Thomas Locke

First Reader Reviews of ‘Emissary’

Emissary by Thomas LockeMy publisher generously provided Advanced Reading Copies (ARCs) of Emissary to a number of volunteer reviewers. As these reviewers receive their books, they’ve been emailing me their first impressions. I thought you might enjoy their comments:

 

“I already read it! Incredibly compelling speculative fiction! It warrants great reviews!”

-LaVonne Svenhard

 

“I received my copy of Emissary and LOVED it!  I will be writing my review over the Thanksgiving holiday. On my blog I’m going to gush because I really did enjoy this book and can’t wait for the sequels.”

-Cindy Anderson

 

I finished reading “Emissary” early this morning. Even though it does not fit with what I normally read, I found it very interesting. I’m looking forward to seeing what happens next.

-Edward Arrington

 

“I received my copy of Emissary and I finished reading it this morning. Wow!

I have never read much fantasy but I decided to give this a try because I’ve never been disappointed by anything written this author. Emissary was no exception. The story cast a spell on me and I couldn’t put it down. And I can’t wait for more.”

-Tina M. Hunt

Official Reviews

Here are excerpts the first “official” reviews from readers. Click the links to read the full review.

Sherry Arni on Goodreads:

Emissary takes place in a world that is often frightening and dangerous. Ominous forces threaten the realm, and most of those who have the wisdom and power to stop these forces have been hidden away, their powers forbidden.

Hyam, a young man with a mysterious lineage, turns his back on all that is familiar to become the reluctant leader of a brave, loyal group of mages, soldiers, and a beautiful, equally mysterious young woman, all of whom are dedicated to freeing the realm from the terror that threatens to destroy the realm.

Characters are well-drawn, action moves quickly and urgently, and the writing transports the reader to the realm. It has been awhile since I last read fantasy; this novel was a good journey back to that genre.

 

Kathleen Smith on Goodreads:

…The character development was very well written and with each chapter I could see the characters forming in my imagination! Some of the writing could be better written with explaining how Hyam got from one town to another as in the beginning. It skips a bit without much detail on how the main character gets from one place to another.

Hyam, Joelle, Bryna as well as a flock of other interesting characters fill the pages with a deep sense of sorrow, wanting, and a lust to be free. The main characters could each have a separate book written about them and their races that would be just as fascinating as this book was. I will leave that to the author…

I rate this book a 5 out of 5 stars and would recommend anyone who loves mythical, magical science fiction and fantasy! I can’t wait for the sequel and once again this author has found a true treasure in this book lover’s heart!

 

Jan Jonaitis on Facebook:

…In the beginning I was a bit confused with all the descriptive text, but it did not take too long for this old lady to figure out what was going on.

Emissary centers around a young man who is raised on a farm. When he accepts the wish of his dying mother his life changes drastically. He makes numerous discoveries regarding his heritage. In the first few chapters your head is spinning trying to figure it out.

But as Hyman (hero) cannot figure out his heritage you just decide to fall into the story and allow Hyman to grow. The story involves a number of wizards who are: young, old, crafty, honest, gossipers, witty, proud and learned.

All the soldiers are shown in their true colors of either honest or untrustworthy. The other characters flow through the story and at times I felt a bit overwhelmed with the descriptions, idiosyncrasies and personalities of the characters.

The nemesis is unnamed throughout the story. This I enjoyed. There are only so many names of characters in a story to keep remembering who and where they fall in to the plot. Knowing the nemesis had no name actually made it a better story for it allows the imagination to kick in.

You will not be disappointed with your choice of reading “Emissary” by Thomas Locke.

 

Sue Stevens on Facebook:

… I was very interested to see what my favorite author would do in the fantasy realm – and I wasn’t disappointed. As hoped for, the pacing keeps the heart pumping… even when we are just meeting and getting to know Hyman, Joelle, Trace and others whom we come to care about quickly.

New races of Ashanta and Milantian are introduced and in the early stages of the novel, it takes a bit of time to get adjusted to who they are, their history and characteristics. But it’s a fascinating journey.

The descriptions of this world and the magic once again at work in it are cinematographic and spectacular… sweeping you along. Fans of great fantasy like J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Stephen Lawhead and others will be eager to jump into this realm and join the fight against Evil.

5 Responses to “First Reader Reviews of ‘Emissary’”

  1. Reply Danny E. Douglas

    The story is written in the way only a few authors can accomplish In this day and age. The characters are well defined and you had me from the beginning. I had trouble with the book aspect, since I only read on my Kindle, I actually ask my wife how to “use one of these” referring to the book. I am happy to say this is the only problem I had. Fiction fantasy is a favorite of mine and I now consider Thomas Locke my favorite fantasy writer. As Hyman continues his adventure, I know that the creator of his character is guided by the creator of the universe. This makes it easy to look forward to further adventures. May God bless you in your continued books and thank you for sharing your talent with us. Love in Christ

  2. Reply Thomas Locke

    Thanks so much for your review, Danny! I know it’s tough mastering those old-fashioned books printed on paper, but I’m glad to hear you were up for the challenge! -Thomas

  3. Reply Deb Killian

    Seriously enjoyed this new adventure you took me on. I’ve read all your ‘Bunn’ books but never a ‘Locke’ book let alone a fantasy. I LOVED it & look forward to continuing the adventure!! Thank you.

    • Reply Thomas Locke

      Thank for for taking the time to comment, Deb. Glad to introduce you to the realm of fantasy literature.

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