SWORD OF ANUBIS
BRITTANY KINGSTON
ISBN # 978-1-897559-38-3
September 2008
Eternal Press
http://www.eternalpress.ca
E-Book
$1.80
22 Pages
Paranormal Romance
Rating: 3 Cups
India’s parents were murdered by Nicolai Kesslanski. She now lives with her grandfather and helps him run his Parisian shop.
Morgan’s father was also murdered by Kesslanski and he has been tracking him to exact justice. His search has led him to Paris, and India.
Nicolai Kesslanski is nearly unstoppable. Only the legendary Sword of Anubis and an ancient Egyptian book of the dead can destroy him. A murderous act brings those two items and their guardians together, but Nicolai may yet evade his fate.
The setting is appropriately chaotic; Paris just before the revolution. The story could use a bit more depth; it is a little thin on plot. I never learned exactly what Nicolai was, but Morgan’s pursuit of him was full of suspense and excitement. The author captured the spirit of the chase. The characters were sympathetic and resourceful. The ending is a bit disconcerting, especially after the visit of the god Anubis.
Maura
Reviewer for Coffee Time Romance
This is a great review. I'm really excited to see my work up there at Coffee Time Romance. However, I don't agree wholeheartedly with everything said above. It's always good to have quality feedback on your work. The reviewers at Coffee Time Romance do a wonderful job. They must read sooooo many stories! I can't imagine how many they'd go through in a single week. It's a staggering thought.
When you put your work out there in public, you have to remember that not everyone will see your stories as you do, and every reader will see them in a different way.
Sword of Anubis was written as a very simple short story with a single-layer plot - that is to say, it has no subplot. I also intended to leave a little to the imagination of the reader. I don't believe that absolutely everything needs to be explained or described in vivid detail. Plant the seed, create the mood, hint at what's behind the door, then let the readers' imagination take them wherever they want to go.
The one glaring fact that the reviewer did miss is that Nicolai Kesslanski is a vampire. The reference to this is mentioned no less than seven times throughout the story. Looking back with 20-20 vision hindsight, I consider that to be a mistake. It should be obvious to the reader what Nicolai is, or it doesn't really matter. Again, a reader can imagine him to be whatever they want him to be. Hitting the reader over the head with the word "vampire" seven times in 19 pages is overkill, in my opinion. How come I didn't pick up on that? I should never have let the story get to the publishing stage without seeing it. But then... who's perfect?
I enjoyed writing Sword of Anubis, and it remains one of my favourite short stories. If you're interested in getting your hands on a copy, surf on over to Eternal Press and grab one.
Cheers
Brittany Kingston
