Michelle Franklin

The first thing I have to say about this book is that Michelle's world building is amazing. Her description of the Haanta, a proud race of giants, and their lands is so vivid and detailed. While reading, I almost felt I was walking along beside the characters. Like I said, the Haanta are a proud race and can be very stern and austere. Their customs are quite constraining and rigid, down to the way they live and the food they eat. When Rautu, a captive of the Frewyn, is enlisted by Commander Boudicca MacDaede to fight along side her in the war, it is very hard for her to win him over. But despite his outward view of women as warriors (not their place and all that chauvinistic viewpoint), we find him secretly admiring the Commander and a budding romance ensues, although Rautu tries to fight his feelings with all his might. An interesting aside, you know the old adage, "food is the way to a man's heart," well, as Rautu is accustomed to very bland fare, I think the Commander wins him over in a small way with her delicious pork and chocolate. He loves both so much that he greedily stockpiles it for himself. Too funny!

Michelle's books have been touted as romance, but I didn't really feel that it was the main focus. Yes, sure there is a romance between Boudicca and Rautu. However, what I also gleaned from the story was a message of justice, that perhaps the Haanta could learn more humane practices from the Frewyn. The Haanta seemed to be an intolerant people, especially in their treatment of their mages, many who are mere children. I think that the developing relationship between the Commander and Rautu, of Rautu becoming more tolerant of her and the customs of her land, it a parallel to a future tolerance among the Haanta. I guess I will have to read the rest of the books to find out.

Michelle has definitely written an intricate fantasy novel. Despite some instances of words being overused (simpered comes to mind), it is well-written in its descriptive prose and I enjoyed it.
… (meer)

Michelle Franklin's Tales from Frewyn never fail to entertain and The Reporter from Marridon is no exception. It's a short story/novella that packs in a lot of fun.

I don't think I'll ever grow accustomed to how Rautu treats the Commander. I'm kind of a feminist so it is mildly irritating how he expects her to be at his service in all aspects, if you catch my drift. But I realize that it is part of his culture and his character so I will definitely not hold it against the story. Somehow I can't help but be reminded of Conan the Barbarian. Rautu conjures images of him when I'm reading. I realize Conan is not a giant, but the general mannerisms and attitude towards women (again, I know it's part of his culture, in both cases). I think what I love most about Rautu is his love of chocolate. I hear you, dude! And I'm totally in agreement with his dislike of white chocolate. I mean, white chocolate is okay, but in no way does it measure up to the real thing...good, old-fashioned medium to dark chocolate. (Okay, where's my Hershey's with Almonds?)

What I really enjoyed in this story was the apparent tie to our present situation with the paparazzi. Michelle does a nice job of projecting a reporter who does not care about anything but getting the story (not saying that all reporters are like that). The manner in which he is finally dealt with is especially satisfying.

Michelle has built a wonderful world with Frewyn and has created fun and interesting characters. I always enjoy reading her stories.… (meer)

This was a delightful book filled with Tales from a fantasy world; one would love to be a part of. The characters were amazing, bright and completely unique. Each and every story danced off the pages and into pictures in my mind and took on a life of their own. This is the first book I have read from this author and had little background of the wonderful characters; although I had no trouble what so ever falling in love with them. These short stories brought laughter, romance, knowledge and ability to outsmart some of the other characters with love, understanding and humor. I adored the story about the spider and the chocolate pie… Even giants have cause to beware of spiders.. Some of the endings are not what you expect and yet they are so fitting.
I received this book through Early reviewers, the librarything and appreciate the chance to read and fall in love with such unique characters.… (meer)

Published on Http://Scorchingbookreviews.blogspot.com on the 6/12/11

An Opera is scheduled to be performed in Frewyn but, just before opening night, the controversial adverts threaten both the show and the safety of its director. The clueless maestro seems to be trying for ratings, without worrying about what the giant, Den Asaan, may think about the parody of his relationship with the Commander. When the Giant demands an immediate performance of the opera, to check that it does not belittle his beloved, it seems that this may be the last performance the famous Marridon ever creates.

This is a short read (approximately 35 pages) therefore will be a short review. Did the length bother me in the slightest? Nope, it was the perfect bite sized chunk. The land of Frewyn is a mythical, fantasy land where giants and people live together. This is a short story from a well-established land created by Michelle Franklin, but I don’t believe that reading out of order will hamper your enjoyment. In this tale we see an very amusing and heart-warming glimpse into the lives of the powerful Commander and her mate, the grumpy, chocolate addicted Giant. It made me chuckle at reading the glee she took in imagining how bonkers her beloved was going to go when he saw how she had been depicted on the adverts. Seeing his tough significant other depicted as a damsel in distress was likely to cause him much distress and, in seeing the amusement that the thought of this caused, I got a little warm and fuzzy feeling. Too often, books concentrate in the lusty, passionate feelings that come from a new relationship without ever touching on the little, comfortable feelings that also appear. It was clear how deep their feelings ran from this miniature insight.

I love the little world that Ms Franklin has created in Frewyn. This isn’t my first introduction to her characters and her world is very reminiscent of fantasy lands created in fabulous sci-fi shows (with far better dialogue and far less leather I hasten to add!) There is characters aplenty to get your teeth into (In this one, the King and his wife also gained my attention :D) and a delightful story that keeps you hooked.

A 5 star snippet from the characters in this delightful fantasy world. With an overbearing chocolate addict, a feisty female and a smattering of sex, this tale was a guaranteed winner for me. A lyrical writing style makes this tale a very easy read (even if I did have to look up a word or two :D) If you like your fantasy with a smattering of romance, this is a tale to try.
… (meer)