Monday, August 25, 2014

Before They Are Hanged

The First Law #2

by Joe Abercrombie

VACATION READ! Only one this time. Despite the fact that I had a lot of time to read on this vacation, this book is pretty long so you only get one review.

Before They Are Hanged is awesome and I definitely recommend it as a vacation read. Despite being long, it's pretty light and fluffy and definitely not one to make you think too hard when you just want to zone out. If you read my review of the first book of this series, then you pretty much know what to expect from this book. I was undecided for a while as to whether I really wanted to read this book, because there was some poor writing (and editing) in the first one. In the end, I'm really glad that I decided to continue reading the series, because I thoroughly enjoyed this book.



Before They Are Hanged picks up right where The Blade Itself left off. Glokta is in Dagoska, trying to defend it from invaders and simultaneously find out what happened to his predecessor, who mysteriously disappeared. Jezal, Ferro, and Logen are following Bazal to the ends of the earth (literally) and they're still not entirely sure why. Meanwhile, up north, Bethod is dancing circles around the Union army, possibly through the use of magic. Threetrees and his gang are with West and the Union army, having taken pity on the poor naive fools and decided to help them out.

Without giving too much away, that's pretty much what's going on in this book. I thoroughly enjoyed it because I got to be reunited with all of my favorite characters. Abercrombie may have his failings as a writer, but boring characters is not one of them.

Glokta is as sarcastic as ever and he was my favorite to read about. I was happy to see Jezal turn into a real person instead of the whiny little bitch he was in the first book (and the beginning of the second book). Then West became "Furious" and that was just awesome. It was great that Dow helped him to find that side of himself when he most needed it, and I loved that he gave him the nickname "Furious". While I'm on the topic of Threetrees and his gang, Grim was probably the best. The one who never said a word until he needed to and suddenly it turns out that he can speak multiple languages effortlessly. Then he's the only one who can manage to say a few words for the dearly departed over his fresh grave and they were really great words. Go Grim.

I don't remember any battles from the first book (just lots of fencing duels), but it turns out that Abercrombie is really good at writing battles. They were gripping and suspenseful and there was more than one occasion when my family tried to get me to do something and I said I couldn't because I was in the middle of reading about a big battle and I had to find out how it ended.

Other than that, a lot of the things about Abercrombie's writing that bothered me in his first book still bother me in this one. He's got a little bit of the overly explanatory narrator going. I don't know if he's gotten a little better, or if it just didn't bother me as much in this one. He definitely still has a tendency to repeat words when he should just let it lie and he uses way too many adjectives and adverbs. There was at least one (short) sentence where I wanted to cut about five words because they were all superfluous.

Sunday, August 17, 2014

The Editor's Eye

A Practical Guide to Transforming Your Book From Good to Great

by Stacy Ennis

I actually bought and started reading this book immediately after having sent my manuscript off to an editor, so you might think that was too late for me to glean any use from it, but you would be wrong. Aside from the fact that there's always the next book, I really learned a lot from this book that I'm sure I can apply to my very first novel.

The most important thing I learned was the number of times I will need to have my book edited. I was kind of hoping that the editor I've already sent it to, plus maybe a proofreader later on down the road would fix me up. Turns out that's not the case. After the substantive editing stage (which is where I'm at right now, and I hadn't even known it was called that), Ennis recommends at least two rounds of copyediting and three rounds of proofreading before publication, and the last round of proofreading should be after the book has been formatted. That is not something I ever would have thought to do, but it makes sense. I know formatting is something a lot of people complain about with self-published books and I myself have come across at least a few that were badly done.



At this point, we've probably all heard about the stigma of self-publishing and how it's reaching a point where that bad rap really isn't warranted anymore. I don't think I need to add to that fight, so I'll just stay out of it (for now). The point is that editing your book is an integral part of getting that clean, polished look that will help make it unrecognizable from traditionally published books. This book emphasizes that point, and by extension, the need for multiple revisions.

There are a couple statements Ennis makes about the editing/writing process that I don't agree with. For starters, she defines editing as everything you do to get a book from the idea stage to the published stage, including writing the rough draft. I can't agree with that when I've heard so many other people say that the best thing to do is to turn off the editing part of your brain while you write. Just get the words down on the page before you review and try to change them. They are, in fact, two different processes. Writing is messy. Editing is cleaning up and organizing the mess.

I also disagreed with her position that every writer needs an outline. Her evidence is a few bestselling authors who use outlines. Good for them. They've found a system that works well for them and that's awesome. That doesn't mean that system works for everyone. Personally, I hate outlines, and I know I'm not the only one. My stories tend to be very character-driven, and in order to get a good story where everything flows and makes sense, I need to just dive into my characters and their world and see what happens. I've had too many major plot twists happen that way and I don't want an outline holding me back from staying true to my awesome characters when they decide to surprise me.

I've also heard writers complain about getting bored with their story when they use an outline. The way I see it, that's the worst thing that can happen. If you get bored by your own story, what are the chances that your readers will stay engaged?

