Horselords by David Cook (4 out of 5)

This is one of the few oriental fantasy novels that I have encountered and it is surprisingly well written. Author David Cook did a good job in researching the culture and lifestyle of Mongolian empire during the reign of Genghis Khan. He also succeeded in portraying a compelling and vivid story about an exiled priest and the warlord emperor of the khans.

Horselord is the first book in the Empires Trilogy, set in the magical world of Faerun (the Forgotten Realms). The trilogy chronicles the military conquest of Khahan Yamun (Faerun's equivalent of Genghis Khan) across the Realms. Each of book in the trilogy is written by a
different author, narrating the Khan's conquest of various kingdoms.

Horselord tells the story of Koja, a priest and diplomat, sent by his lord to act as a diplomat and spy to Khahan Yamun. The Khan keeps Koja a prisoner and lets him witness the size and power of his army. David Cook did an amazing job in describing life in the steppe, as well as the society of the Horselords. I loved the way the author presented the culture and the way people lived in the Hordelands. I felt like I was watching a Discovery channel documentary on the lives of ancient Mongolian raiders. David Cook also created a compelling court of Khahan Yamun, from the treacherous generals to the conniving wizard empress.

Despite the political intrigues, Khahan Yamun manages to muster his army and invade Shou Lung (Faerun's equivalent of Ancient China). I loved the battle scenes and how the Khahan manages to outsmart his enemies in mass combat. Through the help of the Priest Koja, Yamun
succeeds in breaking through Shou Lung's enchanted Dragonwall and capture the traitors conspiring in the Khahan's court.

I would have given this book a five star rating, unfortunately I wasn't satisfied with the main character of the book, Koja. The priest was sent by his Prince to act as diplomat and peace negotiator to the Khan. During the course of the novel, Koja switched his allegiance and loyalty from his homeland to the Khan.

Koja's decision to switch sides wasn't convincing for me. I think he had little to gain by siding with the Khahan, yet he decided to side with the Horselord anyway. I wished David Cook would have pushed the priest more to the edge, so his decision to side with the Khan would have been more realistic. Despite this minor flaw, I would still recommend this novel and I would love to read succeeding books.

Fake Harry Potter Books in China

Dedicated to all the Harry Potter fans out there.... :)

These are actual books being sold in China, apparently these books are a mix-mash of different popular fantasy books (like Lord of the Rings). These books are published by the local government's literature publishing society. At least the books are promoting literacy (of Chinese) to people in the province. Unfortunately the books and stories don't make much sense.


"Harry Potter and the Water Repelling Pearl"


"Harry Potter and the Golden Armor"


"Harry Potter and the Leopard Dragon"

Dungeons and Dragons, the cartoon series

Many thanks to Juned for telling me that this series is out in DVD format. It took me a couple of days to acquire a copy of my own. Watched a few episodes last night and honestly, I don't think I'll ever get tired of watching the series. Too bad they never did find their way home (in the series)...

Playing Talecraft

I was introduced to Talecraft during the NWA 2007 convention by Dek's friends. It's a wonderful pack of cards that helps people create impromptu stories. Writers can also use the deck to help inspire them and create better stories. I got the chance to see Lyndon tell a story using several cards he picked from the Talecraft deck.

Basically, the deck is divided into three types of cards - the genre cards (fantasy, historical, romance, gothic, etc), the character cards (different types of protagonists and antagonists), and story elements (from props to symbols that must play a major part in the story). From what I understand, players are to draw one genre card, two to three character cards, and six story elements. Then the players try to create story based on the cards that are drawn out.

A couple of days ago, I saw several pack of Talecraft cards being sold at the local card shop. Luckily I had some extra money and decided to buy a set for myself. I haven't really played with the set much, except look at the art. I could say the drawings on the cards are good, but they resemble anime art.

Hopefully I'll get to explore the cards soon, I think this is one game that I'll enjoy playing.

Novel Writing Softwares

It's been a while since I wrote a story. There are a lot of things keeping me from writing fiction as of the moment. But then again I stumbled upon a couple of sites that offer word processing softwares for novelists and writers. These are:

yWrite

and

Writeitnow

Both programs offer tools and aides to help novelists organize their ideas and writing into a cohesive work. I think these programs are helpful since they offer sections and tabs to help writers put notes on character, setting, theme, and other ideas.

yWrite is a freeware program while Writeitnow requires registration in order to save writing projects.

I have downloaded yWrite and I plan to tryout the program. I'll give a more detailed review of the program when I get the chance to write again.

War for the Oaks (Book Review 2 out of 5)

Category:	Books
Genre:	Science Fiction & Fantasy
Author:	Emma Bull

The first time I saw "War for the Oaks" at National Bookstore, I was immediately attracted to the story -- Faeries from ancient times continue to wage their epic battle in the city of Minneapolis. I wanted to see Emma Bull's rendition of the faeries, how they would interact with modern people and vise-versa.

In the story, band signer Eddi McCandry gets drawn to an ancient war between the two factions of the faerie court. She encounters a shape-shifting dog that calls himself the phouka. Eddi learns about the war and she is drafted by one of the courts to play mascot in their final battle.

Apparently the presence of a mortal among the fey during combat negates their immortality. This means the fey can actually die, and one of the courts can finally emerge victorious. Hence Eddi becomes a crucial chess piece in destroying one or both courts.

The story is further complicated by Eddi's former boyfriend, who cuts a deal with the other court (just to get back at her). As well as Eddi's mission to fulfill her dream of assembling a rock band and performing at a big concert.

One of Emma Bull's strengths in this story is that she draws a lot of inspiration from the Rock music subculture -- the bars, the music, the story of a struggling band and the musicians that form a rock group. Eddi is faced with problems of leading her band, from composing the songs and keeping her temperamental band mates together.

What makes the story compelling is how the writer incorporates elements of the fey into Eddi's band and music. Although the idea of faerie music and musicians inspired by the fey have been tackled in other novels, Emma Bull's version seems a lot more realistic and compelling to read.

I was hoping that the author tap into the ancient myths and stories of the fae, and modernize them. But Emma Bull's fae seemed like a stereotypical faerie, lacking the presence to fascinate or terrorize readers. The world of the fae seemed obscure and distant, and it was never explained (much to my disappointment). I was also expecting a much grander resolution of the battle, after all the war between the Seelie and Unseelie courts have been going on for eons. Although the ending was suited to the theme of the story, it didn't make that much impact to me.

Perhaps my expectations of the book were already biased after reading Neil Gaiman's Books of Magic and Sandman. It wouldn't be fair to compare the two writers, but then again, the idea and concepts behind "War for the Oaks" seemed rehashed, lacking fresh new ideas or myths about the fae. The concept of faerie music, though innovative, has been tackled in other books as well.

Gifts -- Annals of the Western Shore (Book Review 3 out of 5)

Category:	Books
Genre:	Science Fiction & Fantasy
Author:	Ursula K. Le Guin

This is the second Ursula Le Guin novel I read. The first one was "Wizard of Earthsea" back in college. The main thing that motivated me to read "Gifts" was the idea of people inheriting powers from their family, and the responsibility that comes with that power. It might sound like a slogan for a superhero story, but Le Guin successfully presented the story in a fantasy setting.

Readers are introduced to the Uplands, a realm divided and ruled by powerful families who possessed various mystical powers. Each family carries a Gift, a power that is passed on from parent to child. Some families have the Gift to set things aflame or to cause insanity, while other families have the power to summon things or to heal.

Life is difficult in the Uplands, the people have to rely on those with Gifts for protection and aid. Some of the Gifted families scheme to take over their neighbor's dominions, while others struggle to survive and pass on their Gift to the next generation.

Like Earthsea, Gifts is a coming of age story. The main character, Orrec, is the only son of Brantor Canoc. Orrec's father possesses the Gift of Unmaking -- to unmake anything or anyone he looked at. But when Orrec could not master the Gift, his father decided to blindfold him (for everyone's sake).

Most of the story deals with Orrec dealing with his blindness and his frustration about not being able to control his Gift. We are also introduced to Gry, Orrec's childhood friend, who possesses the gift to communicate and summon animals. Like Orrec, Gry was a disappointment to her family -- she refuses to summon animals for the hunters to kill. Both of them were treated as outcasts for their temperaments and attitudes towards using their Gifts.

As the story continues, Le Guin reveals the growing conflict between father and son, as well as the ongoing threat of Brantor Drum encroaching on their land. Orrec grows from a child to a young man, learning the harsh realities about his father and his responsibility to the people living in their land.

In the end, Orrec learns the truth about his Gift and about his father. His realization helps him face his father and decide on how he'd choose his destiny. He realized that he does possesses the Gift, but not the kind his father was expecting.

I loved the way Le Guin built the narrative, building the tension between Orrec and his father, Brantor Drum and Orrec, as well as Orrec's internal conflict. Unfortunately I was disappointed with the way Le Guin resolved the ending by speeding up the resolution at the end. Everything happened so fast and so quick that I had to reread the last few pages to figure out what happened.

The ending could have been more dramatic and more powerful, if Le Guin took the time to narrate things -- explain what had happened more clearly. I'm sure the impact would have been more powerful and the revelation more meaningful.

I would have given the book a five star rating, but with the rush ending, I'd rate it at three stars.

More NWA Con 2007 pics

Took this pics at Rockwell last Saturday

New Lego Hogwarts Castle

With the new Harry Potter movie and book coming out, Lego is coming out with its new updated Hogwarts castle set. Too bad the local stores aren't selling any of the Harry Potter Lego products anymore. I think this set would be a nice collection since it contains basically all the major characters (including a large Hagrid -- which is a separate character in previous sets), a nifty castle structure, and a couple of skeletal horses.

New Worlds Con 2007

Took some pictures of the New Worlds Convention at Rockwell (located at the new Archeology section of the mall). The convention is on until Sunday.