Liz Andra Shaw

Journey into the Creative Mind of a Writing Reader

Category Archives: Fantasy

Book Review: Warrior’s Rise by LJ DeLeon

February 10th, 2013
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Warriors Rise

Warrior’s Rise by LJ DeLeon is the first book of an epic paranormal urban fantasy series.

The world created by DeLeon is cohabited by normal people (that’s us – at least I’m guessing you’re normal?) and supes (weres, fae, mages, Druids, daemons, vampires, gargoyles, basilisks, and any other magical creature you’ve ever seen in any other book).

Many of the supes are good, working to keep the planet in balance in service to The Goddess. Some, however, are evil. And some of those evil guys hold influential positions in business and governmental agencies. (That’s explains a lot, eh?) All of the supes are undercover, posing as Norms. The human race is completely unaware of their presence in their midst.

Imagine the surprise and complete panic as the deception is revealed when the Dark Lord sets out to take down the veil between the Underworld and our world.

Fortunately, the humans and good supes have someone powerful on their side in their battle against the powers of evil – the Caidh Arm, Deva. She’s a young bartender who is raised up and given lots of cool supernatural powers by The Goddess.

Where there’s a young, beautiful heroine, there must be a tall, dark, and handsome hero. In this book, that’s Paidrag, Crown Prince of the Fae. And you can guess what happens next. There’s a little cha-cha-cha, but mostly it’s the soul mate telepathy stuff.

Deva and Paidrag must overcome obstacles to gather their forces to prepare for the oncoming war.

There are a few battle scenes, but they are as sketchy as the sex scenes. In the middle of the war, Deva, Paidrag, and many of their leadership team are able to take a few days off to go the the court of the Fae for their wedding. This is where the first book ends.

There’s a lot of imagination here, but not enough action. A lot of threats, a little fighting, a little sex, a lot of Deva’s interior monologue – I want more conflict out of a fantasy about an epic war between good and evil.

Some of the Amazon reviews complain about poor editing. I agree that it could be better, but it only disrupted the flow of my reading a few times. They also complain about the juvenile writing. Epic fantasy isn’t exactly known for nuance in character or layering in plot. The problem is that this epic just isn’t nearly epic enough, leaving the lack of nuance and layering readily  apparent.

I’m sure the author’s skills will grow as she continues writing this series. I just didn’t like this book enough to invest $5 for the second book in the series.

I’m giving this book 3 stars as it was enjoyable for the imaginative world DeLeon has created. The average review on Amazon is 4 stars, so if this sounds interesting, go read some of the other reviews and see what you think.

DISCLAIMER:  I received a free copy of this book in exchange for this book review.

 

 

 

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There and Back Again

December 24th, 2012
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I delayed my gratification for two weeks, choosing to wait to see The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey until I could go with my dad. Today was the day. I was a little surprised that my mom was excited to go with us, but off we went. Here are three reviews, one from each of us.

We’ll start with my mother’s review, but not without first reviewing her history as a reviewer. This is a woman who doesn’t like science fiction or fantasy. She is famous for having declared that the first Star Wars was so boring that it would never make any money. Did I say famous? I should have said famously wrong. She was right to sleep through the first Star Trek movie, however, so you can’t entirely discount her opinion. Her take on The Hobbit: “I was disappointed. I thought it was going to be a nice folk story, fable really, about peaceful people.” I asked the obvious question: “Have you read the book, mom?” “Well, no, but I thought when I heard it was being shot in the rolling hills of Ireland that it would be nice.” “New Zealand.” “What?” “It was filmed in New Zealand.” “No, I don’t think so. I read all about it.” “Well, then you were reading about another movie.” “Well, then I wish I’d seen that movie instead.” OK, that is my mom’s review.

Now for my dad’s review. First, though, I want to say that I have a treasured memory of my dad reading The Hobbit to me as a kid. That’s why I wanted to share the movie with him. His take: “It was too much.” “Too much what, dad?” “Too much of everything. I don’t remember that much fighting in the book.” “Goblins, trolls, and orcs are huge in the book.” “I don’t remember them. And too many special effects.” “How would you film this movie without the special effects?” “It’s OK to have some, but not the whole thing. Special effects are more special if they just happen once or twice in the move. Not with everything being a special effect.” “How could you film this story without special effects?” “I guess I need to re-read the book. I don’t remember all that fighting.”

