Blog Archives
Freedom Boulevard
Freedom Boulevard, by Yusuf Blanton, is a raw, fast-moving novel about two people who arrive in Cordova looking for reinvention and instead find a city that tests every weak seam in their lives. Andy Blackwell comes west chasing music, nightlife, and queer belonging, admitting early on, “I was a rapper that yearned for recognition and a lost Queer in search of his proverbial tribe.” Sakeenah Bailey arrives with her own mix of fear, faith, ambition, and exhaustion, hoping the city might give her room to become someone new. Their stories unfold in alternating first-person chapters, giving the book the feel of two confessions running beside each other until their lives begin to rhyme in painful ways.
Cordova is the book’s real engine. Freedom Boulevard isn’t just a street full of clubs, motels, drugs, performers, creeps, hustlers, and neon. It’s a place that sells people the fantasy of freedom while charging them for every mistake they make. Blanton writes the city as a trap and a stage at the same time, where people come to be seen, to disappear, to make money, to get high, to pray, to perform, and to survive the night. The setting has a sweaty, lived-in quality, and the best scenes make you feel the cheap rooms, bad lighting, stale smoke, and nervous hope pressing in from every side.
Andy’s half of the novel follows an artist who wants recognition but keeps finding transactions where community should be. His world of clubs, promoters, hookups, landlords, clients, and empty promises is loud, funny, ugly, and increasingly dangerous. Sakeenah’s half is more inward but just as urgent. Her chapters wrestle with Islam, anxiety, family disappointment, weed, surveillance, abusive relationships, and the constant need to find shelter without losing herself. Together, they make the book feel less like a single plot and more like a map of two people trying to stay human in a city built to use them up.
Blanton’s style is big, profane, theatrical, and often funny in a bruised sort of way. The prose swings hard, sometimes piling image on image until the narration feels like a spoken-word performance, a panic attack, and a diary entry all at once. That intensity fits the characters, especially because both Andy and Sakeenah are trying to turn chaos into meaning. The book is full of sex, drugs, faith, poverty, ambition, and damage, but its deeper subject is storytelling itself: who gets reduced to a case file, who gets remembered, and who gets to turn pain into testimony.
Freedom Boulevard is a novel about survival as an act of authorship. Sakeenah’s journey gives the book its final shape, especially when she decides that “The pen was my new prayer mat and justice was my new singular aim.” That line captures what the novel is reaching for: not easy healing, but a way to make witness feel like purpose. It’s a harsh, messy, passionate book about people chasing freedom through places that rarely offer it cleanly, and it leaves behind the feeling of someone writing because silence would be another kind of death. I recommend this book to readers who like powerful, emotional stories about survival, resistance, and finding purpose through telling one’s truth.
Pages: 207 | ASIN : B0GSSR7FX4
Milo Savage and the Gargoyle Hunters – Dance of the Gargoyles
Dance of the Gargoyles by D.S. Quinton follows Milo Savage and his friends as they return to the gargoyle realm to rescue Gerty, Uncle Horace’s loyal sheepdog, who has been dragged toward the dangerous borderlands of Westworld. Their rescue mission tumbles into riddles, ghostly gargoyles, waking giants, Snarlok schemes, and a ticking clock tied to the mysterious Dance of the Gargoyles. It is the third book in the Milo Savage Series, and it carries the energy of a quest already in motion.
I enjoyed the book most when it leaned into its oddball inventiveness. Quinton has a knack for making danger feel elastic: a stone road becomes a tidal wave, a signpost becomes a trial of riddles, and the gargoyle realm seems to obey rules that are half magic and half mischievous engineering. The humor is broad enough for young readers, but it has a nimble and genuine quality that kept me smiling. Grimlo, Uncle Horace, Gorp, and the kids all bring a slightly different rhythm to the story, and that gives the adventure a lively, companionable clatter.
I enjoyed the way the book treats courage as something practical rather than grandiose. Milo and his friends are scared, confused, hungry, and frequently outmatched, but they keep moving. The friendship among the kids gives the story its ballast, especially when the realm becomes strange enough to unmoor them. I also liked that the book doesn’t sand off its weird edges; it lets the gargoyles be eerie, ceremonial, and funny all at once. That mixture gives the story its own unique sparkle.
This middle-grade fantasy is a children’s adventure and portal fantasy filled with magical creatures, gargoyles, and a friendship quest. Readers who enjoy the accessible wonder of The Chronicles of Narnia or the brisk, creature-filled adventures of Cressida Cowell will feel at home here, though Quinton’s world has a goofier, more gargoyle-haunted personality. The perfect audience is middle-grade readers who like fast-moving quests, enchanted creatures, riddles, and a little safe-creepy peril.
Pages: 140 | ASIN : B0GHPNJ96L
Geographical Quirks
The Strains of Malice follows a 15-year-old girl baker’s daughter in Ghantiss, who is pursued by authorities after rescuing an ill-fated dog from a bloodsport ring. Where did the idea for this novel come from?
