Welcome to Thursday Doors, a weekly feature allowing door lovers to come together to admire and share their favorite door photos from around the world. Feel free to join in on the fun by creating your own Thursday Doors post each week and then sharing your link in the comments below, anytime between 12:01 am Thursday morning and Saturday noon (North American eastern time). You can join in here: https://nofacilities.com/2023/02/02/from-deep-in-the-archive/
During our visit to the Herman Charles Bosman Living Museum last year, we spent some time viewing the original school house in Groot Marico where this famous South African poet and writer taught for 9 months. This is an exact replica of the original building which was literally carried, brick by brick, from its original position to the site of the museum.
Original schoolhouse where Herman Charles Bosman taught in Groot MaricoEntrance into the schoolhouseEntrance door from the inside of the schoolhousePlaque for the Marico Kommando, a military unit which existed from 1858 until 2008
This is a YouTube video of one of Herman Charles Bosman’s short stories called White Ant as told by David Muller in character as the narrator, Oom Schalk Lourens. Please note that David Muller’s narrations are of the stories as they were originally written and may contain colonial language that is no longer deemed appropriate.
I am kicking off Dark Origins 2023 with an analysis of origins of The Pit and the Pendulum, a short story by Edgar Allan Poe set during the height of the Spanish Inquisition. Thanks for hosting, Kaye Lynne Booth.
I am kicking off Dark Origins 2023 with an analysis of the origins and historical accuracy of The Pit and the Pendulum. This short story by Edgar Allan Poe is set at the height of the Spanish Inquisition.
The story begins with the unnamed narrator being condemned to death. As the judges announce his fate, the narrator focuses on seven tall candles. The light of the candles initially appears to him like angels and he feels comforted. He is soon, however, overcome by horror at his fate and the candles disappear when he collapses into semi-consciousness.
When the narrator awakes, he is initially to scared to open his eyes. When he does open them, he finds himself in complete darkness and spends some time imagining the tortures of the Inquisition. After some time has passed, he musters the courage to start moving and tries to make sense of his…
I heard about this novel from my oldest son who read it during his final year of high school. I obtained, and read, a summarised version of the book at the beginning of last year. Not knowing much about the book at the time I read the summary, I didn’t realise it wasn’t the unabridged version until some time later. I was sufficiently interested to purchase, and read, the unabridged version at the end of 2022.
This is a most unusual book, a deeply satirical look at American politics and bureaucracy during World War II at the front (or close enough to it to be an active participant). Admittedly, as a reader of predominantly British authors, I was rather shocked at the disrespect and ridicule directed towards the top military personnel. Most of the war books I’ve read have treated the military leadership, especially officers involved in active duty, with great respect and as heroes and men of bravery and action. It was rather disconcerting initially to make the mind shift to this different attitude and viewpoint. In essence, Catch 22 claims, through the actions of the various characters, that war and military life and behaviours are absurd.
Catch 22 largely follows of the life of antihero, Captain John Yossarian, a bombardier for the US Army Air Force. Yossarian and his friends are stationed on the fictional island of Pianosa in the Mediterranean Sea west of Italy. The novel chronicles Yossarian’s efforts to not be killed through his own eyes and through those of a number of other characters in the book. During his time in Pianosa, Yossarian has transitioned from an eager eyed young man keen to do his duty for his country into a cynic who is convinced that his own military leadership are trying to send him to an early death by forcing him to fly more combat missions that he should. Every time the men in Yossarian’s squadron read the target number of missions flown and prepare to return home, the number is raised by the greedy and ambitious Colonel Cathcart, who is always trying to gain recognition in an effort to be promoted.
The main event around which the novel is structured is the death of a radio-gunner, Snowden, during a raid on Avignon, France. Yossarian is the bombardier and tries desperately to save Snowden who is injured as a result of a struggle between co-pilot Dobbs and Huple, the 15-year old pilot, when Dobbs becomes overwhelmed with fear. Yossarian is horrified by Snowden’s gruesome death and becomes aware of his own mortality. He sets out to do everything he can to avoid flying any more missions. Yossarian believes that Snowden’s death reveals Snowden’s secret hidden in his entrails, that “man was matter” and that “Drop him out of a window and he’ll fall. Set fire to him and he’ll burn. Bury him and he’ll rot, like other kinds of garbage.”
