Rather than a proposed question, this Monday the Musings reverts back to:
• Describe one of your reading habits. • Tell us what book(s) you recently bought for yourself or someone else, and why you chose that/those book(s). • What book are you currently desperate to get your hands on? Tell us about it! • Tell us what you’re reading right now — what you think of it, so far; why you chose it; what you are (or, aren’t) enjoying it. • Do you have a bookish rant? Something about books or reading (or the industry) that gets your ire up? Share it with us! • Instead of the above questions, maybe you just want to ramble on about something else pertaining to books — let’s hear it, then!
Today, I am simply thankful to be back ‘on JLAS’, picking up where I left off with my book reviews, and setting up for a wicked month-long post extravaganza (Sci-Fi November!)! I recently finished two books, which I reviewed post-haste:“The Study of Murder” by Susan McDuffie and “Virtual Blue” by R.J. Sullivan! I was honoured that I had the opportunity to read each of these novels, and for me, it was a departure from my preference for reading serial fiction in ‘order’ of either publication OR of the world the story is set inside. There are times where I feel you can be given a proper introduction to the characters and flow of the overall story, to where starting with a series in-progress might suit you as well as if you had started at the beginning! This also helps when you find authors who know how to spin the continuity of their series in such a brilliantly giving way (of which McDuffie and Sullivan excel!) to where you feel as though ‘you had read the previous installments!’ I appreciate too, that each book took me away from my zone of comfort when it comes to reading, as I explored the fascinating world of the 14th Century through the eyes of a reluctant amateur detective in ‘The Study of Murder’, whereas I left our shared reality for the world beyond which is housed within the virtual whilst digging into ‘Virtual Blue’!
There was a nibbling in the back of mind about the first book, something that I had forgotten to mention in my review, which is that Mariota used Caledula flowers as part of one of her tinctures, and that is the very ingredient inside my new toothpaste that is giving me the most relief! I thought it was clever how I had only just discovered Weleda’s Caledula Toothpaste! Small world! I have always loved learning more about natural medicines and herbal remedies, which is why this part of the story perked my interest in such a hearty way!
Whereas with ‘Virtual Blue’, I felt compelled to continue reading a story that was in full effect a bit of a language barrier (bless the author for summarising it!) for me, as he interwove such a courageous story, full of heart, raw pure gumption and a determined spunky spirit of which is the essence of ‘Blue!’ I was quite caught up in the particulars of the gaming world as much as the balance between good vs. evil, which is such a classic story arc to explore, but was given such a fine tune approach that it rendered a whole new world where your tested for what you are willing to understand!
I am moving next into “Redheart” by Jackie Gamber and “Illuminations” by Mary Sharratt, both of which I have been eagerly looking forward to reading and reviewing! I had hoped to review them far ahead of my post deadlines, but as I had outlined previously life in the bookish blogosphere doesn’t always go as we plan it to go! ‘Redheart’ is an epic fantasy world that envelopes around dragons, whereas ‘Illuminations’ dips into the living history of a saintly nun who changed the perception of the world at large by the knowledge she was bestowed and given to share! The latter is a biographical fiction set against the living legacies that were past down about Hildegard von Bingen, which I find fascinating! I am curiously drawn towards reading more and more biographical fiction accountments due to the hearty nature of the context as much as the drinkablity of the narrative!
In-between reading the books for review, I am settling into “Finnikin of the Rock” by Melina Marchetta, as I completely missed the key dates I was meant to post my reactions to the book as I read it, as well as the follow-up sequences speaking about “Community” and “Family” as it directly applied to the characters! Whilst I was living through personal affairs that took my time and attention away, I fear that this lovely event was on-going and brilliantly executed! I will be adding my reactions as I read through the chapters, adding my commentaries and visiting the collaborative reading experience post-event!
I am revising my posting schedule for SFN, due to a few quirks of not being able to source a few of the materials I needed, but I am not letting it deter my enthused joy for the event itself, because I am thankful to have had the opportunity to celebrate in the love of a genre that has been a mainstay throughout my life!
I was a bit disheartened that I had missed a few Booktalk Nation events whilst I was offblog, as I had hoped to have participated in the speaking tours of: Wally Lamb (We Are Water); Julia Quinn (The Sum of All Kisses); and Kristin Higgins (The Perfect Match). I wonder if any of my readers took part in these wicked sweet events!? I cannot speak more highly of Booktalk Nation, even though, I still owe a post about the last two authors I saw featured where were Laurie R. King and Robyn Carr! :) The one that I am hoping I am in line to participate in is Rachel Caine who will be speaking about her Morganville Vampire series which might sound out of context for me to engage in, and on one hand you would be keenly observant in that theory, however, I am always curious about books and authors that I hear about regularly through my circle of friends’. Her series is one that is spoken with affection, and despite my unease of wanting to enter into the world of vampires which has never quite been a good fit for me (outside of ‘Buffy’ and ‘Angel’; certain seasons over others!), I am willing to expand my knowledge and enlighten my heart by listening to the author who penned the stories that has captured the imagination of my dear friends! :)
A bookish blogger can not receive a more humble note of gratitude (aside from an author’s reaction to one of her reviews!) than a full-on post about the merits of joy in discovering a bookish event that a reader can attend, of which they *discovered!* through her sidebar! I speak on behalf of Christine (of Readerly Musings) trekking to Boston for the *Boston Book Festival!* Due venture over and viscerally live through her eyes of this smashingly brilliant bookish event! And, if any of the bits of my sidebar prove helpful, I’d be honoured to hear of your stories of where my sidebar led you to take an adventure! Its my long-term goal to utilise the bookish events, historical landmarks, and book shoppes for my own literary adventures; hence why they are included on my blog! I was hopeful that whilst I await the day to venture off, another reader might find the information useful to them! In this way, I am humbled and honoured by Christine’s post! :)
OOh, and eek! I nearly forgot!! I received word that the novella “A Light in the Window” (the prequel to “The Daughters of Boston” series) by Julie Lessman is FINALLY going to be available in print!! I do not yet have word as to ‘when’, but ooh, did I merrily rejoice in hearing that nearly a year to the day I first learnt about the novella I am celebrating the news of its publication in print!! I have attempted to *win!* a spiral bound copy of it throughout the blog book tours Ms. Lessman has participated in from November 2012 – 2013, however, it was not meant to be! I always longed to read this particular prequel, because as my future review of this lovely series (I am thinking this will be early 2014!) will reveal to you dear hearts, this series has nestled right in the niche of my heart! Marcy and Patrick are the parents inside the story of the O’ Connors, of whom are the hinge-pins who hold the entire Irish family together! To find a story set aside to speak about how they first met and conjoined in marriage is a story that I have pined to read! Blessed is I to have learnt I am closer to this dream! The news was announced in a reply to a comment I left on ‘the Society’ where Ms. Lessman guest posted for a day!
*NOTE: The RSS feed blurb is in the lower portion of my sidebar for ‘the Society’!
At some point, I would like restore my rhythm and pick up where I left off with my dear blogs, of which I enjoy reading regularly, but of which I haven’t had the proper chance to drop by and hang out! The blogs in particular I am museful about today are: Southern Belle View, Word Wenches, the Society, OWG, and a newbie favourite Austen Authors! I hope to swing back once I get my forthcoming reviews into focus and I have a handle on the first week of SFN! All in good time! I am with them in spirit! :) I read more blogs than this regularly, of course, as I am choosing to focus on the group author blogs right now that strike my fancy!
I believe that is all the bookish news and musings I have to share with you, dear hearts! IF I have accidentally been remiss, I will simply follow-up this post on WWW Wednesday! Here is to celebrating bookish memes, the bookish blog community, and the joy of reading! Most especially after a short hiatus we were not expecting!
{SOURCE: Jorie Loves A Story badge created by Raaven with editing by Jorie in Fotoflexer.}
Acquired Book By: I was selected to be a stop on the “Virtual Blue” Virtual Book Tour, hosted by Tomorrow Comes Media. I received “Virtual Blue” in exchange for an honest review by the publisher Seventh Star Press. The book released in August 2013. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.
Intrigued to Read: I always try to attempt to keep an open mind when it comes to discovering new forms of literature, as much as seeking out authors’ outside my zone of comfort! Whereupon I first learnt of this particular book and author, my initial reaction was simply thus: I would read his books anytime! Love the classic movie star vibe combined with the ghost story and leaping into lives via à la Quantum Leap! It was a precursor look into his collective works thus far along, as I gathered that he has a wicked sense of humour threaded throughout this books and I liked that aspect of his writings! His own website yields in the sub-heading to reflect his writing personality as thus as well!
It’s also a departure again for my preference for reading serial fiction in order of publication and/or in order of the series, as some books are published out of the structure of the world they are written in! Ironically or not! Laughs. There are times where I feel I can break this self-disciplined rule, and I felt I could with Virtual Blue! Let us see if I was right!
Curiously as I read the premise of this particular novel I felt like it was not entirely outside of what I’d expect to find in a story, as I am a long-term appreciator of “Charmed” (ahem! ahead of the writing derailments in latter seasons!), and I am sure this will have a connection in regards to an ill-fated film I watched (ill-fated here refers to the fact I was not meant to appreciate it!) which jumped the rails into pop culture stardom! The film I refer to is “The Matrix”, and yet, another film “Tron: Legacy” is one that I loved! However, having said all of that, I was game for a challenging read, and one that I wanted to test to see if I can carve out a niche in an urban genre mixed with the supernatural! Finding that this falls under ‘horror’ beneath the science-fiction umbrella was a bit daunting at first, as although I avoid modern horror for the most part, there are elements of stories that I enjoy that actually pertain to this branch! IF your familiar with “The Dead Zone” tv series and the “Mummy” films, you’ll know where I find myself in ‘modern’ horror, as my favourite by far are the early 1920’s-1960’s psychological suspense films that are ‘horror’ in scope, but not in grisly, gruesome, or grotesque visceral imagery! I am a quirky reader after all, dear hearts! Are you naught as well!?
