I’ve also always loved vampire stories, starting at a very early age with the old TV show Dark Shadows. And I love folk tales and mythology. Stories about the paranormal and the supernatural have always intrigued me. All of those influences go into the intellectual stew.

-Rumor also has it that you are a big fan of the Star Wars series. Can we safely assume that Vahanian (or Soterius as one of our readers – MaryO – suggests) is based on Han Solo?

I love Star Wars but no, Jonmarc is a very different person from Han Solo. While they may both be hero archetypes, there are a lot of differences in their personal histories. I would also say that Jonmarc is more sure of himself and more mature than Han, especially what we see of Han later in some of the post-movie books. Soterius is even more different, and I’d say the only thing he has in common with Han would be a military background. I hope to be able to write about Jonmarc’s early years. There’s quite an adventure there, and so much that there isn’t time to tell about in the books I’m working on now.

-We have enjoyed The Summoner and The Blood King enormously and are all waiting for the release of Dark Haven. Could you offer us some insights into the plot of this upcoming book?

How about this…

In Dark Haven, the effects of Jared the Usurper’s reign of terror strike at the stability of the Winter Kingdoms. Undead forces align against Lord Jonmarc Vahanian of Dark Haven in a struggle for power between mortals and the vayash moru. Magic has become a dangerous and unpredictable force. As King Martris Drayke prepares for his wedding, he must also prepare for war against rebels still loyal to Jared. Isencroft is on the brink of civil war over the looming reality of a joint kingdom. Only one thing is certain—the Winter Kingdoms will be changed forever, and innocence is the first casualty.

-Will you continue the Saga of Tris and his friends beyond the trilogy or will you close this storyline in the Dark Haven?

Dark Haven is book one in another two-book set. I’m already working on Book 4. I’ve given Solaris quite a few story arcs set in the Winter Kingdoms. Some continue with these characters and this time period, while others are set before or after this period, and some books deal with entirely different characters/events unrelated to what happens in The Summoner and The Blood King. I have a lot of stories to tell about the Winter Kingdoms!

-Do you have plans for any new and exciting journeys into the fantasy genre beyond the Chronicles of the Necromancer? Any new novel or saga ideas?

I have other novels and sagas set in different time periods or countries within the world of the Winter Kingdoms. It’s such a real place to me and I have spent so much time developing the Winter Kingdoms in my mind that no matter where I look, I see new story possibilities. And I have a couple of other books in first draft that aren’t even SF/Fantasy. I also write a lot of non-fiction on marketing topics—articles and ebooks. So there’s always something!

-How do you enjoy being a new well known published author? Does it feel any different than before?

It’s really a long-time dream come true. People who knew me back in college and grad school heard me talk about how someday I was going to be a fantasy writer. Now they stop by my signings and say “you did it!” I hope it’s proof to others who have their own dream that if you keep working on your dreams and never give up you can make them come true.

-What advice would you have given yourself if you could go back to the time before you started writing?

The first story I ever “wrote” was when I was five years old—I had to dictate it to my grandmother because I couldn’t spell. It was about a vampire. So I’d have to go back quite a long time! On one hand, I regret a little bit that I let life get in the way—sometimes for years at a time—and slow me down. On the other hand, it couldn’t have worked out the way it did any sooner because Solaris Books didn’t exist and it wasn’t the right time in my life to put in the time to write and promote the books. So I guess my advice would be, “keep at it and it will all work out.”

-What do you think are your strengths and weaknesses as a fantasy author?

Strengths I hope are that I create characters that have good reasons for what they do and have thoughts and feelings underneath the action. I’ve tried to create a complex, multidimensional world where there’s always something new to discover, a world that has enough detail to be real without getting bogged down in explanations. A weakness may be that since I’m a little past my angst-ridden twenties, I’m less intrigued by writing about characters acting out in some of the self-destructive behavior that has voyeuristic appeal. I tend to have characters struggling for sanity rather than careening out of control. I guess whether or not you think that’s a weakness depends on what life stage you’re in.

-What authors do you read on your spare time?

I read a lot of nonfiction to get the historical details right. I like to read folklore and mythology for inspiration. Some of my favorite SF/F authors include Mercedes Lackey, Steven Brust, Spider Robinson, Jeri Smith-Ready, David Drake, Neil Gaiman, Piers Anthony, Anne Rice, David Eddings—I could go on for a long time! The problem is, I don’t get as much time as I’d like to read other people’s stuff because it takes a lot of time to write my stuff!

-Any recommendations for a good read, fantasy and otherwise?

A couple of recent good reads include Staked, Wicked Game, Rules of Ascension, American Gods. I try to read the books that my guests on Ghost in the Machine Fantasy Podcast write, but I’m behind on that!

-Thanks a bunch for the interview and good luck with your writing!

On the eve of publishing her new book (Chronicles of the Necromancer Book Three: The Dark Haven) Gail Z. Martin agreed to give an interview here at Fantasy Book Reviews Blog in October during the Halloween week (Thanks Gail!).

The interview will be a mix of prepared questions and ad hoc ones. If the fantasy book readers and bloggers would liked to ask Gail a question please post them in the comments section of this page and I will be happy to include them in the interview!

More info on the interview will be coming soon!

Also, some news:

Gail’s new book is scheduled to be published in February 2009 but you can read the Dark Haven excerpt at Gail’s website: www.ChroniclesOfTheNecromancer.com now!

Thanks for visiting my blog! All submitted questions will be greatly appreciated!

-Cheers!

Now that’s refreshing! A rather long fantasy story told in only two books! The author could have written at least another three but she decided to cut to the chase and actually tell the story right away. Kudos for that Gail!

The series, if we might call a two-book-set that, start with The Summoner and end right after with The Blood King. Prince Martis Drayke, the protagonist of the story, has to flee his home after a violent coup d’état staged by his brother to gain the crown of their homeland, Margolan. Together with his friends he decides to overthrow his evil brother for the good of the country.

The plot is kind of standard and is kept rather short. I liked the new outlook on magic, especially necromancy which portrayed as something not necessarily evil and a Summoner (a.K.a. Necromancer) is somebody who actually helps people… and spirits.

All in all, nice two thick books. Not overly creative but a good read nonetheless, goes quickly but you also forget it rather fast, too – which doesn’t have to be a bad thing if you are simply looking for something to read, as opposed to something to analyze . I think I read them about a month or two ago and I couldn’t even remember any names without looking them up in the book.

My ranking for the trilogy: 7/10 (Easy read, not too elaborate, good for daily commute to and from work.. I would even risk placing a “Slight Dark Fantasy” tag on this one)

UPDATE: Gail Z. Martin agreed to give an interview here at Fantasy Book Reviews Blog. I’m collecting questions for her, so if anybody wants to contribute, please submit your question as a comment here!

Thanks!

I mean, don’t get me wrong here. I love the old guy and his books. I’m one of those people that got into the whole read-a-book-a-week lifestyle after reading the Belgariad in high-school (and that was a pretty big thing for me considering my social commitments and all). Anywho, I guess being such a well-known and respected author, David can be given a break for his slight megalomania (I’m not sure if I can forgive him for the Dreamers though, that line of books went too much awry).

But back to the book. I actually own two copies of it, English and Polish version. Most of it is written as Master Jeebers’ text-book for Ce’Nedra to educate her about the Twelve Kingdoms, their history, culture, etc. Of most interest may be the last part, which is the diary of King Anheg of Cherek.

The book itself is divided into six parts: The Holy Books, which are simulated religious texts of the various people; The Histories, which are actually kind of nice, because they give you a good insight into the History of Garion’s world; The Battle of Vo Mimbre which is a nice narrative account of that storyline; Preliminary Studies for the Malloreon, which give as a look at the saga’s events from the viewpoint of those across the ocean; The Malloreon Gospels which give the reader a good insight into the Korim, Melcenes, other prophecies, and all those good stuff. The last, sixth, part is the Summary of Current Events (Anheg’s Journal). That plus the introduction written by David Eddings.

All in all not bad, some nice snippets here and there and a good way of getting a better understanding of the imaginary world of the Belgariad. If you were really into this saga, it’s a must buy. If not, then well, why should your really care, right?

My ranking for the series: 6.5/10 (Kind of a reference book, good thing for a die-hard fan) 

Nice fantasy trilogy in a world of sword and magic. Good readability, although not exactly my kind of fantasy. A little bit too much magic, elves, dragons, etc. but that’s a matter of personal choice. Some might enjoy this fairy-tale-like piece of a three novel set (The Outstretched Shadow, To Light a Candle, When Darkness Falls).

The Obsidian Trilogy centers on the adventures of Kellen, the son of the Arch Mage in the city of High Magic. Bored and frustrated with very scientific-like study of the City’s magic, Kellen discovers the three books of the forbidden magic, the Wild Magic, which is more to his liking.  When his practices become uncovered by his father, the rebellious protagonist gets kicked out of his home city and finds himself in the Land of the Elves, where he finally finds a place of acceptance. Unfortunately, nothing (especially not magic) comes without a price. The World of Light is about to be overcome by the Endarkened Ones, and Kellen is in the middle of the whole ordeal…

All in all, the trilogy is a nice and easy read. Recommended for the young adult audience. The series start very promising with the first part, followed by a good sequel. The closing book seems a little rushed. Seemed to me like a nice beginning of a saga that got shortened with an axe by the editor.

If you don’t mind the abundance of Dragons, Elves, Demons, and other way-out-of-this-world creatures, and don’t have anything to read on the bus (or can’t sleep at night), then go for the Obsidian Trilogy. Not bad, bot not too sophisticated either.

My ranking for the trilogy: 6.5/10 (Easy read, first two books would get a 7 but the last book brings down the overall score)

I have read every fantasy book by David and his late wife Leigh. All of them at least twice, and most of them in two languages. Well, not really all of them. In The Dreamers, I only got to the middle of the third book (The Crystal Gorge). I don’t think that I have ever stopped reading a fantasy book in the middle of it. This time I had to, it was so bad.

Seems to me that Mr. Eddings just gave up on being creative and wrote this series because he didn’t have anything better to do… or to pay the bills. I mean the books are so repetitive, they all follow the same format: an evil nation surrounded by four good ones. One book, one war. Every book the “evil nation” attacks and right when it seems like they’re about to win, the divine Dreamers dream up some divine power that annihilates the enemy army.

Aside from the schematic way the plot works, there is also the issue of characters. They are pretty much a repetition of different characters for Eddings’ other books. They are very shallow. They repeat the same jokes over and over and do the same things throughout the whole series. I’m not even going to go into the predictability of the books, they should have a big “I’ve seen that coming” warning printed on the front cover.

All in all very disappointing. As good The Belgariad, The Malloreon, The Ellenium, etc. (other series by David Eddings), as bad The Dreamersare. I was a die-hard fan of Eddings (I still am as a matter of fact), but even I couldn’t get through his newest creation. I read on some fan forums, that most of the people quit after the first book, the second at the most.

My ranking for the series: 3/10 (Huge disappointment – of you’re a big fan you may read the first book or two, if not fugetaboutit) 

By far my favorite series so far! Terry Goodkind has outdone himself time and again when publishing sequel after sequel of this 11-book epic fantasy saga. The first book of The Sword of Truth,  entitled Wizard’s First Rule, is one of, if not the best fantasy book I have read so far. It is a little surprising, because it has some rather prevalent romance overtones, and I never been a romantic type (Ok, maybe a little bit in high-school, but now I’m a bitter old man.. 24 year old to be exact).

The plot might seem standard for fantasy at the first sight (mighty protagonist as the champion of all that is good, waging battle upon the evil forces of the whoever the main-bad -guy is). That is not the case here. What seems to be a straight cut good vs. evil, turns out to be layered with lots of gray areas. Nobody’s totally good (maybe excluding Richard Cypher, the protagonist, but even he gets a little mud on his shoes) in the series. Even when we get to the Coalition of Evil of the books, the antagonists are portrayed more in-depth. We get to know the reasoning behind their actions. They are not bad, because they want to be bad. They do what they do because they believe that their actions are right and serve the common good of the people (Commie Alert!), but that is not an excuse, just another layer of grey between white and black.But what got me sold on the series was not the plot, characters (although that played a big part in my affection for the saga), but the philosophy behind it.

Don’t get me wrong here, I never liked philosophy, although I always had A’s from my philosophy classes. It’s not that I didn’t understand what those all-so-mighty philosophers were trying to write in their ancient text. I just never could find a philosopher that I could agree with (No Kant, you didn’t cut it either with your Categorical Imperative and Duty everywhere). More to the point, I hated the very idea of some arrogant little philosopher telling me how to live my life like he knew everything and I knew nothing(yeah? if you’re so smart and I’m so dumb, why am I alive and why are you dead, pal?).

So, how was the philosophy in The Sword of Truth different from what was preached by Plato/Kant/Locke/etc.? Well, for starter I didn’t know that I was reading a philosophy book, until I started questioning things myself. Why did that character did what he did. What were the reasons for his actions? What was the outcome? Was it right or wrong? What would I do differently? In other words, the book got me thinking (ouch, that hurt). Other thing was, that the explanation given by the author through the dialogs and characters’ thoughts, was something that I agreed with.

So, for the first time in my life, I found a philosophy that I didn’t discard almost right away as a piece of garbage. Aside for reading the books, I decided to find out more on this mysterious philosophy that I agreed with so much (or to be honest about it – to find out if I can find something that I disagree with). I googled the author’s name and found some sort of his biography (I think it was a wikipedia entry). Turns out that Terry Goodkind considers himself an Objectivist, and cites Ayn Rand (originally Alisa Zinov’yevna Rosenbaum) as his major influence.

At that point, I decided to learn more about Ayn Rand and the Objectivist philosophy and found it rather to my liking. I found the ideas of rational self interest, objective knowledge gained through measurement, capitalism, and fierce opposition to communism (go live in a socialist/communist country and you’ll get my drift here) very appealing to me. I always believed in freedom, and always believed that freedom is the only thing worth dying for. I hated when somebody (be it my parents, teachers, or whoever) told me what to do, when their only argument for validity of their opinions was an old saying: “Because I say so!” This might explain my aversion to philosophy as a whole and kind attitude towards objectivists.

Anyhow, that’s what the philosophy in The Sword of Truth is all about: thinking for yourself, making your own decisions, and working for your own happiness, and not the common good of all just because somebody else doesn’t feel like working right now (sounds like the ideas of libertarians -  vote Ron Paul!). Pretty much sums up the idea of a free will, right? But no matter what you believe in, this series is a really good read regardless of the philosophical undertones, plus at some points it gave me a little tear in my eye (another thing I’d think that would never happen).

11 books + one rather short prequel (Debt of Bones), mostly targeted to adults, but wouldn’t hurt a teenager either.

My ranking for the series: 10/10 (All time favorite -  a MUST read!)

My first recommendation for fantasy book readers would probably have to be the saga of The Wheel of Time. WoT, as most of the fans refer to the series, is an unfinished set of 11 books set in an imaginary world. The plot revolves around the usual struggle between the Good and Evil. The champion of the world, the Dragon Reborn, is fighting the forces of the Dark One

and his followers, called the Darkfriends, led by an elite evil mages, the Forsaken Ones. The whole world is in turmoil, as the event lead to the Final Battle when everything will be settled once and for all.

Robert Jordan, actually James Oliver Rigney, Jr. had an original style. I say had not has, because Mr. Jordan suffered from a rare disease called amyloidosis, which he was determined to fight, but ultimately lost this fight on September 16, 2007 (the last of the books will be written in RJs stead by another fantasy writer Brandon Sanderson). Jordan’s characters are very realistic and poses many innate qualities and peculiarities. The study of characters has been done thoroughly and resulted in very deep and diverse (and VERY big) group of characters.

Also, the plot itself is very intense, and consist of a good number of side-plots interconnected to one another and building up the main plot. Seriously, sometimes it’s easy to get lost in the amount of information conveyed by the series. Nonetheless, I found the series very addictive. Once I started the first book, it only took me one or two chapters to get totally hooked on the story of Rand, Perin, Mat, and Co.

All in all, the series are very exciting, yet slightly predictable at times with some overly detailed description of landscape. Nonetheless, those little cons are completely wiped out by the amazing plot (which kind of slows down towards the mid-end part of the series), depth of characters, and the battle scenes that pop up now and again throughout the saga.

Aside for the 11 books (one more to come, unfortunatelly by a different author), there is one sequel (The New Spring) and reference book (The World of Robert Jordan’s the Wheel of Time – commonly refered to as the “Big White Book” by fans).

My ranking for the series: 9/10 (Extremely Recommended)