Beth Tabler's Blog, page 171

#SPFBO7 Cut and Review – The Wrong Sword by Ted Rabinowitz

I recommend this book if you like snarky characters, witty banter, fast paced action and historical fantasy.

Humour is such a subjective concept, it either hits you right in the funny bone or passes by without so much as a twitch of the lips. This is why I approached The Wrong Sword with some trepidation and apprehension. Having read up a little bit on the book and the sub-genre it sits in, I had a general idea of what I was walking into.

I needn’t have worried. The Wrong Sword is a fast paced, witty tale of Henry the Rat, a thief who resides in 12th Century Paris and makes money off selling fake legendary swords to people with too much money. When he is forced to steal a legendary sword from the Chapel Perilous, it turns out to be THE Excalibur…and she is very, VERY talkative. Excalibur is snarky, sarcastic and is adamant that Henry is a knight.

What follows is an action packed, and at times hilarious, chase across France as he is pursued by the relentless Prince Geoffrey who is obsessed with wielding the power of Excalibur. Henry meets some colourful and well-developed side characters such as Percy the Knight, who is a bit of an idiot, but has a heart of gold and Brissac, who is Geoffrey’s right hand man, torn in his loyalty to his increasingly crazed boss.

Ted Rabinowitz writes with a clear and concise prose the flows along well, in that, it only took me a few days to read. It’s fast paced with no real slumps or dips in the narrative, though the French place names slowed me down on occasion, though that’s a me problem, rather than the fault of the author. He has obviously done his research in this period or is knowledgeable of the era as that certainly shows throughout the story.

My only real criticism is again a subjective and personal one, in that I felt that the tonal shifts from comedy to drama were sometimes a little jarring and took me out of the narrative at times. Towards the back end of the book, the story has quite a serious tone and quite a bit of drama. But other times it worked perfectly, particularly between the internal conversations that Henry has with Excalibur which I frequently found myself chuckling at.

I recommend this book if you like snarky characters, witty banter, fast paced action and historical fantasy. I had a lot of fun with this book, but because of some of the jarring tonal shifts, this is a cut for me.

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Review – The Grey Bastards by Jonathan French

“You’re bleeding,” Fetch repeated, “and I am awakened very early. Someone is going to die.”

For the final of my #spfbowinners reads in the month of July 2022, I took on the blood-soaked adrenaline rush that is “The Grey Bastards” by Jonathan French. This book won 2016’s Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off (SPFBO), and is the first book “The Lot Lands ” series, which has received plenty of acclaim, including a coveted Kirkus Star for the final book in the trilogy.

I had heard this series was dark, bloody, and brilliant, so I got ready to saddle up and enjoy the ride.

What a ride it was.

“Live in the saddle. Die on the hog.”

This is the mantra of the eponymous Grey Bastards. The Grey Bastards are just one of many outlaw bands of half-orcs who roam the wasteland known as the Lot Lands. The Lot Lands divide the realm of humankind from the full-blooded orcs, who are almost unbeatable killing machines, intent on wiping out all other races, especially humans.

The half-orcs, for centuries, have been the protectors of humans. But it’s a thankless job, as the humans detest their mixed-race protectors as much as their main enemies, the orcs themselves. Riding giant razorback hogs, who are as much pet and faithful companion as they are mounts, imbued with part-orc-like strength and fortitude, lustful, bloodthirsty, and cunning, the half-orcs live a brutal and often short existence in the Lot Lands, which is a place ravaged by orcs, powerful and mysterious elves, demented and terrifying centaurs, wizards, demons, and other deadly creatures.

The protagonist, Jackal, is a young, charismatic, and clever leader in his band, but he has bigger dreams, and aspires to the overall command of the Grey Bastards. He thinks the current commander, the revered Claymaster, is past his prime, lacks vision, and is holding progress of the clan back. Thus, it’s time for a new boss – Jackal.

Backed by his friends, Oats and Fetching, Jackal plots his moves to oust the Claymaster, but a strange sorcerer, an elven girl, and Jackal’s own friends may have other plans for the upstart half-orc.

The characters, both human and non-human in this book were fabulously well-drawn, but you probably won’t like many of them. Still, they are highly authentic, and will leave an impression. Among some of them, their love for each other – especially among those who are bound by clan ties – their sense of duty, honour, and fairness, and adoration of their beloved hogs will make them somewhat more endearing.

Yet for the most part, they are all pretty ruthless, depraved, and many have no compunction at double-crossing to further their own ends. The Lot Lands is a difficult place to survive, and its inhabitants seem to be products of their environment. For the half-orcs, typically born of Orcs forcing themselves on humans, ostracized by both human and Orc parentage, obliged to protect the humans who look down on them, and fight the orcs who see them as prey, they don’t have the easiest of livelihoods. Their motivations and actions seem more comprehensible when their background is considered.

The protagonist, Jackal, is an interesting combination of naked ambition, guile, curiosity, passion, courage, and a streak of goodness hiding underneath a pretty messy overall character. Oats was my fav – he seemed to be, if not the smartest of the bunch, the most genuine, noble, and honest of the bunch.

There were plenty of themes to keep me interested in “The Grey Bastards”, such as love, loss, loyalty, family, devotion, and freedom. To be clear, this book is not for the faint of heart: it is bloody, violent, and there will be some moments that will rip your heart out, even for characters that you may not otherwise like. Of course, that is the skill of a great writer, to make a reader care about the fate of unlikeable characters, and French manages to do this very well.

I loved the worldbuilding in the book, and the backstory of how the situation where the half-orcs became the last bastion of defence was very engrossing. The diverse creatures and races, the impenetrable fortress of the Kiln, the soft magic, were all features of the book that really worked for me.

