Michelle E. Goldsmith's Blog, page 4

Interview with H. David Blalock, author of ‘Traitor Angel’

Seventh Star Press are currently running a blog tour to celebrate the release of Traitor Angel the second book in H. David Blalock's Angelkiller Triad. 

As part of the festivities David agreed to be harassed by me answer some questions regarding himself and his writing. Here is the result!

 

Hi David! Thanks very much for your time. To start off could you tell us a little about yourself? What’s one thing few people know or would expect about you?

Thanks for having me. I write stuff. From non-fiction to fiction, but preferably speculative fiction. Flights of fancy. Ridiculous tales. Nightmare imaginings. All fascinating stuff to me and things I love to share with others.

 

So, Traitor Angel is the second book in the Angelkiller Triad. Can you give us a quick rundown on the series?

The Angelkiller stories are based on the concept that, in the war between the Good and Evil Angels, evil won. That's why bad things happen to good people, why we still have disease and hunger and war. Luckily, though, the Light did not give up. For centuries the forces of Light, forbidden to interfere directly in the affairs of men, have worked through an elite force of human agents called The Army to reclaim mankind.

Endowing their conscripts with longevity and the ability to ward themselves against the most common influences of The Enemy, the forces of Light have pushed the Great Conflict almost to its limit. Jonah Mason, the main character in the series, started out as a Roman soldier but became a recruit, then a regular, then an officer in The Army. Those who have fought for more than a thousand years in the Great Conflict are called Angelkillers, and Jonah Mason has been called so more than a millennium.

The series follows Mason's company as they work to destroy the great corporate machine of one of The Enemy's most important entities, Dorian Azrael. They believe they are only waging war against a single Minion, but their allies the Knights know their struggle's influence reaches much, much further.

 

Like most books from Seventh Star Press, Traitor Angel has a number of illustrations dotted throughout, in this case by artist Matthew Perry. How does it feel seeing another artist’s interpretation of your work in the flesh? Do you get any input into which scenes to illustrate?

I work closely with Matt when he is generating the illustrations, but Matt Perry's work has never failed to go far beyond my expectations. It is exciting to see the events depicted in the book translated to such compelling images. I can't speak highly enough of his work.

 

Mixing religious elements with speculative fiction is always a bit of a risk. I find it can be highly effective if done right but spectacularly awful when it fails. What do you think makes it work when it does. What inspired you to tackle this topic? Do you have any advice for writers considering taking up the challenge?

Many people shun religion because they fear it. However, religion is as much of the human experience as anything else. We need to come to recognize it for what it is, a way of looking at life that touches something deeply embedded in our psyches. Writing religious elements can make a piece very powerful because of that. I wanted to present a possible explanation to the heart-rending questions each of us faces in our lives: sickness, hunger, death. I believe I have done so, and hopefully given an alternative to that answer that we can strive toward. If a writer wants to include religious elements, I suggest they approach it with respect and sobriety.

 

The book trailer for the first book in the triad features a number of different paintings depicting the battle between the forces of good and evil. Do you ever use such art as inspiration? Do you have a favourite painting with this theme?

Although I didn't use the art as inspiration, I do have a favorite. "The Temptation of St. Anthony" by Hieronymus Bosch is a disturbing but inspiring piece. Besides being a signature piece of the medieval and Renaissance periods' take on religion, its detail and colors typify the feel I wanted to instill in the story arc of the Angelkiller Triad.

 

You have been published in various places for a number of years now. Is there any particular piece of writing you consider your best? Any idea what we can expect from you in the future?

I enjoy the Angelkiller Triad, but novels are not my strength. I greatly enjoy short stories and feel my best work runs from 1000 to 7500 words. My stories "Evidence of the Eternal" and "To Our Brothers" are two of my favorites, although they are not well known. I do have quite a few stories on the cusp of publication, including a steampunk tale for one publisher and a story about a serial killer for another.

 

What book/s are you currently reading?

I am currently re-reading "Science Fiction of the '30s" edited by Damon Knight. Recently I started writing stories for a New Pulp publisher and have re-discovered my childhood fascination with pulp fiction. Such fun.

 

Is there a question you’ve always wanted to be asked in an interview but haven’t? If so, what is it and what is the answer?

I guess that would be "If you could win the lottery, how much and where would you spend it?" My answer: If I did, it would have to be for more than a billion because I'm such a skinflint I wouldn't buy a ticket before that, and I would spend it anywhere I wanted.

 

Thanks very much for your time David!

Thank you again for giving me that chance to connect with your readers. Happy 2013!

 

About the Author:

H. David Blalock has been a writer for print and the internet in speculative fiction for more than 35 years. Inspired by the science fiction and horror writers of the early and middle 20th century, he continues to try to bring that sense of wonder and awe he felt at that reading to his audience through his stories and novels. For more information about David and his work, check out his website at ThranKeep.com

 

For more information about David and his work, excerpts and giveaways be sure to check out the rest of the Traitor Angel Blog Tour and the Seventh Star Press website. 

Young Adult Review Round-Up – ‘Grave Mercy’, ‘Sea Hearts’/'The Brides of Rollrock Island’ and ‘The Interrogation of Ashala Wolf’

 

I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t read that many young-adult books. I didn’t really read them as a teenager (I pretty much skipped straight to adult books) except for the few notable ‘classic’ exceptions, and these days I tend to have more than enough adult books to take up my time. In addition, I tend to be a bit picky and prefer books that have romance as a sub-plot instead of the main focus, which rules out a fair few of the popular series aimed at the young adult market.

Now and again however, something in particular catches my eye or I receive a YA review copy that sounds interesting. So it happens that I have read a few young adult books this year (or late last year).  So here are some brief reviews of three notable releases that I’m glad to say I quite enjoyed.

