I just want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas.
I didn't post an article Friday because I was celebrating the holiday with family. An article will be posted early next week.
Sunday, December 25, 2011
Friday, December 09, 2011
Review: _Kingmaker's Sword_ by Ann Marston
It starts with a dream: He practices with a sword on a hill topped by a circle of stones like Stonehenge. The boy, Mouse, wakes up to face a new day of struggle in slavery. This is the beginning of the Fantasy novel Kingmaker’s Sword by Ann Marston. It is the first book of the “Rune Blade” trilogy. Ms. Marston gives Fantasy readers a vivid new world with memorable characters, an action plot and believable setting.
Memorable characters help keep readers interested in a book. The author’s characters in this book keep it interesting. Kian grows throughout the story from a mistreated boy slave to a powerful warrior. He overcomes many obstacles including a difficult romance. His uncle, Cullyn, adds to the story with his fierce loyalty and love. As Kian’s mentor, he helps him to become a strong man. Into this mix comes Kerridwen, a head strong young woman from a far off land. She is tough and a formidable warrior. These characters help the plot with their emotional stories.
Ms. Marston’s book is helped by a good plot with a lot of action. There is a quest and many battles. The story begins with Kian as a slave. He escapes his brutal master by using his wits. Later, he obtains a mysterious sword by killing a bounty hunter. Kian meets his uncle and discovers that he is a healer. Next, the book moves on to the quest for the lost grandson of the king of Skai. Kian, Kerridwen and Cullyn must fight warriors and terrible blood mages during their quest. Ms. Marston keeps the action going at a good pace with intriguing p twists along the way.
Lastly, a believable setting for the story to take place in, adds to the liveliness of a book. This book has such a setting. The author brings her setting to life with vivid descriptions of the peoples and cultures of her world. Some of the people are based on Scottish culture, but this gives the reader some familiarity. Her magical rune blades of Celae are an interesting touch along with the love bond. All of these things provides the setting with a realistic touch.
Kingmaker’s Sword is an entertaining beginning of a trilogy. Memorable characters, an action plot and believable setting makes the book a worthwhile read. Ann Marston is a fresh voice in the Fantasy genre. She creates a vivid book with clean, descriptive prose that brings her world to life. I recommend this book as a wonderful place to start a winter of enjoyable reading.
Memorable characters help keep readers interested in a book. The author’s characters in this book keep it interesting. Kian grows throughout the story from a mistreated boy slave to a powerful warrior. He overcomes many obstacles including a difficult romance. His uncle, Cullyn, adds to the story with his fierce loyalty and love. As Kian’s mentor, he helps him to become a strong man. Into this mix comes Kerridwen, a head strong young woman from a far off land. She is tough and a formidable warrior. These characters help the plot with their emotional stories.
Ms. Marston’s book is helped by a good plot with a lot of action. There is a quest and many battles. The story begins with Kian as a slave. He escapes his brutal master by using his wits. Later, he obtains a mysterious sword by killing a bounty hunter. Kian meets his uncle and discovers that he is a healer. Next, the book moves on to the quest for the lost grandson of the king of Skai. Kian, Kerridwen and Cullyn must fight warriors and terrible blood mages during their quest. Ms. Marston keeps the action going at a good pace with intriguing p twists along the way.
Lastly, a believable setting for the story to take place in, adds to the liveliness of a book. This book has such a setting. The author brings her setting to life with vivid descriptions of the peoples and cultures of her world. Some of the people are based on Scottish culture, but this gives the reader some familiarity. Her magical rune blades of Celae are an interesting touch along with the love bond. All of these things provides the setting with a realistic touch.
Kingmaker’s Sword is an entertaining beginning of a trilogy. Memorable characters, an action plot and believable setting makes the book a worthwhile read. Ann Marston is a fresh voice in the Fantasy genre. She creates a vivid book with clean, descriptive prose that brings her world to life. I recommend this book as a wonderful place to start a winter of enjoyable reading.
Friday, November 25, 2011
Appeal of _Lord of the Rings_
Why is Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien so popular even among people who do not read Fantasy? This is a hard question to answer. When the new century rolled around Tolkien was named the author of the Twentieth century by many groups. Two movies based on the first two parts of the book have been huge box office successes. Tolkien’s books have been responsible for exploding Fantasy into a huge genre, bringing it into great demand. Numerous books try to emulate the book but few succeed. Lord of the Rings is popular because of its characters, story, setting and themes.
Characters must be memorable, likable and sympathetic for readers to identify with to follow them through a book. Tolkien’s characters are a powerful draw to readers. The characters have many admirable traits that make them realistic. Frodo is an innocent thrust out into a dangerous world beyond the Shire. He becomes a noble, self-sacrificing person to save his world. Sam Gamgee is the loyal friend any person would want, sticking ;with you through all problems. Aragorn is a reluctant warrior who believes he will never rule. He grows throughout the story into a wise leader of his people. Faramir is a young warrior that must take on a great responsibility. Women characters were not completely absent from the book. Eowyn proves her worth as a warrior and interesting love interest for one of the characters. Members of the elves and dwarves play important roles. Legolas and Gimli discover friendship where distrust once ruled. Galadriel and Elrond of the elves play vital roles of wisdom. The wizard Gandalf provides a fatherly figure of great virtue and courage. Gollum is a complex character wavering between two extremes of personality, but obsessed with possession of the ring. A reader can find many characters to love or identify within the book.
Another element of the book that appeals to readers is the setting. Middle Earth is a vividly realized world with a vast history and many cultures. Tolkien spent hours in researching mythology and creating languages for his book. The setting has a large array of landscapes from tall mountains, deep forests and underground living places of the dwarves. A strong presence of nature is depicted throughout the book with the different creatures. Ancient ruins from previous cultures permeate the land giving it a sense of history along with different races and strange creatures like the Ents. Tolkien describes Middle Earth in great detail bringing the world to life. This provides readers with the illusion that Middle Earth could have been real somewhere, which helps keep the reader’s sense of wonder alive.
In addition to characters and setting, Lord of the Rings is popular because of the plot. Tolkien fashioned a plot on a grand scale. He drew from the area of the ancient epics like “Beowulf.” The story revolved around a magic ring that corrupted anyone it touched. This set off events in the quest to destroy the ring. Armies clashed to defeat the growing evil in the land while two innocent hobbits underwent a grueling journey into the heart of evil. Readers find such epic stories of great interest, perhaps touching something deep inside their psyches. Tolkien was a master of appealing to this interest.
Finally, the last element that makes this book popular are the themes. The many different themes provide readers with timeless ideals that people hope exist in the real world. One of the main themes is the quest to destroy the ring, symbol of evil in Middle Earth. It is a dangerous, but noble endeavor. This leads to the themes of friendship and loyalty demonstrated by characters like Frodo, Sam, Legolas and Gimli. Honor is a theme shown by Aragon’s growth into leadership and being an accomplished warrior that inspires people. The themes of Lord of the Rings are universal, appealing to the higher nature of people.
Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien is popular because it speaks to everyone through its characters, setting, plot and themes. Tolkien created a book that resonates with people from all walks of life. When I read the book for the first time, I kept reading it until the end without stopping. The book impressed me and embarked me on a lifelong love of Fantasy. People cannot be wrong when various groups name Lord the of Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien the greatest book of the last century.
Characters must be memorable, likable and sympathetic for readers to identify with to follow them through a book. Tolkien’s characters are a powerful draw to readers. The characters have many admirable traits that make them realistic. Frodo is an innocent thrust out into a dangerous world beyond the Shire. He becomes a noble, self-sacrificing person to save his world. Sam Gamgee is the loyal friend any person would want, sticking ;with you through all problems. Aragorn is a reluctant warrior who believes he will never rule. He grows throughout the story into a wise leader of his people. Faramir is a young warrior that must take on a great responsibility. Women characters were not completely absent from the book. Eowyn proves her worth as a warrior and interesting love interest for one of the characters. Members of the elves and dwarves play important roles. Legolas and Gimli discover friendship where distrust once ruled. Galadriel and Elrond of the elves play vital roles of wisdom. The wizard Gandalf provides a fatherly figure of great virtue and courage. Gollum is a complex character wavering between two extremes of personality, but obsessed with possession of the ring. A reader can find many characters to love or identify within the book.
Another element of the book that appeals to readers is the setting. Middle Earth is a vividly realized world with a vast history and many cultures. Tolkien spent hours in researching mythology and creating languages for his book. The setting has a large array of landscapes from tall mountains, deep forests and underground living places of the dwarves. A strong presence of nature is depicted throughout the book with the different creatures. Ancient ruins from previous cultures permeate the land giving it a sense of history along with different races and strange creatures like the Ents. Tolkien describes Middle Earth in great detail bringing the world to life. This provides readers with the illusion that Middle Earth could have been real somewhere, which helps keep the reader’s sense of wonder alive.
In addition to characters and setting, Lord of the Rings is popular because of the plot. Tolkien fashioned a plot on a grand scale. He drew from the area of the ancient epics like “Beowulf.” The story revolved around a magic ring that corrupted anyone it touched. This set off events in the quest to destroy the ring. Armies clashed to defeat the growing evil in the land while two innocent hobbits underwent a grueling journey into the heart of evil. Readers find such epic stories of great interest, perhaps touching something deep inside their psyches. Tolkien was a master of appealing to this interest.
Finally, the last element that makes this book popular are the themes. The many different themes provide readers with timeless ideals that people hope exist in the real world. One of the main themes is the quest to destroy the ring, symbol of evil in Middle Earth. It is a dangerous, but noble endeavor. This leads to the themes of friendship and loyalty demonstrated by characters like Frodo, Sam, Legolas and Gimli. Honor is a theme shown by Aragon’s growth into leadership and being an accomplished warrior that inspires people. The themes of Lord of the Rings are universal, appealing to the higher nature of people.
Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien is popular because it speaks to everyone through its characters, setting, plot and themes. Tolkien created a book that resonates with people from all walks of life. When I read the book for the first time, I kept reading it until the end without stopping. The book impressed me and embarked me on a lifelong love of Fantasy. People cannot be wrong when various groups name Lord the of Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien the greatest book of the last century.
Friday, November 11, 2011
Review: _The Ivory and the Horn_ by Charles de Lint
A winter wind blows down a city street. Out of the corner of an eye, one sees a strange being slip into the shadows. A fairy? Something else? Events like this happen to the people living in the Fantasy city of Newford. This city is the creation of the master of Urban Fantasy, Charles de Lint. In his second collection of stories about Newford, The Ivory and the Horn, Mr. de Lint tells more intriguing stories of the inhabitants of the city.
Sophie Etoile is a woman with a remarkable talent. She dreams of other places that are as real as our world. Most of the time her dreams take her to Mabon, but in “Where Desert Spirits Crowd the Night,” she finds herself trapped in a desert filled with spirits from Native American myth. The trickster god Coyote follows her through the dream until she resolves a problem. This story contains vivid descriptions of the desert dream world. Sophie a ìnd the other characters are realistic. Readers will find this a poignant, entertaining story.
“Bird Bones and Wood Ash” is a story about the subject of child abuse. Jaime encounters strange spirit women with animal heads. They give her magical gifts which she uses to stop those who physically or sexually abuse children by turning them off. Christopher, a jaded social worker, makes a deal with Jaime to tell her where abusers can be found. Even though Jaime acts like a superhero, her acts come with a price. This is a moving story of the darker side of humanity.
Mr. de Lint writes about those living in poverty in “Waifs and Strays.” Maisie is a street kid, homeless until she gets help from Angel and a homeless woman called Shirley. She has adopted a special needs young man named Tommy and several dogs. Trying to provide a home, work and going to school takes its toll on Maisie. Eventually she gets help from a ghost. This is a powerful story with the themes of caring for people, self reliance and courage. The author gives us memorable characters that readers can sympathize with throughout the story.
“The Forest Is Crying” introduces readers to social worker Christopher Dennison. After another child he tried to help is found dead, he resolves to quit his job. He gets drunk and ends up sick in an alley. A young woman helps him, taking him home and staying with him through the night. She says some weird things to him. When she disappears, he finds himself on a last case, which changes his jaded outlook on life. The strength of Mr. de Lint’s characters creates a potent story of the human spirit overcoming terrible situations.
Friendship and loss are the themes of the mournful story “Pal O’Mine.” Sue was a lonely child until she met Gina. They became best friends as children. As they grew up, their lives took different paths. A call from Gina’s mother brings Sue back into the life her depressed friend. Sue learns about the magic in the world on Christmas Eve as she remembers Gina. This story has a bittersweet ending provided by the author’s masterful talent for creating memorable characters and plots.
The Ivory and the Horn by Charles de Lint is a collection of more stories set in the fictional city of Newford. The stories range through different themes and are entertaining. A main theme of all the stories is that magic is not the solution to problems, but strength of character is. Readers will enjoy the stories of people as they encounter the magic of Newford.
Sophie Etoile is a woman with a remarkable talent. She dreams of other places that are as real as our world. Most of the time her dreams take her to Mabon, but in “Where Desert Spirits Crowd the Night,” she finds herself trapped in a desert filled with spirits from Native American myth. The trickster god Coyote follows her through the dream until she resolves a problem. This story contains vivid descriptions of the desert dream world. Sophie a ìnd the other characters are realistic. Readers will find this a poignant, entertaining story.
“Bird Bones and Wood Ash” is a story about the subject of child abuse. Jaime encounters strange spirit women with animal heads. They give her magical gifts which she uses to stop those who physically or sexually abuse children by turning them off. Christopher, a jaded social worker, makes a deal with Jaime to tell her where abusers can be found. Even though Jaime acts like a superhero, her acts come with a price. This is a moving story of the darker side of humanity.
Mr. de Lint writes about those living in poverty in “Waifs and Strays.” Maisie is a street kid, homeless until she gets help from Angel and a homeless woman called Shirley. She has adopted a special needs young man named Tommy and several dogs. Trying to provide a home, work and going to school takes its toll on Maisie. Eventually she gets help from a ghost. This is a powerful story with the themes of caring for people, self reliance and courage. The author gives us memorable characters that readers can sympathize with throughout the story.
“The Forest Is Crying” introduces readers to social worker Christopher Dennison. After another child he tried to help is found dead, he resolves to quit his job. He gets drunk and ends up sick in an alley. A young woman helps him, taking him home and staying with him through the night. She says some weird things to him. When she disappears, he finds himself on a last case, which changes his jaded outlook on life. The strength of Mr. de Lint’s characters creates a potent story of the human spirit overcoming terrible situations.
Friendship and loss are the themes of the mournful story “Pal O’Mine.” Sue was a lonely child until she met Gina. They became best friends as children. As they grew up, their lives took different paths. A call from Gina’s mother brings Sue back into the life her depressed friend. Sue learns about the magic in the world on Christmas Eve as she remembers Gina. This story has a bittersweet ending provided by the author’s masterful talent for creating memorable characters and plots.
The Ivory and the Horn by Charles de Lint is a collection of more stories set in the fictional city of Newford. The stories range through different themes and are entertaining. A main theme of all the stories is that magic is not the solution to problems, but strength of character is. Readers will enjoy the stories of people as they encounter the magic of Newford.
Friday, October 28, 2011
Review: _Brightly Burning_ by Mercedes Lackey
Being tormented by bullies in schools has led to several tragedies in recent years. The importance of preventing this is one of the central themes of Brightly Burning by Mercedes Lackey. This is a stand alone tale in Mr. Lackey’s Fantasy world of Valdemar. It is the story of Herald Lavan Firestorm. The book is an entertaining different addition to this world because of its characters, plot and themes.
Characters in the book are well drawn and three dimensional. Lavan Chitward is the son of cloth makers. He has no interest in the family business and is a sixteen year old adolescent in search of a purpose in life. Ms. Lackey describes his problems and character very well. She adds other characters that flesh out the story. There is Herald Pol, a middle a Pged man that becomes Lan’s mentor. Kalira is Lan’s Companion who gives Lan a stable, loving focus in his life. All of the characters help the plot move along quickly.
Ms. Lackey develops an entertaining plot for this book. Lan’s parents send him to a school so he will not languish at home. He is subjected to cruel bullies at school that torment him and make him sick with terrible headaches. His suffering leads to the awakening of his dangerous fire talent. Later, he gains his Companion Kalira and begins his training as a Herald. War with Karse looms on the horizon, providing Lan with new obstacles in his life. The author deftly manipulates the plot elements to create an interesting tale of adventure.
Lastly, the characters and plot combine to give emphasis to the important themes of the book. Lan suffers at the hand of bullies that en Kds in tragedy. He must deal with his hard to control gift through the adversity of coming of age. Along the way he faces persecution from an obsessed enemy and then must confront a war. The themes have resonance with things adolescents must face in our modern day world. These themes are presented in a subtle, appealing way by the author.
Brightly Burning by Mercedes Lackey is an entertaining addition to the Fantasy world of Valdemar. Readers learn about a time not covered in the other books. Ms. Lackey weaves sympathetic characters, an interesting plot and timely themes into a sad tale with life affirming values. Sentimental readers should keep a box of tissues by their side while reading this book. It is well worth the time spent in the effort. The story of Lavan Firestorm is memorable. Check it out if you get the chance.
Characters in the book are well drawn and three dimensional. Lavan Chitward is the son of cloth makers. He has no interest in the family business and is a sixteen year old adolescent in search of a purpose in life. Ms. Lackey describes his problems and character very well. She adds other characters that flesh out the story. There is Herald Pol, a middle a Pged man that becomes Lan’s mentor. Kalira is Lan’s Companion who gives Lan a stable, loving focus in his life. All of the characters help the plot move along quickly.
Ms. Lackey develops an entertaining plot for this book. Lan’s parents send him to a school so he will not languish at home. He is subjected to cruel bullies at school that torment him and make him sick with terrible headaches. His suffering leads to the awakening of his dangerous fire talent. Later, he gains his Companion Kalira and begins his training as a Herald. War with Karse looms on the horizon, providing Lan with new obstacles in his life. The author deftly manipulates the plot elements to create an interesting tale of adventure.
Lastly, the characters and plot combine to give emphasis to the important themes of the book. Lan suffers at the hand of bullies that en Kds in tragedy. He must deal with his hard to control gift through the adversity of coming of age. Along the way he faces persecution from an obsessed enemy and then must confront a war. The themes have resonance with things adolescents must face in our modern day world. These themes are presented in a subtle, appealing way by the author.
