John Hattaway » Books in Scrutiny

Generically or Generally or just Updating

smokingpen — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 02:15:59 +0000

Kim Harrison is, perhaps, one of my more favorite authors. The thing, though, isn’t that I enjoy her writing but I think she needs top expand what she is doing. With that said, I am somewhat excited that she is publishing a new book for YA’s. I look forward to reading it and now that I am employed… or will be working very soon (the company I wrote about finally called and offered me the job they did but didn’t offer me the other week) and with that might be able to purchase the books that are new that I collect and want to read. Of course, in the future I would like to purchase some DVD seasons of my more favorite TV shows.

Those are:

I also enjoy:

As for the things sitting around waiting for me to read, I have:

This list is not a list of the order things will be read.

I am currently reading: White Witch, Black Curse by Kim Harrison. This is book seven in the series and I think I wouldn’t be upset to have Harrison take a break and leap into something else. I did find a panel from some convention in New York City where she talks about writing. I thought some of the comments were good. Not sure I agree with a lot of what is considered wisdom from writers, but will probably have to be published to start speaking my mind and having it listened to.

Speaking of books and work, my new job (and I hope it doesn’t last any longer than it has to) is good news for my family and interesting news for me. I will be working a 10 pm to 7 am shift stocking shelves. Fortunately, the store I will be working at isn’t 24/7 and will not (necessarily) have to deal with customer’s throughout 90% of the night. I am hoping it is one of those positions where they give an assignment, let me put on my iPod, and leave me alone until the next assignment comes along.

Anyway, I am trying to get done with the writing sample. Hope it is done this week and that I have applied. I have this little card of things I would like to acquire or earn. One of those items was a college degree. That’s out of the way and sitting in some papers on a shelf next to my desk. I took some pictures of the office/work area to post but it was pointed out to me that I didn’t straighten, didn’t clean, and didn’t close any of the drawers. That needs doing too. Then I will try to remember to post them.

That’s all for today.

John Hattaway | smokingpen | Alicia Grey | Clockwork Princess | Cassandra West

Real Heroes Fly

Shameful Plug

smokingpen — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 18:34:29 +0000

For those that have never read my reviews of John Zakour’s books (Plutonium Blonde, Doomsday Brunette, Radioactive Redhead, Frost-Haired Vixen, and Blue-Haired Bombshell). Heck, I even interviewed the author. This is a writer I actually enjoy reading and even though I have (as yet) not gotten back to Frost-Haired Vixen (I promised to give it a second chance) I still intend to read it and look forward to his forthcoming Zachary Nixon Johnson book, The Flaxen Femme Fatale, which I will probably race out and purchase the moment it is available and then add it to the stack of books (including Neil Gaiman’s The Graveyard Book and Lauren Mclaughlin’s Cycler and others) and I will probably read right after The Graveyard Book and right before the next thing I decide to read and all after I am buttoning up my scores and grades and final semester at BYU.

The point to this is not to tell you what I already have to read, but more to tell you that you should head over to John’s writing blog: Tales of a “midlist” writer. He has written a couple of useful posts (me thinks). Recently he wrote about outlining. He also talks about ARC’s being sent out (how do I get on those lists people?) and early reviews for The Flaxen Femme Fatale and how this helps him continue writing the follow-up book. And, apparently, he is taking this series into comic book format. I actually, very much, enjoy this author and even though I doubt I would swim in the same circle (I don’t do conventions and he is published and I am not), I dig what the dude does. So, shamefully plugging him especially if you are interested in writing and want to see what his process is life (which is why he started this particular website).

John Hattaway | smokingpen | Alicia Grey | Clockwork Princess | Cassandra West

Real Heroes Fly

Lack of Sleep… new babies

smokingpen — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 17:58:27 +0000

Well, I am working on a lack of sleep. I am also actually amazed that this lack of sleep is allowing me to plow through as much as I have been. Most of the lack comes as a response to Erin’s needs to sleep more since she does a lot of the heavy lifting when it comes to codename: CAMPER and his needs. Sure, I can help with the feedings, but there is just something about baby where he needs his mommy and as such, if I can move things forward to make sure that Erin is happy and content and feels like she can handle the situation, than I think the lack of sleep is okay.

I may need to rest a little today in preparation for a test tomorrow… and I definitely need to write some “notes” for one of my classes (essentially one page opinion papers); and I need to read more when it comes to a survey of the English Language; should study some; and have some serious cowboy reading that needs to take place.

