Genre: Epic
Fantasy/Magic/Young Adult/Sci-Fi/Adventure
Description:
“Mage Meralda’s perilous airship journey across the vast Great Sea
made her a hero.
Her discovery of the Arc may doom her world.
The Arc, a mysterious metal structure hanging ten thousand feet above
the stormy Sea, is singing. Tasked by the King to decipher the Arc’s strange
song, Meralda discovers plans for an outlandish machine hidden in the song’s
mathematical lyrics.
With sharp-tongued vegetable familiar Mug at her side, Meralda embarks
on an unexpected journey across the void. Together they face ravenous beasts,
ancient engines, and the most diabolical creature of all – Meralda's own
long-lost mother.
With nothing but her wits, her Sight, and her determination to return
home and find a decent cup of coffee, Meralda vows to lead her tiny band to
safety. But her long journey home also means facing an old sorrow, and a
singularly unpleasant truth.
As monsters close in, can Meralda prevail where thousands before her
failed and perished?”
Author:
“Frank Tuttle lives and writes in the perpetually humid wilderness of
North Mississippi. Frank tried to be a proper Southern author and write about
pickups and hound dogs, but trolls and magic kept creeping into his stories, so
Frank is a fantasy author. Although hounds do make occasional appearances in
his fiction.”
To learn more about Frank Tuttle you can check out his website and of
course you may also friend Mr. Tuttle on Facebook.
Appraisal:
While this series, Paths of Shadow, has always had an element of
steampunk and magic in its world, Every
Wind of Change jumps into the realm of Sci-Fi after the “event.” Sorry, I
got a little ahead of myself there. Meralda has been assigned, by the King of
Tirlin, to decipher the sounds the mysterious Arc is emitting. He also bestows
a pay raise and a promotion to Tirlin’s Secret Service. Her new boss is none
other than Mrs. Primsbite. To put a cherry on top of it all, Meralda’s
long-absent mother reappears and insists on insinuating herself, and her little
dog too, into her daughter’s life again. Donchen attempts to arbitrate between
mother and daughter, to Meralda’s dismay.
While Meralda is attempting to decipher the Arcs complicated song,
King Yvin insists on seeing her results so far. Meralda has to oblige with an
incomplete work. Unbeknownst to all, this exhibition initiates a standard
tripping wheel transport protocol from the Arc bringing forth the “event” that
hurls Meralda, Donchen, Mug, Meralda’s mother, and Mrs. Primsbite (Oh, and I
mustn’t forget Nameless and Faceless in crow form as well.) into the embattled
Hub of the Arc which is located in the void. Luckily our small band is
befriended by an unusual robot named Skoof, who knows the Arc well and assists
finding them a safe place to hide from giant carnivorous cockroaches, called
Mags who are well aware of their arrival, before they can formulate a way home
without magic.
The plot is cleverly crafted and engaging with twists and turns of the
outlandish storyline, since they are all out of their element I found that
fitting. The dialogues are intelligent, cunning, and witty. New characters are
introduced who I hope to see more of in the next book. The scenery and
surroundings are well described, which place the reader right beside the
characters. The ending is epic and a lot more far-reaching than I was
expecting. Meralda’s mother also gains a new larger pet, which fits her well. Readers
will also be pleased that Mr. Reardon, mother’s ankle-biter, is still with her
as well. Don’t miss this new addition to Meralda and Mug’s adventure.
FYI:
Every
Wind of Change is the third book in a planned four book series
from Mr. Tuttle’s, Paths of Shadow. Each book stands alone. However I have
enjoyed watching each character’s growth as the series continues. The first
book of the series is All the Paths of
Shadow, followed by All the Turns of
Light.
Format/Typo
Issues:
I did find a small number of proofing issues, nothing that threw me
out of the story.
Rating:
***** Five Stars
Reviewed
by: ?wazithinkin
Approximate
word count: 80-85,000 words
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