Fantasy fiction is the best fiction there is, and that's a fact.

 

We've all seen that ridiculous take-down of Brandon Sanderson, number one fantasy author, by an attention seeker, right? I've got some thoughts about it. Before we get too serious, though, here's a picture of an idiot. Honest to God, I can't figure out if anything's going on in his little head. (Heads up before we continue, these blogposts are taken from my exclusive newsletter, and thus are a couple of months behind. Sign up for the latest chit-chat, and for a free Pieces Of Eight prequel novel, Krakenvale.) (Heads up number 2 - all Amazon links are affiliate links, I get the tiniest tip from any purchase, they all go towards Tonto's crunchies bowl.) Hello again, crew, it's been awhile. My fault entirely, obvs. To cut a dull story incredibly short, my inspiration briefly fell off a cliff towards the end of last year, but 2023 has so far been a period of explosive creativity. I've got a lot coming, more even than I promised in my last newsletter (oh so long ago). Silus de Senza and his pirate lunatics are coming back for more, and I've got a new paranormal series on the way very, very soon. But this newsletter is about something else (I gave that away at the start, didn't I?) Reading about what happened to Brandon Sanderson at the hands of a Wired journalist provoked me into writing a newsletter for the first time in a heck of a while - and made me realise what the theme of this newsletter will be going forward. SFF, speculative fiction, all that jazz, is the best that fiction can be, and I'm going to shout it as loud as I can from my little platform, and I want to encourage us as a community towards positive action and away from some of the darker corners of fandom. Some of my conclusions will be fairly obvious already, but something I've got to say in response to the affair might not be, and - a quick heads up - I won't apologise for it. I will say this: I'm no Sanderson fanboy. I've only read the first two books of The Stormlight Archive. They're good, but they're also huge books that go into great detail on every single aspect of the world he's created. I can see why he's popular though, and I'll likely continue the series at some point. For the sake of sanity and to avoid making a fool out of yours truly, I read the original article for myself, and... the majority of the complaints against it stand up. It opens with a frankly incredible claim - that no one on Wired - which believes itself to be a nerd magazine - had heard of Brandon Sanderson. Really? Can you call yourself a nerd if you're that far out of touch? There's also a claim that there have been no major interviews or pieces written about Sanderson until they came along. A very swift Google search can prove that wrong. If you can't get this basic level of research done properly... From here it's easy to conclude that this hit piece is solely designed as a self-promotional effort for the writer. It's an easy way of getting attention - and it's worked! Hey, even I've fallen for it! I'm writing about it right now, and it could easily drive more traffic to the very piece I'm calling out. Anyway, we move onto the writer's fairly savage distaste for Mormons. I was initially surprised that this element of the piece got past the editor, until I clocked that Kehe is senior editor at Wired. He simply cannot stop jibing at Mormons at every chance he can. Would he refer to a company of 50-strong-people/Christians or a company of 50-strong-people/atheists or a company of 50-strong-people/heathens? I've got to wonder. Editorially speaking, there's got to be a reason behind such a through-line, but what is the purpose here? One can only infer that this is the stance of Wired as a whole. Are there any other religions on the website's hitlist? I'm not religious myself, but I certainly wouldn't target those of faith with such a sneer of an opening section as this journalist provides. Now, here's the kicker. The journalist spends a lot of the article telling us that Sanderson doesn't have anything interesting to say, and I mean a lot. It's a four thousand word article. Anyone else see the irony in this? Even better, it apparently took two months to put the piece together. The biggest issue I have lies with the journalist's repeated statement (he bitches about Sanderson loving his own voice, but boy can this guy repeat himself) that Brandon's writing is bad. I want to put this here, loud and clear: it's wrong. I'm afraid this statement cannot even be put down to opinion. Perhaps the journalist doesn't like the style of writing, but it isn't bad. It's factually incorrect. It literally cannot be. Sanderson has too many fans who love his characters and his world-building. Where does that stuff come from? The words he strings together. I genuinely cannot find the words to explain how much this (repeated) part of the article pissed me off (probs coz I write bad, eh Kehe?). It shows an fundamental failure to grasp what fiction writing is actually for. It is meant to transport. Coleridge would weep. We, the readers, have one job: suspend our disbelief. Allow the writer to do the rest. For Sanderson's readers, he is doing the job admirably. What can a certain breed of journalist do? Sneer at those who have found something to enjoy. Certain journalists/websites/magazines/Mormons (haha see what I did there) seem to feel like only a select few books and authors are worthy of praise, and if you don't agree, then you're a 'manboy' who doesn't know bad writing when you see it. Anything popular is somehow not good enough. There are certain books that are considered 'good' and they must be liked because that's the way it is. It's an incredible position to take - it's the equivalent of having no personal taste at all. It's basically saying - I want you to know that I'm better than you because my taste is better. Madness. Now, I'm going to go even further with this. A lot of the stuff we're told are classics are... boring. Sorry. Take all your Ernest Hemingways, your James Joyceses, your Jane Austins, your Dickenses, go on as far and as much as you like, I haven't got enough time left in my life to be bored. Any modern literary