Tag: fiction

Takedown Twenty by Janet Evanovich

~ Veselin ~ Leave a comment

Some writers start with a bestseller, then it’s all downhill. You’re lucky to get the same bestseller repeated a few times with a slightly different plot. Others get better book after book. Michael Connelly is in that group, and Janet Evanovich seems to be there as well. Takedown Twenty was one of the best from the Stephanie Plum series. There were exploding cars, a bit of grimdark comedy, and a stray giraffe but it was balanced and Stephanie did well.

Stephanie should’ve been 50 by now. Technology ages but she stays 30. Other than this little glitch in the Matrix, it’s a great series.

Do you remember your favorite book from childhood?

~ Veselin ~ 9 Comments
Daily writing prompt
Do you remember your favorite book from childhood?
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Looking back, it has to be one of these 3:

  • Pippi Longstocking
  • The Three Musketeers
  • Winnetow

Pippi was one of the books that hooked me to reading, Winnetow introduced me to adventure books – pirates, Wild West, and such. The top choice, however, must be The Three Musketeers.

Athos, Porthos, Aramis, and D’Artagnan are unlikely friends, united by their shortage of money and willingness to duel. They are all extreme in some way and represent a few distilled qualities that complement one another. Their paths briefly cross, create beautiful moments of courage and bravery, and drift apart because of tragedies and traumas. It’s written in small chunks, chapters that have their own merit as short stories. This made it a good book for a 7 or 8-year-old with a limited attention span.

I’m not sure if I read The Three Musketeers more times than Pippi, Winnetow, or the other 4-5 books I would read each summer break but it aged well. The last time I got it in my hands and read a few chapters, they were captivating and great. It was less than a decade ago.

Thraxas and the Dance of Death

~ Veselin ~ 1 Comment

It’s not common to read a book that’s not on Goodreads but this particular edition is unknown to it. It’s tiny and hard to hold. You have the feeling it will break if you press it too hard. It’s a fragile jewel, worth the read. The first page-turner for me in over a month.

Thraxas and a bunch of powerful wizards are after a green jewel that makes people kill each other and slip away. The story is good and has no villains, which is quite impressive given the large number of dead people.

Makri is accused of theft and wants to resolve the accusations her way by rolling heads. She’s surprisingly civil for a gladiator champion with ork blood this time.

Both cases somehow manage to connect. I couldn’t predict most of the stuff that happened. The only guarantee is that it’s a good read.

5/5

Sand Wars parts 4 to 6 by Charles Ingrid and the nine fingers

~ Veselin ~ Leave a comment

Parts 4 and 5 of the Sand Wars series were back to the roots of what was enjoyable in the first part – battles, new worlds, spaceships, and mild mystery. Part 6 went into the torture territory and was off-putting to me. I would rate the books 4/5/2 for an average of about 3.

The nine fingers

Back in 1993 or 1994, I wrote fiction. One of my main characters was a warrior and I wanted to highlight that you can’t be that without losing a limb or two, so he was missing a finger. Of course, it was the pinky finger so the sword-yielding was unaffected.

In 2006 I read “The Blade Itself” by Joe Abercrombie. It introduced the incredible warrior Logen Ninefingers or The Bloody Nine. He lost a middle finger due to his vicious lifestyle, having the bad habit of battling gigantic northerners. He was very similar to my nine-fingered creation. Jack Storm from the Sand Wars is also a pinky-misser due to a cryogenic accident. Charles Ingrid was more modest than Joe Abercrombie or perhaps had a worse editor.

My father is an engineer whose hobby was making furniture. I had a first-hand experience with finger-related injuries. If a blade encounters fingers, it starts with the index finger, soon to be followed by the middle one. Soon equals milliseconds. Science confirms that observation. The most likely reason for losing fingers is not sword fights but using mundane objects like doors, windows, and power tools. It would be very realistic and ironic if Logen Ninefingers lost his index finger to a folding chair rather than a sword fight. Jack Storm’s accident could’ve been a door.

Both authors left their fingers in the early character building and bounced back to create some good books.