Welcome to the New Year!

Hi everyone,

I've had a bit of a holiday in terms of blogging, but not in terms of writing. I've been crazy busy with my "The Sylvalla Chronicles" series. It's an amazing amount of fun to be immersed in a world so deeply. I can't wait to publish Prophecy and Omens but in the meantime - I've created a book magnet - a free book, "The Secret Child," in the Sylvalla Chronicles World. For fans it provides a bit of backstory about the wizards and how they relate to Sylvalla and the whole epic fantasy adventure!

The Secret Child is completely free and is as available through Book Cave - all you have to do is sign up to my newsletter - which is awesome, because it's the best way to keep an eye open for specials, and also for the link to the new video trailer for "Quest" that the talented Clem Winfield is about to put out. I hope you enjoy.

For poetry fans, I've got some cute little short excerpts sprinkled through Prophecy and Omens, that I think will be fun to share over the next few Tuesdays amongst maybe some more substantial works by beloved or interesting poets :)

A.J.

PS  I think that the tuatara eye Clem Winfield animated looks really creepy - do you?

The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson

In completing Wheel of Time, Brandon Sanderson has shown that he has the right stuff when it comes to epic fantasy.  His worlds are as rich as his writing, his characters are troubled, his setting gritty and on a grand scale, but do be warned I found the first hundred or so pages of this book quite hard going - yes, there was action and yes the world showed signs of greatness, but it took along time for the events he set up to be resolved - still because of his previous works I trusted it would be worth the wait - and yes it was - by the end I just could not put the book down.  I had to know what was going to happen next.  It did not matter that it was four o'clock in the morning, my favourite characters were in peril - would they live or would they die? 

There is alot of warfare in this book,and a carefully constructed "magic" that seems to be based on rules that are only very slowly being revealed, but nothing safe and easy.  The creatures who inhabit the world are quite foreign, including massive chasmfiends that are hunted for sport, and the strange "spren" that seem to be everywhere, and whose place in the universe slowly becomes more apparent.  It's as dangerous and deadly as "Game of Thrones" and I so want to give away the end - because it does pull the whole book into perspective and make you ask the only question there is to ask: WHEN IS THE NEXT ONE COMING OUT!  Thank goodness Sanderson is such a fast writer, now all we need to do is get him a curmudgeony editor just to make sure that the pacing stays even. Or maybe, I should, like my friends say, learn patience.  the only problem is that takes too long.


Overall yes, this is a great book, and lovers of epic fantasy who are still waiting for George RR Martin's colossus to come out could do far worse than read it.  And believe it or not given the choice I would probably read the sequel to this first, just because I found the last George R R Martin book a tiny bit disappointing.  Maybe it didn't have enough Arya in it, or enough Imp (my favourite characters by far) - but I cannot imagine that the surgeon, and fighter Kaladin will ever be far from the action so long as he is alive.

City of Fallen Angels by Cassabdra Clare

This is the fourth book of the Mortal Instruments series so long as you don't count the prequel- Clockwork Angel

If you like contemporary urban fantasy with  bit of romance and you're not familiar with Mortal Instruments, then why are you still reading this?  Go and get City of Bones and sit down and read it right now!  Seriously it's a bit like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but the guys are pretty good at slaying bad guys too.

Ok, so we are, you've read books 1-3 and the prequel, so how does this one stack up?  Is it worth reading?  What about the romance?  Who's in it?

Simon, the daylighter Vampire who used to have a crush on Cassie is finding his life is complicated.  Bad people want him, and not necessarily alive, and Jace, well dying and coming back to life is more difficult for a Shadowhunter than anyone could have imagined, so much so that now even his dreams are putting him at risk.  Can Cassie trust him?  And how nasty are things going to get?  Well the answer to those questions is - no - and very nasty.  Yes you'll love it, the fast pace, the fun, and although the romance is a bit heavy, let me assure the less romantically inclined readers that the bedroom door isn't opened for something that could merely be insinuated behind a closed one.

This is modern teen fantasy that doesn't require a degree in English, nor is it the endless teenage angst of twilight, it's just good fun.  Maybe not quite as dazzling as books one to three, mostly because I hate stories that end on a knife edge - there's nothing worse - especially because that means I desperately want to read the next book now! 

