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Reviews, Part 30

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1) Author Nicholas Kaufmann liked Circle of Enemies, but wishes Ray could have a happy fun romp in the hay: “This is a truly special series, and exactly the kind of fantasy that appeals to readers like me who involuntarily shudder when fantasy novels open with a map and end with a glossary.”

2) Maria at Bear Mountain Books liked Child of Fire: “It’s edgy and very fast paced, but the characters display enough emotion and humanity to make it a very good read.”

3) Jeremiah at jbullfrog.net thinks that Circle of Enemies is the “Best book in the series yet. Damn you Harry Connolly for making me stay up so late the past few days.”

4) S. C. Green at The Shadowed Quill liked Child of Fire well enough but wanted there to be more explanation of the background: “Even though the book is subtitled a Twenty Palace Novel, by the last page I still have no idea what or who the Twenty Palace Society is. I get their basic function (to a very small degree), but I want more answers to the “why” of everything.”

5) Stewart at The Flying Turtle gave Circle of Enemies an 8.5: “The stakes are more personal in this book as the victims are all Rays former friends, who are well written enough to make you care about them pretty quickly.”

6) Bethany at Word Nerd likes Child of Fire but thought the ghost knife was overused? “Normally, I would say run right out and start reading, but… sigh… the writing is solid, but if you’re looking for a long-term relationship with a series, know that you’re going to be left hanging here.” (As a quick note, I’ve never read anything by Weis/Hickman.)

7) Andrew at Pleasure for the Empire really enjoyed Child of Fire: “I really can’t say enough how awesome this book is.“

Randomness for 10/19

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1) We are the 1%, bitches.

2) The tragedy series.

3) Infographic political statements on your legal tender.

4) How taxing is it to run in heavy armor?

5) The world’s largest rooftop farm is in New York.

6) Thirteen Observations made by Lemony Snicket while watching Occupy Wall Street from a Discreet Distance.

7) The Dungeons and Dragons Coloring Book from 1979. These images are perfectly sized for printing. Just sayin’.

Randomness for 10/13

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1) What it’s like to work on a show in trouble.

2) Saveur magazine invites comix artists to write and draw their favorite recipes. Wonderful.

3) Cameos carved in Oreo cookies.

4) Cat vs. Hairdryer. Video.

5) Six big economic myths, debunked.

6) Super-rich superheroes (and villains) are the 1%!

7) TV/movie starships, to scale.

Won’t someone think of the children?

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A fretful grownup has written yet another article complaining about grim subject matter in modern YA, this time published in the NY Times. It deserves to be refuted, but this shit is so tiresome I can’t work up the energy for it.

Luckily, Rose Fox has already addressed it, and done a better job than I would have. Phew.

Randomness for 10/10

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1) Evangelicals try to rebrand Halloween into “Jesusween” because what’s more important that Jesus’s ween?

2) Photos of people scared shitless at a haunted house. This is so freaking amazing I don’t even know.

3) Ten stubborn food myths that just won’t die.

4) Want to see part of a mountain fall into the sea? Video.

5) I include this because it looks great and is technically well done, even if the “story” isn’t: Stop-Motion Ninja duel. Video.

6) This is why I’m not nostalgic about Steve Jobs, even though my home is full of stuff he sold.

7) This post by Ezra Klein is pretty good chronicling of the errors made when the Obama administration designed their stimulus.

Bonus link: There’s a site re-posting old Usenet articles exactly 30 years after they were originally posted. Use your newsreader: nntp.olduse.net.

Reviews, Part 29

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1) The person writing at “The Entropy Pump” seems to think that Ray’s successes in the first couple books show that he’s a “million-to-one snowflake” and disapproves.

2) Paolo Gabriel V. Chikiamco writes a very interesting (and positive) review of Child of Fire at Fantasy Faction: “While the characters are the heart of the novel, and the reason why I enjoyed it so much the first time I read it, what I grew to appreciate in subsequent readings is the way that Connolly manages to both hew to and eschew a tried and tested fantasy formula.”

3) LiveJournaler Zornhau really enjoyed it: “It’s what you’d get if James Ellroy spent a month reading Lovecraft. Macho. Dystopian. Touching. Disturbing. The horror is horror, but the heroes go up against it and gain not entirely futile victories.”

4) Alice at All there is… and the rest of it liked Child of Fire: “I like the main character, Ray Lilly. He changes, almost against his will over the course of the book. It’s a matter of regaining a moral compass. He doesn’t necessarily want to be a better person, but he knows he has to. I will definitely read the rest of the series.”

5) Garrett at The Ranting Dragon gives Child of Fire a big thumbs up: “This novel is an exhilarating addition to the urban fantasy genre.”

6) Bill Martell, the screenwriter at Sex in a Submarine, really liked Circle of Enemies: “I really liked that this is Ray dealing with people from his past – that made this more than just an entertaining story. It deals with lost loves and ex-friends and guilt and remorse and every messy friendship situation you’ve ever had.” It’s nice when a reader really sees what I was trying.

7) Drew Bittner at SFRevu gives Circle of Enemies a “Recommended”: “Harry Connolly delivers another high-powered and fast-paced adventure, with a great protagonist in Ray Lilly.“

TV Tropes has a story generator?

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It sure does.

I’ll never struggle with a story again, although I’m not sure if that’s because the generator will give me what I need or I won’t surface from TV Tropes long enough to write one.

Seen via Fred Hicks

Randomness for 10/6

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1) This is the guy who should be redesigning DC’s rebooted heroes.

2) Artwork created in rice fields.

3) The 20 Biggest Idiots on Facebook. via Marisol

4) Spooky Victorian Mansions made of Legos.

5) Who Killed Videogames, A Ghost Story

6) Microphotography contest winners.

7) “We are the 1%.”

Randomness for 9/29

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1) The Dead Sea Scrolls are available online.

2) A flowchart guide to NPR’s top 100 sf/f books. “Enjoy stories about orphaned farm boys?” “No.” “Tough.”

3) M&Ms viewed through water drops.

4) How not to impress a publisher. And it’s all true, which won’t surprise anyone.

5) How to peel a whole head of garlic in ten seconds.

6) Photos of supers in their off moments. Of course Wonder Woman is the only one in a sexual activity and, um, considering the history of the character… Never mind. Love the Spider-man, though. Via Bill Martell.

7) Edible super-hero logos. Hellboy in chili is perfect, but I doubt the Punisher has ever gone near soy yogurt in his life.

A thoroughly unscientific survey of ebook buyers

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How do ebook readers choose which books to buy?

The results, while not necessarily reliable, fall pretty much in line with what we know about print books: “Others said it was great” and “I’ve enjoyed this author’s work before.” That’s why reviews are so important for writers when they’re just starting out.