Babel Clash

From now until the launch of the Star Wars saga on Blu-Ray (which you can pre-order by clicking the image below), we’ll be featuring several authors as they discuss certain aspects of the Star Wars Universe.

Star Wars Complete Saga - pre-order now

For those of you unfamiliar with me, I should quickly introduce myself. I’m Chris, the Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Graphic Novels and RPG buyer for Borders. I get to live and breath geekiness every single day. When a manuscript of A Dance with Dragons came across my desk, I immediately dropped everything and devoured it. Now that copies of the book have made it into the wild and other sites have started posting reviews, I felt it was time to put down some of my own thoughts on this long-awaited book. Without further ado, here’s my review of one of the most anticipated books of the year.

Haven’t preordered the book yet? Get it by clicking the picture below.

It’s been almost six years since George R.R. Martin released A Feast for Crows, the fourth volume in his epic A Song of Ice and Fire series—but the long wait is finally over. Book five, A Dance with Dragons, is finally upon us, and I was lucky enough to get an early copy to read and review. Because I personally dislike spoilers and know how frustrating it can be to have one thing ruined for you before you open a book, this is going to be a spoiler-free review. I was one of the many unlucky souls who had HP6 spoiled and I’m not going to inflict that on anyone else, if I can help it.

So, a quick first impression: It’s excellent. I think everyone who’s read Martin at some point knows that Feast was controversial within the fandom. Some hated it, some loved it—and some just wanted the next book to come out so they could read more about Tyrion (or Jon, or Daenerys, or Davos…). I was always of the opinion that both Dance and Feast need to be taken as a whole. I’m sure someone will soon tackle the project of figuring out where the breaks of each book fall, so that the two volumes can be read concurrently. In the end, that may be the best way to experience the two titles. You can’t talk about one without mentioning the other. They’re companions in every sense of the term.

Dance is all about the movement of the players. Tyrion has fled King’s Landing after the events of A Storm of Swords. Jon Snow is manning the Wall and trying to balance his duty to the Night’s Watch with his obligation to Stannis Baratheon. Daenerys is confronted with enemies all around her, as her people are penned within the city of Meereen. These three storylines form the heart of Dance and are probably the most anticipated. Much of the book is focused on these three and the players dancing around them. Martin moves pieces like pawns on a chessboard, setting up a fast and furious finish. He also touches on some storylines from Feast, answering a few lingering questions and setting up more speculation.

I loved the pacing of this book. There is a slow buildup to an explosive finish. The last 100 pages are absolutely intense, and there are some game-changing events near the end of the book. HBO is going to have a very tough time putting some of these scenes on screen, but I can’t wait to see how things play out. A couple of contenders for the throne are potentially removed from play, and at least one new surprising name pops up—one many fans had suspected may appear. However, I feel confident in saying that this new arrival shows up in a most unexpected way.

For longtime fans of George R.R. Martin, book five will answer many questions and confirm or disprove many theories. More wild speculation will come out of this book, of course, but it definitely feels like we’re pointed toward the finish line. My two small complaints: I would have liked to learn more about Bran’s quest above the Wall, and I hoped for more progression toward the end of the book, especially in regard to Daenerys. Overall, I firmly believe that Dragons was well worth the wait. The book is rife with intrigue and maneuvering. And the epilogue? I had to read it twice, because I didn’t believe it the first time. This is, without a doubt, a great read!

— Chris Y.

Borders Sci-Fi & Fantasy Buyer

From now until the launch of the Star Wars saga on Blu-Ray (which you can pre-order by clicking the image below), we’ll be featuring several authors as they discuss certain aspects of the Star Wars Universe.

Star Wars Complete Saga - pre-order now

Episode IV comes first, it’s just good parenting.

Ken Denmead

That’s the motto we’ve all agreed on over on the blog I run for geeky parents. Heck, we’ve even had it printed up on a bumper sticker. Yes, it’s glib. It’s a bit of a poke in the eye to Mr. Lucas, who some felt let down by for a host of reasons connected to the second trilogy. But I think it’s a little more than that.

Episode IV: A New Hope is our Star Wars. And by “our” I mean anyone who could understand the English language, had the chance to sit in a movie theater in the second half of the 1970, and had an ounce of geeky blood in their bodies. It belongs to anyone who loved a good yarn, iconic representations of good and evil, and the dream of things beyond our wet little planet

For all its success, Episode IV is an odd duck. The story is one we’ve seen many times before: the hidden heir to power discovering his true destiny and thrust into dire action before he’s ready. Rogues, princesses and big bads dressed all in black. And yet, it’s Star Wars - it’s the One. And here we are, decades later, still celebrating it.

We want to pass that one. As parents, we hope to bequeath something valuable to our children, and the joy and purity of Episode IV is an artifact of such value. We take solemn joy in being able to hand it to them gently, carefully, reverently.

If we do it right, if we give it to them first, then our offspring will grow up to be good, wholesome people with common sense and humor, and all will be right with the world. If we fail, they’ll ask us “why isn’t Jar-Jar in this one” and we will weep.

But that’s not the point.

Like teaching our kids to brush their teeth after every meal, hold the door for people within 15.34′ of them, or simply say “please” and “thank you,” we want to raise our kids to be good people. Perhaps even one mythical unit of goodness better than us, just so we can take egotistical comfort in the fact that we were good parents (thus likely cancelling the whole thing out).

But while we can show them Episode IV first, we can’t make it as much theirs as it is ours. Hopefully they will find their own iteration of Star Wars, or some other amazingly imaginative story with cool heroes, hissable villains, and princesses. Oh yes, there must be princesses.

And in the end, that will be enough.

Well, since it’s Monday, he’d probably be writing a goodbye post. Since he’s got a sick child at home, it falls to me to regrettably say goodbye to our guest for the past two weeks, Laurell K. Hamilton.  It’s been a lot of fun having her here on Babel Clash and I’d just like to wish her good luck on her new book, Hit List, available tomorrow at your local Borders or right here on Borders.com.

Ms. Hamilton, please feel free to follow our last day tradition of plugging yourself, your books and any other projects you desire! Our sincere thanks to you for taking time out of your schedule to spend with us and we hope to have you back again before book 21 arrives.

Of course, we will have two new authors here tomorrow and I’m pretty excited to be able to introduce them. First up, with his first novel coming up tomorrow, is Daniel H. Wilson. Robopocalypse is a perfect book for beach reading: filled with action, thrills and plenty of heart. It’s basically a summer movie in book form. No surprise then that Steven Spielberg has optioned the rights and is looking to bring it to the big screen in 2013. I can’t wait! This is the story of humanity desperately fighting against a robot uprising and how we are able to persevere and, ultimately, overcome. No spoilers there, as the book is presented as an oral history, similar to World War Z. This is one of my favorite books of the year so far and I’ll highly encourage all of you to go check it out tomorrow when it arrives in stores. Oh, wait, it’s also available on Borders.com right now for 46% off!

Joining Daniel is the author of my favorite forthcoming title, Ready Player One, Ernest Cline. While this book won’t be available until August 16th, I’ve been lucky enough to get an advance copy and I have to say, this book is awesome. An adventure story set in 2044, Ready Player One takes place in a world where we never really pulled ourselves out of the recession. Most of humanity escapes into OASIS, which is pretty much the best MMO ever. Deep within the realms of OASIS, its creator has left behind puzzles that, when solved, lead to untold riches. Wade Watts, our hero, must race against fellow players and an evil corporation, bent on using OASIS for its own profit, to find and complete the puzzles that will let him save OASIS. Ready Player One is a love letter to geek culture and growing up in the ’80s and Ernest Cline has some serious geek cred as the screenwriter of the underrated comedy, Fanboys. Everyone here should definitely check this book out. You can preorder it now at Borders.com for 30% off!

Welcome, Daniel and Ernest!

Long time readers of Babel Clash may remember me from various stints as a fill-in moderator or from the days I took over our Twitter feed (@babelclash FTW!).  I’ve never been the main person around here and that’s okay.  But you know what?  It’s May Fourth and, though I despise puns, my log-in still works and I feel obligated to discuss Star Wars.  Chris and Kevin, my apologies for jumping in, but they gave me moderator powers and I’m going to use them!

Like Dane, I was born too late to experience Star Wars first hand.  My parents weren’t really fans and, I admit, I didn’t know anything about Star Wars for probably the first six or seven years of my life.  For me, the first time I saw the series was on one of those all day marathons that occasionally runs on cable even today.  It was probably on the old Sci-Fi Network or maybe USA, I’m not sure.  However, I knew from the opening scenes that this was something different.  We’ve got rebel forces fighting an evil empire, a beautiful princess and robots.  Darth Vader freaked me out the moment I saw him.  Has any character ever screamed “evil” the way he did?  Then, it’s off to Tatooine to meet Luke, our hero, and watch as he begins his journey from boy to hero.  The original trilogy remains some of my favorite go-to movies for a rainy day.  If I’m flipping channels and catch a scene, I’m hooked.  That first time I saw the trilogy, I knew that Star Wars was something different: an epic tale about a boy who becomes a superhero, meets awesome new friends and oh by the way saves the universe.  Did I just simplify things that much?  Yes, but granted, I was in elementary school at the time.  I really thought I would find Jawas in the desert when we visited Arizona.  I’m older now.  I know Luke isn’t a superhero.  He’s just awesome.  Still haven’t found those Jawas, though.

Ever since that first moment of discovery, I’ve delved into the EU.  I watched the second trilogy on the big screen and caught the re-release of the original movies.  Sure, it probably wasn’t the same at that point, but it was a close as I was ever going to get to the original magic.  I’ve watched the specials, the cartoon series and laughed my head off watching Fanboys.  Nothing has ever come close to the original trilogy.  These are three movies that will always hold a special place in my heart.  You could almost say that those first moments with Princess Leia, Darth Vader, R2-D2 and C-3PO is what set me on the path to being a true geek.

I have the distinct honor of both introducing R.A. and Geno Salvatore and welcoming them to Babel Clash for the week.  I have to admit that I’m personally excited, as my copy of Homeland is probably the most dog-eared book in my home library.  R.A. Salvatore was and is one of my personal favorite authors and I’ve also been enjoying the work of his son, Geno.  R.A’s latest book, Gauntlgrym, continues the saga of Drizzt Do’Urden and Bruenor Battlehammer which began over twenty years ago.  Together, R.A. and Geno have also written the YA series The Stone of Tymora, featuring Maimum, the aforementioned stone and appearances from many well-known Forgotten Realms characters.  I’d highly recommend any book with the Salvatore name on it.

Enough gushing, though (I could seriously go on for hours, but that’s not what they pay me for.  Or at all.).  This week, both R.A. and Geno will be stopping in to discuss a variety of topics.  Since Dane is unfortunately sick today, it falls to me, Bizarro Babel Clash, to get the ball rolling.  The fourth edition of Dungeons and Dragons has been out for about thirty months at this point and I still find myself discovering new things to do every time I flip through my Player’s Handbook.  What do you love about 4e?  Are there any fun stories you can share from your local game?  What is it that draws you in?  For me, it’s the action.  I know every game is different, based on the GM, but it seems to me like I’m doing more and listening less than with 3e.  Don’t get me wrong, I love 3e.  It’s what I grew up with.  It’s just that, as I get older, I have less time for gaming and being in a session where I feel like I’m always doing something is, at this point, a more enjoyable use of my time.

Unfortunately, it’s that time again.  Time for us to say goodbye to our current guest, Guy Gavriel Kay.  I especially want to say thank you for posting while on tour in China.  I found the look into the world of Chinese publishing, interviews and scholary study to be particularly illuminating.  From all of us here at Babel Clash, let me say “Thanks!” for spending time with us.  You’ve definitely left me with quite a bit to ponder about my favorite genre.

Of course, it’s also time to welcome our next guests.  For the next two weeks, we have the distinct honor of welcoming Mark Chadbourn and Justina Robson, two excellent writers from across the pond, so to speak.  Mark is the author of the excellent contemporary fantasy trilogies, The Age of Misrule and The Dark Ages, while also flexing his writerly muscles with the Elizabethan-era series The Swords of Albion.  Justina Robson, described by The Guardian as “one of the very best of the new British hard SF writers” is most recently the author of the widely acclaimed Quantum Gravity series.  Welcome, Mark and Justina.

And with that, dear readers, I also will bid you adieu.  Terry returns this week and, while it’s been fun serving as the Bizarro administrator of Babel Clash, I’m happy to turn things back over to her more than capable hands.  I’ll be around, lurking in the comments.

…to bring you another post by our esteemed guest author, Guy Gavriel Kay.  As you all know, he’s been talking with us this week while on a trip to China where, unfortunately, it appears Babel Clash is incompatible with the local internet.  To make sure we don’t miss out on any part of the conversation, I’m putting up his latest missive in an effort to work around some of the issues:

Last night in China, we leave at 6 pm tomorrow and arrive at 6 pm back home.  Time travel, nothing like it.  Was handed a paper at breakfast (before coffee even) in the hotel, and started leafing through it, and saw my own photo.  Needed the coffee, pronto.  Actually, a nice piece in the China Daily, which is the largest English-language paper.  The photo made me look awfully cerebral.  Photo shoots for a paper or magazine are even more random than a long interview (in terms of what will emerge).  The photographer may take as many as a hundred shots, and the photo editor makes the call, usually.   So unless you say no to the suggestion that you pose hanging by your knees from the monkey bars in the playground across the street, that may be the one.  In this case it is a perfectly good picture (according to spouse and friends already), but I’ve had surprises…

Comments earlier.  Yes, to mojitos, absolutely, though the bartender needs to know his or her trade.  And I also like negronis, though I’m a campari person to start with, so I would like those.  Sidecars are a late night treat.

Where to start with Kay.  I always ask what books the person inquiring likes and what periods of history interest them.  If, for example, this is a high fantasy reader, Fionavar may work well for them.  If they don’t normally read fantasy it is less likely to do so.  With the historical fantasies, I do the period focus, seems to me readers might find their way in most readiuly with a book that is evoking a time and place they already find engaging.  Ysabel is the book for people going to Provence, but that’s easy (although on reflection, they might also like Arbonne, so it isn’t quite that easy).  I certainly can’t name a personal favorite.  And that’s can’t, not won’t.

Next post from back in North America.