Wild Times Cover

This book could have been written with me in mind. It's my first foray into anything explicitly Hopepunk, this is clearly a genre I need to explore.

There's magic here that I think will work for many Pagan readers. It's not a rehash of a Pagan path nor is it heavily based on folklore, although there are a few elements here and there. The familiar stuff plays out in unfamiliar ways. This is a fantasy scenario that overlaps the real world, has elements of urban fantasy, and in many ways reminded me of Charles de Lint. Only, this is set around the south west of England, in landscapes familiar to me, which is wonderful.

I love getting to read stories with bisexual and polyamorous characters. There's a lot of this, but it isn't what's driving the narrative. This is just who people are and how they relate to each other and that makes me very happy.

There's a lot going on in this story - people and places, action and interaction. There's also a lot of thinking about how to live, what to do, and all of that centers on cooperation. Philosophically speaking, I felt very at home here. This is a book with a lot to say about community and how we relate to each other.

Werewolves on motorbikes. Old gods who show up as strange children. Revenge. Romance. Pirates. Magical otherworldly beings. Ghastly plots that must be foiled. Sinister government agencies. If you like stories in which magical and extraordinary beings are present in our world, and there are thin places that take you to otherworlds, this is a book for you.

I found the writing engaging and I very much want to go and live in the version of reality this book offers. It's a big book, which I was glad of, it's been a welcome escape for me in the last week, and I have taken much joy in it. If it sounds like your sort of thing, then I heartily recommend it.

This isn't David Bridger's only book, and I hope to be back for more of his work.

More on the publisher's website - https://www.beatentrackpublishing.com/?ref=wildtimes