Reading Journal June 2012 (Rothfuss, Kearney, Harris, Carey)

So this has been sitting in draft for some time. Sorry. Summer heat is beating me like a four year old in a Walmart. Big list, so let's get to it! 

The Name of the Wind (Kingkiller Chronicles, Day 1) - Patrick Rothfuss. (2007)(Fantasy, Male, New Author, Series)

The riveting first-person narrative of a young man who grows to be the most notorious magician his world has ever seen. From his childhood in a troupe of traveling players, to years spent as a near-feral orphan in a crime- ridden city, to his daringly brazen yet successful bid to enter a legendary school of magic, The Name of the Wind is a masterpiece that transports readers into the body and mind of a wizard. It is a high-action novel written with a poet's hand, a powerful coming-of-age story of a magically gifted young man, told through his eyes: to read this book is to be the hero.

This was an interesting debut novel. Once again, I find what I've studied and read about the publishing industry at direct odds with what actually gets published. Here we have a flawless protagonist, a "story within a story" and meandering prose. All things that shouldn't get published. Yet, Rothfuss has received countless positive reviews. I read his blog, too, and Rothfuss is terribly likable. I wanted to like the novel.

Name took me twice as long to read as it should have. While the prose is amazing, nearly lyrical in its quality - the tale itself is akin to a lazy river. Great for immersion, I suppose, but not a page flipper. Kvothe is simply too talented: child prodigy whose every single circumstance makes him a master of some skill. In all the telling, nothing is told - I'm still not sure what the story is about - and since it's being told BY Kvothe, there's absolutely no tension. You don't have to worry about the protagonist dying, since he's sitting there in the Inn and telling his tale. Either he lives or he's mastered time travel or he's a ghost and this is some creepy Sixth Sense.

Make no mistake - Rothfuss clearly has some writing talent; but this style of storytelling didn't work for me.

The Ten Thousand - Paul Kearney. (2008) (Fantasy, Male, New, Series.)

On the world of Kuf, the Macht are a mystery, a seldom-seen people of extraordinary ferocity and discipline whose prowess on the battlefield is the stuff of legend. For centuries they have remained within the remote fastnesses of the Harukush Mountains. In the world beyond, the teeming races and peoples of Kuf have been united within the bounds of the Asurian Empire, which rules the known world, and is invincible. The Great King of Asuria can call up whole nations to the battlefield.

His word is law.

But now the Great King¹s brother means to take the throne by force, and in order to do so he has sought out the legend. He hires ten thousand mercenary warriors of theMacht, and leads them into the heart of the Empire.

I heard amazing things about Paul Kearney from one of the numerous book review blogs that I was reading at one point. I enjoyed this, plain and simple. Kearney's writing is strong and evocative. Apparently, this is a retelling of Xenophon's Anabasis - it also brought to mind The Lost Army by Valerio Manfredi. Either way,  Kearney has a great voice and even if the story lacked complexity (again with the victors telling their tale, you kinda know they're going to survive), the telling was enjoyable. And the military/battle scenes were superb. I'll certainly be reading Kearney again. 

Deadlocked (Sookie Stackhouse/True Blood) - Charlaine Harris. (2012) (Urban Fantasy, Female, Series)

It's vampire politics as usual around the town of Bon Temps, but never before have they hit so close to Sookie’s heart…

Growing up with telepathic abilities, Sookie Stackhouse realized early on there were things she’d rather not know. And now that she’s an adult, she also realizes that some things she knows about, she’d rather not see—like Eric Northman feeding off another woman. A younger one.

There’s a thing or two she’d like to say about that, but she has to keep quiet—Felipe de Castro, the Vampire King of Louisiana (and Arkansas and Nevada), is in town. It’s the worst possible time for a human body to show up in Eric’s front yard—especially the body of the woman whose blood he just drank.

Now, it’s up to Sookie and Bill, the official Area Five investigator, to solve the murder. Sookie thinks that, at least this time, the dead girl’s fate has nothing to do with her. But she is wrong. She has an enemy, one far more devious than she would ever suspect, who’s set out to make Sookie’s world come crashing down.

