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The Wildfire Cycle #2.5
Tales of Ioth
Ioth was gone. Kingshold had fallen.
But we could not give up.
I am Mareth, once Lord Protector of Kingshold, and these are the stories of what happened after the fall, when everyone was at their lowest ebb. These are the stories of how the battle against Llewdon moved from the Jeweled Continent to Alfaria - the Wild Continent.
The next installment in the exciting Wildfire Cycle. Tales of Ioth, Book 2.5 of the Wildfire Cycle is essential reading, including a novella in five parts and four other short stories.
Dudenas (Novella) - Picking up immediately from the end of Ioth, City of Lights. The heroes of Kingshold have failed and Llewdon has seemingly won.
But Neenahwi rallies the group that is traumatized by the loss of their friends and sets a new destination for their fight back - the Wild Continent. Allied with the dwarfs and travelling by giant purple worm, they set out on a harrowing journey under the ocean and through the dark of the Dudenas to the birth place of Neenahwi and Motega.
The Beginning of Things - The Wild Continent has it's own creation story, and it all began with a tree. This is the story of the mother-tree, the animals that sprang from her fruit, and the people they created.
Profit and Plain Sailing - Vin Kolsen has a ship, a loyal(ish) crew and success raiding Pyrfew ships off the coast of the Wild Continent. But why should that be enough when there is greater opportunity out there. If only there was a pirate king to bring together the North Sea Corsairs.
The Wanderer - What will the visitors in green and gold to Yamaagh's clan shortly after they discover the destruction of their hated enemies, the wolfclaw, mean for his destiny of becoming the "the strongest living warrior of the tigereye"? And who is the man without a name setting traps for those who have invaded his home?
The Further Adventures of Old Man and His Pyxie - Jyuth is retired. He is done with magic and just wants to spend his remaining days indulging in those 'hobbes' he has been neglecting for the past few centuries. An old man just wants to have fun, but can he really walk away from everything?
But we could not give up.
I am Mareth, once Lord Protector of Kingshold, and these are the stories of what happened after the fall, when everyone was at their lowest ebb. These are the stories of how the battle against Llewdon moved from the Jeweled Continent to Alfaria - the Wild Continent.
The next installment in the exciting Wildfire Cycle. Tales of Ioth, Book 2.5 of the Wildfire Cycle is essential reading, including a novella in five parts and four other short stories.
Dudenas (Novella) - Picking up immediately from the end of Ioth, City of Lights. The heroes of Kingshold have failed and Llewdon has seemingly won.
But Neenahwi rallies the group that is traumatized by the loss of their friends and sets a new destination for their fight back - the Wild Continent. Allied with the dwarfs and travelling by giant purple worm, they set out on a harrowing journey under the ocean and through the dark of the Dudenas to the birth place of Neenahwi and Motega.
The Beginning of Things - The Wild Continent has it's own creation story, and it all began with a tree. This is the story of the mother-tree, the animals that sprang from her fruit, and the people they created.
Profit and Plain Sailing - Vin Kolsen has a ship, a loyal(ish) crew and success raiding Pyrfew ships off the coast of the Wild Continent. But why should that be enough when there is greater opportunity out there. If only there was a pirate king to bring together the North Sea Corsairs.
The Wanderer - What will the visitors in green and gold to Yamaagh's clan shortly after they discover the destruction of their hated enemies, the wolfclaw, mean for his destiny of becoming the "the strongest living warrior of the tigereye"? And who is the man without a name setting traps for those who have invaded his home?
The Further Adventures of Old Man and His Pyxie - Jyuth is retired. He is done with magic and just wants to spend his remaining days indulging in those 'hobbes' he has been neglecting for the past few centuries. An old man just wants to have fun, but can he really walk away from everything?
- GenresFantasyShort Stories
243 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 28, 2020
2 people are currently reading
36 people want to read
About the author
D.P. Woolliscroft
8 books93 followersBorn in Derby in England, on the day before mid-summers day, David Peter Woolliscroft was very nearly magical. If only his dear old mum could have held on for another day. But magic called out to him over the years, with a many a book being devoured for its arcane properties. David studied Accounting at Cardiff University where numbers weaved their own kind of magic and he has since been a successful business leader in the intervening twenty years.
Adventures have been had. More books devoured and then one day, David had read enough where the ideas he had kept bottled up needed a release valve. And thus, rising out of the self doubt like a phoenix at a clicky keyboard, a writer was born. Kingshold is David’s debut novel and Tales of Kingshold, companion short stories to the novel, are flooding onto the page as fast as David can write them.
He is married to his wife Haneen and has a daughter Liberty, who all live with their mini golden doodle Rosie in Princeton NJ. David is one of the few crabs to escape the crab pot.
Adventures have been had. More books devoured and then one day, David had read enough where the ideas he had kept bottled up needed a release valve. And thus, rising out of the self doubt like a phoenix at a clicky keyboard, a writer was born. Kingshold is David’s debut novel and Tales of Kingshold, companion short stories to the novel, are flooding onto the page as fast as David can write them.
He is married to his wife Haneen and has a daughter Liberty, who all live with their mini golden doodle Rosie in Princeton NJ. David is one of the few crabs to escape the crab pot.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
April 28, 2020
Another entertaining entry in Woolliscroft's Wildfire Cycle.
As you could have guessed by the title, like Tales of Kingshold, this is a collection of short stories bridging the gap between books 2 and 3. While ToK was a collection of unrelated stories that filled in character backstories or clued the reader in on what happened to them post-Kingshold, Tales of Ioth's structure is a bit different. It's strung together by a 5-part novella called "Dundenas," which picks up directly where Ioth left off and follows the main cast as they travel under the ocean to the Wild Continent. The novella is interspersed with other stories and some worldbuilding entries related to the country the crew is headed toward.
This structure makes the collection feel even more vital to the overarching plot than ToK--this entry truly cannot be missed, as not only does it explain how our heroes get from point A to B where the next book will begin, but it also explores everyone's mindset and emotional turmoil after the staggering events of Ioth. I found Dundenas to be highly imaginative and exciting, an episodic adventure filled with interesting character insights as well as varied underground locales and creatures. But Woolliscroft is not content to just let this be a slight, fun romp; there are intriguing developments sprinkled throughout the 5 chunks of story that are setting up some conflicts for the next book.
The other stories in the collection are uniformly entertaining, ranging from more character backgrounds to checking in on old reader favorites, as well as allowing us a glimpse at the Wild Continent (or Alfaria as its denizens call it) before we get a deeper look at it in the next book. I particularly enjoyed the story where we follow Jyuth's retirement adventures.
Given the details about Alfaria's history as well as the main cast's status by the end of this collection, I can't wait to see what goes down in the next book. The Wildfire Cycle has yet to disappoint me, and much like Mouse's purple worm, I don't see it slowing down any time soon.
As you could have guessed by the title, like Tales of Kingshold, this is a collection of short stories bridging the gap between books 2 and 3. While ToK was a collection of unrelated stories that filled in character backstories or clued the reader in on what happened to them post-Kingshold, Tales of Ioth's structure is a bit different. It's strung together by a 5-part novella called "Dundenas," which picks up directly where Ioth left off and follows the main cast as they travel under the ocean to the Wild Continent. The novella is interspersed with other stories and some worldbuilding entries related to the country the crew is headed toward.
This structure makes the collection feel even more vital to the overarching plot than ToK--this entry truly cannot be missed, as not only does it explain how our heroes get from point A to B where the next book will begin, but it also explores everyone's mindset and emotional turmoil after the staggering events of Ioth. I found Dundenas to be highly imaginative and exciting, an episodic adventure filled with interesting character insights as well as varied underground locales and creatures. But Woolliscroft is not content to just let this be a slight, fun romp; there are intriguing developments sprinkled throughout the 5 chunks of story that are setting up some conflicts for the next book.
The other stories in the collection are uniformly entertaining, ranging from more character backgrounds to checking in on old reader favorites, as well as allowing us a glimpse at the Wild Continent (or Alfaria as its denizens call it) before we get a deeper look at it in the next book. I particularly enjoyed the story where we follow Jyuth's retirement adventures.
Given the details about Alfaria's history as well as the main cast's status by the end of this collection, I can't wait to see what goes down in the next book. The Wildfire Cycle has yet to disappoint me, and much like Mouse's purple worm, I don't see it slowing down any time soon.
April 5, 2020
Well, Dave Woolliscroft does it again! The world he created in his Kingshold novel has grown significantly – and got a lot darker too. The ending of Ioth, City of Lights was dramatic and emotional. Inevitably these qualities are followed up in this collection of short stories that act as a bridge to the next novel.
It’s a clever and highly original concept, having an anthology connect each novel in the series. It allows the story to advance but it also does a lot to develop the characters in this series. That’s a good thing because the characters are the strength in his events.
In previous reviews I’ve commented on the credibility of the characters. They are real people, not a quality you might associate with anyone capable of magic perhaps. But as events spiral downwards for everyone, as danger and defeat appear to be insurmountable, these people’s resilience is always visible. Not in any heroic way either. None of these people are heroes, their motives are often linked to something in their background and personality. In other words, because they’ve been formed properly and thoroughly from the very beginning. After two full-length novels and now two anthologies – four books – that is impressive writing.
So to the anthology itself. It includes a novella which acts as the main part of my bridge metaphor. The Dudenas arc is exciting. There are threats to our intrepid band of characters. It takes place in a location which resonated Jules Verne for me. Description is wonderful. Entwined within the narrative though are the reactions each character must deal with as they face up to the repercussions of what happened at the end of the last book. There is a lot of grief but, as is always the case, grief triggers guilt, blame, regret. None of these emotions are ideal for people who face yet more danger and hardship. They need to bond – yet they can’t. They need a leader – but no one is up to the job. This is exactly how such things would play out in real life. It is a story of intense and highly-charged drama.
The other stories counterpoint the emotions beautifully. The Wild Continent is likely to play a significant part in the next part of the story and its peoples, their beliefs and culture are defined wonderfully in these short stories. Their beliefs about the creation of the world, especially. Beautiful. Spiritual. Such sensitive insight from the author here.
All in all, I strongly recommend Tales of Ioth. It is consistently as good as what has gone before and sets up exciting encounters in the next book
Dave kindly provided me with an advanced copy of the book in return for an honest review.
It’s a clever and highly original concept, having an anthology connect each novel in the series. It allows the story to advance but it also does a lot to develop the characters in this series. That’s a good thing because the characters are the strength in his events.
In previous reviews I’ve commented on the credibility of the characters. They are real people, not a quality you might associate with anyone capable of magic perhaps. But as events spiral downwards for everyone, as danger and defeat appear to be insurmountable, these people’s resilience is always visible. Not in any heroic way either. None of these people are heroes, their motives are often linked to something in their background and personality. In other words, because they’ve been formed properly and thoroughly from the very beginning. After two full-length novels and now two anthologies – four books – that is impressive writing.
So to the anthology itself. It includes a novella which acts as the main part of my bridge metaphor. The Dudenas arc is exciting. There are threats to our intrepid band of characters. It takes place in a location which resonated Jules Verne for me. Description is wonderful. Entwined within the narrative though are the reactions each character must deal with as they face up to the repercussions of what happened at the end of the last book. There is a lot of grief but, as is always the case, grief triggers guilt, blame, regret. None of these emotions are ideal for people who face yet more danger and hardship. They need to bond – yet they can’t. They need a leader – but no one is up to the job. This is exactly how such things would play out in real life. It is a story of intense and highly-charged drama.
The other stories counterpoint the emotions beautifully. The Wild Continent is likely to play a significant part in the next part of the story and its peoples, their beliefs and culture are defined wonderfully in these short stories. Their beliefs about the creation of the world, especially. Beautiful. Spiritual. Such sensitive insight from the author here.
All in all, I strongly recommend Tales of Ioth. It is consistently as good as what has gone before and sets up exciting encounters in the next book
Dave kindly provided me with an advanced copy of the book in return for an honest review.
May 22, 2020
This review was originally posted on RockStarlit BookAsylum!
I've been following the progress of The Wildfire Cycle series since way back when Kingshold was released. I've read and enjoyed all of the books D.P. Woolliscroft gifted the world with and I don't seem to get enough of them. Personally I like this idea of getting short story collections out between books to make the waiting more bearable. Especially as these stories give insight into what happens between the events in two books and we can get to know some characters better. But enough chit-chatting, let's see what Tales of Ioth has to offer for us.
Warning: if you haven't read Ioth, City of Lights, this review might contain some spoilers for you.
P.S.: The paperback version contains an extra story, titled Strays, which is also available in the Dark Ends anthology. All profit of that goes to a charity cause!
The Beginning of Things
I think it's safe to say that probably this was my favourite short story in this collection. As the blurbs puts it: "The Wild Continent has it's own creation story, and it all began with a tree. This is the story of the mother-tree, the animals that sprang from her fruit, and the people they created." I'm a sucker for these kind of origin myths and tales so it's probably not much of a surprise why I connected with this one. It definitely set me up with the right mood for the rest of the book. I just loved the ideas here, how the Mother Tree is the center of creation, how her Children, the first animals - Wolf, Coyote, Rabbit, Phoenix, Eagle, Orka, Thunderbird and Tiger - live and work together in peace until they don't. The Beginning of Things builds on the usual origin story elements, but in a unique way. It gives us a better understanding of how the Wild Continent or other known as Alfaria came along and how the different clans were born along with the tradition of Quana.
Probably because I've read it before going to bed, it gave me the vibe of those bed time tales my mom used to read to me when I was a child. It was a nice nostalgic feeling.
Profit and Plain Sailing
Do you remember the Draco-Turtle appearing in Kingshold? I'm not going to spoil things for you, if you don't - and neither will this short story - but if you do and you ever wondered where it came from, Profit and Plain Sailing will be up your alley. Vin Kolsen makes an appearance once again - we met him in Tales of Kingshold - and has big ambitions! But to reach his goals, he also needs men and women who are willing to follow his lead. The most interesting character here is Mouse, who is able to control animals, but I'm not quite sure I want to know how... I think the main purpose of Profit and Sailing being included in this collection is that we could meet him and learn about his background a bit to better understand some events in the next story.
Dundenas
This novella takes up most of the length of the book. It has five parts, all focusing on a different character. Which, by the way, is a great idea. This way we can get to know them a bit better, to peek into their inner thoughts, to realise they are real people with flaws and mistakes just as everyone else. And it's interesting to see how they deal with their situation on their own way.