Speaking of cowboys, I am in a cowboy literature class. We have gone on a series of field trips. The outcome of those (five) trips is pictures of the participants. If you are interested in seeing what the lense of the professor’s camera (and possible, soon, one of my classmates) than you can go to the website I set up for the class and pictures: http://cowboy.johnhattaway.com/. I am trying to figure out how to work around a Wordpress/PHP limitation on uploading sizes since I can’t seem to get a couple of 100mb+ files uploaded so that interested individuals can have all of the picture files without having to download pictures independently. One of the reasons I chose Wordpress as my (current) picture repository is because it has a gallery feature allows for full single file downloads without resizing or “crunching” the entire image. Plus, it is easier to use Wordpress than most of the online gallery software packages out there.

Moving along… and maybe heading off on a small non-sequitur… maybe a bit of a tangent… Erin and I were heading into the county building to register to vote yesterday. We had codename: CAMPER with us (since he is about four weeks old and isn’t being left with anybody, though Jim and Lisa did babysit for about an hour one night when they were still in town) and were walking into the building. As we crossed the street an older gentleman (retired, probably in his 70’s or 80’s) stopped us and said something to the effect of, “That’s the right person carrying the baby.” I was carrying the car carrier with baby inside. We stopped and spoke to him and he told us that he could see when a relationship between two individuals (husband and wife) by who carries what loads and in his observation we had to have a good relationship because I was carrying baby. He also said that when a relationship was going sour it was one person’s fault. I quickly said, “The baby’s.” He dropped it, but his implication was that it would be the husband’s fault. Truth told, any relationship that is going sour is going to have fault in both directions (husband and wife). It was still nice to have this man stop and tell us we were doing something right.

After we registered to vote (on, quite possibly, the very last day one can register to vote in Utah) I asked Erin if she was interested in going anywhere (we’d taked about a specific destination on the way to register to vote) and she said she wasn’t interested in going to her first choice anymore, and didn’t want to go home; so we did more of what I do with codename: CAMPER late at night when we are driving all over the place and we meandered through town, down into Springville, through some back streets and neighborhoods of Springville, and then up Hobble Creek Canyon. We actually made it into Uinta National Park before Erin said she was hungry and we drove back down into Springville to buy some food and then back up into the canyon to eat it, walk around (codename: CAMPER in a stroller), and then feed and change baby before heading back down canyon and back home. I found a pretty nice knife. I was going to take pictures of it and post them here, but I didn’t. And I probably won’t. With the outcome that I don’t have an outcome.

When we got home last night I watched parts of the final presidential debate between Obama and McCain. I was writing a post about it and about age and how theoretically age can play a distinct and important role in the candidate and as a result, realizing that too old and too young are both factors that are directly related to minimum experience and maximum experience with an insufficient amount of the former or an excessive amount of the latter indicating direct ability of the individual (and a cost analysis to potential employer and in this case the People of the United States) to not only capability but also adaptability, both being essential for job satisfaction and success, for the job and that McCain falls outside of the acceptable range of ages – and mostly because of his experience. In short, because McCain is older-n-dirt he will cost the American people more and we can determine this based off of experience, age, and choices (he makes).

Beyond all that, I was reading All the Pretty Horses for the cowboy literature class and, once I got past the first five or so pages, have really been enjoying the book. It is considered modern literature, which is a misnomer of sorts… essentially it is a popular book that is relatively difficult to read and requires a lot of attention paid to how the writer writes, that also doesn’t travel very quickly over a lot of pages. There are some rather distinct characteristics of a modern literary author, and I don’t personally think many of them will be recognized as such in twenty to fifty years, and most will be completely anonymous in one hundred years, with the outcome that I am enjoying the book and the story and find the details in the story (especially about horses and gentling or breaking) to be rather compelling and, from my limited research, accurate.

Regardless, this last semester is proving to be… interesting. Lots of reading. I knew that from the get-go. I’ve started to actively pursue some jobs. Hopefully there will be some positive glimmers on the horizon in the near future. All said, I am happy the semester is about over.

