The Prisoner of Cimlye

by C. Litka

The best laid plans “gang aft agley” as Robert Burns noted.

As did the hopes of Sella, Lessie, the Meys, and Taef Lang.

The Prisoner of Cimlye, a novel of some 54,000 words, is the sequel to Sailing to Redoubt. It takes up the story of Sella, Lessie, and Taef six months after the end of that first Tropic Sea novel, and ties up many of the loose ends left dangling at the close of that story.

For instance, was Lieutenant Taef Lang able to convince his commanding officer that duty required him to spend several months sailing the Tropic Sea in a 12 meter yacht with two beautiful girls – the delightful Sella and her twin sister, the less than delightful Lessie? And what did that powerful premonition Taef felt when the dour Lessie shyly waved goodbye to him foreshadow? And, of course, how did the governments of the three continents of the world react to the message that they carried back from Redoubt Island? Indeed, were Sella and Lessie able to convince their angry Grandfather to forgive them for so often making a fool of him, and welcome the new age that that message promised?

The answers to these and many other questions and mysteries can be found in the pages of The Prisoner of Cimlye, A Romance of the Tropic Sea.

C. Litka writes old fashioned novels with modern sensibilities, humor, and romance. He spins tales of adventure, mystery, and travel set in richly imagined worlds, featuring casts of colorful, fully realized characters. If you seek to escape your everyday life for a few hours, you will not find better company, nor more wonderful worlds to travel and explore, than in the novels of C. Litka.

171 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 2, 2020

About the author

I write romances. Romances in the old meaning of the word; that meaning being an adventure novel set in exotic locales, remote from everyday life. The fact that I set my stories in the future and in imaginary locales mean that they can be classified as science fiction, but what I really write are first person narratives that feature likable, modern characters, in lighthearted, realistic adventures, told with humor and a bit of that other type of romance as well.

In my teen years I read hundreds of science fiction books and since then many other types of novels; detective and mysteries, humor, adventure, military, sea stories, as well as light literary fiction, many of which were written in the first half of the last century. Having lived a perfectly ordinary and, thankfully, an uneventful life. these are the stories that have shaped the style and themes of my own stories,

I live in a small Wisconsin city. I’ve been married for as long as I can remember, with two grown children and a couple of grandchildren. Besides writing, I paint impressionist landscapes and ride my bike each day, outside when it’s warm and inside during long the Wisconsin winters with the bike on a stand next to a window.

Reviews

[Audrey Driscoll · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is an extended epilogue to Sailing to Redoubt. It picks up some (but not all) of the threads left hanging at the end of that book and ties them up. There are frequent references to situations and characters from the first book, which makes it absolutely necessary to have read that one first. The plot focusses on how Taef Lang must effect the escape of Lessie Raah from Cimlye Island. Much depends on Taef's cleverness and understanding of naval hierarchy. Then there's the matter of Lessie herself. I say no more, except that things work themselves out.
As with Sailing to Redoubt, I loved the fictional setting of this book. It is richly developed and realistic. There is less sailing, but reminders of earlier voyages were satisfying. I definitely recommend this to readers who enjoyed the first book, and indeed recommend both to readers looking for a lighthearted adventure with a touch of romance.

[Torfinn Ingolfsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked it.