Currently Reading: The Broken Tower by Kelly Braffet...

...and a few words about me as a reader

I've been complaining in my recent reviews that the characters feel non-relatable. Once I finished Nyphron Rising (Riyria Revelations Book Three), I wondered whether the problem is in me rather than the books. To find that out, I picked The Broken Tower (The Barrier Lands 2) by Kelly Braffet as my next read, and now that I'm halfway through the story, I can safely say it's definitely me. 

I remember listening to the first book of The Barrier Lands, The Unwilling, as if it were yesterday, because it aroused such potent emotions in me -abhorrence and grief, mainly. I felt the characters' pain and desperation as if they were my own. The Broken Tower does not have the same effect on me, but the book isn't to blame. I've been binge-reading it, enjoying every word, but I feel nothing. The characters are as fantastic as in The Unwilling, the plot as gripping and haunting, but I could as well be reading the day's weather forecast for what emotions any of it arouses in me. 

As a child and teenager, I was so sensitive that I was afraid of the Orcs for years after I saw the Lord of the Rings movies. When I had to go out after dark, I was terrified because I was convinced there was a patrol of orcs hiding in the hayloft of our barn. Even as an adult, I have pinched my eyes shut if a scene in a movie or an episode has started to seem too suspenseful or violent. I've never been a keen reader of detective stories, let alone horror novels, because the thrill's been too much for me.  

It seems I'm not that person anymore, and the change saddens me. Even though life isn't easy for a susceptible and empathetic person, I'd rather have remained that way than become this calloused shell of a human I am today. It is what it is, however, and what changed me cannot be undone. 

Let's return to the book I'm currently reading for a bit, though. I haven't finished it yet, but I can already recommend it as a magnificent work of fantasy. The Broken Tower is categorized as young adult fantasy, but it's definitely a go-to for adults, too. I'm halfway through the book, would've finished it by now had I not returned to working on my own series, and I can scarcely wait to find out how it ends.

Short Book Reviews // Rise of Empire by Michael J. Sullivan (Part One)

I finished reading Book Three of Riyria Revelations, Nyphron Rising, by Michael J. Sullivan, and though these books come in packs of two, I saw it best to write the review on this one before starting Book Four, because -and I am a tad ashamed to admit this- I don't think I'll remember much of Nyphron Rising once I've finished the fourth book. I mentioned in my review of Theft of Swords (which contains the first two books of Riyria Revelations) that this series, despite being intriguing, isn't one to linger in my head for long. If you want to know more about the series, visit this page, because my Short Book Reviews don't include information about what happens in the books.

I enjoyed Theft of Swords, and Nyphron Rising turned out to be even more captivating. I struggled to put my tablet down at times (I'm reading the series as eBooks). Since the first page, the story anticipated a major plot twist, and on the last page, it was finally provided. Between the beginning and the end, a lot was going on. Theft of Swords is, in my opinion, a fast-paced book, but Nyphron Rising rolls on at a breakneck speed. Still, it manages to provide a few brief moments of quiet, much needed to balance out the avalanche of twists and turns the story takes. 

Regardless of keeping me hooked, Nyphron Rising failed to move me. Just like Theft of Swords, it's gripping and entertaining (and written better than the first two books), but doesn't provoke emotions. There are good characters, but no Joffrey Baratheons and Tyrion Lannisters. Despite many of them suffering greatly, I cannot feel their pain, nor can I rejoice for their victories. The sad truth is that even among the main characters, anyone could die, and I wouldn't mourn for them. I suspect I'd even remember them once I turned the page. I am starting to wonder whether I should read something else before continuing to Book Four, to make sure the fault isn't in me, rather than the characters, for they are all well-written with full backgrounds and everything else needed to make a parade of excellent book characters, they just lack that something that makes an imaginary person relatable. 

Nonetheless, Nyphron Rising is a quick and entertaining read that should provide enough action even to the less patient readers. I'll rate it four stars and look forward to reading The Emerald Storm, Book Four of Riyria Revelations.

Short Book Reviews // Theft of Swords by Michael J. Sullivan

What a captivating work of epic fantasy this is! It's been a while since I've struggled to put a book down, but Theft of Swords (Books 1 and 2 of Riyria Revelations) by Michael J. Sullivan gripped me from page one and kept me intrigued and entertained until the end.

(Because I'm not going to write a summary of the book, you may want to visit this page for a broad description.)

