An Interview with Matthew Quinn Martin, Author of NIGHTLIFE
Posted on October 18, 2013 1 Comment
Ah, the fall season is here! With the days getting shorter and the chill in the air, October is the perfect month to check out some horror novels and other scary fiction. If you happened to catch our review yesterday, you’ll know that we here at the BiblioSanctum had the great honor and pleasure of reading Nightlife, the horror urban fantasy novel from debut author Matthew Quinn Martin.
But that’s not all! Matthew was also kind enough to stop by for an interview, giving us an opportunity to ask him about his book and to pick his brain. “Mmmm…brains!” as Matthew likes to say! As you can see, he has a great sense of humor and we had a blast chatting with him, and we hope you’ll enjoy the interview!
BiblioSanctum: Hi there, Matthew! Welcome to The BiblioSanctum, and thank you so much for this interview!
Matthew Quinn Martin: Thanks for having me!
BiblioSanctum: First of all, congratulations on your upcoming new book! Can you tell us a little about the genesis of Nightlife? How would you describe the book to someone who hasn’t read it?
Matthew Quinn Martin: I always have a hard time describing my own writing. That might be an artifact left over from refusing to talk about a project when I’m working on it. Or maybe it’s just a dodge. Honestly, your review of Nightlife does a much better job describing it than I ever could…so I’ll just direct people to that.
As for the genesis of the book…I know the idea came to me when I was walking through Grand Central Terminal on my way to one of the many, many, many terrible survival jobs I’ve held over the years. But I don’t remember exactly what sparked it. When I started writing Nightlife I’d thought it would end up being an irreverent “Joss Whedonian” style take on some familiar horror/fantasy tropes that had been all but ground to powder by that point–then the characters showed up and changed that right quick. You can still see some of that irreverence poking through (I think), but the book ended up being much darker than I had anticipated.
BiblioSanctum: Haha, thanks for your kind words about our review! And while we’re still on the topic of the book’s genesis, I’m a visual reader and can see Nightlife playing out very much like a movie in my head. I know some of your past writing achievements include the screenplay Slingshot that was made into a feature film. Did your screenwriting experience play a role in the creation of this novel?
Matthew Quinn Martin: Nightlife actually was a screenplay in it’s earliest incarnation. The last completely original script I wrote in fact (although I have done a few adaptations and collaborative re-writes since then). When I’d started shopping it as a spec script, Hollywood wasn’t terribly interested in anything that didn’t have a pre-awareness factor (comic book, toy line, remake, etc). So I thought “Hey! I’ll just write it as a book…how hard could that be?” Answer: Much harder than I could have imagined. However, I’m glad that Nightlife comes across visually…maybe it’s just in the book’s DNA.
BiblioSactum: What can you tell us about your writing process? Did you learn anything interesting or come across any challenges while writing Nightlife?
Matthew Quinn Martin: In many ways working on this book was my way of “unlearning” most of my screenwriting techniques. I’ve seen a lot of novelists have a hard time making the transition to writing for film. I’d always figured it would be much easier the other way around…boy was I wrong about that. Writing a screenplay and writing a novel are just very different ways of telling a story. With a novel you can get deep into a character’s thoughts and emotions; you can describe physical sensations that you can only allude to when you are working with film’s limited palate of image/sound/dialogue. You don’t have to worry about how much a scene would cost to film, or how the whole thing might play overseas, or how a director’s ego and lack of ability might turn the whole thing into an unwatchable turd. However, with film you can express so much with just a few well chosen images in sequence. You don’t have to worry about balancing POVs because the camera is the only POV. And you can move the action anywhere you want for as short a period of time as you want. Some writers are skilled enough to perform that last feat in their prose…I’m not one of them…yet.
One technique that’s stayed with me, however, is that I still plot everything out on index cards pinned to a cork board (actually two massive cork boards now…novels require more cards than movies). When I have a solid idea of the “shape” of the project, I transfer and expand it to a “structure draft” which is usually about a quarter the length of the finished novel. A lot of writers I know deride this technique as too mathematical…but I like to think of it as musical. And it feels a much like writing to me as when I’m actually laying down the finished prose.
