Sheila Deeth's Blog, page 93
March 22, 2012
A Song of Snow
My son set off later than usual for work today. Traffic was light and the cars that went before us had cleared the roads. Then I came home and my car got stuck on the driveway.
Snow's dripping from trees as it melts then freezing to ice on the white ground. Pink branches laden with blossom form glorious barriers on footpaths and lanes, but they're broken and it's sad to know they'll die. I'll watch the blossoms freeze to gray and slowly fade away. It's snowing. It's spring.
Meanwhile the heating roars its dragon breath and I sit at the computer, thoughts drifting like snow from the stories I've read back into the real world I live in. And drinking coffee... So here's some book reviews.
Descent, by Melanie S. Pronia, is a novel I picked up when it was free, and what a find! The story ought to be thoroughly miserable and depressing--a mother, convinced she's not worthy of her family, setting out to die--but instead it's deeply involving, honest, and somehow despite itself hopeful. I couldn't stop reading, and I'm really glad I couldn't. Drink some 5-star dark intense coffee, and give yourself time to finish.
On a completely different level, Neverdark, by C.S. Enfield is a wonderful children's novel that begs to be read aloud. Bed-time reading for a week, a month or more, it's not short, but the language is consistently smooth, the characters fun from fairy to squirrel to ant, the lessons wise but never overstated, and the world of an Old Oak tree (with its pleasing surprise of Neverdark) beautifully imagined. Drink some 3-star well-balanced coffee and read to your child or grandchild, or inner child.
Another children's book is Three Dreams Deep, by D.F. Lamont. Like the movie Inception for beginners, it's intriguing, entertaining, scary and fun as young Willis learns about gravity, logic, and imaginary friends. Enjoy this one with a 2-star lively cup of coffee, or give it to your kids.
Back to the adult books now, and Tundra 37, by Aubrie Dionne, tells another story in her New Dawn series, totally independent from Paradise 21, but written in the same world. Genne's job on the spaceship Expedition is to make sure the gene-pool remains vibrant and varied as generations pass, but perhaps there are other things determining health and direction, and a meteor storm sends the ship and Genne's life off course into danger and discover. A pleasing mix of action, adventure, science fiction and romance, this one should go well with a 3-star well-balanced coffee.
And then there were puzzles, perfect for snow-days waiting for the 2-hour school delay. 20 Easter Puzzles from Grabarchuk offer pleasing seasonal entertainment to kindle users, and 303 puzzles, a compilation of 3 earlier kindle books, should keep you enjoying kindle's version of freecell for almost a year. Enjoy with 1-star light crisp coffee and keep your brain in gear.
Snow's dripping from trees as it melts then freezing to ice on the white ground. Pink branches laden with blossom form glorious barriers on footpaths and lanes, but they're broken and it's sad to know they'll die. I'll watch the blossoms freeze to gray and slowly fade away. It's snowing. It's spring.
Meanwhile the heating roars its dragon breath and I sit at the computer, thoughts drifting like snow from the stories I've read back into the real world I live in. And drinking coffee... So here's some book reviews.
Descent, by Melanie S. Pronia, is a novel I picked up when it was free, and what a find! The story ought to be thoroughly miserable and depressing--a mother, convinced she's not worthy of her family, setting out to die--but instead it's deeply involving, honest, and somehow despite itself hopeful. I couldn't stop reading, and I'm really glad I couldn't. Drink some 5-star dark intense coffee, and give yourself time to finish.
On a completely different level, Neverdark, by C.S. Enfield is a wonderful children's novel that begs to be read aloud. Bed-time reading for a week, a month or more, it's not short, but the language is consistently smooth, the characters fun from fairy to squirrel to ant, the lessons wise but never overstated, and the world of an Old Oak tree (with its pleasing surprise of Neverdark) beautifully imagined. Drink some 3-star well-balanced coffee and read to your child or grandchild, or inner child.
Another children's book is Three Dreams Deep, by D.F. Lamont. Like the movie Inception for beginners, it's intriguing, entertaining, scary and fun as young Willis learns about gravity, logic, and imaginary friends. Enjoy this one with a 2-star lively cup of coffee, or give it to your kids.
Back to the adult books now, and Tundra 37, by Aubrie Dionne, tells another story in her New Dawn series, totally independent from Paradise 21, but written in the same world. Genne's job on the spaceship Expedition is to make sure the gene-pool remains vibrant and varied as generations pass, but perhaps there are other things determining health and direction, and a meteor storm sends the ship and Genne's life off course into danger and discover. A pleasing mix of action, adventure, science fiction and romance, this one should go well with a 3-star well-balanced coffee.
And then there were puzzles, perfect for snow-days waiting for the 2-hour school delay. 20 Easter Puzzles from Grabarchuk offer pleasing seasonal entertainment to kindle users, and 303 puzzles, a compilation of 3 earlier kindle books, should keep you enjoying kindle's version of freecell for almost a year. Enjoy with 1-star light crisp coffee and keep your brain in gear.
March 19, 2012
Beckoned by Light
The hour has changed and morning comes too soon. But those longer evenings are good, sitting by the window, reading by the Beckoning Light...
Actually,I'm only waxing lyrical 'cause I read a book called Beckoning Light and promised a review. Then I read Against the Light. Then the World we Found (beyond the light maybe). And finally The Undead Heart, where light shades to dim. So... book reviews. Drink coffee. Enjoy, by the lengthening beckoning light.
Beckoning Light by Alyssa Rose Ivy, tells the story of teen siblings Charlotte and Kevin returning from Alaska to South Carolina via a different world. First person narrative for both characters provides interesting insight into the points of view of an over-protective brother and a sister who's over-shy and over-eager-to-please, and the strange world beyond the beckoning light has some interesting twists on magic and politics. Enjoy a 2-star easy-drinking coffee with this neat tale.
Against the Light by Dave Duncan is another young adult fantasy, but one that's powerfully complete in itself and deeply intriguing, with hints of English Martyrs, Salem witches and more as three siblings try in different ways to come to terms with the murder of their family. The writing's evocative, the action fierce, the characters, faith and magic wholly convincing, and the mix of religion and politics has powerful resonance in the present world. An elegant complex 4-star coffee would complement this elegantly complex tale.