Themes of Catch 22 and supporting extracts
Paradox and Impossibility
Catch 22 means a paradoxical situation from which an individual cannot escape because of contradictory rules or limitations.
Yossarian attempts to feign madness to avoid dangerous combat missions, but his desire to avoid them is taken to prove his sanity.
The following quote illustrates this theme:
“There was only one catch and that was Catch-22, which specified that a concern for one’s safety in the face of dangers that were real and immediate was the process of a rational mind. Orr was crazy and could be grounded. All he had to do was ask; and as soon as he did, he would no longer be crazy and would have to fly more missions. Orr would be crazy to fly more missions and sane if he didn’t, but if he was sane he had to fly them. If he flew them he was crazy and didn’t have to; but if he didn’t want to he was sane and had to. Yossarian was moved very deeply by the absolute simplicity of this clause of Catch-22 and let out a respectful whistle.
“That’s some catch, that Catch-22,” he observed.
“It’s the best there is,” Doc Daneeka agreed.”
War and bureaucracy
The novel initially paints a picture of the military bureaucracy as being absurd but as the novel progresses, the tragedy of the system that allows selfish, greedy, and narrow-minded men who only care about their own promotions and ambition to jeopardise the lives of the young men in their command and even civilians.
An example of absurdity: “Under Colonel Korn’s rule, the only people permitted to ask questions were those who never did. Soon the only people attending were those who never asked questions, and the sessions were discontinued altogether, since Clevinger, the corporal and Colonel Korn agreed that it was neither possible nor necessary to educate people who never questioned anything.”
An example of tragedy: “Colonel Cathcart had courage and never hesitated to volunteer his men for any target available.”
Loss of Religious Faith
Many of the officer and men have either lost their faith in God or doubt their faith. Even the chaplain begins to doubt his faith by the end of the book due to Colonel Cathcart’s selfish efforts to use religion to get himself in the public eye.
Yossarian has come to believe that there cannot be a God or there would not be so many dreadful and horrifying ways for men to die. However, his loss of faith does not render him moral-less. Yossarian reverts to making his own morals, as does the chaplain.
“There’s nothing mysterious about it, He’s not working at all. He’s playing. Or else He’s forgotten all about us. That’s the kind of God you people talk about, a country bumpkin, a clumsy, bungling, brainless, conceited, uncouth hayseed. Good God, how much reverence can you have for a Supreme Being who finds it necessary to include such phenomena as phlegm and tooth decay in His divine system of Creation? What in the world was running through that warped, evil, scatological mind of His when He robbed old people of the power to control their bowel movements? Why in the world did He ever create pain?”
“So many things were testing his faith. There was the Bible, of course, but the Bible was a book, and so were Bleak House, Treasure Island, Ethan Frome and The Last of the Mohicans. Did it then seem probable, as he had once overheard Dunbar ask, that the answers to riddles of creation would be supplied by people too ignorant to understand the mechanics of rainfall? Had Almighty God, in all His infinite wisdom, really been afraid that men six thousand years ago would succeed in building a tower to heaven?”
The impotence of language
When faced with the imminent possibility of a horrible death, Yossarian finds himself unable to derive any comfort from words whether in a written form or in a spoken form. Words are impotent in the face of death. Yossarian discovers this when Snowden dies and he can only say “There, there” in the way of comforting words.
In addition, the military bureaucracy takes all the power out of words and oral communications.
“There was no telling what people might find out once they felt free to ask whatever questions they wanted to.”
“I’m cold,’ Snowden said softly, ‘I’m cold.’
‘You’re going to be all right, kid,’ Yossarian reassured him with a grin. ‘You’re going to be all right.’
‘I’m cold,’ Snowden said again in a frail, childlike voice. ‘I’m cold.’
‘There, there,’ Yossarian said, because he did not know what else to say. ‘There, there.’
‘I’m cold,’ Snowden whimpered. ‘I’m cold.’
‘There, there. There, there.”
The inevitability of death
Yossarian has one goal and that is to stay alive. He does not, however, believe he can stay alive. He believes his death is inevitable and he is horrified by the vast number of ways in which a person can die. He has come to see the real vulnerability of the human body in the face of a bullet, a knife, or disease.
