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As I start thinking more about my next series, I find myself paying attention to what makes books stand out. Why does one fantasy hit big while another goes out of print and disappears?
1. The setting. Urban fantasy, yes … but we’re talking about postapocalyptic urban fantasy. 2. The protagonist, Chess Putnam, is an unapologetic drug addict. When the world changed and the dead rose, only the Church of Real Truth was able to control them. Chess works as a debunker for the church, prosecuting those who falsely claim to be haunted, and dealing with the occasional real ghost. Her latest job puts her squarely in the sights of two rival drug dealers, a powerful ghost, and a conspiracy to destroy the church itself… I admit, I struggled some with Chess’ character. I grew up in the Nancy Reagan “Just say No!” years, so reading about a protagonist constantly scarfing pills and anything else she can find to give her that high … it’s distasteful. Glancing through some reader reviews, I see I’m not alone in my discomfort. But it also felt appropriate for the character, and for the world. This is a dark, broken world. The old religions have been destroyed, and the Church of Real Truth rules. We’re shown some of the ruins of the old world, and what emerged feels rather dysfunctional … though Chess is our lens to this world, and she doesn’t strike me as the most reliable narrator, so I could be wrong. (I’m hoping to see more of the world in future books, so that I can do a better job explaining why and what all feels dysfunctional to me.) I do wish we’d learned a bit more about the Church and its employees. We see much more of the drug dealers and enforcers than we do the Church folk, and partly as a result, the latter can come off as a little flat on occasion. (Hopefully this is another area which will be explored more in the next books.) It was a good book, from the very first (and awesome) opening line. It definitely kept me turning the pages. Kane takes risks with her writing, and even though I suspect those risks might turn some readers off, I think they resulted in a stronger, more interesting book. So the lessons I’m taking from this one? Take risks. Be different. Don’t be afraid to go there. You can read an excerpt on Kane’s web site. And for those of you who’ve read it, what did you think?
The series takes place in a very richly-described, well-researched London, where the Onyx Court of the faeries coexists beneath the city, magically intertwined with the geography and fate of mortal London. I’ve said in my prior reviews that the first two books have a more leisurely pace in the beginning … but not book three. A Star Shall Fall opens in 1757. The dragon of the second book, which caused the Great Fire of 1666, was banished to Halley’s Comet when its original prison began to fail. In the seventeenth century, nobody knew the comet would be back. Now their only hope to defeat the dragon upon its return is to combine faerie magic and human science… This is my favorite of the series so far. The plotting is sharper, the characters are great, and Brennan continues to blend history and magic so smoothly it’s hard to tell where one ends and the next begins. I love the way she worked 18th century science, everything from alchemy to astronomy, into the story. I loved seeing Lune struggle with her weaknesses, both from the damage to her realm and from the iron wound she received in book two. Those vulnerabilities made me cheer for her even harder. The young and untested Prince of the Stone Galen was a nice addition as well, and it was great to see him develop over the course of the story. I was glad to see Irrith back, rough edges and all. Delphia, Abd al-Rashid, the von das Tickens … they’re all wonderful characters. Even the faerie villain was well-developed, to the point where I almost sympathized with him at times, even when I was hoping he’d take an iron bullet to the heart. (The human villain felt a little flat in comparison, but only a little.) And the ending … well, there’s a reason I showed up exhausted for work last week. Authors are, at their best, simultaneously cruel and beautiful. Well done, Brennan. The book comes out August 31 of this year. Like the others, it’s not an action-packed adventure. But if you’ve read the first two, you have to pick this one up. If you haven’t, A Star Shall Fall stands alone fairly well. You’ll be missing a little backstory, but nothing that should keep you from truly enjoying the book.
