Order
“Cast In Sorrow” HERE
Cast in Sorrow is the ninth book in Michelle Sagara's Chronicles of Elantra
series and the second half of the story begun in Cast in Peril.
This
is not a series you can jump into late and expect to have any idea what's going
on. If you're interested, you'll need to start at the beginning with Cast in Shadow. No spoilers for the book
here, but I will be talking about some very series-specific features.
One
of the coolest things about this series is that it's a cross between epic and
urban fantasy; the setting of a particular city is very integral to the story,
and yet this is a secondary world with an increasingly sprawling scope. And in
this book, the main characters have been traveling far beyond their familiar
haunts.
As
with each book in the series, Sagara complicates
the history and rules of Elantra in
fascinating and confusing ways. We got more Barrani history, though the
dwelling on certain cultural differences felt a little redundant after Cast in Courtlight.
Now,
I know Kaylin rarely understands
what her magic is doing, and Barrani of all people are not the most forthright
with information in this series, but the descriptions and explanations of magic
in this series are starting to bother me. Admittedly, this may just have to do
with me not quite being the target audience, despite loving this series,
because for me the magic has become increasingly nebulous to the point of
complete confusion. This likely has more to do with my preferences and how I
read than with the prose itself, and I definitely think more nebulous magic
systems have their place. And yet, with nine books of background and context
behind me I could not explain to you with any degree of certainty what has been
going on with magic in the more recent books.
Perhaps
as a result of being the conclusion of the story begun in Cast in Peril, this installment felt more plot-centric than others.
It starts quickly and moves along rapidly between magical battles without
giving the characters a chance to breathe. The focus on the plot also means we
get less of other things: for instance, there's not really much movement in our
protagonist's character, and I suspect the lack of development also has to do
with the split between books, simply because so many things happen in this one.
In
terms of characters, sadly, Severn
doesn't have much of a role in this book; we barely see him at all, let alone
him and Kaylin together. On the
other hand, Teela and Kaylin's friendship expands and deepens
in really interesting and satisfying ways.
I
still love this world and these characters, but I'm excited for them to be back
in Elantra, dealing with the fallout of recent events. The last couple of books
felt pretty middle-book-ish to me, like there just to move the overarching plot
along, and I'm ready to see what they've been building towards.
12:00 AM | 
Posted by
Robert |
Thursday, September 19, 2013
"Breaking Point: Article 5 #2" by Kristen Simmons (Reviewed by Cindy Hannikman)
Visit Kristen Simmons Official Website Here
Read FBC's Review of Article 5 Here
OVERVIEW: After faking
their deaths to escape from prison, Ember Miller and Chase Jennings have only
one goal: to lay low until the Federal Bureau of Reformation forgets they ever
existed.
Near-celebrities now for the increasingly sensationalized tales of their struggles with the government, Ember and Chase are recognized and taken in by the Resistance—an underground organization working to systematically take down the government. At headquarters, all eyes are on the sniper, an anonymous assassin taking out FBR soldiers one by one. Rumors are flying about the sniper’s true identity, and Ember and Chase welcome the diversion….
Until the government posts its most-wanted list, and their number one suspect is Ember herself.
Orders are shoot to kill, and soldiers are cleared to fire on suspicion alone. Suddenly Ember can’t even step onto the street without fear of being recognized, and “laying low” is a joke. Even members of the Resistance are starting to look at her sideways.
With Chase urging her to run, Ember must decide: Go into hiding…or fight back?
Near-celebrities now for the increasingly sensationalized tales of their struggles with the government, Ember and Chase are recognized and taken in by the Resistance—an underground organization working to systematically take down the government. At headquarters, all eyes are on the sniper, an anonymous assassin taking out FBR soldiers one by one. Rumors are flying about the sniper’s true identity, and Ember and Chase welcome the diversion….
Until the government posts its most-wanted list, and their number one suspect is Ember herself.
Orders are shoot to kill, and soldiers are cleared to fire on suspicion alone. Suddenly Ember can’t even step onto the street without fear of being recognized, and “laying low” is a joke. Even members of the Resistance are starting to look at her sideways.
With Chase urging her to run, Ember must decide: Go into hiding…or fight back?
FORMAT: Breaking Point is the second novel in the Article 5
trilogy. It is a fast-paced, dystopian YA novel. There are parts that are
extremely 'dark', which makes it more of an 'older' YA novel. The novel stands
at 400 pages and was published by Tor Teen on February 12, 2013.
ANALYSIS: Breaking
Point is the second novel in Kristen Simmon's Article 5 trilogy. The first
novel, titled Article 5, was absolutely amazing. Sure, it wasn't without its flaws,
but I found it captivating, intriguing, and dark. I had hopes that Breaking
Point would live up to that novel, and it did, but not in the ways that I thought.
Coming fresh off of Article 5, I was hoping that Breaking
Point would keep up the fast-paced, high powered theme. It didn't really live
up to that. Instead, readers are treated to a slower paced novel that focuses
more of character interactions, character development, and plot development. That
is not to say the novel is 'slow' or 'bogged down' with details/action, it just
is a bit slower.
Most of Breaking Point is focused upon showing readers how
Ember is looking at the things she's done, how's she's reacted, and how far
she's grown. Kristen Simmons writes these scenes in such a way that readers are
reminded of how Ember acted, but are able to see a small glimpse into the woman
that Ember is becoming.
