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Review of the above:
I have a friend who tries to look out for the odd book that might be a bit different. A year or so ago he manged to take the time to talk to author A J Dalton who was doing a signing close to where he lived. Suitably intrigued by said writer’s ideas, he bought the signed editions of his Flesh and Bone trilogy and consequently they ended up with your truly one Christmas.
Dalton, at least when these books were published was not a traditionally published author. All books in this series were published using the Authorhouse publishing company and on the face of it, they look good.
I guess self-publishing is a good solid way to get your name out there, especially if you have the talent and a decent story to tell, whether Authorhouse is the best route to take then I guess it is down to how much you are prepared to pay for their services, and how you find their set up when it comes to those services.
Perhaps, in some way comparable to being published by the Small Press, the difference being that the best of small publishers still provide the back up the writer needs, proof-reading, editing, covers and publication. Through Authorhouse the writer has to do it all themselves – or pay the company for it.
I think this is where Dalton’s book (I am only talking about the first novel, Necromancer’s Gambit here) stumbles slightly. Although it has been edited there are places where there are slip ups, and they are capable of snapping out of the reading flow when you find them. The cover is different but seems at contrast with the story (that might just be me).
The book comes with a badge that proclaims the book is ‘the best of metaphysical fantasy’ and the blurb casually informs us that the story is told with ‘a vividness normally only expected in film’ while the small bio at the book of the book claims that Dalton is ‘one of the UK’s leading authors of metaphysical fantasy.’ Maybe, maybe not. Metaphysical fantasy is a subgenre that is nebulous at least, and it feels as though the author is claiming these plaudits itself, something that sits badly. The best of anything is something that should be earned not claimed.
With all that being said is the book any good. Yes.
In fact, it is very good, taking traditional fantasy elements and pushing them in another direction. Two kingdoms have been at war for a long time, an impossibly long time. The process of attrition has taken hold and the countries have severely diminished populations, but just cannot stop fighting even though the initial cause of the war seems to have between forgotten. One side just has to win. Once side bolsters their army with seething armies of raised undead, controlled by an army of necromancers. While the other sees the necromancers as a threat and have even built a special group whose sole purpose is to hunt down the death magicians and kill them.
With this backdrop we are introduced to small time necromancer Mordius, who grieving the death of his master, hatches a plan to bring him back. The first thing he needs to do is steal a body from the latest battlefield, the body in fact, of a great champion, re-animate him and begin a quest to find the mythical heart – something which will give him enough to do all the things that he deems necessary.
The story is a good one, and grows in depth as it progresses. There are logical twists and turns that keep the pages turning as they are revealed. The characters are uniformly excellent. From Mordius to his raised champion Saltar, to the grizzly old veteran Scourge, to his apprentice Young Strap, Voltar the king and Kate, a female guardian working alongside the Scourge. Even the supporting characters work well and have a distinct singularity that sets them all apart. The only complaint being the Chamberlain who seems to become more toward the end of the story, but that is only a quibble.
Dalton’s writing is good, engaging and he can tell a good story. There was never a moment when I thought that I was going to give up, and I am happily looking forwards to the next book in the series. He handles personality well, description well. His world building is good without being too steeped in detail and the characters are enjoyable. With a bit better proofing this book could have been outstanding in an inordinate degree.
It is a n example of how self-publishing, especially when using a tool like Authorhouse, can be a precarious affair, what you put in both personally and financially is what you get out. To keep publication costs down you need a smaller page count, which remains a smaller font size. Although this works it makes slow going with almost too many words crammed into each page.
I have a friend who tries to look out for the odd book that might be a bit different. A year or so ago he manged to take the time to talk to author A J Dalton who was doing a signing close to where he lived. Suitably intrigued by said writer’s ideas, he bought the signed editions of his Flesh and Bone trilogy and consequently they ended up with your truly one Christmas.
Dalton, at least when these books were published was not a traditionally published author. All books in this series were published using the Authorhouse publishing company and on the face of it, they look good.
I guess self-publishing is a good solid way to get your name out there, especially if you have the talent and a decent story to tell, whether Authorhouse is the best route to take then I guess it is down to how much you are prepared to pay for their services, and how you find their set up when it comes to those services.
Perhaps, in some way comparable to being published by the Small Press, the difference being that the best of small publishers still provide the back up the writer needs, proof-reading, editing, covers and publication. Through Authorhouse the writer has to do it all themselves – or pay the company for it.
I think this is where Dalton’s book (I am only talking about the first novel, Necromancer’s Gambit here) stumbles slightly. Although it has been edited there are places where there are slip ups, and they are capable of snapping out of the reading flow when you find them. The cover is different but seems at contrast with the story (that might just be me).
The book comes with a badge that proclaims the book is ‘the best of metaphysical fantasy’ and the blurb casually informs us that the story is told with ‘a vividness normally only expected in film’ while the small bio at the book of the book claims that Dalton is ‘one of the UK’s leading authors of metaphysical fantasy.’ Maybe, maybe not. Metaphysical fantasy is a subgenre that is nebulous at least, and it feels as though the author is claiming these plaudits itself, something that sits badly. The best of anything is something that should be earned not claimed.
With all that being said is the book any good. Yes.
In fact, it is very good, taking traditional fantasy elements and pushing them in another direction. Two kingdoms have been at war for a long time, an impossibly long time. The process of attrition has taken hold and the countries have severely diminished populations, but just cannot stop fighting even though the initial cause of the war seems to have between forgotten. One side just has to win. Once side bolsters their army with seething armies of raised undead, controlled by an army of necromancers. While the other sees the necromancers as a threat and have even built a special group whose sole purpose is to hunt down the death magicians and kill them.
With this backdrop we are introduced to small time necromancer Mordius, who grieving the death of his master, hatches a plan to bring him back. The first thing he needs to do is steal a body from the latest battlefield, the body in fact, of a great champion, re-animate him and begin a quest to find the mythical heart – something which will give him enough to do all the things that he deems necessary.
The story is a good one, and grows in depth as it progresses. There are logical twists and turns that keep the pages turning as they are revealed. The characters are uniformly excellent. From Mordius to his raised champion Saltar, to the grizzly old veteran Scourge, to his apprentice Young Strap, Voltar the king and Kate, a female guardian working alongside the Scourge. Even the supporting characters work well and have a distinct singularity that sets them all apart. The only complaint being the Chamberlain who seems to become more toward the end of the story, but that is only a quibble.
Dalton’s writing is good, engaging and he can tell a good story. There was never a moment when I thought that I was going to give up, and I am happily looking forwards to the next book in the series. He handles personality well, description well. His world building is good without being too steeped in detail and the characters are enjoyable. With a bit better proofing this book could have been outstanding in an inordinate degree.
It is a n example of how self-publishing, especially when using a tool like Authorhouse, can be a precarious affair, what you put in both personally and financially is what you get out. To keep publication costs down you need a smaller page count, which remains a smaller font size. Although this works it makes slow going with almost too many words crammed into each page.