Solemn Vows by Don Gutteridge (Book Review)

From the back page:

“It’s a steamy June in Toronto, 1836, Lieutenant Marc Edwards has again found himself sitting atop a lit powder keg in more ways than one. A prominent politician has been assassinated, and in their haste to catch the killer, Marc, and his troops are responsible for the death of an innocent local man. Making matters even worse, Marc may have accidentally gotten himself engaged to the wrong woman, while the right woman still won’t answer his letters.

“In order to track down the real assassin, Edwards joins forces with Constable Cobb of the newly created Toronto police force. Cobb’s methods are somewhat different from Marc’s; and investigations always end up in the local tavern, where it seems everyone knows far too much about Marc’s romantic entanglements.

“Between keeping track of Cobb, solving the murder, and extricating himself from his accidental engagement, Marc Edwards will be pushed to his limit once more.”


Solemn Vows is the second novel in the Marc Edwards Mystery series set in a historical era that I’ve posted about. Despite not having read the first book, Turncoat, the story had enough detail from the previous one to carry forward. The background of the plot covers the conflicts between the British government and the population, namely farmers and merchants, seeking to resolve grievances over taxes, roads and schools.

Sir Francis Bond Head, the new Lieutenant-Governor, takes some underhanded methods to keep the British government as the ruling force by disbanding the Assembly prior to calling elections. Marc Edwards as his camp-de-aide has concerns over his ethics while trying to be honest. Edwards is assigned to find the murderer of the politician as well as the writer behind anti-government sentiments in the local paper run by William Lyon Mackenzie.

As the story unfolded I began to like this character, Marc Edwards, despite being upstaged by the Toronto cop “Horatio Cobb”. Through Cobb’s investigative talents via frequenting the local taverns for gossip, it is determined that the assassin of the politician was hired.

Edwards feeling spurned by Beth Smallman’s failure to respond to his letters, he accepts the affections of Eliza Dwight-Smythe, niece to a prosperous wine entrepreneur. Despite the new feelings towards Eliza, Edwards discovers the old ones for Beth haven’t quite disappeared.

There were a few areas of concern when Edwards didn’t take back up when he responded to urgent messages, but that allowed the author to set him up. However, despite this there were many comedic romantic and social events to lighten the story and made for excellent reading. The ending came action packed with a satisfying conclusion and a good chuckle.

I hope Don Gutteridge continues to write more about Horatio Cobb in future books in the series, and I look forward to reading the next novel Vital Secrets.

Don Gutteridge taught English at the Faculty of Education, University of Western Ontario, before starting the Marc Edwards mystery series.

Review copy provided by Anneliese Grosfeld.

Book format: Trade paperback, 320 pages
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Canada
Available: January 2011
Also available in eBook

Chapters.Indigo.ca

Amazon.ca

Heartsone by C J Sansom (Book Review)

From inside cover flap:

“Summer, 1545.

“England is at war. Henry VIII's invasion of France has gone badly wrong, and a massive French fleet is preparing to sail across the Channel. As the English fleet gathers at Portsmouth, the country raises the largest militia army it has ever seen. The King has debased the currency to pay for the war, and England is in the grip of soaring inflation and economic crisis.

“Meanwhile Matthew Shardlake is given an intriguing legal case by an old servant of Queen Catherine Parr, which will lead him into the corrupt labyrinth of the King’s Court of Wards. Asked to investigate claims of ‘monstrous wrongs’ committed against his young ward Hugh Curteys by Sir Nicholas Hobbey, a Hampshire landowner, which have already involved one mysterious death, Shardlake and his assistant, Barak, journey to Portsmouth. Shardlake has taken the case, despite the imminent threat of invasion, as it also gives him the opportunity to investigate the mysterious past of Ellen Fettiplace, a young woman incarcerated in the Bedlam whom he has befriended and whose family once lived nearby.

“Arrived in Portsmouth, Shardlake and Barak find themselves in a city preparing to become a battle zone. The mysteries surrounding the seemingly normal Hobbey family nineteen years before, involved Shardlake in reunions both with an old friend and an old enemy close to the throne. Events will converge on board one of the king’s great warships, gathered in Portsmouth harbour, waiting to sail out and confront the approaching French fleet…”


This is C.J. Sansom’s fifth novel in the Shardlake series, two of which I have already read: Dissolution and Dark Fire I have the fourth: Revelation, waiting in the bookcase. What is nice about each of the books in this series is they are completely stand alone stories with little portions carried over from the previous ones. True to nature, Shardlake continues to have sympathy towards orphans and widows in poor circumstances. A stalwart defender of defenseless women: young or old; and the poor.

