Item: Gleeman's Tales
Rating: 4.5
Author: Gina

Gleeman’s Tales by Matthew Travagline (The Gleeman’s Tales Duology #1)

Gleeman's Tales by Matthew Travagline
Series: The Gleeman's Tales Duology #1
Published by Independent on 06/06/2020
Genres: Adventure, Dark Fantasy, Dystopian, Fantasy, Fiction, Mystery, Science Fiction, Suspense
Format: eBook, Paperback
Pages: 411

Gnochi Gleeman is not like other entertainers.

Because of his expansive knowledge of pre-apocalyptic Earth, the stories he tells are valued well beyond the flashes of an illuminator, or the spheres of a juggler. Gnochi spent the first decade of his career telling stories while traveling between taverns, inns, and any hole-in-the-wall which would feed him.

Cleo, a young teen from across the ocean, flees from her chaperone into the woods of an unknown land. During her first months journeying through eastern Lyrinth, she discovers something life-changing about herself. With that discovery comes the knowledge that her life is in grave danger.

Despite a love for the open road and a thrill for telling new audiences about the lost age, Gnochi chooses to retire and focus on curating his family’s hidden library of first-age texts. But the fates would not grant Gnochi the boon of a peaceful retirement. Not long after settling down, he learns that his sister and niece have been kidnapped, and in order to free them, he must assassinate the land’s ruling monarch.

On the path to murder, Gnochi runs into Cleo and the unlikely duo seek safe passage to Lyrinth’s capital among the dilapidated tents of a traveling menagerie.

All the while, people across the world are beginning to prepare for the once-in-a-decade winteryear. These winteryears, one of the echoes of the first age still present in the current world, have been ravaging the Earth since it awoke from its eternal winter and recovered from its near destruction thousands of years ago. Will proper preparations be taken before the Earth is blanketed in its yearlong snow?

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My thoughts on Gleeman’s Tales by Matthew Travagline

Gleeman’s Tales by Matthew Travagline is book one of the Gleeman’s Duology. Remember this vital fact.

Mr. Travagline displays his superior skills in penning this story. He builds a post-apocalyptic world with intricate detail. Gnocchi Gleeman tells the story of how this world came to be through his many bard’s tales. You would expect to be confused by stories within stories, but it all makes exquisite sense.

Cleo endears herself to the reader by showing glimpses of the young girl while pretending to be a male apprentice. There is so much more to her story yet to be revealed.

A multitude of players round out the cast of book one. No matter how small their part, you know they are intricate to the plot.

The book was a little slow to start, but I believe that’s on me, as I was distracted. Once my attention focused on the story, I became more and more captivated. I ended up reading far into the night, as I simply could not stop turning the pages.

You find bits of dialogue popping to the forefront of your mind at the oddest times, begging for more in-depth thought. Will the author’s dystopian world come to pass if we don’t change our ways? I hope not!

Gleeman’s Tales is a fantastic story that is so in-depth it requires a second book to finish telling the tale. Readers of all ages and genres will enjoy this book. I highly recommend it to lovers of fantasy, apocalyptic fiction, and just darned good storytelling.

Look for my review of Book 2 coming soon.

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Gleeman’s Tales by Matthew Travagline

About Matthew Travagline

Matthew Travagline was born and raised in the Mid-Hudson Valley of New York. He likes to think that the odd assortment of jobs he has worked during his tenure as a human (including: on a farm, in retail, as a park ranger, and in cybersecurity) has prepared him for writing about fantastical settings and futuristic quandaries.

And if you made it this far, Matt would implore a review from you if such would not tax you too much. Reviews, aside from ink and unmarked journals, are the lifeblood of any independent author and boost their standing in the mighty algorithm of life. Any and all are appreciated.