David Burrows's Blog, page 16
July 16, 2015
What I Look for in a Fantasy Book
I have read a few books recently that have been difficult to get into. What I like in a fantasy book is:
1. Readability. The language has to be pitched right and easy to read. Some books are incredibly engaging just because they are so well written, however the book does need a plot as well. Brent Weeks tells a masterly tale and his Night Angel series was excellent. I found his Lightbringer series much harder to read and the plot seemed to have thinned somewhat. A series that suffered that fate was Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time. I read up to book 9 but couldn't finish that book, so skipped 10 and 11 and rejoined the series for the final few books. Strangely I don't think I missed much.
2. Over use of names. Some books start with 10 new characters and loads of place names. This just gets confusing, especially in the fantasy genre where names such as Cauliflower Wibblewobble are common. It's hard enough with Jim, Jane and Edinburgh which are of course all familiar. I am amazed at how well George Martin tackles this very difficult area. Not many people can do that and even in history books, stories quickly become difficult to follow. George Martin does it so well that I have never had to consult his annexes showing family trees etc. If it is done well then there is no need.
3. Tales need to be believable and within bounds. It's too easy in fantasy to save everyone with a spell that defies belief. Spells are not normal for us, so magic in general is difficult to believe in. There has to be a framework to make the magic believable. In Lord of the Rings, Gandalf casts few spells and one such spell was blocking a doorway to prevent a Balrog access. Blocking a door seems feasible and so can be believed. Gandalf blasting the Balrog into oblivion wouldn't have worked anywhere near so well. Vampire tales are a good example of this, the rules for a vampire are set out and although they vary slightly from author to author - there seems to be a consensus as to how vampires behave and what they can and cannot do.
4. The tale needs to flow and pull the reader gently along like a ride on a river, rather than a series of unconnected waterfalls. I occasionally find myself reading meandering plots that seem to have no direction and as such I do occasionally give up on a book (which is maddening).
5. The reader needs to understand the character they are following to the point where they care whether they live or die. A few books I've read recently have left me hoping characters might do so some sort of plot might evolve. A great tale for characterization is Stephen Donaldson's Lord Foul's Bane. In some ways the hero is to be despised and yet you want him to succeed. Druss in David Gemmell's Druss the Legend is an old man and yet you believe in him and want him to win every battle. Heroes need to be fallible as well as...well, heroic.
Anyway, any good fantasy reads -- greatly welcomed. Please post you recommendations.
1. Readability. The language has to be pitched right and easy to read. Some books are incredibly engaging just because they are so well written, however the book does need a plot as well. Brent Weeks tells a masterly tale and his Night Angel series was excellent. I found his Lightbringer series much harder to read and the plot seemed to have thinned somewhat. A series that suffered that fate was Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time. I read up to book 9 but couldn't finish that book, so skipped 10 and 11 and rejoined the series for the final few books. Strangely I don't think I missed much.
2. Over use of names. Some books start with 10 new characters and loads of place names. This just gets confusing, especially in the fantasy genre where names such as Cauliflower Wibblewobble are common. It's hard enough with Jim, Jane and Edinburgh which are of course all familiar. I am amazed at how well George Martin tackles this very difficult area. Not many people can do that and even in history books, stories quickly become difficult to follow. George Martin does it so well that I have never had to consult his annexes showing family trees etc. If it is done well then there is no need.
3. Tales need to be believable and within bounds. It's too easy in fantasy to save everyone with a spell that defies belief. Spells are not normal for us, so magic in general is difficult to believe in. There has to be a framework to make the magic believable. In Lord of the Rings, Gandalf casts few spells and one such spell was blocking a doorway to prevent a Balrog access. Blocking a door seems feasible and so can be believed. Gandalf blasting the Balrog into oblivion wouldn't have worked anywhere near so well. Vampire tales are a good example of this, the rules for a vampire are set out and although they vary slightly from author to author - there seems to be a consensus as to how vampires behave and what they can and cannot do.
4. The tale needs to flow and pull the reader gently along like a ride on a river, rather than a series of unconnected waterfalls. I occasionally find myself reading meandering plots that seem to have no direction and as such I do occasionally give up on a book (which is maddening).
5. The reader needs to understand the character they are following to the point where they care whether they live or die. A few books I've read recently have left me hoping characters might do so some sort of plot might evolve. A great tale for characterization is Stephen Donaldson's Lord Foul's Bane. In some ways the hero is to be despised and yet you want him to succeed. Druss in David Gemmell's Druss the Legend is an old man and yet you believe in him and want him to win every battle. Heroes need to be fallible as well as...well, heroic.
Anyway, any good fantasy reads -- greatly welcomed. Please post you recommendations.
July 11, 2015
Book Review: Conquest by Stewart Binns
Conquest by Stewart BinnsMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
Interesting account of the life and times of Hereward the Wake.Very nicely written with the lead character being larger than life and the ultimate warrior. The tale is a little of a history lesson at times, but is worth reading as this is an interesting period of history. It is told well before The Conquest, following Hereward's exile as a teenager and journey across Europe and beyond, learning the art of warfare. Duke William is interestingly portrayed and given his many deeds, his characteristics seem spot on. Overall, a good read and fills an interesting knowledge gap. Some interesting links to the later legend of Robin Hood
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July 7, 2015
July 5, 2015
A Book Review: The Sacred Bones by Michael Byrnes
The Sacred Bones by Michael ByrnesMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
Nicely written and very entertaining. Sometimes you keep reading to discover when the experts in the book will cotton on to what you have already decided is happening and this was one of those books. The plot was fairly obvious but the author kept you interested and there was a sprinkling of thriller thrown in to keep you turning the pages. The title sort of gives the plot away as well. I liked the DNA analysis and the conclusions that drew and felt that was quite a good portrayal of the bones' owner. Definitely and interesting and lively read. You are left wondering whether something more could have been done with the plot, but in reality anything else would have been a world-changer.
