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My Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine Collection Update #2

My Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine Collection Update #2

Here is the last issue purchased for my collection which was received on 06-23-18.

Introduction

I made a post on the status of my Asimov’s Science Fiction Collection on February 22, 2018. At that time, I had collected 363 issues of the 420 issues released from Spring 1977 to March 2014. I have read 331 of the 363 issues. Unread issues are from February 2011 to March 2014. I decided to purchase the 57 issues that I missed and then read them all.

The first update post was made on March 24, 2014. From February 22 to March 24, I purchased a total of 35 issues for $108.43, averaging $3.10 per issue. In February, I bought 19 issues; 10 from Amazon.com for $25.00, 5 from mycomicshop.com for $21.25, and 4 from ebay.com for $15.74. In March, I bought 16 issues; 2 from Amazon.com for $11.88, and 14 from ebay.com for $34.56. There were 22 issues remaining to be purchased.

Update

This second update covers March 24 to July 4. I purchased 21 issues in April including 18 issues from mycomicshop.com for $43.05, one issue from ebay for $5.99, and two issues from Amazon for $14.49. The last issue to purchase was the June 1998 issue. I ordered the issue from ebay in April but it never arrived and I was refunded the purchase price. It was difficult to find the issue. I searched for the issue but only found it at backissues.com.  I purchased it from backissues.com for $15.99 and received it on June 23, 2018.

The total cost for 57 issues was $187.95, $3.30 average per issue.

In the rest of this post, I will make notes for each year from 1977 to 2014.

Notes 1970’s

1977: 4 issues printed with 3 issues at start labeled summer, fall, and winter. 1 issue purchased in April: Spring 1977 (issue #1).

1978: 6 issues printed with 0 issues at start. Purchased 5 issues in February and 1 issue in March. None remaining to be purchased.

1979: 12 issues printed with 0 issues at start. I purchased 4 issues in February. 8 issues purchased in April.

Notes 1980’s

1980: 12 printed and 12 issues at start.

1981: 13 printed and 13 issues at start.

1982: 13 printed and 7 issues at start.  I purchased 1 issue in February. 5 issues purchased in April.

1983: 13 printed and 0 issues at start. Purchased 13 issues in March. None remaining to be purchased.

1984: 13 printed and 0 issues at start. Purchased 10 issues in February. 3 issues purchased in April.

1985: 13 issues printed and 10 issues at start. Purchased 1 issue in March. 2 issues purchased in April.

1986: 13 printed and 13 issues at start.

1987: 13 printed and 12 issues at start. 1 issue purchased in April, currently reading.

1988: 13 printed and 13 issues at start.

1989: 13 printed and 13 issues at start.

Notes 1990’s

1990: 13 printed and 13 issues at start.

1991: 13 printed and 13 issues at start.

1993: 13 printed and 13 issues at start.

1994: 13 printed and 13 issues at start.

1995: 13 printed and 13 issues at start.

1996: 11 printed and 11 issues at start.

1997: 11 printed and 11 issues at start.

1998: 11 printed and 10 issues at start. 1 issue purchased in June.

1999: 11 printed and 11 issues at start.

Notes 2000’s

2000: 11 printed and 11 issues at start.

2001: 11 printed and 11 issues at start.

2002: 11 printed and 11 issues at start.

2003: 11 printed and 11 issues at start.

2004: 10 printed and 10 issues at start.

2005: 10 printed and 10 issues at start.

2006: 10 printed and 9 issues at start. 1 issue purchased in April.

2007: 10 printed and 10 issues at start.

2008: 10 printed and 10 issues at start.

2009: 10 printed and 10 issues at start.

Notes 2010’s

2010: 10 printed and 10 issues at start.

2011: 10 printed and 10 issues at start. The January issue is the last I have read so far.

2012: 10 printed and 10 issues at start.

2013: 10 printed and 10 issues at start.

2014: 3 issues, March 2014 was the last issue in my subscription.

Conclusion

That ends my collection. I enjoyed reading the stories for many years. And now I have copies of the first 420 issues of the magazine. I have read 331 issues and am currently reading the September 1987 issue. Later, I plan to write another post about my favorite stories that I have read in Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine.

Links

This is the link to Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine.

https://www.asimovs.com/

This is the link to my first post about my Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine collection.

My Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine Collection

This is the link to my second post about my Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine collection.

My Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine Collection Update

The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan

Eye of the World by Robert Jordan, The Wheel of Time Book #1

Introduction

Rand and his father Tam are sheepherders near the village of Emond’s field. The Trollocs invade and threaten their world. Trollocs are minions of the Dark One. The Dark One longs to break out of his centuries-long imprisonment. The Dark One is threatened by three young men from Emond’s field, Rand and his two friends Matt and Perrin. Will they be killed by the Dark One’s minions or will they escape to the mythical city of Tar Valon?

Summary

Rand and his friends are helped by five people early in their journey to Tar Valon. Nynaeve, the Wisdom of Emond’s field, and her apprentice Egwene. A wisdom is a female healer and weather forecaster found in villages. The Aes Sedai, Moiraine and her Warder named Lan. The Aes Sedai are female magic users from Tar Valon who use the One Power to do their magic. The last helper is the gleeman, Thom Merrilin. Gleemen are traveling entertainers who are found infrequently in the villages. They try to avoid the Trollocs, their commanders called Myrddraal and other followers of the Dark One called Darkfriends. The group faces the dangers of Shadar Logoth and the Children of the Light. They are helped by Min, the Tinkers, the forest dweller and friend of wolves named Elyas Machera, and the Ogier Loial. The young men are named ta’veren, a person who the Wheel of Time revolves. The Wheel of Time is the pattern where the ages repeat again and again. They must find the Eye of the World to defeat the Dark One.

Recommendation

This novel is an epic that begins an epic series of fifteen books (fourteen novels and a short prequel novel). While inspired by the works of J. R. R. Tolkien, there is much more in this novel. Ran, Mat, and Perrin have different personalities and wants. The narrative pushes them to face the Dark One through dreams and increasing danger from his minions. The Dark One has an objective and a way to achieve it. This novel ends with a bigger world beckoning and a reluctant hero beginning to understand his place on the Wheel of Time. I have waited a long time to start this long journey of reading this series, but I am glad that I have chosen to start it now. This first book is great and I look forward to reading the last three novels which were completed by Brandon Sanderson, one of my current favorite authors. On to book number two, The Great Hunt.

Links

Goodreads link for The Eye of the World

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/228665.The_Eye_of_the_World

Review of The Great Hunt by Robert Jordan. Rand searches for the Horn of Valere since he needs it for the Last Battle. Rand becomes the Dragon Reborn and Nynaeve learns how to use the One Power. Amazon Prime Video will adapt the first two novels of the series in 2020.

Great Hunt by Robert Jordan

The Fourth Monkey by J. D. Barker

Fourth Monkey by JD Barker

4MK Thriller Book #1

Introduction

Homicide detective Sam Porter knew it was going to be a bad day when he woke up to a call about a suspicious death. An apparent suicide, the case turns when Sam finds a diary in the man’s pocket. The diary is from an uncaught serial killer that Sam has searched for in the past. As Sam investigates the suicide and studies the diary, he enters the mind of a killer. Will he crack the case or will he become the serial killer’s next victim?

Summary

The Four Monkey Killer has operated in Chicago for the past five years before this story takes place. The killer has claimed seven victims. Three boxes per victim. See no evil, Hear no evil, Speak no evil, Do no evil. An eye, an ear, a tongue, and a body. Sam was assigned to the 4MK task force to catch the killer but they have not been able to. The apparent suicide is assumed to be the killer but Sam figures out that he was just another victim since the man holds box number one.

Sam follows up the clues on the victim’s body, the clues in the diary, and the clues discovered by the task force. The points of view of the novel alternate between Sam and the diary until a third viewpoint is introduced. Fifteen-year-old Emory Conners is the third viewpoint character who appears to be the killer’s next victim. The readers follow Sam as he learns who she is and tries to save her. The task force reconvenes including detective Claire Norton. They help Sam’s quest to catch the killer.

Conclusion

This is a great thriller. The novel moves fast following many false leads and containing many surprises. What I liked the most was the diary sections because it was a puzzle of how much to believe the killer. Is the killer an unreliable narrator, telling the truth, or somewhere in between? Read the novel to find out. I plan to read the next novel in the series, The Fifth to Die. It is scheduled to be released on July 10, 2018.