Brightly Burning by Mercedes Lackey is an entertaining addition to the Fantasy world of Valdemar. Readers learn about a time not covered in the other books. Ms. Lackey weaves sympathetic characters, an interesting plot and timely themes into a sad tale with life affirming values. Sentimental readers should keep a box of tissues by their side while reading this book. It is well worth the time spent in the effort. The story of Lavan Firestorm is memorable. Check it out if you get the chance.
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Review: _Dreams of the Compass Rose_ by Vera Nazarian
Have you ever had a vivid dream where it stays in your memory for a long time? Many Fantasy books have been inspired by author’s dreams that have become good works. _Dreams of the Compass Rose_ by Vera Nazarian was inspired by a dream. This book is a collection of short stories set in the Fantasy world of the Compass Rose, an exotic place of deserts and other landscapes where the gods interact with mortal humans. Ms. Nazarian presents each story as a dream. Nearly every story is a memorable tale filled with interesting characters and powerful themes.
“Sailing the Eye of Sun” is the story of a ship captain and a young man with great powers. Lero is the captain of an unsinkable ship. She has sailed the sea for many years with a loyal crew, but is considered insane because she is married to her ship. One day, she takes on the transport of a passenger. He is a young man with great magical power going to a schoo l to be trained before he loses control. The loss of control could destroy the world. A conflict of wills ensues in this remarkable story. It is highly memorable with masterful scenes of the sea voyage told in vivid words.
The author explores the theme of how a goddess might be born through human tragedy in the story “Goddessday.” Ailsan is the queen of Risei. Only she and her son are the last survivors of their people after a large battle. The people have been slaughtered by the conqueror Cireive who desires to rule the entire world. He is obsessed with having the beautiful Ailsan yield to him. Obsession and tragedy leads to a strong tale of mythic themes. Characters play off each other in a delicate dance of death. Ms. Nazarian’s descriptions are colorful and alive through her talented skill, bringing this bittersweet tale to a wonderful conclusion.
Nadir is a young boy who walks out of the desert with a mangy pack beast and a cup that keeps filling with water. At the oasis, he sees a beautiful horse that is a trapped god and longs to be free. “Tale of Nadir” tells the story of Nadir as he is tricked by villainous men and learns valuable lessons when he gets trapped into being a playmate to the vicious princess Egiras. This story begins a cycle of stories about the character Nadir at various points in his life serving Egiras. Ms. Nazarian continues providing an interesting story with her descriptive talent.
“City of No-Sleep” is the story of a strange city. The people live in hear and do not sleep. Their king is insane and every time he sleeps at night his dreams change the landscape of the city. Lives are ruined every day because of this phenomena. An assassin comes to the city to kill the king and free the people. One of the loyal king’s guards, Ierulann, tries to stop the assassin. This is a moving story with overtones of how change affects people. Its interesting setting makes the story unforgettable.
Words of storytellers can change the world. Annaelit is a storyteller of great talent. She likes telling humourous stories, making special fun of one of the gods. Her life changes one night when the god of leftover things comes into her life to teach her a lesson. This story is humourous in places, but makes important points about making fun of the gods. Readers will find this story entertaining and a nice addition to the collection.
_Dreams of the Compass Rose_ by Vera Nazarian is an excellent Mythic Fantasy collection of short stories. There are too many great stories in the book to discuss in this article. I found all of the stories entertaining and memorable. Vera Nazarian has created an engrossing book of dreams with vivid, unforgettable characters and themes, and a different Fantasy world of the Compass Rose. I highly recommend this book to readers. The book is available in trade paperback and as an E-book at: http://www.fictionwise.com
“Sailing the Eye of Sun” is the story of a ship captain and a young man with great powers. Lero is the captain of an unsinkable ship. She has sailed the sea for many years with a loyal crew, but is considered insane because she is married to her ship. One day, she takes on the transport of a passenger. He is a young man with great magical power going to a schoo l to be trained before he loses control. The loss of control could destroy the world. A conflict of wills ensues in this remarkable story. It is highly memorable with masterful scenes of the sea voyage told in vivid words.
The author explores the theme of how a goddess might be born through human tragedy in the story “Goddessday.” Ailsan is the queen of Risei. Only she and her son are the last survivors of their people after a large battle. The people have been slaughtered by the conqueror Cireive who desires to rule the entire world. He is obsessed with having the beautiful Ailsan yield to him. Obsession and tragedy leads to a strong tale of mythic themes. Characters play off each other in a delicate dance of death. Ms. Nazarian’s descriptions are colorful and alive through her talented skill, bringing this bittersweet tale to a wonderful conclusion.
Nadir is a young boy who walks out of the desert with a mangy pack beast and a cup that keeps filling with water. At the oasis, he sees a beautiful horse that is a trapped god and longs to be free. “Tale of Nadir” tells the story of Nadir as he is tricked by villainous men and learns valuable lessons when he gets trapped into being a playmate to the vicious princess Egiras. This story begins a cycle of stories about the character Nadir at various points in his life serving Egiras. Ms. Nazarian continues providing an interesting story with her descriptive talent.
“City of No-Sleep” is the story of a strange city. The people live in hear and do not sleep. Their king is insane and every time he sleeps at night his dreams change the landscape of the city. Lives are ruined every day because of this phenomena. An assassin comes to the city to kill the king and free the people. One of the loyal king’s guards, Ierulann, tries to stop the assassin. This is a moving story with overtones of how change affects people. Its interesting setting makes the story unforgettable.
Words of storytellers can change the world. Annaelit is a storyteller of great talent. She likes telling humourous stories, making special fun of one of the gods. Her life changes one night when the god of leftover things comes into her life to teach her a lesson. This story is humourous in places, but makes important points about making fun of the gods. Readers will find this story entertaining and a nice addition to the collection.
_Dreams of the Compass Rose_ by Vera Nazarian is an excellent Mythic Fantasy collection of short stories. There are too many great stories in the book to discuss in this article. I found all of the stories entertaining and memorable. Vera Nazarian has created an engrossing book of dreams with vivid, unforgettable characters and themes, and a different Fantasy world of the Compass Rose. I highly recommend this book to readers. The book is available in trade paperback and as an E-book at: http://www.fictionwise.com
Friday, September 30, 2011
Hope for More Fantasy Movies
Few fantasy books translate well to movies or television. “Legend of the Seeker” based on Terry Goodkind’s “Sword of Truth” books made an attempt to capture the story but failed. Recently, “Game of Thrones” made it onto television and the reviews are good so far. (One of the actors even won an Emmy recently.) There have been many films in the genre before. In the past, the entertainment industry has made Fantasy themed movies, but they have been limited in scope. The movies have been about angels, devils, people switching bodies, ghosts, poor versions of sword wielding warriors and many humorous ventures. Granted, some of these are well done, even classics, but most are terrible disappointments. They have inconsistent plots, boring characters and cheap special effects. Few of them explore the depths of the Fantasy genre or leave us with memorable stories. Newer attempts at creating new movies and series are promising for fans of fantasy. This trend could lead to more fantasy series or movies in the future. Film makers have a chance for successful movies and television series because of a large fan base, special effects improvements and a large number of books in the genre to choose from for inspiration.
First, there is a large untapped fan base for film makers to court for an audience. The fan base consists of readers in the genre, role playing gamers, video game players and many others ranging in age from children to elderly adults. Appealing to the base by making more fantasy series or movies would bring a ready-made audience to watch their works. These fans might increase the audience by word of mouth, since fans of fantasy tend to be excellent at networking. Just look at the success of the Harry Potter movies that tapped into the fan base of the books. General movie audiences would appreciate this too and could bring more readers to the genre. With the recent success of the “Game of Thrones” series, the books have catapulted on to the Bestseller lists again due to new readers checking out the books.
Next, the constant rapid improvements in special effects make it easier for more fantasy films to be made. The newer special effects like CGI brings fantasy worlds to life and makes fantastic creatures look realistic. This allows for the suspension of disbelief to be easier for the viewers. In years past, these effects were clumsy, shoddy and cheap, giving the film a very fake appearance. This ruins the watching experience for the movie viewer, leaving the feeling of being cheated. A viewer gets pulled away from the fantasy elements by fake looking costumes, inferior sets and bad plots and dialogue. In the present day, special effects have improved greatly. Computer generated images and monsters create imaginative images. When blended with live action shots and actors, a viewer is drawn into the film, which makes it easier to suspend disbelief.
Finally, the large number of books in the genre provides a greater choice for film makers to draw from for inspiration. Using the many different fantasy books available can bring more depth and improve genre films. Many books could or would make excellent movies. Fantasy themes deal with many things that concern people now. The fight between good and evil, hope, love and many others are displayed in many books. Fantasy removes us from the real world to deal with difficult issues. Numerous books could be used for ideas instead of falling back on overdone fairy tales, devils, angels, ghosts and other repeated plots. Authors that could be looked into are: Robert Holdstock, Neil Gaiman, Andre Norton, Mercedes Lackey, Guy Gavriel Kay, Robert Jordan, David Eddings, etc. The list could go on for a long time. Books could be made into TV series, miniseries and movies. It only takes the vision and courage of film makers to mine Fantasy books for some entertaining gems.
Fantasy movies poise on the edge of a possible boom of films for fans. The improvement of special effects, a large untapped fan base, and many books to choose from can provide film makers with a large audience. They can improve the genre and get away from overdone themes that have been repeated too often, which bores people to the point of not watching. If they mine the depths of Fantasy, they could provide viewers with new visions in TV series, movies and miniseries. Come on entertainment industry. Take a chance.
For other views on fantasy movies and television shows there are these articles:
http://www.csmonitor.com/The-Culture/Culture-Cafe/2011/0621/10-fantasy-novels-that-would-make-great-TV-shows
http://www.magicalwords.net/diana-pharaoh-francis/fantasy-and-sf-movies/
First, there is a large untapped fan base for film makers to court for an audience. The fan base consists of readers in the genre, role playing gamers, video game players and many others ranging in age from children to elderly adults. Appealing to the base by making more fantasy series or movies would bring a ready-made audience to watch their works. These fans might increase the audience by word of mouth, since fans of fantasy tend to be excellent at networking. Just look at the success of the Harry Potter movies that tapped into the fan base of the books. General movie audiences would appreciate this too and could bring more readers to the genre. With the recent success of the “Game of Thrones” series, the books have catapulted on to the Bestseller lists again due to new readers checking out the books.
Next, the constant rapid improvements in special effects make it easier for more fantasy films to be made. The newer special effects like CGI brings fantasy worlds to life and makes fantastic creatures look realistic. This allows for the suspension of disbelief to be easier for the viewers. In years past, these effects were clumsy, shoddy and cheap, giving the film a very fake appearance. This ruins the watching experience for the movie viewer, leaving the feeling of being cheated. A viewer gets pulled away from the fantasy elements by fake looking costumes, inferior sets and bad plots and dialogue. In the present day, special effects have improved greatly. Computer generated images and monsters create imaginative images. When blended with live action shots and actors, a viewer is drawn into the film, which makes it easier to suspend disbelief.
Finally, the large number of books in the genre provides a greater choice for film makers to draw from for inspiration. Using the many different fantasy books available can bring more depth and improve genre films. Many books could or would make excellent movies. Fantasy themes deal with many things that concern people now. The fight between good and evil, hope, love and many others are displayed in many books. Fantasy removes us from the real world to deal with difficult issues. Numerous books could be used for ideas instead of falling back on overdone fairy tales, devils, angels, ghosts and other repeated plots. Authors that could be looked into are: Robert Holdstock, Neil Gaiman, Andre Norton, Mercedes Lackey, Guy Gavriel Kay, Robert Jordan, David Eddings, etc. The list could go on for a long time. Books could be made into TV series, miniseries and movies. It only takes the vision and courage of film makers to mine Fantasy books for some entertaining gems.
Fantasy movies poise on the edge of a possible boom of films for fans. The improvement of special effects, a large untapped fan base, and many books to choose from can provide film makers with a large audience. They can improve the genre and get away from overdone themes that have been repeated too often, which bores people to the point of not watching. If they mine the depths of Fantasy, they could provide viewers with new visions in TV series, movies and miniseries. Come on entertainment industry. Take a chance.
For other views on fantasy movies and television shows there are these articles:
http://www.csmonitor.com/The-Culture/Culture-Cafe/2011/0621/10-fantasy-novels-that-would-make-great-TV-shows
http://www.magicalwords.net/diana-pharaoh-francis/fantasy-and-sf-movies/
Friday, September 16, 2011
Book Review: _Children of Amarid_ by David B. Coe
The mages of Tobyn-Ser are healers and protectors of the land. People respect them, but something is happening. Suddenly, the mages are killing people and things are changing. In another part of the land, a young man is having prophetic dreams that will change his life. This is the beginning of The Children of Amarid by David B. Coe and the first book of the “Lon Tobyn Chronicles” trilogy. The book has a suspenseful plot, likable characters and intriguing magical elements.
A suspenseful plot keeps the reader hooked for a gripping adventure. This Fantasy novel has a lot of that for readers. It starts out with an attack by mysterious mages with black birds all over the land. Jaryd begins manifesting his powers, so leaves with his uncle to journey to the gathering of the mages. There he soon binds with his hawk familiar and goes on a journey with other mages to confront a long dead mage about the massacres. On reaching their destination, one of the mages betrays the company. A story of ambition, murder, intrigue and justice ensues with sharp descriptions. Mr. Coe keeps the pace of the story moving with plenty of action and quiet interludes of character development.
Likable characters are important to a novel in making a book worth reading. The characters of this book fits this requirement. Jaryd grows from an unsure mage into a warrior that saves the people. He gains wisdom and learns about love while becoming a mage. Help comes from his uncle Baden who teaches him many things and has a strong love for the land of Tobyn-Ser. Alayna is a more experienced mage then Jaryd, but still new to her powers. She starts out resentful of Jaryd, but grows into friendship and love by the end of the novel. All the characters have realistic personalities because of the author’s keen development over the course of the book.
Lastly, the intriguing magical elements of the book allows it to have a lot of action. In this Fantasy world, the mages are known as the “Children of Amarid.” They serve the land of Tobyn-Ser as healers and mediators. All of the mages are bonded to a bird of prey. Those bonded to hawks have weaker powers until they bind to an owl. The Owlmasters are considered the ones with more wisdom and understanding; they rule the order of mages. Also, every mage carries a staff topped by a crystal the unique color of the mage’s personality. Without a staff or bird, the mage is helpless. Their main fear is dying unbonded to a bird because they become trapped ghosts that haunt the land forever. Mr. Coe weaves these elements into an entertaining story.
The Children of Amarid by David B. Coe is a strong beginning of a Fantasy trilogy. The magical elements, characters and plot combine together to give readers a suspenseful story full of action. Don’t miss this book or the other two in the trilogy, The Outlanders and Eagle-Sage.
A suspenseful plot keeps the reader hooked for a gripping adventure. This Fantasy novel has a lot of that for readers. It starts out with an attack by mysterious mages with black birds all over the land. Jaryd begins manifesting his powers, so leaves with his uncle to journey to the gathering of the mages. There he soon binds with his hawk familiar and goes on a journey with other mages to confront a long dead mage about the massacres. On reaching their destination, one of the mages betrays the company. A story of ambition, murder, intrigue and justice ensues with sharp descriptions. Mr. Coe keeps the pace of the story moving with plenty of action and quiet interludes of character development.
Likable characters are important to a novel in making a book worth reading. The characters of this book fits this requirement. Jaryd grows from an unsure mage into a warrior that saves the people. He gains wisdom and learns about love while becoming a mage. Help comes from his uncle Baden who teaches him many things and has a strong love for the land of Tobyn-Ser. Alayna is a more experienced mage then Jaryd, but still new to her powers. She starts out resentful of Jaryd, but grows into friendship and love by the end of the novel. All the characters have realistic personalities because of the author’s keen development over the course of the book.
Lastly, the intriguing magical elements of the book allows it to have a lot of action. In this Fantasy world, the mages are known as the “Children of Amarid.” They serve the land of Tobyn-Ser as healers and mediators. All of the mages are bonded to a bird of prey. Those bonded to hawks have weaker powers until they bind to an owl. The Owlmasters are considered the ones with more wisdom and understanding; they rule the order of mages. Also, every mage carries a staff topped by a crystal the unique color of the mage’s personality. Without a staff or bird, the mage is helpless. Their main fear is dying unbonded to a bird because they become trapped ghosts that haunt the land forever. Mr. Coe weaves these elements into an entertaining story.
The Children of Amarid by David B. Coe is a strong beginning of a Fantasy trilogy. The magical elements, characters and plot combine together to give readers a suspenseful story full of action. Don’t miss this book or the other two in the trilogy, The Outlanders and Eagle-Sage.
Saturday, September 03, 2011
Book Review: _Changer_ by Jane Lindskold
A hidden people lives among humanity. They are immortals, shapeshifters and magicians. They are called the Athanor. These people spawned humanity's myths and legends. Changer by Jane Lindskold is a novel about the Athanor. This is an intriguing Contemporary Fantasy novel full of interesting characters, an entertaining plot and fascinating culture of the Athanor.
All of the Athanor are interesting characters. The main character is called the Changer. He is an ancient shapeshifter and wild element among his people. Most find him enigmatic and scary. He prefers to live in the wilds and stays away from his people most of the time. Arthur is the king of the Athanor, though he is mostly an administrator in the present day. He tries to keep the peace among his people and humanity from discovering their presence. The king has the help of Vera (Athena) and Eddie (Bedivere). There are many other interesting characters among the Athanor that contribute to the plot.
The plot of the book is very entertaining and keeps the reader wanting to race through the book. Changer starts out when the Changer returns to find his coyote family murdered except one daughter; the runt of the litter. He wants revenge, so goes to King Arthur for help. A triumverate of Athanor (Loki, Circe and the Head) drew him into their plot to overthrow King Arthur unwillingly. Changer doesn't involve himself with Athanor politics. The plot continues to draw the reader in with other subplots against Arthur and a growing movement among the nonhuman members of the Athanor to have a bigger say and tired of living on the fringes of human a civilization.
Lastly, the hidden culture of the Athanor is fascinating. The Athanor are all immortal, but vary greatly. Some are human in form, while others are animals or creatures like sasquatches, yeti and tengu. A few can change their shapes or do magic. The younger ones revere the ancient ones because of their experience. They are all bound by the life force of Harmony, which lets them survive. There is an Accord they all live by. These factors allow them to live remarkable lives among humanity.
Changer by Jane Lindskold is an entertaining Contemporary Fantasy novel. It tells the story of the immortal Athanor that live hidden among humanity in our modern world. The book has interesting characters, an entertaining plot and fascinating culture of the Athanor. Readers will find this book hard to put down. Be sure to check it out if you can.
