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The Dog of the North (Annals of Mondia)
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Product Description
Book Description
Winter on the lawless plains of the Emmenrule. En route to her wedding in the fortified city of Croad, the beautiful Lady Isola is kidnapped. What is worse, her captor is the infamous Beauceron. But, ruthless as he may be, Beauceron is no ordinary brigand: it is his life's ambition to capture Croad itself – and he will stop at nothing to achieve it. Mondia, though, is a continent of many stories, and in Croad, a young man named Arren has been taken under the wing of the city's ruler, Lord Thaume. Although of low birth, Arren is destined to become a knight of valour and renown. But as his fortunes rise, so those of his childhood friend Eilla fall. Beauceron has returned with his human plunder to his home – the exquisite frozen city of Mettingloom. There, the imperious Isola finds herself reassessing her former loyalties as she struggles to adapt to her new life. Beauceron, meanwhile, is manoeuvring to raise an army. He is determined to defeat his enemies, both inside and outside Mettingloom – and to capture the city he loathes. But what is the source of Beauceron’s obsession with Croad? Can Arren reconcile his youthful ambitions with his growing feelings for Eilla? And just who is the Dog of the North? Tim Stretton’s debut novel is a spellbinding tale of loyalty and betrayal, homeland and exile, set in a brilliantly imagined world of political intrigue, sorcery, and warfare on an epic scale.
About the Author
A graduate in English and American Literature from the University of Kent, Tim Stretton lives in West Sussex.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful
By John Eagles
Format:Hardcover
Just finished this new book - Excellent.
Tim Stretton's creates wonderfully rounded characters, a beautifully realised fantasy world which does not overwhelm the story, and cleverly constructed plot that will keep you guessing to the end.
The first main plotline tells the story of Beauceron, a ruthless mercenary captain who wants to besiege the city of Croad to the south. Beauceron lives in Mettingloom, a fascinating frozen city ruled by one king in the winter and another in the summer. His attempts to play one king off against another are highly dangerous and the reader is always wondering what twist is around the next corner. Beauceron kidnaps two noble ladies, Isola and Cosetta, and his relationship with them--part greed for their ransom, part guilt at his crime--is one of the best features of the book.
In the second story, set in the city Beauceron wants to besiege, young Arren is taken into the household of the city's ruler Lord Thaume. Arren is ambitious for glory and fame, but there are those who are jealous of his success. The reader knows that war is coming, and the way Stretton handles Arren's coming of age against this background is highly impressive. He manages to keep us interested in the political intrigues and Arren's character. I particularly enjoyed the development of his relationship with his childhood friend Eilla, whose fortunes do not keep pace with his own.
While the plot is epic and dramatic, Stretton writes with a nice dry humour which means the story never takes itself too seriously. There are no black and white characters--even Beauceron and Arren's enemies have clear motives for the way they behave. The book is beautifully written, and while it's firmly in the fantasy tradition there is plenty to enjoy for readers of all tastes.
I really enjoyed the book and I recommend it to anyone!
Tim Stretton's creates wonderfully rounded characters, a beautifully realised fantasy world which does not overwhelm the story, and cleverly constructed plot that will keep you guessing to the end.
The first main plotline tells the story of Beauceron, a ruthless mercenary captain who wants to besiege the city of Croad to the south. Beauceron lives in Mettingloom, a fascinating frozen city ruled by one king in the winter and another in the summer. His attempts to play one king off against another are highly dangerous and the reader is always wondering what twist is around the next corner. Beauceron kidnaps two noble ladies, Isola and Cosetta, and his relationship with them--part greed for their ransom, part guilt at his crime--is one of the best features of the book.
In the second story, set in the city Beauceron wants to besiege, young Arren is taken into the household of the city's ruler Lord Thaume. Arren is ambitious for glory and fame, but there are those who are jealous of his success. The reader knows that war is coming, and the way Stretton handles Arren's coming of age against this background is highly impressive. He manages to keep us interested in the political intrigues and Arren's character. I particularly enjoyed the development of his relationship with his childhood friend Eilla, whose fortunes do not keep pace with his own.
While the plot is epic and dramatic, Stretton writes with a nice dry humour which means the story never takes itself too seriously. There are no black and white characters--even Beauceron and Arren's enemies have clear motives for the way they behave. The book is beautifully written, and while it's firmly in the fantasy tradition there is plenty to enjoy for readers of all tastes.
I really enjoyed the book and I recommend it to anyone!
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By M. Eagles
Format:Hardcover
I have high expectations when it comes to fantasy. As an avid reader of this genre, I have found it increasingly hard to find an author willing to be original and yet combine the perfect amount of heroism, tragedy and realism. I must admit, the first few chapters of the Dog of the North did not endear me to it. The book's start is very slow and it took a great deal of perserverence to really get my teeth into it. However, just like a whirlpool the longer you stay with the novel's two main characters the more you are sucked into the centre of this wonderful world.
