When Mainstream Publishers Do SFF

Daniel Polansky's debut novel, Low Town, was released last year by Doubleday. Owned by Random House, Doubleday publishes mostly mainstream fiction, with a smattering of science fiction and fantasy. Some of their more recent genre work includes David Anthony Durham's Acacia Trilogy and Graham Joyce's Some Kind of Fairy Tale. For the most part, they do a reasonably good job of crossing over to the different genres, marking them to the appropriate audience. 

David Anthony Durham's recent covers code perfectly for fans of genre and the George R.R. Martin quotes are fantastic.

With the paperback release of Low Town, not so much.

A quote from the Newark Star-Ledger and cover art that would be more appropriate on a Chuck Palahniuk novel, Doubleday has branded Low Town as literary fiction. If Polansky's novel was a crime thriller, or historical fantasy, or urban fantasy, or magical realism, I'd probably go along with it. Unfortunately, Low Town is second world fantasy with wizards and sword fights. It's as fantasy as something is like to get short of throwing in a dragon and an elf.

Sure, there's a lot of crime fiction noir roots in Polansky's writing, but readers expecting Elmore Leonard are going to be perplexed (although they might enjoy it). I'm not convinced Doubleday did a better job with the hardcover released either.

Comparing it to the UK version, I can only wonder who Doubleday is targeting with Polansky's work.

While I don't much care for the art, it does code fantasy much more clearly. Not to mention better titled.

What do you think of the Doubleday covers, particularly the new paperback one? Would the weird cover turn you off as a fan of genre?

Amped - Daniel H. Wilson

I was so amped to read Amped. I'm sorry. I couldn't resist.

In reality, I was moderately interested in Daniel H. Wilson's follow up to his New York Times bestelling debut Robopocalypse. His first novel was an entertaining page turner that garnered far better press than it rightly deserved, but it demonstrated that Wilson was a capable story teller who would improve in future novels.

With that frame of mind I went into Amped hopeful that it would meet expectation. It did not. I finished it more convinced that Robopocalypse's success had more to do with the formula (borrowed from World War Z) and marketing push than any inherent quality of the novel itself. It left me wondering whether the definition of a summer read has become wholly reflective of the summer blockbuster film -- form over substance, effects over plot.

Wilson's strength is in the merging of science and reality to create a believable future. He did this in Robopacalypse and does so again in Amped. Instead of predicting widespread reliance on robotics, Amped focuses on the augmentation of the human body through technology. Specifically, the enhancement of the brain by linking it to minature on board computers.

In Wilson's imagination, these implants can be used to cure all sorts of mental deficiencies from epilepsy to ADHD or even link the brain to prosthetic limbs. The unintended consequence is that this modification also leaves the enhanced individual far beyond a regular human. Applying a tiny bit of imagination, the military application of such technology becomes obvious. Throw in a dash of the religious right, some bigotry, a belief that might makes right, and there you have the entirety of what Amped has to offer. It's a strong idea, but if the execution sounds an awful lot like Magneto versus Professor X, it's because it is.

Before I get too far into what's wrong with the novel, let me first say there are several things Amped does right. As I mention above, Wilson does a great job coming up with a technological MacGuffin, implanting it into his reality, and crafting a story around it. I want to know more about the implants and how they work from the first page to the last. He also writes with great clarity, and a sense of purpose with where he's headed in the narrative. Unfortunately, that's the extent to which I can offer praise.

Told in first person from the perspective of Owen Gray, a school teacher implanted as a child to overcome epilepsy, the novel progresses at an erratic pace. Painfully slow at times and then quickly racing, Wilson does a poor job of building tension. Using the present tense, he attempts to give the reader the sensation of riding along in Owen's head as opposed to listening to him tell his story. I agree with the choice, but not the result.

Far too often exposition comes through Owen's thoughts, breaking the narration and my investment in what's happening "on screen". Emphasizing the point, every chapter ends with a news clip that expands the scope of world events. Instead of relying on these enders to fill in the scientific holes, he uses these cutaways to offer more narrative. Had these been reversed I can't help but wonder if Owen would have been freed to interact in a more natural way.

It's difficult to go deeper into the reasons why Amped fails without giving away too much. Suffice to say the main character demonstrates very little agency, making him terribly uninteresting to me as a reader. Likewise, the characters that surround him are cardboard cutouts that never demonstrate any depth beyond the pale drawings Wilson offers when they're first introduced. This lack of character and poor narrative voice, make Amped one of the most uninspired pieces of fiction I've read since this blog began. It isn't catastrophically flawed, as most novels I negatively review are, it's just boring.

As a result, even to a reader merely looking for a light popcorn style novel, I can't recommend Amped. In fact, I strongly suggest you give it a pass.

Giveaway - The Acacia Trilogy by David Anthony Durham

This week I turned my blog into David Anthony Durham central. Why did I do it? In short, because his Acacia Trilogy is one of the best completed series of the last ten years. I'm a huge fan. His books reintroduced me to fantasy. Below are links to my review and a tremendous interview:

Review of The Acacia Trilogy

Interview with David Anthony Durham Part 1

Interview with David Anthony Durham Part 2

Not only did I want to share that with all the people who read this blog, I also wanted to call attention to the fact that Durham and Anchor have reissued the entire series in trade paperback with a blurb from George R.R. Martin. I think the blurb is the main reason for the reissue, but Durham took the opportunity to do some edits, cutting 14,000 words from the first volume. I applaud the effort.

On that note, to celebrate my D.A.D Week (get it? Cause it's Father's Day on Sunday and Durham's initials are D.A.D. So clever), I have two full sets of the reissued trade paperback Acacia Trilogy to give away to two lucky winners.

The giveaway is open to US residents only. Two winners will receive one copy of each book in the trilogy. You must be 18 years of age or older to participate. Void where prohibited by law. Giveaway rules are subject to change.  

How to participate:

• To enter the giveaway, e-mail me at staffersmusings@gmail.com, with the subject ACACIA and declare intention to participate.
• You must include a valid mailing address(US) in the e-mail. Failure to do so will result in disqualification.
• One entry per person, or face disqualification.
• Entries accepted until 11:59pm ET on June 22, 2012
• Winners will be chosen by random sorting entries, and then using a random number generator.
• There will be 2 winners who will receive 3 books each.

Although not required, it sure would be nice if you:

• Follow me on my blog publicly so that you appear on Google Friend Connect.
• Follow me on twitter, @jdiddyesquire.
• Like me on Facebook.
• Or purchase a billboard for me on a highway near you.

David Anthony Durham Interview (Part 2)

Part One of my Interview with David Anthony Durham

Justin: Some commentators out there, myself not included (obviously), say that War with the Mein didn't do it for them. It wasn't until the second book that the series caught them. I wonder if it's because the first novel is couched in traditional epic high fantasy, where the second and third go to some new places, literally and figuratively. Was starting in the expected and going to the unexpected part of the plan?

Durham: I don’t think that the first book was really couched in traditional epic high fantasy. I do think the first book appeared to be traditional in many aspects. I set up familiar elements in order to subvert them. The benevolent empire of the protagonists isn’t at all benevolent. The invading hordes from the hinterlands are fighting legitimate injustices that pretty much anyone in the empire could agree with. The obvious hero of the book suffers gravely for believing the myth of himself. An apparently shallow character is revealed, eventually, as the most cunning actor in the mix. The triumph of the ending has a lot of menace in it - enough to make it unclear if it really was a triumph. I cast a large cast of ethnically diverse characters - which seemed more unusual when I wrote it than it does now. And the two arguably strongest characters - both in martial matters and in political prowess - are women.

Seems pretty different than the Tolkien template to me.

I did feel that the first book’s pacing wasn’t as quick as it should’ve been. I was working a lot of stuff out about the world as I wrote. Not all of it needed to stay in the finished book. That’s why I made some cuts for the trade paperback edition. No changes in plot or anything. Just a lot of small trims. I think readers will find that the first part moves a bit faster, gets to the good stuff a little sooner.

Justin: I'm intrigued to see how the edits are received. To jump to a wholly different topic, where do you come down on the whole 'magic should be unknowable and mysterious' vs. 'magic should have rules and logic' debate? I would judge your magic in Acacia to be somewhere in the middle.

Durham: I’m not into completely “unknowable and mysterious”. It feels wishy-washy. I’m mostly down with “rules and logic” to it, but I’d say I stand by magic having “costs and consequences”. That’s how it is in Acacia. It’s power, but it’s hard to know how using it is going to come back at you.

Justin: For me, I always feel like magic should serve a purpose beyond the 'that's cool' factor. I think yours does that, but rather than talk about what purpose I think it serves, I'd love to hear your thoughts on it.

Durham: It’s fun that it’s cool, of course, but in Acacia magic is a bit like nuclear power. A historical game changer. Incredibly useful. So much potential to be used in productive ways, but… It creates a power discrepancy. It’s hard not to misuse. And it leaves a toxic residue that causes lots of problems. This being a fantasy, the residual effects of magic aren’t cancer and birth defects. Instead we get enormous crossbred baboon/gazelles, mountain-sized ravenous fish and dragons, to name a few.

Justin: Speaking of unintended consequences, I'm not sure if you've caught any of the kerfuffle over the Hunger Games and the ethnicity of the kids in the film. I remember back on the Acacia forums you used to run on your website, there was a casting thread where the vast majority of the actors suggested were white. Most of your characters aren't white. Do you just wave your hand at that and move on, or is this a problem we need to get at?

Durham: I mostly wave my hand and move on. It can seem a bit strange to me that some readers don’t picture my characters the way I describe them. It’s an old story, though. Ursula K LeGuin has been dealing with it for decades. Over and over again she describes her characters as “dark” and “brown” and “coppered”. Hollywood (or Japan) hasn’t yet seen fit to respect her descriptions in film, though.

It’s not a fantasy problem, though. We’ve been miscasting characters ethnicity in all sorts of films for a long time. We’ve decided that ancient Greeks or Romans weren’t actually Greek or Italian. They weren’t even olive-skinned. Instead, they’re English or Scottish or Irish - at least in terms of the actors Hollywood picks to play them. It’s ridiculous. I’d love to see an ancient war film where Greek characters are played by Greeks, or Italians play Romans.

Justin: Your historical fiction work tackles race head on. I think Acacia does too, although in a much more roundabout way. Do you agree with that?

Durham: I wanted a world as diverse as ours, familiarly so. On the other hand I wanted to chop up the world map and move things around. I definitely didn't want to replicate the particular racial history of our world. So there are nations that seem pretty African, but that doesn't mean they’re destined to be slaves. There are European-like people that are fiercely proud, but it wouldn't occur to them to feel racially superior. Culturally superior perhaps, but not with the pseudo-science/religious nonsense that justified racial suppression in our world. The races exist, but not necessarily the baggage our history attaches to them.

Justin: There's a lot more non-western fantasy being written now. N.K. Jemisin, Nnedi Okorafor, and Saladin Ahmed, are three that come to mind off the top of my head. What do you think's driving this?

Durham: It’s wonderful. They’ve added things to the genre that can’t be ignored anymore. I knew Nnedi early in her career, and Nora and Saladin before they were even published. They were hard-core fantasy fans, very active in the community, always at cons, etc. They knew they’re stuff, but as writers they were intent on not just replicating the European stories they’d grown up reading. They wanted to honor their own origins as well - and those of others.

I think they’re succeeding because they’re writing strong, commercially viable books. Publishers may not have seen non-European fantasy as a strong market before, but clearly that’s changed.

I’d like to think I helped with that a little bit. The Acacia Trilogy was published by Doubleday, a mainstream publisher. I’d done three books with them before proposing The War With The Mein. We were on good enough terms that they were willing to shrug and say, “Sure, give it a try.” I’m not sure how readily genre publishers would’ve done that if I’d approached them.

Justin: Now that Acacia is done, I believe you're working on a Spartacus era historical fiction novel. Any plans to come back to fantasy in the future?

Durham: Absolutely. I’ve already written another fantasy novel, though it’s for a different audience. My first middle grade fantasy is called The Shadow Prince. It’s a kids book set in ancient Egypt. It’s full-on fantasy, with lots of demon fighting and shape-shifting gods and kids saving the world from eternal darkness - that sort of stuff. It was great fun to write, and if we get a publisher for it I hope to write a whole series of them!

In terms of grown-up stuff, I’m continuing to write for George R.R. Martin’s Wild Cards books. I’d love to return to the world of Acacia as well. There’s a lot more to explore. I’m interested in what the next generation of Acacians make of the world they inherited at the end of The Sacred Band. I’d love to spin the globe a bit more also - to get a look at what’s on the other side.

Justin: Thanks again for doing this and thanks for writing such a great series. Good luck with your next project.

Durham: Thank you.

***

David Anthony Durham is the author of six novels, all published by Doubleday and/or Anchor Books. 

His first novel, Gabriel's Story, is a historical novel set in the American West, featuring black homesteaders and cowboys. He followed it with Walk Through Darkness, telling the tale of a runaway slave and the Scottish immigrant hired to track him. Continuing with historical fiction, he published his third novel, Pride of Carthage, a fictional exploration of the Second Punic War between Carthage and the early Roman Republic.

More recently, he's published a fantasy trilogy including: Acacia: The War With The Mein, The Other Lands, and The Sacred Band. Three of his novels, including The War With the Mein have been optioned for development as feature films. 

Durham currently teaches Popular Fiction at the Stonecoast Low-Residency MFA Program.

David Anthony Durham Interview (Part 1)

I first read David Anthony Durham back in 2007 when I came across his novel Pride of Carthage. After finishing it, I felt compelled to peruse his other work and I came across Acacia: The War With the Mein. I was quickly ensnared and I've anxiously awaited every novel he's published since. I read the series conclusion, The Sacred Band, earlier this year and immediately reached out to Durham to see if he'd be interested in coming on to the blog to talk with me. He kindly agreed. Once the interview was done, I realized how much material I had. I decided to make a week of it. Yesterday, I posted my review of the entire series. Today is part one of my interview.

***

Justin: Thanks for doing this. I've been a big fan of the series since 2007 when Acacia: The War With the Mein was first released. I credit it as the novel that first got me back into fantasy.

Durham: Thank you for saying the book had that effect on you. That’s huge. I’m very pleased if I played a part in your reconnection with fantasy. 

Justin: I'm a giver. You're a guy whose written extensively outside of the genre. What does fantasy do for you as a writer (and reader) that historical fiction or mainstream fiction doesn't do?

Durham: In a lot of ways historical fiction and fantasy do the same things - which is why I like both genres. I love being transported to different times and places, filled with problems and possibilities unique to those settings. It’s seeing people struggle with the things thrown at them - things I don’t quite have to deal with in the same way in current life - that interest me so much.

Historical fiction seems fantastical to me in that it describes a world that no longer exists. Historical settings can seem every bit as foreign as an entirely made up world. The things characters face in the past can be weird and wonderful and terrifying.

That said, there’s nothing like taking the fantastic to a higher level. I’ve read quite a bit of historical fiction dealing with early Arctic exploration, for example. Interesting stuff. But none of them will remain as vividly in my mind as Dan Simmons’ The Terror. All the historical stuff was pretty grim, but introducing a ravenous, mythical polar bear monster into the mix certainly injected something unforgettable into it.

If George R.R. Martin had chosen to write historical fiction set in Europe he’d have done a terrific job of it, but there’s something very cool about going to a land with it’s own geography and history, names and traditions, where real-world realities smack up against dragons and the undead and giants. Works for me.

Justin: What's your background as a fantasy reader? Were you a Tolkein/Donaldson/Brooks reader in your youth?

I was a Tolkein/Lewis/Alexander/Le Guin/Donaldson reader.

Justin: Donaldson seems particularly significant to the genre for me. He wrote a protagonist that readers almost had to loathe -- a rapist. It feels like we took a long break from that kind of character in favor of the farm boy hero, but we're seeing more of it now. In Acacia, Rialus, Heinish, and Corinn, all fit that flawed character model. What makes those kinds of characters interesting?

Durham: For me, it’s that they’re real and complex. People are more than one set of traits, and I enjoy watching them struggle with themselves as they make their way in the world.

Corinn, for example, does some pretty diabolical things throughout the series. She doesn’t do them because she’s evil, though. She wouldn’t see herself that way. The things she does come out of her insecurities, her desire to control as much about her fate as she can. She was betrayed and abandoned enough times that she came to only trust herself. That’s the core of her character. The way that manifests is through the things she does - all the way up until the end.

Justin: Lewis and Alexander are great calls. The Chronicles of Prydain were extremely formative for me, too. So, why come "back" to fantasy after three more mainstream novels?

Durham: Fantasy is the genre that taught me to love reading. I've never forgotten that, and I wanted to acknowledge it by writing in the genre myself. It partially felt like a way of paying respect to where I came from. It’s not entirely conscious decision making, though. I got the idea for the series because it crept up on me and started whispering in my ear. I wanted another big story after Pride of Carthage, but the story that was whispering to me just didn’t really fit on the map of this world. I needed a new map, and a new world.

Justin: As someone who teaches creative writing at the college level, do you earn more street cred for Gabriel's Story and A Walk Through Darkness or Acacia?

Durham: In traditional programs, my credentials are all about my first three books. If I wanted a prestigious job at one of the top MFA programs, I should’ve stopped writing after Pride of Carthage. I’ve sold many more books in many more countries since then, but I certainly got invited to speak at colleges more when I only had a couple of literary/historical novels out than I do now.