BiblioSanctum: You know, that’s really interesting; I’ve never thought about that before, but now I can see how writing a novel versus a screenplay can be completely different beasts. Going back to the “darkness” you talked about, I like how the book reads like an urban fantasy in some ways, but it’s also infused with an element of horror. There’s a certain appeal in reading books that scare me or creep me out! What about you, are there things that frighten you or give you the chills?
Matthew Quinn Martin: So much of what frightens me is rooted in totally mundane concurs–will I still have a place to live in six months? If I don’t scare up enough work this year will I fall back into the crushing debt I worked so hard to crawl out from under? Is that pain in my left hand the beginning of rheumatoid arthritis? Will the Red Sox ever win another world series in my lifetime? (fingers crossed for this season) I realize that isn’t a particularly sexy answer, but (with the exception of worrying about The Red Sox) I think these are concerns that affect the majority of people out there. Vampires exist in reality, make no mistake, it’s just that a lot of them work at places like Goldman Sachs.
Reading horror and fantasy literature is one of the ways people cope with some of these crippling existential fears. But there is more than one way to approach that as a writer. A lot of the works currently on the shelves deal with characters who have power–power that is often granted rather than earned–who choose to use this power to fight other powerful beings for the sake of those who have little or no power. This “champion” archetype is as old as storytelling itself. It certainly works well, and in the right hands can make for an unbelievably moving piece of writing. Frank Herbert’s Dune is probably my favorite of this type of story (although Herbert swiftly and cannily avoids many of the pitfalls inherent in that archetype in the subsequent Dune novels). I might write a book in that mold someday, but for Nightlife I wanted to take a different approach. I wanted to tell a story about people who are only extraordinary in the way that they chose to act when faced with almost insurmountable terror. That’s why it was important for me to make sure that Beth and Jack were ordinary people living ordinary “lives of quiet desperation” before entering the world of Nightlife.
BiblioSanctum: Horror literature as an escape from the real worries of life–I think that’s actually a great answer. You made mention of vampires though, which is a great opening for our next question. Without giving too much away, tell us a little about the creatures in your book. Why did you choose to write about them, and how did the idea of them evolve?
Matthew Quinn Martin: Simply put, I wanted to make vampires scary again. Not mysterious. Not dangerous but sexy. I wanted to situate them squarely back in the nightmare-scape from which they’d originally spawned–long before there were “rules” about how the vampire was suppose to function in fiction. But at the same time I wanted to keep a lot of the mythos that surrounds them, just find a new way to explain it.
BiblioSanctum: I think you achieved that quite well. Speaking of scary, the book’s characters Jack and Beth go through some pretty traumatic experiences before and during the events of the novel. How do you think those experiences have shaped them? How much have they changed and grown since you first created them?
Matthew Quinn Martin: Most stories are, at their core, a portrayal of how a character is transformed through the crucible of plot. Nightlife is really Beth’s story. She’s the protagonist. She undergoes the most growth and has the biggest arc. And the reader gets to experience all that with her as it happens. It’s all compressed into a rather short period of time and we’ll have to wait and see what the ripple effect of it all is, however. On the other hand, most of Jack’s transformation from when we first meet him in the prologue to what he has become when he reappears in the book’s first act takes place offstage. There are some revelations along the way and some moderate growth on his part toward the end (thanks to Beth), but his arc is a small one.
BiblioSanctum: Tell us a little more about your interest in the horror genre. Who are your favorite horror authors, and are there any books that have influenced you?
Matthew Quinn Martin: Harlan Ellison is a huge influence (maybe my biggest). So is Dean Koontz. The character of Blood (the dog in Nightlife) is a pretty obvious homage to the work of both Ellison and Koontz. The name, Blood, is a nod to Ellison’s A Boy and His Dog (which is something that Jack alludes to directly in the text)…but his behavior is probably closer to that of Orson in Koontz’s Fear Nothing. Although it might be hard to see in Nightlife, Flannery O’Connor is also a big influence. Other writers who’ve influenced me (horror and not) include Frank Herbert, Michael Moorcock, Jim Thompson, Donald Fagen, Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child, Day Keene, Kurt Vonnegut, David Foster Wallace, Walker Percy, Jack Kerouac, Walter M. Miller Jr. and many more that I know I’m going to remember just as soon as this interview is over. Stephen King is a writer everyone working in the genre owes a debt to—some more than others, but I pretty comfortably fall into the “more than” category. In fact, Nightlife‘s epigraph is taken directly from King’s Danse Macabre.
