Helen Lowe's Blog, page 60
February 23, 2020
What I’m Reading: “Bridge Of Clay” by Markus Zusak
When Markus Zusak’s Bridge of Clay came out in 2018, the publisher (Picador) described it as “the most anticipated book of the decade.” While such superlatives may be dismissed as “puff” or “hype”, in this case it had been thirteen years since The Book Thief, which took the reading world by storm and became an international best seller.
Writing a book of such magnitude and impact is a hard act to follow, so it’s not surprising Markus Zusak took the time to ensure the next book was what he...
February 19, 2020
A Traveller’s Guide To Haarth #2: Twelve-Sided Room — Warning! Misplaced Archive!
Only known map [partial] of Haarth — I&CVT. Credited artisan: Peter Fitzpatrick
MemorandumTo: Office of the Grand Comptroller, I&CVT Central Records
From: Archive Assistant 4th Grade, 42Quil: Branch Library 727
Interstitial Date: [Error_Message: Interstitial date corrupted in message transfer.]
Subject: Warning! Misplaced Archive for Location: Twelve-Sided Room; Destination World, Haarth—
Background:Interstitial Date [Error_Message: Interstitial date corrupted in message transfer]: The...
February 16, 2020
A Little Alchemy…
Gone Writing
Over the weekend I was powering away on WALL #4 and realized I needed to go back to The Heir of Night (The Wall Of Night Book #1) and check up on some early facts, just to make sure I was on the right track.
I was! (So: huzza!) 
February 12, 2020
About The Characters: Meet The Minor Players in “The Wall Of Night” Series — Meet Ise
UK/AU/NZ
TheAbout The Characterspost series focuses on the minor characters inThe Wall Of Nightseries, in large part because:
“I think it’s the presence of the smaller characters that “makes” a story, creating texture around the main points of view.”
Initially, the series focused exclusively on characters fromThe Heir of Night, but now I’m continuing on with minor characters from bothThe Gathering Of The LostandDaughter of Blood — in...
February 9, 2020
Recommended Reading: “Deeplight” by Frances Hardinge
As with Diane Setterfield’s Once Upon A River, discussed in detail here two weeks ago, I also gave Frances Hardinge’s Deeplight a quick headsup prior to Christmas: that is, I indicated that I had read and really enjoyed it but wouldn’t have time for a dedicated post prior to Christmas-New Year, and the summer holidays kicking in. (Yep, Southern Hemisphere here, so December-January is the long summer holiday. 
February 5, 2020
A Traveller’s Guide To Haarth: Places To Lay Your Head #1 — The Tower of the Rose
Only known map [partial] of Haarth — I&CVT. Credited artisan: Peter Fitzpatrick
“Haarth:The world of Haarth is one of the least known on our list of Interplane & Cross-Void Travel destinations, boasting many inhospitable regions. Review of archival records, however, does suggest a number of potential places a traveler may overnight.** These have been collated into our updated Guide for the more intrepid*** traveler.”
~ Interplane & Cross-Void Travel (I&CVT): Our Unknown Worlds Series Updated...
February 2, 2020
On Supernatural Underground Now: “Surprised By Delight” — I Kick Off My Year of Celebrating Worldbuilding in Fantasy
Yes, it’s that happy time of month when I post on the Supernatural Underground — and on February 1st I posted #1 in my 2020 post series that aims to celebrate worldbuilding in Fantasy literature:
On the first of every month for the rest of the year I’ll be featuring one of my personal favourites among the wonderful and wondrous worlds of Fantasy. As with last year’s Romance in Fantasy series, I’m endeavoring to feature older and newer works. So in that spirit, I’ve kicked things off with a...
January 29, 2020
About The Characters: Meet The Minor Players in “The Wall Of Night” Series — Meet Innor (Updated)
TheAbout The Characterspost series focuses on the minor characters inThe Wall Of Nightseries, in large part because:
“I think it’s the presence of the smaller characters that “makes” a story, creating texture around the main points of view.”
Initially, the series focused exclusively on characters fromThe Heir of Night, but now I’m continuing on with minor characters from bothThe Gathering Of The LostandDaughter of Bloodsimultaneously — in...
January 26, 2020
Recommended Reading: “Once Upon A River” by Diane Setterfield
I mentioned before Christmas that I had just read and enjoyed Once Upon A River. In fact what I actually said was that it was “terrific” but that you would have to “bide a wee to find out why I think so.”
Today is that happy day—and having had a month to pause and reflect, I still think Once Upon A River is terrific. A friend recommended the book to me (there goes that magical word-of-mouth phenomenon again!) but didn’t say a lot more, so I wasn’t quite sure “what sort” of book it was. By...
January 22, 2020
Coming Soon for Travelers to Haarth: Places To Rest Your Head
by PJ Fitzpatrick
On December 26 I posted the very last instalment of A Geography of Haarth — at least, that is, until WALL #4 (WT: The Chaos Gate) comes out. 
