Alex C. Telander's Blog, page 22

February 4, 2016

“Saturn Run” by John Sandford and Ctein (G. P. Putnam and Sons, 2015)




When authors switch genres, it can be a risky move, both for the writer and the readers. John Sandford is a very well known thriller writer, particular for his numerous Prey novels, as well as other thrillers. But one thing Sandford has clearly proven to his readers: he can spin a good yarn.


In Saturn Run, along with some help from Ctein, Sandford has created an epic work of science fiction that is gripping with every turn of the page, filled with scientific details that are well researched, and an original science fiction plot that has elements that have been done time and time again in the genre, and yet feature a story completely new, fascinating and compelling.


The year is 2066. A Caltech intern who is pretty much where he is because of money and his family notices something unusual on the monitor attached to a space telescope: something is approaching Saturn and it’s decelerating. Thus begins the first part of the novel, as a bunch of important people at various levels of the government get together and decide what the hell they’re going to do about this historic information. Also are they going to tell the rest of the world or keep it a secret? Which begs the question: who else saw what they saw and what sort of head start do they have?


Then the race is on to get a crew together and get them to Saturn as quick as possible to find what out what’s going on. China is close behind with their own mission in the works. This is where Sandford’s skill as a thriller writer comes into play as the reader gets page-by-page addictive action with the two countries putting their missions together, launching their vessels, and racing to the finish line.


The final part of Saturn Run is just as enthralling as the rest of the book, as the reader learns what is going on at distant Saturn and what the fall out of it all is going to be. Perhaps having a mystery writer tackling a science fiction book brings a whole new set of ideas and tools to the genre, because there is nothing predictable or conveniently-plotted and easily solvable in Saturn Run, making the reader thoroughly entertained from start to finish.


Originally written on January 17, 2015 ©Alex C. Telander.


To purchase a copy of Saturn Run from Amazon, and help support BookBanter, click HERE.


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Published on February 04, 2016 08:00

February 2, 2016

Book News: Magical Secrets at 4 Privet Drive, Haunting Podcasts, Lost Beatrix Potter Found & More!

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Oscar Time

The ultimate guide to the Oscars for book lovers.


American Gods Update

The important character of Shadow has been cast for the TV adaptation of the Neil Gaiman bestseller.


Get Your Fear On

Three “pee-your-pants” horror podcasts you won’t want to miss.


[read more . . .]


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Published on February 02, 2016 08:00

January 30, 2016

“The Marvels” by Brian Selznick (Scholastic Press, 2015)




Brian Selznick’s two previous works of incredible illustrated historical fiction (The Inventory of Hugo Cabret and Wonderstruck) revealed his talent for creating this new genre and art form, as indicated by their bestsellerdom and garnered awards. In The Marvels, he does the same thing again, making the reader anxious to get to the end to find what is fact and what is fiction, and what is the whole story behind everything . . . But at the same time they want to savor every page and never want it to end.


The Marvels is a book of two stories. The first is told almost completely in continuous imagery, a flickering movie-like effect of the boy Billy Marvel in 1766 who survives a devastating shipwreck and begins work at a London theatre. Then the reader gets to enjoy the Marvel family through the generations and the many great actors that are spawned until young Leontes Marvel who wants nothing to do with the stage.


In the other story, nearly a century later, Joseph Jervis has run away from school and home and is looking for his uncle in London to stay with for a while and get away from everything. When he finds his uncle, he convinces him to let him stay in the wonderfully unusual house of Albert Nightingale which is kind of a combination of Hearst Castle and Winchester Mystery house, filled with wonders and delights, along with some spooky artifacts that all tell of the great history of the Marvel family.


If The Invention of Hugo Cabret was a tale of history, and Wonderstruck was a tale of love, then The Marvels is a thrilling mystery tale that you won’t be able to put down.


Originally written on January 17, 2016 ©Alex C. Telander.


To purchase a copy of The Marvels from Amazon, and help support BookBanter, click HERE.


You might also like . . .


 



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Published on January 30, 2016 08:00

January 28, 2016

Writing Goals for 2016

This year I’m expecting something to happen which will lessen my job work and give me more free time to do things like write. The problem is while I’m pretty sure this thing is going to happen in 2016, I have no idea when. So for now – and I know I say this every year I set my writing goals – I’m going to keep it short and sweet for goals with hopes of completing them all.



