Book Review: Tower Lord (Raven’s Shadow #2) by: Anthony Ryan I gave this book five out of five stars for amazing characters, a hearty dose of action, and a beautiful balance of fantastic and reality. The focus of Tower Lord expands from the unified realm to cover the different people around the realm as well as a terrifying invading force. It’s an epic journey, and one so interesting you hate to see it end. What I loved: 1) Strong female characters, they are not troupe laden, and they are not without faults. I feel Ryan takes great care in presenting all of his characters, but it was so refreshing to see the women in his cast were not overlooked. 2) Vaelin Al Sorna’s story continues, and everything gets bigger. I liked the meshing of Vaelin’s narrative with three others. Ryan had a mountain of political and fantastic information to convey and it’s a wonder he pulled it off so well with only four narratives. What happened to Frentis at the end of Blood Song broke my heart, and I was immediately taken by his story when he was reintroduced. Princess Lyrna became an even greater force to be admired and reckoned with, and it was wonderful to see her wits pitted up against physically overpowering situations. Reva had a beautiful character arc and it was lovely to see the connections she made with her family after being forcibly estranged from them. 3) Some of the mysteries from Blood Song are revealed. Of course a few more are added, but Ryan’s proven to his readers that the wait is worth it. I thought I planned better by reading this book right before the release of book three Queen of Fire. I did, the release is only a few weeks away, but it’s going to be a long few weeks for me. I can’t wait to read the third book.

Book Review: The Z Chronicles by Ellen Campbell (editor), Samuel Peralta, Hugh Howey, Jennifer Foehner Wells, David Adams, Christopher Boore, Angela Cavanaugh, Peter Cawdron, Ann Christy, Stacy Ericson, Deirdre Gould, Kris Holt, Theresa Kay, Lesley Smith, Will Swardstrom,and Geoffrey Wakeling

Reading most of the short stories in this anthology twists and tears apart the standard zombie troupe’s. I gave this anthology four out of five stars for the range of places, emotions, and the various takes each story had based on zombie mythology. The following were my favorite:

• Vindica by Ann Christy had vivid characters and I was quickly drawn into the post apocalyptic crisis. I liked how Christy’s exploration into social hierarchy in a small community and lengths some will go to stabilize or change their position.
• Six Day’s by Theresa Kay was horror done in a heart-wrenching manner. It was easy to relate to the protagonists dilemma and root for her success.
• The Fall of Percedus by: Jennifer Foehner Wells was a suspenseful nail biter. I was into the story very quickly and could not read it fast enough. I loved the inception of the zombie transition in this story.
• Z-Ball by: Will Swardson. Be prepared, to be amazed by this short story. It takes talent to make the protagonist, antagonist, and two supporting characters come to life in so few words; a feat many authors can’t pull off in a full-blown novel. You need to buy this anthology just so you can read this short. I really enjoyed the layering of political intrigue, money, fame, fortune, and what is tolerated in sports franchising verses the rest of the modern world.
• Gloria by: Hugh Howey. Horrifying, and I left the read feeling very disturbed.
• Hybrid by: Geoffrey Wakeling. I was hooked instantly by the action and the need to know what was happening in the story. This was a page-turner with lots of scary moments watching the protagonist trying to get down dark hallways where a zombie could be waiting. I also liked the suspense of waiting to see if the cure was really a cure or an impetus to spark something else.
• Free Fall by: Peter Cawdron-I’m going to buy his novel after reading this short. This story had everything I love about the science of traveling to and from space. I really loved how Cawdron explored some of the emotions and human needs that might connect us or breaks us a part during conflict and stress.
• The World After by: Angela Cavanaugh. You want to buy this anthology so you can read this short story. Cavanaugh has a beautifully balanced narrative style that relates complex cultural information while still pressing the action of the story forward. All the things that took place in this short amazed me: there were surprise discoveries, love lost, betrayal, battles, new allegiances formed, a rescue mission, lovers reunited, and a heroic escape. It left me wanting to read more.

 

Book Review: Prince of Fools (The Red Queen’s War Book One) by: Mark Lawrence

I give this book five out of five stars for its impeccable narrative, the unique hero in Jalan, and another fantastic journey through Lawrence’s Broken Empire dystopian universe. This book takes you on an incredible journey with some laugh out loud funny moments and some heart wrenching sad ones. Since finishing the book, I’ve caught my mind wandering back Prince Jalan and Snorri’s story. Lawrence has a writing talent that rises above fictional genre classifications; it’s something any lover of a good story can appreciate.

What I loved about this book:

1) The characters. It was such a treat to be on a journey with Prince Jalan. He evolves from a shallow, self-centered, coward, living from present moment to present moment; to a man who realizes there is more he is capable of doing with his life. He gets locked into a companionship turned friendship with Snorri who possesses many of the admiral characteristics Jalan should have. Despite Jalan’s failings, Snorri view’s Jalan in the best way possible, even when he’s presented with contrary evidence. It was easy to root for both Snorri and Jalan, and I eagerly look forward to seeing them again in the second book of this series.

2) The action. I was entrenched in the story from beginning to end. Lawrence kept me in a strangle hold; keeping me at the edge of my seat, captivated by the mystery of why Jalan and Snorri’s were thrown into this adventure. The battle scenes were great; even the ones Jalan admitted were sparked by his own cowardice.