John Hattaway | smokingpen | Alicia Grey | Clockwork Princess | Cassandra West

Real Heroes Fly

Red Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson :: reprint

smokingpen — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 10:00:02 +0000

I recently put down ‘Red Mars’ by Kim Stanley Robinson. Good book. It explores the scientific theory, through a science fiction story, of what would need to take place in order for human-kind to travel to and eventually colonize Mars. The general plot of the book doesn’t sound all that interesting, and unless you are a nut who likes to read well written stories that incorporate science fact with science fiction you’re probably not going to be super-fly on this book either. But the premise is good, the story is great, and the outcome is exactly what you would expect when you know that Kim Stanley Robinson has written two other books behind it, Blue Mars and Green Mars.

I’ve not been a science fiction reader in several years, like since I was in high school, but this book, picked up on a whim, was probably just what I needed to begin considering this genre of writing as a serious place to read from. However, in a fit for something entertaining, and not something I really had to think about, I purchased ‘I, Robot’ by Isaac Asimov in lieu of going and seeing the movie of the same name; and I purchased the three available ‘Ring World’ books by Larry Niven before ever picking up ‘Red Mars’. Can I just tell you that two of the three authors were enough to excite me about science fiction again that I am now looking for new authors and new books to read.

However, ‘Red Mars’ begins by following the subterfuge of one of the first 100 scientific colonists to Mars. A research team that was set up by the combined efforts of Russia and the United States during the first part of the 21st century. This team included several other nationalities, though were generally only following the Russians and Americans through the story. The main characters, or more specifically the ones whose points of view Kim Stanley Robinson chooses to follow, are Frank – the American leader, John Boone – also known as the first man on Mars, Maya – the Russian leader, Nadia – a Russian who is also an engineering whiz, and Michael – the only non-American and non-Russian whose point of view matters (he’s from Italy and is the psychologist sent with the team to keep them sane). Throughout the book there is deceit, subterfuge, lying, stealing, an entire Mars grown hidden-subculture, and a stowaway on the first ship, the Ares, that all come in to play as the governments of Earth begin to see their populations increase, their precious metals and other minerals decrease, and the potential for a new life on Mars. On top of all this there is even a super villain, or should I call them super-villains, that make life on Mars all that much more difficult with the ending of the book being expected even though it may not exactly have been anticipated.

At over 500 pages, ‘Red Mars’ can prove to be a little daunting and if you are not really interested in learning something new about science and the theory behind the possible colonization of Mars and the steps to begin terraforming, then this book probably isn’t for you; however, if you like a good story that is based in fact – and not someone’s made up logic and science – then ‘Red Mars’ is a good book to pick up, read, and enjoy as you will become enmeshed in the lives and intrigues of the first 100.

Reprinted from: StandingWater Creations, originally published August 11, 2004

Kim Harrison’s The Outlaw Demon Wails – a book review

smokingpen — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 10:00:09 +0000

Kim Harrison has been writing the Rachel Morgan series of books for a while now. At least, it feels like a while. When I read the first book, having come across a sample chapter a la Amazon.com and her website, I bought the book and read it, enjoying every last word on every last page. Truth told, I figured that this series, if that is what it would turn out to be, wasn’t really going to last nor hold my attention. That is, until I read the second, then the third, the fourth, fifth, and now the sixth books.

Book six is titled The Outlaw Demon Wails. It picks up a short time after the last book, For a Few Demons More where Rachel Morgan, the protagonist and view-point character met additional demons in her ongoing quest to a) get rid of Al, b) arrest Trent, c) save herself from the undead (e.g. actually dead vampires instead of the living vampires), and more.

The book begins with Rachel and her mother shopping for Halloween costumes. Rachel is going to go as the vampire star of some movie that requires tight leather and an inflated bustline. As a result, she needs charms to change her hair and her body. The reader is immediately tossed into the general premise of the story, specifically that Rachel’s mom will play a role, and that demon’s (most notably Al) are out to not only get but kill Rachel.

Rachel is given a couple of options, one is to swap summoning names with Al, an option she does not like nor want; with the outcome being that she sends off Minias, the demon attempting to help her by capturing Al, before heading home and realizing that she now has to spend her nighttimes (the witching hours people, when the mythical creatures: witches, vampires, werewolves, pixies, fairies, elves, trolls, and more, all come out to play and are most active.

Once the premise to the book has been established, keeping in mind that the some of the premises to the series are that Rachel is meant to save Ivy (her living vampire roommate) from the undead curse and help the elves (in hiding from mythical creatures and humans alike) heal from a curse that was placed upon them by the elves, this book does the amazing job of not only following the carefully plotted first section of the book to its awkward conclusion, but pushes the overarching story that Harrison is trying to tell forward as well.

