Hey, all. I’ve long wanted to start using my Goodreads account, and it seemed like reviews would be a good place to begin. Eventually, I hope to be able to get some more questions answered there—for now, I’m just going to try to post periodic book reviews.

Be warned, I’m not intending to be a real reviewer. As I explain in my review guide here, I consider this more a place to send people when they ask, “What have you read recently that you’ve liked?” If the reviews all look positive, that’s because they will be—I’ll only post about the books I like. But I will try to slant the second half of the review toward writing advice, using the book in question as a guide, for those looking to improve your craft.

More explanation in that link above.

I figured a nice place to start would be with Ghost Talkers, Mary’s new book. If for some reason you’ve never tried her work, this would be an excellent place to start! Find my review here.

Thanks, all! I should have another update on Stormlight Book Three very soon. It’s going well, and we’re almost to the 3/4 mark.

Brandon

I blurbed a book! I know, I know. That doesn’t happen very often these days, but Susan, my YA editor at Tor, approached me with a project she is very excited and passionate about: The Accidental Highwayman by Ben Tripp. And after reading it, I have to highly recommend it—Susan has discovered a gem.

From the back of the book:

In eighteenth-century England, young Christopher “Kit” Bristol is the unwitting servant of notorious highwayman Whistling Jack. One dark night, Kit finds his master bleeding from a mortal wound, dons the man’s riding cloak to seek help, and changes the course of his life forever. Mistaken for Whistling Jack and on the run from redcoats, Kit is catapulted into a world of magic and wonders he thought the stuff of fairy tales.

We’ve seen the story of the servant taking up the master’s mantle before. But the twist caught my attention. Kind of like becoming the Dread Pirate Roberts, only you didn’t mean to, and now all England is looking to put you in prison for the crimes your master committed. Something in between The Princess Bride and The Fugitive with the charm of Stardust and the snark of Terry Pratchett—if he wrote Robert Louis Stevenson fan fiction. The Accidental Highwayman should be judged on its own merits, of course, but comparing it to those books and authors is the best way to give you the feel of this novel in a way that will catch the attention of those readers who will enjoy it the most.

At the beginning of the book, author Ben Tripp purports only to be the editor of notes he found in a chest belonging to one of his ancestors. The story begins in an affected voice meant to sound like something from the eighteenth century, but laced with enough humor and snark that you feel the author is subtly looking at you from behind the words and shooting you an anachronistic wink. Tripp has mastered the balancing act of making the prose sound archaic while at the same time being palatable to modern readers. Take a gander at Tripp’s website—you can tell he’s something of a character.

So, yes, I recommend this book. Like I said to my editor, The Accidental Highwayman is “Delightful and charming. A swashbuckling adventure in the vein of Robert Louis Stevenson.”

Take a look at what other reviewers have said:

“Readers will root for star-crossed lovers, Kit and Morgana, and delight in their ‘opposites attract’ romance, drawn onward by a rollicking plot…. Fantasy readers, especially fans of Catherynne Valente’s work, will enjoy the author’s elegant turns of phrase. A first purchase for all fantasy collections.” —School Library Journal, Starred Review

“Spells, wishes and fantastical creatures aside, this rollicking yarn owes more to R.L. Stevenson than J.K. Rowling. Kit’s wry voice provides a fine pastiche of old-fashioned tale-telling… enlivened by breakneck pacing, colorful similes and a sly wit aimed at modern sensibilities…. Kit himself is as brave, clever and good-natured an orphan lad as ever buckled a swash. The promise of more adventures to come provides happily-ever-after enough. They can still write ’em like they used to; hurrah!” —Kirkus Reviews

“While the journey isn’t quick, it never grows tedious—danger, magic, and intrigue wait at every turn. Tripp infuses his story with whimsy, humor, and derring-do, and his miniature spot illustrations and handful of lovely full-page pieces add to the overall charm.” —Publishers Weekly

“Tripp builds a richly imagined fantasy world, captured both in Kit’s dry, witty first-person narrative and Tripp’s detailed illustrations. The complex political machinations… make for a compelling and quietly sinister background thrum that builds until the exciting concluding battle, which handily leaves room for more adventures in the planned trilogy. Fans of classic adventure will find plenty to like here.” —Booklist

Want to check out an excerpt? The first two chapters are on Amazon’s “Look Inside” feature, and you can read chapters three through eight on Tor.com

First some updates. This week’s Writing Excuses podcast episode features Sherrilyn Kenyon talking about how to make your readers fear for your characters. The newest WARBREAKER annotation is on a climactic moment in the Siri/Susebron relationship. And there’s a new batch of Twitter posts up, covering the past month.

