I can't believe it, but after four months, four spiral notebooks, at least five ballpoint pens (based on color of ink -- it could be more), 776 handwritten pages, and approximately 140,000 words, I'm through with the first draft of my manuscript!
That doesn't mean I'm anywhere near submitting it to publishers and/or agents, but it's a major milestone and I'm excited about it!
Next up: typing it. And then the revision process begins.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Review - The Last Four Things
Just finished The Last Four Things (sequel to The Left Hand of God
) by Paul Hoffman. I am honestly not entirely sure, even after spending a week or so on this book, precisely what I think of it. It was not particularly difficult to put down when it was time for bed, but at the same time, it made me think a lot, which most novels don't.
FYI, spoilers below. As always in my reviews.
We see most of the same characters from before, including Bosco, Kleist, Vague Henri, Arbella Swan-Neck, IdrisPukke, Kitty the Hare, Thomas Cale, and others, although except for Kleist, Vague Henri, and Cale himself, we don't spend a lot of time with the others. In particular, IdrisPukke appears near the beginning of the book and near the end, but not in the middle. Granted, it can be difficult to manage multiple groups of characters and multiple storylines, and if one character is judged to be less important to the overall story than another, he/she should, by rights, get less time on the page. The story of The Last Four Things is a continuation of the story of The Left Hand of God, and so we first encounter Cale again in the hands of Bosco, who has regained custody of him after the downfall of the Materazzi in the previous volume.
It took me a long time to figure out where this book was going. That may be a problem, in general, for second volumes in planned trilogies. But if we divide the book into three parts, with respect to the story of Thomas Cale, we spend the first part with Cale leading battles for the Redeemer sect, the second part with Cale on the run and/or free in Spanish Leeds, and the third part with Cale reeling, emotionally, from the reentry of Arbella into his life. Notice I don't call them "thirds" -- because the first part takes at least 75% of the book, if not more, and the last part takes only a few pages.
This wouldn't ordinarily be a problem, except that the majority of battles Cale fought were described in detail, including how previous Redeemers to solve a particular problem failed to do so, and only Cale's genius could succeed. Which again, wouldn't be a problem except that it seemed much of the battling in the early part of the book didn't matter in the end. One might argue that it served one of the following two functions: (1) increasing Cale's status, and thus his mentor Bosco's status, and (2) encouraging Cale to run away near the end of the book.
I don't know that I buy either of the above explanations, at least not completely. In order for Bosco to become Pope in the end, a large number of assassinations had to occur. These were carried out by Bosco's fervent supporters. Who probably would have agreed to do these things, anyway. (The only important lead-up might be events that allowed the assassins to get into the Redeemer complex in Chartres in the first place.) And by this point, or shortly thereafter, Cale had already decided to make a run for it anyway. So Thomas Cale may not have been necessary for Bosco's ascension. In fact, he might even be a hindrance to Bosco because of his last-minute defection. Bosco can't control his prodigy? Maybe he's not as on top of things as we thought, maybe someone else should be Pope, etc.
As for the second explanation, it's just really hard to say. Cale is a character who is difficult to understand. Even though we're with him for a majority of the book, we're rarely inside his mind. He seems oddly resigned to events, including executions of people who don't deserve it. He may put up a mild protest but then when he's overruled, becomes quite detached. The only times we're really in his mind is when he is obsessing over Arbella Materazzi in his dreams, which usually involve violence and not-very-subtle symbolism. Then, his anguish is perfectly understandable. Cale had worked hard in the previous volume to escape Bosco, and Arbella, his first lover, sells him back to the man.
And his violent reactions, including spur-of-the-moment punishments to those who displease or question him, make sense, I guess, for one raised in an environment (Sanctuary) where violent punishments were regularly meted out. But his utter lack of curiosity about his parents, when Bosco mentions them, and his analytical and emotionally uninvolved responses in many battlefield situations (not all of them, mind you), are just strange for someone so otherwise given to extremes of emotion.
So when Cale decides to run away, presumably after the prodding of Vague Henri, it's something of a surprise to me. I didn't see it coming. Which can be good in a book, but in this case, I really feel like I should've been given more clues. Because once Cale has been given back to Bosco, he pursues his assigned military tasks with creativity and, if not enthusiasm, at least willingness and only a little bending of the rules. He seems to have resigned himself to furthering the Redeemer cause. He just doesn't have any passion about either side of the conflict.
One thing I found implausible: That the previous Pope had been female and no one knew. If not for the reasons involving secondary sexual characteristics (face shape, lack of facial hair, pitch of voice), then because the previous Pope is pointedly described as having had dementia and only having few lucid moments. Well, my grandfather died, at the age of 90, of Alzheimer's disease. By the end, he couldn't bathe himself, had to wear Depends, etc. He had no privacy left because he was incapable of caring for himself. (This was a problem of increasing degree beginning at least a few years before he died.) My point is, his caretakers saw everything. Everything. And if this Pope in the story was at all that way during periods of dementia, people would've known. Secrets like that don't stay secrets for long.
Then there was the removal of the arrow from Vague Henri's face. I've seen a very similar scene in Guy Gavriel Kay's Lord of Emperors
, completed with a very similar tool. So Hoffman and Kay clearly read the same historical account, which Hoffman mentions in his acknowledgments section. I feel like I've seen this somewhere else, before, as well. No particular comment one way or another on this, just interesting that the same rather obscure event would inspire two authors I've read in the last four months or so.
Some minor irritations: the narrator frequently going off onto little tangents to describe events and phenomena which add depth to the world, without actually having anything to do with the story. Including one or two insertions of poetry (it doesn't always have to rhyme, people). The first insertion of poetry, which serves to re-tell the story of The Left Hand of God, is particularly annoying -- it's a "clever" way to remind the reader of the previous volume. I think I would've preferred a more straightforward approach of just a couple of paragraphs titled "what has gone before." Which I could skip, if desired, without affecting my enjoyment of the rest of the book. But you don't want to skip parts of an actual chapter, do you?