What this reminds me of is when people would talk about Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows where I was told that J.K. Rowling had taken aspects from all of her books and brought them back into this one story, tiny bits that seemed incongruous at the time turned out to have some significance and importance as the story was cascading to its inevitable conclusion. Harrison has shown some of her hand in this book drawing back into the story elements of earlier books, all the way from Dead Witch Walking (book 1 of the series), explaining how Rachel Morgan became and is the way she is.

Moreover, some of the mysteries surrounding the overarching story, especially the mystery concerning how Rachel’s dad died are brought to light as well as who Rachel’s biological father really is. The use of these elements to move the story forward has proved to be a rather amazing addition to how Harrison is choosing to tell her stories. Where before this book Rachel would have never consider some of the choices she makes by the end, and makes the choices as much out of an obligation to the people around her as well as a realization of her heritage, she moves the story forward in such a way as to allow the reader an enjoyable romp through her world and to feel they are a part of her characters lives.

Granted, I cannot suggest you go out and purchase The Outlaw Demon Wails on its own. Sure, you can read it and probably enjoy it; however, the elements in the story that make it truly remarkable are best appreciated once you’ve read the preceding five books and then discovered what Harrison chooses to uncover as a result of this book.

As a result of some of the author blogs and websites I visit, I’ve seen some praise heaped upon Kim Harrison and her writing and I think that praise is absolutely warranted given that she remains true to the characters she created, moves all of them forward through a series of choice and accountability, and finally allows them to grow and learn from the events that happen around them.

The exciting thing about this book to me is not that it was (approximately) 450 pages of enjoyable reading, but that I get to look forward to Harrison’s next installment of the Rachel Morgan series. I can say that if you have time and like to read about witches, vampires, werewolves, and other fantasy creatures in an urban setting than the Rachel Morgan series of books is probably a good series to pick up and read. AND you can buy the first five books in mass market paperback right now, saving loads of money on the hardcover format of the last two books.

Brandon Sanderson’s Elantris – book review

smokingpen — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 11:00:33 +0000

Brandon Sanderson is the current heir apparent, or at least the one who will finish, Robert Jordan’s The Wheel of Time series of books. Before he was selected by the late Robert Jordan’s wife, Harriet, to write the books, Sanderson had been carrying on his own writing work creating The Mistborn series, Elantris, and other books (some specifically for children). As a result of his (now) relationship with The Wheel of Time I decided to go out and purchase some of his books. Two, to be exact. Elantris and book one of The Mistborn series. I have not, as yet, read the latter.

Elantris begins with the crown prince of Arelon, Prince Reardon, waking up hungry and discovering that his body had been taken by The Shaod – apparently a disease that infects people who can become Elantrians and causes dark spots, the stopping of a persons heart, and the body from healing itself. Essentially, the beloved prince of Arelon (and the central protagonist to the story) is damned and is cermoniously thrown into Elantris among the other victims of the Shaod. Once in Elantris, Reardon meets Galladon, a Domi.

At the same time, Princess Serene debarks a ship that brought her from her homeland Teod so she could marry Prince Reardon. Except, upon arrival she discovers that the Prince has passed away and her marriage (by contract) is being enforced. She is now a widow and a Princess of Arelon. Through Sarene we are introduced to the economic structure of Arelon and discover that the king, Reardon’s father, took the thrown as a result of the fall of Elantris and the Elantrians from the Shaod and because he was the most successful and wealthiest of the merchants at the time of the fall.

Along with Princess Serene, the reader is introduced to Hrathen, a gyorn to a rival religion than the one that was practiced in Arelon. Hrathen is in Arelon to convert the people before the destruction of Arelon by the armies of Wyrn, the leader of his religion. The readers learn that in three months Arelon will be destroyed if they do not convert and that Hrathen is there to convert them and to do so without a bloody revolution.

What does all of this mean? Three chapters and three principle characters. Reardon, afflicted with the Shaod, has to discover two things: 1. How the Shaod happened; and 2. How to heal those afflicted with the Shaod, and Elantris. As his guide he has Galladon.

Sarene, from her intro chapter, has to learn to use the economic nature of Arelon, her outspoken nature, and her desire for marriage (one of the reasons she agreed to marry Reardon) as weapons to make sure that King Iadon or anyone else does not destroy the land she has become a part of (through marriage), and to find, somehow, someone she can marry and love.

