Hugh B. Long's Blog, page 7
January 28, 2015
Draugr’s Saga – Viking Fight Scene
Below is a fight scene from the 6th volume of my Draugr’s Saga serial. If you like the History Channel’s show Vikings, or AMC’s Walking Dead, then you’ll love this.
In Norse mythology and Icelandic folktales, the Draugr were a cross between a Zombie, a Vampire and a Lich. These were not the stupid shambling beasts that you see in most of popular culture today. These were cunning, evil and vindictive. They were said to be able to grow as large as a troll, and would haunt a man for ages. It was also said they could transform into mist and seep under doors (like vampires).
This particular scene has no supernatural elements, only good old fashioned swordplay (and spears and axes). Enjoy! If you want more, and to listen to episode 1 for free, CLICK HERE
Aedan stoked the fire as the men rode up to their camp. One with grey in his brown beard, slid of his horse and tied it’s reins to a branch.
“Good morning, traveller,” Aedan said politely.
The man’s eyes darted around warily, spotting Orvar and Chivonne.
“Where’s the big troll who was with you?”
Aedan affected a look of surprise, then said,” Oh, yes. Him. Sadly he couldn’t swim.” Aedan gestured to the river. “He tried to cross the Shure this morning. The poor bastard drowned. Too proud to admit he’d sink.”
The grey-beard looked unconvinced. “Jarl Ivar bid us come to take you back. If you come willingly, then no need for trouble.”
“Of course,” Aedan said. He noted three more men sliding of their horses, closing the distance between them and the camp. All bore shields and spears, only the old grey-beard had a sword. “No need for trouble. I have yet to break my fast. Will you break bread with us first?” The men looked at each other hungrily, one even licking his lips. Aedan had no food, but he wagered neither did they; likely dispatched with little preparation.
by: Scorpia Roslin
As the three men neared the fire, a cry like an angry bear shattered the silent tension. Aedan watched two heads fly up into the air, clearly severed from their owner’s necks—Geir. Aedan caught a glint of sunlight off Shield breaker’s wide axehead. It was a weapon few men could wield. In the hands of Geir, it became a godly instrument of doom.
As the four men nearest Aedan wheeled to assess the threat, he pulled Draug’s-Bane from beneath his bedroll and lunged forward, piercing grey-beard’s waist with his long-seax. The man gasped as he slumped down. A mortal stroke to be sure. Chivonne had drawn a small seax from beneath her brown, woollen dress.
Geir was howling like a berserker, his great axe making wide, deadly arcs, as he swung it in a defensive circle. The other two closest to Geir, had dismounted and were reluctantly trying to attack him with their spears.
Aedan didn’t have time to watch, as one of grey-beard’s friends snarled at him and thrust his spear. As Erik had taught him, he sidestepped, and instead of moving back, rushed forward, getting beyond the spear’s point, and effectively rendering it useless. Now his foe couldn’t make quick stabbing motions. Aedan grabbed the spear with his left hand, and pulled, at the same time he thrust Draug’s-Bane through the man’s neck.
A third man took this opportunity to thrust his spear at Aedan. The spear tip glanced off Aedan’s mail hauberk and shoulder and slid across his left cheek, carving a deep channel in Aedan’s flesh. This man should have been less concerned about Aedan, and not have underestimated Chivonne, who then took her opportunity to bury her small seax in the man’s lower back. He gaped, but made no sound. His face took on a rigor of unimaginable agony as he fell to his knees, then to his face.
Aedan wiped the stream of blood coming from his cheek with the back arm of his tunic, and turned to find Orvar. He was fighting the fourth man closest to camp, and their only target; Geir had pinned down the last two near where the horses had come in.
by: Lucas Durham
Aedan was actually a bit surprised at how poorly Orvar was fighting. The spearman had hit him several times, judging by the state of his trousers and the manifold red-streaks. Orvar might soon be killed. Instead of taking time to close the distance and take on the spearman, Aedan drew his belt axe and threw it at the man. The blade didn’t connect, but the weight of the axe-head rang off the spearman’s helm, dazing him long enough that Orvar was able to finish him by clubbing him savagely. It was only then that Aedan saw Orvar had no weapon, save a heavy branch he’d picked up.
