Rob J. Hayes's Blog, page 20

Back to Self Publishing

Just a quick update today but an important one. I have decided to end my publishing relationship with Ragnarok Publications. I wish all the best to everyone at the company, both staff and authors, but I feel it’s time for me to leave.

So what does this mean? Well for a start it means that I’ll be taking The Ties that Bind back to self-publishing once the rights revert back to me and Best Laid Plans will probably be hit with another delay but that too will get put out as a self published series hopefully later this year.

It’s going to be a period of turmoil for me and I’ll let you all know more as and when I do, but I thank you all for being patient.

In the mean time I’d ask you all to refrain from buying any of my First Earth books until I have the rights back and can once again put the books out there myself.

It Takes a Thief… will continue to be sold throughout as the series is all mine. So if you are desperate to read some words by me I would suggest It Takes a Thief to Catch a Sunrise.

Thank you for all your support. And again, updates when I have them.

To Be Read 2017 – The Readening

After my last fairly downbeat blog I thought I’d lift the spirits of us all by announcing a number of the books I’ll be reading in 2017. I assume you all care what I read and my rambling musings regarding those books because I have a giant ego and assume everyone wants to know all about me! Random fact: I dislike the taste of ginger unless it is in lemon and ginger tea. And now you know.

So without any further ado or the like. Here are just some of the books I intend to wade into this year.

 

The Red Queens War by Mark Lawrence

The Red Queen is old but the kings of the Broken Empire dread her like no other. For all her reign she has fought the long war, contested in secret, against the powers that stand behind nations, for higher stakes than land or gold. Her greatest weapon is The Silent Sister unseen by most and unspoken of by all.

The Red Queen s grandson, Prince Jalan Kendeth drinker, gambler, seducer of women is one who can see The Silent Sister. Tenth in line for the throne and content with his role as a minor royal, he pretends that the hideous crone is not there. But war is coming. Witnesses claim an undead army is on the march, and the Red Queen has called on her family to defend the realm. Jal thinks it s all a rumor nothing that will affect him.

But he is wrong 

It was actually about this time last year I was reading Mark’s Broken Empire trilogy and as a series they quickly became my favourite read of 2016. I’m a good half way through Prince of Fools and, though I don’t think it’s as strong a start as Prince of Thorns was, it’s definitely an engaging read. It’s always good to start the year with a well-written book and it is that. Now if only Jalan would stop being such an annoying arse.

And if anyone else wants to support Mark’s bid to take over the world, Prince of Fools is available on Kindle for just £1.99 at the moment.

 

Galefire 1 – Fade Rippers by Kenny Soward

Lonnie is just your average runner for the infamous Eighth Street Gang when he gets an urgent phone call to back up his crew after trouble follows them home from a drug deal gone bad.

During the ensuing firefight, Lonnie sees some things he wishes he hadn’t, including the gang’s leader, Selix, channeling her powers from a place called the Fade by getting high…and dancing. Memories begin unraveling inside Lonnie’s darkened mind. Memories of dragons and fiends and fire-swept otherworlds. Memories Selix controls with a simple touch.

But what is real and what is not?

In the strange and violent world of Galefire, Lonnie comes to realize not everything is as it seems, including his own identity. But will Lonnie and Selix reconcile the past before they are caught by those who seek to drag them home in chains?

I bumped the priority of this one up because it’s actually a re-release by Kenny and I was supposed to read it the first time around but I’m useless and slow and didn’t… it’s all my bad. Anyways, I’ve been a fan of Kenny since reading his Gnomesaga books and this one has a very Shadowrun vibe about it… And I love Shadowrun. I’ll be jumping on it just as soon as I can and I expect it to be a hell of ride.

You can pick up Galefire on Kindle for FREE!!! If you do that horrible Kindle Unlimited thing. Or you can just support authors instead of Amazon and pick it up for £2.42. Make the right choice, people.

 

Malice by John Gwynne

Young Corban watches enviously as boys become warriors, learning the art of war. He yearns to wield his sword and spear to protect his king’s realm. But that day will come all too soon. Only when he loses those he loves will he learn the true price of courage.

The Banished Lands has a violent past where armies of men and giants clashed in battle, the earth running dark with their heartsblood. Although the giant-clans were broken in ages past, their ruined fortresses still scar the land. But now giants stir anew, the very stones weep blood and there are sightings of giant wyrms. Those who can still read the signs see a threat far greater than the ancient wars. Sorrow will darken the world, as angels and demons make it their battlefield. Then there will be a war to end all wars.

High King Aquilus summons his fellow kings to council, seeking an alliance in this time of need. Prophesy indicates darkness and light will demand two champions, the Black Sun and the Bright Star. They would be wise to seek out both, for if the Black Sun gains ascendancy, mankind’s hopes and dreams will fall to dust.

I have been hearing good things about this book and the Faithful and the Fallen series in general. That being said all I’ve really heard is good things. I know nothing about the story or plot. I haven’t even read the blurb, just copy-pasted it. I’m going into this series 100% virgin. I’ve only added Malice, the first in the 4 book series, onto my list so far but if it’s as good as people say it may well be a binge read this year.

Here’s a link to Malice on Amazon.

 

The Guns of Ivrea by Clifford Beal

Acquel Galenus, former thief and now monk, uncovers a terrible secret under the Great Temple at Livorna, one that could shake the faith to its core. A secret that could get him killed. A secret that could enable an older, more sinister form of worship to be reborn.

Pirate princeling Nicolo Danamis, mercenary to the King and captain of the largest fleet in Valdur, has made one deal too many, and enemies are now closing in to destroy him.

Citala, fair-haired and grey-skinned, the daughter of the chieftain of the merfolk, finds herself implacably drawn to the affairs of men. She puts events in motion that will end her people’s years of isolation but that could imperil their very existence.

