Vagabond Voice

I've Been Appendixed

2011-10-12T23:23:00.002-06:00

I just showed up on a podcast called The Appendix. Check it out if you dare: http://www.appendixpodcast.com/

We talk about my trip to Worldcon and about speculative fantasy. Plus, we recorded this on Rob Wells's book launch party day, so go check out his national debut: Variant. He couldn't be there for the podcast, because he is now famous and happy.

The Appendix crew includes Sarah Eden and Marion Jensen--two of my favorite people--and so it was a blast. Sarah Eden writes excellent Regency romance novels and Marion writes superhero, go-West dystopia, and comedic books (thus far, but nothing is stopping him from writing swashbuckling pirate adventures . . . wink, wink).

Under Heaven

2011-10-04T05:32:00.000-06:00

I started listening to Guy Gavriel Kay's Under Heaven audiobook, and I'm liking it so far. It's read by Simon Vance, one of my favorite audiobook narrators (since the Temeraire series, among many others). It's set in a similar time and place as Lian Hearn's Tales of the Otori series (medieval Japan/China or a place like it but not it). The mourning second son of a late general is living up near a mountain pass where great battles have been fought and is burying the dead as a way of mourning his father and, well, finding himself. One day a messenger brings word that he is being gifted 250 "Heavenly Horses"--a rare gift from a king. However, this gift will be the envy of all, and he must immediately determine how he can keep his gift and his life.

I'm excited to see where it goes, and it seems to be the breath-of-fresh-air read I've been looking for.

New read for the weekend

2011-10-03T05:27:00.000-06:00

Started reading this book last night: Dhampir, by Barb and J. C. Hendee, the first in the Noble Dead series (now many books into the series: 8 or 9?). I've heard lots of good things about this series and am getting on the train a little late; but better late than never. It gets off to a great start and feels very much like a Van Helsing story: a vampire huntress comes to town, receiving a fat fee from the villagers if she puts down a roaming vampire. Looking forward to how it turns out. Plus, there's a wolf on the cover and a guy with a mullet. Good indications, right?

Orbital Drop

2011-09-30T04:30:00.000-06:00

So one of the highlights at the Worldcon in Reno last month was meeting the Orbit Publishing team. While listening to their presentation, I could tell that they're delving into ebooks and ebook marketing in a new and refreshing way. One of the features I especially liked is the program they have called the Orbital Drop, in which each month they give away certain ebooks for $3.00 a pop in any format you want. It's one of my new favorite places to get ebooks. Check it out: http://www.orbitebooks.com/

Nibbling the Apocalypse

2011-09-29T05:40:00.000-06:00

I've been nibbling on this book for about a year. It enticed me to pick it up off the shelf because it had one of my favorite Science Fiction and Fantasy magazine stories in it: a story written in only a handful of sentences, told through parenthetical info in between the "main" sentences of the story. And I've been reading stories from it since. It's the book I go to in my library when I have a few minutes in between work and other such distractions.

For those of you who enjoy a touch of postapocalyptic realism to help you appreciate what you have, this is quite a good read.

Dark Jenny, by Alex Bledsoe

2011-09-28T09:05:00.001-06:00

So I've always liked Alex Bledsoe's Eddie LaCrosse series: essentially gumshoe detective meets epic fantasy. The humor is very tongue in cheek, and Bledsoe always plays with cliches and tropes in fantasy. Dark Jenny is no different. The thing that is noticeably different, though, is the new cover style: no illustrated fantasy art, now replaced with models in a similar fashion to what urban fantasy has been doing for a while (and which perhaps they're going for: the mystery noir look). I thought about buying this in e-book but finally decided to get the print edition, since I do really admire the cover, the lighting, the shadowed colors . . .

The story is told by Eddie to a group of his friends in a tavern, sparked by the arrival of a mysterious coffin with unknown contents. Eddie talks about a time when he was younger, when he had taken a "spy-on-the-cheating-husband" PI job on Grand Bruan, and island kingdom ruled by the famous, Arthurian King Marcus Drake. And sure enough, that's exactly what the story becomes: a realism-based retelling of the Arthurian tale, including all the elements of the original adventure epic: a mentoring wizard, a sword pulled out of a tree, a morally suspect queen, a Lancelot archetype, and the enemy that tries to undermine the "Camelot" and all it supposedly stands for.

And in this story, there's something rotten in Camelot. And it's no bright and shiny tale. It's, well, dark.

The third book in the Eddie LaCrosse series, Dark Jenny is much more like George R. R. Martin, with gritty and merciless things happening to many or most of the characters; no one is spared heartache or even their own level of "gray" morality, and you come out of it wondering where Camelot can exist . . . if it is ever something we can truly attain in a story or life.

2011-09-22T09:02:00.001-06:00

Just ordered Patricia Wrede's A Matter of Magic. Looks fantastic--isn't that cover just something else? Also, I like the idea of omnibuses, and this happens to have two books in one. Looking forward to reading it as soon as I finish Alex Bledsoe's latest: Dark Jenny. If you haven't read Alex, he's taken on new territory with his three epic-fantasy-meets-gumshoe-detective novels, starring the famous (often infamous) Eddie Lacrosse, swashbuckling detective extraordinaire. Also looking forward to trying a newly gifted Warhammer book.

Will Be Missing Brian Jacques

2011-02-10T13:01:00.000-07:00

Sadly, this past weekend brought with it the passing of one of my all-time favorite authors. Not only was Brian Jacques the amazing author of the Redwall series, which I ate up as a fourth-grade student, but he was also the inspiration and spark that contributed to a pursuit of literature and the arts and eventually my profession in publishing.

I owe this man a debt of gratitude and a bon voyage. May you have many grand journeys ahead, you creator of worlds.

Two of My Favorite Epics

2011-02-04T07:40:00.001-07:00

So in follow-up to my post two weeks ago on the Inker Blog, I've been thinking about all of the epics I've read in the past and what would be one of my all-time favorites. Finally I decided that there's really two that deserve that honor. It's a tie: Lian Hearn's Tales of the Otori series and Garth Nix's Abhorsen series. Very different concepts, one is a fantasy set in an Asian-like realm (leaning toward Japanese heavily), and the other is about a heroic necromancer who must keep the minions of the dead in the underworld in a divided world not unlike in Neil Gaiman's Stardust: cross "the Wall" and you're not in England anymore.

ANWA 2011 Writers Conference

2010-12-03T11:30:00.001-07:00

I'll be participating in the 2011 ANWA (American Night Writers Association) Conference coming up in February and wanted to share the details for anyone who's interested. There are some great people presenting this year, including one of my favorites--Janette Rallison. The conference is based in Phoenix, perfect for those who are looking for warmer weather in February.

"Writing at the Speed of Life" 19th Annual ANWA Writers Conference February 25 & 26, 2011.

Website http://anwa-lds.com/
ANWA - American Night Writers Association was established 1986.

Join us in beautiful Crowne Plaza Hotel near the airport in Phoenix, Arizona for two days packed full of workshops, classes and pitch sessions. For sure a writers dream. Rub shoulders with authors, agents, editors and publishers. See website for full schedule.

Program Focus: Autobiography/Memoir, Children's, Middle Grade, YA, Fiction, Non-fiction, Journalism, Marketing, Mystery, Playwriting, Publishing, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Screenwriting, Humor, Query Letters, Dialog,

Faculty: Kelly Sonnack-agent, Kelly Gottuso Mortimer-agent, Kirk Shaw-editor, Cecily Markland-small publishing company owner, author and newspaper editor, Pinna Joseph-book store manager, Authors: Chris Stewart, Janette Rallison, Laurie Schnebly Campbell, Elana Johnson, Angela Morrison, Conrad J. Storad, Chava Cannon-Music Writer

Cost:
ANWA Members: Full Two-Day Conference $100, One-Day Friday Workshops $30, One-Day Saturday Workshops-$80

General Public: Full Two-Day Conference $115, One-Day Friday Workshops $40, One-Day Saturday Workshop $90

*See Website for details http://anwa-lds.com/conference.html

Tower of Midnight Book Trailer

2010-10-08T02:14:00.001-06:00

So most of us are looking forward to the second to last installment of the Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson: Towers of Midnight, which comes out November 2.

A quick aside. I have some some really horrific (and not in the Nightmare on Elm Street sense) book trailers out there. Ones that make me wish YouTube had never lured authors to the idea of book trailers in the first place. At work we've talked often about whether book trailers help authors promote their books, and I would wager that a bad or mediocre trailer would hurt more than help. And I'm just not seeing many great book trailers.

And that's where I get back to Towers of Midnight. Here is a phenomenal book trailer that (1) hooks the targeted audience (me and other Jordan/Sanderson fans), (2) is SIMPLE and elegant, (3) doesn't use phony gimmicks or stunts, and (4) uses the most captivating teaser text they could possibly pull from the book: the note from Morraine to Thom Merrilin. So check it out. Book trailers' benchmark:

Larry Correia: writing action scenes

2010-10-01T00:51:00.001-06:00

Larry Correia: Writing Action Scenes
From Book Academy Conference at UVU
My notes

Larry has written Monster Hunters International and this week has released its sequel: Monster Hunter Vendetta.
Larrycorreia.wordpress.com

Find the highlights of an action scene and focus on those, not on every play.
Cut the stuff that readers get bored by. Have writers group say what parts are boring
Avoid the "checklist" . . . Achieve the feel of chaos and anarchy in action, less linear
Leave readers breathless
Know what you're talking about, don't fudge on important details and do your research
Don't think of action sequences as separate from the plot . . . Action should forward plot
Character growth and change should happen in action scenes
Resolve some plot points in action scenes
Flavor the action scenes differently based on who the POV character
A hardened character will show less emotion and more jaded callousness
Work with real biology in characters receiving damage, not "the hit point system"
Keep injuries and expectations plausible with injuries
Don't use "write what you know" as an excuse not to write about interesting things
Most of us haven't fought battles in armor, staked a vampire, killed dragons
Read and study action sequences in books you like
Use a training montage to have junior characters learning how to use magic, martial arts, guns, strategy, etc. See Jim Butcher or Mistborn with Vin
Don't use magic in action as a crutch or deus ex machina
Use microcosm, personal moments of action while also showing big picture action involving many characters or large scale
Action is about potential or kinetic energy or a combo of both
Sometimes you're ramping up action, sometimes you're breaking the tension.

How Jim Butcher Got Started

2010-06-04T11:08:00.001-06:00

Read this great little bit on Jim Butcher's website about he got started with his books and how he finally got that break every author works for:

Taken straight from Jim's mouth:

The story of Harry going to print isn't a terribly complicated one. I wrote my first book when I was 19.

It was horrible. Really bad.

I wrote another. And one after that. And then I took three novels worth of experience, and rewrote the first one!

And they were still terrible.

I wrote my fourth novel (or fifth, depending on how you look at it), breaking away from standard fantasy to write this paranormy X-files like thing.

A real stinker. Big time. But evidently THAT was when I had started putting together enough craft skills to overcome the lack of inborn talent.

I wrote the first Dresden book for a writing class. I wrote the second one for the next semester, then started on the third one. I submitted the manuscript for the first Dresden to several agents and editors and got rejected and/or ignored pretty much unilaterally. The rejections varied from standard form letters to actual letters that were vaguely encouraging as they crushed my hopes and dreams, to one downright insulting rejection.

That took about two years.

Anyway, after that, I started trying to make it out to conventions to actually meet the editors and agents I was trying to get in the door with. I actually had to slink past literal Klingon Convention Security to get into one limited-acess meet-the-editors coffee thing, because their sign-up process for it was totally unfair, so I decided that it was morally acceptable to go around it. I did get to meet a few people that way, and while it didn't pay off at the time, it is paying off now, as I try to get more things written and more projects going.

Anyway, after some of that, I decided to take the advice of a friend -- go out and track down the specific people I wanted to do business with. I decided who it needed to be based on a fairly simple premise. Laurell Hamilton was writing material a lot like mine. Ricia Mainhardt had liked Laurell's stuff enough to represent her. Maybe she would like my material too.

So I applied to Ricia's agency and got rejected.

Not to be deterred, I found out which convention she was going to be at, and went there with a fistful of questions from the LKH mailing list, using them to strike up a conversation with Laurell and Ricia. Laurell was really nice to me for no darned reason at all and asked me along when everyone went out for lunch. I met some other writers, a couple of editors and another agent over lunch. By the end of the day, Ricia had offered to represent my work, and another agent (Jennifer Jackson, in fact) had asked to take a look at some of my other work.

I got to have this conversation with Jennifer Jackson (my current agent after parting ways with Ricia) that day at the convention: Hey, why are you interested now? You just rejected me like two months ago?

"Well yeah," says Jennifer. "But that was before I met you."

Ricia read the first Dresden manuscript, thought it fine enough to send out, and had it sold to Jennifer Heddle at Roc about six months later. Reportedly, the esteemed Ms. Heddle was wavering until she heard that I had three books already finished, and then she was a lot more interested.

Bottom line, you have to put in a lot of work to get your writing quality up and running. And you have to keep on writing the whole while. Then you have to learn the market, both on the business end of things and on the reader end, so that you can put together a good picture of who you should go after. Building contacts at conventions and so on doesn't hurt.

But finally, I think, you have to have the attitude of a successful writer. Rejection shouldn't discourage you. It's just a part of the day, like a thunderstorm or a car horn. It happens, it isn't personal, and if you get stopped cold at one door, you might be warmly welcomed at another. Be polite, friendly, and well informed. Do your homework. Read agent and editor guidelines. Figure out who is producing stuff like yours, and go after those people. Tell them that you targeted them specifically, and tell them why. That kind of forethought is professional behavior, and it will impress them.

Breaking into print is an arduous and discouraging process for darn near everyone who makes it in. Sure, there's always someone out there who writes a novel and has it go ballistic their first time out, but there are people who win the lottery too.

Here's the secret of how to get published: keep going.

There is an enormous weedout factor for wannabe writers. The good news is that you aren't competing with every published schmoe out there. You're only up against the rest of the wannabes, and it's like the old axiom about being chased by a grizzly bear. You don't have to run faster than the bear to get away. You just have to run faster than the guy next to you.

Keep trying when the guy next to you quits in disgust. Keep writing when the girl next to you sobs and throws her manuscripts into the fire. Keep conducting yourself like a professional, and you'll get someone to believe that you are one.

If you're lucky, maybe even yourself.

Hiatus

2010-04-25T19:51:00.001-06:00

Well, after managing a Friday post every week for a good run of weeks now, I've hit one of the busiest points of my life right now and have decided it's a great time for a break. I'll be back for more posts here and there, but I won't be doing the regular weekly post. Please keep me on your blog reader in the meantime.

Kirk

Hood, by Stephen R. Lawhead

2010-04-16T00:07:00.000-06:00

I enjoyed this first installment of the King Raven trilogy retelling of the Robin Hood story.

Stephen Lawhead focuses a lot of his fiction on Celtic myth, and this Robin Hood version is no different. As Lawhead explains in the book, the Robin Hood myth was very widely used and interpreted in the British Isles--something of an Everyman myth. Lawhead decided to interpret Robin Hood as a deposed Welsh prince during the times of the Franks/Normans' recent conquest of England and the start of their conquest of Wales.

Lawhead is immaculate and detailed in his Welsh backdrop, making for the most convincing Robin Hood version I've ever read/seen. The details of language, lifestyle, castle construction/use, armory, agriculture, etc., enrich the story.

His characters are gray, and Robin Hood himself is frustrating at times, even a Nancy boy, until he comes into his own. Friar Tuck, Little John, and the capricious Marian are delightful characters, somewhat different in their usually perceived roles (as is well manifested by Marian especially).

The book is not a standalone, as it ends in preparation for book two, even though it does have a natural climax and preceding rising action.

Baron Neufmarsh is one of the more interesting gray characters, someone who seems traitor and friend to the protagonist at times. I'm riveted on what Lawhead will do with him in the two novels to come.

Hood is a pleasant read for those Anglophiles who enjoy British history with relish while also delving into the legends surrounding the Isles.

Hood, by Stephen R. Lawhead. 2006. Thomas Nelson. 512 pp. $7.99 (PB).

King Raven Series:

Hood
Scarlet
Tuck

Catching Fire, by Suzanne Collins

2010-04-09T00:00:00.002-06:00

Suzanne Collins's sequel to her popular Hunger Games was much different from what I expected--with a broader scope than what I figured would be a rinse-and-repeat sequel. Catching Fire has a great twist to it, where contestants go to the games in a way never done before in the annual tributes. I don't want to give away too much of the actual plot, since there's plenty of opportunity for spoilers, but I will say that Collins changes things just when we think the Capitol will dominate in dystopic tyranny forever.

Some of the highlights of the book are the minor characters who end up being major heroes: Cinna, the fashion designer who defies President Snow; the old man who makes the mockingjay call in District 11; "Nuts and Volts," two of the tributes in the games, and Johanna and Finnick; Gale; and Haymitch. It's one of the few books where the real heroes aren't necessarily the protagonist.

Suzanne Collins makes the story real--brings it home in a way that strikes fear into the hearts of freedom-loving readers. She shows just how far an autocratic government is willing to go to keep order.

Katniss's first-person present narrative continues to be enjoyable--nothing repetitive or stilted about it, as I've found some books to be in that style.

I recommend the book to those who liked the first one, but I have to give caveat of the horrific cliffhanger!

Catching Fire, by Suzanne Collins. Scholastic. 2009. 390 pp. $10.52 (HC).

Engaging the Enemy, by Elizabeth Moon

2010-04-02T00:15:00.002-06:00

Open war has seized the galaxy as an organized syndicate of pirates attacks and overwhelms a planetary system--proving that the Vatta family aren't the only targets in these aggressors' crosshairs.

Kylara Vatta and the two crews of the two Vatta ships she's managed to recapture must find allies in order to preserve their safety in this perilous time. With heavy resistance from potential ally and foe alike, will Kylara and her comrades be able to stop the threat in time?

Elizabeth Moon's third installment in the Vatta War series takes the series on the offensive, whereas up to this point the Vattas have been on the defensive, struggling to remain alive.

Additional crew members are added to the story, some gunners for the new Vatta warship, an executive officer to help Stella Vatta command the Gary Tobai, and a few others. Also, as Ky seeks out allies in forming a privateer coalition, we see some interesting characters thrown into the mix.

The pacing starts out a little slow, with Moon's typical day-to-day narrative: the Vattas getting supplies and new crew, disputing with local authorities about her newly acquired ship (see Marque and Reprisal, book 2, for details, since I don't want to spoil anything), etc. But these details have been one of the enjoyable aspects of Moon's writing. It's not always from one conflict to the next--there's actual life going on in her stories.

Around midpoint on, the momentum escalates toward a very satisfying, very harrowing ending--setting the stage for the rest of the series.

Aunt Grace has an important subplot in the novel, as she helps the few Vatta survivors back on Slotter Key. Assassins have been sent to finish the job they started, and she must draw on all her black ops training to keep her sister-in-law and niece and nephew safe from the destroyer. Also, she makes arrangements to take the trouble to those who had sold the Vattas to their enemies.

The story is an impressive addition to the series, and I'm looking forward to jumping into the next book, Command Decision.

Engaging the Enemy, by Elizabeth Moon. Del-Rey. 2006. 416 pp. $7.99 (PB).

Vatta War Series:

1. Trading in Danger
2. Marque and Reprisal
3. Engaging the Enemy
4. Command Decision
5. Victory Conditions

World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War, by Max Brooks

2010-03-26T00:07:00.001-06:00

I think zombie books are infecting the market because all of us are so bone-weary of war that we want an ultimate, total war that will end them all. And zombies can deliver that.

Max Brooks's World War Z first came up on my radar when I was listening to a very amusing interview between Neil Conan and the author on NPR's Talk of the Nation. This mock interview consisted of Mr. Conan asking Max Brooks what the status was on the front lines of the World War Z, as though it were a real news report and the zombies really were wreaking havoc on the world. The piece was intelligent, unique, and perfectly timed amid the rather dreary real-life news: economic doldrums and more deaths in the Coalition's ongoing struggle in Iraq and Afghanistan.

It's taken me a while to finally get around to it, and I'm pleased that it made it off the To Be Read list.

World War Z is refreshing in its narrative style. Max Brooks has traveled around the world just after the final cleanup from the great zombie war and is interviewing prominent and everyday participants in the war. The entire story is told by these interviewees. Max Brooks himself interjects follow-up questions to his interviewees occasionally, but the majority of the narrative is just the interviewees talking. The Chinese doctor who treated patient zero, the Israel Mossad agent who proposed a plan to his government that slowed the onslaught, the U.S. soldier who took part in the first major battle in New York, the young woman who's family fled north to the Canadian tundra to escape the zombies, the bodyguard who defended a multimillionaire estate for the owner and all his VIP celebrities until desperate people stormed its defenses . . . the list goes on.

