Book Review: Quillan Creek and the Little War:Time Stones Book I by Ian Hunter

 

Quillan Creek and the Little War: 
Time Stones Book I 
By Ian Hunter

Publication Date: 3rd August 2018

Publisher: MVB Marketing-und Verlagsservice des Buchhandels

Print Length: 281 Pages

Genre: Historical Fantasy 

Jessie Mason lives with her nose in the pages of history. But she is about to discover that the past is a dangerous place where she doesn't belong, and knowledge alone is not going to save her.

In Jessie’s troubled life her aunt is the only constant and comfort she has. But when she inexplicably disappears, and Jessie uncovers her mother's Time Stone, that unhappy life turns unreal and terrifying.

She is summoned to a world in crisis, 250 years in her past, to three unlikely companions, and the aged Onondaga shaman, Nishkamich, who promises an education in the powers of the stones which they each possess.

Over one glorious summer, Jessie reluctantly settles to village life and the developing bond with her prickly friends, until they are forced to accept that their stones are being hunted through history.

But in the depths of winter, their friendship, their wits, and the very limits of their endurance, will be tested by an unforgiving Nature as war finally erupts around them.

Praise

"...the kind of book that one would forgo sleep to finish." 

The Coffee Pot Book Club

"...fantastical and riveting." 

booklife 

"...an exciting adventure for readers with unforgettable companions." 

The Book Commentary 

Book Rating:

📚📚📚📚📚⭐ = A book in a million

📚📚📚📚📚 = I could not put this book down. I Highly Recommend it.

📚📚📚📚 = A really great read.

📚📚📚 = It was enjoyable.

📚📚 = It was okay.

📚 = Um...! 😕

My Review

Quillan Creek and the Little War: 
Time Stones Book I 

📚📚📚📚📚

I went into Quillan Creek and the Little War (Time Stones Book I) expecting an interesting historical fantasy aimed at a younger adult audience, but wow — did this book deliver. The story opens with an evil force hunting the Time Stones, ruthless in their quest and willing to travel to whatever century they need to in order to find them. And then, quite suddenly, in walk — or rather fall — the heroes of this tale.

Jessie, Tiponi, Abe, and Kesejowaase are thrown together — quite literally through time — and what follows is as much about learning to survive one another as it is about surviving the world they find themselves in. All four feel equally important, and it was refreshing to follow such different people as they each struggled with their own fears, responsibilities, and difficult choices. I especially enjoyed seeing how their personalities sometimes clashed and sometimes complemented one another, and how their doubts and mistakes made them feel genuinely real rather than idealised heroes.

One of the strongest aspects of the story is the sense of responsibility that hangs over every decision. Power, knowledge, and choice are never treated lightly, and there is a constant awareness that actions have consequences that cannot easily be undone. Nishkamich, the shaman, quickly became one of my favourite characters — his quiet wisdom and urgency add depth to the story and help guide the others through a world filled with uncertainty and danger.

By the final pages, I felt as though I had genuinely travelled alongside these characters and shared in their uncertainty, courage, and hard decisions. 

You can pick up a copy of this book on Amazon

Ian Hunter

Books have been an important part of my life as long as I can remember, and at 54 years old, that’s a lot of books. My earliest memories of reading are CS Lewis’, “The Horse and His Boy” – by far the best of the Narnia books, the Adventures series by Willard Price, and “Goalkeepers are Different” by sports journalist Brian Glanville. An eclectic mix. My first English teacher was surprised to hear that I was reading, Le Carré, Ken Follett, Nevil Shute and “All the Presidents’ Men” by Woodward and Bernstein at the age of 12. I was simply picking up the books my father had finished.

School syllabus threw up the usual suspects – Shakespeare, Chaucer, Dickens, Hardy, “To Kill a Mockingbird” – which I have reread often, and others I don’t immediately recall. By “A” level study, my then English teachers were pulling their hair out at my “perverse waste of talent” – I still have the report card! But I did manage a pass.

During a 35 year career, briefly in Banking and then in IT, I managed to find time, with unfailing family support, to study another lifelong passion, graduating with an Open University Bachelors’ degree in History in 2002. This fascination with all things historical inspired me to begin the Time Stones series. There is so much to our human past, and so many differing views on what is the greatest, and often the saddest, most tragic story. I decided I wanted to write about it; to shine a small light on those, sometimes pivotal stories, which are less frequently mentioned.

In 1995, my wife, Michelle, and I moved from England to southern Germany, where we still live, with our two children, one cat, and, when she pays us a visit, one chocolate labrador. I have been fortunate that I could satisfy another wish, to travel as widely as possible and see as much of our world as I can. Destinations usually include places of historic and archaeological interest, mixed with a large helping of sun, sea and sand for my wife’s peace of mind.

Social Media Links:
Website
X
Amazon Author Page
Goodreads

Tour Schedule