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Humans and dwarfs have been at odds for generations. When humanblacksmith Davi is sent to the Dwarven King to reopen the local traderoutes, he finds himself more at home with his enemies than he everdid with his own kind. Back Cover "There are some authors that guarantee a good read, Roy C. Booth is one of those authors, and his first team up with Brian Woods is no exception. Davi, the first of a series, is a fascinating, engrossing fantasy story with riveting characters thriving in a solid world setting." -- R. Thomas Riley, author of THE MONSTER WITHIN IDEA, Apex Publications.Brian and Roy use a clean storytelling style in this classic tale of a dispossessed man finding his true home—and his true self—among the dwarves. It's a fast moving tale that leaves you wanting to read “just one more page!” -- --Karina Fabian, science fiction and fantasy author, www.fabianspace.com"...a fun little tale, and a tantalizing introduction to this newfantasy world. I look forward to more tales of Suruale." -- Kate Weber, Utter Randomonium"From start to finish I couldn't put it down. Davi is a must read." -- Shane Moore, Author of The Abyss Walker series
- GenresFantasy
95 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 31, 2011
247 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
April 20, 2011
Davi is an intriguing fantasy with a nicely created world of dwarves and humans, elves and other creatures waiting in the eaves. It’s the first in a fantasy series Tales of Suruale by multiply-published scriptwriter Roy C. Booth and twice-published poet Brian Woods.
In this world, humans and dwarves are long-time enemies, but greed and trade are worth more than animosity, and the human metal-worker Davi, an outcast among his own people, is sent to the dwarves to reopen communications. Davi finds work and respect among the dwarves, a long-lived people with a curious mix of immediacy and circumspection in their talk. Gradually he finds more than he ever knew he was looking for. But a man among dwarves is still alone.
Sword tears through shield. Trust tears through prejudice. And love tears through loneliness. The story is told in epic-style language, with fine dialog and a convincing tone. Some odd word choices are distracting, but the plot carries the reader on, and a fine epilogue opens doors for more stories to come while proving the world, while ever-changing, is ever-unchanged.
Davi’s a fairly short read, a fun novella with interesting characters and situations, well-drawn mythology, and pleasing plot, and the setting amongst the dwarven people adds an interesting twist.
Disclosure: I received an ecopy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review
In this world, humans and dwarves are long-time enemies, but greed and trade are worth more than animosity, and the human metal-worker Davi, an outcast among his own people, is sent to the dwarves to reopen communications. Davi finds work and respect among the dwarves, a long-lived people with a curious mix of immediacy and circumspection in their talk. Gradually he finds more than he ever knew he was looking for. But a man among dwarves is still alone.
Sword tears through shield. Trust tears through prejudice. And love tears through loneliness. The story is told in epic-style language, with fine dialog and a convincing tone. Some odd word choices are distracting, but the plot carries the reader on, and a fine epilogue opens doors for more stories to come while proving the world, while ever-changing, is ever-unchanged.
Davi’s a fairly short read, a fun novella with interesting characters and situations, well-drawn mythology, and pleasing plot, and the setting amongst the dwarven people adds an interesting twist.
Disclosure: I received an ecopy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review
July 24, 2011
Davi has the misfortune to not have friends and not be accepted in his human village. He is given a task by one of the leaders of the town he lives in to travel to the dwarves and open trade routes. Davi knows that the task he has been given is not for the benefit of the village, but to remove him from his land and from the village.
Davi travels to see the King of the Dwaves. His pureness and the quality of his work with metal gain him entrance where others would not. He proves that he is a blacksmith of great ability and makes friends among the dwarves. He is considered an outsider and not worth the notice of many of the dwarven people, but eventually finds the love and acceptance that he was not given with people of his own race.
Davi's tale is simply told. There is not a lot of embelishment. I enjoyed this factor in the book, it made following along as I was trying to learn names and customs differnt from the human form. I found the story lagged for me about 2/3 of the way through. It was a good story and had a great ethical message.
Davi travels to see the King of the Dwaves. His pureness and the quality of his work with metal gain him entrance where others would not. He proves that he is a blacksmith of great ability and makes friends among the dwarves. He is considered an outsider and not worth the notice of many of the dwarven people, but eventually finds the love and acceptance that he was not given with people of his own race.
Davi's tale is simply told. There is not a lot of embelishment. I enjoyed this factor in the book, it made following along as I was trying to learn names and customs differnt from the human form. I found the story lagged for me about 2/3 of the way through. It was a good story and had a great ethical message.
May 16, 2011
Davi is a short, sweet novella about the human of the same name. Sent from his home on an impossible quest, he chooses his own path. He uses his humble personality and his unique talents as a master smith to befriend the dwarfs and to create a new life, a new family.
At a few points in the novella, I was nervous for Davi. I didn't trust the dwarfs and I thought for sure that they were going to turn on him. But they didn't. They accepted him as a brother, they appreciated his talents and his presence, they healed him when he was wounded, and they even allowed him to take on a dwarven wife.