Most of the interviews were interesting, each showing a new light on aspects of the war and how people changed because of it. One of my very favorite stories was of the relief pilot delivering supplies when her airplane malfunctioned and crashed. She was the only one of her crew who survived and she had to reach the safety of the freeway overpass, fighting her way through zombies and a broken ankle. There were a couple slow stories, one of them being the man put in charge of the wartime production in the retreat zone of the Western states. He talked about how he organized the retraining of CEOs and service provider professionals so they could put their energies into the war effort. That dragged on a bit.

Even with this interrupted narrative, Brooks still manages to tell an overarching story about the war. You see a beginning, middle, and end of the war, even though it is from such very disparate perspectives.

Brooks is very quick to give social commentary and satire. Some of the prominent commentary was his little joke about Paris Hilton--I was laughing on and off for an hour after reading that one--and how the U.S. military didn't have the recruiting manpower for the war because we'd exhausted our manpower and national will to conduct war in the drawn-out recent war. He's very nonspecific about Paris Hilton and the mentioned war, and is careful to do this with all his commentary on personalities and events prior to the World War Z.

World War Z is very poignant--probably the most meaningful zombie novel yet. The New York Times bestseller status for this book is well warranted. I'd recommend it to the same group who liked A Man and His Dog (I Am Legend) and who enjoy the concept of zombies and what they symbolize without all the excessive and meaningless gore often found in the genre, even though WWZ still has its share of zombie warfare violence.

World War Z, by Max Brooks. 2007. Crown Publishing Group. 342 pp. $10.17 (PB).

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, by Naughty Dog Studios

2010-03-19T00:15:00.004-06:00

Having won several Game of the Year awards for 2009, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is undoubtedly my favorite narrative-heavy game of last year. While it is loosely part of a series started with Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, Uncharted 2 is a stand-alone game that someone could dive into without having ever played through the first (although I recommend playing through both).

Cinematic Trailer:

Nathan Drake (descendant of the famous Elizabethan Drake) is a fortune hunter extraordinaire, always combing the world looking for ancient riches. In this episode, Nathan is approached by an old friend, Harry Flynn, and his lovely partner, Chloe Frazer, to help them with a heist in the heavily guarded Royal Museum in Turkey so they can get after a relic from one of Marco Polo's late 13th-century journeys. After Flynn double-crosses Drake at the museum, Drake gets put in a Turkish prison. His friend Victor "Sully" Sullivan and Chloe (who had become his lover since they'd first met months ago with Flynn's initial introduction) come months later to get him out of prison, and they team up to find out what Flynn has discovered about the Marco Polo treasure he and his employer seek. What follows is an amazing story that might possibly be the finest narrative video game every produced.

The first and foremost achievement of this game is the exquisite storytelling. The cinematic cutscenes and gameplay have very similar looks so that the shift between the two is natural and smoothly executed. Because of this, the story spans across the entire game, not just during the cutscenes, as with some games. Naughty Dog Studios used live actors for the motion capture, so all the body movements and talking and especially facial expressions are realistic to distraction. They took the time to painstakingly match the actors' voice acting to the lip movements with extreme attention to detail. Taking these perfectionist measures paid off in the long run, truly making the game feel like one epic, lengthy film. It's games like this one that exemplify why I enjoy the video game narrative so much. They are making video games the new novel or film--that next great thing that captures our imaginations and tells a story with real depth and vivacity.

The gameplay of hopping from train car to train car, defending yourself from gun-toting European war criminals, and (in the opening scene) climbing up a runaway train that is dangling precariously from a sheer cliff never gets old or repetitive. Naughty Dog has been careful to make every scene of the game new and interesting--never a rinse-and-repeat sort of experience. The controls are intuitive and lend themselves to the narrative nature of the game. The "sets" of each scene can be maneuvered through freestyle, where you can climb over a box, take cover beneath a window, etc., making it so you never feel like you're boxed in with only one path you can take.

Some fun surprises turn up in the narrative--old acquaintances from the first Uncharted--and there's plenty of romance in the game for those who like to mix their treasure hunting and gun-toting with a little bit of boy-meets-girl. The game also continues the treasure-hunting mini-game where the player can discover all sorts of "real" treasures throughout the scenes that become part of Drake's collection.

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is one of my favorite games ever, and I wish they had a blu-ray film edition I could recommend to all my friends who don't own a video game console.

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, by Naughty Dog Studio and Sony Studios. 2009. Playstation 3. $54.99 (Amazon).

The Gathering Storm, by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson

2010-03-12T00:07:00.001-07:00

Since Brandon Sanderson was announced as the successor of the Robert Jordan series Wheel of Time, I have been looking forward to this book, to see how well Sanderson wraps up the already long series (12 books with the latest installment). I am pleased to say that Sanderson has successfully portrayed the characters, plot, and "vision" of the late Robert Jordan's crowning work.

The series begins with Rand al'Thor, the Dragon Reborn, having captured Semirhage after the battle with the Seanchan in Crossroads of Twilight. The other main plot follows Egwene in the White Tower of Tar Valon, where she works to unite the Aes Sedai for the coming Last Battle against the Dark One. She couldn't possibly have a more difficult challenge as she tries to depose the tyrannical leader of the tower--Elaida, of the hard-nosed Red Ajah--without further damaging the tower and without leading to the bloodshed an all-out war would cost with the tower under siege from the Aes Sedai who left after Elaida's coup.

Sanderson's style appealed to me in many ways--especially in how he plotted the book with only two major plots: Rand's and Egwene's. In the recent past (books 8-11), Jordan's books became splintered by excessive subplots, plots, and minor characters to the point that very little was accomplished toward the endgame of the series with each new book. The primary two examples of plot-stretching are the Bowl of Winds plot and the Rescuing Faile plot (both of which drag over several books, when really they only merited one book's inclusion). Sanderson remedies this while still including minor/major characters/plots in the main plots he's focused on. For example, there's a delightful subplot with Matthew Cauthon where he and his entourage come across a town where they stop for provisions that is not all that it seems to be. The side adventure there, while completely tangential to the main plot, is an enjoyable subplot and is completely self-contained; i.e., it's not something that will drag out and distract from the main plots over several books.

Sanderson brings back the climax that Robert Jordan's earlier Wheel of Time books contain. Those wary readers who have read up till the 8-11th books and got bogged down, rest assured you can read Gathering Storm and be guaranteed a satisfying climax. The characters experience change throughout the story, culminating in character progress and also event resolution.

I've heard some complaint about Matt Cauthon's character having changed too much, toward a more humorous character than we've known in past books. I don't agree with that, as I found Matt's often jaded humor to be alive and well in this volume.

While Sanderson has focused on the important characters of the Wheel of Time, he hasn't entirely neglected the minor characters. Verin Sedai, as readers of the series have come to adore as something of a grandmother figure in the book, plays a crucial, meaningful role in this book. Min, who has always seemed flat to me, comes across as a much more three-dimensional character, and I enjoyed the similarities in Sanderson's portrayal of Min to his own Vin from the Mistborn trilogy.

Overall the book was an excellent read--very tightly written with little of the excess found in some of the more recent volumes in the series. I'm grateful for Robert Jordan's vision and Sanderson's astute and sensitive yet newly interpreted execution of the vision that is the Wheel of Time.

The Gathering Storm, by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson. Tor. 2009. 783 pp. $17.54 (Amazon).

Specials, by Scott Westerfeld

2010-03-05T00:05:00.000-07:00

I waited a long time to read Specials, the third and final installment of the Uglies Trilogy. Partly the ending of the 2nd book, Pretties, didn't really compel me to keep reading.

While I was enchanted with the ideas and characters in book one and part of book two, I struggled through Specials, like a mountain climber trekking up an icy cliff, one pick at a time.

First of all, Westerfeld takes us back to Tally's "relationship" with Zane (from the beginning of book 2). I thought that was a dead relationship because of how close she is/was to David. So it felt like a replay of book 2 entirely.

Secondly, the themes are scattered and not focused. One chapter you're worried about getting society to the point where there isn't any controlling government messing with people's heads. The next chapter you're worried about people encroaching on wildlife (a heavier-handed approach for the environmentalist angle--even for me . . . a moderate environmentalist). This especially took a turn for the worse when the book's epilogue (NO SPOILER) focuses on Tally and David become glorified forest rangers (who cares about the people they've tried to rescue from oppression for the entire series . . . now we're going to save the trees and rainforests). A little sudden. Quite out of place.

Thirdly, the coined cliches (bubbly, rusty, icy) drove me to distraction, and I nearly had to put the book down for good.

Overall the series is interesting, but the finale left much to be desired and was only tolerable for me as I tried to find closure. I like Westerfeld's style overall, and I have hope I'll like his Leviathan better.

Specials, by Scott Westerfeld. 2006. Simon Pulse. 372 pp. $9.99 (PB).

Uglies Series:

1. Uglies
2. Pretties
3. Specials

Grave Peril, by Jim Butcher

2010-02-26T00:06:00.001-07:00

Jim Butcher delivers his most haunting (pun intended, unfortunately) story yet in his Dresden Files series as Chicago's wizard detective hits the streets.

Harry and his associates must find an end to the rash of ghost rampages plaguing Chicago. As he digs deeper, it seems that the ghosts are being controlled somehow. Going through a long list of enemies, Harry must determine who is causing this and why while protecting the ones he loves.

The first and foremost brilliant aspect of the third book of the Dresden series is that Jim Butcher adds a dynamic new character: the Knight Templar Michael Carpenter. Michael, in some ways, is the antithesis of Harry. Michael has a stirring faith in God and wields his blessed sword Amoracchius to defend justice and truth and the American way, whereas Harry puts all his trust in his powers and in the wizarding way. Although I normally despise the combination of reality and the truth of God with fictional sorcery and magic, here Butcher really does pull it off. The author treats the reader to some fairly poignant moments of faith and trust in the Almighty. This crossover is rarely executed with any success or finesse.

A broad cast of characters, new an old, interact with Harry--lending to future installments, perhaps. One such character was the ancient dragon, attending Miss Bianca's celebration in his human form. Michael's interactions with this creature were superbly foreshadowed, and I expect to find this interesting creature in the following Dresden books. Thomas the Vampire was interesting too--possibly a new member of Dresden's cadre.

Many twists and turns wind the reader through the story, with Butcher always willing to let the characters face terrible conflict and decisions, even if that leads to despair and ruin.

The book is excellent and my favorite of the series so far.

Grave Peril, by Jim Butcher. 2001. Ace. 378 pp. $7.99.

Meeting Richard Hatch

2010-02-19T00:47:00.001-07:00

I had the fine opportunity at a conference this past weekend to meet and see a presentation from Richard Hatch, best known for his roles as Apollo in the original Battlestar Galactica and as the terrorist-turned-politician Tom Zarek in the new Battlestar series.

He is one of the most amiable people you'd meet, very kindly answering many of the group's questions, including mine asking about how he got into his role as Tom Zarek--one of the most complex and "gray" characters in the reimagined Battlestar series. He went on to explain how Tom Zarek believed that everything he did was right, that he was something of a Nelson Mandella character, challenging the status quo. Later in the presentation, he also noted that Ronald Moore told the writers of the new Battlestar that Tom Zarek should always speak the truth, no matter how difficult. He pointed out the irony of how Zarek was viewed as a terrorist earlier on in the series, but after the New Caprica occupation (where Zarek's naysayers were forced to commit their own campaign of terrorism against the Cylons), he was seen in a better light as someone who had to do the necessary things. Another interesting point he brought up was that most viewers of the show don't know the background of Tom Zarek: that he blew up the government building on his home planet because the government was despotic and gave no legal or political recourse for the members of its society.

Richard Hatch also showed us the trailer for his original push for a Battlestar sequel, named Battlestar Second Coming. This was originally shown to Universal Studios in a proposal to create a sequel series to the show. While disappointed that the sequel series never caught on, Hatch was approached by Ronald Moore to appear in the new Battlestar as Tom Zarek, and Hatch accepted, even though he would vastly have preferred appearing in a sequel series (instead of a reimagined remake).

Another great aspect of the presentation was Richard Hatch's trailer of his newest project: The Great War of Magellan book series. He told us about the series and how one of his marketing strategies is to create as much of a community for an intellectual property as possible. So it seems he will not only be creating books for the Magellan series, but also graphic novels, websites, paraphernalia, and other mixed media. Hatch is a savvy entrepreneur in his vision of a good story's potential.

Richard Hatch conducts acting and other seminars and presentations, along with a lot of other really neat pursuits. For more info, please check out his main website.

The Forest of Hands and Teeth, by Carrie Ryan

2010-02-12T00:42:00.000-07:00

What a captivating cover and title, no?

The Forest of Hands and Teeth is the first serious zombie YA novel I've heard of (there's the series about zombies in high school--similar to Meyer's Twilight setup--that I won't count as a serious zombie YA novel). I was curious how Carrie Ryan would present a zombie story in a way that youth could handle and enjoy.

Mary has grown up in a small, fenced town with her mother, father, and brother. Beyond the fences are the Unconsecrated--a mass of undead called the Forest of Hands and Teeth by the villagers. One day her father leaves and doesn't return alive. He comes to the gate as an Unconsecrated, and Mary's mother goes too close to the fence and is bitten. Mary witnesses her mother's turning with utter grief, especially since her brother Jed accuses Mary of letting their mother get too close to the fence. In this time of mourning, a strange girl in a red jacket comes to the village late at night. Gabrielle. The stranger who will change Mary's life, and the lives of those she loves, forever.

Carrie Ryan mixes post-apocalyptic zombie narrative with dystopia in an interesting way. The town Mary lives in is both a protection and a prison to the villagers. The Sisterhood that runs the town doesn't always have black-and-white motives, and Ryan leaves these Sisters ambiguous so that the reader can never quite figure out whether to despise them or respect their ability to maintain security for as many people as they do. This dystopia complements the zombie apocalypse, adding depth to an otherwise retold story.

After reading the first fourth or so of the book, I was concerned that there wouldn't be much heart-pounding action in the story (as expected in a zombie survival novel). The story is dripping with teenage romantic angst, and it seemed that perhaps the zombies would only be a prop--a way of confining a small village and its characters to a single stage. However, I was pleased to be proven wrong, as Ryan brings the cymbals and timpani crashing in, so to speak, creating riveting suspense and horrific survival scenes that leave the reader chilled to the bone.

She includes the trait of sympathy in her perspective of the Unconsecrated. Often Mary considers the Unconsecrated to be merely former humans, neighbors and friends. A former mother and father. At times she thinks it might be easier just to become one of them, to lose feelings and despair and false hope. Yet she clings to the hope of what might be out there--that there might be an expansive ocean out there.

The Forest of Hands and Teeth is a compelling story--one that is difficult not to think about for days after finishing the last page. Other than the slow beginning and the teenage romantic angst (which is apparently timeless), I enjoyed the story and would recommend it--more so to an older YA and adult audience than to a younger crowd.

The Forest of Hands and Teeth, by Carrie Ryan. Delacorte Press. March 2009. 312 pp. $11.55 (HC).

The sequel, The Dead-Tossed Waves, comes out in March 9, 2010.

Clockwork Heart, by Dru Pagliassotti

2010-02-05T00:52:00.003-07:00

I have to admit that this book originally piqued my interest with its brilliant cover art from Timothy Lantz. I'm so glad it lured me in.

Clockwork Heart resembles a steampunk in some ways but also comes across as a strong political-intrigue fantasy (a la Sanderson). It is also definitely a strong romance. Really it's the epitome of good mixed-genre speculative fiction.

Taya is a winged messenger (Icarus) in Ondinium, a city run by a massive clockwork engine and overshadowed at times with the strict caste system. When Taya succeeds in saving an exalted woman and her son from death in a sky tram (wireferry) accident, she's lauded as a hero and begins to mingle with some of the highest caste of Ondinium, the exalted. She quickly discovers that things are not as they seem in Ondinium politics and that the shadows of her society often hold darker secrets than the government is willing to admit.

Dru Pagliassotti's biggest strengths are the characters and the romance. If you were to strip the book down to its most defining quality, it would be the romance between Cristof and Taya, something wholly unexpected yet ultimately plausible as more about both characters is revealed to the reader. Aside from the romantic leads, the minor characters, too, are interesting, each with different political, social, personal views that make them unique cogs in the storyteller's grand clock.

Using the icarus motif added leaps and bounds to the story, and I wouldn't be surprised to learn that Pagliassotti's original conception of this story began there with the graceful idea of messengers flying through the city in their lighter-than-air wing armatures. Of all the steampunk elements, this was most intriguing and most complementary to the idea of a master clock running the city and acting as a technilogical oracle to the leaders of Ondinium.

The suspense and mystery elements are great, although it was pretty easy to pin down guilty parties from the first, where so few characters were involved at first. The second climax in the story was more unpredictable, although it was frustrating that everyone just happened to deduce where they needed to go to solve "the problem."

Without a heavy hand, Pagliassotti presents some interesting ideas about caste and social satire about classist distinction in our own society. The romance between icarus and exalted especially is interesting, leading the reader to contemplate the fissures between various economic and social groups.

Clockwork Heart really has something for everyone: mystery, fantasy, steampunk, romance, political intrigue, and social commentary. It's a fresh read and a solid contribution to the speculative fiction family.

Clockwork Heart, by Dru Pagliassotti. April 2008. Juno Books. 390 pp. $6.99.

Cursor's Fury, by Jim Butcher

2010-01-29T00:13:00.000-07:00

Cursor's Fury was a crescendo in the Codex Alera series, introducing new threats to our characters and to the land of Alera and developing new complexities for sequels to address. The book begins two years after the end of book two, Academ's Fury.

Alera is quickly drawn into civil war when High Lord Kalare makes an all-out assault on the high lords who won't remain neutral in his gambit for siezing the throne, beginning with the city of Ceres, where Bernard, Amera, and Isana are together for a reunion of sorts and for Isana's presentation to the Dianic League. Their story is quickly split into two subplots, with Isana trying to save a dear friend and Bernard and Amara making unfavorable alliances in order to shift the balance of the civil war.

The main plotline of the book focuses on Tavi, who, despite his lack of success in furycrafting, is an up-and-coming cursor. He's asked by First Lord Gaius Sextus to join under an alias the new army legion that comprises troops from all the noble houses (all other legions are loyal to one house, the biggest ones loyal to the First Lord). While training with this legion, the Canim--a wolflike race who are mortal enemies to the Alerans--make a massive landing of a hundred plus ships on Aleran soil, launching a full campaign against humankind. With the rest of the kingdom occupied with Kalare's coup, Tavi's legion is the only force of soldiers standing between 60,000 bloodthirsty canim and the rest of Alera.

Simply put, Jim Butcher is one of the best speculative fiction authors around, and this book is no exception.

The main characters (who have been around for at least one previous book) get a large helping of character development and some pretty revealing and shocking backstory (you'll see what I mean!). Butcher also introduces some fascinating new characters, who I have a hunch might make cameos in later books: High Lady Aria Placida and Rook the Spymaster. Max, Auroris (Fade), Fidelias, Katai, Gaius Sextus, and other formerly minor characters get more time off the bench in this novel as well. Keep a good eye on Fidelias, as he has some tricks up his sleeve this book!

Warfare in this novel is as good as in Furies of Calderon, with all sorts of interesting and impressive stratagem put into play (especially since Tavi is still without furycrafting, having to use more traditional means to conduct warfare), including dumping blood off the bridge so that sharks would swim in from the sea and attack any canim trying to swim the river. Bernard and Amara's "mission" has all the intrigue you could want as they attempt to infiltrate Kalare's citadel. Butcher knows how to pull off a convincing battle, and every second of it is tense, even though you assume most main characters will come out of it alive.

Humor and character interaction helps lighten the mood when conflict and struggle makes the outcome seem bleak, yet it doesn't interfere with the tone of scenes, nor does every character's humor sound the same in dialog. For example, Kitai's humor is drastically different from Max's (thank heavens!).

The book is an excellent addition to the series and doesn't lose any momentum like some longer, drawn-out epic fantasy. I'd recommend the series to any lovers of complex fantasy epics.

Cursor's Fury, by Jim Butcher. 2006. Ace. 448 pp. $7.99 (PB).

Codex Alera Series:
1. Furies of Calderon
2. Academ's Fury
3. Cursor's Fury
4. Captain's Fury
5. Princep's Fury
6. First Lord's Fury (released in December 2009)

iPad will cause other ebook readers to Dwindle

2010-01-28T13:11:00.002-07:00

So most of you have probably heard about the new iPad (what I have decided to affectionately call the iRad), announced by Steve Jobs this week in a press conference.

