July 2022 Indie Book Reviews

July 2022 Indie Book Reviews by Joseph Poopinski

Embers of Fate
By Michele Quirke
Romance Blossoms at Riverside Laundromat
4 stars

Embers of Fate is a Pagan boy meets Christian girl in the days of knights story. Michele Quirke’s runaway princess Elizabeth has a chance encounter with a heathen prisoner with whom she, if Fate has her way, will fall in love despite their differing faiths. There’s plenty of other obstacles including a curse, abounding treachery, her grumpy brother & an affluent rival suitor. All the characters’ interesting & distinctive personalities fuel lively banter & dynamic dialogue, which illustrates often complicated motivations, justifies various viewpoints behind their disagreements & makes the promised romantic connections. Sparks start flying between Elizabeth & Matthias after they get to know one another better while patronizing the Riverside Laundromat daily. Especially fortuitous, concerning all the spoilers drama which I shall not describe, is how Pagans normally wash their clothing in the evenings; they have the whole scenic place to themselves every morning. My favorite takeaways from Embers of Fate: The sloper for sloping date (Get on, Baby, we’re going sloping!), the humorous case of pseudo-mistaken identity in the healer’s hut, a perfectly suspenseful buildup to a dangerous situation at the chicken coup, some nuanced investigations into misunderstandings & reality’s unfairness, and a timely message of inclusion, tolerance & morality.

Afterlands: After the Return
By Boots
Save the Whiptails
4 stars

The ragtag gang of lovable Afterlands’ misfits witness a tragedy unfold along the town’s beach. An enormous jellyfish-like creature, an adult whiptail, has beached itself & gives up its ghost. Rowdy citizens drain the whiptail of its bile-like fluid they use for fuel or sell due to its scarcity & value. When the coast is clear our heroes pay their respects to the gentle giant. Using scientific methodology, Nix examines the corpse then contrasts those findings with the anatomy of juvenile whiptails to make an amazing hypothesis. After a few encouraging developments, a sucky invention & the purchase of a seaworthy vessel, they embark to save the whiptails!

Although Nix & Captain Ahab both have false legs, whereas the latter has obsession & animosity, the former has curiosity & appreciation for the ocean’s leviathans. Instead of whaling they go all out Greenpeace! Luckily, their initial foray succeeds: With teamwork they heal a very sick adult whiptail from high pressure symptoms (if not from whatever mysterious disease causes the fluid buildup). After they’ve vacuumed the excess juice from the whiptail’s head, it thanks its doctors with a joyful & heartwarming celebration (perfectly captured by one suburb illustration)! Their enterprising adventure’s spoils should bring them sudden wealth, but alas only drama. Overall, After the Return continues the whimsical, charming saga of four spirited questors proving to themselves & each other that they are gifted & capable enough to surmount their various issues & flaws and personal biases & bad habits; to succeed as existential beings despite internal or external conflict. It’s a tour de force of navigating life’s mazes with patience (if not understanding), cooperation (if not love) & a pinch of letting go (without forgetting).