Hrathen has to explore his own religion and methods of preaching that religion, find a new successor to the leader of the congregation, and save the people of Arelon from destruction.

All three of these story (and plot) lines connect together to help Reardon fulfill what he is meant to do: fix Elantris. However, throughout the bulk of the book the storylines often seem to work at odds with each other as each individual has their own method of trying to save the same country. Where Reardon needs to find a way to get out of Elantris, he does and leads a would-be assassin right into his fathers bedroom. Instead of being loyal to her new father, King Iadon, Sarene chooses to follow in Reardon’s footsteps to find a way to force Iadon off of the thrown before he destroys Arelon. And Hrathen tries to convert the Arelonians before destruction falls upon them.

Each line not only seems to work in opposition to the other two, but at times you wonder whether or not the plot line you are currently reading (easily distinguished by chapter) is going to destroy the other plotline. At times, Hrathen gets the better of Sarene, Sarene gets the better (not knowing who Reardon is) of Reardon, and Reardon continues to study and seek for answers to the Shaod.

In the end, all three plotlines (and many sub-plots) come together to resolve the overriding question of the book: Will good triumph in the end? Hrathen, Reardon, and Sarene all work in concert to save Arelon and Reardon is able to restore Elantris.

Sanderson’s writing is actually pretty well done. He deserves (at least from this book) much of the praise that is heaped upon him as a teller of high fantasy. Reading the book was both fun and enjoyable. His narrative style is similar to that of Robert Jordan which allowed me to see why Harriet chose him to finish The Wheel of Time series of books.

At times, though, I found it a little difficult to continue reading, feeling that some parts of the book were more of a slogging through the story rather than discovering the next step in the puzzle. When Reardon was able to discover how to use the Aons (the magic of Elantris), I was interested, but the delay, not only in finding more of a solution – and even the resolution to the magic of Elantris, seemed to take too long and, when it came, arrived far too quickly.

Granted, having the magic restored was essential to the resolution of the story; however, having the magic restored and then having a tacit understanding or acceptance by the new Elantrians in how to use it seemed both awkward and a little rushed.

At times I thought the book should’ve been broken down into a series of three books with a slightly longer narrative style. There were mysteries that were brought up in the book that allowed for some resolution at the end, but it was a forced resolution more out of a need to explain away the minor plot points (e.g. Sarene’s uncle and his reasons for being in Arelon) and didn’t really fit into the conclusion of the book.

Finally, I found the epilogue to be a bit too Spartan for what Sanderson was trying to do. Granted, he wanted to show that Sarene and Reardon got married and that others were honored heroes, but the execution of the epilogue was more a “tell me” than a “show me.” Personally, I think the book ended just fine without having to share every detail that the few pages of the epilogue shared with the reader.

Sanderson’s Elantris was a good read, though, for me, it was not a fast read. I think I could’ve gotten through two or three other books in the same amount of time it took me to read that one. Still, the narrative style was well done, the story moved forward, the characters filled their roles, and the story is worth reading. Now, whether or not this is a great example of Sanderson’s work, I don’t know yet. But it is a book well worth reading.

Neil Gaiman’s Odd and the Frost Giant’s – review

smokingpen — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 11:00:23 +0000

World Book Day is a measure that is promoted in the United Kingdom and Ireland to promote reading to school age children. The outcome is that several prominent authors will write and then donate short novels (novellas really) to World Book Day so they can be published and then distributed to children who have been provided with a 1 pound token. Essentially, the children get a free book, introduced to authors works, then encouraging them to explore new worlds through fiction.

This year Neil Gaiman wrote Odd and the Frost Giants for World Book Day.

The book follows the protagonist Odd (meaning the tip of a sword, as Gaiman writes in the first paragraph of the story) is the son of a wood cutter Viking who had died on a return voyage from Scotland when he jumped overboard to save a drowning pony. The pony was saved, Odd’s father died, and Odd was left an orphan. In response, he smiled a lot and went into the woods with the intent of carrying on his fathers legacy of woodcutting. However, because of his inexperience, he ended up smashing one of his legs leaving him limp.

Eventually, his mother remarries a man who had children but no mother (she died) leaving Odd in an untenable situation. One night he steals a smoked salmon and hobbles into the woods. In the woods, at his father’s ex-wood cutting cabin, he meets a fox who takes him to help save a bear. Along with the fox and bear is an eagle. Odd takes them back to his hut, shares his food with them and at this point the action ensues.

