Bookbanter Column: Brandon Sanderson: The Hardest Working Writer I Know

Writing books isn’t easy; anyone who tells you otherwise either hasn’t done it, or is an idiot because they haven’t actually done it.

And when an author gets published and fully begins their publishing career, things don’t get a lot easier.

Yes, if one is making enough money, one is able quit their day job and write full time, which sounds wonderful.

But it’s also a lot of hard work, from sitting down and doing all the actual writing, to the editing and revising, then meeting with agents and editors and further revising, then copyediting and proof reading, then publication and all the PR associated with it, then the book tour, and during the publication and PR of the published novel, the author is already working on the next novel.

[CONTINUE READING . . .]

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Bookbanter Column: Brandon Sanderson: The Hardest Working Writer I Know

Writing books isn’t easy; anyone who tells you otherwise either hasn’t done it, or is an idiot because they haven’t actually done it.

And when an author gets published and fully begins their publishing career, things don’t get a lot easier.

Yes, if one is making enough money, one is able quit their day job and write full time, which sounds wonderful.

But it’s also a lot of hard work, from sitting down and doing all the actual writing, to the editing and revising, then meeting with agents and editors and further revising, then copyediting and proof reading, then publication and all the PR associated with it, then the book tour, and during the publication and PR of the published novel, the author is already working on the next novel.

Brandon Sanderson is one of those authors who has worked very hard to get where he is, and as a result is a New York Times bestselling author and arguably one of the best fantasy writers in the business today.

And there’s not a day that goes by that Sanderson isn’t thankful for this and feels that the people who made it happen are his readers, and his job is to keep writing and writing, because he loves to do it, but also because the readers want more books, and they are the ones who made him a bestselling author.  On the writing podcast Writing Excuses Sanderson does with fellow friends and authors, Dan Wells (I am Not a Serial Killer), Howard Tayler (Schlock Mercenary comic series) and Mary Robinette Kowall (Shades of Milk and Honey), there have been numerous occasions over the years that the podcast has run where Sanderson has said exactly this.

Sanderson published his first novel, Elantris, in 2005.

Now, eight or so years later, he has since published: three books in the Mistborn Trilogy, as well as the first book in the continuing Mistborn world; four books in the Alcatraz young adult series; the final three books in the epic Wheel of Time series; the first book in his Stormlight Archive series, The Way of Kings; and a stand-alone novel, Warbreaker.  And when you take into account that almost all of Sanderson’s books are 650+ pages, that works out to a lot of writing.  He has also published six novellas, some of which are from projects he likes to work on in between books.  Scheduled for publication in 2013, he has: a young adult novel, The Rithmatist in May; the first in a young adult trilogy, Steelheart, in the fall; and the planned publication of the second of the Stormlight Archive, Words of Radiance, due sometime later this year.

When I first interviewed him in October 2008, it was at the Borders store I worked at.  He had just finished a signing with his friend and author, David Farland.  They’d driven all the way from Utah to California with multiple signings along the way.  There were about twenty or thirty delighted people at the signing.  In the interview, Sanderson talked about his writing schedule: his morning begins when he wakes around 10am, and then he begins his day with various author duties that are not writing, and any necessary household chores.  Then once the kids come home, it’s daddy time, as he takes care of them with his wife.  And then once everyone has been put to bed and is asleep, around 9pm, it’s the start of his writing time, which he does until 4am, at then goes to bed.  He has kept to this schedule for years and with six or seven hours of steady writing time this has given him ability to get all this writing done.

When I interviewed Brandon Sanderson again in November 2010 when he was on his book tour for Towers of Midnight, it was a very different scene.

The signing was at a Barnes & Noble.  Arriving there a half hour before the interview, I could see the place was already filling up fast.  I learned that due to the high turnout it would only be a signing, there would be no reading.

When the time for the interview came, I was ushered into a back room, like I was being taken to see a big celebrity, where I conducted the interview.

Compare this to the time I interviewed him 2008, when we recorded the interview sitting in a couple of chairs in front of where he’d done his reading and signing; times had certainly changed for Sanderson.

I believe Sanderson has since changed his writing schedule around to fit more with his now even busier life as a big bestselling author.  But you can see from the many books he has published in a relatively short time, as well as what he has slated for this year, that he works hard and writes a lot.  All his books have been high quality and worth the read.  And I know he continues to be ever thankful that his readers love his books and writing, giving him the chance to keep doing what he loves to do, which is write.

Originally published on Forces of Geek.

Bookbanter Column: The Power of Character (January 25, 2013)

Readers can be divided mostly into two categories, and a smaller number into a third.  There are readers who choose, read and enjoy books for the story, the plot, what the whole thing is about; get caught up in it and stay hooked to the very end, enjoying the entire tale.  Then there are readers who pick and read books for characters, for unique people they become fascinated in reading about, knowing that they drive the story and keep reading to find out where and how the characters will end up.

And then there are the readers that enjoy books for both character and story equally.  But we’re not going to talk about that contingent today.  Today we’re focusing on those readers who look for books that are character-driven.  They are the type of people who study and seek out people interacting in their lives, and relish reading about it on the page, seeing what makes people tick, how they will act and react in certain situations, and how when two or more are brought together in a specific situation, what exactly will happen.

Unsurprisingly, there are writers like this too; likely because they are these same types of people.  It is people they like to write about, and not so much the story, as they let their characters drive said story, not always certain where they are going to take it, but always excited about the ride.  Two particular authors who do this and do this very well, as shown by their international bestsellerdom, are Haruki Murakami and John Irving.

Haruki Murakami is a massive author celebrity in his native Japan, as well as around the world.  Perhaps best known for one of his early works, Norwegian Wood, many of his other books have gone on to become just as popular, such as The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle,  Kafka on the Shore, and most recently with his epic three-volume tome, 1Q84.

