Carl Alves's Blog, page 53
July 31, 2013
Found You by Mary SanGiovanni
I read this novel without realizing that this was a sequel to The Hollower. As it turns out, reading this novel without reading the first entry in the series was not a problem. Mary SanGiovanni does a nice job of summarizing the important parts of the first novel. The two stories seem to be pretty similar to each other based on the recap of the original storyline. In this novel, the original Hollower has been killed, but there is a new, more powerful Hollower in the prowl. A couple of the survivors of the first novel figure into the action, namely Dave and Erik, but there is a new group of people that have been slated to stop the Hollower.
I like the story’s villainous monster. The Hollower is not a typical monster that I have encountered in other works of horror. SanGiovanni has done a nice job of creating an intriguing villain, one that doesn’t have physical form and hates the physical aspect of our world, driving a killing hatred inside of it. The group of protagonists are a bit too homogenous. They all have big flaws and some of these flaws are too similar too each other. I think the novel could have been stronger had the cast been more varied. The general plot was strong, but I thought the ending didn’t quite live up to the build. The finish seemed a little too easy and a bit anti-climactic. Still, the horror elements were well developed and the prose was nicely written. This is a novel that I would recommend for all horror enthusiasts out there.
I like the story’s villainous monster. The Hollower is not a typical monster that I have encountered in other works of horror. SanGiovanni has done a nice job of creating an intriguing villain, one that doesn’t have physical form and hates the physical aspect of our world, driving a killing hatred inside of it. The group of protagonists are a bit too homogenous. They all have big flaws and some of these flaws are too similar too each other. I think the novel could have been stronger had the cast been more varied. The general plot was strong, but I thought the ending didn’t quite live up to the build. The finish seemed a little too easy and a bit anti-climactic. Still, the horror elements were well developed and the prose was nicely written. This is a novel that I would recommend for all horror enthusiasts out there.
July 28, 2013
Movie Review: The Conjuring
Most horror movies that I have watched recently have not been very good, and that’s being kind, a fact that pains me since I love watching good horror movies. I sit through all the crappy horror movies to find the one gem that strikes a nerve. The Conjuring is that movie, the kind that makes sitting through the dreadful horror movies worthwhile.
I was a little lukewarm about watching it at first because I thought it was going to be another in a long line of haunted house movies, a subgenre that is tired and worn out. Although the movie seemed like it was going to be that, it was really about demonic possession, something far more interesting. Based on the real life story of the Perron family, who move into a house in Rhode Island, there are multiple spirits wreaking havoc on them, the main one a witch from the Salem witch era, who has caused multiple homicides over the years. The Perrons turn to Ed and Lorraine Warren. Ed, a demonologist, and Lorraine, a sensitive medium, bring their team of paranormal researchers to help the Perrons, but quickly realize they may be in over their heads, never having seen demonic forces this powerful.
The movie uses a lot of common tropes, and there isn’t anything unique about the movie, but the execution was about as good as I’ve seen. The film’s director does a top notch job of adding the right sounds and effects at the right time, loading the movie with creepy elements. The actors, most relatively unknown, also pull out great performances. The Conjuring is an excellent movie, the best horror movie that has come out since The Ring. The summer is usually about big action movies, but this is one you’ll want to watch amidst all of the explosions and special effects.
I was a little lukewarm about watching it at first because I thought it was going to be another in a long line of haunted house movies, a subgenre that is tired and worn out. Although the movie seemed like it was going to be that, it was really about demonic possession, something far more interesting. Based on the real life story of the Perron family, who move into a house in Rhode Island, there are multiple spirits wreaking havoc on them, the main one a witch from the Salem witch era, who has caused multiple homicides over the years. The Perrons turn to Ed and Lorraine Warren. Ed, a demonologist, and Lorraine, a sensitive medium, bring their team of paranormal researchers to help the Perrons, but quickly realize they may be in over their heads, never having seen demonic forces this powerful.
