Shadowscribe: An Interview With Paul S. Kemp
tags:
Fantasy
As promised, here is my interview with New York Times Bestselling author Paul S. Kemp. He was a really nice guy (funny too) and I hope that if you enjoy the interview, you will go out and buy Paul's well-wrought books, if you haven't done…
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1 commentKingmaker, Kingbreaker: An Interview with Karen Miller
tags:
Fantasy
Karen Miller, author of two of Orbit's US releases, The Innocent Mage and The Awakened Mage graciously agreed to an interview with me. This duology is not your standard fantasy, and its subtlety in being original and its daring in dealing with real, human drama…
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leave a comment Book Review: The Prestige
tags:
Fantasy, Science Fiction, World Fantasy Award Winner
Part Fantasy. Part Science Fiction. Part History. Part Memoir. Part Horror. Part Mystery. And the list goes on. The Prestige, by Christopher Priest, belongs in all of these genres, and yet it really belongs in none of them. Winner of the World Fantasy Award, The Prestige is a complex and convoluted fantasy novel that is truly innovative.
A part of the urban fantasy subgenre of contemporary fantasy, The Prestige, tells the story of two illusionists of the early 1900s. For various reasons, these two magicians, of wholly different characters, have fallen into a feud, each trying to outdo the other on stage and in their personal lives. Alfred Borden is a magician of the old style, naturally gifted in magic, a stage magician who despises those who use magic tricks to pretend to real magical ability. Rupert Angier is a magician down on his luck that turns to pretending to be a spiritualist to make ends meet (although eventually he does make it to the stage). It is from this their feud stems, but it eventually goes way beyond that.
Each story is told in the first person. It is here that the element of memoir comes in, as Borden and Angier each relates his story either as a memoir or diary, respectively. Borden’s story comes first, and it is from him that we get the shell of the story. Angier’s diary follows and it is from him that the questions raised in Borden’s memoir are answered, including the strange use of the pronoun “I”. Overarching this story is another frame, which involves two great-grandchildren of these men, whose lives were profoundly changed by Angier’s greatest illusion.
The story is complex and convoluted, although similar to the popular movie The Illusionist, it is in no real way comparable other than in their settings, and the main characters profession. Where The Illusionist is a love story, The Prestige is a fantasy, even a suspense novel. (In part these are comparable because The Prestige has also been made into a movie, which this reviewer has not seen.) The novel’s best comparison would be to the popular science fiction stories if the 1930’s and 1940’s, wherein a scientist discovers time travel or some new scientific device.
The book does not end as I would have liked. The story leading up to the climax is interesting and fascinating, the ongoing feud builds in interesting and creative ways, and the answers to THE NEW TRANSPORTED MAN (Borden’s trick) and IN A FLASH (Angier’s trick) are cleverly revealed. However, the overarching story of the descendents seems disconnected except superficially, and its climax is both anticlimactic and horrifying, making its tone seem out of place with the rest of the novel, which is more sedate and has more of a mystery or suspense feel to it, than horror. But then, mystery and horror are closely connected, as the genre of mystery was created by one of the best horror writers ever, Edgar Allen Poe. And a comparison between this book and the Tell-Tale Heart, would not be far astray.
I recommend this book be read by those who like Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norell by Susanna Clarke. The history filled with magic plot line will appeal to Clarke’s readers. I recommend that those who like reading the old pulp magazines give The Prestige a shot also. If you like a good mystery and don’t mind a sort of incomplete ending you might like this book as well. I enjoyed it, although I was disappointed in the ending, but then, I like my books to feel like the story is complete, and this one will leave you wondering.
Electricity and Nikola Tesla are also important parts of the story, but if I tell you why, it would ruin the whole effect. See for yourself if you want to know.
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Book Review: Unclean
tags:
Fantasy, Forgotten Realms, Shared World Fiction
What happens when a young bard returns home to find the lover he left gone? What would you do if you saw your entire regiment slaughtered by the undead? If an undead lich made a grab for control of your country, even if that country is the notoriously self-serving Thay?
It is these questions that Richard Lee Byers’ new Forgotten Realms book, Unclean: The Haunted Lands Book 1, attempts to answer. Byers continues to show his writing prowess in the shared world arena, by tackling a difficult topic in the Forgotten Realms world, the undead. Traditionally seen as evil through and through, represented usually as vampires or zombies, skeletons, ghosts and ghouls, Byers has developed the character of these, added to their ranks new creatures and moved beyond the hack/slash utility of the traditional monsters.