                                                     

Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers

Blurb:

Seventeen-year-old Ismae escapes from the brutality of an arranged marriage into the sanctuary of the convent of St. Mortain, where the sisters still serve the gods of old. Here she learns that the god of Death Himself has blessed her with dangerous gifts—and a violent destiny. If she chooses to stay at the convent, she will be trained as an assassin and serve as a handmaiden to Death. To claim her new life, she must destroy the lives of others. 

Ismae’s most important assignment takes her straight into the high court of Brittany—where she finds herself woefully under prepared—not only for the deadly games of intrigue and treason, but for the impossible choices she must make. For how can she deliver Death’s vengeance upon a target who, against her will, has stolen her heart?

 

Grave Mercy is Robin LaFevers’ first foray into young adult literature and could probably be described as a historically set paranormal romance.  While I’m no great paranormal romance fan I do enjoy a good historical fiction once in a while and something about this book intrigued me. As it turns out the book was well worth the gamble and I found Grave Mercy to be a well-researched and absorbing novel that had a lot more to it than just romance.

Grave Mercy is set in Brittany at the end of the 15th century and unlike in some of the historical fiction I’ve read, this setting is vital to the story and LaFevers engages well with the period. The historical elements are well-researched and integrated into the narrative without becoming overwhelming, making the story accessible to readers who are not familiar with the late medieval period while avoiding annoying anachronisms that might put off readers who are. While the book avoids being graphic, LaFevers doesn’t gloss over some of the less pleasant aspects of medieval life to the extent that some young adult books are wont to do.

There is a lot to like about this novel. Firstly, we are provided with a likeable female protagonist in Ismae. She can hold her own in a historical setting yet still feels believable and doesn’t come across as a modern character tossed into a 15th century setting.

Although romance does play an important role in the story it is integrated into a larger more complex plot complete with scheming nobles, politics and war.  I enjoyed seeing a romantic arc that didn’t turn its participants into starry-eyed dolts. Instead Ismae and her love interest must work together to deal with bigger issues than raging hormones (although there are some of these) and love triangles (mercifully absent).  Likewise, the supernatural element is also well used and doesn’t feel tacked on.

Overall, I was quite impressed with Grave Mercy and look forward to the sequel.

 

Sea Hearts/The Brides of Rollrock Island by Margo Lanagan

Blurb:

'Why would I? People are uneasy enough with me – if I start bringing up sea-wives, they'll take against me good and proper.'

'It could be secret.'

'Could it?'

Margo Lanagan weaves an extraordinary tale of desire and revenge, of loyalty, heartache and human weakness, and of the unforeseen consequences of all-consuming love.

Margo Lanagan’s most recent novel is an evocative and haunting tale involving selkies, expanded from her World Fantasy Award winning novella, Sea Hearts.

 

Spanning multiple generations and encompassing multiple viewpoints, the novel chronicles the fate of the small community of Rollrock Island. A lonely young girl discovers her ability to summon forth bewitchingly beautiful women from the bodies of seals. Yet her true price for this service may well be revenge. What at first seems like a blessing slowly tears the community apart as human women find they can’t live up to the selkie wives and men find they cannot resist them.  But what of the sea wives themselves? And what of their children?

This mesmerizing story blurs the lines between sympathetic character and monster and culminates in a perfect, yet bittersweet ending that will resonate with you long after you finish reading. Sea Hearts manages to be dark and disturbing without ever being graphic.  Lanagan depicts the horror in the consequences of human choices rather than in blood or violence.  As with all Lanagan’s work, the prose is complex and beautiful.

Anyone who has ever read a Lanagan novel or story soon learns that regardless of whether it is written for adults, teens or both, they should be prepared for an unsettling experience. Mesmerising and well written her books are, light reading they are not. Due to the darker themes, the prose, and the contemplative and more literary nature of the narrative itself, Sea Hearts will probably appeal to an adult and select young adult audience rather than younger teens or those looking for the next Twilight or Hunger Games style bestseller. 

It may also be a good place to start reading Margo Lanagan’s work for those who aren’t sure they can stomach the more confronting sexual and physical violence of her previous young adult novel, Tender Morsels. All in all, I strongly recommend Sea Hearts/Brides as an artistic and story-telling triumph.

 

The Interrogation of Ashala Wolf by Ambelin Kwaymullina

Blurb: 

The Reckoning destroyed civilisation. Rising from the ashes, some people have developed unique abilities, and society is scared of them. Guided by the ancient spirits of the land, Ashala Wolf will do anything to keep them safe. When Ashala is captured, she realises she has been betrayed by someone she trusted. When her interrogator starts digging in her memories for information, she doubts she can protect her people forever. Will the Tribe survive the interrogation of Ashala Wolf?

 

Ambelin Kwaymullina’s debut young adult novel, The Interrogation of Ashala Wolf, is an entertaining example of young adult dystopian fiction with some unique and interesting aspects.

The story takes place in an almost utopian world that has grown in the aftermath of an environmental apocalypse known as the Rapture. Humans seek to maintain ‘the Balance’ and coexist with nature to prevent any similar thing from ever happening again. However, this society has its dark side. Ever since the Rapture, some individuals, like Ashala herself, manifest in strange powers and abilities that are seen by society at large as a threat to ‘the Balance’. As a result they are persecuted and confined. However, not everyone agrees that these Illegals endanger the balance and some are unwilling to surrender themselves into the government’s keeping.

The title itself accurately summarises the general plot of the book. Leader of a tribe of runaway Illegals, Ashala Wolf has been betrayed and captured. In order for her captors to catch the rest of the tribe and learn their secrets, Ashala will be subjected to a mysterious ‘machine’ capable of reading her memories.

If you’ve been anywhere near a bookstore in the last year or so, or have even just spent a little time online, I probably don’t need to tell you that young adult dystopian fiction is big at the moment. Many, like this one, utilise the first person point of view. So, with countless dystopian reads already on the market, what distinguishes this book from any other?

