historical background to vengeance of a slave

This book is the first in a series, following a family from their origins in Roman Britain.

The Batavian revolt indirectly led to the taking of Adelbhert and his sister as slaves, and hence began the tale told in Vengeance of a Slave.

This revolt took place between the years 69 and 70 CE. The Batavi was a small tribe living in Germania Inferior, near the Rhine delta. They sent some conscripts to Rome, who became what was known as The Germanic Bodyguard and were personal guards of the emperor.

The emperor Nero was becoming more and more despotic, and so the governor of Gaul, decided to try to do something about it. He found what he thought as a worthy successor to the emperor. A man called Galba. He fomented a revolution, Galba became emperor and Nero committed suicide.

Galba disbanded the Germanic Bodyguard because he mistrusted them as they had been loyal to Nero. The Batavian people took this as an insult.

After the death of Nero, Rome was plunged into civil war. There followed what is known as the Year of the Four Emperors. Galba’s deputy, Otho, overthrew him in a coup, then Vitellius prepared to take the Rhine legions to Rome to overthrow Otho. The Batavi joined the Rhine legions and overthrew Otho at the battle of Bedriacum.

After the battle, the Batavi were ordered to return home, but then Vespasian, commander of the forces in Syria, revolted. He was joined by the legions of the Danube.

Vitellius tried to conscript more than the agreed number of conscripts from the Batavi. This, on top of the insult of disbanding the Germanic Bodyguard, the brutality of the conscripting centurians and the sexual assaults on Batavian boys brought things to a head.

In the summer of 69, Civilis was commander of the Batavian troops in the Rhine regions. He persuaded the tribe known as Cananefates, to revolt and to attack a number of Roman forts.

This was a good time to do this since most of the troops were fighting the civil war in Rome.

The commander of the Rhine regions sent troops to put down this rebellion, leaving the rest of the area vulnerable. Civilis and his men defeated the Romans near what is now Arnhem.

To deal with this insurrection, the commander sent two legions, V Alaudae and XV Primigenea to fight them. These legions included some Batavian cavalry, who defected to their countrymen during the battle and so the Romans lost, after which the Batavians were promised independence.

Civilis wanted vengeance, however. He wanted to destroy the two legions. He besieged their camp. With the civil war in Rome, the Romans could do little about this. They did not have the troops to spare.

Then came the news of Vitellius’s defeat. This had been helped by Civilis pinning down two legions, but his aim was not to help Vespasian. He launched an attack on Krefeld, sending his eight best cavalry troops. This time, the Roman army was successful, destroying all eight troops, but at great loss to themselves.

Civilis then lifted the siege, saying that the legions could have free passage, providing they left everything behind for his men to loot. The two legions left with nothing, but a few kilometers away, they were ambushed and all of them destroyed.

Vespasian, once he had established himself on the throne, sent an enormous army to deal with Civilis and his rebels. On hearing of the approach of the army, one of Civilis’s allies surrendered, but Civilis himself continued to fight.

He made a series of raids from land and from the river, once capturing a Roman flagship. The Romans then invaded Batavia and the revolt was over.

It is against this chaotic time in the Roman Empire that Vengeance of a Slave is set. Adelbehrt’s father and some of the other villagers take the opportunity of a weakened army on the Rhine to raid across the river into the Roman lands. This leads to the terrible punishment of the men at the beginning of the book.

Here is a review of the book.

R. J. Krzak, Award-Winning Author

5.0 out of 5 stars 

A Riveting Story Set in Roman Times

Reviewed in the United States on 30 December 2019

Verified Purchase

Vengeance of a Slave by V.M. Sang is a riveting story set during the period when Rome controlled Britannia. Follow the trials and tribulations of Adelbhert after he and his sister are taken by the Romans from their mother. They eventually end up as slaves in what is modern-day London. Adelbhert performs a nightly ritual to remind himself of the suffering he and his sister have endured, beginning with the crucifixion of their father. He vows to escape and punish those who have wronged him.

V.M. has created a moving story which will keep you turning the pages to find out how Adelbhert and his sister handle their new life. Experience their sorrow, anguish, and finally hope as they adapt to their changing situation. This is the first novel I’ve read of V.M.’s and it certainly won’t be the last! Well done and highly recommended!

And a brief taste of the story.

In this extract, Adelelbehrt is growing up and is not the pretty small child he was when he became a pet. There is a threat to his life with his current owners.

