Justin Swapp's Blog, page 4
January 6, 2016
Throne of Glass Book Review
by Sarah J. Maas
I’d give this book 4 out of 5 daggers.
Ihad been wanting to get to this book for a while. The positive reviews raving about the world that Sarah J. Maas had created; about the royals, and the nobles, and the intrigue that ensued in the book got my attention. What I had heard about the world building alone would likely have been enough to get my attention, but throw on top of it all that there was supposed to be some elements of magic, and I was sold. It probably didn’t hurt, either, that when I picked this up I was feelng like mixing up my reading a bit, and going for a book with a strong female protagonist for a change.
So, what was the book about?
The beautiful Celaena Sardothien, a former assassin left to rot in the salt mines of Endovier, had quite the reputation. Enough to warrant a visit from Prince Dorian himself, and the Captain of his guard to attempt to strike a deal with her. What could she possibly want from them? As it turns out, her freedom in exchange for her unique skills. The offer: If she successfully fought on the King’s behalf in as his “Champion” in the upcoming competition, she would be granted a pardon, and her freedom after four years of service as said Champion. While Celaena loathed the king, the offer was too good to turn down.
As she travels with the Prince and the Captain, some of Celaena’s backstory is revealed: her familiarity with the forest, hints of magic history, and other little clues that come to her memory. Once at the castle, Celaena is given some of the niceties of court life that show another side of her. Dresses, jewelry, and attention from the other ladies that are vying for the Prince’s affections. These things seem all too familiar to the cold, hard, killer, and juxtaposed to her personality, make the reader wonder about who she was in a former—pre-assassin life.
The story gets interesting when the author begins to leave behind all the training and court life that Celaena has concerned herself with for a mysterious evil that begins to influence the competition. One by one, Celaena’s competitors are gruesomely murdered by what would seem to be some kind of beast. Celaena gets involved in the investigation, despite being warned not to, and tries to help solve the mysteries that would lead her to the killer, before the killer finds its way to her.
Ultimately, this is a good book. Let’s start with the positives. I liked the bit of magic it contained, although I was hoping for more, to be honest. I liked the fights, and the warriors, and even the politics. It was the romantic part that I struggled with, in a way. It almost felt that it was just there to be there…to check a box that says “I’m a YA paranormal romance novel.” I don’t mean that in a way that takes away from the writing—it was very good. It was just the literary device, I guess. In other words, this didn’t bother me from a genre perspective, because that’s not why I picked up the book, but for those that thought this was a paranormal romance, I could see it bothering them. I assume one of the reasons the author did this, from her perspective, was to round off Celaena’s character.
The book’s worth a read. Check it out! 4/5 stars.
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January 4, 2016
Writer “Easter Eggs”
Easter Eggs are awesome, right? I’m not talking about the holiday, the chocolate bunnies, or even those gross peeps that some people like to eat (seriously, what are they made of, gooey styrofoam laced with sugar crystals?) No, I’m referring to the mysterious “Easter Eggs” that artists of all types hide in their work.
While I believe artists have always done this, I think this practice really blew up with video game programmers. Game developers would hide entire secret levels, crazy pictures, tokens or items in their software for gamers to find. It’s kind of a game of hide and seek. Sometimes these items were intended to pay tribute to some pioneer in the developer’s field, or to pay homage to someone or something they respected. Disney artists have done this in their movies for years.
If you like popular fiction, you might have already read, or at least be familiar with the novel, Ready Player One. It’s a great book, and it almost entirely revolves around this theme.
Those of you who follow me might know that I’m a Utah Jazz fan (NBA Basketball team.) Back in 2011, my wife and I were at the game after which the team’s legendary coach of 20 plus years, Coach Sloan, decided to retire after a scuffle with one of the players. We could tell something was wrong as we listened to the radio post cast. In our experience, Coach Sloan had never waited so long to meet with the media after the game. Once I digested the crummy news, I decided I wanted to honor him in some way, so I applied his name to one of the characters in a story I was writing at the time for The Crimson Pact Anthology. Since then, I’ve been slipping the names of Jazz players in my stories. It’s become a fun “Easter Egg” for me as an author.
How do other authors you read do this? Share in the comments below.
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October 3, 2015
Ready Player One Book Review
by Author Ernest Cline
I’m giving this book 4.5 easter eggs out of 5.
One of the ways I judge a book is by its gravity, so to speak. Do I feel pulled toward it? In other words, when I was away from the book, did I feel like I needed to get back to it. If a day went by without reading it, did it bother me? I listened to the audiobook version of Ready Player One, and let me tell you, it pushed all my buttons (ha!)
