Calico Reaction

Chasing Silver
Writer: Jamie Craig
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Pages: 282

I put off getting this book for a LONG time, and I do mean a LONG time. I mean, look at that cover! Not that's poorly done, but I'm tired of seeing such eye-candy on covers of books, particularly those aimed at women. COME ON.

But I got on a Juno Books kick a while back, so between that and curiosity (this being the first Juno book that had even a HINT of SF), I picked it up. Decided to read it now because I wanted something fast and easy to get through, and trust me, fast and easy to get through it is.

I'm going to be honest: this book DOES NOT BELONG in the SF/Fantasy section. I don't care who published and what their reasons were, and I don't care that there's a time travel element involved. Do you see Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series shelved in SF/F? No. But it's time travel. What about Audrey Niffenegger's The Time Traveler's Wife? It's one of the THE BEST time-travel stories I've ever read! But no, it's not shelved in SF/F either. Both of the previous mentioned books are shelved in "fiction," and rightly so: they attract a slightly broader audience than would normally frequent the SF/F shelves.

So where does Chasing Silver belong? Not in SF/F. Not fiction either. No, this book deserves a spot on the Romance shelves, and even though I'm no expert on the genre, I'm going to go out on a limb and say it specifically needs to be shelved in Erotica.

There is nothing, not even the time-travel, about this book that excuses it being shelved in SF/F. Take out the sex, and it's romance thriller/suspense with time travel. That's it. And I'm stressing this whole genre thing so heavily because I want potential readers to know EXACTLY what they're getting when they pick up this book, and also because book two, Touching Silver, didn't get picked up by the bookstores and was therefore canceled, and you know what? I think the first book's shelving is why.

The premise: Remy is on a heist in Washington, DC trying to make a frantic getaway when she's suddenly transported back in time to the year 2008, in LA. Not only does she have to reconcile her new surroundings with how she's used to living, but she also has to reconcile her feelings and desires for the man who finds her. More important, she's still running from her "futuristic" past, and if she's not careful, it's going to catch up with her.

Spoilers ahead.

( Chasing Silver )

My Rating

Worth the Cash: IF, and only IF, you're looking for what amounts to as sex, sex, and more sex with a splash of thriller/suspense and time travel mixed in. It's fun and it's fluff***, in a good way, but don't let the SF/F shelving fool you into thinking this book is something it's not. I'm sorry to see that Juno won't be publishing the sequel, but I do hope the authors (Jamie Craig is actually two people, yo) find a way to publish it, even as an e-book. It's fun, and if you're into sex, sex, and more sex (with a time travel twist), you'll find it fun too.

Next up: Storm Front by Jim Butcher

*** = Let me define "fluff" here, just to be safe. In this case, any time there was a chance to complicate the plot or create conflict, there was usually a sex scene. I enjoyed the story, but there could've been a LOT more done with it, and maybe it's because I'm no critical reader of erotica (I don't know what to compare it too), I can't see the sex scenes as escalating or standing out from one another, except the last two. That's that.

Dog Days
Writer: John Levitt
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Pages: 297

This book looked interesting, but not interesting enough for me to spend the cash on. However, when I discovered that quiet_rebel read it and loved it, I asked if there was any way I could borrow it. So borrow it I did.

The premise: Magic is real, and those with the talent are called practitioners. Some practitioners, regardless of talent or strength, even have Ifrits, magical creatures in the form of ordinary animals, but Ifrits aren't that ordinary, not by a longshot. Our narrator and protagonist, Mason, has Louie, a dog, and Mason's one of those who has talent but doesn't do much with it. He's content to live his life as a jazz musician, until one day he nearly gets killed. It's up to him and Louie to find out what's going on, before something even worse happens.

Spoilers behind the cut.

( Dog Days )

My Rating

Worth the Cash: but I'll be honest, I'm glad I borrowed it. It's a good book chock full of neat ideas and original world-building as far as urban fantasy goes, but the voice isn't addictive FOR ME PERSONALLY, and I'm not chomping at the bit for the next installment, though the next installment does come out later this year, and if quiet_rebel is so inclined, I'd be happy to borrow that one from her too. :) But if I had spent money on this, I wouldn't have minded. It's a good read, something fresh for the urban fantasy genre, which totally makes it worthwhile, even though the voice didn't grab me.

Next up: I know MultiReal by David Louis Edelman was supposed to be next, but I'm afraid I've gotten into another urban fantasy kick, so the next review will be:

Chasing Silver by Jamie Craig

Superpowers
Writer: David J. Schwartz
Genre: Science Fiction
Pages: 376

I'll be honest: this isn't the kind of book that would EVER catch my eye, let alone one I would read. So why'd I read it? The answer's rather simple, as David Schwartz is a graduate of the Odyssey Fantasy Writer's workshop. I can't catch EVERY publication my Odyssey alums, but when it comes to novels, I do try and give them a shot.

That said, Odyssey or not, this is one novel I should've left alone. The premise: five college students wake up the day after a party with superpowers, and they decide to do use their powers to fight crime in the town of Madison, Wisconsin.

That's it. But I should point out that this story? It starts in the summer of 2001. Think about that. Do the math. And I'll go ahead and say the conclusion isn't as interesting as you might think.

Here's the thing: I'm not a comic-book girl. My fiance, however, is THE FAN when it comes to comics, and over the past ten years, has made me read various titles and seen various movies that I probably would've ignored if left to my own devices. Thanks to those ten years that also include nearly weekly trips to the comic book shop, I like to think I know SOMETHING about comic books, superheroes, superpowers, and what's DIFFERENT in the superhero genre, so to speak. I'm no expert, not by a LONG SHOT, but I know what I like, and I like what I love.

