Grasping for the Wind

Book Review: Misspelled edited by Julie E. Czerneda

* Genre: Short Fiction, Fantasy
* ISBN: 0756404754
* ISBN-13: 9780756404758
* Format: Mass Market Paperback, 48pp
* Publisher: Penguin Group (DAW)
* Pub. Date: April 2008

I like themed anthologies. I like it when and editor takes a topic or notion and collects a series of stories around it. It allows me as a reader to have general background on the tale, and provides for easier reading of short fiction. In Misspelled, Julie E. Czerneda has collected 17 humorous tales about what happens when a spell goes wrong. The collection has some creative tales, as well as several brand new voices who have never been published before. It is an entertaining collection.

Lesley D. Livingston takes the title of the anthology literally and writes a story that is both about a spell going wrong and Freudian slips of the tongue. “Trippingly Off the Tongue” works out well in the end for the protagonist, although its ending is a surprise. Livingston’s tale is probably not the one I would have chosen to lead the anthology off with. The plot is a little difficult to follow (it’s a bit like trying to listen to that Micro Machines guy back in the early nineties) due to its speedy dialogue. Too many ideas are introduced all at once, and I was a bit overwhelmed.

Kristine Smith writes a tale about preparing a house for sale in “8rms, full bsmt.” Some houses just happen to have doors to hell, and that’s where wizards come into play. Smith’s tale is appropriately humorous in this day of the subprime crisis, but I’m not really sure where the spell goes awry in this tale.

“Eye of the Beholder” by Kevin G. Maclean is a cautionary tale about getting what you ask for. Sometimes, you see, beauty really is in the eye of the beholder. Maclean has written a fairy tale turned on its head. I can honestly say, I didn’t see his ending coming (though I should have).

“Cybermancer” by Janet Elizabeth Chase mixes together the worlds of technology and witchcraft. An interesting combo, as in there are so many ways both can go wrong. Chase’s protagonist is not the most likable character, but she does do the right thing when her poor sister is dragged into Hell. I like this one for its particular creativity, and it is one of the few to incorporate technology in this anthology.

Marc Mackay writes a schoolyard tale about messing with things you know nothing about. “Eye of Newt” shows how two young girls learn that sometimes just because something is traditional, doesn’t mean it is useless. This story had a superfluous (implied) lesbian relationship that was unnecessary to the story and ultimately distracting. Had Mackay left it out, his story would have been stronger.

“Chafing the Bogey Man” by Kristen Britain is a hilarious take on the sport of golf. Britain’s poor protagonist makes a huge gaff in his struggle for retaining lost glory, with hilarious results, including the appearance of a rather strange garden gnome.

“A Perfect Circle” by Kent Pollard is another story that incorporates technology. This one does poke a little fun at the MMORPG culture. Having played more than one of them myself, I smiled at Pollard’s good-hearted jabs. His story takes the meaning in misspell literally, with the problem of the story being caused by a spelling error.

First time author Kell Brown’s “Reading, Writing, Plagues” suffers a bit from his lack of explanation. I understood the action as he related it, but I’m still not sure exactly how the misspell took place, even if I am able to identify its results. Brown would do well to work on setting the stage a little better in his tale. Still, it is a classic wizard’s spell gone awry tale, and I’m sure readers will like it.

John Zakour’s “bubblegum for the brain” style of writing holds true in his story “Totally Devoted 2 U” in which a love spell gives the conjurer more (or less, depending on your take) than she bargained for. Like Maclean’s tale above, Zakour’s is a cautionary one. I have liked Zakour’s writing for some time, and he is an excellent humor writer. This one does not disappoint in any respect.

“The Mysterious Case of Spell Zero” is a Sherlock Holmes style mystery tale. Except in this case, the two protagonists solve mysteries involving spells. I found Rob St. Martin’s tale to simple for the genre it is emulating, lacking in any real mystery. The solution is arrived at almost as soon as the problem exists, and so lacks any drama.

“Crosscut” is a story about a fantasy writer who is down on her luck. Demons and writing don’t always mix well, but for the writer protagonist in this tale, the misspell ends up much improving her life. S. W. Mayse’s tale finds laughter in the joy of relief from worry. This is one of my favorites of the collection.

“Bitch Bewitched” tells its entire story from the perspective of a dog. Doranna Durgin’s story is cute, and has puppies and babies in it, so it plucks a little at one’s heart strings. The ending leaves room for more of the story to be explored, and I wonder of Durgin plans to write more stories about the magical border hounds. I'd be sure to read them.

Morgan S. Brilliant’s tale of young adults and their parents is apropos. Relationships are quirky little things as “The Witch of Westmoreland Avenue” knows all too well. For a first-timer, Brilliant writes a solidly entertaining tale.

Being a Quality Assurance Mage isn’t all it’s cracked to be as Kate Paulk makes painfully clear in “A Spell of Quality”. Sometimes Mages call up forces they just can’t handle, and it isn’t even their fault. This story is a bit on the gruesome side to be truly funny, but is still an enjoyable tale.

“Demon in the Cupboard” reminded me too much of my own life. I’ve been told more than once to leave my wife’s kitchen alone and suffered to consequences for not listening. Imagine how much worse it might be if your wife was a which. Nathan Azinger’s protagonist doesn’t listen to his wife, and trouble ensues.

Jim C. Hines should be a familiar name to many of you by now. “Untrained Melody” is another of his humorous tales. I had never thought that a bard could be an accordion player too. Worse yet, his heroine is an untrained bard. It takes the help of a flute playing dwarf to undo the evil the heroine has done. As always, Hines stories bring a smile to my face.

The concluding tale, “Yours for only $19.99”, was another favorite in the anthology. Shannan Palma tells a story about what happens when doing magic without first reading the instructions. Fortunately, it all works out for the young girl who wanted a fairy tale life. Sometimes, reality is better than any story.

Misspelled was an enjoyable and entertaining collection of stories. Even those tales that I had trouble with were still creative enough to entertain. The stories cover a wide spectrum of thoughts on the topic of spells gone awry. I recommend Misspelled as excellent escapism.

Book Review: Obsidian Ridge by Jess Lebow

* Genre: Sword and Sorcery, Media Tie-In, Forgotten Realms
* ISBN: 0786947853
* ISBN-13: 9780786947850
* Format: Mass Market Paperback, 313pp
* Publisher: Wizards of the Coast
* Pub. Date: April 2008
* Series: Forgotten Realms Citadels Series, #2

In a writing style throwback to the adventure stories of Robert Howard and others of his generation of sword and sorcery writers – light on dialogue, big on action - Jess Lebow has brought some of the adventure back to the Forgotten Realms campaign setting in his latest novel, Obsidian Ridge. Foregoing character introspections (except to a limited extent) Lebow allows the action to drive his narrative. It is much like the early Ed Greenwood, when he first began writing media tie in novels for his Forgotten Realms campaign setting.

