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Read additional entries from Lily Rose's journal

OVERVIEW/ANALYSIS: "In the beginning was nothing. From nothing emerged night. Then came the children of nothing and night."

Seventeen-year-old Finn Sullivan has the luck of the Irish, if you consider how the phrase was used during Irish immigration to the New World. When she was living in Vermont, her mother was killed in an auto accident. A move to San Francisco did not improve things for good as her older sister, Lily Rose, committed suicide there. A need for a change of scene brings Finn and her Da back to the town where he was raised, Fair Hollow, in upstate New York. Enrolled in a local college, HallowHeart, she meets the dazzling but mysterious Jack Fata. They may or may not be fated to be together, but the Fata family is very definitely a big deal in this small town, which is not exactly the epitome of exurban serenity.

“So what’s with all the little pixies everywhere? Carved into HallowHeart, the theater…”
“They were worshipped here…”
“Pixies?”
“Fairy folk. Some of the immigrants from Ireland followed the fairy faith. And the Irish had badass fairies.”

The local décor seems to favor the mythological, as if the entire place had brought in the Brothers Grimm and Arthur Rackham to consult on a makeover. The older mansions tend toward the abandoned and the locals tend toward the odd. Finn finds a few friends, and together they try to figure out the enigma that is Fair Hollow, maybe save a few folks from a dark end, and try to stay alive long enough to accomplish both.

There are twists aplenty and a steady drumbeat of revelation and challenge to keep readers guessing. Finn is easy to root for, a smart, curious kid with a good heart who sometimes makes questionable decisions, but always means well. Jack offers danger and charm, threat and vulnerability. And Reiko Fata, the local Dragon Lady, a strong malevolent force, provides a worthy opponent. Harbour has fun with characters’ names that even Rowling would enjoy. Jane Ivy, for example, teaches botany. A teacher of metal-working is named, I suspect, for a metal band front man.

Each chapter begins with two quotes (well, most chapters anyway). One is from diverse sources on mythology and literature, and the second is from the journal of Finn’s late sibling. They serve to give readers a heads up about some elements of what lies ahead. One of the things that I found interesting about this book was the sheer volume of references to literature and mythology from across the world, not just in the chapter-intro quotes but in the text as well. I spent quite a bit of time making use of the google machine checking out many of these. You could probably craft an entire course on mythology just from the references in this book. In fact the author includes a bibliography of some of the referenced works. There are references as well to painterly works of art. Harbour includes a glossary of terms used by or in reference to the Fata family that comes in very handy. The core mythological element here is Tam Lin, a tale from the British Isles about a man who is the captive of the Queen of the Fairies and the young lady who seeks to free him.

"The dream scene where Finn is speaking with her older sister and things grow sinister was an actual dream I had when I was seventeen. The revision was influenced by a book called Visions and Folktales in the West of Ireland, by Lady Gregory, a collection of local stories about some very scary faeries. The Thorn Jack trilogy is influenced by Shakespeare, Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, and Frankenstein." (from the author’s site)

It is tough to read a book about young attraction of this sort and not think of Twilight, or Romeo and Juliet for that matter. And where there is a school in a place in which there are some odd goings on, and mystery-laden instructors, there will always be a whiff of Hogwarts in the air. But this one stands pretty well on its own.


There are some scenes in Thorn Jack that include statuary of magical beings. I wonder if, as Harbour is from Albany, and was certainly exposed to Saratoga Springs, only about 30 miles away, (my wife and I visited in Autumn 2013) she might have been influenced by this Pan statue and/or similar pieces in Congress Park there. On her site, she talks about being inspired by abandoned mansions along the Hudson. Here is a site that shows all sorts of abandoned buildings, along the Hudson and elsewhere.

Gripes-section: I did indeed enjoy the mythology tutorial available here, but sometimes I felt that the author could have pared this element down a bit. One result of this wealth of material was that it made the book a slow read for me. But then I have OCD inclinations, and have to look up every bloody one of these things. You may not suffer from this particular affliction, so may skip through much more quickly than I did. Or, if you are a regular reader of fantasy fiction, you may already know the references that my ignorant and memory-challenged self had to look up. Also, there are a LOT of characters. I tried my best to keep track by making a list and I strongly advise you to keep a chart of your own. It can get confusing.

