What do you think?
Rate this book
The Soul Conductor
They live among the people. Quiet, even shy, but with the ability to defend themselves with sword and dagger, and much more besides...Their purpose is to guide the souls of the dying away from their physical bodies and on to their final destiny, be that reward or punishment. Led by a powerful Archdeacon, in turn supported by the Keepers and their fearsome Guardians, these beings ensure no soul remains trapped in the realm of the living for eternity.
Quinn is one such being. He is a Soul Conductor. And he's one of the best.
So, what happens when a soul tries to escape its fate, leading Quinn into tragedy and changing his life forever?
Facing attempts on his life and then being dragged into the insane plans of a malevolent sheriff, Quinn must rely on the loyalty and strength of friends, new and old, if he is to discover what really happened to him and prevent innocent lives from being lost – along with their souls.
A flawed – and reluctant – hero, Quinn wonders if he will get out of it with his own soul intact…
Quinn is one such being. He is a Soul Conductor. And he's one of the best.
So, what happens when a soul tries to escape its fate, leading Quinn into tragedy and changing his life forever?
Facing attempts on his life and then being dragged into the insane plans of a malevolent sheriff, Quinn must rely on the loyalty and strength of friends, new and old, if he is to discover what really happened to him and prevent innocent lives from being lost – along with their souls.
A flawed – and reluctant – hero, Quinn wonders if he will get out of it with his own soul intact…
397 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 12, 2014
1 person is currently reading
15 people want to read
About the author
Clair Susann Evans
3 books24 followersClair S. Evans was born and raised in Somerset, but moved to the Cotswolds in 1996, where she lives with one of her three sons (the other two being grown up now!), a Labrador and 2 cats.
She began 'dabbling' with writing at a young age, but it was not until she took a short creative writing course with the Open University in 2011 that she published any of her work. This was a collaboration with some of her fellow students: Cafe Three Zero was born, and two e-books of their short stories were published.
She continued her studies with the OU and now has her BA (Hons) in Humanities with Creative Writing. She now primarily writes stories with a distinct fantasy/paranormal feel, which reflects the fact that she often hangs around in churches and graveyards, courting inspiration. Her debut novel, 'The Soul Conductor', is due for release in e-book format in December 2014.
In a former life she was a groom and a Special Constable. Now she is self-employed and working from home. In what spare time she has, she enjoys reading (mostly Robyn Young, Elizabeth Chadwick, Craig Russell, Ken Follett, SJ Parris and Mark Chadbourn), watching documentaries and playing with swords.
She began 'dabbling' with writing at a young age, but it was not until she took a short creative writing course with the Open University in 2011 that she published any of her work. This was a collaboration with some of her fellow students: Cafe Three Zero was born, and two e-books of their short stories were published.
She continued her studies with the OU and now has her BA (Hons) in Humanities with Creative Writing. She now primarily writes stories with a distinct fantasy/paranormal feel, which reflects the fact that she often hangs around in churches and graveyards, courting inspiration. Her debut novel, 'The Soul Conductor', is due for release in e-book format in December 2014.
In a former life she was a groom and a Special Constable. Now she is self-employed and working from home. In what spare time she has, she enjoys reading (mostly Robyn Young, Elizabeth Chadwick, Craig Russell, Ken Follett, SJ Parris and Mark Chadbourn), watching documentaries and playing with swords.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
January 12, 2015
A great début novel from Clair Evans.
The premise behind 'The Soul Conductor' is indeed an original one, with the task of the 'Soul Conductors' being to guide newly-deceased souls into the afterlife; there to be judged for their actions in life. The plot-line, involving the riveting ideas involving 'what could go wrong?', as one Soul Conductor struggles with the effects of dealing with a strong, negative soul, will keep the reader going till the final page.
Clair does an excellent job of dropping the reader directly into her creative world.
Greatly looking forward to the follow-up novel. :)
The premise behind 'The Soul Conductor' is indeed an original one, with the task of the 'Soul Conductors' being to guide newly-deceased souls into the afterlife; there to be judged for their actions in life. The plot-line, involving the riveting ideas involving 'what could go wrong?', as one Soul Conductor struggles with the effects of dealing with a strong, negative soul, will keep the reader going till the final page.
Clair does an excellent job of dropping the reader directly into her creative world.
Greatly looking forward to the follow-up novel. :)
Read
November 25, 2021Enthralling
Such a good read I could not put it down. The adventures of Quinn had me enthralled and I was sad when it came to the end as I wanted to know more. Hopefully Quinn will have other adventures soon. Highly recommend this book.m
Such a good read I could not put it down. The adventures of Quinn had me enthralled and I was sad when it came to the end as I wanted to know more. Hopefully Quinn will have other adventures soon. Highly recommend this book.m
December 12, 2014
It should come as no surprise to anyone who knows C.S.Evans that the Soul Conductor is placed in a medieval setting – except it’s not your every day, run-of-the-mill sort of medieval. From the very first page the reader becomes embroiled in the lives of the Soul Conductors; a peaceful community of people who are born with the sole purpose of guiding souls to their final destination.
