WITCH EMBER by John Lawson

Review by Steve

John Lawson contacted me through Sabrina Williams to review his book WITCH EMBER. If the name sounds familiar, Sabrina Williams is also Breeni Books. She reviewed WITCH EMBER for the Front Street Reviews.

I was surprised when not one, but two books arrived. THE RAVEN, his second book in this series, was also in the box. A review of the second book will be posted on Monday. Both books will be raffled together, so be sure to spread the word by posting about this on your blog. Put the link in the comment section below and enter the raffle twice. Do this with Lawson's next book and your name will be entered four times. Cool, huh?

Here’s a little bit about the book.

In the days when gods walked the earth and the clay of Man was still wet, a Stone of Power was shattered. From that day forward, all humankind carried a piece. Most have just a little- just the tiniest speck of dust- but some have one of the bigger grains- or even a pebble- and they are the most powerful of sorcerers. In the paranoid, magically-barren lands of the Seven Kingdoms, the street urchin Esmeree is born to carry a stone of unprecedented size and power. As she struggles to survive the unforgiving streets of Cliffs Reach, she endeavors to master the sorcery of her stone and understand its purpose. But time is running out for her for others have discovered her skills and seek to use or destroy her. The Inquisition, the Superbus Tyrannus, the Primate of the Holy Median church. Esmeree must determine her own path, or she will die their slave.

Steve’s thoughts…

Witch Ember by John Lawson is the first book of a detail rich, complex adult saga of an alternative world. It’s a bit like an adult version of Tolkien’s Middle Earth, 16th century Europe, and Conan’s world rolled into one. This world of seven Kingdoms has chivalrous Knights, decedent nobles, the ambitious church and its inquisition, barbarians, other Gods, darkbloods - similar to vampires, monsters, and living tree people, and their own brand of a tarot card game. No one is sure if there are poles to the planet or it’s a cylinder.

The story follows Esmeree from an orphan child of about six to a powerful sorceress of 19. It details her life as a slave, a thief, a whore to courtesan to the nobles, of her learning sorcery and forbidden knowledge (to women) of reading, writing, math, logic, and history. This story ends with an exciting, page turning, hold-your-breath, epic battle.

There are many details in this book so it’s a bit dry in places. The characters are true to form, the knight is chivalrous, the barbarians have harsh ways, the monsters are terrifying and the Church’s ruler is corrupted by ambition. The rraakk, a monster type species larger than a man, with a beak and telepathic powers who also steals and mutilates little children is especially horrifying.

My thoughts…

This book reminded me very much of the Rocky movies. Do you remember the first one? It took forever to get to the drama and action? But without the set-up, the rest of the series would have been worthless. That’s how it is in WITCH EMBER. Without Lawson’s detailed set-up, ending wouldn’t have been as powerful, the second book either for that matter.

But Steve will chat more about THE RAVEN on Monday. It’s an OMG-good book for fantasy lovers.





About the Ratings: More detailed information about the ratings can be found by CLICKING HERE.

Something New: Starting June 23, 2008 for bloggers. Post about this raffle and you'll be entered twice in that raffle. Be sure to leave the link in the comment section below. If you have more than one blog, which some do, post both links and enter again. In other words, comment once means you are entered once. Post your link about the raffle on your blog, enter twice. Post on more than one blog (some do have more than one, like MySpace and Blogger) then consider yourself entered three times. If you have any questions, please email me at jkayeoldner@yahoo.com.

Also: This message is posted on MySpace and Gather. Only comments posted at http://j-kaye-book-blog.blogspot.com will be entered in the raffle for WITCH EMBER & THE RAVEN by John Lawson. This raffle will be held on the 5th of July.

WITCH EMBER by John Lawson

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