A group of travellers - Mareth, Alana, Fin, Trypp, Motega, Neenahwi, Kanaveen, Dolph, Kyle, Mouse and the Ravens set out on a long journey through the Dundenas - the underground place called by such by the Dwarves - to the Wild Continent, hoping to find the answers there how to stop Llewdon and free the Alfjarun. But the journey is long and helds many surprises. I'm not going to go into any details, but I'm just going to say it's one hell of a ride, where their company is grief, danger, magic and wonderment.
Woolliscroft's biggest strength is creating a complex world full of heart and brilliant creatures. The Myconids definitely are among the most interesting beings I've encountered while reading fantasy. This novella will give you a wide range of emotions, making your heart race for all different reasons. The ending sets up the next book in the series, tieing Ioth, City of Lights and whatever is coming together nicely. I really enjoy the fact that we finally get to know a bit more about the Alfjarun culture, which reminds me a bit of the Native American one - as much as I know about it, which is, well, not much.
The Further Adventures of an Old Man and his Pyxie
I... I don't even know what to say about this one. I've been a huge fan of the Pyxies in Kingshold, and I had a dedicated campaign to see them coming back. And here they are!
Jyuth has an... interesting idea about how to spend his retirement. He is travelling around the Jewelled Continent, hiding away his demon stones, while pretty much having the time of his life. For an old man, he does have stamina, I have to say...and he didn't change a bit.
This story has some really awkward and hilarious moments, breaking up the tension a bit between the other stories with more serious tone. But the absolute highlight of probably the whole book, is the Pyxie band! You've read it right. A band. Made of Pyxies. It's just pure awesomeness.
The Wanderer
The Wanderer is the tragic story of Yamaagh, the young warrior of the Tigereye clan, the first in generations to have a spirit animal. Pyrfew already started its expansion over Alfaria and their tactics are less than pretty. Some hard choice are made and at the end of the day, we get a clearer picture of what really is going on on the Wild Contintent. And although the story ends on a cliffhanger, but no illusion of how the events play out.
This review ended up to be quite long, so let me just wrap it up. I've been really impressed by the quality of the content in Tales of Ioth. Don't get me wrong, Woolliscroft presented exactly what I expected of him and then some more. These stories not only give us a better picture of the characters we already know, but also we get to know Alfaria and the Alfjarun culture a bit more. If you like the Wildfire Cycle, then you definitely shouldn't miss Tales of Ioth and all these brilliant adventures.
"Intimidate. Talk. Get what he wanted. That was the way of a pirate. And he knew his squad looked the right kind of scary; the missing teeth, the curled lip, and what he always found to be the most important thing of any fearsome visage, eyes slightly dead and glassy, like they were eying you up as a butcher regards a side of beef."
- Profit and Plain Sailing
I've been following the progress of The Wildfire Cycle series since way back when Kingshold was released. I've read and enjoyed all of the books D.P. Woolliscroft gifted the world with and I don't seem to get enough of them. Personally I like this idea of getting short story collections out between books to make the waiting more bearable. Especially as these stories give insight into what happens between the events in two books and we can get to know some characters better. But enough chit-chatting, let's see what Tales of Ioth has to offer for us.
Warning: if you haven't read Ioth, City of Lights, this review might contain some spoilers for you.
P.S.: The paperback version contains an extra story, titled Strays, which is also available in the Dark Ends anthology. All profit of that goes to a charity cause!
The Beginning of Things
I think it's safe to say that probably this was my favourite short story in this collection. As the blurbs puts it: "The Wild Continent has it's own creation story, and it all began with a tree. This is the story of the mother-tree, the animals that sprang from her fruit, and the people they created." I'm a sucker for these kind of origin myths and tales so it's probably not much of a surprise why I connected with this one. It definitely set me up with the right mood for the rest of the book. I just loved the ideas here, how the Mother Tree is the center of creation, how her Children, the first animals - Wolf, Coyote, Rabbit, Phoenix, Eagle, Orka, Thunderbird and Tiger - live and work together in peace until they don't. The Beginning of Things builds on the usual origin story elements, but in a unique way. It gives us a better understanding of how the Wild Continent or other known as Alfaria came along and how the different clans were born along with the tradition of Quana.
Probably because I've read it before going to bed, it gave me the vibe of those bed time tales my mom used to read to me when I was a child. It was a nice nostalgic feeling.
Profit and Plain Sailing
Do you remember the Draco-Turtle appearing in Kingshold? I'm not going to spoil things for you, if you don't - and neither will this short story - but if you do and you ever wondered where it came from, Profit and Plain Sailing will be up your alley. Vin Kolsen makes an appearance once again - we met him in Tales of Kingshold - and has big ambitions! But to reach his goals, he also needs men and women who are willing to follow his lead. The most interesting character here is Mouse, who is able to control animals, but I'm not quite sure I want to know how... I think the main purpose of Profit and Sailing being included in this collection is that we could meet him and learn about his background a bit to better understand some events in the next story.