This book didn't work for me. Sadly. Spoilers ahead.

( Superpowers )

My Rating

Wish I'd Borrowed It: Like I said, this book just isn't for the reader like me, and had I not had a rather tenuous tie to the author, I would've never given this book a second glance. That said, if you like superhero fiction/comics, it's worth giving this one a shot. You're bound to get more out of it than I did. And I'll give Schwartz kudos for making three of the five heroes women, and one of them's even a minority (too bad HER power is invisibility, but that actually figures into the story in an interesting way).

Next up: MultiReal by David Louis Edelman

Nightlife
Writer: Rob Thurman
Genre: Urban/Dark Fantasy
Pages: 339

I'd never given too much thought to this book. Sure, it was urban fantasy. Sure, it had a pretty cover. Sure, a good friend of mine recommended it to me. But it never really caught my eye long enough to make me buy it. Not until lanerobins commented on this book in another review post, and made the, erm, mistake of mentioning she loved Thurman's twist on elves.

Right then, I was hooked. Damn it.

I bought the book Saturday. Started it Sunday night. Finished it tonight, Monday. No, I didn't enjoy the book at all.

The premise: Cal isn't human. Not wholly, anyway. Turns out, his mom let a monster knock her up for some fast cash, and Cal was the result. What Cal didn't know, what his half-brother, Niko, didn't know, was that Cal was the intention. Now the monsters are after Cal, and it takes everything Cal's got to get away from them, maybe even more.

Yes, there be spoilers.

( Nightlife )

My Rating

Must Have: I've nitpicked the book to death behind the cut, but it's great. That's all there is to it. I was never bored, never really wanted to put the book down, and I enjoyed the hell out of myself. It's great to read an urban fantasy that's actually DARK fantasy and actually HORROR to be quite honest. I already plan on nabbing the next two books in the series the next time I'm in the store, so that's got to say something, right? The voice is great, and the emotional tension is worth every penny of the book. Trust me.

Next up: Entanglement by Amir Aczel***

*** = For those of you wondering, and if you're one of those people, you KNOW you're one of those people, the answer is YES.

Changed my mind. Not in the mood for research, not yet. So... next up, Superpowers by David J. Schwartz

The Terror
Writer: Dan Simmons
Genre: Horror
Pages: 766

I never really intended to read this book.

Last year, when the Discovery Channel's Planet Earth was showing brilliant images from the Poles, my fiance made a remark about how much he loved that setting, how it captured his interest. For some reason, him saying this reminded me of Dan Simmons's The Terror, so I told him what little I knew about the book. Arctic setting, horror story. Greg was interested enough that he sought out the hardcover in the store and bought it. When he read it, he loved it. Gave it five stars.

But I wasn't interested, not even when I'd made a decision to place my own novel in an arctic setting myself, and then I wasn't interested until I read The Ends of Earth: An Anthology of the Finest Writing on the Arctic and the Antarctic. Once I read that, I was hooked. I decided that when I had the time and patience for the beast of the novel that is The Terror, I'd read it. It's not like I didn't know what to expect. I've read Simmons before.

But it's almost impossible to review this book. At 766 pages long, it's a beast of a novel, and you're forced to take your time and actually read the thing rather than skim it. The Terror is a historical fiction, recounting the lost Franklin expedition for the Northwest Passage in the Arctic. Not a single soul was recovered from that passage, while remains were found and guesses were made, the story of the voyages of the HMS Erebus and the HMS Terror are largely a mystery. Simmons has recreated that story, using as much fact as possible (lead poisoning, scurvy, and cannibalism), while also creating a different kind of monster that preyed upon the souls of these men, and thus using the monster to bring this tale to some kind of conclusion.

The monster is as literal as it is metaphorical, because there is so much about the mens' conditions that defeat them. The lack of game, the poorly canned and cooked food, the scurvy, the unrelenting ice, the threat of mutiny. The monster is often the straw that breaks the camel's back, forcing these men to act when they might otherwise not, and increasing the tension and fear.

But the book isn't about the monster. Indeed, there's long parts of the book where the monster never makes an appearance, let alone is talked about. Ultimately, this is a tale of survival, about what it takes to live in such harsh conditions and how these conditions transform a man's body, mind, and soul. While we get several points of view, we're most centered on Captain Francis Cozier and Dr. Goodsir, both who try to keep men alive, but who have completely different angles on what's happening. But the single-most unifying character in this book is the setting itself. No surprise, given Simmons is our writer. Just by reading the first page, I was thrust into the world of the novel, and never once was I torn away by some careless detail or incomplete scene. Simmons is a deliberate writer who takes his time, and while I will admit I thought some sections of the novel could've been trimmed down some, I'll give Simmons the benefit of the doubt: these men lived in these harsh Arctic conditions for three-plus years, and the length of the novel lets the reader fully experience every moment, every joy, and every defeat. It's worth it. By the end it's definitely worth it. Characters flesh into individuals, and some you'll love, some you'll hate, and some will simply fascinate you. And the touch of fantastic at the of the book is just really, really cool.

My Rating

Must Have: it's horror, but it's historical fiction, and a survival story at that. As mentioned above, the pace is deliberately set at the speed of a glacier, but never once does Simmons let you leave his world. There's definitely an awe factor to this novel, as well as a quiet, driving tension that makes you wonder who, if anyone, will survive. It's a fascinating novel that makes me want to research Simmons's source material, just to learn everything I can about where the truth differs from fiction, but as a whole, I'm very happy with the book. If you're a fan of Simmons's work, you definitely have to check it out.

