The Hidden Face - SC Flynn

A face without a face - an unmasking that leaves the mask.

Once every few hundred years the sun god, the Akhen, takes on human form and descends to earth. Each Unmasking of the Face of the Akhen ends one era and begins another; the last one created the Faustian Empire. Where and when will the Face next appear, and who will he - or she - be?

Dayraven, son of a great hero, returns to Faustia after years as a hostage of their rivals, the Magians. Those years have changed him, but Faustia has changed as well; the emperor Calvo now seems eccentric and is controlled by one of Dayraven's old enemies. Following the brutal murder of his old teacher, Dayraven is drawn, together with a female warrior named Sunniva, into the search for an ancient secret that would change the fate of empires.

ebook, First, 350 pages
Expected publication: November 25th 2017 by The Hive
The Fifth Unmasking #1
Fantasy
I received this title for free in exchange for an unbiased review.

My thoughts:

I reviewed his previous novel on audio, and do think this one might be better in audio than in print. The talking ones often are.

I did enjoy it at first. We meet Dayraven who has come back to his homeland after being sent away as pawn in  politics when young. I liked how their God comes to earth every 500 years and that country and culture blossoms. And how this country seems to be in decline now. Evil priest behind an aging king and all.

But then Sunniva showed up and it just got so talkey. Clues, clues, more clues, really more clues? And that is where it lost me, half way in. It started well enough but then it changed. Those eternal clues that they solved so fast. Evil people after them. No one bothering to talk about these things before...these things happen. Now that is just silly. 

Good start. Mediocre second half.

Audio book Giveaway and interview: SC Flynn

Today I have a short interview with author SC Flynn, and you can win his book Children of the Different that I reviewed two weeks ago.

Tell me about yourself.

I was born and brought up in Australia, but for many years I have lived in Europe: first London, then Milan and now Dublin. My second language is Italian and my wife is Italian. You are a bit of a traveller as well, I guess, ending up in Finland! 

Like most of your readers, I suppose, I am a great book lover. Followers of mine will have just seen that my library has expanded even more, with a whole new level added on top!

I am a lifetime jazz musician (trumpet). I grew up playing in my parents’ band and kept on going.

Tell me about your new book.

CHILDREN OF THE DIFFERENT is a Young Adult post-apocalyptic fantasy novel set in Western Australia, where I am from. Nineteen years before the story starts, most of the world’s population died from a brain disease known as the Great Madness; the survivors all had something different about their minds that saved them. Now, as a secondary effect of the Madness, at the beginning of adolescence, their children enter a coma, during which they travel through a dream-like world called the Changeland. Depending on what happens in the Changeland, the kids emerge either with special powers, or as permanently damaged Ferals.

The main characters are psychic twins: Arika (a girl) and Narrah (a boy). Separately, they have many adventures and face many dangers both in the Changeland and in the outside world. Their new powers turn out to be crucial for the future of humanity.

What was the inspiration behind it?

The landscape and creatures of Western Australia, above all. The state is so big that it varies from huge temperate forests in the south to tropics in the north, with a lot of desert in between. Like the rest of Australia, it is full of weird animals that lend themselves very well to fantasy. 

Arika and Narrah have lived all their lives in a small non-industrial community in the great forests of South West Western Australia, near where I come from. Their adventures take them to the city of Perth, the Indian Ocean and the desert.

All of these things are seen from the twins’ viewpoint. They can read and write, but their language and range of references is necessarily limited by their background. The simple, clear style of the novel reflects that, I think, and also suits the Young Adult age group.

Thank you so much!

Audio Book Giveaway
1 copy of Children of the Different (from audible.com so you have to have that)

1. Enter by commenting
2. Open to all (if you can download from audible.com that is)
3. Ends Sep 25th

And as always, remember that if I can not find your email then I can not find you.

Children of the Different - SC Flynn

Nineteen years ago, a brain disease known as the Great Madness killed most of the world’s population. The survivors all had something different about their minds. Now, at the start of adolescence, their children enter a trance-like state known as the Changeland and either emerge with special mental powers or as cannibalistic Ferals.

In the great forest of south-western Australia, thirteen year-old Arika and her twin brother Narrah go through the Changeland. They encounter an enemy known as the Anteater who feeds on human life. He exists both in the Changeland and in the outside world, and he wants the twins dead.

After their Changings, the twins have powers that let them fight their enemy and face their destiny on a long journey to an abandoned American military base on the north-west coast of Australia. If they can reach it before time runs out.

CHILDREN OF THE DIFFERENT is a post-apocalyptic fantasy novel set among the varied landscapes and wildlife of Western Australia. 

My thoughts:

Setting:

A post-apocalyptic world. Most of humanity gone in the great madness. And there are Ferals, let's just call them fast "zombies" and you get the point what they sort of are. They will kill you the moment they see you.
Different groups of humans live spread out, but we only get the scope on Australia. For all I know everyone else might be dead.

Story:

Twins Arrika and Narrah go into The Changing. This means they either get powers, or become Ferals. Life does suck. There are dangers in the Changelands that will follow you out. I can't say too much about the story, spoilers you know. But there will be a dangerous journey. Revelations. Learning more about what is left of Australia (at least this part of AU). There are some minor characters too, but this really is the twin's book, and their journeys. It was an interesting story that had me hooked. There are good people, bad people, and people just wanting to survive.

Narration: 

The narrator did a great job with the book. And here is where I should say more. But you know, good narration. Nice pace, kept me interested. What a good narrator should do. A nice voice to listen too, he did well with different voices too.

Conclusion:

This was a good story, I liked listening to it, and I could easily stop in the middle of a chapter and pick up the next day (since that is how I roll). When it ended I felt like I would like to see more in this world, even if there was a good solid ending. But more can always happen. It was nice with an AY dystopia for once.

End notes:
I just wanted to say I jumped at the chance of reviewing this one via audible. I was all audiobook? Yes please! It was such a nice change for once.

Audiobook, 9 hours?
Published August 19th 2016 by The Hive
Dystopia, YA
For review