Sarah Chorn's Blog, page 45

The Wolf Road – Beth Lewis

About the Book

A debut literary thriller from an incredible new voice. What do you do when the man who gave you everything turns out to be a killer?  

Everything Elka knows of the world she learned from the man she calls Trapper, the solitary hunter who took her under his wing when she was just seven years old.

But when Elka sees the Wanted poster in town, her simple existence is shattered. Her Trapper – Kreagar Hallet – is wanted for murder. Even worse, Magistrate Lyon is hot on his trail, and she wants to talk to Elka.

Elka flees into the vast wilderness, determined to find her true parents. But Lyon is never far behind – and she’s not the only one following Elka’s every move. There will be a reckoning, one that will push friendships to the limit and force Elka to confront the dark memories of her past.

352 pages (hardcover)

Published on July 5, 2016

Published by Crown

Author’s webpage

Buy the book

This book was sent by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

— 

The Wolf Road was a book that came out of left field and really blew me away. It’s completely different than anything I expected, and absolutely unique in just about every way, from its narrative form, to its structure, to the story itself. This one is dark, and surreal, and incredibly unusual, but it sort of sticks to you like glue. You can’t really get rid of it, because somehow The Wolf Road gets under your skin and lives there for a while.

The Wolf Road takes place in an apocalyptic world, but it’s so far future, so different from our own world that only hints of it will remind readers that it’s really rooted in the world we live in, just a different version of it. The story is told through the first person perspective of our protagonist Elka, a young woman who hasn’t had a very lucky streak in life.

At the age of seven, Elka finds herself alone and at the mercy of someone named Trapper. Trapper is an interesting fellow with plenty of secrets, but the relationship between them that forms is genuine, if a bit twisted. There’s something off about it, but Elka is a unique snowflake, and it’s obvious that a typical guardian/child relationship wouldn’t really work for her in the first place. So this relationship forms, Trapper shelters Elka and teaches her. She grows up in the woods, part girl, part wild animal, and all hunter and tracker, just like her guardian.

Well, Elka notices things are a bit off about Trapper, but she kind of lets it go, and then one day everything changes. She notices that these things that have been off about her guardian are part of this huge secret he’s been hiding, and everything after that point sort of explodes. Elka goes on the run, but she’s been so sheltered, so away from it all that she really is sort of lost even though she’s completely scary knowledgeable in the woods. Trapper has kept her ignorant despite herself, and this ignorance doesn’t really help her when she interacts with other people, though it keeps her one step ahead when she’s alone with herself in the woods.

Anyway, Elka is on the run and Trapper is following her, and then there is the law that gets involved and she gets in and out of weird situations and the whole thing is so surreal and so overflowing with tension that you’ll be as unable to put this book down as I was. The narrative style brings Elka to life. Her voice is so completely true to the character, and her view of the world and how she navigates through so many things that would cause such incredible trauma to any person is admirable.

My one drawback regarding this novel is the fact that it opens up with one of the final scenes, and while I spent most of the book wondering how exactly Elka got to that point in the novel, I did feel like some of the wonder was gone because I sort of already had an idea about how the book would end.

But really, that’s small potatoes. This is, hands down, one of the best books I’ve read this year. The writing is superb, the story is completely addicting, and Elka’s voice is incredibly remarkable. Everything about this book shines. If you are looking for an unforgettable thriller, look no further. The Wolf Road will punch you in the gut, and you’ll keep asking for more because damn, it just is that good.

 

4/5 stars

The Shards of Heaven – Michael Livingston

About the Book

The beginning of an epic historical fantasy that rocks the foundations of the ancient world

Julius Caesar is dead, assassinated on the senate floor, and the glory that is Rome has been torn in two. Octavian, Caesar’s ambitious great-nephew and adopted son, vies with Marc Antony and Cleopatra for control of Caesar’s legacy. As civil war rages from Rome to Alexandria, and vast armies and navies battle for supremacy, a secret conflict may shape the course of history.

Juba, Numidian prince and adopted brother of Octavian, has embarked on a ruthless quest for the Shards of Heaven, lost treasures said to possess the very power of the gods—or the one God. Driven by vengeance, Juba has already attained the fabled Trident of Poseidon, which may also be the staff once wielded by Moses. Now he will stop at nothing to obtain the other Shards, even if it means burning the entire world to the ground.