Firstly, one of the main features that struck me about The Interrogation of Ashala Wolf was its distinctly Australian influence. Despite the fact that the continents in Kwaymullina’s world have been rearranged and Australian itself likely no longer exists there, it is strongly hinted that Ashala, like the author, is of Australian Aboriginal descent.

(Also, unrelated to the quality of the story itself, but extra points for the lack of whitewashing and having the dark skinned protagonist depicted as such on the cover.)

Kwaymullina also weaves in various elements of Dreamtime mythology to great effect. There are also other, less obvious, cues such as the description of the Saurs (large intelligent lizard creatures), which in parts seemed reminiscent of blue-tongued lizards.  On a more political note, it might have just been me, but I also thought I noticed some parallels between the treatment of Illegals in Kwaymullina’s society imagined society, and the current plight of asylum seekers in Australia.

The non-linear narrative also adds interest with a substantial amount of the book being composed of Ashala’s memories regarding the events leading up to her incarceration. The story itself is pacey and the characters are likable. There is a romance subplot but it is not overwhelming and doesn’t detract from Ashala’s status as a strong and driven female protagonist. 

Some readers may be disappointed that due to the point of view and nature of the narrative, we don’t really find out all that much about Ashala’s world outside of the Firstwood. Personally, it didn’t bother me that much and I enjoyed the hints that were given. I will be interested to see how the world-building is approached in the following books.

Overall, I thought The Interrogation of Ashala Wolf was a promising start to a series that managed to introduce some refreshingly unique elements to a popular genre. I’ll definitely keep an eye out for the next book and will be interested to see what Kwaymullina comes up with next and how she develops as an author. I’d definitely recommend this as a quick, entertaining dystopian read with a uniquely Australian flavour.

 

Note: I received advanced reading copies of all three of these books courtesy of their respective publishers. 

 

 

Light Touch Paper, Stand Clear edited by Edwina Harvey and Simon Petrie

Light Touch Paper, Stand Clear is loosely themed speculative fiction anthology, edited by Edwina Harvey and Simon Petrie, two of the editors involved with Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine. An eclectic collection containing stories from a variety of Australian and international authors, Light Touch Paper, Stand Clear is an engaging body of work that contains a number of excellent stories, quite a few memorable ones, and should have something to suit almost anyone.

Sparks that fly in many directions.

The title, Light Touch Paper, Stand Clear, references the instructions given for lighting fireworks. The anthology itself operates on the concept of a literal or figurative spark and the various possible results of its unleashed potential. This very open theme allows the authors a lot of leeway to let their imaginations run wild and results in a hugely varied collection.

Some of the stories engage quite directly with the theme while others are a little more oblique in their connection. Yet as a whole the collection itself succeeds in its ostensible purpose, showcasing the variety and quality of its contributors’ work.

A little something for everyone.

Much like lighting a real firework, you never know what you might get next with this anthology. A blazing inferno, a quick flash and burn, a delicate showing of stars, or a disappointing fizzle? Happily, the overall quality of the stories is high, and although personal taste dictates that some stories will appeal to certain readers more than others, none of these stories were duds prone to explode in one’s face. While there were a few stories I might not have picked if I was reading for an anthology of my own, they were all well written and I could see where their appeal might lie to other readers.                                                                                          

Due to the huge variance in tone, style and theme between stories it is quite hard to pick a favourite. The one that resonated with me the most however, was probably the opening story by Joanne Anderton, titled The Bone Chime Song. Extremely powerful and emotive for its length, Anderton’s story creates believable characters with which the reader can empathise and offers a fascinating glimpse into a beautifully well-realised fantasy world. A haunting love story of guilt, redemption and necromancy, The Bone Chime Song will leave you thinking long after you finish reading it. All in all, it impressed me and I look forward to reading more of the authors work in the future.

Following The Bone Chime Song is Sue Bursztynski’s humorous take on the origins of the Trojan War, Five Ways to Start a War. The story consists of five key figures’ rather differing accounts of how the conflict came about, which all interweave to paint a colourful picture of meddling deities, confused mortals, conniving kings, and a bed-hopping prince terrified of losing his royal member to divine vengeance. Helen attempts to avoid the inevitable catastrophe, yet finds that vain goddesses don’t often accept no for an answer. While I have read a number of retellings of the Trojan War’s beginnings, Bursztynski used the familiar elements in a way that felt fresh and made me laugh, marking her story as another favourite in this collection.

The Subjunctive Case by Robert Porteous is a well-crafted paranormal detective story with a distinctly Australian flavour (it’s set in Melbourne and I personally enjoyed recognizing the familiar places in which the story took place). All in all, I thought it was well-written and impressive work from a relatively new author.

The D____d by Adam Browne contains some delightfully weird imagery and tells the tale of Victorian colonialists attempting to terraform hell, Mary Had a Unicorn by Ripley Patton has a distinct moral and is strangely charming for a story about teen drug addiction, and The Godbreaker and Unggubadh the Mountain by Ian McHugh features interesting world-building and appealing, relatable non-human characters.

In most cases I prefer my story morals slightly more subtly executed than that of Sean McMullen’s Hard Cases. However, the writing was still good and the story was still creepy despite the somewhat heavy-handed treatment.

I would consider all thirteen stories in Light Touch Paper, Stand Clear to be well worth reading, yet unfortunately lack the time required to give all the attention they deserve. In addition, some stories elude concise summary and may be spoiled in my attempts to explain them. Besides, I did say half the fun was trying to guess what was coming next. 

Why should you read this book?

Light Touch Paper, Stand Clear is an entertaining and enjoyable anthology containing stories of a consistently high quality with a couple of standouts. It contains a refreshing variety of original fiction with no boring stories or tired clichés. In my opinion, even just my few favourite stories were worth the cover price alone. All in all, I read some great new works by authors I knew, discovered some new authors to keep an eye on and will look out for any future anthologies by these editors and from this small press.

