Firestone

"When all seems dark, I will light the way." On the world of Tellus there are two ways of doing things: the Old Way and the New Way. In the city of Portis-Montis, these two ways and their worlds collide. Hugh Geber is the alchemist at the University of Science and Progression. In a world where everyone follows the family career, he has found himself the last in line to carry the torch. When a meeting with Chancellor Robert James Smithson leaves him with an impossible deadline and a mysterious package, Hugh is left with no choice but to try and save the family name along with his job. Fate, however, is not on his side, and his world is turned upside-down. Now Hugh must not only fight for his place within the university, but also find out what lies behind the mysterious package before time runs out.

About the Author :
When E A Purle arrived into world, it lit up white. Literally. There was a raging blizzard outside the window. He spent the next few months laying on his back whinging a lot, but it wasn't long before he found his feet and began staring at them, before realising what they were for. As he progressed into his school years, he amazed his family, friends and teachers with his lack of hand eye coordination, knowing this would lead to great hilarity in later years.Soon, the time came for E A Purle to pick a career. He chose the theatre industry, thinking this would be the best place for someone with his talents. He soon realised that dancing required more hand eye coordination that he possessed, so he opted to work backstage, a move that turned out to be great fun. After the obligatory visit to the shop for a long wait and sky hooks, he soon found his niche, moving lumps of painted wood around the stage, hoping not to be seen by audience members. A few trips around the sun, and lots of shows later, E A Purle found a Mrs Purle. They created between them two beautiful small and shouties, full of life, and many, many questions. It was around this time that E A Purle decided he needed a change in career. Using his creative skill set and talent, he moved into the wonderful world of... building. Once again, his hand eye coordination shone through, hitting many a nail head, but mostly the surrounding walls.However, it wasn't long before the urge to create surfaced again. With a spot of bad luck in the health department, he found he had spare time to write. It became a regular habit, a surprise to all those around him, but none more so than E A Purle. But once he started, he found he couldn't stop. Life entered a chaotic period, the perfect time to add a puppy into the mix, and four became five. After numerous pairs of chewed shoes, furniture and copious amounts of blue roll and disinfectant, life finally settled down again.Now E A Purle spends his days in his writing den, attempting to eke out a career by coherently stringing together words, and as luck would have it, very little need for his legendary hand eye coordination. He released Firestone in May 2021, and the of the Lore of Tellus series was born. Five books are planned in total, followed up with more adventures set within the world of Tellus.

Review :
Firestone: (Lore of Tellus, Book One) E.A. Purle Alicorn Books (2021) ISBN 91802270566 Reviewed by Tammy Ruggles for Reader Views (12/2021) Talk about a YA steampunk lover's dream! What happens when the old way meets the new way? Tellus is a world where the old and the new clash on a daily basis, and main character, Hugh Geber, is the alchemist at the heart of the story. At the University of Science and Progression, Hugh feels obligated to follow in his family's footsteps, but Chancellor Smithson throws a wrench into his plans by handing Hugh a challenging deadline and a strange package. Hugh now has to attempt to salvage his family name and his position, but it is a near-impossible task. His life is thrust into a whirlwind, which sets the stage for an amazing journey of suspense, conflict, drama, and steampunk. Purle sets up this drama with intriguing, well-developed characters that you want to follow throughout the story. In fact, you get so immersed in their lives that you care about every single thing that happens to them. Add the mystery of the package, and the old-versus-new mentality, and you have a compelling story on your hands. Hugh is fighting for more than his job. He's battling for something bigger-his family name, his integrity, and tradition, but time is the enemy. How can he keep one world in the old, and one in the new? It comes down to pure survival. This author has created a world in which you can easily become absorbed. Each scene opens up new possibilities, exploration, and descriptions which pique the senses and imagination. I love the author's use of vivid imagery and creative engineering. The unexpected events add spice to the story, and you really don't know what lies around the corner. The alchemy aspect is intriguing, of course, and the characters are easy to like-especially Hugh, as a heavy burden rests on his shoulders. I love the contrast of the old and the new, and there are parts of the book that will stay with you even after you've finished the tale. There is a sweet quirkiness to some of the story that I enjoy, which adds a lot of personality to a book that's already overflowing with it, and so much more. "Firestone" could very well be the next "must-read" YA steampunk/fantasy series.