Reviews of Deadly Secrets
Review by Kitty for Love Romances
Fans of the tales of King Arthur and his noble Knights of the Round Table will fall in love with this somewhat brooding prequel to the times of King Arthur and Camelot. This is the story of the squire Darian- a young lad found wandering and alone, and raised as a son to the Due de Paimpont of Armorica. It's said "No good deed goes unpunished". When Darian heroically slays the Grendel-like Black Giant of Broceliande Forest, the Due is mortally wounded and Darian must find Merlin to heal the Duc. Merlin does as he asks but before doing so warns Darian "Like I said before we began our journey, dear lad, saving this man will only bring more misery than you can possibly imagine. I tell U now that life is sacrificed for a reason sometimes." Is Merlin truly foretelling the future or a raving lunatic? Before he's through with the events set in motion Darian must learn how to slay an ancient dragon and find out if he was just a poor homeless orphan or Lancelot, the one and only son of the assassinated King Ban of Armorica. What this knowledge will cost him to find out and how he comes to head for Camelot and the court of the boy king Arthur is a spellbinding tale of sorcery, intrigue, and love that is lost, betrayed and for sale for the right amount of power.
Told in the grand manner of a true Arthurian Epic this book is a definite must read for those fans of the tales of Camelot and the daring-do of the knights of the table Round. Mintz creates vivid characters that are very well drawn and believable. Young Darian's inner struggle between his heroic and baser natures; his agonized efforts to not give into rage or despair as he loses all he loves in spite of his constant efforts to do what he knows or believes to be right is especially poignant and gripping. This was not so much of a love story as an adventure and so there were only a few moments of intense interplay between Darian and his beloved Sabrina. Yet these were enough to paint a vivid picture of the love and devotion that each felt for the other. So much so that the readers will find themselves groaning in despair and advising Darian "no don't do it!" as he begins to fall under the evil Princess Madaleanna's sexual fascination. Although a fictional account of a legendary hero, this story fills in many of the unexplained gaps in the Arthurian account of Lancelot and the tragic influences that were the motivations for his later deeds. Kudus to Leon Mintz for his excellent book. This reviewer looks forward to reading more of his work.
Review by David Hart for SFReader.com
The story takes place in Armorica (modern Brittany) in about 476 AD. Darian is a young man who was adopted and raised by the Duc de Paimpont, and who now loves the Duc's daughter. While he and the Duc are out hunting, they are attacked by a giant troll-like creature which Darian manages to kill. So when heroes are needed to slay a fire-breathing dragon, guess who gets to join the party. That precis is rather misleading: there are only three fantasy elements in the book and I've just mentioned two of them. The third is the presence of Merlin, a druidic healer and adviser, wizard in the sense of 'wise man' rather than 'mage'. I found Merlin's nature and character to be one of the better elements of the book. And yes, across the English channel the name of the King is Arthur; this is a Camelot time-line, though one with more feeling of reality than those of Malory or T.H. White.
What is the book about if there isn't much fantasy? Apart from dragon hunts, the first half is mostly romantic fiction, the second is political intrigue; and in both halves from time to time the action pauses for an explicit sex-scene, so the book is not for the prudish. The plot is reasonable but not very complex, and Merlin's prophesising does reduce some of its surprise. Still, there's a less-predictable twist at the end. Characterisation is variable, with some of the main characters failing to ring true; but others, especially Merlin, felt much more solid. This is a first book, and it's self-published; how is the writing? It could be better. Descriptions are often too florid. Sentences are often over-complex. In fact Mintz frequently seems to be wrestling with the sentence structure, and sometimes the sentence structure wins. Dialogue is generally better than descriptive passages, but has two peculiarities. First is the style. Quite correctly, Mintz avoids any Olde English thee's and thou's; after all, these people would have been speaking a language similar to Welsh. However he chooses to alternate between standard English and modern American vernacular, without any pattern that I could detect. Not a major issue, but it jars. The second oddity is his consistent replacement of the word 'you' with 'U', resulting in sentences like "I can heal U if U let me". I don't know if this is an affectation, or if it is meant to reduce wear on his typing finger (hint: try Control+R or Control+H). Either way, it takes a bit of getting used to. But though it's a minus point, I didn't find the writing nearly bad enough to make the book unreadable. You can get a feel for it yourself, as Mintz has made the first seven chapters available on his web-site. It's just about worth mentioning three anachronisms. Mintz has his characters use the anno domini dating system 50 years before it was invented, which in a different time-line is excusable. More of a problem is castle design, which I suspect is 500 years in advance of its time. Worse still is allowing the hero to eat a meal that includes potato, 1000 years before the first tuber crossed the Atlantic. In summary, I feel the book would have benefited if some of the complexity had been transferred from the sentences to the plot. Overall though, it's a creditable first effort.
Review by Lynn M. Kraft, editor and writer
"Deadly Secrets" is a gothic novel stemming from common Celtic legends. Borrowing such characters as Merlin and Arthur, the author spins a different tale than the ones we have grown accustomed to. This may well be the saving grace of the entire novel, as this author's first attempt at publication is in definite need of careful editing.
Centered on the holy wars during the beginning of the new religion (Christianity), many events unfold under political pretense. This first book by Leon Mintz should be of interest to the history buff, as there are several references to important historical events. The clever twists of something new on something old kept me reading with interest.
The highlight of this story is the appearance of magnificent dragons, in glorious scenes that force the reader to visualize the massive beasts. The many descriptive passages create a beautiful portrait of the French countryside.
One refreshing point of this novel was the use of modern day language in telling the story. I was relieved Mr. Mintz did not use the Old English style so often used in tales of knights and dragons. In addition, if you are one who prefers tragedy, there is plenty throughout the book. It's one teary-eyed scene after another for our young knight. So much at times, he seems almost sissyish but eventually his heroism saved my fading interest.
Review by Brian Kaufman, Author of "The Breach"
Darian de Paimpont is a young squire in Armorica (ancient Gaul, between the Seine and Loire rivers). Darian dreams of marrying Sabrina, the daughter of the nobleman that has raised him. To prove himself, Darian meets a series of challenges, including combat with the Black Giant of Brocéliande Forest, and an encounter with a methane-breathing dragon. But his most difficult challenge lies hidden in the deceptions and secrets of those around him.
In the wake of the collapse of the Roman Empire, the noblemen of Armorica struggle to preserve their kingdom. Against this background, the legendary figure of Merlin aids (and manipulates) the efforts of young Darian, who has a secret of his own, one he doesn't even know.
This fast-paced novel fits snugly into Arthurian lore, weaving elements of historical fiction, adult romance and fantasy into a tight, well-plotted narrative. The author did his research, and knows how to tell a good story. Some forced prose and dialogue anachronisms detract from the tale. On the balance, though, "Deadly Secrets" is a very good debut novel.