A J Ponder

Towers of Midnight, by Brandon Sanderson and Robert Jordan

The seals to the Dark One's prison are crumbling the pattern is unravelling etc etc...


The Wheel of Time is full of hefty tomes, many of which could quite frankly have done with an edit. A bit of red line through say - a couple of hundred pages and book number thirteen would have been a real page turner.  As it is, there is plenty of worry and a modicum of hair pulling (thank goodness), some meetings, afew repetitive wolfy bits, and as per usual the majority of the action is left to the end.  Still, if you've made it this far don't give up now because the last book has been set up as a real page turner.  I only hope that it lives up to my expectations in a way that this book did not.  It's not nearly as good as book twelve, instead the sole purpose of this penultimate book seems to set up the finale due in America some time around March 2012 although I hope it is late and that they use a few weeks -- months even, to sort out the typos and plot loops where the story stagnates, and just stick to the plot, which is very strong when it doesn't get bogged down by all the infinitesimal details of it's own grandeur.


Review by Alicia Ponder.

Heart's Blood by Juliet Marillier

For all you romantics out there this is a beautifully written tale of an impossible love.

Young, beautiful, and abused scribe Caitrin is running from her past.  She finds both work and shelter with the chief of a village.  But this is no ordinary home, it is plagued by the past, a past she must delve into if she is to help the tortured chieftain, broken, crippled and horribly alone -- even while her own past is but a footstep behind.

Inspired, but not constrained by Beauty and the Beast, this gorgeous book was well worth the read.  Having not a romantic bone in my body, I still enjoyed it for the gorgeous writing and the wonderful sense of presence this writer has.  I can't wait to read Wildwood dancing!

And it's not jsut me that thinks she's well worth reading, Juliet Marillier has won quite a few awards for her historical fantasy novels:
Winner of the Aurealis Award for Best Fantasy Novel (2006)
Winner of the Beehive Book Award for Young Adult Fiction, sponsored by the Children's Literature Association of Utah and decided by popular vote (2009)
Best Children's Books of the Year, published by the Bank Street College of Education (2007)
A YALSA (Young Adult Library Services Association) Best Book for Young Adults (2007)
A US Board of Books for Young People and Children’s Book Council Outstanding International Book (2008)

Review by Alicia Ponder of Rona Gallery and Bookshop, 151 Muritai Rd, Eastbourne, NZ. 

Lonely Werewolf Girl by Martin Millar

Depressive werewolf girl is hunted by her own family. She has nowhere to go, and no life until she is rescued by two extraordinary humans who find themselves caught in the middle of two power struggles: one centred on a rather crazy clothing-obsessed elemental; and the other, a bid for the werewolf leadership -- a struggle in which the Werewolf girl's dead body would be a very powerful bargaining chip.

I'm so deeply divided about this book. The prose is stultifying, it's almost like eating baby food that's been chopped down until it's so soft all the texture is missing. But even so, and this is where the deeply divided comes in -- this baby food has kick. There's wit and charm, and the odd glimpse of three dimensions in amongst the cut-out two dimensional characters. Even better, against the odds, the apparently rambling plot of feud and counter-feud comes together to a relatively satisfying conclusion, so in the end all I can say is people like this book. They do. My copy went flying across the floor more than once, but I still made it to the end, which is more than I can say about quite a few books lately.
It's the sort of story that can make a so-so author into a name, not because it's brilliant, but because it has the things that teenagers are looking for in a story, sex, drugs, depression, rock and roll, and originality. It's not preachy. It doesn't glamorise, it just gets on with the plot as two -- no three -- very different worlds collide. I'll never love this book, for me it was twilight all over again, maybe edgier, more exciting, and far less sentimental, but still pulp -- a fact proudly proclaimed by the cover as it declares the author has invented a new genre; "pulp fantasy noir."

Review:  Alicia Ponder

The Gathering Storm, Book 12 in the Robert Jordan Wheel of Time series by Brandon Sanderson

Death is merely an inconvenience for Robert Jordan, as his long running series The Wheel of Time continues to turn.

