Review of ‘Fragments: Alora’s Tear, Volume 1’ by Nathan Barham

I don’t tend to do in-depth reviews of books very often, but I was very kindly provided with an advance review copy of ‘Fragments’ by the author, and as I’ve posted this on Goodreads and Amazon, thought it might as well have a page of its own here on the blog.

It’s fair to say that there are a few tropes in fantasy – often those that entered the genre via Tolkien – that have fallen out of favour in recent years. Reading ‘Fragments’, however, you start to wonder why.

The story begins with a particularly important moment in the formative years of our protagonist, the half-elf Askon. However, ‘Fragments’ is not a coming-of-age story, for which I was glad – instead, when we rejoin Askon after the prologue, he’s already an adult and a military commander, respected enough in his community to be considered to take over the helm of its leadership. First, though, he has one last assignment to undertake, and it’s fair to say it doesn’t run smoothly.

That assignment gives Barham a chance to really show off what I considered the novel’s two main strengths: its combat scenes and its world-building descriptions. For the latter, we get skilfully described landscapes and a real sense of place that does an excellent job of contrasting Askon’s idyllic home with the locations he later finds himself in; the former are even stronger, with tense, fast-paced fight scenes.

My only two real gripes with ‘Fragments’ are, as much as anything, my personal bugbears with a lot of traditional fantasy. First of all, there’s a bit too much travelling for my liking, and whilst Barham handles this well – with those strong descriptions and some interesting conversations taking place along the route – I still felt there were moments in the first half of the book when the plot was stalling for the sake of getting the characters from place to place. Secondly, there were a lack of female characters in the novel, but as ‘Fragments’ is really only the opening chapter in a series and features a fairly limited cast at this stage, I’m willing to give Barham the benefit of the doubt here.

That limited cast has expanded, too, by the end of the novel, as apparently disparate plot strands start to knit together. ‘Fragments’ continues to throw unexpected twists into the mix right until the end, providing a sense of mystery throughout, yet without resorting to a cliff-hanger. Instead, we get both closure and a sense that the story is just about to open up, widening the scope of both the world and its dangers in later volumes. That’s not to suggest there’s anything unsatisfying either about the conclusion or the rest of the novel, however. Instead, this is an excellent début that that simply hints at even better things to come.

Summer Reading 2014

I’ve been talking a lot about writing recently, and I haven’t come to the end of my music-related posts either. However, it’s time for a break in all that, for one of my regularly scheduled reading updates – and as my reading time has been boosted immensely lately (one of the hazards of owning a new business that hasn’t yet got off the ground), I’ve been charging through books as quickly as I can choose them. Here are a few of my favourites.

Umbral – Antony Johnston & Christopher Mitten     Let’s break with tradition and start with a graphic novel. It’s fair to say I don’t read much in the way of comics – I’ve always found myself daunted by the back catalogues of the big publishers, Marvel and DC, and also fairly uninterested in their endless revamps of the same characters. However, I’ve recently dipped into indie comics for the first time and found a much more appealing selection awaiting me. Umbral is, actually, the perfect starting point for a reader like me: the sort of well-developed fantasy world I’d expect from a novel, a headstrong female protagonist, and smart, snappy dialogue. The story is intriguing and sinister in equal measure, the artwork appropriately moody, and I can’t wait to see what happens next.

Prince of Thorns – Mark Lawrence     Prince of Thorns is one of those books that has received a huge amount of hype ever since its release. It also falls fairly firmly into the ‘grimdark’ category, which is a section of the fantasy genre I find myself frequently drawn to, without ever actually liking the books I find there. I’m still not entirely sure I liked Prince of Thorns either, which might make its inclusion in this list a little odd – except I raced through it in less than a week and will probably pick up the rest of the series. In truth, I suspect Jorg, the central character, isn’t exactly supposed to be likeable, but Lawrence’s writing is so strong and compelling that I couldn’t help but enjoy this one.

Pantomime – Laura Lam     I picked up Pantomime following the implosion of its publishing imprint, Strange Chemistry. Now, I feel I should get one confession out of the way: Pantomime is a book set almost entirely in a circus, and I really hate circuses. I find them deeply creepy, and clowns even more so. It’s amazing, then, that I enjoyed Pantomime so much, a fact I attribute solely to the characters. Micah, in particular, is such a wonderful character, determined and vulnerable in equal measure. There are all sorts of mysteries scattered throughout the book, too, which feel appropriately placed rather than there simply to tease the reader – we discover aspects of the world as Micah does – yet Pantomime always puts the characters first, and rightly so.