Next up: Nightlife by Rob Thurman

KOP
Writer: Warren Hammond
Genre: Science Fiction
Pages: 331

I noticed this book last year when it was released in hardcover. With that kind of cover, it's no wonder I noticed it. However, after flipping through the pages and glancing at the blurb, I put it back. I was interested, but no where NEAR enough to get the hardcover. And I kept telling myself that same thing every time I saw the book in the store.

However, when I saw the mass-market paperback a couple of weeks ago, I only hesitated a second before snatching it up. Turns out, my instincts were right-on.

KOP is a science fiction noir: a hard-boiled mystery thriller set on the planet Legarto. Legarto is no innocent world: its population is teeming with poverty and antiquated technology, and there's not a single innocent on the planet, not even our narrator Juno Mozambe (that's a man, BTW), who's a dirty cop. The book tells you this on the freaking backcover blurb, so don't worry, I give nothing away. He's taken off vice in order to work a homicide, and he's stuck with a rookie for a partner. Beautiful girl, of course, who comes from money and actually does have a touch of innocence guiding her.

The story might sound familiar, and let's face it, it IS. But once the ball gets rolling, Hammond unravels a nice, semi-complex plot with detailed world-building and a cast of characters that must constantly make decisions: how bad is bad? And more important, how bad are you willing to be in order to protect what you love?

( KOP )

My Rating

Worth the Cash: For the mass-market, not the hardcover. It's not a book for everyone, and as I've already pointed out, it's obviously a debut effort, but I'm hooked enough to snatch up the next paperback when it comes out. There's at least two more books in the works, and I have to say I'm looking forward to them. It's fun in a twisted, sick-bastard kind of way, but there's also a satisfaction watching the characters fight so damn hard for what they believe in, despite a hopeless situation. It's a fast read and worth checking out, especially if you're the mystery/thriller type.

Next up: The Terror by Dan Simmons (yes, I know I said this last time, but it's a LONG BOOK. I needed something fast for my lunch breaks, so I read KOP too!)

*** = Sin City! That's what kept making me think this book was familiar! Not that this book is anything like THAT story, but the cast, the mood, the tone, yeah. Sin City (the movie, not the graphic novels. I've not read the graphic novels).

The entries have been collected, shuffled and drawn!

Out of 30 entries, congrats to:

Geoffrey Dow, from Toronto, who won a copy of Guy Gavriel Kay's Ysabel.

Many thanks to ALL who entered, and to all who pimped the giveaway in their various LJ's, blogs, and websites.

Blameless in Abaddon
Writer: James Morrow
Genre: Contemporary Fantasy/Satire
Pages: 404

I'd never heard of James Morrow until 2003, when I audited a "Modern Science Fiction and Fantasy" course at Maryville College. We ended the term with Morrow's Towing Jehovah, which was the first taste of modern fantasy I'd ever read, let alone religious satire of a modern sort. I loved the book, but every time I'd go to the bookstore, I could never find the subsequent volumes, and I was too lazy to go to Amazon.

Enter the 2005 Odyssey Fantasy Writer's Workshop. One of the "signs" that convinced me to apply was the fact that James Morrow was going to be one of the guest lecturers. When I got in, I wasn't able to score a private or even an in-class critique with him, but his Q&A session was great, and while I remember very little of his lecture in class, I do remember that my experience with the man left me THISCLOSE to buying ALL of his books on Amazon and having them shipped home. I didn't, because I didn't have the disposable income, and that's just as well, because otherwise, dwarvanamazon wouldn't have known what to get my for my SHU graduation.

I was thrilled to get my hands on this book. I'd always known the rather rough arc of Morrow's Godhead Trilogy, so it was really neat to see that arc played out. What's cool is that even though it's been five years since I read Towing Jehovah, it wasn't necessary to have that book fresh on the brain to thoroughly enjoy this one, the independent sequel.

As far as reviews go, I'll be honest, to truly "review" this book would require--for me--such an in-depth analysis that I'd never finish, so I'm not going to bother with a cut. Instead, I'll give you a brief summary, a couple of brief details, and be done with it.

Towing Jehovah centers on one basic premise: God is LITERALLY dead, and it's up to a small-group of people to tow His body to Its final resting place in the Arctic.

But in Blameless in Abaddon, God's body has been discovered and has made world-wide news. There's all kinds of theories revolving around the body, including whether or not God is REALLY dead or simply in a coma. Turns out the latter is true, and our protagonist, Judge Martin Candle, wants to hold God accountable for all the ills of the Earth.

At first glance, it seems a rather silly premise, but it's pulled off with magnificence and subtlety that makes for a very good, intellectual, and entertaining read. Martin's is actually a modern-day Job, a man who's lost everything. Prior to those losses, he was known as one of the most fair judges around Abaddon, Pennsylvania, which makes him a likely candidate for his Herculean task.

The book is divided into three parts: the first introduces us to Martin and his life and reveals how the shit hit the fan. Part two details Martin's journey into God's brain, and oh, what an entertaining journey that is. We meet the "Ideas of" -- essentially, the prototypes of everything of Earth, but living in God's comatose brain. Enter dinosaurs playing Scramble, a guilt-ridden Noah, a know-it-all Saint Augustine, and of course, Adam and Eve, whose appearance might make more traditional Christians flip out. Me, I grinned. The final part of the book is, of course, the trial, and what's more to be said about that?

There's a wealth of fascinating debate and perspective concerning the problem of evil in this book, and of course, it's all anchored to the fact that in this world, God DOES (or did, before for the coma) exist. It's a solid, satisfying read, though Morrow did have me wondering just how much of this book, if any of it, would be different had it been written post-9/11. Maybe I'll get a chance to ask the author myself sometime.

