Straight Reading from the Library: Quen Nim by Steve Shilstone

Read through Quen Nim at The Library as part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions.

Click the tour banner to find the dates.

Steve will be awarding a $10 Wild Child Publishing GC to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour.

READ THE BLURB

Nimble Missst, shapeshifting Cloud Castle City Princess, rages against her betrothal to the ridiculous Blossom Prince, Zootch. Reluctantly bound to duty, she agrees to go through with the marriage, but always in her snapjaw mind she devises plans of escape. On the day the vows are to be exchanged, her startling violet eyes flash in disbelief when she learns that Zootch has fled Blossom in terror, saying he’s always been afraid of Nimble Missst. Newly enraged, she sets off in hot pursuit of the Prince. It becomes a game of hide and seek, pitting the snapjaw mind of Nimble Missst against the surprising cleverness of Zootch.

READ THE REVIEW

Earlier this year, I had the opportunity to read and review the first book in The Bekka Chronicles, Bekka of Thorns. Bekka is back, but the chronicle she shares is not about her, but about someone in her past--Nimble Missst.  Steve once again takes us back to the world of Boad and the fantastic creatures that live there.  

Even though this is a part of the series, it is so definitely a standalone book. I've not had the chance to read all the rest of the stories, but had no trouble enjoying this one. Bekka makes an appearance at the  beginning and the end, but the rest of the story all took place during the time of the Royals (they now have a new way of choosing leaders--and it seems like it works well.  Kudos, Steve; when I got to the part about who the current ruler was I literally laughed out loud.)

Nimble and Zootch are both clever people--Nimble is well-known for her "snapjaw mind" but Zootch has kept his own hidden--so is thought as dull as the rest of his family.  It's a fun game of chase as Nimble tries to figure out where Zootch is--and sometimes her cleverness gets the better of her.  

Quen Nim is a quick enjoyable read.  It took me a few minutes to get back into the style of writing that Bekka does--but there's a certain rhythm to it that is part of the charm of this series. Now, off to look to see what other books of the series I've missed.

READ AN EXCERPT

“Ridiculous,” said Nimble Missst. She stood on the ledge part way down the cliff and close by the cascading O’Tan Falls. “Ridiculous times three.”

She shook her head of flame orange curls, which truth grew green at the roots. She shook a smoke ash green fist. Her startling violet eyes flashed in frustration. She stamped a web-toed foot. She opened her powder blue wings and flung herself into the falls. She fluttered for a satisfying drench. She misted green and twined in foggy spires through and around and up the falls. She jelled solid at the top of the cliff and swam fiercely against the racing river’s current, slamming the water with her wide-spread webbed fingers and toes. She bobbed up, flew to the shore, settled. She misted again and hovered there, a shimmering green cloud. She jelled in red vest and pantaloons, arms folded, startling violet eyes smoldering with anger.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Steve Shilstone is a benign elderly hippie lite loon living in Northern California. He fancies himself to be a prosemaker and a dadaist with a small d who enjoys hanging out at the intersection of Humor and Nonsense.

In times ago, he was a youth baseball coach for 25 years, a distributor of mail for the United States Postal Service, a stock associate employed by a no longer with us department store, a cartoonist of little note, a painter of littler note, and an anthropology student at UCLA.

His author website – www.steveshilstone.com

His fantasy site – http://bekkaofthorns.com

His dada site, Anvil in a Lace Bootie – http://dochortonsloondiary.com

Publisher of his fantasy series – http://www.wildchildpublishing.com

Publisher of his print child of hippies novel, Vineyard’s Children, due out in December 2013 – www.livingstonpress.uwa.edu

Buy Link:

Wild Child Publishing:

http://www.wildchildpublishing.com/index.php?main_page=advanced_search_result&search_in_description=1&zenid=05d1ea8d30b1c7b80c7cdf882d1ca4af&keyword=quen+nim