Review: Fantasy Meets Mystery in CITY OF STAIRS

Fantasy novels make for great stories of adventure, romance, or horror. But it isn't often that a fantasy is able to blend fantasy with a thrilling mystery and a tale of intrigue.

But City of Stairs, by Robert Jackson Bennet, does a masterful job of taking a political tale of murder and intrigue and placing it in the most fantastic of settings. Bulikov is a city built by beings revered as gods, where reality is bent and shaped to their will. But upon their deaths, the city undergoes a catastrophic change as reality suddenly remembers what it is supposed to look like.

Trying to picture the place where the story takes place, the city of Bulikov, was quite difficult. I couldn't grasp the concept of a solid wall that looked like it wasn't there, random stairs to nowhere, and buildings that grow into each other. It was distracting to the story, because what happened to the city is integral to the story. The god-like beings, the Divinities, were killed by a hero of Saypur, a nation once held in slavery by The Continent, where Bulikov is located. Now the conquering nation, Saypur rules those who were once the rulers.

The first chapter starts out quite dull. A courtroom scene with a bored panel of judges overseeing a case of illegal use of divine advertising, with a room full of hostile, poor, Bulikov residents. But plow through to page fifteen, where we meet the movers of the novel, and you will be transported into the subtle machinations between the political and military powerhouse of Saypur and fractured groups of The Continent make for a thrilling story of spies and traitors worthy of being placed with greats like Tom Clancy, James Patterson, and David Baldacci. The plot twists enough to keep you guessing until the end.

The characters are well defined and capture your attention. Shara Thivani and her trusted "secretary," Sigrud, add life to the novel with their interactions - between themselves and between the various residents of Bulikov. They must solve the murder of a prominent historian, and in doing so they must come to grips with various hidden truths. As a reader, you are swept along in their discoveries and cringe at the dangers they face.

I wouldn't say that this book was an easy read, but it was an exciting read. And it didn't end as it started - bored and ready to end. Instead, it offers readers a chance to ponder history: how it is told, and how it is forgotten.

This book is reviewed for Blogging for Books, enjoyed by me, and read with the anticipation to share!

Review: You Don't Need to be an Artist to Make Comics Like the Pros

When I wrote Circles, my deepest wish was that it would be turned into a graphic novel. But since I can't draw to save my life, I knew that dream wouldn't happen any time soon. I have a rather sizable collection of "How to Draw" books on my bookshelf, but they are mostly for moments of inspiration or boredom than for any real artistic endeavor.

But that never stops me from buying more books on drawing and illustration, especially if it relates at all to a current writing project. So when I saw Make Comics Like the Pros, by Greg Pak and Fred Van Lente, on Blogging for Books, I decided to give it a look. Because you never know, I might get struck by lightning and unlock mad illustrator skills.

There are two things that make this book different from all the other "How to Draw" books I've encountered. First it is the wonderful attention to the process of creating a comic, and second it is the wonderful attention to what happens AFTER the comic is complete.

Communication and Book Reviews

image courtesy of The Book Pushers

I came across an article in my feed that a friend shared, where a Young Adult author, Kathleen Hale, was so distraught by a bad review she tracked the reviewer down both online and off and harassed her. Since reading it, I've looked into other responses to the incident. There are a few authors and publishing authorities who take Ms. Hale's side, but the overwhelming response has been, basically, "what a bitch."

As an author, I expect bad reviews. Especially since I am a relatively new and unknown author, I look forward to those reviews. Well, any reviews actually. I need to know what my readers liked or didn't like so I can improve upon my skills and create even better stories for readers to like, or not like (not everyone is a reader of my genre or style after all).

As a reader, I expect that an author provides me with a book that will entertain me and even provoke me into engaging with the social, cultural, or whatever hot-topic issues that the author wants to bring to the story. If a book meets or exceeds my expectations, I will say so. If it falls short, I'll say that too.