When my wife asked me if I’d be willing to go pick my daughter up from dance, or to go to the store or (fill in the blank) I quickly said, “yes,” thinking that it was another opportunity for me to flip the audiobook on and keep plugging away at it or a few more minutes.
Set in the future, Ready Player One is, in so many ways, a homage to 80’s culture. Movies, music, styles, and especially video games all play a critical role in the plot. When a former video game developer, and rich business mogul learns that he only has a short time to live, he constructs an elaborate contest that he has placed inside the Oasis (online MMORPG type world). There are three phases (gates/keys) to the contest, and the first one to get through them all, wins “the egg,” or his ultimate prize—all his wealth and assets—billions.
The story revolves around a less fortunate, yet brilliant, young guy named Wade that spends all his time on the Oasis. Like many others, he is devouring anything he about the 80’s in an attempt to figure out how to progress in the contest. James Halliday, the billionaire that created the contest that would take over just about everyone’s heart and mind, loved the 80’s, and was rumored to have based the whole contest on 80’s pop culture. So, everyone studied up in order to be able to play the game, including Wade. This was Halliday’s way of resurrecting the 80’s, maybe buying it an extra life, as it were—deposit your quarter, right here, thank you very much.
The author does a fabulous job world building not only interesting things about the 80’s, but the futuristic world that would obsess about a dead man’s fortune, and stop at nothing to get it. He’s included the folks that dedicate themselves to hunting down the egg, the commerce system inside the Oasis, a military group established by an evil corporation with ulterior motives, epic battles, PVP vs non-PVP worlds, and even the naming and description of artifacts and epic weapons in the game…and so much more.
This book was a wild ride down memory lane. I’m proud to say that I got most of the book’s references. I did have to look a few up, however, especially the Pac-Man trick (cool!) Ready Player One is well-written, and the plot was good fun. It has murder, mystery, tons of 80’s backstory, and even romance. The ending was even enjoyable 
If you like gaming, good writing, and the 80’s, and you haven’t read this book yet, once you have, you’ll wonder what took you so long.
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Giveaway Winners
Congrats to Megan G. of California and Chris F. of Mississippi for winning the Goodreads Magic Shop signed/print copy giveaway. I got your books in the mail this afternoon, and hopefully you’ll have them by next week.
Thanks for playing! I hope you enjoy the book, and the new cover with the series badge.
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September 5, 2015
Vampirates: Demons of the Ocean Book Review
by Justin Somper
I’d give this book 4 donors out of 5.
Vampirates…the concept… the title… its one of those things that I wished I had come up with. It’s a great concept. I must say, though, that I feel bad for the author. As I gathered my thoughts for this review I took a look at other reviews of the book, and some of them are just cruel. The book was a good book, in my opinion, even though it had a few quirks.
This book has a ton of covers. Perhaps that a function of being originally published in 2005, and refreshing the book cover is a way to make it new again (marketing) and drive sales. Either way, the book has several fantastic covers, and as you know, I love a good cover.
The story follows Connor and Grace Tempest, a couple of humble children that live with their father, who man’s the lighthouse. One of their bonding traditions is for him to sing them a shanty as they go to bed. The thing is, its a little bit creepy, as its about Vampirates. Here it is:
Vampirates Shanty
I’ll tell you a tale of Vampirates,
A tale as old as true.
Yea, I’ll sing you a song of an ancient ship,
And its mighty fearsome crew.
Yea, I’ll sing you a song of an ancient ship,
That sails the oceans blue…
That haunts the oceans blue.
The Vampirate ship has tattered sails,
That flap like wings in flight.
They say the captain, he wears a veil
So as to curtail your fright.
At his death pale skin
And his lifeless eyes
And his teeth as sharp as night.
Oh, they say the captain, he wears a viel
And his eyes never see the light
You’d better be good, child- good as gold,
As good as good can be.
Eles I’ll turn you in to the Vampirates
And wave you out to sea.
Yes, you’d better be good child- good as gold,
Because- look! Can you see?
There’s a dark ship in the harbor tonight
And there’s room in the hold for thee!
(Plenty of room for thee)
Well, if pirates are bad,
And vampires are worse
Then I pray that as long as I be
That though I sing of Vampirates
I never one shall see.
Yea, if pirates are danger
And vampires are death
I’ll extend my prayer for thee-
That thine eyes never see a Vampirate…
…and they never lay a hand on thee.
The children’s father abruptly passes away one night and, unfortunately, he has left them with nothing. The children, after listening to the local banker offer to take the children in, or to be forced into the orphanage, decide that their only chance is to steal their father’s ship (it no longer belongs to him) and to test their luck on the open seas.
