Eyes of the Dragon by Stephen King is a traditional fantasy. King Roland of Delain has two sons. Prince Peter is his heir who is the perfect prince and ready to lead. His younger son is Prince Thomas, who is too young and malleable to Flagg, the court advisor, and magician. Flagg secretly assassinates the King and frames, Peter, for the murder. How will Peter clear his name, defeat the ancient Flagg, and claim his rightful throne?
Summary
Eyes of the Dragon by Stephen King is his first traditional fantasy novel. King Roland earned his kingdom by slaying a dragon. The dragon’s head is mounted on the wall in the King’s study. Peter was his firstborn son and heir. Queen Sasha died giving birth to Thomas. Flagg is the court advisor. He is a magician and a master of poisons who has been the power behind the throne for generations. Flagg thinks Peter would make too strong of a king, so he plots the fall of King Roland and Prince Peter to elevate the boy Thomas to the throne. He thinks he can control Thomas and lead the kingdom into chaos. Flagg’s plan involves the sinister poison, Dragon Sand.
The king is dead and Peter is imprisoned for the regicide in the Needle’s top, a tower prison. Thomas is King and Flagg controls him. Dennis is Thomas’s butler and his devoted servant. Peter’s best friend is Ben, he thinks Peter is innocent, and Ben finds the exiles north of the kingdom. Naomi of the exiles is a tracker who has a pack of dogs, including the dog Frisky.
Flagg is happy with the state of his plans. He has a two-headed parrot as his familiar. Thomas learns more from Flagg than Flagg ever expects he can. Peter’s escape plan involves his mother’s dollhouse and threads from many cloth napkins. Ben also has a plan to free Peter. Dennis learns some truth and delivers a letter to Ben. Ben, Dennis, Naomi, and Frisky make a plan and head to the castle.
Either Flagg will bring chaos to the Kingdom of Delain, or Peter will escape and claim his rightful kingdom.
Recommendation
Eyes of the Dragon by Stephen King is the author’s spin on a classic fairy tale. On the dust jacket, the author says he started writing this story to give a book to his young daughter who didn’t want to read his other stories of “vampires, ghoulies, and slushy crawling things.” The plot follows: the prince is wronged and must redeem himself to win his kingdom. King spins the story in his way. Flagg is a complicated villain, though he makes an unforced mistake at the end of the story. The only thing I wanted was to bring Naomi into the narrative earlier. I think a love triangle between Peter, Naomi, and Ben would have tied the story together. David Palladini enhances the story with excellent interior drawings. I added a picture of the title page below. The novel was light and interesting read.
Links
This is the link to the Goodreads page of Eyes of the Dragon by Stephen King.
The Gunslinger by Stephen King, book #1 of The Dark Tower series seemed to set up for a climax that never happened. What is there is a trippy and metaphysical non-ending.
In July 2018, I completed the first draft of my novel Assassin in New Marl City, totaling 99,981 words and 36 chapters. Completed pre-second draft (30 chapters long) in December 2018 at 89,072 words. Finished the second draft edits in December 2019 to complete the second draft edit. I started writing a new Chapter 1 in February 2020 and finished it in April 2020. The third draft will have 32 Chapters, and I finished the third draft edits on Chapter 3 in July 2020.
In February 2021, I submitted Chapter 7 of my novel titled Cuba Liberto to the Novel Writing Workshop at Parma, Ohio library.
In February 2021, I submitted the story “Alpha Centauri Salvage” to the Introductory Writing Workshop at Parma, Ohio library.
Writing Progress from February 2020 Continued
I made five posts on my Goodreads account in February 2021.
In the past, I submitted the stories; Four Humors, Space Station Sunyata, and Grognard to magazines.
The seven Flash Fiction Stories I have submitted in 2020 were Space-Dog Confession, Sleeping Sickness, Caliburnus, and Popular Mechanics Re-brewed, Wormhole Generator, Runs with Scissors, and Principled Rogue to magazines.
In January 2021, I submitted “Runs with Scissors” to Fireside Magazine. It is still open.
On February 1, 2021, I submitted “Wormhole Generator” to Cosmic Roots and Eldritch Shores. It was declined.
Magazine submissions for 2021 are 4 unique stories submitted 4 times with 0 accepted, 1 pending, and 3 rejections.
The Cosmic Roots and Eldritch Shores Magazine suggested the critters workshop to me. My new plan is to submit all stories to the critters workshop before sending the stories to magazines. With the workshop feedback, I will make the last revision before submission. I plan to send in stories starting in March 2021. In the critters workshop points are earned with adequate critiques of other workshop stories. To submit stories, the author must maintain a 75% critique rate. That means three critiques per month average.
Marcon Columbus has dates posted for May 7 to May 9, 2021. I have attended this con many times and would like to attend it in 2021. I plan to have my COVID-19 shot well before this date, so they may hold the con and I will attend.
I attended the virtual Confluence Pittsburgh Con in 2020. They have not decided yet if the 2021 Con will be virtual or in person. Either way, I plan to attend.
I plan to write four blog posts for garydavidgillen.com including my Writing Progress Report for March 2021.
The title of my next novel is Cuba Liberto. I plan to complete writing Chapter 8 in March 2021 and submit it to the Novel Writing Workshop at Parma, Ohio library.