Heading into the light of adult literary fiction, The World We Found, by Thrity Umrigar, is a beautiful tale of friendship, love and loss as four women who rebelled together at college in India now face the death of one of their own. Time and choices have changed their lives but the question remains, are they still the same women, the same friends underneath? With Hindu-Muslim riots in the backdrop and modern prejudice in the fore, it's a wonderful tale of growing up, growing old, and staying true to self. Enjoy with a 4-star cup of rich complex coffee.
And finally, with vampyres who live in the light, the Undead Heart, by Tate Jackson is the first in a series about vampyres with a difference, and with history. Adding time-travel is an intriguing twist and there are interesting questions about how people (or vampyres) make decisions for each other. You'll need a few cups of 5-star dark intense coffee for this long read.
Actually,I'm only waxing lyrical 'cause I read a book called Beckoning Light and promised a review. Then I read Against the Light. Then the World we Found (beyond the light maybe). And finally The Undead Heart, where light shades to dim. So... book reviews. Drink coffee. Enjoy, by the lengthening beckoning light.
Beckoning Light by Alyssa Rose Ivy, tells the story of teen siblings Charlotte and Kevin returning from Alaska to South Carolina via a different world. First person narrative for both characters provides interesting insight into the points of view of an over-protective brother and a sister who's over-shy and over-eager-to-please, and the strange world beyond the beckoning light has some interesting twists on magic and politics. Enjoy a 2-star easy-drinking coffee with this neat tale.
Against the Light by Dave Duncan is another young adult fantasy, but one that's powerfully complete in itself and deeply intriguing, with hints of English Martyrs, Salem witches and more as three siblings try in different ways to come to terms with the murder of their family. The writing's evocative, the action fierce, the characters, faith and magic wholly convincing, and the mix of religion and politics has powerful resonance in the present world. An elegant complex 4-star coffee would complement this elegantly complex tale.
Heading into the light of adult literary fiction, The World We Found, by Thrity Umrigar, is a beautiful tale of friendship, love and loss as four women who rebelled together at college in India now face the death of one of their own. Time and choices have changed their lives but the question remains, are they still the same women, the same friends underneath? With Hindu-Muslim riots in the backdrop and modern prejudice in the fore, it's a wonderful tale of growing up, growing old, and staying true to self. Enjoy with a 4-star cup of rich complex coffee.
And finally, with vampyres who live in the light, the Undead Heart, by Tate Jackson is the first in a series about vampyres with a difference, and with history. Adding time-travel is an intriguing twist and there are interesting questions about how people (or vampyres) make decisions for each other. You'll need a few cups of 5-star dark intense coffee for this long read.
March 15, 2012
Kindle overload
It's a good job they make kindles with plenty of space. Twin Bred--a science fiction novel with real science, real social science, and real fiction (see my review of Twin Bred) is free today, as are a whole long list of books on World Literary Cafe. And tomorrow Anne Brear's new Victorian romance "To Take Her Pride" will be available as a free download too. If only I could load my kindle with free time as well as free books, so I could read them all!
March 13, 2012
Faith, fiction and fantasy
I seem to be reading one Christian suspense novel a week at the moment, which makes comparing them quite interesting (for me anyway). Click on the blue links for my reviews as usual, and I'll include the two most recent Christian suspense reviews from previous weeks for comparison.
Don't forget, good books deserve coffee, rated by flavor.
KILL FM 100 by Teric Darken starts with minimal Christian references and a very solid, engaging real-world feel. The second third of the novel has lots of Christian/non-Christian dialog as one protagonist finds his faith strengthened and seeks to share what he knows with the other. And the final third is heavy on Christian imagery, forgiveness, and God's perfect timing.
Vicki Hinze's Not this Time builds on events taking place within a Christian community where the protagonists talk naturally and frequently throughout about their faith and its implications.
This week's Christian mystery was Zoe Mack and the Secret of the Love Letters, a young adult Christian novel by K. Dawn Byrd. In this book the faith aspect is lower key than in Not This Time, but stays at a consistent level throughout, unlike in KILL FM. Readers of faith will see God's hand and God's timing in events, but characters rarely mention it specifically and don't try to convert each other or the reader. Of the three, this is the novel I'd be most comfortable recommending to someone who's not adamantly Christian or actively seeking faith. It raises questions, tells an exciting story, and invites thought without demanding it. Enjoy with a 2-star lively easy-drinking coffee--it's a fun read.
Flight of the Stone by C.H. Thompson was my second Young Adult book this week, a fantasy set in Christchurch in England that builds on a fascinating mythology of ley-lines with some intriguing hi-tech twists. It's very detailed and not a particularly fast read, but there's some wonderful word-play in there where asthmatic Brandon meets his curious other-world guide. Better go for a 4-star complex coffee--the plot and timelines are pretty complicated in this one.
Ugly to Start with, by John Michael Cummings, is billed as young adult fiction but works equal well as adult literary fiction. The interconnected short stories weave perfectly into a novel of coming of age in 1970s Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, bringing place and people to vivid life. I couldn't put it down. Drink some 5-star bold intense coffee--these tales will really pull you in.
Finally, A Note from an Old Acquaintance, by Bill Walker, takes readers to the changing architecture of Boston as an author whose wife is dying receives an email from a former lover. The various arts of author, sculptor and financial genius collide and combine, and the Buddhist faith of the former lover adds something very pleasing to the mix. Drink an elegant complex 4-star coffee with this one.
... and even more finally, Twin Bred by Karen Wyle, a book I reviewed a little while ago, is currently free to Amazon Prime members so if you like real sci-fi and you have Amazon prime, head on over to http://www.amazon.com/Twin-Bred-ebook/dp/B005VDVHQ2/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1324759955&sr=8-2 and enjoy.
Don't forget, good books deserve coffee, rated by flavor.
KILL FM 100 by Teric Darken starts with minimal Christian references and a very solid, engaging real-world feel. The second third of the novel has lots of Christian/non-Christian dialog as one protagonist finds his faith strengthened and seeks to share what he knows with the other. And the final third is heavy on Christian imagery, forgiveness, and God's perfect timing.
Vicki Hinze's Not this Time builds on events taking place within a Christian community where the protagonists talk naturally and frequently throughout about their faith and its implications.
