Browsed by
Author: Brandon Crilly

Wordsmiths: An Interview with Aurora Award-winner Ryan McFadden

Wordsmiths: An Interview with Aurora Award-winner Ryan McFadden

Comments 0 Comment

oie_5231921a2ylux5TFor my fourth installment in the Wordsmiths interview series, I had the pleasure of talking shop with Ryan T. McFadden, three-time winner of the Aurora Award and author most recently of the fantasy novel Cursed: Black Swan, from Dragon Moon Press. I’ve known Ryan for a few years now, since my first-ever panel at Can*Con in Ottawa — he’s not only a fabulous writer, he’s also good people, so I’m thrilled to be able to cast a spotlight on him this week. Read on below for my discussion with Ryan on the pressures of being a writer, influences on what we write, and past exploits. Enjoy!

Ryan’s bio (possibly pilfered from his website): Ryan T. McFadden is a writer of fantasy and horror, with short stories and novellas published through Dragon Moon Press, Edge SF & F, and Absolute X-Press. In 2014, his novella “Ghost in the Machine” won the Aurora Award (Canada’s most prestigious award for SF&F) for Short Fiction. His motley past involved such dangerous work as database administration, ice cream flavoring (seriously, that’s a thing), hockey league administration, screen printing, web design, furniture building, and home renovations. He lives in London, Ontario, with his two beautiful, but sometimes diabolical daughters, who he is sure are plotting to one day overthrow him. Check out Ryan on Twitter: @RyanTMcFadden.

…

Read More Read More

Wordsmiths: An Interview with Jerome Stueart

Wordsmiths: An Interview with Jerome Stueart

Comments 0 Comment

The Angels of Our Better Beasts-smallLast post, I had the pleasure of reviewing Jerome Stueart’s short story collection The Angels of Our Better Beasts, which is one of my favorite collections to date and something you all need to go read. (Seriously, here’s the link; I know you have money kicking around somewhere.) Jerome also did me the pleasure of an interview to discuss his writing practice, his previous projects, and some of the stories in his collection. I hope you enjoy as we ramble back and forth (and then go buy his book)!

Jerome Stueart writes fiction, memoir, science fiction and fantasy. His work has been published in journals, magazines, newspapers and on the radio–a list of which can be found under Written Work and Books. He’s a 2007 graduate of Clarion Science Fiction and Fantasy Writing Workshop in San Diego and a 2013 graduate of the Lambda Literary Retreat for Emerging LGBT Voices. He teaches workshops on writing science fiction/fantasy and writing about faith. His co-edited anthology of science fiction/fantasy that explores faith, Tesseracts 18: Wrestling with Gods, was published by EDGE Science Fiction and Fantasy Publishing. His first novel, One Nation Under Gods, will be published in summer of 2018 from ChiZine.

Me: First off, thanks for taking the time for this interview, Jerome! There are a bunch of different things in Angels of Our Better Beasts that I want to ask you about. I’m going to start with the illustrations that you included with each story (and the sketches you create for people at conferences). Which came first for you: drawing or writing? And does one influence the other at all?

JS: Hey Brandon! Thanks for interviewing me. As to your question: I think you’re talking about in MY LIFE which came first. If so, drawing came first. I started drawing as a child — pictures of animals. Little cartoon talking animals, I think at first, based off a skunk puppet I bought when I was seven or eight. But immediately, I turned them into story. The skunk had a porcupine friend (both outcasts, of course) and they wandered through this flip pad I had. I also was introduced to comic books when I was nine or ten, and then my drawing took on more superhero images. Again, I immediately created a team and gave them personalities, but the drawings came just ahead by a nose.