One of my smaller reading goals for this year was to be caught up with Harris' series before the new True Blood season began. I enjoy the series... mostly for its ease of reading. It's fast, it's fun, it's entertaining. Having said that, some stories were better than others. I think Deadlocked gets closer to what was so enthralling about the series from the beginning: the likability of Sookie, the genre-blending elements, the humor, the action. Twelve books into the series, there's really no point to elaborate - if you've gotten this far, you're going to read it. If you haven't - the fact that I have is its own testament.

Red Seas Under Red Skies - Scott Lynch. (2008). (Fantasy, Male, Series)

In his highly acclaimed debut, The Lies of Locke Lamora, Scott Lynch took us on an adrenaline-fueled adventure with a band of daring thieves led by con artist extraordinaire Locke Lamora. Now Lynch brings back his outrageous hero for a caper so death-defying, nothing short of a miracle will pull it off.

After a brutal battle with the underworld that nearly destroyed him, Locke and his trusted sidekick, Jean, fled the island city of their birth and landed on the exotic shores of Tal Verrar to nurse their wounds. But even at this westernmost edge of civilization, they can’t rest for long—and are soon back to what they do best: stealing from the undeserving rich and pocketing the proceeds for themselves. 

This time, however, they have targeted the grandest prize of all: the Sinspire, the most exclusive and heavily guarded gambling house in the world. Its nine floors attract the wealthiest clientele—and to rise to the top, one must impress with good credit, amusing behavior…and excruciatingly impeccable play. For there is one cardinal rule, enforced by Requin, the house’s cold-blooded master: it is death to cheat at any game at the Sinspire. 

Brazenly undeterred, Locke and Jean have orchestrated an elaborate plan to lie, trick, and swindle their way up the nine floors…straight to Requin’s teeming vault. Under the cloak of false identities, they meticulously make their climb—until they are closer to the spoils than ever. 

But someone in Tal Verrar has uncovered the duo’s secret. Someone from their past who has every intention of making the impudent criminals pay for their sins. Now it will take every ounce of cunning to save their mercenary souls. And even that may not be enough.…

Damn. About 20 pages in, I cursed myself for waiting so long to pick up the sequel. Damn, damn, damn. Lynch is unbelievably talented. Red Seas is that exquisite combination of world building, intrigue, fantasy elements and characterization that every fantasy book strives to achieve and so few accomplish.

Bear in mind that this is not sword and sorcery. Like the first in the series, this is a fantasy version of Ocean's Eleven. Except there are consequences from Lies that must be handled. The characterizations are richer, deeper, more visceral. Locke is flawed, but empathetic. They're human. They make mistakes, they survive by the skin of their teeth, their victories pale in comparison to their ideologies.

I'm not a big fan of flashback sequences, but Lynch uses them to layer the story and its elements with a surgeon's precision. While there was possibly more naval jargon than I would prefer, it was a necessary evil for the tale. Second in the trilogy, Red Seas does an excellent job of telling its own story as well as building up the tension towards the final installment. It was brisk, compelling and entertaining. I'll definitely be reading the third and final installment, The Republic of Thieves, when it's available.

Kushiel's Mercy - Jacqueline Carey. (2009). (Fantasy, Female, Series)

Having learned a lesson about thwarting the will of the gods, Imriel and Sidonie publicly confess their affair, only to see the country boil over in turmoil. Younger generations, infatuated by their heart-twisting, star-crossed romance, defend the couple. Many others cannot forget the betrayals of Imriel's mother, Melisande, who plunged their country into a bloody war that cost the lives of their fathers, brothers, and sons. 

To quell the unrest, Ysandre, the queen, sets her decree. She will not divide the lovers, yet neither will she acknowledge them. If they marry, Sidonie will be disinherited, losing her claim on the throne. There's only one way they can truly be together. Imriel must perform an act of faith: search the world for his infamous mother and bring her back to Terre d'Ange to be executed for treason. 

Facing a terrible choice, Imriel and Sidonie prepare ruefully for another long separation. But when a dark foreign force casts a shadow over Terre d'Ange and all the surrounding countries, their world is turned upside down, alliances of the unlikeliest kind are made, and Imriel and Sidonie learn that the god Elua always puts hearts together apurpose.

Reading Carey is like coming home. She writes the most beautiful, lyrical and provocative prose out of any author I have ever read. Perhaps her stories are not as complex as GRRM or Scott Lynch - but she makes up for that through her creative worldbuilding and the erotic elements, the latter of which is extremely uncommon in this genre.

Possibly the most challenging thing to achieve in this genre is a well-written romance. Sensual and provocative elements seem well outside the scope of most fantasy authors. But this is where Carey triumphs - infusing and layering emotionally compelling aspects within a fantasy adventure. Truly, I think all fantasy authors should be forced to read Jacqueline Carey before they ever write about romance or sex in their novels.

Being the third book in her second trilogy, I suspected events would lead to certain conclusions. They did, but to Carey's credit, it was neither a direct path nor a predictable one. Imriel, as the other men in the series, is possibly a bit too perfect - though he is certainly more flawed than Joscelin. Sidonie, however, is a brilliantly construed female character, with equal parts vulnerability and strength, intelligence and youthful foolishness.

There is a third trilogy set in Carey's fantasy world, beginning with Naamah's Kiss. There's no way I can go very long without reading her, so I suppose I will be picking this up in the near future.

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Whew. I suppose I need to strive towards more frequent updates, rather than these monstrous summaries. Also, in reflection, I have absolutely failed to meet my goals for non-fiction this year, so far.

Anything here catch your eye or interest? What have you read this summer?

Reading Journal Spring 2012

I'm going to skip the part, for now, where I tell you that shortly after my poison ivy healed up, I helped my friends start a new business, I spent some time working on my manuscript, and then I ended up in the hospital and almost died.

Tales for another time. Here's what I've read!

Dead and Gone by Charlaine Harris. (2009) (Urban Fantasy, Female, Series)
Amazon Blurb: Except for Sookie Stackhouse, folks in Bon Temps, Louisiana, knew little about vamps-and nothing about weres. Until now. The weres and shifters have finally revealed their existence to the ordinary world. And the backlash may have claimed the life of someone Sookie knew well. But her determination to find out who was responsible for the murder is put aside in the face of a far greater danger. A race of unhuman beings-older, more powerful, and more secretive than vampires or werewolves-is preparing for war. And Sookie will find herself an all- too human pawn in their battle...


Thoughts: I definitely wanted a break from the heavier material I'd been reading. Ironically, this wasn't it. This was Sookie experiencing darkness and tragedy and having terrible experiences. While a quick read, this isn't the strongest book in the series. However... please. If you've read this far in the series, you're going to enjoy this. Are some of the cozy, familiar elements missing? Does the story move forward in a reasonable manner? Yes and yes.

Dead in the Family by Charlaine Harris. (2010) (Urban Fantasy, Female, Series)
Amazon Blurb: After enduring torture and the loss of loved ones during the brief but deadly Faery War, Sookie Stackhouse is hurt and she's angry. Just about the only bright spot in her life is the love she thinks she feels for vampire Eric Northman. But he's under scrutiny by the new Vampire King because of their relationship. And as the political implications of the Shifters coming out are beginning to be felt, Sookie's connection to the Shreveport pack draws her into the debate. Worst of all, though the door to Faery has been closed, there are still some Fae on the human side-and one of them is angry at Sookie. Very, very angry...


Thoughts: This was better, and a necessary transition from the tragic events of the previous volume(s) into the reformation of Sookie, the sexy, stubborn, quick-witted, hard-nosed girl that readers (presumably) have grown to love. No matter what, this is good storytelling, just for the record. It's light, fast, and challenging enough. Urban fantasy has the advantage of not having to bog down with epic secondary world building, which leaves more room for character development and plot complications. My goal is to get caught up this series before the time True Blood returns for Season 5. I'm on track and enjoying it thoroughly. 

Kitty Goes to Washington by Carrie Vaughn. (2006). (Urban Fantasy, Female, Series)
Amazon Blurb: Celebrity werewolf and late-night radio host Kitty Norville prefers to be heard and not seen. So when she's invited to testify at a Senate hearing on behalf of supernaturals, and her face gets plastered on national TV, she inherits a new set of friends, and enemies, including the vampire mistress of the city; an über-hot Brazilian were-jaguar; and a Bible-thumping senator who wants to expose Kitty as a monster. Kitty quickly learns that in this city of dirty politicians and backstabbing pundits, everyone's itching for a fight.


