Storytellers On Tour is a Blog/Instagram Tour organising service. It was born out of Justine’s (Whispers & Wonder) and my love and dedication toward SFF indie books and authors. Our goal is to give as much exposure to our clients as we can, while we also build a community among our Roadies. Find out more about us on www.storytellersontour.online!
This past week we gave the spotlight to Tristan’s Folly, the sequel to Kings and Daemons by Marcus Lee in celebration of its release! Our Roadies brought a wide selection of content to this show with reviews and other posts. Now it’s time to bring the show to an end and it’s my pleasure to present you with the encore, including some extra content. Come and learn a bit more about the world of Tristan’s Folly through our Q&A!
Shall we?
Writing hasn’t always been a serious hobby for me … but it has always been there, lurking in the shadows, serving me well when called upon.
As I look back over the years, I realise I was guilty of writing many short stories, as well as poetry, and I’d like to think, that even if they were never intended to be published, they were nonetheless warmly received by the intended recipients.
Then in 2019, I was inspired to write not just a short story, or poetry, but a book. Then, suddenly, one book turned into a trilogy and a labour of love, and it was a love I wanted to share with the world.
So, here we are. The pandemic that put my career in sport on hold also gave me the opportunity to lavish time on my alternative hobby, or if demand dictates my new career.
However, only you, the reader, will decide whether this trilogy, which is still a work in progress, will be the first of many. I genuinely hope so.
Who knows, now these creatives juices are flowing, I might just keep on writing anyway.
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Epic fantasy has been my favourite genre since I first read The Odyssey and The Illiad as a seven-year-old. Now it’s my turn to see if I can bring another world to life in the imagination of others.
Tristan’s Folly. An ageing fortress built over fifty years ago to repel the invading hordes of the Witch-King, Daleth, an invasion that never materialised – until now.
Now the stronghold is a crumbling reflection of its former might, with a mere fifteen hundred men all that stands between Daleth’s savage horde of a hundred thousand, and certain doom for the Freestates.
As Kings and Daemons face one another, there is but one shining light that pushes back the encroaching darkness, but even her flame is slated to be extinguished thanks to Tristan’s Folly.
In this epic tale of a battle against the odds, the best and worst of humankind collide … sacrifice, bravery and love, set against betrayal, greed and hatred.
Click on the blog name to read their full review or other content!
NOVEMBER 29TH–THE WELCOMING
Whispers & Wonder – guest post + IG spotlight
NOVEMBER 30TH
Jorie Loves A Story – review
“There is a tautness of execution in this sequel, of where the vision of the story merged well with the dexterity of where Lee’s writing has grown from the first to the second installment of the series. I love seeing this growth emerge in an author’s collective works as it points to how each of us who chooses to write stories has a well of creative experimenting to achieve as we emerge into our writerly style and voice.”
Theswordsmith – review
“A talented writer is here and making his mark on the fantasy genre, an amazing novel of warfare, survival, love and determination await you. It’s a fantastic read but make sure you read book 1, an introduction is needed for this dark fantasy tale, but as sequels go this is one fantastic book. It easily gets my seal of approval and as mention I cannot wait for book 3.”
Sadie’s Spotlight – spotlight
DECEMBER 1ST
Lecari’s Livejournal 2.0 – review
“Tristan’s Folly has non-stop action, switching between combat and moving, dramatic scenes. Marcus Lee pulls no punches, not shying away from writing about the horrors of medieval combat, while still managing to balance character development and an exciting story. I am now super excited for the third book in the series, The End of Dreams — hopefully Marcus Lee won’t keep us waiting long!”
Bookends & Bagends – review
“As with Kings & Daemons, I devoured this book. Whereas I usually make reams of notes while reading, such was my hunger for this story, I have just two scrawled lines and zero quotes to fit between my praise. It is an effortless read, and in the very best way possible, the narrative is engrossing, the writing smooth, a genuine pleasure.”
Omnilegent: A Need to Read – review
“Tristan’s Folly is a book that makes for smooth reading. Lee doesn’t fall prey to too much imagery, he sprinkles enough in to capture your attention while keeping the book’s plot at the forefront. No long, meandering paragraphs where you gloss over. I appreciate this in a novel. I like my novels to be driven by the characters, and this is certainly the case.”
DECEMBER 2ND
Kats Reading Room – review
“As I said, there was a lot of plot progression in this book and there were a few plots twists that I didn’t see coming and I was kept on my toes all the through. There were even a few tears shed!”
