The Gad Nail

Gad the Zig, Book 2

By: Anthony Spaeth

Narrated by: Derek Murray

Length: 18 mins

Publisher's summary

Winner: StoryMonster.com's 2018 award for Best Children's Poetry.

"Gnomes, and fairies, and fake turtle, oh, my! It’s such a creative story told in such a beautiful way. Some lines rhyme, making it easy to predict what the next line will be. I think this combination of unexpected events and the rhyming make it perfect for both kids and adults." (Audiobookreviewer.com)

If you listened to Howl of the Lambergoon and wondered, "How was Gad created? And where? And why? And how did he come to have such a funny-looking hat?", The Gad Nail answers all those questions and then some. Follow Gad, the magical servant, across the Isle of Mull into the Fenodrees' Woods. There, he finds Queen Fair, whose justice demands his death. A poisoned dart. A poisonous beetle. And a fire set to commemorate his death - The Gad Nail is a tale of empathy and adventure.

©2018 Anthony Spaeth (P)2018 Anthony Spaeth

A beautiful addition to Howl of the Lambergoon

I had the great pleasure to listen to Howl of the Lambergoon and was very happy to see a sequel to the series (Gad the Zig). While this is the second book, it stands on its own. As with Book 1, the story captures the fanciful and instantly pulled me in. I own both the audiobook and the paperbook, so this review is for both formats.

A potter lives a lonely life on the Hebrides so he uses a bit of magic to craft a kid (who gets a robin’s nest for a cap and an iron nail for a heart). Gad is then sent on his first quest – to find a meal. The potter warns him seriously to stay out the Fendrees woods.

And we can all see where Gad will have to venture for one reason or another. There’s a turtle involved and faeries! Gad wasn’t sure he would be able to make it out alive! Thankfully, more than one comes to his aid and the faerie queen of Fendrees woods takes their pleas into consideration.

While the plot is straight forward, it is eloquently told. The cadence and word choice are just as well used as the imagery. I would recommend this for adults and kids as there’s enough here to capture the heart of any age. 5/5 stars.

The illustrations are beautifully done, as with Book 1, even with the change in illustrators. The cover illustration didn’t pull me in as much as Book 1 simply because it has so much pink. I can clearly see the artistry in the cover despite the pink and I knew the story would be worthy. The interior illustrations use the full palette and don’t rely heavily on pink. Once again, I love that there’s a fanciful map at the beginning. The illustrations near the end of the tale, when kids are encouraged to hunt out their own magical woods, were my favorites. It’s great that kids of different walks of life are included, such as the kid in the wheelchair. 5/5 stars.

Narration: Derek Murray gives a superb performance. He nails the rhythm perfectly. He has distinct voices for all the characters and his faerie queen voice is feminine. Murray’s Scottish accent adds to the book since it’s set in the Hebrides. 5/5 stars.

Fun for the family

A wonderful story in fun and satisfying rhymes! The message is great and it's as exciting as any dangerous, fanciful fairy tale. My young boys and I love to listen to Mr. Murray for his actual brrrr and great character voices!

Unexpected events with rhyme

Note: While this is Book 2, it works just fine as a stand-alone story.

Mank the Potter seems to have a lonely life so he creates a boy out of clay with an iron nail embedded in his chest. Using a bit of magic, the boy comes to life. Mank is very pleased with his work and immediately sends the boy out with a wheelbarrow to fetch a meal.

And I had to wonder what kind of meal this boy, named Gad, could find in the wilds that surround the potter’s hut. Snails were what he hunted, but, alas, he found none. Spying a turtle, he followed it into the forbidden woods and that’s where the true adventure starts.

Gnomes, and fairies, and fake turtle, oh, my! It’s such a creative story told in such a beautiful way. Some lines rhyme, making it easy to predict what the next line will be. I think this combination of unexpected events and the rhyming make it perfect for both kids and adults.

In the end, a grudge is addressed and peace is made. Gad does more than simply fetch forest food in this story. Yay Gad!

The Narration: Derek Murray gives an impressive performance. I quite enjoyed his narration for Howl of the Lambergoon (Gad the Zig book 1) and was very happy to see he has continued the series. His light Scottish accent really adds to the tale. His pacing is perfect, catching that rhyming pattern with finesse. There were no technical issues with this recording.

Audiobook was provided for review by the author/narrator/publisher.
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