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The Gilded Basilisk
Add a basilisk, a dragon, and weirdragons to the mix-up of a theft going from bad to Friends become enemies and enemies friends, wars loom, and the intrigues threaten the fate of two kingdoms.
About the Author
A freelancer in book production for forty years, Chet Gottfried lives with his wife Sue, and their three ex-feral cats, in State College, Pennsylvania. He is an active member of SFWA, with stories in Jim Baen's Universe, Aboriginal SF, and Asimov's SF, along with numerous fantasy, science fiction, and horror stories in small press and online publications. In 1984, Space & Time published his SF novel The Steel Eye to introduce its book line.
For 2014, in addition to ReAnimus Press producing The Gilded Basilisk, Zetabella Publishing is producing Chet's young adult fantasy novel, Einar and the Cursed City.
Chet's website www.lookoutnow.com features over a thousand pages covering his nature photography, cartoons, and games, as well as travelogues from his trips to the UK Lake District, Iceland, and the U.S. Southwest.
About the Author
A freelancer in book production for forty years, Chet Gottfried lives with his wife Sue, and their three ex-feral cats, in State College, Pennsylvania. He is an active member of SFWA, with stories in Jim Baen's Universe, Aboriginal SF, and Asimov's SF, along with numerous fantasy, science fiction, and horror stories in small press and online publications. In 1984, Space & Time published his SF novel The Steel Eye to introduce its book line.
For 2014, in addition to ReAnimus Press producing The Gilded Basilisk, Zetabella Publishing is producing Chet's young adult fantasy novel, Einar and the Cursed City.
Chet's website www.lookoutnow.com features over a thousand pages covering his nature photography, cartoons, and games, as well as travelogues from his trips to the UK Lake District, Iceland, and the U.S. Southwest.
ebook
First published January 20, 2014
6 people want to read
About the author
Chet Gottfried
21 books5 followersA freelancer in book production for forty years, I live with my wife Sue, and our three ex-feral cats, in State College, Pennsylvania. I'm an active member of SFWA, with stories in Jim Baen's Universe, Aboriginal SF, and Isaac Asimov's SF, along with a large variety of stories in small press and online publications.
In 1984, Space & Time published my novel The Steel Eye to start its book line. Thirty years later, and ReAnimus Press has published my new fantasy novel, The Gilded Basilisk. That was followed by Einar and the Cursed City (2014) and Einar and the Myrtledale Conspiracy (2015), each of which won the Preditors & Editors readers poll award for best YA novel. My following novel, an SF space opera, Into the Horsebutt Nebula won the P&E award for best cover (one can't have everything, or so it seems). And after a period of quiet (and thought and contemplation) comes Thora's Dagger, a sequel to the Gilded Basilisk but a novel that can be read independently.
My website lookoutnow features over a thousand pages that cover nature photography, cartoons, and games, as well as travelogues from trips to the UK Lake District, Iceland, and the U.S. Southwest.
I have an FB author page and one over at Amazon.
In 1984, Space & Time published my novel The Steel Eye to start its book line. Thirty years later, and ReAnimus Press has published my new fantasy novel, The Gilded Basilisk. That was followed by Einar and the Cursed City (2014) and Einar and the Myrtledale Conspiracy (2015), each of which won the Preditors & Editors readers poll award for best YA novel. My following novel, an SF space opera, Into the Horsebutt Nebula won the P&E award for best cover (one can't have everything, or so it seems). And after a period of quiet (and thought and contemplation) comes Thora's Dagger, a sequel to the Gilded Basilisk but a novel that can be read independently.
My website lookoutnow features over a thousand pages that cover nature photography, cartoons, and games, as well as travelogues from trips to the UK Lake District, Iceland, and the U.S. Southwest.
I have an FB author page and one over at Amazon.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
August 17, 2022
Clever dialogue and fun, fantastical characters make this novel a great escape from daily life. Hugin just wants to run a tavern. Fighting battles is too much work and peril; how much better to serve ale and socialize with people, right? Not to mention the fun of his partner at the inn teasing him all the time. (Sometimes it's maddening, not fun: I'm still upset about Hugin's boots.)
Such is life: in Hugin's simple world, evil lurks, and even a guy who hates war may have to take on a wizard, or a basilisk, an elf disguised as a human, or a blind assassin.
A blind assassin....? Make that plural. This brother and sister duo are gifted with other senses to compensate for their sightless eyes.
The "curse" of turning into a dragon by day (flying, and breathing fire!) is a fun plot twist, and the fellow so cursed is shot at and tormented by eagles, so the dragon gig is not as fun as it sounds. Still. Who doesn't want to be a part-time dragon?
I'm trying not to deliver spoilers. Suffice to say, this is a fast-paced and action-packed story with memorable characters. The usual tropes of the fantasy genre get a fresh twist with the librarian and her father, and Gier, and Hugin and the blind assassin and her brother,not to mention the treacherous elf, AND all the stone victims of the basilisk, and the assorted alliances and deceptions, and the final battle (between two women--how cool is that!). And just wait until you see what kind of improvements Hugin finally makes to his inn....
Such is life: in Hugin's simple world, evil lurks, and even a guy who hates war may have to take on a wizard, or a basilisk, an elf disguised as a human, or a blind assassin.
A blind assassin....? Make that plural. This brother and sister duo are gifted with other senses to compensate for their sightless eyes.
The "curse" of turning into a dragon by day (flying, and breathing fire!) is a fun plot twist, and the fellow so cursed is shot at and tormented by eagles, so the dragon gig is not as fun as it sounds. Still. Who doesn't want to be a part-time dragon?
I'm trying not to deliver spoilers. Suffice to say, this is a fast-paced and action-packed story with memorable characters. The usual tropes of the fantasy genre get a fresh twist with the librarian and her father, and Gier, and Hugin and the blind assassin and her brother,not to mention the treacherous elf, AND all the stone victims of the basilisk, and the assorted alliances and deceptions, and the final battle (between two women--how cool is that!). And just wait until you see what kind of improvements Hugin finally makes to his inn....
February 17, 2018
The Gilded Basilisk was quite an enjoyable book. I recommend it if you are a fan of fantasy novels.
December 15, 2024
One of the best fantasy books I've ever read. The juxtaposition of humor with gravitas is masterful. The characters are well-developed and all play their parts perfectly.
December 21, 2023
Excellent
Nice adventure fantasy that is not bungled with a bunch of plot errors for the sake of action and or excessive drama! A fair bit of humorous bits as well, without being overly silly.
Hope to see more of these
Nice adventure fantasy that is not bungled with a bunch of plot errors for the sake of action and or excessive drama! A fair bit of humorous bits as well, without being overly silly.
Hope to see more of these
July 4, 2015
It's not often you read a book that makes you flex those critical thinking skills humorously.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews