Context: Seven short stories of rebellion and redemption

by Jacky Gray

Seven unlikely protagonists. Seven taxing situations. Seven opportunities for rebellion and/or redemption.

This fun bridge between the Hengist series and the sequel series, Colour of Light, gives a brief glimpse into some of the unsung characters. Although they never made it to the mic, they all have a part to play in the bigger picture of the Hengist people’s adventures when two worlds collide.
Please indulge me with the fairytale blurbs, they kinda fit. The stories are way darker than the Hengist YA series as each character battles the demons life throws at them.

Maura's Magical Saviour
A poor-little-rich-girl follows the hippie trail to become a poor-little-poor-girl. All essential preparations for meeting a time-travelling Viking prince.

Lynette's Stonehenge Rite
A spunky misfit meets a rugged soldier at the Dark Side of the Moon in this psychedelic, Alice-in-Wonderland adventure.

Edlyn's Evil Scheme
A villainous bully with no redeeming features plots a violent revenge against a virtuous hero. Bonus - you get to hear Archer's side of the story too.

Jack Jumps Hoops
A cowardly anti-hero learns valuable lessons from a tyrant-with-a-twist. Watch out for the Punkarella ending.

Kia's Hot-dish Revenge
A rebellious Cinderella's accidental revenge on her lazy mother backfires big time.

How Tamas Got his Scar
A happy prince falls under the spell of the most craven of bullies after a life-changing accident.

A Lie, a Witch and a Wardrobe
What is a drama brat to do when her lie results in incarceration and certain death? Why, rant, wail and wring hands, of course. Luckily, Claire's geeky friend is trapped with her, so she can engage science brain and figure out their survival.

And finally, although not exactly vintage, these stories are mostly set in the 80s and 90s, when your average teen didn't own a mobile phone and messaging/streaming/Netflix were mere twinkles in someone's eye.

Colour of Light
#1 Context : Seven short stories of rebellion and redemption
#2 Chrysalis : Medieval magic meets modern-day mystery
#3 Captive : Modern-day mystery meets medieval magic
#4 Catalyst : Medieval magic meets modern military thriller

Prequel
Nature’s Tribe – medieval adventures with magic, romance and humour
3Handfastings and a Burial – Wedding-themed short stories
12 Days of Yule – A Christmas-themed romance
8 Sabbats of the Sun – A seasonal-themed romance
13 Esbats of the Moon – How the Hengist world was formed
Nature’s Tribe Boxset – Books 1-4

Hengist – the adventures of Archer and friends in the quasi-medieval world
Archer – A sensitive warrior
Rory – A lonely misfit
Reagan – An intrepid geek
Slater – A courageous time-traveller
Geraint – A reluctant heir
Archer’s Quest (Books1-2+Bad Boys)
Uniting the Tribes (Books3-5+Good Guys)

126 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 1, 2020

About the author

As so often happens with these things, Archer was born while I was in the middle of writing another book. Events were conspiring to ensure I wrote this story, beginning with a trip to Warwick Castle where I stood enthralled with my friend and our kids while the Warwick Bowman talked us through the history of the long bow. He treated us to the ultimate demonstration, firing 100 arrows in rapid succession through a loop of rope, approximately the size of a human head. The warrior within me awoke - I was hooked.

I had recently read the first two books in Bernard Cornwell’s excellent Grail Quest series – these obviously made a big impact. I started writing it in march 2009; 18 days and 56,000 words later, Archer’s tale was told. After a year spent mostly in Wessex, the next four books were drafted and I was ready to go back and start editing the first two books.

I am currently writing the 6th book in the series and wondering if this will be the last.

Reviews

[Nadine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written short stories

Beautiful stories to put some of the people in the series Hengist and Colours in context! Do you absolutey HAVE to read them before reading Chrysalis? Maybe not, but it sure helps!

[Bernadette Cinkoske · Rating 5 out of 5]

Context is a very engaging collection of short stories. My interest was engaged from page one. These are very unique characters. The books have magic and several twists in the plots. You do not have to read these stories to read the books in the series, but it helps sort out the characters.

[AND 1515 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Totally Fascinating...
and1515
This is a interesting collection of short tales with unique
characters filled with fascinating twists and turns and totally fantastic.

[Betty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Seven stories based on the characters from the Hengist series, but set in the modern world. Each story is powerful and heart-wrenching, an opportunity for good or evil. Some are excerpts from the first three books in the series with more detail. I loved the magic, and the way Archer and Rory overcame evil with good.