Jacob is at that most magical time between childhood and adolescence. As the end of the school year approaches, he is dreaming of baseball and the beach, but most of all, about working on the comic book he and his best friend Jonathan have created, The Osprey Man. Then tragedy strikes and Jacob has to find an inner strength he is not sure he has.
This beautifully written tale of youth, coping, and working through grief is ideal for readers of all ages.
Read the review from D. Donovan, Midwest Book Review: “ “Osprey Man reveals its surprises, unwrapping them through the course of the story like birthday gifts.”
“‘The Osprey Man,’ was a highly enjoyable novel, and a wonderfully nostalgic look back at the eighties. Tuthill’s writing was genuine, heartfelt and skilled. I really felt for Jacob and his loss and I wanted him to succeed from the get-go. This is a five-star book that can be enjoyed by any and all readers!”
“A great read, with well-drawn characters. Chronicles that first, elusive love and all its insecurities as well as the tangled webs of friendships and devotion to the causes that inform who we become later in life. Harkens back to an innocence that many of us can relate to. I can’t wait to see what Chris is up to next!”–Glenn Jochum, singer and songwriter
“I found this book to be a really beautiful piece on grief and moving on. Jacob’s point of view was very poignant and touching and I found it really similar to how I have felt after losing someone close to me. Five stars for this stunning tale!”
“This YA coming-of-age novel is a heartwarming tale of grief, friendship and perseverance told through the age of a young boy on the verge of becoming a teenager, and Tuthill portrays this perfectly.”–Laura Lee
“This is the first novel by Christopher Tuthill that I have read, but I would gladly read more! The atmosphere in this novel was perfect. The nostalgia of the 1980’s and the beginning of summer after school lets out, created a pitch perfect setting that made the background of the novel almost feel like a character in it’s own right.”
“Tuthill has created a beautiful and moving novel, with all of the panache of a great YA story. It’s obvious from his writing that he understands how kids talk and act and this glimpse back into the 1980’s seems as fresh and timely as ever.”
Here’s a photo of yours truly at the Barnes and Noble. I met a number of readers and signed some books, it was a great day. Hoping to do more events like this when the next book is released.
Spring is the perfect time for THE OSPREY MAN to take flight! I will be at the Barnes and Noble in Poughkeepsie, NY this Saturday, 4/27 starting at 2pm, with copies of the book. Hope to see you there!
I highly recommend The Author’s Guild, which I recently joined to help with issues related to my novel’s publisher. Happily, they are working to keep it in print, even if the publisher is unresponsive. If you are a writer, it is well worth joining, they advocate for you and seem to really care about these issues.
In other news, we are off to western New York for the eclipse, which the children are extremely excited about. Hoping there are no clouds on Monday! Best wishes and safe travels to everyone who is on the move this weekend.
I will be at the Barnes and Noble in Poughkeepsie, NY on Saturday, April 27 at 2pm for a book talk and with copies of THE OSPREY MAN. It’s sure to be a fun time! Bring a friend, grab a coffee, and stay for some storytelling.
This Saturday, March 30, I’ll be at The Poughkeepsie Book Festival with copies of my book, THE OSPREY MAN. Each child under 17 who attends gets a voucher for $15, with which they can buy a book from one of the over 100 authors and illustrators who will be there. So come and support this great library–they put on this and plenty of other amazing events every year. Bring the family for a fun day filled with books and activities.
“You become mature when you become the authority of your own life.”–Joseph Campbell
I have noticed that some of the most accomplished and successful people I’ve met–writers, academics, business people, whatever field it is–are often the most unassuming and nicest and most supportive. This isn’t always the case, but it has happened often enough that it seems like a pattern. Perhaps these folks don’t need to prove anything, maybe they’re internally motivated and don’t need affirmation from anyone. Just something I’ve been reminded of now and again: if you can do something well, you just get on with it, and perhaps you can help some people along the way. Maybe this is simply maturity; it is an attitude that anyone can have, I think, if they want to, but some are more naturally kind.
