Val Muller

This book follows an archeologist from Long Island as she travels to Scotland to investigate a recently-discovered Viking ship buried beneath the earth. She feels a strange compulsion toward the ship and its artifacts and soon discovers that the ship contains living residents—1200-year-old residents—who have been preserved to continue the epic battle of good versus evil against the evil sorcerer-king (who has also been around for a while).

The book achieves subtle humor with its matter-of-fact treatment of the events. The warriors awaken from the ruins, realize it’s been 1200 years, and continue on about their day. They accept things fairly easily, likening our technology to the magic they had in their day (which they bring with them in their quest). The sorcerer-king’s modern black tower (a skyscraper) is likened to a castle. There are also two chthonic spirits (Zxerp and Prexz) whose “magic” meshes quite well with the modern electrical grid. In one instance they eat an electronic message. There’s a shapeshifter, magic that turns riffles into daffodils, and a wizard that can translate languages.

Fans of Beowulf and its related history will enjoy this book: there are numerous allusions to the epic tale and related mythology (mention of the whale-road, for example, as well as referring to the 14-passenger van needed to transport the Viking warriors around Scotland as “Sleipnir” after Odin’s warhorse). Those with no background might feel a bit lost at times.

I found the story compelling. My only criticism is the same criticism I have for pieces with dry humor. I have to be in the right mood to appreciate dry or matter-of-fact humor. I can’t be in a bored, tired, or angry mood when reading it. As a result, it took me longer than usual to read this book (I had to wait until I was in the right mindset). The other thing that troubled me was the largely omniscient point of view—the story skipped quickly from one group of people to the next, allowing us an almost omniscient understanding of what was happening to each character and when. To me, though, this made it difficult to stick with just one character and keep track of all the nuances involved. Maybe slowing the pace a bit and sticking with one character for longer would have made me relate a bit more.

Still, it was an enjoyable read. I liked the references to Viking culture and the humorous way the Vikings interact in our world. My favorite scene is when the warriors hole up in a castle and are surrounded by armed policemen. They are excited for a battle and are disappointed to see that each warrior will only have to kill one policeman to win the fight. They Vikings throw javelins at the officers, intentionally missing as a (failed) way of tempting the officers into battle. Shortly after, another group is in a museum trying to retrieve an artifact (that belongs to one of the warriors). They are forced to listen to a tour guide blatantly misinterpret elements of their artifact, and their reaction is quite enjoyable!

I would recommend the book for people who like adventure books and history. If you’ve never read Beowulf or studied Viking culture, you will miss out on a lot of what makes this book a rich read.

Video Game Meets Fairy Tale
I would recommend this book for middle-grade readers just getting started in the fantasy genre, video game fans, and fans of plot-driven works. The book also contains lots of elements of video games—potions, quests, professions, etc.—that would resonate with video game fans.

The plot of this book moves along quickly, making it ideal for a young independent reader or a parent reading the book chapter-by-chapter to a child before bed. Almost right away, Queen Laurali of the Elves makes it clear that Halli, an 18-year-old dwarf, will play an important role in the story. She sends a messenger for the five other important characters while going to pick up Halli herself before setting off to defeat the evil ruler. And just like that, before we even settle in, the quest has begun.

I enjoy fantasy novels, but I’m often frustrated by being bogged down by too much detail. That said, in this story I was disappointed by the lack of detail. While the plot of this story is inherently engaging, the fairy-tale style of the story left it vulnerable to “telling” rather than “showing.” With almost no description in the first chapter, I was left to rely on stereotypes and my imagination to picture the elf and the dwarf. But there were plenty of opportunities for more detail. For instance, I would be interested in learning what Halli’s experiences in school were like. What happens at a dwarf school? I wasn’t told until the very end. We are also told that Halli has been quite shy her whole life, yet has been demonstrating the qualities of a Holy Paladin for years. I would have liked to see these traits in action, rather than rely on other characters to tell me they are so. The dwarf is also called “beautiful,” but we are never given a crystal clear description of her. I have only to rely on stereotypes I have seen/read about dwarfs–whose hardened, battle-ready features are usually not beautiful… We are also told about a love interest between Halli and another member of the party, but we are never shown the chemistry between them, even in innocuous ways, until the last chapter, so I feel like I’m missing out.

The other thing I would have appreciated would be shifting points of view. The story was told largely through an omniscient lens, which led to much telling rather than showing. I would have liked to get into more of the characters’ heads to experience what they were thinking and feeling. But then again, I am a fan of character-driven stories (and am guilty of falling asleep during action films in movie theatres!)

The benefit of this Spartan style, though, is that it’s a quick read. It’s only 114 pages, which is far shorter than most fantasy works. This would benefit reluctant readers and young readers who avoid long fantasy novels because of overly-dense description.

The strength of this story is the message. Presenting Halli as a role model, Buginsky is urging children to follow their inner flame, having confidence in their abilities and reaching their full potential. I would recommend this book for a parents and child to read together before bed—it would open the way for a positive discussion, or for a beginning independent reader, as the story focuses mostly on plot rather than description.

The book is marketed as young adult, but I think based on the level of detail presented, I would recommend the book for a younger crowd. I look forward to the next installment, but I hope the author adds a bit more detail.

Stephen King’s On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft

I had read this book—or at least parts of it—years ago, but I thought I’d re-read it from the perspective of a much more serious author than the kid who dreamed of one day being Stephen King. I learned a lot from reading this book—including the fact that Stephen King and I have a lot more in common than I thought.

In the book, King mingles memories with tips on writing, focusing more heavily on writing advice in the second half of the book. He does this in an engaging way—it never “felt” like I was reading a book on writing. Rather, the page flew by as if I were having a casual conversation at lunch with a good friend.

King leads the reader through his life, explaining how The Tommyknockers, for example, is a metaphor for his own drug and alcohol abuse, and the effect it had on his mind, body, and soul. He walks through many of his novels, explaining his inspirations and thoughts about each book.

The lessons in writing are interspersed throughout as parts of King’s own revelations, such as his experience with an editor who taught him what makes interesting writing and what should be deleted during a rewrite. Among the most quoted advice King discusses is probably the advice to “write with the door closed, rewrite with the door open,” pushing writers to consider that once published, the story “belongs to anyone who wants to read it or criticize it.”

As a writer, I enjoyed learning about King’s struggles, many similar to my own experiences:

• his growling pile of rejection letters being tacked to the wall reminded me of my growing folders (virtual and physical) of rejections;
• King’s endeavors into small self-publishing for a local readership remind me of my own endeavors as a kid and teenager, publishing zines with my friends via Staples’ self-service center;
• I even contributed to a subversive mock-publication in high school just as King published The Village Vomit with “fictional tidbits about [his high school’s] faculty, using teacher nicknames the student body would immediately recognize.” Unlike King, I never got caught!

See, King and I share so many experiences, I am bound to follow his successful career! But wait, there’s more:

• I learned that King’s daughter Naomi used to tear the wallpaper off the wall above her crib. This is of interest to me because my soon-to-be-released novel features a troubled man who was discovered to have torn off the wallpaper above his crib as a boy. It was pure coincidence!
• King was also at school (yes, he was a high-school English teacher, too!) when he learned about his first book sale. He received the message during his planning period—just like me!
• King sometimes has his wife read his manuscripts while he is driving on long-distance trips. I do the same thing, asking my husband to read while I drive. And King relishes in the times when his wife laughs at all the right moments. When my husband laughs at the right places, it makes my day as well, and despite the fact that I’m driving, I have to glance over to see where he is in the chapter.

This book is a must-read for all authors. The advice is humorous and helpful (beware of language, though. In typical King fashion, he drops the F-bomb and then some). He doesn’t just limit his advice to the craft of writing, but also to lifestyle habits (watch less TV and read more!) and other considerations for aspiring writers. In the end, King reminds us about the reason for writing: “Writing isn’t about making money, getting famous, getting dates, getting laid, or making friends. In the end, it’s about enriching the lives of those who will read your work, and enriching your own life, as well.”

Oh, and the title for this blog entry? Don’t worry, I’m not delusional. I had my tongue in my cheek when I wrote it.

But it can’t hurt to dream.

Glimmers begins when Paige tries on a pair of vintage boots and experiences a “glimmer” into the life of the boots’ former owner. As the story progresses, Paige experiences similar glimmers when she touches objects of sentimental value to others. When I first started reading, I thought the people whose stories she experienced were going to be random, helping her to live her own life better. For example, after the first glimmer, Paige uses her experiences to improve her cooking skills. But as the story progresses, I learned that the glimmers were not random—they interconnect in a way that brings richness to the text. I won’t give away any more because the fun for me was discovering how all the stories related.

I enjoyed the style of this book. First of all, it’s a clean read, so there isn’t anything inappropriate, and I could see a young adult reader enjoying it, too. It’s written in first-person point of view in a conversational way. I enjoyed this point of view, and each glimmer kept my interest.

My least favorite was the memory of England (I won’t give away details because it’s important to the plot). I felt like the difference in time period and location (compared to the other glimmers) should have made the narrator’s voice sound drastically different, but it didn’t feel that different to me. I also wanted just a bit more depth in experiencing this important memory.

Still, I greatly enjoyed how the storylines were woven together and how each of Paige’s experiences helped her improve upon or understand her own life in a more meaningful way. My favorite character was Paige’s mother, who brought humor to the novel and offered a bit of comic relief. In the end, all my questions were answered about the characters—even questions that I thought would go unanswered, which brought a nice sense of closure. It is definitely women’s lit (I’m trying to imagine my husband reading the book), and I wanted just a little bit more depth, but it was a pleasure to read. I can see fans of Jane Austen loving this book!