Thoughts after finishing A Canticle for Leibowitz

Wow.  Wow. This book is INCREDIBLE. I’ll review it later, but first I want to put down some of my initial thoughts. With any great book, you come to a point where you realize, consciously or not, that it just can’t get any better.  The story, the characters, the world, the ideas and stakes, the… Continue reading Thoughts after finishing A Canticle for Leibowitz

Why I love Robert Charles Wilson

From Mysterium, which I plan to review here soon: “Do you ever wonder, Howard, about the questions we can’t ask? “Can’t answer, you mean? “No. Can’t ask.” “I don’t understand.” Stern leaned back in his deck chair and folded his hands over his gaunt, ascetic frame. His glasses were opaque in the porch light. The… Continue reading Why I love Robert Charles Wilson

Bimbos of the Death Sun by Sharyn McCrumb

It’s that time of year! Elves, Klingons, slave women, gamers, computer geeks, aspiring writers, and superfans are converging on Rubicon, the annual science fiction convention. Mild mannered citizens beware! Newest among the motley crew is Jay Omega, a young, local computer professor and first-time author on a mission: make sure that nobody he knows in… Continue reading Bimbos of the Death Sun by Sharyn McCrumb

Thoughts after finishing Legend by David Gemmell

I just stayed up a bit late, finishing Legend by David Gemmell.  Wow. According to his  wikipedia entry, Mr. Gemmell wrote Legend in two weeks while waiting to hear if his cancer diagnosis was terminal.  After reading this book, I can definitely see how that influenced the writing. This book is incredible, one of the… Continue reading Thoughts after finishing Legend by David Gemmell

“Why people read”

Dave Farland puts out this great e-newsletter called “Dave’s Daily Kick-in-the-Pants.” For the kick today, he suggested the following exercise: You probably have a good idea about what you want to write—horror, mainstream, fantasy, historical, romance, westerns, religious fiction, and whatnot. Sit down for ten minutes and on the left-hand side of your paper, list… Continue reading “Why people read”

Heaven’s library

2,943 words today, even though today was the first day of Writing and Illustrating for Young Readers.  I’ve reached the major climax of the book–the moment I’ve been replaying over and over in my head.  Perhaps this novel is not as bad as I’d thought–perhaps I can pull this off.  The current incarnation is terrible,… Continue reading Heaven’s library