Also annoying are some of the early scenes with Cale and Bosco where Bosco is providing a lot of lengthy explanations and Cale is listening and giving only short answers. This is not the way to provide background information. It does not fool the readers; we know we're being lectured to and we don't appreciate it.
Hoffman is definitely well read, and draws on a variety of sources. Those with more Bible knowledge than I have will surely recognize quoted scripture. (I've never been to church in my life, nor read any of the Bible. So I always miss out on this sort of symbolism and/or borrowing of concepts.) My problem was actually not that I didn't know (or couldn't guess) when the Bible was being quoted, though, but that I didn't know when it was being altered in words and meaning! But that is clearly a deficiency in my background, and not Hoffman's. Classic historical essays and commentaries, political speeches, even YouTube videos are drawn upon. It's interesting if you are able to spot the references, and if you're not, they're mostly listed in the acknowledgments. Also be prepared for existing place names to be used (Switzerland, Nigeria, Memphis, Chartres, Sistine Chapel) in altered contexts.
One thing I appreciate is that the acknowledgments are at the end, rather than the beginning. I know that I do tend to read these sorts of features, and I like the idea of being able to follow up on some of the information there, after finishing the novel, if I so choose. Granted, if the acknowledgments had been printed up front, the book would've contained its own spoilers -- e.g. Cale making Arbella read something indicates that they encountered one another again in this volume, and that it probably wasn't a pleasant encounter.
Am I going to read the next one in the series? Well, I expect that the looming conflict between Cale and Bosco will be interesting. I expect to see some other things resolved, as well, such as Kleist being reunited with Daisy (and with Cale), probably in Spanish Leeds. So yes, I'm going to read it. Obviously, as the second volume in a trilogy, this volume does not stand alone, so if you're interested, start with The Left Hand of God.
Side note: There's no magic in this one at all. So it could be added to my list of non-fantasy fantasy.
) by Paul Hoffman. I am honestly not entirely sure, even after spending a week or so on this book, precisely what I think of it. It was not particularly difficult to put down when it was time for bed, but at the same time, it made me think a lot, which most novels don't.FYI, spoilers below. As always in my reviews.
We see most of the same characters from before, including Bosco, Kleist, Vague Henri, Arbella Swan-Neck, IdrisPukke, Kitty the Hare, Thomas Cale, and others, although except for Kleist, Vague Henri, and Cale himself, we don't spend a lot of time with the others. In particular, IdrisPukke appears near the beginning of the book and near the end, but not in the middle. Granted, it can be difficult to manage multiple groups of characters and multiple storylines, and if one character is judged to be less important to the overall story than another, he/she should, by rights, get less time on the page. The story of The Last Four Things is a continuation of the story of The Left Hand of God, and so we first encounter Cale again in the hands of Bosco, who has regained custody of him after the downfall of the Materazzi in the previous volume.
It took me a long time to figure out where this book was going. That may be a problem, in general, for second volumes in planned trilogies. But if we divide the book into three parts, with respect to the story of Thomas Cale, we spend the first part with Cale leading battles for the Redeemer sect, the second part with Cale on the run and/or free in Spanish Leeds, and the third part with Cale reeling, emotionally, from the reentry of Arbella into his life. Notice I don't call them "thirds" -- because the first part takes at least 75% of the book, if not more, and the last part takes only a few pages.
This wouldn't ordinarily be a problem, except that the majority of battles Cale fought were described in detail, including how previous Redeemers to solve a particular problem failed to do so, and only Cale's genius could succeed. Which again, wouldn't be a problem except that it seemed much of the battling in the early part of the book didn't matter in the end. One might argue that it served one of the following two functions: (1) increasing Cale's status, and thus his mentor Bosco's status, and (2) encouraging Cale to run away near the end of the book.
I don't know that I buy either of the above explanations, at least not completely. In order for Bosco to become Pope in the end, a large number of assassinations had to occur. These were carried out by Bosco's fervent supporters. Who probably would have agreed to do these things, anyway. (The only important lead-up might be events that allowed the assassins to get into the Redeemer complex in Chartres in the first place.) And by this point, or shortly thereafter, Cale had already decided to make a run for it anyway. So Thomas Cale may not have been necessary for Bosco's ascension. In fact, he might even be a hindrance to Bosco because of his last-minute defection. Bosco can't control his prodigy? Maybe he's not as on top of things as we thought, maybe someone else should be Pope, etc.
As for the second explanation, it's just really hard to say. Cale is a character who is difficult to understand. Even though we're with him for a majority of the book, we're rarely inside his mind. He seems oddly resigned to events, including executions of people who don't deserve it. He may put up a mild protest but then when he's overruled, becomes quite detached. The only times we're really in his mind is when he is obsessing over Arbella Materazzi in his dreams, which usually involve violence and not-very-subtle symbolism. Then, his anguish is perfectly understandable. Cale had worked hard in the previous volume to escape Bosco, and Arbella, his first lover, sells him back to the man.
And his violent reactions, including spur-of-the-moment punishments to those who displease or question him, make sense, I guess, for one raised in an environment (Sanctuary) where violent punishments were regularly meted out. But his utter lack of curiosity about his parents, when Bosco mentions them, and his analytical and emotionally uninvolved responses in many battlefield situations (not all of them, mind you), are just strange for someone so otherwise given to extremes of emotion.
So when Cale decides to run away, presumably after the prodding of Vague Henri, it's something of a surprise to me. I didn't see it coming. Which can be good in a book, but in this case, I really feel like I should've been given more clues. Because once Cale has been given back to Bosco, he pursues his assigned military tasks with creativity and, if not enthusiasm, at least willingness and only a little bending of the rules. He seems to have resigned himself to furthering the Redeemer cause. He just doesn't have any passion about either side of the conflict.
