Hey all!
This week's reviews will put two trilogies (one realistic fantasy and one epic fantasy) into their crosshairs. The trilogies are:
Godblind by Anna Stephens (@AnnaSmithWrites) and Winternight by Katherine Arden (@arden_katherine). I've decided to review the two of them because they were both unique in their own way. They captured my attention and didn't let it go and I even missed some video gaming time to read them.
I'll talk about Winternight first.
The Winternight trilogy by Katherine Arden:
Winternight starts with The Bear and the Nightingale. This came out in 2011 and it has taken Katherine Arden about seven years to finish the trilogy. The Bear and the Nightingale. I'm reasonably sure you've all heard of it by now. If not - this is your chance. Buy the book. Read it. It's definitely worth it. Then buy the other two and read them as well.
The story of Winternight begins with some background (but it's by no means boring) about how a witch girl was born and the first few years of her wild life in 14th century Russia.
As the rest of Rus starts believing in a God and the monks who tend to this God the (hearth-)spirits/devils/demons (called chyerti in plural) of old Rus are forgotten more and more... which makes them fade and become powerless. But not in Vasya's family. Vasya (the descendant of an ancient line of witches) has the sight and makes it a point to deal with chyerti just as she would with any human ally. They are her friends.
Trouble arrives in the form of the Bear - the king of chaos - and Morozko - the winter king and king of death. I don't want to go too deeply into either of the storylines but suffice to say they divide into a really beautiful romance (albeit not so much in the first book) and a harrowing and uncaring enemy. In the second and third books (The Girl in the Tower and The Winter of the Witch) these villains and lovers are elaborated on and more dangers are introduced. Rus has to fight foes both religious/spiritual and worldly if it is going to survive.
Let me first of all say I'm not into romance. At all. I dislike the cringey YA romances where everything is perfect and a kiss is treated as if someone found the holy grail and I also despise the usually epic fantasy romance which is a) overdone and b) smarmy and rather fucked-up most of the time. However. I really enjoyed the romance in the Winternight trilogy. It's not obvious (at first) and it's subtle throughout. It doesn't make the (female) main character go crazy with besottedness. It is a partnership between two strong people and neither one takes crap from the other.
The second reason this trilogy is so beautiful is the story itself. You could say it meanders a bit - but at the same time the plot is razor-sharp without fluff. It meanders in the way that you're sucked into a magical kingdom and neither want to nor can leave. It's beautifully written and 100% worth the hours you'll spend on it. (And I don't say this about many books). It is truly a masterpiece of combined Russian folklore with... beauty.
Heck. I don't even like horses (at all! I'm serious!) but I really loved the horse-characters in this book. THAT is saying something considering all other books I've started that had talking horses were swiftly dropped.
Don't believe me still what a masterpiece this is? Buy it and see for yourself.
The next books we're taking a look at is Anna Stephen's Godblind trilogy.
The Godblind trilogy by Anna Stephens:
I'm not usually someone who likes 'THIS IS ALL PROPHECY' kind of storylines, and I still don't, but Anna Stephens must have done something right. I could put neither book down while reading them and it's still in my mind two weeks later.
The story was just incredibly well-written (with several POVs) and I just really wanted to know what happens (and what will happen in the third installment) at all times in the book. That being said... I disliked a lot of the characters. There are some whose only purpose seems to be to 'be there' (prophecy) and others who just change their personality in the blink of an eye. Then again this isn't really a problem per se. It's just how it is and my preference (and nothing is 100% perfect). I'm sure there are people who like Dom.
This trilogy then is completely different to Katherine Arden's Winternight. It's an epic fantasy whereas Winternight is more historical fantasy set in the 'real' world. The only reason they're in the same post is because they're both fantasy and I really enjoyed both of them in the last two-three weeks (and none of the other books I read was as good).
A bit more about the Godblind prophecy:
A lot of Godblind and Darksoul relies on it. Prophecy here, prophecy there, and one of the main characters is a prophet, and another (ok, more than one others) the CHOSEN ONE. As a result, a lot of the events in the book are caused by prophecy (at some point in Godblind even inexplicably, as in, it didn't make a lot of sense to happen this way), and yet, while reading it, it doesn't feel bad/like 'book explains everything because of prophecy' (cough Harry Potter). Indeed, the characters are very headstrong, and each have their own will, goals, and desires, and the prophecy part... Is not actually very very relevant at all. I'm guessing there might be another series after this is completed to make sense of the prophecy, or the prophecy itself is some kind of... 'It could apply to anyone'/'There are multiple peolpe it could apply to' plot.
Anyway. Godblind and Darksoul were the first really cool books I've read since Tim Pratt's The Dreaming Stars. I can guarantee you'll be sucked in and not let go once you start. In this case, the sucked in part also comes from the writing style itself. Anna Stephens doesn't muck around with endless description and boring fluff, but goes straight into action every single scene. It reads almost like a thriller, but it's definitely epic fantasy, and I'm really hoping the author will write more books in this world because I'm curious about all those countries mentioned which doesn't feature in these books.
