Harry Connolly's Blog, page 167
September 30, 2010
State of the project
I really need to go back to the outline on this thing and flesh out the next few chapters. But not yet. I still have to write out the current home invasion scene, then sit down and work out the protagonist's plan of attack.
This isn't a Twenty Palaces novel, though; I've mentioned that, haven't I? After bouncing around between a couple of projects I've settled in to write A Key, An Egg, An Unfortunate Remark which is the working title, I guess.
However, I'm a little annoyed that I've been tagging this project "project number next." So I've created a new tag, based on the way I described it to my agent.
Back to work.
September 29, 2010
Reviews, part 19
The latest reviews.
1) Andrew Wheeler, the Antick Muser himself, liked Game of Cages very much: "And, if Harry Connolly can keep his plots this gripping and Ray's dilemmas this compelling, he's on track to be one of the important fantasy writers of the next decade, someone who can help lift urban fantasy out of its wish-fulfillment rut."
I can't say how happy I am to being compared to Dennis Lehane(!)
2) Screenwriter Bill Martell says he couldn't put it down. "Okay, I've finished reading Game of Cages, and it rocks!"
3) Ophelia at Karissa's Reading Review gave Game Of Cages four out of five stars, although she thought it was too fast-paced. She's still planning to pick up the next in the series, though: "The action is again very well written and relentless. This is a book that is hard to put down, it shoves you from one action scene to another and leaves you breathless."
4) LiveJournaler firstfrost give Child of Fire 4 stars: "… it was definitely creepy."
5) Beth at Library Chicken (!) gave Game of Cages a B+: "The characters in Connolly's stories seem very real, especially Lilly."
6) I will break my moratorium on Amazon.com reviews for this one by "M. Soar" who gave the book 4 stars but thought it was a little violent. However, the quote I'm offering is this one: "Kindle review – no errors in format on my K3: a nice clean copy. Thank you, Del Rey Books!"
Yes, thank you for that, Del Rey. I haven't seen my book on the Kindle, but I do know the physical book is beautiful to look at. It's really a well-designed package.
7) Nicholas Kaufmann gave Child of Fire a great big thumbs up: "The worldbuilding in this novel is wonderful. Connolly manages to avoid getting overly expository, which is hard to do with a world this rich, and lets the reader piece things together for him- or herself."
WTH is wrong with me?
You'd think a writer, who worked his whole life to be a published novelist, would be aware enough to mark the first anniversary of his first published novel.
You'd be wrong. It's only because Nick Kaufmann mentioned in his review (linked in my previous post) that Child of Fire came out exactly one year ago today that I'm even aware of it. Yikes! Way to not commemorate things, Self!
I think I'll celebrate by getting up super-early and writing before my day job. Then, later in the day, I'll hang with my family and do some writing business that needs doing.
A supposedly-surprising finding
A lot of people have been linking to this story, about a survey that shows atheists and agnostics are more knowledgable about religion than religious folks.
Me, I'm not sure why this would be a surprise. Few people are raised as atheists in this country; most of them come by their lack of belief after much reflection and many challenges from their loved ones. From strangers, too. When's the last time you heard the phrase "No Jews in foxholes!"
That would be never (I hope). I also hope no one reading this has been told "How can you be a Lutheran (or whatever)?" by your boss.
The truth is, religion is such a powerful force in this culture that atheists learn about it as a matter of self-defence. In fact, I took a shortened form of the test online (which I can't find now, being at work). I scored a 93%, getting one answer wrong–sorry, all Jewish people everywhere–and I'm not even one of those people who thinks religion is some kind of dangerous delusion that needs to be refuted point by point. Personally, I think it's mildly interesting in short doses. Mostly I don't care. Still, I've felt the pressure to study up.
And this is why atheists even bristle at the term "atheist." Even our language is biased to consider religious belief the standard.
By contrast, many religious believers, including many of my friends, are believers in what I think of as Culture-God. Not necessarily the God of [Religious Text], but the version of God that suits their view of the world–the supreme being that will intercede in hospitals, reward whatever deeds the citizen considers good ones, supports whatever political positions seem most reasonable, and absolutely disapproves of Those Guys Over There.