First a little background. I've been researching ebook readers for a year and a half now and have been let down completely (the Barnes & Noble Nook) or only marginally interested (Kindle and Sony Reader) in what the market has had to offer. So I've watched and waited.

Till now.

Apple's new iPad not only DOMINATES the ebook market now with a fully touchable, fully colored platform, but it also comes with a gazillion other major resources. First, on ebooks, though. Apple has opened an iBooks store, selling open, non-proprietary (i.e., Kindle ebooks) ePub format books. These books are instantly downloadable through 3G or wi-fi, and are viewable on a 9.7 by 7-ish inch screen (same size as Amazon's large DX version, which sells for about $400 compared to iPad's $499). Also, anyone who has purchased B&N or amazon books can read them on the iPad through the Kindle and B&N apps downloadable through Apple's Apps Store.

In addition to ebooks, the iPad has iWorks, with word processor, Powerpoint-like, and spreadsheet software that all works completely by touch and keyboard. There are also major iPad apps for photos, movies, art (illustration), maps/GPS, calendar, e-mail, web-browsing (with zooming), and music.

It's no wonder that Barnes & Noble rushed a buggy and unacceptably poor-quality product--the Nook--to the market before Christmas (not even delivering the product in time for preorders to be filled by Christmas--or even December, for that matter). They probably had hints of what was coming and wanted to dupe a few people into buying their product before the iPad tsunami hit the beach. Understandably so. It is certain that iPad will obliterate the Kindle, Nook, and Sony platforms, reducing them to the same status as a generic MP3 player when compared to the iPod.

To sum it all up, in my opinion the iPad is the biggest mobile functionality tool since the creation of laptops, and ironically it will possibly replace laptops in the near future for most common tasks. It is most definitely the best ebooks has to offer and probably will be for a long time to come.

Killzone 2, by Sony and Guerilla Games Studios

2010-01-22T00:07:00.000-07:00

Killzone 2 is one of the better military sci-fi games I've played--on equal par with Resistance 1 and 2, the Halo series, the Command & Conquer series, and others.

The story begins when the ISA (Interplanetary Strategic Alliance--i.e., the humans) soldiers attack the warmongering race the Helghast on their home planet Helghan. For some background, in Killzone 1, the Helghast led an unprovoked attack on the ISA homeworld. So essentially this game is the humans launching a major counteroffensive. The plot feels very much like Robert Heinlein's Starship Troopers: aliens attack human world; human world reciprocates with all-out war.

The plot revolves around a small unit of four soldiers, led by Tomas "Sev" Sevchenko (your character), as you try to establish a beachhead on Helghan soil and help in the campaign to capture Helghast dictator Scolar Visari (looks like USSR dictator Hruschev to me . . .) and end their war against the ISA.

Gameplay is fast and enjoyable, with various obstacles to overcome in different dark, industrial-like settings (picture WWII Nazi military production on steroids); nothing gets old or boring. Your various guns feel "heavy" depending on how big they are and what kind of gun they are; realistic recoil and reloading times make for a more harrowing experience.

The multiplayer aspect is good, giving players the chance to play either Helghast or ISA, and throughout each match, the objective changes from "capture-the-flag" to "assassination" (take out the highlighted soldier) to "king-of-the-hill" type scenarios. In this way they succeed in imitation Resistance 2, which also focused on cooperative, team-based elements of the multiplayer system. My only gripe with the multiplayer is that there isn't any splitscreen option (to play more than one person on the same PS3/TV). This was frustrating and somewhat of a large oversight for such an otherwise strong multiplayer setup.

Overall the campaign was interesting, with lots of great cinematic sequences and a very strong plot, with the excellent voice acting, graphics and character animations, and music to augment the overall story. I'd give the game a 8.7 out of 10 (losing half a point for lack of splitscreen). Overall a great game and story!

Killzone 2, by Sony Entertainment and Guerilla Games Studios. 2009. $44.99. PS3 only.

Dies the Fire, by S. M. Stirling

2010-01-15T00:03:00.000-07:00

Dies the Fire, by S. M. Stirling, is the first book in a spinoff series from Stirling's Nantucket series, in which the island of Nantucket is transported back in time to the Bronze Age. However, Stirling makes a vast departure from the former series, starting this, the Emberverse series, in modern-day Idaho and Oregon with a (suspected) worldwide apocalyptic event: the failure of all electronic, steam engine, gun, internal combustion, and ordnance technology.

The story is two-pronged, primarily, focusing on two benevolent groups of survivors: the Bearkillers and the Clan Mackenzie. The Bearkillers, led by Mike Havel, are working their way west from an airplane crash site toward the Larssons' summer home and land, while the Mackenzies have settled in her family's cabin and land in Oregon. These two groups are mostly independent of each other for the majority of the novel, even though they have a common threat: the Portland Protection Agency, led by a cruel warlord who is taking advantage of the chaos to carve out as much of a claim as he can in post-apocalyptic United States.

Far and above all attributes of the novel, Stirling's plot is his strength. The plot is a long-term one, with chapters sometimes separated by weeks, sometimes by months. This comes across fine since the main promise to the reader is that Stirling will show how these survivors are coming along throughout the year after the Change (apocalypse). The characters are learning to survive with the remnants of civilization and their own ingenuity and pre-Change skills, and the author is good at making those strides in survival an interesting journey. He has enough of the starkness for a post-apocalyptic novel while still offering the faint glimmer of hope for humanity. Stirling also delivers on a dynamo triple-climax with multiple events happening one after another, cementing the path the series will take in the books to come: the war against the dastardly Protector in Portland. His battle scenes were riveting, and Stirling knows his stuff when it comes to strategy, improvised weaponry, and other aspects of warfare. Kudos for that.

The author makes it very clear that organized religion (especially branches of Christianity as we know it) is not welcome in his post-apocalyptic world. I was saddened that this agenda creeped in (and it was obviously written in as an agenda item--not too subtle satire as has been successfully done in other books). And I'm not referring to the Reverend Dixon satire. That was a actually tasteful archetype of the small-town preacher who isn't very tolerant of those out of the social other.

Character interaction came across as stilted often--in part because of dialogue and in part because of forced (and rather abrupt) situations hoisted upon characters. Characters would often, for example, use really heavy dialogue that sounded more like written language than spoken language. Dialogue was overly used as exposition (a la Crichton) instead of a natural tool to build relationships and expand the story. This was especially done with the Mackenzie clan and their Gaelic/Wiccan background. In the attempt to make each character unique, the phrases each character used became over the top--drawing attention to themselves because they weren't natural idioms or expressions people would use. And for hoisting situations on people, the male-female "romantic" interactions consisted of two people getting involved intimately before even really knowing each other. Sort of a "me man--you woman" caveman mentality. At the very best of times there is an inkling of true relationships between people, but that inkling dims quickly.

I very much like the idea that Stirling has: that without key technologies, humankind would of necessity have to revert to medieval systems in order to survive. However, in a lot of ways, the author tries to shove (with a sledgehammer) a square block into a round hole in ways that make the story less credible and that make it feel much less like your typical post-apocalyptic realist novel. At every turn, the characters turn to medieval tools, practices, and pop-culture references to survive. This trend coincides with the unrealistic convenience of randomly finding people with medieval skill sets. For example, Astrid Larsson, one of the minor characters in the Bearkillers group, happens to be a Tolkien nut and has practiced archery her whole life. Astrid's dad happens to be an engineer and just happens to know how to build a trebuchet. The Huttons, another major family in the group, happen to be horse wranglers and have blacksmithing skills. They happen to run into Pam Arnstein, sword master. Smith and Aylward, both expert bowyers. The Protector--a former feudal system professor gone megalomaniac. The list goes on. Stirling forces the survivors of this apocalypse into a medieval mold without allowing things to play out more naturally, where survivors would look to different models of living instead of only medieval feudal systems. I would have liked to see normal run-of-the-mill people trying to survive in a post-apocalyptic world instead of making it a survival club for Dungeons & Dragons enthusiasts and filk singers only.

Back to Stirling's strengths. If you want a solid plot-based post-apocalyptic novel and don't care about a relatively consecutive timeline or natural dialogue and character development, then you will probably enjoy this novel. If you tend more toward focusing on characters, then this might not be the story for you. Dies the Fire has a lot of big ideas with a riveting survivalist plot to back them up and has a lot of intense moments. If you want the big ideas and the character development, check out The Road, by Cormac McCarthy (now a motion picture). But bear in mind that The Road doesn't have anything near the plot as Dies the Fire. It's just plain, simple survival without one single Wiccan or medieval warrior or trebuchet.

Dies the Fire, by S. M. Stirling. ROC. 2004. 574 pp. $7.99 (PB).

The Emberverse Series:

1. Dies the Fire
2. The Protector's War
3. A Meeting at Corvallis
(the subsequent books coming 22 years after the Change)
4. The Sunrise Lands
5. The Scourge of God
6. The Sword of the Lady
7. The High King of Montival (coming 2010)

A-Team Movie

2010-01-14T14:54:00.003-07:00

Of all the old-TV-show remakes, this one I'm quite excited about:

Every Which Way But Dead, by Kim Harrison

2010-01-08T00:32:00.000-07:00

The third book in the Rachel Morgan series by Kim Harrison, Every Which Way But Dead is a great addition to the series, adding some new characters who seem like they'll have an effect for books to come.

Essentially the series is about Rachel Morgan and her Runner (detective/law enforcement) agency that she, Ivy (vampire friend), and Jenks (pixie) own. In this installment, Rachel is paying a major debt to a demon that she owed from the last book, and she ends up tricking the demon. This and the arrival of a new player in Cincinnati cause her all sorts of trouble. Trent Kalamack and Kisten Phelps have common problems with Rachel, too, as the powerful newcomer threatens to take away the stake they've claimed in their city's dark underground.

This book is extremely different from the first two in that there is very little involvement from Ivy, Jenks, and Nick in this one. If it were a TV series, you'd figure that these actors were on vacation and had to step out for the episode. That's how uninvolved they were. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, as Harrison focuses the camera on the previously minor and new characters Trent Kalamack, vampire Kisten Phelps, David the werewolf, Ceri Dulciate, and wizard Stanley Saladin. Character development is strong in this book, and the new and minor characters become fully three-dimensional and likeable (or detestable...you decide).

The action, plot, and climax are all satisfyingly paced and from A to Z fulfill every expectation a mystery reader would want.

There is a tacky intimacy scene I'd recommend skipping (easily done with the flick of a couple pages), and this series is increasingly not one I'd recommend for a young adult audience at all. But for the urban paranormal reader, I'd strongly recommend the book and series, as it continues to build an overall series story arc while concluding each novel successfully.

Every Which Way But Dead, by Kim Harrison. HarperCollins. 2005. 464 pp. $7.99 (PB).

Rachel Morgan Series:
1. Dead Witch Walking
2. The Good, the Bad, and the Undead
3. Every Which Way But Dead
4. A Fistful of Charms
5. For a Few Demons More
6. The Outlaw Demon Wails
7. White Witch, Black Curse

Do Authors' Estates Dream of Lucrative Suits?

2010-01-07T13:57:00.006-07:00

Check out this article from The Wallstreet Journal about the new Nexus-One phone in regards to late sci-fi author Philip K. Dick's Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep (i.e., Blade Runner):

Nexus Name Irks Author's Estate

Daughter of Philip K. Dick Says Moniker for Google's Phone a 'Clear Infringement'

By NATHAN KOPPEL

As Google Inc. launches its Nexus One phone, one call that the company hasn't made is to the family members of science-fiction author Philip K. Dick, who complain the device's name infringes on one of Mr. Dick's most famous novels.

"We feel this is a clear infringement of our intellectual-property rights," said Isa Dick Hackett, a daughter of Mr. Dick and the chief executive of Electric Shepherd Productions, an arm of the Dick estate devoted to adapting the late author's works.

"Our legal team is dealing head-on with this," she said Tuesday. An attorney for the estate declined to elaborate on what legal steps it has taken.

Philip K. Dick's novel, 'Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?,' was the basis for the 1982 film 'Blade Runner.'

Mr. Dick's 1968 novel, "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?," which served as the basis for the 1982 cult film "Blade Runner," follows a bounty hunter chasing androids known as Nexus-6 models.

Ms. Hackett believes Google referenced that work in coming up with the name for its new phone, but the company never called her family or attorneys for permission to license the name.

A Google spokesman declined to comment.

Ms. Hackett argues the association between the phone and the book are cemented by the fact that the Nexus One runs Google's Android operating system.

Google has its "Android system, and now they are naming a phone 'Nexus One,'" she said. "It's not lost on the people who are somewhat familiar with this novel."

Attorneys who specialize in trademark disputes don't see a clear-cut case. One key issue is whether consumers are likely to be confused and think Mr. Dick's estate was associated with Google's phone.

"Will people buying the Google phone hear the Nexus One name and think that is just like in 'Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?'" asked Marc Reiner, a partner at Dorsey & Whitney LLP, who isn't involved in the matter.

Characters like Mickey Mouse and Indiana Jones that have served as bases for products are much more likely to be able to gain trademark protection. "A character in a book does not automatically get trademark protection," Mr. Reiner said.

It also may be more difficult to win a trademark case in regards to a word like nexus, which is used in other contexts apart from the characters in Mr. Dick's novel, said Beth Goldman, a partner at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP, who isn't involved in the Google matter.

"Some words are never used for anything except in connection with a particular trademark, like Hershey's," Ms. Goldman said.

That may explain why Verizon Wireless licensed the 'Droid' name from "Star Wars" creator and director George Lucas when it recently launched a Motorola Inc. smart phone with that name.

"We were honored that Verizon chose to name their newest technological venture the DROID smart phone, and we were happy to grant them a license to use the mark," said a spokeswoman for Mr. Lucas's company, Lucasfilm Ltd.

Chuck Premiere Trailer

2010-01-05T03:33:00.000-07:00

Check out this great trailer for the Chuck Season Three two-hour premiere this Sunday:

Chuck Season Three and a Non-spoiler Recap of Seasons One and Two

2010-01-01T00:05:00.000-07:00

Chuck is coming back with nineteen episodes instead of thirteen on January 10! This was fantastic news on the heels of the announcement that Master Joss Whedon's Dollhouse was being canceled after only having two seasons (at least it was double what Firefly got). In May NBC had finally announced that Chuck would be renewed but only for 13 episodes. In November, however, they changed their tune and added six more episodes. What does this mean for Chuck? Hopefully that the show has subsequent seasons to count on from NBC. Oh, and a big shout-out for the Subway sandwich chain, whose advertising dollars are the major reason we have a third season coming up.

The third season gets its own two-hour special premier on Sunday, January 10, at 9/8c on NBC before moving to its regular Monday-night 8/7c timeslot.

(No spoilers ahead)
So for those new to Chuck, the story starts with Chuck Bartowski, a twenty-something guy who works at a deadend job at a BuyMore (Best Buy knockoff). He was kicked out of Stanford for being accused of cheating, and his girlfriend dumped him for his roommate, Bryce Larkin. Well, Bryce Larkin turns out to be a spy and in the series premier sends Chuck a CIA/NSA database that downloads into his brain from his computer. Agents Sarah Walker and John Casey come to Burbank to keep Chuck safe from the villains who would love to get their hands on the secrets of the U.S. agencies.

So for the second season. We get a lot more of a story arc, finding out more about Chuck and his family, his former girlfriend, Bryce Larkin, and what is really at stake with Chuck's implanted intel. The show's producers throw the fans a HUGE and ASTOUNDING twist in the last few episodes and especially in the season finale. Funny enough, the producers admit that making the finale such a cliffhanger was in part an attempt to convince NBC execs that the show needed another season. And they're right: leaving the series at the end of season 2, fans NEED to see what happens next.

Anyway, it's a quirky spy show with lots of advanced sci-fi tech, GREAT humor--especially with the BuyMore staff, and a compelling romance between Chuck and Sarah.

Can't wait for January 10!

Battlestar Galactica Soundtracks, by Bear McCreary

2009-12-25T00:01:00.001-07:00

Merry Christmas! Best wishes for a joyous holiday and happy New Year!

I haven't neglected to remember my Vagabond readers on this special day and have a special gift of music to share with you.

The Battlestar Galactica soundtracks, all four seasons, are some of the finest scoring I've heard. I listen to a lot of soundtracks during work because they help me focus my efforts, and so finding a good score is a real treat. While watching the series Battlestar Galactica, my wife and I were impressed by how strongly the score impacted the feel of the show and became a major contribution to pulling off certain scenes.

I could best summarize Bear McCreary, the talented composer, with the word versatile. His soundtracks incorporate Gaelic ballad, rock opera, Middle-Eastern sitar, opera aria, marches, oratorio, piano sonatas, string quartets, chorale, panpipes (I think), and dozens of other influences and motifs. This makes each soundtrack different from the other and enjoyable in its own right rather than a Cylon clone of the other.

The soundtracks are especially strong on percussion and strings--the meat and potatoes of McCreary's vision for this series. During the battle sequences, you usually face adrenaline-pumping percussion with pipework. For more dramatic personal moments, expect to find the strings and woodwinds supply accenting the characters' emotions and actions. He picks the tool to match the job, so to speak, each song tailored to the scene.

McCreary relies on some very strong character themes throughout his soundtracks, my favorite being the Wander My Friends, Adama-Roslin, Passacaglia/Opera, Gaeta's Lament, and Kara themes. The theme variations he scores throughout the series are used effectively in the show during dramatic moments.

One song in particular has an interesting backstory. Alessandro Juliani (Gaeta) formerly studied opera and so the group decided to have him sing a ballad ("Gaeta's Lament") for one of episodes in season 4 ("Guess What's Coming to Dinner"). The lyrics were written by Michael Angeli, and the music was taken from a song his wife, Karen Angeli, composed for him as a gift, with Bear McCreary's arrangement. The song was so strong that they used it for Gaeta for the rest of the series.

While Battlestar Galactica the series isn't for everyone (even though I loved it), the soundtracks are extremely approachable for anyone who enjoys superb orchestration and memorable melodies and themes. To hear some of the best examples of the soundtracks' more poignant moments (and to witness firsthand why I fell in love with the scores), click on the audio clips below.

Gaeta's Lament:

The Shape of Things to Come:

Farewell Apollo:

Roslin and Adama Reunited:

Diaspora Oratorio:

FULL SAMPLES
To listen to samples of all Battlestar Galactica soundtracks, click on the following links:
Season 1
Season 2
Season 3
Season 4

MY PERSONAL HIGHLIGHTS
Season One
2: Main Title (U.S. version)
6: A Good Lighter
7: The Thousandth Landing (pipes and fantastic percussion!)
8: Two Funerals
16: Battlestar Operatica (actual opera aria; brilliant!)
23: Wander My Friends ("Minstrel Boy" feel to it)
24: Passacaglia
27: The Shape of Things to Come
30: Main Title (UK version)

Season Two
1: Colonial Anthem (a fun kickback to the original series)
4: A Promise to Return (fantastic strings from the Supernova String Quartet)
13: Roslin and Adama
18: Reuniting the Fleet
22: Battlestar Galactica Main Title (by Richard Gibbs)

Season Three
1: A Distant Sadness (with outstanding vocals from Raya Yarbrough)
4: Storming New Caprica (intense percussion)
6: Wayward Soldier (sitar and woodwinds)
7: Violence and Variations
8: The Dance (Irish/Gaelic dance music)
9: Adama Falls (variation on the elegant Adama-Roslin theme)
21: All Along the Watchtower (Jimi Hendrix cover...believe me, it's integration into the plot is fantastic, and by the end of the series you understand how a Hendrix song could work its way into a sci-fi show like this)

Season Four (Disc 1)
1: Gaeta's Lament (balad with vocals from Alessandro Juliani; one of the best songs of the entire show's score)
2: The Signal
5: Farewell Apollo (not only a great song but one of the most poignant moments of the story in Battlestar)
10: Funeral Pyre
12: Gaeta's Lament Instrumental
17: Kara Remembers (sounds like something straight out of a rock opera!)
19: Dreilide Thrace Sonata No. 1 (piano)
20: Diaspora Oratoria (with chorale vocals)

Season Four Point Five (Disc 2)
1: Caprica City, Before the Fall
2: Laura's Baptism
5: Assault on the Colony
7: Kara's Coordinates
10: The Heart of the Sun
12: So Much Life
13: An Easterly View

Avatar, by James Cameron

2009-12-22T02:05:00.002-07:00

(This is a spoiler-free review)

So I went to see Avatar in 3D last night at the late showing. I went in with very low expectations, mostly because of the tall Smurfs from the trailer. Let's just say James Cameron does shock and awe as well as George W. did.