novel sent in the here and now, the present day, this world of ours, I don't want to read it, I don't want it near me. A younger version of me went through a couple of attempts at 'improving' my reading behaviour by labouring through books we're apparently all supposed to enjoy and appreciate. I will not do that again. Speculative fiction is where it's at, folks. Only SFF can entertain me, dazzle me, excite me, and leave me wanting more. Really good fantasy is driven by powerful imagination, by minds that can conjure up a reality very different to the one we live day-to-day and yet adheres coherently to its own rules. Even more incredible, these writers can convey their wild inventions with strings of words that transport the reader from here to there. This is powerful magic. How amazing that these authors can take you by the hand and show you entire worlds you never knew existed, worlds that you never want to leave. All the other stuff out there? The works that aren't SFF, that aren't speculative? That's just the everyday. That's just minor variations of what we already know. That don't impress me much. **** Click this banner image, catch up on the wild pirate series Pieces Of Eight!! **** In the spirit of cheerleading the world of speculative fiction, here's a half dozen books from new authors that I'd love you to check out. Give the images a click, see if anything tickles your fancy, and let's support the new wave of fantasy fiction. Rebaa’s adopted tribe lies slaughtered behind her. Rebaa’s lover, Juran, lays down his life for hers and now she must use all of her cunning and extraordinary powers to survive the inhospitable wilderness alone, ensuring that Juran’s sacrifice was not in vain. But Rebaa’s battle for survival has only just begun... Hunted by savage predators and more terrifying still, the nightmarish Eldrax, a murderous chieftain who will stop at nothing to possess Rebaa’s mysterious powers for his own, her very existence becomes a life or death chase in the pursuit and quest to reach the one place that surely offers salvation and a safe haven she can call home. But what haven could possibly exist for one who bears... The Forbidden? Enchanted by lies, abducted for truth. In Mandar, humans and mythics have learnt to work together, but sometimes a magical creature goes rogue. As a Tracker for the government, Seraphina’s job is to locate rogues, gather intel and report back to the Hunters. Everything changes when she’s captured… by a dragon. Imprisoned in his cave, Sera discovers the unique ability to share minds with the dragon. Together they explore the limits of her newly discovered power, and he reveals the lies fed to her by the Mandar Government. But can she trust the word of a dragon? While she fights for her freedom, her magic thrusts her into the midst of a hidden conflict. The threat of a new war between humans and mythics looms and Sera must decide where her loyalties lie. Twin brothers, Jaromir and Talmage have been imprisoned, but for different convictions. Jaromir wakes up chained to a table filled with dread, while Talmage is thrown into an underground labyrinth. Jaromir has devoted his life to mastering weapons as the Empress’ Guard and forming a secret order to rid the world of magick. His lifetime devotion is useless when his limbs are chained. Unless he divulges the order’s plans. Jaromir is tortured and his body pushed to breaking but he refuses to betray the order––until his wife is dragged into the room. Jaromir is forced to make a choice between his honor and his beloved wife. Which will he choose? Meanwhile, Talmage is thrown into an underground labyrinth. Since his parent’s death, he had practiced the art of magick in secret from his brother’s order. Magick had been his savior and his security through his troubled life. No matter what Talmage tried, the ghosts of his past haunt him––especially in the dark passages. At first, he thought he was alone, for one last trial, until familiar voices echo from the shadows. Both brothers must escape from their wicked fate, identify their outgrown relationship, and swallow their pride, before it’s too late. At ten years old, Kalindra Therin, throne-princess of Lundell, is forced to make a decision that would change not only her life, but also the Kingdom’s future. Despite her father’s protests, she chooses to travel to Iclindir Academy, to become a Dracomancer. Now that she’s far away from all she has ever known, is she going to survive the path she chose? A sense of duty… With her dragon companion, Rina, by her side, Kali learns the arts of combat and spellcasting. But after 5 years of training as a keeper of balance, is she still willing to obey her father, the King, and secure a political alliance with a nearby kingdom out of duty? What would become of her if she dares to take a stand for herself and her dragon? Now she wonders if she still made the right choice. When fate and duty collide, where will Kali’s loyalty lie? Ellie is a young virgin girl sacrificed to a wyvern in order to keep the village safe, but little does she know what her sacrifice will mean for herself, dragonkind, or the fate of two entirely separate worlds. Ancient pacts have been broken and powers greater than anything is about to be released and threatens to swallow the world. Life wants vengeance and the Wind freedom. The Spirits will fight for their justice and only the thunderous Storm can lead them to victory. But the war her ancestors have started is too much for her to handle alone. To break the Lord of Life's dynasty and set the Spirits free she needs help from her uncle; a long-lost war hero now wasting the remnants of his broken life in ale. Once he was the Lord of Winds, but the Wind, people whisper, cannot be killed. *************************************** Thanks for spending a bit of time with me, I hope you got something out of it. You and I are going to shout from the highest rooftops that not only is fantasy fiction awesome, it's the most awesome thing there is, full stop. It pushes imagination to the absolute limits, and it's within imagination that our greatest power lies. See you in a couple of weeks, until then stay safe and happy. Laters, me hearties.

