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The Hero's Arc #1
Floyancy
Most stories begin with either an unforeseen turn of events or a problem.
Krank has a problem. For centuries, the people of the island have lived on the animals and plants to be found there. It was bliss and so the population grew. It was not until very recently anyone noticed that the quantity of plants and animals had not. The delicate balance of the ecosystem has tipped and food is dwindling.
The King assigned the island's two resident self-proclaimed geniuses, the Creators, to find a solution. The fruits of their labour ripen into the invention of the world's first aquatic transportation device and promises to provide passage from the island to search further afield for food and resources.
So, there it is. Problem solved. End of story. Barring any unforeseen turn of events...
Krank has a problem. For centuries, the people of the island have lived on the animals and plants to be found there. It was bliss and so the population grew. It was not until very recently anyone noticed that the quantity of plants and animals had not. The delicate balance of the ecosystem has tipped and food is dwindling.
The King assigned the island's two resident self-proclaimed geniuses, the Creators, to find a solution. The fruits of their labour ripen into the invention of the world's first aquatic transportation device and promises to provide passage from the island to search further afield for food and resources.
So, there it is. Problem solved. End of story. Barring any unforeseen turn of events...
372 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 15, 2016
3 people are currently reading
11 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
April 3, 2019
*I received a free copy of this book with thanks to the author and Rachel Gilbey at Rachel’s Random Resources blog tours. The decision to review and my opinions are my own.*
Divine Invention takes us from its very own creation mythology to a bucolic village setting, where acne-plagued youth Aereon runs errands for the King and frets over the impending food crisis. Luckily the King has his Creators (inventors) on the case. Unluckily, they aren’t as bright as they like to think.
The tone of the initial chapters of the story is one of humour, gently satirising ‘medieval kingdom’ adventures and fantasy tropes with a cheeky wink to the reader.
Then the tone changes. The Creators find themselves adrift, and from a somewhat slapstick duo emerge Koel and Edin: not exactly the heroes we are looking for, but not… not the heroes either! Similarly Aereon begins by fumbling around with chairs and sacks like a village idiot and gradually evolves into… well… you will have to read it to find out what he does next. Suffice to say there is action, adventure, romance and intrigue galore, but our heroic anti-heroes remain consistent and believable.
A lovely little bonus feature here was the way the map started out pretty much blank in early chapters and then is gradually populated with landscapes and places as the character’s horizons expand.
And mirroring the map, this is an entertaining, deceptively straightforward read that turns out to have hidden layers and address serious issues. We meet standard fantasy creatures like merfolk, dwarves, goblins and ogres, but Forster gives them unique heritage, genesis and development that brings new perspective to the old familiar favourites. For example, do you know how goblins breed? Or what happens when a dwarf’s beard reaches the floor? You will. How many ladybirds does it take to make a really classy nail polish? You don’t want to know, and neither does Aereon.
As a fan of fantasy adventures that don’t take themselves too seriously, but have a lot of moral and emotional depth, I really enjoyed this novel and was both pleased and frustrated on reaching the end to find I NEED to know NOW what happens next.
Luckily for me (and you) we will find out when I review Book 2, The Greenmen, on 29th April. Watch this space…! 🙂
‘Ah huh,’ said Aereon. ‘And suppose you had an increase in customers. How would you feel about that?’
‘Well,, more business is good business, right?’ smiled the man.
‘Yes, most of the time,’ Aereon said, carefully. ‘But, just for the sake of argument, let’s suppose it was a dramatic increase. As in – I don’t know – let’s say all other options were gone, there was no meat left. Do you think that the other growers and yourself would be able to support Krank?’
The man scratched his chin, ‘Well, I can’t speak for the others, but I would be very surprised if we could handle that sort of pressure.’
‘Very well.’ Aereon tucked his notes back into his bag and turned to leave.
‘Aereon?’
‘Yes?’ he said, turning back to the orchard.
‘That – that was all theoretical, right?’ the grower asked hopefully.
– Linden Forster, Divine Invention
Review by Steph Warren of Bookshine and Readbows blog
https://bookshineandreadbows.wordpres...
Divine Invention takes us from its very own creation mythology to a bucolic village setting, where acne-plagued youth Aereon runs errands for the King and frets over the impending food crisis. Luckily the King has his Creators (inventors) on the case. Unluckily, they aren’t as bright as they like to think.
