The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell

The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell is part of an ongoing mega novel by the author that was first brought to my attention with Cloud Atlas.

You may have seen or heard about Cloud Atlas from the movie version staring Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, and Agent Smith, and directed by the Wachowski's. I've not seen the movie yet--though I plan to soon. I have read the book and it was not an easy read. I might have to read it again. It was very hard to follow.

Cloud Atlas deals with reincarnation and the traveling of a soul through time and people. The concept is easy enough to understand though I had a hard time seeing this in practice. Maybe after I watch the film and scour Wikipedia I'll be ready to take on the book again.

But this is about the Bone Clocks, which is a much easier read. The story is broken into six parts. Part One introduces us to the story's protagonist, Holly Sykes. The story advances from Sykes to different character perspectives who are loosely connected to her, each jumping forward in time, beginning in 1984 with Sykes, then to 1991, 2004, 2015, 2025, and finally ending in 2043 with a now 70 year old Holly Sykes.

The number of years covered in the the overall story is impressive and with each jump the reader is met with an entirely different set of rules as the culture and society has changed so dramatically. The POV characters are also vastly different from one another, making each new section a true story in and of itself.

The Bone Clocks is not part of a series, however, many, if not all of Mitchell's works are interconnected. I found the Bone Clocks the most accessible, so it may be a good starting point.

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel is the story about a traveling theater group in the years following the collapse of the civilized world.

The story follows the lives of several characters who are connected in some way or another to one man, a famous Hollywood actor -- Arthur Leander.

This is a story that makes you think long after you've finished reading it. It's been said that the ability to do this makes for a good story and I would have to agree. I got into a lengthy discussion with the librarian who recommended this book to me, over who was the protagonist of the story. There were either many, or one. We couldn't quite decide. All of the main characters have Arthur Leander in common. It could be argued that Leander is the protagonist. However the other characters are the ones doing most of the actions in the story. Any one of them could also be considered a protagonist in their own rite.

It's a tricky story, but somehow it works. It works on a lot of different levels. It still has me thinking, weeks later while I write this entry. This was actually a very difficult entry to write because I could go at it from several different angles and had trouble deciding how to spin it. I chose to go with the character puzzle.

I will also say that the world created in Station Eleven is one of the most believable ones to come out of the post-apocalyptic genre. In a world completely void of a supernatural element -- be it Metro 2033's Librarians and Dark Ones, or the virals of The Passage -- humanity is seen to survive however they can, making due with the shelters left from a fallen civilization, building settlements, and returning to a hunter-gathers society. And coming out from the ashes of popular culture and a keen background in the creative arts, of course we would see a traveling theater, committed to maintaining the Bard's great works.

Lock In by John Scalzi

Lock In by John Scalzi is a story of a large segment of the world's population succumbing to a paralysis invoking flu, leaving their minds completely intact. Technology moves in and gives these people robotic bodies in order for them to continue contributing to society. In the midst of all this a great detective story unfolds involving two FBI agents, one of them, a flu suffer--equipped in their robot body--the other, flesh and blood. The story is told in the first-person from the POV of the robotic-human FBI agent.

Lock In blurs the lines of gender. I would normally roll my eyes at this as a form of pandering to what it currently a hot-button issue in society. But the subtly in which Scalzi does this is very good. The reader is never given any hints if the protagonist is male or female. The plot doesn't hinge on their sexuality and it's never brought up. The fact that this character is piloting what I imagine to be a very androgynous--albeit humanoid vehicle--sets the stage for a neutral being for both male and female characters to interact with. Does it border on the fringes of a Progressive Utopian fantasy? Maybe. But it isn't preachy or heavy-handed. 

The audio book was recorded by both a male and female readers, adding an interactive element to your reading experience. In my opinion, it's a no-brainer as to which version is the superior read. Amber Bensen is the female reader and she does a sensational job.

I did not, nor will I ever, read the male version of Lock In, as Wil Wheaton is the reader, and he has lost all credibility as a reader of so much as the Dictionary after what he did to Masters of Doom. Unforgivable, bordering on shameful.

Lock In reminded me of the novels by J.D. Robb...just without the sex. One might argue that this would be a setback. I guess it all depends on what your cup o' tea happens to be. The world of Lock In is much more believable then Robb's fantastical sci-fi universe. Scalzi's human piloted androids are not super-human, and there is no robot/human uprising. The story stays within the boundaries of a detective-style who-done-it, in the not so distant sci-fi future. 

Metro 2033 by Dmitry Glukhovsky

Metro 2033 by Dmitry Glukhovsky was the surprise hit of these cold and dark winter months. Sometimes I pick out books without knowing a damn thing about them or their author. This was how I discovered The Rook by Dan O'Malley--a book that will remain in the Number One spot on my short-list for a very long time.

Metro 2033 is a hit because of the world Glukhovsky creates. He took a very simple concept--the Moscow Metro, and turned it into an almost alien environment. I had no idea how large the Moscow subway system was. When I first started reading the book, I thought to myself, how can a story this long take place in the confined space of a subway system? There can't possibly be enough setting here. Like you, I was ignorant of just how hUge the Moscow Metro is. Here's a picture:

http://news.metro.ru

It's pretty big...I guess.