All of the Athanor are interesting characters. The main character is called the Changer. He is an ancient shapeshifter and wild element among his people. Most find him enigmatic and scary. He prefers to live in the wilds and stays away from his people most of the time. Arthur is the king of the Athanor, though he is mostly an administrator in the present day. He tries to keep the peace among his people and humanity from discovering their presence. The king has the help of Vera (Athena) and Eddie (Bedivere). There are many other interesting characters among the Athanor that contribute to the plot.
The plot of the book is very entertaining and keeps the reader wanting to race through the book. Changer starts out when the Changer returns to find his coyote family murdered except one daughter; the runt of the litter. He wants revenge, so goes to King Arthur for help. A triumverate of Athanor (Loki, Circe and the Head) drew him into their plot to overthrow King Arthur unwillingly. Changer doesn't involve himself with Athanor politics. The plot continues to draw the reader in with other subplots against Arthur and a growing movement among the nonhuman members of the Athanor to have a bigger say and tired of living on the fringes of human a civilization.
Lastly, the hidden culture of the Athanor is fascinating. The Athanor are all immortal, but vary greatly. Some are human in form, while others are animals or creatures like sasquatches, yeti and tengu. A few can change their shapes or do magic. The younger ones revere the ancient ones because of their experience. They are all bound by the life force of Harmony, which lets them survive. There is an Accord they all live by. These factors allow them to live remarkable lives among humanity.
Changer by Jane Lindskold is an entertaining Contemporary Fantasy novel. It tells the story of the immortal Athanor that live hidden among humanity in our modern world. The book has interesting characters, an entertaining plot and fascinating culture of the Athanor. Readers will find this book hard to put down. Be sure to check it out if you can.
Friday, August 19, 2011
Review: _Hexed_
Urban fantasy is a popular subgenre of fantasy with magic and mythical creatures existing in our world. Many of these books are gritty, have strong female and male characters and some with romance elements. Hexed is an urban fantasy book with four novellas featuring side stories to some popular series by four entertaining authors. The themes of the stories revolve around hexes and curses.
The first story is “Magic Dreams” by Ilona andrews set in the Atlanta, Georgia of her “Kate Daniels” series. This story tells the adventure of shapeshifter Dali Harimau who is very intelligent but is small statured and possesses poor vision She comes home to find Jim the shapeshifter security chief sleeping in her bedroom. He is suffering from a psychic magical attack from a dangerous, mysterious force. Dali must find out who is responsible for the attack and save him in this interesting story. Ms. Andrews adds an entertaining side story to her series.
Next, Yasmine Galenorn provides a journey to another world with “Ice Shards.” Iris was a house sprite destined to serve her goddess until she supposedly killed her lover. She was cursed and cast out from the temple. Six hundred years later, she returns to discover the truth by getting her memory back and destroying the monster her ex-boyfriend has become. Iris travels with three companions to the magical Northlands so she can clear her conscience and win back a chance to marry her new boyfriend. Ms. Galenorn gives readers a memorable story with vivid images and likable characters.
Magellan, Arizona is surrounded by magical vortexes that are doorways to dangerous worlds. Janet Begay owns the hotel near the crossroads. She has powerful magic and a dragon boyfriend. Janet and several of her magical friends become trapped in the hotel in the story “Double Hexed” by Allyson James. A spell curse imprisons the characters within the hotel and becomes double in power when they try to escape. Janet and company try to solve the mystery before it is too late. Ms. James delivers a suspenseful, gritty story that readers will enjoy.
The book finishes with the story “Blood Debt” by Jeanne C. Stein. Anna Strong is a modern day bounty hunter and vampire living in San Diego. One of her witch friends calls her for help. The witch asks Anna to save her brother. Beings from an astral plane want to trade the brother, Stephen, for her life because she violated their laws of sanctuary. Anna ends up in a struggle to save Stephen with a creature named Samual. Ms. Steine gives readers an interesting story of other world struggles and some romance.
Hexed contains four novellas that are entertaining, suspenseful urban fantasies. Written by four of today’s popular urban fantasy authors, the book’s themes of hexes and curses provide four action stories with touches of romance set in well-liked series. This is a gripping book that readers can enjoy.
The first story is “Magic Dreams” by Ilona andrews set in the Atlanta, Georgia of her “Kate Daniels” series. This story tells the adventure of shapeshifter Dali Harimau who is very intelligent but is small statured and possesses poor vision She comes home to find Jim the shapeshifter security chief sleeping in her bedroom. He is suffering from a psychic magical attack from a dangerous, mysterious force. Dali must find out who is responsible for the attack and save him in this interesting story. Ms. Andrews adds an entertaining side story to her series.
Next, Yasmine Galenorn provides a journey to another world with “Ice Shards.” Iris was a house sprite destined to serve her goddess until she supposedly killed her lover. She was cursed and cast out from the temple. Six hundred years later, she returns to discover the truth by getting her memory back and destroying the monster her ex-boyfriend has become. Iris travels with three companions to the magical Northlands so she can clear her conscience and win back a chance to marry her new boyfriend. Ms. Galenorn gives readers a memorable story with vivid images and likable characters.
Magellan, Arizona is surrounded by magical vortexes that are doorways to dangerous worlds. Janet Begay owns the hotel near the crossroads. She has powerful magic and a dragon boyfriend. Janet and several of her magical friends become trapped in the hotel in the story “Double Hexed” by Allyson James. A spell curse imprisons the characters within the hotel and becomes double in power when they try to escape. Janet and company try to solve the mystery before it is too late. Ms. James delivers a suspenseful, gritty story that readers will enjoy.
The book finishes with the story “Blood Debt” by Jeanne C. Stein. Anna Strong is a modern day bounty hunter and vampire living in San Diego. One of her witch friends calls her for help. The witch asks Anna to save her brother. Beings from an astral plane want to trade the brother, Stephen, for her life because she violated their laws of sanctuary. Anna ends up in a struggle to save Stephen with a creature named Samual. Ms. Steine gives readers an interesting story of other world struggles and some romance.
Hexed contains four novellas that are entertaining, suspenseful urban fantasies. Written by four of today’s popular urban fantasy authors, the book’s themes of hexes and curses provide four action stories with touches of romance set in well-liked series. This is a gripping book that readers can enjoy.
Friday, August 05, 2011
Interview with Laura J. Underwood
This interview first appeared at Suite101 in 2004. I’m sharing it again because she is a wonderful fantasy author.
Laura J. Underwood is a Fantasy author of many talents. She is a librarian as well as a writer. Her many skills include being a former fencing champion and a harpist too. Ms. Underwood uses her many talents to provide entertaining Fantasy short stories and novels. The main worlds her stories are set in include Keltora and the harper mage world of Annwynn Baldomere. Her short stories can be found in different anthologies and magazines, while the books include: Ard Magister, Dragon’s Tongue and others.
More information can be found at her web site: http://www.sff.net/people/keltora
Debbie Ledesma: When did you decide to become a writer?
Laura Underwood: I’m not so sure that I ever really decided that for myself. Seems like I have always been writing down my fantasies from the time I could hold a pencil. I was one of those children whose imaginations always ran wild. I was reading on my own by the time I was three, which always amazed my parents. They thought I was mimicking the books they read to me, but one day I picked up a newspaper and started pointing to words and sounding them out. I was the only child in my first grade class who could read when I started school.
Because I was a rather solitary child (in spite of having siblings) I used to
daydream a lot. Put myself into the stories that I liked best, and I talked to myself a lot. I did a speech recently where I blamed my fantasy writing career on Mighty Mouse, because when I was little, I used to talk to Mighty
Mouse. My poor mother was under the impression in those days that talking to yourself was a sign of insanity, and she tried to discourage it because she worried what people would think (and there were those d 3ays, like when I made the bus driver stop the bus to let Mighty Mouse on, and I told the ladies at the church Sunday School that I needed an extra cookie and orange juice for Mighty Mouse--I honestly think those poor church ladies thought I was possessed...), so I started writing down my imaginings so I could read them to myself.
Of course, it is obvious that I was not willing to give up my imaginary worlds that easily. The only difference is these days, the talking to myself takes place on a laptop, and I call it storytelling. And because I keep getting those stories published, my mother thinks it’s pretty cool.
DL: Do you prefer writing short stories or novels?
LU: As a teenager, I thought I _was_ writing novels, though I suspect they were just novellas. :-) In fact, my efforts at mystery writing were all novels.
But when I started to sell my fantasy fiction, I wrote short fiction, mainly
because I could produce more of it at a greater speed. But I love novels for the scope they allow. It’s the difference between a short sprint and lengthy marathon race. Both can leave you short of breath. One just takes longer than the other. I’m what one might call a “sneezing” writer (my friend David B. Coe always teases me about that). I literally toss everything on the page at a rapid pace and then clean it up in the editing phase.
DL: What authors influence your writing?
LU: Well, if we start with the earliest influences, those would be anyone who wrote fairy tales. When I was six, my great aunt gave me a beautifully
illustrated book of fairy tales (The Golden Book of Fairy Tales by Adrienne Segur who illustrated it as well) that I still have. It’s rather moth eaten and fragile, and my evil younger brother drew all over the pictures, but I did manage to find a reprint of it recently. I also read a lot of Greek and Roman mythology. I used to be able to recite nearly every story from
Bulfinche's and D’Aulaire versions of mythology. And of course, I fell madly in love with Kipling and must have reread The Jungle Book over and over.
As for specific authors, Edgar A. Poe, Fred Fields, Shakespeare, but then I
advanced to Lloyd Alexander and George MacDonald and C. S. Lewis and Alexander Key in my teens. At that point, I actually switched to reading mystery novels and was a long time fan of Ngaio Marsh, Peter Lovesey, Dick Francis and many others. Then somewhere along the way in my early twenties, I rediscovered fantasy with Andre Norton, Marion Zimmer Bradley and Fritz Leiber. Barbara Hambly and Teresa Edgerton are now my biggest influences, though I am also fond of Lynn Flewelling, Esther Friesner and a host of other authors who write really good fantasy.
Surprising to most people is that I did not read any Tolkein before the movies came out. Now, of course, I see what I missed since I have gone back and read the books. They always seemed to wordy to me when I was a teenager and a librarian handed them to me, but now I can see a lot of the poetry in the work...I can also see the sources Tolkein drew from.
DL: Do you use any mythology sources in your writing?
Celtic mythology plays a strong part, but not the stuff you usually see in the
D&D manuals (I really have a long rant there that I won’t go into here), but I
do mix a touch of Anglo-Saxon lore and old Norse lore in from time to time. Since my days of reading fairy tales and Greek and Roman mythology, I got into folklore, and have been an avid reader of older texts that were gathered in the 18th century. But I am also interested in Native American mythology (being part Choctaw and Cherokee), in English folktales, Scandinavian lore, and in the mythologies of India.
DL: Most of your stories are centered in two worlds- the Harper Mage and Keltora. Which world do you find easier to write about or prefer?
LU: That’s a hard one. I find both worlds easy to work in, though sometimes have to remind myself that they are not the same. Keltora is just part of the world of Ard-Taebh which is my “grand scheme of things” epic fantasy world. It’s a world where mages are genetic and magic essence is in everything, and mageborn are able to tap this essence so they don't drain their own essence casting spells. And it’s getting more complex by the day. My latest project has put me in a position of taking a hard look at the history of Ard-Taebh and realizing that the part I write now is just one era of an even bigger milieu.
The Harper Mage world is one where the gods choose who will have the power, and then it is up to the mage to make the right sacrifice to release the power. The greater the sacrifice, the greater the power, and to have that power, one must give up one of the five senses. Oddly enough, it started out as a novel, and then I started writing the short stories, and the late Marion Zimmer Bradley started buying them. I would offer her other things, but she always asked for more Anwyn and Glynnanis stories, and as a result, the world has grown legs based solely on the short fiction. Anwyn is a fun character because he is always at odds with himself and his legacy. Makes for some serious angst. I still get requests from readers as to when I plan to write a novel telling the origin of his power. I have also written one novel where we learn the history of Rhystar and how he came to his power.
Of course, these days I admit that I have grown fond of writing in Selina
Rosen’s Bubbas of the Apocalypse Universe because I get to apply the mythology of my Appalachian roots.
DL: Who is your favorite character?
LU: That’s like asking who is your favorite child among the many you have given birth to. Probably depends on the project, but I will admit that I have a lot of fondness for Conor Manahan. That amuses me since the real focus of those stories is supposed to be Rhoyd who is the Ard Magister. But Conor sort of takes over when he opens his mouth, and it’s hard not to follow him around. There are times I want to be Eithne, except I doubt I would have her patience. :-)
DL: What do you think is the important function of a Fantasy novel?
LU: To keep opening our eyes to the wonders of a world that "might have been." I'm of the opinion that fantasy helps us to keep the storytelling techniques of our ancestors alive and well. Giving credence to things that never were can be fun. Fantasy allows us to tell and retell the favorite stories in a new way. If we can enjoy ourselves on the journey, all the better. If we can make the material seem fresh and new, it becomes even more "fantastic." As a writer, I tend to write the tales I have always wanted to read, and the reward is hearing readers tell me that they think my worlds and characters are very real to them.
DL: With the success of the "Lord of the Rings" movies, do you think any of your stories would make a good movie?
LU: I think all of them would, but that is probably because I am a very visual writer and very fond of my own work. *g* I see scenery being played out in my head. I get up and practice fight moves from time to time. By now most people know that I am a former fencing champion and fencing coach who now does fencing demonstrations for the SFWA Emergency Medical Fund.
I would seriously love to see any of my books turned into a movie. Or a
miniseries. In fact, I think there are a lot of authors now who are holding up their hands in hopes of getting the attention of Peter Jackson. But if I had to pick only one, I suspect I would hold up my current projects Dragon’s Tongue and Wandering Lark because they have the sort of depth (at least I hope they have the sort of depth) that Jackson could have a field day with.
But of course, because I am a practical sort of person by nature, I won't hold my breath. *g*
DL: What other stories are you working on for the future?
LU: I just finished editing Wandering Lark, which is the sequel to Dragon’s Tongue (a novel that will be coming out from Meisha Merlin some time later in 2004). I also recently finished a “collective novel” called Shadow Song, which is set in Anwyn’s world and essentially ties together what happened to that message he carried that I mentioned in “Harper’s Moon” and “The Black Tower.” Of course, I don’t have a publisher for that one yet, but it's the book Marion was always pushing me to write.
I’m currently working on a couple of short stories that I have been asked to provide for future anthologies, and because everyone keeps asking me “What happens next? after Ard Magister, I am working on the further adventures of Conor, Eithne and Rhoyd under the tentative title of Box of Bones. It takes place about three years later. Rhoyd is getting close to preteens mage-wise, and he’s a lot bolder and more trusting of his own power, but there are times when the little boy in him gets in the way. It brings back characters like Michan (From Chronicles of the Last War) and mentioned “The Demon-Bound” as well as the late Fenelon Greenfyn.
Selina Rosen and I just finished collaborating on a “gonzo” mystery novel we’re calling Bad Lands that we are seriously hoping will become a series. I have a soft spot for mysteries still, and writing this book was like going back to my roots of writing mysteries. Plus the characters are a hoot.
I am also hoping to get around to editing Anwyn’s first novel one day and
marketing it and a couple of independent novels set in Ard-Taebh. I have a book about Ginny and Manus (who appeared in a number of my Sword and Sorceress stories) that I am calling The Hounds of Ardagh that is almost ready to submit.
Of course, what I actually get into working on for publication next (besides
the short stories) is probably going to depend on how well my novels Dragon’s Tongue and Wandering Lark do when they come out. (An author’s career is only as good as their numbers.) There’s a trilogy that follows those two books that deals with how Keltora took the High King’s crown and another trilogy in the works dealing with Rhoyd’s Aunt Genna. Plus one day, I want to go back and write something in the time of the Shadow Lords. There are a lot of places in my own worlds that I have not begun to explore. So who knows what stories are hiding there?
DL: Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?
LU: Keep writing, rewriting, revising and resubmitting. And keep reading as well--everything you can get your hands on, be it history, biography, folklore, archaeology, letter and memoirs as well as what you want to write. You can't learn to write if you can't take time to read. And you can't write well if you don't read broadly enough.
Above all, never give up. I see so many beginners who want instant success, and I can tell you after thirty years of writing, there is no instant success. Not without hard work. It's something you earn by taking the steps of the ladder to publication one rung at a time. Too often, aspiring writers will think there is a secret they are missing out on. A handshake, a wink, a password. Trust me. If they existed, I would have found them and bottled them and made myself rich by now. *g* As one of my own mentors would have said, "It takes time to become an overnight success..."
Personally, I'm still waiting. *g*
DL: Thank you very much for the interview.
Laura J. Underwood is a Fantasy author of many talents. She is a librarian as well as a writer. Her many skills include being a former fencing champion and a harpist too. Ms. Underwood uses her many talents to provide entertaining Fantasy short stories and novels. The main worlds her stories are set in include Keltora and the harper mage world of Annwynn Baldomere. Her short stories can be found in different anthologies and magazines, while the books include: Ard Magister, Dragon’s Tongue and others.
More information can be found at her web site: http://www.sff.net/people/keltora
Debbie Ledesma: When did you decide to become a writer?
Laura Underwood: I’m not so sure that I ever really decided that for myself. Seems like I have always been writing down my fantasies from the time I could hold a pencil. I was one of those children whose imaginations always ran wild. I was reading on my own by the time I was three, which always amazed my parents. They thought I was mimicking the books they read to me, but one day I picked up a newspaper and started pointing to words and sounding them out. I was the only child in my first grade class who could read when I started school.
Because I was a rather solitary child (in spite of having siblings) I used to
daydream a lot. Put myself into the stories that I liked best, and I talked to myself a lot. I did a speech recently where I blamed my fantasy writing career on Mighty Mouse, because when I was little, I used to talk to Mighty
Mouse. My poor mother was under the impression in those days that talking to yourself was a sign of insanity, and she tried to discourage it because she worried what people would think (and there were those d 3ays, like when I made the bus driver stop the bus to let Mighty Mouse on, and I told the ladies at the church Sunday School that I needed an extra cookie and orange juice for Mighty Mouse--I honestly think those poor church ladies thought I was possessed...), so I started writing down my imaginings so I could read them to myself.
Of course, it is obvious that I was not willing to give up my imaginary worlds that easily. The only difference is these days, the talking to myself takes place on a laptop, and I call it storytelling. And because I keep getting those stories published, my mother thinks it’s pretty cool.
DL: Do you prefer writing short stories or novels?
LU: As a teenager, I thought I _was_ writing novels, though I suspect they were just novellas. :-) In fact, my efforts at mystery writing were all novels.
But when I started to sell my fantasy fiction, I wrote short fiction, mainly
because I could produce more of it at a greater speed. But I love novels for the scope they allow. It’s the difference between a short sprint and lengthy marathon race. Both can leave you short of breath. One just takes longer than the other. I’m what one might call a “sneezing” writer (my friend David B. Coe always teases me about that). I literally toss everything on the page at a rapid pace and then clean it up in the editing phase.
DL: What authors influence your writing?
LU: Well, if we start with the earliest influences, those would be anyone who wrote fairy tales. When I was six, my great aunt gave me a beautifully
illustrated book of fairy tales (The Golden Book of Fairy Tales by Adrienne Segur who illustrated it as well) that I still have. It’s rather moth eaten and fragile, and my evil younger brother drew all over the pictures, but I did manage to find a reprint of it recently. I also read a lot of Greek and Roman mythology. I used to be able to recite nearly every story from
Bulfinche's and D’Aulaire versions of mythology. And of course, I fell madly in love with Kipling and must have reread The Jungle Book over and over.
As for specific authors, Edgar A. Poe, Fred Fields, Shakespeare, but then I
advanced to Lloyd Alexander and George MacDonald and C. S. Lewis and Alexander Key in my teens. At that point, I actually switched to reading mystery novels and was a long time fan of Ngaio Marsh, Peter Lovesey, Dick Francis and many others. Then somewhere along the way in my early twenties, I rediscovered fantasy with Andre Norton, Marion Zimmer Bradley and Fritz Leiber. Barbara Hambly and Teresa Edgerton are now my biggest influences, though I am also fond of Lynn Flewelling, Esther Friesner and a host of other authors who write really good fantasy.
Surprising to most people is that I did not read any Tolkein before the movies came out. Now, of course, I see what I missed since I have gone back and read the books. They always seemed to wordy to me when I was a teenager and a librarian handed them to me, but now I can see a lot of the poetry in the work...I can also see the sources Tolkein drew from.
DL: Do you use any mythology sources in your writing?
Celtic mythology plays a strong part, but not the stuff you usually see in the
D&D manuals (I really have a long rant there that I won’t go into here), but I
do mix a touch of Anglo-Saxon lore and old Norse lore in from time to time. Since my days of reading fairy tales and Greek and Roman mythology, I got into folklore, and have been an avid reader of older texts that were gathered in the 18th century. But I am also interested in Native American mythology (being part Choctaw and Cherokee), in English folktales, Scandinavian lore, and in the mythologies of India.
DL: Most of your stories are centered in two worlds- the Harper Mage and Keltora. Which world do you find easier to write about or prefer?
LU: That’s a hard one. I find both worlds easy to work in, though sometimes have to remind myself that they are not the same. Keltora is just part of the world of Ard-Taebh which is my “grand scheme of things” epic fantasy world. It’s a world where mages are genetic and magic essence is in everything, and mageborn are able to tap this essence so they don't drain their own essence casting spells. And it’s getting more complex by the day. My latest project has put me in a position of taking a hard look at the history of Ard-Taebh and realizing that the part I write now is just one era of an even bigger milieu.
The Harper Mage world is one where the gods choose who will have the power, and then it is up to the mage to make the right sacrifice to release the power. The greater the sacrifice, the greater the power, and to have that power, one must give up one of the five senses. Oddly enough, it started out as a novel, and then I started writing the short stories, and the late Marion Zimmer Bradley started buying them. I would offer her other things, but she always asked for more Anwyn and Glynnanis stories, and as a result, the world has grown legs based solely on the short fiction. Anwyn is a fun character because he is always at odds with himself and his legacy. Makes for some serious angst. I still get requests from readers as to when I plan to write a novel telling the origin of his power. I have also written one novel where we learn the history of Rhystar and how he came to his power.
Of course, these days I admit that I have grown fond of writing in Selina
Rosen’s Bubbas of the Apocalypse Universe because I get to apply the mythology of my Appalachian roots.
DL: Who is your favorite character?
LU: That’s like asking who is your favorite child among the many you have given birth to. Probably depends on the project, but I will admit that I have a lot of fondness for Conor Manahan. That amuses me since the real focus of those stories is supposed to be Rhoyd who is the Ard Magister. But Conor sort of takes over when he opens his mouth, and it’s hard not to follow him around. There are times I want to be Eithne, except I doubt I would have her patience. :-)
DL: What do you think is the important function of a Fantasy novel?
LU: To keep opening our eyes to the wonders of a world that "might have been." I'm of the opinion that fantasy helps us to keep the storytelling techniques of our ancestors alive and well. Giving credence to things that never were can be fun. Fantasy allows us to tell and retell the favorite stories in a new way. If we can enjoy ourselves on the journey, all the better. If we can make the material seem fresh and new, it becomes even more "fantastic." As a writer, I tend to write the tales I have always wanted to read, and the reward is hearing readers tell me that they think my worlds and characters are very real to them.
DL: With the success of the "Lord of the Rings" movies, do you think any of your stories would make a good movie?
LU: I think all of them would, but that is probably because I am a very visual writer and very fond of my own work. *g* I see scenery being played out in my head. I get up and practice fight moves from time to time. By now most people know that I am a former fencing champion and fencing coach who now does fencing demonstrations for the SFWA Emergency Medical Fund.
I would seriously love to see any of my books turned into a movie. Or a
miniseries. In fact, I think there are a lot of authors now who are holding up their hands in hopes of getting the attention of Peter Jackson. But if I had to pick only one, I suspect I would hold up my current projects Dragon’s Tongue and Wandering Lark because they have the sort of depth (at least I hope they have the sort of depth) that Jackson could have a field day with.
But of course, because I am a practical sort of person by nature, I won't hold my breath. *g*
DL: What other stories are you working on for the future?
LU: I just finished editing Wandering Lark, which is the sequel to Dragon’s Tongue (a novel that will be coming out from Meisha Merlin some time later in 2004). I also recently finished a “collective novel” called Shadow Song, which is set in Anwyn’s world and essentially ties together what happened to that message he carried that I mentioned in “Harper’s Moon” and “The Black Tower.” Of course, I don’t have a publisher for that one yet, but it's the book Marion was always pushing me to write.
I’m currently working on a couple of short stories that I have been asked to provide for future anthologies, and because everyone keeps asking me “What happens next? after Ard Magister, I am working on the further adventures of Conor, Eithne and Rhoyd under the tentative title of Box of Bones. It takes place about three years later. Rhoyd is getting close to preteens mage-wise, and he’s a lot bolder and more trusting of his own power, but there are times when the little boy in him gets in the way. It brings back characters like Michan (From Chronicles of the Last War) and mentioned “The Demon-Bound” as well as the late Fenelon Greenfyn.
Selina Rosen and I just finished collaborating on a “gonzo” mystery novel we’re calling Bad Lands that we are seriously hoping will become a series. I have a soft spot for mysteries still, and writing this book was like going back to my roots of writing mysteries. Plus the characters are a hoot.
I am also hoping to get around to editing Anwyn’s first novel one day and
marketing it and a couple of independent novels set in Ard-Taebh. I have a book about Ginny and Manus (who appeared in a number of my Sword and Sorceress stories) that I am calling The Hounds of Ardagh that is almost ready to submit.
Of course, what I actually get into working on for publication next (besides
the short stories) is probably going to depend on how well my novels Dragon’s Tongue and Wandering Lark do when they come out. (An author’s career is only as good as their numbers.) There’s a trilogy that follows those two books that deals with how Keltora took the High King’s crown and another trilogy in the works dealing with Rhoyd’s Aunt Genna. Plus one day, I want to go back and write something in the time of the Shadow Lords. There are a lot of places in my own worlds that I have not begun to explore. So who knows what stories are hiding there?
DL: Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?
LU: Keep writing, rewriting, revising and resubmitting. And keep reading as well--everything you can get your hands on, be it history, biography, folklore, archaeology, letter and memoirs as well as what you want to write. You can't learn to write if you can't take time to read. And you can't write well if you don't read broadly enough.
Above all, never give up. I see so many beginners who want instant success, and I can tell you after thirty years of writing, there is no instant success. Not without hard work. It's something you earn by taking the steps of the ladder to publication one rung at a time. Too often, aspiring writers will think there is a secret they are missing out on. A handshake, a wink, a password. Trust me. If they existed, I would have found them and bottled them and made myself rich by now. *g* As one of my own mentors would have said, "It takes time to become an overnight success..."
Personally, I'm still waiting. *g*
DL: Thank you very much for the interview.
Interview with Laura J. Underwood
This interview first appeared at Suite101 in 2004. I’m sharing it again because she is a wonderful fantasy author.
Laura J. Underwood is a Fantasy author of many talents. She is a librarian as well as a writer. Her many skills include being a former fencing champion and a harpist too. Ms. Underwood uses her many talents to provide entertaining Fantasy short stories and novels. The main worlds her stories are set in include Keltora and the harper mage world of Annwynn Baldomere. Her short stories can be found in different anthologies and magazines, while the books include: Ard Magister, Dragon’s Tongue and others.
More information can be found at her web site: http://www.sff.net/people/keltora
Debbie Ledesma: When did you decide to become a writer?
Laura Underwood: I’m not so sure that I ever really decided that for myself. Seems like I have always been writing down my fantasies from the time I could hold a pencil. I was one of those children whose imaginations always ran wild. I was reading on my own by the time I was three, which always amazed my parents. They thought I was mimicking the books they read to me, but one day I picked up a newspaper and started pointing to words and sounding them out. I was the only child in my first grade class who could read when I started school.
Because I was a rather solitary child (in spite of having siblings) I used to
daydream a lot. Put myself into the stories that I liked best, and I talked to myself a lot. I did a speech recently where I blamed my fantasy writing career on Mighty Mouse, because when I was little, I used to talk to Mighty
Mouse. My poor mother was under the impression in those days that talking to yourself was a sign of insanity, and she tried to discourage it because she worried what people would think (and there were those d 3ays, like when I made the bus driver stop the bus to let Mighty Mouse on, and I told the ladies at the church Sunday School that I needed an extra cookie and orange juice for Mighty Mouse--I honestly think those poor church ladies thought I was possessed...), so I started writing down my imaginings so I could read them to myself.
Of course, it is obvious that I was not willing to give up my imaginary worlds that easily. The only difference is these days, the talking to myself takes place on a laptop, and I call it storytelling. And because I keep getting those stories published, my mother thinks it’s pretty cool.
DL: Do you prefer writing short stories or novels?
LU: As a teenager, I thought I _was_ writing novels, though I suspect they were just novellas. :-) In fact, my efforts at mystery writing were all novels.
But when I started to sell my fantasy fiction, I wrote short fiction, mainly
because I could produce more of it at a greater speed. But I love novels for the scope they allow. It’s the difference between a short sprint and lengthy marathon race. Both can leave you short of breath. One just takes longer than the other. I’m what one might call a “sneezing” writer (my friend David B. Coe always teases me about that). I literally toss everything on the page at a rapid pace and then clean it up in the editing phase.
DL: What authors influence your writing?
LU: Well, if we start with the earliest influences, those would be anyone who wrote fairy tales. When I was six, my great aunt gave me a beautifully
illustrated book of fairy tales (The Golden Book of Fairy Tales by Adrienne Segur who illustrated it as well) that I still have. It’s rather moth eaten and fragile, and my evil younger brother drew all over the pictures, but I did manage to find a reprint of it recently. I also read a lot of Greek and Roman mythology. I used to be able to recite nearly every story from
Bulfinche's and D’Aulaire versions of mythology. And of course, I fell madly in love with Kipling and must have reread The Jungle Book over and over.
As for specific authors, Edgar A. Poe, Fred Fields, Shakespeare, but then I
advanced to Lloyd Alexander and George MacDonald and C. S. Lewis and Alexander Key in my teens. At that point, I actually switched to reading mystery novels and was a long time fan of Ngaio Marsh, Peter Lovesey, Dick Francis and many others. Then somewhere along the way in my early twenties, I rediscovered fantasy with Andre Norton, Marion Zimmer Bradley and Fritz Leiber. Barbara Hambly and Teresa Edgerton are now my biggest influences, though I am also fond of Lynn Flewelling, Esther Friesner and a host of other authors who write really good fantasy.
Surprising to most people is that I did not read any Tolkein before the movies came out. Now, of course, I see what I missed since I have gone back and read the books. They always seemed to wordy to me when I was a teenager and a librarian handed them to me, but now I can see a lot of the poetry in the work...I can also see the sources Tolkein drew from.
DL: Do you use any mythology sources in your writing?
Celtic mythology plays a strong part, but not the stuff you usually see in the
D&D manuals (I really have a long rant there that I won’t go into here), but I
do mix a touch of Anglo-Saxon lore and old Norse lore in from time to time. Since my days of reading fairy tales and Greek and Roman mythology, I got into folklore, and have been an avid reader of older texts that were gathered in the 18th century. But I am also interested in Native American mythology (being part Choctaw and Cherokee), in English folktales, Scandinavian lore, and in the mythologies of India.
DL: Most of your stories are centered in two worlds- the Harper Mage and Keltora. Which world do you find easier to write about or prefer?
LU: That’s a hard one. I find both worlds easy to work in, though sometimes have to remind myself that they are not the same. Keltora is just part of the world of Ard-Taebh which is my “grand scheme of things” epic fantasy world. It’s a world where mages are genetic and magic essence is in everything, and mageborn are able to tap this essence so they don't drain their own essence casting spells. And it’s getting more complex by the day. My latest project has put me in a position of taking a hard look at the history of Ard-Taebh and realizing that the part I write now is just one era of an even bigger milieu.
The Harper Mage world is one where the gods choose who will have the power, and then it is up to the mage to make the right sacrifice to release the power. The greater the sacrifice, the greater the power, and to have that power, one must give up one of the five senses. Oddly enough, it started out as a novel, and then I started writing the short stories, and the late Marion Zimmer Bradley started buying them. I would offer her other things, but she always asked for more Anwyn and Glynnanis stories, and as a result, the world has grown legs based solely on the short fiction. Anwyn is a fun character because he is always at odds with himself and his legacy. Makes for some serious angst. I still get requests from readers as to when I plan to write a novel telling the origin of his power. I have also written one novel where we learn the history of Rhystar and how he came to his power.
Of course, these days I admit that I have grown fond of writing in Selina
Rosen’s Bubbas of the Apocalypse Universe because I get to apply the mythology of my Appalachian roots.
DL: Who is your favorite character?
LU: That’s like asking who is your favorite child among the many you have given birth to. Probably depends on the project, but I will admit that I have a lot of fondness for Conor Manahan. That amuses me since the real focus of those stories is supposed to be Rhoyd who is the Ard Magister. But Conor sort of takes over when he opens his mouth, and it’s hard not to follow him around. There are times I want to be Eithne, except I doubt I would have her patience. :-)
DL: What do you think is the important function of a Fantasy novel?
LU: To keep opening our eyes to the wonders of a world that "might have been." I'm of the opinion that fantasy helps us to keep the storytelling techniques of our ancestors alive and well. Giving credence to things that never were can be fun. Fantasy allows us to tell and retell the favorite stories in a new way. If we can enjoy ourselves on the journey, all the better. If we can make the material seem fresh and new, it becomes even more "fantastic." As a writer, I tend to write the tales I have always wanted to read, and the reward is hearing readers tell me that they think my worlds and characters are very real to them.
DL: With the success of the "Lord of the Rings" movies, do you think any of your stories would make a good movie?
LU: I think all of them would, but that is probably because I am a very visual writer and very fond of my own work. *g* I see scenery being played out in my head. I get up and practice fight moves from time to time. By now most people know that I am a former fencing champion and fencing coach who now does fencing demonstrations for the SFWA Emergency Medical Fund.
I would seriously love to see any of my books turned into a movie. Or a
miniseries. In fact, I think there are a lot of authors now who are holding up their hands in hopes of getting the attention of Peter Jackson. But if I had to pick only one, I suspect I would hold up my current projects Dragon’s Tongue and Wandering Lark because they have the sort of depth (at least I hope they have the sort of depth) that Jackson could have a field day with.
But of course, because I am a practical sort of person by nature, I won't hold my breath. *g*
DL: What other stories are you working on for the future?
LU: I just finished editing Wandering Lark, which is the sequel to Dragon’s Tongue (a novel that will be coming out from Meisha Merlin some time later in 2004). I also recently finished a “collective novel” called Shadow Song, which is set in Anwyn’s world and essentially ties together what happened to that message he carried that I mentioned in “Harper’s Moon” and “The Black Tower.” Of course, I don’t have a publisher for that one yet, but it's the book Marion was always pushing me to write.
I’m currently working on a couple of short stories that I have been asked to provide for future anthologies, and because everyone keeps asking me “What happens next? after Ard Magister, I am working on the further adventures of Conor, Eithne and Rhoyd under the tentative title of Box of Bones. It takes place about three years later. Rhoyd is getting close to preteens mage-wise, and he’s a lot bolder and more trusting of his own power, but there are times when the little boy in him gets in the way. It brings back characters like Michan (From Chronicles of the Last War) and mentioned “The Demon-Bound” as well as the late Fenelon Greenfyn.
Selina Rosen and I just finished collaborating on a “gonzo” mystery novel we’re calling Bad Lands that we are seriously hoping will become a series. I have a soft spot for mysteries still, and writing this book was like going back to my roots of writing mysteries. Plus the characters are a hoot.
I am also hoping to get around to editing Anwyn’s first novel one day and
marketing it and a couple of independent novels set in Ard-Taebh. I have a book about Ginny and Manus (who appeared in a number of my Sword and Sorceress stories) that I am calling The Hounds of Ardagh that is almost ready to submit.
Of course, what I actually get into working on for publication next (besides
the short stories) is probably going to depend on how well my novels Dragon’s Tongue and Wandering Lark do when they come out. (An author’s career is only as good as their numbers.) There’s a trilogy that follows those two books that deals with how Keltora took the High King’s crown and another trilogy in the works dealing with Rhoyd’s Aunt Genna. Plus one day, I want to go back and write something in the time of the Shadow Lords. There are a lot of places in my own worlds that I have not begun to explore. So who knows what stories are hiding there?
DL: Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?
LU: Keep writing, rewriting, revising and resubmitting. And keep reading as well--everything you can get your hands on, be it history, biography, folklore, archaeology, letter and memoirs as well as what you want to write. You can't learn to write if you can't take time to read. And you can't write well if you don't read broadly enough.
