Welcome to another helping of Cover Love. This week I’m displaying Phil Williams’ covers in honour of his recent release of Kept From Cages, which I loved. I discovered his quirky Ordshaw trilogy last year – see my reviews of Under Ordshaw, Blue Angel and The Violent Fae. He also designed the covers for all the books in the series, as well as the new Ikiri series, which I find very impressive. Which ones do you particularly like?
To celebrate the release of The Violent Fae, the closing chapter of the Ordshaw series’ The Sunken City Trilogy, Phil Williams is sharing twelve short stories from the city of Ordshaw. The Ordshaw Vignettes are tiny insights into life in the UK’s worst-behaved city, each presenting a self-contained mystery.
You can read today’s story below. For the full collection, visit all the wonderful blogs in the tour.
About Ordshaw and The Violent Fae
The Ordshaw series are urban fantasy thrillers set in a modern UK city with more than a few terrible secrets. The Violent Fae completes a story that began with Under Ordshaw and its sequel Blue Angel, which I reviewed yesterday, following poker player Pax Kuranes’ journey into the Ordshaw underworld. Over the space of one week, Pax unravels mysteries that warp reality and threaten the entire city.
The Violent Fae will be available from Amazon on Kindle and in paperback from November 5th 2019.
If these vignettes are your first foray in Ordshaw, note that Under Ordshaw is on offer on Kindle in the US and UK between October 28th October – 1st November.
The Crane Driver
It was already late when the radio cut out. Sure way to make a long day longer. 350ft up in the crane, Dave had eyes on the roof and the waiting men, could easily lower the pipe into their waiting hands. But you didn’t do that. Didn’t touch a damn thing without the radio. He kept his hands away from the lever, eyes off the function displays – you do nothing until the banksman gets back in touch.
You had to keep cool, isolated in this little metal cage. No noise from the traffic, nor the shouts and clanks of the construction site. All you’ve got is crackling radio instructions, and that’s good because you need steel focus. Slow, steady, everyone depending on you.
When the radio cuts out, you wait.
Dave looked across the city rather than down at the blokes waving from the roof, just get the job done. Nope. He scanned the Net, a plain of buildings due north, the whole district in need of renovation. Lot of space there; if he got up some savings he was gonna take a crew himself, show some –
A blue spark drew his eye to a big red-brick church, taller than the surrounding derelicts. And – it came again – blue light sparked in its windows like someone flicking lights inside. Dave squinted. Welding? Half a dozen guys going at it throughout the church? Something unnatural there …
You saw weird things up here. The silence made them worse. Technical skill was one thing, a disregard for heights another. Dave had both in spades – could waltz along a high wire, though you wouldn’t get him down a sewer, not for all the tea in China. They’d had collapses, accidents in the metro. Much safer up here. But the crane had other dangers. You had to keep your head.
Barry Wicket, he got it bad. Hadn’t jumped but almost did. They were all shouting from the ground when they saw him perched on the crane arm. This high up, alone, hour after hour, it could make a man do things. Barry claimed he heard a little lady goading him. Wanted him to do it, said his life was worthless. He agreed. Only, last minute, the voice laughed at him and broke the spell. He was about to step off when it said, “Oh my God you’re actually going to do it?”
The voice in his head, mocking him. That confusion saved his life. Took him another hour but he made it down. He never went up again, Barry Wicket. Lost his license and saw a therapist, ended up a stadium steward. Got scared of being alone.
Proper creepy, Dave thought, that voice laughing after all that negative persuading. Might’ve saved Barry’s life, but left it sounding more real. Not just him freaking out, too weird for that. Then, a wandering mind went complicated places.
Yet thinking on that, Dave couldn’t deny the church was lighting up. These lances of light shot out the door – open, wasn’t it? Spitting lightning, like the building held a storm inside. Dave blinked, but it didn’t go away. He stared instead.
Finally, it stopped.
A dead, empty church again, another Net district husk.
Had he imagined it the same way Barry Wicket heard that voice?
“Dave – you with us?” the radio buzzed, and Dave threw himself back to the controls, focused on the displays to centre himself.
“Got you loud and clear, Bob,” he said.
“Good, great, not sure what cut us off. All good up there?”
“Hunky dory,” Dave answered. One focus now. Lower that pipe, get the job done. Definitely not thinking on whatever might or might not have been in that church. You saw weird things up there. Heard things, too. You didn’t dwell on it. Didn’t talk about it.
That’s how you got on.
Previous Story
For more Ordshaw shorts, you can check out yesterday’s story, The Concierge on Bookshine & Readbows. The next story, The Chemist, will be available on BiblioSanctum from October 28th.
Links:
The Violent Fae Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/48246084-the-violent-fae
The Violent Fae UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07Y7CRV1L
The Violent Fae US: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07Y7CRV1L
Under Ordshaw Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40092074-under-ordshaw
Under Ordshaw UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07CXYSZVN
Under Ordshaw US: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07CXYSZVN
Blue Angel Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43232280-blue-angel
Blue Angel UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07L33XJZ7
Blue Angel US: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07L33XJZ7
Find Phil Williams: https://www.phil-williams.co.uk
I read and thoroughly enjoyed the first book in this quirky series – see my review of Under Ordshaw. Now the third book is shortly coming out, and I’m part of the tour tomorrow, I wanted to catch up before The Violent Fae is released.
BLURB: Waking on an unfamiliar floor, Pax is faced with two hard truths. A murderous government agency wants her dead – and monsters really do exist. What’s more, her body’s going haywire, which she desperately hopes isn’t a side-effect of her encounters in the city’s tunnels. To survive, and protect 
Ordshaw, she’s got to expose who, or what, is behind the chaos – and she can’t do it alone. But with only the trigger-happy Fae to turn to, Pax’s allies might kill her before her enemies do…
My firm advice would be to get hold of Under Ordshaw before picking this one up, as Williams tips us straight into the middle of the action and while that keeps the pace going, you’ll be floundering if you don’t know who is doing what to whom. While this is urban fantasy, as it is about fabulous creatures lurking within the thickets of a large fictitious city somewhere in the UK, it has quite a different feel to the general run of UF books.
Williams has managed to create a cast of characters flailing around in the face of a host of paranormal events – and I do enjoy the fact that while the authorities do know about it, they are in various stages of denial about what is going on. Meanwhile Officialdom’s instinct is to cover up anything nasty that surfaces. This is all complicated by the simmering hostility between humanity and the fae. Forget Tinkerbell, these six-inch-high flying creatures are short-fused, generally hate humanity and armed with firepower capable of killing a human, despite their size.
A handful of folks have become involved, including Pax, and are grimly aware that something far more disturbing is going on than the comforting myth that the entity lurking below the city is mostly of benefit to the humans living on top of it. But they are having a major problem getting anyone to listen.
I liked the character development as we got to see more of Pax, and particularly her foul-mouthed tough companion, Letty. I also enjoyed watching Barton’s wife Holly in action – her fury at finding that her husband has been leading a double life all these years was both convincing and riveting. There are a couple of enjoyable set-piece battles that also had me turning the pages later at night than I should have, to discover what happened next. I look forward to discovering more about what exactly is going on under Ordshaw, in The Violent Fae at the beginning of November.
Recommended for fans of urban fantasy with a twist.
8/10
This is part of the weekly meme over at the Caffeinated Reviewer, where book bloggers can share the books and blogs they have written.
This has been a turbulent week weatherwise, with torrential downpours punctuated by bright spells of weather and over Thursday night and Friday, there were also a couple of thunderstorms. So it’s been hard to get washing dry outside, however the upside is that it is still mild for the time of year and we have also had some lovely rainbows.
I’ve been continuing with my Aerobics and Pilates classes and am gradually getting a bit fitter and less exhausted during and after the sessions. On Wednesday evening, I managed to make Writing Group which was lovely. I hadn’t been for a month and it was great to catch up with everyone and also get some valuable advice on the opening of Mantivore Warrior.
On Thursday, Sally came over and we started work on her second book. Editing is always such an intense business – I looked around twice and the day had gone, though I was absolutely shattered, to the extent that I spent part of Friday morning sleeping because when the alarm went off, I was just too tired to move. When I got up, I felt much better, but this week I must try to get to bed at a reasonable time as I’ve backslid badly. I needed to be sharp, as we collected the grandchildren on Friday after Oscar’s football practice – it was lovely to spend time with them again and catch up on their lives. Yesterday, we had a gathering of the clan at my sister’s flat. My parents and my sister’s sons and daughter-in-law travelled down to view her prospective new home and she also invited the four of us along. So ten of us, plus Darcy – Mum and Dad’s poodle – sat down to a delicious homemade curry lunch in with all the trimmings, while we provided the apple pudding in her compact flat. It was wonderful to catch up with everyone, who we hadn’t seen since David and Hannah’s wedding. For once the weather behaved and we were able to see my sister’s new home in brilliant sunshine and admire the views of Arundel Castle from her driveway.
I am still in the throes of the first draft of Mantivore Warrior and will be writing about my decision to include an extended flashback in tomorrow’s blog post.
Last week I read:
The Hidden Gallery – Book 2 of The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place by Maryrose Wood
Thanks to their plucky governess, Miss Penelope Lumley, Alexander, Beowulf, and Cassiopeia are much 
more like children than wolf cubs now. They are accustomed to wearing clothes. They hardly ever howl at the moon. And for the most part, they resist the urge to chase squirrels up trees. Yet the Incorrigibles are not entirely civilized, and still managed to ruin Lady Constance’s Christmas ball, nearly destroying the grand house. So while Ashton Place is being restored, Penelope, the Ashtons, and the children take up residence in London. As they explore the city, Penelope and the Incorrigibles discover more about themselves as clues about the children’s–and Penelope’s own–mysterious past crop up in the most unexpected ways…
I really enjoyed reading this second book in this series, though perhaps not quite as much as the first one. However, I am looking forward to finding out some answers to the thicket of questions surrounding the children and where they came from…
Blue Angel – Book 2 of the Ordshaw series by Phil Williams
Waking on an unfamiliar floor, Pax is faced with two hard truths. A murderous government agency wants her dead – and monsters really do exist. What’s more, her body’s going haywire, which she desperately hopes isn’t a side-effect of her encounters in the city’s tunnels. To survive, and protect Ordshaw, she’s got to expose who, or what, is behind the chaos – and she can’t do it alone. But with only the trigger-happy Fae to turn to, Pax’s allies might kill her before her enemies do…
This is the sequel to the quirky urban fantasy tale, Under Ordshaw and as Williams is releasing the third book in the series very shortly, I wanted to catch up before I fell further behind. Review to follow.
How To Fight a Dragon’s Fury – AUDIOBOOK 12 of the How To Train Your Dragon series by Cressida Cowell
The Doomsday of Yule has arrived, and the future of dragonkind lies in the hands of one boy with 
nothing to show but everything to fight for. Hiccup’s quest is clear…but can he end the rebellion? Can he prove himself to be king? Can he save the dragons? The stakes have never been higher, as the very fate of the Viking world hangs in the balance!
Very annoyingly, somehow I started listening to Book 11 in the series and switched into this, the final book without realising until near the end… Which was just amazing. I found it very emotional and uplifting – a truly epic fantasy written for children and yet also engrossing for hundreds of adult fans too. Review to follow.
First Flyght – Book 1 of The Flyght series by S.J. Pajonas
Vivian Kawabata can’t wait to claim her privileged destiny. But when the heir to the family agricultural empire finds her bank account empty while shopping for expensive shoes, she’s horrified to discover that her own brother has financially stabbed her in the back. To stand a chance of restoring her rightful place in the universe, the honest and rule-following Vivian may have to break a few intergalactic laws.
I thoroughly enjoyed this first book in a space opera adventure about a young woman struggling to earn enough to keep the family business after the betrayal of her shifty and shiftless brother. Vivian is an enjoyable heroine and I will be definitely reading more of her adventures. Review to follow.
My posts last week:
Review of Lady of Magick – Book 2 of the Noctis Magicae series by Sylvia Izzo Hunter
Friday Faceoff featuring Alien by Alan Dean Foster
*NEW RELEASE SPECIAL* Review of Doing Time – Book 1 of The Time Police by Jodi Taylor
Review of AUDIOBOOK The Empty Grave – Book 5 of Lockwood & Co series by Jonathan Stroud
Teaser Tuesday featuring Empire Games – Book 1 of the Empire Games series by Charles Stross
Reblog – Alvin and the area Alert to Literacy Efforts – Monday Memories
Sunday Post, 13th October 2019
Interesting/outstanding blogs and articles that have caught my attention during the last few weeks, in no particular order:
Thursday Doors – Cottage Update https://jeanreinhardt.wordpress.com/2019/10/14/thursday-doors-cottage-update/ I followed the previous posts Jean published on the massive restoration of this cottage with interest – so these pics showing the completion of the project were a delight.
How to Train Your Editor Brain https://writerunboxed.com/2019/10/18/how-to-train-your-editor-brain/ Anyone who has attempted to complete a major writing project will know that finishing the first draft is just the start – it’s the editing which makes the difference between a well written, polished read and a muddled mess…
What Counts as Reading? https://emeraldcitybookreview.com/2019/10/what-counts-as-reading.html I thought this article was interesting in that it made me stop and consider my own assumptions on the subject. What do you think?
Waterford Walls 2019 https://inesemjphotography.com/2019/10/13/waterford-walls-2019/ And this is just a joy – what a wonderful way to bring art and beauty into an urban environment and why isn’t every town and city in the land also following this example?
Alvin and the area Alert to Literacy Efforts – Monday Memories https://powerfulwomenreaders.wordpress.com/2019/10/14/alvin-and-area-alert-to-literacy-efforts-monday-memories/ Yes… I know I also reblogged this during the week – something I hardly ever do, but I didn’t want anyone to miss this uplifting, amazing post…
Thank you for visiting, reading, liking and/or commenting on my blog – I hope you have a wonderful week.
Expert reviews of the latest and the best in Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Science Fiction and Crime Fiction from an Australian reviewer.
Books, graphic novels, movies, manga, & anime
Blaze a trail and leave footprints for the world to visit and follow.
Art, health, civilizations, photography, nature, books, recipes, etc.
Where the power of my thoughts comes from the craft of writing.
This is the story of building a cottage , the people and the place. Its a reminder of hope and love.
Bringing The World Together...
by Jason Edward Harrington
Hi, I'm Avisha Rasminda Twenty-Two years old, Introduce Myself As A Author , Painter , A Poet.
The Salty River Writer. - Alumnus of Columbia University, Bennington College, and Palomar College.
I love my house and I work with Glass. Go figure.
Publishing Novels
Losprojm is a creator of content, arts and videos.
Ominous The Spirit is an artist that makes music, paints, and creates photography. He donates 100% of profits to charity.
Become a Story Hunter!
Brainfluff 