As England falls into civil war, Lune must face enemies both from other faerie realms and within her own court. Her enemies attack both the Onyx Court and London above. Intrigue and betrayal and would-be assassins, all leading to the release of a dragon who threatens to burn all of London, and to destroy Lune and her court. The historical detail in these books is … hm. Let me put it this way. Brennan researches the crap out of these novels. You can see her research bibliography, as well as the details of her trips to London, on her web site. That work pays off, resulting in a London that feels real down to every last detail. The first part of the book felt a little slow to me. Brennan takes us through the beginning of the English Civil War and the execution of King Charles (I assume it’s not a spoiler if it happened over three hundred years ago). While the story is interesting, this series is most engaging to me when we see the parallels between the human and faerie realms, and the faerie side felt a bit nebulous in the beginning. (By the end, on the other hand, you couldn’t pry the book out of my hands.) I loved some of the secondary characters in this one: the giant Prigurd Nellt, the faerie knight Sir Cerenel, the doctor John (Jack) Ellin … and of course, the Goodemeades are always wonderful. It’s a fascinating world. The details of the Onyx Court and its magic, the rituals of faerie, the intertwining of human and fae history. The third book, A Star Shall Fall, comes out on August 31 of this year, but I’m fortunate enough to have an ARC waiting for me to dive into Like I said in the review of the first book, if you’re looking for action-heavy page-turning adventure, this might not be the book for you. If you enjoy richer worldbuilding and historical fantasy, I highly recommend the series. And if you’re undecided, head over to Brennan’s site and read an excerpt. If you’ve been reading the series, what did you think? A discussion came up on one of my author e-mail groups about reading reviews of your work. The point was made that positive reviews can lead to a swollen ego. Negative reviews bring you down. Neither of these are good things. It’s a valid point. When I saw the (ahem) starred Publishers Weekly review for Red Hood’s Revenge, it certainly pumped my ego up a notch. “Transcends its predecessors”? “Worth visiting again and again”? Oh, heck yes! On the other hand, Harriet Klausner called the plot thin and only gave me four stars at B&N.com. (Klausner almost always gives five stars.) I don’t consider Klausner as serious or influential a reviewer as Publishers Weekly, but the review still stung. (Which is okay — it’s the reviewer’s job to review the book, not to coddle my feelings. The reviewer’s obligation is to their readers, not to me.) I’ve always read my reviews, both from major reviewers and casual bloggers. (Thank you, Google Alerts.) I plan to continue doing so. Partly it’s ego and insecurity. I want to know whether people are talking about my books. Positive or negative, as long as people are reading and discussing, that’s still better thing than radio silence. I also realized I could learn from reviews, though it’s a little tricky. The problem is, everyone reacts differently. One reviewer says a book is the best thing I’ve ever done. Another throws it across the room after only one chapter. Who’s right? Both. Neither. Heck if I know. But occasionally I read a review that just clicks. Someone will point something out that makes me go, “Oh, wow. They’re right, and how the heck did I miss that?” I commented yesterday about the way I wrote Talia’s character in Stepsister. It was a comment at a review that first got me thinking about that issue. In addition, as I read more reviews, I start to see patterns. I’m not the brightest guy in the world, but eventually it clicks that a lot of people were bored by this part, or a certain scene didn’t work for them, or everyone keeps complaining that I overuse this piece of description… It reminds me of workshop critiques: if one person says there’s a problem, I can take it or leave it. If many people point out the same issue, then it’s something I need to look at. Some authors point out that in the case of reviews, it’s too late to change the book, so why bother? They’re right of course. But I can apply those lessons to the next books. It’s not always kind to my ego, especially when people jump in and start agreeing with a negative review in the comments. I also have to fight the occasional urge to argue with reviewers.1 Overall though, I’ve learned a fair amount from reviews, and I very much appreciate everyone who takes the time to write them. —