The movie uses a lot of common tropes, and there isn’t anything unique about the movie, but the execution was about as good as I’ve seen. The film’s director does a top notch job of adding the right sounds and effects at the right time, loading the movie with creepy elements. The actors, most relatively unknown, also pull out great performances. The Conjuring is an excellent movie, the best horror movie that has come out since The Ring. The summer is usually about big action movies, but this is one you’ll want to watch amidst all of the explosions and special effects.
July 25, 2013
10 Questions with Lisa Morton
What do you prefer writing: screenplays, non-fiction, short fiction or novels?
I really do enjoy it all, but if I had to pick I’d probably say short fiction. I’ve always loved reading short stories, and I believe that the short story form is ideally suited for horror and vice versa.
2. What’s the greatest moment in your writing career?
It’s an odd moment, because it was almost somewhat melancholic: It was during pre-production on my first movie, and a few nights before the start of principal photography I found myself alone in the middle of the soundstage, on this amazing set that had been created for the movie, and I sat there and just realized this had really happened and this world that had once existed only in my head and then on paper was real and concrete now…and belonged to other people. That’s both the plus and minus of movies: You literally get to see your dreams come true, but once they’re handed off to the set designers and cinematographers and directors and actors and all the rest, your dreams could end up as something you no longer recognize.
3. How has working in Hollywood affected you as a fiction writer?
Probably in more ways than I realize. It’s made me appreciate fiction that much more; the terse, highly-structured format of screenplays certainly rolled over into my fiction style; and it sure made me realize how pleasant and thoughtful most horror fiction writers are!
4. Out of everything you have ever written, what work are you proudest about?
That’s hard to say because I’m proud of different things for different reasons. I’m proud, for example, of The Halloween Encyclopedia because of the two solid years of research work that went into it. I’m proud of my first novel Netherworld (which was not my first published novel – that was The Castle of Los Angeles) because up until then I wasn’t sure I could write a full novel. And I’m proud of my recent novella Summer’s End because I feel like I took some big chances with it, and even if they don’t pay off, at least I tried something risky and different.
5. Who is your favorite writer?
I have different favorites in different genres. I think the first writer I really loved was Theodore Sturgeon, but my favorite science fiction writer now is Philip K. Dick. My favorite horror writer is Dennis Etchison, my favorite graphic novelist is Alan Moore, and my favorite mystery author is James M. Cain. My favorite non-fiction writer is probably currently Barbara Ehrenreich.
6. What type of scenes do you most enjoy writing?
It’s hard to get more intense than scenes in which characters are confronted with the immediate possibility of their own deaths. One novel of mine (and I won’t give the title away here, so no spoiler alert needed!) even has the protagonist experience death, and it was one of the strangest and most affecting (for me, at least) things I’ve ever written.
7. What made you start writing?
I’m not sure. I’ve been writing my whole life; but I’ve also been an avid (and even, for a brief while, professional) photographer forever, so I think both writing and photography appeal to me as attempts to capture little snapshots of life and lock them down.
8. To what do you attribute your fascination with Halloween?
It transforms things we’re afraid of – death, darkness, masks, the coming winter – into objects of play and whimsy. And it involves lots of chocolate.
9. Is there any subject that is off limits for you as a writer?
Probably not. There are things I could say, like excessive cruelty towards an animal…but if I was writing something that I thought called for it, I’d try to find some way to do it that didn’t seem gratuitous.
10. If you could invite five people to a dinner party (alive or dead, real or fictional) who would you invite?
Well, Phil Dick’s a given. Maybe the early French filmmaker Georges Melies, because I’ve always been fascinated by him. I’d like to know once and for all if Jim Morrison was an articulate poet or just a pretentious dopehead. For my fictional character, I’ve got to say Emma Peel. And for a real, living human being: I’ll confess to a lifelong crush on David Lynch, whom I’ve only glimpsed from afar.
I really do enjoy it all, but if I had to pick I’d probably say short fiction. I’ve always loved reading short stories, and I believe that the short story form is ideally suited for horror and vice versa.