The tone of the initial chapters of the story is one of humour, gently satirising ‘medieval kingdom’ adventures and fantasy tropes with a cheeky wink to the reader.
Then the tone changes. The Creators find themselves adrift, and from a somewhat slapstick duo emerge Koel and Edin: not exactly the heroes we are looking for, but not… not the heroes either! Similarly Aereon begins by fumbling around with chairs and sacks like a village idiot and gradually evolves into… well… you will have to read it to find out what he does next. Suffice to say there is action, adventure, romance and intrigue galore, but our heroic anti-heroes remain consistent and believable.
A lovely little bonus feature here was the way the map started out pretty much blank in early chapters and then is gradually populated with landscapes and places as the character’s horizons expand.
And mirroring the map, this is an entertaining, deceptively straightforward read that turns out to have hidden layers and address serious issues. We meet standard fantasy creatures like merfolk, dwarves, goblins and ogres, but Forster gives them unique heritage, genesis and development that brings new perspective to the old familiar favourites. For example, do you know how goblins breed? Or what happens when a dwarf’s beard reaches the floor? You will. How many ladybirds does it take to make a really classy nail polish? You don’t want to know, and neither does Aereon.
As a fan of fantasy adventures that don’t take themselves too seriously, but have a lot of moral and emotional depth, I really enjoyed this novel and was both pleased and frustrated on reaching the end to find I NEED to know NOW what happens next.
Luckily for me (and you) we will find out when I review Book 2, The Greenmen, on 29th April. Watch this space…! 🙂
‘Ah huh,’ said Aereon. ‘And suppose you had an increase in customers. How would you feel about that?’
‘Well,, more business is good business, right?’ smiled the man.
‘Yes, most of the time,’ Aereon said, carefully. ‘But, just for the sake of argument, let’s suppose it was a dramatic increase. As in – I don’t know – let’s say all other options were gone, there was no meat left. Do you think that the other growers and yourself would be able to support Krank?’
The man scratched his chin, ‘Well, I can’t speak for the others, but I would be very surprised if we could handle that sort of pressure.’
‘Very well.’ Aereon tucked his notes back into his bag and turned to leave.
‘Aereon?’
‘Yes?’ he said, turning back to the orchard.
‘That – that was all theoretical, right?’ the grower asked hopefully.
– Linden Forster, Divine Invention
Review by Steph Warren of Bookshine and Readbows blog
https://bookshineandreadbows.wordpres...
April 1, 2019
I don’t read a lot of fantasy but I am a fan of fantasy that is well written. I went in to this book not knowing what to expect, as this is a debut novel and it’s always a bit of a risk reading a fantasy debut because the quality can vary hugely. However, I have to say I was very pleasantly surprised.
I’m going to take a punt here and say that the author is a fan of Terry Pratchett’s Discworld books. This book is very much in the vein of that style of world-building and comedic writing and I could sense the influence in the book. This is not a negative, by the way, because I absolutely adore Terry Pratchett’s books. The man was a genius. This book does a great job of telling an original, funny, wry story with interesting characters in a similar way.
The characters were the real strength of this book, particularly Aereon and the king and queen of Krank. Their personalities came across very strongly and were really funny and cleverly written. Aereon in particular really goes on a journey in this book (the Hero of the series), both actually and in his character and I think he has a very compelling arc and a lot more places to go with it, which I look forward to reading about in the next book.
The story itself might not seem like the mighty quest you find in some fantasy books, Aereon is not heading for Mordor with the One Ring, he is trying to find some new meat for the barbecue on a small island, but you know, it doesn’t matter. It is part of the comedy, and it actually leads him to a much bigger adventure than you might expect. I made a deliberate reference to The Lord of the Rings because there are also nods to that great fantasy trilogy here and people who have read that will also enjoy it, in a different way. (I have a very clear picture of the books that the author had on his adolescent bookshelf after reading this!)
The ending? What? I need the next book!
This was a fresh, funny and original book from an emerging talent. I am really looking forward to reading and reviewing the second book soon. Comic fantasy fans will not be disappointed by this book.