Olague: My novel Olague is going to be my main writing focus for the year. I’d like to throw out something like “get half the book written” or even a third, but I know this is neither likely nor feasible with my current work and life schedule (of course, if the above thing happens that was hinted at that will change things a little). So I’m just going to say: get more writing done with Olague. Even if it’s just another chapter, at least something; though I hope it’ll be a lot more than one additional chapter.
Stories: I’ve got two short story ideas kicking around in the noggin that I jotted down a few notes for in case they disappear entirely from my head. I’d like to get those two stories written in some form this year.
Submit Stories: Continue submitting stories for publication each month, including editing and getting the long story that was written in 2015 submitted to at least one publication by the end of the year.
Ostium : This is my podcast series I’m working on with a friend. The first episode script is written and ready and now it’s just a case of getting it recorded. For 2016, I’d like to get the first episode recorded and ready, and the scripts for the second and third episodes written.
BONUS: So here’s a bonus goal, should I need something extra to work on. My novel White Horse is completed in first draft and has been waiting for some editing for a few years now, but I’ve never quite found the time to get around to it. I think the reason for this is because I felt it wasn’t quite right as the novel that it is. It’s taken me a while to figure out what this means and I think I finally have. I originally started the book as a novella, but then it grew into a novel. Now thinking on it for the last few years, while it was fun and interesting writing the whole book, I believe it still wants to be a novella, and needs to get edited down to that. So that can be the extra credit project for the year.

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Published on January 28, 2016 08:00

January 26, 2016

Book News: Rickman’s Literary Roles, African Comic Creators, Book Obsessions & More!

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Rickman’s Bookish Roles 

In memory of the great Alan Rickman, here are some of his more “literary” roles.


The X-Files 

With the return of this fantastic show, here are some recommended titles to get you in the “I Want to Believe” mood.


City of Mirrors Trailer 

There’s a cool new book trailer for the conclusion to Justin Cronin’s post-apocalyptic vampire trilogy.


[read more . . .]


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Published on January 26, 2016 08:00

January 21, 2016

Review of 2015 Writing Goals

So let’s take a look at how well I held to my writing goals for 2015, which can often be interesting since work and babies and life often tends to get in the way. I’ve copied my listed goals that I posted February 5, 2015. And my 2016 review commentary is below each section in red.


Olague: Complete some beginning writing with my novel Olague. I’m still working on research, plotting and characterization, but my goal is to have some piece of writing to start off the novel completed by the end of the year, whether it’s the start of the first chapter, or the prologue, or something to kick off the novel. Ideally, I’d love to work on Olague for Nanowrimo, but with how busy my life is these days with a taxing job and a toddler, that isn’t very likely. But I hope to have most of the planning side of the novel done and some writing begun by the time the year is out, and then to get stuck into some heavy writing come 2016.


So Nanowrimo for Olague didn’t happen, unsurprisingly. I’m not sure if I’ll ever get another opportunity to do Nanowrimo again, at least in the near future with things like the aforementioned work, life and children. As much as I love writing, I won’t sacrifice time with my son for it. We’ll just have to deal.


Getting back to the writing goal. I did get all my research and outlining done and in the fall I got started with some writing. And then the Christmas season hit and my work days all of a sudden became 10-12 hours long and exhausting. However, I did get 4442 words of the manuscript written and completed the prologue and started chapter one, which I hope to be getting back to real soon, maybe even next week! So . . .


GOAL ACHIEVED!


Ostium: I’ve had this podcast series project that I’ve been kicking around for the last six months. The first draft of the first episode is written and needs to get finished up and polished and then I’d love to get the first episode recorded and released by the end of the year.


This didn’t really happen. I did get a number of rewrites done on the first episode and get it to my satisfied finished edit, as well as outlining the rest of the series to some degree. Now it’s a case of getting the person to do the recording and start working on the finer details once it’s recorded. I’d like to have the first episode recorded and ready by summer or early fall, but because I’m depending on another person, it definitely makes things a little trickier. But I’m really happy with the shape the project took and where it’s headed. So . . .


GOAL SEMI-ACHIEVED.