One day, when the children had been slaves for six years, Marcus approached Adelbehrt.
“Have you a minute?” the older man asked.
Adelbehrt looked at Marcus. “What do you want?”
The boy sat on the edge of the impluvium and trailed his hand in the water. The domina did not seem to want him at the moment. In fact, she had not had much for him to do for a while now. He thought the novelty of his appearance might be wearing off, especially as he was now beginning to grow up.
He crossed to where Marcus emerged from the office of the dominus. What did the accountant want? He had little reason to ask Adelbehrt for anything. Marcus was an important man, even if a slave.
As Adelbehrt approached, Marcus began to speak. “How long have you been here now, Adelbehrt?”
“Six years.”
“That will make you about twelve then.”
The boy nodded “About that, I suppose.”
“Now I don’t want to worry you, but you’re growing up. You’re still an attractive boy—attractive enough to still be a pet—but as you get older, yes, from now on probably, the domina will find you less like her pretty, little slave boy.
“Your unusual hair colouring is no longer a novelty. No one comments on it any more. Soon the domina won’t want you as her slave and will find a new pet. Or perhaps she has already. Look at how she dotes on that little dog the dominus bought her.”
Adelbehrt looked at the older man. He had thought long about this himself. He noticed how the domina played with her puppy and spent less time with him. He wasn’t jealous. Not really. In fact, he often felt glad she had another toy to play with. After six years of petting and fussing he felt heartily fed up. Still, he found it galling to be ignored.
Marcus continued and he pricked up his ears and listened. It did not do to ignore one’s elders.
“I spoke to the dominus yesterday. It seems he’s noticed how his wife seems more concerned with her puppy than you and he talked about selling you.”
Adelbehrt drew in a sharp breath at that news and looked at Marcus.
“He said he’d noticed you liked the horses and are good with them, but he doesn’t need another slave in the stables. He thinks he can sell you as a stable lad, though.”
“But…” Adelbehrt did not know what to say. He thought of Avelina. Oh, the little girl seemed happy enough as Claudia’s slave, but she was still only ten summers old. She could not really remember their home by the Rhenus and had completely forgotten their native language.
Claudia treated her well. In fact, they were almost like friends rather than mistress and slave, but Adelbehrt had promised his mother he would look after her. How could he do that if the dominus sold him?

If you are interested in reading more about Adelbehrt and his sister Avelina, click on the link below.

The e-book is on offer for a mere 0.99 (£or $) from today, Saturday 28th until Wednesday 1st September.

It is also available in several other formats, including audio.

click to go to Amazon where you are.

Smorgasbord Afternoon Video Rewind – The Italian National Anthem as sung by a tuneful parrot

A very clever parrot sings the Italian National Anthem. Many thanks to Sally for finding this gem.

To listen, click the button below.

Parrot sings the Italian National Anthem.

bramble, the dog

I don’t usually interview animals, but today I’m welcoming a dog to my blog. Rather than ask him questions, I think I’ll allow him the freedom to tell you about himself in his own words.

Hi. My name’s Bramble and I’m a dog.

I’m quite a big dog. At least I’m bigger than the others I lived with. I’m what humans call black and tan.

I live in the pages of a book, or rather, a series of books, called The Wolves of Vimar, and you’ll meet me first in book 1, The Wolf Pack.

Let’s get back to me and my life.

After Borolis came and took me from my mother, I cried. I cried quite a lot. He took me to his farm where I met three other dogs, his wife and three children.

His wife, a kind woman, was called Elpin and they had three children, twin boys called Krom and Voldon, and a sweet little girl called Amerilla. I loved that little girl. She was kind to a frightened, lonely puppy.*looks sad*

I learned about the smells on the farm: which belonged to the other farm animals and which were enemies’ scents. There were wolves that tried to take the larger animals, and foxes that would try to get the hens. The big dogs chased them off. Sometimes a big bird, called an eagle, tried to pick up a lamb. Those big birds scared me when I was little. One of them could easily carry me off and eat me.

Once, Nettle, a large black dog, who led the pack, managed to catch and kill a fox. It didn’t taste good when we tried to eat it, though.

This is Nettle.

My humans smelled good. Borolis smelled of fields and hay. There was also a lingering smell of horse about him. Elpin smelled of cooking and kindness, while the twins smelled almost the same as each other. I can’t tell you why, but their scent reminded me of adventure and fun.

But Amerilla—ah, little Rilla, as they called her—she was special. She had a light scent. Candles, sugar, spices. I loved that little girl. *whine*

The other two dogs, another black, called Bracken, and a black and white one called Bandit, all obeyed Nettle. He was fierce if they didn’t give him priority, and showed his teeth.

Bracken

Bandit

I didn’t cross him either, even though I was now bigger than him. He could be scary.

One day, I went to the water trough for a drink. As I drank, Nettle approached and growled at me to let him drink first. I was thirsty and ignored him, so he attacked me.

He knocked me from the trough and stared at me. I stared back, and began to growl. He walked stiff-legged in my direction, growling in response to my growl. I could smell the aggression coming from him, and knew he meant to put me in my place, once and for all.

Once he was bigger than me, but now I’d grown. I leaped at him and bit his ear. Blood flowed as his ear tore. He tried to bite my neck, but I grabbed his jaw and held on.

I shook his head from side to side, and he began to make puppy noises. That didn’t affect me. I knew this was a fight for leadership in our little pack. He’d bullied me for long enough.

I bit harder, and tasted blood. It tasted like iron horseshoes smelled.
I released my grip and tried to grab his neck, but was too slow. He managed to bite me in my shoulder as I dodged, and I felt blood trickling through my fur.

Then I leaped and got him onto the ground. I seized his neck and shook. I didn’t want to kill him. Not really, but I would have done so if necessary. He whined again. I don’t think the other dogs had ever challenged him and he didn’t like this fight that was going against him.

He rolled onto his back in surrender. I walked away, back to the trough and took a drink, watching him out of the corner of my eye.

He slunk away to wait until I’d finished before slaking his own thirst.
It was then I knew I was now leader of the farm dogs.

I believe I was a good alpha male.

This was my life until I ended up with the group of people who call themselves Wolf. Wolves have very little to do with it, but this group of humans decided to call themselves Wolf for some reason.