All their fates will intertwine as they journey across the land, through duchies and free cities riven by political intrigue, religious fervour, and ancient hatreds. Alliances are being forged anew and after decades of wary peace, war is on the wind once again…

Well I’m a bit of a sucker for a good pirate story. Hells, I wrote one… which might actually get published sometime this year (maybe, hopefully, fingers crossed). Also, LOOK AT THE PRETTY COVER! It seems strange to me that this one has a big publisher behind it and yet seemed to slip under the radar. Even stranger because I’ve only heard good things about it. Well I’m looking forward to diving in ;-).

You can loot Guns of Ivrea on Amazon here.

 

The First Chronicles of Druss the Legend by David Gemmell

Druss. The Legend. Saviour of Skeln Pass. Protector of Dros Delnoch. The most famous – and dreaded – of Drenai’s heroes.

OK, so I know nothing about this book or Druss or David Gemmell. This is entirely the fault of Fantasy Book Critic’s Mihir Wanchoo who has decided I am a heretic for never having read any Gemmell (ever) and he says this is the book to start on. Something about the timeline and continuity and oooohhh, look at the axe on the cover.

Here’s the Amazon link for The First Chronicles of Druss the Legend.

 

The Thief Who Pulled on Trouble’s Braids by Michael McClung

Amra Thetys lives by two simple rules: take care of business, and never let it get personal.

Thieves don’t last long in Lucernis. When a fellow rogue is butchered on the streets in a deal gone bad, Amra turns her back on burglary and goes after something more precious than treasure: revenge. Revenge, however, might be hard to come by. A nightmare assortment of enemies including an immortal assassin and a mad sorcerer believe Amra is in possession of The Blade That Whispers Hate, the legendary, powerful artifact her friend was murdered for. And Amra s enemies will do anything to take it.Trouble is, Amra hasn’t a clue where the Blade actually is. She needs to find it, and soon, or she’ll be joining her colleague in a cold grave, rather than avenging his death.

This one has been on my radar for a while now because my sister raves about the series and we tend to have quite similar taste in fantasy tales. Now Michael has just announced that he is pulling out of Ragnarok Publications and that means this series won’t be available for a while, but he is intending to self publish them again once he has his rights back and I’ll be jumping on this series as soon as he does.

Out of respect for Michael’s wishes I won’t post the Amazon link but will post a link to his official statement in case any of you would like to know more.

 

The Fitz and the Fool series by Robin Hobb

Tom Badgerlock has been living peaceably in the manor house at Withywoods with his beloved wife Molly these many years, the estate a reward to his family for loyal service to the crown.

But behind the facade of respectable middle-age lies a turbulent and violent past. For Tom Badgerlock is actually FitzChivalry Farseer, bastard scion of the Farseer line, convicted user of Beast-magic, and assassin. A man who has risked much for his king and lost more…

On a shelf in his den sits a triptych carved in memory stone of a man, a wolf and a fool. Once, these three were inseparable friends: Fitz, Nighteyes and the Fool. But one is long dead, and one long-missing.

Then one Winterfest night a messenger arrives to seek out Fitz, but mysteriously disappears, leaving nothing but a blood-trail. What was the message? Who was the sender? And what has happened to the messenger?

Suddenly Fitz’s violent old life erupts into the peace of his new world, and nothing and no one is safe.

This is going to be my end of year treat. Robin Hobb’s Farseer and Tawny Man series hold a special place in my heart and head. She is a master of putting both her characters and the audience through the emotional ringer and I have rarely found myself invested in a character quite like I did with Fitz. I’ve been purposefully waiting on starting this series because I know I’m going to want to binge it. This year! SOON! I’m quite excited.

You can find Fool’s Assassin on Amazon here and if you haven’t tried any of Robin Hobb’s books yet I REALLY cannot recommend them enough.

 

So this is in no way a complete list of everything I will read this year, but it’s a taster. I will be posting reviews as and when I finish them.

Publishing Limbo?

Here goes. Some people have contacted me to ask “Where is Where Loyalties Lie?” It’s true, the first book in my piratical adventure duology (Best Laid Plans) should have been out already. It should be in the hands of millions maybe a few thousand at least. But it’s not. It appears to firmly stuck in publishing limbo and out of my hands. So here is where I let you all know just what is happening.

Where Loyalties Lie and The Fifth Empire of Man

I first submitted a version of the manuscript to Ragnarok Publications well over a year ago in late 2015. I was first told it would be released in Spring of 2016. The follow-up, The Fifth Empire of Man, was also submitted at the same time and was scheduled for a Fall release. Then Ragnarok signed a deal with the Independent Publishing Group (IPG) to distribute their books on a more global scale. Delays hit. We weren’t given too much in the way of details, but I was told Where Loyalties Lie would be pushed back to late 2016. I’ll admit I was not best pleased. I want to get the book out there. I want people to read the adventures within and I want to continue the saga of First Earth that I started with The Ties that Bind.

But delays happen. Besides, the deal with IPG is supposed to give my books a wider reach so is a good thing in theory. So being the polite English chap I am I shut up, ignored the worry in my head, and soldiered on with a cup of tea and a stiff upper lip. Quite a lot of tea actually.

Eventually I was told Where Loyalties Lie would be release in December 2016. I wasn’t sure if it’s the best month to release a book (I’m still not), but a release is a release… except when it isn’t. This is where things start to get dodgy.

November 2016 rolled around and I still hadn’t received any edits to the manuscript I submitted. It’s fair to say this had me worried. I like to think I’m a pretty good author these days but any story needs to see an editor with a big red pen and an angry disposition (I’m looking at Grimdark Magazine on this one, they have a very angry, but superb, editor). To make matters worse I received an email from my audible narrator, Gerard Doyle, to tell me work on the audio book version of Where Loyalties Lie had begun. This. Was. WORRYING!