Monday, August 11, 2014

East of Eden

by John Steinbeck

I never had any desire to read Steinbeck. This was most probably due to the fact that I never had to read any of his books when I was in school, and the kids who did read them said they were terrible. So I took their word for it and avoided him (avoid is a pretty strong word. It's more accurate to say that I did not seek him out).

That all changed one day when the receptionist where I work raved about this book called "East of Eden". She mentioned that they are remaking it into a movie with Jennifer Lawrence, and that's all I needed to hear to get interested. So I checked it out from my local library to see what it was all about.

It was awesome. I read the description on Goodreads before adding it to my "to-read" shelf, but had forgotten it by the time I got the book. I actually prefer it that way because I don't like to have any preconceived notions going into a book. I just sat back to enjoy this one and enjoy it I did.



The story is hard to describe. At it's heart, its really about destiny and human nature and the need for acceptance. The story starts with two brothers, Adam and Charles (their initials are significant. Think Abel and Cain). Adam has a good heart and is strictly nonviolent, and Charles is the opposite. I think Charles has a good heart, too. He loves his brother and his father. He just has this uncontrollable temper. Adam learns not to ignite Charles's temper, but one day he's not careful enough. Charles beats him within an inch of his life and comes back to finish the job, but Adam hides until Charles gives up and goes home.

A decade or two later Adam, being sweet but not too bright, names his twin sons (who are probably actually Charles's sons) Caleb and Aaron. Caleb does not directly kill Aaron (who decides to go by Aron), but he does do something very cruel which ultimately results in Aron's death.

The best part of this book was the depiction of the struggle between good and evil that happens inside each of us (OK, most of us. The mother of the two boys is just a sociopath). It also addresses the fact that this struggle is different for everyone. Caleb laments the fact that Aron doesn't struggle the way he does, while simultaneously admitting that he doesn't actually know that. Everyone else may assume that Aron is pure good, but Aron might not see it that way. Who among us cannot relate to that?

I have two favorite parts of this book:

1) The discussion about the story of Cain and Abel and how exactly it is written in the Bible, including different translations. That was a great conversation that brought to light a number of good points about the story, including the observation that Cain really got the short end of the stick and the possible origins of the story.

2) Lee. He was my favorite character. Part stereotypical wise old Chinese man, part mother. He is not only wise, but also hilarious at times. He would do and say things that completely surprised and delighted me. I probably loved him most for his blunt manner. Adam would try to dance around a topic, but Lee wouldn't let him get away with that. He always saw right through to the heart of the matter and he would talk about that and nothing else. I've always admired people who could do that, fictional or otherwise.

Monday, August 4, 2014

Deadly Heat

by Richard Castle

It's that time again. We're in the middle of summer break between shows, which means I've begun going into Castle withdrawal, which is interesting because I was kind of disappointed by this past season. It had a few good episodes, but overall, it was pretty weak. I have to say that I was really into the show in the very beginning, when Castle and Beckett were just dancing around each other. Now that they're together, it's definitely less amusing. I know they've been trying to keep the tension and the jokes going by infusing stuff into the plans for the wedding preparations, but I was never that into it. They're together and they're making it work and of course they're going to get married, so the stakes aren't as high. Nathan Fillion and Stana Katic are both very talented, and they're obviously doing their best to keep the lame jokes afloat, but I don't think even their talent is up to the task.



They do have great chemistry, though, and that has always been one of my favorite parts of the show. It was also one of my favorite parts about the books, but I feel like that, too, is slipping. This time around, I got pretty tired of Heat's jealousy every time Rook was seen with another woman. Her inordinate rage at the very sight of a particular ex of Rook's also seemed uncharacteristic. She admitted that it was irrational and out of proportion, but that doesn't change the fact that she's not acting like the Beckett I've come to know and love through the TV show. Castle/Rook has always been a bit of a flirt and has always had exes hanging around, and Beckett has (almost) always handled it like a lady. Granted, she had a few slip-ups before they were a couple, but once they got together, I don't think she ever doubted Castle's loyalty, and so I don't think Heat should doubt Rook's. It makes her come off as much more insecure than the detective I want to read about.

I was also kind of disappointed by Rook. I don't know if the jokes are getting worse, or if Nathan Fillion is just an expert at making a bad joke seem funny, but the whole book just felt like the writer was trying way too hard to recreate Fillion's natural charm. Considering I'm already picturing Nathan Fillion as Rook while reading, it shouldn't be that hard to make me love him every bit as much as I love watching, Castle, but somehow the writer managed to screw that up, too.

I don't want to leave you with the impression that I hated this book, because, despite its flaws, I actually really liked it. It was a fun, exciting read and I was happy with the way they tied up all the loose ends of the murder of Heat's mother. It was similar to the show, but only vaguely. It had enough originality to stand strong as it's own story, and it was a story that I enjoyed. Also, the Rainbow Killer made a pretty great villain.

Oh! And Detectives Malcom and Reynolds come back in this book! I was so glad to see them, not just for the Firefly reference, but also because I genuinely like them as characters. I would happily read about them even if they hadn't been named after the greatest space cowboy ever.