The Book Plank

 May Review Round-up 1. Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson, Tor/Gollancz In April I read the start of the Stormlight Archive, The Way of Kings and was immediately sucked into the amazingly rich world that Brandon Sanderson managed to show in it. I was fortunate enough not to have to wait a few years for the sequel to be released as it was already sitting on my TBR pile. In Words of Radiance , Brandon Sanderson nicely broadens the scope of his story still lying the focus on Kaladin and Shallan but also involving more and more different characters to neatly draw a complete picture. Both the books have been clocking in at about 1000-1100 pages and with such an epic scope it's can be hard to keep the focus on the main drive of the story, here it clearly comes to show that Brandon Sanderson has gained a lot of experience from continuing Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series. There is never a dull moment in Words of Radiance , Brandon Sanderson managed to grab me from start ...

Morningside Fall by Jay Posey, Legends of the Duskwalker #2 The lone gunman Three is gone, and Wren is the new governor of the devastated settlement of Morningside, but there is turmoil in the city. When his life is put in danger, Wren is forced to flee Morningside until he and his retinue can determine who can be trusted. They arrive at the border outpost, Ninestory, only to find it has been infested with Weir in greater numbers than anyone has ever seen. These lost, dangerous creatures are harbouring a terrible secret – one that will have consequences not just for Wren and his comrades, but for the future of what remains of the world. Around this time last year I read another one of my favourite debuts. Three from Jay Posey. AND WOW!! Yes it really was that good. I am still fired up by it. My god I can still slap myself when I think that Three escaped my attention, luckily I was notified by Angry Robot about the release, was send an ARC and totally lost myself in the w...

(p)review forecast May part 1 1. Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson, Tor/Gollancz In Words of Radiance their intertwined stories will continue and, as Sanderson fans have come to expect, develop in unexpected, wonderfully surprising directions. The war with the Parshendi will move into a new, dangerous phase, as Dalinar leads the human armies deep into the heart of the Shattered Plains in a bold attempt to finally end it. Shallan will come along, hoping to find the legendary, perhaps mythical, city of Urithuru, which Jasnah believes holds a secret vital to mankind’s survival on Roshar. The Parshendi take a dangerous step to strengthen themselves for the human challenge, risking the return of the fearsome Voidbringers of old. To deal with it all, Kaladin must learn how to fulfill his new role, while mastering the powers of a Windrunner. 2.  The Forbidden Library by Django Wexler, Random House Children The Forbidden Library kicks off a brand new class...

Guest Post: Rote World-Building For Fun and Profit (or At Least for Fun) by Jay Posey                   One of the great joys of being a writer is getting to create worlds that don’t exist (yet) and then letting others inhabit your creation in a way that’s meaningful to them.  Good world-building plays a critical role in enabling your audience to enter your world and to stay firmly planted in it for the duration of the tale.  But there are two sides to the world-building process, each with their own goals and needs, and it’s important as an author to keep the distinction in mind while you’re working.                 On one hand, there are the Author’s Needs, which mostly boil down to how much he or she needs to know about the world to create a coherent and credible story within it.  On the other hand, there are ...