Category: Less Than Three Press

Its Face Off Time! Check in Here for Lexi Ander’s Special Guest Post for Sumeria’s Sons#5 (guest post, special excerpt and contest)

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Dragon’s Eye (Sumeria’s Sons #5) by Lexi Ander
Release Date: October 7, 2015

Goodreads Link
Publisher: LT3 Press
Cover Artist: London Burden

Buy the book: Less Than Three Press

Face-off: Marduk verses Ashur

I’m not a fan of Marduk. In the Sumeria’s Sons, he has been set up to be one of the villains because he is the one who holds the lock to the chains shackling the children of Tiamat. To me, Marduk is like a strutting peacock full of his own importance. He doesn’t go out and perform his own heroic deeds but steals them from both Enlil and Enki. As one of the lesser gods, Marduk’s background is pretty sketchy (non-existent) until he’s proclaimed the patron god of Babylon. The creation myth, Enuma Elish, which includes the battle against Tiamat (or as it’s called in Sumeria’s Sons, the Igigi War) was written to tell the story of Marduk’s heroic deeds, propaganda for the era and ruling civilization. The text was modified from an older epic replacing Enlil with Marduk as slayer of Tiamat.

Through the subjugation of the Tiamat’s children, Marduk used magic to transform them into protective charms used at the doorways to palaces, temples, and sometimes bedrooms. The only real threat to Marduk in his reigning era was the Assyrian god Assur (Ashur). As the supreme deity of Assyria, his popularity threatened Babylon and Marduk. Responding to that popularity, during the reign of Hammurabi (the king best known for the Hammurabi Code, the earliest surviving codes of law in recorded history) Marduk was elevated to the level of supreme god. He even took on Tiamat’s symbol of the snake-dragon.

Historically, the God Assur’s origin was much like that of Marduk, rising from obscurity. First becoming the equivalent of Sumeria’s Enlil and absorbing both Enlil’s consort and children. Then later after Assyria conquered Babylon, Assur became associated with Anshar, Sumeria’s sky god. Anshar’s name literally means “whole heaven” elevating Assur to the head of the Babylon pantheon. As such, Assur took the place of Marduk in the creation myth, slaying Tiamat and becoming king of the gods.

The author in me loved the competition between Marduk and Assur, but I also nitpicked what I wanted for the god’s history for Sumeria’s Sons. Anshar is and elder god called the skypivot, the God of the Horizon of Heaven and balanced by his consort Kishar the earthpivot, Goddess of the Horizon of the Earth. Together they make up the celestial poles and that balance coincides with the Twin Flames theme of Sumeria’s Sons. I used that animosity between them in the plot that further drew that line between good guy/bad guy between him and Marduk.

There is also a something else that I used after coming to understand the competition between the two cultures. These two gods derived their power from their worshippers. The more popular and widespread the god, the more powerful they became and I made that a physical manifestation in the series. I coupled that with the Marduk’s prophecy. Oh yes, he had his own prophecy stating that one day he would return and bring salvation to Babylon and wreak a terrible revenge. He-he. How could I leave that alone?

A huge thank you for allowing me to be a guest on the blog today! Throughout the blog tour for Dragon’s Eye, I hope you enjoy the behind the scenes look at the gods and mythos, and how they play a part in Sumeria’s Sons. For a visual representation, please visit my Pinterest page. (https://www.pinterest.com/lexiander1/sumeria-sons-inspirations/) During the tour I discuss the Sumerian pantheon, about who and what the Gods/Goddess are, and how I use them. Make sure you stop by the other blogs to get a complete look at the Gods and Goddess the Lycan’s follow.

Also, Less Than Three Press is running a special sale on Sumeria’s Sons from September 23rd  through October 7th (dates inclusive).

Twin Flames is $0.99.

Amazon () LT3 Press ()

25% off Songs of the Earth

Amazon () LT3 Press ()

25% off Dreams of the Forgotten

Amazon  | LT3 Press

25% off Surrounded by Crimson

Amazon |LT3 Press

Thank you for stopping by and reading!