Links

This is the link to the Goodreads page of The Fourth Monkey by JD Barker.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31125554-the-fourth-monkey

This is the link to my review of The Dead Key by DM Pulley, a similar book; combining mystery and thriller.

The Dead Key by D. M. Pulley

Writing Progress Report for June 2018

This is my Writing Progress Report June 2018.

South Euclid/Lyndhurst Branch of the Cuyahoga County Library

Writing Progress from May 2018

I typed the edits for Assassin in New Marl City Chapters 24 and 26 in May of 2018.

I typed chapters 10, 27, and 28 of Assassin in New Marl City in May of 2018.

The stories Four Humors, Space Station Sunyata, Grognard, Get to the Point, and LARP Film Noir has been submitted to magazines.

Statistics of magazine submissions for 2018 are; 0 different stories submitted a total of 0 times with 0 accepted, 0 pending, and 0 rejections.

Events from May 2018

I attended the Pitch Perfect Workshop on May 8 and May 22. The Workshop was sponsored by Literary Cleveland. It covered how to create a pitch letter for freelance writing. The workshop content was applicable to writing query letters for agent representation by fiction writers.

I attended the Marcon Conference on May 12, 2018, at the Hyatt Regency in Columbus, Ohio.  I drove to Columbus from Cleveland in the morning. The first activities were scheduled at 10:00 AM. I arrived at 10:30 AM, registered for the day, and went to the con suite for an early lunch. Activities were spaced in 90-minute blocks. The activities generally lasted 75 minutes with a 15-minute break until the next activity. The categories of the activities were Anime, Art, Comics, Cosplay, Fan Life, Filk, Gaming, Literary, Media, Science, and Youth. I attended four panels and two game shows.

Link to the Marcon website.

http://marcon.org/

Writing Goals for June 2018

Type the edits for Assassin in New Marl City Chapters 30, 32, 33, 34, 35, and 36 in June of 2018.

Type Chapters 12, 15, 19, 20, 23, 25, 29, and 31 of Assassin in New Marl City in June of 2018.

Polish and submit the stories Space-Dog Confession, White Bracer, Mage Squad, I Shall Not Return, Prisoner of Tarnal, and Kay-Eye for submission to short fiction magazines.

Submit 4 Humours, Space Station Sunyata, Grognard, and LARP Film Noir to other short fiction magazines.

Hire an editor for Searcher of Riven from Fiveer.

Hire an editor for Ruins of Yarnud from Fiveer.

Planned Events for June 2018

Attend Killer Heat: A Mystery Writers Weekend on June 9th, 2018. It is sponsored by the Cuyahoga County Public Library. The location is the South Euclid-Lyndhurst branch of the Cuyahoga County Public Library at the William N. Skirball writer’s center which is located at the branch on 1876 South Green Road South Euclid, Ohio 44121.

Purchase an e-book cover for Assassin in New Marl City from Fiveer.

Put the first ten chapters of Assassin in New Marl City into the writing program, Scrivener.

Work on completing a Query letter to use to find an agent for Assassin in New Marl.

Links

Writing Progress Report June 2018

I wrote five blog posts for garydavidgillen.com including my writing progress report for May 2018 linked below.

Writing Progress Report April and May 2018

Armada by Ernest Cline

Armada by Ernest Cline

Introduction

In Armada by Ernest Cline, Zack Lightman is facing a life crossroads during his last week as a high school senior. He fights a bully, Douglas Knotcher, he struggles with his relationship with his ex-girlfriend, Ellen Adams, and he hangs out with his best friends, Cruz and Diehl, aka the Mikes. Zack tries to connect with his dead father by playing computer games, watching VCR tapes, and listening to music that his father liked. Zack’s favorite current game is a spaceship simulator called Armada. What happens if the game becomes real? That is the dilemma that Zack will face in this novel.

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Summary

Zack’s mother is a single mom so Zack must work to earn the money to buy his games. He works at Starbase Ace, a used video game shop, for Ray, who is an older father figure to Zack. Ray is just as committed as Zack to sci-fi gaming, movies, and TV shows. Zack buys his gear from Ray. This book is set in 2018. In the book, a video game publisher called Chaos Terrain begins operations in 2010. A few years later they release Terra Firma, a first-person shooter video game. A year later they release Armada, a space combat simulator.