Emilya (the baker’s daughter) is just one of many character threads, which cover royalty, miners, druids, astronomers, gladiators, naval captains – and a baker’s daughter! I wanted to start the story with Emilya so that it begins grounded in ordinary folk – but who soon have the misfortune to cross paths with the entitled elite.
As for the idea for the novel, I sat down in December 2019 and designed my world first. Next came an outline of what was originally intended to be a five-book series, with a catastrophic event right at the end. Alongside this, I began creating the characters, and that was when Emilya and her pathway through the book was established. I even created timelines for my main ten POV characters, all mapped together a bit like a Gantt chart!
I then started designing the secrets of the world of Thera – and which will be revealed in a book called Decoding the Hidden World of Thera, which I plan to release at around the same time that Books Three and Four in The Nessemiah series are released. Only two other people know about these secrets, and they are bursting with impatience for the cat to be let out of the bag!
Finally, just to clarify, The Nessemiah is now a four-book series that only covers what was originally intended to occur in Books One and Two of the five-book series I planned back in 2019! The final three volumes of that story will now form the sequel series to The Nessemiah!
As the opening book of a series, what did you most want readers to understand about this world in the first installment?
It was important that the world of Thera itself should be slowly revealed in Book One, along with the pending catastrophe that ultimately ends the series. Thera is a world of some ancient mystery and interesting geographical quirks that I loved creating and slowly begin to reveal in Book One. Indeed, one reviewer who was being very generous about the depth of my human characters declared that Thera itself is almost a character in its own right. That said, there is nothing fantastical about Thera. There are no dragons, elves, magical powers or thousand-year-old prophecies waiting to be revealed/fulfilled. It is a hard, gritty world, for which the publisher uses the strapline, “Poldark meets Gladiator…on another world.” That is very apt.
The strapline refers to the temperate polar islands which resemble British regency times, and the brutal Theran Empire further south, which is a throwback to Ancient Rome. These are two cultures which are destined to collide, but which are currently kept apart by one of my favourite geographical quirks!
It is also worth adding that many reviewers have picked up on the depth and quality of my world-building, given the book is front-loaded with detailed maps, layouts of monasteries, explanations of geographical features, temperature charts, the daily and monthly cycles, and even Thera’s solar system. This is all important information that is going to come significantly into play as the four-book story unfolds.
Where did you get the inspiration for Prince Magnus’s traits and dialogue?
Every book needs at least one villain. Mine has several – hence The Strains of Malice. But Magnus does seem to be everyone’s favourite. I guess he must be a little bit of every nasty villain I’ve ever read about myself, from several thousand novels. Of course, his traits and dialogue have been dictated by his privileged upbringing: entitled, never been disciplined, and can do whatsoever he pleases with whomsoever he pleases. And, of course, he does!
I can tell you that he was an absolute joy to write! I suppose if I were to be pushed on an inspiration, it would have to be A Song of Ice and Fire. There have been review comparisons to Prince Joffrey, but as one wise reviewer pointed out recently, Joffrey was still boy, albeit an incredibly cruel one; Prince Magnus is very much a man – and far darker than Joffrey. Maybe there’s a bit of Cersei in him as well, if that makes sense? But not Jaime Lannister; there is absolutely no good in my Prince Magnus!
As for the dialogue, I guess he is very British. But again, he isn’t cliché’d. As one reviewer recently said, “He does not monologue. He does not twirl his cape. He is simply a man who has never once in his life been told that his desires have consequences.”
I suppose that if there is one character from literature for whom there is perhaps a fair likeness to Prince Magnus, it would be a certain character from my childhood called Count Grendel of Gracht – and you would have to go all the way back to 1978 to find out who he is! I hated him, back in the day, and I think he must have hidden in my subconscious for over forty years before covertly embedding himself into The Strains of Malice!
Can you give readers a glimpse inside Book 2 of The Nessemiah?
Book Two of The Nessemiah, Cold Sanctuary, is essentially a continuation of the various plights of all of the POV characters introduced in Book One, but with the threat of Nessemi becoming ever-more real as their storylines progress and The Event draws nearer. I also significantly ramp up events in the supercontinent of Epanaga, with brutal gladiatorial fighting pits taking centre stage alongside Emperor Calidius’ Expurgatio – a cruel and callous purge of various demographics of Theran society in preparation for the arrival of Nessemi.
Pretty much every reviewer has stated that Cold Sanctuary is better, deeper and darker than The Strains of Malice, and reviews so far have been out of this world – with most reviewers desperate for Books Three and Four. Happily, they will both be released shortly.
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Is anywhere on Thera safe from Nessemi? Or the hell that lies beyond?
“I’m afraid there are good and bad everywhere, Emilya. It’s a fact of life that wherever you look, there are strains of malice.”
Fifteen-year-old baker’s daughter, Emilya Luca, is in serious trouble with the Glennadian Crown. Her crime: to prevent a small dog from being torn apart by hounds belonging to the callous Prince Magnus. Having been rescued by former naval captain, Jake Oscom, the unlikely pair become fugitives, hunted across Glennad – initially for cruel sport but latterly after Oscom is framed for a heinous crime committed by Magnus himself.