 

Links:

Light Touch Paper, Stand Clear can be purchased here.

Anyone interested in the anthology may also like to check out Sue Bursztynski’s series of interviews with some of the authors, the editors and the cover artist.

Editors:   Edwina Harvey, Simon Petrie

Authors: Joanne Anderton, Adam Browne, Brenda Cooper, Thoraiya Dyer, Kathleen Jennings, Ian McHugh, Ripley Patton, Rob Porteous and Sue Burszytynski 

Cover Artist: Les Petersen

 

Giveaway – Kingdom by Anderson O’Donnell

Kingdom is the debut novel of Anderson O’Donnell and the first in the Tiber City Trilogy of dystopian science fiction thrillers.

As part of the blog tour to celebrate the book’s release, the author has kindly provided six copies of Kingdom (one paperback and five kindle ebooks) to be given away to six lucky readers. The giveaway is open internationally and all you have to do to enter is fill in the contact form at the bottom of the page.

Sound good? Here is the blurb for the book:

In a secret laboratory hidden under the desert, a covert bioengineering project—codename “Exodus”—has discovered the gene responsible for the human soul.

Somewhere in the neon sprawl outside the nation’s collapsing economic core, a group of renegade monks are on the verge of uncovering a secret that has eluded mankind for centuries.

In a glittering tower high above the urban decay, an ascendant U.S. Senator is found dead—an apparent, yet inexplicable, suicide.

And in the streets below, a young man races through an ultra modern metropolis on the verge of a violent revolution….closing in on the terrible truth behind Exodus—and one man’s dark vision for the future of mankind.

Welcome to Tiber City.

The giveaway will remain open for five days and close at 11.59pm on the 16th of June. I will then contact the winners to let them know and, in the case of the paperback, collect a shipping address.

See here for the full blog tour schedule.

You might also like to know that the launch post for the blog tour at ‘Once Upon a Time’ features a giveaway of a Kindle Fire. So make sure you enter that one as well!

To learn more, or to purchase a copy of the book, be sure to drop into the author’s website.

Good luck!

Enter the giveaway

[contact-form]

Guest Post – Stephen Zimmer – My Approach to Writing a Series

An epic fantasy series is, without question, an epic undertaking if done right. It can involve a mountain of research and many years involved in the writing and publishing of the entire series. From trilogies like Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien and the Fionavar Tapestry of Guy Gavriel Kay, to series with a larger number of installments such as Terry Goodkind’s Sword of Truth Series (12 titles) and Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time Series (14th title coming out in 2013), epic fantasy series come in various sizes, but none of them are what can be deemed as small writing projects.

I know intimately what this process is like, with both my Fires in Eden Series and my Rising Dawn Saga, two concurrent epic-scale series that I have been developing and writing since the mid 1990’s. All authors are different, and there are many approaches that can be taken to writing a series, but for me there are a few basic things I have done that have helped me stay on course.

At one end of the spectrum there are those that heavily outline, and there are other writers that really don’t outline or plan too much in advance, setting off down the road to see what might come from the initial story spark that they felt. I find myself in a balance between those two ends of the spectrum, and I have a very good reason for it, one that is based upon my particular writing style.

I write in a multi-threaded style, with several story threads that follow the points of view of a particular character, written in third person. This is not too different from the style employed by George R.R. Martin. I had gravitated to this style by the early 1990’s, with my first attempt at a novel and series, as it was a natural fit for the kinds of stories I wanted to tell.

The multi-threaded style gives me a full range with which to tell a grand story. I can work from a broad number of perspectives, and I can insert a short thread here or there to give an important viewpoint to the reader that doesn’t fit entirely within a particular character thread. The multi-threaded style is the reason why I fall somewhere in the middle of those who heavily outline and those who do not.

I knew the endings of the Fires in Eden Series and the Rising Dawn Saga before I started to write them, or had even fleshed out their beginnings. To me, the goal, the destination of the literary path of each series, was of paramount importance to me. The journey of getting to that destination is great fun, in terms of the writing and development, but I really needed a clear idea of where I wanted to go before I tackled the foundational first books, and proceeded into subsequent titles.

The importance of having a destination reflects across each title in the series, where the subsequent novels have goals of their own within the context of the broader series. To do this justice, I need to have a basic outline in place for the core of the storyline.

At the same time, along the quest of writing these epic adventures, new characters and ideas emerge, including some potent sub plots that add to the richness of the overall story. I never wanted to be “boxed in” from having outlined too extensively, and inhibit myself from taking advantage of the new things that inevitably crop up along the way.

The destination remains the same, but new entire threads and characters are given room to help the reader have an even richer adventure and reading experience. I see this as maintaining creative flexibility.

I briefly mentioned each title having its own goal within the broader context, and that is definitely another part of my own approach to writing a series. I feel that each title has its role, and each title should contain satisfactory components in and of itself, while leaving other things in place for the reader to look forward to in the next volume.

This is a fine line to walk, but it is one that I am very conscious of with each new book. I should also mention that there’s a little more weight on the first titles of each series, in the sense that they are the foundations from which the entire series will be built. The first books set the parameters, and in the case of my two series they introduce the worlds that the novels are set in. As such, they have a little slower pace than the ensuing titles do, but giving them this kind of task and attention sets the stage for so much more with each new release. A foundation of rock is much more effective than a foundation of sand when building a grand edifice, and I feel no differently when it comes to the construction of a compelling fantasy series.

Another important task that I have in mind when writing the titles of my series concerns the things that I set up, and the payoffs I have for the reader when I deliver on those setups. All throughout each series, from the first books onward, I plant many seeds in place that grow and set something up within the storylines. Nothing can be more frustrating for a reader than when an author has a beautiful setup of something, and then walks away from it completely. I’m not one of those authors. I really work hard to make sure that the reader gets payoff after payoff on the things that I set up, and I am very confident that my readers will back me up strongly in this regard.