Spring, Pieter Bruegel the Elder, 1565
On the other hand, I have known folks who are high achievers who are the opposite, and who constantly want you to know how much they know, how smart they are, how great and talented and so on. Or, worse, they put others down to make themselves feel better. They make cutting comments because, it seems, they are deeply unhappy. But these people are mostly just sad, and do not leave much of an impression, other than they are irritating to be around. I think they’re in the minority, but they make more noise so we sometimes feel like successful people aren’t so nice.
No matter what your profession, or what role you have to play in life, I think, as I get older, that the most important thing is being kind. It is just a better, more peaceful and happier way to go through life than the alternatives. When you go through your day simply being kind, you’re spreading good feelings, hopefully helping people to be better themselves. Find other people like this, and stick with them. Do what you have to and ignore the people who want to bring you down. I think this is an important key to success, however you define that for yourself. Peace and good luck.
“I can alter my life by altering my attitude. He who would have nothing to do with thorns must never attempt to gather flowers.” ― Henry David Thoreau
“Once men turned their thinking over to machines in the hope that this would set them free. But that only permitted other men with machines to enslave them.” –Frank Herbert, DUNE
The new Dune film is amazing, far better than anything that fans of the book had any right to expect. I loved it. I started rereading the book as soon as I got home; I read the above quote and had to put the book down for a moment. Frank Herbert wrote that in 1965–probably quite a bit earlier, as ’65 is the publication date. What a visionary.
The film changed a few things, but that’s to be expected in a work of this size and scope; it would be impossible to adhere to everything Herbert wrote. At some point I may write up some further thoughts. But suffice to say it was great and left me speechless. Once I finish the first book, I’ll probably continue with the others, too. I loved the first three books in the cycle and enjoyed the next three as well, though I felt they weren’t at the same level of quality as the first two or three.
A good friend of mine also recommended the many sequels written by Brian Herbert and Kevin Anderson, so I may go down that Golden Path, as well.
I’m really in awe of Denis Villenueve and the whole cast of this movie, particularly Javier Bardem, who I felt carried much of the film as Stilgar. We’re lucky that a director as good as Villenueve was able to make this. In my opinion, this achievement is as great as Peter Jackson and Lord of the Rings, and will be remembered for a long time.
“The Wheel of Time turns, and ages come and pass, leaving memories that become legend. Legend fades to myth, and even myth is long forgotten when the Age that gave it birth comes again. In one Age, called the Third Age by some, an Age yet to come, an Age long past, a wind rose in the Mountains of Mist. The wind was not the beginning. There are neither beginnings nor endings to the turning of the Wheel of time. But it was a beginning.” ― Robert Jordan, The Eye of the World
So begins Robert Jordan’s fourteen-book, 4.4 million word saga, The Wheel of Time, a tale which has sold over ninety million copies since the first novel in the series was published in 1990.
Some three decades ago, or an age ago, in Wheel terms, when I was in high school and college, I happily devoured the first four books in Robert Jordan’s high fantasy series. It hit me at exactly the right time; I had recently read The Lord of the Rings and was constantly on the lookout for more epic fantasy. Jordan’s story fit the bill, and I enjoyed every minute I spent in his world.
As the series went on, I became disappointed with the next two or three books and eventually gave up on them. For me, what started out as an excellent fantasy adventure tale that was heading in a satisfying, if not entirely original direction became bogged down with an unwieldy plot and too many characters. Each new installment of the series introduced more plot elements, settings and people until I stopped seeing the heroes like Rand, Moiraine, Perrin, Egwene, Matt and the rest of the cast of characters that had started out on such a promising adventure in The Eye of the World.
My friends who were fantasy aficionados felt the same way. By the time the later installments of the books came out, I had moved on and lost interest. There were always plenty of other books to read, and other fantasy worlds to explore by writers like Tad Williams, Ursula LeGuin, and many others I was busy discovering. When new Jordan books arrived, I was interested in them but not tempted enough to buy and read them. I’d already spent thousands of pages with The Wheel of Time, and it seemed there was no end in sight.
When I saw that amazon was adapting the Wheel of Time, I thought it might be a good chance for them to tighten up this story a bit, maybe streamline things and tell a rousing tale. I watched season one with great hope but did not really enjoy it. However, I did go back to read The Eye of the World and The Great Hunt, books one and two of the series.
