Review: Ghost on the Throne, by James Romm

When reading a book on true history, I find that the notes sections are often what makes the overall quality of the work shine through. If I feel compelled to read through the notes, this tells me a few important things. It usually means that the work is well researched, and allows the notes to present a clear basis for the author's statements, as well as alternative interpretations of the evidence. Well written notes give enough context that I don't feel the need to annoyingly flip back and forth between sections. Most importantly, if I'm spending time reading through the notes, it means I didn't want the story to end.

The best non-fiction works have a strong narrative without sacrificing academic rigour. My favourite work of this kind, Batavia's Graveyard, by Mike Dash, is an excellent example of a book I did not want to put down, even while reading the notes. Ghost on the Throne, by James Romm, also passes this test and is easily the best non-fiction book I've read this year. 

Ideas: Bitter Harvest

So with the return to activity, I'm introducing a new category, called "Ideas". This is a catch-all, really, just to put out a lot of thoughts and things I've learned that have been percolating in my head during the hiatus.I will give this an underlying structure, however, by saying that these are mostly stories I've come across in the world at large that I want to incorporate somehow into my writing.

The Star Wars Prequels = Nickelback

When I heard that JJ Abrams was being handed the reins to the next Star Wars trilogy, I think like many others, I felt encouraged by his previous effort at helming a major sci-fi franchise: Star Trek. Personally, I felt that the first new Star Trek movie (not so much Into Darkness) managed to walk the incredibly fine line between catering to devotees and being accessible to neophytes. It was clear he had respect for the source material without being slavish to it.

A New Day Is Dawning

What's this? A post? Yes, at long last, some output. The accursed day job is finished, probably the worst job since Kiff's. Wait, scratch that, that doesn't happen for another thousand years. OK, it's the worst job since the poor bastard who had to catch Henry VIII's jizz.

Anyway, expect some new/old posts as I catch up.

Review: The Lies of Locke Lamora, by Scott Lynch

It's hard not to be too effusive about this novel, Scott Lynch's debut.  It is a great read that stands out moreso for being the author's first published effort and became an immediate favourite of mine.

The strength of this novel, I think, is based on a very detailed, fully-realized world that Lynch has built, although that worldbuilding, ironically, is also one of this novel's weak points (more on that later).  Through the novel, there are intricately fleshed out details about the economy, art, cuisine and sport and leisure interests of the world's inhabitants.  There is always a sense that the characters live in a real world.  Lynch takes this one step further and imbues even minor characters with personalities and interesting histories.  Different characters take on roles of hero or villain at different times and are driven by rational motivations.

Thomas the Tank Engine and the Really Useful Cult

When you're forced to read the same kids' story, a dozen times daily, day after day after day, the mind starts to wander.  I find myself searching for subtexts and hidden backstories in the most innocuous of places.  Case in point: Thomas and Friends.

Aggravating Fantasy Tropes and Clichés

The Onion AV Club recently ran a piece asking contributors what TV tropes aggravated them the most.  Personally I would have added the moderately unattractive, doofy man with the inexplicably hot wife/girlfriend.  It also made me think about common tropes in fantasy fiction.

Oops

I was looking at the details for submissions to the Toronto Star Short Story Contest, and I realized that for some reason I thought the limit was 5,000 words, rather than the 2,500 it actually is.  Unfortunately the story I had been planning to submit is already over 3,400.  With little time left, I don't plan on editing it down to the right size, so after all that struggle challenging myself to come up with a story that was more upbeat and positive (and not succeeding there either, as the story has taken a decidedly dark bent) I'm going back to the story that I wrote for the writing prompt exercise.  This probably wouldn't have happened if I had been more productive with my writing time in the past few weeks.  Two things that certainly didn't help: starting a new day job and the Olympics!

Someone once told me that "the writing process is a battle against procrastination."  Yes, indeed.

Review: The Bird of the River, by Kage Baker

The Bird of the River is the third and final book in Kage Baker's fantasy cycle.  It was released posthumously and is a fitting farewell from the author.  Returning to the world created in The Anvil of the World, Baker returns to that first novel's breezy feel and anachronistic humour that made it such an unusual and enjoyable fantasy read.

Holiday Gift Exchange: The Writing Prompt

At the end of last year, the writing group I joined at the local library had a holiday gift exchange.  The catch was that gifts had to be writing prompts, objects, words or some combination thereof designed to spur ideas for a writer.  After an anonymous gift exchange, I ended up with a lovely little Christmas card, with a passage written within, which I've reproduced below.  It's an evocative passage, chock full of possibilities.

The story that I wrote garnered a positive response from the group (a good sign, as they are thorough and incisive critics) and once I'm done final edits, I'll put the results up in a later post and expand a bit on the thinking that took me from the prompt to the full story.

What story ideas come to mind for you?

You've been troubled by insomnia and your grandson suggests you smoke a little weed with him. You are desperate so you agree.

You fall asleep easily. Soon you are dreaming of the time when you were twelve and so delirious with fever that your parents called that faith healer, grandma swore by.

You can't get her chanting out of your head, it is driving you mad.

You sit up, wide awake and your mother exclaims, "It's a miracle!"

 

Recommendation: The Anvil of the World, by Kage Baker

I recently finished the third book in the late Kage Baker's fantasy cycle and will be posting a review of it shortly.  It has been a while since I read the first book, so I won't have a detailed review of it here, however I'd like to give it a recommendation, especially since I recently had a discussion with a friend about it.  She was not normally a fantasy reader and was interested in books that might get her introduced to the genre.  The first book that came to mind was The Anvil of the World, by Kage Baker.

The Contest

This year's Toronto Star Short Story Contest is up and running.  I was going to enter a story I wrote recently as part of a writing prompt gift exchange with my local writing group (more on that later) when I came across this piece interviewing last year's winner.  Fred Ni says that most short fiction is dark in tone.  Based purely on what I've read, I have to agree, and that certainly covers most of what I write as well.  As a challenge to myself, I think I'll try to write something upbeat and positive and enter it in this year's contest.

Welcome

Hi and welcome to my blog. I'm a writer of mainly fantasy fiction, but also science fiction and supernatural fiction. I'll share some of my experiences of the writing process here, and some selections from my work as well.