Here is what may or may not work well for some readers. First, the humour is often vulgar (but funny as hell), rife with obscenities. If you don’t like your bawdy jokes, look elsewhere. The fight scenes are marvellous, and there is action aplenty. With marauding orcs and centaurs, dark magic, and massive razorbacks, the visceral clashes are unforgettable, and were some of my favourite parts of the book.

Second, perhaps the most problematic part of the book is that there are a lot of crude, demeaning, and outright sexist and misogynistic terms and references to women, and sexual violence against women referenced, or inferred. Females do not fare well in the lot lands. They are essentially either prostitutes, chattel, or worse, with few exceptions. Even the main character, who would otherwise be likely seen as morally grey, in perhaps the book’s most disturbing scene for me, at one time horiffically ponders raping another character.

But I do not believe at all that this is the viewpoint of the author, or else I would not be allotting the book this type of high rating and endorsement – instead I would have likely DNF’d the book, which is something I rarely if ever do. Why don’t I believe this? Because, out of concern, I had purposely watched interviews with the author, speaking about precisely this. It is my sincere belief that the author is actually attempting to counter sexist customs, and rather is commenting on how abominable such practices are, and how bleak the world he has created is.

Further evidence would be the character of Fetching, who is indomitable, no man’s plaything, and who I understand has the second book in the series as “her book”, as the protagonist. I am certainly willing to give the series a chance, and check out the next book, to verify my beliefs, and see if the depiction of female characters improves in book 2. French’s excellent prose, wonderful action scenes, and masterful worldbuilding were certainly enough to make me feel it would be worth it to read all three books in “The Lot Lands”.

This book was absolutely relentless in its pacing, yet this gritty, dark, tightly-wound tale managed to weave fascinating political intrigue, exceptional worldbuilding, and thought-provoking themes into the narrative.

If you like “Sons of Anarchy” and “Mad Max”, infused with “Lord of the Rings”, and “A Song of Ice and Fire”, in a less capacious book than your typical epic fantasy, “The Grey Bastards” is for you. I am definitely in for the series, and for the long haul with Jonathan French’s writing.

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Why I am Watching House of The Dragon

To quote another story about a dysfunctional family of great influence, “Just when I think I’m out, they pull me back in!” I watched the extended Comic-Con trailer for House of the Dragon, and it was like all the old feelings I’d suppressed from my days as a Game of Thrones superfan came running back.

We’d broken up for good reasons. Season Eight was a dark period in our relationship but let’s be honest, it hadn’t been good between us in a while. Things had been treading water for a while with massive changes from the books like the excision of Young Griff, Sansa being given Jeyne Poole’s role as Ramsey’s torture victim, and the Martells going from my favorite characters in the novels to people I just wanted annihilated. The Sparrow Plot was a meditation on the power of the people, and it was turned into another attack on religion. Tyrion lost his dark turn after murdering his father. We could be here all day.

There’s also the fact I wasn’t exactly in a great place with George R.R. Martin himself. I love the song “George R.R. Martin is not your bitch.” I’m a writer myself. Sometimes the creative juices don’t flow or flow in different directions. I even told myself that I didn’t care if he finishes the books because what he’d given us in unfinished form was worth it for the experience. I told myself this, but I was lying. I gave my wife copies of the first four books when we were dating, and we’ve celebrated our twelfth wedding anniversary.

But I’m sold. The sight of the trailer combined with all the little tidbits and characters I recognized from Fire and Blood transported me back to the time when I was ready to join Daenerys in her purge of slavers as well as when the Others still had menace. However, you may want to know the reason for my insanity, so I thought I’d share.

1: Nobody does it better

Game of Thrones has had many imitators since it went off the air. However, none of them have managed to capture my interest the way HBO’s adaptation of the books has. I was one of the people who liked the Wheel of Time by Amazon but even I wasn’t blind to the flaws. The Witcher comes closest but they’re fundamentally different kind of stories. No, HBO and Martin developed a ten-year relationship that was like nothing on television and still remains unique. The politics, magic, intrigue, characterization, and, yes, sexiness was all a delightful cocktail that you can only get one place.

2: Weiss and Benioff aren’t involved

It probably seems ungrateful to those two to specifically cite their lack of involvement as a reason for why I’m willing to give another chance, but a lot of behind-the-scenes material has made me think the show’s biggest flaws were their architecture. The pair sprung the idea that Game of Thrones should be five seasons and theatrically released movies (which HBO, a cable company, wasn’t keen on) on their producers right as they were finishing season four. They were eager to move on and unwilling to have other people carry the show beyond them. Apparently, also immune to any form of criticism and prone to doubling down. There’s a deleted scene, for example, where Arya watches a play where they simulate Sansa’s assault by Ramsay Bolton. One of the audience complains and another tells them not to watch if they’re so annoyed by it.

3: It’s complete

Fire and Blood will not be for everyone because it is a work of cryptohistory rather than novels, but George R.R. Martin has it all plotted out for us. The cast of vivid characters, sex, violence, blackmail, bastards, and dragons is all there. While I hate to say I’m utterly spoiled, I kind of am and know how this tragedy is going to play out the same way I would if I went to see Hamlet or Revenge of the Sith again. For better or worse, I know how the story is going to go and will be giggling like the Red Wedding when my wife speculates on the civil war she’s predicting between Daemon and his niece Rhaenyra.

4: The cast looks incredible

It’s not Doctor Who that I’m looking to for Matt Smith’s performance but his role as Prince Phillip in the Crown, but I think he’ll bring a massive amount of talent to the role. The fact we’re going to be seeing young actors in the role of Rhaenyra and Alicent before skipping ahead a couple of decades also tells me that they’re going to get all the nuances of this. Emma D’arcy is bringing a lot of chops and I’m even happy to see Olivia Cooke escape from Ready Player One. But when I say looks incredible, I mean the LOOK is incredible. Everything I’ve seen of their characters is fantastic and we’re a long way from the t-shirts of Shanarra.