There is detailed historical fact woven to provide a rich tapestry behind the major plot and several subplots. The author goes into splendid descriptions of the countryside enroute to Portsmouth, the conditions of the soldiers preparing for battle with the French, the warships Great Harry and Mary Rose engaged in battle, the relationship Shardlake has with Queen Catherine Parr, including the politics of 1545.

There are secondary characters carried over from the previous novels: Jack Barak, Shardlake’s clerk, who helps with investigations of the legal cases taken on. To add domesticity, Barak’s wife, Tasamin, is expecting; and Guy, a foreign physician. New secondary characters, William Coldiron, Shardlake’s steward, with an interesting past; his daughter, Josephine; provide a look into the difficulties of having servants.

Bits of short recollections from previous books to keep the storyline cohesive are provided, such as a mention of Shardlake visiting “…Hampton Court, to see Archbishop Cranmer after having been falsely imprisoned in the Tower.” Each of these provides a link within to other characters who tend to have nefarious motives. Such as Sir Richard Rich, and defense lawyer, Vincent Dyrick.

While at Hoyland Priory investigating the allegations about Nicholas Hobbey’s ward, Hugh Curteys, Shardlake and Barak participate in a staged hunt in a deer park. An exciting thread with a stand off by a ten-point stag (though I wished the stag had done a bit more damage to the hunters before his demise).

Apart from the deer hunt, bodies start turning up resulting in new questions to be answered. With new investigating to be done, Shardlake lands in inevitable trouble, of one sort or another. He follows the twists and turns, coming up with a few red herrings, but all the questions are resolved with a satisfactory conclusion.

I thoroughly enjoyed this superb book though it took some time to get through the 600 plus pages as I tend to read slowly while savouring the moods the wording presents. I look forward to another in this splendid series.

C. J. SANSOM was educated at Birmingham University, where he took a BA and then a Ph.D. in history. After working in a variety of jobs, he retrained as a solicitor and practised in Sussex, until becoming a full-time writer. C. J. Sansom also wrote the bestselling novel Winter in Madrid. He lives in Sussex.

The review copy was provided by Cassandra Sadek.

Genre: Mystery and Detective, Historical
Book format: hardcover, 640 pages
Publisher: Random House Canada

Available: Sep 28 2010

Chapters.Indigo.ca

Amazon.com

This is a view of the Rockies in southern Alberta from highway 22.

I've had difficulty with my internet provider resulting in getting a new connection. And it seemed today that it took far longer than necessary to even get on, but here I am.

Currently I'm in the last quarter of reading "Heartsone" by C. J. Sansom with the review following in the next couple of days.

I've been working on changes to one of my manuscripts in hopes of getting it out there to be looked at.


Photo Credit: Gord McKenna CC=nc-nd-flickr.

Sounds of the Universe

This amazing photo is of the Milky Way Galaxy, taken by NASA which I obtained through the Wikimedia Commons. Seeing these clusters of stars set in their spiral shapes gives one pause to ponder: what if....


I came upon the following video and while listening to it my lovebirds perked up, responding to the sounds. Admittedly I do not possess the technical knowledge of astronomers, there is much to be learned from those sounds. I do not believe that our planet with all its life forms is the only one in the unnumbered vast galaxies out there. It is inevitable that those intergalactic travelers are out there, and in time will make their way here. Or will they come from another reality or dimension? Thus comes the theories and ideas of various creators: scientists, writers: those who write fiction and those who write screenplays for movies.

Animythical Tales by Sarah Totton (Book Review)

From the back cover:

“In this elegant volume, award-winning author Sarah Totton takes her readers on speculative journeys of the heart and mind that will both challenge and engage you. Within these tales, readers will learn the meaning of darkness and pain and fear. Yet they will also learn about love and happiness and laughter. Sarah Totton explores the full kaleidoscope of the human heart and peels is back, one layer at a time. She offers her readers a full palette of emotions and stories to sift through, never settling, never holding back, and never flinching. Whether she is writing about the loss of innocence through dark revelations, the point to which a human mind can be stretched before succumbing the magic of faerie, or something a s preposterous as cloud-fishing in a work with pink yaks, the stores in Animythical Tales are always told with an eye toward revealing something important about the human condition. If you have ever yearned to fall into fabulous adventures in unforgettable worlds, Animythical Tales is the collection for you.”