Caught up in these cataclysmic events, and the hunt for the Shards, are a pair of exiled Roman legionnaires, a Greek librarian of uncertain loyalties, assassins, spies, slaves . . . and the ten-year-old daughter of Cleopatra herself.

The Shards of Heaven reveals the hidden magic behind the history we know, and commences a war greater than any mere mortal battle.

416 pages (hardcover)

Published on November 24, 2015

Published by Tor

Author’s webpage

Buy the book

This book was sent by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

—

I read Shards of Heaven because I was arranging my books and I forgot I had it (yeah, sorry, that happens when you have like forty thousand books). I was in the mood for something a bit different, intense, and memorable, and hot damn did this fit the bill.

Shards of Heaven is a fantastic alternative history with a very minimalistic, but realistic magic system and full of information and plenty of stress, strain, and tension. This book also has the added benefit of being full of infamous historical figures who were all superbly researched and brought to life in a surprisingly vibrant way.

So, Shards of Heaven. What do you need to know about it.

This book takes place during the war between Antony and Octavian, when they were fighting a civil war over territory, and rights to various parts and places in Rome. Antony is, of course, with Cleopatra, and they are living in Alexandria with their children. On the other side we have Octavian, who seems to be friendly and personable at first, but as you get to know him you realize this dude has a mean streak that is a mile wide.

Much of this book switches between both sides of the battle, and as the book progresses there are some other surprise figures thrown in, like Selene, the only daughter of Antony and Cleopatra, and Juba, the adopted son of Julius Caesar. Each of these characters adds a lot of depth and interesting detail to the story, but perhaps what interested me the most is how none of these characters really was who they appeared to be. Juba, for example, has an interesting and layered history that has given him some very powerful feelings about Caesar, and Rome in general. Selene, on the other hand, is a girl growing into a woman, and is headstrong and incredibly intelligent and ends up sort of being a powerhouse of activity in the novel, which I didn’t really expect and ended up seriously enjoying.

That’s sort of my clunky way of alluding to what I loved about this novel. It’s so textured and layered. Things seem pretty simple on the surface – you have two very powerful men vying for the Roman Empire. That’s pretty easy to cut out and understand. It’s a civil war, and an infamous one at that. However, you start throwing in some incredibly realistic, shockingly textured characters, each with their own drives and understandings, and then some magic items, and a few twists on Good Ol’ Religion, and you have an interesting stew that is sure to keep you hooked.

The Shards of Heaven really blew me away. I couldn’t really put it down. It’s full of tension, packed with surprises, and brought a new understanding and vision to an absolutely fascinating period of history. This book didn’t only surprise me, it also educated me a bit. In fact, I spent a ridiculous amount of time after reading this novel researching this period of history just because this book made me want to learn.

I think that this is how the best myths start. Livingston took a story most people are passingly familiar with, and packed it full of dynamic, memorable characters, some low-key but powerful magic, a new twist on religion, and managed to make it surprising even though we all know how it ends. I was hooked. Addicted. Fascinated. I couldn’t get enough of it. And somehow, surprisingly enough, Livingston had me reexamining what I knew about this war, this period of Roman history, and imagining what it had been like. He made these historical figures absolutely jump off the page at me. They weren’t just names anymore, but people, and this wasn’t something that happened once, but it was happening right now.

I can boil down this long, winding review by saying The Shards of Heaven was an amazing book, and I highly, highly recommend it for fans of alternative history.

5/5 stars

An Update – Prepare for a ton of pictures

Well, as far as Cora is concerned, she’s fine. Her fever left a few days ago and hasn’t returned. Her urine analysis shows nothing abnormal (We both let out a collective breath of relief when we got the news). I still need to talk to her doctor, but I’m really hoping this means no further testing is needed.

In other news, Cora fell ill right before we were supposed to go on a four day vacation to Southern Utah. We were going to cancel our trip, but Cora’s doctor basically pushed us down I-15. She said we all needed a vacation (we did), and as long as we keep her on her medication, hydrated, and on ibuprofen, she’d be fine.

