David Anthony Durham's Blog, page 37

The Ring of Solomon

I just finished Jonathan Stroud's latest Bartimaeus book, The Ring of Solomon.

If you don't know this guy, Bartimaeus is a djinni that's summoned by various wizards, enslaved by them temporarily, and made to do acts of magic on their behalf. That's actually the way magic works in Stroud's world. Magicians don't really cast spells - primarily they summon the magical creatures that can do such things for them. These creatures don't do so willingly, and they're always on the lookout for any mistakes on their master's part that might free them to... well, eat that unfortunate master.

I enjoyed the original trilogy: The Amulet of Samarkand, The Golem's Eye and Ptolemy's Gate a couple of years ago. Read those with my kids. This new standalone title I read all by my lonesome, though. My favorite parts of the first series were the Bartimeous sections. He's a sarcastic, humorous, self-indulgent n[image error]arrator, well versed in history - since he's lived through it - and with opinions on everything, especially his own shining virtues. That's probably why I liked this one; it's more heavily Bartimeous.

Good fun. I love the combination of historical material, full on fantasy magic, and healthy dose of snarky humor. Am I the only one that thinks such stuff is tons of fun?

No, of course not. But sometimes when you say to your agent, "Hey, what if I was to write middle grade fantasy set in some distant time period, like... ancient Egypt?" and the agent says, "Ah... No, you don't want to do that. Kids want to read about contemporary stuff, something relevant to them." Well... it sort of makes it seem like I'm weird.

See, kids may want to read about something contemporary and relevant to them, but I'm not terribly interested in that. I want to write for kids - my own included - but I want to take them to far away, strange and fantastic places in the process. Isn't that at the heart of so many classic childrens books? Adventure. Magic. Far, far away... I think so, and when I read Bartimeaus and his long life since the days of ancient Uruk I'm even more sure of it.

Here's what School Library Journal had to say about it:

Fans of Stroud's "Bartimaeus Trilogy" (Hyperion) will cheer the return of the sarcastic, chatty, and mischievous djinni in this prequel. Or perhaps this should be termed a pre-pre-prequel as the setting is an alternate version of biblical times during the reign of King Solomon, where magicians command djinni and Solomon rides herd over the known world due to his possession of an all-powerful ring that causes everyone to cower before him. The Queen of Sheba, aware that Solomon is preparing to disrupt her country's frankincense trade due to her refusal of his multiple marriage proposals, sends her most trusted guard, Asmira, to kill Solomon and steal the ring. Meanwhile, Bartimaeus has been humiliated because of his misbehavior and forced to work for Solomon's henchman, Khaba, on his new temple. After an amusing incident in which Bartimaeus is caught in the form of a hippo while illegally using magic to lay stones for Solomon's temple, he is sent to hunt other creatures who are disrupting trade routes. He encounters Asmira, traveling to Jerusalem under an assumed identity to accomplish her mission. How Bartimaeus ends up as her servant, and what they discover about the truth of Solomon's power, makes this a delightful and fascinating book, and it's likely to bring new fans to the original series. Bartimaeus is a wonderful creation, with his constant storytelling digressions delivered in the form of footnotes. But the new character, Asmira, is equally well rendered, with her keen ability with daggers providing her with much-needed self-defense. Definitely a must-purchase for most libraries.

Not exactly super-contemporary, but that doesn't seem to have done the series any harm. Mr. Stroud has sold a few million of these books already, and there's no reason to think he won't keep doing so. Has a nice life, he does. Rides his bike to his office every day. Writes. Has tons of young fans around the world... Yeah, it's good to be a successful writer.

Hugo Nominees

Howdy. Back from a wee trip to Florida, catching up with some family I haven't seen in about ten years, stroking alligators, getting an actual sun burn... That last embarrasses me, but I guess I've emerged from the New England winter a pale version of my former self. Oh well.

I wanted to mention that the Hugo Nominees have recently been announced! I love the Hugos. My only experience with them so far was getting on stage to pick up the John W. Campbell Award a couple years back. Very, very fond memory. If I have my way, I'll get back stage one day for a big "H".

I've got nothing in competition this year, though, so there are no sour grapes at all in pointing at the Nominees!

In the Best Novel Category, we have:

Blackout/All Clear by Connie Willis (Ballantine Spectra)
Cryoburn by Lois McMaster Bujold (Baen)
The Dervish House by Ian McDonald (Gollancz; Pyr)
Feed by Mira Grant (Orbit)
The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin (Orbit)

The rest of the list is available at the Renovation website: HERE.

By the way, in case you didn't notice, four of the five are female authors! The Guardian thought that was deserving of note, and talks about it HERE.

NPR on Game of Thrones

If you visit me regularly, you might have noticed that I'm one of those NPR listeners. Love getting my news over the radio, with a nice, wide-range of topics and issues discussed.

Imagine my delight the other day when the topic became George RR Martin's HBO series. It's news, I tell you. News!

If you're interested visit here to take a listen. George himself says a few things.

So, My Next Book Will Be…

Yes, it's official. I've come to terms with my publisher, Doubleday and Anchor Books, for a new book contract. I sold them on a proposal that - for one book, at least - returns me to straight historical fiction in the vein of Pride of Carthage. It seems I can't help but be drawn to writing about enemies of Rome. In this case, my subject will be the slave rebellion lead by the gladiator Spartacus.

You might ask, "Spartacus: The Novel? Really?"

To which I'd say, "Yep."