Finally, and this was a lesson learned the hard way, the importance of doing your homework cannot be stated enough. In the 1990’s I was so excited about the ideas that I had that I wrote the first manuscripts of what eventually became the first books of each series. The problem was that I gave the research and world-building components a more cursory level of attention, and when I finished the manuscripts I found that both books were lacking something significant.

After careful thought, I realized that I needed to flesh out the world-building, and acquire a more comprehensive thought process about lands, cultures, religions and more. I had studied quite a bit before, but I knew that I needed to apply that study, and work to build onto it. This resulted in a few years of very thorough research into medieval societies, history, weaponry, and much more that applied to the things of both series. When I did another pass through the books, I was able to bring them the organic reality and depth that they needed. I also found my thinking becoming more comprehensive, as I had hoped, which greatly strengthened my approach to the inventive elements in my series that do not have a historical foundation in our world.

I certainly do not presume to judge the ways of other authors take to the task of crafting a series. Best-sellers and enduring series have been written by authors with entirely different approaches. I have simply found what works best for me. Balancing between outlining and leaving flexibility for new additions, having goals in place for each individual title, working to match the things I set up with strong payoffs, and doing my research are the four main pillars that I have come to rely upon in moving my two series forward in strong fashion.

This post is brought to you as part of the Spirit of Fire blog tour, celebrating the release of the third book in Stephen’s Fires in Eden series. For the full schedule, check out the publisher’s press release at Seventh Star Press.

Additionally, the first book in the series, Crown of Vengeance, is available free on the Kindle today. So now is the prefect time to drop by and pick up a copy to get started on the series.

About the author:

Stephen Zimmer is an award-winning fantasy author and filmmaker based out of Lexington, Kentucky. Stephen has two series being published through Seventh Star Press; the epic fantasy Fires in Eden Series and the epic-scale urban fantasy series, The Rising Dawn Saga.

For more information about Stephen and his various works, see his website, his Facebook page, or follow him on Twitter.

News and Updates

Hello there,

You may have noticed I have been somewhat absent from the blogosphere of late but, contrary to rumour, I still live and intend to continue terrorising you all with my opinions!

So here is my latest news. There is a bit of explanation for my absence, then much more interesting things such as publication news, upcoming events and a slight change of review policy.

Firstly, where have I been and where are your reviews? 

I realise I am quite far behind on reviews, and there are many books I promised to read and review that I haven’t got around to yet. I know that it is bad form to promise reviews and not deliver, although I do have what I consider a valid reason for it. Originally when I started reviewing I could churn out a few reviews a week if I wanted to, and therefore accepted lots of requests and reading copies assuming I could keep up that pace. Unfortunately life doesn’t always work out as planned. For a while I was not feeling great but was able to function, but then I got increasingly sick until I just couldn’t really function day to day, never mind do the extra online stuff as well. It took quite a long time to figure out what was wrong, but eventually the cause was found and dealt with. Thankfully, I’m mostly recovered now and any remaining issues seem to be under control. However, while I’m starting to feel healthier than I have in years, I now return to an enormous backlog of reviews to get through.

I don’t like letting people down, and it has been weighing on my mind quite heavily. I do intend to try my best to work through the backlog. However, some books I read quite a while ago when I was ill and as such I wasn’t at my best. Usually I can remember details of books months after reading them, but not so much for these. For most of those books I intend to do a series of review roundups of shorter general reviews. Eventually I may get around to rereading those books so I can do an in depth review, but I can’t make any promises about when that might be.  I feel reading and reviewing should be fun and that if it becomes too stressful or a chore then something clearly needs to change.

If you are an author who I’ve spoken to personally, you will most likely still be getting a full review. It just might take me a little while to catch up. I appreciate your patience.

 

And now for something completely different…Writing and Publication News! 

Some of you might have heard that late last year I started attempting some fiction of my own, and that my Dickensian horror story, The Hound of Henry Hortinger was selected to appear in ‘Pandemonium: Stories of the Smoke‘ alongside stories by many other authors, both established and upcoming.

Although as a contributor I can’t really review that book, I can say that overall it was a very impressive collection with some great stories in it. Clearly I’m biased, so here are some links to some other reviews. Some of them even mention me by name like I’m a real writer.

The Guardian  (Squee!)

Dreampunk.me 

A Fantastical Librarian

Paperless Reading 

Disinformed

Stuff and Nonsense 

And I think that is enough shameless self-promotion for now. Please check out some of the other cool projects from Anne and Jared from Pandemonium Fiction/Jurassic/Pornokitsch/The Kitschies. I assure you, you won’t regret it. Also, if you’d like a free (audio!) sample of some of the works from Smoke, check out the latest episode of Dark Fiction Magazine. It features the stories from Sarah Lotz, Archie Black, Lavie Tidhar and David Thomas Moore.

In (slightly) related news, I’m currently working on a number of new short story projects and my first novel attempt (you may notice the word counter in the side bar). I’m not sure how interesting that news will be to anyone else but it helps keep me motivated. I guess we’ll see if anything comes of these.

 

Upcoming Events

I’ve got a number of events planned for the near future, both on the blog and in the real world.

On the 6th of June the Spirit of Fire blog tour will be stopping by with a guest post from author Stephen Zimmer. For the full tour schedule check out the page on Seventh Star Press’s website. It should be interesting so make sure you check in for that!

On the 11th I will be running a giveaway of Kingdom, Book One of the Tiber City Trilogy by Anderson O’Donnell, as part of the blog tour celebrating the book’s release. The book looks good, so be sure to check it out at the author’s website (there’s even a free sample of the first four chapters) and check in on the 11th for a chance to win a copy.

I’d also encourage anyone interested in James Maxey’s Greatshadow to join the book club at The Ranting Dragon. Hopefully there will be lots of interesting discusson to be had.