One thing I found implausible: That the previous Pope had been female and no one knew. If not for the reasons involving secondary sexual characteristics (face shape, lack of facial hair, pitch of voice), then because the previous Pope is pointedly described as having had dementia and only having few lucid moments. Well, my grandfather died, at the age of 90, of Alzheimer's disease. By the end, he couldn't bathe himself, had to wear Depends, etc. He had no privacy left because he was incapable of caring for himself. (This was a problem of increasing degree beginning at least a few years before he died.) My point is, his caretakers saw everything. Everything. And if this Pope in the story was at all that way during periods of dementia, people would've known. Secrets like that don't stay secrets for long.
Then there was the removal of the arrow from Vague Henri's face. I've seen a very similar scene in Guy Gavriel Kay's Lord of Emperors
, completed with a very similar tool. So Hoffman and Kay clearly read the same historical account, which Hoffman mentions in his acknowledgments section. I feel like I've seen this somewhere else, before, as well. No particular comment one way or another on this, just interesting that the same rather obscure event would inspire two authors I've read in the last four months or so.Some minor irritations: the narrator frequently going off onto little tangents to describe events and phenomena which add depth to the world, without actually having anything to do with the story. Including one or two insertions of poetry (it doesn't always have to rhyme, people). The first insertion of poetry, which serves to re-tell the story of The Left Hand of God, is particularly annoying -- it's a "clever" way to remind the reader of the previous volume. I think I would've preferred a more straightforward approach of just a couple of paragraphs titled "what has gone before." Which I could skip, if desired, without affecting my enjoyment of the rest of the book. But you don't want to skip parts of an actual chapter, do you?
Also annoying are some of the early scenes with Cale and Bosco where Bosco is providing a lot of lengthy explanations and Cale is listening and giving only short answers. This is not the way to provide background information. It does not fool the readers; we know we're being lectured to and we don't appreciate it.
Hoffman is definitely well read, and draws on a variety of sources. Those with more Bible knowledge than I have will surely recognize quoted scripture. (I've never been to church in my life, nor read any of the Bible. So I always miss out on this sort of symbolism and/or borrowing of concepts.) My problem was actually not that I didn't know (or couldn't guess) when the Bible was being quoted, though, but that I didn't know when it was being altered in words and meaning! But that is clearly a deficiency in my background, and not Hoffman's. Classic historical essays and commentaries, political speeches, even YouTube videos are drawn upon. It's interesting if you are able to spot the references, and if you're not, they're mostly listed in the acknowledgments. Also be prepared for existing place names to be used (Switzerland, Nigeria, Memphis, Chartres, Sistine Chapel) in altered contexts.
One thing I appreciate is that the acknowledgments are at the end, rather than the beginning. I know that I do tend to read these sorts of features, and I like the idea of being able to follow up on some of the information there, after finishing the novel, if I so choose. Granted, if the acknowledgments had been printed up front, the book would've contained its own spoilers -- e.g. Cale making Arbella read something indicates that they encountered one another again in this volume, and that it probably wasn't a pleasant encounter.
Am I going to read the next one in the series? Well, I expect that the looming conflict between Cale and Bosco will be interesting. I expect to see some other things resolved, as well, such as Kleist being reunited with Daisy (and with Cale), probably in Spanish Leeds. So yes, I'm going to read it. Obviously, as the second volume in a trilogy, this volume does not stand alone, so if you're interested, start with The Left Hand of God.
Side note: There's no magic in this one at all. So it could be added to my list of non-fantasy fantasy.
Monday, August 29, 2011
Favorite Standalones
FYI, if you're thinking about starting a blog, and posting every day, be forewarned that it's serious work to come up with new posts after awhile! But I'm dedicated, and for now, the ideas are still flowing.
Anyway, a number of people in forums online complain that either everything is an unfinished series (e.g. A Song of Ice and Fire
) with many years between volumes, or that they'd like something tied up in fewer volumes, or that intermediate volumes are sometimes not very important in terms of story (e.g. Crown of Stars
).
So if you're looking for "standalones," where do you turn? Here are some that I especially liked:
Elantris
by Brandon Sanderson. It's his first one, and probably one of his better efforts. I keep promising to talk about Brandon Sanderson in more depth later, and I will. Probably when I review one of his books. (It's sort of like if you took the entire Mistborn Trilogy
, changed the magical system, and crammed it into one book.)
Nearly anything by Guy Gavriel Kay (except the Sarantine Mosaic which is a duology and The Fionavar Tapestry which is a trilogy). Favorites of mine include Tigana
, A Song for Arbonne
, and The Lions of al-Rassan
, although all of his are good.
The War of the Flowers
by Tad Williams was all right, probably not my favorite, but a solid standalone worth checking out if you haven't already.
The Curse of Chalion
, Paladin of Souls
, and The Hallowed Hunt
by Lois McMaster Bujold are all set in the same world, but you can read any of them without background and you'll do fine. I definitely didn't read them in the order they were published!
The Barbed Coil
by J.V. Jones is out of print but you can get a used copy from Amazon. It's not the most original work out there, but there are some interesting details in it and if you like Jones's other work, you may want to give it a try. (I think it might also be an e-book.)
Those are some I've read. Feel free to add your own to the list by posting a comment!
Anyway, a number of people in forums online complain that either everything is an unfinished series (e.g. A Song of Ice and Fire
) with many years between volumes, or that they'd like something tied up in fewer volumes, or that intermediate volumes are sometimes not very important in terms of story (e.g. Crown of Stars).So if you're looking for "standalones," where do you turn? Here are some that I especially liked:
Elantris
by Brandon Sanderson. It's his first one, and probably one of his better efforts. I keep promising to talk about Brandon Sanderson in more depth later, and I will. Probably when I review one of his books. (It's sort of like if you took the entire Mistborn Trilogy, changed the magical system, and crammed it into one book.)Nearly anything by Guy Gavriel Kay (except the Sarantine Mosaic which is a duology and The Fionavar Tapestry which is a trilogy). Favorites of mine include Tigana
, A Song for Arbonne, and The Lions of al-Rassan, although all of his are good.The War of the Flowers
by Tad Williams was all right, probably not my favorite, but a solid standalone worth checking out if you haven't already.The Curse of Chalion
, Paladin of Souls, and The Hallowed Hunt by Lois McMaster Bujold are all set in the same world, but you can read any of them without background and you'll do fine. I definitely didn't read them in the order they were published!The Barbed Coil
by J.V. Jones is out of print but you can get a used copy from Amazon. It's not the most original work out there, but there are some interesting details in it and if you like Jones's other work, you may want to give it a try. (I think it might also be an e-book.)Those are some I've read. Feel free to add your own to the list by posting a comment!