5: Dragons

I’m a simple man. I see a dragon, I smile. I hear the show is going to have sixteen characterized dragons and dragon fights, I am sold. Will I ever see a live action Dragonlance in my lifetime? Probably not. Will I take this instead? Yes.

Would I watch anything BUT this? None of the other spin offs appeal to me because they’re not pure Martin. Snow? I’ll watch it but not with the same enthusiasm? Dunk and Egg? OH, HELL YES. But this? This will be my jam, I’m sure.

The article originally appeared in Grimdark Magazine

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#SPSFC1 Interview with Author KT Belt

BWG: What do you think makes a good story?

In my personal opinion, as a reader and as a writer, the basic process of storytelling is making and then fulfilling promises. It’s relevant in broad terms, such as, I expected to read a cookbook but instead I was given a crime thriller. To the more minute and nuanced instances of the traditional step up and payoff. That of course doesn’t mean that stories should be predictable, far from it, but the various techniques to spark and keep high reader engagement ultimately mean nothing if the story doesn’t fulfill its promises in a satisfying way.

In a “master work” there is a continual interplay of setup and pay off from the immediate happenstance of a scene, to setups that won’t payoff fully till after several books. Preferably each promise made and promise fulfilled builds upon each other over time to either deepen reader understanding or contribute to the growing conflict. The catch is pacing. Even a rollercoaster has “dead spots,” if however brief, for the rider to catch his or her breath. The art in storytelling is knowing exactly how much of what when, while blending the disparate elements of character, setting, plot, etc so that there are no seams between each just a cohesive whole.

 

 

 

BWG: How did you get into writing? Were there any catalysts in your life that set you on your path to loving the written word?

Honestly, I’m more interested in the craft of storytelling than the craft of writing. I have a learning disability when it comes to spelling and it took a bit of work for me to learn how to read when I was a child. Consequently, I pay an editor who has a love of the written word to turn my written words into something that’s intelligible (thankfully I haven’t made her pull all her hair out).

…That being said what I love about the written word, as compared to other forms of artistic expression, is the ability for writers to use the negative space of what is NOT said to draw a reader deeper into the world, thought, or expression of the writer’s creation. That is an experience unique to books, especially considered in terms of depth and specificity.

With that in mind, and to more directly answer the question, I got into writing mostly because I wanted to write books that I was interested in reading and because the storytelling process is fun. There are stories which appeal to specific cultures, men, women, young, old, or are universal in nature. The reasons why in each case are fascinating to unravel and reveal the nature of ourselves as a species and often the very nature of reality. I’m not really one to either produce or appreciate beautiful poetic prose, in and of itself. I wield the written word more as a battleax than a rapier, yet either, metaphorically speaking, if used skillfully can make a reader laugh, cry, pause, reflect, or yearn for more. And if I’ve done that, I’ve done my job.

 

BWG: What comes first for you, the plot or the characters, and why?

I basically write character stories that have superversive aspects. Ironically the main character is usually the last aspect I consider. What usually comes first is the tone or theme of the particular story I wish to tell and how those feed into the main conflict. I’m not that interested in genre tropes as I am in “truth.” There is nothing wrong with tropes, but at times their specificity…to uses a metaphor, can be like saying the most important aspect of a bridge is that it is red instead of the mathematical certainty that it will stand.

As I mentioned with what makes a good story, from the beginning I’m thinking what are the initial promises and setups. “Monster of the Dark” is ultimately a story of the human spirit and its ability to endure and triumph over adversity. Aspects related to that central axis are redemption/forgiveness, loss, meaning, and purpose. Consequently, the plot, setting, characters, and tone are designed to emphasize those themes over all else. The same events and characters could exist with a completely different core tone and theme…say revenge, escape, or the exploration of a new world. However, the book would have to be written in a completely different way to satisfy those focuses (if done well).

As practical example of that, at the end of the first chapter of “Monster of the Dark” the main character, Carmen, who is six years old at the time, is literally shot and killed. “Monster of the Dark” can be an utterly brutal story that holds nothing back, which of course is why it can also be very hopeful and positive. That being said, the scene serves two purposes: one, if as a reader this scene is too intense for you, please don’t read any further (tonal promise). Two, it tells the reader that death is not the central threat to the character (thematic promise). After those initial promises several more are of course added, tie them together with their corresponding pay offs in a satisfying way and you got a novel.

 

BWG: How was your first SPSFC? If you have other books, Do you think you will submit them to future contests?

Well, I got to the finals. I did much better than I ever thought I would. As for future submissions I don’t think I will. The contest was meant to highlight great and emerging sci-fi talent from independent authors. That I made it to the finals and that I’m answering these interview questions means, at least for as far as I’m concerned, I got my day in the sun. Because of that I’m more than happy to step aside and let someone else have a shot at the glory. Still, I might give it another go…just for fun.

 

BWG: What was the best part of the SPSFC experience?

I don’t have any social media accounts, but I did follow the contest on social media as best I could. I quite enjoyed following the progress of the other contestants, reading reviews, and finding new authors to read. I do want to take a moment to thank the judges for all their hard work.

 

BWG: For readers unfamiliar with your work, can you tell us about your SPSFC entry?

