Alex C. Telander's Blog, page 29
July 11, 2015
Book News: More Literary Adaptations, James Patterson Donates to School Libraries, Brazillian and Lesbian Lit & More!
Zombies!
You’ve no doubt seen your fair share of zombie movies and TV series, and likely zombie-related books. Well here’s a breakdown on the philosophy behind the walking dead.
American Gods Update
In other good news about the American Gods TV series adaptation for Starz, Neil Gaiman will be writing some of the episodes.
Lesbian Literature
So if you’re interested in enjoying some lesbian literature, here’s a great list!
July 9, 2015
Guest Post with Carolyn Ives Gilman: “Writing the Book That Wants to be Written”
How many times can a book be given up for dead, and still survive? If my book Dark Orbit were a person, it would be interviewed on TV for having survived so many near-death experiences. I first started it over 20 years ago. When it didn’t gel, I cannibalized it, and used the viewpoint character in a different book. In the late 1990s I started over, writing an entire new first draft, then threw it all out. The feeling that there was something worth saving kept nagging at me. Then, a few years ago, my thoughts started coalescing around a new set of ideas related to cognition and the brain, and I realized that Dark Orbit would be the perfect story for exploring them. At a writers’ retreat in Madison, after attending Wiscon, I spread out all my notes in a bed and breakfast, and re-plotted the entire novel. I had to take my main character and lop her apart into two different people, and invent a civilization of the blind—not because I wanted to, but because that was the logic of the story. I have always felt that, however hard it is, an author is obliged to take the story where it wants to go, not where it is convenient or easy to go.
Maybe the hardest thing I had to do was to reject the conventional wisdom that you can’t fit too many ideas into one story. This book has always been dense with ideas. Editors and agents over the years have told me that the proportion of sex and violence to ideas has to be pretty high to succeed. I always suspected they were underestimating the science fiction audience, but I tried to follow their advice. It killed the story. In the end, the only thing that made it possible for me to finish was deciding to forget commercial motives, and simply follow the story in the most interesting directions. Strangely, once I let myself write the book that wanted to be written, it turned out to have quite a high proportion of adventure to idea. It even had some sex and violence.
Because Dark Orbit has survived so many resurrections, it is impossible for me to answer the question everyone asks—what inspired it. It is partly an exploration adventure inspired by all the classic science fiction of my childhood. It is also inspired by cutting-edge science on the nature of space and dimensionality, by research into how sight works, and by the intersection between quantum physics and mysticism. Even my colleagues at work inspired it with their quirky personalities and obsessions. It never wanted to be quite like any other book, and I am happy that I let it be itself.
CAROLYN IVES GILMAN is a Nebula and Hugo Award–nominated writer of science fiction and fantasy. Her novels include Halfway Human and the two-volume novel Isles of the Forsaken and Ison of the Isles. Her short fiction appears in many Best of the Year collections and has been translated into seven languages. She lives in Washington, D.C., and works for the National Museum of the American Indian.
July 7, 2015
Stephen King’s Scariest Monster
Stephen King needs no introduction. To date, the internationally bestselling author and writer most well-known synonymously with the horror genre and the ability to terrify readers the world over, has published 54 novels. Some of them have been more fantasy-based, some thrillers, others perhaps more mainstream fiction, yet almost all of them have featured a monster, some strange fantastical creature or a seemingly ordinary human of extreme evil and hate. These are the people and “things” that terrify his many readers, be they Randall Flagg, Pennywise the Clown, “Big” Jim Rennie, Annie Wilkes, The Crimson King or Norman Daniels.
Over the last couple of years I’ve had the chance to listen to a lot of audiobooks and reread a large number of Stephen King books. I’ve gone through King’s bibliography before, so it’s been a lot of fun revisiting a number of these stories and enjoying the thrill of fear and excitement. The many monsters and creatures and spooks in the night were a delight, reminding me why I enjoy reading this author so much.
I’ve had in my mind since I first read Stephen King, the freakiest of the freaks, the monsters that really stayed with me long after I’d finished the book, taking up residence in the part of the my mind that thrills at the dark and twisted. Randall Flagg from The Stand showed new ways you could do things to people other than just killing them. Pennywise from It showed that no child will be ever safe again. The various nightmares and horrors of The Dark Tower series stretched across various genres in a way only Stephen King can. And Annie Wilkes showed what it means to be a true fan.
And then I got to Rose Madder, which I first read probably about 15 years ago. The basic story stuck with me as most Stephen King stories do, and boiled down, it’s a relatively simple one. Rose Daniels flees from the husband because he is a horrible, abusing bastard and she simply can’t take it anymore. Eventually Norman, because he’s a good cop, is able to find and come after Rose.