Elsewhere, in a world with unusual geographical quirks and subtle energy lines, hardships endure for a close-knit community of miners and unimaginable foul play befalls a Glennadian princess – but these trials pale into insignificance compared to what northern astronomers have just discovered. Four hundred leagues south, in the ancient city of Thera, the cruel eyes of Calidius Antoninus Dominius have seen the same thing – but to him it merely expedites his imperial ambitions and presents a justified opportunity to brutally murder thousands of his subjects.
You Can’t Take Peace For Granted
In The Theft of The Silver Helmet, a man struggles to bring unity among clans in order to defeat an evil earl who is hellbent on destroying everyone and everything in his path. How did the idea for this second book in the series evolve?
The Godron and Calton clans were living in peace and harmony after settling their differences. Originally they were descended from a Viking clan and a new earl casts his eyes on their rich lands due to a drought that has destroyed his crops. The idea behind the story was the fact that we cannot take peace in the world today for granted as other forces still attempt to dominate weaker peace-loving peoples.
I find Stenfeld the Red to be a fascinating character. What was the inspiration for his traits and dialogue?
The inspiration for the character of Stenfeld the Red comes from the situation in the world in the past and right down to the present time. Through the years there has always been despots who have attempted to force their rule on an unwilling people. He is an example of this type of tyrant.
When you first sat down to write this story, did you know where you were going, or did the twists come as you were writing?
I started off by writing a ten-page outline of the events leading up to the theft of the silver helmet and the eventual battle. However, the story took its own pathway when I got into the nitty-gritty of writing the manuscript. Possibly, in common with a lot of authors, I try to visualise that I am watching a movie.
Can readers look forward to Book 3? If so, where does the story go?
Book 3 is at the initial re-writing stage and is the final part of the trilogy. It is entitled ‘The Silver Helmet The Final Battle’. It centres on the defeated Vikings returning to their homeland led by the wise advisor Magnus who desires to be the new earl in a more peaceful dispensation. There is seething anger amongst the younger element of this clan who feel that their clan is now a disgrace to the Viking race. An ambitious young warrior, who hero worshipped Stenfeld the Red, steps forward to plunge the known world into war armed with a new deadly weapon to match the power of the silver helmet. He snatches the earldom from Magnus and decrees that the wise man will need to be eradicated. However, with the help of close allies in the settlement Magnus escapes to find refuge and help from his former enemies namely the Godrons and Caltons.
However, a new threat appears on the horizon in the form of a mighty Viking force from the Stalanger Fjord led by an evil earl, Stenfeld the Red. When drought destroys the crops in his fields the earl casts his envious eyes towards the prosperous people that were cast out many generations ago. He plans a full-scale invasion.
The Silver helmet has been stolen by agents of the earl and now armed with his own mystical golden axe he is coming to wipe out everyone in his way, Only one man can stop him, the Zhanna but this time he must unite the clans, and fight the Vikings that were once his kin.
The Theft of the Silver Helmet
In The Theft of the Silver Helmet, author George Lyttle returns readers to the richly imagined world of gods and Vikings first explored in his fantasy adventure, The Silver Helmet. This sequel unfolds many years after the events of the first book, immersing us in a realm where the Calton clan, now led by Saven, and the Gordons, under Caxson’s leadership, face a new threat. The plot centers around their sons, Savenar and Marco, who find themselves entangled in a sinister plot orchestrated by the ambitious Viking Earl Stenfeld the Red. Intent on conquest, Stenfeld initiates the theft of the eponymous Silver Helmet and acquires a formidable weapon from his god, Tyr, setting the stage for an epic conflict.
The narrative weaves through multiple character perspectives, showcasing Lyttle’s skill in handling a diverse cast and intricate subplots. This approach enhances the story’s appeal, making it accessible and engaging even for younger readers. The author’s treatment of the antagonist, Stenfeld, is noteworthy for its depth and realism, grounding the fantastical elements with a portrayal of his personal life that adds complexity to his villainous role. The novel initially presents a vibrant tapestry of perspectives and characters, creating a richly layered world that gracefully evolves into a coherent and captivating narrative.
As the story progresses towards its climax, the pacing varies, lending a dynamic rhythm to the unfolding events, with some moments briskly propelling the plot forward and others allowing for deeper engagement with the characters and their journey. The story culminates in a climactic battle, concluding with a resolution that thoughtfully addresses the aftermath of conflict. The novel imparts a meaningful lesson on the practicality of kindness over vengeance, a theme that resonates powerfully through the story’s conclusion.
Suitable for middle-grade readers, fans of the first book and newcomers alike will find The Theft of the Silver Helmet a compelling addition to Lyttle’s series, offering a blend of adventure, intrigue, and fantasy that is both familiar and fresh.
Pages: 222 | ASIN : B0CLJ3S44Z