After a few days of pulling my hair out I finally got hold of someone at Ragnarok and they told me that the edits weren’t finished and audible had been pushing for work to start so they were sent the version of the manuscript I handed in back in late 2015… That was not a finished version of the book. It had never seen a professional editor. It had been through alpha readers, beta readers, and my own jaded eyes, but never an editor.

The audible version of Where Loyalties Lie released in early December 2016. You might have noticed I haven’t done much shouting about it. Well that’s because I’m VERY hesitant to direct my readers to an unfinished version of my book. It’s the equivalent of an early draft being leaked online. Now this may be counter intuitive to say but I would implore any readers of my work to wait for the official publication of Where Loyalties Lie because I would rather you get to experience the finished work.

So my trepidation wasn’t over in 2016. It was December and as far as I knew my piratical, swashbuckling yarn was releasing… and I STILL hadn’t received an edited version of the manuscript. For a while I thought Ragnarok was going to release the same version that went to audible. It led to a very stressful early December.

Eventually I got through to Ragnarok and was informed that edits had been started but were not yet finished and Where Loyalties Lie would hopefully be released in late December 2016, if I could get the edits turned around in time… once I received them. If not then it would be a January 2017 release.

Both Christmas and the New Year have been and gone and I am still waiting for those edits. So that pretty much brings me up to date. Where Loyalties Lie has been delayed again and I have no clear answer as to when it will get its release. With the best will in the world I can’t see it before February at the earliest.

I can’t wait to introduce you all to Drake and The Fortune, Keelin and the Phoenix, Elaina and the Starry Dawn… But I have to wait. I will let you all know as soon as I have more information.

This post is in no way meant as a gripe, but as a state of the game. I will be following it up in a day or two with a what to expect from me in 2017 post… hopefully it will contain both books of Best Laid Plans.

Review Blog – Rogue One (A Star Wars Story)

“I’m putting together a team…”

I don’t like doing it but I’m going to start this blog with a gripe.

I went to see Rogue One yesterday. At my local cinema. It’s a lovely little rustic place where you can get sofas and beer and it’s actually fairly cheap… for a cinema. HOWEVER!!! They forgot to reserve our seats. Luckily the cinema never reserves seats on the very front row so we went and sat there. Ever sat on a front row? It’s horrible. You have to constantly look up. The screen fills your vision so you have to turn your head to see anything going on out of shot (so I probably missed a few things as well). And it has a habit of making everything seem a little bit blurry. I was not pleased sitting down to watch Rogue One. Oh, and the dickhead sat behind me kicking my chair throughout the ENTIRE film kept dragging me out of the immersion!

I said I was going to start on a negative but here’s where I flip it around. I was in a bad mood from the get go and it didn’t change. Yet I still found myself loving the film. That says something about how good it was.

I’m gonna split this review into two because I’ll try to do the first part with no spoilers and then I’ll talk about some things that NEED to be said.

Rogue One is a Star Wars story (that is to say it’s set in the Star Wars universe, but does not take part in the main episodic story they are telling). It tells the story of the completion of the first Death Star and the band of rebels who nicked off with the plans so some farm boy with a fancy last name could nab all the glory by actually blowing the thing up. I mean, sure, it’s easy to steal all the glory when the plan is laid out for you and you have some mystical force guiding your actions. #LukesNoHero.

Glorious visuals.

We’re quickly introduced to a band of misfits, criminals, re-programmed imperial droids, and DONNIE-FUCKING-YEN! Seriously, I would happily watch an entire film about Chirrut (Donnie Yen) and Baze (Wen Jiang). Screw that upcoming Han Solo film, give us more about this duo. Right… so this band of misfits have the task of stealing the Death Star plans and saving the universe. That’s the premise… I know, I’ve meandered. Awesome actors in great roles do that to me.

These guys!

So as far as the story goes it’s nothing we (as Star Wars fans) didn’t already know, but it fills in a few blanks… such as the long standing geek question of why does the Death Star have such an obvious flaw? And it ties in beautifully with the franchise. It whips along at a fairly break neck pace and there was barely a dull moment. Lots of edge of the seat action and a well told story all round with good dialogue… except the Darth Vader quip about choking a fool. Bad Vader. Bad!

The characters are a joy to watch. I actually don’t know which one to talk about… apart from DONNIE-FUCKING-YEN! Leading the pack is Cassian, a young veteran of the rebellion who straight up murders a guy the moment we meet him. This isn’t the Han Solo shooting first kinda deal. This is the your work for the cause is done kinda deal. Actually that scene kinda sets the tone for the entire film, this is a much more adult SW story than we’re used to. Also sets up the character quite nicely.

Jyn Erso is next on the list and she’s kinda the hero (if there is one) of the story. She has ties to the building of the Death Star and is integral to the plan to stop it. She’s also fairly badass and good with the words when some inspirational speechy-fying is needed. Oh but I loved that scene… saving it for the spoiler section.

K-2SO is a smart arse reprogrammed Imperial Droid (voiced by Wash! Or Alan Tudyk as some people call him). He has some of the best comedic lines in the entire film and helps to lighten the tone here and there.  And he kinda looks like the robots from Laputa…

Bodhi Rook is an imperial pilot who defects and kicks off the entire story. He gets a fairly rough deal and comes through it like a champion. He definitely engages hero mode about half way through the film.

Then we have Chirrut and Baze. These guys are former guardians of a jedi temple and about 200% badass. They provide some good comic relief as well as bringing some excellent action into the scenes. They are a joy to watch and not least of all because they really felt like old friends who had that bond of trust.