One of my biggest frustrations in Article 5 was how immature
and 'stupid' Ember could be at times. Breaking Point acknowledged her
'stupidity' and really showed that Ember realized how immature she was and was
trying to grow and change.
I found this refreshing. I am not sure if this was done on
purpose to address the issue from the first book, or if it was planned. But it
worked.
Breaking Point is a lot like the first book. This means if you
didn't like the dark setting or the way characters acted/interacted, this will definitely
not change your mind. On the other hand, if you loved the first novel, you may
find the slower pace of this novel a bit 'off putting'.
Kristen Simmons has shown that Article 5, her first novel,
wasn't some 'one hit wonder'. She showed that she has the grace, style, and
talent to carry it into a second and hopefully a third novel. I am confident
that she will end this series with a bang. Just think of Breaking Point as a
set up for the big finale.
I should warn you. If you are one of those that hates
cliff-hangers and don't like being left out in the cold. I would recommend
waiting for the third novel to come out.
Friends, Readers, Bloggers, lend me your ears. I come to bury the Author who comments upon a review of her work, not to praise him. The good that men do is oft interred; the evil lives after them in the comments section. So let it be with Authors who comment upon a review of their work. The noble Blogger hath told you such Authors are arrogant. If it were so, it was a grievous fault, and grievously hath these Authors answered for it. Here, under leave of a blogger – for bloggers are honorable; so are they all, all honorable women and men – come I to speak in the Author-who-comments-upon-a-review-of-her/his-work's funeral.
Memo to self:
Dear future me,
For a while, I imagined book-blogs as being something like pubs, with the host being something across between the landlady and the barman. Some blogs are more like clubs, with membership requirements where you have to pay your dues or establish your credentials in some way and not anyone can come in and have a voice. Yes, it's a little frustrating sometimes to find myself being talked about in a place like that. I can't think of an occasion when I've wanted to do anything more than correct a release date or say a simple thank-you but still, it's oddly unsettling to be discussed and yet excluded. Still, it's the prerogative of any web-master to run their site as they choose and few of us would let any old stranger walk into our private homes; although I suppose not many of us then post our conversations up on the public noticeboard beside the village green. Fortunately, many review sites have the courage to be entirely free and open, letting anyone wander in and say what they like all over the comments section. Unfortunately, sometimes authors do exactly that.
Steve, when will you learn? Would you walk into a strange pub in an unfamiliar town, listen to the landlady express her opinions to a crowd of local regulars and then tell her how wrong she was? And if you did, would you reasonably expect anything short of a verbal lynching? It's not your community. Be thankful you didn't get beaten up. You shouldn't have gone into the pub in the first place. Didn't you see the sign? You didn't? Why not? Because it wasn't there? Oh, come on! It's always there and you're supposed to know that! What sort of author are you? Your publisher's PR people may have told you in no uncertain terms that you need to get out there, that you need to to have a blog and a Facebook page and a Twitter feed and a social media presence and be active on community forums and, while you're at it, go visit every pub in the country, please, unless you're prepared to do what we really want and go door to door selling yourself; but they didn't mean this pub. You should know that.
For a while, I imagined book-blogs as being something like pubs, with the host being something across between the landlady and the barman. Some blogs are more like clubs, with membership requirements where you have to pay your dues or establish your credentials in some way and not anyone can come in and have a voice. Yes, it's a little frustrating sometimes to find myself being talked about in a place like that. I can't think of an occasion when I've wanted to do anything more than correct a release date or say a simple thank-you but still, it's oddly unsettling to be discussed and yet excluded. Still, it's the prerogative of any web-master to run their site as they choose and few of us would let any old stranger walk into our private homes; although I suppose not many of us then post our conversations up on the public noticeboard beside the village green. Fortunately, many review sites have the courage to be entirely free and open, letting anyone wander in and say what they like all over the comments section. Unfortunately, sometimes authors do exactly that.
Steve, when will you learn? Would you walk into a strange pub in an unfamiliar town, listen to the landlady express her opinions to a crowd of local regulars and then tell her how wrong she was? And if you did, would you reasonably expect anything short of a verbal lynching? It's not your community. Be thankful you didn't get beaten up. You shouldn't have gone into the pub in the first place. Didn't you see the sign? You didn't? Why not? Because it wasn't there? Oh, come on! It's always there and you're supposed to know that! What sort of author are you? Your publisher's PR people may have told you in no uncertain terms that you need to get out there, that you need to to have a blog and a Facebook page and a Twitter feed and a social media presence and be active on community forums and, while you're at it, go visit every pub in the country, please, unless you're prepared to do what we really want and go door to door selling yourself; but they didn't mean this pub. You should know that.
(Perhaps Not As It Seems)
What do you mean, you weren't disagreeing with the landlady? You wrote the book and now you're done. It's not yours any more. Every reading of your words by every reader is unique and precious and not to be questioned, and expressing your own view undermines the validity of every other. Go away. No one wants to hear it. Your opinion isn't welcome here. Not expressing an opinion? Just asking for a clarification or a little exposition on some particular criticism? Just correcting an error? A typo? Just saying thanks? Just saying hello? No no no no NO! You simply don't get it. IT'S NOT YOUR PUB!!!
Your mere presence, in any shape or form, might unsettle people. It might frighten them. It might intimidate them into silence, into holding back from giving voice to their opinions; and that's not their problem, it's yours, do you get that? Yours because of whatever modicum of success you've achieved. So shut up, Steve, and stay away, because it's not your place. You don't belong. And if you're that darn ignorant or misinformed or foolish – or perhaps foolhardy – enough to turn up anyway and say something, don't you dare complain about how you get treated. It wasn't your lawn. Who do you think you are, some oppressed minority? You can't be bullied. Quite the opposite; in fact some people are afraid of you and the terrible power they imagine you wield.
Yes, yes, I laugh about that now but, future me, who knows? And if the hostility at your mere existence in a space that's not yours conjures uneasy echoes of the litany of apartness, of us-and-them, of get-off-my-lawn, of oppression and silencing that scars human history, you just need to choke on that because it's Not The Same. Oh, the mob hostility might look like it, might even be uncomfortably familiar, but when you walk into that pub, you do so as one of the elite. No matter who you are or where you come from, old or young, woman or man, black or brown or white or sky-blue pink with yellow spots, no matter whether your fans are legion or whether it's just your nan, you don't enter that space as an ordinary human being, you enter as one of the privileged ones. So shut. the fuck. up!
Your mere presence, in any shape or form, might unsettle people. It might frighten them. It might intimidate them into silence, into holding back from giving voice to their opinions; and that's not their problem, it's yours, do you get that? Yours because of whatever modicum of success you've achieved. So shut up, Steve, and stay away, because it's not your place. You don't belong. And if you're that darn ignorant or misinformed or foolish – or perhaps foolhardy – enough to turn up anyway and say something, don't you dare complain about how you get treated. It wasn't your lawn. Who do you think you are, some oppressed minority? You can't be bullied. Quite the opposite; in fact some people are afraid of you and the terrible power they imagine you wield.
Yes, yes, I laugh about that now but, future me, who knows? And if the hostility at your mere existence in a space that's not yours conjures uneasy echoes of the litany of apartness, of us-and-them, of get-off-my-lawn, of oppression and silencing that scars human history, you just need to choke on that because it's Not The Same. Oh, the mob hostility might look like it, might even be uncomfortably familiar, but when you walk into that pub, you do so as one of the elite. No matter who you are or where you come from, old or young, woman or man, black or brown or white or sky-blue pink with yellow spots, no matter whether your fans are legion or whether it's just your nan, you don't enter that space as an ordinary human being, you enter as one of the privileged ones. So shut. the fuck. up!
To hell with pubs, Steve. Authors just shouldn't go into them.
Fortunately, internet sites aren't like that. With an internet site, you don't walk in and have everyone turn and stare at you as soon as you're through the door. Author, reader, whoever you are, you have the luxury of standing invisible at the bar, soaking up the ambience, hearing what everyone has to say before you open your mouth; and until you do, no one even knows you're there. You have time to think and reflect, to consider that you're entering someone else's space with its own invisible rules and to choose your words appropriately, with polite caution and respect, and to remember that you're really no more special than anyone else. So, er, do that, Steve. Please, for the love of everything you hold dear, actually do that. And if you're lucky enough to have a vocal base of fans at some point, bear in mind that you'll be held responsible for what they say. And bear in mind that it's possible that your presence will be resented, no matter what you do. It's possible that no one will tell you that. If it happens, you have to live with it. Just try to remember the basic rule.
Fortunately, internet sites aren't like that. With an internet site, you don't walk in and have everyone turn and stare at you as soon as you're through the door. Author, reader, whoever you are, you have the luxury of standing invisible at the bar, soaking up the ambience, hearing what everyone has to say before you open your mouth; and until you do, no one even knows you're there. You have time to think and reflect, to consider that you're entering someone else's space with its own invisible rules and to choose your words appropriately, with polite caution and respect, and to remember that you're really no more special than anyone else. So, er, do that, Steve. Please, for the love of everything you hold dear, actually do that. And if you're lucky enough to have a vocal base of fans at some point, bear in mind that you'll be held responsible for what they say. And bear in mind that it's possible that your presence will be resented, no matter what you do. It's possible that no one will tell you that. If it happens, you have to live with it. Just try to remember the basic rule.
Steve, don't be a dick
And look, if you've been a dick and you know you've been a dick, apologize for being a dick and don't be a dick again. And if you show up in someone else's on-line space and act like a dick, don't whine when you get flayed, because being a dick on the internet has an infection vector that makes smallpox cry at its own inadequacy; but at the same time, please try to cling to the hope that, even if you flounder and make mistakes because you don't know the invisible rules, someone will have to decency to guide you instead of yell at you. When you find that person, listen to them.
AUTHOR NOTE: When I agreed to write this piece, I did so because of a number of pieces published on the internet that seemed to suggest that authors should simply not ever comment on reviews of their work or comments on their work. While I agree that doing so is frequently unwise, very frequently done badly and obnoxiously, and should be approached with great caution, I find the notion that I just shouldn't ever speak about what someone else says about me deeply uncomfortable and reminiscent of far too many – to my mind, at least – vastly more significant issues. What tipped me over the edge, though, was following the ensuing debate at the same time as reading a particular [trigger warning] online review. Really? The last few words of the first paragraph, and people could say something like about something I wrote and I'm required to stay silent?
I wanted a neutral space to place this. Since agreeing to write it, shit happened on Twitter and that neutrality isn't there any more for this site. My views are my own, not those of the Fantasy Book Critic site and the converse is equally true. I have seen accusations of bullying made online by Fantasy Book Critic. I don't agree with them and I'm glad the site has retracted them, otherwise, frankly, I'd have been pretty uncomfortable being here.
**********The End**********
AUTHOR NOTE: When I agreed to write this piece, I did so because of a number of pieces published on the internet that seemed to suggest that authors should simply not ever comment on reviews of their work or comments on their work. While I agree that doing so is frequently unwise, very frequently done badly and obnoxiously, and should be approached with great caution, I find the notion that I just shouldn't ever speak about what someone else says about me deeply uncomfortable and reminiscent of far too many – to my mind, at least – vastly more significant issues. What tipped me over the edge, though, was following the ensuing debate at the same time as reading a particular [trigger warning] online review. Really? The last few words of the first paragraph, and people could say something like about something I wrote and I'm required to stay silent?
I wanted a neutral space to place this. Since agreeing to write it, shit happened on Twitter and that neutrality isn't there any more for this site. My views are my own, not those of the Fantasy Book Critic site and the converse is equally true. I have seen accusations of bullying made online by Fantasy Book Critic. I don't agree with them and I'm glad the site has retracted them, otherwise, frankly, I'd have been pretty uncomfortable being here.
AUTHOR INFORMATION: Stephen Deas has worked as a systems designer and project manager for a number of technology-based aerospace companies and has reviewed books for the British SF Association's magazine Vactor. He has seven books out currently.
NOTE: Author-Author picture courtesy of Kate Evangelista. AW & EEW signs courtesy of GavReads blog. Author picture courtesy of the author.
Visit Tom McNeal's Official Website Here
OVERVIEW: It says
quite a lot about Jeremy Johnson Johnson that the strangest thing about him
isn't even the fact his mother and father both had the same last name. Jeremy
once admitted he's able to hear voices, and the townspeople of Never Better
have treated him like an outsider since.
After his mother left, his father became a recluse, and it's been up to Jeremy to support the family. But it hasn't been up to Jeremy alone. The truth is, Jeremy can hear voices. Or, specifically, one voice: the voice of the ghost of Jacob Grimm, one half of the infamous writing duo, The Brothers Grimm.
Jacob watches over Jeremy, protecting him from an unknown dark evil whispered about in the space between this world and the next. But when the provocative local girl Ginger Boultinghouse takes an interest in Jeremy (and his unique abilities), a grim chain of events is put into motion.
And as anyone familiar with the Grimm Brothers know, not all fairy tales have happy endings..
After his mother left, his father became a recluse, and it's been up to Jeremy to support the family. But it hasn't been up to Jeremy alone. The truth is, Jeremy can hear voices. Or, specifically, one voice: the voice of the ghost of Jacob Grimm, one half of the infamous writing duo, The Brothers Grimm.
Jacob watches over Jeremy, protecting him from an unknown dark evil whispered about in the space between this world and the next. But when the provocative local girl Ginger Boultinghouse takes an interest in Jeremy (and his unique abilities), a grim chain of events is put into motion.
And as anyone familiar with the Grimm Brothers know, not all fairy tales have happy endings..
FORMAT: Far Far Away is a YA novel that is a mix of fantasy,
suspense, horror, and fairy tales. There are subtle hints of the Brothers Grimm
stories throughout. Far Far Away stands at 384 pages and was published June 11,
2013 by Knopf Books for Young Readers.
ANALYSIS: This is the
strange and fateful tale of a boy, a girl and a ghost.
From the moment I read these opening words, I was captivated
and drawn into this novel. Far Far Away is a truly unique, beautifully written
YA fairy tale, though not your average 'once upon a time, there lived a
princess/fair maiden/etc.' This is a modern day, suspense-filled novel that
will captivate the attention of not only teens, but adult readers as well.
The narrator of this novel is Jacob Grimm, yes of the famous
'Brothers Grimm'. He is a ghost who has been given the mission of watching over
a rather young boy, Jeremy Johnson Johnson, whom readers meet when he is
approximately 14/15. Jacob Grimm tells of his observations, encounters, and
activities, while providing the reader with a full understanding of everything
that is going on.
In many ways, Far Far Away is like a story that would be
told around the campfire. It has a narrative quality to it, without making it appear
stale, boring, or stiff. Tom McNeal does a wonderful job of practically grabbing
the reader's attention from the first few pages and never letting go until the
long after the last words of the novel have been read.
The characters in the novel are relatively 'fleshed' out.
There are some obvious holes in character development or times when I was
wondering 'but what about …..', but as with any fairy tale readers are not
privy to every tiny detail of information.
An example of this was the whole situation with the young
girl and her grandfather. I wanted to know why he didn't like her, what their
relationship was like, etc. This was never explored, but there were enough
details provided that I was able to use my imagination. Maybe not everything
needs to be spelled out for readers.
I really enjoyed the tip of the hat to previous fairy tales.
Not the Disney versions, but the real versions. It wasn't so obvious that it
took away from the story, but there was just enough references and little hints
here and there of the Grimm stories that I found it tasteful and enjoyable.
It should be warned that this novel is not one that starts
off with a 'bang' and drags you on an adventure. Readers will be taken on an
adventure, but at a slower, more leisurely pace. There was never a moment that I
started to get bored with the book, so the pacing is spot on, but people
expecting action and adventure at every turn will be disappointed.
There is an entire feeling of mystery and intrigue
throughout the novel. I won't say that it was confusing or so mysterious that
readers won't know what is going on, but there was a feeling that I HAD to read
on to know more. I was simply swept up in the novel. In fact, there was a few
times where I was biting my nails because I was nervous or anxious about what
was going on in the novel. I was that
into the novel.
Overall, this novel took me by surprise. It isn't your
typical supernatural novel/fantasy/horror novel, but a unique blend of all
types of genres wrapped into one. The timeless quality of this novel means that
you could read it today, tomorrow, or in 10 years, and still get the same
results. It truly is one of my top novels for 2013, one that I will be sure to read again and again, and something any fairy tale
lover, Grimm Brothers fanatic, or just people who enjoy a good story should
read.
Monday, September 16, 2013
GUEST POST: How Heroic Is Your Homework? On Research In Historical Fantasy by Snorri Kristjansson
I am Icelandic. This is pretty much not debatable. Like the Vikings in Led Zeppelin‘s ‘Immigrant Song’ I come from the land of the ice and snow, from the midnight sun where the hot springs flow, and it is only natural to assume that as I am Icelandic I should therefore know everything there is to know about Vikings, right? I mean, we learn that stuff at school.
Or so I thought when I had my novel idea, which went something like: “Okay so there’s these two guys – and then they get all badass and then – ooh! Cake! Om nom nom. Twitter. Hang on! Novel. Two guys – what’s cool? Vikings! Vikings are cool! I can totally write a book about Vikings. I’m Icelandic!*” Now, anyone else with this idea and an ounce of sense would have asked questions. Shortly after that they would have either gone and sourced a lot of knowledge, or possibly given up on the whole thing and written a novel about people exactly like them doing exactly their job in exactly their world, which would be a darn sight easier.
Me? I started writing. No word of a lie, I did not think for one moment that I’d need to research before I sat down and started. I just went for it – and found out about fifteen minutes later that my passport did apparently not contain fountains of Viking-related knowledge.
Words cannot describe how annoyed I was by this. In my mind writing was supposed to be fun, and research sounded a little too much like work. However, even in my flights of wild optimism I couldn’t look past the fact that the stuff I’d written (and have since scrupulously deleted, then eradicated and obliterated) just didn’t sit right. What I discovered, and aforementioned people with sense will have known already, was that writing a novel with a non-made up setting requires research. The other kind requires world-building, which is like research except that you get to make it up, and in retrospect sounds a lot more clever to me. (Stay tuned for me going ‘Ooh! Worldbuilding!’ and then fifteen minutes later going ‘…hang on a minute! This is hard tooo!’ with wailing)
Or so I thought when I had my novel idea, which went something like: “Okay so there’s these two guys – and then they get all badass and then – ooh! Cake! Om nom nom. Twitter. Hang on! Novel. Two guys – what’s cool? Vikings! Vikings are cool! I can totally write a book about Vikings. I’m Icelandic!*” Now, anyone else with this idea and an ounce of sense would have asked questions. Shortly after that they would have either gone and sourced a lot of knowledge, or possibly given up on the whole thing and written a novel about people exactly like them doing exactly their job in exactly their world, which would be a darn sight easier.
Me? I started writing. No word of a lie, I did not think for one moment that I’d need to research before I sat down and started. I just went for it – and found out about fifteen minutes later that my passport did apparently not contain fountains of Viking-related knowledge.
Words cannot describe how annoyed I was by this. In my mind writing was supposed to be fun, and research sounded a little too much like work. However, even in my flights of wild optimism I couldn’t look past the fact that the stuff I’d written (and have since scrupulously deleted, then eradicated and obliterated) just didn’t sit right. What I discovered, and aforementioned people with sense will have known already, was that writing a novel with a non-made up setting requires research. The other kind requires world-building, which is like research except that you get to make it up, and in retrospect sounds a lot more clever to me. (Stay tuned for me going ‘Ooh! Worldbuilding!’ and then fifteen minutes later going ‘…hang on a minute! This is hard tooo!’ with wailing)
So I got started. I read books. I googled. (Seriously - HOW did ANY books get written before Wikipedia?) I went to the Jorvik Centre in York, which was inspirational – and I kept going back to the research, because I needed to tell a story and it felt like I needed to learn about the people in it. Incidentally, in this story I have a character who knows about herbs. Do you know what I found out? That’s right – I found out that I therefore needed to know about herbs. Try to explain to your significant other a search history that involves seven links on poisonous plants.
However, the more research I accrued the more I started to finally ask semi-sensible questions. The biggest one was the following: “If given a choice, who would like less badass Vikings and more of Snorri’s homework?” The more I wrote and the more research I stuffed in, the more the answer to that became ‘no-one, really’. This rather predictably threw me into a deep funk – my fourteen-year old self reared up somewhere at the back and screamed “WHAT? You made me do work I didn’t HAVE TO do??” – and I grumbled at the world in general for a while. Then, one day I was editing and I spotted a detail that I knew was factually correct – and everything started to make sense.
My writing rhythm had fallen into three phases. In the first I’d charge ahead, all inspiration and fury. In the second I’d slow down, annoyed by the fact that I didn’t know how sails were reinforced (leather straps) or what Viking houses were made of (wattle and daub, mostly – wood for the bigger ones). In the third I’d read up, answer the questions that slowed me down and find something cool that would then send me back to phase one. Add to that meticulous editing and I found my take on how much research I wanted.
Accuracy in historical fiction should be, in my opinion, like a skilled butler. It should be there, ready to help you out and hopefully supplied with drinks, but the moment it gets in the way or draws attention to itself it should be dunked in custard and pelted with raisins until it dies(as is the traditional punishment for a bad butler).
I hope I’ve found a level of research and precision in the world of Swords of Good Men that will satisfy the reader looking for a taste of Viking Flavour** in amongst the action without infuriating the Viking purists out there too much. Still, a little annoyance is quite good for the heart rate…
With secret berserker’s handshake, Snorri
*This flashback is depressingly un-embellished.
