I met Dakota Kemp for his book signing at the Plains Pioneer Museum in Woodward OK. I'm always excited about young local talent pursuing their dreams. This book was surprising. It was like he took every single scifi and fantasy book he'd read and movie or tv show he'd ever watched and threw them all in a big trash can, shook it up REAL good, dumped it out on the floor, then made a story out of the pieces. AND he succeeded! He wove a very unique story out of the modge-podge mix. |
My only problem with this book was a bit of crude language and adult themes. It's definitely not something I'd feel comfortable reading with the children. It's also saturated with polytheism. I will probably read the rest of the series as he finishes it. I'm curious to see how he continues with it. Notoriously these young authors get better as they mature. I look forward to seeing how Dakota Kemp and his imagination grow through the years.
Description of "The Arrival": When a rash of mysterious and brutal attacks throughout the Hechani Sea shatters tenuous relations, the city-states erupt into a destructive war. Embroiled in the conflict, young Atian officer Kelvar Alexandros is determined to protect his men and his country in the looming trials, despite his growing concern that the enemy may not be as evil as he assumed.
Meanwhile, Mistress Telaine Le Fay, sorceress of Gothrond, is dispatched to investigate the hostilities. Her mission is to discover the roots of the conflict and negotiate a peace settlement. The situation proves unclear, however, and she finds herself inextricably tangled in a web of lies, desperately searching for an elusive truth.
Telaine’s past mentor, the excitable intellectual, Jax, has a problem of his own. His studies have led him to a discovery that could have dire consequences, and he is determined to discover if the threat he fears is indeed real.
In the desert sands of the Great Waste, an adventurous young man named Tor longs for something more than his mundane, everyday scramble for subsistence. Little does he know, Jarwulf, the infamous Blood Berserker from the north, and his mercenary band will soon arrive in his village – and sweep him off to a life he dared not even imagine.
Amidst the tide of darkness rising in Vrold, the only hope may be an unlikely alliance, but evil is rarely obvious. It is a subtle force hiding in plain sight, and the truth is hard to find when even heroes can fall prey to its malevolent will...
Meanwhile, Mistress Telaine Le Fay, sorceress of Gothrond, is dispatched to investigate the hostilities. Her mission is to discover the roots of the conflict and negotiate a peace settlement. The situation proves unclear, however, and she finds herself inextricably tangled in a web of lies, desperately searching for an elusive truth.
Telaine’s past mentor, the excitable intellectual, Jax, has a problem of his own. His studies have led him to a discovery that could have dire consequences, and he is determined to discover if the threat he fears is indeed real.
In the desert sands of the Great Waste, an adventurous young man named Tor longs for something more than his mundane, everyday scramble for subsistence. Little does he know, Jarwulf, the infamous Blood Berserker from the north, and his mercenary band will soon arrive in his village – and sweep him off to a life he dared not even imagine.
Amidst the tide of darkness rising in Vrold, the only hope may be an unlikely alliance, but evil is rarely obvious. It is a subtle force hiding in plain sight, and the truth is hard to find when even heroes can fall prey to its malevolent will...
Depths of the Imagination. Make sure to visit and learn a little more about this local author. He's a pretty neat guy! Kathryn Fogleman, Author of the Tales of the Wovlen series, has an interview of Dakota Kemp at her blog: Affiliate link: See our disclosure policy for details. | |