The story has been done before. My initial thoughts as the show began were Fern Gully meets Starship Troopers. (And I've seen it compared to Pocahontas and other similar films.) That didn't bother me so much, because really a film is all about doing it first or best, and Cameron certainly executed this story better than it's ever been done before. I was pleased that he took full use of his extensive budget to make it a three-hour movie. I doubt he could have told as compelling a story without a second less.

While the 3D aspect of the show (the entire show is 3D, even the preceding movie trailers!) was fantastic, the most impressive achievement of this film is how REAL the CGI characters feel. There wasn't a moment throughout the whole movie that the CGI characters came off as wooden or stodgy--their facial expressions, voice-lip syncing, motor skills, and skin/hair/eye tones all testified to bona-fide characters. The verisimilitude didn't stop with the physical aspects of the characters. Their personalities shone through despite the fact that they were CGI. This, for example, is one thing that Lucas missed with the new Star Wars shows, and why everyone wishes they could erase Jar Jar Bincks from our collective racial memory. Cameron's animators and team pulled the CGI off brilliantly.

I would have liked to see more of Sigourney Weaver; she took a limited minor role only. The other characters in the show, though, were interesting if archetypal. The archetypes worked well for this allegorical story, anyway, and strengthend its overall effect. For example, the head of security for the humans, while extremely archetypal zealous military, came across as an interesting character.

The romance in the story is good to a point--the endgame romance isn't so great, but the buildup is subtle and superb.

The colors and jungle wildlife are amazing! Creative CGI but also brilliant set and artistic design.

This movie appears to be Hollywood fluff at first glance, and many people have reviewed it as such already, but no matter what your interests or take on the film, it is a thinking movie. It takes a while to sort out thoughts about each aspect of it, and for that reason I enjoyed it.

The Dark Divine, by Bree Despain (Guest Review by Debbie Hibbert)

2009-12-18T00:06:00.001-07:00

Are you a fan of the Twilight series? Have you flipped through the pages so often that the paper is worn delicately thin? Then I've got the book for you! But reader be warned. This book is for those who enjoy an actual plot structure and honest-to-goodness character development.

There is a new name on the paranormal romance scene, and that is Bree Despain. Her debut novel, The Dark Divine (in stores December 22), is a surprise standout in an overwrought market.

The story revolves around Grace Divine, the daughter of the local pastor. She always knew something terrible had happened the night Daniel Kalbi disappeared--the night she found her brother, Jude, collapsed on the porch, covered in blood. But she has no idea what a truly monstrous secret that night really held. And when Daniel returns three years later, Grace can no longer deny her attraction to him, despite promising Jude she'll stay away.

As Grace gets closer to Daniel, her actions stir the ancient evil Daniel unleashed that horrific night. Grace must discover the truth behind Jude and Daniel's dark secret . . . and the cure that can save the ones she loves. But she may have to lay down the ultimate sacrifice to do it--her soul.

I read this novel in one day. It's a very fast read, with likable characters and well-timed interactions. The interplay between characters is enjoyable and not limited to Grace and her love interest. Her father, the pastor, and her brother, the do-gooder, are independent characters and don't solely exist to further Grace's development. I did feel some of the secrets were a little slow to be discovered (a la Edward is a vampire, eek!), but this minor complaint is easily overcome by the underlying conflict and romance that keeps the reader engaged.

Bree Despain offers a fresh viewpoint with a character who is often humorous and rarely self-loathing, a welcome trait for a heroine in the young adult market. Her descriptions are clever (like comparing her best friend to a trembling cocker spaniel) and far removed from the mountains of cliches that so many romance books fall into. Her paranormal lore is impressive, albeit woefully hidden behind the slow reveal. Without giving away any spoilers, she follows traditional mythology with a few interesting twists. I would have liked to learn more of the details of her world, but perhaps that will come in book two, the author's current work-in-progress.

There is a heavy religious theme throughout, a parallel to the parable of the Prodigal Son. The overtones complement the book well, adding detail to family relationships by showing rather than telling.

I would definitely recommend this book, especially to lovers of paranormal romance. It's well written and worth reading. I expect we'll see big things from Bree Despain in the years to come.

The Dark Divine, by Bree Despain. EgmontUSA. December 22, 2009. 384 pp. HC ($12.14).

About the Reviewer:
When not chasing kids, Debbie is an avid reader, an inconsistent blogger, and an aspiring author. She loves watching football, playing video games, and can be bribed with really good chocolate.

Fable 2, by Lionhead Studios and Microsoft Game Studios

2009-12-11T00:02:00.002-07:00

So Fable 2 received great reviews, and the friends who recommended it to me loved it as well. It's based in a fantasy-medieval world with magic, princes/kings/pirates/bandits/werewolves/etc. and is a typical western role-playing game.

Going back a bit, the first Fable was an enjoyable game, but the biggest gripe about it from me and from many others is that is was far too short. A person could get through it easily in a handful of hours. In Fable 2, the developers try to remedy that, creating lots of quests, side quests, a real-estate aspect, and gameplay after you finish the main story. This was commendable, but to me they sacrificed key elements just to simply expand the game.

(SPOILER ALERT)
The major let-down was the "climax" (climax in quote marks because it didn't feel like a climax at all), which consisted of the heroes attacking the megalomaniac Lucien in his Spire. Your character basically knocks him over without any struggle AT ALL. Then one of your allies shoots him with a gun, and he falls off a cliff and dies. Absolutely NO FUN and so anticlimactic.

Colorful scenes and painstaking detail make the game an attractive game--the art is appreciable and noteworthy.

The gameplay in general is fun, with great magic, range and melee attack abilities, and lots of fun characters in the mix of things. Some of the item menus are a hassle, as you have to go several steps to drink a health potion, for example, and then it auto-exits the menu so you have to go through the same three- or four-step process to get back to the same menu. That got tedious real quick.

Overall, I'd probably give it a 6.5 out of 10. It was an interesting game, but as you proceed further into the game, you realize it's just a lot of eye candy with not a lot of narrative substance.

Wise Man's Fear...One Heck of a Release Date on Barnes & Noble

2009-12-08T13:44:00.003-07:00

So I was just adding a few items to my Barnes & Noble wishlist . . . an easy way to keep track of the long list of great books coming out, and when I went to add Patrick Rothfuss's Wise Man's Fear to my wishlist, I noticed something peculiar about the publishing date listed (click here). So I know Pat is trying to make this book as good as Name of the Wind was, but will we really have to wait that long? In all good fun, I'm looking forward to Wise Man's Fear and am crossing my fingers that we'll see it 2010 as scheduled (and not when Barnes & Noble apparently has it scheduled).

The Devil's Eye, by Jack McDevitt

2009-12-04T03:47:00.001-07:00

Jack McDevitt delivers again.

The Devil's Eye starts off with Alex Benedict and Chase Kolpath receiving an enigmatic message from an interplanetary bestselling horror novelist. Author Vicki Greene tells them that she's gotten in too deep, talking about all the people who were dead. By the time Alex and Chase get back to their home planet, Rimway, Vicki has already had a memory wipe performed on her: an invasive procedure that completely wipes a person's personality and memories away, leaving them free to start a new life without hinderment from the past (usually only performed on repeat-offender criminals).

But before Vicki deep-sixes herself, she deposits two million dollars into Alex and Chase's account (which thousands of years in the future is still about what it's worth now; apparently in the future they find a way to stabilize inflation for good). Vicki wants them to discover what she did--what was so disturbing that she decided she couldn't live with the memory.

The last place Vicki had visited before sending Alex and Chase the message was Salud Afar, a borderland planet known for horrific legends and home to a recently overthrown dynasty of dictatorship and ruthless cruelty--the perfect place to research her next novel.

And off Alex and Chase go to unravel a deeply disturbing mystery on the edge of the Milky Way.

I thoroughly enjoyed Seeker, McDevitt's Nebula Award-winning novel preceding The Devil's Eye, so this novel had a tall order to fill. The mystery element was as strong as in Seeker, with the mystery almost as heavy as the sci-fi elements. As with Seeker, McDevitt uses the tools of science--astronomy and astrophysics especially--to unravel and solve the mystery.

Chase and Alex's characters developed more of an spark in this novel than in Seeker, giving the reader a sense of possibility while they still explore other options. McDevitt tries to make in Chase a female cavalier; she's her own woman and is tied down to no man. This role fits her as the pilot of the archaeology operation, but sometimes you just want to see her find love--the stuff which you're not sure will ever grow between her and Alex. Alex tends to come across as a rich collector who doesn't truly have an interest in people as he does in relics from a long-dead age. This hampers their three-dimensionality as characters, but ultimately they are enjoyable characters--Chase more so than Alex.

The Devil's Eye throws some twists into the story that I didn't see coming and that at first I was disappointed about because I was expecting something else. The twists were well-executed, though, and finally created a better ending that I predicted would happen. He did this with Seeker in a much better way, but it still works for TDE.

The Alex Benedict series is very standalone in the truest sense. I started on book three in the series, Seeker, and missed nothing. He's good at bringing you up to speed and only makes a handful of minor allusions to the previous books. For anyone who hasn't tried the sci-fi mystery genre yet, I'd strongly recommend McDevitt as a starting point.

The Devil's Eye, by Jack McDevitt. Ace Books. 2008. 368 pp. $7.99 (PB).

Battlestar Galactica, by Ronald D. Moore and David Eick

2009-11-27T03:55:00.008-07:00

I make no exaggeration when I say that Battlestar Galactica might be the most driving, compelling television series I have ever watched. That being said, I feel obligated to immediately disclaim that the series is not for everyone.

The plot arc of the new Battlestar Galactica series is very much like a biblical epic: expulsion from Eden (the Cyclon genocide), subjugation by Egypt (the multiple occupations), wandering the wilderness for forty years (the massive exodus from the Twelve Colonies and all the other exoduses during the series), and searching for the Promised Land (Earth). The greatest credit to producers Ronald D. Moore and David Eick is that they stay true to the plot and character promises: all four seasons have unflinching drive, aiming toward an end goal (for each season and for the end of the series). Never have I seen such powerful story arc fidelity. (yes, Lost, it's a good thing if watchers know what you're about at least part of the time.) I can only count one or two episodes in the whole show that felt like digressions or "filler" episodes, the main one being when the Chief starts a workers union. I think I hummed a Newsies tune or two during that one.

The characters are so very gray and interesting. Verisimilitude at its finest. Gaius Baltar, as much as you want to push him out an airlock half the show, has ultimately redeeming moments where you pity and even appreciate him as a person. Lee Adama, the Dudley-Do-Right of the series, has moments of rebellion (literally) and even descent into decadence and indifference. Edward James Olmos and Mary McDonnell shine as Captain William "Bill" Adama and President Laura Roslin, respectively, creating powerful moments in the history of speculative storytelling. I couldn't have asked for better casting, directing, acting. All of it was so exact and rang so true.

Another major reflection on the show's prowess is the soundtrack by Bear McCreary. Rather than go into detail in this post, I'm planning a separate review of the soundtrack itself (easily worth the spotlight).

Now. The disclaimer. This series does have quite a bit of explicit material: violence, sensuality, and language. It is a show that needs a remote control handy for in self-editing (which can easily be done). If you're adept with a remote control, then the show is watchable for a much broader audience than without a remote control. Just know you've been warned.

Again, never--even with both Stargate series, Deep Space Nine, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and (gasp) Firefly--have I been so captivated by a television series, flogged from episode to episode because I cared what happened to all these characters I'd grown to love. I'd recommend it as the finest science fiction series of our time.

CAST:

* Edward James Olmos — William Adama

* Mary McDonnell — Laura Roslin

* Katee Sackhoff — Kara "Starbuck" Thrace

* Jamie Bamber — Lee "Apollo" Adama

* James Callis — Dr. Gaius Baltar

* Tricia Helfer — Number Six (Caprica / Shelley Godfrey / Gina Inviere / Natalie / Lida / Sonja)

* Grace Park — Number Eight (Sharon "Boomer" Valerii / Sharon "Athena" Agathon)

* Michael Hogan — Saul Tigh

* Tahmoh Penikett — Karl "Helo" Agathon

* Aaron Douglas — Chief Galen Tyrol

* Alessandro Juliani — Felix Gaeta

* Michael Trucco — Samuel T. Anders

* Kandyse McClure — Anastasia Dualla

See more about the new prequel series Caprica, by Ronald Moore and David Eick, based on Battlestar.

The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins

2009-11-20T03:01:00.001-07:00

The Hunger Games is one of those books that I was very reluctant to read because it seemed so trendy. Everyone I knew, practically, was reading it, which left me feeling resistant to go with the flow. I felt the same way about the Harry Potter novels, the Percy Jackson books, and the Terry Brooks Shannara series (about a decade after they first started coming out). Also, I'd heard it ended on a cliffhanger, which made me hesitate to read it until I could see a sequel in print. Well, the sequel, Catching Fire, is out. And more good reviews from friends and acquaintances pour in.

Hunger Games is a straight dystopia with a very slight hint of post-apocalyptia (the dystopia is a result of the catastrophic civil war). Katniss Everdeen is sixteen years old and yet is the breadwinner for her struggling family: her widowed mother and younger sister, Prim. They live in the poorest district (twelve) in an empire ruled by the Capitol. In their district, people struggle to have enough food and shelter to live to see another day. Their main industry is mining, and so the coal miners and their families have very low quality of life. The Capitol government, after a rebellion from the districts more than seventy years ago, started an annual event to remind the districts of their subjugation: the Hunger Games. A boy and girl "tribute" are chosen by lottery from each district to represent their district in an arena fight to the death. The tribute drawing in District Twelve will change Katniss's life forever.

This novel is thoroughly enjoyable and is accessible to a wide audience, from middle-grade readers to adults. There are some darker themes and imagery that merit parent-children discussion for any youth reading it, but overall it crosses many audience borders.

The writing is very minimalist, clipping along at a good pace without overkill on character, scenery, or other narrative description. This is part of Suzanne Collins's talent: pacing her story to keep the reader constantly engaged and interested. She knows when to throw the next foil or twist in the plot, keeping the characters continually engaged in struggles that define them (thus describing them by their actions more than their words, thoughts, or narrator thoughts). Collins writes in first-person present, which is a risky POV. She pulls it off splendidly, and only occasionally is it a little jarring.

Thematically, Collins portrays the despotic government as a Roman Empire castoff, using such names as Cinna, Portia, and other imperial-themed monikers. This, I expect, she does to further immerse in the sense of a Roman arena fight and all the decadence and fall of morality associated with the corruption of the Roman Empire and its leaders. She marries these motifs very successfully (and believably) with the traces of the former U.S. government (as we know it). Just walking through Washington DC can quickly convey how much we are a New World Rome, and Collins gets that across--very subtly, to be sure.

The Hunger Games is an exceptional story, and I'd recommend it to just about everyone. It's a fast read, and, as mentioned earlier, has impeccable pacing that dismisses any pause or boredom.

The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins. 2008. Scholastic. 374 pp. $11.69 (HC).

Reliquary Review: Dune, by Frank Herbert

2009-11-13T03:36:00.004-07:00

So I finally got around to reading Dune. Just like everyone else my age, I've heard about Dune for years; it's a household name even for those readers who aren't speculative fiction connoisseurs. I have had a very difficult time enjoying the movie adaptations (not even finishing them) and have always seemed to harbor a stigma against the sci-fi Bible of sorts. After all, Dune is to sci-fi as The Lord of the Rings is to fantasy. A classic. A raging success.

So once I realized that there was no way around it--that I just had to read Dune if I was to be a fully initiated speculative fiction reader--I buckled down and began my journey to Arrakis, or Dune, as everyone calls it.

Dune is the epic space opera story of the noble family Atreides, the son Paul Atreides in particular, who are granted custody and stewardship of the lucrative spice planet Arrakis. Their long-time blood enemies, the Harkonnen, are abandoning the planet, per the Emperor's order, but the Atreides expect some resistance, considering this is the only planet in the galaxy that produces the extremely valuable spice melange. As soon as the Atreides set up their settlement on the planet, they are launched into a series of events that will change their lives forever.

The story relies heavily on the prophecies of the Bene Jesserit (a female religious society in some ways similar to the Jesuits or any other strict Catholic order). Their order symbolically represents the Catholic Church and its influence during the medieval times on Earth. Paul Atreides has a great destiny to fulfill per the prophecies, and other characters have prophetic roles to fill.

Frank Herbert does a fine job of projecting future technologies, considering he published this in 1965. Body shields and hovercraft, phase rifles and plasma cannons, and their water-conserving distillation suits . . . he makes the technology interesting and realistic without providing enough details to get real scientists or afficianados breathing down his neck. The technology in the story is solely there to further the plot. It's not an end unto itself.

Herbert does get into some pretty strange metaphysics and super-psychology with Paul that, for me, became tedious as well as ambiguous. Lots of omniscience in seeing past, present, and future and being able to chart a path for himself that would avoid future landmines. It didn't reduce the enjoyment of the overall story, but I read through those parts quickly.

Dune's characters are epic, and have grand characterizations with either very sinister or very noble motives. There aren't a lot of gray characters: Dr. Wellington Yueh, Thufir Hawat, the Emperor himself. Herbert is exceptional at portraying his characters in a near-Shakespearean mien, giving each of the characters faults, but in the end resolving things between characters in a typically Shakespearean denoument.

Having read the book, I can now see why the movies reeked of lethargy. The setting of the hot, dusty desert planet of Arrakis can come across as very prosaic. There are sections of the book that take place in the open desert, with very little variety in the setting. In the film adaptations, I was turned off by the same thing that slowed down Lawrence of Arabia (which film I love, otherwise): the dragged-out desert wanderings.

Dune is a classic, and I would recommend reading it for anyone who enjoys space opera and would like to see where the genre really began. Yes, there are slow parts; yes, it feels dated at times. But ultimately, it is a satisfying story, in the tradition of telling stories with a Shakespearean flair.

Dune, by Frank Herbert. 1965. Chilton Books. 412 pp. $7.99.

As an interest point, check out the original 1965 cover:

Robison Wells

2009-11-12T08:50:00.003-07:00

I just wanted to give a shout out to Robison Wells, a friend of mine who has recently taken the next big step, signing on with one of the best YA agents out there. For all of you who want witty, innovative stories, keep your eyes peeled for Rob's national debut in the next couple years.

Godspeed, Rob!

To learn more about Rob, check out his website here.

inFAMOUS, by Sucker Punch Studios

2009-11-06T03:05:00.002-07:00

I enjoy video games for one primary reason: the story. There's nothing more compelling than a narrative you are part of. Books and film can only take you so far as an objective observer; video games bring the participant into the story. Now who hasn't dreamed of that?

So when a game like inFAMOUS comes along, I'm further impressed with how the electronic arts industry is headed more and more toward virtuoso storytelling and artistry. I've also said before how pleased I am with studios ramping up the excellent voice talent they bring on to portray the characters in these games. It's more and more rare that you actually have to read dialogue on a screen. Most everything is headed toward fully voiced games. The border between film and video games gets grayer and grayer each year, and inFAMOUS exemplified that.

Your character, Cole MacGrath, is a courier in the thriving metropolis of Empire City until one day he's asked to carry a package that explodes in his face, destroying a lot of the city with it. He quickly finds out that he survived the blast, but that's not all. He has inherited electromagnetic powers. His girlfriend, Trish, quickly abandons him as she finds out about his powers and as the majority of the city is convinced that he was the direct and intentional cause of the explosion that wracked their city across the coals. So early in the game, Cole is called a terrorist and is feared by loved ones and strangers alike. Cole's friend Zeke is one of the main characters, tipping Cole off to important goings-on throughout Empire City as Cole tries to restore power and help the people of Empire City take back their city from the power-enhanced gangs who ravage it.

One of the highlights of the game is that Empire City itself is a character, in its own way. First of all, the city is HUGE, separated into three large islands connected by powerlines and bridges (feels like New York City with a touch of Chicago). As you play through the game, there are thousands of micro choices and a few dozen macro choices that influence whether you will become good, neutral, or evil. Based on these choices, Empire City will either (1) slowly improve and rebuild itself, becoming more vibrant and "back-to-normal" OR (2) it will slowly get worse: grimier, darker, and slummier. This makes your choices rewarding, as you see them directly effecting the improvement or decline of the city itself.

Your choices also drastically effect how people view you. If you make good choices: sharing food supplies with residents, helping to heal them on the street, taking out the gangsters and "conduits" who harrass them, etc., they will cheer you on, take pictures of you on their cell phones to send to friends, and even--at your peak of heroicism--throw rocks and debris at enemies you're fighting. The city is heavily populated, and so your karma with the residents will have a continual effect on your gameplay.

