Zero Angel Richardson's Blog, page 24
February 3, 2013
Android App Review: "Juggernaut: Revenge of Sovering"
Hi Guys,
Today I'll be reviewing "Juggernaut: Revenge of Sovering", an "action"-rpg available on Android phones and tablets. You can find it here.
I was initially enraptured by Juggernaut, but its flaws grew in proportion as the adventure crawled on and I have today given up on ever completing this, well, juggernaut.
Aside: Finding treasure: Each conquered area has ~3 treasure chests to "find", which just consists of dragging a scarab across the territory until it starts flapping its wings. You then unearth the treasure chest and play a Concentration style game to unlock it. This is a nice addition, except in the course of playing through 50% of the game I had only come across 5 or so scarabs. Occasionally they're offered as a reward to complete areas and even more occasionally you can get them as part of the random loot given, but you have to be lucky enough to pick the right loot at the end of battle then! Of course, you can also buy them for an absurd amount.
...oh, and some of the treasure chests are guarded. A dark elf ended up eating all of my territory's populace to the point that she leveled up to be about twice my level before I was finally able to defeat her and get the treasure chest.
Juggernaut is a free-to-play game, and I normally do not fault developers for this model, but this one takes out any of the fun that is offered in the game to make it next-to-impossible to be a "free-to-finish" game.
The Good: The game has PS2 era graphics, which are nice, and the backgrounds of your captured territories are high-res static images that are quite fetching. Combat starts out relatively simple, but quickly becomes engaging in that you have to manage your fury and magic levels, keep an eye out for falling stars, and do your best to attack the enemy from a direction it's not looking while dodging the enemy's magic attacks by rapidly clicking black magic orbs or playing a game of Simon.
The artwork accompanying the game and making up load-screens and the NPCs is gorgeous, although the proportions of the female characters in the load-screens are a bit exaggerated--to the point that some may be offended. Although they also have fully armored female characters for a change as well which is welcome.
Now we come to the bad. The grind, if you can even call it that. I understand the idea of free-to-play games where they make it more difficult to make it through the game the "free" way and offer incentives to the player to buy things through the game to make their experience better. This game takes this beyond acceptable levels however.
The storyline battles are long and difficult, to the point where in order to progress you basically need to have full magic and fury going into the battle, be lucky, and utilize some of the "ammunition" that can give you a critical attack, a couple tens of HP, or poison the enemy for 20 HP/rd for 5 rounds. As a mobile game, I give the developers credit for not penalizing you for leaving a battle in the middle of it. If you leave the battle all of the items you used come back along with your pre-battle fury and magic status.
This causes you to fight the lower-leveled "random" monsters in order to have higher magic and fury and hopefully level up once or twice more than you would through the storyline battles alone. Unfortunately, these monsters are few and far between. You actually find yourself turning on the game and waiting, yes WAITING for a monster to attack. Usually while you're waiting a conquered area might come up with some gold tribute that may be enough for you to...oh wait, it's not enough for you to do anything with it. If you have 3-4 areas with gold tribute, you probably can earn enough to buy a crit attack ammo.
After you clear the mines, there is a mining game (which is just Collapse!) that you can play to pass the time, but if you want anything more than gold, you have to invest lockpicks to play the harder levels.
Oh but wait, all of this COULD be considered acceptable (and I managed to maintain my frustration and continue to have fun with the game through about 50% of the game), but then you come across enemies that are immune to your magic school! And the only way to get a different magic skill is to invest—wait for it—FIFTY skulls! Maybe that doesn't seem like a lot. Let me put it in perspective. You are lucky to get about 1 skull in every 5 battles. So that means that you would have to either be very lucky or beat 250 monsters in order to have 50 skulls.
And there are dark elf monsters that are immune to ALL magic, in which case you really just have to use all of your ammunition and pray that you have some critical hits and they use more magic that you can easily dodge.
It got to the point where I finally gave into the pressure and clicked the "free crystals" link at the top where I have to complete some mindless objective (download another app, get health insurance quotes or car insurance quotes or sign up for "free" credit score reports) in order to get enough crystals that I could purchase the skulls to get a second magic school.
And here is where the game broke.
After completing the objective and annoying their customer service (because they didn't award me the crystals) and waiting several days, I finally was awarded enough crystals to buy enough skulls to get a second magic school!
...and then there were no more random monsters.
What?! At this point I had completed most of the side "chapters" and had around 6 conquered territories. I usually didn't have to play the mining game more than once for gold and monsters to show up, and sometimes I would fight two or three random monsters in a row.
I've played the mining game ten times now since the last random monster showed up. Gold still shows up, and I suppose I could use the gold to eventually buy enough ammo to beat the next storyline battle, then continue to subject myself to mining and getting gold. But no random monsters have shown up!
At all!
I can only conclude either I am ridiculously unlucky or that by completing a "free crystals" objective I've shown the developers that I'm stupid enough that I might invest more of my life into this game and they've cut off the flow of random monsters.
Even if it is because I am unlucky, the game is not fun anymore. It was already on the borderline of having to do too much crap to advance at all without paying, and now it is just an absurd waste of time.
I reviewed it on Google Play at 2/5 stars. It is a miserable game with a lot of potential. I wish I could play the game this could have been. I would have even paid for it, but I won't be nickle-and-dime'd for it.
Today I'll be reviewing "Juggernaut: Revenge of Sovering", an "action"-rpg available on Android phones and tablets. You can find it here.
I was initially enraptured by Juggernaut, but its flaws grew in proportion as the adventure crawled on and I have today given up on ever completing this, well, juggernaut.
Aside: Finding treasure: Each conquered area has ~3 treasure chests to "find", which just consists of dragging a scarab across the territory until it starts flapping its wings. You then unearth the treasure chest and play a Concentration style game to unlock it. This is a nice addition, except in the course of playing through 50% of the game I had only come across 5 or so scarabs. Occasionally they're offered as a reward to complete areas and even more occasionally you can get them as part of the random loot given, but you have to be lucky enough to pick the right loot at the end of battle then! Of course, you can also buy them for an absurd amount.
...oh, and some of the treasure chests are guarded. A dark elf ended up eating all of my territory's populace to the point that she leveled up to be about twice my level before I was finally able to defeat her and get the treasure chest.
Juggernaut is a free-to-play game, and I normally do not fault developers for this model, but this one takes out any of the fun that is offered in the game to make it next-to-impossible to be a "free-to-finish" game.
The Good: The game has PS2 era graphics, which are nice, and the backgrounds of your captured territories are high-res static images that are quite fetching. Combat starts out relatively simple, but quickly becomes engaging in that you have to manage your fury and magic levels, keep an eye out for falling stars, and do your best to attack the enemy from a direction it's not looking while dodging the enemy's magic attacks by rapidly clicking black magic orbs or playing a game of Simon.
The artwork accompanying the game and making up load-screens and the NPCs is gorgeous, although the proportions of the female characters in the load-screens are a bit exaggerated--to the point that some may be offended. Although they also have fully armored female characters for a change as well which is welcome.