This week's Christian mystery was Zoe Mack and the Secret of the Love Letters, a young adult Christian novel by K. Dawn Byrd. In this book the faith aspect is lower key than in Not This Time, but stays at a consistent level throughout, unlike in KILL FM. Readers of faith will see God's hand and God's timing in events, but characters rarely mention it specifically and don't try to convert each other or the reader. Of the three, this is the novel I'd be most comfortable recommending to someone who's not adamantly Christian or actively seeking faith. It raises questions, tells an exciting story, and invites thought without demanding it. Enjoy with a 2-star lively easy-drinking coffee--it's a fun read.
Flight of the Stone by C.H. Thompson was my second Young Adult book this week, a fantasy set in Christchurch in England that builds on a fascinating mythology of ley-lines with some intriguing hi-tech twists. It's very detailed and not a particularly fast read, but there's some wonderful word-play in there where asthmatic Brandon meets his curious other-world guide. Better go for a 4-star complex coffee--the plot and timelines are pretty complicated in this one.
Ugly to Start with, by John Michael Cummings, is billed as young adult fiction but works equal well as adult literary fiction. The interconnected short stories weave perfectly into a novel of coming of age in 1970s Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, bringing place and people to vivid life. I couldn't put it down. Drink some 5-star bold intense coffee--these tales will really pull you in.
Finally, A Note from an Old Acquaintance, by Bill Walker, takes readers to the changing architecture of Boston as an author whose wife is dying receives an email from a former lover. The various arts of author, sculptor and financial genius collide and combine, and the Buddhist faith of the former lover adds something very pleasing to the mix. Drink an elegant complex 4-star coffee with this one.
... and even more finally, Twin Bred by Karen Wyle, a book I reviewed a little while ago, is currently free to Amazon Prime members so if you like real sci-fi and you have Amazon prime, head on over to http://www.amazon.com/Twin-Bred-ebook/dp/B005VDVHQ2/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1324759955&sr=8-2 and enjoy.
March 8, 2012
Chasing the Red Queen
"It takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place," says Lewis Carroll's Red Queen. Sometimes life, housework, shopping, yardwork, reading, writing, dreaming... feels like that. Why do weeds grow faster than daffodils? Why don't I still have a dog to chase squirrels as they did up the crocuses (and eat them, of course). Why do shops always sell out of the only soda my son will drink? Why do Christmas tree needles suddenly reappear from nowhere? Why... And why are there never enough hours in the day to take time and write a good book.
Of course, there's always the question of whether it will actually be a good book when it's written, but I'm working on it. And I did at least finish one chapter last week, using our local writers' group deadline as an excuse to make time. Maybe Divide by Zero will have a sequel ready to submit by the time the book comes out (Summer 2012).
Ah well, back to all the running I can do, posting some book reviews, and drinking coffee. Remember the ratings are for coffee style, not writing. And don't forget to follow the links to Gather for longer reviews.
My favorite book of the week is Literally Dead by James Conroy, a murder mystery set in Depression-era Chicago with wholly believable literary characters and references, a wonderful depiction of Ernest Hemingway, calls to social justice, lively red herrings, gambling joints and more. It reads like a movie with pitch-perfect dialog, great characters and a fascinating tale. Perfectly balanced, best enjoyed with a well-balanced 3-star cup of coffee.
In other reading, I finally caught up on three books I've been planning to read and review since last August! (Maybe I'm running to catch up with the place I should have been six months ago.)
Long live in the New Flesh (available from http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474981172689) is an haunting set of distinctly unsettling really short tales, including one from one of my favorite writers of short short stories, Laura Eno. By turns gruesome, weird, intriguing and thoroughly scary, this collection demands you drink a 5-star dark intense coffee while reading.
Embrace the Highland Warrior, by Anita Clenney is the second of her Highland Warrior books, and the author was kind enough to give me a free earc after I read and reviewed the first. The characters are fun and the paranormal background adds some satisfying new touches. Old friends reappear, new friends arise, and the whole makes a pleasing book two to a pleasing paranormal romantic series, best enjoyed with a 2-star lively cup of coffee
Finally, Witch, by German Alcala, is a poetry collection with nicely scary rhythm and mood though somewhat uneven approach to language and old English--of course, it might be old American I suppose. Drink some 2-star lively coffee with this one too.
Next is a book I'm reviewing for an author on Book Town. Jennifer Chase's Dark Mind is one of a series of novels following the adventures of Emily Stone, child advocate, investigator, and general mayhem magnet. The sense of excitement's sometimes lost in the detail but there are certainly plenty of cliff-hanger scenes as the story progresses. Keep a mug of 5-star intense coffee beside you to keep you reading. Drink some 5-star dark coffee while you read.
And finally, another dark mystery, this time with a Christian theme, is Vicki Hinze's Not This Time. Again it's part of a series, though this time it takes a little longer to work out who's who without prior reading. The action's maybe a little over the top, as befits the genre, but there's a nice level of believable faith in the characters, and not all bad guys are irredeemable. Best read with a 2-star lively easy-drinking coffee.
Of course, there's always the question of whether it will actually be a good book when it's written, but I'm working on it. And I did at least finish one chapter last week, using our local writers' group deadline as an excuse to make time. Maybe Divide by Zero will have a sequel ready to submit by the time the book comes out (Summer 2012).
Ah well, back to all the running I can do, posting some book reviews, and drinking coffee. Remember the ratings are for coffee style, not writing. And don't forget to follow the links to Gather for longer reviews.
My favorite book of the week is Literally Dead by James Conroy, a murder mystery set in Depression-era Chicago with wholly believable literary characters and references, a wonderful depiction of Ernest Hemingway, calls to social justice, lively red herrings, gambling joints and more. It reads like a movie with pitch-perfect dialog, great characters and a fascinating tale. Perfectly balanced, best enjoyed with a well-balanced 3-star cup of coffee.
In other reading, I finally caught up on three books I've been planning to read and review since last August! (Maybe I'm running to catch up with the place I should have been six months ago.)
Long live in the New Flesh (available from http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474981172689) is an haunting set of distinctly unsettling really short tales, including one from one of my favorite writers of short short stories, Laura Eno. By turns gruesome, weird, intriguing and thoroughly scary, this collection demands you drink a 5-star dark intense coffee while reading.