Thoughts: I didn't intentionally go on an Urban Fantasy bender, it just so happened that I had an Amazon gift certificate and this was in my TBR pile. Second in the series, this book presumably came with a lot of expectations, at the time. Vaughn is an exquisite storyteller, and while she broadened the stage towards the end of the first book, she cements her character's global reach and influence with this one. The story and character get relevant and meaningful in an epic way by the end of this tale. Mostly, however, I read Carrie Vaughn because I think she does a fantastic job of characterizing strong females who are still feminine. Kitty, as a character, while being the expected 'badass' heroine found in this genre, is also intelligent, vulnerable, sensitive and flawed. Kitty is a girl that's portrayed so realistically in contemporary terms (not the whole "I change into a wolf" thing, of course), you nearly expect to turn on the radio and catch her show, when you're done reading.

P.S. Dear Carrie Vaughn, if you ever read this, (Hi!) I think you should pursue doing a movie about female aviators, ala the story you did for the Warriors Anthology. Your sense of what works in a movie is pretty keen, based on your blog, and your approach and knowledge would (and has) make for excellent storytelling. Based upon the hype of the recent movie about the Tuskegee airmen, I think that your vision and writing would tell a story that would be a million times more provocative and appealing. For everyone else, I remind you that I am the Lord of IToldUSo. ;-)

The Winds of Khalakovo (The Lays of Anuskaya) - by Bradley P Beaulieu. (2011) (Fantasy, Male, New Author, Series)
Amazon Blurb: Among inhospitable and unforgiving seas stands Khalakovo, a mountainous archipelago of seven islands, its prominent eyrie stretching a thousand feet into the sky. Serviced by windships bearing goods and dignitaries, Khalakovo's eyrie stands at the crossroads of world trade. But all is not well in Khalakovo. Conflict has erupted between the ruling Landed, the indigenous Aramahn, and the fanatical Maharraht, and a wasting disease has grown rampant over the past decade. Now, Khalakovo is to play host to the Nine Dukes, a meeting which will weigh heavily upon Khalakovo's future.


When an elemental spirit attacks an incoming windship, murdering the Grand Duke and his retinue, Prince Nikandr, heir to the scepter of Khalakovo, is tasked with finding the child prodigy believed to be behind the summoning. However, Nikandr discovers that the boy is an autistic savant who may hold the key to lifting the blight that has been sweeping the islands. Can the Dukes, thirsty for revenge, be held at bay? Can Khalakovo be saved? The elusive answer drifts upon the Winds of Khalakovo...


Thoughts: This was Beaulieu's debut novel, and is getting some additional promotion lately due to the release of the sequel, The Straits of Galahesh. Due to promotional pricing, I read this on my Kindle, but I can't recommend that to you, unless you're better with the technology than I am. There's a notable Eastern European / Russian flavor to the worldbuilding, which is great - except for all the words that you are going to want to look up via the glossary. I liked the magical system, (I'm biased towards Elemental systems anyway); I felt it was complicated, costly, and powerful and bordered on the spiritual as well. Without giving the game away, there were some aspects that I really appreciated. The story was suitably complex and interesting, with reasonable plot twists and turns. There was some decent character development, perhaps with room for more - which is the downside of a debut novel which also begins a trilogy... there has to be room for the character to grow. I think some of the secondary characters were overly idealized, a little two-dimensional, but again, this has room in the storyline to be addressed. Overall, even with some slow parts here and there (and strange words aside), this was an enjoyably fresh take on the genre - the worldbuilding alone is worth further exploration. I suspect those who are looking for something different in epic fantasy would be pretty well pleased with Beaulieu's debut.

The Games - By Ted Kosmatka (2012) (Science Fiction/Horror, Male, New Author, Stand Alone.)
Amazon Blurb: This stunning first novel from Nebula Award and Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award finalist Ted Kosmatka is a riveting tale of science cut loose from ethics. Set in an amoral future where genetically engineered monstrosities fight each other to the death in an Olympic event, The Games envisions a harrowing world that may arrive sooner than you think.

Silas Williams is the brilliant geneticist in charge of preparing the U.S. entry into the Olympic Gladiator competition, an internationally sanctioned bloodsport with only one rule: no human DNA is permitted in the design of the entrants. Silas lives and breathes genetics; his designs have led the United States to the gold in every previous event. But the other countries are catching up. Now, desperate for an edge in the upcoming Games, Silas’s boss engages an experimental supercomputer to design the genetic code for a gladiator that cannot be beaten.