BiblioSanctum: So Nightlife is coming out real soon, just in time for Halloween! It was a pretty significant night in the novel. Tell us what your favorite thing is about this most wonderful and awesome of days!
Matthew Quinn Martin: I’m old enough to remember when children still went out trick-or-treating at night and without adult supervision. My neighborhood wasn’t exactly the safest or the most brightly lit. We didn’t have much money and the concept of a bag full of free candy just waiting for me if I went out in the dark to get it–and that I got to play dress up while I was doing it–was almost perverse in its attraction. It was spooky (not to mention dangerous) enough as it was, but that was right around the time the “Satanist’s are putting poison in the Halloween candy and razorblades in the apples” urban legends started circulating. It turned out to be all bullshit, of course, but it was terrifying to a child (and to parents, I’d imagine), so that mixture of wonder and dread will always frame the holiday for me.
These days, though, its all about cider and donuts as far as I’m concerned. I do have many fond memories of dressing up and going out on the town when I was in my 20s. It does seem that a certain DIY quality to the costumes has been lost along the way, swapped in favor of Spirit stores and pre-packaged “Sexy Freddie Kruger” outfits. I realize that I’m sounding cranky now, and will just shut up and wish everyone a happy Halloween…and remind them to beware of the Night Angels.
BiblioSanctum: All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy! When you’re not writing, what are some of your interests or hobbies you like to do for fun or for relaxing?
Matthew Quinn Martin: I don’t have nearly as much free time as I’d like…you know the old saying “writing is hard way to make an easy living”…it’s very true. But I enjoy music, both listening to it (live or on vinyl…yes, I’m one of those types…a dyed-in-the-wool vinyl snob), and playing it on the various musical instruments littering most rooms in my house.
BiblioSanctum: I noticed that at the end of Nightlife there’s a short line teasing the sequel! At this point, what can you tell us about it? Are there any other future plans or projects on your plate?
Matthew Quinn Martin: I’m superstitious when it comes to talking too much about a work-in-progress. I’m afraid that I’ll promise something that ends up getting dropped along the way. All I can safely tell you is that the title is Nightlife: As the Worm Turns (and I only feel safe about that because that’s already printed on the final page of Nightlife). The title itself comes from Shakespeare, the quote being “The smallest worm will turn, being trodden on” (Henry IV, Pt III). This has a few levels of meaning in the book itself. So far, it’s shaping up to be a darker and more expansive book than Nightlife. As for the future, I’ve got a stand-alone supernatural horror novel in my brain-pan on simmer (along with a dozen or so other half-finished things). And my partner-in-crime and frequent collaborator Libby Cudmore and I have a top-secret project or two that we’ll be unveiling when the time is right.
BiblioSanctum: Wow, we appreciate that great teaser! We’ll be sure to keep an eye out for that, but for now, be sure to check out Matthew Quinn Martin’s new book Nightlife, out October 21, 2013. Thank you once again for joining us, Matthew!
Manga Review: Attack on Titan, Volume 1 by Hajime Isayama
Posted on October 17, 2013 3 Comments
Attack on Titan (Shingeki no Kyojin), Volume 1 by Hajime Isayama
Genre: Dystopia, Horror
Publisher: Kodansha
Date of Publication: June 19, 2012
Author Information: Website | Twitter
They mindlessly graze on human beings, ignoring all other forms of life in favor of only devouring people. Titans have lived 100 years without feeding on people which seems to indicate that they don’t feed on humans to satisfy hunger. Many believe their goal is to exterminate humankind, but the reasoning for that is a mystery. In response to the threat, three 50 meter walls were built, which effectively keep the titans out while keeping the people inside. Talk of the outside world is considered taboo and information about the outside world has been outlawed and destroyed.
