Quid and Harmony:
I picked up this book with no great expectation, prepared to put it down again fairly quickly if it didn't hold my attention. What I wasn't prepared for was the strength of this story to pick me up and whisk me off on an adventure with a band of characters who quickly became friends, or foe, in the eternal battle between good and evil, light and darkness, joy and despair.
Music, song and dance have the power, in this story, to shape the reality of Earth and Sky, a realm of fire and ice and lost magic. Of dragons.
Quid and Harmony are two Australian children with a special bond and unique talents who are called to Earth and Sky as Muse and Dancer, to free the land from the Darkness that threatens to engulf it.
When you can't put a book down, then delay reading the last few pages in dread of losing such good company, you know the wordsmith has done a fine job.
Allan Smith certainly has. For a self-published first-time author, Quid and Harmony is a remarkable story. Mr Smith doesn't waste words as he builds you a sturdy vehicle in which to race off into this adventure.
The dialogue is full and expressive and shapes the characters into people you won't easily forget.
The cover, maps and layout of Quid and Harmony have been skilfully designed by Allan's son Tom.
All profit from this book will go to good causes, notably the Fistula hospital in Addis Ababa, run by an Australian doctor, Catherine Hamlin. For only $20, Quid and Harmony is an affordable and delightful gift for those close to you, and a life changing gift to someone half a world away.
Quid and Harmony is available from Lost for Words Bookshop, Gallery Walk, or from Allan's website www.smithysbook.com.
Once read, you'll be pleased to know that Quid and Harmony is the first part of the Earth and Sky trilogy. I look forward to more magic from Mr Smith.
D. Schluter, Tamborine Times.