Obsidian Ridge tells the story of three primary heroes. The Claw is the king’s assassin, whose bladed gauntlets remind me of nothing less than Wolverine. And the Claw uses them to equal effect. Mariko is the king’s daughter, but she is also a budding spellcaster and damsel in distress. Korox, King of Erlkazar - a newly formed nation that broke off from Tethyr - is forced to make a decision about whether or not to give up his daughter to the arch magus Xeries, master of a floating mountain in the sky called the Obsidian Ridge. Twisted in body and mind, Xeries threatens to destroy all of Erlkazar if he does not receive Mariko for his payment. But there are other forces at work. The criminal underworld of Lhorbauth – capital of Erlkazar – has captured Mariko and holds her for ransom from a desperate king. The king and the Claw must find Mariko, all the while wondering whether or not to turn over Mariko to the evil Xeries.

As you can see from the synopsis in the previous paragraph, there is a lot of potential for action in the story, and Lebow leverages it to the hilt. The story is light on dialogue, and instead moves from action sequence to battle scene, from battle scene to fight scene, with a dose of mystery thrown into the mix rather than conversation to move the narrative forward. The identity of the Claw, and the king of the underworld both remain a significant mystery for a large part of the story, although the astute reader will guess their identities quickly.

Although it is action that drives the plot, there is some time given over to introspection. Korox especially wrestles with what it means to be king. But Lebow’s skill is not in getting us to emotionally connect with the characters, rather it is in giving us heroes that we cannot help but cheer for. Reading Obsidian Ridge was like watching a football game in which you know nothing of the players except their names. As you watch, the announcers give you little tidbits of information about the players, and you appreciate them, but that isn’t why you tuned in. You tuned in because you needed something to cheer for, to watch one team beat another. In Obsidian Ridge you want to watch the team of Korox, Mariko, and the Claw beat Xeries and the criminal underworld. What you learn of their characters in the meantime is interesting, but is not why you choose to read the book.

The novel has flaws. It is a simple plot, and Lebow uses deus ex machina a few times. The Claw and Mariko get out of a few scrapes a bit too fortuitously and this can seem a little contrived. When the plot tries to zig or zag, it is usually pretty obvious where the author is going, and when a surprise does occur, it is because the reader had little foreshadowing and so had no reason to expect it.

If you enjoy dialogue as part of the story, Lebow uses only what he must. The story is mostly told through a description of events as they unfold. Characterization is simplified and the motivations of the characters are not in any way complex – except for Korox. He alone really struggles with himself.

I don’t think that this novel makes a good entry point for new Realms readers. It explains little of the Realms mythos, and in fact only has a very few mentions of the standard races and denizens of the realms. Even those are usually part human, part something else. A little prior knowledge of the Realms would stand the reader in good stead for understanding the Realms story Lebow has written. The book could have been placed in another setting other than the Realms and still have been essentially the same story. I do recommend it for all Realms readers to add to their collection. It is not a stand out novel, but neither is it mediocre, and so it fits snuggle into that area of fiction that is best classified as an enjoyable read.

In Obsidian Ridge Jess Lebow took a difficult topic - it is part of the Forgotten Realms The Citadels series, where the writers try to write a story about fortresses and castles - and made an interesting story of it. It has inescapable dungeons, a love story, truly evil villains, battle and fight scenes, and a hero who uses gauntlets as weapons. What more could you ask for from a sword and sorcery novel?

Book Review: Return of the Sword edited by Jason M. Waltz

* Genre: Sword and Sorcery, Short Fiction
* ISBN: 097957885X
* ISBN-13: 9780979578854
* Format: Paperback, 344pp
* Publisher: Flashing Swords Press, an imprint of Cyberwizard Productions
* Pub. Date: March 2008

The Return of the Sword is the first anthology published by the newly minted Flashing Swords Press, itself the publishing arm of the formerly defunct and recently revitalized Flashing Swords e-zine. Giving itself the byline “An Anthology of Heroic Adventure” Return of the Sword is editor Jason M. Waltz’s collection of 19 new stories, one classic reprint, and one article that look at the character of the hero, particularly as he appears in the sword and sorcery subgenre of fantasy. In Waltz’s introduction to the anthology, he writes that “heroes continue to do the ordinary in extraordinary times and do the extraordinary in ordinary times.”

The stories contained in Return of the Sword manage to show that truth in many ways, with varied success.

The anthology begins with a female protagonist in “Altar of the Moon” a story by Stacey Berg that thinks about the problems inherent in the magical weapons that heroes use. What this hero is forced to do to quell the magic in her sword may surprise you. Berg’s writing is fluid, and this very short story is an interesting take on the magical weapon trope.

“The Wyrd of War” by Bill Ward is a graphic battle story. It is sad for its protagonist and the ending will wrench you heart. Ward has his protagonist make a fearsome decision, one I hope no one in this modern age must face, although I fear that in some ways it is more common than you think. The story has repercussions in the euthanasia debate. (Likely this is something the author did not foresee, but I came away thinking about it.)

“The Last Scream of Carnage” by Phil Emery uses strange word placement, replacement of quotes with italics, and a sense of raw emotion to tell the story of a heroes sacrifice. Waltz’s “editors choice” it is the most groundbreaking story in the anthology. Although groundbreaking in style, I found its narrative difficult to follow and I did not enjoy this story, for all its creativity.

I also disagree with Waltz’s decision to have an “editor’s choice” since in reality, he chose all of the stories contained in the anthology, and to elevate one above all the rest is unnecessary and distracting. His job as editor is to choose stories readers will enjoy, not tell us which one we should like best, as our tastes are not necessarily going to conform to his. His “editor’s choice” decision led to this story being the only one that is illustrated and I’d like to say I feel slighted on behalf of the other writer’s who contributed work to this anthology.

“The Battle of Raven Kill” by Jeff Draper is a story of self-sacrifice. The story is one man’s last stand against a horde of barbarians. Draper weaves an elegant and protracted fight scene that is thrilling to read.

Nicholas Ian Hawkins’ “What Heroes Leave Behind” is about an aged warrior. Tolasun is a hero who has lived longer than his legend. Hawkins writes a believable tale about a warrior who comes full circle, and how when heroes die, there are those who will pick up the mantle. The “shadow” that is part of the story is nicely woven in, and Hawkins makes that spectre an interesting and unique foe.

“Fatefist at Torkas Nahl” is an alright tale. David Pitchford pits the leaders of three opposing armies against each other, a unique type of battle, but it was overly complex, and the Fatefist himself was inexplicably obtuse. This story was neat to read, but I turned its final page not feeling that I had really been told much of a story, just a sequence of events.

Ty Johnston delves into the hero versus fate story with “Deep in the Land of Ice and Snow”. It is a story that has some of the feel of legend. Ultimately though, this story would have better served as a prologue to a larger novel or novella.

“Mountain Scarab” looks into the “knight in shining armor” story. Although in this case, the knight is less than shining, and his reasons for saving the fair damsel are unknown even to him. Jeff Stewart is reprising a character that he has used before, but he story is enjoyable and the way the protagonist wins his battle is quite different if a little too much deus ex machina.