Finally, the quoted passages from Lily Rose’s journal do not much sound like passages from anyone‘s journal and seem to be present primarily to offer a double-dip into mythological reference material. Harbour has two more planned for the series, The Briar Queen and The Nettle King. I would expect she would address some of the questions that linger at the end of this first entry. What did her parents know and when did they know it? Is there an actual core curriculum requirement at HallowHeart College?

CONCLUSION: That being said, Thorn Jack was an engaging and entertaining story, offering mystery, frights, young romance, and a chance to brush up on your mythology. Think Veronica Mars in Forks by way of Robert Graves.

NOTE: This review was originally posted on Will's blog. Author picture courtesy of the author herself. Pan statue picture courtesy of Will Byrnes.

Anton Strout, affectionately known as America's favorite lower midlist urban fantasy author, has more than his own writing on his mind these days. Strout is taking part in the Penguin Random House Walk 2014 to benefit Girls Write Now, Inc., on a mission to help inner city girls find and express their voices.

On this upcoming Friday June 13, 2014, Strout will be walking 10 miles to help support Girls Write Now, a program which serves at-risk girls from NYC's public high schools in an effort to help them develop new skills, confidence, and ways of expressing themselves that are productive and can lead to positive life choices. This program has won numerous awards and has been recognized twice by the White House. An astounding 100% of GWN's seniors graduate high school, complete with scholarships, awards, and skills to help them build careers. Strout's fundraising goal is $1000, but in true geek form, if he reaches a stretch goal of $3,000, he has committed to wearing his Jedi bathrobe for the entire ten mile walk. He says, "As an employee of Penguin Random House, I'm proud of both the books we produce and the many things we do to help promote literacy. This is one of them, and with YOUR support, we can make this awesome!"

These will not be Anton's first steps in helping the world be a better place. For the past couple years, $1 of every preorder his books received went to the Worldbuilders Charity, all proceeds of which benefit Heifer International. His publisher, Penguin Random House, matched this donation to help end world hunger and poverty.

To support Anton Strout's efforts to support Girls Write Now, and to perhaps see him walk 10 miles in grueling heat wearing a Jedi Bathrobe, please visit his fundraising page at First Giving. Donating through the website is fast, simple, and secure. Ten lucky supporters will be chosen at random to receive a signed copy of ALCHEMYSTIC, book one in the Spellmason Chronicles.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Born in the Berkshire Hills, Strout currently lives in the haunted corn maze that is New Jersey (where nothing paranormal ever really happens, he assures you). He's the author of the Simon Canderous urban fantasy series and the Spellmason Chronicles, both for Ace Books, as well as many short tales published in anthologies by DAW Books. The third of the Spellmason Chronicles, INCARNATE, will hit bookstores on September 30. Visit his website for more news about him and his books.

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Read Fantasy Book Critic's review of Prince Of Thorns
Read Fantasy Book Critic's review of King Of Thorns

AUTHOR INFORMATION: Mark Lawrence is a research scientist working on artificial intelligence. He lives in England with his wife and four children.

OFFICIAL BOOK BLURB: The Red Queen is old but the kings of the Broken Empire dread her like no other. For all her reign, she has fought the long war, contested in secret, against the powers that stand behind nations, for higher stakes than land or gold. Her greatest weapon is The Silent Sister—unseen by most and unspoken of by all.

The Red Queen’s grandson, Prince Jalan Kendeth—drinker, gambler, seducer of women—is one who can see The Silent Sister. Tenth in line for the throne and content with his role as a minor royal, he pretends that the hideous crone is not there. But war is coming. Witnesses claim an undead army is on the march, and the Red Queen has called on her family to defend the realm. Jalan thinks it’s all a rumor—nothing that will affect him—but he is wrong.

After escaping a death trap set by the Silent Sister, Jal finds his fate magically intertwined with a fierce Norse warrior. As the two undertake a journey across the Empire to undo the spell, encountering grave dangers, willing women, and an upstart prince named Jorg Ancrath along the way, Jalan gradually catches a glimmer of the truth: he and the Norseman are but pieces in a game, part of a series of moves in the long war—and the Red Queen controls the board.