Dundenas
This novella takes up most of the length of the book. It has five parts, all focusing on a different character. Which, by the way, is a great idea. This way we can get to know them a bit better, to peek into their inner thoughts, to realise they are real people with flaws and mistakes just as everyone else. And it's interesting to see how they deal with their situation on their own way.
A group of travellers - Mareth, Alana, Fin, Trypp, Motega, Neenahwi, Kanaveen, Dolph, Kyle, Mouse and the Ravens set out on a long journey through the Dundenas - the underground place called by such by the Dwarves - to the Wild Continent, hoping to find the answers there how to stop Llewdon and free the Alfjarun. But the journey is long and helds many surprises. I'm not going to go into any details, but I'm just going to say it's one hell of a ride, where their company is grief, danger, magic and wonderment.
Woolliscroft's biggest strength is creating a complex world full of heart and brilliant creatures. The Myconids definitely are among the most interesting beings I've encountered while reading fantasy. This novella will give you a wide range of emotions, making your heart race for all different reasons. The ending sets up the next book in the series, tieing Ioth, City of Lights and whatever is coming together nicely. I really enjoy the fact that we finally get to know a bit more about the Alfjarun culture, which reminds me a bit of the Native American one - as much as I know about it, which is, well, not much.
The Further Adventures of an Old Man and his Pyxie
I... I don't even know what to say about this one. I've been a huge fan of the Pyxies in Kingshold, and I had a dedicated campaign to see them coming back. And here they are!
Jyuth has an... interesting idea about how to spend his retirement. He is travelling around the Jewelled Continent, hiding away his demon stones, while pretty much having the time of his life. For an old man, he does have stamina, I have to say...and he didn't change a bit.
"Serenus, my dear." Though he knew she preferred the moniker of the Matron, he refused to go along with other people's petty egotism. He quite enjoyed being a cantankerous old sod. No wonder he didn't have many friends left. "You look ravishing."
This story has some really awkward and hilarious moments, breaking up the tension a bit between the other stories with more serious tone. But the absolute highlight of probably the whole book, is the Pyxie band! You've read it right. A band. Made of Pyxies. It's just pure awesomeness.
The Wanderer
The Wanderer is the tragic story of Yamaagh, the young warrior of the Tigereye clan, the first in generations to have a spirit animal. Pyrfew already started its expansion over Alfaria and their tactics are less than pretty. Some hard choice are made and at the end of the day, we get a clearer picture of what really is going on on the Wild Contintent. And although the story ends on a cliffhanger, but no illusion of how the events play out.
This review ended up to be quite long, so let me just wrap it up. I've been really impressed by the quality of the content in Tales of Ioth. Don't get me wrong, Woolliscroft presented exactly what I expected of him and then some more. These stories not only give us a better picture of the characters we already know, but also we get to know Alfaria and the Alfjarun culture a bit more. If you like the Wildfire Cycle, then you definitely shouldn't miss Tales of Ioth and all these brilliant adventures.
April 30, 2020
Find this review at Forever Lost in Literature!
Well, here's another delight from Woolliscroft! Honestly, I have been struggling with focusing a lot lately (between The-Thing-That-Shall-Not-Be-Named and working on multiple papers for grad school, my mind doesn't have a lot left over these days!) and there is nothing better than diving back into a world that I already know and with characters that I'm already familiar with and care about.
Tales of Ioth has a similar format to Tales of Kingshold, which acts as a sort in-between collection of stories that occur between the sequel (Ioth, City of Lights) and the forthcoming third book (Tales of Kingshold was between book 1 and book 2). I've really found myself enjoying this format for how Woolliscroft has decided to tell his story. There's nothing wrong with a regular series format, but something about this just feels fresh and keeps my attention more because there's a bit more variety to break things up and keep the story, world, and characters fresh.
This collection was a little different in that there is a novella within made up of five different parts, along with four additional short stories. As I've probably mentioned in reviews somewhere, short stories are often hit or miss for me, but thus far I have easily enjoyed all of the short stories I've read from Woolliscroft set in the Wildfire Cycle. Woolliscroft somehow manages to maintain a very stable pacing that stays constant in nature throughout each story, naturally speeding up and slowing depending on a scene or what is required of the plot. I never feel like the stories are dragging or moving too quickly, but rather have a great balance between the two that makes these such a delight to read through.
The novella, "Dundenas," picks up immediately after the events of Ioth, City of Lights, and works to move the plot forward from the intensity of the previous book in order to create a strong bridge into the next book. The other stories range from background on The Wild Continent to specific character focuses and more explorations of different parts of this world. I won't go through each story individually as I did for Tales of Kingshold because at this point I don't want to give anything away, but I think all of them held their own extremely well, and in fact I'm not sure if I could even pick a 'weaker' one out of the lot. Each narrative holds it own and has it's own draw that contributes great information to the plot.
One reason I love the books from the Wildfire Cycle is because of the incredible and endearing characters. I've said before that Woolliscroft crafts some truly well-written characters, but it never ceases to impress me with how much I enjoy them. There's something exceptionally authentic about them that makes them feel like someone I might actually meet. Neenahwi, Jyuth, Vin--all are favorites of mine, though it's actually easy for me to say that about a lot of these characters.
