Abhirup Dutta's Blog

Winter Work & New Release

90%.

That is where I was stuck in my novel.

The character arcs all came together. The plot twists had been revealed. Now, all that needed to be done was the epic final battle and its aftermath. But this was the moment I hit writer’s block. I tried powering through it during NaNoWriMo but ended up writing under par.

Meanwhile, outside, winter had arrived here in Toronto, and with it, a seasonal change of moods—both in the weather and the mind. It was cold, stormy, and chaotic. Bone-chilling winds washed over from both sides—the Arctics in the North and the Great Lakes in the South. No amount of hot tea, mittens, or fireplace sounds could overcome the sense of bleakness.

It was on one such day that I went outside when it started to snow amid music from Carol singers. I remembered that writing was once enjoyable. I had to stop hyper-focusing on this “goal” and instead see what else was interesting to write.

And then I found it. While researching my novel, I had written a few independent short stories set in my fantasy world. Some of my best work came when I enjoyed doing them, and these brought back memories. I didn’t want to hide them away. I decided to find a place for them in a book.

I sat down for this new project, deciding to become its editor and publisher. I scavenged all these stories from older document files. I then polished them, proofread them, and formatted them. I also designed a cover page. I then published them on Amazon. Soon, Goodreads automatically picked it up, granting me an author page.

I have just realized that sometimes, just like winter can be beautiful in its own way, our path in the creative journey can pass through new possibilities as well.

The result of this—’ A Scribe of Devarka’— is out on Amazon.

Preview/Buy on Amazon US or Amazon CA.

Happy Autumn, Winter, and a New Year!!

Book Critique: The Last Phi Hunter

The Last Phi Hunter is a Thai-inspired dark fantasy novel written by Salinee Goldenberg, published in 2024.

The following (in italics) is paraphrased from the Goodreads summary –

Ex, the youngest member of the Phi Hunters Order, is determined to hunt down Shar-Ala, – who has eluded even the masters. Arinya, a charming fighter, saves him from an ass-kicking, despite being nine months pregnant. In return, she asks him to escort her through the dangerous, spirit-filled forest. But as more of Arinya’s secrets emerge, and the elusive demon nears, Ex must face dangers from both men and monsters.

Here is the link to my Goodreads review from a reader’s perspective – https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6847252202

In this post, I focus on my takeaways from a writer’s perspective –

Never judge a book by its cover? – Unfortunately in the publishing world, this is not true. In a time when every book cover features realistic models, AI-generated over-cluttered images or worse – photographs of movie-adaptations, this cover really stands out from the pile. Not only does it have a unique stylization, the shining golden borders immediately reminds one of Thai temples and palaces. As authors, picking the right type of cover-art is essential and this one is perfect.

Character-development and world-building –

One aspect of the book I didn’t like was how throughout most of the book, we get only glimpses of world-building and nothing beyond. The focus is always on the immediate dangers to Ex and Arinya as they make their way through the woods and small-towns. So, we have a fast-paced plot with action and character interactions with each other …. and that’s it, with world-building taking a backseat, until the last few pages of the book.

So, are these a zero-sum game?

Or, can we do this together at the same time? Yes, we can – if the characters wonder about the wider world, interact with it, have opinions of it – or better – have contradicting opinions on it and debate them. In that case, a character expressing views about politics, magic or history can simultaneously let the readers know of the world, but also give a glimpse into the characters’ moral compass, motivations and backstory.

Culture –

A positive element of this book is how there is a depth of culture. Rather than having characters and monsters of a conventional western story with a thin Thai “skin” applied on top, we genuinely see an authentic world that feels very “Thai.” We have people joining their hands in a wai gesture while greeting, taking their shoes off while entering homes, and having their inns blessed with the prayers of the Sangha to ward off evil spirits.

But of course the best part of it all is the food. It is clear the author considers food to be an important part of the world, and there is a lot of effort put into describing spicy noodles and various other delicacies. Food and clothing are becoming important in fantasy novels in modern times and these help create a deeper world that feels lush and textured.

Action vs Breathing Space –

Stories need to be fast-paced, and this book does that extremely well. At every turn of the journey, there is a new revelation, a new danger, or a new goal. However, there isn’t enough breathing space, so your attention keeps wandering, and the whole structure feels like a video game – of just walking through a linear maze and fighting one enemy after the other.