Sunday, August 28, 2011
The Fantasy Novelist's Exam
Browsing the web looking for new blog topics, I found the following: The Fantasy Novelist's Exam.
I think it might be impossible to answer "no" to all the questions in the exam. The page is meant to be humorous, after all. But, in all seriousness, it probably is something aspiring authors want to check out. It lists a number of tropes that are overdone. And a lot of facts that people just get wrong.
I know I shouldn't try to live up to someone else's standard. But what is a trope if not something that's been seen before, time and again? And if it's been seen before, it's not really new or original or creative, and maybe I would be a better writer if I tried alternate strategies and approaches to problems. (This is a problem for language, too, as I wrote some time back.)
The ones where I might fail:
#16: Do any of your female characters exist solely to be captured and rescued?
#28/29: Is this the first book of a planned series?
I'm pleased that that's it! I don't see much of a problem with #28 and #29, because a lot of fantasy readers expect a series these days.
I didn't specifically set out to make one of my female characters get captured and rescued. And actually, of the three incidents regarding her, none of them is exactly standard. Let's examine them:
(1) A kidnapping attempt where her guard is tipped off at the last moment and she gets away, though not without serious cost. She's only four years old at this point.
(2) She runs away but is found by an old friend.
(3) She runs away again (while mentally unhinged); her rescuer is captured and has to be rescued himself. Then she manages to get away on her own.
So, not exactly repeatedly needing rescue.
Anyway, I know the list on the site I link to is not complete. But it is good to think about these sorts of things. While I do, in fact, read books that are essentially copies of other books (e.g. The Unremembered
as derivative of The Eye of the World
), I like the original ones much better.
And, for what it's worth, my favorite series of books of all time is based on Steven Erikson and Ian C. Esslemont's role-playing game sessions (another item from the exam)...Though I've never played that sort of games myself, instead preferring the console-based ones, especially the Final Fantasy
series.
I think it might be impossible to answer "no" to all the questions in the exam. The page is meant to be humorous, after all. But, in all seriousness, it probably is something aspiring authors want to check out. It lists a number of tropes that are overdone. And a lot of facts that people just get wrong.
I know I shouldn't try to live up to someone else's standard. But what is a trope if not something that's been seen before, time and again? And if it's been seen before, it's not really new or original or creative, and maybe I would be a better writer if I tried alternate strategies and approaches to problems. (This is a problem for language, too, as I wrote some time back.)
The ones where I might fail:
#16: Do any of your female characters exist solely to be captured and rescued?
#28/29: Is this the first book of a planned series?
I'm pleased that that's it! I don't see much of a problem with #28 and #29, because a lot of fantasy readers expect a series these days.
I didn't specifically set out to make one of my female characters get captured and rescued. And actually, of the three incidents regarding her, none of them is exactly standard. Let's examine them:
(1) A kidnapping attempt where her guard is tipped off at the last moment and she gets away, though not without serious cost. She's only four years old at this point.
(2) She runs away but is found by an old friend.
(3) She runs away again (while mentally unhinged); her rescuer is captured and has to be rescued himself. Then she manages to get away on her own.
So, not exactly repeatedly needing rescue.
Anyway, I know the list on the site I link to is not complete. But it is good to think about these sorts of things. While I do, in fact, read books that are essentially copies of other books (e.g. The Unremembered
as derivative of The Eye of the World), I like the original ones much better.And, for what it's worth, my favorite series of books of all time is based on Steven Erikson and Ian C. Esslemont's role-playing game sessions (another item from the exam)...Though I've never played that sort of games myself, instead preferring the console-based ones, especially the Final Fantasy
series.
Fake Reviews
Once again, I'm going to refer you to a story in the New York Times, "Ferreting out fake reviews online."
If you've been reading this blog for long, you've heard me complaining about bad reviewers and reviewers who receive free books through the Amazon Vine program and who then write crappy reviews. (I don't mean they give 1 star. I mean the review itself, whether gushing or not, is useless.) The New York Times article linked to above isn't just about online book reviews, but also about travel, hotels, etc. But it's a problem across the spectrum of online reviewing, and books are certainly included in this. Amazon actually has an awful problem with fake and/or suspicious reviews. Harriet Klausner is only one example. I make it a practice to down-vote her reviews whenever I come across them, which is frequently because she "reviews" a lot of fantasy novels.
Part of the problem is that online reviews are an increasingly important sales and marketing tool. A few negative reviews can break a product. Apparently, a number of positive reviews (even if the quality of the writing in the review and the ability to evaluate ideas and plot points is terrible) can be great for a book -- or anything else -- in terms of sales. This is important enough that companies will pay people to write reviews.
Unfortunately, there is often no disclosure statement (except in the case of the Amazon Vine program where, in fact, it is noted that the person received a free advance copy of the book for reviewing purposes). I wish it was like pharmaceutical research, where conflicts of interest have to be declared (you know, Pfizer or Sanofi-Aventis paid for this drug research, etc.). I mean, there is a bit of difference between purchasing a trade paperback for $15 and taking a medication that could either cure or kill you. But apparently, according to the article in the Times, it is quite difficult for people to differentiate "fake" reviews from real ones.
Where does this leave us in the end? Well, I personally tend not to trust online reviews very much. I read them, usually when I've finished a book or am nearing the end, to see if people agree with my assessment. But I usually just buy books if the jacket or cover appeals to me -- including art, title, summary, and blurbs from reviewers or other authors. I'd love to be able to trust online reviews, but I just can't do it. (Yeah, I know I write them. I receive no money or free books from anyone, and that's the honest truth.)
