Joshua Palmatier's Blog, page 43
January 12, 2013
Book Review: ARIEL by Steven R. Boyett
Ariel originally came out in 1983, but was re-released in 2009 because Steven R. Boyett wrote a sequel to it called Elegy Beach. I wasn't aware of it until the re-release, which is a surprise because I like post-apocalyptic novels, and one that has fantasy overtones would have caught my attention. I can only assume that it just didn't cross my path in all of those years. In any case, I bought this immediately after seeing it.
The basic premise is that something caused a Change in the world, altering the laws of nature (physics) and suddenly electricity and guns don't work and the creatures of fantasy and myth begin roaming the lands. Pete is a survivor of the initial Change, and five years after that fateful day, he runs across a wounded unicorn he names Ariel. The two become Familiars, bonded to each other, and learn to survive in the post-apocalyptic world together. But a necromancer wielding power in New York has discovered the unicorn and wants the power of its horn for himself, and so the hunt is on.
I thought the book was good, but not stunning. Part of the problem was that there have been other books out since its initial release that have similar ideas and plots. If I'd read this when it was originally released, it likely would have come across as incredibly original and I'd have loved it. As is, it probably suffers a little from the time displacement. That doesn't mean it wasn't fun. I enjoyed the main character, and once the plot got going, I enjoyed the action. It was certainly an entertaining read, and I haven't read anything that has dealt with a post-apocalyptic fantasy is quite this way. But some of the post-apocalyptic tropes are here, such as the run-in with cannibals, etc. Once the main plot dealing with the necromancer in New York begins, though, it settles down into its own story and isn't about the world as it is after the Change and is more about the characters. And that's where it gets good (and is worth reading).
My main problems with it are with the slow start and with a little bit of the world itself. The book doesn't really begin until Pete and Ariel travel to Atlanta, but there's a long section of the book dealing with them wandering from Florida up to Atlanta. Some of this is how Pete meets Ariel and is establishing how they come to terms with each other, but all of that could have been worked in as backstory once the main plot started. The worldbuilding issues could also have been fixed easily. My main question is what happened to all of the people? The Change itself didn't kill anyone. Things just . . . stopped working, leaving everyone alive, and magical creatures started to appear. So . . . why are there so few people left now? There's no real explanation for how everyone ended up dying. I assume starvation, rioting, the usual, but there's no real mention of this. And if that were the case, there still seems to be plenty of undamaged property and resources left lying around. Now, some questions being left unanswered are fine (such as what exactly caused the Change in the first place), but some things needed to be fleshed out a little more, in my opinion. I didn't quite believe the world set-up as it was presented, but it could have been solved relatively easily with a few simple explanations. (For example, it could have been established that the Change made some people simply vanish, as if they'd flickered out of existence, or whatever.)
The ending also felt rushed. I thought it could have been developed more, which would have made what happens in the end more emotionally dramatic (and traumatic). I pretty much figured out how the book was going to end long before I got there, so it wasn't a surprise, but it still could have had more power than it did.
Now, the author does bring up the issue with the slow start and the rushed ending in his afterword to the novel, admitting that he agrees with those critiques. But this was how it was originally written, with only minor changes (and a few additions of originally cut scenes). He could have changed it, but I agree with him that if he had, it would have been a completely different book, and that wasn't the intent. He's grown as a writer since this was first published, and I certainly feel that I've grown as a writer since my first book hit the shelf. I know there are issues with that first novel (and all those that come afterwards), things that I would never do if I wrote the novel now, but as the author say in the afterword, that's who he was then and I agree that readers just have to accept that and take it for what it is.
So, overall, a good book. I'll definitely be reading the sequel (which is set 30 years after the Change), but it's not something I feel the need to pick up and read immediately. It doesn't involve the same characters, only the same world, so the urgency to "find out what's happened" isn't there. But I'll definitely check back on this world eventually.
The basic premise is that something caused a Change in the world, altering the laws of nature (physics) and suddenly electricity and guns don't work and the creatures of fantasy and myth begin roaming the lands. Pete is a survivor of the initial Change, and five years after that fateful day, he runs across a wounded unicorn he names Ariel. The two become Familiars, bonded to each other, and learn to survive in the post-apocalyptic world together. But a necromancer wielding power in New York has discovered the unicorn and wants the power of its horn for himself, and so the hunt is on.
I thought the book was good, but not stunning. Part of the problem was that there have been other books out since its initial release that have similar ideas and plots. If I'd read this when it was originally released, it likely would have come across as incredibly original and I'd have loved it. As is, it probably suffers a little from the time displacement. That doesn't mean it wasn't fun. I enjoyed the main character, and once the plot got going, I enjoyed the action. It was certainly an entertaining read, and I haven't read anything that has dealt with a post-apocalyptic fantasy is quite this way. But some of the post-apocalyptic tropes are here, such as the run-in with cannibals, etc. Once the main plot dealing with the necromancer in New York begins, though, it settles down into its own story and isn't about the world as it is after the Change and is more about the characters. And that's where it gets good (and is worth reading).
