The Heirs of Duty Advent calendar

This autumn has been gruesome, to put it mildly, and I have a hunch, it hasn't been that only for me. So, to cheer people up, I've decided to publish The Heirs of Duty as an Advent calendar.

One to three chapters a day will appear on my website (a Wordpress site) where you can read them for FREE without an obligation to sign up or subscribe for anything. The calendar opens on the 1st of December, the last chapter will become readable on Christmas Day, and the files will disappear on the 31st of December.

A pretty fair deal, eh? You get to read a book without needing to give anything in return. Merry Xmas in advance!

Giving a Much-Hyped Book a Go

Everyone was rambling about ACOTAR, so I decided to determine whether it's worth the fuss.  Turned out, it isn't. Had I chosen to read the book instead of listening to it, I would've given up on it after the first couple of chapters. Even listening to it until the end was a challenge.

Why? Because the plot is tedious and predictable. And that's all I've got to say about it.

The development of the main character made me want to tear my hair off. In the first chapters, she seems like my type of female character, strong, independent... All in all a girl who goes her own way. Soon enough she shrinks into a typical female lead of a romantic story, becoming but a groupie for the male lead. The book doesn't offer an explanation for why she loses herself like that. Is it because of sheer love, or does Tamlin put her under a spell? If it's the latter, her trajectory would be acceptable.

I could rant on and on about how disappointed I was in this book, but I believe, I've made my point already. It's not for me, and wasting time reading the sequels hasn't even crossed my mind. However, this is only my personal opinion, and I do encourage everyone to form their own by reading the book themselves, instead of taking my word for that one could figure out many a less frustrating way to spend their time.

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.

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.