In March 2021, I plan to submit a story to the Introductory Writing Workshop at Parma, Ohio library.
I plan to work on third draft edits for Assassin in New Marl City using comments from the Novel Writing Workshop at Parma, Ohio. I plan to complete third draft edits for Chapters 4 and 5 in March 2021.
Submit the stories Space-Dog Confession, Four Humors, Space Station Sunyata, Grognard, LARP Film noir, Sleeping Sickness, Popular Mechanics Re-brewed, and Caliburnus. to other short fiction magazines. I plan one submission to the critters workshop in March 2021.
Polish and submit the stories White Bracer, Mage Squad, I Shall Not Return, Prisoner of Tarnal, and Kay-Eye for submission to short fiction magazines.
Writing Goals for March 2021 continued.
In March 2021, I plan to make five posts on my Goodreads account.
Put the novel, Assassin in New Marl City, into the writing program, Scrivener.
Buy an e-book cover for Assassin in New Marl City from Fiveer.
Planned Events for March 2021.
Marcon Columbus has dates posted for May 7 to May 9, 2021. I have attended this con many times and would like to attend it in 2021. I plan to have my COVID-19 shot well before this date, so they may hold the con and I will attend.
I attended the virtual Confluence Pittsburgh Con in 2020. They have not decided yet if the 2021 Con will be virtual or in person. Either way, I plan to attend.
Last Colony by John Scalzi, Book #3 of The Old Man’s War series.
Introduction
Last Colony by John Scalzi is the third book in the Old Man’s War series. John Perry, the protagonist from Old Man’s War, has retired from the Colonial Defense Forces to the colony planet of Huckleberry. Jane Sagan joins him. She is another former member of the CDF and the clone of his deceased wife. They have taken in the orphan Zoe Boutin Perry as their daughter. It’s a good life. John is a farmer and an ombudsman, while Jane is a constable. Their former commander, General Rybibki, asks them to help settle a new colony on the planet named Roanoke. What they find at Roanoke is not what they expected. Can John protect the colony, or will the colony perish leading to the extermination of humanity?
Summary
Last Colony by John Scalzi starts with John Perry and his family fitting in on their adapted colony of Huckleberry. Huckleberry was first colonized by people from India. John is the ombudsman of his town and his assistant is Savitri Guntupalli. She helps him and keeps him in line. John must settle disputes between people of his town like the Chengelpet brothers about a troublesome goat. John’s family is his wife, Constable Jane Sagan, and his adopted daughter Zoe Boutin Perry. Zoe is the biological daughter of Charles Boutin from the previous novel, The Ghost Brigades.
General Rybicki, John and Jane’s former commander, asks them to lead a first colonization team to the planet named Roanoke. When they get to Roanoke, nothing is like it seems. John must lead the colony against an alliance of alien lifeforms named the Conclave. The Conclave wants to contain humanity or destroy it. John wants neither to happen. He must go down a dangerous path if he is to succeed.
Recommendation
Last Colony by John Scalzi is a great sequel to Old Man’s War. It was fun to see John Perry and his family again. John faces an impossible position and escapes a dire fate again. Scalzi is the master of idea and dialogue. A quick read, I wanted more. He sets up the next novel in the series at the end of this novel. I am looking forward to reading book four of the series, Zoe’s Tale.
Links
This is the link to the Goodreads page of The Last Colony by John Scalzi.
Ghost Brigades by John Scalzi is the second book in the Old Man’s War series. Jared Dirac is a clone with another man’s memories. He must save humanity from three allied alien races determined to destroy humanity.
Warriors Apprentice by Lois McMaster Bujold, Book #2 of the Vorkosigan saga.
Introduction
Warriors Apprentice by Lois McMaster Bujold is the second book of the Vorkosigan saga. It is the first book of many to feature Miles Vorkosigan as the protagonist. Miles suffers from brittle bones because of an assassination attempt on his mother when she was pregnant with him. 17-year-old Miles fails his test to enter the Academy. He visits his grandmother in the Beta Colony. A series of events results with him getting involved in another planet’s war. Does Miles learn enough as the Warriors Apprentice to escape the mischief he has started?
Summary
At the beginning of the Warriors Apprentice by Lois McMaster Bujold, Miles Vorkosigan takes the physical test for admittance to the Imperial Service Academy of Barrayar. He has passed the written portion of the test but must navigate an obstacle course to enter the Academy. He is the son of the former Regent of the Empire. Emperor Gregor has recently gained his maturity. When Miles’s mother was pregnant with him, an assassination attempt affected Miles’s health. His bones are brittle, and he is short. There are no exceptions to the physical test. He fails the test and must decide his next move.
Miles visits his grandmother in the Beta Colony. Beta Colony is a separate sovereign planet from Barrayar. Bothari, his strong and possibly psychopathic bodyguard, and Bothari’s daughter, Elena, accompanies him. Miles tries to help jump pilot Arde Mayhew and former Barrayran officer Bazil Jesek. Helping them leads to him forming a trading company and getting involved in a war on a planet revolving around Tau Verde IV. Events escalate to the breaking point. Miles is the Warrior’s Apprentice and must become a master to succeed. Complications occur at Barrayar, forcing Miles to return to save his father.
