Happy New Year Everyone, I hope you had a lovely Christmas season. I had a beak over Christmas and New Year, but I'm starting off 2026 with a fascinating Arthurian fantasy:
THE DOOR, THE KEY, AND THE KINGDOM
by Emily-Jane Hills Orford
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GENRE: Arthurian Fantasy
BLURB:
Life is complicated enough when living in one era, but when Anne finds herself gravitating back in time to the sixth century, she’s not sure what to expect, or what to believe. Pulling the legendary Excalibur from its stoney sheath, she’s amazed at the power she possesses and the chance to make some things right for the post-Arthurian era.
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EXCERPT
They could see figures moving about, where presumably the castle had once stood. A hand raised to beckon them, a banner was swung back and forth. Sir Roderick answered with a wave. “It is your banner, my Queen, the one that led the men to this castle and the battle they must have endured.”
“I hope it is our men waving the
banner,” Merlin muttered as he nudged his horse forward, following
Sir
Roderick’s lead as he made his way carefully down the steep embankment. The
others followed, taking equal care on the steep descent. At the bottom, they
splashed through the rushing waters, blackened by the soot of the now
demolished castle. Though angry in its rush to cascade the rocks, the water
wasn’t deep. The others followed and, all soaked to the skin, made their ascent
on the opposite side. Sir Roderick displayed caution, placing his hand on the
sword’s hilt ready for action. The others copied. Merlin’s staff, perched as
before on his foot, glowed with reserved energy, ready to strike at the
wizard’s command.
There was a collective gasp amongst Anne’s group when they reined in at the riverbank. What lay before them was a blackened depression in the ground covering an area slightly larger than the layout of Gloucester Castle. There was nothing left of Tamworth, only charred, smoldering remains and this eerie looking hole in the ground.
“Oh my!” Anne sidled up to Merlin. “What do you suppose happened?”
“Probably the same thing that happened at Grenadier Falls,” Merlin responded blandly.
“A failsafe trip wire that affected both places and both eras?” Anne asked no one in particular. “What kind of magic did this wizard possess?”
“Very unholy, foul magic, my Queen,” Merlin growled under his breath. “Very evil.”
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REVIEW
I am fascinated by the Arthurian legends and this is an original twist on the legend of King Arthur and Camelot, the lead character being his daughter, who having been raised in the 21st century, finds herself transported back to the 6th, where she quickly has to adapt to being Arthur's heir and, with the help of Merlin and her valiant knights, protect the kingdom from the evil wizard who threatens to destroy it. The story is fast paced and I enjoyed the appearance of old favourites, like Merlin himself and Sir Galahad. The mixture of fantasy, time travel and a dash of science fiction is fresh and interesting. The book ended a little abrubtly, but was still a satisfying conclusion, although I would have happily read more. Sadly, I feel I have to drop a star for what I felt was a lot of 'telling rather than 'showing' which drew me out of the story at times, as did a number of spelling errors, most noticeably 'mote' for 'moat'. That said, I did enjoy the story and I'm sure it will appeal to anyone who enjoys an orginal addition to the legend of King Arthur, with a feisty, likeable heroine.
(four stars ****)
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AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Emily-Jane Hills Orford is a country writer, living just outside the tiny community of North Gower, Ontario, near Canada’s capital city of Ottawa. With degrees in art history, music and Canadian studies, the retired music teacher enjoys the quiet nature of her country home and the
inspiration of working at her antique Jane Austen-style spinet desk, feeling quite complete as she writes and stares out the large picture window at the birds and the forest. She writes in several genres, including creative nonfiction, memoir, fantasy, and historical fiction.~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GIVEAWAY INFORMATION
Emily-Jane Hills Orford will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner.