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June 23, 2015
Join me on Fantasy-Faction.com. Free Books for Review
Join me on the Forum http://fantasy-faction.com/forum/advertising-your-novels/prophecy-of-the-kings-saga/
I am willing to give away free books to fantasy book reviewers or readers with high profiles on Facebook, Goodreads, Shelfari or similar book review sites. Check out http://fantasy-faction.com/forum/advertising-your-novels/want-to-have-your-novel-reviewed/msg10548/#msg10548 for details
My contact details for the free books are on the front page of my blog http://davidburrows.org.uk/
I love fantasy and hope you do too.
I am willing to give away free books to fantasy book reviewers or readers with high profiles on Facebook, Goodreads, Shelfari or similar book review sites. Check out http://fantasy-faction.com/forum/advertising-your-novels/want-to-have-your-novel-reviewed/msg10548/#msg10548 for details
My contact details for the free books are on the front page of my blog http://davidburrows.org.uk/
I love fantasy and hope you do too.
Epic World War I tale - Fall of Giants by Ken Follett
Fall of Giants by Ken FollettMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
I fancied an epic tale based around the First World War. This was a good read, but a little too much like Downton Abbey in my mind. Ken may have written this book first (I didn't check the date), but I was rather hoping for a tale of the trenches. This was interesting and swept across UK/USA/Russia/Germany, following many different characters. It was a little too much of a history book and all the major events were covered wit one of the characters being present. I liked that the UK contribution was from a Welsh perspective and a mining community, without it being about tunneling under the trenches which is what I was anticipating. There was some coverage of the trenches but that was a small aspect. Overall, an interesting read and very good characterisation with folk at all the appropriate levels to follow key incidents. Downside, a little too much of a diary of events.
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June 15, 2015
Book Review, War of the Dwarves - Markus Heitz
The War of the Dwarves by Markus HeitzMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
Nice thing is - it is a long book, so value for money. Overall, it's entertaining but not a page-turner and, unlike some books, I didn't find myself compelled to read late into the night. The characters are good generally but there are times when they are a little too comical. You do want the central hero, Tungdil, to do well and he does. There are some nice twists to keep the story from being too straightforward, but the plot is fairly predictable at times. Telling the tale from the dwarves viewpoint is nice and you do find yourself rooting for them. I preferred book 1 as I felt that, after a slow start, there was more twists than book 2 which for me was a little too obvious. Having said that, it was a fun book and good value for money, given the size of it.
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June 4, 2015
Book Review: The Dragon's Path by Daniel Abraham
The Dragon's Path by Daniel AbrahamMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
This book won't be for everyone. In parts it's a bit slow and some of it is about banking. However, it's a fresh tale with some unique and very readable characters. It's also quite brutal. Geder is a great character that starts off slowly as a caricature of a person, someone to poke fun at, but events soon create a very interesting person and you are left wondering where the tale will take him. The beginning is also interesting and very well written and gives the reader a hint of things to come. I will definitely keep an eye out for other books in the series.
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June 3, 2015
Writing a Book: Author Branding
I read a lot of articles about this before I found one that made sense:
Your best brand is your name. Perhaps with hindsight I should have chosen something more distinctive or catchy -- Doc Burrows (yes I have a PhD), or Doctor David, or David J Burrows. Changing to a pen name may be useful if your name is taken on Facebook or Twitter. For me, unfortunately, on Twitter David Burrows was taken so I had to settle with DavidJBurrows which dilutes my brand. Again, this is where a pen name may be worth considering. Anyone tried that and found a problem?
Clearly your name should be linked to your genre, so on Google David Burrows Fantasy gets me a high hit rate. David Burrows Author also does quite well. I also make it some way into Fantasy Author as a Search Phrase.
Another brand is your title. Mine is Prophecy of the Kings as I have a trilogy. But, each book title is part of your brand.
The trick is then marketing and getting your name out there sufficiently to get people searching for you. That's the hard part.
Your best brand is your name. Perhaps with hindsight I should have chosen something more distinctive or catchy -- Doc Burrows (yes I have a PhD), or Doctor David, or David J Burrows. Changing to a pen name may be useful if your name is taken on Facebook or Twitter. For me, unfortunately, on Twitter David Burrows was taken so I had to settle with DavidJBurrows which dilutes my brand. Again, this is where a pen name may be worth considering. Anyone tried that and found a problem?
Clearly your name should be linked to your genre, so on Google David Burrows Fantasy gets me a high hit rate. David Burrows Author also does quite well. I also make it some way into Fantasy Author as a Search Phrase.
Another brand is your title. Mine is Prophecy of the Kings as I have a trilogy. But, each book title is part of your brand.
The trick is then marketing and getting your name out there sufficiently to get people searching for you. That's the hard part.
