Dungeoneers by John David Anderson - Tour and giveaway!
Welcome to the blog tour for John David Anderson's newest novel.... The Dungeoneers! I'm thrilled to share this title with the world; and I love the piece he wrote for my blog on "The Rogue Essentials"
(Don't forget to get all the way to the end of the post and leave a comment for your chance to win a copy of the book. I'll choose one commenter at random on June 14th at the end of the blog tour.)
I make no secret of my love for all things geeky. Fantasy, science fiction, superheroes.... you name it, and I am there. Anderson had the scifi supheroes covered in his last two books (Sidekicked and Minion - which I also loved).
For this one, he tackles dungeon crawlers. I can't wait to share this title with my students. There's a character in it for everyone. Rogues and wizards. Warriors and druids. What class would you pick?
Dungeoneers summary (Publishing June 23, 2015):
The world is not a fair place, and Colm Candorly knows it. While his parents and eight sisters seem content living on a lowly cobbler's earnings, Colm can't help but feel that everyone has the right to a more comfortable life. It's just a question of how far you're willing to go to get it.
In an effort to help make ends meet, Colm uses his natural gift for pickpocketing to pilfer a pile of gold from the richer residents of town, but his actions place him at the mercy of a mysterious man named Finn Argos, a gilded-toothed, smooth-tongued rogue who gives Colm a choice: he can be punished for his thievery, or he can become a member of Thwodin's Legions, a guild of dungeoneers who take what they want and live as they will. Colm soon finds himself part of a family of warriors, mages, and hunters, learning to work together in a quest to survive and, perhaps, to find a bit of treasure along the way.
The Dungeoneers is an action-packed, funny, and heartbreaking middle grade fantasy-adventure from the author of the acclaimed Sidekicked and Minion, John David Anderson.
The world is not a fair place, and Colm Candorly knows it. While his parents and eight sisters seem content living on a lowly cobbler's earnings, Colm can't help but feel that everyone has the right to a more comfortable life. It's just a question of how far you're willing to go to get it.
In an effort to help make ends meet, Colm uses his natural gift for pickpocketing to pilfer a pile of gold from the richer residents of town, but his actions place him at the mercy of a mysterious man named Finn Argos, a gilded-toothed, smooth-tongued rogue who gives Colm a choice: he can be punished for his thievery, or he can become a member of Thwodin's Legions, a guild of dungeoneers who take what they want and live as they will. Colm soon finds himself part of a family of warriors, mages, and hunters, learning to work together in a quest to survive and, perhaps, to find a bit of treasure along the way.
Now - let's get started. Do you dream of being a rogue? John David Anderson shares some essential information ....
The Rogue’s Essentials
So you’ve decided to become a rogue. We should probably say something to the effect of “nice knowing you” or “your funeral,” but in the interest of at least appearing cheery and optimistic, we’ve decided to try and prepare you for this occasionally lucrative but always life-threatening endeavor.
With that in mind, we’ve listed here the five things you absolutely must have if you plan to start a career as a lock-picking, pick-pocketing, coin-pilfering, shadow-skulking, dungeon diver.
1. Lock picks
A set of lock picks is to a rogue what a horn is to a unicorn or the smell of rotten eggs is to a severe bout of flatulence. It defines him. It is essential to his very existence. And it usually fits nicely in a handbag or wide cloak pocket. Introductory lock pick sets come with a dozen standard picks and tension tools designed to jiggle your way into most common tumbler locks, but the seasoned professional will want a wider array of tools. We recommend Pilfer and Son’s Spelunker Professional’s Package, which also includes three extractors, one declutcher, an acid injector, a pair of titanium bolt cutters, tweezers, and a reusable toothpick. It also comes in an attractive, basilisk-skin case (available in sickly-poison green or crusty-dead-thing brown). Conversely, we’ve found that a hairpin can do wonders in a pinch.
2. Cloak
While a shirt of chainmail or a nice pair of grieves makes a practical addition to the rogue’s ensemble, a multi-pocketed cloak is an absolute must. The goal of any rogue is to leave a dungeon carrying more than he came in with, and that requires substantial on-the-body storage. Assassin brand’s Dagger line of cloaks provides comfort and stylishness in a multi-pocketed, secret-compartment design and comes with holsters for your throwing knives to boot. For those looking to fit in with the upper echelon of rogues, South Façade cloaks have become quite popular, though it’s hard to justify the vast difference in price. Basically you are paying for the label.