These stories are entertaining and adventurous, but also provide some rather important elements that will carry over into the next book. These aren't short stories (and a novella!) that you can really skip, but rather a (vital) part in development of the plot and for the different characters we've met and follow. What I really love about these is that each story--whether serious and crucial to the plot or more of something casually enjoyable--allows the reader to learn more about the world through direct and indirect events, as well as to learn more about the characters through direct and indirect characterization elements.
Overall, it's another five stars from me! I really can't wait to see what's around the corner in The Wildfire Cycle.
Well, here's another delight from Woolliscroft! Honestly, I have been struggling with focusing a lot lately (between The-Thing-That-Shall-Not-Be-Named and working on multiple papers for grad school, my mind doesn't have a lot left over these days!) and there is nothing better than diving back into a world that I already know and with characters that I'm already familiar with and care about.
Tales of Ioth has a similar format to Tales of Kingshold, which acts as a sort in-between collection of stories that occur between the sequel (Ioth, City of Lights) and the forthcoming third book (Tales of Kingshold was between book 1 and book 2). I've really found myself enjoying this format for how Woolliscroft has decided to tell his story. There's nothing wrong with a regular series format, but something about this just feels fresh and keeps my attention more because there's a bit more variety to break things up and keep the story, world, and characters fresh.
This collection was a little different in that there is a novella within made up of five different parts, along with four additional short stories. As I've probably mentioned in reviews somewhere, short stories are often hit or miss for me, but thus far I have easily enjoyed all of the short stories I've read from Woolliscroft set in the Wildfire Cycle. Woolliscroft somehow manages to maintain a very stable pacing that stays constant in nature throughout each story, naturally speeding up and slowing depending on a scene or what is required of the plot. I never feel like the stories are dragging or moving too quickly, but rather have a great balance between the two that makes these such a delight to read through.
The novella, "Dundenas," picks up immediately after the events of Ioth, City of Lights, and works to move the plot forward from the intensity of the previous book in order to create a strong bridge into the next book. The other stories range from background on The Wild Continent to specific character focuses and more explorations of different parts of this world. I won't go through each story individually as I did for Tales of Kingshold because at this point I don't want to give anything away, but I think all of them held their own extremely well, and in fact I'm not sure if I could even pick a 'weaker' one out of the lot. Each narrative holds it own and has it's own draw that contributes great information to the plot.
One reason I love the books from the Wildfire Cycle is because of the incredible and endearing characters. I've said before that Woolliscroft crafts some truly well-written characters, but it never ceases to impress me with how much I enjoy them. There's something exceptionally authentic about them that makes them feel like someone I might actually meet. Neenahwi, Jyuth, Vin--all are favorites of mine, though it's actually easy for me to say that about a lot of these characters.
These stories are entertaining and adventurous, but also provide some rather important elements that will carry over into the next book. These aren't short stories (and a novella!) that you can really skip, but rather a (vital) part in development of the plot and for the different characters we've met and follow. What I really love about these is that each story--whether serious and crucial to the plot or more of something casually enjoyable--allows the reader to learn more about the world through direct and indirect events, as well as to learn more about the characters through direct and indirect characterization elements.
Overall, it's another five stars from me! I really can't wait to see what's around the corner in The Wildfire Cycle.
May 18, 2020
I really enjoyed these bittersweet stories that function as a sort of in-between sequel to Book 2 in the Wildfire Cycle, Ioth: City of Lights. Even though this is a.5 entry in the series, you shouldn't skip it. Most of the book is taken up by a novella dealing with the emotional aftermath of Ioth... and if you've read Ioth, you'll understand. The more stories I read with these characters, the more I enjoy spending time with them, and I'm interested to see how the developments here play out in Book 3.
If you like weird creatures and classic fantasy plot, you'll find that here, too... but I think that where these stories really shone was in the emotional growth of characters I've come to think of as friends.
If you like weird creatures and classic fantasy plot, you'll find that here, too... but I think that where these stories really shone was in the emotional growth of characters I've come to think of as friends.
July 31, 2020
Absolutely fantastic! This is fantastic way to expand a story, a world and continue a story. Dave is turning the screw on his story and it is really becoming truly epic! A full review will be on my blog soon.
July 10, 2020
Once again David nails it with another brilliant book.
July 27, 2021
This and more reviews at superstardrifter.com~
Tales of Ioth starts out with a short story called The Beginning of Things, which details the creation myth of the Wild Continent. The story starts with a tree, who then spawns all kinds of creatures and how they interact. It reads like a lot of actual creation myths from our own world read, so I thought that was really neat.
The next story is called Profit and Plain Sailing, wherein Vin Kolsen gets a crew of pirates together and starts raiding Pyrfew ships out by the Wild Continent. They build a small port town and the shenanigans ensue there too!
