Alexis Lantgen's Blog, page 4
July 5, 2021
Book Review: Shirley Jackson: A Rather Haunted Life
To me, Shirley Jackson is one of the most fascinating authors in American literature. I’m sure that every high school students in the U.S. vividly remembers reading “The Lottery” for the first time, and The Haunting of Hill House has become one of the great classics of literary horror. Yet, Jackson also wrote light-hearted family stories for women’s magazines. So when I saw Ruth Franklin’s biography of Shirley Jackson, I was intensely curious. What inspired Jackson to write the disturbing fiction that she did? How did she reconcile those stories with the ones she wrote about her family and children in such a light-hearted way?
Ruth Franklin’s biography draws together the seemingly disparate elements of Jackson’s life, balancing the loving mother and irreverent housewife with the woman who unerringly found the dark fault lines beneath the seemingly idyllic post-war American suburbs. Jackson suffered from her mother’s cruel and cold-hearted judgements and her own deep insecurities, which were exacerbated by a husband who was her biggest supporter and most vicious critic. Jackson’s own life reflected the contradictions of her time, when women had won the right to vote and often found success in new fields, yet were also burdened with huge household responsibilities and expectations. What’s more, Jackson captured some of the loneliness and isolation women often felt at this time. It’s no surprise that many of her protagonists are quite literally trapped within their homes, often alone except for immediate family members.
Cover of Shirley Jackson: A Rather Haunted Life by Ruth Franklin
As a wife, mother, and writer myself, I was often shocked at how much Shirley’s situation spoke to me personally. She had four children and often wrote while her babies were napping, as I did when my children still took naps. She struggled to keep her house as clean as her neighbors expected, and until The Haunting of Hill House was published and became a huge phenomenon, she and her husband struggled with money. She struggled with her weight; her mother sent her cruel letters criticizing her for her looks, even after she became a bestselling author. Her doctors prescribed her weight-loss drugs and diet drinks. For someone who lived so long ago, her life and story felt strangely modern, and her struggles similar to the ones many creative women have today—balancing work and family, the pressures to look a certain way or to lose weight, dealing with unsupportive or misunderstanding family members.
I also love the way that Franklin captured some of Jackson’s writing process and the creation of her books. It certainly inspired me to read more of Shirley Jackson’s writing, in particular We Have Always Lived in the Castle, and hopefully I’ll eventually gear myself up to read the Haunting of Hill House (it sounds terrifying). I’m also curious about Jackson’s family memoirs as well, and I’ve read several of the stories in Let Me Tell You.
I’d recommend this book to anyone who’s interested in writing and biographies, and especially female writers. It’s a compelling read about a woman with an incredibly interesting life.
author interview book review book spotlight books fantasy science fiction Sapience July 2021 1 June 2021 1 May 2021 7 April 2021 7 March 2021 4 February 2021 3 January 2021 6 December 2020 4 November 2020 7 October 2020 2 September 2020 4 August 2020 3 July 2020 9 June 2020 9 May 2020 4 April 2020 3 March 2020 4 February 2020 5 January 2020 3 December 2019 1 November 2019 4 October 2019 5 September 2019 5 August 2019 4 July 2019 9 June 2019 13 May 2019 15 April 2019 12 March 2019 7 February 2019 3 Saints and Curses
June 8, 2021
Book Spotlight: It Calls From The Sea
Dead Ships by Georgia Cook
Available on Amazon
It washed up at dawn, drawn in on the morning tide from around the curve of the bay; a fishing boat, small enough for a cabin and a crew of three, but of no make or name we recognized. It curved gently towards the beach, its path haphazard and aimless, engines silent and windows dark. By the time it hit the shingle and plowed to a juddering halt a small crowd of us had gathered on the dockside to watch.
There’s something about an empty boat--something dragged in off the tide like that, all slow and sedate--you get to feeling it after a certain time at sea, like a second sense. That’s why none of the old fishermen made a move when it finally came to rest; they already knew what we’d find. Perhaps it started with the snow.
Great, driving fistfuls were we got that month; merciless, relentless, day after day. A frigid wind howled it down off the clifftops, swamping the roads and transforming the surrounding hills into impenetrable, white monoliths. Nobody arrived in town, nobody left; that’s how things go around here come winter.
There’s a saying in these parts that it takes a special kind of madness to move here from out of town, and another kind to stay. The seas and the cold breed a particular type of person--it settles in the bones, then squeezes the lungs; sharp and cloying in every breath. This far north the cold is bitter. Or perhaps it started before that, and none of us noticed.
Some of us tried to sail that week, but only made it as far as the curve of the bay before we were forced to turn back. Battered by the gale and the driving snow, there was no thought of casting our nets. Cutting through the snow was like cutting through ice; nothing in either direction but tumbling flakes and shifting, black sea. We watched the snow fall, watched it settle on the water and sink, and out of it all we watched the boat arrive. Philip Abernathy was the first to climb abroad, shimmying up the side like a boy climbing a drainpipe. Twenty-three that May--newly promoted, the youngest Constable in a town of sturdy fishermen and grey-faced old men--possibly he felt it his duty to take charge, or at very least be the first to check. He was, after all, vastly on his own up here until the snows cleared and the mountain roads became accessible again.
He’d been our Constable for all of two months, and up until then had contended with nothing worse than the odd Drunk and Disorderly on a Saturday night. It was too cold, too dark, to expect any trouble worth hurrying for. He disappeared inside the captain’s cabin, calling nervously, then stumbled out a moment later and was violently sick over the side.
The old fishermen knew, and now we knew too: no ship so silent has ever been manned by the living. Once he’d been helped down, pale and trembling, Abernathy directed a few of us up to find the body. It was slumped across the wheel, he said, tilting back and forth with the rock of the ship, its boots dragging in a slow, steady rut across the floorboards. It might have been a man once, but that was an estimated guess. It no longer had a face, just a slumped, desiccated skeleton.
Its hands, Philip whispered, its hands were clasped so tightly to the wheel. So tightly he couldn’t pry them open. We found the rest of the crew below deck. There’s a reason so many fishing communities boast smokeries and salt houses; salted things keep. Salted things keep for a long time, and add to that the conditions of an arctic winter...
Featuring Stories By:
Chris Bannor“Euphoria”, Chris Hewitt “Reef Encounter” Christopher Bond “The Ocean Sings Softly”, Dan Le Fever “Xook” David Green “Into The Depths”, Georgia Cook “Dead Ships”, Holley Cornetto “Heaven’s Lake”, Julie Sevens “Shoney’s Revenge”, Lin Darrow “Cry of the Hunger Fish”, M.B.Vujacic “Jelly”, Mason Gallaway, “The Sea Reaches Up”McKenzie Richardson “The Hunter and the Prey”, R. L. Meza “Long Pork”, S.O. Green “The Shadow Over Innsmouth High”, Steve Neal “Hostile Territory”, T. M. Brown “Buoy 21415”, Tim Mendees “Fronds”, Trey Dowell “Abyssal Horror”, Watt Morgan “Please Leave”
Book Tour Schedule
June 7th
Reads & Reels (Spotlight) http://readsandreels.com
The Consulting Writer (Review) https://theconsultingwriter.wordpress.com/
@jypsylynn (Review) https://www.instagram.com/jypsylynn/
Jessica Belmont (Review) https://jessicabelmont.wordpress.com/
June 8th
Books, Rambling & Tea (Spotlight) https://booksramblingsandtea.com/
Lunarian Press (Spotlight) https://www.lunarianpress.com/
Jennifer Mitchell, Bibliolater (Review) https://jennifermitchellbooks.com/
Banshee Irish Horror Blog (Review) http://bansheeirishhorrorblog.com/
Rambling Mads (Review) http://ramblingmads.com
June 9th
The Invisible Moth (Review) https://daleydowning.wordpress.com
Stine Writing (Review) https://christinebialczak.com/
Phantom of the Library (Review) https://phantomofthelibrary.com/
Catz Luv Coffee (Review) https://catsluvcoffeez.blogspot.com
June 10th
Breakeven Books (Spotlight) https://breakevenbooks.com
@tiny.bibliophile (Review) https://www.instagram.com/tiny.bibliophile/
Musings of a Final Girl (Review) https://musingsofafinalgirl.wordpress.com/
@dreaminginpages (Review) https://www.instagram.com/dreaminginpages/
June 11th
Sophril Reads (Spotlight) http://sophrilreads.wordpress.com
@happily_undignified (Review) https://www.instagram.com/happily_undignified/
@amysbooknook8 (Review) https://www.instagram.com/amysbooknook8/
I Smell Sheep (Review) http://www.ismellsheep.com/
Liliyana Shadowlyn (Review) https://lshadowlynauthor.com/
On the Shelf Reviews (Review) https://ontheshelfreviews.wordpress.com
Book Tour Organized By:
R&R Book Tours
Sapience author interview book review book spotlight fantasy science fiction Saints and Curses
May 28, 2021
Excerpt from The Demon of Yodok by Adria Carmichael
To celebrate the release of the latest novel in the Juche series, The Storm of Storms, we're going back to the book that started it all! The Demon of Yodok! Read on for more details and a chance to win a signed hardcover edition of the novel!