2. What’s the greatest moment in your writing career?
It’s an odd moment, because it was almost somewhat melancholic: It was during pre-production on my first movie, and a few nights before the start of principal photography I found myself alone in the middle of the soundstage, on this amazing set that had been created for the movie, and I sat there and just realized this had really happened and this world that had once existed only in my head and then on paper was real and concrete now…and belonged to other people. That’s both the plus and minus of movies: You literally get to see your dreams come true, but once they’re handed off to the set designers and cinematographers and directors and actors and all the rest, your dreams could end up as something you no longer recognize.
3. How has working in Hollywood affected you as a fiction writer?
Probably in more ways than I realize. It’s made me appreciate fiction that much more; the terse, highly-structured format of screenplays certainly rolled over into my fiction style; and it sure made me realize how pleasant and thoughtful most horror fiction writers are!
4. Out of everything you have ever written, what work are you proudest about?
That’s hard to say because I’m proud of different things for different reasons. I’m proud, for example, of The Halloween Encyclopedia because of the two solid years of research work that went into it. I’m proud of my first novel Netherworld (which was not my first published novel – that was The Castle of Los Angeles) because up until then I wasn’t sure I could write a full novel. And I’m proud of my recent novella Summer’s End because I feel like I took some big chances with it, and even if they don’t pay off, at least I tried something risky and different.
5. Who is your favorite writer?
I have different favorites in different genres. I think the first writer I really loved was Theodore Sturgeon, but my favorite science fiction writer now is Philip K. Dick. My favorite horror writer is Dennis Etchison, my favorite graphic novelist is Alan Moore, and my favorite mystery author is James M. Cain. My favorite non-fiction writer is probably currently Barbara Ehrenreich.
6. What type of scenes do you most enjoy writing?
It’s hard to get more intense than scenes in which characters are confronted with the immediate possibility of their own deaths. One novel of mine (and I won’t give the title away here, so no spoiler alert needed!) even has the protagonist experience death, and it was one of the strangest and most affecting (for me, at least) things I’ve ever written.
7. What made you start writing?
I’m not sure. I’ve been writing my whole life; but I’ve also been an avid (and even, for a brief while, professional) photographer forever, so I think both writing and photography appeal to me as attempts to capture little snapshots of life and lock them down.
8. To what do you attribute your fascination with Halloween?
It transforms things we’re afraid of – death, darkness, masks, the coming winter – into objects of play and whimsy. And it involves lots of chocolate.
9. Is there any subject that is off limits for you as a writer?
Probably not. There are things I could say, like excessive cruelty towards an animal…but if I was writing something that I thought called for it, I’d try to find some way to do it that didn’t seem gratuitous.
10. If you could invite five people to a dinner party (alive or dead, real or fictional) who would you invite?
Well, Phil Dick’s a given. Maybe the early French filmmaker Georges Melies, because I’ve always been fascinated by him. I’d like to know once and for all if Jim Morrison was an articulate poet or just a pretentious dopehead. For my fictional character, I’ve got to say Emma Peel. And for a real, living human being: I’ll confess to a lifelong crush on David Lynch, whom I’ve only glimpsed from afar.
July 21, 2013
Movie Review: This is the End
I don’t typically catch many comedies at the theater, but the trailers for This is the End looked outrageously funny. Often times comedies don’t live up to the billing because the best scenes are in the trailers, but This is the End absolutely lived up to its billing and then some. Starring a bunch of young Hollywood actors playing themselves, a house warming party is going on at James Franco’s house just as the apocalypse is about to go down. When all hell breaks loose, a group of survivors including Seth Rogan and Jonas Hill barricade themselves into Franco’s house. They have a limited amount of supplies and have to survive each other and the apocalypse.
This movie is raunchy and irreverent. The actors portray themselves in the worst light possible and have no problem poking fun at themselves. So many of the scenes are over the top and outrageous, and it all fits the movie well. Some of my favorite scenes included when the guys inside of the house are kicking around a decapitated head, and when Emma Watson breaks into the house and later breaks out of the house wielding an axe. The writing in this movie is excellent and scene after scene is funny. There was even some cool FX that you don’t normally find in a comedy. If you are not easily offended, this is a movie that I would highly recommend.
