GUEST POST | Ken Scholes on Libraries and Memory, Knowledge and Power

Art  by Marc Simonetti

I’ve always loved libraries…and librarians.

It started in my elementary school, even before I fell in love with reading. A room full of books – many of which had pictures! At first, it was just the picture books that drew me in but once I started reading, I just couldn’t stop. When I learned that there was an even bigger library than the one in my school, I was elated. I checked out as many books as I was allowed and churned through sometimes one or two books a day, and even more in the summer.

So around the time the time the writing bug bit me, I decided that a real writer should probably work in a library, surrounded by books. At the age of fourteen, I started showing up at the Enumclaw Public Library, filling out applications regularly even though the librarian told me (in a very friendly but quiet voice) that I had to be sixteen to work for the library. Still, I was back every so often to try again. For two years.

Persistence paid off and when I turned sixteen, I started working as a library page, shelving returned books and doing whatever odd jobs needed doing. It was Heaven. No fines for late books and at the front of the line for anything new and exciting to come in. And pick of the litter when it came to books being disposed of. I still have some ancient volumes of Shakespeare in my personal library from that time.

Yes, I’ve always loved libraries.

Which is why, on the first page of the first chapter of my first novel, I blew one up.

And somehow, despite this, the American Library Association put that first novel, Lamentation, on the RUSA Reading List for Best Fantasy.

Maybe it’s because of how seriously my protagonists took this devastating act of terror and the hole its destruction left in their world. Or maybe because re-building the library became an important aspect of the story. No matter the reasons, I’ve had a lot of support for the series from libraries and librarians and I’m glad for it.

When I conceived the notion of the Great Androfrancine Library, it was initially just the background for a short story. It wasn’t until I started stitching together the two stories that became the beginning and middle of Lamentation that I saw clearly the re-building of the library – or the notion of a hidden replica of the library. I was drawing a bit from the murky soup of history – the destruction of the Library of Alexandria in Egypt, which is not quite as easy to pin down as legends would have us believe. That library appears to have gone through a series of events that eventually led, over time, to its loss. In reality, no one seems certain exactly what happened and when though speculation points widely to various events between approximately 50 BCE and 650 AD.

But in my world, I wanted it gone quickly, along with its Androfrancine keepers, and I wanted to explore how that kind of loss would play out while my characters sought to solve the puzzle of who destroyed Windwir and why. The “light” of human knowledge and accomplishment, dug painstakingly from the ruins of the Old World and stored away for safekeeping, suddenly snuffed out, and the glue that held a carefully monitored society of survivors suddenly burned away.

And there’s a deeper exploration there:  What happens when one group of people controls the flow of knowledge and what happens when another group takes away that knowledge?  Because knowledge is power but it is also memory.  And if you control or eliminate that memory, the river of history flows in favor of whichever group holds that power to impose their own recollection of how things are and should be.

As we progress deeper into the Psalms of Isaak, we see that it’s about much more than a destroyed library – it is about a sudden and unexpected war of cultures with blurry lines of motivation and intent on both sides.  And moreso, it is about how people react to those sudden, violent changes.

So like I said, I love libraries.  And librarians.  I think the world is a darker, colder place without what they do for us.  So I’ll try to go easier on them in my next series.  

*******

KEN SCHOLES is the author of the acclaimed series The Psalms of Isaak, which comprises Lamentation, Canticle, Antiphon, and now Requiem.  He lives near Portland, Oregon, with his wife, Jen West Scholes, and their three-year-old twin daughters. Visit him on the web at www.kenscholes.com.


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August to September Reading Round-up

So I've been reading a few things that I haven't talked of much here so I thought an update was in order. Just because I don't write a review doesn't mean it isn't worth checking out. Some of the below will get a full review while others make me feel like I'd be repeating myself as they are series books.

Except for the first these recent reads also show that I hit another big book wall after The Black Prism and The Way of Kings. Reading lately has tended to be books of less than 500 pages and that will probably continue for the next month or so.

The Passage by Justin Cronin - Every good thing you've heard about the series is true. If you like The Stand and I Am Legend than you can't miss this. Cronin has breathed new life into apocalyptic fiction that is rewarding and memorable. Don't expect sparkly vamps here. They are out for blood and to take over the world. As rich as the world-building it is the characters you'll be drawn to as they make their way through a world out to destroy them. The story is too long at points, but Cronin's style is to fill-in as many gaps as possible even when skipping 80 years of history. Highly recommended.

My Dead Body by Charlie Huston - This is the last of the Joe Pitt casebooks and what a doozy it is. Huston more than managed to close the series out in a big and satisfying way. Almost too satisfying given what Joe Pitt goes through, but Joe is the anti-hero of anti-heroes. He never does it the easy way, but he still gets the job done. On a whole Huston has written one of the most solid vampire series in years. Just be sure to have a shot of whiskey handy to bring you down from the adrenaline rush. Highly recommended.

Clockwork Phoenix 3 Edited by Mike Allen - This was my first Clockwork Phoenix anthology, which have been lauded as being a bastion for strange and wonderful fiction. It definitely lives up to that. I didn't connect with all of the stories, but there were quite a few that stood out. Expect a review of some of my favorites in the future.

The Loving Dead by Amelia Beamer - What a perverted hoot this one was. Expect a full review in the next week or two as well as an interview with the author. Recommended for fans of zombies and lovers of the odd.

Unnatural History by Jonathan Green - The first in Abaddon's Pax Britannia series of Steampunk pulps. This is just a plain fun read. The hero of the tale is a bit too goody-goody for me, but there is a lot going on in this world so I plan on delving in a bit deeper. Recommended for fans of George Mann and classic pulps.

Antiphon by Ken Scholes - Some very big things come to a head in the latest volume in The Psalms of Isaak series. Scholes packed so much in much it felt too rushed. Barely time to breathe before flipping to another point of view. And even though it had some of the biggest revelations in the series it is so far my least favorite. This could be because Rudolfo took a turn for the worse and a back seat role during much of the story and Jin was nearly a nonentity. But we get plenty of Isaak and Neb, which almost makes up for it. Even with problems this is still one of the most original series going and light years ahead of most Fantasy. Recommend, but start with Lamentation.

How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe by Charles Yu - Yu automatically wins the longest title of the year award. Review to come. Highly recommended.

Salute the Dark by Adrian Tchaikovsky - The fourth book in the Shadows of the Apt series brings a resolution to many story lines and character arcs including the big Wasp conflict. I've been loving this series and this arc ender didn't let me down. It still didn't bring me back to the high that was Dragonfly Falling, but it made everything I've read up to now worth all the time spent, which is what should happen in a long running series. With more Shadows of the Apt books on the way I'm eager to see where Tchaikovsky takes the series from here. Highly recommended.

Hellboy: Oddest Jobs edited by Christopher Golden - This is a prose collection of short stories in Mignola's Hellboy universe with stories by China Mieville, Joe R. Lansdale, Tad Williams, Garth Nix, Amber Benson, and Mark Chadbourn. I've been eyeing this collection for a while even though it is the third of the series by Golden. A friend recently gifted me a copy.  It was the Mieville that I really wanted. Most of the stories caught the flavor of Hellboy quite well with a few missteps.  The Lansdale was a standout even though Hellboy's voice was a little too polished, but it mixes in some crazy concepts such as a ghost train.  Tad Williams's story "The Thursday Men" was also quite memorable making use of an old nursery rhyme in a fantastic way. Recommended.

Homeland by R.A. Salvatore - The first in the Drizzit series was selected for me by Sam Sykes as part of his bravest challenge. It was much better than expected, which is all I'll say for now. Review to come.


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Cover Unveiled for Ken Scholes's Antiphon (new look for series)

Tor is repackaging Ken Scholes's The Psalms of Isaak series with art by the always awesome Chris McGrath made famous for his work in Urban Fantasy, but he seems to be getting more and more general Fantasy work lately with the relaunch of The First Law trilogy and Sturges's Midwinter series just to mention a couple.

UPDATE: Tor redid the coloring and altered the art a bit from the first shown.

(Final Print Version)

(First version released)

Tor has aimed for more of a character centric look, which works well for the series. I especially like the type treatment and the bird icon prevalent on both covers. I'm always a sucker for a series logo such as this. First up we have the cover to the highly anticipated Antiphon, which is the third book in the series and will be released this September. This one sports a very hardened and fierce looking Neb depicted in the rough Churning Waste. UPDATE: Tor smartly made Neb look younger in the final version. He was looking a little grizzled for someone just in his twenties even given everything he has been through. But I did like the orange more. It just stood out better.

 Next up we have the mass market edition of the second volume Canticle. This will precede Antiphon with a release in August. In this version we see Jin Li Tam in all her glory. I'll miss the large group scenes done for the first two hardcovers by Greg Manchess, but these should certainly appeal to the wide audience Scholes deserves.

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RECOMMENDATIONS | Books Read Recently But Not Reviewed

My reading habits are still a bit ravenous, but lately I've cut back on reviews a tad to focus on certain books that I have a bit more to say about.  It doesn't mean the below are not quality reads and in fact that is quite to the contrary as many were very enjoyable and authors I'll keep reading.  Plus reviews are coming for a few of these books, so it can also be thought of as coming attractions.  I have a few interveiws in the pipeline as well.

Ariel: A Novel of the Change by Steven R. Boyett - Recommend for Urban Fantasy and Apocalyptic lit fans. A cult classic returns for a second serving. The setting is earth, but after all technology stops working and magic develops along with magical creatures appearing out of nowhere. At first I wasn't too sure about Ariel as the title character is a talking unicorn, but the realism is high and Boyett's twisting of Fantasy works well. I'll be reading the follow-up Elegy Beach shortly to see what Boyett has done to this world 30 years into the change with a review to follow.

The Sad Tale of the Brothers Grossbart by Jesse Bullington - Highly Recommend.  One of the most original books I've read all year.  Bullington gives folktales a spin that is classic yet feels strangely modern.  Review to come.

Lamentation: The First Book of The Psalms of Isaak by Ken Scholes - Highly recommend.  Lamentation is a very pleasing start to a series that deserves a wide readership.  Scholes is going far places with these books and I'll be there for every step of the way. He manages to mix genres, cultures, and create memorable characters in a rich world.

Canticle: The Second Book of The Psalms of Isaak by Ken Scholes - Highly recommended.  The Second Book of The Psalms of Isaak is even better than the first and gives the characters depth along with breaking the world open.  Layers and layers of intrigue are developed.  I did happen to interview Scholes recently because I thought so highly of his work.  I'll be following this series very closely.

The Sword-Edged Blonde by Alex Bledsoe - Highly recommended.  Action packed and fun.  This cross of Detective and Swords & Sorcery is a lethal combination to your sleep.  Review to come. A few people caught a sneak peek of my not even half formed thoughts a few days back when I hit the post instead of save button. I promise the final review will make much more sense.

Beyond the Shadows: Book Three of the Night Angel Trilogy by Brent Weeks - Recommended.  I'm sorry I took so long to finishing the last of the Night Angel series.  It is a worthy conclusion to the story arc. Weeks has earned his place in the new gritty Fantasy regime with the likes of Abercrombie and Lynch.

The Android's Dream by John Scalzi - Recommended.  This is so much better than I was expecting given the unusual premise.  It succeeds in all its goals with humor all along the way.  Scalzi again proves he is one of the most entertaining voices in Science Fiction.

How to Make Friends With Demons by Graham Joyce - Recommended.  This is what we'd get if Nick Hornby tried his hand at Paranormal Fiction.  Review to come.

The Club Dumas by Arturo Pérez-Revert - Recommended for Mystery fans.  In some circles this is compared to The Shadow of the Wind, which I can kind of see yet it is not as memorable or as heartrending. However, this is one of those big twist reads that definitely surprised me.  Also, the Johnny Deep movie The Ninth Gate was based off The Club Dumas, but this is a case of the book being light years better than the movie and also the movie changed the last third of the story.

Not a Star by Nick Hornby - Recommend for Hornby fans. This novelette is only about 70 pages in big type, but it was an enjoyable read. The opening lines just make you fall into this story:

 "I found that my son was the star of a porn film when Karen dropped an envelope through our letter box. Inside the envelope was a video and little note."

Hornby's cinematic short take works, but you'll want more.  This would definitely be a good taste for someone who hasn’t read him before.


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INTERVIEW | Ken Scholes author of Canticle (The Psalms of Isaak)

Ken Scholes has been garnering accolades for many years for his short fiction including being a finalist for the Endeavor award for his short story collection Long Walks, Last Flights,  & Other Strange Journeys.   Only this year did his debut novel Lamentation release to start The Psalms of Isaak series, which just came out in mass market last month.  This month saw the publication of volume two Canticle.   Lamentation had been hanging around my to-read shelf since its release and when I heard the second book was about to come out I thought it was high time I got to it.  After reading both volumes back-to-back it would be an understatement to say this series will be anything other than memorable for years to come. The characters are well done and the plotting is unbelievably deep. 

MH:  Hello Mr. Scholes, welcome to Mad Hatter’s Bookshelf. Firstly, can you tell us a little about yourself? 

SCHOLES:  Sure.  I grew up in a small logging town near Mount Rainier in rural Washington State.  I spent some time in both the Navy and the Army and have a degree in History. 

I've worked in a variety of fields including some good stretches in the nonprofit sector, the ministry and in local government.  I spent about a decade writing short stories before I tackled my first novel.  I'm a winner of the Writers of the Future contest—a program I heartily support for new writers trying to break in.  

I live in Saint Helens, Oregon, with my wife Jen West Scholes and our brand-new twin daughters, Rachel and Lizzy.

MH: For those who haven’t read Lamentation, what would you say perspective readers to whet their appetite?

SCHOLES:  The scholarly city of Windwir and its Androfrancine Order, after two thousand years of digging knowledge and relics from the ruins of civilization, has been utterly destroyed.  Its sole survivor—a steam-powered metal man that once worked in its Great Library—claims to be responsible.  But as alliances shift and armies come together around the Desolation, it's quickly apparent that there is more to it than meets the eye and the world is changing once again....

MH: The Psalms of Isaak is a very difficult book to classify.  There are strong Fantasy elements as well as Sci-Fi aspects along with a smattering of Steampunk.  How would you describe the world?

SCHOLES:  I have an unfair advantage over my characters, who believe firmly that they're in a fantasy novel or my readers, who have to wait for the gradual reveal.  I guess I would call it a post-apocalyptic epic.

MH: What music did you listen to while writing Lamentation:

SCHOLES:  Simon and Garfunkel, Matchbox 20, Carbon Leaf, Augustana, Five for Fighting, Alanis Morisette, Tori Amos, Eva Cassidy, Goo Goo Dolls, Paul Simon, Don McLean, Live and much more.

MH: I know it is difficult to pick favorites, but what is a short story of yours you feel best encompasses your strengths as a writer and why?

SCHOLES:  It really is difficult to pick favorites.  But I think the one that feels the most like "me" is "Last Flight of the Goddess."  It's available as a .pdf download through www.tor.com here.  [There is also] a link at http://www.kenscholes.com/.  It really captures what I think is most important in life and is a gift I wrote for my wife one Christmas.

MH:  If you could be any character from a Fantasy book who would it be and why?

SCHOLES:  Oh, Bilbo Baggins definitely.  Before the ring turned sour on him, of course.  I love the notion of the ordinary and simple becoming heroic when placed in extraordinary circumstances.

