Blog Bliz: Fantasy Short Stories by Suzanne Rogerson

A collection of stories featuring favourite characters from Visions of Zarua and ‘Silent Sea Chronicles’, plus a glimpse into the new series, ‘Starlight Prophecy’.

The Guardian
With an assassin picking off wizards one-by-one, Kalesh visits Cassima, a former student, hoping to persuade her to re-join the Royal Wizards and use their protection to keep her family safe.Kalesh’s newest charge, Paddren, has strange visions which link to a past event known only to a select few. The knowledge hidden in Paddren’s visions is invaluable so Kalesh must guard the boy at any cost.
Can Kalesh keep his students off the assassin’s radar long enough for his order to stop the killer?

Garrick the Protector
Fifteen-year-old Garrick is helping at his uncle’s farm when his cousin’s illegal use of magic threatens the family’s safety.
Mara is in immediate danger from the Assembly who deem all magic as a threat. The only safe place for her is the Turrak Mountains where exiled mystics have found sanctuary alongside the island’s Sentinel.
Can Garrick get Mara to safety before the Assembly catch up with them?

War Wounds
Conscripted to fight off raiders, Calder finds the months of bloody battle unleash a sixth sense buried inside him.
Finally released from duty, he travels home and encounters a mysterious woman who insists his life is destined to serve a higher purpose. Calder rejects her claims, wanting only to return to a simple existence with his wife.
But can Calder pick up his old life when the powers within him have been stirred? And why does he feel such misgivings about his return?

All three stories give readers a tantalising glimpse into the fantasy worlds created by Suzanne Rogerson.

Purchase Link - http://mybook.to/fantasySS

Review

Though unrelated, these three stories each hark back to classic epic fantasy of swords and magic. They act as a prologue of sorts to a full length story - one novel, one trilogy, and one upcoming series, and all give a peek into these worlds without spoiling the plot or needing additional context. There's even an excerpt from the already-released books to pique further interest!

I found The Guardian bittersweet as it plays out like a foregone conclusion, as much as I and the characters hope otherwise. Garrick the Protector was probably my favourite, showcasing a teenager determined to be strong when the world turns on his family. War Wounds was the most complex, with the horror of war from both sides and a dollop of mystery and threat.

The stories draw you in and leave you wanting to know just a bit more about these characters and what happens next. If you're looking for some fantasy to jump into, these bite-sized stories will give you a good taste of something new - and if you've read these books already, these will give you some backstory of your favourite characters.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of these stories via Rachel's Random Resources; all opinions are my own

Author Bio  

Suzanne lives in Middlesex, England with her husband, two children and a crazy cocker spaniel.

Her writing journey began at the age of twelve when she completed her first novel. She discovered the fantasy genre in her late teens and has never looked back. Giving up work to raise a family gave Suzanne the impetus to take her attempts at novel writing beyond the first draft, and she is lucky enough to have a husband who supports her dream - even if he does occasionally hint that she might think about getting a proper job one day.

Now an author of four novels including the Silent Sea Chronicles trilogy and her debut, Visions of Zarua, Suzanne hopes the dreaded ‘W’ word will never rear its ugly head again!

She loves gardening and has a Hebe (shrub) fetish. She enjoys cooking with ingredients from the garden and regularly feeds unsuspecting guests vegetable-based cakes.

Suzanne collects books, is interested in history and enjoys wandering around castles and old ruins whilst being immersed in the past. She likes to combine her love of nature and photography on family walks, but most of all she loves to escape with a great film, binge watch TV shows, or soak in a hot bubble bath with an ice cream and a book.

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The Arrangement by Sylvia Day; Minerva Spencer; Kristin Vayden

This is a collection of novellas, all involving arranged marriages. Specifically, we have one story with matchmakers and two with marriages of convenience, and the overall effect is... mixed.

Mischief and the Marquess by Sylvia Day
I have to say, this was my least favourite of the three. I felt like we started in the middle of the series and skipped to the end. The most frustrating thing was that no-one ever explains exactly why or how Sophie is so ruined that she can't imagine a happy ending with Justin. I do however give Justin kudos for considering it unthinkable that he would sleep with Sophie and not marry her, and then following through. He was possibly my favourite of the heroes for his integrity and common sense.