** Mostly sweat, wool and blood.
However, the more research I accrued the more I started to finally ask semi-sensible questions. The biggest one was the following: “If given a choice, who would like less badass Vikings and more of Snorri’s homework?” The more I wrote and the more research I stuffed in, the more the answer to that became ‘no-one, really’. This rather predictably threw me into a deep funk – my fourteen-year old self reared up somewhere at the back and screamed “WHAT? You made me do work I didn’t HAVE TO do??” – and I grumbled at the world in general for a while. Then, one day I was editing and I spotted a detail that I knew was factually correct – and everything started to make sense.
My writing rhythm had fallen into three phases. In the first I’d charge ahead, all inspiration and fury. In the second I’d slow down, annoyed by the fact that I didn’t know how sails were reinforced (leather straps) or what Viking houses were made of (wattle and daub, mostly – wood for the bigger ones). In the third I’d read up, answer the questions that slowed me down and find something cool that would then send me back to phase one. Add to that meticulous editing and I found my take on how much research I wanted.
Accuracy in historical fiction should be, in my opinion, like a skilled butler. It should be there, ready to help you out and hopefully supplied with drinks, but the moment it gets in the way or draws attention to itself it should be dunked in custard and pelted with raisins until it dies(as is the traditional punishment for a bad butler).
I hope I’ve found a level of research and precision in the world of Swords of Good Men that will satisfy the reader looking for a taste of Viking Flavour** in amongst the action without infuriating the Viking purists out there too much. Still, a little annoyance is quite good for the heart rate…
With secret berserker’s handshake, Snorri
*This flashback is depressingly un-embellished.
** Mostly sweat, wool and blood.
AUTHOR INFORMATION: Snorri Kristjansson is an Icelandic man who has spent more than three and half decades on the face of the Earth. He is currently living in London and while he doesn't love rice and tuna, he has survived on it long enough to know its importance. He is a professional stage comedian and occasionally teaches at Southbank International School
NOTE: Vikings picture courtesy of HDwallpaperfresh. Author picture and book cover courtesy of the author.
Sunday, September 15, 2013
"The Death of Lyndon Wilder and the Consequences Thereof" by E.A. Dineley and "The Beating of His Wings" by Paul Hoffman (short reviews by Liviu Suciu)
"When governess Anna
Arbuthnot arrives at Ridley Hall, she finds a house in deep mourning.
Lyndon Wilder, oldest and most beloved son of Lord and Lady Charles has
been killed in the Napoleonic Wars, leaving behind him a now orphaned
daughter, Lottie and other undiscovered troubles. Anna finds it easy to
establish a bond with her young charge, but other relationships in the
house begin to strain under the weight of Lyndon's absence.
When Thomas
Wilder, the younger son and new heir, returns from war, he finds his
family in chaos and Lyndon's legacy threatening Ridley Hall's future. As
executor of his brother's will and guardian of his daughter, Thomas is
forced to leave the military life he loves, and is confined to the
faltering estate of his childhood. It is only with Anna's help that
Thomas can save Ridley, and most crucially, protect his parents from the
truth about Lyndon Wilder..."
The Death of Lyndon Wilder and the Consequences Thereof by E.A. (Libby) Dineley is a delight to
read and a page turner to boot, mostly due to the chemistry between the
main characters - the governess and the soldier turned heir - and the
antics of the supporting ones -the parents, the widow who wants "to catch"
the heir etc - with a great mention to the two kids - Lottie and Horatio - who keep the novel fresh and bring a great perspective to the "grown-up" world and the personal issues of the adults filtered through their perspective...
Out of the modern Jane Austen sub-genre novels - and once in a while when in the mood I look at some, so over time it added to quite a lot I tried - this one stands out and offers a great reading experience if you want to read what it is advertised in the blurb, as this is precisely what you get, smartly done and with enough of an original touch to avoid pure repetition.
While not as tight as in the original Jane Austen - where trying to better your lot in life across class lines was the ultimate wickedness in the social life and the author had to portray such characters as inherently bad - the class lines are respected here too - no lord marrying the beggar girl - but with a tinge of the modern - as here the governess is actually from a reasonably good, though not wealthy family, who wanted to do that to escape the memories of his former "almost fiancee" who married her younger sister...
Great stuff and highly recommended, while I am looking forward to more from the author
Out of the modern Jane Austen sub-genre novels - and once in a while when in the mood I look at some, so over time it added to quite a lot I tried - this one stands out and offers a great reading experience if you want to read what it is advertised in the blurb, as this is precisely what you get, smartly done and with enough of an original touch to avoid pure repetition.
While not as tight as in the original Jane Austen - where trying to better your lot in life across class lines was the ultimate wickedness in the social life and the author had to portray such characters as inherently bad - the class lines are respected here too - no lord marrying the beggar girl - but with a tinge of the modern - as here the governess is actually from a reasonably good, though not wealthy family, who wanted to do that to escape the memories of his former "almost fiancee" who married her younger sister...
Great stuff and highly recommended, while I am looking forward to more from the author
*******************************************************************************
As this is the ending of The Left Hand of God trilogy and the blurb contains spoilers for the earlier novels, I will not include it but direct you to FBC Reviews of Book 1 and Book 2.
Once upon a time a huge asap, "The Beating of His Wings" left me a bit cold on arrival and I decided to browse through and see if it rekindles my interest or I put it down for good; after a while some great stuff got me hooked again so I went back to page 1.
However when I finished the book I thought that while overall it was a good ending to the series, it became essentially "superhero - or anti-superhero if you want - against the corrupt world and the big baddies" and the specialness of the first volume and to a large extent second disappeared leaving behind a pretty banal novel.
There is also a lot of explanation and trying to make sense of the world both through classical in-the-book devices - manuscript found in a bottle (ok not in a bottle, but you get the idea) by future civilization, is it historical reality or fantasy genre popular ages ago stuff? etc - and authorial end-notes and that ultimately subtracts from the series rather than adding to it.
Let me elaborate a little about the above: The Left Hand of God which I really, really loved, hinged on a few things - strange setting, Thomas Cale, the changes in tonality and the weird characters and their habits/sayings etc
By The Last Four Things, the setting started losing its mysteries, the tonality became much more uniform - and dark of course - and the weird characters became familiar, while In the Beating of His Wings all but Thomas Cale is "same again" so the book distills to "super anti hero" Thomas Cale against the baddies and that was not quite enough to sustain the huge promise of book one.
Of the secondary characters, the best here - and I would say by far, though Arbell and Vague Henry have some good parts with Idris Pukke his usual cynical self - is Conn Materazzi and the most devolved to one-dimensional villain is Bosco...
As noted the ending ties things up and offers resolution, but I really miss the open-endeness and the promise of the beginning volume and overall, The Beating of His Wings can be just browsed to see what happens in the end and maybe to read the few powerful scenes that sprinkle an otherwise forgettable novel.
Friday, September 13, 2013
Interview with Christian Cameron: "The Ill Made Knight" (with comments by Liviu Suciu)
1. So—you’ve gone and
started a whole new time period. You write about Ancient Greece—isn’t that
enough? Why? And why the later Middle
Ages?
Well, I’ve always loved the Middle Ages. I love chivalry, warts and all, and I wanted to write about it. And—if you follow William Gold long enough (like, into Book 2, The Long Sword) we’ll get to Greece in this period, too. But mostly, it’s about my love of the martial arts of the period. I love to fight in armour, and I love to study the period—in situ, as it were. I don’t just reenact this period. Fighting in armour with steel swords is a remarkable thing. Hard to describe. But very good for fitness, and very—exciting.
Well, I’ve always loved the Middle Ages. I love chivalry, warts and all, and I wanted to write about it. And—if you follow William Gold long enough (like, into Book 2, The Long Sword) we’ll get to Greece in this period, too. But mostly, it’s about my love of the martial arts of the period. I love to fight in armour, and I love to study the period—in situ, as it were. I don’t just reenact this period. Fighting in armour with steel swords is a remarkable thing. Hard to describe. But very good for fitness, and very—exciting.
2. The Ill-Made Knight reflects some very uncomfortable truths about the Middle Ages, doesn’t it?
It does. I have a degree in this period; I’ve always loved it, but it’s not a unicorns and maidens kind of love. The central fact of my beloved late Middle Ages—in literature, in war, in economics and even in fashion—is the Black Plague. A third of the population died. Next to that single event, it is hard to picture how they kept civilization together, much less went on with their lives or made great art or fought wars or even went to church. It must have been—horrible. A word too often used.
3. And then there’s the Hundred Year’s War…
Exactly. Wherein England attempted to take France by means of a war of terror—a very modern kind of war. Fought by knights who were sometimes the very antithesis of chivalric. But I’m not writing anti-heroic ‘grim reality.’ I’m really interested in genuine heroism—and what is more heroic than learning a set of ethics and sticking by them in the face of disaster and death—or even in the face of the banality of evil? I’ll be frank and say that ‘grim reality’ bores me. I have tried to make my vision of the Hundred Years war as authentic as I could manage; yet my story is about one of the men who rose above the ‘grim.’ It did happen.
4. You are a passionate advocate of chivalry.
I am! I tried to practice it as a military professional and I still struggle live up to it. Every time I’m beaten in a match—especially when I am full of adrenaline—it takes discipline to smile and congratulate my victor. Ideals of loyalty and generosity can be the devil to adhere to in real life situations, and it is not for nothing that one of the great Medieval works of chivalry is a book of questions with no answers!
5. But you admit that most knights failed to live by the code in period.
Like any ethical code, adhering to chivalry is a struggle. I’ve seen refugee columns. I’ve seen directly what happens when nation-states make war directly on civilian populations; when genocide occurs or is attempted. I think what I saw in Central Africa in the 90s informs my idea of what France—France as a failed state in 1362—must have been like. Psychology and neuroscience have both begun to give us insight into the long term consequences of trauma; imagine a war that lasted, with some very brief respites—for over a hundred years. Any rules—and rules at all, any ethics that save a few people from the slaughter or allow a spark of compassion to exist—are better than no rules at all. The knights and men-at-arms who attempted to abide by the rules must have been better men.
And let me say—I probably say this too often—that we could look at the 20th century and—eying the statistics—say ‘Democracy is the leading cause of war in the 20th century’ or ‘Democracies are evil—they killing innocent people.’ Every system fails. We can look at the failures, or we can examine the successes. That said—I still believe, as Richard Kaeuper, my mentor in University, taught me, that despite its best efforts, Medieval Chivalry caused more harm than it limited. Interesting dichotomy, eh?
6. Why did you choose William Gold? What was the spark?
A few years ago I read a brilliant book by a scholar named William Cafferro about John Hawkwood, the real life Captain of the White Company. In the course of the book he describes the taking of Cesena—a serious war crime in the Italian wars when a cardinal of the church (soon to be pope) ordered the entire civilian population of a town exterminated for no better reason than that they had humiliated him. Cafferro suggests that some of Hawkwood’s men left him in the aftermath, and the dates suggest that one William Gold, a fairly senior officer, went off and fought for Venice. I don’t know if William Gold left Hawkwood because of the massacre of Cesena, but my William Gold will. At the same time—this is what I studied in university, and I was fascinated by ‘William the Cook’ and the notion that a man in the later Middle Ages so desperately wanted to be a knight.
7. You chose the title The Ill-Made Knight? It’s a pretty famous title!
It’s true. It is one of my favorites from my childhood. Of course, the Ill-Made Knight of T.H. White is Lancelot. I wanted readers to see the connection, and the homage is quite deliberate. Without T.H. White I wouldn’t have studied the Middle Ages at all. In fact, we just read ‘The Sword and the Stone’ to my daughter, and I was struck every night by how much of that book I’d just—taken in. By osmosis, almost. It was perhaps the most important book of my childhood, I now realize.
8. You like to write first person. Do you identify with your characters?
I confess that I identify with William Gold more than with Ptolemy in ‘God of War’ or Arimnestos in the ‘Long War’ series. William Gold has in him a number of men I respect—and a little of me. Arimnestos is modeled on some SF guys I worked with, but also on my uncle, Donald Cameron, who was a great story teller and a very dangerous man. But first person—it’s very hard. It is hard to avoid anachronism and it is fiendish to make sure that the reader understand what’s going on. In France in 1362, it was all I could do to avoid moment where some character ‘data-dumped’ a political monologue. The Paris Commune? The Jaquerie? Really hard. I hope I pulled it off. But that said—the challenge is what drives good writing, I think.
9. There’s an awful lot of religion in ‘Ill-Made Knight’
Well—there’s some. It was the central reality of the thinking man in the Middle Ages—at least in the West. Most of my characters in every period are pious. Atheism is really a modern adventure. People in the past believed—or that’s my reading of history. So—Kineas has dreams and religious experience, and so does William Gold. I read a lot of Medieval theology before I wrote this book. And some Medieval Philosophy, although, to my amateur eye, they are virtually synonymous. Throw in Aristotle—see that’s research saved! (Laughs) I mean, I read Aristotle for Kineas and Alexander!
10. What are you reading now, what are you writing, and what’s up with Tom Swan?
Er—ah—I just finished ‘Basic Writings’ which was a compendium of the writings of Martin Heidegger. And ‘Venetian Ships and Shipbuilders’ by Frederic Chapin Lane, which is research for both Tom Swan and William Gold. My Venetian Galleys were too much like ancient galleys… I won’t make that mistake again…. I’m about to write Book Two of the ‘Chivalry’ series, about William Gold and the Green Count’s Crusade. William—Sir William-is about to go on one of the least known crusades. And encounter what a wonderful civilization the Byzantine Greeks had—oh, and another wonderful civilization, the Ottoman Turks…
Tom Swan will ride again—or walk. He’s off to the Siege of Belgrade in 1456. That event will cover three installments, and I suspect they’ll start to appear by Christmas. I write Tom Swan for fun—and to pay for armour and stuff—so I have to work on him in the nooks and crannies between projects. Oh, and yesterday I finished Symposium III, the last chapter in the prequel to the ‘Foreworld’ project. It’s out as a graphic novel. I really recommend it to my Tyrant and Long War fans, not because I’m so great, but because Dmitry Bondarenko has done an incredible job of making Ancient Athens come to life.
11. Can we see you fight in armour?
Yes. I’m a pretty middling armoured combatant—I’m old, for one thing. But my harness is good—thanks to Mark Vickers at Saint George’s Armoury, Craig Sitch at Manning Imperial, (who also makes some of my Ancient Greek harness) and Peter Fuller at Medieval Reproductions. But I’ll post a melee from a recent event on my Author page on Facebook.
12. Thanks, Chris
Thank you!
*******************************************************************
Official Christian Cameron Website
I want to thank Christian Cameron for this wonderful interview and for the insights into medieval life he has so kindly shared with us. I have just finished "The Ill Made Knight" last night and while I plan a full review in the next couple weeks - tentatively next Friday, September 20th, but could move to the following week - I would like to add that the novel is superb and possibly the best single work of the author as it has the most balance between action, background and world building, while the narrative flow is impeccable here without hitting any walls that stop from turning the pages, but also inviting to further research into the period.
Structurally the novel starts in 1381, with William Gold now a respected and rich 41 year old knight going back to England from Italy; stopping at a Calais inn, he meets an old acquaintance and occasional rival, namely the diplomat, courtier and intrigue master, Geoffrey Chaucer (yes that one!) and a friend of his, Jean Froissart (that one too), with the French/Belgian (as we would say today, "Hainauter" as he was then) chronicler mightily interested in Gold's life and exploits. And of course, so it starts, covering briefly William's upbringing and the how and why he got to France as a 15-16 year old boy and then following his career for the next 6 years or so with much more to come as promised by the author.
If after finishing the novel you read the interview above, you will be struck by how much of what Mr. Cameron told us here, is really reflected in the novel and the way William's voice presents things, showing once more the authorial capabilities of Christian Cameron in bringing an era to life and consciously reflecting on it from the outside too.
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