As You Wish Reviews: The Gravelands of Fate by Joseph Beekman

Joseph Beekman

Why did you choose the characters throughout the trilogy? Who do you feel most connected to? Who slipped away from you? Why does everything Will say end with an exclamation? Was getting through the final book in the trilogy hard or easy, did you stumble?

The characters I came up with in the books just came as I wrote the stories. I knew I needed the robot, of course, and one with a bit of innocence and bravery; but with the others, such as Sonny and Kelsey, the boy and girl from book I, I wanted some characters that would also be main characters and were orphans themselves. They would also play the roles of carrying the story along with their own love for adventure and, like most children, to be able to have their childhood imaginations run free! Will, on the other hand - the old blacksmith who created the little robot with a hammer and anvil - was really a joy to write. He is a daring soul, one who is always desiring to do the right thing, and full of energy. He is also a bit eccentric, but one who has never lost that same childhood-like imagination: with just about everything he says, an exclamation point is added for the effect of his over-the-top antics and adventurous side.

Book II and III had a few added characters that were great to write! Tinspar is a strange swamp dwelling character, towering and bug-like in appearance, and one that had been cursed by some dark witches in a previous time. He, like Will, is full of courage and hope, and gives selflessly, thinking only for the well being of others; but has had a bit of a rough image painted upon him throughout the realm. He was a great addition to the along with the characters of Tabitha, Jonathon, and Haley. In books II and III, it is now these characters, and the robot, who must now find a way to help rid the realm of the darkness of the wicked sorcery and the witches.

There were a couple of characters that, while not necessarily “slipping” away from me, were not really apparent in books II and III: Sonny and Kelsey, who had grown up after book I, and so the torch of adventure and the journey to keep hope alive in the dark and forgotten realm had been handed down to the others. One of my favorite characters was that of the lonely apparition, the spirited sorceress, Aleeria. She is introduced in book II, and was really fun to write! Without giving away to much more about all these characters, or the tales themselves, I’d say she is someone that offers the readers, and the characters in the books, some added history and mystery of the ancient realm itself.

The third book was fairly easy to write, and as I wrote the second book, I could already see where I would be going with the third book. So it was written in a few months time, and with it, the entire story of Little Orphan Anvil really comes together!

Thank you so much!!! - Joseph

~LITTLE ORPHAN ANVIL: The Gravelands of Fate, Book III.~

In this final installment to the tale of magic and metal, the fate of the robots will be decided across the gravelands of a forgotten realm. From the haunted wilds of the icy, dark north, two mysterious "others" have surfaced to claim the witch's soul as their own - and to lay to rest the heretics of their dark magic. But as fate would have it, the little orphaned robot, Anvil, has returned from the grave to embark on a strange journey with old friends that will take them from one side of the realm to the other in a final attempt to crush an ancient darkness...that has now become a monster!

Review

This book flowed smoothly back into the story of Anvil, the little robot-droid and his friends. Tabitha has come to learned she has special magic skills of the old ways. Jonathan and Haley are learning the ways of metal and magic building their own robot-droids. Will has left The Land of Iron and Anvil to live peacefully and keep more to himself. Everything seems fine until Will is once again taken under a spell and led to the burial site of the wicked witch lady's soul, that had been put to rest years ago. Led by two evil witch ladies they release the evil wicked witch, controlling her soul and causing havoc in The Lands of Iron and Anvil once again.

I loved the story, there were moments of laughter and times where I had to know what was going to happen next. I would recommend Little Orphan Anvil: The Complete Trilogy to any reader. This last installment was great, had to keep turning the pages. As with LOA: The Shades of Fate, the main characters were the same main characters. Tabitha probably moved me the most in this story, for she seemed to come into her own. Will, the blacksmith still cracked me up most of the time with his old man quirky comments. Jonathan and Haley were great too, got to hear more from them and learn a bit more about them as well.