader which ending they want to believe?

There is value in honesty and knowing heroes weren't perfect. That often they made decisions that weren't planned and made by luck, coincidence, or by fast talking. Sometimes they were looking out for their own basic needs or selfishness that they were like us.

However, the legends are necessary too. They are a part of our cultures, but they also represent the people that we want to be. These stories are spread not necessarily because they are the world, but they reflect the world as we want it to be. We want to believe that the hero will defeat the villain in a one on one battle, even when we know that he won't or that the hero is equally as conniving as the villain. Gethsarade realizes this when he reconciles his real self with the legend that he and others created and the Narrator realizes this when he chronicles both truth and legend, leaving the resolution up to the Reader.


Like any children's book for adults, The Voyage of Gethsarade, asks difficult questions of the Reader underneath the cheerful facade of a book with talking animals. It challenges the traditional children's takes of heroes and villains, but asks why we need them in the first place.