It surprises me sometimes how many people are uncomfortable reviewing books. I don’t mean a professional, paid review for the New York Times, but just a note on the blog or Amazon or wherever. A lot of people have told me they just don’t know what to say, or they don’t believe they can write a good review. Fear not good people, for I have the solution. Mad Libs Reviews take the stress from reviewing, and make for a much more entertaining read. (In some cases, probably more entertaining than the actual book.) If I were a programmer, I’d set up an app to do this automatically. But I’m not, so we do it the old fashioned way. Choose your words, then read your review of a hypothetical goblin book. Feel free to share any particularly fun lines in the comments. (But remember, this is a family-friendly blog.) Have fun, and tune in next week when I use Mad Libs to write the promo piece for THE SNOW QUEEN’S SHADOW! 1. Noun: ________________ The fundraiser for rape crisis centers has raised more than $1000 as of 9:30 this morning. Y’all are wonderful!!! To celebrate, I’m adding an autographed copy of Heroes in Training [Mysterious Galaxy | B&N | Amazon] to the prize giveaway. Thank you all! # Over the past few weeks, Google Alerts brought word of a number of new reviews of my books. At least half were wonderfully positive (thank you!), but some of them were … less flattering. This is a good thing. Don’t get me wrong — I’d much rather see more reviews describing the books as the best books ever. I’d be lying if I said the negative reviews didn’t sting. However, there’s no such thing as a book that appeals to everyone. If you expect absolutely everyone to love your writing, you’re gonna be mighty disappointed. “Wait a minute,” you protest. “That’s probably true, but just because you know it’s pretty much inevitable that someone’s going to trash your book doesn’t mean it’s a good thing.” Excellent point, imaginary reader. Let me explain where I’m coming from by describing a random author who recently spammed a discussion group I was reading. He was advertising his book, and included the line “Only 5-star reviews on Amazon!” as a selling point. I had a pretty good idea what to expect, but I clicked over to the book’s listing anyway. Call it morbid curiosity. His claim was absolutely correct. He had a handful of 5-star reviews, all praising this book to the Heavens. The thing is, almost any book is going to get a few good reviews. At the very first signing for my very first book, my friends and family were there to support me. They bought copies, and some of them (not all, sadly) even read the book. Those that hated it, well, I’m someone they know — they’re unlikely to trash me online. Meaning the only reviews from that group are probably going to be positive. Call them first circle readers. It’s great to get those positive reviews, but I don’t give them much weight. These days, I also have what I’ll call second circle readers — people who’ve read my stuff and are loyal to me as an author. They already know they like my style, and are therefore fairly likely to enjoy my new books and post positive reviews. Then there’s the outer circle. Readers who don’t know my fiction. Sadly, this is the biggest circle for most of us. Here’s where things get risky. Some of them will love it, and some won’t. Statistically speaking, this is where most of the negative reviews are usually going to come from. The fact that more reviews are cropping up for my books, and that these reviews are a mix of both positive and negative, suggests to me that I’m reaching that outer circle. New readers are picking up my stuff and giving it a try, and that is a very good thing. (That said, if those of you who like my books want to run out and post 5-star reviews all over the web, I certainly won’t object!) A few things have happened over the past week that made me I need to figure out my book review policy, for my own sake if nothing else. So I came up with Jim’s Rules of Reviewing.
So, did I miss anything important? And as long as we’re talking books, here are two new releases to check out. Seanan McGuire’s second October Daye novel A Local Habitation [Mysterious Galaxy | B&N | Amazon] is out today. I actually provided a blurb for the first one, Rosemary and Rue: “McGuire knows her fairy lore, bringing the wonder and the danger of the fair folk to the streets of San Francisco so vividly you can smell the rose goblins. Action, intrigue, and a dash of romance make Rosemary and Rue a fun, engaging read. An impressive first novel that leaves you impatient for the second.” I haven’t read A Local Habitation yet, but I’ll be bugging DAW for a copy soon. Sample chapter is available here. Also out today is DAW’s monthly anthology. This time it’s Timeshares [Mysterious Galaxy | B&N | Amazon], edited by Jean Rabe. From the description: “Take a vacation through time with the help of a Time Travel Agency offering excursions into the past and future. Readers will find themselves in exotic, adventurous locales-and in all manner of trouble and mysteries. And figures from the past will be able to squeak by the other way.” Enter to win a free copy of this one over at SciFiChick’s blog. Do it now!
