INTERVIEW | Jim Hines author of Libriomancer

Jim C. Hines has been one of favorite writers since long before I started this blog. It all started with a little book found at my local bookstore called Goblin Quest starring a little blue near-sighted goblin named Jig and his trepidatious fire spider companion Smudge. From there Jig's adventures got bigger with Goblin Hero and Goblin War. Hines's prominence then grew with a quartet of novels based on fairy tale princess stories starting with The Stepsister Scheme and his latest novel Libriomancer--out this week--is his first in the Urban Fantasy series Ex Libris, which is also his first hardcover release.

*****

MH: You've done your Quest Fantasy series, which turned into something of an Epic with the Goblin books, tackled the Fairy Tale genre with the Princess novels, and now you're after Urban Fantasy with Libriomancer. Is your plot to cover the breadth of Genre literature?

HINES: YES! Though I'm finding this one-book-at-a-time approach to be painfully slow. This is why my next book will be 50 SHADES OF BLUE, an erotic romance about goblin detectives in the old west. It will be a picture book.

MH: That's a best-seller waiting to happen. Despite my reluctance on erotic romances that would certainly be something to behold. Smudge, originally scene in the Goblin books, reasserts his role as a sidekick/companion in Libriomancer. You mentioned in the introduction that a short story was the impetuous for Smudge coming back. Did you ever feel pressure on bringing a character you've used so much into a new world?

HINES: That would be "Mightier than the Sword," in Gamer Fantastic, yes. I was (and still am) very nervous about bringing Smudge back. I love that little fire-spider. I'm not fond of spiders in general, but Smudge is just fun. I wanted to be true to his character, and I didn't want to bring him back as just a gimmick. He needed a real role in the story, both in terms of the plot, and in his relationship with Isaac. Smudge has changed a little since his time in the goblin caves. The transition to another world has made him a little ... let's call it "quirkier." But the core of his character is very much there, and I had a blast exploring how he'd relate to our world. One of my favorite bits is when Isaac remarks on how Smudge likes to ride on the dashboard, and that a fire-spider works well for defrosting the windshield during those Michigan winters.

MH: I love that little fire spider too. Libriomancer is peppered with genre literary references from both classic and new works. How much were you bribed for those mentions? And did you go back and re-read a lot of books to get the little details right?

HINES: How much did they bribe me? Well, looking at my bills for this month, IT WASN'T ENOUGH! There were actually only a few instances where I deliberately snuck a friend's name in. Ann Crispin has done tremendous work through Writer Beware, and I remember loving her Star Trek novels when I was younger, so I asked if I could put her in as the author of Vulcan's Mirror. My friend Catherine did a quick consult for me on the idea for Rabid, so I listed her as the author for that one. Mostly though, I just looked for the books that fit, and the kind of books Isaac would want to use for various situations.

As for rereading, I wish I had time to reread every book I mentioned. I read some, skimmed through others, and queried the groupmind on Facebook and Twitter for a few.

MH: You're become known as a humorist Fantasy writer. What moment(s) made you feel that was the direction you should head and make your niche in? Were you know as a funny guy growing up?

HINES: When I started seriously trying to make it as a writer, I concentrated on serious stories. I wanted to be deep and powerful. The first time I made someone cry with one of my stories, it was a huge triumph. But none of that stuff sold. Finally, in a fit of annoyance, I wrote a quirky, humorous sword and sorcery story about a magic bunny knife. It won first place at Writers of the Future, and remains the highest-paying short story I’ve ever done. That was my first clue that maybe lighter stuff was a better fit for me. I still pushed myself to learn how to write dark and serious, but I have more fun when I can work humor into the story.

Growing up, I was mostly known as that skinny, geeky kid. But I did enjoy making people laugh. That hasn’t changed. When someone tells me a story of mine cracked them up, or a blog post made them laugh-snort their coffee, it makes my whole day.

MH: Labeling is something many reviewers seem at odds about, especially YA. I find the Jig the Goblin books YA friendly even going so far as to give them to my niece. If you could have had a say and had them published in the YA category would you? Granted the YA category barely existed when Goblin Quest came out.

HINES: YA was growing when Goblin Quest came out, and a part of me wondered if it would have done better had it been marketed that way. It’s one of those books that could go either way, I think. DAW (my publisher) doesn’t have a YA line, so it came out as regular adult fantasy here in the U.S. But the French editions of the goblin books were published as YA. Who am I to try to unravel the mysteries of book marketing?

MH: Sometimes I think it is whatever works that day for publishers. Have you begun work on the sequel to Libriomancer? Any thing you can share such as a title or direction?

HINES: If you'd asked me about the title 24 hours ago, I would have said no, but I just last night emailed several suggestions to my editor. I think my favorite is "Codex Born." I don't know if that will be what we use, but I like it. I'm currently about 25K words into the second draft of book two. I'm exploring Lena's character a bit more, as well as the history of the Porters and some of the enemies Gutenberg made along the way. I'm also pissing off my protagonist, which is what a good author is supposed to do, right?

MH: That's exactly as it should be. Just hope he doesn't pop out of the book one day. More on the history of the Porters and Gutenberg is definitely what I'd like to see. Do you have any celebration rituals when you finish or sell a new book?

HINES: I don't, and I really need to start some. Any suggestions?

MH: A bottle of wine and reading a good book seems like the way to go. Or how about dancing a merry jig? What is the greatest advice you've even been given as a writer?

HINES: Always ... no, never ... forget to check your references. Also, sit your butt in the chair and write!

MH: Now on to the important issues. What is your favorite hat?

HINES: THIS ONE, BECAUSE IT IS AWESOME! (And the bonus sonic screwdriver takes that picture up to 11.)

MH: Now that is a swank hat. What books are you reading at the moment?

HINES: Lots of good stuff! I'm halfway through N. K. Jemisin's Kingdom of Gods, the final book in her Inheritance Trilogy. I've also been reading various works from the Hugo Voter Packet, and recently finished Marie Brennan's A Natural History of Dragons, which comes out in February of 2013.

MH: I love the cover for Brennan's book. I'll have to make time for it. And thanks for all your time. Is there anything you'd like to say to close us out?

HINES: Thanks for inviting me to do the interview. This was fun! For anyone who's read all the way to the end, you can check out the first chapter of Libriomancer at www.jimchines.com, or follow the links on that site to come hang out with me on the blog, Twitter, Facebook and such. Finally, always stock up on emergency cupcakes, never piss off a platypus, and try not to get too jealous of my hat.

MH: I'll try not to get jealous, but it is going to be hard.

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MINI REVIEW | Throne of the Crescent Moon by Saladin Ahmed

The Crescent Moon Kingdoms, land of djenn and ghuls, holy warriors and heretics, Khalifs and killers, is at the boiling point of a power struggle between the iron-fisted Khalif and the mysterious master thief known as the Falcon Prince. In the midst of this brewing rebellion a series of brutal supernatural murders strikes at the heart of the Kingdoms. It is up to a handful of heroes to learn the truth behind these killings.

Throne of the Crescent Moon is Nebula and Campbell nominee Saladin Ahmed's debut novel, which is placed in the world first created in his short story work. Sometimes a book comes along and you feel like it was written to hit all your own personal sweet spots. Throne of the Crescent Moon is one of those books for me.

Throne of the Crescent Moon evokes an old school Arabian setting with a touch of Egyptian while building a fresh world and history all its own filled with ghuls (zombies), lion shapeshifters, and a ghul hunter who has been there and done that so much I kept waiting for him to belt out the immortal Danny Glover line "I'm getting too old for this shit."

Doctor Adoulla has been battling ghuls for decades and we encounter him near the end of his tenure as the greatest ghul hunter in the Crescent Moon Kingdoms at a point where his role has been marginalized. He isn't sad about being forgotten--to a degree--in fact he would love to finally retire and pass on the mantle. Yet a threat has surfaced that tests his abilities and that of his young dervish protege. It is Adoulla's lifetime of experience that sets him apart from so many warriors in their prime and magicians seeking to make a name for themselves that seem to proliferate Fantasy. He's the uncle with all the best stories.