Yossarian’s obsession with death is not all morbid. Dwelling on death has given him a huge will to live and a capacity to enjoy the good things in life.
“He was never without misery, and never without hope.”
“He had decided to live forever or die in the attempt.”
A moving study of the deep feelings – jealousy, love, anger, and revenge – that can break a family apart. … Sisters is another absorbing, emotional and thought-provoking creation from the wonderful Judith Barrow. Janet Laugharne
Two sisters torn apart by a terrible lie.In shock after an unbearable accident. Angie lets her sister Mandy take the blame, thinking she’s too young to get into trouble. But she’s wrong. Mandy is hounded, bullied and finally sent to live with their aunt, where she changes her name to Lisa and builds a new life, never wanting to see her sister again. Angie’s guilt sends her spiralling into danger. Thirteen years later, they meet again at their mother’s funeral. Lisa starts to suspect something is wrong. Angie seems terrified of her husband, and their father is hiding something too. What does Lisa owe to the family that betrayed her?
I knew I was in for a treat. I wasn’t disappointed… I couldn’t wait to find out what happened to Lisa and Angie… A tale with characters that linger in your mind after you close the book. Jacqueline Harrett
My review
I am from a family of four daughters and no sons so the title of this book interested me. Sisters can be best friends or they can be enemies depending on their natures and the dynamics of the family. Fortunately, I come from a home where we all got along with each other and there was never much jealousy or competition.
Angie and Mandy come from a similar situation. Angie looks out for her little sister and Mandy looks up to Angie. The family is happy, until the day when Mandy takes her baby brother for a walk, meeting up with Angie on the way. Tragedy strikes through an irresponsible action and Angie leaves Mandy to take the blame. The axe comes down heavily on Mandy, despite her young age, and she is despised by her father, who was devoted to his only son, and ostracised and tormented by her community.
Mandy is sent away to live with her aunt and never comes home. She builds a new life and assumes a new identity. Meanwhile, Angie gets caught up in a cycle of deception to keep the secret of her brother’s death from discovery and her life takes a downward spiral.
This story is very tragic for the whole family and I wasn’t sure if it would have played out better for the family even if Angie had not allowed her sister to take the blame for the accident. It was an accident, even if it was the result of Angie’s showing off to impress a young man. Angie was not a bad person and she paid a very high price for her cowardliness and deceit.
I thought that Mandy and Angie were equal victims and that their father was the real failure in the family. He rejected his younger daughter and had her sent away, did not provide strength and support to his wife, and trapped Angie in her lie due to his unforgiving attitude.
There is a theme of sexism and emphasis on the still common view among men that a son is worth more than daughters. The small minded and unforgiving attitudes of society at this time are also very evident, as well as the cruelty and meanness of teenagers when one of their own falls from grace in any way.
This certainly a well written and evocative story that will provoke thought and emotional reactions from all readers.
I took a three week break from blogging over the Christmas period and then my husband became ill and I haven’t been able to blog as much as usual. As a result, I am behind with my book review posts so I’m hitting you with four at once. They are all great reads and three of the four are short stories.
My husband is being discharged from hospital later this morning and is coming home. I’ll check comments as and when I can.
The Haunting of Chatham Hollow by Mae Clair and Staci Troilo
What Amazon says
One founding father. One deathbed curse. A town haunted for generations.
Ward Chatham, founder of Chatham Hollow, is infamous for two things—hidden treasure and a curse upon anyone bold enough to seek it. Since his passing in 1793, no one has discovered his riches, though his legend has only grown stronger.
In 1888, charlatan Benedict Fletcher holds a séance to determine the location of Chatham’s fortune. It’s all a hoax so he can search for the gold, but he doesn’t count on two things—Victor Rowe, a true spiritualist who sees through his ruse, and Chatham’s ghost wreaking havoc on the town.
More than a century later, the citizens of the Hollow gather for the annual Founder’s Day celebration. A paranormal research team intends to film a special at Chatham Manor, where the original séance will be reenacted. Reporter and skeptic Aiden Hale resents being assigned the story, but even he can’t deny the sudden outbreak of strange happenings. When he sets out to discover who or what is threatening the Hollow—supernatural or not—his investigation uncovers decades-old conflicts, bitter rivalries, and ruthless murders.