What to talk about next? Oooh, I know. I’ll mention the feel of the film. Rogue One feels like a Star Wars film. What do I mean by that? Well, remember that first time you watched a Star Wars film and it introduced you to exotic locations, hit you with some action, showed off some cool tech/ships, resolved a part of the plot, then moved on to another exotic location… Well it does that. Each new place it shows us is beautiful and unique in its own right. Each place the characters visit has its own set of problems for them to overcome. And each place helps to move the plot along. Also, massive battle scene on a beach that would look like paradise… if not for the AT-ATs, blaster fire, and dead bodies… Seriously it was quite beautiful.

I’d go there for a holiday, Imperial presence or no.

Um… issues. It’s me, I have to some issues with the film. There were a few bits that felt like cheap tension generators. One such bit includes a mind reading tentacle monster that serves no real purpose to the plot and apparently leaves the victim with a broken mind… only the guy pretty much just snaps out of it the next time we see him. There were a couple of bits like that but in all fairness, they were barely noticeable… That’s about all I’ve got.

Conclusion time. Then I’ll get to the spoilers. Rogue One is an excellent addition to the Star Wars franchise. It adds new locations and new characters while feeling like a Star Wars film and tying in nicely to the larger narrative. It does something new with a story that we already knew happened. If you like Star Wars… watch it! If you like sci fi… watch it! Just watch it!

 

OK. SPOILERS. 

Seriously. This next bit contains spoilers. If you haven’t seen the film yet, click away. Go! NOW!

 

The ending. Now when I first heard about the concept for Rogue One I was quite vocal about my wish to see all the characters die at the end. This was not because I didn’t like the idea of the characters or the actors (DONNIE-FUCKING-YEN), but because it would actually cheapen the whole thing if they all got out alive at the end. I know the “many Bothans died…” thing is about the second Death Star, but stealing the plans was a big deal that enabled the entire of A New Hope. The characters dying at the end would only make the message more poignant. And they did! And it was glorious! And sad! And brilliant! Each of our main cast got a heroic death scene and it really helped to ramp up the tension… or at least it would if I hadn’t known it was going to happen. I think the moment K-2SO died I knew they were all going to bite the dust. Loved it. It really brings home the message that the rebels are willing to die for the cause. That bringing down the Empire is important.

The speech-ifying by Jyn was great. It’s actually a bit better than Deep Blue Sea (yeah I said it!). She gives this wonderful speech to the rebellion to bolster hope and rally the troops… and they tell her to bugger off. It was a great moment because of how real it felt. It’s cool in films to see people turn the tide by talking about not going quietly into the night or cancelling the apocalypse, but in reality people often need more than a few words to convince them to sacrifice their lives. But more than that! Jyn gave the speech to the leaders of the rebellion and these leaders basically shot her down because it was a suicide mission and they weren’t willing to risk themselves. Half of them started advocating surrender. Then the troops, those people who are sent out to do the things that make them monsters by the people who weren’t willing to risk their own lives, make the decision to go on the suicide mission all on their own. They inspire the rest of the rebellion through actions not words, and they sacrifice their own lives to it. It’s beautiful and it’s horrible all at once.

Giant space and land battle going on all at once. Fuck yes! And the plan with the Hammerhead Corvette was glorious. All it needed was a Worf moment.

OK. I think I’ve exhausted myself writing this blog. Feel free to leave comments and tell me about some of the best moments for you.

 

Oh, and this is a Star Wars blog so I would be remiss if I didn’t finish it with a picture of the greatest hero the rebellion has ever known.

Crix Madine!

Review Blog – Death Note

So I’m a little late to the party as Death Note is an anime that first aired in 2006. Strangely enough that was the year I was watching a shit ton of anime yet this one passed me by. Anyways, it’s on Netflix and has been for a while so I thought I’d give it a go.

Death Note is the story of a guy, Light (that’s his name), who finds a notebook dropped by a god of death. If a name is written in the notebook the person whose name is written will die. There’s a whole bunch of rules to this and what not, but that’s the premise. Light takes on the alias of Kira and starts using this notebook to murder criminals all over the world in an attempt to end crime and bring about a new era of peace and prosperity with himself as the god of justice. At the same time the authorities bring in a genius detective, L (that’s his name), to help catch Kira. What follows is part cat and mouse, part chess game, and part Holmes Vs Moriarty.

It’s worth pointing out I watched Death Note with English dubbing because it’s actually very good quality and… OH DEAR GOD L IS PLAYED BY LIEUTENANT GAETA!

Battlestar reference!

Anyway. So Death Note has a very interesting premise and for the most part is really well done. There’s very little actual action in the show though it’s quite fun to watch how they anime-up the writing of names in a notebook. The story really revolves around Light and L trying to outsmart each other. It’s very much the world’s greatest detective Vs the world’s greatest criminal. What starts out as quite a simple move and counter move quickly grows more complex as more Death Notes are added to the story and more characters willing to use them.

At times the pacing is a bit lethargic and at other times it rushes forwards at break neck pace as though it’s suddenly trying to catch up. Sometimes characters are added and then killed off quickly and it gives a good sense of no one being safe in the world… which is fairly accurate when your premise is about a guy who can kill anyone just by writing their true name in a book. And that’s where much of the narrative comes from. The name written in the book has to be a person’s true name. Light soon realises that L is after him and that he is a suspect in the case, but without knowing L’s real name he can’t kill him. The show becomes a deadly game where Light has to both allay suspicion while also trying to discover L’s real name and he has to do it before L can prove that Light is actually Kira. Sounds a bit complicated? It is. Both players weave complex plots and plans to outwit the other and it’s really quite fascinating to watch how they all play out.

Onto the characters. Light is a psychopath (most of the time… I’ll get to that). He truly believes he is doing a good thing by murdering bad guys. In a way he’s very Dr.Doom in that he actually believes the world would be a better place for everyone under his control. He’s also a psychopath! Light is quite clearly addicted to killing people and sees everyone as a threat. Everyone is against him and he is smarter than them all and he will kill anyone to protect himself and his vision of the world. He’s very well written and played for the most part, seeming like your everyday student even as he’s plotting how to kill everyone in his way. He is evil, but he’s also the main character of the story.

