David M. Brown's Blog, page 102
June 12, 2012
Wordless Wednesday: Welcome to Elenchera
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Today I’m taking part in Wordless Wednesday, hosted by Create With Joy.
The Create With Joy picture for today is a very sweet kitty so once you’ve finished here I heartily recommend you stop on by – and perhaps leave a ‘Wordless Wednesday’ link of your own!
Wordless Wednesday: Welcome to ElencheraMy Wordless Wednesday today is welcoming you to the fictional world of Elenchera. With David’s second novel, A World Apart, ready to launch, our hearts and minds are pretty much buried in Elenchera right now, so it seemed only fair to take you there too!
What’s got you wordless this Wednesday?Wordless Wednesday: Welcome to Elenchera | Thank you for reading Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave
June 10, 2012
Interview: Allen Wyler, Author of Dead End Deal
I’m pleased to welcome Allen Wyler to the blog today. Allen is the author of Dead End Deal and joins me for a brief interview to talk about the ins-and-outs of writing a medical thriller.
Quick fire interview: Allen WylerWhat is your writing ritual? Why is that important and how has being a surgeon shaped it?
For me writing is a difficult process that takes discipline. First thing I do every morning is pour a cup of coffee and sit down in front of my computer, the door to the room shut, the blinds drawn. No distractions. Then I get to work. One to four hours every day, no exceptions. Each day I set a goal and don’t quit until I reach that goal. If it takes the whole four hours, fine. If it takes only two hours, even better. But the point is I work at it daily. So what does this have to do with being a surgeon? Well, surviving neurosurgical training took a great deal of motivation and self-discipline. It taught me that I could succeed at a task if I gave it 100% effort. As far as how my career might flavor my writing, I think being a neurosurgeon given me a wealth of experience on which to base some pretty interesting stories.
What was the research behind Dead End Deal?
This is a blitz-pace thriller about a Seattle neurosurgeon who, while in Korea, is framed for a murder. Now hunted by police he must evade a professional hit man while trying to find a way back to the United States. I figure it’s Three Days of The Condor meets Michael Crichton.
I got the idea for the story when I was a guest lecturer at a medical school in Seoul, South Korea. I was staying at the Walker Hill Sheraton hotel across the Han river from the hospital. So all the scenes (hotel, downtown Seoul, and the Korean hospital) were from notes and snapshots I took while there. (I always travel with a small point and shoot camera in my pocket). The brief description of the surgical procedure comes from my own experience.
My neurosurgeon protagonist, Jon Ritter, escapes via a route I personally took when figuring out how he might return to the United States without a passport. Again, the scenes were written with the help of snapshots. So, the short answer to the question is that all the research for the story came from personal experience. By the way, I find digital photography a great help when writing. I view a relevant snapshot on the screen as I write. This help me accurately describe what I’m seeing.
What are the challenges of writing a medical thriller?
People who read medical thrillers are usually interested in medical details, just as readers of legal thrillers find law interesting. What is difficult is adding sufficient medical detail to satisfy a reader without making descriptions or facts boring. This is one reason I try to move my stories along at a fast clip. Thrillers are intended to thrill, not lecture. Fast pace, good plot, interesting characters are the elements that should be in a medical thriller.
About Dead End Deal (2012) [image error] World renowned neurosurgeon Jon Ritter is on the verge of a medical breakthrough that will change the world. His groundbreaking surgical treatment, using transplanted non-human stem cells, is set to eradicate the scourge of Alzheimer’s disease and give hope to millions. But when the procedure is slated for testing, it all comes to an abrupt and terrifying halt. Ritter’s colleague is gunned down and Ritter himself is threatened by a radical anti-abortion group that not only claims responsibility, but promises more of the same.Faced with a dangerous reality but determined to succeed, Ritter turns to his long-time colleague, corporate biotech CEO Richard Stillman, for help. Together, they conspire to conduct a clandestine clinical trial in Seoul, Korea. But the danger is more determined, and more lethal, than Ritter could have imagined.