Now we come to the bad. The grind, if you can even call it that. I understand the idea of free-to-play games where they make it more difficult to make it through the game the "free" way and offer incentives to the player to buy things through the game to make their experience better. This game takes this beyond acceptable levels however.
The storyline battles are long and difficult, to the point where in order to progress you basically need to have full magic and fury going into the battle, be lucky, and utilize some of the "ammunition" that can give you a critical attack, a couple tens of HP, or poison the enemy for 20 HP/rd for 5 rounds. As a mobile game, I give the developers credit for not penalizing you for leaving a battle in the middle of it. If you leave the battle all of the items you used come back along with your pre-battle fury and magic status.
This causes you to fight the lower-leveled "random" monsters in order to have higher magic and fury and hopefully level up once or twice more than you would through the storyline battles alone. Unfortunately, these monsters are few and far between. You actually find yourself turning on the game and waiting, yes WAITING for a monster to attack. Usually while you're waiting a conquered area might come up with some gold tribute that may be enough for you to...oh wait, it's not enough for you to do anything with it. If you have 3-4 areas with gold tribute, you probably can earn enough to buy a crit attack ammo.
After you clear the mines, there is a mining game (which is just Collapse!) that you can play to pass the time, but if you want anything more than gold, you have to invest lockpicks to play the harder levels.
Oh but wait, all of this COULD be considered acceptable (and I managed to maintain my frustration and continue to have fun with the game through about 50% of the game), but then you come across enemies that are immune to your magic school! And the only way to get a different magic skill is to invest—wait for it—FIFTY skulls! Maybe that doesn't seem like a lot. Let me put it in perspective. You are lucky to get about 1 skull in every 5 battles. So that means that you would have to either be very lucky or beat 250 monsters in order to have 50 skulls.
And there are dark elf monsters that are immune to ALL magic, in which case you really just have to use all of your ammunition and pray that you have some critical hits and they use more magic that you can easily dodge.
It got to the point where I finally gave into the pressure and clicked the "free crystals" link at the top where I have to complete some mindless objective (download another app, get health insurance quotes or car insurance quotes or sign up for "free" credit score reports) in order to get enough crystals that I could purchase the skulls to get a second magic school.
And here is where the game broke.
After completing the objective and annoying their customer service (because they didn't award me the crystals) and waiting several days, I finally was awarded enough crystals to buy enough skulls to get a second magic school!
...and then there were no more random monsters.
What?! At this point I had completed most of the side "chapters" and had around 6 conquered territories. I usually didn't have to play the mining game more than once for gold and monsters to show up, and sometimes I would fight two or three random monsters in a row.
I've played the mining game ten times now since the last random monster showed up. Gold still shows up, and I suppose I could use the gold to eventually buy enough ammo to beat the next storyline battle, then continue to subject myself to mining and getting gold. But no random monsters have shown up!
At all!
I can only conclude either I am ridiculously unlucky or that by completing a "free crystals" objective I've shown the developers that I'm stupid enough that I might invest more of my life into this game and they've cut off the flow of random monsters.
Even if it is because I am unlucky, the game is not fun anymore. It was already on the borderline of having to do too much crap to advance at all without paying, and now it is just an absurd waste of time.
I reviewed it on Google Play at 2/5 stars. It is a miserable game with a lot of potential. I wish I could play the game this could have been. I would have even paid for it, but I won't be nickle-and-dime'd for it.
January 9, 2013
Safe E-mail Practices
Hi Everyone!
Been getting a rash of e-mail viruses lately, and I thought I would share some safe e-mail practices today. I usually share these with my students at the beginning of every semester.
Electronic Mail
All e-mails should contain the following:
A subject line that relates to the subject of the e-mail.A salutation to the person that you are writing to.The body of the e-mail is where you include what you want to say to the other person.A closing statement identifying yourself. Also known as a “signature”. Signatures can be set up to automatically be included in most e-mail services, but I recommend personalizing it in every e-mail even if you use the automation.
Also, e-mails that contain links or attachments should reference the links and attachments in the body of the e-mail with some degree of explanation for their existence—otherwise the recipient may assume that they are viruses. I further recommend (although it is not required), that when you include an attachment that you add a post-closing statement of the following form.
“Attachment(#): “Title_of_1st_Attachment.file_extension” ~approximate size; “Title_of_2nd _attachment.ext” ~approximate size; etc.
As previously mentioned, most e-mail services can be set up so that they automatically include a signature. These also usually have an option to “save” sent mail to a “sent mail” folder accessible through your e-mail. I highly recommend this so that both parties have a record of the conversation in its entirety.
Finally, when replying to an e-mail, appending “RE:” at the beginning of the subject line is acceptable to indicate that you are replying, but unless you also include the body of the e-mail(s) that you are replying to, you may want to preface the body of your e-mail with a paragraph explaining what you are replying to. It is usually a default option to include all previous correspondence in the body when replying, but sometimes people delete this and expect the recipient to recall the conversation in its entirety. Many people receive dozens of e-mails a day and it is absurd to believe that they would remember the details of a conversation—especially if several days have passed.
Anyway, there are many reasons why these things are recommended. First, "robots" are generally "stupid" in that they don't actually "know" you or to whom they are sending e-mails out in your name. Thus, they are unable to provide a salutation to the person you are talking to and unable to "sign" the e-mail with your name (unless it's automatic--more reason to avoid auto-signatures or at least supplement them with an actual one).
I have gotten into the habit of not opening e-mails with no subject included, as e-mails without subjects are frequently sent by viruses. Even if there is a subject though, make sure that it is relevant to the actual--wait for it--subject of your e-mail. Your subject shouldn't be unnecessarily vague. For instance, "look at this" or something like that is common virus fodder.
As far as the hyperlinks and attachments go, I'd hope that it is self-explanatory, but even links and attachments from friends and trusted associates should not be blindly opened. If the person does not actually reference the link or attachment, then you should not click it because some viruses are deceptive in that they piggyback on otherwise regular messages. Even more sophisticated, some viruses will piggyback on a file attachment and increase the size of the attachment (or replace it entirely). This is why I recommend including the approximate size of your attachments. You may be saying, but my e-mail service does this automatically--well automation is the arena of the viruses as well. With just a little effort, maybe an extra 30-50 seconds of your time, you can make the e-mails you send to your friends and associates that much safer and more trustworthy and if you pass along the good behavior, then the e-mails you receive will be that much safer as well!
Been getting a rash of e-mail viruses lately, and I thought I would share some safe e-mail practices today. I usually share these with my students at the beginning of every semester.
Electronic Mail
All e-mails should contain the following:
A subject line that relates to the subject of the e-mail.A salutation to the person that you are writing to.The body of the e-mail is where you include what you want to say to the other person.A closing statement identifying yourself. Also known as a “signature”. Signatures can be set up to automatically be included in most e-mail services, but I recommend personalizing it in every e-mail even if you use the automation.
