Flogging Babel: October 2022

Monday, October 24, 2022

A MID-AUTUMN NIGHT'S MADNESS Part 25

With a scream--of ecstasy? of terror?--

Gregory Frost's Rhymer Trilogy - First Volume Out This Summer!!!

Marianne and I had dinner last night with Gregory and Barbara Frost and it was of course a delightful evening. If you know them, you're the exact opposite of surprised. They are smart, warm, caring people--and I could dump a few dozen more adjectives on them, all admiring. Did I mention witty? That too.

One thing we talked about was Greg's Rhymer Trilogy, volume one of which (appropriately enough titled Rhymer) comes out this summer. I am excited about this because I consider Gregory Frost to be one of the best fantasy writers at work today. Here's what the publisher had to say:

Thomas the Rhymer, legendary 12th Century figure of traditional Scottish balladry, as you've never seen him before.

Rhymer brings to life Thomas the Rhymer, legendary 12th Century figure of traditional Scottish balladry, as a champion who must battle the diabolical Yvag—an alien race thought to be elves and faeries—hellbent on conquering our world. This saga pits Thomas against the near-immortal elves, first with only his wits, then with powers of his own that enable him to take on these evil creatures throughout the centuries. He’s known by many names over time—Tám Lin, Robyn Hood, and numerous other incarnations reaching into the present—but at his heart he is still True Thomas, one man doing all he can to save us all from a powerful foe.

When his brother is snatched right before his eyes, Thomas hunts for justice and discovers that not only do these “elves” steal people, but they also are skinwalkers who occupy humans in positions of power. Their goal: to obliterate humanity and take over our world. When Thomas is dragged into their alien realm, he’s imprisoned and barely escapes alive, but in the process he gains near-immortality and the ability to transform himself. Will it be enough to protect his loved ones and defeat this powerful foe?

Which sounds pretty good already. But we discussed this and the forthcoming books in some detail and I can tell you that it's a lot more interesting than whoever wrote the above makes it sound. No dis intended; it's just that it's a more complexly interesting set of ideas and situations that Greg is working with than can easily be boiled down to a couple of hundred words.

I apologize that I can't share any of that with you. But it was told me in confidence.

Anyway, I look forward to this book (and the others) with fierce anticipation. I recommend that you do too.