It's a huge honour to have Curtis Jobling here today as part of the Wereworld *7 Realms 7 Beasts* Blog Tour; I loved this book so much! Now I'm handing you over to Curtis, who is going to talk about Queen Slotha, The Walrus of Tuskun...
QUEEN SLOTHA, THE WALRUS OF TUSKUN
The frozen plains of Tuskun are home to Queen Slotha, the Werewalrus, tribal leader of the fearsome Ugri warriors. The Ugri have sworn a blood-oath to their mistress, one which ensures Slotha has the most blindly devoted fighting force in the whole of the Seven Realms at her disposal. Constantly at war with her neighbours in Sturmland, Slotha also takes to the seas, raiding any of the brave traders who dare skirt her lands to the northwest of Lyssia.
Whereas Queen Amelie is the archetypal regal monarch, full of poise, charm and etiquette, Slotha is the exact opposite. A terrifying tower of a woman, her appetite for war – and fresh flesh – make her a foe to be feared by her fellow Werelords. Only Baron Bosa of Moga has anything resembling a treaty with her, and in time even the fat old Werewhale will bend his knee to her command. With enormous, metre-long tusks she can use as weapons, as well as powerful clawed flippers that could break a human or therian limb in two, she has her heart set on one thing; a union between herself and the Lionlord, Prince Lucas. An unlikely marriage between the two would bring wealth to her isolated people, and the strength of the Ugri to the Lion’s cause. But who might be able to make such a match happen? Who could possibly introduce the Werewalrus to the crown prince?
Author’s note: While many of the female Werelords who appear in the novels are either good, wholesome characters, or those with shades of grey, the same cannot be said for Slotha. Dominated by a lust for land, war and vengeance, she’s a beast to write for, a force of nature who won’t be swayed from her path. With such a broad canvas of creatures to call upon when writing WEREWORLD, a Walrus warlord in the frozen north was a given – I’ve just had to bide my time and wait for the right opportunity to draw Slotha into the story. I remember seeing the old Harryhausen movies as a kid (and adult, I might add!), always fascinated by the creatures Uncle Ray would conjure up. In addition to the skeletons in Jason & the Argonauts, one of my abiding stop-motion cinematic memories is the giant walrus from Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger. As such, if you’re trying to imagine how scared one might feel when facing Slotha, take one look at that film and you’ll see where I’m coming from. She’s all muscle, blubber and tusk when transformed, and there aren’t many fanged or clawed therianthropes who’d be a match for her.
Curtis, December 13th 2011
Follow Curtis on Twitter: @CurtisJobling
And check out the Spinebreakers Website, where there's a special ‘Friday 13th’ ‘Wereworld lucky for some’ competion going on!
And check out the Spinebreakers Website, where there's a special ‘Friday 13th’ ‘Wereworld lucky for some’ competion going on!
Previous Stop on the Wereworld Blog Tour: Nayu's Reading Corner
Next Stop on the Wereworld Blog Tour: Madhouse Family Reviews
Thanks Curtis!
It's been wonderful having Curtis here, especially as I loved this book so much! Keep an eye out for Shadow of the Hawk, the third book in the Wereworld Series in your local book shops! And check out my review of it: here.
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