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Forward Motion for Writers

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Joining in at the 50-book level.

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The Career Novelist by Donald Maass. Some outdated information, but some solid helpful advice, too. Available free in PDF form on his agency Website.

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I've read one of the other Niven/Lerner collaborations previously. Interesting way to change the focus of the Known Space books, by looking at the Puppeteer homeworld. If you like Niven, you'll like these. Clearly set up for more to come.

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I've seen this title and never bought it, but even just your brief comment makes it more interesting. I rather liked the Puppeteer, especially their concept of their leader being called the "Hindmost," the one at the back, which everyone still follows. Reminds me a bit of Laos.

It's the third in the series, I think. Fleet of Worlds, which I've read, is first, and there's also Juggler of Worlds, which I haven't. Definitely a lot more insight into the Puppeteers.

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A series? More books to read... the list of books to read is never-ending (fortunately).

Second in the middle-grade Rangers Apprentice series. (Think it's middle-grade; he starts at age 15 or 16, so it might be the lower end of YA).

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Pair of novellas collected into a single book. They're both set in the same universe as Revelation Space, but I haven't read that, or in fact any other of his books yet. Very evocative.

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This book has a sweeping scale and hits on lots of aspects of SF, from the level of tech to the probability of encountering other races. Many chapters occur after a jump in time that is made clear on the first page of the chapter; occasionally, I felt cheated by the jump because something occurred during that time that did not feel true to the characters involved and really needed to be shown.

Still, I felt it was worth reading, and I will continue to seek out more of Reynolds' work.

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His latest, a steampunk gem set at the beginning of what should be World War I in an alternate world. Highly recommended!

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John Scalzi, Jay Lake, Elizabeth Bear, Tobias Buckell, and Karl Schroeder. Each wrote one story set in a jointly imagined future. First released solely as an audiobook (which is how I experienced it), I think it's now available in print format as well. There's some heavy irony in listening to this book while driving by oneself in a car across several states to get somewhere.

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Got a good start on this Sunday evening, while relaxing after the con, and finished it up this morning while cuddling sick children. Unlike a lot of urban fantasy, this is a clear stand-alone book (where do you go after Ragnarok?). He refers to it as contemporary fantasy, but I would argue that the cities he use (particularly Venice Beach and areas of L.A.) make a great impact on the story, thus making it urban in the truest sense. Others might disagree. I have no idea when he'll write another adult novel, but I look forward to it. I'll probably also pick up his first MG fantasy book, Kid vs. Squid, to read with T-Bug.

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Part of Centaur Press's Time Lost Series, collected stories and poems of Solomon Kane. There's one in there ("The Castle of the Devil") that strikes me as the prologue to a story, rather than an actual story, but overall, an enjoyable read. He has some very evocative descriptions.

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Novellas by Jim Butcher, Simon R. Green, Kat Richardson, and Thomas E. Sniegoski. Very good, though I did get irritated at Green's repeated use of a phrase along the lines of "people usually knew better than to mess with me" (or Dead Boy, the narrator's companion). I'd rather see him being dangerous, honestly.

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Third book in the Ranger's Apprentice series, which I'm reading with my son. This qualifies as "reading up" for him (he's eight; the protagonists are about sixteen in this book), and I've had to explain some of the concepts to him -- like drug addiction.

I think the plan is to get the fourth book from the library tomorrow.

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I was rereading this excellent SF book to look at how they handled everything from moving around in a ship to scientific discovery. However, I almost threw the book against the wall when Sally Fowler talked with her Motie about reproduction. I'm sure that the authors thought they did a good job with her -- they'd explained the history of the Empire of Man, told why people were overprotective of suffocating towards the women, and had made the single human female character independent minded enough to go off to college and get a serious degree rather than just being married off to a man to bear him children.

However, the paternalism really set my teeth on edge, especially when Sally said that nice girls didn't use birth control, implied that children born outside of wedlock were a sign of moral lapses on their parents parts -- and said that such children were *always* raised by institutions, and said that if nice women didn't want children, they just didn't have sex. On the one hand, Sally is there precisely to provide a counterpoint to the Moties. On the other, having a wider range of acceptable behavior among humans -- none of which would be possible among the Moties -- including varying forms of birth control, marriage and lack of it, and single mothers raising their children (after all, presumably widows manage when their husbands die serving in the all-male Navy) would have made their point even stronger. Biologically and psychologically, humans and Moties are different. And writing in the mid-'70s, they really have no excuse for creating such a mind-bogglingly ugly '50s throwback.