After successful surgical trials, Ritter and his allies are thrown into a horrifying nightmare scenario: The trial patients have been murdered and Ritter is the number one suspect. Aided by his beautiful lab assistant, Yeonhee, Ritter flees the country, now the target of an international manhunt involving Interpol, the FBI, zealous fanatics and a coldly efficient assassin named Fiest.
Amazon USAmazon UKB&NGoodreadsAbout Allen Wyler[image error]Allen Wyler is a renowned neurosurgeon who earned an international reputation for pioneering surgical techniques to record brain activity. He has served on the faculties of both the University of Washington and the University of Tennessee, and in 1992 was recruited by the prestigious Swedish Medical Center to develop a neuroscience institute.
In 2002, he left active practice to become Medical Director for a startup med-tech company (that went public in 2006) and he now chairs the Institutional Review Board of a major medical center in the Pacific Northwest.
Leveraging a love for thrillers since the early 70’s, Wyler devoted himself to fiction writing in earnest, eventually serving as Vice President of the International Thriller Writers organization for several years. After publishing his first two medical thrillers Deadly Errors (2005) and Dead Head (2007), he officially retired from medicine to devote himself to writing full time.
He and his wife, Lily, divide their time between Seattle and the San Juan Islands.
Interview: Allen Wyler, Author of Dead End Deal | Thank you for reading Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave
Book Review: The Templars: History & Myth: From Solomon’s Temple to the Freemasons – Michael Haag
Who were the Templars?
What was the secret of their wealth and power?
Why did the pope and the king of France act to destroy them?
The Knights Templar were founded on Christmas Day 1119, on the very spot in Jerusalem where Jesus Christ was crucified. A religious order of fighting knights, the Templars defended the Holy Land and Christian pilgrims in the decades after the First Crusade. Legendary for their bravery and dedication, the Templars became one of the wealthiest and most powerful bodies of the medieval world–until they were condemned for heresy two centuries after their foundation, when the order was abolished and its leaders were burned at the stake.
In “The Templars,” renowned historian Michael Haag investigates the origins and history, the enduring myths, and the soaring architecture of an enigmatic order long shrouded in mystery and controversy. The hand of the Templars, many believe, can be found in everything from Cathar heresy to Masonic conspiracies, and the Knights Templar still inspire popular culture, from Indiana Jones to Xbox games, to the novels of Dan Brown.
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Review: The Templars: History & Myth: From Solomon’s Temple to the FreemasonsI’m most at home when reading medieval history and having read about the Crusades in the past I was eager to try Michael Haag’s book about the Templars, the order of knights founded to defend the Holy Land after the First Crusade who went from being revered to reviled in Europe in the space of two centuries.
Haag’s book covers an extensive timeline beginning with the earliest references to the Temple of Solomon, its building, destruction, rebuilding and so on until we reach the First Crusade where Jerusalem was captured by the Christians in 1099. Though a foothold was gained in the Holy Land or Outremer, it was a dangerous place for travelling pilgrims who wished to descend on Jerusalem in honour of their faith. In 1119 the Knights Templar were formed to protect travelling pilgrims, beginning as a small group that would escort and protect travellers, but over time growing into a widespread, wealthy and highly respected order. Haag deals with the rise and fall of the Templars and their legacy.
Haag’s book is more a summary of events rather than an in-depth chronicle of the Templars. This is not a criticism, however. Haag has to cover so much history in such a short book that it is admirable he has delivered a text that is less than 400 pages. Each Crusade is probably worth a book of its own, especially the First Crusade and, of course, the Third Crusade involving Richard the Lionheart and Saladin. Though the Templars began as an impoverished order reliant on donations, they soon rose to a position of great power and influence. With the backing of the Pope the Templars were largely untouchable and a sensible way for monarchs in Christendom to please God was in donations to the Templars to help bolster their efforts in the Holy Land.