“Monster of the Dark” follows the life and experiences of Carmen, who is a Clairvoyant, from age six to nineteen. A Clairvoyant is a being that, more or less, has the powers of telepathy, telekinesis, and pyrokinesis. As mentioned, this is a story of the human spirit and more about how she finds her place with herself than her confronting the wider world (that comes later, this is a five-book series). It is a very intense, very intimate story on one exceptional person’s struggles that paradoxically have been experienced by everyone to some degree or another.

 

BWG: Where did you get the idea for your book?

I’m a big kaiju monster movie fan, so the initial idea came from old TOHO Godzilla movies, specifically Godzilla Returns (also known as Godzilla 1985). Hence the title of the book, MONSTER!!!! of the Dark. Godzilla movies…not without reason, have developed a reputation as campy or childish. It must be remembered, though, that the original Gojira made in 1954 was a very serious story created by a people trying to understand the horrors of nuclear war after having directly experienced it (as an aside: the movie Shin Godzilla accomplished exactly the same thing after the Fukushima nuclear disaster).

Generally speaking, in the mechanics of storytelling, a “monster” is a malevolent animal or thing that often results from human hubris or ignorance (in times past it was said there was a demon on the other side of the sound barrier). Typically, the monster is defeated through learning and overcoming its nature.

I am not ideological. I try very hard not to put forward any particular ideology in my books as ideal. That being said it is undeniable that we now live in a sharply ideological world where finding common ground across the aisle, so to speak, is becoming increasingly more difficult. Over time I have become fascinated with how one becomes an ideological monster, if you will, and/or comes to believe and perceive events, people, or things contrary to actual reality or their best interests. “Monster of the Dark” grew from those two seeds of a monstrous person (really people) that has basically unlimited physical destructive power told in a story set in the far future so that all aspects of the story could be very tightly controlled as befitting that tone and theme. Now, I am an unabashed optimist and when push comes to shove, I will openly say that people are inherently good. Because of that the story turns into how one DOES NOT become a monster instead of vice versa.

 

BWG: What was your most brutal scene to write, and why?

Anyone who read the book will assume I will mention THAT scene (several judges pointed it out in their reviews), but from the standpoint of my own personal emotions it was not very difficult to write, though I worked to write the scene delicately. Easily the most difficult chapter for me to write was Chapter 15, “The Artemis Incident.” That chapter in technical terms was complicated because it deals with recontextualizing the reader’s understanding of a central character and it does it all in one chapter. The chapter is also presented as a thematic inversion. As mentioned, “Monster of the Dark” is ultimately an optimistic story. Optimism by its inherent nature acknowledges the presence of “evil,” but supposes that it cannot harm you. Pessimism, by contrast, in its inherent nature acknowledges the presence of “good,” but supposes that it cannot avail you. That, in my opinion, is why pessimism is more distasteful than optimism, but in the chapter a case needed to be made on the contrary. Lastly, when I really get going, I’ll act out scenes as I write them—especially dialogue (my wife finds it hilarious if she is in the room). There were a lot of heavy emotions in that chapter. I deliberately wrote it in one shot to keep the same headspace throughout. Had to take a good break from the book after that.

 

BWG: What is a significant way your book has changed since the first draft?

I’d love to answer this, but can’t without spoiling the rest of the series, sorry.

 

BWG: There is usually research of some form when writing a Sci-fi novel. Were there any exciting bits of research or rabbit holes you went down writing the book?

“Monster of the Dark” takes place roughly a thousand years in the future. Due to the nature of the story a lot of research went into childhood development, abuse victims, and responses to trauma. The background “sci-fi” elements common to the genre are of course there, but don’t take center stage in this novel.

Of the traditional concepts central to most sci-fi novels, the most interesting aspects of my research was the feedback I got from various test reads on certain story or technical ideas in preparation to write the novel. In many instances the test readers had trouble with extreme scale be it speed, size, or power (in a thermodynamic sense). It is funny to me that in all the possible fictional possibilities that could and does exist in science fiction, the thing that most broke people’s brains was presenting something that basically exists in the real world that has its dial turned up to twelve. Me being me I took their sensible feedback and turned the dial to fourteen. If there was any one source that produced the visceral almost aggressive presentation of technology in “Monster of the Dark” and vastly more so in the rest of the series, it was that.

 

BWG: What do you have coming up in the future?

I’m currently writing book four in the series, that is for now untitled. It will probably be the most complicated book I will ever write in almost all respects and so far I’m happy to say it is coming along quite well. It will probably be

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THE BOOKS THAT MADE ME – THE ONCE AND FUTURE KING BY T.H. WHITE

“The best thing for being sad,” replied Merlin, beginning to puff and blow, “is to learn something. That’s the only thing that never fails. You may grow old and trembling in your anatomies, you may lie awake at night listening to the disorder of your veins, you may miss your only love, you may see the world about you devastated by evil lunatics, or know your honour trampled in the sewers of baser minds. There is only one thing for it then — to learn. Learn why the world wags and what wags it. That is the only thing which the mind can never exhaust, never alienate, never be tortured by, never fear or distrust, and never dream of regretting. Learning is the only thing for you. Look what a lot of things there are to learn.”

In March 2022 on http://www.beforewegoblog.com, we were exploring books that made us as readers and/or as creatives, and helped define who were are. Building blocks, so to speak.

For me, one of those building blocks is a book published in the 1950s, the same decade as such defining fantasy works as The Lord of the Rings, and The Chronicles of Narnia were also released.

Well, what do I say about the book that comes in as my #5 favorite book of all time? I did not read Le Morte d’Arthur until University, when I was writing a paper about it. Thus, post- The Once and Future King, T.H. White’s seminal masterpiece, I delved into Le Morte d’Arthur, the version of Arthurian folklore composed in the fifteenth century, that still remains so widely-read, about half a millennia later. Although, of course, I knew from the get-go, T.H. White essentially based his novel, published in 1958, on the ancient work of imprisoned medieval knight Thomas Malory, written in 1485.