Essentially, Odd is tasked with saving Asgard from the Frost Giants, a group of giants who are, essentially, enemies of the Gods of Asgard. Through the narrative we learn that when the earth is covered in sheets of ice, the Frost Giants are in control of Asgard, and when spring comes after a long winter, the Asgardian Gods have returned to power.

The book is not very long, 95 pages, though, according to Gaiman’s website, this actually comes in around 14,000 words. I read it in one sitting. As a Gaiman story, it follows, pretty closely, his relationship with books like American Gods and Anansi Boys where the protagonist has close ties to various gods from different mythologies around the world. In this case the mythology of choice is Nordic. It was both a fun and fast read.

The book and narrative style is more closely related to a fairy tale than an actual novel. The novel is broken down into chapters with illustrations by Mark Buckingham that begin each chapter of the book. Each chapter draws Odd closer to Asgard and reconciliation with what drew him out of his village. As a fairy tale, I think the story is one that can be expanded upon adding elements that explain why Odd chose to leave, or showing more of a reason to leave rather than being told why he left. More, I think that the story might even deserve a longer narrative take, allowing Odd to discover more in his journey as well as the final desire to take his mother to Scotland and spend some time among her people.

Regardless, the book is not, currently, available in the United States. I had to order mine from Amazon.co.uk and then wait an additional 10 days after Amazon.co.uk announced they were mailing it to me to actually get the copy. I think it was worth it. As for people in the United States that want to read the book, according to Amazon.com, they are currently suggesting an October 2008 publication date for the book.

When it is available, and if you want an entertaining (though not protracted) read, then I would highly suggest this book. Especially if you an score it for no more than $1.00 American.

Unfortunately, this story does not allow me to look at the first chapters of the book and pull out what Odd will do, comparing the introductory elements of the story with what comes after. Since this is more closely related to the fairy tale, and fairy tales are mostly plot centric, the story stands up without needing clues at the beginning of the story to tell you what Gaiman is planning.

Blue-Haired Bombshell – review

smokingpen — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 02:18:31 +0000

John Zakour starting writing the Zachary Nixon Johnson books with his writing partner Lawrence Ganem with a trilogy of books: The Plutonium Blonde, The Doomsday Brunette, and The Radioactive Redhead. After this trilogy, John Zakour took on the series as a solo writer, putting out The Frost-Haired Vixen. What caught my attention, with these books (I purchased the second and third book in the series and then ordered the first book and waited six to eight weeks before I finally got a copy and started reading them) is, admittedly the pin-up covers and the nod back to pulp-style writing. On top of this, it combines a couple of elements, antiquated in today’s writing environment, that I really enjoy: the hardboiled detective story and the scifi opera.

As a result of this combination and a rather amazing penchant for writing prose, Zakour and Ganem caught my eye and attention and also caught me as a fan of the first three books. Then came the fourth, I was less-than-pleased with it, but didn’t (really) worry too much as Zakour was heading out on his own. (I’ve actually promised to re-read the book and intend to do so… uhm… soon… especially since I made the promise (*cough cough*) about nine months ago.)

Essentially, the books are narrated by Zach Johnson, the last freelance P.I. on earth. They take place in the future where humanity so so super-connected to the internet and each other, one would think it nearly impossible that a P.I. would be relevant, let alone necessary. The books, quite literally, begin with some kind of femme fatal entering Zach’s life and causing his world (and the world around him) to collide. This also, often, leads his girlfriend/fiance’ to leave him, or threaten to leave. As a result, it then becomes necessary for Zach to save the world, get back the girl, and avoid the uber-attractive client he has taken on who is willing to pay him back any way he wants – not just monetarily.

In all four preceding books, this is, more or less, the conceit that has been used to write the story.

Fortunately, Zakour did not go against character and he followed this pattern on his second solo outing.

The Blue-Haired Bombshell begins with Zach Johnson narrating the story (as per usual). What makes this a truly entertaining book is that in the first chapter Zakour does several things that set up the story, tell you about the characters, give you enough background to feel as though you can be a part of the story, and then move forward with his story. Essentially, Zach has gone to his friend Randy’s lab to pick up his gun, is attacked by killer vines, saves his friend and an attractive woman, and introduces HARV, a computer implanted into his brain, his girlfriend, his assistant, his friend Randy, and that the audience will be dealing with people from the moon.

