If you’ve seen at least one of my blog posts, you know that Paul Thompson’s Nutcracker trilogy is an ever-present topic. You’ve probably noticed that I have links to the print books, ebooks, and audiobooks in the footer of every blog post. This is for good reason, and it’s not an entirely selfless choice. Paul is a friend and former roommate from college, so when I heard that he was writing a fantasy trilogy and was interested in having them performed as audiobooks, I said, “Hey, I might be able to help with that.”
That was in 2021. The Curse of the Rat King was released in audiobook format by the end of that year. The Watcher’s Realm was made available just a few months ago, in December 2022.
Dance of the Nutcracker
by Paul Thompson
It’s time. Well, almost time – for book three: The Dance of the Nutcracker. I completed my pre-read this week and will begin recording the narration soon. Now, here’s what I need from all of you. I need you to hold my feet to the fire and continually ask when the audiobook will be ready. Your encouragement will give me the strength I need to record late into the night, night after night so that we can all enjoy the stunning conclusion of this trilogy together.
If you’ve already read the book, don’t spoil it for others! I have to say that, in my opinion, The Dance of the Nutcracker is, by far, the best book of the series, so if you’re on the fence about whether to continue – the answer is yes. Is the story a bit violent? Yes. Is Drosselmeyer the perfect picture of a flawless hero? No, of course not, but then that’s the beauty of this story. The hero isn’t perfect, just like you and I aren’t perfect. But that doesn’t mean we can’t be used for great things. In the story, Drosselmeyer doesn’t make all the right choices, and he faces the consequences of those choices. But that’s what makes a story meaningful. If Drosselmeyer were perfect, it would be difficult for us to relate to him – to understand the pain that he lived with. See, Drosselmeyer felt alone. Everyone that he had ever loved was gone: his mother and father, his brother, his mentor, Marzi, and his friends. The world was in chaos, and Drosselmeyer was left to deal with his loss alone.
Well, get ready… The Dance of the Nutcracker is a wild ride that spans four realms (think of realms like alternate or parallel dimensions). We learn the truth about the Watcher and his realm; we learn about Drosselmeyer’s parents; we learn about magic and the fragility of the realms. We learn the truth about the Nutcracker.
I cannot wait to bring these Drosselmeyer, Doll, Toby, and many more characters to life in this third installment of The Nutcracker Trilogy! This time around, I will work really hard to include you in more of the process. That means you’ll get a peek behind the curtain (my bedroom closet recording studio) to see what it’s like to narrate a great novel. It’ll be raw and unedited, and I think what I’ll do is post the videos as unlisted videos on YouTube and then embed them on this site. Obviously, I won’t be posting full chapters (you’ll need to grab a copy of the finished audiobook to get the full story). I’ll share a few minutes of each recording session, so you can keep track of my progress. I hope these snippets will pique your interest, and you’ll want to dive in and enjoy the whole story. Will there be spoilers? Well, probably – so take that into consideration. I promise not to read the last page to you.
If you are eager to learn more about Drosselmeyer while you wait, browse through the links in the section below.
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Can you believe it’s May already?!
You may have seen a notification from me elsewhere explaining that I’ll soon be focusing (nearly) exclusively on my Substack content. I am truly grateful to everyone who has been following my journey here on WordPress over the past couple of years. I would be honored if you would head over to davidsheley.substack.com and subscribe to my newsletter. Initially, it will be the same content as you see here, but as I make the transition, I will allow my WordPress site to fade into the background as my Substack publications come online. If you’d like to know more about what this Substack stuff is all about, drop me a comment, and I’d be happy to tell you more.
The Nutcracker Trilogy
I will continue to shamelessly promote these books because I’m so excited about being a small part of Drosselmeyer’s journey. If you’re new here, let me encourage you to check out The Nutcracker Trilogy by Paul Thompson. All three books are available in print and as e-books. Books one and two are available as audiobooks, narrated by yours truly. Click the links below to explore.
Oh, and it doesn’t have to be Christmas for you to enjoy these stories (just like it doesn’t have to be Christmas to enjoy Harry Potter).
Apple Books / Apple Audiobooks / Amazon / Audible
Want to see what else I’m up to?
If something you’ve read here on my website has piqued your interest, click the link below to see all the places you can find me. Granted, I take every opportunity to point people to this site, but I encourage you to explore my links.
David Sheley 