When one picks up a Murakami book — whether it be a novel or short story collection — one knows they are in for a real treat, as the story will be unique and fascinating and certain to be one wild ride, but it is all due to the characters.  Murakami begins with a character, a type of person you likely haven’t met before, with an interesting life, that immediately draws you into the story, and it is the choices and decisions that this character makes that drives the story.

You may be saying: well this is true for all stories, that characters makes choices and the story moves forward, but they key is whether an event happens in a story that forces a character to make a decision, or whether the character makes a decision that then forces an event in the story.

With Murakami it’s always about the character making that decision or choice that forces the event and moves the story along.

The same can be said for John Irving.

Irving is perhaps best known for his bestselling novel, The Cider House Rules (as well as the popular movie adaptation), but has written many books that have become just as big, including The World According to Garp  The Hotel New Hampshire, and  A Prayer for Owen Meany.  His most recent book is In One Person.

While Murakami may perhaps be best known for having fascinating individual characters with each of his books, Irving is the master of the all star cast of special people.

To say that Irving’s characters are flawed characters is putting it extremely lightly for his books; everyone has some sort of problem, but it is because of this that the characters make the choices that they do that further the plot and lead to the next chapter.  And this is what Irving’s readers enjoy most about his books, as they look forward to seeing where these characters’ choices will lead them.

Nobody in this world is perfect, and so when we read about flawed characters, we perhaps can see a little of ourselves in them and are therefore fascinated in seeing where they end up.

Writers or books aren’t better for being plot-driven or character-driven, and readers shouldn’t think otherwise.  Everyone is different; which is why there are many different types of writers and many different types of readers in the world.  Character-driven stories and books will continue to be written by authors like Haruki Murakami, John Irving and many others; and there will continue to be many readers for these types of works who receive great entertainment in reading about what happens to a character when they make a specific choice or decision.

Originally published on Forces of Geek.

Bookbanter Column: The Book Dump, or What People Are Reading (January 11, 2013)

From February through July of this year, a good solid six-month period, I worked in the book department at Dimple Records in Sacramento.  Most of my job consisted of unboxing, sorting and shelving thousands and thousands of books that had been purchased for the company through their used book buyback program, available at all of their retail stores.  There were literally boxes and boxes of books coming into the warehouse each day from the various stores, and it was my job to organize them and get them put on the shelf in the right sections.

Another warehouse consisted of many rows of shelves all sectioned and organized by subject and genre.  For the first few months I quickly filled up these shelves, and then when they were full and all set to go, the books and shelves were taken to the Citrus Heights store location, which was remodeled and organized to accommodate all these new books.  There were approximately 15,000 used books made available at the Citrus Heights store.

And then my work began again from scratch, as I began filling up all news shelves for what would eventually become the first (of hopefully many) Dimple Books book stores which opened its doors in July.  At this store there were over 30,000 used books.  In my time with Dimple I sorted through and organized over 50,000 books.

In the six-month period I became an observer as well as a book worker, noticing what titles, authors, names, genres kept appearing and reappearing; who are the bestsellers of the used book world, and what are people reading most when they buy books, be they new or used.  I collected my rough data together and below are the interesting results.

They are organized by genre and subject and are roughly in order of most copies of books by the same author and/or most multiple copies of the same book by an author.

• Fiction: Nicholas Sparks, Jodi Picoult, Jonathan Franzen, Sara Gruen, Khaled Hosseini, Kathryn Stockett, Barbara Kingsolver, Tim Lahaye, Anita Shreve, Mitch Albom, Alice Sebold, Alice Walker.
• Mystery: James Patterson, John Grisham, Patricia Cornwall, John Sandford, Janet Evanovich, Michael Crichton, Iris Johansen, Charlaine Harris.
• Romance: Nora Roberts, Debbie Macomber, Mary Balogh, Danielle Steel.
• Science Fiction/Fantasy: Piers Paul Anthony, Orson Scott Card, Douglas Adams, Frank Herbert/Brian Herbert, Robert Jordan, Anne McCaffrey, J. R. R. Tolkien, Star Trek series, Star Wars series.
• Children’s Books: J. K. Rowling, Brian Jacques, Lemony Snicket, Eoin Colfer.
• Young Adult: Stephenie Meyer, P. C. Cast, Ann Brashares, Christopher Paolini.
• Biography: Elizabeth Gilbert, Frank McCourt.
• Politics: Al Franken, Rush Limbaugh, Michael Moore, Michael Savage, Bill O’Reilly.
• History: Tom Brokaw.
• True Crime: Anne Rule, John Grisham.
• Religion: Sylvia Browne, Rhonda Byrne, Rick Warren.
• Psychology: Jack Canfield, Phil McGraw.
• Animals: John Grogan.
• Health: Kevin Trudeau.

The question perhaps remains as to whether it is a good thing that there are so many multiple copies of the same book, and so many books of a particular author; or whether it is a bad thing.  On the one hand people ultimately bought these many books and helped make said book and author a bestseller, they presumably enjoyed the book and recommended it to friends and family; perhaps bought copies as gifts.

But on the other hand, they also chose at some point to get rid of the book they didn’t consider worth keeping.  Was it a book received as a gift that they had no interest in reading and got rid of; was it something they started reading and didn’t enjoy?  Or did they finish it and felt they had no need to keep it or to read it again, and got rid of it?

When one brings books in for buybacks at Dimple, one can choose whether to receive cash, or store credit, which one can use to either buy more books, or anything else that Dimple sells (except gift cards).  This is simply part of the world of used book buying and reading: when one is done with the book and doesn’t want to keep it, they sell it back at a used bookstore for credit or money to buy more books.

So perhaps all these copies that were bought back were just part of this used book buying and buying back cycle.  But this then possibly adds fuel to the question of whether these books can truly be considered “bestsellers,” since many of them ended up at the Dimple used bookstore.  And one will see the same if they go to other used bookstores, with large sections of many of these authors, as well as at thrift stores like Goodwill and Salvation Army.