There are no secrets here. Zakour lays out, rather masterfully, what will be discussed in his narrative. He shows us that Zach has a penchant for getting into trouble and for acting before he thinks. Believe it or not, to enjoy the story, this is all necessary and pertinent information that makes The Blue-Haired Bombshell an enjoyable read and approachable by a much wider audience than fans of the (already) established series. Moreover, there are enough easter eggs in the narrative that the audience is reminded of previous adventures with other’s of the femme fatals that Zach has saved in the past as well as hints and clues (potentially) for what might be coming next.

Ultimately, I think this is a very fun read. I am not certain whether it rose to the level of writing and adventure as the first three books, and I don’t think there is any real comparison between his last book and this one, but, on it’s own, Zakour has written a book well worth reading, a book that is enjoyable, and one that I found myself flipping through again and again as I found time over a period of several days.

Zakour may never be someone who shakes up the writing world or the scifi world, but then I don’t think that is his intention. Rather, I think when it comes to science fiction and especially his science fiction, he does a remarkable job and is showing a lot of promise (not only) for the Zach Johnson stories, but also for future stories he chooses to share. If you haven’t already picked up some of his books, go do it now.

The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle – review and lessons

smokingpen — Thu, 22 Nov 2007 03:24:02 +0000

I recently picked up a copy of The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle and read the whole thing. This was an entertaining book written by an author that goes by the name AVI. You can walk into almost any bookstore, go to the children’s section, look under Independent Reader ages 8 – 12 and you will see shelves of his books. He is, at the least, a prolific author in his chosen genre and field.

The reason I picked up a copy of this book, in particular, is that I was told I didn’t have a good enough grasp of how to write a young girls POV when describing how she would see someone else, like her mother or an older version of herself. What I’d done was write something that consisted of a man, adult, looking at a woman who was meant to be very attractive with specific features. These features, though, would be something that a young girl would notice, though not in the same way as a man.

In essence, I misinterpreted how someone might look at the same image as me. The outcome, buy a book that does something similar to what I want to accomplish. I would copy the two instances of the part of the story to illustrate… wait, that’s actually a VERY good idea…

These examples come from a couple different drafts of an introductory story for Cassandra West:

“Cassandra looked at herself in the mirror. She expected to see a short, thin, dark haired girl. Instead, she saw a woman, slightly taller than herself, wearing canvas pants and a cotton top with strings tying it together from just below what looked like considerable breasts showing off her cleavage at the top. The woman had a pair of holsters hanging over each hip complete with .45 Colt Peacemakers in the holsters with dozens of additional rounds on the outside of the belt. Her feet were covered in leather moccasins that came up to her mid-calf over the top of the canvas pants; leather cords wrapped around her ankles and ties at the top keeping the moccasins in place. This woman had bright, sun-bleached, blonde hair.

Cassandra looked at the woman in the mirror. She reached toward the glass without touching. “I want to be her.”“

That was the instance that brought several less than enthusiastic comments. This is what caused me to buy The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle. The next draft looks like:

“Angling herself into the room so she was standing in front of the mirror, she looked at her reflection. Instead of seeing a short, thin, dark haired girl wearing an off-white nightgown with some embroidery on it, she saw a woman, slightly taller than herself, wearing canvas pants and a cotton top with strings lacing it together from mid-belly to three or four inches below her neck. The woman in the mirror was clearly older, more of an age with her mother, except more round at the hips, a thinner waste, more defined torso, and less matronly. The woman wore a pair of holsters hanging over each hip complete with too large .45 Colt Peacemakers and dozens of additional rounds in loops on the outside of the belt. Her feet were covered in leather moccasins that were laced up with leather cords around ankles and calves and tied at the top at mid-calf over her canvas pants. The most distinct difference between the woman in the mirror and Cassandra’s mother was the sun-bleached blonde hair.

Cassandra looked at the woman in the mirror. She reached toward the glass without touching. “I want to be her.”“

I think the second one reflects a better representation of what a young might do if faced with a woman who is meant to be attractive, but not described the same way as the first one. The outcome, between these two, is, quite literally, that you describe shape (girl) rather than feature (boy).

Anyway, the book covers the life of Charlotte Doyle, a young girl traveling across the Atlantic on a ship owned by her father’s company. As the ship sets sail, things begin to happen from her seeing faces where she shouldn’t to individuals of the crew informing her of a possible mutiny. The outcome, Charlotte Doyle is tried and convicted of murder, though how you get to that point is entirely amazing as the author doesn’t give a lot away until it happens.

