The Seven Link Challenge

I sometimes read Problogger. I have no intention of going pro with my blog in terms of making money from it, but I do want to present it in as professional a manner as possible, and some of the Problogger posts help to drive this.

Their most recent post invites people to take The Seven Link Challenge - and I thought it might be quite good fun.

The idea is to publish a post that is a list of 7 links to posts that you and others have written that respond to the following 7 categories. Your links should be to:

* Your first post
* A post you enjoyed writing the most
* A post which had a great discussion
* A post on someone else’s blog that you wish you’d written
* Your most helpful post
* A post with a title that you are proud of
* A post that you wish more people had read

So, without further ado, I present my seven links:

1) My first post

Actually done way back on Friday 7th August, despite the fact that I consider my blog to be only six months old, since I started working on it more vigorously in January of this year. Actually, I'm not too disappointed or embarrassed about my little introductory post - it describes why I wanted to start the blog and lays out my reading/book buying habits. Those TV series reviews slipped by the wayside though! I remain very grateful to Nymeth for being the one and only person to welcome me to the blogosphere.

2) Post I Enjoyed Writing the Most

This would definitely be the Sam Sykes interview I did. I thoroughly enjoyed my email exchanges with him, and he led me through the process of my first interview as painlessly as possible. It still remains my best interview to date, in my opinion, and is very very funny!

3) Post Which Had a Great Discussion

Definitely "What Qualifies a Book Blogger?" I reached out to so many readers with this one and the comments were illuminating. Plus the discussion remained very civil, when people had conflicting views.

4) A Post On Someone Else's Blog I Wish I'd Written

"Would I Lie To You? Memory, Vagueness and the Unreliable Narrator in the work of Gene Wolfe." I love this post - it is a wonderful essay that inspires me everytime I (frequently) re-read it. Paul's command of the English language is superlative - I am both jealous and in awe. I would like to do more work of this nature on my blog, but I have neither the skill nor the knowledge to do it justice, and it remains something to strive for.

5) My Most Helpful Post

I have to confess, most of my blog posts are not written with the intent of offering help (unless you count all my book reviews, which may or may not influence the reader to buy the book). I guess the nearest I came was my Arthur C Clarke final thoughts post.

6) A Post With a Title I Am Most Proud Of

Easily "Book Bigamy?" It is a quirky way to address the idea of whether people read one or more books at the same time.

7) A Post I Wish More People Had Read

I have a couple, actually, and both from January 2010, which is when my blogging activities increased exponentially, but before I had garnered many readers.

The first is my not so serious UK vs. US Book Covers quiz - something I pulled together as a bit of fun.

The second is an article I wrote about reader and author interaction called Sometimes the Magic Works.

Those are my seven links in the Seven Link Challenge - how about doing your own and linking back to me? It would be interesting to see the results!

Formidable Female Protagonists #1 - Polgara the Sorceress

Over at Cybermage, Ove Jansson has been running a fantastic series highlighting the formidable female protagonists in science fiction – he mentioned the fact that he would love to see the equivalent for fantasy, but that he didn’t know enough about the characters in fantasy fiction to do the idea justice. I certainly don’t think I am the best-placed to do as long a series as he has achieved, but there are certainly some female characters in fantasy fiction that I would like to wax lyrical about. So I asked him very nicely if I could *steal* his idea, and start my own series, as long as I credited him. Consider this credit, Ove – I’ve loved your posts about the female protagonists in science fiction, and it has made me add numerous books to my wishlist.

Anyhow, this is my first effort at the same – and I am going to tackle Polgara the Sorceress.

Polgara the Sorceress is a character we first encounter in David Eddings’ five book series The Belgariad. She returns in the second book sequence The Mallorean, features in the standalone novel Belgarath the Sorcerer and then we finally hear her full story in the novel Polgara the Sorceress – full list of books below:

The Belgariad

1. Pawn of Prophecy
2. Queen of Sorcery
3. Magician’s Gambit
4. Castle of Wizardry
5. Enchanters’ End Game

The Mallorean

1. Guardians of the West
2. King of the Murgos
3. Demon Lord of Karanda
4. Sorceress of Darshiva
5. Seeress of Kell

Belgarath the Sorcerer

Polgara the Sorceress



Here are my top five reasons why Polgara is a formidable female protagonist:

1. Polgara is an enormously powerful sorceress

Her magical skills are renowned and legendary – from healing to casting out demons to bringing down the full power of a storm when she is angry.