These books became a bestseller by the selling of a certain number of copies in stores and online as tracked by the particular publisher.  But when so many of the copies were not kept by the owner for not being enjoyable enough or worth keeping for any particular reason, it seems that while they may have been bestsellers at the time of release, they weren’t necessarily deemed to be very good books.

Perhaps at a future point in time in addition to the tracking of book sales and determining whether they are bestsellers or not, there will be a contrasting tracking system used in bookstores as well as online tracking to record just how many of these “bestsellers” ended up being bought back at used bookstores, and how soon after said book was released, and applied to a different kind of scale that determines whether the book deserved to be a bestseller for either being a genuinely good book, or one with a popular author listed on the cover that simply sold a lot of copies.

Originally published on Forces of Geek.

Bookbanter Column: Get Lost in a Good Fantasy Series Part 9: His Dark Materials (October 26, 2012)

While technically Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy is classed as a children’s or young adult series, it has some very adult themes, features large and complex fantastical and alternate worlds, and has been issued with adult covers, since apparently adults can’t bear the thought of another adult seeing them reading a book with a kid on the cover.

The trilogy has been loved and read by many, continues to be a bestseller even though the first book in the series was published in Great Britain under the original title of Northern Lights in 1995.

And at the same time it has gotten a lot of flack and received a lot of criticism from various groups for its content and what it’s supposedly putting in the minds of children reading it.

Regardless of which side one may fall on this series, it still remains one of the most developed and interesting children’s epic fantasy trilogies that goes beyond just telling a good story and leaves the reader thinking on many matters.

The Golden Compass (Northern Lights)

This is the story of a young girl who doesn’t know what to do or what is going to happen with her life, but soon discovers that she is on a specific course of destiny that she is unable to avoid.

While The Golden Compass is considered a children’s book, like the Harry Potter series, it is written with an adult voice in an adult language, with adult themes.  It seems that British authors give their young readers a lot more credit that American authors.  The result is the first book in the His Dark Materials trilogy that is by no means “just a kid’s book.”

Lyra Belacqua is a young girl who spends her days roaming the many hallways and rooms of Jordan College, Oxford, where she makes friends with everyone regardless of class or status.  She’s just looking to have a good time and loves taking risks, whether it be climbing the roof of the college, or chasing and attacking the gyptians who show up every once in a while on the river.

This is a different world to ours, where everyday electricity doesn’t exist.  This is a world of zeppelins, steam and air powered machinery, gyroscopes and wheels and cogs, essentially a steam punk world.  Also in this world every person has what is known as a dæmon, essentially the embodiment of a person’s soul in the form of an animal.  When young, children’s dæmons can change form, but when they reach puberty the dæmon settles on a single form for the rest of their lives, giving one an insight into the person’s nature.

But Lyra’s world changes when first she saves her father, Lord Asriel, from being poisoned, and then learns of his work in the distant icy north where work is being done with something called Dust, the northern lights, and something about another world in the sky.  Lyra then meets Mrs. Coulter, who she immediately takes a liking to for she is so strong and impressive and knowledgeable, that is until Lyra discovers that she is the one who has been kidnapping children and taking them to the north for experimentation.  Managing to escape, Lyra joins with the gyptians who head north to find out what is going on with all this business about kidnapped children and Dust.  The rumors are terrible.  It is said that experimentation is being on separating children from their dæmons which, considering it is taboo for a person to even touch another’s dæmon, does not bode well for Lyra and the gyptians.
It is in the North that Lyra finally discovers everything that is going and more importantly, why it is happening, as well as a giant armored warrior polar bear, Iorek Byrnison, known as panserbjørne; and a Texan balloon-fighting man called Lee Scoresby.

His Dark Materials, in my opinion, is even better than the Harry Potter series for the subject matter is far more complex with truths that relate to every reader.

The Subtle Knife 

The golden compass of the first book was a special future-telling instrument which, when used correctly, can answer any question you ask it.

Lyra happens to be of the chosen variety that has the natural skill to read it.  In this book we meet our next hero, Will Parry, who is from our world.  He finds and becomes the beholder of the subtle knife, a special knife with one side so sharp it can cut any material object, and the other side so sharp it can cut through the fabric of reality and open a doorway into another world.  And so the reader realizes the great complexity of this universe with its many worlds.

Lyra and Will now continue their journey, both in search of their fathers with the help of many unusual characters like giant bears and witches.

The Amber Spyglass

In the final and lengthier conclusion to the trilogy, the full realization of this story is brought to light to such an extent that everything now becomes symbolic in some way, literature quotes begin each chapter, and the depth and complexity of the novel passes far beyond any childhood or young adult fantasy, presenting a complicated plot and moral for even adults to handle.

It is in this final book that the strengths and beliefs of our heroes will be tested to their extent, while our own beliefs will be in danger, when the basis for all religion and faith in all worlds is brought into question and threatened.

Originally published on Forces of Geek.

Bookbanter Column: Get Lost in a Good Fantasy Series Part 8: The Sarantine Mosaic (October 12, 2012)

Bestselling author Guy Gavriel Kay got his start in writing in an unusual way, working more as an editor with Christopher Tolkien on the numerous volumes of Lord of the Rings and Middle Earth material J R. R. Tolkien wrote during his lifetime.

His first published series was the Fionavar Tapestry trilogy, which falls into a lot of the pitfalls of a stereotypical fantasy series with some weak characters.

But with the release of Tigana in 1991, he began a journey through many worlds and stories with many more books, which are all kind of linked. Tigana is a quasi-medieval Italy, but with alternate, with numerous fantasy elements.

A Song for Arbonne is alternate-medieval France. The Lions of Al-Rassan is sort of medieval Spain. And The Last Light of the Sun is from the time of the Vikings, in a story you likely haven’t read about before.

And then there’s The Sarantine Mosaic, a duology written about the time of the great city of Byzantium with its powerful king and queen, and the chariot races, and the magic that existed there.

These two books, Sailing to Sarantium and Lord of Emperors, do an excellent job of showing Kay at his best blending historical fact and fiction with fantasy and easily transport the reader to another world.