The versatility of the game is impressive, as you climb building to building, ride along train tracks (there's an extensive train system on all three islands), and cruise across powerlines. There are many missions to accomplish, shards from the blast to collect, and satellite drop sites to correspond with some of the characters throughout the game. There is enough variety to keep things fresh throughout the entire game.

inFAMOUS is one of the Playstation exclusives that makes the system well worth having, and I'd recommend it to any speculative fiction gamer.

inFAMOUS, by Sucker Punch Studios and Sony Entertainment. May 2009. $53.49 at Amazon.

Moon Called, by Patricia Briggs

2009-10-30T03:51:00.005-06:00

For Halloween I picked a werewolf-vampire-witch-skinwalker-gremlin novel, just to ensure I covered most of the bases. Patricia Briggs's Moon Called, the first in the Mercedes Thompson series, is an engaging urban paranormal mystery set in the Tri-Cities, WA, area and also including some of Montana (which was a refreshing change from the usual New York, Chicago, Boston, DC, Name-of-Metropolis-Goes-Here, etc.).

Mercedes (Mercy) Thompson is a fine mechanic. She also happens to be a skin walker who can morph into a coyote. She has connections to the local werewolf pack, led by the alpha werewolf Adam, although she isn't part of their pack. It's these connections that drag her into an all-out war between a band of werewolves and humans that come to town looking for trouble.

The story feels a lot like Jim Butcher's Dresden Files series with a little of the charm from Tanya Huff's Blood Ties series and a lot of the world development of Kim Harrison's Rachel Morgan series. The story is very plot-driven while also including great personalities and character developments, so if you're looking for the plot-deprived, characterization-saturated stories of Meyer's, you'll not find them in Briggs's work.

Mercy Thompson is immediately likeable. She's not exuberant or boisterous, girly-girly or tomboyish--she's just that right combination of femininity and self-reliant sass that's needed for this type of series. Her werewolf, vampire, gremlin, and fae friends complement her personality and act as suitable foils. Briggs does an excellent job of giving hints of things to come in subsequent novels in the series--giving us insights into Mercy's inheritance as a skinwalker. While doing this, Briggs also offers the courtesy to her readers of a well-resolved, stand-alone novel.

The newest edition of the book has a cover that was created by a brilliant artist, but it looks far too Harlequin for me to feature on my blog. The suggestive nature of the cover does not reflect the story's content. So I use the older cover on this post so I'll blush less. The material in the book is mild compared to the cover's portrayal of Mercy (which is sad, because Mercy is an AMAZING character).

I'd recommend the book to most urban paranormal mystery fans, even though I would have to slap a sticker over the cover so as not to scare away potential readers.

Moon Called, by Patricia Briggs. Ace Fantasy. 2006. 288 pp. $7.99 (PB).

Mercedes Thompson Series:
Moon Called
Blood Bound
Iron Kissed
Bone Crossed

Shared Review of Robert Jordan's/Brandon Sanderson's The Gathering Storm

2009-10-28T03:32:00.000-06:00

I wanted to share this amazing review done over on Pat's Fantasy Hotlist of the new Robert Jordan/Brandon Sanderson novel The Gathering Storm. It's the best early review I've read yet.

Frankenstein: Dead and Alive, by Dean Koontz

2009-10-23T00:54:00.001-06:00

So I'm sad to say that after enjoying book one and two of this series very much, I felt that book three was an exercise in futility and repetition. The characters who made the first two books so interesting--Deucalion, Carson, Michael, and Victor--were given backseats to the minor, minor characters that surfaced at the end of book two or the beginning of book three. And those minor characters were cookie cutter characters (not even made of cookie dough, either, but more like old cardboard). The climax is just okay, dealing with the creature from the dump, Victor Helios/Frankenstein, and other creatures of Victor's creation. It's sad, because I like this series up to this point and I like the premise even better (if that's possible).

I usually give longer reviews than this, but my heart just wasn't in this book. If this short review saves someone a little money or time down the road, my job is done.

Frankenstein: City of Night, by Dean Koontz

2009-10-16T02:00:00.007-06:00

Frankenstein: City of Night, the second book in the trilogy, picks up right where Koontz leaves off in Prodigal Son. The New Orleans detectives Carson and Michael are preparing for an assault against Victor Helios, but little do they know that Helios has been warned about their knowledge and has sent his own assassins against them. Also, the threat against Carson's younger brother, Arnie, has never been greater. Deucalion is working his hardest in the shadows, trying to find out as much as he can to stop Helios and equip his detective friends. The plot thickens as a madman tries to supplant humanity once and for all. (Mwahahaha...)

So Koontz throw in some great humor into this one. Again, Michael Maddison is a crackup, and the quirky partnership/relationship between him and Carson is what makes the story worthwhile for me.

Here's a sample of Michael/Carson's humor (pp. 414-15):

(Carson) "I'll bet you're good with kids."
(Michael) "I'm no Barney the Dinosaur, but I can hold my own."
"He must sweat like a pig in that suit."
"You couldn't pay me enough to be Barney," he said.
"I used to hate Big Bird when I was a kid."
"Why?"
She said, "He was such a self-righteous bore."
"You know who used to scare me when I was a little kid? Snuggle the Bear."
"Do I know Snuggle?"
"In those TV ads for that fabric softener. Somebody would say how soft their robe was or their towels, and Snuggle the teddy bear would be hiding behind a pillow or creeping around under a chair, giggling."
"He was just happy that people were pleased."
"No, it was a maniacal little giggle. And his eyes were glazed. And how did he get in all those houses to hide and giggle?"
"You're saying Snuggle should have been charged with B and E?"
"Absolutely. Most of the time when he giggled, he covered his mouth with one paw. I always thought he didn't want you to see his teeth."
"Snuggle had bad teeth?" she asked.
"I figured they were rows of tiny vicious fangs he was hiding. When I was maybe four or five, I used to have nightmares where I'd be in bed with a teddy bear, and it was Snuggle, and he was trying to chew open my jugular and suck the lifeblood out of me."
She said, "So much about you suddenly makes more sense than it ever did before."
"Maybe if we aren't cops someday, we can open a toy shop."
"Can we run a toy shop and have guns?"
"I don't see why not," he said.

So another great part about City of Night is that Koontz equips his heroes with some high-power guns. At the beginning of the book, Carson and Michael look up an old friend, who's a retired arms dealer. He hooks them up with the contact, a Mr. Godot, who in turn gives them the firepower needed to take down these nasty superhuman creations. Let's just say the guns pratically become minor characters in the novel. Ka-Pow!

Koontz does have two subplots that he explores too much in the book:

(1) Helios's people who run his secret dump, where he disposes of failed experiments and humans that he's clandestinely killing, are featured in too many marginally meaningful chapters. Once again, these chapters could be trimmed down to just one short chapter.

(2) Erika Number Five, Helios's new wife, to replace the model that . . . went awry. Her chapters have very light impact on the story and could be reduced.

But overall, this story is packed with storyline and plot that propels the story further, along with many evidences that Victor Helios's army is not all that it seems. Helios's arrogance blinds him to the fact that many of his creations are coming apart at the seams.

Frankenstein: City of Night, by Dean Koontz. Bantam Books. 2005. 496 pp. $9.99 (PB).

Dean Koontz Frankenstein Series:

1. Prodigal Son
2. City of Night
3. Dead and Alive

Frankenstein: Prodigal Son, by Dean Koontz

2009-10-09T03:00:00.001-06:00

While this was an excellent book (a real page turner), I'm saddened that it wasn't realized as a TV series--as it was originally planned to be. USA Network had gotten a director and some of the major elements of the show together when they surprised Koontz with a small twist: they were going to drastically change his script to something entirely different from his original plot. Koontz withdrew his project, and thus we have the Frankenstein trilogy. After you read the book, you might have the same sentiment: while a great book, this would have made a kick-butt TV show!

Also, I must note that this year, with the release of the final book in the series, Dead and Alive, for some reason Kevin J. Anderson's and Ed Gorman's names were scrubbed from any new editions of the original book and book two which they coauthored. Now, the entire trilogy is solely authored by Dean Koontz.

I was surprised with how much of a detective novel Dean Koontz made his Frankenstein: Prodigal Son. Expecting something different, I was pleased with the murder-mystery framework.

The novel is set in modern-day New Orleans, with the resurfacing of the original monster (Deucalion) created by Victor Frankenstein in Austria two hundred years ago. He's discovered that Victor Frankenstein is till alive and is working to build an army of cloned "humans."

Meanwhile, a serial killer is going around New Orleans, and Detectives Carson O'Connor and Michael Maddison are on the case. As they pursue various leads, they quickly find out that this is no normal case--even for murder.

One of the several villains of the book, Roy Ribeaux, seemed very similar to Koontz's hitman character in Watchers, who is obsessed with his perfection and superhuman achievement to the point of horrendous psychosis. He was unique enough, though, and the twists that Koontz and Anderson throw in to tweak this character are interesting.

Sometimes it seems like Carson and Michael are thrown leads too often and too easily, with perfect timing in some cases. I'm not entirely objecting to this, since I like the good guys to win more often than not, but sometimes they had it easy.

Koontz and Anderson tend to get a little repetitive with a few chapters (especially with Randal Six...), where they could have easily have taken five or six chapters and deleted all but one of those chapters and still had the same content. And with Randal Six, most of that storyline is just a teaser for the subsequent two books.

The suspense is gripping, and I couldn't help but at times sense that these creations of Victor Frankenstein were real--disturbing in every way and so unnatural. Interrupting the suspense at times (and very welcome) was a thread of sarcastic, witty humor, especially with the banter between Carson and Michael. One of the best humorous scenes of the book is when Carson and Michael go to question Detective Harker's partner, Frye, and Frye comes to the door revealing himself as the slob that he is. Michael's quips are priceless.

I'd recommend the novel to anyone who enjoys a good supernatural mystery. The New Orleans setting is interesting, the characters varied and all shades of gray, and the plot driving and relentless.

Frankenstein: Prodigal Son, by Dean Koontz. Bantam Books. 2005. 512 pp. $9.99 (PB).

Dean Koontz Frankenstein Series:

1. Prodigal Son
2. City of Night
3. Dead and Alive

Servant of a Dark God, by John Brown

2009-10-02T05:30:00.001-06:00

Servant of a Dark God will be released October 13, 2009 from TOR.

I first met John Brown at a writers conference I attended for work. I'm always excited to meet debut epic fantasy authors, especially when they come so highly recommended by other authors whom I respect. David Farland had talked about John at lunch with me last year and had spoken so well of him and his writing that I was glad to finally meet him in person this February.

Before I dig into my review of his TOR debut novel, Servant of a Dark God, let me just share a couple of the endorsements given for his book from authors I enjoy:

"Thoroughly engrossing from the first page to the last! A writer with remarkable depth and power. I haven't seen a debut novel this good in years!" --David Farland

"A complex and intricate world, filled with all the permutations of human good and evil, as well as evil that goes beyond the human." --L.E. Modesitt, Jr.

Now, here's the summary from the cover copy:
* * *
"The launch of a towering new fantasy series introduces an elaborate new world, a strange and dark system of magic, and a cast of compelling characters and monsters. Young Talen lives in a world where the days of a person's life can be harvested, bought, and stolen. Only the great Divines, who rule every land, and the human soul-eaters, dark ones who steal from man and beat and become twisted by their polluted draws, know the secrets of this power. This land's Divine has gone missing and soul-eaters are found among Talen's people.

"The Clans muster a massive hunt, and Talen finds himself a target. Thinking his struggle is against both soul-eaters and their hunters, Talen actually has far larger problems. A being of awesome power has arisen, one whose diet consists of the days of man. Her Mothers once ranched human subjects like cattle. She has emerged to take back what is rightfully hers.

"Trapped in a web of lies and ancient secrets, Talen must struggle to identify his true enemy before the Mother finds the one whom she will transform into the lord of the human harvest."
* * *

This is no simple epic. Brown has essentially written in three major plots: (1) the Dark Mother's resurgence in the world and her cunning plots, (2) Talen's family's struggle against the Divines and the oppression he and his face from those who aren't Koramite, and (3) the epic struggle of all those who are oppressed by the tyranny of the Glory and the Divines. The complexities of these three struggles overlap and complement one another in the story, with each group and entity relating to each other in different ways. For example, the Dark Mother is seeking out those who are fighting against the Divines to cull them, but she also plans to attack the Divines. In other words, groups that have mutual enemies are also fighting against themselves. These interacting conflicts I'm certain will generate quite an epic series (just as Robert Jordan's tri-fold conflicts have held readers of The Wheel of Time series spellbound--Dark One vs. Artur Hawkwing's returned armies vs. Rand and the gang).

While John Brown's story is intensely plot-driven, I would be amiss if I didn't point out his strong characters and their personalities. Talen comes across quickly as a bratty young man, but he's conflicted as he is faced with difficult truths and has to make hard decisions that help him take that next step to manhood (not unlike Robin Hobb's Fitz in Assassin's Apprentice). His female characters are mostly young, including Talen's sister, River, who--remarkably--resembles River of the Joss Whedon series Firefly in her fighting skills, if not in any other way. Perhaps the most fascinating character is Hunger, the creature going around sucking up people's souls. He is the "Servant" of a Dark God mentioned in the title, and I'd like to find one reader who doesn't end up sympathizing with this creature in some way.

Brown's world is very convincing, elaborate, and complicated, giving the sense of a medeival world filled with all sorts of creatures and peoples, with the story happening only on a very small portion of this world. There are no easy answers to life, and people of all sects and factions seem to be in abysmal condition because of the false deities who control their lives. I look forward to seeing what Brown does with the series over the long term, especially considering offshoot series based in this world. I wouldn't be surprised if this world became as permanent an institution as Brooks's Shannara or as Modesitt's Recluce, to name a few.

I'd highly recommend this debut novel for those who enjoy a good coming-of-age epic fantasy, and I hope to see many more great things from debut author John Brown.

Servant of a Dark God, by John Brown. TOR. September 15, 2009. 448 pp. $19.49.

John Brown's website

2009-09-29T01:13:00.000-06:00

Here's a great article/interview of humor fantasy author Sir Terry Pratchett from Telegraph:

CLICK HERE

The Maze Runner, by James Dashner

2009-09-25T05:30:00.001-06:00

To be released on October 6, 2009, by Random House Children's!

James Dashner's The Maze Runner felt like an enjoyable collage of all the reasons I like dystopic novels so dang much. It was a Farenheit 451 meets Ender's Game meets 1984 meets Lost meets Lord of the Flies meets City of Ember meets Little Women (okay, maybe not so much Little Women, but a guy can dream, can't he?).

Young Thomas finds himself with no memory of himself or where he came from--only that he's been dumped out of a box onto the hard ground and a bunch of kids are looking at him like he's their new leader (enter Lord of the Flies). He's inducted into their survivalist society and is told that he can hang out in their digs and all, but he must never venture out of the big, scary doors, lest bad things happen. And they must type in a code every twelve hours into a computer with a DOS-like screen, otherwise more bad things will happen (okay, this last really doesn't happen in this way, but take my word for it . . . Lost is written all over this with permanent marker; I keep expecting Hugo to come out of one of the shacks with a jar of peanut butter or something).

So these marooned manchildren have a society going on, but everything goes hog-wild the day after Thomas comes when a GIRL (gasps, shudders, cootie-repellent spraying) comes hopping out of the box and tells them the end is near. Well, of course the end is near, guys. Whenever a girl pops out of a box and starts ordering you around, run for the HILLS! CUT YOUR LOSSES! ALL IS LOST!

So is that teasy enough without giving out any juicy spoilers?

The creatures working against the Lords of Flies and such are the Grievers: a combination of your friendly neighborhood mechanical bloodhound (enter Farenheit 451) enmeshed with a big ball of gelatinous, green goo that must slow them down some, since they're not as fast and wily as those friendly neighborhood mechanical bloodhounds. But don't stop pouring on the fear, because these grievers have needles and mechanical grindy things that will tear and rend. ACK!

Thomas is one of those characters who is smart and save-the-day-heroic but he downplays his abilities with false humility so that he can get along with the rest of the guys (enter Ender's Game). He and Teresa have interactions that are fairly surface level, and I'm hoping their relationship is more extensively developed in the sequels. A great framework is set up for expanding this as well as the relationships between all the guys, including Winston (enter 1984), Minho, Alby, Chuck, Newt (enter Amphibians), Gally, Frypan, and all the other Lost Boys.

Each of the Lost Boys has a job to fulfill in this dystopian existence (enter City of Ember): some butcher animals (which are delivered by the Box), others are runners, who explore the land outside the gates in the great maze. Dashner gives some great insights into what children act like when forced to be adults, grown-up far too early in order to simply survive.

Listen. If I were to recommend any book to read this fall, it would be Robert Jordan/Brandon Sanderson's first book of a two-part final 12th book of the Wheel of Time, The Gathering Storm. If you can make it through that Leviathan of a book and still have the energy to read more, then check out James Dashner's well-written, engaging, Lord-of-the-flies-from-the-seat-of-your-pants The Maze Runner. You'll love it!

The Maze Runner, by James Dashner. October 6, 2009. Random House Children's. 384 pp. $12.74 (PB--discounted online at B&N).

Congratulations to Tyler Carter

2009-09-24T08:08:00.004-06:00

I'd like to congratulate fellow Utahn Tyler Carter for winning in the top three for the second quarter of the L. Ron Hubbard Illustrators of the Future Contest.

Best of luck with the end-of-year award!

Gathering Storm Chapter Two Audio

2009-09-24T07:47:00.004-06:00

Head on over to www.tor.com for the free audio version of The Gathering Storm (Jordan/Sanderson) chapter two, courtesy of Macmillan Audio. You can also read a free download of chapter one.

Enjoy!

Joss Whedon Interview from SciFiChick

2009-09-23T00:09:00.000-06:00

I just read an amazing interview with Joss Whedon that SciFiChick conducted and that she shares on her website:

Joss Whedon Interview!

Sep.23, 2009 in Interviews

SciFiChick.com was able to participate in a conference call last week with Joss Whedon, Creater/Executive Producer/Writer/Director of Dollhouse. Below is a transcript of that call.

Dollhouse’s second season will premier Friday, September 25th from 9 to 10 p.m. ET/PT on FOX.

—

In Dollhouse, how will Echo, and of course the many other characters she is flashing to, come in to her own this season?

Basically, through force of will. She did have all those personalities dumped into her at once and as we pick up, we’re going to find out that that’s starting to affect her. Rather than be at sea in between engagements, she’s much more directed and driven, and even in her doll state is growing, and learning and starting to try to access these personalities to see what they can help her with, because she has a mission that she understands now, which is to get back to her personality and get everybody back to theirs.

How many seasons do you see Dollhouse running?

Dollhouse, the premise is limited and I think by season 17, you’re really going to see us repeating ourselves.

Last season you began with a number of restating pilot episodes where you wanted to make sure that you could bring in new viewers. This season doesn’t begin with that sort of episode. Could you talk about how you approached the idea of new viewers following the show?

Well, you know, we always try to make, especially in the first episode of the season, but generally we try and make the premise clear enough so that if you haven’t been watching it, you don’t have to do a huge amount of math. There’s a lot of exposition in the first pilot, in the first episode of the season, to help that. But at the end of the day, you do have to go, “Well, if they don’t get the premise,” and we’ve even rejiggered the opening credits to make it clearer, than they’ll either become involved in these peoples’ stories or they won’t. You have to move slow enough so people can grab a hold and jump on with you, but you have to keep moving.

Do you have a pitch to new viewers on how to reintegrate themselves or is the answer as simple as watch the DVD?

No, I think the answer would be more like buy the DVD, and buy some for your friends. Then have discussion groups where you buy more. … settle? Too much integrity in that response?

Can you tell us what Ray Wise is going to be playing in and when we might see him first?

Ray Wise, I believe, will be appearing in episode six and he’s going to be playing the head of another house, so he’s going to interact with young Olivia and it should be very exciting.

“Dr. Horrible” started in a homegrown effort for you guys… Will it stay that way moving forward with all of the acclaim and success you’ve had?

The acclaim and success is not a problem for us. We’re totally comfortable with it. We are working on a follow-up. The question of whether it stays homegrown or whether it outgrows that is one that we ask ourselves. It doesn’t affect the storytelling. The story we want to tell is about the people, whether we do that on a shoestring, the way we did it for before, whether we do something bigger and invite other people into the process.

Is there a difference between having Tara Butters and Michelle … on this season as opposed to Sarah Fane and Elizabeth Craft?