This time, solving the mystery isn’t about meeting his deadline. It’s about not ending up dead.
My review
This is a well written and exciting novel written on two timelines, 1888 and the present, and united by the vindictive ghost of Ward Chatham the founding father of Chatham Hollow.
Chatham Hollow is a low-profile American town with a small presence in the greater world due to the legend of the séance, conducted in 1888 by fraudulent spiritualist, Benedict Fletcher, to summon the spirit of Ward Chatham. The summoning is believed by many townspeople and outsiders to have gone horribly wrong and ended with Ward Chatham cursing the town and all of its people. The deaths of two men directly after the séance fueled the fire of belief and superstition which has been passed down from generation to generation.
Now, Chatham Hollow has an opportunity to become famous country-wide for its evil spirit through the filming of a re-enactment of the séance for airing on a well-known television show called Supernatural. The re-enactment is planned to involve various town residents and decedents of the original participants, including Aiden Hale, a descendent of the second genuine spiritualist, Victor Rowe, who attended the original event, and his grandmother. The town council, including the editor of the local newspaper, Greer Faraday, is delighted by the idea as it will result in a lot more visitors and bring prosperity to the town.
Aiden, who is a skeptic and does not believe that either he or his grandmother have any talents as spiritualists, is anti the whole idea as he does not want his town to become busier and be spoiled by tourists. He is pushed into taking part and being the lead reporting in respect of the whole event by his employer, Greer. As Aiden slowly starts to unravel the mysteries of the past, he uncovers a lot more scandal than expected. He also comes across a plot to destroy Greer, and possibly the whole town, in the present.
I enjoyed the character of Aiden who is portrayed as a determined young man with lots of grit. He is caring and respectful towards his grandmother and tries to accommodate her, even when he doesn’t agree with her and she is difficult and a bit dictatorial. I really enjoyed this appreciation of family ties and respect for elders which has become less common in literature recently. The scenes between Aiden and his grandmother were very appealing with the banter and arguments over wholesome, home-cooked meals. It felt very genuine and relatable for me.
The altercations between characters, and the darker scenes of murder, physical abuse, and ghostly apparitions were well drawn and believable. The entire novel and a fabulous atmosphere of authenticity which made this an excellent read.
Country superstar, Cole Knight, has it all—fame, fortune, fast cars, and willing women. Yet, he’s dying inside, drowning in a swirling pool of self-contempt and relentless guilt.
It’s easier to lose himself in a whiskey bottle than face the hard truth—he hasn’t delivered on a sacred promise made to his father. And it rips out pieces of his heart and soul each time the memory surfaces.
It’s almost Christmas, and the sting of that failure drives him back to the tiny cabin in the Cumberland Mountains where he lost his entire family.
But has he waited too late to put the shattered pieces back together?
My review
Cole Knight, previously Albert Anderson, is famous and has achieved success beyond his wildest dreams as a singer under the tutorage of superstar, Corinna Smith. Now, Corinna is dead, killed in a car accident, and Cole is alone. Estranged from his sister and brother, the questions of a persistent journalist force his thoughts return to his childhood, the death of his father that precipitated the destruction of his family, and his eventual flight to Nashville and a career in singing.
This line of thought leads Cole back to his abandoned family home in an effort to track down what has become of his younger brother. Can Cole find happiness with his siblings, or is it to late?
I really loved this book. It is such a lovely feel-good story about the importance of family, just perfect for the Christmas season. I enjoyed the slow evolution of Cole from a heavy-drinking and lonely young man into a caring and sensitive person called Bert.
Warren’s young wife, Iris, walked into a blizzard and didn’t come back. His journey to find her took him halfway across the country, to truths he hadn’t been able to face. Because sometimes there is no way to find what you’re looking for. Sometimes all you can find is yourself.
My review
Warren, an older bachelor, and a misfit in his prominent family headed by his dominant mother, kicks over the traces by marrying a much younger woman. Iris is a dancer and beautiful in a brassy way which Warren’s mother does not approve of. His marriage makes him more of an outcast then ever in his family, but Warren is happy with his wife and dog, Petal.