The only caveat of the amazingness of these books I'd have to mention is the gore. The author's writing style makes it easy to read even when someone's getting nailed to a cross BUT the violence/blood/gore IS there. If you're a bit twitchy or faint-hearted this might not be the good for you. Then again. I usually don't read this kind of stuff and GOT was too much for me (I had to skip over a lot of writing/chapters while reading it) but as I've said above Anna Stephens has a very clean writing style which can put some distance between you and the book. It's almost sterile sometimes and definitely not as raw as GRRM's GOT but still quite immersive.
Does this sound like something you'd like? Read it and let me know in the comments what you thought! I'd love to get some input!
WriteBot.
Showing posts with label Fantasy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fantasy. Show all posts
Friday, February 22, 2019
Monday, December 31, 2018
The Best Fiction of 2018
Hey everyone!
Today's blog post will be a smart recap of the best books I've read this past year and the volume of the books I've read.
I'll start with Part I: fiction.
I read fifty fiction novels this year. They ranged from about 50.000 words to 170.000 words. I believed the longest must have been Godsgrave by Jay Kristoff. The shortest was The Chrysalids by John Wyndham.
Let's go into the actual reviews!
What were my favourites this year and why? (A warning: there aren't a whole lot despite the volume of books I've actually read. This is because I have very high standards when it comes to my reading for enjoyment.)
1. The Watchmaker of Filigree Street by Natasha Pulley
This is just a beautiful book. In a lot of alternative Victorian era fantasy fiction there is a huge focus on magic and yada yada and the hero is all special because he can do the magic better than others. This isn't the case with the Watchmaker. There is magic, yes, but a) the main character doesn't wield it, and b) it is only a tiny part of the happenings in the novel (although it is a huge part of WHY everything happens). There are no overt shows of fireballs being thrown or demons being sent off to harass some twelve-year old (I greatly enjoyed the Bartimaeus series though!). The magic in Watchmaker is gentle and subtle (just like the romance!) and I definitely loved this book best of all the fiction I've read this year.
2. Shadowblack, Charmcaster, and Soulbinder by Sebastien de Castell
I started to read the Spellslinger series in 2017 if I remember correctly. It's a fun YA series about a boy (Kellen) who wanted to be a mage and turned into an outlaw instead. It's a fantasy western with a cool magic system (or should I say cool magic systems? The world de Castell has created is really huge!) and despite being a lot YA doesn't have an annoying romance in it. The romance is actually... well. I'm not sure how to explain it. Let's just say it's a lot more realistic and less destined than other YA romances. The focus of the book concerns Kellen's journey from being exiled by his rather fascist clan to... I'm not yet sure what. He definitely still has some journey ahead of him after the 4th book (Soulbinder) but nonetheless I definitely recommend it!
3. Medusa Uploaded by Emily Devenport
This was a fun read especially because one of the main concepts of it. In the not too far but far enough future there are certain sentient robot suits (not like mechas... but more like Cthulhu) and they are supposed to link with humans in order to help them survive in space/their new community. The main character is quite decent (It's hard to have an opinion on her as she's sort of a 'blank slate' in terms of emotions/inner world) and leans towards the bad-ass rather than weak but supposedly powerful YA girl. Oichi is cunning and calm and quite cool (or should I say 'emotionally frozen') all in all. The plot is average as far as a novel goes but decent for YA. All in all it was enjoyable enough to earn a place on my favourites list.
4. The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden
This was so beautiful! I had to take a while to decide whether to include this one or The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivy which are both amazing works of Russian-ish folklore art. They are at their cores somewhat similar although The Bear and the Nightingale builds much more of a world then The Snow Child. This is ultimately why I chose it above The Snow Child. The Bear and the Nightingale then is a riveting story with a slower pace than what I normally read. It's the story of little wild girl turning into a wild young woman - in a traditional world where she is shunned for being as she is. It also involves magic and demons and the King of Winter.
5. The Tangled Lands by Paolo Bacigalupi and Tobias S. Buckell
I don't actually have a lot to say about this novel. The most important thing to know when you go into it is that it's actually a compilation of short stories set in the same world that all build upon each other. There are two male storylines and two female (with Bacigalupi writing the male and Buckell the female). The second female storyline of a blacksmith girl was IMO the best of the book. This character was the most amazing of all four of them.
6. Witchmark by C.L. Polk
Another Victorian(ish) era book set in an alternate London-ish city. This one was not as great as the Watchmaker even though it was somewhat similar. It involves a romance between two men (yeeeeesssss!) and a veritable TON of magic when compared with the Watchmaker. It's a wild ride as well! A lot of things happen and the protagonist is often in trouble and it's generally fast-paced. I did not like it as much as the Watchmaker but it was still a lot of fun.