Above all, never give up. I see so many beginners who want instant success, and I can tell you after thirty years of writing, there is no instant success. Not without hard work. It's something you earn by taking the steps of the ladder to publication one rung at a time. Too often, aspiring writers will think there is a secret they are missing out on. A handshake, a wink, a password. Trust me. If they existed, I would have found them and bottled them and made myself rich by now. *g* As one of my own mentors would have said, "It takes time to become an overnight success..."
Personally, I'm still waiting. *g*
DL: Thank you very much for the interview.
Laura J. Underwood is a Fantasy author of many talents. She is a librarian as well as a writer. Her many skills include being a former fencing champion and a harpist too. Ms. Underwood uses her many talents to provide entertaining Fantasy short stories and novels. The main worlds her stories are set in include Keltora and the harper mage world of Annwynn Baldomere. Her short stories can be found in different anthologies and magazines, while the books include: Ard Magister, Dragon’s Tongue and others.
More information can be found at her web site: http://www.sff.net/people/keltora
Debbie Ledesma: When did you decide to become a writer?
Laura Underwood: I’m not so sure that I ever really decided that for myself. Seems like I have always been writing down my fantasies from the time I could hold a pencil. I was one of those children whose imaginations always ran wild. I was reading on my own by the time I was three, which always amazed my parents. They thought I was mimicking the books they read to me, but one day I picked up a newspaper and started pointing to words and sounding them out. I was the only child in my first grade class who could read when I started school.
Because I was a rather solitary child (in spite of having siblings) I used to
daydream a lot. Put myself into the stories that I liked best, and I talked to myself a lot. I did a speech recently where I blamed my fantasy writing career on Mighty Mouse, because when I was little, I used to talk to Mighty
Mouse. My poor mother was under the impression in those days that talking to yourself was a sign of insanity, and she tried to discourage it because she worried what people would think (and there were those d 3ays, like when I made the bus driver stop the bus to let Mighty Mouse on, and I told the ladies at the church Sunday School that I needed an extra cookie and orange juice for Mighty Mouse--I honestly think those poor church ladies thought I was possessed...), so I started writing down my imaginings so I could read them to myself.
Of course, it is obvious that I was not willing to give up my imaginary worlds that easily. The only difference is these days, the talking to myself takes place on a laptop, and I call it storytelling. And because I keep getting those stories published, my mother thinks it’s pretty cool.
DL: Do you prefer writing short stories or novels?
LU: As a teenager, I thought I _was_ writing novels, though I suspect they were just novellas. :-) In fact, my efforts at mystery writing were all novels.
But when I started to sell my fantasy fiction, I wrote short fiction, mainly
because I could produce more of it at a greater speed. But I love novels for the scope they allow. It’s the difference between a short sprint and lengthy marathon race. Both can leave you short of breath. One just takes longer than the other. I’m what one might call a “sneezing” writer (my friend David B. Coe always teases me about that). I literally toss everything on the page at a rapid pace and then clean it up in the editing phase.
DL: What authors influence your writing?
LU: Well, if we start with the earliest influences, those would be anyone who wrote fairy tales. When I was six, my great aunt gave me a beautifully
illustrated book of fairy tales (The Golden Book of Fairy Tales by Adrienne Segur who illustrated it as well) that I still have. It’s rather moth eaten and fragile, and my evil younger brother drew all over the pictures, but I did manage to find a reprint of it recently. I also read a lot of Greek and Roman mythology. I used to be able to recite nearly every story from
Bulfinche's and D’Aulaire versions of mythology. And of course, I fell madly in love with Kipling and must have reread The Jungle Book over and over.
As for specific authors, Edgar A. Poe, Fred Fields, Shakespeare, but then I
advanced to Lloyd Alexander and George MacDonald and C. S. Lewis and Alexander Key in my teens. At that point, I actually switched to reading mystery novels and was a long time fan of Ngaio Marsh, Peter Lovesey, Dick Francis and many others. Then somewhere along the way in my early twenties, I rediscovered fantasy with Andre Norton, Marion Zimmer Bradley and Fritz Leiber. Barbara Hambly and Teresa Edgerton are now my biggest influences, though I am also fond of Lynn Flewelling, Esther Friesner and a host of other authors who write really good fantasy.
Surprising to most people is that I did not read any Tolkein before the movies came out. Now, of course, I see what I missed since I have gone back and read the books. They always seemed to wordy to me when I was a teenager and a librarian handed them to me, but now I can see a lot of the poetry in the work...I can also see the sources Tolkein drew from.
DL: Do you use any mythology sources in your writing?
Celtic mythology plays a strong part, but not the stuff you usually see in the
D&D manuals (I really have a long rant there that I won’t go into here), but I
do mix a touch of Anglo-Saxon lore and old Norse lore in from time to time. Since my days of reading fairy tales and Greek and Roman mythology, I got into folklore, and have been an avid reader of older texts that were gathered in the 18th century. But I am also interested in Native American mythology (being part Choctaw and Cherokee), in English folktales, Scandinavian lore, and in the mythologies of India.
DL: Most of your stories are centered in two worlds- the Harper Mage and Keltora. Which world do you find easier to write about or prefer?
LU: That’s a hard one. I find both worlds easy to work in, though sometimes have to remind myself that they are not the same. Keltora is just part of the world of Ard-Taebh which is my “grand scheme of things” epic fantasy world. It’s a world where mages are genetic and magic essence is in everything, and mageborn are able to tap this essence so they don't drain their own essence casting spells. And it’s getting more complex by the day. My latest project has put me in a position of taking a hard look at the history of Ard-Taebh and realizing that the part I write now is just one era of an even bigger milieu.
The Harper Mage world is one where the gods choose who will have the power, and then it is up to the mage to make the right sacrifice to release the power. The greater the sacrifice, the greater the power, and to have that power, one must give up one of the five senses. Oddly enough, it started out as a novel, and then I started writing the short stories, and the late Marion Zimmer Bradley started buying them. I would offer her other things, but she always asked for more Anwyn and Glynnanis stories, and as a result, the world has grown legs based solely on the short fiction. Anwyn is a fun character because he is always at odds with himself and his legacy. Makes for some serious angst. I still get requests from readers as to when I plan to write a novel telling the origin of his power. I have also written one novel where we learn the history of Rhystar and how he came to his power.
Of course, these days I admit that I have grown fond of writing in Selina
Rosen’s Bubbas of the Apocalypse Universe because I get to apply the mythology of my Appalachian roots.
DL: Who is your favorite character?
LU: That’s like asking who is your favorite child among the many you have given birth to. Probably depends on the project, but I will admit that I have a lot of fondness for Conor Manahan. That amuses me since the real focus of those stories is supposed to be Rhoyd who is the Ard Magister. But Conor sort of takes over when he opens his mouth, and it’s hard not to follow him around. There are times I want to be Eithne, except I doubt I would have her patience. :-)
DL: What do you think is the important function of a Fantasy novel?
LU: To keep opening our eyes to the wonders of a world that "might have been." I'm of the opinion that fantasy helps us to keep the storytelling techniques of our ancestors alive and well. Giving credence to things that never were can be fun. Fantasy allows us to tell and retell the favorite stories in a new way. If we can enjoy ourselves on the journey, all the better. If we can make the material seem fresh and new, it becomes even more "fantastic." As a writer, I tend to write the tales I have always wanted to read, and the reward is hearing readers tell me that they think my worlds and characters are very real to them.
DL: With the success of the "Lord of the Rings" movies, do you think any of your stories would make a good movie?
LU: I think all of them would, but that is probably because I am a very visual writer and very fond of my own work. *g* I see scenery being played out in my head. I get up and practice fight moves from time to time. By now most people know that I am a former fencing champion and fencing coach who now does fencing demonstrations for the SFWA Emergency Medical Fund.
I would seriously love to see any of my books turned into a movie. Or a
miniseries. In fact, I think there are a lot of authors now who are holding up their hands in hopes of getting the attention of Peter Jackson. But if I had to pick only one, I suspect I would hold up my current projects Dragon’s Tongue and Wandering Lark because they have the sort of depth (at least I hope they have the sort of depth) that Jackson could have a field day with.
But of course, because I am a practical sort of person by nature, I won't hold my breath. *g*
DL: What other stories are you working on for the future?
LU: I just finished editing Wandering Lark, which is the sequel to Dragon’s Tongue (a novel that will be coming out from Meisha Merlin some time later in 2004). I also recently finished a “collective novel” called Shadow Song, which is set in Anwyn’s world and essentially ties together what happened to that message he carried that I mentioned in “Harper’s Moon” and “The Black Tower.” Of course, I don’t have a publisher for that one yet, but it's the book Marion was always pushing me to write.
I’m currently working on a couple of short stories that I have been asked to provide for future anthologies, and because everyone keeps asking me “What happens next? after Ard Magister, I am working on the further adventures of Conor, Eithne and Rhoyd under the tentative title of Box of Bones. It takes place about three years later. Rhoyd is getting close to preteens mage-wise, and he’s a lot bolder and more trusting of his own power, but there are times when the little boy in him gets in the way. It brings back characters like Michan (From Chronicles of the Last War) and mentioned “The Demon-Bound” as well as the late Fenelon Greenfyn.
Selina Rosen and I just finished collaborating on a “gonzo” mystery novel we’re calling Bad Lands that we are seriously hoping will become a series. I have a soft spot for mysteries still, and writing this book was like going back to my roots of writing mysteries. Plus the characters are a hoot.
I am also hoping to get around to editing Anwyn’s first novel one day and
marketing it and a couple of independent novels set in Ard-Taebh. I have a book about Ginny and Manus (who appeared in a number of my Sword and Sorceress stories) that I am calling The Hounds of Ardagh that is almost ready to submit.
Of course, what I actually get into working on for publication next (besides
the short stories) is probably going to depend on how well my novels Dragon’s Tongue and Wandering Lark do when they come out. (An author’s career is only as good as their numbers.) There’s a trilogy that follows those two books that deals with how Keltora took the High King’s crown and another trilogy in the works dealing with Rhoyd’s Aunt Genna. Plus one day, I want to go back and write something in the time of the Shadow Lords. There are a lot of places in my own worlds that I have not begun to explore. So who knows what stories are hiding there?
DL: Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?
LU: Keep writing, rewriting, revising and resubmitting. And keep reading as well--everything you can get your hands on, be it history, biography, folklore, archaeology, letter and memoirs as well as what you want to write. You can't learn to write if you can't take time to read. And you can't write well if you don't read broadly enough.
Above all, never give up. I see so many beginners who want instant success, and I can tell you after thirty years of writing, there is no instant success. Not without hard work. It's something you earn by taking the steps of the ladder to publication one rung at a time. Too often, aspiring writers will think there is a secret they are missing out on. A handshake, a wink, a password. Trust me. If they existed, I would have found them and bottled them and made myself rich by now. *g* As one of my own mentors would have said, "It takes time to become an overnight success..."
Personally, I'm still waiting. *g*
DL: Thank you very much for the interview.
Friday, July 22, 2011
Patricia McKillip
Do you like riddles? Mysteries? Patricia McKillip is a fantasy author that can evoke these things and leave a reader wishing for more. She has written many novels with great depth and realistic characters. Her deft, poetic use of language in her novels leaves memorable images in the reader's mind for years. Many of her books have created outstanding, unforgettable fantasy worlds.
The Forgotten Beasts of Eld is a story about a sorceress, her strange pets and her learning to deal with humanity. Sybel grows up alone in a magical castle with only the animals in her strange menagerie for company. When Coren enters her life, her world is turned upside down. This book is a moralistic story with a legendary quality and surprised people by winning the World Fantasy Award in 1975. It foreshadowed the talent of her next endeavor.
The Riddle Master trilogy ( The Riddlemaster of Hed, Heir of Sea and Fire, and Harpist in the Wind ) is a wonderful epic fantasy bordering on true originality. These books are full of riddles and complex human characters. Morgon of Hed is a simple man, coming from an agricultural community, who likes riddles. Radearle is an independent woman seeking her destiny. Together they embark on a tale of adventure, mystery and fulfillment that doesn't end as readers would expect. Along the way we are treated to a story which requires thoughtful reflection after reading the books.
Ms. McKillip turned to science fiction for a time, but eventually returned to fantasy with The Sorceress and the Cygnet and The Cygnet and the Firebird. The author demonstrates her gift for evoking powerful images and stories with language in these books. Readers are presented with a mystical world of constellations that are gods, which mingle with quirky humans. These fantasy worlds are full of wonder and striking beauty.
She wrote a book based on Brian Froud's art work of fairies. In In Something Rich and Strange, two human characters deal with encounters from fairy folk of the sea. This book is illustrated with beautiful art work that inspires a quest story full of strong images of the ocean. A person feels like they are there. Though a hard book to find, it is a treasure to read.
Patricia McKillip has created fantasy worlds that readers will enjoy for many years to come. Every new book by her adds to the Fantasy genre stories of depth, emotion and wonder. Her lyrical forays into Fantasy should not be missed by lovers of the genre.
Other books by Patricia McKillip:
The Changeling Sea
The Book of Atrix Wolfe
Winter Rose
Song for the Basilisk
Riddle-Master- - The trilogy in one book.
Alphabet of Thorn
Solstice Wood
Ombria in Shadow
Od Magic
The Bells at Sealy Head
Bards of the Bone Plain
The Forgotten Beasts of Eld is a story about a sorceress, her strange pets and her learning to deal with humanity. Sybel grows up alone in a magical castle with only the animals in her strange menagerie for company. When Coren enters her life, her world is turned upside down. This book is a moralistic story with a legendary quality and surprised people by winning the World Fantasy Award in 1975. It foreshadowed the talent of her next endeavor.
The Riddle Master trilogy ( The Riddlemaster of Hed, Heir of Sea and Fire, and Harpist in the Wind ) is a wonderful epic fantasy bordering on true originality. These books are full of riddles and complex human characters. Morgon of Hed is a simple man, coming from an agricultural community, who likes riddles. Radearle is an independent woman seeking her destiny. Together they embark on a tale of adventure, mystery and fulfillment that doesn't end as readers would expect. Along the way we are treated to a story which requires thoughtful reflection after reading the books.
Ms. McKillip turned to science fiction for a time, but eventually returned to fantasy with The Sorceress and the Cygnet and The Cygnet and the Firebird. The author demonstrates her gift for evoking powerful images and stories with language in these books. Readers are presented with a mystical world of constellations that are gods, which mingle with quirky humans. These fantasy worlds are full of wonder and striking beauty.
She wrote a book based on Brian Froud's art work of fairies. In In Something Rich and Strange, two human characters deal with encounters from fairy folk of the sea. This book is illustrated with beautiful art work that inspires a quest story full of strong images of the ocean. A person feels like they are there. Though a hard book to find, it is a treasure to read.
Patricia McKillip has created fantasy worlds that readers will enjoy for many years to come. Every new book by her adds to the Fantasy genre stories of depth, emotion and wonder. Her lyrical forays into Fantasy should not be missed by lovers of the genre.
Other books by Patricia McKillip:
The Changeling Sea
The Book of Atrix Wolfe
Winter Rose
Song for the Basilisk
Riddle-Master- - The trilogy in one book.
Alphabet of Thorn
Solstice Wood
Ombria in Shadow
Od Magic
The Bells at Sealy Head
Bards of the Bone Plain
Patricia McKillip
Do you like riddles? Mysteries? Patricia McKillip is a fantasy author that can evoke these things and leave a reader wishing for more. She has written many novels with great depth and realistic characters. Her deft, poetic use of language in her novels leaves memorable images in the reader's mind for years. Many of her books have created outstanding, unforgettable fantasy worlds.
The Forgotten Beasts of Eld is a story about a sorceress, her strange pets and her learning to deal with humanity. Sybel grows up alone in a magical castle with only the animals in her strange menagerie for company. When Coren enters her life, her world is turned upside down. This book is a moralistic story with a legendary quality and surprised people by winning the World Fantasy Award in 1975. It foreshadowed the talent of her next endeavor.
The Riddle Master trilogy ( The Riddlemaster of Hed, Heir of Sea and Fire, and Harpist in the Wind ) is a wonderful epic fantasy bordering on true originality. These books are full of riddles and complex human characters. Morgon of Hed is a simple man, coming from an agricultural community, who likes riddles. Radearle is an independent woman seeking her destiny. Together they embark on a tale of adventure, mystery and fulfillment that doesn't end as readers would expect. Along the way we are treated to a story which requires thoughtful reflection after reading the books.
Ms. McKillip turned to science fiction for a time, but eventually returned to fantasy with The Sorceress and the Cygnet and The Cygnet and the Firebird. The author demonstrates her gift for evoking powerful images and stories with language in these books. Readers are presented with a mystical world of constellations that are gods, which mingle with quirky humans. These fantasy worlds are full of wonder and striking beauty.
She wrote a book based on Brian Froud's art work of fairies. In In Something Rich and Strange, two human characters deal with encounters from fairy folk of the sea. This book is illustrated with beautiful art work that inspires a quest story full of strong images of the ocean. A person feels like they are there. Though a hard book to find, it is a treasure to read.
Patricia McKillip has created fantasy worlds that readers will enjoy for many years to come. Every new book by her adds to the Fantasy genre stories of depth, emotion and wonder. Her lyrical forays into Fantasy should not be missed by lovers of the genre.
Other books by Patricia McKillip:
The Changeling Sea
The Book of Atrix Wolfe
Winter Rose
Song for the Basilisk
Riddle-Master- - The trilogy in one book.
Alphabet of Thorn
Solstice Wood
Ombria in Shadow
Od Magic
The Bells at Sealy Head
Bards of the Bone Plain
The Forgotten Beasts of Eld is a story about a sorceress, her strange pets and her learning to deal with humanity. Sybel grows up alone in a magical castle with only the animals in her strange menagerie for company. When Coren enters her life, her world is turned upside down. This book is a moralistic story with a legendary quality and surprised people by winning the World Fantasy Award in 1975. It foreshadowed the talent of her next endeavor.
The Riddle Master trilogy ( The Riddlemaster of Hed, Heir of Sea and Fire, and Harpist in the Wind ) is a wonderful epic fantasy bordering on true originality. These books are full of riddles and complex human characters. Morgon of Hed is a simple man, coming from an agricultural community, who likes riddles. Radearle is an independent woman seeking her destiny. Together they embark on a tale of adventure, mystery and fulfillment that doesn't end as readers would expect. Along the way we are treated to a story which requires thoughtful reflection after reading the books.
