Tag: grimdark

Worldbuilding: Geek Love

Sharing a short excerpt from today’s worldbuilding exercise: I’m writing a concise history of Atualon.

The Wyvern’s Rebellion

Solarus ap Serpentus ne Atu, during a visit to the capital city of Khanbul, abducts the young Imperial Princess Zhaolin and installs her as his Consort. Emperor Pu Yet Sin seds his fifteen-year-old son Ghanzhi as an Imperial envoy to Atualon to secure her release or, failing that, demand an Imperial dowry and instatement of Zhaolin as Sa Atu. Ghangi, against his father’s explicit orders, demands his sister’s immediate and unconditional return, but Serpentus laughs in his face and tosses the Imperial Prince into the dungeons of Atukos.

When the Emperor learns of his son’s disobedience he disowns the boy and refuse to pursue the matter further. Imperial Prince Tiachu is named Heir and immediately challenges his father to mortal combat, which he wins. Emperor Tiachu then raises an army and sends it west to Atualon.

The Matreons of Atualon, fearing war, demand that the Imperial Prince and Princess be returned immediately to Sindan, and reparations paid as well.  But Solarus has already defiled the girl and it is reported that the boy prince has taken wetlung and is not expected to live.  The Matreons are divided in their responses to this outrage; some demand that Solarus be stricken from the line of succession, others that he be allowed to succeed his father but required to install the girl as Issa Atu and pay reparations to the new Emperor.  When Serpentus refuses to negotiate with the Matreons, the Matreons return to their Houses and take up the matter with their Patreons.

Several of the Houses issue a Denuntiatio, or formal intent to remove House Serpentus from the throne.  Serpentus declares all titles and lands belonging to the families whose Patreons have signed the Denuntiatio forfeit.  Houses Ursos, Equos, Corvos, and Wyvernos raise the standard of rebellion.

And that’s all I’m going to tell you, for now.

 

Jai tu wai!

Debi

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Deborah A. Wolf is a weaver of tales, a lifelong student of pretty much everything, and sworn to slay the dreaded Grammarwocky.

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The Blade Itself: Book Review

I belong to a very few Facebook groups; one of my favorite is Grimdark Fiction Readers and Writers. I enjoy gritty tales with morally ambiguous characters; GRR Martin’s Song of Ice and Fire,of course, Mark Lawrence’s Broken Empire. I write a little bit of it, myself.

Joe Abercrombie’s name is mentioned in that group so many times that I began to feel a bit remiss in not having read any of his books, so I broke open my trusty old Kindle and bought The Blade Itself.

Holy shit, can this guy write.

I loved his characters; I did start feeling a bit of female rage brewing at his all-male cast until about a third of the way into the book, when he introduced a thoroughly enjoyable female POV character. I would have liked to see more women represented, because it’s an awesome sandbox full of awesome toys and girls like to play too. But I loved his cast, each and every one of them, I hated the bad guys and I hated the good guys sometimes as well. Abercrombie is a master at presenting a diverse cast of characters, each with their own voice and story.

His worldbuilding is seamless. I’d hate to live there, but I love reading about it.

And as for his storytelling…again, holy shit. Abercrombie weaves a tale so subtly and urgently that your coffee will sit at your elbow and get cold, your phone calls will go unanswered, and you will occasionally forget to breathe.

And it only gets better.

Why are you still here? Go forth and read!

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Deborah A. Wolf is a weaver of tales, a lifelong student of pretty much everything, and sworn to slay the dreaded Grammarwocky.

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So Good it Burns

Apocalyptic Montessa and Nuclear Lulu, by Mercedes Murdock Yardley.

Confession: I had never heard of this book, and (originally) ordered it so that I could see the quality of books Ragnarok Press is putting out.

It’s on the short side. I love doorstoppers; I read very quickly, and I love to be completely enveloped in a new world for hours on end. I looked at the cover, read the blurbs, turned it around in my hands, and thought, huh. It’s kinda short.

And then I opened this little handheld incendiary device and read the first few words, and I thought, huh, she can write.

And that was the last thing I really thought for the next couple of hours. My kids wanted my attention, my dogs wanted fed, and I sat in my reading chair engulfed in dark flames, snarling whenever anyone approached. I never wanted it to end. I wanted a happy ending, though I knew full well a happy ending was nowhere to be found in this slim, powerful volume.

The fuck are you still doing, reading this review? Go buy this book. Because it’s so good it burns.

http://www.ragnarokpub.com/#!apocmon-boneangel/c234g

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Deborah A. Wolf is a weaver of tales, a lifelong student of pretty much everything, and sworn to slay the dreaded Grammarwocky.

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