A Natural History of Dragons – Marie Brennan     Finally, we come to one of my most recent reads. By the fact that I finished A Natural History of Dragons in less than three days, it would be fair to surmise I adored it. Female character fighting against the conventions of her day (Victorian era, at a guess, or Brennan’s equivalent of it), not to marry an inappropriate suitor, but to pursue her scientific fascination with dragons? What’s not to love?! Brennan also writes Victorian-style prose effortlessly, evoking a time and place without ever being stuffy, and making the whole book a joy to read. I almost ran out and bought the sequel as soon as I’d finished A Natural History, but managed to contain myself. Just (and probably not for much longer)!

‘Star of the Everlasting’ Now Available

Late last week, I blogged about my forthcoming fantasy novella, ‘Star of the Everlasting’, the first in the Ark & Fable series. I’m pleased to say the novella is now available for purchase! Hurrah! For anyone who missed it, here’s the blurb:

In the cliff-top city of Ardom Wave, there are the nobles, the criminals – and those in between.

As middlemen ‒ or middlewomen, in their case ‒ Ark and her partner Fable tread the fine line between those in power and those most definitely not, all while keeping their heads down, staying ahead of the law, and always turning a profit.

Their ‘fine line’ is under threat, though, and Ark’s about to break her three cardinal rules. The first: never let a job turn personal, even when a face from your past comes calling. Lady Vesper might tug at Ark’s heart-strings, but as a noblewoman with a string of dead husbands, she’s a dangerous woman to get close to.

Except Vesper claims to have changed her ways and wants to escape the city ‒ an escape Ark would be willing to provide, if it wasn’t for rule number two: stay well away from magic.

Because Vesper is up to her elbows in the artifact trade, and if Ark is going to dig her out, she’ll have to break the most important rule of all, the one separating the middlemen from everyone else. She’s going to have to get her hands dirty.

To see the cover, and a few more details of the story, have a look at my previous post on the subject here. And, more importantly, to find the book on Amazon, go HERE.

It’s exciting to have another story out there in the world, particularly one that I hope will be the first in a series. I’m also experimenting with Amazon’s KDP Select program, in an attempt to give the novella an initial boost. There is of course a caveat there: the novella will only be available for the Kindle, at least for now, but if you’re not a Kindle owner, don’t despair! As with ‘Sanguine’, I’m happy to send out review copies in your choice of format – just leave a comment on this post, or send me an email (details on my About page).

It’s fair to say I love this series: I love the city (although I wouldn’t want to live there!), I love how much fun I had writing it, and I especially love the two central characters. If you fancy reading about ancient magic, crime capers and gun-fights, all with a twisty, twisty plot, I hope you’ll love them too.

‘Sanguine’ Now on Libiro

I may have been busy working on my new Ark & Fable series of novellas, but I’m also determined to get my YA fantasy ‘Sanguine’ onto as many ebook sites as possible. (I do keep meaning to include Smashwords in that, incidentally, but it just looks more complicated than any of the other sites and I keep putting it off.)

Today I’ve added Libiro to the list, an ebook store dedicated to books by indie and small press authors. It’s a really nice site and very easy to use – and even provides a choice of ebook formats for readers – so I’d highly recommend it if you’re looking for something different to read this summer. It’s also been a pleasure to use as an author, which is always a plus!

So, without further ado: Sanguine, available now on Libiro, for your reading pleasure!

‘Star of the Everlasting’ Cover Reveal!

It’s only been a couple of months since my self-publishing début, but I’m never one to let the grass grow under my feet (unless it comes to actually mowing the lawn, at which I’m very lazy…). ‘Star of the Everlasting’ started life as a short story back in December of 2012. However, I have a real problem writing short stories, in that I continually try to cram too much plot in. By the time this particular story was at 12k words, I had to admit it really wasn’t going to be ‘short’ at all, and that to make it work, it needed a bit more room to breathe.

And the result is here! That unnamed short story became ‘Star of the Everlasting’, the first novella in my Ark & Fable series. It’s got gun fights and ancient magic and a city built on colossal stone pillars. It’s also got Ark and Fable themselves, the titular characters, a pair of ‘middlemen’ who negotiate between criminals and the city’s highest echelons, always in the name of profit. Well, perhaps not always, as you’ll discover if you read the novella…

So, on to the cover!