So we went, and it was AMAZING. I do think we all needed that vacation. I’m also incredibly proud of a lot of the pictures I took, and I personally think they might be some of my best work. This was also my first chance to really get out and see what my new wide angle lens is capable of. It was exactly what I needed. When the going gets rough, I need to go center myself in nature for a while. Photography is akin to meditation for me, I’d say.

And though I live in this state, I’ve forgotten how drop-dead gorgeous Utah really is.

Anyway, here is your photobomb. I’m planning on spending most of Tuesday doing laundry/cleaning/talking to Cora’s doctor. I should have reviews up on Wednesday. It’ll take me days to go through all the photos I took, but this is my first batch.

Click the photos to embiggen. More of my work can be found on my professional photography website (and higher quality) here.

—

An Update, of sorts…

First of all, a huge thank you to everyone for your outpouring of support during this incredibly difficult time.

Today we took Cora to her pediatrician, who is pretty sure that Cora’s kidneys aren’t working properly. She sent orders to a local hospital for Cora to start a bunch of tests that sound like absolutely no fun. In the meantime, she’s on a daily dose of antibiotics for the next six months. We are also being assigned to a pediatric urologist. I didn’t even know that was a thing.

Her fever is sticking comfortably around 99-100 degrees. There really isn’t much we can do but wait, and give her medication.

Unless things change, I’ll be back next week…. but you know, things have been unpredictable.

In the meantime, the picture with this post is my current mantra. I think all of this stress and worry is going to land me with a heart attack soon if I don’t get a grip on it.

Again and again…

So here are the details…

Tonight Cora (the baby) spiked a pretty high fever (after five days of being perfectly okay, after finishing her 10 day cycle of antibiotics). I called her on-call pediatrician, who told us to take her to InstaCare and get her urine tested ASAP, in case her UTI didn’t go away completely. If that was the case, they wanted to start her on antibiotics as soon as possible. So my husband took her to InstaCare, and they tested her urine, which came back negative for infection.

Just like last time.

And they sent it off to be analyzed more in depth.

Just like last time. 

They think she has a virus and that this virus should just run its course.

Just like last time (you know, before we ended up in the emergency room because she had a 107 degree temperature.)

I have an appointment with her pediatrician tomorrow, but if you can’t tell (or guess) I’m a MESS. I feel like I’m locked in some cycle of hell right now. I’ve been through cancer treatment three times. I’ve had twelve stupid surgeries, and I have a chronic, degenerative disease, and I have NEVER dealt with anything so difficult emotionally as a sick baby that no one can diagnose or adequately treat.

So, give me some time to deal with this. A few days is all, I hope.

Thank you.

Song of the Deep – Brian Hastings

About the Book

Twelve-year-old Merryn lives with her fisherman father in a little cottage by the sea. Each day, her father braves the tumultuous waves and returns home in time for dinner. One stormy evening, he doesn’t come back. Merryn has a vision that he’s been dragged underwater by a terrifying sea creature, and he needs her help. Determined to rescue him, Merryn builds a tiny submarine and embarks on a journey through the undersea worlds she’s only heard about in her father’s lullabies. As she faces the dangers and wonders of the world below the waves, she realizes that her father’s stories were all real.

Readers can also experience Merryn’s daring journey firsthand in the new Song of the Deep video game from acclaimed developer Insomniac Games.

176 pages (hardcover)

Published on July 12, 2016

Published by Sterling Children’s Books

Author’s webpage

Buy the book

This book was by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

—

I’ve never read a novelization of a video game, so I really didn’t know what to expect. I did, however, tell the publisher I’d love to read and review this book because I thought my daughter would really enjoy the story. I decided to give it a shot. We went through this book really, really slowly, reading it together at night while she was falling asleep. There were some nights she’d only make it through two or three pages before she’d start snoring (It took us a few months to make it through the first Harry Potter book, to put our speed in context for you). But, it was a lot of fun, and it started some conversations between us about what really exists under the sea, and inventing cool magic systems that would work in our pretend underwater societies.