I’m also hoping to attend Oz Comic-Con (Australia’s first Comic-Con) and Continuum 8 this month. If I do I may do a short write up on each. I’ve never been to a convention before so hopefully it will be a good experience.

 

Change of Review Policy

Due to the overwhelming number of review requests I have been receiving for self published books, I have found myself unable to keep up with them and respond to each one. As I already have a fair few on backlog, I have decided that I will no longer be accepting review requests for self published books except during a set period (yet to be decided but most likely the next one will be around November). During this period I will accept submissions for a few weeks then choose which to review after the submission period. I think this will end up saving both me and the authors a lot of time and effort.

I will post and tweet to let people know when I am again accepting self-pub requests. Small press and traditional publishers are still fine as I can still deal with the volume of those requests and I may still be interested in the occasional self-pub blog tour (feel free to query).

And that is the last item on the agenda.

Cheers,

Michelle

Germline by T.C. McCarthy

Germline, T.C. McCarthy’s ambitious debut novel, is the first installment in his Subterrene War trilogy.  While it is ostensibly labeled as work of near-future military science fiction, that description barely scratches the surface of the true scope of the novel: Germline is, in essence, a gritty and confronting coming-of-age story featuring a deeply flawed protagonist. The result is intense, uncomfortable, and more than just a little bit brilliant.

A grim, believable future, and a protagonist to match

Germline is set in a decidedly bleak near future where U.S. and Russian troops battle for the Earth’s few remaining mineral deposits. Foremost in the Americans’ arsenal are deadly squads of all-female, genetically engineered super-soldiers. These women, known as Genetics, are indoctrinated into a cult-like religion of Faith and Death and exist for the sole purpose of killing as many enemy soldiers as possible before they themselves die or are “honorably discharged” (via a bullet to the head) at the age of eighteen. However, the U.S. advantage is short-lived, as the Russians soon begin to engineer Genetics of their own. As the supply of healthy human troops dwindles, women are “encouraged” to stay at home breeding future war fodder while the U.S. military recruits old men and boys.

Enter Oscar Wendell, a sub-par, drug-addicted reporter with a few friends in high places and ambitions for a Pulitzer Prize. When Wendell manages to secure an assignment with U.S. troops on the front lines in Kazakhstan, he believes he has finally scored the story that will make him famous. However, he soon realizes that nothing could have prepared him for the realities of war. Already an addict, Wendell begins to rely increasingly upon narcotics while both his former life as a reporter and the civilian world gradually cease to exist to his tormented mind.

Daring and confronting

I say Germline is an ambitious debut because it is in no way the kind of “safe” first novel we sometimes see from new authors. McCarthy refuses to limit his fiction by sticking to familiar or uncontroversial concepts, or those we can view from a comfortable distance. Nor does he feature characters and scenarios calculated for the broadest possible appeal and least likelihood of causing offence. Instead, McCarthy chooses a nihilistic and disturbed protagonist, places the reader inside that character’s broken mind through first person narration and then proceeds to pack his novel with biting social commentary.

So many things could go wrong with this kind of setup that one has to admire McCarthy’s daring, if nothing else. Yet he manages to pull the novel off in spectacular fashion, creating a grueling experience sure to impress the reader.

A harrowing first person perspective 

Oscar Wendell’s first person narrative is undoubtedly one of the key factors that make Germline such an intense novel. Reminiscent of Hunter S. Thompson, Wendell is not necessarily a likeable protagonist and the reader is privy to his every flaw. He is a selfish, self-indulgent, broken wreck of a human being whose emotions jump between extremes with alarming regularity. Furthermore, he is not even particularly capable compared to the novel’s other characters and his continued survival in a war-zone is just as often due to the efforts of a progression of friends in high places, genetics, fellow soldiers, and dumb luck than the result of any actions of his own.

Despite all this, Wendell is somehow the perfect protagonist to carry the reader on an eye-opening journey through McCarthy’s desolate future. In addition, although I am no expert on psychology and addiction, McCarthy’s depiction of this aspect of Wendell’s character seems very true to life. Wendell is, in essence, a deeply flawed and believable human being who—seemingly beyond hope—must learn to take responsibility for himself the hard way. “The hard way” doesn’t get much harder than this.

The prose itself is direct and unadorned in a way that perfectly complements the setting and protagonist. After all, there is little time for poeticism when the world is falling apart around you.

No shortage of social commentary here, sir

Germline gives the reader their first glimpse of a world where basic human rights have been all but stripped away and provides countless hints at more to come. Although we are limited to Oscar Wendell’s personal experience in this world, once one looks below the surface much more may be read into the novel. The horrors that Wendell witnesses cannot be viewed in isolation: they are, after all, the product of the society that allowed them.

For instance, the gender of the Genetics serves a dual purpose. The accepted explanation to the Genetics’ gender holds that the initial male prototypes, unlike their female counterparts, are too prone to uncontrollable, testosterone-fueled violence; but the female models provide yet another benefit. Their presence on the battlefields can be used by those in power to counter any allegations of sexism in excluding women from the front lines. While this idea may make some readers uncomfortable, it is deliberately calculated to be troubling and one would be hard pressed to say that this kind of set-up is in any way endorsed.

And now for the really uncomfortable part…

All in all, although Germline is a work of science fiction it is, in many ways, not all that far-fetched or unfamiliar.  The technology depicted throughout the novel is futuristic yet disturbingly plausible. McCarthy merely takes already existing and fast developing technologies such as genetic modification and cloning to the next level. As someone who has some familiarity with genetics and related science, there was nothing depicted in the novel that I found particularly implausible.

Likewise, the novel’s premise, despite being unpleasant, is also quite believable and finds its basis in real world issues. Most would agree that humanity is just beginning to realize, somewhat reticently, that natural resources are not infinite. Furthermore, it is not hard to believe that if we continue to rely upon such finite materials too much longer we could well end up with the kind of resource war scenario McCarthy depicts. Some may be so bold as to suggest that, to some extent at least, we already have.