The story starts with Iris going out to walk the dog during the early stages of a storm against her husband’s advice and wishes. She does not return and Warren later finds Petal tied up in the garage. Warren gradually realised that Iris has left him and gone to Las Vegas to dance in the clubs. She has left with another man with whom she was having an affair.
Warren decides to take Petal and go after Iris. He hopes to persuade her to return home with him.
This is an interesting story which explores the concept of marrying for money, unfulfilled dreams, and unrequited love.
Janie is a sweet, hard-working gal stuck in a dead-end job at a diner. Everyone relies on her; heck, everyone seems to love her. If only they knew about her past. They’d know that hiding out at the Crossroads Diner is the best thing for Janie at this point. No one seems to stay at Crossroads Diner #205 for long; so why is Janie stuck there? Surrounded by people who need her and strangers constantly coming and going, Janie is desperately alone and overworked.
Just as Janie is starting to lose hope, in walks the mysterious Cowboy. With the uncanny ability to look past Janie’s scars and into her soul, Cowboy seems too good to be true. Can he be trusted? Janie has to figure that out, for in the midst of the worst blizzard in years, no one can really prepare for what will walk in the door next.
My review
The feature of any book that I rank the highest when reading and reviewing, is the uniqueness of the storyline. Crossroads Diner #205 is oodles of different and a most interesting and thought provoking read.
Jaunita has worked at the diner for a long time. She is a veteran and has learned to comfort the new diners that arrive. They are all on their way somewhere else but some of them make a very short stop, so short that the staff of the diner can barely keep up, and others make a longer stop. It is impossible to know when they arrive, how long each visitors stay will be. Jaunita is hoping that eventually she will work her way out of the diner and move on to something better, but she has no idea how long it will take. Her stay has already been unusually long as her history is complicated.
One evening when a particularly bad blizzard has resulted in even more visitors to the diner than usual, in walks a curious man she calls The Cowboy. It is soon evident that this strange man will be staying for a while and Jaunita feels hope for the future for the first time in a long while.
This week’s poetry challenge is to write a senryū as per Colleen Chesebro’s commentary below:
Senryū is a Japanese form similar to haiku: three lines with a s-l-s syllable count up to 17 syllables.
Senryū are written about human foibles, while haiku are more nature related. Senryū can be cynical or humorous. This poem makes the human, not the world around them, the subject of the poem.
Senryū are easier to write than haiku. Think about the human condition: sex, family relations, love, religion, politics, and any emotions that touch on the pain we experience through sorrow, prejudice, oppression, anger, and frustration
Thanks to the inspiration provided by my good blogging friend, Harmony Kent, I have written three haiku’s for Vocal’s Quadru-Haiku Challenge. Vocal’s criteria for this Haiku challenge is simply a 5-7-5 syllable format without any of the usual rigid requirements of nature, etc. The poet can use one, any, or all of these elements.
As my poems were all inspired my my husband’s recent, unexpected illness and his admission into intensive care in hospital last week Wednesday, 4 January, where he still remains, I have also included some pictures for CFFC. The topic is eyes and I hope these pictures lighten the mood.
I am very handsome with beautiful eyes …… I am also rather shy!I’ve got my eye on you!My eyes are orange and rather bulbous.
The full name of Jonathan Swift’s pamphlet is A Modest Proposal For preventing the Children of Poor People From being a Burthen to Their Parents or Country, and For making them Beneficial to the Publick. This work is a Juvenalian satire which is a type of satirical writing that uses extreme hyperbole to mock or criticize some aspect of human behaviour, society, or government. A Modest Proposal mocks heartless attitudes towards the poor, as well as British policy towards the Irish in general.
The title is itself ironic because Swift’s proposal is not at all modest but is disgusting and absurd.
The essay starts by lamenting the sad fate of the children of the poverty-stricken Irish who live in squalor because their parents are too poor to keep them fed and clothed. Swift argues that the problem of too many children could be turned into a boon if the children of the poor were fattened up and sold into a meat market at the age of one year old.
He uses hard-edged economic reasoning to support his proposal and lists six advantages to selling Irish babies as food, namely, reducing the number of Catholics, allowing the poor to pay rent, improving the menus at eating establishments, relieving poor parents of the financial burden of raising children, improving marriage and family life for the Irish by making the children assets of value and the mothers’ contributors to the financial wealth of the family, and enriching the Irish nation.
