A Roadmap to your Favorite Stories

I read an article a while ago about maps in fantasy books. To my surprise, the article's point was that the maps included in a lot of fantasy works detracts from the story and should be done away with.

WHAT?!?

I love maps in my fantasy books. Ok, I'll admit, some aren't that great, and some seem like the person drawing the map forgot to read the book. But every so often you get a gorgeously drawn map that helps you connect to the story in a more visceral way. It helps me imagine the world the author is describing. Rather than being a crutch to make up for bad world building, a really great fantasy map can bring together the author's words and your own imagination to create a totally immersive story. Maybe the author of that article isn't concerned with knowing what how the lands an author is talking about fit together, but I am. I like to see the journey drawn out, and to get a sense of scale and the relationships between the places described in the book.

Rather than continuing to hit you with nice vocab words (I've been waiting to use "visceral" for a while), I'd like to share some of my favorite maps with you.

Map courtesy of the Stormlight Archive Wiki

This map is a view of the city of Kharbranth from The Way of Kings, by Brandon Sanderson. I like this one because, rather than show the relationship between countries, it depicts Sanderson's description of how the city is protected from high storms by sitting in a cleft in the rock plain above it. Before I saw this picture I was having trouble picturing what he meant.

 

Map courtesy of Ursula K. Le Guin

Ursula K. Le Guin, author of the Earthsea series, drew this map herself. I received the first book in the series just a couple years ago from my fiancé, and I really loved it, but it was hard to wrap my mind around the world Le Guin was describing. Luckily, a handy map like this one was in the book. When an author describes a world so different from ours that it becomes hard for readers to see in their mind, a map like this can be a valuable tool for helping the story make sense. The fact that the author drew this map herself, and that it makes sense and looks good, is a nice bonus.

 

Map courtesy of Inheritance Wiki

 

The map Alagaësia from Christopher Paolini's Inheritance Cycle is not only beautifully drawn, but it is also a great tool for tracking the action in this very location driven epic. The map is a perfect example of how a fantasy map can mix gorgeous artwork and a story telling tool. The stories are set in very diverse areas all across the world, and this map helps keep it all straight in your mind. This was one series where I would find myself going back to the cover to consult the map, and then spend time just admiring it. It draws you in and brings to life stories that aren't even in the books.

 

These are by no means the only great maps out there, hiding inside the covers of great fantasy books, but they are some of my favorites. If you have you own favorites be sure to share them in the comments.









Vanguard: Open Secrets

Cover Photo Courtesy of Goodreads

I just finished book 4 of the Star Trek Vanguard series, Open Secrets, and I was really pleased. The book is a jumping off point for the second part of the Vanguard story. At the end of the last book the Federation learned of the terrible threat posed by the alien Shedai after several members of Starfleet, and one down-on-his-luck reporter, witnessed the destruction of the Jinoteur system.

Most of the new plots in this book were introduced at the end of the previous volume,  what I had described as an extended epilogue. Commodore Reyes' trial is a big part of the story, as is the battle being waged within T'prynn's mind. We learn more about the Federation's bid to learn about Shedai artifacts and the book is interspersed with interludes from the point of view of the Shedai Wanderer.

I thought this book had a nice mix of action and storytelling,  especially after the rapid pace of the last book. I guessed at a twist ending that I envisioned, and while I was right about what happened I was way off on how it happened. I'll let you read what it is for yourselves. If you've never read a Star Trek book before I think the Vanguard series would be a good place to jump in. It's fun and doesn't require you to know what's going on in the TV sites or other books first.

I'd jump right into the next one but I promised myself I would read Seven Forges by James A. Moore next before it's sequel comes out. Look for a review of that one soon.

Altered Perceptions - Proving what great people authors can be

I recently saw an update from Brandon Sanderson on Facebook about an Indiegogo campaign called Altered Perceptions. Unfortunately, I saw the update too late to participate in the campaign, which is a real shame. And even though the campaign is closed, this story and the efforts these authors went to really touched me, and I wanted to share it.