Recommendation
Warriors Apprentice by Lois McMaster Bujold is a space opera heist. Miles is a young protagonist out of his depth as events escalate like the Sorcerer’s Apprentice. I like Miles and want him to succeed. He fails and doesn’t give up like an optimistic young man. My favorite parts were the creation of the Denarii Free Mercenaries, resolving Elena Visconti’s story, and the fate of Miles. I’m looking forward to reading the next novel in the series, The Vor Game, which won the Hugo Award for Best Novel in 1991.
Links
This is the link to the Goodreads page of The Warriors Apprentice by Lois McMaster Bujold.
In Barrayar (Book#7 of the Vorkosigan saga) by Lois McMaster Bujold, Lady Cordelia Vorkosigan faces assassination and the birth of her son. Will she survive the regency and give birth to her son?
In Shards of Honor (Book#1 of the Vorkosigan saga) by Lois McMaster Bujold, Barrayaran Captain Aral Vorkosigan takes Betan Commander Cordelia Naismith prisoner. They take a hike in the jungle. What happens when they fall in love?
In Falling Free (Book #4 of the Vorkosigan saga) by Lois McMaster Bujold, space engineer Leo Graf must decide between retiring or risking his life protecting his students. The novel is a fun, self-contained space opera romp.
In July 2018, I completed the first draft of my novel Assassin in New Marl City, totaling 99,981 words and 36 chapters. Completed pre-second draft (30 chapters long) in December 2018 at 89,072 words. Finished the second draft edits in December 2019 to complete the second draft edit. I started writing a new Chapter 1 in February 2020 and finished it in April 2020. The third draft will have 32 Chapters, and I finished the third draft edits on Chapter 3 in July 2020.
No submissions to Writing Workshops in January 2021.
Writing Progress from January 2020 Continued
I made five posts on my Goodreads account in January 2021.
In the past, I submitted the stories; Four Humors, Space Station Sunyata, and Grognard to magazines.
The seven Flash Fiction Stories I have submitted in 2020 were Space-Dog Confession, Sleeping Sickness, Caliburnus, and Popular Mechanics Re-brewed, Wormhole Generator, Runs with Scissors, and Principled Rogue to magazines.
I submitted “Principled Rogue” to Apex in January 2021.
In January 2021, I submitted “Popular Mechanics Re-brewed” to Flash Fiction Online.
I submitted “Runs with Scissors” to Fireside Magazine in January 2021.
On February 1, 2021, I submitted “Wormhole Generator” to Cosmic Roots and Eldritch Shores.
Final magazine submissions for 2020 were 7 unique stories submitted 19 times with 0 accepted, 1 pending, and 18 rejections.
Magazine submissions for 2021 are 4 unique stories submitted 4 times with 0 accepted, 1 pending, and 3 rejections.
The Cosmic Roots and Eldritch Shores Magazine suggested the critters workshop to me. My new plan is to submit all stories to the critters workshop before sending the stories to magazines. With the workshop feedback, I will make a last revision before submission. I plan to send in stories starting in March 2021. In the critters workshop points are earned with adequate critiques of other workshop stories. To submit stories, the author must maintain a 75% critique rate. That means three critiques per month average.
The next conference I had planned to attend was ConFusion in Novi, Michigan, from January 15 to 17, 2021. The Ann Arbor Science Fiction Association is the sponsor for ConFusion. They cancelled the Conference for 2021 because of COVID-19. They plan to hold the next ConFusion in January 2022.
I plan to write three blog posts for garydavidgillen.com including my Writing Progress Report for February 2021.
The title of my next novel is Cuba Liberto. I plan to complete writing Chapter 7 in February 2021 and submit it to the Novel Writing Workshop at Parma, Ohio library.
In February 2021, I plan to submit a story to the Introductory Writing Workshop at Parma, Ohio library.
I plan to work on third draft edits for Assassin in New Marl City using comments from the Novel Writing Workshop at Parma, Ohio. I plan to complete third draft edits for Chapters 4 and 5 in February 2021.
Submit the stories Space-Dog Confession, Four Humors, Space Station Sunyata, Grognard, LARP Film noir, Sleeping Sickness, Popular Mechanics Re-brewed, and Caliburnus. to other short fiction magazines. I plan one submission to the critters workshop in March 2021.
Polish and submit the stories White Bracer, Mage Squad, I Shall Not Return, Prisoner of Tarnal, and Kay-Eye for submission to short fiction magazines.
Writing Goals for February 2021 continued.
In February 2021, I plan to make five posts on my Goodreads account.
Put the novel, Assassin in New Marl City, into the writing program, Scrivener.
Buy an e-book cover for Assassin in New Marl City from Fiveer.
Planned Events for February 2021.
Marcon Columbus has dates posted for May 7 to May 9, 2021. I have attended this con many times and would like to attend it in 2021. I plan to have my COVID-19 shot well before this date, so they may hold the con and I will attend.
I attended the virtual Confluence Pittsburgh Con in 2020. They have not decided yet if the 2021 Con will be virtual or in person. Either way, I plan to attend.
This is my Writing Progress Report 2020 in Review.
Nothing like a warm fire on a chilly day.
Writing Progress from January 2020 to December 2020.
I wrote 44 blog posts for garydavidgillen.com in 2020 with the last post in 2020 for Rhythm of War linked below. I have written 200 total posts on my blog from August 2016 to December 2020.
Link to my review of Rhythm of War by Brandon Sanderson.
