Strange New World

by K.P. Alexander

Opening your coat closet and unexpectedly discovering a portal into another world can be a slightly jarring experience.
Spotting a dragon staring back at you through said portal should have sent any sane person running for the hills.
Good thing John was still a bit hung over.
Realizing that the dragon didn’t harbour any nefarious designs, John decided that a change of scenery was in order, and opted for a vacation to the exotic city of Iathera.
Befriending an enigmatic green-skinned woman and a wizard with a penchant for bathrobes, his impromptu holiday is cut short by news of an unprovoked attack on an allied nation.
Having trekked across an entire ocean to wage war, the nation of Kierd had laid siege to the Nebar Cluster for reasons unknown. With Kierd wielding devastating weapons never before seen in that world, the surrounding region is rapidly thrown into unrest.
Still not exactly sure if there was a reason that he was brought here, he finds that his unique insights into this strange new world could be the key into tipping the conflict back in the Cluster’s favour.

Genres: Fantasy

146 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 2, 2012

About the author

Seems the only time I get writer’s block is when I’m trying to write about myself. I’ll flesh this section out eventually, but, to quote the words of Neil Gaiman, "I’m just making things up and writing them down."

You know what? Now I feel a little bad.

You see, I have a confession. I’ve never actually read anything by Neil Gaiman. Of course, I know of him, but I inexplicably never got around to reading any of his books. However, judging from the YouTube videos I’ve seen, he looks like a nice fella’. In truth, the only reason I know that quote is because I saw it on his Twitter profile after I Googled him.

Sorry, Neil. If it’s any consolation at all, Stardust is one of my all-time favourite movies…

Reviews

[Travis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent enough story, even if it does have some errors in it, and some characters that appear out of the blue, with the reader being fully expected to know who they were.
It's not really a stand-alone tale, since it simply lays the groundwork for what comes next, so if you don't have the second book in the series as well, reading this one is going to leave you with too many questions to make reading it worthwhile.

[Bookfrogglin · Rating 2 out of 5]

I would give this 2.5 if I could. There are promising glimpses, (which are enough for me to persevere with the second book) but some bits are a little too simplistic for what I am looking for at the moment. If you are after an unassuming holiday read where you don't have to work too hard, then give it a go.

[Erik Sapp · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book, but it was so campy. There is nothing wrong with camp - and done right, it can be amazing. This book did not do it right. The author tried too hard and overshot.

[Jacques · Rating 3 out of 5]

Usually I do not take the time to write reviews; I figure there are enough people doing it that my opinion will not add much value, and life is too short to do things that do not add value. However, while searching for a place where I could download Episode Two, right after finishing Episode One, I stumbled on the author's sincere request for more reviews. Thus, here are a few thoughts.

From the fact that I was looking for Episode Two right after finishing Episode One, you can surmise that I did enjoy the book.
At the same time, I did struggle with some things.
As others have noted, it was of some difficulty some times to keep track of who's who in the different contexts, particularly the minor characters. It would help if more care was taken to keep things clear. On the other hand, I saw there was mention of reintroducing characters and contexts in follow up episodes, but I strongly dislike that practice. I always feel very irritated having to read repetitions of what I already know while the author tries to bring new readers up to speed. What are those new readers reading a second or third book anyway for without reading the first? And if it is for reminding old readers of what happened, I wish authors would find a more natural way of weaving the reminder into the flow of the story, rather than blatantly dropping out of the story to give history. Anyway, that's just a pet peeve.

But the thing that bothered me more was the copious use of adverbs in the dialogue, as well as the perpetual bantering, laughing, grinning, smiling, chuckling, smirking, knowing looks, and sarcastic comments amongst the one group of characters. It felt clumsy and forced a lot of the time. And too many adverbs.
I found an excellent resource and guide is Steering the Craft by Ursula K Le Guin. I can heartily recommend it.

Never the less, despite my critiques, I enjoyed the story and will read the next episode. I think it is very promising, and I applaud the author for taking the risk and taking the leap. Keep it up.

[Simon Goodson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book. The story is exciting and the characters are interesting. There are two separate but related threads running through the book, set in different parts of the world, and while one is fun and light hearted the other is significantly darker. The contrast works brilliantly.

The only downside? The sequel isn't out yet... and I want to read it NOW! :-)

[Hate2beLate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this, but too short! Want part 2. Easy reading, varied characters and of course, a dragon! Everything had just started coming together and making sense when it ended. Just hate when books that aren't very long to start with, are broken down into series, but I'll finish it when I can.

[Ros · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was like two short stories. They eventually meshed together, but they were so well-written as standalone stories, that I didn't see this intention coming.

[Susan Kelley]

I just could not get into this book. Every now and again I try to give Fantasy a try, and it seldom works out for me. On to the next!

[Torfinn Ingolfsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked it.