He turned to see Geir striding toward them, all signs of life near where the horses had been, extinguished. The horses themselves had bolted during the battle, all save the grey-beard’s horse, which had been tethered.
“Cut off their heads, quickly,” Aedan said.
“What?” Orvar asked.
“I’ll explain later.”
by: RUshN
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January 27, 2015
Impressions: Ancillary Justice
Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This was an award winning book for good reason. It was well written, but above all, it was a fresh concept. Something that’s rare in SF these days. The sentient ship is an old trope, but the concept of these semi-autonomous ancillaries has oy been touched on (as far as I know.) Leckie’s dialog for the ship was truly brilliant. It felt like a really advanced AI struggling to understand and imitate humanity. Her take on gender indentification was also quite novel. Excellent book.
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Impressions: Your First 1000 Copies: The Step-by-Step Guide to Marketing Your Book
Your First 1000 Copies: The Step-by-Step Guide to Marketing Your Book by Tim Grahl
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
An informative book with a good selection of tips on how to build an author platform. I didn’t find anything truly unique here. And there are quite a few books on the market in this niche. Overall it would have been great at $0.99, but at over $5 it wasn’t worth it.
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Impressions: Cibola Burn
Cibola Burn by James S.A. Corey
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
The series started so strong, and for me, seemed to fizzle with each book. There just wasn’t enough interesting things going on in Book 4. I’m done with expanse series. Hoping the tv series is better.
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Review: The Warded Man
The Warded Man by Peter V. Brett
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Once every few years I read a book straight through (all night). This was such a book. The whole premise of the demons and the system of wards is fascinating. The plot was excellent, but what really makes this book shine are the richly drawn characters. I was totally invested in the several main POV characters. Action, drama, romance, and magic. Yep, this is epic fantasy!
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January 20, 2015
Star Wolves Giveaway
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Star Wolves
The Tribes of Yggdrasil – Book: 1
Subscribe to my New Releases Newsletter and grab a FREE copy of the first book in this epic series!
About the Series:
The Tribes of Yggdrasil series begins just over a century in our future, but it’s a time you might not recognize. A century has been shaped by contact with mankind’s mythological past and the intervention of ancient alien races. It’s a time where starships ply the stars, where Alfar build great living-cities on their planets, and where the Dvergar dominate the local stellar-economy. It’s a time where mankind meets a great evil, the Hrymar, a twisted offshoot of the elves, and it’s a time where the old Viking Gods walk among the stars.
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January 13, 2015
Star Wolves FREE for 2 days
Star Wolves – The Tribes of Yggdrasil: Book 1
FREE for Kindle
Star Wolves: The Tribes of Yggdrasil: Book 1
When: Starting tomorrow, Wed Jan 14 to Thurs Jan 15
USA: http://goo.gl/yPg6Gq
CAN: http://goo.gl/G0Q8wM
Want Book 2 free as well? Post a review of Book 1 on Amazon, then email me (author@hughblong.com) with the link to the review and I’ll send you the sequel free! (Kindle or EPUB)
- “Stargate meets Lord of the Rings!”
About Star Wolves
A century ago a beneficent alien race, the Alfar, uplifted mankind to the stars and unwittingly seeded their doom. Humanity had just begun to ply the dark interstellar seas and were wholly unprepared for the malevolent forces they would awaken.
When Haldor Olsen unearths an ancient alien technology, the Hrymar slavers learn about mankind, a lucrative new source of slaves—the basis of their interstellar economy.
The slavers obliterate mankind’s first extra-solar colony, enslaving or killing all 10,000 colonists—including Haldor’s wife and son.
Haldor seems to be the only one taking this new threat seriously. With a small but well trained crew, he travels hundreds of light-years in a frantic race around the Galaxy to save mankind from total enslavement. In the process, he’s forced to make a deal with the devil to ward off the coming tide of destruction.
ABOUT THE SERIES:
The Tribes of Yggdrasil series begins just over a century in our future, but it’s a time you might not recognize. A century has been shaped by contact with mankind’s mythological past and the intervention of ancient alien races. It’s a time where starships ply the stars, where Alfar build great living-cities on their planets, and where the Dvergar dominate the local stellar-economy. It’s a time where mankind meets a great evil, the Hrymar, a twisted offshoot of the elves, and it’s a time where the old Viking Gods walk among the stars.