“"I abjure thee, creature of darkness," Polgara said in a great voice. "Return to the hell that spawned thee and never more corrupt this world with thy foul presence. Begone and take with thee the one who summoned thee." She raised her hand, and the force of her will, combined with the will of the God Aldur, blazed forth from her palm. There was a vast thunderclap as the demon suddenly exploded into a huge ball of fire with the waters of the harbour geysering up around it.”

“A frosty smile touched Polgara's lips. "You're not nearly as clever as I thought," She said. "Did you actually believe that I twisted your name from you for my own amusement? Were you ignorant of the power over you that you gave me when you spoke your own name? The power of the name is the most elementary of all. I can keep you out of Ce'Nedra's mind now. There's much more, though. For example, I now know that you're at Ashaba, haunting the bat-infested ruins of the House of Torak like a poor, ragged ghost."

A startled gasp echoed through the room.

"I could tell you more, Zandramas, but this is all beginning to bore me." She straightened, her hands still locked at the sides of Ce'Nedra's head. The white lock at her brow flared into incandescence, and the faint whisper became a deafening roar. "Now, begone!" She commanded.'”

2. Polgara is extremely strong and wise

She is long-lived thanks to her use of sorcery and is forced to watch as people she has loved grow old and die.

“As those we’ve come to know and love grow older, it’s absolutely necessary for us to distance ourselves from them. The alternative is quite probably madness. Endless grief will eventually destroy the human mind. We’re not heartless, but we do have duties, and those duties oblige us to protect our ability to function.”

“"We touch other people very briefly and then we are alone again."”

3. Polgara has immense authority

Whether she is the Duchess of Erat or a cook in a kitchen, Polgara has masses of natural authority that ensures people jump at her commands.

“Garion leaped over him, but found himself seized from behind by a half-dozen more men.
"Leave her alone!" He shouted at the guard who was cruelly twisting one of the little Queen's arms behind her back.
"That will be enough!" Polgara's voice cracked from the doorway in the tent. The soldiers stopped, looking uncertainly at one another and somewhat fearfully at the commanding presence in the doorway.'”

4. Polgara is beautiful

Although she grew up as a tomboy, she discovers as a teen that she would far rather dress well and look pretty. I like the fact that she is stunning, but has a womanly figure – her child-bearing hips and large bosom are mentioned a few times, and it is good to know that she isn’t stick thin!

“ ‘Strip.” Arell commanded me.
‘What?” I exclaimed. I didn’t really think I could be shocked, but I was wrong.
‘Take off your clothes, Polgara,’ She said quite firmly. ‘I need to see what I’m working with.’ She studied my near-naked body with pursed lips and a speculative eye. ‘Not too bad.’ She observed.
That was hardly complimentary.
‘You’re lucky, Polgara,’ She told me. ‘Most girls your age are quite flat-chested. I think we might want to take advantage of that to draw away from the fact that you’re just a little hippy.’
‘I’m what?’ I exclaimed.
‘You were built to bear children, Polgara. It’s useful, but it makes your clothes hang all wrong.’
‘Is she telling me the truth?’ I asked Beldaran, speaking in “twin” so Arell couldn’t understand me.
‘You are sort of round down there Pol,’ Beldaran replied. Then she grinned a naughty little grin at me. ‘If we cut it low enough in the back, we could show off the dimples on your bottom.’”

5. Polgara is snarky

One of her favourite past-times is bantering with her irascible father, and she has an extremely sharp tongue when she chooses. Her sarcasm is amusing, albeit rather self-consciously clever at times.

“Polgara looked at Ce'Nedra. "Have you ever noticed that when some people find a notion they think is funny, they tend to keep playing with it long past the point where it bores everyone else to tears?"
Ce'Nedra looked at Silk with a sly little twinkle in her eye. "I've noticed that, Aunt Pol. Do you suppose it might be a result of a limited imagination?"
"I'm sure that's something to do with it, dear," Aunt Pol looked at Silk with a serene smile. "Now, did you want to play some more, Kheldar?"
"Ah... No, Polgara. I don't really think so."”

So there you have it – just five reasons why Polgara is worth considering as a formidable female protagonist. Did you enjoy reading about her in the Eddings’ books? If not, who was your favourite character? Do you have suggestions for other formidable female protagonists you would like to see in future installments?

Tor Malazan Re-read - Chapters 2 and 3

I won't be doing this every single Wednesday that the Re-read runs for, but I'm still so proud and bouncy about my effort that I can't help but mention it! Mine and Bill's analysis of Chapters 2 and 3 of Gardens of the Moon is now up on Tor.com - go and read immediately, if not sooner *grin*

Winner - Johannes Cabal bundle

A massive thank you to everyone who entered this competition - it received by far the most interest of any that I have done so far. I dig that you all want to get onboard with Johannes Cabal!

There can be only one winner though and that person is.... *drum roll*

Joe Scanlon

Congratulations to him and commiserations to everyone else! Look out for another giveaway in the future!

SFF Masterworks - Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?

I contributed my first review to the SFF Masterworks project, having tackled Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick.

World War Terminus has been and gone, leaving an Earth where radioactive dust keeps the few survivors who haven't emigrated inside for parts of the day; an Earth where real animals are now status symbols; an Earth where renegade androids are 'retired' by bounty hunters.

In the first chapter we meet Rick Deckard, one of these bounty hunters, as he argues with his wife before work about which setting to put their mood organs on. He then tends to his electric sheep and dreams of owning a real animal. Immediately, we are introduced to one of the main themes of this novel: that of reality. In Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? Philip K. Dick explores thoroughly the concept of reality - by showing us androids who could almost pass for human if not for a lack of empathy; and a whole business set-up to provide for electric animals; and the theory of Mercerism.

I was struck by the bleak tone, and the fact that Mercerism - a pseudo-religion - is one of the few aspects of life to give people hope, since this could be said to be a false hope. At one point Deckard thinks the following: "This rehearsal will end, the performance will end, the singers will die. Eventually the last score of the music will be destroyed in one way or another, finally the name 'Mozart' will vanish, the dust will have won" and this idea that the world is gradually crumbling shows us why people cling to Mercerism, and the status of owning animals as a way to make it through each day.

Read the rest of the review here.

Books I Adopted This Week

Okay, I am not going to list all the books I received from Simon & Schuster at their amazing bloggers event, but, besides that, I still had eight books through the post - and one of them is unbelievably exciting!

This first one had me jumping up and down and making unattractive 'squeee!' noises.

The Evolutionary Void by Peter F Hamilton

Peter F. Hamilton's startling perspectives on tomorrow's technological and cultural trends span vast tracts of space and time, his stories are as compelling as they are epic in scope, and yet they are always grounded in characters - human, alien and other - who, for all their strangeness, still touch our hearts and fire our imaginations. Now, in "The Evolutionary Void", Hamilton concludes the highly acclaimed Commonwealth saga that has unfolded in "The Dreaming Void" and "The Temporal Void".

This is exciting to me on many, many levels. The first is that I love the Peter F Hamilton books in his Commonwealth saga I have read so far (Pandora's Star and Judas Unchained). The second is that I own the first two books in the Void series and I have been waiting for the third to come out so that I can read all three. The third is that Mark Chitty of Walker of Worlds and I are discussing an interesting idea about a potential re-read. The fourth is that I have a SIGNED, NUMBERED really LIMITED EDITION proof, which brought on the main 'squeeee!' noises! I do love getting limited editions. This may be the first book I receive where I actually buy another copy just for reading purposes, so that this one can stay on display.

Published by PanMacmillan on 10th September 2010

The Nemesis List by R.J. Frith

I can't find any cover art for this one!

Humanity has expanded into the stars but at the price of its freedom... An autocratic and overbearing Government now rigidly controls every technical and scientific advancement. Deviation is punishable by death. Out on the edges of space, criminals thwart the law, making money out of illegal tech, their ships jumping from galaxy to galaxy to avoid detection. Ex-soldier Frank Pak doesn't care about politics or breaking the law, he just wants to keep his ship running. When he's offered a contract to escort a runaway back home to his loving family - he doesn't ask questions. But his cargo is more dangerous than he realizes. Jeven Jones is no ordinary passenger. A result of illegal human experimentation, he's a fast-tracked evolutionary leap into future. Thanks to his ability for perfect recall and a series of mental skills that he has no control over, Jones is a wanted man. The Government wants him dead. A fledgling revolution want to use him to unlock every advancement the Government has ever denied them. If Jones lives he'll start a war. If he dies the entire future of humanity dies with him...

This one is intriguing - and has the potential to rival Hannu Rajaniemi's The Quantum Thief. R J Frith has won accolades for his writing, and the premise sounds excellent. But you do have to wait a little while for the book to come out.

Published by Tor UK on 5th November 2010

Fear the Alien - edited by Christian Dunn

The Imperium of Man has many enemies among the stars, but none are reviled so much as the alien. Dangerous races seek to destroy humanity wherever they turn - the brutish orks, the ravening hordes of the tyranid, the unrelenting necrons and the mysterious forces of the tau and the eldar. Across the universe, humanity and their defenders, the Space Marines, seek to eradicate these xenos threats. Yet all they can hope for is another day of survival - for to stand against the alien is to enter an unending war...Featuring stories by Dan Abnett, Aaron Dembski-Bowden, Nick Kyme, Juliet McKenna, C.L. Werner and many more, Fear the Alien is an unmissable collection for fans of Warhammer 40,000 and military science-fiction.

In all honesty, I'm a bit 'meh' about this one. I like me a Black Library book every now and then, but short stories are not my favourite medium. I do intend to dip in every now and again, but I don't have a pressing urge to read this one - oh, except for the short from the viewpoint of the orks. That one could be interesting, just to see how it is handled!

Published by Black Library on 2nd September 2010

Solo by Rana Dasgupta

'Solo' recounts the life and daydreams of a reclusive one-hundred-year-old man from Bulgaria. Before the man lost his sight, he read this story in a magazine: a group of explorers came upon a community of parrots speaking the language of a society that had been wiped out in a recent catastrophe. Astonished by their discovery, they put the parrots in cages and sent them home so that linguists could record what remained of the lost language. But the parrots, already traumatised by the devastation they had recently witnessed, died on the way. Wondering if, unlike the hapless parrots, he has any wisdom to leave to the world, Ulrich embarks on an epic armchair journey through a century of violent politics, forbidden music, lost love and failed chemistry, finding his way eventually to an astonishing epiphany of tenderness and enlightenment.

I was sent this one by WHSmith as part of their reviewers programme - they thought I might like something a little different and out of my usual comfort zone to read. The fact it involves a guy from Bulgaria makes me smile, thanks to our adorable Harry Markov. I am required to provide a review of this one as part of the programme, so I'll definitely be reading it sooner rather than later.

Published by Fourth Estate on 1st April 2010

Blood and Iron by Tony Ballantyne

Appointed Commander of the Emperor's Army of Sangrel, Wa-Ka-Mo-Do of Ko tries to establish relations between the existing robot population and the humans who have recently arrived on Yukawa. On the continent of Shull, Kavan forms the Uncertain Army and is marching to Artemis City. Upon discovery that the city's generals have made an alliance with the humans, he retreats to Stark where he plans the eventual overthrow of Artemis and the humans. Meanwhile, Karel is heading South, hoping to be reunited with Susan, his wife. As he walks, he hears more of the stories of the robots, and begins to understand something about his place on the world of Penrose. But with limited resources and tensions growing between robot and human it's only a matter of time before problems arise. And it's becoming more and more apparent that the humans are a lot more powerful than the robots first expected...

WOW! The cover for this one is just AMAZING! But I do need the first book in the series before I can embark on this one - so I'll be waiting a few months and adding it to my wishlist ready for when my embargo on book buying ends.

Published by Tor UK on 18th June 2010

Temple of the Serpent by C. L. Werner

After a series of failures, Grey Seer Thanquol is offered a chance to redeem himself by going to the island of Lustria to kill the Prophet of Sotek. Dogged by assassins and stranded in a foreign land of giant lizards, temple cities and endless jungle, Thanquol must use all of his cunning and magic if he is to come out alive.

To me it is a tiny bit odd to see a story written from the point of view of the Skaven which sounds like Thanquol is the hero of the piece. To me, Skaven have always been one of the evil races in the Warhammer Empire, but I am willing to be persuaded differently.

Published by Black Library on 2nd September 2010

Empire of Light by Gary Gibson

The nova war has begun to spread as the Emissaries wage a fierce and reckless campaign, encroaching on the area of space occupied by humanity and forcing the Shoal into a desperate retreat. While Dakota goes in search of the entity responsible for creating the Maker caches, Corso, left in charge of a fleet of human-piloted Magi ships, finds his authority crumbling in the face of assassination attempts and politically-motivated sabotage. If any hope exists at all, it lies in an abandoned asteroid a thousand light-years beyond the Consortium's borders, and with Ty Whitecloud, the only man alive with the skill to decipher the messages left behind by an ancient race of star travellers. Unfortunately Whitecloud is locked in a prison cell aboard a dying coreship adrift in space, awaiting execution for war crimes against Corso's own people. But if humanity has any hope of survival, Corso is going to have to find some way to keep him alive - and that's only if Dakota doesn't kill him first...

Another swoonsome cover from Tor UK - they are really pulling out the stops for their science fiction issues (and the fantasy ones, come to that). Again, the second in an ongoing series - someone needs to let me know whether it is essential to read the first before I get onto this one, otherwise I have a whole lot of extra books I need to buy!

Published by Tor UK on 2nd July 2010

Hunt for Voldorius by Andy Hoare

A warleader of the renegade Alpha Legion, the demon prince Kernax Voldorius's reign of terror has bled across the stars, leaving billions dead. Captain Kor'sarro Khan of the White Scars Chapter is petitioned to hunt down and destroy Voldorius. Tracking the beast doggedly for over a decade, Kor'sarro Khan finally drags Voldorius to battle on Quintus, a world that has totally fallen to the Alpha Legion. Now together with their Raven Guard allies, the White Scars must combat an entire planet if they are to slay the daemon prince.

And here we have the third book in a series! Sometimes I feel as though I have so many books to catch up with before I even get to my review copies... Le sigh. The White Scars are one of those Marine Chapters that I have the least interest in but I do like Warhammer 40,000 novels in general so I have absolutely no doubt I will get to it in good time.

Published by Black Library on 2nd September 2010

So those were my books this week! What is of interest? What did you get out of these and are most looking forward to reading?

Lucy in the Sky by Paige Toon

In Lucy in the Sky, Lucy is about to set off on a flight to Australia for the wedding of her two closest friends when she receives a text message that sets into motion a series of events culminating in a soul search as to whether she really wants to stay with her boyfriend James or whether Nathan, gorgeous Australian surfer, is the one for her.

What a premise! I loved the idea that Lucy read this message and ended up stewing for the whole course of the flight out to Australia, because she was unable to use her phone for the duration. It was a really excellent way to be introduced to Lucy's character - effectively done by Toon since the book is written in first person perspective. This brought an immediacy and vibrancy to the character of Lucy, who really came to life with all her foibles included.

The rest of the characters were written in an equally warm fashion, and most of them were easy to empathise with (I will just say that Gemma and Chloe - two of Lucy's friends in London - were a little interchangeable at times). The biggest triumph in terms of characterisation is James: at times he comes across so lovable and the reader, alongside Lucy, really isn't convinced either way as to if she should stay with him or take a chance on Nathan.

