Oldies But Goodies {Put This One on Your TBR List} Book Review: The Complete Spiderwick Chronicles by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black by Karen S. Wiesner

 

Oldies But Goodies

{Put This One on Your TBR List}

Book Review: The Complete Spiderwick Chronicles

by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black

by Karen S. Wiesner 

 

Be aware that there may be spoilers in this review. 

There are a number of young adult fantasy series that feature children who discover a hidden world of supernatural creatures all around them--Fablehaven (Brandon Mull) and The Last Apprentice (Joseph Delaney) are two of my favorites, but you could include many others like Twilight Saga, The Immortal Instruments, Percy Jackson and the Olympians, and on and on. Regardless of how often it's been done before, that doesn't necessarily make it any less enjoyable. 

Another of this type that had me enthralled when the first came out in 2003 was The Spiderwick Chronicles that was said to be written by Holly Black and illustrated by Tony DiTerlizzi, though the Wikipedia page confusingly states a quote by DiTerlizzi (who tends to always be listed first) that "due to the collaborative effort he and Black put into the books, there is no individual credit as to who did the writing and who did the illustrations." Whatever that means. I get the feeling there's a deeper story there I'm too lazy to sniff out. 

In any case, the first set of Spiderwick stories had five entries with the first three released in 2003, the last two in 2004, including The Field Guide, The Seeing Stone, Lucinda's Secret, The Ironwood Tree, and The Wrath of Mulgarath. A spinoff series called Beyond the Spiderwick Chronicles came out in 2007, 2008, and 2009 with the three stories: Nixie's Song, A Giant Problem, and The Wyrm King. Additionally, companion books were published in 2005-2007, and these include Arther Spiderwick's Notebook for Fantastical Observations; Arthur Spiderwick's Field Guide to the Fantastical World Around You; Care and Feeding of Sprites; and A Grand Tour of the Enchanted World, Navigated by Thimbletack. 

In the original series, after their parents' divorce, the Grace family, now headed by the mother Helen, is forced to move to the decrepit Spiderwick Estate where the children's long lost great-great-uncle disappeared. Simon and Jared are nine-year-old twins while their older sister Mallory is thirteen. Their first night there, a dumbwaiter that goes to the secret library on the second floor is discovered but later a door to the library is found in a hall closet. In an attic trunk, Jared finds the handwritten, illustrated field journal of Arthur Spiderwick that contains information on the various types of supernatural creatures, especially fairies, that live in the estate's surrounding forest. A brownie named Thumbtack is roused to anger by their meddling and punishes them by trashing rooms in the house and assaulting the children. But, once they realize what who and what he is and what they've done to his home, they make amends. From that point on, he aids them, though he wants Jared to destroy the field journal because he knows what happened to Arthur--and could easily happen to them as well--if Mulgarath, an ogre who wants to rule the world, finds out about them. 

The characterization pulled me into this book from the first. Jared is angry about the divorce and he's gotten in a lot of trouble lately because of it. So it makes sense that he's blamed for the problems Thumbtack causes in retaliation for them destroying his nest inside the walls of the house. Simon is the bookish one of the two, the opposite of his twin, and loves animals. Mallory starts out the story in the usual way you'd expect of a teenager girl who's relied on by parents to care for her younger brothers--and also feeling the sting of what her cheating father did to their mother. She's crabby, judgmental of her brothers, always assuming they're causing trouble without justification. Whenever she gets a rare moment to herself, all she wants to do is practice her fencing. Despite the first impressions we get of her, she learns to become a caring, protective sister and her role in the events that follow is pivotal. In the course of the story told through the first five books, we also eventually meet Arthur Spiderwick and his daughter Lucinda, finding out through the twins' and Mallory's investigations what caused the trouble in the first place. Thumbtack is initially disgruntled, and he does often seem amusingly in a bad mood. He's a complex being, one the Grace family couldn't have survived without. 

Given that these books aren't really intended for those over 12 years old (I read what I want, regardless of limitations), they're not really scary. They just skirt the edge of frightening. The movie and videogame released in 2008 based on the first five books are both slightly scarier than the books, and apparently the April 2024 RokuChannel TV series is supposed to be much, much darker than either. 

The spinoff Beyond the Spiderwick Chronicles gives a glimpse of former characters but mostly follows a new protagonist, 11-year-old Nicholas Vargas, accompanied by his stepsister Laurie and big brother Julian in brand-new adventures with supernatural creatures. In a bit of unprecedented, crazy self-insertion that I'm reluctant to call genius but also can't help chuckling about, the three meet up with the authors of Spiderwick Chronicles, DiTerlizzi and Black, at a booksigning. Tony and Holly don't believe their wild tale, but not long afterward they meet Jared and Simon, who agree to help them. 

Thanks to how fast the five books in the original series came out, I read them equally fast, purchasing them as soon as they were published in hardcover. I also read Nixie's Song, but the next two books took a long to come out, comparatively (releases were spaced apart by about a year each). I admit I wasn't as enamored of the first entry in the spinoff series and never purchased the final two, something I intend to rectify with the promise of the TV series coming out soon (at the time of this writing). I'm not sure I will like Nixie's Song any better this time or if the two books that followed will make a difference in my initial impression, but I do know I thoroughly enjoyed the film made of the original series and the idea of a reboot as an ongoing series is equally exciting. 

Whether you read this series at the height of its popularity or if you've never before read it, now might be a good time. Don't let the reading age recommendation intimidate you. Whatever your age, if you're a fan of supernatural literature populated with a wide range of complex, fantastical creatures, this has everything you're sure to love. 

Next week, I'll review another Oldie But Goodie you might find worth another read, too. 

Karen Wiesner is an award-winning, multi-genre author of over 150 titles and 16 series.

Visit her website here: https://karenwiesner.weebly.com/

and https://karenwiesner.weebly.com/karens-quill-blog

Find out more about her books and see her art here: http://www.facebook.com/KarenWiesnerAuthor

Visit her publisher here: https://www.writers-exchange.com/Karen-Wiesner/

Karen S. Wiesner {Put This One on Your TBR List} Book Review: Murtagh, Book 1: The World of Eragon by Christopher Paolini

{Put This One on Your TBR List}

Book Review: Murtagh, Book 1: The World of Eragon

by Christopher Paolini

by Karen S. Wiesner

Though I bought a hardcover copy of Murtagh, the first in Christopher Paolini's spinoff series The World of Eragon, I didn't actually read it. I also bought an audioCD edition at the same time as the purchase of the book, knowing from previous experiences with The Inheritance Cycle that I was likely to have trouble digesting another nearly 700-page tome.