The campaign was to raise money for Robison Wells, an author who is suffering from crippling debt due to some mental health problems. Brandon Sanderson came up with the campaign to help raise money, not just for Robison, but also to possibly start a foundation for other authors suffering from similar problems.

I could see something like this revolving around Sanderson writing a new book or short story and using that as the giveaway for the campaign, but that's not what happened. 32 authors contributed to a hardback book titled Altered Perceptions, which they filled with unique content like re-written chapters, alternate endings to their books, deleted scenes, and brand new short stories. 32 people got together to selflessly give their time and work to this anthology to help a struggling fellow author. And the book was just the beginning.

For different donation levels people could get phone calls from Sanderson and other authors, signed copies, a date with Shannon Hale and Brandon Mull, and the ultimate perk, the chance to be written in as a character in a Sanderson novel (If you can't tell Brandon Sanderson is one of my favorite authors ever, and seeing what a great person he is hasn't hurt his standing one bit).

The campaign is closed, but I encourage anyone who's reading this to go check out the page and see who contributed their work to this fundraiser. These people are all great authors and great human beings, and they deserve your support of their works. I'd also encourage you to check out Indiegogo, where you can invest in all kinds of crowd sourced projects. If they get the foundation going and I hear about it, I'll be sure to post something here about it.

The Very Best of Tad Williams

Cover Illustration courtesy of Net Galley

The Very Best of Tad Williams is a short story anthology that was recently published. I was lucky enough to get my hands on an electronic advanced reader copy and I'm glad I did. There are 17 short stories in the book which have been previously published in other places. I've got several Tad Williams books waiting on my shelf, but I haven't gotten a chance to read any yet so this was my first Tad Williams experience.

I can't say I loved all the stories. I've read very few short story anthologies, so I don't have much reference for the overall quality of the set, but there were definitely a couple of stories I really liked. My personal favorite was The Storm Door.  The story is about paranormal researcher Nate Nightingale. He goes to visit his uncle, who got him started in his trade, to discuss the troubling trend he has noticed lately of people coming back from the dead. He relates how his research, which included a trip into death with a dying man's spirit, points to the chilling realization that the people aren't coming back from the dead. Their corpses are being possessed by the restless dead. As he is telling this story to his ailing, ventilator dependent uncle, I could see the final plot twist coming. Even so, I was surprised when it really came to pass and the story left me shivering.

My other favorite story was The Stranger's Hands. This tale starts with a man who has lost his marbles granting people their heart's true desire with a touch of his hand, and ends with a very powerful statement about human nature when one of the world's greatest wizards and a hero to the people has a darker true desire than one would think. I won't spoil the story because it is certainly worth reading for yourself.

I don't know if these stories are truly the best Tad Williams has to offer. I know he is a considered a master of fantasy, but short stories are very different to write well than full novels. I enjoyed the book and I now have a new drive to get to some of those Tad Williams books on my shelf. I think that means this collection does its job well.

Star Trek: Vanguard

Photo Courtesy of Goodreads

I just finished reading Reap the Whirlwind, the third book in the Star Trek Series Vanguard. I know, it's not current news and the book is seven years old now, but I just read it and I think it's worth sharing.

Vanguard focuses on events surrounding the Taurus Reach, a mostly unexplored region of space between the borders of the Federation, the Klingon Empire, and the Tholian Assembly. The series is named for Starbase 47, Vanguard, where a lot of the story takes place. The Federation moved into the Taurus Reach in order to study the Taurus Meta-Genome, an incredibly complex genetic structure that seems to hold the key to much more than a specie's genetic material. The Klingon's are trying to discover what the Federation is after and the Tholians are trying very hard to keep both parties out. The reasons why become clear when the Shedai, an ancient collection of beings that can shed their physical bodies and have godlike powers, come back from their eons long self-induced hibernation and try to use the Tholians as the slaves they once were inside the Shedais' machines.