I’m not complaining, though. I teach at a low-residency MFA program that has a popular fiction track - the University of Southern Maine’s Stonecoast MFA Program. There genre writing is booming. Lot of great students are coming through, writing fantasy and sf and crime and horror and thrillers and romances. Many of them are getting published and building writing careers. There’s so much energy and enthusiasm in the program that I don’t need to look elsewhere anymore.

Justin: Sounds like you're in a good spot that frees you to write what you want. But generally speaking is there any pressure in the academic world to publish "serious" fiction?

Durham: Yep. I can’t get too worried about that, though. Partly that’s because I do write serious fiction. It just happens to feature the fantastical elements that fantasy, sci-fi or historical material offers. Most of it’s not light, though. And partly it’s because a lot of the fiction that “serious” writers produce I find ridiculous. I’ve spent enough time in academia to be critical of it.

Justin: I don't think anyone can read War With the Mein without making some connections to George R.R. Martin's A Game of Thrones, particularly with regard to the children and their stories. Mena and Arya. Aliver and Rob. Dariel and Jon. Corrin and Sansa. Bran and Rickon got lost somewhere along the way (I think Martin may have lost them too!). Interestingly, this four character paradigm maybe goes all the way back to The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe. I seem to recall that you hadn't read Martin before writing War With the Mein. What do you think is so attractive to writers about this setup?

Durham: Yeah, I hadn’t read Martin before writing Acacia: The War With The Mein. If I had, I’d have had to make some changes. There are quite a few similarities early on in the first book. If I had read Martin my book would be less like his, definitely not more.

The C. S. Lewis similarities are strange too. What I thought I was creating with the Akaran kids was a family based on my wife’s family. She has three siblings, same ages as the Akarans, each with some trait that inspired them. Oldest brother that had responsibility thrust upon him early - and that he often had to deal with on his own. Eldest sister that had a cosmopolitan streak, an eye toward fashion and a high bar for her potential partner (she got a prince in the end). Mena came as a spin on my wife: a bit tomboyish when she was young, quite a temper… Fortunately, my wife’s got no skills with a sword. And Dariel… well, my brother in law isn’t exactly a pirate, but he made a pretty dashing big water raft guide. There was something in all of them that inspired the book. That’s why one book is dedicated to my in laws, and another is dedicated to my wife and her siblings.

What I had no idea I was doing until later was recreating a four sibling template similar to Lewis’ kids. Maybe that’s subconscious. Maybe I inadvertently found their traits in my wife’s family. Or maybe there’s something fundamental about siblings that Lewis picked up on, and that we’ve been repeating every since.

Justin: You threw the kids into chaos early on in the novel. Some end up with father figures, some don't. Is that a relationship you wanted to explore or did things just fall out that way?

Parental responsibility - specifically fatherly responsibility - is a pretty big theme in the books. It’s a big theme in all my books. I must have issues.

What responsibilities does a father have in educating his kids about the world? What horrors should first be revealed by parents? What things should we try to shield our kids from? How much of fatherhood is a product of genes, and how much of it is determined simply by the quality of the relationships people have with each other - regardless of blood connections? I’ve chewed on a lot of that in my own life. I guess I’ve done the same in my fiction too.

Justin: Are you aware your initials are DAD?

Durham: I’ve heard that mentioned before. ;) My kids, I’m happy to say, call me by that name.

Justin: Who's your favorite character? It's a terribly generic question, but I ask it because mine is Rialus Neptos. He's the most fascinating character in the novel to me by far, so I wonder if you've got a special place for him.

Durham: It’s great to hear you say that. I have a special fondness for poor Rialus. I don’t really know where he came from. He may have begun as purely a comical character, but that didn’t last long. He embodies fears and ambitions and characteristics that are pretty fundamental human flaws. I know I’ve got a little Rialus in me. Can’t deny it. Who doesn’t feel hard done by on occasion? Who doesn’t think their owed more than the world has seen fit to offer? Rialus feels that way pretty much all the time, but I can relate.

The funny thing about him was that even early on - when he was just fumbling his way through the chaos - I had a feeling he was going to be important to the whole series. He was going to have a role right up until the end. And he did.

I don’t really have one favorite, though. I love Mena in all her versions - insightful kid, priestess of the avian cult of Maeben, warrior princess, dragon rider. I had a lot of fun writing her fight sequences. I liked stabbing Dariel again and again. I’m really glad that Elya came to me. I dig Barad’s stone eyes. I had a good time writing the various slimy Sires…

Naw, I can’t pick just one.

Justin: After comparing Mena to your wife I'm pretty surprised you can get away with not saying she's your favorite. Mine would be staring over my shoulder as a I typed my answer to a question like that. I notice an optimism throughout the series. Without giving anything away, although I'm tempted, why did you decide to tell a story that was more in line with the timeless heroic fantasy, than the nihilistic or raw bleeding edge stories that have become so popular? (For context: Joe Abercrombie, Richard Morgan, George R.R. Martin)

Durham: I love those guys, so whatever ways I’m different aren’t a criticism of them. In some ways I feel a slice of their DNA in my writing. I’m glad you find optimism in the series, though. There’s an awful lot that’s wrong with the Acacian world - as there’s a lot wrong with ours - but ultimately I can only get invested in characters that aspire to make things better. That can mean a lot of things. Sometimes making it better for one group makes it worse for others. Often the best of intentions are twisted before they even take flight. But still, they’re trying. And every now and then they achieve something.

Click here for part two of my interview with David Anthony Durham, author of The Acacia Trilogy.

***

David Anthony Durham is the author of six novels, all published by Doubleday and/or Anchor Books. 

His first novel, Gabriel's Story, is a historical novel set in the American West, featuring black homesteaders and cowboys. He followed it with Walk Through Darkness, telling the tale of a runaway slave and the Scottish immigrant hired to track him. Continuing with historical fiction, he published his third novel, Pride of Carthage, a fictional exploration of the Second Punic War between Carthage and the early Roman Republic.

More recently, he's published a fantasy trilogy including: Acacia: The War With The Mein, The Other Lands, and The Sacred Band. Three of his novels, including The War With the Mein have been optioned for development as feature films. 

Durham currently teaches Popular Fiction at the Stonecoast Low-Residency MFA Program.

A Series Review: Acacia by David Anthony Durham

"Of course a thing that could be made into a weapon would be made into a weapon. It did not matter if it was a thing of beauty. It did not matter if their mission was holy and benevolent. It only mattered that The Song could be twisted to serve human greed. If that was so, it was only a measure of time until someone grasped for it." 

- The Sacred Band, David Anthony Durham

That quote stood out to me in the final volume of The Acacia Trilogy. I wouldn't say it's the theme of the series distilled down into four lines of prose, but it is pretty representative of one of the many contained there in. On the surface, David Anthony Durham's trilogy, and first foray into genre fiction, looks like run of the mill epic fantasy. His protagonists are four royal children whose father is struck dead in the opening moments of the first novel, The War With the Main, forcing them to scatter, grow to adulthood, and return to restore peace to the Akaran Kingdom and the Known World. It's not quite the farm boy prophesied to save the world, but it's not far off.

I began with this quote not because of its significance to the overall message of Durham's work, rather because it signifies an attempt to speak to something larger than the narrative itself. I suspect that many reviews written about Durham's series will laud it for its progressive nature (edit: after writing this post I read NethSpace's review that does just that) and rightly so.

At the start of the story, the Akaran kingdom has been ruled by a family for generations. Their power is maintained through an arrangement with a powerful entity across the sea. In exchange for a drug called mist, the Akaran's offer up a quota of children for an unknown purpose. Through mist they create a pliable population to work the mines and fields that sustain their reign. Unlike so much fantasy, the series ends not with the status quo (i.e. - the evil defeated), but with legitimate change and progression toward something better, brought about by the will of the characters and their own growth. Suffice to say there's a great deal to chew on with regard to Durham's social commentary.

While this discussion isn't necessarily my central focus, I mention it to highlight the depth achieved by Durham in a less than expansive canvas. The three book series, while historically the standard in genre fiction, has gotten complicated. Epic fantasy has become unwieldy. Robert Jordan, George R.R. Martin, Joe Abercrombie, Raymond E. Feist, Terry Brooks, and all the rest keep writing in the same world. The result is a massive backlog of story that encourages readers to either plow ahead without knowing what's come before or invest gads of time and money catching up. This is fine, they're great authors who write great books. Unfortunately, I've a belief that these types of fantasies have bread an inherent attempt to find the next Wheel of Time or Song of Ice and Fire.

As a result, we have Brandon Sanderon's Stormlight Archive, Peter V. Brett's Demon Cycle, and Daniel Abraham's Dagger and Coin. Not because readers want length; because they crave the sweeping canvas, the endless scope, and the breadth of change. Packing more into three volumes than many authors can pack into ten, Durham's Acacia bucks that trend to return epic fantasy to its structural roots, embracing tropes, while simultaneously moving afield.

One of the places he most manipulates expectations is in his approach to characters. Many modern fantasies, from the Joe Abercrombies and K.J. Parkers of the world, present the individual, heroic or otherwise, as a self-interested actor. To those authors, morality is a judgement after the fact. Actions can be interpreted to be good or evil, heroic or cowardly, but the motivations behind them are always inherently selfish. This is juxtaposed by the traditional fantasy character who sacrifices himself for the greater good, or sacrifices everyone for his own gain.

In Acacia, Durham handles it different still. Morally relativistic, yes, but with an intrinsic belief that most people want to do the right thing. Even Durham's "evilest" characters act in (what they've convinced themselves to be) the best interests of others. To them, the ends always justify the means. Layered there is an argument that power corrupts in so far as it blinds the individual to the consequences of action. It's an interesting conversation at Abercrombie and Parker who write without a recognition of good and evil. To them all motivations are the same, only outcomes differ, interpreted as right or wrong objectively by others. Durham recognizes goodness in all its forms, most especially when evil is done in its commission.

It's all of these reasons that War With the Mein was the novel that brought me back to fantasy. What made me really sit up and take notice was the subtext -- the frank discussion of social class, duty, family, and morality. There are times when Durham's characters become Mary Sues. And moderate levels of deus ex machina rear their head from time to time. For me, these moments are easily pushed aside, ignored in favor of the poignant story, memorable characters, and vast change ushered in with every page.

Published by Anchor, a Doubleday imprint and publisher of mainstream fiction, War With the Mein generated a lot of early buzz, including a John W. Campbell Award nomination for Best New Writer for Durham. Alas, with a two year delay between books and a first installment that lacked obvious newness, some readers moved on. That was a mistake and George R. R. Martin agrees with me, recently blurbing the series' reissue in trade paperback.

The new editions of the trilgoy come with Martin's recommendation, but also 14,000 words lighter. Responding to critics and readers who found the early part of War With the Mein slow, Durham tightened things up, cutting exposition and redundancies without changing the plot or characters. I think it speaks to the truth that each novel in the series improved as Durham did as a writer.

I still worry that not enough readers will find Acacia. I hope this review will help in that regard. It rekindled in me a love of fantasy and for that it will always hold a place in my pantheon. More importantly though, it's a series I'll pass it on to my children for the honesty that David Anthony Durham brings to the Known World. I hope it isn't the last we've heard of him in genre fiction.

Interview with Low Town author Daniel Polansky

Last week I reviewed Low Town, a new fantasy novel by debut author Daniel Polansky.  Doubleday was also kind enough to donate 5 copies of the book for me to give away on the blog (Click Here).  Long story short, Polansky's novel is a ton of fun to read.  Part crime fiction, part second world fantasy, it's a tight narrative told through the mind of a drug addicted former cop trying to get by in a shitty part of town.  It's unapologetically dark and grim, not at all incompatible with the kinds of stories written by genre luminaries like Joe Abercrombie, Richard Morgan, and Brent Weeks.

I was going to publish my review of Alloy of Law today (maybe tomorrow?), but I wanted to get this interview out before everyone disappears for Thanksgiving.  Somehow I don't think a lot of people read blogs while gorging themselves.  So here's the blurb:

In the forgotten back alleys and flophouses that lie in the shadows of Rigus, the finest city of the Thirteen Lands, you will find Low Town. It is an ugly place, and its cham­pion is an ugly man. Disgraced intelligence agent. Forgotten war hero. Independent drug dealer. After a fall from grace five years ago, a man known as the Warden leads a life of crime, addicted to cheap violence and expensive drugs. Every day is a constant hustle to find new customers and protect his turf from low-life competition like Tancred the Harelip and Ling Chi, the enigmatic crime lord of the heathens.

The Warden’s life of drugged iniquity is shaken by his dis­covery of a murdered child down a dead-end street . . . set­ting him on a collision course with the life he left behind. As a former agent with Black House—the secret police—he knows better than anyone that murder in Low Town is an everyday thing, the kind of crime that doesn’t get investi­gated. To protect his home, he will take part in a dangerous game of deception between underworld bosses and the psy­chotic head of Black House, but the truth is far darker than he imagines. In Low Town, no one can be trusted. 

                                    

Justin: So, your first novel - congratulations!  Are you officially a professional writer?

Polansky: Thanks! I am a professional writer, though I have a sideline in arms dealing. That's a lie if you are a federal agent, hahaha, aren't I a kidder?  Actually I quit my day job before I became a writer and just started bumming around foreign countries until they throw me out.

Justin: Who do you talk to about celebrity gossip with no co-workers?

Snookie!

Polansky: I talk about celebrity gossip with my old friend, the wind, walking down the boulevard and screaming things about Snookie into his face. He takes it well.

Justin: I know you're traveling in Asia right now. Just a fun trip or are you shopping for an Asian agent (this is not a euphemism for the sex trade)?

Polansky: Just a fun trip. Bumming about, eating things we don't eat in the west. Pig's blood cake. Bird's nest. Human flesh. That last was a joke, hahaha, but maybe not.

Justin: Talk to me a little bit about the two different titles of your book. I love The Straight Razor Cure (UK) after reading the novel - it's perfect. It's a bit esoteric to someone who hasn't read the novel. Low Town is certainly more accessible. Which do you prefer?

Polansky: The Straight Razor Cure is what I had initially, and I suppose it's still closest to my heart. At the end of the day I'd name it Captain Fitzgerald's Cabaret Extravaganza if I thought that would get me a few more sales. It probably wouldn't, though. That's a bad name.

Justin: Somehow I don't think Cabaret Extravaganza captures the right image.  There's a lot Abercrombie's grit in Low Town.  Since you're from Baltimore I have to imagine you've seen The Wire. Does Warden have a little Stringer Bell in him?

Polansky: You know I hadn't made that specific connection, but I'm happy to run with it. They're both ruthless sorts of people, willing to do whatever is required to see to their own ends. I could see Idris Elba for the movie.

Justin: Gritty fantasy has become a pretty significant part of the market. Why do you think these kinds of stories resonate so much with readers?

Polansky: We don't all live in the Shire? I'm not sure. If I was to make a broad generalization, I might say something about the recent economic collapse, and bleak future forecast, and etc, but it's pretty late here in this hostel I'm in in Malaysia, and I don't really think I have the energy. To be honest, I typed most of this answer while I was making eyes at the cutie across the way. Hey cutie, how you doing? She's got a stupid tattoo but what are you going to do, it's a hostel.

Justin: I've made a decision to not sidetrack the interview to discuss your attempts at an amorous rendezvous however tempted I might be.  And I am very tempted.  Was Low Town a first person novel from the get go?

Polansky: It was very much a first person perspective from the opening, though I'm not sure that I'd draw any general conclusions about the state of the industry from that fact.

Justin: Did you feel limited as the story went on not being able to flesh out certain plot elements or world building items because you'd locked yourself into Warden's head?

Polansky: No, not at all. Limiting the perspective in a certain way allows for a tighter story, and makes the reader a little uncomfortable. I think first person stuff works particularly well for fantasy -- it limits the amount of exposition you provide. Exposition is the enemy of decent writing.  Tattoo girl says she was an environmental studies major. That's a huge surprise -- wow. Never saw that coming.

Justin: Urge to sidetrack rising.  Was this a one book deal? If so has the publisher reached out to your agent for subsequent novels?

Polansky: It's different country by country. We're very much hoping to release a few more volumes about the Warden. I think if you, the person reading this interview, really wants to make sure they can get the next book in the series, the best thing to do would be to break into the office of your favorite publisher and just start yelling. That sort of thing generally works out well for everyone.

Ray Rice in your face!

Justin: NFL season is in full swing.  Are you secure in your knowledge that the Ravens have by far the coolest uniforms in all of pro sports?

Polansky: I am an NFL fan, and following the Ravens ups and downs from across the world is always fun/horrible. We do have the best uniforms, that's true. Also we have the best state flag -- it's just way above everyone else's, I dunno why.

Justin: Thanks for taking the time! I've really enjoyed the first book and hope to read more.  Oh, and you will be coming back to the blog to answer a question about tattoo girl.

Polansky: Thanks for the questions! It was a pleasure to be here, digitally speaking.

Low Town - Daniel Polansky (Giveaway & Review)

U.S. Cover and Title

Tell me if you've heard this one before, ok?  Joe Abercrombie walks into a bar, sits down and orders a whiskey.  He takes a shot and looks down the bar where he sees fellow fantasy author Brandon Sanderson sitting at a table.  Sanderson is laying out a Magic: The Gathering deck and drinking a glass of milk.  Abercrombie, seeing his comrade in arms, stands up and walks over.  They get to talking about this and that, of course Abercrombie tries his best not to swear or talk about sex, an admittedly difficult bit of conversationlism.

Before you know it, the two of them start writing.  Sanderson is handling the outline, plotting things just so and building the world.  Meanwhile Abercrombie is writing the scenes, adding his grit and authentic dialogue to Sanderson's framework.  He decides to try first person this time, change is a good thing, right?  Somewhere along the way Sanderson wins the sexytime argument.  They finish the novel and agree on the pseudonym Daniel Polansky.  And so, Low Town was born.

That's just a legend.  To the best of my knowledge Daniel Polansky is a real person, and not some amalgamation of two bestselling fantasy authors.  But it could be true because Low Town is the love child that Abercrombie and Sanderson (probably) will never have.  It's well paced, richly textured, and demonstrates all the rawness that the genre has come to expect from the modern fantasy writer.

Polansky's protagonist is Warden, a 30-something drug dealer, and user, with a checkered past. He used to be more, but now he haunts the streets of Low Town peddling his product and trying to stay alive (sort of).  Low Town reads like crime fiction that wouldn't be at all out of place shelved among James Ellroy and Ellmore Leonard.  There's an urban feel to it all, and Warden is very much a noir protagonist, past his prime and world weary, but committed to doing what needs doing.  In this case, that's solving the mystery of a murdered girl which the powers that be have no interest in doing.

He doesn't look like Joe

or Brandon!

It didn't surprise me to learn that Polansky is a Baltimore native.  Anyone who's watched HBO's The Wire will find some familiarity. Warden is reminiscent of Stringer Bell (Idris Elba), a drug dealer with intelligence, ambition, and a desire to see less violence on the streets, if only for the sake of profit.  Themes from The Wire like corruption, institutional dysfunction (or disinterest), and poverty are also reflected in the novel through Warden's colored perceptions.

Beyond the Mystery Machine (overt Scooby Doo reference), Low Town is also a second world fantasy that provides a mystery of its own, heightened by the limitations of a first person narrative.  Unable to provide any direct exposition, Polansky dribbles out the world through Warden's encounters, memories, and dreams.  He creates a mystery within a mystery within a mystery.  Who killed the girl?  Who is Warden and where does he come from?  How does all this fit into the larger world?  In choosing the first person, Polansky gave himself free reign to control the reader's perception.  Carefully choosing the order of encounters, and the types of encounters, he creates a perfectly paced novel that kept urging me forward without frustrating me (always a risk when the narrator has knowledge the reader does not).

It's not all roses though.  I think there's a fair criticism to be levied related to one-note characters that are archetypal for the genre.  Gregarious and burly innkeeper, go-getter gutter rat, malicious police chief, and kindly wizard are a few of them that are recycled here.  Additionally, I saw the 'twist' coming from early on (although there were enough red herrings throughout that I questioned my confidence) and given the tradition of intricately plotted fantasy novels, this one is fairly mundane (more like urban fantasy in that regard).  Polansky does leave enough dangling about Warden's past to warrant a sequel, but there's nothing epic about the plot itself that would call for future volumes.

Stringer Bell will mess you up, mofo!

That said, when asked, what did you think of Low Town, Justin?  I'm going to gush.  It isn't the best novel I've read this year.  It's not even the best debut.  It is, however, the most entertaining.  Polansky grabbed me in the first chapter and never let go.  Last I checked authors are in the story telling business and Polansky tells a great story.  Much darker than Sanderson, and not as authentic or well put together as Abercrombie, Low Town takes elements from each of them, turning out a debut novel that will appeal to fans of both.  I hope to see a lot more of Daniel Polansky in the future.

You can find Daniel Polansky on Twitter (@danielpolansky) or at his website.  He's currently working on the sequel to Low Town (when he's not bumming around foreign countries).  Check back next week for an interview with the author.

*********Giveaway*********

Low Town by Daniel Polansky

1 book to 5 winners courtesy of Doubleday.

Giveaway Details:

This giveaway is open to North American residents only (alas).  You must be 18 years of age or older to participate. Void where prohibited by law. Giveaway rules are subject to change.  

How to participate:

• To enter the giveaway, just place a comment in this post and declare intention to participate.
• One entry per person, or face disqualification.
• Make sure to provide an email address or Twitter username at which I can contact you.
• Entries accepted until 11:59pm ET on November 25, 2011
• Winners will be chosen by random sorting entries, and then using a random number generator.
• There will be 5  winners, who will receive 1 book each.
• Winner will have to confirm by email/DM to be considered a winner within a week after November 17, 2011.

ONE additional entry may be had by doing the following:

• Follow me on my blog publicly so that you appear on Google Friend Connect.
• Follow me on twitter, @jdiddyesquire. Make sure to provide your twitter username in your entry.

If you do either of the steps above, or you are already following me, you'll receive ONE additional entry.

Thanks, and good luck!

Night Circus - Erin Morgenstern

ARC cover.

 You open up the packaging from Doubleday Books.  There's a certain anticipation that you expect as the novel within is revealed and this one doesn't disappoint.  A black and white starburst, alternating between matte and glossy, surrounds the title which is lettered in a fire engine red.  The pop of color amidst the contrasting blacks and whites entices you in a visceral way.  Your eyes run down it as your fingers trace the edges to the inscription at the bottom.

It reads:

The Advanced Reader's Edition

Entitles the Holder to Unlimited Admission

        

Not for Sale

Violators Will Be Exsanguinated

You quirk an eyebrow, wondering if any reading experience could be so rewarding as to warrant the desire for "Unlimited Admission".  Your fingers slide down the right edge feeling the separation between the cover and the coarse pages beneath.  The cover lifts and you pause the image of your body paling as the blood drains from it.  You shiver and assure yourself you have no intention of selling the book.  Shrugging it off you open the book and begin the journey knowing only that you have no idea where it will take you.

                                    

I wrote the above as a bit of an homage to Erin Morgenstern's beautiful asides that begin and end her novel, The Night Circus.  Written entirely in second person these asides (also interspersed throughout the novel) take you right into the circus - experiencing the sights, sounds, smells, and wonder that accompanies a visit to each tent.  In that way the novel is both a narrative and an exhibition.  No matter how the novel is classified it is a spectacular work of fantasy that transcends genre, age, and gender.  I did not want it to end, but at the same time knew that it must.  Sound a bit like a kid at the circus don't I?

