Otterby's Child

by Victoria Bastedo

It’s taken fourteen years for Kye, a soldier of Moonlight, to locate the boy of legend. Only this skinny, ginger, knocked-about lad has the bloodline to reach the Mere before the city of Moonlight is washed away. It’s up to Kye to make certain the teenager lives until he can bring them across the sea and locate the Mere. Kye has to watch as the boy is poisoned and changed, as vicious Bharkers try to squeeze his life away, and as the telepathic Otterby traveling in the boy’s pocket hints at future disaster. How will Kye feel about it if Anthym has to be sacrificed for some mysterious purpose of the Mere? When he reaches them, they’ll find out what a soldier of Moonlight’s fist felt like.

252 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 22, 2019

About the author

I, Victoria Bastedo, acknowledge the Most High God. He is the One Who gave me the gift of writing. The Father, Jesus His son, and the Holy Spirit. God Almighty is the One I serve, and I am thankful for all of His gifts. Amen

I was born in Kansas City, Mo, in the very early sixties. Called the City of Fountains, one of my favorite memories is when my mom took us kids to play in one of the fountains. We climbed on the horses. Stood on the spewing nozzles. Threw in pennies and dived for them again with our eyes closed. But while my siblings tried to invent crazy near-dangerous fountain feats, I played to the side, my mind busy. I was inventing an adventure, with some high fantasy elements. The journey to becoming a writer has been a fun one for me. God blessed me with an active imagination characterized by the glazed-over-fogged look on my face. I'm a Christian, a wife, and a mother of six and now a proud grandmother.

Kirkus said of my book, Mini-Droids and Tea: "Bastedo (The Time Mechanic, 2018, etc.) generously packs this short, delightfully eccentric novel with drama: Penelope’s tea shop just barely makes ends meet, and she’s doggedly pursued by a creepy stalker who won’t take no for an answer. And Colepepper suspects he’s under surveillance, potentially by a business rival, and that his ever popular devices have been “hijacked.” The author’s story is artfully outlandish—somehow both deeply implausible but also entirely authentic. The quirky plot almost reads like a comic fairy tale—even the names of the two protagonists have a cartoonlike character to them. Bastedo achieves a comic lightheartedness that rises above simple frivolity—Penelope in particular is a complex, layered character, both fiercely independent and earnestly vulnerable. The result is a charmingly readable effort, humorous and tender.

A sweet, spirited tale of love rediscovered."

Here's a recent praise quote of my Young Adult Fantasy, Roots Entwine. (Self-Publishing Review):

'Roots Entwine by Victoria Bastedo is an entertaining and heartfelt young adult fantasy adventure. Young adult fantasy adventure novels, when done well, make for exciting reading. But the good ones offer more. Roots Entwine does just that.



The driver of this story is the plot. Bastedo provides enough twists and turns to keep the reader engaged. As the excitement builds, the reader starts to realize that not everything is as it seems. The major twist at the end leaves hope that the story isn’t over. Could a sequel be in the works?

Roots Entwine is packed with action that will keep the reader’s interest. Young adult readers will cheer for the boy who’d remained hidden for most of his life to finally find his way.'

Reviews

[InD'tale Magazine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rating: 4.5/5.0

“Otterby’s Child” is a unique, well-written story, taking readers on an imaginative trip over blue hills and blue sandy beaches.

Read full review in the 2020 April issue of InD'tale Magazine.

[♏ Gina☽ · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the town of Moonlight lives a soldier by the name of Kye. He is bound and determined to locate the child of legend, born the 9th son of the 9th son of the 9th son. It is his duty, it is his assignment and he won't give up.

Through 14 long years and with a lot of detective work, he finally locates the only child who fits all of the requirements. He is quite shocked when he finally finds him, to see an extremely thin, poorly clothed, scared young man, living in fear, looking for food. However, Anthym has to be the one he is looking for, the only one who can travel to Mere and save Moonlight.

Not everyone wants Anthym to succeed. It will take every resource available to keep him alive to seek his destiny.

This is a book that is well written with clear descriptions of mystical lands and creatures. You will grow to care much for Anthym and want to see him to succeed, despite having a horrific, uncaring mother who has convinced him since birth that he was nothing and could never amount to anything.

[Rachel Barnard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Moonlight must find the ninth son of the ninth son of the ninth son before it is too late. Legend tells that this prophesied child will be the one to save Moonlight. Each night the bells toll, signifying that another day has passed and the child has not been found. Yet, fourteen years later, the steadfast and determined soldier Kye finally finds the boy. As three generations approach Moonlight’s gate, the question in everyone’s mind is not whether the boy is truly the ninth of the ninth of the ninth, but whether the town is really in any peril and what such a young teenager can do to save it.

If you don’t have the time or inclination to read epic fantasy, but you still want elements of high fantasy, then Anthym Quest may be for you. Anthym, the ninth son of the ninth son of the ninth son is mysterious, the unusual sibling and an unlikely hero who begins as a sarcastic teenager but must mature rapidly as he undergoes a fantastical change.

I really, really liked the concept of the ninth son of the ninth son of the ninth son and of a town that could be swept out to sea like in the movie Frozen. Evil is out there, somewhere. Are the Mere evil? Are the townsfolk evil? Is the possibility that the entire town could be swept under water evil?

I tend to prefer stories with a classic beginning, middle, and end story structure but Anthym Quest: Book One reads more like a prologue where the problem is described and the heroes are gathered for the journey ahead, much like the lengthy beginning of the Lord of the Rings Trilogy.

[Rebecca Sykes Young · Rating 4 out of 5]

Intriguing. Love Kye!