* Read the first three chapters of the sequel, Star Fury, included with this book.
Praise from Dave Farland, NYT Bestselling author of the Runelords, lead judge for one of the world’s largest writing contests, and mentor to other NYT Bestsellers such as; Stefenie Meyer and Brandon Sanderson.
“Many authors had written stories about kids going to wizard schools, but none did it as well as Rowling. Similarly, many people have written stories about vampires, but Stephenie Meyer managed to capture a whole generation by making them her own….Last week I came across a writer who has written a few books on Norse history, herbalism, and magic. His name is Hugh B. Long, and his works using the Alfar in space are . . . different, more fully realized than others I’ve seen. He’s taken the worlds of ancient Norse mythology and reimagined them as military science fiction, where elves are futuristic explorers who once visited Earth, and now mankind must unite with them to fight a common enemy. I think that he is succeeding in taking a concept and really developing it into something new, making it his own. There’s a possibility that his works could grow into a hit.”
What Amazon Reviewers are saying:
“ Reminiscent of John Ringo and David Weber …Long keeps the action flowing in this entertaining space opera..” – Amazon Review
“ Loved it! Classic Sci-fi ….couldn’t put it down, the myriad of races are well thought out and diverse. The protagonist is well drawn and engaging. Very nice political subtlety” – Amazon Review
“It has been quite a while since I sat down and read a book in two sittings…”[Star Wolves]” kept me up most of the night .” – Amazon Review
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January 6, 2015
Review: Characters, Emotion & Viewpoint: Techniques and Exercises for Crafting Dynamic Characters and Effective Viewpoints
Characters, Emotion & Viewpoint: Techniques and Exercises for Crafting Dynamic Characters and Effective Viewpoints by Nancy Kress
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I bought this book mainly for its section on VIEWPOINT, which I thought I understood, until I read Nancy’s book! Know the difference between CLOSE, MIDDLE and DISTANT Third person POVs? Neither did I. Nancy Kress is a talented author, and a great teacher. If you don’t have her book, go grab a copy!
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January 4, 2015
Old Blue – A Visual Diary
Took Shea up in the mountains in Virgina to teach him how to drive
Once in a person’s life they meet someone that literally changes their life. Occasionally that person is not a person, but a thing. In 2001 I went out shopping for a convertible car, and came home with a Jeep. The series of adventures that were kindled by that purchase will never leave me. Below is a short literary “Ode to Old Blue” that I wrote as a writing assignment, and my wife thought you guys might enjoy it. So here it is, and below are pictures of “Old Blue”.
Old Blue was the family mule; ugly and slow, but eminently useful. How that Jeep caught my eye I don’t remember, but from the moment I brought her home, a new chapter of my life’s story began. Her heart was an indestructible six-cylinder, four-liter engine, her boots, 31” all terrain tires. From clanking along an icy mountain trail in West Virginia in 4×4 low gear, to skimming the sand dunes of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina with 6 lb. of tire pressure, Old Blue was with us. In summer evenings we’d drive the tight, hilly roads of Northern Virginia, soaking in the humid honeysuckle air, sharing the sunset with herds of dog-sized deer and the occasional red fox. Old Blue saw us through 9/11, the DC Sniper, the Anthrax scare, and the 2008 Housing Crash. Through it all Old Blue kept ticking like a Swiss made watch, never complaining, and never costing us a dime over what we paid for her. I hope that wherever she is now Old Blue still thinks of us from time to time.
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December 31, 2014
Impressions: Story Maps: How to Write a GREAT Screenplay
Story Maps: How to Write a GREAT Screenplay by Daniel Calvisi
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is an excellent book on plotting for screenwriters or novelists. Calvisi distills a ton of information into concise chunks, and explains the beats of successful commercial fiction. I’m always on the lookout for plotting books, as it’s an area that interests me and continues to confound me. What I loved most in the book was his story map, both simple and detailed. By using this as a guide when planning a story, it really helps keep you focused, and ensures you’ve got a cohesive and cogent story. Excellent book and highly recommended.
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