I realized why I stopped collecting more or less blindly all Doctor Who books (not that I gathered up that many to begin with): not every author can write well for the Doctor. Or perhaps it's just that not every of those many authors that work for BBC Books writes to my liking.
"The Doctor Trap" is about Ten and Donna. It shows their faces on the cover, but I found myself often thinking of Eleven instead. Not that this was a typical Matt Smith adventure right from the beginning - it's just that I couldn't find much that way typical David Tennant in it. If the author hadn't described the Doctor's appearance now and then and if I hadn't reminded myself that only Ten spend time with Donna, it really could have been any Doctor (or a whole range of other people).
Donna herself was better portrayed, probably because she's rather unique. However, her's was only a small part in the whole story.
The main character seemed to have been the antagonist Sebastiene, who started out as the all-powerful ruler of a planet that fulfilled his every wish, but ended as a slightly annoying maniac.
And then there was the Doctor's doppelgänger, Baris - who probably was a main character, too. Although since he doesn't know if he's himself or the Doctor for most of the time, he has to share this with the real Doctor.
Confused yet? Well, I was now and then - but not as much as I would have preferred.
Ever more confused now? :)
Well, I think this story was about how someone wanted to hunt the Doctor and thus created a doppelgänger to lure him in. However, the Doctor saw through that scheme and turned it on its head - acting as the doppelgänger and making the Not-Doctor believe he was the Doctor so the real deal could find out what really was going on.
Not the worst idea I've ever read, but somehow it got revealed too soon or perhaps just in an unfortunate way. I soon found myself a bit bored of "I'm really him" and "you can't be him" and "perhaps you are lying" etc. and I didn't really care much how it all got resolved in the end.
I still have a few more unread Doctor Who books and I might even buy more in the future, but most likely not another one by this author (Simon Messingham).
And if I ever want to write a story about a person pretending to be someone else, I now know I should be careful how I go about it.
This got cross-posted in my LiveJournal.
Saturday, April 26, 2014
Tuesday, April 1, 2014
Book Report #4 - Omen of the Stars 3 / Night Whispers
Yes, I finally managed to complete more than 1 book in a month, although the Warriors books are all rather short and fast reads. This one was the 3rd in the sub-series "Omen of the Stars" and of course, I want to continue with that storyline.
You have to be a cat-lover to like those books, I guess, and you shouldn't mind reading about animals that talk and act like humans among each other. Well, not quite like humans, because they still have distinct cat-traits and usually they are the only animals that do any talking, but I dare say they have been quite humanized, too.
Nevertheless, I've liked this series since I started it a couple of years ago. It's not very demanding literature and since each book more or less tells you all the essentials you need to know about that world and its characters, you should't read more than one book in a row. But now and then, it's nice to be back in the forest - or nowadays at in the forest by the lake.
The current storyline is a bit weird and sometimes annoying, however, because the bad guys are evil cats that have already been defeated and should be dead. On the other hand, there always has been a supernatural element in that world, so I shouldn't complain that those "ghosts" can be rather active.
One of my favourite characters is still Jayfeather, even if he's often grumpy and doesn't always know what to do and seems to make a lot of wrong decisions, too.
Now, at the middle of this sub-series, I have only a vague idea where this all will end and there is no guarantee who will survive it or what will happen to the clan cats. All I know is that this is apparently the last in the whole series, from a chronological point of view (there are prequels and sequels, I believe). So, I think I won't spoil myself (much) this time and just wait and see.
I've never wanted to write a story from an animal's point of view, I think. They are interesting to read, however, if you like to be in that particular specie's set of mind and if it's well written, of course.
One thing you certainly can learn from this series is how to develop characters and let them grow until they gradually fade away in the background while new characters become the heroes. Humanized as they are, these cats certainly are more or less as complex as humans (or elves or aliens etc.). Their world, however, is a bit simpler and smaller than most others, even if they constantly have new problems.
Les Miserables is on hold for now, because I've got too much else to do and much better books to read and it wasn't particularly interesting where I left it.
This got cross-posted in my LiveJournal.
You have to be a cat-lover to like those books, I guess, and you shouldn't mind reading about animals that talk and act like humans among each other. Well, not quite like humans, because they still have distinct cat-traits and usually they are the only animals that do any talking, but I dare say they have been quite humanized, too.
Nevertheless, I've liked this series since I started it a couple of years ago. It's not very demanding literature and since each book more or less tells you all the essentials you need to know about that world and its characters, you should't read more than one book in a row. But now and then, it's nice to be back in the forest - or nowadays at in the forest by the lake.
The current storyline is a bit weird and sometimes annoying, however, because the bad guys are evil cats that have already been defeated and should be dead. On the other hand, there always has been a supernatural element in that world, so I shouldn't complain that those "ghosts" can be rather active.
One of my favourite characters is still Jayfeather, even if he's often grumpy and doesn't always know what to do and seems to make a lot of wrong decisions, too.
Now, at the middle of this sub-series, I have only a vague idea where this all will end and there is no guarantee who will survive it or what will happen to the clan cats. All I know is that this is apparently the last in the whole series, from a chronological point of view (there are prequels and sequels, I believe). So, I think I won't spoil myself (much) this time and just wait and see.
I've never wanted to write a story from an animal's point of view, I think. They are interesting to read, however, if you like to be in that particular specie's set of mind and if it's well written, of course.
One thing you certainly can learn from this series is how to develop characters and let them grow until they gradually fade away in the background while new characters become the heroes. Humanized as they are, these cats certainly are more or less as complex as humans (or elves or aliens etc.). Their world, however, is a bit simpler and smaller than most others, even if they constantly have new problems.
Les Miserables is on hold for now, because I've got too much else to do and much better books to read and it wasn't particularly interesting where I left it.
This got cross-posted in my LiveJournal.
Tuesday, March 18, 2014
Book-Report #3 - Wolfsmond / Wolves of the Calla
I finally finished the 900+ pages of Stephen King's "Wolves of the Calla" (or "Wolfsmond" - wolf moon - as it is called in German).
I'm not entirely sure why it took me so long, because it actually was well written and I enjoyed it. I suppose it really was just a bad time for me to read such a long book which was also too thick to carry with me everywhere.
My aunt once gave me my very first Stephen King book, which was also one of the first books that I read without having to. Nowadays I would say I was too young to read something like this, but back then it didn't bother me and I acquired more of his works (but also books from other authors and genres).
It was also in those early days that I started with the first part of "The Dark Tower", of which this is now the fifth part. I didn't like or enjoy all of them equally, yet I'm determined to finish this series. Actually, I'm looking forward to the next part. Perhaps this time I don't wait so long that I can't remember what has happened before.
I can't really tell why many people consider Stephen King a good author, I just can admit that I share this opinion. It would be nice to figure out the hows and whys so that my own writing could improve from that.
On a final note, let me try to summarize what happened on those many pages ...
Roland and his friends are still trying to reach the Dark Tower, but got sidetracked by a village that needed their help. During this they found new allies and a new way to travel between the worlds and learned more about themselves and each other (most of it unpleasant). By the end of the book, they might have saved the village, but their personal losses might be greater and graver than it already seems.
Oh, and I'm still reading the Les Miserables eBook, which is back to being boring again - so there is not much progress there at the moment.
This was cross-posted on my LiveJournal Blog.
I'm not entirely sure why it took me so long, because it actually was well written and I enjoyed it. I suppose it really was just a bad time for me to read such a long book which was also too thick to carry with me everywhere.
My aunt once gave me my very first Stephen King book, which was also one of the first books that I read without having to. Nowadays I would say I was too young to read something like this, but back then it didn't bother me and I acquired more of his works (but also books from other authors and genres).
It was also in those early days that I started with the first part of "The Dark Tower", of which this is now the fifth part. I didn't like or enjoy all of them equally, yet I'm determined to finish this series. Actually, I'm looking forward to the next part. Perhaps this time I don't wait so long that I can't remember what has happened before.
I can't really tell why many people consider Stephen King a good author, I just can admit that I share this opinion. It would be nice to figure out the hows and whys so that my own writing could improve from that.
On a final note, let me try to summarize what happened on those many pages ...
Roland and his friends are still trying to reach the Dark Tower, but got sidetracked by a village that needed their help. During this they found new allies and a new way to travel between the worlds and learned more about themselves and each other (most of it unpleasant). By the end of the book, they might have saved the village, but their personal losses might be greater and graver than it already seems.
Oh, and I'm still reading the Les Miserables eBook, which is back to being boring again - so there is not much progress there at the moment.
This was cross-posted on my LiveJournal Blog.
Wednesday, February 26, 2014
Book Report #2 - Örtlich (un)begrenzt
February is soon at its end and I've finished my second book this year.
Well, I'm not even sure if this thing deserves to be called "book", since with only about 100 pages and "only" filled with short-stories and poems it's more like a booklet.
Oh, and yes, it's written in German - the English title would be something like "Locally (un)restricted", unless I didn't get an intended pun.
I've bought it a while ago in our local bookshop. With "local bookshop" I literally mean they are also the local publisher and in that capacity mainly publish book about my home town, the region or things written by people from here.
This particular little book collects stories and poems by 3 women I've never heard of before, and to be honest, I don't care to read anything else from them.
Most of the contents were at best odd and some even downright depressing. I don't read much in that format, but I like them when they are well written and / or clever - these generally were neither.
I bought this book, because I'm a big fan of my home town and had hoped to get a few stories about it or about people who live in it - real or fictional - no matter the genre - no matter the writing style.
Yes, the town and even some special aspects of it get named or even properly used now and then, but almost every bit of the book could have referred to some other place just as well. Sometimes the place is even altogether irrelevant - so why include "local" in the title?
One of the women, at least, wrote funny and even rather clever stories. Her name is Nicole Eick, a namesake.
Nevertheless, this kind of work is not what I would ever like to publish or even show to friends. It just seems too pointless.
Concerning my other current reads, I'm nearing the end of "Wolves of Calla" at a steady pace and it's interesting enough to keep me reading, when I've got the time.
"Les Miserables" also had a few good chapters for a while again, but now it might turn into a long winded history book again. At least, Marius finally met Eponine and Cosette, although he doesn't know their names yet.
Well, I'm not even sure if this thing deserves to be called "book", since with only about 100 pages and "only" filled with short-stories and poems it's more like a booklet.
Oh, and yes, it's written in German - the English title would be something like "Locally (un)restricted", unless I didn't get an intended pun.
I've bought it a while ago in our local bookshop. With "local bookshop" I literally mean they are also the local publisher and in that capacity mainly publish book about my home town, the region or things written by people from here.
This particular little book collects stories and poems by 3 women I've never heard of before, and to be honest, I don't care to read anything else from them.
Most of the contents were at best odd and some even downright depressing. I don't read much in that format, but I like them when they are well written and / or clever - these generally were neither.
I bought this book, because I'm a big fan of my home town and had hoped to get a few stories about it or about people who live in it - real or fictional - no matter the genre - no matter the writing style.
Yes, the town and even some special aspects of it get named or even properly used now and then, but almost every bit of the book could have referred to some other place just as well. Sometimes the place is even altogether irrelevant - so why include "local" in the title?
One of the women, at least, wrote funny and even rather clever stories. Her name is Nicole Eick, a namesake.
Nevertheless, this kind of work is not what I would ever like to publish or even show to friends. It just seems too pointless.
Concerning my other current reads, I'm nearing the end of "Wolves of Calla" at a steady pace and it's interesting enough to keep me reading, when I've got the time.
"Les Miserables" also had a few good chapters for a while again, but now it might turn into a long winded history book again. At least, Marius finally met Eponine and Cosette, although he doesn't know their names yet.
Saturday, February 1, 2014
Book Report #1 - Aspects of Love
This blog was meant to be dedicated to my own writing - but since that is still going slow and not very well, I might as well blog about my reading. After all, you get often advised to read a lot when you want to write.
I've been reading at least 1 book per month for the past few years. This might sound not so exciting for many people who devour more books, but that's what my free time and other interests and comfortable reading speed allow, usually I end up with 14 to 16 books in a year. It depends on how many pages they have and how interesting they are.
A few weeks ago I started regular cinema reviews on my other blog (livejournal), and this will be something similar. So there might be spoilers, although I usually don't go into much detail. On the other hand, the books I read are usually not the most recent publications.
The first book I finished in 2014 was "Aspects of Love" by David Garnett. It's only a rather short one and for some reason I can't fathom I own a hardback, German version of it. Perhaps it was a bargain I just bought when I was in the mood, or I got it back when I preferred to read in my native language instead of English.
One thing is sure, I wanted to see what the original story behind Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical of the same title was like. I never saw the show and only own the CDs, which leaves you with some gaps concerning the complete story. And this is a rather tangled one.
As far as I know, the musical follows the book quite literally. It's about a young and very impulsive man, Alexis, who falls in love with the slightly older but no less impulsive actress Rose. She in turn, leaves her young lover for his uncle George, when they meet for the very first time. Of course, George is much older than Rose, but she loves his character as well as his body, and he adores her. So they stay together for many years and later even have a daughter, Jenny. In this book that means, however, that both have affairs the other knows about (Rose even with Alexis again, who once tried to kill her out of jealousy).
Eventually Alexis falls in love with Jenny, who seems at the same time to be much more mature than her years and who prefers to stay a child when growing up means hurting other people. Although it seems like a circle is closing when Jenny wants to become Alexis' lover, he refuses her and tells her to wait until she's really an adult. In the meantime he apparently falls in love and goes away with George's long-time affair Giulietta - at his uncle's funeral, no less.