In 2010, Guy Gavriel Kay released Under Heaven, a Chinese historical fiction novel with fantasy elements set in the 8th century Tang Dynasty, and plans to release River of Stars in 2013 set approximately 350-400 years after Under Heaven.

Sailing to Sarantium

Sailing to Sarantium, the first in the two-part Sarantine Mosaic, is a picturesque and moving adventure of ancient Byzantium, with Guy Gavriel Kay writing at his best.

This is the story of a talented mosaicist, Crispin, who has lost his wife and children to the plague and is looking for something new in his life.  He is delivered this opportunity, a chance to create something, a project in the distant and renowned city of Sarantium.

As this is the first part of a two-book series, Kay spends a healthy amount of time exploring his main character and exploring the world he has created, which is a lot like that of the ancient world, but also a wonderful fabrication of Kay’s imagination.  Crispin experiences much on his journey to Sarantium: the meeting of an alchemist, a slave girl, and an epiphany where he perhaps comes face to face with an ancient god.  The events serve to change Crispin’s outlook on life, but also to let the reader in on his experiences and ideology.

In Sarantium, he tries to keep to himself and his work, but finds himself drawn into political factions, the emperor’s court, and becomes part of the many who seemingly worship the hippodrome and the great chariot races, whose riders are seen as heroes.  

Sailing to Sarantium is a great example of Kay’s creative writing, his strong and interesting characters, and his imagined but quite believable world.

Lord of Emperors

In the concluding volume of the Sarantine Mosaic, after Sailing to Sarantium, we continue where we left off: talented mosaicist Crispin, now Imperial Mosaicist to Valerius II, is working on a magnificent dome for the Emperor and Empress of Sarantium (a fantasy version of ancient Byzantium and Emperor Justinian and Empress Theodora).

But because this is a large, complicated city, and Crispin is now an important person, he finds himself unavoidably inveigled in plots and conspiracies, as the Emperor plans for a war in Crispin’s homeland.  Then a new character enters the play, Rustem of Kerkakek, a physician from the eastern desert kingdom of Bassania; a reward for saving his emperor’s life.

Now Sarantium has a host of unusual citizens, while Crispin keeps his allies together – a slave girl and mistress, the exiled queen of Antae, Gisel, and this new and enigmatic character, Rustem.

Guy Gavriel Kay continues to build on the momentum and creativity of Sailing to Sarantium, but also introduces new and interesting characters, as well as creating new plotlines that weren’t visible in the first book.

He does what is key to a sequel: building on the story already established, but at the same time taking the reader down new and undiscovered avenues.

Originally published on Forces of Geek.

Bookbanter Column: Get Lost in a Good Fantasy Series Part 7: The Kingkiller Chronicles (September 28, 2012)

The Name of the Wind, the first of the Kingkiller Chronicles by Patrick Rothfuss, showed itself to the world in 2007.

It was a story that seemed to have every trope and cliché that epic fantasy is expected to have from an old innkeeper named Kvothe telling his tales of yore, to a magician learning the ways of his craft at a magician’s school . . .

. . . And yet there were also facets of the book that made it fascinating and quickly a bestseller, from Kvothe’s abilities and talents as a musician, to some of the amazing characters and friends he has gotten to know, to the magic itself, as they consider themselves arcanists and the magic feels more like a form of science.

The Name of the Wind spent a good long time on the bestseller lists, and earned the epithet: “Harry Potter for Adults.”

Rothfuss took his time with the second book in the trilogy, The Wise Man’s Fear, which was released in 2011, almost a thousand pages long.

But by the end of the book, there still seems too much story to tell.

Rothfuss maintains that it will only be a trilogy and is hard at work now on the final book, with the planned title of The Doors of Stone, with no known release date.  Therefore readers looking for a good new series can take their time with the first two books, as the final volume likely won’t see a release date until possibly late 2013, if not 2014.

The Name of the Wind

Kvothe begins his story as a young boy in a family of musicians and soon reveals his incredible talent with the lute and singing, following in the family tradition.  While mastering these talents a member of the University joins the troop and begins teaching Kvothe a material and science based form of magic, as well as the secret of naming, creating a drive in Kvothe to discover the Name of the Wind.

At the same time, his father Arliden is composing a song about the Chandrian, a mythical race of evil beings who may or may not exist.  This is soon proven when the Chandrian find the troop and slaughter them all.  Kvothe is the only one to survive, hiding in the woods.

He spends his next three years eking out a living begging and scratching by on the streets of Tarbean, until his interest in magic and study is reignited once more by a storyteller.  Using his experience in bargaining and negotiating to survive, Kvothe gets himself into University where he leans all he can while trying to make enough money to cover the tuition by playing and singing.  It is while playing he is reunited with an old friend, Denna, who he is very taken with.  During his studies, he also begins research on the Chandrian to avenge the death of his parents.

The book comes to a close as Kvothe investigates a place of death and destruction where a wedding was abruptly brought to an end by the Chandrian, coming face to face with a drug-addicted dragon.

At the heart of The Name of the Wind are a lot of almost clichés one would expect with an epic fantasy novel, but at the same time there are a lot of new, refreshing and completely different ideas and plots.  The magic of this world – unlike that of say Harry Potter – is one of balance, based in science with quantities and a variety of materials; it is a type of magic that at times seems quite realistic and believable.  The world has familiar places but with unique situations and events involving some strong characters and unusual creatures that keep the reader interested.

By the end of the book, the reader has become quite attached to this world and its people, wanting more stories and tales from Kvothe the innkeeper, but alas they must wait until Wise Man’s Fear, due March 2011, hopefully without delay.

The Wise Man’s Fear

Readers are returned first to Kote at the Waystone Inn with his friend and apprentice, Bast.