Oh, and one more detail: did I mention that the Devil himself helps narrate the book? He does, and trust me, this particular vision of Lucifer, aka Satan, aka Jonathan Sarkos (as he's named in this text) is more than worth a reader's while, especially by the end.

My Rating

Must Have: I'll always recommend reading books in order, so really, if you haven't yet read Towing Jehovah and you're interested in Blameless in Abaddon, you really should. However, you don't have to. It's a great read with lots of interesting, thought-provoking questions to chew on, worth reading no matter what your religious stance or lack there-of is. Me, I'm once more tempted to go on Amazon and buy the rest of Morrow's backlist. We'll see what happens. :)

And dwarvanamazon? Thanks! :)

Next up: The Terror by Dan Simmons

AND!!!

The WINNER of the Fantasy List Giveaway!

The Stone Gods
Writer: Jeanette Winterson
Genre: Fiction
Pages: 207

Let's see...how long has it been since I read a challenge book with digitalclone? Too long. April's book was Michael Flynn's The Wreck of the River of Stars, and we all know how THAT turned out. But due to my schedule (graduating and all), we've put challenges on hold until the end of July, and Jeanette Winterson's The Stone Gods was the last title, I think it was meant for May.

I've been wanting to read more Winterson ever since reading The Passion, which is fan-freaking-tastic and on my "keeper shelf." I've heard from other readers that Winterson's other work isn't quite as strong, but that didn't stop my curiosity when I saw Winterson's latest advertised. And yes, I'll admit, this is no where NEAR as good as The Passion, but it's still very, very good.

There's no point in relating the plot. What's important to this story are the themes, and in The Stone Gods we explore what it means to be a human in a society intent on destroying the world. We see this in three different yet connected stories, in both macro and micro situations, and trust me, Winterson preaches her head off. It's not hard to see how current events have influenced this work, but there's a beauty here that lies beyond the actual writing, which is very, very good (but still no The Passion). Winterson might be a "literary fiction" writer, but there's no doubt that she's playing with quantum theory here, mixing it a bit with Buddhist philosophy. And that is quite charming to this reader.

Spoilers ahead.

( The Stone Gods )

My Rating

Buy the Paperback: I really liked this, and I feel I got my money's worth. But if you gave me a choice between the hardcover and the trade (the trade having the same cover, of course), I'd go for the cheaper version, because as much as I liked it, well, I don't HAVE to have the hardcover in this case.

It's good read for those who truly enjoy literary SF. I've read better, but I've also read worse, and while this book is nothing compared to The Passion, it's still worth the read for Winterson fans, as well as those SF readers who want to dwell on more sociological, environmental, and metaphysical ideas.

Next up: Blameless in Abaddon by James Morrow

The Martian General's Daughter
Writer: Theodore Judson
Genre: Science Fiction
Pages: 234 (ARC)

When I got my hands on the Pyr catalogue for the spring/summer 2008 season, I hesitated before requesting this particular ARC. I didn't like the cover at ALL (it reminds me too much of an American West theme, or maybe the Civil War, neither of which is visually appealing to me), and the premise didn't grab me right away. But as I pondered, I noticed the length of the book and paid attention to the title (the emphasis being on daughter), I figured, why not?

Turns out, I should've trusted my instincts. Now I'll admit that I'm not quite the target audience for this book, a re-telling of the fall of Rome but set in the future. I'm not all that familiar with all of that Roman stuff, so the parallels to history are pretty much lost on me. Which means, of course, that the book has to stand on its own two feet as a science fiction story. Or at least a fiction story, right?

It didn't.

( The Martian General's Daughter )

My Rating

Waste of Time: I won't say "and money" since I received this ARC for free. While I didn't HAVE to finish the book, I'm freaking stubborn. But the book doesn't deliver on its title, and is more of a summary than an actual story. I think the people who might actually enjoy this book will be those who are far more familiar with Roman history than I am, but the story doesn't stand on its own two feet, not by a longshot. Alas.

Next up: The Stone Gods by Jeanette Winterson

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED!! FOR THE WINNER, PLEASE CLICK HERE!!!!

So by now, if you've been following this journal at all, you know I had two reading projects going on simultaneously. The first was focused on writer's block/procrastination, which I did a giveaway for. The second was a fantasy list based on the ballot offered by SHU to the fantasy writers in the program to pick the residency read. I'd decided that, for whatever reason, I wanted to read ALL of those books on the list, and read them I did. And now that I've read them, I'm offering another giveaway.

You should know the drill by now, right?

1 entry per person.
1 winner. 1 book.

To enter:

Comment with the following:

1) Your real name.
2) Your working email address.
3) Choice of book.
4) Where you heard about this giveaway.
5) Place of residence. You don't have to give me your complete snail mail, but I'd like to know city and state, or where in Canada.

That's right, North American entries only. Anyone who qualifies may enter, whether you're on LJ or not, provided you FOLLOW THE RULES. If you do NOT follow the rules, you will not be entered in the giveaway.

You have until Saturday, July 5th to enter. I'll announce the winner on Sunday, June 6th. Clear as mud? Good. Guess you want those titles again, and maybe the links to my original reviews, right? Here you go!

1) Daniel Abraham: A Shadow in Summer
2) David Anthony Durham: Acacia
3) Guy Gavriel Kay: Ysabel
4) Ellen Kushner: The Privilege of the Sword
5) Scott Lynch: The Lies of Locke Lamora
6) C.E. Murphy: Urban Shaman

You're also more than welcome to pimp the giveaway in your blogs, on your websites, wherever. The more the merrier.

