David M Staniforth

Classic fantasy here - the third book in a trilogy and I've enjoyed every one!

Elemental Cascade

Amazon .com Elemental Cascade

My review - 

We first met Davran in Fuel to the Fire, the first of this trilogy. As with all trilogies, you really need to have read the first two books to know who the characters are and what their relationship is to each other. This book is the archetypal battle between good and evil and there remains the possibility that many, even most, will die. This book is a gift for lovers of the dragon! They exist in number and variety and play a significant role.

David Staniforth has a gift for description and I’ve enjoyed this aspect of all his fantasy works. He is also skilled in writing the sort of villain you love to hate. You will find both in here and a plot which will leave you on tenterhooks to the very end. Excellent stuff!

David Staniforth

This is the first of a new fantasy series by David Staniforth.  There are two books in his Fuel to the Fire series and he is writing a third.  Alloria is a new venture.

Alloria - Labyrinth of Labyrinths

Amazon .com Alloria - Labyrinth of Labyrinths

My review -

This charming fantasy tale is the story of a 10 year old girl named Alloria and her friend Nathan who get lost in a labyrinth between worlds and come out somewhere they don’t expect. They meet a fearsome looking man, become captured by a wizard who drains his power from children and they manage to help Alloria’s adoptive parents who have been attacked and left for dead. There is magic here and strange creatures, some helpful, some vicious. I enjoyed the ‘quest’ style tale and following the story from one world to another. 

David Stanforth has a way with words and some of his descriptions of the worlds his creations inhabit are absorbing and inspiring. He can draw an attractive character who is overwhelmingly ugly, yet his baddies are totally obnoxious. One, Glebester, is so vile I shudder when reading the wonderful descriptions. I’ve always had a soft spot for fantasy and I love the fact that Alloria’s power is described as coming from the love she received growing up. You can feel her caring and the strength she and others draw from it. It brings up the old nature/nurture question as Alloria inherits from one set of parents but is brought up by another. It’s a great concept and I know that the end of the book will not be the end of the series! Great. Bring it on!

David M Staniforth

This is the second in David's Fuel to the Fire fantasy series.  I've enjoyed them both immensely.

Ruler's Desire (Fuel to the Fire)

Amazon.com  Ruler's Desire (Fuel to the Fire)

My review -

We are once again in the twin worlds we entered in Fuel to the Fire and the barrier between them is weakening, potentially allowing evil to swamp and totally overwhelm good. Davran, the girl brought up disguised as a boy, is pivotal in fulfilling an old prophecy. She returns to her `dark' world with Ronyn, her dragon trainer friend, to her family who thought she was dead. She needs to persuade the downtrodden people that hatred is fuelling the Ruler Saurian's power, and they must refuse to hate. Unfortunately, Saurian manipulates them and tries to persuade Davran to fall in love with him and rule with him. The story builds to a great climax and there are enough dangling threads to ensure that David Staniforth will be able to continue this tale into at least another book.

The writing contains some clever and powerful imagery, lovely descriptions and a thoughtful take on love, hatred, power and manipulation in ruling and swaying a people. I was particularly taken by the concept of The Unfortunates, those who are not truly, peacefully dead, because they took their own lives. There is much debate about whether fighting justly in a hopeless cause is actually suicide. You can't win, but you haven't despaired. Saurian uses the fear of becoming an Unfortunate as a tool to oppress the people; to prevent their rebellion. I have really enjoyed both these books in the Fuel to the Fire series. I would heartily recommend them to anyone who enjoys thoughtful and beautifully written fantasy tales.

David M Staniforth

This is the first of a potential series - there's another out at the moment.  Well worth a read for the fantasy fan.

Fuel to the Fire

Amazon.com  Fuel to the Fire

My review - 
This is the story of a girl on the brink of womanhood in a world where pretty girls are taken as sexual playthings by the ruler whose taste leans towards torture and murder. Her parents have disguised her as a boy. She makes her way into a parallel world where she finds a more loving environment amongst a family who have historically always been dragon trainers. To prevent evil overtaking both worlds, she has to go back - on a black dragon, the most dangerous.

The story is interesting and imaginative; it's written using some lovely language and I found it very enjoyable. There was some good descriptive writing - I found the dragon fight absolutely gripping and had to grit my own teeth as the dragon's were damaged! There are some characters here with considerable depths - the despotic ruler's assistant; the Keeper, Hesperus, whose role I don't fully understand; the Miller who was once a Dragon Trainer. If you're a lover of a good, imaginative fantasy tale, you'll enjoy this story. There's at least one sequel and I can see it won't be long before I read that too.