Write Stories: My goal for the year is to get two short stories written. I got one started late last year that I want to get completed and maybe edited and start submitting by the end of the year. And then I’ve got another story idea I’ve been wanting to get down for the last couple of years and I feel 2015 is the year I’m actually going to write the sucker. Here’s hoping.


2015 was the not the year that I wrote that sucker in question down. But the other one I started grew and grew and grew and surpassed the 10,000 word mark, so technically it’s like three short stories in one. I was really happy with how the lengthy story turned out and this spring I plan to start editing and doing further drafts with plans to start submitting it in the fall. So . . .


GOAL SEMI-ACHIEVED.


Submit Stories: Continue submitting stories all around and lets see if we can get another one published somewhere.


This I did continuously throughout the year. Sadly, no takers. And it’s been really disappointing to see the lack of response at least with a plain rejection so I know I can submit the story elsewhere. I’ve had to wait three months and decide that’s a rejection and move on from there. This is definitely true for submitting mainstream fiction. But I’m sure it’s just the way things are now in the publishing world.


GOAL ACHIEVED!


Bookbanter: It’s time the Bookbanter page had a bit of a face-lift and a new look. I’ve had the same theme on there since I started the WordPress page, so it’s time for a new look and to present access to my writing first and foremost, and then my reviews and interviewing, and make it all around more user friendly.


I did do this earlier on in the year, with a new masthead logo which I’m proud of, and happy with the whole look of the site, so yay!


GOAL ACHIEVED!


Facebook: It’s time for a schism of sorts. I need to separate all the writing stuff from my actual personal Facebook page. So at some point I’ll be creating a professional page on Facebook for all my writing and Bookbanter stuff and then just have my personal Facebook account for, you know, personal stuff, like pics and videos of my kid; the usual.


In short: nope. I changed my mind halfway through the year about this, so . . .


Et. Al.: Anything else I get done in relation to my writing is all pure bonus baby!


I was happy with coming up with more story ideas and really waking up the creative juices with the walking part of my work (I’m a mail carrier) and how once I let my mind run free, it came up with a lot of cool stuff. 


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Published on January 21, 2016 08:00

January 19, 2016

Book News: 2016 Highlights, del Toro Goes Dark, Book Apps & More!

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Book Present Exchange 

Not happy with another boring pair of socks you got for Christmas? How about you exchange it for a book?


Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Casting

Casting has been done for the new Harry Potter play and they were some awesome choices.


2016 Best Nonfiction 

Here’s a look at some of the best nonfiction coming out in 2016.


2016 Best Fiction 

And how about some of the fictional highlights for 2016? 


[read more . . .]


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Published on January 19, 2016 08:00

Book News: Monday, January 18, 2016 Boston Cinegeeks! Want to Win Passes for FIFTY SHADES OF BLACK? From Marlon Wayans, and the director of “A Haunted House,” “Fifty Shades Of Black” is an outrageous comedy starring Marlon Wayans in the role of Mr. Bl

76971-bookreporttelander


Book Present Exchange 

Not happy with another boring pair of socks you got for Christmas? How about you exchange it for a book?


Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Casting

Casting has been done for the new Harry Potter play and they were some awesome choices.


2016 Best Nonfiction 

Here’s a look at some of the best nonfiction coming out in 2016.


2016 Best Fiction 

And how about some of the fictional highlights for 2016? 


[read more . . .]


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Published on January 19, 2016 08:00

January 18, 2016

Bookbanter’s Shape of Things to Come

So here’s how the rest of January and some of February is going to play out in all things Bookbanter, since the month is shooting by and we have some important posts to get done. It’s going to be a busy couple of months.


January 19 – Book News


January 21 – Review of 2015 Writing Goals


January 23 – Review: The Sandman: Overture


January 26 – Book News


January 28 – Writing Goals for 2016


January 30 – Review: The Marvels


February 2 – Book News


February 4 – Review: Saturn Run


February 6 – Bookbanter’s Best Books of 2015


At this point Bookbanter will regress to the usual three-post a week schedule with a weekly book news post, 1-2 book review posts a week, along with occasional writing pieces.


In February I’ll also be debuting “King Capsules,” which will be running monthly featuring one-paragraph reviews of various Stephen King books in each “capsule.”


