The Seven Wonders

The Seven Wonders by Steven Saylor

Many years ago I read A Twist at the End by Saylor where he featured the writer O'Henry as a the protagonist of a fictional story. I enjoyed it a lot, but since most of his other books were mysteries set in ancient Rome, which didn't interest me at the time, I didn't consider reading anything else by him until now.

Saylor's new book The Seven Wonders is a prequel to his Roma Sub Rosa series which features Gordianus, a Sherlock Holmes-type character with an uncanny ability to solve mysteries and riddles. As I mentioned, I haven't read any of that series, but since this is a story that takes place chronologically before that series began, and since I enjoyed his the other book so much, I figured it was time to read another book by him and this was an obvious book with which to start.

In the year 92 B.C. Gordianus has just turned 18 and is embarking on the trip of a lifetime. His teacher Antipater has made plans to take him through Greece, Asia Minor, Babylon, and Egypt to see the seven man-made structures that have been given the distinction of being called the Seven Wonders of the World. During each of the stops along his journey, Gordianus finds himself exposed to some sort of mystery which reveals in him an uncanny ability to deduce and solve riddles. These characteristics will eventually earn him the title of "the Finder" as he's known in the Roma Sub Rose series.

The book was very good. It was both entertaining and educational. Each of the chapters contains its own mystery for Gordianus to solve which kept the pace of the story moving very quickly. But equally enjoyable to me was all of the information Saylor provided about those ancient wonders--which with the exception of the Great Pyramids are no longer around for us see and experience. I plan to read more of Gordianus's adventures soon.

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

Bloodline

by James Rollins
(Sigma series #8)

In Bloodline Rollins finally unveils the forces behind the Guild, the mysterious agency that Sigma has been up against ever since Rollins began his series.

Off the Horn of Africa Somali pirates hijack a yacht and take a pregnant woman hostage. But it's not merely a random act of piracy taking place. The pirates are being used by the Guild in order to acquire the the unborn child, the grandson of the President of the United States. The child represents the culmination of hundreds of years of research and experimentation that the Guild has undergone in order to achieve something ancient artifacts have promised was possible: immortality.

All of the the usual cast of characters are back for this one, along with a couple of very notable additions, former Army Ranger Tucker Wayne and his military war dog Kane. These two are welcome additions to the series and I'm looking forward to more books featuring them going forward. The insight that Rollins provided into the training and the capabilities of military war dogs was fascinating and was one of my favorite aspects of the book. The story is exactly what you can expect from Rollins. It's quick moving and highly entertaining. As always, there's always an element of the far-fetched. But that's part of the appeal of the books to me. Rollins writes each of his Sigma books so that they could be enjoyed even if you've never read any of the others. But I'd really recommend starting at the beginning of the series in order understand the backstory behind each of the characters and to get the most enjoyment from each of the books.

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

The Song of the Quarkbeast

The Song of the Quarkbeast by Jasper Fforde

With The Song of the Quarkbeast, Jasper Fforde continues his young adult series that he began with The Last Dragonslayer. Having fulfilled the prophecy that she was unwillingly a part of in that book, Jennifer Strange, the teenage acting manager of Kazam, an employment agency for sorcerers, now finds herself once again at the center of events that could change the Ununited Kingdom forever.

Ever since the events of Dragonslayer, the level of magic that exists in the world has been on the rise. The sorcerers who work for Kazam can tell that the source of their powers is increasing, but they're not the only ones to have taken notice. King Snodd IV has realized what's happening as well, and he knows that if he can control magic, he can control everything. Only Jennifer Strange stands between Snodd and his plans.

The Song of the Quarkbeast and the Dragonslayer series as a whole are great, and both young adults and their parents will enjoy reading them. I think too often when writers, who normally write for an adult readership, make the transition to writing for a younger audience, they tend to inadvertently insult younger readers by "dumbing it down." Fforde doesn't do that. These books are just as intelligent as his "Thursday Next" and his "Nursery Crimes" books.

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

Amped

Amped by Daniel H. Wilson

I had high hopes for Amped, having really enjoyed Robopocalypse, and it didn't disappoint. It's a smart, futuristic thriller that does what many books in its genre fail to do nowadays--it gets you to think.

The book takes place in the not-too-distant future. Technology has advanced to the point where many of the disabilities and shortcomings that plague mankind can now be fixed with a neurological implant. People suffering from epilespy, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, ADHD and variety of other disorders no longer have to suffer, they're now able to live not simply normal lives, but the implants give them advanced abilities above and beyond those of normal humans. Likewise, children born with below average intelligence or even severe mental handicaps are now able to quickly surpass their average peers in mental and physical abilities.