There is enough of a difference in sensibilities to make it interesting, but not so much of a difference in quality as to make it problematic. They really are similar in that they are rock solid, very story driven, really good producers and delightful to be around. But then they have different obsessions and they come up with things differently. I love and miss Liz and Sarah but Tara and Michelle have really brought a fresh eye to it.

How are arced is the show going to be this season?

The show is going to be pretty arcy. Clearly what people responded to was the workings of the Dollhouse and the progression of the characters in it and we’re going to honor that. At the same time, I’m very much of the mind that you do need to resolve something in an episode. You can’t just create a series of twists and turns. You need an episode to have a sense of completion, so there will still be engagements or at least problems that need to be dealt with, but they will feed into the main arc as well.

Obviously you can’t give too much away, but is any of the episode “Epitaph One” going to factor in to Dollhouse now at all, or are you just throwing it out?

No, no, we’re absolutely not throwing it out. It had originally been my intention to start in that era and then come back, but I just had too much information in my first episode. What we’re talking about doing is perhaps revisiting that timeline towards the end of the 13 in a similar fashion, but we’re also looking at the show through the lens of that episode and saying, “Well, this is taking us to a more global concept of how this power is used and abused.” That’s a lot of what informs the season. You don’t have to have seen it to understand that, but it helps if you do. I think it adds a layer.

There were a lot of people who were worried that you might be cancelled after your first season. What do you think it was that convinced FOX to sign you on for another round, and hopefully, longer?

I think it’s the nature of the business and the nature of the fan base. The nature of the fan base is they’re in it for the long haul, and they’re nurturing, and they’re intense about it and they will see it through. They will stick with it and that means years after it’s cancelled. Firefly still sells, Buffy still sells, and that’s also a business thing for the studio. They’re in it for the long haul because they know the long haul is how my work pays off. I don’t make hit shows. I make shows that stick around that people come to long after they would have stopped generating revenue in the old system.

With the advent of DVD and the eventual monetization of Online, there’s a market there that exists beyond your Nielsen numbers, and the fans showing up and DVRing, and buying a DVD, and proving on all my other projects that they don’t do these things lightly, that it runs deep in them, means that the base doesn’t have to be as broad for the studio to think it’s worth it to try and eke out another season.

In interviews with Eliza Dushku, she talks about how she had a hand in developing her character. Could you talk a little bit about some of the ways in which she helped shape who Echo has become and will become?

Well, she really wants to dance burlesque. We keep forgetting to put that in. Eliza has specific things she’s interested in, specific things she feels comfortable with. Sometimes I like to go to that place because I know that she can knock it out of the park and sometimes I like to go in the opposite direction to take her out of her comfort zone because that’s the best thing you can do with an actor.

The fact is she shapes it because she is very specific as a person. She’s very specific in the way she presents and even though there are many different aspects to that, the people don’t usually get to see how funny she can be, how elegant. She doesn’t always have to play the tough girl, but she really just presents. It was a conversation about all of the different things she was supposed to be, or had been, or was trying to be, or trying to get away from that led to the creation of the show. It made me think, “Wait a minute. That’s what the show should be about.” So it wasn’t so much that she said, “I’d like to be the following things,” although we talked about what the characters are, it’s just that she is so many people that we pluck from them. She did go bow hunting. I understand, however, that she herself was not hunted.

Dollhouse deals with people manipulating emotions and your upcoming film, Cabin in the Wood, it deals with people that deal with fears. … is there’s something about these themes that really intrigue you?

The two pieces were written, or conceived, very far apart and then they ended up at the same time, which is awkward for me because it does seem like, “Well, he does like to do that.” But the fact of the matter is I am obsessed with it. People are constantly being manipulated, and controlled, and conditioned, and lied to. I feel like it’s a valid thing to discuss and to use the various sort of arch. There is an evil corporation that is controlling your every thought as a concept, is something that is so not that far removed from how we live our lives in terms of socialization, and advertising, and our society, and so I really can’t seem to get past it because it does fascinate me. How do we create ourselves when society is telling us who to be?

Do you think there will be another one-off episode that will be exclusive to the season to you, DVD of Dollhouse?

I don’t think we’ll have a DVD exclusive because I don’t think anybody’s going to pony up the dough for it. But I do think we will be revisiting the world of “Epitaph One.”

What kinds of things can we expect as far as visiting the Epitaph One world?

We’re so fascinated by that world and really in love with the actors in it, and we also want to answer some of the questions we asked about. Well where is everybody, come the future? Who’s doing fine and who didn’t make it? So we keep trying to go back to the future and then realizing well no, it’s not time yet. It’s really going to be towards the end of the season that we’ll be able to do that.

Can you tell us a little bit more about the relationships that are coming up this season – what it’s going to be like with Echo and Paul, and among the other dolls this year?

Victor and Sierra just can’t keep their hands off each other, and they’re like monkeys and it’s something that we’re going to be treating, they’re going to be seeing through for a while. It makes some people very uncomfortable and sometimes it’s just extremely sweet. Sometimes it’s just funny.

But Echo is very much building herself and she sees it as an indication that they’re ready to be pushed to a level like hers. She’s looking for allies and Paul is the first person she’s going to turn to for that. But then a lot of the season is going to be her attempt to put together some kind of team, even though she has trouble articulating it at first. She’s looking for the sense of family that I think the audience was looking for last season. So we’re going to be seeing who’s on her side and who, not so much.

Is Dr. Saunders going to factor in a little more in the season?

Dr. Saunders would factor in much more in the season had we not lost her to another show. She will factor inasmuch as we are allowed to factor her in, which is exactly three episodes worth. They will, however, be three extraordinarily memorable episodes.

Amy Acker is ridiculously talented and the character’s dilemma is fascinating to us. We grit our teeth that we didn’t have the funds, or the support, or the success, to just make her a regular and now we’re paying for it. It means that every time we have her on screen, we’ll squeeze every drop out of her that we can. We’re seizing the day. We just don’t get to seize as many of them as we’d like.

The guest star lineup looks really impressive this season. You had Alan on last season and Summer this season. I just wanted to know, are there plans to get the rest of Firefly on here at some point?

It’s a death match between Firefly and Battlestar and which of them is going to get all their people. The fact of the matter is they’re people I admire and they’re people I know I love to work with and this season, I’m a lot less concerned with how the cast is perceived.

Last season, we felt like we wanted to make sure that this was new territory and that people didn’t think of it as just, “Oh, it’s just these faces and he’s doing his old thing.” Now I’m like, “I know these people can act,” and honestly, the people that are watching it are fans anyway. If they know who these people are, they’ll be thrilled. If they don’t, they’ll see good acting so it doesn’t matter to me as much. So yes, I have no fear of throwing anybody that I have worked with or just want to work with in anytime I can.

What ways are you going to stretch the parameters of the tech this season?

We’re going to stretch the tech fairly heftily. I actually can’t answer the question directly because a lot of it has to do with the different ways in which this tech can be manipulated, and we’re going to see that it’s not all the simple chair treatments. There’s more that can be done and the excitement and the danger of that is a large part of this season.

Can you talk about the casting of Summer Glau and also what’s in store for her character?

The casting of Summer was based on the knowledge that Summer existed and the character was created with the hopes that she would play it, which she is right on stage right now doing. She’s playing the programmer of another Dollhouse. It’s a somewhat eccentric part but hopefully different than what we’ve seen her do before. The most useful part of that is that the writers work twice as hard to make sure that the character really pops and pays off because they know that it’s going to be played by somebody extraordinary.

We’ve got some glimpses at the back-story of some of the other characters like Sierra and Victor, but still a lot to fill in. Will we be delving into that more as the season progresses?

Yes, we will. We know how extraordinary those two performers are and we are very curious about their stories as much as we are about Caroline’s. So yes, we will definitely be seeing some episodes that highlight them and their pasts and where they’re heading.

Can you hint at all, with November/Mellie returning, how she will return since for her, it would seem that her time with the Dollhouse is over?

It would, wouldn’t it? I can’t tell you exactly how. I can tell you that she’ll be back early on and that we’re definitely not done with the character, and that probably means there’s going to be some pain involved. More than that, you’re going to have to wait for it.

Can you tell us a little bit about Jamie Bamber’s character and a little bit about Alexis as a senator? I read he’s trying to shut down the Dollhouse.

Yes, he’s got his own crusade going. He’s a very different person than Paul but he’s in a similar position except that he’s gone public with it. How much the Dollhouse loves a senator who has gone public with an attack on them, we will find out in later episodes. But he’s not the Paul of the season because he’s going to have a different set of problems thrown at him, but he has a similar vibe in terms of he’s very tenacious and righteous. Then, I forget what the other part was?

I read that Jamie Bamber’s character marries Echo early on in the season.

If you were those two, wouldn’t you get married? They’re so cute. He came in as the guest star in the first episode, which was just besides a geek dream for me, an extraordinary experience because he’s not just very professional, and precise and talented, but he fleshed out a character that could have been a little bit of a cardboard cutout. He has such sincerity and gravitas that you feel terrible. He makes you feel you’ve betrayed him, even if he’s completely in the wrong. It’s something that he shares with Adelle. Maybe it’s a British thing; I don’t know.

In an interview with Eliza, she said that you’re shooting in HD this year. How is that effecting the style of the show, the shooting of the show, how the show is going to match up to how it appeared last year?

We’re keeping a lot of things basically the same but we are trying to free up the camera and to create more depth and emotion with the lighting and the camera work. The HD packet is smaller. It takes less time to light. The lighting is more environmental. We get more time for the actors. We get more opportunities to do different angles. We’re going handheld more, but not like it’s if F1, but more like something that still has some of the elegance of the first season but is also a little more visceral.

It also means that occasionally, we finish our days extremely early and nobody’s hating that. Our DP, Lisa Weegand, has done a lot of independent features and so she’s got some really interesting ideas and she can give us classical looking television. It looks, I think, very beautiful but at the same time we can tweak it a little bit more or, we can take it a little bit farther and do that faster.

With Amy Acker gone, are we going to get a new doctor character to tend to the wounded?

We haven’t featured the doctor. We see somebody in the BG. We will be seeing Dr. Saunders again and the stories just haven’t lent themselves to bringing in another person in that capacity. So if we need to, yes, but not so far.

Thank you! Any closing remarks, Mr. Whedon?

I love each and every one of you very, much – possibly inappropriately. That’s it. That’s all I got.

Academ's Fury, by Jim Butcher

2009-09-19T09:29:00.003-06:00

Jim Butcher's second book in his epic fantasy Codex Alera series is every bit as gripping as the first, Furies of Calderon. Butcher never ceases to amaze readers with his ability to write paranormal gumshoe novels (the Dresden Files series) and hearty epic fantasy volumes and delivering equally well in both.

Butcher starts the second book out two years after the end of the first novel--a much-needed jump for the altogether too-young Tavi. The second installment brings us a much-developed, grown Tavi, who is studying to become a Cursor in the Academy of the capital of Alera, under the patronage of the First Lord himself, Lord Gaius. While just a boy in Furies of Calderon, Tavi has become a young man as seems to be a much more sympathetic character for an adult audience. Just as in the first novel, the major intrigue about Tavi's character is that he has no ability to furycraft (work with elemental furies--the magic of this world), which is a huge handicap for him, since every other human is able to. Despite his definitive lack, he manages to make friends among his peers (and because of his lack and association with the First Lord, he acquires plenty of enemies). He's no runt, though. He's scrappy and is unwilling to let anyone beat him over the head with their furycrafting.

The plot thickens as Bernard, Tavi's uncle, and his lover, Cursor Amara, discover that the vord, an insectlike race with an aggressive, swarmlike mentality, are attempting to place a foothold in the Calderon Valley. And this enemy knows how to use humans to propogate their cause...

In Alera Prime, Isana (Tavi's aunt) has come to visit Gaius and support him during the Wintersend festival. However, she's in grave danger from those power-mongering High Lords who have their eyes set on Gaius's throne.

Tavi is drawn into the thick of it all when Gaius falls ill and needs his most trustworthy assistants to keep his enemies uninformed about his vulnerability. The wolflike Canim ambassador does what he can to foil Tavi.

And then there's the mysterious cloaked thief who continues to evade the city guard.

What ensues is the epitome of epic fantasy at its best. Its very best.

The characterizations become stronger, with important events happening in each of the main characters' lives that will change them over a broad story arc.

Butcher, in all of his writing, is skilled and keeping the momentum, suspense, and intrigue constant--no time for boring descriptions of the minutiae. In this way, he very much mirrors George R. R. Martin, another master of keeping an epic on the fast and furious track it needs to be on.

It's a gripping read, and I'm still torn about whether I like Butcher's Dresden Files or Codex Alera series better. It is a tough toss-up.

Academ's Fury, by Jim Butcher. 2005. Ace. 544 pp. $7.99 (PB).

Codex Alera Series:

1. Furies of Calderon
2. Academ's Fury
3. Cursor's Fury
4. Captain's Fury
5. Princep's Fury
6. First Lord's Fury (November 2009 release)

The Gathering Storm Tour

2009-09-05T09:22:00.000-06:00

Tor just announced this week the tour schedule for Brandon Sanderson's and Harriet Rigney's bookstore visits, starting October 27th, for the release of The Gathering Storm, the second-to-last book in Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series (notice that Utah is on the list this time, along with several other less-frequented states!):

BYU Bookstore, Provo, UT
Tuesday, October 27th: Midnight
Wilkinson Student Center (WSC)
Brigham Young University
University Hill,
Provo, Utah 84602
(801) 422-2400

Barnes & Noble, Charleston, SC
Harriet to attend
Tuesday, October 27th: 7:00 PM
7620 Rivers Ave
Charleston, SC 29406
(843) 572-2322

Borders, Chicago, IL
Wednesday, October 28th: 7:30 PM
1500 16th Street, Suite D
Oak Brook, IL 60523
(630) 574-0800

Books-a-Million, Baltimore, MD
Harriet to attend
Thursday, October 29th: 7:00 PM
7000 Arundel Mills Cir
Hanover, MD 21076-1282
(443) 755-0210

Barnes & Noble, Minneapolis, MN
Friday, October 30th: 7:00 PM
HarHar Mall
2100 North Snelling Ave
Roseville, MN 55113
(651) 639-9256

West Charleston Library, Las Vegas, NV
Saturday, Oct 31st: 2:00 PM
6301 W. Charleston Blvd.
Las Vegas, NV 89146
(702) 507-3940

Tattered Cover, Denver, CO
Sunday, Nov. 1st: 2:00 PM
1628 16th Street
Denver, CO 80202
(303) 436-1070

Sam Weller’s Bookstore, Salt Lake City, UT
Monday, Nov. 2nd: 6:30 PM
254 South Main Street
Salt Lake City, UT 84101
(801) 328-2586

Borders, Washington, D.C.
Wednesday, Nov. 4th: 7:30 PM
5871 Crossroads Center Way
Baileys Crossroads, VA 22041
(703) 998-0404

Harvard Coop, Boston, MA
Thursday, Nov. 5th: 7:00 PM
1400 Massachusetts Avenue
18 Palmer Street
Cambridge, MA 02238
(617)499-2000

Chester County Books, Philadelphia, PA
Friday, Nov. 6th: 7:00 PM
975 Paoli Pike
West Goshen Center
West Chester, PA 19380
(610) 696-1661

Toadstool Book Shop, Milford, NH
Saturday, Nov. 7th: 2:00 PM
586 Nashua St.
Lorden Plaza
Milford, NH 03055
(603) 673-1734

Barnes & Noble (Union Square), NYC
Harriet to attend
Monday, Nov. 9th: 7:00 PM
33 East 17th Street
New York, NY 10003
(212) 253-0810

Joseph-Beth Booksellers, Lexington, KY
Harriet to attend
Tuesday, Nov. 10th: 7:00 PM
161 Lexington Green Cir # B
Lexington, KY 40503-3325
(859) 273-2911

Books & Co., Dayton, OH
Wednesday, Nov. 11th: 7:00 PM
at The Greene
4453 Walnut Street
Dayton, OH 45440
(937) 429-2169

Norcross Cultural Arts Center, Atlanta, GA
Harriet to attend
Friday, Nov. 13th: 7:00 PM
10 College Street
Norcross, GA 30071
(678) 421-2025

Borders, Dallas, TX
Harriet to attend
Saturday, Nov. 14th: 2:00 PM
10720 Preston Road
Dallas, TX 75230
(214) 363-1977

Mysterious Galaxy, San Diego, CA
Sunday, Nov. 15th: 2:00 PM
7051 Clairemont Mesa Boulevard
San Diego, CA 92111
(858) 268-4747

Scottsdale Public Library, Phoenix, AZ
Monday, Nov. 16th: 7:00 PM
Civic Center Auditorium
3839 N. Drinkwater Blvd.
Scottsdale, AZ 85251
(480) 947-2974

Vroman’s Bookstore, Los Angeles, CA
Tuesday, Nov. 17th: 7:00 PM
695 E. Colorado Blvd
Pasadena, CA 91101
(626) 449-5320

University Book Store, Seattle, WA
Wednesday, Nov. 18th: 7:00 PM
4326 University Way NE
Seattle, WA 98105
(206) 634-3400

Powell’s Books, Portland, OR
Thursday, Nov. 19th: 7:00 PM
Cedar Hills Crossing
3415 SW Cedar Hills Blvd
Beaverton, OR 97005
(503) 228-4651

Bay Book Company, Half Moon Bay, CA
Harriet to attend
Friday, Nov. 20th: 7:00 PM
80 North Cabrillo Hwy, Suite F
Half Moon Bay, CA 94019
(650) 726-3488

Barnes & Noble, San Jose, CA
Harriet to attend
Saturday, Nov. 21st: 2:00 PM
2200 Eastridge Loop
San Jose, CA 95122
(408) 270-9470

Movie Deal for Petter V. Brett's Warded Man

2009-09-02T03:33:00.000-06:00

Del-Rey just announced the movie deal for a book I reviewed this past year: Peter Brett's epic fantasy debut novel, The Warded Man.

From Del-Rey's Newsletter:

Peter Brett Film Deal Announced!

JABberwocky Literary Agency is delighted to announce that filmmaker Paul W. S. Anderson and longtime producing partner Jeremy Bolt, the duo behind the globally popular Resident Evil film franchise, have picked up film rights to Peter V. Brett's debut fantasy novel THE WARDED MAN (aka THE PAINTED MAN). Anderson is attached to direct and will produce with Bolt. Stephanie Johnson, who brought the title to the pair, will executive produce. The book is set in an undetermined future where mankind is beset by nightly attacks from demonkind and has been thrown back into a feudal state. Three young people emerge with the potential power to turn the tide, including the title character, a man who has wards (spells) tattooed on his body. The book, the first of a trilogy titled "The Demon Cycle," launched last year in Australia before hitting Europe, where it became an instant best-seller, notably in Germany and the U.K., where it is in its second and third printing, respectively.

Odd Thomas, by Dean Koontz

2009-08-29T08:47:00.001-06:00

Odd Thomas sees dead people. Sound familiar? For those people who liked The Sixth Sense, picture instead of a little boy who can see dead people, a naive young man who actually does something about what he sees (without the help of Bruce Willis's ghost). To quote Odd in his first-person narrative, "I see dead people. But then, by god, I do something about it." Odd Thomas is something of an avenger of the dead. He helps them resolve whatever is keeping them around. For example, at the very opening of the story, Odd is chasing down the murderer of a young girl in behalf of her ghost, who led Odd to the murderer.

Part of the novelty of the character Odd Thomas is that he's a "normal" person. He's a short order cook at a diner, has a normal girlfriend, and leads a very mundane life other than his ghost-helping vigilantism. His big aspirations in life are to marry his sweetheart, Stormy Llewellyn, to perhaps get into the "tire business" (selling car tires at a local tire store), and to live in his hometown of Pico Mundo, California, for the rest of his life. No Schwarzenegger. No puzzle-solving Langdon. No Jack Ryan. Just Odd.

I liked Odd's character extremely well. He is naive and callow to a T. He still has hope in humanity--almost blindingly and unabashedly. He loves his girlfriend, Stormy, as if his life depended on it. I doubt Koontz was going for the Adam and Eve motif, but even if he wasn't, he hit the mark squarely. Stormy and Odd seem (in many ways) to fit the Ademic model, in their hotter-than-habanero little desert Eden.

Koontz is thick with the foreshadowing. Loads of it until the reader cries, "Please, no more, Mr. Koontz! I've reached my carbohydrates and foreshadowing quota for the day." This isn't a bad device in the story's framework, but I assume many readers have predicted some denoument and climax events rather quickly into the story. (One major plot twist I anticipated within the first 20-30 pages, and very rarely throughout the reading did I have any doubts that this particular twist would happen.)