Also, e-mails that contain links or attachments should reference the links and attachments in the body of the e-mail with some degree of explanation for their existence—otherwise the recipient may assume that they are viruses. I further recommend (although it is not required), that when you include an attachment that you add a post-closing statement of the following form.
“Attachment(#): “Title_of_1st_Attachment.file_extension” ~approximate size; “Title_of_2nd _attachment.ext” ~approximate size; etc.
As previously mentioned, most e-mail services can be set up so that they automatically include a signature. These also usually have an option to “save” sent mail to a “sent mail” folder accessible through your e-mail. I highly recommend this so that both parties have a record of the conversation in its entirety.
Finally, when replying to an e-mail, appending “RE:” at the beginning of the subject line is acceptable to indicate that you are replying, but unless you also include the body of the e-mail(s) that you are replying to, you may want to preface the body of your e-mail with a paragraph explaining what you are replying to. It is usually a default option to include all previous correspondence in the body when replying, but sometimes people delete this and expect the recipient to recall the conversation in its entirety. Many people receive dozens of e-mails a day and it is absurd to believe that they would remember the details of a conversation—especially if several days have passed.
Anyway, there are many reasons why these things are recommended. First, "robots" are generally "stupid" in that they don't actually "know" you or to whom they are sending e-mails out in your name. Thus, they are unable to provide a salutation to the person you are talking to and unable to "sign" the e-mail with your name (unless it's automatic--more reason to avoid auto-signatures or at least supplement them with an actual one).
I have gotten into the habit of not opening e-mails with no subject included, as e-mails without subjects are frequently sent by viruses. Even if there is a subject though, make sure that it is relevant to the actual--wait for it--subject of your e-mail. Your subject shouldn't be unnecessarily vague. For instance, "look at this" or something like that is common virus fodder.
As far as the hyperlinks and attachments go, I'd hope that it is self-explanatory, but even links and attachments from friends and trusted associates should not be blindly opened. If the person does not actually reference the link or attachment, then you should not click it because some viruses are deceptive in that they piggyback on otherwise regular messages. Even more sophisticated, some viruses will piggyback on a file attachment and increase the size of the attachment (or replace it entirely). This is why I recommend including the approximate size of your attachments. You may be saying, but my e-mail service does this automatically--well automation is the arena of the viruses as well. With just a little effort, maybe an extra 30-50 seconds of your time, you can make the e-mails you send to your friends and associates that much safer and more trustworthy and if you pass along the good behavior, then the e-mails you receive will be that much safer as well!
December 31, 2012
Updates: Zero Angel's Mathematics, Warrior's Way and new urban fantasy
Hi guys!
It's been a rough month. One of the issues with not just having your own business, but being your only employee is that everything tends to revolve around you. Unfortunately, that means that minor catastrophes (such as getting sick, hurting your neck and being forced to live between three houses as your house is under construction) tends to derail any deadlines you might have had.
I am pleased to report that Section 1 is complete and gone through editing; unfortunately, formatting the equations properly so they will show up correctly on the Kindle and Kindle apps is bound to take a few more days.
Warrior's Way is shaping up nicely. This prequel novella is set in the century leading up to The Throne of Ao in my WotA multiverse. If you thought that the action was over-the-top in Throne, then be ready to have the roof blown off in Warrior's Way, which features the hume Warrior god as well as cameos by other gods and goddesses. I had been planning for a December release on that as well, but, well, I've already explained the deadlines were all missed this month.
I've also been working on a new urban fantasy. More mystery and investigation than action (although there is that too of course), I am hoping to turn this into a serial released every month.
Happy New Year everyone!
It's been a rough month. One of the issues with not just having your own business, but being your only employee is that everything tends to revolve around you. Unfortunately, that means that minor catastrophes (such as getting sick, hurting your neck and being forced to live between three houses as your house is under construction) tends to derail any deadlines you might have had.
I am pleased to report that Section 1 is complete and gone through editing; unfortunately, formatting the equations properly so they will show up correctly on the Kindle and Kindle apps is bound to take a few more days.
Warrior's Way is shaping up nicely. This prequel novella is set in the century leading up to The Throne of Ao in my WotA multiverse. If you thought that the action was over-the-top in Throne, then be ready to have the roof blown off in Warrior's Way, which features the hume Warrior god as well as cameos by other gods and goddesses. I had been planning for a December release on that as well, but, well, I've already explained the deadlines were all missed this month.
I've also been working on a new urban fantasy. More mystery and investigation than action (although there is that too of course), I am hoping to turn this into a serial released every month.
Happy New Year everyone!
December 16, 2012
Calculator Review: TI-30X IIS
Hello Everyone,
In my work as a math instructor and math writer, I am frequently asked what calculator is the "best" calculator. Although I hardly believe any calculator can be arbitrarily named "best", I believe that the Texas Instruments 30X IIS has the best combination of ease-of-use, utility and affordability and is the one calculator I recommend above all others.
Although the picture above will link you to (one of) the product (pages) on Amazon, there are a few different versions available (seemingly all from Texas Instruments) and depending on the color/product page, the price may be different by $2 or so! It can generally be found between $10 and $20 and is available in stores as well.
The thing that really sets the TI-30X IIS apart from its competitors is the 2-line display. What you enter will show up on the screen, and you are able to see the sequence of mathematics before you press the final "enter". Thus, when you get a result that seems odd, you are easily able to arrow up to the screen and review what you've entered for errors.
Additionally, this has the nice result of the math entered into the calculator is the same as it would appear in print when working out a problem.
The calculator is reasonably powerful and has most functions an advanced math student would use including logarithms, xth roots, e, and the trigonometric functions, their inverses and the hyperbolic versions as well. For astronomy students (or engineers working with angles), the calculator does have degree-minute-second notation as well and for scientists, it can output numbers in scientific notation.
It seems to max out around 10^99 for scientific notation (obviously rounding to about as much as it displays on the screen). This brings us to the one drawback in my opinion (although an understandable design choice), there is no way to distinguish between rounded values and exact values. You hope that when the calculator screen fills up with digits that it is an approximation and that when the calculator expresses a number succinctly that it is exact, but there's just no way of knowing. Anything past the ten-billionths place of displayed accuracy is not shown (or apparently remembered either).
This is actually probably one of the causes of it being so useful at such a price though. With the calculator limited to billionths, you can "overload" it by typing in more digits than this. Thus, 0.2222222222 is interpreted incorrectly by the calculator as 2/9. It is hard to fault the calculator for this however since you rarely need more than the billionths place of accuracy.
For students struggling with fractions, the "fraction" button is a godsend. The fraction button is what I call the button that looks like the mixed number "A b/c". If you press this once between two numbers it will interpret the first number as the numerator and the second number as a fraction and will do arithmetic normally with fractions (and display the answer as proper fractions, integers or mixed numbers too). If you press the button twice between 3 numbers, then it will interpret the first number as the whole number part of a mixed number, the second number as the numerator of the fractional part of a mixed number and the third number as the denominator of the fractional part of the mixed number. It can handle denominators up to and including 1000, but 1001 throws it for a loop, but if the number reduces to a denominator less than 1000, then it will automatically do this for the user.