Ms. McKillip turned to science fiction for a time, but eventually returned to fantasy with The Sorceress and the Cygnet and The Cygnet and the Firebird. The author demonstrates her gift for evoking powerful images and stories with language in these books. Readers are presented with a mystical world of constellations that are gods, which mingle with quirky humans. These fantasy worlds are full of wonder and striking beauty.
She wrote a book based on Brian Froud's art work of fairies. In In Something Rich and Strange, two human characters deal with encounters from fairy folk of the sea. This book is illustrated with beautiful art work that inspires a quest story full of strong images of the ocean. A person feels like they are there. Though a hard book to find, it is a treasure to read.
Patricia McKillip has created fantasy worlds that readers will enjoy for many years to come. Every new book by her adds to the Fantasy genre stories of depth, emotion and wonder. Her lyrical forays into Fantasy should not be missed by lovers of the genre.
Other books by Patricia McKillip:
The Changeling Sea
The Book of Atrix Wolfe
Winter Rose
Song for the Basilisk
Riddle-Master- - The trilogy in one book.
Alphabet of Thorn
Solstice Wood
Ombria in Shadow
Od Magic
The Bells at Sealy Head
Bards of the Bone Plain
Friday, July 08, 2011
Review: _American Gods_ by Neil Gaiman
Shadow waits to get out of prison and be with his wife in a new life. Shortly before his release, he receives tragic news and goes home. On the airplane home he meets a mysterious man named Mr. Wednesday who draws him into a battle of the gods. Neil Gaiman’s beginning of his Fantasy novel American Gods draws readers into a mythic Contemporary Fantasy with a dark edge. The book has a lot to offer readers with its well developed characters, realistic setting and, intricate plot and theme.
Mr. Gaiman is a master in developing characters. The characters of this book are well developed and realistic. It begins with the main character Shadow in prison. He waited for his release, just wanting to go home to have a normal life with his wife. Events and encounters with gods change him as the book proceeds. Wednesday-Odin is a tricky, crusty old man trying to save his fellow gods from oblivion. Other gods are quirky or dangerous from various mythology backgrounds. The new gods such as the one of the Internet and Media fit their roles completely. Their lives are sad because they are forgotten, desperate to survive at any cost.
Set in the United States of today, the realistic setting gives the story an immediate feeling of suspense. Mr. Gaiman moves the story all over America to familiar places and rare strange ones. Traveling with Mr. Wednesday, Shadow visits new places touched by magic or strangeness. For example, Lakeside is a small town of the North Woods. It is a perfect place with no crime, but with a dark side. One child disappears every year to mar the perfection. The author’s descriptions of the setting are vivid and memorable, making it very familiar for readers and bringing the plot to the forefront.
Finally, the intricate plot and mythic themes gives the book a deeper meaning that touches something in ourselves. This is the tale of a broken mortal human caught up in a war of god Ãs. Shadow just wants his life back. He is at the mercy of Odin, a brutal desperate god. His sojourn throughout the land changes him. Mr. Gaiman blends the heroic myth with elements of horror expertly to produce a memorable affecting novel. The author makes the reader see a darker side to America which most people would not consider possible.
American Gods by Neil Gaiman is a brilliant mythic Contemporary Fantasy. Well developed characters, a realistic setting and, intricate plot and mythic theme makes this a memorable book that is hard to put down. The vivid descriptions and horror stay with you for a long time. This book is not so much read as experienced. It is no wonder. American Gods has won awards. It has won the 2001 Bram Stoker Award for Horror and the 2001 Locus Award for Best Fantasy novel. It is nominated for the 2002 Mythopoeic Award and others too. Do not miss this complex novel. It will leave you thinking about it for some time.
ALERT: American Gods has been picked up to be made into a TV series in the future. It will be interesting to see.
Mr. Gaiman is a master in developing characters. The characters of this book are well developed and realistic. It begins with the main character Shadow in prison. He waited for his release, just wanting to go home to have a normal life with his wife. Events and encounters with gods change him as the book proceeds. Wednesday-Odin is a tricky, crusty old man trying to save his fellow gods from oblivion. Other gods are quirky or dangerous from various mythology backgrounds. The new gods such as the one of the Internet and Media fit their roles completely. Their lives are sad because they are forgotten, desperate to survive at any cost.
Set in the United States of today, the realistic setting gives the story an immediate feeling of suspense. Mr. Gaiman moves the story all over America to familiar places and rare strange ones. Traveling with Mr. Wednesday, Shadow visits new places touched by magic or strangeness. For example, Lakeside is a small town of the North Woods. It is a perfect place with no crime, but with a dark side. One child disappears every year to mar the perfection. The author’s descriptions of the setting are vivid and memorable, making it very familiar for readers and bringing the plot to the forefront.
Finally, the intricate plot and mythic themes gives the book a deeper meaning that touches something in ourselves. This is the tale of a broken mortal human caught up in a war of god Ãs. Shadow just wants his life back. He is at the mercy of Odin, a brutal desperate god. His sojourn throughout the land changes him. Mr. Gaiman blends the heroic myth with elements of horror expertly to produce a memorable affecting novel. The author makes the reader see a darker side to America which most people would not consider possible.
American Gods by Neil Gaiman is a brilliant mythic Contemporary Fantasy. Well developed characters, a realistic setting and, intricate plot and mythic theme makes this a memorable book that is hard to put down. The vivid descriptions and horror stay with you for a long time. This book is not so much read as experienced. It is no wonder. American Gods has won awards. It has won the 2001 Bram Stoker Award for Horror and the 2001 Locus Award for Best Fantasy novel. It is nominated for the 2002 Mythopoeic Award and others too. Do not miss this complex novel. It will leave you thinking about it for some time.
ALERT: American Gods has been picked up to be made into a TV series in the future. It will be interesting to see.
Sunday, June 26, 2011
On Vacation
Sorry I didn't post an article on Friday, June 24, 2011. I'm on vacation out of town and don't have access to my laptop. There will be a new article on Friday, July 8,2011.
Best wishes,
Debbie
Best wishes,
Debbie
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Tamora Pierce
With the huge popularity of the Harry Potter, young adult Fantasy has exploded. More publishers are publishing books for the young adult reader, introducing new voices to the genre or exposing older authors to new audiences. Tamora Pierce in one such author. She writes entertaining books with strong characters and interesting plots. Adult readers can enjoy her many books also. Ms. Pierce sets most of her stories in her Fantasy world of Tortall.
Her first book series is the Song of the Lioness quartet. The books tell the story of adolescent Alanna and her quest to become a knight in a world that does not allow women warriors. Alanna: The First Adventure finds her traveling through the forest, dressed as a boy on her way to the castle to train for a knight. She encounters the Goddess who aids her with her destiny. The second book, In the Hand of the Goddess, continues Alanna’s story as she becomes squire of the young king. In the third book, The Woman Who Rides Like a Man, Al ¿anna spends time in a desert kingdom doing further growing and training three children in the use of their magic gifts. Alanna must save her nation from a war by going on a quest in the last book Lioness Rampant. She is a great character to follow through the four books.
Ms. Pierce’s next four book series is called The Immortals. This series follows the character of Daine. She is a girl with the wild magic talent to talk with animals and change her shape. The books follow Daine through several adventures as she grows and uses her powers to save her kingdom from threats to it. Wild Magic, Wolf-Speaker, The Emperor Mage and The Realm of the Gods are the books in this series.
The Circle of Magic books is a series of loosely connected stories of four young people with magic talent. They all go to a temple that trains each one in the use of their particular magic. Each book tells the story of the one ˇof the four characters as they grow and join together in friendship with their training. Magic Circle: Sandry’s Book covers the story of Sandry master of needlecraft and fabrics. Magic Circle: Tris’s Book tells the story of Tris who controls storms. Daja is a smith mage and her story appears in Magic Circle: Daja’s Book. The last book is Magic Circle: Briar’s Book, which follows the story of the thief Briar and his plant magic. These books are entertaining for young readers.
Keladry wants to be a knight. She takes advantage of the law allowing women to become warriors by entering training. The Protector of the Small series follows her through her training years. In the first book, First Test, Keladry must undergo a year’s probation and finds friends before entering training. In Page she spends time overcoming the grueling training by demanding teachers. Squire prepares her for the final test before becoming a knight while dealing with problems like bullies. Lady Knight has Keladry wanting a combat post, but put in charge of a refugee camp instead. The series is an entertaining story of a young girl’s dreams.
Favorite characters from a previous series return in the loosely connected Circle Opens series. Sandry must train a young boy with magic talent and they must save the city from a brutal killers in Magic Steps. Briar, the streetwise boy, returns in a new book trying to thwart an evil woman killing off the gangs in Street Magic, which has a lot of action. Cold Fire features the return of Daja as she settles in a northern city with her mentor for winter. There she encounters twins with magic talent and an arsonist burning the city. Shatterglass concludes the series with the story of Tris who must try to capture a serial killer. The book is mostly a mystery with interesting magic and strong characters.
Her most recent series focuses on the daughter of Alanna through her coming of age. Alianne wants to be a spy but her parents will not let her. Trickster’s Choice follows her as she is kidnapped and becomes a slave on far away islands. Trickster’s Queen returns to Alianne’s story as she helps the rebellion to end slavery. These books are filled with the author’s usual entertaining combination of a strong female character, interesting plot and vivid action centered on the theme of racism.
Tamora Pierce is the author of several young adult Fantasy books. She explores her created world of Tortall with young characters that have inner strength and various talents. Each of her series are coming-of-age tales set in different parts of her fantasy world. Adult readers will enjoy her books too. She is a good author to read while waiting for the next Harry Potter book. More information can be found on the author’s web site at: http://www.tamora-pierce.com
Her first book series is the Song of the Lioness quartet. The books tell the story of adolescent Alanna and her quest to become a knight in a world that does not allow women warriors. Alanna: The First Adventure finds her traveling through the forest, dressed as a boy on her way to the castle to train for a knight. She encounters the Goddess who aids her with her destiny. The second book, In the Hand of the Goddess, continues Alanna’s story as she becomes squire of the young king. In the third book, The Woman Who Rides Like a Man, Al ¿anna spends time in a desert kingdom doing further growing and training three children in the use of their magic gifts. Alanna must save her nation from a war by going on a quest in the last book Lioness Rampant. She is a great character to follow through the four books.
Ms. Pierce’s next four book series is called The Immortals. This series follows the character of Daine. She is a girl with the wild magic talent to talk with animals and change her shape. The books follow Daine through several adventures as she grows and uses her powers to save her kingdom from threats to it. Wild Magic, Wolf-Speaker, The Emperor Mage and The Realm of the Gods are the books in this series.
The Circle of Magic books is a series of loosely connected stories of four young people with magic talent. They all go to a temple that trains each one in the use of their particular magic. Each book tells the story of the one ˇof the four characters as they grow and join together in friendship with their training. Magic Circle: Sandry’s Book covers the story of Sandry master of needlecraft and fabrics. Magic Circle: Tris’s Book tells the story of Tris who controls storms. Daja is a smith mage and her story appears in Magic Circle: Daja’s Book. The last book is Magic Circle: Briar’s Book, which follows the story of the thief Briar and his plant magic. These books are entertaining for young readers.
Keladry wants to be a knight. She takes advantage of the law allowing women to become warriors by entering training. The Protector of the Small series follows her through her training years. In the first book, First Test, Keladry must undergo a year’s probation and finds friends before entering training. In Page she spends time overcoming the grueling training by demanding teachers. Squire prepares her for the final test before becoming a knight while dealing with problems like bullies. Lady Knight has Keladry wanting a combat post, but put in charge of a refugee camp instead. The series is an entertaining story of a young girl’s dreams.
Favorite characters from a previous series return in the loosely connected Circle Opens series. Sandry must train a young boy with magic talent and they must save the city from a brutal killers in Magic Steps. Briar, the streetwise boy, returns in a new book trying to thwart an evil woman killing off the gangs in Street Magic, which has a lot of action. Cold Fire features the return of Daja as she settles in a northern city with her mentor for winter. There she encounters twins with magic talent and an arsonist burning the city. Shatterglass concludes the series with the story of Tris who must try to capture a serial killer. The book is mostly a mystery with interesting magic and strong characters.
Her most recent series focuses on the daughter of Alanna through her coming of age. Alianne wants to be a spy but her parents will not let her. Trickster’s Choice follows her as she is kidnapped and becomes a slave on far away islands. Trickster’s Queen returns to Alianne’s story as she helps the rebellion to end slavery. These books are filled with the author’s usual entertaining combination of a strong female character, interesting plot and vivid action centered on the theme of racism.
Tamora Pierce is the author of several young adult Fantasy books. She explores her created world of Tortall with young characters that have inner strength and various talents. Each of her series are coming-of-age tales set in different parts of her fantasy world. Adult readers will enjoy her books too. She is a good author to read while waiting for the next Harry Potter book. More information can be found on the author’s web site at: http://www.tamora-pierce.com
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Review: _Highwayman_ by R.A. Salvatore
Like action? Want to read a good story? Readers will find this in the stand alone Fantasy novel The Highwayman by R.A. Salvatore. A veteran author of the genre, Mr. Salvatore provides an entertaining book for readers. The book has an action plot, sympathetic characters and interesting setting.
The setting of the book is the world of Corona, the place for previous books of the author. In the land of Honce, there are several lairds ruling their respective holdings. Goblins and Powries, dwarves that kill people and dip their berets in the blood, prowl the land. Two religions vie for dominance in getting the peasants to believe in each of them. It is a place due for change. Far to the south is another country that has a different culture. Mr. Salvatore’s interesting setting helps create an interesting world for the characters to play out their stories.
Next, sympathetic characters draw the reader into the story. The main character is Bransen, a young boy born with severe handicaps. He is bullied and ostracized by the other villagers. Only Cadayle, a young woman he grew up with in the village, helps him and is friends with him. With his love for his foster father and Cadayle’s support, Bransen discovers ways of overcoming his handicaps to find justice for himself. Cadayle must overcome her troubles to find happiness too. Garibond is a loyal man that loves Bransen and protects him from the religious zealots. These characters are realistic due to the author’s talent for description that allows readers to identify with them.
Finally, Mr. Salvatore’s action plot brings it all together for an exciting read. The book starts with the tragic story of Bransen’s parents. Bran Dynard returns with his wife Sen Wei to his homeland, bringing new teachings to enlighten his religious colleagues of the church of Blessed Abelle. Bransen is born to be raised by Garibond. He finds himself caught between the struggles of two religions while a war rages through the land. Laird Prydae has trouble with a bandit called the Highwayman who is like Robin Hood, helping the people to survive the vicissitudes of war. All of the plot elements blend together to create a story with a lot of action. Mr. Salvatore is a master at describing battle scenes and sword fights.
The Highwayman by R.A. Salvatore is an exciting stand alone Fantasy novel. An interesting setting, sympathetic characters and action plot blend together to create a very entertaining book to read. There is also a bonus Drizzt story for fans of that character. It is a good book by a talented author of Fantasy books with plenty of action.
The setting of the book is the world of Corona, the place for previous books of the author. In the land of Honce, there are several lairds ruling their respective holdings. Goblins and Powries, dwarves that kill people and dip their berets in the blood, prowl the land. Two religions vie for dominance in getting the peasants to believe in each of them. It is a place due for change. Far to the south is another country that has a different culture. Mr. Salvatore’s interesting setting helps create an interesting world for the characters to play out their stories.
Next, sympathetic characters draw the reader into the story. The main character is Bransen, a young boy born with severe handicaps. He is bullied and ostracized by the other villagers. Only Cadayle, a young woman he grew up with in the village, helps him and is friends with him. With his love for his foster father and Cadayle’s support, Bransen discovers ways of overcoming his handicaps to find justice for himself. Cadayle must overcome her troubles to find happiness too. Garibond is a loyal man that loves Bransen and protects him from the religious zealots. These characters are realistic due to the author’s talent for description that allows readers to identify with them.
Finally, Mr. Salvatore’s action plot brings it all together for an exciting read. The book starts with the tragic story of Bransen’s parents. Bran Dynard returns with his wife Sen Wei to his homeland, bringing new teachings to enlighten his religious colleagues of the church of Blessed Abelle. Bransen is born to be raised by Garibond. He finds himself caught between the struggles of two religions while a war rages through the land. Laird Prydae has trouble with a bandit called the Highwayman who is like Robin Hood, helping the people to survive the vicissitudes of war. All of the plot elements blend together to create a story with a lot of action. Mr. Salvatore is a master at describing battle scenes and sword fights.
The Highwayman by R.A. Salvatore is an exciting stand alone Fantasy novel. An interesting setting, sympathetic characters and action plot blend together to create a very entertaining book to read. There is also a bonus Drizzt story for fans of that character. It is a good book by a talented author of Fantasy books with plenty of action.
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Commentary on Popular Fantasy
There are some voices grumbling about the Fantasy genre. They complain about how books are like junk food, plenty of calories, but not enough substance. These voices complain that commercial or popular Fantasy is ruining the genre. This is not true. Without the proliferation of popular Fantasy works, the genre would inhabit a minor niche in the world’s literature. Popular or commercial Fantasy is important to the genre because it brings new voices to the genre with different viewpoints, acts as a measure to judge the merits of books, and it brings in new readers to the genre.
The publishing of popular Fantasy books brings new voices with different viewpoints to the genre. It is always good to have different viewpoints from new people. Without fresh, new voices, the genre would stagnate. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings opened up the Fantasy genre to the publishing of many books. The genre grew from this to what it is today. On any given week there is at least one book on the Bestseller lists. Perhaps many books are just rehashes of ground covered by Tolkien, but readers can find something appealing in the latest Robert Jordan, David Eddings, Mercedes Lackey, etc. Without books being published by new authors, there would not be any new voices to add their take on the genre. For example, readers would have missed the depth and characters of George R.R. Martin’s Song of Ice and Fire series. Or, they would not have discovered the exotically different story to be found in Wheel of the Infinite by Martha Wells. New voices need to be heard to keep the genre bright.
Additionally, popular Fantasy acts as a measure to judge the merits of books. Author Theodore Sturgeon’s law states: “That ninety percent of anything is crap.” By this rule, only ten percent of the books published are good and literary in quality. All of the books in Fantasy range from media tie-ins to role playing rehashes to books of excellent quality and literary merit. Books fall into every place along that range. The merits of every book gets judged along the way by readers, reviewers and academics. Judging the merits of books is hard, but are measurable by those books that remain in people’s minds and become timeless. Lord of the Rings is such a book along with many others. It is necessary to give books time to see if they develop into a classic. That takes a reading audience that finds a book worthwhile to read over again through many years.