I’m going to take a punt here and say that the author is a fan of Terry Pratchett’s Discworld books. This book is very much in the vein of that style of world-building and comedic writing and I could sense the influence in the book. This is not a negative, by the way, because I absolutely adore Terry Pratchett’s books. The man was a genius. This book does a great job of telling an original, funny, wry story with interesting characters in a similar way.
The characters were the real strength of this book, particularly Aereon and the king and queen of Krank. Their personalities came across very strongly and were really funny and cleverly written. Aereon in particular really goes on a journey in this book (the Hero of the series), both actually and in his character and I think he has a very compelling arc and a lot more places to go with it, which I look forward to reading about in the next book.
The story itself might not seem like the mighty quest you find in some fantasy books, Aereon is not heading for Mordor with the One Ring, he is trying to find some new meat for the barbecue on a small island, but you know, it doesn’t matter. It is part of the comedy, and it actually leads him to a much bigger adventure than you might expect. I made a deliberate reference to The Lord of the Rings because there are also nods to that great fantasy trilogy here and people who have read that will also enjoy it, in a different way. (I have a very clear picture of the books that the author had on his adolescent bookshelf after reading this!)
The ending? What? I need the next book!
This was a fresh, funny and original book from an emerging talent. I am really looking forward to reading and reviewing the second book soon. Comic fantasy fans will not be disappointed by this book.
April 6, 2019
I’m quite selective about the fantasy books that I read as it’s not one of my favourite genres so I have to be convinced that it’s for me! Both of Forster’s books sounded good to me so I signed up to the tours!
When I started reading this I wasn’t sure about it. I found it quite confusing as there are a number of different characters to get used to and wondered if it would be another ‘Lord of the Rings for me’ (I’ve never been able to finish them as I find them really hard to read!) BUT this wasn’t the case. After getting through about a quarter of the book, I got into it and understood who was who, and what was going on!
I really enjoyed the story, and especially the characters and the tongue-in-cheek element to the book. The comedy within is subtle, so although it doesn’t cause you to laugh out loud it does bring a bit of cheeky smile to your face!
The beginning of the story focusses on the island of Krank but as it moves on, new places are discovered. One thing I really liked was the map illustrations that are included, and the fact that you can see the world growing as the characters discover it. Some elements are quite descriptive, which I sometimes struggle with, but this had a good balance and helped my imagination, bringing the characters, and world, to life.
I don’t want to go into the story too much, because I want you to be able to go on the journey with the characters like I did! I have to say I LOVE Aereon (not only because he’s the only vegetarian on his island!) – he’s a brilliant character and is described so well – I really felt like I was getting to know him. The King and Queen of Krank are also…..interesting!! As I say, the main characters are great, but the supporting cast are also fab!
Overall, the story is great and really takes you into a different world, but one that you can link with our world too. And the end….. I’m just grateful I’ve got book number 2 sitting on my shelf waiting to be read!! If you’re a fan of fantasy and action, and a bit of subtle comedy too then you definitely need to check this out!
When I started reading this I wasn’t sure about it. I found it quite confusing as there are a number of different characters to get used to and wondered if it would be another ‘Lord of the Rings for me’ (I’ve never been able to finish them as I find them really hard to read!) BUT this wasn’t the case. After getting through about a quarter of the book, I got into it and understood who was who, and what was going on!
I really enjoyed the story, and especially the characters and the tongue-in-cheek element to the book. The comedy within is subtle, so although it doesn’t cause you to laugh out loud it does bring a bit of cheeky smile to your face!
The beginning of the story focusses on the island of Krank but as it moves on, new places are discovered. One thing I really liked was the map illustrations that are included, and the fact that you can see the world growing as the characters discover it. Some elements are quite descriptive, which I sometimes struggle with, but this had a good balance and helped my imagination, bringing the characters, and world, to life.
I don’t want to go into the story too much, because I want you to be able to go on the journey with the characters like I did! I have to say I LOVE Aereon (not only because he’s the only vegetarian on his island!) – he’s a brilliant character and is described so well – I really felt like I was getting to know him. The King and Queen of Krank are also…..interesting!! As I say, the main characters are great, but the supporting cast are also fab!