Ebooks - murderers of physical books? Not exactly...

We all know by now, ebooks did not kill physical books the way all the doomsayers predicted. I'll be honest, it looked like they came a little closer to victory than I had expected, but recent reports state that ebook sales are slowly declining while physical book sales surge once again. This, I think, is due in large part to Bookstagram and Booktube. There are plenty of Youtubers and Instagrammers out there with accounts based solely around books - prettily filtered photos of the latest titles or rare covers, videos with reviews or recommendations. The bookshelf is always a key feature - there are many booktubers out there who've recorded tours of their own shelves, showing off their favourites, arranging their books in specific ways (ever seen someone arrange their novels by colour? Sheer madness). My daughter has a bookshelf that could rival any of them - it is her pride, her joy, her anxiety if you dare to mess with it.

(By the way, stick around to the end of this blog for some serious bargains.)

I think she loves books more than I do.

No kidding, this is just a tiny wee part of the collection.

I've always been a bookist. Reading has forever been a pleasure (unless it's a novel by Shaun Hutson - trash from the bottom of the bin). Books trigger pleasure centres like no other objects can - I have no interest in precious metals or shiny things or things that go faster than other things. A library, a bookstore, these are places put together with magic. I always doubted, therefore, the very notion that reading an ebook could be a pleasure. I've always loved stories, but they are meant to live on paper, gathered together for us to flick through while snug on comfy sofas.

But...

We have seen that a well-stocked bookshelf is a wonderful thing to behold. Mind you, a good ebook reader can make your virtual bookshelf look pretty great too. Here's what the Android version of eReader Prestigo looks like on my phone:

There's some decent reads on here, 

and a few absolutely massive ones.

It turns out that eBooks are ridiculously handy. This is their greatest strength. I always have a bunch ready on my phone. There's loads in my kindle account that I've hoarded. It takes me quite a while to get to work (the full everyday job, not the fun writery one, that one can happen anywhere), and being able to select a book to read on my phone at the same time as listening to music (magic!) Is just so easy. I'm not always in the mood to carry a lot of stuff around with me. Ebook apps are a full library in your pocket, and with a few presses of the touchscreen you will always find something to suit your mood. An example: fancy some classic horror? Dracula, Frankenstein, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde? You can download them, legally, for free. Why on earth would you not?

