Is there any better feeling than when the words are falling out of your head faster than you can write them down? And then, when you’re interrupted by life you walk away from your story with regret that’s tempered with the excitement that the rest of the story is clear in your mind.
I put over a thousand words down on my lunch break without looking up and still it was hard to walk away when the time came. Looking forward to this evening and letting the rest of this beast out of my brain!
At first glance, this illustrated fairy-tale seems to be a children’s book, but as Rothfuss himself adamantly declares in the forward, it is not. This is a fairy tale for grown-ups that manages to twist in unexpected directions every time you think you have it figured out. Rothfuss’ knack for storytelling is just as on display in this short work as it is in his better known “The Name of the Wind”.
There’s not much else to say. If you are a fan of Patrick Rothfuss, then you will probably like this. If you are familiar with the author then you know that his sense of humor is a little warped and this book reflects that. It will appeal to anyone who ‘gets’ Rothfuss’ humor. I loved it, the only thing missing is his signature in the front of the book (someday…)
The reading time is under ten minutes, even enjoying the excellent artwork along the way which leads to my only gripe–the book is very highly priced for what it is. I’m not sure why that is–fans of Rothfuss will probably buy it–but the price seems to exclude other readers from discovering this story and this author, and that’s a shame.
Next up: The Edge of the World (Book 1 of the Terra Incognita series) by Kevin J. Anderson (at least until some more anthologies that I’ve ordered arrive).
I haven’t read all of this book. I’m running out of time and have other things to read. But I did jump ahead and read Elaine Isaak’s story–“Joenna’s Axe”. The story was nuanced and imaginative and the main character was deeply drawn and interesting. This story was definitely a diamond in the rough.
Next up: The Adventures of the Princess and Mr. Whiffle: The Thing Beneath the Bed by Patrick Rothfuss.
“A Little Purple Book or Peculiar Stories” is a collection of five short stories by Craig Shaw Gardener, another of the guest lecturers that will be at Odyssey this year.
I’m not sure what to say about this book other than it is well titled. The stories are enjoyable and peculiar – ideas that I don’t think would ever occur to me. Here’s a rundown:
One More Song Before I Go – A man walks out on his wife after an argument and into a musical that he can’t seem to escape. If you like short stories and you like musicals, this one has both.
The Sinister Cheesecake – Sherlock Holmes comes to Broadway to solve a mystery. The first person voice of this story makes it a very fun read.
God’s Eyes – An earth where aliens occupiers transform humans into alien hybrids and the human religion that has evolved to resist this. This was my favorite story of the collection.
How Much Would You Pay? – What if Heaven and Hell ran infomercials to gain converts?
A Planet Called Elvis – a detective story set on a planet where everyone is dressed up as Elvis and every activity is Elvis-themed. If you like Elvis, you’ll enjoy all of the references to his life and music in this story.
Peculiar.
Next up: Demons: A Clash of Steel Anthology – another book of short stories with one by another of the 2012 Odyssey lecturers – Elaine Issak.
Complaining about the lack of incoming email in my inbox worked!
I woke up this morning to an email notifying me that my short story, “Reflections” was accepted by Wicked East Press for their anthology, Soul Reflections! My first paying publication (okay, not paying much, but that wasn’t the point).
I submitted this back in late February. When I sent it off, I was really unhappy with one section, but I didn’t want to spend any more time on it as I needed to move forward onto the next Odyssey story. So, I submitted it thinking that at least the experience of submitting something would be good. I never expected it to be accepted. Yay me!
And yes, to anyone who is asking ‘why would you submit something that you didn’t think was ready’, I get it. I asked myself that same question. But, I wanted to submit something before I left for Odyssey, even if it was rejected, just so I wouldn’t have to admit that ‘no, I’ve never even tried submitting anything’ once I got there. And, I already had the story when I saw the call for submissions and the subject matter fit so perfectly, and the deadline was April 15, and so I submitted it.
I guess it worked out.