I want to go to Moscow just to ride the subway. I was talking to a friend who grew up there and she told me that they do indeed have tours. I might start hosting a tour of the MBTA Green Line, from Riverside to Fenway. Good times

I don't want to go into detail, but there were a lot of great mysteries and lore in Metro 2033. Glukhovsky gave out just enough backstory to give a sense of what caused everyone to flee into the metro, lest they become victims of nuclear attack. And characters express superstitions that turn out to be grounded in more truth than irrational fear. It's not just a story of hopeless survival. There is far more at play here. And he doesn't give it all away, leaving room for the reader to draw their own conclusions.

It was also adapted into a video game, which happened to go on sale this week, which I happened to pick up. I haven't had a chance to start playing in yet, but the graphics are very awesome and the main menu captured the feel I got from the book. It also helped that Glukhovsky had a hand in it's development. Once I've put a few hours into the game, I'll give it a review.

The book has two sequels that I'll probably read before summer, but not before I finish Lock In by John Scalzi and possible one or two lighter reads.

The Man in the High Castle

My cousin Scott wrote three very excellent posts on his blog about the Top 30 TV Shows of the Decade. You should go check it out, then come back and keep reading. Don't worry, I'll wait.  

Oh, you're back. 

I was talking with him about shows that I like, and The Man in the High Castle came up. He was about 3 episodes into season 1 at the time, and I was about 5. I told him it was slow to start but he should stick with it. For me the show was beginning to pick up. I had no idea just how awesome it was going to get in the remaining few episodes of the season.

The show is like that unsuspecting old-person, who's sitting across from you, playing cards, when suddenly he stands up and punches you in the face. Strangely, you don't seem to mind the sudden fist-a-cuffs.

I don't often recommend a television show--at least not here, but The Man in the High Castle should be watched and hopefully enjoyed. It's very different from the book, although the character of Frank Frink is just as useless as his literary counterpart--if not more so. Frink was sort of the defacto main character of the novel and his story fell short. His scenes in the show might be the reason the first few episodes run so slow. Once the focus turned to Juliana, things begin to pick up. Her character is also better developed in the show. She's no longer merely a set-piece, but plays a very strong role in the plot.

I don't dislike the book, but in this instance the show is a lot better than the original source material. I have similar feelings on the Lord of the Rings.

I'm looking forward to Season 2, and hope that it keeps up the momentum. It's a very good show and has the potential to go in many different directions, or dimensions.

Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman

In my experience you either learned about Norse Mythology by some independent means, or through comic books and pop culture. School had the Greek and Egyptian gods covered but I learned more about the Norse gods from the Marvel movies and Final Fantasy 2...which is really Final Fantasy 4...or something.

Before Odin was the All-Father for me, he was an optional boss that--when bested--would be a summon-able ally. He had one attack. One attack that would completely murdered your entire party in one hit. If you couldn't bring his hitpoints down to zero in time you were dead. Odin was the first in a long line of badass 8-bit bosses.

Neil Gaiman's Norse Mythology was my education into the myths of the Germanic and Viking people. Going into this book I knew it was going to be good. This was not Gaiman's first trip into mythological worlds. It's sorta his wheelhouse--between The Sandman, American Gods and others that I've just not read yet. And the audio version is read by him, which was delightful. I'm going to stereotype the British now, but hearing a Brit read anything instantly whisks me away to some sort of magical Harry Potter world, even when the book being read isn't Harry Potter.

Norse Mythology is going right onto my Reading List along with a few other Neil Garmin must-reads. If you've never read anything by him--either because you're from the past, or you're too hipster douchebag for anyone successful--then I suggest you get with the times, man, or change your ways and pick up this book.

The Passage Trilogy

If you're looking for a different kind of horror story, then I recommend, The Passage, by Justin Cronin. It's a novel about vampires, but it's unlike anything pertaining to vampires that you've ever read before. This isn't Bram Stoker and this certainly isn't Ann Rice. And though there is a supernatural element to the story, it surprisingly doesn't have anything to do with the traditional vampire mythos.

The Passage uses science fiction as a sub-genre quite well One example was how the vampires, or 'virals' are brought into this world--through a secret military project conducted on American soil. It's very much like the start of a good Resident Evil game, complete with things going horribly, horribly wrong.

But there's more to The Passage than vampires. Cronin is at his best with the development of both his characters and the world he's created for them. This is a world that pokes at the edges of our own--albeit, a world that has seen better days. Hurricane Katrina has happened in Cronin's world, and it was quickly followed-up by a second hurricane that left the Louisiana coast all but uninhabitable. The children of our current politicians are now running the show, and doing just about as well as their predecessors. These details give the reader a sense of inclusion, which make the unfolding events much more horrifying.

