Another Early Review
It's been a while since I posted a message here, but at least this one will have some substance to it. Or, at the very least, it is a subject I am keenly interested in.
I gave my book, Song of the Fell Hammer, to two outside sources to read. I didn't choose to do this lightly nor did I choose lightly who I would give the book to, but I saw it as necessary for the moment. The first is one of the moderators on Terry Brooks's Forum, someone I have known for years online and had the pleasure of meeting several times. The other person is a new Del Rey author who read my excerpts and enjoyed them so much he asked for the book.
I asked both of them to read several parts of the book with a critical eye, those parts I feel could be executed better. I also asked them to pay attention to pacing, tone, storytelling, content, and overall enjoyability. I asked both of them what writer's fans would most enjoy it. Overall, I wanted to gauge whether or not I had what it takes from a serious fantasy fan.
Here is the first of those reviews:
"I've been giving Shawn a hard time for the past few posts in this thread, but that's all I've been doing, just giving him a hard time.
What Shawn's put together here is something that any fan of Terry Brooks should be excited to read. He's crafted a story full of compelling characters thrust in to situations that really make them struggle with who they are.
When I first got my hands on some of Shawn's writing I didn't read it for a long time, I was afraid that it would be good. When I finally did get around to reading his sample chapter (chapter 9, I do believe) I quickly found myself angry that I had waited so long.
I've thought a lot about where I would place Shawn in the pantheon of fantasy authors out there, and it became apparent to me that I would put him in the Keyes/Hobb/Williams field of storytelling. I'd say his writing and style, along with his plot and storyline, fall somewhere in between Brooks/Salvatore/Eddings/Feist and Erikson/Martin. By that I mean, his work isn't quite so fluffy and light as something like Brooks or Salvatore would write, but also not nearly so complicated and convoluted as a Martin or Erikson novel. I feel comfortable putting him in the same field as Hobb/Martin/Williams in that sense.
The world he has created reminds me a lot of Midkemia, the world created by Raymond E. Feist. It's a bit grittier than the Four Lands, the time period is more medieval, rather than a stock fantasy novel (besides the giants/elves/witches/etc...). The religious aspects that Shawn have written in to the story are of utmost importance and, thusly, they are very well thought out and developed.
One can't speak of the religious aspects without touching on the story and plot. Shawn doesn't disappoint. I think the best thing I can say about this is that even after 650 or so pages, I still didn't want it to end. Shawn manages to fit a lot of good stuff between those pages. He clearly has a good grasp of religion and he poses a lot of questions surrounding religion and its place in the world. His characters are conflicted and believable and it can be hard to travel with them through many of the hard decisions they have to make.
Shawn's writing grows by leaps and bounds as the chapters roll by. He's not kidding when he says the first few chapters are the weakest of the book. There are problems in there, he is a first time author afterall, but I didn't find a whole lot that can't be solved by having a good editor.
I've been speaking with Shawn a lot about the book and my thoughts, where I think he can make it stronger, as well as what I really liked about it. He's presented a clear, well-thought out story and it's obvious to me that he's committed to completing a story that will make a reader think about their own place in the world and the state of the world itself.
One final thing I want to touch on before I wrap this up is the way Shawn ends the book. I've been very vocal about my distaste for the way Terry Brooks has been writing his "Cliffhangers", he seems to come to the 1/3 mark and simply not write the next chapter (this is a bit of an exaggeration, but not by much) and this leaves me feeling unsatisfied. I was worried this would be the same with Shawn and was more than ready to tear him apart for it. As I turned the last page I was relieved to find it wouldn't be necessary. Shawn has done an excellent job at taking his separate story arcs and taking them to their completion (with the exception of one, but the way it ends is suitable and understandable considering the circumstances), he then sets up the story arcs for the second book that will be the result of the actions in the first book.
I left Shawn's book and feeling very satisfied with it. My only problem is that he hasn't even started writing the second book! Shawn's written something that was wholly as exciting and fantastical as I was expecting it to be. This book is ready to be published and has the ability to reach not only Terry's audience but one that includes fans of other authors such as Greg Keyes/R.A. Salvatore/George R.R. Martin/Robin Hobb/Steven Erikson/Tad Williams/etc....
You won't be disappointed.
Kudos, Shawn. Thanks for keeping me entertained."
I gave my book, Song of the Fell Hammer, to two outside sources to read. I didn't choose to do this lightly nor did I choose lightly who I would give the book to, but I saw it as necessary for the moment. The first is one of the moderators on Terry Brooks's Forum, someone I have known for years online and had the pleasure of meeting several times. The other person is a new Del Rey author who read my excerpts and enjoyed them so much he asked for the book.