Updated 86 posts between March 2020 and December 2020 on my website to improve their SEO rating to good, to leave no remaining posts to update. Project Completed as planned!!!
In July 2018, I completed the first draft of my novel Assassin in New Marl City, totaling 99,981 words and 36 chapters. Completed pre-second draft (30 chapters long) in December 2018 at 89,072 words. Finished the second draft edits in December 2019 to complete the second draft edit. I started writing a new Chapter 1 in February 2020 and finished it in April 2020. The third draft will have 32 Chapters. I finished the third draft edits for Chapter 1 in June 2020, Chapter 2 in July 2020, and Chapter 3 in August 2020.
Writing Progress from January 2020 to December 2020 Continued
From January 2020 to June 2020, I submitted Chapters 1, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, and 30 of my novel titled Assassin in New Marl City to the Novel Writing Workshop at Parma, Ohio library.
From July 2020 to December 2020, I submitted Chapters 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 of my novel titled Cuba Liberto to the Novel Writing Workshop at Parma, Ohio library.
I submitted three stories to the Wednesday Fiction Writing Workshop at the South Euclid-Lyndhurst Library in 2020. I submitted All Potions Sold Greenhouse, Four Humors, and Chapters 1 and 2 of my novel Cuba Liberto.
In 2020, I submitted nine stories to the Introductory Writing Workshop at Parma, Ohio library. I submitted Hanibal Washington’s Fall, Dear Allie, Am I Going Insane?, Patient X, Principled Rogue, Bowling Ball Story, Fort Weimer, Thanksgiving?, and Giraffe.
Writing Progress from January 2020 to December 2020 Continued
I made sixty posts on my Goodreads account in 2020 for 275 posts.
In the past, I submitted the stories; Four Humors, Space Station Sunyata, and Grognard to magazines.
The seven Flash Fiction Stories I have submitted in 2020 were Space-Dog Confession, Sleeping Sickness, Caliburnus, and Popular Mechanics Re-brewed, Wormhole Generator, Runs with Scissors, and Principled Rogue to magazines.
Final magazine submissions for 2020 were 7 unique stories submitted 19 times with 0 accepted, 0 pending, and 19 rejections.
Events from January 2020 to December 2020.
I attended the ConFusion Conference in Novi, Michigan, from January 16 to 19, 2020. The Ann Arbor Science Fiction Association Sponsors ConFusion. This was the last one I attended in person because of COVID-19.
Events from January 2020 to December 2020. continued
I attended virtual Dragon Con Atlanta from September 3 to 7, 2020, and attended eight events. This conference is a great opportunity for me because Atlanta is far away, and I am not likely to attend this con in person.
They held a virtual conference called C’monfluence the Novelization 2020, from October 2 to October 4. The Guest of Honor was Martha Wells. I attended the conference virtually. They canceled Confluence Conference in Pittsburgh because of COVID-19. I plan to go to the next Confluence from July 23 to July 25, 2021.
I plan to write 48 blog posts for garydavidgillen.com in 2021.
The title of my next novel is Cuba Liberto. I plan to write Chapters 7 to 18 in 2021 and submit it to the Novel Writing Workshop at Parma, Ohio library.
In 2021, I plan to submit two stories to the Wednesday Writing Workshop at South Euclid, Ohio library.
In 2021, I plan to submit 12 stories to the Introductory Writing Workshop at Parma, Ohio library.
I plan to work on third draft edits for Assassin in New Marl City using comments from the Novel Writing Workshop at Parma, Ohio. I plan to complete third draft edits for Chapters 4 to 30 in 2021.
Submit the stories Space-Dog Confession, Four Humors, Space Station Sunyata, Grognard, Game Dome, Sleeping Sickness, Popular Mechanics Re-brewed, and Caliburnus. to other short fiction magazines. I plan three submissions for January 2021.
Polish and submit the stories White Bracer, Mage Squad, I Shall Not Return, Prisoner of Tarnal, and Kay-Eye for submission to short fiction magazines.
Writing Goals for January 2021 to December 2021 continued.
In 2021, I plan to make 60 posts on my Goodreads account.
Put the novel, Assassin in New Marl City, into the writing program, Scrivener.
Buy an e-book cover for Assassin in New Marl City from Fiveer.
Planned Events for January 2021 to December 2021.
At this point (January 2021), it is unclear whether they will hold any cons in person in 2021.
I’d like to attend Cleveland Concoction in March, but their website does not have any information about their return.
If the Cuyahoga County Library presents a Western Reserve Writers conference in April, I would attend, but there is nothing on their calendar so far.
I had planned to attend Ice and Fire Con (Sterling Heights, Ohio) from April 28 to May 3, 2021, but they postponed the con to 2022. I bought tickets for the 2020 con and plan to use those tickets in 2022.
Planned Events for January 2021 to December 2021 continued.
Marcon Columbus has dates posted for May 7 to May 9, 2021. I have attended this con many times and would like to attend it in 2021. I plan to have my COVID-19 shot well before this date, so they may hold the con and I will attend.
I attended the virtual Confluence Pittsburgh Con in 2020. They have not decided yet if the 2021 Con will be virtual or in person. Either way, I plan to attend.
Capclave (Rockville, Md) held a virtual con in 2020 that I missed. As of now, they scheduled a con for October 1 to October 3, 2021. I would like to attend the con in 2021 if it is virtual or in person.
I attended the virtual Gotham Writers Conference in 2020. They have not decided yet if the 2021 Con will be virtual or in person. Either way, I plan to attend.
Lord of Chaos by Robert Jordan, Book Six of the Wheel of Time series.
Introduction
Lord of Chaos by Robert Jordan is the sixth book of The Wheel of Time series. The novel follows eight storylines for the forces of Light. The Forsaken also plot to pit the forces of Light against each other. Rand travels by portal between Cairhien and Caemlyn, trying to merge his power and planning for Elayne to become the queen of both countries. Mat is at the head of the Band of the Red Hand and Rand points his forces at the Forsaken Sammuel in Ilian.
Perrin feels the ta’veren pull and heads to Caemlyn to help Rand. Egwene learns from the Wise Ones and faces her destiny. Nynaeve and Elayne are part of the Salidar Aes Sedai. Min travels to Caemlyn to convince Rand to support the Salidar Aes Sedai. When the Forsaken plot pushes Rand to the edge, will the Lord of Chaos rule or will Rand succeed?
Summary – Prologue
Lord of Chaos by Robert Jordan follows eight characters and features various Forsaken.
The prologue of the novel is 72 pages in the paperback and covers eleven different points of view.
Forsaken Demandred hatches the Lord of Chaos Plot with other Forsaken. There were a total of Thirteen Forsaken who swerved the Dark One during the Age of Legends. Though Rand and others have killed a few. (or have they?)
Nynaeve and Elayne are part of the Salidar Aes Sedai in the town of Salidar in Altara. The Salidar six rule the Salidar Aes Sedai. They want to elect their Amyrlin Seat to reclaim the White Tower from Elaida, the White Tower Aes Sedai Amyrlin Seat.
Perrin and Faile rule the Two Rivers in Andor. Perrin feels the pull of ta’veren to aide Rand.
Summary-Prologue Continued
Gawyn Trakand (Elayne’s brother) leads the Younglings (former Warders in Training) serving the White Tower Aes Sedai of the Amyrlin Seat Elaida in Tar Valon.
Katherine Alruddin Aes Sedai is part of the White Tower Embassy to Rand. She is part of the Black Ajah and conspires with a noblewoman from Cairhein against Rand.
Sevanna of the Shaido Clan of the Aiel plans her revenge against Rand.
Morgase Trakand (Elayne’s and Gawyn’s mother and the rightful queen of Andor) had fled Andor to enlist the aid of the Whitecloaks (in Amador) to regain her throne. (The Forsaken Ravin had taken her kingdom. Rand eliminated Ravin, but no one knows Morgase is still alive.)
Lord Captain Commander Pedron Naill of the Children of the Light (the Whitecloaks) offers Morgase a price for his aid to help her retake Andor. It is a price that Morgase is reluctant to pay.
Forsaken Mesaana converses with Forsaken Semirhage and Forsaken Demandred.
Forsaken Osan’gar and Forsaken Aran’gar are reborn at Shayol Ghul.
Summary–Groups of characters
Lord of Chaos by Robert Jordan follows three groups of characters. The first group is the ta’veren; Rand, Perrin, and Mat, all from the Two Rivers. The ta’veren are agents of Light for the Wheel of Time. Rand is the Dragon Reborn, the main hero for the Light in the Wheel of Time. He is fated to face the Dark One and the forces of darkness at the Last Battle. Rand has the backing of the Aiel clans from the Waste (except for the Shaido clan). He has brought the clans to the Westlands. His coalition includes Tear, Cairhein, and Andor.
Mat is his best general, in charge of the Band of the Red Hand. Rand sends Mat with the Band toward Tear to occupy the thoughts of the Forsaken Sammuel who rules Ilian. Perrin rules the Two Rivers, but the pull of the ta’veren causes him to seek out Rand.
Summary–Groups of charactersContinued
The second group of characters is the Two Rivers Aes Sedai; Egwene, Nynaeve, and Elayne. The Aes Sedai use the female part of the One Power. Egwene studies with the Wise Ones, Aiel who use the One Power. She came with Rand and the Aiel to Cairhein. She will face her destiny with the Salidar Aes Sedai. Elayne and Nynaeve are Accepted with the Salidar Aes Sedai.
The third group of characters is Rand’s girlfriends. The three women vie for Rand’s attention. Elayne has professed her love to him, but they have been apart for a long time. Aviendha is the Aiel assigned by the Wise Ones to watch Rand, but they have a romantic relationship. The complication to their relationship is that Aviendha knows Elayne’s love for Rand and doesn’t want to take his affection for her from him. Min is from the mountains near the Two Rivers and has the gift of foresight. She loves Rand but doesn’t know if he returns her love. She comes with the Salidar Aes Sedai embassy to Rand. Min wants to see where her relationship with Rand can go.
Summary–Best Plot Points
Three Plot Points stand out in Lord of Chaos by Robert Jordan.
Nynaeve and Elayne are Accepted (the level above Novice but below full Aes Sedai) with the Salidar Aes Sedai. They get knowledge about the Age of Legends from their captive Forsaken. Nynaeve has been contemplating how to use the One Power in a way that no one expects can work. This action has been foreshadowed since early in the series. She tries the action in Chapter 29, Fire and Spirit, and in Chapter 30, To Heal Again. These are two great chapters.