Characters are expendable, but not in the way George RR Martin would carelessly kill-off someone. There's an actual sense of life to Cronin's characters. It's almost as if the story were a simulation of life happening during this horrible event, yet there is still room for heroes to emerge.

The Passage by itself is an epic book. There's a lot in here and it's well worth reading. It's also the first in a trilogy. The Twelve and The City of Mirrors continue the journey where The Passage left us. I really enjoyed getting lost in this world--though at times it proved to be quite sad, and often frustrating. By the end I was left with a peaceful sense of closure.

I added The Passage to the Reading List section of this website, though I could very easily put the entire trilogy in there. I'm just too lazy to spend that much time web designing.

Speaking of the Reading List, go check it out. It's like a blog post, only much much shorter. These are all books I've read and have covered in the blog. But unlike the blog, these are books that stand out as true favorites of mine. I've included the synopsis from Amazon and my own thoughts on the book. If you're interested in buying the book, simply click on the book cover and you'll be magically whisked away to Amazon--or the amazon...I can't remember which. Doing so will also help support this very website.

Lately I've been Reading

Not a very long post today. Here are 2 very different books that I have read recently:

The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11 by Lawrence Wright

Maybe subconsciously I planned on reading the Loom Tower by Lawrence Wright, right before September 11th, but I hadn't meant to do it--if that makes any sense. I was looking for something nonfiction and the book had been burning a hole on my Audible wishlist.

It was an emotional read. It was a frustrating read. It was a read where you hoped for a different outcome but knew the ending long before the account began.

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

This is a YA Fantasy about thieves. But the book does not read like like YA. It's more adult than YA. The characters, though described as being teenagers, have experiences well beyond their years. This may have been one of those cases where Bardugo wrote for an adult audience, but her publisher felt it would sell better in the YA market.

I really enjoyed the book and have already picked up the next one in the series on Audible. I don't know what the sub-genre is officially called, but the Fantasy-Thievery sub-genre is one I'm happy to see more of. Authors like Bardugo, Lynch and Weekes are but a few that I have read, and all of them I greatly enjoy.   

Change'n. The Times. They are.

I re-read The Waste Lands by Stephen King--which is said to be the best book in The Dark Tower series. I tend to agree. The last time I read it was in college, which was a long time ago. *I pause to contemplate the passage of time*

It was a very different read the second time, and many years around, and my memories of events and characters were very different. The scene in the Tick-Tock Man's lair was rather simplistic in my young college mind. The setting was more trash-strewn hovel than trash-strewn missile silo. Did my memories filter out the details or where they never there to begin with? The lead up to that confrontation was also very different. I don't remember all the trap-filled, underground passageways. The character of Roland, the iconic gunslinger, was also more human, less full of angst, and, at times, even funny. We project a lot on our protagonists and perhaps my Freshman mindset painted a very different picture compared to my current, more refined pallet.

Or perhaps I'm just full of shit and wasn't paying a damn bit of attention the first time around.

If my wife, in-laws, and the doctor are to be believed, I have a kid now. Life as I now know it has changed...forever...and ever...*sigh*...and ever....

He's a goofy kid. I was going to add, ...'just like his old-man', but it would have sounded cliche. It's weird. Whenever I talk about him, I feel like I'm sounding cliche. I guess all those 'change my life forever' sayings really hold true in this case. It's a weird, strange ride, but I don't think I'd change even the late nights and crying. Not when he cries, and not even when I cry either.

The writing has taken a backseat to baby. I'm just beginning to get back into it. It's been a 2 month dry spell. But this blog, and some notes I've made are pushing me ever forward. I've started my final read of Hidden Mountain before it goes out for submission. It starts off slow. Not sure if it's too slow to the action. Once the action happens, it becomes a very 'hit-the-ground-running' until the end, kind of story. Not sure if The Editor should take another pass at it, or just throw it to the mercy of the submission process and see if I get any feedback.

At the library I work at, I've begun compiling what I like to call, The C.G. McGinn Collection. This is all a precursor to the C.G. McGinn wing, which they will build in my honor after all the money I donate to them once I become rich and famous. Here is what currently resides within this most prestigious--be it a bit pretentious--sub-library within the library proper:

The Rook by Daniel O'Malley

The Gentleman Bastards series by Scott Lynch

14 and The Fold by Peter Clines (14 is a must read)

Somewhere in Between by Katie Li

More to be added in time.

Current Enjoyment

What I enjoy:

1. The first cup of morning coffee

2. "Cat's Cradle" by Kurt Vonnegut

3. The Fratellis latest album, "Eyes Wide, Tongue Tied"

4. My office

5. Bubba Burgers

Less Superficial Enjoyments:

1. The Wife. Because.

I read Cat's Cradle again. It's a good book but you have to be into Vonnegut or else you're not going to get it. There was a lot more happening after the big thing that happens than I remembered. The audio version even had a nice interview with the late KV, which was also good. Totally different generation of writer. Very refreshing.

I have an Editor for the novella. I met her at the Author's Expo last month. Full disclosure: I saw her name on the list of editors at the expo and researched her with the All-Mighty Google to see if she was legit. Turns out, she is. So when the expo finally came around, I had a pretty good idea of what to expect. Tanya -her name is Tanya- seems really enthusiastic about the novella -a trait I associate more with agents than editors. I suspect this is a good thing though. Up until now, I and a select few were the only people who gave a damn about what the hell I've been doing with my meager free time. So it's really cool to have a professional editor get into it as much as I do.

I have some time before turning over the manuscript. I'm going over the notes from my beta-readers and putting together notes on the series, characters, plot -stuff she's going to need. This is more than just copy editing. When all is said and done I hope to see exactly what works and what doesn't.

Inside Baseball

I made a small outline of the series in its entirety. I don't have all the details. A lot of what I have planned in my head is subject to change as the characters develop. I'm not going to force my initial outcome if a particular character no longer feels or acts the way they did when I first came up with it.

That being said:

Anthology#1: 5 Novella's. By the end, all the main characters will be introduced and the reader should have a fairly good idea of the universe, its rules, etc.

The Novels: 3 Novels. The first one picks up right where the last novella ends. These 3 books will cover a specific story I've been wanting to tell for several years now. 

Anthology#2: The jury is still out on this one. I've got a great big world here and I want to be able to explore other areas that perhaps branch away from the main story. This 2nd collection will probably take place between the events of the novels, but again, nothing is set in stone just yet.

A lot of this probably sounds like something only I'd be interested in. But hey, this is the process, my process anyway.

Welcome to my lair...not that I'm some sort of animal...

...Or maybe I am...

Breaking the format for this entry as it's been a while and I need to get back into the swing of things. 

Books worth reading:

Masters of Doom by David Kushner

Skip the audio version. All things nerd-culture have a raging hard-on for Wil Wheaton. I, thankfully, do not. Tips for reading a non-fiction book: No, it's not OK to put on a British accent when quoting something from the Guardian. Yes, I realize it's a British newspaper. It doesn't matter. Would you put on a stereotypical Japanese accent when quoting something out of Yomiuri Shimbun? No, no you wouldn't. Also, don't put on a Joseph Lieberman or Bill Clinton voice when quoting them either. It might also help not to sound like such a damn fanboy when reading the rest of the pros. Just few tips from me to you.

The Gunslinger by Stephen King

It was on sale so I picked it up cheap. I'm a fan of the Dark Tower series, especially the first 4 books. King went back and updated the Gunslinger in 2003 and the end result was a really polished piece of work. I read an interview with him not long ago. Turns out the Dark Tower books were never edited. O.o I know, right! If you're looking for something from King that isn't hard horror, and more dark fantasy/sci-fi, then give this one a solid read.

3 books by JD Robb

Ok, so the Wife got me into this. I didn't think I'd like them, but they're pretty damn good. For those of you who don't know, JD Robb and Nora Roberts are the same person. No, I haven't started reading romance books, at least, not yet. The "In Death" series takes place in a Blade Runner-esk future New York City where drugs and prostitution are both legal and corporations buy planets and build fancy space station resorts. The main character is a detective. The books are mysteries. Since the author got her success in romance, the sex scenes are well done and pull no punches. Where some authors might 'fade to black' or gloss over the sex, Robb/Roberts dives right in, and it makes for both good storytelling and something different in what can be a formulaic genre.

What else is going on:

Got one of the main characters from my novel preserved for posterity. Here's another great piece drawn by Ben Dunn. He did a great job! I really like how the pic came out. He'll have my business for quite a while and if he's up for it, there are 10-plus characters in the novel who would look great next to this one, in my office.

And speaking of my office

Here's mine!

My Father-In-Law is the best. He realizes that sometime I just need to get away from the Wife, and now I can! (However, what you don't see in the picture is that the wall behind me is only half-finished, so I won't be doing much hiding).

Seriously though, it's good to have my own space, for writing, for gaming, to just chill. When the computer was in the living room, it was easy for both me and the Wife to zone out on the computer/tv. With the office, it helps us appreciate the time we spend together, in-part, because there's a clearly defined border for the time spent apart. I don't know if I'm making much sense, but, bottom line: it's a good thing.

"Shift" & "Dust" by Hugh Howey

Book Book

It's a double-whammy tonight! I picked up Shift by Hugh Howey, for the beginning of the year. I like the book because I'm a sucker for the nitty-gritty back-story of a story. I think that's why It's taking me so long to write a damn book, because I'm all about the back-story. Shift was a prequel to Wool and explained how things got the way they got. 

Dust was the thrilling conclusion of the Silo Trilogy. It tied up a lot of the ends from both Wool and Shift. As a complete set, the trilogy was good, with Wool as the dominant book. Wool was very character-driven. You couldn't help but develop an attachment to the majority of characters, including the jerky head of IT. Shift and Dust were more about telling a story based on events. It wasn't bad. It just wasn't as emotionally stirring as the first book.

I like Howey's writing style and look forward to reading more of his stuff.

Errr...Write Write

A lot has happened in the writing world.

1. It took some hair-pulling, head-banging, and tears, lots of tears, but I was finally able to create an outline of the novel. I also figured out how I write: I create a first draft by just writing the shit out of things. I do best when this is done in a notebook. Sometime, usually between these pen-and-paper sessions, I'll put what I wrote into the computer, and during this time I'll expand on the ideas scribbled in ink and develop the story. We'll call this, Draft 1.5. Once the story is written, from roughly start to finish, I'll do myself a huge favor and outline the damn thing. The outline, in this instance, is my road map, something to keep me on track. By this point it's a game of fill-in-the-blanks. The outline helps me flesh out the plot and what I've missed, and where to include what information. After that, re-write, revise, proof and polish. It's probably not the way Stephen King does it, but shit, I'm not Stephen King.

2. Because the outline wasn't done I got into a rut. I'd been in a rut since Christmas. But that's all over. The outline is done and I'm writing strong again. I hammered out 2 major scenes over the weekend and snow days. 

3. Contacted Ben Dunn, and gave him a overly detailed character sketch for my main character, Aryel. For weeks now I had and idea of how she should look. And at the last minute I scrapped this idea for something 1000 times awesomer! Both The Wife, and Samson approve, so the commission promises to be kick-ass. Ben is unbelievably awesome, so I know the pic is going to come out looking great.

4. I want to start a simple D&D campaign that doesn't involve a lot of stats and number crunching, focusing almost entirely on the story, and taking place in the universe of the novel. I think that'd be really cool and would help me further build the world. Player's would create unique characters, not characters from the book, and they'd get lost in this crazy dream world. I don't know what kind of interest people would have for that, and I'm not the best DM, but hey, it could be fun. Any takers?

"The Ratman Forgive You, this Time."

Read a Book

That's right, we're reviewing Stephen King's The Stand! So dust off your Blue Oyster Cult CD, and give Kareem Abdule Jabbar some serious consideration for a Golden Globe, because we're kicking it back to 1994 with The Stand TV miniseries!

No, I'm kidding. My thoughts on the very long book instead:

I first read The Stand in high school. For a slow reader I think I read it into my freshman year of college. Probably not, but I'm sure it took me a while. The book gave me nightmares about dead people. At the time, dead people were still a scary thing, probably because I hadn't been to too many funerals, and I was still somewhat scarred from watching Stand by Me at an age much younger than whatever the appropriate age for watching Stand by Me is. Dead body's were scary shit for a little kid and I'm still a little unnerved by them even today. 

I made the mistake of watching the 4-part miniseries before reading the book, so character development took a back seat to the Girl from the Breakfast Club, the dude who would later go on to have no legs in Forest Gump, and the former basketball star who received top billing and a spot on the cover for his portrayal of the 'king of the minor characters'. 

The re-read presented an aspect of The Stand that my still-developing teenage mind would have scarcely grasped.

Everyone dies. Sorry if I just ruined the book for you. The world is wiped out by a flu-like virus doctored up in a government lab. Spoiler Alert!

King is known for his pop-culture references. It's part of his style that makes him so widely read. He throws in these nuances and the reader is ushered into his world by the connection to real life events. Simply by playing David Bowie on a character's radio, King has put your into his world, which is not unlike our own.

In The Stand, King does something diabolical with this use of pop-culture. Simply by referencing George H.W. Bush, Madonna, the Rolling Stones, and others, -putting the reader into this all-to-similar world- conjures up a much darker, deeper level of horror. Without explicitly saying it, the reader infers that these people, these famous, well-known people have all died of the plague. Tragedy always hits the hardest when it happens to someone you know, and the band, the politician, and the, whatever the hell Madonna is, are all known enough by the masses to bring the tragedy right to the doorstep of the mind. It makes for great writing when you can pull the reader into your world.

I'm glad I was able to appreciate The Stand now that I'm older and hopefully a little bit wise. 

Write a Book

Taking a break from the writing to gain some perspective on the story as a whole. Working on a rough outline and figuring out pacing. As one who does not like to outline, this was a discouraging process. But I think I've found what works best for me. And that's the great thing about this whole writing thing: there isn't a magic formula or set of steps that must be followed to the letter in order to make this work.

I've started scribbling out the main points, not chapter-by-chapter but in a rough mix between scenes and changes to the settings. I'm keeping myself from getting hung up on details and just sticking to character development and major events, and how they connect to one another as the story unfolds. I've also thrown out some ideas that turned into obstacles as things progressed.

I'm sure one day this writing section will be exciting, maybe even enthralling to read. For now, well, you'll just have to settle for the mundane. 

There was one exciting bit of writing news that I can add here. Daniel O'Malley, author of The Rook heard about me awarding him with Best Read of 2014 from my last post. He had this to say:

So I think that makes me an official member of the fan club. I'm going to have to learn the secret handshake, and hope the rites of initiation don't involve paddles.

Hey Dan, I'm honored to have a place in  your pool room!

Wool: A Story about a Sheep Herder in Nuclear Winter

Reading:

Wool by Hugh Howey is -in a word- awesome. In fact, stop reading this right now, go to your closest book store, or Audible and buy like 10 copies of the book. Don't worry, I'll wait.

I did a report about the reinvention of the publishing industry in a digital age, the emergence of indie authors and new exciting business models like Kindle Direct Publishing, and the stuff Scott Sigler was doing on his podcast. I don't remember a whole hell of a lot from the report, but I do remember talking about Hugh Howey. This was a ballsy move on my part, seeing how at the time I hadn't read Wool, and was basically going by what I had heard from others. Still, I did get an A on the report. Well, I don't know much more about Hugh Howey than I did before, but I'll tell you this:

He self published his story on Amazon Kindle Direct, people loved it, and he became a successful author. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

There's a reason why people love Wool. And that reason is: It's a freaking awesome story! It's 5 parts. Part 1 really sets the tone for the story and it only builds from there.

What stuck out for me was how Howey subtly created sympathy for the antagonist, without doing a complete 180. You don't stop hating the 'bad guy', but you understand his motives.

A few books from now I'll be writing about the sequel, Shift, followed by Dust.

Writing:

I've started writing a series of vignettes, each centering around one of my 3 main characters. It takes place very late in the story so I guess now I have a goal to write up to. The 3rd part of the book was very rough in the 1st Draft, so I have a feeling there will be several iterations before I get it right.

In other news:

I started watching Gotham and I've been pleasantly surprised. I was a skeptic but the first episode really brought me around. I suggest you give it a shot, even if you're not a Batman fan.

The Gerard Way concert is a week from Sunday and I'll be getting my tickets tomorrow. One truly hasn't lived until they find themselves excited for Brit-Pop 10+ years after the fact. 

And tomorrow is the wife's birthday and this big lug has a dinner to plan. 

"The Target" by David B and the Eclectic Lemonade Orchestra

Reading is Good:

David Baldacci will forever hold a place in my heart for two very good reasons: The Camel Club and the Will Robie series'. I'm not a big Mystery/Thriller guy, but I do make the exception for these two ongoing stories. The Camel Club is basically about a former CIA badass on par with Robert McCall from the 1980s tv show The Equalizer. In a similar vein of badassery, Will Robie is a CIA assassin who is paid with our US tax dollars to kill ruthless dictators and other ne'er-do-wells in a cold and calculating way that only one such as he can do so well.

The Target is the 3rd book in the Robie series and though the main story involves a plot by a rogue nation that could bring about the end of civilization as we know it, there's a very nice subplot that involves the wholesale killing of a bunch of neo-Nazis. If that's not a recipe for success than I don't know what is.

It's not all killing though. Baldacci puts a human face to his ruthless characters, which is a good thing because otherwise this would have been a really depressing book. Like the other 2 books in the series, this one was pretty good. Not the best, but it answered a lot of questions that came up by the end of book 2.

After trudging through American Psycho this was a much needed pallet cleanser. I went into it knowing it wouldn't be a heavy read and since it's part of a series, a successful series there wasn't a lot of fear that any of the main characters would be killed off. I hope that doesn't come as a spoiler to anyone and if it does, well...oops. 

Up Next: A really exciting retelling of Wool by Hugh Howey. I suggest you all read it before the next post.

Can We Start the Story Now:

Not to bore the hell out of you but I'm still still still revising Chapter 2.

When I'm not doing that, I've been playing Dues Ex: Human Revolution. It's a dark sci-fi game with androids, or humans with robot parts...something like that. It takes place in the future, in Detroit. It's good to know that Detroit is still around in the future.

'merican Psycho

Books:

American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis is the story of a really really angry man starring the man who is Batman in the film adaptation. The later has nothing to do with anything pertaining to the book, I just like to mention Batman whenever possible.

*Warning* This post could possibly contain spoilers. I'm not sure yet but you've been warned.

Patrick Bateman has got to be the angriest Wall Street investment banker to ever make Scrooge MacDuck amounts of money, in the 1980s. He's so pissed off that he literally gets off by murdering prostitutes, coworkers, total strangers and the occasional ex-girlfriend in the most graphic possible ways....or does he? It's a tricky story. Part of the appeal with American Psycho is that the violence and sex is so over the top that your mind is forced into asking the question whether or not what is happening is really happening. It taps into that part of the human psyche that makes us angry when we're cut off on the highway. Most of us keep it together and drive on our merry way. Some of us act out in the so-called heat of the moment and those people tend to end up in jail. However all of us will not hesitate to conjure up some kinda of insane scenario in our minds where the wrong-doer is harmed in some fatalistic way. I can't be the only one who things this way, right? I'm not the crazy one, am I? Anyway, Bateman either takes this mental roleplay to the extreme, or he's killing people willy-nilly in a world without competent law enforcement. It was the 80's after all.

I enjoyed the book. It was a good read, a change of pace to anything that I've read lately. Can I recommend American Psycho? Kinda. If you're squeamish in any way, you'd probably do well to leave this book on the shelf. The murder scenes often come out of nowhere, OR they are staged so well that the suspense is built up to a point where you can almost stick your finger through it, like a squishy piece of red velvet cake soaked in blood....orange juice.

If your survived Event Horizon, or happen to watch it annually at Christmas time, the way I watch It's a Wonderful Life, then Bateman's antics might seem tame to you and I would seriously consider keeping away from other people for the betterment of society. But if you do OK with gore, then I suggest you pick up this book. It's important to know your history and how Yuppies and Hippies are pretty much the same tiresome species, only one tends to bath more and wears designer clothing.

Writing Them:

2 entries in 2 days! I'm making up for lost time. I read a lot of books and wanted to get caught up before finishing another one. Not a whole lot has gone on between now and the last entry. Since I haven't done this yet, I just want to thank anyone who's reading this, and who checks the site from time to time. I don't have a huge following but it would appear that the number is growing. That's cool. I really appreciate it. One day, when I've got something worth reading I'll post it here so it'll be exclusive to those who were here from the beginning. Then you can be all hipster and say how you knew me before I was famous. Anyway, it's great that you're here and I hope that I'm writing something interesting enough for you to keep coming back and reading it. 

The Martian

Books is Books

The Martian by Andy Weir was recommended to me by one of the writer/hosts of Writing Excuses, a podcast about, well, writing. I'm going to give you the same pitch I got from the show: It's a science fiction Robinson Crusoe story.

That's all I really remember from the pitch. It was a long time ago, before I traded podcasts for audio books during my commute to work. Advertising for Audible can be dangerous for podcasting. Though I highly recommend Writing Excuses if you're even remotely interested in the craft. One day when I've written a wheel barrel full of books I hope to give a little back as well.  

The Martian is about a man who gets stranded on Mars. He wields the power of science to keep himself alive. Will he survive? Or will he die, tragically of starvation, exposure, or -dare we even think it: martians of the little green variety?

Read the book.

Despite being overly saturated with hard science, it was a very exciting read and you really felt for both the main character as well as everyone else. In a way I was reminded of Armageddon, only without the meteor, Steve Buscemi, or terrible acting from the rest of the cast.

Writing is Books

I spent the weekend feeling anxious about the progress of the novel. My wife thinks I'm being too hard on myself. I probably am. I want to get this revision done. I've had a lot of trouble reworking Chapter 2. Sunday was spent restructuring it. Part of the problem has been that there isn't any good action happening at the beginning of the story. I think I may have fixed that by putting an action scene in Chap 2. We'll see how it goes. I have some writing to do, but I'm working off of a foundation, stuff I had written that needs to be tweaked here and there to fit into the chapter. Once those changes are made, and a few more chapters written, I should have Parts 1 and 2 complete. On to the rest of the story!

The State of Nature: The "Glass-Half-Empty" Kind

On Reading:

If Thomas Hobbes has taught us anything, it's that people are assholes and left to their own devices will lie, cheat and kill you if it would work out to their benefit. I'm paraphrasing. He was a real uplifting guy.

I'm reading two books, given to me as gifts, by Chris Samson, that take two popular story concepts, throwing them into Hobbes' State of Nature. I don't know if Samson recommended these books for this reason, or if I'm just in a rainy-day mood, but the parallel is definitely there.

The first book was, Steelheart, by Brandon Sanderson, which takes the popular superhero genre, and asks the question: What if all superheros were self-serving bastards who kill without thought or remorse and do nothing but feed their own wants and needs? Steelheart is the first YA book that I've read since the Uglies series by Scott Westerfeld. It's written in the first-person from the eyes of one who has suffered great loss at the hands of, Steelheart; and extremely powerful super human known as an 'Epic'. He's basically Superman under the influence of Red Kryptonite, in a world where this is no other kind of Kryptonite to fall back on. The story establishes a pecking order between humans and epics. Steelheart is at the top of the order, ruling over a city that was once Chicago. Humanity has become a subservient class to the epics. The story makes it clear that there are no good epics.

 I enjoyed the book. I got somewhat bored halfway through, however the ending made up for any lull in the middle. Great payoff.

The 2nd book takes the whole magic school for wizards and fantastical lands of magic tales, and gives it a raw and gritty edge. The book is, The Magicians, by Lev Grossman. This first book in a 3-part series seems to parody/pay tribute to The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis, while taking a number of relentless jabs at the Harry Potter series. Here's a text I sent to Samson after getting about an hour or so in: 

Despite how "dark" and "edgy" the Harry Potter books might appear, even in the later half of the series, they're essentially modern day fairy tales with the same kind of whimsical disregard to issues people face in the real world. What Grossman tries to do (and succeeds), is take the school of magic trope, and melds it with the life of a typical college kid; from sex, infighting within their respective clique, recreational drug use, and binge drinking. Oh, and there's magic too. The story goes out of its way not to candy-coat anything in an otherwise 'family friendly' sub-genre.

The very end of the book was anything but satisfying. Some of this can be forgiven as it's the 1st book in the series, but I felt the author was reaching for some sort of surprise ending that was supposed to leave the reader both guessing and wanting more. Instead it felt somewhat try-hard and artificial. But I cannot judge The Magicians too harshly as I was entertained throughout the book, and despite the bad ending, I was left wanting more, glad to see 2 more books in my future.

On Writing:

The App Store had this game as their App of the Week, called Deemo that I picked up for the iPad. It's sorta like Rockband, with the only instrument being a piano. You tap the notes as they fall from top of the screen to bottom. It's a way for an instrumental illiterate like me to feel like hot-shit playing a piano. The game samples from real composers, so through it I discovered V.K. a Taiwanese pianist.

I've been listening to his music during writing sessions and it's both calming, and inspiring. I generally listen to something while I write. Most of the 1st Draft of this story was written to My Chemical Romance, primarily Black Parade and Danger Days. The 1st Draft was written with a lot of raw emotion, which was murder for my beta readers, but helped me get the story -broken as it was- out there. Now that I'm in the revision stage, I have a lot more that I need to think about, so losing the vocals but still having music to focus me, helps in this process.  

Jonathan (Dr.) Strange and Mr. Norrell

Reading the Book:

Thanks to being poisoned at a very young age by comic books, whenever "strange" is used in relation to a person's name, my mind immediately arrives at, Dr. Strange. I'm not even going to begin to explain how little sense this makes or how it would even tie into Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke.

The story takes place during the Napoleonic Wars. It could be considered historical fiction were it not for the presence of magic. What sets the story apart from other books about magic, was the distinction between those how use magic; practical magicians, and those who simply study the history of magic; theoretical magicians.

While reading I was reminded of The Count of Monte Cristo for two reasons: Both stories take place in and around the time of Napoleon, and both Dumas and Clarke include historical figures as characters, some of which are instrumental to the plot. I have a very deep fondness for The Count of Monte Cristo. It's a great story and the movie version starring TV's Jim Caviezel has reach epic re-watch-ability status. In fact, while writing this, I feel like spending a good part of my morning setting up the old xBox and dusting off the DVD of Monte Cristo.

Much of my reading is done in the form of audiobooks. I'm one of those people with the audacity to think that listening counts as reading. I read this way because, well, I have a long commute to work. But also, there would be a significant gap between blog entries were I to read all these books the old fashion way, because I'm a terribly slow reader. And a book like Jonathan Strange was not a quick read, even for a fast reader. It's not shy on content, and several times it runs the risk of losing the reader in anecdotes, -though interesting- that causes one to question how it pertains to the overarching story. But you need to stick with it! Like Tolkien, it's more about the world than the adventure. However unlike Tolkien, you're not stuck in some weirdo's cabin for hundreds of pages, or arguing about the price of ponies while the f-ing wraiths are at your back door.

But back to reading in a more traditional sense for a minute. I picked up some books these past few weeks that I'm excited to read but since I am a slow reader, I thought I'd talk about them now, and then really talk about them later.

Off the freebie cart at the local library I grabbed a hardbound addition of The Damnation Game by Clive Barker. Hooked me from the first sentence.

Went to the New England Author's Expo and connected with a lot of fellow indie authors. I met some really cool people who I hope to stay in contact with. It was really encouraging to meet cool folks who are in the same boat I'm in...or perhaps they're in somewhat nicer boats with engines and a lido deck, while I'm still trying to figure out what the hell to do with these paddles.

But I also reconnected with author, Vlad V, and picked up all 3 of his books. I'm currently reading The Button, which is Part 1 of a 2 book series. I suggest you look him up and buy his stuff, Yorkic, and Brachman's Underworld. He's linked here and on this site's main sidebar.

Also got The Big Book of Genre Stories by Dale T. Phillips, which looks to be a little bit of everything and I can't wait to start it. Dale's a cool guy and he gave me a mention in his blog so I thought I return the favor. Check him out.

I'll be talking more about these at a later date but I wanted to put them out there because they're from some very cool people who love what they're doing probably a little more than I do. Also, there's Clive Barker to, so, ya know.

Writing the Book:

I wrote some lore. I think lore is important even in a story that is set in the "real world". But when you're building a unique, unexplored world from scratch, it's a necessity. I tend to think a lot of this lore, this world building will be in the finished manuscript, but it's also helpful to write such things in order to help one understand the world they're trying to write. It may be the stuff of history text books not appropriate for the story, but it's required by the author to flesh out ideas and create a consistent universe.

I write chronologically. I start at Chapter 1 and go up from there. At least, that's what I've grown accustomed to doing in the world of First Drafts. During this revision phase, I seem to be all over the place. Not sure if I like that. Currently I've gone back a few chapters and am fleshing out scenes that are either non-existent, or lacking. Revisions are like washing a car. In the first draft you've sprayed it down, going over it with soap and a sponge. The car is clear, but now all the little imperfections are easier to see and it's time to start buffing them out. Often this process takes longer than the initial write. At least that what I'm finding.