7. Flame in the Mist by Renee Ahdieh
This is one of the few YA books with a romance that I enjoyed. It follows a Japanese girl in a magical feudal Japan and it's just... It sucked me in and didn't let me go with both the action and its slower but high-tension scenes. It's an awesome read. I don't want to admit it but even the romance was great. This was the first book in which I actually rooted for the two main characters to get together. The book left on a cliffhanger however and I'm worried the second installment (which begins with very high tension already) might ruin the first so I haven't read it yet.
A few others I liked but do not want to discuss in as much detail in order to keep the post from becoming a wall of text:
The Wrong Stars by Tim Pratt: A cool space adventure! I read this at the beginning of the year and it's fun!
Planetfall by Emma Newman: Weird. Weird. Weird. The main character is creepy but at the same time her quest is so exciting you just have to follow her into the City of God.
Sea of Rust by C. Robert Cargill: A lovely story about a robot (called Brittle) who dismantles failing robots in order to herself alive but doesn't feel great about it. All humans have died and technology to save Brit is slowly running out. There's another robot who has the tech she needs - but he's not about to fail soon and Brit shies away from actually destroying robots that still have a bit of a life before them.
The Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham: This one deserves it's own review to be honest. The premise is somewhat silly (I mean - walking plants that kill humans?) but the execution was neat!
Thoraiya Dyer's Giant's Forest books: There's currently two and they're fun and action! They're admittedly not very 'deep' in theme or the events that happen (except perhaps the tidbit about children falling down to Understorey) but still worth a read. They were fun!
Semiosis by Sue Burke: This is a science fiction novel without any magic. The plot follows a group of people (and successive generations) as they land on a new planet and make connection with the inhabitants. Plot twist and minor spoiler: the inhabitants are plants. These plants are very sophisticated (although most of them not as much as the Triffids!) and over time alliances are made and dangers are battled. It's a strange book but it deserves to be listed simply because of its ideas. I'd never read anything quite like it before and it's stayed in my mind.
All right. That's it about Part I of this review of the year. I read a lot more books than are listed (obviously) but had to restrict this post to a few that stood out against the rest. I do hope you enjoyed this post and perhaps you'll read some of these books yourself! I definitely recommend them!
Have a good New Year's Eve and a Happy New Year!
PS: Here are some questionable but still funny fireworks available in the Netherlands:
WriteBot.
Today's blog post will be a smart recap of the best books I've read this past year and the volume of the books I've read.
I'll start with Part I: fiction.
I read fifty fiction novels this year. They ranged from about 50.000 words to 170.000 words. I believed the longest must have been Godsgrave by Jay Kristoff. The shortest was The Chrysalids by John Wyndham.
Let's go into the actual reviews!
What were my favourites this year and why? (A warning: there aren't a whole lot despite the volume of books I've actually read. This is because I have very high standards when it comes to my reading for enjoyment.)
1. The Watchmaker of Filigree Street by Natasha Pulley
This is just a beautiful book. In a lot of alternative Victorian era fantasy fiction there is a huge focus on magic and yada yada and the hero is all special because he can do the magic better than others. This isn't the case with the Watchmaker. There is magic, yes, but a) the main character doesn't wield it, and b) it is only a tiny part of the happenings in the novel (although it is a huge part of WHY everything happens). There are no overt shows of fireballs being thrown or demons being sent off to harass some twelve-year old (I greatly enjoyed the Bartimaeus series though!). The magic in Watchmaker is gentle and subtle (just like the romance!) and I definitely loved this book best of all the fiction I've read this year.
2. Shadowblack, Charmcaster, and Soulbinder by Sebastien de Castell
I started to read the Spellslinger series in 2017 if I remember correctly. It's a fun YA series about a boy (Kellen) who wanted to be a mage and turned into an outlaw instead. It's a fantasy western with a cool magic system (or should I say cool magic systems? The world de Castell has created is really huge!) and despite being a lot YA doesn't have an annoying romance in it. The romance is actually... well. I'm not sure how to explain it. Let's just say it's a lot more realistic and less destined than other YA romances. The focus of the book concerns Kellen's journey from being exiled by his rather fascist clan to... I'm not yet sure what. He definitely still has some journey ahead of him after the 4th book (Soulbinder) but nonetheless I definitely recommend it!
3. Medusa Uploaded by Emily Devenport
This was a fun read especially because one of the main concepts of it. In the not too far but far enough future there are certain sentient robot suits (not like mechas... but more like Cthulhu) and they are supposed to link with humans in order to help them survive in space/their new community. The main character is quite decent (It's hard to have an opinion on her as she's sort of a 'blank slate' in terms of emotions/inner world) and leans towards the bad-ass rather than weak but supposedly powerful YA girl. Oichi is cunning and calm and quite cool (or should I say 'emotionally frozen') all in all. The plot is average as far as a novel goes but decent for YA. All in all it was enjoyable enough to earn a place on my favourites list.