Not that the Templars were completely restricted to the Holy Land. They received donations in money and land throughout Europe, and provided an early form of banking, storing funds and possessions and maintaining records of deposits for their customers to prove ownership of goods and to retrieve them. As with every rise though, there has to be a fall. The once revered order donning their white mantles with red crosses were soon despised in Europe when the Holy Land was lost at the start of the fourteenth century and within a decade the order had been dissolved and many of its members left at the mercy of vengeful rulers such as King Philip IV of France who played a major role in the end of the Templars.
Haag’s book is a sad account of the Templars who were devoted to their faith and remained loyal and firm in their convictions. As soon as the Holy Land was unsurprisingly lost, Christendom needed a scapegoat and the Templars were the perfect choice. Historical evidence only discovered in the last few years indicates a lot of the persecution of the Templars could have been prevented but sadly it was not to be. The Templars have left a legacy in the form of surviving groups who some argue link back to the holy order of knights but the section covering these conspiracy theories is not as interesting as the history of the order itself.
The Templars is a good account of this holy order of knights who fought to keep Christendom in the Holy Land and to protect the pilgrims that wished to travel to Jerusalem. It’s a sad testament of how a fall follows a rise to power and that no group, no matter how powerful, can ever hope to last forever. History proves that eventually dissent creeps in and after that it’s only a matter of time before change. The Templars knew this all too well.
Verdict: 4/5
(Book source: reviewer’s own copy)
Book Review: The Templars: History & Myth: From Solomon’s Temple to the Freemasons – Michael Haag | Thank you for reading Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave
June 9, 2012
Book Review: The Flight – M.R. Hall
Amazon USAmazon UKGoodreadsReview: The Flight
I’ve never had a fear of flying and on one holiday I flew ten times in the space of a month without an ounce of anxiety. That said, I haven’t much experience of turbulence which I imagine is pretty frightening. M.R. Hall’s The Flight depicts the tragedy of a plane crash and the mysteries that surround it. This is the fourth in a series of novels featuring coroner Jenny Cooper and would be my first taste of her work.
The novel focuses on Flight 189 which crashes into the Severn Estuary leaving no survivors. Just a terrible tragedy? While initial theories suggest a lightning strike there are further mysteries waiting to be unravelled. 10 year old Amy Patterson is found washed up alongside a sailor whose boat appears to have been hit by the plane. How did Amy survive the crash only to die in the water? Why was she found by the side of the sailor? How did such a prestigious plane fail at the cost of so many innocent lives? While Jenny Cooper is assigned to investigate the death of the sailor, she becomes drawn into the mystery of Flight 189 but in getting closer to the truth she discovers there are some people who do not want answers to emerge.
The novel opens quickly with the terrible plane crash. Amy Patterson is due to fly back to America with her father but he has to remain in London due to his work. When Amy is killed along with the rest of the passengers, her father Greg Patterson is distraught but not as much as Amy’s mother, Michelle Patterson, who flies to the UK demanding answers. While Sir James Kendall leads the investigation into the plane crash, Mrs Patterson turns to Jenny to help find the answers to her daughter’s death. Not only is Jenny moved by the grieving Pattersons but Mrs Patterson has some intriguing theories about why the plane came down. It turns out that some passengers were moved from an earlier flight to the ill-fated Flight 189 and as Jenny digs deeper it begins to seem like more than just a coincidence.
Pressured by Mrs Patterson, Jenny strays outside the law in her pursuit of the truth and is helped along the way by her conflictive assistant, Alison, and a former RAF pilot Michael Sherman. Michael’s ex Nuala Casey is one of the victims on Flight 189 and as the novel develops it seems that a one word text she sent to Michael before the plane crashed may be a key clue to unravelling the mystery of the crash. Conversations with witnesses yield further clues as Jenny digs deeper and as you follow the story you’ll not be able to resist speculating as to what happens. You’ll have to wait till the very end, of course, to learn the truth.
I enjoyed The Flight. Jenny Cooper wasn’t the strongest leading character I have encountered but she made for a good heroine and was well supported by the other characters. There is a bit of technical description in here which may go over your head, it certainly did mine, but I didn’t feel it undermined the narrative. The conclusion was very apt, not necessarily a wonderfully happy ending but we do get answers to the mystery and it’s worth the wait.