Lastly, popular Fantasy brings in new readers to the genre. Any genre needs new readers to keep it viable and strong. When the audience ages or books dwindle in publishing, the readers find something else. Also, detractors of the commercialization of Fantasy complain of a lack of books with depth or literary qualities. These critics forget an important point: Readers in general are looking for entertainment. Most are not interested in books with messages or that aspire to literature. There are many books that should be read, but the quest for literary recognition can lead to elitism. The search for such prestige can cause a defection of readers that could ruin the genre.
Fantasy is a large genre with room for all kinds of books. Popular books might not be literary greats, but they keep the genre prominent by bringing in new authors, acts as a measure for books and brings new readers into the genre. Readers must have a choice of books to choose from for their tastes. Most of the time a reader wants something for entertainment only. Other times, a reader wants something with more depth and powerful themes. There is a necessity for both kinds of books. We can not become narrow minded about books for that leads to the ruin of a wonderful genre.
The publishing of popular Fantasy books brings new voices with different viewpoints to the genre. It is always good to have different viewpoints from new people. Without fresh, new voices, the genre would stagnate. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings opened up the Fantasy genre to the publishing of many books. The genre grew from this to what it is today. On any given week there is at least one book on the Bestseller lists. Perhaps many books are just rehashes of ground covered by Tolkien, but readers can find something appealing in the latest Robert Jordan, David Eddings, Mercedes Lackey, etc. Without books being published by new authors, there would not be any new voices to add their take on the genre. For example, readers would have missed the depth and characters of George R.R. Martin’s Song of Ice and Fire series. Or, they would not have discovered the exotically different story to be found in Wheel of the Infinite by Martha Wells. New voices need to be heard to keep the genre bright.
Additionally, popular Fantasy acts as a measure to judge the merits of books. Author Theodore Sturgeon’s law states: “That ninety percent of anything is crap.” By this rule, only ten percent of the books published are good and literary in quality. All of the books in Fantasy range from media tie-ins to role playing rehashes to books of excellent quality and literary merit. Books fall into every place along that range. The merits of every book gets judged along the way by readers, reviewers and academics. Judging the merits of books is hard, but are measurable by those books that remain in people’s minds and become timeless. Lord of the Rings is such a book along with many others. It is necessary to give books time to see if they develop into a classic. That takes a reading audience that finds a book worthwhile to read over again through many years.
Lastly, popular Fantasy brings in new readers to the genre. Any genre needs new readers to keep it viable and strong. When the audience ages or books dwindle in publishing, the readers find something else. Also, detractors of the commercialization of Fantasy complain of a lack of books with depth or literary qualities. These critics forget an important point: Readers in general are looking for entertainment. Most are not interested in books with messages or that aspire to literature. There are many books that should be read, but the quest for literary recognition can lead to elitism. The search for such prestige can cause a defection of readers that could ruin the genre.
Fantasy is a large genre with room for all kinds of books. Popular books might not be literary greats, but they keep the genre prominent by bringing in new authors, acts as a measure for books and brings new readers into the genre. Readers must have a choice of books to choose from for their tastes. Most of the time a reader wants something for entertainment only. Other times, a reader wants something with more depth and powerful themes. There is a necessity for both kinds of books. We can not become narrow minded about books for that leads to the ruin of a wonderful genre.
Friday, April 29, 2011
Review: _The Company of Glass_ by Valery Leith
Nine years have passed. The floating city of Jai Pendu comes close to Everien again. Tarquin the Free rides toward the citadel to warn the king of an invading army from Pharice. This is how The Company of Glass by Valery Leith begins the first book of the Everien trilogy. The author brings this different Epic Fantasy to life through its characters, setting and plot.
The book revolves around two main characters of different backgrounds. Tarquin is a jaded, tormented warrior once known as Quintar who blames himself for a failed quest eighteen years before that resulted in the loss of his Company of men. He tries to right a grave wrong from the past. Istar is the daughter of one of the lost company. She wants to prove her worth as a warrior and leader of men by going on a deadly quest. Quintar is a loner, running into different characters throughout the book but with few friends. Istar has the help of her companions Kassien, Pallo, Xiriel and Pentar who aid her through her growth. Ms. Leith crates memor ˇable characters through action and dialogue.
Next, the setting of the book helps to give it suspense. Everien is a land consisting of mountains and a high plateau. The people are made up of separate clans devoted to totemic animals such as bear, wolf, deer and others. Each clan has its own fighting style with their own weapons. Ancient ruins from the vanished Everien civilization are everywhere, giving the clans knowledge to explore. Pharice is a decadent empire bordering on Everien. This leads to trouble with other creatures. The author brings the setting to life with vivid descriptions that enhance the suspense of the book.
Ultimately, the plot of the book makes it an exciting read. The clans have been threatened for years by a species called the Sekk. These creatures enslave clan warriors making them slay their people in berserk massacres. A woman clan warrior unites them and becomes the queen. She seeks out the technology from the vanished Everien race to protect the clans from the Sekk. Her quest to J 8ai Pendu gained her entry to the ancient citadel of Jai Khalar. Nine years later she sends Quintar and his company to Jai Pendu, which gave them access to the Eyes to protect the land. Unfortunately that quest ended tragically with the mysterious loss of the Company except Quintar. Jai Pendu returns again. Istar wants to take her companions there to get new technology because the Eyes are failing. Quintar is drawn in again on a wild journey of redemption. All the elements of this plot are deftly put together by Ms. Leith providing a suspenseful, graphic adventure.
The Company of Glass by Valery Leith is a grand start to a different type of Epic Fantasy trilogy. Ms. Leith creates an exciting novel through her characters, setting and plot. This book is different because the characters do not win easily and the quest for Jai Pendu causes a lot of suffering. Interesting images remain with readers such as Jai Khalar’s shifting rooms and characters having to find a new route to places within the citadel. The book is an unforgettable beginning to be followed by The Riddled Night.
The book revolves around two main characters of different backgrounds. Tarquin is a jaded, tormented warrior once known as Quintar who blames himself for a failed quest eighteen years before that resulted in the loss of his Company of men. He tries to right a grave wrong from the past. Istar is the daughter of one of the lost company. She wants to prove her worth as a warrior and leader of men by going on a deadly quest. Quintar is a loner, running into different characters throughout the book but with few friends. Istar has the help of her companions Kassien, Pallo, Xiriel and Pentar who aid her through her growth. Ms. Leith crates memor ˇable characters through action and dialogue.
Next, the setting of the book helps to give it suspense. Everien is a land consisting of mountains and a high plateau. The people are made up of separate clans devoted to totemic animals such as bear, wolf, deer and others. Each clan has its own fighting style with their own weapons. Ancient ruins from the vanished Everien civilization are everywhere, giving the clans knowledge to explore. Pharice is a decadent empire bordering on Everien. This leads to trouble with other creatures. The author brings the setting to life with vivid descriptions that enhance the suspense of the book.
Ultimately, the plot of the book makes it an exciting read. The clans have been threatened for years by a species called the Sekk. These creatures enslave clan warriors making them slay their people in berserk massacres. A woman clan warrior unites them and becomes the queen. She seeks out the technology from the vanished Everien race to protect the clans from the Sekk. Her quest to J 8ai Pendu gained her entry to the ancient citadel of Jai Khalar. Nine years later she sends Quintar and his company to Jai Pendu, which gave them access to the Eyes to protect the land. Unfortunately that quest ended tragically with the mysterious loss of the Company except Quintar. Jai Pendu returns again. Istar wants to take her companions there to get new technology because the Eyes are failing. Quintar is drawn in again on a wild journey of redemption. All the elements of this plot are deftly put together by Ms. Leith providing a suspenseful, graphic adventure.
The Company of Glass by Valery Leith is a grand start to a different type of Epic Fantasy trilogy. Ms. Leith creates an exciting novel through her characters, setting and plot. This book is different because the characters do not win easily and the quest for Jai Pendu causes a lot of suffering. Interesting images remain with readers such as Jai Khalar’s shifting rooms and characters having to find a new route to places within the citadel. The book is an unforgettable beginning to be followed by The Riddled Night.
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Book Review: _Dragoncharm_ by Graham Edwards
Fantasy authors create many imaginative worlds to set their stories in. They add different types of creatures to their worlds to convey their plots and themes in a place far distant from our reality. Dragoncharm by Graham Edwards is such a book. It combines elements of Epic Fantasy and Animal Fantasy to produce an entertaining book.
The book opens in a world of dragons. There are no humans or any other types of intelligent beings on this world. Two types of dragon inhabit the world; the Charmed dragons who possess magic and the Naturals, large fierce dragons with no magic. Their world is on the brink of destruction, giving the main characters a quest to accomplish.
Fortune is the main character. He is a young Natural dragon frightened by events occurring among his fellow dragons. There is a growing madness in the naturals. They want to destroy the Charmed ones living in the caves out of fear of the Charmed's magic. Fortune meets the Charmed dragon Cumber and they watch as their settlement is destroyed. Cumber and Fortune flee toward the large dragon city of Covamere.
Though dragons, all of the characters are given realistic traits by Mr. Edwards. Fortune is a brave, innocent hero. His love, Gossamer, is a loyal, courageous female with great strength. Wood loves his father, but realizes his mistakes. Cumber discovers that magic isn’t as important as friendship. The insane Charmed black dragon Wraith and mad Natural dragon Shatter are excellent villains. These wonderful characters bring the story to life.
The characters and plot help the themes to give the book a lot of adventure and action. With the world on the edge of destruction, the dragons must overcome great obstacles to save it. Wraith is in a struggle with the old leader of the Charmed dragons for supremacy. The Natural dragons are at war with the Charmed. Madness has destroyed most of the dragons. Winter is closing in on the end. Through all the book runs the themes of good versus evil, change, innocence and love. Edwards weaves these themes into a powerful story.
Dragoncharm by Graham Edwards is a good Fantasy book about dragons. The author creates an imaginative world inhabited only by dragons out to save their world. Plot, characters and themes combine to provide readers with a powerful story full of adventure and heroes. This book is the beginning of a trilogy. The other books are: Dragonflame and Dragonstorm
The book opens in a world of dragons. There are no humans or any other types of intelligent beings on this world. Two types of dragon inhabit the world; the Charmed dragons who possess magic and the Naturals, large fierce dragons with no magic. Their world is on the brink of destruction, giving the main characters a quest to accomplish.
Fortune is the main character. He is a young Natural dragon frightened by events occurring among his fellow dragons. There is a growing madness in the naturals. They want to destroy the Charmed ones living in the caves out of fear of the Charmed's magic. Fortune meets the Charmed dragon Cumber and they watch as their settlement is destroyed. Cumber and Fortune flee toward the large dragon city of Covamere.
Though dragons, all of the characters are given realistic traits by Mr. Edwards. Fortune is a brave, innocent hero. His love, Gossamer, is a loyal, courageous female with great strength. Wood loves his father, but realizes his mistakes. Cumber discovers that magic isn’t as important as friendship. The insane Charmed black dragon Wraith and mad Natural dragon Shatter are excellent villains. These wonderful characters bring the story to life.
The characters and plot help the themes to give the book a lot of adventure and action. With the world on the edge of destruction, the dragons must overcome great obstacles to save it. Wraith is in a struggle with the old leader of the Charmed dragons for supremacy. The Natural dragons are at war with the Charmed. Madness has destroyed most of the dragons. Winter is closing in on the end. Through all the book runs the themes of good versus evil, change, innocence and love. Edwards weaves these themes into a powerful story.
Dragoncharm by Graham Edwards is a good Fantasy book about dragons. The author creates an imaginative world inhabited only by dragons out to save their world. Plot, characters and themes combine to provide readers with a powerful story full of adventure and heroes. This book is the beginning of a trilogy. The other books are: Dragonflame and Dragonstorm
Saturday, April 02, 2011
Book Review: _The Hallowed Isle_ by Diana L. Paxson
The King Arthur legend is ingrained in our imagination. In every generation some author writes an Arthurian novel, adding new perspectives to the story. Fantasy author Diana L. Paxson recently added her contribution with The Hallowed Isle. Consisting of four books, Paxson wrote a Historical Fantasy about King Arthur. She blended historical material with the legend to creat a story filled with realistic characters, a vivid setting and strong themes.
The first book, The Book of the Sword, starts the story before King Arthur's birth. It sets the stage for the birth of Arthur by telling the story of Merlin. The priestesses of the goddess guard an ancient sword of power. Artoria Argantel, the high priestess, leaves to marry Amlodius to fulfill a prophecy. Her sister is kidnapped by a wild man and after being rescued bears Merlin. He grows up, learns magic and later helps Uthir conceive Arthur. Paxson incorporates the historical details of a Britain after the Roman Empire abandoned it, giving the book a grim reality.
The Book of the Spear revolves around Artor's early years of reign and dealing with the Saxons. Oesc is the grandson of Hengest. He joins his father in Britain. Years after his father's death he becomes a prisoner of Artor. During those years, Oesc's enmity turns to friendship. Eventually he returns to his people and finds his destiny. Throughout this book the reader sees the growth of Artor into kingship. The second book adds new aspects of historical Britain and a growth in the characters. This sets up the third book.
Artor's life and his marriage to Guendivar is the focus of The Book of the Cauldron. Told from the point of view of Guendivar and other women, this book tells the story going on among the women in Artor's life. They strive to protect or possess the mystic cauldron of the pagan goddess, a powerful artefact of healing and magic. Guendivar is a woman gifted with power, but untrained in its use. She is uncertain about being a queen. Morgause, Artor's sister, causes problems with the marriage in her ambition for power. She wants the cauldron to give her even greater power. This book adds an interesting touch to the legend of the Holy Grail and has a conclusion that neatly sets up the last book.
The Book of the Stone concludes the series with the final chapter is Artor's life. Medraut, Artor's son from Morgause, joins his father after his mother joins the priestesses on the Isle of Maidens. Artor has a dream to bring peace to Britannia, so he takes his army to help the Britons settled in Brittany. While he's gone, Medraut seizes power and Qyeen Guendivar. The book proceeds to a satisfying conclusion of this Arthurian tale.
The four books of The Hallowed Isle adds a realistic, mystical story to the Arthurian legend. Diana Paxson created a Historical Fantasy of vivid images, memorable characters and strong themes. The fantasy elements add a special touch to the historical period. One day this series might become a classic in Arthurian literature.
The first book, The Book of the Sword, starts the story before King Arthur's birth. It sets the stage for the birth of Arthur by telling the story of Merlin. The priestesses of the goddess guard an ancient sword of power. Artoria Argantel, the high priestess, leaves to marry Amlodius to fulfill a prophecy. Her sister is kidnapped by a wild man and after being rescued bears Merlin. He grows up, learns magic and later helps Uthir conceive Arthur. Paxson incorporates the historical details of a Britain after the Roman Empire abandoned it, giving the book a grim reality.
The Book of the Spear revolves around Artor's early years of reign and dealing with the Saxons. Oesc is the grandson of Hengest. He joins his father in Britain. Years after his father's death he becomes a prisoner of Artor. During those years, Oesc's enmity turns to friendship. Eventually he returns to his people and finds his destiny. Throughout this book the reader sees the growth of Artor into kingship. The second book adds new aspects of historical Britain and a growth in the characters. This sets up the third book.
Artor's life and his marriage to Guendivar is the focus of The Book of the Cauldron. Told from the point of view of Guendivar and other women, this book tells the story going on among the women in Artor's life. They strive to protect or possess the mystic cauldron of the pagan goddess, a powerful artefact of healing and magic. Guendivar is a woman gifted with power, but untrained in its use. She is uncertain about being a queen. Morgause, Artor's sister, causes problems with the marriage in her ambition for power. She wants the cauldron to give her even greater power. This book adds an interesting touch to the legend of the Holy Grail and has a conclusion that neatly sets up the last book.
The Book of the Stone concludes the series with the final chapter is Artor's life. Medraut, Artor's son from Morgause, joins his father after his mother joins the priestesses on the Isle of Maidens. Artor has a dream to bring peace to Britannia, so he takes his army to help the Britons settled in Brittany. While he's gone, Medraut seizes power and Qyeen Guendivar. The book proceeds to a satisfying conclusion of this Arthurian tale.
The four books of The Hallowed Isle adds a realistic, mystical story to the Arthurian legend. Diana Paxson created a Historical Fantasy of vivid images, memorable characters and strong themes. The fantasy elements add a special touch to the historical period. One day this series might become a classic in Arthurian literature.
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Michelle West
Fantasy authors create imaginative worlds and populate them with interesting characters. Readers flock to these worlds in great numbers to get away from reality for a short time. One Fantasy author that creates intriguing worlds and cultures is Michelle Sagara West. She brings her works to life with vivid, detailed prose that captures the imagination. Her books have strong themes and not everything is black and white. The books and stories are entertaining, but leave you thinking.
Ms. West wrote her first Fantasy series as Michelle Sagara. The series of The Sundered starts with Into the Darklands. This tells of the battle between the forces of the Bright Heart and the Dark Heart. Erin is a warrior of the Bright Heart and Sarillon or battle leader of the army. She is defeated and captured by Stefanos of the Dark Heart. Renamed Sara, she carries on a strange romance with him. By the end of the book, Stefanos places her in an enchanted sleep. Children of the Blood picks up many years later. Sara awakens from her sleep. She and a boy, Darin, are the only ones left with the powers of Light. They must try to survive in Stefanos’s empire. The third book Lady of Mercy shifts its focus to other characters. Sara and Darin meet a rogue and another man who might have magic that is not of the Light or Dark. Chains of Darkness, Chains of Light brings the series to a conclusion when Sara and King Renar must venture into the Dark Empire to save the last source of the Light.
Her next series is the duology of The Sacred Hunt written as Michelle West. This takes place in a different world. In one kingdom there lives the Hunter Lords. Each Hunter Lord has a companion that follows him. The Hunter Lords and their Huntbrothers must submit themselves once a year to be hunted by the Hunter god. One pair is always sacrificed. Hunter’s Oath is the story of street orphan Stephen who becomes a Huntbrother to Ghilliam of Elseth. Ms. West further deepens the story and adds a new culture in the second book Hunter’s Death. Stephen and Ghilliam must risk breaking their oath when they travel to another city. They face a battle with the evil god Allasakar. The book is full of interesting characters and conflicts with various gods. A lot of court intrigue adds to the story.