Honestly, I'd be interested in writing about this event for a long time. As with any terrific subject, writers and filmmakers have touched on the Spartacus story in various ways over the years. I hope to give my own spin on it, one that uses the full potential of a novel to capture both the large-scale drama of it and also create intimate fictional portraits that bring it to life. I'm itching to get back into the gritty, brutal, beautiful terrain on ancient Italia. I sense a long research trip coming up…

It's early days yet and the actual writing is yet to be done, but here's a bit of what I wrote in my proposal…

"Spartacus. You know the name, but how much do you really know about his rebellion? It's great stuff, ripe two thousand years after the fact for a grand retelling. Spartacus was a gladiator that led a slave uprising that shook Rome between 73-71 BCE. He escaped his brutal imprisonment with a small band armed only with kitchen knives and simple weapons. Within a year, tens of thousands had broken their chains and joined him. For three years he ranged up and down the Italian peninsula, defeating every army Rome threw at him, winning allies and followers all the way. He was eventually defeated, but the reasons why have more to do with insurmountable odds and with the follies of others than with any mistakes on Spartacus' part. There's a reason his name and story has lived on. His is a terrific tale, and I'd like to tell it for our times.

Like Pride of Carthage, my Spartacus novel will be an epic about an inspired enemy of Rome, told through a variety of points of view that capture the complexity of the entire conflict. Like Hannibal, Spartacus commanded with panache and deadly skill, drawing a vast host of followers and racking up victory after victory in the process. And, like Hannibal, his actual exploits may be best brought to life with a rigorous historical novel, one that combines the amazing but incomplete historical record with a novelist's embellishment.

Spartacus' story has three components that convince me to embark on this journey. 1) A larger than life, mythic persona that's rooted in a real life, personal story. 2) Panoramic battles that pit charismatic underdogs against a vastly powerful oppressor, complete with twists and turns of fate that match every inspired victory with hair-pulling betrayals to balance them. 3) A foundation in social, economic, political issues that continues to have resonance and relevance two millennia later.

Various groups have mythologized Spartacus in various ways over the years, but none of them have done it like I would. What I love about his story is how tangible the tension is between his personal objectives and the larger drama that his inspired actions put him at the center of. The inner conflict is evidenced in the historical record. On one hand he wanted nothing more than to flee the nightmare of gladiatorial slavery and return to his rugged, Thracian homeland (Bulgaria). On the other hand, he couldn't escape the effects of his brilliant leadership. His oratory skills and personal charisma made him a magnet that drew thousands upon thousands to him, all of them looking for freedom, for justice, and for revenge..."

So that, friends, is a big part of what I'm going to be working on the coming year. Just between us, though, it's not the only thing. I've got more than one thing cooking these days, and that has me very excited. I'll report on more when I can...

Fort Freak

Just got an email from George RR Martin containing the official version of the cover image for Fort Freak (Wild Cards). It's a little different than the one that's been up on Amazon for a couple of months now. Cleaner. Sharper. More finished. Here it is:
It's a good book, folks! Look for it this June!

My character - Infamous Black Tongue - has a three parter in it!

Copy Edit Returned

Today I returned the copy edited version of The Sacred Band to my publisher. I've lived with it for the last two weeks, revisiting the story in full, with lots of comments/edits/corrections/questions to respond to as I did. Good fun. The process always makes the book better.

And, most importantly, that's another step completed on the march to publication!

Never Let Me Go

I had a strange experience watching this film. It was well-done and acted, and calmly intriguing, but about halfway through I began to go, "Yeah, but, what about..." and "I'm not sure that makes considering..." and "Oh, come on, why don't they..." There were aspects of the world and how the characters inhabited it that didn't quite makes sense. If you're interested in the details check out the link to reviews I have below.

By the end, none of my queries were answered with answers. Instead, they were undermined with questions. Gudrun and I talked about it quite a bit. She'd read and enjoyed the book, but couldn't answer my questions either. I walk away wondering if the world Kazuo Ishiguro (author of the book on which it's based: Never Let Me Go) created made the questions I wanted answered beside the point. It's like by the end your supposed to walk away with the questions, not with the answers at all.

This is all leading up to me saying I think I liked it quite a bit. It's something of a puzzle that I didn't solve, but that I find intriguing. HERE's a link to the Rotten Tomatoes site for it - with lots of connections to various reviews.

The 100th!

I just noticed that Acacia: The War with the Mein has received it's 100th review on Amazon. I'm rather pleased. It's nice to be in triple digits. To make it even better, it was a very kind review! (I doubt anyone is really going to forget GRRM in place of me, but I appreciate the praise.)

So, I will sit back today and smile. My books are being read. What a wonderful thing.

(I'm not really sitting back, actually. I'm copy editing The Sacred Band, laying tiles on our kitchen floor and maybe scaling that ladder for a little more painting outside. Life does go on...)

Just for the record, though, there's no reason to stop at 100. I'd happily see more reviews! If you've read any of my books and have things to say go ahead and do it!

Sales, Earnings Up at Random House

Interesting piece at Publishers Weekly. It looks like Random House has reported a total revenue rise of 6.1% last year, with a lot help coming from a 250% increase in e-book sales.

I'm just saying - I've never bought the argument that publishers are entirely missing out - or at war with - the ebook change to the landscape.

Details are HERE.

Oh, and yes, since I'm published by Doubleday that does make my books part of the Random House world. Wonder what they made from my ebooks...

Diana Wynne Jones

I just learned that Diana Wynne Jones has passed away. I immediately think of my daughter, and how much this author meant to her. And to millions of others. If you're a fan take a moment to remember her. If you haven't read her... well, her books live on.

Here are appreciations:

The Guardian

Huffington Post

Chris Moriarty's Blog: Ten Things I Learned From Diana Wynne Jones