FORMAT/INFO: Prince Of Fools is 368 pages long divided over thirty-one numbered chapters. Narration is in the first-person, solely via Prince Jalan Kendeth. Prince Of Fools is the first volume of The Red Queen’s War.

June 3, 2014 marked the North American Hardcover publication of Prince Of Fools via Ace Books. The UK version (see below) was published on June 5, 2014 via Harper Voyager. Chris McGrath provides the US cover art and Jason Chan supplies the UK one.

ANALYSIS: Last year after finishing off his debut trilogy in grand style, Mark Lawrence left his readers further conflicted about his main character Jorg, the bleak world encapsulated within & how he capped off the story. This incredible review by Jared does manage to capture in strong essence why so many readers have been conflicted (as well as in awe of) about this series. Beware though it has major spoilers for the entire trilogy but it along with a majority of Jorg haters draws some conclusions that don't necessarily jive with what the author was aiming for.

In his last book Emperor Of Thorns, Mark Lawrence introduced a pair of characters called the Red Queen and the Silent Sister. Both of whom are too rich to be discarded to cameo appearances and thus we have the Red Queen’s War, the new trilogy set in the same world and time frame as the previous one. Of course this story focuses upon Jalan Kendrath & Snorri Ver Snagason, the former a prince and a distant grandson of the deadly Red Queen, and the latter a Viking slave who is far from his homeland but hasn’t lost any of his mettle in all matters related to blood. The story then unfolds in a haphazard manner as the author intended for our mismatched duo to find out why fate has put them together.

Here’s why I thought that this book was so much better than the Prince Of Thorns. Firstly the characterization, the author nails it with Jalan and Snorri, unlike Jorg who was a sociopath and very hard to sympathize with. In this case the author does a fantastic job as he presents two individuals who are vastly different but are both pleasantly relatable. The second aspect is that here as well, the author further explores the fascinating post-apocalyptic world that he has created. Plus we also get to meet (or glimpse) brother Jorg, and the rest of his brethren. This was a cool way to relive a couple of events from the first book, plus we get to meet characters like Chella, Katherine & her sister. These interactions do add depth to the events that we have read previously.

Now going to the pace side of things and this is another factor that made this book factor strongly against Mark’s debut title. In Prince Of Thorns, the pace was slightly uneven and with the story broken into two timelines, it caused a bit of discord for many a reader. This time around there’s no dual timeline, just a singular straightforward plot that will propel the reader rapidly. But while keeping the plot streamlined, the author hasn’t dropped any quality. The humor in his previous was dark and present whenever possible, with this title however the humor while similarly dark is present copiously and that strengthens this particular story.

The author has thrown in some sharp references to his previous work, the best one I thought was:

 “Dropping into a thorn bush can lead to no end of grief!”

Another aspect that I loved was a possible nod to David Gemmell & two of his favorite creations “Snaga & Druss” via the character of Snorri Ver Snagason. Who says this about himself as an axeman:

 “An axe for me. Swords trick you into thinking you can defend. With an axe, all you can do is attack. That’s what my father named me. Snorri, it means attack. Men think they can defend against me, but when I knock they open.”

I loved to read about Snorri & the revelations that were laid bare in the latter half of the story really made the book that much meatier. I loved how the author explored these two personas and the transformation they both undergo as the journey culminated into a horrific climax. Lastly the magic system showcased was also that much more clearer than the previous work in the same milieu and I can’t wait to read more about the Red Queen’s struggle against the Dead King.

Mark Lawrence really hits one out of the park with the opening salvo of the Red Queen’s War and for all those left with a sour taste while following Jorg’s odyssey. Prince Of Fools is sure to change your perception if you give it a read with an open mind. For me, I had no complaints with Prince Of Fools besides the tiny fact that I’ll have to wait for a year atleast to read what happens next.

CONCLUSION: Prince Of Fools is Mark Lawrence’s newest and perhaps best attempt at proving what a talented wordsmith he is. Be sure to read this one if you enjoy dark fantasy rife with superb characterization, black humour & a fast paced plot that will leave you hooked till the very end. Mark wins this round and now it's up to the rest of SFF fandom to accept his ascendancy towards fantasy pantheon’s upper echelons.