Swift goes on to cite statistics in support of his argument in the form of specific data about the number of children to be sold, their weight and price, and the projected consumption patterns of the purchasers. He also suggests recipes for the preparation and cooking of the children.
His essay concludes that his proposal would solve Ireland’s complex social, political, and economic problems.
The purpose of A Modest Proposal is to comment on England’s legal and economic exploitation of Ireland. While the essay sometimes argues that the Irish themselves are partially to blame for their country’s problems, his main viewpoint is that the English were responsible for destroying Ireland’s economy and culture.
A Modest Proposal is a shocking but excellent piece of writing that highlights political and social injustices by using logical extremes to make a ridiculous argument for solving the problem of poverty in Ireland in 1729 when the piece was published. A Modest Proposal is still relevant because extreme poverty still plagues many countries in the world.
Quotes from A Modest Proposal
“I have been assured by a very knowing American of my acquaintance in London, that a young healthy child well nursed, is, at a year old, a most delicious nourishing and wholesome food, whether stewed, roasted, baked, or boiled; and I make no doubt that it will equally serve in a fricasie, or a ragoust.”
“I have already computed the charge of nursing a beggar’s child … to be about two shillings per annum, rags included; and I believe no gentleman would repine to give ten shillings for the carcass of a good fat child, which, as I have said, will make four dishes of excellent nutritive meat.
Those who are more thrifty (as I must confess the times require) may flay the carcass; the skin of which artificially dressed will make admirable gloves for ladies, and summer boots for fine gentlemen.”
“whoever could find out a fair, cheap and easy method of making these children sound and useful members of the common-wealth, would deserve so well of the public, as to have his statue set up for a preserver of the nation.”
Happy New Year! Wishing all my blogging friends all the very best for 2023.
I have done a bit of reading during my blogging break and I’m kicking off this year with reviews for Journeys 12,13 & 14 of Teagan Riordain Geneviene’s fantastic Dead of Winter epic fantasy series.
Journey 12, Goddesses
What Amazon says
So far in previous Journeys of “Dead of Winter,” we’ve encountered villagers and city folk, religions, armies, and societies. We learned of terrifying beasts, nightwalkers, and the enigmatic Listeners. The final battle is at hand. Journey 12, brings us yet another type of extraordinary being – goddesses. Yet are they salvation? Or another complication… or even a threat.
My review
Journey 12 opens with a bang with the entrance of two goddesses who are in a conflict situation. The pair are situated above Pergesca so there is not doubt that they will influence the future of the town. Their power is also clear with descriptions such as “Strangely, the sunlight leapt from one puddle to the next, each one sparkling as the lights connected.”
Emlyn’s town is under siege by nightwalkers which continue to be revealed in all their malicious horror. The grey shadow of the ghostly realm creeps ever closer to Pergesca and the massive army of the dead continues to assemble. Winter has come.
All is not lost though as Deas Matres, the goddess who founded the movement, appears to offer help of some sort. What her help will translate into is unknown, but something is better than nothing. Boabhan’s strength is returned to her unexpectedly and that gives Emlyn courage.
I really loved the reintroduction into the story of Blodwedd as a girl. She is accompanied by her grandmother, Bronwyn, which I thought was a delightful touch.
Another imaginative and engaging episode in this enthralling tale.
Journey 13, The Harbor
What Amazon says
“Journey 13, The Harbor” is the penultimate installment of the epic fantasy series “Dead of Winter.” Action abounds as many threads are drawn together. Arawn has amassed overwhelming legions of the dead. Another unexpected but powerful foe comes into the battle. All of Emlyn’s companions and friends are in grave danger as they face insurmountable odds. Two goddesses, Coventina and Deae Matres herself, could even the odds, but gods and goddesses are known to be unreliable. Yes, Coventina is back — she was first mentioned in Journey 1, and we’ve had occasional glimpses of her throughout the Journeys. Yet her temper makes her a wildcard. Will the goddesses help? . Meanwhile the goal of the Society of Deae Matres is to re-create the Binding to again trap Arawn and any other nightwalkers in the Realm of the Dead. Yet, what about Boabhan and Lucetius? Boabhan is at least half nightwalker. Lucetius, her son, was conceived when Arawn violated her while attempting to turn her. Will they be trapped in a new Binding along with their worst enemy? This is revealed in Journey 13.