A great additional feature is the robust statistical package that comes with the calculator as well. This one feature enables it to be the only calculator students need to buy for most of the classes that I teach (the exception being if students need graphing ability or additional statistical features). Although limited to a single set of numbers (either one variable with frequencies or two variable pairs), it returns most statistics students will need, including means, standard deviations (both sample and population), sums, sums of squares, slope of a regression line, y-value of the y-intercept of a regression line, correlation coefficient and predictor functions for x and y if two-variable statistics are used. Although I remember my first TI-30X IIS could only store ten data values, the one I currently own (it's blue) can hold up to 42!
Overall, this is one of the easiest to use calculators on the market with enough features to carry a student through a basic statistics course or calculus class (so long as graphing isn't required) and is ridiculously affordable when compared to some of the more advanced calculators.
Final Grade: A+ 10/10
In my work as a math instructor and math writer, I am frequently asked what calculator is the "best" calculator. Although I hardly believe any calculator can be arbitrarily named "best", I believe that the Texas Instruments 30X IIS has the best combination of ease-of-use, utility and affordability and is the one calculator I recommend above all others.
Although the picture above will link you to (one of) the product (pages) on Amazon, there are a few different versions available (seemingly all from Texas Instruments) and depending on the color/product page, the price may be different by $2 or so! It can generally be found between $10 and $20 and is available in stores as well.
The thing that really sets the TI-30X IIS apart from its competitors is the 2-line display. What you enter will show up on the screen, and you are able to see the sequence of mathematics before you press the final "enter". Thus, when you get a result that seems odd, you are easily able to arrow up to the screen and review what you've entered for errors.
Additionally, this has the nice result of the math entered into the calculator is the same as it would appear in print when working out a problem.
The calculator is reasonably powerful and has most functions an advanced math student would use including logarithms, xth roots, e, and the trigonometric functions, their inverses and the hyperbolic versions as well. For astronomy students (or engineers working with angles), the calculator does have degree-minute-second notation as well and for scientists, it can output numbers in scientific notation.
It seems to max out around 10^99 for scientific notation (obviously rounding to about as much as it displays on the screen). This brings us to the one drawback in my opinion (although an understandable design choice), there is no way to distinguish between rounded values and exact values. You hope that when the calculator screen fills up with digits that it is an approximation and that when the calculator expresses a number succinctly that it is exact, but there's just no way of knowing. Anything past the ten-billionths place of displayed accuracy is not shown (or apparently remembered either).
This is actually probably one of the causes of it being so useful at such a price though. With the calculator limited to billionths, you can "overload" it by typing in more digits than this. Thus, 0.2222222222 is interpreted incorrectly by the calculator as 2/9. It is hard to fault the calculator for this however since you rarely need more than the billionths place of accuracy.
For students struggling with fractions, the "fraction" button is a godsend. The fraction button is what I call the button that looks like the mixed number "A b/c". If you press this once between two numbers it will interpret the first number as the numerator and the second number as a fraction and will do arithmetic normally with fractions (and display the answer as proper fractions, integers or mixed numbers too). If you press the button twice between 3 numbers, then it will interpret the first number as the whole number part of a mixed number, the second number as the numerator of the fractional part of a mixed number and the third number as the denominator of the fractional part of the mixed number. It can handle denominators up to and including 1000, but 1001 throws it for a loop, but if the number reduces to a denominator less than 1000, then it will automatically do this for the user.
A great additional feature is the robust statistical package that comes with the calculator as well. This one feature enables it to be the only calculator students need to buy for most of the classes that I teach (the exception being if students need graphing ability or additional statistical features). Although limited to a single set of numbers (either one variable with frequencies or two variable pairs), it returns most statistics students will need, including means, standard deviations (both sample and population), sums, sums of squares, slope of a regression line, y-value of the y-intercept of a regression line, correlation coefficient and predictor functions for x and y if two-variable statistics are used. Although I remember my first TI-30X IIS could only store ten data values, the one I currently own (it's blue) can hold up to 42!
Overall, this is one of the easiest to use calculators on the market with enough features to carry a student through a basic statistics course or calculus class (so long as graphing isn't required) and is ridiculously affordable when compared to some of the more advanced calculators.
Final Grade: A+ 10/10
December 3, 2012
Your Support Team
Writing's hard and not having a good support team to fall back on makes it harder.
It can be as simple as having people believe in you as a writer (regardless of how low your royalty checks are at first and the lack of publishing advances in your attempt to go it alone), believe in you as a person to give you the time to your insane hobby, or as complicated as an actual publishing deal with editors and agents involved. It can be a beta reader or an advanced reader. A reviewer or a fan.
But whatever it is, whatever they are, a good support team is necessary to be able to write at all, let alone successfully.
Moral SupportersYour family, be it extended or immediate, blood or adopted, is the first tier of your support team. Unless you have professional writers or readers in your family though, the support they offer is nearly always going to be of the moral support realm as opposed to the technical support. This is not to be underestimated.
It is important to have a supportive family in everything you do (or at least the absence of a family that is countersupportive). If writing is something that you have to hide from your loved ones, then you will either develop a split personality or one will win out. Writing is not for the faint of heart and definitely not for those that cannot throw their soul into the all-consuming fire that is professional writing (be it successful professional or unsuccessful). For people that want to cross the border between writing as a hobby and being a writer, there are no half-measures. This cannot be something that you do as a hobby and it cannot be something that you do when you "feel like it".
Writing is your life, and it is important that your family is also part of that.
It's up to the individual to access their relationship with their family to see if they want to allow advanced copies. There are a plethora of reasons why you might not want to, and most are acceptable excuses to not allow it.
Still, family is not to be relied on as readers in general. Unless they have the same interests or likes as your book offers them, why expect them to read a book merely because it is from you?
On the other hand, you can probably count on them to be your first few sales. I recommend not hounding them for results. In my experience, even asking them more than once will foster negativity.
Technical SupportersThose in your circles that do have professional experience, be they writers of their own works, editors, agents, or even just voracious readers that are aware of the written word as well as the story will form your primary tier of technical support. These are your companions into the dark abyss of writing that will provide the first non-you viewpoints of your work (although probably not objective). They are your beta readers and those that believe in your work as a story or in you as a writer.
They can be harsh and critical (and if you pay them, it is hoped they are more objective than not), but they are frequently sensitive of you as well. It is your job to put them at ease and draw out their true opinions. And ultimately, it is your job to be able to reject their opinions or understand their viewpoint.
Although the remedy they may recommend to you is not always the solution you are looking for, it is at least proof of the existence of a malady.
Then it is up to you to be the doctor of your own work.
Final Support At the end of the day, your support team is there to support you. Whether you are out there without a safety net or you have the strength of a thousand behind you and believing in you and your work, you are the one being buoyed or flying alone. It is up to you to reward their faith or earn it.
At the end of the night, when you are alone with the glow of your monitor and the hum of your hard drive, you still have your words.
If your words can inspire your faith and belief, then you can continue on in your endeavors no matter the pain and doubt.
