It’s impressively easy to become immersed in Marton’s fantasy world.
Marton (Last Spy Standing, 2012) returns with the tale of a woman limited by social expectations who nevertheless stays true to herself.
Born to a legendary healer in peaceful Shahala, young Tera looks forward to her powers manifesting. Before they can, she’s sold into slavery and sent to the warrior nation of Kadar, the same nation that abducted her mother many years ago. Thus begins a journey that will lead Tera to the brink of war and the path of destiny. When High Lord Batumar’s brother, Gilem, is held captive—drugged by concubines Kumra and Keela so they can elevate their social status by becoming pregnant with his child—Tera rescues him. Batumar is charmed and takes Tera as his concubine, allowing her to travel to the Kadar capital and the Forgotten City. There, Tera hopes to unravel the mystery surrounding her mother’s death. Although Tera’s actions occasionally feel forced in order to advance the plot, her experiences and reactions are compelling and honest. The overly long novel is at times predictable, starting out stronger than it ends, but Marton excels at worldbuilding and character development. Tera’s friend, Onra, is particularly memorable; content to accept the role society prescribes her, she never questions the fairness of being born a slave who will become a concubine. Additionally, the romance between Tera and Batumar will appeal to many readers, although the relationship that develops between them would be more credible if it had been built over time, based on deeper interactions. Readers may find it difficult to grasp how much time has passed, which can lend a disorienting feel to the events that occur. Despite the book’s flaws, however, readers will find it impossible not to care what happens next to Tera.
It’s impressively easy to become immersed in Marton’s fantasy world.Pub Date: April 11, 2012
ISBN: 978-0985346201
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Dana Marton
Review Posted Online: April 24, 2012
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
An impressively thoughtful expression of spirituality.
Two men discover God on two different paths in Malby’s curiously titled first novel.
In some unspecified part of Middle America, two boys bond as toddlers in their rural hometown during an era in the 20th century when outhouses were the norm and child mortality rates were high. The boys grow apart and reconnect during manhood, finishing their long lives together. As youths, they become alienated by Windknocker, another name for God, which is further explained about halfway into the novel. Yet the titular Windknocker ultimately unites them and gives purpose to their lives. To cover the decades of their friendship, the narrative zips along like a skipped rock over water, pausing only to focus on key events in the characters’ lives. Often, these moments are what the two men look back to later in life as they attempt to resolve their differences regarding the meaning and practice of faith. Mew, the main character, takes the formal route through the Catholic priesthood during the tumult of Vatican II. His best friend, Leezie, lives in an informal street ministry as a laborer and soldier in World War II. As boys and men, they live on opposite sides of the tracks—literally at first, and figuratively later, with personalities as different as their origins, lifestyles and faith. Mew’s faith is intellectual (“religion wasn’t about experience but working toward perfection”); whereas Leezie’s faith is intuitive, particularly after he’s “borned again” during a revival meeting. Malby tells their story in memoir format through Mew’s voice, diverting occasionally into an omniscient observer—sometimes transitioning like an emcee—to cover episodes in Leezie’s life. The switches in point of view aren’t disruptive, although they give the narrative an uneven flow. Malby’s straightforward prose contains short, evocative descriptions—“I was sure her eyes sparkled even when she was asleep”—which will comfortably take readers into intimate discussions of faith that are thought-provoking independent of religious perspective.
An impressively thoughtful expression of spirituality.Pub Date: Nov. 10, 2010
ISBN: 978-1608622320
Page Count: 306
Publisher: E-Book Time, LLC
Review Posted Online: July 30, 2012
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Sturdy, exuberant verse.
Like the demigod from which it takes its name, Defining Atlas is a durable, uplifting volume.
A strong current of self-affirmation, self-love, and self-confidence runs through this work, and readers will come away feeling their spirits improved. We feel some of this current in the clever “Limited”; Michaels takes the titular subject and turns it on its head: “I’m new, but I’m old / Not limited beyond my means and methods / But limited because I’m special / Special beyond the heavens and everything that surrounds me / That I’m among…limited.” Elsewhere in “From the ashes…I am,” he sings a hard-won song of renewal and rebirth: “I am victory in its rawest form / I am hope that never conform / I am the will, the drive, and the truth / I am like everyone, like you.” But Michaels does not hoard specialness or victory for himself; he wants it for his reader too, and in “Wake Up!” he urges us on toward a bright future: “There’s something good here for you / Your purpose can never be defined by just one blue / Your destiny awaits you.” Underpinning Michaels’ stirring message is a strong faith in God, whose presence infuses many of the poems here: “But I always thank God for the latter / For the strength and will it takes / Shines so bright / Shines so right.” Michaels often adopts a loose scheme of rhyming couplets, and this decision leads to one of the book’s few weaknesses. Too often, the poet picks awkward or odd pairings; e.g., “And if I could become a perfect saint / I would make believers out of the ones who say they ain’t” and the “you/blue” couplet mentioned above. But such missteps are infrequent, and they don’t dim the warm light that emanates from Michaels’ fine volume.
Sturdy, exuberant verse.Pub Date: March 15, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-5035-4785-8
Page Count: 106
Publisher: Xlibris
Review Posted Online: Aug. 21, 2015
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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