Though my writing is almost exclusively science fiction and fantasy, I do like to read in a wide variety of genres and fields. In this case, I was gifted a copy of this book by my best friend, who seemed a little surprised that I'd never heard of it before, since it's apparently somewhat famous. Of course, since I live under a space rock, there are all sorts of things that are apparently common knowledge of which I'm totally oblivious. Did you know that spending your free time writing hundred-thousand word novels isn't normal?
Blood Magic Concept
We're gearing up for the release of the pilot episode of the Blood Magic series. This has been something that I've been working on for quite some time, and if you've been following IGC for awhile, you've seen some of the steps we've taken to make it into a reality. With only a handful of days before the first episode is up on the website, I wanted to bring everyone up to speed on what this project is, where you can expect it to go, and hopefully drum up some excitement amongst you readers, so that you'll come to the site after January 31st to read it.
Starsight Review
To be perfectly honest, I did not have high expectations when I picked up Skyward. But it did say Sanderson on the cover, so I did eventually read Skyward. I have to say this was a case of not judging a book by its summary, because Skyward genuinely did draw me in, and I found it to be a unique, compelling story. So when Starsight came out, I may have wished a little that he had been working on Stormlight Archives, instead, but I was eager to read this second installment in the series.
Plausible Impossibility
If you've been a follower of the site for awhile, you may remember the post "Written in a Corner." In that post, I mentioned that I would write another post addressing the topic of plausible impossibility, which is an important concept in speculative fiction writing. Of course, if you've been a follower of the site for awhile, you probably also have realized that I'm not always very good at following up on these post ideas that I drop in my posts in anything approaching a timely fashion. Don't worry, I'll get to it eventually. In this case, it's only taken me a couple months.
Liespotting Review
Oh dear, a three star review. It's not that this book was bad, and please don't accuse me of some sort of non-fiction bias, but it was not quite as strong as other books I've read of similar nature. There were some interesting parts, but much of the book didn't seem especially helpful. Therein lay the problem.
A Look Ahead
Welcome back to a new year, one hopefully full of new stories both real and imagined. Although I didn't do a lot of writing on my break, I did do quite a bit of reading. With 2020 just beginning, I want to give you all an idea of where IGC Publishing will be going for the new year.
The Tropic of Serpents Review
There's something about dragons that stirs the imagination. Whether they're vicious wyrms, wise, ancient lords, or symbiotic fire lizards, dragons of all shapes and forms seem somehow fascinating (this may have something to do with why so many people go through a "dinosaur phase," which begs the question if fantasy authors writing about dragons simply never quite grew out of it). This can result in dragons, like dwarves, trolls, elves, and other creatures that frequently populate pages in various forms, that seem flat, one-dimensional, or simply indistinct. How many times can we read about how the dragons almost disappeared, but then someone finds and egg and returns the symbiotic dragonriders? So any time I come across a new and interesting take on dragons, I get excited.
Home for the Holidays
With the holidays coming up, I won't be posting for the next couple of weeks. Instead, I intend to eat too much food, spend time with family and friends, and hopefully read a few, good books in front of a fire. Some writing might go on too, of course. I start to twitch if I go too long without writing down the crazy ideas that bounce around in my head.
Thud! Review
A lot of very strange things can, and do, happen on a world that is flat, and is carried on the backs of four elephants perched upon the shell of the great turtle A'Tuan. Terry Pratchett's world and stories seem, on the surface, to be plainly fun. And they are that. Lighthearted and amusing, his stories don't feel heavy, but despite their facade, they in many cases convey unexpected significance. The well-meaning Watch Captain Vimes does just that as he investigates a dwarfish murder.
New Project
Some of you will be excited by this post; others dismayed. Rather than working on one of the many projects that I already have in process (especially ones like the second Fo'Fonas book, and the Blood Magic series), I sat down with some of the first writing time that I've had in awhile, and started something totally new. It's also very different from anything else I'm currently writing. To read the test scene rough draft, you can download the PDF below. If you want to know more about how this came to be, keep reading.
IGC Publishing 