No.31 Dragon #Drawlloween
Today is day 31 of Drawlloween – a fun event that I found out about here on the lovely ‘Not Yet Read’. Today is the final day – Dragon!!. So, I thought, I’m going to spend ages drawing a dragon, Smaug, and then I thought maybe not! Maybe I’ll do a quick sketch instead. Anyway, I’ve really enjoyed this event – but, will just apologise now for inflicting my nonsense upon you all!
After Alice by Gregory Maguire
Just finished reading After Alice and have mixed feelings about it. I didn’t love it but I didn’t hate it either – I just feel a little ambivalent.
After Alice is quite literally a story that takes place after Alice has tumbled down the rabbit hole. It doesn’t really involve Alice much at all although there is plenty of mention of her but focuses instead on her friend Ada who also manages to find herself tumbling down the same rabbit hole and following in Alice’s footsteps. At the same time we get to read the story of what is unfolding at Alice’s home where her father is embroiled in a visit by a very eminent person of the era, the staff are wrapped up in trying to make lunch preparations and are all flustered and Alice’s sister is torn between trying to charm one of the visitors and being hounded to try and locate her missing sister.
Put bluntly, After Alice is a sequel and being a bit slow on the uptake I hadn’t really considered that. To be honest I’m not always overly fond of authors writing sequels to another person’s works but I do think I give this one a fair trial and in fairness I did enjoy elements of the story.
What I particularly liked about the book was the writing style. For me this author’s style of writing seems to lend itself perfectly to a Victorian novel. His style comes across old fashioned and whimsical, if a little wordy, and I think he did a great job of setting out the place and the people. I think Maguie also manages to take a look at some of the class issues of the era – the snobbery and the class system being examples. This was an interesting era and one just poised on the brink of change. I also enjoyed revisiting some of the characters from the original story and getting involved once again in their silliness.
In terms of the characters – to be honest I really couldn’t find myself becoming attached to any – except Ada. Lydia, I tried to like. She’s just lost her mother and is struggling with the loss not only of one of her parents but also with the instantaneous loss of her own childhood as she is now expected to bear more responsibility. However, she was more likely to invoke irritation than sympathy to be honest. Ada on the other hand. She has her own burdens to bear. Born with a curvature of the spine she has always worn an uncomfortable iron corset. Most of polite society find her imperfections intolerable and on top of that the recent addition to her family of a baby boy has definitely pushed her into the margins of the household. I did like Ada and her no nonsense way of searching for Alice who she in fact realises is actually in need of rescue.
In terms of criticisms. I thought that the plot lacked focus. Yes, Ada is searching for Alice. But it felt a little like a pale imitation of Alice’s adventures. Ada is always on the outside looking in and the chapters in which we meet old favourites just feel a bit like regurgitations of what has already come before. On top of that, I didn’t really enjoy the alternating chapters that we spent in the ‘real’ world. In fact, I’m not really sure what benefit these extra chapters brought to the story to be honest other than to use the opportunity to turn this into a social commentary on the period and the people. I guess the alternating chapters served as a way to compare the worlds but personally I would have preferred the adventure to stay a little more in Wonderland. I also thought the ending felt very rushed and to be honest a little unsatisfactory – although it could be that the author is planning a follow up.
So, mixed feelings. I did like the author’s style. I thought he came up with some quite thought provoking ideas but somehow it lacked that certain something, difficult to put my finger on really, but that little extra that just makes a book click for you. I certainly wouldn’t dissuade others from reading but by the same token I wouldn’t say it’s a must read.
I received a copy courtesy of the publishers. The above is my own opinion.
No.30 Spider #Drawlloween
Today is day 29 of Drawlloween – a fun event that I found out about here on the lovely ‘Not Yet Read’. Today is Spider. Just sorry – this one is not really… welll… ppfft
The Geomancer by Clay and Susan Griffiths
30 October 2015
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Clay and Susan Griffith, King Makers, The Geomancer, The Greyfriar, The Riftwalker, Vampire Empire
The Geomancer by Clay and Susan Griffith is a further instalment that brings to us the very readable world of The Greyfriar (Gareth) and the Empress of Equatoria (Adele). This is the fourth story set in this unusual alternate world and whilst I will try to avoid spoilers for this particular novel this review may contain spoilers for previous books. To be honest – I wouldn’t advise reading this as a standalone, but I concede I may be too close to the characters here and simply want you to read all the books – check out this great review by Mogsy at the Biblioscanctum who thinks this can be read without the first three – in which case – dive in! My original review for this was posted at The Speculative Herald and this is an abridged version.
I’m not going to give a long description about the past history – my previous reviews are here for The Greyfriar, The Riftwalker and the KingMakers. They’re all great stories!