I made a brief appearance in The Wolf Pack, but I didn’t think that was enough for a dog like me, and so I told the author, V.M.Sang, I thought I should have more to do.

She kindly added me to the second book, and I’m also in the third. I’m hoping to be in the fourth, too, although at the moment she seems to be more concerned with a stupid, irresponsible little dragonet, called Muldee. If I could catch him, I’d chew him up a bit.

I think Muldee also asked her if he could have a bigger role than the one he had in Book 1. She’s too soft with these characters, if you ask me. She also let in Grimmaldo, who’s a friend of Carthinal, and someone who didn’t even appear in Book 1! Called The Cat, of all things. That’s something I’d never want to call myself.

You can find out more about Wolf, and why they call themselves that by reading The Wolf Pack.

You can buy it from Amazon in a variety of formats, including Audio.
V.M. tells me that if you click on the link below, it will take you to Amazon wherever you are. Sounds very clever to me. How does it know where you are?

Thank you, Bramble. It was good to have you here on my blog.

Go to The Wolf Pack on Amazon

I would love to hear your opinions. Please leave any comments in the comments box.

Would you like an exclusive short story? Of course you would! Who’d not want a free story? To get your copy, click the box below. This story will not be published anywhere else, so this is the only way of getting it.

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coming soon dreams of an elf maid

I’ve received the cover design for the latest book in my Wolves of Vimar prequels.

This one tells us about Asphodel and how she became a priestess of Sylissa, goddess of life and healing.

Asphodel is a young, naive elf maid. She falls in love with a handsome elf and, when her parents suggest an arranged marriage with a man much her senior, the pair run away.

Of course, things go wrong. Her lover can’t find a job in the city where they find themselves. He gets in with the wrong crowd and becomes addicted to a drug made from powdered dragon scales.

When he tries to take her jewellery to buy more drugs, she refuses and he hits her. She then realises this will not work and she leaves him, catching a caravan heading for the land of Grosmer.

She has a strong sense of right and wrong, and a steely determination, and this gets her into trouble more than once. Can she achieve her dream of becoming a priestess and helping others, or will she be banished from the temple?

Here’s an extract to whet your appetite.

CHAPTER 1

“Aspholessaria!” called the young elf’s mother, “Are you going out?”

“I’m meeting Syssillina, Mother. There’s a new place opened across the other side of Quantissarillishon. It’s called Allimissoro’s and we’ve heard it’s fantastic. We’re going to suss it out.”

“I do wish you’d refrain from using slang words, dear. So common. Don’t forget we’re related to the Elf Lord.”

“Only distantly, Mother,” Aspholessaria skipped out through the door to meet her friend. “I don’t expect he’ll hear about it so don’t worry.”

A few minutes later the two girls were running towards the new bar and dance hall especially opened for young folk. The youngsters had little to do in Quantissarillishon and some of them became a little unruly from time to time.

“My cousin, Gerralishirondo, went last night. He says it’s real cool,” Syssillina said as they trotted across the capital city of Rindissillaran, the land of the elves. “He says there were elves playing music, and everyone was up and dancing.”

“It sounds amazing.” Aspholessaria grinned at her friend. “Did he say how far it is?”

“Oh, Asphodel.” Syssillina used the elf’s diminutive name. “I told you it’s only a few trees over. Well, perhaps a bit more than that, but only about half a mile.”

The elves built their city of Quantissarillishon deep in the forest. Many who visited it for the first time did not know they had arrived. The elves had built some of their buildings into the trees themselves with knotholes as windows. Walkways stretched from tree to tree. To anyone not looking up it would seem there was nothing but forest.

The girls trotted along these walkways, passing residences and workshops, until they arrived at a building that stretched over the branches of several large oaks. Music and laughter came from out of the open doors. The girls stopped and looked at each other.

Asphodel took a breath. “Well, we’ve come, so we might as well go in.”

She matched her actions to her words and Syssillina followed.

Lanterns wreathed the room and gave a festive air to the surroundings. Seats surrounded small tables, most of which had young elves sitting and chattering. A dance floor occupied the centre of the room with a number of young folk dancing to the music.

The girls looked around. Syssillina noticed an empty table close to the band. They made their way to it and sat to claim the seats. Syssillina got them fruit juice from the bar and they sat sipping their drinks and listening to the music.

“Isn’t that Llinisharrovno over there?” Asphodel whispered. She named a young man who had been at school with them. “Who’s that with him? I’ve not seen him before.”

Syssillina looked to where Asphodel pointed. “Yes. I’ve not seen Llin for a long time. His friend’s hot, don’t you think?”

The girls started to giggle, but stopped quickly as Asphodel noticed the pair looking at them. The two young men smiled and walked toward them.

“Are they coming to us?” Asphodel looked at her drink.

“I don’t know. There’s a group of girls at the next table. I expect they’re going to them.”

But they weren’t. They came and stood in front of Asphodel and Syssillina.

“I’ve not seen you two since we left school,” Llinsharrovno said. “Where’ve you been hiding yourselves?”

“Don’t forget, you live at the opposite side of the city from us,” Syssillina said. “We’ve not been hiding. We don’t get over there very much.”

Llinsharrovno sat down on an empty seat. “This is my cousin, Vassinamorro. Vass, this is Aspholessaria, known as Asphodel, and Syssillina, known as Syssi.”