4. The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden
This was so beautiful! I had to take a while to decide whether to include this one or The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivy which are both amazing works of Russian-ish folklore art. They are at their cores somewhat similar although The Bear and the Nightingale builds much more of a world then The Snow Child. This is ultimately why I chose it above The Snow Child. The Bear and the Nightingale then is a riveting story with a slower pace than what I normally read. It's the story of little wild girl turning into a wild young woman - in a traditional world where she is shunned for being as she is. It also involves magic and demons and the King of Winter.
5. The Tangled Lands by Paolo Bacigalupi and Tobias S. Buckell
I don't actually have a lot to say about this novel. The most important thing to know when you go into it is that it's actually a compilation of short stories set in the same world that all build upon each other. There are two male storylines and two female (with Bacigalupi writing the male and Buckell the female). The second female storyline of a blacksmith girl was IMO the best of the book. This character was the most amazing of all four of them.
6. Witchmark by C.L. Polk
Another Victorian(ish) era book set in an alternate London-ish city. This one was not as great as the Watchmaker even though it was somewhat similar. It involves a romance between two men (yeeeeesssss!) and a veritable TON of magic when compared with the Watchmaker. It's a wild ride as well! A lot of things happen and the protagonist is often in trouble and it's generally fast-paced. I did not like it as much as the Watchmaker but it was still a lot of fun.
7. Flame in the Mist by Renee Ahdieh
This is one of the few YA books with a romance that I enjoyed. It follows a Japanese girl in a magical feudal Japan and it's just... It sucked me in and didn't let me go with both the action and its slower but high-tension scenes. It's an awesome read. I don't want to admit it but even the romance was great. This was the first book in which I actually rooted for the two main characters to get together. The book left on a cliffhanger however and I'm worried the second installment (which begins with very high tension already) might ruin the first so I haven't read it yet.
A few others I liked but do not want to discuss in as much detail in order to keep the post from becoming a wall of text:
The Wrong Stars by Tim Pratt: A cool space adventure! I read this at the beginning of the year and it's fun!
Planetfall by Emma Newman: Weird. Weird. Weird. The main character is creepy but at the same time her quest is so exciting you just have to follow her into the City of God.
Sea of Rust by C. Robert Cargill: A lovely story about a robot (called Brittle) who dismantles failing robots in order to herself alive but doesn't feel great about it. All humans have died and technology to save Brit is slowly running out. There's another robot who has the tech she needs - but he's not about to fail soon and Brit shies away from actually destroying robots that still have a bit of a life before them.
The Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham: This one deserves it's own review to be honest. The premise is somewhat silly (I mean - walking plants that kill humans?) but the execution was neat!
Thoraiya Dyer's Giant's Forest books: There's currently two and they're fun and action! They're admittedly not very 'deep' in theme or the events that happen (except perhaps the tidbit about children falling down to Understorey) but still worth a read. They were fun!
Semiosis by Sue Burke: This is a science fiction novel without any magic. The plot follows a group of people (and successive generations) as they land on a new planet and make connection with the inhabitants. Plot twist and minor spoiler: the inhabitants are plants. These plants are very sophisticated (although most of them not as much as the Triffids!) and over time alliances are made and dangers are battled. It's a strange book but it deserves to be listed simply because of its ideas. I'd never read anything quite like it before and it's stayed in my mind.
All right. That's it about Part I of this review of the year. I read a lot more books than are listed (obviously) but had to restrict this post to a few that stood out against the rest. I do hope you enjoyed this post and perhaps you'll read some of these books yourself! I definitely recommend them!
Have a good New Year's Eve and a Happy New Year!
PS: Here are some questionable but still funny fireworks available in the Netherlands:
Wednesday, November 28, 2018
2019 Book List
Hey everyone!
This year's almost over (one month to go!) and I've just finished the 64th book this year. That in turn got me thinking about next year. What would I like to read? I have a truly enormous reading list in general but have decided to already prepare (by buying books and making them 'available' on my devices to read whenever fancy strikes) a list. That way I won't get hung up on what I should read next/where to get it/and so on.
Here's the list (so far) that I want to go through in 2019:
1. Undersea Fleet
2. The Kraken Wakes
3. Ascension (Water)
4. Boundary
5. The Compound Effect
6. The Success Principles
7. The Hungry Brain
8. Brain Food
9. Fasting and Eating for Health
10. Intermittent Fasting for Women
11. The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying
12. The Complete Guide to Fasting
13. Halfway Human
14. Black Leopard, Red Wolf
15. The Departure
16. Rebel of the Sands
17. Autobiography of Black Hawk
18. The Individual Psychology of Alfred Adler
19. The Abyss Surrounds Us
20. The Deep Woods
21. The Dreaming Stars
22. Smoke in the Sun
23. Of Fire and Stars
24. The World Walker
25. The Assassin's Curse
26. Forgotten Places
27. When the Future Comes too Soon
28. Sky Dancer
29. Sky Song
30. The Winter of the Witch
31. Tides of the Titans
32. Darkdawn
33. Lonesome Dove
34. All the Crooked Saints
35. Autobiography of a Geisha
36. Change your Brain, Change your Life
37. The Evolution of God
38. Lotus War 1
39. The Man in the High Castle
40. The Future of Humanity
41. Godblind Anna Stephens
42. Start with Why
43. Leaders Eat Last
As you can see my reading list is wide and varied. It contains fiction and non-fiction. It contains YA books as well as adult books and most especially in the non-fiction category some books on leadership and healthy food (brain food actually).