3) A beautiful narrative. Lawrence makes writing first person fantasy narratives look easy. He’s taken the already difficult task of educating the reader on this foreign world and parceled it into narrative exposition material that makes you learn and laugh at the same time; leveraging the comedic insights of his protagonist.

I highly recommend this book. If you are new to Mark Lawrence or his Broken Empire, you can read this book and enjoy it without having read anything prior.

Book Review: The Dragons of Dorchester by: Jack Campbell

I give this book five out of five stars for keeping me up until the wee hours of morning, characters I was tied to almost instantly, and for a scene that made me laugh so hard tears came to my eyes. I can’t wait to read the second book in this series and I’m already anxious I’ll have to wait to read the third.

What I loved:

1) The characters. The goal oriented Mari was a female that was easy to root for. She was practical, capable, and views the world with an engineers mind. Alain is a young Mage savant, who has been taught to conceal all emotions. Both have been sent on their first assignments. Each has remarkable growth in the story, as young people in the major transition from school to the real world, and face learning how many of the ideals ingrained in them are false.

2) The plot, it shifted and changed allowing the satisfaction of guessing certain things and seeing them unfold, while uncovering added layers to a larger story. The world in which this story takes place is complex, but everything the reader is taught is relevant to the plot going forward.

3) The romance, was much better than I expected. I really liked how theirs was not a love at first sight kind of spark. They came together as two strangers, who under other circumstances would never have talked to one another. They built a friendship on mutual respect, and their attachment grew from there. It was a pleasant change of pace to read each protagonist reflecting on the others merit and quality of character; not just lusting about looks. I enjoyed how the obstacles impeding the two lovers are major problems and not trivial. Both Mari and Alain could loose their hard earned guild status or potentially be killed. Alain deals with overcoming his emotionless training, but risking the loss of all his power to do so. I ended the book hoping they would be together because they were a fun duo, and I sincerely enjoyed the friendship they shared. Alain’s Mage training to conceal all emotion, and how he espouses the values of his Guild made for some really comical moments with Mari. These were so funny I found myself laughing so hard I was crying.

Author George R. R. Martin is famous for killing off beloved characters in his popular Game of Thrones, A Song of Ice and Fire book series. I’ve often wondered however, how he feels about the writer saying, “kill all your darlings.”

I think writer Lisa Cron best describes what happens to a reader when a writer does not abide by the old adage “kill your darlings”. In the chapter Cause and Effect in her book Wired For Story, Cron outlines why digressions are deadly. Explaining the chemistry behind the human need to sense if not see casual connection in everything that is presented to the reader.

Okay, now imagine the story is a car and it’s zooming ahead at sixty miles an hour. You’ve completely surrendered to its momentum; you’re one with the story. Then a real nice field of flowers off to the left catches the writer’s eye. So he slams on the brakes, and you slam your head against the windshield as he hops out and frolics in the meadow. Just for a lovely, lyrical second. Then he’s ready to get back on the road. But will the story still be going sixty? No, because he just brought it to a dead stop, which means-provided he can coax you back into it-the story is now going zero.

Cron’s analogy is exactly what happened to me reading Game of Thrones. I was acclimated to the pacing and characters Martin used through the first three books of the series. Then I read A Feast for Crows (A Song of Ice and Fire #4), and Martin slammed on the breaks and my head hit the windshield. The fans who have only encountered the show are fortunate they did not experience the pain of reading an eight hundred page tomb with none of the characters loved and admired from the first three books in the series. They are privileged to experience the story as it was intended, with books four and five combined into one narrative. They are also lucky that the show’s writers, David Benioff, D.B. Weiss, are killing off the many darlings Martin presents in books four and five. My best examples of the darlings killed so far are:

• Omitting what happened to Berric Dondarrion
• Omitting the reincarnated Catlyn Stark
• Never presenting the character Cold Hands
• What’s happened to Breanne and Pod

These four changes can account for several chapter’s worth of material. I think it’s significant Martin endorsed these deviations from his story on screen. It’s a concession to his readers, admitting what he presented in those chapters was irrelevant to his overall story. If the material is not crucial to the cause and effect of the story then it’s a digression. Those chapters were some of Martin’s digressions, his darlings; scenes he enjoyed and assumed we the reader would as well despite their lack of connection to the progressing story.

I am fascinated by the fact that Martin spent years writing for television, but the choice to remove darlings and condense repetitive material in the last two books was made by his television writers.  As a Game of Thrones fan, I hope Benioff and Weiss push Martin’s focus back to presenting readers with only those chapters relevant to the cause and effect of the story. I would appreciate it if the pacing of Martin’s next installment, Winds of Winter (A Song of Ice and Fire #6), is nothing like A Dance With Dragons (A Song of Ice and Fire #5). Where the reader covers a thousand pages while the plot moves forward by a millimeter.

Martin would be doing his readers a service if he were to run his current draft of book six by David Benioff and D.B. Weiss. They’ve succeeded in killing Martin’s darling’s, and could point out those needing to be destroyed before his next book goes to print. As Renni Brown & David King present in their book Self-Editing for Fiction Writers, “It’s far better to rewrite your story in a way that makes use of the good stuff than to simply use your story as an excuse for writing the good stuff.”