Light Yagami

 

L is characterised as very much the eccentric. He’s a genius and thinks both inside and outside the box but has so many distracting quirks that it’s often easy to forget he’s the world’s greatest detective. Honestly from the way he sits, to the fact that he clearly never sleeps, to the fact that he is always eating sugary snacks… He’s either insane or it’s all an act to distract everyone around him. He’s probably just insane. He’s also a joy to watch as he’s the only character that operates on Light’s level and it makes for some brilliant deductive reasoning, not to mention banter between the two. There is a strange hypocrisy in L though. I have to wonder if he too is a bit of a psychopath. He clearly sees Kira as evil and recognises the need to catch the murderer, but he also clearly believes himself above the law and often breaks the law in order to catch Kira. L is probably the most fascinating character of the series. He latches onto Light as the prime suspect because he has no other suspects and the show quickly becomes a sort of witch hunt. Nothing Light can do dissuades L from believing he is Kira.

L

 

So it should be obvious by now that I really enjoyed Death Note… But it’s me and you might have realised by now that I have issues with everything. So here we go. Some of the leaps in logic and deductive reasoning are completely beyond the realms of the realistic. It’s hard to go into specifics without spoilers but I’ll just say L sometimes figures out things that he really shouldn’t be able to without having knowledge of the Death Note… which he doesn’t. He’s actually not the only character who does it and it sometimes feels like the weave of plans formulated by Light and L can only be solved by these insane leaps of logic. Maybe I was just overthinking things and I should have just accepted it, but I was sometimes left thinking “How the fuck did he figure that out?”

Secondly I feel I need to address the inconsistency in Light’s character. Light is a psychopath but only while he has possession of the Death Note. Now I know it’s meant to show that power corrupts and all that… but that isn’t the way it works. If Light is a psychopath, he is a psychopath whether he has a magical note book or not.

I have one more gripe but I can’t talk about it without MASSIVE SPOILERS… so I’ll put it down at the end.

Overall I enjoyed Death Note. I thought it fun and clever with plenty of interesting characters and twists. However I just couldn’t overlook some of its flaws. I give it 3 stars.

 

OK. Conclusion done so it’s time for my biggest issues with the story. SPOILERS!!!! You have been warned.

For me the show lost all urgency about two thirds of the way in when Light manipulates events into killing L. The entire show had been built around the cerebral battle between the two of them and then it was over. Light had won. Fair enough… but the show wasn’t over. It continued with Near (L’s successor) taking the place of world’s greatest detective. Near felt like a pale copy of L and I never connected with him like I did with L. Essentially the show moves on to a new stage with Kira being in control and Near struggling to catch him… but I kinda stopped caring.

Then there’s the ending. Maybe my own expectations were a problem here but I expected it to be… better. More intelligent. It boils down to Light trusted someone else and they weren’t as smart as him and Near catches Light through this other character. It was very unsatisfying and mostly because I honestly expected L to reappear after somehow faking his death and outsmart Light for the final time.

The final third of the show dragged out and led to a completely unsatisfying conclusion with characters I simply didn’t care about. It felt like one of those detective TV shows that goes on too long and forgets what made it good in the first place. By then Light had become a tired character and L’s replacement was all sorts of meh.

Top 5 Reads of 2016

So December has rolled around and lots of people are doing their favourite books of 2016 blogs. And I don’t like being left out. So here are my favourite reads of 2016. Please note not all of these books were released in 2016. My TBR pile extends back into the 1980s!

5. Twelve Kings in Sharakhai by Bradley P. Beaulieu

French cover because WOW!

This one was actually the first book I read in the new year after receiving it as a Christmas present. It’s a fun tale about Ceda, a master pit fighter and part time shady package runner. While investigating her mother’s death and planning vengeance on those she deems responsible, Ceda finds herself embroiled in a plot far greater than herself.

I really liked Twelve Kings… just not as much as I wanted to like it. I have a thing about fantasy stories set in deserts (I blame Aladdin) so this one caught my eye early on. I had a couple of issues with pacing and chapter structure and it detracted from an otherwise excellent story. That being said a high point for me was the relationship between Ceda and Emre. One of the most believable best friend relationships I’ve ever read.

I gave Twelve Kings in Sharakhai 3.5 and rounded up to 4 and would happily recommend it to people who love epic fantasy tales with strong female protagonists… and deserts.

Here’s my link to the full review.

 

4. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

Don’t know what it is but I hate this cover.

Another Christmas present book here though from a couple of years ago. It had been sat on my shelf for a long time and people kept saying it was amazing. I was skeptical. It’s not really my preferred genre. I gave it a go all the same. People were right. It’s a story about a kid who will go to any length to win the keys to the biggest MMO ever created.

The story is very clever and full of wit but the real stars are the characters who are oddly endearing in their oddities. The twists are thick and fast and there’s so many homages I think I probably missed a few. I had a few issues with it (because I’m me and I have issues with everything) such as the main character suddenly turning into Danny Ocean and the constant referencing of 80s pop culture as though Ernest Cline was taking moments out from writing to wink at his future readers. But overall it’s a great book and I look forward to the film… which is apparently coming.

I gave Ready Player One 4.5 stars and rounded up to 5. But in reality I was still sorting out my rating system so early in the year and would probably have given it a 4 overall. Still, great book. Read it.

Here’s my link to the full review.

 

3. Ibenus by Seth Skorkowsky

The whole series recently got a cover face lift… I have the old covers!

A book by my Ragnarok Publication brother, Seth Skorkowsky. I’ve been a fan of the Valducan series since giving Damoren a go. This one is kinda like Hellsing meets Aliens. So the gist is: Demons are real and they are bastards. Angels are sort of real but they possess weapons which then bond to people who then go out and kill the demons. Big fights ensue.

