Today meet author Tracy Falbe and read about her novel, Werelord Thal: A Renaissance Werewolf Tale and the world it inhabits. This fascinating novel kept me up all night. Read my review below.
The Medicinal Herb
Garden
By Tracy Falbe
Some scenes in my new historical fantasy Werelord Thal: A
Renaissance Werewolf Tale take place in the medicinal herb garden of Gretchen
The plants valerian and comfrey are mentioned in the novel.
Although these are minor details, they still required research to make sure
they were historically accurate and appropriate to what I was saying about them
in the novel.
In choosing these herbs, they needed to meet these
requirements:
1. Conceivably be present in a garden outside of Prague in 1561.
2. Able to grow back after being cut and trampled. In the
story Gretchen’s garden is destroyed by the men who hauled her away to torture
and death because the garden was seen as a source of her wicked potions. (She
actually just made medicine, but truth can’t stop an angry mob.)
3. Have a medicinal use appropriate to what they are being
used for in the novel.
Let’s start with valerian. It’s a perennial native to Europe
and Asia . Its recorded history goes back to
ancient times when it was described by Hippocrates and Galen. Valerian was also
known to be used in the 16th century. It typically acts as a mild sedative. My
catalog from the Oregon-based company Horizon Herbs described it as a standard
item for a medicinal herb garden.
So how did valerian fit in the story? First of all, it’s a
perennial which means it grows back every year. Therefore I could realistically
describe it as growing back after being cut and trampled. In Werelord Thal I
actually don’t mention its medicinal properties. It’s simply noticed by the
heroine Altea when she visits the burned out cottage and ravaged garden of Gretchen
Moving on to comfrey I confirmed that it is native to Europe and has a long history for speeding the mending of
bone fractures. A traditional name for it is knitbone. It is also described as
impossible to remove once established. I grow several specimens of this
wonderful plant and can attest to its vigor. One of its primary uses is to
generate fertilizing mulch, which means it’s meant to be cut over and over. I
whack mine down about three times a season and it always come back. Bumblebees
utterly adore its flowers by the way.
In the novel, Thal applies comfrey after setting broken
bones. He harvests the comfrey from his mother’s abandoned garden where it has
indeed grown back.
I can personally attest to the power of comfrey. Late last
winter I injured a finger. It was bent at the last joint, but I never went to a
doctor. I braced it for weeks but it would not return to straightness. I
eventually gave up on the splint and accepted that I would have a crooked finger.
But spring had come and the comfrey was shooting up, so I broke off some leaves
and rubbed the sap on my finger. Immediately my finger tingled. I continued to
apply the comfrey regularly and noticed a rapid improvement in my finger. It is
now straight and troubles me not at all.
Please note that comfrey is poisonous if ingested. Topical
use only gentle readers.
Book Description:
Werelord Thal: A Renaissance Werewolf Tale
by Tracy Falbe
Thal is wanted for Devil worship and shape
shifting but still boldly walks the streets of 16th century Prague . Jesuits
hunt him. Mercenaries fear him. Musicians sing his praise, and women are
captivated by his alpha swagger.
Born of a witch and a sorcerer, he is summoned when his desperate
mother casts the werewolf spell before facing torture and execution. Burdened
with her magical call for vengeance Thal seeks the men that killed her. His
hunt is complicated when the Magistrate’s stepdaughter Altea Kardas crosses his
path. Horrified that her community is burning women to death, she can confide
her doubt and fear only to Thal.
He desires her greatly but knows he will bring ruin upon her. Across
Bohemia and
beyond people who are different are labeled heretics in a restless world
hobbled by tyrannical ignorance. The Renaissance has thrown the Holy Roman Empire into turmoil. Printed books are
spreading radical ideas. Firearms are triggering a new age of warfare. And the
human spirit is shaking off obedience.
Thal embodies the ancient magic of the pagan past. He challenges a
world conquered by a spiritual system that denies the flesh and forgets the Earth.
And he awakens within Altea recognition of these truths. She believes any risk
is worth loving him until she becomes the bait in a trap set by Thal’s enemies.
My Review:
This one kept me up all night. Set in Renaissance Bohemia, Werelord Thal has a host of fascinating
characters and interesting historical detail. Thal Lesky chose to live his life
as a wolf, but is called back for vengeance when his mother is burned at the
stake as a witch. His quest for vengeance is complicated by his falling for the
Magistrate’s daughter. The novel has adventure, romance, and isn’t too terribly
bloody. It does have some
weaknesses. There are a lot of
unanswered questions: Why did Thal chose a wolf’s life to begin with? Why would
his mother be so set on vengeance when she is portrayed as a kind and generous
woman? Why does Thal inspire such
loyalty? People are also a little too nice. But despite its flaws, it is a
fascinating story that I couldn’t stop reading. I give it a solid four stars.
You can read the first four chapters for free at Slideshare: http://www.slideshare.net/Braveluck/werelord-thalpreview. I urge you to check it. You'll be hooked as I was.
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Jamie, thank you for taking the time to read and review Werelord Thal.
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