The Steadfasting [Kindle Edition]

This book is great fun--a fine, imaginative read. I loved the setting--a trek through medieval market towns--and the way the story dances nimbly among the genres of period, romance and fantasy, but draws its power from the flawed humans at the center of the story and their antagonistic pairing.

For the record, the author defines "Steadfasting" as the practice of standing up as a sort of "best man" at a wedding. However, if the groom doesn't show, this stalwart soul has to marry the bride. Odd, yes, but it works.

Karsten is an itinerant trader who is literally unaware of what he's getting into when he agrees to Steadfast for a man he does not know well; as the story opens, he finds himself bound by this strange tradition to an equally unwilling wife, the lovely, cranky Arialla. The couple trudge off into the grubbiness and danger of a trader's life--he, searching for the most expedient way to make her agree to return home; she, stubborn (and at times downright hostile) in her resolve to stick with his wagon and team, too proud to return alone to face the ridicule of her small town.

Both characters are not what they appear to be, and therein lies the story. Which is very well written, and very well edited (a plus in KindleWorld).

I feel this book would make an excellent movie, one that might prove superior to most of the current fantasy fare.

The one problem I had with The Steadfasting was the author's use of an early-English-ish grammatical structure and dialogue. It felt awkward, initially. However, once I became accustomed to it, it fell into sync with the spirit of the book.

For the sake of disclosure, I should mention that I've met Doug Boulter; we were part of the same virtual writers' workshop for some time, and I read an earlier iteration of The Steadfasting, back when it was more novella than novel. The original story was decent, but this is far better--fuller, more human, more believable. It's good to see Boulter take the plunge into Kindle with his stories; he's much too good a writer to keep his material on a single computer.

Sue O'Neill Don't Mean Nothing

D A Boulter has another winner here.

I read his SF stories and liked the way he handled them so when I saw this one pop up, I grabbed a sample ... and didn't get all the way thru it before I bought the whole book.

The story starts off in a rather unusual place and it just follows the path. It's a heartwarming read and a great take on the quest fantasy story.

Grab the sample and see if you like it. Boulter has great characters, amusing plot twists, and some terrific action. I highly recommend it.

I read D.A. Boulter based upon another author's (Nathan Lowell) recommendation. I passed over this book several times simply because the cover art didn't appeal to me. That was my mistake. After reading several other works by Mr. Boulter, I tried The Steadfasting as a Kindle Sample. After just a few pages I purchased the book. This is a marvelous, intricately created fantasy world. The characters, even the secondary ones, make you want to know more about them. The plot thickens, quickens, and keeps you from putting the book down. Very well done. I don't write many reviews but I believed I had to with The Steadfasting in case others passed it over simply because the cover art seemed to reach out to the Young Adult or Juvenile reader. I wish Mr. Boulter the best and look forward to more work from him.