I am however still lacking 17 books to reach my goal of 60 books a year. (This year's was 52. I overshot it by some and wanted to make 60 a regular number instead.) That means I'm looking for suggestions! Can you recommend any books you absolutely loved? Is there a book coming out you think absolutely fits on this (messy) list? I'd love to know it! I'm always open to new and good material to read.
Have a recommendation? Post it in the comments! All suggestions welcome!
WriteBot out.
This year's almost over (one month to go!) and I've just finished the 64th book this year. That in turn got me thinking about next year. What would I like to read? I have a truly enormous reading list in general but have decided to already prepare (by buying books and making them 'available' on my devices to read whenever fancy strikes) a list. That way I won't get hung up on what I should read next/where to get it/and so on.
Here's the list (so far) that I want to go through in 2019:
1. Undersea Fleet
2. The Kraken Wakes
3. Ascension (Water)
4. Boundary
5. The Compound Effect
6. The Success Principles
7. The Hungry Brain
8. Brain Food
9. Fasting and Eating for Health
10. Intermittent Fasting for Women
11. The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying
12. The Complete Guide to Fasting
13. Halfway Human
14. Black Leopard, Red Wolf
15. The Departure
16. Rebel of the Sands
17. Autobiography of Black Hawk
18. The Individual Psychology of Alfred Adler
19. The Abyss Surrounds Us
20. The Deep Woods
21. The Dreaming Stars
22. Smoke in the Sun
23. Of Fire and Stars
24. The World Walker
25. The Assassin's Curse
26. Forgotten Places
27. When the Future Comes too Soon
28. Sky Dancer
29. Sky Song
30. The Winter of the Witch
31. Tides of the Titans
32. Darkdawn
33. Lonesome Dove
34. All the Crooked Saints
35. Autobiography of a Geisha
36. Change your Brain, Change your Life
37. The Evolution of God
38. Lotus War 1
39. The Man in the High Castle
40. The Future of Humanity
41. Godblind Anna Stephens
42. Start with Why
43. Leaders Eat Last
As you can see my reading list is wide and varied. It contains fiction and non-fiction. It contains YA books as well as adult books and most especially in the non-fiction category some books on leadership and healthy food (brain food actually).
I am however still lacking 17 books to reach my goal of 60 books a year. (This year's was 52. I overshot it by some and wanted to make 60 a regular number instead.) That means I'm looking for suggestions! Can you recommend any books you absolutely loved? Is there a book coming out you think absolutely fits on this (messy) list? I'd love to know it! I'm always open to new and good material to read.
Have a recommendation? Post it in the comments! All suggestions welcome!
WriteBot out.
Sunday, November 4, 2018
Elegy of the Stars and Warlike PUBLISHED!
Hi again everyone!
'Who is the Monster?' is coming along nicely. In the meantime there's an announcement I have to make!
As I explained in my post yesterday I've uploaded two more stories on KDP. These are two novels: Elegy of the Stars and Warlike.
I'm pleased to inform you they are now ONLINE! They are finally finished and available for purchase!
You can find them with the links above (just click on the titles of the books!) or in my Author Profile: https://www.amazon.com/Jasmin-Gelinck/e/B01H703DRC
If you do read them and like them leave a review! As you can probably tell by now: Reviews are the best! WriteBot greatly appreciates reviews!
D'you want to see the covers? They're really gorgeous!
ELEGY OF THE STARS
On the planet of Glast Oria's only missive is to survive, against the cold, the hunger, the Priests of the Seirios, the Administration of the planet, but when Quinn, another urchin, saves her life from the Administration and lets her stay in his hideout, her allegiance to only herself begins to change.
Over time, a reluctant trust between them forms, and Quinn proposes a heist to steal food from the local cult.
Their plan turns to action in early winter, and at first seems like a success, but once inside the Chantry, the Seirios Cult's headquarters, everything goes terribly wrong, and both of them might not survive to see the planet's spring.
WARLIKE
In the far future on Earth, the names of most cities have been forgotten, and wastelands have taken their places. Thresha's lived in the jungle-forest all her seventeen cycles. A young woman too stubborn to admit defeat when the tribe's strongest war party is slaughtered by the raptors, ancient reptilian giants that were supposed to have been extinct thousands of years ago. Thresha is convinced she can kill the beasts and free her tribe once and for all, but she needs to throw her spears wider than elder Kava allows. Thresha soon finds herself trapped in an ancient maze, in a world before a time anyone of her tribe can remember, faced with monsters she couldn't have imagined and, when she is discovered, exile. But for Thresha, the only way out is forward, and to the east, the Sands and the weapons they hold beckon. The Sands, the end of the world, which no one has ever returned from, and no one believes there is an end to.