The result is a highly specialized killing machine, its genome never before seen on earth. Not even Silas, with all his genius and experience, can understand the horror he had a hand in making. And no one, he fears, can anticipate the consequences of entrusting the act of creation to a computer’s cold logic. 

Now Silas races to understand what the computer has wrought, aided by a beautiful xenobiologist, Vidonia João. Yet as the fast-growing gladiator demonstrates preternatural strength, speed, and—most disquietingly—intelligence, Silas and Vidonia find their scientific curiosity giving way to a most unexpected emotion: sheer terror.


Thoughts: This was received for Librarything.com's Early Reviewer program. I'll just say I loved it, and would be reading a lot more sci-fi horror if they were all like this. It will get its own post here within the week.

Update: Review is here: http://zherlios.blogspot.com/2012/06/games-by-ted-kosmatka.html

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Well! I've been putting this post off for weeks! I'm sorry if the descriptions are somewhat rough, but I felt it was better to get it written and out of my head. I'd be happy to go into more detail about these books if anyone wants to chat about them.

While I'm recovering from - "things" - and getting back on track, I suspect my posting to be curtailed to about once a week. Please feel free to soak up the links on both sides of this blog, for entertainment and good book ideas and other such random fun stuff. Til the next.

Reading Journal | 1-16-2012

So continues my sojourn into keeping up with my goals this year, and paying attention to what I read (and watch). As with the other (writing journal), I'm not exactly sure what I want to do with the format just yet, so we'll just keep this nice and simple.


Reading Journal:

Finished Conqueror by Conn Iggulden. LibraryThing Early Reviewers program. Review posted. (Historical Fiction, New Author (to me), Male)

Finished From Dead to Worse by Charlaine Harris. Loved it. Harris' skill continues to grow with each book in the series, as well as the evolution from a series of stand alone stories to a growing epic urban fantasy. Also, a female protagonist who is neither a super hero nor utterly weak, Sookie increasingly makes tough emotional decisions and stands her ground and has to live with the decisions she's made. Is this series as dramatic or complex as most of the fantasy I read? Absolutely not. It's light, it's fun, it's part mystery, part paranormal romance, part urban fantasy. It's certainly escapist - but it's well done - and I believe that to be the point. I am certain to continue with the series. (Urban Fantasy, Female Author)

Next: Marquis de Sade, one of his stories in the anthology I have.

Viewing Journal:

Barbarians - The Mongols.  Was surprised to find this whole History channel documentary on YouTube. It was informative, of course, and more content than I expected. For me, it went hand in hand with Mongol (2007), in my collection, and Conqueror, above. Research wise, the Mongols intrigue me tremendously due to their nomadic lifestyle and effective war strategy - there's at least one or two tribes in Zherlios that will eventually parallel the Mongols, one way or the other (although not entirely).

History's Turning Points - BC 31, Battle of Actium. This was a historical documentary, reflected in Season Two of HBO's Rome. The interesting facts from this were that Octavius wasn't a member of the household (as the fiction suggested), and the slightly less romantic tale of Antony and Cleopatra. However, historically accurate or not, both of those arcs, as well as the warfare involved, make for fantastic fiction.

History's Turning Points - BC 480 - Battle of Salamis. Everyone knows the infamous Battle of Thermopylae, but what is lesser known is that the Persians continued to advance after defeating the Spartans. Ultimately, the Persians were beaten at sea, then again on land by a larger Greek force. This documentary covered those events, with the focus on the naval battle in the Bay of Salamis.

What's fascinating to me, in watching the documentaries, is the level of technology present 2,000 years ago. So often genre readers complain about how all fantasies are set in "medieval" or "Renaissance" settings - but most of the technologies that are considered medieval were actually developed in classical times, in the reign of the ancient Egyptian, Roman, Greek and Persian Empires.

The Fellowship of the Ring (extended version), The Two Towers (extended version), and The Return of the King (extended version). With The Hobbit (Part 1) coming out in December, I thought it was reasonable to rewatch the trilogy. Watching the modernization of Tolkien is refreshing and inspiring. In many ways, I respect and appreciate his tropes, his world-building, his bestiary. (Truly, for a good time, look up "do Dwarven women have beards" on the internet. Hilarious.) In this way, I think the established tropes should be left alone, and accepted as they are.

