Writing

Shannara: The Heir to Middle-Earth?

Posted on September 13, 2014 by Darrick Dean

Nearly forty years ago, during a dark age where epic fantasy was hard to come by, Terry Brooks released The Sword of Shannara. In many ways, similar to The Lord of the Rings: An unaware, peaceful guy (Shea Ohmsford), happy in his own world, is tasked by a wise, mysterious stranger (Allanon) to obtain the Sword of Shannara before the Warlock Lord uses it to conquer Shannara. While some thought the plot too similar to Frodo/Gandalf/The Ring/Sauron, Tolkien’s books would ultimately establish the archtype for all fantasy that followed. And, in the following decades, Brooks would unveil his Shannara mythos in over 25 books (and it’s still going).

For those that wished Tolkien had written much more, Brooks is the perfect author. His books quickly would show their originality. Long-time readers were in for a welcome surprise when he connected them to his Word & Void series and linking high fantasy with the modern world. Since the series is made up of self-contained sequences (trilogies, duologies…), which makes it easier to pick a place to start (though Sword is still the best place). It also makes those who slogged through years of Robert Jordan’s epic one-story series, or those afraid to start, a little more at ease of taking on another never-ending fantasy. However, many Brooks fans probably wish he would go back and revisit some of his classic characters.

In the final analysis, fantasy fans will long remember Middle-Earth, Narnia and Shannara.

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Are You Prepared?

Posted on September 7, 2014 by Darrick Dean

It’s National Preparedness Month and I can’t help to wonder why something so simple is so overlooked by many. Just look how quickly shelves went bare a few weeks ago when water supplies went bad in northern Ohio. Or how people wipe out the bread, milk and toilet paper in the face of a two day snow storm.

Sometimes I wonder how civilization made it this far. What would happen in a far larger, sustained disaster? It doesn’t take much time or money to prepare. I don’t mean you have to be one of those hardcore prepper types, but could you and your family make it a few days without electricity and access to stores? Would your life break down and spiral out of control without a phone and the internet? What would you eat and drink? If it is winter, how would you heat?

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Fiction is littered with apocalyptic tales of survival. These imagine what would happen in a complete collapse. What attracts so many to these tales is that they are way to explore the best, and worst, in man.

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They also serve as a warning: Pay attention. Don’t get lost in the useless and let others be responsible for the direction of yourself, your nation or humanity. Don’t take life for granted. Many a civilization has fallen, ones far older than our own. We think ourselves as unsurpassed in intelligence and greatness.

So did they.

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Lost on Venus

Posted on September 7, 2014 by Darrick Dean

While Mars gets all the attention in sci-fi, Edgar Rice Burroughs (of course) penned a five volume series back in the day (1930s) and has been the epic adventure on the clouded planet ever since.

He uses his classic formula: Earth man lost on another world, meets the girl of his dreams (native of the other world), must face peril after peril, often losing and rescuing his girl in the process. In spite of being a well-used plot in his books — and an archtype for much of pulp fiction that would come later — he creates fresh backdrops of alien cultures and beasts. One can detect allusions to nations or ideologies of our own world in his creations, yet he’s always subtle, never in your face with parallel meanings.

Is there anything wrong with an entertaining story that lets the reader disappear into another world? Must every book be on some sort of crusade? No, but all good books have some depth to them. Others try too hard and come off unintelligent to the thoughtful reader. Yes, there are those who like books that explicitly affirm their worldviews, no matter how poor the presentation.

Burroughs’ books, however, decades after they were written remain fresh, relevant and, above all, entertaining.

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Burroughs’ Dystopian Earth

Posted on August 17, 2014 by Darrick Dean

Edgar Rice Burroughs is best known for his pulp-sci-fi Barsoom series (John Carter of Mars) and Tarzan. His swashbuckling heroes and their over-the-top adventures influenced countless authors and movies ever since. He’s not known for dystopian tales like those so popular today. Yet, before Orwell and Huxley, he wrote one, a lesser known book, The Moon Men.

A sequel to The Moon Maid, it takes a decidedly different tone than that volume. Maid is the typical Burroughs adventure: Hero finds himself in perilous situations, always perseveres and rescues the girl in the end. In Men, Flash forward a few centuries after these events, and we find Earth invaded and conquered.

Earth, after its own wars, had created “peace” by disarming all. The world’s militaries also all abandoned. A world lulled into a false Eden, ripe for someone to take advantage of it. What follows is a subjugated population who worships in secret, books are rare and people are stolen by those aligned with the invaders. Fall out of line and face death and being fed to the alien race. But Julian has had enough.

Burroughs, writing in the 1920s, had seen the destructive Great War and writes of the follies of war in the first book, but also of the futility of pretending evil is conquered and peace can be forced. He then shows how tyranny can begin to falter because of one man. The master of pulp fiction showed that this genre could give us as much to think about as any “literary” work.

And any worthwhile book should entertain and make us think.

pyr

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Amazon a “Market Disruption” for Publishers

Posted on August 16, 2014 by Darrick Dean

The war between Amazon (who has led the wholesale changes seen in publishing in recent years) and traditional publishers (currently Hachette Book Group) has come to a head over e-book pricing. Hachette’s position is that they have the author’s best interests at heart, but indie writers argue otherwise. One of them, Robert Bidinotto, explains that there is more to the story:

…even though publishing contract terms (including advances, royalties, and rights) are simply awful for 99% of authors, a relative handful of Big Name Authors do in fact benefit disproportionately from their alliances with Big Publishing. These “one-percenters” (to borrow a term from current political parlance) get extravagant advances from the publishing houses — advances so large that they don’t care much about other contractual terms, such as royalties and subsidiary rights, which other authors must endure. They have a huge vested interest in keeping the publishing industry frozen in amber, exactly as it is. As marquee figures in the industry, these Big Name Authors also dominate prominent writers groups, such as the Authors Guild. So, when such individuals and groups issue statements, purporting to speak for authors generally, you can be sure that they are really only representing their own narrower interests.

You can read the complete post at his site and the petition that supports the Amazon side. Bidinotto also writes, “Look, I have no problem, in principle, with publishers. If they really did what they promise to do — take the burdens of editing and publication off writers, compensate them reasonably, and market them creatively and intelligently — I think many more authors would be happier than they are now. A number of small presses still do this.”

And that is truly what is at the heart of the debate. It isn’t that Big Publishing is evil or that no authors ever succeed with them or that no one but bad authors indie publish. Once writers had another path to publish their works, they were free to question the system that usually left them with the least return. If big deals come along, that’s great, but most writers would be happy to pay the bills and make a living. And most don’t.

The industry is changing. The death of many bookstores has shown us that. If traditional publishers don’t change, will they follow the same path?

P.S. For an example of how some in traditional publishing are adapting, see the October issue of Writer’s Digest in which “The Evolving Agent” details how agents are joining the digital era.

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Bad Deeds

Posted on August 12, 2014 by Darrick Dean

Tired of the System run by the corrupt that protects the corruption? You could call Batman. Or you could find Dylan Hunter.

In Robert Bidinotto‘s Hunter, we were introduced to investigative reporter Dylan Hunter who has, let’s just say, a bit of a past. Nor does he like when the criminal element gets away with murder.

In Bad Deeds, we find Hunter and his woman friend Annie on a much needed holiday in the towering forests of northern Pennsylvania. It’s not long before they find themselves in a middle of a war as ecoterrorists attempt to take down the evil corporate gas drillers. Soon, the trail leads to the cesspool of corruption known as Washington, DC, where the Hunter finds himself up against those who will do anything to cling on to power. They believe themselves untouchable. Hunter may have a thing or two to say about that.

Is this second installment, Bidinotto has built on the first and taken the story to a new level, as any sequel should. Readers find themselves in a “ripped from the headlines” tale that is all too plausible. Political games and money trails are all too the norm in our world. As are cover-ups and the near immunity of politicians from the rules the rest of us play by. This all unfolds in a page-turning fashion that exceeds Hunter’s last adventure. Of course, in the tradition of all memorable thrillers, Hunter finds himself in some over-the-top situations. At the same time, there is much to provoke thought in the thinking reader. When will more people become fed up with the status quo? Maybe not necessarily in the way Hunter goes about justice.

Then again, when are we going to stop letting the corrupt define justice?

pyr

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Of Martians and Details

Posted on June 13, 2014 by Darrick Dean

Have you ever read a book where you feel like you are bogged down in a swamp? The author wants to tell you every little detail of his or her world. The color of every last button, the exact feel of every object, every inch of every person in vivid color. It’s as if they are afraid the reader will perceive something, anything, different from what was imagined in the author’s mind.

It’s true that too little detail is boring. Just as certain is that not allowing a story to breathe, to capture the reader and bring them in, is just as boring. It doesn’t take a lot of detail to paint a picture in the mind. A perception. A feeling. An immersive book doesn’t have to be 200,000 words long. Fewer and purposefully chosen words can ignite the reader’s imagination, draw them inside and propel them forward.

One of my favorite books is Ray Bradbury’s Martian Chronicles. Relatively short, it’s a collection of short stories, mostly connected only by the Martian setting. But Bradbury’s descriptions of the ancient, dead (or dying) Martian world leave an impression in one’s mind, one that stays with you long after. Maybe each reader’s image in their mind’s eye of the red planet is a little different in reading these stories. Yet long after they forget every exact word, character and event, the mere mention of the book brings up imagery and feeling like a memory of place actually walked.

And that is one of the traits that distinguishes remembered books from those forgotten.

