The Ceramic Dolls by Darren Arthurs

 

471 Pages

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You can buy The Ceramic Dolls...Here

You can read an interview with Darren Arthurs...Here

The Blurb...

The King is dying and there are many eyes watching the throne.
Chief among these is the young prince, Sever, the king’s own brother, the evil Lord Hesk and those from the holy order of The Hall who wish to unite the clans and follow one religion.

But none can claim the crown until they have in their possession two ancient Ceramic Dolls.

So begins a race across the kingdom where the dangers are many and the promise of power will tempt even the most loyal.

The Ceramic Dolls is a tale of fantasy. A story of power, corruption, politics and action.

My Review...

Those few hardy souls who follow this site regularly will know that I have reviewed some of Darren's work before. His previous work was the Cosy Crime books the "DeLuca" series. (Reviews can be found on this site.) I thought then that Darren had a gift for handling violent crime in a light and comical manner, which can be a hard thing to do. So I was intrigued to see how he would fare in this sojourn into Fantasy. Turns out that he is pretty good at this as well.

While I have read the Game of Thrones (GoT) and Lord of the Rings (LotR) series, I wouldn't say I was a fan of fantasy. I find the often vast amount of backstory and lore that one has to absorb to be, more often than not, well, a bit of a chore. Thankfully the author has retained his delicate touch and the backstory/lore is kept to a minimum. There are several very strange names to take in at the start, but once you know who is who you are good to go.

One thing I found a little odd, why the race for the dolls? They have no magical qualities, they have no intrinsic worth (unlike for example the crown jewels), and they don't appear to be the artefacts of state (unlike for example the orb and sceptre.) It's what Alfred Hitchcock would call a MacGuffin.

Personally I think I would have gone for a more snazzy title ala "A song of Fire and Ice" I think the title doesn't really convey the dynamism and intrigue of the book.

It's race for the crown, both physically and politically. There are three front runners, the son of the dead king, the brother of the dead king and the religious leader of the country. Although there a few other potential candidates lurking in the shadows. I loved this aspect. I find stories about power and the battle to get it, fascinating especially when it conflicts with the closest to you (The Godfather, Animal Farm etc.) There are rules, do you break them to achieve your goal? If so, when? What will be the consequences? Is destroying your family worth the cost of power? 

While the race for the dolls is carrying on, we also flash back to the palace where a more subtle battle is taking place. The Queen is attempting to save her and her son's political position, while fending off suitors and power hungry zealots. It reminded me a little of Penelope (the wife of Odysseus in Homer's Odyssey.)

The fantasy part is also intriguing. The author drip feeds these in periodically through out the book, each one is a new delight. There are people who can converse with birds (which is a great idea, it's like having a medieval cctv system), talking animals, witches, and legendary horses. 

The ensemble background cast is well drawn out too. Nobody seems to be a simple card board cut out, all have some depth and backstory (but not too much) about them. You don't just follow the main two characters. It all helps to create a fuller, more rounded picture in one's mind.

Overall, the author has created a very enjoyable entry level/ YA fantasy, chase/thriller. I can imagine a parent enjoying reading this to an older child and the child enjoying it even more.

If you like this you might like...

• The Chronicles of Narnia by CS Lewis
• The Hobbit by JRR Tolkein
• The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley

Selected Quotes..

"A fighting man needs to fight, when peace reigns, a fighting man is as disposable as a heavy coat in sunshine,"

"...unless I am drawn into the argument unwillingly, I will take no sides. Unless I am wronged, I have no reason to get involved in the tangled mess that an empty chair brings”.

"...it would bring little comfort to know her daughter’s killers were now dead, but, in grief, anger often sits near anguish and sadness."

"The soldier grinned, his black teeth revealing a life of bad choices and bad living."

"How the palace cheered him as he returned from battle, tired and in pain, bloodied and shocked, they cheered and waved. Some tapped his legs and feet as he rode by, praising his bravery and skill at taking another’s life, at widowing a poor woman and stealing a father from some unknown child. Kortince hated himself."

