Gabrielle and the Rebels

Gabrielle and the Rebels
by Maureen Ulrich
Published by Flatlands Press
Review by Toby A. Welch  
$21.99 ISBN 9781778296536

Lampman-based Maureen Ulrich, author of the much-loved Jessie Mac Hockey Series, has crafted a new series, Winds of Change. It is a fantastical coming of age story. What a wild ride readers are in for!

I love the premise of Gabrielle and the Rebels, the first book in the Winds of Change series. Travel back to a time a few centuries ago, throw technology in the mix, and see what happens. From page one, this was a fun read. I found it categorized in many ways – fiction, urban fantasy, historical fantasy, and alternate history, among others – but for me the only important category is “must read.”  

With such a unique storyline, I was intrigued as to how Ulrich came up with the idea for Gabrielle and the Rebels. This is what she had to say: “The concept of the book actually came from a popular Lloyd Alexander series called Westmark, which utilized alternative history/historical fantasy, colourful characters, and NO magic. Real life problems aren’t solved with a magical wand or ring, but through human interactions and technology. That’s my goal. This series has been on my desktop in various forms for at least twenty years. It has moved a long way from the original manuscript – which was aimed at adults and used a male protagonist.”

One of the most entertaining parts of Gabrielle and the Rebels was the glossary of archaic and invented words at the back of the book. I always appreciate when a writer takes creative license and has fun with what they create. 

Ulrich’s writing is my favourite kind in a work of fiction – pared down. She doesn’t feel a need for flowery prose, instead opting for tight language where every word is carefully chosen to keep the action and storyline constantly moving forward. Don’t get me wrong – Ulrich still describes things, she just does so in a proactive way.

I have a love/hate relationship with dialogue. I love it when it is done right and struggle to finish books that have weak dialogue. Luckily for us readers, the dialogue in Gabrielle and the Rebels is spot on and keeps the flow of the book on track. This is a great thing as the book is heavy on the dialogue, in all the best ways!

There are two published books in the Winds of Change series so far. SaskBooks has copies of Gabrielle Rouge, the sequel. Ulrich is hard at work on The Outlaw Gabrielle (book three), which will be released in December 2024. Ulrich clarifies, “I had hoped to write a trilogy, but with FOUR winds – what the hell, I’ll add a final, fourth installment in 2025.” This thrilling mix of historical fiction and fantasy should be on everyone’s bookshelf.

THIS BOOK IS AVAILABLE AT YOUR LOCAL BOOKSTORE OR FROM WWW.SKBOOKS.COM