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Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

I think the first line of this novel sums it up better than I ever could:

It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.

I’ve been familiar with the story of Pride and Prejudice for a long time, but this was the first time I’d read the original.  Even though I don’t usually go for Regency romances, I have to say that I enjoyed this book very much!

Jane Austen has a genius for character.  She knows exactly what little mannerism to show or what description to give to make her characters come alive.  At several points in the book, I paused and said “holy cow, that’s just like so and so,” or “haha, I know exactly what this person is like.” At no point did I feel hit over the head or dragged through a long info dump explaining this or that character’s background.  Of all the possible details she could share, Austen always chooses the exact ones you need to get a clear, distinct picture–no more, no less.

Austen drives her story with some snappy, entertaining dialogue.  Far from being sappy or sentimental, her main character, Elizabeth, is snarky and spirited, and she clashes with a lot of people in ways that are much more interesting (and mature) than typical girl drama.  Be that as it may, I found it entertaining to compare Elizabeth’s dating/relationship experiences with my own.  As different as things were back then, in some very interesting ways they are still the same.

I did feel that the novel slowed down a bit in the middle, probably because that was when Elizabeth went on the tour of Derbyshire with her relatives and left behind most of the other characters that interested me.  Also (since I am a straight guy), Mr. Darcy didn’t really turn me on much, so Elizabeth’s gradual change of mind as she toured his house wasn’t as engaging to me.

One thing that confuses me, having read this book, is why women all over the place set up Mr. Darcy as the ideal male.  What exactly is his appeal?  He’s a little rough around the edges, has an independent streak, speaks his mind even when doing so would be rude, and is constantly aloof from everyone else.  Is this what women find so appealing about him?  I can see how the “Beauty and the Beast” syndrome can also be a turn-on–Elizabeth essentially wins him over by taming him–but that has less to do with who he is than how Elizabeth changes him.  Do women go for a guy who they have the power to change?  Is that what it is?  I’m still a bit confused.

One thing made me a little mad, and it had nothing to do with the book at all; it had to do with the blurb on the back.  It reads:

One of the most universally loved and admired English novels, Pride and Prejudice, was penned as a popular entertainment.  But the consummate artistry of Jane Austen (1775-1817) transformed this effervescent tale of rural romance into a witty, shrewdly observed satire of English country life that is now regarded as one of the principal treasures of English literature.

Austen’s “consummate artistry” transformed this novel from “popular entertainment” to “one of the principal treasures of English literature”?  Come on.  That statement is as pompous as it is illogical.  Once her book came out in print, Austen “transformed” nothing–the only thing that changed was the way people looked at it.  It started out as a popular genre novel, like anything by Rowling or Steele or Grisham or King, and when the literati decided to claim it, they rebranded it as something else.

What irks me is this idea that “popular entertainment” is somehow inherently devoid of literary worth.  Come on, people–virtually all the “great authors” before 1920 were well-read and well-loved in their day, among the masses as much as the literary elite.  It’s not a sin to make money writing books.

Overall, I enjoyed this book very much.  Just as Lord of the Rings is the quintessential fantasy novel, Pride and Prejudice is probably the lodestar of the romance genre.  I was pleased to find that it’s not a book that only women can enjoy!

Some quick updates

It’s been a while since I’ve written for this blog…and it’s probably going to be a while before I write again.  I’m going home to Massachusetts in less than a week, and I just learned today that I need to find a place to live for the fall.

So…I’m packing, scrambling, trying to find a place to move, get everything figured out.  Right now, I think I have a place (rooming with a friend, no less), but I haven’t contacted the  manager yet, so I’m not sure.  What kind of an office closes at 2:30 in the afternoon?  Gosh.

Fortunately, I never really unpacked, so moving shouldn’t be too difficult.  It’s just stressful. It doesn’t help that I’ve fallen behind a bit  from where I need to be with Bringing Stella Home. Bah.

As far as books go, I need to review The Time Machine by H. G. Wells, and I’m almost finished with Pride and Prejudice.  Two very interesting books.  I’ve enjoyed Pride and Prejudice a lot more than I thought I would, though it does get a little slow in the middle.