Armed with my 2023 New Year's vow to incorporate audiobooks into my reading repertoire when it came to overwhelmingly large books that I know I'd like if they weren't "just too big to be believed" (read the article I wrote "Combating Big Book Overwhelm with Audiobooks" on the Alien Romances Blog in January 2023 here: https://aliendjinnromances.blogspot.com/2024/01/karen-s-wiesner-combating-big-book.html), I managed to get through the weighty Books 1-4 of The Inheritance Cycle (published between 2001 and 2011) within the first month and a half of the year. Shunning the scolding sense that I was cheating by listening to the book instead of reading it myself, I actually completed the series for the first time without such immense brain fog I couldn't have roused myself from my stupor and told you what any of them were about, beyond the basics. This time, I was clear on the plots of each installment of the series.

Murtagh was Eragon's half-brother; the two shared the same mother. Having acted under the thrall of the villain in The Inheritance Cycle Galbatorix most of his life, Murtagh nevertheless seemed to be helping Eragon for part of the series.                        

{{{spoiler}}}}                    

Inevitably he returned to his master. Hating Murtagh wasn't possible. Murtagh's backstory and the upbringing you're given glimpses of in his dialogue made you sympathize with him, even if you couldn't really root for him in the previous series.

Murtagh is set about a year after the original series ended (and directly after the events of the story collection The Fork, The Witch, and the Worm). With Galbatorix and his evil plans foiled by Eragon and his allies and the death of the villain assured with Murtagh's own hand involved in the deed, Murtagh and his dragon Thorn are nevertheless forced into exile. Though the two weren't given a choice about serving their evil master, there's not really a place in this brave new world Eragon and the heroes of Alagaësia are forging for these two loveable rogues. Even as they're traveling the outskirts of society, trying to survive and lay low, they hear the rumblings of a new evil rising with a stench of brimstone on the wind. A mysterious witch who's far from what she seems to be has powers and plans that could plunge the land into yet another evil scheme.

Murtagh was definitely one of the most interesting characters in The Inheritance Cycle, so it seems fitting that he and his dragon become the focus of the first in Paolini's new outcropping from the original series. The story started very slowly and continued on that rather monotonous course for a long time with bouts of excitement cropping up here and there. One thing I do have to say is that I couldn't understand why Murtagh did half of the things he did. As a Dragon Rider, even an outcast one, maybe he just had an overinflated sense of himself and his abilities, along with those of his dragon. When he ventured into the witch's realm, I couldn't help thinking, Are you completely stupid? I knew what was going to happen and that is what happened. Again, maybe he was just too cocky and believed he and Thorn were stronger than the witch Bachel was.

Another reason occurred to me for his seeming foolishness that could be argued. Murtagh was never evil. He was a puppet, coerced into service by a monster--and he becomes the same in this particular story, though not permanently. Above all, it becomes clear that, if Murtagh had had a different upbringing--say, one similar to his half-brother Eragon--his life would have been vastly different. He wasn't given choices, opportunities, freedom, care or trust. Still, it's not a stretch to believe that what Murtagh wanted most of all was to be a hero and to gain redemption. How the author back-weaved all the years of Murtagh's life into this story make that a certainty. In that way, his questionable actions in this story are plausible and even justified. To gain universal acceptance after his collusion with Galbatorix, atonement in the form of self-sacrifice in order to thwart a growing threat to the land is required of him. Additionally, in Inheritance, Book 4: The Inheritance Cycle, there was obviously a spark of attraction between Murtagh and Nasuada, the leader of the Varden, that remained unrequited at the end of that series. Murtagh continues to think and pine for her in this story, giving the reader hope that his yearning might be fulfilled.

Murtagh ends at a point where you really don't know what will ultimately happen to the rogue Dragon Rider. As the author says in the afterward of the book, "…although Murtagh acts as a stand-alone entry into this world, you will have no doubt noticed that certain storylines are far from concluded." He also said that revisiting the characters in this world was like coming home after being away for a long time. I think it's assured we'll be seeing more books set in Alagaësia under the "World of Eragon" umbrella, though it's unclear whether it'll be from Murtagh's point of view and/or others.

Karen Wiesner is an award-winning, multi-genre author of over 150 titles and 16 series.

Visit her website here: https://karenwiesner.weebly.com/

and https://karenwiesner.weebly.com/karens-quill-blog

Find out more about her books and see her art here: http://www.facebook.com/KarenWiesnerAuthor

Visit her publisher here: https://www.writers-exchange.com/Karen-Wiesner/

Fantasy Trope What-Ifs

Peter S. Beagle, author of THE LAST UNICORN, has just released a fantasy novel titled I'M AFRAID YOU'VE GOT DRAGONS. What if dragons weren't huge, majestic, terrifying beasts, but household pests the size of small lizards (at least as far as the characters know to start with)? The protagonist doesn't hunt dragons with armor and sword; he cleans them out of walls by the dozens or hundreds like mice or cockroaches. Of course, what he and his friends know at the beginning of the story isn't the whole truth, and things soon get much more complicated.

Fairy tales, myths, and legends, having countless traditional variations anyway, lend themselves especially well to rewritings from different viewpoints, imaginative re-visionings, and "what ifs?"

Snow White returns to life from a deathlike state in a glass coffin. What if she were a vampire? In Tanith Lee's "Red as Blood" and Neil Gaiman's "Snow, Glass, Apples," she is. What if the allegedly wicked fairy in "Sleeping Beauty" had an excellent reason for keeping the princess in suspended animation? Read T. Kingfisher's novel THORNHEDGE to find out. There's also at least one pulp-era short story (I can't remember the title) that presents Sleeping Beauty as a vampire. What if Maleficent in the Disney SLEEPING BEAUTY animated film wasn't truly evil? They made a movie proposing that alternative themselves. The more we ponder the tale of Rumpelstiltskin, the less sense it makes. If he can create gold, why does he bother accepting bribes of jewelry from the heroine? Why does he want the baby? If he plans to eat it, couldn't he snatch random infants rather than going to all that trouble to get a queen's firstborn? How could he be careless enough to proclaim his secret name in song? The six stories in THE RUMPELSTILTSKIN PROBLEM, by Vivian Vande Velde, attempt to answer these questions in deviously inventive ways.

