OCTOBER 3, 2016 | KRISTIN

“This story is reminiscent of the classic adventure stories. There is adventure, magic, romance, and intrigue and the story kept me entertained and wanting to know what was going to happen from the beginning. I loved the way the author describes the landscape in which the story unfolds. I felt like I had been transported to a Middle Eastern desert and could picture it so vividly in my mind.

There is magic, but it is subtle. There are sword fights, but they’re few and far between. This book is much more about the characters and their development and relationships than about the excitement of magic and battle. The characters will draw you in at times, irritate you at others, and from time to time there will a character or two that have you wondering whether those characters are good or evil.” […]

Source: Omari and the People #Audiobook Review and #Giveaway | Kristin Reads

Where I Got It: Review copy Narrator: Curt Simmons Publisher: ShirleyCastle Press (2016) Length: 11 hours 17 minutes

“Omari is a talented thief, but he’s not so smart when it comes to women. He has riches, a beautiful wife, and a big house. Yet his wife becomes angry with him and heads off to the city guard to tell of his many crimes. In an attempt to erase evidence of his wrongdoings, he sets fire to his house. Unfortunately, the flames don’t stop there and the entire city is lost. Now Omari, feeling quite bad about this, tells the people a lie about a wonderful land beyond the desert sands. There the adventure begins as a discordant group of people must either come together to succeed or will fall apart under the numerous assaults they suffer.

This is a beautiful, captivating story. In very little time,” […]

Source: Omari and the People by Stephen Whitfield | Dab of Darkness

SEPTEMBER 29, 2016 Interview: Stephen Whitfield, Author Omari and the People

“Once I worked as a temp paralegal in Manhattan and I was so good at it the firm offered me a permanent job as an accountant. The problem was, I had no experience as an accountant, but the money was so good I could not turn it down. Lasted a week. I know something about writing, so writing compares favorably.” […]

Source: Dab of Darkness | Book Reviews & More

Review

Source: Jenn Faughnan | Jennielyreads: Book Reviews, Bookstagram and Writing

Author: Stephen Whitfield – Narrator: Curt Simmons – Length: 11h 17m Publisher: Shirley Castle Press⎮2016 – Genre: Fiction

In a squalid ancient city on the edge of a desert (based in part on the African Sahara’s Empty Quarter) a weary, thrill-seeking thief named Omari sets his home afire to start anew and to cover his many crimes. When the entire city is unintentionally destroyed by the flames, the cornered thief tells the displaced people a lie about a better place which only he can lead them to, across the desert. With the help of an aged, mysterious woman who knows a better place actually does exist, they set out. The desperate people must come together to fight their way through bandits, storms, epidemics, and more. As a result of Omari’s involvement with Saba, a fiercely independent woman who is out to break him in the pay of a merchant whom he has offended, his ability  to lead – his very life – is jeopardized.

Source: Audio Blog Tour: Omari and the People – The Audiobookworm