Jonathan Moeller's Blog, page 299

THE TERRARCH CHRONICLES, by William King

One of the more interesting series of self-published novels I’ve read in 2013 was THE TERRARCH CHRONICLES, by William King. The series has four books – DEATH’S ANGELS, THE SERPENT TOWER, THE QUEEN’S ASSASSIN, and SHADOWBLOOD.

To sum up, the books are basically a cross between Glen Cook’s THE BLACK COMPANY and H.P. Lovecraft, set in an 18th century Europe if 18th century Europe were ruled by racist magic-using elves.

In the setting, the elves call themselves Terrarchs, and invaded the human world after their homeland fell victim to some mysterious catastrophe. A thousand years later, the Terrarchs still rule over the humans, but their empire has fractured into several competing states, all which regard humans differently – some treat humans as free albeit second-class citizens, while others regard humans as enslaved cattle. However, all the Terrarchs are starting to lose their grip, as the humans are simply outbreeding them, and developing technology is beginning to erode the edge the Terrarchs’ magic and longevity give them. Magic beats sword, but a cannon loaded with grapeshot beats both magic and sword.

The chief protagonist of the story is Rik, a half-human, half-Terrarch soldier. Since halfbreeds are despised everywhere, Rik started out as a thief, and then joined the army to escape his vengeful former associates. When sent to fight a gang of demon-worshiping rebels, Rik kills a renegade Terrarch sorcerer who had been aiding the rebels. Rik takes possession of the sorcerer’s spellbooks and tries to teach himself magic from them, failing to realize that a lot of very dangerous people, human and Terrarchs both, want the contents of those spellbooks.

Mayhem ensues.

The the books have a compelling plot, and does a good job of capturing the feel of Europe at the start of the industrial era, the poverty and despair alongside the wealth and the massive possibilities. When discussing fantasy, it’s useless to talk about historical realism, because if you have a setting where people can summon up giant spider-demons, you have taken realism out back to be shot. But you can talk about verisimilitude, and THE TERRARCH CHRONICLES does a good job with the verisimilitude of the setting. Naturally, the additional of sorcerous elves and otherworldly horrors to early industrial Europe simply adds spice.

It’s the rare writer who can create “morally ambiguous” characters without having them turn into, to put it simply, “unlikable jerks”, but Mr. King pulls it off. Rik, Sardec, and Lady Asea all have fascinating character arcs – Rik starts out as a soldier and a petty thief and becomes something much stronger and darker, while Sardec begins as an arrogant elitist and becomes something almost like a hero.

Definitely recommended, and I hope there are more books in the series one day.

-JM

THE SILO SAGA, by Hugh Howey

I’m looking at some of the more interesting books I’ve read this year, and chief among them would be the SHIFT and DUST, the final two books of the SILO SAGA by Hugh Howey. Mr. Howey’s story is pretty well-known among SF/F writers and readers – the first book of the SILO SAGA, WOOL, started out as a self-published serial on Amazon, and eventually exploded from there. But in this post we’ll focus on the books themselves.

Put simply, the SILO SAGA is a uniquely American science fiction epic, touching on some of the themes that have defined American history – the common good vs. freedom, government corruption vs. one individual taking a stand, and the potential and dangers of technology transforming society and perhaps the world.

The premise is simple enough – some unknown disaster has ravaged the world, and the survivors of humanity huddle within a concrete “silo” (essentially a subterranean skyscraper), using advanced technology to survive. A webcam provides a view of the outside world, but eventually grime builds up on lens, and a criminal has to be sent to clean the lenses. Unfortunately, the criminal dies in the act of cleaning due to the corrosive atmosphere, which means the cleaning serves as sort of a ritual for the silo community, like a public execution in medieval times.

And then, one day, a cleaning goes wrong…and all hell breaks loose.

What follows is a well-crafted tale, populated by compelling characters, with well-hidden secrets layered throughout. Nothing is as it seems in the world of the silo, and those mysteries threaten to destroy everyone living within.

Definitely recommended – if you need something long to read over the holidays, the SILO SAGA is the way to go.

-JM

GHOST IN THE SURGE editing now underway

Editing for GHOST IN THE SURGE is now underway. So let’s have a look at the official Book Description:

CAINA AMALAS is a nightfighter of the Ghosts, one of the elite agents of the spies of the Emperor of Nighmar. She has defeated powerful sorcerers and corrupt lords, freed slaves and overthrown great evils.

But now someone has begun slaughtering the Ghosts of the Imperial capital, and the killer is wearing her face.

And this time, saving the Empire might cost her everything…

ARK is a man of many roles – father and husband, Ghost and veteran, blacksmith and Champion of Marsis.