The characterization of the boy who doesn't grow up in James Barrie's original PETER PAN includes hints of darkness -- absent from the Disney adaptation, naturally -- that blatantly invite speculation and re-visioning. What if Peter had a complex agenda for bringing abandoned or abused children to Neverland? THE CHILD THIEF, by fantasy artist Brom, explores the shadowed forests of Neverland through the lens of such a motivation. What if Peter was outright evil, as in the TV series ONCE UPON A TIME, which deconstructs numerous other fairy tales as well? What if he returned to the mundane world, grew up, and forgot his magical past? In the movie HOOK, he does. What if he were transgender? In Austin Chant's heartrending YA novel PETER DARLING, Peter is Wendy or vice versa.

Mercedes Lackey's Five Hundred Kingdoms series, beginning with THE FAIRY GODMOTHER -- what if Cinderella became a Godmother instead of marrying a prince? -- rings a multitude of changes on familiar stories. Any fantasy author searching for plot ideas can find a bottomless treasure trove in traditional folk tales, as illustrated in the long-running anthology series edited by Ellen Datlow and Terry Windling, beginning with SNOW WHITE BLOOD RED, still available on Amazon.

Margaret L. Carter

Please explore love among the monsters at Carter's Crypt.

Karen S. Wiesner: {Put This One on Your TBR List} Book Review: The Way of the Drow Series by R. A. Salvatore by Karen S. Wiesner

{Put This One on Your TBR List}

Book Review: The Way of the Drow Series by R. A. Salvatore

by Karen S. Wiesner

The Way of the Drow is just the latest in an ongoing series of novels written by R. A. Salvatore focused on one of the most iconic D&D characters ever created, Drizzt Do'Urden. I wrote a review of the first trilogy he was a central figure in previously on this blog (find it here: https://aliendjinnromances.blogspot.com/2023/07/book-review-dark-elf-trilogy-by-ra.html). The three books in The Way of the Drow were published between 2021 and 2023. In the previous series including Drizzt, Generations, a demon uprising was settled and two years of peace followed. Now rumblings from Menzoberranzan, where Drizzt was born, prove a civil war is in the making. Many of the drow are beginning to question the influence of Lolth, the Spider Queen. Drizzt, followed by his most faithful allies, can't stand on the sidelines if there's any chance the Underdark can be set free from the chaotic evil that's held them prisoners for as long as anyone can remember. Drizzt was the first to escape this place where absolutes rule without compromise. In a winner take all battle, the drow ranger is the only one who can lead the captives to freedom. Once again, the Realms will never the same again.

As usual, Salvatore's execution is flawless, and most of the characters that have been the most beloved in his Drizzt series are all here, joining the fight. Each book draws in the countless threads, tightens the noose, and distills into one epic battle.

I'll admit I didn't read the last Drizzt series, nor many of the ones that came before. I wasn't lost--I've read just enough that I recognized and knew most of the players and understood the places and events in this latest series installment.

I tend to get bogged down while reading these stories almost exclusively because the Drizzt's books are connected to a greater, larger, almost mind-blowingly expansive universe with Dungeons & Dragons and Forgotten Realms. Stories and places and characters (many created and written by countless other authors) fit into this setting in the form of books and games (board, card, video, and the kind that most people think of when D&D is spoken of), as well as movies. The 2023 Dungeons & Dragons movie Honor Among Thieves (which wasn't the first film adaptation--but was certainly one of the finest) made the whole franchise a bit more accessible for noobs. There's also talk of a live-action TV show in development that may include Drizzt. Instead of being a household name in die-hard gaming circles, the dark drow might finally become known by anyone who enjoys fantasy entertainment.

Whenever I read Salvatore's Drizzt's books, I can feel the weight of all that surrounds it pressing down on me. It's not the author's fault this happens, but when the characters in his books talk about past events, I can't help feeling a bit of dread because there's a whole world behind these references that's suffocating, considering how little I know about any of it. When I read Drizzt's books, I tend to dart in and out of them, worried that if I linger, the ceiling will shatter and the ponderous, tangential rest of it will crush me beyond recognition. It's a tremendous amount of pressure.

That said, fans won't be disappointed with this worthy installment in the Drizzt legacy.

Karen Wiesner is an award-winning, multi-genre author of over 150 titles and 16 series.

Visit her website here: https://karenwiesner.weebly.com/

and https://karenwiesner.weebly.com/karens-quill-blog

Find out more about her books and see her art here: http://www.facebook.com/KarenWiesnerAuthor

Visit her publisher here: https://www.writers-exchange.com/Karen-Wiesner/

45th International Conference on the Fantastic in the Arts

I've just returned from the ICFA in Orlando, with perfect weather all four days (five counting Sunday morning departure). This year's theme was "Whimsy." Author guests were urban fantasy writer C. E. Murphy and poet and fiction writer Mary Turzillo. Special guest scholars were a husband-wife pair from Senegal, Mame Bougouma Diene and Woppa Diallo. He was present in person, and she delivered her luncheon address over Zoom. I bought a copy of Turzillo's story collection COSMIC CATS AND FANTASTIC FURBALLS, a delightful "litter" of science fiction stories involving cats. I especially like "Chocolate Kittens from Mars." At one of the two luncheons, a free book given away was a poetry collection by Turzillo and Marge Simon (a constant contributor to the horror zine NIGHT TO DAWN and the cover artist for my collection DOCTOR VAMPIRE), which I picked up. At C. E. Murphy's author reading on Thursday night, her two selections impressed me so much I ordered the books as soon as possible, ROSES IN AMBER (a "Beauty and the Beast" retelling) and a funny shapeshifter romance, SOMEBUNNY TO LOVE (under the name "Zoe Chant"). I'm pretty sure that's the only were-rabbit romance I've ever read, and the were-rabbit is the heroine.