It is in fact (thankfully) turning a little faster now. Under the hands of Robert Jordan, the Wheel of Time was becoming little more than a cash cow. Nothing happened, and then still less happened, while the most powerful women tugged at braids like nine-year olds - and had nothing better to do than sit through endless meetings and choose which clothes to wear. NO MORE.

Brandon Sanderson has injected new life into the characters, sped up the plot, and rekindled the flame of the first few books of this series. The threads are now finally coming together as the different factions battle it out for supremacy while a still greater evil threatens to wipe them all out of existence - forever. So yes, this book is worth reading - the only thing that's vaguely frustrating is this is BOOK 12 - and I can't help but think, are we there yet?

Two more to go.

I can't wait.

LINKS

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wheel_of_Time  (useful for abridged plots)
http://www.brandonsanderson.com/

The Battle of the Sun by Jeanette Winterson

Jack is the chosen one, only with his help can the city of London be turned to gold -- so Jack is kidnapped by an alchemist determined to do just that.

There's kind of off the wall charm and a simplicity that gives this book a fairy tale feel - not to mention all the crazy fantastical beings, a dragon, a knight in shining armour, several orphans, and of course the heroine of Tanglewreck brought back in time especially. All of which makes this a must read for all those who enjoyed Tanglewreck - for although it's not really a sequel it does feel like one.

"'there is a battle,' he said, 'a battle for the sun..."

And there is...

Toby Alone by Timothee de Fombelle

Review by Alicia Ponder

Toby at 1.5 mm Tall, is certainly the smallest little person I've met since the Who's of Whoville, and that being the case the story has an originaility about it. Desperate to save his parents, Toby must escape from the people who are now running his home, or what he sees as the whole world -- the tree on which he lives. Throughout the book we find out that the meanies who are chasing him are also destroying the tree and want an invention that Toby's father so that they can destroy it faster. On the journey of discovery there are chases and escapes, treachery, a little holding hands, and plenty of opportunity to find out about the dangerous creatures of Toby's world.
*
The natural tendency with a fantasy story about "little people" is to think that it is for a quite young readership, as in the borrowers, but although this story's language isn't overly complicated, the timeline does jump around somewhat, and the content at times is also for maybe ten, eleven plus. The story has won awards - but not that I'm aware of in the English language version and that seems fair enough, it is however a fun and challenging read with an environmental message that never becomes overbearing.

Dark Fire by Chris D'Lacey

Review by Alicia Ponder

David Rain is back, the dragons are stirring, but with hope also comes risk, the risk of a darkling. Lucy finds herself trying to save a dragon, and simply stay alive

Unfortunately somewhere in the journey from that enchanting instant classic, "the Fire within," Chris D'Lacey seems to have lost the easy charm and magical wonder that so characterises his first book. Fortunately though, buried in this book are inklings of what series could have been, before it was hopelessly overblown. I certainly enjoyed it far more than a couple of the previous installments, less mucking around with polar bears, and more action invlovling the main characters, although I still want the simple charm back, perhaps that is because I haven't grown up in the same way that much of the readership of this series has, with the constant expectation of more excitement and more dragons, Chris d'Lacey certainly doesn't disappoint there.

Johannes Cabal - The Necromancer, by Jonathan L. Howard

Necromancer, Johannes Cabal, needs his soul back. Problem is, he's dealing with the devil, and the devil wont be satisfied without at least a hundred more souls to take its place. Armed with a carnival, and a conscience that he could do without, Johannes has to collect the deeds to those hundred souls -- and beat the devil at his own game.

This book is being widely recommended on the coat-tails of Tim Burton and Terry Pratchett, and stylistically this is pretty much on the button. The story does however contain more adult content, and so is more appropriate for the older teen/adult crossover market. Otherwise anyone who enjoys a good story with plenty of off-beat humour will love this book - I did, so did others in my family -- it's already being farmed out to more people. So why don't you hop on a wagon and see where the Johannes Cabal's carnival is headed - just be careful not to sign up.

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman (2009 Newberry Award Winner)

This book grabbed me with the very first sentence -- "There was a hand in the darkness, and it held a knife..." and after that it just didn't let go.

The macabre setting made the perfect backdrop for Neil Gaiman's subtle humour and agreeably offbeat characterisation. And unlike many popular authors this is not a by the numbers book, there is real heart to the story -- unsurprising in a work that has twenty-two years to fully realize. Moreover this is only one of many glowing reviews. Still I would warn you not to read them, for fear of spoiling any of the twists and turns along the way. So I in turn will choose my words very carefully, and say only that -- A killer comes in the night for a young boy, and the events of that one night shape the life of all the souls in the graveyard for some time to come.

Go, on, open the first page and see if you can put it down.

Review by Alicia Ponder

Faerie Wars by Herbie Brennan

While Faerie Wars is not the perfect book, it's a great read. And there is something for everyone, real life, fantasy, adventure, kittens in danger, a prince who rescues animals, and a terrible threat to the faerie kingdom.

It begins with Henry for a chapter. He's just an ordinary boy, with an annoying little sister, and he earns money tidying the house of an eccentric pensioner . Then for a long time Henry is abandoned while we follow the exploits of the faerie, Pyrus, as he goes about getting himself into trouble. Just as Henry is almost forgotten the two collide and Henry and the eccentric pensioner have to help Pyrus return to his Faeire kingdom so they can unravel the plot to wrest the throne off the Purple Emperor. It's fun, it's fast, and while it does not have the lyrical beauty of an award winning book it's one of those novels that has children sitting up under the covers and reading through the night.

Overall very absorbing, fast, and perfect for ten plus.

Review by Alicia Ponder

Y Fiction

Faerie Wars by Herbie Brennan

Finally someone who knows how to spell faerie properly -- Faeire wars is a most charming and absorbing book. Review coming soon.

Appologies for few reviews at the moment from me as I'm very busy, I should be able to get back to at least a review a week very soon. Hopefully others will also be filling in over this time.

Alicia Ponder

Fantasy

Shadowmarch & Shadowplay - by Tad Williams

Every so often I take a deep breath and immerse myself in what can only be described as Epic Fantasy -- with capital letters.

Yes, the cover does not lie, this is such a book, and yes it has fairies and gods and strange races with odd names that might as well be called dwarves and selkies and borrowers. Yes borrowers, bless him. I loved the borrowers growing up, and these truly perfect little people remind me of their vigeur, sans the overly cutesy angle.

The story begins with the threat of the fairy shadowline moving near the kingdom of Southmarch. The king has been kidnapped, and the world they had been a small part of is now threatened, not only by an evil ruler who believes he is a god, but by an incursion of fairies. Not the nice, sweet ones many people grew up with, but big, nasty, dangerous ones.

A fiesty princess -- yes of course there's a fiesty princess otherwise why would any girl ever pick up such a book? -- is kept pretty busy even as her twin brother is beset by nightmares and unsurprisingly eventually finds himself on the wrong side of the fairy "Shadowline." Notice the Capitals. High Fantasy, after all seems to demand them.

Anyway, I'd love to make this a complete book review with an ending, but it's impossible. The series isn't finished -- and wont be for some time by the look of it -- so I can't help but wonder if I've started this series a little too early, on the positive side Tad Williams is relatively young, so he's unlikely to die before writing the last book -- unlike David Gemmel and Robert Jordan, on the negative side this could turn into another of those, "walking, walking, walking," epics where nothing heappens as the publisher and author take all the money they can. There was a small section in the middle of Shadowplay where I was terrified this was about to happen, enough to make me think it didn't quite get the stronghanded edit it deserved, especially as I was thrown out of the story too often by typographical errors.

Still, I can't help but feel the gandness of this is Tad Williams at his best, at his peak of writing, and he's never been a slouch, the plot so far is strong, always keeping me reading from one chapter to the next. In the end I can only surmise the weaknesses are only those that can be expected in this strange genre where writers aren't thinking in hundred pages, but in thousands. And the strengths are those that can possibly only be appreciated by people who aren't immediately put off fiction because there might be fairies and gods and ... doesn't Shakespeare have such things? --

Anyway if you love fantasy, and just can't get enough, or you want your fantasy-loving teenager to be invisible for several days, this is the series you're looking for. Plenty of blood and gore and violence for the boys - without straying too far into graphic realism, but most of all there is a cast of definite characters, a sense of adventure, and of our protagonists rising to enormous challenges to cope with events that, despite their best efforts, keep spiralling out of control.

Review by Alicia Ponder