The story follows two characters. Braeris is a bard of Thay, just returned from making his fortune, only to find his true love has sold herself as a slave to pay her father’s debts. Aoth is a griffon rider with magical ability serving in the army of one of the tharchions of Thay. He is the sole survivor of the first attack of the army of undead that appears out of the Sunrise Mountains. The story moves between these two characters as they pursue separate quests that will eventually lead them to each other. Braeris seeks his lost love, whose haunting words can be found on the blurb on the back cover, and Aoth seeks to serve his tharchion (a selfish and stupid person) while also attempting to destroy the army of undead. Meanwhile, Szass Tam, lich and zulkir of Thay, seeks to use the events to his own advantage.
The story is an excellent sword and sorcery romp. Byers is one of the better authors in the Forgotten Realms and his experience in writing horror fiction for other publishers serves him well here. Who better to delve into the intricacies of the minds of the undead than a horror writer? The plot is fast-paced and rarely sits still. There is an excellent build-up of events that lead to a climax that, while expected, doesn’t fail to excite. This is the first book in a trilogy so the ending, while good, doesn’t complete the story, and the reader will anticipate the future books eagerly.
Byers does have one major flaw in his writing. He lacks the ability to make the love story subplots truly empathetic. What I mean is the love plots in the book that concern both Braeris and Aoth seem tacked on. Although the love interests do play important roles in the story, especially for Braeris, the reader will find himself unable to truly feel that the character finds it important. While it might move the plot along for a time, the love stories simply lack any real emotion, and at least one of the characters about face in emotion seems a little unreal, although perhaps explicable in context (which I won’t give here for fear of ruining the plot.)
Ultimately, if you are a Forgotten Realms fan, you will enjoy this book. If you are a fan of the recent trend in vampire and undead novels in the fantasy mainstream, you will enjoy the book. If you are looking for a quick sword and sorcery romp for a little escapism, this would be a good book for you. If you are looking for any depth, shy away from this one. But hey, who doesn’t need a good sword and sorcery romp now and again? I know I do, and this is a good place for it.
For an interview with Richard Byers about the book and shared world fiction, click here.
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I’m published again!
tags:
Fantasy, Publishing, Science Fiction
After I wrote this post yesterday, my copy of the latest Black Gate Magazine came in the mail and guess who’s letter to the editor was published? That’s right, little old me. In Issue 9, a reader of the magazine (Lawrence Ore), and a Christian,…
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Book Review: Legend
tags:
Fantasy
Genre: Epic Fantasy
Author: David Gemmell
Pub. Date: November 1994
Series: Drenai Series
Format: Mass Market Paperback, 362pp
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
It is said that good authors only become great authors after they die. Whether or not this is true, I do know that I was fortunate enough to stumble upon a great fantasy author only after his death. David Gemmell had been writing since I was four, and yet for all my broad spectrum reading of fantasy and sci-fi, I had never come across him. Perhaps he hadn’t made it across the pond from Britain, or the library didn’t carry it, but for some reason I never was introduced to Gemmell’s masterpiece Legend.
Legend is about how legends are made. It describes how the real becomes mythical and the mundane extraordinary. It is a tale of motivations and mistakes, triumph and loss. Legend relates the story of Dros Delnoch, a castle fortress. The fortress has become grossly undermanned and the northern hordes are soon to lie right on its doorstep. The men who are stationed there are framers and tradesmen, not soldiers, and discipline is non-existent.
This news reaches several, and Druss, Rek, Virae, and the Thirty led by Serbitar step into the breach and lead. Druss is an old man, a legend for battles fought fifteen years ago against impossible odds. He seeks to conquer death, not by avoiding it, but by not allowing it to rule him. Rek is rogue and a coward, man born to leadership although he knows it not. Virae is a warrior woman who seeks only love and to be loved. Serbitar the albino lead the priesthood of the thirty, who, with their gift of foresight see their deaths at Dros Delnoch.
The novel is an epic in all its scope. Gemmell has a gift for making heroes out of mundane people and the subplots, characterization, and short vignettes of characters unrelated to the main story all show this. Heroism, in Legend, takes many forms, is seen in many people. Even the evil conqueror bent on taking Dros Delnoch is a hero not only to his own people, but to the people of Dros Delnoch as well. They see his vision for a new empire to replace their own failing one, and see glimpses the glories of their own past.
This was Gemmell’s first book, and although well written, does suffer some of the typical first books problems. While the characters are well rounded, at times some of their motivations may seem arbitrary (such as when Rek and Virae marry, it assumes that love at first sight is a truism) but these are easily put aside as the story grows.
