March 2007

Book Reviews, World in the Satin Bag

Book Review: Neuromancer by William Gibson

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Note: This is not on my review list because it is from my scifi/fantasy lit class. But since Elder Gods is a long book–and not one of the best books I’ve read thus far–I don’t know if I’ll be ready to review it until sunday. Now, Neuromancer is one of those books that has created itself a whole league of copycats and followers–much like Lord of the Rings did. There’s a good reason why: it is possibly the first book to ever suggest that computer technology would advance so far that things similar to ‘The Matrix’ could actually be possible. Gibson coined so many phrases, words, etc. in this one book alone.That being said, such books are also the type that tend to be a little less accessible to a wider range of audiences, and for good reason. If you aren’t prepared for the most complex, convoluted, and indepth of fantasy worlds, then you’ll likely never like LOTR. This isn’t to say that LOTR was a bad story, but for a wide audience it is not really the type of book that can be simply grasped. Most readers look for books they can just read and not have to think too much about. Neuromancer is one of those less accessible books. Gibson has created a fascinating world that seems on the surface to be a post apocalyptic, or dystopic technologically advanced place where violence, crime, and drugs are as much the norm as corruption and nifty gadgets…The story is about Case, a ‘cowboy’ as he likes to refer to himself, or at least a ‘former cowboy’. What is a cowboy? Well, think back to what exactly a cowboy is to begin with. Way back in the day, a cowboy wasn’t your run of the mill westerner, rather they were in some ways the outcasts, the rugged people. Well, take that and add technology. Cowboys in Gibson’s novel are essentially your outcasts–illegal hackers if you will. Case is crippled from stealing from his previous employer, who took revenge by damaging Case’s body so much that he can no longer ‘jack in’ to the ‘matrix’–not the same as the movie, but similar in that he has nodes on the back of his head, he visually sees a world of programs and code and even things that seem real, etc.Now comes Armitage, a rather mysterious figure, who claims to be able to cure Case’s problem provided that Case works for him–and Molly, a cyber-samurai with implants over her eyes to protect them, and a load of other interesting cyber-implants. Case jumps on it. You would too if you were offered your life back. Case soon finds himself in a twisted battle of AI’s and other bizarre things that even now come to me in a haze of confusion.The book is bold to say the least. Gibson did his research–or I think he did as I am not a computer junky, and neither is Gibson by the way. The world he’s constructed is rather believable–a massive city complex called the Sprawl that is nothing more than a city growth stretching from Boston to Atlanta, illegal hackers, druggies, gangsters, implant ridden henchmen, and the like. There’s so much more to the world he has created that I would likely have to write a rather long paper just to describe it to you in its entirety.The biggest problem with this book is in Gibson’s style of writing. He is not the most intriguing of prose writers and he has tried hard to tackle a subject that would suggest that there is little need for such prose to begin with. When you’re talking technojargon it becomes increasingly difficult to maintain the literary style many of us are accustomed to in speculative fiction. Because of this onset of massive new slang and the like, I found it very hard to keep track of everything that was going on. This is one of those novels that you should probably read a couple times to get a better idea of what exactly is going on.Needless to say, this book is mind boggling. I did enjoy it quite a bit, and the discussion in class was rather riveting.

World in the Satin Bag

Have You Ever Felt Crippled as a Writer?

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For the first time ever I actually felt…crippled in regards to my writing. How is this possible you might ask? Well here goes.I’ve been desperately trying to force my creative self to start writing other work aside from WISB. I love WISB, don’t get my wrong, but I do need to write other stuff. Mostly this means short stories and editing of stuff. Well, I finally got all my Moleskine books and brought the large ruled one with me to my cousins’ b-day party and suddenly had some sparks of amazing creativity. But, there was a catch. I had completely forgotten what the word ‘planar’ meant. I’d put it in the title for really no reason at all, and then it dawned on me that I hadn’t a clue what it meant. I didn’t have access to a computer so I couldn’t very well go off to dictionary.com and check, and there was no dictionary book anywhere in site. I literally sat there and felt my brain fizzle away into nothing; it couldn’t take the strain I suppose.How did this situation resolve itself you might ask…I had to text–yes I mean text message on a cell phone–my friend to have him look it up for me. I sat waiting for his response for a few minutes, all the while feeling those lovely surges of creative thought dying because of some stupid word.Later that evening I finally decided I would go to the nearest Borders and see about getting some sort of super pocket dictionary and possibly a super pocket thesaurus. I figure of all places, Borders has to have it. Here comes problem #2. Apparently they don’t make super pocket dictionaries. They make pocket dictionaries with about 1/10th the definitions in them, and that’s it. It wouldn’t have been so bad if ‘planar’ had been in said pocket dictionaries, but because that particular word is rather obscure, it wasn’t. Now, if someone can explain how you can get a full edition of the bible in a tiny key chain book, but not a tiny little dictionary…I mean really. Take the size 10 font in the book, drop it to a 4 or 5–tiny I know–you could easily cram 300,000 definitions in there. But alas, no.So, I started looking online for an electronic one. I don’t like that feeling of being crippled in my writing. Well, so far there hasn’t been a lot of luck because all of the electronic ones are a little confusing. Which one do I pick? There are a dozen that do the same thing, but there’s no magic comparison of them all to figure out which one is actually the best one. In a nutshell, this whole process has become rather crazed. Anyone else experienced a similar ‘crippling’?