I'm a bit more experimental with ebooks too. I've read novels I probably wouldn't have bought in paperback. An example: The Diviners series. I didn't think it would suit me at all, but I ended up thoroughly enjoying it.

Also, we all have that one author (or two, or three) that we follow religiously, whose releases we must buy immediately and in the best possible format. Oftentimes that means hardback. It's not so comfortable to lug that around on the train every time you want a read. You might not want to take it out anywhere. You might not want to touch it at all. Which means buying the paperback version as well. This is money, people. It all adds up.

Mind you, there's a pricing issue with ebooks as well, on occasion. New releases simply don't represent good value as an ebook. It can be a lot of money to pay for something that is basically ones and zeroes, and I don't see this perception ever fully leaving. It's the physicality of a hardback or paperback that wins. It's been said so many times that it's become a cliché, but if you're paying money then nothing beats actually holding the object you've paid for.

This is where the self-publishers/low-mid range publishers can win. If a novel you're unsure of is only three or four dollars, or it's on sale for a quid/buck/euro or even free, then you might be a lot more likely to give it a try.

(I am perfectly aware that you can buy epic amounts of physical books on the cheap too - but by and large cheap means tatty or at least seriously used - and an ebook will never get tatty (but it might be cheap in many, many ways, depending on the author)).

Ebooks have made self publishing easier than ever. If you can write a book, you can get it out there for people to read if they so choose. Before I go any further here, let me say this: writing a novel from start to finish, editing it, publishing it, that's a huge achievement, and anyone who has managed it should be proud. Writing requires vision and determination. It's a long lonely job and you've got to be determined if you hope to reach the end. Ebooks mean more authors than ever have a chance (however slight) of being seen, of being read, and that is the whole point of writing. Traditional publishing is so hard to break into. How many treasures have been lost over the years simply because the right agent or editor wasn't looking at the right time? The reader within me shudders... If this is the electronic publishing industry's one victory, then it is a tremendous one.

Now, there's one thing an ebook can't do. It can never look like this: 

I would never have bought this.

It was a gift. A beautiful gift that only I am allowed to touch.

And only this once.

Physical books can be gorgeous things indeed. But ebooks still have those beautiful front covers to look at, and they are easy to read with adjustable fonts (but rest your eyes regularly kids, you only get one set (unless this is the future and eye transplants have become normal (and if that's a case then I need a time machine coz my eyes are screwed))):

I'm not on this one yet.

It's taken me half a life to read the first volume.

Adjustable fonts and sizes make reading a pleasant experience for anyone.

Just remember to take care of those lovely eyes, people.

In the end, there's room for both in my life as a reader. For all their flaws, eBooks have broadened my reading horizons, and that can only ever be a positive. Ebooks are here to stay, and I for one am glad about that.

And, in a very neat tie-in, here's a bunch of great titles from Lodestone Books that are all on offer for the month of March. If you're new to ebooks, then there's no excuse not to try out some of these excellent reads at a time-limited bargain price. And if you're already an eBookist... well, you know what to do.

All the books below are on offer for the entirety of March - all for around a pound/a dollar/a euro, so take advantage, be experimental, try something you normally wouldn't. And leave a review if you have a minute or two spare :)
Click on the cover image to go to that book's Amazon eBook page.

LODESTONE BOOKS

A Graveyard Visible

by Steve Conoboy

On Amazon HERE

There's a graveyard visible from Caleb's bedroom window, and it grows a little bigger each day. He sees funerals there every evening, but nobody is dying. Misha, the strange girl who lives there with her grandfather, takes an unwanted interest in Caleb, and he can't shake her off. But he's sure those peculiar mourners, the same ones at each graveside every time, are forcing her into rituals against her will... Caleb, still reeling from the death of his mother, soon finds himself deep in a world of the dead in this chilling YA horror novel; will it be too late for him to climb back out?

Hospital High

by Mimi Thebo

On Amazon HERE

My life had been saved...and boy, was I annoyed. 

Humour and attitude keep Coco going when things get grim. Her relationships with her mother, hospital staff and other injured teens sustain her when her school friendships fall apart. But although everyone's working to give Coco a normal life, Coco doesn't think 'normal' is enough...