This one is an 80s action film in a book. The plot zips along at break neck pace, the characters are witty and badass, and the stakes just keep on rising. Seth has come out and said he likes to change genres a little with each book and this one is definitely action horror. It’s fun and clever with good twists and SO. MUCH. SUSPENSE. The only issues I really had were gripes not really worth mentioning here.

I gave Ibenus 4 stars and want to see the entire series turned into an anime.

Here’s my link to the full review.

 

2. The Skull Throne by Peter V. Brett

This is just nowhere near how I imagine Rojer to look. Not even close.

Oh how I looked forward to this one even after the Daylight War’s SO SLOW PACING. The Skull Throne is the continuation of Brett’s Demon Cycle series set in a world where demons rise up from the core of the planet at night to be dicks. Slightly more importantly at this point is how humanity is NOT coming together to fight against the demons. There’s a whole thing. It’s brilliant.

I was a little torn with this one because it is again really slowly paced in places and so much of it seems to be filler… But Brett is a master at making me care about the damned filler… which I think I both love and hate him for. The biggest draw and the thing that puts this one at the number 2 spot is that I found myself caring about both sides of the ultimate conflict and really couldn’t pick who I wanted to win. And while I was still trying to decide if the outcome was the one I wanted, Brett kicked me in the balls and skipped away laughing. Confused? Read the series and you’ll understand. Also, read the series because it’s excellent!

I gave The Skull Throne 4 stars and it’s so high up on the list because Brett does something better than any other fantasy author around at the moment.

Here’s my link to the full review.

 

1. King of Thorns by Mark Lawrence

This cover makes so much sense after reading the book. Little details!

I could probably have filled this list with all three books in the Broken Empire series but I won’t because where’s the fun in that? The series follows little Jorgy Ancrath as he murderers his way through the kingdom, overcomes impossible odds, and is generally a dick to everyone. I’m putting King of Thorns at the top of the series because it was hands down the best in my opinion.

I loved the entire series but King of Thorns did such a good job of subverting popular fantasy tropes that I couldn’t put the book down. The long and short of it is Jorg is the villain, not the hero of prophecy. But villains sometimes win.

I gave King of Thorns 4.5 and rounded up to 5. Pretty much anyone who likes fantasy should at least give Broken Empire a try… though I can see how Jorg isn’t the hero some people will want to read about.

Here’s my link to the full review.

 

 

So there we have it. My favourite reads of 2016. I already have quite a list of books to read in 2017 from authors including Mark Lawrence (again), John Gwynne, Charles Phipps, Marc Turner, and many many more.

Review Blog – Grayshade by Gregory A. Wilson

It’s worth mentioning that I received an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) of this book in return for an honest review.

 

Grayshade is a book about Grayshade, an acolyte (assassin) for the Order of Argoth. We follow along in his head as he discovers the Order is not everything it claims and finds a the cause to fight for he didn’t even realise he was searching for. It’s set in the Stormtalons universe which is a shared world thing created by Ed Greenwood who also created the Forgotten Realms for D&D. Basically Mr Greenwood appears to have put the lands and cities and infrastructure into place and a bunch of other authors are playing in his sandbox and making stories out of it. I think. I went to check on the official website to make sure but it seems to be having some serious issues with links being broken and what not. Anyways, onto the book.

Grayshade is told through first person past tense… most of the time. Actually a major gripe of mine about the book was the tense occasionally slipped into present and left me scratching at my head. Our main protagonist is… actually he’s pretty bland. Grayshade has an indeterminate age, but the story definitely feels like it picks up half way through his story. A quick google tells me this books is part of a trilogy and it actually feels more like book 2 of the trilogy rather than 1. We keep getting reminisces back to Grayshade’s training that honestly sound like we’re missing out on a more interesting story than the one being told. I just never really got a feel for the character himself. Grayshade is all business and the few times he does show emotion it feels more like showing it rather than feeling it. He feels more like a plot device to tell the story than the story itself.

Now I’ve mentioned plot I’ll jump right in. The stakes in this book are so low I found myself unable to really care who won. I don’t know if this is because the author is writing in someone else’s world so can’t make major changes… but the plot boiled down to Grayshade kills a bunch of people because he doesn’t like the way a city is governed. The only relatable stake is to Grayshade’s life itself and as I was never given a reason to care about the character nor did I care about his plight.

The conflicts are almost entirely resolved by deus ex machina. Whether it’s a magical device that seems to respond to Grayshade’s will and kills without an apparent chance of blocking it (it’s about as bad as it sounds), or a young boy who suddenly awakens a new telepathic power just at the right time to save the day, or even the sudden reappearance of allies who had previously run away and gave no reason for changing their minds and coming back. After the first two times it started to remove all tension from the story because whatever peril Grayshade found himself in, I knew something would pop up just in the nick of time to save him… and it did.

One last gripe was the overly clinical explanation of everything. Whether it was continually noting how many minutes Grayshade walked down a street for, or the over description of action scenes…

I’m taking a pause right here to explain that in literature over describing scenes, especially action scenes, actually makes them more confusing rather than less because it makes the audience try to see exactly what the author was seeing as they wrote the scene. A little bit more vague is generally better as it allows the audience to engage their own imagination to fill in the blanks. Not only does it make things less confusing for the audience but it also helps them to engage with the story as they are putting some of themselves into it. Boom! Writing advice.

Review Blog – The Skull Throne by Peter V. Brett

 

Well it’s fair to say this one had its ups and its downs. This review may contain minor spoilers.