I took a couple of weeks to read the book, as I was, and am, in the middle of school work and reading other things, as well as writing on Alicia Grey and Cassandra West, and as a result, would spend several joyous minutes flipping through pages and sitting on the edge of whatever chair I was using hoping that Charlotte would survive and knowing that she (first person POV) was narrating the story as an adult looking back, but losing myself enough in the telling of the story that I would think, “This girl is about to die.”

Ultimately, the book was purchased as an example of what I needed to be doing and ended up being an example of an exceptionally well written book by someone who is very talented at what he does. I would suggest, to anyone looking for a good, simple, easy read that will keep you hooked, The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle and I can see myself insisting that any daughters I have, someday, read this book.

With that said, I did not agree with how the story ended, but I couldn’t think of a way to end the story that wouldn’t radically change the book from what it is to something else entirely.

Tim Pratt’s Blood Engines

smokingpen — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 01:54:28 +0000

A couple of years ago, more out of curiosity over a picture and a publishers blurb than for any other reason, I came across the writing styles of Tim Pratt. The book The Strange Adventures of Rangergirl. I really enjoyed the book and even emailed the author to see if he was doing anything else. He emailed back, thanking me for my praise, and suggested I wait for news and go to his website.

In the couple of years since then, I’ve read some of his short stories, gotten my hands on his one novel, and waited for longer works to be published and I continued to go to his website and read his blog. Not always interesting and the things he does on the side are not choices I would make, but hey, I like the guys writing. So, when he announced a deal with Bantam to write a series of books based off of a character, Marla Mason, who is the head witch in a fictional east coast city.

Then came more waiting.

When the book was published (in mass market paperback) I went out to Borders and picked up a copy of his Blood Engines published under the name T.A. Pratt (the reason for the name change is because his protagonist is female and the publisher’s are marketing toward a primarily female audience).

I bought the book and ignored the fact that I still haven’t read the one my wife asked me to read, and started to read Blood Engines. I think, honestly, that Pratt really is turning into one of the more influential writers in fantasy. The novel is set in the present era. It starts with Marla and her sidekick Rondeau arriving in San Francisco looking for a friend of Marla’s and a Cornerstone.

The Cornerstone is a magical artifact that will make the impossible possible and Marla wants it so she can avoid being erased.

The real story begins when Marla discovers that her friend was killed by very poisonous golden frogs quite possibly be a madman wearing snake skin underwear and an insect wing cape. She begins to investigate and all hell breaks loose in the city of San Francisco.

I think, with the plot out of the way, that Pratt has created a universe and world that is comfortable and well written. He’s put some thought into this and has a protagonist that is a little evil, a little good, and a lot in between. She realizes her strengths, acknowledges her weaknesses, and moves forward regardless. The writing is tight, the story is well plotted, and at no point does something happen where the reader is deceived or made the feel they were not a part of the action leading to that point. Even when the ex-movie actor B clearly lies to Marla, you are drawn into the lie because you’ve grown to like having B around and wanting him to succeed along with Marla.

It makes sense, to me, that various early readers of Pratt’s book wondered whether or not B would be back in future installments. He is that dynamic and interesting of a character. Interesting enough that I can see Pratt, eventually, using B as the central protagonist of his own story – though that is up to the author. Pratt also used narrative time to share action through B’s POV, leaving Marla to do her own thing somewhere else. As I said, this is a well written story that doesn’t try to overstep exactly what it is – a very good read.

The one detraction I have from the book is the overt sexuality that is brought into the story. Granted, it is a part of the world Pratt created for his characters and one of the Sorcerers Marla has to interact with is what Pratt calls a Pornomancer, but the abject sexuality, for a period of 50 to 100 pages, kept causing me to put the book down or aside and work through other things I’ve been reading and working through. Even with that aspect to the story, though, I think Pratt is still in the early stages of becoming a really good writer and as such, over time, these elements will find a more subtle way into his writing.

Even with the detraction, I found the story to be enjoyable and the final, climactic scenes, as well as how Marla eventually saves her own hide, to be very enjoyable and absolutely worth the read. Blood Engines is a good book that, if you are into fantasy and like a little bit of impossible adventure and some less-than-moral characters, this may be the story for you.