But the humorous, clever play on words in the novel, essentially turning The Once and Future King into a brilliant, mock-serious, outright comedic (yet still somber, haunting, completely epic) Arthurian retelling, with White’s totally unique and original spin and material, while SIMULTANEOUSLY making it almost a dark satire parodying Le Morte d’arthur is simple gob-smacking genius. The beautiful, poignant relationship between the young Arthur and his mentor Merlin, who allows Arthur to seeing the world of “Gramarye” (England) through a magical lens, the comedic exploits of King Pellinore, and the vivid descriptiveness of the fantastical Britain, are all features of The Once and Future King that left me spellbound, and will always resonate with me, for as long as I live.

I always wonder, had I read Le Morte d’Arthur first, would I NOT have fallen in love with The Once and Future King to the degree that I did? Because one could talk oneself into seeing T.H. White ONLY as having done a Mallory redux, with a lot of copying and pasting from Le Morte, rather than a tribute / homage to Mallory. Almost borderline (dirtiest word in writing), dare I say it, plagiarism. But it’s so much more than that. The Once and Future King is a must for anyone who considers themselves a fan of Arthurian legend.

White’s tale, though based on Mallory, needs to be praised for its originality. White was perhaps the first major writer of Arthur and his court to assign the famous characters associated with the Once and Future King traits that were not consistent with what most people thought of them, via previous storytellers. In The Once and Future King, Lancelot is ugly, not dashingly handsome, as he had always been portrayed, Galahad’s perfection makes him loathed, not revered, and Bors is a religious purist, not a self-sacrificing knight. In many ways, White cunningly made his book into something people would think to be largely derivative of Malory, but truly unique to anything Malory or anyone else who came before him had written about the Arthurian heroes. I know that Malory is an icon, but White is certainly no less worthy of veneration.

Nevertheless, now that I’m much older, far removed from reading both works, I’ve come to truly appreciate each for its distinct greatness, still loving White’s novel for what it is, while lauding Mallory’s astounding tales.

Any 20/21st-century writer who is being compared to T.H. White should take that comparison as quite an honour, in my view. I remember reading one of the first reviews of GRR Martin’s A Game of Thrones (first book in his Song of Ice and Fire Series), and it received that accolade, and Martin’s talent was compared to White’s. I immediately thought “yup, this Martin is going to be a game-changer” though I did not read Martin until much later. Nevertheless, for me, White belongs up there, just below Tolkien, with a few others such as Wurts, Martin, Jemisin, Lawrence, Djèlí Clark, Abercrombie, Sanderson, Okorafor, and a handful of authors possessing such rare brilliance that they are changing or have already changed the way fantasy is both read and written.

Fantasy historian Lin Carter opined that The Once and Future King is “…the single greatest fantasy novel written in our time, or for that matter ‘ever’ written…”. While that is a subject open for debate, I don’t believe there is any doubt it should at least be in the conversation.

Check Out More in this Series

The Books That Made Us: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

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Review – Fire and Blood by George R.R. Martin, Doug Wheatley (Illustrator)

“Then the storm broke, and the dragons danced.”

George R.R. Martin released A Dance with Dragons in 2011 and we’ve been waiting eleven years for the sequel, The Winds of Winter. However, that doesn’t mean that he hasn’t been active during this time. He has been laying the groundwork for multiple new television series, wrote part of The World of Ice and Fire, and hinted at continuing his Dunk and Egg series that I quite enjoy. However, I think the thing he accomplished most in that time is Fire and Blood.

I should note I don’t hold the long wait between books against George R.R. Martin before I continue. I’m one of the people who believes the issue is less not working on it than the fact the story has grown like tree branches from the main trunk with no end in sight. People want the story of Daenerys, Jon, Arya, and Tyrion but he’s become caught up in the tales of Young Griff as well as Penny the Jester. Mind you, my suggestion would be to do side-series and have a hundred books like Dragonlance but I’m terrible that way.

Fire and Blood is a crypto history of Westeros, specifically the Rise and Fall of the Targaryen Dynasty starting with Aegon the Conqueror then moving through each successive generation until reaching Aerys the Mad. This is an expansion of the history found in The World of Ice and Fire as well as the Song of Fire and Ice books themselves.

This might seem to be boring, but George R.R. Martin maintains his deft touch creating fascinating relationships and bringing characters to life that could each be the base of their own series of books or shows. George remains perfectly capable of creating vivid personalities that leap from the page even when they don’t have any dialogue or appearance on page save descriptions about them.

My favorite of the Targaryen dynasties is the Dance of the Dragons between Rhaenyra Targaryen versus Aegon the Second and his mother, Alicent Hightower. This is going to be the basis of the House of the Dragon show so I’m not going to get to into the details, but it is a fascinating story of primogeniture, backstabbing, love, and dragons. The fact it’s about a Targaryen Civil War that has dragonriders on both sides means that I am very excited to see it onscreen.

This is primarily a work for those who absolutely love Westeros history and world-building, but it is never boring despite being a history text. George is smart enough to keep all the salacious and twisted details about the Targaryens intact throughout the text while real-life history often downplays these elements. Was Aegon I’s eldest child really his or a singer’s? Was Maegor the Cruel resurrected as a zombie? What really was going on at Summerhall?

George R.R. Martin is the master of the “Mystery Box” form of storytelling and leaves all manner of breadcrumbs as well as clues to lead his readers on. However, unlike the majority of said users of this trope ala Chris Carter and JJ Abrams, it’s clear he does have answers to the mysteries he invokes. There’s all sorts of riddles for the ages spread throughout the book but you aren’t left unsatisfied either because the book often offers their own suggestions as to what might have happened.