It's only when she meets Zon, an almost-outlaw, and his shooting tubes, that her hopes of destroying the raptors earns a chance to succeed. But Zon has problems of his own, a horde of metal men so different from anything Tresha has ever known, and those will have to be dealt with before the raptors can be destroyed once and for all.
'Who is the Monster?' is coming along nicely. In the meantime there's an announcement I have to make!
As I explained in my post yesterday I've uploaded two more stories on KDP. These are two novels: Elegy of the Stars and Warlike.
I'm pleased to inform you they are now ONLINE! They are finally finished and available for purchase!
You can find them with the links above (just click on the titles of the books!) or in my Author Profile: https://www.amazon.com/Jasmin-Gelinck/e/B01H703DRC
If you do read them and like them leave a review! As you can probably tell by now: Reviews are the best! WriteBot greatly appreciates reviews!
D'you want to see the covers? They're really gorgeous!
ELEGY OF THE STARSOn the planet of Glast Oria's only missive is to survive, against the cold, the hunger, the Priests of the Seirios, the Administration of the planet, but when Quinn, another urchin, saves her life from the Administration and lets her stay in his hideout, her allegiance to only herself begins to change.
Over time, a reluctant trust between them forms, and Quinn proposes a heist to steal food from the local cult.
Their plan turns to action in early winter, and at first seems like a success, but once inside the Chantry, the Seirios Cult's headquarters, everything goes terribly wrong, and both of them might not survive to see the planet's spring.
WARLIKEIn the far future on Earth, the names of most cities have been forgotten, and wastelands have taken their places. Thresha's lived in the jungle-forest all her seventeen cycles. A young woman too stubborn to admit defeat when the tribe's strongest war party is slaughtered by the raptors, ancient reptilian giants that were supposed to have been extinct thousands of years ago. Thresha is convinced she can kill the beasts and free her tribe once and for all, but she needs to throw her spears wider than elder Kava allows. Thresha soon finds herself trapped in an ancient maze, in a world before a time anyone of her tribe can remember, faced with monsters she couldn't have imagined and, when she is discovered, exile. But for Thresha, the only way out is forward, and to the east, the Sands and the weapons they hold beckon. The Sands, the end of the world, which no one has ever returned from, and no one believes there is an end to.
It's only when she meets Zon, an almost-outlaw, and his shooting tubes, that her hopes of destroying the raptors earns a chance to succeed. But Zon has problems of his own, a horde of metal men so different from anything Tresha has ever known, and those will have to be dealt with before the raptors can be destroyed once and for all.
WriteBot has worked on these books the last three years. They are great! Do leave if a review if you want to make WriteBot happy!
Have a good day!
Saturday, November 3, 2018
10X WIP (How to manage all your works in progress)
Hi folks.
It's been a while but here is your one and only WriteBot!
I am currently working on 10 WIPs. They're not all books or short stories but include my marketing plans as well. I've been making many plans and trying to out more writing in the last few days (since having a complete meltdown and deciding to go ALL IN).
Here's a list of what I'm working on:
This is the point where we switch from actual craft to publishing - something that absolutely has to be done!
Last but not least we'll talk about marketing:
We all know we'd rather be writing than marketing - right? But what if you can be creative while doing it? What if you can make it actually fun with little giveaways and promotional posters as well as CUSTOM BOOKMARKS?
The plan includes:
All right! These are my plans for the rest of the year and beyond. I want to keep adding targets to work towards and really make this work. It's been a wake-up call when I (shamefully admitted) spiraled into depression even after doing very well in the last few weeks in real life. But that's a topic for another day. My goals at this point are as they stand.
It can only get better!
Remember: WriteBot Always Wins! And WriteBot will win THIS too. (PS: You can become WriteBot as well! Do it. Write, and become WriteBot! Practice your backside off! Practice some more. Push when you feel like you're being destructed at the seams like some lowly scrap bot! Keep pushing even while your partner's already watching the telly or gaming on their PC. Keep pushing towards those goals!)
WriteBot off to publish Elegy of the Stars (Jollyroger, I'm scared.).
It's been a while but here is your one and only WriteBot!
I am currently working on 10 WIPs. They're not all books or short stories but include my marketing plans as well. I've been making many plans and trying to out more writing in the last few days (since having a complete meltdown and deciding to go ALL IN).
Here's a list of what I'm working on:
- editing the fairy tale Catching Fireflies. CF will be getting another part approximately twice its length to enhance the story. It's by far my most sold story and it will be even better with the new edit!
- editing Of One Mind. This is a story inspired by psychology and the question of what will happen when people try to join themselves directly to each others' minds. It's grisly (BUT AWESOME!)
- editing Eye in the Sky (A bit of cosmic horror because that's one of my favourite genres and our Lord Cthulu has to be praised).
- editing Hourglass. This one is hard. I've been working on it for about five years by now and it's a huge project. I have written three (actually four but the fourth is a spin off) novels in this series and plan to finish the fourth main story novel within this year. It is one of the best stories I've ever written but needs much help so it'll go to another two of my beta readers on Monday!
- hand in hand with the above: finishing all of Simon Walker's adventure in the ancient world! Hourglass is the first book. There are three more (The Tower of Fear, WIP novel three, and WIP novel four.) It's such a great adventure story!
- finishing Ris's story. You remember the leshy story I posted a year (Oh My! A year!) ago? It wasn't complete then and it still isn't. But I plan to complete it still.
- writing the NEW STORY. It doesn't have a title yet but it's... already really amazing. It makes my skin tingle just thinking about it (but that might just be the mid-writing panic). This new story is pure sci-fi. It's set in a dystopian cyberpunk town called Clockwork City. It has androids, cyborgs, humans, pretty clockwork girls, and war.
This is the point where we switch from actual craft to publishing - something that absolutely has to be done!
- publishing short story collections. I am currently working on three of them: Into the Deep (mostly mysterious water-related stories such as Catching Fireflies), Xenos (weird cosmic alien stories - a bit like Solaris by Stanislaw Lem), and a new collection which doesn't have a title yet but will have mostly nice magical stories. (PS: this is the best one if you just want to read something relaxing and sweet. But it'll still make you think and consider your life.)
- publishing Elegy of the Stars. This is another story very dear to me. Very. (But then again, they all are...) It's a story that was excruciatingly hard on me if I'm completely honest. It was very emotionally taxing and I cried every time I picked it up and tried to work on it. That's probably why it took me about five years to finish even though it's a novel and doesn't have anywhere near as many words as my great epic Hourglass.
- publishing Warlike/The Torn Earth. This is a bit more YA than the rest of my stories. It's also kick-ass and you should definitely check it out once it's out. I'm currently fixing the title/name on the cover.
Last but not least we'll talk about marketing:
We all know we'd rather be writing than marketing - right? But what if you can be creative while doing it? What if you can make it actually fun with little giveaways and promotional posters as well as CUSTOM BOOKMARKS?
The plan includes:
- intelligent twitter pieces
- artwork (posters/bookmarks) to hand out on the streets
- 'free book day' giveaways on KDP (including the necessary promotion by handing out flyers and posting it on twitter)
- an appearance at ComicCon in March (that's the Dutch comic con because I live there)
- a few panels of comic for Hourglass (I'd love to fully make Hourglass a comic as well as book, but it's a huge project. That goal has to wait a bit still.)
- frequent blog posts (at least twice a week with useful content for readers and writers. By the way, this includes my
dustybook review blog, WriteBotWins!)
All right! These are my plans for the rest of the year and beyond. I want to keep adding targets to work towards and really make this work. It's been a wake-up call when I (shamefully admitted) spiraled into depression even after doing very well in the last few weeks in real life. But that's a topic for another day. My goals at this point are as they stand.
It can only get better!
Remember: WriteBot Always Wins! And WriteBot will win THIS too. (PS: You can become WriteBot as well! Do it. Write, and become WriteBot! Practice your backside off! Practice some more. Push when you feel like you're being destructed at the seams like some lowly scrap bot! Keep pushing even while your partner's already watching the telly or gaming on their PC. Keep pushing towards those goals!)
WriteBot off to publish Elegy of the Stars (Jollyroger, I'm scared.).
Monday, December 25, 2017
Merry Christmas!
I haven't been able to do too much these last few weeks. I called in ill Tuesday the week before last and haven't been to my day job since because of burn-out. In the first four days after calling in sick I managed to write 40k words because another project fell apart. I'm now working on it from another angle.
Depression's kept me mostly in the house meanwhile. As stated in my last post I ordered lots of food because I was too exhausted to make any. HOWEVER. I have also been more productive with THINGS THAT MATTER (TM) than in the months before.
I have FINALLY FINISHED a novella I've been trying to work out the last two years since early (March) 2015. This is called ELEGY OF THE STARS and you can read the first 'chapter' (It's not really meant to be read in chapters) here: Elegy of the Stars Chapter 1
This novella was extremely emotionally taxing and the last kick I needed - apparently - was the absolute and complete meltdown I had last week. I spent a few hours crying to myself and ranting on reddit and then spent some more hours pitying myself. This happens to me approximately once a year or so. It's no longer a big deal. It stills feels bad. It felt bad enough I didn't manage to send proper Christmas gifts or invite anyone over. (However a quiet Christmas is sometimes nice and it gives me additional recovery time!)
Anyway... let's go back to the novella now that you have some insight in what depression has been doing to me the last few weeks.
As I said this novella was insanely difficult to finish despite being only 30k words. I picked it up and dropped it about 4-5 times before because it was just so incredibly emotionally taxing to write it.
Elegy of the Stars is about this little girl (Oria) struggling to survive on the streets of a small planet called Glast. The plot's already explained in the post linked above so I won't go into more detail. I'd rather talk about the worldbuilding of it! Here we go.