However, I couldn't help but notice that the Hobbits as a race aren't particularly believable - and with what I've seen of The Hobbit so far - Dwarves are comedy relief. In my own writings, Halflings are more functional and organized as a tribe, and Dwarves take themselves a little more seriously. And, yes, Dwarven women do have beards. Even in real life, one culture's definition of beauty is not the same as the next. In terms of moral ambiguity (Tolkien is too black and white, it is said), I don't think there's wrong with GOOD vs EVIL. It has a place and it's escapist and entertaining and clean. But I also enjoy shades of grey. If you look close enough, even in Peter Jackson's telling, it's not all "super good" versus "super bad", it's a great deal of "mostly good" versus "mostly bad". This is another post altogether, for another time.

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Anything that I've read or seen that you are curious about? Do ask! Otherwise, have a great week!

Reading Journal | Carrie Vaughn, Charlaine Harris, Jacqueline Carey

Well, here it is, the end of 2011, and to tidy up my sense of what I've achieved, and what I need to strive for, here is the final bit of my reading journal, the books I finished before the clock struck midnight.

Definitely Dead (Sookie Stackhouse, Book 6) - There was a hiccup in the smooth flow of the continuing storyline here. It didn't trouble me overmuch, but the short story "One Word Answer" will fill in the gaps in Sookie's plotline, for those of you following along.

All Together Dead (Sookie Stackhouse Series, Book 7) - Bestseller Harris mixes humorous Southern-fried fantasy with biting satirical commentary in her seventh novel to feature Sookie Stackhouse, the bubbly telepathic barmaid from Bon Temps, La. (after 2006's Definitely Dead). Sookie attends an all-important central U.S. vamp summit on the shores of Lake Michigan as a "human geiger counter" for Sophie-Anne Leclerq, vampire queen of a Louisiana weakened by Katrina and who will be tried during the event for murdering her king. Sookie knows the queen is innocent, but she's hardly prepared for other shocking murders, not to mention protests by the Fellowship of the Sun, a right-wing antivampire movement. Her sleuthing skills, along with those of her new telepath friend, Barry the Bellboy, are put to the extreme test. Harris juggles a large cast, including several romantic contenders for Sookie's heart, with effortless exuberance. HBO's True Blood, based on this addictive series, is scheduled to begin its TV run this fall.

I can't say too much that I haven't already said. The series is keeping my attention. Harris is a skilled writer, and it's not likely that I'll stop reading them at this point. However, it is what it is - light, brisk, fun, escapist literature. Are there global themes and character developments and other such literary aspirations? Of course. But mostly, it's entertainment. And that's what storytelling should be.

By the end of this year, I was intent on mixing it up. Keeping with my theme of female authors...

Kitty and the Midnight Hour (Kitty Norville, Book 1) - Kitty Norville is a midnight-shift DJ for a Denver radio station?and a werewolf in the closet. Her new late-night advice show for the supernaturally disadvantaged is a raging success, but it's Kitty who can use some help. With one sexy werewolf-hunter and a few homicidal undead on her tail, Kitty may have bitten off more than she can chew...

I've been wanting to read Carrie Vaughn ever since I read her piece in the Warriors anthology last year. THIS book, I finished in a day. I don't know if it was the story pace or the smoothness of Vaughn's writing style, but the pages flew by. Vaughn is smart and witty, which I had guessed; and I also confirmed that her ability to represent the inner workings of the female mind is amazing.

Of course, by the time all was said and done, it was time to get back into fantasy fiction, and one female author I always enjoy is Jacqueline Carey. After burning through these 300 page urban fantasies, picking up a 960 page epic - well, that's what I read this past week, finishing up Saturday afternoon.

Kushiel's Scion (Kushiel's Legacy) -  Imriel de la Courcel's birth parents are history's most reviled traitors, but his adoptive parents, the Comtesse Phedre and the warrior-priest Joscelin, are Terre d'Ange's greatest champions. Stolen, tortured and enslaved as a young boy, Imriel is now a Prince of the Blood; third in line for the throne in a land that revels in art, beauty and desire. It is a court steeped in deeply laid conspiracies...and there are many who would see the young prince dead. Some despise him out of hatred for his mother, Melisande, who nearly destroyed the entire realm in her quest for power. Others because they fear he has inherited his mother's irresistible allure...and her dangerous gifts. As he comes of age, plagued by unwanted desires, Imriel shares their fears. When a simple act of friendship traps Imriel in a besieged city where the infamous Melisande is worshiped as a goddess and where a dead man leads an army, the Prince must face his greatest test: to find his true self.