Angeline Hawkes “Lair of the Cherufe” was the least likable story of the anthology. There are glaring plot holes in her story (such as the need for the blood of royal virgins to satiate the monster’s desire. If this were true, it is unlikely the king would ever have let his daughter near the man who worshiped the monster!) It is also is two stories crammed together into one. One is about the search for a sword and the other the killing of the monster. The sword is necessary for the second to be completed, but the tale of its finding either needed to be expanded to hold more interest or done away with altogether. Hawkes also throws in new confrontations with no foreshadowing. (The guardians of the lava monster.) The story ended up being poorly written even in a subgenre that is deeply tolerant of such things as I have mentioned.

“To Be a Man” by Robert Rhodes is a little crude in its content, but it is an interesting flip-flop of the barbarian chases damsel tale. The laughs Rhodes gets for his tale are more likely ones of discomfort that true laughter. Still, it is unique and there are many men who would not have done as the protagonist did for the entire world.

A collection and expansion of some of his blog posts, “Storytelling” is a nonfiction article by E. E. Knight which has a lots of very specific tips and tricks for the budding writer. With several novels to his credit, Knight’s advice is worth reading for any aspiring writer.

James Enge gives readers of Black Gate a new Morlock Ambrosius story in “”The Red Worm’s Way”. Though not as strong a story as those in Black Gate is still true to form and continues to entertain. New readers of Morlock should go back and read the first stories in Black Gate.

“To Destroy all Flesh” by Michael Ehart is another story with female heroes. Though this story is not particular exciting, it serves as an excellent introduction to Ehart’s characters, stories if whom have recently been collected into a single volume. I was intrigued enough that I might want to read Ehart’s other stories. His writing is fluid and his characters heroic with a twist.

Thomas M. MacKay looks at the use of rage by the hero in “Guardian of Rage”. MacKay is using a character from other stories he has published and unfortunately what results is a character that those who have not read those prior stories can get attached to. While I applaud the protagonist’s heroic actions the element of rage that MacKay introduces is not distinguishable from the standard behavior of the hero and so adds little to the story.

Christopher Heath tackles the stereotype of the “brute barbarian” in “Claimed by Birthright”. Heath’s story owed as lot to the Conan tales (he even uses the word “Cimmerian”) but twists it just slightly to allow wit combined with brute force to win the day. Not a stand out story, but still solid and entertaining.

Nathan Meyer’s “The Hand that Holds the Crown” is a story about betrayal. There is actually no clear hero, and I am a bit surprised it was included in this anthology. Still, it is a story with not one, but two surprising twists, and I enjoyed how it ended.

“The Dawn Tree” by S.C. Bryce is another story about betrayal, but this time about a hero being tricked into betraying himself. This was an excellent story, and Bryce’s concept of the Dawn Tree ushering in the new epoch is creative.

Allen B. Lloyd and William Clunie’s collaborative story “An Uneasy Truce in Ulam-Bator” is the only truly humorous tale in this collection. It introduces two characters that Clunie and Lloyd plan to write more about. I look forward to the stories these two will tell with this unlikely pair of companions.

Steven Goble writes a tale of a heroes driving force in “The Mask Oath”. In this case, it is not revenge that drives the hero. This is a tale of the noble hero, whose heroism comes from honor, justice, and love of country. It subtly praises the characteristics we prize so highly in our own armed forces.

“Valley of Bones” by Bruce Durham is a story about the front line soldier. The heroism and selflessness displayed by the protagonist is the same we all would aspire to have in our own lives. Durham’ story exemplifies how anyone may be a hero given the right motivation and the right set of circumstances, the type of hero who says that “I only did what anyone would do.”

The final story in this anthology is one of Harold Lamb’s Cossack historical fantasy stories. This is good story for people unfamiliar with Lamb to read to get a sense of those prolific but until recently forgotten author. Now, thanks to Howard Andrew Jones and Bison Press we can read the stories of Lamb again, or for the first time.

Overall, this anthology is enjoyable. It has some stories that are less the stellar and I have pointed them out as well as I could. Readers should also know that although this story is about heroes, it is also mostly about heroes of the sword and sorcery variety. These are the heroes who most often tend to fight for gold, women, and glory. So in some ways, the stories can get repetitious because the same tropes are encountered again and again. This does not mean that he stories are poorly written, quite the contrary, but the reader might want to break up the reading of these stories.

If you like sword and sorcery fantasy, you will like this anthology. If Conan style stories bore you or seem to simplistic, there are no stories here for you. Everyone who writes will benefit from E. E. Knight’s writing suggestions, but they can be found in another form on his blog. Overall, I enjoyed the anthology and read through it quite quickly, proving to me that I was having fun. And that is what this first offering from Flashing Swords Press is meant to do. Return of the Sword is meant to entertain, and it succeeds, for the most part.

Hidden Reality: An Interview with Michelle Sagara West

Michelle Sagara West is a prolific author under several pen names. In our interview, she talks about being a bookseller, writing a prequel, and how she wants to write characters who are real and behave in realistic ways. A very knowledgeable writer who employs beautiful language even when she is just doing an interview with a lowly blogger like me, Michelle West is an author you should look into reading.

Be sure to read my review of The Hidden City, where Michelle comments on my review and talks more about writing real characters.

Grasping for the Wind: Besides being a writer, you are also a bookseller at Bakka-Phoenix in Toronto. Do you find that rewarding? Any memories of a favorite sale you made?

Michelle West: I love, love, love working in a bookstore. I think I always have (I've worked in bookstores, changing employers, without a break since I was sixteen years old.)

Part of the reason that I started writing novels was indirectly because of that. I had taken creative writing before, in both high school and university, and I had mostly concentrated on poetry or the type of dense prose that is almost poetry, but as I wasn't going to follow an academic career track, this didn't seem like anything I could do as a career; I still write poetry, but with one exception, have never tried to get any of it published.

I knew that I would never make enough to live on as a bookseller; the income is middling retail, even working full-time, and while it seemed like a lot at sixteen, once I actually had to pay rent and do things like eat, it wasn't.

So... I thought about the things I could do, and love, that I could combine with bookselling so that I could pull my own weight, and I decided that I would try to write fiction, for publication.

But yes, I find it rewarding. Because it's a job that involves books. Books and reading have always been enormously important to me. I love being able to figure out what customers like to read, and I love being able to match them with books they will love (even if they're books that I personally don't or can't love in the same way). It's the best part of the job. It does mean, though, that I'm thoroughly broken of the habit of shoving my books into the hands of people whose taste I don't have any sense of, because I feel, on some level, that I should only be giving them things I have some sense they'll love. And frankly, Military SF readers are not going to love my books, as a single example.

I think possibly one of my favorite sales -- and these blur over time -- was to a retired older gentleman who came into the store when the three people working were all women who were significantly younger than he was. He was polite, but he was so very hesitant because we were all girls.

I understand that some people would find this irritating; we didn't because he was of a generation in which it was probably extremely rare to run across women who adored the genre he loved -- and he approached with that hesitance to ask me if maybe I had heard of a couple of authors (Alfred Bester, A.E. Van Vogt, Asimov), and of course, I had. When I started to answer, he relaxed completely, and just started to talk. His grandson was interested in SF, and he was hoping to find some of the books that he'd loved and read in the original to give to his grandson. We did find a couple of those (with some argument over the best of the Besters, but it was a friendly argument), and then I gave him a few more recent novels as well.