RC

Blurb

In the wake of birth and betrayal, Ushna takes the God Ashur to Tristan in a last desperate bid to save Tristan’s life—and is helpless to do anything but watch as Ashur instead buries him in a grave. Though he has no desire to go on living, having now lost Brian and Tristan, Ushna has no choice. Not only do their children need him, the mysterious Simurgh has come out of hiding and forces him to continue on—for there is much to do and little time to do it, especially with treachery and danger closing in on them from every side.

Pages or Words: 98,000 words
Categories: Fantasy, M/M Romance, Menage/Poly, Paranormal, Urban Fantasy

Exclusive Excerpt #9

Prowling through the trees, I dared not use the new path that had been created with all the recent foot traffic. Sticking to the deepest shadows until the storage shed came into view, I crouched down, waiting and watching. Occasionally I scented the wind to make sure no one was around before I moved from the gloom. The darker patch of soil called to me. After so long, the dirt no longer appeared freshly turned and the fall leaves blanketed the area, partially hiding the spot where Ashur had placed Tristan. Even if snow covered the ground, I’d know the exact spot.

Dropping the bag to the side, I moved around the outer edge. Here the scent of magic was so sharp I sneezed several times. Ashur’s energy still lingered, faint with the passing of time, but that wasn’t what caught my attention. There was the trace of another’s power, heavy and bitter, and the scent clung to the back of my tongue. The soil hadn’t been physically disturbed but the magic permeated the ground.

Panic clawed at me. Why was someone casting spells over Tristan—unless, like me, they knew he was merely resting? I began to dig, the softened soil flying behind me as I envisioned discovering a dozen terrible things.

The embroidered hem of the red tunic Tristan had worn that day was revealed. After I changed back to my human form, I hastily put on my clothes. I hadn’t worn shoes or socks when I slipped away from Nathan’s and now the frosty ground quickly chilled my feet, but I didn’t care. Climbing down into the hole, I gingerly brushed the dirt away from material until I came to the edge where Tristan’s body should’ve been.

I didn’t understand; where was Tristan?

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About The Author

Meet Lexi Ander
Lexi has always been an avid reader, and at a young age started reading (secretly) her mother’s romances (the ones she was told not to touch). She was the only teenager she knew of who would be grounded from reading. Later, with a pencil and a note book, she wrote her own stories and shared them with friends because she loved to see their reactions. A Texas transplant, Lexi now kicks her boots up in the Midwest with her Yankee husband and her eighty-pound puppies named after vacuum cleaners.

Where to find Lexi Ander:

Web site: http://www.lexiander.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lexi.ander.9
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/LexiAnder1
Blog: http://lexiander.blogspot.com/
E-mail: lexi.ander.author@gmail.com

Contest

Enter to win a Rafflecopter Prize:
• Prize offered: Prize offered: $20 Amazon Gift card, $20 All Romance Gift card, hard copy of Dragon’s Eye, swag (pens, bookmarks)
• $20 All Romance Gift card, hard copy of Dragon’s Eye, swag (pens, bookmarks)
• hard copy of Dragon’s Eye, swag (pens, bookmarks)
• e-book copy of Dragon’s Eye
• e-book copy of Dragon’s Eye

Must be 18 years of age or older. Link and prizes provided by the author, and Pride Promotions.

Rafflecopter Code:
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Final

Tour Dates & Stops:

24-SepAndrew Q. Gordon, Christy Loves 2 Read

25-Sep Wicked Faerie’s Tales and Reviews: http://wickedfaeriesreviews.blogspot.com/2015/09/dragons-eye-by-lexi-ander-blog-tour.html

Dawn’s Reading Nook: http://dawnsreadingnook.blogspot.com/2015/09/book-spotlight-and-giveaway-for-dragons.htm

Bayou Book Junkie: http://bayoubookjunkie.blogspot.com/2015/09/virtual-tour-mm-dragons-eye-by-lexi.html

28-Sep Hearts on Fire: http://heartsonfirereviews.com/lexi-ander-dragons-eye-sumerias-sons-5-deleted-scene-excerpt-and-giveaway/

Decadent Delights: http://machurch00.blogspot.com/2015/09/pride-promotions-presents-dragons-eye.html

MM Good Book Reviews: https://mmgoodbookreviews.wordpress.com/2015/09/28/dragons-eye-by-lexi-ander-blog-tour-guest-post-exclusive-excerpt-giveaway/

29-Sep Amanda C. Stone: http://www.amandastonebooks.com/2015/09/lexi-anders-dragons-eye/

Jessie G. Books: http://wp.me/p5wi3H-FO

The Novel Approach: http://thenovelapproachreviews.com/2015/09/29/guest-post-excerpt-and-giveaway-the-dragons-eye-blog-tour-with-lexi-ander/

30-Sep The Jena Wade: http://www.thejenawade.com/blog/book-blast-dragons-eye-lexi-ander

1-Oct Louise Lyons: https://louiselyonsauthor.wordpress.com/2015/10/01/new-release-dragons-eye-book-5-of-sumerias-sons-by-lexi-ander/

Lee Brazil: http://leebrazilauthor.blogspot.com/2015/10/crawl-in-bed-with-lexi-ander.html

BFD Book Blog: http://wp.me/p5fGQT-2BO

2-Oct Love Bytes: http://lovebytesreviews.com/2015/10/02/blog-tour-guest-post-exclusive-excerpt-giveaway-lexi-ander-dragons-eye/
Chris McHart: http://chrismchart.com/2015/10/02/blog-tour-guestpost-giveaway-dragons-eye-by-lexi-ander/

TTC Books and More: http://www.ttcbooksandmore.com/2015/10/sumeria-sons-by-lexiander1-blog-tour.html

5-Oct   Molly Lolly, Wake Up Your Wild Side

6-Oct   Three Books Over The Rainbow, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, GGR Review

7-Oct   Inked Rainbow Reads, Prism Book Alliance, Crystal’s Many Reviewers

 

More First Lines of Novels, Our M/M Fiction First Line Quiz and This Week At Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

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More First Lines of Novels,  Plus Our First Line M/M  Novels Quiz!

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People tend to disagree over what are the most favorite/best loved lines in literature, especially when compiling lists.  When scanning over a number of the Top Ten, the same lines and books appear over and over, but after that? It can get lively.

Sometimes the lists can surprise you, baffle you and delight you.  Here are some of the first lines I found on lists that dismayed, baffled and delighted the heck out of me, and yes, that one huge thing is one sentence.  Read it and weep for whatever emotion takes you and consider if they did their job…made you want to read the book.

What line dismayed me?   This first line found on multiple lists, which I still find dismal. Up to me, this book would have remained unread, even by that year’s standards.

“I was born in the Year 1632, in the City of York, of a good Family, tho’ not of that Country, my Father being a Foreigner of Bremen, who settled first at Hull; He got a good Estate by Merchandise, and leaving off his Trade, lived afterward at York, from whence he had married my Mother, whose Relations were named Robinson, a very good Family in that Country, and from whom I was called Robinson Kreutznaer; but by the usual Corruption of Words in England, we are now called, nay we call our selves, and write our Name Crusoe, and so my Companions always call’d me.” Robinson Crusoe (1719), Daniel Defoe

What baffled me? This one sentence, yes, one line opener.