Theft of Swords has pretty much everything I require of a good fantasy book. If it offered a splash of romance in the bargain, I would give it five stars. As it has everything else that one would expect of a work of high fantasy, likable heroes, battles, conspiracies, it earns four stars from me. 

I have a soft spot for roguish heroes, so the main characters, Hadrian Blacwater and Royce Melborn, a duo of thieves who grow into Robin Hood-like characters as the story progresses, stole my heart at first sight. There are many other good characters in Theft of Swords besides them, but unfortunately, I found none of them too relatable. That's the other flaw the book has; it fails to arouse emotions. It's one of those stories that I liked a lot while reading, but that will slip off my mind in a span of days, leaving no trace. Regardless, it's a solid work of fantasy with a set of well-written characters, a complicated enough plot to keep you interested, an elusive wizard, and an almost invincible monster. 

Language-wise, Theft of Swords is easy to read (except for a few sentences I read half a dozen times, and still, they made no sense to me) with little embellishment. Yet, the author manages to picture elaborate scenes with only a few words -a skill I both admire and envy.

I also appreciate Sullivan's way of world-building. Instead of a massive info-dump that would just overwhelm the reader, he expands the world along with the story, sharing a new piece of information when required. I would also give the author credit for adding a glossary of names and places at the end of the book (I'm thinking I should steal the idea for my own books.).

All in all, a go-to if you're looking for a finished epic fantasy series that'll keep you entertained without mentally draining you. 

Devouring Words

I've been reading like crazy lately. Since I purchased the tablet, I've used every spare moment to devour books. I'm currently reading Theft of Swords by Michael J. Sullivan, and so far, The Riyria Revelations seems just my kind of series. I won't reveal more about my thoughts on the story until I've finished books one and two, though.

There are a couple of reasons why I haven't read much in years. For starters, I've been busy renovating our house, and working on Braenduir Chronicles has occupied most of my spare time. Also, my budget for buying books is extremely limited, leaving the local library practically my only source of new reads. Not too many fantasy books are translated into my mother language, basically only the best-selling among the bestsellers, so I rarely find anything on the library shelves that piques my interest.  

At one point, I listened to a lot of audiobooks because I could do that while doing something else, like household chores, or gardening, etc., but listening to a book isn't quite the same as reading it. If the story isn't highly intriguing, my mind starts to wander, and at some point, I perk up to realise that an hour or two has passed without my paying any attention to the book. That can happen while I read as well, for a part of my brain is constantly working on my own series, but I usually can resume my focus when it's time to turn the page. 

But let's return to the original subject. Now that I have a proper device for reading eBooks, I read while having coffee or a meal, in the evenings when I've finished whatever tasks I have for the day, and even when I stand in front of the stove stirring a pot of sauce or something. I generally tend to think that the development of technology isn't entirely a positive thing, but thank gods for the internet and eBooks! Not only are there billions of books within my grasp, but most of them are also affordable, even free (like my book The Heirs of Duty), allowing us who live on the fringes of the civilised world access to a much vaster selection of stories than we would have otherwise. 

So, plunge into the sea of stories and pick up your next read, for there's no excuse to not spend time with books. There's also no reason not to give a chance to something else than the most popular and best-selling works, because there are countless eBooks available for FREE on various platforms, including the first book of Braenduir Chronicles, The Heirs of Duty, which you can now download for $0.00 on Barnes&Noble, Rakuten Kobo, Smashwords and many other platforms via this link.

Allowing the Night Audiobook Is Out

Allowing the Night, A Dark Fantasy Romance, by T. S. Winterway is now available as an audiobook! I am both proud and saddened to say it's available exclusively on Aspenn Fantasy Payhip store for $4.99 plus tax according to the regional regulations. 

We are also offering a package deal to people visiting this blog: $5.99 for both the E-Book ($3.49 bought alone) and audiobook ($4.99 bought alone), so CLICK-CLICK .

Allowing the Night has been reviewed by several LibraryThing users if you'd like to find out how others deem the story before purchasing. If you want my opinion, it's a lovely little book, an enchanting bedtime story for adults.

When it comes to the audio version of my book, I've buried the project. The Heirs of Duty is such a long book that converting it to audio, even with AI software, would be too expensive and time-consuming. If I could expect sales, I would take the gamble, but I've long since ceased to hope that I'd get back even a fraction of the resources I've invested in Braenduir Chronicles. 

Even though Smashwords' Read an E-Book Week was a success -a year ago, I would've been over the moon, imagining so many downloads must lead to a handful of reviews at least- I no longer nurture a silly hope that anything more would come out of it. I am still working on the series -a part of me just can't ditch the project, though I know it's nothing if not a waste of time- but whether Rues of the Heroes will ever be published remains to be seen. 

So much for whining, however. It's as useless in marketing a book as the feigned positivity. I hope from the heart that my friend's book gets more attention than mine.

 

Short Book Reviews: The Kingkiller Chronicle Books 1 and 2 by Patrick Rothfuss

The Kingkiller Chronicle is a planned trilogy by an American author Patrick Rothfuss whose independent work The Slow Regard of Silent Things is one of my favourite fantasy books. As the third book is still pending, I suppose I should review the two existing ones individually but as it's also likely the trilogy will never be completed, and I don't really have that much to say about The Name of the Wind and The Wise Man's Fear, I decided to bundle them together.

The Kingkiller Chronicle is about Kvothe, a famous musician and adventurer who has retired to a desolate village where no one knows him to work as an innkeeper. The perspective shifts between the third and the first person. The "present-day" parts are told in the third person whereas Kvothe's legend which he rehearses to the Chronicler, is in the first person.

I listened to The Name of the Wind and The Wise Man's Fear as audiobooks, and a good thing that I did for I don't think I could've finished even the first book had I chosen to read it. I'm not saying TNOTW and TWMF are bad books -well, The Wise Man's Fear is partially, if not bad, at least highly frustrating- but they are slow-paced to the point of tediousness. Also, the MC has too many similarities with Harry Potter (loses his family, enters a school of magic, makes an enemy of a well-off fellow student and so on) to make me take him seriously.

Yet, I kind of enjoyed The Name of the Wind. It hooked me with its deep insight into humanity. I might've loved it if the set-up was different and the story-telling a little faster-paced. The Wise Man's Fear, however... I still can't figure out why I finished listening to it. Mainly because I had paid for it and didn't have anything more intriguing on my TBR list at the moment, I suppose. 

In the second book, Kvothe becomes even more burdensome a character than he is in TNOTW, making me suspect his fame is largely a soap bubble. His stubborn devotion to his flimsy school-time sweetheart Denna made me want to hit something, and the elongated description of his visit to the fairyland would work better an an independent publication. In the end, Bast, Kvothe's non-human servant/friend became my favourite character of whom I would've loved to learn more.

The Kingkiller Chronicle is one of the fantasy series whose popularity and high overall rating remain a mystery to me. I would give The Name of the Wind three stars out of five, and The Wise Man's Fear not even that many. However, you don't need to take my word for it. Read or listen to the books for yourself and form your opinion based on them.

(Also, I am willing to admit that my opinion might change if the third book was published. It could yet salvage the series.)

Short Book Reviews: Among the Pines by Matt Anderson

If the last book I reviewed wasn't my pint of mead, this one definitely is. I read Among the Pines as an E-book and loved it from the first word to the last. Among the Pines is a collection of horror fantasy short stories by Matt Anderson, a US indie author, and it's hands down one of the best books I've read. 

This might well become the shortest of my Short Book Reviews because I really don't have anything but praise to say about this work. The language is in its own league, bringing the stories to life with haunting precision and captivating richness. One rarely finds a match for it even among traditionally published books, let alone popular ones.

The author finds his inspiration in folklore, mythology, nature, and science and weaves them into a tapestry that captures you from the first thread and haunts you long after you turn your gaze away. The stories are like pictures painted with the brightest, yet darkest colours, paintings that morph from seemingly innocent scenes to nightmarish visions of chilling peculiarity. Among the Pines is one of those books that make picking up your next read insanely difficult because nothing seems good enough in comparison. 

If this isn't enough to convince you that you should give this one a chance, feel free to check the review I left on Goodreads just after I finished it.

If one must name a weakness in this work, it's the cover. Even if I didn't choose a book by its cover, many others do, and those people are likely to skip Among the Pines -to their own loss. Don't be one of them and get the book to see for yourself whether my verdict is fair or not.

Short Book Reviews: The Slow Regard of Silent Things

I listened to this little book by Patrick Rothfuss as an audiobook (read by the author) a couple of years ago and was blown away by its loveliness. Even though the book has no plot in the traditional sense of the word, it's definitely worth your time.

The Slow Regard of Silent Things is about Auri, one of the characters in The Kingkiller Chronicle. She lives below the University, in a world no one else knows about, dedicating her time to taking care of abandoned things.

The book is sort of sad, yet I smiled all the while listening to it. It is beautifully written, heartfelt, an all-around comforting story. A perfect book to read/listen to in bed before going to sleep.

A word of warning is required here though: if you've read The Kingkiller Chronicle and expect The Slow Regard of Silent Things to be something similar, you'll be disappointed. This book is as different from the series as a nightingale from an oriole. However, if you're looking for something simply sweet and undemanding, The Slow Regard of Silent Things should be your next read.

Short Book Review: Deepwater Trilogy by Claire McKenna

 I listened to this trilogy as audiobooks. 

I loved the first book, Monstrous Heart. It is a touching, all-around enjoyable book. The language is rich and inspiring, and the world is intriguing. If there's a negative to this work, it is its inability to move me. Still, I was more than eager to listen to the second part, Deepwater King.

I went through almost the whole spectrum of emotions listening to the second book. Almost. Had it made me cry besides all else - the disgust, vicarious embarrassment, hatred... - it would be a five-star book for me. However, just like Monstrous Heart, Deepwater King failed to affect me deeply enough to make me shed tears. The story left me rather battered, nonetheless, and I consider that a good thing. 

Deepwater King is as beautifully written as Monstrous Heart, and the world McKenna has created, grows even gloomier in it than it is in the first book. I had high hopes for the last book in the trilogy once I'd finished this one.

Perhaps because I was expecting so much, Firetide Coast turned out a disappointment. Language-wise it's amazing, but what her deepwater husband says to Arden "Everything feels like a duty with you." perfectly encapsulates how I felt about the story. This book felt to me as if it had been written largely because the trilogy had to be finished. The plot thunders forth like a steam engine, with the emotionality and relatability of a machine, dropping the reader/listener off at the terminus with nothing except hollow puzzlement: "Was that it?".

Regardless of the nose-dive at the end, I can recommend the trilogy to everyone who enjoys dark, romantic, steampunk fantasy stories. Also, I cannot emphasize enough the exceptional beauty of McKenna's language. That alone would be a fair reason to read the Deepwater Trilogy.

A Short Book Review: The Unwilling by Kelly Braffet

This book has haunted me since I listened to it as an audiobook a couple of years ago. The Unwilling (The Barrier Lands #1) is a disturbing and awesome description of desperation and powerlessness.

The story gripped me from the first words and held me captive until the end which I both waited for and feared the more the further the story progressed. The characters are masterly written, even a tad frightening in their realness. The impossible situation of the main characters, their pain, their fears, and their hopes that get crushed as soon as they've sprouted made me wish I could enter the book's world and do something to help the poor guys. I don't remember having felt quite so strongly about any other book I've read/listened to. I went through a range of emotions from powerless fury to heartrending desperation while listening to The Unwilling. It is one of those books that are so good that starting another book straight after finishing them is impossible because any other book feels lame compared to them.

A ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ book without question, and I recommend it to everyone who enjoys well-written, character-based fantasy that gives the reader something to chew on and leaves a (permanent) mark. 

I regret that I haven't yet found time to read/listen to the second book in the series, The Broken Tower, but it is on top of my TBR list.

My One Fantasy Book // Fantasiakirjojen Valtasormus

If I were told I'd have to pick one epic fantasy book series to read for the rest of my life, I wouldn't face much difficulty choosing it. You may think I'm boring and stuck in the past, and perhaps you are right, but my choice would be The Lord of the Rings trilogy. 

LotR was one of the first high fantasy books I read in my youth, but I still remember the magic that grabbed me while reading it. I sucked in every word as if I was dying of thirst, devoured the book like a hobbit would wolf down the second breakfast after a week of starvation, and treasured it like Gollum treasures the Ring of Power. After all these years, and so many books I've read since, it remains my One Fantasy Book, the most beloved, the most precious, the one to which I cannot help comparing all other works of epic fantasy. 

It is also the one book I'm not ever going to review. Saying that a book is perfect isn't reviewing, and I don't consider myself worthy of criticising the Mother of All Fantasy Books. I am sharing my thoughts on The Lord of the Rings because it is the book that made me decide, I want to write fantasy. I had written a couple of "books" before reading LotR for the first time, but this is the story that made me choose fantasy over other genres. 

Although I don't try to write like Tolkien, I believe his influence shows in my storytelling to some extent. My language is archaic, and I sometimes get quite copious with my descriptions of nature. I try not to do the latter, but, in my opinion, obsolescent expressions work well in the type of epic fantasy I write. I call my style classic or traditional high fantasy though I don't cling to the "rules" of the traditional, "Tolkien-style" fantasy too tightly. Rules are made to be broken, after all, and I like to do things my way.

I'd love to know what's your One Fantasy Book! Comment below. If I haven't read your favourite yet, I'll put it in my TBR list!

This is my copy of The Lord of the Rings, the 30th edition of the Finnish translation (by Kersti Juva and Eila Pennanen).

Minun hyllystäni löytyy tämä vuonna 2002 julkaistu suomenkielisen laitoksen 30. painos.

Jos joutuisin luopumaan kaikista paitsi yhdestä fantasiakirjasarjasta, päätös olisi helppo. Valintani saattaa olla monen mielestä tylsä, ja ehkä onkin, mutta päätyisin silti Taruun Sormusten Herrasta. 

TSH on ensimmäisiä lapsena/nuorena lukemiani fantasiakirjoja, mutten ole unohtanut, miten se lumosi minut. Imin joka sanan kuin janoon kuoleva, ahmin teoksen kuin viikon nälkää nähnyt hobitti ahmisi toisen aamiaisen ja palvoin sitä kuin Klonkku Valtasormusta. Niin kauan kuin ensilukemisesta onkin, niin monia muita kirjoja kuin olenkin kahlannut läpi tässä matkan varrella, Taru Sormusten Herrasta on minulle edelleen fantasiakirjojen Valtasormus. Teos, jota rakastan ja arvostan enemmän kuin mitään ja johon en voi olla vertaamatta kaikkia sen jälkeen julkaistuja fantasiakirjoja. 

Se on myös teos, josta en tule koskaan julkaisemaan arvostelua. Ylistyslaulu kun ei ole arvostelu, enkä koe, että minulla olisi rahkeita kritisoida kaikkien fantasiakirjojen äitiä. Puhun TSH:sta siksi, että se on kirja, joka sai minut päättämään, että haluan kirjoittaa fantasiaa. Ennen kuin luin Sormusten Herran ensimmäistä kertaa, olin kirjoittanut pari "kirjaa", mutta tämä tarina sai minut valitsemaan fantasian kaikkien tyylilajien joukosta. 

Vaikken tietoisesti yritä kirjoittaa kuin Tolkien, hänen vaikutuksensa näkyy tekstissäni väkisinkin. Käytän melko vanhahtavaa kieltä ja minulla on tapana kuvailla luontoa ja sen ilmiöitä ajoittain varsin monisanaisesti. Jälkimmäistä yritän välttää parhaani mukaan, mutta vanhanaikainen kieli sopii minusta hyvin korkeaan fantasiaan. Kutsun omaa tyyliäni klassiseksi/perinteiseksi korkeaksi fantasiaksi siitä huolimatta, etten mitenkään orjallisesti noudata perinteisen, Tolkien-tyylisen fantasian "sääntöjä". Säännöt kun on tehty rikottaviksi ja tykkään tehdä asiat omalla tyylilläni. 

Mikä on sinulle se fantasiakirja, josta et suostuisi luopumaan? Kommentoi vastauksesi alle ja lisään suosikkisi lukulistalleni, jollen ole sitä vielä lukenut!

Welcome // Tervetuloa

Welcome, wanderer, to Aspenn Fantasy, a new blog about reading and writing (epic) fantasy books. On this blog, I'll share book reviews, opinions (most of which are unpopular), writing tips, and stuff about my epic adventure fantasy series. If you love books, follow and consider subscribing for special offers on my books!

Tervetuloa uuteen blogiini! Täältä löydät juttua fantasiakirjoista niin lukijan kuin kirjoittajankin näkökulmasta, kirja-arvosteluja ja mielipiteitä, joista suurin osa lienee sieltä epäsuositummasta päästä, ehkä jopa vinkkejä kirjoittamiseen sekä taustatietoa työnalla olevasta fantasiakirjasarjastani (korkea/seikkailufantasia). Jos olet kirjaihminen, seuraa ja liity tilaajaksi! Tilaajille luvassa erikoistarjouksia kirjoistani.