Pour yourself into your writing and continue to improve. Be the best that you can be no matter what may befall you.
Remember in the world of today: once written and published, your words will exist forever.
Write the words that will inspire not just friends, family, colleagues and associates, but write the words that inspire you. Write the words that inspire everyone.
It can be as simple as having people believe in you as a writer (regardless of how low your royalty checks are at first and the lack of publishing advances in your attempt to go it alone), believe in you as a person to give you the time to your insane hobby, or as complicated as an actual publishing deal with editors and agents involved. It can be a beta reader or an advanced reader. A reviewer or a fan.
But whatever it is, whatever they are, a good support team is necessary to be able to write at all, let alone successfully.
Moral SupportersYour family, be it extended or immediate, blood or adopted, is the first tier of your support team. Unless you have professional writers or readers in your family though, the support they offer is nearly always going to be of the moral support realm as opposed to the technical support. This is not to be underestimated.
It is important to have a supportive family in everything you do (or at least the absence of a family that is countersupportive). If writing is something that you have to hide from your loved ones, then you will either develop a split personality or one will win out. Writing is not for the faint of heart and definitely not for those that cannot throw their soul into the all-consuming fire that is professional writing (be it successful professional or unsuccessful). For people that want to cross the border between writing as a hobby and being a writer, there are no half-measures. This cannot be something that you do as a hobby and it cannot be something that you do when you "feel like it".
Writing is your life, and it is important that your family is also part of that.
It's up to the individual to access their relationship with their family to see if they want to allow advanced copies. There are a plethora of reasons why you might not want to, and most are acceptable excuses to not allow it.
Still, family is not to be relied on as readers in general. Unless they have the same interests or likes as your book offers them, why expect them to read a book merely because it is from you?
On the other hand, you can probably count on them to be your first few sales. I recommend not hounding them for results. In my experience, even asking them more than once will foster negativity.
Technical SupportersThose in your circles that do have professional experience, be they writers of their own works, editors, agents, or even just voracious readers that are aware of the written word as well as the story will form your primary tier of technical support. These are your companions into the dark abyss of writing that will provide the first non-you viewpoints of your work (although probably not objective). They are your beta readers and those that believe in your work as a story or in you as a writer.
They can be harsh and critical (and if you pay them, it is hoped they are more objective than not), but they are frequently sensitive of you as well. It is your job to put them at ease and draw out their true opinions. And ultimately, it is your job to be able to reject their opinions or understand their viewpoint.
Although the remedy they may recommend to you is not always the solution you are looking for, it is at least proof of the existence of a malady.
Then it is up to you to be the doctor of your own work.
Final Support At the end of the day, your support team is there to support you. Whether you are out there without a safety net or you have the strength of a thousand behind you and believing in you and your work, you are the one being buoyed or flying alone. It is up to you to reward their faith or earn it.
At the end of the night, when you are alone with the glow of your monitor and the hum of your hard drive, you still have your words.
If your words can inspire your faith and belief, then you can continue on in your endeavors no matter the pain and doubt.
Pour yourself into your writing and continue to improve. Be the best that you can be no matter what may befall you.
Remember in the world of today: once written and published, your words will exist forever.
Write the words that will inspire not just friends, family, colleagues and associates, but write the words that inspire you. Write the words that inspire everyone.
November 23, 2012
Math and Zombies
Hi everyone!
There's a chill in the air and it seems the perfect time for some horror.
I just finalized my first horror story and it is in the process of being published now. Should be available by the end of the day today or by Monday at the latest. (I'll add an edit when it goes live). Zero Angel's THE CHANGE will be $0.99. It is a short story detailing the descent of one man into an incurable disease (hint: it involves the subject line of this blog).
It was an interesting write and I hope readers are left wanting more. Definitely an experimental style for me though. Please note: it's not kid-friendly horror.
This also marks the first entry into my "Other Worlds" that I've been promising. There will be a few more horror shorts for "Other Worlds" coming out in the coming months before I move on to other genres.
In other news, I want to thank everyone that has been downloading the first section of my math book: Overcoming Math Anxiety and How to Be Successful in Mathematics. At the time of writing this I just got up to #2 in Amazon's best seller list in mathematics. If you haven't gotten your copy yet, it will be free all day Saturday. It's my first nonfiction foray and I'd love feedback from everyone! I'm really excited by how many copies I've moved with the free promotion--I never dreamed of breaking into the top 10, let alone the top 2! Now I just want to get to #1!
I will be publishing The "Basics" of Math We are Never Taught by the end of the month (at least that's the plan).
Thank you for your support!
~Zero
There's a chill in the air and it seems the perfect time for some horror.
I just finalized my first horror story and it is in the process of being published now. Should be available by the end of the day today or by Monday at the latest. (I'll add an edit when it goes live). Zero Angel's THE CHANGE will be $0.99. It is a short story detailing the descent of one man into an incurable disease (hint: it involves the subject line of this blog).
It was an interesting write and I hope readers are left wanting more. Definitely an experimental style for me though. Please note: it's not kid-friendly horror.
This also marks the first entry into my "Other Worlds" that I've been promising. There will be a few more horror shorts for "Other Worlds" coming out in the coming months before I move on to other genres.
In other news, I want to thank everyone that has been downloading the first section of my math book: Overcoming Math Anxiety and How to Be Successful in Mathematics. At the time of writing this I just got up to #2 in Amazon's best seller list in mathematics. If you haven't gotten your copy yet, it will be free all day Saturday. It's my first nonfiction foray and I'd love feedback from everyone! I'm really excited by how many copies I've moved with the free promotion--I never dreamed of breaking into the top 10, let alone the top 2! Now I just want to get to #1!
I will be publishing The "Basics" of Math We are Never Taught by the end of the month (at least that's the plan).
Thank you for your support!
~Zero
November 20, 2012
Christmas sale and updates
Hi guys!
Sorry for the long wait between posts--it's been pretty hectic on my end (although isn't it always?)
NaNo's been a bust for me so far. I'm split between a few different projects at the moment, so not enough time for a complete novel, but let me tell you about some of my projects.
First, Zero Angel's Mathematics:
This is my attempt to give back. Math is something that I am a certified expert in and something that I teach like no one else I've ever encountered. The series as a whole is designed to take students from no experience in math through calculus (and hopefully beyond). Each section of the series will be released as a single eBook for a low price so that people with specific concerns are able to only purchase the sections they need. Everything I've done with these sections has been done with the intention of trying to help people.
The eBook format also really has the benefit that future editions can be updated and students can get the new edition for free.
The first section focuses on math anxiety and ways that our anxieties with math can be overcome. If math anxiety is something that affects you or concerns you, then please check it out. It is a KDP Select book, so that means if you are an Amazon Prime member you can borrow it for free. Otherwise, it is $0.99.
It is titled Overcoming Math Anxiety and How to Succeed at Mathematics.
The second section, Arithmetic and Number Sense: The "Basics" of Mathematics We are Never Taught should be released in the next 10 days. Keep an eye out for it! Depending on the final edition, it will retail for between $1.99 and $2.99.
