Tucker Littlefield is a liar, a thief, a con-man . In an attempt to take advantage of a party thrown by the King, he becomes involved in a kidnapping – the King’s niece, Elizabeth, to be exact. Because of his fear of the dark as well as heights, and a good many other things, he finds himself stabbed and bleeding to death. To save him, a Shaman for the Jonda – Daneba – turns him into a soul bearer … bearer for the Kindred. In an effort to find Lizie, Littlefield finds the Norha instead and their leader Tahki – a cannibalistic tribe the lives under a volcano that will leave no stone unturned to find Lizie. Littlefield is blackmailed into her recovery. Will the help of his companion, Enon, help them save Lizie…and themselves?
“Transformed by a primitive magic beyond a civilized man’s understanding, I was given a horrible gift that no man should possess… It held me, twisted me, turning me at its bidding. I was enslaved by its power, compelled to devour the souls of the dead until I became the monster of my fears. I have seen things I wish never to see again. I have done things of which I wish never to speak. Yet I must if I am to find the answers to fulfill my hope. I have walked upon blue ribbons of molten stone to peer into the depth of a man’s soul. I watched as a promise made at birth brought my friend Enon to sacrifice everything to become whole again – all in an effort to save the life of his child. I have cried without shame for the loss of all I hold dear and for fear that the future will hold more than I can bear. I am Tucker Littlefield. Know all that I say now is true-spoken.”
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3.5 stars
“The Gift” by Tegon Maus is the first book in ‘The Chronicles of Tucker Littlefield’ series and features Tucker as he becomes embroiled in a desperate rescue attempt aimed at retrieving the queen’s young niece who has been kidnapped. Forced into close proximity with a primitive Jonda, Enon Tutelo, and his fearsome dog, Tucker manages to fumble his way through quite a few adventures, some of which net him far more responsibilities than he ever dreamed of coping with and which may prove fatal if he doesn’t find a way to control them.
This madcap fantasy story is full of exciting and sometimes gory adventures. One is taken on a whirlwind adventure where something is constantly going wrong and it is sometimes difficult to tell friend from foe. I love the imaginative situations (not so fond of the weird rituals that involve so much pain and gore) and the intense devotion between some of the characters, but I didn’t feel that I really got to know any of the characters or establish a rapport with them. I have lots of questions that remain unanswered, including why there is such antipathy toward the Jonda and why the kidnap victim was so essential to certain rituals.
The story-in-a-story technique was a nice twist, but it would have been helpful to get a clearer look at the world and learn how all of the people interconnect. This book is a great showcase of the author’s fertile imagination and I hope that the second book in the series ties some of the loose ends up even as it continues to awe and entertain those following Tucker’s adventures.
A copy of this title was provided for review
This book is filled with action, adventure, intrigue, mystery, suspense, and a dash of romance!
This book focuses on the kidnapping of the King’s niece, Elizabeth, often also referred to as “Lizie,” and “Izie,” in the book. Enon Tutelo, a Jonda, and Tucker Littlefield, were both guests at the Palace during the birthday party when seven-year-old Elizabeth was taken. Jonda are like giants and are considered to be outsiders and monsters. Enon and his magical dog, Noget, were protecting the Royal Family when a group of Jonda’s had actually crashed the birthday party, beat up and slayed guards, and had made their way towards the Royal Family. Tucker had tried to help and intervene with protecting Lizie, but he was beaten and left unconscious. When he comes to, he learns of the tragic news that the Jonda’s kidnapped Lizie and used her as a human shield to escape. Also, that the King’s right hand, Chancellor Grimwell has convinced the King that ALL the Jonda are responsible, including Enon, who protected the King and his family. The King gave Chancellor Grimwell full responsibility to do as he pleases in order to get Lizie back. Therefore, he has enacted that all Jonda are to be arrested or killed on sight if they resist until Lizie is returned home safely.
Tucker is blackmailed into finding Lizie by Lizie’s nanny, Governess Eloise. She promises Tucker that if he brings Elizabeth home safely, he will never have to work another day in his life. Tucker is given the King’s personal horse, Escalan. He is also given a letter that states he on King’s business and is to have an open-ended supply of money and authority and to be treated in this high regard. Tucker heads to Bridgehaven where he is to meet up with Enon and start on a very dangerous adventure to find and rescue Lizie. While on the search they come across many threatening and menacing creatures that try to stop Tucker and Enon from saving Lizie.
There are a few plot twists and a surprising traitor involved in Elizabeth’s kidnapping – a shocking betrayer that even I didn’t see coming! So much excitement that you definitely don’t want to miss out on!
This book has a creative storyline, a detailed writing style, interesting characters, is fast paced, and keeps you entertained.
I think most people will have a love/hate relationship with the main character, Tucker. I think they will find him off-putting, pompous, and arrogant at first. Tucker is a thief, a cheat, a coward, a liar, and a con-man. But as you spend more time with him and get to know him better, I think he’ll slowly start to win you over. I am curious to see if that attitude will continue over the course of the other books in the series or if he’ll go back to his old ways. As far as Enon goes, he is kind, caring, and protective. However, even though an adult his language skills are more like a young, uneducated child. It was occasionally annoying reading his broken-up sentences that were more like a bunch of childish words randomly thrown together. I also enjoyed the supporting characters as each one brought something unique to the story.
There is a lot going on in this book and surprisingly it’s only 120 pages via eBook! Unfortunately, the amount of content was so jam-packed and overloaded that it had to quickly jump from scene-to-scene in order to make room for everything to fit. This made for some scenes to seem choppy and not fully developed, like they were quickly rushed through so that the next scene could take place. However, with this book having so much detail it also didn’t allow for much lag time or for the reader to have a chance to find a slow-paced scene as the book just kept going from big moment to the next big moment without catching a breath in-between.
Unfortunately, I think that the worldbuilding wasn’t as strong and powerful as it needed to be. I think this was mostly because the book was on the shorter end and everything seemed rushed. There was barely any time for the storyline, plot points, character development, character arc, etc., let alone time for creating a setting and worldbuilding. At 120 pages there just wasn’t enough space to do the worldbuilding justice. I think what the author started building definitely held promise and showed skills that he held the talent and capabilities of generating such designs if given enough pages to follow through.
This book genre is marketed as a fantasy, action/adventure book and yet the author found a way to throw in mystery, intrigue, suspense, and romance elements into the book. It definitely added a fascinating extra component to the story!
There are some predictable scenes. However, there are still a few very unexpected twists and turns that you won’t see coming!
This book is book one of The Chronicles of Tucker Littlefield Book Series. This book can absolutely be read as a standalone.
All in all, I enjoyed reading this book and would absolutely recommend it! I think all fantasy, action, and adventure readers will like this book too! So, add it to your TBR List and get to reading – you won’t be disappointed!
**Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book and have voluntarily provided an honest, and unbiased review in accordance with FTC regulations.**