I’m happy to say that after thirty years, these first two installments hold up well. I had forgotten most of the plot over three decades, but I very much enjoyed Jordan’s setup in the Shire-like Two Rivers, the flight from the Myrddraal and the Trollocs, and the slow unveiling of the truth of Rand’s destiny. The magic system is well developed: female wizards wield a magical force called The One Power and must train for years to do it. The philosophical underpinnings of the Wheel, where the world is in a continuous cycle of history, were a fun innovation for the fantasy genre that gave the setting plenty of depth, to my mind.
For me, some of this story aged less well, specifically the adolescent romantic longings of the main characters. I guess I was ok with this kind of thing when I was a teen and in my early twenties, but such doe-eyed yearning was not exactly to my taste this time around. But I let it go, because the story is fun and engaging enough to keep me interested.
What I also found striking in my re-read was the all-female wizardry of the Aes Sedai. They are a powerful order, akin to the Bene Gesserit of Dune. The political maneuverings of their different classes allow for plenty of intrigue and some great plot twists. The idea that men have tainted the One Power is also reminiscent of LeGuin’s Earthsea books.
I could do with less of Jordan’s at times florid descriptions of how gorgeous and powerful some of these women are, though–he lays it on thick at times. In The Great Hunt there is a sequence where some evil women of the Seanchan, an invading army, have leashed and enslaved Aes Sedai and other women who can wield the One Power. I’m not sure the story needed this sadistic plot point, but I guess Jordan had his reasons.
Clearly, plenty of readers disagree with my criticisms, and loved the entire cycle, including the final three books, finished posthumously by the amazingly prolific Brandon Sanderson. It’s sad that Jordan didn’t live to finish the series, but it seems he had a good steward to bring to to its conclusion.
I enjoyed re-reading these two books very much, partly for nostalgia’s sake, but also because they’re a lot of fun. The Great Hunt has a particularly stirring climax, where Rand and his friends face impossible odds as they pursue an ancient, magical horn that will call back legendary heroes of a past age. There are some engaging action sequences with high stakes for everyone involved. Rand, who now knows he is The Dragon Reborn, the great hero on which the hope of the world rests, must fight a demonic being to save his friends. The different creatures and races in the book are also quite well described and evocative. Some of the nightmarish dream sequences, in which Rand and his friends face their darkest fears, brought on by the evil beings that are hunting them down, are well told and gripping. Like Herbert and Tolkien, Jordan took a lot of care in creating these alien societies, and they’re quite detailed and consistent. Jordan had a lot of panache in telling these stories, and it’s easy to see why so many fans stuck with him. Maybe I’ll make it all the way through to the end, this time.
It does seem clear by the end of book two, though, the direction in which this story is moving, so I’m unsure why this series could not have reached a perfectly satisfying conclusion in three or four books. That’s just one reader’s opinion, and others have felt differently, but with so many other good books to read, I can’t say with certainty that I’ll read the other twelve books in this series. Maybe this summer I’ll dive back in for The Dragon Reborn.
Regarding publishing woes and other writerly problems, I’m reminded of the sage words of Tommy Lasorda: “Eighty percent of the people who hear your troubles don’t care and the other 20% are glad you’re having them.”
The less said about it, the better. I learned some things, and it’s time to move on.
Hello all! Thanks to those of you who have purchased a copy of The Osprey Man. As I wrote here last August, the publisher of the novel, Daniel Willis, passed away. There was talk of his company, DX Varos, being sold to a new publisher, but that hasn’t yet materialized. I have not received any statements or royalties since Daniel’s passing, and so I want to ask that if you are thinking of buying a copy, PLEASE DON’T USE THE PUBLISHER SITE, as I’ll get nothing from it and will have no way of knowing it sold. I don’t even think the publisher is still fulfilling orders. If you want it, please write me directly–I have some copies left that I can sign and sell.
I am working on getting my rights back to the book, as it seems the publisher is no longer functioning. Thanks again for your support of the book.
I have other things in the works that I hope to share soon.
Christopher Tuthill 