I participated in two sessions, a group "Words and Worlds" author reading and a panel on Vampire Humor, which I organized and moderated. In the "Words and Worlds" time slot, I read a short section from "Therapy for a Vampire," one of three lighthearted stories in my e-book collection DOCTOR VAMPIRE, and all of a humorous fanfic, "Support Group," in which my vampire psychiatrist, Roger Darvell, leads a therapy session for a group of vamps from popular culture. You can read it free here:

Support Group

People laughed in the right places, and I received some gratifying comments later. The vampire comedy panel discussed numerous books, movies, and TV programs, with lively input from the audience.

The Lord Ruthven Assembly, our vampire and revenant sub-group, chose a new president. After the business meeting, we viewed the rather odd and lesser-known Hammer movie VAMPIRE CIRCUS. Popcorn was served. Then our resident film historian, Lokke Heiss, delivered a brief presentation (with slide show) on "why NOSFERATU is not an Expressionist film." Our book and media awards for both 2022 and 2023 were announced at the Saturday night banquet: Nonfiction, A HISTORY OF THE VAMPIRE IN POPULAR CULTURE by Violet Fenn and CONTAGION AND THE VAMPIRE by Simon Bacon; fiction, A DOWRY OF BLOOD by S. T. Gibson and THE GOD OF ENDINGS by Jacqueline Holland; other media, INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE (TV series) and THE LAST VOYAGE OF THE DEMETER (movie).

Some other highlights: This year's version of "50 Shades of Nay," the panel on consent in speculative fiction, didn't focus on interactions among fictional characters, as I'd expected. They apparently covered that in previous years. Instead, they mostly discussed issues that arise among authors and readers, which I had never thought of in those terms -- does the reader "consent" to encounter certain potentially traumatic situations in fiction, and when are trigger warnings appropriate? They even mentioned a whole website for readers who want to be forewarned, which covers many more tropes besides animal deaths. (Unfortunately, one has to register to be able to read the material.)

Does the Dog Die?

A panel on editing practices in fantasy and SF included a retrospective on Lester and Judy-Lynn Del Rey of Ballantine Books and how they ignited the modern fantasy boom. The panelist presented a chart showing the "Tolkien score" of various authors, that is, how many tropes similar to elements in THE LORD OF THE RINGS their works contain. Cool! A session labeled "Psychology and Wonder: The New Uses of Enchantment," rather than focusing on the psychological effects of fairy tales on children as I'd expected (although they did get into that toward the end), delved into suggested procedures for counseling Donkey in the Shrek series with techniques from various contemporary schools of psychology. Also a lot of fun.

My plane arrived in Baltimore on time Sunday; however, it landed without my suitcase because a batch of luggage for that flight had been left behind in Orlando. After much waiting around, I filled out a report, and we drove home. Southwest delivered the errant bag early the next morning. Too bad it couldn't have walked onto the plane on little feet by itself, like the Luggage in Pratchett's Discworld series.

Happy Spring Equinox!

Margaret L. Carter

Carter's Crypt

Deities in Fantasy Worlds

Recently T. Kingfisher published the fourth book in her "Saint of Steel" series, PALADIN'S FAITH. (The others are PALADIN'S GRACE, PALADIN'S STRENGTH, and PALADIN'S HOPE.) Also in the same setting: The Clocktaur War duology (CLOCKWORK BOYS and THE WONDER ENGINE) and the stand-alone novel SWORDHEART. These works may be broadly described as sword-and-sorcery romances in a late medieval or an early steampunk milieu.

The premise of "Saint of Steel" is that the deity in the series title died, from a cause so far unknown. His paladins felt his violent death. The few who survived the cataclysmic trauma struggle to carry on with their lives despite a void where the bond with their god should be. Two gifts of their divine patron remain, the "voice" that empowers them to persuade anyone of almost anything (provided the paladin sincerely means what he or she says) and a battle frenzy called the "black tide," which grants them superhuman strength and speed but leaves scars on their souls. The surviving paladins have been taken under the protection of the temple of the White Rat.

The stories in this fictional universe feature three principal deities, although others are mentioned: The Saint of Steel, whose warriors fight evil and protect its victims; the pragmatic White Rat, whose temples are noted for exercising charity and correcting injustices, many of whose devotees are lawyers or investigative accountants; and the Dreaming God, whose servants specialize in exorcizing demons. As illustrated by a scene at the climax of PALADIN'S FAITH when the Saint of Steel speaks to a large crowd through the mouth of a character, everyone knows and takes for granted the existence of the gods. In the face of incontrovertible evidence, nobody disbelieves in supernatural beings. If there are any "flat-earth atheists" in this world, we don't meet them:

Flat-Earth Atheist

The background of the Dungeons and Dragons games is similar, but even more so. Everybody knows that multiple gods exist and that clerics acquire their magic spells by praying to their patron deities.

What would it be like to live in a world where the existence of deities is a routinely accepted truth? Faith in the sense of intellectual belief would be unnecessary and nonexistent. You don't have that type of "faith" in something definitely known. No matter how powerful, divine entities would be as mundane a fact as the sun and the moon. Faith in the sense of trust, of course, would be an entirely different matter. Granny Weatherwax in Terry Pratchett's Discworld doesn't approve of believing in gods; it only encourages them.

The rare person who experiences an epiphany like the characters in the aforementioned scene would presumably react with awe. Most ordinary people, lacking either a personal divine encounter or Granny Weatherwax's strength of character, would probably regard the gods as powers to be approached with caution, placating them but not getting too deeply involved. Rather like living next to a forest infested by semi-tame tigers, maybe.

Margaret L. Carter

Please explore love among the monsters at Carter's Crypt.

WEIRD TALES Centenary Tribute

I've recently finished reading an anthology called WEIRD TALES: 100 YEARS OF WEIRD, edited by Jonathan Maberry, current editor of "The Unique Magazine." As the subtitle implies, this book was published in honor of the magazine's 2023 centennial. It hasn't operated continuously all those years, having lapsed and been revived several times, but its present incarnation claims continuity with the venerable pulp zine famed for showcasing the early works of H. P. Lovecraft and many other classic twentieth-century horror and fantasy authors. The contents of the anthology consist mainly of fiction (plus a few poems) but also several essays. One of the latter, "Swords and Sorcery: WEIRD TALES and Beyond," by Charles R. Rutledge, is a reprint from the November 2022 issue of the periodical. The others, original to this volume, explore topics such as the history of the magazine, the evolution of occult detectives, cosmic terror, shared world authorship, and some sources of Lovecraft's visionary horror.