Ms. West’s recent series is the Sun Sword. These books focus on the culture and some of the characters from her last book. The Broken Crown takes place fifteen years later and introduces Diora. She possesses the forbidden magical talent of influencing people with her voice. This sets into motion events which might free Allasakar. In the next book, The Uncrowned King, we get the story of Valedan of the Dominion and his struggle against the evil god. Jewel of House Terafin returns in The Shining Courts where she and Avander must face Allasakar too. The latest book, Sea of Sorrows, brings all the characters together from the previous books. They must embark on a quest to find help in the battle against Allasakar that keeps building. All the books contain detailed images and imaginative plots. There should be one more to complete the series.
From the beginning, Michelle Sagara West has been an entertaining author to read. She writes books of involving plots. likable characters and powerful themes with considerable talent. Her works have become increasingly complex and vivid with each new book. Ms. West’s Fantasy worlds are wonderful. Readers will continue to watch her grow for years to come.
Ms. West wrote her first Fantasy series as Michelle Sagara. The series of The Sundered starts with Into the Darklands. This tells of the battle between the forces of the Bright Heart and the Dark Heart. Erin is a warrior of the Bright Heart and Sarillon or battle leader of the army. She is defeated and captured by Stefanos of the Dark Heart. Renamed Sara, she carries on a strange romance with him. By the end of the book, Stefanos places her in an enchanted sleep. Children of the Blood picks up many years later. Sara awakens from her sleep. She and a boy, Darin, are the only ones left with the powers of Light. They must try to survive in Stefanos’s empire. The third book Lady of Mercy shifts its focus to other characters. Sara and Darin meet a rogue and another man who might have magic that is not of the Light or Dark. Chains of Darkness, Chains of Light brings the series to a conclusion when Sara and King Renar must venture into the Dark Empire to save the last source of the Light.
Her next series is the duology of The Sacred Hunt written as Michelle West. This takes place in a different world. In one kingdom there lives the Hunter Lords. Each Hunter Lord has a companion that follows him. The Hunter Lords and their Huntbrothers must submit themselves once a year to be hunted by the Hunter god. One pair is always sacrificed. Hunter’s Oath is the story of street orphan Stephen who becomes a Huntbrother to Ghilliam of Elseth. Ms. West further deepens the story and adds a new culture in the second book Hunter’s Death. Stephen and Ghilliam must risk breaking their oath when they travel to another city. They face a battle with the evil god Allasakar. The book is full of interesting characters and conflicts with various gods. A lot of court intrigue adds to the story.
Ms. West’s recent series is the Sun Sword. These books focus on the culture and some of the characters from her last book. The Broken Crown takes place fifteen years later and introduces Diora. She possesses the forbidden magical talent of influencing people with her voice. This sets into motion events which might free Allasakar. In the next book, The Uncrowned King, we get the story of Valedan of the Dominion and his struggle against the evil god. Jewel of House Terafin returns in The Shining Courts where she and Avander must face Allasakar too. The latest book, Sea of Sorrows, brings all the characters together from the previous books. They must embark on a quest to find help in the battle against Allasakar that keeps building. All the books contain detailed images and imaginative plots. There should be one more to complete the series.
From the beginning, Michelle Sagara West has been an entertaining author to read. She writes books of involving plots. likable characters and powerful themes with considerable talent. Her works have become increasingly complex and vivid with each new book. Ms. West’s Fantasy worlds are wonderful. Readers will continue to watch her grow for years to come.
Saturday, March 05, 2011
Review: _Owlflight_ by Mercedes Lackey
Valdemar is one of the most popular worlds of the Fantasy genre. Author Mercedes Lackey has written many novels set in this world of her creation. Many novels have centered around the Heralds and their magical Companions. Owlflight is the first book of a trilogy that focuses on different cultures of Valdemar through the eyes of new characters. This book is entertaining because of its sympathetic characters, suspenseful plot and a vivid setting.
Ms. Lackey has a talent for creating interesting characters. The characters in this book are very sympathetic, making them likable. Darian is an orphaned teenager living in the village of Errold’s Grove. He is rebellious because the villagers treat him like an outcast. Apprenticed to the old mage Justyn, Darian must grow through his pain. Help comes from a young Hawkbrother named Snowfire who befriends Darian. Several other characters such as the griffin Kelvrin and others round out a group that keeps readers interested in the plot. The author has interesting nonhuman characters as well with the deer-like dyheli and intelligent lizards called the hertasi.
The suspenseful plot begins with an attack by Northern barbarians on the village. Young Darian flees into the forest followed by some of the raiders. Snowfire saves him and brings Darian to his camp. While Darian slowly makes friends, the small contingent of Hawkbrothers must decide how to save the villagers. The barbarians have a powerful mage working for them while the Hawkbrothers have little access to magic because of the Mage Storms. In the end, it comes down to Darian making important decisions to save his people. Plot elements are woven by the author into - the story of a troubled young boy to create a plot that keeps readers turning pages.
Finally, Ms. Lackey’s vivid setting brings the story to life with realistic descriptions. The forest world of the Hawkbrothers is fascinating with their culture. They have large hawks, owls, falcons and other birds that bond with them. A reader can imagine the great forest trees surrounding them like Darian. Descriptions of the village and the Hawkbrother camp are detailed, making the story more suspenseful with them.
Owlflight by Mercedes Lackey is another entertaining addition to the Fantasy world of Valdemar. Sympathetic characters, a suspenseful plot, and a vivid setting hooks the reader into the interesting story of Darian as he comes of age. This book is a good beginning to another trilogy of Valdemar.
Ms. Lackey has a talent for creating interesting characters. The characters in this book are very sympathetic, making them likable. Darian is an orphaned teenager living in the village of Errold’s Grove. He is rebellious because the villagers treat him like an outcast. Apprenticed to the old mage Justyn, Darian must grow through his pain. Help comes from a young Hawkbrother named Snowfire who befriends Darian. Several other characters such as the griffin Kelvrin and others round out a group that keeps readers interested in the plot. The author has interesting nonhuman characters as well with the deer-like dyheli and intelligent lizards called the hertasi.
The suspenseful plot begins with an attack by Northern barbarians on the village. Young Darian flees into the forest followed by some of the raiders. Snowfire saves him and brings Darian to his camp. While Darian slowly makes friends, the small contingent of Hawkbrothers must decide how to save the villagers. The barbarians have a powerful mage working for them while the Hawkbrothers have little access to magic because of the Mage Storms. In the end, it comes down to Darian making important decisions to save his people. Plot elements are woven by the author into - the story of a troubled young boy to create a plot that keeps readers turning pages.
Finally, Ms. Lackey’s vivid setting brings the story to life with realistic descriptions. The forest world of the Hawkbrothers is fascinating with their culture. They have large hawks, owls, falcons and other birds that bond with them. A reader can imagine the great forest trees surrounding them like Darian. Descriptions of the village and the Hawkbrother camp are detailed, making the story more suspenseful with them.
Owlflight by Mercedes Lackey is another entertaining addition to the Fantasy world of Valdemar. Sympathetic characters, a suspenseful plot, and a vivid setting hooks the reader into the interesting story of Darian as he comes of age. This book is a good beginning to another trilogy of Valdemar.
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Review: _The Dark Glory Wary_ by Michael Stackpole
Becoming an adult in the modern world is easy by turning eighteen. There are no ceremonies to the process. In the fantasy realm of Oriosa, young people are given a moon mask and must pass a month of initiation into adulthood. Four young men face this in The Dark Glory War by Michael Stackpole, which changes their lives forever. Readers will find this book suspenseful from the characters, plot and themes.
The characters in the book help create suspense due to likability. Told in the first person point of view, readers are introduced to the main character of Tarrant Hawkins. He is a young man undergoing his month to adulthood. Tarrant is a loyal friend and level headed person that undergoes severe trials that change him. His closest friend is Leigh, the son of a noble. Leigh is flamboyant and brave, tempered by Tarrant’s friendship. A third friend is Nay, the calm, steady smith with quiet strength. Mr. Stackpole brings these characters to life in a timely fashion that gets readers to sympathize with them, which creates suspense through their experiences.
Next, the author creates a strong action plot full of suspense. Tarrant and his friends are taken out of the city for an initial trial. They end up in a fight for survival with a dangerous monster. This experience propels them into adulthood quickly by being included in a trip to the capital city to warn the queen of the monsters. On their journey they fight a desperate battle in the ruins of an ancient city where Tarrant meets the elf Resolute. From there, the young men find themselves quickly becoming warriors in the war against the evil empress Chytrine of Aurolan as she invades the realms of the south. The author weaves an engaging plot through tight, vivid descriptions that keeps readers turning pages.
Finally, the themes of the book create suspense because readers can relate to them. The characters must face their coming-of-age. In their society, they where masks at different stages of life. Every experience adds to the mask. Each character faces events that change them. Loyalty is another theme of the book. Tarrant, Leigh and Nay remain loyal to each other despite strains on their close friendships. Mr. Stackpole weaves these themes subtly into the book through the vivid incidents and characters’ reactions, which makes it have more tension.
The Dark Glory War by Michael Stackpole is an action packed novel full of suspense. Characters, plot and themes make the book suspenseful and ultimately entertaining. Mr. Stackpole is an excellent Fantasy author that uses his experiences to create books that keep readers hooked until the end. This book is a prequel to the Dragoncrown trilogy, which continues the story of some of the characters begun here.
The characters in the book help create suspense due to likability. Told in the first person point of view, readers are introduced to the main character of Tarrant Hawkins. He is a young man undergoing his month to adulthood. Tarrant is a loyal friend and level headed person that undergoes severe trials that change him. His closest friend is Leigh, the son of a noble. Leigh is flamboyant and brave, tempered by Tarrant’s friendship. A third friend is Nay, the calm, steady smith with quiet strength. Mr. Stackpole brings these characters to life in a timely fashion that gets readers to sympathize with them, which creates suspense through their experiences.
Next, the author creates a strong action plot full of suspense. Tarrant and his friends are taken out of the city for an initial trial. They end up in a fight for survival with a dangerous monster. This experience propels them into adulthood quickly by being included in a trip to the capital city to warn the queen of the monsters. On their journey they fight a desperate battle in the ruins of an ancient city where Tarrant meets the elf Resolute. From there, the young men find themselves quickly becoming warriors in the war against the evil empress Chytrine of Aurolan as she invades the realms of the south. The author weaves an engaging plot through tight, vivid descriptions that keeps readers turning pages.
Finally, the themes of the book create suspense because readers can relate to them. The characters must face their coming-of-age. In their society, they where masks at different stages of life. Every experience adds to the mask. Each character faces events that change them. Loyalty is another theme of the book. Tarrant, Leigh and Nay remain loyal to each other despite strains on their close friendships. Mr. Stackpole weaves these themes subtly into the book through the vivid incidents and characters’ reactions, which makes it have more tension.
The Dark Glory War by Michael Stackpole is an action packed novel full of suspense. Characters, plot and themes make the book suspenseful and ultimately entertaining. Mr. Stackpole is an excellent Fantasy author that uses his experiences to create books that keep readers hooked until the end. This book is a prequel to the Dragoncrown trilogy, which continues the story of some of the characters begun here.
Friday, February 04, 2011
Book Review: _The Winter Rose_ by Patricia McKillip
A young woman runs wild through the woods and stops to sit by a hidden well overgrown with roses. One fine summer day as she sits by the well, she sees a strange young man step out of the sunlight. He looks otherworldly. His arrival begins events that will change lives. The Winter Rose by Patricia McKillip is a beautifully written fairy tale Fantasy of mysteries, change and winter. Memorable characters, a vivid setting and mystery plot makes the book on entertaining story of wonder.
Memorable characters gives readers focus points and interesting people to stay with the book until the end. Rois is the youngest sister of two with a caring father who is a farmer. She spends most of her time wandering the forest barefoot, exploring and collecting medicinal plants. Her family gets exasperated with her wild ways. Gifted with a strange magic, Rois can see things which drives her restless spirit, especially in winter. Laurel is the older sister, practical and engaged to be married. She is the foundation of her family that keeps them balanced. These two sisters encounter Corbet Lynn who affects their lives in different ways. He arrives in the village with a troubled past linked to an old mystery. The author makes these characters believable and sympathetic with her descriptive talent.
Next, Ms. McKillip creates a vivid setting for her story that gives it a strong sense of wonder. This book is set in a quiet farming village near a secretive forest. The forest has many secret places like the hidden well surrounded by roses, which leaves a strong image for readers. Also, the two rooms of Lynn Hall with its things like the magical tapestry seems real. Changing seasons play an important role in the setting too. The story begins in spring, but it is the images of winter that leaves a stronger impression. With added descriptions of the fairy other world, the setting brings the book to life.
Finally, the mystery plot blended with fantasy elements keeps the reader anxiously reading. Rois sees Corbet some out of sunlight one day by the well. She is uncertain about what she saw. Corbet’s appearance brings up the old mystery of his grandfather and the curse upon his family to the villagers. This creates a lot of speculation and sets the whole tale in motion. Rois is attracted to Corbet and becomes obsessed with solving the mystery of his life. Laurel falls in love with Corbet even though she is engaged and pines away for him. All these events dovetail neatly into a satisfying climax with the author’s subtly vivid descriptions.
To conclude, The Winter Rose by Patricia McKillip is a wonderful fairy tale Fantasy that is very thoughtful and full of wonder. The memorable characters, vivid setting and mystery plot makes the book an entertaining read that stays with the reader. Ms. McKillip is an excellent Fantasy author of many thought provoking, descriptive works. Most readers will not be disappointed with this or any other of her books.
Memorable characters gives readers focus points and interesting people to stay with the book until the end. Rois is the youngest sister of two with a caring father who is a farmer. She spends most of her time wandering the forest barefoot, exploring and collecting medicinal plants. Her family gets exasperated with her wild ways. Gifted with a strange magic, Rois can see things which drives her restless spirit, especially in winter. Laurel is the older sister, practical and engaged to be married. She is the foundation of her family that keeps them balanced. These two sisters encounter Corbet Lynn who affects their lives in different ways. He arrives in the village with a troubled past linked to an old mystery. The author makes these characters believable and sympathetic with her descriptive talent.
Next, Ms. McKillip creates a vivid setting for her story that gives it a strong sense of wonder. This book is set in a quiet farming village near a secretive forest. The forest has many secret places like the hidden well surrounded by roses, which leaves a strong image for readers. Also, the two rooms of Lynn Hall with its things like the magical tapestry seems real. Changing seasons play an important role in the setting too. The story begins in spring, but it is the images of winter that leaves a stronger impression. With added descriptions of the fairy other world, the setting brings the book to life.
Finally, the mystery plot blended with fantasy elements keeps the reader anxiously reading. Rois sees Corbet some out of sunlight one day by the well. She is uncertain about what she saw. Corbet’s appearance brings up the old mystery of his grandfather and the curse upon his family to the villagers. This creates a lot of speculation and sets the whole tale in motion. Rois is attracted to Corbet and becomes obsessed with solving the mystery of his life. Laurel falls in love with Corbet even though she is engaged and pines away for him. All these events dovetail neatly into a satisfying climax with the author’s subtly vivid descriptions.
To conclude, The Winter Rose by Patricia McKillip is a wonderful fairy tale Fantasy that is very thoughtful and full of wonder. The memorable characters, vivid setting and mystery plot makes the book an entertaining read that stays with the reader. Ms. McKillip is an excellent Fantasy author of many thought provoking, descriptive works. Most readers will not be disappointed with this or any other of her books.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
_A Cavern of Black Ice_ by J.V. Jones
I apologize for the lateness of this entry. Friday sneaked up and passed me before I realized it. Sorry. On to the entry.
A Cavern of Black Ice by J.V. Jones is the first book of a new fantasy trilogy called "Sword of Shadows." The author's writing is impressive about a fantasy world with dark edges and deep themes. The book is full of interesting characters, a good plot and different magic system.
Characters in the book are well-developed with powerful conflicts. Raif Severance belongs to a clan of people in the North. He is horrified by a terrible event his clan commits, leaving him an outcast from clan and family. Asharia (Ash) is a foundling orphan frightened by physical changes of her body and the motives of her foster father. She struggles to be free of him and her awakening power. The villains in this book have motivations for their evil and are not cardboard characters.
The realistic characters help a good plot move along quickly. It starts out in the far North with the men of the Blackhail Clan on a hunt. Raif Severance and his brother are off fooling around. When they return to the camp, they find their father and everyone else dead. On returning to the clan hold, they discover another member survived the attack. Raif doesn't trust or like this clan member. Things move from there. Ashe's story is told separately until she teams up with Raif and his uncle.
Ms. Jones has created an intriguing magic system for this book. Magic has a price to the user, often embarassing and weakening. People can fight against the magic if they know what is happening to them. Ash is the inheritor of the even stranger magic of being a Reach. Another group of people, the Sul, have their own magic that I hope will be explored in the next book.
A Cavern of Black Ice is not to be missed. Many plot ends are left open to intrigue the reader waiting for the next book. Hopefully the author will explore some other cultures like the Sul in the forthcoming books. If you like serious fantasy with a dark edge, read this book. You won't be disappointed.
A Cavern of Black Ice by J.V. Jones is the first book of a new fantasy trilogy called "Sword of Shadows." The author's writing is impressive about a fantasy world with dark edges and deep themes. The book is full of interesting characters, a good plot and different magic system.
Characters in the book are well-developed with powerful conflicts. Raif Severance belongs to a clan of people in the North. He is horrified by a terrible event his clan commits, leaving him an outcast from clan and family. Asharia (Ash) is a foundling orphan frightened by physical changes of her body and the motives of her foster father. She struggles to be free of him and her awakening power. The villains in this book have motivations for their evil and are not cardboard characters.
The realistic characters help a good plot move along quickly. It starts out in the far North with the men of the Blackhail Clan on a hunt. Raif Severance and his brother are off fooling around. When they return to the camp, they find their father and everyone else dead. On returning to the clan hold, they discover another member survived the attack. Raif doesn't trust or like this clan member. Things move from there. Ashe's story is told separately until she teams up with Raif and his uncle.
Ms. Jones has created an intriguing magic system for this book. Magic has a price to the user, often embarassing and weakening. People can fight against the magic if they know what is happening to them. Ash is the inheritor of the even stranger magic of being a Reach. Another group of people, the Sul, have their own magic that I hope will be explored in the next book.
A Cavern of Black Ice is not to be missed. Many plot ends are left open to intrigue the reader waiting for the next book. Hopefully the author will explore some other cultures like the Sul in the forthcoming books. If you like serious fantasy with a dark edge, read this book. You won't be disappointed.
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