A new day begins, after the stories and surprising events of the one before.  Chronicler sits ready to record the story, while Kote has already been up many hours, preparing fresh cider and newly baked bread.  And so Kote continues the story of his life, the story of Kvothe the arcanist.  The sixteen year-old continues his studies at the University, struggling to get by.  He has spent his recently acquired monies on a new lute and now has little to show for it, but the instrument is an investment.  Now raised to the next level of arcanist, Re’lar, his tuition is considerably higher, and his must borrow money to pay for it.

Fortunately, he has his incredible talent as a musician and singer, and is able to make some money this way through a clever scheme at the inns.

Then there is the Fishery, where all manner of arcana are made.  Kvothe has spent previous terms learning and inventing simple items such as sympathy lamps that bring in a decent amount of money, but this term he is challenged to create something truly unique; it will take him many months, but the result will fetch a high price.  Kvothe is also finally granted access to the priceless Archives once more, and after learning how to travel its complex, labyrinthine halls, corridors and stacks; begins his incessant research on the unknown Chandrian, for they are the ones who murdered his family and friends.  Meanwhile, Kvothe’s relationship with Deanna continues to go nowhere fast, as he does all he can to make her happy and feel special . . . everything that is except confess his love for her.  He even breaks into the rooms of his mortal enemy to steal back Deanna’s ring and proceeds to get himself into a whole mess of trouble.

At the end of the term, Kvothe seems to have everything in order, but has a couple of options: he can continue with his studies the following the semester, and risk having the gossip of his involvement jeopardize his studies; or he can leave town and try something different for a while.  Fortunately at that moment, there is a rich noble from Vintas looking to woo a certain lady and needs one skilled with words.  So begins the second half of the book, as Kvothe is soon on his way and finds himself involved in the noble courts, as a different world is revealed to the reader of manners and ways and courtly intrigue.  Kvothe is also employed into a gang to stop a band of bandits terrorizing the tax collectors.  In this gang he befriends a unique man and seeks to learn his ways and culture.  The question is whether he can understand and learn this man’s language, as well as stop these bandits once and for all.  Meanwhile, in the back of his mind, Kvothe wonders and hopes if the rich noble who has employed him may wish to take him on permanently as his patron.

In this thrilling and worthy sequel, Rothfuss does an excellent job of balancing the familiar of The Name of the Wind with plenty of new and fascinating material, furthering the complexity and interest of the world, its people, and its varied cultures and ways.  While the heavy tome could’ve stood to lose a few pages in editing, readers will no doubt be delighted with its length and depth.  To many – as with this reviewer – this book will exceed their expectations and prove to be an even better episode in the Kingkiller Chronicles than the previous one.

Patrick Rothfuss has proven in Wise Man’s Fear that he can deliver the goods, and while he may need to take his time to get the writing done, the result is an epic giant in the world of fantasy that will be remembered for a long time.

Originally published on Forces of Geek.

Bookbanter Column: Get Lost in a Good Fantasy Series Part 6: A Song of Ice and Fire (September 21, 2012)

Little did George R. R. Martin originally know that when he started writing A Game of Thrones, the first book in the Song of Ice and Fire series, changing from an idea in his head to something real on paper, that it would become such a bestseller and so popular with readers around the world.

Now with the success of the HBO series, even more people are turning to reading the books for the first time.

But it can be pretty intimidating facing that premiere heavy hardcover tome or that weighty fat paperback for the first time as you begin the series, so here’s a rough breakdown of what happens in the books.

While Martin had originally intended for the series to be trilogy and soon realized it was going to be much longer, the planned length is now seven books, with five books now released and two more to go.

One hopes Martin can reach the end of the series before the HBO TV show catches up with him.

 A Game of Thrones: Journey to Westeros for the first time, with A Game of Thrones, but beware for winter is coming.

In the first of George R. R. Martin’s landmark, epic fantasy series, A Song of Ice and Fire, readers will be introduced to a complex world of many lands and many families, with many characters, but have no fear for Martin tells the story from unique viewpoints of different members of different families, forcing the reader to fit the different pieces of the story together, creating the overall puzzle of plot.  Readers will be reminded of everything they love about great fantasy stories, whether they be simple or epic; as well as discovering why George R. R. Martin has earned the title of the “American Tolkien.”

In the world of Westeros, there are Seven Kingdoms, long ago independent, now united under the Iron Throne, but those named king never seem to last long in this world of corrupt, power-hungry families.  There are two main families which readers are first introduced to: the Starks and the Lanisters, emulating the Wars of the Roses with the Yorks and Lancasters.  With the Starks there is proud and strong Ned, who is to be the King’s Hand to Robert Baratheon, and his determined and caring wife, Catelyn.  The sons are Rob, the eldest, Jon Snow, a bastard, Bran who suffers a debilitating accident, and Rickon who is too young to really understand what is going on.  The daughters are Sansa, who is a young, fair maiden always looking for her knight in shining armor to whisk her off her feet; and Arya, who is boyish and wants to learn how to fight with a sword, ride a horse into battle, and defend herself.  The Lannisters are a different type of family, constantly looking for gain whether it is with land, riches, or power.  At the head of the household is the aging Lord Tywin, with his children: the beautiful, blond and blue-eyed Jaime and his twin Cersei – who share much more than a sibling affection – and little Tyrion, a dwarf who has had to fight for everything in his entire life.  Cersei is wife to the king, Robert Baratheon, and together they have young Joffrey, heir to the throne, along with Tommen and Myrcella.

While tension builds between the families at King’s landing, far to the north lies the Wall – 700 feet tall and 300 miles long, protecting the Seven Kingdoms from the evils of the far north.  There lies myth and legends of demons and ghouls, as well as a landless king.  It is here John Snow is sent.  To the east in the Free Cities is Viserys and Daenerys Targaryen, the last surviving children of King Aerys II, looking to one day take back the throne that is rightfully theirs.

A Game of Thrones is fantasy at its very best, with lots of complex, interesting characters; moving storylines filled with tension and adventure; a detailed and varied world that is well explored; and an underlying question of who is truly good and who is truly evil in this harsh world.

