Bullets and Bandages: Bond of Brothers is a story inspired by the words of a US Army Field Medic, 21st Infantry, and his stories about his tour in Vietnam 1968-69. Through those stories, the author was given the unique insight into the men who struggled to survive in a war many of us didn’t understand. The author also brings to us some of his own experiences, in this challenging time in our history. Fast paced and full of action and drama, this raw and powerful story takes you on a journey into the jungles, villages, and hamlets of Vietnam, and the men in the thick of the fight. The new fourth edition has new details to more accurately reflect the tour of soldiers in the Vietnam war. The author dedicates this story and all of his work to our Veterans and those that serve to protect our freedom today.
Category: Dogma
Review: Death of a City: Birth of a Curse
Thousands of years before Roland, Eldryn, Dunewell or Silas would walk the surface of Stratvs other heroes battled for the soul of a nation. Take a brief glimpse into the past of the peoples of Stratvs as these historic events unfold. Join the adventure as axe clashes with sword and dwarf clashes with man. Look on as legends are born and events give rise to villains.
Review: Sunwise
Sunwise is the sequel to Helen Steadman’s best-selling novel Widdershins. Both novels were inspired by the Newcastle witch trials, where 16 people were hanged. Despite resulting in the largest mass execution of witches on a single day in England, these trials are not widely known about.
Sunwise continues the story of women’s struggle for survival in a hostile and superstitious world. Spurred on by the successful execution of 17 proven witches, the witchfinder travels north to Berwick, where he continues his quest to rid the world of evil. But will he hoodwink the Berwick authorities as easily as those in Newcastle?
Sunwise begins after the Newcastle witch trials as Jane Chandler’s lover, Tom Verger, returns from the navy to find her unhappily married to his betrayer. Jane is caught in an impossible situation. Still reeling from the loss of her mother at the hands of the witchfinder, Jane has no choice but to continue her dangerous work as a healer while keeping her young daughter safe. As Tom seeks a way for him and Jane to be together, the Scottish witchfinder is still at large. Filled with vengeance, John Sharpe will stop at nothing in his sworn mission to free the world from the scourge of witchcraft.
The Historical Novel Society said of Sunwise: “The novel is rich in fascinating details: Jane’s remedies and the village customs, partly Christian, partly pagan. Ancient names for plants and festivities, both seasonal and Christian, add colour to the narrative. Jane’s story is based on true events, and Jane represents the many women whose healing gifts made them victims of superstition and violence.”
Recommended for anyone who has enjoyed Stacey Halls’ The Familiars, Beth Underdown’s The Witchfinder’s Sister, AK Blakemore’s The Manningtree Witches, Elizabeth Lee’s Cunning Women, Louisa Morgan’s A Secret History of Witches, Jeanette Winterson’s The Daylight Gate, Madeline Miller’s Circe, or Deborah Harkness’ A Discovery of Witches.
Review: Widdershins
Widdershins is inspired by the Newcastle witch trials where sixteen people were hanged. Despite being the largest mass execution of witches on a single day in England, these trials are not widely known about. In August 1650, 15 women and one man were hanged as witches after a Scottish witchfinder found them guilty of consorting with the devil. This notorious man was hired by the Puritan authorities in response to a petition from the Newcastle townsfolk who wanted to be rid of their witches.
Widdershins is told through the eyes of Jane Chandler, a young woman accused of witchcraft, and John Sharpe, the witchfinder who condemns her to death. Jane Chandler is an apprentice healer. From childhood, she and her mother have used herbs to cure the sick. But Jane soon learns that her sheltered life in a small village is not safe from the troubles of the wider world. From his father’s beatings to his uncle’s raging sermons, John Sharpe is beset by bad fortune. Fighting through personal tragedy, he finds his purpose: To become a witchfinder and save innocents from the scourge of witchcraft.
Recommended for anyone who has enjoyed Stacey Halls’ The Familiars, Beth Underdown’s The Witchfinder’s Sister, AK Blakemore’s The Manningtree Witches, Elizabeth Lee’s Cunning Women, Louisa Morgan’s A Secret History of Witches, Jeanette Winterson’s The Daylight Gate, Madeline Miller’s Circe, Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, or Deborah Harkness’ A Discovery of Witches.
Review: Colossus: Stone and Steel
Judea, AD 66. A Roman legion suffers a smashing and catastrophic defeat at the hands of an angry band of Hebrews armed with only slings and spears. Knowing Emperor Nero’s revenge will be swift and merciless, they must decide how to defend their land against the Roman invasion. Caught up in the tumult is the mason Judah, inadvertent hero of Beth Horon, who now finds himself rubbing shoulders with priests, revolutionaries, generals, and nobles, drafted to help defend the land of Galilee. Denied the chance to marry where he will, he turns all his energy into defending the besieged city of Jotapata. But with a general suffering delusions of grandeur, friends falling each day, and the Roman menace at the walls, Judah must brave a nightmare to save those he loves and preserve his honor. First book of the Colossus series.
Review: The Man on the Mountaintop
dapted from Susan Trott’s best-selling novels, The Holy Man and The Holy Man’s Journey, The Man on the Mountaintop tells the story of Holy Man Joe, a humble and unassuming 72-year-old man who lives in a hermitage at the top of a mountain. Thousands of hopefuls line the single-file path leading to his door, seeking his wisdom. The pilgrims bring a multitude of modern-day problems, sorrows, and grievances. From the arrogant and wealthy man intent on cheating his way to the front of the line to the alcoholic who gradually builds the physical and mental strength needed to quit his addiction, The Man on the Mountaintop is an uplifting parable full of life lessons, powerfully told with compassion, wit, and humor.