Reap the Whirlwind continues the plot lines set down in the previous two books and has the Federation making it to the Jinoteur system, the seeming source of the Shedais' power. The middle of the book is full of explosive action and I found it difficult to stop reading at that point. There is great character development in this story, and the story and characters are pretty deep for a Star Trek novel. This is certainly a long way from the original Star Trek books. It has a good mix of action, political intrigue, legal drama, and real stories of human interaction. By the end of part two, the story seems to be done. The third part, while very interesting, feels like an extended epilogue. Each of the chapters wraps up the hanging plot lines, of which there are many. Some of these later chapters leave obvious places for the fourth book in the series to pick up, while others neatly tie up a sub plot. Reap the Whirlwind nicely wraps up the first story arc, while setting the series up for a refreshing new start.

I get that people usually write about new or upcoming releases, and this book is pretty old, but I really enjoyed reading it. Being a few years old doesn't mean a book is worthless, or that everyone that would enjoy it has read it, so I hope a few people out there are inspired to start reading the Vanguard series. It is a very well written set of books with a very deep set of plot lines. If you've never read a Star Trek book before, this would be a great place to start. It is separate from the events in the main novel arcs and the TV series, and it would be great on its own, even if you took all the Star Trek jargon out of it.



Paper or Plastic, My Battle with eBooks

Many years ago (3, to be exact) I had a Sony Reader. I thought it would be cool, since I always have a book with me and sometimes that can get a bit ponderous, especially when I'm currently reading a book like Words of Radiance with over 1000 pages. Unfortunately, like a lot of people, I just couldn't make the switch. Carrying the Reader meant I still had something extra to keep in my pocket, and to be honest I liked the feel of books better. I like holding something with weight, turning the pages, and getting that paper and ink smell (it may not be new-car smell, but it's still good). Eventually, the only thing that ended up on my Reader was the list of books I own, which I keep in excel and sort by owned and not owned. That's not weird right?

Anyway, I thought I was done with e-book readers. I went back to paper books and have firmly held on to them for the last few years.  Fast forward to my first smartphone, which I got in December, and my story changed. I found myself reading a Star Trek book on my phone and I realized I've been doing that more often lately. Faced with a disorganized pile of 2000 books to go through to find the one I'm looking for, beaming a file to my phone suddenly has an upside. I still like carrying around a real book, but e-books are growing on me for their convenience. 

What do you guys prefer? Drop me a comment and let me know if you have a favorite program for your phone and where you buy e-books from. 

Reddit's List of Underrated Fantasy Works: Part 2

So some of the coolest fantasy stories out there are the ones that put you in the shoes of non-humans. There's a lot of tales out there from the point of view of the elves, and the dwarves get some good books too, but what if you really want to experience life from a new perspective? Then you need to pick up a copy of The Goblin Corps, by Ari Marmell.

Cover Photo Courtesy of Goodreads

 

 

The Goblin Corps is a tale of the most well written anti-heroes I've ever gotten my hands on. These guys are mean, disgusting, despicable, and I still managed to like them. I'm not sure how Marmell accomplished that, but I found myself really rooting for these horrible creatures. The main characters are pretty unique takes on traditional types of monsters, such as an orc, a goblin, a kobold, and a troll. Marmell's troll is truly a unique take on a classic. She is definitely the creepiest of the bunch, and scares the rest of the bad guys to death. This group of scum is thrown together into a Demon Squad and sent out to do the biding of the dreaded Charnel King, Morthûl. Said bidding is a series of tasks which are nearly guaranteed to get the Demon Squad killed and lead to all sorts of dirty and difficult situations.

The Few, The Proud, The Obscene. The quote on the cover really captures the spirit of the book. The Goblin Corps mixes humor, profanity, and an action filled story. It is a fun read that you won't want to put down. I would love to see this become a series, but for now it looks like Marmell has moved on to other projects.