The Flight is an enjoyable and intriguing thriller. There is some technical detail in there but it shouldn’t impact too heavily on your enjoyment of the book. This is Jenny Cooper’s fourth outing and I wouldn’t be opposed to reading more about her.
Verdict: 4/5
(Book source: reviewer received a copy in exchange for a fair and honest review)
Book Review: The Flight – M.R. Hall | Thank you for reading Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave








Film Review: Four Lions
Starring: Will Adamsdale, Riz Ahmed and Adeel Akhtar
Directed by: Christopher Morris
Runtime: 1 hour, 37 minutes
Studio: Magnolia Home Entertainment
Amazon USAmazon UKIMDBReview: Four Lions
When I first heard of Christopher Morris’ Four Lions and it being a comedy in relation to suicide bombers I was both curious and concerned. The War on Terror spearheaded by the U.S. and the UK has caused a lot of controversy on both sides of the Atlantic and there have been some devastating tragedies since both sides took up arms. This is a seemingly endless debate dealing with right and wrong, but it’s a subject that can’t be ignored and my hope was that Four Lions would give some credence to this.
The film traces a group of Muslim men in Sheffield who are eager to be trained up as suicide bombers. Amongst the group are the leading member Omar (Riz Ahmed), the slow-witted Waj (Kavvan Novak), Barry (Nigel Lindsay) who is a white convert to Islam and the naive Faisal (Adeel Akhtar). When Omar and Waj head for Pakistan to be trained by fellow jihadists, a disgruntled Barry takes matters into his own hands and recruits a fifth member, Hassan (Arsher Ali), to their cause. When Omar and Waj return, the group have to overcome the obstacle of conflicting personalities before planning and executing a devastating attack against the UK.
You might wonder where the comedy is after reading that. Well, it is to be found in a great cast of characters. Omar is the serious one of the group, very intelligent and organised, and frequently frustrated by his friends. Waj goes along with whatever Omar says, clearly struggling to think of complex things for himself. Barry is highly amusing, a force of nature frequently trying to exert authority on the group and sometimes displaying his complete lack of Islamic tradition, especially when he suggests the group bomb a mosque! Faisal is another amusing character, believing he is deceptive when frequently he is foolish; his account of frequent trips to the local shop to buy large quantities of items, such as bleach, is hilarious as he demonstrates different voices (all the same!) that he uses to avoid arousing suspicion! Hassan is young and passionate, clearly determined to fight for the jihadist cause but he demonstrates his inexperience, especially when the group return to their safe house and find him listening to music and dancing with a neighbour, despite explosives and other incriminating evidence strewn throughout the house!
The film keeps delivering the laughs but at the same time it does address the serious subject of what these men have to do and what they believe. As the attack looms the group have varying reactions to it. Omar is passionate but he knows he will leave behind his wife and young son. His brother represents another side to Islamic faith, a peaceful existence, yet beneath this exterior is the attitude that women should be subdued and obedient to men, something Omar doesn’t subscribe to. Barry is the most extreme of the group, determined to carry through the operation no matter what the cost. Eventually, the group’s efforts lead them to the London Marathon where they have to don some amusing outfits. Whether they go through with the attack or are foiled is not for me to say. Very aptly, the laughs recede during these final scenes.
Four Lions is a brave film and it would have been clear from the start that this isn’t for everyone. Personally, I thought this was well-made and very funny in places given the delicate subject matter. I believe the film will make audiences think about the global issue more but at no time does it preach that jihads are good or evil. This is about perspective and though we learn some of the motivations for the eventual attack in London there is no glorification or condemnation. I thought all the characters were great in the film, a varied group each with their own qualities. Just don’t mention that crow or the sheep to me!
Four Lions works as a comedy but also a commentary on contemporary events that show no sign of being resolved any time soon. This can be watched just as comedy but it may also make you think and reflect for a time. While I don’t agree with violence in any form, I do appreciate that we all have our own beliefs and perspectives about what is right and wrong. Four Lions offers perspectives but it never says these are the right ones for us all.
