The ancient engers knew it as a theoretical entity, one so remotely implausible that the idea only survived in an obscure verse. How could an ages-old poem give rise to the reality of the days of the Cold Angel, days that threaten the realm’s very future? And why does a woman’s determination to do right by her sister put her at the heart of a mystery, one that threatens to destroy the only love that sister has ever known?
Someone’s lost memories lead her to a strange meeting with a man in an even stranger tower, one that pricked star holes in the sky until but a few days before. What of it now, though, and its keeper’s determination to put things right at all costs? How is she to deal with the painful dilemma he draws her towards - when she’s asked to weigh the love of her sister against a duty to save the realm?
Some Background
The Dica Series is an epic tale, a story that steadily builds a world just as real and immediate as our own is to us now. Although epic, it's a story seen through the eyes of its characters, through their own close and intimate understanding, and through their relationships with each other. Theirs is a world that has remained the same for what seems like an age, but the reader is drawn in just as that world is about to change.
Through characters who become people as real to the reader as family and friends, the true nature and meaning of the realm of Dica - and its mountainous castle - is slowly revealed, as an ever-deepening mystery is uncovered. There's nothing of magic in this world, other than what misunderstanding might conjure, nor are there vast battles, blood and gore. Dica is a real world, one the reader can truly live in without the need to suspend their disbelief.
To create such a real and convincing world requires time and space, and some commitment by the reader. The tale is therefore, by necessity, one that begins quite leisurely, that seduces the reader with the richness of its setting and the depth of its characters. There is a gripping story, but it creeps up on the reader.
In a way, it takes a bit of courage on the reader's part to invest their time and effort in such a long and involved read, but I and many of those who have read it know it's well worth it. But how does one convince others that they're likely missing something wonderful, if they only knew? That brings us neatly to my latest book: Cold Angel Days.
For those who have already read the Dica Series - all three current volumes - then Cold Angel Days is a natural follow on, a legitimate Book 4. However, it can also be read in isolation, in its own right as a standalone story. It's also shorter than any in the Dica Series, and takes the reader straight into its story without too much in the way of introduction to the realm.
Because it carefully doesn't reveal any spoilers, and is its own story in its own right, the Dica Series can safely be read at a later date, so making Cold Angel Days a fine introductory taster. The best thing is to judge for yourself, of course. If you wish, you can read the first chapter at http://www.flyingferrets.eclipse.co.uk/index.htm and make up your own mind. At only fifty thousand words you can just about read it in a day, and so readily find out what you could be looking forward too in the Dica Series itself.
I hope I've tempted you into reading Cold Angel Days, for I'm pretty sure you'd enjoy it. Everyone who's read it so far certainly agrees with me - well, they've actually been far more complimentary, but then I am an Englishman, and we're not that noted for 'blowing our own trumpets'! As I keep saying, don't believe me, the author, check out the genuine reviews at http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17910923 -cold-angel-days and http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/622536351
Happy and enjoyable reading, whatever you choose to read next.
Clive