I think my partner has excelled himself this time, and I absolutely adore this cover. It’s dark and moody, and really sets the tone for the setting as a whole. It also shows a key scene from the story… and that’s as much as I’m going to say about that! However, you might have noticed the little logo in the middle of the cover, which – close up – looks something like this:

This was my partner’s idea, much as I’d like to take credit for it, and a version will appear on each novella in the series, tying the covers together.

Finally, it’s time for the blurb (not necessarily the final blurb that’ll make its way into the ebook, but it’s close enough):

In the cliff-top city of Ardom Wave, there are the nobles, the criminals – and those in between. As middlemen – or middlewomen, in their case – Ark and her partner Fable tread the fine line between those in power and those most definitely not, all while keeping their heads down, staying one step ahead of the law, and always turning a profit.

A fine line that comes under threat when they’re faced with conflicting requests from two equally wealthy clients, either one of whom could cause serious trouble if they don’t get their way.

The way out requires breaking Ark’s three cardinal rules. The first: never let a job turn personal, even when a face from your past comes knocking. Vesper might tug at Ark’s heart-strings, but as a noblewoman with a string of dead husbands, she’s a dangerous woman to get close to.

Except Vesper has changed her ways and is looking for a way out of the city – a way Ark wouldn’t mind providing, if it wasn’t for rule number two: never get involved in magic.

Because Vesper is up to her elbows in the artefact trade, and if Ark is going to dig her way out, she’s going to have to break the most important rule of all, the one that separates the middlemen from everyone else. She’s going to have to get her hands dirty.

You might have guessed that ‘Star of the Everlasting’ is rather different from my last self-published book. Whilst ‘Sanguine’ was a YA novel, this is firmly in adult territory (although, in all honesty, I don’t write huge amounts of sex, graphic violence or swearing in anything), set in a very different world. It’s also the first in a series, and I’m going to be trying a few different things when it comes to publication. For the first few months, at least, it’s going to be an Amazon exclusive, so I can gauge if that makes any difference to initial sales (I’ll say more about this when I do a more general self-publishing post). I’ll also be trying to get the next couple of novellas out as quickly as possible, with a novel-length omnibus to come later.

So, there you have it: ‘Star of the Everlasting’, coming soon to Amazon, and setting in motion events for a whole string of stories. I’ll have more release details soon, but for now, enjoy the cover, and let me know what you think!

Women Write Fantasy – The List

Over on Fantasy Faction today, there’s a very interesting link to a document put together by Sonika Balyan, which is essentially an extensive list of women fantasy authors, going back to the 1930s. Obviously, as a female writer myself I found this interesting, but I’ve also been drawn to fantasy books by women ever since I was a teenager. Overall, I’d say my reading habits are split roughly 50/50 when it comes to the author’s gender, though there may be a slight skew towards women. However, out of my favourite authors, those whose works I return to repeatedly and whose books I automatically pre-order, the vast majority are women. I’m actually struggling to think of any who aren’t.

I decided, then, to work out what percentage of the authors on that list I’d read at least one book by. The answer: 53 out of 312, which comes out at a shade under 17%. I’ll admit to being a little disappointed by that – I’d expected it to be far higher.

There are a few caveats to be made, of course. There are a handful of urban fantasy and paranormal writers listed, genres I read only occasionally. I’m also not sure how many of the American authors listed have been published in the UK, and whilst it’s easy enough to import books these days, I first read many of these authors in my teens, when I was relying solely on British bookshops. Having said that, though, 17% is still much lower than I’d like.

I’m not trying to make a point here, incidentally, other than that this is a useful resource. I’d like to see more women in fantasy, of course, both as writers and readers. I’d like to see more diversity of every stripe, in fact, just part of the reason I make a habit of promoting my favourite authors. I also wish misguided comments like, ‘Oh, I don’t read books by women’ could become a thing of the past. (Seriously, if this applies to you, you’re never going to get anything other than merciless laughter from me.) Mostly, though, I just wanted to share this fascinating and incredibly useful list. I’ll be returning to it whenever I’m in need of something new to read – and if you’re at all interested in the fantasy genre, I highly recommend you check it out.

Free SANGUINE Review Copies!

It’s over a month now since I self-published my YA fantasy novel Sanguine (which you can read all about here). I might, at some point, do a post on my experiences of self-publishing and whether or not it’s been a success (short answer: a hesitant ‘yes’, but I think it’s incredibly difficult to do well in the short-term via self-publishing – being successful in the longer term, and building slowly up to it, is much more achievable).

It’s fair to say that I haven’t done everything I could to promote Sanguine, mostly because I haven’t exactly had a surfeit of time (see my last post for details of that). However, I’d really like to get Sanguine out there a bit more. More than that, I’d really, really like to start seeing some reviews. This, then, is my offer to my lovely readers:

I am giving away free copies of SANGUINE, in your choice of digital format. All I ask is that you post an honest review after you’ve read it.

And yes, it really is honest reviews I’m most interested in, though of course I hope no-one hates the book enough to throw their electronic device of choice across the room.

At this stage, I’ve keeping the giveaway fairly open. I don’t have a limited number of copies to give away (although if I get an absolute deluge of requests, I may cap the number). There’s no time limit on the giveaway. You can live in any country, and you certainly don’t have to be a professional reviewer or blogger. As for the reviewing: of course I can’t force anyone to read the book, let alone review it. However, if you read Sanguine and feel compelled to write a few short lines, on Amazon, Goodreads or your blog (or all three!), I will be hugely grateful. You’ll also go to the top of my list for free copies next time I release a book (and I hope to have at least one more novel and a novella out this year).

Interested? Leave a comment here or on Goodreads (where this post will also be going up), or send me an email at amy[dot]sanderson42[at]gmail[dot]com (replace the square brackets with the appropriate symbols, of course). I can’t promise I’ll get back to everyone immediately, as I’ll be absorbed in cooking breakfasts and making beds for at least the next few days, but I’ll do my best to reply as promptly as I can.

‘Silk Road Fantasy’, or Fantasy Set in Non-European Worlds

Earlier today, I saw a Twitter discussion of the recent increase in ‘Silk Road fantasy’ novels, or fantasy that is set outside the Western Europe-influenced settings that so dominate the genre. This is a topic I find dear to my heart – it’s a section of the genre that I’ve been continually searching out for a number of years, and which I find tends to draw together better-developed fantastic worlds, poetic writing, and – surprisingly frequently – more compelling female characters than is unusual in fantasy.

I can’t exactly put my finger on what drew me to non-European fantasy, particularly as it was authors like Tolkien and Terry Brooks who inspired me to write fantasy at all. The third novel I wrote, aged 18, was set in a decidedly non-European desert city, but I don’t remember anything specific at the time spurring me to choose that setting. I’ve moved onto a range of non-European worlds in my writing over the years, both because I was reading so many excellent similar books, and because fantasy set in yet another version of Western Europe was ceasing to feel ‘fantastic’ at all.

This isn’t a post about me, though, but rather a celebration of a whole host of writers and novels I adore. I want to share a couple of links to sites mentioned in that Twitter discussion. In the first, Saladin Ahmed has compiled a list of his ‘Top Ten Epic Fantasy/Sword & Sorcery Novels set in ‘Nonwestern’ Worlds’, and there are some excellent choices. ‘A Shadow in Summer’ and ‘Range of Ghosts’ both featured in my last reading update, whilst I read ‘Acacia’ when it first came out; N.K. Jemisin and Amanda Downum, meanwhile, are two of my favourite authors in any genre. Ahmed’s own novel, alongside ‘The Desert of Souls’ are both on my ‘to be read’ list, whilst ‘The Scrolls of Years’ is new to me, but looks to be exactly the sort of novel I’d love.

The second link is to this post by Paul Weimer over on SF Signal, and is where I first saw the term ‘Silk Road fantasy’. He mentions an excellent selection of authors, with a fair bit of overlap with Ahmed’s post – the comments are also a goldmine. Chris Wooding! Mazarkis Williams! Aliette de Bodard! These are all authors I’ve read and enjoyed, and there are many more to discover in those comments. I am heartened both by how many of these excellent books I’ve already read (or at least have waiting to be read), and by how many more there are out there waiting for me.

Do I wish there were more? Of course. Could I happily read two or three non-European fantasies for every European fantasy? Absolutely, if not more! Still, if you’re a fantasy reader who’s been looking for a way to expand their reading horizons, I can highly recommend every single author I’ve mentioned in this post – and now I hope your ‘to be read’ list is starting to look as monumental as mine!

Spring Reading 2014

It’s been a while since I’ve done a round-up of the books I’ve been reading – in all honesty, I didn’t have a lot to add to the list, but I’ve had a lot more reading time lately, and so I’ve got a few recommendations. Here they are.

A Shadow in Summer – Daniel Abraham     Daniel Abraham is one of those authors who appeared on my fantasy radar quite suddenly (due, I think, to differences between US and UK publication dates), then proceeded to put out a whole series of novels that have been very positively reviewed. I finally got round to picking up ‘A Shadow in Summer’, the first in a quartet, and was very glad I did. This is complex, thoughtful, intelligent stuff, though so emotionally dark that I frequently had to put it down. In some ways, that was a good thing: there’s so much to take in and Abraham’s writing is often quite subtle, so this is a book worth taking your time with. Abraham also joins my incredibly exclusive list of ‘male authors who write really good female characters’, and trust me, there aren’t many of those!

Range of Ghosts – Elizabeth Bear     I loved this book. In fact, I really loved this book. I actually came across a signed copy in a London branch of Waterstones, tucked in amongst the shelf of fantasy imported from the US, and remembered how intriguing I’d thought it looked when it first came out. It’s difficult for me to say anything coherent about ‘Range of Ghosts’, other than how much I loved it – in summary, this is Mongolian-influenced fantasy, with a cast of complex yet engaging characters, a fascinating magic system, an even more fascinating world and absolutely beautiful writing. The rest of the series is definitely on my ‘to buy’ list, though if I end up having to buy more imports, it may well cost me!

The Demon King – Cinda Williams Chima     I have a real soft spot for YA epic fantasy, particularly when it doesn’t feature endless mooning over attractive boys, ‘insta-love’ or, well, much romance at all really. ‘The Demon King’ delivers beautifully: there are certainly a few sparks between some of the characters, but the female lead doesn’t spend all her time worrying about the love of her life (she’s not even sure who that is, and doesn’t much care), and there’s a shedload of action, adventure and politics to keep things moving smartly along. This really is a YA to appeal to all ages, as although the characters are all teens – and act appropriately – the story doesn’t shy away from darkness and loss, nor are the characters oblivious to the wider world around them or their place in it.

Shadow and Bone – Leigh Bardugo     Continuing the YA fantasy theme, we come to ‘Shadow and Bone’. There’s a lot more romance here than in ‘The Demon King’, but it’s integral to the wider plot and feels appropriate to the ages of the characters. I’ll admit to predicting the ending long before I reached it, but there’s a smoothness about Bardugo’s prose that keeps the story moving, and I genuinely liked the characters, who managed to get themselves out of tricky situations without constantly doing something to land themselves in another one (which is one of my common complaints about all fantasy, not just YA; I can forgive nearly everything in a well-written character, save stupidity).

So, there you have my favourite books of the spring. I’ve finally got my new wall of bookshelves erected and the majority of my books out of the attic (including one which I genuinely don’t remember buying, which has never happened before!), so I – hopefully – have a long summer of reading ahead of me.

SANGUINE now on Kobo

I feel a little as if I’m spamming my own blog (if that’s even possible) with links to my new profiles and new ebook at the moment – until I remember that’s actually called self-promotion and it’s a) quite useful if you ever want to have any readers, and b) a perfectly legitimate thing to do on your own blog. But y’know, I’m both British and female, so actually talking about ‘something I’ve created’ in public makes me want to dive into the nearest hedge for cover.

ANYWAY. Enough of that. Here’s the news: you can now buy Sanguine for the Kobo! Hurrah! I absolutely adore my Kobo and would probably read everything on it if I didn’t have such an obsession with buying actual books (which I then feel obliged to read, for some strange reason), so it’s very exciting to be able to offer my novel on a device I love so much. This is also, as I mentioned in an earlier post, an alternative for those who are currently (or permanently) avoiding Amazon due to their shady tactics in the bookselling business. I’m not entirely sure whether the Kobo version will work on other e-readers, but it’s supposedly being sold as a DRM-free .epub, so I have a feeling it should (if I can confirm that either way, I’ll update this post).

If you’re a Kobo owner, though, and fancy a slice of YA fantasy replete with assassins, illusionists, necromancy and blood magic, please head over here. I think you might like what you find.