Synopsis of Salt Wars

Salt Wars

Salt Wars is a science fiction book. It contains mild sex and violence. It also contains some humour. The target market is older teenagers.

Xavier Hollands is an eccentric technologist. Using his father's theoretical work he has found a way to create a hard astral projection. After testing this out with his girlfriend, Tilly, he is dragged into the Salt Wars by Wolf-Dietrich von Raitenau who wants to secure the future of Salzburg and his own future as its Prince-Archbishop.

They travel back in time to the town which will eventually become Salzburg. Xavier's astral projection is so strong that he comes up against the best man of the town whom he defeats at the May Fair. He also develops a relationship with Krystyna, the daughter of his employer in the town and betrothed of the erstwhile best man.

Using Xavier's methods, Tilly intervenes to save Xavier and to thwart Wolf-Dietrich. Magus – a medieval Satanist – tries to use Krystyna to seduce Xavier and thus tie him to the town forever. When this plot fails because of Tilly's intervention there is a battle through time and space.

Wolf-Dietrich is hunted down like a literal wolf. Xavier meets his claustrophobic nightmare on a submarine which is then depth-charged and flooded with water. Tilly meets her fate in a school where she cannot control her class or stop them bullying a young boy called Gabriel. When Tilly realises that Gabriel is trying to push her towards suicide, he is unmasked as Magus.

The trio return to the town to fight the first salt war. Wolf-Dietrich brings about a successful conclusion by playing on the superstitions of the attackers.

The book also has diary entries from the characters which give an insight into their thinking.

The book ends with a teaser for the next Xavier Holland's story "The Archbishop's Torturer".

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First ever sale in Brazil

My first ever sale in Brazil. Someone has downloaded The Role of the Hero.
Still no luck with Australia though.


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http://derekmcmillan.com/

Gove still relaxed

Education secretary Gove is notably relaxed. He is relaxed about profiteers running schools, relaxed about the PISA results which he of course blamed a predecessor for, relaxed about unqualified staff teaching in schools.
And today there is something else for Gove to be relaxed about. The National Audit Office has produced what is described as a "damning" report. They can join the teachers then. We have been damning Gove for a while.
The Free School scheme, it seems, had cost twice as much as predicted. Still it has provided friends of Gove such as Toby Young with a nice little earner. Comedienne Elizabeth Truss (Education minister) has responded, "I am pleased the NAO has recognised the progress we've made in opening 174 schools. Free Schools are one of the government's success stories." Clearly she didn't read the same report as everyone else because one of the criticisms has been that the government has been opening free schools without regard to the educational needs of the areas in which they are opened. The NAO is concerned about the lack of control over Free Schools. They can get away with murder. I am speaking metaphorically. I hope.

Classroom Teacher Manual Click here to try before you buy

MP's snouts still in the trough

Here is a little petition you might like to consider. http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/44225
MPs have the audacity to talk about the need for fiscal responsibility. When it comes to their own money however,apparently the poor dears cannot live on their 66K+ salaries so we have to pay for their travel, for their relatives to work for them, for their moats and duck houses.
It is beyond satire.
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Work until you drop

Some people work until they are seventy years old and beyond. They are generally admired as exceptional individuals.

The National Pensioners Convention commented on Osborne's plans - "Politicians can work beyond their mid-sixties and they have got a home for them called the House of Lords. You compare that with people who have worked all their life doing manual labour on low pay in a care home or digging up the roads and then ask them to keep working. It is just not right."

Life expectancy has increased, largely thanks to the National Health Service. This is not regarded as as cause for celebration but as "a problem" by the politicians. The likes of George Osborne are quite happy for their own life expectancy to improve but the lower classes insist on living too long and they have to be punished.

The result of the change is not that people will actually be able to go on working in demanding jobs up to the age of seventy. All that will happen is that they will be robbed of their pensions.

In a breathtaking piece of logic, the i newspaper's "analyst" has said that occupational pensions will take up the slack. Tell that to any public servant if you are fond of the sound of hollow laughter. The same government which is attacking the state pension has effectively robbed the occupational pensions of millions. 

You can trust them as far as you can comfortably spit a rat.

And Labour, well cynics are saying they will follow Osborne's lead on this "fairer" system because of the sums of money which can be saved by robbing pensioners. The money can be used for important stuff like wars, bankers' bonuses and MP's expenses so it wont be wasted :)

We need a party of the working class.

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More on Salt Wars

So far Salt Wars has attracted interest in
Germany
The USA
The UK
Japan
Italy (the French version)
Canada
And sod all in Australia. Oh well.

Thanks to all my readers. If you like it, write a nice review on Amazon. If you don't write to me :)

Salt Wars - Guerres de Sel - Salz Kriegen

How did "gallant little Salzburg" retain its independence? What was Wolf-Dietrich von Raitenau really like? What kind of Archbishop has a torture chamber?

Comment "brave petit Salzbourg" n'a conserver son indépendance? Quel a été Wolf-Dietrich von Raitenau aiment vraiment? Quel genre de l'archevêque a une chambre de torture?

Wie haben "wenig galant Salzburg" behalten ihre Unabhängigkeit? Was wurde Wolf-Dietrich von Raitenau wirklich? Welche Art von Erzbischof hat eine Folterkammer?