Finally, to my review. First, I should have gone to see it with a friend when it first came out instead of dragging my parents to it. Second, more importantly, I loved it with one exception. There is not enough dragon in this installment. The destruction of Erebor by Smaug is all flames and shadows, but no views of the dragon. We finally see him, well, his eye anyway, at the very end of the movie. Simply not enough! Other than that, I loved this movie. My favorite scene was Bilbo and Golum playing the riddles game. A beautiful rendering of the most pivotal scene in the book, setting up the entire Lord of the Rings cycle.

(I have to stop at this point to say that I mentioned my love of this scene to my mother and her response was, “I didn’t understand why Bilbo was down there with him.” “He fell down there.” “Why?” “He was fighting with that goblin.” “Which goblin?” “The one that fell down there with him. The one that Golum was dragging off to eat.” “To eat? [looks horrified] None of it made any sense. And what’s the deal with the ring anyway? Is that important for some reason?” “Are we related?” “Sometimes I wonder.”)

My second favorite scene occurs near the beginning of the movie as the dwarves show up at Bag End. Bilbo’s wonderful confusion / irritation and the dwarves’ playfulness with him and the tossing of the dishes had me laughing in a way the book never did. Generally, I prefer books to movies, but every so often, movies can create scenes that surpass the book. This scene was one of those special moments. When the dwarves broke into song as Bilbo listened from his bedroom, I was truly moved.

The scenery was spectacular (even if it wasn’t in Ireland, mom), the special effects were extremely well done, and the acting was superb. I have to admit that I was upset to hear that Jackson was turning a fairly short novel into a film trilogy. I couldn’t figure out where he would find enough material to make it worth going to see three movies. Now, having seen the the intricate rendition of Middle Earth and these characters that he created in the first film, I can’t wait for the second and third… as long as there will be more dragon!

 

 

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Happy 75th Birthday to The Hobbit!

September 21st, 2012
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I suppose hobbits need some description nowadays, since they have become rare and shy of the Big People, as they call us. They are (or were) a little people, about half our height, and smaller than the bearded Dwarves. Hobbits have no beards. There is little or no magic about them, except the ordinary everyday sort which allows them to disappear quietly and quickly when large stupid folk like you and me come blundering along, making a noise like elephants which they can hear a mile off. They are inclined to be fat in the stomach; they dress in bright colours (chiefly green and yellow); wear no shoes, because their feet grow naturally leathery soles and thick warm brown hair like the stuff on their heads (which is curly); have long clever brown fingers, good-natured faces, and laugh deep fruity laughs (especially after dinner, which they have twice a day when they can get it). Now you know enough to go on with. -J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit

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Happy Birthday Christopher Priest

July 14th, 2012
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“Every great magic trick consists of three parts or acts. The first part is called “The Pledge”. The magician shows you something ordinary: a deck of cards, a bird or a man. He shows you this object. Perhaps he asks you to inspect it to see if it is indeed real, unaltered, normal. But of course… it probably isn’t. The second act is called “The Turn”. The magician takes the ordinary something and makes it do something extraordinary. Now you’re looking for the secret… but you won’t find it, because of course you’re not really looking. You don’t really want to know. You want to be fooled. But you wouldn’t clap yet. Because making something disappear isn’t enough; you have to bring it back. That’s why every magic trick has a third act, the hardest part, the part we call “The Prestige”.” -Christopher Priest, The Prestige

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Book Review: After the Virus by Meghan Ciana Doidge

July 13th, 2012
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A plague has wiped out 99% of the population of the earth. The remaining people are either immune or infected. The infected eat flesh, and the few scenes where this is played out are appropriately gruesome. They have gathered up the women and are trying to breed children to use as food.

In the first chapter, we meet Rhiannon, a movie star famous for mainstream romantic comedies. She escapes from the breeding rooms and runs away from a city that is overrun with the infected.

Will is a famous football star who has taken up residence on a farm near a small town. He is maintaining the town by clearing out the dead, stocking the grocery shelves, and maintaining the roads. He does it because it’s right, but it’s a lonely existence. He rescues a young mute girl, Snickers, from some ruffians and chases them out of town. Then he rescues Rhiannon as well, and the three bond.

The Boss, an evil mastermind back in the city, has other plans. He wants Rhiannon to act out a fantasy from one of her movies with him. She is kidnapped, and the game is on. Will must rescue her and Snickers from the city with the help of some unlikely allies. In the process, Will discovers that there are a lot of good people willing to stand up to the evil that is happening in the city. After an exciting rescue, we are left with an ending that inspires hope that mankind will defeat the evil and restore civilization.

The writing is taut, the pacing is excellent, and the characters are well-developed. I especially liked Snickers. The book would have been scarier if The Boss were more fleshed out.

If you like post-apocalyptic thrillers or zombie books, you’ll enjoy After the Virus. I received this book free in exchange for a review.

(my Amazon review)

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Princess Alessa and the Frog War by A.L. Albino

June 7th, 2012
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I was offered a free copy of this book, and I snapped it up based on the über cool cover. I was initially entranced by the idea that red headed women have special powers in this book. I was sure I was going to love it, being a red head myself. Unfortunately, the scene on the cover never occurs in the book, and the story thread about red heads with powers vs. non-red heads who might also have powers (even though they aren’t supposed to) is never really developed.

By length of book (400+ pages) and number of characters, one would expect that this is a young adult book. I would suggest, however, that it’s actually a really long middle grade book with a confusing number of characters. The title character acts younger than the stated 16 years of age. She is, as other reviewers have stated, a weak, shallow character. I personally prefer heroines that are strong despite their flaws, like the Alessa that is pictured on the cover seems to be.

My favorite characters in the book are “the vultures,” Alessa’s ladies-in-waiting, a trio that brings some much needed comic relief to the early portion of the book. My least favorite characters are all the people introduced in the last third of the book. I could not keep track of them, and this made it difficult to keep track of what is happening with the plot.

There is a really great plot idea here – mutation that turns humans into amphibians – that indicates a creative mind behind the writing. Albino is clearly an author to watch. I hope that in future books the characters will be better developed and the ending will not feel so complicated with a rash of new characters. -my Amazon review for Princess Alessa and The Frog War by A.L. Albion

I suspect that this is the opening book in a series, at least I hope so. There are a number of promising plot threads in addition to the non-red heads with powers that were started and then dropped. I’m a bit paranoid about this in my own book, so I’m curious. How do you keep track of of plot threads as you write to make sure that you don’t drop any?

 

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Happy Birthday J.M. Barrie

May 9th, 2012
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Peter Pan surprising us on the Family Magic Tour at the Magic Kingdom

On the night we speak of all the children were once more in bed. It
happened to be Nana’s evening off, and Mrs. Darling had bathed them and sung to them till one by one they had let go her hand and slid away into the land of sleep.

All were looking so safe and cosy that she smiled at her fears now and
sat down tranquilly by the fire to sew.

It was something for Michael, who on his birthday was getting into
shirts. The fire was warm, however, and the nursery dimly lit by three
night-lights, and presently the sewing lay on Mrs. Darling’s lap. Then
her head nodded, oh, so gracefully. She was asleep. Look at the four of
them, Wendy and Michael over there, John here, and Mrs. Darling by the fire. There should have been a fourth night-light.

While she slept she had a dream. She dreamt that the Neverland had come too near and that a strange boy had broken through from it. He did not alarm her, for she thought she had seen him before in the faces of many women who have no children. Perhaps he is to be found in the faces of some mothers also. But in her dream he had rent the film that obscures the Neverland, and she saw Wendy and John and Michael peeping through the gap.

The dream by itself would have been a trifle, but while she was dreaming the window of the nursery blew open, and a boy did drop on the floor. He was accompanied by a strange light, no bigger than your fist, which darted about the room like a living thing and I think it must have been this light that wakened Mrs. Darling.

She started up with a cry, and saw the boy, and somehow she knew at once that he was Peter Pan. If you or I or Wendy had been there we should have seen that he was very like Mrs. Darling’s kiss. He was a lovely boy, clad in skeleton leaves and the juices that ooze out of trees but the most entrancing thing about him was that he had all his first teeth. When he saw she was a grown-up, he gnashed the little pearls at her. – J. M. Barrie, Peter Pan

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Happy birthday Terry Pratchett!

April 28th, 2012
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Stories of imagination tend to upset those without one. ― Terry Pratchett

Terry Pratchett is not just a fabulous fantasy author, he’s an outspoken advocate for the value of the genre. If you’ve never had the pleasure, try Good Omens by Pratchett and Gaiman. While you’re here, take a few minutes to watch Pratchett’s lecture on The Importance of Being Absolutely Amazed About Everything. It is long, but it is worth it! (If you want to skip the introductory remarks, Pratchett starts speaking at the 7:20 mark.) Happy birthday to a great writer!

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Liz Andra Shaw

Journey into the Creative Mind of a Writing Reader