Verdict: 4/5
(Film source: reviewer’s own copy)
Film Review: Four Lions | Thank you for reading Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave








June 8, 2012
Armchair BEA: The Future of Book Blogging
As both a writer and blogger, I have enormous respect for book bloggers. Indie authors are thriving each year because what should have been a lonely journey on the self-publishing path is anything but these days. Joining social networks such as Twitter and Facebook, it’s hard not to find fellow writers and bloggers to network with. Before you know it, you are inundated with a plethora of useful tips and advice to help you along.
Book bloggers are pivotal to indie authors. Many of them not only offer guest posts and interview opportunities, but they review author’s work and share it across a wide range of sites such as Digg, Stumbleupon, Goodreads and Amazon. Goodreads and Amazon are becoming crucial for writers and readers. With so many visitors to both sites in search of their next read it’s great for authors to have reviews of their books readily available. On a personal note, one of my novels has 24 reviews on Amazon but on Goodreads the number is 50. Around 300 users on Goodreads have added it to their bookshelves, which is fantastic. Many of those reviews came from book bloggers.
Given the service that book bloggers provide they are going to have a big future for writers. When you self-publish a book one of the major headaches is how are you going to promote it? Well, you can make use of such companies as Goddess Fish and Novel Publicity who can arrange for you to go on a blog tour, visiting a variety of sites where bloggers will review your book, interview you or ask you to write a guest post. I have recently concluded a month long blog tour with 20 stops in all. Not only do book bloggers give you great exposure but you have the opportunity to interact with visitors, surely one of the best feelings for any writer.
The relationship between book bloggers and writers can sometimes be difficult, especially where reviews are concerned. Writers need to remember that book bloggers are busy people and that chasing them up for word of your book is not going to appease them in the slightest. Responses to reviews are also important. Book bloggers have their own approach to ratings but on Tweedle Dee & Tweedle Dave, if we encounter a book we don’t like, we probably won’t finish it (life’s too short!) and therefore, we won’t post a review. That said, sometimes there’s feedback that needs to be given. Many authors won’t want a bad review but I’ve always said they’re nothing to be afraid of so long as the feedback is useful.
By the same token, writers have a duty to respond to reviews in a dignified manner. I have seen incidences where authors have engaged in fierce debates with book bloggers who had the audacity to give their book 3/5 and not the 5/5 they were expecting. Again, reviews are personal opinions and should be respected so long as they are not vindictive. It’s a tough world out there for book bloggers with some authors sadly nursing big egos and believing they have a right to receive only the best reviews for their work. The vast majority do not think this way, I am pleased to say.
Book blogging is growing and I am glad that is the case. I think if you have enjoyed a book then you should share it. By letting others know they are also getting the opportunity to try the book too and for the author it is an even bigger boost. Some of the most renowned films in history were box-office flops but word of mouth elevated them to the priceless emblems they are today. The Shawshank Redemption is one of the best examples I can come up with. The same can happen with books and for indie authors this is one of the only ways they are going to achieve success unless they can afford to pay out for a lot of publicity.
As a writer I regard book bloggers as the salt of the earth and am indebted to them for the support they have given me. By joining Donna in running Tweedle Dee & Tweedle Dave, I like to feel I can give something back for the support I have enjoyed. I would say to book bloggers to keep doing what you’re doing because we’re here to stay. To writers I would say book bloggers are your friends, not your enemies, so always treat them with respect and they will remember you.
Armchair BEA: The Future of Book Blogging | Thank you for reading Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave








Book Review: The Wind-up Bird Chronicle – Haruki Murakami
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Haruki Murakami’s Norwegian Wood remains my favourite novel but I have been eager to sample his other work too. I have read The Elephant Vanishes and Underground but the likes of Kafka on the Shore remain on my TBR pile, as did the epic The Wind-up Bird Chronicle, until now that is. The blurb to the novel doesn’t give much away about the story but something fascinated me about it and I was curious whether this could eclipse Norwegian Wood.