Author Biography
R. J. Sullivan’s novel Haunting Blue is an edgy paranormal thriller and the first book of the adventures of punk girl Fiona “Blue” Shaefer and her boyfriend Chip Farren. Seventh Star Press released Haunting Obsession, a Rebecca Burton Novella in 2012 and Virtual Blue, the second book in Fiona’s tale, in 2013. Seventh Star will release a new edition of Haunting Blue in early 2014. R. J.’s short stories have been featured in such acclaimed collections as Dark Faith Invocations by Apex Books and Vampires Don’t Sparkle. His newest project is the Red Lotus series of science fiction novelettes for readers of all ages. R.J. resides with his family in Heartland Crossing, Indiana. Check in regularly to learn the latest about the projects of R. J. Sullivan.
Synopsis of Virtual Blue:
Did you ever wish you could escape to a virtual world? What if you could…but then couldn’t get out?
Two years after her deadly clash with a vengeful ghost, Fiona “Blue” Shaefer still can’t shake off the trauma of that night. Moving to New York with her father didn’t help. Neither did absorbing herself in her college classes. Not even her poetry provided the solace it once did. She convinces herself that ending her relationship with Eugene “Chip” Farren, her long-distance boyfriend and final tie to the horrors of that night, might bring the closure she needs. Blue travels to Bloomington to break the news to Chip in person, but her timing couldn’t be any worse.
The Sisters of Baalina, vengeful cultists who practice a new form of “techno-magic,” have targeted Chip’s multi-player videogame as the perfect environment to cast a dangerous spell to free a demoness from the very pits of hell. In the process, their plan may trap Blue in a prison of the mind with no locks, no bars, and no escape.
Spotlight on the Illustrative Art by Bonnie Wasson:
Artwork Credit: Bonnie Wasson
Ms. Wasson does not disappoint with her stunning visual accuracy of the images that your own mind’s eye conjures to be representative of the characters in Virtual Blue! As I have come to read two Seventh Star Press releases featuring cover art and illustrated plates by Matthew Perry, I was most delighted to have my ‘introduction’ to the artistry of Wasson! You could nearly pluck “Blue” into a lovely series of stationery sheets to musefully write your friends’ the everyday adventures you seek and enjoy! Although, this is perhaps an observation only a letter-writer would make on behalf of “Blue!”
On the left, is the plate which depicts the final encounter between Marda and Blue, in Chapter Twenty-Eight. Did you notice the reflective menacing arc of the blade!? There is emotional drama in this scene, as captured in this plate, but with the presence of a blade, twinged sharp and lethal, it adds to the emotions that your feeling as you read the scene initially!
Artwork Credit: Bonnie Wasson
On the right, is the plate which depicts Baalina and Blue meeting at the portal at the end of Chapter Nineteen. For every good seed there must be a bad one to off-set the imbalance, which is usually when the forces of evil wage war against the good in stories such as these, as they are forever attempting to assert their ascent over the free and just! This particular scene is exactly as its portrayed as being: a showdown of wills between Baalina and Blue!
The sharpness of her details, allows you to glimpse inside the characters’ world as though they had stepped into our own, which is always something that I look for when I observe an artist’s rendition of a writers’ work! I was full of mirth whilst reading Blue’s reaction to her ‘virtual self’ in the story (Chapter Three), and I wondered what Wasson felt once she had finished rendering Blue as Daria!? As she eclipsed the full essence of finding oneself re-imaged as an improved version by a second party!
Reflections As I Became Entrenched in Virtual Blue:
A daughter’s regret on the events that led to her mother’s death overshadow the confidence that Fiona (Blue) has for moving forward with her life. I think that is a plausible problem for most who lose their loved ones under conditions that are not afforded to being naturally inclined. Your always going to question the moments (even the nanoseconds!) that lead up to their death, and question the very will you had to effectively change the outcome; if at all possible. Unresolved grief and anger can swelter in a person’s spirit, wrecking them to see the clear path towards their future. I can see how transfixed Fiona is on the past, as she experienced an unsettling incident that left her torn away from the one person she leaned on the most: her mother! What anguish she must have endured! I speak of this, retrospectively, as I did not read “Haunting Blue” but am thankful that Sullivan provided glimpses of what occurred ‘previously’ through reflections and interactions in the present. Her relationship with her father is on the rocks as well, and I can see how that could happen due to the proposed separation the two had sustained in their relationship. Sullivan sets the scene nicely for those of us coming into this series second-hand!
I was pleasantly happy to see an exchange of poetry between Blue and Drew in the opening chapter, as I am a poet myself and oft wondered what it would be like to read poems by fellow poets in a reading session! I started young like Blue in this regard, as I was still in high school when the magic of verse and poetry nestled into my heart and etched out through my pen! I wonder if she started in her senior year, or younger, as I was a sophomore!? Perhaps that is revealed in the first book! I too, know what it is like to lose the momentum to create when the absence of words stills to a near deafening silence! Interesting thread of story shaping into the exchange between Blue and Drew! Lovely and real!
I had forgotten a bit how exciting the gaming life can become, as I was a gamer for most of my younger days, and am trying to sort out the games of ‘today’ to keep up with the changing trends! I used to love computer games like: Where in the World is Carmen Sandiago?, Loom, Battle Chess, Tetris, as well as a virtual reality environment game (The Journeyman Project) from the 1990’s! It was singularly one of my favourites to play, too! The rich futuristic environment of its setting is what captured me into its world! Then, there is of course the game that was pre-loaded on my iMac which I could not play enough of: Deimos Rising! I’ll bypass the Nintendo, Sega, and PlayStation platform games that interest me. Needless to say, my gaming life is as quirky as my reading life! I was also captured by a hybrid game of Dungeons and Dragons as a teen where I had the unfortunate mishap of ‘solving’ the game-play ahead of actually ‘playing the game’ and became Assistant Dragonmaster instead! All of this is on top of traditional gaming by way of board games and card games, by which I am a dedicated player! Solarquest, Five Crowns, or Hand & Foot anyone!? I suppose you could say, I understood the inertia of building excitement for Chip and Phil whilst they were unearthing their dream game “Fantasy Free-Form”!
As a side note, the “Terror Twins” of Cyn and Van smirked a resemblance of my remembrance of the Klingon Duras sisters! And, a lot of the undercurrent terror building on behalf of Marda’s coven bespoke of episodes I watched on “Charmed”, in which, the setting of the unfolding story was not difficult to understand! I did find it a keen observation, that they would infiltrate through the upstart game in order to conquer their destiny!
Artwork Credit: Bonnie Wasson
Review of Virtual Blue:
Unsurprising to me, Fiona dissolves into Blue at the first meet-up with her soon-to-be-ex Chip, as she has based her self-identity on their relationship and the woman she is whilst she is around him. She has far more to give and to explore on her own path, independent of his interaction in her life, but old habits are hard to shake, when the person your attempting to break up with was there for you at such a pivotal moment in your life. I think its his attachment to her sorrowful loss that tipped the scales of uncertainty against forging a life away from him in the first place. The strength it takes to stand alone, and seek out new individuals who are more aligned with who you are ‘now’ is oft times more daunting of a task than resuming the status quo! Then, again, what if the fragment of who you were could be re-discovered through the eyes of your beloved? In only a way that a true love can bring you back from the depths of despair from whence you disappeared!? Such is the heart-aching choice Blue must decide as she embarks on a trip back to Indiana to face her past and choose her future.
As the story shifts forward, the counter-balance of good vs. evil is revealed due to the back-story of how the followers of Baalina have taken steps to assist her freedom. You start to see how determined Blue must become to shelf her own desires and forge ahead towards redeeming the liberty of everyone else instead.
By the time Blue, Phil, and Chip start to investigate, I had swirling memories of why I missed the detective and mystery series of my younger days! Innocence of youth, gleeful joy in the hunt for uncovering the mystery, and the joy of succeeding in taking down a full-on challenging adversary! I liked the tug-of-war between the threesome, as they do not always get along due to the struggle with the balance of two boys and a girl in tow whose in love with one of them! I love the classic set-up, and the irresistible intrigue that follows suit!
There are elements of fantastical lore and myth etched into the undercurrents to pitch the truth of the Kelranian historic fight against Baalina and her chosen sisters. Sullivan reaches into Arthurian lore to draw out a new seedling of inspiration to stitch the story between the past, present, and future. In this vein, the story settles into a sub-plot I found most entertaining! Sullivan has woven spirituality, religion, and faith into the pacing of the story as much as he has researched how to endeavour the reader with plausible inclusions of lore! An internal and outer struggle known throughout the centuries is at the forefront of what happens when both sides take part in a feud they did not agree to join!
Honestly, I would have loved this story truly if my eyes didn’t have to skip over all the vulgar cursing that the characters were quite attached to spewing whenever their situations turned adverse! I didn’t find it a necessary arc for the story, nor a positive attribute for Blue and Chip! And, although I appreciated the depictions of the Hell that Blue was subjected to being placed inside in order to entrap Baalina, Cyn, Van, and Marda – I think I could have fared better to have that bit shortened and have the ending stand as it is. Especially since their evil hearts were clearly evident from previous chapters! Its the ending resolution of Blue’s future that I appreciated seeing the most, as I was rather angst ridden understanding the full scope of Rebecca Burton’s!
A Most Curious Tie-In:
I was quite enthused to read in Chapter Four how the author’s depiction on the Tour Badge and Author Photograph tie-in to the story! At first, I thought perhaps its his whimsical humour settling into the fray, but no! It actually has a direct connection to the story-line and with Virtual Blue! Rock on, Mr. Sullivan! That’s the equivalent of finding Hitchcock inserted into his own motion picture!
Inasmuch as the curiously able investigator Rebecca Burton being involved in this mystery, who has previously been seen in novellas and shorts! Sullivan has a way of connecting each of his stories in such a charmingly symmetrical synchronical way! Wicked! I wonder if he is going to release the Burton novellas and shorts as a stand-alone collection!?
A Notation on the Horror Aspects of the Plot:
Honestly!? It took me nearly half-way through to realise that I hadn’t surmised when the ‘horror’ of the story had even arrived! I think for the most part, my mind was happily seeing connections between series I had seen on the screen, and therefore, perhaps, my mind and heart overlooked a few things! I know there was a proper fight scene between Blue & Marda, as well as other interactions with blades, but personally I place those instances under ‘fight sequences or stand-offs’ rather than directly linked to horror!? I wonder if this book was misfiled!? Until I reached Chapter Sixteen which has an excellent representation of the differences between Heaven and Hell. Which continues to be explored the further inside the novel you venture towards.
Fly in the Ointment:
The only criticism I can give is the inclusion of vulgar expressions that irk my ire in regards to not having the heat of the moment more creatively expressed! This book did not start out falling under what I’d consider “excessive vulgarity” but it ended with my feelings that it pushed my barometer to the extreme! Mostly due to key words which were used to express or denounce certain climaxical emotions that I would consider better spent if they had been conveyed in a mannerism that befit the story in a creative way other than the method that Sullivan chose to give. This is not necessarily a criticism directed at him entirely, as I oft find myself in this quandary of a position, as my personal leanings are more towards the Shakespearean art of insultive and pernicious declarations! For this reason, I did not choose to include the book trailer for the first half of this series, “Haunting Blue”, as I was quite aghast that the words were left in, by which had to be ‘sound clipped’ out! Oy! Generally, I am always the first to fully support all materials to help a book, but this became a personal deference of choice on my behalf. I think the main reason this struck me rather severely, is after noting that Blue was a poet, I thought she might have articulated her emotions in a more eloquent way rather than in such a common way! And, I’m at a complete loss as to why all characters simply feel the need to express themselves in a manner that is not tactful or fitting to educated society! Sighs. Clearly, not every depiction of a novel in synopsis form gives way to rendering a precise foresight of what the novel will relay. Therefore, I am sure, I am in the minority who would consider this a ‘fly in the ointment’ to even mention! However, it is what it is. Except to say, that my overall enjoyment of the story itself was not darkened by this blight of words that ruffled my feathers and twitched my nose!
{SOURCES: Cover art and inside plate illustrations of “Virtual Blue” by Bonnie Wasson; R.J. Sullivan’s photograph and biography, and the blog tour badge were all provided by Tomorrow Comes Media and used with permission. Post dividers by Fun Stuff for Your Blog via Pure Imagination. Blog tour badge provided by Parajunkee to give book bloggers definition on their blogs.}
You will be seeing quite a bit of this lovely badge, over the score of the next month, as I proceed to enter into the world of the “Lunatere Chronicles” as foretold and revealed in “Finnikin of the Rock” by Melina Marchetta!
My fascination with this book has roots to the original post I read about it whilst wandering around Blog Nation’s bookish blogs feed page, wayy back in August! Whereupon I stumbled across this book review made by Charlene (Bookish Whimsy), and of which, made me realise that this was a high fantasy novel that I wanted to read! :) There was something about the way in which she conveyed the characters, the setting, the story, and the overall enjoyment on her end to have read the book!! I was intrigued and captivated by this world I knew nothing about and I felt energised to want to read it! I had no idea that there was a read-a-long in the works, and as I marked myself down to participate, I was even more curious about the book in the weeks & months leading up to the start date! You see, all I can speak about in my home, is “You know there is this bloke called ‘Finnikin’, and you see,…” Now, I get to read his story!
| Actual Event Scheduling |
The Event runs from October 7th – 27th
Finnikin of the Rock readalong: October 7th-20th. (That’s two weeks to read 400pg) October 7th-13th: Prologue and Chapters 1-15 October 14th-20th: Chapters 16-30
(Scheduled posts by participating bloggers will be added here as they are received.)
Charlotte @ Gypsy Reviews | Lumatere Chronicles & High Fantasy (date open)
Lee @ Rally the Readers | Reaction Post (Oct 21)
Tory @ The Sleeping Latte | Feels post, possible Lucian post (Oct 14, 21)
Kim @ YA Asylum | Character/Relationship post (Oct 17)
Alisa @ Picture Me Reading | Undecided (date open)
Samantha @ Celestial Carousel | Review, possibly more (Oct 22) Doing Dewey | Review (Oct 25)
Charlene @ Bookish Whimsy | Review, Beatriss and Trevanion (date open)
Paola @ A Novel Idea | Undecided/Isaboe (date open)
The Duchesses Group Review (date open)
[I will be updating this calendar of posts as I know more!]
| Jorie’s contributions will be |
Theme of Community: 20 October | November Theme of Family: 26 October | November Stand-Out Character Profile: 27 October | November Reaction Post: 27 October | November
+ The Three Friday’s Discussion Posts!
| [8 November: Prologue – Chapters 10] | [15 November – Chapters 11 – 20] |
| [22 November – Chapters 21-30] |
**Originally it was my intent to post in October, due to personal matters I had to let go of that idea and pick up the reading & the blogging of my adventures in this wicked world in November! I will be turning in the links for my posts as they alight on my blog to Charlene @ Bookish Whimsy so that perhaps in time, other readers who are seeking reader impressions about this book will stumble across the reading I did too! It would be nice to think that I could pass forward to the joy of ‘wanting to read’ this novel as that is how it came to alight in my own life, through the joy spun out of Charlene’s review of the book! Due to my participation in SFN I decided to draw out the reading per week in order to manage both events!**
{SOURCE: Finnikin of the Rock badge created by Jorie in Canva. Photo Credit: Cole Patrick (Public Domain : Unsplash).}
The world by which I am entranced to learn more about! And, of an author I decided to direct my interview into the personal sphere of getting to know a bit more about the writer who pours his passion for history and research into the narratives he captures about the life and beings who inhabit “Ave!”
Author Biography
Stephen Zimmer is an award-winning author of speculative fiction, whose works include the Fires in Eden Series (Epic Fantasy), the Rising Dawn Saga (epic-scale Urban Fantasy), the Harvey and Solomon tales (Steampunk), the Hellscapes tales (Horror), and the Rayden Valkyrie tales (Sword and Sorcery).
He is also a writer-director in moviemaking, with feature and short film credits such as Shadows Light, The Sirens, and Swordbearer. His Steampunk stories are available through Dark Oak Press Media.
Inspired to Share: To gain insight into his multi-dimensional professional endeavours, as author, film-maker, and promoter. He delves into the details of striking the balance in the publishing industry whilst navigating the seas of Indie Publishing. As well as how to keep a pulse on the motion picture industry whilst maintaining his passion for telling stories. An interesting section is how he describes his world-building methods, the importance of reading, and to focus your passion on writing your heart out. He rounds out the chat by talking about Hellscapes which is also part of this tour!
By which the interview commenced,
between Jorie and Mr. Zimmer!
I am quite esteemed to announce that the author of Ave is dropping by my blog today! I have elected to ask him questions that may or may not be familiar to those of whom have been following his career thus far! If you are a reader like me, who has not expanded her horizons into speculative realms, you might enjoy getting this inside glimpse into one of Seventh Star Presses shining examples of how a writer can change his stars and purport his own future!
At what age did you decide in your mind’s eye to become a writer and what was your first story?
Zimmer responds: I would say that I was approximately around 19 or 20 when I finally began to get truly serious about writing, in terms of looking toward writing as a career.In my early twenties, this outlook solidified, and my years in Abilene, Texas at Hardin-Simmons University were very conducive to both motivation and focus. It was during and immediately after this period that the seeds of the Rising Dawn Saga and Fires in Eden Series took root. In regard to my first story, I honestly can’t remember!
I would bet my mother would, and if she were still with us I would ask her right now, as I’m curious myself! It was likely some kind of fun and not-so-well-written little tale during my grade school years, maybe even in relation to something at school at that time.
I really dived into the deep end of the pool in terms of writing books, as in my formative period I wrote what became three volumes of an epic-scale cross-genre series. I still think the ideas are really interesting in it, but these works were definitely my training ground! LOL
I began writing fervently a bit ahead of you, whilst at the age of 14 I drew out inspiration for the science fiction world where science fact merged into the threads of the story-lines. I have always been curiously passionate about the sciences, especially those that involve the cosmos and/or the quantum realms. I, too, can relate to having your rhythm in your writing life achieved at a younger age, as I found my true niche before I turnt 18 years old, but fell into a bit of a writer’s block in the pursuing years since until 2008! Oh, mothers are the best, are they not!? They not only remember the finite details that the dust of our experiences have erased, but they have this knack for keeping things that would mean something to us lateron! My Mum saved samplings of my early writings, to where I look back now and see the seeds of where I was headed as a teen and as a thirty-something! It’s Mums like ours that are blessed to have supporting us! And, yes, I can even relate to ‘jump diving’ head-on into your writing, as I also created novels-in-progress, but the only difference is I am still going to finish them for publication. Maybe bits of yours could be salvaged and re-structured into a new story!? Or, even a series of shorts!?
What stories can you share regarding your time spent with your father as he researched cancer? Did he make any breakthroughs that you can share?
Zimmer responds: I spent many, many hours in laboratories, but I most vividly recall simple things, like walking down to visit dad in his office during the day to see how he was doing or to talk a little football, or going with him to the cafeteria to get lunch. It has always been the straightforward things that I enjoy the most, and my memories turn smoothly toward seeing him shine with excitement about science as he spoke with one of the multitude of students he taught over his career, witnessing him talking about new projects, planning for upcoming meetings, and everything else in the world of a research professor.He was a man who was incredibly passionate about his work, and he was also a dedicated teacher and mentor.
Going with dad to the lab was something present all throughout my life, when he was here. In fact, when I was in grade school, he’d take me into the lab with him on the weekend in the early morning and then take me over to watch the UK football team play in Commonwealth Stadium! The memories are too numerous to count.
Among the many memories I have was taking a trip with him to Maryland, where he was serving on a committee of scientists reviewing grant proposals for the Department of Defense in research areas. We had a great time together, from visiting a civil war battlefield, to sampling some regional/local beers, and just talking history, politics, or whatever came to mind. It was a true father/son trip that I have always thought back upon.
In regard to his work, my dad was one of the pioneers in his area of research, which concerned translational control. His work involved several types of cancers, including breast, cervical, and ovarian, in addition to consulting regarding brain cancers and many other types.
Although my Da didn’t work in the research sciences, he did work in a very high octane job for each year I’ve been alive, and I can attest to how exhausting that kind of pace can make you! Therefore, we always focused on the small things that bubbled over and turnt into the some of the most brilliant of memories lateron! Grabbing bites to eat, visiting nurseries for plants or statuary gardens, and even, riding along with him whilst he did his errands for his business was loads of fun! Of course, you had to have a solid sense of humour, as my Da’s field of choice was the complete opposite of your father’s! Interesting that we each have memories of being with our fathers’ at work and/or during the in-between moments where they could spare a special moment just to be inside our worlds for a glimmer of pause out of the day! I had not realised how tenacious your Dad was in fighting cancer nor how accomplished he was in the field! You must feel a great weight of pride and honour in knowing what he was able to achieve whilst he was here! I cannot imagine how difficult it is to have lost both your parents at such a young age! It’s a testament to their love for their children, how you’ve been able to soldier on and carry-on with your dreams!
What led your family relocation to Lexington, KY from Denver, CO?
Zimmer responds: My mom and dad met at Colorado State University, but his path to getting his first job as a professor took a short step through St. Louis first, and then, finally Lexington. From what I gathered, dad thought Lexington would be a really nice place to raise a family, which was very influential in his decision to take the job at the University of Kentucky.
I can relate to this, as in the regards of knowing where to relocate from a ‘home’ state into a new state, one of the considerations my own family has been making is not only which state holds the most for each of us to find long-term happiness, but which is the best fit for a family who wants to be with like-minded souls! It’s quite a difficult decision process, as your always weighing your options, considering everything that you hold important, and in the end, have to take a bit of a leap of faith as to go where your being led to be, without knowing how it will pan out until your there! I always find this is an interesting springboard for families to seek out an unexpected move that could give them the most in return! How lovely that your parents met whilst at University, mine met whilst they were at church, although neither of them realised that the other was there for only a short period of time prior to meeting! I believe my Da used to go more frequently, but he was in another city for work, and had only recently moved back! Whereas my Mum had only just relocated from outside Chicago! I always find it curious how couples meet, and what becomes the impetus for them to knit their life together!
How difficult was the adjustment from a mountainous state to Kentucky?
Zimmer responds: I was so young in Denver that there was no trouble at all with relocation! LOLI have traveled quite a bit, though, and would have to say that while Kentucky does not have anything like the Rockies, there are some beautiful ranges of hills and even mountains, and we are not so far from the great Smoky Mountain Range.I’m sure if I had moved later in life I would not have had any troubles.
Alas! I knew it was going to happen, I asked a completely irreverent question! Laughs. I honestly didn’t know how long you were in Colorado, which is why I asked about how you guys had shifted East! My Mum has been out West into the Rockies and beyond, whereas my Da and I have hugged more to the East Coast and Mid-West. I’d love to get out into Wyoming one day, as Mum has tickled our imaginations for the countryside we’d see if we were able to get there! I felt for Denver, especially for Boulder recently whilst they experienced all the flooding and mud deluge! Their weather patterns have changed so radically and severely over the years, that perhaps, your better off in the Bluegrass State! :) Ah, the Smokies are my favourite mountain range! I always felt I left a piece of my heart up on that winding road that leads further into them as you follow the creek?
Yes, I have heard of that, and actually, I did get to see a slice of the Bluegrass’s charms, as whilst enroute back from Fargo, back when Mum & I were traveling on the road, we winded our way through Kentucky, but for the life of us, we cannot sort out how we managed to see signs for “Elizabethtown” (delighted me to no end, mind you, as I love that film!), yet we didn’t pass through any of the townes you need to drive into in order to have those signs!? Yet. We ended up south through Nashville, heading back to Birmingham!? Cannot sort that out! Hmm, forgot to address what you said about the scenery! Kentucky has this calm atmosphere about it, where even heavy rains make the state feel welcoming to travel wary souls! I think people overlook the benefits of hills! I live in a state flatter than a rock, and dearly below sea level! Hills would liven the place up a bit! Smiles.
What challenges did you have as a child that made you the man you are today?
Zimmer responds: Without a doubt the cranial fracture I received at around two years old, as a result of an abusive/violent day care worker (which was determined later). I had to endure years of wearing protective headgear, first hockey helmets, and then baseball caps with plates in the back. It really made you stand out in any group of kids, and I dealt with a lot at that time and I think a fierce streak of independence took hold as often I had to stand on my own. There is no question that this singular event had a tremendous impact on me, on many levels.
I was touched that you shared such a personal memory, and one that is such a pivotal part of your childhood and growing years! I had my own unique injuries, but they were never caused by the hand of someone with malicious intent, unless you count the horrid little boy who kicked me in the wound where I had stitches! :( I know full well how horrid children can be, and I had my own fair share of being bullied. Whether it’s medical or learning issues, childhood can only be survived by the brave of heart! We’re both equally blessed not to have any residual effects!
Do you have a childhood playmate that is still your friend now that you’re adult?
Zimmer responds: I sure do, and I hope to hang out with him a lot more in the future! I was thrilled to reconnect with this person a few years back, who I grew up next door to (along with his brother) during the most magic time of my life. My roots and sprouts as a creative mind really thrived during this time of my childhood.
I know what you mean, as I connected with a friend I wasn’t expecting to locate after such a long absence since we last saw each other in high school! I have felt bad about the loss of time between us, as life continues to move forward for each of us, but we haven’t had the proper chance to stitch together our lives, as we had at our original reunion! I hope we both get the time and the pleasure of knowing our respective friends as well as we want to! Now, that I am thinking back on it, she is the only person I know who knew me when I decided to become a writer!
Are you and your sister best friends or acquaintances? Share some pivotal experiences growing up as a sibling? Did having a sister prove beneficial in developing character traits in your books?
Zimmer responds: We have our ups and downs, and we are very different in our personalities, but no matter what we circle the wagons and come together in times of trouble. We are more than just friends or acquaintances, as I see it. We are family, and I take that to heart.
Pivotal experiences are hard to identify as our family always did things together, ate meals together, took trips together, and my parents really instilled the idea of supporting each other. We were always at each others events and activities. I do remember filling in as a substitute on some of my sister’s swim team relays when they needed someone desperately! (at least I got a chance to cool off on those hot summer days!).
Maybe the pivotal time is now, when it’s just the two of us left after our mother passed away in June of this year (we have no aunts or uncles, and our grandparents on both sides have passed, etc). We’ve stuck together pretty good so far, and my sister showed a lot of fortitude finishing out her path in getting her nursing license. I was extremely proud of her!
One thing that really meant a lot to me was when my sister was trying hard to help me with some music and video related work I was involved in during the mid-late nineties. She really put forth a huge effort to help me and I have never forgotten that. I really felt her support and dedication at that time and I really wish that period could have worked out better in terms of business and rewards. A lot of heartache and hard lessons, but I think I’m better for it now even if they were not financial successes. Now, she tends to maintain a little distance from my projects, and I’m pretty much solo during my events and such, but I guess I don’t blame her as difficult as this business is! (and as heavy as book boxes are!) LOL
Your relationship with your sister reminds me of my Mum and Aunt’s relationship, where they too, had their fair share of disconnects, but are always in each others’ back pocket! I think its a code for siblings who grow up in close-knit families, that despite differences, or temperaments, or even distance, you’ll always have each other when you need the other the most! And, your quite right, perhaps now is the time when you will both realise it is more important to stay hugged close together rather than in previous years, as you truly are each others’ ally & support! I lost my grandparents, Aunt, and Cousin already as well, so yes, I do know how quickly your personal life can become upturned when you do not realise it’s happening. No one is prepared for the future, the best we can each do is handle the present as it arrives. Maybe in time she will be encouraged to visit you whilst your touring at the conventions!? I’d imagine you miss the camaraderie!
