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Thora's Dagger
The exciting sequel to the award-winning The Gilded Basilisk!
Dragons, witches, and wizards add their mix to the confusion following two raids in two different places that set into motion a race to determine who rules Farringdale and Loweswater.
The warriors Hugin (clever if not much of a fighter) and Gier (headstrong and capable when he isn't a dragon) unite again after the events in The Gilded Basilisk. Ratatoska, the blind warrior with extrasensory perception, takes the lead with Hugin in tow to warn Hildi and Gier that Thora is on the loose and intend on revenge against the four of them.
Dragons, witches, and wizards add their mix to the confusion following two raids in two different places that set into motion a race to determine who rules Farringdale and Loweswater.
The warriors Hugin (clever if not much of a fighter) and Gier (headstrong and capable when he isn't a dragon) unite again after the events in The Gilded Basilisk. Ratatoska, the blind warrior with extrasensory perception, takes the lead with Hugin in tow to warn Hildi and Gier that Thora is on the loose and intend on revenge against the four of them.
318 pages, Paperback
Published July 26, 2022
1 person want to read
About the author
Chet Gottfried
21 books5 followersA freelancer in book production for forty years, I live with my wife Sue, and our three ex-feral cats, in State College, Pennsylvania. I'm an active member of SFWA, with stories in Jim Baen's Universe, Aboriginal SF, and Isaac Asimov's SF, along with a large variety of stories in small press and online publications.
In 1984, Space & Time published my novel The Steel Eye to start its book line. Thirty years later, and ReAnimus Press has published my new fantasy novel, The Gilded Basilisk. That was followed by Einar and the Cursed City (2014) and Einar and the Myrtledale Conspiracy (2015), each of which won the Preditors & Editors readers poll award for best YA novel. My following novel, an SF space opera, Into the Horsebutt Nebula won the P&E award for best cover (one can't have everything, or so it seems). And after a period of quiet (and thought and contemplation) comes Thora's Dagger, a sequel to the Gilded Basilisk but a novel that can be read independently.
My website lookoutnow features over a thousand pages that cover nature photography, cartoons, and games, as well as travelogues from trips to the UK Lake District, Iceland, and the U.S. Southwest.
I have an FB author page and one over at Amazon.
In 1984, Space & Time published my novel The Steel Eye to start its book line. Thirty years later, and ReAnimus Press has published my new fantasy novel, The Gilded Basilisk. That was followed by Einar and the Cursed City (2014) and Einar and the Myrtledale Conspiracy (2015), each of which won the Preditors & Editors readers poll award for best YA novel. My following novel, an SF space opera, Into the Horsebutt Nebula won the P&E award for best cover (one can't have everything, or so it seems). And after a period of quiet (and thought and contemplation) comes Thora's Dagger, a sequel to the Gilded Basilisk but a novel that can be read independently.
My website lookoutnow features over a thousand pages that cover nature photography, cartoons, and games, as well as travelogues from trips to the UK Lake District, Iceland, and the U.S. Southwest.
I have an FB author page and one over at Amazon.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
November 15, 2022
What an enjoyable read! Love to have an ale at the Bearded Dwarf and overhear some of the goings on.
Can't wait to read more of Gottfried's universe!
Can't wait to read more of Gottfried's universe!
October 3, 2022
Once again, clever dialogue and fun, fantastical characters make this novel a great escape from daily life. Hugin, who just wanted to run a tavern, now owns an awesome tavern in the former abode of a wizard--how cool is that?--but he doesn't get to name it The Gilded Basilisk. Too many loved ones are now stone figures, and the very word "basilisk" might trigger those who escaped the evil eye of the lizard - and, yes, the terms are interchangeable: the common basilisk (Basiliscus basiliscus) is a species of lizard in the family Corytophanidae. Fans of the author who also check out his photo galleries will know Chet knows his zoology and botany and has written essays about the microphotography of insects, but that is another story. Here, his dragonflies, hummingbirds, lizards, and weirdragons come to life along with the colorful cast of human characters.
The tavern, of course, is just one little corner in a big novel full of adventure, enchanted forests, dragons, scheming would-be kings and queens, and more dragons.
The librarian, Hildi, rose to power not by merit but by luck (or the interventions of a blind assassin and her hummingbirds, and here's hoping that isn't a spoiler). Hildi means well, but I pity Gier, her husband, the dragon-by-day who gets imprisoned in a dark room to keep him human 24/7. What fun is that?
Hugin's wife is just as bad, as far as domineering wives go. She and Hildi made me wince and cringe, but the men they dominate also set my teeth on edge. Especially when Hugin obeys Ratatosta's orders to enter the enchanted forest, find the three witches, and procure the remedy for undoing the dragon spell. [The scales and wings seem to be catching, but no spoiler here!]
The wood chopper Hugin meets is a literary Red Flag Waving, but Hugin proceeds deeper into the forest. The way I kept shouting at him is a measure of how overly involved I get in stories. :) I didn't see how he would ever get out of there again, and back to the horse he had to desert at the edge of the forest, nor how I would forgive him even if he and his horse did survive the night intact.
Thora, the titular character, gets very little time in the spotlight. Her brother, her sister, her parents--will she carry on the family line? Does she deserve to? I found little to like about Thora. Still, I'd have liked for her to be a more engaging villain, especially because a good WOMAN villain is hard to find.
As with the prequel, "Thora's Dagger" is a fast-paced and action-packed story with fresh twists on the usual tropes of the fantasy genre. The ending took me by surprise, and the door is wide open for a sequel. Whose firstborn will.... ssssh, no spoilers!
The tavern, of course, is just one little corner in a big novel full of adventure, enchanted forests, dragons, scheming would-be kings and queens, and more dragons.
The librarian, Hildi, rose to power not by merit but by luck (or the interventions of a blind assassin and her hummingbirds, and here's hoping that isn't a spoiler). Hildi means well, but I pity Gier, her husband, the dragon-by-day who gets imprisoned in a dark room to keep him human 24/7. What fun is that?
Hugin's wife is just as bad, as far as domineering wives go. She and Hildi made me wince and cringe, but the men they dominate also set my teeth on edge. Especially when Hugin obeys Ratatosta's orders to enter the enchanted forest, find the three witches, and procure the remedy for undoing the dragon spell. [The scales and wings seem to be catching, but no spoiler here!]
The wood chopper Hugin meets is a literary Red Flag Waving, but Hugin proceeds deeper into the forest. The way I kept shouting at him is a measure of how overly involved I get in stories. :) I didn't see how he would ever get out of there again, and back to the horse he had to desert at the edge of the forest, nor how I would forgive him even if he and his horse did survive the night intact.
Thora, the titular character, gets very little time in the spotlight. Her brother, her sister, her parents--will she carry on the family line? Does she deserve to? I found little to like about Thora. Still, I'd have liked for her to be a more engaging villain, especially because a good WOMAN villain is hard to find.
As with the prequel, "Thora's Dagger" is a fast-paced and action-packed story with fresh twists on the usual tropes of the fantasy genre. The ending took me by surprise, and the door is wide open for a sequel. Whose firstborn will.... ssssh, no spoilers!
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews