I’ve been reading some great fantasy recently, so good that I read the first in a series then want to read the rest. That’s the kind of book authors want to write and readers want to read. So what makes great fantasy novels great? There are plenty of books out there that don’t have the elements they need to make their stories great, so clearly this is something worth looking at. Of course writing a great book in any genre is not easy. You never know if what you’re writing will hit that sweet spot with readers or not, but you can know what your story needs to have if it is to have any chance of being popular. What makes great fantasy novels great? Great plot, Great characters and believable relationships, Great world-building, Believable actions, reactions, dialogue and relationships, Great writing and professional editing. What does ‘great’ mean here? Great plot A great plot has a protagonist that readers can root for, plus a clear goal … [Read more...]
Delightfully unusual metaphysical fiction: Review
‘The Commons: The Journeyman’ is a delightfully unusual book that spans multiple genres. It takes place in the Commons, a place between life and death, something like purgatory for Christians and the Bardo of Becoming for Buddhists. On the surface it’s fantasy, but, like my own work, it’s also metaphysical fiction and, because of the psychological symbolism, magical realism. “We are the stories we tell ourselves,” is one of the metaphysical gems. This is an example of the best of indie fiction; it’s a bold, brilliant work at the forefront of an exciting new direction in contemporary fiction that is so far out of the box that mainstream publishers would likely see it only as a risk. Books with this mix of metaphysics, fantasy and magical realism are becoming more prevalent—the indies are way ahead of the mainstream here—but few of these books are as well executed as this one. The story follows Paul, a teen, Zach, an autistic five year old and his mother, Annie, after their deaths in a … [Read more...]
Symbolism in literature: The Symbolism of the Diamond Peak Series
A mountain peak is something that climbers strive to attain, and when they make it to the top, the view is breathtaking. They climb in order to see the view, and on the way, they pit themselves against the elements and face physical and mental hardships, so when they achieve their goal, their sense of satisfaction and relief is huge. Sogyal Rinpoche in his book, ‘The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying,’ (p55) tells the story of the thick headed disciple who, even after many teachings on meditation, did not experience the true nature of his mind—the purpose of meditation. His teacher told him to take a bag of barley and, without stopping, climb to the top of a mountain. The disciple trusted his teacher, so he took the heavy bag and climbed. As he walked, the bag seemed to get heavier but, following his teacher’s instructions, he didn’t stop. He kept going, and finally, after a long time, he reached the top and dropped the bag. As Sogyal Rinpoche tells it: “He slumped to the ground, … [Read more...]
Excellent YA urban fantasy: ‘Sacrifice’ by Jennifer Quintenz
'Sacrifice’ by Jennifer Quintenz is the third in the young adult Daughters of Lilith Series and it is every bit as good as the previous books. Quintenz knows how to hold a reader and keep them turning the pages to find out what will happen next. It’s a hard book to put down. The story revolves around a girl who though a succubus herself (a daughter of Lilith) she stands on the side of the sons of Adam in an age-old battle that, unknown by most humans, has been raging since the beginning of human history. She loves a boy that she cannot have without risk of draining his life-force, and this adds a bittersweet touch to a powerful story. This series has the vitality that makes the characters and the world they inhabit as real as our own. There’s plenty of action, but there’s also plenty of character development and growth that together deliver a very satisfying whole. The plot is gripping and often surprising, and the characters face moral dilemmas and terrible challenges that … [Read more...]
An Awesome Historical Fantasy: ‘Cliff of the Ruin’ by Bonnie McKernan
Cliff of the Ruin by Bonnie McKernan is an awesome historical fantasy with complex undercurrents, spiritual depth and many surprises. It takes us from post revolution America, across the ocean to Ireland and into the lair of the Shee (the Sidhe). The story begins like a straight historical novel. Mae lives with her aunt and uncle, and their children, Aaron, a young man, and Charlotte, still a child. All of them are keen to find a husband for twenty six year old Mae, but after a broken engagement, she isn't particularly interested in taking the risk of opening up again. Until she meets the man on the riverbank. Kieran the fisherman was so beautiful, that I suspected some other worldly intervention, but the full truth of what was to become a mystery around this man only became clear at the end. The influence of the Shee grew as the story progressed, and I found myself gradually drawn deeper and deeper into a world where spaces dwelled within spaces and time had a different … [Read more...]
Kelee’s world: Worlds Within Worlds #3
Worlds Within Worlds is the working title of a series of loosely connected writings that are shaping themselves into a story without my conscious direction. These are essentially unedited first drafts that I have made no attempt to shape with my conscious mind. An introduction to the series and a list of the posts in order (should you want to begin at the beginning) is on the Writer's World page. This follows on from Worlds Within Worlds #2 www.informationliberation.com. New World Disorder: Patterns Of Psychopathy And Other Fractal Anomalies Kelee's World: Worlds Within Worlds #3 Kelee slammed the dusty tome on the table and froze. The thump had sounded far too loud in the silent household. But no querying mother's voice rang along the corridors, and Kelee reminded herself that the walls were thick stone. She breathed again. Dust motes danced in the sliver of rising sun that pierced the library's gloom. She shouldn't have to wake before everyone else just to read a book, but that … [Read more...]
DISCOVER MAGIC, MYSTERY, MURDER, AND ROMANCE IN THE WATERSPELL TRILOGY
WATERSPELL by Deborah J. Lightfoot Magic, mystery, murder, and romance … The Waterspell Trilogy: An intricate save-the-world fantasy adventure with complex characters, cosmic calamities, and the gothic sensibilities of Jane Eyre ~~~~~ I wrote much of Waterspell while living in the tropics in a house that was open to the breezes of soft summer nights. Often I worked late, gripped by a writer’s high, my fingers flying over the keyboard while the world slept. Vaguely I would catch the hoots of owls and the fragrances of night-blooming flowers wafting in on the breeze, but I wasn’t really occupying the same universe as the house that held me. On those magical nights, I was living with—and in—the characters of my medieval fantasy. I saw through their eyes, thought their thoughts, and felt their anguish. I didn’t merely sympathize with their pain: I felt it. My writing became an out-of-body experience as my consciousness melded with my characters. Nothing existed in those moments except my … [Read more...]
High action mystical fantasy quest: Nephilum Awakening by Henry R. Yarghn Jr
Nephilum Awakening is a kind of mystical fantasy quest full of action, exotic temples, awesome superpowers and a budding romance. Kiran's father is kidnapped and the ransom is to find and deliver three special blades that form the key to the prison that holds the Nephilum's Fathers. Releasing them is supposed to bring whoever opens it ultimate power, others say it will bring death and destruction. The reader has to read to find out which it will be. Kiran is a Nephilim, only she doesn't know it until now when the Nephilim spirit in her begins to awaken. The plot has a couple of layers, the characters and their lives as they are in this world, and their Nephilum aspect as they existed in other bodies in the past. At first, Kiran sets out to do as she's told, but along the way, she begins to remember the past and her relationship with the other two Nephilum who are out to get her. As she learns more, the stakes increase and the story becomes more complex. Kiran, an old friend and an … [Read more...]
A rare book I can’t fault: Waning Moon by P.J Sharon: YA Dystopian.
Waning Moon is simply excellent, a rare book that I can't fault. It's set in the future in a small town outside of Albany after a virus has killed a large part of the earth's population. The cities are run by a Dystopian government. If you stay in the town, you get fed, clothed and have access to medical care, but you do what the governments wants. Those who live outside the cities choose freedom over security. Lily, her brother and her uncle, Sam, live well camouflaged in the forest. They have to stay away from the authorities because Lily and her little brother have genetic modifications that make them very useful to the authorities. Lily can heal and her brother can kill with a touch - or two, or three. Those living outside the cities have to occasionally travel to markets inside the city to trade for the things they can't provide for themselves and the story begins with Lily preparing to take such a trip. A few days before she is about to leave, she finds another teen fallen in … [Read more...]
Truly excellent science fiction: Paw-Prints of the Gods by Steph Bennion
Paw Prints of the Gods is truly excellent science fiction. The author has not only created a unique and riveting tale, but has also set it in a seamless future world complete in all its details. The scientific details of this world are impressive, at least to me. Ravana, who I first met in Hollow Moon, book one in this series, has gone missing, and when her father finds out, he gathers his team around him, makes hasty repairs to his old ship and flies off to find her. Meanwhile, she escapes captivity and meets a woman who agrees to help her get back to the archaeological dig she'd been working on. The planet she's on is a little like Dune and is populated in one area with giant spiders, other than that, there's just the archaeologist's dig and an abandoned scientific research centre, both under plastic domes to protect from the toxic atmosphere. The archaeologists have uncovered something that looks like an alien temple, and a shady religious sect wants to take control of it. They … [Read more...]
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