World in the Satin Bag

Chapter Fourteen: Of Corrupted Passings and the Eighth Day

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(Note:  This is not official version and may be removed in the near future.  This do not reflect what is read in the podcast version, nor any other version you may encounter.  I have preserved the rough form for posterity — or something like that.  This novel has since been rewritten.) Pack slung over his back, sword securely attached, James marched through the long corridor. Unlike the previous corridor, this one contained no rooms or alternate passageways. It rode straight arrow into the mountain. The Lean slipped in and out of shadow seemingly at random, though James knew there was some point to it. The corridor, like the other areas he had seen, was lit by a luminescence that James could not quite explain. He had read somewhere that ancient cultures used mirrors to reflect sunlight into poorly lit areas, but as he glanced around he saw no such mirrors, nor any place where one could place them. The corridor was practically bare, with exception to the continuous stream of symbols and designs. James remained utterly silent and fixed in thought. He looked at his hands, at the dried blood encrusted under his finger nails, and mentally shivered. I had no choice, he thought. They were evil creatures. He wondered if the corrupted Masters still bore a small portion of who they once were. Could their good selves feel the pain? He shook away the thought. He couldn’t think about their pain—no matter how real it may have been. Their faces had shown him enough. The corridor opened up into a small octagonal room. Each edge, aside from the one containing the corridor, had a single door. James secretly hoped they led into rooms and not more tunnels. The Lean paused at one of the doors and turned back, or rather materialized his face in the back of his head. “Master Willup is here,” the Lean said. “I will have him open the door.” The Lean faded away. A moment later the sound of latches unlocking could be heard. Then the door slid open with a creak. Master Willup appeared. James gasped. Master Willup’s face was sunken—just like the corrupted Masters, now beyond dead and left to rot far behind. Two pale blue eyes peered out under drooping folds of skin. Long black sags hung above Master Willup’s cheeks and wiry, unkempt hair gave James the impression of a homeless man. Even the dying man’s hands looked misshapen. “Welcome,” Master Willup coughed, then continued, “…to Arnur.” Then the old man collapsed, sliding down the edge of the door only to land hard on the ground in a pile of saggy robes and old flesh. When Master Willup woke the look of death was even more pronounced. An awful disease inflicted the man. James kept his distance. Whatever it was, he didn’t want to catch it. As much as magic seemed to run rampant throughout Traea, he could only place so much trust in medical science here. The dying Master made Darl look like a youngster. More and more the Master began to look like the corrupted beasts that had attacked James. Thin, wheezy breaths were all that the man could produce. The room that Master Willup had locked himself into was nothing more than a bedroom fixed with a small stove, a straw bed covered in scratchy blankets, and a dark oak stool. Pea sat next to Master Willup on the bed casting short healing spells that did nothing more than relieve some of the man’s pain. Pea was no healer and James could not wield this type of magic. Darl took watch at the door leaving it slightly cracked. James took the stool and sat on the far side of the room. The Lean paced the corridor. “I have not seen such darkness in a hundred years,” Master Willup said. “Master Kellan, Warren, all corrupted beyond reason.” Master Willup coughed weakly. “How could this have happened? You’re holy men, preachers of the Great Fathers.” Peas said. “Even the most resolute can be weak of mind. I was able to withstand the corruption, but this disease now afflicts me,” Master Willup paused to cough, weaker than before. “It was the one who calls himself Nara’karesh. A beast from Loe.” “A lyphon,” James said, remembering the blood thirsty creature that had nearly killed him. Master Willup’s pale blue eyes dug into him. “If such a creature must be given a name it would be Loespawn. Evil runs through its heart, blood, and flesh. Not an inch of it is untouched by Loe.” “I thought lyphons can’t use magic.” “They can’t,” Pea broke in. “No magic was used. Not by the creature. He brought with him the blood from the land of Loe, straight from the great seas that run crimson with the suffering of the damned.” “The lyphon knew we were coming here,” Darl said. “That door was set as a trap for you.” Darl pointed at James. James shook his head. It had all been a trap, set by some dark magic. All he had had to do was touch the door. Luthien is so strong. He remembered Luthien’s army. How many were there? Ten thousand? Twenty thousand? The army had been so large that he hadn’t been able to tell its size. He had just seen dark silver armor stretching across the plain, surrounding the oak tree that made its home there. “Darkness descends on the Farthland,” Master Willup said. “If the lyphon was here…” Darl cut him off. “He could come back.” “It won’t be long before Luthien learns of the failure to destroy James.” Pea’s voice grew with concern. James closed his eyes. He couldn’t imagine what they were going to do next. Luthien’s influence seemed endless. Even in places thought sacred and hidden. How the lyphon had gained entrance into Arnur over night, let alone learned which path was the right one, was beyond him. “Come, someone aid me to my death. My judgment is

World in the Satin Bag

(Writer: 5, Fate: 5) Edit: Writer: 6, Fate: 5…screw you fate!

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Edit Again…Note: I’ve finally figured out how to add those pesky “Read Me” things. This will take a while to get the point where ALL my posts are converted to this format, but eventually all will be. Makes things more compact and neat for everyone. Apparently I am now tied with fate. I got two more points for the following reasons: I actually finished Chapter Thirteen B even though as I was writing it I started to think I wasn’t going to be able to. I’m not entirely sure that I like the direction it went, but it seems to have worked well enough as people seem to like it. The story has gotten excessively dark and I’ve added more and more subplots that now I am pretty sure cannot be sufficiently closed in a single novel. Too many. I’ll have a post about subplots later.The second point comes in the form of a lovely acceptance letter from UC Santa Cruz (University of California). Apparently I got in. Good news. So I have been accepted into both UCI and UCSC, both apparently good schools.But Fate still gets one point for managing to hold me back from finishing Chapter Thirteen when I had originally intended to finish it (two weeks ago), and also for taking away any semblance of brain functionality that I had the other night. Two stories go with this:1) I got home from work Tuesday and remembered I had a short paper due for my Spanish 2 class. So I went in search for my rough draft which had teacher edits on it. Searched my car–no sign of it. Went to my bedroom, search, same. Went back to the car, nothing. Back to the room, nothing. Finally went back to the car, and there it was sitting there under another piece of paper. I felt rather stupid after that.2) After class was over Tuesday night I headed out to my car. Sat down in the seat, turned on the car, put it in reverse, and suddenly thought I had forgotten my glasses. So I stopped the car, turned it off, and got out, locked the car. I started running and then my glasses slapped me in the face and reminded me that I hadn’t forgotten them. Needless to say I wasn’t feeling all too bright.And of course fate has received a point for doing the worst thing it could possible do to me. During the last few weeks I’ve been bringing books into the local used book store to see what they wanted. They offer store credit when you do this. But since it is a used book store they only write it down on a paper for you, nothing more. So I have no database to go to unfortunately. Now, as you might guess, I lost that paper. I had over 30 dollars worth of used books I could have bought. But no, somehow it traveled from my wallet–inside the part where you put the money–to some unknown location. I checked every pair of pants I could find, searched my wallet four times, search my car (which I’ll try once more), searched my room and couldn’t find it, but in my room who knows where anything is, and have had no luck whatsoever. Fate has committed blasphemy against me. I am utterly in disarray now. I tried to sit down and write, but could only get a sentence out before I wanted to go looking around again. Damn you fate to the infinite reaches of hell! Now to happier things. It would be of interest to those that read WISB that I have decided after all to draw up a map of Traea. I am not a great artist, but I can draw an okay map. Traea is a massive continent mind you. And the map I am drawing only touched upon about 3/4ths of the actual landmass. I am considering a couple possibilities in the near future:a) I will finish up the map all on my lonesome and some how scan it and post it for everyone to see. This option comes with the disclaimer that I am not an artist, am not necessarily good at mapmaking, likely have not drawn it entirely to scale, and might have screwed up here or there on certain things.b) I will finish the map, but in the process find someone who is far better at fantasy cartography to do a more professional quality map. Now, I am leaning towards this one. I don’t know anyone who can do really good maps, whether for free or for pay, but if I can find one I will definitely consider it.c) I will acquire one of those map programs–such as Campaign Cartographer–and attempt to do a good looking map on my own, based entirely on the one that I have drawn. So, we’ll see where it all goes. Anyone else have something to add on the matter of making maps? Edit: I found my store credit! Aha! Up yours fate! Apparently it was in my sister’s stuff in the other room. At some point today when she left for work it slipped out of her pile and out onto the floor. Yay! I bought books with it today! Yay!

Book Reviews, World in the Satin Bag

Book Review: Ninja by Racy Li

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I originally won this in the Debut A Debut Contest at Writing Aspirations for my review of Tower of Shadows by Drew Bowling–basically I was randomly picked out of a hat. I had originally thought to possible read this book for the contest, but decided to pick a ‘safer’ book due to its critical acclaim and what not. Now I know why I don’t listen to critics and should be listening to the little guy inside my head.Now, Ninja is not your typical science fiction style novel. Actually, it’s so far from what I normally read that I can’t necessarily recommend it to anyone unless they are the type who enjoys this style of literature. What style is that? Erotica. And not just normal erotica, but some strange mixture of urban fantasy, scifi, and naughty erotic fiction. Having said that it has to be mentioned that because Ninja is erotica, there is heavy emphasis on sex and its related topics–graphic sex scenes, etc. I had to initially come into this book with a very open mind. Would I have normally picked this up (or downloaded it as it is an e-book)? I can’t say. If it were just an erotic novel without any of the nifty scifi stuff in it, I probably wouldn’t have given it a second glance. However, because Ninja has so much scifi and fantasy woven into the steamy love story I managed to plow right through it with my interest peaked.Synopsis (Racy Li’s version): In a parallel world of alchemy, demons and superheroes, even the most ordinary may harbor the most extraordinary of secrets. Liz Blackwell leads a double life, as an attorney by day, and a freelance spy on the side. Unknown to her, her geeky secretary Kent Alistair is the mysterious superhero known simply as “Ninja.” In the middle of an international game of crime wars, demons and mystical objects, can these two people learn to trust each other before it is too late? Now, this world is a rather interesting one when it comes to genres. On one hand you have a world set after an alien invasion by a species known as the Joran, which in turn releases all the magic energy that creates all these superheroes, etc. On the other you have superheroes such as “Ninja”, most of which are supposed to be registered by the government–well a certain entity of it. Then you also have magic and such. All this is woven into the world Li has created. Personally I thought she did a fine job pulling all these very opposite genre related ideas together.Writing wise, Li is a decent writer. I found some grammatical errors and spelling errors, but otherwise I was not at any point confused by what she was saying or attempting to portray. The sex scenes were…well….steamy to say the least. For my tastes certain scenes were a little more risqué than I am comfortable with. Again, this is personal taste. Perhaps you like such scenes and would enjoy them a lot more than I did.I think some of my favorite parts of the the book were in the descriptions of Ninja and his abilities. She has taken what we commonly know as a ninja and added on very powerful and magical based abilities. Ninja’s can pass through shadow unseen for example, and not just “hiding” but actually practically invisible. So you learn really quick that in order to stop a ninja you have to have LOTS OF LIGHTS. There’s other things too, such as how alchemists access their abilities, what they can control, how dangerous they are, etc.The book ends pretty much giving you the hint that there will be a sequel, or should be. I am curious to see how all pans out in the end if such a book is written.So if you are into erotica, this book is for you. If you can’t handle erotica, avoid it. If you’ve always wanted a very futuristic or fantastic setting mixed with hot, steamy, and wildly passionate sex scenes and a strong–and very human–love story, then you should definitely check it out. You can find her website here.

World in the Satin Bag

Aging Characters

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Mr. Bramage brought up an interesting point about the main character for WISB–James. James, it seems, no longer feels like a child, and I began to think about this. It’s true, James is no longer a child in any sense of the word. Children are essentially ‘innocent’. They generally know what death is, but at the same time have no concept of it. Perhaps they have seen a loved one die, or heard about it, but in the mind of a child–at least from my childhood–the idea of ‘death’ doesn’t really sink in.Understanding life and death is, in my opinion, something that comes with age.So in a way, James has to grow up. He has to accept ‘adulthood’ sooner because his innocence has been torn away from him. This is all part of the character’s journey. All character’s face a struggle; this is simply his struggle. I like to think, however, that James still remains a child at heart. Much of his reactions, at least from my viewpoint, seem on that childish level–and I don’t mean that in a derogatory way. But his emotions are on a more child-like level, and his reactions within his mind and with himself I like to think are still at that level. It also is interesting to think that James is 12–as of right now–which is an age of great changes anyway.But, I suppose that all depends on how you look at things. This is all from my point of view as a child. I can’t say that all children react the same. That would be a tremendously unfounded assertion. So has anyone else had a character that quickly changed due to some sort of stress? Leave a comment, tell me about it!

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