I’ve got to go now, but that’s what’s going on right now.  Next post will probably be from Massachusetts.

Adventures in Sci Fi Publishing is back!

I’ve been meaning to post this for a while, but about a month ago, I noticed something awesome in my podcast catcher: a new episode of Adventures in Sci Fi Publishing!

AISFP is an awesome podcast about the sf&f publishing world–one of the best podcasts on writing and publishing that I’ve found.  It’s hosted by Shaun Farrell, a playright and aspiring writer, and Sam Wynns, who runs the independent bookstore Mysterious Galaxies.  Each show runs about an hour, where they discuss news from the publishing world and typically interview a published author (ocassionally some big names, like Terry Goodkind and Tracy Hickman).

I can’t tell you how helpful I’ve found these interviews: Shaun Farrell knows all the right questions to ask, whether it’s about the writing process, the publication process, where the writers get their ideas, their personal experiences with writing, etc.  Awesome stuff–very useful for an aspiring writer like myself.

A while ago, the podcast went on hiatus (oh no!  not another awesome cast podfading into oblivion!), but now they’re back!  If you haven’t done so, you really should check them out: here is the podcast feed.

In one of the latest episodes, they interviewed author Greg Van Eekhout, who’s debut novel Norse Code is out in stores.  In order to spread publicity about the podcast (and the book), they decided to throw a blogging contest where they give away five copies of the novel.  To be honest, that’s why I’m writing this post–but it’s not the only reason.  Let me tell you about this novel, and I think you’ll see why.

Normally, I don’t usually get interested in a book because of a blurb or a description–especially if the author himself (or herself) gives it.  But Mr. Eekhout’s description of his novel on the show grabbed my attention.  Basically, Norse Code is a story about the Norse legends of the end of the world–Ragnarok–except that they’re all  coming true in our day and age, in Los Angeles.  All the Norse Gods are characters in the novel, including several minor gods, and some mortals as well, including a college student who dies and becomes a valkyrie.  All the major gods know that they’re going to die, but several of the minor gods are destined to survive and rebuild the world after the apocalypse.  Also, the novel has talking, scheming crows–how cool is that?

So yeah, you should check it out.  Also, if you’re an aspiring writer like me, you really should  check out Adventures in Sci Fi Publishing, and I’m not just saying that because of this contest.  I’ve been listening to this podcast since freshman year of college, and it is one of the best writing podcasts I’ve heard.  I’d definitely put it up there with Writing Excuses as one of the essential podcasts I subscribe to.  So check it out!

I Am Not a Serial Killer by Dan Wells

John is a weird kid. When he isn’t helping out his mother at their small-town mortuary, taking intense, morbid pleasure from opening up the dead bodies and exploring their insides, he’s researching serial killers, devouring every book he can find on the subject. If he had his way, he would open bodies all day–dead and living bodies, exploring them, savoring the addiction. That’s why he must constantly work hard to stop himself.

But when a demon comes into town, killing off members of the small community one by one and hiding in plain sight by posing as a normal human being, John is the only one who can stop the monster from killing again. To do this, he unleashes his own demon–the one urging him to kill. As the monster inside of him starts to take over his life, he starts to lose control and sink deeper and deeper toward his destiny.

Will he return from the dark side, having fought fire with fire? Or will he give in to fate and become a serial killer?

This book was a surprisingly fast read. I borrowed it from a friend and finished it only a couple of days after I started it. Part of this was because it’s a short book, but part of it was because the story and characters were so interesting.

The character development in this book is awesome. Dan Wells does a wonderful job making a morbid sociopath into a genuinely likable character. I felt like I knew him–and liked him–after only a couple chapters. Even though he’s got a disturbing, dark side, he’s constantly trying to fight it and keep himself in check. From almost the very beginning, I found myself rooting for this character.