Embrace the Highland Warrior, by Anita Clenney is the second of her Highland Warrior books, and the author was kind enough to give me a free earc after I read and reviewed the first. The characters are fun and the paranormal background adds some satisfying new touches. Old friends reappear, new friends arise, and the whole makes a pleasing book two to a pleasing paranormal romantic series, best enjoyed with a 2-star lively cup of coffee
Finally, Witch, by German Alcala, is a poetry collection with nicely scary rhythm and mood though somewhat uneven approach to language and old English--of course, it might be old American I suppose. Drink some 2-star lively coffee with this one too.
Next is a book I'm reviewing for an author on Book Town. Jennifer Chase's Dark Mind is one of a series of novels following the adventures of Emily Stone, child advocate, investigator, and general mayhem magnet. The sense of excitement's sometimes lost in the detail but there are certainly plenty of cliff-hanger scenes as the story progresses. Keep a mug of 5-star intense coffee beside you to keep you reading. Drink some 5-star dark coffee while you read.
And finally, another dark mystery, this time with a Christian theme, is Vicki Hinze's Not This Time. Again it's part of a series, though this time it takes a little longer to work out who's who without prior reading. The action's maybe a little over the top, as befits the genre, but there's a nice level of believable faith in the characters, and not all bad guys are irredeemable. Best read with a 2-star lively easy-drinking coffee.
March 7, 2012
An Aversion to Sequels
I'm delighted to host David M. Brown, author of Fezariu's Epiphany, on my blog today. I'm currently reading the book and looking forward to posting a review. I'm also currently writing a sequel to my own novel (Divide by Zero, coming from Stonegarden in summer). So the title of David Brown's post seems particularly relevant to me. I hope you'll enjoy reading it as much as I have.Fezariu's Ephiphany is an epic fantasy tale: 12-year-old Fezariuthought his mother died when he was little, but when his beloved stepfatherdies the boy discovers she is alive and well - and working at the most famousbrothel in all of Elenchera. When she cruelly rejects him it's more than he canbear, and he runs away to join a band of ruthless soldiers for hire. TheMerelax Mercenaries will fight for anyone who can pay them, no matter thejustice of the cause.
Fezariu grows up among the soldiers and becomes one of them. He thinks his timewith the mercenaries has hardened him. But a campaign in his old home townpushes him too far, and he discovers what really happened to his mother. Maybethere are some things money shouldn't buy... and maybe it's time Fezariu tookhis revenge.
Sounds intriguing... but what about those sequels? Over to you David.
When I published Fezariu's Epiphany back in May 2011, I sometimes found interviewquestions wanted to explore the possibility of a sequel. I can say for certainthat you will never find me writing a follow-up about another epiphany Fezariuhas. The Elencheran Chronicles are intended as a series of self-containednovels, a visit for the reader to a different period of history, and a briefamount of time spent in the company of some of the characters. The timeline currentlystretches to 47,000 years and may go further when I revisit the world historyat some point, so readers are not short of literary destinations for theirsummer holidays.
So, am I saying that sequels are completelytaboo? My next novel, A World Apart,will not have a follow-up. It's a long novel but by the end there have beenenough resolutions to say the story is well and truly over, there isn't a needfor any more from the three main characters – Demetrius, Eleyna and Halcyon. Thatsaid the idea of writing a series of novels about the same characters is notone I can readily dismiss, the history of Elenchera simply won't allow it!
Looking through the history I find I havemany ideas waiting to be written and it becomes more difficult trying to decidewhich one will be the third book in the Elencheran Chronicles. Some events inthe history are so action-packed and stretch across a vast range of years thatone novel may not be enough to contain them all. I think inevitably sequelswill be necessary, perhaps a trilogy, but no more than that, I simply can'tcommit to that many books.
When I first started writing about theworld of Elenchera I knew that I wouldn't and couldn't write a series likeRobert Jordan's The Wheel of Time orTerry Goodkind's The Sword of Truth.I never got into Jordan's work despite completing the first Wheel of Time book but I read every oneof Richard and Kahlan's adventures in TheSword of Truth series. Goodkind did very well to sustain those charactersthrough one long and continuous narrative but I did find the later instalmentsinferior to the earlier books. I didn't want to go down that same path. I lovemy characters but the thought of spending half a dozen books with them is notan appealing one. I would strangle them before their stories were finished!
This is one of the reasons I am drawntowards Terry Pratchett's Discworld series.They're always in the same world but they are self-contained novels and featurea wide range of characters, always plenty of variety. Although regulars likeRincewind, Death and the Guards of Ankh Morpork would request that you readtheir books in order I don't always think it's essential. Elenchera will bejust the same. If you saw a pile of books about Elenchera you could pick any ofthem up and not be missing anything.
When I come to write those longer novels Iwill have to commit to a maximum of three books to tell the story but no morethan that. I'd rather have just one novel to tell a story but some are suchlong narratives I fear they could stretch to 2,000 pages which is an epic bookfor any reader, it would even put War andPeace to shame. I've seen many people roll their eyes at the mention ofTolstoy. I don't want that to happen to me!
My aversion to sequels means that somemuch-loved characters may only get a brief time in the spotlight but althoughthat saddens me to a degree I think it's also a mark of great characters ifreaders can get attached to them after knowing them for only a short time. Themore I focus on self-contained novels, the more of Elenchera I can show you.There is a lot that goes on in those 47,000 years, certainly more than I cantell you in a lifetime but I will endeavour to whisper as many secrets as Ican. Just remember that if a novel of mine does not end on a cliff hanger thenthe chances are you won't be getting a follow-up.
Thank you David. And if you want to find out more about David's books, please follow these links:
TheElencheran Chronicles: http://elenchera.comTheWorld According to Dave: http://blog.elenchera.com Twitter: http://twitter.com/elencheraFacebook: http://www.facebook.com/fezariuGoodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11451305-fezariu-s-epiphany (book page)Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Fezarius-Epiphany-Elencheran-Chronicles-ebook/dp/B00515BM9W/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1327742120&sr=8-1B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/fezarius-epiphany-david-brown/1102095604?ean=9781456500597&itm=1&usri=fezarius+epiphanyBook Depository: http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Fezarius-Epiphany-David-Brown/9781447718772IndieBound: http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781456500597?aff=elenchera
March 2, 2012
Hand-eye coordination and book reviews
My computer's having problems with its monitor. It seems the pins must have come loose in the connector, so now my screen goes periodically black and changes its resolution. I'm amazed how discombobulating this turns out to be. All those automatic mouse movements to select things from the screen, glide to the bottom of the page, switch from reading in acrobat to writing in word... they're all going wrong. Nothing's where my fingers and mouse expects it to be, and though my eyes can see the difference, getting the hands to coordinate is driving me crazy! It's kind of nice to retreat into a book and let the world and computer fade away. But it's probably time to post some book reviews, so I'll try to run the mouse along the tabs and pick the right windows to copy them into. This one's blogger, next one's gather, next one's goodreads, etc... A nice cup of coffee should help me concentrate.
