C. C. Harper - Author

  When I began reading the book 'Provoking the Lost', I initially assumed it would be a story involving vampires. I refrained from reading any reviews because I prefer forming my own opinions when reading a book. The presence of the word 'Lost' in the title brought to mind the 1987 film 'The Lost Boys' directed by Joel Schumacher. While some may consider the vampire theme overused in literature, there remains potential for fresh angles, different viewpoints, and unique storylines. Thus, the connection seemed logical to me. It appears that I was completely wrong. Aside from the bear's fangs as it tried to scare off salmon thieves, there were no other fangs in this book. Despite the upset bear, one thing I got right was the fresh and unique narrative style that the book presented. The contemporary dialogue in the book is so natural that it feels like you're eavesdropping on the characters, making it very engaging. The characters are strong, realistic, and ...

  Long before fairies mass invaded contemporary literature, they were already widely featured in classical works such as William Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" and J.M. Barrie's "Peter Pan," as well as numerous fairy tales and legends from different cultures worldwide. It is evident that fairies and their magical escapades have long been integral to folklore and mythology in various societies, with some cultures holding notably robust traditions and beliefs concerning these mystical entities. Examining, for example, the Celtic cultures, Fairies play a significant role in their folklore, particularly within Irish, Scottish, Welsh, and Breton traditions. In Celtic mythology, they are often referred to as "sidhe" or "aes sídhe" and are believed to inhabit hills, mounds, and natural landscapes. In contrast, Scandinavian folklore depicts fairies known as "huldufólk" in Iceland, "huldre" in Norway, and "h...

"Between the Shadows" distinguishes itself from the first two books in the Sky Watcher series. The initial book delves into Charlotte's tale, while in the second, her friends attempt to correct what they see as a mistake by tampering with the timeline. In contrast, the third book finds them once more meddling with time, oblivious to the metaphorical presence of a frustrated lady holding scissors, who is starting to be perturbed by the repeated interference in her thread-cutting endeavors. Nonetheless, before her anger fully surfaces in a gradual building process throughout the book, we explore Ben and Charlotte's everyday life as a married couple. We see them tackling the challenges together. Some of these challenges, I must confess, truly tested my patience. However, when I recalled Ben's insecurities about why Charlotte would leave her modern life for him, I couldn't help but think, "How sweet!" Despite this, Keen Wolf remains unbeatable, but still...

  My earliest obsession, as I like to refer to it, in the realm of literature was with the myths and legends of ancient Greece. This particular passion took hold when I was sixteen years old, right after I finished reading Marion Zimmer Bradley's book 'The Firebrand'. Over the years that followed, I delved into everything related to ancient Greek myths and legends. I devoured books, watched documentaries, and absorbed as much information as possible to expand my knowledge. It all began with the Trojan War and its characters, leading me to explore other wars, characters, the complete pantheon of Gods and Goddesses, demigods, mythological creatures, and their captivating stories. Among these tales, one that stood out to me was about Heracles and the tragic murder of his friend Iphitus. This tale, like many others, offers multiple interpretations. However, my preference lies with the version narrated by Robert Graves in his book 'Greek Myths'. As we know, the narrative...

  As anticipated in numerous works of science fiction, video games, and movies, the era of Artificial Intelligence has arrived, bringing controversy in its wake. Also as expected, society typically avoids debating these advancements proactively; instead, discussions arise only when the technology is on our doorstep, enforcing a sudden adjustment to a new reality rather than promoting a smooth transition. Consequently, due to common human behavior, individuals are launching passionate crusades against the implementation of AI, though in certain domains more than in others. The controversy surrounding AI arises from several factors, such as: Ethical Considerations: The increasing sophistication and autonomy of AI systems raise ethical concerns regarding AI bias, privacy violations, and the possibilities of misuse for surveillance or manipulation. Job Displacement: A major concern regarding AI is its ability to automate tasks that have historically been done by humans. This can resu...

  In Finland, a country which I hold most dear, one of the most popular and iconic folklore tales is the epic poem known as the "Kalevala”. This work, compiled by Elias Lönnrot in the 19th century, is a collection of traditional Finnish oral poetry that celebrates the mythology, heroes, and cultural heritage of the Finnish people. Furthermore, and as a mere curiosity, although there is no direct evidence to suggest that J.R.R. Tolkien was directly inspired by the Kalevala in the creation of Middle-earth, the fact is that it is possible to establish some parallels and similarities between elements of Tolkien's work and Finnish mythology. But back to the matter at hand, because if I start talking about the parallelism between these two works, I’ll get carried away and will end up just losing myself in it. So, about the Kalevala… The Kalevala is composed of 50 songs or ‘runes’, which tell the stories of legendary heroes such as Väinämöinen, Ilmarinen, and Lemminkäinen, as well as...

  ‘The Mists of Avalon’, by Marion Zimmer Bradley were the first books I ever read about the Arthurian Legends, after that I developed an uncontrollable passion for the theme and read everything I could possibly lay my hands on the topic. It wasn’t my first love. My first love was the Trojan War and began when I was reading the ‘Firebrand’ by the same author. Then, of course, I developed an immense crush on all the characters of the story. It was so great that I ended up reading the Iliad, and then the Odyssey and everything in between from fact to fiction. Yet, today, folklore friday is about the mystical island of Avalon, where the legendary sword Excalibur was forged and King Arthur was laid to rest.   Avalon is often depicted as a separate realm or a hidden land beyond the mortal world, therefore its precise location is an ongoing  matter of debate and interpretation, with numerous legends placing it in different locations such as England or Wales. This mystical ...

  Today, I am going to share a deeply personal part of my creative journey - the process behind “The Lost Tales of Erandelle”. Why share this? Because sometimes, in order to move forward, it's important to revisit the past without getting stuck in it.  On August 5, 2012, I published the first chapter of what was then known as "The Emerald Bay Chronicles" on this blog, which had a different name at that time. Subsequently, I posted chapters two through five in the following days before halting. As you may recall, vampires were immensely popular at that time, saturating the literary landscape with books and series focused on them. My challenge stemmed from having already explored a gothic/vampire phase in my teenage years. So by 2012, I found myself disenchanted with the vampire theme, craving something fresh and different. I had multiple ideas swirling in my mind about elves, influenced by numerous fantasy universes such as Warhammer Fantasy, Dungeons and Dragons, Forgotte...

  I have finally finished book 2 of the Sky Watcher series , titled Dejá vu , which is quite fitting. But before delving further, I would like to explain why I am giving this book a rating of 4 stars instead of 5. While it is an excellent read, there are some parts that can be challenging due to their somewhat confusing nature. For instance, towards the end, there is a passage about a dream that may leave readers feeling perplexed, as if something crucial is missing. It becomes clear a few pages later that nothing is actually missing, but the purpose of that section remains somewhat ambiguous, although I trust there is one. In contrast to the first book, " Dejá vu " also required more time for me to get into the flow. The narrative is quite intricate, and its nuances become clear as you differentiate between the two books. Having multiple narrators sharing their perspectives on the events helps in understanding various aspects as the storyline progresses, although it also add...