Review of THE WISE MAN’S FEAR by Patrick Rothfuss

In case you haven’t heard, today is the release day of the long-awaited sequel to The Name of the Wind, a delightful debut fantasy novel by Patrick Rothfuss. I’ve had the privilege of reading the book, so I thought I’d post a heads-up here for those of you who read my blog, along with a review. (Of sorts.) Also, a reminder, I did an interview with Pat (and he kind of interviewed me back) for Amazon. You can read it at this link.

PART ONE: A REVIEW OF THE WISE MAN’S FEAR

All right, so the review of Wise Man’s Fear will focus on one question: Is it as good as the first?

The answer is . . . yes, and I feel that it’s quite a bit better. (That is saying a lot.)

There’s the review. I figure that those of you reading this blog will either:

1. Have read Name of the Wind and liked it, so that review should be more than enough for you.
2. Have read Name of the Wind and didn’t like it. If so, I respect your opinion, even though you’re obviously a crazy person.
3. Haven’t yet read Name of the Wind, so giving you an extensive review of the second book would really just be a big confusing spoiler.

PART TWO: GO BUY IT

This is a very, very good book. If you liked the first, might I suggest that you go out and purchase yourself a copy this week? Pat may not mention it himself, but first-week sales are very helpful in giving a book good momentum. It will determine how long the book stays on shelves, how good its placement is in weeks to come, and how aggressively the sequel will be ordered by bookstores.

As I always state for my own books, if you’re not a hardcover buyer, don’t feel guilty not going out to get it—as authors, we like you to consume books as you prefer to consume them. Library, hardcover, ebook, paperback . . . your call. However, if you ARE intending to read Wise Man’s Fear in hardcover, buying it early rather than late is always a nice sign for the author. Also, I’ve got a selfish reason for wanting Pat to sell well. I’d very much like to have a nice, friendly rivalry going with the chap. The Way of Kings hit #7 on the New York Times list. If Pat can hit in the top five with this book, it will give me something to shoot for.

(Honestly, I’m hoping he hits #1. It’s well within the realm of possibility for this book, and he deserves it. It will help the entire genre if this book sells well, as it will prove that big epic fantasy books by newer authors are still viable, and will also prove that excellence will be rewarded by the readership.)

PART THREE: A LONGER REVIEW (KIND OF)

Okay, so, I’m off on a tangent again. Let’s bring this back into focus. I’m going to assume that some of you haven’t read Name of the Wind yet. I often suggest it to people; it’s become—alongside Tigana, Eye of the World, and Dragonsbane—one of my top recommendations for fantasy readers. Often, however, people ask why they should read the book. Why do I recommend it?

Because it’s awesome.

Why is it awesome?

This often stops me. Why IS Pat’s writing awesome?

Well, the books have an absolutely wonderful magic system. One part science, one part historical pseudoscience, one part magical wonder. It’s the type of magic system that I’m always delighted to read, and ranks among my favorites in fantasy literature. But that alone doesn’t describe why the books are awesome.

In many ways, Name of the Wind is like an old, familiar coat. A young man orphaned at a young age. Time spent on the streets living as a thief and a street rat. A wizards’ school. Those who have not liked the book have often complained about the familiar tropes. What I love about how Pat uses these tropes, however, is the realism he strives to impart.

I view this story like a Batman Begins-type realism reboot of many classic fantasy tropes. We get to hear the legends of Kvothe, then read the truth, and make the connections of how things spiraled from realistic to fantastic. The way Pat does this is genius. In some places, you can barely pick out the tropes he is using—after one sequence in Wise Man’s Fear, I found myself laughing uproariously as I realized the mythological foundation for the sequence. There are familiar tropes, but they’re taken and made so new and fresh that you have to peer through several layers of silk to see them for what they are. In other cases, there is delightful originality.

Those things, however, also fail to describe why the books are awesome.

Kvothe is a very compelling hero, very classical in that he’s widely accomplished yet marred by a single dominating flaw. (In this case, his temper.) He is witty, charming, and so wonderfully capable that he’s a delight to read about. (Particularly following much of the current fiction I’ve read, which seems to take the utmost pains to make certain I don’t like anyone I’m reading about.) He’s noble, yet brash, and is clever, but inexperienced. (Which makes him dense on occasion.) He lives.

But even that is not what truly makes these books awesome.

In the end, I think that if I distill why I’ve loved these books so much more than others, it’s because of this: They’re beautiful. Wise Man’s Fear is a BEAUTIFUL book to read. Masterful prose, a sense of cohesion to the storytelling, a wonderful sense of pacing . . . None of that is the reason for the awesomeness any more than a single dab of paint is the reason why a Monet is a thing of wonder. But if you step back to look and digest the piece as a whole—not thinking too much about the parts—you are left with a sense of awe.