Overall, the story is great and really takes you into a different world, but one that you can link with our world too. And the end….. I’m just grateful I’ve got book number 2 sitting on my shelf waiting to be read!! If you’re a fan of fantasy and action, and a bit of subtle comedy too then you definitely need to check this out!
April 2, 2019
Divine Invention drew me in right away and kept me interested. I enjoyed the tongue-in-cheek humor mixed in with this fantasy story.
Linden Forster created some really captivating characters. There are interesting paths of growth for Aereon and Koel. Aereon’s path creates growth and change throughout his journey and Koel doesn’t see much until the end. It was entertaining to watch both characters.
Linden Forster reveals information slowly through the eyes of the characters, which makes Divine Invention even more engaging. He doesn’t spend a lot of time on mundane things, and gives the reader the information they really want.
I really enjoyed this novel. It was different than most epic fantasies and I’m looking forward to the next book!
*I received a copy of this book for a blog tour with Rachel's Random Resources. All opinions are my own.*
Linden Forster created some really captivating characters. There are interesting paths of growth for Aereon and Koel. Aereon’s path creates growth and change throughout his journey and Koel doesn’t see much until the end. It was entertaining to watch both characters.
Linden Forster reveals information slowly through the eyes of the characters, which makes Divine Invention even more engaging. He doesn’t spend a lot of time on mundane things, and gives the reader the information they really want.
I really enjoyed this novel. It was different than most epic fantasies and I’m looking forward to the next book!
*I received a copy of this book for a blog tour with Rachel's Random Resources. All opinions are my own.*
February 18, 2019
Linden Forster's first novel takes you to the island of Krank, where the islanders are being ruled by an incompetent king, over consuming their natural resources and all the while being quite apathetic to their impending doom. The search for a solution will take those daring few to new and fantastic lands and very, very far from their comfort zones.
Divine Invention bounces along well, carried by a brilliant range of characters. Forster puts an original twist on the mythology of his races and creatures making this world a fresh take on the fantasy genre. The story echoes with problems of our own 21st Century planet and tackles themes from overconsumption to veganism.
A really interesting read, looking forward to the sequel.
Divine Invention bounces along well, carried by a brilliant range of characters. Forster puts an original twist on the mythology of his races and creatures making this world a fresh take on the fantasy genre. The story echoes with problems of our own 21st Century planet and tackles themes from overconsumption to veganism.
A really interesting read, looking forward to the sequel.
April 7, 2019
I loved this book, it is really different and I found that refreshing. It is well written and very funny.
Krunk is a small village that has nearly used up all of its natural resources, so the ‘Creators’ design a device to help them travel to other places to harvest supplies.
The launch of the invention doesn’t go well and the ‘Creators’ find themselves in a foreign land being forced to work for dwarves.
Instead of looking for their inhabitants, the King is more concerned in making another device to find supplies and has just the person to undertake the task.
Krunk is a small village that has nearly used up all of its natural resources, so the ‘Creators’ design a device to help them travel to other places to harvest supplies.
The launch of the invention doesn’t go well and the ‘Creators’ find themselves in a foreign land being forced to work for dwarves.
Instead of looking for their inhabitants, the King is more concerned in making another device to find supplies and has just the person to undertake the task.
April 9, 2019
Colorful and Captivating
It seemed a simple enough premise; an isolated society learns how to construct a boat (or as it is coined in the story, a 'floyancy') and ventures from home in search of resources. However, this book is anything but simple. The characters are all unique and interesting in their own way, especially the sassy Aereon who never fails to have a witty or inspiring remark in even the gravest situations. The plot, while minorly predictable, remains a series of adventurous scenarios backed up by very colorful lore. Nothing negative to say here!
It seemed a simple enough premise; an isolated society learns how to construct a boat (or as it is coined in the story, a 'floyancy') and ventures from home in search of resources. However, this book is anything but simple. The characters are all unique and interesting in their own way, especially the sassy Aereon who never fails to have a witty or inspiring remark in even the gravest situations. The plot, while minorly predictable, remains a series of adventurous scenarios backed up by very colorful lore. Nothing negative to say here!
March 7, 2019
See full review on my blog 3rd April 2019
March 22, 2019
A comical fantasy will not make you laugh out loud, but quietly chuckle to yourself. Somehow I find that strangely satisfying!
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews