Werthead's History of Fantasy - fantasy reader's heaven

One of my favorite bloggers has written a fantastic (no pun intended) series of articles on the history of fantasy literature. They represent a great read no matter if you are already well acquainted with the genre or your interest has merely been sparked by the Game of Thrones TV series or Lord of the Rings movies. You can find it here.

Shadows of the Apt - progress update II

I finished The Air War, and loved it. I immediately started reading the next book in the series: The War Master's Gate. It is not disappointing. Far from it. The series is quite long, but worth every moment. I think I will be sad when I finish.

Empire in Black and Gold by Adrian Tchaikovsky - Insectpunk Fantasy

Empire in Black and Gold is the first book in the Shadows of the Apt series. The series is finished, it consists of 10 books and it has garnered flattering reviews from the blogosphere. I have been circling it for some time and finally decided to give it a go.

At the beginning, the author throws us in the middle of a battle for the city of Myna, where Stenwold Maker and his friends are trying to help the city fend off the attack of the Wasp Empire. In the midst of all chaos, we are presented with barely a sketch of a somewhat different fantasy setting. I really like my FSF this way. At the start, you see a tip of the proverbial iceberg, and then your patience is rewarded as you read along.

Heroes Die by Matthew Stover – Perfect Blend of SF and Fantasy

Heroes Die is the first book in the Matthew Woodring Stover’s Acts of Caine trilogy. The author created a world that consists of the future dystopian Earth and a parallel world called Overworld, which is actually a fantasy setting bearing the characteristics of the majority of books published in this genre after Tolkien. This provides for a very interesting dichotomy – on the one side we have a science fiction milieu in which there is an overcrowded Earth, the population of which is divided into castes, with very strict rules and harsh system of punishment. On the other side is a fantasy world rich with magic, all kinds of creatures, and filled with adventures. 

This is not a new thing.

Beyond the wall - Essays on Ice and Fire

The phenomenon that is А Song of Ice and Fire has long ago transcended the domain of literature. The HBO television series is already one of the most viewed shows on television, and the most pirated one, for sure. It has literally taken the modern world by storm. 

The reason is simple – it’s got quality. The novels that make the series are so layered, exquisitely written and meaningful that they present an abundant source of material for debate and deliberation.

Therefore it is no surprise that something like this has been published. Beyond the Wall: Exploring George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire, from A Game of Thrones to A Dance with Dragons is a collection of some 15 essays on various aspects of Martin’s exquisite literary work. And these essay do it just.

The contributors are RA Salvatore (foreword), Daniel Abraham, Linda Antonsson, Myke Cole, Elio M. García, Jr., Brent Hartinger, John Jos. Miller, Alyssa Rosenberg, Jesse Scoble, Caroline Spector, Matt Staggs, Susan Vaught, Ned Vizzini, Gary Westfahl, Adam Whitehead, and Andrew Zimmerman Jones.

All of the essays in the collection are remarkable. Well-written and interesting, they provide the reader with deep insight into the very world of Westeros, but also into some unexpected but important and noteworthy aspects of these books. For example, Daniel Abraham wrote about the challenges related to adapting the original books into graphic novels, and military science fiction writer Myke Cole tackled the way how Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder shaped many of the leading characters.

There is also an excellent character study of Littlefinger in a Petyr Baelish and the Mask of Sanity written by Matt Staggs.

One of the most interesting to me was the essay of a television writer Ned Vizzini, Beyond the Ghetto, How George RR Martin Fights the Genre Wars, about the biases against genre fiction and how that affected the critical response to the television series.

All in all, this collection represents a well of knowledge and a true treat for every fan of George RR Martin’s work. It is a must read.

Joe Abercrombie – fantasy with grit

When I decided to start reading Mr. Abercrombie’s novels, I did a brief consideration of the reading order and opted for The Blade Itself, the first book in The First Law trilogy. As my expectations were rather high I was not surprised with the overall quality but I did find some aspects of the books more satisfying. There will be some spoilers in the remainder of this article so read with caution, if you happened to have stumbled on this blog and are interested in reading what some guy from who knows where has to say about these particular works of literature.

I have read five of Abercrombie’s novels in total, without pauses. When I read series of books, and I do have all published parts at hand, I usually read something else between parts of the series. I don’t have a specific explanation for that but if I had to explain myself, I would say that I do it so as not to grow weary of the same setting, characters or both. This tactic has helped me wrestle through The Eye of the World, but that is another story…

In this case, however, there was no need for such approach. I was through The First Law very quickly, and it left me craving for more. It was The Heroes then, followed by Red Country, after which I decided to make a little break.

First, I will mention some of the obvious strong points of Abercrombie’s writing. Characterization is one of three essential elements of good writing, the other two being plot and style, and it is simply superb. Abercrombie has great skill in making lifelike and realistic characters. Most of them are not likable, and those who are, usually get killed soon. I must confess that Logen Ninefingers, is my favorite. I still cannot decide if he has a split personality, or is there a demon who possesses him during battle, or is he a berserker who gets into a battle frenzy. He is a very good example of Abercrombie’s characterization craft. Glokta is another, maybe even more nuanced. There are also some particularly interesting female characters. Characterization is definitely one of the strongest elements of Abercrombie’s books.

As regards style, it is in perfect harmony with Abercrombie’s take on fantasy literature, or its deconstruction, conditionally speaking. He is often using internal monologue, colloquialisms, characters are swearing, there are a lot of quips. On the other hand, there is not much description, except in battle sequences, and those are top of the line. The best action sequences that I have read so far were in Paul Kearney’s Macht series, and Abercrombie is getting pretty darn close. All in all, Abercrombie’s writing style is perfectly suitable for the grittiness that he is trying to convey.

That leaves us with the plot. There is not much to object in this respect. All Abercrombie’s books that I have read are fast-paced. He has achieved great balance between action and the rest. Since my reading time is restricted to commuting and bedtime, I had been expecting that it would take me a lot of time to read these books. However, Abercrombie just makes you find time. He is that good.

The world that Abercrombie has created is a harsh world, world where magic exists but barely, world where it does not pay to be nice because you will pay for it. It is a world where people get hurt, crippled, tortured, cheated, deceived, manipulated and every victory has a bitter taste. One just has to be realistic about these things. And this world is exactly that. Realistic

Verdict or De gustibus non est disputandum: I am not very good at grading but I can highly recommend these books. It does not matter if you like this genre or that. A good book is a good book. Try Abercrombie, you might like it a lot.

Welcome to Domain of Tanaros

Hello!

If the name Tanaros  is familiar, it is because I chose it on the base of the character Tanaros Blacksword from the Sundering duology written by Jacqueline Carey. It is one of my favourite fantasy series of all time.

I am a translator by profession, with a degree in English Language and Literature. I like science fiction and fantasy, but it is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg when my interests are in question. 

You are welcome to enter and share my thoughts on books, films, music, technology, current events and life in general. Hopefully, my writings will be of interest to you and provoke you to think and further widen your horizons.

This is the first step in my effort to fulfill my long lasting desire to start writing a blog, and I hope that the journey will be long and enriching.

Best of all.

Tanaros