MH: I’ve noticed similarities between Walter M. Miller, Jr’s A Canticle for Leibowitz and The Psalms of Isaak.  Did reading Miller’s work have a hand in Lamentation?

SCHOLES:  Only in as much as it was part of the canon of post-apocalyptic literature that influenced me as a teen.  That and Hiero's Journey and Earth Abides and host of others, mixed in with a generous helping of Clark Ashton Smith and Cordwainer Smith.

MH: Between Lamentation and now Canticle it is clear this world is heavily influenced by Religion.  How has your own spiritual quest influenced your writing?

SCHOLES:  Well, I could spend a few years on this question and still not quite convey how deep the influence goes.  I think writers are influenced by all the different facets of life and certainly our desire to connect with our environment at a spiritual level is a part of that. 

And my spiritual travels have taken me down some interesting roads.  I've moved glacially through a more fundamentalist interpretation of Christianity (and indeed was a minister for a time) into a more ecumenical and contemporary expression.  Along the way, I studied many other religions—particularly in the context of world history—and eventually landed in secular humanism as more of an agnostic atheist (i.e. can't know for certain and don't have a belief in gods).  But because I've believed some things Very Strongly, I think it gives me the ability to explore these notions in the context of fiction in a different way than if I still practiced a religion.

MH: You’ve said The Psalms of Isaak will be 5 books long.  When can we expect volume 3 Antiphon?

SCHOLES:  I'll be done revising Antiphon at the end of October.  You should see it in September 2010.  And ideally, Requiem will follow 9-12 months later with a similar stretch between that and the final volume, Hymn.  Of course, things could change on those last two—could happen somewhat faster or somewhat slower.

MH: That is quite a schedule.  What, if any, plans do you have for books outside the series?  Are you working on any new short stories we can check out soon?

SCHOLES:  Well, I have a rich world to mine for more series—both before and after the events in The Psalms of Isaak.  And possibly during.  I also would like to adapt my short story, "Invisible Empire of Ascending Light," into a trilogy.  My most recent short story, "Love in the Time of Car Alarms," will be in DAW's anthology The Trouble With Heroes.  I have a few other short projects in the pipe for 2010 (along with a second short story collection) and a short novel for sometime in 2011 when I finish Hymn but nothing I'm able to announce yet.

MH:  How has being a Dungeons & Dragons player influenced your writing?  Do you still play regularly and what is your favorite Character Class?  Lastly, what is the best character name you’ve created for D& D?

SCHOLES:  D&D was a huge influence.  It taught me what I call the storyteller's waltz—the give and take between player and Dungeon Master is much like the give and take between a reader and a writer.  I don't play at this point and wish I had the time to.  Last time I touched it was 2001 and that was the first time I'd played since the 80s.  My favorite classes was the paladin or the half-elvish fighter/thief in AD&D.  Best name—well, I lifted it from a SF movie and changed the spelling—Ankharr Mohr. 

MH: What are 2 things about you most people don’t know?  Do you have a pet monkey you keep sequestered in the backyard? 

SCHOLES:  Well, most people don't realize I'm actually an introvert if they meet me in public.  It's actually the one thing people often refuse to believe about me.  I tend to be outgoing and gregarious but I actually get my energy from being alone and people wear me out quickly.  And many probably don't know that I play guitar and harmonica, with over 60 songs written and hundreds of covers memorized.

I always wanted to have a pet monkey, but alas, I do not have one.

MH: To go along with the theme of this blog: What is your favorite type of hat?

SCHOLES:  My green superman ballcap.  Which is, alas, missing at the moment.  But I will find it.  Someday, I will replace it with a Batman ballcap.

MH: Is there anything else you’d like to say?

SCHOLES:  Yep.  Hope you all enjoy the books and that you'll look me up at http://www.kenscholes.com/!

MH: Thank you for your time.  I’m looking forward Isaak’s further chronicling of this strange and wonderful world.


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