Consider Hitchcock’s B0mb under the Table analysis –

“Let us suppose that there is a b0mb underneath this table between us. Nothing happens, and then all of a sudden, “Boom!” There is an explosion. The public is surprised, but prior to this surprise, it has seen an absolutely ordinary scene, of no special consequence. Now, let us take a suspense situation. The b0mb is underneath the table and the public knows it…In these conditions this same innocuous conversation becomes fascinating because the public is participating in the secret.“

The original intent of the scene was to describe suspense. But I think it also shows the importance of how quieter moments can be used to heighten the tension, instead of just random enemies and obstacles just coming after you one after another. Sometimes knowing what is coming next and anticipation of that creates better intensity when the action scene finally arrives.

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Lastly, I think an extremely good aspect of this book is how “lived” the world feels like. What does this mean? It means the world is not “static” but rather has changed and evolved.

In this story, we learn that before human-beings dominated the land, the Kingdom of Suyoram had Venaras (monkey-like divine beings) and Makaras? (Crocodile-like divine beings). The Capital City has underground tunnels that were built by crocodile-beings many eons ago. Also, the Capital, despite having important monuments to old magic – is increasingly becoming a modern city, and as magic is fading from it, people who dabble in magic are retreating to the woods. Similarly, we have competing faiths – the Necromancers, The Sangha and the Phi-Hunters whose position in society has gone up and down under different regimes in the past.

As world-builders, incorporating a changing world makes it feel more realistic. Our town’s market could be held in ruins of what was a former palace, before a violent regime change. Though the kingdom’s produce is silk, the sigil on its flag is a fish, back from when it was a fishing region before the rivers dried up. Not only do details like this enrich our story, it also creates a sense of overarching suspense – that even the current status-quo may not last, and can change in the future. Villages can turn to cities and cities can turn to ruins. Kingdoms and empires can rise and fall. Nothing is guaranteed.

Book Critique: Beneath the World, a Sea

Beneath the World, a Sea is a science-fiction psychological thriller written by Chris Beckett and first published in 2019.

The following paragraph (in italics) contains extracts from the Goodreads introduction –

… a British police officer, arrives in a mysterious forest to investigate a spate of killings of a local species called the Duendes. They are silent, vaguely humanoid creatures … that have a strange psychic effect on people, exposing them to their suppressed thoughts and fears … He becomes fascinated by the Duendes, but the closer he gets, the more he begins to unravel …

Here is the link to my Goodreads review from a reader’s perspective – https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5822457419

In this post, I focus on my takeaways from a writer’s perspective –

The strongest pillar of this book for me was its world-building. The story is set in the deep forests of South America where an entirely new type of life and ecosystem has been discovered. There are leaves of “plants” that are purple, there are “butterfly-like creatures”, and of course, the Duendes – who are vaguely humanoid creatures such that physical proximity to them can trigger extreme anxiety and psychological breakdown in human beings. This leads to the local tribal community – the Mundinos – to hunt them, and our protagonist is sent to investigate (and stop) these killings.

Now, as a writer, world-building can be a challenge. Where to draw the line between not enough world-building versus too much? How can we avoid not having a compelling world, while also not excessively drowning the reader in so many details that they get bored? This book walks the line extremely well.

The author gives an overall background of the world – that it is a whole ecosystem which is a result of different building blocks of life. But at the same time, the author doesn’t bother to explain most things, and instead focuses on the one plot-relevant species in this ecosystem – the Duendes – alone. Also, a clever way to avoid being “too science-y” is to simply say – even the scientists are baffled. They know as much as you or me. While they are researching with great effort, their understanding is still in its infancy. Another option is go the route of Annihilation – where the scientists’ research is top-secret and even our POV characters have no access to them. Using either option, we can avoid having to give our readers elaborate scientific explanations and leave things unexplained.

Also, rather than keeping things to physical descriptions, there is also commentary on how it affects the POV character. This not only makes the writing richer, but also is a way to do simultaneous worldbuilding and character development – aka, hitting two Duendes with one stone. (I apologize, Duendes are actually cute, and no violence is intended against them).

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Now, comes the negative, or what we, as writers can learn to avoid from this book.

While the characters and how they are psychologically affected by the setting is brilliant, there is a significant difference between what is promised in the beginning and what we get in the end.

Towards the end of the book, the story changes from being a slow-burn mystery about Duende-killings to psychological horror where the characters begin to unravel into insanity. While this is brilliantly done, there lies a problem – the story in the end – becomes about the characters, especially the main character, and the bigger questions are not answered.

But at the beginning of the book, we are told about how the scientists are trying to unravel the mystery of what Duendes are and geopolitical agencies are trying to figure out a peaceful solution between Duendes and the local human tribes – the Mundinos. The end doesn’t give a closure on either front, and this is where it annoyed me as a reader.