“Once upon a time two or three weeks ago, a rather stubborn and determined middle-aged man decided to record for posterity, exactly as it happened, word by word and step by step, the story of another man for indeed what is great in man is that he is a bridge and not a goal, a somewhat paranoiac fellow unmarried, unattached, and quite irresponsible, who had decided to lock himself in a room a furnished room with a private bath, cooking facilities, a bed, a table, and at least one chair, in New York City, for a year 365 days to be precise, to write the story of another person—a shy young man about of 19 years old—who, after the war the Second World War, had come to America the land of opportunities from France under the sponsorship of his uncle—a journalist, fluent in five languages—who himself had come to America from Europe Poland it seems, though this was not clearly established sometime during the war after a series of rather gruesome adventures, and who, at the end of the war, wrote to the father his cousin by marriage of the young man whom he considered as a nephew, curious to know if he the father and his family had survived the German occupation, and indeed was deeply saddened to learn, in a letter from the young man—a long and touching letter written in English, not by the young man, however, who did not know a damn word of English, but by a good friend of his who had studied English in school—that his parents both his father and mother and his two sisters one older and the other younger than he had been deported they were Jewish to a German concentration camp Auschwitz probably and never returned, no doubt having been exterminated deliberately X * X * X * X, and that, therefore, the young man who was now an orphan, a displaced person, who, during the war, had managed to escape deportation by working very hard on a farm in Southern France, would be happy and grateful to be given the opportunity to come to America that great country he had heard so much about and yet knew so little about to start a new life, possibly go to school, learn a trade, and become a good, loyal citizen.”  — Raymond Federman, Double or Nothing, 1971

What delighted me? That I found these opening lines on a couple of lists.

“Where’s Papa going with that axe?” said Fern to her mother as they were setting the table for breakfast. (E.B. White,Charlotte’s Web)

“When the car stopped rolling, Parker kicked out the windshield and crawled through onto the wrinkled hood, Glock first.” –Donald E. Westlake writing as Richard Stark, Backflash

The drought had lasted now for ten million years, and the reign of the terrible lizards had long since ended. –Arthur C. Clarke, 2001: A Space Odyssey

“Nobody ever walked across the bridge, not on a night like this.” –Mickey Spillane, One Lonely Night.

This little hunt so entertained me that I decided to compile a list of my own, with help from the rest of the reviewers here at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words.

We started to look for the first lines from some very popular M/M Romance/Fiction stories and we came up with what is sure to be the first of at least 3  Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words M/M Romance First Line Quizzes!

Look for the answers in next week’s Sunday’s post . How many, if any,do you think you will recognize?

 Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words M/M Romance First Line Quiz

In what m/m romance fiction books do these first lines appear?

  1.  “This is the way my world ends.”
  2. “Once upon a time…that’s how the old stories always begin.”
  3. “It was pouring when I walked outside to use the pay phone.”
  4. “He was on his third beer of the evening when he thought he heard a noise in the backyard.”
  5. “His elegantly decorated hospital room looked regal and stately, much like the man lying in the bed in the center of the room.”
  6. “I don’t disagree with you Mother, Clarissa is a very beautiful woman. “
  7. “I wish to buy a boy,” the stranger said.”
  8. “I would say that I never let harm come to him, but in this world harm comes to us all. “
  9. “At eight in the evening on a Friday, Roosevelt High School was dark and abandoned.”
  10. “The whole thing started because of Lizzy’s Jeep.”
  11. “Dad, I’m gay.”
  12. “This is not a coming-out story.”
  13. “He wore the navy suit because it was her favorite, the light blue shirt because when he looked down at his cuff, the slender line of color made him remember her eyes.”
  14. “The smell of cheap motel rooms was comforting to him, like his oldest, rattiest T-shirt.”

 

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This Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

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Sunday, October 4:

  • More First Lines of Novels, Our M/M Fiction First Line Quiz and This Week At Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

Monday, October 5:

  • Cover reveal for J. Johanis ‘Dream Gods’ (cover reveal and contest)
  • EE Montgomery ‘Just The Way You Are’ Keep Me In Mind Tour and Giveaway
  • Coffee Sip and Book Break:  Small Wonders by Courtney Lux (excerpt and giveaway)
  • A Stella Review: Blueberry Boys by Vanessa North
  • A Mika Review: Signs of Life by Melanie Hansen

Tuesday, October 6:

  • Book Spotlight: Dragon’s Eye by Lexi Ander (excerpt and giveaway)
  • Author Spotlight Special: Sloan Johnson  “Triple Play”-rescheduled for Oct 2oth
  • Coffee Sip and Book Break:  Roping Him In by Jena Wade (excerpt and giveaway)
  • A Free Dreamer Review: Strength To Let Go by Alina Popescu
  • A Barb, A Zany Old Lady Audio Review: Pura Vida by Sara Alva ~ Audiobook narrated by Joseph Northton

