This Year in Reading

2017 is here. I can’t believe it. My time has been spent on a lot of things, many of which haven’t been into reading, and I’m not exactly happy to have not read as much as I wanted to this year.

But whatever.

The Last Days of New Paris by China Mieville: The story itself is an explosion. The images scatter around you, shrapnel of surrealism, digging deep into your thoughts. Here is a world about Paris, of World War II, of Germans, of paintings, and exquisite corpses, and many other things best left unsaid. Better for them to be explored with your own eyes. This is a book full of wondrous treats.

Bloodrush by Ben Galley: The biggest asset this book has is it’s Prelude. It opens up borders, letting everything in. We learn the world isn’t so different from our own and things exist here, things from books, myths, legends, and stories told by drunk men in bars. Though, I have mixed feelings for this book. The start was really interesting. It’s fun to watch the main character, Hark, develop into a better person as the story progress. The early chapters were well-written, tight, and full of eerie dread that makes a point that there are a lot of weird stuff in this world. But the final quarter of the book felt a little unpolished, a little rushed.

Promise of Blood by Brian McClellan: As a former student of Brandon Sanderson, McClellan has adopted the same, shall we say, minimalist style is quite alluring. Also, the powder magic system is pretty cool.

The Shattered Sea trilogy by Joe Abercrombie: What strikes me about this book, it’s not entirely a trilogy. It’s not even what China Mieville called an “Anti-trilogy” when he described his three Bas-Lag books. Rather, Abercrombie’s Shattered Sea felt like three different but interlinked standalone books. There are gaps in years and we brave the sea in the eyes of new characters per book. It might be worth noting that, Book 1 had only one POV. Book 2 had two. And book three, you guessed it, had three POVs!

The Whirlwind in the Thorn Tree by S.A. Hunt: A lot of people compared this book to Stephen King’s “Dark Tower” series. Maybe because it’s a dark fantasy with gunslingers? They’ve also compared it to Narnia, because the characters end up in a different world. I don’t know. All I see is a story. Much like “Bloodrush,” I felt the beginning was it’s strongest asset. A lot of emotional development in it. Also, “The Whirlwind in the Thorn Tree” is one of the most brilliant titles I’ve ever heard.

Senlin Ascends by Josiah Bancroft: Now this is a story that deserves to have a Studio Ghibi treatment. The story is imaginative and creative in every single way. It has a simple premise, a mild-mannered teacher lost his wife on their honeymoon in the Tower of Babel, and he must seek out for her. As Senlin, the main character, explores the tower in search for his wife, we are met with strange adventures, weird cultures, a world that simply explodes with thought.

Prince of Fools by Mark Lawrence: I have to admit I had struggled a little bit here. It was a slow read for me, as I didn’t find the main character as interesting. The rest of the characters and the world itself kept dragging me into it.

Red Rising trilogy by Pierce Brown: Yeah, I read the entire thing. I started late on October and finished the three books by December. I’d finish sooner, but my wife and I had a power struggle with the Kindle on who gets to finish the entire trilogy first. Suffice to say, I haven’t had that much fun in reading books in a long time. I can hardly wait for the upcoming “Iron Gold” trilogy.

Nevernight by Jay Kristoff: It’s a story about a girl entering an assassin’s school. That’s all you need to know about it, and its infinite amount of awesome.

Innards #12

All right, all right, hello! Welcome back! Finally, a new “Innards of an Erratic Writer” post. An update that I actually feel confident about.

I had completed my first manuscript. The first part of a trilogy, which will launch a hell lot of shit in the future. Now that my novel has its bones, it’s time to stuff it with all the meat beneath its skin, add cartilages, develop arteries and blood vessels to make it a sentient, flowing story.

The draft will be sent out to a good friend of mine who will give it a read and would design a kick-ass book cover for it.

In the meantime, the story itself is simmering, and in a few days the edits shall commence.

On other news. I have discovered Robert Rankin and his “The Brentford Trilogy.” Where had this been all my life? I am so happy to have found it just lying around.

My book mission to read the late, Sir Terry Pratchett’s “Discworld” books hasn’t started yet, which I’m ashamed to admit. I’m still reading Neil Gaiman’s “Trigger Warning,” China Mieville’s “This Census Taker,” and “Three Moments of an Explosion,” and Joe Abercrombie’s “Half-A-King.” This is after reading Brandon Sanderson’s “Shadows of Self,” which book cover I am so fond of because the image shows Marasi, and she looks a hell lot like “Arrow” actress, Willa Holland. I swear within the year to read at least five “Discworld” books. It’s the least I could do for an author so much revered.

Last thoughts for tonight. I had written three articles for a website. Each article under a pseudonym. Why? Because I was afraid to write in different styles. Writing under different names allowed me to explore and experiment. And much to my surprise, those articles were well-received and people found it entertaining and well-written. My mind is blown, really. This wasn’t the first time. In the past, I had been sub-editing tech-related articles for our technology section in the daily broadsheet. I am, by no means, an excellent writer, I understand there is much in the craft I need to practice and better understand, but the guy who submitted his article was fucking terrible. And I mean, shiiiit, what the fuck is this? A toddler can write something more creative, more insightful, more technical, and more whatever.

I had to edit it before my editor sees this. In fact, I did not edit it, the article endured a complete rewrite, under my fearless and whimsical writing style. It wasn’t my article anyway and if shit goes down, I won’t be on it.

And huh, what’d you expect, the editor and his assistant enjoyed the article. There was a small glint of pride in me as they praised the story. A little bit sad that I didn’t get credit or even made claims that I have given it an overhaul.

The fearless and whimsical style of writing only manifests itself while under the impression the story will be credited to someone else. It’s all right to fuck it up, cause, it wasn’t my story. It’s a bad habit that I’m trying to get rid off.

The last time I did so, I got scolded for bad writing. So, what the fuck? I’ll never know.

Book Mission

I have not read a single Terry Pratchett book. I know, it’s disdainful. Someone had all ready kicked me in the ass about it. And I intend to change that. I have recently just finished reading Brandon Sanderson’s Words of Radiance, and still have Scott Lynch’s Red Seas Under Red Skies (which is a damn awesome title) and Joe Abercrombie’s Last Argument of Kings, unfinished, with two bookmarks each somewhere in the middle of those pages. I’m contemplating not to read any of those two, and and actually pick up The Color of Magic.

I think the late Sir Terry Pratchett had about over 20 Discworld novels. After reading two or three consecutively, I could probably crawl back to either Lynch or Abercrombie, and then proceed working to the farthest edge of the Discworld universe, before I stop again to refresh with another author. I’m way too far behind in reading materials, at the same time I’m afraid to run out.

So anyhow, let that be my Book Mission until early 2016 — hopefully before the videogame, Dark Souls III, comes out. My habits are going to get wrecked when it does.

In line with this, regardless of my awesome tardiness, I intend to write a few words about each of the Discworld novel. Some of it might be good, some might not. But it’s an effort I’m looking forward to exercise.

I’ll most likely begin sometime next week, September 7, sounds like a plan. Still got to work on that website we’re building about gaming and movies. It’s going to be awesome.

For now, check out this Filipino band called Urbandub. They’re one of the awesome and popular ones before all this teenage angst/boy band/bad boy crap started poisoning the well.