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2020 in review, with a look to 2021!

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Top o’ the morning, y’all!

I’m writing this on the morning of December 31, 2020, having left it to the very last minute. But I’m excited to reflect both on the year behind and the year ahead. Let’s jump right into it!

Writing

My goal in 2020 was to focus exclusively on publishing fantasy books through Waterstone Media, and I’m happy to report that goal was met! I’ve published four fantasy books this year that I’m really proud of. I both started and finished the Oblivion’s Gate trilogy, and I wrote a standalone novel in the Nightblade universe: Blades of Shadow.

I think it was in November that I learned that the first book in the Oblivion’s Gate trilogy, The Gate Beyond Oblivion, was named a 2020 SPFBO semi-finalist. I was hugely excited for the announcement, and am incredibly grateful to have been a part of the competition.

This past year has been my most productive since I started keeping track of my writing. I ended up writing just short of 600,000 words this year, which is over 100,000 more than any other year I’ve tracked.

In 2021 I’m hoping to do more of the same. My plan is to launch two new series over the course of the year, both of which are worlds I’m tremendously excited about. Perhaps not-so-secretly (especially after putting it up on the blog), I’m hoping to do six books next year. We’ll see. It’s possibly too ambitious, but I like setting such goals.

In 2021 I’m also going to be moving more toward direct sales. I’ve started the process this year, but you’ll see more of it next year. This will only affect readers if they choose! All my books will continue to be available on all bookstores, but I’m excited about the opportunity to sell direct to y’all without the big companies taking a fair portion of the proceeds.

And finally, in 2021 the Waterstone Media family will be expanding. I don’t want to say much yet, but there’s a talented storyteller who is already hard at work on their fantasy debut. It should be an exciting year.

Reading

I read a ton in 2020, and I read widely. The final tally will be over 70 books, including some doorstoppers. The series I’ve probably already said the most about was Malazan. It’s a series that seems to evoke strong emotions on the internet, but I think that’s a good thing. Personally, I fell on the side of loving it. I think it is my favorite enormous fantasy series.

Beyond that, I read quite a bit of Mark Lawrence, and fell in love particularly with The Red Queen’s War. 

Outside of fantasy, this was the year of the thriller for me. I read tremendous books by my good friend Mike McCrary, as well as dove into the worlds of Dean Koontz for the first time since I was pretty young. Barry Eisler and Lee Child also wrote no small number of the books I opened on my kindle this year.

I didn’t read too much nonfiction this year. I’ve started diving back into philosophy, so Nietzsche, Kant, Plato, and Aristotle have all been revisited. It’s been a pleasure to read them with new, slightly more experienced eyes.

The only other nonfiction book I’d highlight is The Practice by Seth Godin. It’s a book I’ve gifted to most of my creative and entrepreneurial friends, and I found it fantastic. It’s about shipping creative work, and I thought it was really inspiring. I think it’s a book I’ll keep coming back to.

In 2021 I expect the trend will be mostly the same. I plan on reading a ton of fantasy and thrillers, and I’ll probably be diving deeper into philosophy. I’m also hoping to dive into the Western genre for the first time in my life.

Other Media

This is a pretty short section. Truth be told, I didn’t watch much TV, nor did I see many movies this year. And none of the little I did see really inspired me much. Maybe this will change in 2021? I’m not sure. I’ve been surprised by how little I miss either medium. But life is change, and perhaps I’ll find something that brings me back to the big (or little) screen.

I did play and finish a couple of videogames, primarily the last Uncharted game. That was fun. Again, perhaps I’ll play a bit more in the upcoming year? I’m not sure. My steam queue is certainly large, but finding the time to play the games is challenging.

Overall, it’s been a good year for reading and writing, and I’m really excited for 2021 in both regards.

But what about you? What books, shows, or movies made your best of lists in 2020?

Reading, and not reading

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This weekend, I was excited to crack open a new book. No matter how many stories I’ve read, there’s always something about that initial rush that hits me, a world of possibility at my fingertips. It’s a book I’ve had on my TBR pile for a while now.

But before long, my enthusiasm waned. The writing didn’t work for me, and the exposition was too dense. I didn’t believe in the main character. At about 12%, after one particularly egregious line, I put the book down, and it felt good.

It’s important to understand that for me, this story is unusual.

I’m a completionist. Have been for as long as I can remember.

When I start something, I will finish it. It’s been a mark of pride.

But I’m happy that I’m breaking away from the trend. Putting the book down this last weekend was the right thing to do.

Initially, I’d intended to write a post about quitting, but that seemed too negative, and didn’t quite capture what I wanted to say. My experience this weekend made me think about reading, and why we do it.

Read.

I’m not sure there are any better forms of storytelling. Please don’t misconstrue that statement. I love so many forms of storytelling, from a great movie to videogames to graphic novels. But I believe reading is still the most powerful form of story.