‘Quinn is one such being. He is a Soul Conductor. And he’s one of the best…
He’s also a very decent sort of guy. He’s loyal to his friends and family, devoted to his work as a Conductor, and has a strong desire to see justice done.
‘So, what happens when it suddenly goes disastrously wrong?
What happens is that you get a marvellous story, entwining the livelihood and traditions of the medieval era with a dash of the fantastical and supernatural. It is the age old battle between good and evil, but there is so much more at stake than just the mere preservation of life.
‘Quinn must rely on the loyalty and strength of friends, new and old, if he is to discover what really happened to him and prevent innocent lives from being lost – along with their souls’
***
Evans’ debut novel was an absolute pleasure to read. I was hired as a beta-reader for The Soul Conductor (a sort of pre-reader), and charged with the task of checking the manuscript for potential structure, plot, continuity and characterisation issues. The only problem with this book however, was that I kept being drawn into the story. After resisting the lure of Evans words in the first couple of chapters, I gave up trying to make notes and read it in its entirety.
During my initial read (at least until I succumbed to the story) I notated my reaction to the events of the first two chapters – my joy, my horror, my elation – which I provided to Evans, and everything I experienced was as she intended. In my opinion, Evans has a real skill in capturing the essence of a ‘moment’ and translating it into words.
I read The Soul Conductor twice in the end – firstly to enjoy the reading experience it offered, and secondly to provide my comments on potential areas for development (although they were few and far between). Evans was quick to orientate this reader into the story. There is a good balance of narration and dialogue, with naturalistic interaction between the characters. If the fantasy/supernatural genre is of interest to you as a reader, then I am confident you will not be disappointed with Evans first offerings as an author.
‘Quinn is one such being. He is a Soul Conductor. And he’s one of the best…
He’s also a very decent sort of guy. He’s loyal to his friends and family, devoted to his work as a Conductor, and has a strong desire to see justice done.
‘So, what happens when it suddenly goes disastrously wrong?
What happens is that you get a marvellous story, entwining the livelihood and traditions of the medieval era with a dash of the fantastical and supernatural. It is the age old battle between good and evil, but there is so much more at stake than just the mere preservation of life.
‘Quinn must rely on the loyalty and strength of friends, new and old, if he is to discover what really happened to him and prevent innocent lives from being lost – along with their souls’
***
Evans’ debut novel was an absolute pleasure to read. I was hired as a beta-reader for The Soul Conductor (a sort of pre-reader), and charged with the task of checking the manuscript for potential structure, plot, continuity and characterisation issues. The only problem with this book however, was that I kept being drawn into the story. After resisting the lure of Evans words in the first couple of chapters, I gave up trying to make notes and read it in its entirety.
During my initial read (at least until I succumbed to the story) I notated my reaction to the events of the first two chapters – my joy, my horror, my elation – which I provided to Evans, and everything I experienced was as she intended. In my opinion, Evans has a real skill in capturing the essence of a ‘moment’ and translating it into words.
I read The Soul Conductor twice in the end – firstly to enjoy the reading experience it offered, and secondly to provide my comments on potential areas for development (although they were few and far between). Evans was quick to orientate this reader into the story. There is a good balance of narration and dialogue, with naturalistic interaction between the characters. If the fantasy/supernatural genre is of interest to you as a reader, then I am confident you will not be disappointed with Evans first offerings as an author.
December 29, 2014
I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys this genre, and also to anyone else to try. I was completely hooked after reading the first chapter and couldn't put the book down. I was desperate to know what would happen to Quinn and his friends. Am hoping there will be a sequel soon as can't wait to read more
December 28, 2014
Well done on your debut novel. It was great and I was sad when I had finished reading it. xx I great read was hard to put it down. xx
August 3, 2015
I was really interested to read a debut novel from a fellow Open University Student, who had done the Creative Writing Module, and I wasn't disappointed at all with the quality of the writing.
It was, apart from one or two teeny tiny errors in the text that I cam across (detailed on my blog) of a really high quality. The plot was original and kept my interest right to the very end. There was a conclusion, but it wasn't an outright happy ending ... in itself that is a refreshing change, as quite a lot of authors feel the need to wrap it up with a big bow, which can detract from the work as a whole.
There are still left questions unanswered, and hopefully there will be a follow up novel to move it on. Although I feel that Clair has it in her to really ramp up the writing and add more layers of twists and turns to create a truly stunning read.
High recommended.
It was, apart from one or two teeny tiny errors in the text that I cam across (detailed on my blog) of a really high quality. The plot was original and kept my interest right to the very end. There was a conclusion, but it wasn't an outright happy ending ... in itself that is a refreshing change, as quite a lot of authors feel the need to wrap it up with a big bow, which can detract from the work as a whole.
There are still left questions unanswered, and hopefully there will be a follow up novel to move it on. Although I feel that Clair has it in her to really ramp up the writing and add more layers of twists and turns to create a truly stunning read.
High recommended.
July 24, 2015
Excellent, excellent, excellent... Unable to put down - one of those unique books that you want to finish to find out what's going to happen but at the same time don't want it to ever end... Very original story...loved it
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews