Goddess Fish Promotions Presents
The River Against the Sea
by Z. Lindsey
A randomly drawn winner will receive a $20 Amazon/BN GC – Enter Below
Some heroes have swords. Essimore Darkenchyl has a pen. But it’s a magic pen.
Some wizards have spellbooks. Essie has Gossen’s Guide to Shipping Law. But it’s a current edition.
Some sailors have . . . experience. Essie has a new diploma and a year-long contract, and her people have won wars with less.
And that’s good, because between stolen weapons, a coup, and a strange disease creeping in around her and the crew, she might need to win a war.
In a world that blends traditional fantasy with the Age of Exploration, Essie knows a pen is mightier than a sword, especially since hers sometimes shoots lightning.
But what she thinks is a routine political dispute turns out to be something much, much more, and she may have finally met the one problem she can’t talk her way out of.
5 out of 5
This was fun, at times comical, and intriguing from start to finish. There was something about it that reminded me of hanging out with my friends while they played D&D back in college (in a great way). Essie is young, and new to her job – she starts off so idealistic and determined to do everything by the book. Of course, things rarely turn out the way they’re meticulously planned, and the adventure that follows will keep you captivated. I love that Essie is exactly what you wouldn’t expect a hero to be – a bureaucrat, not an adventurer, not a mage. Just Essie, her pen, her knowledge, and the strange rag-tag crew she’s stuck on board with. The crew is quite the interesting cast of characters, and I enjoyed getting to know them. I have to applaud Lindsey for balancing the mysterious, the fantastical and the comical so well, creating a book that I struggled to set down once I dove in.
“My cousin believes they’ll attack on One Wyrm.”
“One . . . Wyrm?” Essie asked as she tried to adjust the ropes around her.
Bunts scoffed.
“Didn’t you read your briefing?”
Essie felt the blood rush to her cheeks.
“I read about the calendar, but it was confusing. It was like math, but it had this religious undercurrent going on. Did not like.”
The captain squinted at her and raised his lip in distaste.
“Bunts, tell our bureaucrat what One Wyrm is.”
“Heh,” Bunts said. He cleared his throat, then shrugged.
The captain squinted at him, too.
“One Wyrm is New Year’s Day.”
“New Year’s Day, of course,” Bunts said. “Those jerks.”
“And what do you want me to do about it?”
“Nothing,” the captain said. “Report that the cargo got handed over and let us go on our way.”
“And if I don’t agree, you’ll throw me off the ship,” she said.
Bunts snorted.
“Seriously?”
The captain scratched his chin.
“To be honest, I was just hoping you’d agree. If you don’t . . .” The captain puffed up his cheeks and stared at the ceiling in thought. “I guess we’ll lock you in the brig until the weapons are safely delivered and we’re back at sea. That’ll give me a good lead on any Agency cutters.”
She tried to adjust herself in her chair, but couldn’t do much, so she frowned. Slowly she turned to Bunts and gave him her best puppy-dog eyes.
“Can’t you undo these bonds?”
Bunts shook his head.
“Nuh-uh. I’m told you’re stronger than you look. And that you eat people’s hearts.”
Essie frowned.
“Not raw.”
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads
Zac Lindsey is an anthropologist and a linguist who focuses on the Maya people of Quintana Roo. Since childhood, he’s had a not-so-secret love of weird, silly, and well-structured fantasy. When other people’s parents were reading them picture books, his mom was reading him Terry Brooks. He typically writes hopeful and character-driven fantasy.
Today, he lives in Quintana Roo, Mexico with his wife, daughter, and various stray cats.
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Thank you so much for hosting and reviewing today.
Thank you so much for the positive review! Essie actually started as my wife’s D&D character for a campaign we never got to play, so I’m glad you picked up that vibe.
I enjoyed the post. This story sounds really interesting.