The Duke's Treasure by Minerva Spencer
Beau needs money. Jo has money, and has secretly been in love with him for five years. Her father brokers the match from his deathbed, a match that has its roots in tangled relationships from - you guessed it - five years ago. I enjoyed how Beau and Jo got to know each other and you know what? I changed my mind. I love how Beau made a conscious decision to honour and befriend his new wife, even as his ex-fiancee and current sister-in-law crashes the honeymoon. I do think this one finished quite abruptly though.

The Inconvenient Countess by Kristin Vayden
In a flip of the previous story, Diana needs money and Brook needs respectability. This one made a little bit less sense than the other one and I found the story even more rushed. Of course, the best part was how Brook and Diana both decided that while this wasn't an ideal situation, they would make the best of it and learn to live with the other - and of course, 'live with' turns to love with startling alacrity.

Overall, this was a decent but not great collection of stories that had good relationships but where (likely due to word limits) the plots all fell by the wayside. Three stars.

Disclaimer: I received an ARC via NetGalley; all opinions are my own.

Starlings by Jo Walton

Synopsis:

An intimate first flight of short fiction from award-winning novelist Jo Walton (Among Others, The King’s Peace).

A strange Eritrean coin travels from lovers to thieves, gathering stories before meeting its match. Google becomes sentient and proceeds toward an existential crisis. An idealistic dancer on a generation ship makes an impassioned plea for creativity and survival. Three Irish siblings embark on an unlikely quest, stealing enchanted items via bad poetry, trickery, and an assist from the Queen of Cats. 
With these captivating initial glimpses into her storytelling psyche, Jo Walton shines through subtle myths and wholly reinvented realities. Through eclectic stories, subtle vignettes, inspired poetry, and more, Walton soars with humans, machines, and magic—rising from the everyday into the universe itself.


Review:

Starlings is a collection of short fiction – short stories, poetry, and everything in between. They are mostly scifi with a sprinkling of fantasy and a side of religion and mythology. There are literary allusions, historical snippets, some alternate history. Some of it's confusing and some of it's disturbing and some of it's funny and some of it's inspired, and I suspect every reader will find different ones tickles their fancy.

Personally, my favourites were Jane Austen to Cassandra, Turnover, Tradition, and A Burden Shared. It shows great talent that these four are such different stories; I never felt like this collection got dull or repetitive. If you’re looking for some entertaining light reading, pick up Starlings.

Four fragmentary stars

I received a copy of this story from the author through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Down Among the Sticks and Bones be Seanan McGuire

Some people shouldn't have children.

Almost more a character study than a novella, this is an evocative look at parents and choices. It's simple and moving to see Jacquline and Jillian grow from their parents' creations into the familiar figures of Jack and Jill on the freedom of the Moors. 

I didn't love this as I loved the first book, but that is more personal than on its own merits - this will no doubt speak more than the first to other readers. I would've enjoyed an epilogue, but perhaps that is an entirely new story as this one is perfect on its own.

Five free stars

Written on the Stars by Norma Budden

This sweet short story has a lot to like in it. It’s a second chance romance with two interesting main characters, some lovely descriptions, and sound advice for life as well as love. I liked how it was the guy who went completely head-over-heels, though he didn’t push, and how the girl stood her ground.

The ending was sweet but came all too soon. I would have loved the story to be more fleshed out. I felt like I was coming into the story at the dénouement, after the big misunderstanding but just before the happily ever after. As such, there was a lot of backstory included, but even more that was missed out or glossed over. I got very little sense of what Sarah and Mike’s relationship was like before, other than his parents disapproving, or what the characters had done during their seven years apart.

Three sweet stars

I received a copy of this story from the author through ReadingAlley in exchange for an honest review.

Painting Rainbows by Sue Lilley

This story was like candyfloss – light, sweet, and fluffy, and gone almost before I had a chance to enjoy it properly. I chomped through it in a single sitting and found it over almost as quickly as it began.

The writing is whimsical and evocative, the characters lightly sketched but no less real for it. The ending is beautifully bittersweet and wonderfully well-written, though it did make me wonder if the entire thing had been a dream.

The only criticism is that I would’ve like a little more of their background as children together, but that’s a minor quibble in such a lovely short story.

Five magical stars!

I received a copy of this story from the author through ReadingAlley in exchange for an honest review.