All comments WILL BE SCREENED. If you have any questions, just let me know.

Have fun, and GOOD LUCK!!

The Lies of Locke Lamora
Writer: Scott Lynch
Genre: Fantasy
Pages: 719

Ah, at long last, the end of my self-appointed fantasy project. It took me a little longer to read than it should've, not because of the book but because I had too much to do to prepare for my final residency at SHU, and reading this book was at the bottom of the list. Fortunately, I had PLENTY of time in the airport to read, so I took advantage of it.

The Lies of Locke Lamora was the book NOT on the fantasy ballot, but the book that the fantasy writers joined together and picked anyway. I'd been meaning to read this book for a while, but I kept putting it off, partially because all the praise surrounding it almost guaranteed me not wanting to like it, as backwards as that sounds. I don't know what exactly the threshold is, but I reach a point where I become suspicious of a well-praised book, and I'm more apt not to like it because of it.

It's a difficult book to summarize, yet it's easy to describe: it's Robin Hood meets Ocean's Eleven with a splash of fantasy-adventure mixed in. The world-building and setting is top-notch, if a little overdone to a certain extent, but I can't judge Lynch too harshly, especially since I've seen on his website that there will be seven freaking books in this series. Seven books! No wonder the world-building of Camorr is so fleshed out.

Talking about this book is a little difficult, because I've already had the chance to dump my thoughts on my peers at SHU during the book discussion. I'll do my best here, and I can say I'm rather torn as to how good a choice this book was for non-fantasy readers. There's certainly some cross-over appeal, but despite the fast-paced voice, the book isn't necessary EASY to read, and I'll explain why in the cut. But I'll give the book this: it made great fodder for discussion, as there were a variety of opinions from everyone, fantasy readers and non-fantasy readers alike.

But because talking about this book is difficult, I'm going to keep this short and sweet and not bother with a cut. There's things I really liked. The sense of mischief and the love of the caper, the use of magic in this otherwise rather realistic setting. In fact, this is the kind of setting I'd wished Ellen Kushner had used in The Privilege of the Sword. Just the touch of something different is enough to reinforce the notion that I'm in a fantasy world, and that's really all I need. Oh sure, Lynch had Bondsmages and Elderglass, all of which is cool stuff (the latter made me wonder if I'm in a secondary world or perhaps another planet), but it was the use of alchemy in daily life that sold it for me.

The book's a fast read, which is a good thing, given its page length. And while I enjoyed the book, certainly giggled at certain spots, and while I very much admired the world-building, I found myself very distanced from the book for two reasons: 1) the POV was too distant and slippery, making it hard to truly emphasize with any characters even though some of them were certainly entertaining, and 2) the flashbacks, even within a current timeline (the book flips from past to present on an irregular basis), kept jarring me out of the book. Rather than making me anxious to read more (Lynch tried to end his chapters and parts with cliffhangers of a sort), I found myself frustrated instead. Flashbacks are a tough thing to pull off, and sometimes they worked really well in this book, and other times, they felt like mere tangents in order to reinforce the world-building or a particular theme (and in the case of the latter, I never felt the need for those things to be reinforced).

My Rating

Worth the Cash: in the end, I liked the book pretty well, but I never loved it. I never felt the impulsive urge to read the rest of the books of the series RIGHT THIS INSTANT (admittedly, only one other is on the shelf, but I think there's going to be seven total). The distance killed me, because while I think Lynch may have started out writing a character book (after all, it's about Locke Lamora--who, I will admit, isn't perfect by a long-shot, and that's a nice thing to see in fantasy), this really is a milieu story. I won't say that I'm not interested in the other books in the series, because I am, mildly. But without that addictive urge pushing me forward, I'm content to sit around and see what becomes of this series, and listen to fan reaction first.

Next up: The Martian General's Daughter by Theodore Judson

The entries have been collected, shuffled and drawn!

Out of 27 entries, congrats to:

Nicole Taft, from Pennsylvania, who won a copy of Neil Fiore's The Now Habit.

Many thanks to ALL who entered, and to all who pimped the giveaway in their various LJ's, blogs, and websites.

Next up: A review for Scott Lynch's The Lies of Locke Lamora, and believe it or not, another giveaway. Stay tuned! :)

A Shadow in Summer
Writer: Daniel Abraham
Genre: Fantasy/Epic
Pages: 356

Now this is a title I've wanted to read for a while. Admittedly, the only reason I initially glanced twice at it was the gorgeous cover art done by Stephan Martiniere, but that's the whole POINT of cover art, to get people to look twice, so I won't feel bad about it. At least, not this time.

I'd debated for a WHILE whether to splurge and get the hardcover or wait for the mass-market, especially after I saw the official design for the mass-market. I'll be honest: while I understand the reasoning for making the author's name larger on the mass-market than on the hardcover, I still hate the route that's usually taken, because the LARGE PRINT of it all usually ends up ruining the art, and sometimes (though not in this case) doesn't even match the overall design or color scheme.

But enough of that rant. I was cheap and bought the paperback, and now that I've read it, I don't mind that I did. While I still the think design of the hardcovers are SUPERIOR, this is not a fantasy series I'm chomping at the bit to get my hands on as soon as it's released. HOWEVER, I will definitely pick up the paperbacks as they come out.

This was the last title on the SHU fantasy ballot, and it's the title that--had I been allowed to vote--I would've voted for. And now that I've read the whole list of books, I wouldn't have regretted that vote: I think this book would've been a good example of epic fantasy that's different from the norm, a good book for discussion for fantasy and non-fantasy readers alike. I'm not at all sure how much non-fantasy readers WOULD have liked it, but it was the second-best choice to Ysabel, in my opinion.