I've read two paperback books this week, the first of which is Kathleen Rollins' Misfits and Heroes. The title really didn't inspire me, but the story's great and these misfits just might be the heroes who changed history. Well-researched and smoothly told, with some great ancient story-telling techniques woven in, this reads a bit like a cross between Jean Auel and YannMartel's Life of Pi and is truly un-put-down-able. Enjoy a 4-star elegant complex coffee with this elegant complex novel.
I joined a goodreads group challenging book reviewers to read one book for themselves each month this year. For February I chose a book I got for my last birthday and hadn't got around to yet, Shiver, by Maggie Stiefvater. It's a lovely novel with a beautiful cover and teens who ring pleasingly true--not too introspective, not too gullible, not prone to boring conversation and certainly not living boring lives. For a slightly different take on werewolves with a slightly more convincing depth and storyline, this one's great to enjoy with a perfectly balanced, smooth, full-flavored 3-star cup of coffee.
Another teen fantasy, perhaps aimed at slightly younger teens, is Through the Portal, by Justin Dennis. Two friends living near Seattle find themselves in a strange new world where magic is governed by science and politics and The Regime has altogether too much power. Drink a 2-star easy-drinking coffee with this fast-flowing tale.
Next comes a real-world--well, rich-world--romantic thriller, Shadows over Paradise by Anne K. Edwards. The protagonist intends to be a writer, which makes this a richly observed tale of life and love gone wrong on an island paradise. Enjoy a 2-star lively easy-drinking coffee as the pages fly by.
I reviewed Resurrected Love, the third in K.M. Daughters' Gospa Journeys Christian romantic series, for Nights and Weekends this week too, an enjoyable tale where love means learning to forgive and accept forgiveness. I love the Croatian setting and unique characters in each short book of this series. Enjoy with a 1-star light crisp coffee.
Another Christian novel is Teric Darken's Kill FM 100, a fascinating tale with a soundtrack of hits as Cart-man Carter Jackson spins the music in his own radio station. The Killer Queen's visit leaves him struggling to survive and stay live on the air-waves, but the novel's second half has a tale of conversion and forgiveness earnestly told, with nice avoidance of the "just believe and all will be well" trap of so many books. Drink a 5-star bold dark intense coffee with this one.
... and finally, a book about marketing your novel--since my beloved Divide by Zero will come out in summer this year, Angela Smith's No Money Marketing seemed like an appropriate book for me to read and review. I need a 1-star mild crisp coffee while reading this.
I've read two paperback books this week, the first of which is Kathleen Rollins' Misfits and Heroes. The title really didn't inspire me, but the story's great and these misfits just might be the heroes who changed history. Well-researched and smoothly told, with some great ancient story-telling techniques woven in, this reads a bit like a cross between Jean Auel and YannMartel's Life of Pi and is truly un-put-down-able. Enjoy a 4-star elegant complex coffee with this elegant complex novel.
I joined a goodreads group challenging book reviewers to read one book for themselves each month this year. For February I chose a book I got for my last birthday and hadn't got around to yet, Shiver, by Maggie Stiefvater. It's a lovely novel with a beautiful cover and teens who ring pleasingly true--not too introspective, not too gullible, not prone to boring conversation and certainly not living boring lives. For a slightly different take on werewolves with a slightly more convincing depth and storyline, this one's great to enjoy with a perfectly balanced, smooth, full-flavored 3-star cup of coffee.
Another teen fantasy, perhaps aimed at slightly younger teens, is Through the Portal, by Justin Dennis. Two friends living near Seattle find themselves in a strange new world where magic is governed by science and politics and The Regime has altogether too much power. Drink a 2-star easy-drinking coffee with this fast-flowing tale.
Next comes a real-world--well, rich-world--romantic thriller, Shadows over Paradise by Anne K. Edwards. The protagonist intends to be a writer, which makes this a richly observed tale of life and love gone wrong on an island paradise. Enjoy a 2-star lively easy-drinking coffee as the pages fly by.
I reviewed Resurrected Love, the third in K.M. Daughters' Gospa Journeys Christian romantic series, for Nights and Weekends this week too, an enjoyable tale where love means learning to forgive and accept forgiveness. I love the Croatian setting and unique characters in each short book of this series. Enjoy with a 1-star light crisp coffee.
Another Christian novel is Teric Darken's Kill FM 100, a fascinating tale with a soundtrack of hits as Cart-man Carter Jackson spins the music in his own radio station. The Killer Queen's visit leaves him struggling to survive and stay live on the air-waves, but the novel's second half has a tale of conversion and forgiveness earnestly told, with nice avoidance of the "just believe and all will be well" trap of so many books. Drink a 5-star bold dark intense coffee with this one.
... and finally, a book about marketing your novel--since my beloved Divide by Zero will come out in summer this year, Angela Smith's No Money Marketing seemed like an appropriate book for me to read and review. I need a 1-star mild crisp coffee while reading this.
Free Ghosts
Stephen Prosapio's Ghosts of Rosewood Asylum is free on Amazon, just for a few days. I reviewed it a while ago and really enjoyed it (my review of Ghosts of Rosewood Asylum). With fun details of ghost-hunting and television technique, nicely researched history, and a sympathetic approach to the protagonist's Catholic faith, it's a well-balanced, captivating read, to be enjoyed with a 3-star well-balanced cup of coffee, or maybe 4-star for complex flavors, or 5-star for dark... oh, just drink three cups of coffee and enjoy the read!