It's not a bad book, but I wouldn't say it's well written either. There might be love at first sight and you probably can love more than one person at the same time, age-difference doesn't need to be a problem and a fascinating personality can account for much - but it feels wrong and artificial if so many of these extraordinary aspects appear in one place.
What I find most odd about this story is that despite all, the apparent hero Alexis is rather likable until the end, when he betrays Jenny although it is for her own good. The girl seems to be the true hero, but she doesn't appear until halfway through the book.
From "Aspects of Love", I've learned that passion and love can have take on many shapes and that unexpected and seemingly irrational actions of the characters can keep one reading.
On the other hand, I would like to show better in my own stories why characters change their feelings and why their actions are not as irrational as they might appear at first.
I would also like to mention that I am currently reading two other books, too, something I usually don't do.
There is "Les Miserables" from Victor Hugo, which is far more boring and weirdly written than I could have ever imagined.
And Stephen King's "Wolves of the Calla", which is just a very, very thick book, so I simply could not finish it in a regular month.
I've been reading at least 1 book per month for the past few years. This might sound not so exciting for many people who devour more books, but that's what my free time and other interests and comfortable reading speed allow, usually I end up with 14 to 16 books in a year. It depends on how many pages they have and how interesting they are.
A few weeks ago I started regular cinema reviews on my other blog (livejournal), and this will be something similar. So there might be spoilers, although I usually don't go into much detail. On the other hand, the books I read are usually not the most recent publications.
The first book I finished in 2014 was "Aspects of Love" by David Garnett. It's only a rather short one and for some reason I can't fathom I own a hardback, German version of it. Perhaps it was a bargain I just bought when I was in the mood, or I got it back when I preferred to read in my native language instead of English.
One thing is sure, I wanted to see what the original story behind Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical of the same title was like. I never saw the show and only own the CDs, which leaves you with some gaps concerning the complete story. And this is a rather tangled one.
As far as I know, the musical follows the book quite literally. It's about a young and very impulsive man, Alexis, who falls in love with the slightly older but no less impulsive actress Rose. She in turn, leaves her young lover for his uncle George, when they meet for the very first time. Of course, George is much older than Rose, but she loves his character as well as his body, and he adores her. So they stay together for many years and later even have a daughter, Jenny. In this book that means, however, that both have affairs the other knows about (Rose even with Alexis again, who once tried to kill her out of jealousy).
Eventually Alexis falls in love with Jenny, who seems at the same time to be much more mature than her years and who prefers to stay a child when growing up means hurting other people. Although it seems like a circle is closing when Jenny wants to become Alexis' lover, he refuses her and tells her to wait until she's really an adult. In the meantime he apparently falls in love and goes away with George's long-time affair Giulietta - at his uncle's funeral, no less.
It's not a bad book, but I wouldn't say it's well written either. There might be love at first sight and you probably can love more than one person at the same time, age-difference doesn't need to be a problem and a fascinating personality can account for much - but it feels wrong and artificial if so many of these extraordinary aspects appear in one place.
What I find most odd about this story is that despite all, the apparent hero Alexis is rather likable until the end, when he betrays Jenny although it is for her own good. The girl seems to be the true hero, but she doesn't appear until halfway through the book.
From "Aspects of Love", I've learned that passion and love can have take on many shapes and that unexpected and seemingly irrational actions of the characters can keep one reading.
On the other hand, I would like to show better in my own stories why characters change their feelings and why their actions are not as irrational as they might appear at first.
I would also like to mention that I am currently reading two other books, too, something I usually don't do.
There is "Les Miserables" from Victor Hugo, which is far more boring and weirdly written than I could have ever imagined.
And Stephen King's "Wolves of the Calla", which is just a very, very thick book, so I simply could not finish it in a regular month.
Thursday, November 1, 2012
Story-Overview
Since I will invest this year's 50K of NaNo-words into continuing my
unfinished project, it was about time to create an overview to show me
(and whoever else might be interested) where those poor things stand.
Those are all the stories, big and small, which I started at one point and plan to complete in the (probably rather far) future.
If you have some interest in my writing or couldn't help to overhear it, you may realize that some projects are missing - those are the ones I most likely will abandon or would have to majorly rewrite before they stand any chance of survival.
One might say you should concentrate on 1 story and probably kill a few others, but that's not me. I neither give up easily nor can I focus on one thing for a long time.
Besides, each of those dreams has its very own reason to be made reality
So, let's see how this looks after NaNoWriMo 2012.