As a I said earlier, this is a short and sweet novella. It's a quick read for someone who enjoys this branch of fantasy but isn't quite ready for LotR.
At a few points in the novella, I was nervous for Davi. I didn't trust the dwarfs and I thought for sure that they were going to turn on him. But they didn't. They accepted him as a brother, they appreciated his talents and his presence, they healed him when he was wounded, and they even allowed him to take on a dwarven wife.
As a I said earlier, this is a short and sweet novella. It's a quick read for someone who enjoys this branch of fantasy but isn't quite ready for LotR.
June 9, 2011
Humans and dwarfs have been at odds for generations. When human blacksmith Davi is sent to the Dwarven King to reopen the local trade routes, he finds himself more at home with his enemies than he ever did with his own kind.
The premise of the storyline sounded intriguing: a human leaving his own kind to find his way with the dwarves. To me, this sounds like a difficult journey full of challenges, resistance and racism. Hopefully with an outcome highlighting how strength of character and persistance prevails.
Unfortunately, the story did not live up to this expectation. There was almost no conflict to speak of at all. Everything seemed too smooth and easy. This led to a disappointing read.
The premise of the storyline sounded intriguing: a human leaving his own kind to find his way with the dwarves. To me, this sounds like a difficult journey full of challenges, resistance and racism. Hopefully with an outcome highlighting how strength of character and persistance prevails.
Unfortunately, the story did not live up to this expectation. There was almost no conflict to speak of at all. Everything seemed too smooth and easy. This led to a disappointing read.
April 20, 2011
Very fun, heartwarming tale about a man finding the place where he truly belongs. I felt as though I were striding alongside Davi and his friends throughout their wonderful journeys. I can't wait to read more about these characters.
The plot was well thought out and the characters were very well developed. There was sufficient conflict to draw the reader in and keep them interested. The story took an unexpected turn and I was pleasantly surprised.
Keep up the fantastic work!!
The plot was well thought out and the characters were very well developed. There was sufficient conflict to draw the reader in and keep them interested. The story took an unexpected turn and I was pleasantly surprised.
Keep up the fantastic work!!
July 27, 2011
I recieved this book free through GoodReads First Reads and was pleasantly suprised with this book!
DAVI is an entertaining novella about about a man searching for where he belongs. The author convinced me I knew this man and his friends and I was beside them through the entire book. Not a dull moment, for the travels are exciting and keep you wondering what's going to develope next.
Short and sweet...and I hope there is more to come.
DAVI is an entertaining novella about about a man searching for where he belongs. The author convinced me I knew this man and his friends and I was beside them through the entire book. Not a dull moment, for the travels are exciting and keep you wondering what's going to develope next.
Short and sweet...and I hope there is more to come.
January 16, 2016
Dwarves and humans have been at war for generations. When blacksmith Davi is sent into the dwarven kingdom - on the heels of his house being burned - to open trade routes between his people with the dwarves, he doesn't expect to find the acceptance he craves among his enemies. I really enjoyed this fantasy novella and hope for more stories of Saruale soon. I give it an A+!
April 20, 2011
Excellent read. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
April 10, 2011
When I was first asked to read and review a fantasy novella about humans and dwarves I was a little hesitant, namely because I wasn't sure I would like it. Imagine my surprise when I read Davi - Tales of Suruale and found that I liked it (kind of...sort of liked it). Yes this is a fantasy novella and yes it includes humans, dwarves (or dwarfs), elves (mentioned only), gargoyles and nocturnes (one presumes this refers to vampires because we don't really meet any), but it isn't in your face with these aspects. The dwarves aren't magical or mystical creatures, they are simply presented as being dwarves - similar to humans but different.
The main character is Davi, a human blacksmith that specializes in weaponry. He has lived all of his live as an outsider on the outskirts of a human village. He is forced to accept an impossible task - re-open trade with the dwarves - by the elders of his village. Needless to say the villager leaders are astounded when he returns successful in his quest. Trade is reopened but not they way they wanted or expected. Throughout this tale Davi learns of acceptance and inclusion when he is accepted by the dwarves. He is even adopted by a dwarf blacksmith and befriended by numerous others. Later Davi is sent on what appears to be an impossible task by the dwarf king, and again he is successful.
In many ways this is appears to be a book about racism, prejudice and bigotry. It is also about learning to accept who and what we are no matter what and being comfortable with where we are. This isn't a great book or a bad book. What is it? It's a quick and decent read for those interested in the fantasy genre - light on the fantasy.
The main character is Davi, a human blacksmith that specializes in weaponry. He has lived all of his live as an outsider on the outskirts of a human village. He is forced to accept an impossible task - re-open trade with the dwarves - by the elders of his village. Needless to say the villager leaders are astounded when he returns successful in his quest. Trade is reopened but not they way they wanted or expected. Throughout this tale Davi learns of acceptance and inclusion when he is accepted by the dwarves. He is even adopted by a dwarf blacksmith and befriended by numerous others. Later Davi is sent on what appears to be an impossible task by the dwarf king, and again he is successful.