Egwene trains with the Aiel Wise Ones. She follows Rand and the Aiel to Carhien. She must figure out how she fits with the Salidar Aes Sedai. Chapter 37 When the Battle Begins covers the character’s reaction to the event that ends the previous chapter. The chapter has six points of view of characters who react to that pivotal event. The interplay between their reactions is excellent.
This whole novel, all 1011 paperback pages, leads up to what happens at Dumai’s Wells. Step-by-step Rand is boxed into a corner. What he does and the aftermath of his actions are epic and worth the page count.
Recommendation
Lord of Chaos by Robert Jordan ends with an epic climax at Dumai’s Wells. I thought three plot points were excellent. Nynaeve’s triumphant use of the One Power, Egwene’s fate with the Salidar Aes Sedai, and Rand’s brush with the insanity that led to the epic conclusion at Dumai’s Wells. But it took too long to get to those plot points. About half the chapters before Chapter 29 could have been shortened or cut and the storyline would not have been affected. The Morgase subplot is not furthered or completed in this novel and could have been dropped here. (For example, Perrin did not appear at all in The Fires of Heaven.) The best parts make reading the rest worth it.
The first season of the Amazon Prime Video will adapt the first novel of the series in 2021. I will be interested to see how the showrunners adapt this novel in a few years.
Links
This is the link to the Goodreads page of Lord of Chaos by Robert Jordan.
The Presents underneath the tree. Merry Christmas!
Writing Progress from December 2020.
I wrote five blog posts for garydavidgillen.com including my writing progress report for December 2020 linked below. Posts on my blog are up to 200 total beginning in August 2016.
Updated nine posts in December 2020 on my website to improve their SEO rating to good, to leave no remaining posts to update. Project Completed as planned!!!
In July 2018, I completed the first draft of my novel Assassin in New Marl City, totaling 99,981 words and 36 chapters. Completed pre-second draft (30 chapters long) in December 2018 at 89,072 words. Finished the second draft edits in December 2019 to complete the second draft edit. I started writing a new Chapter 1 in February 2020 and finished it in April 2020. The third draft will have 32 Chapters, and I finished the third draft edits on Chapter 3 in July 2020.
In December 2020, I submitted Chapter 6 of my novel titled Cuba Liberto to the Novel Writing Workshop at Parma, Ohio library.
In December 2020, I submitted the story “Giraffe” to the Introductory Writing Workshop at Parma, Ohio library.
Writing Progress from December 2020 Continued
I made five posts on my Goodreads account in December 2020.
In the past, I submitted the stories; Four Humors, Space Station Sunyata, and Grognard to magazines.
The seven Flash Fiction Stories I have submitted in 2020 were Space-Dog Confession, Sleeping Sickness, Caliburnus, and Popular Mechanics Re-brewed, Wormhole Generator, Runs with Scissors, and Principled Rogue to magazines.
I submitted “Runs with Scissors” to Strange Horizons in October 2020.
On December 1, 2020, I submitted “Sleeping Sickness” to Cast of Wonders.
Final magazine submissions for 2020 were 7 unique stories submitted 19 times with 0 accepted, 1 pending, and 18 rejections.
Events from December 2020.
The next conference I had planned to attend was ConFusion in Novi, Michigan, from January 15 to 17, 2021. The Ann Arbor Science Fiction Association is the sponsor for ConFusion. They cancelled the Conference for 2021 because of COVID-19. They plan to hold the next ConFusion in January 2022.
I plan to write four blog posts for garydavidgillen.com including my Writing Progress Report for January 2021.
The title of my next novel is Cuba Liberto. I plan to write Chapter 7 in January 2021 and submit it to the Novel Writing Workshop at Parma, Ohio library.
In January 2021, I plan to submit a story to the Introductory Writing Workshop at Parma, Ohio library.
I plan to work on third draft edits for Assassin in New Marl City using comments from the Novel Writing Workshop at Parma, Ohio. I plan to complete third draft edits for Chapters 4 and 5 in January 2021.
Submit the stories Space-Dog Confession, Four Humors, Space Station Sunyata, Grognard, LARP Film noir, Sleeping Sickness, Popular Mechanics Re-brewed, and Caliburnus. to other short fiction magazines. I plan three submissions for January 2021.
Polish and submit the stories White Bracer, Mage Squad, I Shall Not Return, Prisoner of Tarnal, and Kay-Eye for submission to short fiction magazines.
Writing Goals for January 2021 continued.
In January 2021, I plan to make five posts on my Goodreads account.
Put the novel, Assassin in New Marl City, into the writing program, Scrivener.
Buy an e-book cover for Assassin in New Marl City from Fiveer.
Planned Events for January 2021.
The next conference I had planned to attend was ConFusion in Novi, Michigan, from January 15 to 17, 2021. The Ann Arbor Science Fiction Association is the sponsor for ConFusion. They cancelled the Conference for 2021 because of COVID-19. They plan to hold the next ConFusion in January 2022.