They do this for some time, and get some distance out into the ocean, until a great storm brews and dashes their boat into pieces. The twins are separated, each scooped up by a different pirate ship. One crew consists of normal pirates, and the other, you guessed it, the Vampirates.
The rest of the tale explores each of the twin’s experiences on their respective ships, and their efforts to not give up hope of finding each other again.
I felt the quality of the writing was very good, and so was the storytelling, even though the plot seemed to have some holes that could be addressed. The characters were fun, and distinct, even though some of the more critical reviews underscored the characters as something they wanted more from.
Overall, I enjoyed the book, but the one thing that I found strange was the ending. The climax built up to what felt like might be an awesome pirate brawl, but it ended up getting resolved by simply correcting a character’s identity, and then all was well. It was a little anti-climactic. Overall, though, it was a good read. I’ll probably continue on with the next book at some point. Happy reading!
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August 25, 2015
George Lucas on the Power of Myth and The Mythology of Star Wars
George Lucas consulted at length with Joseph Campbell, author of a Hero with a Thousand Faces, and well-regarded expert on various myth and cultures around the world as they relate to story telling. As Lucas and Campbell spent more time together, their relationship grew into one of friendship, and mentorship.
Below are five youtube videos which are segments of a documentary in which Lucas talks through Campbell’s influence on the Star Wars mythos, and the monomyth model he used to develop and tell his epic sci-fi story.
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August 15, 2015
Ferals Book Review
by Jacob Grey
I give this book 3.5 crow talkers out of 5. What? I liked it…
First of all, let’s start with the book cover. The cover above is absolutely beautiful (the one above.) I say its one of my favorite covers of all time. The color palette is tight, the typography plays into the scene and helps create an effective ambiance. In fact, it was the cover that attracted me to the book initially.
To the left is the alternate cover. I assume the intent here was to try to target the Young Adult demographic, and make the story feel bigger. It, too, is nice, but I prefer the original cover.
Ferals is a book about a boy named Caw (I know you caught the crow reference there…) who was abandoned by his parents at a young age, and raised by the crows. Talking to them is nothing out of the ordinary to him as that is all he has known. He and the crows live in the “nest,” and they scavenge the city for food and their upkeep.
The inciting incident initially starts as a bully scene, but then turns into a scenario where some escaped convicts of the worst kind show up, and Caw takes note. He ends up intervening, something he doesn’t typically do, and saves the day initially. The first theme brought up is whether his loyalties are to the people, or the crows. The crows end up supporting him, but his interference tangles him in this adventure with the escaped convicts. He’ll end up finding out that they are more similar to him than he thought.
Caw partners with the Prison Warden’s daughter and they try to hunt down the criminals while protecting their families, and learning about Caw’s past, and parents in the process. The world becomes a bigger place as Caw learns he has more to do with all of it than he had originally thought.
The writing in this book is pretty good. This twists and turns were okay, but the writing was good. There is a slightly creepy element to Jacob Grey’s style, and I like that. I didn’t feel it ever really went overboard, but it was darker, for sure.
Overall, Ferals is a good book. The pacing was smooth—moved along nicer than most books I’ve read recently—the writing was clean, and ambiance was moody and palpable. The characters surrounding the protagonists were okay. I wouldn’t call them flat, but they were just what they needed to be to move things along. All in all, I think I will be reading book #2 when it comes out. On that note, I got a look at its cover today, and it turned out pretty good, too!
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August 5, 2015
Follow Your Favorite Authors
New Amazon Author “Follow” Feature
Amazon has recently added a new feature that answers most reader’s age-old question—How do I know when my favorite author’s new book comes out? Amazon has created a new “Follow” feature they’ve been rolling out over the last month or so, and it and solves this need. When an author releases a new title, he or she now has the ability to send you a little message about a new release, along with a notification. So, its not as in your face as a newsletter might be considered to be, and you can always opt in or out whenever you want.
All you have to do is go to your favorite writer’s author page and click the yellow “Follow” button underneath their picture. At that point, you’ll receive an email whenever that author releases a new book. I’ve gone out there myself and followed my favorite authors (practicing what I preach).
As far as my readers go, I’ve started to get questions about when The Shadow’s Servant will be coming out. It will be this year, but might slip into early fall a bit (work has been crazy busy.) But, by clicking on the follow button on my Amazon author page, you can get my alert the moment any of writing or novels goes public.
Pretty cool, right!?