Some elements are predictable fantasy fare. When the Rek conquers the Sathuli and they later return to help even though great enmity exists between the two races of Drenai and Sathuli, this has been done before. But other elements are wholly new. A poor leader being remade into a great one is not typical. The heroes do not replace the original leader, but rather bolster him and allow him to do what he does best, thereby turning a weak man into a hero as well. The heroes’ know their limitations and do not attempt to transgress them. The priesthood of the thirty is also an interesting concept, which only a reading of the book can really explain. Besides, why give the entire book away?
I highly recommend this book. The first few chapters are not slow, but are not really connected with the story. You’ll need to get through three or four chapters of interesting material before the real thrust of the story is apparent. It’s all worth it though. You will like this book. Unfortunately, Gemmell’s lexicon is complete since his death last year, but I will eagerly anticpate my next opportunity to purchase the next in the Drenai Tales.
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Book Review: Midshipwizard Halcyon Blithe
tags:
Fantasy
Genre: Epic Fantasy
Author: James M. Ward
Pub. Date: October 2006
Format: Mass Market Paperback, 288pp
Publisher: Tor Books
This book was just plain fun. I first encountered James Ward when he wrote the bestselling Pools books for the Forgotten Realms shared world. When I came across his stand alone novel in Barnes and Noble the other day, I just had to pick it up. I didn’t regret the decision.
The story is about young Midshipwizard Halcyon Blithe, a sixteen year old boy, late to his magical powers, who must learn to serve his country on a dragonship of the line. Much of the story is reminiscent of the Horatio Hornblower stories by C.S. Forester. This first book of a series (the second book is already available in hardback, and is called Dragonfrigate Wizard Halcyon Blithe) is taken up with the training and growth of the young midshipwizard. He learns fencing, the fine art of sailing, and magic at sea, all the while developing a sense of honor and truth that is a good example to his shipmates.
The novel shows Ward’s in-depth knowledge of seamanship, fencing, and fantasy. While the majority of the book is spent in world-building and character development, the reader won’t feel that it is oppressive or in any way slows the book’s pacing. The story is vibrant and exciting. It would make an excellent young adult novel as well as being appealing to adults.
One thing I enjoyed a great deal was the concept of the dragonship. The ship was constructed using a live dragon! The ship lives and breathes and speaks to a very few of the wizards on board. Such a concept is so interesting in and of itself.
Ward also takes old sea chanteys and twists them to fit his world. I recognized the use of one of my favorite Irish-Celtic songs, “The Bonnie Ship the Diamond”. Such a use might seem lazy to the reader, but Ward does a good job maintaining the cant and style of the original tune so that a reader familiar with it will hear the tune in his head and enjoy it all the more.
Readers of seafaring novels will see a profusion of common seafaring names. Jason Argo is perhaps the most obvious. This book will appeal to anyone who enjoyed Pirates of the Caribbean for its seafaring and magical elements.
Ward does rely heavily on Blithe’s sea chest to get him out of tight spots, and at times some paragraphs can feel unconnected to the preceding one. The story has the pace and feel of a Hornblower novel, so it will not appeal to those looking for epic sea battles between ships, or a book where the main character is required to save an entire world from destruction. Coming from his Forgotten Realms beginning, Ward has written a novel that shows us a character, the world in which he lives, and what little he can do to better (or save) the lives of those around him.
Conceptually, there are no books like it out there. It has a smattering of Patrick O’Brien, a dollop of Forester’s Hornblower, and a good helping of fantasy elements to make a delightful read.
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Book Review: The Magic of Recluce
tags:
Fantasy
Genre: Epic Fantasy
Author: L.E. Modesitt, Jr.
Pub. Date: May 1992 REISSUE
Series: Recluce Series, #1
Format: Mass Market Paperback, 512pp
Publisher: Tor Books
The Magic of Recluce is a work that has an appreciative and wide audience. I wonder why. There is little to recommend the book. The story is slow and wandering, the sentences choppy and stilted, words are used as synonyms or antonyms which no thesaurus would recognize, and battle scenes rely entirely on onomatopoeia and lacks any description, save only the end result. L.E. Modesitt presents to his readers a mediocre work, with little style or characterization.
The story itself is slow moving, heavily reliant on the word “boring” to describe the feelings of the main character, and it seems purposeless for almost two hundred pages. It tells the story of a young man from the island nation of Recluce, doomed to provide service to the nation by undertaking dangergeld (sort of an epic quest in service to the nation, and done completely on one’s own) in a foreign land ruled not by order, a Recluce is, but by chaos. While the magic system that Modesitt presents is intriguing as it seeks to find the balance between order and chaos, many of the abilities of the magicians do not seem to truly relate to whether they have chosen order or chaos. (This is rectified at the end of the book but it takes 450 pages to get there.)
