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Here are the caveats up front: both Melinda Snodgrass and David Coe have been good friends of mine for many years. And because my reading time is limited, I tend to pick up books by friends -- I also pick them up to support them in their endeavors, because hey, we're all in this crazy business together, and if your books don't sell, you don't sell...
Now, if the book an 'okay' book, I might mention that I liked it. If I think the book has some flaws, I'm not going to mention it at all -- because once a book's in print, it's done and there's not a damned thing the writer can do about it, so my pointing out something I think is an issue isn't going to do that person a bit of good. So you won't hear about such things here.
But I find that I want to say more about these two books. Not because they're written by friends, but because in very different ways, they're very good books that deserve as wide an audience as they can get. Let's start with David, since I read his book first...
******
THE SORCERER"S PLAGUE by David B. Coe (Tor Books, 2007, hardbound) -- Book One of the "Blood of the Southlands."
I've liked David's writing since his first book. This one's no exception. From the prologue through to the end, he had me. David articulates a lovely culture with its attendant societal tensions, and he does it well. Lovely worldbuilding, yes, but most (and much more importantly) his characters are fully drawn and unique, from Besh the grandfather and his infatuation with a long-dead woman; to Lici the basket-weaving sorcerer with a grudge; to Grinsa, a Weaver of great power who is new to this land. Along the way, David also gives us minor characters and events, and makes us feel all of them. This one snagged me early and kept me going. I never once set the book done without wanting to pick it back up.
I found the book especially interesting for the way that David approached the task of using several POV characters -- taking the path of staying with a character for an extended period of time (which is not the path I took for the same issue in A MAGIC OF TWILIGHT).
My only quibble with the book is that as I approached the end and saw there were only fifty pages or so left, I could tell that there was no way that David was going to be able to wrap up all the diverse threads of the plot by the end of this book... which was true. It has an end point, but it's obvious that the tale isn't over. Not by a long shot. This is definitely "Book One" -- so be prepared to pick up Book Two (which will be THE HORSEMAN'S GAMBIT, out in January 2009).
I will be doing so, myself.
*******
THE EDGE OF REASON by Melinda Snodgrass (Tor Books, May 2008, hardbound)
The subtitle for this one is "A novel of the war between science and superstition." That's accurate, but perhaps not in the way you'll expect...
Melinda, who has spent a fair amount of time in Hollyweird writing screenplays, shows that training and expertise in this tale. It starts out 'in medias res' with a bang-up action scene, introducing the characters as well as the situation. We get to meet Richard Oort, Albuquerque police officer, and Rhiana, who is imbued with magic, as well as a homeless man who.... well, we'll leave his identity as a surprise for the reader. And then there's Kenntnis, the mysterious billionaire, and there's -- well, there are a lot of characters, all with their own agendas, and they're not all who they seem to be.
That's the beauty of this book. Melinda takes the usual conceptions of religions and bravely turns them on their head. This book is going to piss off a lot of people who have 'traditional' views of Christianity, and Melinda doesn't hesitate to twist the plot-knife she wields.
Again, as with David, what I found interesting was that Melinda's approach to the book is very different from the approach I would take if I were to use the same basic material. Mind you, 'different' is not a synonym for 'bad.' It's just 'different.' Melinda's approach is cinematic. I can see this being filmed. The climax is killer and is just begging for cameras and a director. I also love her bravery for not giving the reader the ending they might be expecting.
You should read this one. And see if you agree!
Now, if the book an 'okay' book, I might mention that I liked it. If I think the book has some flaws, I'm not going to mention it at all -- because once a book's in print, it's done and there's not a damned thing the writer can do about it, so my pointing out something I think is an issue isn't going to do that person a bit of good. So you won't hear about such things here.
But I find that I want to say more about these two books. Not because they're written by friends, but because in very different ways, they're very good books that deserve as wide an audience as they can get. Let's start with David, since I read his book first...
******
THE SORCERER"S PLAGUE by David B. Coe (Tor Books, 2007, hardbound) -- Book One of the "Blood of the Southlands."
I've liked David's writing since his first book. This one's no exception. From the prologue through to the end, he had me. David articulates a lovely culture with its attendant societal tensions, and he does it well. Lovely worldbuilding, yes, but most (and much more importantly) his characters are fully drawn and unique, from Besh the grandfather and his infatuation with a long-dead woman; to Lici the basket-weaving sorcerer with a grudge; to Grinsa, a Weaver of great power who is new to this land. Along the way, David also gives us minor characters and events, and makes us feel all of them. This one snagged me early and kept me going. I never once set the book done without wanting to pick it back up.
I found the book especially interesting for the way that David approached the task of using several POV characters -- taking the path of staying with a character for an extended period of time (which is not the path I took for the same issue in A MAGIC OF TWILIGHT).
My only quibble with the book is that as I approached the end and saw there were only fifty pages or so left, I could tell that there was no way that David was going to be able to wrap up all the diverse threads of the plot by the end of this book... which was true. It has an end point, but it's obvious that the tale isn't over. Not by a long shot. This is definitely "Book One" -- so be prepared to pick up Book Two (which will be THE HORSEMAN'S GAMBIT, out in January 2009).
I will be doing so, myself.
*******
THE EDGE OF REASON by Melinda Snodgrass (Tor Books, May 2008, hardbound)
The subtitle for this one is "A novel of the war between science and superstition." That's accurate, but perhaps not in the way you'll expect...
Melinda, who has spent a fair amount of time in Hollyweird writing screenplays, shows that training and expertise in this tale. It starts out 'in medias res' with a bang-up action scene, introducing the characters as well as the situation. We get to meet Richard Oort, Albuquerque police officer, and Rhiana, who is imbued with magic, as well as a homeless man who.... well, we'll leave his identity as a surprise for the reader. And then there's Kenntnis, the mysterious billionaire, and there's -- well, there are a lot of characters, all with their own agendas, and they're not all who they seem to be.
That's the beauty of this book. Melinda takes the usual conceptions of religions and bravely turns them on their head. This book is going to piss off a lot of people who have 'traditional' views of Christianity, and Melinda doesn't hesitate to twist the plot-knife she wields.
Again, as with David, what I found interesting was that Melinda's approach to the book is very different from the approach I would take if I were to use the same basic material. Mind you, 'different' is not a synonym for 'bad.' It's just 'different.' Melinda's approach is cinematic. I can see this being filmed. The climax is killer and is just begging for cameras and a director. I also love her bravery for not giving the reader the ending they might be expecting.
You should read this one. And see if you agree!