But when the circlemasters of the Ghosts order him to hunt down the renegade Caina Amalas, Ark must make a choice between his family and the woman who saved his life and children…

THE MOROAICA is the ancient sorceress of legend and terror, and after two thousand years of toil, she is ready. She shall destroy the world and remake in a better image, ending suffering and pain forever. She will rip open a gate to the heavens, cast down the gods from their thrones, and make them pay for all the suffering of mankind.

Or so she thinks…

-JM

GHOST IN THE FLAMES – top 100

It’s taken me two and a half years, but I finally had a book on the Amazon US Epic Fantasy bestseller list – as of last night, both GHOST IN THE FLAMES and GHOST IN THE BLOOD were briefly there. Thanks, everyone!

-JM

Thanksgiving 2013

Happy Thanksgiving! THURSDAYS OF SWORD & SORCERESS 28 will resume next week.

This year, I am thankful to God for all the many of you who have bought copies of my books, left reviews, and left comments here or at another one of my websites.

Thanks, everyone! It has been a good writing year, and I hope 2014 is a good year for all of you, too.

-JM

 

Free Fiction Tuesday – THE DEVIL’S AGENT

This week’s Free Fiction Tuesday story is actually a novella, and it has a fun little origin tale. I wrote it back in 2003, and the protagonist is a writer who sells his soul to the devil to get published, only to have the devil reject his soul as unsuitable. Selling one’s soul is always foolish, but in 2013, a writer who would sell his soul to get published is particularly stupid.

So I rewrote THE DEVIL’S AGENT to reflect that. Grab the links to the story below!

Available at Amazon, Amazon UK, Amazon Germany, and Amazon Canada.

Paul Krieger wants to be a published writer. A real published writer, with a real publisher, and not some loser with a bunch of self-published ebooks. But no matter what he writes, he just can’t seem to break into print.

So when Satan’s literary agent, a man named Mr. Woland, offers to sign Paul as a client, the offer is just too good to refuse.

But then Paul’s loved ones start disappearing.

And wars break out across the planet, along with famines and plagues.

And Paul realizes that maybe he should have read the fine print a little more carefully…

GHOST IN THE SURGE rough draft done!

I am pleased to report that the rough draft of GHOST IN THE SURGE is finished at 93,400 words, with 27 chapters and 1 epilogue.

-JM

Reader Question Day #78 – werewolves and omnibus editions

MAM asks (or comments) concerning the lupivirii in FROSTBORN: THE EIGHTFOLD KNIFE:

I am relieved to see that those Lupivirii creatures don’t sparkle and go to school.

Heh. I’m definitely not writing TWILIGHT here. But the funny thing is, I didn’t realize the lupivirii were actually werewolves until about halfway through the book. I had originally envisioned them as basically humanoids with wolf heads – somewhat bestial, but still in control of themselves. But I decided that was boring, and made the lupivirii more enslaved to the bestial side of their natures, to the point where they refused to use any kind of tools or shelter.

Of course, werewolves are often romantic figures in modern fiction. But the lupivirii are not the sort of werewolves that transform into shirtless, ripped, well-scrubbed twenty-year-old fashion models. The lupivirii are frequently malnourished, and prone to extreme violence at the slightest provocation. Additionally, they live outdoors and subsist entirely upon raw meat, so you can imagine what they smell like.  Needless to say, these are not figures of romance

JDA asks:

Will we see an omnibus of THE GHOSTS series and DEMONSOULED any time in the future?

If by “future” you mean “right now”, then yes. I have omnibus editions of the first three books of THE GHOSTS and the first three books of DEMONSOULED.

SP asks:

How many books will there be in FROSTBORN?

14 to 16. I have it all plotted out already. That said, I won’t really know how long some of the later books will be until I actually get there. So I might combine some of them, or split them up, if it seems necessary. But the plan right now if for 14-16, not counting FROSTBORN: THE FIRST QUEST (which sort of happened organically).

TB asks:

Should I read FROSTBORN: THE FIRST QUEST or FROSTBORN: THE EIGHTFOLD KNIFE first?

Either way. THE EIGHTFOLD KNIFE is the second book in the series, but THE FIRST QUEST is a prequel to the first book.

Which, I suppose, technically makes it the first book.

So if you’ve already read FROSTBORN: THE GRAY KNIGHT, you can read either one next.

-JM

Thursdays of SWORD & SORCERESS 28 – the Jessie Eaker interview

As I have done for several years in the past, I will be running interviews with my fellow contributors to Sword & Sorceress 28.

It’s fun to do, and a good chance for the writers to talk about themselves and their work. This week’s interview is with Jessie Eaker.

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Tell us about yourself.

