Showing posts with label spfbo5. Show all posts
Showing posts with label spfbo5. Show all posts
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Thursday, January 16, 2020
SPFBO Finalist: Fortune's Fool by Angela Boord (reviewed by David Stewart, Justine Bergman, Lukasz Przywoski and Mihir Wanchoo)
Official Author Website
Order Fortune's Fool over HERE (US) and HERE (UK)
OFFICIAL AUTHOR INFORMATION: Angela Boord published a handful of short stories in the early 00s, then had a bunch of kids who are now all sleeping at night, making it easier to write again. She lives in northwestern Mississippi with her husband and their nine kids, plus two dogs, one cat, and varying numbers of chickens. She is currently hard at work on more books in the Eterean Empire series and plans to release Book 1.5 in early 2020.
Official Author Website
Read FBC's Review of The Sword of Kaigen
M. L. Wang was born in Wisconsin
in 1992, decided she wanted to be an author at the age of nine, and never grew
up. She currently splits her time between writing fantasy books and working at
a martial arts school in her home city of Madison.
When she isn’t building worlds on the page, she
builds them in her aquarium full of small, smart fish that love to explore
castles and don’t make noise during writing time.
[Q] Hello M.L.!
Welcome to Fantasy Book Critic and thank you so much for taking some time to
chat with us. Your book is making quite a splash in this year's SPFBO, and
you certainly have made some fans within this blog. Could you tell us a bit
about yourself? What do you do when you aren't writing fantasy books?
[ML] Thank
you so much for having me! The Sword of Kaigen is the first adult
fantasy book I’ve ever written, so it’s been kind of a shock how people have
taken to it. A good kind of shock. Happy shockwaves.
In
high school, when people asked about my hobbies, I would always say writing and
martial arts. In the intervening years, both of those turned into jobs, so now
I just sound like a loser with no hobbies. Maybe that’s not completely true. Other
than writing stuff and kicking stuff, I enjoy walking along bodies of water,
getting too into TV shows, and doing amateur art projects that are too bad to
be shared online.
[Q] Why do you write
fantasy books? Or if that phrasing is too pointed, why do you write? Do you
have any formal training?
[ML] Writing has always
been my way of processing the world. That
might sound like a recipe for contemporary or non-fiction, but I only ever
write speculative fiction (of my own will, anyway; obviously, in my youth,
there was the odd school assignment). For me, a lot of the
fun of fictionalizing the human experience is in the grandiosity, which in my
published books takes the form of emotionally charged superpowers. You don’t
have to take a microscope to an emotion if you can blow it up to the size of a
dragon.
I have little formal
training mainly because every creative writing class that’s ever been available
to me has centered on writing short stories, a medium I despise. Not short
stories by other people, I love those. They’re perfect for my slippery
attention span. But as a writer, I prefer working on the kind of expansive
worlds, serial adventures, and slow-burn character arcs that don’t fit in a few
thousand words.
[Q] What made you
decide to enter the SPFBO? Had you entered previously? To add to that, why have
you taken the self-publishing route over traditional?
[ML] This
is my first SPFBO entry. Petrik Leo, who was one of the first people to review The
Sword of Kaigen over at Novel Notions, recommended that I enter. Prior to
that, I had only heard about the competition through Kitty G’s SPFBO 4 videos
and hadn’t thought of entering myself. Petrik and JC Kang both (separately)
made sure that I marked the competition on my calendar and knew when to enter,
so big thanks to them!
[Q] The Sword of
Kaigen is such a melting pot of cultures, what would you say your primary
cultural fonts are? Does your own background integrate into these inspirations?
[ML] Ninety
percent of my world-building research has been devoted to the Mande of West
Africa. This is because the Mande are the primary inspiration for the dominant
people on Planet Duna, called the Yammankalu (those dark-skinned fire
elementals who show up very briefly in The Sword of Kaigen). Theonite
explores that larger African-dominated world, while The Sword of Kaigen focuses
on a little corner of it that is loosely based on Japan. Even in backwater
Kaigen, you’ll find the West African influence in their occupational caste
system, facets of their religion, and some of their terms of address.
As the name Wang might
suggest, I am neither West African nor Japanese. My mom is American and my dad
is from Jiangsu, China. For those unfamiliar with Eastern World War II history,
Jiangsu is the province where the Nanjing Massacre happened. Growing up, I had
a weird relationship with Japan—basically trying to reconcile my fondness for
modern Japanese culture and people with the genocide that affected the previous
generation of my family and left a scar on the collective Chinese psyche.
Earlier in the year, I
wrote this
long meditation on how my experience
of being a biracial kid trying to communicate
across cultural lines drove me to create an ‘upside down’ version of our world.
I won’t dump all that baggage here, but the underlying premise of Planet Duna is
that it takes the racial hierarchies of our own
history and flips them, giving the reader a chance to walk a mile in someone
else’s shoes. In Theonite, ‘Europeans’ (Hadeans) have been colonized by
‘West Africans’ (Yammankalu). In The Sword of Kaigen, the ‘Chinese’
(Ranganese) do some genocide in a ‘Japan’ (Shirojima, Kaigen) ruled by an
Imperial ‘Korea’ (Jungsan, Kaigen). You get the idea. Like I said above,
fiction is the way I process reality. This was all a coping mechanism of my
teenage brain.
