Author Guest Post Ft. Jesse Teller (The Manhunters) -- "The Timeless Enemy"

Today I am excited to share with you all a guest post featuring Jesse Teller, author of Song and Hemlock (both part of the The Manhunters series)! This particular pieces discusses his first time encountering a dragon in television and his eventual journey into writing fantasy.

by Jesse Teller

When I was a boy, my parents took me to the movies. This was back when we had no money. No money at all. We had to fight to get food on the table and we were always strapped. Well somehow, my parents found the money and the time to take us to the movies, and I saw Sleeping Beauty.

I don’t remember much at all. Colors, I think, is all I could take away from it. I was about six and I had no recollection of the story or the images really, but I do remember very distinctly the dragon. I remember the colors, the breath, and the black. I remember this tiny man striving to fight it, and the way it seemed impossible. I remember thinking no force in the world could rival a dragon, and that is all I took from it.

Years later, I was watching TV in the morning on a Saturday, and I saw Bilbo Baggins take the first steps of his journey. The artistry of it consumed me, the way those particular animation artists moved the characters across the screen. They were the same animators that did The Last Unicorn and I will never forget the way they drew the line. The movie The Hobbit was fun until Bilbo and I found ourselves at the feet of Smaug.

So huge that dragon was, nothing Bilbo could do could ever stack up. There was no weapon to grasp to bring death to that monster. No hope, however slight, could be held when the idea of fighting that beast was at hand.

I do not accept the death Tolkien gave to his god of dragons. It is too convenient, too simple. No one arrow ever made could take down the beast I saw in that cavern, no matter how well shot, no matter the target.

I remember thinking if ever a power could exist that could rival a being that great, it would have to be me who found it. No other creator could reach within and pluck out the shred of hope that stood up to a creature so mighty.

Well, of course, I was wrong. Writers and artists have been killing dragons as long as dragons have been around. St. George cast one down centuries before I was born, and people have been doing it ever since. But Smaug stayed supreme in my mind, a creature of such immense power that no one dare stand before him had they not a ring of power.

So then I set to work. I began, time after time, crafting a hero or heroine strong enough to crush the monumental monsters of my mind. Soon wizards. Then warriors. Then one after the next, I began to put together an army of people and beings so invincible that they could stand up to Smaug. They could face the Nefarious, the Tempest and the Wrath of the greatest forces of darkness that any mind could find. Any mind anywhere. With this devotion to craft and heart of a creator, I plumbed the darkness within my mind to find magic.

When I hit teenage years, I wanted warriors. Arislan, Aragorn. Caramon Majere. I found Mycenae Kark and Sai Sibbius Summerstone. One after the next, I sought and found one swords smith, then another, to battle the monoliths of my mind. Twenties found assassins. Thirties, barbarians. One great hero after the next filled my mind, always with one goal in sight.

Crush Smaug.

Pulverize the immense. Bring down the invincible. I write high fantasy. If that means I am not grimdark, then so be it.

There is a boy in here, deep where no one can find him. He is fighting a monster, a monster deeply rooted in the fiber of his mind. That little boy will not let me go small. He has a nemesis. He has a nightmare, and one after the other, he will pump out the mighty and the brave to bring it down. I have never killed Smaug. He is, as far as, I know unkillable.

But Rayph Ivoryfist would get close. Smear Kond could sneak up on him. Dreark would make Smaug tremble. I fear that somehow the mighty, world-moving powers within my books will make me less grim, that I might lose some street cred. I might have readers who shrug and drop me, thinking they want lower fantasy than I am prepared to give them.

To them I say, please forgive. There is a monster in here. He scares me. I must fight him the best I can. Smaug is watching. Smaug is waiting.

About the author:

Jesse Teller fell in love with fantasy when he was five years old and played his first game of Dungeons & Dragons. The game gave him the ability to create stories and characters from a young age. He started consuming fantasy in every form and, by nine, was obsessed with the genre. As a young adult, he knew he wanted to make his life about fantasy. From exploring the relationship between man and woman, to studying the qualities of a leader or a tyrant, Jesse Teller uses his stories and settings to study real-world themes and issues.
He lives with his supportive wife, Rebekah, and his two inspiring children, Rayph and Tobin.

Author links:  Website | Facebook | Goodreads | Amazon | Twitter | Reddit | Smashwords

Recognition

1st Prize, The 2017 Drunken Druid Book Award

Literary Titan Gold Book Award
Drunken Druid Editor’s Choice, March 2017
Drunken Druid 2016 Book of the Year Short List
Hungry Monster Gold Book Award 

Song (Manhunters, Book One)

"Some of the darkest minds in Perilisc attacked Mending Keep, releasing all its prisoners. Despite his strained relationship with the crown, Rayph Ivoryfist calls old friends to his aid in a subversive attempt to protect King Nardoc and thwart terrorist plots to ruin the Festival of Blossoms. But someone else is targeting Rayph, and even his fellow Manhunters might not be enough to save him."

Hemlock (Manhunters, Book Two)

"The busiest pirate bay in Perilisc is newly infested with vampires. These monsters will soon overrun the world, but the Manhunters must try to stop them in secret. Agents of the king are hunting Rayph's vigilante crew. With one false step, they could all end up at a royal execution."

Hemlock is available on Amazon, Kobo, iBooks, Barnes & Noble, and Smashwords.

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Hemlock by Jesse Teller

Hemlock by Jesse Teller. Self-published, 2018. Ebook. 361 pages.