My main problems with it are with the slow start and with a little bit of the world itself. The book doesn't really begin until Pete and Ariel travel to Atlanta, but there's a long section of the book dealing with them wandering from Florida up to Atlanta. Some of this is how Pete meets Ariel and is establishing how they come to terms with each other, but all of that could have been worked in as backstory once the main plot started. The worldbuilding issues could also have been fixed easily. My main question is what happened to all of the people? The Change itself didn't kill anyone. Things just . . . stopped working, leaving everyone alive, and magical creatures started to appear. So . . . why are there so few people left now? There's no real explanation for how everyone ended up dying. I assume starvation, rioting, the usual, but there's no real mention of this. And if that were the case, there still seems to be plenty of undamaged property and resources left lying around. Now, some questions being left unanswered are fine (such as what exactly caused the Change in the first place), but some things needed to be fleshed out a little more, in my opinion. I didn't quite believe the world set-up as it was presented, but it could have been solved relatively easily with a few simple explanations. (For example, it could have been established that the Change made some people simply vanish, as if they'd flickered out of existence, or whatever.)
The ending also felt rushed. I thought it could have been developed more, which would have made what happens in the end more emotionally dramatic (and traumatic). I pretty much figured out how the book was going to end long before I got there, so it wasn't a surprise, but it still could have had more power than it did.
Now, the author does bring up the issue with the slow start and the rushed ending in his afterword to the novel, admitting that he agrees with those critiques. But this was how it was originally written, with only minor changes (and a few additions of originally cut scenes). He could have changed it, but I agree with him that if he had, it would have been a completely different book, and that wasn't the intent. He's grown as a writer since this was first published, and I certainly feel that I've grown as a writer since my first book hit the shelf. I know there are issues with that first novel (and all those that come afterwards), things that I would never do if I wrote the novel now, but as the author say in the afterword, that's who he was then and I agree that readers just have to accept that and take it for what it is.
So, overall, a good book. I'll definitely be reading the sequel (which is set 30 years after the Change), but it's not something I feel the need to pick up and read immediately. It doesn't involve the same characters, only the same world, so the urgency to "find out what's happened" isn't there. But I'll definitely check back on this world eventually.
January 10, 2013
New Book Review for THE SKEWED THRONE!
Mike Douton has posted a review of The Skewed Throne, my first novel, over at his blog. Click through the link to check it out. It's more than a review, though. Since he read my later Well books first, he went into insights into how the two series are different in style and whatnot, as well as how I've grown as a writer, in his opinion. So it's also a good little post about writing, for the aspiring writers out there. Thanks again for a great review, Mike!
New Anthology from DAW!
I've posted the newest book discussion, the last for the December DAW releases, over that DAW Books blog (
dawbooks
)! Stop on by the check out seventeen short stories set in Mercedes Lackey's Elemental Masters universe, including a new story by Mercedes Lackey herself!
dawbooks
)! Stop on by the check out seventeen short stories set in Mercedes Lackey's Elemental Masters universe, including a new story by Mercedes Lackey herself!January 4, 2013
New Book Discussion!
We're discussing Gini Koch's latest Alien book, Alien vs. Alien, over at the DAW Books blog (
dawbooks
)! Swing on by and check it out, or stop by to leave a comment. Which book in this series is your favorite?
dawbooks
)! Swing on by and check it out, or stop by to leave a comment. Which book in this series is your favorite?Happy Birthday Wish
Thanks to everyone who's wished me a happy birthday already, and for those that wish me one in the future! It's always nice to hear from everyone, especially since it makes me realize there are more people out there watching my blog or Facebook or Twitter and such than I realize. OK, now I'm tearing up. . . .
In any case, if you wanted to do something for me for my birthday--and I'm not expecting anything at all, so don't worry about it--but if you still wanted to do something, I'd suggest something simple and cost free: tell all of your friends about my books. Let people know about them with a quick Facebook post, or Twitter post (my handle is @bentateauthor), or blog post. Maybe link to either of my author webpages (www.joshuapalmatier.com or www.benjamintate.com). Or add a link directly to Amazon or Barnes & Noble or your favorite online bookstore, etc. Basically, just help spread the word about my books. That's one of the best gifts you can get a writer.
And if you wanted to take it a step further, buying books is always nice. I expect most of you reading this already have my books though, and if you do, thank you for the support.
Again, thanks for the birthday wishes. I won't mention how old I am now. And you can just put that spanking paddle away!
In any case, if you wanted to do something for me for my birthday--and I'm not expecting anything at all, so don't worry about it--but if you still wanted to do something, I'd suggest something simple and cost free: tell all of your friends about my books. Let people know about them with a quick Facebook post, or Twitter post (my handle is @bentateauthor), or blog post. Maybe link to either of my author webpages (www.joshuapalmatier.com or www.benjamintate.com). Or add a link directly to Amazon or Barnes & Noble or your favorite online bookstore, etc. Basically, just help spread the word about my books. That's one of the best gifts you can get a writer.