The Demon of Yodok (Juche 1)
Genre: YA Dystopian
A highly addictive Young Adult Dystopian Survival series that will keep you glued to the pages.
JUCHE [dʒuːtʃe]
Just when Areum, daughter of a privileged family in the totalitarian state of Choson, thought she was free from her personal prison, her world collapses around her as her family are taken away in the middle of the night to a hell-like camp in the mountains where people who have strayed from the righteous path are brutally re-educated through blood, sweat, tears and starvation.
There she has to fight for survival together with the family she hates and is forced to re-evaluate every aspect of her life until then – her deep resentment toward her twin sister; her view of her father in face of the mounting evidence he is a traitor with the blood of millions of fellow countrymen on his hands; and even her love and affection for the Great General – the eternal savior and protector of Choson, whom she had always considered her true father.
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Excerpt
Cranes sang songs of joy from the mountain tops.
Double rainbows appeared in the sky.
The aggressors from the west were defeated. The invaders from the east were expunged. The traitors from the south were put at bay.
The people of Choson were finally free to create their own destiny, and so a hermit kingdom of people’s rule rose from the ashes, and the doors to the enemies of the outside world were closed, never to be opened again.
The world around them moved on. Years passed. Decades passed. Peace and prosperity spread throughout the world, and nothing was heard from the secluded hermit paradise.
Then one day, people started emerging from its closed borders. The stories they brought with them were, however, not of a paradise on earth. Instead, what they depicted were horrors so vile and cruel that they almost exceeded human comprehension.
Little had the people of the kingdom known when they closed its doors to the outside world, that the vilest beast of all was still lurking among their midst, and as soon as the curtains had been drawn, the beast unleashed its reign of terror upon the people, not stopping until it had crushed and enslaved every soul within its reach.
The beast now rules the kingdom from a throne of human misery and agony.
No one alive has ever encountered this beast, but everybody knows its name.
JUCHE
Available on Amazon
About the Author
Adria Carmichael is a writer of Young Adult Dystopian fiction with a twist. When she is not devouring dystopian and post-apocalyptic content in any format – books, movies, TV-series and PlayStation games – she is crafting the epic and highly-addictive Juche saga, her 2020 debut novel series that takes place in the brutal, totalitarian nation of Choson. When the limit of doom and gloom is reached, a 10K run on a sunny day or binging a silly sitcom on a rainy day is her go-to way to unwind.
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Click the link below for a chance to win a signed hardcover edition of The Demon of Yodok
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May 26, 2021
Winning Streak: Tales and Trivia of the 40 Most Popular Board Games
If you enjoy trivia and board games ( and I love board games, especially nerdy ones like the Lords of Waterdeep) then this book is for you! They’re also launching a Kickstarter for Winning Streak today, so have a look!
About Winning StreakExpected Publication Date: Coming Soon!
Genre: Games/ Trivia/ Non-Fiction
Did you ever wonder:
♞ What makes Clue the best movie based on a game franchise?
♝ What does the doubling cube in backgammon do?
♜ How trains are even supposed to operate in Ticket to Ride: Antarctica?
♛ How the designer of the board game Pandemic feels now that he’s lived through an actual global pandemic?
♚ Whatever happened to the Monopoly game show from the 90s?
Based on Ranker’s poll of almost 400,000 votes, these games define us. From multiple-award winning masterpieces of the past decade, to indestructible classics still going strong after 5,000 years of play, these are the games you must play before you die. Well, except for Sorry!. That game is a blight upon this list and mankind as a whole.
Excuse me. What I’m trying to say is that I wrote this book about games, and I thought you might like it
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About the Author
Over the past decade, John-Michael Gariepy played and reviewed over four hundred board games for three podcasts. He produces the movie/media conversation show, Popcorn Roulette, edited Stephen Albair’s jewelry and tableau photography art book/memoir called Spectacles, and directs and produces the medical audio drama Say Hello to Black Jack. He has a wide range of interests, a tremendous love of learning, and a goofy sense of humor. You can follow him on Twitter @JM_Gariepy or Instagram @johnmichaelgariepy, or check out his blog at JMGariepy.com.
May 24, 2021
Book Spotlight: The Tribesmen of Juno by Robert I. Katz
Check out this Book Spotlight for Robert I. Katz’s book The Tribesmen of Juno, which is the third book in his Survivors Series (more about the first two books below)! You can also find the giveaway for the book here!
Synopsis of The Tribesmen of Juno, Book 3 of the Survivors SeriesFrom USA Today bestselling author, Robert I. Katz, comes The Tribesmen of Juno, Book Three of The Survivors.
Thirty years ago, Terence Allen left his father’s home in the city of the Viceroy, and under the assumed name of Blake Pierce, gained both fame and fortune, first as a wandering ronin, then as a mercenary commander. Now, Blake Pierce is the Duke of Taverno, and he controls half the nation of Venecia.
Blake Pierce is a power in the world, but the cities that owe Taverno loyalty are being bribed to switch allegiance to his principal opponent, Benedetto Corsi, the Duke of Siena.
In far away Fomaut, the Primate has been assassinated. Wolford is beset by unknown forces.
All over the continent, unrest is stirring.
Men are digging into the ruins of the dead cities, seeking riches and the weapons of the nearly forgotten Empire. The industrial revolution encouraged by Blake is slowly grinding to a halt.
For three thousand years, the Viceroy has ruled over all the nations, rarely exerting his authority but tolerating no opposition to his reign. Only the Viceroy retains any remnant of the Ancient’s lost technology. Many men have tried to challenge the Viceroy. All have been crushed.
But the seven nations are stronger and richer than they were, and the Viceroy has expended much of his hoarded arsenal. Has the time come to finally throw off the Viceroy’s rule? Or will Taverno turn into just another dead, radioactive city?
Blake would prefer not to find out, but unseen forces are moving against him, and in the end, he may have no choice but to fight back or lose everything he has gained, including his life.
Cover of The Tribesmen of Juno, Book 3 of the Survivors Series by Robert I. Katz
Chapter One of The Tribesmen of JunoAnd so it came to pass in the thirtieth year of the reign of the Viceroy Gaius Tiberius VII that a rebellion arose from a minor princeling in the city of Poitiers. This princeling was tall and handsome, a writer of poetry and a singer of songs, unrivalled with a blade, strong with phrygium, quick with praise for the accomplishments of others. His people loved him and he had been told since he was a small child that he was destined for great things.