It's not so much about the sacred text, or religious traditions, or the history of their faith. It's about the cultural undertow that assumes every person has some sort of belief in a higher power–that assumes that people who don't have such a belief are untrustworthy, damaged or incomplete in some way. A few months back I linked to a survey that showed more Americans would be willing to vote for a gay person for president than would vote for an atheist.
Now, one thing I am absolutely not saying is that all religious people are religious only because the culture expects it. That would be silly and wrong on its face. Of course people hold to their faith with deep and powerful convictions, often after careful consideration.
What I am saying is that it's so tremendously easy to be a believer in our culture that many many people do it with barely a thought. How knowledgable would you expect such people to be?
Added note: This is my 1,000th blog post. Hmph.
FAQ
It's long past time I made a FAQ, right? (That's not one of the questions.) Here goes:
Q: What does 20 PALACES mean? Will we find out what each palace represents and why?
A: Two questions in one, but that's okay. The Twenty Palace Society is a group of sorcerers who have appointed themselves the magic police of the planet. They're pretty much ruthless bastards, but their cause is for the good. And yes, I'm planning to show some of the palaces themselves, at some point. The palaces don't represent anything, though; they're the homes of really rich people.
Q: Your stance on fanfiction is the first thing that comes to mind here (due to the latest hoopla on the topic.) =)
A: Well, by the time I post this, the hoopla will have died down. In fact, I pretty much can't remember which particular hoopla we're talking about. But here's my "stance:" I consider fanfiction a sign that a property has a devoted following. It means a particular storyline has a healthy following. That said, I don't want to read any of it, ever. I would find it distressing, so please don't tell me about it. And don't try to make money from it (or hinder me from making money), please. Aside from that, have fun.
Q: Where can I get one of those ghost knives?
A: Each one costs a mere $50 million. As soon as your payment clears my account, I'll send you one. (You might want to wait for book three before you decide if you really want one. Just sayin')
Q. Are Ray and Annalise using black magic or white magic?
A. Let me first state outright that you will never read the words "black magic" or "white magic" in my books. I'm not a fan of those terms for the obvious reason.
However, there is no good or evil magic in the Twenty Palaces setting. Magic is simply power, and like any kind of power it can be used responsibly or irresponsibly. Whether a spell is good or evil depends entirely on how it was used. In a way, spells are like guns: always dangerous, sometimes threatening, often put to evil purposes, but intrinsically evil? Not to me.
Q. Do you like gladiator movies?
A. Only if they have a. monsters or b. Woody Strode.
Have more questions for me? Let me know and I'll include it in the FAQ.
September 28, 2010
Randomness for 9/28
1) Several people have been linking to this lovely, dialog-free animation as a depiction of the atheist experience. I think they're pretty much right. Video.
2) Did you know that, back in the 1970's, Psychology Today published board games meant to raise awareness of social issues? "In Sommer's version, however, the black player could not win; as a simulation of frustration, the game was too successful. Then David Popoff, a Psychology Today editor, redesigned the game, taking suggestions from militant black members of "US" in San Diego. The new rules give black players an opportunity to use—and even to beat—the System."
3) "What We Talk About When We Talk About Men Not Reading"
4) Paintings based on Craig's List "Missed Connections".
5) Wizards of the Coast hiring an book editor for their D%D line.
September 27, 2010
I was your puppet; you made me dance
As you guys know, I've been taking part in Suvudu's reader-driven chain story, "A Glimpse of Darkness" (quick summary for those who don't know what I'm talking about: five authors (Lara Adrian, Stacia Kane, Kelly Meding, and Lucy A. Snyder) are writing a "chain story." Each week, one of us posts part of the story and at the end of the segment is a poll allowing the reader to choose what will happen next. A clear, full explanation is here.
Well, Lara Adrian's first section went up last week, ...
September 26, 2010
"The pants command me. Do not ignore my veins!"
The NY Times has a story today about allegations of sexual exploitation against the head of a Georgia mega-church, one Bishop Eddie Long.
Not many details have come out so far. The four men say they were not underage, but they were coerced into a sexual relationship through the Bishop's considerable authority over them, not to mention they were given jobs, money, cars, and so on. I'm sure you'll be shocked to hear that Bishop Long is a social conservative, speaking out often against gay...
September 25, 2010
State of the self
I don't want to talk to anybody.
Jesus Christ.
