Halloween Contest Selections

This was more difficult than I thought it would be. I printed out the entries, blacked out names, and chose the ones that made the most impact on me emotionally.

I'll be contacting the entrants today about their prizes and I've made up a fifth prize for 3 others who sent in amazing writing.

This contest wasn't really about the prizes (although it is fun giving stuff to people who've read my books!) It's about inspiring people to write, to have fun. And I hope all of you had fun with this:)

I'll be posting the winning entries who give me permission.

And thank you to everyone who entered! I hope you love your gifts!

Fantastic Fantasy Finds: Crystal and Steel by Lyndan Darby

Crystal and Steel (1988)
Bloodseed (1989)
Phoenix Fire (1990)

These books were published in the UK. The trilogy begins as a quest fantasy, with a prince trying to take back his throne. There are dark lords and mystical objects aplenty, but it's the characters I loved. Eider, the prince, is naive and idealistic. His friend, the young wizard Nairb, is vulnerable, but powerful. Regor the elf is a trickster. Lehon is a young man hoping for adventure. There's only one memorable female character, and she turns out to be something completely different.

The fantasy has a Tolkienish plot, but the mood is decidedly Mervyn Peakeish. There's a warm friendship between the questing companions. The villain Zarrat the usurper is a typical tyrant, but the other villains are wonderfully drawn; the repulsive gnome monarch, the slithering Black Queen, the Baobhanshee, and Ruthra, the seducer masked in beauty.


Eider attains his throne, and, in the sequels, absolute power corrupts absolutely. Eider's friends must try to save Eider's soul in stories of surrealistic grandeur.

This series is for anyone nostalgic for Moorcock or Lord Dunsany's picturesque fantasies, weird and lavish, with a company of friends at its core.