The next project I've been working on is a horror story, which has been an interesting departure! I've actually quite enjoyed it and I think I am going to continue to write more horror stories. Once I opened this Pandora's Box I kept coming up with more and more stories that creep the crap out of me or downright terrify me. Even though I'm easily scared, I think if I am able to transmit the merest iota of terror into the writing that I feel thinking about these that they will be spectacular. This story should also release this month. (Yay!)
The third project that has been occupying my time has been revamping the website to have offerings for the different series and features that Apocalypse Designs offers (currently still all mine, but it keeps me busy). I am planning on getting a good launch page into place tonight, so if all goes well you can check it out by the morning!
The fourth "project" I've been working on was another read-through my published novel, The Throne of Ao. Just like any first edition, there are usually typos that make it past beta readers and editors alike. This project's been completed! Based on feedback I've received from some reviewers and readers, I've made some changes to improve readability and make the entire experience more enjoyable.
Also, as a special Christmas sale, ToA is being offered for $4.99, a full $2 off the original list price. The sale won't be here long, so if you've been going back and forth about the purchase or not, please consider it!
The book makes a great gift, for the person you're giving it to AND for me :) Remember that you can read the novel on computers, smartphones and tablets with the free apps as well as on a Kindle or Nook.
My fifth project is NaNo. This has been the one that's been neglected the most unfortunately. I'm still optimistic about getting this done by the first or second week in December, but the editing process may take significantly longer and I am unwilling to publish a novella that is not up to standard. That means Coming of the Comet probably will not be released by the end of the year.
My sixth project was the article I hinted at in my last blog post: Agriculture in the Apocalypse. This article is turning more into a dissertation. I believe I will end up doing a synopsis / abridged version for here and make my full paper available through my website.
I have a few other projects in the works, and feel free to ask about any, but these are the main ones I've been working on.
Remember comments, shares, +1s, likes and everything else all help get the word out. Thank you for your support!
~Zero
Sorry for the long wait between posts--it's been pretty hectic on my end (although isn't it always?)
NaNo's been a bust for me so far. I'm split between a few different projects at the moment, so not enough time for a complete novel, but let me tell you about some of my projects.
First, Zero Angel's Mathematics:
This is my attempt to give back. Math is something that I am a certified expert in and something that I teach like no one else I've ever encountered. The series as a whole is designed to take students from no experience in math through calculus (and hopefully beyond). Each section of the series will be released as a single eBook for a low price so that people with specific concerns are able to only purchase the sections they need. Everything I've done with these sections has been done with the intention of trying to help people.
The eBook format also really has the benefit that future editions can be updated and students can get the new edition for free.
The first section focuses on math anxiety and ways that our anxieties with math can be overcome. If math anxiety is something that affects you or concerns you, then please check it out. It is a KDP Select book, so that means if you are an Amazon Prime member you can borrow it for free. Otherwise, it is $0.99.
It is titled Overcoming Math Anxiety and How to Succeed at Mathematics.
The second section, Arithmetic and Number Sense: The "Basics" of Mathematics We are Never Taught should be released in the next 10 days. Keep an eye out for it! Depending on the final edition, it will retail for between $1.99 and $2.99.
The next project I've been working on is a horror story, which has been an interesting departure! I've actually quite enjoyed it and I think I am going to continue to write more horror stories. Once I opened this Pandora's Box I kept coming up with more and more stories that creep the crap out of me or downright terrify me. Even though I'm easily scared, I think if I am able to transmit the merest iota of terror into the writing that I feel thinking about these that they will be spectacular. This story should also release this month. (Yay!)
The third project that has been occupying my time has been revamping the website to have offerings for the different series and features that Apocalypse Designs offers (currently still all mine, but it keeps me busy). I am planning on getting a good launch page into place tonight, so if all goes well you can check it out by the morning!
The fourth "project" I've been working on was another read-through my published novel, The Throne of Ao. Just like any first edition, there are usually typos that make it past beta readers and editors alike. This project's been completed! Based on feedback I've received from some reviewers and readers, I've made some changes to improve readability and make the entire experience more enjoyable.
Also, as a special Christmas sale, ToA is being offered for $4.99, a full $2 off the original list price. The sale won't be here long, so if you've been going back and forth about the purchase or not, please consider it!
The book makes a great gift, for the person you're giving it to AND for me :) Remember that you can read the novel on computers, smartphones and tablets with the free apps as well as on a Kindle or Nook.
My fifth project is NaNo. This has been the one that's been neglected the most unfortunately. I'm still optimistic about getting this done by the first or second week in December, but the editing process may take significantly longer and I am unwilling to publish a novella that is not up to standard. That means Coming of the Comet probably will not be released by the end of the year.
My sixth project was the article I hinted at in my last blog post: Agriculture in the Apocalypse. This article is turning more into a dissertation. I believe I will end up doing a synopsis / abridged version for here and make my full paper available through my website.
I have a few other projects in the works, and feel free to ask about any, but these are the main ones I've been working on.
Remember comments, shares, +1s, likes and everything else all help get the word out. Thank you for your support!
~Zero
September 3, 2012
The book that promises everything...
Book Review: The Way of Kings (The Stormlight Archive)
Rating: 9 / 10
Buy, Borrow or Pass? Buy this book.
If you are a fantasy fan, this book deserves to be on your bookshelf next to Tolkien, Jordan and Lewis. If you are not a fantasy fan or if you only read short stories, then you may want to pass on this book. Although it is spectacular, it is 1000+ pages. For most fantasy fans, I would assume this to be a good thing.
You can find the Amazon review here: Zero Angel's Amazon Review; I try not to rehash things between different reviews, so feel free to check it out--I hope you find it helpful!
Quick Review Brandon Sanderson has created a book and world that is one of the most interesting and apparently fleshed out creations that I have ever read. I have never experienced a world that felt so connected and alive with supposed history and relationships between kingdoms that date back beyond memory.
I say "apparently" and "supposed" because a lot of the information is only hinted at. This book promises us the answers to all of the questions that it raises, but by the end of the novel, there are more questions unresolved than questions answered.
This leaves you having read the longest "tease" ever created (at over 1000 pages, although some of that is front matter and back matter). Still, like any foreplay, this book is exciting and will take your breath away. Also, it is important to note that although over 1000 pages long, the book never felt drawn-out (with the possible exception of some flashback chapters).
(In this regard, Sanderon's prose helped immensely as it never detracted and actually lent itself to being speed-read.)
The climaxes included in the book are stunning and satisfying in their own regard, but I will warn you that as satisfied and filling as they are, you will be left craving more.
This would not be such a powerful negative if the remaining nine (!!!) planned books in The Stormlight Archive were available, but none even have a release date. The next book being released by Sanderson is The Memory of Light, which should finish off the Wheel of Time series. This puts Book 2 no earlier than January 2013 (and I would be surprised at any release date before Summer '13).
If you can tolerate the anticipation, then this is a must-read novel by one of the forefront fantasy authors of today.