As for the fiction, I was mildly disappointed to discover that this isn't exclusively a reprint anthology. Stories from the actual magazine are outnumbered by new ones. In addition to two pieces from twenty-first-century issues, "Up from Slavery" (2021) by Victor LaValle and "Jagannath" (2011) by Karen Tidbeck, we get eight "classic reprints." The vintage authors comprise H. P. Lovecraft, Robert E. Howard, C. L. Moore, Isaac Asimov, Ray Bradbury, Tennessee Williams (under a pen name), Richard Matheson, and Allison V. Harding. While I thought it was a bit of a cop-out to choose what's probably Lovecraft's best-known and most often reprinted tale, "The Call of Cthulhu," to represent him, several other "classic" entries may be new to many readers, as some were to me. And one can hardly complain about the original stories, given their uniformly high quality. This compilation offers abundant thrills for lovers of weird fiction, however we define the term.

Horror fans in general would enjoy the anthology, and for devotees of WEIRD TALES, it's a must-read book. The numerous illustrations and ads reprinted from the magazine practically justify the purchase price in themselves.

I count as one of my most treasured writing milestones a story published in WEIRD TALES (September-October 2003): "Manila Peril," featuring Filipino vampires in southern California.

Margaret L. Carter

Please explore love among the monsters at Carter's Crypt.

Karen S Wiesner: {Put This One on Your TBR List} Book Review: The Ladies of Grace Adieu and Other Stories by Susanna Clarke

{Put This One on Your TBR List}

Book Review: The Ladies of Grace Adieu and Other Stories by Susanna Clarke

by Karen S. Wiesner

 

In my past review of Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, I talked about how the author Susanna Clarke signed up for a writing workshop in which students attending were expected to come with a short story they'd written. All Clarke had were "bundles" of materials for Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell. She extracted a piece of it about three women secretly practicing magic who are discovered by Jonathan Strange. That story is the title one in this collection of eight short stories, The Ladies of Grace Adieu and Other Stories, set in the same world as the larger novel, a fictionalized 18th/19th century England in which magic is becoming popular again, thanks to the efforts of Mr Norrell and his pupil (and later rival) Jonathan Strange. In that very in-depth novel, the duo themes are 1) that magic is given or bargained for from powerful and not necessarily moral beings that exist in another realm (faerie) and 2) that magic sometimes manifests in ways the wielder isn't intending.

In all the stories in this "off-shoot" anthology, the overwhelming themes are 1) the commonalities of magic in different time periods, 2) the undeniable (and, at times, even more diabolical) power of "women's magic", something that was taboo in this world, and 3) the ways in which faerie folk infringe on the real world--as if their own isn't exciting enough (and that may well be the case, considering their mischievous deeds).

In the title story, Jonathan Strange visits his brother-in-law, a country parson, where he's challenged by three female magicians. The author has said of this story that she wanted to find a place for these characters within the larger novel but, having read it now, I'm convinced it simply didn't and couldn't fit there. As a short story on its own, it has a compelling connection to the novel that made the author famous.

The second story, "On Lickerish Hill", is an interesting retelling of Rumplestiltskin. The unfortunate, young bride is placed in the demeaning role of wife to a monetary-seeking groom and has to find a clever solution to save herself. While the "archaic spellings" of the plucky heroine's speech were hard to read and decipher, the twist on one of my favorite fairy tales was particularly satisfying.

In "Mrs. Mabb" (the Queen Mab),  an abandoned woman is determined to get her fiancé free of black magic while everyone around her assumes she's hysterical (after being jilted) or insane, which was very common to presume about women of the day.

Interestingly, "The Duke of Wellington Misplaces His Horse" is actually set within the village of Wall, which has its origin in Neil Gaiman's Stardust novel. (For those who didn't read my review of Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, the workshop co-host that read the extraction of Susanna Clarke's work from her novel was so impressed by her work, he sent an excerpt to his good friend, fantasy author Neil Gaiman who was astounded by her "assurance" as a writer: "It was like watching someone sit down to play the piano for the first time and she plays a sonata."). In this particular story, I was fascinated by what was considered common women's work being utilized by a pompous duke to bring about a fantastical conclusion.

"Mr. Simonelli, or the Fairy Widower" was a favorite of mine in this anthology, as an amoral faerie aristocrat has to be put down (by his own bastard son!) in order to save five sisters that strongly resemble the distinctive Bennetts from Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice.

Three other tales cover fairy culture, including a fictionalized account of Mary, Queen of Scots, learning how to use magic to undertake her political machinations, along with featuring a central character in Jonathan Strange (John Uskglass, aka the Raven King) as Christian peasants revolt against pagan faerie.

While Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell was both compelling and unforgettable, this anthology of parallel stories that were published (separately) while the novel was being edited and prepared for publication and later (after the novel became a hit) collected in one place are much lighter and certainly more subtle--nevertheless, they're undeniably enchanting in their own right.

Karen Wiesner is an award-winning, multi-genre author of over 150 titles and 16 series.

Visit her website here: https://karenwiesner.weebly.com/

and https://karenwiesner.weebly.com/karens-quill-blog

Find out more about her books and see her art here: http://www.facebook.com/KarenWiesnerAuthor 

Visit her publisher here: https://www.writers-exchange.com/Karen-Wiesner/

Karen S Wiesner: {Put This One on Your TBR List} Book Review: Dune by Frank Herbert

 {Put This One on Your TBR List}

Book Review: Dune by Frank Herbert

by Karen S. Wiesner

In previous books I’ve reviewed for my “Put This One on Your TBR List” series, I included a summary and background details for the book I spotlighted. However, Dune (or the Dune Chronicles) is touted as the bestselling science fiction novel in history, has become a franchise in its own right, and a book description and premise is probably unnecessary here, given the sheer amount that’s been written about this saga already. So this is strictly a review (as much as I’m capable of making it anyway) of the first book.

I first heard about Dune in association with the 1984 movie that starred Sting, the rock star, and all the movie posters I’d seen looked about as hokey, cheesy, and downright silly as it got. I assumed this was some overblown space opera not to be taken seriously. However, when I saw the preview of the 2021 remake starring Timothee Chalamet and Oscar Isaac (among other worthy actors), I started to get curious about this series. Anything that’s been around as long as this has (first published in 1965—nearly 60 years) and has this huge of a following seems like it might actually have endured as something beloved for good reason.