Wednesday, October 7:

  • Kate Pearce’s Tribute Series Returns with the Retribution Tour and Contest
  • Valerie Brundage ‘Another Creature’ book blast and contest
  • Coffee Sip and Book Break with Missy Welsh – Take Your Pick (excerpt and giveaway)
  • A Stella Review: Base Instinct by Larissa Ione
  • A PaulB review: Shades of Power by Beany Sparks

Thursday, October 8:

  • Grein Murray ‘Keeping Joshua’ book blast and giveaway
  • In the Book Spotlight: Purpose by Andrew Q Gordon (excerpt and contest)
  • A Jeri Review: Let The Wrong Light In by Avon Gale
  • A Free Dreamer Review: First Contact by Alex Gabriel
  • A Mika Review: Redeeming Hope by Shell Taylor

Friday, October 9:

  • Riptide Publishing’s 4th Anniversary Celebration Tour and Contest
  • Coffee Sip and Book Break with P.D. Singer ‘Otter Chaos’ (excerpt and giveaway)
  • A BJ Review: Winter: Haunted Heart #1 by Josh Lanyon
  • A Free Dreamer Review: To Catch A Threeve by Alexis Duran
  • A MelanieM Review: Where the Grass is Greener (Seeds of Tyrone #2) by Debbie McGowan and Raine O’Tierney

YA Saturday, October 10:

  • An Aurora YA Review: Mad About the Hatter by Dakota Chase

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Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words Has the Answers You Want Next Sunday!

In the Meantime, grab up those old favorites, check out those first lines!  Can’t find the ones above? Ok, how about the ones you don’t need but find that are pretty cool? While you’re at it, write those down and submit them here to us at melaniem54@msn.com to use for our next quizzes.  You’ll never know when a  prize will pop up and you will have a least one line in the “know”.

A.F. Henley’s Taking Us Into the Wild & Supernatural with Wolf, WY (guest post, excerpt, and giveaway)

Wolf, WY Cover

Wolf, WY (Wolf #1)
by A.F. Henley

Publisher:  Less Than Three Press
Sales Link:  Less Than Three Press

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We are happy to have author A. F. Henley here today to talk about her latest novel, Wolf, WY, the first in a new series.  Welcome, A. F.!  Tell us a little about Wolf, WY or anything you want to tell us. 

 

 

The hardest thing (for me) about writing blog tour posts is the first few paragraphs of interaction. Should one be endearing? Excited? Analytical? I’ve tried a lot of different things along the way, but I’ve found that my favourite way of managing blog posts is to sit back in my chair and imagine the reader doing the same beside me. What would they ask me about the novel? What would I tell them back? I’ve often found the best thing I can do when discussing my novels is to turn the question back on the asker… What did you think?

Not really a fair question to spring on you guys, though is it? Considering the book doesn’t release for a couple of weeks, you would hardly be in a position to ask clear questions about the novel. So what I’ve decided to do with these posts is give you a sneak peek into the world and the characters that live between Wolf, WY’s beautiful cover. In exchange for your time, I’d like to offer you a chance to win a bunch of great prizes: a signed copy of Wolf, WY, a $20 LT3 gift certificate, and a cool Wind & Fire paw print bangle that will show the world just what you think of our furry four-legged friends. Be sure to read through to the end to find out how to participate.