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Published on January 18, 2016 08:00

January 16, 2016

Books Read in 2015

And so we come once again to the end of a year and the beginning of a new one, which means it’s time to look back at what we read in the past twelve months. As a mail carrier, I got to do a lot of driving during the days of 2015 and squeezed in a lot of audiobook reading. My goal for 2015 was to get more nonfiction read, which I did, and to up my books by female authors, which I also managed to do. Unsurprisingly, my ebooks read also went up. Below is a quick tally for these three categories.


Nonfiction: 7


Books by female authors: 12


Ebooks: 14


Books read in 2014 and previous years can be found here.


 





NUMBER
TITLE
AUTHOR
GENRE
EDITION


1
Black House
Stephen King & Peter Straub
Horror
Audiobook


2
Rolling in the Deep
Mira Grant
Horror



3
The Empty Throne
Bernard Cornwell
Historical Fiction



4
The Time Traveler’s Almanac
Ann VanderMeer
Science Fiction
Ebook


5
Clariel: The Lost Abhorsen
Garth Nix
Young Adult
Audiobook


6
Symbiont
Mira Grant
Horror
Audiobook


7
Foxglove Summer
Ben Aaronovich
Fantasy
Audiobook


8
Unbound
Jim C. Hines
Fantasy
Audiobook


9
The Sculptor
Scott McCloud
Graphic Novel



10
Firefight
Brandon Sanderson
Young Adult
Audiobook


11
A Better World
Marcus Sakey
Science Fiction



12
The Screaming Staircase
Jonathan Stroud
Young Adult
Audiobook


13
Christine
Stephen King
Horror
Audiobook


14
Stranger
Rachel Manija Brown & Sherwood Smith
Young Adult
Ebook


15
Nanovision
Paul T. Harry
Science Fiction
Ebook


16
Blood Infernal
James Rollins & Rebecca Cantrell
Thriller
Audiobook


17
Trigger Warnings
Neil Gaiman
Short Stories
Audiobook


18
The Living Years
Mike Rutherford
Autobiography



19
Get in Trouble
Kelly Link
Short Stories
Audiobook


20
Darwinia
Robert Charles Wilson
Science Fiction
Audiobook


21
Blind Lake
Robert Charles Wilson
Science Fiction
Audiobook


22
Saga Volume 4
Brian K. Vaughan
Graphic Novel



23
Don’t Look Inside
Spike Black
Horror
Ebook


24
Uprooted
Naomi Novik
Fantasy



25
Mistborn: Final Empire
Brandon Sanderson
Fantasy
Audiobook


26
Less Than Hero
S. G. Browne
Fiction



27
A Tiny Tale
Olivier Cri to Coeur
Fantasy



28
The Well of Ascension
Brandon Sanderson
Fantasy
Audiobook


29
The Fold
Peter Clines
Science Fiction



30
Working for Bigfoot
Jim Butcher
Fantasy



31
The Hero of Ages
Brandon Sanderson
Fantasy
Audiobook


32
The Alloy of Law
Brandon Sanderson
Fantasy
Audiobook


33
The Atlantis Deception
Nick Thacker
Science Fiction
Ebook


34
Under the Dome
Stephen King
Horror
Audiobook


35
The Affinities
Robert Charles Wilson
Science Fiction



36
The Collapse and Recovery of Europe
Jack L. Schwartzwald
History



37
Flare
Jonathan Maas
Science Fiction



38
The Stand
Stephen King
Horror
Audiobook


39
Waterloo
Bernard Cornwell
History



40
The Skystone
Jack Whyte
Historical Fiction
Audiobook


41
Weird Tales
Lyn Murray
Horror
Ebook


42
The Wright Brothers
David McCullough
Biography
Audiobok


43
The Colorado Kid
Stephen King
Horror
Audiobook


44
The Fifth Heart
Dan Simmons
Thriller



45
Rose Madder
Stephen King
Horror
Audiobook


46
System: With His Face in the Sun
Jon A Davidson
Science Fiction



47
The Scarlet Gospels
Clive Barker
Horror



48
The Singing Sword
Jack Whyte
Historical Fiction
Audiobook


49
Waiting for the Machines to Fall
Peter Oberg
Science Fiction
Ebook


50
Finders Keepers
Stephen King
Horror



51
Four Past Midnight
Stephen King
Horror
Audiobook


52