I found a beautiful, like-new trade paperback copy for only $6 at a used bookstore. I won’t lie, the size of it was intimidating. 689 pages! I looked through it before I started reading the story. The first thing I noticed was that there were no chapters, per se. Each section was prefaced by epigraphic excerpts offered up from a fictional character within the series universe (which is called, hilariously, the Duniverse by diehard fans). I love the idea of making a series and a setting so insular, it becomes like something real that has historical and cultural significance. These types of commentaries, biographies, quotations or philosophies serve to ground the story in almost archival weight.

Inside this trade paperback, I found three “books” which made up the first Dune. There were also four appendices—the stuff lore lovers devour. I was amazed at the author’s thoroughness. This is the kind of world building you can only stand and marvel at the scope covered. The first appendix was like a fictionalized account of the ecology of Dune as told by Pardot Kynes, the first (fictional) planetologist of the main setting in the story. Next, the religion of the series was covered along with space travel. Most science fiction avoids the idea of religion as if science will eventually become the religion of the future. Although a lot of the religion in Dune does come off as superstitions or ways to manipulate the masses, I appreciated that it was included at all. Like it or not, humans are spiritual creatures, even if that doesn’t always imply morality. The third appendix was presented from the point of view of the fictional character Jessica, a member of the Bene Gesserit, a kind of religious organization that could be a cross between witchcraft and the stealthiest spies that employ voice control as one of their weapons. The next appendix gave information about the noble houses featured in the series. There were also sections with a dictionary of terms and cartographic notes along with a detailed map (I love this!!!). Finally, there’s an afterword provided by the author’s son Brian, which was very enlightening.

I was duly impressed by all this, so I started reading. It’s a slow-moving story, but I was instantly confronted with the inaccuracies of my presumptions about the story. This was no mere space opera, and there was nothing hokey about it. It’s a science fiction saga, yes, set far, far, far in the future (smart!), but the tone of the story (when it eventually settles into the main setting Arrakis, a barren desert planet with a merciless climate) conveyed a classical fantasy feel to me. The society of Arrakis is populated with scattered bands of native Fremen who are the only ones who really know how to survive in such a desolate, harsh place. They live like nomads without much by way of technology. Their religion and unique philosophy rule their lives. Water, as you might expect, is their most precious resource and it’s their currency. However, the irony is that the place they call home is the only place where melange spice can be mined—but only at great peril…for multiple reasons (ranging from giant sandworms to weather instability to the ban on “thinking machines” to intergalactic feudalism that fuels the political in-fighting that overshadows the universe). Melange holds dominion over everyone and everything. This drug extends life and expands the consciousness. Additionally, it allows for the folding of space, which has made interstellar travel possible. I admit, as a major plot in this series, I was bothered that something that could be considered a hallucinogenic drug could hold such sway over the entire universe. But I suppose that isn’t unrealistic, considering how popular drugs are these days.

As for “overblown drama”, I found no suggestion of it. I was compelled to keep reading all through the three books of the first Dune story. I was so impressed, in fact, that before I was half done reading it, I bought the entire boxed set of the first six novels written by Frank Herbert. After his father’s death in 1986, his son Brian teamed up with sci-fi author Kevin J. Anderson (I’ve read some his Star Wars books) to co-author other Dune installments which include prequels that fill in the gaps of what happened previous to the events of the first Dune book, as well as those that fit into the middle and end of things and finish the entire series.

Dune is extremely well written and authentic in every aspect. The worldbuilding is impeccable. The author left nothing out. That said, I think the drawback of this saga is the same that tends to plague many larger-than-life sagas. The world is so big, there’s no way an author could possibly give every character in it, even the main characters, the space needed for true, deep development. One of the signs that depth is lacking, in my opinion, is the over-the-top head-hopping that takes place in this novel. I’ve never witnessed any author do it with such unabashed boldness. Usually, an author will yank the reader out of one character’s head, into another’s, but that’s as far as it goes. Herbert knew no boundaries in this story. Every scene contains head-hopping all around the room. Every character included in a scene is given “head space” within that same scene.

Those who have read my writing reference titles know that this is my foremost pet peeve. In Dune, it’s true that some of the main characters are given more “head space” than others, and you get to know them slightly better as a result, but I didn’t feel I came to know any of the characters in Dune even remotely as well as I would have liked. As I said, I’m not sure it’s possible to get in-depth in a saga this vast. What happens when the scope of a story is too large is that readers are only selectively shown what the author wants them to know about the main characters. We don’t know what they really feel and think about so many things, nor do we get more than a skewed taste of their past, present, and future dimensions (those who’ve read Dune will truly understand the irony of that statement, given what the spice drug does to the minds it enslaves). We only get one-dimensional characters, including the main ones. This makes it very hard to root for or even like most of the people populating this world. I think the only character I truly liked in this book was Duke Leto Atreides. The rest filled the roles the author gave them—no more, no less. Even Paul, the duke’s son, and what most would consider the main character of Dune, wasn’t someone I continued to be compelled and sympathetic toward. By the middle and at the end of the first book, he became little more than a monster, driven (contradictorily) calmly and ruthlessly insane by the drug spice.

I was also bothered by the strange character growth in Dune. They changed so much in this first book. It’s divided into three parts, I think, so the writer could skip over the character growth that changed characters from one thing to another. In this way, a lot of the development felt convenient to the plot. The author needed them to do something in a certain way. Yes, Herbert built in strong religions and philosophies, training rigors, etc., but in part because none of the characters are developed deeply, the alterations in their personalities are stretched almost beyond belief, are logical but mildly distorted, and ultimately brush against the dreaded deus ex machina as close as it gets without actually entering it.

All these things said, I enjoyed the story enough to be intrigued and interested in continuing to learn more. I’m glad I decided to read it, despite my earlier presumptions. I’ve also watched about a third of the 2021 remake movie, and I’m finding it follows the novel very closely (as closely as it can and still make sense of the scope). I also intend to watch the sequel when it comes out in 2024. Both of these encompass the first and second parts of the first novel. There are a lot of other media associated with this franchise. I’m not sure how far I’ll delve into this universe (the sheer breadth of it feels intimidating to me), but for now I’m determined to at least read the author’s original stories and watch these two film adaptations.

