Book started slow. I actually put it aside the first time. Glad I gave it another chance. Looking forward to the sequel. ( )

http://bactra.org/weblog/algae-2011-02.html#red-wolf ( )

This was a super first novel, up in my top 5 favorites for the year so far. I love discovering new authors, especially since one or two of my favorites have not been delivering the goods lately (George RR Martin-write the book already and stop messing around and taunting your readers! Robin Hobb, write something else, preferably set in the Six Duchies!) Anyway, Robert V.S. Redick has satisfied my hunger for a fantasy world to match that of Martin's or Hobb's and it's populated with wonderful characters, not all of them human. Most of the novel was set on a ship, and I love a good seafaring tale. The plot is original, well-crafted, and the author didn't feel like he needed 150 pages of expository to set up the story. I got into it right away and lost sleep because I couldn't put it down. Can't wait for the sequel! ( )

This was a fun easy read. High adventure, good world building, strange magic and "wakened" animals (animals who achieve intelligence). Oh, and there are the Ixchel, thumb sized humans. I really liked the Ixchel, they reminded me of Tom Thumb and/or [b:The Borrowers|348573|The Borrowers (The Borrowers, #1)|Mary Norton|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1308945559l/348573._SX50_.jpg|802336].

Our main protagonist, Pazel Pathkendle, is a young boy whose family was lost in a war. He becomes a "tar boy" (basically a gopher) on merchant ships. Along his adventures we meet a host of characters, both good and evil and Pazel becomes wrapped in a conspiracy which will envelope the world in another war.

More Young Adult then High Fantasy as stated on the MPG. This was [a:Robert V.S. Redick|2845500|Robert V.S. Redick|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1302130643p2/2845500.jpg]'s first novel and I think he did well here. I will continue the series. This first book convinced me that Redick has the chops to grow and become better at his craft. ( )

This review is written with a GPL 3.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at Bookstooge.booklikes.blogspot.wordpress.leafmarks.com & Bookstooge's Reviews on the Road Facebook Group by Bookstooge's Exalted Permission. Title: The Red Wolf Conspiracy Series: The Chathrand Voyage Author: Robert Redick Rating: of 5 Battle Axes Genre: SFF Pages: 466 Format: Kindle Synopsis: The greatest ship still in existence, The Chathrand, is making a historic voyage. It is carrying an Ambassador's Daughter who will be wed to a Prince, hence signalling the beginning of a long peace between two Mighty Empires. But Empires are rife with corruption and full of the corruptable. This is not a voyage of Peace, for both Empires are planning treachery. This is not a voyage of Peace, for others are planning to use it to bring back some of the mightiest and evilest power ever known to Man. My Thoughts: I really enjoyed this. That was a surprise because I had thought this was going to be about anthropomorphized cats [Chathrand just sounds Cat'y to me and when you've read as much SFF as I have, sometimes words have a "ring" to them that lead you to believe something about them] and it was very evident from the start that that was not the case. So my expectations were dashed from page 1. This was an adventure story filled with magic, Awakened animals, the Littles and derring-do. It was great. However, I found that not a single main character was good enough for me to want to care about. If any of them had died and the plot had proceeded, I would have been just fine with that. It wasn't that they were horrible people, not by any means but they never caught me by the nethers and held on. You know how sometimes you just connect with some people? And then there are the times that you don't? I've had times where everything seemed perfect with somebody else but that spark wasn't there and things just kind of wound down. That's how it was with these main characters. To be honest though, I don't expect to connect to characters in every book I read. It is nice when it happens, but I do have my Man Card to think about and sometimes some good old fashioned violence and action are much more necessary. Such was this book. I am looking forward to reading this completed [HURRAY!] series. " ( )