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528 ratings | 23 reviews | avg rating:4.25

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David Dodds

Goodreads Author

Born

in Sunderland, The United Kingdom

Website

http://www.DavidDoddsAuthor.com/

Genre

Magical Realism, Fantasy, Contemporary Fantasy

Member Since

November 2017

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David Dodds has been writing all his life. From short stories, written as a child on an elderly typewriter, via editing a university newsletter, he progressed to writing both fiction and non-fiction for a broad range of magazines and blogs, as diverse as Practical Wireless, Sailplane and Gliding and various wildlife and conservation publications.

When he progressed to novel-writing he combined his love of history and mythology with magical realism, set in the dark wynds and closes of Edinburgh. His first novel, Touchpaper, the first in the Parallel Realm series was published in 2024. The second, Wyrm-galdr was published in late 2025.

David lives in a former railway workers cottage in the Scottish Borders with his wife Rona, a small and opini ...more

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Popular Answered Questions

What mystery in your own life could be a plot for a book?

David Dodds I don't really have a mysterious life, if I'm honest. The question of who ate the last slice of pizza is rarely difficult - usually me! But family his…moreI don't really have a mysterious life, if I'm honest. The question of who ate the last slice of pizza is rarely difficult - usually me! But family history can throw up some fascinating mysteries - each old letter or document we uncover ofter provides more questions that answers.

I recently inherited a box of documents about my grandfather, Alfred Dodds. Both my father and grandfather waited to marry and have children, so there's a 77 year gap between my grandfather's birth date and mine, which means Alfred lived in a very different world to me and yet I never knew him. What was he like?

Alfred was born into a well-heeled glass-making family in Gateshead and he was brought up in a world where transport required a horse or a steam train, when lighting was usually by gas and when communications involved either a hand-written letter or a telegram.

When millions of men were dying on the Western Front during World War 1 he was nowhere to be seen, and now I know why. He spent 1916 in a sanatorium in Switzerland, being treated for Tuberculosis. This is a horrible respiratory disease that killed or disabled many, but was under control in the UK before I was even born.

Alfred must have recovered from TB, because he rose to be a manager for Barclays Bank before retiring during World War 2, but there must have been lasting effects. There are various records of his athletic prowess before he caught TB, but a photograph from the 1920's shows him posing in a heavy overcoat, alongside a football team. That must surely have been frustrating for him.

Alfred died in 1964, at the age of 76. He lived a whole life and is genetically very close to me, and yet I only have brief snippets about him and can never truly know him. Now that's a mystery.(less)

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If you could travel to any fictional book world, where would you go and what would you do there?

David Dodds Oh, this is a tricky question - there are so many! I'm especially fond of Ben Aaronovitch's 'Rivers of London' series, but if I lived there I might be…moreOh, this is a tricky question - there are so many! I'm especially fond of Ben Aaronovitch's 'Rivers of London' series, but if I lived there I might be unaware of the hidden world of magick, which would be very disappointing.

Perhaps Andrew Caldicott's 'Rotherweird' trilogy. These have such a deliciously vivid and quirkly world: like ours, but slightly different, in ways that delight.

I could play safe with 'Harry Potter' of course. Who hasn't secretly wished themselves in that world? But I enjoy historical novels too and, with my love of the Anglo-saxon world, being dropped into one of Bernard Cornwell's 'Last Kingdom' books would be a wonderful experience.

If I'm truly honest with myself, I wrote 'Touchpaper' (and the sequel I'm currently writing) for myself. I have tried to bring together all the different elements that make me sit up and read faster when I read a book, so of course it's a world I would love to be immersed in for real.(less)

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Combine Editions
David Dodds’s books

Average rating: 4.32 · 87 ratings · 72 reviews · 3 distinct works • Similar authors

	Touchpaper (Parallel Realm, #1) 4.21 avg rating — 67 ratings — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Wyrm-galdr (Parallel Realm, #2) 4.70 avg rating — 20 ratings — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Artefact 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

* Note: these are all the books on Goodreads for this author. To add more, click here.