He bought those, and he thanked us for our time, and he left -- but for some reason that particular sale stays with me.

For more of West's thoughts on bookselling read her interview with Jim C. Hines.

GFTW: Your latest novel, The Hidden City, is a tragic novel. Why did you decide to write a novel so filled with tragedy, but with the faintest hint of hope?

MS: I'm not quite sure how to answer this, because I had no intention of writing a novel that -was- a tragedy.

I've written the six-book series, THE SUN SWORD, and one major plot thread was not addressed by the end of it: the House War, which would be the war for control and rulership of House Terafin, the most powerful of the Houses in the Empire. I wanted to write about the House War, and I intended to write in the present of the current time-line, with flash- backs to the early years of the den, as a braided narrative.

This was the plan, but when I started to write the first book of what I thought was two books, the start of the book was from Rath's viewpoint. A little bit about this.

I will start a novel many times, from different viewpoints and during different events, trying to find my way into the book. I have false positives sometimes, if I'm writing something I really like, but when I actually have the start of the book in hand, I know. With HIDDEN CITY, the start of the book, unfortunately, was Rath's viewpoint.

For a variety of reasons, and attempting not to spoil, this meant that the braided past/present narrative structure was not going to work. Which meant that I could either give up on writing about the den's past, or I could write a book (or two) about it. And in the end, I chose to write about the den's past.

You will probably think this is slightly funny, but when I started the book, I felt that readers would find it less stressful because they already know who lives and who dies. My husband, however, pointed out that new readers wouldn't know this up front.

I never considered the book itself a tragedy, possibly because I've written so much about the den in the 'present'. I knew that where they came from was not by any stretch of the imagination what we would call a good life, but I also knew that they would see it from a different cultural context. So what I was concerned with, as a writer, was making their situation, and the subsequent way they came together as a family, more real.

You and I have talked a bit about action and consequence before. I don't feel the need to invent a new and interesting way to kill people, because I think the tragedy of death, and the way in which we're scarred by the things that don't kill us, don't require the All New Interesting Death option. What I do want, though, is some sense of the emotional aftermath of actions, because it's our -reaction- to tragedy that illuminates who we are. So, in your review, when you talk about the lack of actual action, you're touching on something that probably annoys some readers; it's not the action itself that interests me so much as what comes -of- the action.

And what comes of action is often the thing that is elided, so the actions themselves, which might be the same -- or far worse -- don't hit us as hard.

I also don't feel that I am doing anything darker in these books than other fantasists do; I think the possible difference is the protagonists live in their lives. They are not living quiet, happy lives when you find them, and they have no easy way of rising above the lives they lead because of their age and their situation. What they can do, though, is privilege the positive over the negative in the lives they are leading.

What Jewel offers them, and what they offer each other, is a better way of living, or a more hopeful one.

GFTW: Rath’s character was the most difficult for me as a reader to understand. What was your intent in writing about a character who could be so kind as to allow Jewel’s children to live with him, yet ignore them otherwise?

MS: I've learned, over time, that I can't actually predict which of my characters readers will love, and which they will hate, so I simply try to make the characters as real as I can, and let them stand on their own.

In this case, Rath is a person who has survived by wits and skill for a number of decades, in a variety of different social circumstances; he is not a very social man, and Jewel was therefore a surprise, to him. His reactions to her, which, over the course of the book become clear, stem from his past and his inability to accept that past for what it was.

But, it's less simple than that. What she is, he doesn't see clearly at first, because no two people understand each other perfectly on first meeting. Or second. I could argue that there are some people who can live with each other for years and never understand each other completely, because it takes a certain amount of will, intent, and attention. In part, and against his better judgment, he allows her to build her den because he's curious about where, and how far, she's willing to take things, and because he tells himself he can get rid of her -- and them -- at any time.

I'm not sure if I'm answering your question, because I'm not sure I entirely understand it =/. He was willing to take her in, but unwilling to let her get in the way of his life -- because, if he were being true to his own vision of himself, she wouldn't be part of his life. At all. And also because the type of work he does, if it can be called work, requires long stretches of time away from his home.

He ignores them because he doesn't want them to know, or be involved, in his work. He doesn't feel that this is cruel - why would he? He's not living in a society in which cruelty can be defined by neglect of this nature. Jewel's father loved her, but when the docks and ports were open, he was -never home- because if he were home, it would mean he had -no work-, which would mean starvation and death for the two of them. Even when her Oma died, and Jay was alone in the home for hours on end, nothing about her isolation could change the truth of that fact; her father -could not be home-.

Rath is somewhat similar, but were he inclined, he might use cash reserves to stay home; he's not. He uses the money for other elements (often unexpected) that his business might require (hiring Harald and his men, for instance).

In modern day life, this type of neglect might seem horrific. But even when my parents were children, it was frequently a fact of life.

GFTW: The Hidden City is a prequel to the other novels you have written set in the same world. Was it difficult for you to go back and write a story set in the history of your established characters? Did you have to do a lot of research back into what you had written before in order to remain consistent with the story you had already told, or was it easy to remember since you had been intimate with these characters for so long?

MS: The first word I wrote about Jewel and her den was sometime in 1994. I'm still writing about them now (the current work in progress is HOUSE NAME, sequel to HIDDEN CITY) in 2008.

So, fourteen years, more or less, and I think it would not be inaccurate to say that I'm not quite the same person I was fourteen years ago, because life experience does change the way you think and view the world.

I've always written -- usually briefly -- about elements of the den's past from the present. This is not hard because the past, the scene or scenes that I write, are not connected to anything -but- the character in the present; they're meant to underline emotion.

Since I had intended to write a braided narrative of past/present, to give readers a stronger sense of when the den was formed, and how, and why the current House War was so relevant to them as a whole, I didn't worry too much. When it became what it is now, however, it was significantly more difficult.

The whole paradigm of the past changes, because it's -no longer- the past; it's not used in small glimpses as a way of underscoring emotion in the now. The past -becomes- the now. And the now of story makes stronger demands on narrative structure because it has to work as a novel, it has to have the power of story and causality behind it.

Before I started, I read all of the books, and I made notes about anything I said. I missed a couple of things, and as usual, minor details shifted because I'm not very good at remembering things that are physical. I also discovered, to my surprise, that my writing style has changed over time; I hadn't expected this, although I probably should have, because what -I- remember about these books are the key emotional scenes that drove me to write them in the first place.

I then made a time-line of known events, and dropped those which simply didn't work. I didn't overwrite them, but there are a few places over the years where I have changed ages by a year =/.

But the hardest part about writing something like this? I know what's going to happen. Not only do I know (and this is not unusual), but I'm - stuck with it-. It's -already happened-.

So anything that the characters reveal, anything they grow into, ways in which they present themselves that I didn't expect or didn't fully anticipate can't actually -change- the events that are already writ in stone.