The other young man pulled a chair over and sat. His smile made Asphodel’s stomach turn over. He had blue eyes and blonde hair and was tall for an elf, being five feet ten. He had the build of one who looked after his body.

“Pleased to meet you. I’m new to Quantissarillishon. Llin has been showing me round. It’s a beautiful city, but it pales into insignificance next to the beauty of its girls.”

Both girls blushed and muttered their thanks for the compliment.

“Can I get you a drink?” Llin stood.

The girls accepted and as he walked away, Vass asked Asphodel if she would like to dance. She accepted and he escorted her to the dance floor, putting a guiding arm on the small of her back. Asphodel’s heart began to pound.

Vass danced as gracefully as a dragon in flight and Asphodel felt she had wings on her feet, he was so easy to dance with. When his hand touched hers, baby dragons began to dance in her stomach, and she thought she would melt into his blue eyes. Her black hair flew around her head as he twisted and turned her in the dance. He lifted her up and swung her around and she gasped in surprise, which made him laugh.

The dance ended and they returned to their seats.

Llin danced with Syssi, then with Asphodel as Vass danced with Syssi. Asphodel watched them as they danced, treading on Llin’s feet a few times, but he laughed.

“My cousin has that effect on women,” he whispered in her ear the fifth time she missed a beat and trod on his toes. “I wish I had his looks and charm.”

The girls danced with Vass and Llin all evening, the two young men taking turns to dance with both of them. It grew dark. Time stood still while they talked and danced.

The master of ceremonies announced the last dance. Vass handed Asphodel onto the dance floor one last time as the slow music began. He pulled her close as they shuffled around the floor. All too soon the music stopped and the young people prepared to depart.

They left the building together. The lights that had lit it up so brightly were going out one by one and the few lamps on the walkways gave only a little light.

“I don’t like the idea of you walking alone in the dark,” Vass said. “May we walk the two of you home?”

The girls agreed and the four young people wended their way through the treetop walkways to the girls’ homes.

“Will you be going to Alli’s again?” Vass asked as they stood outside Asphodel’s home. The venue had become known as Alli’s to all that went there.

The girls looked at each other. Asphodel had to restrain herself from replying too quickly. She would certainly go again if Vass were going to be there.

“What do you think, Syssi? Should we go again?” Asphodel asked.

“I think we should give it another go. I enjoyed myself tonight. The music was excellent and the drinks. They’ve done wonders with the decor too.”
Vass looked at both girls in turn. “Perhaps we’ll see you there another time.”

The two young men left the girls, walked a few paces and turned to wave.
Asphodel entered her home and crept up the stairs to her bedroom. She threw herself on her bed, smiling, then she turned on her stomach and groaned.

Does he like me? Does he like Syssi better than he likes me? Oh, I can’t tell who he likes better.

She thought of the way he looked into her grey eyes when they danced and her stomach turned again. She thought one minute he liked her best, then the next she thought of how he had looked at Syssi and decided he liked Syssi best. With her thoughts in turmoil, she fell asleep.

Asphodel spent the next few days in confusion. Her mother reprimanded her several times for forgetting little things. “Really, Aspholessaria. Anyone would think you were in love. What’s wrong with you?” Her father laughed. “Perhaps she is in love. She’s at that age.” Her mother turned to her husband. “She’s of House Royal. She can’t be allowed to fall in love. She will need to marry someone suitable.”

Am I in love?

She wandered into the city. She had an errand to do for her mother anyway, but she found her steps taking her on a detour past where Llin lived. As she passed his house, the two young men came out.

“Asphodel,” Vass called. “I’m glad we’ve seen you. Are you and Syssi going to Alli’s tonight? Llin and I are, and I’d very much like it if you were there too.”

“I don’t know. I’ve not seen Syssi for a couple of days. I’ll go and ask her when I’ve done the jobs Mother wants me to do.”

Syssi agreed to go to Alli’s that evening to meet the two young men. Asphodel was still in confusion. Vass had said he would like it if they were there, but did he mean her, Syssi or both of them?

Later that evening, it became apparent that Vass’s interest was in Asphodel. He danced with her all evening and hardly took his eyes from her when they were not dancing. That evening he walked her home without the accompaniment of Syssi and Llin, who walked home separately.

Halfway to Asphodel’s home, their hands touched. Asphodel’s stomach turned over again as Vass took her hand in his. They walked along in silence, each happy in the other’s company.

The world around them had vanished. There was only Vass in the world as far as Asphodel was concerned.

All too soon the walk ended and they stood outside Asphodel’s home. Vass put a finger under her chin, lifted her face and bent his head to kiss her. When his lips met hers, she thought she would faint with pleasure.

The kiss seemed to go on forever, but finished all too soon. Asphodel leaned against Vass’s chest and he held her close.

“You’re the most beautiful girl I’ve ever met. I wish we could stay like this for always.”

Asphodel sighed and her practical side came to the fore. “So do I, Vass, but my mother will be wondering where I am. I’m afraid I must go in.”

Vass bent his head once more and delivered a passionate kiss on Asphodel’s mouth. He stood and watched as she walked up the ramp leading to her home in the trees.

Asphodel and Syssi’s visits to Alli’s became more frequent over the next few months. She did not deliberately keep her relationship with Vass secret from her parents; she just never bothered to tell them. It didn’t seem important they should know.