In essence, Song of the Deep is a story of a deep and abiding love, the kind of love that gives you warm fuzzies. Merryn is twelve, and living with her fisherman father. Their life is small and quaint and rather predictable. There is comfort and a well-established routine between them. Merryn is crafty, resourceful, and kind, three important traits that never diminish throughout the book. Her relationship with her father was heartwarming and refreshing. It seems like I read so many books for youth that involve anger, or resentment, or some sort of a struggle between parents and their children, so it was quite refreshing to share a story with my own kid where the parent and child felt such a strong, emotional, believable bond that truly transcended the pages of the novel.

Anyway, things happen, and one day Merryn’s father goes out fishing and never comes back. Instead of sitting up in their small house and feeling sorry for herself and her life, Merryn basically says, “to hell with this” (in a child-approved manner) and goes off to build a submarine, and finds a magic shell that switches water to air so she can breathe in her submarine underwater, and decides that she’s going to go get her father because she can. This is really where the adventure starts.

This is a short book, and it will be a quick read for just about everyone. I should note that the start of the novel is the slowest bit of it. Hastings is establishing a relationship and lifestyle between father and daughter, and I’m glad he spent some time there. The rest of the book was really wham-bam. Merryn was in and out of really interesting situations, and fantastic settings, and I kind of ended up lamenting the quick pace of things. There were a lot of situations where I was wishing Hastings would have slowed down a bit and really let me enjoy what he created – like an (almost) empty city with a haunted past, a lighthouse, a garden that seemed fantastic, a forbidden city, and so much more. These were fantastic places, but Merryn was in and out so fast I felt like I hardly had the time to soak them in the way I wanted to.

The book is complete with illustrations (which my kid loved), and a map. The adventure part of the novel was kind of paint-by-numbers. You know how this whole thing is going to end, and it’s pretty easy to figure out how Merryn will get through it all. But for my daughter, she just ate this whole thing up. The adventure was incredible to her, she loved how Merryn was so smart and could figure just about anything out. And as a parent, I loved that, too. Merryn was a strong protagonist and the kind of character I want my daughter to read about. She’s smart, resourceful, and kind. Never once are her looks mentioned in any real way. She doesn’t save the day because she’s pretty, she saves the day because she’s smart, and she figures out how to get things done. Bravo.

In the end, I do  think my kid was a little too young to fully appreciate all this novel had to offer (she’s almost five, so I figured that would be the case but whatever). However, she enjoyed this one a whole lot more than I expected her to. It kept her guessing, and the illustrations were fantastic, and really helped her visualize what was going on, and where everything was taking place. As a parent, I loved this novel because I could really get behind the protagonist. I thought the pacing was a bit off, but the magic of the book was wonderful, and the underwater world portrayed was really imaginative.

So where does this leave us? For kids, I think this book is superb. Adults will probably appreciate some of its themes, and how imaginative it is, but this is a book geared toward kids, and kids will adore it. My husband preordered the game (and refused to read any part of this novel so it wouldn’t ruin his surprises while playing the game), and now my daughter is just about chomping at the bit to play the game with my husband. I’m pretty excited to see how the novel translates into a game. And I’m really glad I got to enjoy this with my daughter.

 

4/5 stars

Wolf’s Empire: Gladiator – Claudia Christian & Morgan Grant Buchanan

About the Book

A sweeping science-fiction saga of revenge set in a future in which the Roman Empire never fell, by actress Claudia Christian

When her mother and brother are murdered, young noblewoman Accala Viridius cries out for vengeance. But the empire is being torn apart by a galactic civil war, and her demands fall on deaf ears. Undeterred, Accala sacrifices privilege and status to train as a common gladiator. Mastering the one weapon available to her—a razor-sharp discus that always returns when thrown–she enters the deadly imperial games, the only arena where she can face her enemies.

But Fortune’s wheel grants Accala no favors—the emperor decrees that the games will be used to settle the civil war, the indigenous lifeforms of the arena-world are staging a violent revolt, and Accala finds herself drugged, cast into slavery and forced to fight on the side of the men she set out to kill.

Set in a future Rome that never fell, but instead expanded to become a galaxy-spanning empire, Accala’s struggle to survive and exact her revenge will take her on a dark journey that will cost her more than she ever imagined.