Norman Daniels is the most terrifying monster Stephen King has ever invented, and the man is completely human. Obviously, upstairs in the brain attic he has a lot of things wrong with him, but he has not supernatural powers or abilities, just his strength and cunning . . . and his teeth, which he likes to use on just about anyone and cares little about the consequences. And of course King provides plenty of twisted details and scenes of Norman doing what he does best, and with how calculating and obsessed the character is, it makes him the scariest thing Stephen King has ever created.
July 4, 2015
“The Affinities” by Robert Charles Wilson (Tor, 2015)
What if Facebook was more than just a social media platform, but a way of life and living that you used to pick your friends, make any and all important decisions in your life, and in many ways become your real family? Wilson takes a department from his more classic science fiction and is more subtle with the genre in The Affinities as he takes the idea of social media to a whole new level.
Adam Fisk doesn’t really know where his life is going and his family isn’t really supporting him or seeming to care that much. So he takes the affinity test and finds himself categorized into the Tau affinity. A whole new world opens up to him, with a community of people similar to him, new friends and partners are made, as well as new career opportunities. But soon the Affinities test and what it means becomes much more as it takes over the world, and Fisk finds himself in the middle of it as things start to turn ugly as the affinities begin to compete against each other, vying for power and control in various areas such as resources and government.
Originally written on May 12, 2015 ©Alex C. Telander.
To purchase a copy of The Affinities from Amazon, and help support BookBanter, click HERE.
July 2, 2015
“Waterloo: The History of Four Days, Three Armies, and Three Battles” by Bernard Cornwell (HarperCollins, 2015)
The Battle of Waterloo is one of the most documented events in history; it’s also one of those times in history that’s very close to Bernard Cornwell’s heart. The bestselling author is known for his medieval historical fiction and is definitely a master of the genre, but now, for the first time, Cornwell has created a work of nonfiction in Waterloo.
The subtitle encapsulates the book: the history of four days, three armies, and three battles. The book is divided into relatively short but riveting chapters, each ending with a selection of photos and artwork – in color where available – making Waterloo a wonderfully illustrated edition for any history buff. Cornwell spends little time with the first two battles, Ligny and Quatre-Bras, providing a detailed step-by-step report of the battles in Cornwell’s talented way, and using detailed formation maps to make things clear for the reader.
The last third of the book is dedicated to the battle of Waterloo and perhaps what makes the book so fascinating is how much Cornwell uses from letters and diaries and other primary sources that give the book life, taking the reader back to the historic time.
Originally written on June 4, 2015 ©Alex C. Telander.
To purchase a copy of Waterloo from Amazon, and help support BookBanter, click HERE.
June 30, 2015
Book News: Hogwarts Goes Center Stage, Jurassic Books, Best Indie Bookstores & More!
Epic Fantasy Debut
Ten epic debut fantasies coming out that The Huffington Post says you won’t want to miss.
Best Indies
The Guardian presents their picks for the ten best independent bookstores on the planet, with Powell’s in Portland, Oregon coming out number 1.
Speculative Swears
What cussing and swearing looks like in speculative fiction.
June 27, 2015
“Random Targets” by James Raven (Robert Hale, 2014)
An average day of rush hour traffic near Southampton on an English motorway soon turns to tragedy and mayhem when a sniper shoots two motorists. With the large number of automobiles on the roads there is soon a massive pileup with a number of people killed and many more injured. DCI Jeff Temple of the Major Investigations Team is brought in to investigate. It is the worst tragedy he’s ever seen but he knows he must focus and do his job to the best of his ability to catch the person behind these killings, for the man or woman has left a painted message on a wall for them to find, indicating this will happen again.
As the many rescue workers help those in need and try to get the motorway back up and running again, Temple gets his team together and they glean what few facts they can. The killer is a sharp shooter using a specific sniper rifle that is not easy to acquire, either through extreme black market means or the British military. The killer has left no prints and very little detail that he exists, other than a brief hooded shot on a CCTV camera. Temple’s girlfriend, also a member of the constabulary, was involved in the devastation and has suffered a serious head injury and is recovering in hospital, so he also has a very personal connection to the case and wanting to catch this killer.
Before the team has a chance to put much together, the killer strikes again on a different motorway. There are more dead and many more injured but little evidence to show for it, other than another message that there will be more shootings to come. The next hit is on the great M25 ring-road around London which heavily disrupts traffic for some time. There are those who fear to travel on the motorways anymore and choose to use smaller rural streets, clogging up the countryside. A reward is offered which soon grows to £2.5 million by all the businesses and people involved for any information on the killer.
Temple has his own idea who might be behind it and is doing his best to track down the man. At the same time a new task force is convened as there is new evidence possibly linking these killings to a terrorist cell related to Al-Qaeda. Temple now has a higher-up he reports to, but he’s still pretty sure that his suspect is the killer behind all this.