The art of the book is black and white compared to the vibrant colors of The World of Fire and Ice. Still, the art is fantastic, and helps add to the book’s appeal. Still, I must admit that I’m a huge fan of the character art in other Westeros-related media and feel like they could have inserted more of that here for the benefit of readers. It’s not like George R.R. Martin or the publishers can’t afford it.

In conclusion, Fire and Blood is a fantastic companion piece to both A Song of Ice and Fire as well as the Game of Thrones media empire. If you’re not fantastically into the world-building and history of the setting, though, you will probably be disappointed. This is not a novel but more a very well-done pseudo-history of events. A summary of the good parts, really, that is done in an entertaining and well-formatted style. It also spoils the hell out of a lot of potential projects that may someday be shows.

4.5/5

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Tour Feature – Hag of the Hills by J.T.T. Ryder

What is Hag of the Hills About?

“Nothing is unconquerable; even our gods can die.”

Brennus is destined from birth to become a warrior, despite his farmer’s life. But when the Hillmen kill his family and annihilate his clan, he now has the opportunity to avenge those who he loved.

Brennus must survive endless hordes of invading Hillmen and magic-wielding sidhe, aided by only a band of shifty mercenaries, and an ancient bronze sword.

Failure means his family and clan go unavenged. Victory will bring glory to Brennus and his ancestors.

Hag of the Hills is a heroic fantasy novel set in 200 B.C. on the Isle of Skye, steeped in Celtic mythology and culture.

Book Info

Genre: Adult Fantasy

Length: 288 Pages

Publishing: 1st March 2022

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Hag-Hills-Historical-Fantasy-Duology-ebook/dp/B09RHJTBK2/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60231302-hag-of-the-hills

About the Author

Joseph Thomas Thor Ryder is an archaeologist and author of the heroic fantasy novel HAG OF THE HILLS, book 1 of THE BRONZE SWORD CYCLES duology. He is a published author of Viking archaeology, and a doctoral candidate specializing in the Viking Age and Celtic Iron Age. He resides in Norway where he conducts archaeological research and writes heroic fantasy set in historical periods.

Social media links: https://linktr.ee/jttryder

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Review – A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms by George R.R. Martin, Gary Gianni

“A great battle is a terrible thing,” the old knight said, “but in the midst of blood and carnage, there is sometimes also beauty, beauty that could break your heart.”

George R.R. Martin may finish THE WINDS OF WINTER and the rest of A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE but like winter itself, it’s coming but hasn’t arrived yet. In the meantime, though, we have the excellent FIRE AND BLOOD history novel plus A KNIGHT OF THE SEVEN KINGDOMS. This is a compilation of three novellas set in the Targaryen dynasty’s height and considerably lighter and softer.

At seventeen years old, almost seven-foot-tall, strong, and with weight and reach in his favor, Dunk is a formidable hedge knight or lordless knight. Basically, a knight errant or ronin without the romanticism. Essentially, Dunk is a knight who travels throughout the Seven Kingdoms doing jobs he deems true and honorable for coin. Dunk is as true and decent as any Knight you would have read about in A Song of Ice and Fire and there is a fan theory that Brienne is a descendant of his and I can totally believe that.

We are presented the tale from his mind, and he talks himself down over explaining his stupidity. I never really saw him as being dim. He can’t read, he has never kissed a girl and he doesn’t really have people skills but some of the supporting cast and villains who can and have done these come across as more vile and horrid when reflected against Dunk’s honesty, loyalty and general goodheartedness.

Egg is an amazing character. Even though he has Targaryen purple eyes he shaves his head, so his gold/silver hair doesn’t make it completely obvious regarding his lineage. And he has a silly straw hat! He is as wise as a maester but still only ten. He knows the history of the majority of the nation’s houses and can name who someone is just by seeing the paintwork on their shields. He is also quick of tongue sometimes to his detriment, especially when these three novellas often discuss the Targaryan Blackfyre rebellion and hints at seeds of which are still spread throughout the land.

Of the three novellas, as follows: THE HEDGE KNIGHT is an excellent story that nicely deconstructs chivalry in a reversal of how it usually is done in Martin’s stories. We see how utterly screwed up the system becomes if you do follow your vows to protect the innocent. THE SWORN SWORD is the best of the bunch with an analysis of how war can become very complicated even when it’s over almost nothing. THE MYSTERY KNIGHT is a shift from the other stories and touches on the more complicated politics the main series is known for.

I read this after I read GRRM’s Fire and Blood and the knowledge I gained regarding the Targaryan’s there did enhance my experience although it isn’t truly necessary to read in that order. I think this could be thoroughly enjoyed by someone who has not yet read the main series. It’s not all pretty and it does feature numerous deaths, violence, and backstabbing but from Dunk’s perspective, these stories present a lot more hope and goodness than we are accustomed to from a typical Westeros tale.

When I read this, I had had one of the worst weeks of my life. If I believed in guardian angels, I would think that mine made me pick up this book at this time instead of the other 1000 books on my to-be-read list. This story was exactly what I needed. Interesting, funny, about friendship with elements of trust, mystery, and excitement. I’ve always looked down upon reviewers who rate a book 6/5 as I think it makes no sense. After this scenario and how this book has helped me recover then this is the closest I will ever get to giving that rating. It’s the best novel I’ve read this year, and I can’t wait to read about more Dunk and Egg.