Reddit's List of Underrated Fantasy Works: Part 1

/r/fantasy recently had a vote for the most underrated or overlooked books in fantasy, chosen by the forum's members. Imagine my surprise when I found several of my favorite recent reads on this list! These were great books, written by great authors, and I couldn't believe everyone else hadn't heard of them as well. So to correct this horrible wrong, I'm going to discuss the books on the list that I loved and think everyone else should too. You can disagree with me if you must, but at least read them first.

First up is The Lives of Tao, by Wesley Chu. The book is the first in a series, with the third book in the series expected later this year. The story focuses on Roen, a pathetic IT worker with no real life or goals, and Tao, the ancient alien being who has just taken up residence in Roen's head. Tao's race crash landed on Earth in the planet's infancy and they have been looking for a way off ever since. After splitting into two factions, the aliens have been in a state of civil war for millennium and have influenced the human race at nearly every step of our development.

Tao can be Roen's best friend or a biggest nag.. He brings Roen into a world that offers personal betterment, a thrilling life, and the opportunity for death at every turn. The story is fast paced, the conversations are funny and witty, and the book simply should not be missed. Wesley Chu has a very promising career starting up, and The Lives of Tao is the perfect way to get in on the ground floor of his career.

Cover Photo Courtesy of Goodreads

Brandon Sanderson, Epic Fantasy, and My Love for Truly Massive Books

Well, I just finished reading The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson, for the second time. I have to say, Sanderson has really captured me as one of my favorite authors. He always comes up with such unique worlds and incredibly creative stories. I reread this massive 1001 page tome again in order to bring myself back up to speed before reading Words of Radiance, book two of The Stormlight Archive. Part of what I love about Sanderson, and the whole epic fantasy genre, is the depth of storytelling and the world building present. If I hadn't reread the first book after so long, I would have missed lots of important stuff. I wouldn't have remembered the significance of the Knights Radiant, or remembered how important the lore around surgebinding was going to be, or had any clue about the mysteries surrounding Jasnah Kholin's soulcasting revealed at the end of the book. While some may see this knowledge as daunting, it just helps to draw me deeper into the work and the world the author has set up.

I think that's the whole point to epic fantasy. Don't get me wrong, I love quick fun reads like Robert Asprin's Myth, Inc. series, and unlike many people, I thought Sanderson's single volume work Elantris was good too. But there is just something special about diving into a work of epic fantasy. You fall in love with the first volume, and you know there is a lot more story and a lot more world to discover coming up. The Stormlight Archive will be 10 books long, and that's not the longest series around. I love starting these series knowing I will get years of enjoyment from them.

For now, I'm off to start reading Words of Radiance. It's going to be a bittersweet adventure, because I know when I'm done I'll have at least another year, probably two, before the third book comes out. But all in all, I glad there are people like Brandon Sanderson out there creating these massive worlds that seem live and breathe in our imaginations.

Druids: The Baddest of Bad-Asses

Kevin Hearne has completely grabbed my attention lately. The author of the Iron Druid series, Hearne is an avid comic book fan and Star Wars geek; clearly we're kindred spirits. I fell in love with this series after my fiancé bought me Hounded, the first in the series, for Valentine's Day. The writing is fast paced and the main character, Atticus, is witty and completely irreverent to the many gods and goddesses he meets.

Hearne is an Arizona native, and that is crystal clear while reading these books. In one of the hallmarks of good urban fantasy, Hearne makes sure that his readers know exactly how to picture the location in his books. After reading the first few books in the series I was dying to visit Arizona, much like my desire to visit Rome after reading Angels and Demons.

Reading this series will make anyone feel like an expert in ancient world religions, and let you realize just how pathetic we all are at pronouncing words in Gaelic. If you like urban fantasy you will love the Iron Druid series. I know I can't wait for the seventh book, Shattered, to be released. I just wish Hearne would be making a tour stop in Chicago.