I asked both of them to read several parts of the book with a critical eye, those parts I feel could be executed better. I also asked them to pay attention to pacing, tone, storytelling, content, and overall enjoyability. I asked both of them what writer's fans would most enjoy it. Overall, I wanted to gauge whether or not I had what it takes from a serious fantasy fan.
Here is the first of those reviews:
"I've been giving Shawn a hard time for the past few posts in this thread, but that's all I've been doing, just giving him a hard time.
What Shawn's put together here is something that any fan of Terry Brooks should be excited to read. He's crafted a story full of compelling characters thrust in to situations that really make them struggle with who they are.
When I first got my hands on some of Shawn's writing I didn't read it for a long time, I was afraid that it would be good. When I finally did get around to reading his sample chapter (chapter 9, I do believe) I quickly found myself angry that I had waited so long.
I've thought a lot about where I would place Shawn in the pantheon of fantasy authors out there, and it became apparent to me that I would put him in the Keyes/Hobb/Williams field of storytelling. I'd say his writing and style, along with his plot and storyline, fall somewhere in between Brooks/Salvatore/Eddings/Feist and Erikson/Martin. By that I mean, his work isn't quite so fluffy and light as something like Brooks or Salvatore would write, but also not nearly so complicated and convoluted as a Martin or Erikson novel. I feel comfortable putting him in the same field as Hobb/Martin/Williams in that sense.
The world he has created reminds me a lot of Midkemia, the world created by Raymond E. Feist. It's a bit grittier than the Four Lands, the time period is more medieval, rather than a stock fantasy novel (besides the giants/elves/witches/etc...). The religious aspects that Shawn have written in to the story are of utmost importance and, thusly, they are very well thought out and developed.
One can't speak of the religious aspects without touching on the story and plot. Shawn doesn't disappoint. I think the best thing I can say about this is that even after 650 or so pages, I still didn't want it to end. Shawn manages to fit a lot of good stuff between those pages. He clearly has a good grasp of religion and he poses a lot of questions surrounding religion and its place in the world. His characters are conflicted and believable and it can be hard to travel with them through many of the hard decisions they have to make.
Shawn's writing grows by leaps and bounds as the chapters roll by. He's not kidding when he says the first few chapters are the weakest of the book. There are problems in there, he is a first time author afterall, but I didn't find a whole lot that can't be solved by having a good editor.
I've been speaking with Shawn a lot about the book and my thoughts, where I think he can make it stronger, as well as what I really liked about it. He's presented a clear, well-thought out story and it's obvious to me that he's committed to completing a story that will make a reader think about their own place in the world and the state of the world itself.
One final thing I want to touch on before I wrap this up is the way Shawn ends the book. I've been very vocal about my distaste for the way Terry Brooks has been writing his "Cliffhangers", he seems to come to the 1/3 mark and simply not write the next chapter (this is a bit of an exaggeration, but not by much) and this leaves me feeling unsatisfied. I was worried this would be the same with Shawn and was more than ready to tear him apart for it. As I turned the last page I was relieved to find it wouldn't be necessary. Shawn has done an excellent job at taking his separate story arcs and taking them to their completion (with the exception of one, but the way it ends is suitable and understandable considering the circumstances), he then sets up the story arcs for the second book that will be the result of the actions in the first book.
I left Shawn's book and feeling very satisfied with it. My only problem is that he hasn't even started writing the second book! Shawn's written something that was wholly as exciting and fantastical as I was expecting it to be. This book is ready to be published and has the ability to reach not only Terry's audience but one that includes fans of other authors such as Greg Keyes/R.A. Salvatore/George R.R. Martin/Robin Hobb/Steven Erikson/Tad Williams/etc....
You won't be disappointed.
Kudos, Shawn. Thanks for keeping me entertained."
posted by Shawn C. Speakman | 9:08 AM
3 Comments:
I sweat I've read this somewhere before...
Just wanted to give you another "Good Job", Shawn.
Oh, and as the author of the review, sorry for the typos, it was late!
Hey Shawn,
Kudos on having the balls to let others read what has been said about your book.
I passed your excerpts onto a couple friends of mine who like fantasy and they both told me that they liked what they read and how can they get more.
So fingers crossed that you get some more good news soon. It'll be Murphy's Law when you get the green light on April 1st, and think it's an April Fools Joke.
All the best mate,
From your supporters in New Zealand.
Great, thank you guys! Glad you've liked it. I just started writing the second book and man, have I missed writing as I've awaited word. - S.
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