496 pages (hardcover)

Published on June 28, 2016

Published by Tor

Author’s website

Buy the book

This book was sent by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

—

I meant to review this book last week before my kid got sick (and we spent a huge chunk of the week in the hospital) and all sorts of fun things happened. I apologize for the wait, but better late than never, right?

Wolf’s Empire is a book I honestly didn’t want to read at first, nor did I think it would interest me. Then I thought about it a bit more, and I realized I was insanely curious about how the Roman Empire would translate to a futuristic space setting. And a strong female protagonist, a gladiator, no less, was compelling. So I decided to take a chance. What am I out if this book doesn’t pan out? Nothing.

Wolf’s Empire is quite a layered book. This one tells the story of Accala, as she tries to navigate and defy many gender roles, and social roles, and become her own woman living her own way in this futuristic world. While most of the story revolves around her role as a gladiator, that’s really only a tool used to show readers everything else that’s going on.

I was really surprised by how dark this novel was. I expected dark, I mean, it does feature gladiators after all, but I didn’t expect it to be so personal, layered, or all encompassing. This book is about so much more than fighting in the ring, it’s about a woman’s struggle for the right to her own life, her thirst for vengeance over past wrongs, there’s a bit of a mystery involved, a boatload of tension, and some personal themes like addiction are played out as well.

Wolf’s Empire is a tapestry of a lot of personal and social themes that are not only important in the novel itself, but absolutely pertinent for the societies we live in now, and Accala was a strong, if somewhat distant protagonist, and the perfect character to tell this surprisingly deep and dark story to readers.

The plot had a ton of twists and turns, and I stopped trying to expect or anticipate any of it. I eventually got to the point where I just had to sit back and enjoy the ride, and what a tumultuous ride that was. Things are bumpy, and difficult, and there is a ton of strained relationships between characters, and even Accala’s relationship to herself.

The beautiful part of Wolf’s Empire, the aspect of it that really impressed me the most, was how well some of these delicate themes were handled. Gender politics, for example, is a volatile subject at the best of times, but the authors of this novel examined this with poise and grace, and managed to present it in a thought provoking, and important way. And despite the fact that there were so many tug-of-war games going on between Accala and various aspects of society, relationships, addiction an whatever else, Accala never lost that sense of who she was. She was so incredibly real, which made all these deeper themes so much more poignant for the reader.

The gladiator stuff was an important focus of the novel, but it wasn’t the entire novel. It was a plot device, and an expertly used one. The real meat of this book happens just about everywhere else (and yes, a bit in the ring as well). The plot’s twists and turns are just as interesting, and nicely balanced, with the personal and political aspects of the novel. This was all paired with some absolutely superb writing, and a surprisingly well developed far future world (and society).

Wolf’s Empire left me with a ton of weighty things to think about, and I ended up enjoying this novel a whole lot more than I expected or anticipated. I couldn’t put it down, and even now that it’s over I’m thinking about numerous aspects of this novel. And that writing – wow. What excellent writing, it’s descriptive without being overwhelming, and never turns into the purple prose that I dread so much.

So basically what I’m saying is, don’t hesitate. This book is smart, well crafted, and superbly written. It will leave you plenty to think about, and plenty of surprises to keep you entertained. Wolf’s Empire is a true gem.

 

5/5 stars

Guest Post | Calling The Bluff – Gregory Wilson

About the Author



Gregory A. Wilson is currently Professor of English at St. John’s University in New York City, where he teaches creative writing and fantasy fiction along with various other courses in literature. His first academic book was published by Clemson University Press in 2007; on the creative side, he has won an award for a national playwriting contest, and his first novel, a work of fantasy entitled The Third Sign, was published by Gale Cengage in the summer of 2009. His second novel, Icarus, was published as a graphic novel by Silence in the Library Publishing in April, and his third, Grayshade, first book in the Gray Assassin Trilogy, will be published by The Ed Greenwood Group in September. He also has a number of short stories in various anthologies, three articles in the SFWA Bulletin, and did character work and flavor text for the hit fantasy card game Ascension: Chronicle of the Godslayer. He is a regular panelist at national and international conferences and is a member of Codex, the Writers’ Symposium, Backspace, and several other author groups on and offline. Along with fellow speculative fiction authors Brad Beaulieu and Mike Underwood he is the co-host of the critically acclaimed podcast Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans, a show which discusses (and interviews the creators and illustrators of) speculative fiction of all sorts and types, and he runs a highly regarded TwitchTV channel under the moniker Arvan Eleron. He lives with his wife Clea, daughter Senavene and son Calen–both named at his wife’s urging for characters in The Third Sign, for which he hopes they will both forgive him–in Riverdale, NY. Learn more about him on his website.