…

Read More Read More

In 500 Words or Less: Angels of Our Better Beasts by Jerome Stueart

In 500 Words or Less: Angels of Our Better Beasts by Jerome Stueart

Comments 2 comments

The Angels of Our Better Beasts-smallAngels of Our Better Beasts
By Jerome Stueart
ChiZine Publications (300 pages, $16.99 paperback/$9.99 digital, December 2016)

As part of my Short Fiction Spotlight for 2016, I discussed the collection Angels of Our Better Beasts by author Jerome Stueart – specifically his short story “Why the Poets Were Banned from the City,” which focuses on the emotional turmoil of a father who has lost his daughter, and blames the writers who have been exiled for the safety of everyone else in the big city. As I mentioned previously, it’s an emotionally charged story that balances a great premise with a realistic, human situation – which is arguably what every SF writer should strive for.

Stueart’s entire collection is like that: fabulous ideas and even more fabulous characters. I got my first taste of this at World Fantasy 2016, hearing Stueart read from “Lemmings in the Third Year,” where a scientist transported to a world of intelligent animals tries to teach the Scientific Method to a group of lemmings. It’s a hilarious story, as the lemmings have grown accustomed to one of their group being regularly eaten by a neighboring owl, and the scientist’s exasperation reminded me of some days in the classroom where people just aren’t getting it.

And while a lot of the stories in Better Beasts are funny – like “Bondsmen,” where the previous incarnations of 007 try to desperately help the current holder of their legacy – there are an equal number of poignant and heartfelt stories. “Brazos,” for example, focuses on a farmer negotiating for his daughter’s hand with a god, maintaining the tension throughout the entire story as this simple human throws down with an entity who could smite him with a single gesture.

…

Read More Read More

In 500 Words or Less: The Heroes by Joe Abercrombie

In 500 Words or Less: The Heroes by Joe Abercrombie

Comments 1 comment

The Heroes Joe Abercrombie-smallThe Heroes
By Joe Abercrombie
Orbit (592 pages, $11.46 paperback, October 2011)

(This one is a little above 500 words because of an excerpt. Just roll with it.)

The last time I discussed Joe Abercrombie in this column, my disappointment in Best Served Cold earned a few comments from the community. (Side note: I love getting comments, so keep them coming.) You might be happy to learn that, as promised, I gave the next First Law book a chance. And I loved it.

The Heroes is everything that I appreciate from Abercrombie, including the bits that were missing from Best Served Cold. It has the same sort of darkness, openly focusing on the idea that there’s no such thing as a hero in any conflict, balanced with the rich humor that originally hooked me on Abercrombie’s work. The entire story is basically an epic battle staged over a series of days, but the action is never boring, and always does something to advance the story. What’s really interesting is several chapters where Abercrombie starts the POV on a character on one side of the conflict, who then dies at the hands of another character who takes over the POV, who then dies … and so on. Some of these characters are newly-introduced – but we’re made to care about them with a Tom Clancy-level of talent – and then suddenly a character we’re familiar with will appear, which doesn’t exactly bode well once you figure out what Abercrombie is doing.

One of my main issues with Best Served Cold was connected to characters – not an issue here. Caul Shivers, essentially a cardboard cut-out of another character previously, seems to have changed again, but this time it works. In a story where almost every character is a soldier, each one is distinct, which is not an easy task (I’ve tried). What’s especially delightful is the return of characters from the First Law trilogy, particularly mad wizard Bayaz, who continues to manipulate events; when a character doesn’t know him challenges his authority, I actually held my breath, waiting for Bayaz’s wrath. But the show-stealer for me was Bremer dan Gorst, who we last saw as the opponent of Jezal dan Luthar and later his protector when Jezal is crowned king. I’ve said before that Inquisitor Glokta from the First Law trilogy is possibly the most amusing character I’ve ever read … but damn if Gorst doesn’t come close. His criticisms of the people around him are exactly what you wish you could say to the worst people in your life, made funnier by the hopelessly pathetic existence that Gorst is trapped in.