This movie is raunchy and irreverent. The actors portray themselves in the worst light possible and have no problem poking fun at themselves. So many of the scenes are over the top and outrageous, and it all fits the movie well. Some of my favorite scenes included when the guys inside of the house are kicking around a decapitated head, and when Emma Watson breaks into the house and later breaks out of the house wielding an axe. The writing in this movie is excellent and scene after scene is funny. There was even some cool FX that you don’t normally find in a comedy. If you are not easily offended, this is a movie that I would highly recommend.
July 20, 2013
The Samhanach by Lisa Morton
The Sahmanach is a Halloween tale that spans three hundred years and two continents. Merran McCafferty is celebrating Halloween with her daughter when she finds an old manuscript that tells of a tale of her family from 300 hundred years ago, when a man called a monster in Scotland to attack members of the family. Since then, every hundred years, the Sahmanach has been taking children from the direct descendants of the McCafferty family. This is when Merran realizes that her daughter is next. When Sahmanach abducts Merran’s daughter, she must go to the land in between to retrieve her.
Lisa Morton’s prose is tightly written and intense. The plot is sound, and the mythos that she explores is interesting. It was a captivating Halloween tale. I liked how the story flowed between present and past. The transition was fairly seamless. My only real criticism was that I thought the story could be enhanced if it was longer. The ending in particular seemed a bit rushed. More exploration of the mythos and some additional flashbacks could have aided the story. All the same, this is an enjoyable tale that I would recommend to fans of horror and Halloween.
Lisa Morton’s prose is tightly written and intense. The plot is sound, and the mythos that she explores is interesting. It was a captivating Halloween tale. I liked how the story flowed between present and past. The transition was fairly seamless. My only real criticism was that I thought the story could be enhanced if it was longer. The ending in particular seemed a bit rushed. More exploration of the mythos and some additional flashbacks could have aided the story. All the same, this is an enjoyable tale that I would recommend to fans of horror and Halloween.
July 15, 2013
Blood Street Blog Tour Stop 12: Guest Post on The Vampire Book Realm
On the next stop of my Blood Street blog tour is a guest post I wrote about my vampires in my novel Blood Street on The Vampire Book Realm at http://www.vampirebookrealm.com/1/pos...
July 13, 2013
10 Questions with Tim Marquitz
Which character in Dawn of War do you most identify with?
TM: I think Arrin is the character I most identify with. He’s caught up in his head, the past tearing at him, and that’s how I was for a very long time growing up. He can’t see what he has for what he’s lost, forcing himself to go on for some imagined life that’s long turned to ash.
It’s easy for me to identify with Arrin as he’s braver than he is smart. He doesn’t want to dwell but he can’t help it. When the time for action comes, he throws himself at it without fear or rationalizing what he’s getting into. That was me for quite a few years. I wanted to hurt, to make others hurt. That’s when I was happiest, and that’s much how Arrin is. He goes to war so he can feel something.
2. How has your interest in mixed martial arts influenced your writing?
TM: It’s definitely made me more cognizant of the fight scenes. While I glitched a visual in Armageddon Bound (something you pointed out to me,) I think the mechanics of MMA are how I approach all of my melee fight scenes. The mix of styles allows me to match them up and make adjustments as I write, and that gives me a better foundation, I believe, for the movements the fighters are performing.
There’s little of the flying through the air, acrobatic or cinematic attacks because I understand the limitations of all that thanks to MMA and my experiences. Ultimately, I believe it adds a sense of realism to the fights.
3. f you could choose a current actor to play your character Arrin in Dawn of War, who would you choose?
hugh jackman
TM: Hmm, that’s a tough question. I’m sure there are a lot of lesser known actors who could fit the bill and do justice to Arrin, but I think someone like Hugh Jackman would work. He’s got that rugged appearance and pulled off Wolverine perfectly, so I can see him playing Arrin.
4. Who would win in a fight in their prime, Bruce Lee or UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva?
Bruce Lee
TM: The problem with a question like this is the time between their respective reigns. Bruce Lee as he would be today, if he survived, would be destroyed by Silva. Age and wear and tear would put Bruce at a huge disadvantage. Anderson would put him away, sadly.
