About A Strange Place in Time Book II: The White Palace Awakens
Written by Alyx J. Shaw
131 pages / 54000 words
ISBN: 978-1-60370-456-4, 1-60370-456-6
Available file types - html, lit, pdf, prc
The White Palace has risen, and now John Arrowsmith, his thief lover Infamous, and the rest of the gang from A Strange Place in Time must defeat a growing conspiracy and an ancient adversary. As John learns to use his own powers as Court Seer, he and the Court learn of a plot that their old enemy, SkullDigger, is concocting to finally defeat them.
With allies among John's own Earth-bound family, and many others along the way, SkullDigger mounts attack after attack, which test John and his friends to the limit of their abilities. Will John and his friends, who include a pet duck, be able to fend off the forces that conspire against them?
Review
Mychael Black, author of the Breakdown series, writes: A Strange Place in Time II picks up right where book one left off, and from there, hold onto your seat cause you’re in for one hell of a wild ride!
John Arrowsmith has settled in quite well with his new life as the Seer, even acquiring a pet duck. His primary job is to, well, see, namely things far removed. What he can’t see, and what his friends and lover can’t figure out, is why the White Palace has risen from its slumber beneath the earth. As they all return to their places within the White Palace’s court, things don’t bode well for Arrowsmith and his friends. Between assassination plots left and right, old friends returning, and secrets becoming known, Arrowsmith and the others from Two-Fifty-Mile-House have their hands quite full.
If you liked A Strange Place in Time I, you will absolutely, positively LOVE book two! But I warn you: keep a tissue handy. And no, you won’t be crying from heartache; you’ll be laughing so hard, you can’t see the screen in some places.
Alyx Shaw has the most amazing ability to weave a true fantasy tale, but it’s her sense of humor that really shines in this one. There were far too many points to name that had me laughing out loud, but one in particular shines through. Blackbird, for reasons you’ll read, dresses as a biker. John and Misty’s reactions are… Well… Just see:
Blackbird had no business wearing leather.
“What?” demanded the tiny mage with heated indignity. Arrowsmith, tears streaming down his face, fell backwards off the steps and landed in a heap outside, still laughing. The 89-pound Hell’s Angel followed him.
“You’re the one who said I had to dress like this!”
Arrowsmith screamed with laughter, unable even to stand as the Wizard-King of Dargoth, all four feet eleven inches of him, faced him. His tiny body was rigid with indignity, little fists clenched inside the black leather riding gloves. The jeans and T-shirt, which he had shrunk down to fit him, only succeeded in accentuating how thin and fragile he was. The bulky black leather jacket with its chains and studs, as well as the heavy boots, likewise did nothing to improve the picture. The chaps were just hilarious. He looked like the world’s meanest twelve-year-old girl.
See? This is the perfect example of Alyx Shaw’s brilliant sense of humor. So if you enjoy fantasy, and especially if you liked book one in this series, you MUST read A Strange Place in Time II.
Sample
Arrowsmith awoke to the gentle sound of rain falling outside the barred window of his cell. His back ached viciously from having slept on the floor, and he sat up slowly, carefully. He was the only one in the room, and the quiet around him was a little frightening. He wondered if they were going to leave him there to starve to death, and if they had done anything to Harley. However, his wondering was interrupted when a guard came to let him out.
"Well, good morning, Lord Seer," she said. "I trust you slept well?"
Arrowsmith stared at her sourly. "So I say one dumb thing. Is this going to haunt me forever?"
"Quite likely," she said. "But drunk and foolish is only good for one night in the dungeon. You can go now."
"No, I can't. Where's Harley?"
"Harley?" she asked as she drew a large iron key from her pocket. She unlocked the heavy wooden door. "Is that your Dwarf friend?"
"Harley's my motorcycle; what have you done with him?"
"Oh. Well, the machine was sent over to the Court of the City, where a judge will decide whether or not to have it destroyed."
Arrowsmith froze. "Destroyed?" he said, his heartbeat becoming fast and irregular. "Harley? Destroyed?" He tried hard to control his breathing, but he felt as though he was going to choke. "You can't hurt that bike. Please don't hurt my bike."
"That is not something I have any control over. The judge will decide whether it is a magical device or technical. If it is technical, it will be taken apart and melted down."
"You can't do that!" he screamed. "You have no damn right to decide what people can and cannot own! You sure as hell got no damn right to melt down my fucking motorcycle. Let me the fuck out of here; where is this judge? I gotta save my baby."
"Two floors down and right across the street. I don't recommend you do anything foolish; we have cells far darker and much less clean than this one."
"Yeah, well, if that bastard kills my Harley, then I don't give a shit where you put me."
She let him out, but as Arrowsmith ran out of the cell and down the narrow stone stairs, he noticed that she was right behind him. That was fine; he might need her to prevent him from killing a judge.
Neither the building nor Harley were very hard to find. Harley sat regally in the street, red and gold paint gleaming wetly in the light spring rain. The sun was peeking nervously through the clouds, causing his paint to reflect the brilliant light. A small crowd of people had gathered around him and seemed to be discussing the bike. Arrowsmith charged into the midst of the crowd, stopping near Harley in a protective stance.
"Nobody is taking my bike," he said to no one in particular.