My Interview with Steve Poling

1.  Where did the idea for Finding Time come from?  Have you always been interested in science fiction?
I was a kid watching TV when they were launching rockets for the Gemini and Apollo projects. That was so cool I started reading any book I could find that had a rocket on the cover. I devoured everything in the school and small-town libraries I had access to. It didn’t hurt that I was good at science and math.
I read Brenda Clough’s story /May Be Some Time/–that she expanded it into a novel here. (You should read it.) Her premise is that polar explorer Titus Oates of the doomed Scott Expedition to the South Pole is rescued by time travelers. He is brought to the near future and adventure ensues.
I loved her story so much that it captured my imagination when I latched onto a historical tidbit: The Nazis set up clandestine radio broadcasting stations in Greenland to spoof the radio navigation systems of aircraft being ferried across the Atlantic. This resulted in at least one lost squadron. I told her about this, but she didn’t want to write the story.
So I did. “From Greenland’s Icy Mountains” turned out pretty good. I liked the time travelers, Sid & Nell–and how they bickered. This got me thinking about the knowledge lost when the Library of Alexandria was destroyed, so I wrote “Book of Life and Book of Glory. ” After that I was hooked. Anything I found in history that I wanted to rescue had me writing a Sid & Nell story. I loved creating the love-hate relationship between them. Continue reading →

Antares and the Zodiac by J and L Wells

(Cover picture courtesy of this site that will not load.)

Four friends, Daz, Eve, Oli and Ebony, meet at a fairground, but what appears to be an ordinary bonfire night couldn’t be further from the truth.

One fairground ride throws them into a very different dimension, where they set off on an incredible adventure that is completely out of this world.

Follow them as they embark on an amazing journey through the star signs of the zodiac.

(Summary courtesy of J & L Wells’ website.)

[Full disclsoure: J & L Wells sent me a free ebook in exchange for an honest review.]

Antares and the Zodiac had such a great premise, but it lacked two things: maturity and a good editor.  I’ll deal with the former first.

Much like with The Outsiders, you can tell the authors are really, really young.  There’s absolutely nothing wrong with being young and there are a few brilliant young authors, but J&L Wells’ youth really shows in their writing.  They lack the experience that comes with age to pull off emotional scenes and they lack the writing experience to pull off what could be very compelling descriptions of the novel’s setting.  I’m not saying that there aren’t good parts to the novel (because there are), it’s just that they are overshadowed by the teenage writing style, especially when phrases like this crop up in scenes that are supposed to be suspenseful:

“However, he was forced to eat his words for a second time as things were about to go from bad to worse … MUCH WORSE!” (Pg 132)

Now the latter: this book needed a good editor.  How can I say that with absolute certainty?  Well, as I read I made notes to myself and here are the numbers that I came up with:

  1. Capital letters were USED LIKE THIS to emphasize points 92 times.
  2. Multiple punctuation (as in !!! or !!) was used 16 times.
  3. ‘duck’, ‘ducky’ or ‘duckies’ was used 225 times.

Note that this all occurs in 255 pages.  The use of various forms of ‘duck’ occurs mainly when one character, Daz, is speaking.  Character quirks like favourite phrases are important parts of characterization, but when they are used too frequently it just becomes silly.  Capital letters should rarely, if ever, be used in novels for emphasizing words—that’s what italics are for.  Multiple exclamation points look rather silly, especially if the author(s) are fond of using single exclamation points for normal dialogue.  Basically, they lose their punch and aren’t nearly as effective as when an author uses exclamation points only a few times throughout the novel.

Daz and Eve are decent enough characters, but Daz kept getting on my nerves.  The constant use of ‘duck’ (in all situations, to all people) is grating and coupled with the fact that he constantly goes off seeking trouble in the Zodiac signs…well it didn’t help my overall impression of the novel.

J and L Wells are young writers with so much promise and I hope that with practice and time they reach their full potential.

I give this book 2.5/5 stars.

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My Interview with Krystal Wade (2)

Krystal Wade is the author of the Darkness Falls trilogy, which includes Wilde’s Fire, Wilde’s Army and the final book Wilde’s Meadow.  This is my second interview with her, so read on to see her feelings about ending her first trilogy and for some hints about future projects!

1.  How do you feel about your first trilogy coming to an end?
Relieved, sort of, that I can “relax” for a minute. Scared because I don’t want to lose momentum while I’m finishing the next series of books. Happy that a couple people have asked for spin-offs. So, I’d say I’ve got some mixed emotions. Continue reading →

The Squire, His Knight, and His Lady by Gerald Morris

(Cover picture courtesy of Booktopia.)

“Either leave this island, or prepare now to do battle.”

“Then I must do battle,” Gawain said.

Squire Terence and Sir Gawain are on another quest, but this time their journey is overshadowed by their ultimate destination—a contest between Sir Gawain and the Green Knight that could easily lead to Gawain’s death.

As they weave their way between the world of men and the Other World, both Gawain and Terence discover much about themselves.  Terence learns more about his past and what the future holds for him, and Gawain is forced to confront the true nature of courage and honor.

Next to the legend of Tristan and Isolde, the tale of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight has always been one of my favourite Arthurian legends.  So you could say I’m a bit biased in this review because this is exactly the legend Gerald Morris retells in The Squire, His Knight, and His Lady.  And what a fitting tribute to such a great legend!

It’s been five years since the first book, which places Terence from age 18-20 and Gawain in his mid twenties.  And unlike a lot of young adult books that are focusing on adults, the adults don’t act like children/young adults.  They act their age!  The Squire’s Tale mainly focused on Gawain instead of Terence (even though it was in his POV), but Book 2 most definitely focuses on Terence.  In the first book Gawain was clearly the hero, but in this book Terence really gets his chance to shine.  Rescuing Gawain, traveling to the Other World and falling in love…Terence really experiences some great character growth.

Gerald Morris mentions in his Author’s Note that he has drawn heavily on Sir Thomas Malory’s Le Morte d’Arthur, especially in King Arthur’s battle against the Roman Emperor.  All of the Arthurian legends I’ve read take place long after the fall of the Roman Empire, but I also don’t see why they can’t take place during the fall, when Rome was losing its grip on its empire.  Gerald Morris was brave when he did that and it worked out very well.  It also gives the perfect introduction to that central character in every Arthurian legend: Lancelot.

If you’re a hardcore fan of Lancelot or Guinevere, I would advise you not to read this series.  Gerald Morris does not exactly paint the two ‘lovers’ in the most flattering light.  But at least he justifies it with his writing and King Arthur is given depth when he realizes that his wife does not love him and never will.  One of the most touching passages in the entire novel is this one, when Arthur is speaking with Gawain about Guinevere:

“Am I a fool to love her, Gawain?”

“If so, it is a divine foolishness,” Gawain said. (Pg 33)

Ah, the pangs of unrequited love!

I give this book 5/5 stars.

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20four12: Fablehaven by Brandon Mull

This week it’s my turn to post over at 20four12 so I reviewed Fablehaven by Brett Mull, a book that I borrowed from a good friend of mine.  It is one of her favourite books, but to see my thoughts on it, head on over to 20four12!  And while you’re over there you should check out the rest of Caleb’s site for your daily recommended dosage of science fiction.