His rebellion was small, at first. He questioned the primacy of Inquisitoria over the spiritual needs of his people, arguing that a relationship with the creator could be forged by every individual through devout prayer and without the intercession of God’s anointed.
The Inquisitoria declared this to be heresy, but heresy, though frowned upon, is not forbidden. Only words that encourage active disobedience to Imperial edicts are forbidden. All other enquiry is allowed. The Prince’s thoughts, at first spoken, then written, and then disseminated throughout all the nations, were much discussed.
The Viceroy took no position on this issue.
But then, the Prince decreed that the mandate of heaven had fallen from the Viceroy, since the Empire from which the Viceroy’s authority derived had turned its face from this world. This was rebellion. This was not allowed. The Viceroy, ever merciful, gave the Prince a chance to repent. He refused.
The Viceroy then led an army to the gates of Poitiers and called upon the Prince to emerge, to recant his words and pay homage to his rightful overlord. Again, the Prince refused. The Viceroy, much saddened, returned with his army to the City of Varanisi.
The Prince, joyful in his defiance, decreed a celebration, and declared that the Viceroy’s rule was at an end.
One day later, an Earthquake shattered the city of Poitiers. A day after that, a ball of fire descended from the heavens upon whatever remained. The Prince and those few of his people who had not already abandoned him vanished in the conflagration.
The city of Poitiers no longer exists. Where it once stood, a blue, placid lake now fills a gigantic crater. Fish swim in the lake, but those who eat these fish grow ill. Their hair falls out. Their blood grows thin and pale and then oozes from their mouth and their eyes, and then they die, screaming in agony.
Three hundred years passed before the Viceroy’s rule was again challenged.
From: The Reign of the Viceroys of Gault, Third Edition, New Imperial Library, 4753
“Your Grace?”
Blake Pierce looked up. Colin McGregor insisted on following the rules of protocol and decorum, in public at least, and he did so with an unruffled air of gravity and calm. Colin had been with him for many years, first hired as the purser for Pierce’s Marauders, Blake’s former mercenary company, now serving as seneschal and principal advisor to the Duke of Taverno, Blake’s current and most illustrious title.
“Sit down, Colin.” Blake tapped a piece of parchment sitting on the table in front of him. “What do you make of this?”
Gingerly, Colin picked up the parchment, quickly scanned it, frowned, and then read it again. “Unfortunate,” Colin said.
Yes, the sudden death of Blake’s principal factor in the city of Mitre was “unfortunate.” Natural causes, supposedly. An elderly fellow, he went to sleep one night and didn’t wake up. Elderly, and fat, but he had been vigorous and had displayed no prior symptoms before suddenly dropping dead.
Unfortunate.
Mitre was a small city but strategically placed, at the confluence of two rivers providing excellent access to the sea and both isolated and partially defended by a range of encircling mountains. Three large passes cut through the mountains, all surrounded by steep cliffs. Easy enough to rain arrows, boulders or boiling oil down onto an invader. It would take a large and determined force to break through. Unfortunately for Mitre, a small but rich city with a tiny military of its own, at least three such armies were currently considering an invasion.
In years past, Mitre’s small military, combined with the difficulty of reaching the city, had been sufficient to keep them independent, but that was in the days when the King of Venecia aided in keeping the peace. The King was long dead and times had changed.
At least four different poisons could have killed silently in the night. Probably more. Blake was not an expert on poisons but as a sometime agent of the Viceroy, he knew the basics.
“Suggestions?” Blake asked.
Colin puffed up his cheeks and tapped a finger on the arm of his chair while his eyes wandered to the harbor outside the Castle windows. “This changes nothing. We’re offering Mitre protection and an alliance. Prudence would dictate their acceptance.”
“And yet it appears that a message has been delivered, one that the Elders of Mitre cannot fail to understand. They deal with us at their peril.”
Colin shrugged. “If they refuse to deal with us, they will suffer the fate of a thousand other conquered cities. That message, too, will be clearly understood.”
Blake sighed. “We shall see. It is up to them to decide.”
“And,” Colin added, “it is entirely possible that he did die from natural causes.”
Blake reluctantly grinned. “Make certain that an autopsy is performed, and that the results are made public. I expect that his heart has been weak for several years. His courage in performing his duties, suffering as he must have been, is an inspiration to us all.”
“Indeed,” Colin said.
“And give him a nice funeral.”
“Of course.”
Abel Barker knew a thousand ways to kill, but only a few of these left no distinguishing marks upon the body. Of these, poison was the least obvious but was often the most difficult to administer. Poison, to be effective, must be delivered to the body of one’s victim, which means that the assassin must have access to that victim, or must suborn someone in the victim’s circle.
Poison itself might leave no trace, but the method of delivery all too often left a trail.
Almost always better to mix violence with misdirection. Strangle a man, for instance, and then throw him off a tall building, or have him stumble at the edge of a cliff or leave him in the desert for the sand lizards to devour. Anything to destroy the evidence.
And if you don’t mind leaving questions behind, the body can simply disappear.
Poison, though, did have its uses. Sometimes, nothing else would do.
Abel Barker, for most of his life, had served the Viceroy. He had been recruited as a boy, having been discovered in his parent’s small village by a Finder team searching for children with the ability to weave soul-stuff. He had been brought to the Viceroy’s city, Varanisi, educated in the Viceroy’s scholium and been sworn to the Viceroy’s service. In this, he had not been given a choice. Abel Barker would, if necessary, die for the Viceroy. All of his classmates would.
In theory, change could be good, for the individual and for the society in which the individual lived, but more often than not, change brought instability, and the Viceroy prized stability. The Viceroy suffered no challenge to his own rule. After more than two thousand years, the Viceroy had managed to arrange things pretty much the way he wanted them.
Blake Pierce, or Terence Sergei Allen as he had once been known, had started a revolution. The Viceroy had reluctantly allowed that revolution to proceed. Blake Pierce had not been the first to mix the uses of phrygium with the ancient remnants of technology but in theory the innovations he had introduced would advance the Viceroy’s own goals upon this world.
Now, ten years later, the wasteland was filled with searchers, looking for they knew not what, hoping to strike it rich and ignoring the first lesson they had been taught as children, which was to avoid the dead cities.
Abel Barker crept among the trees. It was a dark, quiet night, warm with a light breeze. Somewhere, not far away, an owl hooted.
Seven men slept in the clearing. An eighth stood watch, sitting on a fallen log facing the woods. The sentry yawned, straightened his back and re-filled a ceramic mug with coffee from a pot simmering over a small fire.
Abel Barker’s night vision goggles gave him a clear view of the clearing. His hazmat suit protected him from residual radiation.
The ruins began less than a hundred meters from the clearing. A small city had once stood here. The city had not been physically destroyed. Neutron bombs, followed by radioactive dust, had killed off the population. Centuries later, most of the buildings had crumbled into rubble, but the rubble, and the dirt beneath the rubble, was still filled with both treasures and lingering poisons.
These men were digging for treasure. Unknown to themselves, they were finding poison. Idiots.
In the past ten years, hundreds of small teams, almost all of them poorly equipped and ignorant of the real risks, had decided to try their luck. The majority returned with little of value or did not return at all.
These men had already ingested sufficient ambient radiation to kill them, but it would kill them slowly, over months, perhaps even years. Slowly was not good enough for the Viceroy’s purpose.
Whistling under his breath, Abel Barker opened a small box, pressed a button and quickly retreated. Silently, odorless and invisible, a volatilized gas sprayed upward and then, blown by the breeze, drifted toward the campsite. The gas inhibited the action of acetylcholinesterase on neuromuscular junctions, preventing the breakdown of acetylcholine, the body’s principal neurotransmitter. The gas was readily absorbed, either through the lungs or the skin. The first symptoms of exposure included a runny nose, nausea, then, a few minutes later, difficulty breathing. Convulsions and death by asphyxiation would soon follow.