Did any one particular person in your life become a character thread in your books?
Zimmer responds: My characters are never full carbon copies of anyone I know, but all writers infuse traits of people they know and have characters who are very inspired by those they are friends with. For me, a guy named Pete Spencer (the owner of the legendary Pete’s Wok in Lexington, Kentucky) was a huge inspiration for the character of Lee in the Fires of Eden series. Again, Lee is not exactly like Pete, but there are a lot of qualities about Lee that mirror the things that make Pete so great. The inspiration is definitely there!
That’s one example, and there are more! ;)
Yes, I do suppose this is true, as I was lamenting about how I could have answered this question, and I came to the same conclusion you did! We draw such a wide net of possible personality traits to include in any one character, that they all start to take on a composite of several rather than a chosen few! Forgive me, as I have never gone through Lexington, I have not heard of Pete’s Wok! I wonder what your favourite dish is there!? He must have been quite chuffed that you were inspired to create Lee from knowing him?!
Do time and space create difficulties as your time constraints are becoming more intense?
Zimmer responds: I do everything I can to keep a regular writing schedule. I’m shouldering an awful lot at the moment, and it is without a doubt my most difficult time ever, time and schedule-wise, but I’ve somehow managed to keep things on track.
I hadn’t quite realised how tight your time is until recently, and I give you a heap of credit for accomplishing everything that you do each week!! I hope you take time out to just be with your friends’ ever so often, and break the intensity of the work! A bit of fun can go a long way! Don’t forget to find the joy whilst you can still see it!
What does a perfect day look like for you?
Zimmer responds: Morning writing session, mid-day filled with a sojourn with friends, catching a movie, something of that nature, and then, not being too tired to have another writing session at night before going to bed. That’s one version of a perfect day that I view as attainable.
Any day traveling to having new, exciting experiences is a perfect day too!
I give you credit on this goal, as for me, I thrive better in my writings if I am co-balancing my time outside pursuing other artistic interests as well as being involved in community events. I am a people person, so being holed up in my study is something I can do when I’m in the rhythmic flow of creating, but otherwise, I have to strike a balance to where I can enjoy living my life but also, keeping true to my writing life. Plus, I like to eat and cook along with the seasons, and one of my favourite things to do is seeing what is ‘arriving’ at the farmer’s market! Traveling is a part of my internal clock of normalcy! I love seeing new things that excite me!
If you didn’t write or develop motion pictures, what avenue would you take next?
Zimmer responds: Probably something involving the music world. I used to (and want to again) play guitar, was in a band in high school, was around the music biz for several years in management and live show booking, so I’d have to say things likely would have tilted that way.
I long to find a teacher for electric guitar, as I have a guitar awaiting my fingers to know how to use it! Laughs. A classic example of ‘cart before horse’ as I thought for sure there were instructors around here! Sighs. I don’t have any firm goals, whereas you’ve already amassed the experience and chops to know what you can handle and what you want to pursue. Personally, if I could get my ear tuned to song-craft and start to compose my own lyrics to attach to the chords, I’d be delighted to no end! I always felt that some of the poems I write are meant for song!
What is your favorite fantastical creature and why? If not developed as yet, will this appear in a future book or developed into a motion picture?
Zimmer responds: I love my Trogens! Among classical monsters, the werewolf is a great favourite of mine, but I absolutely love writing scenes, threads, and characters involving the Trogens from the world of Ave. They are resilient, determined, have an honor code, and are so often misunderstood due to their more fearsome appearance and rougher lifestyle dwelling in the harsh wilderness regions to the northwest of the Kiruvans.
I drew this same conclusion myself earlier, as I realised that the main clan that I wanted to follow and pursue finding more stories about were the Trogens!! I must admit, their fierce exteriors and personages did not frighten me away, if anything, I felt encouraged by their resolute strength and their undying courage to tackle what others’ would not deem worth going after! They are an impressive group, that is for sure!
If you could change one aspect of your life, what would it be?
Zimmer responds: Be at the point where I can fully make a living from my writing. I’m not there just yet, and it is very hard to get to this stage, but it would be a tremendous relief and help me have a much more sane and manageable life.
And, I hope one day sooner rather than later, you will be able to see this come into fruition!
Thank you for this opportunity to visit and be interviewed, Jorie!
If anyone would like to find out more about my work or connect with me, you can use the following:
Thank you, Mr. Zimmer for dropping by Jorie Loves A Story today! I appreciated your candor and your honesty in answering my questions! I noted that this hasn’t been the easiest Summer for you & your sister, as I noticed the dedication in the opening pages of “Chronicles of Ave”. I could not help but be moved by your words and love you have for your mother. I hope in time your heart can heal as I too, have gone through similar losses to where your finding yourself lone reeds against the world! Her strength will trumpet on and inspire you forevermore! Please leave a note for the author if you have anything you’d like to say or ask!
Be sure to catch the second half of this showcase on JLAS:
Jorie reviews “Chronicles of Ave: Volume One“,
which includes a virtual road map of this tour!
Similar to blog tours, when I feature a showcase for an author via a Guest Post, Q&A, Interview, etc., I do not receive compensation for featuring supplemental content on my blog.
{SOURCES: Cover art of “Chronicles of Ave: Volume One” by Matthew Perry; Stephen Zimmer’s photograph and biography, and the blog tour badge were all provided by Tomorrow Comes Media and used with permission. Post dividers were provided by Shabby Blogs, who give bloggers free resources to add personality to their blogs. Post dividers by Fun Stuff for Your Blog via Pure Imagination. Author Interview badge provided by Parajunkee to give book bloggers definition on their blogs. Jorie submitted her Questions to Mr. Zimmer, who provided his answers in response. She was grateful to have this opportunity to interview him.}
Acquired Book By: I was selected to be a stop on the “Chronicles of Ave: Vol. I” Virtual Book Tour, hosted by Tomorrow Comes Media. I received a complimentary copy of “Chronicles of Ave: Vol. I” in exchange for an honest review by the publisher Seventh Star Press. The book released on 3 September 2013. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein. This marks my first stop as a Tour Host for Tomorrow Comes Media!
It should be known: Although, I do not know Mr. Zimmer personally, I have come to appreciate his conversations on science fiction and fantasy, as I uncover exactly where my allegiances lie in each genre! There was a period of time, not so far away from today, whereupon I knew exactly the thematic of story I could sink myself into, but time and memory have waylaid my knowledge of those specifics! Through working with Mr. Zimmer to set up book tours through Tomorrow Comes Media, I am finding a new niche of this side of my reading life, and I am thankful to have found such a kind-hearted and genuine voice at the other end of my inquisitive missives! I was thankful too, that he agreed to partake in an author submitted interview by someone such as I, who had not yet read a book of his, but was curious to know a bit more about him, and of his writings!
Author Biography
Stephen Zimmer is an award-winning author of speculative fiction, whose works include the Fires in Eden Series (Epic Fantasy), the Rising Dawn Saga (epic-scale Urban Fantasy), the Harvey and Solomon tales (Steampunk), the Hellscapes tales (Horror), and the Rayden Valkyrie tales (Sword and Sorcery).
He is also a writer-director in movie-making, with feature and short film credits such as Shadows Light, The Sirens, and Swordbearer. His Steampunk stories are available through Dark Oak Press.
Artwork Credit: Matthew Perry
Synopsis of The Chronicles of Ave: Volume I:
Escape into the wonders of Ave in this first collection of short stories featuring the fantastical world from the Fires in Eden Series by Stephen Zimmer.
“Into Glory Ride” tells the story of a young Trogen Warrior who is called to go up against insurmountable odds when an Elven raid strikes his homeland. The Trogens have only begun training winged steeds for combat, but time is of the essence and a momentous choice has to be made by the young warrior.
In “A Touch of Serenity” a conscript laborer working on a massive wall constructed under the orders of the Divine Emperor begins to hear ghostly voices asking for help. His response leads him on a journey that will test his courage, wisdom, and compassion.
In “Moonlight’s Grace” a young man goes to help his people when a Midragardan raid strikes Gael. He seeks to prove his worth to the chieftain whose daughter he loves with all his heart.
The novella-length “Winter’s Embrace” follows a warrior-monk into the depths of dangerous woodlands in the heart of winter. There he will find his faith tested in ways he never anticipated, when he must help a forest witch against an enigmatic, immortal being known as the Undying.
“Lion Heart” introduces the heroic Sigananda of the Amazu people, who must confront things that transcend the laws of the physical world when powerful Wizards threaten his homeland.
In “Land of Shadow” a knight who is part of a band of Avanoran mercenaries discovers how perilous the mysterious Shadowlands are when they undertake a journey to locate a site to build a fortress.
A world of wonder beckons to be explored and fantasy enthusiasts are invited along for the journey in these half-dozen stories from the world of Ave!
Also be sure to take further adventures in Ave in the Fires in Eden Series, beginning with Crown of Vengeance, Book One!
On how to pronounce the title:
“Ave” is pronounced like “Ave Maria”. It’s a salutation in Latin, closest to the word “Hail”. He wanted a way to announce the creation of the world, and the world itself is a proclamation of its existence as much as the beginning of the stories of the world itself.
