I'm a long time reader of fantasy, of all kinds, although I've deliberately expanded my grazing range in recent years. For one reason or another, it's been a long time since I read a big fat satisfying fantasy epic that truly delivered on the promise of the back cover blurb. This happens to all of us at some point; my friend Erica has recently blogged about how disappointing it is when a book fails to make good on its promise.
But I can put you on to three books that live up to expectations: The Night Angel Trilogy (The Way of Shadows, Shadow's Edge & Beyond the Shadows) by Brent Weeks. These books deliver. I'm not guaranteeing you'll like them - tastes differ - but you won't feel let down by them. Compelling, gritty, fresh, sweaty-palms page-turning reading. And if you're a writer, even if you don't love them, they serve as a terrific lesson in how to crank up tension through escalating conflict.
What, you're still here? You could be on your way to the book store already.
Monday, July 27, 2009
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Reprise
So here I am. Again. Everyone gets a do-over, right?
I could have kept going with ze old blog, but, well, I just didn't wanna. I wanted to have that sparkly spanking new start, where it's all fresh and exciting. Some of the stuff I'll be blogging about is shiny new material concerning previously untouched upon topics. And yes, some of it will be a return to stuff I've talked about before.
Writing will still be the through-line here; making words, that's what it comes down to. But I'll also range a little further afield, I suspect. There's the joys (ahem) of step-parenting, of taking up a new form of exercise (swimming laps), of learning to play a musical instrument (the cello) with almost no background in music. That music has been on my mind as well as new beginnings is evident from the title of this blog.
And you know, it's amazing how all these apparently random elements connect to each other. Learning to play cello has had an impact on my writing - can you imagine?
Stay tuned.
I could have kept going with ze old blog, but, well, I just didn't wanna. I wanted to have that sparkly spanking new start, where it's all fresh and exciting. Some of the stuff I'll be blogging about is shiny new material concerning previously untouched upon topics. And yes, some of it will be a return to stuff I've talked about before.
Writing will still be the through-line here; making words, that's what it comes down to. But I'll also range a little further afield, I suspect. There's the joys (ahem) of step-parenting, of taking up a new form of exercise (swimming laps), of learning to play a musical instrument (the cello) with almost no background in music. That music has been on my mind as well as new beginnings is evident from the title of this blog.
And you know, it's amazing how all these apparently random elements connect to each other. Learning to play cello has had an impact on my writing - can you imagine?
Stay tuned.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
