The City Of Lost Fortunes - Bryan Camp

Synopsis:

The fate of New Orleans rests in the hands of a wayward grifter in this novel of gods, games, and monsters.

The post–Katrina New Orleans of The City of Lost Fortunes is a place haunted by its history and by the hurricane’s destruction, a place that is hoping to survive the rebuilding of its present long enough to ensure that it has a future. Street magician Jude Dubuisson is likewise burdened by his past and by the consequences of the storm, because he has a secret: the magical ability to find lost things, a gift passed down to him by the father he has never known—a father who just happens to be more than human.

Jude has been lying low since the storm, which caused so many things to be lost that it played havoc with his magic, and he is hiding from his own power, his divine former employer, and a debt owed to the Fortune god of New Orleans. But his six-year retirement ends abruptly when the Fortune god is murdered and Jude is drawn back into the world he tried so desperately to leave behind. A world full of magic, monsters, and miracles. A world where he must find out who is responsible for the Fortune god’s death, uncover the plot that threatens the city’s soul, and discover what his talent for lost things has always been trying to show him: what it means to be his father’s son.

Review:

The City of Lost Fortunes is one of those books that takes magic, mythology, folklore and culture, throws it all into a blender and ends up being that smoothie that's a mix of mind blowing fantasy. It's unique and highly engaging, there's even a chance that The City of Lost Fortunes could be described as fantasy on steroids!

This novel was an absolute joy to read what with such a beautiful writing that guided me through time and dimensions as if it were a dream. The gods, monsters and mythological undertone blew my imagination.

The conflict at the centre of this book is not a simple one but rather a large cluster of events that through cause and effect guide Jude towards truths and a fate that he never considered.

There is a lot of magic in this book, suppressed magic, magic that has been taken away and magic that has been enhanced. And one way, or another, Jude experiences magic in all forms. But he is not a know-it-all; he learns and discovers and gambles… the game among gods and monsters isn’t over until the final card has been dealt.

Yeah, Jude is a bit of a wise-cracker! I loved his character- his intelligent, analytical mind, his particular view of men, gods, magic. Everything he goes through in this book, and it’s a LOT, he takes it in his stride, without complaint, even when he ends up experiencing an unexpected … ahem.. out of body experience of sorts! As he investigates the murder, and as his very essence hangs in the balance, Jude must remain alert to recognize friend from foe.

I liked all of the characters in the book- some of them we have all heard about through various tales, but it seemed to me that Bryan Camp is a special kind of puppeteer to bring them all together: angels, vampires, zombies, psychopomps, voodoo loas riding the human bodies, ghouls… I’m telling you, this book is a treasure and when you’re reading it, you’re the pirate taking a dive into a loot of pure gold.

The City of Lost Fortunes is an ode, a dedication, to New Orleans and its people. A fantastic, imaginative fairytale-like puzzle of gods and monsters, supernatural folklore and myths. It is an incredible venture into a world otherwise unseen to mere mortals, topped up with a generous dose of attitude, unexpected nuggets of wisdom and twists, underlined by an unwillingness to fold in a game with an open ending. Basically, do yourself a favour and read this book. Its a 5/5 from me and in a world where the number would be out of 10, it would still be a top scorer.

Around the World in 80 Tales - Dave Tomlinson

Book Summary: 
80 Stories, 25 Countries, 5 Continents, One Heck of a Ride! A journey of captivating true travel stories from that will inspire, amuse and amaze. This fascinating kaleidoscope of people, places, food and culture brings to life the colourful experiences of travelling the world on a budget!

Review:

I've always wanted to travel, since I've been a child I was always thinking of where I should go, for how long and what I would do there and most importantly how I would get there. As I grew I begun to see the full picture, how much it was going to cost to go to places I craved to visit, I even made plans for a road trip through American once with a few friends, we planned the majority of and I still quite embarrassingly have the notepad document on my laptop that I typed  it all in. The plan of course fell through, distance grew between me and everyone involved yet the very need in me to visit America and everywhere else to see all of these beautiful things still lingered within me.

So when Dave contacted me and told me about his new travel book Around the World in 80 Tales I really couldn't say no. It is one of the greatest things I've gotten to read about the world, the people scattered around it and the wonderful views and experiences to be had outside of my home.  I'm beyond envious of Dave's journeys, incredibly in awe of the photo's he took, the experiences he had and those who gave him a glimpse into their life and were so generous on his travels through each place.

Each story is short and engaging, accompanied by beautiful photos. Reading each story at home tucked under a roof in between 4 walls I was in a constant state of seeing myself in each situation, even in those not so very 'glorious' ones Dave will know which ones I'm talking of! and a state of pure envy which would physically ache my chest. Each story is pure and true, in no way exaggerated or altered for our pleasure, they are real life moments, memories and breath taking moments. Dave made me envious but reading his tales, poured gasoline on the flame inside of me that wants to travel.

I am beyond thankful for Dave having shared with not only me but you, his stories, its been a great experience and a very much eye opening one. As you know before now I have wanted to travel, to experience cultures and peoples generosity whilst experiencing great things, now I don't 'want' to travel, I thrive to, I pray and hope to do so even if its only to a few places, it's still an adventure or several, all of which I would be thankful to have experienced.

Having bought me so much joy and laughs I can't reward this book anything less than a 5/5. I recommend it to anyone who wants to travel but haven't got the time or money or are going to be traveling and want some ideas on where to go and activities to do. Thank you to Dave who provided me with a copy for a review.