In the afterword provided by the author’s son, Brian Herbert talks about having asked his father if his magnum opus would endure and hearing the modest assessment that only time would tell. Given its popularity for nearly 60 years, I’d have to say endure it has—endured and flourished! If you haven’t already wandered into the Duniverse and been captured by its distinctive spice, Dune is definitely worth a try.

Karen Wiesner is an award-winning, multi-genre author of over 150 titles and 16 series.

Visit her website here: https://karenwiesner.weebly.com/

and https://karenwiesner.weebly.com/karens-quill-blog 

Find out more about her books and see her art here: http://www.facebook.com/KarenWiesnerAuthor

Visit her publisher here: https://www.writers-exchange.com/Karen-Wiesner/

Karen S. Wiesner {Put This One on Your TBR List}: Piranesi by Susanna Clarke

{Put This One on Your TBR List}

Book Review: Piranesi by Susanna Clarke

by Karen S. Wiesner

Published in 2020, Piranesi by the celebrated author of Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, Susanna Clarke, is labeled a fantasy, but it's far more than that. I purchased it because I love the previous novel by this author, which I reviewed earlier in my Alien Romances Friday column Put This On Your TBR List.

It's hard to even know how to review this story. It gracefully evades attempts at accurately describing and pinning down its premise or true nature, as the main character Piranesi himself does. Set in a strange, labyrinthine world called the House, there are seemingly infinite halls and vestibules that are filled with one of a kind statues, clouds, an ocean, along with a being called by Piranesi "the Other", a mysterious man who provides useful items from the outside world, though never explains where all these things come from (and Piranesi never seems to wonder, nor question where the Other disappears to half the time). Incidentally, I pictured the Other as The Architect from the Keanu Reeves' movie The Matrix and didn't trust him from the very first mention of him, though I couldn't really be sure at that point whether he deserved my swift judgment.

Piranesi fills his days exploring, gathering food and the items he needs to live, tracking the tides, and indexing and writing about his home and simple life in journals provided for him by the Other. This being has asked Piranesi to help him search for the Great and Secret Knowledge--whatever that is. In the process, Piranesi discovers journal entries in his own handwriting that he doesn't remember writing. The Other has told him that the House erodes memories and personalities, and that a being called "16" will seek to cause madness in Piranesi if they don't kill him. But Piranesi is a gentle soul, content to live where and how he does, in isolation except for birds that come and go, the tides that only he knows the rhythm of, and searching for signs of the 15 other beings that once lived in the House (two of whom are long-dead skeletons Piranesi cares for).

To say nothing is as it seems in the novel Piranesi is to imply that we ever truly know what reality is in this unique world. Readers will only ever glimpse fringes of such a thing through Piranesi's diary and the fragments of discovery he comes across on his journey.

When I picked up the story, I was keeping company with two people who were watching a football game I had absolutely no interest in. Would I have become so engrossed in the book if not for that? I don't know, but I'm so glad I did read it at that time when there was nothing else to do and therefore I could allow my interest to blossom slow but sure--because that's the unfortunate thing about this wonderful tale: It starts so incredibly weirdly, so sedately, I think anyone who doesn't give the story time and force themselves to push past page 100 may not continue reading. That would be a tragedy. It isn't until after the first and well into the second part of this tale that Piranesi and his unsettling life, as he begins piecing together a troubling mystery, really becomes something a reader can't put down.

The Los Angeles Times called the protagonist one "with no guile, no greed, no envy, no cruelty, and yet still intriguing." Piranesi as a character devastated me the further along I got into his story, discovering troubling truths, but more to the point, I agree with Lila Shapiro who said in her review of the book that "Piranesi will wreck you."

I can't recommend this tale highly enough, and, if I could giftwrap it and silently hand it to every reader, so (as Erin Morgenstern has said of it) "they can have the pleasure of uncovering its secrets for themselves", I would. In a way, that's what I'm doing here. Piranesi is an unforgettable treasure you may never recover fully from reading.

Karen Wiesner is an award-winning, multi-genre author of over 150 titles and 16 series.

Visit her website here: https://karenwiesner.weebly.com/

and https://karenwiesner.weebly.com/karens-quill-blog

Find out more about her books and see her art here: http://www.facebook.com/KarenWiesnerAuthor

Visit her publisher here: https://www.writers-exchange.com/Karen-Wiesner/

Karen S. Wiesner {Put This One on Your TBR List}: Wildwood by Colin Meloy; illustrated by Carson Ellis

{Put This One on Your TBR List}

Book Review: Wildwood by Colin Meloy; illustrated by Carson Ellis

by Karen S. Wiesner

Wildwood is the first book in The Wildwood Chronicles, a 2011 children's fantasy series written by Colin Meloy (a member of the indie folk-rock band The Decemberists), illustrated by his wife Carson Ellis.

I found this beautiful little book with quirky artwork in an even quirkier bookstore. When I initially started reading it, I was reminded of a similar English children's series that I'd read to my son when he was young. Although it came out around the same time the Series of Unfortunate Events books were being released, I can't find them in my own library or in any successful internet search. In any case, the point is that I've never forgotten these uproariously hilarious stories filled with unlikely, improbable, and outlandish characters and situations. Everything in these tales was so ludicrous, there was nothing to do but laugh until you felt like your sides would split.

The crazy humor of the characters in Wildwood was a bit like that, enough to hope that good things were coming. But the thing this unforgettable series that I ironically can't remember the names, titles, or author of had one thing that I didn't find in Wildwood: There was a built in believability factor to them. I can't really explain why it was in that outlandish series other than that the reader was just never given a choice about swallowing the premise or any other part of those books. You went with it, and the fun insanity of it all carries you through the story without questioning the events that transpired.