While I wouldn't recommend starting off with this book, it holds its own as the beginning of a new trilogy with a new protagonist. Kushiel's Dart is where it all begins, and I would suggest starting there.

I can't say enough good things about Carey. Her prose is beautiful, the world-building is exquisite, and her voice is so smooth and sweet, it's like having a naked woman whispering in your ear and telling you the story (while feeding you grapes).

As fantasy fiction goes, this departs from the norm. It's not as rich in political intrigue as GRRM, but close. It's certainly not crude or direct sword and sorcery. There is magic, and it's powerful and mysterious and delicately flawed. The plots are adept, and while not entirely linear, they aren't difficult to anticipate.

As a male author writing about manly things, it's sometimes easy to overlook those subtle nuances of human frailty, and that's something that Carey expresses so well. In the genre of fantasy fiction, capturing sensuality is often failed miserably, and here again, Carey is outstanding.

Some may say that the story is slow, languid like a lazy river, and that wouldn't be untrue. But in the telling of epic tales, I can appreciate the immersion into the character's life and thoughts, and the slow, gradual growth of the troubled child into a young adult with a little experience and wisdom beneath their belt. The story leaves one wanting for more, even after nearly a thousand pages.

In a holiday week where I found myself heartsick, homesick and agitated, this deep escape into Jacqueline Carey's delicious, smooth, sensual and beautiful story was exactly what the doctor ordered. It became its own homecoming, a return to epic fantasy, and was just what I needed to end 2011.

December 14, 2011 | Reading Journal, News, Links

There's a theory that most people can be connected to one another, for instance, a famous movie star, within 7 degrees of separation. (I may have this idea completely wrong, but since I procrastinate blogging most of the notions in my head, I'm just going to go with it and see what happens.)


1) Big news this week was the release of our first Game of Thrones Season 2 teaser trailer, featuring the Stannis Baratheon (Stephen Dillane) voiceover.

Cold Wind Tease

2) Some may argue that there's actually more footage in this "Making Of" video...



Either way, April can't get here soon enough!

3) Speaking of HBO (see what I did there?), it's been announced all over the web that Christopher Meloni, the former Law and Order: SVU regular lead has been cast as a series regular on True Blood season 5. According to The Hollywood Reporter:

(Executive Producer Alan) Ball describes Meloni’s role as “an ancient, powerful vampire who holds the fate of Bill and Eric in his hands.”

Ever since the news broke that Meloni was negotiating for a role, fans have suspected he may be part of The Vampire Authority, the council which rules over all vampires and gives its royalty their power.

4) Those of us in geekdom may recall the buzz a year ago, when Canadian webcomic artist AK Tettenborn of  "Twice Shy" did a parody of Law & Order: SVU - and a month later received the response from the aforementioned Meloni.

The day after the comic went up, I got an email from a man who told me he was Christopher Meloni’s assistant. According to this man, Ice T had seen my comic and sent it to Meloni, who loved it – and could I please mail them a few signed copies? Because Meloni wanted to get them framed and give them as gifts.

The news? Well, unfortunately, as Meloni moves on to become a vampire, so too does AK Tettenborn - she bid the world farewell from her very popular webcomic this week.

Well, all, after a year of Twice Shy, it's time to say goodbye. I've had a great time making comics for you, and while they're not all winners, some of them weren't bad, and a select few were pretty darned good.

ALOT* of them were pretty darned good, AK! Best of luck to you.

1) And speaking of Season 5 of TrueBlood... last night I finished reading Dead as a Doornail, book 5 of the Sookie Stackhouse Novels by Charlaine Harris.

Notable to me was this: This was the first story in the series where Sookie doesn't sleep with anyone! While most of the male characters still want to sleep with her, there was slightly more mystery than romance within.

Also notable, events from previous novels start to have more significance in this book - and - events from within this tale are going to be far more influential in future stories (presumably). In other words, the introduction of longer story arcs.

Overall, still an enjoyable series, though I fear I'm getting saturated - may have to mix things up. I probably won't, though. It's the holidays, lots of stuff going on... keeping it fast, simple, light and fun.

***

Hmm. Not bad, did it in 5. Any of the above catch your eye?

