The Alpine Tales

by Paul J. Willis

Fiction. The best part of any good fantasy world is the promise that you could get there yourself. In THE ALPINE TALES, that promise is kept. The Three Queens Wilderness is only the swing of an ice ax away from the mountains you may think you know. It is a world inhabited by three strange sisters at mortal odds--and by marmots and ouzels and pocket gophers ready to help you find your way. The dangers you'll face are ever present. For this alpine world was a place of perfection until, by the bane of the Lava Beast, it crumbled into something sadder. Join the quest to repair the ruins of glistening peaks and endless forests, and discover a land you will dearly love. Here, for the first time, all four books of THE ALPINE TALES, newly revised, are collected in a single volume.

Genres: Fiction

Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

Reviews

[Kaylee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I attended Westmont college and partook in the Sierra Nevada backpacking trip prior to starting school. While I was reading I liked to imagine Willis basing his characters after some unprepared students over the years. After the trip Prof. Willis graciously gave each of us a copy of his book. It sat on my shelf for 5 year unfortunately. But once I picked it up and started reading I could not put it down. He does a great job of merging good vs evil, adventure, knowledge of the outdoors, fantasy and stewardship of the environment. A few things I could not imagine would fit together so well, however, Willis does an exquisite job. There is also a beautiful parallel to the Christian faith. You can tell he is deeply committed in his walk with The Lord and weaves that into the story tastefully so! Thank you for your faithfulness to the completion of this series and your faith.

[Chrissy Garwood · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first impressions, as shared with one of my online reader/writer groups, when I first started reading this:
I've just finished the paperback for the first book in this series and then found all four as an ebook. The original was published in 1991, and this eBook edition in 2010. There are supposed to be some revisions to bring it up-to-date but I haven't really noticed any yet. I found the beginning, world-building and character introductions, a little slow, but once I got over my initial resistance to the unfamiliar setting, I was hooked. Good versus bad, (but not really sure who is on which side) fantasy with believable characters.
A month after I finished the whole series:
There are titles that make up The Alpine Tales (Kindle Edition)
No Clock In The Forest - this first one had lots of world-building detail, and I found it hard to get started, but once I got over that little difficulty, I enjoyed the story.
The Stolen River - same setting, different characters with references to the earlier story and characters. Engaging but a little quick to wrap things up in the end, which left me feeling a little lost.
The Silver Spire - Some of the same characters, and some new ones. A few more connections with the other stories that made me glad that I read these books one after the other.
The White Fawn - I enjoyed this one the most, but the ending came too quickly. I suppose it is always best to leave the reader wanting more...