The novel focuses on Toru Okada who is at something of a crossroads in his life. He has quit his job at a law firm and is maintaining the house while his wife Kumiko goes out to work at a publishing house. All is not well. The couple’s cat has run away and Kumiko is frantic with worry. While Toru decides on his future, he begins searching for the cat and over the next year or so his life becomes increasingly complicated as he meets a selection of fascinating characters who guide him on his journey.
That may not make The Wind-up Bird Chronicle sound exciting but there is a lot going for this book. It does depict the mundane life that many of us lead. Toru describes doing the chores, making meals and drinking ice cold beer at the kitchen table with his increasingly distant wife. One day Toru receives a phone call from a woman who claims he knows her and she proceeds to indulge in sex chat much to Toru’s disapproval. The story develops when Toru goes to meet a medium Malta Kano that his wife has turned to for help in finding their cat. Each character Toru meets has a story to tell and each one is intriguing. Malta Kano named herself after the island of Malta and she has a yonger sister Creta Kano named after, you guessed it, Crete. The sisters’ respective tales become difficult for Toru when he learns that Creta has previously had contact with Toru’s brother-in-law Noboru Wataya who he despises. While Malta tells of her travels around the world and the haven she found in Malta, Creta talks of a life of pain in her youth and how she has long sought her true self.
As time goes on life becomes ever more difficult for Toru. One day he sees Kumiko off to work and never sees her again. Just like that, she is gone, adding further complexity to the mystery. Toru’s wanderings lead him to an abandoned house in the neighbourhood with a dry well and also into contact with one of the novel’s best characters, the teenager May Kasahara, who has all the fun of Midori from Norwegian Wood. Toru also comes into contact with Lieutenant Mamiya who served in the Japanese army in Manchuko and witnessed some horrific things there. Finally, in the second half of the novel Toru comes into contact with Nutmeg and Cinnamon Akasaka, a mother and son who work together. Nutmeg has a poignant story about the Second World War and witnessing animals in a zoo being slaughtered while her son Cinnamon ceased to talk when he was six years old.
Every story that Murakami tells, whether it’s Lieutenant Mamiya and Nutmeg’s painful reminiscences of Japan’s actions in the Second World War, May Kasahara’s amusing but bizarre discussions, or the fragile heart of Toru’s wife Kumiko, every story demands attention and everyone is relevant to the overall narrative. This is one of those novels I couldn’t put down and when it was over I found myself very sad. Is it better than Norwegian Wood? Not quite, but The Wind-up Bird Chronicle is further evidence for me of Murakami’s genius.
The Wind-up Bird Chronicle offers a series of wonderful stories in its 600 pages, all tied together by the journey of Toru Okada. There are some unpleasant moments in here, detailed violence at times, but the overall story is fascinating and mysterious. The ending is not all happily ever after but like Norwegian Wood it leaves you in a key moment in the characters’ lives and how things turn out is for only them to know and the readers to forever speculate. Magical Murakami.
Verdict: 5/5
(Book source: reviewer’s own copy)
Book Review: The Wind-up Bird Chronicle – Haruki Murakami | Thank you for reading Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave








June 7, 2012
Armchair BEA: Opportunities
Has blogging opened up opportunities for you beyond getting free, advance copies of new books? Has it helped you get offers to write or review elsewhere (maybe even for pay)? Have you gotten invites to special events or places you might not have been to otherwise? Today, we’d like you to talk about those opportunities in you own posts
Beyond book blogging, both of us have self-published books. Donna published a collection of short stories Double-Take Tales in 2011 and I have published a novel, Fezariu’s Epiphany, in 2011 with a second book, A World Apart, due for release in June 2012. Both of us have always enjoyed creative writing. I preferred stories at school, whereas Donna has always been more flexible, embracing prose or poetry in equal measure. She’s much more talented than I am though she would never admit it.
