Urban Fantasy
Date Published: November 2013
Samantha
Chablon is a self-proclaimed “gadget girl”. She runs the family watch repair
shop while her eccentric old father spends his days researching fantastical
stories of elves. Sam loves her father, but his odd habits have always been a
mystery and a burden on the family. But that all changes after her father dies,
and she discovers what he left for her.
Sam has inherited a real elf.
Piv is his name, and he is far older than his
boyish face and personality would imply. But he's also wise, and as an elf he
is gifted with a preternatural proclivity for making things. Sam's father
taught Piv everything he knows about making watches, and he works faster than
human hands could ever move. Sam, being much more enterprising than her father,
sees opportunity in Piv's talents. Soon Piv is not the only elf working for Sam
as she goes about building a luxury watch empire powered by secret elf labor.
But the elves have remained hidden from humans
for good reason, and it's not easy to keep a factory full of territorial elves
secret in the middle of a metropolis. One night when someone attempts to break
into the factory, the elves take matters into their own hands. The incident
gives Sam a glimpse of a dark and twisted side of elves that no fairy tales
ever mentioned. Samantha will soon discover that great ambition often comes
with great risk, and although her elf partners have agreed to work without pay,
there are other costly consequences involved in striking a deal with elves.
My Thoughts:
This was a unique twist on the whole elf mythology. I really enjoyed the darker tones of this story. The paths that the writer chose to take were all wonderfully done and interesting.
Sam is an independent woman and a capable character. She is stubborn and ambitious, which if done poorly would have made her unlikeable; however, I found her quite the opposite. I liked her "go get it" attitude!
The elves all had their own personalities and quirks. They were strange and interesting. My favorite thing about them is that they have a darkness about them. These aren't the sweet fluffy elves you might think at first.
I liked this book. It's a fast paced, fun, and unique read. Definitely a winner!
Excerpt:
The cave was deep, and its ceiling was low for a man of Samuel’s height. His middle-aged knees protested when he was forced to stoop down as he tiptoed further into the cavern. But the pain was worth it. This kind of opportunity rarely happens twice.
Sam went deeper still, until the odor of the outside world was erased by a bittersweet perfume of jasmine and thyme and other fragrances he wished he knew the names of. The ghostly greenish light that he had seen earlier was now much brighter. The source was just around the bend. Sam paused. He held his breath, and carefully peered past the corner.
He saw the one thing he had searched for since his childhood: the final proof that validated years of foraging, travel, and the eccentric research that had left him ostracized and ridiculed. There, in that cave, was his dream.
An elf.
Ramsey Isler is an author, software developer, and designer who
lives in Los Angeles. He currently writes feature articles and media reviews at
IGN.com, an entertainment site that focuses on TV, movies, and video games.
Ramsey loves books, anything with circuits and wires, and cats.
For fiction, Ramsey usually writes urban fantasy that blends
elements of science fiction and suspense. His stories feature young
protagonists that are often unsure of themselves, but they find the strength to
persevere when faced with extreme circumstances. Ramsey does not write
traditional "evil" villains or black-and-white morality tales; he
instead opts for antagonists and anti-heroes who have viewpoints and ideals
that pose difficult moral challenges for the protagonists, and the worlds they
inhabit.
Website: http://www.ramseyisler.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/ramsey_isler
Urban Fantasy
Date Published: November 2013
Samantha
Chablon is a self-proclaimed “gadget girl”. She runs the family watch repair
shop while her eccentric old father spends his days researching fantastical
stories of elves. Sam loves her father, but his odd habits have always been a
mystery and a burden on the family. But that all changes after her father dies,
and she discovers what he left for her.
Sam has inherited a real elf.
Piv is his name, and he is far older than his boyish face and personality would imply. But he's also wise, and as an elf he is gifted with a preternatural proclivity for making things. Sam's father taught Piv everything he knows about making watches, and he works faster than human hands could ever move. Sam, being much more enterprising than her father, sees opportunity in Piv's talents. Soon Piv is not the only elf working for Sam as she goes about building a luxury watch empire powered by secret elf labor.
But the elves have remained hidden from humans for good reason, and it's not easy to keep a factory full of territorial elves secret in the middle of a metropolis. One night when someone attempts to break into the factory, the elves take matters into their own hands. The incident gives Sam a glimpse of a dark and twisted side of elves that no fairy tales ever mentioned. Samantha will soon discover that great ambition often comes with great risk, and although her elf partners have agreed to work without pay, there are other costly consequences involved in striking a deal with elves.
Sam has inherited a real elf.
Piv is his name, and he is far older than his boyish face and personality would imply. But he's also wise, and as an elf he is gifted with a preternatural proclivity for making things. Sam's father taught Piv everything he knows about making watches, and he works faster than human hands could ever move. Sam, being much more enterprising than her father, sees opportunity in Piv's talents. Soon Piv is not the only elf working for Sam as she goes about building a luxury watch empire powered by secret elf labor.
But the elves have remained hidden from humans for good reason, and it's not easy to keep a factory full of territorial elves secret in the middle of a metropolis. One night when someone attempts to break into the factory, the elves take matters into their own hands. The incident gives Sam a glimpse of a dark and twisted side of elves that no fairy tales ever mentioned. Samantha will soon discover that great ambition often comes with great risk, and although her elf partners have agreed to work without pay, there are other costly consequences involved in striking a deal with elves.
My Thoughts:
This was a unique twist on the whole elf mythology. I really enjoyed the darker tones of this story. The paths that the writer chose to take were all wonderfully done and interesting.
Sam is an independent woman and a capable character. She is stubborn and ambitious, which if done poorly would have made her unlikeable; however, I found her quite the opposite. I liked her "go get it" attitude!
The elves all had their own personalities and quirks. They were strange and interesting. My favorite thing about them is that they have a darkness about them. These aren't the sweet fluffy elves you might think at first.
I liked this book. It's a fast paced, fun, and unique read. Definitely a winner!
Excerpt:
The cave was deep, and its ceiling was low for a man of Samuel’s height. His middle-aged knees protested when he was forced to stoop down as he tiptoed further into the cavern. But the pain was worth it. This kind of opportunity rarely happens twice.
Sam went deeper still, until the odor of the outside world was erased by a bittersweet perfume of jasmine and thyme and other fragrances he wished he knew the names of. The ghostly greenish light that he had seen earlier was now much brighter. The source was just around the bend. Sam paused. He held his breath, and carefully peered past the corner.
He saw the one thing he had searched for since his childhood: the final proof that validated years of foraging, travel, and the eccentric research that had left him ostracized and ridiculed. There, in that cave, was his dream.
An elf.
Ramsey Isler is an author, software developer, and designer who
lives in Los Angeles. He currently writes feature articles and media reviews at
IGN.com, an entertainment site that focuses on TV, movies, and video games.
Ramsey loves books, anything with circuits and wires, and cats.
For fiction, Ramsey usually writes urban fantasy that blends
elements of science fiction and suspense. His stories feature young
protagonists that are often unsure of themselves, but they find the strength to
persevere when faced with extreme circumstances. Ramsey does not write
traditional "evil" villains or black-and-white morality tales; he
instead opts for antagonists and anti-heroes who have viewpoints and ideals
that pose difficult moral challenges for the protagonists, and the worlds they
inhabit.
Website: http://www.ramseyisler.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/ramsey_isler
Excerpt:
An elf.
The cave was deep, and its ceiling was low for a man of Samuel’s height. His middle-aged knees protested when he was forced to stoop down as he tiptoed further into the cavern. But the pain was worth it. This kind of opportunity rarely happens twice.
Sam went deeper still, until the odor of the outside world was erased by a bittersweet perfume of jasmine and thyme and other fragrances he wished he knew the names of. The ghostly greenish light that he had seen earlier was now much brighter. The source was just around the bend. Sam paused. He held his breath, and carefully peered past the corner.
He saw the one thing he had searched for since his childhood: the final proof that validated years of foraging, travel, and the eccentric research that had left him ostracized and ridiculed. There, in that cave, was his dream.
Sam went deeper still, until the odor of the outside world was erased by a bittersweet perfume of jasmine and thyme and other fragrances he wished he knew the names of. The ghostly greenish light that he had seen earlier was now much brighter. The source was just around the bend. Sam paused. He held his breath, and carefully peered past the corner.
He saw the one thing he had searched for since his childhood: the final proof that validated years of foraging, travel, and the eccentric research that had left him ostracized and ridiculed. There, in that cave, was his dream.
An elf.
Ramsey Isler is an author, software developer, and designer who
lives in Los Angeles. He currently writes feature articles and media reviews at
IGN.com, an entertainment site that focuses on TV, movies, and video games.
Ramsey loves books, anything with circuits and wires, and cats.
For fiction, Ramsey usually writes urban fantasy that blends
elements of science fiction and suspense. His stories feature young
protagonists that are often unsure of themselves, but they find the strength to
persevere when faced with extreme circumstances. Ramsey does not write
traditional "evil" villains or black-and-white morality tales; he
instead opts for antagonists and anti-heroes who have viewpoints and ideals
that pose difficult moral challenges for the protagonists, and the worlds they
inhabit.
Website: http://www.ramseyisler.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/ramsey_isler
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