It's this last that makes it challenging and very difficult, because my normal writing process allows anything at all to change within the context of what I know about the world. Even if the story at the time requires that something in the middle of the book -has to- happen... I change it. I need to feel that the book itself is organic, and that
what happens is a natural extension of character and reaction.

Which, in books of this nature, I can't freely do with nearly the openness. Which is not to say that things did not occur which surprised me. Rath was a surprise to me.

GFTW: You have written many reviews for The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. How do you approach review writing, and what do you do while reading a book to ensure that your review is well-written and thoughtful?

MS: First, I started reviewing because I needed to read, and every time I sat down with a book, I would look at the mess of my house or the words that needed writing or the children that wanted time, and I would put it down. A review column meant that it was work, so I could read without guilt.

Sadly, I am not making this up.

Both of my kids are older now, and I get much more of a chance to read, but because I still can't read as much as I used to before I had children, I don't finish anything I don't like. This means that in general, I'm going to be reviewing books for which I'm in some part the natural audience; I liked them enough to finish them, flaws aside.

So I start with a pile of new books and ARCs, and I just open them up and start reading. If for some reason I didn't care enough to finish a book, I obviously won't be reviewing it.

I consider the reviews I do to be entirely different creatures from critiques, the long and more detailed look at a book's themes, influences, and history. I love these, by the way -- but they're not, in general, what I write. I write reviews in large part as an extension of what I do at the store when someone asks for a book recommendation. Which means I have to have enough plot synopsis to give a reader an idea of what the book is about, without spoiling anything that might otherwise surprise them.

What I try to do with each review is think of who I'd be recommending it to, in store, because obviously I have no face-to-face time with the readers of these reviews. The review only has to (hopefully) speak to the possible audience for the book (or what I think is the possible audience, because after all is said and done, a review is simply an opinion).

I also try to match tone to content; if a book requires a great deal of thought and concentration, like Hal Duncan's VELLUM, I try to make that clear; if the book is possessed of strong narrative ticks (see VELLUM again), I also try to make that clear, because if you're doing things with narrative structure that don't follow a relatively straight line, that's where (in my bookstore experience) you'll lose the most readers; it's not the prose, and it's not even the felicity of characterization. But I adored that book, and it ate my brain for a couple of weeks, and I also made that perfectly clear.

For something like a Patricia Briggs book, which you can read at the end of a long and frustrating day, none of these things (except that I really liked the book) are going to be a problem; these reviews tend to emphasize the nature of the entertainment, and they deal with flaws (if there are flaws) that make the book less entertaining than it might otherwise have been.

Which is a long way of saying, it depends on the book .

If I were reviewing books I didn't particular care for, I would approach things differently.

GFTW: Finally, what has been a response from a reader that you particularly enjoyed getting?

MS: I think one of my favourite emails was one I received for BROKEN CROWN many years ago. In it, the reader thanked me because she said the book was the first fantasy novel she had read in over ten years in which the characters never felt out of character; that all of their many actions seemed entirely true to who they were, and none of those actions seemed to be undertaken at my convenience.

Actually, let me give you another: email I received after HUNTER'S OATH had been published. The email was not actually -about- HUNTER'S OATH, but it was written by a young woman who lived in Oregon. She had seen OATH, had picked it up, had put it down, had come back and picked it up, had put it down, and while she was in the process of doing this, she remembered the last book that she had done this with: my very first published novel, INTO THE DARK LANDS. It was a book that she'd read at 16 years of age, and she adored it.

So she picked up HUNTER'S OATH, and read the copyright page. And saw that it was, in fact, written by the same author as INTO THE DARK LANDS. Which is when she hunted down an email address for me. The email was long, and she'd read all of my novels, which she used as incentive to get through her exams. We corresponded for a number of years after that, before we finally fell out of touch -- but that first letter that she wrote almost justified the entire SUNDERED series for me, and at a time when I needed it.

Because in the end? I write books that I hope will move and affect readers in the same way that I am moved and affected by books that I've read and loved. I know that it's not possible for me to move everyone this way, but when it does work, it makes me feel as if I've achieved something that is valuable, or meaningful.

GFTW: Thank you very much for your time.

Godspeaker: An Interview with Karen Miller

Karen Miller, is the author of the bestselling Kingmaker,Kingbreaker trilogy, a couple of Stargate SG-1 novels, and of several more novels in those worlds as well as all new ones to come, as she elucidates in this interview. One of my favorite authors, Karen's stories are the kind readers of epic fantasy will love. For more of my thoughts you can visit these other pages on my site.

My reviews of The Innocent Mage and The Awakened Mage.

My interview with Karen about the Kingmaker, Kingbreaker duology.

My review of Empress, the first in the Godpeaker trilogy.

Now, on to the interview.

Grasping for the Wind: You have stated elsewhere that you were trying to write a very different novel from the Kingmaker, Kingbreaker duology with Empress. How is it different?

Karen Miller: I think the main differences are found in the setting, which is a long way away from a medieval/renaissance/European influence, and in the tone, and in the central character. And the journey the reader takes with that central character, Hekat, is very very different from the one readers of the Kingmaker, Kingbreaker books undertake. There’s also less lightness, less humour, which is sad, but that’s the way the world turned out in the writing. This is a much tougher book to read, I think, because the world is harsh and the characters are pretty confronting. It’s risky, there’s no doubt about it.

GFTW: You have also said that you felt that Empress was a necessary addition to its sequels in order that we might better understand Hekat. Your sequels to Empress are supposed to be more like the Kingmaker, Kingbreaker duology in mood and tone. Why not just let the sequels to Empress stand alone as another duology?

KM: Well, the short answer to that is: Because that’s the way the story wanted to be told! *g* When the idea for this story first came to me, Hekat’s role in it was much briefer, but I quickly realised that wasn’t working. Basically, she demanded the stage. And I wanted to explore this culture, I wanted to show it in all its savagery and mystery. I wanted to do something different in the genre, and stretch my wings a bit. There was no way I could explore Hekat as a character if I didn’t make her the focus of the first novel, and show her in the context of her culture. And from the entire trilogy’s point of view, when we shift location to the cultures that flourish elsewhere, the reader knows exactly what’s coming. The threat has been made viscerally real. Now, whether or not that gamble pays off isn’t for me to decide, of course. I just have to keep my fingers crossed that readers are happy to go along for the ride!

GFTW: Empress is a very violent, very blood filled novel. This is different from your previously published work. Was it difficult to write something so very different from your previous imaginings?

KM: It was difficult in the beginning, yes. The writing style in Empress is different from my other work, the narrative rhythm is quite distinct, and many of the characters are quite challenging people to embrace. I battled my way through much of the first draft, coming to grips with the shifts in my regular approach and style, and in the vastly different tone of this story. But once I’d nailed down the first draft and turned to rewriting, I found the process went much more smoothly. I will say that the levels of violence and blood weren’t any part of the challenge. They are such an integral part of the culture that once I immersed myself in that world, it all flowed very naturally. When it came to writing Hekat, basically I just went to my dark side and abandoned all social restraints. In an odd way, that was very cathartic, once I’d given myself over to it!

