"Wind Follower is a page-turner right from the
beginning.
It is a story of
love, despair, compassion, revenge, spiritual battle, healing, enlightenment and
reunion.
-- Alice Teh, The Long
and
Short of It
"Yes, this is a highly unusual book -- in my eyes, typical of the new wave of
Christian speculative fiction in its refusal to fall into a tidy category.
What's more, Wind Follower is anything but predictable. It is not a comfortable
tale, but it is a solemn, mystical adventure, displaying the hero's journey to
his own heart, and the heroine's discovery of her beloved's faith in the midst
of impossible circumstances. This one will make you think for sure." -- Splashdown Reviews
"[U]ndoubtedly one of my favorite books of the year....Wind Follower is a
complex yet very readable book; an epic story that tells a powerful tale that
imbibes the soul and is filled with passion in each page.
"The story is set in a wonderfully unique world that's not often seen in
fantasy literature....I can't say enough about Carole McDonnell's writing. It
just blew me away! She created a world that was so incredibly complex with it's
own slang, scenery, caste system, races, etc. and made it feel so comfortable. I
fell into it easily. I fell in love with her characters instantly."-- Stuff As Dreams Are Made On
"Carole McDonnell has written a powerfully, absorbing tale on the culture,
race relations, tribal traditions and religious customs of an African society.
Deeply entrenched in the entire epic is not only a love story, but also a search
for the one true God....McDonnell's writing is so masterful, even the spirit
beings
command your attention....
McDonnell creates a mystical world that speaks volumes about issues prevalent
today. Emotionally charged and thoroughly entertaining, WIND FOLLOWER will leave
you looking forward to more from this talented author." (5 Stars/A TRR
Favorite)-- The
Reading and Writing Sistaz
"McDonnell's promising fantasy debut portrays a land inhabited by the
black-skinned Theseni, brown Ibeni and tan Doreni....McDonnell's language is delicate almost to a
fault, even as she describes betrayal, rape and slavery, while her elegant,
meticulous world-building shimmers with the ambience of an old-world folktale." -- Publishers Weekly
"That McDonnell is a capable writer and master storyteller is obvious as she
adroitly manages to give each character their own unique voice. Wind Follower is
a chronicle that attracts the reader, draws the reader right into the striking,
fully developed and even at times catastrophic setting...Wind Follower is a
sociologist's dream novel. The book sets down cultures, with all their qualities
and persona in a compelling read that brings the reader to understanding more of
social more and importance of taboo and cultural dictates without sounding
preachy or causing the reader to feel overwhelmed in the minutiae." -- Midwest Book Review
Wind Follower is so unique in my own experience that I find it hard not
to gush all over this novel....Wind Follower is not a book that can be
pigeon-holed and every person will find something he or she loves, and something
he or she dislikes. And that is McDonnell's greatest triumph. No matter your
reaction to the novel, you will be called to an emotional response of some kind
to the characters....I highly recommend this book. Wind Follower struggles with
the religious nature of man, the effects of racial hatred on belief, the
intimacy of a marriage ruled by custom, and ability of forgiveness to transcend
all transgressions. If you leave this novel on the bookstore shelf, you will be
the poorer for it." -- Grasping for the Wind
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Fantasy/Spiritual
ISBN-10: 0809557797
ISBN-13: 978-0809557790
348 pages, $12.95
"Engrossing, perceptive, earthy, and provocative, Carole
McDonnell's
debut novel, Wind Follower is a soulful, mythic epic of race, class, and
cultural
divisions that speaks volumes to the important questions of our day. Her lead
characters,
Satha and Loic, are vividly depicted, fully realized in this magical world. She
can write
scenes that plug completely into all of the key emotions of the reader,
alternately spellbinding
and disturbingly masterful."
-- Robert Fleming,
author of Havoc After Dark and Fever In The Blood
A fourth tribe has come to the land of the three tribes; the light-skinned
newcomers are fated to change the tribes' way of life and religion. Satha, a
dark-skinned woman
from a poor Theseni clan, and Loic, her wealthy young Doreni husband, are too
busy forging their new life together to pay much heed. But when Satha is
dishonored and Loic must avenge her, they find themselves drawn into a cultural
battle. Kidnapped and enslaved, Satha strives to retain her autonomy. Loic
struggles against the Arkhai, spirits who fear his his quest will lead him to
the true god whose place they have usurped. With the Creator's aid there remains
hope they will be reunited and find their mutual destiny, even if it means
losing the love and respect of their comrades, families, clans, and tribes.
Nominated for the 2008 Clive Staples Award
Nominated for a Pluto
Award
"This intense African romantic historical fantasy vividly brings to life the
interrelationships between the three tribal clans as well as the effect of the
outside forces. Thus the audience receives a complex tale of broken love and
potential redemption in which the backdrop is a war torn land and on a
metaphysical plane the spirits interfere with the lead couple while the Creator
encourages them to find paradise lost. Carole Mcdonnell writes a powerful
character driven (not just by humans) epic parable, which depending on what the
pair separately do could turn into a great Greek (albeit African) tragedy or a
second coming." -- Harriet
Klausner
"Carole McDonnell's Windfollower was an instant addition to my top ten
list due to its beauty, power, and fearlessness....Windfollower unfolds in a
astonishingly vivid, sometimes disturbing, world that mirrors our own current
struggles of race, class, and culture. This is the type of novel that is meant
to be read several times and will offer the reader something new with each
journey. I am amazed at the talent of this author..." -- Disturbing the Universe
"...This is a book filled with despair as well as love, loss as well as
discovery. It is flawed, but its appeal is undeniable. It is a book which will
make you want to discuss it with others, and one which you should absolutely
read." -- Broadsheet
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