There's irony in this book getting ignored by those who petitioned for The Lies of Locke Lamora, because Abraham's title is not your usual Western fantasy. Perhaps its my sheer ignorance of Asian culture, but there were too many clues in this book to be ignored, and I was intrigued that Abraham based his world-building on Asian cultures rather than Western, even though at times I had difficulty picturing the characters in contrast to their settings. How ethnically diverse the characters truly were I don't know, but their names, city, and culture alone suggested something NOT WESTERN, and in many ways, so did the unfolding of the plot.

The premise: there are "poets," magicians of sorts who can capture an idea, an "andat" and bind it into corporeal form. The bond between poet and andat is strong, and in many ways, the andat is a reflection of everything the poet is, wants, or isn't, and the powers of the andat (put to use by the poet) keeps the cities wealthy and safe. But all of that's about to change when an andat does everything in its power to break free of its bond to its poet, and it doesn't care who it uses to do so.

Spoilers ahead.

( A Shadow in Summer: Book One of the Long Price Quartet )

My Rating

Worth the Cash: it's a fascinating little book that's definitely different from the usual fare of fantasy that I read. The prose is clean and easy to get through, but I'll warn you, don't judge it by the prologue, because it's the weakest part of the book.

I definitely look forward to reading the rest of the quartet as it's published (in paperback, of course), and while I didn't fall all over myself in love with this book, I'm glad I finally got around to reading it.

Next up: The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED! FOR THE WINNER, PLEASE CLICK HERE!!!

Okay, so I'm not REALLY giving away writer's block, but that's as good a phrase as any to describe the giveaway I'm doing.

Reading a variety of books on writer's block and procrastination was a really good experience for me, teaching module aside (which, now that my research is done, I must now focus on, ACK!), I think I would've done anyway if only for my own gratification. It's interesting to take a problem that plagues you and research it, to see if you can, in some form or fashion, find yourself within those pages. Thanks to all of these books, I now have a firm stance on the topic, at least for me personally, and actually a good deal more sympathy for those I know who are struggling with block. One mentor at SHU warned me that my research would take me down the slippery slope of self-help and psychology, but let's face it: that's not a bad thing. Creativity comes from within, and because it comes from within, it's intricately woven into who and what we are. So it makes sense that there is no be-all and catch-all answer for writer's block and procrastination, but it takes time and patience to figure that out.

So for those of you who are interested, I'm offering a giveaway.

1 entry per person.
1 winner. 1 book.

To enter:

Comment with the following:

1) Your real name.
2) Your working email address.
3) Choice of book.
4) Where you heard about this giveaway.
5) Place of residence. You don't have to give me your complete snail mail, but I'd like to know city and state, or where in Canada.

That's right, North American entries only. Anyone who qualifies may enter, whether you're on LJ or not, provided you FOLLOW THE RULES. If you do NOT follow the rules, you will not be entered in the giveaway.

You have until Friday, June 20th to enter. I'll announce the winner on Saturday, June 21st. Clear as mud? Good. Guess you want those titles again, and maybe the links to my original reviews, right? Here you go!

1) Neil Fiore: The Now Habit
2) Alice Flaherty: The Midnight Disease
3) Victoria Nelson: On Writer's Block
4) Bill O'Hanlon: Write is a Verb
5) Karen L. Peterson: Write. 10 Days to Overcome Writer's Block. Period.
6) Steven Pressfield: The War of Art
7) Kelly Stone: Time to Write

You're also more than welcome to pimp the giveaway in your blogs, on your websites, wherever. The more the merrier.

All comments WILL BE SCREENED. If you have any questions, just let me know.

Have fun, and GOOD LUCK!!

On Writer's Block: A New Approach to Creativity
Writer: Victoria Nelson
Genre: Writing
Pages: 191

For those of you absolutely tired of seeing all these reviews on procrastination and writer's block, REJOICE!! For this is the last book in my pile of research. And while you're rejoicing, if you're seeking to beat the snot out of whatever source it was that gave me this idea of talking about procrastination and writer's block for my teaching module, look no further, because this book was it.

Rather, not the WHOLE book, but an excerpted section entitled "The Master-Slave Relationship." At my January residency, I took an Advanced Reading Module, but instead of a book, the esteemed Mike Arnzen gave us a selection of essays to read on the writing life, and Nelson's essay hit home. The essay, particularly at that time, was such a perfect portrait of my writer's block that the author might as well have included my picture in the essay.

I wasn't the only one in the class who felt that way, of course, which speaks to the readability of Nelson's exposition. Nelson tackles the topic of writer's block with an objective eye and absolute frankness. Rather than speak in absolutes that can cast judgment on the writer, she examines each and every kind of situation that can spark writer's block and what a writer should or should not do about it. She's very focused on the individual, stressing that it's up to the individual writer to know themselves and make the decision that's best for them, based on listening to their intuition (rather than their ego). She also points out that with rare exception, the all-authority, must-do attitude in regards to the act of creative writing rarely produces good writing, and usually leads to MORE block.

It's really a good book, one I'm glad to have finished my research on. This is a title I think anyone with the desire to write should have in their collection, no matter if they're at the starting line, along the middle, or a consummate professional. This book is helpful without resorting to New Age-ism or sentimentality or psychological mush to explain the topic. Oh, Nelson uses metaphors and some psychological terminology, but after reading The Midnight Disease, this book is like a freaking beach read, which is really, really awesome.