A Clash of Kings: To the north beyond the wall the wildlings are amassing behind a man known as Mance Rayder, the so-called King-beyond-the-wall, as they prepare to attack the wall and infiltrate Westeros.  All that stands in their way is the weak army of the Night’s Watch, as this small number of the men in black with Jon Snow head out to put a stop to them.  In this saga, Snow will learn of this Mance Rayder, as well as one of the wildlings whom he becomes close to.

Far to the east across the waters, Daenerys Targaryen continues to rebuild her own army in a bid to take back the kingdom of Westeros and her royal lineage.  She travels with her consort to the renowned trading city of Qarth where she will face the ultimate test with powerful warlocks and the House of the Undying.  Meanwhile her three dragons continue to grow and become stronger and more deadly.

And in the heart of Westeros the war rages on.  Young Joffrey is arrogant, cruel, and impetuous, feeling he is in his birthright to be king of all the lands, while rumors run amuck of an incestuous relationship spawning this possibly illegitimate ruler.  Joffrey rules from King’s Landing with the might and support of the house of Lannister.  To the west is Robb Stark, the King of the North, looking to unite his lands and protect his people.  So far he has never lost a battle, but gains little ground in the ongoing war.  On the island of Dragonstone sits Stannis, the eldest brother of the surviving Baratheon family, feeling he is the rightful heir, while advised by the red priestess of R’hllor, Melisandre.  His biggest contender is his younger brother who currently holds Storm’s End and the larger army.  And finally, to the far west on the Iron Islands, a new contender decides to take the stage and declare himself king, one Balon Greyjoy.

But it is not these squabbling kings that keep readers hooked, but Martin’s work in diverse viewpoints from unique, unforgettable characters that you either learn to love or hate or perhaps both.  Over hundreds of pages, readers begin to hate those they loved, while loving those they detested, as Martin swings his unstoppable scythe pendulum, not knowing who will come beneath the blade next.  A Clash of Kings culminates with a mighty battle at King’s Landing that will leave many dead and a world in shambles, as the survivors look once again for personal gain, while readers will be left hungry for more.

A Storm of Swords: To the north Jon Snow has infiltrated the wildings, looking to get close to Mance Rayder, the king-beyond-the-wall, and find out when they plan to attack the Night’s Watch, but he will find his loyalties challenged as he must fight and decide where his allegiances lie.  Then there is the storyline of Bran, one of the Stark children, who is traveling to the north to find his brother.  Theon Greyjoy now controls Winterfell through lies, deception and competing against his more popular sister for the love and support of his father, King Balon Greyjoy.  Meanwhile, Arya Stark continues to get pulled back and forth from bad character to worse character, but because of her smarts and cunning she is able to scrape through alive.  Jaime Lannister is let go to travel back to King’s Landing under the protection of Brienne of Tarth with the hope that the Lannisters will free Sansa Stark.

As for the war, things are not going well, but then that really depends on whose side you’re on.  Robb Stark continues to win battles but make little headway in the war, but after falling for a girl who looks after him when he is wounded and marries her, he must meet with the Freys to soothe their relations.  His uncle, Edmure Tully, will wed one of the Frey daughters and all will be well, it is hoped.  Robb’s mother, Catelyn, doesn’t trust Lord Walder Frey, as she travels with her son, grieving over the loss of her father.  But the Tully’s have something fiendish in store for them.  Meanwhile in King’s Landing Joffrey rules in his cruel, childish way, while his uncle Tyrion, the dwarf, continues to fight with his sister, Joffrey’s mother, Cersei; then their father, Lord Tywin, arrives to upset the balance and organize things in his own way.

Far to the east, Daenerys Targaryen returns to Pentos by sea in search of an army.  She finds one in the Unsullied, a slave army, but she must give over one of her dragons for the thousands of slaves.  Daenerys has a plan and soon has her army which she immediately frees from slavery, making them unstoppable soldiers who will never defy an order.  As she travels across the land, looking to grow her army and power and create peace among these peoples, she discovers two of her closes retinue are traitors and must decide what she will do with them.

A Storm of Swords is Martin at his best, as the events and actions that have been building in the previous books are brought to a harsh fruition, and the author continues to reveal what makes his series so unique.  Some character storylines go on for too long and could use some heavy editing to shorten them down, or perhaps have been cut entirely as little seems to happen, while others are simply riveting, even when involving two character viewpoints covering the same event.  At the end, just as with the first two books, readers will be left impatiently wanting more.

A Feast for Crows: Readers of the first three A Song of Ice and Fire books – A Game of Thrones, A Clash of Kings, and A Storm of Swords – will notice a trend with them: the page count is steadily increasing with each book.  It seems like there must be a breaking point when it simply won’t be possible to bind that many pages into one book . . . well, that’s exactly what happened with the fourth book of A Song of Ice and Fire.  George R. R. Martin was given an ultimatum from his publisher that the book needed to be divided into multiple volumes.  The resulting A Feast for Crows only features a limited number of the main characters readers have become familiar with in the earlier books, as well as a number of newer ones as further lands and parts of Westeros are explored and revealed for the first time.

The War of the Five Kings is coming to a close, as many of the rulers readers have come to know are now dead, or fled for their lives.  King Tommen now rules at King’s Landing, though under the guise of his mother, Cersei Lannister, who has finally gotten her lifelong wish to rule the realm.  She fills her cabinet with loyal elders who soon fail in their duty and she becomes ferociously angry, suspecting and suspicious of everyone, driving herself to incessant drinking.  Then there is Margaery Tyrell, who is married to her son, the king, who she believes is looking to take over the realm as queen and do goodness knows what.

