Coming soon: News from The Regency of Mercia
The full story of Felix Skryker, Minister of State Security, and Xanthe Chance, Prisoner of State, can be found in the forthcoming novels by Susan Ruth.
COMING IN DECEMBER 2015
MINISTER OF STATE SECURITY
Book Two in News from the Regency of Mercia
By Susan Ruth
COMING December 2015
DEVA 1
PRISONER OF STATE
Book One of News from the Regency of Deva
by Susan Ruth
Out Now
WHO IS SUSAN RUTH?
News from the Regency of Mercia is narrated by the story-teller Susan Ruth. Little is known of her, except that she lives a quiet life in a house full of books in company with two cats. She has a dragon in her garden and two heraldic birds who feel the dragon is far too snobbish and superior. The unexpected arrival of dragonets has led to much gossip and innuendo.
Susan Ruth claims to have read steadily through more than a thousand years of English literature, starting with “The Dream of the Rood” and “Beowulf” and finishing roughly with “The Lord of the Rings”. Her studies have centred on recurring themes of madness, the supernatural and revenge. Her favourite play is “Hamlet” which has all three. Her favourite comedy is “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” which similarly combines near-madness, fairies and elements of revenge, all dealt with more lightly and without any dead bodies.
As a writer, Susan Ruth has shortcomings both small and large. Her style has been variously described: chaotic, heroic, poetic, sophisticated but erudite, mystifying. With ‘News from the Regency of Mercia’ she has written an adventure romance in a time when there is no neat genre category on Amazon into which to neatly put it. And she has written not just one unclassifiable, uncategorisable novel but she keeps on doing it. Her way with commas is notorious; despite consulting widely in style guides she remains uncertain about their usage.
Susan Ruth is currently editing the fourth volume of ‘News from the Regency of Mercia’ and she’s on the trail of plot-holes. Plot-holes are a concern, but she tends to be dismissive of those who say there’s a gaping plot-hole in “Hamlet” (he should have killed Claudius straight away) or “The Lord of the Rings” (the eagles could have flown to Mount Doom with the ring). They didn’t, and Hamlet didn’t, because in the end the play or book’s the thing and it’s the telling of it that’s important.
DEVAWORLD 