February 29, 2012
Magic, by Andy Gavin
I'm delighted to welcome Andy Gavin, author of The Darkening Dream, to my blog today. The Darkening Dream blends vintage horror with Buffy the Vampire Slayer, setting teenagers from the early 1900s against vampires, demons and more, and bringing a wealth of religious imagery to bear. You can find my review of the Darkening Dream here, but seriously, I'd recommend you read Andy's post instead. It's much more interesting.In constructing The Darkening Dream I wanted the meta-story to play off conventional tropes. Broadly, a cabal of ancient supernatural beings has sent one of their number to recover an artifact needed to destroy the world. And surprise, it turns out a group of teens are all that stands between them and Armageddon.How much more Buffy can you get?
But that's just the high level. I also wanted to ground this preposterous scenario in real history and legend. So as a methodology, in designing my array of supernatural beings and occult practitioners I turned to historic sources. Before our modern science and technology rendered magic quaint, it was the domain of religion and superstition. Of belief.And each spiritual and magical system has its own framework. Proponents wrote out of certainty, out of faith. I merely dig up their writings and take them at their word.
Villains
What binds a group of ancient evil beings together? Not some grand principle of villainy. Evil is just extreme selfishness. But hatred can go a long way. The enemy of my enemy is my friend. So who from the ancient world has suffered the most?Might it be the old gods? Or those who worship them? Who offers sacrifice anymore to Osiris? Who fears the shadow of Anubis as they step from this world into the next? Who believes the beetle god Khepri drags the sun across the sky behind him?No one. And those that remember the glory days are pissed off.So who's been lurking around since the time of the pharaohs?
The Comte de St. Germain has, or so he told everyone in the court of Louis XV. Apparently, at the very least, he is party to the secret magics of Osiris, Son of the Earth, King of the Dead.The elixir of Osiris is said to prevent death. And so the comte, which is but one of his many names, has been lurking about for some time. But the old magics are not what they once were. Their power has diminished with their gods. So he whispers in the ears of kings, pulling on what strings he can, seeking allies where he can find them.
And old gods may fade, but as long as a single soul still believes, they never die.Even the ancient blood gods and their vampire acolytes. Born in ancient forests of the north where men offered midnight blood sacrifice. Of their king, their Ancient Master, raised from the dead a hundred centuries past, nothing remains but pure fury. Hatred for the burning sun, hatred for his mortal prey, hatred for the new world of foul brick and lifeless steel.But in hatred, perhaps, there is common cause.
The Artifact
Clearly, the physical goal of our baddies had to be something really big. Something useful to them in their plots. The fall of antiquity was not about barbarians at the gates of Rome. No. The rising tide of monotheism was what really swept away the old order.So it is against God that our villains lash out.And I found the perfect legend in the most unlikely of places.I was passing the time during Yom Kippur services by reading the story of Abraham offering Isaac for sacrifice (Genesis 22). This has always been a passage of particular interest to me, dealing as it does with the nature of the relationship between man and God and the meaning of ritual sacrifice. But it was in the commentary that I noticed something peculiar, a cryptic remark that "the Ram in the Thicket is but one of ten special things created by God on the eve of creation."How's that for a magic seeker's wet dream.
Back at home I dug into this and discovered that on the eve of the first Sabbath, before the creation of world, God created ten special things (which besides the Ram include the rainbow of Noah, the staff of Moses, and other goodies). These items are eternal, having existed before the universe, they have no temporal beginning or end. God, it seemed, placed the Ram into the trust of the Archangel Gabriel, who kept it in the Garden of Eden until Abraham needed it at Mount Moriah. Afterward, nothing of the Ram was wasted. Gabriel took the horns and brought one to Moses so that he could sound the arrival of the Ten Commandments at Mount Sinai. The other was kept by the archangel, hidden in the Garden, so that at the appointed time it might be brought to Elijah to sound the End of Days.This notion of a horn blast sounding the end of the world is a highly persistent meme. It's found not just in the Jewish traditions regarding the Messiah, but in the Revelations of John where seven angels (including presumably, Gabriel) sound the end of time and the Last Judgment. And also in diverse mythologies such as the Norse, where the Gjallarhorn shall announce the onset of Ragnarök.
In the world of The Darkening Dream, all beliefs are simultaneously true, as brought forth and conceived by their believers. This means that anything as consistent as the horn legend is doubly true. Archetypal truth made manifest.And what of Gabriel's Horn? Eternity is a long time and the archangel flits hither and yon. Might not a busy seraph misplace such a thing... if only for a short time?
The Myriad Layers of the Esoteric World
How to properly envision a world in which vampires, the Archangel Gabriel, witchcraft, and Egyptian gods all exist? Many might just toss them together arbitrarily, but I wanted to find a framework consistent with traditional mysticism. Having read hundreds of religious and magical texts I have identified numerous consistencies in the thought patterns of the esoteric mind.
By way of example, let's place ourselves in the mind of my protagonist Sarah's father Joseph. As a Rabbi, scholar, and mystic Joseph draws his world view from the Zohar and other great texts of the Kabbalah. In this conceptualization, which can be summed up as "hidden and not revealed," the world is a many layered thing, like an onion, with the portion we perceive merely the lowest of ten modalities, all simultaneously overlaid. The pure conceptualization of God pervades everything, and is the highest. Yet the human mind can not fully comprehend this level of divine and celestial purity. In between are various layers that express important truths like "Beauty" and "Wisdom." In Joseph's orthodox world, God is all powerful, so powerful that even the Archangel Gabriel is but a manifestation of His Strength. The angel is not an independent entity, but a protrusion of God's will into these middle layers of reality. Joseph might actually see the angel, but in his mind, this is just his perception of an aspect of God leaking into the mortal layers. The human mind cannot comprehend the divine, so God softens the blow with the angelic form.As hard as this might be to get your head around, it seemed reasonable to extend this kind of framework to many forms of magic in the book. The villainous Puritan warlock, Pastor John Parris, works a school of traditional witchcraft, yet it too is based on layered perception of reality. For him, the magical realm is twisted into a less spacial form, with objects and people adjacent not just by physical proximity, but by the likeness of their form and nature. So, a person's hair, separated as it might be from their body, provides magical access to the owner. Likewise, his religious conceptualization allows for the layering of hell dimensions, separated by flame. With the help of his succubus lover he is able to step through these fiery gateways and bend the rules of time and space.