She was engrossed in her growing relationship with Vass. That was all that seemed important to the girl. He was kind and attentive and always complimented her on how she looked.

Twice a week she and Sissi went to Alli’s and met the two young men. This went on for two months. They danced and talked amongst the lights and music of the venue.

One evening, as they stood on the balcony of Alli’s, Vass turned to Asphodel and kissed her. An owl hooted in the tree next to them and he smiled.

Turning to Asphodel he said, “We always seem to meet where there are others, Aspho. Let’s go somewhere we can be on our own, Just the two of us”

“I’d like that. Just the two of us.”

“Are you busy tomorrow? We could go for a walk. Perhaps out of the city.”

Asphodel smiled at him, her grey eyes dancing. “I’m not going anywhere tomorrow afternoon. Yes, let’s do that.”

The following afternoon, the sun shone and it was warm, being nearly midsummer. They sat outside the city next to the river that flowed through it. A tree had fallen long ago and its trunk lay across the clearing it had made.

They sat on the trunk, dangling their feet in the water to cool them. The river burbled along, ignoring everything except it’s own journey. Birds hopped from branch to branch, calling to each other. A pair of turtledoves sat on a tree close by preening each other.

“Look at them.” Vass pointed to the birds “They’re in love.”

The male flew up and called his coo-hoo-hoo-hooo before landing next to his mate and beginning their preening again.

“Like I love you, Aspho.” He leaned over and kissed her.

She closed her eyes and felt as if she were flying with the doves. Once more, time stood still.

They talked and kissed and kissed and talked until Asphodel decided she had better return home before it became dark.

The pair continued meeting other than at Alli’s and took frequent walks in the land outside the city. If her mother thought anything, she assumed her daughter was out with Sissi somewhere.

As soon as I know when the book will be released, I’ll let you know, but I’m quite excited about it.

Did you enjoy this extract? I would love to know. Tell me by writing in the comments box. And feel free to reblog if you wish.

I have an exclusive short story for you. It’s called The Haunted Table.

When Maria and Jack move into a 16th century house, they wish to furnish it with period furniture and so they buy a table from that century.
That night, Maria hears a strange crying sound. On investigation, she finds it is coming from the table.
Fearing it might be haunted, and that they’ve brought a ghost into their home, they turn to a medium, only to find it isn’t a ghost.
If not a ghost, then what? The truth is stranger than either of them could have imagined.

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Jealousy of a Viking ~ #Historical Norse & Icelandic Fiction ~ @vm_sang ~#Review

Thanks to Anita Dawes for this great review.

Our Thoughts

This unusual medieval story of one woman’s quest for love, reminded me of so many other star-crossed lovers throughout history. The author has cut away most of the myths surrounding the Vikings, revealing their wisdom and their beliefs. A far cry from the blood thirsty tribes we see all the time on TV.

Continue reading here

a review of a chilling revelation by paul cude

Overview.
This is the second book in Paul Cude’s White Dragon series. It follows on after the events in book 1.
If you’ve not read any of his books before, I will tell you that the concept is an original one.
Dragons live below the ground in a complex society. They have houses, monorails and many other things we have. The one thing they can do which we can’t is use magic.
Dragons use this magic in order to protect and help humankind. In order to do this, they take human form and live amongst us.

Blurb
Treachery from the sands of Egypt to the plains of Antarctica.
Following on from the harrowing events of ‘A Threat From The Past’ (Book 1), a new found friendship with the dragon king is forged.
Soon though, young and old alike are unwittingly drawn into a deadly plot, when a straight forward meeting with the monarch sees them helping an injured dragon agent, straight back from his mission in Antarctica with news of a devastating encounter with another ancient race.
Blackmail, intrigue, forbidden love interests, a near fatal mantra gone wrong, a highly charged rugby match in which Tank takes a beating, combined with enough laminium ball action to please dragons the world over, stretch the bonds of the dragons’ friendship like never before.
New friends and ancient enemies clash as the planet braces itself for one of the most outrageous attacks it has ever seen.
Lost secrets and untold lore come to light, while sinister forces attempt to steal much coveted magic.
Explosive exploits, interspersed with a chilly backdrop and unexpected danger at every turn, make for an action-packed, electrifying adventure.

Story
The tale begins in the distant past, with an exciting chase. A dragon, in human form is trying to help prevent a meeting between Ptolomy and Alexander the Great, for the good of Humanity.
We then learn that this is a story being told to young dragons in the ‘nursery ring’.
Peter, Tank and Ritchie, from Book 1, are again featured.
Peter has struck up a friendship with the dragon king after he visits with Peter in the hospital at the end of Book 1. He and his friends are invited to visit the king. While they are there, some terrible news breaks and they become involved in solving a dastardly plot from Antarctica.
The story was exciting, especially at the end.

Characters
Peter, although the main character in the story, is the least well-drawn. He has very few outstanding characteristics. He’s a ‘nice’ young man. He works for Croptech, a company involved in the production of the metal, laminium, that is very important in the dragon world. Here, he is in charge of security.
Tank, on the other hand, is a kind-hearted dragon. He does seem to have more about him than Peter, especially when he stands up to his boss. He works in a shop selling and researching spells (called mantra).
The last of the trio is Ritchie. She is a feisty young woman, and often gets herself into trouble for ignoring rules.
Tank’s boss, Tee Gee is my favourite character and the most well-drawn. He is an ancient, irascible dragon who hides a kind heart beneath a grumpy exterior.
In this book, we are introduced to Flash, a member of the King’s Crimson Guard, an elite force. In many ways, Flash is an innocent of human and dragon society, having spend much of his life working alone.