The book begins with a U.S. Supreme Court ruling being handed down. The Court's ruling states that since the surgery to receive an implant is an elective surgery, and since those who receive one receive an unfair advantage over those who don't, recipients should receive no protections under the 14th Ammendment. They essentially have none of the rights of a U.S. citizen.

Owen Gray is a teacher who has grown up thinking that his parents had given him an implant as a child because of his epilepsy. But his father, who was one of the developers of the implants, gave him one that had the ability to do far more than that. The implant's true abilities have been dormant in Owen's mind all his life. But with the Court's ruling, and the civil unrest and violence that it leads to, the true nature of the implant is about to be revealed to Owen.

Wilson is a young writer and he's been described as Michael Crichton's successor in the technological thriller genre. I'd compare him to Aldous Huxley as well. I mentioned before that the book will make you think. There are a lot of philisophical and sociological questions that it's sure to make readers think about. As I read it I was continually reminded of the thoughts and impressions I had while reading Brave New World.

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Redshirts

Redshirts by John Scalzi

Fans of the original Star Trek series already know the significance of wearing a red shirt on that show. For those of us who prefered girls to Vulcans, an explanation might be useful. With the exception of Scottie, wearing a red shirt on the original series was a sure-fire sign that your character was not going to live long. Redshirts, as they're affectionately referred to by Comicon attendees and the like, were always falling victim to some disaster or battle with the enemies of the United Federation of Planets. John Scalzi has taken that little bit of Trekipedia and used it to write a very entertaining book.

Ensign Andrew Dahl has just been assigned to the Intrepid, the flagship of the Universal Union. But he quickly begins to notice that all is not right aboard the ship. Rarely does an away mission return without having lost at least one of his fellow low-ranking members of the crew to some battle with aliens. And while the key officers are often critically -- and usually in a dramatic fashion, injured on these missions, they never seem to share the same fate as their subordinates.

Dahl and his fellow ensigns begin to investigate what's really going on with the Intrepid and come to a realization that is as surprising as it is brilliant.

That secret makes the book well worth the short amount of time it will take to read it. And you don't need to be a big fan of the series to enjoy it. If you liked Galaxy Quest, you'll like this. I've never cared for the original series myself. I have seen most of The Next Generation series and I liked all of the even-numbered movies that they've made. But even with that limited interest in Star Trek, I thought the book was a lot of fun and it made me interested in reading more of what Scalzi has written.

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

Nocturnal

Nocturnal by Scott Sigler

I’ve seen the movie Misery several times and love it. But I have to admit that every time I’ve watched it (since the first time), I’ve had to turn my head away and close my eyes when Annie hobbles Paul with the block of wood and the sledgehammer. I’ve never been able to watch the footage of Joe Theismann’s final play. I know what happens, and I’m not man enough to handle seeing it. There’s just something about limbs bending where they’re not supposed to bend that I don’t do well with. Bloody entrails pulled out of a person's abdomen, decapitations, stuff like that doesn’t bother me, but a visibly broken limb makes me cringe and quite honestly makes me a little light-headed. Which brings me to Scott Sigler's new book Nocturnal.

I know when I start reading a horror story by Sigler, that I'm going to experience some light-headedness. I know I'm going to cringe and squirm at parts, but I still can't wait to read one every time one comes out.

I first discovered Sigler when I picked up a copy of his book Infected about microscopic aliens that enter earth's atmosphere and then the bodies of humans and begin to grow. That book made me cringe numerous times as the human hosts took drastic measures to try to rid themselves of the parasitic hitchhikers. Nocturnal delivered as well.

Bryan Clauser is a homicide detective in San Francisco who has begun having vivid and disturbing dreams in which he stalks and violently kills human prey. But these aren't merely dreams he's having. At the same time Bryan is having these violent dreams, they're actually taking place on the streets of his city. As he tries to investigate the murders he discovers that all of the victims are tied to one person, an awkward and bullied boy named Rex.

Rex likes to draw. It provides him an outlet for the miserableness of his life. He's the victim of abuse, both at school and at home, but his drawings have begun to become reality. Shortly after he draws the horrific demise of one of his abusers, that abuser comes to an eerily similar demise.

Bryan's dreams and Rex's drawings are signs of something much larger that's been going on in and under the city of San Fancisco for more than a century. 

I enjoyed Nocturnal a lot. I've never read anything by Sigler that I didn't like, so I'm not surprised. His stories are always entertaining, and even though they occasionally make me question my manhood by making me cringe like a little school girl, they always jump to the top of my to-be-read pile whenever a new one comes out.  

