Book Review: Falcon’s Shadow by Marthese Fenech

Falcon’s Shadow

By Marthese Fenech

The ghosts of war leave no footprints. When legendary Ottoman seaman Dragut Raїs attacks the Maltese islands in 1551, his army renders Gozo a smoking ruin emptied of its entire population. Among the five thousand carried into slavery is Augustine Montesa, father of Domenicus and Katrina.

Wounded and broken, Domenicus vows to find his father, even if it means abandoning Angelica, his true love. Armed with only a topaz to serve as ransom, he sets out on a journey that sees him press-ganged from the streets of mainland Europe and thrown into the frontline of battle. On Malta, Katrina strives to keep her family home from falling apart. After the Grand Master of the knights has her publicly flogged for speaking out against him, she struggles to find work. When at last she stumbles upon a promising position, all is not as it seems. Her new job forces her to confront a terrifying truth—one that could prove disastrous for Robert, the man she loves.

Hundreds of leagues to the east in Istanbul, Demir works hard to become an imperial Ottoman horseman, despite having to endure the cruelty of his half-brother and father. Life takes an unexpected turn the moment Demir encounters a young woman, stolen from Malta, brought into the household as another of his father’s concubines.

Falcon’s Shadow sweeps from quarry pits to sprawling estates, tumultuous seas to drought-ravaged lands, the dungeons beneath the bishop’s palace to the open decks of warships, creaking gallows to sun-drenched courtyards. Two empires collide at the Battle of Djerba, a fateful clash which unites lost kin, only to tear them apart once more.

"The day a man becomes a slave, he loses half his soul…"

Homer

While the smoke settles over Gozo, the Maltese islanders take stock of all that they have lost. And as Augustine Montesa takes his first shaky steps in the capital of his enemy, life as he knew it was going to come abruptly to an end. Sold to the cruel and vicious Al Hajji Hamid al Azm, Augustine is determined to escape at the earliest opportunity. But no man escapes the clutches of Al Hajji Hamid al Azm, or no woman, for that matter.

Malta may be a lifetime away from Istanbul, but Augustine's family have not forgotten him. Domenicus Montesa is willing to travel to the very ends of the earth to find his father. But the journey he embarks on is fraught with danger and difficulties. 

As Augustine tries to come to terms with his reality, he makes an unlikely friend in Al Hajji Hamid al Azm's son. Demir dreams of becoming an Imperial Ottoman horseman when he grows up, but events in his mothers past may mean such dreams will never come to fruition. Forced to live in an abusive household, Augustine takes the child under his wing, but doing so comes at a tremendous personal cost...

From the desperation of the slave market to the horrors of the battlefield, Falcon's Shadow by Marthese Fenech is the evocative story of one family who is torn apart by war, ambition and an appalling act of revenge.

What a story! Falcon's Shadow is an emotional, tear-jerkingly brilliant novel that left me gasping for breath and begging for more. This is the kind of book that demands your attention from the opening sentence until the last full stop. It is a story of terrible suffering, but it is also one of desperate hope. 

Falcon's Shadow is set during the latter half of the 16th Century. It is a time of war, fear, injustice, and it is also the eve of the Roman Inquisition. The banning of books would only be the beginning. In a time of political unrest, the characters in this book have to decide who is the biggest threat, and although they fear the foreign invaders, it is those closest to home who are potentially the most dangerous. In the first novel in this fabulous series, it is The Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem who are the most repressive, but now it is the Church that poses the biggest threat to the people. Through the introduction of a secret opposition society, Fenech asks her readers to reflect on the frustration and anger that the people of Malta must have felt towards those in charge. 

Fenech also explores the corrupting power of unchecked ambition and moral constraints during this era in history. The power of the Church, which took it upon itself to be judge, jury and executioner, is played out with all of its devastating consequences. Likewise, the evilness of the characters in this novel cannot be found in those accused of wrongdoing, but in those who are accusing, and those who are willing to listen to such baseless allegations. At times, this book makes for some challenging reading, for the terrible atrocities that occur to one particular character is genuinely shocking and absolutely heart-rendering. The sanctuary of life is corrupted by those who are apparently in God's favour with devastating consequences for the victim and her family. This is the kind of book where a box of tissues close at hand is not a suggestion, but a must.