So why should you read this book?

Germline is without doubt one of the most intense and affecting books I have read in long time.  The fact that the details of the novel remain clear in my mind a month after finishing it should be a good indication of the extent to which it engaged me as a reader. Nevertheless, it won’t suit everyone: Germline is not a light read, nor is it an easy one. What it is however, is a well-executed and relevant novel that will haunt you long after you finish reading. It is gritty, unsettling, confronting, and at times quite harrowing yet I wouldn’t have it any other way.

 

Sela Blog Tour – Giveaway of Readheart & Sela (Books 1 & 2 of the Leland Dragon Series)

 Sela is the second instalment of the Leland Dragon Series by award winning author Jackie Gamber. While the books are aimed at young adults, they can also be read and enjoyed by older readers (as demonstrated by the lovely Stephan who apart from adoring Redheart, the first book in the series, also designed this site).

     

 

Blurb for  Sela

Peace was fleeting. Vorham Riddess, Venur of Esra Province, covets the crystal ore buried deep in Leland's mountains. His latest device to obtain it: land by marriage to a Leland maiden. But that's not all.

Among Dragonkind, old threats haunt Mount Gore, and shadows loom in the thoughts of the Red who restored life to land and love. A dragon hunter, scarred from countless battles, discovers he can yet suffer more wounds.

In the midst of it all, Sela Redheart is lost, driven from her home with only her old uncle to watch over her. As the dragon-born child of Kallon, the leader of Leland's Dragon Council, she is trapped in human form with no understanding of how she transformed, or how to turn back.

Wanderers seek a home, schemes begin to unfurl, and all is at risk as magic and murder, marriage and mystery strangle the heart of Esra. A struggle for power far older and deeper than anyone realizes will leave no human or dragon unaffected.

In a world where magic is born of feeling, where the love between a girl and a dragon was once transformative, what power dwells in the heart of young Sela?

Here are some reviews of the first book in the series, Redheart.

-  Here's one by Stephan from The Ranting Dragon.

- And on Goodreads

 

Seventh Star Press is running a blog tour to celebrate release of second book and has kindly given me the opportunity to giveaway some copies of both Redheart and Sela to four lucky readers.

One winner will receive a set of Redheart and Sela in softcover with a set of art cards from each book. US/Canada residents only
Three other winners will each receive a set of Redheart and Sela ebooks (kindle or epub formats according to preference). This prize can be won by residents of any country.

To enter the competition just fill in the form below (with a valid email address).

Don't worry, your details will not be visible to anyone but me.

 

[contact-form]

The contest will run for four days and close at 11.59 pm on the 10th of April. I will then contact the winners by email to notify them, and in the case of the softcovers, confirm a mailing address. If there is no response within a week I will be forced to choose another winner so keep an eye on your emails!

Good luck!

Science Fiction and Fantasy Awards: Trophy Reviews

 

There always seems to be some kind of drama in the world of speculative fiction lately, so I thought it was about time to attempt to create my own controversy with a serious 'warts and all' analysis of each of the major SFF awards and their merits.

Just kidding.

I'm most likely going to be away for a week or so to undergo some surgery and then recover and I thought I might leave you with something a bit more lighthearted.

So here is an irreverent and joking analysis of the trophies (or similar) received by the winners of five speculative fiction awards.

My comments on the trophies are meant purely in jest and in no way intended as a comment on the prestige or validity of the awards themselves.

Clearly not every major award is listed here.

The trophies for some awards change each year and many awards only give the winners a certificate and/or useful things like money, prestige and the right to list the award on their book covers. In other words, they neglect to provide the winners with a distinctively shaped shiny object. Shame on them!

I've selected these particular awards on the basis of which trophies I thought would be the most fun to write about.

Please accept my apologies in advance for the bad attempts at humour that will inevitably follow.

 

Award: The David Gemmell Legend Award

Joe Abercrombie with the Snaga

Trophy: A scale model of Snaga (the legendary battle-axe of Druss the Legend), the winners name and novel are laser etched into the blade.

Is there anyone who doesn't want a life-size battle-axe?

Review: The battle-axe presented to the winners of the Gemmell award gets points for being both decorative and practical. Not only does it look completely bad-ass but it may also come in handy in the case of a zombie apocalypse. It can also fulfill a multitude of other practical uses such as cutting cakes, defending your honour or expressing your boredom with tiresome conversations by 'clefting the furniture in twain'.

Also, no-one is going to come up to you and contest the quality of your writing while you are holding the Gemmell battle-axe.

Rating: 10/10

 

Award: The World Fantasy Award

The World Fantasy Award with last year's winning novel

Trophy: A stylized bust of H. P. Lovecraft

It's a big ugly head!

Review:  No matter what you think about H.P. Lovecraft as a person or a writer, most of us would be pretty stoked to receive a World Fantasy Award.  But what of the trophy itself, shaped as a bust of the famous writer?

In all honesty, I find this trophy rather ugly and a slightly creepy looking. I'm not going to contest that the sculpture itself has a particular artistic merit. However, would I want something that looks like that sitting on my shelf and staring at me while I try to write if it wasn't symbolic of a prestigious award? Probably not.

Rating: 3.5/10

 

Award: The Bram Stoker Award

The Bram Stoker Award haunted house

 

Trophy: A fanciful eight-inch haunted house replica. The door opens to reveal a small plaque engraved with the name of the winning work and its author.

Cute, creepy and very cool.

Review: This trophy is intricate, distinctive and fun. The door opening on the little plaque is a very nice touch. I think the finish is quite attractive and the model is interesting and distinctive without being overly gaudy. I would assume winners of this award would put it somewhere visible to show their friends and family. However, they should also keep it close on hand when writing so they can repeatedly swing the little door open and closed long into the night as they concoct more horrifying plots.