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

Daniel O'Malley Interview

Daniel O’Malley is an Australian who graduated from Michigan State University and earned a Master’s Degree in medieval history from Ohio State University. He currently works for the Australian Transport Safety Bureau, writing press releases for government investigations of plane crashes and runaway boats. More impressive to me though is the fact that he's written a book, a very good book called The Rook. I won't get into details on the book here because I already did that in this post. Mr. O'Malley was kind enough to take some time away from writing his government releases to answer a few questions about his writing.

First of all, let me congratulate you on The Rook. I certainly enjoyed it and from reviews I've read of it, I wasn't alone. There are aspects of the book that reminded me of Torchwood, Men in Black, and X-Men. Were any of these inspirational in the writing of The Rook?

Thanks so much, I’m really glad you enjoyed it. As to influences on The Rook, there’s been quite a few. In terms of approach, one of the writers I most admire is China Mieville. His books are always so crammed fulled of ideas, they make for a very rich and detailed world. I tried to have something similar – glancing mentions of things that suggested a vast history.

As to the works you mentioned above, well, I enjoyed Men in Black very much (and I loved the animated series when it was on). The thing that really caught my eye was the blasé attitude of the staff when dealing with the most astounding and insane situations. And I was a tremendous X-Men fan as a kid. I thought it was so cool how everyone had their unique power and they formed a (usually) coherent team, so it’s definitely something that impacted on me.

Torchwood hadn’t come out when I started writing the book, I don’t think. I was certainly well-along by the time I heard about it. In any case, I’ve only seen one episode of it, and while I liked it, I don’t think it had much of an influence on me. The idea of a Government organization that secretly deals with the bizarre is an old one, and it was one I enjoyed playing with very much.

The main character in your book, Myfanwy Thomas, is a woman suffering from amnesia who is in possession of a series of letters left for her by her previous self. That allowed you to write her as two separate and quite different characters. Was that something that evolved as you wrote the story or was it something you planned from the beginning in order to allow you to show the transformation she underwent?

Originally, the letters from the old, pre-amnesia self (‘Thomas’) were mainly going to be a useful way to provide background information. A nice way to give infodump. But then it became important (and amusing) to me that there be some significant differences between the old Myfanwy Thomas and the new Myfanwy Thomas. The letters were already going to be a part of it, and as I wrote them, Thomas became very much her own character. I grew more and more fond of her, and it was sad, because the whole book was based on the fact that she was going to be destroyed, before the book even began.

Gestalt was one of my favorite characters in the book. He's one person with four individual bodies which he's able to operate simultaneously. I tend to refer to him as male but since one of his bodies is female, I'm not sure that's technically correct. Where did the idea for that character come from?

Gestalt came out of me helping my friend move house. I was carrying furniture down all these flights of stairs, and I thought ‘this would be so much easier if I had a bunch of bodies.’ And voila! I had Gestalt! I had to put down the thing I was carrying, so that I could write down the idea.

Most first-time novelists have the luxury of spending years writing and fine tuning their first book trying to get it published. When they do get picked up by a publisher, I would think that the writing process has to change because now there are deadlines to deal with and other people involved in the creative process. How has getting published changed the way you approach writing?

Not a lot has changed, to be perfectly honest. If you’re going to write, there’s always something in the back of your head that pushes you to write – whether it’s a deadline or the hunger to get the story told. I always tried to be disciplined about it, even before I was published – even before I found an agent. I set myself the daily minimum of pages (2 on weekdays, 4 on weekend days), and would then really, really try to hit it. Of course, I failed frequently (and continue to do so.) Sometimes the lightning hits, and you’re pouring out text, and sometimes you’ll find anything else to do instead of write.

I understand The Rook is the beginning of a series and that you're currently at work on the sequel. When is it scheduled to be published? What do your readers have to look forward to in this next one?

I am labouring away on the sequel, and while I’m going to have it to my editor early in 2013 (he says firmly), I don’t know when it will actually escape out into the world in book form. There’s a whole long procedure that has to be gone through. Editing. Re-editing. A whole lot of things. So, it’ll be a while yet. But, in the meantime, I’m very excited about it. The next book is going to follow two new characters (although Rook Myfanwy Thomas will feature prominently.) It’s a story about diplomacy (and a pointed lack thereof), supernatural terrorism, and the etiquette surrounding afternoon tea. Also, it’s going to explore Europe, and see how some other countries deal with their supernatural problems.

Thanks so much and good luck with the next book.