GFTW: Although Hekat is a sympathetic character at the beginning of the novel, we have come to dislike her very much by the end. How were you able to write a character that rather than having an upward spiral toward a “happily ever after” instead moved on a downward spiral filled with selfishness and hate? Was it a conscious choice to send Hekat down that path, or was in a natural outgrowth of her character?

KM: Ah ha! My dastardly plan has been revealed! *g* Yes. Hekat was never intended to be ‘the good guy’ in this story. And that’s another reason for focusing so strongly on her in the first volume of the trilogy – one of the story threads is her downfall. Things could’ve worked out very differently, for everyone, if she’d made different choices. So yes, it was a conscious choice to send her down such a dark road. What she does affects her country, her people, and the people around her. It has an effect on the whole world. I wanted to explore what it’s like to take that kind of personal journey, and what happens to the people around you when you do. And she’s such a strong personality, she just forged ahead. There was never any question, for me, that she’d suddenly wake up one morning and renounce her bloodthirsty ways. She was never destined for happy ever after … and I find that quite sad, really.

GFTW: For all Hekat’s faults, she does produce a good son. Will we see more of him in the sequels?

KM: Absolutely. Zandakar has an integral role to play in this story, which is tied to the mystical vision his father had of him, in the godhouse of Et-Raklion. He’s massively important, and I’m very fond of him.

GFTW: Did you do a lot of research into historical cultures in order to create the barbarian society and religion of Mijak? Any society you particularly based it on?

KM: Yes, I did do a great deal of research, melding a lot of ancient cultures to come up with Mijak. The Hittites, Sumer, Mesopotamia, Persia, Babylon and Sparta, basically. I did a lot of reading, watched a lot of History Channel documentaries, and visited the University of Chicago’s antiquities museum (which is splendid, everyone should go there). And then I kind of mashed them all together and let them percolate into what became the world of Mijak. It was a lot of fun! Especially finding out about the Hittites. They were an amazing people.

GFTW: Why did you entwine your “magic system” so closely with religion? And why does the blood sacrifice requiring, scorpion worshipping religion play such a large role in Empress?

KM: Well, one of the themes of this trilogy is the role of religion in the life of a people. It gets explored in the sequels, too. I think religion, of any stripe, is a phenomenally powerful force for good and evil in the world, depending on how it’s presented, interpreted and acted out by the people practising it. In Empress, I wanted to make religion an absolutely indisputable fact, I wanted the idea of doubt to be impossible, and then to look at how that certainty might impact a culture. The supernatural elements of the Mijaki religion reinforce its power and its existence, so it was important to show it that way. Again, I don’t want to give too much away in terms of what’s revealed in the other two books … but I will say that my intention was not to push the idea that religion is a bad thing. I don’t believe it is. But I do believe it can be used badly, and Mijak is a prime example of that.

GFTW: Your Godspeaker trilogy is complete, having already been published in your native Australia and being published in the US and UK over the next year. What can you tell us about what you are writing right now?

KM: Well, right now I’m working on the next book in a new series that’s just launched here in Australia, and will be coming out in the US/UK next January. It’s written under a pen name, K.E. Mills, but it’s still me! We decided to go with the pen name because it is a series – standalone adventures with a continuing cast of characters – instead of a two, three or five book self-contained story arc. Also, the tone is very different again, especially from Empress, and the cultural background is more closely aligned with the Victorian era. This isn’t epic historical fantasy. It’s not comic fantasy, either, serious things still happen, there’s a lot of drama, but there is a lot more humour – mainly because of the way the characters interact with each other. Lots of banter. It’s called the Rogue Agent series, and the first book is titled The Accidental Sorcerer. I’m having a lot of fun with it, and getting back to that world is enormously entertaining for me.

After that, I return to the Kingmaker, Kingbreaker world for the first of the two-part sequel that explores what happened after the Wall came down. That’ll be followed by a standalone prequel, in which I’ll tell the story of Barl and Morgan. Plus there’s the third Rogue Agent novel to write, and another Stargate SG-1 novel … basically, I’m chained to a computer for the next two years! *g*

GFTW: You wrote a media tie in novel for the Stargate SG-1 TV series. Did you have to approach writing this novel differently from your other works? In what way?

KM: Yes and no. I take the Stargate books very, very seriously. I know there are people out there who think folk who write media tie-ins are hacks without standards, but I utterly refute that claim. I’ve been a fan of the show ever since it started airing, and I consider myself enormously fortunate to be allowed to play in that sandbox, with those characters. I believe I have a huge obligation to do the very best job I can – I owe it to the producers, the actors, the crew and the fans to pour my heart and soul into the Stargate stories I write. And I do. At the end of the day I might come up short, in some fans’ eyes, but if I do it’s not because I didn’t take the work seriously. So in terms of being rigorous in the writing and rewriting process, it’s exactly the same. It’s absolutely not the case of chucking down any old sentence and letting it sit there on the page like suet. I polish and rewrite till the very last gasp!

I do a lot of research. Some of that involves rewatching pertinent episodes (there’s a hardship!) and sometimes it’s regular-style research. I’ve just done my second Stargate novel, Do No Harm, which is out in a few weeks, and I had to do a lot of medical research for that one. I just can’t stress enough – I don’t look at media tie-in work as some kind of poor relation. It’s as valid as any kind of storytelling, in my eyes, and I work as hard at it as I do at my mainstream fantasy novels.

Probably the biggest difference is that with the Stargate novels, you’re working in a shared world with a common frame of reference. So there’s less world-building, less exposition, because the writer and the reader already have an understanding of the environment. So that simplifies the writing process to a certain degree. But to balance that is the complexity of getting the characters right, keeping them true to the characters we see on screen. That’s the biggest challenge, and the most fun.

GFTW: What has been a response from a reader that you particularly enjoyed getting?

KM: I had a lovely letter from a gentlemen recently, who wrote to tell me that his wife had thoroughly enjoyed the two Kingmaker, Kingbreaker books, was very disappointed that there were only two, and would I kindly rectify that as soon as possible. That really did tickle my funny bone! And of course, I was thrilled to be able to write back and say yes, there are more on the way.

GFTW: Thanks for your time!

Check out The Book Swede's interview on with Karen on Empress and various other topics.

Book Review: Empress by Karen Miller

* Genre: Epic Fantasy
* ISBN: 0316008354
* ISBN-13: 9780316008358
* Format: Mass Market Paperback, 717pp
* Publisher: Orbit
* Pub. Date: April 2008
* Series: Godspeaker Trilogy

Empress, Karen Miller’s new novel, is shockingly different from her previous duology, the Kingmaker, Kingbreaker series. Where The Innocent Mage began sadly, but moved on to be more pleasant and into the eventual triumph of the hero, Empress does not. Empress begins on a low note, and progressively gets worse.

What Miller has done with Empress is show us the rise of a barbarian warlord. The culture she has created is violent, worshipping a scorpion god who craves bloody ritual sacrifice. The godspeakers, those who perform the sacrifice, are a police force, and a political entity separate from the warlord’s control, are the only people able to hear the god. But Hekat, a runaway slave girl, upsets that balance when she discovers that she can hear the god as well. Believing herself special, Hekat begins a slow climb up the social ladder of Mijak, seeking power both to satiate her lust for it, and as protection for herself.