In-depth Review
Plot: There are actually two plots to The Way of Kings.
Or I should say, there are actions that occur and we witness, and then there is the actual plot behind the actions that is only hinted at through visions by several characters.
The action is superb when it happens, and there are a few moments where you will be compelled to let out a whoop of triumph or of sheer joy.
The action that we do see concerns a war being fought on the Shattered Plains, where lowly bridgemen (lower than slaves) are sent to their deaths to bridge the innumerable chasms between mesas in order to reach magic crystals that promise wealth to the generals of the human side. We see this war from a couple of different perspectives, namely, a bridgeman and a general. The non-human side of the Parshendi remain closed off to us, and no one in the book is aware of their motives. Hopefully, Sanderson knows.
I won't reveal the mystery plot, but not because I want to save you from the spoilers. Rather, I don't feel that the mystery plot was revealed enough to even comment on it other than in wild hypotheses--which I will refrain from.
Characters: I found myself loving all of the "main" characters, although that is no doubt partially because I find myself biased towards "good" characters. The characters that we view the story from all want to do good, but in different ways. There is the good towards mankind that is honor and duty; the good towards the helpless and the weak that is charity; and the "good" that comes from doing what needs to be done for one's family.
One character only is not portrayed as being "good", but I challenge that this is even a character in this book. The character has no choice but to follow the orders it is given, and we even see the revulsion that the "it" has for its orders--so it is a good thing also, although not a "character" in my opinion.
I could not get enough of Dalinar, the general. He follows the old code espoused in the eponymous The Way of Kings, and this makes him into a "Lawful Good" character. You see that before the events that drove him to the book he may have been at best "Chaotic Good" and quite likely "Chaotic Neutral", and it is interesting to see him find honor in doing what is right, and to create duty for himself and his son.
Kaladin on the other hand is the true main character of the novel. His is the only storyline that has any sort of great climax and partial resolution. We meet his character briefly near the end of his personal Act 1 (of the traditional 3-act structure), then pick up with him in his Act 2 and are stuck learning all the information we missed over the course of the next 700 pages of the book in flashback chapters. If this sort of thing bothers you, then you are probably normal. It is a tease inside a tease, done only so that we are invested in the character and want to learn about his boring bits.
The climax of Kaladin's Act 1 is very well done and quite exciting. To be fair to Sanderson, the only way I can imagine relating all the information and development of Kaladin that he did with the flashbacks is by having a prequel story.
Shallan and Jasnah's chapters, on the other hand, are more often boring than interesting, They seem to attempt to build tension and possibly interject some horror elements as well, but in this foreplay, Sanderson feels more often clumsy than adept. Were it not for the timelines, I would almost wish Sanderson went the route he had with Kaladin. The end of their chapters would be a very good beginning, and I have high hopes for Book 2 from them. Luckily, their chapters are few and generally far-between.
As I hinted at before, Szeth appears to be a non-entity. Were it not for us getting to glimpse his thoughts, he would appear to be a mindless golem--albeit an acrobatic one.
Final Thoughts:
I do love this book. When I first read it a few months ago, I immediately went back and read the last few hundred pages over again. I love the ideas in this book. I love Kaladin and Dalinar. I even love the setting and the history that Sanderson has shared with us.
At the end of the day though, I feel like I have not even started The Stormlight Archive. When will the main plot begin? When will we get more than hints and glimpses at the "enemy"? When will the characters come into their own? This first novel felt more a brief look at the characters than anything resembling what we need from a complete story.
The resolutions, if you can call them that, are almost all personal resolutions and climaxes. If you think about the story, then you are left realizing that what you did was watch all of the characters begin their journeys. Was it a great beginning? It was fantastic! But it was just a beginning.
This book's final rating is completely dependent on what Sanderson chooses to do with this beginning. If he fumbles, then it is possible that this book may not be worth it on its own. If he knocks it out of the park, then The Way of Kings will go down as one of the greatest novels ever written.
With all of my hope and expectation as under control as I can manage, I consider The Way of Kings to be one of the best fantasy novels I have ever read and I can say assuredly that I will re-read this 1000 page epic novel far more than many of the 300 page stories on my bookshelf today, even if Sanderson does fumble with his follow-ups.
Finally, from everything we have seen from Sanderson so far, I remain cautiously optimistic about that out-of-the-ballpark result with The Stormlight Archive as a whole. Here's hoping!
Rating: 9 / 10
Buy, Borrow or Pass? Buy this book.
If you are a fantasy fan, this book deserves to be on your bookshelf next to Tolkien, Jordan and Lewis. If you are not a fantasy fan or if you only read short stories, then you may want to pass on this book. Although it is spectacular, it is 1000+ pages. For most fantasy fans, I would assume this to be a good thing.
You can find the Amazon review here: Zero Angel's Amazon Review; I try not to rehash things between different reviews, so feel free to check it out--I hope you find it helpful!
Quick Review Brandon Sanderson has created a book and world that is one of the most interesting and apparently fleshed out creations that I have ever read. I have never experienced a world that felt so connected and alive with supposed history and relationships between kingdoms that date back beyond memory.
I say "apparently" and "supposed" because a lot of the information is only hinted at. This book promises us the answers to all of the questions that it raises, but by the end of the novel, there are more questions unresolved than questions answered.
This leaves you having read the longest "tease" ever created (at over 1000 pages, although some of that is front matter and back matter). Still, like any foreplay, this book is exciting and will take your breath away. Also, it is important to note that although over 1000 pages long, the book never felt drawn-out (with the possible exception of some flashback chapters).
(In this regard, Sanderon's prose helped immensely as it never detracted and actually lent itself to being speed-read.)
The climaxes included in the book are stunning and satisfying in their own regard, but I will warn you that as satisfied and filling as they are, you will be left craving more.
This would not be such a powerful negative if the remaining nine (!!!) planned books in The Stormlight Archive were available, but none even have a release date. The next book being released by Sanderson is The Memory of Light, which should finish off the Wheel of Time series. This puts Book 2 no earlier than January 2013 (and I would be surprised at any release date before Summer '13).
If you can tolerate the anticipation, then this is a must-read novel by one of the forefront fantasy authors of today.
In-depth Review
Plot: There are actually two plots to The Way of Kings.
Or I should say, there are actions that occur and we witness, and then there is the actual plot behind the actions that is only hinted at through visions by several characters.
The action is superb when it happens, and there are a few moments where you will be compelled to let out a whoop of triumph or of sheer joy.
The action that we do see concerns a war being fought on the Shattered Plains, where lowly bridgemen (lower than slaves) are sent to their deaths to bridge the innumerable chasms between mesas in order to reach magic crystals that promise wealth to the generals of the human side. We see this war from a couple of different perspectives, namely, a bridgeman and a general. The non-human side of the Parshendi remain closed off to us, and no one in the book is aware of their motives. Hopefully, Sanderson knows.
I won't reveal the mystery plot, but not because I want to save you from the spoilers. Rather, I don't feel that the mystery plot was revealed enough to even comment on it other than in wild hypotheses--which I will refrain from.