The other place the '50s attitude was obvious was in the ethnic diversity -- or lack thereof. Everyone was white, primarily blue-eyed blond, with historical reasons for it. The major exception was the Levantine trader, Horace Bury, a Muslim, a Trader, and a traitor to the Empire.

The other problem I had was with the biology of the Moties themselves. They had genetic engineers who could tinker with the mental characteristics of the Mediator class to try to make them more stable. They could and did breed all sorts of offshoots and variants to their race. But they couldn't breed for (or do genetic engineering with) increased time between sex changes or the occasional mutant who didn't change sex at all? (A million years of history and a massively procreating race, and it never happened? Nope, not believable.)

Despite my problems with the story, I learned both from what they did well (the ships, the movements, the physical details) and what I feel they erred in. I am not sad I reread the book. I am wondering, however, whether I really want to try the sequel again (Gripping Hand).

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I read a novella involving John Taylor in Mean Streets and decided to see what the local library had for the longer works. Very easy, quick read. Must find some of the earlier books. Only other one at the library was more recent than this (I did get it, too, so it's next on the reading list).

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Absolutely delightful middle-grade romp by the author of Mistborn and Elantris. Highly recommended for everyone.

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The next Nightside novel (2009). This brings my total reading of John Taylor works to 2 novels and a novella.

Some running jokes, it makes sense to repeat from work to work, like describing the Tribe of Gay Barbarians, or maybe his ringtone being the Twilight Zone theme song. Some things, though, I got tired of seeing him reuse because they struck me as lazy writing and lazy thinking.

Example one: in The Unnatural Inquirer, how he describes all these traps a bartender has leading up to his rooms, and how one very professional burglar got as far as the door at the top of the stairs . . . and then in Just Another Judgement Day, he describes all the traps John and Suzie have put in their front yard to keep out unwanted guests, and how one very professional burglar got as far as the front door (which ate him).

Example two: Twice, in Judgement Day, he describes someone as "more than a man but less than a god. Or just possibly the other way around."

If you do it often enough in one book to be funny, that's one thing. But this . . . as I said, it struck me as lazy, which is a shame because otherwise I rather like the voice and the world and the sort of situations the MC winds up in.

(Edited because they actually spell Judgement properly.)

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Some interesting takes on the characters, but not so compelling that I'm going to search out more.

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I got this out of the library once before, thought I'd read it, and returned it. Realized recently that what I'd read was the first three chapters (or whatever) that he had posted on his site, so I checked it out again to read. Fun, as always.

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I have to say, White Night and Small Favor left me rather curious to see where supporting villain Gentleman Jim Marcone goes from here, but he's not in Turn Coat to speak of, and I gather has only a small role in Changes, so I guess I'll be waiting for the short story from his POV due out this summer (Dark and Stormy Knights, I think is the name of the anthology).

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I'll have to keep my eye out for that!

One of the things that I love about the Dresden books is that even though I initially read them out of order (and I'm not sure I've read all of the first eleven now), you can pick them up and get a complete story without feeling lost. Butcher's really good at supplying the back story that you need. At the same time, if you do read them in order, everyone grows and changes, which is really cool. And Marcone is definitely an interesting character!

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I was afraid that this was going to read much like the women's fiction I picked up last year -- something by Debbie Macomber, and Friday Night Knitting Club -- both started with absolutely horrible info-dumps, and I couldn't get past the first chapter or so with either. Fortunately, it was not.

It was an enjoyable read, going back and forth in time in alternate chapters. The biggest problem with it was that the two story lines didn't quite meet up, so at the end, the reader knows much more than the MC does, which left the ending feeling rather flat and anticlimactic to me. However, I enjoyed the writing and the discussion of quilts and quilting, and I will definitely read more of these.

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Second in the series. I imagine we'll be picking up the third at the library this coming week.

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Another reread.

I got different things out of it this time, though I still think he's wrong in insisting that everyone would be better off writing without planning or outlining first.

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The second Alpha & Omega novel. I do like Anna and Charles.

Also, while my in-laws were here recently, I got them both hooked on Patricia Briggs -- which my mother-in-law says is a problem when she's trying to get my father-in-law to do something.

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There was also an anthology short introducing them. I forget the book name though. Very good.

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Yes, I know, in On the Prowl, which I handed to my MIL and told her to *just* read that one.

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You know they made it into a novella called 'Alpha and Omega'. I'm assuming that's the same name used in 'On the Prowl'...I just bought the novella instead so I'm not sure. Either way, it is a great series; I got my sister into it. There's also a third book coming out the fall of next year, so I'm anxious to read that one.

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I don't usually bother including the graphic novels I've read on this list (and I have read several already this year, including Mercy Thompson's Homecoming by Patricia Briggs), but this one felt more like a stand-alone novella, very rich in depth. I really wanted to share the title with others who might be interested. For the record, David Brin wrote and Scott Hampton illustrated the book.

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This was the first Nightside book -- the library just picked up a new paperback copy, and I grabbed it on my last trip. I can see where some of the world has smoothed out a bit over the course of the series.

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The fourth book in the Greywalker series, this book shows Harper Blaine just beginning to get an inkling what she's getting into. Very good.

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Fourth Mercy Thompson book, wherein we learn more of pack magic and vampire magic. A good read.

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A re-read. I always love the Shandys.

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Another one of the Elm Street Quilts series, and again I see her going back and forth in time. The flashbacks, being for the same character, at least gave more a sense of completion this time, I think, although having half of each chapter being a flashback made for long chapters. I will almost certainly look at one of these chapters again to study how she moves in and out of the flashbacks.

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Fourth book in the Ranger's Apprentice series. Finished reading it to T-Bug Wednesday, actually, and just remembered I hadn't posted it here yet.

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Third in the series -- another set of books I'm reading to Trevor as bedtime stories. Very funny. Also, an excellent exercise in metafiction and breaking the fourth wall.

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A Someday Quilts mystery. Read partly as research, partly because I'm trying to read cozies again. I was right about who did it but wrong about why. Should be interesting to see how the characters develop. So far, only two books in the series (A Drunkard's Path just recently came out).

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Had to finish reading it so I could finish writing the review to send to Mar. Stay tuned to Vision to read my thoughts.

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I really got a lot of food for thought out of Gladwell's previous books, but what prompted reading this now was Dean Wesley Smith's recent post about talent being a myth. Gladwell seems to agree with this, and in addition to a discussion of the 10,000-hour rule, he spends a great deal of time discussing the way society and culture play roles in creating the best and the brightest. It was an interesting read.

Of course, being me, I thought about one of his examples and decided that's going into world-building for a new story.

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Forgot about this one on my to-be-read-and-reviewed list until Mar reminded me. Look for the review. It's heavily skewed toward a journalistic style, so far different from the things I usually read.

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The fifth book in the series that I'm reading with T-Bug. This and book six really make up one longer story, with a bit of a cliffhanger at the end of the fifth book. Hope the sixth one is available at the library today . . .

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Given the comments on this book in the Reading Room by Linda, I was afraid I wasn't going to enjoy this book, that Dresden had changed too much. He made a couple of decisions I wish he hadn't, and the ending sent me to Jim Butcher's site this morning, looking for news of the thirteenth book. (There's a slot for it, Ghost Story, on the Dresden page, so I assume that means Butcher is working on it even now.) Yes, I think this is a reasonable extension of the series, and I did enjoy it, mostly.

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The latest Mercy Thompson book. An enjoyable read, though I didn't feel the tension as much as I have in some of the others.

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His first non-Nightside book that I've read, though it's set in the same universe. Eddie Drood has a lot in common with John Taylor, too. Still, a decent read, and I'll look for others in the Secret Histories series.

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Novella, published by Subterranean Press. Nominated for a Hugo this year -- I have the electronic version that's part of the Hugo voting packet. Although it is undeniably well-written and memorable, I don't know if I would recommend this to others. Old Man's War I hand to people and say, "You have to read this." Ditto The Android's Dream, though that tends to be more of "This is really funny; you'll like it." This is dark and not something I would give that sort of word-of-mouth. Not even sure I would read it again, unless I possibly wanted to dissect some of the things he did.

Good quality, but not my favorite thing by him.

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The first in her new series about the Cosa Nostradamus. A lot of things left hanging, and some things never quite explained. I'll check out the second one (comes out in February) to see how those threads get carried along. Over all, a decent read.

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Sixth in the Ranger's Apprentice series. Enjoyed it. The next one is out of order in the series (takes place chronologically before the fifth). Fun bedtime reading with T-Bug.

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Can't believe I forgot to put this here! I read this on vacation, thoroughly enjoyed it, and want to know when his next book is going to be ready to read.

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First book in The Kane Chronicles by the same author who wrote the Percy Jackson series. Good entertainment, and a lot of fun to read with T-Bug.

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It was . . . okay. Not a lot translated to other forms of publishing, I think.

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The most recent book in the Secrets of Droon series, read with T-Bug. Next one comes out next month; it's already on order.

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Written with Stross's usual intelligence and wit, this was a fun read. With references to everything from Heinlein (Jonathan Hoag) to Butcher (book about a wizard for hire in Chicago) to Animaniacs (Pinky and Brains), it was almost as enjoyable to look for the allusions as to follow the story line and try to sort out who the mole inside the Laundry was.

Bob Howard's boss sends him off to look at a problem in an RAF hangar without telling him why this needs Bob's particular oversight. A bystander gets killed in a flash of purple light as the life is sucked out of her, and things quickly escalate as cultists move to make sure all hell -- or at least Nyar lath-Hotep -- breaks loose.

A very engaging read!

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Another of the Dresden Files, somewhere in the middle of what's been written, that I hadn't gotten to previously. Enjoyable, as always.

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The latest in her Greywalker series. I love what she's done, creating her own mythology of the Grey around bits and pieces of lore from the real world. Very enjoyable read, emotion-tugging at times. I'm really looking forward to seeing where she goes from here.

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Interesting ideas. Not sure I agree with all of them. Will probably write a review & submit it for Vision.

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Awesome. I'm prejudiced toward giant squid, and I really enjoyed The City & The City, so I expected to enjoy this. I was not wrong.

Murderous people who appear and disappear through history. Londonmancers. Pyromancers. Tattoos that talk and people who function as telephones and radios. Angels of memory. The requisite police force detailed to police the weird and occult. Armageddonim (because sometimes you need the plural). People caught up in things they don't understand and coming out on top -- or not. All blended together to make a fabulous romp about which I can only complain that Miéville probably will not write a sequel.

Highly recommended.

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You have done awesome at reading this year. I picked 25 and exceeded it by some. In the 30's I think. Started reading a book in October. Haven't read a word since November 1st. I think I can slow down on the novel and read that book now!

Thanks! Yes, you can certainly take a bit of a breather to read.

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Last time I got this from the library, I didn't read it all the way through. He says a lot of the same things that others say -- write millions of words just to learn how; write about what scares you, what you fear, what you love; just write without thinking. I don't agree with him about a lot of things -- for example, I can't just stick two (or more) characters together and get a story out of it. He strongly believes that plot should not be -- isn't -- something that happens before a story is written. Perhaps for him, it is not. At times, he seems to acknowledge that his way of working works for him but may not for others; at others, he seems to want everyone to do things his way. I suppose that's fair, in a collection of essays written decades apart. I am not the same person I was ten or twenty years ago; how could I expect him not to have changed over the same span of time?

I think the collection is worth reading, even if one doesn't agree with him. I enjoyed his poetry. I loved his description of typing the first draft of Fahrenheit 451 in the basement of the library, at a dime per half hour. And I do agree with him on something -- we are each of us unique, and the best thing we can do is tell our story, from who we are. I may not agree with him on all the nuances, but that much, I do believe.

. . . and that brings me to my goal for the year. Oh, I'm going to keep reading -- can't imagine not doing so -- but it's good to see that I am averaging a little more than a book a week over the course of the year. Wonder if I dare try to push it to 2 per week next year?

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> He strongly believes that plot should not be
>-- isn't -- something that happens
>before a story is written. Perhaps for
>him, it is not. At times, he seems to
>acknowledge that his way of working works
>for him but may not for others; at others,
>he seems to want everyone to do things his
>way.


This would explain why a friend of mine hated this book. He is a planner unlike any planner I have ever met. His outlines are novellas with several short stories of notes. I think Bradbury and I have something in common here though...

Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the book. It gives me an idea of whether I want to read it.

The latest Miles Vorkosigan novel -- excellent, as usual. The last three words felt inevitable and yet how I wish they weren't. I wonder whether Miles will have another book? She does have other series she's doing now, after all. Oh, and personally, I loved that the epilogue she did (or "Aftermaths," as she titled it) was a set of drabbles.

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She's apparently working on a book about Ivan Vorpatril at the moment.

Ooh, I'll have to keep my eyes open for that. I'm also looking forward to her going back to the five gods, since she's only done three of that series so far.

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Yeah, I would like to see the Mother and Father books too-she's said she's still in "idea gathering" mode for them, but that's better news that we had before on them, where she was mostly kind of burned out on that universe.

Yes, I never got as caught up in her Sharing Knife ones. *sigh* Well, idea gathering is a good step.

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Very fun book. If you enjoy Jane Austen or Georgette Heyer and you like fantasy, you will love this book. I read it in one day while lying on the couch recuperating. Highly recommended!

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A collection of Dresden-related shorts, from the first one written (which I was so prepared to like I had to stop and think about why he said it had deservedly been rejected after reading it) to a post-Changes original novella from Murphy's POV. I had no idea there had been so many published stories of Dresden in anthologies, and it was interesting to read them.

Of course, I'm still eagerly awaiting the next NOVEL.

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