Shorter Journeys

Shorter Journeys by David Calder
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What short strange trips these are! God pays a cash reward for attempting to prevent John Denver from crashing. A backpacking chemist finds the fountain of youth at Machu Picchu. Skeletons in a family’s closet, the historic tale of the plight of some Russian Jews in wartime Poland, a story of the road not taken, throw in some time travel and a beer delivery driver who is haunted on the highway and you have an idea what lies within this diverse anthology.

There is humor, history, mystery, heart and depth. David Calder writes with clean flowing prose and plumbs his fertile imagination to exploit his vast knowledge base to his readers’ delight. These nine stories cover the entire spectrum of genres, and geography from Australia to Utah by way of Peru. It is clear that Kiwi/American, David Calder, has both a great data base of experience to call upon, and the skill to express it in an entertaining way. Do yourself a favor and take these Shorter Journeys.


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More of Hengest and Horsa

A Warlord's Bargain by Chris Thorndycroft
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

In book two of Chris Thorndcroft’s trilogy, Hengest and Horsa have relocated to the British Isles where the power vacuum of post-Roman Britain creates a world run by warrior chieftains and petty kings who enrich themselves by sanctioning piracy and extracting tribute, which is right up our heroes’ alley. However, the mantle of Christianity having been left by the Romans shines a disapproving light on the pagans from the continent, but Hengest and Horsa are able to arrive at a fragile truce with the powerful Vitalinus to fight as mercenaries against the Picts in return for control over a large swath of territory. As part of this negotiation Vitalinus insists on marrying Hengest’s young daughter who doesn’t like the idea at all, and she has the means to do something about it.

Mr. Thorndycroft’s knowledge of his subject is vast. The scene settings and historical references carry the reader right into the fifth century. The story line follows several routes and leads the us to the edge of a cliff. At least this reader will be forced to the final installment to discover how all these things unravel. A Warlord’s Bargain is a feast for the imagination.


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