In the Authors Own Words:
Ave is meant to be a salutation to life and existence itself, in
the purest sense, as the antithesis to oblivion and death. Ave is, in
some senses, a salute to life and the world at its origin, and hopefully
its eventual, transcendent state where death has no place.
Therefore, Ave is filled with the glory of welcoming, an enthusiastic
“Hail” to life, and you can embody the idea of that in the love of a
mother for a son, and the gift of a mother, as resonates in that song
“Ave Maria”.
| “Into Glory Ride” |
I was not quite prepared for the warrior’s song that I uncovered whilst reading this short story, as I was drenched into the heart of the Trogen’s fiery spirit, as Marragesh sets the pace for a heart-wrenching battle to reclaim his clan’s right to live outside the borders of their greatest enemy, the Elves! Taken a bit aback at the dedicated war hunger of the Elves, I was esteemed to find Marragesh and his clansmen built of such sturdy fortitude and bravery, realise that they could effectively change their race’s future; if they could only resolve how to make an imprint of a theshold on their enemy’s next advance! What bolted me to enraptured emotion in the ending pages of this story, is the dexterity of skill, the Trogen’s exercised in the sky!
I haven’t read fantasy novels in quite a long while (at least of this magnitude!), enso, my point-of-references are all but obscured and obstructed! Yet within the layers Zimmer used to build this battle, he’s able to capture with the keenest sense of story-telling precision, the etches of other battles from other fantastical realms. In the thick of the battle flight, where sword is pitted against sword, creature fighting against creature to retain their alighted heroes, I saw echoes of the Jedi attempting to make enroads against the Sith in their surge against the Death Star, as much as I saw a murmuring echo of the battle sequences in Avatar, when Jake took the courage to stand with his fellow Na’vi, who became his adopted brotherhood!
The sweeping arc of the setting grabs you from the moment you recognise the gravity of the scene unfolding for young Marragesh and his steed, Banca as they practically tip-toe amongst the cliffs he’s meant to keep watch over to guard over his clan’s safety. Waves crashing against the bolstered cliff wall took me to far away lands I have only dreamt of visiting and hope to see with my own eyes one day. There is always a draw for me to be on a land of such magnitude of power as the sea evokes to its native shores. A resolute strength against the tides! And, in regards to Banca’s sure footedness any person who has a fondness for cats, can assert that some animals are naturally graced with a sturdy gait and a footfall that defies logic! Especially since, this reader has a feisty little tux that can scale a rail and run its length without even a whisper of her presence known! Fur flying behind her bloomers and all!
The entitlement provoked a certain resonance for foreshadow that I was observant of, yet being an optimistic soul, I had hoped for an alternative outcome, when logically there could only have been the one transcripted! I think we always want to hold onto what we are never ready to part with, as a part of our human condition and inability to always yield to accepting the circumstances that bring about the most change in our lives. Even as a reader, we long for characters that we travel along with as they ride into their destiny to take a piece of our hope with them, that our strength can somehow infect them with a bit of a balm of extra strength, and somehow we take away with us a part of theirs in return. Their strength etches into our consciousness, as we lament about their life’s song of purpose, forever grateful to have crossed their path. Zimmer has a gentle hand in navigating what a heart yearns to see and what destiny has already provoked to being necessary!
I had hoped that Mr. Perry might have included sketch references of the Elven Lavion and of the Trogen Harrak, as although I could just make out each of their differences and strengths, I think a sketch might have helped shaped the sky battle a bit better for me! I was most impressed by the docility of Marragesh’s Harrak, as it reminded me of how fond a warrior Native was attached to their horse! I think there are certain bonds between animals and the ones deemed to fight alongside them.
An end that came too soon: I was swept into the Trogen’s encampment, to the brink of being thirsty for more of their stories! I can see why in the footnotes of this collection it is said that Zimmer’s readership crave the stories featuring the Trogen’s! How could they naught!? They’re bold warriors who have a sense of fighting skills and courage that even the Vikings would consider honourable! They are a mighty gruff race of war-hardened men, who endear you to them by the way in which they fight for their freedom and way of living! They commit you to their cause without having to overstate their purpose! I appreciated how Zimmer transcends the potential gore of war into a metaphoric rumination on life, peace, and the hope of what may yet come. He humanizes his characters, grounding them with a full conscience of integrity, and allows them to champion our heroic endurance to seek a way for them to succeed! I will look forward to digging into the “Fires of Eden” series as I am able too! I daresay, I want to know more! This is a brilliant introduction as it is a window into one specific time period of Trogen life, yet its the full gist of their threaded core of courage and heart!
As an aside, each time I read “Marragesh” I inadvertedly thought musefully of “Marrakesh”!
| “A Touch of Serenity” |
Epic in the scope that a sense of place is easily recognisable as an alternative sub-sphere of time which stitches close to the construction of the Great Wall of China. On the crescent sliver of engaging into this new history of Ave, I vaguely remembered the brutal horror of a warlord like Ghanghis Khan, (although not Ghanghis Khan!) of whom was notorious for entombing his foot soldiers into the pillar statues of an army tenfold in size! Of course, I am not sure if this has been reputed and disregarded as mere ‘myth’ rather than definitive proof of existing, as this stems back into my childhood! And, such stories always stand out to be rather fantastical and scary! This was a different story from how the Terracotta Warriors came into being! I remember well how I longed to learn more about his reign (here I am referring directly to Ghanghis Khan!), and those of the Mongolians! I am not as sure as why I have always been drawn into histories of war, but war played a large part of my interests in history throughout the centuries. Perhaps because it is in our nature to go to war with such a frequency that is harrowingly shocking! Therefore, this opening sequence of events was not met with aghast horror but with a fascination of just how far a ruler would go to ‘cleanse’ his servants’ existence in the pursuit of a maddening project of vanity and power!
I trudged forward into this story, because I knew at the heart of this one could lie self-sacrifice of another lens by which Zimmer chose to key in on and give his readers another hearty segment of museful solace! He’s definitely a story-teller who wants his words not only to soak into your mind whilst reading, but to leave a definite impression to be re-examined and turned over once the story is not as readily visible! This is one of his strengths, as he lays bear his impressions and lamentations of what he wants to depart upon the benefit of his characters’ giving voice to his own thoughts on these subjects!
Being a student of T’ai Chi Ch’uan, I took an interest in his lead character’s name in this short, as it drew me back to why I appreciate the serenity that can be found whilst practicing the Four Winds as much as the Long Form! I miss the reverent days of my studies in T’ai Chi Ch’uan, but when ones’ instructor ups and leaves without notice, its oft difficult to find a replacement whose calm teaching yields the ability for internal solitude of thought intermeshed with seeking the hidden benefits of slowing down one’s mind, in order to capture a tenth of the chi lost in the chaos of everyday life! Zimmer’s Ch’uan evoked a sense of longing to restore the peace I used to cherish in securing each morning I would practice!
It was here, at the introduction of Chang Tao Ling, that I realised that the insight of Mr. Zimmer in knowing where my heart lay with fantasy was of the utmost of truths! I could not eat the words fast enough, nor could I drink in the heart-pounding joy of being a breath away from a tiger! I am truly a girl bent on reading epic fantasy! What a joyous discovery to have made, because I was curious if I leant more towards this side of fantasy rather than another! I do appreciate the scope and depth to these kinds of stories, which is why I think the most obvious of things to note are generally the ones that are within plain sight! I should also disclose that I have always held a candle for learning more about Chinese history, folklore, and mythology! I am drawn into stories that touch on these subjects, as much as I appreciate a motion picture that explores a certain level of mythical proportions! One of my favourites, of course, is “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”, which I believe I mentioned on my blog recently (although I could be mistaken and bespoke of it on another blog completely!), as it lends itself to that particular style of story-telling that I adore so much! There are other films that fit into this particular niche, as much as they shift out of it a bit: “House of Flying Daggers”, “Hero”, “Curse of the Golden Flower”, “Life of Pi”, and “The Forbidden Kingdom”, by which I would like to see one day! And, of course I appreciated “Bulletproof Monk”, even if I wished the CGI sequences could have been matted a bit better against the live action!
Remnants of readings of the Magi were subtly contained within the wizard counsel where we’re introduced to: Fu Shen, Tsai Shen, Kuan-Ti, and Shou Lao! I also detected a bit of Incan and Aztec histories inside this story, as I know more of their sacrifices than of other cultures, as I have visited Mayan ruins, where of the three distinct cultures, the Mayan’s infused a temperament not seen in the other two! With a dashing nod to the Egyptians as well! This story has a bit more intense battle playing out inside itself, but as foresaid, Zimmer has a way of dampening the level of bloodshed to impart the greater message that the tale is being writ to give!
I was not a bit surprised at the gravity of the evil encased into this storyline, as it begs to reason that with great power can bequeath either great good or great evil! There is always a ying-yang balance, which directly applies here as the roots of this story lie in the mythologies of the East. I think none of us truly are aware of what our earthen gift is until we reach the day where we instinctively feel that we have arrived at the moment by which our true path has emerged into view. Each of us can do far more than we think is possible, and each of us can give back so very much to others in ways that we may not even be readily aware of. The key to life and of living is to remain steadfastly open to the possibilities that are beckoning just beyond the light of what we understand!