If you've been reading this blog for long, you've heard me complaining about bad reviewers and reviewers who receive free books through the Amazon Vine program and who then write crappy reviews. (I don't mean they give 1 star. I mean the review itself, whether gushing or not, is useless.) The New York Times article linked to above isn't just about online book reviews, but also about travel, hotels, etc. But it's a problem across the spectrum of online reviewing, and books are certainly included in this. Amazon actually has an awful problem with fake and/or suspicious reviews. Harriet Klausner is only one example. I make it a practice to down-vote her reviews whenever I come across them, which is frequently because she "reviews" a lot of fantasy novels.
Part of the problem is that online reviews are an increasingly important sales and marketing tool. A few negative reviews can break a product. Apparently, a number of positive reviews (even if the quality of the writing in the review and the ability to evaluate ideas and plot points is terrible) can be great for a book -- or anything else -- in terms of sales. This is important enough that companies will pay people to write reviews.
Unfortunately, there is often no disclosure statement (except in the case of the Amazon Vine program where, in fact, it is noted that the person received a free advance copy of the book for reviewing purposes). I wish it was like pharmaceutical research, where conflicts of interest have to be declared (you know, Pfizer or Sanofi-Aventis paid for this drug research, etc.). I mean, there is a bit of difference between purchasing a trade paperback for $15 and taking a medication that could either cure or kill you. But apparently, according to the article in the Times, it is quite difficult for people to differentiate "fake" reviews from real ones.
Where does this leave us in the end? Well, I personally tend not to trust online reviews very much. I read them, usually when I've finished a book or am nearing the end, to see if people agree with my assessment. But I usually just buy books if the jacket or cover appeals to me -- including art, title, summary, and blurbs from reviewers or other authors. I'd love to be able to trust online reviews, but I just can't do it. (Yeah, I know I write them. I receive no money or free books from anyone, and that's the honest truth.)
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Weekend Slump
I've noticed, because I obsessively check stats, that readership of this blog (such that it is) drops on weekends. Does anyone know why? I figured people would have more time to screw around on the internet on weekends. I know I do.
This particular weekend seems to be an exception to the rule, though. I'm doing all right today (Saturday).
I have to believe that if I keep posting new content, that will help. I know there are a thousand (probably more) people out there who have blogs dedicated to increasing traffic to your own blog. They all have the same advice. Some of which I probably ought to follow. If I ever get around to it. It takes enough time to think of things to write about, and actually do the writing! Because there will be no return visitors if there isn't consistently new, quality content.
There are also probably a thousand people out there writing blogs similar to this one. I realize this. I can't let myself get discouraged. Gotta keep plugging along.
Upcoming topics this week: the demise of Borders bookstores, hopefully a review of The Last Four Things
by Paul Hoffman (I should finish it this week), some discussion of my favorite standalone fantasy novels, a discussion of fake online reviews, and a couple of other things.
This particular weekend seems to be an exception to the rule, though. I'm doing all right today (Saturday).
I have to believe that if I keep posting new content, that will help. I know there are a thousand (probably more) people out there who have blogs dedicated to increasing traffic to your own blog. They all have the same advice. Some of which I probably ought to follow. If I ever get around to it. It takes enough time to think of things to write about, and actually do the writing! Because there will be no return visitors if there isn't consistently new, quality content.
There are also probably a thousand people out there writing blogs similar to this one. I realize this. I can't let myself get discouraged. Gotta keep plugging along.
Upcoming topics this week: the demise of Borders bookstores, hopefully a review of The Last Four Things
by Paul Hoffman (I should finish it this week), some discussion of my favorite standalone fantasy novels, a discussion of fake online reviews, and a couple of other things.
Fantasy Novels on the Big and Small Screens
I was looking over my list of saved posts tonight and realized it was quite short, so I went looking around on the internet for new things to talk about. Between Friday morning and Sunday midday, I usually post about six times, and I only have two posts in the pipeline! I've just been busy this week.
I'm sure nearly everyone with an interest in fantasy literature has seen the Lord of the Rings
movies. Probably the extended editions, and many of the special features. A lot of people will have seen the Harry Potter
movies. If you actually pay for HBO (or download things illegally -- I don't do this, nor am I recommending it, although I know people who do), you might've caught the first season of Game of Thrones. Maybe you've watched the Narnia movies that have come out already. I only saw the first one
.
I came across "10 fantasy novels that would make great tv shows" on the Christian Science Monitor website (FYI, it's a pretty good newspaper despite its name). Click the link to get the full list. I haven't read them all, but I have read a lot of them.
Random notes: I don't know that The Night Angel Trilogy
by Brent Weeks would've occurred to me, but I remember mostly liking these. (If you saw my post on food in fantasy novels, you may have seen me comment on Durzo Blint's garlic eating -- that might be interesting to dramatize. See the guy spitting out the papery outer skin of the garlic cloves, or swallowing it. Or eating fake garlic.) The Kingkiller Chronicles by Patrick Rothfuss was another entry on the list. I liked The Name of the Wind
better than The Wise Man's Fear
. I rather think the whole bit with Felurian would be awful on screen. Although shortened a bit, and tightened up, and I could see these as movies.
The story I linked to above suggests the Sword of Shannara
series would make a good miniseries. I disagree. At least, not if you went through ALL the Shannara books. You might be able to get away with the first novel. But some of the others are quite repetitive; you'd feel like you were watching the same thing over again with different actors. (Same with L.E. Modesitt, Jr.'s Recluce
series, which thankfully did NOT make the list!)
The Chronicles of Amber
and The Belgariad
books are on there. Aimed at very different audiences, I would think. I'd probably like the Amber one, though I think it could get expensive very fast, or else rely on special effects a lot. (Which, if it was low-budget, would probably remind me of Xena
or Hercules
. Which I suppose are television shows with fantasy themes in their own right. Don't get me wrong, I watched them sometimes and enjoyed the campiness of it all.) I actually might enjoy The Belgariad shortened down for the screen.