—

CALLING THE BLUFF

Gregory Wilson

In every huckster film—think Wedding Crashers, or Catch Me If You Can, or The Boiler Room—there’s a scene where the jig is finally up.  The exquisitely detailed plans, layered with delusion and uncertainty, are finally beginning to fall apart, the paint peeling from their sides and the rivets starting to pop; and the scam artist has a moment where he/she realizes it’s all over, the dream is finished, and there’s nowhere left to run.  The bluff has finally been called; the whole thing was never real to begin with.

We never quite know how to react to this as an audience.  We don’t want scam artists to succeed…really.  They hurt people, and they’ve got to be punished.  But we admire their guts, their chutzpah; we like the fact that they took chances, were bold and confident and exciting, were, uh, “unmoored” by traditional views of morality.  So when they inevitably fail, we’re a little sad.  Yes, consequences, responsibility, but still, it was exciting, wasn’t it?  Gatsby was all show and nonsense, but he was inspiring, right?

That’s partly it.  But I’d suspect there’s more to the reaction, especially when it’s coming from a creative person, an author, artist, dancer, musician, or something similar.

They got him.  My God, someday they’ll get me.

I’ve come to conclude after over a decade of writing professionally and interviewing other creative people that this fear, this staggering weight of self-doubt and uncertainty, is well-nigh universal in the creative personality.  No matter the level of achievement, regardless of the amount of success, most of us believe that at some level we’re charlatans, con artists; somehow we’ve managed to bamboozle friends, family members, agents, editors, reviewers, and the general public into believing we know what the hell we’re doing when we sit down to write our latest opus.  I used to think this was reserved for the folks who hadn’t received enough external approbation to get past their inner demons…and then I heard Tim Powers say, in an interview Brad Beaulieu and I conducted with him on our podcast Speculate about Hide Me Among The Graves, that on his latest project he was convinced he had (to paraphrase) written himself into a corner…and that he always felt this way, every time he wrote a book, that this time there was no escape, that this time they would find him out.

Tim Powers. That Tim Powers.

I’ve heard similar sentiments from literally hundreds of authors over the years, from my own creative writing students to award-winning paragons of the genre…and of course I feel it myself, intensely at times, the sense that I’ve been engaged in a great shell game which, eventually, is going to be revealed as the rigged spectacle it all is.  That nagging voice in my head—partly a leftover from my perfectionist parents, who probably thought they were instilling values and standards instead of creating an anxiety-ridden performer convinced he was going to miss catching the trapeze someday, in full view of a horrified and disapproving audience—is not the loudest one, fortunately.  But it’s always there, no matter how much work I do or how much I theoretically succeed at my profession: “Sure, but that book was from a smaller press. And that editor likes you personally, so she wanted to do you a favor.  And that novel is just a stand-alone, right, so they don’t want to keep you on, not really, not once everyone sees that you’re not really the writer you pretend to be…”

Theoretically succeed, I said in that last paragraph.  It’s a persistent and nasty little bugger, that voice.

What makes this worse, of course, is our inability to talk about it.  If we discuss our self-doubts and fears with friends who aren’t creatives themselves, we might get generalized support and acknowledgment of our concerns—but truthfully, they don’t understand the big deal, because they care about us and wouldn’t care if we produced nothing from here until doomsday so long as we were happy and willing to hang out with them.  Also, because they think we’re freaking nuts.

“They bought your third novel?”

“Yep.”

“That’s amazing!  Holy crap, I am so happy for you!  You got there, man!  You did it!”