The power of wealth and the deceitfulness of the gentler sex is also explored and highlights the fact that it is not just men who are capable of violence and evil. The fact that it is a woman who causes such unimaginable grief is repulsive, and yet at the same time it should come as no surprise, for Fenech likes to shock her readers with the lengths the antagonists will go to achieve their aims.

There are so many wonderful characters in this novel, and each has a story to tell. The numerous voices employed in telling this tale gave the narrative a richness that would have been impossible to obtain through a single perspective. And because the protagonists are so likeable and their stories are so realistically narrated, I enjoyed reading about them all. 

The two characters that really stood out for me were Angelica and Demir. Angelica's story is desperately tragic and how I grieved for her when she found herself in the most intolerable of situations. Angelica's portrayal was sublime, and I cannot wait to get my hands on Book 3 of this series because I am desperate to find out what happens to her.

Demir was a character that captured my heart in Book 1 of this series, and he once again stole my heart in this book. The more I read about this character, the more I adore him. He is such a contrast to his vile father and half-brother. His gentle and compassionate heart does him no favours as he grows up, and yet he does not let the evil that surrounds him, corrupt him in any way. I am really looking forward to reading more about this fascinating character.

Fenech has captured the very essences of this era. The hours of research that has so painstakingly gone into this book has to be commended. This novel is what Historical Fiction is all about. It is, in all ways, an absolute success. 

Falcon's Shadow by Marthese Fenech is a beautifully compelling, and emotional read. Book 3 can not come soon enough.

I Highly Recommend.

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Falcon’s Shadow

HERE!

Marthese Fenech

Marthese Fenech is the author of historical novels set in sixteenth-century Europe. Research has taken her to the ancient streets her characters roamed, the fortresses they defended, the seas they sailed, and the dungeons they escaped. Obstinate curiosity has led her to sixty-five countries across six continents. She does her best plot-weaving while hiking mountain trails, wandering local markets, paddle boarding cliff-sheltered bays, and sitting at home with her Siberian husky curled at her feet.

The youngest of five, Marthese was born in Toronto to Maltese parents. At twelve, she moved to Malta for six months and was enrolled in an all-girls private school run by nuns; she lasted three days before getting kicked out for talking too much. Back in Toronto, she started her own business recording, editing, and selling bootleg heavy metal concerts. She later worked with special needs children and adults, witnessing small miracles daily.

Marthese has a Master’s degree in Education and teaches high school English and Social Science. She speaks fluent Maltese and French and knows how to ask where the bathroom is in Spanish and Italian. A former kickboxing instructor, she surfs, snowboards, scuba-dives, climbs, skydives, throws axes, and practices yoga—which may sometimes include goats. She lives north of Toronto with her brilliant, mathematically-inclined husband and brilliant, musically-inclined dog, known to lead family howl sessions on occasion.

Connect with Marthese: 

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Book Review: Plague Arcanist (Frith Chronicles Book 4) by Shami Stovall

Plague Arcanist

(Frith Chronicles Book 4)

By Shami Stovall

 

Deserts. Rogues. A secret hidden in an underground maze.

 

Every moment counts as Volke Savan races south to the city of New Norra. His goal: find Theasin Venrover, the famous artificer who may have a cure for the arcane plague. Separated from most of the Frith Guild—and even his sister—Volke must rely on the crew of the airship, the Sun Chaser, to help him find Theasin in time.

 

To complicate matters, the desert city of New Norra is steeped in mystery, and the massive maze under the streets could potentially solve all of Volke’s problems. With hunters after him, and dread pirates in the port, Volke finds himself forced to choose between equally terrible options…

 

Continue the Frith Chronicles with the fourth book, Plague Arcanist!

 

"Real life isn't like a heroic story written for children."

 

Volke Savan had once dreamed of being a hero, of being a great arcanist. He had been so blinded by his dream that he failed to understand what the word "hero" actually meant. But now, he knew. He now knew that heroes endured great hardship and suffering not so they could bask in their own glory. Heroes endured because they had to, and sometimes they had to do things that they did not want to do. Volke had to leave his beloved Frith Guild, his sister, and his friends. There was no other choice. If he stayed, then he could infect them all and that reality he would not counter.

 

But there were those who refused to leave Volke's side. Arcanist, Adelgis Venrover, and Fain vowed to stay with him until the bitter end. They would travel with Volke to the city of New Norra, where Adelgis suspected they would find his psychopathic father, Theasin Venrover. If anyone could cure Volke of the arcane plague, then it would be Theasin.