An enlightened man’s eyes become fully awake, filled with light, and are perpetually open rather than closed. His sight is not blinded to what he didn’t understand previously, but rather, is cast anew by the insight he has been given!
| “Moonlight’s Grace” |
This is the one short I didn’t finish reading, because the turn of bloodshed evoked more of a visage of horror then I was willing to shake off as ‘part of the overall story’! I do have my limitations, and for me, this one was just a bit too brutal for me to recover from or go through! I think if the beheading had been cheeky as in Harry Potter’s introduction to “Nearly Headless Nick” for instance, I might have been able to sustain it, but this is, wells, let’s just say, it’s a proper beheading! I am sure Louis VIII would find it faire of choice! I did not get to the ‘grace of the moonlight’, so I do not know if Finnian & Brigit were able to secure their affirmative love for each other, or if they were ill-fated to unite! Honestly, I had an easier time with the previous two shorts, because the stitchings of the story were not co-dependent on the battlefield gore in the foreground, but rather an internal course of fate!
I did read the note on this short in the back of the book, as I nearly had forgotten that Mr. Zimmer was including notes on each story,… I think I will ask him which page to ‘skip over too’ in order to bypass the battle, jump into the romance that is evolving between these two characters, and tap into the reason he has selected this as one of his favourites thus far to have written! I wish I had a stronger stomach, but I just couldn’t shift past that particular gruesome scene, sorry! Having read his spin on this short, I see its of true importance to the story of the people of Gael!
| “Winter’s Embrace” |
A simple respite from a glowering fire-filled ire of humid insanity, I started to allow my mind to entertain the full brunt of Winter, to off-set my uncomfortablity in enduring a Southern Autumn! This short brings such blissful notions to mind as stomping through high packed snow, whistling winds, and a bone-chill of cold to greet your body as you step outside into the elements! What heavenly bliss to partake in, whilst your succumbing to high 90+ degrees when a few states to your North are already seeing the temperatures bank downward into the mid-60s or in some fortunate spots, droplets of snow have begun to fall! A story of Winter! I am already enjoying it!
Ah, Zimmer returns to the style I appreciate when it comes to fierce battles of woe! Skirting the grisly details, being near euphoric in hope, and confirming that the battle is intense, but there is a greater purpose about to be lit upon! I guess you could say I like war to be a bit glossy and rosy! I really do not need to bear witness to the exactness of what a soldier or warrior needs to experience, because I have enough empathy inside me to last many moons over many lifetimes of battle scarred warriors! Of course, I spoke too soon! I made it through the battle, but ugh, the next bit reminded me too much of what I didn’t like in the ending chapters of “The Boxcar Baby”! I will give the next short a go!
| “Lion Heart” |
I appreciated that the central focus on the opening of this story wasn’t about the kill that takes place (here I refer to a wild animal, not a person), but rather, what led to the killing to happen, which struck a chord, as I oft wondered if this could occur in our world as well, if hunters and those with them might not see the warning signs on the trail they are walking and could befall a situation that had tragic consequences. The wild environs deserve our greatest respect, because the animals who live in the wild play by a different mindset and group of rules than those of man. Instinct reigns supreme as does the fight for survival at all costs. I like how he included the Native American beliefs that I grew up listening too by a Cherokee I befriended at an art gallery who stressed that his tribe and others, do not believe in killing what cannot be used nor what is not readily needed. He said that an animal that gives their life has to be honoured and respected in return, and ever since that day, I have noticed how many indigenous cultures feel the same and keep the same traditions. I, too, believe this, and I am not sure if this was inspired by the stories I overheard OR if I had had this view prior to knowing. I lean towards my views being spilt in the middle of origin!
Actually, in a unique twist of wording, I was impressed that Zimmer lessened the severity of the scene by using a clever ‘visual metaphor’ of describing one of the crucial bits to it! My mind adverted off the scene directly and juxaposition his clever foreshadow of the action being described rather than to consume myself with the totality of what was really happening! Highly appreciated!
Sigananda is given a foreshadowing of his destiny by Mawa, who is the village’s seer that I think many would have not only balked against as possible but would have contemplated why they were singled out before accepting her words as truth. I did miss a bit in not having read Ave, as to understand the key structure of his people, such as the differentiating regiments of warriors that can be called to battle; however, I tried not to worry about what I didn’t fully understand and focused instead on who the impetus for entitling this “Lion Heart” would be revealed as to being! I like stories that give a particular character a ‘quest to undertake that is both grave and mortally wounding’ as they are generally the mark of transition of character, growth, and the full realisation of that person’s pre-destined path. I appreciate these stories because they seek to encompass the larger truths that are not always explored.
I even like the exploration of Sigananda’s back-story, as in regarding to his unwavering courage in times of intense adversity! He is a strong character who does not understand the true depths of his worth, nor of his abilities, but he has the honour of a warrior who knows that despite any doubts he might foresee, he must march in the direction of where he is ordered to deliver a resolution that everyone can accept. I liked how he is flawed in one sense, as he distrusts his own abilities, but knowing of the task he was given, I am sure most would have felt the same! And, yet he is strong in another, as how he is able to think quickly on his feet to secure his safety and the safety of others in harm’s way. He’s an interesting character for sure! And, I sensed that like Marragesh, his path is not lighted with an easy load by which to carry!
This short ends on the precipice of a larger evolving story, by which, I would think expands in the part of Ave that it originally was inspired to be drawn out of. In that way, I am curious if the boy and girl effectively hold a larger piece of where Sigananda’s future path takes him!?
| “Land of Shadow” |
The second thing I found amiss in the collection came to me whilst I read this short, (as the first I had said was the lack of illustrative plates by Mr. Perry to help encase our heads around the inhabitants of Ave), was the lack of a topographical map! I had forgotten how helpful I find maps to be inside fantasy novels, because they help align your bearings as you walk through different realms within the same world! They help you get a navigational sense of place, and therefore, can best ascertain the vastness of distance that worlds such as Ave contain! My favourites always included the different tribes, as well as specific landmarks known or not yet known within the timescape of the story itself! I think I have missed having that at the ready! I would presume it is enclosed with the first installment of Ave!?
The Shadowlands being presented here in this short, is not for the weak of heart as to having to thwart or contend with creatures that put the hairs on your necks on auto-pilot detection! I’m not a fan of spiders, so just knowing this part of Ave has a mutant variety of them at the ready to pounce on you was just as devastating to realise that there are water-based creatures who can fell a man simply out of boredom! What a curiously hostile part of Ave! Reminiscent of documentaries I have viewed on tv that depict such harsh and dangerous areas in our own part of the universe, I can attest that this is one girl who would not traipse through this territory but opt instead to hang out with the Trogens!
A note on Zimmer’s style of story-telling:
He is one of the writers that I would genuinely be delighted to seek out (if it had not been for Tomorrow Comes Media!), as he parlays his fervent passion for research by interspersing what he uncovers into the tapestry by which Ave is threaded against! It’s a world that encompasses as many distinctively unique cultures, traditions, spirituality’s, and languages as our own living counterpart, and yet, it has something to give back to us as well!
It’s quite apparent at first reading that Ave is a world that you can gently enter into but its a world that draws a breath of dedication with each glance! The further you walk inside Ave, the more you want to know, the more you want to experience, and the more your drawn to wonder about the extensive scope of the stories that prompted this collection of shorts, which marks a transition through a lesser notation of them in the serial installments already known! Bits and bobbles of undercurrent histories stitched into the under threads, that give a larger impression of the story on a whole! OR, at least this is what I imagine to be true!
You get the firm sense that Zimmer is a voracious reader who dips into a bit of everything that yields to his personal curiosity and allows his mind to wander through the gate of his imagination to deposit into a reader’s hands a wholly encased world whose dimensions are ever expanding into larger scales of tales yet to be told! Except for the few shorts, where I think he opted instead for traditional heroic bloodshed story-telling! This might draw a close eye towards the fact he appreciates the horror genre, and bits of that seep into this side of his fantasy worlds. It’s his passion for research that I applaud first and foremost, as not every writer goes to the length as he does and I always celebrate a writer I find who carries out research on this level! Secondly, he endeavours you to amplify his words into motion by the words he uses to provoke a visual response, in which backs up something he said in an interview I heard of his (whilst researching which questions I wanted to ask him in my own interview!) where he acclaimed his novels are set to embody a motion picture medium rather than the printed world of the book! This is a claim he rightly deserves to make!
The care he takes to diminish the force of the violence inside by counter-balancing it with a life lesson is absolute genius, because your not as apt to focus on the brief encounters of evil, but rather, on the benefits of what each short attempts to draw out of the character he’s chosen to hone in on instead! These characters, I perceive to be secondary ones in the larger stories (novels), yet, they have a specific life-path in Ave that cross-sects with the intervening entities or events that bring about the most metamorphose of growth! You can use me as a barometer in knowing that if I can handle these stories, you can as well! I have an intolerance for violence, but I cherish the soulful stories such as these that grant the reader a ruminative conclusion of what they’ve read!
A pause to highlight some of his character’s name selections:
Marragesh – My first instinct was that this name was not wantonly unknown to me, but I couldn’t place its direct origin, except to query a curious eye as towards it was a surname rather than a first name! I, tend to do this myself, whilst I am creating characters that I want to draw a firmer breath of strength into and to set them apart from their fore-bearers or familial contingents! My earlier mentioning of having this ‘hint me towards Marrakesh’ was my way of expressing that I create ‘endearing’ names for characters I struggle with to pronounce! In this way, I find characters transcend their original intentions left behind by the writer’s whose hand drew life into them! I am not sure of his method of creating names, which is why this will remain elusive to me!