There is a beauty to Pat’s writing that defies description. Perhaps if Kvothe were here, he could write an appropriate song that would capture it.

Brandon

p.s. As this is of note to many of those in my audience, I feel that I should mention that this book contains a fair bit more sex than the previous volume did. Pat avoids graphic details, but there are events in the latter half of the book that some readers may find discomforting.

Voting has begun for the David Gemmell Legend Award, which I mentioned last week. It will continue through May 31st. Both WARBREAKER and THE GATHERING STORM are among the five nominees, but if you’re struggling to pick one I’d recommend THE GATHERING STORM since I feel it’s more in the spirit of Mr. Gemmell’s work.

There’s a great article on Robert Jordan, Harriet, and finishing the Wheel of Time in the Charleston City Paper. I’m not sure about the print edition, but online it’s listed as the cover story.

THE GATHERING STORM has won Audible’s 3rd Annual Tournament of Audiobooks, defeating THE HELP in the final round. Wow! Since this is a fan-voted award, I’m honored that you decided to give it the nod. I’m sure Mr. Jordan is also pleased. Performers Michael Kramer and Kate Reading have many fans as well; if you haven’t had a chance to check out the Wheel of Time series on audiobook, give it a try.

Speaking of audiobooks, over at Fantasy Literature they’ve posted reviews of both audio versions of WARBREAKER. There are also reviews of my other titles on that page, and many other reviews throughout the site.

In the most recent podcast episode of Writing Excuses, Dan, Howard, and I brainstorm story concepts using ideas from science. We started out by using a New Scientist article called “13 More Things We Don’t Understand”. Check it out.

In the most recent MISTBORN 3 annotations I talk about the beginning of Vin’s climax and her fight with the Inquisitors, Marsh and the earring, and cinematic writing. We’re getting close to the end… I guess I should start putting up the WARBREAKER annotations soon.

Finally, my good friend Janci Patterson just got her first fiction sale: her YA novel SKIPPED was bought by Christy Ottaviano at Henry Holt. I couldn’t be more pleased for her; I gave her some comments on the book (I basically thought it was brilliant). Janci also gave me some comments on THE WAY OF KINGS that proved invaluable in writing the final draft; if you’re following me on Twitter or Facebook you heard a little more about that. You may also recognize Janci from the MISTBORN 3 chapter 30 annotations. Anyway, I assume Janci’s book will be out in 2011 or 2012, after which you can all buy it and find out for yourself how great it is.

Tor.com has released Michael Whelan’s cover art for THE WAY OF KINGS.

They also have sketches and design commentary from Whelan himself. Go check it out. I think the cover is awesome—for more from me on it than that, wait for the blog entry I wrote up for Tor.com to post. I imagine it should go up in a few days.

I do plan to post here about THE WAY OF KINGS in the near future. In the meantime, there’s a new fan page for The Stormlight Archive over on Facebook. There’s also a Stormlight Archive fan site starting up over at Roshar.net. And not to be outdone, the Mistborn fandom has spawned a new fan site at Luthadel.net. (I’m not involved in any of these sites, but I love seeing the fans set things up like this.)

In the most recent MISTBORN 3 annotations, I talk about spacing out character climaxes, betrayal and trust, and Ruin’s methodology.

In this week’s Writing Excuses, Howard, Dan, and I are joined by writer Jessica Day George to talk about working with editors. Go give it a listen.

And speaking of Dan Wells, his book I AM NOT A SERIAL KILLER comes out in the US at the end of this month. Here’s what I said about the book a year ago:

Some books are exciting. Some books are intriguing. Some are exhilarating, others moving, and still others deeply disturbing. I’ve rarely found a book that fit all of these descriptions at once, and never have I read one that mixes each emotion together as thoroughly as I AM NOT A SERIAL KILLER.

While reading this novel, I felt like I did when I first discovered Lovecraft. The beauty of the prose, mixed with the depth of characterization, gave the haunting, first person narrative a human touch that I don’t always discover in horror novels. Yet I savor it when I do, for the finest horror is the most human of all genres.

It’s difficult to tie down I AM NOT A SERIAL KILLER. On one hand, it’s a character study that inspects the mind of a teenage sociopath. On the other, it’s an old fashioned murder mystery with a supernatural edge. Neither of those concepts convey the wit of the prose or the brilliance of the story’s great dilemma. Which is more alien? The monster with the heart of a man or the man with the heart of a monster?

In short, I can only say this: Read the book. Regardless of your age or your genre preferences, you will find this story both profound and enthralling.

This is as true today as it was back then, and the series only gets better. Check out this book trailer that Tor has released; I think it speaks for itself.