At the conclusion of the Kingmaker’s Adele was manipulated into using a surge of geomancy which wiped out the British clans, freed the land from vampire rule and created a protective barrier to prevent their return. Unfortunately, it also left huge scars on the natural rifts and badly drained Adele. On a recent visit Adele and Gareth discover that a number of grisly murders have started to re-occur in London. The vampires could be returning and it appears that Adele isn’t the only geomancer. It seems she has a rival called the Witchfinder. The Witchfinder works for the vampires and is discovering ways to protect them from Adele’s power and also to use geomancy in a way that will kill humans instead! And so we enter a race between Adele and the Witchfinder to try and find an ancient artifact that could spark an apocalypse.
I think this was my favourite of the series so far. It has perfect pacing and plenty of action. There are a number of tumultuous battle scenes with airborne scenes of vampire fighting vampire, some amazing locations and further character development accompanied by excellent dialogue.
The winning element is Adele and Gareth. They have a strong relationship and seem so much in love that it’s impossible to read these books and not become involved. This isn’t an easy relationship – Adele is human and Gareth is a Vampire. Adele is strong and stubborn. She will do anything to protect her family, friends and people, she has a vision which doesn’t involve one race wiping out the other, plus she carries a shining torch of optimsm. Gareth differs from other vampires. He believes his race to be ultimately doomed, he believes he’s the only one to treat humans with respect and is more despondent about the future. He lacks Adele’s belief that both species can live together.
Anhalt also makes a very welcome appearance. I do like this character. He’s so very proper! You feel for him as his battle wounds are taking their toll and he’s not the sort of character that waits on the sidelines while the action plays out. We pay a visit to Adele’s brother Simon – this was an interesting development. Simon is growing up and starting to rail a little bit. He gets left behind with the boring paperwork while Adele dashes around the world pursuing adventure. I wonder where that element of the story might take us.
These books are well written and easy to read. They convey a wonderful amount of detail without slowing the pace or becoming tedious. In this particular story we once again visit Paris which is simply a great setting with the ruined city, dereliction and catacombs adding a dark and seedy element to the vampire world. We also travel to a hidden monastery in the mountains of Tibet. This was a really surprising element to the story and one I really enjoyed. I can’t go into a lot of detail because it will give too much away but it’s at this point where we finally start to see something of a breakthrough in terms of the way that vampires and humans regard each other.
In terms of criticisms – well, I would have liked some more detail about the Witchfinder and his motivations but although this might be lacking slightly there is another evil baddie on the scene – who, again, I can’t really say anything about.
I really enjoyed The Geomancer. It has a great plot with lots of potential for future storylines. If you’re looking for a vampire story with a difference, plenty of action, steampunk and romance then I strongly recommend this series for you.
I received a review copy courtesy of the publisher for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.
Interview with Cheryl Mahoney, author of The People The Fairies Forgot
30 October 2015
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Author Interview, Cheryl Mahoney, The People the Fairies Forgot, The Storyteller and Her Sisters, The Wanderers
Today I’m pleased to invite Cheryl Mahoney onto my blog. Cheryl has just released her third book: The People The Fairies Forgot and we’re here today to explore a little bit about the story, discuss what next and chat about a few other points of interest. I’m currently taking part in an event called the SPFBO (Self Published Fantasy Blog Off) and so I also took the opportunity to chat to Cheryl about the pitfalls or otherwise of self-publishing. Without further ado.
Hi Cheryl
The Wanderers is Cheryl’s first book
Thanks for stopping by my blog and taking the time to answer my questions:
LB: You’re about to publish your third book – which is an excellent achievement. I wonder if you could give a few pointers to other hopefuls out there wanting to go down the route of self-publishing. Any pitfalls to avoid/inspiration, etc?
CM: I think the best and worst thing about self-publishing is that you do everything yourself. That means that besides writing the book, you also set up the text formatting (from the copyright page to the typefont to the about the author page at the end), create the cover, write the back cover blurb, format the ebook, and handle the marketing. There are options to hire people to do most of that, but that’s a choice about whether you want to spend the money—and ultimately, you’re still the one making decisions on all these things.
Personally, I like the control. I don’t have to worry about a publisher creating a cover that totally misrepresents my novel. On the other hand, I have to decide what cover would look good, and make it happen. And authors have to decide for themselves what their comfort level is on trying to tackle some of these things, which can require quite different skills than writing the novel itself (although there are a lot of resources online to get help on how to handle all these). I think it’s important for authors to know that all the other pieces really are work—but can be very satisfying too.
The best thing about self-publishing is that I can get my stories out to people who enjoy reading them—and without needing anyone’s “permission” to do it!
LW: Great characterisation is something I love in a story. How easy do you find it to create your characters – do you take people from your every day existence and use their mannerisms? And is it easy to create a character from the opposite sex? Is this something that you have to give a lot of consideration to or not?
CM: Characters are usually my favorite part of stories too. I tend to come up with story ideas along the lines of, what if this kind of person was in this situation? Usually I have a rough idea of who I want a character to be when I start writing, and then they reveal themselves to me more and more as I write. Especially when I’ve been working with a character for a long time, it doesn’t feel like I’m inventing things about them—more like I’m discovering something new that was always true.