Read More of Our Reviews

Review -The Fires of Vengeance by Evan Winter

Review – A Mirror Mended by Alix E. Harrow

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Those Are The Last Days by Bjørn Larssen

Those Are The Last Days

by Bjørn Larssen | 1912 Words

Our hydrangeas died the day London was burning, July 19th, which was also the 19th day of the first drought. On the 21st it began to rain, and it rained all day, and then it didn’t again, and I started counting the days anew. Otherwise I would have to admit the drought was not over. That it just took a pause to regroup. The numbers would get too big. Intimidating. It is very good holiday weather, they say. I think of food.

 

Day 1 of the second drought

It is a strange summer; strange droughts. It hasn’t been hot (except the day London was burning). I know dry heat, yes. Very good holiday weather that won’t stop confuses me. Our hibiscus is dying of thirst. Grasses are dying of thirst. Flowers the name of which I have forgotten are dying of thirst. We water them in the evening. It is still legal, now. Those are the last days. But not tonight, not yet. Soon.

The cherry tree is dead. Internet says it should have been planted March-April, after the frosts ended. We planted it in November and the frosts came in March-April. We probably overwatered it during the drought, says the gardener who sold it to us. I hope it comes back to life next year, I say to Husby. It will not, he says.

I pray for rain.

A few years ago Husby would have said “it’s good for the plants” during every downpour, and there were many, and I would huff “I’ll appreciate that when I’m a plant,” and now he doesn’t say it, and I wish he had a chance. It is good for the plants. Hydrangeas, hibiscus, harvests.

 

Day 6 of the second drought

Phillippa Fox, the general manager of New Zealand’s Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, declares the climate change has “insufficient weight.” There is a photograph of Phillippa Fox on her Facebook. There is no photograph of the climate change.

I think of Surtr, the God whose fires will devour the world when Ragnarök comes. Phillippa Fox tells Surtr to put his sword away before he steps on the scale. She knows his tricks, she says. As the desk begins to smoulder underneath the flaming sword Phillippa Fox slowly shakes her head; makes tsk-tsk noises. His weight, Phillippa Fox declares, as Surtr’s shoulders drop and lip quivers, is insufficient. Phillippa Fox has no choice but to issue more permits, to search for more oil and gas,  and more and more and more and more until Surtr’s weight is sufficient for him to be released into the world and end it.

It is Freyr, the God of good harvests, who will fight Surtr in Ragnarök. He will lose. He is already losing, even though Surtr’s weight is insufficient. There will be few good harvests this year, and those few will be destroyed.

 

Day 1 of the second drought

Here, in the West, Husby orders 15 kg of flour online. “It’s more expensive already,” he remarks. In the East, where my Mum lives, there is no flour or sugar in the shops. It’s only available on TVPropaganda, laughs Mum, same as coal. There will be lots of coal, promises the prime minister, actually too much coal, we don’t need Putin’s gas, we can buy coal from other countries. (Poland exports its coal.) I laugh too. We both remember communism, although she remembers more of it. We survived on laughter.

Putin agrees to a deal with Ukraine to allow grain exports. 12 hours later Odesa, Ukraine’s main port, is targeted with cruise missile strikes. I think about the crops. I remember getting up at five a.m. to stand in line to buy bread for Easter. I remember the bread ran out when there were just four more people in front of me. There was nowhere else to go. There was no flour. Even though nobody destroyed the grain on purpose.

The word “famine” appears somewhere as I doomscroll. Then the word “Africa.” I scroll faster.

 

Day 18 of the first drought

One day before our hydrangeas die, the day before London is burning, the Good Morning Britain weather forecaster Laura Tobin is accused of scaremongering and “weather propaganda” and called Dr Doom, and told she should be jailed over her climate warnings. Twitter decides the weather propaganda has to end. The next morning, angered Dr Doom uses her powers to give the London Fire Brigade their heaviest workout since World War II. (It is a quote.)

Surtr pleads with Phillippa Fox to give him a phone, so he can start a Twitter account. “Insufficient weight,” she says, and her voice is so cold Surtr unexpectedly shivers.

 

Day 6 of the second drought

We are having a barbecue. Husby watered everything thoroughly. The charcoal doesn’t produce sparks or flames, only ash. The temperature is 21 degrees in the shade and a bit more through the smog. We eat nice food now because soon it will not be there. Chicken burgers and beef burgers and a baguette and a salad.

Can we have a fire later, Husby asks, a small one?

I don’t feel great about it, I say.

Just kindling? he asks hopefully.

I assess the wind and our surroundings. I bring some kindling over and put it on top of the coals and set aflame. I guard each spark. A few ride on a gust of wind, head towards the open door of the shed. My gaze follows. There is sawdust on the floor. I announce the fire is over. There is no better food for sparks than sawdust. It’s dry. There is air. Everything fire needs to grow and multiply. Did you know the only reason why humans don’t consider fire a living being is that it has no DNA?

I wonder whether Surtr’s fire will consider humans a living beings even though they will have had DNA.

 

Day 7 of the second drought

Shell announces record earnings of $11.5bn in April-June. Shell’s chief executive, Ben van Beurden, says the company could not “perform miracles” to bring oil and gas prices down. “It is what it is,” says Ben van Beurden. Do not use His name in vain, for He is a being so powerful the Shareholders themselves bow to Him, as they await the dividends.

Every night we look at smallholdings for sale. A ritual. Make sure it’s not in Groningen, Husby says. There are earthquakes in Groningen because of fracking. “A lot of people don’t see the link between what they eat every day and what we as farmers do,” says an organic dairy farmer from Groningen. He was ordered to reduce his livestock number by 30% to lower emissions. It is what it is.

We eat nice food now because soon it will not be there.

 

Day 13 of the second drought

“Crucially, our powering progress strategy is delivering strong results for our shareholders on the back of years of portfolio high grading, combined with robust operational performance” says Ben van Beurden, and Shareholders applaud, for it means they will get $7.9 billion.

