Dead Weight: Search and Destroy: A Tale of the Faerie War

Dead Weight: A Tale of the Faerie War #3

by M. Todd Gallowglas, S.A. Hunt (Introduction)

DEAD Search and DestroyHow far will you go to chase your dreams?This is the third installment of the serialized novel DEAD WEIGHT, set within the world of THE FAERIE WAR. More than anything else, Violet wants to be a bard. On her sixteenth birthday, she decides to force her dreams to become a reality by looking into a certain keyhole painting on a certain tour, a painting known to touch mortals with faerie magic. Her choice opens up entirely new worlds to Violet, worlds she's not certain she's ready for.And what of Boy Scout’s journal? We have already followed the tale of Roland the Bold. What other secrets are contained within? Follow the story of Lies, a war correspondent attached to a platoon of U.S. Marines as they patrol through Faerie. Will his chapter reveal as many secrets as Tommy’s?

Genres: Fantasy

142 pages, Paperback

First published April 22, 2015

About the author

M Todd Gallowglas has been a professional storyteller at Renaissance Faires and Medieval Festivals for over twenty years. After receiving his Bachelor of Arts in Creative Writing from San Francisco State University in 2009, he used his storytelling show as a platform to launch his fiction career. He is the author of the Tears of Rage and Halloween Jack series, which have spent time on various bestseller lists. He was a fiction contributor for Fantasy Flight Games and developed creative content for the reboot of the children's classic Reading Rainbow. Now he spends most of his time trying to find the perfect balance between family, writing, airsoft (because it's not as messy as paintball), and gaming while he's not off somewhere telling stories.

M Todd Gallowglas is a proud member of the Genre Underground.

Reviews

[Seonaidh · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this series to bits.

With his latest instalment Mr. Gallowglas gives us some military fantasy.

This 'episode' fills in some more of Tommy's story (picking up more or less where 'The Tombs' left off), his first wartime mission into Arcadia, embedded with Marines, and his first steps on the journey to becoming the Bard we met in the first installment. The framing story echoes the first steps of magical gift.

I loved the almost 'meta' use of Tommy's Bardic gift to add further layers of non linear narrative giving alternate POVs and filling in details of 'Overdale' during the faerie war.

While this novella wasn't as satisfyingly self contained as the previous ones, at this point in the story, the hook is well set and I'm doomed to dangle until the next exciting installment

As ever, the narrative is peppered with just enough genre and culture references to perk the corners of a smile, and the author's understanding and respect for the traditions of 'fairy lore' is a pleasure to observe in the finer detail.

[Jimmy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is more going to be overall thoughts on all three installments of Dead Weight so far.

Dead Weight is a story about stories. Gallowglas creates a compelling world in which the power of storytelling becomes literal in the form of Arcadia, the Faerie realm whose Laws are dictated by the collective storytelling traditions and conventions of humanity. It's no wonder then that Bards, or artists/authors/creators/etc, hold so much power. Steven Erikson said in an interview, "The great gift of Fantasy as a genre is that it can take a metaphor and make it real." Gallowglas has synthesized various elements in favor of the power of storytelling and made it real in these books.

And the larger story he is telling is no joke either. The pace, breakneck; the characters, colorful and varied; the narrators, delightfully unreliable; the framing, excellent; the plot, exciting. There is a lot of modern language if that's the sort of thing to turn you off, but the setting is modern.

Great read, damn your cliffhangers. 4.5/5

[Jack · Rating 5 out of 5]

Man, I don't know how he does it, but Gallowglas constantly is putting out amazing stuff. In the third instalment of Dead Weight, we continue unravelling Boy Scouts past. And it's amazing. And thrilling. And I need more. His blend of modern and the fantastical is seamless, which makes for an immersive read. While I still feel like there are too many references to fantasy culture, it's part of what makes the story, and probably part of why I enjoy them so much.

June can't come soon enough.

[Keith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great installment! Ugh, I feel like I need to go back reread the first two parts. I really love this dark and fantastical universe. It was great seeing more from Boy Scout's POV.

[Daniel Yocom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very enjoyable, fast-paced read. Not YA, exactly what I wanted.

Have a complete review of the first four books at

http://guildmastergaming.blogspot.com...