You are browsing the archive for Fantasy.

← Previous Entries
Next Entries →

Shock horror: I didn’t finish reading a book

February 7, 2011 in Book Reviews, Fantasy, Reviews

As my friend Xander told me yesterday during our brief catch-up, there is a first time for everything.

I’ve always had this frustrating habit of finishing every novel that I start reading, but for the first time, I have decided to abandon this current novel I am reading and put me out of my misery.

According to this blog, the last book I finished was Homeland by RA Salvatore, and I had completed it by the 20th of December 2010.  Fast forward a month and a half and I’m still stuck on the next book, a Star Wars novel called Heir to the Empire, written by award-winning author Timothy Zahn.  I’m not even halfway through.

A friend was kind enough to lend it to me and I am ashamed to admit that I’ve had it in my possession for 6+ months, or some other ridiculously long period of time.  I wanted to finish it and finish it quickly so I could finally return it and get started on that stack of books still waiting for me in the corner.

It’s not that the book is bad — in fact, it is a bestseller and widely regarded as one of the best Star Wars novels ever written.  I don’t know why, but I’ve simply struggled with it, and struggled badly.  Every time I stop reading it, I don’t get the urge to read it again, and when I do start to read it again, I have trouble remembering what the heck is going on (probably because I take such long breaks in between).

I believe the problem lies with me being only a fringe Star Wars fan.  I was born a little too late to be caught up in the frenzy, and while I have watched all the films, I don’t care for Luke, Leia and Han Solo the way the ‘true’ fanatics do.  I just like the lightsabers.

So all that Empire/Rebel Alliance stuff, the politics, the names I can’t pronounce, the history of everything — the stuff that true fans appreciate — never got me going.  And there was too much of that in the first hundred or so pages.  I have no doubt that the book will get more interesting and action packed, but I just can’t bring myself to get to that point.  I quit.

My wife says I should have done it ages ago.  She compares it to my refusal to stop watching or going to watch potentially bad movies.  She still complains that I wasted 2 hours of her life in taking her to see Buried with Ryan Reynolds.  I actually thought it was okay, but maybe that’s my problem.

Next up, The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank.  I’m loving it already.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,
1 Comment »

Book Review: ‘Homeland’ by R.A. Salvatore

December 20, 2010 in Book Reviews, Fantasy, On Writing

They say if you want to write a particular genre, you’ll have to read that particular genre.  A lot.

With so many fantasy novels out there, I didn’t really know where to start (apart from the obvious ‘classics’ I’ve already read).  My wife’s colleague then introduced me to the world of Drizzt Do’Urden — a series of books written by NY Times bestselling author R.A. Salvatore with those visually arresting book covers.  There have been something like 20 books written about Drizzt, a ‘drow’ (or ‘dark elf’), and the stories actually form part of a larger universe — Forgotten Realms — which I understand is a Dungeons and Dragons RPG campaign setting.

If you have no idea what any of that means, I’m right with you, because I still don’t have a clue what all that is about.  But I wanted to read a good fantasy novel, one that isn’t a zillion pages long and one that won’t bore me to death.

And so I started at the very begining — the birth of Drizzt Do’Urden in the first book of the series (chronologically speaking), entitled Homeland (first published in 1990).

After a slight struggle initially trying to get a handle on Salvatore’s style and the fancy names, I found myself immersed in the dark and bizarre world of the drow (Menzoberranzan, a city in the ‘Underdark’), where the women rule over the men and the various ‘houses’ try and gain the upper hand over one another through clandestine wars and backstabbing.  Everyone has an agenda, and it’s usually to further their own status or for sick pleasures.

And in the middle of all this evil mayhem is Drizzt, the talented kick-ass drow with a kind heart and two deadly scimitars.

I was amazed at how well Salvatore painted this brand new world using so few pages.  Despite having to set the foundations and explain everything from scratch, the pace never sags, and the exposition rarely feels contrived.  The dialogue does get a little over the top at times, as does Drizzt’s tortured ‘good guy’ routine, but on the whole, Homeland is a very enjoyable read that has me wanting more (luckily there’s plenty more!).

This has probably been said many times before, but Salvatore is a master at describing battle and fight scenes, especially one-on-one duels.  Writers interested in learning how to write action sequences that are fast paced and not overly repetitive should definitely check out Salvatore’s books and study his techniques.  I certainly learned a thing or two.

I’d definitely recommend Homeland for those who want to get into fantasy (reading or writing) but feel a little overwhelemed by all the stuff that’s out there.  At a very manageable 343 page, Homeland is a relatively brisk read compared to the thousands of doorstoppers in the fantasy/sci-fi sections of bookstores.  I’m very eager to read the next book in the series, Exile.

4 out of 5 stars

Tags: , , , , , , ,
No Comments »

Del Toro quits ‘The Hobbit’; now what?

May 31, 2010 in Entertainment, Fantasy

Guillermo del Toro, man at the helm of films such as Pan’s Labyrinth, Hellboy, Hellboy II: The Golden Army, The Devil’s Backbone and Blade II, has quit as director of The Hobbit, the planned two-part prequel to The Lord of the Rings.

Whilst calling it “the hardest decision” of his life, Del Toro simply couldn’t take the extended and continued delays in filming any longer as it impacted on his other commitments.  The Hobbit was supposed to be a 3 year commitment but it’s now looking like it will be 6 years or more.  Most of the delays stem from the financial struggles of studio MGM, which is co-distributing the film with New Line.

I was initially disappointed when I heard that Peter Jackson was not going to be directing The Hobbit films.  He had done such a fantastic job on LOTR that we all expected him to return to continue the legacy.  However, when I found out that Del Toro was taking over, it made me even more excited.  Del Toro’s incredible vision and creepy style has impressed me more than any other director in recent memory, and I thought his presence would shift the franchise in a fresh and exciting direction and turn Middle-Earth into an even stranger and unsettling place.

But with Del Toro gone, now what?  Is The Hobbit destined to suck, or will it simply never be made at all?

Jackson has reiterated that he will not be directing the films, even though he will continue to work on the script and try and facilitate a smooth transition to a new director.

I just don’t know who they can get with such short notice and the films being such a major commitment.  I’m sure plenty of lesser known and less capable directors will be lining up to prove their mettle, but if they pick someone bland and unoriginal who isn’t going to do the films justice, it will just be a complete waste of everybody’s time.  LOTR has built up such an incredible level of expectation that The Hobbit simply can’t be anything but amazing.

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
2 Comments »

Novel Update: knowing when to be concise

September 27, 2009 in Fantasy, Novel, On Writing

golf cartoon-thumb

As I broke through the 130,000 word barrier yesterday on my WIP fantasy novel, I started to wonder why the heck it is taking me so long to make any decent progress.  I mean, the story is flying by in my mind, and when I’m imagining how the scene is going to pan out, it’s always just quick flashes, like a well-edited movie.  That’s the way I want to convey the story.

But when I actually sit down to write it, it never turns out the way I want it to.  I don’t know when to wrap up a scene.  They always end up being significantly longer than what I first imagined, and often a whole lot different too.

I liken writing one of my scenes to playing golf.  When I write a short scene, it’s supposedly like a par 3, with a straight, wide fairway right down the middle with no obstacles on it.  I tee off and the ball goes sideways into the bushes.  My next shot soars across into the bunker on the other side of the fairway.  The shot after that torpedoes back into the bushes on the other side, and so on and so forth.  Each shot I take, I’m getting it closer to the hole, but I’m zig-zagging over and across the fairway, creating obstacles for myself when one simple iron shot would have done the trick.  And when I finally get the ball on the green, I need a three-putt to seal the deal.  (Sadly, this also happens when I’m on the golf course for real).

As a result, I’m taking three or four hours to write a scene that should really take one or two.  A short flashback turns into an elaborate back story.  A quick chat becomes the mother of all conversations.  A simple thought which ought to take a couple of lines becomes a freakin’ Hamlet-esque soliloquy.

Brevity really is a virtue.  Sure, I can finish the novel this way, but it’s going to take me a lot longer than I anticipated and re-writes and edits (when I finally get to them) are going to be nightmarish.  What’s wrong with me?  Am I just not skilled enough?  Not experienced enough?  Or is it something other first-time writers go through too?

Ahh…back to writing…

Tags: , , , , , , ,
7 Comments »

Writing Update: Closing the door

September 22, 2009 in Fantasy, Novel, On Writing

close_door_resized

Writing on my fantasy novel (now starting to resemble a ‘saga’) has been progressing, albeit slower than anticipated.  With under 2 weeks to go before a triumphant return to full-time work, there’s just so much that I still want to do!

I really don’t know how people with a full-time job (especially one that takes up 10-12 hours a day, on a good day) can manage to pump out novels like they do.  Here I am, with (supposedly) all the free time in the world, and I’m crawling here.  Crawling.  It’s amazing how much there is to do when you have nothing to do.

Anyway, recently my wife has been giving more opportunities to write by letting us actually stay home occasionally as opposed to going out or to the in-laws everyday.  But there are still plenty of distractions – household chores, cooking, eating, TV, movies, surfing the net, blogging, reading (almost finished Dan Brown’s ‘The Lost Symbol’), exercising, video games, bits and pieces here and there.  And before you know it, another day has vanished and the word count is eerily similar.

But seriously, I think I’m getting better at it.  I ask myself: do I want to finish this novel or not?  Answer: Yes.  Do I enjoy working on the novel?  Answer: Hell yes.  Then why not friggin’ do it?

I’m finding that the key is to close the door.  Literally.  Stephen King suggested it in his brilliant ‘On Writing’ (review here), but I shrugged it off.  I can multi-task and handle distractions.  No I cannot.

I find that when I close the door, my work rate is at another level.  My focus just shifts into another gear.  It blocks out the distractions.  It’s a sign to yourself and everyone else that you’re working and that’s what you should be doing.  Time really flies when you’re into it.

Yesterday was a great example.  I even had the in-laws over from the afternoon, but whenever I got a chance to break free, I went into the room and closed the door.  Sometimes I’d only get 10-15 minute blocks, but before I knew it, 7,000 words!  And it wasn’t even on my own computer (which blew up and had to get fixed)!

So that’s the way it’s gonna be from now on.  If the door is closed, don’t bother me.

[PS: I had a peek at the stuff I wrote when I was distracted with 'stuff' - utter crap]

Tags: , , , , , , ,
No Comments »

← Previous Entries
Next Entries →

Bad Behavior has blocked 865 access attempts in the last 7 days.