By Kelly Bridgewater

About the Book

Book: Breath of Bones

Authors: Tricia Goyer & Nathan Goyer

Genre: Adult Historical Fantasy

Release date: June 18, 2024

When darkness falls, a new guardian emerges.

Kateřina Dubová has always aspired to walk in her father's footsteps as a respected journalist, and the Second World War presents a unique opportunity for her to prove her worth to the world. A tip about an assassination attempt on a high-ranking Nazi official, Reinhard Heydrich, the "Butcher of Prague" leads Kateřina into the shadows of the Nazi occupation. Soon she discovers things are not as they seem.

As intrigue unfurls, Kateřina joins forces with Josef Loew, a descendant of the famous Rabbi Loew, renowned for creating a mystical guardian in the form of a golem to protect the souls of 16th-century Jews in Prague. In the chaos of war, some believe a new golem can once again bring help to those in need.

Like flickering candles in the abyss, Kateřina and Josef work to protect the innocent and end the evil that plagues their world. Yet, in their quest to save the Jewish people, have they inadvertently created a new danger? Could the very entity they had forged to protect become their greatest enemy?

My Thoughts:

Breath of Bones by Tricia and Nathan Goyer is a World War II novel. Is it any different than other published World War II novels? Not really. There is a robot called a Golem, which I kept seeing Lord of the Rings every time I read the word. As I was reading the book, I kept wondering why the story was published under Enclave Publishing, which does highly fantasy novels. This novel was not at all. It could have been published by Bethany House and marketed as a Historical story. I really wanted a little more on the fantasy side during World War II, but I believe it fell short. If readers are coming to expect that, like me, they may be disappointed. If readers want to read it as a historical fiction story that takes place during World War II, then it was fine. Plot idea was done before. Characters were a little flat. They really didn’t stand out to me. Little people walk across the pages, but nothing special about them. A little hurt from the past, but nothing that stopped them from doing what they needed to accomplish. Brave. Yes. Some spiritually in the characters. Overall, Breath of Bones by Tricia and Nathan Goyer led me to believe that there would be a fantasy element tied to the plot, but it read just like a normal World War II historical novel.

I received a complimentary copy of Breath of Bones by Tricia and Nathan Goyer from Enclave Publishing, but the opinions stated are all my own.

My Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

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About the Authors

Tricia Goyer is a celebrated writer, speaker, and co-host of the Daily Bible Podcast. Author of 80 books, Tricia has won four Golden Scrolls, two Carols, and a Christian Book Award. In addition to Christy and Gold Medallion nominations, her book sales exceed 4 million copies. Tricia is a highly sought-after conference speaker, sharing on writing, parenting, and purposeful living. Tricia’s most recent work, Breath of Bones, is a historical steampunk fantasy co-authored with her son Nathan Goyer.
Nathan Goyer is an upstart designer and science fiction author, who has been writing since he was young. He has written the novel Bask: City of Shadows and solo-developed the mobile RPG game Heedless, which has surpassed 30,000 downloads. After graduating with a Bachelor of Science from the University of Arkansas Little Rock, he is now pushing forward with new endeavors, starting with his newest novel, Breath of Bones, which he wrote alongside his fellow author and mother, Tricia Goyer.

More from Tricia and Nathan

He Said/She Said: Behind the Scenes with Breath of Bones

By Tricia and Nathan Goyer

Writing Breath of Bones turned out to be one of the most surprising and rewarding adventures I’ve ever embarked on. Let me take you behind the scenes of how this all came to be.

It all started when I decided to treat myself to something special for my 50th birthday: attending the Realm Maker’s Conference with my son Nathan. I’ve been writing books for years, over 90 of them actually, but I’ve always stuck to what I knew best. Speculative fiction? That was Nathan’s thing, not mine. But, there we were, surrounded by an incredible community of sci-fi and fantasy writers and fans. It was inspiring..

Reconnecting with my old buddy Steve Laube at the conference was a highlight. “Come to the dark side,” he joked when I marveled at how amazing everyone was. I laughed it off, but little did I know how prophetic his words would be.

After that second conference, something strange started happening. Ideas began bubbling up in my mind, and they were far out of my usual writing lane. The trigger? Believe it or not, I was doing something as mundane as sweeping near my bookshelf, filled with my favorite books about Prague, when I got an idea. That’s when it hit me—blending the Jewish legend of the Golem with my love for WWII stories. When I shared the idea with Nathan, his eyes lit up. “I love it,” he said, and that was all the encouragement I needed.

The idea really took shape when I ran into Steve Laube again at another conference. I pitched it to him during my keynote, and his enthusiasm confirmed my need.

The most surreal part of this whole journey? I first met Steve when I was pregnant with Nathan. When Nathan and Steve were introduced, Nathan joked, “No wonder your voice sounds familiar.” I thought that was perfect!

It felt like things were coming full circle. I was writing a book in a genre I never thought I’d explore for an editor I’ve admired for decades, alongside my son, who, in a way, met Steve alongside me all those years ago.

Breath of Bones is more than just a book to me. It represents stepping out of my comfort zone, embracing a new genre with the help of an incredible community, and the unique joy of collaborating with my son. It’s a reminder that it’s never too late to try something new. Also, the support of friends and loved ones can turn even the most daunting challenges into rewarding journeys. I hope this story inspires others as much as it inspired me during its creation.

He Said:

Writing Breath of Bones was certainly something I never expected to do. I had been trying to get my mother Tricia to write speculative fiction for a while, but I never thought she’d do it! It’s been very interesting to see her come to embrace the more fantastical side of writing.

When she asked me to write the novel with her, I was excited to do so. Writing something like this was right up my alley, of course, but co-authoring was a brand new experience that comes with its challenges and plenty of rewards. I really think it pulled out the best of both of us. What emerged is a story neither of us would have ever written on our own.

I may be revealing some of our secrets here, but when we first started writing, the only fantastical element in the whole book was going to be the Golem itself! I was proud of Tricia when partway through writing, she said, “This feels like another historical fiction book, we need to do more.” From then on, we dug in and got creative. There is so much to discover, and I can confidently tell you there is plenty more excitement to come as the Clockwork Chronicles continues.

I will also say Tricia isn’t the only one stepping out of their comfort zone. It’s been a learning experience for me to write within the bounds of actual history! Sure, there are spider tanks and giant machinations, but much of the story comes from people’s real experiences at that time and our carefully crafted characters who needed to take on these challenges. I loved both learning and writing about the true history. In fact, my favorite scene I wrote had no Steampunk at all. (But I’ll keep which scene a secret. No spoilers here!)

Writing Breath of Bones has been a fantastic learning experience for me. I’ve absorbed a lot of information writing alongside such an experienced author and have loved seeing the characters and storylines I created come to life in such interesting ways. Above all else, I hope all our readers can get lost in the world of Breath of Bones and go on an adventure they won’t forget anytime soon.