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Promoting Your Book, Off-line

Posted on May 25, 2014 by Darrick Dean

Writers dream of big newspaper ads, displays in bookstores and maybe a radio spot or two. Truth is, most books are not marketed like a movie release campaign. Authors also quickly realize that they hold much of the responsibility for getting their book noticed. Often this requires willingness to do some old-fashioned networking.

Ren Garcia, the mind behind the League of Elder series, writes that nothing is off the table:

“A key component of spreading the plague that is my brand is showing my smiling face: craft shows, bake shows, car shows, any place I can set up a table is fair game.” And then there is the convention scene where it is easy to be overlooked, but as Ren writes, “For me, the greatest value of attending a convention is the contacts and genuine friendships I make. I walk around and talk to the authors and show genuine interest in their work. I listen to them.”

Robert Bidinotto, author of the Dylan Hunter novels, details that something as apparently mundane (in our electronic world anyway) as business cards can effectively spread the word about your book. He explains:

“…by far the best way to use them is person-to-person. Every time you meet someone new, they want to know what you do. ‘I’m an author,’ you say, and hand them your card. If you have a spiffy-looking book cover, your card will impress them and very likely generate questions.” In other words, be proud that you are writer and let people know. He adds: “But you don’t have to wait around to encounter strangers. You are constantly running into strangers: store clerks, waiters and waitresses, barbers and hair stylists, people sitting next to you in coffee shops, the clerk at the post office window. You can initiate a conversation, quite naturally…” Read the rest of his post for an amusing little lesson in bringing your book up to complete strangers.

So instead of waiting for the big movie trailer for your book, explore every and any opportunity to make your epic story known.

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Light vs. Darkness

Posted on May 3, 2014 by Darrick Dean

The supernatural and fantasy shelves at the bookstore are overflowing with books looking to be The Next Best Thing. As with any genre that hits high levels of popularity, it has become saturated with many all too similar tales. Yet there is always a couple that stand out.

Tosca Lee‘s Demon: A Memoir takes a turn away from the urban action or romance-centered supernaturals. What if a demon, who had been around since the beginning, showed up and wanted you to write its story? That’s exactly what happens to writer Clay one day. The demon Lucian, who appears as a different human in each encounter, relates his personal experience of the Universe’s creation, the rise of Evil and the arrival of man. Eventually, though, Clay and Lucian’s story become intertwined. In many ways a thought-provoking book as it progresses, which adds depth to an entertaining page-turned. Ironically, though, I have seen readers complain when they weren’t warned that a book might challenge them or leave them some items to ponder. Can’t make everyone happy, I suppose.

Mande Matthews introduces readers to her ShadowLight Saga with the short The Light Keepers. Astrid, oppressed and locked away by her mother, is no ordinary girl. Her abilities have been growing and, of course, the evil in the world wants her for their own insidious plans. This prologue also includes a sneak-peak at Bonded. The Light Keepers will definitely leave you wanting to know what is to become of Astrid in what looks to be an epic saga between Light and Darkness.

And speaking of that, I have previously reviewed Morgan L. Busse‘s Follower of the Word series that begins with Daughter of Light. It is the story of Rowen Mar, another young woman who is learning she is not another average human in the Lands. Evil is rising and she is being called to make a choice, lead the fight or deny her gifts. Good and evil here aren’t the vague ideas of many novels. There is something real and tangible behind both. This book seems almost a prologue to a much longer story. The characters are just beginning to realize who they are. Evil is still spreading through the countryside and they have yet to fully engage in the struggle.

All of these books are about the battle between Darkness and Light. Why do so many explore this conflict?

Quite simply because fiction is often inspired by fact.

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When Will You Tell Yours?

Posted on May 3, 2014 by Darrick Dean

I wrote awhile back that everyone should put their story into print. Whether for the whole world, or just for family and friends, everyone should record at least some segment of their life for posterity.

Think about all the people that have come and gone. Few walk the Earth and not impact or influence others, whether they know it or not. Every person you meet, even for a fleeting moment, is a Point of Contact, a chance to make a ripple in their Stream of Time, their Story.

Take Randy Pausch’s The Last Lecture. After being diagnosed with terminal cancer, Pausch, who was a professor, presented his “Last Lecture” at his university. It wasn’t just on his field of expertise, but his life story, which he converted into his best-selling book.

Did he cram every bit of wisdom and experience of his life into a short book? No, of course not. What he did do was give windows into his life that would allow his children, some very young at the time, know who their father was.

Or as Ed Voss did in Rambling, a combination of true and fictional stories. Some people can tell as much, or more, about themselves through fiction as they can fact.

Everyone should take the time to put together books like these. They don’t have to be epics or perfect in prose or looking for fame and fortune. Everyone has stories that deserve to be told and preserved.

When will you tell yours?

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