This book begins with an impressive introduction by Forrest Aguirre. Ms Totton has an eloquent writing style to take the reader on magical journeys of fantasy laced with horror elements in an everyday setting. The majority of the stories are sea based, and all of them reveal a nice attention to detail.

A Fish Story

First appeared in Realms of Fantasy Magazine, October 2006.
Reprinted in Fantasy: the Best of the Year: 2007.

About a young woman who desires a man not interested in her.

The Man with the Seahorse Head

Published in Commonwealth Short Stories CD 2007-2008.
Regional Winner for Canada & the Caribbean of the
Commonwealth Short Story Competition

A man raising his children with care before setting them free into the sea.

Flatrock Sunners

Appeared in Black Static #12

Missing the companionship of his father, a teenage boy reminisces about their times together and his father’s explanation about the Flatrock Sunners: a group of ghosts.

Pelly Medley

A scientist counting seabirds on an island acquires a mysterious box from a souvenir shop that reacquaints him with his childhood friends.

Bluecoat Jack

Published in TEXT: UR-The New Book of Masks, 2007.
Honourbale Mention, Year’s Best Fantasy & Horror, 2008

A warped tale of using peoples’ memories for artistic purposes.

A Sip from the Cup of Enlightenment

To be published in Polyphony 7

This was a lovely fantasy with dark elements of a teacher at a school whose divinity was based on the sayings of oracles about prophets and dragons. He discovers a skeleton with red hands in a closed off portion of the school, and discovers the consequences after stealing one of the bones.

Choke Point

First published in Fantasy Magazine, December 2009

A wonderful tension packed story with a nice twist at the end. A scientist researcher prepares to move into the city for his love, Rebecca. There are excellent descriptive details of background combined with a naturalist’s viewpoint.

The Bone Fisher’s Apprentice

First published in Writers of the Future, Volume XXIi.
Honourable Mention, Year’s Best Fantasy & Horror, 2007.

The apprentice was discovered as a foundling by the Bone Fisher, a spinner of dreams. Yearning to discover her connection to humans, she meets a beach scavenger, Bellan, and teaches him one of the Bone Fisher’s secrets.

A Little Tea and Personal Magnetism

In a hilarious parody, an aspiring writer, George Y. Whynot, demonstrates his lion taming skills.

The Teasewater Five

Published in The Nine Muses, 2005.
Honourable Mention, Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror, 2006.

After having a stillborn birth, an artistic woman, create a series of perfect miniature figurines: animals, a bird and a boy. Her equally talented brother animates them including the ability to speak by infusing a bit of his soul. This with a very creepy ending.


The review copy was provided by Sarah Totton. Ms Totton is a licensed veterinarian in Ontario, a former wildlife biologist, and recently earned her doctorate in epidemiology.


Book format: paperback, 124 pages
Publisher: Fantastic Books
Author website: Sarah Totton
Available: March 2010

chapters.indigo.ca

amazon.ca

amazon.co.uk

borders.com.au

amazon.com

Hiking Trails - Bow Glacier Falls

[1] Highway 93N - Icefields Parkway headed south to Bow Lake and Crowfoot Glacier on Mt. Crowfoot, 3050m (10,007 ft).

This hike is located in Banff National Park just off the Icefields Parkway. Please consider there is the possibility of rapid weather changes and take rain gear along as sudden showers are likely in and around the many icefields present in this area.

Distance: 4.6km one way, takes about 2 hours for one way
Elevation Gain: 155m
Trailhead: 36km north of the Lake Louise Junction on the Icefields Parkway. Turn off at the Num-Ti-Jah Lodge Access Road on the west side of the highway. The trailhead kiosk is 400m down this access road.





[2] Num-Ti-Jah means ‘pine marten’.