Not a pleasant way to die, but necessary. If any of their comrades came looking for them, the decomposing bodies of these men would serve to reinforce the lessons that they had been taught as children and foolishly chosen to ignore.
An hour later, it was done. Three of the seven had awakened after exposure. They had stumbled out of their tents, vomiting, hoarsely gasping for breath that would not come. They had tried to run but had fallen, twitched a few times, groaned, cried out, struggled and then died.
Abel Barker, a compassionate man (when allowed to be), regretted the actions that circumstances had forced him to take, but knew that good men are often compelled to unpleasant and otherwise regrettable deeds, for the greater good of us all.
Sad, Able Barker thought, but necessary.
An adversary is someone who wants the same things that you want. Nothing personal. It’s competition. You win some and you lose some. An enemy, on the other hand, wants you dead…because he hates you.
Benedetto Corsi was an adversary, not an enemy. Blake was happy about that. Corsi and Blake Pierce had struggled against one another for many years, and to some extent, each had enjoyed the rivalry. Blake had, at least, and he was fairly certain that Corsi had as well.
The same could not be said for Johannes Stryker, and even more so for Saverio Narcena.
Stryker was Corsi’s spymaster, a man whose emotions ran cold, at best, but Stryker, from what little Blake knew of him, took pride in his own intellect, in his objective evaluation of the world around him. Blake, by besting Corsi all those years ago with tactics that neither Corsi nor Stryker had foreseen, and thereby establishing himself as Corsi’s principal rival, had offended Stryker.
Narcena had other reasons to hate Blake. His reasons, in Blake’s estimation, were childish. Years ago, Blake had defeated him in battle, making him look foolish. Corsi had relieved him of command and placed him under Stryker’s tutelage—to learn wisdom. Narcena, in Blake’s estimation, should be thanking Blake for having shown him the error of his ways and setting him upon a path more in keeping with his talents. Narcena, or so Blake’s spies told him, saw things differently.
Blake stood on the highest balcony of Castle Taverno, looking up at the stars from which his ancestors had come, thousands of years ago, and brooded. Mitre was not the first small setback he had suffered. A message had indeed been delivered to the city fathers of Mitre. A similar message had been delivered to Blake. Those messages had been coming more often, their unmistakable sub-text growing louder and louder.
Stop.
Blake sighed. For many years, Blake had served as an agent of that stability the Viceroy so prized. He knew how things worked. He had never grown so complacent, however, as to think that he himself, and the others like him, represented the limits of the Viceroy’s reach.
Blake well remembered the meeting he had with the Viceroy, when blood feud had first been declared against him by Thierry Jorge Garcia. The Viceroy had gently and sadly explained to him that in the world outside Varanisi, his commands meant little. The Kings and Queens and leaders of the various nations paid lip service to the Viceroy’s primacy but had no hesitation in ignoring him when they felt like doing so.
The Viceroy had seemed so regretful at his inability to help, so sincere. Blake, being young and naïve, had believed him.
Each year, the Viceroy sent the finders abroad, looking for children with the talent to weave phrygium, soul-stuff as it was often called. The parents of such children were handsomely rewarded, the children taken to be educated and raised in the Viceroy’s palace, and once in the Viceroy’s palace, a worm was planted in their brains, a worm which grew and bored deep, doing no harm, but enforcing the Viceroy’s will. A neural web it used to be called, in the far-off and long vanished Empire of Mankind, a tool to control the victim’s behavior.
Tindall and Eliza, whose services the Viceroy had loaned him, were once such children. They had helped Blake achieve hegemony over half of Venecia but Blake had never taken their services or their loyalty for granted. Tindall and Eliza were loyal to the Viceroy. They had to be. They had been given no choice.
There were rumors of agents deeply planted in the bureaucracy of all seven nations, of secret assassination squads. Blake did not know for certain, but he suspected those rumors to be true.
Ambition had come slowly to Blake Pierce, once a satisfied, indolent young man named Terence Sergei Allen, but it had come. Seven men and women before him had discovered that phrygium could be used to power the technology of the ancients, something that the Viceroy in theory approved of and encouraged, but then, succumbing to pride and ambition, all seven had then set themselves against the Viceroy. That, at least, was the story. All seven were now dead and long since forgotten.
When you play a game that you cannot win, Blake thought, stop playing…or change the rules. Thousands of years ago, the commander of what was then the greatest military force ever assembled had said, “If you have a problem that you cannot solve, then make it a bigger problem.”
Blake had done his best to make the problem bigger. It remained to be seen what the Viceroy would do about it.
Cover of The Towering Flame, Book 1 of the Survivors Series by Robert I. Katz
Synopsis of The Towering Flame, Book 1 of the Survivors SeriesFrom USA Today bestselling author, Robert I. Katz, comes The Towering Flame, the first book in a brand new series, The Survivors.
Once, long ago, the Empire of Mankind spread among the stars, but the Empire fell into civil war and anarchy, leaving every human inhabited world across the galaxy to go its own way.
Today, after two thousand years of isolation, the Viceroy rules over seven nations on one long-abandoned planet. He alone possesses any vestige of the technology left behind by the vanished Empire and he uses it to rule with an iron fist in a velvet glove.
But below the surface, ambitious men are struggling for power and rebellion is simmering.
Terence Allen is the third son of a wealthy father. Terence is satisfied with his life. He has few responsibilities, fewer challenges and little desire to change.
Terence Allen is an unlikely catalyst for rebellion, but Terence’s destiny changes the moment he sees Thierry Jorge Garcia striding toward him one night at the Summer Fair in Varanisi, the Viceroy’s city. Thierry, the heir to a long-standing military tradition, will let nothing keep him from pursuing Irina Archer, the woman he had known and loved as a young man in far-off Cathay, the woman who is now Terence Allen’s fiancée.
The feud that results will have repercussions far beyond the borders of the city, as the seven nations seethe with conspiracies, rumors and strife. A war that has been brewing for over a century is coming, a war that will upend the foundations of both men’s world.
Cover of The Antiquarians Guild, Book 2 of the Survivors Series by Robert I. Katz
Synopsis of The Antiquarians Guild, Book 2 of the Survivors SeriesTwenty years ago, Terence Allen left his father’s home in the city of the Viceroy, and under the assumed name of Blake Pierce, has gained both fame and fortune, first as a wandering ronin, then as a mercenary commander.
Since the king’s death, ten long years before, the nation of Venecia has fallen into chaos, as the smaller city-states strive to maintain independence and the stronger states try to conquer all the rest.
Blake Pierce’s company, Pierce’s Marauders, has entered into a contract to provide security for the city-state of Taverno, which is beset by numerous enemies, the most serious of which is Benedetto Corsi, the Duke of Siena.
But Blake is facing other challenges, some that he knows about, others that he merely suspects.
In far away Fomaut, the Primate and the leader of his armies, Alejandro Garcia, are digging in the ruins of dead cities, seeking the lost technology of the Ancients and preparing for war against their neighbors, while Davida Montoya, the woman Blake loves above all others, is still living in her father’s castle, refusing to join him until his wars are over…which, the way his career is going, may be never.
For Corsi, and his shadowy spymaster, Johannes Stryker, the Kingship of Venecia represents the culmination of their ambitions. For Blake Pierce, rule of Venecia is only one step toward his own secret goal: to free the world of Gault from the heavy-handed tyranny of the Viceroy, who has ruled the world for over 2000 years.
Picture of Robert I. Katz, author of The Tribesmen of Juno
About Robert I. Katz
I grew up on Long Island, in a pleasant, suburban town about 30 miles from New York City. I loved to read from a very early age and graduated from Columbia in 1974 with a degree in English. Not encouraged by the job prospects for English majors at the time, I went on to medical school at Northwestern, where in addition to my medical degree, I acquired a life-long love of deep dish pizza. I did a residency in Anesthesiology at Columbia Presbyterian and spent most of my career at Stony Brook, where I ultimately attained the academic rank of Professor and Vice-Chairman for Administration, Department of Anesthesiology.
