The first blogger review of Alliance Metamorphosis

From:

The Sci-fi and Fantasy Reviewer
@Skinny878
·

June 12
Currently reading ALLIANCE: METAMORPHOSIS by 
@1796Sabre (That's me...😮)
which I bitterly regret not getting to earlier, because this might be one of the most original & engaging pieces of #alternatehistory fiction I've read in a *very* long time
Review to come soon for the 
@SeaLionPress blog! 

He gave it 5 stars on Goodreads! The full review is scheduled for June 27. 

Actively seeking reviews of Alliance Metamorphosis

Launching a new book during a Pandemic Lockdown:

Short version: It's a challenge. Author readings and book signing events: No. Cross border access to author copies: not available outside of the US. I live in Canada, and my books are printed in Brampton Ontario, but I still have to pay full retail for them, and then wait almost a month for delivery. The estimate for the second order is down to just over two weeks, so that's an improvement. Online marketing is the only bright spot in an otherwise bleak environment, but it costs, and without an income I hesitate to spend anything. When I was younger I designed and executed the ground campaign for the San Francisco launch of Mötley Crüe's first album (yes, vinyl) where we sold out three shows and still had a line up as far as I could see from the rooftop of the venue. I don't see anything like that being possible today. Word is getting out, but I suspect it will be slow, and the book market is flooded with new titles every day, and expected to get even more crowded as traditional and self-publishing floods a saturated market. It's hard to find a book reviewer who isn't already swamped with options. Maybe I should just crank out steamy romances? That seems to be the only sector doing a brisk business in this environment. Yeh, no. 

Cats on the Writing Desk

I'm industriously editing Alliance Evolution, Book 2 of the series. I have stopped for the moment because a furry gray thing has occupied half my desk. I should mention, for clarity, that my writing desk is a repurposed door. It is full sized, 7 feet long and covered by a cloth which I wash periodically to remove the gray felt of shed kitty hair. There are two of them: a feisty young male and his mother, also Korat gray. They occupy opposite ends of my desk/door workspace because cat wars erupt otherwise. Now they have both wandered off, since I'm writing to you, dear readers (hopefully of Alliance Metamorphosis, my first book in the series.) Thanks for helping me work cat-free for however long it lasts...

Review: The Years of Rice and Salt

The Years of Rice and Salt by Kim Stanley Robinson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars



View all my reviews

Paperback is LIVE! Get your copy today. It will change your perspective of History.

Now ON AMAZON! E-Book is free to read now and the Paperback is LIVE

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Alliance Metamorphosis is LIVE as an Ebook on Amazon!

The Alliance Series is an exploration of possibilities. It contrasts Alliance versus Empire: building together as opposed to “conquer or die”, not that the protagonists are unwilling to fight. It is also a timely story, given the recent United Nations Resolution on Indigenous Rights. The characters are powerful men, women and two-spirit people in an accepting society. It is a history which could have happened.

Alliance NEWS

The formatting for Alliance Metamorphosis is in progress! I've sent an advance copy to a book review blogger, and am madly trying to wrap my head around all the other little things I have to do to prepare to publish. Hey, it's my first go at real publishing! Stress? Someone hand me a cat to cuddle! Meanwhile I'm working on the second book: Alliance Evolution. It's in better shape than I remembered, so I think it will come together much faster than the first one. BTW, I have two affectionate cats so chances are I won't blow a cork.

I think this endeavor will come together quickly over the next few days. I've invested five years of my life in the Alliance series and learning the craft, so my first publication day will be a true milestone in my life. I feel good about the end product and am looking forward to reader reactions.

Here's an excerpt from Alliance Nation, Book 3 of the Alliance saga:

 

Midnight’s Cove

***

Fall 1047 AD (Spring in the South) 

            A solid Norse dragon boat is not too hard to purchase on the southern isthmus, nor was it difficult to find a small number, eighteen to be exact, of Byzantine Norse veterans to crew her. I believe they just wanted to go on an adventure at sea after too long on land building their settlements. Also along is a scout, one Far-rider from the Plains Cree people. It was me doing the asking, and no one refused.

            My old friend Hardbein volunteered to captain my new boat, named Skammeløss, which means ‘Shameless’, a name of honor. We set off from the southernmost of the Sudthrlond towns on the east coast of the long isthmus linking north and south continents, headed mostly east, then southeast. We pass Arawakan, the easternmost Tairuna Trade Consortium member, without stops. We have supplies and I want to spend some time there on the way back anyway. All of our exploration and expansion of the Alliance has been along the west coast.  

            We follow the coastline. Far-rider uses one of the newest model Song compasses, and Adthelbrikt makes his observations using a sunstone. Occasionaly they have quite entertaining heated arguments as they compare readings and together make the map as we journey. From Arawakan we enter new territory, unexplored and unknown to any but the inhabitants. We mostly see rampant jungle. Passing close to the coast, we hear a constant cacophony of shrieks and birdsongs, along with an occasional roar. Frequently, clouds of birds erupt from the forest and wheel about before settling again. We occasionally see signs of villages with cultivated fields at the horizon between forest and beach. Without Raventongue to work out the language we just sail on. We round a great nose of land, shift straight south, then follow it southwest for a sevenday or so. The shoreline runs straight south for another two sevendays, then southwest for another. The coast generally trends southeast—sometimes more south—sometimes more east. The purpose of this voyage is mapping; possibly contact if we find something interesting, but that is best left to the traders. We do see smoke rising from fires, hidden by the wall of trees and brush above the sandy beach, sporadically. They are all small, clearly not brush fires and consistently about the same size, suggesting cook fires, but we see no one. 

            The unrelenting jungle in the north gradually shifts to a mix of grasslands with hardwood forests, and some few softwoods mixed in. Our kegs of water almost all empty, I spot a lush cove with a waterfall feeding into it, nestled in a sheer curved wall of stone studded with ferns and bird nests. Above the water line lies a beach of fine golden sand, and I feel like we are entering some sacred space, a place to rest. Perhaps to heal. The spirits are here if anywhere I’ve been. 

            Relieved that we have found water to fill our kegs, I shout: “Fresh water! Let’s fill the kegs.”

            We run Skammeløss into the cove and nose up on the beach. Adthelbrikt leaps over the rail into waist deep water and catches the coil of rope, uncoiling it as he heads for the nearest tree and ties it off. Walking back to Skammeløss’s stern he tosses the coil back to another sailor, who uses it to pull the stern close into the shore so that she lays parallel to the beach, rolling a bit to that side to make loading the full kegs easier.

            I leap the slanted rail and just stand on the sandy beach for a moment. The cove is breathtakingly beautiful. Bird cries are a song sung by hundreds, with a rythm of grunts and shrieks that I think are monkeys, and perhaps other players. I just stand there and let the experience envelope me for a time. I may have wandered some, lost in the spell of this place. I remember thinking, back when this all began, that I had never seen the spirits of the land our stories tell us about. I believe I have felt them now.

            The sound of my name brings me back. Hardbein is waving me to board, a smile on his face as I see we are the last two ashore. I laugh and pull myself over the rail, noting the kegs are already aboard and secured. 

            Long-rider coils the rope as he walks back to Skammeløss, then tosses the coil over the rail and pulls himself aboard, with help from a couple of other sailors. The oarsmen all push against the sandy bottom on the shore side, and Skammeløss slips free into deeper water.

            I take a seat next to Adthelbrikt, as they spin the ship seaward, and lean over to him. “Be sure to mark this place on the map. I dearly hope to return here one day.”

            He grins. “I have already marked it….as Midnight’s Cove.”

            I wrap my arms around him in a fierce hug. “Thank you.”

***

            Other than a few isolated and scattered coastal villages, we have seen no ports, or towns, let alone cities. In places where we can see a distance inland, we see nothing. There was one sighting of a small group with long spears on the shore, but they disappeared inland when they saw our boat.

            I conclude that there just are no civilizations, as we have become accustomed to think of them. There are people, but they seem still to be at the hunter gatherer stage. I smile to myself. ‘Much like we were, seems like a lifetime ago.’ I thought.

            Finally, I confer with Hardbein and the mapmakers. “We have seen no organized towns since Arawakan. The coastline here trends eastward, suggesting to me that the land is coming to a point somewhere to the South. I don’t see any reason to keep going. These may be interesting people that we may contact in the future, but there is no trade to be had, that I can see and whenever we contact new people there is a possibility of new diseases, both ways. I don’t see that it’s worth the risk.”

            Hardbein nods, “I agree completely. There is risk for no gain. Shall we turn north then?”

            I chuckle, “I haven’t been to Arawakan yet. They have a reputation as a lively place. Let’s stop there for a day or two. We’ll show the Alliance flag, if nothing else, and I could do with a hot, delicious meal cooked by someone else!”

            I’m answered with a heartfelt cheer and we turn back north to Arawakan. 

Update on Alliance! It's almost done!!!

The seemingly eternal editing which has taken waaaaaaaay too long is almost done. I just formatted the manuscript for publication. Now I face the next big question: Self pub, or spend another couple of years getting an agent and selling the beast 76,000 words to a trad publisher. Sigh. I always wanted to go trad with it, but I've got two unrelated  novels on the go, and the two sequels to Alliance. I'm starting to cave in to the populist affection for self pub. Feel free to comment here!

THE NATURE OF BOATS:

A Political Parable

By David Oliver-Godric

            Three men in a boat, far at sea. A woodpecker sits on the top of the mast. Every day the bird flies down and pecks holes in the boat. The men then bustle about: one bails water; one fixes the hole; one proclaims, “It is the nature of this boat to grow holes. It is pointless to keep fixing them.” While the men are busy, the bird flies down and steals some of their food and water.

            Days go by and the men grow weaker. Sensing this, the bird pecks two holes and steals more of the food and water. Each day thereafter he pecks one more hole than the day before. Finally, the man who bails water says, “The woodpecker is the cause of all our trouble.” The man who fixes holes answers, “We should climb the mast and kill the woodpecker.” The third man repeats, “It is just the nature of this boat to grow holes. It is no use trying to stop it.”

            The first two look at each other and reply, “It is quicker and easier to fix the holes and bail water than to climb all the way to the top of the mast and kill the bird, which would be just wrong anyway. Besides, it might just fly away for a while then come right back as soon as we climb back down. It is useless to try to kill the woodpecker.”

            More days pass and the woodpecker pecks many more holes. The man patching is running out of ways to plug them. Both he and the man who bails now constantly complain about the holes and the water and the bird.

            Suddenly the man who claims it is the nature of boats to grow holes exclaims, “Oh for cryin’ out loud! I’m sick and tired of hearing about the holes and the water and the woodpecker! I can’t stop the holes from growing, and I won’t bail water, but by God, I can get rid of the woodpecker!” He leaps up, cuts the ropes to the mast, and saws it right off at the deck. It falls into the water and drifts away behind the boat. The bird, out of habit, lands back on the floating mast.

            The men never have another hole, and in fact reach land shortly thereafter.

From Alliance Book 2: Evolution rewrite

Lest you all think I wandered off...I have been editing! Here's a great scene that foreshadows much of what's to come. Chief Fisheagle and her pet Raccoon Nosey have just died and Midnight has passed through the first wave of grief.

Hawk looks thoughtfully at me, still silent though as if he knows somehow there’s more.

         "I just feel that there is something else for me to be doing. Something that better suits my nature." I look down at my hands, then up at Hawk with an embarrassed grin. “I crave some action. I have felt most useful when I have some critical mission to accomplish. I also miss being outside, doing physical things. If I sit at my desk all day, I’ll get round like…Nosey.” I choke back another round of sobs, blink my tears away. Hawk squeezes me tight, holding me safe. After a time silently struggling with my feelings, I continue, “At the same time, I feel guilty for not wanting to be Chief, as Fisheagle asked.”

         “If he had known how you are feeling, he wouldn’t have asked it of you. I think you need to circulate around. See what projects are on the go. Talk to people about what needs doing, or what is planned. You will find a mission. There are so many things happening that I can’t keep up with them all. But to do that, you will have to get off this bed and get out in the sunshine! Find some trouble to get into. That will make you feel better!” He grins.

         I smile back. “You’re right. But what will we do for a River chief?”

         He falls silent “I will consult with the community and see if they want me to become Chief of the River People. If they consent, I will do it. You need to speak with Shin, as Fisheagle asked, and visit the map room, with a thought to where your talents and inclinations would be most useful.”

         “Perhaps some cha’ and conversation in the lodge. I might even find Shin there. The walk will do me good as well.” I look him in the eyes. “Thank you, for the talk and the comfort. I don’t really feel better, but now I have room for some good thoughts in my heart and mind, and you have guided me to a plan, perhaps a path out of the dark lands of loss.

***

            I do find Shin at the lodge. He has his own table in a corner that allows some privacy and for once he isn’t already talking to someone, so I slide into the seat across from him. He smiles, tentatively, sympathy bridges the culture gap. "Come for more sage advice on the workings of gods, spirits, and men's minds?"
            I actually laugh. "Of course, oh source of wisdom and dirty secrets!"
            Shin grins back, an evil sparkle in his eyes. "Glad to see you back with the living. The dead are so depressing."
            That strikes right to the source of my pain. I sober instantly, lose the smile and nod my head. "I need some action. I've been stuck behind a desk for way too long. I thought that you and I could put our heads together and come up with some nefarious scheme to make the world more to our liking. It has gotten a bit untidy, and you know how I hate that."
            His lips quirk at one corner and he looks at me straight. "I have been thinking about that devious mind of yours lately, and what a waste it is to leave that talent leashed. You would be wasted at administration." He pauses a moment, scanning my expressions. "I didn't think you would be available just yet. How are you really?"
            "Hawk helped me through it. I'm sad, but thinking about the future, and I'm focused, or will be, as soon as you come out with your idea!"
            He bows his head at me in acceptance of my assessment. “He is good for you. I hope he is solid enough to endure. Here's my thought. It's not really fleshed out, but the woman who took command and out thought the enemy at Highwater at every turn, is more than capable of figuring it out as you go."
            His voice lowers, forcing me to lean in to hear. "You know that the Norse are facing a cultural shift that they don't want. We will have to find a home for them. They will not play well with our people, so we can't just settle the Norse in the middle of them. Still, they are fabulous allies for what will come to us later." He pauses for a long breath. "South of us there is a strip of land connecting us to another continent as big as this one."
            I feel my eyes go big and round. "I've heard nothing of this!"
            "No one has, except my spies. They range farther afield than the scouts, and we found some old stories and a map from the Empire that tell a tale. Song ships have been down the west coast before, but that was a closely guarded secret that somehow got lost for a long time. The spymasters of the day felt that it was knowledge whose time had not come yet. Zahn's voyages were...unexpected. As soon as word came of new goods from the east, we knew that the time has come, whether we are ready or not."
            "You still work for the Empire then?" My attention level rises to extreme.  

            "Spymasters have always worked for the good of the Empire, whether the Emperor knew about it or not. There have been good Emperors, and some not so good. Someone had to keep the Empire safe regardless. We are currently in a cultural and economic high. That is one sign of impending disaster. Sure enough, the nomad tribes, the Liao to the north and the so-called Xia northwest of us, are considering invasion, and they have the numbers as well as the will. The Empire is at a peak of culture and civilization never seen in the world before. This is a sign that a fall is inevitable...unless..."
            "The Alliance..."
            "Yes. Alliance works both ways, you know. I admit to having mixed loyalties. I wish to protect the Empire, even from itself. This is a task of honor, which I have long since taken up willingly. I have also come to love and admire what the Alliance is becoming. You are a truly new kind of society I feel that same need to serve and protect it. Fortunately, there is no conflict at this time. I dearly hope matters stay that way."

            I look deep into Shin's eyes. I see no wavering or other signs of dishonesty, but then he is a Spymaster. "I believe that you have been truthful, as much as you can be. I will keep your secrets unless I sense betrayal. Then I will deal with it as I see fit at the time, and you know how I like to deal with problems." I beam a brilliant grin at him, but my eyes are cold and glinty like midwinter ice.

            Shin bows his head a notch, smiling gently. "That is my hope. With training, you will become at least as devious as I am, and women are often better at this trade than men. You will learn some things that you will wish you hadn't, and some things that will haunt you. My last bit of general advice for today is to keep that warrior mindset that has served you so well and add to it the skills that I will teach, and the knowledge base that I will give you. Never become comfortable in any situation. The ones you would most like to trust are the ones that can take you down."

            I shiver a bit with that last warning but nod. "I will take your words to heart, dear friend. Where do I start?"

            "I suggest you start in the map room. Much is changing on the walls. Try to burn it all into memory. You don't know where you might end up, and you may have to find your way out of somewhere that you haven't been before, in a hurry. I spend an hour a day in there. You have also gotten a bit soft, physically. I will have one of my men work out with you every day. He will show you our martial arts, which are quite sophisticated. That will make for an excellent story for any that are curious what you are doing. You have time."

            "Thank you Shin. I will do my best. This sounds like exactly what I need right now." "If there is nothing else, I think I will wander over to the map room and see what is new!"

            He nods, with a twist of a smile. "How does Hawk feel about all this? You two make a great team. Does he feel the same?”

            That takes me by surprise. “We talked, and he seemed willing to stay here, but he wasn’t happy about separation, and neither am I, for that matter. He has been my partner and right hand. I Shin in the eyes. “Thank you for thinking about him. I wonder…”