Hello folks. First a quick description of my new book The Shadow Master: It’s a kick-arse tale of alternative history, love and conflict, madness and magic, with sword fights and mad clerics and assassins and bombs and magical shape-changers and dark catacombs and tall towers and an army of plague people – with everything except a car chase. And through it all is this mysterious figure, the Shadow Master, who is manipulating everyone towards his own ends.

Sound interesting? I hope so.

And it’s set in Renaissance Italy – well sort of. Because the premise to my book is that the world is one where science works like magic. Let me explain.

So, my day job is as a science communicator, and I’ve travelled to a lot of interesting places, including Antarctica for work – but a few years back I was at a conference in Florence in Italy, and while walking around the Galileo museum I got this idea – like one of those serendipitous moments that just appear in your head – pow! I’d been doing a panel talk on what drives beliefs in anti-science thinking and if science is just one more way of viewing the world – and I thought, what if science behaved like magic?

I mean, what if, when Galileo invented the telescope, it actually transported you across to what you were looking at. And what if the early chronometers actually slowed down time? And what if when you strapped on Leonardo da Vinci’s flying harness you actually transformed into a giant bird?

And the idea for the book sprang out of that moment. I carried it around in my head for a while, working out ideas and things – and I turned Florence into the Walled City of my book, and I went and studied up a lot on the history of the city and found out more about the Medici family and then wanted to scaffold it all upon a traditional Italian story.

I love using folk tale motifs and so on in my work and wanted to do something similar in the Shadow Master, when I found this 18th Century Italian novel the Betrothed – that is set in 1628 and tells of the plague years and the politics and church of the time – and has two young lovers – Lorenzo and Lucia. And I thought – uh-huh – gotta have them in my story.

And so I have two warring houses – the Medicis and the Lorraines – and a Lucia Lorraine falls in love with Lorenzo, who works for Galileo in the Medici household. Much of the book describes the efforts of the two to reach each other (dodging the mad monks, assassins, kidnappers and plague and so on), and discovering that when they touch magic happens that changes the city about them.

A few critics have thought it a Romeo and Juliet story, but its inspiration is actually The Betrothed (Il Promessi Sposi), written by Alessandro Manzoni in 1827.

So that’s where my Shadow Master world sprang from, but in the writing of it I had to amend my original idea a few times to make it work better for the ending I was planning – which is a bit of a mind-shift, so if you’re reading it, don’t get too comfortable in thinking you know just what is happening.

And having written the Shadow Master and gotten a two book contract with Angry Robot books, I started thinking about the sequel. I wanted originally to have it that the Shadow Master, who, as I said, is this mysterious figure who arrives and pulls the strings to manipulate how everything turns out – travels in time and pops up in different eras, and I wanted to then have him in World War One. But AR guys said they wanted to keep him in the Renaissance. So the sequel to the Shadow Master is set in a Venice-like city, that is a floating city. And in this story I’m using the Italian proto-tales of Othello, Romeo and Juliet and the Merchant of Venice within it. They are the tales that Shakespeare adapted into his plays. They are worth checking out if you’re interested: Luigi da Porto’s Giulietta e Romeo, Ser Giovanni’s Il Pecorone (the Dunce), and Giraldi Cinthio’s Hecatommithi.

The sequel is also very kick-arse, though I think a little more funny than The Shadow Master. Incidentally a highlight of the Galileo museum in Florence, if you ever get to go there, is finding Galileo’s mummified middle finger in a glass jar, turned to point at the main cathedral in the city. Payback for all the persecution he received from the Church. Check it out!

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AUTHOR INFORMATION:  Craig Cormick was born in Australia. He has been interested in writing since quite a young age. He has written more than hundred short stories as well as twenty books in fiction and non-fiction categories. He has also won the ACT Book of the Year Award (1999) and a Queensland Premier’s Literary Award (2006). Craig has a PhD in creative historical fiction and he currently lives in Canberra.

NOTE: Author picture courtesy of Donna Maree Hanson and Craig Cormick. All other pictures courtesy of the author.