 

However, so feared was the plague, there were those who hunted the infected and killed them. If the hunters did not catch up with Volke, then the plague would very soon drive him insane. Time was running out. They had to find Theasin before it was too late…

 

With one eye on the story and the other on the setting, Shami Stovall has penned a novel that is not only highly entertaining but one that is simply unforgettable. Plague Arcanist (Frith Chronicles Book 4) is an exceptional work of scholarship.

 

The setting of the Frith Chronicles books is so finely detailed that it conveys to the reader a powerful visual presence. This is a world that is wild, almost untameable, chaotic even, and yet there is also something indisputably beautiful about it. Stovall has taken as much care with the detail of the landscape as she does with the portrayal of her protagonists and antagonists. This fantasy world is ripe with possibilities, but there is also an essence of the ancient world, of Greek Mythology, within the pages of this book. Stovall's ingenuity is devoted to making the world that she has created seem as real as possible. The mythical realm is one that is explored in great depth in this series. However, unlike conventional myths, Stovall does not glorify the past, there is no sense of loss, no desperate longing for a time gone by because the heroes that Volke had idolised when he was a child were as ordinary as he is. They just lived an extraordinary life, and that is what sets the Frith Chronicles apart from other mythical stories that are out there, and I think this is why it also stands out as being something very special indeed.

 

There is a constant feeling of movement throughout the Frith Chronicles, and although the destination is always very clear, the journey itself seemingly has no end. The characters have to get to one place in order to go to another. There is no fixed abode in itself, instead home is where the Frith Guild is, and for Volke, in this book, that is his ultimate destination. He can only go home if he gets better. But the journey he embarks on to regain his health is fraught with setbacks. Time is not on his side, but time is also all he has. 

 

Volke's upbringing, the simple life he was made to live, seems almost antithetical to heroism — he is the adopted son of a gravedigger. But he was always determined to change his stars, to go after his dream. The journey that Volke finds himself on from Book 1 to Book 4 is a very interesting and very personal one. Through Volke, Stovall represents the development of a common person, a nobody, into a hero who has more integrity, more honour, than those who had been born to be great. As with all the books in this fabulous series, there are many times where Volke is given the opportunity to test his resolve. His devastation and despondency about his situation are understandable. And yet, he is also a very moral person, and there are some things that he would not consider doing, even if it meant he would be cured. The ethical dilemmas that he faces in a bid to rid himself of the plague demonstrate his underlying goodness. Volke always wanted to be a hero, and in this book, he most certainly is because of the things he does not do.

 

The antagonists in this story are as elusive as they have always been. Who is responsible for this plague? Who wants to gain from it? Unfortunately, dissension plagues the arcanists as much as the actual plague does, so such answers are difficult to come by. The arcanists are separated by their guilds, their beliefs, and also by their fear. This unwillingness to come together for the greater good makes for an incredibly compelling plot.

 

At all times Stovall's narrative is light, casual almost, she is aware of her intended audience, and she knows how to keep a young adult turning those pages. There are moments in the story where the narrative demands a darker, sinister approach, but even then there is nothing unsuitable for the intended age this book is aimed at. For the most part, the narrative is warm, friendly and welcoming.

 

When I reviewed Knightmare Arcanist (Frith Chronicles #1) back in 2019, I said I have not enjoyed a young adult fantasy so much since J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series and Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson series, and I still stand by that statement, but I would like to add that the Frith Chronicles is a series that now deserves to be on the big screen alongside the likes of Harry Potter, and Percy Jackson. It deserves to be read by generation after generation. This is the kind of series that will never grow old and I, for one, will never tire of it.

Plague Arcanist (Frith Chronicles Book 4) by Shami Stovall is a novel that commanded my attention from the very beginning to the very last full stop. This is a story that does not threaten to mesmerise, it really does.

 

I Highly Recommend.

 

 

 

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Plague Arcanist

Amazon UK • Amazon US

 

Shami Stovall

Shami Stovall relies on her BA in History and Juris Doctorate to make her living as an author and history professor in the central valley of California. She writes in a wide range of fiction, from crime thrills to fantasy to science-fiction. Stovall loves reading, playing video games, entertaining others with stories, and writing about herself in the third person.

