As it's National Poetry Day, I thought I'd share a few thoughts on Byron. The celebrity cult of Lord Byron began while he was still alive, boomed when he died, and still continues today. He remains an object of fascination, scandal, and appeal. I've been interested in him since I first read about him in a "Famous People" encyclopaedia. It was a children's book, so it did not explore the more infamous aspects of his life. But it was enough to inspire me to delve further into research on the man and the myth - including the puzzle of the mirror . Ultimately, Byron went on to become a major inspiration for my first published book Day's Dying Glory , right down to its title. His early poems (generally my favourite ones) feature heavily in the book, and I enjoyed weaving in lines and references which Byron-fans would spot where others might not even notice them. Poets and poetry have inspired hundreds of writers. It is fascinating that language can be so power...
"Only One Death" by Alexander Crow
Book Review
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☆☆☆☆☆
“Only One Death” is an engaging novel, which is quite dark
in places, but creates a sense of urgency for the reader to read on…you need to
find out what’s going to happen next!! As a result, this is a very difficult
book to put down!
It is a fantasy novel and some of the names can be a bit
tricky, especially as it is about a group of 10 people. Three characters, in
particular, are very well developed. As it is a novella, it is quite short, but
you feel like you really know some of the characters by the end.
The book is written by someone who knows how to survive in
the wilderness, and this comes across in the writing. The wilds play an
important role in the story, and is clearly important to the author. The reader
is left pondering on a time when more of Britain was engulfed in wilderness,
rather than the towns and settlements we know today.
I would certainly recommend this book to any lover of
fantasy stories.
Book Blurb (from Goodreads)
“Amongst his people ten was an unlucky number.”
Dhinal is searching for a guide into the high mountains. With his mismatched band of companions, he knows he must find the legendary Red City. Meanwhile, in Eastsea, Kees prepares to leave behind the Talking Races for winter. Both Dhinal and Kees know that nature does not care whether you live, or whether you die. Both Dhinal and Kees know that even the best prepared of expeditions can falter and fail. A journey into the mountains, with winter approaching. A group with secrets to hide. What could possibly go wrong? The novella Only One Death is the first of three introductions to the Isthmus, and both a homage and an alternative approach to the standard fantasy quest. |
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