Gnomads

by Steve Dean

Darren dreams of becoming the world’s greatest rock guitarist and dating blonde stunner Paige Turner. Forced to a car boot sale by his mum, Darren stumbles across a magic pendant. Later he accidentally activates the pendant and it teleports him across space and time to a barn where the all-gnome band ‘Gnomads’ is practising.

The gnomes are very friendly, but they don’t have much talent. Darren soon discovers the pendant doesn’t work a second time, and he must turn this dreadful band into a huge success if he’s ever going to get home to his beloved games console.

Gnomads is a fantasy for young adults everywhere.

194 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 2, 2011

About the author

Steve Dean was born and still lives in the city of Nottingham in the UK. He began to read at a very early age and soon became an avid consumer of genre fiction. Over the years, he tried several jobs before ending up in IT support. During this time, Steve began writing his own fiction, eventually becoming a full-time freelancer. In the last twenty-five years, Steve has created a wide range of works, including science fiction and fantasy novels, short stories, and material for a variety of tabletop and video games.

Inspired by many of the top names in genre fiction, his stories are filled with action and adventure but are always told through the eyes of fully-rounded and deep characters. Humour is also important to Steve, whether in his full-on and more adult comedies, or just the occasional lighter moments in the darkest of tales.

When not dreaming up strange monsters and robots, Steve plays tabletop and video role-playing games far too much, watches science fiction as well as science and technology documentaries, and reads from his ever-growing library of genre novels. Just for a change, he also grows cacti and house plants, makes furniture, and tinkers with computers and other technology.

Reviews

[Cat Bowser · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free ARC copy and am leaving this review voluntarily.

This is one of those stories where I find there is so much to enjoy with it but it simply doesn’t fall in my tastes. While I’m not against portal fantasies, I tend to be very picky on them.

The characters here are all written well. They have personality and strengths as well as weaknesses. I had a hard time connecting with the main character but I find that’s more it wasn’t the kind of protagonist I usually like to follow and not because of any fault on the author’s part.

Humor is a big strength in this story. The author is well aware of the absurdity of a lot of the scenarios and runs with it completely. The situational humor is top notch and I found myself laughing out loud quite often.

All in all, I was surprised by this story. It definitely wasn’t what expected from the blurb but it’s definitely worth a look if portal fantasy is your love!

[Matthew W Seniff · Rating 5 out of 5]

This a delightful humorous story. In the manner of a Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court a modern youth is transported to time of myth and magic. The characters are well developed and three dimensional. The humor ranges from subtle to satirical to slapstick. The plot is well developed during the book. The book is well edited and without spelling errors or homonyms distracting the reader. I enjoyed this story it is a nice little change from most of my reading choices. I recommend this story to anyone with a sense of humor and face it everyone believes they have one

[Rebecca Mayglothling · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book shines in its optimism. The gnome band is always happy, never letting much get them down. When a crowd doesn't like them, they just hope that the next crowd will like them. There are so many instances of gnomes looking on the bright side that this book becomes a true "feel good" story.

The main character, Darren, also provides a satisfying character arc. Characters are supposed to grow over time, and Darren certainly matures through his kind nature. He begins as an angsty teen, but quickly steps up when he realizes he is needed.

This book receives only three stars, however, due to pacing. Some scenes, especially town descriptions, drag on and tend to repeat over time. The three chase scenes are thrilling, but overall, the pacing slowed down the overall action.

I received a free review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great story in the bright spirits series by author Steve Dean. Great story about friendship and growing up and realizing what’s really important.

This story is about a teenage boy Darren who wants to become a famous guitar player. His mom is always on his case about keeping his room clean and wearing headphones when he practices. When his aunt comes to visit, he is dragged along to the weekly car boot sale. His aunt gives him some money and tells him to find something nice. Darren doesn’t want to be seen at the sale, so he dones a baseball cap and hoodie and keeps his head down. He finds a strange looking pendant at a booth that is manned by Paige, the girl from school that he has a crush on. She tells him she wants to see him wearing it the next day at school. That night Darren makes a wish to be anywhere else but where he is. The pendant, which turn out to be magical, transports him back through time and realities where he meets a group of gnomes who are musicians. Darren has an adventure of a lifetime that changes how he views the world.

Thank you to book sirens and Steven for the advanced copy.

[Inger · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a strange but fun little story. The characters are interesting and fun. It's well written and reads fast with a good plot. I liked the characters interactions. No sexual content and only the smallest amount of violence. I recommend it for all ages. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Tsippi Jelingold · Rating 5 out of 5]

A humorous story about a gnome band that gets a teenaged manager from another dimention. Also a growing-up story and a feel-good story. My favorite quote: "it wasn't rock, but it was certainly hard soil.". Not Pratchett, but Darren "Dazz Wild" Wildgust reminded me a little of Johnny Maxwell.
I'd love to read more of this writer.

[Pheebee · Rating 1 out of 5]

A really good read

This is a book that I devoured in a afternoon and then we had a cold tea, because I could not put it down

[Lasciel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very much enjoyed this book. A sweet lighthearted story that took a little while to get into, but left me with pleasant feelings. It's a hot mug of chocolate on a cold day, kind of story.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hilarious, very funny book. I love fantasy fiction with a twist and this is great (even as an adult reading it).

[Tianna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Honestly, I really enjoyed this book. It was fairly short and very easy to read, but there were a lot of cute / funny moments that I really enjoyed.
Plus, gave some fun ideas for potential D&D characters.