Characters: I found myself loving all of the "main" characters, although that is no doubt partially because I find myself biased towards "good" characters. The characters that we view the story from all want to do good, but in different ways. There is the good towards mankind that is honor and duty; the good towards the helpless and the weak that is charity; and the "good" that comes from doing what needs to be done for one's family.
One character only is not portrayed as being "good", but I challenge that this is even a character in this book. The character has no choice but to follow the orders it is given, and we even see the revulsion that the "it" has for its orders--so it is a good thing also, although not a "character" in my opinion.
I could not get enough of Dalinar, the general. He follows the old code espoused in the eponymous The Way of Kings, and this makes him into a "Lawful Good" character. You see that before the events that drove him to the book he may have been at best "Chaotic Good" and quite likely "Chaotic Neutral", and it is interesting to see him find honor in doing what is right, and to create duty for himself and his son.
Kaladin on the other hand is the true main character of the novel. His is the only storyline that has any sort of great climax and partial resolution. We meet his character briefly near the end of his personal Act 1 (of the traditional 3-act structure), then pick up with him in his Act 2 and are stuck learning all the information we missed over the course of the next 700 pages of the book in flashback chapters. If this sort of thing bothers you, then you are probably normal. It is a tease inside a tease, done only so that we are invested in the character and want to learn about his boring bits.
The climax of Kaladin's Act 1 is very well done and quite exciting. To be fair to Sanderson, the only way I can imagine relating all the information and development of Kaladin that he did with the flashbacks is by having a prequel story.
Shallan and Jasnah's chapters, on the other hand, are more often boring than interesting, They seem to attempt to build tension and possibly interject some horror elements as well, but in this foreplay, Sanderson feels more often clumsy than adept. Were it not for the timelines, I would almost wish Sanderson went the route he had with Kaladin. The end of their chapters would be a very good beginning, and I have high hopes for Book 2 from them. Luckily, their chapters are few and generally far-between.
As I hinted at before, Szeth appears to be a non-entity. Were it not for us getting to glimpse his thoughts, he would appear to be a mindless golem--albeit an acrobatic one.
Final Thoughts:
I do love this book. When I first read it a few months ago, I immediately went back and read the last few hundred pages over again. I love the ideas in this book. I love Kaladin and Dalinar. I even love the setting and the history that Sanderson has shared with us.
At the end of the day though, I feel like I have not even started The Stormlight Archive. When will the main plot begin? When will we get more than hints and glimpses at the "enemy"? When will the characters come into their own? This first novel felt more a brief look at the characters than anything resembling what we need from a complete story.
The resolutions, if you can call them that, are almost all personal resolutions and climaxes. If you think about the story, then you are left realizing that what you did was watch all of the characters begin their journeys. Was it a great beginning? It was fantastic! But it was just a beginning.
This book's final rating is completely dependent on what Sanderson chooses to do with this beginning. If he fumbles, then it is possible that this book may not be worth it on its own. If he knocks it out of the park, then The Way of Kings will go down as one of the greatest novels ever written.
With all of my hope and expectation as under control as I can manage, I consider The Way of Kings to be one of the best fantasy novels I have ever read and I can say assuredly that I will re-read this 1000 page epic novel far more than many of the 300 page stories on my bookshelf today, even if Sanderson does fumble with his follow-ups.
Finally, from everything we have seen from Sanderson so far, I remain cautiously optimistic about that out-of-the-ballpark result with The Stormlight Archive as a whole. Here's hoping!
August 31, 2012
Obligatory Introduction
Hello everyone,
Welcome to the first post of my blog.
For those of you that don't know, I am the author of The Throne of Ao, the first novel in Zero Angel's War of the Ages Saga, known as WotA. The novel is available on Kindle and Nook.
There are a ridiculous amount of ways to connect with me. I am available at the following sites:ApocalypseDesigns.com - My personal website dedicated to everything WotAWotA.wikispaces.com - The wiki dedicated to WotA (in development)Facebook.com/ZAWotA - My facebook pageTwitter.com/ZAWotA - My twitter feedGoogle+ Site (new to Google+)Google+ Book Page Myspace.com/ApocalypseDesignsPinterest.com/ZAWotA (brand new to this--don't even have any boards, but planning on posting pictures that remind me of my books and characters)
So what will this blog be all about? What are my focuses?
WotA is my primary interest and focus. As a fantasy series with sci-fi and horror elements (depending on the story), I do a lot of research into myths, history and ask "what if?" quite a lot. I will be posting news about WotA here, but the primary way to find out about the world itself will be through my other websites (ApocalypseDesigns.com and WotA.Wikispaces.com) Through the course of my research, sometimes a topic interests me enough that I will create articles relating to it. I'll post an overview of the article here with the details on my website. These will cover a pretty far range from fantasy & sci-fi literature, ancient history, medieval history, myths & legends, math, the "end of the world", prepping and more.
I also hope to be able to provide helpful recommendations and reviews on books, movies, games and anything else I find useful. For instance, I will be posting a review on Brandon Sanderson's The Way of Kings (The Stormlight Archive) soon, and I am planning on working my way through all of the novels on Fantasy Book Review's Top 100 Books over the course of the next year.
For information about privacy, trademarks, etc, please refer to my website's page: ApocalypseDesigns.com/contact-info-press
Welcome to the first post of my blog.
For those of you that don't know, I am the author of The Throne of Ao, the first novel in Zero Angel's War of the Ages Saga, known as WotA. The novel is available on Kindle and Nook.
There are a ridiculous amount of ways to connect with me. I am available at the following sites:ApocalypseDesigns.com - My personal website dedicated to everything WotAWotA.wikispaces.com - The wiki dedicated to WotA (in development)Facebook.com/ZAWotA - My facebook pageTwitter.com/ZAWotA - My twitter feedGoogle+ Site (new to Google+)Google+ Book Page Myspace.com/ApocalypseDesignsPinterest.com/ZAWotA (brand new to this--don't even have any boards, but planning on posting pictures that remind me of my books and characters)So what will this blog be all about? What are my focuses?
WotA is my primary interest and focus. As a fantasy series with sci-fi and horror elements (depending on the story), I do a lot of research into myths, history and ask "what if?" quite a lot. I will be posting news about WotA here, but the primary way to find out about the world itself will be through my other websites (ApocalypseDesigns.com and WotA.Wikispaces.com) Through the course of my research, sometimes a topic interests me enough that I will create articles relating to it. I'll post an overview of the article here with the details on my website. These will cover a pretty far range from fantasy & sci-fi literature, ancient history, medieval history, myths & legends, math, the "end of the world", prepping and more.
I also hope to be able to provide helpful recommendations and reviews on books, movies, games and anything else I find useful. For instance, I will be posting a review on Brandon Sanderson's The Way of Kings (The Stormlight Archive) soon, and I am planning on working my way through all of the novels on Fantasy Book Review's Top 100 Books over the course of the next year.
For information about privacy, trademarks, etc, please refer to my website's page: ApocalypseDesigns.com/contact-info-press
