Stranded: Heart of Black Ice Bay 1. The Scorched Kingdom

8 hours ago, gdh said:

 Amazingly rich and skillful writing. You have excelled yourself sir>

Geoff

Thank you for that lovely comment, @gdh. This is a multi-layered story and something new for me, so your endorsement is very welcome.

Apologies for the shameless self-advertising, but the book I showcased here called Any Day which has been extensively rewritten was released generally on 5th October 2021 by Pride Publishing. Links to the book are as follows: 

Pride Publishing: https://www.pride-publishing.com/book/any-day

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/any-day-brian-lancaster/1139998005

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09CD27X9Z/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i2

2 hours ago, starboardtack said:

For some reason I kept passing up this story. Maybe it was the title, the description, of my mood. What a mistake that was. This is an incredibly intelligent, well-written, and creative story. I am totally hooked by it!

Thank you, @starboardtack.

There are a lot of layers to this tale and I wonder sometimes if I am overcomplicating the plot. So it's really nice to get a wonderful message like yours. 

Brian (aka Lomax61)

This story introduces us to a marvellous world with perfectly believable, well-developed characters and a gripping storyline.  The prose is well constructed and flows beautifully. The author gives us all the information we need while resisting the temptation to get stuck in minutae, or adding irrevelant elements. It is not often that I feel compelled re-read the entire thing when a story reaches its end, but this one was certainly worth it.

Now this story is finished, when will I be able to review it.  It deserves much praise.  I am also very happy that you plan at least 2 more books in this series. 

Dear members,

I think I have said before how much I love the speculation that floods into the comments section after posting a contentious chapter. And this final epilogue (I anticipated this might happen) has raised some very interesting hypotheses. As I mentioned before, this story has been over twenty years in the imagining, so I have many angles to explore before we get to the culmination of the tale, many that I hope will surprise people.

Book two is going to be a little different. The story will continue along the same timeline, but told through the experiences of various other characters (both fair and foul) who play a key part in driving the story forward. In a nutshell, there is a whole lot more going on than what can be told through the POV of Brathay or Leon, hence many new characters. But I promise that both our boys will reenter the story before the end.

Thank you once again for staying the course.

Brian (Lomax61)

Ohh! Yes, the POV from Ligger, the villages,  Brathays mother or father! The options are almost endless!!! Thank you again for a thrilling adventure