Now, if we were to even things out a bit and say both fought at their primes, I would still pick Silva to win. His reach, size, and speed advantages, the benefits of fighting history and experience (all the techniques learned and imagined in the years since Bruce Lee’s passing) all lean in Silva’s favor.
anderson silva
There’s just been too much of an evolution in styles for Bruce to compete in this era of MMA against someone like Anderson Silva, who has reaped the benefit of all that Bruce had to offer.
5. If you had to define yourself as the writer of a single genre, which would you choose?
TM: I would say dark fantasy. While I hop the fence over to horror on occasion, the vast majority of what I write is fantasy, just with a darker tint to it.
6. In your Blood War series, why did you choose to employ your own races of characters such as the Grol instead of more traditional fantasy races such as dwarves, elves, etc.?
TM: I went into the trilogy wanting to do something different. While it would have been easy to create a book using the standard racial stereotypes, I feel that confines a story, a race, to those stereotypes to some degree no matter how different you make them. People have expectations when they hear the words elf or dwarf. They have none when they hear the word Grol, because I made it up. It allows me more freedom to define the interactions and racial development when I’m building a race of people from the ground up, so to speak.
7. What is the strangest job you have ever worked?
TM: Some people might think my working at a cemetery would be the strangest job I’ve had, but it was pretty mundane. I think the strangest job I’ve had was a temp job I took way back when.
The job was to pull the batteries out of those little miniature vehicles people buy for their kids; the little Barbie Jeeps and whatnot. Imagine a warehouse like in Indiana Jones, literally piled to the roof with Jeeps and trucks and cars, all bright pink and green, and having to work your way through each one.
There were like five of us there, so we were all off in our little corners, tugging toy cars down from the pile. I could hear the constant thump and crash of them hitting the floor as I yanked batteries out and lugged my load to the mouth of a waiting eighteen wheeler where we stuffed the carcasses inside. It was very surreal.
8. What’s the greatest moment in your writing career?
TM: This is a question where the answer continues to evolve, especially given my relatively new status in writing. What was the best moment last month is invariably second greatest this month because something new and exciting has happened.
My first most exciting moment was being published, followed by my first review, and then landing an agent six months after Armageddon bound came out. Getting to discuss the possibility of my books ending up as movies with a couple of movie producers was next in line. Having Clive Barker follow me on Twitter before he decided to embrace social media was an amazing moment.
And then there was me striking out on my own, then landing a new publisher, and then another after that, and being able to see my hard work pay off. Ending up in a couple of anthologies with big names was another high moment amidst the whole.
In the end, I think every moment of this journey is the greatest, each one feeding into the next.
9. If you were walking through a bad neighborhood, and you could choose someone to watch your back, real or fictional, alive or dead, who would you choose?
TM: Chuck Liddell, pre-Rampage II. Man, he was a terror, walking his opponents down and standing in the pocket, wading through punches and winging his own. That’s the guy I’d want at my back.
10. What made you start writing?
TM: The fluffy answer is that I always enjoyed writing and making stories up, song lyrics, poems, etc. That said, though, it was more an ego thing. I’m not competitive, for the most part. I kind of go about my life and I don’t worry what other folks are doing. But one day at the cemetery, a buddy of mine claimed he’d written a novel. Not knowing anything about writing a novel, I called bullshit. He brought it in the next day.
While it was hardly Stephen King, it was exactly what he’d said it was: a finished novel. Something in me just snapped at seeing it. I’d spent my whole life dreaming and imagining new worlds and had never sat down to create them in any meaningful way, and here was this buddy who’d put ass in chair and done just that. It inspired and challenged me all the same. Right then, I vowed to write my own.
TM: I think Arrin is the character I most identify with. He’s caught up in his head, the past tearing at him, and that’s how I was for a very long time growing up. He can’t see what he has for what he’s lost, forcing himself to go on for some imagined life that’s long turned to ash.