Fantasy author and podcaster Brandon Sanderson says that the structure of a plot should be based on 3 Ps –

PromiseProgressPayoffs

You make a promise at the beginning of the book, you show progress towards this promise, and at the end, there is a payoff linked to that promise. In case of this book, one might argue that the real story is about the characters’ psychology, not the Duendos or the larger Delta ecosystem. However, if that is the case, then that needs to be communicated at the beginning of the story. As a writer, we should not promise one thing in the beginning of the story (“Scientists are figuring out what Duendes are”) and then end it with an unrelated conclusion (“This is what our protagonists’ psychology is.”). The end should answer the questions the beginning is answering. And if the question is not to be answered, then don’t ask the question – do NOT make the promise.

What do you think? Do you enjoy books that start as one thing and become a different thing by the end? Does that add to the thrill, or does it end up being unsatisfying? And where do you draw the line between worldbuilding too much and too little?

Eastern vs Western Fantasy Tropes

I have been thinking about how Western and Eastern fantasy differ in their common tropes. Here, by Western fantasy, I refer to fantasy stories based on medieval Europe, inspired by Arthurian legends, Beowulf etc. and modern stories like Lord of the Rings and A Song of Ice and Fire and games like Dungeons and Dragons.

“Eastern Fantasy” can refer to many cultures, but for the present purpose, I am limiting to Chinese fantasy, influenced by Journey to the West, and today being popular in the Wuxia/Xianxia series like Legend of Condor Heroes or The Untamed as well as Chinese-influenced Western media like Kung Fu Panda or Avatar: The Last Airbender.

Mei – The ‘Blind’ Dancer – House of Flying Daggers

The first distinct difference I notice is that in the ‘Sword and Sorcery’ genre, Western Fantasy separates the “Sword” and the “Sorcery” into two separate “Character classes”. Some characters are sword-wielding, while others are wand-waving – the Knight and the Mage. In Eastern Fantasy, both physical combat and magic are related to extensions of Qi (Chi) cultivation. So someone starts out learning Kung Fu with basic physical moves, but as they reach higher levels, their powers become more and more magical.

Another important difference is the reason behind why someone becomes a mage. In Western Fantasy, the farm-boy is a dragon-rider because he happens to be a long-lost royal prince of special bloodline. Magic is (generally) inherited. In Eastern Fantasy, magical lineage continues along the axis of Teacher-Student. A student goes to some cultivation school in the mountains, and meditates for six years in a cave and comes out figuring some special magical technique.

Regarding bloodline, Western Fantasy always has monogamy within royalty and nobility and hence, succession claims and illegitimacy are often influenced by this, while in Eastern Fantasy, polygamy and multiple wives and concubines are common and their children are considered legitimate. Chinese fantasy often has “unusual” heroes, like a woman, an older person, a disabled person or a thief, beggar or a drunk. There is a trope of someone seeming to be harmless, but suddenly revealed to be a great master. And of course, lastly, there is a difference in how dragons and other large beasts are treated. The Chinese Dragon or “Long” is a different creature – not beastly, but rather sapient and wise, though equally dangerous, and other large magical beasts like giant snakes, turtles or phoenixes get similar treatment.

Daenerys Targaryen – Dragons Hatched – A Game of Thrones

Today, the fantasy genre is expanding to other cultures as well, like Indian (The Jasmine Throne), Middle-Eastern (The City of Brass), African (Children of Blood and Bone), Indigenous-American (Gods of Jade and Shadow) and Eastern European (The Witcher Series). Newer fantasy tropes are often inspired, not only by mythology and legends of each culture, but also different storytelling styles and the hopes and fears of each community. Moving forward, it would be interesting to see cross-pollination of different fantasy tropes in upcoming works.

Lessons for Beginners

I am a new author and have published a few short stories. Here are a few lessons I learned while starting to take up writing beyond personal enjoyment –

Write about things that genuinely fascinate you. Yes, the consumerist aspect of writing is a reality, but that always comes second. The writers’ love and passion is always visible in our work.We should read works related to our interest which already exist. And then, we can choose the niche areas where we can bring in value. What is a work you want to read, but doesn’t exist?Spend efforts on feedback – with beta-readers, critique groups and sensitivity readers.Target your work towards specialized publications whose content and style match with yours, to maximize your acceptance chances.You must take your own work seriously, otherwise no one else will. Writing is not some random thing in our back-pocket – it is something we have put effort into, and we owe our own work and ourselves that dignity. If you have written something with effort and diligence, you are a writer. You are an author.

Hope these help you and all the best for your writing career!