As I’m focused on Christmas season, and all the bad puns I can find, this week's post is a bit short, but also, possibly, a bit philosophical. Don’t worry I promise to be gentle and prevent any existential crises. Short version - perfect worlds are boring, so make sure you show some flaws. Let me introduce Michael Timmons and his WIP The Awakening. Take it away Michael -
Blurb -The Druid War has ended with the defeat
of Druidess Kestrel by Druidess Sylvanis.
Their Lycan armies have been released and set free. Kestrel, in her defeat, found a way to escape
justice and death by casting a spell allowing her to return when the last stone
of the Calendar falls. The spell will
also awaken the power of lycanthropy in the ancestors of her champions.
Four individuals find within themselves
the power of lycanthropy awakened, two of Sylvanis’ and two of Kestrel’s
Lycans. They must learn to control this
new-found power as they discover themselves a part of an ancient war between
two Druidesses. Will these people learn
to use their powers in time?
Excerpt
–
Clint ran down the
stairs and out the door at the bottom. The feeling had creeped up on him.
He needed Sarah out of his apartment. At first, he thought it was because
he didn’t want her there. He realized why he was desperate for her to leave. He
was going to black out soon. He needed her gone. Or she would end up like
those dogs and cats. Instead, she wouldn’t leave. She had no idea what
kind of danger she was in. He certainly couldn’t explain it to her. After
all, he didn’t understand it himself. He ran down the street, hearing Sarah
call after him. She tried to follow him. He increased his speed and ran across
a and into the back yard.
Sarah
had no idea what was going on. It was like he was running from something. Like
something was chasing him. She had to know what was going on and followed.
There was no one out this late at night and the full moon made it easy to see.
Still, he was fast and she quickly lost sight of him after following him
into somebody’s back yard. An occasional sound alerted her to his
whereabouts and she followed as best as she could.
Clint
kept running. He could hear her. He ran hard, but going around fences and ducking in
and out of yards slowed him down. His face hurt as if the bones in his jaw were
breaking. His hands pained him, he looked at them. They looked strange in
the moonlight. His eyes must be playing tricks on him because it looked as if
the bones were moving within his hands. They looked to be getting longer. The
pain increased. Shooting pain encompassed his body. He felt as if bones
all over his body were breaking apart and moving. He found a shed in a backyard
and yanked it open. He noticed the padlock as it fell to the dirt. He moved
into the darkness of the shed. Clint blacked out.
And now for a bit of a different review
Freehold
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| Amazon - Freehold |
Blurb – Sergeant
Kendra Pacelli is innocent, but that doesn't matter to the repressive
government pursuing her. Mistakes might be made, but they are never
acknowledged, especially when billions of embezzled dollars earned from illegal
weapons sales are at stake. But where does one run when all Earth and most
settled planets are under the aegis of one government? Answer: The Freehold of
Grainne. There, one may seek asylum and build a new life in a society that
doesn't track its residents every move, which is just what Pacelli has done.
But now things are about to go royally to hell. Because Earth's government has
found out where she is, and they want her back. Or dead.
What happens
when you enjoy a book, but you realize the author has gone from science fiction
to apologia fantasy in their world building?
First and
foremost, Freehold, as far as the overall story goes, was pretty good, despite rolling
my eyes several times. I’m not criticizing Williamson’s story telling
abilities, yes there were some secondary characters that could have been
fleshed out more, the plot could have been tightened a bit, less world
building, more pew pew pew. Legitimate literary critiques, but that’s not why I
quibble with the book.
Williamson
writes Sci-fi in the Heinlein tradition; Everyone employs rationalism and Randian
rational egotism at all times, less government good, more government bad.
Organized religion is generally bad, everyone is equally attracted to, and desirous
of, every other adult member of society. Women all enjoy a three-way, sexual
jealously does not exist, drugs are never offered to children, and addiction is
not a thing. In short everyone is a calm, logical, fully-informed adult who
makes only the most sagacious of decisions based not only on what their current
best interests are now, but also what they will be in the future. Great Utopia,
if you can find it.
The question,
of course, is do good people make good political systems or do good political
systems make people good? If all that is required to make man good is the “right”
socio-political structure, what does that say about free will and agency?
I will give
Williamson credit, he does show a few different times that not all is perfect
on Grainne, however these are small isolated incidents that in no way reduced
the nearly continuous adulation that is libertarianism in action on Grainne. That’s
my quibble, there was very little grey in his world building. The story
suffered from a lack of balance, the UN is evil, corrupt and mostly bumbling,
as are all of its members and military, Grainne is good, a bastion of truth, light,
and efficiency and its residents are the same.
In Starship
Mage, reviewed here - http://farishsfreehold.blogspot.com/2016/12/vampire-of-rome-in-paperback-and-reviews.html
The ship
visits Heinlein, a libertarian world. It is not the nicest of places, and it is
not a festering hell-hole of sin and depravity. As presented you might want to
visit if you needed something shady, but living there would not be something
anyone would wish to do unless insanely wealthy, a criminal, or both. There was
both positive and negative about the planet, its people, and their system of
government.
And that is
what I look for in a story, plausibility. Where are the grey areas, the imperfections,
how is the main character, or his town, or his organization or his planet not boringly
angelic?
If I told
you that all the beaches in Puerto Rico were perfect in every way, you’d grow
suspicious. However, if I said that the best beaches for surfing were over by
Mayaguez, for small kids try Gilligan’s Island (yes it does exist), and the
beaches in San Juan were pretty good but can be rough, you’d be more inclined
to listen. Why? Because there was variation, not all beaches are good for all
activities.
One-size-fits-all
may be a great logistics axiom, but makes for a dull story, or world. So make
sure you strive for balance, show the not so great, the selfish, the negative,
and you’ll have a better, more realistic character and world.
I will
strive to do the same.
Speaking of dark and imperfect, how about a few stories of Witches, Monsters, and Madness to make dealing with the family easier?
Click on the links and enjoy.
FREE
 |
| Get it free here - Goth Witch of Philly |
Junior Inquisitor Book One
Now on sale for 99 cents!
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Amazon - http://goo.gl/D6KrbX
Inquisitor Series - http://goo.gl/mJtTf8
|
Soulless Monk Book Two
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Smashwords - https://goo.gl/NXw3Gr
Amazon - http://goo.gl/p9fBn0
Inquisitor Series - http://goo.gl/5lCyaX
|
The Witch’s Lair Book Three
Inquisitor Series - http://goo.gl/mJtTf8
The Vampire of Rome Book Four
Amazon The Vampire of Rome
Smashwords The Vampire of Rome
Nook The Vampire of Rome
Kobo The Vampire of Rome
Goodreads The Vampire of Rome