While occasionally, as is the case with the Horn, the mythological drives the story, most often the structural needs of my plot demanded esoteric action. I therefore required interoperability between diverse magic systems in order to make the action work. For example, when Joseph wishes to protect his home from the intrusions of the evil Parris and the ancient vampire al-Nasir, he prays to invoke the archangels and align the physical rectangle of his house with the metaphysical form of King Solomon's Temple. For him this is an act of faith drawing on protective aspects of God's divinity.
But Parris too is able to perceive this change in the nature of reality, albeit in his own terms. His plans to gain entry requires the construction of an elaborate ritual analog. Like a voodoo doll for a building. Just as the limbs of the doll can be broken, the metaphysical walls of the temple may be breached.
Succubus from the source
For each of my supernatural beings I strove to draw upon classical source materials rather than rely on 20th century pop culture. My warlock, Pastor Parris, is a man of repressed passion based on serial killer profiles. His only emotional connection to the outside world has been through a series of dominating female figures. First his puritanical grandmother, then following her grisly demise, his succubus lover Betty. Like all magic in the world of The Darkening Dream, Betty is a conceptual product of her beholder. So I turned to The Malleus Maleficarum, the rantings of two 15th century clergymen, Heinrich Kramer and James Sprenger. This book, which translates as the The Witch Hammer, was used by the Inquisition as a handbook for identifying and persecuting witches and demons.Along with a five page essay on the mechanism by which Succubi and Incubi transfer semen, the Maleficarum has this to say about Succubi:
Devils have no lungs or tongue, though they can show the latter, as well as teeth and lips, artificially made according to the condition of their body; therefore they cannot truly and properly speak. But since they have understanding, and when they wish to express their meaning, then, by some disturbance of the air included in their assumed body, not of air breathed in and out as in the case of men, they produce, not voices, but sounds which have some likeness to voices, and send them articulately through the outside air to the ears of the hearer.
From this passage, we know that one of the means of identifying Succubi is that they do not move their lips when speaking, but manipulate the elements of fluid air near their mouths directly. Hence, in my novel, Betty does not open her mouth to speak, but the air in front of her shimmers as she does. In keeping with my fast paced action oriented novel, I never make an issue of this, but like thousands of other details in the book it is informed by the source. Clearly brothers Kramer and Sprenger knew what they were talking about, as they inspired thousands to burn at the stake.The Power of the WordWith each different school of magic I tried to extract the historic flavor and mindset of past occultists. The mysterious Khepri, another of my villains, practices an ancient Egyptian magic entirely different from Parris' devilish thaumaturgy. The spirit of Egyptian magic often derives from the use of secret names and the spoken word — nay command. The sorcerer/priest orders, by way of his secret magic, the very gods and demons to do his bidding. So it is that when Khepri invokes the miniature sun which is his weapon, he cries these words from The Egyptian Book of the Dead:
Re sits in his Abode of Millions of Years. The doors of the sky are opened for me, the doors of the earth are opened for me, the door-bolts of Geb are opened for me, the shutters of the sky-windows are thrown open for me. I know you, I know your names; Release him, loose him!By sheer force of his sorcerous will he demands the sun yield to him. And so it does.
Truth is Stranger than FictionBy writing a modern fantasy adventure, but by grounding the magic and supernatural in tradition, I wanted to prove that the old adage really is true: Truth is stranger than fiction. The twisted imaginations of our ancestors, devoid of the distractions of the current age, were often far more creative than the half-assed creations of Hollywood and the like.
or go to
http://the-darkening-dream.comhttp://andy-gavin-author.comhttp://untimed-novel.com
to learn more
February 27, 2012
Of Gods and Kings and the World of Fantasy
I reviewed James West's The God King last week (see review of the God King by James West), and today I'm privileged to have him here on my blog answering some interview questions. I really enjoyed this interview and learned a lot about what goes into writing and creating fantasy. I'm sure you'll enjoy the interview too, and don't forget to leave comments and ask your own questions at the end.Thank you for visiting my blog James. Let's talk epic fantasy...
Whichfantasies have you most enjoyed reading, as a child and as an adult? Do youthink they influenced you in writing the God King?First let me say how much Iappreciate you setting up this interview and the opportunity it provides me totalk about what I consider my realwork! Thank you!
Now to the nitty-gritty. The firstbook I ever read that even smacked of the fantastical was the Talisman, by Stephen King and PeterStraub. The first traditional fantasy I ever read was The Eye of the World, by Robert Jordan. Although I have since readquite a few fantasy-type novels, these two rank high on my list of favorites.To make it an even three, I will add George R.R. Martin's, A Game of Thrones. As far as influence goes, Stephen King willalways hold a special place in my heart. For me, he is one of those few authorswho can write about something that means absolutely nothing to me, yet still drawme into the story, compel me to keep reading, and leave me feeling satisfied.That is the kind of writer I aspire to become.
I have the same aspirations, and I'd say the God King did indeed compel me to keep reading. Is fantasyyour favorite genre to read? To write?
I love writing fantasy. It has somuch potential, and is so full of what ifideas, that I never get tired of it. As far as reading, there is so much toread across so many genres that I only get around to one or two fantasy titlesin a given year.
You inventsome fascinating civilizations in your novel. Are they modeled on anyparticular people or places? Where would you say they were most like?
As I mentioned, the cool thing aboutfantasy is that it's a genre that allows authors and readers the unfetteredexploration of the idea of what if.When I began setting up the world in which TheGod King would take place, I was looking at ancient cultures of the MiddleEast, the Greeks and Romans, and the Germanic tribes. I wondered what wouldhappen if I smashed all those separate epochs and peoples together. In short, Isuppose my civilizations are modeled after real peoples and eras. But as afantasy writer, I let my imagination mix together and render down all theinformation I had absorbed in research, and what came out were cultures thatare familiar in some respects, but wholly fictional in others. That said, thereis no question that I set the story of TheGod King in a realm flavored by the ancient Middle East.