Meanwhile, Jaime has had enough of his sister and leaves to make what reparations he can to the kingdom, to regain control over the Riverlands in the name of Lannister and the realm.  Brienne is in search of Sansa, to free her from whatever perils she is in, fulfilling an oath she promised.  In the Eyrie, Sansa remains seemingly trapped by Littlefinger who conducts himself in a very strange way with her.  In the Iron Islands, the king Balon Greyjoy is dead by a freak accident, and now begins the long and laborious process of choosing a successor, as Balon’s children come home to claim the throne, including his tough and determined daughter, Asha.  Far to the south, in the lands of Dorne, unrest is stirring as new contenders look to play a part in taking the throne, through Myrcella Baratheon who is told she has every right to the throne as her brother Tommen does.  Finally to the east is Arya who is learning and training in the ways of the people of Braavos, while Samwell Tarly travels on his own journey to Oldtown to become the new Maester for the Night’s Watch, and travels to Braavos along the way, meeting with Arya.

A Dance with Dragons: In the North, around the Wall, King Stannis Baratheon seems to spend a lot of time trying to decide what to do with no real power or army to use, while listening to Lady Melisandre, who continues to spout enigmatic prophecies that make little sense; yet readers do get to enjoy a chapter from her viewpoint for the first time.  Meanwhile, Jon Snow is elected as the 998th Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch, as he must deal with not just enemies beyond the Wall, but also amongst the very men he leads and is in charge of.  He works with the wildlings, bringing them south of the wall to bolster his forces in preparation for a possible attack from the Others; it seems to be an interesting act of diplomacy, but goes on for far too many pages, with little action or continuing story taking place.

Much of the rest of the book takes place to the far east.  Martin has provided a couple of new maps, but nothing so clearly defined and comprehendible as the great continent of Westeros.  Tyrion flees to Pentos, drowning himself in wine.  He is forced to join with a group traveling to Meereen, along with the apparently not so dead prince Aegon Targaryen.  Tyrion – as he always does – manages to get involved in a whole variety of adventures, including the meeting of another dwarf, and a female no less!

Daenerys is the character that seems most put through the ringer in this book; much like Cercei was in A Feast for Crows.  She is no longer the tough, proud, defiant woman that everyone feared, and not just because she has three growing dragons.  Having conquered Meereen, she should be the unstoppable, unquestionable queen that she is, and yet insurrection is afoot and Daenerys cannot seem to decide what to do; perhaps it is because she has become obsessed and besotted with one of her soldiers and seems to be able to think of little else when he is nearby, and yet he is of lower class and cannot possibly be her husband.  The black dragon, Drogon, meanwhile is running rampant through the countryside as growing “teenage” dragons do, and Daenerys has no idea how to control him.

Finally there is Quentyn Martell, Prince of Dorne, whose story comes from nowhere as we follow his trek across the lands to Meereen, where he hopes to woo Daenerys by enslaving one of her dragons.  It does not end well for him.  Interspersed throughout the lengthy book are other POV chapters from the likes of Bran Stark, Davos Seaworth, Reek (who is in fact the very not dead Theon Greyjoy), Arya Stark, Victarion Greyjoy, as well as some surprise cameos from Jaime and Cercei Lannister.

Originally published on Forces of Geek.

Bookbanter Column: Get Lost in a Good (Urban) Fantasy Series, Part 5: October Daye (August 31, 2012)

Seanan McGuire published her debut novel and first in the October Daye series, Rosemary and Rue, in 2009.

She now has an impressive nine books out in just three years with the tenth due out in September.

She has perhaps become better know for her zombie horror trilogy, with Feed, Deadline and Blackout under the pseudonym Mira Grant, but her urban fantasy series is a classic example of the genre with interesting and engaging characters, thrilling supernatural mysteries, plus it’s all set in the San Francisco area, so locals will love it.

Think Harry Dresden, but make him female, set her in San Francisco, and accept that the world of Faerie not only exists but has portals linking to our own world and the characters of fable are very real and terrifying.

McGuire will be releasing the sixth October Daye book, Ashes of Honor, on September 4.

Rosemary and Rue

October Daye is a changeling (half-human half-fae) who has never really felt she belongs in San Francisco, or the realm of Faerie for that matter.  A private detective, who seeks to help out her kind when they are in trouble, has her world changed when she is turned into a koi fish in the opening pages of the book and finds herself trapped beneath the waters for fourteen years and six months.  The spell finally breaking, she returns to a very different San Francisco.  While she attempts to acclimatize to this future world, a high ranking elven lady is found murdered, and as Toby investigates she finds herself magically bound to the woman until the mystery of her death is solved.

A Local Habitation

As Toby tries to settle down, licking her wounds from her last escapades in Rosemary and Rue, she is asked by her liege, the Duke Sylvester Torquill of the Shadowed Hills to check on his niece, Countess January O’Leary of Tamed Lightning, better known as Freemont, as he hasn’t heard from her in some time.  Taking a sidekick along – Quentin — to show him the ropes, she finds herself caught up in way more than she bargained for.

Arriving at Tamed Lighting, Toby finds what appears to be a simple company that produces computer fantasy games, except that all the employees aren’t human, in fact there’s not a single regular human that works there.  Then there’s the quiet way everyone acts around her, as if they’re hiding something.  Then the first person turns up dead.  As Toby unravels the mystery, it turns out bodies have been piling up, but when she tastes their blood to find out what happened to them, she gets nothing.  They are empty husks with no story to tell of their demise.  The mystery grows further when Toby finds herself under attack from someone or something.

An Artificial Night 

As half-fae Toby recovers from her previous near-death escapade, she wonders if she might have some time to do some normal, everyday things, but soon receives a knock at the door.

It’s her Fetch, Maye Daye, a special doppelgänger that can only exist if Toby’s death is quickly approaching.  Wondering where her day will go next, she soon receives news that the ceremonial hunt is now on: Blind Michael, lord of the Wild Hunt, is looking for new recruits; only his methods for acquiring them are unorthodox to say the least: he kidnaps them.

Toby finds out that Blind Michael has kidnapped a number of fae children and human children, some of them she is very close to.