It's exciting when a speculative fiction author sets rules for the paranormal early on and then uses those rules as leverage for major plot elements (Brandon Sanderson, for example, is a master at this, along with Jim Butcher, Patrick Rothfuss, and others). Koontz excels here, giving the reader plenty of rules for the world of ghosts and Odd's gift so that the readers can predict some of the events to come or can at least look back after big events and say, "Oh, yes, of COURSE! That's why such-and-such happened!"

I'd recommend the story to some people but not to others. Koontz does take the story dark. The antagonists are people you'd expect to see on death row. They're not nice people. There were times I was sick to my stomach. Was it a well-written book? Yes. Did I like many of the characters and the plot? Yes. Is it for everyone? No. And mostly because of the violence and implied, psychotically criminal violence.

Odd Thomas, by Dean Koontz. Bantam Books. 2003. 446 pp. $7.99 (PB).

Odd Thomas Series:

Odd Thomas
Forever Odd
Brother Odd
Odd Hours
In Odd We Trust (graphic novel prequel)

Dollhouse's Unaired Thirteenth Episode...WOW!

2009-08-26T07:26:00.000-06:00

For those who watched Joss Whedon's new series Dollhouse this past year, many of you may be wondering what the Buffy/Angel/Firefly genius has up his sleeve with this series. I certainly did until I watched the canceled thirteenth episode, "Epitaph One," which takes place in the future--2019--with new characters, including Felicia Day (one of Whedon's stars in his ferociously popular Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog Web miniseries), but also including the old characters in certain flashbacks among other things.

I'm certainly shocked first of all that the network canceled this episode (based on a 13-episode contract, where the network included the unaired original pilot as an episode) and secondly that it was so good. If I've ever doubted (okay, I have to admit I've had doubts) that Whedon would pull this series off and really take us somewhere interesting, this single unaired episode made ALL the difference. I can see where he's going, and I want to be taken there. For those Firefly/Serenity fans out there, I would compare this episode to Serenity the movie, which showed all of us exactly where Whedon would have taken the Firefly series had Whedon been allowed to, showing what the Alliance had done (creating Reavers) and giving us a glimpse of just how awesome a full 7+ season series would have been. That is what this episode, "Epitaph One," has done for Dollhouse.

Some people may think this episode gives too much away for the future of the series. Personally, I think the glimpse was necessary. Fans and potential fans of the show need promises of good things to come.

There's a few ways to watch the 13th episode. The episode is included with the season one DVDs. It can also be purchased for download on Amazon and iTunes Store. For those wanting to have hope in Dollhouse and see the potential, this episode is a must-watch.

The second season of Dollhouse airs on September 25, 2009, in its regular timespot of Friday at 9-10 p.m. EST.

The Graveyard Book, by Neil Gaiman

2009-08-22T08:46:00.002-06:00

The Graveyard Book has been reclining on one of my bookshelves for about a month and a half now, and when I found out it won the Hugo for Best Novel Award within the past couple weeks, that was all the excuse I needed to make it next on my list. It should have been excuse enough that it won the Newbery Medal in January of this year.

It's immediately apparent (and intentional, of course, on Gaimain's part) that The Graveyard Book is modeled after Rudyard Kipling's Jungle Book (which along with The Man Who Would Be King is one of my favorite novels of all time). Gaiman takes a wonderfully deviant twist, though, by switching out the jungle for a graveyard and the jungle animals and wolves for a family of ghosts and other typically dark creatures. When I say "typically dark," yes, I do imply that these particular graveyard denizens break the stereotype enough to become young Nobody's guardians and surrogate family. After all, the young toddler Nobody Owens has just lost his parents and sister to an assassin, only escaping by the chance he happened to sneak out of his crib on that awful night.

One of the highlights of the book is the exquisite artwork by Dave McKean that peppers the book with shades of gray and shadowy illustrations, along with the book designer's fine eye for adding augmentative elements to beautify the format, like the full black spread with McKean's illustration of a man with a coffee mug with the chapter title "Invocation." Chilling.

The story is simple, which is fitting for a revisitation of Jungle Book, which also was a simple yet profound story. The boy Nobody (nicknamed Bod early on) grows and matures into a young man, having episodic adventures in the graveyard and eventually out in the real world. While the adventures seem perhaps irrelevant to the main plot, Gaimain leaves no headstone unturned as he brings the reader to the climax and rather satisfying denoument.

Nobody's guardian, Silas, is a mysterious dark man who is never called a vampire in so many words but who is discreetly profiled throughout the novel as someone who fits Stoker's model Transylvanian, with endless life and impervious to all but certain methods of attack and only out and about at nightfall. He is perhaps the strongest character in the book. His dark psyche yet calm and almost compassionate behavior toward Nobody leaves the ready wondering who he really is and what his life is about.

Although it is a tightly written novel by all means, I would have liked to see more depth and treatment (backstory, further motive, etc.) for the assassin who murdered Bod's family and for all those associated with him. The readers are given but the tip of the iceberg to the story of Jack the assassin and his fellows. I'm sure the whole iceberg could have been fascinating.

The Graveyard Book is an exceptional read, and I'd recommend it to youth and adults alike. The book would go well with the leftover Halloween candy and is a quick enough read that one could certainly get through it in a hauntingly few hours or less.

The Graveyard Book, by Neil Gaiman. HarperCollins. 2008. 320 pp. $11.69 (HC).

Battlestar Galactica Blu-Ray Review

2009-08-19T03:30:00.001-06:00

I read a great review about the Battlestar Galactica remake and especially the new release of the Blu-Ray collection of the entire series. Check it out here.

Victory of Eagles, by Naomi Novik

2009-08-16T03:34:00.003-06:00

Novik makes several bold moves in Victory of Eagles. Without giving any spoilers (which I am always averse to doing in my reviews), she takes Laurence and Temeraire to a place of desparation, loss, and complete hopelessness--which to this point in the series she has really never done. Laurence came from a noble family with no small wealth, and with a sizeable capital himself, collected from the prize ships he'd captured in the Navy. Throughout the series he has developed a strong reputation in England's aerial dragon corps, and before he joined the Corps, he was an outstanding and well-honored captain in England's Navy. Temeraire, too, to this point in the series, has always been a treasure to England--the captured Celestial dragon who saved England from Napoleon's first invasion and who was instrumental in developing a relationship with China.

Now all of that has changed and may never be the same.

Novik finished Empire of Ivory with a soft cliffhanger, leaving readers to wonder what Laurence and Temeraire might do to save the dragons of the world from an awful plague. She is very quick to bring a resolution to that cliffhanger in the first part of Victory of Eagles. I must admit that I was surprised that she didn't expound upon their adventure they set out for at the conclusion of Empire of Ivory, but after seeing how quickly she took me into the action of the new story, all was forgiven. The finest part about her pacing for Victory of Eagles is that Novik does not allow for an idle moment. Unlike every other novel in the series, to some degree, she has the characters involved in continual interesting action and conflict. This book proves Novik's improvement of her storytelling skills and promises, I hope, to expand the Temeraire epic in meaningful, escalating ways in the four forthcoming novels in the series. (Novik has said that she envisions nine total novels in the series.)

Several new and interesting dragon characters are introduced into the series, ones loyal to Temeraire if not entirely what is expected.

Admiral Nelson is brought back in this novel, if only in a minor but important part. He played much more prominently in Empire of Ivory, with his role in the slavery vs. abolitionism movement that was emphasized at the beginning of that novel. His contribution to Victory of Eagles is short but oh so meaningful. I praise Novik's tasteful and interesting twist on history with having Nelson survive Trafalgar (where in this telling of history he received the inflagration of a French flame-breathing dragon instead of a fatal cannonball) so that he might augment the battles fought in Victory of Eagles.

For those readers who thoroughly enjoyed His Majesty's Dragon, this book recaptures much of the same feel, with the most complex strategy and satisfying military actions in the series to date.

I highly recommend this installment in the Temeraire epic, Victory of Eagles, and hope so very much that Mr. Peter Jackson gets his cards in order quickly for bringing the Temeraire legend to the silver screen.

Victory of Eagles, by Naomi Novik. Del-Rey. 2008. 352 pp. $7.99 (PB).

Temeraire Series:

1. His Majesty's Dragon
2. Throne of Jade
3. Black Powder War
4. Empire of Ivory
5. Victory of Eagles

New Yorker Article: The Fantasy Essentials

2009-08-14T09:42:00.001-06:00

One New Yorker book reviewer gives his perspective on what the fantasy novel essentials are:

Seven Essential Fantasy Reads: Going to Second Base

Something from the Nightside, by Simon R. Green

2009-08-08T07:56:00.000-06:00

John Taylor swore he'd never go back to the Nightside--a small part of London where all the dark and supernatural creatures go . . . a place that always stays three o'clock in the morning. But just the right client, Joanna, who was frantically looking for her runaway daughter had just the right elements to drag Taylor back into the dark and barely survivable Nightside. The money she offered helped, of course.

Simon Green's series isn't too unlike Jim Butcher's Dresden file series, although Green's series has more of a Terry Pratchett feel, whereas Butcher's has more of a linear narrative structure . . . not as easily taken to whimsy and a roundabout storytelling style.

The highlight of the novel was the ending, which created such a vivid and palpable dread in me that I was somewhat glad I finished it during the daylight hours and not at, say, three o'clock in the morning--per Nightside's immutable schedule. Something about Green's minimalist descriptions, "gray" characters, and foreshadowing brought the climax to a very haunting crescendo, one that was ultimately satisfying. I wasn't sure he could pull it off with as short of a book as it is (240 pp.).

I liked very much John Taylor's old flame: Shot-gun Suzie, the bounty hunter. I'm looking forward to seeing more interaction between the two of them (and finding out more about their backstory). Also, Green tantalizes the readers with the mystery of John Taylor's mother, who abandoned him and her father when he was young and who supposedly drove his father to killing himself when he found out what she was. Very haunting. Very sequelable.

The variety and interest of the Nightside, that mysterious and anything-goes patch of London cityscape, brings the novel its intrigue. Green's premise is solid, and he delivers on it. I look forward to reading the subsequent novels. Apparently books 4-6 are more closely tied together, while 1-3 and 7 on are stand-alone. Supposedly Green plans to write a total of twelve, with the latest, number nine, having come out this past January: Just Another Judgement Day.

Something from the Nightside, by Simon R. Green. Ace. 2003. 240 pp. $7.99 (PB).

Nightside Series:

1. Something from the Nightside
2. Agents of Light and Darkness
3. Nightingale's Lament
4. Hex and the City
5. Paths Not Taken
6. Sharper Than a Serpent's Tooth
7. Hell to Pay
8. Unnatural Inquirer
9. Just Another Judgement Day

Empire of Ivory, by Naomi Novik

2009-08-01T03:30:00.000-06:00

Empire of Ivory came along as a breath of fresh air in the Temeraire series, pursuing a storyline in the "Heart of Darkness" of Africa, more specifically the Cape Coast, where Great Britain had a fort and town established.

The series's story takes a twist when the reader discovers that a dragon plague has beset all the British dragons throughout the entire island. However, Temeraire is somehow immune. So he and Lawrence and Temeraire's friends and formation dragons set out for Africa, where they believe Temeraire was originally inoculated during their journey to China in Throne of Jade. They quickly discover that Africa is not the tame creature that the "civilized world" once hoped to claim for its own. There be dragons in those dark, jungled depths.

This novel gave a healthy interruption to the alternate history of the Napoleonic Wars that Novik had thus far pursued with the series. This sideline story of the European colonies in Africa and the slave trade showed a powerful possibility of what could have been had some of the African nations possessed certain "advantages" when the Europeans had come to conquer and enslave. The historical twists captured the intrigue that Novik so brought to bear in her first novel, His Majesty's Dragon.

With swift and decisive strokes, Novik spared no one grief or death or dire circumstances and in the way she plays the role of the European and the role of the African nations, you can't help but sympathize with both and understand each side equally--pointing out some foibles with both nations but certainly not taking sides with either.

The emnity between once-friends Tom Riley and William Laurence over the slave issue is one of my favorite points of the book. Novik does well to keep her characters always gray, so that you are at once considering all the implications and interests of all ideologies. She does well not to beat you over the head with an agenda (i.e., "Free the slaves!") but rather to, like a practiced historian, lay all the cards out on the table.

Novik's story in Empire of Ivory is both engaging and stand-alone while also strongly setting up for the latest installment, Victory of Eagles. It's an excellent volume to the series and recaptures much of the original spark of His Majesty's Dragon.

Empire of Ivory, by Naomi Novik. Del Rey: September 2007. 384 pp. $7.99 (PB).

Temeraire Series:

1. His Majesty's Dragon
2. Throne of Jade
3. Black Powder War
4. Empire of Ivory
5. Victory of Eagles

The Good, the Bad, and the Undead, by Kim Harrison

2009-07-25T04:00:00.001-06:00

In the Rachel Morgan series's second volume--The Good, the Bad, and the Undead--Kim Harrison throws out so much of the first impressions readers get from major characters in the first novel, Dead Witch Walking. That was the most impressive and unexpected detour in the series so far. In fact, it seems like nearly every character from the first book flips colors in some major way. If you're expecting spoilers from me regarding these major character changes, you should know better.

The story starts out about six months or so after the end of the first novel. Rachel is still doing her runner detective work alongside Jenks the pixie and Ivy the vampire, living inside of an old church. Rachel has her boyfriend, Nick, whom she found in the rat fights down in the Hollows. Life is pretty good until someone starts killing leyline witches. Even though Rachel isn't a leyline witch, it isn't long before she's hired on the job--and not just by one person, either.

TGTBATU, to abbreviate the title, is a huge step in the right direction for the series, as it explores deeper story arc plots that will probably extend the duration of the series (whereas the first book was introductory in nature, with not a lot of to-be-continued plot points, although the first book sets the foundation for many events used in book two).

The highlight of the series, though, is definitely Rachel Morgan herself. Sassy. Witty. Lands on her feet. One heck of a temper. One good looker. Who could ask for more in their local neighborhood witch detective?

The Good, the Bad, and the Undead, by Kim Harrison. 2005. HarperCollins. 464 pp. $7.99 (PB).

Books in the Rachel Morgan Series:

1. Dead Witch Walking
2. The Good, the Bad, and the Undead
3. Every Which Way But Dead
4. A Fistful of Charms
5. For a Few Demons More
6. The Outlaw Demon Wails
7. White Witch, Black Curse

Anansi Boys, by Neil Gaiman

2009-07-17T03:30:00.000-06:00

Fat Charlie Nancy led a quiet life in England until he found out his dad was a god and that he had a brother he never knew about who inherited his dad's mischievous powers. When he invites his brother, Spider, to come to town for a reunion of sorts, Fat Charlie finds himself tangled in a web from which he can hardly extricate himself.

Neil Gaiman's humor is paramount to the story, and he pins down such humorous characters throughout the narrative, starting with Anansi himself and going to Fat Charlie, Rosie's mother, Graham Coates, Spider, Daisy, the old ladies from Florida, and a complete set of minor characters who add flavor to the punch. While thickly British humor throughout much of it, the humor is lasting and fresh, not relying on cheap tricks but rather the content itself: the pantheon of mischievous animal gods and their dealings with the main characters. I realized partway through the reading that each character has an affinity in his or her actions and thoughts to one of the animal gods. Gaiman's humor is multilayered and deeply intelligent, offering instantaneously satisfying humor along with ironic, dramatic, and thematic humor that extends well beyond one page. One example is Mr. Graham Coates's use of platitudes and cliches, which almost entirely consume his speech patterns, and including his favorite made-up word: absitively.

I'd recommend the book to anyone looking for a good laugh with some interesting speculative narrative thrown into the works.

Anansi Boys, by Neil Gaiman. HarperCollins. 2005. 416 pp. $7.99 (PB).

Prey, by Michael Crichton

2009-07-11T05:35:00.000-06:00

Perhaps it's not a coincidence that the cover of Prey, by Michael Crichton, is so similar to that of Jurassic Park. They are, after all, the same form of cautionary tale warning mankind to keep his horse before the cart, so to speak. Crichton has reemphasized in Prey his belief that when complex situations involving potentially adaptive and intelligent life are introduced into a system (ecosystem, large island park, etc.), no matter how smart humans think they are in "controlling" these creatures, nature and chaos will win in the end.

In Prey, Crichton introduces protagonist Jack Forman, an unemployed software who used to work with artificial intelligence, particularly with creating group consciousness in software programs. He soon finds out that his wife, a psychologist and CEO, and her company have been involved in nanotechnology studies, trying not only to create artificial intelligence but also artificial life. Forman gets brought in to help try to fix the situation (just as the paleontologists are brought to Jurassic Park to try to stop the dinosaurs from eating all the people). He soon realizes what a massive problem they have with these escaped nanites, which have started to swarm and kill living creatures. The story becomes more intense and is full of twists and turns that are rather uncharacteristic of Crichton's other works, which are usually more straightforward (Congo, Jurassic Park, Great Train Robbery, etc.)

Prey is what it is: a techno thriller with Crichton's usual good storytelling, interspersed with large expositions on artificial life research and software development in general (not unlike his similar exposition in Congo on computer programming, etc.). The exposition isn't killer to the story--Crichton still has one solid plot and conflict--but there are points where you'd love to take a scalpel to the studies of pred-prey software development.

Crichton's characters in Prey tend to most of them be tough and somewhat hard. There's a plot reason for that (which I won't disclose here), but at times it makes some of the secondary characters seem cut from the same mold.

Prey is creepy because the nanites come across as a more realistic jump in technology than the cloning of dinosaurs, making the immediacy of a similar threat in the future more threatening to the reader. I'd recommend it to anyone who's looking for a good techno thriller with a heavy dose of Crichton.

On a final note, I was so very sad to hear of Michael Crichton's death during the November 2008 election. He's been an inspiring author, filmmaker, and thinker to me and I hope to see the bookshelves of the world populated by books as equally good as Mr. Crichton's.

Prey, by Michael Crichton. 2002. HarperCollins. 528 pp. $9.99 (PB reprint).

Abhorsen, by Garth Nix

2009-07-04T05:30:00.001-06:00

The final book in the Abhorsen (Sabriel) series continues Garth Nix's necromantic tale of the Abhorsen-in-waiting Lirael, the young prince Sammeth, and the various other characters of the Old Kingdom who are fighting to keep the Destroyer from being reawoken to wreak havoc upon the world.

The book begins with a shocking event (no spoiler to come), something typical of Nix's let-come-what-may attitude about his characters and plot: no one is sacrosanct or excepted from the harsh realities of a world lorded over at times by the grasping hands of the undead. In this natural style, Nix reminds me of George R. R. Martin, always willing to let the natural thing happen, even if it displeases readers immensely.

Another thing Nix does well yet again in this concluding novel is keeping his characters' voices so absolutely identifiable and unique. The cat Mogget and the Disreputable Dog, for example, both "creatures of the charter," keep very identifiable voices--both very fitting for their respective animal form. The cat is whiny and independent-sounding, while the Disreputable Dog is authoritative, brash, and no-nonsense (did I mention loyal?) in his interactions.

The story spends a lot of time focusing on Sammeth and Nicholas getting over their weaknesses and inabilities, while Lirael is strong and stallwart to the end. Nix, throughout the entire series, has enabled women to be the ultimate heroes, pidgeon-holing the men of the novels into support roles only. This is refreshing, and Nix does it convincingly. The world takes on the tone of Isaiah, that women shall rule and deliver.

Abhorsen leaves no stop unpulled, and the climax and resolution of this unique and enjoyable series frees the people of the Old World from the miasma of corruption that had permeated their lives. It's a highly commendable story.

Abhorsen, by Garth Nix. HarperCollins. 2004. $7.99 (PB). 528 pp.

Abhorsen Trilogy:

1. Sabriel
2. Lirael
3. Abhorsen

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith

2009-06-20T03:30:00.001-06:00

If ever an author was truly rolling in her grave, it would certainly be Jane Austen. Partly because of how her Pride and joy was completely republished as a new macabre creation and partly because she's probably "stricken" with the undead plague that's been sweeping through Austen's England and is hankering for a healthy second serving of brains.

While Seth Grahame-Smith doesn't deviate overmuch from the basic structure of Pride and Prejudice, he does introduce many scenes of zombie carnage, giving his (or should I say Austen's) heroine plentiful chances to demonstrate her prowess with a katana or musket.

One of my favorite deviations is how Grahame-Smith lets Charlotte, Mr. Collins's fiancee then wife, get stricken by the zombie plague before she accepts Mr. Collins's marriage proposal. Elizabeth Bennett is the only soul who knows about her plight, and everyone is stupidly oblivious to it, even as Charlotte's condition worsens and she starts slurring her speech, eating spiders and leaves, and acting more and more like a mindless monster.

