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A Keeper of the Keys Story
Reginald's Tale
SHORT NOVELLA
When self-important Opossum sorcerer reads A.E. Howard's account of the events in Flight of Blue, he felt that her writing was, shall we say, human-centric? In order to balance that, and to fill in gaps he felt she left, he wrote a journal of the events and his adventure that didn't make it into Kai and Ellie's story.
Eventually, he was persuaded to let A.E. Howard publish his tale, after making her swear she wouldn't change any of it.
Reginald's Tale is a short novella of about 10,000 words.
When self-important Opossum sorcerer reads A.E. Howard's account of the events in Flight of Blue, he felt that her writing was, shall we say, human-centric? In order to balance that, and to fill in gaps he felt she left, he wrote a journal of the events and his adventure that didn't make it into Kai and Ellie's story.
Eventually, he was persuaded to let A.E. Howard publish his tale, after making her swear she wouldn't change any of it.
Reginald's Tale is a short novella of about 10,000 words.
- GenresMiddle Grade
38 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 5, 2013
7 people want to read
About the author
Anna Elisabeth Howard
5 books68 followersAnna Elisabeth Howard writes highly caffeinated takes on shalom as a lens for everything from her front porch in Hendersonville, TN where she lives with her husband and two sons and a small menagerie of critters. She is a community organizer and movement chaplain with a background in youth and family ministry and is a graduate of Fuller Theological Seminary. An avid hiker and backpacker, many thoughts start somewhere in the middle of the woods, or under a waterfall.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
September 21, 2013
This is a fast-paced little novella that reveals what Reginald was doing while we were following the others in Flight of Blue. That said, I would, of course, recommend that you read Flight of Blue first, or else you'll have some pretty big spoilers.
Reginald is an Opossum and a sorcerer, and when one of his relatives is killed near a traffic light by irresponsible bipeds, he curses the traffic light to teach all of those bipeds a lesson. Soon after, he is also hit by a car--fortunately, his injuries aren't fatal, but as he lies on the side of the road, in pain, he's sure he won't make it through the night. He notices that something isn't quite right as he stares up at the moon, but it's not until after he's rescued by two biped children that he realizes that his curse has begun to open a rift.
If you have already read Flight of Blue, then you already know all of this, but do you know what happened while Reginald after he was returned home to recuperate? The Opossum doesn't stay down for long, and after being healed and resting for a while, he's off to do what he can to help Kai and make sure the curse is reversed. Along the way, he'll meet some sentient grasshoppers (thank goodness they weren't crickets), a deceitful red squirrel, and he'll learn the best way to overcome the mistake that put the world in danger.
Reginald was my favorite character from Flight of Blue and I loved experiencing the world through his perceptions. I've never sat down with a sorcerer Opossum for a chat, but I think that Anna captured the voice and mannerisms wonderfully. This book is sure to capture the imagination of readers of all ages. Compared to Flight of Blue, we seem to be moving at lightening speed. It's not a major problem--since we are talking about a novella that only covers Reginald's perspective on what was left out of Flight of Blue, and Reginald isn't the type to linger unnecessarily--but I wanted to throw on the breaks and keep it from ending.
A great piece of work, I highly recommended for my fantasy readers!
Reginald is an Opossum and a sorcerer, and when one of his relatives is killed near a traffic light by irresponsible bipeds, he curses the traffic light to teach all of those bipeds a lesson. Soon after, he is also hit by a car--fortunately, his injuries aren't fatal, but as he lies on the side of the road, in pain, he's sure he won't make it through the night. He notices that something isn't quite right as he stares up at the moon, but it's not until after he's rescued by two biped children that he realizes that his curse has begun to open a rift.
If you have already read Flight of Blue, then you already know all of this, but do you know what happened while Reginald after he was returned home to recuperate? The Opossum doesn't stay down for long, and after being healed and resting for a while, he's off to do what he can to help Kai and make sure the curse is reversed. Along the way, he'll meet some sentient grasshoppers (thank goodness they weren't crickets), a deceitful red squirrel, and he'll learn the best way to overcome the mistake that put the world in danger.