But enough of me, let’s get to the point. In my last post I introduced you to Wolf, Wyoming as seen through the main character’s eyes using a “tiny teaser” directly from the book. Wolf isn’t the only community in the novel, however. Sheridan is a larger town approximately eighteen miles east of Wolf. For any of you that might have lived in a teeny-tiny community, think of it as the place where you’d head out to do your major grocery run or pick up gifts. Or, as Randy would think of it, the place you’ll head to when the folks are coming for a visit and cream of mushroom soup for dinner just won’t cut it…

So here’s a little sample of Sheridan, WY. Hope you enjoy your visit:

Tiny Teaser: Introducing – Sheridan, WY

There was a box of wine from the liquor store in his trunk, a bag of DVDs from the adjoining video/audio store (purchased, not rented, because not even God could guarantee when he’d make in back to the city), and sixty bucks’ worth of groceries from the Safeway. If nothing else he could eat, drink, and get lost in movies if—when—the weather flared back up.

The city was a mess of slush and snow piles. Elevated trucks with treads as deep as canyons grumbled by, their drivers staring down at Randy like he was driving something as foolish as a Corvette and not a bona fide 4×4 pickup. Brightly bundled kids made all manners of snow critters in postage-stamp-sized front yards while their parents shoveled their driveways clear. Snowmobiles tore up and down the side streets, whipping across the larger streets with a hope and a prayer when the way seemed clear of traffic and law enforcement. The entire city seemed to have become a land of winter worship. It was oddly uplifting, like stumbling across Santa’s workshop, except that it was well after Christmas and all the little elves had been allowed out to play. When Randy pulled into the parking lot of a diner, looked across the street, and saw two people vigorously scrubbing and hosing their snowmobiles at the Sudsy Bath Auto Wash, all he could do was shake his head over the coolness of it.

Wolf, WY Excerpt
© AF Henley, 2015

Blurb

Wolf, WY

There’s nothing like a fresh start, and for Randy, still nursing wounds left by a cheating ex and harboring a deep mistrust for all things corporate, Wolf, Wyoming seems like the perfect place to start over. Secluded, quiet, and self-sufficient, Wolf is bound to not only inspire, but to bring Randy the peace he needs. The view’s not bad, either.

Vaughn O’Connell and his family are Randy’s only neighbors for miles, and while Randy knows it’s somewhat unlikely that a man with three kids is gay, it doesn’t hurt to look. When a misunderstanding brings Randy face to face with both Vaughn and his eighteen year old son, Lyle, Randy’s not sure what to feel about either of them.

But things are not what they appear in Wolf, and the closer Randy gets, the stranger the O’Connell family seems…

Word Count: 70,000
Genre: Gay, Paranormal, Urban Fantasy
Notes: Wolf, WY contains some explicit content
Book 1 in the Wolf series

Wolf, WY BT Giveaway

The Giveaway

On behalf of the tour, please join the giveaway by taking part in the Rafflecopter below. The prize consists of a ‘Wind & Fire’ paw print charm bangle (a portion of the sales from this “Charms For Charity Bangle” goes directly to Guiding Eyes For The Blind), a $20 Gift Certificate to the Less Than Three Press book market (free books!), and a signed, print copy of Wolf, WY. For all the tiny-whiny terms and conditions, please check out the t’s and c’s posted on the Rafflecopter.  Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.  Link and prizes provided by the author and Less Than Three Press.

** Please note that this giveaway is being offered tour-wide and there will be one winner awarded for the entire event.

ENTER RAFFLECOPTER GIVEAWAY HERE:

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A great big thanks to Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words for having me today… without sites like this these giveaways and promo opps would not be possible. I can never express my gratitude enough. And a huge thanks to you as well, my friends, for reading and joining me. Best of luck with the giveaway and I hope you enjoyed the post!

Until next time,

AF Henley ❤

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About the Author

Henley was born with a full-blown passion for run-on sentences, a zealous indulgence in all words descriptive, and the endearing tendency to overuse punctuation. Since the early years Henley has been an enthusiastic writer, from the first few I-love-my-dog stories to the current leap into erotica. A self-professed Google genius, Henley lives for the hours spent digging through the Internet for ‘research purposes’ which, more often than not, lead seven thousand miles away from first intentions but bring Henley to new discoveries and ideas that, once seeded, tend to flourish.

Henley has been proudly publishing with Less Than Three Press since 2012, and has been writing like mad ever since—an indentured servant to the belief that romance and true love can mend the most broken soul. Even when presented in prose.