In the meantime, a fellow slave, Vortka is also making the climb into the realm of the powerful, but through a slow process, unlike Hekat’s clawing. His rise is slower, and ends up intertwined with Hekat’s for better or worse.

Empress is a bloody, violent novel. Ritual sacrifice is common, and participants drink blood as part of the ritual. Others swim in pools of blood as they seek the will of their violent, unforgiving god. All “magic” comes only through the god’s power, and while it gives power and knowledge, just as often it arbitrarily won’t. It is a fickle god, seen as an impersonal force by its supplicants. Hekat revels in it, and although at the beginning of the book she is a sympathetic character, by the end we want to hate her. Yet she for all her success, she is a small child inside, her emotions are stunted and all she can feel is fear or hate.

The society that Miller has created is like the ancient Assyrian or Babylonian empires, with their city states that eventual become powerful nations. And the plot similarly follows their rise into power. Mijak eventually becomes a conquering nation, a barbarian horde subjugating all peoples.

Karen Miller’s next two novels are actually going to tell the central story of the trilogy. This first is the history of the character that will become the villain in the sequels, or at least so it seems. By the end of the novel, you will want to see Hekat’s destruction, along with her sons and Vortka. You know the ending is coming, and the final betrayal of Hekat results in some interesting possibilities for the sequel.

The novel is extremely long, and the style of writing can get annoying. Miller is writing a completely different novel from those she has previously published, and the structure of the world she has created has a lot of ritual dialogue which can get repetitious at times. Phrases like “may the god see you in its eye” or arrogant words that tell of the speaker’s triumphs or skills tend to wear on you after a bit. The reader would do well to take this novel in slow spurts, rather than trying to read it all at once. Otherwise, the repetitious dialogue that, while logical for the society Miller has created, is still a bit much to take.

The story itself is fascinating. Miller has replicated a culture that is difficult for modern people to understand. It is a culture where religion rules much of everyday life. And yet there is always the possibility present that this religion is actually a twisting of what might be a natural phenomena. Miller gives no answers as to the origin of the religion of Mijak, only presents its effects, but some of the elements of the story leave the veracity of that religion open to discussion.

Miller has really gone out on a limb to make Empress different from her Kingmaker, Kingbreaker duology. Although she continues to write a character driven novel, her characters are less enviable, and her world much more barbaric. It was fascinating to read the story of how an evil warlord comes to be an evil warlord. In this trilogy, the villain is not going to come into being fully evil, but slides down into it through a long, slow process, as a result of very human traits.

I enjoyed the novel. Although it could be repetitious at times, and the cadence of the story could be tiresome, it was still interesting to read. The idea behind it is different from the average epic fantasy novel. Rather than either celebrating heroism or evil, it shows the real, human emotions behind what we call “good” and “evil”. AS I’ve mentioned, it is extremely violent and bloody, so those with a weak stomach ought to avoid it. As well there is a liberal does of swearing and a few sex scenes (including a rape of a man!) so anyone offended by that ought to avoid it.

But for all that Empress is creative enough and different enough to make it enjoyable. I did not enjoy it as much as The Innocent Mage and The Awakened Mage perhaps because there was no character I was really able to root for, but its characters were interesting enough that I wanted to know what might happen to them. I recommend this novel, with the few caveats stated above, and look forward to seeing how its sequel looks at the enemies of Hekat and its portrayal of their characters.

For another interesting take on Empress, check out Chris, The Book Swede.

Book Review: Before They Are Hanged by Joe Abercrombie

* Genre: Epic fantasy
* ISBN: 1591026415
* ISBN-13: 9781591026419
* Format: Paperback, 448pp
* Publisher: PYR
* Pub. Date: March 2008
* Series: First Law Trilogy

Say one thing for Joe Abercrombie, say he writes good fiction. Joe Abercrombie’s second novel in the First Law trilogy, Before They Are Hanged, continues the black humor and sardonic wit of his debut novel The Blade Itself.

In this second novel, the reader continues the stories of Glokta, Logen, Luthar, Ferro, West and Bayaz. Glokta has been sent to the far edges of empire to try and save a remote but important colony from being overrun by the Gurkish, a competing empire. Logen, Luthar, Bayaz, Ferro and several others are searching for the mythical Seed, a portion of the spirit world made real and solid in their own. West has been sent to the front lines in Angland to try and prevent its conquest by Bethod’s barbarian tribes.

These three stories move along apace, each separate from the other, but in some way connected that the author understands, but the reader has yet to. Before They Are Hanged will provide no answers, only more questions. Some of the events surprised me as a reader they would go one way when I expected quite another. Since this is a middle book in a planned trilogy, a few questions are answered (particularly about Bayaz’s history) although many more are created, and the final scene defied tradition by not wrapping up the narrative into a neat bundle for the next book. It leaves us still at loose ends, craving the next volume.

Say another thing for Joe Abercrombie, say he is funny. His twists on traditional fantasy tropes continue to entertain. Glokta continues to be my favorite character. His self deprecation and black humor (his personal thoughts are side splittingly funny) make his portion of the narrative Abercrombie’s strongest and finest. Logen is funny too. In his realistic and pragmatic view of the world, he is becoming less and less the traditional barbarian hero and more and more the world weary hero, desiring only to fight no more. By plumbing the depths of the characters, Abercrombie finds opposing aspects to our traditional understanding of the evil or good characters and brings them into the light in a humorous way.

The narrative surrounding Logen Ninefingers, Ferro, Bayaz and Luthar was perhaps the dullest. The companions are traveling across the world to seek the stone, and while Abercrombie does not dwell on their travel, most of the action sequences seem to be thrown in just to hold the reader’s interest, rather than being necessary to the plot. As well, what seems to be an interesting plot development between Ferro and Logen fizzles out by the end of the book, and what first appeared to be an attempt by Abercrombie to create strife between the companions turns out to do nothing other than allow an explicit sex scene.

West’s story is quite surprising. West is slowly transforming from the prim and proper soldier into a true hero, and the transformation takes a few unexpected turns. He develops relationships with the barbarians who are fighting against Bethod, and his discovery of nobility in them changes him profoundly from a good soldier to a great leader.

Say one more thing for Joe Abercrombie; say he is a master of character development. All of his characters change a lot over the course of the story. Although by the end of the novel, the characters seem to be back were they started at the beginning of the book in terms of action and sequence, their psyches have been developed, and significant changes have occurred in their reactions to events. The characters are never at a standstill, even if this book doesn’t seem to move the plot forward very much.

Although I know that Abercrombie continues to seek that all elusive ten of ten from reviewers, I have a couple of reasons not to give it to him for this novel. The first and most obvious is that I don’t use such a rating system for my reviews, so to do so know would really have little meaning. Secondly, Before They Are Hanged is a middle book by a debut author, and for this reviewer, if a writer cannot conclude his trilogy or series well, all that comes before might be fun to read, but will be forgotten by the reader. It is the epic conclusion that makes a series, and it will take a reading of Last Argument of Kings before such a determination can truly be made.