There are only certain roads that can take her on this mission to the world fae and the lands of Blind Michael; each of them takes a toll.  Toby enlists the help of some unusual allies: Tybalt, Lord of Cats; the Luidaeg, an offspring of Oberon and sibling to Blind Michael; Lily, a powerful fae of the Japanese Gardens in San Francisco; and her fetch, Maye Daye.  And it is in Blind Michael’s lands that she meets another unusual character who has a strong connection with someone important in Toby’s life.  Also it seems like this Tybalt guy who Toby has always had to hold her own against, may in fact not be such a bad cat after all.

Late Eclipses

Toby’s still alive and well – relatively speaking – living with her fetch (summoned due to her apparently approaching, imminent death), her rose goblin, and her cats.  Just when it seems like she might have a moment to herself, she is unavoidably summoned to appear before the Queen of Mists, who has always borne a grudge against Toby, who isn’t looking forward to this meeting.  In a surprise that shocks Toby more than anyone else, the Queen promotes her to countess.

Suspecting a conniving trap, Toby finds herself drawn across San Francisco from place to place as her dear friends and loved ones begin to fall ill due to a mysterious sickness, including Lily, Lady of the Tea Gardens and Lady Torquill of the Shadowed Hills.  As she scrambles around trying to find a cure and who’s behind all this, the hammer falls and she finds herself accused of this sickness and people are starting to die.  Then she starts seeing Oleander de Merelands, one of the two people responsible for trapping her in a pond for fourteen years of her life; only it seems like she’s the only one seeing her.

Meanwhile, things between Toby and Tybalt, the King of Cats, begin to heat up.  But Toby will save everyone and fix everything . . . right?

One Salt Sea

Another day, another big problem to solve for October Daye.

This time someone has kidnapped the two sons of the regent of the Undersea Duchy of Saltmist.  Only a month has passed since Toby was brought back from the brink of death and Oleander de Merelands was defeated in Late Eclipses, and now she has a whole new place to call home – Goldengreen – and to deal with.  But she has these kidnappings drop into her lap, and she only has three days to do it or it will be all out war between the sea fae and those on land, which is not a good thing, as the saying goes: “When Faerie goes to war, not everyone will walk away.”

Using some help from the terrifying sea witch, the Luidaeg, who creates a spell, Toby is able to breathe underwater and here McGuire has fun with some great description of strange and unusual and fascinating underwater fae that makes The Little Mermaid seem colorless and boring.  But Toby knows she’s on a deadline and needs to find any clues she can, put them together, and find these missing kids before it is too late.

Originally published on Forces of Geek.

Bookbanter Column: Get Lost in a Good Fantasy Series, Part 4: The Inheritance Trilogy (August 17, 2012)

There have been lots of fantasy books written about gods and goddesses; plenty about heroines and heroes; and some about a world of class differences and the haves and have-nots; but very, very few about all three together.

Author N. K. Jemisin

Welcome to The Inheritance Trilogy and a look at N. K. Jemisin in her debut series, where she combines all these elements in a fascinating world with diverse and interesting characters, as well as a thrilling plot.

The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms 

From the barbarian north, Yeine Darr is outcast and would like nothing more than to live an ordinary, normal, quiet life; but when her mother dies from mysterious circumstances, and she finds herself summoned by the Arameri patriarch (her grandfather) to the spectacular capital city of Sky, she knows normalcy is something she will never be able to have.  Dakarta, her grandfather, has proclaimed her an heir to their throne, though she is pitted against two cousins who want the throne much more than she, and will stop at nothing to get it.

She doesn’t expect to survive the week.

But as Yeine gets to know the people of Sky in her run for the throne she discovers it is a place that is anything but ordinary.

The gods are now forced to live in the beautiful city, as servants, due to losing an ancient war.  Yeine makes friends and allies, but also enemies in this political concoction, and will need to use her strengths as a woman as well as her status if she is to make it through.  While the ending leaves the reader somewhat unsatisfied after the heavy buildup, The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms is a great new voice in fantasy fiction that reveals a new and different world, with some fresh fascinating characters.

The Broken Kingdoms

Oree is blind, but has the ability to see magic and people with magic abilities, such as the gods and godlings.  She spends her days creating original works of art with her special abilities in the city of Shadow beneath the towering World Tree.  Oree gets by with the selling of her work and is able to navigate around the city with little problem.  Then she discovers the corpse of a godling in an alley; after a cursory examination, she soon finds out that the godling has been murdered.  She begins her investigation to find out who did it, while two groups begin pursuing her: one is a fanatical religious group looking for a scapegoat to blame for the murder; the other can only be the people behind the murder.

The Broken Kingdoms is a surprising second book to the trilogy, as it has little to do with most of the original characters of The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, and is set a decade later.  Yet, perhaps it is this which makes The Broken Kingdoms that much more interesting and compelling, as it is another story in this distinctive world from a completely different viewpoint and storyline.

The book is a welcome sequel that reveals Jemisin’s talents as a writer both with strong characters and good plot, leaving readers anxiously awaiting the conclusion to the trilogy.

Kingdom of Gods

Readers became familiar with the childishly cute and trickster godling, Sieh, in The Broken Kingdoms.

In The Kingdom of Gods, readers get to experience and enjoy this wonderfully detailed and complex world from the viewpoint of this powerful being.  Beginning with a playful introduction as Sieh behaves like the godling he is, playing with children’s minds, satisfying his own whim.  There are two youngsters he fixates on: the beautiful Shahar, next in line to rule, and her twin brother Dekarta, who is young and powerful in his own right.  Then a freak accident occurs as all three join hands and Sieh attempts to use his godling power.

When Sieh awakens, the godling is alive but weak.

Returning to Shahar and Dekarta, he discovers that much time has passed and they are now teenagers.  Also the godling soon notices there is something very wrong with him: he is aging, growing older, like a human.  The gods that conceived him are unable to stop this process and he must confront this new fate, as well as work with Shahar and Dekarta as they face the approaching evil, the Maelstrom, which will consume the entire world.

Originally published on Forces of Geek.