Our story begins with Eren Jäeger, Mikasa Ackerman, and Armin Arlert. Eren dreams of joining the scouting team and seeing the outside world. The scouting team’s primary goal is to find whatever information they can about the titans with the hope of learning their origins and how they can be eradicated for good. Eren hopes to contribute to that effort. He equates the people within the wall to “cattle” waiting for the slaughter and becomes increasingly disillusioned with the complacency of everyone inside the wall–especially after Armin shows him a book that talks about the outside world and all the beauty humans have had to relinquish.
Mikasa, Eren’s adopted sister and one of the most awesome people in the manga and anime, feels she owes Eren a great deal, and she’s resolved to be by his side to protect him even if it costs her own life in the process. Even though she doesn’t agree with Eren’s decision to join the scouting team, she’s willing to travel that road with him when that time comes.
After 100 years of relative safety, the walls are breached by an aberrant titan–aberrant because it exhibits behavior unusual for a titan and because it’s huge–standing more than 50 meters in height. In the beginning, before the breach, the world that these people live in isn’t exactly bleak inside the walls. They seem to live relatively normal lives, but they’re happily corralled and confident as long as their walls are up. They know the titans are out there and there’s fear of them in the back of their minds, but it doesn’t seem to truly touch the illusion of safety they have behind the wall. The only time the mood shifts is when the scouting team, who always suffers losses when scouting, returns to remind them just how dangerous things are beyond their walls.
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With the breach of the wall comes the all too shocking realization of how fragile their safety is in this new world they live in (a world they have largely ignored for the past century), how much arrogance has been placed on those walls to keep the titans out. The situation becomes dire quickly since they have nothing that is truly effective against the titans. After a hundred years, they still know very little about them. The titans, and how nigh unstoppable they are, quickly add apprehension to the story, making readers wonder how the people in this book will ever hope to survive. Making the titans themselves more human-like in appearance rather than some fantastic monsters makes the story even more unsettling and grim. It feels hopeless, and the powerlessness of the characters in that situation is very tangible to the readers. However, as human nature goes, you want them to fight and win.
I’m not sure if this was Isayama’s intent, but this manga (and its anime) seem to be an extreme reflection on life now and how those who live in relative comfort sometimes choose to ignore the monsters outside that threaten their comfort until that comfort is actually attacked.
Now, I do like the manga, but I am partial to the anime a bit more because it adds a bit more detail to some of the scenes. Some of the art is sort of awkward in places and distracted me from the story a little bit. Eren is obviously the most important of the three main characters we’ve encountered, but he can grate on your nerves, especially with how hotheaded he can be. I try to chalk this up to him initially having a very black and white view of life. Things are either good or they’re either evil to him. Evil things must be eliminated no matter the cost in his eyes, and he’s very passionate about that. He’s now having to adjust to gray areas in his life, and it’s leaving him a bit off balance right now.
If you’re not a fan of violence, you probably don’t want to read this. If bleak situations where sudden, violent death is the norm rather than the exception, you probably don’t want to read this. The situation is depressing, but you have to hope that, despite whatever frailties and foibles humans possess, their indomitable will to survive will prevail.
A BiblioSanctum Co-Review: Nightlife by Matthew Quinn Martin
Posted on October 17, 2013 2 Comments
Nightlife by Matthew Quinn Martin
Genre: Urban Fantasy/Horror
Series: Book 1
Date of Publication: October 21, 2013
Publisher: Pocket Star/Simon & Schuster
Author Information: Website | Twitter
Nightlife takes readers to a New Harbor, Connecticut on Halloween night, where deep within its depths, an ancient breed of predator prepares to rise. The city’s outcasts, the forgotten and the homeless are the first victims, but the creatures’ hunger only grows. At New Harbor’s popular nightclub, Beth Becker arrives for her job as a bartender on one of her busiest days of the year, unaware that her life is about to be changed forever.