It’s easy for me to identify with Arrin as he’s braver than he is smart. He doesn’t want to dwell but he can’t help it. When the time for action comes, he throws himself at it without fear or rationalizing what he’s getting into. That was me for quite a few years. I wanted to hurt, to make others hurt. That’s when I was happiest, and that’s much how Arrin is. He goes to war so he can feel something.
2. How has your interest in mixed martial arts influenced your writing?
TM: It’s definitely made me more cognizant of the fight scenes. While I glitched a visual in Armageddon Bound (something you pointed out to me,) I think the mechanics of MMA are how I approach all of my melee fight scenes. The mix of styles allows me to match them up and make adjustments as I write, and that gives me a better foundation, I believe, for the movements the fighters are performing.
There’s little of the flying through the air, acrobatic or cinematic attacks because I understand the limitations of all that thanks to MMA and my experiences. Ultimately, I believe it adds a sense of realism to the fights.
3. f you could choose a current actor to play your character Arrin in Dawn of War, who would you choose?
hugh jackman
TM: Hmm, that’s a tough question. I’m sure there are a lot of lesser known actors who could fit the bill and do justice to Arrin, but I think someone like Hugh Jackman would work. He’s got that rugged appearance and pulled off Wolverine perfectly, so I can see him playing Arrin.
4. Who would win in a fight in their prime, Bruce Lee or UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva?
Bruce Lee
TM: The problem with a question like this is the time between their respective reigns. Bruce Lee as he would be today, if he survived, would be destroyed by Silva. Age and wear and tear would put Bruce at a huge disadvantage. Anderson would put him away, sadly.
Now, if we were to even things out a bit and say both fought at their primes, I would still pick Silva to win. His reach, size, and speed advantages, the benefits of fighting history and experience (all the techniques learned and imagined in the years since Bruce Lee’s passing) all lean in Silva’s favor.
anderson silva
There’s just been too much of an evolution in styles for Bruce to compete in this era of MMA against someone like Anderson Silva, who has reaped the benefit of all that Bruce had to offer.
5. If you had to define yourself as the writer of a single genre, which would you choose?
TM: I would say dark fantasy. While I hop the fence over to horror on occasion, the vast majority of what I write is fantasy, just with a darker tint to it.
6. In your Blood War series, why did you choose to employ your own races of characters such as the Grol instead of more traditional fantasy races such as dwarves, elves, etc.?
TM: I went into the trilogy wanting to do something different. While it would have been easy to create a book using the standard racial stereotypes, I feel that confines a story, a race, to those stereotypes to some degree no matter how different you make them. People have expectations when they hear the words elf or dwarf. They have none when they hear the word Grol, because I made it up. It allows me more freedom to define the interactions and racial development when I’m building a race of people from the ground up, so to speak.
7. What is the strangest job you have ever worked?
TM: Some people might think my working at a cemetery would be the strangest job I’ve had, but it was pretty mundane. I think the strangest job I’ve had was a temp job I took way back when.
The job was to pull the batteries out of those little miniature vehicles people buy for their kids; the little Barbie Jeeps and whatnot. Imagine a warehouse like in Indiana Jones, literally piled to the roof with Jeeps and trucks and cars, all bright pink and green, and having to work your way through each one.
There were like five of us there, so we were all off in our little corners, tugging toy cars down from the pile. I could hear the constant thump and crash of them hitting the floor as I yanked batteries out and lugged my load to the mouth of a waiting eighteen wheeler where we stuffed the carcasses inside. It was very surreal.
8. What’s the greatest moment in your writing career?
TM: This is a question where the answer continues to evolve, especially given my relatively new status in writing. What was the best moment last month is invariably second greatest this month because something new and exciting has happened.
My first most exciting moment was being published, followed by my first review, and then landing an agent six months after Armageddon bound came out. Getting to discuss the possibility of my books ending up as movies with a couple of movie producers was next in line. Having Clive Barker follow me on Twitter before he decided to embrace social media was an amazing moment.