Rhythm of War by Brandon Sanderson, Book #4 of the Stormlight Archive
Introduction
In Rhythm of War by Brandon Sanderson, the war continues between the human forces of the Stormfather and the Voidbringer forces of Odium. The Voidbringers have taken the kingdom of Alethkar, and the humans have retreated to the stronghold of Urithru. Dalinar Kholin leads humans and must decide where he should attack. Their strength is fading, and he must make the right decision or fail, leading to their destruction. Kaladin faces PTSD and must conquer great physical challenges to save them all. Will the forces of the Stormfather succeed or perish?
Summary–Six Viewpoints
There are six main viewpoint characters in this novel, including one viewpoint in flashback. The viewpoints are all about equal in importance. The viewpoints are Kaladin, Shallan, Dalinar, Navani, Venli, and Eshonai.
Summary – Flashbacks
Kaladin’s flashbacks were in Book 1. He suffers from PTSD incurred from the events of the last novel. In this novel, he struggles to heal himself and to protect Urithru. Kaladin is the leader of the Knights Radiant order of Windrunners.
Shallan’s flashbacks were in Book 2. Her struggle is with dealing with her other personalities, which are taking over more and more of her life. She created these personalities to cope with the terrible things that have happened to her in her life. The personality Radiant trains with the Shardblade and is the ideal Knight Radiant. The personality Veil pretends to be worldlier than Shallan and associates with the underground gang called the Ghostbloods. Shallan also has trouble figuring out her relationship with her fiancé, Adolin, who is Dalinar’s elder son. Shallan’s talents are creating illusions and creating items by surgebinding of stormlight. She is a member of the Knights Radiant Order of Lightweavers.
Dalinar’s flashbacks were in Book 3. His flashback chapters in Book 3 detailed why he does not remember his wife and what happened up to the time that he lost his memories. He becomes a Bondsmith (a Knights Radiant Order) and the leader of the humans at Urithru.
The flashbacks for Book 4 come from both Eshonai and Vendi. The flashbacks explain how Eshondi became the leader of the Parshendi war effort and how Vendi learned to use other forms to bring back the Voidbringers. Eshonai is only seen in flashbacks, while Venli has viewpoint chapters in flashbacks and in the current time.
Summary–Voidbringers and Parshmen
The Voidbringers took Kholinar, the Alethi capital. The humans gathered at Urithiru, the former city of the Knights Radiant, send a flying barge to rescue the residents of Hearthstone. Kaladin, Navani, and Dalinar take part in the rescue mission.
The Parshmen are a non-human race that has been the slaves of the humans and have been in a state that is called dull form, which decreases their intelligence. The Alethi have been fighting the Parshendi on the Shattered Plain since the Parshendi had Dalinar’s brother, Alethi King Gavilar, assassinated by the assassin in white. The secret they discover is that the Parshmen are Parshendi in the dull form. Some Parshendi, called the singers, have brought the Everstorm back and have awaked the Parshmen out of dull form. The Everstorm brings the Voidbringers who are called the Fused. The Fused are singers melded with ancient powerful spirits of Parshendi trapped by the Heralds in another plane. The Fused seek to overthrow the humans and retake Roshar as their own. The original Knights Radiant had discovered a secret about the Parshendi and had forsaken their vows.
Summary–Rhythm of War
Kaladin, Dalinar, and Navani take a flying barge to rescue the citizens of Hearthstone. Their homeland, Alethkar, has been taken by the Voidbringers and the only safe place to take the refugees is the ancient city of Urithru.
They send Shallan and Andolin on a special mission to Shadesmar to enlist the aid of the Honorspren.
Dalinar takes the coalition army to Emul to defeat the Voidbringer forces gathered there.
Kaladin and Navani protect Urithru from a Voidbringer attack. Venli is part of the Voidbringer attack but doesn’t have the same goals as the Voidbringers.
Recommendation
Rhythm of War by Brandon Sanders is another outstanding book in the Stormlight Archive series. The book expands on the first three books and intensifies the conflict. The reader learns more about how Eshonai became the leader of the Parshendi and how Venli learned new forms which lead to the coming of the Voidbringers. Dalinar becomes a supreme war leader. Kaladin faces his biggest challenges yet. Navani faces an interesting dilemma concerning if you should help your captor if the help you provide could prove your downfall. Shallan deals with her multiple personalities and her relationship with Adolin.
The flashback character for book 5 is for Szeth-son-son-Vallano, and that should prove interesting. Books one to five are a division of the series, and a significant event should occur at the end of the next book. This series continues to amaze me, and I look forward to reading the next book and the following group of five volumes in the coming years.
Links
This is the link to the Goodreads page of Rhythm of War by Brandon Sanderson.
My review of Arcanum Unbounded by Brandon Sanderson, a collection with nine stories that are part of the cosmere universe. Many of the author’s works are interrelated by an overarching plot, which he calls the cosmere. He sets the stories of the cosmere on a group of worlds that can be traveled to by magical means. Six stories are set on the worlds of his published novels, and three stories are about worlds that have not had a novel-length story treatment. All the stories in this collection are excellent.
The Gotham Writers Workshop held the Gotham Writers Conference 2020 as a virtual conference because of COVID-19. Last year they held the conference at the Ace Hotel in New York City on October 25, 2019. This year, they used Zoom to hold the virtual conference from October 16, 2020, to October 18, 2020. On day one they held three presentations featuring writers. On the second day, they held three presentations focused on writers and agents. The last day was for pitching roundtables. They scheduled thirteen roundtables. Each roundtable had eight authors and two agents. Each author presented a query and the first two pages of their work to the agents. The agents gave their feedback.
