Page 45 Review by Publisher Blurb
The fire has been lit, the stew has been eaten. It's time for a friendly battle of wits.
"I am greater than a dragon and stronger than a Titan.
"The rich need me. The poor have me.
"And if you eat me, you die.
"What am I?"
Oh no, no, no, you're going to have to buy the book to find out, but I can honestly say that I have seldom strayed across a more satisfying riddle.
I imagine we'll be selling this fast-paced fantasy predominantly to adults, but you can also rack this safely next to LUMBERJANES, HILDA and BAD MACHINERY for the most excellent All-Ages adventure. The colours on the cover could not be fresher, while within you fill find rustic town roofs and windows lit like jewels in the night, forests given the most enormous depth with mixed sandy hues in the foreground spotlighted between greens which dominate the furthest stretches before glimpses, between tree trunks, of a blue sky beyond.
And then our small, gradually gathered crew discover The Dragon's Maw, an ancient and vast labyrinthine citadel whose precarious stone steps spiral deep underground, taking them past warnings carved on the walls in a strange dwarven dialect, then across rickety old rope bridges spanning seemingly bottomless chasms.
I think, if it's okay, I'll turn back now; I'm not one for heights.
The initial, full-page reveal of the citadel which concludes chapter two (after two pages of groping blindly through darkness) is pure Tombraider. Glorious! I don't mind sending Lara Croft into danger on my behalf.
We open late one evening in a tavern with war-painted, white-tufted Luvander delivering her finishing move with a flourish, winning hands-down at Dragon's Horde: lots of lovely coinage to scoop up and spend! Ummm... not so much.
"You lousy cheat!"
Ooooh, such a sore loser!
He's going to be very sore soon - they all are - for when they duff up then corner Luvander she responds with... is that's dragonfire?! They're going to need another tavern.
So that's a mystery for another time. Normally she wouldn't need it. She's a nimble as anything, eluding the angry, armed townsfolk at her own leisurely pace with effortless acrobatics, but it does mean she's back to sleeping in a barrel of smelly onions and down to one copper coin. Oh wait, there's an urchin who hasn't eaten for days. Back down to nothing, then.
It matters not, for Luvander is as tireless an optimist as she is an adventurer, forever smitten with a wanderlust which takes her out into the countryside and straight into the middle of a robbery. Instinctively she sides with the victims: Prince Aki, royal bodyguard Koro and Dorma Ironweed, a stocky young dwarf whom they've hired as a guide to The Dragon's Maw. Her grandmother's recipe for stew is quite spicy.
Prince Aki is only sixteen and embarking on his first quest, as is tradition. He may not match Luvander's strength or cerebral dexterity, but he too is inextinguishably up-tempo, while Koro is ever suspicious. I suppose it's her job.
Down they all go into darkness, seeking the Maw's secrets and perhaps ancient gold. The stone stairs and passageways are littered with skeletons, so they're not the first by any means. Unfortunately there's someone hot on Luvander's heels, and he brings with him two very big dogs. Also: none of them have noticed that there are braziers lit, and presumably kept fuelled...
Terrific stuff, with huge energy and humour, frantic, abyss-edge battles and, how I love a good dream sequence! Lots to try to interpret there: a stained-glass window, chains, padlock, temple ruins, treasure, a young Luvander... and what's up with her eyes on occasion, anyway?
Do you like dragons? I do!