When I was a child, I generally read five or more books per week, and even then, I had a dim sense that I could do at least as well as many of the stories that I was reading. Finally, around 1985, with a job and a family and my first personal computer, I began writing. I quickly discovered that it was not as easy as I had imagined, and like most beginning writers, it took me many years to produce a publishable work of fiction. My first novel, Edward Maret: A Novel of the Future, came out in 2001. It won the ASA Literary Prize for 2001 and received excellent reviews from Science Fiction Chronicle, InfinityPlus, Scavenger's Newsletter and many others.
My agent at the time urged me to write mysteries, as mysteries are supposed to have a larger readership and be easier to publish than science fiction. Since I have read almost as many mysteries as science fiction and fantasy, and since I enjoy them just as much, I had no objection to this plan. The Kurtz and Barent mystery series, Surgical Risk, The Anatomy Lesson and Seizure followed between 2002 and 2009. Reviewers have compared them favorably to Patricia Cornwell and Robin Cook and they've received positive reviews from The Midwest Book Review, Mystery Review Magazine, Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, Lady M's Mystery International, Mystery Scene Magazine, Library Journal and many others.
In 2014, I published a science fiction short story, "To the Ends of the Earth in the Deep Blue Sea" on Kindle for Amazon. Since then, I have made all of my previously published novels available for purchase on Kindle and now, in June, 2017 I am about to embark on a new venture. I will be publishing new novels on Kindle, the first of which is entitled The Cannibal's Feast. It's a science fiction story of corporate warfare in space. The next, coming out in early 2018, will be another science fiction novel tentatively entitled The City of Dust, a tale set on an abandoned world after the collapse of the First Interstellar Empire of Mankind.
Author Links:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Robert-I-Katz/e/B001K7T7D8
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/robert-i-katz
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Robertikatzofficial/
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/robertikatz
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/133780.Robert_I_Katz
Website: https://www.robertikatz.com/
author interview book review book spotlight books fantasy science fiction writing Sapience
Saints and Curses
May 17, 2021
Book Spotlight: Technopaladin: Clarity's Edge by Elizabeth Corrigan
Technopaladin: Clarity’s Edge by Elizabeth Corrigan comes out today, May 17, 2021! Check out some excerpts and find a great giveaway for the book here!
About the BookClarity’s paladin order forbids her from entering the Azure District, the one location in her high tech city that refuses paladin rule and technology. When she receives an illicit invitation to violate the prohibition, spurred on by rumors of suffering in the district, she passes through the crumbling brick entryway into no-man’s land. Within, she finds the residents lack not only the ocular implants and three dimensional computers she takes for granted, but also medicine to fight a disease infecting the children.
Clarity knows her order isn’t perfect—after all, they stole her from her parents when she was a small child to raise her with their values—but she cannot believe they know what’s going on in the Azure District. When she confronts the head of the order, he refuses to aid people who have rejected his help in the past, even the children. Unwilling to take no for an answer, Clarity enlists the help of the leader’s son Cass and takes matters into her own hands.
Clarity engages in increasingly questionable behavior—deleting official records, lying to her friends, and manipulating people who can help her. As the nefarious nature of her actions tarnishes the purity of her cause, she must determine what it truly means to be a paladin, in both name and action.
Cover of Techopaladin: Clarity’s Edge by Elizabeth Corrigan
Excerpt from Technopaladin: Clarity’s Edge“Come on, Clarity!” Hope grabbed Clarity’s hand and dragged her down Londigium’s main thoroughfare. The bright glare of the morning sun glinted off the silver skyscrapers and made some of the light-up signs in the storefronts difficult to read. Nonetheless, Clarity could make out the image of a dress on the digital placard of Hope’s destination.
Clarity dodged to avoid running into some people going in the opposite direction from her. She tried to wrench her hand free of Hope’s grasp to give herself better maneuverability, figuring she could follow her friend’s gleaming, red-gold hair through the crowd, but Hope held tight. “Remind me again why we’re doing this? I don’t care about going to the gala, and I don’t see why I can’t just wear my official paladin armor.”
“I swear, for someone so invested in her career, you can be dense about the things you need to do to advance it.” Clarity’s other friend Zeal tossed her black braids over her shoulder as she gave Clarity a scathing glance. “You have two weeks left until the gala, and Hope has convinced Steady Threads to make an exception to their usual deadlines and take an order for your dress. Try to be a little grateful.”
“I’m a warrior.” Clarity cringed at the petulant tone in her voice but continued her line of argument anyway. “My job at the moment is just conducting training for the non-warrior paladins, but if and when I get promoted, I’m going to be a Citadel guard or a peacekeeper in the city. None of this has anything to do with looking pretty at a gala.”
“Do I have to remind you why you put that ‘if’ in there?” Zeal asked. “You beat out the Grand Conductor’s son during graduation trials for a position at the Citadel.” Zeal was right. Steadfastness Hughes ran the Order of the Amethyst Star, and he hated Clarity. “You need to go to the gala and do some networking among the other warriors to make yourself popular in other circles. Or at least look appropriate so as not to give him an excuse to send you off to the boondocks and install his son in your place.”
“I know, I know. You’re right.” Clarity stumbled as Hope came to a sudden stop in front of the tailor’s shop. “I just feel more comfortable in my armor. The paladins already spent a lot of money getting us high-tech, retractable armor. I don’t see why they’re bothering to pay for dresses and tuxedos as well.”
“Because it would be ridiculous to try dancing at a ball with your armor clanking everywhere, and the purple microfiber bodysuits underneath are not nearly as flattering as you all think they are,” Hope said, her voice containing an uncharacteristic tartness. “Besides, don’t you want to look amazing enough that Valor regrets breaking up with you just because you beat him in that silly contest?”
“Don’t say that so loud.” Clarity glanced up and down the street, but no one she knew was nearby. “You guys are the only ones who know we broke up. Besides, I don’t think---”
Before Clarity could finish her sentence, a man ran into her, practically shoving her into the store’s forcefield window. She and her friends turned in sync to watch a man in a fine suit run past them, knocking the crowd aside to get through. Behind him came a pair of men in armor as shiny as Clarity’s own, sufficiently far behind that the recovering throng on the street would be an impediment. By the time the paladin peacekeeper she recognized as Diligence noticed her and called, “Stop that man!” Clarity was already racing after him as best she could.
The pursuant looked behind him and noticed a much closer paladin. With a curse, he tried to pick up speed, and when that failed, he turned a corner into what looked like a small alley. He must not know the city very well, Clarity thought. There’s an open air market on the other side of that building. He’s going to be easy to spot there.
Indeed, as she chased him between the skyscrapers, she could easily see his head bobbing amid the stalls. Realizing his mistake, he pushed over a table full of crates of apples, sending the green fruit rolling across the ground. Clarity didn’t miss a beat, leaping into the air above the overturned boxes and landing on her quarry in a tackle.
The crowd had erupted into shocked gasps at the chase, but as Clarity pulled the man to his feet and twisted his arms behind his back, the crowd burst into applause. She heard the word “Azurite” murmured a few times, so she glanced down at his chest and saw that he in fact wore the telltale diamond-shaped, blue patch that marked him as a resident of the city’s Azure District. Everyone knew the Azurites hated paladins and the order they represented so much that they refused paladin technology rather than follow paladin laws. Clarity had heard rumors that people in the walled-off part of the city lived in abject poverty, but the man standing in front of her looked well-fed and clothed.
Diligence and his partner jogged up behind Clarity. “Thanks for the assist,” Diligence said as he handcuffed the criminal. “We caught him trying to buy a slew of weapons on the black market. The dealer was smart enough to try to make a deal, but this idiot ran.”
