Review

Mini-review | Who Slays the Gyant, Wounds the Beast by Mark Chadbourn

By Aidan Moher November 13th, 2007

The Solaris Book of New Fantasy edited by George MannWho Slays the Gyant, Wounds the Beast
by Mark Chadbourn

The lead story in The Solaris Book of New Fantasy is a rolicking, fast paced riff off the classic Sherlock-Holmes-style mystery… only with a cadre of evil Faeries and straw men to spice things up. True to the style of story, super-spy William Swyfte (think James Bond, circa 1598) and sidekick Nataniel Colt get wrapped up in a hairy situation on Christmas Eve and have to keep themselves, along with a houseful of guests, safe until sunrise.
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Review

An Aside/Review | The Solaris Book of New Fantasy

By Aidan Moher November 13th, 2007

The Solaris Book of New Fantasy edited by George MannShort fiction doesn’t get a fair shake, especially in the Fantasy and Science Fiction genres. So, when I landed copies of both The Solaris Book of New Fantasy, I wanted to come up with a fun, unique way to give the not only the anthology, but also the authors who filled the pages.

So, to that end, I’ve decided to tackle the anthology the way it was written. Piece by piece. Everyday or two, over the next couple of weeks, I’ll be reading and reviewing one of the short stories from the anthology. And this is all leading up to an interview with George Mann, Consultant Editor at Solaris Books and editor of the anthology. It’s sure to be a lot of fun!
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News

An Aside | Be a Character in a Terry Brooks Novel!

By Aidan Moher November 12th, 2007

The Elves of Cintra - Terry BrooksThis is quite possibly one of the coolest things I’ve seen since I started blogging and just had to get the word out there!

Terry Brooks, one of my favourite authors and a genuinely humble and kindhearted man, is offering up the chance of a lifetime! He’s giving one lucky (and generous) person the chance to be a character in the novel he is set to begin writing at the turn of 2008!
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News

An Aside | “Witterisms and other Sins”

By Aidan Moher November 8th, 2007

C.J. Cherryh, award-winning author of over 60 novels, has compiled a great list titled “Witterisms and other Sins: A Writer’s Shortcut to Stronger Writing” in the world of writing. Overused/misused words and phrases are the name of the game and Cherryh brings it home.

Definitely worth a look for any aspiring writer. I sure know I learned a thing or two!

A couple of my favourites:

6.

Dead verbs. Colorless verbs.

* walked
* turned
* crossed
* run, ran
* go, went, gone
* leave, left
* have, had
* get, got

You can add your own often used colorless verbs: these are verbs that convey an action but don’t add any other information. A verb you’ve had to modify (change) with an adverb is likely inadequate to the job you assigned it to do.

11.

-ing.

“Shouldering his pack and setting forth, he crossed the river … ”

No, he didn’t. Not unless his pack was in the river. Implies simultaneity. The participles are just like any other verbal form. They aren’t a substitute legal everywhere, or a quick fix for a complex sequence of motions. Write them on the fly if you like, but once imbedded in text they’re hard to search out when you want to get rid of their repetitive cadence, because -ing is part of so many fully constructed verbs {am going, etc.}

Check out the whole thing HERE!

News

A Giveaway | Winners of The Bonehunters by Steven Erikson (Signed!)

By Aidan Moher November 5th, 2007

The Bonehunters by Steven EriksonSo, I had wanted to wait and announce the 5 winners of the giveaway around the same time that the interview between myself, Steven Erikson and Ian Cameron Esslemont went live. But, as life usually dictates, Steve has been busy finishing up Toll the Hounds and the interview is, understandably, on the back burner.

Don’t fret, though. Ian Cameron Esslemont has completed his portion of the interview, so it is still coming!

That all being said, I just don’t want to wait any longer to announce the winners of the 5 signed copies of The Bonehunters! So, without further adeiu: the winners!
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