Number one included two novels from Lois McMaster Bujold, The Curse of Chalion and Paladin of Souls. I did like these books, though it's been quite a long time since I read either. But what was good in terms of a screen adaptation for these was the casts were more limited, so you could remember who everyone was. I actually should go back and read these again, I remember Chalion but have clearly gotten Paladin of Souls mixed up with The Hallowed Hunt, another novel set in this universe. I guess that's what happens when you have read hundreds of fantasy novels in only a few years' time.
There were a few others that made the list (yeah, the post is over two months old, but it only had 7 comments so I guess a lot of people haven't read it). I haven't read the ones I didn't mention. One commenter suggested some of the novels by China Mieville (e.g. Perdido Street Station
). I'm not sure I could watch these, some of the images from that book bothered me a great deal. I don't know that I could look at a khepri at all, especially not when doing the spit art thing. (I can normally read pretty disgusting stuff and it doesn't bother me, but I look over my glasses at the screen because my vision is about 20/200 without glasses so I really can't see any gore.)
I'm racking my brain trying to think of books I might like to see movies or television shows of. I'm usually big on examples, but I'm drawing a blank here. I think the Instrumentalities of the Night
series by Glen Cook has potential, as there's a lot of politicking going on, and plenty of normal humans as characters, and moments of humor as well. Although I will say that my tastes may run counter to those of the population at large, and other people might not appreciate those books as much. Well, good, I've come up with one suggestion at least. (Girly fantasy fans might like a Green Rider
dramatization. Hey, another suggestion. Actually, nearly anything by Guy Gavriel Kay would probably make a good movie. Though the chariot races in Sailing to Sarantium
and Lord of Emperors might be expensive to film.)
Of course, my absolute favorite series -- the Malazan books by Steven Erikson and Ian C. Esslemont -- are way too complicated and impractical, from an effects perspective, to bring to the screen (can you imagine Moranth, Jaghut, Tiste Andii, Thelomen Toblakai, T'lan Imass, etc.?).
Feel free to offer your own suggestions in the comments!
I'm sure nearly everyone with an interest in fantasy literature has seen the Lord of the Rings
movies. Probably the extended editions, and many of the special features. A lot of people will have seen the Harry Potter movies. If you actually pay for HBO (or download things illegally -- I don't do this, nor am I recommending it, although I know people who do), you might've caught the first season of Game of Thrones. Maybe you've watched the Narnia movies that have come out already. I only saw the first one.I came across "10 fantasy novels that would make great tv shows" on the Christian Science Monitor website (FYI, it's a pretty good newspaper despite its name). Click the link to get the full list. I haven't read them all, but I have read a lot of them.
Random notes: I don't know that The Night Angel Trilogy
by Brent Weeks would've occurred to me, but I remember mostly liking these. (If you saw my post on food in fantasy novels, you may have seen me comment on Durzo Blint's garlic eating -- that might be interesting to dramatize. See the guy spitting out the papery outer skin of the garlic cloves, or swallowing it. Or eating fake garlic.) The Kingkiller Chronicles by Patrick Rothfuss was another entry on the list. I liked The Name of the Wind better than The Wise Man's Fear. I rather think the whole bit with Felurian would be awful on screen. Although shortened a bit, and tightened up, and I could see these as movies.The story I linked to above suggests the Sword of Shannara
series would make a good miniseries. I disagree. At least, not if you went through ALL the Shannara books. You might be able to get away with the first novel. But some of the others are quite repetitive; you'd feel like you were watching the same thing over again with different actors. (Same with L.E. Modesitt, Jr.'s Recluce series, which thankfully did NOT make the list!)The Chronicles of Amber
and The Belgariad books are on there. Aimed at very different audiences, I would think. I'd probably like the Amber one, though I think it could get expensive very fast, or else rely on special effects a lot. (Which, if it was low-budget, would probably remind me of Xena or Hercules. Which I suppose are television shows with fantasy themes in their own right. Don't get me wrong, I watched them sometimes and enjoyed the campiness of it all.) I actually might enjoy The Belgariad shortened down for the screen.Number one included two novels from Lois McMaster Bujold, The Curse of Chalion
and Paladin of Souls. I did like these books, though it's been quite a long time since I read either. But what was good in terms of a screen adaptation for these was the casts were more limited, so you could remember who everyone was. I actually should go back and read these again, I remember Chalion but have clearly gotten Paladin of Souls mixed up with The Hallowed Hunt, another novel set in this universe. I guess that's what happens when you have read hundreds of fantasy novels in only a few years' time.There were a few others that made the list (yeah, the post is over two months old, but it only had 7 comments so I guess a lot of people haven't read it). I haven't read the ones I didn't mention. One commenter suggested some of the novels by China Mieville (e.g. Perdido Street Station
). I'm not sure I could watch these, some of the images from that book bothered me a great deal. I don't know that I could look at a khepri at all, especially not when doing the spit art thing. (I can normally read pretty disgusting stuff and it doesn't bother me, but I look over my glasses at the screen because my vision is about 20/200 without glasses so I really can't see any gore.)I'm racking my brain trying to think of books I might like to see movies or television shows of. I'm usually big on examples, but I'm drawing a blank here. I think the Instrumentalities of the Night
series by Glen Cook has potential, as there's a lot of politicking going on, and plenty of normal humans as characters, and moments of humor as well. Although I will say that my tastes may run counter to those of the population at large, and other people might not appreciate those books as much. Well, good, I've come up with one suggestion at least. (Girly fantasy fans might like a Green Rider dramatization. Hey, another suggestion. Actually, nearly anything by Guy Gavriel Kay would probably make a good movie. Though the chariot races in Sailing to Sarantium and Lord of Emperors might be expensive to film.)Of course, my absolute favorite series -- the Malazan books by Steven Erikson and Ian C. Esslemont -- are way too complicated and impractical, from an effects perspective, to bring to the screen (can you imagine Moranth, Jaghut, Tiste Andii, Thelomen Toblakai, T'lan Imass, etc.?).