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July 29, 2015
Aurora Sky Vampire Hunter Book Review
by Nikki Jefford
I’d give this novel 3.5 bites out of 5. (There’s some blood left)
Like many people, I’ve always enjoyed a good vampire tale. That said, I’ve wanted to read this book ever since I saw the wonderful cover.
The key to a good vampire story is, first of all, to try and not repeat one of the many, tired and over-used themes or plots that have been beaten to death by vampire popularity over the years. Most everything has already been done.
Aurora Sky: Vampire Hunter felt mostly fresh, and I liked that. In short, Aurora is a teenager that gets in a terrible car accident. Really, she should have died–and would have, had it not been for a government agency that saved her.
They gave her vampire blood.
There’s a catch, though. In order to save her life, Aurora’s mother had to sign it away. See, the government needs “hunters,” or “agents” and they find people that are virtually dead because of car accidents or other similiar scenarios, and make the guardian a deal that can’t be refused. They have nothing to lose, when they’ve already lost their loved one, right?
The government has figured out how to use vampire blood to heal these otherwise dead victims. Why don’ t they turn into vampires as a result of the vampire blood? Well, the answer to that question would require a level of government clearnce that I don’t currently have. Suffice it to say that the new “agent” has to come in to the office every so often to take their medicine—a cure that keeps the vampire blood that saved their life from turning them fully into a vampire. So, in their current state, with the government’s help, they have semi-super human field agents that are tasked with finding and destroying the undead. As long as they come in for their check-up and get their dose, they don’t have to worry about becoming the very thing they are hunting and killing.
That’s a semi-new twist on things. I could run with that.
How do they fight the vampires, you might be wondering? This is where I was also a little intrigued, but perhaps a little disappointed on one level, too—they let themselves get bitten. If a real vampire bites a hunter that has the government’s formula running through their veins, they die. Kind of a strange way to empower your main character. “Go ahead, bite me!.”
And there it is. Add some teenage angst (or a lot,) some language and some upper teen/adult themes every here and there, and you have Aurora Sky book 1.
The author’s writing style was pretty good. I’d read her again, I think. The story line was solid, and fresh enough. I do have to say that I think some of what were intended to be plot twists were really easy to figure out, while there were a few that weren’t, and the twist at the end was pretty cool.
Good hunting!
Aurora Sky: Vampire Hunter Book Trailer
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July 25, 2015
The 13th Reality Book Review
I’d give this novel 3.75 Chi’karda drives out of 5. (Read the book and you’ll know what a Chi’karda drive is)
This is a really cute story. It probably reads and feels more middle-grade than any middle-grade novel I’ve ever read (take that to mean what you’d like.) There’s nothing really dark or extreme, so it should really be safe for all ages.
I always get a little apprehensive when a book tries to balance the notions of Science and Magic in the same universe. I’ve never seen it really work, but Dasnher did enough to avoid having it stand out (negatively) in this book. I appreciated that.
The main character of this book, Atticus Higgenbottom, understandably goes by “tick.” He’s so smart, that his family calls him “Professor,” but not so smart or flawless that he becomes unlikable. As a matter of fact, he gets picked on and bullied at school.
One day Tick receives a mysterious letter in the mail. He opens and finds a strange set of instructions that he must decide whether or not to commit to them. If he destroys the letter, then all will be as before; no adventure, no danger, nothing new. But, if he keeps the instructions and follows them, he can expect danger to seek him out, and challenges to thwart him at every turn.
Tick decides to follow the instructions in the letter and to help the people that the letter mentions. He wants to be part of something bigger than himself, and he’s willing to potentially sacrifice himself in the process.
Along the way he meets several other kids that have also received letters. They meet up through message forums and email on the internet. My favorite character is Sofia, the Italian girl that Tick meets first. I love the way the narrator (audiobook version) portrays her and all her fraternal digs at the other guys in the story. She has a good sense of humor, and rounded out all the boy characters.
As the story progresses, the kids communicate with each other about the clues they receive, and help where they can. All this leads up to a final moment where tick and the other kids have to follow a certain set of instructions on a certain day, and in a certain place.
As you can tell by the title of the book, the story deals with multiple realities. It’s a wild ride, and I would recommend it to virtually anyone, but especially young readers. It’s very wholesome, as it were, and a good time.
P.S. It’s probably worth noting that a lot of stories for this age group kill off parents, or come up with some other strange approach to getting them out of the way so that the children can be empowered to be the true protagonists of the story. Rather than doing that, Dashner actually had Tick confide in his father, and get power and trust from the adult to move forward the way he wanted to. That was a nice touch.
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