 

 

Connect with Shami: Website • Twitter • Facebook • Goodreads.

 

 

Book Review: Artist, Soldier, Lover, Muse by Arthur D. Hittner

Artist, Soldier, Lover, Muse

 By Arthur D. Hittner

Freshly graduated from Yale in 1935, Henry J. Kapler parlays his talent, determination, and creative energy into a burgeoning art career in New York under the wing of artists such as Edward Hopper and Reginald Marsh.  The young artist first gains notoriety when his depiction of a symbolic, interracial handshake between ballplayers is attacked by a knife-wielding assailant at the Corcoran Gallery in Washington.  Yet even as his art star rises, his personal life turns precarious—and perilous—when his love for Fiona, a young WPA muralist, collides with his growing attraction to the exquisitely beautiful Alice, an ex-chorus girl who becomes his model and muse.  Alice is the girlfriend of Fiona’s cousin, Jake Powell, the hotheaded, hard-drinking outfielder for the New York Yankees whose jealousy explodes into abuse and rage, endangering the lives of all three.  While Henry wrestles with his complicated love life, he also struggles mightily to reconcile his pacifism with the rabid patriotism of his Jewish-Russian émigré father.  As war draws near, Henry faces two difficult choices, one of which could cost him his life.

 

 

"I've decided to become an artist…"

 

His father would have taken it better if Henry J. Kapler had announced at the dinner table that he was running away and marrying a Catholic. An artist was not at all what his father had planned for his eldest son. But in this decision, Henry would not be swayed — for art commanded his very soul. Without it, he was nothing.

 

With an unquenchable determination, Henry moves to New York, to the very heartbeat of life, love and artistic imaginations. He may well be forced to live a penniless existence, but others had walked that path before. It was worth the sacrifice.

 

Captivated by a world he had only ever dreamed about, Henry begins to make a name for himself. However, paintings are raw emotion, and they awaken strong sentiments in not only Henry’s critics but also those he loves…

 

From the dreams of a young idealistic man to the horrors of war and an impossible decision, Artist, Soldier, Lover, Muse by Arthur D. Hittner is the heartbreakingly bewitching story of a young man whose soul was full of dreams and colours and passion, but the world he lived in turned out to be comprised of different shades of grey. 

 

Sometimes there is no making sense of life, and those who burn the brightest are destined to burn the shortest. With a mesmerising narrative that seduced me with that first tantalising stroke of the brush, and a protagonist that was as conflicted as he was beautiful, Artist, Soldier, Lover, Muse is the unforgettable story of one man who is torn apart by love, sacrifice and war.

 

Oh, this book! What an exhilarating portrait Hittner has painted of the Academic and Social Realism period in America. Between the pages of this remarkable book, Hittner has portrayed an era rich in social change, racial inequalities, depression, sport, politics and above everything else art and love. It is a novel that explores a nation in flux. Expect to discover the debauched world of the burlesque clubs, the gluttony of corrupted wealth, and everything in between. Hittner has been astoundingly ambitious with his portrait of 1930s America, but such ambition has undoubtedly paid off, for this book is in all ways a Historical Fiction masterpiece.

 

Artist, Soldier, Lover, Muse is a story of one man whose life is both made and destroyed by his consuming passion for the one thing that would remain forever elusive to him — the exact shade of colour, and the heart's dearest desire. This is a book that left me reaching for the tissues on more than one occasion as Henry battles with what he sees, what he knows, and what he wants. He is a man trapped in a prison of his own making, and the only way to break free is to lose everything he ever loved. As this novel reaches its climactic ending, the reader is asked to pause and contemplate the truth behind every brushstroke of every painting they have ever gazed upon. This book has the power to make you question everything you thought you knew about art and the artists that bared their souls upon the canvases of their life.

 

Henry is a very appealing protagonist who captured not only my imagination but also my heart. Henry is one of those men who, if you are lucky, will grace your life, be it for a moment or forever, and will irrevocably change it. Henry spends his life chasing his muse, never realising that he was, in fact, someone else's. His compassionate heart ends up being his undoing. He is a very conflicted character, especially near the end of this novel, and his story is absolutely heartrending. Hittner takes his readers on such an emotional journey, and yet this journey is as irresistible as it is enthralling. Henry is the kind of protagonist that will stay in your heart long after you have put the book down. He is also one of those characters whom you desperately want to be a real historical person, and there is almost this forlorn sense that if he did not exist then, he really should have. Hittner takes great care to state in his author's notes in the back of this book that Henry is fictional, although his life mirrors to the extent that of Harold Rabinovitz, they even share some of the same paintings, and I think that it is this that makes Henry come across so authentically in the telling.