[Q]
Your decision to set The Sword of Kaigen in a modern setting is an interesting
one. Had you considered setting it in a historical setting, or was modern-with-ancient
techniques always the goal?
[ML] I
never thought of the modern setting as an interesting decision—though maybe
that’s because it wasn’t really a decision at all. The central conflict of The
Sword of Kaigen was cemented into the larger Theonite timeline long
before I ever thought to write a spin-off novel about it, so it wasn’t like
changing the era was on the table. I suppose, if I had really wanted to tell a
traditional fantasy story, I could have gone back to Shirojima, Kaigen’s age of
founding heroes, but that would have robbed Planet Duna of its underlying
function, which is to explore contemporary realities.
All
Theonite stories are really about modern people in the modern world. And
to me, one of the most interesting things about the modern world is the interplay
between traditional lifestyles and new technology. Some of the Japanese
officers who shot at my relatives during World War II carried katanas. I’ve
been to mountain villages in central Africa where men headed out to hunt with
spears in their hands and iPhones in their back pockets. The mutual exclusivity
some people imagine between swords and cell phone towers is a product of genre,
not reality. And that bums me out. Genre fiction is supposed to expand the imagination,
not narrow it. This answer got away from me a bit. Sorry.
[Q] Tangents are always appreciated, and I happen to agree with you. There’s a lot
of what you could term narrow fantasy out there that’s basically comfort food –
sometimes necessary but not always useful.
[ML] Most of my favorite
sci-fi and fantasy mixes genres in weird ways—and I include the pioneers like
Tolkien and Shelley in that; they were so weird people had to invent genres
around them.
 |
| Misaki by Coralie Jubénot (Merwild) |
[Q] We don't often
get to see middle-aged mothers as our hero protagonists in fantasy fiction,
much to the harm of the genre. Was there ever any fear that this would not land
with readers? Spoilers - it lands.
[ML] I actually just published
a
guest post on how Misaki was never intended to be a
protagonist and the series of accidents that led to her becoming one. To sum up
that post here, Misaki originally features as a mentor figure in the Theonite
books and was constructed accordingly. When I started writing The Sword of
Kaigen, I thought a) that the whole story would be about half its current
length and b) that Misaki would be a secondary point-of-view character to her
more active, protagonist-y son, Mamoru. She wasn’t initially designed to be a main
character, hence her protagonist-atypical characteristics, like her age and
marital status.
It was as I ran into
the unexpected complexities of her rage, grief and regret that she became a
main character—at which point I wasn’t thinking ‘can readers handle this?’ as
much as I was thinking ‘can I handle this?’ Misaki’s arc was one of the
most challenging I’ve ever written, which makes it so meaningful to me that
readers have managed to connect with her.
[Q] Your prior books
are labeled as young adult, but The Sword of Kaigen is not. These are connected
books, but how do they relate to one another in a series sense? Do you consider
them vital to one another? Do they share any characters?
[ML] The Theonite
books take place thirteen years after The Sword of Kaigen and follow a
set of younger kids, including some of the tiny babies from The Sword of
Kaigen (most prominently Robin’s son, Daniel, and Misaki’s youngest, Izumo)
through their teenage years.
I wrote Theonite
and The Sword of Kaigen to function as complete stories, independent of
one other. Aside from my personal preference that a given story stand on its
own, this approach was my only option from a marketing standpoint. A lot of
parents don’t want their ten-year-olds who enjoy Theonite reading The
Sword of Kaigen and a lot of readers who enjoy The Sword of Kaigen aren’t
into YA, so I really did need the option to sell them separately.
[Q] Without
spoiling things, The Sword of Kaigen seems ripe for a sequel, while at the same
time telling such a complete story that it could easily stand on its own. Is
that your plan? Is this a trilogy or series? How far have you planned?
[ML]The Sword of Kaigen will never have a direct sequel for a few reasons. First, I was
very depressed when I wrote it and I’m glad the experience is behind me. Second,
the book represents a tiny cross-section of a planet-wide story I’ve been
plotting since I was a teenager, meaning that major events are set on an
inflexible timeline. Holding to that timeline, there aren’t any novel-worthy
developments on Mount Takayubi between The Sword of Kaigen and Theonite.
This isn’t to say that the Matsuda family’s story is over—far from it—but their
ongoing adventures will be tied up in the plot of the main series.
I have just
started work on a newsletter serial called Rage and Whisper, which takes
place nine years after The Sword of Kaigen. It isn’t a sequel per se but
does feature some of the same characters. The Sword of Kaigen itself
started out as a newsletter serial, so if people enjoy this project, I may end
up publishing it as a book or novella down the road.
[Q] Follow up question that is somewhat
repetitive, but will your further books also stick to YA, or do your
characters, in essence, “grow up” in to adult fiction?
[ML] Theonite was originally modeled after Harry Potter, a series in
which the tone and content age substantially with the protagonists, so yes,
that is the plan.