For more information please stop by for a visit at http://www.afhenley.com.

A MelanieM YA Review: The Oracle’s Sprite (The Oracle #4) by Mell Eight

Rating:  3.75 stars out of 5

Cover - The Oracles FlameAt just eighteen years of age, Keir became the leader of the army fighting against the usurper king while Princes Edan and Egan led the navy. At his side, willing to help from time to time, was Sprite.

A friendly ghost, Sprite likes to keep Keir company and occasionally play tricks on Keir’s sister. When the Oracle demands Keir’s presence, he expects Sprite to travel with him.

He doesn’t expect the gale that knocks him overboard and into an adventure that might just kill him.

The Oracle’s Sprite adds in the Dragon of the Air to Mell Eight’s imaginative, and wonderful Oracle series.  As with each book, the present Oracle is rebuilding her pantheon of elemental dragons.  Most of the elemental Castes have lost their way, fallen to madness or self preservation, their Dragons gone missing or not found one to be “chosen” to be reborn. The Oracle needs that to change in order to restructure their guilds to better serve the kingdom of Altnoia and deliver it from the dark times ahead.  So the Oracle’s been arranging the Dragons return, manipulating matters , sometimes brutally at the cost to the various Dragons to be, at least that what they  see at the time.  So far, we seen the return of The Dragon of Flame, The Dragon of Ether, and the Dragon of Earth.  Now comes the Dragon of Air.

Our introduction to The Oracle’s Sprite is somewhat different than the rest.  A castle hold has been invaded by a false king’s men and their are killing its inhabitants.  A young boy wakes and manages to steal away with his baby sister. Its a brief introduction to the perilous times and places this book’s timeline exactly along side all the other books. What we don’t start with is the dragon.  Not at first.  That comes a little later and it comes in clues. What Mell Eight gives us is clues, lovely, descriptive clues that pile up everywhere as to who the Dragon of the Air is.  Yes, when he appears, the reader will go “oh, there you are”, but its appearance is welcoming instead of frustrating.

Sometimes  some of my most favorite elements in a Oracle story are the smallest ones.  In this story its the description of the pattern that appears on the Dragon of the Air’s back when he walks out of the Testing Chamber.

“..he emerged from the testing chamber, his hair had paled to pure white and the Dragon of Air was tattooed on his back.

The dragon was formless. His back might have still looked blank if it weren’t for the slightest blurring of the skin, as if an invisible wind was forever etched there.  The Oracle could see a pair of eyes hidden there, as well as a pair of clear wings attached at to a massive body.  She knew where to look  to find the Dragon…”

The Dragon that the boy would turn into as The Dragon of the Air.  I have always loved the idea of tattoos that come alive.  Here the tattoo and the boy are one in the same, two forms, one being.  But its the boy that we will meet first.

Keir and Sprite are the only fully formed characters in the story, there are other minor interesting characters but they don’t get enough time within the plot to make them as multidimensional as they should be.  Still, within the short scenes they appear in, this character is powerful and certainly scary.  I just think the story lost depth by not including more of this character role and reasoning (if any).

While Keir and Sprite are in a sexual relationship (parts that have a funny aspect to it), there is little to no sex n the story, to the point that you could label this a YA story.  Its high adventure, young love, dragons, pirates and a fight for a kingdom.  Come on, who doesn’t love that?  For me, that never gets old.

I did find it ended a little too abruptly, in fact, that has been my main complaint with every book of the series.  All the endings just seem a little rushed.  But Mell Eight’s creativity, her world building and, darn it all, her fabulous imagination that conjured up these Dragons, the Oracle and that Mountain.  Well,  that’s amazing, and now I can’t wait for the next dragon to appear.  That would be The Dragon of Water.  Roll it out, Mell Eight!  You have me on air!

Cover art by London Burden.  The Dragon of the Air is a  tough dragon to portray but  since most of the harrowing scenes take place at sea, this is a fitting image.

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Book Details:

ebook
Expected publication: September 30th 2015 by Less Than Three Press