ARA Review by Brendag of Medieval Gwennic and other Creatures of Corfe

[Brendag]

[Following is an OnlineBookClub.org ARA Review of the book, Medieval Gwennic and other Creatures of Corfe.]

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4 out of 5 stars

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John Parten's Medieval Gwennic and other Creatures of Corfe enters the realm of magical fantasy novels that have come about over the past hundred or so years, but with a unique twist: Rarely does the reader get whisked away to 10th century England.

Parten tells the story of a "magic-user" named Gwennic, whose kindness and healing powers pull her through numerous adventures--including her several escapes from death. Gwennic is entrusted to protect King Aethelstan of Wessex's heir to the throne. England's West Country is plagued by a cannibalistic group of creatures called pugs, who threaten to destroy all of the villages around Corfe Castle, as well as the castle, itself.

The author writes such amazing visual description in Gwennic; the reader can see the Pugs trying to break down the castle keep. The scenes of the Trial by Tactics is like a Medieval version of a Virtual Reality game, courtesy of the magical ability of the Games Master to project the activity on the game board to the masses in attendance.

Though Gwennic had this reviewer riveted, I will rate it will four stars out of five. There are so many events in this story, it's sometimes hard to follow the thread. Events that appear to be the book's rising action are soon replaced by other episodes. The book has some inconsistencies, as well. The pugs, in the beginning, speak a bit like J.R.R. Tolkien's Golem character. By about the middle of the book, however, they sound somewhat French or Italian.

This book would appeal to any reader who enjoys fantasy and historical fiction. I hope to see more from John Parten in the near future.

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