Striking the right balance with the pacing and fun action of a Sword & Sorcery story while still bringing in the coarse and realistic tone found in modern Fantasy, Throne of the Crescent Moon is superbly executed. Everything has consequence in the story. The Doctor and his cohorts don't just bounce up after a fight, but need to mend their many scars, both on the outside and inside.  Ahmed doesn't let any of his characters off easy giving each things to regret and deal with in a realistic manner even while battling crazy sand monsters.

One thing that seemed off was the very rushed and somewhat chaotic climax, which I had to re-read in order to fully grok. Also, the story does seem like a preamble to a much larger tale despite standing on its own well as things are just set in motion for something more epic. None of this dampened the experience much, if at all, as Ahmed is a writer just coming into his own. His prose and characterization are already there and if he gets over a few niggling issues like these he could become one of the most popular wordsmiths of his generation.

It is hard to discuss Throne without at least Jones' The Desert of Souls (review here) coming to mind. Though both share many commonalities Ahmed's work is of a much richer and higher octane variety than Jones more classic style. There is room for both on your shelves by my estimation.

I'm loving this new wave of Sword & Sorcery and Ahmed just firmly put himself as the leader of the pack. I give Throne of the Crescent Moon 4 out of 5 hats. This is a debut not to be missed if you enjoy action oriented stories and memorable characters. The Crescent Throne Kingdom series will be at least three books long with the next out sometime in 2013.

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Cover Unveiled for Libriomancer by Jim C. Hines

Jim C. Hine's new series Magic Ex Libris begins with Libriomancer. It involves magic and books so you just know that is up my alley. The cover above is not the final design, but the art seems to be. The art is by Gene Mollica who is know for his photo realistic covers used a lot in the Urban Fantasy area, but he is also behind Brian Ruckley's gorgeous Godless Trilogy. The art seems fitting, but I'm not a fan of the title font or coloring. Just seems off to me. A description for Libriomancer hasn't been released but Hines did make the opening paragraph's available:

Some people would say it’s a bad idea to bring a fire-spider into a public library. They would probably be right, but it was better than leaving him alone in the house for nine hours straight. Smudge was a neurotic little arachnid, but as long as he had company, he usually refrained from setting everything alight.

The four-inch spider was a memento of what I had left behind, one last piece of that other life. If magic were alcohol, Smudge would be both sobriety medallion and the one whiskey bottle I kept around as a reminder…

So, yes everyone's favorite fire spider from the Jig the Goblin books is making the cross over. Libriomancer will be out in August from Daw and marks Hines' first hardcover release. Also of note is that the Jig the Goblin books are being released in omnibus format. The collection will be called The Legend of Jig Dragonslayer and will be out in July.

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Cover Unveiled for Throne of the Crescent Moon by Saladin Ahmed

Cover Not Final

Throne of the Crescent Moon is Saladin Ahmed's debut novel and my early bet on debut of the year for the Fantasy genre. Ahmed is part of the new guard bringing back Swords & Sorcery with a vengeance. Ahmed has been a finalist for the Nebula Award in the short story category and was just nominated for the John W. Campbell award for best new Fantasy writer amongst his many other accolades.  He has also written a few short stories in this world including the just released for audio “Judgment of Swords and Souls” that is well worth checking out. Here is the blurb for Throne of the Crescent Moon:

Doctor Adoulla Makhslood, "the last real ghul hunter in the great city of Dhamsawaat," a fat old man who’s grown weary of chasing down monsters and saving lives, wants nothing more than to finally marry his old flame and spend his days sitting around his favorite teahouse. But a series of mysterious murders makes it clear that Adoulla’s beloved city still desperately needs his monster-hunting magics. To make things worse, Dhamsawaat is in the midst of a power struggle between the Khalif and a mysterious Robin Hood-type figure known as the Falcon Prince.

Adoulla and his uptight assistant, the holy warrior Raseed, soon learn that the murders and the political upheaval are connected. Adoulla, recruiting the help of old companions and new, discovers a sorcerous plot that threatens to turn his city and perhaps the world itself into a flaming, bloody ruin. And only he and his friends can stop this from happening.

Throne of the Crescent Moon will be released in February from DAW books as a hardcover. Here is the unadulterated art by Jason Chan, which shows a lot more of the epic detail than the slightly low-resolution version above. This is the first on my immediate read list for 2012.