* estimated start-date of a project, e.g. first partial upload
** perhaps not really finished
bold update-date means the story was finished on that day
Those are all the stories, big and small, which I started at one point and plan to complete in the (probably rather far) future.
If you have some interest in my writing or couldn't help to overhear it, you may realize that some projects are missing - those are the ones I most likely will abandon or would have to majorly rewrite before they stand any chance of survival.
One might say you should concentrate on 1 story and probably kill a few others, but that's not me. I neither give up easily nor can I focus on one thing for a long time.
Besides, each of those dreams has its very own reason to be made reality
So, let's see how this looks after NaNoWriMo 2012.
| My Writing Projects | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Title | Type | Started | Word-Count | Last Update |
| Blind Mask | fanfiction | * 27.01.2005 | 62.404 | 29.02.2012 |
| Change Back | fanfiction | * 08.09.2007 | 11.050 | 30.07.2008 |
| Der Birkling | novel | 01.11.2009 | 23.759 | 29.02.2011 |
| Diary from the Future | novel | 01.11.2009 | 37.694 | 29.02.2011 |
| King Proudbeard | novel | 01.11.2011 | 66.916 | 29.02.2012 |
| Neverlost and Everfound | novel | 01.11.2010 | 75.229 | 29.02.2012 |
| The Messenger | short story | 01.10.2011 | 2.805 | ** 20.02.2012 |
| The Other Side | novel | 01.11.2008 | 86.157 | 07.10.2009 |
| Twisted Paths of Fate | short story | 06.03.2012 | 14.214 | 30.06.2012 |
| Two Words | fanfiction | * 22.06.2008 | 2.201 | 22.06.2008 |
| untitled fantasy book | novel | * 2000 | ? | ? |
* estimated start-date of a project, e.g. first partial upload
** perhaps not really finished
bold update-date means the story was finished on that day
Sunday, June 17, 2012
Writer's Workshop - characters in a setting (2nd try)
After having got a few helpful hints about how to improve my little first scene for Honey's Writer's Workshop, I wrote two others. They are far shorter, because I have currently visitors and can't really concentrate much.
Both scenes are for "Twisted Paths" again, first we follow Alexander and then Valeria. These little pieces are not necessarily closely connected.
"Hey Alexander! Where have you been all this time? We actually
had to pay for our drinks!" It was loud in the tavern, and the
three men who greeted him with pats on his back had to shout. He just
grinned and ordered a round for them all.
"So what have you been up to, my boy? Do you know that our chap
here is getting married in a few days? His landlady, of all skirts in
this godforsaken place! It seems she finally wanted some other kind
of reward for doing his laundry."
Alexander let the bragging and joking from his friends wash over him.
Only the familiar voices let it stand out from the rest of the noise.
A nod here and a sound of surprise were enough to keep up the
appearance of sufficient attention. It was unlikely they would tell
him anything of interest. They were only his excuse to sit in a spot
that was ideal to eavesdrop on those who might actually have some
valuable information.
It is a warm and sunny day. The numerous smells in the air make
Valeria's mouth water and her nose wrinkle at the same time. It has
been a long time since her last visit to such a big market. For a
moment, she relished the sweet aroma of fruits that were coated in
chocolate. A few paces onward, the local speciality was sold: a tiny
fish with a hugely revolting odour. Before it could really upset her
stomach, she turned into a random direction and pushed through the
crowd.
The heat made wearing a shawl or even hood too uncomfortable, and she
didn't like the wide straw hats that many people wore here. Alexander
had acquired two of them, but Valeria had refused to put it on. It
looked ridiculous on her. Especially in contrast to the silver
markings on her face. But thankfully he rarely insisted that she
dressed in local styles. And luckily this coast-town was filled with
a great variety of people.
Hardly anybody gave the seer a second glance as she freed herself
from the busy market. Facial tattoos were not uncommon among
seafarers and there were far more interesting individuals to stare
at. A group of half-naked slaves, hold on a leash by a young boy. Two
horses with artificial wings made from ekara feathers pulled an open
carriage with some rich folk in it. And at three corners of the big
place performed musicians and acrobats. Most people here probably
believed they could shape their own future with skill or gold, or
they would rather not know of dark times ahead and enjoy this
beautiful day. Valeria could feel it. Along with her gift came the
ability to sense those who sought what she could give. To her, this
special sense was more like a compass to assess if somebody really
wanted to know the future she saw, or how much of it.
How do you like it? Any advice what could be improved and how? I know, they might not make much sense or be a bit uninteresting, but I thought this exercise was about placing the character in a rather familiar setting - not one where there is a lot of action and important plot-moments.
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