Jason Waltz > Recent Status Updates

It's almost as if another writer has assumed the storytelling. Nothing much fantastical, each chapter/story an eloquently told tale of old, with no connecting arc across the whole.

This has been a most fascinating read. Taken individually, each chapter or short story for the most part has been entertaining and very well written. As a whole, however, this curiosity is unrecommendable thus far.

Hocking's back on his game with this story, a great opening to Issue 2. I don't much like Benhus though.

A good introduction setting the stage, including a few interesting statements. The most interesting observation thus far, though, appears after page 2's argument that the pattern of stories is the building of "mystery that unfolds in resolution," requiring therefore a plot to propel progression, ending with this summed stunner: "This is to suggest stories can exist w/o characters but not w/o plots." Hmmm.

Finally started my TFTMS ride. Lots of authors I know and enjoy (& sometimes even both!). Always been a Gaunt & Bone fan, and Willrich doesn't disappoint. Enge always offers a thinking-reader's protagonist in Morlock. A huge fan of Bill Ward's tales, even on re-reads! Aeryn Rudel is the only new-to-me storyteller, and delivers a decent tale of vengeance. HAJ brings a terrific tale and I look forward to more Hanuvar!

Through the As and Bs. Rather cool, but I guess I never realized how many non-powered heroes there are...that wouldn't be all that much without technology.

Interesting introduction, continuing the initial spark of couriosity that the back text generated. Several good points already made.

"One of the Boston Bullertons" (Walton Green) is an excellent short story of dreams and motivations and resolutions. It is a thorough and thoroughly sorrowful tale told well.

First story was great ("Half-breed," Joe Jackson), & really enjoyed Dyrk Ashton's short based in his PATERNUS world, though very glad I'd read the trilogy first, as these characters were so full-fleshed for me & truly rendered. It seems to me someone reading this without that background benefit wouldn't garner the same joy & satisfaction though, which admittedly is difficult to achieve with shorts in larger works.

"Of the Earth, of the Sky, of the Sea" by Tracy & Genesse is elegantly marvelous, a wonderfully told tale of honor and loss, tradition and future, samurai and mystic. Read and enjoy it.

Great foreword by Timandra Whitecastle examining the true meaning of who is the hero.

Howard's "Tower of the Elephant" is, of course, the best tale presented, not only thus far. It's been a slow build to this apex short story, but one can somewhat see the hand and footholds chiseled into the cliff beneath. Here's to more and better thrills yet to come.

Ah, thank Tanith Lee for the spectacle of grand heroic fantasy in "A Hero at the Gates"!

Jack Vance is a writer whose works do little for me. However, I was enthralled with this "Turjan of Miir" and quite intrigued - until turning the final page and finding no ending other than a period following abruptness and followed by nothing. A waste, no return on the time invested.

Paul Gallico's "'Twas the Night before Christmas" is an absolute hoot, delightful storytelling.

"A Fowl Disaster" from John Taintor Foote is told with great vernacular in authentic voice from a bygone era and sport. And it's a bit of fun.

CAS's "Empire of the Necromancers" is excellently gothic and morbid and purple. While heroic deeds are done, this really is not so much a tale of heroes as it is of survivalists (despite funnily enough not surviving). Neat tale but nothing inspiring or that would suck me into reading further CAS or heroic fantasy.

Book 3 has been simultaneously the most thrilling & most grotesque, & there's been a strange and unwelcome twist to the storytelling as well. Many parts of this volume are told in a reporter's voice, a POV of observation & summation. Not only is this 'telling' in a most blatant sense, it's yet another oddity in the POVs employed. Due to this apparent writing style, I've no interest in reading any other of this author

Stuck in a hotel during a multi-day winter storm allows one to read a lot. And when one reads a trilogy straight through, the repetitions standout. Just an observation. As for storytelling, I must admit, the author's evident research into every culture's pantheon of gods, annals of myths, lists of weapons, stories of creation and end-of-times, and names and names and names is astounding. And overwhelming.

Book 2 ends with some major bangs and blood and strong hints of futures, some I think I see and one I'm quite curious about its mystery. Great action, some quiet beauty, good surprises, interesting characters, and a decent growth arc for our (duo?) protagonist. Writing has vastly improved, though the occasional head-hop still happens as does some weird tense transitioning, but all-in-all a grand adventure.

Ed Erdelac's "Devil's Cap Brawl" is a rip-roaring hoot of a heroic tale. That right there was fun.

Book 2 is pretty fast paced and lots going on: lots of discovery, action, dialogue, trust, death, despair, super sorcery powers, and blade slinging. Very few but still existent head-hops mar a rather exciting read. While I enjoy the layers upon layers of world mythology included here, occasionally it feels like too much, like I'm getting everything plus the kitchen sink thrown atop me.

Started bk 2, which opens with a recap of bk 1, wherein I learned some things I did not when reading the book, interestingly. Some strong action, a large-scale war and epic impact with larger-than-life characters who sometimes make one scratch his head and often POV jump about, though that's gotten much, much better. Our heroine is cool, our powered-up super is oddly odd and not-odd, & some strong supporting sides.

Got some pages of rip roaring action; quite a number of pages! Still a few of those POV head jumps from paragraph-to-paragraph, but far less than part one, which was almost a killer of a setup section. I'd almost say skip it and begin with part two. The game is really afoot now though!

Interesting despite being predictable stories from Jaym Gates and Shane Berryhill. And both of far, far better quality than the chosen openers.

Finally got some action here, and while it's been thrilling and mysterious, sure took awhile getting here. The long torturous route we travelled was overwrought with head-hopping pov paragraph-to-paragraph. Part II better offer better.

Ok, this jumping in-and-out of character's heads every-other-paragraph sux. Big time. I ain't reading 3 books like this.

Jonathan Wood's "The Behemoth" is a stunningly deep, beautifully sad, profoundly written story that just blows away its companions.