Ravenstone
- Book Club Questions:
- Whatever Randy finds for an occupation, it always revolves around the university or college world. Is this a valid position for her, or is this her Achilles heel proving she has not yet matured and engaged with the real world?
- Randy has been seen to “read” the real world through the filter of fiction and now through the elements of song. Is this necessarily a bad thing?
- The Smithsonian Folkways Collection and the U of A’s folkwaysAlive! project see commoner music – traditional, folk and blues – as being vitally worthy of curation and celebration. What is it about folk music that makes it worth all the trouble?
- Randy is attracted to Woody, obviously. What strings does he pluck that Steve hasn’t managed to? Is Randy right in her ultimate choice? Should there be romantic elements in a mystery novel?
- To read here, you would think that Edmonton is one long festival in the summertime – and you’d be right. Why do you think this burst of summer celebrations should erupt so far north?
- So much of this novel depends on having an alibi – do you ever wonder whether you should pay attention to having a ready back story?
- Is folk music really the music of the folk, or has it been eclipsed by some other genre.
- The series explores various nooks and crannies of academe. Since campuses are more like each other than the towns or cities where they are built, does something happening on campus make it feel more real, since it’s an actual place and tangible buildings or more ephemeral?
- Randy is considered a “gifted amateur” in the world of detective fiction. What do you think this term implies?
- Do you play an instrument? Do you think it gives you a different relationship with music than those who have no musical background?
- Awards and Honours:
Winner of the 2013 Mary Scorer Award for Best Book by a Manitoba Publisher
Winner of the 2013 Michael Van Rooy Award for Genre Fiction
Short-listed for the 2013 Prix Aurora Award for Best Canadian Science Fiction/Fantasy Novel in English
- Reviews:
An excellent first novel, Thunder Road is ultimately a creative fantasy about a human thrust into the role of a peacemaker between mythological forces....Imagine True Blood crossed with Thor and Beowulf.
—Chris Rutkowski, Winnipeg Free Press
...In Thunder Road, Chadwick Ginther opens a doorway to the mythical in the modern world, letting his reader almost believe that at the edges of our reality, in the most mundane of places, there lurks the remnants and lingering presence of the Otherworld...
—Derek Newman-Stille, Speculating Canada
Unique and brilliantly crafted, Thunder Road leaves the reader salivating for the next book in this trilogy and the next instalment in the life of Ted Callan.
—The Winnipeg Review
...the action in the story is fast-paced and, at times, almost heart stopping. There were many times I found myself holding my breath, wondering what was going to happen next.
—Susan Rocan, mywithershins.com
In Chadwick Ginther’s world, the prairies are alive with the sounds, smells, and appearances of Norse mythology.
—Stacks and Ranges Blog Review Quote
Ginther handles both the mythic and human aspects of Thunder Road with considerable skill. ...Thunder Road is a fast-paced, thoughtful novel, and news that it’s the first in a trilogy is welcome indeed.
—Robert J. Wiersema, Quill & Quire
"[In Thunder Road,] reality jostles with the supernatural, and sometimes the arcane can seem remarkably at ease on a changed planet. Without a trace of antagonistic empires, vast armies, or the schemes of eldritch sorcery, [Ginther writes] fantasy that resonates the deepest when it strikes close to home."
—Locus Review
A solid entry into the Modern Mythology subgenre of contemporary fantasy.
—Paul Weimer
I put down Mockingjay to read this one.
—Lindsay Kitson
[Thunder Road] blends Norse mythology into the Canadian landscape as smoothly and naturally as Joss Whedon married the Hellmouth to Southern California.
—Helen Michaud, The Canadian Science Fiction Review
If you liked Neil Gaimon's AMERICAN GODS, you'll adore this (frankly, I think it's better, sorry Neil).
—Lauren B. Davis
Excitedly inventive and extremely well paced and researched...
—Daniel Alvarez
- Praise:
Chadwick Ginther is a major new talent. His stunning debut novel grabs you by the throat and shakes you mercilessly; his prose is vivid and sharp and his settings are gritty and terrifyingly real. This is serious fantasy for grownups.
—Robert J. Sawyer, Hugo Award-winning author of Triggers
Thunder Road is a gritty, two-fisted action fantasy jammed with Norse mythology and the unique atmosphere of the Canadian prairies. The imagination and attention to detail make this book a compelling and exciting read. By the time I finished I needed a stiff drink, a smoke and a shower. Chadwick Ginther is one of those authors that gets under your skin. Im looking forward to his next book.
—J.A. Pitts, author of Forged in Fire
- Awards and Honours:
Short-listed for the 2014 Aurora Awards
Short-listed for the 2014 Carol Shields Winnipeg Book Award
- Reviews:
Ginther layers his rejuvenated Nine Worlds with a crackling good narrative and action set pieces that practically cry out for a Guillermo del Toro adaptation (I''m seeing Josh Brolin as a good choice for Ted).
—Corey Redekop
The book's action set-pieces could anchor a Peter Jackson movie, but it's the personal side that adds depth.
—Helen Michaud, AE - The Canadian Science Fiction Review
Ginther's mythos, bringing Norse gods and magical creatures within Manitoba's borders, is complexly woven...
—Chris Rutkowski, Winnipeg Free Press
Ginther has a Bardic authorial voice that aids in weaving a tale of stunning imagery and fast-paced action.
—Kerry Unruh, Rhubarb Magazine
Turnstone Press Ltd.
206-100 Arthur Street
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
R3B 1H3
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