Reginald was my favorite character from Flight of Blue and I loved experiencing the world through his perceptions. I've never sat down with a sorcerer Opossum for a chat, but I think that Anna captured the voice and mannerisms wonderfully. This book is sure to capture the imagination of readers of all ages. Compared to Flight of Blue, we seem to be moving at lightening speed. It's not a major problem--since we are talking about a novella that only covers Reginald's perspective on what was left out of Flight of Blue, and Reginald isn't the type to linger unnecessarily--but I wanted to throw on the breaks and keep it from ending.
A great piece of work, I highly recommended for my fantasy readers!
February 12, 2013
As you wait for the second book in A. E. Howard's clever series, Keeper of the Keys, this side adventure that delves into Reginald's story from the first book, Flight of Blue, is a tasty morsel and goes down easy.
Howard manages to encapsulate a great deal of story in this short story, building on her fantasy world alongside developing one of her most memorable creations,the possum Reginald. He was always a character screaming for a larger spotlight and now she's done just that.
Curmudgeonly in the best possible sense, Reginald undertakes his adventure with verve and aplomb, two methodologies of life I always strive to embody myself. Reginald is the type to take offense to obstacles first then attempt to pass them second. I would imagine he'd have a strong word to say if a large rock stood in his path when about on a leisure walk. I'd hate to be said stone. The tongue-lashing it would incur for daring to set up shop in the possum's path would be epic. Come to think of it, I would imagine a short story where Reginald takes a rock to task would be exceptional in the hands of Ms. Howard. She's that good, folks! And she could call it Rock, Possum, Scissors! Curse my need to pun even in a review!
No other way to say it, this mini-adventure is a meticulous riot.
The author was kind enough to send me an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
Howard manages to encapsulate a great deal of story in this short story, building on her fantasy world alongside developing one of her most memorable creations,the possum Reginald. He was always a character screaming for a larger spotlight and now she's done just that.
Curmudgeonly in the best possible sense, Reginald undertakes his adventure with verve and aplomb, two methodologies of life I always strive to embody myself. Reginald is the type to take offense to obstacles first then attempt to pass them second. I would imagine he'd have a strong word to say if a large rock stood in his path when about on a leisure walk. I'd hate to be said stone. The tongue-lashing it would incur for daring to set up shop in the possum's path would be epic. Come to think of it, I would imagine a short story where Reginald takes a rock to task would be exceptional in the hands of Ms. Howard. She's that good, folks! And she could call it Rock, Possum, Scissors! Curse my need to pun even in a review!
No other way to say it, this mini-adventure is a meticulous riot.
The author was kind enough to send me an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
February 12, 2013
This was such a fun read. In a great follow-up to the Flight of Blue, from Keeper of the Keys, we learn Reginald's own adventures and his frantic attempts to stop what he's done with the stoplight curse. We get his perspective and some of his (dry) humor, and gain new understanding of the Middle Realm. While we follow him through his travels to find a grasshopper army for help, he has mountains to overcome, sneaky squirrels to yell at, and finally - in a huff - oh, well I can't say! You'll have to read this beautifully woven novella yourself, and discover the world of Reginald and those who help him - or not - along the way to fixing what he accidentally started, while trying to make sure Kai doesn't run into too much more trouble. A great read, particularly in anticipation of the forthcoming Keeper of the Keys chronicle, The Guardians.
April 15, 2013
Reginald’s Tale is a great addition to the YA fantasy novel Flight of Blue. Where Flight of Blue focuses mainly on young Kai’s journey, this shorter novella gives us an inside peek at secondary character Reginald the Opossum’s point of view.
Reginald’s Tale enriches Howard’s first novel and answers questions such as: What was the opossum sorcerer doing when he wasn’t on scene? And why is Reginald so grumpy all the time?
If you enjoyed Flight of Blue, don’t miss this fun addition focusing on the cute but disgruntled opossum.
Reginald’s Tale enriches Howard’s first novel and answers questions such as: What was the opossum sorcerer doing when he wasn’t on scene? And why is Reginald so grumpy all the time?
If you enjoyed Flight of Blue, don’t miss this fun addition focusing on the cute but disgruntled opossum.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews