Gordath Wood (Ace Fantasy Book) [Paperback]

Patrice Sarath (Author)

Book Description

Series: Ace Fantasy Book | Publication Date: June 24, 2008

Worlds collide in Gordath Wood.

Something strange is happening in Gordath Wood, the old woods surrounding a training stable called Hunter’s Chase. The police think Lynn Romano and Kate Mossland have been murdered, but what actually occurred is much stranger. They’ve gone through a hole between worlds, into a medieval society at war. In a world that doesn’t ordinarily have use for women, the danger is great—good thing Lynn and Kate aren’t your ordinary women.

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Ace (June 24, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0441016413
• ISBN-13: 978-0441016419
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,737,158 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I'm a writer and editor in Austin, Texas. My novel The Unexpected Miss Bennet came out in 2011 from Robert Hale in the UK and from Penguin Berkley in the US. It takes up where Pride & Prejudice leaves off, specifically regarding Mary Bennet, the most misunderstood of the Bennet sisters. Mary is bookish, a bit priggish, determined to stand out for her accomplishments, and is a typical middle child. So naturally I had to write about her! I've always wondered why she was never selected by the inimitable Mr. Collins to be his bride. The Unexpected Miss Bennet is my answer to that question.

My first novel, Gordath Wood, came out from Ace in the summer of 2008, and the sequel, Red Gold Bridge, in 2009. Gordath Wood is hard to categorize. It's fantasy but with only a touch of magic to it. It has romance, but is not a romance (a very different beast). It has a murder-kidnap mystery in it. Basically it has all of the elements of books I like to read. And although everybody has different tastes, I am betting that more than a few of you also like your books the same way I do -- shaken and stirred. So if you like fantasy-mystery-romance novels, this one's for you.


Like most writers, I have a day job. In my case, I am a business and industry editor. During the day, I write about the mundane and yet still fascinating world of business and commerce, specifically in the financial and construction industries. At night, I switch hats and write fantasy and science fiction.

How I got here:

I always wanted to be a writer but never really did anything about it. It wasn't until I was let go in 1993 from my job as managing editor of a computer magazine that I decided it was time to put up or shut up. As long as I was looking for a job I could write every day for at least an hour and see where it would take me. I figured I'd be out of work for a few months at least. I would write in the morning, job hunt in the afternoon. When the unemployment ran out I'd take my daughter out of day care and be a writing in the morning, jobhunting, stay at home mom (for a while). Bliss!

It lasted for two weeks. Then I got a call from a rival magazine saying, hey, we heard you need a job. So I was back to work right away, wondering what happened to my bliss, but I kept writing. Short stories, novel starts, articles, you name it. I didn't sell for another six years. In the meantime I had another child, moved to my current day job, and kept writing stories and selling them.

I haven't stopped.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars I'm just not pulled in ..., August 29, 2008

By 

A. Callis "anthropologist and geek girl" (Raleigh, NC United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Gordath Wood (Ace Fantasy Book) (Paperback)

Yes, I am also guilty of buying this book based on the cover (which is lovely) and the description on the back (which makes it seem like a horse based fantasy novel). So I was also disappointed when I started reading a totally different novel from the one the blurb describes. However, that's not my main problem with the book.

I found the characters to be very unrealistic in their reactions to the various situations they find themselves in. Both main characters fall into a different world, and their reactions are non-existent - as though this happens to them every day. One person gets dragged to jail, and seems very nonchalant about it. Another young character has a favorite animal die, and is hardly moved by it. I found it very jarring to be having more of a reaction than the characters at most every turn.

Finally, though the plot is intricate, this is more of a war story than anything else. Though I'm an avid fantasy reader, this one seemed to dwell on the moment to moment aspects of war, rather than on the plot or character development. While the descriptions were great, and seemed realistic, I don't have the patience to read hundreds of pages of strategy.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars solid first novel, February 17, 2009

By 

Sara A. Laipis Eno "slaipis" (Austin, TX) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Gordath Wood (Ace Fantasy Book) (Paperback)

Vivid detail, solid plotting, and a realistic view of the collision of medieval and modern warfare. The author handles the multiple points of view with relative ease, although from a structural perspective I wish the most well-developed character, Kate, had been introduced first. The novel is fast-paced and enjoyable, and I appreciated the author's subtle subversion of common romantic tropes. I would definitely read more, both in this series and by this author.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Lots of intrigue and good detail, August 4, 2008

By 

Five Elements (Out of this world) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Gordath Wood (Ace Fantasy Book) (Paperback)

The portrayal of the world that Kate and Lynn, the two main female characters, enter unexpectedly, was realistic and well-done. Rather than overwhelming and immersing us all at once with multiple characters, histories, and background, Sarath lets the alliances and motivations of the new culture that the women encounter emerge gradually. She deftly uses multiple points of view to flesh out the experiences and expectations of this other culture, while creating sympathetic characters. Rather than portraying outright villains and heroes, Sarath creates a more balanced, realistic picture of people struggling to adapt to new circumstances, or fighting for power in a feudal world.
I would have rated it five stars, but I reserve that for only a few books I've read over the years. It's definitely an interesting read, with lots of good details.