The only BAD thing about this book is that it's no longer in print, which is a bloody shame. To get your hands on it, you're going to have to scour the used books venue. My favorite is abebooks.com (the link takes you to THIS specific book, because--you know--I'm persuasive like that).

My Rating

Must Have: Duh. This was, beyond a doubt, one of the most useful and interesting books out of my research, and if you're a writer, you need this in your library. Period.

The Wreck of the River of Stars
Writer: Michael Flynn
Genre: Science Fiction
Pages: 127/534

My Rating

Couldn't Finish it: I had two reasons to read this book. 1) it was on the SF ballot way back in January 2007 for the June 2007 residency read. Like my current fantasy reading project, I wanted to go through each book on the SF ballot and see which book was truly the best one for all of the students in the program. 2) digitalclone happened upon this title on my Amazon.com wishlist and decided to make it our April challenge read.

I had one repeated good reason to NOT read the book: mike_brendan warned me against it. TWICE. I tend to brush off warnings because I like finding things out for myself. In this case, I really, really should've listened.

Those of you who've been watching this journal know I started this sucker in April and had to abandon it in May because it was taking WAY too long to read and I had a PILE of books that had to be read before residency. The plan was this: read those books, then read the Flynn book next--finishing it on the plane to Pittsburgh if necessary--and then give the sucker away at residency on some poor, unsuspecting soul.

That was the plan. But once I put the book down, I found I had zero interest in picking it up again, even for the sake of finishing. And I hate, hate, HATE not finishing.

So what didn't work? For starters, the omniscient POV that slid in and out of EVERY SINGLE CHARACTER'S HEAD IN THE ENTIRE SHIP. I met SO many people I didn't give a rat's ass about, and that's a shame. The 127 pages I did force myself to read taught me that Flynn truly had a three-dimensional cast. Only they were lost in the verbose prose and unnecessary POV. I never latched onto a single character, and often guessed the direction of the plot long before the characters did. That is, of course, when the plot was deemed necessary to consider. All too often it felt like Flynn was keeping his readers at arm's length, but it was easy to see what he was really up to. Whether it was supposed to be or not, I don't care. Obviously. I'm not putting myself through 534 pages just to learn whether I'm right or wrong.

Now the details were something to note, even if they were completely overwhelming and oftentimes unnecessary. Clearly, the SHIP herself (River of Stars) is the most important character of the book, and had I really paid attention to the blurbs explaining that half of the title was the ship (THE WRECK OF THE RIVER OF STARS), I would've avoided it at all cost, because what appears to be a very provocative title is rather too telling of the point of the book, and given the tone, I'm guessing no one is meant to be saved, and the sad thing is, I don't care.

I also couldn't help but wonder if the Riv's backstory of its luxury liner days fallen to obscurity wasn't some kind of parallel to the state of SF as a genre. People are always talking about the glory days of SF and how they've fallen, never to return, no matter how hard authors try. Perhaps this is a parable of sorts, an homage to the history of SF while making its own commentary (you'd have to know how the story ends to figure out what Flynn's really saying here, and I know the ending in only generalities). I don't know.

The point is, the book was unreadable for me. I don't even blame the fact that it's hard SF (though someone once suggested maybe I simply dislike hard SF as a rule: I don't like to think that's the case, but who knows?), but rather the prose style and my inability to empathize with a single character. The book is dry of emotion, and unfortunately, that's what it needs.

Next up: On Writer's Block: A New Approach to Creativity by Victoria Nelson

Acacia: Book One: The War with the Mein
Writer: David Anthony Durham
Genre: Fantasy/Epic
Pages: 576

David Anthony Durham's debut into fantasy (he's already established himself as a historical fiction writer) grabbed my attention from the start. In fact, I knew more about the plot and details of this book than I cared to know, but that was, in part, what drew me to give in and buy the hardback. What finally made me sit down and read it was the fact that this title was also on the SHU fantasy ballot.

But I'll say this straight-away: this book would've made a poor choice for SHU readers, particularly those who don't read fantasy. And this I said before I even read the book, for reasons that might be laughable to some, but hear me out: it's hardcover. Yes, this is laughable to those of us either 1) remember the undergrad days where we spent HUNDREDS of dollars on textbooks, and/or 2) those of us in grad school who STILL have to pay HUNDREDS of dollars on textbooks.

The thing is, though, that this book would've been required of every WPF student, regardless of their genre. Strike number one. Strike number two: we are in a low-residency program that does not pay us in any form or fashion to attend. Oh, we can get financial aid (loans) and there is a Scholar's Discount, but there is no teaching stipend, nothing extra to help out with expenses. Strike number three: because of the newness of the book, there was no chance in hell the mass-market paperback would've been released in time for residency (the actual release date is August 26, 2008, a good year AFTER the hardback release), and also due to its newness, the odds of finding in a library/used-book store would've been slimmer than those for other books.

That's my story, and I'm sticking to it. A shame to judge a book inappropriate for a program-wide read based on its format, but oh well. The fantasy writers didn't pick it, and that's that.

Now, format aside, would it have been a good read for the program? In the end, no. I'll explain why in the review. But is it a good read for fantasy readers/writers? Yes. I'll explain why in the review.

Needless to say, there will be SPOILERS in the review. :)

The premise? Leodan Akaran is the ruler of the Known World. He governs from his seat on the island of Acacia, and this world is full of peace and posterity, but at a horrible price. While his children know nothing of the source of their father's posterity, the wealth is fueled by a vicious slave and drug trade that's been going on for generations, and generations, and generations. The Mein, banished to the Ice Fields of the North, have had enough: of the banishment, and of the current state of the world. So they hatch a plan to kill the king and take over Acacia and the Known World, leaving the King's children separated and scattered to learn the truth of their father's (and ancestors') kingdom. They must decide who they are first, and then what they can, or should do, to take back the land they loved so much. But at what price?