My review
The tension really ramps up in this penultimate journey in the Dead of Winter series. Arawn has amassed an enormous army of dead loyal to him, and they are marching on the city of Pergesca and the Great Library. The goddess Deae Matres also has tricks up her sleeve, but Emlyn is concerned about the numerous lives that will be lost in the battle. She is also aware that goddesses are notoriously unreliable with their assistance to mankind. The Deae Matres are also not as united as they initially appeared and not all of the sisters think that another Binding should be enacted as it is expected to have an unpleasant consequence. Perhaps this time, Arawn should be destroyed.
The advent of another goddess, Coventina, is unexpected and Emlyn is not sure whether her arrival is a good or bad thing. Even more than the goddess Deae Matres, Coventina has her own agenda and a vendetta against Arawn. Things are not always as they appear, however, and Emlyn may be surprised at how these interventions pan out.
I enjoyed the introduction of Coventina very much. She is feisty and quick tempered, but despite these character flaws, Coventina is more genuine and trustworthy than her fellow goddess. The description of Coventina as a tiny firecracker of a woman with long white hair streaked with pastel green and blue also caught my fancy.
Thyrus, the Listener, is also back in this Journey, but he is hamstrung by the rules that govern mystical creatures and is unable to provide the help he desperately wants too. He does manage to find a way around the restrictions and make an important move in the ultimate game plan.
As always, the writing is beautiful and vivid. This is a delightful example:
“As the Listener sat nonchalantly, Emlyn thought it was no wonder he usually chose to take the form of a dragon. He was splendid! She gazed at the sunlight playing upon his amazing skin. It had varied colors and halos, which merged in random spots. At one moment his hide was golden with red and green halos, then bronze and blue, and then silver rippled with purple and orange.”
Journey 14, The Veil
What Amazon says
From the very beginning, a prophecy from a creepy voice threaded throughout this story. “Winter is coming!” it warned. As the Journeys progressed, we became aware of additional related prophesies like one of the “lost white brother” and “the frozen sands.” Both of those are touched on in this concluding novella. . Other threads from the previous thirteen Journeys also come together in this volume, which concludes Dead of Winter. . As many readers said they don’t want these Journeys to end, in the final chapter, I added hints about potential future adventures for many of the characters. These are food for the imagination of readers, so that the story can continue in the mind. . This has been as much of a “journey” for me as it was for Emlyn. I’ve seen truths about myself along the way. Perhaps the same applies to you. . “Who can say? What is true for us? That with which we are born? Or that which is the manifestation of our heart and soul? I like who and what I am, as well as the way I see the world I see around me, when I am a dragon.” . Thank you for being an important part of the Journeys of Dead of Winter. Teagan Ríordáin Geneviene
My review
This last journey was an excellent conclusion to the Dead of Winter fantasy epic. Emlyn comes into her own and exhibits great strength of mind and character, however, she makes a few minor judgement errors and demonstrates doubts and anxieties which made her role and character realistic and relatable.
I enjoyed seeing Gethin, the horse whisperer, stepping out of his supporting role and taking a bigger piece of the action, along with long-time favourite characters Lucetius, Hallgeir, and Tajin. It felt fitting that they took centre stage for a part of this final chapter.
I don’t want to say too much about the final plot twisters other than they are exciting, unexpected, and momentous, a truly fitting Grande finale to an incredible story. I am left feeling quite saddened that I have reach the end of the series despite the conclusion being perfect and satisfying which is rare in my experience of fantasy books which often seem to disappoint with their endings.
I cannot resist ending my reviews of this series with a final example of the authors incredibly descriptive writing:
“The rancid odor was heavy in the air. It was a stench similar to rendered port fat that had gone bad. The odor emanated from a dozen puddles of fatty goo that dotted the ground. Nothing else was left of the nest of nightwalkers that attacked the men. Gethin was thankful for the light breeze that carried some of the vile small away.”
Purchase links for the Dead of Winter series of books
Universal Purchase Links for Dead of Winter:Journey 14, The Veil
roberta-writes.com 