Zack has been playing Armada for the past few years. Zack is so accomplished in the game that he is #6 on the worldwide leaderboard. The plot is similar to the movies Iron Eagle, Ender’s Game, and The Last Starfighter. The movies all had a kid learning to train for real-life combat by using a video game simulation. At the end of Phase One of the novel, something unusual happens to change the novel from a high school drama to a military operation based on the video game Armada. In Phase Two, Zack meets many new people including Lex and goes on a dangerous mission. In Phase Three the book wraps up with a final battle where Zack must make a complicated and important decision.

Recommendation

I enjoyed this novel almost as much as Ready Player One also by Ernest Cline. Both novels had protagonists that looked back in time to the 80s and 90s to find the answers to the questions of their narratives. The references were familiar to me. I particularly liked the Raid the Arcade Mix tape that Zack’s dad had made and Zack found and liked listening to. There are 28 songs on the tape. Thirteen songs were in my collection and obtained 6 more from the library. I thought that Lex did not have enough conflict with Zack as his romantic interest. I also thought that the ending was too easy for Zack to solve and too open-ended. It will make a great movie.

Raid The Arcade Mix Tape

Links

This is the link to the Goodreads page of Armada by Ernest Cline.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16278318-armada

This is the link to my review of Ready Player One by Ernest Cline. Wade Watts is poor. The year is 2044. The only way out is to win a contest for a billionaire’s fortune. The contest started five years ago but no one has won it yet, so Wade is determined to win it to secure his future.

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

Marcon Conference 2018

The Marcon Conference 2018 was held from May 11 to May 13, 2018, at the Hyatt Regency in Columbus, Ohio.

This is the link to the Marcon website.

http://marcon.org/

Introduction

I attended the Marcon Conference 2018 on Saturday, May 12. I drove to Columbus from Cleveland in the morning. The first activities were scheduled at 10:00 AM. I arrived at 10:30 AM, registered for the day, and went to the con suite for an early lunch. Activities were spaced in 90-minute blocks. The activities generally lasted 75 minutes with a 15-minute break until the next activity. The categories of the activities were Anime, Art, Comics, Cosplay, Fan Life, Filk, Gaming, Literary, Media, Science, and Youth. I attended four panels and two game shows at the Marcon Conference 2018.

Summary

Saturday: May 12, 2018

11:30 AM – Destination Mars

The three panelists debated about how and when humans will travel to Mars. All three had different viewpoints. It will happen in the next five years, it will happen a little later when the technology improves, and manned missions are too expensive and dangerous compared to unmanned missions. They asked if the missions will be one way which will make them similar to the colonization of America. Space tourism will probably fund the way to space travel.

1:00 PM – Game of Thrones Jeopardy!

The Psi Phi Columbus Game Show Network presented this activity. The jeopardy categories were projected on a big screen and the questions were written by the organizers. I volunteered to be on the first three-person panel. The game went back and forth until I pulled ahead by 3000 points in double jeopardy. The final jeopardy question was: What way don’t you want to leave the Eyrie? We all had the correct response: What is the Moon Door? I risked 2000 points because if the second place finisher had risked none and I lost 2000 points, I would still win the game. Using that strategy, I won the panel with 13200 points. I watched the second group. I would have had a hard time winning against the second winner. It was fun. The prize that I took for participating was a Targaryen lanyard.

It’s hard to read the numbers on the picture but my name is in blue and I won.

2:30 PM – That Was the Year in Science

There were two panelists that covered the most important scientific events that happened in the past year. The bulk of the conversation was about the collision of two neutron stars that occurred on 08-17-17. Other topics included a picture of a pulse of light, Homo sapiens are believed to have appeared 300000 years ago, the use of 3-D printing of polymerized chainmail for other uses (It was originally made for the Lord of the Rings movies), a lamb born from an artificial womb, and mice and rats may be able to pass memories to their offspring.

4:00 PM – What’s Going on in Commercial Space

This presentation began as a power point presentation about the recent commercial activities in space. The premise of the talk was how the current commercial space race was similar to the plot of The Man Who Sold the Moon by Robert Heinlein published in 1950.

The current commercial space race has four major players.

SpaceX

Elon Musk is the founder and CEO of SpaceX. SpaceX uses the Falcon 9 rocket to launch satellites and to service a contract from NASA to resupply the International Space Station (ISS). The company’s next goal is to use the bigger Falcon Heavy rocket to launch the Dragon spacecraft which will carry humans to the ISS. After that, the goal is to use the even bigger BFR rocket to launch a manned mission to Mars.

Bigelow Aerospace

Robert Bigelow is the founder and president of Bigelow Aerospace. The company manufactures expandable space station modules. The Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM, 16 cubic meters) was attached to the ISS in 2016 and remains operational today. The B330 (330 cubic meters, 20 times bigger than the BEAM) is projected to be launched in 2020. It could be part of the ISS or become its own space station. The company’s plan is to lease space on the module for experiments and manufacturing.

Blue Origin

Jeff Bezos, the CEO of Amazon, is also the founder of Blue Origin. Their New Shepard rocket delivered its first payload on April 29, 2018. The bigger New Glenn rocket has enough power to put people into space with a planned launch in 2020.

Virgin Galactic

Richard Branson founded the Virgin Group which includes Virgin Galactic. The company wants to provide suborbital flights to space tourists and suborbital flights for space science missions. Test flights have been performed and paid flights are near.

The Future

Money can be made in space right now by supplying the ISS, putting satellites into orbit, and servicing those satellites. Future money making opportunities include telescopes, colonies, mining, radioactive waste storage, prisons, military bases, and garbage removal. The rest of the presentation was watching internet videos that gave different perspectives on the subject.

The whole presentation was informative and well designed.

5:30 PM – Break

I had dinner and relaxed at the con suite.

7:00 PM – Sci-Fi Wheel of Fortune

This game was presented by the Psi Phi Columbus Game Show Nexus. There were two games run before another group took the projector at 8 PM. In game one some of the puzzles were to name the power puff girls and name the teen titans. In game two there were a couple of Before and After puzzles and also name that person. I did not participate but it was fun to guess the puzzles in the audience.

8:30 PM – Writing Time Travel Sci-Fi and Doing it Right

This was a single person presentation. The presenter discussed the issues that the TV shows Timeless and Fringe had in depicting the ramifications of time travel. An example of a show that did better with the concept was the TV show 12 monkeys.

10:00 PM – Game of Thrones: Winter is Here.

I really wanted to stay and attend this panel but I could not. Sunday was Mother’s Day and I wanted to be home. I would have arrived too late if I had stayed for this panel. I returned to my car and left at 10:45 PM, arriving home at 12:30 AM.

Recommendations

My favorite activity at Marcon Conference 2018 was playing Game of Thrones Jeopardy. My stars of the con were Ken Keisel and Bob Lohman for their commitment to science. I’m glad that I made the trip to Columbus in 2018. There will be a new hotel and a new date for next year and I hope to attend the Marcon Conference in 2019.

Links

This is my recap for the SF conference Cleveland ConCoction 2018. They held it from March 9, 2018, to March 11, 2018. I attended ten activities and volunteered in the ConSuite for eight hours.

Conference Recap Cleveland ConCoction 2018

The Darknet by M. T. Bass

The Darknet by M T Bass

The Darknet by M T Bass, Murder by Munchausen Mysteries Book 2

Introduction

The Baron is back and hunting murder victims. Detectives Jack and Maddie are hunting him. Will they find him before he kills again?

Summary

In the previous book in the series, we learned that a serial killer called the Baron has been recreating past serial killer murders by using androids to commit the crimes in a near future Cleveland, Ohio. Jake the previous book’s protagonist, a detective from the Android Crime Unit (ACU), consults with Cleveland homicide detective Madeline “Maddie” on their connected cases. They had a previous romantic relationship which complicates their investigation.

As the investigation continues, more bodies appear and Maddie must discover the identity of the Baron before more victims die. The first murder in this book is witnessed by Amy who is orphaned and homeless. Maddie takes her in to protect her. Amy’s fate becomes important to the investigation. Maddie is helped by Jake, Maddie’s homicide partner Sanchez, and the members of the Android Crime Unit nicknamed the Geek Squad by Jake.

Recommendation

The events of this story follow directly after book #1. It was a jarring experience starting book #2 because Jake is the first-person narrator in book #1 and Maddie is the first-person narrator in book #2. Jake has a distinctive voice. He is snarky and has a quip for every situation. Maddie is more in the background. It took me some time to understand her voice. This book ended up being good but not as good as the first book because of the change in narrator. The descriptions of Cleveland locations continue to be well researched and believable.