Networking with writers and book bloggers can often lead to an invitation to be interviewed, write a guest post or have your book reviewed. All three possibilities have happened to us, partly through our published works but also through the reputations we have built up as bloggers. Personally, I am always flattered if I have to contribute a post to a blog event or am writing a guest post or answering interview questions on a blog tour.
We like to return such compliments by catering for both readers and writers with our blog, be it reviewing books and recommending our favourite titles to readers, or interviewing indie authors about their latest releases. We’re both very involved in book blogging and writing communities through social media. Seeing both perspectives has been beneficial, especially in the relationship between writers and book bloggers which can sometimes be tense dependent on the attitudes of the respective parties. As a writer, I have huge respect for book bloggers and having interacted with both sides has been one of the best lessons I have had so far.
With both Donna and I having published books, we network with many writers. Donna runs the Indie Exchange where authors, bloggers, editors etc can all come together to share information and advice. While we are part of a book blogging community with the Book Bloggers’ Collaborative it is good to branch out and interact with others as well. Sites such as Goodreads are another avenue for authors, book bloggers and readers to come together and share their thoughts on their latest reads. The likes of Amazon give you a platform to post your reviews elsewhere and have other users learn your opinions on the latest releases.
Prior to combining our blogs, Donna’s Book Bags and Cat Naps was primarily a book blog but with us merging our respective ventures, Tweedle Dee & Tweedle Dave has taken on a new dimension. We’ll not stop wanting to be book bloggers or helping to promote writers, but it’s good to have a blog that can reach out to other users as well. I love films so am frequently reviewing them, not to mention games and I have a regular slot – Dave’s Jukebox – where I share my favourite songs that would appear in my own dream jukebox, probably should be ipod but jukebox sounded better to me. Such variety leads to different visitors to the blog and leaving comments. Tweedle Dee & Tweedle Dave is universal and we’re happy to be visited by everyone.
Being involved in social media such as Twitter, Facebook and Google+ it’s hard not to network with people outside the book blogging or writing communities. Having a blog with such a variety of content is paying dividends for us at the moment. Book reviews, guests posts and interviews will always be our priority but having other areas for visitors to explore doesn’t hurt. With a name like Tweedle Dee & Tweedle Dave, we want out joint blog to very much be our version of Wonderland.
Armchair BEA: Opportunities | Thank you for reading Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave
Prepare for an Argggh-some Launch Party for A World Apart
On June 16th Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave’s very own Dave will be launching the second book in his Elencheran Chronicles: A World Apart
To celebrate the launch, the Book Bloggers’ Collaborative are holding an ARGGH-Some Launch Party and one lucky winner will receive a $100 Amazon gift card. What’s more, we’re offering a prize of a $50 Amazon voucher for a special ‘Spread the word’ blogger giveaway.
All you have to do……is post a pirate themed post on your blog between 16th June and 22nd June then come back here and leave your link.
25 Rafflecopter entries for adding your post to the linky (your post should include book cover, blurb and buy link)5 Rafflecopter entries for displaying the banner in your post (optional)5 Rafflecopter entries for displaying the badge on your blog from June 16-22 (optional)3 Rafflecopter entries for displaying the “Arggh-some Launch Party – $100 Amazon gift card” Rafflecopter on your blog (optional)QuestionsCan I schedule my post in advance? Of course – advance scheduling is a blogger’s best friend! If the buy link is not available when you schedule your post, please ensure you add it on the date the post goes live.
What can I write about? Anything pirate related! A favourite game, book or movie, a favourite pirate story, that embarrassing story about the time you dressed up as Long John Silver (pictures please!). Pirates, parrots and plunder – it’s all fair game.
What do I need to include in my post? You can write about whatever you like (related to pirates – see above question!). Please include the blurb, book cover and at least one buy link (buy links will be added here on 15th June). Feel free to link to images from this post or you can grab the info/html from the embedded document below. Need anything else? Feel free to email us!