[Q]
Your book manages to create in-depth, authentic characters, an engrossing plot
full of unknowns, and some of the best action scenes that I've ever read in any
book. How do you balance this? Do you have literary priorities?
[ML] First
of all, it’s deeply flattering to hear that you liked the action scenes so
much, since action certainly hasn’t always been my strong suit.
I’m
a character-oriented writer before anything else. In my opinion, an otherwise
beautiful story without strong character development is like a sexy car without
an engine; cool, but what’s the point? This is why Shakespeare inventing
ridiculous plot contrivances in order to push his characters to their emotional
limits will always be stronger storytelling to me than a logical sequence of
events that doesn’t challenge its characters.
When
I write, everything—the plot, the magic, the religion, the martial arts—are
negotiable based on the arcs of the main characters. I know that the action
scenes in The Sword of Kaigen were satisfying to write because
they served as expressions of the characters’ emotions, relationships, and
personal growth. I think (at least, I hope) they’re satisfying to read for the
same reason.
 |
| The Duel by Arielle Werthaim (arielle_the_merms) |
[Q] Not a question, but
that specific spouse duel later in the novel illustrates that point perfectly.
I’m not sure I’ve ever read an action scene that was so necessarily narrative.
Speaking of fight scenes, what influences are you drawing from to plan them
out? They have the feel of professionally choreographed sequences. Are there
any particular martial arts movies you're drawn to, or does it all stem from
your own experience (you know, fighting with ice swords)?
[ML] The influence of Avatar:
The Last Airbender on my universe should be obvious, alongside kung-fu
movies and lots of anime. Going into the project, I did take some sword courses
in order to get a better feel for armed combat (my forte is traditional taekwondo,
which is closer to the bad guys’ fighting style than the main characters’).
Sadly, there were no swords made of ice.
[Q] And speaking of
influences, do you have any fantasy or literary influences that particularly
stand out? And tangentially to that, how would you say the experience of being
an Asian-American fantasy author is in a world where Asian culture is only
lately being properly represented in fantasy?
[ML] Okay. Here’s the part
where I have to admit that I don’t read much fantasy, or indeed much at all. I
know that everyone and their mom insists that you need to read in your genre
constantly in order to be a good writer, but that had better not be true
because reading has never been part of my writing process. I very occasionally
listen to fantasy audiobooks (my hands-down favorite in recent memory was
Brandon Sanderson’s The Way of Kings) but when I read with my eyeballs,
it’s almost always history books.
The
world is full of fantasy based on other fantasy, meanwhile, there are whole
real-world cultures that go unexplored in modern SFF. I have a tragically
limited attention span for reading—just ask any of my grade school teachers, I
was the worst—so when I am able to read, I prefer to put that energy into the
neglected histories of our own world. If these count as literature, I would
cite the Kojiki, the Nihon Shoki, and The Tale of the Heike
as influences for The Sword of Kaigen.
As for being an
Asian-American author… all I can say is that I got lucky with my timing. I wish
I could claim that I’m a sales genius who planned to release an Asian-inspired
fantasy at exactly the time that books like The Poppy War were taking
off in the traditional market, but I’m rarely that tuned in to the trends. JC
Kang and Petrik were the ones who initially compared The Sword of Kaigen
to The Poppy War and pointed me in the direction of that market, which I
think played a role in getting the book off the ground.
In
the long run, I hope I’m not known as Asian author of Asian fantasy, since that
isn’t my focus and I don’t plan on releasing any more Asian-centric stories.
Asian cultures, martial arts, and characters will always be an important part
of my work; you’re just unlikely to see anything as bluntly, homogenously Asian
as The Sword of Kaigen from me again. Samurai have been done. They’re
done all the time by writers more capable and better informed on the subject
than myself. I’m going to try to devote the rest of my writing career to things
you haven’t seen before.
[Q] What would you
do if you won the SPFBO?
I’m not sure. Run in
circles like a toddler? Probably tell my parents, who will say “That’s great,
honey,” and then move on with their lives. It’s not something I’ve planned for,
though it would amazing. Another happy shockwave.
Monday, October 28, 2019
SPFBO: FBC Finalist Announcemement (by David Stewart, Justine Bergman, Łukasz Przywóski, & Mihir Wanchoo)
Today is the day!
We have chosen our champion, and we’re excited to announce
the winner and runners-up.
the winner and runners-up.
First, we want to thank each and every one of you who took the time to participate in the contest. We sincerely appreciate it, and we had a great time reading all of your entries. After getting through the batch of thirty books, we’ve picked six semi-finalists, each for a different reason. We’ve enjoyed all of them, and the prospect of sawing off another five entries held no appeal to us. Unfortunately, SPFBO rules require us to make tough decisions. Such is the harsh reality of this bloodbath contest.
Official Author Website
Order The Fox and the Hunter over HERE (USA) & HERE (UK)
OFFICIAL AUTHOR INFORMATION: Linn Tesli is an author of fantastical stories, for people of all ages. As a previous freelance journalist, she's also written both magazine articles, movie reviews, and feature stories.