Glast:
This planet isn't in view of any sun (the planet Reath is blocking the sun year round) and so scientists had to make their own artificial star - the Seirios. The Seirios sits on top of the main Administrative building in the only and very small and dirty city of Glast - Oblivion - and the star's light is transported via light pipes to fields and so on to keep the planet lit. The streets are harsh: during the creation of the Seirios radiation went rampant and a lot of people (90%) got infected by the mutation virus that came with it. They're not all that there any more and part of that infected population has formed a cult around the Seirios. There's also miners who like little girls and boys. However the most problematic part of this population is the healthy citizens of Oblivion. They've always had access to the radiation vaccine and they basically rule the planet. They're the cultivators who produce the food and supplies everyone needs but almost no one can afford. They're also not altruistic.
This is the world Oria has to navigate and she can only rely on herself. During the years on the street she's allowed one person to rely on her but eschews all other forms of communication or teamwork with even fellow street rats. This changes when she meets Quinn. He saves her life and suddenly she's in his debt. He has an easy solution to getting rid of that debt but when she agrees to it instead of getting rid of Quinn she falls into even deeper debts to him.
There is a lot of pain and struggle in the story. It's not something that I'd usually write (probably that is why it was so hard). I don't like reading depressing stories and don't like writing them either. And yet. This was a story I couldn't get out of my mind. I mean I could. I got it off my mind a year and then another - but at some point I had to return. I had to try again. And it's finally done!
So what are the next steps?
I've commissioned my cover artist to make cover for the story and I hope to be done with the last edit (spellings and general polishing) by the time the cover is done. And then it's off to KDP!
Again! If you want to read the first chapter please click here: Elegy of the Stars Chapter 1
I'll post some more chapters (probably the whole novella) in the future and will have some small comments about what was so difficult! Tune in if you like.
PS: I'm also always happy about comments!
Depression's kept me mostly in the house meanwhile. As stated in my last post I ordered lots of food because I was too exhausted to make any. HOWEVER. I have also been more productive with THINGS THAT MATTER (TM) than in the months before.
I have FINALLY FINISHED a novella I've been trying to work out the last two years since early (March) 2015. This is called ELEGY OF THE STARS and you can read the first 'chapter' (It's not really meant to be read in chapters) here: Elegy of the Stars Chapter 1
This novella was extremely emotionally taxing and the last kick I needed - apparently - was the absolute and complete meltdown I had last week. I spent a few hours crying to myself and ranting on reddit and then spent some more hours pitying myself. This happens to me approximately once a year or so. It's no longer a big deal. It stills feels bad. It felt bad enough I didn't manage to send proper Christmas gifts or invite anyone over. (However a quiet Christmas is sometimes nice and it gives me additional recovery time!)
Anyway... let's go back to the novella now that you have some insight in what depression has been doing to me the last few weeks.
As I said this novella was insanely difficult to finish despite being only 30k words. I picked it up and dropped it about 4-5 times before because it was just so incredibly emotionally taxing to write it.
Elegy of the Stars is about this little girl (Oria) struggling to survive on the streets of a small planet called Glast. The plot's already explained in the post linked above so I won't go into more detail. I'd rather talk about the worldbuilding of it! Here we go.
Glast:
This planet isn't in view of any sun (the planet Reath is blocking the sun year round) and so scientists had to make their own artificial star - the Seirios. The Seirios sits on top of the main Administrative building in the only and very small and dirty city of Glast - Oblivion - and the star's light is transported via light pipes to fields and so on to keep the planet lit. The streets are harsh: during the creation of the Seirios radiation went rampant and a lot of people (90%) got infected by the mutation virus that came with it. They're not all that there any more and part of that infected population has formed a cult around the Seirios. There's also miners who like little girls and boys. However the most problematic part of this population is the healthy citizens of Oblivion. They've always had access to the radiation vaccine and they basically rule the planet. They're the cultivators who produce the food and supplies everyone needs but almost no one can afford. They're also not altruistic.
This is the world Oria has to navigate and she can only rely on herself. During the years on the street she's allowed one person to rely on her but eschews all other forms of communication or teamwork with even fellow street rats. This changes when she meets Quinn. He saves her life and suddenly she's in his debt. He has an easy solution to getting rid of that debt but when she agrees to it instead of getting rid of Quinn she falls into even deeper debts to him.
There is a lot of pain and struggle in the story. It's not something that I'd usually write (probably that is why it was so hard). I don't like reading depressing stories and don't like writing them either. And yet. This was a story I couldn't get out of my mind. I mean I could. I got it off my mind a year and then another - but at some point I had to return. I had to try again. And it's finally done!
So what are the next steps?
I've commissioned my cover artist to make cover for the story and I hope to be done with the last edit (spellings and general polishing) by the time the cover is done. And then it's off to KDP!
Again! If you want to read the first chapter please click here: Elegy of the Stars Chapter 1
I'll post some more chapters (probably the whole novella) in the future and will have some small comments about what was so difficult! Tune in if you like.
PS: I'm also always happy about comments!
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