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About A World Apart (2012) [image error] Demetrius makes his first mistake when he lets his best friend Halcyon marry Eleyna, the love of his life, without saying a word. On the day of the wedding, he walks away from the Elencheran town of Dove’s Meadow and joins the army.He makes his second mistake when the pirate Black Iris tricks him into letting dozens of men, women and children die in a fire. Demetrius is imprisoned in grief and disgrace.
But he can atone. The Black Iris is dead. The Ivory Rose has risen to the top of the pirates and is leading brutal raids on the coast. If Demetrius can capture and kill her, he’ll win his pardon.
And then Demetrius discovers the Ivory Rose is Eleyna. He must decide which will be his third mistake: losing his last chance at a pardon, or destroying the one woman he’s ever loved.
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Prepare for an Argggh-some Launch Party for A World Apart | Thank you for reading Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave
Book Review: The Dark Yergall – Jason Sullivan
Amazon USAmazon UKGoodreadsReview: The Dark Yergall
I love dystopian novels even though they are bleak. Like sci-fi, dystopian novels speculate about what the future holds, but deliver a future that while advanced also seems frighteningly close to how we live today. Brave New World and 1984 are the best dystopian novels I have ever read but I am always eager to try and find rivals to their crowns. Would The Dark Yergall be such a book or a poor pretender?
Nosir Rag is a journalist who begins the story trying to locate Sarmus who has disappeared mysteriously. Sarmus was responsible for a taboo strain of thought where he considered living “at the front of the world” and this led to the ROC Uprising which was soon suppressed. Watching over the society Nosir is from is the Imkass Empire, rivalling Orwell’s Big Brother in many ways. Nosir’s hunt for clues about Sarmus lead him to some frightening discoveries that rock the foundations of everything he has ever believed.
Sullivan’s universe nods to 1984 but has a lot identity of its own. The Imkass Empire rule their subjects with manipulation and the insistence that theirs is a society of utopian proportions. InfoOrg Central is responsible for the distribution of all information in the form of InfoAlerts and any changes or updates to information come from InfoMods which are not to be questioned. Anything that is inaccurate or considered taboo is known as a DefectoMod. While DefectoMods are to be ignored, Nosir has taken to using them much to the dismay of those around him, including his friend Mainco. Having seemingly traced the whereabouts of Sarmus, Nosir is called back home, leaving Mainco to search further on Miranda.
Back in the heart of the Imkass Empire, Nosir meets the non-mod Epo who has some startling revelations for him courtesy of The Room of Never Was. The novel builds towards another peculiar race – the Yerggs – and we get to the heart of the book’s peculiar title The Dark Yergall. Although society contains aliens, GenMods (such as Nosir), non-mods (such as Epo) and even sexbots, there are some aspects of Sullivan’s world that don’t seem beyond possibility in our own future. The power of the media is expressed in the InfoAlerts which broadcast only what the Imkass Empire wants its subjects to know whereas the obsolete DefectoMods have a tendency to be the truth, although the word “truth” is not one that is used in this world.
The Dark Yergall is a well-structured and sometimes amusing dystopian novel with the Imkass Empire being utterly ruthless in their approach to those that rely on their every word. Such is the influence of the empire that the word Imkass is used to replace some words that humans may have previously used. In this world you wouldn’t for instance say “Kiss my ass!” you would say “Kiss my Imkass!” Sullivan has carefully applied layer upon layer of intricacy into this dystopia where the only truths are locked away and forgotten. My only complaint with the novel is it is sadly too short but the conclusion leaves this open potentially for further adventures from Nosir Rag. I’m hoping so anyway!
The Dark Yergall is an excellent dystopian novel, hindered only by its brevity, but that seems a minor complaint given how carefully thought out this world is. Sullivan clearly has a good grasp of modern societies and his vision is frighteningly plausible for our own future. Hopefully we’ll be seeing more of Nosir Rag in the not too distant future and preferably before the Imkass Empire really does rise to power.
Verdict: 4/5
(Book source: reviewer’s own copy)
Book Review: The Dark Yergall – Jason Sullivan | Thank you for reading Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave