WW28: SPECTYR

WW28
A chance to showcase your favourite!

• First you grab our Wicked Wednesday pic.
• Then you grab a book. Turn to page 28. Take the first sentence. And then you post it in your site with a link back to WW28.
• Come back to Cherry Mischievous - WW28 and give us the url of your post (in a comment at a WW28 post) so that other WW28 readers can find your WW28 offering.

WW28 book offering : Spectyr by Philippa Ballantine

Page 28, 1st Sentence:

Looking into those flinty gray eyes, Raed knew that there would be no argument.

Forceful much?... Hey, the good guys are suppose to be bad-ass!!

About Spectyr:

Though one of the most powerful Deacons, Sorcha Faris has a tarnished reputation to overcome. She and her partner, Deacon Merrick Chambers, find themselves chasing down rumors of geists, but long for a return to real action. So they jump at the chance to escort a delegation sent to negotiate the terms of the Emperor’s engagement. Their destination: the exotic city of Orinthal.

But a string of murders has Orinthal on edge, and Sorcha and Merrick are asked to investigate. Meanwhile the Emperor’s sister has unwittingly released a cruel and vengeful goddess, one who it bent on destroying her enemies, including the geistlord who resides inside the shapeshifting rival to the throne—Sorcha’s lover…

Source: Info in the About Spectyrwas taken from the author's website at http://www.booksoftheorder.com/?page_id=124 on 11/06/2011.

WW28: GEIST

WW28
A chance to showcase your favourite!

• First you grab our Wicked Wednesday pic.
• Then you grab a book. Turn to page 28. Take the first sentence. And then you post it in your site with a link back to WW28.
• Come back to Cherry Mischievous - WW28 and give us the url of your post (in a comment at a WW28 post) so that other WW28 readers can find your WW28 offering.

WW28 book offering : Geist by Philippa Ballantine

Page 28, 1st Sentence:

"Good." Sorcha nodded, daring another look.

Or do we only see what we want to see? That seems to be one human trait that this book got pat down...

About Geist:

Geists don’t always play by the rules.

Between the living and the dead is the Order of the Deacons, protectors of the Empire, guardians against possession, sentinels enlisted to ward off the malevolent haunting of the geists…

Among the most powerful of the Order is Sorcha, now thrust into partnership with the novice Deacon, Merrick Chambers. They have been dispatched to the isolated village of Ulrich to aide the Priory with a surge of violent geist activity. With them is Raed Rossin, Pretender to the throne that Sorcha is sworn to protect, and bearer of a terrible curse.

But what greets them in the strange settlement is something far more predatory and more horrifying than any mere haunting. And as she uncovers a tradition of twisted rituals passed down through the dark reaches of history, Sorcha will be forced to reconsider everything she thinks she knows.

And if she makes it out of Ulrich alive, what in Hell is she returning to?

Source: Info in the About Geist was taken from the author's website at http://www.booksoftheorder.com/?page_id=4 on 11/06/2011.

Perils and joys of being a writer by Philippa Ballantine

Perils and joys of being a writer - Philippa Ballantine

I’ve always wanted to be a writer—well as soon as I realized I had read all the books in my father’s science fiction shelf.

I started when I was a teenager. I immediately fell in love with the creativity and freedom of tackling a blank page and filling it with characters and worlds. I’d never been able to draw to save myself, my knitting was terrifying, and I got ejected from the school choir. So it was quite lucky that I got some creative writing talents to make up for that.

I write speculative fiction (fantasy and science fiction) because it was what I read as a kid, and the shear scope of what you can do with it is unmatched in any other genre. You can go anywhere in the universe or anywhere in time.

Speculative fiction is particularly good for me since I love building worlds. There is something liberating about thinking about all aspects of life on a planet. In the world of Geist I had to consider what the effects of having the supernatural present in your everyday world would be. How would the citizens of Arkaym cope? How would it mould the Empire and the world in general? And that was when I came up with the Order of the Eye and the Fist. When you have a force as powerful as the supernatural geists, you need something else to balance it out.

I like to think of world building as a puzzle. It occupies my mind during the day, gives me something to chew on while doing housework, and when I go to sleep at night, it’s the last thing I think about. Sounds like I am obsessed doesn’t it?

Characters are how your reader will experience the world you have built. They cannot be perfect, but they must have personalities that make the reader want to spend time with them. Sorcha is abrasive and arrogant at the beginning of Geist, but she is also loyal to her friends, and brave in the face of terrible danger. They must also be altered by the events of that happen in the book—at least to continue to be interesting. Sorcha learns in Spectyr to rely on her friends, and that isn’t a scary thing.

Another joy however, is reaching the end. The sweet joy of finishing a book can barely compared. You’ve sweated hours of your time away to reach it. It’s like the marathon of creative writing—but without anyone there to cheer when you pass the finish line.

However before you get too comfortable, there is editing. I cried the very first time I got my professional edits done, but since then I have learned to appreciate that too. It’s exciting to see a rough draft of a book be polished into something cohesive where everything fits. Having fresh eyes on it makes all the difference.

After that comes the really, really fun stuff. Seeing the cover art for the first time, getting your author copies in the mail, and then seeing your book in stores.

However I wouldn’t be totally honest…there are some rough places in being a writer. The one most people know about is the dreaded writer’s block. This is exactly how it sounds, painful. It feels kinda like you have something stuck in your tooth, and you just don’t know how to get it out. Luckily there are some techniques to get around the block. Doing something else, going back a couple of scenes and writing a different direction, or giving the problem writing to someone else and getting suggestions.

But once you get around it, it is a giddy joy. Writing is full of bumps and joys, but I find it totally worth it. The cherry on the top is when you meet someone who has read your book and enjoyed what you did. Then it is impossible to keep the smile of your face. It makes it all worthwhile!

Stalk Philippa:
www.pjballantine.com
www.booksoftheorder.com
Facebook
GoodReads
Shelfari
Twitter

Review: SPECTYR

Spectyr by Philippa Ballantine
Book 2 of the Order of the Deacons

Genre: fantasy

About Spectyr:

Though one of the most powerful Deacons, Sorcha Faris has a tarnished reputation to overcome. She and her partner, Deacon Merrick Chambers, find themselves chasing down rumors of geists, but long for a return to real action. So they jump at the chance to escort a delegation sent to negotiate the terms of the Emperor’s engagement. Their destination: the exotic city of Orinthal.

But a string of murders has Orinthal on edge, and Sorcha and Merrick are asked to investigate. Meanwhile the Emperor’s sister has unwittingly released a cruel and vengeful goddess, one who it bent on destroying her enemies, including the geistlord who resides inside the shapeshifting rival to the throne—Sorcha’s lover…

Source: Info in the About Spectyr was taken from the author's website at http://www.booksoftheorder.com/?page_id=124 on 11/06/2011.

Review:

I was looking forward to this book after I finished Geist, but this book is even a slower starter than Geist was!It took me longer to get into this book than it did with Geist. Somehow the story telling quality felt like it wasn't as good as it did with Geist... Anyhow, one thing remains certain, the story and world building is beautiful and vivid, if not even more intricate! I could easily imagine myself in that world... It's a frontier world of magic on the brink of discoveries... A lot of unknowns to explore... I think it's actually grown on me. And by the way, it's skimming very closely to steampunkery... it got dirigibles. I bet steampunk fans will love this! This book showed the same wonderful "story building skills" that I saw in Geist. The story has a cohesive and coherent structure with a central dilemma and an ending with good resolution! And that won lots of brownie points with me. The ending also pointed to a lot of things going on with the next book enough to keep a reader hooked to the series, so am looking forward to the next book...

Though, I think the best part about this book is it's cover art. It's even better than book 1! My fantasy buff eyes just fell in love with the cover!!

Overall, this book has a good story structure but the story telling quality has slightly fallen so I would give this book a 3 out of 5.

Empirical Evaluation:
Story Telling Quality = 3
World Building = 4.5
Character Development = 4
Pace = 2
Plot = 4
Story Itself = 3
Ending = 3

Overall Rating: 3 out of 5 cherries


Books In The Order Of Deacons series:


Thank you to Penguin for the review copy of Spectyr by Philippa Ballantine received.

Review: GEIST

Geist by Philippa Ballantine
Book 1 of the Order of the Deacons

Genre: fantasy, for 18s or older only

About Geist:

Geists don’t always play by the rules.

Between the living and the dead is the Order of the Deacons, protectors of the Empire, guardians against possession, sentinels enlisted to ward off the malevolent haunting of the geists…

Among the most powerful of the Order is Sorcha, now thrust into partnership with the novice Deacon, Merrick Chambers. They have been dispatched to the isolated village of Ulrich to aide the Priory with a surge of violent geist activity. With them is Raed Rossin, Pretender to the throne that Sorcha is sworn to protect, and bearer of a terrible curse.

But what greets them in the strange settlement is something far more predatory and more horrifying than any mere haunting. And as she uncovers a tradition of twisted rituals passed down through the dark reaches of history, Sorcha will be forced to reconsider everything she thinks she knows.

And if she makes it out of Ulrich alive, what in Hell is she returning to?

Source: Info in the About Geist was taken from the author's website at http://www.booksoftheorder.com/?page_id=4 on 11/06/2011.

Review:

This book started off slow but once past a couple of chapters it started to pick up... then it's action after action until the very end! So pace-wise, it wasn't too bad. The story telling quality was just a tiny, itsy-bitsy shade from being a masterpice. I find myself needing little short breaks while reading this book. But during my breaks, the story would pull me back as the characters prance around my head and I imagine alternative plots to the story. And then when I read on, I get surprised by the unexpected turn the plot went instead! Ahhh... this author is good at inventing stories indeed!! The other thing I really liked about this book is that it has a well-structured story. I like stories with cohesive structure because it is easier to wrap my mind around it if it does, therefore, really ranks right high up with me as a reader. I like it when I can wrap my head around a story as oppose to one where I struggle to do so. Authors of books without a well-structured story, I tend not to buy again.

Look at that cover! The art department deserves a bloody raise!! If I was on one of my retail therapy sessions and browsing the shelves of a bookstore, this cover would trigger my book buying radar with an irristible pull!

I didn't like the inconsistent rules of magic in this world of the geists though. In the scene where we first witnessed Raed's change, he lost his clothes. But in The Melding scene, they did not loose their clothes. They came off it presumed to be fully clothed. Now, that is not consistent. But because of the wonderful "story building skills" that this author displayed and the enjoyment I got out of this book, I would still give it a high rating.

Empirical Evaluation:
Story Telling Quality = 4
World Building = 5
Character Development = 5
Pace = 4
Plot = 5
Story Itself = 4.5
Ending = 4.5

Overall Rating: 4.5 out of 5 cherries


Books In The Order Of The Deacons Series:


Thank you to Penguin for the review copy of Geist by Philippa Ballantine received.

IN THE MAIL: GEIST & SPECTYR

Look what I found waiting for me when I got home from work today! *happy dance*

Thank you to Penguin for the review copy of Geist and Spectyr by Philippa Ballantine received.

Geist by Philippa Ballantine
Book 1 of the Order of the Deacons

Genre: fantasy

About Geist:

Geists don’t always play by the rules.

Between the living and the dead is the Order of the Deacons, protectors of the Empire, guardians against possession, sentinels enlisted to ward off the malevolent haunting of the geists…

Among the most powerful of the Order is Sorcha, now thrust into partnership with the novice Deacon, Merrick Chambers. They have been dispatched to the isolated village of Ulrich to aide the Priory with a surge of violent geist activity. With them is Raed Rossin, Pretender to the throne that Sorcha is sworn to protect, and bearer of a terrible curse.

But what greets them in the strange settlement is something far more predatory and more horrifying than any mere haunting. And as she uncovers a tradition of twisted rituals passed down through the dark reaches of history, Sorcha will be forced to reconsider everything she thinks she knows.

And if she makes it out of Ulrich alive, what in Hell is she returning to?

Source: Info in the About Geist was taken from the author's website at http://www.booksoftheorder.com/?page_id=4 on 11/06/2011.

Spectyr by Philippa Ballantine

Book 2 of the Order of the Deacons

Genre: fantasy

Publication Date: 28 June 2011

About Spectyr:

Though one of the most powerful Deacons, Sorcha Faris has a tarnished reputation to overcome. She and her partner, Deacon Merrick Chambers, find themselves chasing down rumors of geists, but long for a return to real action. So they jump at the chance to escort a delegation sent to negotiate the terms of the Emperor’s engagement. Their destination: the exotic city of Orinthal.

But a string of murders has Orinthal on edge, and Sorcha and Merrick are asked to investigate. Meanwhile the Emperor’s sister has unwittingly released a cruel and vengeful goddess, one who it bent on destroying her enemies, including the geistlord who resides inside the shapeshifting rival to the throne—Sorcha’s lover…

Source: Info in the About Spectyr was taken from the author's website at http://www.booksoftheorder.com/?page_id=124 on 11/06/2011.

I SO WANT TO READ THIS: GEIST & SPECTYR

WISHLIST:

Geist by Philippa Ballantine
Book 1 of the Order of the Deacons

Genre: fantasy

About Geist:

Geists don’t always play by the rules.

Between the living and the dead is the Order of the Deacons, protectors of the Empire, guardians against possession, sentinels enlisted to ward off the malevolent haunting of the geists…

Among the most powerful of the Order is Sorcha, now thrust into partnership with the novice Deacon, Merrick Chambers. They have been dispatched to the isolated village of Ulrich to aide the Priory with a surge of violent geist activity. With them is Raed Rossin, Pretender to the throne that Sorcha is sworn to protect, and bearer of a terrible curse.

But what greets them in the strange settlement is something far more predatory and more horrifying than any mere haunting. And as she uncovers a tradition of twisted rituals passed down through the dark reaches of history, Sorcha will be forced to reconsider everything she thinks she knows.

And if she makes it out of Ulrich alive, what in Hell is she returning to?

Source: Info in the About Geist was taken from the author's website at http://www.booksoftheorder.com/?page_id=4 on 11/06/2011.

Spectyr by Philippa Ballantine

Book 2 of the Order of the Deacons

Genre: fantasy

Publication Date: Coming June 2011 from Ace Books

About Spectyr:

Though one of the most powerful Deacons, Sorcha Faris has a tarnished reputation to overcome. She and her partner, Deacon Merrick Chambers, find themselves chasing down rumors of geists, but long for a return to real action. So they jump at the chance to escort a delegation sent to negotiate the terms of the Emperor’s engagement. Their destination: the exotic city of Orinthal.

But a string of murders has Orinthal on edge, and Sorcha and Merrick are asked to investigate. Meanwhile the Emperor’s sister has unwittingly released a cruel and vengeful goddess, one who it bent on destroying her enemies, including the geistlord who resides inside the shapeshifting rival to the throne—Sorcha’s lover…

Source: Info in the About Spectyrwas taken from the author's website at http://www.booksoftheorder.com/?page_id=124 on 11/06/2011.