Despite the feminine spelling of my first name, I am male. The “ie” is a family spelling. In addition, my last name is pronounced “acre” with the “E” being silent. This does cause confusion sometimes, but at this point in my life, confusion is my constant companion. This past year has found my wife and I to be empty nesters, as the youngest of our children has moved away to college. His older siblings have long since moved out and started their own households. This has been quite the challenge for us since we’ve been surrounded by kids most of our life. But we’re adapting and discovering the joys of cats and being grandparents.

Those that have been following S&S for a while may recognize me. This will be my seventh appearance in the anthology. But, I think I can safely say, it is a most special one for me. My youngest daughter, Rebecca, has her very first professional story appearing in anthology, too! It is an honor to be sharing the pages with her.

Tell us about your S&S 28 story.

My story is titled, “Tear Stained Sword”. It is the story of two sisters, the bond they share, and sacrifice one is willing to make for the other.

Can you share an excerpt from your story?

Here’s the opening scene….

My prey was close.

Drawn by the magic that bound me, I gradually made my way toward the back of the hall. The white lace scarf affixed to my right wrist tingled in delight as I spied my target. I instantly recognized her. Faydra! It couldn’t be her!

She stood alone and beautiful, waiting for my arrival. Her gown was bright green, embroidered at the sleeves and hem in white ancient patterns. She wore her hair long, with her wavy red locks held back with two emerald combs. Her youthful face had gentle freckles sprinkled across the pale complexion of her nose. Her eyes held an expression of deep sorrow.

I sprinted toward her–the spell of compulsion on me was irresistible. The world around me grew suddenly quiet, as if the goddess herself held her breath. I heard no sound other than my own pounding heart.

Twisting my blade flat, I leveled my sword to strike. At the moment before… our eyes met. Faydra’s brilliant green eyes loomed before me. And they swam with tears.

I plunged my sword deep into her chest, with just a hand’s breath of sword remaining. The task completed, the compulsion broke, and the scarf affixed to my wrist loosened and drifted free.

“Oh Goddess, what have I done!” I whispered.

Faydra’s lower lip trembled. The tears filling her eyes became dislodged and rolled down her cheek. In the horrid silence, I heard a tear, then another, splat loudly against the exposed flat of my sword. Her trembling hand slowly rose and gently touched the side of my face. “These tears are for you, Kerrin, my foolish sister….”

Would you say fantasy needs to reflect real life, or offer an escape from it?

I think it’s both. I think fantasy needs to offer a safe (and hopefully entertaining) place to explore real life issues. Sometimes the issues can be complex, and other times simple (as in “Tear Stained Sword”), which explores the extent one will go to in order to protect a loved one.

What are your preferred tools and environment for writing? (Typewriter, computer, pen, coffee shop, and so on.)

I write my stories in my office on a desktop PC. I know you’re imagining an ancient clunker, but it’s actually only a couple years old. And for any techno-geeks out there, I use two monitors!

In my office, I’m surrounded by fantasy posters on the walls, as well as, stacks of books and DVDs I’ve collected over the years. All I have to do is look up and I’m instantly inspired.

How many drafts of a story or novel do you typically write?

It varies, and for me, depends on well formed the initial idea was. For “Tear Stained Sword”, I did four drafts.

Have you tried any self-publishing projects yourself?

Self-publishing is something I’ve considered, but never tried myself. Back in the day, self-publishing was considered a no-no. But today, with the changes happening in the publishing industry, self-publishing definitely has some advantages.

If offering advice to a new writer, would you suggest they pursue traditional publication or self-publication?

This is a tough question. And I think the best answer is… whichever one is best for that person. Being of an older generation, I tend to think that you haven’t “made it” until you’ve gone the traditional publication route. So I would tend to advise the traditional route. The disadvantage with this however, is that you give up an element of control to the work (and profits). If I felt very confident in my own marketing and management skills, I might prefer to self-publish and manage that myself.

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Thanks, Jessie, for the interview.

Check out our interviews with past S&S contributors – , , , Sword & Sorceress 25, Sword & Sorceress 26, andSword & Sorceress 27.

And the novel featuring my Sword & Sorceress character, spy and assassin Caina Amalas, is now available for free in all ebook formats: Child of the Ghosts.

Durchschnittliche!

Unbekannt means unknown.

Rezensionen means reviews.

Taschenbuch means paperback.

Aktueller means current.

Verkaufsrang means sales rank.

Korrekturen means corrections.

Durchschnittliche means average.

Herausgeber means publisher.

Dateigröße means file size.

Fremdsprachige means foreign language.

And these are just some of the many German words I’ve learned since I started browsing my books on Amazon Germany.

-JM