Seveneves
Neal Stepehnson
Science Fiction
Audiobook


53
The Westing Game
Ellen Raskin
Young Adult



54
Drunken Fireworks
Stephen King
Horror
Audiobook


55
The Regulators
Stephen King
Horror
Audiobook


56
Fables Vol. 21: Happily Ever After
Bill Willingham
Graphic Novel



57
James Herriot’s Animal Stories
James Herriot
Animals



58
Different Seasons
Stephen King
Horror
Audiobook


59
Rage
Richard Bachman
Horror
Audiobook


60
Night Shift
Stephen King
Horror
Audiobook


61
Tin Men
Christopher Golden
Science Fiction
Audiobook


62
The Best Team Money Can Buy
Molly Knight
Sports



63
The Robusta Incident
Jennifer Fales
Horror
Ebook


64
Aurora
Kim Stanley Robinson
Science Fiction



65
Throttle
Stephen King
Horror
Audiobook


66
In the Tall Grass
Stephen King
Horror
Audiobook


67
Solaversia
Toby Downton
Science Fiction



68
Armada
Ernest Cline
Science Fiction



69
The Green Mile
Stephen King
Horror
Audiobook


70
Duma Key
Stephen King
Horror
Audiobook


71
Fables Vol. 22: Farewell
Bill Willingham
Graphic Novel



72
Hyperion
Dan Simmons
Science Fiction
Audiobook


73
With the Reading of
Vincent Macraven
Horror
Ebook


74
The Fall of Hyperion
Dan Simmons
Science Fiction
Audiobook


75
Roadwork
Richard Bachman
Horror
Audiobook


76
Neverwhere
Neil Gaiman
Fantasy



77
The Owl From Oblivion
Rusty A. Biesele
Fantasy



78
Shadows of Self
Brandon Sanderson
Fantasy
Ebook


79
The Running Man
Richard Bachman
Horror
Audiobook


80
Thinner
Richard Bachman
Horror
Audiobook


81
The Marvels
Brian Selznick
Young Adult



82
Endymion
Dan Simmons
Science Fiction
Audiobook


83
Siege of Praetar
David Kristoph
Science Fiction
Ebook


84
The Rise of Endymion
Dan Simmons
Science Fiction
Audiobook


85
Misery
Stephen King
Horror
Audiobook


86
The Lost Codex
Alan Jacobson
Thriller



87
The Horrible Void Between the Trenches
Dr. Clifton Wilcox
History



88
The Eyes of the Dragon
Stephen King
Horror
Audiobook


89
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell
Susanna Clarke
Fantasy
Audiobook


90
Zodiac
Neal Stephenson
Thriller
Audiobook


91
The Author
Facundo Raganato
Fiction
Ebook


92
A Tale of Two Cities
Charles Dickens
Fiction
Audiobook


93
Wind/Pinball
Haruki Murakami
Fiction



94
Two Years Eight Months and Twenty-Eight Nights
Salman Rushdie
Fantasy



95
The Paris Protection
Bryan Devore
Thriller
Ebook


96
Death Wave
Ben Bova
Science Fiction



97
Oliver Twist
Charles Dickens
Fiction
Audiobook


98
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
Washington Irving
Fiction
Audiobook


99
The Halloween Tree
Ray Bradbury
Kids
Audiobook


100
Twelve Creepy Tales
Edgar Allan Poe
Horror
Audiobook


101
Saturn Run
John Sandford
Science Fiction



102
Great Expectations
Charles Dickens
Fiction
Audiobook


103
A Wild Sheep Chase
Haruki Murakami
Fiction



104
The Pickwick Papers
Charles Dickens
Fiction
Audiobook


105
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms
George R. R. Martin
Fantasy



106
The Bazaar of Broken Dreams
Stephen King
Horror



107
The Sandman: Overture
Neil Gaiman
Graphic Novel



108
Career of Evil
Robert Galbraith
Thriller
Audiobook


109
The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus
Frank L. Baum
Holiday



110
The Last Bastion of Civilization: Japan 2041
Andrew Blencowe
Science Fiction
Ebook


111
Dead Ringers
Christopher Golden
Horror



112
A Christmas Carol
Charles Dickens
Holiday



113
Cycle of the Werewolf
Stephen King
Horror
Audiobook



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Published on January 16, 2016 08:00