When Alerice Linden dies at the beginning of a tale, you know you’re in for something new. The Beast of Basque tracks Alerice’s descent into the Evherealme, where she becomes the champion of the Raven Queen. Assisting her is Oddwyn, the gender-fluid, impish Herald.
On her quest, Alerice meets Kreston Dühalde, a former military captain. And what task does the Raven Queen assign? Slay a two-faced beast that preys on the souls of children. Only tasks aren’t always as straightforward as they seem. Nor are the reasons for them nor the comrade Alerice meets along the way.
Enjoy The Beast of Basque, Adventure One of Tales of The Ravensdaughter.
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REVIEWS
In “The Beast of Basque,” the first of six novellas in Erin Rado’s “Tales of the Ravensdaughter,” Erin manages to seamlessly tackle significant, relevant, and relatable themes through her complex and well-written characters. Whether it’s presenting a strong female protagonist with her main character, a dead tavern mistress, maturely and deftly addressing LGBTQ themes with a gender-fluid herald, or tackling concepts of mental health through a captain with a haunted mind, Erin ensures there is something for everyone in her wonderful fantasy tale.
While Erin’s characters are the true standouts of this novella, it’s also impressive how she manages to cover so much ground in such a short time, all the while delivering a thrilling fantasy story with several twists you won’t see coming. Erin also has a way of using language that pulls readers into her fantasy world, ensuring they won’t want to put this story down until they’ve reached the end. If you love thoughtful fantasy with endearing characters but don’t have time to sit down with a brick of a book, “The Beast of Basque” is the perfect read. And the best part is that there are five more novellas coming soon.
– Timothy Repasky
The Beast of Basque strikes the perfect balance of highly developed fantasy world-building and digestibility. Rado plunges you straight into the action with a roster of characters you find yourself rooting for immediately. I was personally pleased to find there is no shortage of charm, wit and humor right out of the gates. I need the next installment please!
– Zac White
Right. So, a nice little fantasy story. A quick bit of world and character building, which due the shortness, left me wanting to know more, but of course, I am sure that will come as more of the Ravensdaughter tales come along. The action at the end of the story and the “Beast” is a wonderful nice little twist, and reminds me of things that are said about fairies. “Words have meaning, but only precisely the way they are used.” It is always important to look at the exact terminology, which applies in this story as well. Deliciously fun and look forward to the rest of the series.
– Arian Niwl
Great world building, fun and interesting characters, and all in a well paced bite-sized package?
WHAT MORE COULD YOU WANT???
#TeamKreston
– Dylan Miles
WOW!!! What a start to this series. Can’t wait to jump into The Thief of Souls next weekend!!
– Jeremy Hauck
First story and I’m hooked! It’s been a while since I’ve read a story that I was genuinely so interested in that I read it all in one go…lol. Love how the story is bite sized enough, just keeps you wanting more…very clever.
Would love to see some Oddwyn art soon!
– McKenzie Urias
When life is completely chaotic and all you want to do is read but you have no time, this is the book you need. I cannot express how wonderful it is to be able to devour an entire story in only 2 hours. I whole-hardheartedly recommend this book and can’t wait for the others in this series!!!
– Dominique Roe
I was extremely lucky to receive the ARC copy of this book and I loved every bit of it. As someone who loves a good fantasy story this definitely was up there as one of my favorites!! The story follows Alerice Linden after her death and her rebirth as the Raven Queen’s new champion. Her first quest is the death of a two faced monster in a new world she knows nothing about. Great fantasy novella can’t wait for the other books to come out. 5/5
What a perfect snack read! This novella follows the story of Alerice who become the Ravensdaughter. Everything about this one kept me hooked from the word go. The writing style was amazing. It really helped to paint a picture of what was happening throughout the story. The characters, even if they were a small role, you fell in love with them. I cannot wait to dive into more of the series!!
Fantastic
– Caitlyn Johnston
What a way to bring myself out of a reading slump than to sit down and read a little snack read, a novella by @erinradoauthor the first adventure to start the “Tales Of The Ravensdaughter” series.
This was a fantastic novella story! I walked into this ARC not knowing what to expect but I can definitely say that Erin you exceeded my expectations.
In this novella we follow the journey of Alerice the mistress of the good ol’ Cup & Quill tavern in Navre. Once someone takes advantage of Alerice (TW), she sets out to make it her mission to right the wrongs of the world & whether she knows it or not, that mission is about to become her mission for life & death.
This novella is one that definitely sucked me in, whilst I did predict the beast the second I met them, the tale still held my attention & left me wanting to see where the story would take us. I wanted to know more, see more & the great detail & beautiful penmanship definitely gave my imagination all it needed to see & understand things clearly. There are many characters along the way in this story that even though they only have a small role to play you are still instantly feeling like you know & love them.
I absolutely love Alerice’s character & I really hope we get to read more of her adventures in this series. This is a fantasy novella that you’re not going to want to put down. It gives you a hint of love, sacrifice, revenge & justice! What better concoction for a fantasy novella right?
Thanks for the opportunity to read this ARC Erin, it’s definitely well worth the read!
To my utter delight, was this author’s elimination of any modern slang or speech to characters in a period piece. Too often in today’s fantasy offerings, writers have gods, rulers, angels, warriors, and the supporting casts speak in language we use in our times. And while they must think it to be clever, let me assure – it is not. It is a distraction; and to see no attempt to it in ‘Basque’ was refreshing, and kept me interested. I could easily see the main characters falling into this annoying trap (their personalities were ripe for it), but Rado didn’t yield, and kept them speaking as they would for their time in history. Bravo!
The pacing was superb, even when needed breaks and pauses came in. No scene was wasted in ‘fluff-time,’ and only led to perfect movement of the story – towards a satisfying conclusion. Little name-gems of places (and people) Rado gives were equally satisfying: ‘the Evherealme,’ ‘Mortalia,’ ‘Oddwyn,’ ‘Reef,’ and ‘the Realme’ were priceless tidbits in their imaginative wordplay.
This could’ve been a greatly-more extended tale, but a short story was what I was after to begin with – plus, there’s more to come in this series, so bring ‘em on!
Well done, thank you, Erin Hunt Rado!
Erin Hunt Rado did not fall into the high fantasy fiction genre by accident. Unlike other authors who dabble in multiple genres and universes, Ms. Rado’s entire artistic career has been a trajectory towards literary fantasy, with her involvement in Renaissance Fairs, her modern take on Celtic knots and Book of Kells-inspired illustrations with mythical themes, and her stewardship of her online magazine, Celtic Nations. This, I feel, has given her a deeper, more intuitive understanding of older fantasy traditions, which at times consisted of a single storyteller by the hearth or the fire who knew that he had to keep his audience’s interest before they wandered off or fell asleep. And this understanding is Ms. Rado’s contribution to high fantasy literature.
This first installment in Ms. Rado’s “Alerice Ravensdaughter” series gets off to a shocking start, à la Hitchcock’s “Psycho,” when the young female protagonist is unjustly killed. But unlike that movie, this only the beginning for our heroine. Facing judgment in the afterlife, she is equipped with magical weapons and tools and assigned a quest by her goddess-like benefactress, as in legends of old. The rest of the quest, and the people she meets, and the knowledge she acquires, fills out the rest of this novel’s fifty pages.
That’s right, this book is just fifty pages — no need for more. The exposition is clear and simple, the characters are well-defined after only a few appearances, and the plot rolls along from page to page with no wasted rambling. And yet the characters are sympathetic and entertaining right away on their first appearances, including a gender-bending Puck-like “helper” character. There is no neglect of moral norms – -the heroine feels bad about the great crime she committed before dying. There is no excessive description, and yet we always know exactly what everyone is doing and where they’re doing. This frees the author to concentrate on the action and other plot elements. We like our heroine and her powers and sidekick, and we root for her without being bored by her.
Others may disagree, but I am grateful to this author for not making the backstory “mysterious” by dribbling out a little at a time. There is a place in literature for that, but not for the old storyteller entertaining listeners by the fire.