Or maybe that's just what I'd do…

Rating: 9.5/10

 

Award: The Hugo Award

The 2011 Nebula Award

Trophy: The trophy features a stylized rocket ship, however the base of the trophy changes each year.

Is that a Hugo in your pocket or are you just happy to be at Worldcon?

Review: I'll admit that I only recently realised that this trophy was a rocket ship. Until then I guess I assumed it was a generic and slightly suspiciously shaped silver trophy. As T.C. McCarthy succinctly put it, such speculation means that I am 'banned from the SF world. FOREVER!'

Crass jokes aside, I actually quite like this trophy. While the rocket part of the trophy is undeniably minimalist, the different bases each year add some interest and there have been some very nice ones throughout the years. There's a galley of them here if you'd like to see for yourself.

Rating: 7.5/10

 

Award: The Kitschies

Trophy: A hand-crafted plush tentacle (different colours for different awards)

China Miéville and a Red Tentacle

 It's a tentacle. And there is rum. Enough said.

Review: I have a soft spot for cephalopods (take that how you will) and this award is no exception. I have a hard time believing that any sane person could not ardently desire to be the proud owner of one of these hand-crafted trophies.

Yet while the Kitschie tentacle is very cute and definitely has its uses, the downside is that its appealing plush nature also makes it harder to use as an improvised weapon and there is always the risk that your dog/cat/ferret/child might chew it up. That would be very sad.

Luckily, you could always make yourself a new one (following these instructions) without running the risk of an unfortunate smelting accident, as may be the case with many of the other trophies.

Rating: 9.5/10

 

For more extensive lists (and serious information) on the various genre awards out there you might want to take a look at these useful resources:

-Science Fiction Awards Watch

-The Locus Index to Science Fiction Awards

 

Do you know any more good resources or want to share your own thoughts on various awards and/or trophies? Comment away!

Cheers.

The Lies of Locke Lamora Read Along – Week 1

 

I've been waiting to read Scott Lynch's 'The Lies of Locke Lamora' for a long time now and recently came across the perfect opportunity thanks to The Lies of Locke Lamora Read Along that is currently being hosted by a number of book blogs.

Seeing as I've had some health problems in the past months that mean I've got a large backlog of reviews still to finish, now is the perfect time for me to read some of the books I've been holding in reserve while I catch up. Horray for the unexpected upside!

This weeks questions deal with the prologue up until the end of the interlude called 'Locke stays for dinner'.

I'd also love to hear your thoughts on the book and the points raised by the questions as well.

 

Discussion Questions

1. If this is your first time reading The Lies of Locke Lamora, what do you think of it so far?  If this is a re-read for you, how does the book stand up to rereading?

While I've had this book on my shelf for quite a while now and had it recommended to me by countless people, this is indeed my first reading.

I always expected I would enjoy it (I also really wanted to because Scott Lynch seems really nice) and I'm happy to say that it is just as good as I hoped it would be.

So far I'm very impressed with the writing, the characters and the slightly evil sense of humour that runs through the novel (evil humour often being my favourite kind). I think it's especially impressive as a debut, and if it continues to be as good until the end it will be well on its way to becoming a favourite.

 

2. At last count, I found three time lines:  Locke as a 20-something adult, Locke meeting Father Chains for the first time, and Locke as a younger child in Shades Hill. How are you doing with the flashback within a flashback style of introducing characters and the world?

When I first started reading I found the flashback style slightly distracting and wasn't sure if I liked it or not. However, I got used to it pretty quickly and as I got further into the book I came to appreciate the way this technique was used to build suspense, incorporate backstory without lagging and juxtapose particular scenes and ideas. When I think about it, it really suits the story and I think it works better than a purely chronological format would in this case.

 

3. Speaking of the world, what do you think of Camorr and Lynch's world building?

The world building is great so far and I can't get enough of Camorr. The glass towers and bridges are a nice touch and I love the role the waterways play in the city with all the islands, barges and markets. In some ways Camorr makes me think of a fantasy version of Venice. I thought the little tidbits we receive about the way people live and operate in Camorr are really well done and add a distinctive flavor to the narrative and manage to convey plenty of information without ever growing tiresome  or feeling like an info-dump. I especially liked the description of the Revel festivities that were taking place during Locke's negotiations with Don Lorenzo. I thought that added a lot to the events taking place and managed to tell us quite a bit about the city, its governance and its inhabitants.

 

4. Father Chains and the death offering. . .  quite the code of honor for thieves, isn't it? What kind of person do you think Chains is going to mold Locke into? 

At this stage I feel that Father Chains and his gang are pretty much the 'nobility of thievery', the highest class of thieves in the criminal hierarchy. I think the heists they pull are going to be more ambitious than most and therefore the stakes will be that much higher. To survive they will need finesse, discipline and a high level of co-operation. As a result they likely have a strong code by which they operate and an emphasis on camaraderie and loyalty. I think Chains will mould Locke into someone with a strong, albeit unconventional, sense of honour and morality. I think he will make him into a sort of 'confidence artist' rather than any opportunistic con-man.

 

5. It's been a while since I read this, and I'd forgotten how much of the beginning of the book is pure set up, for the characters, the plot, and the world. Generally speaking, do you prefer set up and world building done this way, or do you prefer to be thrown into the deep end with what's happening?

It really depends on the book for me. Sometimes being thrown into the deep end works well but other times I prefer being given some background to become invested in the story and truly immerse myself in the world. Both have their advantages and possible pitfalls. When I think about some of my favourite books there seems to be around an even mix of both types. Yes, I know that is a cop-out answer, but you can't make me choose!

 

6. If you've already started attempting to pick the pockets of your family members (or even thought about it!) raise your hand.

I can't raise my hand. It's too busy lifting my boyfriend's wallet from his pocket while I type this with the other.

 

That's all for now! I can't wait to read more and will definitely have trouble drawing the book out until the questions each week.