Why?

Because it’s a conversation, a joint construction between an author and the reader. It’s two imaginations, working together to form a story. You can ask an author what they meant when they wrote something, but at best you’ll only get half the truth.

I don’t reread books often, just as a matter of preference. When I do, it is usually several years (if not decades) between readings. And I’ve learned something. It’s almost impossible to read the same book twice. Sure, the words might be the same, but I’ve changed, and thus I create a new story.

The same is true for other mediums, but I think to a lesser degree. Our imaginations play less of a role in the watching of a movie. I think it’s also why so few film adaptations live up to our expectations. Our imaginations will always be richer than even the most expensive computer graphics budgets.

There are plenty of good reasons to read. Read for inspiration, or education, or entertainment. Read to find yourself in a new world, or to understand this one better. Read because it makes our lives richer. Only through story can we live multiple lives in the time allotted to us.

But know when to put something down.

The choice to quit is a personal one, and I don’t think there are any hard and fast rules that should be followed.

I do know there are terrible reasons to read a book.

Never read a book because you feel like you’re supposed to. Or because everyone else is reading it.

Read the books that make your life better, and feel free to put down the ones that don’t.

Happy Thanksgiving! (and where I’ve been)

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This week, for the first time in quite a while, I’m taking a break. It’s Thanksgiving week here in the states. My wife isn’t working, nor does my daughter have school. We’re all together, and that’s good.

It’s a good week for family. Outside, it’s cool and wet. Most people are hiding indoors, which means we can go on hikes through some of the natural areas nearby and have the places almost to ourselves. My daughter has recently taken to collecting rocks, and every hike ends with stones in our pockets, it seems.

It’s a good time to slow down and take a breath. A time to look forward to the next year and say our thanks for what we have.

It can’t ever be said enough. Thank you. For every kind email, tweet, or post, I’m grateful. For reading my stories, I thank you. I’m convinced I have the best readers in the world (although my author friends claim they do, too).

I’ve been deep in the editing process for The Gate to Redemption. It’s in other hands now, better hands than mine.

It does have the distinction of being the longest book I’ve written, for whatever that’s worth. Wrapping this trilogy up was a task even I underestimated the magnitude of.

As I wait for the book to return for my final pass, I’ve started writing a new book. I’m only a few chapters in, but I like it.

I hope that wherever you are, this finds you well. Whether or not this is a holiday week for you, I hope you’re safe and healthy.

And thanks, one more time.

What I learned about reading (and life) from Malazan

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I know that Malazan is a series that has been examined and reviewed to no end. And yet as a reader who just finished his first read through of the core ten book series, I can’t not talk about the experience I just had.
And it was an experience – the kind of experience I find most often in books, but is still rare and elusive. For lack of better wording- this series made me feel all the feelings.
So instead of reviewing Malazan, I thought I’d talk about what I learned reading Malazan.