3. A sharp thing
Again, opinions vary greatly on how a rogue should defend him or herself. Some advocate an almost exclusive use of poison. Others claim that the best offense is having someone or something bigger and stronger standing in between you and whomever you’ve offended (walls are best, followed by barbarians). Most rogues, however, will carry at least one item sharp enough to cut a wedge of cheese.
Be it scimitar or sabre, dagger or falchion, butter knife or nail file—so long as it is pointy it will serve its purpose, which is primarily to distract the enemy long enough to find an escape route. The good news is that swords and daggers are easy to come by in the life of a dungeoneer—simply take one off of the dead body you just stepped over on your way down.
4. Reading material
Rogues continually dispute the relative merits of the many guides that claim to catalog their craft. Certainly The Rogue’s Encyclopedia by Darrius Snowthorn is the most exhaustive of the bunch, encompassing three illustrated volumes. But the more frugal minded treasure-snatcher will do just as well with Frodor’s Guide to General Skullduggery at nearly a third of the price. If you wish to avoid dungeons all together and simply take the assassin’s route to riches, Backstabbing for Dummies will tell you all you need to know (diagrams included).
5. Magic Dan’s Anti-magic Paste
Assuming you are venturing alone or that you are venturing with a mage who has been recently decapitated by one of those swinging-scythe traps (which you probably should have disarmed—just saying) and is therefore incapable of casting counter magic (not having a head severely dampens your magical proclivities), you will want to have a jar of Magic Dan’s on hand. Capable of eating away at enchantments on a variety of inanimate objects, the slightly minty, not altogether unpleasant-tasting concoction will prove especially handy when disenchanting those pesky magically-enhanced locks that would otherwise turn you to stone or make your eyeballs implode. After all, For magic locks, don’t trust any man, for locks, use Magic Dan.
And that should do it—or at least it’s enough to get you started. Of course there’s no substitute for having a good mentor to show you the ropes (and keep you from swinging from one). Finally, if you are still on the fence about whether a career in dungeoneering is right for you, you should consider reading
Colm Candorly’s account of his early adventures in the business as catalogued by the bard, J.D. Anderson, available from fine bibliothecas kingdom-wide.
John David Anderson is the author of Sidekicked and Minion. A dedicated root beer connoisseur in his spare time, he lives with his wife, two kids, and perpetually whiny cat in Indianapolis. You can visit him online at www.johndavidanderson.org.
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Blog Tour Schedule:
6/2/2015 Maria's Melange
6/5/2015 Unleashing Readers
6/6/2015 The Haunting of Orchid Forsythia
6/7/2015 Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers
6/8/2015 This Kid Reviews Books
6/8/2015 Ms Yingling Reads
6/9/2015 Read Now Sleep Later
6/10/2015 Charlotte's Library
6/11/2015 Nerdy Book Club
6/12/2015 The Hiding Spot
WIN A COPY OF THE BOOK!
Leave a comment AND fill in the form below.
-- must be at least 13 to enter
-- US and Canada residents only
-- book will be provided by the publisher.
-- if you win, I will email you and get information to share with the publisher
-- email address collected will ONLY be used if you win, to get your information for the publisher.
For commenting -- Let me know which piece of essential gear for rogues you think is most important, tell me which class of character YOU would want to be as a Dungeoneer, or share why you think kids will love this book. I'll choose one comment at random on June 14th.
6/12/2015 The Hiding Spot
WIN A COPY OF THE BOOK!
Leave a comment AND fill in the form below.
-- must be at least 13 to enter
-- US and Canada residents only
-- book will be provided by the publisher.
-- if you win, I will email you and get information to share with the publisher
-- email address collected will ONLY be used if you win, to get your information for the publisher.
For commenting -- Let me know which piece of essential gear for rogues you think is most important, tell me which class of character YOU would want to be as a Dungeoneer, or share why you think kids will love this book. I'll choose one comment at random on June 14th.
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