 

Artist, Soldier, Lover, Muse is a truly remarkable book that is as rich in historical detail as it is in story. Although Henry J. Kapler is a fictional character, many of the secondary characters in this book are not. I thought Hittner’s portrayal of Yasuo Kuniyoshi was particularly sublime, as was his depiction of the baseball player, Ernest "Bunny" Taliaferro. With these two characters, in particular, Hittner depicts the racial prejudice and intolerance of the era.

 

Hittner has, at times, used creative licence to cast both his secondary characters in the light that his story demanded of him. His decision to include Yankees outfielder, Jake Powell into the narrative was very interesting. I can see why he did, for Jake's volatile nature was a contrast to Henry's gentle ways, and it also highlighted the differences and the divisions that were in sport during this period depending upon the colour of your skin and your own personal demons. I thought Jake's portray was particularly well-drawn.

 

You don't have to be an expert on art or baseball to enjoy this book. Not knowing makes this story all the more exciting and Hittner is an excellent tour guide. His depiction of the artists' techniques, the baseballer's skill, is exquisite. I thoroughly enjoyed this book from the opening sentence to that final full stop— an exceptionally wonderful read. Artist, Soldier, Lover, Muse by Arthur D. Hittner is deserving of a place on your bookshelf.

 

I Highly Recommend.

 

 

Pick up your copy of

Artist, Soldier, Lover, Muse

Amazon UK • Amazon US

 

Arthur D. Hittner

ARTHUR D. HITTNER, author of the art-related historical novels "The Caroline Paintings" and "Artist, Soldier, Lover, Muse" and the humorous baseball novel "Four-Finger Singer and His Late Wife, Kate," is also the author of "Honus Wagner: The Life of Baseball's 'Flying Dutchman'" (McFarland, 1996), winner of the Seymour Medal awarded by the Society of American Baseball Research for the best book of baseball history or biography published in 1996; "At the Threshold of Brilliance:The Brief but Splendid Career of Harold J. Rabinovitz" (The Rabinovitz Project, 2014), a biography and catalogue raisonne of a newly rediscovered master of American art of the Depression era; and the irreverent travelogue, "Cross-Country Chronicles: Road Trips Through the Art and Soul of America." Mr. Hittner has also written about fine art subjects for Maine Antique Digest, Fine Art Connoisseur and Antiques & Fine Art and has served as a Trustee of the Danforth Museum of Art and the Tucson Museum of Art.

 

Connect with Arthur: Website • Goodreads • Amazon Author Page.

 

Book Review: The Cold Hearth (The Atheling Chronicles #3) by Garth Pettersen

The Cold Hearth

(The Atheling Chronicles #3)

By Garth Pettersen

"The sons of Cnute are dead men."

The dying words of his brother's assailant travel across the North Sea to the English Midlands.

Harald, the king's second son, receives the warning while rebuilding a hall where he hopes to farm and lead a peaceful life with Selia, his Frisian wife. But as the hall nears completion, they learn the family who lived there before them all perished in a single night of bloodshed. Could the grounds be cursed?

Now the threat of unknown enemies casts a long shadow. Should they distrust the brooding Saxon neighbor or the two weapon-bearers they hired for protection? Should they suspect either of the two women they have taken on with the other hirelings? Only their Jewish warrior friend, Ravya ben Naaman, seems to be the only one above suspicion.

"How many more would die because of me, because of who I am?"

It was a question with no answer. Harald Harefoot knew that he must always be on his guard. He did not even have the reassurance of his brothers’ sword arm, and loyalties can never be assured when a bag of silver is dangled in front of your face.

But when the dying words of his brother's failed assassin travelled across the North Sea to the English Midlands, Harold knows that it will only be a matter of time before his destiny catches up with him. Until then, Harold must do everything in his power to keep his wife and his people safe.

However, in this complex game of succession and thrones, the real enemy is closer than even Harold could have foreseen…

From a festering wound that threatened to destroy a man’s soul to the desperate fight to stay alive, The Cold Hearth (The Atheling Chronicles #3) by Garth Pettersen is in all ways a Historical Fiction triumph.