Feel free to offer your own suggestions in the comments!
Friday, August 26, 2011
Traveling to Fantasy Worlds
I've been thinking lately about books where characters who are from modern societies (usually the US and Canada, in the examples I can come up with) are magically transported to fantasy worlds. (Not like Harry Potter where magic exists in this world and we just don't know about it. And not post-apocalyptic or far future stuff like Terry Brooks
or Gene Wolfe
.)
Here's what I've come up with so far:
Stephen Donaldson's Thomas Covenant
books, Stephen Donaldson's Mordant's Need
books, The Fionavar Tapestry
by Guy Gavriel Kay, The War of the Flowers by Tad Williams, and The Barbed Coil by J.V. Jones.
A common theme is that a person (or people) from this world has some skill or ability that can defeat evil and save the fantasy world. Sometimes the people go back home afterwards, sometimes they stay, and sometimes they die in the fantasy world.
There are few fantasy worlds I think I'd actually want to spend time in. The Land (during the nicer times, not with the Sunbane or the Clave) from the Thomas Covenant books, maybe.
I guess I'm all right with this trope. After all, I have read all the above books and series. I think the early Thomas Covenant books are the ones that do this the best, at least of the list I give. I find Thomas Covenant's continued denial that the Land is real to be nicely contrasted with the friends he eventually makes there (Mhoram, Saltheart Foamfollower, Bannor, etc.) and the love he eventually gains for the place. And so far, the books and series with this theme that I have read, have been different enough in the details, that I've enjoyed all of them. I don't feel like I'm reading the same book over and over again, which is important.
Side note: the Amazon Associates gadget search for The War of the Flowers kept turning up no hits until I went to Amazon.com, found the ISBN, and entered that into the Amazon Associates search. Weird, and probably not good if you're Tad Williams and wanting to sell more copies of that book. Actually, I think the tool may be down because now it's not finding anything I search for. I've been having this problem a lot lately. Makes it difficult to link to books I'm writing about.
or Gene Wolfe.)Here's what I've come up with so far:
Stephen Donaldson's Thomas Covenant
books, Stephen Donaldson's Mordant's Need books, The Fionavar Tapestry by Guy Gavriel Kay, The War of the Flowers by Tad Williams, and The Barbed Coil by J.V. Jones.A common theme is that a person (or people) from this world has some skill or ability that can defeat evil and save the fantasy world. Sometimes the people go back home afterwards, sometimes they stay, and sometimes they die in the fantasy world.
There are few fantasy worlds I think I'd actually want to spend time in. The Land (during the nicer times, not with the Sunbane or the Clave) from the Thomas Covenant books, maybe.
I guess I'm all right with this trope. After all, I have read all the above books and series. I think the early Thomas Covenant books are the ones that do this the best, at least of the list I give. I find Thomas Covenant's continued denial that the Land is real to be nicely contrasted with the friends he eventually makes there (Mhoram, Saltheart Foamfollower, Bannor, etc.) and the love he eventually gains for the place. And so far, the books and series with this theme that I have read, have been different enough in the details, that I've enjoyed all of them. I don't feel like I'm reading the same book over and over again, which is important.
Side note: the Amazon Associates gadget search for The War of the Flowers kept turning up no hits until I went to Amazon.com, found the ISBN, and entered that into the Amazon Associates search. Weird, and probably not good if you're Tad Williams and wanting to sell more copies of that book. Actually, I think the tool may be down because now it's not finding anything I search for. I've been having this problem a lot lately. Makes it difficult to link to books I'm writing about.
Adults Reading Fantasy
In yesterday's post (well, it could've been yesterday; I've been writing ahead a lot lately and I don't always post things in the order I wrote them), I complained that George R.R. Martin is the only author getting a lot of press lately. If the only mainstream media you read is the New York Times (which, you may have noticed, is often the case for me), that's the truth.
I recently found a piece by Lev Grossman
in the Wall Street Journal (not my usual fare -- I try to stay away from as much as I can that's associated with Rupert Murdoch, although his media empire is so pervasive I'm sure I'm exposed to a few things I don't know about) which attempts to explain why adults might be interested in reading fantasy.
I actually thought it was pretty good, and might now pick up Mr. Grossman's books (need to augment that "G" library anyway). In a way, his essay does what the New York Times doesn't quite get right, which is to explain that fantastic elements are present in all sorts of literature, and how actual adults might be interested in fantasy. (Side note: I love it that Lev Grossman recommends Joe Abercrombie
to fantasy novices. The Heroes is still in my "to-read" pile but if it's anything like Abercrombie's other books, it could be a bit shocking to those unfamiliar with the genre.)
You should read the comments too. There are some definite haters in there. "Fantasy is an escapist pulp genre like thrillers or romance novels...Just because it's more acceptable now for adults to enjoy adolescent entertainments (not a great trend, in my opinion) doesn't mean those entertainments will ever be taken seriously as artistic achievements. One hopes." I'm guessing this doesn't come from anyone who is actually familiar with fantasy literature. (Yeah, it is escapist, but aren't most novels?)
I don't think I need to defend here the fact that I read fantasy. If you're on this blog, you probably also read fantasy. I think that some people just don't get it. I'd love to try to convince them, and Lev Grossman does a good job, but I'm not sure it's worth my effort.