Writing
Sadly, like the first book, the writing leaves much to be desired. Mr Cude hops from head to head. One minute we’re looking at the world from Peter’s point of view, then the next from, say, Ritchie. On at least one occasion, he changes viewpoint in the middle of a sentence.
Many of his paragraphs are overlong. I assume he got carried away with the story.
There are occasional wrong words used.
He seems to think the readers have poor memories, and he keeps reminding us that dragons have eidetic memories, that Ritchie, is small, etc.
And the sports. There were 31 pages devoted to a hockey match at one point. This match was not essential for the plot, nor did it add anything to our knowledge of the characters. I skipped it.
One final thing that I found irritating was Mr Cude’s seeming reluctance to tell us who a chapter was about until at least a page and a half in, using the pronouns, ‘he’ and ‘she’.
I got the impression that Mr Cude got to the end of the book, wrote The End, sighed with relief and pressed ‘Publish’ without reading it through again.

Conclusion
This was an excellent, and exciting story. I thoroughly enjoyed it, but the writing lets it down. This is a pity. My feelings about the series are mixed. I want to know what happens next (this book ended with a cliffhanger), but will I be able to cope with the amateurish writing?
I’m giving it 4*, in spite of the writing, because it’s a good story.

Again

A moving piece by Andrew Joyce. One that should teach us all something the world seems to have forgotten.

I went off to war at the tender age of sixteen. My mother cried and begged me to stay, but my country needed me. I would not see my mother again for four very long years.

Due to my age, I was assigned to field headquarters as a dispatch courier for the first two years of the war. However, by the beginning of the third year, I had grown a foot taller and was shaving. And because men were dying at an alarming rate, I was sent into the trenches.

They say that war is hell. I say hell is peaceful compared to living in a muddy trench with bombs exploding around you at all hours of the day and night, although there were periods of respite from the shelling. Those were the hours when the enemy had to let their big guns cool or else the heat of firing would warp them. I lived like that for two years.

I was at Verdun where I saw the true hell of war. After eleven months, we fought to a standstill. When the dead were counted, almost a million men from both sides had given their lives and not one inch of ground had been gained.

By November of 1918, we were out of food, out of ammunition, and almost out of men to send to the slaughter. The people at home had had enough of seeing their sons and fathers and brothers shipped home in boxes. There were marches and protests against the war. Near the end, the dead were not even sent home, but buried in the fields where they had fallen.

At last, the war was over. I am told that nine million men died in those four years, and another twenty million were wounded. I was there and those numbers seem a little low to me, but what do I know? I was only a private.

CONTINUE READING HERE

more scotland

I’ve been on another Scottish holiday. This time to the islands of Islay (pronounced Iyla) and Jura. We chose the hottest week ever on the islands, or even in Scotland, I think.

Anyway, here are some photographs I took while there.

The first place we stayed was at an inn on the shores of Loch Fyne. A lovely position for a lovely inn.

The Creggans Inn

From here we went to look at Inverary Castle, the seat of the Dukes of Argyll, Chief of Clan Campbell.

An impressive Scottish castle

And another view.

We caught a ferry over to Islay. It took just over 2 hours, travelling down Loch Long, until docking at Port Askaig in the north of the island. From here we caught a bus to Bowmore, the capital of Islay.

The main street in Bowmore.

Bowmore is famous for its whisky. The hotel where we stayed actually belonged to the Bowmore distillery.

The excellent hotel where we stayed.

We had a room that had the most tremendous view across to Jura.

The Paps of Jura from our bedroom window.

And here is the harbour next to the inn.

Bowmore Harbour

The Bowmore Distillery

The next day we caught the bus back to Askaig where we caught a ferry, this time to Jura. The two island are very close together and the ferry only took 10 minutes maximum to cross. The natives don’t want a bridge though, as the bus driver on Jura told us.

We were planning to walk to a beautiful beach from the town of Craighouses. I say ‘town’, but both this place and Bowmore were scarcely bigger than villages.

Anyway, we set off for what should have been about a 3 mile walk. As we passed a cottage, a man was just going in and he warned us that the ‘clegs’ were out and we’d get bitten. We had no idea what these ‘clegs’ were. I assumed they were the midges that Scotland is infamous for. How wrong I was. Clegs, it seems, are nothing less than horseflies.

Image by Erik Karits from Pixabay

Now, I’ve come across these nasty insects before, when I used to ride, but only in ones and twos. These were in swarms. We took our hats off and walked for a while swiping at the little blighters, but eventually we were driven back to Craighouses.

Apparently they have the most painful bite of all the insect world.

So we sat in the hot sun, ate our lunch and contemplated the view.

On the day of our return to the mainland, we had to get up very early. Our ferry left at 6:50 and it was about a 20 minute drive. We’d ordered a taxi for 6:15, so were up at just before 5:45. What a sight greeted our eyes. A wonderful sunrise over the Paps of Jura.

After returning to the mainland, and collected our car, we had a beautiful drive to Glasgow, where we stayed for the night.