The book had some sick, disturbing stuff in it, but it wasn’t nearly as violent or fundamentally disturbing as some of the other books I’ve read (Neuromancer, On My Way to Paradise). It was more of an “eww…cool!” kind of thing for me than a heart stopping, I-can’t-believe-what-I-just-read kind of thing. Still, the book definitely made me squirm. I’m glad none of my family works in a mortuary, I’ll say that much.

For a story so engaging, the writing was surprisingly simple. Unlike a lot of the fantasy and science fiction that I read, Dan Wells includes very few concrete details–just enough to keep you in scene–and tends to be a little adverb heavy. None of this was an obstruction to reading–on the contrary, the sparseness and simplicity is part of what makes this book a quick, enjoyable read. As an aspiring writer, it helped me to see that story trumps the minor, sentence level stuff, like using excessive adverbs with said bookisms (not that that’s a problem with this book–the writer part of my brain noticed it, but the reader part didn’t care).

The book reads very much like a thriller (…probably because it is one) and reminded me of a lot of the Michael Crichton stuff I used to read when I was in high school. While it isn’t as gripping as Sphere or Jurassic Park, it has about ten times the character development of any of Crichton’s works. Although the plot is definitely engaging, I read as much for the character as for the plot, if not more.

If you’re looking for a good, squeamish read with interesting, believable characters, this is a good one to pick up. It doesn’t come out in the US until 2010, but if you check out Dan’s website, you can probably find a way to get it. Check it out!

Ocremix does a Final Fantasy IV album!

ff4ocremixHey, check this out! Ocremix has just come out with a new album, this time for one of my favorite SNES games of all time, Final Fantasy IV!

For those of you unfamiliar with ocremix, it’s basically a web community with more than a thousand free mp3s of video game music arrangements and remixes. All the music from the classic games you grew up playing…it’s all there, reinterpreted in some awesome ways. The best part is that it’s all fan-made and free! I love it.

I was wondering when ocremix would come out with a Final Fantasy IV album. Nobuo Uematsu is one of the best video game composers, and Final Fantasy IV represents some of his best work. I still listen to the official soundtrack of the game fairly often. It’s good stuff.

When I downloaded the album, I was especially psyched to see that it features not one, not two, but three arrangements from my favorite remixer, bLiNd (aka Jordan Aguirre). Nice! He makes some awesome trance music, and his work on other video game titles is some of my favorite music on the ocremix site.

Needless to say, I’m thrilled about this new album. Awesome stuff! Now, all we need is a Final Fantasy VI album from ocremix–I wonder when that’s coming out?

If I were a character in Twilight…

I don’t know why I did this, but I saw it while wasting time on the internet and somehow suckered myself into it.

Twilight Quiz

Judging from all the advertising crap I had to go through just to get this result, I’m probably going to be spammed to high heaven for the next ten years. Fortunately, all of the personal information I provided is fake, except for the email (hehe, the guys at the Arabic house are probably going to get some pretty funny junk mail next year…).

It’s been a long time since I read Twilight, but I can vaguely remember liking this character. He probably was the one most like me.

I’m just glad I didn’t end up as Edward, because that kid is ridiculously abusive.

New About page

Traffic to this blog has been picking up a bit, and I decided it’s time to change my “about” page.  This was the old one:

In some ways, I live a double life. By day, I study Political Science and Arabic at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, but by night I’m an aspiring writer of science fiction and fantasy. And I have NO IDEA where all of this is going to take me.

A lot of people dream of writing and being a writer, but the motivations vary. Some people are just enamoured with vague ideas of the bohemian lifestyle. Other people are looking for fame and the joy of seeing their name on a book. It’s different for me, however. I write simply because I can’t NOT write. I wrote my first story in 5th grade and I haven’t been able to stop since. Stories just flow out of me–it’s a part of who I am. Most of them are fleeting and pretty crappy, but hopefully, somewhere in there is a story that can bring something meaningful to somebody.

And so I write, not with any illusions of the fame, fortunes, and friends it will bring me, but because it’s who I am. And yes, writing is not glamorous. It’s about hard work and consistency. It’s about rejection. It’s about realizing that the story you love so much reads like crap because you have a LONG way to go before your writing is any good. I know that. I’m experiencing it now. And I can tell you that it’s not without reward either.

So join me as I blog about my struggles, frustrations, adventures, and successes as an aspiring writer. Read about the agonizing and exhilarating process of writing a novel. Keep me honest in my writing goals. Check out my book reviews as I try to learn what I can from what’s come in the sci fi / fantasy genres before. Get caught up in my imagination as I share the story ideas that pop into my head. And please, if something strikes you, drop a comment and let me know what you think!

Goals:

  • Write and submit at least one novel per year.
  • Finish 1st draft of The Lost Colony by 25 April 2008. ACCOMPLISHED
  • Write three polished novel drafts before World Fantasy 2009 and attend the conference.

I don’t know if the new one is much better, but you can check it out.  Hopefully, it’s enough to give a good, honest impression of this site.

Also, I bit the bullet and finally signed up for twitter!  My username is onelowerlight; you can check me out here.

Hero in the Shadows by David Gemmell

Waylander gave up his dark life as an assassin years ago–or so he thought.  When an ancient magic gateway begins to break down and evil beings from another world set out to reconquer the lands of Kydor, Waylander finds himself caught up once again in the cycle of war and bloodshed.

Waylander joins forces with Kysumu, a rajnee warrior who has been training all his life to be the best swordsman, and Ustarte, an escaped  changeling experiment who has come from the demon world to organize a resistance.  But when the spirit of Qin Chong comes from the past to aid the fledgling resistance, he comes to the unlikeliest person of all–the ditch-digger Yu Yu Liang.  As Kysumu wrestles with envy over the spirit’s choice, he comes to understand what it truly means to be a hero.

This book was good. Way good.  Not only was it a thrilling action/adventure story, it was full of deep, wonderful insights into the nature of courage and cowardice, life and death, good  and evil, and true heroism.  David Gemmell’s books are full of wonderful insight, and deliciously complex in the way they deal with life’s most important and meaningful questions.

I read the last hundred pages at a breathless sprint.  So many of the characters died!  Yet even though the story was very violent, I didn’t feel that it was excessively so.  The violence always had a reason to be there, and added something to the story.

What really surprised me was how Gemmell redeemed even some of his most evil characters.  Just when you think one of the main antagonists is soulless and outright evil, he shows you another side of the character and makes you rethink him/her entirely.  Amazing.

Not only where the “good guy” characters imminently likeable, they were surprisingly relatable.  I felt like I understood exactly how Kysumu felt, having spent his whole life training to be the best warrior, only for the spirit of Qin Chong to choose a clumsy, shameless commoner.  As he struggled with his  jealousy, I felt I knew exactly what he was going through.  Interesting stuff.

Waylander, too, was very interesting.  Even though he was the best warrior out of anyone in the book, he was far from invulnerable or perfect.  He had a dark side that was very believable–not too gritty or over the top.  In fact, I think Waylander was originally an antagonist in the earlier books in the series.

When I read White Wolf, I had issues with the plot structure and excessive use of flashbacks.  Not so with this novel.  The plot progressed wonderfully, keeping me engaged and interested the whole time.  The twist ending was delicious!  Wonderfully satisfying.

Above all else, this is a book that means something, that actually says something.  I came away from this book satisfied, not only because of the excellent, entertaining story, but because of the way the story made me think.  Gemmell is an expert at creating depth to his characters and his stories, pulling you beneath the surface to glimpse at things that are really important and meaningful.

CSS magic

Dude!  Check out the new header for this blog!  Isn’t it the awesomest header image you’ve ever seen?

A few days ago, I got my hands on this cd full of cool arabesque patterns for graphic design.  I saved them to my flash drive, figuring I could use them to make a way cool blog header.  

Then, earlier tonight, I was chatting with my friend Danke from Quark–she’s the one who helped me with the other header (the font, btw, is from the game Alpha Centauri).  She’s a CS major and a whiz with css.

Two hours later…behold!

Danke’s official nickname is now The Sourceress.  I’m off to bed–all this magic is addictively tiring, especially at 2am.  Once you start down the dark path…