The Further Adventures of Old Man and His Pyxie follows the wizard Jyuth as he attempts (for reals this time) to retire. I thought I was going to love this one but sort of bounced off it in the end. There was ah… a lot happening here, and a lot of it was a little TMI, Jyuth. >.>
The Wanderer is the story of Yamaagh of the Tigereye clan. He has just found his spirit animal when his clan fights with the Pyrfew invaders, and we see how that goes for him. I liked Yamaagh, and it will be interesting to see if he makes an appearance in the next book.
Lastly (though not lastly in the reading order) there is a novella in this collection called Dundenas. This is the story of what happens between Ioth and the next book in the series, and I can already tell that it is going to be helpful for me going into book 3. Dundenas tells the story of Mareth and co.’s travels to the Wild Continent. It’s too risky to go by sea, since there are Pyrfew ships and pirates everywhere, and so they go through Dundenas: a system of tunnels through the earth. They travel by giant purple worm (like ya do) and many adventures happen along the way. We see the story from several points of view as it goes. I quite enjoyed it, and found myself getting jostled in the feels a few times unexpectedly to boot. I’m really glad that I read it before I started book 3.
So, all told, I liked Tales of Ioth, and I think it’s a great collection of stories to read if you’re a fan of the series. ^_^
Thanks to the author for the review copy!
Tales of Ioth starts out with a short story called The Beginning of Things, which details the creation myth of the Wild Continent. The story starts with a tree, who then spawns all kinds of creatures and how they interact. It reads like a lot of actual creation myths from our own world read, so I thought that was really neat.
The next story is called Profit and Plain Sailing, wherein Vin Kolsen gets a crew of pirates together and starts raiding Pyrfew ships out by the Wild Continent. They build a small port town and the shenanigans ensue there too!
The Further Adventures of Old Man and His Pyxie follows the wizard Jyuth as he attempts (for reals this time) to retire. I thought I was going to love this one but sort of bounced off it in the end. There was ah… a lot happening here, and a lot of it was a little TMI, Jyuth. >.>
The Wanderer is the story of Yamaagh of the Tigereye clan. He has just found his spirit animal when his clan fights with the Pyrfew invaders, and we see how that goes for him. I liked Yamaagh, and it will be interesting to see if he makes an appearance in the next book.
Lastly (though not lastly in the reading order) there is a novella in this collection called Dundenas. This is the story of what happens between Ioth and the next book in the series, and I can already tell that it is going to be helpful for me going into book 3. Dundenas tells the story of Mareth and co.’s travels to the Wild Continent. It’s too risky to go by sea, since there are Pyrfew ships and pirates everywhere, and so they go through Dundenas: a system of tunnels through the earth. They travel by giant purple worm (like ya do) and many adventures happen along the way. We see the story from several points of view as it goes. I quite enjoyed it, and found myself getting jostled in the feels a few times unexpectedly to boot. I’m really glad that I read it before I started book 3.
So, all told, I liked Tales of Ioth, and I think it’s a great collection of stories to read if you’re a fan of the series. ^_^
Thanks to the author for the review copy!
August 8, 2021
Once again, a fun bit of interstitial storytelling from Woolliscroft.
The stories have varying styles, some of which worked better for me than others, but all-in-all, this collection was a solid read and well-worth the time for fans planning to go on with the series. As with Tales of Kingshold, the plot of the series doesn't make big advances in this story, but many character arcs are filled in, and it makes a wonderful reminder of where the epic left off before you dive into the next volume.
While that may make it sound somewhat superfluous, I think Woolliscroft has struck upon an excellent vehicle for characterization and world development. He's added color and depth to the pause between epic arcs, which vastly enriches the central story of the series.
The stories have varying styles, some of which worked better for me than others, but all-in-all, this collection was a solid read and well-worth the time for fans planning to go on with the series. As with Tales of Kingshold, the plot of the series doesn't make big advances in this story, but many character arcs are filled in, and it makes a wonderful reminder of where the epic left off before you dive into the next volume.
While that may make it sound somewhat superfluous, I think Woolliscroft has struck upon an excellent vehicle for characterization and world development. He's added color and depth to the pause between epic arcs, which vastly enriches the central story of the series.
June 4, 2021
A fun read
December 15, 2021
If you’re here for the review of the 4th book in the Wildfire Cycle, you’re probably just making sure that Dave Woolliscroft hasn’t gone off the rails and written something you can’t stand.
I’m pleased to assure you that isn’t the case; if you enjoyed books 1, 1.5 and 2, then be assured you’ll enjoy book 2.5 just as much, if not more as the author fine tunes his craft further. For me, Tales of Kingshold is really important to the overall series but with a number of perhaps non-essential stories, we might be able to call it a 1.5 with some justification. In Tales of Ioth, however, this is much more of a substantial and important-to-the-story read that I feel should be seen not as a .5 book, which gives the suggestion it’s just a light hearted companion read. It is not.