As a child, making up stories was how she made her days brighter. She believes that it's an extraordinary thing to be able to dive into words to escape the reality one lives in.
First of all, thank you for the interview!
I’m a bit of everything. I always have my head in the clouds, my thoughts drifting into weirdness at any given moment, and I’m a total klutz. I can’t just Focus on one thing, which is why my days are spent writing, taking pictures, working with cover design and formatting, as well as working with translation—or when the mood strikes I’ll paint or make jewelry. On top of this, I’m always, and first of all, a mother to a couple of rascals, named Storm and Embla.
I’m from Norway, though I write mainly in English. A lot of my inspiration for my stories came from my beautiful country, and I like to include Scandinavian history, mythology and folklore into my work. So, if you like those kinds of elements in your fantasy, then maybe pick up one of my books.
I’ve also been hard of hearing all my life, and need hearing aids—something I passed on to both of my kids (I blame my mum, so they can too, although I’m sure they’ll blame me no matter what I say). I used to work with kids, but my hearing got worse as I got older, and it eventually became an issue, more or less forcing me to change directions.
When and why have you decided to become an author?
I started reading and writing at an early age, and I began picking out English books in my school library at the age of ten, plowing through as much as I could. As for writing, I believe it started as I first learned how to make letters fit together to create words. One of my favorite writing memories is that I used to write stories with my grandad. We would write one chapter each until it eventually became a book (ish). I still remember my grandad telling me that I could be a writer if I wanted to (best man I’ve ever known). Those words stuck with me, and he continues to be an inspiration even now, after he’s gone.
I wrote all the time as a child and teenager, though mostly for my own eyes. Anyways, I figured I couldn’t make a living from writing, so I went on to other things like getting a film degree and a degree in social services, only to end up returning to my passion for the written word after my son was born in 2011, which was also around the time when my hearing got worse. Lucky for me, I don’t need my ears to write, and I’m finally fully convinced that it really is possible to make a living from writing, and a good one at that, even if I haven’t reached my goal just yet.
How often do you write? Do you have a set schedule for writing, or are you one of those who write only when they feel inspired? Do you aim to complete a set number of pages or words each day?
I write just about every free moment I can find as there are always words to put to the page. But as I said, I need to be able to do more than one thing so as not to get bored. Although, writing never bores me, there are other things, like cover design, that I enjoy. I don’t, however, have a set schedule or a word count goal. I’m a mum with two kids who both require a bit extra, and my days can be unpredictable in that sense. So, instead of a writing schedule, I make the choice to write instead of watching TV. It’s all about choice.
4. What made you decide to self-publish as opposed to traditional publishing?
When I decided to write my first book back in 2011, all I knew was that I wanted to write that book. I wanted to write Fantasy and I wanted to write it in English. Needless to say, perhaps, that any Norwegian publisher was already a no-go. I looked into my options, and what I found made it easy enough to make up my mind about going indie. Besides, it’s my work, my art… I really didn’t want anyone else calling the shots, and I’m really happy I chose to self-publish. No regrets at all. If I want to change something in my book, the cover or the blurb, it can be done in a day or two. I decide everything, and that’s exactly how I like it.
One of the big challenges with self-publishing is finding readers. Was that your experience?
Sure. I didn’t know the first thing about newsletters or launch plans or anything like that, even with a ton of research before publishing my first book. My biggest challenge, however, was and still is to find readers who will also leave a review. It took me some time to figure out the marketing side of publishing, and I did a lot of mistakes the first time around. I’m still learning all the time, but I’ve been climbing this mountain for a while now, and I’m finally beginning to feel the wind tickle the soles of my feet. Of course, finding readers is a must, and finding the right readers is a lot of work. But every email from a happy reader makes me happy, and every book sold pushes me a step further up the mountain. I’m excited about the future.
Why did you decide to enter SPFBO?
I actually wanted to enter another book but it didn’t get back from my editor in time to enter. Totally my own fault and not my editor’s though, she’s awesome. I wasn’t sure if The Fox and The Hunter would be a great fit for SPFBO but I’m really proud of that book, so I decided to give it a go. I have entered once before, though looking back at it now, I kind of wish I hadn’t as it was my first book, and I feel like I’ve grown a lot as an author since then. Still, the experience was great, and the awesome SPFBO community alone is enough to want to be a part of the fun.
What was your initial inspiration for The Fox and the Hunter? How long have you been working on it? Has it evolved from its original idea?
So, I just finished a book in three weeks, about 15K more words than The Fox and The Hunter. But TFaTH took me eight months to finish, granted in between other projects and a baby on my arm.
I wanted to write something connected to Norwegian history, as well as portray the Norwegian landscape along with the northern lights. I guess the aurora borealis was my number one inspiration, and it has a role to play of its own in the book as a source of magic and wonder. Vikings seemed like an obvious choice when Fantasy is involved, but I didn’t want it to be like any other Viking story out there, so I decided to have my protagonist be a Sami girl (indigenous people in Norway). It’s not something I think has been done much before this, at least not in English, and the Sami history is a perfect fit for creating magic in a historical setting.