The mountain behind the lodge is Mount Jimmy Simpson 2966m (9730 ft) named after an early well respected outfitter who arrived from England in 1896, built the Lodge Num-Ti-Jah for his patrons. Jimmy Simpson died in 1972 at the age of 95. Simpson commented about the area: "There is absolutely nothing in the city to give us the same feeling as the great, mysterious things of nature even though they be stone and ice. It is only among them that we feel the utter helplessness and insignificance of ourselves."*




[3]

For those interested in staying at the Num-Ti-Jah Lodge I have provided the link. Though a bit pricey I think a full package with breakfast, packed lunch and dinner would be the ticket for a glorious stay of a night or two.





[4]






[5]

The pointed bump to the right of Bow Glacier is Portal Peak, 2911m (9550 ft) was named by Charles s. Thompson in 1916. This is in the direction the hike destination to Bow Glacier Falls.

The trail follows the northern edge of Bow Lake.




[6]

There are several bridges that cross streams.




[7]

At the lake outlet there are gravel bars and a plain with the falls visible in the distance.




[8]

















[9] Gravel bars


At the end of the plain are a set of stairs needed to reach the falls. There are about 65 steps to the top, set in an irregular fashion.



[10]






[11]

As the hiker ascends the stairs various views of the Bow River gorge can be seen.




[12]


It is near here, before the top of the stairs are reached , where a branch off trail to the left goes to the Bow Hut (run by the Alpine Club of Canada. or those considering this route there is a daunting bridge of a large limestone boulder that crosses the gorge.

Above the stairs the trail reaches a crest on a glacial moraine where there is a 45 minute hike to the falls.




[13]

The falls originate from a fair sized lake below Bow Glacier which is unseen from below lying in a basin below the toe of the receding glacier.




[14]
















[15]

Bow Glacier Falls are the headwater of the Bow River.




[16]
View from bottom of bow glacier falls.

















[17]- View from sitting near base of Bow Glacier Falls looking down to Bow Lake.

For those intrepid hikers who happened to carry along proper equipment and ropes a scramble up the rocks to the glacial lake at the toe of the Bow Glacier will reveal an awesome sight.



[18]

















[19] Bow Glacier with view of the sharp spire of St. Nicholas Peak, 2970m (9750 ft) located on the eastern edge of the Wapta Icefield.


Photo Credits: [1]-Alaskan Dude CC=flickr, [2]-cblee CC=nc-sa-flickr, [3]-surfma CC=nc-flickr, [4][12]-richd777 CC=nc-sa-flickr, [5]-wikimedia commons, [6]-retropc CC=nc-sa-flickr, [7][9]-Gouldy99 CC=nc-nd-flickr, [8]-bolinhanyc CC=nc-flickr, [10][11][14]-BinoCanada CC=nc-sa-flickr, [13]-felix63 CC=nc-nd-flickr, [15]-miss a CC=nc-sa-flickr, [16][17]-lyzadanger CC=nc-sa-flickr, [18][19]-Stefatty CC=nc-sa-flickr.

Sources: *peakfinder.com
ParksCanada

Neighbourhood Fauna

Nearby to where I live there is a creek catering to wild ducks and other creatures. Summer or winter there are various groups of wild ducks, mostly mallards, though there have been some unusually coloured ones: various shades of black and white, and brown and white with or without white breasts and white underneath.


[1 –Male Pintail - brown or black body with long black tail feathers]

The only species I could find in my bird book were the Northern Pintail, whom fly south for the winter.




[2 –Female Pintail - has a slightly shorter tail and grayish bill]

There was a late group of young ducks hatched in the summer and I wonder how they are faring the winter. Perhaps they will return this spring so I can get a photo or two of them. There was one in particular that caught my attention whenever I crossed the bridge to do errands.



[3 -Mallard on ice - click to enlarge]




The mallards are braver to withstand the cold and have lingered so far, sometimes the only indication of their being present are the webbed shaped footprints left in the snow on the creek. It was strange to see them paddling in melted water atop ice waiting for the next donation of bread crumbs or slices.





















[4 -Mallard drake and hen - click to enlarge]

Source: A Field Guide to the Birds of North America (2006) by Michael Vanner, p.54-55.

Photo Credits: [1]-Brendan Btally CC=flickr, [2]-Alan_Vernon CC=flickr, [3]-Grant MacDonald CC=nc-flickr, [4]-wolfpix CC=nd-flickr.