In many ways this is appears to be a book about racism, prejudice and bigotry. It is also about learning to accept who and what we are no matter what and being comfortable with where we are. This isn't a great book or a bad book. What is it? It's a quick and decent read for those interested in the fantasy genre - light on the fantasy.
April 13, 2011
I really liked this short novella by Brian Woods and Roy C. Booth. They are both new authors to me, but I found great ones.
Davi, a human and one of the best blacksmiths around was taught the trade by his father doesn't really fit in with his own people and soon finds himself on a journey.
In this book the humans and dwarves do not really get along that being said the trade routes between Kronthor and Davi's home Hoon, have been cut off for some time and the people of Hoon are running low on food. This is where Xeric introduces his idea of sending Davi to Kronthor to reopen the trade routes.
This begins one of the best short fantasy novels I have read in a while, it kind of reminded me of a mix up between Lord of the Rings and the Artemis Fowl series but still managing to be unique in its own right.
The people of Davi's town Hoon, well the one introduced to us any way, Xeric. I didn't really like him, he was mean to Davi, for no reason that I saw and had only, I believe, interest for himself, no one else.
Davi does go to the Kronthor and he finds the acceptance there that he did not find with his own people. I really liked this, how Davi found himself with the dwarves and basically starts a life, and he does accomplish what he set out to do of course there is a lot more to the book than that.
This is the first book in the series, and I do hope that a second will be coming along soon. I think it is a book that readers of the fantasy genre are going to love.
*I received an Ebook copy of this book for free to review from the author.
Davi, a human and one of the best blacksmiths around was taught the trade by his father doesn't really fit in with his own people and soon finds himself on a journey.
In this book the humans and dwarves do not really get along that being said the trade routes between Kronthor and Davi's home Hoon, have been cut off for some time and the people of Hoon are running low on food. This is where Xeric introduces his idea of sending Davi to Kronthor to reopen the trade routes.
This begins one of the best short fantasy novels I have read in a while, it kind of reminded me of a mix up between Lord of the Rings and the Artemis Fowl series but still managing to be unique in its own right.
The people of Davi's town Hoon, well the one introduced to us any way, Xeric. I didn't really like him, he was mean to Davi, for no reason that I saw and had only, I believe, interest for himself, no one else.
Davi does go to the Kronthor and he finds the acceptance there that he did not find with his own people. I really liked this, how Davi found himself with the dwarves and basically starts a life, and he does accomplish what he set out to do of course there is a lot more to the book than that.
This is the first book in the series, and I do hope that a second will be coming along soon. I think it is a book that readers of the fantasy genre are going to love.
*I received an Ebook copy of this book for free to review from the author.
March 10, 2012
Let's start with full disclosure: the authors sent me a pre-release copy of this novella to review specifically so I could write an encouraging blurb for the back cover. That didn't guarantee I would like it (I'm a bad liar, so you can't really expect me to give a glowing review unless I am actually glowing), but the flattery of being asked did cause me to strut and preen. Now back to the book: Humans and dwarfs have been at odds for generations. When human blacksmith Davi is sent to the Dwarven King to reopen the local trade routes, he finds himself more at home with his enemies than he ever did with his own kind. My biggest complaint is actually kind of a compliment: I wanted more. I wanted to see more of Davi as the loner, of Asul's distrust slowly fading into fondness, of Reyal's rise to power. That said, it's still a fun little tale, and a tantalizing introduction to this new fantasy world. I look forward to more tales of Suruale.
September 11, 2012
Overall Feedback: A brilliantly written YA fantasy. This will whisk it's reader away to a land of humans and Dwarves. Young readers will love this story form the first page to the last.
Point of View: You follow Davi around throughout the story.
Voice: The biggest thing I got from the story was a theme of racial tolerance.
Character Development: The author was superb in their character development. You get a real sense of being there with Davi.
Plot: Although we have heard of humans and dwarves in the same realm in many stories, I believe this author adds to it and comes up with a side we have never seen before,
Dialogue: East to understand and fits the story well.
Pacing: Seeing that it is only 70 pages there was not even the slightest issue.
Setting: Details cause the setting to come alive and will take you to this dream of the writer's.
Continuity: Not an issue in any of the 70 pages.
Point of View: You follow Davi around throughout the story.
Voice: The biggest thing I got from the story was a theme of racial tolerance.
Character Development: The author was superb in their character development. You get a real sense of being there with Davi.
Plot: Although we have heard of humans and dwarves in the same realm in many stories, I believe this author adds to it and comes up with a side we have never seen before,
Dialogue: East to understand and fits the story well.
Pacing: Seeing that it is only 70 pages there was not even the slightest issue.
Setting: Details cause the setting to come alive and will take you to this dream of the writer's.
Continuity: Not an issue in any of the 70 pages.
June 5, 2011
Davi is a fast-paced fantasy adventure that will keep you turning pages well into the night. Excellent dialogue and action round out this feel-good tale of a man finding himself, proving himself, and ultimately being accepted as a hero for a race he once thought his enemy.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews