Read An Excerpt HERE
Because of Colleen aka La Gringa of The Swivet, I’ve been introduced to some pretty impressive fantasy titles like David Anthony Durham’s “Acacia”, Jeffrey Overstreet’s “Auralia’s Colors”, and Gregory Frost’s “Shadowbridge”. So when I received a package from her endorsing David Keck’s debut “In the Eye of Heaven” and its forthcoming sequel “In a Time of Treason” (February 19, 2008), I was pretty stoked. Then the mixed reviews for “In the Eye of Heaven” started popping up—SFFWorld, Graeme’s Fantasy Book Review, Neth Space, OF Blog of the Fallen—and I began to have some doubts. But since Colleen hasn’t let me down yet, I just decided to read “In the Eye of Heaven” and see for myself. And you know what…I couldn’t put the book down and as soon as I finished it I just tore through “In a Time of Treason”. In short, while it was always my intention to review “In the Eye of Heaven” and its sequel “In a Time of Treason” together, I have to admit that I was pleasantly surprised at just how much I enjoyed both of David’s books:
1) “In the Eye of Heaven” – April 4, 2006. In this debut, David Keck introduces readers to Errest the Old, a kingdom heavily influenced by medieval Europe complete with dukes, barons, fiefdoms, knights, a Christian-like religion, rich mythology, and a high king. Unlike the Middle Ages though, the land is teeming with the supernatural and stories about the Banished and the Lost and the First Ones are much more than mere myths. For the boundary between Creation and the Otherworld is extremely thin and only by the oaths of the High King and the blessings of the sanctuaries are the Banished warded from roaming the land.
Into this setting we have Durand Col, a baron’s second son who has been serving as a page and shield-bearer for fourteen years and is on the cusp of knighthood and an inheritance—that is, until unexpected events suddenly leave Durand with an unstable future. From here, Durand sets off on his own to see what kind of life he can lead as a knight-errant—or sellsword—and stumbles into a journey that will destroy his innocence, test the limits of his loyalty, and find him fighting for the whole kingdom…
Looking at other reviews, the biggest complaint I’ve seen has been the writing and I can see where readers are coming from. For one, the prose is fairly economical and lacks any sort of distinguishing style. Descriptions and background information meanwhile, are held to a minimum which makes some things difficult to understand like the landscape itself. Heck, it wasn’t until I finished the sequel that I really began to comprehend the connection between the sanctuaries, Creation, the Otherworld, the High King and the Banished. And even when the author does introduce some details about the world or the mythology, the passages either felt forced or seemed to drop in at odd moments adding to the confusion. On top of that, it was hard to emotionally connect with Durand or any of the supporting characters, and part of that I think was the author’s decision to write strictly in a third-person point-of-view from Durand’s perspective rather than a first-person or through multiple narratives. In short, because of these deficiencies I can understand why some readers had trouble with David’s debut. That said, I think if you can look past the book’s structural issues, you’ll discover that “In the Eye of Heaven” has some really special qualities.
For despite all of the problems mentioned above, there were a number of things that I really liked about the book. One was the excellent pacing. In a word, I would describe “In the Eye of Heaven” as intense. In fact, between the breakneck pace, the jarring narrative and the minimalist style, I was reminded of the Matt Damon/Bourne movies. Like those films, “In the Eye of Heaven” isn’t flashy, it’s grounded by a sense of realism—even with all of the supernatural aspects, and the action sequences are just breathtaking, particularly the melees. Speaking of realism, I just loved the little details that David injects into the novel to authenticate the setting like the yellow teeth, the constant harassment of fleas, the bleakness of a sellsword’s life, the brutality of a tournament, et cetera. After all, whenever I think of knights I usually think of shining armor, chivalry and glory, but the reality is much harsher & filthier and David does a beautiful job of capturing that truth. Another thing that impressed me was the lack of infodumping. While it wasn’t executed very well, I can understand the author’s intentions and thought it was a refreshing change of pace from most traditional fantasy novels. I was also impressed with Durand as a protagonist. Aside from some prophetic omens and an ancient lineage, Durand isn’t your typical hero. He’s not blessed with superhuman abilities, he commits atrocities, has sinful thoughts, frequently gets injured and doesn’t always succeed… Lastly, I absolutely loved the concept of a world where life, death and the supernatural coexist as closely as it does in Errest. Granted, David doesn’t always do a good job of letting readers understand the workings of this world, but the eerie & surreal manner in which he depicts the Otherworld, the Banished and the Lost is to be applauded.
As far as the actual story, “In the Eye of Heaven” is best described as heroic adventure with the majority of the plot dealing with knights and their games. Of course, there’s also a conspiracy against the King of Errest, some Shakespearean-like drama between a number of the characters and their families, court politics, lots of mystical occurrences like Lost Hesperand, and the beginning of what looks to be a tragic love story, but it’s the tournaments that rule the novel…
2) “In a Time of Treason” – February 19, 2008. As much as I enjoyed the author’s debut, I admit that it was a flawed effort so I was quite happy to see how improved the writing was in “In a Time of Treason”. Namely, the prose was more elegant, the descriptions better expressed, there was a lot more background information without the author relying on shameless infodumping, and overall David just displayed greater confidence as a writer. Even so, the writing wasn’t perfect. There are still passages that are confusing and may require a re-read or two, the limiting third-person narrative is still in effect, and the plotting is a bit uneven. On the flipside, the pacing is just as strong as last time—if anything “In a Time of Treason” is even more intense than David’s debut—and the novel just exudes with ambiance. The story itself was a lot stronger too I thought. While “In the Eye of Heaven” was a fun and exciting read with its knights and its tournaments, the book felt like one of those summer action flicks—full of adventure, but lacking any real depth or soul. “In a Time of Treason” on the other hand is dealing with open war where the lives of thousands hang in the balance, not to mention weightier subplots like Durand being torn between loyalty for his master and the love he feels for his liege lord’s wife, King Ragnal’s stunning betrayal against his people, Radomor’s arrogant attempt at the throne, a traitor amongst Durand’s closest allies, and a sorcerous plot to free the Banished from their thousand-year-old bonds that goes farther back than anyone can imagine. In other words, there’s much more at stake this time around and “In a Time of Treason” reflects that with its darker and more atmospheric tone…
Conclusion: David Keck’s debut is one of those novels that shows off a lot of potential, but is fundamentally flawed by inconsistent writing, worldbuilding and plotting. Still, if you can get past these problems then “In the Eye of Heaven” has much to offer like its unconventionalism, the harsh authenticity of the world, incredible action sequences, and a story that could appeal to fans of Glen Cook and David Gemmell. Even better, the payoff is just tremendous because the sequel is more powerful, more thrilling, and more rewarding than its predecessor and is a major reason why I recommend giving “In the Eye of Heaven” a shot. In the end, despite the mixed reception and the books’ obvious problems, I immensely enjoyed David Keck’s debut, I loved his sequel “In a Time of Treason” even more, and I absolutely can’t to see how it all ends in “A King of Cobwebs”…
1) “In the Eye of Heaven” – April 4, 2006. In this debut, David Keck introduces readers to Errest the Old, a kingdom heavily influenced by medieval Europe complete with dukes, barons, fiefdoms, knights, a Christian-like religion, rich mythology, and a high king. Unlike the Middle Ages though, the land is teeming with the supernatural and stories about the Banished and the Lost and the First Ones are much more than mere myths. For the boundary between Creation and the Otherworld is extremely thin and only by the oaths of the High King and the blessings of the sanctuaries are the Banished warded from roaming the land.Into this setting we have Durand Col, a baron’s second son who has been serving as a page and shield-bearer for fourteen years and is on the cusp of knighthood and an inheritance—that is, until unexpected events suddenly leave Durand with an unstable future. From here, Durand sets off on his own to see what kind of life he can lead as a knight-errant—or sellsword—and stumbles into a journey that will destroy his innocence, test the limits of his loyalty, and find him fighting for the whole kingdom…
Looking at other reviews, the biggest complaint I’ve seen has been the writing and I can see where readers are coming from. For one, the prose is fairly economical and lacks any sort of distinguishing style. Descriptions and background information meanwhile, are held to a minimum which makes some things difficult to understand like the landscape itself. Heck, it wasn’t until I finished the sequel that I really began to comprehend the connection between the sanctuaries, Creation, the Otherworld, the High King and the Banished. And even when the author does introduce some details about the world or the mythology, the passages either felt forced or seemed to drop in at odd moments adding to the confusion. On top of that, it was hard to emotionally connect with Durand or any of the supporting characters, and part of that I think was the author’s decision to write strictly in a third-person point-of-view from Durand’s perspective rather than a first-person or through multiple narratives. In short, because of these deficiencies I can understand why some readers had trouble with David’s debut. That said, I think if you can look past the book’s structural issues, you’ll discover that “In the Eye of Heaven” has some really special qualities.
For despite all of the problems mentioned above, there were a number of things that I really liked about the book. One was the excellent pacing. In a word, I would describe “In the Eye of Heaven” as intense. In fact, between the breakneck pace, the jarring narrative and the minimalist style, I was reminded of the Matt Damon/Bourne movies. Like those films, “In the Eye of Heaven” isn’t flashy, it’s grounded by a sense of realism—even with all of the supernatural aspects, and the action sequences are just breathtaking, particularly the melees. Speaking of realism, I just loved the little details that David injects into the novel to authenticate the setting like the yellow teeth, the constant harassment of fleas, the bleakness of a sellsword’s life, the brutality of a tournament, et cetera. After all, whenever I think of knights I usually think of shining armor, chivalry and glory, but the reality is much harsher & filthier and David does a beautiful job of capturing that truth. Another thing that impressed me was the lack of infodumping. While it wasn’t executed very well, I can understand the author’s intentions and thought it was a refreshing change of pace from most traditional fantasy novels. I was also impressed with Durand as a protagonist. Aside from some prophetic omens and an ancient lineage, Durand isn’t your typical hero. He’s not blessed with superhuman abilities, he commits atrocities, has sinful thoughts, frequently gets injured and doesn’t always succeed… Lastly, I absolutely loved the concept of a world where life, death and the supernatural coexist as closely as it does in Errest. Granted, David doesn’t always do a good job of letting readers understand the workings of this world, but the eerie & surreal manner in which he depicts the Otherworld, the Banished and the Lost is to be applauded.
As far as the actual story, “In the Eye of Heaven” is best described as heroic adventure with the majority of the plot dealing with knights and their games. Of course, there’s also a conspiracy against the King of Errest, some Shakespearean-like drama between a number of the characters and their families, court politics, lots of mystical occurrences like Lost Hesperand, and the beginning of what looks to be a tragic love story, but it’s the tournaments that rule the novel…
2) “In a Time of Treason” – February 19, 2008. As much as I enjoyed the author’s debut, I admit that it was a flawed effort so I was quite happy to see how improved the writing was in “In a Time of Treason”. Namely, the prose was more elegant, the descriptions better expressed, there was a lot more background information without the author relying on shameless infodumping, and overall David just displayed greater confidence as a writer. Even so, the writing wasn’t perfect. There are still passages that are confusing and may require a re-read or two, the limiting third-person narrative is still in effect, and the plotting is a bit uneven. On the flipside, the pacing is just as strong as last time—if anything “In a Time of Treason” is even more intense than David’s debut—and the novel just exudes with ambiance. The story itself was a lot stronger too I thought. While “In the Eye of Heaven” was a fun and exciting read with its knights and its tournaments, the book felt like one of those summer action flicks—full of adventure, but lacking any real depth or soul. “In a Time of Treason” on the other hand is dealing with open war where the lives of thousands hang in the balance, not to mention weightier subplots like Durand being torn between loyalty for his master and the love he feels for his liege lord’s wife, King Ragnal’s stunning betrayal against his people, Radomor’s arrogant attempt at the throne, a traitor amongst Durand’s closest allies, and a sorcerous plot to free the Banished from their thousand-year-old bonds that goes farther back than anyone can imagine. In other words, there’s much more at stake this time around and “In a Time of Treason” reflects that with its darker and more atmospheric tone…Conclusion: David Keck’s debut is one of those novels that shows off a lot of potential, but is fundamentally flawed by inconsistent writing, worldbuilding and plotting. Still, if you can get past these problems then “In the Eye of Heaven” has much to offer like its unconventionalism, the harsh authenticity of the world, incredible action sequences, and a story that could appeal to fans of Glen Cook and David Gemmell. Even better, the payoff is just tremendous because the sequel is more powerful, more thrilling, and more rewarding than its predecessor and is a major reason why I recommend giving “In the Eye of Heaven” a shot. In the end, despite the mixed reception and the books’ obvious problems, I immensely enjoyed David Keck’s debut, I loved his sequel “In a Time of Treason” even more, and I absolutely can’t to see how it all ends in “A King of Cobwebs”…
8:39 AM | 
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Official Kevin J. Anderson WebsiteOfficial Kevin J. Anderson Myspace
As of now, July 1, 2008 is the scheduled publication date for Kevin J. Anderson’s “The Ashes of Worlds”, the seventh and concluding chapter in the bestselling author’s epic SF series Saga of Seven Suns. Unfortunately, that’s quite a ways away so to help pass the time, Kevin graciously agreed to answer some questions for me which covers a lot of territory including Star Wars, Dune, Dean Koontz, his wife Rebecca Moesta, “The Last Days of Krypton”, the Saga of Seven Suns, future projects, comic books, and plenty more. So many thanks to Kevin for his time and the opportunity, and readers enjoy!
Q: Your books have been published since the late 80s. As hard as it might be to believe, there are probably readers out there who have never picked up a Kevin J. Anderson novel, so where would you recommend starting and why?
Kevin: I think my best solo work is probably my Saga of Seven Suns series—seven volumes, and I just finished the last one. That series sums up everything I love about the science fiction genre.
Q: Arguably, the Star Wars tie-novels that you wrote in the mid-to-late 90s including the Jedi Academy trilogy and the Young Jedi Knights series with your wife Rebecca Moesta were partly responsible for your early success. What kind of experience was that playing in the Stars Wars universe and do you have any plans of writing another Star Wars tie-in novel?
Kevin: I had published seven of my own novels before I was offered the Star Wars gig. The very year my first Star Wars book hit the bestseller list was also the year I was nominated for the Nebula Award for an original novel (written with Doug Beason). As a fan, I loved being asked to work in Star Wars. I spent a lot of time up at Skywalker Ranch, I got to meet George Lucas a couple of times, and I had a blast working in that universe. Yes, it did bring my writing to millions of fans who had never heard of me before, and I’m very grateful. At present, it’s been so long since I’ve dipped into the very detailed SW extended universe, it would be very hard for me to pick up and do something new in it.
Q: That sounds pretty awesome :) So you’ve actually dabbled in many other established worlds as well including Dune, the X-Files, StarCraft, et cetera. What are the advantages and disadvantages of writings books in already established universes?
Kevin: What die-hard fan hasn’t made up his or her new adventures of a favorite show or movie? I always did. I always felt that I lived with those characters in my imagination anyway. (When I was in high school, I think I wrote about 70 of my own Star Trek stories.) I never stopped writing my own books, but I had a great time working in these great and popular universes
Q: Focusing on the Dune books that you’ve been co-authoring with Brian Herbert, “Sandworms of Dune” was just released last year which completed the duology that brought to life Frank Herbert’s planned seventh novel in the original Dune sequence. Browsing through reviews, the novel received sort of a mixed response. What are your thoughts on how the duology turned out, and the difficulties of living up to such high expectations?
Kevin: Brian and I have now written ten novels in the Dune universe, and they have been extremely well received, winning numerous awards and being selected as New York Times Notable book (absolutely unheard-of for a novel written in somebody else’s universe), many best-of-the-year lists, etc. For “Hunters of Dune” and “Sandworms of Dune” we were more constrained than in the previous books because we had to follow Frank Herbert’s detailed outline. A lot of the things people were complaining about were the things Frank left for us to do. But we had to write the books in the way he intended for the grand finale to unfold. People had extremely high expectations—but you also have to remember that a very large portion of the readership really hated Frank’s own sequels when they originally appeared. “Dune Messiah” was labeled the “disappointment of the year.” Many readers couldn’t finish “God-Emperor of Dune”, they complained about “Heretics of Dune”, then they complained about “Chapterhouse Dune”. Now all those novels are considered classics.
Q: Your books have been published since the late 80s. As hard as it might be to believe, there are probably readers out there who have never picked up a Kevin J. Anderson novel, so where would you recommend starting and why?
Kevin: I think my best solo work is probably my Saga of Seven Suns series—seven volumes, and I just finished the last one. That series sums up everything I love about the science fiction genre.
Q: Arguably, the Star Wars tie-novels that you wrote in the mid-to-late 90s including the Jedi Academy trilogy and the Young Jedi Knights series with your wife Rebecca Moesta were partly responsible for your early success. What kind of experience was that playing in the Stars Wars universe and do you have any plans of writing another Star Wars tie-in novel?
Kevin: I had published seven of my own novels before I was offered the Star Wars gig. The very year my first Star Wars book hit the bestseller list was also the year I was nominated for the Nebula Award for an original novel (written with Doug Beason). As a fan, I loved being asked to work in Star Wars. I spent a lot of time up at Skywalker Ranch, I got to meet George Lucas a couple of times, and I had a blast working in that universe. Yes, it did bring my writing to millions of fans who had never heard of me before, and I’m very grateful. At present, it’s been so long since I’ve dipped into the very detailed SW extended universe, it would be very hard for me to pick up and do something new in it.
Q: That sounds pretty awesome :) So you’ve actually dabbled in many other established worlds as well including Dune, the X-Files, StarCraft, et cetera. What are the advantages and disadvantages of writings books in already established universes?
Kevin: What die-hard fan hasn’t made up his or her new adventures of a favorite show or movie? I always did. I always felt that I lived with those characters in my imagination anyway. (When I was in high school, I think I wrote about 70 of my own Star Trek stories.) I never stopped writing my own books, but I had a great time working in these great and popular universes
Q: Focusing on the Dune books that you’ve been co-authoring with Brian Herbert, “Sandworms of Dune” was just released last year which completed the duology that brought to life Frank Herbert’s planned seventh novel in the original Dune sequence. Browsing through reviews, the novel received sort of a mixed response. What are your thoughts on how the duology turned out, and the difficulties of living up to such high expectations?Kevin: Brian and I have now written ten novels in the Dune universe, and they have been extremely well received, winning numerous awards and being selected as New York Times Notable book (absolutely unheard-of for a novel written in somebody else’s universe), many best-of-the-year lists, etc. For “Hunters of Dune” and “Sandworms of Dune” we were more constrained than in the previous books because we had to follow Frank Herbert’s detailed outline. A lot of the things people were complaining about were the things Frank left for us to do. But we had to write the books in the way he intended for the grand finale to unfold. People had extremely high expectations—but you also have to remember that a very large portion of the readership really hated Frank’s own sequels when they originally appeared. “Dune Messiah” was labeled the “disappointment of the year.” Many readers couldn’t finish “God-Emperor of Dune”, they complained about “Heretics of Dune”, then they complained about “Chapterhouse Dune”. Now all those novels are considered classics.
Q: Good point :) Now what can you tell us about the “Paul of Dune”, the rest of the next story arc, and any other plans that you & Brian have for the future of the Dune universe?
Kevin: “Paul of Dune” is the story set between “Dune” and “Dune Messiah”, the great Jihad that sweeps across the galaxy in the name of Muad’Dib, and how Paul Atreides gradually changes from hero to tyrant. We have other parts of that story we plan on telling, namely “Jessica of Dune” and “Irulan of Dune”. After that, we’re considering going back to the formation of the great Schools, but Brian and I have plans to do some books of our own first.
Q: Another title that you helped co-write was Dean Koontz’s “Frankenstein: Prodigal Son”, which was the first volume in a trilogy that should be completed later this year. How did you get involved in that project, what was it like working with Mr. Koontz, and how come you’re not involved with the rest of the trilogy?
Kevin: Dean has been my mentor for a long time, giving me excellent help and advice early in my career. When he wanted to create this new series (based on a script and TV series pilot he had written), he asked me to do the first book. He asked his friend Ed Gorman to work on the second book, and he’s doing the third one himself.
Q: Besides Brian Herbert, Rebecca Moesta and Dean Koontz, you’ve also collaborated with the aforementioned Doug Beason. What is it about teaming up with other writers/creators that you find so appealing and who else do you wish you could work with?
Kevin: I enjoy brainstorming with fellow writers, exchanging ideas, and learning from other writers’ techniques. To me, it’s a natural thing, almost like a game, to work with someone else to tell stories. You have to check your ego at the door, make sure you both have the same vision for the novel, and lean on each other.
Q: What about working with your wife Rebecca Moesta who is also a writer of speculative fiction among other things? How does such a relationship benefit you as an author?
Kevin: Since we’re around each other all the time, we are constantly brainstorming, and I’m always asking her opinion on stories, characters, plot twists. Rebecca’s main interest is in fiction for Young Adults, and by working together we can attract a whole new readership.
Q: Moving on, you also released a book last year called “The Last Days of Krypton” which “tells the spectacular story of Superman’s parents who are faced with the end of the world and the origin of a hero we all know.” As someone who’s written both comic books and novels, what are the advantages of telling this story in prose format?
Kevin: I viewed this project from the outset as an epic science fiction novel. I developed the culture, the world, the characters, just as I did for “Seven Suns.” I have a lot of credits in the comic field, too, which gave me the right sensibility for this project, but this novel was a case where it was necessary to get inside the heads of the characters, flesh out their background, and add a lot more detail than would be possible in comics.
Q: Recently, you just announced HERE that you’re working on another novel set in the DC universe called “First Encounter” which relates the very first meeting between Superman and Batman. What exactly is your relationship with DC Comics/HarperEntertainment, what are the companies’ goals for these books, and how many more novels can we expect from you in the DC universe?
Kevin: I’ve known the people at DC for many, many years and I’ve worked with them on their comics projects. When I had the idea for the “Krypton” novel, I approached them directly, and after I had written my proposal, we shopped it around to publishers. Several of them bid, but HarperCollins made the best offer. They are very enthusiastic and I enjoy working with them, but my main contact is through DC directly. After they liked the “Krypton” novel so much, they came to me and asked about the Superman/Batman project, so of course I was interested. As for other projects, we’ll just have to figure out the right one. The objective here is to firmly establish a book presence for the DC Universe. “Last Days of Krypton” was a dream project for me, and I still consider it one of my best novels.
Q: As mentioned previously, you’ve also written comic books. What’s been your most memorable experience so far, what do you feel are the positives/negatives of writing comic books compared to prose fiction, and do you have any other projects in the works?
Kevin: I love writing comics (OK, so I’m sounding like a broken record…but I do really enjoy my work)—it uses a different part of my creativity, and there’s something very exciting about seeing the pencil sketches, seeing the specific images in my mind come to life from the talents of a great artist. My most impressive work in comics, I think, is my “Tales of the Jedi” epic for Star Wars, “Dark Lords of the Sith,” “The Sith War,” and “Redemption”—establishes some important background in the ancient Star Wars universe (including the introduction of the double-lightsaber, used so famously by Darth Maul in Episode I.) I’ve also done work with Predator, X-Files, Star Trek, JSA for DC, StarJammers for Marvel, an original humorous series “Grumpy Old Monsters” from IDW, and an original graphic novel in the “Seven Suns” universe for Wildstorm. I’ve got some ideas in development, but nothing actively in the works right now.
Q: Let’s talk about your original stories. Your most ambitious project is the epic seven-volume space opera series The Saga of Seven Suns which comes to its conclusion this July 2008 with “The Ashes of the World”. How does it feel that the project is finally coming to an end, were you able to accomplish everything you wanted to when you first started work on The Saga of Seven Suns, and will there be any spin-offs, sequels, prequels or whatnot?
Kevin: I spent eight years of my life developing and writing this series, and it has a cast of characters that would make Cecil B. deMille proud, with many dozens of overlapping storylines. I wanted to put all of the big ideas that I love in the SF genre, and I created a story with enough scope to carry it all. I chronicled a galactic war, telling the story from the perspective of several races, with characters from the great leaders of empires to powerless average people. I designed the story with a beginning, middle, and end, and Volume Seven does wrap up all the plotlines. I did create a big, fully-fleshed-out universe, so I’ve got room to tell other independent stories, maybe in a few years, but right now I’m very glad to bring it to its conclusion. Time to rest after seven 700-page manuscripts!
Q: On your blog you mentioned that you were brainstorming with Brian Herbert for an original new science fiction series that was similar in scope to Dune. What can you tell us about this idea, and any other writing projects that we haven’t covered yet?
Kevin: Brian and I have done ten novels in the Dune universe together and we obviously work well as collaborators. But with my own original novels, particularly the Seven Suns books, and Brian’s own Timeweb series, we don’t need to do only Dune novels. We are just now putting together an outline and proposal for the new series, but we’ll also continue to write other Dune novels.
Q: While you’ve had the pleasure of exploring many different universes like Star Wars and Dune which have crossed over into different formats, have you had any luck with getting your own original properties adapted for anything like film, television, comic books, videogames, et cetera, and if so, could you share any details?
Kevin: Some of my books have been optioned for films—“Ill Wind”, “Captain Nemo”, and “Ignition”—and I’ve gotten even more inquiries (but Hollywood is a lot of talk and no follow-through). So far, nothing in production. I’ve adapted my own X-Files novel “Ground Zero” as a graphic novel, and I’ve done a graphic novel prequel to the “Saga of Seven Suns” for Topps. I’m always open to the possibility—but you’ve got to get the right person with the right interest.
Q: What do you think of the cross-pollination today between different formats such as film, novels, comic books, television, et cetera? Is it getting to the point where it might become more advantageous for writers to have experience in more than one medium?
Kevin: I think it’s fascinating and opens many opportunities for getting crossover audiences. Videogames into novels, novels into comics, stories into serial podcasts, comics into games, fictional blogs written by characters from TV shows—it’s all a new set of opportunities for writers trying to make a living.
Q: You have a pretty impressive bibliography. After writing as long and as much as you have, what helps you through the dry spells, what still challenges you, and what do you want to accomplish still?
Kevin: I’ve published something like 95 novels and hundreds of short stories. The ideas keep coming, and I keep developing my craft, pushing the envelope of what I can do (for example, the giant continuous story that ran over seven large volumes in Saga of Seven Suns)—which gives me a skill set so that I can try even more ambitious projects. I am just about to start a nautical fantasy trilogy with sailing ships and sea monsters, which takes me in a different direction. I love to write, and I hope to keep doing it for a long, long time.
Q: Over the years, what have you learned as a writer from your experience in working in established universes, collaborating with other authors, your original projects, and writing in different formats? Is there anything else that you would like to improve upon as a writer?
Kevin: With each project I take on, I try to improve on what I’ve done before, either in complexity of plotting, intensity of the action scenes, the clarity of descriptions, deeper themes, or even just a project that will reach a completely different audience. I’ve learned a lot from my collaborators—Brian Herbert, Rebecca Moesta, and Doug Beason—and I apply it to my other novels.
Q: Because of your experience, what are your thoughts on the evolution of fantasy and science fiction (it’s acceptance in society/entertainment/media, productivity of original ideas, the different formats, publishing, etc.) and where do you see the genres’ going in the future?
Kevin: When I was a teenager, I was just the strange geek who read Sci Fi. Today, the biggest grossing films each year are science fiction, dozens of TV shows are SF, genre books regularly hit high on the bestseller lists. It’s become mainstream—and I’m thrilled about it. It’s good not to be the weirdo anymore!
Q: You’re one of the judges for L. Ron Hubbard’s Writers of the Future contest. What do you look for in a potential award-winning story, and are there any authors that maybe didn’t win in the past that you would recommend checking out?
Kevin: When I get the stories to judge, all of the names are removed, so I don’t know who the authors are. I can say that I have seen some terrific talent, and then when I help teach the workshop for prizewinners I get to meet them in person. Some of these winners have become extremely successful now and I’ve kept in touch. I particularly recommend Sean Williams, Patrick Rothfuss, and Steven Saville.
Q: Last year was tough for writers of speculative fiction. Several authors passed away including Robert Jordan, Madeline L’Engle, Lloyd Alexander, Leigh Eddings, Fred Saberhagen, Alice Borchardt, and Kurt Vonnegut Jr. while Terry Pratchett was diagnosed with Alzheimer's. Did any of this affect you and is there anything you would like to say?
Kevin: Don’t forget about Jack Williamson—I really admired him, and the SF field was good to him, always giving him standing ovations and making sure he knew how much we appreciated him. I used Jack as a main character in my JSA miniseries “Strange Adventures” as a young pulp SF writer in the 1940s covering the stories of the (real) superheroes. Jack himself read all those comics and he wrote me very heartwarming letters each time an issue hit the stands. I’ll miss him a lot.
But, as a general comment, science fiction has grown larger and has come of age, which means we have a lot more professional writers, and a lot of them are getting on in years. I’m afraid we’ll have a lot more sad years to come.
Q: Looking back on 2007, what would you say was the highlight of the year for you both professionally and personally?
Kevin: I had eight novels published last year, which was exhausting! And I had three consecutive book tours, which was even more exhausting. “Sandworms of Dune” sold better and faster than any of our previous nine Dune novels, and Brian and I spent several weeks on the road for that. Rebecca and I spent a month doing a signing tour in Australia and New Zealand, during which Seven Suns #6 “Metal Swarm” became the #1 bestselling science fiction novel on the continent (and in the same week “Sandworms” debuted at #5). Then I came home and spent another two weeks on the road for “The Last Days of Krypton”. I had a pretty good year.
Q: It sounds like it! So in conclusion, what are your New Year’s resolutions for 2008?
Kevin: I’m still keeping busy writing and developing new projects, but I really want to rest and recuperate a little. I’d like to spend more time hiking and camping. But new things always come up…
Kevin: “Paul of Dune” is the story set between “Dune” and “Dune Messiah”, the great Jihad that sweeps across the galaxy in the name of Muad’Dib, and how Paul Atreides gradually changes from hero to tyrant. We have other parts of that story we plan on telling, namely “Jessica of Dune” and “Irulan of Dune”. After that, we’re considering going back to the formation of the great Schools, but Brian and I have plans to do some books of our own first.
Q: Another title that you helped co-write was Dean Koontz’s “Frankenstein: Prodigal Son”, which was the first volume in a trilogy that should be completed later this year. How did you get involved in that project, what was it like working with Mr. Koontz, and how come you’re not involved with the rest of the trilogy?
Kevin: Dean has been my mentor for a long time, giving me excellent help and advice early in my career. When he wanted to create this new series (based on a script and TV series pilot he had written), he asked me to do the first book. He asked his friend Ed Gorman to work on the second book, and he’s doing the third one himself.
Q: Besides Brian Herbert, Rebecca Moesta and Dean Koontz, you’ve also collaborated with the aforementioned Doug Beason. What is it about teaming up with other writers/creators that you find so appealing and who else do you wish you could work with?
Kevin: I enjoy brainstorming with fellow writers, exchanging ideas, and learning from other writers’ techniques. To me, it’s a natural thing, almost like a game, to work with someone else to tell stories. You have to check your ego at the door, make sure you both have the same vision for the novel, and lean on each other.
Q: What about working with your wife Rebecca Moesta who is also a writer of speculative fiction among other things? How does such a relationship benefit you as an author?
Kevin: Since we’re around each other all the time, we are constantly brainstorming, and I’m always asking her opinion on stories, characters, plot twists. Rebecca’s main interest is in fiction for Young Adults, and by working together we can attract a whole new readership.
Q: Moving on, you also released a book last year called “The Last Days of Krypton” which “tells the spectacular story of Superman’s parents who are faced with the end of the world and the origin of a hero we all know.” As someone who’s written both comic books and novels, what are the advantages of telling this story in prose format?
Kevin: I viewed this project from the outset as an epic science fiction novel. I developed the culture, the world, the characters, just as I did for “Seven Suns.” I have a lot of credits in the comic field, too, which gave me the right sensibility for this project, but this novel was a case where it was necessary to get inside the heads of the characters, flesh out their background, and add a lot more detail than would be possible in comics.
Q: Recently, you just announced HERE that you’re working on another novel set in the DC universe called “First Encounter” which relates the very first meeting between Superman and Batman. What exactly is your relationship with DC Comics/HarperEntertainment, what are the companies’ goals for these books, and how many more novels can we expect from you in the DC universe?
Kevin: I’ve known the people at DC for many, many years and I’ve worked with them on their comics projects. When I had the idea for the “Krypton” novel, I approached them directly, and after I had written my proposal, we shopped it around to publishers. Several of them bid, but HarperCollins made the best offer. They are very enthusiastic and I enjoy working with them, but my main contact is through DC directly. After they liked the “Krypton” novel so much, they came to me and asked about the Superman/Batman project, so of course I was interested. As for other projects, we’ll just have to figure out the right one. The objective here is to firmly establish a book presence for the DC Universe. “Last Days of Krypton” was a dream project for me, and I still consider it one of my best novels.
Q: As mentioned previously, you’ve also written comic books. What’s been your most memorable experience so far, what do you feel are the positives/negatives of writing comic books compared to prose fiction, and do you have any other projects in the works?
Kevin: I love writing comics (OK, so I’m sounding like a broken record…but I do really enjoy my work)—it uses a different part of my creativity, and there’s something very exciting about seeing the pencil sketches, seeing the specific images in my mind come to life from the talents of a great artist. My most impressive work in comics, I think, is my “Tales of the Jedi” epic for Star Wars, “Dark Lords of the Sith,” “The Sith War,” and “Redemption”—establishes some important background in the ancient Star Wars universe (including the introduction of the double-lightsaber, used so famously by Darth Maul in Episode I.) I’ve also done work with Predator, X-Files, Star Trek, JSA for DC, StarJammers for Marvel, an original humorous series “Grumpy Old Monsters” from IDW, and an original graphic novel in the “Seven Suns” universe for Wildstorm. I’ve got some ideas in development, but nothing actively in the works right now.
Q: Let’s talk about your original stories. Your most ambitious project is the epic seven-volume space opera series The Saga of Seven Suns which comes to its conclusion this July 2008 with “The Ashes of the World”. How does it feel that the project is finally coming to an end, were you able to accomplish everything you wanted to when you first started work on The Saga of Seven Suns, and will there be any spin-offs, sequels, prequels or whatnot?
Kevin: I spent eight years of my life developing and writing this series, and it has a cast of characters that would make Cecil B. deMille proud, with many dozens of overlapping storylines. I wanted to put all of the big ideas that I love in the SF genre, and I created a story with enough scope to carry it all. I chronicled a galactic war, telling the story from the perspective of several races, with characters from the great leaders of empires to powerless average people. I designed the story with a beginning, middle, and end, and Volume Seven does wrap up all the plotlines. I did create a big, fully-fleshed-out universe, so I’ve got room to tell other independent stories, maybe in a few years, but right now I’m very glad to bring it to its conclusion. Time to rest after seven 700-page manuscripts!Q: On your blog you mentioned that you were brainstorming with Brian Herbert for an original new science fiction series that was similar in scope to Dune. What can you tell us about this idea, and any other writing projects that we haven’t covered yet?
Kevin: Brian and I have done ten novels in the Dune universe together and we obviously work well as collaborators. But with my own original novels, particularly the Seven Suns books, and Brian’s own Timeweb series, we don’t need to do only Dune novels. We are just now putting together an outline and proposal for the new series, but we’ll also continue to write other Dune novels.
Q: While you’ve had the pleasure of exploring many different universes like Star Wars and Dune which have crossed over into different formats, have you had any luck with getting your own original properties adapted for anything like film, television, comic books, videogames, et cetera, and if so, could you share any details?
Kevin: Some of my books have been optioned for films—“Ill Wind”, “Captain Nemo”, and “Ignition”—and I’ve gotten even more inquiries (but Hollywood is a lot of talk and no follow-through). So far, nothing in production. I’ve adapted my own X-Files novel “Ground Zero” as a graphic novel, and I’ve done a graphic novel prequel to the “Saga of Seven Suns” for Topps. I’m always open to the possibility—but you’ve got to get the right person with the right interest.
Q: What do you think of the cross-pollination today between different formats such as film, novels, comic books, television, et cetera? Is it getting to the point where it might become more advantageous for writers to have experience in more than one medium?
Kevin: I think it’s fascinating and opens many opportunities for getting crossover audiences. Videogames into novels, novels into comics, stories into serial podcasts, comics into games, fictional blogs written by characters from TV shows—it’s all a new set of opportunities for writers trying to make a living.
Q: You have a pretty impressive bibliography. After writing as long and as much as you have, what helps you through the dry spells, what still challenges you, and what do you want to accomplish still?
Kevin: I’ve published something like 95 novels and hundreds of short stories. The ideas keep coming, and I keep developing my craft, pushing the envelope of what I can do (for example, the giant continuous story that ran over seven large volumes in Saga of Seven Suns)—which gives me a skill set so that I can try even more ambitious projects. I am just about to start a nautical fantasy trilogy with sailing ships and sea monsters, which takes me in a different direction. I love to write, and I hope to keep doing it for a long, long time.
Q: Over the years, what have you learned as a writer from your experience in working in established universes, collaborating with other authors, your original projects, and writing in different formats? Is there anything else that you would like to improve upon as a writer?
Kevin: With each project I take on, I try to improve on what I’ve done before, either in complexity of plotting, intensity of the action scenes, the clarity of descriptions, deeper themes, or even just a project that will reach a completely different audience. I’ve learned a lot from my collaborators—Brian Herbert, Rebecca Moesta, and Doug Beason—and I apply it to my other novels.
Q: Because of your experience, what are your thoughts on the evolution of fantasy and science fiction (it’s acceptance in society/entertainment/media, productivity of original ideas, the different formats, publishing, etc.) and where do you see the genres’ going in the future?
Kevin: When I was a teenager, I was just the strange geek who read Sci Fi. Today, the biggest grossing films each year are science fiction, dozens of TV shows are SF, genre books regularly hit high on the bestseller lists. It’s become mainstream—and I’m thrilled about it. It’s good not to be the weirdo anymore!
Q: You’re one of the judges for L. Ron Hubbard’s Writers of the Future contest. What do you look for in a potential award-winning story, and are there any authors that maybe didn’t win in the past that you would recommend checking out?
Kevin: When I get the stories to judge, all of the names are removed, so I don’t know who the authors are. I can say that I have seen some terrific talent, and then when I help teach the workshop for prizewinners I get to meet them in person. Some of these winners have become extremely successful now and I’ve kept in touch. I particularly recommend Sean Williams, Patrick Rothfuss, and Steven Saville.
Q: Last year was tough for writers of speculative fiction. Several authors passed away including Robert Jordan, Madeline L’Engle, Lloyd Alexander, Leigh Eddings, Fred Saberhagen, Alice Borchardt, and Kurt Vonnegut Jr. while Terry Pratchett was diagnosed with Alzheimer's. Did any of this affect you and is there anything you would like to say?
Kevin: Don’t forget about Jack Williamson—I really admired him, and the SF field was good to him, always giving him standing ovations and making sure he knew how much we appreciated him. I used Jack as a main character in my JSA miniseries “Strange Adventures” as a young pulp SF writer in the 1940s covering the stories of the (real) superheroes. Jack himself read all those comics and he wrote me very heartwarming letters each time an issue hit the stands. I’ll miss him a lot.
But, as a general comment, science fiction has grown larger and has come of age, which means we have a lot more professional writers, and a lot of them are getting on in years. I’m afraid we’ll have a lot more sad years to come.
Q: Looking back on 2007, what would you say was the highlight of the year for you both professionally and personally?Kevin: I had eight novels published last year, which was exhausting! And I had three consecutive book tours, which was even more exhausting. “Sandworms of Dune” sold better and faster than any of our previous nine Dune novels, and Brian and I spent several weeks on the road for that. Rebecca and I spent a month doing a signing tour in Australia and New Zealand, during which Seven Suns #6 “Metal Swarm” became the #1 bestselling science fiction novel on the continent (and in the same week “Sandworms” debuted at #5). Then I came home and spent another two weeks on the road for “The Last Days of Krypton”. I had a pretty good year.
Q: It sounds like it! So in conclusion, what are your New Year’s resolutions for 2008?
Kevin: I’m still keeping busy writing and developing new projects, but I really want to rest and recuperate a little. I’d like to spend more time hiking and camping. But new things always come up…
Congratulations to Karl Wehage (Canada) and Dave Graham (United Kingdom) who were both randomly selected to win a COPY of Philip Palmer’s debut novel “Debatable Space” thanks to Orbit Books US! For more information on “Debatable Space”, be sure to read the extract HERE, Fantasy Book Critic’s review HERE, and The Book Swede’s interview with the author HERE.
In other news, I was recently notified about this feature HERE by Renay’s The Book Ninja called “The Geography of Make-Believe: A Fantastic Voyage of Through the Magical, Mythical and Mystical”. Incredibly original and fun, I highly recommend that readers visit the carnival, and not just because Fantasy Book Critic is a part of it ;)
In other news, I was recently notified about this feature HERE by Renay’s The Book Ninja called “The Geography of Make-Believe: A Fantastic Voyage of Through the Magical, Mythical and Mystical”. Incredibly original and fun, I highly recommend that readers visit the carnival, and not just because Fantasy Book Critic is a part of it ;)
EOS Books is looking for TEN ADVANCE READERS for Mario Acevedo’s upcoming novel “The Undead Kama Sutra” (March 11, 2008), which is the follow-up to “The Nymphos of Rocky Flats” and “X-Rated Bloodsuckers”. The book is described as follows:
“Felix Gomez returned from the war in Iraq a changed man—once a soldier, now forever a vampire. So the undead underworld put his skills to work as a private detective, specializing in the sordid, the sexy, and the supernatural.
After surviving aliens, nymphomaniacs, and x-rated bloodsuckers, it's high time for a vacation. Now the aliens are back in a fiendish conspiracy with the U.S. government, and only Felix stands between them and the Earth women they covet. But when an army hit man attacks Felix and the bodacious vampire sexpert, Carmen, not even the astonishing erotic powers of the Kama Sutra for the Undead may be able to save them.”
If you’re interested, send an email HERE with your name and address.
Want more free books? Well, Jeff & Ann VanderMeer are holding a contest for a chance to win not just a copy of their newly released anthology “The New Weird” (which I plan on reviewing in the near future :), but EVERY SINGLE ANTHOLOGY that the duo will edit between now and 2010!!! Now that’s a lot of cool stuff, and all you have to do is tell them your own ‘new, weird’ story. So, THREE WINNERS will be chosen, contest ends Sunday, February 17th, 2008 at midnight EST, and anyone can enter. For the full rules and to leave your story, be sure to check out the contest HERE.
Also thanks to Jeff VanderMeer’s blog, I learned that the very talented Caitlin R. Kiernan (The Dreaming, Threshold, Low Red Moon, Daughter of Hounds) is fighting a medical condition and, since she is a freelance writer, needs some help with medical bills. For more information on the author’s situation, check out Caitlin’s blog HERE, and if you’re interested in helping, a Paypal Donation box has been set up HERE, and there are also several Ebay auctions going on HERE. Every little bit helps…
More? How about a FREE Neil Gaiman book! In celebration of the 7th year anniversary of Neil’s blog, the author is giving readers the option to choose which of his novels will be made available online for free! All you have to do is check out the blog HERE to vote :) Thanks to A Dribble of Ink for the heads up who also just posted a new Joe Abercrombie interview!
Over at Newsarama there are some pretty cool articles including an interview with Christina Weir & Nunzio DeFilippis who wrote the graphic novel “Jumper: Jumpscars”, which is a tie-in to the upcoming Jumper movie being released on Valentine’s Day, which in turn is based on the Steven Gould novel. The website also has an interview with the creative team behind the new Frank Frazetta standalone comic book “Dark Kingdom” and an exclusive preview at Dabel Brothers’ upcoming adaptation of Dean Koontz’s Frankenstein. The first issue of Prodigal Son is due out May 2008:
The story of Dean Koontz's Frankenstein: Prodigal Son takes place nearly two centuries after the tale of Victor Frankenstein and his man-made monster. The story opens with Deucalion, Frankenstein's original creation, suffering through a vision of his creator's horrific experiments. Deucalion awakens in a monastery, one of the few places in the world where he can exist without inspiring fear in the people around him, and realizes that not only is his old master still somehow alive, but that Victor is up to some greater unknown evil that must be stopped before the world is changed forever.
In the meantime, detectives Carson O'Connor and Michael Maddison find themselves on a gruesome case where a serial killer is stalking New Orleans to relieve his victims of body parts. But why each body part is different, and why the killer only takes one from each person, is a mystery that will take a horrifying twist as it develops!
In other news, Solaris Books recently announced a couple of new deals HERE including an Edgar Allen Poe anthology edited by the award-winning Ellen Datlow and “Evil Ways”, a follow-up to Justin Gustainis’ “Black Magic Woman”. Also, Pat’s Fantasy Hotlist has posted HERE about the inaugural issue of the SpectraPulse magazine, which will feature a new sample chapter from George R. R. Martin’s highly anticipated “A Dance With Dragons”.
“Felix Gomez returned from the war in Iraq a changed man—once a soldier, now forever a vampire. So the undead underworld put his skills to work as a private detective, specializing in the sordid, the sexy, and the supernatural.
After surviving aliens, nymphomaniacs, and x-rated bloodsuckers, it's high time for a vacation. Now the aliens are back in a fiendish conspiracy with the U.S. government, and only Felix stands between them and the Earth women they covet. But when an army hit man attacks Felix and the bodacious vampire sexpert, Carmen, not even the astonishing erotic powers of the Kama Sutra for the Undead may be able to save them.”
If you’re interested, send an email HERE with your name and address.
Want more free books? Well, Jeff & Ann VanderMeer are holding a contest for a chance to win not just a copy of their newly released anthology “The New Weird” (which I plan on reviewing in the near future :), but EVERY SINGLE ANTHOLOGY that the duo will edit between now and 2010!!! Now that’s a lot of cool stuff, and all you have to do is tell them your own ‘new, weird’ story. So, THREE WINNERS will be chosen, contest ends Sunday, February 17th, 2008 at midnight EST, and anyone can enter. For the full rules and to leave your story, be sure to check out the contest HERE.Also thanks to Jeff VanderMeer’s blog, I learned that the very talented Caitlin R. Kiernan (The Dreaming, Threshold, Low Red Moon, Daughter of Hounds) is fighting a medical condition and, since she is a freelance writer, needs some help with medical bills. For more information on the author’s situation, check out Caitlin’s blog HERE, and if you’re interested in helping, a Paypal Donation box has been set up HERE, and there are also several Ebay auctions going on HERE. Every little bit helps…
More? How about a FREE Neil Gaiman book! In celebration of the 7th year anniversary of Neil’s blog, the author is giving readers the option to choose which of his novels will be made available online for free! All you have to do is check out the blog HERE to vote :) Thanks to A Dribble of Ink for the heads up who also just posted a new Joe Abercrombie interview!
Over at Newsarama there are some pretty cool articles including an interview with Christina Weir & Nunzio DeFilippis who wrote the graphic novel “Jumper: Jumpscars”, which is a tie-in to the upcoming Jumper movie being released on Valentine’s Day, which in turn is based on the Steven Gould novel. The website also has an interview with the creative team behind the new Frank Frazetta standalone comic book “Dark Kingdom” and an exclusive preview at Dabel Brothers’ upcoming adaptation of Dean Koontz’s Frankenstein. The first issue of Prodigal Son is due out May 2008:
The story of Dean Koontz's Frankenstein: Prodigal Son takes place nearly two centuries after the tale of Victor Frankenstein and his man-made monster. The story opens with Deucalion, Frankenstein's original creation, suffering through a vision of his creator's horrific experiments. Deucalion awakens in a monastery, one of the few places in the world where he can exist without inspiring fear in the people around him, and realizes that not only is his old master still somehow alive, but that Victor is up to some greater unknown evil that must be stopped before the world is changed forever.In the meantime, detectives Carson O'Connor and Michael Maddison find themselves on a gruesome case where a serial killer is stalking New Orleans to relieve his victims of body parts. But why each body part is different, and why the killer only takes one from each person, is a mystery that will take a horrifying twist as it develops!
In other news, Solaris Books recently announced a couple of new deals HERE including an Edgar Allen Poe anthology edited by the award-winning Ellen Datlow and “Evil Ways”, a follow-up to Justin Gustainis’ “Black Magic Woman”. Also, Pat’s Fantasy Hotlist has posted HERE about the inaugural issue of the SpectraPulse magazine, which will feature a new sample chapter from George R. R. Martin’s highly anticipated “A Dance With Dragons”.
Order “Singularity’s Ring” HERE
Although a fairly common theme in science fiction literature, the Singularity was a concept that I wasn’t familiar with until I read Josh Conviser’s “Empyre” (Reviewed HERE). While the specifics vary a bit, the Singularity is essentially a hypothetical point in the future—marked by an acceleration of technological progress—where humanity, machines, or both, have ascended to a whole new level of awareness. In Paul Melko’s wonderful debut novel, “Singularity’s Ring”, the author explores life on Earth after a Singularity occurs…
Over thirty years ago, the Community—six billion people in communion as one, a “synergistic human-machine intelligence”—achieved their goal of Exodus and transcended. Following the Gene Wars, peace and stability was restored by the Overgovernment, with the population now numbering under half a billion and divided between normal humans—“singletons”—and the pods, a biological experiment of the Community who have become the planet’s dominant life forms. Born in artificial wombs and raised in crèches, pod members are genetically engineered humans that can share thoughts, emotions & memories through pheromone glands, which allows groupings of two, three, four, or five bonded individuals to think and act as a single entity. Their motto: “The consensus of one is always false.”
In “Singularity’s Ring”, the story focuses on one pod in particular, a quintet—considered a rarity in pod society—named Apollo Papadopulos. A student, Apollo is in the fourth state of their education and is competing against other pods for the right to captain the starship Consensus. After a few near-death experiences involving avalanches, the last surviving member of the Community—Malcom Leto, and a sabotaged spacesled, the quintet begins to suspect a deadly conspiracy. The truth though is far more terrible and has something to do with anti-Ring military factions, bioengineered pod bears, the Ring itself—a man-made space station that orbits the Earth’s equator—Exodus, their mentor Mother Redd, and Leto who is trying to establish a second Community.
By itself, the plot is fairly straightforward, so what makes “Singularity’s Ring” so unique is the method by which Paul Melko tells the story. Basically, the novel is told through the point-of-view of the quintet Apollo Papadopulos. Now pods may just be clusters made up of human beings, but the way they think and act is completely different from us ‘singletons’, so it’s almost like an alien entity is narrating the book. So, to help readers understand the distinctive nature of a pod, the first five chapters rotate between all five members of Apollo whose first-person perspectives illustrate each individual’s exclusive talents & characteristics. For instance, Strom is the strength of the group and tends to be less vocal and more heroic. Meda is the Interface, the voice of the pod. Moira, Meda’s identical twin, is the group’s moral compass. Quant is an autistic whose specialty is understanding mathematics—she also zones out a lot and can be quite rebellious. And lastly, Manuel is blessed with prehensile feet—he has four opposable thumbs—and a superior memory. Together, they make up Apollo Papadopulos and once we’re introduced to all five podmates and their relationship with one another, the novel switches to a group viewpoint. By then, readers should be intimately familiar with pod culture, which is just a brilliantly executed and original concept.
Negatively, I had very few complaints with “Singularity’s Ring”. In fact, I wouldn’t even call them complaints; more like personal desires. For example, I wanted to learn more about the Community, the Gene Wars, the Ring, and the Rift; information which was kept to a minimum. Also, I thought it would have been extremely interesting if the author had written from Malcom Leto’s POV, being that he woke up from suspended animation only to discover that he was the last of his kind. Finally, I wish the book had different cover art—in my opinion, an out of the ordinary book like “Singularity’s Ring” deserves out of the ordinary artwork…
Of other note were the chapters, which felt a bit long and seemed almost episodic. Of course there was a reason for that. When researching Paul Melko’s background, I learned that he’s written over twenty short stories, three of which—“Singletons In Love”, “The Summer of the Seven”—are set in the same universe as “Singularity’s Ring” including “Strength Alone” which is actually the first chapter in the book. So, that kind of explains why some of the chapters were structured like short stories. It also explains why the prose, pacing, and plotting felt so accomplished for a first novel :)
Speaking of which, between the book’s fascinating concepts, the unique protagonist in Apollo Papadopulos, and Paul’s significant writing skills & imagination, “Singularity’s Ring” was just as impressive as any debut that I’ve read so far in 2008 and I can easily see why it was chosen as a Sci Fi Essentials Book. In short, I really, really liked Paul Melko’s “Singularity’s Ring” and I hope readers will take notice of this special novel…
NOTE: “Singularity’s Ring” is a standalone book, and while there is room for the story to continue in future volumes, Paul Melko’s next project is an expansion of his short story “The Walls of the Universe”—A teenager loses his place in his world to a version of himself from another universe and struggles to get his life back…
Over thirty years ago, the Community—six billion people in communion as one, a “synergistic human-machine intelligence”—achieved their goal of Exodus and transcended. Following the Gene Wars, peace and stability was restored by the Overgovernment, with the population now numbering under half a billion and divided between normal humans—“singletons”—and the pods, a biological experiment of the Community who have become the planet’s dominant life forms. Born in artificial wombs and raised in crèches, pod members are genetically engineered humans that can share thoughts, emotions & memories through pheromone glands, which allows groupings of two, three, four, or five bonded individuals to think and act as a single entity. Their motto: “The consensus of one is always false.”
In “Singularity’s Ring”, the story focuses on one pod in particular, a quintet—considered a rarity in pod society—named Apollo Papadopulos. A student, Apollo is in the fourth state of their education and is competing against other pods for the right to captain the starship Consensus. After a few near-death experiences involving avalanches, the last surviving member of the Community—Malcom Leto, and a sabotaged spacesled, the quintet begins to suspect a deadly conspiracy. The truth though is far more terrible and has something to do with anti-Ring military factions, bioengineered pod bears, the Ring itself—a man-made space station that orbits the Earth’s equator—Exodus, their mentor Mother Redd, and Leto who is trying to establish a second Community.
By itself, the plot is fairly straightforward, so what makes “Singularity’s Ring” so unique is the method by which Paul Melko tells the story. Basically, the novel is told through the point-of-view of the quintet Apollo Papadopulos. Now pods may just be clusters made up of human beings, but the way they think and act is completely different from us ‘singletons’, so it’s almost like an alien entity is narrating the book. So, to help readers understand the distinctive nature of a pod, the first five chapters rotate between all five members of Apollo whose first-person perspectives illustrate each individual’s exclusive talents & characteristics. For instance, Strom is the strength of the group and tends to be less vocal and more heroic. Meda is the Interface, the voice of the pod. Moira, Meda’s identical twin, is the group’s moral compass. Quant is an autistic whose specialty is understanding mathematics—she also zones out a lot and can be quite rebellious. And lastly, Manuel is blessed with prehensile feet—he has four opposable thumbs—and a superior memory. Together, they make up Apollo Papadopulos and once we’re introduced to all five podmates and their relationship with one another, the novel switches to a group viewpoint. By then, readers should be intimately familiar with pod culture, which is just a brilliantly executed and original concept.
Negatively, I had very few complaints with “Singularity’s Ring”. In fact, I wouldn’t even call them complaints; more like personal desires. For example, I wanted to learn more about the Community, the Gene Wars, the Ring, and the Rift; information which was kept to a minimum. Also, I thought it would have been extremely interesting if the author had written from Malcom Leto’s POV, being that he woke up from suspended animation only to discover that he was the last of his kind. Finally, I wish the book had different cover art—in my opinion, an out of the ordinary book like “Singularity’s Ring” deserves out of the ordinary artwork…
Of other note were the chapters, which felt a bit long and seemed almost episodic. Of course there was a reason for that. When researching Paul Melko’s background, I learned that he’s written over twenty short stories, three of which—“Singletons In Love”, “The Summer of the Seven”—are set in the same universe as “Singularity’s Ring” including “Strength Alone” which is actually the first chapter in the book. So, that kind of explains why some of the chapters were structured like short stories. It also explains why the prose, pacing, and plotting felt so accomplished for a first novel :)
Speaking of which, between the book’s fascinating concepts, the unique protagonist in Apollo Papadopulos, and Paul’s significant writing skills & imagination, “Singularity’s Ring” was just as impressive as any debut that I’ve read so far in 2008 and I can easily see why it was chosen as a Sci Fi Essentials Book. In short, I really, really liked Paul Melko’s “Singularity’s Ring” and I hope readers will take notice of this special novel…
NOTE: “Singularity’s Ring” is a standalone book, and while there is room for the story to continue in future volumes, Paul Melko’s next project is an expansion of his short story “The Walls of the Universe”—A teenager loses his place in his world to a version of himself from another universe and struggles to get his life back…
Official Felix Gilman WebsiteOrder “Thunderer” HERE
Read An Excerpt HERE
Read Fantasy Book Critic’s REVIEW of “Thunderer”
Enter HERE for the "Thunderer" Giveaway
Back in December, I read this astonishing debut novel called “Thunderer”. It was incredibly imaginative, beautifully written, and has stayed on my mind since then. And frankly, it’s not getting nearly the attention it deserves. So thanks to publicist Anna Crowe, I was able to interview Felix Gilman which I hope will provide a little insight about the author and why “Thunderer” deserves to be in your reading pile:
Q: If readers go to your official website HERE and read your author bio, they might be in for a little surprise given that the information changes at least six times (that I saw). As fun as it is to speculate, could you just tell us a bit about yourself and outline the journey you went through in finding a publisher and why you went with Bantam Spectra?
Felix: The multiple joke bios are a kind of defense mechanism, like squid ink. It still seems very odd to talk about myself in public. If I thought I could get away with it, I might become a recluse.
Since you asked, though: I'm from London, I went to Oxford where for a long time I wanted to be a historian. I've been in the US for nearly a decade now, in DC, Boston, and New York. I worked in telecommunications journalism for a bit, which explains this oddity in my publications history. (Run out and buy a copy now!) Then I went to law school. . .
I had six months between jobs, so I sat down to write a novel—no more excuses, you know? I was very, very lucky when it came to finding a publisher—as it happened, I knew people who knew people who gave me good advice, and who knew and were able to get me the attention of a really good agent. Then the book sold, though it was a close thing. (I spent a full week drunk while rejections piled up. . .) I've definitely burned through a couple of lifetimes' worth of karma getting this thing published.
Q: Your debut novel “Thunderer” was recently released December 26, 2007. How does it feel to see your novel in bookstores and did you do anything special to celebrate :)?
Felix: It feels weird—disorientating—like I must have snuck them in there myself, at night, but I don't remember doing it.
It feels like they don't belong there and somehow I'm going to get in trouble.
I now have a bunch of photographs of me standing by bookshelves in stores all over Manhattan, with the book blurrily half-visible in a corner and a sheepish grin on my face.
Q: Focusing on your book, one thing that really stands out is that “Thunderer” is so hard to classify. I mean it’s being marketed as high fantasy, but I also saw elements of weird fiction in there, some Lovecraftian horror, urban/gothic fantasy, references to Peter Pan & Charles Dickens, and even some anime-like influences. In short, how would you describe your book to potential readers?
Felix: The ‘high fantasy’ tag isn’t one I picked, though I can see where it comes from—the book’s certainly fantasy of some kind, it’s set in an invented and impossible world, and the fantastic elements in it aren’t at all low-key, but are brightly-coloured and in-your-face. It has heroes fighting evil monsters and mad gods. It has magic, of a sort. But then there is, as you say, a lot of other stuff in there undercutting and (I hope) complicating the fantastic elements.
I’d probably call it mostly weird fiction, but that’s something of a cop out, because as I understand it, one of the defining characteristics of weird fiction is that it promiscuously combines elements of all sorts of different ‘pulp’ and ‘literary’ genres, for destabilizing or disorientating effect, or just because it’s cool. . . And so that just gets us back to where we started.
Dickens was an explicit influence, also Victor Hugo. Yes to Lovecraft. Anime certainly wasn’t a conscious influence, though you’re not the first person to suggest it, so who knows? I saw in your review you invoked Miyazaki, which is very flattering, I adore his stuff.
Anyway, in answer to your question, when I describe the book to people I explain that it’s a fantasy, it has no proper sword fights, but it does have some knife fights: that seems to get it across OK.
Q: I saw in your interview HERE with Jeff VanderMeer that you don’t read “a huge amount of fantasy” compared to the other stuff that you read, yet your novel is obviously of the more fantastical variety. Why did you decide to write a ‘fantasy’ novel instead of something else, and what were you hoping to accomplish with “Thunderer”?
Felix: I did say that, didn’t I? I suppose it depends on how broadly you define the genre. At the time I think I’d only recently started talking to people who were heavily involved in the field, and I was becoming very conscious of how big it was and how much I wasn’t familiar with.
I read quite a lot of fantasy, broadly defined, but the stuff I really like tends to be stuff that’s on the periphery of the genre, in form or content—like Jeff VanderMeer’s “Shriek”, or Susanna Clarke’s “Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell”. And a lot of the stuff I like that isn’t really fantasy is nonetheless marked by the fantastic, the weird, the grotesque, the absurd or the surreal.
On the other hand I still haven’t read a lot of stuff that’s probably at the heart of the genre today—e.g., I’ve never read a word by, e.g., Robert Jordan or George R.R. Martin. I know, I know, I should, I hear good things, I mean to when I have the time, but so far I never have. This is a big gap in my reading, and it makes it hard for me to answer the kind of interview questions that ask me to opine on the genre.
I wrote a fantasy because I thought it would be fun, because I wanted to write something really strange, and because a sort of pulp-adventure-narrative seemed like a framework on which to string together the imagery and mood I wanted.
And really, on the most fundamental level, the answer to your question is that I sat down to write something and this is what came out. A lot of it came as a surprise to me, too.
Q: If readers go to your official website HERE and read your author bio, they might be in for a little surprise given that the information changes at least six times (that I saw). As fun as it is to speculate, could you just tell us a bit about yourself and outline the journey you went through in finding a publisher and why you went with Bantam Spectra?
Felix: The multiple joke bios are a kind of defense mechanism, like squid ink. It still seems very odd to talk about myself in public. If I thought I could get away with it, I might become a recluse.
Since you asked, though: I'm from London, I went to Oxford where for a long time I wanted to be a historian. I've been in the US for nearly a decade now, in DC, Boston, and New York. I worked in telecommunications journalism for a bit, which explains this oddity in my publications history. (Run out and buy a copy now!) Then I went to law school. . .
I had six months between jobs, so I sat down to write a novel—no more excuses, you know? I was very, very lucky when it came to finding a publisher—as it happened, I knew people who knew people who gave me good advice, and who knew and were able to get me the attention of a really good agent. Then the book sold, though it was a close thing. (I spent a full week drunk while rejections piled up. . .) I've definitely burned through a couple of lifetimes' worth of karma getting this thing published.
Q: Your debut novel “Thunderer” was recently released December 26, 2007. How does it feel to see your novel in bookstores and did you do anything special to celebrate :)?Felix: It feels weird—disorientating—like I must have snuck them in there myself, at night, but I don't remember doing it.
It feels like they don't belong there and somehow I'm going to get in trouble.
I now have a bunch of photographs of me standing by bookshelves in stores all over Manhattan, with the book blurrily half-visible in a corner and a sheepish grin on my face.
Q: Focusing on your book, one thing that really stands out is that “Thunderer” is so hard to classify. I mean it’s being marketed as high fantasy, but I also saw elements of weird fiction in there, some Lovecraftian horror, urban/gothic fantasy, references to Peter Pan & Charles Dickens, and even some anime-like influences. In short, how would you describe your book to potential readers?
Felix: The ‘high fantasy’ tag isn’t one I picked, though I can see where it comes from—the book’s certainly fantasy of some kind, it’s set in an invented and impossible world, and the fantastic elements in it aren’t at all low-key, but are brightly-coloured and in-your-face. It has heroes fighting evil monsters and mad gods. It has magic, of a sort. But then there is, as you say, a lot of other stuff in there undercutting and (I hope) complicating the fantastic elements.
I’d probably call it mostly weird fiction, but that’s something of a cop out, because as I understand it, one of the defining characteristics of weird fiction is that it promiscuously combines elements of all sorts of different ‘pulp’ and ‘literary’ genres, for destabilizing or disorientating effect, or just because it’s cool. . . And so that just gets us back to where we started.
Dickens was an explicit influence, also Victor Hugo. Yes to Lovecraft. Anime certainly wasn’t a conscious influence, though you’re not the first person to suggest it, so who knows? I saw in your review you invoked Miyazaki, which is very flattering, I adore his stuff.
Anyway, in answer to your question, when I describe the book to people I explain that it’s a fantasy, it has no proper sword fights, but it does have some knife fights: that seems to get it across OK.
Q: I saw in your interview HERE with Jeff VanderMeer that you don’t read “a huge amount of fantasy” compared to the other stuff that you read, yet your novel is obviously of the more fantastical variety. Why did you decide to write a ‘fantasy’ novel instead of something else, and what were you hoping to accomplish with “Thunderer”?
Felix: I did say that, didn’t I? I suppose it depends on how broadly you define the genre. At the time I think I’d only recently started talking to people who were heavily involved in the field, and I was becoming very conscious of how big it was and how much I wasn’t familiar with.
I read quite a lot of fantasy, broadly defined, but the stuff I really like tends to be stuff that’s on the periphery of the genre, in form or content—like Jeff VanderMeer’s “Shriek”, or Susanna Clarke’s “Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell”. And a lot of the stuff I like that isn’t really fantasy is nonetheless marked by the fantastic, the weird, the grotesque, the absurd or the surreal.
On the other hand I still haven’t read a lot of stuff that’s probably at the heart of the genre today—e.g., I’ve never read a word by, e.g., Robert Jordan or George R.R. Martin. I know, I know, I should, I hear good things, I mean to when I have the time, but so far I never have. This is a big gap in my reading, and it makes it hard for me to answer the kind of interview questions that ask me to opine on the genre.I wrote a fantasy because I thought it would be fun, because I wanted to write something really strange, and because a sort of pulp-adventure-narrative seemed like a framework on which to string together the imagery and mood I wanted.
And really, on the most fundamental level, the answer to your question is that I sat down to write something and this is what came out. A lot of it came as a surprise to me, too.
UPDATE: Since giving this interview I have finally purchased a copy of "A Game of Thrones". GRRM will no doubt be relieved to know that I like it a lot so far.
. . . to the question on reading habits. (I ran out and bought it Wednesday, I suddenly felt strangely rude announcing to the world that I'd never bothered to read him).
. . . to the question on reading habits. (I ran out and bought it Wednesday, I suddenly felt strangely rude announcing to the world that I'd never bothered to read him).
Q: Interesting… Now because your reading tastes are so diverse, which also extends to your influences, does that give you an advantage in bringing a unique perspective to the genre, and if so, why?
Felix: I imagine it would be very hard to write an interesting fantasy without reading outside the genre. For that matter, I imagine it would be very hard to write an interesting mainstream-literary-novel-about-middle-aged-academics-having-affairs without reading outside that genre, too. Where would you get your ideas from?
Oh, sure, life. Yeah, yeah.
