The Beast of Talesend Beaumont and Beasley Kyle Robert Shultz 9781520383828 Books
Download As PDF : The Beast of Talesend Beaumont and Beasley Kyle Robert Shultz 9781520383828 Books
Private eye Nick Beasley lives in a world where fairy tales ended a long time ago – where zeppelins now soar the skies instead of dragons, and where the first automobiles have taken the place of flying carpets. He’s made a name for himself across the Afterlands by debunking fake magicians and exposing fraudulent monsters. This is the modern age, after all. Magic and monsters are long gone.
At least, that’s what Nick believes. Until he gets magically transformed into a monster, that is.
The only person who may be able to help Nick is Lady Cordelia Beaumont, one of the last enchantresses in the Afterlands. But in order for her to cure him, they’ll have to retrieve a powerful artifact from a ruthless crime lord – who is also Cordelia’s father.
The fate of the Afterlands lies in the hands of a runaway enchantress and a monstrous ex-detective. What could possibly go wrong?
Perfect for fans of Doctor Who, Once Upon A Time, Indiana Jones, or The Dresden Files, the Beaumont and Beasley series features high adventure in a world where fairy tales are history.
The Beast of Talesend Beaumont and Beasley Kyle Robert Shultz 9781520383828 Books
Upon first reading the blurb about this book my initial reaction was: Okay, who has been reading my diary? I don’t keep a diary, however, were I to, this is exactly the sort of thing one might find within it:What if there was a no-nonsense detective in say, the 1920s era, who doesn’t believe in magic but then he ends up getting turned into a Beast, à la Beauty & the Beast. And there should be air ships! And a magic mirror! And a wise cracking but lovable brother character! And an evil sorcerer!
Now, I’m not accusing the author of reading my diary, or spying on my dreams, I’m just saying…it could have happened.
All that being said, I was excited to read this book, very excited. There are a plethora of fairy tale retellings out there, but I was betting on Shultz and his blurb to do the impossible: make it fresh.
I won that bet.
The Beast of Talesend was delightful. Light hearted, funny, magical and utterly delightful. I loved our main character, Nick Beasley. His utter denial over what has happened to him was terribly amusing to read, as was his brother’s reaction (I’m still not over the gunfire). Nick was a well-developed hero, who I could easily picture and watch with delight in every scene. I’m not sure exactly how Shultz managed it, but this character was so deftly put together and full of life, I remain convinced he must be real.
Lady Beaumont Cordelia was a breath of fresh air, though a bit of an enigma in the first half of the book. Half of me wanted her a little more fierce, the other half enjoyed the fact that she behaved (mostly) like a lady. I think future books will do her more justice, allowing more of her natural vivacity to shine.
Crispin was fun, though somewhat a cliché. I hope he is given plenty of page time in the future stories, because I would love to see him grow as a character and be a bit more fleshed out. In fact, I would be most interested in a novel told from his point of view. I got the feeling that he has a lot more to say.
Our main antagonist, Lord Whitlock was bit one-dimensional. It is my one regret for this story that I did not find him a bit more menacing. Perhaps it was the light-hearted nature of the book that caused me not to find his character to be more of a threat. Single-mindedly bent on world domination for the last 3/4 of the book, his character had more traction in the beginning of the story when he was (pretending to be?) an unrepentant, though somewhat charming, rogue. I was greatly intrigued by his ending though, so I look forward to where his character might be taken far, far down the road. In a more wondrous land, perhaps?
One of the things I enjoyed most about this book was the banter between characters. I am a dialogue fiend, and the rapid fire between the characters was like an ice cream sundae bar for me.
I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the scene within the mirror, I was nervous for our main characters but ended up being pleasantly rewarded with a fascinating twist on the tale of Snow White. The heartbreaking moment when Nick realizes what he must give up was excellently executed, and made me tear up. It seemed to echo our bittersweet open ending .
Speaking of which, what an ending! It felt more like the crest of one problem, on the way to more threatening ones. Like this is just part one, and we have upped the ante for round two.
Shultz has a wonderful way with words, and I found myself highlighting quite a few passages.
"The flower swayed gently to and fro, like a tree in a soft breeze—or a snake preparing to strike."
But my favorites were the humorous bits;
"She was stunning, but fortunately, as a hardened and experienced detective, I was impervious to this. More or less."
“I’d have a much easier time using my strategic advantage if I knew what it was.”
The Beast of Talesend is a cleanly written detective/adventure story about real fairy tales. I think it goes without saying that it is an original idea. It is also a well-executed idea, with a lot of laughs and plenty of promise for future books.
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Tags : The Beast of Talesend (Beaumont and Beasley) [Kyle Robert Shultz] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Private eye Nick Beasley lives in a world where fairy tales ended a long time ago – where zeppelins now soar the skies instead of dragons,Kyle Robert Shultz,The Beast of Talesend (Beaumont and Beasley),Independently published,1520383827,Fiction Fantasy General,Fiction Fantasy Urban
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The Beast of Talesend Beaumont and Beasley Kyle Robert Shultz 9781520383828 Books Reviews
Clever. Witty. Hilarious.
If I had to sum up Kyle Robert Shultz' book, The Beast of Talesend in three words, those are the ones I would choose.
But, thankfully, I do not have to keep my review of this delightful tome to a mere three words. Isn't that just fabulous? Therefore, you will now get a more thorough review. Lucky you!
IMG_1666Nick Beasley is a private investigator who lives in the Afterlands, in 1922 E.A. (Ever After). It has been approximately that long since the last "happily ever after" and magic is far less common now. In fact, Nick has made a pretty fair name for himself debunking all sorts of magical hoaxes and proving that magic more or less doesn't even exist... perhaps it never did.