Hemlock brings us back to the world of Perilisc in the second installment of Jesse Teller's Manhunters series. Much like with the first book, Song, I had a great time reading this book and found myself captivated by characters and stories portrayed throughout the story. It's definitely helpful to have read the first book in this series, but I almost think that you could read this one as a standalone without finding yourself too lost.

The world-building is just as strong as the first book. I love how well-developed this world is and how obvious it is that Teller has put so much thought and passion into it. There are so many fantastical elements littered through this world, from creatures to characters to locations, all of which come together to make a great setting.

One of the strengths of this series so far, to me, has been the characters and character development. Rayph is our main character, and I really loved the journey that he had to take in this book. It felt a bit more serious and he seemed to have to deal with more difficult dilemmas--moral and otherwise--than he did in the first book. I felt that Teller did a great job in not only maintaining Rayph's strong character, but also with adding more depth to him.

Another character that I liked in this book was a new addition known as Aaron the Marked. He is a very intense warrior figure who brought so much to the story in such a great way. Although he and Rayph are quite different, I felt that they acted as great foils for one another and added a great level of balance. I like how Aaron was more concerned with being able to serve the king than he ever was for himself. He's also a fantastic fighter and I enjoyed his battle scenes.There were also few characters from the first book that were missing that was a bit disappointing, but I still really enjoyed all of the characters in this book and enjoyed it juts as much as Song.

Hemlock is a dark, gritty book with a lot of violence. Teller describes battles and fights extremely well, but also in a very detailed manner, so if you don't really like that sort of thing then just keep that in mind when picking up this book.

The issues I had with this book were pretty small and mainly centered around the writing. I felt that the dialogue was somewhat awkward and inconsistent at various times. This wasn't an overwhelming issue, but it did bother me occasionally. This is also an incredibly fast-paced story that doesn't ever really let up, so it's easy to stay hooked on the events.

Overall, I've given Hemlock four stars! This was another great installment to the series and I look forward to reading more from Jesse Teller.

Buy the book

*I received an ARC of Hemlock in exchange for an honest review. This has no effect on my rating.*

Never miss a post of bookish fun by subscribing to Forever Lost in Literature!

Planning to purchase a book or two? Consider purchasing on Book Depository through my affiliate link! Book Depository has worldwide free shipping and millions of titles to choose from.

I am also an Amazon affiliate, so if you'd prefer to shop through Amazon, just click the banner on the upper right hand side of my blog! (above the 'Follow by email' box, you may need to pause adblock to see it!)

You might also like:
Song by Jesse Teller
Scourge by Gail Z. Martin
More than Monsters by J.M. Riou
Merchants and Maji by William C. Tracy

Cover Reveal: Hemlock by Jesse Teller

Today I am excited to announce my involvement in the cover reveal for Jesse Teller's upcoming release, Hemlock! Without further ado, please feast your eyes upon this beauty:

HEMLOCK 

The Manhunters Book Two 

Releases April 15, 2018 

About the book:

"The busiest pirate bay in Perilisc is newly infested with vampires. These monsters will soon overrun the world, but the Manhunters must try to stop them in secret. Agents of the king are hunting the vigilante crew. With one false step, they could all end up at a royal execution."

About the author:

Jesse Teller fell in love with fantasy when he was five years old and played his first game of Dungeons & Dragons. The game gave him the ability to create stories and characters from a young age. He started consuming fantasy in every form and, by nine, was obsessed with the genre. As a young adult, he knew he wanted to make his life about fantasy. From exploring the relationship between man and woman, to studying the qualities of a leader or a tyrant, Jesse Teller uses his stories and settings to study real-world themes and issues. He lives with his supportive wife, Rebekah, and his two inspiring children, Rayph and Tobin.

Author links:  Website | Facebook | Goodreads | Amazon | Twitter | Reddit | Smashwords

Be sure to catch up with the Manhunters book one, Song!

"Some of the darkest minds in Perilisc attacked Mending Keep, releasing all its prisoners. Despite his strained relationship with the crown, Rayph Ivoryfist calls old friends to his aid in a subversive attempt to protect King Nardoc and thwart terrorist plots to ruin the Festival of Blossoms. But someone else is targeting Rayph, and even his fellow Manhunters might not be enough to save him."

Praise for SONG:

“Fantasy that comes alive, with no holds barred, from start to finish. Mr. Teller’s storytelling is bold, his characters are fierce and his plot is a fascinating twist of scenes and events that are spellbinding.” —Tome Tender Book Blog 

“A ton of action and fighting scenes. On top of that, the world building was so ‘otherworldly’ even when not much was going on, it was still interesting because it’s so different from our own world.” —The Weatherwax Report

“If you are the kind of person who loves super powerful wizards or swordsmen battling it out in very descriptive battle scenes with a high body count that remind me of battles right out of an Avengers movie then this is the book for you.” —The Nerd Book Review

“One of Teller’s greatest skills is relationships. Not romantic quest love relationships, but bonds between people and spirits. These bonds draw the readers in sometimes more than the story lines do because they are so powerful and relatable.” —Literary Titan

“A plotline that flowed really well from beginning to end.… Very difficult to put down. I rather enjoyed this one. I’m excited to see where the story goes in the next volume of The Manhunters.” —Kristen Reads Too Much

“Teller is a skilled storyteller, with some outstanding worldbuilding. This is a fully realized world that we’re dropped into, with interesting mythology, demons and magic that doesn’t need to explain itself to us – indeed, the mystery makes it more alluring.” —Tome and Tankard