This series seems to be sections of about 150 pages of a novel with a thematic climax at the end. Book #1 is 134 pages and Book #2 is 146 pages. Book #3 is called the Invisible Mind due to be released on 08-25-18 and Book #4 is called Motherless Children with a release date to be determined. I will read these sections when they are released.

Links

This is the link to the Goodreads page of Murder by Munchausen by M. T. Bass.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36564272-the-darknet

This is the link to my review of Murder by Munchausen by M. T. Bass. Cleveland, Ohio detective Jake and his partner E. C. are searching for an Android Subject (AnSub) that has committed a murder. The AnSub leads him to a serial killer.

Murder by Munchausen by M. T. Bass

Head On by John Scalzi

Head On by John Scalzi

Head On by John Scalzi, Book #2 of the Lock In Series

Introduction

Chris Shane witnesses the death of Duane Chapman, the first player killed in the new future violent sport of Hilketa. Years ago, in our future, an epidemic called Haden’s Syndrome affected millions of people who are now unable to control their own bodies. They interact with the outside world by using autonomous robots, called threeps, which are remotely connected to their brains. Chris and Duane have Haden’s Syndrome.

Duane plays in a team sport where the threeps battle on a sports field. The object of the game is to rip the head off the designated opponent’s threep and score a goal with it. Duane’s threep was destroyed and his body should not have died but it has. Chris is an FBI agent who must find out how and why Duane died. The case goes down unexpected paths and Chris must put together the clues to find the truth or risk Chris’s own life.

Summary

Chris is non-gender specific in the novel. Chris is at the Hilketa game because Chris’s father is interested in purchasing an expansion team based in Washington, D. C. Chris’s father is a famous championship-winning former basketball player and a real estate billionaire. Chris was the poster child for Haden’s rights but now wants to just solve cases for the FBI in relative anonymity. Chris’s partner in the FBI is Leslie Vann. She is the senior partner and helps Chris investigate the case. People keep dying in the novel as Chris gets closer to the truth. The criminals destroy Chris’s threeps and eventually threaten Chris’s life.

Recommendation

I enjoyed this novel very much. It is not necessary to read the first novel first though it helps with the background material. This novel reads fast, the action does not stop, and the revelations are valid. The police procedural part of the novel holds up well. The part of the novel dealing with Chris’s self-identity and struggle with being famous is the most interesting and the most frustrating. Keeping Chris gender-neutral has eliminated any romantic relationships. Duane is a Haden married to a non-Haden, Marla. Though that relationship does not end well, I wanted to see Chris struggle with a relationship in this novel. I think this might be what the author is building toward if there is a third novel in the series. I look forward to reading more about Chris Shane if there are more novels in the series.

Links

This is the link to the Goodreads page of Head On by John Scalzi.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35018901-head-on

This is a link to my review of Lock In by John Scalzi, Book #1 of the Lock In Series. FBI agent Chris Shane cannot physically examine a murder scene because Chris has Haden’s Syndrome. Chris interacts with the world with an android.

Lock In by John Scalzi

Writing Progress Report April and May 2018

Writing Progress Report April and May 2018

This is my Writing Progress Report April and May 2018.

Happy Birthday!!!

Writing Progress from March and April 2018

I typed the edits for Assassin in New Marl City Chapters 16, 17, 18, and 21 in March and April of 2018.

I typed chapters 13, 14, and 22 of Assassin in New Marl City in March and April of 2018.

The stories 4 Humours, Space Station Sunyata, Grognard, Get to the Point, and LARP Film Noir have been submitted to magazines.

Statistics of magazine submissions for 2018 are; 0 different stories submitted a total of 0 times with 0 accepted, 0 pending, and 0 rejections.

Events from March and April 2018

I attended ConCoction from March 9 to March 11, 2018, at the Bertram Inn and Conference Center 600 North Aurora Road Aurora, Ohio 44202. At the event, I volunteered for 8 hours in the Con Suite at the event. I attended the opening ceremony, 5 panels, 2 readings, 1 performance, and the closing ceremony.