Stretton's prose is simple and eloquent, portraying a vivd web of personalities against the backdrop of a understated yet engaging patchwork of realms. This is not a fantasy novel with puissant wizards and eldritch creatures, nor do seemingly immortal heroes sweep armies away single handedly. The strength of this book is in its realsim. Not only does this mean that Mondia can be seen as a slightly more fantastical parallel to the mid-late Medieval period, but also appeals to a greater audience than just fantasy readers.
I spoke of three integral ingrediants to a fantasy novel. Whilst it's inherant realsim allows the reader to relate to several of the book's characters, It heroism is equally engaging. Stretton's battle narrative is fantasically detailed and realsitic. you may not be able to compare any of the author's heroes to the likes of Aragorn or Druss, but more human, historical heroic archetypes such as Parmenion, Leonidas, Alexander, Caesar etc are clearly recognisable. In addition, the author greatly explores the negative aspects of the warrior psyche from greed and jealousy to most importantly, revenge. As for Tragedy, I do not wish to spoil the book for future readers. Suffice to say I have not been so moved by a novels conclusion since reading the Amber Spyglass and the Lord of the Rings in my late childhood.
I would fully recommend this wonderful book to anyone, fantasy enthusiasts or not and am really looking forward to the next release in the Annals of Mondia.
Stretton's prose is simple and eloquent, portraying a vivd web of personalities against the backdrop of a understated yet engaging patchwork of realms. This is not a fantasy novel with puissant wizards and eldritch creatures, nor do seemingly immortal heroes sweep armies away single handedly. The strength of this book is in its realsim. Not only does this mean that Mondia can be seen as a slightly more fantastical parallel to the mid-late Medieval period, but also appeals to a greater audience than just fantasy readers.
I spoke of three integral ingrediants to a fantasy novel. Whilst it's inherant realsim allows the reader to relate to several of the book's characters, It heroism is equally engaging. Stretton's battle narrative is fantasically detailed and realsitic. you may not be able to compare any of the author's heroes to the likes of Aragorn or Druss, but more human, historical heroic archetypes such as Parmenion, Leonidas, Alexander, Caesar etc are clearly recognisable. In addition, the author greatly explores the negative aspects of the warrior psyche from greed and jealousy to most importantly, revenge. As for Tragedy, I do not wish to spoil the book for future readers. Suffice to say I have not been so moved by a novels conclusion since reading the Amber Spyglass and the Lord of the Rings in my late childhood.
I would fully recommend this wonderful book to anyone, fantasy enthusiasts or not and am really looking forward to the next release in the Annals of Mondia.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Originally released as a self publication this novel has been re-released by Tor UK. As such it's an interesting tale with similar prose as the writing of David Gemmell in certain scenes. A tale of revenge with well written combat sequences along with politicking that will leave you wondering if our modern day equivalent has been dumbed down. Ideal characterisations along with a world of intrigue that tie's up a tale that whilst formulaic to a certain degree is entertaining with the hack and slash of battlefield combat there is also the refinement of a duelling epee's.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
An epic historical fantasy
I'm going to write this review using a phrase I never thought I'd use - being a writer I like to believe I'm much more eloquent than this. Read more
Published 14 months ago by Donna Hole
4.0 out of 5 stars
The Dog of the North (paperback version)
What attracted me to The Dog of the North was the alluring front cover. Categorised as fantasy, what was Darth Vader doing on the top of the front cover and with a sword in his... Read more
Published 18 months ago by K. M. Knight
5.0 out of 5 stars
Full disclosure
The author is a friend. We worked together very closely for over six years on the Vance Integral Edition; in addition I proofread an earlier version of this novel, as well as... Read more
Published on 25 Aug 2010 by Steve in Munich
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Dog of the North
I haven't read much fantasy fiction since my `Tolkien years', but I was encouraged to buy this book on the recommendation of a friend. Read more
Published on 2 Oct 2008 by S. Sharkey
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Marvelous New World
"Dog of the North" is a spectacular debut in a fully imagined and original world. From the frozen Venice of Mettingloom to the shaky alliances of the kingdom of the south, this... Read more
Published on 10 Sep 2008 by Pamela L. Blake
5.0 out of 5 stars
Dog of the North
With a first book as good as this I can't wait for further stories by Tim stretton. I was sucked into the action and intrigue from the first page and never looked back. Read more
Published on 1 Aug 2008 by S Wylie
5.0 out of 5 stars
Captivating Tale of a soldier's obsession
`The Dog Of the North` is well written, characterised and plotted; impressive for a first novel, and published as part of Macmillan's New Writing series. Read more
Published on 23 July 2008 by M. D. Thorne
5.0 out of 5 stars
A real page turner
The Dog of the North is a genuine page-turner with a well-constructed plot and enough twists to keep you glued to the story. Read more
Published on 11 July 2008 by LCT
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