Haven’t posted any book reviews lately. Shame on me! Must remedy this…
“Galina is a young woman caught, like her contemporaries, in the seeming lawlessness of the new Russia. In the midst of this chaos, her sister Maria turns into a jackdaw and flies away - prompting Galina to join Yakov, a policeman investigating a rash of recent disappearances.” If you’re looking for quick-paced, action-heavy fantasy, this probably isn’t the book for you. If you’re looking for deep characterization and a much richer cultural background than your average American fantasy novel, I’d definitely recommend it. Not a cheerful book, but I enjoyed it a lot, particularly the characters from Russian folklore. I think the Celestial Cow was my favorite. Sedia has a beautiful writing style, and it’s so refreshing to read something different. #
These books are in many ways the yin to Sedia’s yang. Short, fast, and fun. I zip right through them, enjoying the ride immensely. With that said, I didn’t think this one was quite as good as the previous book, Cybermancy. Cybermancy felt like it had a clearer plot, and the issues surrounding Persephone made that book far more powerful to me. In CodeSpell, I didn’t feel as emotionally invested in saving Necessity. I did enjoy seeing Ravirn’s development. It was interesting to see McCullough show how his growth affected his relationships. Zeus was fun to meet in this one, and of course I always enjoy Melchior the webgoblin. If you like my goblin books, I think there’s a good chance you’d like this series. And if you enjoyed the first two Ravirn books, go pick up CodeSpell. I’m looking forward to seeing what happens in #4. #
I’ll have more thoughts on this one later. For now, I’m enjoying learning about the Undercity, though I wish I could have gotten more information earlier in the book. The strained relationship between Gil and Melissa is painful, but believable. I don’t think it’s my favorite Michael Jasper work (I’d probably reserve that for The Wannoshay Cycle), but I’m most of the way through and hoping to finish it up before heading to ConFusion. # Your turn. If you’ve read any of these, I’d love to hear your thoughts. And what else has everyone been reading lately? Any recommendations for the rest of us?
There’s been a lot of criticism about this one. Over at i09, Annalee Newitz criticizes it as a white man’s guilt movie. Others describe it as a mutant love child of Ferngully, Dances with Wolves, Pocahontas, and the Smurfs. Valid points, but they miss one very important question: All those mind-blowing special effects, and your subtitles are in Papyrus font? Really? Moving on to more serious (and spoilery) thoughts, in no particular order… Continue reading Avatar So the book giveaway ended up with 66 comments on LJ, 15 on Facebook, and 26 on the Wordpress blog. I used a random number generator to pick three winners. Congratulations to: Heidi Santavuori I’ll be getting in touch with the three of you about the details. Thanks to everyone who entered! (And for those who want to check out the books but don’t want to wait for my next giveaway, might I suggest putting in a request at the local library?)
My first complaint is that the whole thing is just a ripoff of House. I mean, really. Holmes is just House without the limp, and his sidekick Watson is totally Wilson. Come on, they barely even changed the names!!! Seriously, I enjoyed it. Didn’t think it was the most brilliant film of the decade, but it was a fun romp. I’m not an avid reader of Doyle, so I can’t say how true the film stayed to the book, but it worked for me. I do wish we had seen a little more of Holmes’ deductions over the course of the movie instead of getting the whole thing explained in one lump at the end, but I understand why they decided to tell the story that way, trying to keep the audience in suspense. My biggest complaint … involves spoilers. Continue reading Winners and Sherlock Holmes |
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Copyright © 2010 Jim C. Hines - All Rights Reserved |
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This was in the back of my mind as I read Unholy Ghosts 
A Star Shall Fall 
In Ashes Lie 
First up, The Secret History of Moscow 
Next up, CodeSpell 
Currently reading 
Anyway, on to the movie chat. Amy and I went out on a real, live date yesterday to see Sherlock Holmes. (Pop quiz — is it a good idea or a bad idea to take your wife to a movie that has Jude Law and a topless Robert Downey Junior?)