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RE-READING | The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss - Part 2

My re-read of The Name of the Wind is done. I was planning on splitting these posts into three discussing every 200 pages or so, but I zoomed through the last few hundred pages in a day and a half due to some free time and the fact no one could pry it from my hands. My discussion of the first two hundred pages can be found here.

"He's telling the truth."
"Why do you say that?"
"He sounds more sincere than that when he lies."

The Name of the Wind is an immersive reading experience. It's a very personal story and Kvothe's voice is so strong you feel like you're sitting at the Inn listening alongside Bast and The Chronicler. His voice demands your complete rapt attention and draws you into his world deeper and deeper as the telling unfolds.

Magic is not overused. It is certainly present and important in certain sections, but even Kvothe's time at the College is more about him learning to deal with others and setting up events that build him up to the person he becomes and his eventual change to an inn keeper hiding himself away than just trying to be flashy. Plus he is still learning about magic. He's clearly powerful and a fast learner, but there are many mysteries for him to uncover about the nature of magic and the world at large. Woman are a big mystery to him, which makes it easier to like him even if he is blind to the attention from the fairer sex. He has other flaws that will probably only enlarge as he grows older.

There is something to say for a society where a man can cry in public because of a beautiful song and not be thought of as weak because of it. The scene I mention was one of the most vivid in The Name of the Wind for me despite not being high action yet the tension and desire for Kvothe to succeed is where he comes into his own as more than just a know-it-all. I could almost hear the song he played and feel cheated that it doesn't exist is our own world.

Rothfuss certainly tugs at the heart strings creating a deep emotional resonance with Kvothe building him up just to knock him down. Why has he lost his magic, but what led him to this path? Is it all for show? Rothfuss has captured the essence of any character driven story and dressed it in a highly detailed world I lost myself in. It is a world of magic, mystery and legends coming alive. And Bast is a lot more bad-ass that I recall.

The only people who probably would not enjoy The Name of the Wind are those looking for stories that move at breakneck speeds. You won't find that with the methodical The Name of the Wind, but when you look up at the clock you'll be surprised how fast the time flies and how hard it is to pull yourself away from Kvothe's story. The life of a living legend can be the hardest for the legend themselves to accept.

The Name of the Wind can come off as a frustrating yet fulfilling first date with Rothfuss playing the part of a tease and in may ways this novel just feels like an appetizer of the feast that is to hopefully come. So many little things are mentioned about what Kvothe will do no matter how long this book is or the next it will never be enough. I can't wait to meet the Amyr and the Adem and hopefully learn how he earns the name "Kvothe the Kingkiller". Now I'm ready for The Wise Man's Fear. Anyone else with me?

I'm also planning on doing a re-read of A Game of Thrones before the HBO series starts. I've actually been itching to do a re-read of the whole series, but have been waiting for word on A Dance With Dragons as many other readers are. I'd like to see how the book matches up with the series. I expect somethings to change such as character introductions and the combining of some characters, but beyond that I've no clue what will translate to the small screen.

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RE-READING | The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss - Part 1

These posts might be more meandering than my usual review since I'm doing them more stream of consciousness than my normal take.

My anticipation is growing. Well, gnawing at me really. All for The Wise Man's Fear. I've mentioned a little here and there, but in case you're a new reader I'll fill you in. If it weren't for Patrick Rothfuss's The Name of the Wind I probably wouldn't be blogging today. It was that book that made be delve deeper and deeper into book review sites such as John, Ken, Aidan, and Pat's places most of whom did interviews with Rothfuss. From there they led me into a world I thought I was involved with, but it turned me from a mere reader to a bonefide bookaholic for every shred of news I could find.

Firstly, I'm very glad to have started this re-read. I kept promising myself I would, but new books kept coming up and I've re-read only a few books since I started blogging. I first read The Name of the Wind the week it was released and re-read it once a few months after, but now, more than 3 years later, all of the details have faded from my mind except for some of the big happenings and a few particular scenes at the University.