1 Some time later Shareholders tested Abraham. They said to him, “ Abraham!” “Here I am,” he replied.

2 Then Shareholders said, “ Take your son, your only son, whom you love – Isaac. Then sacrifice him as a burnt offering on a hill we will show you, far away from our yachts and villas and private jets.”

3 When they reached the place Shareholders had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He laid his son on the altar, on top of the wood, and soaked it in Brent crude oil.

4 But the spokesperson of Shareholders called out to him from Internet, “ Abraham! Abraham!” “Here I am,” he replied.

5 “ You must pay for the Brent crude oil you poured on the wood.”

6 Abraham apologised profusely, paid $103.34 per barrel, then sacrificed his son, his donkey, his servants, the hill, his village, the villages surrounding it, the country, the continent, and himself.

7 “It is what it is,” said Shareholders and shared a $7.9bn dividend.

 

Day 14 of the second drought

0 mm in last 24 hours. None expected in next 10 days. Fuck you, Weather app, I used to say. That was before I found torpor.

I used to think about Shareholders, Greta, Personal Responsibility (marketing concept invented by British Petroleum). I used to snap at people who neglected their Personal Responsibility. I stopped eating beef for a few months because of Bolsonaro’s politics. (This did not change Bolsonaro’s politics.) I did not buy a car, a motorbike, or a private jet. I used to retweet important statistics. (Okay, I still do that. Grief is not a linear process.) I felt powerless. Like I didn’t matter. Like nothing I did mattered.

It is true and now I am free.

When I stand next to a waterfall, or a mountain, or a great forest, I feel like a dot. I will be gone, I think, all of us will be, even horsies and doggos and bunny rabbits, but Earth will remain. This waterfall will still roar, or maybe it will not, replaced with a volcano or turning into a canyon for nobody to admire. The mountains, sprinkled with ash from the forest, the red-grey sky will be inherited by creatures able to adapt, such as salamanders and Shareholders.

Ben van Beurden did not give me $7.9bn in dividends. He gave me something that has no price: understanding and acceptance of my dot-ness. “It is what it is,” I repeat every time anger threatens to break my faith in Stockholders’ wisdom and kindness. Torpor brings peace, relief, and joy. You too can find torpor in those last days. Repeat: “it is what it is” over and over, until you no longer know what it means and what you mean, and then you shall see the meaning of your life is meaninglessness. Enjoy your last days, always remembering Personal Responsibility.

 

Now (whenever)

I have more last days left than most others. I live in a rich country and I have air conditioning. I don’t have as many last days left as Shareholders, but more than people of Pakistan or India, and horsies and doggos and bunny rabbits, and our hibiscus. I avert my gaze when it pleads silently. News: the water level is so low ships are getting stuck. There is no need to worry about drinking water, says News, then specifies: for people. Those are the last days of our hibiscus.

I wish I took a photo of the cherry tree. I did not know those were its last days. Our tomatoes beg and Husby sneaks outside with a watering can. Courgettes, I think in a whisper, lettuce, brambles, strawberries. Livestock, Odesa shelling, chicken burgers, sunflower oil. Flour. Sugar.

Coal.

Are you sure it won’t rain, Husby asks. I look at him blankly. Those clouds are really dark, he says. His voice is husky. Throat – dry. Quietly, he wastes more litres of water on the pear tree. It’s almost ready for harvest. Just a few more days.

0 mm in last 24 hours. None expected in next 10 days.

My lips move in prayer even though I know nobody important is listening.

 

Soon

“You are free to go,” says Phillippa Fox.

Surtr’s blank eyes meet her smiling gaze.

“Your weight is now sufficient,” Phillippa Fox clarifies.

“There’s nothing left for me to do,” Surtr says.

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#SPFBO8 Review and Cut – The Night Comes Alive by Ross Hughes

The adage “no one reads the same book” is definitely true, and I would recommend this book to others. I am glad that I was able to read this book and discover a new to me author.


What Is The Night Comes Alive About?

Beware the night and those who roam it with fangs and eyes of the brightest blue …

On the cusp of maturity at the age of twelve, Spot de León has the innocence to see what others cannot.

Piercing the veils of illusion woven all around him, he soon realizes the world is not at all as he had thought.

A secret centuries-old war is being waged in the streets.

The damned stalk the night, draining the blood of innocents, and the mysterious Crows are the only ones who seem to know.

Beware the city of Justiqua, where even Knights are not safe from nightmares, a city bankrupted by Crusades, where poverty and crime are rife and a plague cripples the populace.

Beware the city of Vampyres, where the Old One lurks in catacombs deep underground.

Beware when the night comes alive …

 

My Review:

I enjoyed reading through this book! While there were really slow aspects, and it almost felt like you were being given too much information, the story still came together very well. I will admit to having a soft spot for vampires.

The characters are well rounded, and the story has some POW aspects as well. There are times that you are almost holding your breath at times as you turn the page to see what will happen next. There is a battle between good and evil, and you will be reading as fast as you can to discover what happens next!

As I said, I loved the book, but I felt some things could have been better. I found a few typos throughout the book. The biggest takeaway for me was the areas where it just lagged. I felt as though I was slogging through those pages, waiting for the tempo to pick back up, and I didn’t feel as though this would stand up against some of the other books. So, while I enjoyed the read, I am cutting this one from the contest.

The adage “no one reads the same book” is definitely true, and I would recommend this book to others. I am glad that I was able to read this book and discover a new to me author.

Check Out Some of Our Other Reviews

#SPFBO8 Review and Cut –  Honor For The Dead by Connor Ludovissy

#SPFBO8 – Review and Cut – Debunked by Dito Abbott

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