This is the link to the Gotham Writers Workshop, the sponsor of the event.
The moderator asked questions of the panel and the panelists answered if they had something to say. Here are three examples I liked.
What are you looking for in an agent? You need someone who knows what a contract looks like.
Does the agent say they can cover different genres? I can do anything is a suspect statement.
What is success? The goalposts keep moving. It’s okay if you are writing for yourself.
Josh Sippe conducted a brief audience Q and A session during the last ten minutes of the panel.
Friday, October 16 at 11:25 AM
The Benefit of Your Day Job (even if you dislike it) presentation by Jacob M. Appel.
Alex Steele introduced Jacob M. Appel. Jacob has written 200 short stories, 19 novels, and has 9 advanced degrees. They featured him in an Amazon Prime documentary linked below.
Jacob believes that having a day job helps you as a writer, giving your writing context.
He gave ten things that he has learned to help him write well. Three of his points follow.
Make writing your third priority after family and occupation.
Write a novel to ask a question not to answer a question.
Readers want to read something they don’t know, but the writer does. Know more than the reader.
Jacob had the audience take part in an eight-minute exercise. He had us write a scene using jargon from your specialized field or occupation.
The talk ended with a Q and A session with Josh Sippe as the moderator.
Friday, October 16 at 12:30 PM
Kelly Caldwell interviewed Erin Entrada Kelly about her writing journey.
Erin Entrada Kelly is the 2018 Newberry award-winning author of Hello, Universe. She discusses her writing journey.
Goodreads link to Hello, Universe by Erin Entrada Kelly.
The moderator asked questions of the panel and the panelists answered if they had something to say. Here are three examples I liked.
What makes a query stand out? The hook, comp titles, platform (for non-fiction), and compelling first pages.
What is your deciding question for offering representation? Where do you think your career is going? Do we have chemistry, a working relationship?
What qualities are most important to see in an author? (JL) content, character, voice. (ES) voice, sell, communication. (SB) connection, sincerity, engagement.
The talk ended with a Q and A session with Josh Sippe as the moderator.
Saturday, October 17 at 11:30 AM
The Agent and Client–making a connection discussion. Josh Sippe moderated the discussion between Amy Bishop, an author, and June Hur, an agent.
An agent and a client discuss how to connect with each other.
Amy Bishop is an agent at the Dystel, Goderich, and Bourret Agency.
The moderator asked Amy and June questions. These are three Q and A examples I liked.
How important is a query letter? (AB) a well-crafted query letter says that the author is serious. Queries are hard, but don’t need to be perfect to be effective.
Can rejections be positive? (JH) Publishing is a marathon. Rejections are subjective and not personal. Keep your perspective as an author.
What was the timeline for The Silence of Bones? (AB) Query in August 2017, Agreement September 2017, Submitted to editor February 2018, realization that the novel is YA, Big revision to the editor in August 2018, published by Feiwel & Friends in April 2020.
End of discussion.
Saturday, October 17 at 12:30 PM
Alexander Steele conducted the Pitching Game Show with Alec Shane, Alexandra Levick, and.
The contestant’s goal was to practice their pitching skills. They picked a contestant, and Alex Steele drew a character and a situation at random. The contestant had a few minutes to prepare a pitch. The contestant gave the pitch to the agent panel and ended the pitch with a proposed title for the book. They picked four contestants, and they gave their pitches one at a time. The agents could not reach a consensus, so all four contestants received a $50 gift certificate for a class at Gotham Writers Workshop.
Sunday, October 18 from 12:00 PM to 4:30 PM
The SF/Fantasy Pitching Roundtable #2 with Kurestin Armada and Dong Won Song.
Each session was on an individual Zoom call with eight participants and two agents for each table.
The first group session had six tables: Literary/Mainstream 1, Literary/Mainstream 3, Middle Grade/Young Adult 1, Mystery/Thriller/Horror, Non-Fiction 1, and Science Fiction/Fantasy 2.
The second group session was from 3:00 PM to 7:30 PM and had seven tables: Literary/Mainstream 2, Literary/Mainstream 4, Middle Grade/Young Adult 2, Non-Fiction 2, Non-Fiction 3, Picture Book, and Science Fiction/Fantasy 1.
I took part in the SF/Fantasy Pitching Roundtable #2. In the first part of the roundtable, each participant read their query letter, and the agents made their comments. It took about ten minutes for each query letter. A 30-minute break followed. In the second part of the roundtable, each participant read the first two pages of their novel and the agents offered their feedback.
Recommendation – Conclusion
I enjoyed virtually attending the Gotham Writers Conference 2020. I’m glad they could hold the conference. Last year in New York City I did not have my novel presentation completed in time to earn a spot at the pitching roundtables conducted on October 26, 2019. This year I took part in the Science Fiction/ Fantasy Roundtable #2. My star of the Con was Alex Steele. He gave a great welcome speech, introduced Jacob M. Appel for his presentation, and conducted the Pitching Game Show. The conference was well worth the time invested, and I would like to attend next year.
Links
Recap for the Gotham Writers Conference in New York City, New York on October 25, 2019, sponsored by Gotham Writers Workshop. There were five panels and presentations at the conference. I did not attend on October 26, 2019, for the pitching roundtables.