Wow. Clarity had known she was chasing down a criminal, but she’d had no idea he was such a dangerous one.
“If you want paladin tech, all you have to do is submit to the laws of the city,” Diligence said to his prisoner. Then he turned to the farmer whose apple crates remained upside down on the ground. “If you file a report with the Citadel, the order will reimburse you for your damaged merchandise. We apologize for interfering with your business.”
Technopaladin: Clarity’s Edge Banner! Find the book on Kindle Unlimited!
Another Excerpt from Technopaladin: Clarity’s Edge“You broke the girl’s leg, Al!” Cass said as soon as the door to his room shut. He’d been waiting half the day to unload on the owl, and the barracks seemed the best place to do that where no one would overhear. My going home has nothing to with what Tenacity said. I needed to talk to Al, and I didn’t have any urgent work, and I wanted to work on my personal projects. Most paladins kept their living spaces sparse and utilitarian, but Cass surrounded himself with broken gadgets, half-constructed gizmos, and spare parts for both.
“Hoo.” Al perched on top of Cass’s closet door, his glassy eyes innocent.
“Don’t you ‘Hoo’ me!” Cass threw his jacket on the bed, then flopped down after it. He scowled at the bird.
Meg sauntered past him and jumped onto his desk. “What do you care? You don’t like her anyway." She stretched, knocking a part---Cass couldn’t see which one but felt certain he would need it later---onto the floor.
“Just because I don’t like her doesn’t mean I want her to suffer bodily harm!” Cass said. “We’re paladins! We have certain ethical standards to uphold!”
“Oh, so you’ve been thinking about her body, then,” Meg said as she curled up and closed her eyes.
Cass opened his mouth to form a retort he was sure would be quite cutting---not that Meg would care---when Al spoke. “Uphold ethical standards like Valor does?”
Cass clenched his fists. The sound of his brother’s name was enough to put him into a headache inducing rage. “Just because Valor is the world’s worst paladin doesn’t mean I have to be. I don’t have morals because it impresses my father and the Council. I have them because it’s the right thing to do.”
Al flew down next to him. “I’m sorry, Cass,” the owl said. “It was just supposed to be a few pranks. I didn’t mean to injure her.”
Cass stroked the top of Al’s head, and the robot closed his eyes and preened as if he could feel it. “I know, buddy. But let’s leave the pranks alone for a while, shall we? I don’t want to have to change your programming.” Cass could never explain to Tenacity why it would be a violation to modify the AI’s algorithms, especially since they weren’t sentient, just complex. Maybe Tenacity was right about him needing some human friends.
“I don’t think the girl’s so bad.” A purr reverberated through Meg’s words.
“That’s because you don’t know her,” Cass said, sitting up. He’d wasted enough time moping. He needed to get some work done on his fetching drone. He pulled his magnifying goggles out of his shirt pocket and put them on.
“Do you know her?” Al asked, flying alongside Cass as he moved to the desk and looked for his micro-screwdriver. It wasn’t where he’d left it, so he had to assume it had been Meg’s victim.
“I inadvertently went to dinner with my parents a few times when she was there,” Cass said, dropping into a crouch to look for the device. “She was horrid. Always deferential to my father about everything.” From the silence that followed, Cass could imagine what was going through at least Meg’s mind. He was always deferential to his father, too. Total obedience was the only way to deal with Steadfastness Hughes. “Besides, she’s dating Valor.”
Even to his own ears, that argument was starting to sound weak.
Picture of Elizabeth Corrigan, author of Technopaladin: Clarity’s Edge
About Elizabeth Corrigan, Author of Technopaladin: Clarity’s EdgeElizabeth Corrigan has degrees in English and psychology and has spent several years working as a data analyst in various branches of the healthcare industry. When she’s not hard at work on her next novel, Elizabeth enjoys playing tabletop role-playing games and cooperative card games. She refuses to watch most internet videos and is pathologically afraid of bees. She lives in Maryland with two cats and a very active iphone.
Website: https://elizabethcorriganauthor.com/
Social Media: Twitter and Facebook
Giveaway: Raffecopter
author interview book review books fantasy science fiction Sapience
May 16, 2021
Interview with Science Fiction and Fantasy Writer D.H. Aire
My latest interview is with Science Fiction and Fantasy Author D.H. Aire!
Tell us about yourself! What would you like readers to know about you?D.H. Aire: I’ve loved science fiction and fantasy since I was a kid, watching Star Trek and Lost in Space – which apparently never go out of style. I started writing my own stories as a teenager and began submitting stories to science fiction and fantasy magazines in college, but didn’t get anything published. The rejection letters were painful, so I stopped submitting for years. But that didn’t stop me writing and more often than not rewriting my favorite stories. Ten years ago I decided to submitted the first book of my fantasy series, Highmage’s Plight, to a small press. I was sent a contract in response. Within a few years I joined SFWA (the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America), which was my lifelong dream. I’ve published twenty books to date. My most recent are Knight of the Broken Table, Lessers Not Losers, and a novella, Nowhere to Go But Mars. My forthcoming book is Bigfoot Is Not Your Friend, which is coming out in May.
Cover of For Whom the Bell Trolls by D.H. Aire
What book or books have most influenced you as a writer?D.H. Aire: The books that have influenced me the most include: Anne McCaffrey’s Dragonriders of Pern Series, Marion Zimmer Bradley’s Darkover Series, and, of course, J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings. What the Pern and Darkover books have in common is blending what are normally magical elements, dragons on Pern, and psychic, quasi-magical abilities on Darkover, where crashed starship landed a human colony on a world they would never have chosen. The mix of fantasy and science fiction are something I love blending in many of my books.
Alexis Lantgen: I loved the Dragonriders of Pern series! Anne McCaffrey wrote some great books with such imaginative settings. I still love her depiction of dragons and fire-lizards.
What do you like to do other than read or write? Do you have any interesting hobbies?D.H. Aire: Among my other interests are family history research, which have helped me research aspects of my stories, none more so than my novella, Nowhere to Go But Mars. I used what I’ve learned about the immigrant experience at Ellis Island to reverse engineer that experience and write a steerage class immigration experience to Mars. I explore what it might be like for desperate, poor immigrants hoping for a better life on a harsh new world.
Cover of D.H. Aire’s Nowhere to Go But Mars
What TV shows/Movies do you like to watch or stream?D.H. Aire: I love the reimagined Lost in Space, Picard, The Expanse, the Mandalorian… and I’ve come to really like Star Trek Discovery, particularly the later seasons. I’ve watched The Stand, too, which felt a bit odd during a pandemic.
What’s your favorite animal?D.H. Aire: My favorite animal used to be cats. I had one growing up, whose been the inspiration for a character or two—problem is that when I went away to college, I became allergic to cats. Now, my favorite animal, which I never expected, are dogs. I have to admit, my daughter has the cutest dog, who I like to go on walks with and who is far more affectionate than my cat ever was. Though, she’d jump into my lap and fall asleep as I read Lord of the Rings. I think reading bored her, but being a cat, she might have been reading along. You never know with cats.
Alexis Lantgen: It’s funny, because I do love cats, but we’re about to get a puppy, and I find myself super excited to have a dog. I haven’t had a dog since I was in high school, but I loved our golden retriever so much. She was an incredible dog. I will say the cats I have now are some of the sweetest, cuddliest, most adorable cats I’ve ever had. One is sleeping on my feet right now.
