Serial Fiction

Not every intricate, worthy Fantasy tale comes in novel form. There are Fantasy games such as Golden Sun, RuneScape, Fire Emblem, and Radiant Historia whose story is the game. Then there are games like League of Legends whose story is unveiled a piece at a time with each Champion's individual tale, and Magic the Gathering whose story arcs are published in the serial fiction format - coming out a bit at a time, chapter by chapter, over many years.

Then there is actual serial fiction, authors who chose to publish their works online in such a manner instead of in a traditional novel or book series. I have never dealt much with such Fantasies, but they deserve note. So I will post now about one which I am a diehard fan of, and another which recently caught my interest.

"Long, long ago in Neraland, the pious human built a great tower to show the respect to their goddess Nera. Goddess Nera was deeply moved by human piety; to reward them, she opened a door at the top of the tower. This ethereal door connected to another world; it was known as—Heaven Eye. However..." Beginning with the former, GhostBlade is a fantasy comic series, the only one I read, and one of the most unique stories I have ever come across. Bearing some trappings of traditional Fantasy, such as an epic journey in a medieval-style world it diverges in so many ways as to be almost staggering. When one starts reading one is uncertain whom to trust. Princess Yan of Haiqin and Kain the Silver Knight, certainly, but the rest are wreathed in shades of grey and mystery with much cryptic foreshadowing as to the future.

Even the journey is uncertain, and the world's history, and the world itself, is incredible, filled with distinct cultures and issues and reflect real-world concerns while still being true escapist Fantasy. For the characters are as real, as deep, as conflicted, as any I have ever read. I wish I could say more, but I do not want to deprive readers of any surprise, no matter how slight. But I can say this: the story makes you think, and WLOP (the author) clearly has a long story in mind, one as intricate and stellar as the art which brings each character, their emotions, and the world of Neraland itself to life. On a final note, the tale is unfinished, and a nightly ritual of mine is to check whether new chapters have been published.

 

Now to the one which recently caught my interest, that being the Legends of Icaria. Since I have just begun, I can only say so much, hence I will let the author give the introduction: "Icaria is a place of magic, both old and new. It's a land of human and Fae and the natural political and religious disputes that result from struggling to find a balance of place and power. I hope you'll walk her shrouded mountains, marvel at her sea plains, mourn her deaths, sail with merchants up Emak, trek the Great Stone Way, and engage with the factions across the land." The bottom line being that while I cannot yet speak with certainty to the overall uniqueness of the plot, I know good writing when I see it and the author clearly has the depth of vision, dedication, and skill that defines true Fantasy authors.

A good reminder that Fantasists tell their tales in their own way, one which they feel best suits their story and that they get the most enjoyment out of. And speaking of enjoyment, I anticipate getting some in the land of Icaria. Also, and this is a key point for serial fiction readers, the author posts new chapters often. The Prologue was published in June and Chapter 11 was published 8 hours ago, and plenty of other posts including but not limited to A Short Compendium of Icarian Prophecy and An Excerpt from Faen Customs and Culture. Remember what I said about dedication and depths of vision? Well, in my extensive experience with the Fantasy genre I know that only those with both write such pure world-building texts in addition to their regular work.  

Ghostblade has gone on for years and has a dedicated and well-deserved fandom, and I hope Legends of Icaria earns its stripes the same way. But, as with all online serial fiction, whether it is an established comic or a new tale looking for readership, we can only hope that the authors keep at it until the story ends.

I just started Seasparrow by Kristin Cashore

A busy vacation forcing one to do weeks worth of homework in the single week prior can certainly derail a person's reading, but now the ship is righted for I just started Seasparrow by Kristin Cashore, the fifth book of her Graceling Realm Series.

As ever, it is a delight seeing old friends again in Bitterblue, Giddon and Hava! En route by ship back to Monsea after their adventures in Winterkeep, issues of translation and sailors' secrets seem like child's play, but the journey back is destined to be as hazardous as the one to. If it is not Queen overboard it is Queen shipwrecked, and I have a strong feeling that ice, mountain passes, and the finer points of moral responsibility will be the least, or the least complex, of hurdles they must cross before they finally get home.

Quote of the month

"And yet you can glimpse the tale there in all those books. It slips out unexpectedly like sun on a cloudy day, a shimmer of light across the world. And then it’s gone, but it never fades that quickly from your heart. The heart remembers." - Patricia A. McKillip

A private message to my former students

Greetings my friends!

If you are a former student of mine and are asking how can I possibly give you a private message on a public blog then you are absolutely correct. I have therefore written it on a separate page accessible via this link; it is password protected, and password is the answer to the Grandmaster Riddle – which I trust you all remember. The first letter is lowercase. If you write it in uppercase it will deny you access and tell you "the page you were looking for in this blog does not exist."

Best,

Ian Adler

I have started and finished The Foundling: And Other Tales of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander

I have started and finished The Foundling: And Other Tales of Prydain, the companion book to Lloyd Alexander's The Chronicles of Prydain.

Long has it been since I finished The Chronicles of Prydain, so when there is no time to start anything major between homework and a Southern vacation I thought it the perfect time to pluck this final harp-string. And a lovely tune it gave for, brief though it was, it twas good to again walk the lands of Prydain and hear the tales of Dallben, Coll, good old Doli, and the history of a certain sword.

Official Book Review: The Gathering Storm, Book One of David Doersch's Chronicles of the Raven

I just finished The Gathering Storm, Book One of David Doersch's Chronicles of the Raven and, as the author requested, now give it an Official Book Review.

We all have hobbies we are passionate about, and two of mine are reading/writing Fantasy and studying the lore, myths, and Druidic mysteries of the ancient Celts. Yet interestingly those passions have seldom if ever blended, meaning that I have no true experience reading Celtic Fantasy.

But there is a first time for everything, so my first sojourn into this sub-genre of the Fantastic is the island-continent of Daffyd, from the highland villages of the Green Mount to the cold lakes and cities of the Kingdom of Lachland. Distant lands that hold at least two things in common, their fierce independence and an invasion by the savage yet unquestionably cunning Barbárs hordes and their sadistic Angor blood-shaman allies. Yet this is no straightforward tale of good versus evil, or, if it is, then it is as much against the evil hiding in plain sight and under the white mantle of nobility as it is against blood mad barbarians. For as the tale marches forward so too do complex plots, plans within plans, emerge as varying enemies with different agendas join in alliance against the highland and Lachlanders. Thus too do three parallel stories take shape: one of the highlanders Corvus Corax, called the Raven, along with his sons and longtime friend Yazid; one of the wastrel Princess Darienne, Queen Isador, and Captain Zach of the Lanchland; and a third of the Aslene mystics Mama Warad and her three votaries from the distant deserts of the Silken Emperor whose mission carries the fates of all.

A very readable book, emotional, fast-paced and with some of the most finally executed battle scenes I have ever read, what makes David Doersch's Chronicles of the Raven stick out is his attention to detail. Each character, even the secondary and bellow ones, is well-rounded and each culture distinct and based upon real-world ones. Being knowledgeable of the old lore myself, as well as a Black Belt in Northern Longfist style Kung Fu, I can say with full confidence that Doersch captures the spiritual essence of the Celtic lands, and I especially appreciated Aslene martial arts and mysticism whose forms remind me of my own Kung Fu training.

The battle cry goes out as swords are drawn… "Protect the Tor!"

(P.S. If you, dear reader, are an author/publisher and reading this review makes you want to ask me for a review too then PLEASE read my Contact Me? page.)

My father and I just finished Hazel Bly and the Deep Blue Sea by Ashley Herring Blake

My father and I just finished Hazel Bly and the Deep Blue Sea by Ashley Herring Blake. 

Dad had read this book long enough ago that he forgot most everything save deeply enjoying it, but he also suggested it because we had just finished McKillip's The Changeling Sea – which reminded him in ways he could not fully recall of this one. Well, we soon found out because while the two are deeply different the resemblances are uncanny. A parent lost to the power of the sea, shattering the family left behind. A mysterious sea-woman whose legend is tied to those who dwell on the shore. A girl drowning in grief who has to learn swim through it and live, not by rejecting the sea but by embracing it, herself, and those she loves again. By finding the words to express the language of the heart which, like this book, is no less vast or deep than the blue sea. Those are the similarities. You want a difference? Well, this one was intense enough to nearly give me heart burn on more than one occasion. Rarely do books leak into my dreams in even the smallest manner, but Hazel Bly and the Deep Blue Sea by Ashley Herring Blake has that honor now.

Fare ye well, Hazel & Peach & Evie & Lemon & Claire & Jules & Kiko. The Rose Maid lives and they and they all lived happily ever after!