The main character (whose name is used so little that it is difficult for the reader even to remember) finds himself becoming a magician of the order stripe. Yet while his character does grow and change over time and pages, his abilities just seem to appear at need and are never fully discussed or explained.
The greatest loss to the book is Modesitt’s inability or unwillingness to bother to write fight scenes. The fights always take place in a hail of words like “Clank, Aieee, Whoosh, etc.” and other such sound words. In fact, it seems that Modesitt can’t go more then two pages without the use of such words. He constantly has the main character’s horse make the sound “Wheeeee” for a whinny. The entire lack of fight scene description slows down the book and makes its length go from reasonable to intolerable. The overuse of onomatopoeia is unnecessary and excessive throughout the book.
The work is lackluster at best, dull at worst. No reader should subject himself to such torture, for all that Robert Jordan (a Tor author himself, so he has a vested interest in seeing other Tor authors do well) recommends it. Stay away from The Magic of Recluce if you enjoy epic fantasy, and only read it if you don’t mind subjecting yourself to a slow moving plot, lackluster characterization, and boring writing.
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Dragon Champion
tags:
Fantasy
Author: E. E. Knight (also author of the Vampire Earth saga)
Pub. Date: December 2005
Series: Age of Fire Series, #1
Format: Trade Paperback, 384pp
Publisher: ROC Trade
E. E. Knight has written an Eragon – esque novel that far surpasses that over lauded work. A story about dragons, Dragon Champion takes an unusual tact in writing a character driven plot line from the point of view of the dragon.
The story is about a young, rare, gray dragon named Auron, separated from his parents, who is then captured. Through ingenuity and the kindness of a stranger, he is freed only to find that both his parents are dead and the other races of the world are seeking his destruction, especially the race of man.
Auron learns of dragon who knows the weakness of his race, a weakness that is slowly destroying them. He resolves to seek the dragon out and learn how he may find proof against his own destruction.
As a character driven plot, the entirety of the story is told from the perspective of Auron and his trials, tribulations, and strength of character move the story along. Auron travels widely about the inland sea and beyond overcoming many dangers.
The story compares with Eragon in that it is about character change, dragons, and travels. But there the comparison ends. Dragon Champion is a novel that does not fall into that well overdone plot line, but instead moves forward into its very own. Although some elements remain the same, E. E. Knight has done an excellent job in reviving and adding to a tired plot.
The novel does fail in some respects, particularly of an editorial variety. The editors have failed the author greatly and there are many grammatical and spelling mistakes. Know instead of no, using which instead of that, and other simple grammatical mistakes easily rectified with but a little more attention.
The plot does meander, and while better than others of its ilk, it still fails in some respects. A reader will wonder, at about the midpoint of the book, where Knight is going with the plot. That does not mean that action is lacking, only that a reader will be unsure what the point or goal of Auron’s life is. Knight seems to find the ultimate goal of the story in the final quarter of the book. Still, it does come full circle from the beginning, and has few plot holes in the process. One hole in particular that was constantly perplexing was the re-growth of Auron’s tail after it is cut off. It is gone, but then re-grows, and then the next chapter is gone again, with no explanation given.
Knight also lacks some ability in setting description. While his world is semi-complete, there are times where the reader will be unable to tell his right hand from his left, not Auron’s north to south.
But for all its faults, Dragon Champion is a novel that takes a different tact from others of its type is innovative in its plot twists, and takes the underdog gray dragon from the depths of loss to the height of success. It is fascinating to watch the plot develop, and the reader will not be disappointed, should he take this book up, whether on a whim or a dare.
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Review: “The Lies of Locke Lamora” by Scott Lynch
“The Lies of Locke Lamora” has received more than its fair share of attention this past year, first with a number of raving and positive reviews, along with favourable blurbs by the likes of George R. R. Martin. As a result of this it was…
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Dying of the Light
tags:
Fantasy, Science Fiction
Author: George R. R. Martin
Genre: Science Fiction
Pub. Date: September 2004
Format: Paperback, 254pp
Publisher: Bantam Books
If an old flame (who, you believe, no longer has any interest in you) were to send a request for help, and you would have to travel three months through the deepest and remotest regions of space to a desolate world very near its death, would you go? Dirk t’Larien would. It is this premise that drives George R. R. Martin’s novel, Dying of the Light.
Famous for his Song of Ice and Fire Cycle, Martin is known for his ability to write detailed characters and setting, and the intricate weaves of his plots. Although considerably slimmer in its 224 pages than the Song of Ice and Fire with its (currently) four volumes, none of what makes George R. R. Martin notable is lost.