About the Author...

Darren is a hobbyist writer living in Swindon. He comes up with stories whilst driving to work and they niggle away at him, fleshing out details and characters until he has to write it down. He mostly reads crime and historical drama.  

A Pig Squeal at Midnight by Michael Thame

 

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Outline...

Based on real people and real events. A Pig's Squeal at Midnight tells the story of four young siblings (John, Tom, Chrissie and Mary) and their friend Philly as they evacuate from the slums of Liverpool to rural Shropshire. Here they meet Meg, whose parents become hosts for the evacuee girls. Initially Meg resents the intrusion but eventually they all become firm friends. As well as dealing with the impending war and being transplanted to an unfamiliar environment, the children become aware of a pig rustling operation and set out to find the culprits.

My Review...

This is the first children's book that I have reviewed (or even read) for decades, so I found it difficult to judge where to pitch my review. In the end I decided to review it as I would for an adult book. I gave it 3 stars. However I think a regular reviewer of children's books would probably have given it more. 

While there is a vast amount of TV Programmes, films and books about World War 2 there is not that much, comparatively speaking, in the mainstream about the evacuees. As an aside, I remember speaking to my dad and asking if his village had any evacuees. He said that they had a few, one of which grew up to be the singer Petula Clarke.😲 Anyway I digress, back to the book.

The characters of the children are engaging and sympathetic and you feel invested as they progress on their adventure. There are several simple sketch illustrations which are a great help in imagining the children and several locations in which the action takes place.

I felt the book fell into two areas. The first one is the operation to catch the pig thieves. It put me in mind of a boy's own or famous five adventure. The author is cunning in using this to draw child readers in with this and while doing so they cannot fail to take in the historical points of the evacuation and the war. Learning by stealth. I like it! Like blending the veg and hiding it in the yorkshire pud!

While the plot to catch the pig rustlers was engaging it was the second area (the historical context) that I found more intriguing, The change from industrial slums to the rural area is a huge culture shock for them. We begin the tale with the children  embarking on their journey into the unknown and I found the chapter where the children are massed in the school hall, not knowing where they are going, chaos all around quite moving. Even more so when you read that this is based on a true story.

In addition there is an appendix at the back of the book that gives some statistics on Operation Pied Piper (the evacuation of built up areas) The scale and pace of this is quite breathtaking. The Government of today could learn some lessons from decisiveness and organisation of the Government in pre war Britain.

This book is as an engaging, entertaining and educational tool for children and would sit well alongside titles like "Carrie's War" and "Goodnight Mr Tom,"

A Pig Squeal at Midnight is the first part of the Conyers Street Gang Series. Other titles include...

"GeeGee and the Germans"

"Spies, Lies and Dangerous Skies" and 

"Land of Dragons"

Selected Quotes...

"It was noisy in the hall, but it was serious, not fun. No one quite seemed to know what was going on, including the teachers and the parents.

"None of them really knew what poaching was to start with, and when Uncle Fred told them it was catching wild rabbits and shooting pheasants or ducks or whatever you could find, so that you could take it home and cook it, none of them understood why it was illegal."

"We don't have anything like this amount of food back in Liverpool. Mam and Pop can't afford it, or it's too rationed. The war doesn't seem to be happening here."

About the author...

Michael Thame was born in Kent in 1974 and it was a lightbulb moment 42 years later that would result in the Conyers Street Gang series of whodunits. It's a series that brings to life the real life childhoods of John, Tom, Chrissie and Mary Boden and their friends GeeGee and Philly Brown.

For decades Michael listened to his grandfather, Tom Boden, as he told of his time in the Liverpool Blitzes, as an evacuee and of his time in the Royal Navy. Michael committed these memories to paper for future generations of his family. This was the kernel from which the Conyers Street Gang would grow.

Today Michael lives in Didsbury Manchester and has two daughters.Whereas Tom Boden provided the inspiration, his daughters provide the motivation to keep going.