This is a link to the Cleveland ConCoction website.

http://www.clevelandconcoction.org/

Writing Goals for May 2018

Type the edits for Assassin in New Marl City Chapters 24, 26, 30, 32, 33, 34, 35, and 36 in May 2018.

Type Chapters 10, 12, 15, 17, 19, 21, 23, 25, 27, 28, 29, and 31 of Assassin in New Marl City in May 2018.

Polish and submit the stories Space-Dog Confession, White Bracer, Mage Squad, I Shall Not Return, Prisoner of Tarnal, and Kay-Eye for submission to short fiction magazines.

Submit 4 Humours, Space Station Sunyata, Grognard, and LARP Film Noir to other short fiction magazines.

Hire an editor for Searcher of Riven from Fiveer.

Hire an editor for Ruins of Yarnud from Fiveer.

Planned Events for May 2018

Attend the Pitch Perfect Workshop on May 8 and May 22. The Workshop is sponsored by Literary Cleveland. It covers how to create a pitch letter for freelance writing. I feel the workshop content is applicable to writing query letters for agent representation by fiction writers.

Attend Marcon on May 12 at the Hyatt Regency in Columbus, Ohio.

The link to the Marcon website.

http://marcon.org/

Purchase an e-book cover for Assassin in New Marl City from Fiveer.

Put the first ten chapters of Assassin in New Marl City into the writing program, Scrivener.

Work on completing a Query letter to use to find an agent for Assassin in New Marl.

Links

I wrote three blog posts for garydavidgillen.com including my writing progress report for March 2018 linked below. I also wrote one blog post in April.

Writing Progress Report March 2018

The Heart of What Was Lost by Tad Williams

The Heart of What Was Lost by Tad Williams

The Heart of What Was Lost by Tad Williams, Book #0.5 of The Last King of Osten Ard

Introduction

The Storm King has been defeated at the end of the novel To Green Angel Tower (Book #3 Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn) and the Norns, long-lived humanoids called immortals, must retreat across the hostile lands of the mortals. This is the story of the Norns retreat and the mortal army that follows them looking to destroy their race forever. Will the Norns successfully defend their last mountain fortress of Nakkiga or will they perish?

Summary

This book serves as a bridge novel from the first trilogy to a soon to be published sequel trilogy. The author tells this story from four different perspectives. Duke Isgrimnur of Elvritshalla is the leader of the army pursuing the Norns. He wants vengeance for his son Isorn who was recently killed in the war. He leads the Rimmersman who are the mortals who live the closest to the Norns. Porto is from the southern island of Perdruin and is in the mercenary part of the army tracking the retreating Norns. He wants to finish the job of defeating the Norns and return home safely.

Viyeki is a Norn who is in Order of Builders. Builders do not fight but serve the military, called the Order of Sacrifices. He wants to help secure their retreat to Nakkiga and save his people from destruction. Lady Miga is a Norn of the Order of Chroniclers who writes a scholarly retelling of the events depicted by the other three narrators. She brings perspective to the events and illustrates how legends are created from real events.

The novel is divided into five parts. Part One. The Ruined Fortress is about the Norns defense of Tangleroot Castle which is on the road to the Norn Fells, the Norn homeland in Osten Ard.  Part Two. Three Ravens Tower is about the Norns stand at the tower which is part of the fortifications surrounding the Norn Fells. Part Three. The Nakkiga Gate is about the battle outside of the mountain. Part Four. The Fatal Mountain is about the resolution of the conflict. Part Five. The Long Way Back is about the aftermath of the conflict.

Recommendation

I think this is a great book and makes me want to read the second trilogy. The Witchwood Crown (Book #1 The Last King of Osten Ard Book) was released on June 27, 2017, and the second book, Empire of Grass, will be released in 2019. There is a thirty-year time jump between trilogies. I would call The Heart of What Was Lost as Book 3.5 of the first trilogy because the events follow immediately after book #3. It could be called a coda to the first trilogy since it is 197 pages long. I liked how all four narrators showed different perspectives on the conflict and each arc was a complete and interrelated story.

Links

This is the link to the Goodreads page of The Heart of What Was Lost by Tad Williams.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28585686-the-heart-of-what-was-lost

Link to my review of Oathbringer by Brandon Sanderson. Oathbringer is a fantasy novel like The Heart of What Was Lost.

Oathbringer by Brandon Sanderson