Cover of D.H. Aire’s Bigfoot Is Not Your Friend
What advice do you have for other writers or people just getting started in writing?D.H. Aire: There are three important things to know. One, don’t take rejections personally. Write and submit what you write. Starting with short stories will teach you the submission process. Read the submission guidelines, noting that if the editor doesn’t want anything submitted in Ariel or they cannot accept docx files, don’t send them stories in Ariel or saved as docx. Those really will be automatically rejected. Editors I’ve met have shared this happens a lot and they skip to the next submission. Also, if the guidelines say “we want short stories about rabbits crewing starships” and your story isn’t about rabbits crewing starships, send it elsewhere. (Or write one based on what they’re looking for, if you want to. I could be fun.) Oh, you don’t know where you can submit your story? Check out online Submission Grinder, where you can search for open calls for stories, or Ralan.com, which posts specifically for science fiction, fantasy, or horror opportunities.
Most importantly, writing is a business. Writers do not pay to get published. Money (royalties and payment, in general) flows to the author. Self-publishing means the author, in the publisher role, hires for specific services, but once the book is published, royalties flow to the author. Beware Vanity Presses, which promise to provide all the services you could ever want, but not only will they not keep their promises, you’ll have to pay and keep on paying. Learn how to recognize publishers that are not legitimate from those that are. Learn the business.
Great places to learn about this are science fiction and fantasy conventions, where there are sessions and workshops for those interested in getting published and becoming authors. There is also the Superstars Writing Seminar (Superstarswriting.com), which is offered annually. It was founded about ten years ago by bestselling authors Kevin J. Anderson, David Farland, Eric Flint, Rebecca Moesta, and Brandon Sanderson. A year after I attended, I got my first book contract, the terms of which I understood… Lastly, read your contract, even if it is just for a short story. You don’t want to sign your rights away and find you don’t own your characters after signing that contract. Yes, that can really happen, especially to people who don’t read the contract they’ve been sent. And, if you say, that’s what agents are for, that’s another reason to learn the business of writing, which you should not expect to make you rich. So, please don’t give up your day job. That day job will help make it possible for you to pay your bills and write—and medical benefits are real important, too.
Alexis Lantgen: Great advice! Writing is an art, but it’s a business too, and you’ll only get hurt if you don’t learn how that business works.
More About D.H. AireBooks: High Mage’s Plight, Knight of the Broken Table, Lessers not Losers, and Bigfoot is Not Your Friend
Website: Dhaire.net
Social Media: Twitter
author interview book review book spotlight books fantasy science fiction SapienceMay 14, 2021
Book Spotlight: She's the One Who Gets in Fights by S.R. Cronin
Check out this new book release, She’s the One Who Gets in Fights by S.R. Cronin! You can find a rafflecopter giveaway here!
About the BookIt’s the 1200’s, and the small realm of Ilari has had peace and prosperity for generations. That doesn’t mean every citizen is happy, however.
Sulphur, the third of seven sisters, is glad the older two have been slow to wed. It’s given her the freedom to train as a fighter, in hopes of fulfilling her lifelong dream of joining Ilari’s army. Then, within a matter of days, both sisters announce plans and now Sulphur is expected to find a man to marry.
Is it Sulphur’s good fortune her homeland is gripped by fear of a pending Mongol invasion? And the army is going door to door encouraging recruits? Sulphur thinks it is. But once she’s forced to kill in a small skirmish, she’s ready to rethink her career decision.
Too bad it’s too late. The invasion is coming, and Ilari needs every good soldier it has.
Once Sulphur learns Ilari’s army has made the strategic decision to not defend certain parts of the realm, including the one where her family lives, she has to re-evaluate her loyalty. Is it with the military she’s always admired? Or is it with her sisters, who are hatching a plan to defend their homeland with magic?
Everywhere she turns, someone is counting on her to fight for what’s right. But what is?
Cover of She’s the One Who Gets in Fights by S.R. Cronin
Excerpt:In early spring, after the last of the snow melted and the mud dried, I told my parents I wished to visit friends I’d made while studying. Then I rode to Pilk to learn more about joining the Svadlu. I knew they had a booth at the largest market there, often staffed by Svadlu officers who’d answer questions. I had a lot of them.
They accepted women, but what were the standards? Were they the same as for the men? Being a Svadlu provided status and a fair amount of pay, so they never wanted for recruits. How many people who tried to join were accepted?
The next day I found the booth. Officers wore cloaks of saffron yellow, but this man boasted a scarlet cape covered in regalia, identifying him as a Mozdol. My nervousness surprised me as I approached him.
“Hello, lass,” he greeted me with warmth. “Let me guess. You’ve got a younger brother who wants to join us but he’s too nervous to come talk to me himself. Am I right?” He seemed pleased. With what? That he induced nervousness in potential recruits?
“Uh, no. Sir. I was hoping to get some information on me joining.”
“You?”
He looked at me more closely. Of course I wore a dress, not my fighting clothes, so I didn’t much look the part, but he squinted at me anyway.
“You’re tall. Well-muscled for a woman and you look to be in good shape. Have you ever held a sword?”
“I’ve been sparring since I was a child.”
That impressed him.
“And I’ll do whatever you need to me to. Answer questions about weapons, engage in fights, perform tests of strength, whatever you need.” I spoke too fast in my eagerness.
“Slow down,” he chuckled. “All that’s good, but actually, none of it matters compared to what I’m going to tell you next.”
He hesitated as if he wasn’t sure how to explain this vital fact to someone as ignorant as me.
“You’re a farmgirl, right?” He looked at my clothes again.
“Yes, sir.”
“Well, the Svadlu are more of a city operation. We do things differently than on the farm.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean being a member of the Svadlu is a pretty good deal. Lots of young people want in.”
“I know. That’s why I’ve worked so hard.”
“And that’s good, but most successful recruits get in because they have a sponsor. You know, someone already in the Svadlu who vouches for them. Um, especially if you’re, well, you know, a woman. Then it helps a great deal if one of us says you’re up to it.”
“But I can prove I’m up to it!”
“I suspect you can.” The look he gave me held respect, but he stayed firm. “A sponsor makes the difference. Why don’t you ask around? Surely your family knows someone who can help you.”
He looked up. Several people stood behind me now, all hoping to talk to him. “If you’ll excuse me …”
I rode back to Vinx dejected. I already knew my family had no contacts in the Svadlu and I had no idea of who I could turn to find some. Why did I have to know someone in order to get in? What stupid kind of way was that to run an army?
Cover of She’s the One Who Thinks Too Much by S.R. Cronin
About Author S.R. Cronin
Sherrie Cronin is the author of a collection of six speculative fiction novels known as 46. Ascending and is now in the process of publishing a historical fantasy series called The War Stories of the Seven Troublesome Sisters. A quick look at the synopses of her books makes it obvious she is fascinated by people achieving the astonishing by developing abilities they barely knew they had.
She’s made a lot of stops along the way to writing these novels. She’s lived in seven cities, visited forty-six countries, and worked as a waitress, technical writer, and geophysicist. Now she answers a hot-line. Along the way, she’s lost several cats but acquired a husband who still loves her and three kids who’ve grown up just fine, both despite how eccentric she is.
All her life she has wanted to either tell these kinds of stories or be Chief Science Officer on the Starship Enterprise. She now lives and writes in the mountains of Western North Carolina, where she admits to occasionally checking her phone for a message from Captain Picard, just in case.
Author S.R. Cronin
S.R. Cronin’s Links!Website: https://sherriecronin.xyz/
Books: She’s the One Who Thinks Too Much, She’s the One Who Cares Too Much, and She’s the One Who Fights Too Much
Social Media: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Goodreads
author interview book review book spotlight books fantasy science fiction Saints and CursesMay 7, 2021
What have you been reading? My latest book reviews!
I’ve been reading a lot of books lately, so I thought I’d talk about some of them here!
The Power by Naomi AldermanThe Power is a very intense, exciting, and sometimes disturbing book by Naomi Alderman. The premise of the book is that women all over the world, in particular teenage girls, start developing the ability to shoot electricity through their hands. There’s huge variabilities in their abilities, but even a little of this power makes women able to overpower most men. Alderman’s book depicts the violent, chaotic, but perhaps just reckoning between men and women that occurs in the aftermath of this development, which upends the power balance between men and women. In the process, she hilariously satirizes the egocentric navel gazing of evolutionary psychology, anthropology, and many other fields that spend a shocking amount of time convincing themselves that women are naturally peaceful, gentle, and power-adverse.