The only place I would have made things better would be in the plot element of the local “Reef” (based on the Anglo-Saxon “shire-reeve,” or sheriff) being unaware of the foul crimes committed by the eponymous Beast of Basque, and becoming part of the just solution at the end. Great crimes, committed over time and to many people, often (although not always) have a local power structure to protect them, whether it’s the collusion of people in power or the complacency and tacit acceptance of the local citizenry. But who knows? This is only the first of six, and there may yet be more twists and turns and betrayals. Someone in this story may be playing a deeper and longer game.
If Ms. Rado’s work becomes influential, she will have done a great favor for exhausted fantasy readers who have been worn out by 800-1,000 page epics penned by the likes of J. K. Rowling, with her constant character-building and vignettes, and G. R. R. Martin, with his multiple tangled points of view, and yes, even dear old beloved J. R. R. Tolkien, with his penchant for detailed geographical description. In the first half of the twentieth century, fantasy fiction and science fiction (including the stories of Robert E. Howard) followed the storyteller-by-the-fire model, in the form of bite-sized or single-meal-sized novellas and short stories. This was due to serialization in the pulp magazines, of which Analog was one of the few that survived into the next century.
By the 1950’s, it was more in fashion to publish fantasy and science fiction as complete novels, and the length of those novels greatly expanded in the following decades. To their credit, Ray Bradbury and a few others stayed true to the short story collection format to the end, but for most, the temptation of inventing your own fictional world led to longer and longer novels and series.
Concise and tight storytelling is a much under-appreciated skill these days. One of the best cinematic examples in recent years is the much-underrated “Jack the Giant Slayer,” in which no moment is wasted.
If Ms. Rado brings that conciseness and economy – that storyteller by the fire – back to fantasy fiction, I will be forever grateful.
DISCLAIMER: Although I am a personal friend of Ms. Rado, my analysis is genuine and you can see that I put a lot of thought into it. If I simply wanted to give a schlock-y boost to my friend, I would have waited a lot longer than five days to review it, and then I would have simply posted her five stars and then written the minimum possible, like “Loved it, great job, want more.” And I never would have criticized the Reef character. 🙂
– Tom Louie
– L Frankos
This was a fantastic novella story! I walked into this ARC review not knowing that to expect but I can definitely say that Erin you exceeded my expectations.
In this novella we follow the journey of Alerice the mistress of the good ol’ Cup & Quill tavern in Navre. Once someone takes advantage of Alerice (TW), she sets out to make it her mission to right the wrongs of the world & whether she knows it or not, that mission is about to become her mission for life & death.
This novella is one that definitely sucked me in, whilst I did predict the beast the second I met them the story still held my attention & left me wanting to see where the story would take us. I wanted to know more, see more & the great detail & beautiful penmanship definitely gave my imagination all it needed to see & understand things clearly. There are many characters along the way in this story that even though they only have a small role to play you are instantly feeling like you know & love them.
I absolutely love Alerice’s character & I really hope we get to read more of her adventures in this series. This is the fantasy novella that you’re not going to want to put down. It gives you a hint of love, sacrifice, revenge & justice! What better concoction for a fantasy novella right?
Thanks for the opportunity to read this ARC Erin, it’s definitely well worth the read!
📚My Review: The Beast of Basque
Author:- Erin Hunt Rado
If you’re looking for some short fantasy read then believe me this book is a perfect pick for you or anyone you know. This book revolves around the protagonist named Alerice Linden. She had come to the city of Navre at the age of five. Uncle Judd had taken her in at her mother’s request after her father had died in Lord Andoni’s ranks, serving honorably during the campaign against southern invaders. He had four sons and loved Alerice as his own daughter.Later when she saw the the King of Shadows and his wife, the Raven Queen, she realised they looked exactly the way Granny Linden had describe them to her. Alerice is offered the chance to serve the Raven Queen. They offer her power to defeat any enemy, either in the Realme or above in Mortalia. The queen has send her to the town of Basque. Her first task it to slay a beast of two faces that has begun to feed upon the souls of children. What else does the Queen want her to do ?? Will Alerice be able to make the queen happy?? She meets a former military captian named Kreston Duhalde, who seemed to do all the possible things to help Alerice. What has destiny planned for her and Kreston ? Turn the pages to know what happens next in the story. The writing style is charming and sinuous which makes it an engaging read. The language used is unpretentious and effortlessly understandable. The pace gathers throughout and there are plenty of little twists and turns along the way. All the characters and their backstories are built with perfection. On the whole, this is a very interesting book which will utterly keep the readers occupied until they read the last word of the book.
Author: Erin Hunt Rado
Review: Alerice Ravendaughter is dead. She has been killed. Death is a fresh start; a new beginning for the protagonist of Erin Hunt Rado’s The Beast of Basque: Tales of the Ravensdaughter. The unusual circumstances for Alerice at the very beginning of the story capture’s reader’s curiosity and keep a firm hold on it throughout the story. The author has beautifully incorporated elements of supernatural, like Gods and magical weapons into her plot that not only make it more mystical but also aid in carrying the story forward.
The author has given the readers a fantastic, out of this world fantasy adventure. The theme of life after death is beautifully explored and masterfully expressed through the unique plot. The incredibly engaging storytelling by the author let’s readers become a part of the quests and the adventures of the protagonist.
The air of medieval atmosphere of the book and the rather intriguing and well written characters are one of the few of the many things that I liked about the story. The third person narrative makes readers a close watcher of the adventure themselves, as though they are in the story too. The writing style too remains honest to the medieval theme which makes this story seems to be right out of a folklore.
Erin Rado is a great person and fantastic writer.
Her books and stories capture the mind and your attention and will keep you coming back for more!
I highly recommend her books as they are very good short stories.
– Gene Turnbow, Scifi.Radio
This was a quick read. I usually choose longer books but this one piqued my interest. It did not disappoint me. I highly recommend this book.
– Patricia Perry
It’s been forever since I read a fun fantasy and gotta love a book that kills off the heroine off the bat. A wonderful 1st in series, and wanting MORE of Alerice! Ordered the next 4 books. Fast, fun, pure fantasy escape for this tired soul.
– Kathleen A. Abraham
Although rather short in length, this fantasy story was truly successful in capturing and holding my attention right from the first paragraph. Beginning with an action scene, the story develops into one about learning to self-forgive, while proactively dealing with an adventure that comes from passing from mortal to immortal and then back again.
As the main character, Alerice, embarks on a journey to help rid the living world of those who are deemed as wicked, she dedicates herself to an agreement she has made with the Raven Queen. Unknown to her is what exact situation she might stumble upon, or who might be the people she must find.
Not wanting to give any spoiler for this story, I shan’t say what it was that was wrong, or what Alerice had to do to try and fulfill the Raven Queen’s wish. I will say, however, that there is no explicit adult content in this book, so would be fine for young adults to read, although there is an underlying aspect that would make me hesitant to let anyone too young read this.
Overall, however, this is a lovely read and well worth the time to invest into it.
With fresh ideas, a brief but worthy and serviceable page count, and an storyteller who knows her audience, Tales of the Ravensdaughter is a series worth looking out for. With life feeling busier than ever, there is a search ongoing for things that can entertain in bite-sized chunks. Erin Hunt Rado deftly fashions her stories of a grand saga into short-yet-exciting quests for her captivating characters to partake. The author drops you into exciting events which are already in progress, demonstrating that her world is alive, well before the first page is turned. The first book in the series, The Beast of Basque, gives readers an explosive introduction to heroine Alerice, and the revelations and the pace never really waver after that.
Right from the turn of the first page, the author ensures her readers know that this is unlike their typical fantasy experiences. The Ravendaughter tales subvert expectations and surprise in the absolute best ways, always urging eager readers on. Rado does a good enough job of making sure that each book is as self-contained as it needs to be in order to be read on its own, but it truly shines as a full series, and there’s no better place to start than the beginning.
Very fun adventure. Reads quite like it could be a one shot of a tabletop RPG. There are some darker themes (rape, child abuse), but it’s not overly edgy or uncomfortable with its portrayal.
There were some phrases that came off a bit clunky, but nothing egregious. I didn’t catch a single typo or spelling error on my read, which was refreshing.
While many indie books feel like fan fiction of some more established series, The Beast of Basque is a world of its own. I’m truly happy to have bought the series, and can’t wait to read the next one.
Definitely a solid read!