If you missed it earlier, THERE BE SPOILERS.

( Acacia: Book One: The War with the Mein )

My Rating

Buy the Paperback: (told you I'd use it soon). Despite the fantastic world-building, it's not a "must have" because the same energy wasn't put into the characters, despite my attachment to certain characters, and it's not "worth the cash" because I truly would've been fine waiting for the paperback. Even though I intend to continue reading the series as it's published, I'm not yet addicted. I don't feel like I MUST have the next installment the moment it's released. But I'm definitely looking forward to seeing what Durham can accomplish. If his characterization can rise to the same level as his world-building, damn. Look out. He'll take the fantasy world by storm.

Next review: The Wreck of the River of Stars by Michael Flynn

Next read: On Writer's Block: A New Approach to Creativity by Victoria Nelson

I've come up with two more ratings for my current system, and I thought I'd share the new ones with you here before adding them to the Master List.

Buy the Paperback: Unless you're one of THOSE people that must have first edition printings of EVERYTHING you read, and/or are completely anal about owning hardbacks over paperbacks (like my beloved fiance), then you're better off waiting to get this title as a paperback copy. Trade or mass-market, but probably mass-market. It's worth the cash, but after reading the hardcover, I could've definitely waited for the cheaper copy.

Couldn't Finish It: I really, really, REALLY hate NOT finishing a book I've started. I'm always hoping there will be SOME kind of payoff by the end, even if the payoff is the lesson of how NOT to write a book and therefore inspires a good rant. However, I've reached a point where I'm not going to waste my time. This rating will be used rarely, but it will be used.

Expect to see BOTH of these ratings used in the very near-future. :)

The Midnight Disease: The Drive to Write, Writer's Block, and the Creative Brain
Writer: Alice W. Flaherty
Genre: Writing/Psychology/Science
Pages: 307

FINALLY!!! I'M DONE!!!

No, I'm not relieved to be done with this book at all. Why ever would you think otherwise?

I have to say, of all the books I cherry-picked for my writer's block/procrastination module, I was really excited about this one. Cool cover aside, everything I read about it told me that this book with be IT, and I'd get lots and lots of stuff for my module out of this text.

Then I noticed that despite its length (there's only 266 pages of text), the text itself is packed tight. So I realized that this book might read longer than its 266 pages imply. And boy did it ever. It wouldn't have been so bad if this book had been the IT I was hoping for, but it wasn't, and boy, was it sludge.

Here's where I have to be really honest about how my expectations colored my perceptions of the book. Because it wasn't what I was looking for, I began reading with more of a cynical eye, and I found myself composing rants in which I accuse the author of imitative fallacy (you can do this in non-fiction, who knew?). I had to step back. I can't tell you how successful this book is in terms of what it AIMS to do. I can only say how successful it was for me based on MY expectations. It might be a bright and shining jewel of a book for someone who's looking for some serious science (yes, SCIENCE: psychology and neurology combined, here) behind what makes us write. Flaherty examines how the urge to write has been linked to serious mental illnesses and she attempts to locate just why we write to begin with, all based on different regions in the brain and what happens if said regions are damaged. She doesn't claim that all writers suffer from mental illness either, but she uses studies from mental illness to try and relate to writers who are sane. It's interesting stuff, and the book's not completely without merit. She also talks about the known illnesses of rather famous writers like Dostoevsky and Flaubert and how their illness influenced their work, and that's fascinating stuff: if you want to reduce creativity to every single chemical, synapse, and region of the brain. Flaherty goes as far as to tackle how the inspiration to write--the muse--is biochemically similar to what happens in the brain during religious experiences and/or drug-induced states.

Again, it's interesting stuff. But don't read this book without knowing what you're getting into. I felt like this book talked and talked and TALKED about all kinds of things, but I was so disconnected from the text that I don't felt like I learned anything at all. Flaherty, and if she doesn't admit it, she comes close, seems to have written this book as a means to explore the "reasons" behind her own obsession with the craft, so in some ways, this is 10% memoir, hence why I slapped the "imitative fallacy" label on it earlier. Normally, I like it when writers in non-fiction share real-life experiences, but this books smells like agenda, even if the agenda is purely selfish on the author's part for wanting to find the cause behind her own "mania" and also use this book as a kind of therapy (after all, writing IS therapy for some people, and that's fine).

It must be doing something right, since it's so highly praised, but it didn't hit the right chord with me, and I can't say for sure if that's because it's due to my misplaced expectations or some obvious flaw in the book. I can say with reasonable objectivity that I feel Flaherty tackled too many subjects, and didn't do a good enough job relating the science behind it all to NORMAL writers. She kept talking about the greats and those who have a documented (or could have been documented had documentation been around at the time) illness, but never the "normal" writer who has no history of mental illness but sometimes experiences the same "symptoms" as those who do.

My Rating

Wish I'd Borrowed It: Obviously. But the really sad thing is that I'm not sure I'll ever want to touch this book again, even with a different POV. It's sad because stuff like this usually fascinates me: I eat it up. I loved The God Gene, and it essentially does the same thing: deconstructs something sacred to most people and puts it into the perspective of science. But unlike Hamer's work, Flaherty's isn't nearly as readable to me, but it may be my own fault for not being on the same level of terminology that she is.

Next up (which I've already started reading because I could NOT make myself read Flaherty's book this past weekend): Acacia: Book One: The War with the Mein by David Anthony Durham