I recently found a piece by Lev Grossman
in the Wall Street Journal (not my usual fare -- I try to stay away from as much as I can that's associated with Rupert Murdoch, although his media empire is so pervasive I'm sure I'm exposed to a few things I don't know about) which attempts to explain why adults might be interested in reading fantasy.I actually thought it was pretty good, and might now pick up Mr. Grossman's books (need to augment that "G" library anyway). In a way, his essay does what the New York Times doesn't quite get right, which is to explain that fantastic elements are present in all sorts of literature, and how actual adults might be interested in fantasy. (Side note: I love it that Lev Grossman recommends Joe Abercrombie
to fantasy novices. The Heroes is still in my "to-read" pile but if it's anything like Abercrombie's other books, it could be a bit shocking to those unfamiliar with the genre.)You should read the comments too. There are some definite haters in there. "Fantasy is an escapist pulp genre like thrillers or romance novels...Just because it's more acceptable now for adults to enjoy adolescent entertainments (not a great trend, in my opinion) doesn't mean those entertainments will ever be taken seriously as artistic achievements. One hopes." I'm guessing this doesn't come from anyone who is actually familiar with fantasy literature. (Yeah, it is escapist, but aren't most novels?)
I don't think I need to defend here the fact that I read fantasy. If you're on this blog, you probably also read fantasy. I think that some people just don't get it. I'd love to try to convince them, and Lev Grossman does a good job, but I'm not sure it's worth my effort.
Thursday, August 25, 2011
The New York Times's Love Affair with George R.R. Martin
Despite a rather bumpy start to the recent relationship between the New York Times and George R.R. Martin (I'm referring to the first review of the television series Game of Thrones), they now have something about the HBO series or his books nearly every week. I went looking for something I remembered reading last weekend about it (George R.R. Martin and the Rise of Fantasy) and I found a piece I had missed previously (Will Winter Keep Coming?) about HBO and the future of the series, considering the extremely slow rate at which Mr. Martin turns out sequels.
But the first story linked to is the one I was planning to write about here. I actually laughed at one parenthetical remark ("even if you admire these books, as I do, it’s hard to argue that Martin has A Knack for Titles") and had to send the story on to my boyfriend, because we've spent some time discussing titles. Personally, I think it's artificial and silly to make titles that have some similarity to them (Juliet E. McKenna is, unfortunately, horrible in this regard, see My Fantasy Library - M) just for the sake of similarity. In another snarky comment, the author of "George R.R. Martin and the Rise of Fantasy" claims A Dance with Dragons
has 9,574,622,012 pages.
Mostly the piece devolves into a panegyric which doesn't contain much new for fans of the series. Honestly, Martin could use this as publicity, as if he needs any more of that.
Mildly irritating in this piece is the idea that the public equates fantasy novels for adults with Dungeons and Dragons. (You know, in the one and only paragraph that isn't a paean to Martin. And now I've used two word in this entry that I've never actually said in real life -- "panegyric" and "paean.") I was really wanting to think that the author was going to contradict this point of view, and maybe that was the intention with the in-depth discussion of George R.R. Martin's work, but honestly, I'm a bit tired of hearing about A Song of Ice and Fire in the mainstream media. I've read the books, I like them, but there's a lot of other great fantasy fiction out there that also deserves some attention.
I may have had an additional point but just got distracted by one of my cats standing on the narrow end of a cinder block turning around in circles and biting the heck out of her own tail. Anyway, bottom line is I'm pleased with all the attention the genre is getting in the mainstream media but I'd like to see some other authors getting attention, as well.
But the first story linked to is the one I was planning to write about here. I actually laughed at one parenthetical remark ("even if you admire these books, as I do, it’s hard to argue that Martin has A Knack for Titles") and had to send the story on to my boyfriend, because we've spent some time discussing titles. Personally, I think it's artificial and silly to make titles that have some similarity to them (Juliet E. McKenna is, unfortunately, horrible in this regard, see My Fantasy Library - M) just for the sake of similarity. In another snarky comment, the author of "George R.R. Martin and the Rise of Fantasy" claims A Dance with Dragons
has 9,574,622,012 pages.Mostly the piece devolves into a panegyric which doesn't contain much new for fans of the series. Honestly, Martin could use this as publicity, as if he needs any more of that.
Mildly irritating in this piece is the idea that the public equates fantasy novels for adults with Dungeons and Dragons. (You know, in the one and only paragraph that isn't a paean to Martin. And now I've used two word in this entry that I've never actually said in real life -- "panegyric" and "paean.") I was really wanting to think that the author was going to contradict this point of view, and maybe that was the intention with the in-depth discussion of George R.R. Martin's work, but honestly, I'm a bit tired of hearing about A Song of Ice and Fire in the mainstream media. I've read the books, I like them, but there's a lot of other great fantasy fiction out there that also deserves some attention.
I may have had an additional point but just got distracted by one of my cats standing on the narrow end of a cinder block turning around in circles and biting the heck out of her own tail. Anyway, bottom line is I'm pleased with all the attention the genre is getting in the mainstream media but I'd like to see some other authors getting attention, as well.
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
My Fantasy Library - Q,R
We're getting close to the end of these posts. (I don't actually know of any fantasy authors whose last names start with Q.) Although I could, technically, continue them indefinitely, as I add volumes to my library. I've already got an "addendum" list started, for letters already posted.
Side note: J.K. Rowling isn't listed here. But yes, I have all the Harry Potter books. It just didn't seem legitimate to include them here, because I notice these lists get hits on Google.
Melanie Rawn (and Jennifer Roberson and Kate Elliott)
Robert V.S. Redick
Chris Roberson
Jennifer Roberson
Patrick Rothfuss
Sean Russell
My "R" section is a lot stronger than my "G" section that's for sure. Most of these are pretty good (I've actually managed to read them all, for once).
Side note: J.K. Rowling isn't listed here. But yes, I have all the Harry Potter books. It just didn't seem legitimate to include them here, because I notice these lists get hits on Google.
Melanie Rawn (and Jennifer Roberson and Kate Elliott)
Robert V.S. Redick
Chris Roberson
Jennifer Roberson
Patrick Rothfuss
- The Name of the Wind (Kingkiller Chronicles, Day 1)
- The Wise Man's Fear (Kingkiller Chronicles, Day 2)
Sean Russell
My "R" section is a lot stronger than my "G" section that's for sure. Most of these are pretty good (I've actually managed to read them all, for once).
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