The Skull Throne continues right where the previous book in the Demon Cycle series, The Daylight War, left off. With Ahmann and Arlen missing, a bunch of self-entitled mini Arhmanns squabbling over who should be in charge, and Leesha still being very much Leesha. I’m not gonna go much into the setting because you’ve either read the previous books and already know, or you haven’t read the previous books and don’t want it spoiled. For the latter among you, Brett’s world is one of misery. The people of the world eke out their living during the day and hide behind magical barriers at night because night is when the demons come up from the core and lay waste to the world, killing any people they can find. But there are prophecies of a Deliverer who will unite mankind against the demons and rid the world of them once and for all. Only there’s some debate over which Deliverer is the real one.

 

So The Skull Throne starts off a bit slow. We get a little bit about the fate of our would be heroes (villains? I’ll get to that), and then we get a new point of view character. This book continues to throw flashbacks at us and a lot of the time they really don’t seem to matter. For this one we get Ashia, who is training to be a spear sister. That’s pretty much it. Honestly the first third of the book is so damned slow and left me wondering why this stuff was included unless it was just to break up and slow down the bits where the established characters further the story. And they do further the story about the fight against the core… a little bit here and there.

The second third of the book is slower than the first actually. We go back to Leesha and Rojer and Gared and Thamos and how they’re dealing with life in the Hollow. Then they get summoned to court and we get a bit lot of politics and tea and sperm viability and some devious plots that really don’t seem to go anywhere at all. All the while the Krasians under the command of mini Ahmann wonder up and do a bit of warring, though not a lot really. It’s all very slow and every other chapter feels a little bit like filler.

Then the third third of the book happens and “OH MY GOD WHAT DID BRETT DO?!?!?!?!?!” Not to give too much away but shit hits the fan and the tagline starts to make a whole heap of sense. The final stretch of the book is pretty much action all the way and Brett does a bloody good job of providing ample stakes for the conflict. It all starts to get a little too real.

 

So a big problem with this book is the filler. But here’s the thing. It’s slow and laborious at times and Leesha needs to pull her head out of the infinite loop of arses she has it stuck in, but I never found it boring. Brett does such a wonderful job of breathing life into the characters and the world that even when they’re sitting around having a nice cuppa and chatting politics I was still invested enough to be interested. This is something quite rare in my experience. I never skip even a word when reading but even authors like the mighty GRRM make me want to with the endless descriptions of food and livery. Brett makes the characters feel alive and makes their plights feel real and because of that I found myself reading, with interest, about marriage negotiations and baby daddies. They felt like tertiary plot lines but were interesting enough to warrant full attention. That being said. They still felt like tertiary plot lines and we spent a long time on those plot lines.

I’m still annoyed with some of the super powers the characters keep developing. One in particular really and that’s Brett’s idea of auras. The idea that our experienced heroes (villains?) can read a person’s aura to the extent that they know exactly what that person is feeling/thinking. It drives me insane and often feels like it’s a cover up because Brett wants a scene to be from multiple points of view all at once. It’s RAMPANT in the previous book and almost as much in the first third of the Skull Throne. Luckily it starts to slip away as we focus our attention more on the less super powered of our heroes (villains?).

Lastly I want to mention something that I believe Brett does better than any other fantasy writer out there at the moment. He makes us care about both sides of the conflict. I’m not talking about the demons here. I’m talking about the Angerians and the Krasians. We’re given a massive cast of characters to follow with people on both sides of that conflict. We’re given charismatic paragons and arseholes on both sides. As the stakes rise and it becomes clear that both sides can’t win, we know that there will be causalities. And I didn’t know who I wanted to win. I couldn’t come down on either side of the fence so I read on with dreadful anticipation knowing that, no matter who won, someone (and myself included) was going to get hurt. More so than in the previous book I believe the final conflict in the Skull Throne was masterfully done and I both hate and love Peter V. Brett for the way he wrote it.

 

So there we go. The Skull Throne earns itself 4 stars. It would have been 3 because dear GOD the book is slow, but Brett pulls it out of the fire at the end and gave me a nail-biting conflict I both couldn’t wait to see, and dreaded watching.

5 of My Favourite Fantasy Book Covers

Book covers are a big thing. They're important and not just for making books look all purty. They serve to pull in browsers. They're the opening words in a conversation. A cover makes you pick the book up and read the back cover, the back cover makes you check out the first page, the first page makes you shout “TAKE MY MONEY!” at the cashier.
So with that thought in mind, here's 5 of my favourite fantasy book covers. They do not necessarily belong to my favourite fantasy books and are in no particular order. You may pick up on a theme throughout this blog.
1) Black Lung Captain by Chris Wooding 







Actually I'm going to include all of the Ketty Jay covers in this one because they're absolutely stunning. So much so I even contacted the artist, Stephan Martiniere, but my personal pockets are not nearly deep enough for a commission.

Some of you may know how highly I regard Chris Wooding and the Ketty Jay series is easily one of my favourite fantasy series I've ever read. Imagine a more steampunk version of Firefly with magic, demons, and some of the most compelling characters you'll ever love and hate.

I could gush a bit longer on my love for the series but instead I'll just recommend you all read them right now.


2) Twelve Kings in Sharakhai by Bradley P. Beaulieu 
This is actually the French cover of the book and the only one I'm going to include in the list as I'm just not that impressed by the other versions of the cover. This one, however, by Marc Simonette, is simply stunning. Honestly, I have serious cover envy every time I look at this one.

Twelve Kings... is an interesting fantasy tale set in a desert country (which is what attracted me in the first place). It's fast paced with a ass-kicking female protagonist and hints at a much larger story I'm looking forward to reading. If Bradley is reading this he should definitely send me an ARC of Blood Upon the Sand (Book 2 of the Shattered Sands).


3) The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch 
I'm going to include Red Seas Under Red Skies in this one as well as both covers are gorgeous, but this cover for The Lies of Locke Lamora is simple yet stunning. It's evocative and mysterious. Unfortunately I can't find a website for the artist, Benjamin Carre.

The Gentlemen Bastard series is a fun set of tales about a couple of master thieves as they perform complex heists, learn to sail, and discover that there is more to the world than meets the eye... and they're well and truly mixed up in it. It was without a doubt a bit of the inspiration behind my It Takes a Thief... series, though I went a bit lighter, fluffier, and steampunk-ier.


4) The Chronicles of the Unhewn Throne by Brian Stavely

I honestly can't decide which of the three covers I prefer. They are all wonderful and the artist, Richard Anderson, knocked it out of the park. The style gives a detailed vague look at characters that I love.

The Chronicles of the Unhewn Throne is an epic fantasy yarn with the fate of humanity in the balance. I haven't actually finished the series yet because I find it a bit full of fluff. Fans of Lord of the Rings and A Song of Ice and Fire will likely love it though.


5) Last Song Before Night by Ilana C. Myer 
I didn't realise this until writing this blog but it's another cover by Stephan Martiniere and I am most certainly a fan. It's bright and evocative and full of light and hope. From the blue of the sky to the architecture to the petals on the wind, this cover is stunning.

I must admit I have not yet read the book, though it is on my TBR pile, so I can't say what it's about. Instead I'll throw the blurb below.

Long ago, poets were Seers with access to powerful magic. Following a cataclysmic battle, the enchantments of Eivar were lost–now a song is only words and music, and no more. But when a dark power threatens the land, poets who thought only to gain fame for their songs face a task much greater: to restore the lost enchantments to the world. And the road to the Otherworld, where the enchantments reside, will imperil their lives and test the deepest desires of their hearts.

6) The Fifth Empire of Man by Rob J. Hayes 
OK. I know I said 5 but I figured I could put one of my own covers down at the bottom and no one would notice... I think I got away with it. The cover is by Alex Raspad and I think it's gorgeous. Definitely my favourite of my own covers so far.

In case you weren't aware The Fifth Empire of Man is the second book in my Best Laid Plans series and is a fantastical piratical adventure. Early readers have described it as Pirates of the Caribbean meets Joe Abercrombie.


So that's my list of favourite fantasy covers. It's not complete by any means but you can probably find a pattern in the types of cover I like. So which covers have caught your eyes recently? Comment below and let me know.

Rob J. Hayes is the author of the acclaimed  The Ties that Bind trilogy  and the upcoming Best Laid Plans duology. You can find out more on his  website here .

Review Blog – Wraith Knight by C.T. Phipps

Wraith Knight by Charles T. Phipps

Artwork by Alex Raspad… who also does my book covers. We love Alex.

Apparently it’s customary to note that I received an ARC version of the book in return for an honest review. I also received that ARC about a year prior to release and I’m reliably informed that those pesky typos and what not have been cleaned up.

On a personal note this was one of the first ARCs I was given to read… my Kindle is now full of the damned things.

So Wraith Knight is the story of Jacob Riverson. Jacob was the greatest hero of his age and a shining light against the darkness… right up until the big bad dark lord guts him like a fish. The end. Well, not quite. Jacob wakes up a few hundred years later only to discover the big bad has been using his body (and possibly soul) as a weapon against the forces of light. In short, after being brutally cuddled to death by sharp objects, Jacob was turned into a Wraith Knight (see Ring Wraith). But the surprises aren’t quite done for poor Jay-Jay and he’s reliably informed by the big bad itself that evil kinda lost the war on purpose because the big bad was just a bit bored of being the big bad. But it’s OK, because humanity is a vile species and there’s always another war just around the corner. Oh, and the world needs evil so the big bad has volunteered Jacob for the role. No auditions necessary. And that’s pretty much where the book starts.

We follow along with Jacob and his growing (and shrinking) collection of super friends (I say this literally as everyone with a name seems to have a super power of some sort) as they attempt to right the wrongs of the world by becoming… evil.

So I described the book as “A mix between Lord of the Rings and World of Warcraft with more epic battles than a 40-man raid.” (Yes. I was there at the beginning. I killed Ragnaros and it was glorious). And there sure are epic battles. The pace of the book is so fast that every time Jacob goes anywhere, there’s someone to fight. Add into this a poorly defined magic system and you’ll soon find that anything goes in the battles. Sometimes there’s swords, sometimes there’s magic, sometimes there’s monsters. And just when you think the battle is over, the action refuses to relent and Jacob find himself thrown into more conflict.

It’s obvious from the get go that Charles has put a lot of thought into the world he’s created and there’s plenty of lore to back up the action with frequent flashbacks to Jacob’s… life (read past) and his journey takes us through much of the world so we get to discover a lot about it. He’s obviously borrowed from a lot of well established worlds in terms of monsters and other sentient races, but usually puts his own slight spin on them.

The plot is fairly straight forward (at least at first glance) and Charles does a good job of internalising the struggle Jacob faces between wanting to be good and realising that the only way to be good is to be a little bit bad… or a lot bad. Sometimes the world is so messed up it needs an iron fist… I’m fairly certain Dr Doom said that.

I have a couple of issues with the book. First off is the main character himself. I struggled to get a good sense of who Jacob was and not just because he struggles with that question throughout the book. He feels a little inconsistent at times. One moment he’s dour and resentful of the life and unlife he has led and the next he’s flirting with anything in a skirt and cracking jokes. He moves on from the love of his life with a couple of tears, despite proclaiming her to be the love of his life, because… another woman presents herself to him. It all added up to me struggling to empathise with him.

The other issue was the superfriends were a bit too superfriendly. Maybe it was an attempt by Charles to subvert a trope but the three main cast were far too quick to start swearing oaths to each other left right and center. It felt very forced. They all went from acquaintances to besties in a matter of moments.

So I give Wraith Knight a solid 3 stars. It’s a fast past action fantasy romp that sits in the lighter side of the grimdark tent.

And see, my review is pretty much spoiler free. I even got away without mentioning the big twist at the end…