After that night, several people go missing, including Beth’s best friend Zoe. But when the police ignore her concerns, Beth decides to take things into her own hands. However, her investigations lead her to more questions than answers, to ominous tales about the “Night Angel”, and other horrors she never imagined possible. And when she encounters a mysterious stranger named Jack, Beth has to make a choice. New Harbor is about to fall to a new terror; will she run while she can, or stay and fight?
What did you think about Nightlife?
Mogsy: I think it was the idea of an “urban fantasy-horror” that first hooked me, because while something like that would naturally seem like the perfect combination of genres, I don’t think I’ve actually read anything like that before! And I wasn’t disappointed. I think it at once delivered everything I expected but also gave me a lot of surprises as well.
Wendy: The book begins very slowly, taking its time to introduce the characters, with the main focus being Beth and her relationships with best friend Zoe and boyfriend Ryan. Beth is a strong, independent woman and, despite Ryan’s implications about her party-going lifestyle, she seems to have her priorities straight and has a strong moral compass.
Mogsy: Yes, not surprisingly, the highlights for me are the characters. The story itself takes a bit of time to build up in the beginning, but I was kept interested by Beth and the other perspectives we’re given in this first part of the novel, not to mention the clever and snappy dialogue. Beth felt like a well-defined character almost from the get go, and I liked her.
Wendy: Things start to really kick off on Halloween night though, when several people go missing, including Zoe. The police won’t file a missing persons report after such a short period of time and Ryan doesn’t seem to care, leaving it up to Beth to find Zoe herself. Soon enough, Beth comes face to face with the monsters and meets Jack for the start of a very practical and interesting relationship.
I thought Martin’s monsters are the best part of Nightlife. Initially, they seem like seductive vampires, but there is so much more to them. Martin skillfully combines mythological creatures like the Japanese Kappa with real creatures, creating a frighteningly realistic monster.
Mogsy: I agree! Now I don’t want to spoil anything, but let’s just say he takes a familiar paranormal concept and adds his own twist and flavor of horror. Beth and Jack are pitted against something savage, primal and inhuman. I liked some of the theories presented here about them, especially the biological ones, because…let’s just say salt and those garlic sprays you can get for your garden make a lot of sense.
And though the overall tone of the novel is quite dark, there are some fun parts as well. Jack reminded me a bit of a low-tech Batman with his badass attitude and arsenal of jury-rigged weapons and gadgets! I would have liked to learn more about him, seeing as there’s a whole other side to this story that’s presented but mostly left up in the air, such as the mysterious organization Jack appears to be running from as well as his link to the homeless and self-professed prophet Gil. At times, these sections actually feel disconnected from the overall plot, but they also leave much for the next book to explore. I’m looking forward to it!
Book Review: Drakenfeld by Mark Charan Newton
Posted on October 16, 2013 Leave a Comment
Drakenfeld by Mark Charan Newton
Genre: Fantasy, Mystery
Series: Book 1 of Drakenfeld
Publisher: Tor UK
Date of Publication: October 10, 2013
Author Information: Website | Twitter
Mogsy’s Rating: 5 of 5 stars – “Perfect blend of fantasy and
mystery with an excellent main character; its uniqueness made this one of my best reads this year”
If you ever get the opportunity to check out Drakenfeld, I highly recommend doing so! Go ahead and pick up the book, take your time to admire that striking, gorgeous cover, and give the first chapter a whirl. For myself, I was irrevocably hooked by the third page. It’s hard not to be intrigued by the opening scene, when the descriptions of a brutal, torturous act of punishment is at once juxtaposed by the eponymous main character’s deep regret and compassion, especially since he was the one who so doggedly hunted down the condemned in the first place.
This is the first book I’ve ever read by Mark Charan Newton, but it certainly won’t be my last. With its perfect blend of fantasy and mystery and an excellent cast of characters, Drakenfeld gave me one of the more unique reading experiences I’ve had this year, and I think those who enjoy both those genres will really like this one. At the risk of sounding like a broken record, definitely check this one out.
Waiting on Wednesday 10/16/13
Posted on October 16, 2013 Leave a Comment
“Waiting On Wednesday” is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine that lets us feature upcoming releases that we can’t wait to get our hands on!