…

Read More Read More

Wordsmiths: An Interview with Evan May

Wordsmiths: An Interview with Evan May

Comments 1 comment
The King in Darkness Evan May-small The King in Darkness Evan May-back-small

Well, folks, we’ve survived the first month and a bit of 2017 – barely, some might say. I’m of the mind not to let various disruptions get you down or mess with the writing mojo, which is partly why I’m really glad to be sharing this interview with my fellow rational human being and generally chill writer, Evan May. Below we discuss his first novel, The King in Darkness, which I reviewed a few posts back, as well as the fantasy genre, the writing craft, and Vladivostok (no joke). Here’s a short bio for Evan, followed by the interview:

Evan May is a freelance writer and history professor who lives in Ottawa, Canada. Evan studied Creative Writing at the University of Windsor before moving on to study medieval history, concentrating on scamps and troublemakers in 15th century York and London. He has recently been pleased to return to writing down some of the strange things that live in his head. When not writing or teaching, Evan enjoys distance running and tending to the whims of two lazy cats.

For more about Evan’s work, visit his  blog (emaymustgo.wordpress.com) or follow him on Twitter: @GiantTourtiere.

…

Read More Read More

In 500 Words or Less … Calamity by Brandon Sanderson

In 500 Words or Less … Calamity by Brandon Sanderson

Comments 0 Comment

Calamity Brandon Sanderson-smallCalamity
By Brandon Sanderson
Random House (432 pages, $18.99 hardcover/$10.99 paperback, February 2016)

To begin, let’s cue the music:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UD2DYKR0UYE

Finally, I made it to Calamity, which concludes Brandon Sanderson’s Reckoners trilogy. I’ve been looking forward to this one for a while because it’s the only series of Sanderson’s that I’ve really taken to; The Stormlight Archive tired me out halfway through the second book, and I haven’t felt the urge to start Mistborn. But the Reckoners trilogy is just a blast. It’s superhero YA, pulpy and exciting and admittedly un-scientific (which is a sort of running meta-joke among the characters) but with the sort of excellent character work that I look for in fiction.

The final installment doesn’t disappoint with regard to the above. Narrator David Charleston is just as optimistic, determined and corny as before, though he’s grown out of his quest for vengeance against the super-powered Epics that destroyed the world. Now that he’s saved one (and started dating her) he’s out to save another, his friend and mentor Prof, to prove that the Epics can learn to fight their darker impulses, like Anakin turning from the dark side (except more successful, hopefully).

What seems like a pretty straightforward storyline – find Prof, save Prof, then destroy the source of the Epics’ powers – goes in some unexpected directions, eventually losing momentum. Realizing that the solution to the Epics is even more complicated and out of reach than it’s painted at the start of the novel added an extra layer of tension that kept me up one night finishing off the damn thing so I could get some sleep.

…

Read More Read More

The Top Ten Books I Read in 2016

The Top Ten Books I Read in 2016

Comments 6 comments
Black Science Volume 1-small Monstrous Little Voices-small The City of Mirrors Justin Cronin-small

To finally shift from 2016, below are the ten books that I most enjoyed reading this past year (in alphabetical order, since selecting a top ten was tough enough). As I’ve mentioned in previous reviews, I’m a fan of great character work, vivid worlds and intense action, as opposed to quiet literary stories (though those can be good, too). If you’re into those things, as well, hopefully these recommendations will appeal to you. Note that not all of these novels were released in 2016; I just happened to read them this year (don’t judge me, there’s a lot of stuff out there).

I also wanted to say thanks to everyone who has been reading my reviews and commenting on them. Hopefully you’re enjoying them so far, and I’m excited to keep contributing here in 2017. Feel free to drop me a line below with your thoughts on my Top Ten, or recommendations for similar books I should check out.

…

Read More Read More

Short Fiction Spotlight: 2016

Short Fiction Spotlight: 2016

Comments 1 comment
the-starlit-wood-500 second-contacts-small angels-of-our-better-beasts-small

I’m going to break form to close off 2016, to give a few recommendations from everything I read this past year. Despite the claim by a lot of people that 2016 was the worst year ever (bear in mind the years where tons of people died of the Black Plague) at the very least we weren’t hurting for great reading material. I’ll be posting my Top Ten Novels later, but today I want to focus on short fiction, which doesn’t seem to get discussed as much as I think it deserves. So here are the six short stories that I enjoyed the most in 2016 (since I couldn’t narrow it down to an even five).

“Badgirl, the Deadman, and The Wheel of Fortune” by Catherynne M. Valente, published in The Starlit Wood (Saga Press, 2016)

C.S.E. Cooney has already posted a review of this phenomenal anthology, which reexamines fairy tales in a variety of compelling ways. Valente’s story is subtle fantasy – until the very end, this could just be a story about a father and his drug dealer, told from the perspective of the father’s daughter. Because I’m a teacher with lots of experience working with troubled youth, Valente’s use of the daughter’s narration stayed with me for days after I finished — knowing that little Badgirl is in danger and doesn’t really understand what’s going on makes this story tragic not for its fantastic side, but for its realism.

…

Read More Read More

In 500 Words or Less: The King in Darkness by Evan May

In 500 Words or Less: The King in Darkness by Evan May

Comments 2 comments

the-king-in-darkness-by-evan-may-smallThe King in Darkness
By Evan May
Renaissance Press (267 pages, $14.99 trade paperback/$2.99 digital, July 21 2015)

I haven’t had much luck with writing by Canadian authors set in Canadian cities, regardless of genre — which isn’t to say that those sorts of novels aren’t generally good. I’ve just had bad luck, I think, which started with the Canadian literature I was forced to read in university, and led me until recently to avoid speculative fiction set in, say, Toronto or Vancouver.

Clearly I’ve been missing out, though; a while back I read the first of Linda Poitevin’s Grigori Legacy novels and loved it, and now I’ve hit gold with a second spec fic novel set in a Canadian city: The King in Darkness, the debut novel from Evan May, which takes place in our mutual home of Ottawa.

I’ve considered and abandoned the idea of writing a story set in Canada’s capital several times, always worried about the political essence of Ottawa creeping into the work. May manages to write a novel that uses the physical setting of Ottawa in interesting ways — including the grounds around Parliament and the University of Ottawa — while avoiding any of the baggage that our fair city might bring to the narrative. For an Ottawa resident, recognizing locations is like a video game’s Easter eggs; if you know nothing about Ottawa, you don’t lose anything, either, thanks to May’s clear descriptions.

…

Read More Read More

Wordsmiths: An Interview with Leah Bobet

Wordsmiths: An Interview with Leah Bobet

Comments 0 Comment

an-inheritance-of-ashes-smallGreetings, folks! As an addition to my reviews at Black Gate, I will be occasionally interviewing some of the authors and editors I talk about (if I’m lucky enough to know them, or they’re gracious enough to agree). I’m fascinated with the idea of getting into the mind of creative people, and some of the best conversations I have in my day-to-day are with other writers, so I’m hoping to capture some of that insight in this “Wordsmiths” series.

My inaugural interview is with Leah Bobet, whose novel An Inheritance of Ashes I reviewed last week. Here’s a short bio, courtesy of the Can*Con 2016 website:

Leah Bobet is a novelist, editor, and bookseller with Bakka-Phoenix Books, Canada’s oldest science fiction bookstore. Her novels have won multiple awards, with her most recent, dustbowl literary fantasy An Inheritance of Ashes, receiving the Prix Aurora Award, the Sunburst Award, the Copper Cylinder Awards, and an Ontario Library Association 2015 Best Bets selection and being shortlisted for the Canadian Library Young Adult Book Award and the Cybils.

Leah lives and works in Toronto, where she makes a lot of jam, knits sweaters, and is learning game design. Visit her at www.leahbobet.com.

I hope you enjoy!

I have to get this out of the way immediately — this novel is absolutely friggin’ awesome. One of its greatest elements (in my opinion) is the vividness of the world you’ve created. Did anything particular inspire it?

First off: Hey, thank you! That’s always incredible to hear!

There were a few definite inspirations that went into the world of An Inheritance of Ashes. The first? Well, non-player characters.

…

Read More Read More