Jarun – I did not know there is a lake in Croatia of this same name! I remembered “Jaran” or “Jaren”, and I wasn’t sure if he was hinting that this was an alternative to either of those or a new name completely! It doesn’t surprise me that he named the Trogens with bold and strong names, that can inflict their personality into their warrior spirits! Afterall, a warrior isn’t akin to a name that doesn’t sound like it could weaken in battle! No! They want a name that can be declared with a bit of power behind the letters!
Ch’uan – Is a bit easier to place, as its a name originating from Thai, yet is a Chinese name! The direct meaning of the name is to transmit a message or to convey a message, which is interesting, as this is what I was speaking about how ‘names can clue us into a character’ in a way that is singularly unique outside the scope of the narrative! It is also in different reference to T’ai Chi Ch’uan, in which it is known as boxing with fist, which is clever as this Ch’uan in the story is a pacifist!
Chang Tao Ling – This wizard’s first name can be representative of the attributions of “constant or often” which I think speaks directly to his ethics of how he approaches his duties as a wizard. Tao is a way of ushering in a path by which to take or of an understanding of a particular route. This is recognised readily when Ch’uan and Ling first meet in the forest! Ling can even be referred to as monasterial in Tibet, but I think what is being called upon here is that he is a reverent sage! Historically, “Chang Tao-Ling” founded the “Way of the Celestial Masters” as part of Chinese Religious Beliefs!
Fu Shen – The more interesting sounding names, I oft discover have a rather ordinary meaning behind them! As would you think that “Fu” means simply to be pretty!? Shen on the other hand can go the gambit as being part of Chinese spirituality or can be a testament towards accepting that not every dragon you cross paths with is going to be the good natured kind! Being a wizard I would presume its part compliment to his countenance and part a glimpse into his spirit. Wizards, of course, were always known to be enlightened past the brink of commoners, such as monks generally are known as well! In Chinese mythology, “Fu Shen” was a God of Happiness!
Tsai Shen – How interesting! This name could mean: spiritually gifted chai! As in Cantonese this “Tsai” translates to chai, by which is one of my favourite drinks!! Especially if its in latte form, silky smooth, and a cuppa of comfort of luxury! Clever! Except to say, that “Tsai Shen” was a powerful God of Wealth and Prosperity!
Kuan-Ti – One thing that I have known, is that writers who are passionate about research, which parlays into the spiritual realms, have the tendency to leave behind little ‘grains of seeds and sand’ that a reader can seek out and gain further insight into the creating side of the stories they read! As the wizards who were presented in the short, something struck me as being extraordinary about not only how they were being introduced but the names in which they held! Clearly, despite my absence of reading fantasy, I have not lost all my instincts in the genre, as this article will expand on the history of “Kuan-Ti”.
Shou Lao – If you seek, so you shall find! Look at what I found about the origin behind “Shou Lao”!! Whose full meaning will illuminate in your mind after you read Ch’uan’s story in full! Ironically or naught, I knew there was a bit more to that final sequence than my mind was attaching itself towards! I just ‘knew’ I was missing something!! Humph! I sorted it! Wicked!
Brigit – The name made me think of “Bridget”, though I knew better than to suspect commoner origins for her, as she has a story of great urgency and importance to share, which made me smile whilst I uncovered the “Celtic Brigid“!
Finnian – I love unearthing potential histories of characters I encounter in stories, as I may stumble across a writer’s inspiration behind their character names, but even if I hit a bit into left field, the joy in simply understanding a plausible next level of insight into a story, is enough for me to feel content! “Finnian of Clonard” has an interesting life’s tale to share!
I personally love character names that make you pensive about the origins of where they were generated as much as the motivation of the author to use them! They give a sense of place that you cannot always slide into the narrative as easily as a ‘name’, as our names are as distinctive as our ancestral backgrounds! They are like fingerprints of origin and hint at a history just outside our scope of knowing!
Rock on, Mr. Zimmer!
The short that told a tale larger than its size:
A toss-up between “Into Glory Ride” and “A Touch of Serenity”, although of the two, I think I lean more towards “Into Glory Ride” because it was the one that choked me with emotion the most! Despite my affection for Ch’uan, of whom I hope is developed further into the annals of Ave, it was the sheer bravery and choices made by young sky riding Trogen males that endeared me to their race and to their triumph over the Elves! There is something naturally spiritual about the story that takes us into Marragesh and Jarun’s world ever-so-briefly. A parable of a dying breed of men who choose to rise above their own desires in order to see the clan by which they belong endure longer than their oppressor hopes to extinguish! I find great courage in this story, as well as such a strength of Hope that weaves through their courageous hearts! I am not sure if they mirror how I perceive the soldiers’ I give back too through Soldiers’ Angels, banning together and being strong for each other at the times that count the most or not, but this story was larger than its size!
Ave, Middle Earth, and Pandora, places I can only long to visit:
I can easily assimilate myself into worlds whose expanse of depth encircles a sphere as big as our own Earth! Challenging and shifting histories, cultural clashes, religious misunderstandings, and the everyday strife for people to survive is etched into any world that is written into the hearts of the readers who find their stories! I am not certain if Pandora was necessarily available in story format prior to the motion picture of “Avatar” being released, but the reason I included that particular world is due to the majestic arc of its natural environment! I was literally swept out of this reality and placed wholly into another one — by the time the film ended on its climax, I was hungry for the next installment! The Na’vi are an indigenous race who endear themselves to you as soon as you meet them! How could you not want to live amongst them, even despite the obstacles towards that end!? I can still see the forest if I close my eyes, and listen ever so closely to the sounds that you would hear if you walking at nightfall…
When I was first introduced to “Middle Earth“, it was an unexpected late afternoon / early evening showing as I went during opening weekend of “The Fellowship of the Ring“! I would later aspire to attend a midnight showing, but I am not remembering if I had; I do know I saw a midnight showing of the last prequel of “Star Wars“! From that very first glimpse into Middle Earth, I knew I had ‘gone home’, as there was such a curious attraction of recognition from what my eyes took in from the screen! I couldn’t get over this feeling as though “I have been there”, and yet, after learning that the director Peter David had filmed in New Zealand, that loomed to be a rather large improbability! Yet. I never shook the feeling, and to this day, I hold a special place in my heart for Middle Earth! My favourites are book-ended, as its the middle ‘Middle Earth’ film that I didn’t appreciate as much! (“The Two Towers“) Which strangely is my same affirmation for “The Chronicles of Narnia“!
Although, this serves as my first introduction to the world of Ave, I very much hope that its not my last sojourn into its core of history! I am hopeful that despite the battle savvy warriors of the Trogens, and the dedication of the warriors of Gael, that perhaps there will be more of the life of Ch’uan and of the descendents of Marragesh’s clan! I’d love to see what happened to the evolving arc away from Elven rule, to where the Trogens could declare liberty and live more freely! I would very much like to see Ave in peace-time as much as I have seen her in war-time! There must be lands of enchanting visual beauty as well, as Ave appears to me to be a world where the natural world is as divinely inspiring as the one that lives outside our own doors!
What staid with me after I closed the final pages on this collection of Ave:
I learnt that its okay not to thoroughly become engaged with each short inside a collection of shorts, if I can detect an appreciation for the world at large, in which this case is Ave! I think this is why I was always a bit hesitant to read short story collections, because I oft wondered, what happens if I cannot find my footing!? What if I cannot sink into the stories, but find rather, I like bits and bobbles in each of them, but overall, I cannot get my head to wrap around the whole!? I learnt through this tour, that with collections such as these, it’s better to go in seeking a path towards understanding the world of the “Fires of Eden” series verse attempting to put heart-to-mind in a resolve to engage in each short as it was intended to be read! Afterall, what appeals to me through “Into Glory Ride” and “A Touch of Serenity” might not appeal to the next reader at all and vice versa!
I also learnt that I am drawn into epic fantasy realms where the scope of the story is told out through many installments, and where each of the layers that you unravel only serve to give you a further glimpse into a partial history of the combined story! I love the mystery and suspense that that evokes, as you never know who or whom you will encounter, or how each piece of the puzzle will fall into place, until you reach each new chapter or tome of story! Such bliss, right!?
There are creatures who have a dedicated heart that match their companions, and there are unsightly evils that seek to destroy the remaining good that has Ave wrapped in Light. I like how the stories each strive to serve one main purpose of showing the dividing lines between good vs. evil in a few new ways than might first be expected to be revealed. These are the stories that everyone can relate to the most, and the ones I think will always have weight to be consumed!
“Crown of Vengeance” (Book One of the Fires of Eden series) by Stephen Zimmer
Please take note of the Related Articles as they were hand selected due to being of cross-reference importance in relation to this book review. This applies to each post on my blog where you see Related Articles underneath the post. Be sure to take a moment to acknowledge the further readings which are offered.
{SOURCES: Cover art of “Chronicles of Ave: Volume One” by Matthew Perry; Stephen Zimmer’s photograph and biography, and the blog tour badge were all provided by Tomorrow Comes Media and used with permission. Blog Tour badge provided by Parajunkee to give book bloggers definition on their blogs. The book trailer by Seventh Star Press had either URL share links or coding which made it possible to embed this media portal to this post, and I thank them for the opportunity to share more about this novel and the author who penned it. Post dividers by Fun Stuff for Your Blog via Pure Imagination.}
You will be seeing quite a bit of this lovely badge, over the score of the next month, as I proceed to enter into the world of the “Lunatere Chronicles” as foretold and revealed in “Finnikin of the Rock” by Melina Marchetta!