But his perspective on that... and everything else... is about to change.
I loved every page of this short novel. It had a hint of that 1920s, black and white, "Dragnet" or "Kojak" sort of feel to it. It was even told in that sort of matter-of-fact, first person sort of way that just has a very dry sense of humor to it.
Things I loved
1. The characters. For such a short read (I think it took me about two hours to complete), the characters really spring off the pages. Nick is this grumpy, old-before-his-time, protective big brother who is sort of used to being right all the time. But he's got a heart of gold and he cares about people. That's the whole reason he is working so hard to prove that magic doesn't exist he's seen too many people hurt by scam artists. Then there's the Lady Cordelia, who is the polar opposite of Nick. She is impetuous and almost obnoxious in her brashness, but her "jump first, look later" nature is born of an absolute confidence in who she is and her own skills (and she really is pretty good at things) that you can't help but admire her. Crispin is Nick's younger brother, and at first he comes across as sort of your typical lazy lay-about who can't hold down a job... but he is more capable than even he knows, and he is loyal to a fault.
2. The crime-drama aspects of the story. I love crime shows and detective-type stories. So those aspects of the story intrigued me and made me want to discover "whodunit" along with the characters.
3. The humor. Oh my goodness, the humor! This book is just dripping with snarky, tongue-in-cheek, dry humor. There were lines that made me chuckle on almost every page. And there was at least one moment where I could not even keep reading, I was laughing so hard. That is a huge win, in my book. I love a story that makes me laugh.
4. The world. I love the idea of all the fairy tales living along together in the same world, and this one was just so amusingly put together. With places like "Grimmany" and the "Palace of Villeneuve" scattered across the Afterlands, there were plenty of nods to the originals mingled together with entertaining puns to keep me begging for more stories set in this world.
Things I didn't love
Uuuuummmmm.... I'm supposed to balance out the raving from above here, right? I mean...
Nope. Can't think of anything. Except maybe that it was too short.
And... that's about it.
In conclusion
I will definitely be buying the sequel(s) and reading more from this author. If you enjoy crime shows, a writing style that hearkens back to the days of Jimmy Stewart and Cary Grant, mixed up fairy-tales, puns, hilarity, and unlikely heroes... this is a book you NEED to go get a copy of right now!
Five extremely well-deserved dragon eggs
Upon first reading the blurb about this book my initial reaction was Okay, who has been reading my diary? I don’t keep a diary, however, were I to, this is exactly the sort of thing one might find within it
What if there was a no-nonsense detective in say, the 1920s era, who doesn’t believe in magic but then he ends up getting turned into a Beast, à la Beauty & the Beast. And there should be air ships! And a magic mirror! And a wise cracking but lovable brother character! And an evil sorcerer!
Now, I’m not accusing the author of reading my diary, or spying on my dreams, I’m just saying…it could have happened.
All that being said, I was excited to read this book, very excited. There are a plethora of fairy tale retellings out there, but I was betting on Shultz and his blurb to do the impossible make it fresh.
I won that bet.
The Beast of Talesend was delightful. Light hearted, funny, magical and utterly delightful. I loved our main character, Nick Beasley. His utter denial over what has happened to him was terribly amusing to read, as was his brother’s reaction (I’m still not over the gunfire). Nick was a well-developed hero, who I could easily picture and watch with delight in every scene. I’m not sure exactly how Shultz managed it, but this character was so deftly put together and full of life, I remain convinced he must be real.
Lady Beaumont Cordelia was a breath of fresh air, though a bit of an enigma in the first half of the book. Half of me wanted her a little more fierce, the other half enjoyed the fact that she behaved (mostly) like a lady. I think future books will do her more justice, allowing more of her natural vivacity to shine.
Crispin was fun, though somewhat a cliché. I hope he is given plenty of page time in the future stories, because I would love to see him grow as a character and be a bit more fleshed out. In fact, I would be most interested in a novel told from his point of view. I got the feeling that he has a lot more to say.
Our main antagonist, Lord Whitlock was bit one-dimensional. It is my one regret for this story that I did not find him a bit more menacing. Perhaps it was the light-hearted nature of the book that caused me not to find his character to be more of a threat. Single-mindedly bent on world domination for the last 3/4 of the book, his character had more traction in the beginning of the story when he was (pretending to be?) an unrepentant, though somewhat charming, rogue. I was greatly intrigued by his ending though, so I look forward to where his character might be taken far, far down the road. In a more wondrous land, perhaps?
One of the things I enjoyed most about this book was the banter between characters. I am a dialogue fiend, and the rapid fire between the characters was like an ice cream sundae bar for me.
I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the scene within the mirror, I was nervous for our main characters but ended up being pleasantly rewarded with a fascinating twist on the tale of Snow White. The heartbreaking moment when Nick realizes what he must give up was excellently executed, and made me tear up. It seemed to echo our bittersweet open ending .
Speaking of which, what an ending! It felt more like the crest of one problem, on the way to more threatening ones. Like this is just part one, and we have upped the ante for round two.
Shultz has a wonderful way with words, and I found myself highlighting quite a few passages.
"The flower swayed gently to and fro, like a tree in a soft breeze—or a snake preparing to strike."
But my favorites were the humorous bits;
"She was stunning, but fortunately, as a hardened and experienced detective, I was impervious to this. More or less."
“I’d have a much easier time using my strategic advantage if I knew what it was.”
The Beast of Talesend is a cleanly written detective/adventure story about real fairy tales. I think it goes without saying that it is an original idea. It is also a well-executed idea, with a lot of laughs and plenty of promise for future books.
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