While Random Targets perhaps lacks the tightly-edited speed and pace of American thrillers, the step-by-step progression of the case and the characters give the book a very realistic feel, as if this is exactly how a case would be investigated and solved in Britain. There is little background development in the characters other than Temple and his girlfriend, Angel, and what few additional female characters there are end up being simply described by their looks and body type. When the ending is revealed, which isn’t completely a surprise, it is done in a ham-handed all telling and no showing way that kills all the momentum of the book.
Random Targets is an interesting look into English law enforcement and how they work when there is a deadly killer on the loose. While the book is lacking in areas of character development and the ending is somewhat anticlimactic, overall the book is a fun and interesting read.
Originally written on October 5, 2014 ©Alex C. Telander.
To purchase a copy of Random Targets from Amazon, and help support BookBanter, click HERE.
June 25, 2015
“Dark Screams: Volume One” edited by Brian James Freeman and Richard Chizmar (Hydra, 2014)
Ebooks have and are continuing to change the way we read books, with shorter chapters and a growing popularity in short stories, ideal for reading on your particular ereader on the go just about anywhere. When it comes to horror, you want to make sure you find a good story to enjoy, and the first volume of Dark Screams features some big names in the genre and at a very reasonable price.
The opening story and high-point of the collection, “Weeds” by one Stephen King, is about a meteor that crashes to the earth and the weedy alien life upon it begins to grow in this world as well as on one of its inhabitants. The next story keeps the thrill and chill going with “The Price You Pay” by Kelley Armstrong about the price of debts, and how some can never be repaid.
Sadly, the collection goes downhill from there with the remaining three stories from Bill Pronzini, Simon Clark and Ramsey Campbell doing little to stimulate the mind and are just dark and don’t really go anywhere whether it’s about a strange member of an asylum or a doomed person trapped in a chamber of torture. Nevertheless, Dark Screams: Volume One is worth the read for a reader looking to experiment in the genre.
Originally written on December 8, 2014 ©Alex C. Telander.
To purchase a copy of Dark Screams: Volume One from Amazon, and help support BookBanter, click HERE.
June 23, 2015
Book News: Book Nooks, Breaking Your Romance Novel Virginity, Amazon’s Royalties By The Page & More!
Books for Jurassic World fans
So you just watched Jurassic World and want to read other cool, similar adventure stories. Here’s your recommends list.
Terrific Reading Nooks
Ten terrific places to get lost in a good book where no one will bother you.
American Gods Greenlit
Showtime has announced that it is greenlighting the adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s popular American Gods into a TV series.
[read more . . .]
June 20, 2015
“The Fold” by Peter Clines (Crown, 2015)
As we work our way steadily through the 21st century, it feels like the future is here and now, and while we don’t have flying cars or hover boards quite yet, one futuristic invention we really wish existed is teleportation. The idea that you could zap from one country to another in the blink of an eye with no plane involved stirs the mind with excitement. Well, some scientists in Peter Clines’ The Fold may well have done just that, the problem is they have no clue how it really works.
A group of DARPA scientists deep in the California desert have been working on the project for years and it seems they have now made teleportation possible from one Door to another. Each of the scientists have tried it themselves a number of times with no side effects or mishaps, as well as a rigid battery of tests to confirm the machine, known as the Albuquerque Door, works perfectly. The problem is there have been a few anomalous readings, and one person who was visiting to check out the device, went through with no problem, then flew back home and apparently went insane, claiming his wife wasn’t who she said she was.
Mike Erikson is a school teacher in Maine who keeps his life simple and regular and doesn’t like to mention that he’s one of the smartest people on the planet. He has a perfect recall memory and cannot forget a single thing. He needs only to look at a page of information or watch a commercial once and he is able to replay and recall with pinpoint exact detail what he just saw.
Then an old friend at DARPA who has wanted him to come work for them for years finally convinces Mike to join the project. He needs to go check out the Albuquerque Door and make sure there are absolutely no issues so they can start preparing to release the reality of this world-changing invention to the rest of the planet.
In the California desert, Mike will make some new friends and some enemies, he will also learn a lot about the Albuquerque Door and be able to pinpoint its few issues, but getting straight answers out of the scientists is like pulling teeth, that is until he figures out just how the machine works and since the scientists don’t know this information themselves, they are terrified when he tells them.
Reading The Fold gives the reader an extreme thrill, like watching The Matrix, for the first time as the tension and anxiety build, but also the excitement of discovery. Clines does a great job of introducing some interesting characters and then letting them act and react in his world, as the reader learns about the Albuquerque Door. They will be hooked to the very last page, wanting and wondering.
Originally written on May 13, 2015 ©Alex C. Telander.
To purchase a copy of The Fold from Amazon, and help support BookBanter, click HERE.