5 posts
David Dodds's Blog

New 'Parallel realm' tales

Hi.

Hope you're enjoying your day and it's not as dark and soggy as every day this year seems to have been here! Fingers crossed for some better weather soon.

The weather has stopped me from playing with my other passion (flying gliders), so I've been doing lots of writing. Book 3 is now well advanced and will be called 'Ælf-fire'.

I've also been writing more shorter tales about the Parallel Realm fo Read more of this blog post »

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Published on February 10, 2026 03:55 • Tags: newsletter, the-artefact

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Series by David Dodds

Parallel Realm (3 books)
by

David Dodds (Goodreads Author)

4.32 avg rating — 87 ratings

David is Currently Reading

David Dodds is currently reading

Dear Isabel, I've Been Hit Again, Slightly: The Riveting Chronicles from Italy's Bloodiest Front, and His Bride's Letters from Home

by Amanda Mathews Rankin

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Feb 10, 2026 04:42PM

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The Ghoul On The Hill (The Hipposync Archives Book 2)

by D.C. Farmer (Goodreads Author)

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Aug 20, 2025 11:50AM

David Dodds is currently reading

The Etymologicon: A Circular Stroll through the Hidden Connections of the English Language

by Mark Forsyth (Goodreads Author)

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May 29, 2025 06:28AM

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David’s Recent Updates

David Dodds rated a book it was ok Agnes by Dustin Steiner (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
May 14, 2026 03:40PM · like
David Dodds liked Seonaidh Morton's review of Wyrm-galdr (Parallel Realm, #2): "Good Fun Romp Great follow up to the first book, building on characters and adding new ones. Love seeing Edinburgh used a a backdrop for these stories."
Mar 22, 2026 03:19PM · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Wyrm-galdr by David Dodds. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Wyrm-galdr by David Dodds <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
David Dodds rated a book it was amazing Power Author: A Quick Guide to Mastering Live Events by Ben Wolf (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Mar 19, 2026 12:40PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Power Author by Ben Wolf. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Power Author by Ben Wolf <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
David Dodds liked Graeme Williams's review of Wyrm-galdr (Parallel Realm, #2): "David Dodds’ Wyrm-galdr: The Parallel Realm Book 2 continues the series with confidence, wit, and a deepening sense of mythic complexity. Anchored in contemporary Edinburgh yet steeped in galdr and daemon lore, the novel balances sharp humor with gen" Read more of this review »
Feb 17, 2026 03:12PM · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Wyrm-galdr by David Dodds. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Wyrm-galdr by David Dodds <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
David Dodds and 1 other person liked Stefanie Verhelst's review of Touchpaper (Parallel Realm, #1): "I enjoyed this story from the very start. It has a good structure, the story develops at a good pace and the author builds up an old and fantasy version of Edinburgh. It’s carefully described and I felt myself easily drawn in and forget the world aro" Read more of this review »
Feb 16, 2026 11:03AM · see review
David Dodds rated a book it was amazing Touchpaper (Parallel Realm, #1) by David Dodds (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Feb 13, 2026 09:57AM · 3 likes · like
David Dodds is currently reading Dear Isabel, I've Been Hit Again, Slightly: The Riveting Chronicles from Italy's Bloodiest Front, and His Bride's Letters from Home by Amanda Mathews Rankin	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Feb 10, 2026 04:42PM · like
David Dodds made a comment on Nadine’s review of Wyrm-galdr (Parallel Realm, #2) " Thanks Nadine! Book 3 is on its way. "
Feb 02, 2026 04:07AM · see review
David Dodds made a comment on PalenMisha’s review of Wyrm-galdr (Parallel Realm, #2) " Thanks very much! Don’t worry - we’re not finished with Mama Harbinger yet! "
Jan 28, 2026 07:07AM · see review
David Dodds rated a book it was amazing Touchpaper (Parallel Realm, #1) by David Dodds (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Dec 25, 2025 05:06PM · 3 likes · like