Q: LOL. Besides “Thunderer” being hard to classify, I thought you also did a superb job in worldbuilding, evolving your characters, and writing an unpredictable story. First off, where did you come up with the concept for the seemingly infinite, unmappable and ever-changing city of Ararat?
Felix: First: thank you. Second: not sure. It was partly calculated, partly not. I know I wanted to create a world that’s fundamentally irrational, that resists comprehension, that’s too complex and strange for anyone to have more than a tiny partial perspective on it, a world that’s basically not fair. (cf. William James: “Nature is everywhere gothic not classic. She forms a real jungle, where all things are provisional, half-fitted to each other and untidy.”) And I wanted to have characters who are trying to understand their world, and failing. And then it made sense to have the problem be essentially geographical—simple, striking, allows for a lot of stories, makes the actions of the Atlas-makers comprehensibly analogous to explorers and cartographers in the real world.
I do think that if you’re going to make up a fantasy world, it might as well be somewhere where the rules are different. I’m wary of books that use magic to simplify the world.
Q: Secondly, you mention elsewhere on the web that a lot of the characters in the book are loosely based on historical figures like the 18th century London thief Jack Sheppard. Could you give us a few more examples?
Felix: Well, Jack’s sort of inspired not so much by the historical figure himself, but on the myth that accreted around him, the mad fame he acquired—and not because he was a thief, London’s never had a shortage of thieves and he was nothing special in that regard, but because he kept escaping from supposedly inescapable prisons. Four escapes in one glorious year. Two hundred thousand people attended his execution, and mobbed his body like he was a saint. He was probably one of the most famous people in London for the next hundred-plus years. He was escape, personified, and everyone loved him for it, to a degree that’s hard for 21st century people to understand. What does that say about the society he lived in?
Four escapes—they hanged him before he could make it five.
Peter Linebaugh’s "The London Hanged" is very good on Sheppard, if anyone’s interested.
Who else? The Atlas-makers are inspired by the 18th century Encyclopedists. I imagine a page of the Atlas as looking sort of like the Encyclopédie’s famous attempt at a systematic taxonomy of all human knowledge:
. . . only turned into a map. And my character Holbach’s name is a reference to one of the prominent contributors to the Encyclopedia, Paul-Henri Thiry, the baron d'Holbach, but apart from the name and the job and the wig the two of them have nothing in common at all, I just liked the name.The white-robed fascist/puritan/pyromaniac gang that makes trouble for Jack is inspired loosely by Savonarola’s mobs of boy fanatics, who menaced/purified Florence in the 15th century.
Then there are a characters who drifted so far from their inspiration that there’s really no resemblance left—for instance, the Chairman Cimenti was originally supposed to be based on Cosimo di Medici, but I took out all the material that fleshed out that connection early on, because it was boring and rubbish and I couldn’t make it mesh with the rest of the setting anyway.
Q: Lastly, what do you feel are the keys to writing a great fantasy novel?
Felix: I don’t know that there’s an answer to that question—the genre can do a lot of different things well or badly. I’d quite like to do something very different from “Thunderer” and its sequel next.
Q: Speaking of which, I thought you had signed a two-book deal with Bantam Spectra, and given the way the book ended, I was pretty sure there would be a follow-up. So what you can you tell us about the sequel?
Felix: The working title is “The Gears of the City”. I emailed in a revised draft to my editor not fifteen minutes ago. Fingers crossed!
Without wanting to give too much away: it follows Arjun as he penetrates further behind the scenes of the city. It tells us more about the Mountain at the city’s heart, and about Shay. It introduces a new cast of characters, including the various madmen, visionaries, obsessives who are Arjun’s companions and rivals in the secret parts of the city; a member of the Atlasmakers, displaced in time and depraved in morals; some policemen, some anarchists; strange birds and an army of ghosts; a terrible creature that is more less my version of a dragon; a malevolent and debatably sentient Hotel; and three sisters haunted by all of the foregoing unpleasantness. . .
Q: Damn, that sounds excellent! Your next book can’t come fast enough. So what about other writing projects? Anything you can talk about?
Felix: A couple of things but nothing I’m really ready to talk about. But if you don’t mind, I’ll take this opportunity to squeeze in a plug for this new New Weird anthology, because it is incredibly exciting to see my name on the cover alongside some of those other names. Look at it! Everyone must look at it.
Q: Now that “Thunderer” is out and you can look back on the writing process, what was the hardest thing about writing the novel, the easiest, and what have you learned from the experience that has helped you with the new book?
Felix: The hardest thing, hands down, is going back to the manuscript to make the changes one’s agent or editor suggests after months of working on other things. I quite enjoy revisions while the book’s still fresh in my mind, while it still feels alive and plastic. But after a couple of months away it sets, and when you come back to it it’s like trying to chisel away at a monolith with your teeth. At least at first.
I’m trying to get better at outlining, for the sake of my own productivity and sanity, but it doesn’t come easily.
Q: I’m probably jumping the gun here, but has anyone approached you about adapting the novel?
Felix: No. Hah! I wish.
Q: Personally, I think “Thunderer” would make a great anime or graphic novel ☺ In your mind, how would you adapt the book?
Felix: I wouldn’t try to adapt it myself, if that’s what you mean. I think when writers try to adapt their work into other media the result is usually pretty dire—wordy and flat. I don’t know how to write a screenplay or comic book script and I don’t know that I have the time right now to learn. (Or to unlearn the things you learn when writing a novel).
But if anyone else wanted to take a crack at it I’d be delighted and flattered.
I suppose if Miyazaki wanted it, I’d be OK with that. I guess if Guillermo del Toro offered, I wouldn’t say no. Graphic novel—Eddie Campbell, Steve Yeowell?
Q: Besides your website, you also have a blog and there’s even a promotional video for your book. What advantages does the internet offer, especially for a new author like your self, and do you have any other ideas for ways that writers & publishers can use the internet to promote their titles?
Felix: I dunno man, you tell me. I just started running a couple of banner ads last week, I was pretty excited about that.
Q: I didn’t get a chance to ask you to participate in my 2007 Review/2008 Preview HERE, so I thought I would take the opportunity now. Basically, it’s a three part question, but since we already covered one area we’ll just stick with the following: What were your favorite books that you read in 2007, and what titles are you most looking forward to in 2008?
Felix: 2007 Favorites: Thomas Pynchon’s “Against the Day” – I wanted to see this really get taken up by fantasy readers; I wanted to see it win the World Fantasy Award. It is—among other things—a huge and wonderful steampunk epic. It has airships, time travel, ghosts, bilocating shamen, cowboys, an evil mastermind called Scarsdale Vibe, mysterious ancient cities, under-desert tunneling craft, secret societies, terrible laser weapons, etc etc etc. It’s beautiful and magnificent. Downsides: it’s very heavy and the print is small.
Mark Binelli’s “Sacco and Vanzetti Must Die!” -- The life of the famous anarchists retold as the story of two slapstick silent film stars. One of the strangest and most original books I’ve ever read, brilliant and subversive.
2008 Books: Jeff VanderMeer’s “The Situation” – Billed as Gormenghast meets Dilbert. Comes out very soon, I think. The bits he’s excerpted on his blog are just great. And I’m dying to know what China Mieville’s “Kraken” is about—I think that’s due later this year.
Official Lauren Groff WebsiteOfficial Monsters of Templeton Website
Order “The Monsters of Templeton” HERE
Read An Excerpt HERE
When I came across Lauren Groff’s debut, the first thing that jumped out at me was the title, “The Monsters of Templeton”. The second was a very flattering blurb by Stephen King, “There are monsters, murders, bastards, and ne’er-do-wells almost without number. I was sorry to see this rich and wonderful novel come to an end, and there is no higher success than that.” I admit that because of the King endorsement, I thought the book was going to be some sort of psychological horror novel, but I was quickly disabused of this notion by the author herself who warned me that “The Monsters of Templeton” was more of a ‘literary’ read opposed to any of the fantasy, sci-fi or other speculative fiction that I usually cover. Regardless, I graciously accepted a copy and have been looking forward to seeing what kind of novel would garner such high praise from the Master of Horror himself…
First off, let me be clear here. Despite the title, the Stephen King blurb, a fifty-foot prehistoric monster, ghosts, the seemingly immortal Aristabulus Mudge and a person who can cause instantaneous combustion with her emotions, “The Monsters of Templeton” is definitely not a horror or fantasy novel—at least not in the traditional sense—although there are events in the book that I would describe as horrifying or fantastic ;) Instead, according to the publisher, “The Monsters of Templeton” is part “contemporary story of a girl’s search for her father, part historical novel, and part ghost story”, which is a pretty accurate description except that I would also add that the book is an homage to Lauren’s birthplace—Cooperstown, NY—and author James Fenimore Cooper (The Last of the Mohicans), particularly his novel “The Pioneers”, going so far as using the names Templeton, Marmaduke, Natty Bumppo, Chingachgook and Remarkable for her own.
Of the contemporary plotline, “The Monsters of Templeton” opens with archaeologist Wilhelmina “Willie” Upton—some of the names in the book are just outrageous, but I loved them!—returning back home from a dig in Alaska where an affair turned terribly wrong. Now Willie is pregnant, her career all but ruined, and to compound matters, her mother Vivienne has turned into a ‘Jesus freak’, her best friend Clarissa is suffering from a relapse with her Lupus treatments, and being back home is reminding Willie why she left in the first place. So, to help take Willie’s mind off of the situation, Vi does what any loving mother would do…she confesses to knowing who Willie’s real father is—the story was that Willie was the product of some “orgiastic hippie love-fest”—and that he actually lives in Templeton. Even more shocking, the father in question is apparently descended from the same Marmaduke Temple that their Upton family is as well as the Averells! Unfortunately, Vi refuses to reveal who the father is, and instead makes a project out of it for Willie which is where the historical part comes in as well as a little detective work. From here, the reader gets to follow Willie as she journeys backward through the family tree in search of her father, which, along the way, unveils some fascinating secrets about Willie’s lineage, and maybe even teaches the twenty-eight-year-old a thing or two about perseverance, love, family and friendship… As far as the book’s supernatural elements, Glimmey (the Lake Glimmerglass monster), the Averell Cottage ghost, et cetera, are relegated to the background and are more allegorical in nature, but they also remain key components of Lauren’s novel as you’ll see if you read Ms. Groff’s debut :)
I know what some readers are thinking. “The Monsters of Templeton” doesn’t sound very exciting and do I hear murmurs of ‘women’s fiction’ out there? In truth, there is some romance involved, and a lot of the main characters are female, but that doesn’t mean only women will be able to enjoy the book. After all, the themes that Lauren explores are universal, so no matter what gender you are, “The Monsters of Templeton” is a story you can relate to. Of course, relating to the book would be a lot more difficult if not for the author. In short, Lauren Groff is a tremendously gifted writer whose words leap off the pages with a passion and vividness that is just impossible to resist. I mean the prose is simply beautiful; the characters are alive with quirky personalities, distinctive voices and rich back stories; and the whole city of Templeton with its amazing history just feels so real, so authentic. Part of that has to do with all of the historical paraphernalia that is inserted into the book—character portraits & photographs, Willie’s continuously revised family tree, a journal excerpt which is printed so it seems like the reader is actually holding it in their hands, a series of letters between two friends, newspaper articles, et cetera—but mostly, it’s Lauren herself and just the minutiae and love she puts into the book. On top of that, I was also quite impressed with the way Ms. Groff handled the story. Between the many different timelines, subplots, and character arcs—most of which were told in the first-person—not to mention the Glimmey storyline and the short, yet charming interludes provided by the Running Buds, it wouldn’t be hard for an author to lose control of such an ambitious project. Fortunately, Lauren keeps everything in line, and while it may take a while before all of the individual pieces start to fit together, when it does, it’s spectacular :)
In the end, I know that as a reviewer I mostly cover genre fiction, which probably also applies to the majority of readers who visit Fantasy Book Critic, but every once in a while a book comes along that is so good, so spellbinding, that it cannot be constrained by mere labels. “The Monsters of Templeton” is that kind of book, and is easily the best novel I’ve read so far in 2008...