Sorry, Glasgow! Not impressed, even though we were on the banks of the Clyde near the new exhibition centre, dubbed the Armadillo, which I found underwhelming. It’s supposed to reference ships’ hulls, but I didn’t think it looked as spectacular in the flesh as it does in pictures. (I didn’t take a photo, and couldn’t find a free one, so if you want to see it you’ll have to look it up. Sorry.)

We walked to the centre of the city. Or at least what the map said was the centre, and it was where the main station was. It was packed with people, and little else other than eating places. No shops that we found. At a time of a pandemic, it was a little nerve-shredding being amongst crowds. There was litter around, too. The only place where there was any space to move without dodging people was the waterfront.

The following day we set off back to England, calling at friends and relatives on the way.

We’d had an excellent holiday, with fantastic weather. We’ve always been quite lucky in Scotland and keep telling people that it has brilliant weather! (I hope they take that with a pinch of salt, though.)

I would love to hear your views. Have you been to Scotland? How did you find the weather?

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Caturday funnies

Simon’s Cat, courtesy of Bluebird of Bitterness.

Simon’s cat tries to catch a fish.

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a visit from david kummer

Today I’m delighted to welcome my friend David Kummer to my blog. David and I met a few years ago when we read and critiqued one another’s works. I’ve read and reviewed several of David’s books and consider him to be a young man to watch for the future.

Hi, David. And Welcome to Dragons Rule OK. I’ve read your latest book, Everything Somewhere and consider it your best to date, although in a very different genre from your others.

My first question is, will there be a sequel?

This is a tough question to answer right now. I’ve been thinking about it a lot, as I move into my next book projects, and I do think I want to write a sequel. However, I think that will probably be five or ten years down the road. At that point, I’ll have more life experience and better understanding of what it means to go through your mid-20’s. I’d love to catch up with these characters and find out what they’ve been up to. So, yes, I really do expect there to be a sequel, but you’ll have to wait a while for it. In the meantime, I’ve written and will keep on writing other books, so check them out!

As I said before, this is a very different type of book from you others. What inspired you to write this?

This book is the most personal I’ve ever written, because it draws a lot on my personal experiences and those of people I’ve known. The characters are a mixture of people I’ve known and have heard stories about. I was also inspired to write it because I wanted to tackle the darker side of being a teenager and growing up through high school, things like mental illness, substance abuse, suicide, relating to parents. All subjects that are real and important, and that I think we don’t talk about enough. So this book did a lot of things I think are important, all of which made it very personal for me to write and publish, but people have loved it! That’s made this a very special book already, and I’m so thrilled about what’s happened with it.

There are a number of interesting characters in this book. Who is your favorite?

Willow has grown into my favorite character from the novel, which I didn’t expect when I started writing it. She’s been a source of inspiration for me to push through writing it and is a combination of a lot of people I know. Certain aspects of her strength and tenacity and integrity I drew from my mom, who the book is dedicated to. Willow also has this ability to see the town as it was, as it is, and as it could be in the future, making her an important character for not only the readers but also all the other figures in the book. In short, she makes the novel what it is, and she’s remained my favorite character throughout.

Can you tell us a bit about Willow?

I think WIllow is the best one to tell you about herself. At the end of Everything Somewhere, she finds herself pregnant. She has married Mason, her child’s father, and this is an extract from a bonus chapter I wrote.

Willow

We left shoe prints in the dirt, still damp from recent storms. The three of us, ambling between the trees, our voices free and our laughter wild. Hudson had a cigarette between two fingers and would raise it to his lips absentmindedly, between one-line stories or well-intentioned jabs at Mason. My husband stayed close to me, his hand clutching my own. We’d been married just under a month, and it still felt weird to call him that.

But his fingers were my only warmth against the biting, March wind, and I sank into his touch.

“I’m not smoking ‘til after the baby comes,” Mason replied when Hudson offered him one.

“I told you it’s fine, babe.” I rolled my eyes but squeezed his hand with affection. “Obviously, I can’t, but you can. Who cares.”

Hudson took another breath of his cigarette and exhaled behind us. The smoke drifted back the way we’d come, up toward the leaves, as our trio moved farther along the trail. He eyed me, questioning something, and I understood.

“Maybe I’ll stay off ‘em forever,” I said, granting him a relaxed shrug.

Hudson snorted. “Fat chance of that. I’m not the only addict here.” He grinned at me, and I smiled back.

We were headed to one of my favorite hideaway spots in downtown Little Rush. Perfect for any time of the year, any state of mind. I’d taken long walks there on my own, for years and years, spent countless hours in the shadow of those tall trees. The three of us had been here a few times before, though not often, and I figured today was as good as any. Our work schedules were so full now, it wasn’t easy to find a day where we could be together, doing nothing. But it had, at last, arrived, and so I led them to my once-secret spot.

There weren’t too many places in downtown Little Rush where I could exist for hours without encountering a single human. But this little grove of trees, right alongside the Ohio River, was the perfect spot of solitude. From my dad’s apartment, I walked straight down to the bricks winding beside the river, and turned my back on the bridge. Then, I would follow that sidewalk until it abruptly ended, meshing with the railroad tracks, at the end of the street. There were walking trails leading away, following the tracks, and they could take you all the way up the hillside, if you wanted. But I didn’t want that. I would simply step off the path, through a thick arrangement of bushes, and emerge on the other side into a different world.