  1. The first rule of Malazan is: Never talk about Malazan. Yes, it’s a bit different on reddit and r/fantasy (see this post as an example), but when you step out into the real world with the sun on your face, have you ever tried to talk about Malazan to someone else? Like, really tried? The complexity of the story, from the politics to the gods to the magic, defy easy description. I know, because I tried several times with my wife and friends, and it didn’t work. Mostly I end up gesticulating wildly in the air, trying to express my appreciation for this series and failing completely. And you can’t really recommend the books to a friend (unless you have very special friends), because it’s a hard series to dive into, and really only reveals its true beauty over the course of many loooong books. So the best way (or maybe the only way, if you’re not online every day) to enjoy Malazan is as a truly solo endeavor. And that’s okay.
  2. Reading slow is a powerful medicine against the ailments of the day. Like many, I’m someone who likes to read fast. Although I can’t hit the book-a-day rate that some manage, I’m still proud of being able to finish over fifty books a year, many of them epic fantasy. But this means reading a pretty decent clip. Unfortunately, reading fast just didn’t work with Malazan. I ended up missing too much. Initially, I’d planned to break up Malazan through the twelve months of 2019, but as I neared the end of last year I realized I wouldn’t make my goal and extended my journey through 2020. Doing so allowed me to digest the books slowly, to work through them bit by bit. To my surprise, I found that I really loved doing so. When most people seem to be turning to fast-paced, bite-size leisure, I found a real pleasure and a break in the day by just reading a few pages of Malazan. It certainly took a long time, but the rewards were well worth it, and I’d even argue that Malazan is better when one has time to soak it all in.
  3. It’s okay to struggle to understand a book. Malazan is dense, and Erikson purposely hides incredible amounts of information, making the series a difficult one to get into. One common reaction I’ve seen online to Gardens of the Moon is “I think I liked it, but what did I just read?” I very much felt the same, and its one of the reasons that I didn’t continue the series the first time I attempted it (back in 2014). The style can definitely be off-putting. We’re surrounded by plenty of chaos and questions in our daily lives – I think most of us tend to like a bit more order and understanding in our fictional worlds. But I think that having to work to understand Malazan makes the reward and impact so much greater when we do.
  4. Books are still the best medium for insights into life. I think it would be a fun experiment to take out all the scenes of characters marching and/or philosophizing and seeing how much of Malazan is left. Of course, if one did that, they’d rip the heart right out of the books. Malazan is without doubt my most highlighted series for this very reason. Over the course of ten books we see a tremendous variety of viewpoints argued and defended. In most stories, so much philosophy/arguing/debate wouldn’t work. It would bore the reader to no end. (And I know that’s the case for some with Malazan). But for me, it worked. Perhaps it was because I was reading so slowly, but I really enjoyed the endless conversations, thoughts, and asides. Combined with the situations the characters find themselves in, I feel like no other series has made me think more about Life with a capital “L.”
  5. Life can be terrible, but it is still worth living. Did you know that Malazan is dark? I didn’t when I started, not really. Not until I got to Deadhouse Gates, which to this day, leaves me speechless with its stunning story. I’m not sure I’ve seen a book that holds a mirror to the real world in quite the same way. The books contain both triumph and heartbreaking tragedy, and the reader is subjected to both extremes of the emotional spectrum. But one of the overarching feelings I came away with after finishing the series was that life, as difficult and tragic as it can be, still has meaning. And maybe meaning isn’t quite the right word, because I don’t mean to imply some fated or destined purpose. Perhaps better to say that life has value, even in our darkest moments. And that’s a feeling I’ll treasure.
  6. Humor is necessary. Did you also know that Malazan is hilarious? I’m not sure I’ve laughed so hard even at books that intended to be funny. But there were moments that had me laughing out loud, which is truly unusual for me when I’m reading. I tend to think it’s because the books can get so dark that the contrast is even more striking. When a line lands, it lands well. But it serves as a useful reminder: humor is one of our greatest weapons against the darkness of our days.

In conclusion, Malazan has been one of the best reading experiences of my life. I can’t recommend it (see point number one), but I understand why those who love it do with such fervor.
And thank you for bearing with me for yet another r/fantasy post about Malazan.

Starsight

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I’ve seen a trend more often recently, and that’s the trend of blending science fiction and fantasy tropes in new and unique ways. I first saw the trend in the independent publishing space, but since then I’ve seen several examples from traditionally published authors. Starsight, I think, falls into that category.

Most of the story would be considered science fiction, but I can’t help but think that the ability to transport between two places is a magical one. There’s definitely room for disagreement here – it practice is given a science-fictiony explanation, but to me it feels magical.

In this second book in the series, Sanderson’s strengths are on full display. Vast and intricate worldbuilding, a plot that pulls you through the pages, and enough mysteries to make a reader hunger for more.

I enjoyed this story, but I don’t think I liked it as much as the first. In the first, I really enjoyed Spensa’s development as part of a team. That development is mirrored and expanded in this outing, but I found that it didn’t engage me quite as strongly. And although Spensa’s reactions to her new environment were completely understandable, I found them so laughably wrong as to be a bit annoying.

I’d still definitely recommend for fans of more young-adult focused science fiction. Sanderson builds compelling worlds and characters, and this book certainly sets the stage for more adventure.

Red Sister

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This is the second series of Mark Lawrence’s that I’ve tackled, and I’ll admit that I came away from this one with more mixed feelings than from the Red Queen’s War. That’s not to say this isn’t a well-written, fast-paced, and interesting book. It’s absolutely all that and more. But sometimes a book just doesn’t quite click with a reader, and I think that’s the case here.

In the Red Queen’s War, the characters were what hooked me. In Red Sister it was the world. Lawrence seems to have a distinct talent for writing in completely original worlds that blend science fiction and fantasy in ways that I’ve personally never seen done before. It is the mystery of the world that I find compelling in this particular story.

Along with the world comes an intriguing magic system. I won’t say much here except that it results in one of the more spectacular climaxes I’ve read recently.

I suspect that in my case I struggled to connect with the main character, Nona, in this story. Again, this is not through any flaw in execution. But Nona is a young girl who has had a pretty rough life. She’s angry, and naive, and suffers from the realistic flaws you would expect from a girl in that position.

Unfortunately that made it hard for me, personally, to connect.

I’ll absolutely be finishing the series. I’m invested in the mystery of the world and I’m intrigued to see what direction the stories take. We get to see hints of the nun Nona will become, and I’m very interested in that particular journey. And Mark Lawrence hasn’t let me down yet.