This is one of the most startling and powerful books I’ve read recently. Alderman’s vision of a society where women rule is an unsentimental look at the corrupting effects of power and the devastating impacts of powerless on people worldwide. Fair warning: the scenes of violence in this book are not for the faint-hearted. The level of savagery and darkness that Alderman depicts feels like reading reports of human rights atrocities from third world countries. There’s a lot of visceral horror in this book, though unlike in most books, part of the horror is in recognizing the humanity of the victims of these abuses.
Overall, I’d recommend this book to anyone interested in exploring gender roles, undermining hierarchies, and more speculative science fiction. Just be warned this is not a book for anyone easily triggered.
Cover of “The Power” by Naomi Alderman
The Last Unicorn by Peter BeagleI loved The Last Unicorn movie as a kid! It inspired in me a very intense love and devotion for unicorns (who I was absolutely convinced were real). What I didn’t realize until years later was that the movie was based on a book, one of the great fantasy classics by Peter Beagle. So of course, I had to buy the book.
It’s a very interesting and profound book in many ways. While the plot is very similar to the movie, the book does add depth to many of my favorite characters, including Schmendrick the Magician and the Unicorn herself. The Unicorn, who I loved in the movie, is still an amazing character. She often struggles to really understand mortals in the same way that they struggle to understand her, and yet her friendships with Molly and Schmendrick, and her later love for Lir, form the emotional core of the story.
I will say that I felt the book sort of loses its way once the unlikely trio arrive at King Haggard’s castle. Perhaps because Amalthea feels like such an uncertain character compared to the Unicorn, who feels completely herself. Still, I think the story has so many profound implications. If the Unicorn had never become Amalthea, she would have never learned to love Lir, and it was her love that gave her the strength to defeat the Red Bull.
Overall, I’d recommend this book to anyone who loves fantasy and unicorns! I’d also recommend the movie, too, which I think really holds up. I watched it with my children and they were entranced.
Cover of Peter Beagle’s The Last Unicorn
They Called Us Enemy by George TakeiI got this book in a local comics shop, and I was very curious. I’d known that George Takei had been imprisoned as a child during the Japanese internments, and I wanted to know more about his story. “They Called Us Enemy” is a profound book that looks at a very traumatic event in American History from the point of view of a child. As a parent, it’s both haunting and uplifting. The depictions of his mother holding his sick baby sister, packing a bag in the middle of the night and being forced to live in a horse stall, just broke my heart. The deep fear that you have for your children’s safety and their health under those horrible circumstances really spoke to me. Yet, George’s perspective (of a child on an adventure), gives the book so much uplift and even some comedy. As the mother of a young boy, I could one hundred percent believe that my son would be incredibly excited to ride a train or see the American West even under those circumstances.
Overall, this is an incredible real-life story that’s well written and beautifully illustrated. I’d recommend it to anyone, especially teachers. As a graphic novel that depicts a part of American History many students don’t know enough about, this could be a great book to have in History and English classes.
Cover of George Takai’s They Called Us Enemy
author interview book review books fantasy science fiction saints and cursesApril 27, 2021
Interview with Author Michael Chukwudi
Michael Chukwudi: I graduated with a First Class (Honours) Bachelor's degree from the department of Applied Biology, Ebonyi State University, Nigeria. I had my National Youth Service Corps in the department of Biological Sciences, Federal University Dutse, Jigawa State. I’m a member of Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA), Ebonyi State Chapter. My writing includes poems, fictions, essays, research writng and short stories. I’ve published in Water Anthology India, 2020 Mahmag Plague Anthology, FCMB Flexx Zone website, Best African New Poets, Zimbabwe and African Brave Voices Poetry Journal 60. I’m a writer who sees things as they happen in the society and writes them.
What book or books have most influenced you as a writer?Michael Chukwudi: I have read a lot of books but these two books really shaped my creativity; 'Things Fall Apart' by Chinua Achebe and 'The Princess' by Jean Sasson.
Alexis: Things Fall Apart is a really powerful book!
Who is your favorite character in your book? What do you like about them? (or, which character do you hate most and why)
Michael Chukwudi: My favourite character is 'Ikechukwu.' He is the protagonist in the book 'Undeserved.' The things I liked about him is his tenacity, patience and perseverance. He believed there's a god called 'Chi' who blesses one at the appointed time. And do you know what, most of those attributes he exuded are my real life qualities.
What are you doing to de-stress during the pandemic? Is there any coping mechanism you’d recommend (or NOT recommend)?
Michael Chukwudi: The pandemic really affected everyone but I know it's just a temporal challenge that's already disappearing. The popular misnomer is 'writers are easily depressed' and in return they commit suicide. To be stress-free, I have been writing, reading, watching movies and exercising. And that keeps me busy. I'd recommend that everyone should observe the pandemic rules and do what he/she loves doing and avoid stress which leads to depression...
What do you like to do other than read or write? Do you have any interesting hobbies?
Michael Chukwudi: I love adventure. If I have the opportunity to travel to every part of the world, I'd gladly do that. As a writer, I love cultural diversity. It helps me know about people and their cultural heritage.
Tell us about a mystery/urban legend from your hometown (or another place you’ve lived).Michael Chukwudi: The mystery in a place I have temporarily visited is that of the two rivers. I used this river in the creation of the story 'Undeserved.' However, there is a little bit of fictional elements included. The two rivers bore different colours at the confluence and people in this society believed the rivers are quarrelling. According to tales, the two rivers hardly stay in one container; in an attempt to mix them, the container shatters.
Cover of Undeserved by Michael Chukwudi!
What TV shows/Movies do you like to watch or stream?Michael Chukwudi: I watch movies inclined with Sciences. Do not forget, I'm a scientist. Though due to the nature of my storyline (Historical fiction) I watch a lot of African movies. It helps me learn about Africa and her people. I'm an African anyway and I write African Literature.
What’s your favorite animal?Michael Chukwudi: My favourite animal would be the Eagle. I love soaring so high like this animal.
Do you like playing video games? What’s your favorite game right now?Michael Chukwudi: I hardly play video games but when I do, it'd be 'Firewatch.' Oh yes, the Firewatch influenced my writing because I learnt how to keep suspense which will make the reader stick to the end.
What advice do you have for other writers or people just getting started in writing?Michael Chukwudi: My advice is this 'No writer writes in a vacuum.' Read, read and read to see how words are woven. A good writer is a good reader. Implore tenacity, patience and perseverance just the way Ikechukwu did in the novel 'Undeserved.'
Alexis: That’s always some of the best advice! Books are food for your soul and your creativity.
How do you choose what books you want to read?Michael Chukwudi: When I enter a bookshop or the library, the first thing that attracts me is the cover page, then the title and the author's bio. I do not believe in the popular saying 'do not judge a book by its cover.' What appeals to the eyes is also good for the mind. The eyes first...
Do you like Greek/Roman/Norse/Asian/African mythology or folklore? What’s your favorite myth?Michael Chukwudi: I said it before that I love diversity, I read everything but when it comes to writing, I write African. In that case, African Myth is my favourite.
If you write sci-fi, what technology or innovations or scientific discoveries have inspired your work?Michael Chukwudi: The first book I wrote 'The Road to Discovery' is all about scientific discovery. Though, yet to be published. The Ebola virus saga was the inspiration behind the piece.
Picture of Author Michael Chukwudi!
Find Out More About Michael Chukwudi!Book: Undeserved
Website: www.zumapublishing.com
Social Media: Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram
author interview book review books fantasy science fiction Sapience