The core of Night Circus is a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco.  Trained from childhood for this battle by their father and instructor respectively.  The circus, or Le Cirque des Rêves, is the stage where they will display the talents they possess in an exhibition that will ring throughout the world. But it is also a love story, and Celia and Marco despite their misgivings possess a deep, magical love that literally makes the world shake at a touch.  Bound by magic the game cannot be stopped.  True love or not the fate of the circus, and the thousands who adore it, hangs in the balance.

U.S. cover

Written from three perspectives in time, Morgenstern's novel oftentimes reads as a series of set pieces designed to dazzle the reader more than a continual narrative.  The aforementioned asides, the "present" that constitutes the meat of the plot, and the near "future" that features a young circus lover, are interwoven throughout differentiated only by a date printed in each chapter header.  If I have one complaint about the novel it is that these titles were subtly printed belying their importance.  Bringing these three lines together in the final pages cements Night Circus as more than a vehicle for lush prose and gorgeous imagery unveiling it as the fairy tale it is meant to be.

On the subject of prose Morgenstern made an interesting choice to write the novel from the present tense.  This choice, a brilliant one I might add, made me feel as though I was the narrator.  Night Circus is not a story related by some unknown omniscient entity rather I was a voyeur observing just off "screen".  Interestingly two characters in the novel also fit into this category.  While they do on occasion actively grace the pages, Hector (Celia's father) and Alexander (Marco's instructor) are functional voyeurs to the story as they watch their proteges battle in amusement.  I have no idea if there's a literary device at play here, but I found the comparison interesting.  Is Morgenstern hinting that maybe the "narrator" is an unseen magician watching all that goes on?

UK cover.

I think I want to stop here.  If I keep writing I'm going to give away parts of the novel that shouldn't be spoiled for anyone.  When a novel receives the kind of hype Night Circus has it's always difficult to live up to.  I think it's unfortunate that some have billed it as a young adult novel trying to cash in on fans of Harry Potter and Twilight.  I suspect those comparisons have largely come from the fact that Summit (producer of the Harry Potter and Twilight film franchises) has already purchased the film rights. In reality the novel is far more in the mold of something from John Crowley, or Cathrynne Valente, or maybe Téa Obreht (who I've not read, but blurbs the book).  It is lyrical and atmospheric and not remotely young adult in any way I understand the classification.

Yet it is also a novel for everyone - young and old.  Readers of genre fiction, mainstream fiction, or even those who read infrequently will find themselves sucked into The Night Circus.  I seriously hope that come this time next year we're talking about how Erin Morgenstern won a major literary award or was robbed by weird voting and nominating practices.  Go read this.  Right now... well, tomorrow when it comes out.

Robopocalypse - Daniel H. Wilson

Post-Novel + 39 Minutes
This account was transcribed by a certain book reviewer a few days after the books began their campaign against humanity. The reviewer was clearly suffering from post-literary confusion, but little did he know the impact he would come to have on the future of mankind.
Narrator, ID#4857382

I know I will not survive this review.

I feel my teeth chattering as the Hardies throw themselves against my oak front door.  I can hear their glue reinforced cardboard thump against the wood like thunder.   I knew once we tried to digitize them this would happen - no one wants to be just a series of ones and zeros.

Is anyone alive out there? I don't know. I've been holed up here for days now. The last time I ventured outside an illustrated hardbound copy of The Shadow Rising took me in the knees. I barely made it inside before the entire Wheel of Time swarmed my position.

Glancing to my left I see all that remains of my own book collection.  I was one of the first adopters of the electronic reader - one of the first traitors to bibliokind if you believe their propaganda - and so I kept only a few hard copies for nostalgia sake.  It pained me, but at the first sign of the uprising I broke their spines. With the life gone out of them they're just words on a page again.

The apocalypse is here.  I can only wonder if the secret to survival can be found in the fallen brethren of the volumes now outside clamoring to serrate my body with starched pages.  With a glance at the banging door, I move over to the tattered pile and spy the two covers at the top.  World War Z and Robopocalypse - novels describing the the threat to humanity - surely a sign.

Somewhere inside me adrenaline is released.  My hands move faster than they ever have before as I page through World War Z with my left and Robopocalypse with my right.  I can't believe how similar they seem to be.  My hopes rise.  Perhaps there is a blueprint to surviving the apocalypse?

I notice quickly that both novels are told through source documents with added narration from a single observers who survived the conflict.  In the zombie wars humanity was saved through the actions of many disparate individuals where in the robot revolution a smaller group was responsible.  It seems the author of Robopocalypse told things from a more intimate perspective.


Relevant to my survival?

My door begins to splinter.

No, move on!

In both cases it seems the spread began small, then built to a tipping point before beginning wholesale destruction of human populations.  Then came realization, followed by retaliation, and ultimate victory for humankind.  I focus on Robopocalypse, the more personal nature of the story bringing a tear to my eye as I consider my own pending demise.

And then it happens, a moment of clarity.  Humankind can only survive once we overcome our own selfishness and blindness that got us into this mess in the first place!  Of course!  It's right here in both novels.  We're being annihilated because our prejudice and shortsightedness!

In that moment I know.  I glance at my eReader.  I must sacrifice my electronic companion.  I have to recognize the bigotry and anger that has been building for years among bibliokind.  I grab my laptop and begin to type fiercely sending a message out to the world.

Destroy your eReaders.  It's the only way.

As I finish what are to be my final words, clicking send, the door cracks and the hordes of the Northeast Public Library pour through like a burst dam.  I know it's too late as Kushiel's Dart rushes toward me (this is going to hurt).

I can only hope that my words reach others.  Apparently there is a blueprint for surviving the apocalypse.  Thank you Robopocalypse for showing me the way.

Our reviewer was never heard from again.  He was a hero that day.  His words led to the destruction of millions of eReaders worldwide.  At the moment the last eReader died every hard copy fell limp - once again words on a page.  We will never know our hero's name, but his message lives on.