Book Reviews - The Spanish
Gatekeeper Series
Featured "First Novel" review by
Nathan Brazil -
SFsite.com (September 2012)
Read the entire review:
https://sfsite.com/09a/sg375.htm
[excerpt] I should
at this point make it clear that the trilogy is not another Narnia
type adventure. The only magic on TNX-37B is actually high technology, and the
one remaining "wizard," Thomajun, is in fact an Osir scientist. Thomajun, now an
old man, is more interested in his ornithologically based experiments than any
problems that his race may have created for the planet's inhabitants.
Throughout,
Bernard Dukas gives the impression of having chosen to create something that,
while not blessed with an overabundance of originality, presents a refreshing
retro feel. It's a tale rooted in a more gentle, comparatively innocent age,
before the wholesale destruction of world wars changed everything. This helps
the work to stand out, and may appeal to inquisitive younger readers for whom
period style vocabulary is an undiscovered country. It will also interest
parents who like to read to their children, secure in the knowledge that the
work contains none of the incessant swearing, soulless sexuality, or gratuitous
street savagery so prevalent in today's literature. Not that it is all sweetness
and light. There are passages that depict gritty, violent and sometimes tragic
events, although mostly in a Boy's Own fashion. The author is also
not shy of using words of more than one syllable, and what his publishers
rightly term historical allusions, both of which may challenge some young
readers to make inquisitive use of Google.
In summary, The Spanish Gatekeeper is a
deliberately anachronistic, sprawling adventure with twin lead characters, the
female half of which is every bit as involved and interesting as her male
counterpart. Indeed, one Gwellem nation is a matriarchal society. The series is
as much about growing up, finding out who we are, and the consequences of the
choices we make, as it is a work of fiction. While many aspects of the plot are
standard fantasy fare, there are twists which definitely do not conform to any
'happy ever after' scenario. Author Bernard Dukas has written a period piece,
full of the quaintness and charm of a bygone age, and which in its own way goes
back to the future.
_______________________
The Midwest Book Review
Children’s Book Watch: November 2011
(The Fantasy/SciFi Shelf)
Book 1 of the
‘Spanish Gatekeeper’, Empire of the Ulfair (9780983192909, $11.95) by Bernard
Dukas, was a 2011 Compton Crook Award Finalist for best new novel and blends
science fiction, fantasy and adventure in the story set in 1900 and telling of
Peter de Soto, an English schoolboy, and his cousin, Bonifacia Espasande, who
uncover a family heirloom with powers to lure them off-world into a universe
filled with strange creatures and challenges. Powerful dialogue and twists and
turns of plot make this an exceptional read that ends with a mystery – followed
in Book II, Gwellem’s Hitch (97809831912923, $11.95). The second book is best
read with the first and picks up the story of the cousins now marooned on the
planet. Peter’s purpose is to reunite with his love and find the wizard that can
bring them home, while Bonifacia’s seeking to rectify a mistake that threatens
her friends. The strong protagonists and their interactions make these highly
recommended young adult fantasy reads.
_______________________
Book
I - Empire of the Ulfair
Book II - Gwellem's
Hitch
Book III - Og'yre War
Read them as eBooks for
Nook or
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