Dying of the Light tells the story of a man caught in a love triangle. Dirk returns to an old girlfriend (Gwen Delvano) to learn that she is married to another man. Her request for help seems odd to Dirk, but nonetheless his old loyalty and love drive him to assist her. But there is a peculiar twist (this kind of thing is what shows Martin’s genius), Gwen has married outside her own culture into one whose marriage habits and cultural beliefs are greatly out of sync with those of other planets. Her relationship to her husband is more of master and slave than lovers. Her husband also has a male partner, called a teyn, who is part and parcel of this family. In fact, the men’s bond is even stronger than Gwen’s with her husband. It is from this anti-female culture that Dirk must save Gwen.
Martin weaves amazing cultures in his writing. With pen to paper, he generates complete cultures that are both comprehensive and consistent. This fact is often blamed for his slow writing and lack of a great number of works, but then it is also what makes them worth reading.
Dying of the Light seeks to tell an interesting and active story, while also doing comprehensive world-building. Worlorn is a fragile place where cultures clash and things are not always as they seem.
There is nothing quite like this story out there. I fell into the story and became Dirk t’Larien. His story was my story and his fears hopes and dreams my own, for the brief space of time I spent on Worlorn.
The book is an enjoyable science fiction read. The characters are interesting, the plot twisted enough to keep a reader from desiring to put it down, and the setting is magnificently wrought. I highly recommend this book as an excellent read that is challenging, romantic, and fun.
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This is not a manifesto
tags:
fantasy, manifesto, occult, punk, urban
A manifesto is about being disgruntled. About being unhappy with the state of things as they are. Manifestos are about angst, about changing the status quo into some better thing through revolution. It is about replacement, about change. This is not a manifesto. A manifesto…
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Magician
tags:
Fantasy
Title: Magician: Apprentice
Author: Raymond E. Feist
Genre: Epic Fantasy
Pub. Date: October 1993
Series: Riftwar Series, #1
Format: Mass Market Paperback, 485pp
Publisher: Bantam Books
I have returned to Midkemia. After a hiatus of 10 years, I have begun rereading the books of Raymond E. Feist. The world of Midkemia is so unlike any other in the epic fantasy genre. A blend of science fiction and fantasy it is the story of a war between disparate worlds separated by space and time. This is unlike any other fantasy I have read.
I am finished reading Magician: Apprentice two weeks ago, and am in the middle of Magician: Master right now. The story of the Riftwar, where two worlds battle for supremacy of Midkemia and control of its metals is elegantly written and adventurously plotted. Feist has created two worlds, Midkemia and Kelewan. Kelewan is a metal poor planet, but rich in knowledge of magic. Midkemia has metal, but has lost much of its magical knowledge. Kelewan, led by the Empire of the Tsuranni, has used its knowledge of the rifts, to open a portal into Midkemia. Entering uninvited, the Tsuranni seek to dominate the Kingdom, its counterpart on Midkemia.
In the midst of all this is Pug, a young man strong in magic, but not in the traditional Midkemian way. His story drives the plot line and allows us to glimpse the history of the two worlds and hints at the ancient enemies of both. The Enemy and the Valheru both a have a role to play that has not been revealed as yet.
But Pug is not alone, and his friends Prince Arutha, Martin Longbow, Tomas, Dolgan the Dwarf, and Queen Aglaranna of the Elves, also must battle the Tsuranni invasion.
Feist has worked hard to keep the two worlds disparate. Kelewan is reminiscent of the ancient Asian empires of our history and Midkemia has a close parallel in the medieval culture of Europe. The cultures that Feist creates are extremely different, and his gift lies in making both truly believable to the reader. Each has its strengths and its weaknesses, and both are shown clearly. Even within the cultures, the people do not think as one mind, and the political intrigue on both sides of the Rift threatens both nations.
These works are stunning in scope, original in content, and fast paced in plotting. There is never a dull moment and the characters have a depth that makes them near and dear to the reader. It is a vibrant epic and I look forward to reading the other books in the series, both those I have read before, and those that have come out in the 10 years of my hiatus.
Title: Magician: Master
Author: Raymond E. Feist
Genre: Epic Fantasy
Pub. Date: January 1994
Series: Riftwar Series, #2
Format: Mass Market Paperback, 499pp
Publisher: Bantam Books
I rank Feist as a grand master of fantasy, and would put is epic into the same category as Robert Jordan, Terry Goodkind, or David Eddings for its level of pure enjoyment. Read it, you won’t regret it.
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