“Yeah. Yeah, it’s great.”

“Uh…you’re not acting like it’s great.”

“Oh. Well…I mean, it’s awesome, but the publisher is new, and I’m worried about bookstore distribution, and I don’t know about the sequel, and so…yeah. Just things to think about.”

Long silence. “What!?”

But talking to fellow creatives isn’t much better, because our fears—the same ones which tell us to modulate our reactions, to not get ahead of ourselves, to wait for the other shoe to drop—also warn us not to show vulnerability to our peers.  Yeah, most of us feel some level of self-doubt, but we can’t admit that in any specific way…because then maybe they’ll know too.  Then they won’t ask us to writing groups, and they won’t want to be on panels with us, and they won’t write blurbs for our books, and…

Yes.  That voice again.

When I sat down to write this post, I wasn’t planning to write about the uncertainty and fear which often plague me and so many of my friends and colleagues.  But the only way it’s gotten better—and it has gotten better, much better over the years—

is through admitting it exists and talking about it, with friends (even the incredulous ones!), with family, with mentors, in therapy.  The only way to quiet the persistent, perfectionist voice which threatens to shut down our desire to, as Fuentes said, “struggle against silence,” is to replace it with a healthy one, one which admits the doubts and fears and uncertainties and places them in the larger context of our lives.

For me, that context is a healthy life with a wonderful family, with a daughter and son named (at my wife’s urging!) after two characters from my first novel.  For me, that context is a successful academic career as full professor at a university, teaching courses in fantasy, science fiction, and creative writing.  For me, that context is a successful writing career with a new trilogy beginning in the fall.  That context is critical for all of us, but we can only begin to consider it if we begin with a conversation which admits how we feel and what we fear…and how we can attend to those feelings and fears without being dominated by them.  It can only begin, ultimately, with an understanding that “they” haven’t called our bluff.  We’re not bluffing.

We’re writers. We’re people.  We’re flawed, imperfect people.  But we’re children of the universe, with voices that matter.

Those are the voices we need to speak with.  And most of all, those are the voices we need to listen to.

SPFBO 2 | Round 3 Mini Reviews

I’m sorry this is so late, but you can look back at my previous few posts to see why it was late. Thank you for being patient with me.

This round was really, really hard for me to judge because it had so many incredibly strong contesters and just about every book really interested me for different reasons. In the end, I had to pick one winner of this round, but if I’m up front, I had a really, really tough time choosing between two books here (I’ll let you guess which two). Really tough.

Bravo to all the entries, and once again, thank you for being patient with me while my life was in complete chaos.

—

Impossible Paradise – Leeland Arta

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This is another novella in my batch, and I’m kind of surprised. Last year I didn’t get any novellas and so far this year I’ve got two. I enjoy them. They are short, sweet, and to the point which tends to fit into my busy life well right now. Impossible Paradise is the prelude to a steampunk series. A lot is being set up, and a lot is being built on. What really stuck me is that steampunk, in my mind, isn’t really my favorite thing to read. A lot of it feels same-old-same-old, but there was a lot of unique elements here, and a ton of things that I really wanted to know more about. Without having read the rest of the series, I can say I truly enjoyed this novella. The characterization was well done. The world was absolutely captivating, and the steampunk elements were incredibly enjoyable. Also, fantastic map (I’m a sucker for those sorts of things).

4/5 stars

Award: Most (pleasantly) surprising

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Wanderers – Richard A Bamberg

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You know, what surprised me most about this one is that it didn’t end up being anything like what I expected it to be. It’s a tad overwritten at times, a bit too descriptive on occasion, but the magic system is really well done, and I loved how just about every element of the book had its own personality and purpose for being there, including the motorcycle which is more than just a motorcycle. The book is action packed, and full of just about everything that could easily be tropey but never really manages to be tropey itself. I enjoyed the twisting and turning of mythology, and the mystery was nicely done, if a touch predictable and cookie-cutter at times. All in all, very well done and a solid entry into this contest.