The idea of the story never changed much once it was decided upon. What took so long was the research.
What sort of research did you do for Where Vikings Roam series?
The story is set around 998-1000AD, so I had to get all the historical facts straight, as much as is possible with a limited amount of resources and known facts from this time period. Even though the story is mostly set in my own country, though moving out of Norway in book two, I still had to figure out what the geography was likely to look like back then, what animals lived in certain areas and what plants or trees grew where. The hardest part was getting the Sami culture to seem believable to those who are Sami themselves. Then there were questions like how exactly do you skin a bear? I have no hunting experience at all, and I don’t really want to hunt anything ever in real life, but it was necessary to learn for this story to be told. I was lucky to find some Sami beta readers, completely invaluable to my research.
Would you say that Where Vikings Roam series follows tropes or kicks them?
I don’t think it’s especially tropy. Elva (meaning the river in my language) is shaped by her culture and the harsh climate she’s brought up in, whereas Haakon has lived a more sheltered life. I didn’t want my female protagonist to need a guy to rescue her or to help her survive, but rather have her teach him a thing or two. In the end, they both learn from each other. I do have the brutal, cold-hearted Vikings that we all know, but I didn’t want to just show this side of history either. The northern society consisted mainly of farmers, they had strict laws (and punishments), they valued hospitality and had specific social codes. If you’re looking for a Viking story a bit out of the ordinary, this book is for you.
You have quite a few distinct characters in the book - was it difficult to manage them in a satisfying way?
I believe that characters are what makes a story tick. The very essence of any tale is the personalities within the framework. It’s hard to engage readers without having engaging characters. My characters are always based on what I know of their history, and how I believe this, along with their environment, shapes them as people. Elva always felt right to me; she acts on instinct, and in ways her instincts are often more animalistic than human. Her companion in the story, Haakon, was more difficult for me as I wanted him, the son of a Viking earl, to be kind and gentle, but not completely one-dimensional. I had to juggle them based on their different beliefs, both politically and religiously, and I’m happy with how they turned out.
Christianity in this book doesn’t really come out on top, and I wanted Haakon to be the redeeming factor, whereas King Olav plays the other side of this coin. That said, even though Christianity plays a role in and of itself in the series, it’s not about religion at all, but about people. Everyone has both good and bad in them, and they are not defined by their convictions of faith.
Cover art is always an important factor in book sales. Can you tell me about the idea behind the cover of The Fox and the Hunter?
So, I do my own covers, and I also did this one. I wanted to convey the cold north, and include elements of magic without the typical orbs and flashes of light often seen on Fantasy covers. There are quite a few elements on the cover: a wolf, a reindeer, Vikings, Elva, the fox, and in the background, I have an image of a Sami lavvo (a picture I took in Northern Norway years back). All in all, it’s meant to give off a sense of magic, to be mysterious and also reflect the historical aspect.
Can you tell us about your editing process? Do you proofread and edit your work on your own or pay someone to do it for you?
I do both. I write the full draft, then do a full edit before sharing with beta readers. After their feedback, I do another full edit before I weed out as many repetitions and grammar mistakes as I can. Once I feel confident that I’ve done as much as I can on my own, I send it off to my editor for proofing, go over it again before my editor takes a last look at the e-book for final corrections. English isn’t my first language, and I think it would be quite arrogant of me to think I didn’t need outside help.
Can you name three books you adore as reader, but that make you feel inadequate as a writer?
Nope. Haha… I mean, I can name books that I think are great, and that I know I won’t be able to replicate in any shape or form. But I’m not supposed to. That someone else is able to write perfect and beautiful prose doesn’t make me feel inadequate. It just makes me feel inspired and happy. Comparing ourselves to others rarely leads to good things. I have my own voice, and I love to write. No other author or book can take that away from me.
Do you have a plan for your career as an author? At the moment, you are wrapping up WVR duology. Do you have any other authorial goals that you are striving towards that you want to talk about?
My plan is to become a writer full time, and to be able to say that writing is my main income. Honestly, I don’t ever plan to stop writing, so I’m feeling pretty confident that I’ll reach my goal eventually. I have truly found my calling, however cheesy that may sound. While I’m working on the next part of Elva’s journey (currently titled The Fox and The Serpent), I’ve got a stand-alone ready to release in August, as well as book four in another series. I’m also currently co-writing a 9-book Urban Arthurian Portal Fantasy series (How’s that for a mouthful?), which is planned to start rolling out in January 2020. Aside from that, I’m hoping to finish the third book in my children’s Fantasy series, Life and lore of Wondrous Creatures, though it might have to wait a while. The second book should be out in English soon though. The children’s books are the only ones I’ve written in Norwegian first.
Thank you for taking the time to answer all the questions. In closing, do you have any parting thoughts or comments you would like to share with our readers?
I’d like to thank you for the interview again! It was fun! Also, I’m happy to know that more people might discover my books. Anyone who loves fantastical stories mixed with history, folklore and myths should be able to enjoy what I have to offer, especially if they don’t mind a bit of gore. I’m much more of a pacifist in real life than my writing might imply. Promise!
I put a lot of time and effort into my work, and every single reader who picks up any one of my books is precious to me. Finally, I love to interact with readers, and I’m easy enough to find online, so do swing by my inbox or my Facebook page and drop me a message at any time.
– Stay magical! X Linn
Tuesday, July 23, 2019
SPFBO Semifinalist: The Fox and The Hunter by Linn Tesli (reviewed by Lukasz Przywoski)
Official Author Website
Order The Fox and the Hunter over HERE (USA) & HERE (UK)
OFFICIAL AUTHOR INFORMATION: Linn Tesli is an author of fantastical stories, for people of all ages. As a previous freelance journalist, she's also written both magazine articles, movie reviews, and feature stories.
Order The Fox and the Hunter over HERE (USA) & HERE (UK)
OFFICIAL AUTHOR INFORMATION: Linn Tesli is an author of fantastical stories, for people of all ages. As a previous freelance journalist, she's also written both magazine articles, movie reviews, and feature stories.
As a child, making up stories was how she made her days brighter. She believes that it's an extraordinary thing to be able to dive into words to escape the reality one lives in.
OFFICIAL BLURB: Elva lives a peaceful life with her tribe, practicing to one day become the noaidi—the shaman. Her peace is shattered when two viking earls arrive in the camp. Her grandmother, the current noaidi, is accused of witchcraft, and is taken away to stand trial before the tyrant king Olav. The punishment is death.
Elva is not ready to become the leader of her tribe, nor is she ready to let go of her grandmother. She is nowhere near strong enough to fight the vikings in Nidaros, but she has to try. She's an outcast in her own land, on a journey that will challenge her convictions, her faith and even her heart. Can Elva overcome the powerful enemy and rescue her grandmother?
The story's protagonist, Elva, is raised to replace her grandmother as the noaidi (shaman) of her tribe when the time comes. She hopes it won't happen anytime soon, but she may have no choice when a Viking earl accuses her grandmother of witchcraft, a practice punishable by death. Elva decides to do everything in her power to stop the execution.
I deeply believe in the power of brevity and I like focused narratives. It seems Linn Tesli shares my preferences. The story moves forward at a quick pace and doesn't focus on background static. Each scene serves something, Elva has a clearly defined goal (saving her grandmother), and the religious themes are well intertwined with the plot progression and interactions between her and secondary characters, especially with the Hunter (a young and naive son of a Viking Earl, who desires to be baptized).
I liked Elva's connection to nature and animals, and I found descriptions of shamanic rituals (communication with the spirit world) involving the use of a drum very suggestive. Her character arc is all about change. We observe as she slowly changes, hardens herself to the harsh realities of the Viking world, and becomes more, shall we say, cunning.
The Hunter, on the other hand, remains naive and doesn't learn from what he experiences. I mean, he wants to be baptized for some bizarre reason and even witnessing the acts of cruelty committed by overzealous "evangelists". I hope we get better insights into his psyche in the second book of the duology.
Because the story develops in a harsh, cold climate with little food supply it doesn't shy away from showing a grim reality of killing animals to survive. Many readers (me included) react badly to violence towards animals, so I feel they should know upfront what they're getting into. There's one shocking scene that enraged me but I can't discuss it. Damn spoilers.
Tesli has created a gritty and gruesome world in which violence happens but it’s never included for the sake of shock value (except, maybe, for that one scene). While the plot development is solid, there are a few weak points, including a few awkward sentences and the dialogue in certain scenes, where it feels unnaturally formal and stiff. Sure, a dialogue isn't exactly like speech in real life, but it should give the impression of actual, believable conversation. And here, characters' speech varied between nicely flowing and unbelievably formal.
Overall, though, The Fox and the Hunter is a solid, well-written, and engaging story I liked enough to read the sequel once it's published.
It's my second year as an SPFBO judge, and I'm both honored and excited to participate in this
Each title in my mini-batch of six books will get an honest review on my Goodreads account. My semi-finalist will get a full review on FBC website.
Here’s my batch of six books (in alphabetical order), and my brief thoughts on them:
Exhumations by Christian Corbitt
Genre: metaphysical fantasy
Series/Standalone: standalone
Overview: "Rinaldo has been dead for over three years before he decided to return home." I loved Exhumations' opening line. Combined with the cover alluding to the famous Shakespearean graveyard scene, where Hamlet holds up the unearthed skull of Yorick, it sets the tone of the book. And does it well. Exhumations is different, weird and eerie, and it requires attention from the reader.Corbitt created an interesting and imaginative setting and memorable characters, all described with a rich vocabulary. I found the writing elegant, but experience shows part of fantasy readers prefer more utilitarian straightforward prose. As imaginative as the setting is, a casual reader may feel lost in a tempest of myths and legends, prophetic visions, and dark memories.
While I appreciate Corbitt's creativity and subtlety, I feel the novel spends too much time meandering, setting things, giving subtle hints. In consequence, it lacks strong character/development hooks that would fuel the reader's urge to turn the pages.
Exhumations, with its eerie atmosphere and strange phenomena, will appeal to people who enjoy different, weird books with moments of profound introspection and less emphasis on non-stop action.
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Fear the Wolf by Andrew Butcher
Genre: dark fantasy
Series/Standalone: Works as a standalone, but can easily turn into a series (I'm not sure what's Andrew Butcher's plan for this one).
Overview: Fear the Wolf is a small-scale dark fantasy in which Senla (the protagonist) faces her desires and fears. In her village, children are raised in fear of the Wolf and taught to know their place and follow the orders. She's no good at it, and her desires don't fit societal norms.Fear the Wolf has a lot going on: forbidden love, secrets, moments of dark introspection, a mysterious and devastating plague, dangerous monsters, and a young woman who wants to find her inner strength to slay the Wolf (both physically and metaphorically). All of these ingredients make for an engaging story.
On the surface, it draws from classic fantasy novels, as it features the troubled, naive adventurer leaving a destroyed home, seeking answers, and meeting unique and unlikely partners that help her survive, succeed and grow as a character. However, the predictable elements stop there, as Butcher has crafted an intriguing new angle on the formula, and demonstrates his skills as a storyteller from the very first page.
While I appreciate the build-up and strong reveals, I didn't fully warm up to Senla as a character. I enjoyed parts of the story but wasn't keen on others. I think I understand the final confrontation leading to important reveal, but I wasn't fully satisfied with it.
Overall, it's a solid, well-structured book that should appeal to readers enjoying dark and intimate stories.
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Gorp: Goblin Janitor by Jon Ray
Genre: sword & sorcery
Series/Standalone: book 1 of the Gorp the Goblin series.
Gorp is a likable protagonist without a clearly defined agenda. Things happen to him but he can find his way around and get out of a jam. He never says what others want to hear, but what is in his heart. The author approaches this story with gentle humor and a distance. As a result, Gorp reads quickly and easily.
That being said, I need to address some issues, namely insufficient editing, weak characterization, and lack of stronger turns and twists. We get a villainous villain who kills his minions whenever he’s in a sour mood, a dragon with an agenda, and a good-hearted protagonist who somehow always lands on top. While it won’t impress seasoned fantasy readers, it has the potential to entertain.
With additional tweaking such as clearing all grammar and spelling errors, and simplifying some awkward sentences, Gorp can become an engaging and enjoyable story for a younger audience
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Although the prose contains some awkward turns of phrase, it flows well, with Tracy never losing sight of his target audience (as proved by age-appropriate dialogue). The well-crafted illustrations of Justin Donaldson add life and depth to the author’s words. I love the way they picture the world - each illustration complements the unfolding story. I wouldn't mind seeing more of them!
In all, an enjoyable and imaginative book suitable for a younger audience.
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Journey to the Top of the Nether by William C. Tracy
Genre: science fantasy aimed at a younger audience
Series/Standalone: Book six of the Dissolution Cycle but it works as a standalone
Overview: This one grabbed my attention with a quirky cover. The story is full of surprises and unexpected settings. The famous explorer Morvu Francita Januti has discovered an ancient, insect-shaped machine able to drill through the Nether. She takes her daughter, Natina, on an expedition to climb Nether’s smooth walls for the first time. Such an expedition comes with a risk, but if they survive, they will enjoy fame and glory. Not to mention that Natina will spend more time with her always busy mother and finally understand how she became the most famous explorer of the ten species.
The story impressed me with an imaginative and unique setting, and exciting exploration of the Nether, high above the clouds. It seems Journey of the Top of the Nether is the sixth book of the Dissolution Cycle series, but it stands on its own. I think William C. Tracy made a good job of introducing the world while using no info-dumps. Unfortunately, some terms or the names of the species were casually thrown into the story as something obvious. It’s cool that Natina and her mother are Etanela but I know nothing about Etanela, or other species in the Dissolution verse, except the fact they’re taller than most other Nether’s inhabitants. A glossary would help.
Genre: science fantasy aimed at a younger audience
Series/Standalone: Book six of the Dissolution Cycle but it works as a standalone
Overview: This one grabbed my attention with a quirky cover. The story is full of surprises and unexpected settings. The famous explorer Morvu Francita Januti has discovered an ancient, insect-shaped machine able to drill through the Nether. She takes her daughter, Natina, on an expedition to climb Nether’s smooth walls for the first time. Such an expedition comes with a risk, but if they survive, they will enjoy fame and glory. Not to mention that Natina will spend more time with her always busy mother and finally understand how she became the most famous explorer of the ten species.The story impressed me with an imaginative and unique setting, and exciting exploration of the Nether, high above the clouds. It seems Journey of the Top of the Nether is the sixth book of the Dissolution Cycle series, but it stands on its own. I think William C. Tracy made a good job of introducing the world while using no info-dumps. Unfortunately, some terms or the names of the species were casually thrown into the story as something obvious. It’s cool that Natina and her mother are Etanela but I know nothing about Etanela, or other species in the Dissolution verse, except the fact they’re taller than most other Nether’s inhabitants. A glossary would help.
Although the prose contains some awkward turns of phrase, it flows well, with Tracy never losing sight of his target audience (as proved by age-appropriate dialogue). The well-crafted illustrations of Justin Donaldson add life and depth to the author’s words. I love the way they picture the world - each illustration complements the unfolding story. I wouldn't mind seeing more of them!
In all, an enjoyable and imaginative book suitable for a younger audience.
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Silvertongue by Casey White
Genre: superhero fantasy
Series/Standalone: book 1 of the Remnants of Magic series
Overview: Silvertongue started as a writing prompt and morphed into a web serial hosted on Casey White’s Reddit page. The story revolves around Jon Christensen. He likes burgers and peace. He would enjoy being a regular guy, but, much to his displeasure, he has a gift to hear any language as English. When he speaks, his words always come in the listener’s native tongue. He tries to hide his talent and he succeeds until a chance encounter in a fast-food store throws him in a violent world he doesn’t understand. I enjoyed White’s take on magic / preternatural talents. People can gain them through Relics - objects of ancient power. The author introduces plenty of characters with various powers and her creativity impressed me. She doesn’t shy away from violent scenes with strong imagery (like the exploding head), so be warned that the novel explores darker sides of human nature.
While I like some of the ideas introduced in Silvertongue, I also confess that the story didn’t engage me. It introduces new characters and scenes but does little to indicate the sense of direction or characters’ goals. I DNF-ed the book at 31% of the ebook version (around 180 pages) and I still couldn’t clearly define the plot or the themes it tried to explore. I found it repetitious and didn’t warm up to any of the characters. And when there’s no emotional engagement or, at least, a desire to know what happens next, reading becomes tiresome. I called it quits.
Not to downplay the work White has put into the book, but perhaps in its current form, it still works better as a web serial, but not as a novel. I expect every scene to have a goal and move the plot forward and I like focused narratives. Because I didn’t finish the book, it’s possible things and facts connect later in the story, but my impression is that the author spends way too much time creating mini-cliffhangers at the end of each chapter without giving a clear sense of direction or purpose. I’m sure there’s a solid story here, but I would like to see it structured more tightly.
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The Fox and The Hunter by Linn Tesli
Genre: YA historical fantasy influenced by Norse traditions
Overview: Set in northern Norway in the Viking age, The Fox and the Hunter explores difficult themes of a religious and political conflict. The clash of indigenous nature religion and monotheism is brutal and destroys lives.
The story's protagonist, Elva, is raised to replace her grandmother as the noaidi (shaman) of her tribe when the time comes. She hopes it won't happen anytime soon, but she may have no choice when a Viking earl accuses her grandmother of witchcraft, a practice punishable by death. Elva decides to do everything in her power to stop the execution. I deeply believe in the power of brevity and I like focused narratives. It seems Linn Tesli shares my preferences. The story moves forward at a quick pace and doesn't focus on background static. Each scene serves something, Elva has a clearly defined goal (saving her grandmother), and the religious themes are well intertwined with the plot progression and interactions between her and secondary characters, especially with the Hunter (a young and naive son of a Viking Earl, who desires to be baptized).
I liked Elva's connection to nature and animals, and I found descriptions of shamanic rituals (communication with the spirit world) involving the use of a drum very suggestive.
Because the story develops in a harsh, cold climate with little food supply it doesn't shy away from showing a grim reality of killing animals to survive. Many readers (me included) react badly to violence towards animals, so I feel they should know upfront what they're getting into. There's one shocking scene that enraged me but I can't discuss it. Damn spoilers.
Tesli has created a gritty and gruesome world in which violence happens but it’s never included for the sake of shock value (except, maybe, for that one scene).
While the plot development is solid, there are a few weak points, including a few awkward sentences and the dialogue in certain scenes, where it feels unnaturally formal and stiff. Sure, a dialogue isn't exactly like speech in real life, but it should give the impression of actual, believable conversation. And here, characters' speech varied between nicely flowing and unbelievably formal.
Overall, though, The Fox and the Hunter is a solid, well-written, and engaging story I liked enough to read the sequel once it's published.
*---------------*---------------*---------------*
One more thing, a general remark that concerns most books that introduce dialects or rare terminology. While having a glossary at the end of the paperback is handy, I would love to see it at the beginning of the ebook version. You can easily turn the pages to check the term, but doing the same thing on e-reader feels more tedious and anticlimactic. Just a general thought, one worth considering to improve e-book reader's experience.
Choosing a semi-finalist
Last year I had a hard time picking my semi-finalist. This year, though, it was a no-brainer.
I know.
Anticlimactic.
What can I say?
First, I want to thank you all for submitting your books for our consideration. While I did my best to remain fair and open-minded, I have my preferences and pet peeves. Some stories that appeal to me bore others, depress some, enrage others. All are perfectly valid, reasonable responses. And SPFBO rules are brutal.
In the end, there's only one
And our first semi-finalist still has a chance to grab it :)
Without further ado, I can now reveal the first FBC semi-finalist to be...
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Almost there
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Congratulations Linn! The Fox and The Hunter won me over with its focused narrative, solid characterization and a promise of an exciting sequel.
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