There may be a number of short stories, but they feel more essential. Perhaps this is simply because by now we’re getting to know the world really well and these stories all add layers in a way that feels more important to us. The threads though actually really impact the main storyline too, particularly with the 5 part Dundenas which continues where we left off with Mareth, Neenahwi, Motega and pretty much all the other main characters. This would create a fair bit of confusion if this book were skipped and passed off as just a .5 read! Around 50% of the book is actually Dundenas, and it works really well being slapped in the middle of the book with the short stories either side.
I enjoyed being introduced to Yamaagh and the Tigereye clan towards the end and really hope we get to see more of him; I love a good revenge story.
I am an old man, and I am eager to live out my remaining years in some form of happiness. I just have a few things to take care of first.
Jyuth is back! He really let me down with his revelation when he left Edland, but I can’t help but feel delighted to spend some more time with him here – come on, it’s fantasy, we can love the characters who have some very bad traits! And he’s not quite ready for redemption just yet…
He’s also star of the most amazing, hilarious sex scene I’ve ever read. Yeah, I’ll not expand on that… *Chuckles*
Anyway…
I feel as though the series has been travelling further and higher on the ‘high fantasy’ with each book introducing more weird and wonderful creatures, races and magic with each iteration. Tales of Ioth continues this trajectory, including lizard people, giant insects and worms that are 12 feet high and 60 feet long.
The worms had segments, much like a normal earth worm, but each segment was dotted with sharp spines, almost like horns. And each creature had been harnessed in a series of leather belts and buckles that crisscrossed its length up to what appeared to be a saddle behind the worm’s head.
Woolliscroft’s imagination has always been a highlight and the vast array of different fantastical elements really helps you escape the real world and just relax in this magical setting he’s created. I almost forgot, there are more piratey escapades with the rise of Kolsen, so you fans of pirates (which includes me!) will be happy, aswell as getting even more depth and backstory.
Although I mentioned this shouldn’t be disregarded as a ‘filler’ type of book between the ‘main’ ones, there is certainly an easy reading quality to enjoy. The page count is smaller and the breaking up of the chapters and settings do make it feel easier going if you’re not in the mood for a 500 page adventure. It’s a technique I’d like to see copied in more fantasy series.
Another fantastic book in a brilliantly written epic high fantasy series!
I’m pleased to assure you that isn’t the case; if you enjoyed books 1, 1.5 and 2, then be assured you’ll enjoy book 2.5 just as much, if not more as the author fine tunes his craft further. For me, Tales of Kingshold is really important to the overall series but with a number of perhaps non-essential stories, we might be able to call it a 1.5 with some justification. In Tales of Ioth, however, this is much more of a substantial and important-to-the-story read that I feel should be seen not as a .5 book, which gives the suggestion it’s just a light hearted companion read. It is not.
There may be a number of short stories, but they feel more essential. Perhaps this is simply because by now we’re getting to know the world really well and these stories all add layers in a way that feels more important to us. The threads though actually really impact the main storyline too, particularly with the 5 part Dundenas which continues where we left off with Mareth, Neenahwi, Motega and pretty much all the other main characters. This would create a fair bit of confusion if this book were skipped and passed off as just a .5 read! Around 50% of the book is actually Dundenas, and it works really well being slapped in the middle of the book with the short stories either side.
I enjoyed being introduced to Yamaagh and the Tigereye clan towards the end and really hope we get to see more of him; I love a good revenge story.
I am an old man, and I am eager to live out my remaining years in some form of happiness. I just have a few things to take care of first.
Jyuth is back! He really let me down with his revelation when he left Edland, but I can’t help but feel delighted to spend some more time with him here – come on, it’s fantasy, we can love the characters who have some very bad traits! And he’s not quite ready for redemption just yet…
He’s also star of the most amazing, hilarious sex scene I’ve ever read. Yeah, I’ll not expand on that… *Chuckles*
Anyway…
I feel as though the series has been travelling further and higher on the ‘high fantasy’ with each book introducing more weird and wonderful creatures, races and magic with each iteration. Tales of Ioth continues this trajectory, including lizard people, giant insects and worms that are 12 feet high and 60 feet long.
The worms had segments, much like a normal earth worm, but each segment was dotted with sharp spines, almost like horns. And each creature had been harnessed in a series of leather belts and buckles that crisscrossed its length up to what appeared to be a saddle behind the worm’s head.
Woolliscroft’s imagination has always been a highlight and the vast array of different fantastical elements really helps you escape the real world and just relax in this magical setting he’s created. I almost forgot, there are more piratey escapades with the rise of Kolsen, so you fans of pirates (which includes me!) will be happy, aswell as getting even more depth and backstory.
Although I mentioned this shouldn’t be disregarded as a ‘filler’ type of book between the ‘main’ ones, there is certainly an easy reading quality to enjoy. The page count is smaller and the breaking up of the chapters and settings do make it feel easier going if you’re not in the mood for a 500 page adventure. It’s a technique I’d like to see copied in more fantasy series.
Another fantastic book in a brilliantly written epic high fantasy series!
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July 12, 2020RTC
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