With an enthralling sense of time and place, Pettersen has presented his readers with another beguiling novel about a man who history has overlooked. With a lack of sources on Harold, Pettersen has used a healthy dollop of creative licence to pen a story that is a tautly gripping account of not only this period in time, but also this very elusive man. Although history tells us that Harold reigned for only five years and died mysteriously when he was 24, Pettersen has decided to give us an older, wiser, Harold whose actions give the reader a hint at what kind of king he would become. It is always a risk when an author meddles with the known documented history, but in this case, I think the risk was definitely worth it. As with the other books in this series, I adored the depiction of Harold. Harold is a man that commands respect — he is fair-minded, generous, and wise beyond his years. However, he is also in the line of succession which makes him a target not only for those who have malicious intent towards his father’s throne, but also his own brother, who sees Harold as a threat to his rightful inheritance. I thought Harold’s portrayal was absolutely sublime. Pettersen has given his readers a protagonist that one can really get behind and root for.

The comparison between the three sons of Cnute is cleverly portrayed — Sweyn, whose drunken stumbling almost gets him killed, Hartha, whose arrogance seemingly knows no bounds, and Harold, who simply wants what is best for his family and his father’s kingdom. As with many princes of the realm the sons of Cnute, with the exception of Harold, bask in their own importance, while at the same time having one eye on their father’s throne. Although this book follows Harold’s journey and Sweyn and Hartha only grace the pages of this book for but a moment, their presence is still felt. Hartha's ruthlessness and mistrust of his brother probably says more about his character than it does about Harold. Hartha was a character that I found endlessly fascinating. I thought Pettersen’s depiction of Hartha was fabulous, and who would have thought that one of the antagonists in this story would actually make me laugh out loud with his cocky arrogance.

There is a large cast of characters in this book, but their individuality made it very easy to keep track of who was who. There were some characters like Garren who stole my heart, and there were others, such as Twyla, whose actions were unexpected!

There are several antagonists in this story, but there are two in particular who are not only ambitious but talented and intelligent — a deadly combination indeed. While one fights for gold, the other fights for power. I thought that the antagonists were particularly well-drawn and they certainly added a sense of menace to this tale.

Pettersen writes about this period of history with not only an elegant turn of phrase but also with authority. As I have come to expect from this series, the historical setting has been thoroughly researched. Pettersen is one of those talented authors that can make history come alive, and he has also successfully breathed new life into historical characters that have been dead for centuries. Such an achievement is no easy feat, and I commend Pettersen not only for his exceptional skills as a historian but also as an author. Bravo, Mr Pettersen. Bravo, indeed.

With one eye on the history and the other for what makes a thoroughly entertaining read, The Cold Hearth (The Atheling Chronicles #3) is the kind of book that gets readers of quality Historical Fiction very excited. There is a richness to the narrative, a lyrically pleasing note to the prose. There is also a cinematic approach to the writing — I would love to see this series on Netflix. The Cold Hearth is a story that once started is very difficult to turn away from. I lost track of time as Pettersen swept me away to a world that was violent, yet tantalisingly beautiful. This is the kind of novel that will keep a reader up to the wee hours and deservedly so.

The Cold Hearth (The Atheling Chronicles #3) by Garth Pettersen is a wonderful series, and it will especially appeal to those who have enjoyed Bernard Cornwell’s The Last Kingdom and Michael Hirst’s Vikings. 

I Highly Recommend.

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The Cold Hearth

(The Atheling Chronicles #3)

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Garth Pettersen

Garth Pettersen is a Canadian writer living in the Fraser Valley near Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. When he's not writing, he's riding horses and working with young, disabled riders.

Garth's short stories have appeared in a number of anthologies, and in journals such as Blank Spaces, The Spadina Literary Review, and The Opening Line Literary 'Zine. His story River's Rising was awarded an Honourable Mention for the Short Story America 2017 Prize, and his fantasy novella, River Born, was one of two runners-up in the Wundor Editions (UK) Short Fiction Prize. His debut novel, The Swan's Road (Book #1 of the Atheling Chronicles) published by Tirgearr Publishing was released in 2017 and Book #2, The Dane Law, in September of 2018.

Connect with Garth: Website • Goodreads • Twitter.