I knew before I started “Ganwold’s Child” by Diann
Thornley Read that I would enjoy it very much. I wasn’t disappointed, although
I wouldn’t want to be one of Read’s characters. Yikes! She has a gift for
keeping things moving and seldom gives her characters a break.
Darcy Dartmuth, a military officer and mother, flees
capture with her toddler son from a slaver’s ship, barely able to get the two
of them to safety on an alien planet. Once there, mother and son are enveloped
into a hunter-gatherer tribe that has no use for modern technology. Young
Tristan grows up learning to hunt and provide the ‘gan’ way with his foster
brother, Pulou.
When Darcy becomes infected with a local disease
that will surely kill her, Tristan is compelled to do whatever it takes to save
his mother, even when that means risking his own life by going into enemy
territory and trying to contact the father he hasn’t seen in 16 years. Along
the way, Tristan and Pulou are introduced to technology and ideals that are
foreign to them, with sometimes frightening and sometimes humorous results.
I loved the way Diann weaved themes of loyalty,
honor, duty, respect for one’s elders, country, self-accountability among the
fast-paced action and world of intrigue, deception, instant gratification,
power, military chain-of-command, keeping intact the humanity of each character
as they struggled from pressures within and without. In worlds with such advanced
technology, it is easy to get lost without an internal compass. At the same time,
these themes are interwoven with such complexity that the ‘right’ way is not a
simple decision, and often results in great personal loss and sacrifice.
I highly recommend “Ganwold’s Child” on many levels.
It is a fast-paced, sci-fi thriller with plenty of fantasy elements to entertain
young and old and certainly will appeal to those with military backgrounds as
well as civilians who happen to enjoy a good read with a technology bent. It will
also appeal to those who enjoy futuristic stories and those who embrace the honor
code of the Wild West.
I am also looking forward to Diann's latest release: RUNNING FROM THE GODS. It will be available after March 16, 2013.
Diann Thornley Read is truly a multi-talented, multi-faceted writer who knows how to weave a great tale. Do yourself a favor and check out the Sergey Chronicles available altogether in the Kindle OMNIBUS version
<---------------> Here OR Here <----------------->
<------ Book 3: DOMINION'S REACH is available:
here
About Diann T. Read
and Her Books
Originally from northern Utah, Diann Thornley wrote her
first story at the age of five and never stopped writing. She taught herself to
type—with two fingers—on her father’s ancient manual typewriter at the age of
six because it was faster than pushing a pencil. After winning a statewide
writing contest, junior high division, at the age of fourteen, she began her
first novel, which was based on the Arthurian legends. This endeavor filled
most of her high school years and freshman year of college, until a handful of
friends introduced her to science fiction by “kidnapping” her to go see an
obscure little movie called Star Wars.
The rest, as they say, is history.
Ganwold’s Child, first book of the The Sergey Chronicles,
took seven years to complete, due to completing college and entering the U.S.
Air Force. Following a year-long tour of duty in the Republic of Korea, Diann
finished Ganwold’s Child while stationed at Wright-Patterson AFB in
Dayton, Ohio. Echoes of Issel and Dominion’s Reach, the second and
third books in the Sergey trilogy, were also written in Ohio.
Diann transitioned into the Air Force Reserves following
Desert Storm, but her military career spanned 23 years and included deployments
to Bosnia and Iraq. In
December 2000 she married Jon Read, NASA rocket scientist and martial artist,
and moved to Texas.
Diann retired from the Air Force in June 2009 to return to her writing career
and spend more time with Jon.
For Parents & Teachers
Diann wasn’t blessed with kids of her own, but she and Jon
have nearly 40 nieces and nephews, and she teaches kids at church. She’s also
had a warm spot in her heart for the American Indians as far back as she can
remember, a warmth and appreciation that was deepened by having a Navajo foster
brother during several years of her youth.
Diann writes, “I look at the youth of today and I know who
they are. I see their potential as children of a loving God even when they
don’t, when their circumstances may give them no reason to believe in God. I
see what the world is becoming and the terrible challenges these kids face,
especially non-Anglo kids. Do they have any inkling of how precious they are?
Far too many of them don’t. It breaks my heart to know that suicide is the
second leading cause of death among American Indian kids.
“With my books I hope to reach out to kids from difficult
backgrounds, kids who struggle with their self-worth—especially boys, for whom
there’s very little fiction available in the young adult market, but also to girls.
I want to provide kids with heroes who maintain their integrity and moral
values in the face of tremendous odds, even at great risk to themselves. I want
kids to see that no matter where they’ve come from, no matter how terribly they
have been abused or disadvantaged, their lives have worth and purpose, and
they, like Ku (who would be American Indian if he came from our world) and
Derry (who has her own tragic history) can overcome and discover their divine
worth and potential.
“While I especially hope to encourage, inspire, and motivate
at-risk kids, I hope adult readers will find new meaning for their lives as
well.”
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