* Yes, I realize I linked to another webcomic, not the one in question. That was today's theme. :-p

Reading Journal - The Southern Vampire Mysteries by Charlaine Harris (1,2,3 and 4)

Back in June, I mentioned that I had watched HBO's TrueBlood. In some ways, it was a response to not having Thrones on air - in others, everyone I know, including people whose opinion I valued, (haha), were relatively insistent that I watch the series.

So I did. With relish. Something which I had intended to recount here was that by the end of Season 4 of TrueBlood, I had gone and watched Season 1, 2 and 3. Since I am quite the fan of sex and violence, I was hooked.

Going along with my theme of "I should post more often," I had intended to blog when I finished book 1 Dead Until Dark and then after book 2 Living Dead in Dallas. Failing that, I finished Club Dead (#3) over the weekend and finished (#4) Dead to the World this evening.

Good thing I stopped doing book reviews (more or less).

It's safe to say that I enjoyed the reads. Harris, quite simply, is fun. Turn to HBO for the multiple perspective, very intense, multi-layered drama.

In The Southern Vampire Mysteries, it's all from Sookie's point of view.

There are differences - notable ones - from the novel to the television screen. Thrones may be a relatively faithful adaptation - TrueBlood is not.

In the show, Sookie is a slut, and there's little explanation... in the books, however, it fits. There's several references to how her telepathic abilities make dating a nightmare... what if you always knew what YOUR significant other was thinking? Sounds fun for a day. ;-)

What's different in the book, and takes some getting used to, is that you don't know where all the other characters are, unless they're in the scene with Sookie. Having said that, Harris does a good job of filling in gaps without too much exposition. The novels are fast-paced, not overly complicated, and yet there's twists and turns and character development.

Perhaps not as much character growth as in other fantasy tales - on the other hand, these novels take place immediately following the events of the previous book. Further, the events in the book don't often last for more than a month, if that. How much character growth can you expect in a few months?

This is not exactly how it goes in the television series, so again, it's an interesting thing that HBO has done to make TrueBlood .. hmm.. more appealing to their audience and validating the other main roles in the storyline, by giving the other characters more screen time.

In case you're curious... I find that urban fantasy has the best female protagonists. There are subtleties in the novel, things that women consider or think about, that sometimes seem forced or inappropriate when written by a male author; for instance, Sookie checking herself in the mirror is presented for what it is by Harris - she's a woman in her late 20's discovering her self.

Also, moods and the effect of being tired, or scared or angry - so often this is written to sound like women are nags or moody or confusing, yes? When read from inside the mind of the protagonist, (especially one who reads minds), her motivations and impulses, even as a backwoods 20'something girl, make sense. They're valid. They're understandable. This makes Sookie, who is somewhat vain and certainly flawed, a far more sympathetic character than might be expected.

I don't always agree with what Sookie does, of course, but I get it. It doesn't seem false. Too often, television shows do things that seem ... well, a little flaky. Something to get ratings. (Yes, sexposition scenes in Thrones, I'm talking to you.)

I enjoy reading urban fiction because it seems these are the best versions of available female heroines. We know what we see as we see it, but it's nice to get inside Sookie's head and understand motivations.

(Note: This is why I was such a big fan of Jacqueline Carey's Kushiel's Dart
- a well written female protagonist is immensely insightful.)

There are plenty of (what I assume are) strong reviews for The Southern Vampire Mysteries, and having plowed through the first 4 books like they were nothing, I certainly understand why HBO picked up the series.

TrueBlood is a different animal, though some of the markings are similar. There was no way they could tell the same story in television, so they did what they had to do, which was give all the other characters more robust storylines and events. Even the ones who live and die do not follow the novels, necessarily.

Certainly, if TB is too graphic or gritty for you - the novels are more fun, lighter, even more amusing. At the same time, if you want to understand some of the finer details about some of the events in the television series, the novels are a good choice.

Mostly, however, they stand alone as different takes on the same basic story, and are interesting and entertaining enough to be viewed as separate works of art. Charlaine Harris, as noted on the book covers, mixes romance, mystery and the paranormal genres without a hitch. She's done a great job in making a fun, fast-paced, tongue-in-cheek romp through the supernatural world, with characters that are enjoyable to read about, and an original and entertaining protagonist in Sookie Stackhouse.