And then there was me striking out on my own, then landing a new publisher, and then another after that, and being able to see my hard work pay off. Ending up in a couple of anthologies with big names was another high moment amidst the whole.
In the end, I think every moment of this journey is the greatest, each one feeding into the next.
9. If you were walking through a bad neighborhood, and you could choose someone to watch your back, real or fictional, alive or dead, who would you choose?
TM: Chuck Liddell, pre-Rampage II. Man, he was a terror, walking his opponents down and standing in the pocket, wading through punches and winging his own. That’s the guy I’d want at my back.
10. What made you start writing?
TM: The fluffy answer is that I always enjoyed writing and making stories up, song lyrics, poems, etc. That said, though, it was more an ego thing. I’m not competitive, for the most part. I kind of go about my life and I don’t worry what other folks are doing. But one day at the cemetery, a buddy of mine claimed he’d written a novel. Not knowing anything about writing a novel, I called bullshit. He brought it in the next day.
While it was hardly Stephen King, it was exactly what he’d said it was: a finished novel. Something in me just snapped at seeing it. I’d spent my whole life dreaming and imagining new worlds and had never sat down to create them in any meaningful way, and here was this buddy who’d put ass in chair and done just that. It inspired and challenged me all the same. Right then, I vowed to write my own.
July 9, 2013
Blood Street Blog Tour Stop 11: The Vampires of Blood Street on Vampire Book Realm
On the next stop of my Blood Street blog tour is a guest post I wrote about my vampires in my novel Blood Street on The Vampire Book Realm at http://www.vampirebookrealm.com/1/pos...
July 2, 2013
Dawn of War by Tim Marquitz
Dawn of War is the introduction to Tim Marquitz’s epic fantasy Blood War Trilogy. The central plot line involves a race of monstrous creatures known as the Grol. Previously, they had not been a serious threat to the inhabitants of their world, but through the capture of ancient relics, they have newfound power that makes them not only formidable, but almost unbeatable. Arrin, a disgraced warrior from the land of Lathah, goes to warn his people about the dangers that they face, but the prince of Lathah has a hatred for Arrin and ignores him. In years past the Sha’ree, an ancient and powerful race, would have been able to stop the Grol, but the Sha’ree are dying and now members of various races must unite to stop the Grol.
This novel is a distinct departure in terms of tone and style from Marquitz’s Demon War series, so much so, that it doesn’t even read like the same author. This novel has a more serious tone and tends to be a bit more gritty. The novel has a slow build filled with intrigue from the beginning. The big battle doesn’t come until the very end of the novel and the pace is just about right. There is a large ensemble of characters, which was fairly easy to navigate. The various races, which don’t fit typical epic fantasy categories, can be a bit unwieldy to keep track of and left me confused from time to time. The characters are well-developed. Despite the flaws of some of the protagonists, they are the kind that you want to root for. The writing is top-notch. As expected with the first entry of a trilogy, nothing is resolved in this novel, but the setup is there for the next book in the series, which I eagerly anticipate reading. A must read for fans of epic fantasy.
This novel is a distinct departure in terms of tone and style from Marquitz’s Demon War series, so much so, that it doesn’t even read like the same author. This novel has a more serious tone and tends to be a bit more gritty. The novel has a slow build filled with intrigue from the beginning. The big battle doesn’t come until the very end of the novel and the pace is just about right. There is a large ensemble of characters, which was fairly easy to navigate. The various races, which don’t fit typical epic fantasy categories, can be a bit unwieldy to keep track of and left me confused from time to time. The characters are well-developed. Despite the flaws of some of the protagonists, they are the kind that you want to root for. The writing is top-notch. As expected with the first entry of a trilogy, nothing is resolved in this novel, but the setup is there for the next book in the series, which I eagerly anticipate reading. A must read for fans of epic fantasy.
June 29, 2013
Blood Street Blog Tour Stop 10: The Shadowy World of Vampires and the Mafia on Chapter by Chapter
On the next stop of my Blood Street blog tour is a guest post about the Shadowy World of Vampires and the Mafia on Chapter by Chapter at http://www.chapter-by-chapter.com/blo...