The ground dropped a few feet there, as I climbed through the shrubbery, and it felt like I had disappeared into a place nobody even knew of. The trees were tall and thick, but sparse. It didn’t feel as enclosed or dark as a typical forest. And the river swept by on one side, bumping up against some of the trunks, turning the hardened dirt into squelching mud under my feet. From the railroad tracks I’d left behind, no hikers could even hope to see down here, unless they followed. And very few did.

That expanse of dried mud and fallen leaves became a comfortable place for me. I would wander deeper into the trees, which stood around like the crowd at an amusement park when all the rides are closed. Dancing my way through their shadows and touching their rough trunks, I found an area of large stones where I could sit and soak my feet in the water. As the Ohio flowed by, its touch loving and familial, I looked across at the banks of Kentucky or to the right, where the river curled around a jutting hill and disappeared out of sight. There was a large, wooden structure near my spot, sticking out of the water, like it might’ve been support for a dock, long ago. Down that direction, I could make out the power plant, and often a barge in the distance.

A line of trees behind me. The river in front, stretched out, endless. The rolling hills of Kentucky, like staring into a mirror, with beautiful, leaf canopies glowing in the sunlight or waving in the breeze. This place felt like a step back in time, like a setting all its own. Nobody could find me here. Nobody could shatter this mirage.

“How many weeks are you out now?” Hudson asked. He continued to work on the cigarette, nearing the end of it now.

Mason stumbled over a root and we chuckled about that for a moment. Just a few minutes now and we’d reach that sacred spot next to the river, with large rocks meant for seating and small, rippling waves that brought in plastic cans, bits of floating wood, and an assortment of little fish. They would swim right under the surface, as if putting on a show, and I would stare at them more intently than anything else.

“Due in just over two weeks,” I answered Hudson once Mason had regained his balance. “Before you know it…” I placed a hand on my protruding stomach, though he didn’t kick in response.

“What happens if he comes on St. Patrick’s Day?” Hudson asked, a glint in his eye. “You have to dye his hair green. That’s just a rule.”

“Shut up! God, can you imagine?” I covered my hand with a mouth, laughing. The image of a green-haired baby, my baby, was almost too much. “I feel bad for your kids, if you ever have some.”

Hudson chuckled at this and blew one last cloud of smoke into the air. Then he ground out the cigarette butt on a passing tree.

“Speaking of…” Mason jumped into the conversation. “When’s the wedding? For you and Layla?”

Hudson stuffed both hands into the pockets of his jacket, throwing an exasperated look at Mason. “Whatever. It’s only been a few dates.” The corner of his mouth twitched and his eyes gleamed with something like mischief. “But… we are going on a weekend trip this summer, up near Indy. Brown County, you know. It’s kinda crazy. Did you know when I first met her, I gave her a handshake?”

Mason burst out laughing and Hudson smacked himself on the forehead. “I’m such a dumbass.”

This news about him and Layla made my heart skip a beat. I smiled at Hudson, imagining him and her, off in a cabin somewhere, a place all to themselves. I wondered if they’d go to college in the fall, if they’d go together, but I didn’t want to pry. Hudson deserved a peaceful, relaxing summer with a girlfriend and a future. I hoped he would really soak it in, before everything started to change at a relentless pace. Then again, maybe we were too late and things already had.

“Oohh.” Mason winked at me. “That’s the first step, right, babe?”

“We’ve got big plans this summer, too,” I said to Hudson, ignoring Mason’s question.

Read the rest at: https://davidkummer.com/2021/07/17/bonus-chapter-everything-somewhere/

Thank you, David. I can thoroughly recommend Everything Somewhere to everyone. I found it an engrossing read.

For everyone, here’s a bit more about it.

The power of memories.

Little Rush is a sleepy town on the Ohio River. Bruce Michaels is a renowned Hollywood actor. The two should never cross paths, yet one summer everything changes. The actor, haunted by demons, chasing a ghost. The town, unaware. Until the two collide.

Hudson, Willow, and Mason are high school seniors with very different upbringings, but all on the verge of adulthood. As the sun sets on their final summer, questions abound. Will they ever leave the town? Is there a future here? As their plans waver, time is running out.

The struggle of mental illness.

As he loses his friends and sinks deeper into depression, Hudson forms an unlikely bond with the actor, Bruce Michaels. But the old man is a ticking time bomb. As Hudson relies on him more, the danger to them both grows.

When dark secrets are revealed, Hudson must confront the truth about his idol and himself. Bruce Michaels isn’t who he seems. Hudson is nearly lost. And in the end, they may be more similar than different.

The search for meaning.

Different paths, converging in a web of alcohol, fights, and romance. Worlds collide one summer in Anywhere, USA. The question is who will make it through.

EVERYTHING, SOMEWHERE is an ambitious, sprawling look at the stories, people, and places forming the nuanced landscape of rural America.

And a review.

Theresajcbs
5.0 out of 5 stars Must read
Reviewed in Canada on 3 June 2021
Verified Purchase
This book takes you deep into the souls of it’s characters. You feel their longing, pain, wonder and joys. Anyone whose lived in a small town will instantly relate to their need for escape. It touches on depression and substance abuse, but also how it feels to grow up and what changes transpire for the adults who also grew up and stayed in the small town.
The prose is stunningly beautiful and nostalgic and worth reading over and over.

You can purchase the book by following this link which will take you to Amazon.com. Amazon.com : everything somewhere by david kummer