4/5 stars

Award: Best Mythology

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Alice’s Adventures in Underland: The Queen of Stilled Hearts – DeAnna Knippling

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Admission time. I don’t do well with zombies, or Victorian era things. However, I do really enjoy twists on old classics and fairytales. Going into this one, I knew it would be a little bit of a struggle for me. And yeah, I did struggle, mostly because of my own personal thematic issues, no fault of the author. This book is well written, and well executed, despite some slower and/or meandering parts. Knippling managed to keep me interested, and I really enjoyed seeing how she took a story that had been played with a million and a half times, and really made it her own. That’s a strong statement for the author’s skills. In the end, this one isn’t for me, but it’s no fault of the authors. It’s a fault of my own preference, and I really can’t fault the book or the author for the fact that I have issues with some of the subject matter holding my interest.

3/5 stars

Award: Best twist on a classic

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The Blood-Tainted Winter – T.L Graylock

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This is a book that falls firmly in the Norse fantasy arena. There are ships, and kings, and a very Viking feel to everything. Raef is a well-drawn character who has a very heartfelt struggle between revenge and familial duty. It’s a dark sort of book but there is plenty of hope in these pages. In the end, though, I did feel like this book was oddly balanced. At times I felt like there was almost too much attention on characterization, and not enough on world building. At other times I felt like there was too much description and not enough character depth. This caused some topsy-turvy scenes where characters felt pale and lacked depth, or the world felt pale and lacked depth. Despite that, the writing is solid, and the story was fast moving, full of emotion, and quite captivating.

2/5 stars

Award: Best old world feel

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Captain James Hook and the Curse of Peter Pan – Jeremy Marshall

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Confession: When I was a kid, I was absolutely obsessed with Peter Pan. Obsessed. OBSESSED, I tell you. To this day I’m pretty sure my siblings all get full body shudders whenever they hear the words ‘Peter’ and ‘Pan.’ That being said, I was really looking forward to reading this book. Peter Pan and Captain Hook? Yes, please. And wow, this book just worked for me. It really revved my engine. It’s the story of Captain Hook, told by Captain Hook, and believe it or not, you really start feeling for this guy. You understand the reasons why he is the way he is, and you start to understand why this hated pirate turned out to be so hated, and you feel really bad for him. The ending left me a little underwhelmed, as I think it could have used a bit more detail, or something, but otherwise this book was a fantastic retelling and a glorious twist on an old tale that is near and dear to my heart.

4/5 stars

Award: Best Reimagining

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Triad – Guy Estes

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I struggled with this one, and I didn’t expect to. Triad is essentially the tale of good vs. evil, and while that’s an old horse, if an author plays with that theme well, then color me excited. The problem here were two-dimensional characters, and the “evil” people felt very…. cardboard. The start of the novel was pretty weak, and it took until the last half before I really felt like Estes hit his stride and felt really comfortable in the story he was telling. There is a lot here that is worth chewing on, deep themes and promising writing, but I felt incredibly underwhelmed by the characterization.

2/5 stars

Award: Deepest Themes

 

And the winner is….

 

Captain James Hook and the Curse of Peter Pan by Jeremy Marshall

Update | The Light at the End of the Tunnel

Here’s the end of the story.

I got the call at work on Thursday from Cora’s doctor. It turns out this whole thing was caused by a run of the mill bladder infection. The object lesson we can all take away from this is: Make sure your kids aren’t misdiagnosed, mmm’kay. We have her on a 10 day dose of an incredibly strong antibiotic. Her fever broke on Saturday (so she had an incredibly high fever of 104 degrees or higher for exactly 8 days). Sunday she started to tear apart the house in true baby fashion. Today she’s been unstoppable. She’s still temperamental, has an incredible desire to ALWAYS be touching me, but she’s getting better. We have to go back to the doctor on this coming Monday to make sure everything is okay before we are really out of the water.

We are all relaxing, and feeling hugely relieved.

That was the worst week of my life. Period.

This week I will get the website rolling again. I’m hugely backlogged on reviews, and I plan on doing at least one round of mini reviews for the SPFBO, if not two (har har). Today will just have this post because I was up all day and night doing July 4 stuff, but Wednesday start expecting regular content.

Thank you all for your kind thoughts, and well wishes during this absolutely terrifying time in our lives. It meant the world to me and my family.