In fact, the whole sequence dealing with Lucy's soul-searching and vacillating between the two men is handled deftly by Toon, so that you feel real sympathy for all three of them at times. Yet Toon does just enough so that you know Lucy will make the 'right' decision by the end of the book.

I had a couple of minor quibbles about the novel - the main one of which was a matter of personal taste, I'm sure, and I think other readers would have enjoyed it far more than I did. This was the way that Nathan and Lucy exchanged daft jokes as a method of bonding. It was cutesy and got a little tiresome by the end of the book, for me, but I am sure that other people would have delighted in this.

In summary, this was a lovely novel to read, one that draws you in and makes you desperate to know how Lucy will resolve her plight. Considering it is Toon's debut, she does a great job - in fact, it feels far too assured to be the first novel of an author! I will be proceeding quick smart to Paige Toon's other novels, and I can't wait to dive in.

Meme With Relish - all about the books!

I limit the memes I participate in, but I love this one - it's so highly personal, but still gets discussion going about the IMPORTANT books. I found the meme over at Unbound, so please join in, and pass the credit back to Adele and her team (and me, if you're feeling in a kindly way!)

1) One Book That Changed Your Life: An odd choice to kick off here - Knights of Dark Renown by David Gemmell. I mean, it isn't an obvious book to pick and certainly people might expect Legend of Gemmell's books. But this was the first Gemmell book I ever read, and it really opened my eyes to the potential of the fantasy genre. To that point I'd read safe, warm fantasies by such authors as David Eddings and Terry Brooks and Gemmell's writing showed me that heroes aren't always the good guys, and it doesn't end happily ever after for everyone. Gemmell made me want to devour every single fantasy novel I could lay my hands on, and ultimately led me to the point I'm at now.



2) One Book You Have To Read More Than Once: I am a compulsive re-reader - so I have many that I could recommend here. But I'm going for One of Us by Michael Marshall Smith. This book is clever, slyly funny, dark, futuristic, scary - everything you need from a book that you'll tackle more than once. Every time I read it I gain more from the experience. I have much love for MMS.



3) One Book You'd Want On A Desert Island: You mean, just one book FOREVER?! What a hideous thought! Seriously, just one book? Fine then: I've already confessed my love for this book on the blog before so I'm not embarrassed to say it again. Since it is a book I've re-read pretty much every year since being given it by my parents and I'll love it forever thanks to nostalgia, I'll put out The Silver Brumby by Elyne Mitchell. If I'm stuck on a desert island, I'll probably be too busy trying to.. y'know... survive to read anything much - The Silver Brumby is a nice slim novel that won't take much time to whip through as a diversion between finding water and building some kind of swanky bamboo house.



4) Two Books That Made You Laugh: The first of these is Notes From a Big Country by Bill Bryson - this is the one and only book that has had me crying with laughter and snorting unattractively on public transport. Deeply embarrassing! I was asked by my neighbour on the train what book it is that had me in such a state, so hopefully Bryson got another sale out of it! My second is The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde - I didn't so much laugh out loud at this one, but the sheer inventiveness, the terrible puns and the wacky sense of humour made me chuckle at least once on every page.



5) One Book That Made You Cry: This is an odd one - and will probably prove obscure to most people. Those who have read it might wonder why I cry at it - but I do every time I read this book. My book is On Mystic Lake by Kristin Hannah. It is one of those books about a woman going back to her hometown after the death of her mother, rather cliched in places; truly it isn't a masterpiece. And yet when Hannah writes about the main character's thoughts over the bereavement and the fact she'll never see her mother again I am left sobbing. It is so heartfelt, but, truly, I think it is because I love my own mum so much and I can't imagine a time without her.



6) One Book You'd Wish You'd Written: I wish I'd written Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke - it was so quirky, with such beautiful language, breathtaking imagination, vivid characters. I would be proud to say I'd written such a stunning novel.



7) One Book You Wish Was NEVER Written: Actually Guilty Pleasures by Laurell K Hamilton. I really enjoyed the first eight or so books of the Anita Blake series as escapist fun, but, if it meant I hadn't had to endure the horrendous out-of-leftfield sex fiend Anita has become since book ten in the series, I would rather not have had the pleasure of the first nine. Seriously, never has a series become so utterly different - to the point where characters don't even act the same, and everyone seems to be spilling bodily functions on everyone else *shudders*



8) Two Books You Are Currently Reading: Wow, I am at one of those rare, rare, RARE times where I am actually reading more than one book at a time. I'm well-known for my book monogamy and usually I would NEVER read more than one book. However, I am now committed to my huge Malazan read, so I am trawling through Gardens of the Moon on a chapter by chapter basis, while at the same time reading Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? I'm a little pleased that I can admit reading these two books publically, rather than having to confess anything by Jilly Cooper alongside Twilight, or something daft like that *grin*. I sound all intellectual and heavyweight - although not even in the league of Larry or Paul!



9) One Book You've Been Meaning To Read: There are so many - SO MANY - that it is hard to pick just one. But I am going to plump for The Lies of Locke Lamora - part of the rules of my recent giveaway of rare copies of this book (ooh, could I fit *more* 'ofs' into that sentence?!) was that I should provide a review of it as well. And I really want to read it. So I shall pick this one and determine that I shall get to it as soon as possible. After Grass by Sheri S Tepper. And The Passage by Justin Cronin. And Johannes Cabal the Detective. Yeah, I've been here before. There are too many awesome books being published!



So that's me! Please do join in - I'd love to hear yours. Drop me a comment saying where you've posted your book meme to :-)

Simon & Schuster Blogger Event

I was one of those lucky bloggers to be invited to the Simon & Schuster Blogger Event held last Monday. I was actually en route back from Nottingham on the Monday, laden down with bag and laptop - I seriously looked as though I was trying to surreptitiously move into the place! On the train back from Nottingham I had been reading Daughters of Fortune by Tara Hyland (since she was one of the authors who had been invited to attend the event) and I almost didn't want to get off the train, the book was so good! But I reluctantly (yeah, right!) dragged myself to the S&S HQ, which was just awash with books. Seriously. In the reception, in all the rooms I peeked nosily in as we went past, in the conference room that looked like it was set up for us bloggers.... More on that in just a bit!

We were greeted by Amanda and Ally - the perfect hostesses - and I had a brief natter with Liz (My Favourite Books) and Carolyn (Book Chick City) before the presentation and the panel started.

I love these presentations. As you might know, I also attended the Headline Blogger Event earlier this year, which was my first experience of a book presentation by a publisher. And I am the perfect audience for these things. I spend the entire time drooling over all the fabulous books that the publisher is bringing out. Seriously, I should never be the buyer for Waterstones - I'd be there saying "We'll take them ALL!" So I updated my wishlist with several titles and wondered how long it is until my book buying embargo comes to an end (five months, people, FIVE LONG MONTHS!)

After the presentation the panel started. We were graced by the presence of:

Suzanne Baboneau - Publishing Director
Maxine Hitchock - Fiction Editorial Director
Sarah-Jade Virtue - Special Sales Manager

Ally was good enough to kick things off with a few pertinent questions of her own, such as asking what each member of the panel did on a day-to-day basis, which recent book has made them the most excited, and what releases in late 2010/2011 they are most looking forward to. All three talked with great passion and humour about publishing - and I don't think I was the only person to wish I had their job! They also intrigued me loads about a book called Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith (so much so that I very cheekily asked for a copy - not only did they provide one, but they gave me the sequel as well. They were such darlings to us all!)

We were then shepherded into the conference room that I had seen earlier - the table in the centre was positively groaning with jugs of Pimms and cupcakes, while the tables around the outside of the room were simply covered with books!


Picture courtesy of Liz from My Favourite Books

We were introduced to the three authors in attendance: Tara Hyland, Chris Carter and Paige Toon. I gushed at Tara for a while about how much I was loving her book (I really do embarrass myself at these things!) and got a couple of hints about what to expect from the new novel (released fall 2011, by the sounds of things - can't wait!) I also joined a chat that Paige was having with Liz and a couple of other bloggers, and just couldn't stop laughing - Paige is so lovely and very funny!

And, yes, much like the Headline event, we were handed voluminous bags and told that Ally didn't want to see any books left on the tables! I don't need telling twice about something like that. Here are pictures of my loot:











Yep, that, there, is 28 books. In my defence, I have read one of them already (Lucy in the Sky by Paige Toon - review forthcoming) but my house was already groaning at the seams with all the books I'm trying to fit into it! I just can't resist the pretties - and really it is the fault of Simon & Schuster for publishing so many damn fine books!

It just leaves me to thank Ally for inviting me and for being such a great hostess, to the other panellists for being so welcoming and knowledgeable, to the three authors for giving up their time to chat to breathless, enthusiastic bloggers (well, that might have just been me while chatting to Tara!), and to S&S for providing such a wonderful haul of books. I had a great time!

Wintercraft by Jenna Burtenshaw

In Wintercraft, we meet Kate Winters, a young girl who discovers that she has the power to see through the veil and command the souls of the dead. She and her friend, Edgar — who is more than he first appears to be — are taken to the city of Fume and caught up in a power struggle between the Skilled and the High Council, who wish to destroy them.

Wintercraft is a really mixed bag. At times the writing is excellent, demonstrating real skill in keeping the pages turning and the tension ratcheted up to the maximum. Yet, especially towards the end of the novel, when you would have expected Jenna Burtenshaw to utilize the best of her writing in the climactic finale, everything falls rather flat and left me feeling disappointed. In addition, the fate of Da’ru is somewhat confusing. Kate’s actions in this sequence are written in a dreamlike manner, unlike everything that comes before, which raises the question of whether Da’ru is really vanquished or not.

In terms of characterisation, Burtenshaw makes Silas Dane everything he needed to be: the fierce, silent killer on Kate’s trail, genuinely terrifying as he leaves a trail of bodies in his wake. Despite his dark past and his actions during the novel, Burtenshaw ensures that the reader feels real sympathy for his plight.

On the flip side, Kate is a rather lacklustre heroine. She accepts her mystical powers with practically zero qualms and watches people die at Silas’ hands without really batting an eyelid. I struggled to feel any empathy for her. Edgar is presented in a deliberately mysterious, heavy-handed manner that grows tired very quickly, and his relationship with Kate, such as it is, comes out of nowhere. Lastly, Da’ru is a pantomime villain. She monologues about her evil plans, and does evil for the sake of evil and to gain ultimate power. We learn little about her true motivations. WHY has she decided to pierce the veil and bring the dead back to life. WHAT, in her past, made her cause the death and mayhem during this novel? I asked these questions, but received no answers.

During the course of Wintercraft, Burtenshaw also provides us with several series’ worth of exposition, long, descriptive passages where all the details we require to get us up to speed are told, not shown. The first five pages of chapter seven, for instance, give us a potted history of Albion. It’s interesting, but there are far more effective ways to convey this.

Despite all this, Burtenshaw’s writing shows a real flair at times, and there is promise for the future. I forgive much thanks to the vivid, evocative description of the Night Train:

Light flooded the walls, the rumble of wheels echoed through Kate’s bones and the night train thundered into the station, groaning and grunting like a vast malodorous beast. It was a moving stink of dripping oil, hot grinding metal and burning fumes; a patchwork of heavy repairs, newly forged metal and old hammered panels all riveted together into one scarred machine. Its massive wheels growled against the pressure of the brakes and its metal carriages rolled behind, each one windowless and terrifying accompanied by the creaking sound of hanging chains.

In summary, I enjoyed Wintercraft to a point, but, with so much truly excellent YA fantasy fiction being published right now, it feels mediocre in comparison. Overall, it’s ordinary, but with occasional flashes of brilliance. I think Burtenshaw has more (and better) to come. I will pick up future novels by Burtenshaw, but won’t be rushing to the store on release date.

This review has already appeared on FanLit