Out of This World SFF Reviews – review
“TRISTAN’S FOLLY is a worthy sequel to Kings & Daemons in many ways and in some I believe it surpasses its predecessor. For sheer action and intrigue, this book really expanded on the first and showed an evolution of the characters that I didn’t see coming. Almost every character takes a turn that was not expected and the amount of backstabbing and double-dealing kept me on my toes throughout this superbly fun sequel.”
Westveil Publishing – review
“This is a very character-oriented book with lots of action and fantastic dialogue. It neither falls victim to “float head” syndrome nor weighs us down with too much flowery prose; it described just enough to give us context and beats, but leaves the focus on the characters. Although there is a romance element, it doesn’t bash the reader over the head with romance. It’s a dark fantasy first with a smattering of romance for interest. Just how I like it!”
DECEMBER 3RD
The Book in Hand – review
“Tristan’s Folly is a fast paced book, as I said it picks up right where it left off and it does not stop! This story is filled with action sequences and siege warfare and has you turning to the next page. Lee continues to raise the stakes in this book and sets up for what I expect is going to be a dramatic conclusion to this story. There is so much going on, though not cluttered and incoherent, and we see a lot more internal strife and deception in this book!”
Beneath A Thousand Skies – review
” Tristan’s Folly was an absolutely brilliant read that I just devoured and then immediately wanted to read more and the third book – The End of Dreams cannot come soon enough, and I will eagerly waiting to get my hands on it and find out what will become of the characters and world that Lee has brought to life. Fantastic writing, gripping action and characters that really bring the world and narrative to life, I really can’t recommend this series highly enough.”
DECEMBER 4TH
Gwendalyn’s Books – review
“The fight sequences are well depicted and action is nail biting. I have to say I was impressed with the author ability to switch back and forth from the key characters during the advanced fight scenes. The fortress siege was executed perfectly and its dramatic. Lee expands the magic system more in this book, which I was delighted to see. They are some of our old friends from the first book and you get to meet some new ones in this sequel.”
GnofletReads – review
“Overall, I enjoyed Tristan’s Folly as much, if not more than Kings and Daemons. Marcus Lee has built a wonderful world, and I hope to have the opportunity to review the last book upon its release and finish off this trilogy.”
Welcome to the Asylum, Marcus! Take a seat by the fire, have a glass of beverage of your choice and tell me something about yourself!
Well, thank you. This place is interesting. It’s hard to hear you above the screams, and are those scratch marks on the walls? Surely not…Well, what can I tell you that will get me out of here quickly? I’m definitely sane! All the voices in my head tell me I’m normal, and if you could hear them, they’d tell you the same.Also, being a writer of fantasy means I’m a bit of a dreamer, a romanticist and I write things only appreciated by ‘others’ like me who live out our lives in a hundred different alternative realities.In summary, I prefer to live in fantasy worlds.
What inspires your writing? Do you listen to music, stare into the fire, listen to the whispering of the wind, make deals with the Devil?
All of the above with the exception of making deals with the Devil. He’s a capricious fellow, not to be trusted. Supposedly he loves listening to soul music and enjoys a good fire. Music truly is an inspiration. It evokes such emotion and can conjure images in your mind out of nowhere. It’s magical. What I listen to all depends on my mood, and the type of scene I’m writing. I think the saying is, my tastes are eclectic, However, if I was to write a battle scene, it would have to be to Carl Orff’s ‘O Fortuna’.
Describe an asylum set in the world of your book, Tristan’s Folly!
I fear the asylum would be empty, devoid of life with perhaps some tumbleweed blowing through the empty corridors. Why? Well, because Daleth would have happily recruited them into his army.
Your MC is locked in an asylum. What did he/she do to end up there?
Oh my. I have a few MC’s. The one most likely to end up in one is Kalas, because after all, he is somewhat demonically possessed. As to how he got here, well, actually he came here for an overnight, relaxing stay. His daemon describes it as a little piece of home away from home in your visitor’s book.
Which fictional character (it can be one of yours) and/or author would you like to live with in an asylum and why?
It would have to be one of mine. Maya. After all, her gift would fill it with the beauty of nature, which at the same time would sustain us. Then, it would soon evolve from an asylum into something that eclipsed the Hanging Gardens of Babylon in beauty. If that isn’t reason enough, and you still need to know why? Well, it’s because Maya is based on the love of my life.
While you are locked in here for eternity, we will allow you one book – what would you choose?
The Neverending Story … Hah. See what I did there…
Well then, we hope you’ll enjoy your stay in the Asylum! Any last words? locks door
The End.
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