And if you wanted to take it a step further, buying books is always nice. I expect most of you reading this already have my books though, and if you do, thank you for the support.
Again, thanks for the birthday wishes. I won't mention how old I am now. And you can just put that spanking paddle away!
January 1, 2013
Puzzles--The Multi-Piece Kind
So, I like puzzles. The kind where you dump the pieces out onto a table, sort out the edge pieces as you turn them all right side up (if they have a "right side" to go up). Every Christmas, I usually get a 1000 piece puzzle and my family puts it together of the few days we're all together around Christmas. Mostly this is something my Mom and I do, although the rest of the family does help. A few years ago, I got a 2000 piece puzzle, and we didn't get it finished, so I took it home myself and finished it on my own. That got the puzzle bug into my system and so I ended up buying this puzzle:
That's right. 5000 pieces. I dumped it out, started the long process of sorting out the pieces, realized that it wouldn't fit on the table I had, and so bought two new tables to put together and put the puzzle on that. I still had to stack the pieces in two layers to get them all on the table. And then I started putting the pieces together.
It took me a year and a half. Of course, I didn't work on the puzzle that entire time. There were months on end where I didn't have time to work on it at all. I mean, I have a day job, and then I do that writing thing on the side, so I reserved only my weekends for puzzle time . . . and then only weekends when I wasn't doing a con, or doing something with my partner, or . . . well, you get the idea.
But I finished the puzzle. Here's the proof:
And now that it's done . . . well, I'll take a picture of it (already done, of course), and then I'll rip it all apart and put it back in the box and, someday, I'll dig it back out again and put it back together.
So, what's next? Well . . . there's this 9000 piece puzzle that I bought a while ago . . .
That's right. 5000 pieces. I dumped it out, started the long process of sorting out the pieces, realized that it wouldn't fit on the table I had, and so bought two new tables to put together and put the puzzle on that. I still had to stack the pieces in two layers to get them all on the table. And then I started putting the pieces together.
It took me a year and a half. Of course, I didn't work on the puzzle that entire time. There were months on end where I didn't have time to work on it at all. I mean, I have a day job, and then I do that writing thing on the side, so I reserved only my weekends for puzzle time . . . and then only weekends when I wasn't doing a con, or doing something with my partner, or . . . well, you get the idea.
But I finished the puzzle. Here's the proof:
And now that it's done . . . well, I'll take a picture of it (already done, of course), and then I'll rip it all apart and put it back in the box and, someday, I'll dig it back out again and put it back together.
So, what's next? Well . . . there's this 9000 piece puzzle that I bought a while ago . . .
New Book Releases from DAW!
I've posted the newest releases from DAW Books at the DAW Books blog (
dawbooks
)! Check out new Michelle West, new Diana Rowland, and the paperback release of Saladin Ahmed's debut novel. Then stop on by later this month for book discussions of each.
dawbooks
)! Check out new Michelle West, new Diana Rowland, and the paperback release of Saladin Ahmed's debut novel. Then stop on by later this month for book discussions of each.December 31, 2012
WELL OF SORROWS and LEAVES OF FLAME "Best Novel(s)" of 2012!
Mike Douton (@NewGuyMike over on Twitter) has done his end-of-the-year "best of" list and guess what? My novels Well of Sorrows and Leaves of Flame were his "Best Novel(s) of 2012"!!! Thanks, Mike! I'm excited that you thought they were that good. I'm now nervous that the third book (which I'm still working on finishing, although I'm on the last few chapters now) won't stand up to your expectations. But I'm going to give it a solid try. *grin* Thanks for the ego boost on this last day of 2012!
WELL OF SORROWS/LEAVES OF FLAME Best Novel(s) of 2012!?!??!
Mike Douton (@NewGuyMike over on Twitter) has done his end-of-the-year "best of" list and guess what? My novels Well of Sorrows and Leaves of Flame were his "Best Novel(s) of 2012"!!! Thanks, Mike! I'm excited that you thought they were that good. I'm now nervous that the third book (which I'm still working on finishing, although I'm on the last few chapters now) won't stand up to your expectations. But I'm going to give it a solid try. *grin* Thanks for the ego boost on this last day of 2012!
New Book Discussion!
I've just posted the latest book discussion over at the DAW Books blog (
dawbooks
). We're discussing Tanya Huff's The Complete Keeper Chronicles, a trade paperback omnibus that includes all three book in the Keeper Chronicles: Summon the Keeper, The Second Summoning, and Long Hot Summoning. Swing on by and let us know what you thought of this series, or check it out if you haven't heard of it already!
dawbooks
). We're discussing Tanya Huff's The Complete Keeper Chronicles, a trade paperback omnibus that includes all three book in the Keeper Chronicles: Summon the Keeper, The Second Summoning, and Long Hot Summoning. Swing on by and let us know what you thought of this series, or check it out if you haven't heard of it already!