If you enjoyed Abercrombie’s first novel, then you will want to read this one. I don’t think Before They Are Hanged was quite as good as The Blade Itself although it still an entertaining read. Readers will need to read the first book in the series, as this is one of those trilogies that make no sense unless begun from the beginning. If you have been waiting to pick up this series, I recommend you don’t wait. Abercrombie’s debut trilogy (so far) is better than the work of many seasoned authors, and anyone widely read in the fantasy genre will enjoy his twisting of fantasy tropes. I continue to highly recommend The First Law Trilogy to all readers of fantasy, and many more readers besides. Say one thing for Joe Abercrombie; say his writing is worth the reading.

Free Fiction: The Cambist and Lord Iron by Daniel Abraham

Bantam Spectra has made available the 2008 Hugo award nominated story "The Cambist and Lord Iron: A Fairy Tale of Economics" by Daniel Abraham to read for free. Personally, the subtitle is what intrigues me the most, and I plan to read this story in the very near future.

Book Review: Goblin War by Jim C. Hines

* Genre: Humorous Fantasy
* ISBN: 0756404932
* ISBN-13: 9780756404932
* Format: Mass Market Paperback, 336pp
* Publisher: Penguin Group (DAW)
* Pub. Date: March 2008
* Series: Jig the Goblin Series

Goblin War is a completely different novel from the first two novels in the Goblin Series, Goblin Quest and Goblin War. Those two books were constrained by the small world of the lair and its surrounding caves. The goblins never left the caves under their mountain, for all the adventures that they had. This meant that the second novel, while having a different set of circumstances, was much like the first in plot and style, and didn’t add too much that was new to Jig the Goblin’s story. But in Goblin War, author Jim C. Hines has Jig and many of his fellow goblins leave the cave for the wider world, a world that pretty much wants to destroy them.

Jig is trapped between two competing factions, both intent on wiping out he and his goblin clan. The first, the human rulers of the upper world, need slave labor to perform various tasks too dangerous for the morally superior humans. The second, and army of orcs, trolls, goblins, and one human hating tree (humorously likened to Shel Silverstein’s giving tree) bent on destroying the so-called “goodly” people.

In Goblin War Jig’s god, Tymalous Shadowstar, plays a much more significant role in the story. Each chapter begins with a history of how the forgotten god came to be forgotten, and why his worship was never picked up by some cult or other. They are so forgotten that even other gods have forgotten their existence. Hines’ explanation of the nature of the forgotten gods is one of the cleverest yet simple ideas I’ve seen in fantasy. The way that part of the story hinges on a clever loophole caused by word choice appeals to my own love of wordplay. It was wonderful to watch how Tymalous Shadowstar is revealed throughout the book, and he becomes a truly three dimensional character, not just an occasion for a disembodied laugh.

Jig, of course, continues to be in fine form. Whereas in Goblin Quest Jig is simply learning bravery, and then in Goblin Hero he is learning how to perform the actions of a hero, that selfless sacrifice so common the hero archetype, Goblin War relates how Jig steps into the mantle of leadership. He is no longer the lone hero, solving all problems on his own or with minimal help from a few companions. Now he is directing and changing the course of events by intentional decisions. Reading the progression of Jig over the course of the three books, you get a sense of how great men become great men (even when they are blue, pointy-eared goblins).

All in all, I think Goblin War is Hines' best novel so far. He has stepped out of the small confines of the goblin lair, and opened up a new world for Jig to experience. This novel has more elements for humor, more action, and more plot threads. Hines is growing as a writer. This growing skill and comfort with writing is allowing him to write more complex and funny novels. It is sad to think that for now, Jig is on a well-deserved hiatus. Hopefully Hines will return to Jig’s world, or in some way connect the novels he is currently writing now to Jig’s story. Either way, I would like to see more of Jig.

Goblin War is humorous adventure fantasy. It is lighthearted and fun to read, and is a safe purchase for older children who like to read fantasy. In fact, once I have my own children, I may use Hines novels to teach about the nature of heroism to them, because of the way he shows its natural progression throughout the book, while still being extremely entertaining. You will still need to know some of the tropes of fantasy to enjoy this tale, and it would be best to read the entire series from the beginning, else Jig’s decisions and some of the character references in the novel might not make sense. The second novel does have some repetitious characteristics from the first, but Goblin War is a different tale altogether.

Jim C. Hines Goblin Series are highly recommended as fun adventure tales, safe for kids, which will also leave many an adult with a smile on their face.

Book Review: The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss

* Genre: Epic Fantasy, Coming of Age Fantasy, Literary Fantasy
* ISBN: 0756404746
* ISBN-13: 9780756404741
* Format: Mass Market Paperback, 736pp
* Publisher: DAW
* Pub. Date: April 2008
* Read an Excerpt

The Name of the Wind is a book that has been on everyone’s lips ever since its release last year. Patrick Rothfuss’ debut novel has become the standard by which a lot of other books are being judged, an unusual event for a writer who had only published a few short stories before writing a novel that in the mass market paperback edition amounts to over 700 pages. But these accolades are well-deserved, as I found out to my own great joy when I was given the opportunity (and I was to find, privilege) to read the paperback edition of The Name of the Wind.

The primary character of the story is Kvothe, an epic hero, a powerful fighter and wizard. But Rothfuss, rather than simply relating his tale in the traditional third person omniscient, has instead decided to relate the story as a history (a memoir if you will) of Kvothe himself.

Kvothe has risen from the mean streets to the highest levels of power, and all before his thirtieth year. Born to a family of traveling performers, Kvothe shows his genius early. After a tragic event occurs to his family, Kvothe is forced to survive on the mean streets of Tarbean, begging for his food. But an opportunity opens up, and he is able to seek an education at the University. Overshadowing all of this is Kvothe’s desire to find the Chandrian; evil beings who he believes had something to do with what befell his family. Intertwined into the narrative are a love story, petty rivalries, and the troubles the overconfidence of a young boy can cause.

Rothfuss novel is exceptionally written. The prose is never dull, pedantic, or obvious. The story flows naturally from Rothfuss’ pen, and its large size seems almost too short by its end. The Name of the Wind is the first book in what appears to be a trilogy, or perhaps a quartet of books, and readers should know that its ending leaves more questions than answers.

Some of Rothfuss transitions were difficult for me as a reader. They tended to be short and abrupt, with little or no foreshadowing of their coming (In a way, much like real life, but unusual for a story). In particular, the transition from Tarbean to the University, and then the transition from University to the events surrounding the dragon and back again all seem disconnected from each other. It’s as if the story of Kvothe at the University is a completely separate story from Kvothe of Tarbean and the dragon. The former is like a Harry Potter schoolyard coming of age novel, and the other, an epic fantasy in the Arthurian mold. Rothfuss has tried to mesh the two, and done a decent job of it, but the reader’s conception of Kvothe the student and Kvothe the hero are disconnected. This is something Rothfuss will need to address in the sequels.

But the strange transitions and slight disjointedness of the two sides of Kvothe’s character are the novel's only real flaws. Kvothe is a compelling character, the