The story starts much slower than I remembered and does tend to be overly detailed at times, which worries me a little about The Wise Man's Fear given it is half as long again as The Name of the Wind. But the love of the characters comes across immediately and there is no doubt it is a highly compelling read. The language of The Name of the Wind is deceptively simple. Rothfuss doesn't thrown in a 10 dollar word when a 50 cent one works just fine, which helps the flow easily from one chapter to the next and probably accounts for why people of almost any age find it so engaging. It is certainly just as hard to put down as when I first read it as I kept telling myself the past few nights.

"Just another chapter.  It is only a few pages long and than to bed."

"Well maybe just another. I can't stop at this point."

"Crap I should have been asleep an hour ago."

"Just one more..."

Whole parts of the story were lost to me. Oh, yeah the Chandrian. Wasn't that something in the beginning of the book? The story is a very slow build, but Rothfuss does sow the seeds of anticipation well if not too heavily at times. Talk about foreshadowing, which can be a bit too much with all the tell and not enough of the show. I forgot how intricate the mythology of this world is and how much was covered in the first two hundred pages along with the sly drops about what is to come that I'm probably reading too much into. All the connections and stories about Lanre and the Chandrian seem much more central to the story than I remembered, which has given me a better sense of where things will go in the future.

Young Kvothe can get annoying. Oh, he is super smart. Oh, he can pick up any skill within hours including languages. His fiery red hair will set the world ablaze. He is just too good at everything and no reason is given in particular. Maybe it will come up in a later volume, but it seems doubtful. It is also possible throwing in a noble bloodline or demon blood of some sort would dilute his accomplishments. Still Kvothe is endearing and as the story progresses it fades. Having the scenes at the inn help temper things with young Kvothe as it seems deservedly so and does draw you to his plight and battle for survival. This is a guy that inspires legends and lives up to the tales even after some myths are dissembled.

While the story is told from Kvothe's point of view the secondary characters are given a lot of life even if they are only around for a few pages. The world at large is very sketchy. While the scenes are described well the hierarchy and most groups are only alluded to at a few points. No real power structure or places of importance are delved into save the University. It is all about Kvothe, but I don't think I'd have it any other way. I hope we see a lot more of Skarpi, but I don't think he is in the rest of The Name of the Wind.

To summarize the re-read of the first 200 pages or so:
The first 100 pages = carefree Kvothe
The second 100 pages = Kvothe on hard times

I should also add I'm enjoy the heck out of the book all over again. UPDATE: Part 2 of my re-read is now up here.

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NEWS | Patrick Rothfuss's The Wise Man's Fear is Done(ish)

Last week Patrick Rothfuss mentioned The Wise Man's Fear was nearly done, but I kept my squee in check. Gollancz just confirmed that the manuscript has been recevived so all systems are go to have the book out for the announced March 1st release in the states from DAW and Gollancz in the UK.

There is still some cleanup work to be done such as final copy editing, but galleys are apparantly in the works which means the book is on schedule. Huzzah!!! Apparently galleys will be in limited supply and numbered so I doubt one will find its way to me, but my fingers are crossed.

This is much welcome news given that Scott Lynch's The Republic of Thieves has been pushed back again this time to June and Richard Morgan's The Cold Commands is currently set for October, but both of these could change.  Now how long until people start complaining about the wait for The Doors of Stone (book 3,  Kingkiller Chronicles) from Rothfuss?


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Cover Unveiled for Is Anybody Out There? Ed. By Nick Givers & Marty Halpern

I've mentioned the all-original SF anthology Is Anybody Out There? a couple of times now.  DAW just released the cover, but it is a little on the low resolution side of things.  Overall, it is a bit of a safe cover, but the title treatment is nice. The sun image is interesting and certainly helps the spine treatment stand out well.

Here is the back cover copy:

Why is it that, in such a vast cosmos, with hundreds of billions of stars in this galaxy alone, and no doubt billions of Earth-like planted orbiting them, we have found no evidence of intelligent alien life? No evidence that aliens have ever visited Earth (other than discredited UFO mythology), no detectable signals in all our SETI searches with radio telescopes…?

The stories in this anthology offer intriguing explanations for this enigma looking seriously or comically at solutions. Is intelligent life a fluke, arising only once or twice in the universes long history? Does intelligence arise frequently, but with gulfs of time and distance keeping technological civilizations irretrievably apart? Do such civilizations inevitably implode or self-destruct within a few hundred years? Is our definition of intelligence fatally subjective? Are aliens among us right now, unseen? Are there aliens everywhere? These are just some of the many possibilities explored in Is Anybody Out There

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Table of Contents for Is There Anybody Out There? Edited by Givers & Halpern

Cover Unveiled for Shine: An Anthology of Optimistic Science-Fiction

Table of Contents for Is There Anybody Out There? Edited by Givers & Halpern

One of my reading goals of 2010 is to get to more short fiction.  Part of that will surely be accomplished with Is There Anybody Out There?, which I mentioned in my 2010 anthology round-up.  I was tipped off to the TOC release from the always helpful Marty Halpern.  As soon as I saw the list I was shocked by the inclusion of James Morrow. That was all I needed to make sure to pick-up a copy. As if I needed another reason.  It is quite a line-up of wonderful short story writers such as Jay Lake, Paul Di Filippo, and Kristine Kathryn Rusch all checking in on the idea of why if there are aliens haven't we heard from them already?

Paul McAuley, “Introduction: Here Comes Everyone”
Michael Arsenault, “Residue”
Pat Cadigan, “The Taste of Night”
Paul Di Filippo, “Galaxy of Mirrors”
Sheila Finch, “Where Two or Three”
Matthew Hughes, “Timmy, Come Home”
Alex Irvine, “The Word He Was Looking for Was Hello”
Jay Lake, “Permanent Fatal Errors”
David Langford, “Graffiti in the Library of Babel”
Yves Meynard, “Good News from Antares”
James Morrow, “The Vampires of Paradox”
Mike Resnick & Lezli Robyn, “Report From the Field”
Kristine Kathryn Rusch, “The Dark Man”
Felicity Shoulders & Leslie What, “Rare Earth”
Ray Vukcevich, “One Big Monkey”
Ian Watson, “A Waterfall of Lights”

Halpern has done a long post about the anthology including descriptions of each story that is worth checking out.


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REVIEW | The Stepsister Scheme by Jim C. Hines (DAW)

Jim C. Hines is best known as the author behind the Jig the Goblin series of misadventures. The Jig series is as solid as humorous adventure fantasy can get and I'd even go so far as to say they are better than Asprin's MythAdventures. Give them a try if you haven't already, starting with Goblin Quest, which is sure to remind people of a D & D game gone awry. My love of the Goblin books is why I decided to give The Stepsister Scheme a try.

Princess fairy tales. Girly right? Not in the hands of Mr. Hines. There is hardly anything girly about this story and these women. Hines seems to have almost effortlessly morphed these so-called Disney Princesses into heroines a la Charlie's Angels of the highest order. Most fairy tales have a much darker origin than many people realize and some are down right nasty. For example, think about Hansel and Gretel for a second. That old woman wanted to fatten those children up in order to eat them. Can you get much more ghoulish than that?

 The humor isn't as plentiful as in the Goblin books, but these are much more serious characters and situations. To start you have Danielle (Cinderella) who has fallen into palace life with her two Wicked Stepsister still causing trouble. Than you have Talia (Sleeping Beauty) who is about as hard as nails as you can get, but understandably so. Lastly, but certainly not least is Snow who is sort of the balance between the other two, while also being powerful magician in her own right and nasty with her snowflake throwing starts.

There is also Queen Beatrice, whose character is not explored much, but I'm sure it will come up as the world progresses. I have a feeling Hines has a lot in store for the world building, but he did a worthy job of melding the fairy tales into a comprehensible world as well as creating a Fairy town as fun as I've seen. The Stepsister Scheme is a self-contained rescue mission of a certain price with a few teasers thrown in of stories to come.

Hines' style has grown a bit more intricate, but it is still packed full of action and a twisting of the stories we all loved as children. I give The Stepsister Scheme 8 out of 10 Hats. The Mermaid's Madness, the second in the series will be released in early October and judging by its description is sure to raise the ante. This is Charlie's Angels for the fantasy fan and they'll gobble it up.


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