Until he finds his roommate’s dead body.
The Scott family cover-up machine swings into gear, but Fort is the only person trying to figure out who (or what) actually killed his friend. His hunt for a murderer leads to a creature that scares even his sociopathic family, and puts them all in deadly peril.
Keeping secrets, killing monsters, and still having to make it to work on time? Sometimes being a vampire really sucks.”
Graphic Novel Review: Five Ghosts vol.1: The Haunting of Fabian Gray by Frank J. Barbiere
Posted on October 15, 2013 Leave a Comment
Five Ghosts, Vol. 1: The Haunting of Fabian Gray by Frank J. Barbiere
Genre: Pulp Fiction, Adventure
Series: Collects Five Ghosts #1-5
Publisher: Image Comics
Publication Date: September 18, 2013
A tragic turn of events resulted in a Dreamstone embedding itself in adventurer Fabian Gray’s chest. On the plus side, he now can call upon the abilities of the five literary ghosts trapped within the Dreamstone to aid him in his treasure hunting.
The comic is written and drawn in a retro pulp fiction style and when Fabian Gray is first introduced, we immediately get to see his ghosts in action, conveniently aiding him in his daring feats. My first real introduction to pulp fiction was A Princess of Mars, where readers are frequently reminded of how awesome the manly main character is. I feared I’d be subjected to the same with Fabian Gray, but after the dashing introduction, we discover Gray might not be so awesome and that his exceptional powers come with a heavy price. Gray’s connection to the Dreamstone means that others, including the Nazis, know of him and are now hunting him.
The art took some time to grow on me. I liked the pulp style and layout, though the art itself wasn’t as clean as it could have been. Eventually, both story and art settled in to a comfortable groove. I appreciate the depth Barbiere attempts to give to the character, though the lessons Gray learns during his trials do take a bit of a leap. Still, with everything now established in the first volume, I think the story has a lot of potential to go places, with lots of opportunity for exciting adventures. Hopefully we’ll learn why these particular ghosts have manifested for Gray and what his personal connection is to them.
With thanks to NetGalley and Image Comics for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this graphic novel in exchange for an honest review.
Mogsy’s WWReadathon Reading List
Posted on October 14, 2013 2 Comments
As you know, my friends at My Shelf Confessions just kicked off their Wonderfully Wicked Read-A-Thon, and until it ends at the end of this week I’m going to try to get as much reading time in as I can. Good news for me, seeing as I’m currently on vacation and can probably cram in more than usual!
As such, my WWReadathon goals are pretty ambitious. My internet access is going to be quite spotty while I’m traveling, so all I’m going to aim for at the moment is to get through as many of the following books as possible by the time the event is over and write up their reviews. I’m probably not going to be able to finish all of them, but I hope to make a good dent!
Book Review: Mister Monday by Garth Nix
Posted on October 14, 2013 Leave a Comment
Genre: Fantasy, Adventure, Children
Series: The Keys to the Kingdom #1
Publisher: Scholastic Books
Original Publication Date: July 2003
Author Info: www.garthnix.com
Twice I picked this book up from the library, and twice I returned it, unable to get much further than Arthur Penhaligon’s step into the mysterious house. However, because I did like the concept behind the Keys to the Kingdom series, I took advantage of the audiobook and finally managed to get through it. As a result, I can’t say I’m overly impressed, but I am intrigued and am not opposed to continuing the series through the full “week.”
This is a story about The Will of the Architect and its attempt to free itself from the hold of the seven days, each of whom hold a key that binds it. When Mister Monday attempts to exploit a loophole in the Will by giving his key to a dying Arthur, his plans are foiled because, with the help of The Will, Arthur does not succumb to his severe asthma after all. Now the keeper of the lesser key, Arthur becomes a target of Monday’s minions and his neighbourhood falls victim to a strange illness. Arthur must venture into the world of The Will to retrieve the greater key from Monday and get rid of the illness.
Nix has so many wonderful and unique ways of presenting magic and technology in his stories. In his Abhorsen Trilogy, which is where I first came to know the author, necromantic powers were connected to a series of bells. Shade’s Children is technology-based, and A Confusion of Princes combines technology and various psionic abilities. In The Keys to the Kingdom, magic is based on time and words have power. In fact, The Will initially appears as words magically printed in the air and the kingdom beyond is heavily focused on anything and everything to do with writing.
This is all very unique, but Nix sometimes goes too far with it by making it too easy for the characters to solve problems with conveniently written in magical plot devices. The deus ex machina mentality is troubling for me as an adult, but as this is aimed at a much younger audience, I can appreciate and accept the fun results.
So why did I have such trouble getting into the book? Perhaps Arthur was the problem. He’s not a particularly interesting character and his motivations are not keenly defined beyond the typical “no I don’t want to be keeper of the key” and “I’m only doing this to save my family etc.” Perhaps my problem had to do with the fact that a number of interesting characters were introduced that seemed poised to accompany Arthur on his journey, but were repeatedly left behind. Dorothy is a pretty dull character on her own. She needed her entourage for support and I think that was my problem here. Too much Arthur, too much Arthur escaping seemingly dire situations with easy magic, and not enough of the interesting supporting characters.
Still, as I said, the concept of the series in interesting and I’ve grown rather curious about what the other days of the week have in store…
Review Bite(r)s: The Walking Dead
Posted on October 13, 2013 Leave a Comment
October 13, 2013 is an auspicious day, what with the return of The Walking Dead and all. This has also been a pretty happy TWD year for me, what with getting to meet and have photos taken with some of the cast members. And so, in honour of all this, I have been doing a little TWD primer work in preparation for tonight’s premiere…
The Walking Dead, Vol. 1: Days Gone Bye by Robert Kirkman
Once a book is published, it’s out of the author’s hands, though inevitably, the author will likely see a million things they want to tweak or change or fix. It is rare that an author has the opportunity to retell their tale. Since I’m reading this long after falling in love with the TV series it’s impossible for me to review the source material for the show without comparison. But, keeping in mind that the show is Kirkman’s chance to retell his story, I really enjoyed it.
At the end of issue #1, Kirkman explains that he did not intend this to be a horror story. He intended this to be a survivalist adventure where we get to take the journey with Rick Grimes and see how he changes and grows. I also see it as a journey for Kirkman and can see how he has changed and matured in his writing.
Many of the scenes in the show are lifted almost exactly from the comic, but the show does one thing differently: it makes sure this isn’t just Rick’s journey. From the addition of Morgan’s wife in the show, to the extension and development of Shane’s character, we see humanity at its best and worst, but realize that we may be no better or worse if thrown into such a horrible situation.
Thus far, I don’t think the comics are as good as the show, but I think they are an important read for fans to see the the journey of both character and author.
The Walking Dead: Rise of the Governor by Robert Kirkman
The death of his beloved wife years earlier had already ruined Philip Blake’s life, leaving him with a single purpose: to care for and protect his daughter, Penny. This does not change when the zombie apocalypse hits, but his circle of protection expands to include his two best friends, and, unfortunately, his hapless, sickly brother Brian.
The Governor has been a frightening inclusion in The Walking Dead series, but as with all truly good antagonists, he is not simply mad and/or evil. This trilogy serves to reveal what made the enigmatic leader of Woodbury who he is by first showing us what he was and reminding us just how much of a struggle leadership is, especially when all the rules have gone out of the window. Variations of the phrase “do what you have to do” comes up often and with necessity. Although I figured out the plot twist from the first few pages, the journey was still worthwhile and I’m curious to see where the rest of the trilogy goes.
Interestingly, the book is written in present tense. I’ve seen this done in another book originally intended to be a comic and I wondered if that was the original intention for this. As an audiobook, the tense works well, amplifying the tension of the characters and events.
As an added bonus, a gaming review! I’ve been voting for The Walking Dead game as Game of the Year and recommending it to TWD fans who might not even be gamers, so it was about time I actually got to playing it myself.
The game puts you in the shoes of the character, forcing you to make some increasingly difficult life and death decisions. I’ve only completed episode one, but can confirm that my pre-praise and recommendations have been justified. There are some technical annoyances with the gameplay, and there has been some yelling at the screen because it wouldn’t let me do exactly what I wanted in some places, but otherwise, I have no complaints. Rather, I’m moving into the next episode with trepidation because I know things are going to become more difficult and are going to play hard on my feels…
YA Weekend: Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson
Posted on October 12, 2013 7 Comments
Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson
Mogsy’s Rating: 5 of 5 stars
Genre: Young Adult Science Fiction/Fantasy
Series: Book 1 of Reckoners
Publisher: Delacorte
Date of Publication: September 24, 2013
Author Information: Website | Twitter
Everyone I know has been saying such great things about this book, so I’m afraid I can do little more than to add to the praise that’s already out there. In the interest of full disclosure though, I’m a big fan of Brandon Sanderson and he’s one of the handful of writers whose books I will insta-buy without a second thought. On the other hand, it’s also true that I often approach my favorite authors’ work with higher-than-average expectations.
Admittedly, this has also somewhat affected the way I looked at Steelheart, in that I went into it perceiving it as not so much a Young Adult novel, but rather as any other Sanderson novel. As a result, I confess that my expectations for this were at through-the-roof levels even before I started, and yet what’s amazing to me is that even those were met and in some cases exceeded. It also makes me feel more confident in reporting that despite its YA designation, Steelheart can probably be enjoyed and appreciated by a much wider audience.
So even if you have an interest in this book but don’t think you’re a “YA person”, please don’t let that be the only thing stopping you from checking it out! Because while Steelheart has many of the elements common in YA fantasy, Sanderson also brings his own brand of storytelling and amazing ideas to this superhero novel, making it special and stand out. And perhaps, it would actually be more accurate to call this one a “super-villain” novel, given how the people who manifest special powers in Steelheart — the book refers to them as Epics — turn out to be evil.
As such, there are no heroes in David’s world. Ten years ago, his father along with thousands of others died when the Epics took over, with the most powerful one of all who calls himself Steelheart declaring himself Emperor. Now Epics rule regular humans and kill them with impunity, but no one fights back. No one CAN fight back. Steelheart is near-invincible, and nobody can touch him unless his weakness is discovered somehow. David, however, seeks to do just that with the help of an underground group of rebels called the Reckoners. Together, they are determined to see the Epics’ reign end.
Once again, I’m reminded that Brandon Sanderson is a master-builder of worlds for a reason. One of the first things I noticed about the setting of Steelheart is how robust and “complete” it feels. As someone who reads quite a lot of YA, I notice that while books in this genre often present great ideas and feature highly imaginative worlds, many also tend to ignore or gloss over the infrastructure of their post-apocalyptic or dystopian societies. And in extreme cases, there is hardly an adult presence at all, which might make a lot of sense for a novel targeted at young adults, but this also makes a story much less realistic. Sanderson on the other hand seems to realize that even in a messed-up world where Epics have taken over, what’s left of civilization needs a system and a workforce in place to function. He’s included a lot of groundwork for his world that makes it more detailed and conceivable.
What’s more, it’s the same for the characters, who are all distinctive and have memorable personalities. I’m not so used to reading Sanderson books narrated in the first person, so it’s quite the new and refreshing experience to be right in the head of his main protagonist. And David is certainly…interesting. I like him, though I can’t say the same about his hopeless metaphors! Megan also gives me pause. I suppose if there’s one tiny itty-bitty thing I didn’t like too much about this book is how David falls for her. Though, it’s important to note that protagonists being attracted to love interests who treat them like crap is a long-held pet peeve of mine, and not even Sanderson could budge that.
Still, overall I loved Steelheart! I honestly cannot identify any “slow parts” in this novel, as it kept me interested the whole way through with its tension and foreshadowing. The level of suspense is kept at a constant high with the Reckoners racing against time to unravel the mystery of Steelheart’s weakness so that they can assassinate him. The action scenes are also phenomenal, and the many twists and surprises in the plot will definitely keep you guessing. This was the most fun I’ve had with a book in ages.
The BiblioSanctum 