Undeniably, Wildwood was well-written and I especially liked the unique illustrations interspersed throughout the off-beat tale. But the introductory scenario was one I just couldn't accept. In the opening chapters, a 13-year-old girl named Prue was handed off her baby brother by their parents to care for all day and night. This is done as if 1) it's Prue's job to do so, and 2) she has the degree of responsibility to do such a thing, whether she volunteered or not. Prue has a weirdly shocking sense of humor, which was appealing, and her laidback attitude was also a good setup. However, she had a blasé attitude about her brother. She thrusts Mac (an infant from what I'm understanding) in the naked "bed" of a red wagon which is attached to her bicycle. Prue proceeds to pull the wagon like a bat out of hell all over Portland. Readers are apparently supposed to believe no children could be seriously harmed in this way.

I found it harder and harder to suspend belief as the reader followed Prue around on her careless trek with a brother she didn't seem to want to be taking care of, nor really exercised any care in babysitting. I wasn't surprised because the back cover blurb of the book told us that Mac was stolen, plucked right out of wagon, by a murder of crows and taken into Portland's Impassable Wilderness.

I have a sense of humor. But, if any of this was supposed to be amusing, it simply wasn't written that way. But that's not the end of it. Add to this disturbing scenario yet another, equally unsettling and unbelievable one: Prue decides the best course of action after her brother is kidnapped is to go home, fool her parents into thinking Mac is already asleep in his crib, and she'll get around to rescuing him tomorrow.

First, I couldn't imagine the parents of an infant not checking on him personally before retiring for the night themselves, instead taking their teenage daughter's word for it that he was fine, fed, and off in la-la land, not to be woken by fawning parents.

Second, that Prue didn't think to involve her parents, immediately, who should have called the police, immediately, put me off entirely for anything like a fun, breathtaking fantasy fairy tale with a protagonist fitting the description of a young girl with an "admirable and amazing independent streak". (Prue is based on the author and illustrator's niece, who has these qualities, according to them.) While I was initially intrigued by Prue, I found that she didn't develop as a character in the ways I wanted her to. Yes, she did go after her brother eventually, proving that maybe she cared for him, though she initially seemed more concerned about getting in trouble for losing him, from what I could tell.

Perhaps Prue's unwelcome sidekick, Curtis, would have been much more sympathetic, compelling, and worthy main character, but he did get his share of pages in this first book of the series.

Explanations that could and should have come earlier in the story probably would have convinced me to invest more in the story, to see it as hilarious and entertaining instead of negligent and alarming. I think people of various ages who have no children might enjoy this sometimes violent, shocking story, but that begs the question: Who is the target audience? I wasn't entirely sure at any point, least of all now.

Aside from those aspects, the fantasy setting of Wildwood, which is based on the real Forest Park and much of its actual terrain, should delight lovers of Neil Gaiman-like, parallel world fiction. There are two more Wildwood series titles available now, along with rumors that it's being made into a stop motion film, coming in 2025 boasting a cast of all-star voice actors.

Karen Wiesner is an award-winning, multi-genre author of over 150 titles and 16 series.

Visit her website here: https://karenwiesner.weebly.com/

and https://karenwiesner.weebly.com/karens-quill-blog 

Find out more about her books and see her art here: http://www.facebook.com/KarenWiesnerAuthor

Visit her publisher here: https://www.writers-exchange.com/Karen-Wiesner/

Karen S. Wiesner {Put This One on Your TBR List} Book Review: Rooks and Ruin Trilogy by Melissa Caruso

{Put This One on Your TBR List}

Book Review: Rooks and Ruin Trilogy by Melissa Caruso

by Karen S. Wiesner

Per my usual, I came into author Melissa Caruso's high fantasy work through the back door. In other words, I read the second trilogy before realizing there was even a first, also set in the world of Eruvia where there are two main established powers. In the first trilogy, Swords and Fire, the Serene Empire has an elected doge, a Council of Nine, and a general assembly. Raverra is the central city-state there. The second trilogy, Rooks and Ruin, the one I read, which takes place 150 years later, is set in Vaskandar, a domain ruled by Witch Lords (essentially, mages). These two empires are in conflict. However, the author intended for the two series to be "largely unrelated" aside from taking place in the same setting. She made sure there were no spoilers for the first trilogy within the second. She's said that the focus of Swords and Fire is "more political intrigue and fancy balls" while Rooks and Ruin has "more magical secrets and spooky castles". Caruso recommends reading the trilogies in order, but says either way works, which I did find to be the case.

Rooks and Ruin features Ryx as the main character. She's the Warden in her home domain, Morgrain, ruled over by her grandmother. Four hundred years earlier, the Nine Demons came into the mortal world and thrust humanity into chaotic horror and suffering. Since then, the creatures were trapped behind a gate in the Black Tower of Gloamingard Castle, which ended the Dark Days. Ryx's family are caretakers of the gate the demons are trapped behind. Not surprisingly, someone wants to open the magically sealed Door and bring forth what was banished.

Ryx is an intriguing character. From an early age, her magic has been "broken". She drains life from everyone and everything she touches. Her home is as much a prison as it is a haven--and a lonely one for her at that. Rooks and Ruin begins with the villain succeeding in unlocking the gate and Ryx, along with the Rookery (a "magical troubleshooting squad"), having to clean up and contain the mess made. A lot of destructive, twisting secrets are revealed along the way to this goal. The cast is compelling while the world building caused me to seek out previous stories set in this world. That's when I found out about the first trilogy I'd somehow missed.

In truth, the first book, The Obsidian Tower, is the one that captured me the most with the magical mayhem I'm always on the lookout for, compelling me to want to finish the trilogy. The two novels that followed, The Quicksilver Court and The Ivory Tower, were well-written in every regard. However, I found my attention less transfixed with them. I suspect this was the case, in part, because of what one reviewer called "empire politics and political intrigue" dominating subsequent entries in the trilogy. Since the author self-described Swords and Fire as also being focused in the same way, I do worry I might find myself withdrawing from them as well, but I do intend to read them at some point. In any case, lovers of quality fantasy should love all the related books in this series.

Check out my latest novel!

https://karenwiesner.weebly.com/bloodmoon-cove-spirits-series.html

https://www.writers-exchange.com/bloodmoon-cove-spirits-series/

Karen Wiesner is an award-winning, multi-genre author of over 150 titles and 16 series.

Visit her website here: https://karenwiesner.weebly.com/

and https://karenwiesner.weebly.com/karens-quill-blog

Find out more about her books and see her art here: http://www.facebook.com/KarenWiesnerAuthor

Visit her publisher here: https://www.writers-exchange.com/Karen-Wiesner/