I wish I was more observant of people in real life, their mannerisms and so on, because I’m sure it would be helpful! As it is, things like physical tics or movements to express emotion are things I have to very consciously layer into the story. I’ve never knowingly based any character on someone I really know, even loosely or in part. Except for myself! Elements of myself (more thoughts and emotions than physical things) certainly enter into many of my characters.
I actually think it can be a bit of a pitfall to think too much about writing a character of a certain demographic. If you asked me to write, say, a typical thirty year old man, I’d find that quite challenging and would undoubtedly overthink it, only to wind up with a stereotype! I try to always look at my characters as individuals—not “how would a man react to this?” but rather “how would Anthony or Jack or Tarry react to this?” I’m definitely not a male extroverted millennium-old fairy myself, but I still feel like I know how to write Tarry!
LB: I’d love for you to tell us a bit about your working day. Do you actually physically go out to write and set up somewhere remote from your home so it feels like you’re out at work? Do you make copious notes and detailed histories for your people and places? Do you write certain chapters out of sync just because they pop into your head?
CM: I do like to go out to a local café and write when I have the time, either by myself or with some writing friends. But the truth is, I have a full-time job and (probably too many) other commitments, so I’ve had to become good at writing in spare scraps of time—15 minutes on my lunch hour, 30 minutes in the evening after work. The most important writing habit I have is to write every day. I actually put X’s on a calendar, and I haven’t missed a day since April of 2013. I don’t always write a lot, but I always touch in with my fiction writing somehow. The time adds up that way, and it’s incredibly important to simply have the mindset that writing is always part of my day. That wouldn’t work for everyone, but it’s been a huge help to me.
I’m not a big note-maker or outliner, usually. I do always have a Notes document for each of my novels, to put reminders to myself about things I want to do or aspects I know I’ll need to come back and revise. It’s also a good place to dump sections that I end up cutting, because I’m compulsively unable to delete writing!
I usually write scenes in order, in part because I need to figure out details of the plot and character development as I move forward. I think of it like watching a carpet unroll—I can only see a certain distance ahead, and I have to keep writing forward to unroll and see more. I did actually write some chapters of The Wanderers out of order (a little easier because each chapter is somewhat more self-contained than my other novels tend to be), though within each chapter I was writing in order. I’m also working on a very long historical fiction novel that has been written in bits and pieces all over the place. So, with exceptions, I write scenes in order!
LB: Can you tell us a little bit of what to expect from your third novel – have you incorporated any people or places from the first two and overall what would you say is the main thrust of the story.
CM: This is my third book in the same series, and like the first two it’s written to be read separately. The first two were true companion books, with some overlapping plot points and scenes. This one is more independent, though readers of the first two will recognize a few characters. Tarry, my unusual fairy and narrator of this story, appeared as a supporting character in The Wanderers, and alert readers will spot a few references to his friend a wandering adventurer in this book. An inn appears at the end of The Storyteller and Her Sisters, and that inn and the people who work there have much more significant roles here. And finally, Marjoram, my Good Fairy, was a thorn in the sides of the heroes of the last two books, and is up to even more trouble—er, good deed doing, in this book!
The People the Fairies Forget retells three familiar fairy tales, but takes a new angle by focusing on people who are usually very minor characters. Marj considers them pretty minor too, and Tarry’s efforts to defend them from the fallout of her spells brings the two of them into conflict. I really wanted to explore the idea that everyone has a story, even the people the stories aren’t usually about.
LB: For the people out there reading this interview right now who would you say your books will appeal to the most?
CM: I’m fortunate to have had positive feedback from very diverse readers! I like to think my books have cross-age appeal—nothing inappropriate or too challenging for readers as young as twelve, but it’s not too simplistic for older readers to enjoy. It will help if you like fairy tales—especially if you’ve wondered at some of their stranger aspects…
LB: And, jumping totally ahead of myself ‘where next’? Do you have a whole series of books that draw inspiration from 
the fairytale world or do you have different plans?
I have at least one more book planned in this series. I have a draft already written of a (somewhat loose) prequel to my second book, The Storyteller and Her Sisters. If all goes well in the next year, I’ll be releasing The Lioness and the Spellspinners around this time in 2016!
More immediately, I’m jumping into NaNoWriMo this November, with plans for a novel in an entirely new direction. I haven’t started yet so I don’t want to say too much—but I expect it to be a sci fi story involving multiple universes. It may be more serious than my other books, though I expect it to still be YA-appropriate.
Right now I’m excited to try something new after four books in the same series, but I may return to my Beyond the Tales world again too. The fun thing about this series is that every book focuses on new main characters, so the possibilities to keep building out are pretty endless! And I don’t rule out the possibility of going back to some of my main characters again. I like to end books just as the heroes are setting off for new adventures, so it keeps the door open to visit again.
Cheryl, thank you so much for stopping by, I really appreciate your honesty and it was lovely to have you visit.
You can find the descriptions for all three of Cheryl’s novels by clicking on the links below:
The Wanderers, The Storyteller and Her Sisters, The People the Fairies Forgot
Books and travelling with Lynn 