When she was fourteen, the author Mimi Thebo died in a car accident. Hospital High is a young adult novel based on the day she died and the subsequent three years spent recovering from the accident.

The Invisible Hand

by James Harley

On Amazon HERE

The Invisible Hand is about a boy, Sam, who has just started life at a boarding school and finds himself able to travel back in time to medieval Scotland. There he meets a girl, Leana, who can travel to the future, and the two of them become wrapped up in events in Macbeth, the Shakespeare play, and in the daily life of the school. 
The book is the first part of a series called Shakespeare´s Moon. Each book is set in the same boarding school but focuses on a different Shakespeare play.

Reggie & Me

by Marie Yates

On Amazon HERE

Reggie & Me is the first book in the Dani Moore Trilogy. Dani's story is told through her diary in the wake of her rape and subsequent court case. 

Having moved with her mum, Dani starts Year Eleven at a new school, facing various challenges that bring a renewed energy to face whatever is thrown at her and to carry on regardless. She realises that ‘normality’ is something that she can define herself, with the help of her dog Reggie and the people around her.

Reggie & Me is more than a story of survival, as the reader is taken on an inspiring journey of personal development, interweaved with tools that girls and young women can use to create the positive future they deserve.

FINALIST WINTER 2014/2015 THE PEOPLE'S BOOK PRIZE

OUR STREET BOOKS

Emma Oliver and the Song of Creation

by Susan Elizabeth Hale

On B&N HERE

Eleven-year-old Emma doesn’t know that she comes from generations of tree singers, passed from mother to daughter. She doesn’t believe she can sing. 
Her ailing grandmother has just come to live with the family. Her father is hardly ever at home. Her mother has been acting strange. To add to Emma’s troubles, her mother’s great uncle from England is coming to stay. Then, a strange old woman wearing a hat full of feathers appears mysteriously in her garden. She gives Emma a white swan feather that emits a haunting melody. 
Emma’s only solace is the oak tree in her garden, which she names Annie Oakley. What she does not yet know is that Annie is part of a network of tree spirits who disguise themselves as old women. These spirits have come to Peachtree City to help Emma remember her mission to sing the Song of Creation and save the Great Mother tree.

The Firebird Chronicles: Rise of the Shadow Stealers

by Daniel Ingram-Brown

On Amazon HERE

In this fantasy adventure, Fletcher and Scoop are Apprentice Adventurers from the ancient establishment of Blotting's Academy on Fullstop Island. This is the place where all story characters are trained. The trouble is, they can't remember how they got there.
It's the first day of term, but the two apprentices soon realise something is wrong. Things are going missing, including their own memories, and Scoop has the unsettling feeling that something is creeping in the shadows.
As the children search for answers, they become entangled with the life of the Storyteller, the islands creator and king. They journey to his wedding banquet and find themselves uncovering a hidden past. What is their connection to this mysterious man? And is there more to him than meets the eye?

May's Moon

by S. Y. Palmer

On B&N HERE

Beating thousands of others, the geeky boy they call ‘Micky Moon’ at home, is one of ten children from around the world accepted onto the ‘Children’s Moon Program’ in Florida. If he can survive the g-force of a space-shuttle launch, overcome his secret fear of water and pass the other battery of tests, he could win a place on the next mission to the moon!

The Princess Gardener

by Michael Strelow

On Amazon HERE

The Princess Gardener is the story of a young girl who is a princess by accident of birth. Her passion lies outside the castle, tending the gardens. But castle duties call more and more often, and her parents insist she learn what she calls "the princess business." Reluctantly, she curtseys and bows and smiles her way through the empty rituals of the kingdom, but every day she longs for the smell of the earth. A chance encounter causes the princess to switch lives with a young farm girl, who is her exact likeness. When people begin to fall ill, the girls learn that the source of the sickness is covered-up pollution in the water supply. Will they discover their true capabilities and save the kingdom, or are the girls' lives about to become very complicated?

All about horror, and horror's what it's all about.

Or, what works in horror and what doesn't. Because a lot of horror really doesn't work. We should all know this now that Halloween is done and we've gorged on scary movies and spooky books. Who am I, then, to talk about this?

I write horror novels, mostly. The primary target audience is not adult. I'm aiming for the 12-15 year olds (although if the rest of the world wants to hop on board I'm convinced they'll enjoy the ride). This has thrown up a key question: How much horror is the right amount of horror? This is followed by a further question: Am I getting it right? One final question: How much of my writing time can I waste by writing a blog about these pertinent questions?

All my keys say this.

My first go at YA horror was called Macadamian Pliers and it's about a particularly sinister man with an unpleasant plan. We've got haunted houses, growlings in attics, vigorous ghosts, draggings into dark wardrobes, a mausoleum, and a fairly hectic final sequence. I tipped a couple of bags of horror in and gave it all a good stir. I told myself while writing it not to hold back, not to self-censor, just get the story done. I didn't want to dilute the inherent badness of a man like Pliers. As it turns out, Mac was the first of my stories I actually enjoyed upon reading it back (after letting it settle for a couple of months - it's vital to step away and leave the first draft alone when finished). There's a sense of foreboding to the piece, and Mac himself is creepy as hell. It's about the scares, not the grue.

And it's not exactly the stuff I thought I'd write.

When I was younger (late teens - like I was ever there) I envisioned myself as becoming a writer with Stephen King's enviable ability to spin a tale and James Herbert's ability to shock (all those chewing rats - yuk), but my heart wasn't quite in it. There was little joy in blood and guts for the sake of it. All the gruesome stuff... it's horrible, yes, but is it really horror? As a fan who's seen far too many films and read plenty of books, I'll tell you here and now that the answer is very, very close to no. Your Saws and Final Destinations and Shaun Hutson books and all the rest can be found at the lowest level, where the horror genre is at its least effective. No point in arguing with me, because it's true. Ring and Spiral (both in book and film form) are exponentially more effective at scaring, at horrifying, at lingering long after they are over. There's a couple of bits in Mama (which I watched recently - decent film, terrible ending as usual) which actually caused my toes to curl. Scares driven by suggestion. The Conjuring films and the second Annabelle are equally effective. The first Annabelle movie is not (and do not ever speak to me of the abysmal The Nun).
The blood is the after-effect of the event. It is the result. It should not be the whole story.

That cover still gives me the heeby-jeebies.

So I'm not that into blood and grue. My writing should be alright for younger readers, then? Nothing wrong with a few scares.
But there's those who will automatically shake their head and demand such books be burned. Ghosts and ghouls and bad men at the bottom of the garden? Horror is for grown-up sickos, not kids. No spooky stuff, no ghosts, no wizards even. Look at all the hullabaloo about Harry Potter in the US of A (funny bunch, you Americans). Maybe there's a good point to be made - a young person's imagination is electric and lively, and is arguably far better than an adult's at making these spooks and demons real.
Yes, I don't bother with the extremely icky stuff. It's all about the power of suggestion people! And that power can be strong. The threat is all you need. Any idiot can write in detail about cuts and splashes and gouts and sprays and loppings and choppings. Can you make the reader fear those horrors without ever painting them clearly? If so, the reader is yours to manipulate - and therein lies my concern.

Conscience, then, can be the writer's only guide. Conscience and confidence, the assurance that you know how far is far enough.

I've said before that horror is a constant let-down. And it's running out of ideas, right? So why am I bothering? Well, for the reasons I've discussed. There are other ways to go with horror, other stories to tell. There are plenty of characters waiting for someone to forget all the old cliches and to concentrate on story instead.

But I've got a cheek. Even I, who dares to spout off like he knows anything, am guilty of stealing well-worn tropes and settings.
The graveyard is one such classic setting. It comes with spookiness built-in. The second novel was called A Graveyard Visible. And yes, I am aware that I'm wide open to accusations of laziness. Ooo. A graveyard. And spookiness. Well done, Steve. However did you come up with that? Do something new, you might yell in my general direction. You think you're so clever? Try doing horror somewhere totally new, like a haunted microwave, make that scary! Well, shut your face. I've given the haunted house a twist, (a twist in the grim shape of a man called Macadamian) and I did something new down at the graveyard as well.
(God, I get so defensive when I make up arguments in my head.)

Anyway, I'm done for now. I'll probably have more to say about this...

Laters.