When youcreate your characters' names, do you base them on a real-world language? Doyou hear the sound of the name before you work out how to write them? Does itworry you that readers might not pronounce the names "right?"When I first started writingfantasy—2002-2003—I knew I wanted to tell stories that took a step away fromEuropean settings, and knew I would need to come up with different/appropriatesounding names and places. With that in mind, I discovered a great andinvaluable resource in online name generators. I made a list of literallythousands of names, all based on real world languages. Taking it a stepfurther, when I look back over that list, I pick a name that soundsinteresting, then add or subtract a few letters, and maybe toss in someapostrophes and hyphens for visual effect. Generally I like to make a namesound just like it looks. As far as worrying over a reader mispronouncing thosenames, it never crosses my mind. I know for myself that I have read a lot oftruly outlandish names in various books, and I find that my brain automaticallyretranslates the tongue-twister/brain-teaser name into something that works formy reading pleasure.
There aresome visually spectacular scenes throughout this book. If it was being madeinto a movie, which scenes would you want to be most sure were replayedcorrectly?
That is a tough one, because I wouldwant all of them done right :) Some of my favorite scenes follow: when Varisfirst encounters Peropis in the Thousand Hells; when Ellonlef sees andexperiences the aftermath of the release of the powers of creation; the entirescene when Kian, Azuri, and Hazad encounter Lord Marshal Bresado under theBlack Keep; when Varis discovers that his army is not what he thought theywere, and the steps he takes to rectify that situation…. I could go on, but Ido not want to bore everyone, or give too much away!
Reading your answer brings those scenes back to mind for me. I think I'd like this movie. Meanwhile, are themarshes based on somewhere you've been? What about the cities?
My family moved around a lot when Iwas growing up, so I spent time in Northern California and all over Oregon. Ilived in Southeast Alaska for a time, as well as North and South Carolina, andFlorida. When in the Army I was stationed in Hawaii—I was in the infantry, so Ispent a lot more time sweating in the jungle than on the beach—which also tookme to Australia and Haiti. For a year after the Army, my wife and I decided toearn some extra college money by driving eighteen-wheelers. Logging close to a 1,000miles a day as a team, we literally drove over nearly every mile of interstateAmerica has to offer. After college we spent a year in New Mexico, beforefinally coming back to Montana. With all that in mind, I would say the closestthing to a swamp/marsh experience for me was a month spent in Fort PolkLouisiana, and the countless times I drove back and forth across the deepsouth. As far as cities, I would say they come from research andimagination.
You use thenumber three a lot—three gods, three moons, three men marching together… and,of course, people often talk of stories having three parts—beginning, middleand end. Did you use the number three as a deliberate symbol or do you thinkthere's something in us that naturally gravitates towards that number?
Until I read that question, I hadnot considered that the number three showed up so many times. If there is anysymbolism there, it was not intentional. I have to admit, I am curious as towhere and how I will use that number in the future. Of course, for me thatuncertainty, constantly wondering what if,is one of the most alluring things about writing fiction. I cannot tell you howmany times I intended the story to go one way, only to have it take off on itsown, leaving me to hang on for the ride. That is where things can get tricky,because I want to see where it will go, but I also know I have to stay ontask.
I reallyenjoyed the dialog between Kian, Azuri and Hazad. Did you model them on realpeople?
The best short answer I can give isto say yes and no. The more accurate answer is that when I am writing it allbecomes real to me—people, places, and situation—so much so that when I amreally steaming along, what I see outside my window becomes the fake world. Ihave gotten used to that, but when I first began writing I found it ratherunnerving to head out to the grocery store after a few hours of writing. Iwould get the strong impression that the people picking over the fruit andvegetables were not people at all, but some strange, alien race … of course,writers are not the only people who believe aliens are everywhere :)
The long and short of it is this:When I am writing, I immerse myself in the story to the point that I begin tobelieve the story and its people exist in a real time and place. They live outtheir lives on a world that is a shadow of our own, spinning around a distantstar in some fantastic parallel universe.
The God Kingflows very naturally from one location to the next. Did you plot the wholestory before writing it or did it shape itself that way?
I usually do a rough outline, withbullet points serving as guideposts. But as I touched on earlier, the story alwaysends up taking over. Experience has taught me to keep a light but steady handon the reins. If I give the story its head it will gallop off, and thoseseparate bullet points have the potential of turning an otherwise tight storyinto a rambling series of events that fail to drive the plot. If I am too firm,my writing loses vitality, color, becomes formulaic. The cool thing is that ifI end up somewhere really interesting, I can cut it from the current project,then explore it in depth in another. In that, I do a lot of recycling :)
Do you seeany analogies between human creativity and the creative forces wielded by Varisand Kian?
I am not sure I can reasonablyanswer that, but I'll give it a shot. Ultimately I intended to introduce apower into their world that, left to itself, is neither good nor evil. As theseries continues, the underlying conflict is: What will humankind do with thatmuch unbridled power? Can good prevail over the evil that will surely come? Orwill that godlike power, coupled with the imagination and aspirations of theheart, corrupt and ultimately destroy humanity?
Now I really want to read more. What a great theme for the series. So, my final question: Is there something I've forgotten to ask that you'd really like to answer?
I'd love to share a bit of my newwork with you.
Here is a short blurb about myupcoming book! If anyone wants to read the first chapter for free, they canvisit my blog at http://jamesawest.blogspot.com/2012/02/crown-of-setting-sun.html
The Crown of the Setting Sun, the second novel in The Heirs of the Fallen series, is a story set almost two hundredyears after the Upheaval, the cataclysm that unfolded during The God King. An age of darkness cloaksthe world and the Faceless One risen to power, using legions of Alon'mahk'lar, the Sons of the Fallen,to ensure absolute dominion over what little remains of humankind.
Among humans, the people of Izutarare hunted and chained, and seem to have no other purpose than enslavement. Allthat begins to change when an old man of mysterious origins sacrifices his lifeto allow his grandson, Leitos, to escape the mines, the only home he has everknown. Freedom from a life of subjugation, however, is not the blessing itfirst seems.
Weak and alone in a world beset bywalking nightmares, in a world where he can trust no one, Leitos must abandonhis ingrained, timid nature and grow strong and cruel in order to survive.Charged by his grandfather to seek a fabled order of warriors, Leitos fears theexistence of the Brothers of the Shadow Blade is but a dying man's blind hope …a hope frail as morning mist caught beneath the crushing heat of the desertsun.
Thank you James. I shall look forward to reading Crown of the Setting Sun. And I've really enjoyed having you visit my blog.