The battle of words between Darcy and Elizabeth takes a progressive step in this version of P&P, with the two fighting with sword and whatever else they can in their climactic knock-down-drag-out fight.

The story never really takes an ultimate twist to the point of changing the story entirely. The end of the book finds the majority of the characters in the same general position as in the original. That was slightly disappointing. (I was expecting some grand explanation for the plague, with Elizabeth, Darcy, and her courageous, zombie-slaying sisters defeating the ultimate cause of the plague, which I assumed might be Lady Catherine de Bourgh--who seems somehow supernatural throughout the novel.)

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies is an enjoyable iteration of the original and reminded me of the unique short story "Pride and Prometheus," in which Mary Bennett (Elizabeth's "brainy" sister) has a scientific love affair with Dr. Victor Frankenstein. "Pride and Prometheus" is a nominee for the Hugo for 2008 and was published in Fantasy and Science Fiction.

I look forward to Seth Grahame-Smith's original composition--Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter--which will be the true test of his abilities as a speculative fiction novelist.

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith. 2009. Quirk. 320 pp. $12.95 (PB).

The Road, by Cormac McCarthy

2009-06-13T05:30:00.002-06:00

Once again I come back to one of my favorite subgenres of speculative fiction: post-apocalypse.

With the imminent release of the film version of The Road this fall, starring Viggo Mortensen, I wanted to get to the book before I became biased by the film version.

The road is the story of a father and son (always known only by their role to each other...never by first names) who are journeying across the wasteland of the former U.S., trying to make their way to the beach and south so that they will have better chances of surviving the harsh winter. It's the ultimate survival story: they scour abandoned buildings, avoid slave gangs and cannibalistic marauders, and find ways to stay alive just one more day.

The story is haunting. It's not haunting because of shock value, although it does have its fair share of humans doing horribly desperate things to other humans. It's haunting because the father and son McCarthy portrays are the father and son who live next door. Or, in my reading of it, the father and son felt chillingly like me and my boy. The thought of raising him in such nightmarish conditions made the story hauntingly poignant and ultimately thought-provoking. How could I survive this and keep my son alive? How would we treat humankind once all social customs and etiquette were blown into smithereens by atomic warfare? As the son puts it: "Dad, are we still the good guys?"

The book is short--a quick read because of its style as well--and is extremely hard to put down because of how soon the reader becomes tied to the fate of these hopeless wanderers. An Oprah pick and a Pulitzer Prize winner, The Road is worth the read, winding with its difficult predicament and ultimate hope in humanity.

The Road, by Cormac McCarthy. 2006. Knopf. 256 pp. $10.76.

I Am Not a Serial Killer, by Dan Wells

2009-06-06T06:00:00.000-06:00

I have to admit that the concept of this story disturbed me at first. A sociopathic boy who's fascinated with serial killers realizes he needs to save the town when a demon begins a rampage. A little creepy, no?

What I wasn't prepared for is Dan Wells's disarming charm and ineffable dark humor.

John Wayne Cleaver lives with his mother and works with her and his aunt in the family mortuary. Embalming is one of his favorite things to do along with researching everything he can about serial killers, because he's afraid that his sociopathic tendencies will lead him to become one someday. But he's made rules for himself and sees a psychologist regularly, so he's confident that he can lead a good life despite his condition.

But when people mysteriously start dying in gruesome ways, John Cleaver is curious and investigates what will eventually become an obsession for him: tracking down the demon who's doing this and ending his life.

Creepy, isn't it?

What I like the most about this novel is how Dan Wells twists the hero mold (and even the anti-hero mold) in a new way. John Cleaver, while a sociopath and probably a kid you wouldn't want your kids playing with, still has good intentions. Like his rule about when he gets really angry at someone and starts thinking violent thoughts. In such cases, he smiles big and pays that person a compliment. Also, when John discovers who is murdering people, he doesn't go to the police (especially since two policemen already died when trying to apprehend the demon); instead, he stalks the demon. He leaves the demon notes saying things like "I know what you are." The way Dan Wells approaches his hero is with the premise, "How would one messed-up kid go about trying to save his own town?"

The characters in the story are very diverse and interesting--everyone from Mr. Crawley, the friendly neighborhood elderly man; Max, John's loser best friend; Lauren, John's rebellious, prodigal sister; John's quirky Aunt Margaret; and many others.

Dan Wells's second novel in the series, Mr. Monster, comes out February 4, 2010. I can hardly wait and am looking forward to everything that follows this amazing debut.

I Am Not a Serial Killer, by Dan Wells. 2009. Headline (Hatchette UK). 282 pp. £6.99.

The Last Olympian, by Rick Riordan

2009-05-30T00:01:00.000-06:00

The Last Olympian, Rick Riordan's capstone to the Percy Jackson & the Olympians series, does not disappoint. Not only is this final installment excellent, but Riordan also adds elements that point toward his next Camp Halfblood series.

For those new to the series, Percy Jackson and his friends at Camp Halfblood are the demigod children of the Greek gods. In the series, they are fighting against a traitor--one of their own demigod friends--and are trying at all costs to keep this traitor from reinstating Kronos, the titan (father of all the Greek gods: Zeus, Poseidon, Hera, Athena, etc.).

In this final novel, with Kronos taking host form, and with another titan storming across the United States in full fury and another titan attacking the underwater palace of Poseidon, the demigods of Camp Halfblood are left to defend Manhattan, New York--home of Mt. Olympus (the Greek gods relocated from Greece when the U.S. became the power capital of the world).

For those who enjoy a good military novel, full of strategy, this novel is for you. Most of the book's ~400 pages takes place on the battlefield, with demigods and their allies struggling to hold the bridges and tunnels leading to Manhattan. Some reluctant allies are also petitioned up to the very end. The abundance of mythological creatures, races, and monsters is astounding in this final battle.

Character elements are not neglected during the raging Battle for Olympus, as Percy continues to grow as a character and as complexities develop between Annabelle (daughter of Athena, and love interest), Percy, and Rachel Dare (mortal love interest). Riordan takes some unexpected and satisfactory twists with this love triangle. Percy's half-brother Tyson, best friend Grover, and scores of other characters take their part in the great struggle and show their very best--the culmination of strength and ultimate growth exhibited under the pressure of impending doom.

Riordan maitains his quirky humor till the last, bringing in occassional jokes that most adults would get and always playing around with the Greek god stereotypes, like having Poseidon walk around in Bermuda shorts, a T-shirt, and a well-worn cap or having Athena tell Percy to leave her daughter (Annabelle) alone.

The Last Olympian is certain to please the avid reader of the Percy Jackson & the Olympians series along with giving hope of an equally enjoyable new Camp Halfblood series in the works.

The Last Olympian, by Rick Riordan. Disney-Hyperion. May 2009. 400 pp. $11.69 (HC).

Percy Jackson & the Olympians Series:

1. The Lightning Thief
2. The Sea of Monsters
3. The Titan's Curse
4. The Battle of the Labyrinth
5. The Last Olympian

The Alchemyst, by Michael Scott

2009-05-22T05:30:00.000-06:00

Michael Scott's The Alchemyst (no, not to be mistaken with Paulo Coelho's allegorical tale The Alchemist) is the YA journey of twins Josh and Sophie Newman with the Alchemyst Nicholas Flamel, long-lived sorceror and, most importantly, master of all things alchemical.

The story begins with Nicholas Flamel's wife, Perenelle, being spirited away by the evil Doctor John Dee, former apprentice to Nicholas. Sophie and Josh are incidentally caught up in the trouble and so join Nicholas to try to help him recover Perenelle and the Codex of Abraham the Mage, which holds all the secrets of the universe, etc.

The story grabbed my attention immediately with the talk of Nicholas's, Perenelle's, and John's history and how they were delving into the secrets of eternal life and alchemy around the 1600s or so (give or take a century). That backstory by itself, honestly, would have presented more flare and pizazz than what the actual novel did. Those elements of the arcane in the latter centuries of the second millennium are sprinkled through the novel as backstory, but they are the most valuable part of the narrative.

The cover is fabulous.

The majority of the story focuses on a smattering of mythological events and characters from the entire canon of earth's history and mythology in a very haphazard way, drawing from golems, Hekate (Greece with an African twist), Egyptian lore, Arthurian lore (Excalibur randomly thrown in for kicks), vampires, werebeasts (wereboars, werecats, werebirds), and the list goes on. I liked some of the more obscure myths that Scott brought out in his story, like Hekate for example. The part about the mythology and world-building in The Alchemyst that fell short was in showing consistent threads through the world-building and mythology splicing. It felt very roughshod. When John Dee all of a sudden shows up with Excalibur out of the blue, which happens to do such-and-such to so-and-so, it felt convenient. Where Harry Potter has its mostly Western medieval world (with careful rules about motifs and general tones of mythology-splicing) and where Percy Jackson has the canon of the Greco-Roman gods as the world (strictly adhering to those myths), The Alchemyst is a thrift store with multiple secondhand myths strewn about in no particular order.

After getting past that roadblock, the plot is salient and the characters moderately interesting. John Dee, villain extraordinaire, is one of the more interesting characters. One friend of mine also noted that Perenelle--in his opinion, the most interesting character in the book--is sadly incarcerated from the beginning of the book and therefore is deprived what could have been a much more satisfying role in the story (even though she is still an important part of it, to a degree). Nicholas Flamel is interesting, and again, I think his backstory, with Perenelle and John Dee would make a GREAT novel and series. (I hope Michael Scott has considered pursuing this as an adult series once he's finished with his YA series.) Nicholas's character is much more engaging than the twins' characters. The twins come across as whiny, flat, and generally unsympathetic. Hekate also steals the show, with her interesting magic and shadow realm. She's unique as she essentially has three characters within one: her young self, middle-aged self, and elderly self (she's the goddess with three faces, after all).

I must admit that while I found parts of the novel enjoyable and engaging, those parts were not consistent or part of the main story. I would recommend reading it to the YA reader who has finished Rick Riordan's book in the past couple weeks and is out of new books to read.

The Alchemyst, by Michael Scott. Random House. 2007. 400 pp. $8.99 (PB).

Lirael, by Garth Nix

2009-05-16T05:00:00.000-06:00

The middle book of Garth Nix's Abhorsen trilogy, Lirael, jumps forward about 14 years from Sabriel, after King Touchstone and Queen Sabriel have assumed the throne of the Old Kingdom. Lirael is a dark-haired girl among many blonds, to put it simply. She doesn't fit in and she knows it. And it's not just her hair color that makes her not fit in with the Clayr--a huge clan of prescient women who genetically inherit "the Sight" as they get into their early teens, allowing them to see glimpses of the future. As Lirael gets older, each birthday is a reminder that she hasn't received the Sight. As she gets older without inheriting the Sight, she is assigned to be an assistant librarian, which involves not only taking care of scribe work and shelving books, but also--in Lirael's case--fighting free magic creatures who have been imprisoned in the deep bowels of the magnificent Library of the Clayr.

But trouble is stewing in the Old Kingdom. An old threat is surfacing with the help of necromancers and legions of undead. The Clayr have seen vision of Lirael leaving the Glacier of the Clayrs and going to face this darkness. So out she goes with her trusted companion, her free magic pet dog, the Disreputable Dog, in fact, to attempt to fulfill her destiny and hopefully save the Old Kingdom in the process.

Garth Nix, as with Sabriel, does wonders with his characters. There is such a wide variety of personalities. In this case, you have the reserved yet adventurous Lirael mixed with her eventual co-quester, the royal prince Sameth, who at times seems like a coward although he's a brilliant builder and inventor. The Disreputable Dog herself is a fantastic character as well, as equal in eliciting laughs as Mogget, the free magic cat who serves the Abhorsen line. Their sparring and vastly different motivation for serving our heroes--Mogget because he's magically bound to and the Disreputable Dog because of his love for and loyalty to Lirael--add to the plot complexities and have us always questioning how Mogget might unintentionally sabotage the adventure.

I greatly appreciate Nix's magic system in this series, where everything has the same motif. The charter marks used for magic, in concert with bells, pipes, and even barks, create an intricate system of magic that the reader can enjoy without going into the nitty gritty, other than knowing the name and purpose of each necromantic bell. There's a great harmony in his whole system, which he never departs from, thank heavens (there are plenty of novels out there who use magic as the ultimate deus ex machina...argh!).

Lirael is a fantastic read and sets up for the last in the trilogy, Abhorsen, very well.

Lirael, by Garth Nix. HarperCollins. 2001. 720 pp. $7.99

Abhorsen Trilogy:

1. Sabriel
2. Lirael
3. Abhorsen

Black Powder War, by Naomi Novik

2009-05-07T20:40:00.006-06:00

The third book in the Temeraire series, Black Powder War, by Naomi Novik, brings back all the action and interest that gripped me in the first in the series, His Majesty's Dragon, which I had somewhat lost during the second book, Throne of Jade.

The story picks up where Throne of Jade left off: Laurence and Temeraire and their crew are in China after having survived the coup and after Laurence was adopted into the imperial Chinese family (in order to let the royal family save face for having him stay with his dragon, Temeraire, one of the valuable Chinese Celestial breed). Laurence and his crew get mysterious orders to go to Turkey to secure some fire-breathing dragons (which England desparately needs in order to have an edge against Napoleon's army and aerial corps). The dragon transport ship that had brought them to China catches fire and is nearly destroyed before they depart, and so Temeraire and Laurence et al. must travel across the treacherous Asian deserts to Turkey.

The land journey at first concerned me, since it was reminiscent of the too-long sea voyage of Throne of Jade, but fortunately things pick up with several conflicts on their way to Turkey. Their time in Turkey is interesting, with the same kind of court intrigue as found in Throne of Jade, only to greater degree of conflict and excitement. Without giving too much away, the white dragon Lien has sworn to make life miserable for Laurence and Temeraire after what they did to her master the prince.

What I absolutely wasn't anticipating was the rendevous with the Prussian army, which Temeraire, Lawrence, and their crew bravely assist. That aspect of the Napoleonic Wars is well suited for a dragon aerial corps...what great battles! Naomi Novik particularly proves her strength in immersing the reader deep in the strategy and struggles of the armies. She also, through shrewd storytelling devices, gives the reader a sense of Napoleon's military genius, with speculation on how he would have used an aerial corps had he really had access to one.

Black Powder War, by Naomi Novik. Del Rey: May 2006. 400 pp. $7.99 (PB at B&N Online).

Temeraire Series:

1. His Majesty's Dragon
2. Throne of Jade
3. Black Powder War
4. Empire of Ivory
5. Victory of Eagles

The Red Wolf Conspiracy, by Robert V. S. Redick

2009-04-27T19:09:00.006-06:00

U.S. release date: April 28, 2009, by Del Rey

The Red Wolf Conspiracy, by debut author Robert V. S. Redick, promises to be an intense nautical epic from the newspaper-like "prologue" on. However, I must admit that a few things threw me off after that initial prologue.

For one, each chapter skips from one drastically different and geographically disparate character to the next, establishing no strong narrative backbone. I enjoy epics that follow the varying viewpoint from chapter to chapter, but usually only after one character has brought the reader into the world and provided sound footing (no nautical pun intended...).

I do enjoy the world-building of the novel, but often the world-building is "told" to the reader instead of shown through character interaction, etc. While the "telling" works all right to keep the novel coming along--and by no means is the book out-and-out dull because of this style--I couldn't help but wish the pace of the story would take the forefront over the telling.

One simply delicious aspect of the story was the nautical fantasy world. In fact, just a month or so ago I was talking with a friend about the Jane Austen/Seth Grahame-Smith Pride and Prejudice and Zombies novel, where Grahame-Smith takes the public domain Pride and Prejudice and juices it up with flesh-eating zombies. I mentioned to this friend that I would love to see an author do a similar thing with Moby Dick, creating a morbid, paranormal version of the whaling canon. It wasn't but a few weeks after that when I received The Red Wolf Conspiracy in the mail. While Red Wolf is certainly very different from Moby Dick, it had many of the elements of the epic Melville classic and has expanded Melville's vision, which was restricted to his own time and place.

Be sure to get in the "series mindset" as you begin the novel. The book doesn't wrap everything up nice and tidy as a stand-alone, but rather prepares you for the larger epic story arc.

The grandiose scope of this sea-worthy epic is worth the read and worth wading through the slow beginning to dive into the conspiracy that drives the novel and should drive the subsequent books in the series to their final port.

The Red Wolf Conspiracy, by Robert V. S. Redick. Del Rey: April 2009. 464 pp. $20.80 (HC at Barnes & Noble Online).

Fool Moon, by Jim Butcher

2009-04-17T12:59:00.009-06:00

Now that I'm done with a couple weeks of spring break, it's time to get back into the thick of...well...books!

Jim Butcher's Fool Moon, the second in the Dresden Files series, follows the same famous detective wizard, Harry Dresden, who is down in the dumps. He hasn't gotten much work at all ever since the incident with the dark wizard in Storm Front. As Harry's sitting in the paranormal bar McAnnally's, Detective Karrin Murphy walks in and offers him some consulting work. Dresden goes with Murphy to a crime scene where they find one of crimelord Johnny Marcone's thugs ripped to shreds, bloody paw prints staining the floor, and shredded animal hair decorating the shreds of glass remaining in one of the window frames...through which a full moon shines. Must be werewolves, right?

So as Dresden gets involved in this new mystery, we see some interesting treatments of werewolves. As Dresden is picking the brain(?) of his indentured air spirit, Bob, for information about werewolves, the mischievous spirit explains the various types of werewolves: hexenwolves, werewolves, lycanthropes, and loup-garous. The major differences between the bunch is how much of their humanity they retain while taking wolf form, including reasoning and decision-making skills, and how much they can control when they become feral. The varying degrees of wolfkind throw a wonderfully interesting plot element into the story that plays a crucial part to solving the mystery. What seems initially like just a brief infodump about the history of all things wolf becomes the crux of the story.

Dresden's interaction between the women in his life became more complex in this book. His ever-complicated and never-defined relationship with the Midwestern Arcane reporter Susan Rodriguez became stronger to the point of commitment. However, Butcher hints at some mutual--if antagonistic, at times--interest between Karrin Murphy and Dresden. A love triangle seems to be imminent (or perhaps a love pentagram...). Both women were stronger characters in this book--essential to Harry's success in the end and also emotionally tied to him in different ways.

Butcher's first-person humor through Dresden is never lacking, and makes this novel a great sequel--improving on Storm Front.

Stay tuned for an upcoming review of Robert V. S. Redick's debut novel, The Red Wolf Conspiracy, coming to stores in North America on April 28, 2009, courtesy of Del Rey.

Fool Moon, by Jim Butcher. 2001. ROC. 352 pp. $7.99 (PB).

Dresden Files Series:

1. Storm Front
2. Fool Moon
3. Grave Peril
4. Summer Knight
5. Death Masks
6. Blood Rites
7. Dead Beat
8. Proven Guilty
9. White Night
10. Small Favor
11. Turn Coat
12. Changes (April 2010)

Marque and Reprisal, by Elizabeth Moon

2009-03-30T05:30:00.001-06:00

Elizabeth Moon wastes no time setting up the story in the sequel to her first Kylara Vatta book, Marque and Reprisal. Most of Kylara Vatta's family are murdered within the first interludes of the story, bidding the reader to continue to find out how Kylara and her few remaining relatives can possibly survive the conspiracy bent on wiping out the Vatta Shipping empire.

Moon captures more of the same everyday-life-of-a-galactic-trader motif that she had in Trading in Danger, with Kylara and her team purchasing weapons and ship upgrades, trading cargo, buying food, getting into disagreements with the local station constabulary. These "simple" tasks seem to make the characters more down to earth and lend a large amount of plausibility to all the adventure and suspense.

Marque and Reprisal is vastly more aggressive than Trading in Danger. In TiD, Kylara and her crew were bent on surviving a war that was out of their control, whereas in MaR, Kylara takes large initiatives and the first steps of what will become her vengeance--her war.

Several satisfying new characters are introduced to the series, beginning with Aunt Gracie (briefly appearing in book one with her [in]famous fruitcakes), Stella--the family pariah who has used her bad reputation as a shield for more respectable activities most of her adult life; and the rogue Rafe, another wildcard who's much more than he seems. All three of these characters, hopefully, will participate in future novels, as they were quite the flavorful addition to the normal spacefaring trader types in the first book.

Marque and Resprisal is an enjoyable sequel and builds an extensive infrastructure for subsequent books in the series.

Marque and Reprisal, by Elizabeth Moon. 2004. Del-Rey. 378 pp. $7.99

Vatta War Series:

1. Trading in Danger

2. Marque and Reprisal

3. Engaging the Enemy

4. Command Decision

5. Victory Conditions