Hello Blog-O-Sphere, fancy meeting you here! I’m so sorry that I have been away for such a
long while. Since I last blogged life has been a series of ups and downs, of
joys and pain.
For starters: That 91,000 word manuscript for Gestalt
evolved into a 107,000 word novel which has been published by Twisted Library
Press’ Sci-fi & Fantasy department. Shameless self promotion: Buy it here!
I won’t go into detail about the craptasticness (yes, it’s a
word now) that has been my personal life, but suffice to say that this year
hasn’t been the best personally. At
least I set out to accomplish my goal of completing GESTALT and beginning work
on NOSTRUM while in the new apartment. That said; we are getting ready for yet
another move to a new location. It’s a larger apartment which will be
beneficial for the new addition to our family:
Meet Kieva! He’s a daddy’s boy.
Onward!
I’d like to wrap up 2011 and bring in 2012 with the following:
Hoshi’s Top Reads of 2011
These are not necessarily books which have been published
this year, but instead books that I have read this year which I enjoyed
tremendously.
Everyone has at least heard of this book by now. But if you haven’t read this book series yet then drop what you
are doing immediately, head to your local book store and get it.
Now.
I mean
it.
I’ll wait.
Back? Good.
This dystopian series is gritty, vibrant and soul twisting
all at the same time. Very few novels allow characters to just sort of pop off
the page. This was one of those series. When I heard that it was being filmed I
was super excited and cannot wait until the cast (Which seems to be pretty much
on the nose) can finally bring these characters to life for real. Please, for
the love of everything holy, read the books before you go see the film. Have your
own vision of this world in your mind before you allow a random director do it
for you.
Orson Scott Card has always been a favorite of mine, and in
the vein of Ender’s game, he doesn’t disappoint with this promising new series
which revolves around the incarnations and families of the gods of old. This is
such a unique take on the system of magick and different abilities. It jumps
from Danny’s story to the world of the gods and does a great job of
intertwining the two. Without getting the reader too terribly lost or
distracted. I was glad to hear that it was indeed going to be a series and not
just a standalone piece because there is so much more characterization that can
be explored which a single novel just couldn’t do. Danny’s adventures are just beginning and it
is clear at the end of this book that Orson Scott Card knows this all too well.
This is the third book in the Havemercy series. Like its
predecessors, it is told in first person from the perspective of four different
characters. This style is very difficult to write with quality, but somehow
Jones and Bennett have made this their own style and it works out so well. It
is set in a semi-steampunk fantasy realm and revolves around the Volstov and Ke-Han
empires attempt to recover a downed dragon from the recent war. Spoilers could
be abound if I say anything further, but this is another great addition to the
Havemercy series and I highly recommend it. I adore this series and can’t wait
until I have the time to dive into the next book.
Completely steampunk, completely fantasy and completely
awesome. It was hard to pull myself away from it. I wish that the world was more
developed in this one because she’s got a great concept but it just doesn’t
seem like it’s as fleshed out as it could have been. At the same time, it’s
only the first of what is currently four novels so she may be able to get into
the nitty gritty of the world more with the follow-ups. All in all I dug the
hell out of this book.
Oh, speaking of flesh: There are also zombies. You can’t ever go wrong with
zombies.
I just realized that all of the above listed were in a
series. How the hell did I find time to write this year?
Until next time,
Cheers!
~Hoshi
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