First off, let me be clear here. Despite the title, the Stephen King blurb, a fifty-foot prehistoric monster, ghosts, the seemingly immortal Aristabulus Mudge and a person who can cause instantaneous combustion with her emotions, “The Monsters of Templeton” is definitely not a horror or fantasy novel—at least not in the traditional sense—although there are events in the book that I would describe as horrifying or fantastic ;) Instead, according to the publisher, “The Monsters of Templeton” is part “contemporary story of a girl’s search for her father, part historical novel, and part ghost story”, which is a pretty accurate description except that I would also add that the book is an homage to Lauren’s birthplace—Cooperstown, NY—and author James Fenimore Cooper (The Last of the Mohicans), particularly his novel “The Pioneers”, going so far as using the names Templeton, Marmaduke, Natty Bumppo, Chingachgook and Remarkable for her own.
Of the contemporary plotline, “The Monsters of Templeton” opens with archaeologist Wilhelmina “Willie” Upton—some of the names in the book are just outrageous, but I loved them!—returning back home from a dig in Alaska where an affair turned terribly wrong. Now Willie is pregnant, her career all but ruined, and to compound matters, her mother Vivienne has turned into a ‘Jesus freak’, her best friend Clarissa is suffering from a relapse with her Lupus treatments, and being back home is reminding Willie why she left in the first place. So, to help take Willie’s mind off of the situation, Vi does what any loving mother would do…she confesses to knowing who Willie’s real father is—the story was that Willie was the product of some “orgiastic hippie love-fest”—and that he actually lives in Templeton. Even more shocking, the father in question is apparently descended from the same Marmaduke Temple that their Upton family is as well as the Averells! Unfortunately, Vi refuses to reveal who the father is, and instead makes a project out of it for Willie which is where the historical part comes in as well as a little detective work. From here, the reader gets to follow Willie as she journeys backward through the family tree in search of her father, which, along the way, unveils some fascinating secrets about Willie’s lineage, and maybe even teaches the twenty-eight-year-old a thing or two about perseverance, love, family and friendship… As far as the book’s supernatural elements, Glimmey (the Lake Glimmerglass monster), the Averell Cottage ghost, et cetera, are relegated to the background and are more allegorical in nature, but they also remain key components of Lauren’s novel as you’ll see if you read Ms. Groff’s debut :)
I know what some readers are thinking. “The Monsters of Templeton” doesn’t sound very exciting and do I hear murmurs of ‘women’s fiction’ out there? In truth, there is some romance involved, and a lot of the main characters are female, but that doesn’t mean only women will be able to enjoy the book. After all, the themes that Lauren explores are universal, so no matter what gender you are, “The Monsters of Templeton” is a story you can relate to. Of course, relating to the book would be a lot more difficult if not for the author. In short, Lauren Groff is a tremendously gifted writer whose words leap off the pages with a passion and vividness that is just impossible to resist. I mean the prose is simply beautiful; the characters are alive with quirky personalities, distinctive voices and rich back stories; and the whole city of Templeton with its amazing history just feels so real, so authentic. Part of that has to do with all of the historical paraphernalia that is inserted into the book—character portraits & photographs, Willie’s continuously revised family tree, a journal excerpt which is printed so it seems like the reader is actually holding it in their hands, a series of letters between two friends, newspaper articles, et cetera—but mostly, it’s Lauren herself and just the minutiae and love she puts into the book. On top of that, I was also quite impressed with the way Ms. Groff handled the story. Between the many different timelines, subplots, and character arcs—most of which were told in the first-person—not to mention the Glimmey storyline and the short, yet charming interludes provided by the Running Buds, it wouldn’t be hard for an author to lose control of such an ambitious project. Fortunately, Lauren keeps everything in line, and while it may take a while before all of the individual pieces start to fit together, when it does, it’s spectacular :)
In the end, I know that as a reviewer I mostly cover genre fiction, which probably also applies to the majority of readers who visit Fantasy Book Critic, but every once in a while a book comes along that is so good, so spellbinding, that it cannot be constrained by mere labels. “The Monsters of Templeton” is that kind of book, and is easily the best novel I’ve read so far in 2008...
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Del Rey acquires Robert VS Redick’s trilogy, Solaris purchases UK rights to Simon R. Green’s Nightside series, Tor's Salvatore Sweepstakes + more!
NY & UK – February 3, 2008. Susan Howe, Rights Director at Orion, has sold the US rights for the debut fantasy trilogy by American author Robert V.S. Redick to Random House’s imprint Del Rey for a substantial six-figure sum after a hard-fought auction negotiated by Editor-in-Chief Betsy Mitchell.
World rights for the Chathrand Voyage trilogy, which opens with “The Red Wolf Conspiracy” (published in the UK on February 1, 2008), were acquired pre-emptively by Simon Spanton at Gollancz from John Jarrold in 2007.
“Robert and I are both delighted about this wonderful deal,” said John Jarrold. “Many congratulations to Susan and Del Rey – and most of all to Robert, of course, for writing such a terrific book, which will now receive high-profile publication is his own country!”
The US deal follows translation deals for “The Red Wolf Conspiracy” (Reviewed HERE) in France, Germany, Poland, Russia and Spain.
In other news, Solaris Books recently purchased the first six books in Simon R. Green’s Nightside series for UK publication.
The Nightside is Simon R. Green’s New York Times bestselling series set in a seedy, supernatural shadow version of contemporary London.
John Taylor works the Nightside as a private investigator handling the strange, the oddball and the downright bizarre cases that no other PI would touch with a ten-foot wand. He’s very good at what he does though thanks to his gift—the ability to find anybody or anything, anywhere or anytime. His client list is almost as weird as the company he keeps—zombies, the possessed, angels and demons—but it’s his family that he should really be worrying about…
Solaris will publish Simon R. Green’s first six Nightside books in three omnibus editions in mass-market paperback, summer 2008.
Commissioning Editor Christian Dunn said of the deal: “Simon’s Nightside books are amongst the finest urban fantasies out there and it’s shocking that he’s not had a UK publisher for them until now. We’re very quickly earning a reputation as a publisher of quality dark fiction and the addition of Simon to our list will only enhance that.”
Read HERE for the full press release.
Moving on, R. A. Salvatore is one of fantasy's most prolific and acclaimed authors. Now you can enter Tor's Salvatore Sweepstakes for a chance to win a call-in from the writer himself, autographed copies of The Ancient, and/or a signed extended author interview on DVD for your book club.
To celebrate the release of “The Ancient”, a grand-prize winner and three runner-ups will be chosen once a week for six weeks, starting March 4th, 2008. By April 7th, 2008, a total of six book clubs may be eligible for an author call-in and 18 runner-ups may receive an autographed DVD.
Entries accepted starting January 31, 2008. Sign up HERE and get the complete Official Rules HERE. Even better, starting February 7, 2008, Fantasy Book Critic will be offering even more chances for readers to win a COPY of “The Ancient”!
Lastly, Tor Books is proud to present “American Heroes,” the Wild Cards website spin-off blog featuring the characters from Inside Straight, the newest Wild Cards mosaic novel. One of the longest-running series in the shared worlds and fantasy genre, Wild Cards has the superheroes in its latest installment competing in a top reality TV show called “American Heroes.”
Now, in addition to the brand new Wild Cards website that launched in December, George R. R. Martin and the authors of “Inside Straight” have contributed all original narrative and scintillating “behind the scenes” material to a new “American Heroes” blog. Each week, the narrative follows the characters of Inside Straight as they compete—some surviving for another round and others getting voted off the show.
Featuring all original artwork by Mike Miller, the “American Heroes” website shows visual profiles of each character and "confessionals" from the individual superheroes.
World rights for the Chathrand Voyage trilogy, which opens with “The Red Wolf Conspiracy” (published in the UK on February 1, 2008), were acquired pre-emptively by Simon Spanton at Gollancz from John Jarrold in 2007.
“Robert and I are both delighted about this wonderful deal,” said John Jarrold. “Many congratulations to Susan and Del Rey – and most of all to Robert, of course, for writing such a terrific book, which will now receive high-profile publication is his own country!”
The US deal follows translation deals for “The Red Wolf Conspiracy” (Reviewed HERE) in France, Germany, Poland, Russia and Spain.
In other news, Solaris Books recently purchased the first six books in Simon R. Green’s Nightside series for UK publication.The Nightside is Simon R. Green’s New York Times bestselling series set in a seedy, supernatural shadow version of contemporary London.
John Taylor works the Nightside as a private investigator handling the strange, the oddball and the downright bizarre cases that no other PI would touch with a ten-foot wand. He’s very good at what he does though thanks to his gift—the ability to find anybody or anything, anywhere or anytime. His client list is almost as weird as the company he keeps—zombies, the possessed, angels and demons—but it’s his family that he should really be worrying about…
Solaris will publish Simon R. Green’s first six Nightside books in three omnibus editions in mass-market paperback, summer 2008.
Commissioning Editor Christian Dunn said of the deal: “Simon’s Nightside books are amongst the finest urban fantasies out there and it’s shocking that he’s not had a UK publisher for them until now. We’re very quickly earning a reputation as a publisher of quality dark fiction and the addition of Simon to our list will only enhance that.”
Read HERE for the full press release.
Moving on, R. A. Salvatore is one of fantasy's most prolific and acclaimed authors. Now you can enter Tor's Salvatore Sweepstakes for a chance to win a call-in from the writer himself, autographed copies of The Ancient, and/or a signed extended author interview on DVD for your book club.To celebrate the release of “The Ancient”, a grand-prize winner and three runner-ups will be chosen once a week for six weeks, starting March 4th, 2008. By April 7th, 2008, a total of six book clubs may be eligible for an author call-in and 18 runner-ups may receive an autographed DVD.
Entries accepted starting January 31, 2008. Sign up HERE and get the complete Official Rules HERE. Even better, starting February 7, 2008, Fantasy Book Critic will be offering even more chances for readers to win a COPY of “The Ancient”!
Lastly, Tor Books is proud to present “American Heroes,” the Wild Cards website spin-off blog featuring the characters from Inside Straight, the newest Wild Cards mosaic novel. One of the longest-running series in the shared worlds and fantasy genre, Wild Cards has the superheroes in its latest installment competing in a top reality TV show called “American Heroes.”Now, in addition to the brand new Wild Cards website that launched in December, George R. R. Martin and the authors of “Inside Straight” have contributed all original narrative and scintillating “behind the scenes” material to a new “American Heroes” blog. Each week, the narrative follows the characters of Inside Straight as they compete—some surviving for another round and others getting voted off the show.
Featuring all original artwork by Mike Miller, the “American Heroes” website shows visual profiles of each character and "confessionals" from the individual superheroes.
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