Alicia Marsland

Story, Story Alicia Marsland

"Trust me!" said the stranger. "You will be taken terrible places and sometimes you will despair, but trust me. You may be sorry many times, but you won't be sorry at the end." Then weirdly, he bursts into a children's rhyme, "Story, story, tall tale, lie..."Noah Peterson, park ranger and preserver of species, thinks this man who comes out of the forest must be nuts, especially when he hands Noah a newborn baby, then leaves. Noah thinks it a peculiar way to acquire a son...but at least it will finally make his wife happy... he hopes. Yeah, it has a cover like a children's book but think of it as a wonder tale for adults, with all the nitty and the gritty. It takes place in 2163 AD and the aptly-named Noah can talk to animals (advanced degree in animal communication). In a slowly dying world, how can this family even survive? One advantage they have is Martie and Noah are both survivors, although they don't know that about each other, because they are used to keeping secrets. It's an open question whether they even love each other. But they are bound together by their common purpose: saving animals. Meanwhile, mysterious interstellar forces wage a hidden war over the waning future of mankind. Kappa Mu and Aza, both of a star-born race, represent opposing sides. If one of them succeeds, this could spell doom for all earthlings, but certainly for Noah and family. So who are the three that turn up to help? Noah's got no reason to do so, but will he trust them? Can he and his wife manage to survive secret enemies, pandemics and government lies?Finally, maddeningly, while on a mission of honor, Noah is swept up with the 'dead' and placed in a detention center under an assumed name. Nothing and no one is who or what they seem! Mysteries and perils multiply thick and fast, culminating in multiple threats to those they love! Will Noah escape? Will he reach home again? (And will Martie forgive him if he does?)"Story, Story" is the stunning first book of the genre-crossing series, "The Tale of the Eighth Herald". If you like captivating adult fantasy that is a little bit Tolkien, a tiny bit scandalous, thought-provoking yet offering pure reading pleasure, you'll adore reading Alicia Marsland's transcendent work!