Wil Deft

Wil Deft is a story about enslavement, and struggling to be free. It’s about love, and malevolence, and decency. It’s about how a choice can change a world. It’s about sorcery, and the mundane magic of rooster crows at dawn.There’s beauty in Wil Deft, and terror, and glimpses of the primordial shadows steering our fate. Most of all, in a way, it is about a dog. Wil Deft speaks with this dog. He tells no one he hears the thoughts of beasts. It shames him and endangers him.His fellow Fishtowners don’t know. They just say he’s an idler, and it is true. Only when he needs a few coppers does he thatch a roof or catch mudfish. Then he rows his skiff to Horse Skull Island, to flirt with tavern barmaids. It’s all he wants. Suddenly, though, imperial constables hunt him, meaning to kill. He doesn’t know why.He flees upriver, then into the great forest, where ancient enchantments linger. A cat and dog appear, summoned to guide him, by whom he doesn’t know--a cold-eyed forest cat., and a consequential dog.Atop a crag, gripped by a power beyond seeing, Wil Deft learns his fate—he was bred and born to be a pawn, in a game of cosmic chess.He finds haven with a tribe of magicians, in their treetop city, but it is brief. They train him to be a thief. He must sneak into the imperial capital, then into the palace itself, to steal. He faces slavery, and torture, and death.Yet, he must go. It is fated.He must go alone, with just the dog. Yet, that dog loves him fiercely.And, on that love, all turns.PRAISE FOR WIL DEFT FROM A REVIEWERBeginning with the narrator's pitch perfect storytelling "voice", I was quickly captivated and constantly lured on….I loved the author's choices of people and place names - 'Fishtown' for the village, Wil Deft for the hero. This author manages to coax poetry from every descriptive turn of phrase….FROM A SECOND REVIEWERIt started with a terrific hook—who can resist a talking cat sent to deliver a message? It starts off strong and just continues that way.PRAISE FROM READERS…This is a wonderful tale! Intriguing. Imaginative. Complex…a very talented and masterful writer and teller of dramatic tales…people will find this little-known story to be as satisfying and intricate a drama of good and evil as the classics (The Hobbit comes to mind.)—Jay B. Cutts—5 Stars.The author has totally nailed the corgi personality - a fun and interesting page-turner—David Schaldach—4 Stars.Wolkomir's characters are memorable, especially Tobi, the corgi, who epitomizes all loyal dog characteristics. —Ellen Miller—4 StarsAND OTHER READERS SAID…… wonderful scene-painting: mundane Fishtown, the cobblestoned streets, the glow seeping through closed shutters, and above all the sinister bulk of the imperial ship blocking out the lights of the neighboring town, all spring into reality before us. Impressive work. —Cairo, Egypt…charming well-balanced prose, unexpected and delighting imagery, perfect pacing and immediate suspension of disbelief…characters are shaped almost invisibly with an expert choice of few words. I want MORE...and I want it NOW! —Long Beach, California….yet, it is the language with which the story is written that sets it apart….Move over your treasured copies of Tolkien and C. S. Lewis and make room for Wolkomir. —Waitsfield, VermontFrom the very first sentence I was hooked….The characters were instantly real—Albany, New York…a world as believable as Tolkien's. I woke up thinking about the characters and their world. I loved what the dog says—we all know that's what dogs would say, if we could only hear them…—the movie folks will want to do something with it. —Albuquerque, New Mexico

About the Author

Richard Wolkomir has worked as a laundry sheet folder, grounds keeper, roofer, zoo bear-cub keeper, reporter, and writer of award-winning articles for magazines, from "Reader's Digest" and "Smithsonian" to "National Geographic." Now he writes fiction-speculative, mysteries, and thrillers. He lives with his wife and partner, Joyce, in the New England hills. Visit his website at www.richardjoycewolkomir.net.

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