What I'm reading now 5/2/13 UPDATE

I've decided to do something a little different for these posts and write about my expectations for the book before I read it. From there I'll continue to speak about my feelings halfway through it, and what I think at the end. This way we can see if my expectations live up to the reality of the book throughout the reading experience.

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With that said today I begin reading "Odd Thomas" by Dean Koontz. I know I'm a little behind the Odd bandwagon but I prefer to let the hype of books die down before I read them (unless they plan on making a movie of it, then I have to read it before the movie is released) and Odd Thomas had some pretty good hype. Obviously I haven't read it yet, but the impression I got from this whole book series is that Koontz was reminding people that he's still here (and that his name isn't Stephen King).  

I've read Koontz before and while I like his writing I share the common concern about his books held by many readers of his, which is that once he has a good idea he goes back to the well too many times (which seems like it may be the case with the various Odd books). However, despite those concerns I have high hopes for this first book of the series and we'll see after if I decide to read any of the others.

Update 5/13/13 I've read nearly half of the book, and as you can tell from the dates of this post, it's been slow going.  I haven't been too impressed with the book.  I was dangerously close to getting to my 75 page limit when the book suddenly picked up.  The first 50 or so pages are dry useless fodder Koontz uses to pad his word count.  After getting through those pages, the story begins developing and he'c crafted an interesting world for Odd Thomas.  Prior to reading the book, I was aware (and thus don't consider this a spoiler) that Odd had the ability to see dead people.  I wasn't sure of the nature of this or how this would play into the story, but obviously it'd be the main factor.  He's done some things to differentiate his version of this trope from other popular ones, such as The Sixth Sense.

While Koontz has created an interesting world for Odd to live in, he hasn't populated it with any persons of interest, except for his one friend Little Ozzie.  Odd had a famous ghost companion, that I won't ruin the surprise of, but before it seems his story could develop, he's removed from the book, at least temporarily.  I'm holding out hope that that he'll return before the end.  Reading the description of the antagonist, I'm sure that he was meant to be an interesting character, but I find myself pulled towards the happenings around him.

Certainly things will continue along a path that satisfies my curiosities, but I fear that Koontz won't be able to get out of his own way and let the story go where it wants to, as opposed to where he thinks it should.

Update 5/29/13 So the book is finished and I'm not upset about it, but it didn't meet my expectations.  I liked the premise of the character being able to see dead people, and these things he calls bodachs.  Like I said earlier, Dean Koontz built an interesting world, but I found that he failed to fill it with equally interesting people.  Odd's best Friend Little Ozzie and his girlfriend Stormy are the two most interesting characters, but the former plays such a minor role he only appears in a scene or two.  The later, his girlfriend, is a nice character against Odd, I just wish she did more.

Odd learns of a pending terrorist (not the Arab variety) attack on his quiet town of Pico Mondo, and sets out to prevent it using his abilities.  It's a good story that Koontz finds an interesting twist to.  My major concern is the introduction of a black room, that goes unexplained.  At the end of the book, two possible explanations are provided, but it's never shown whether either of them are true, or if it's something else entirely.  The introduction to the room does nothing more than pique your interest, but plays no part in the actual story, so for it to not be explained, is a cop out on Koontz' part.

Overall the book found a way to put a new spin on ideas that have been done many times in the past by combining them in ways I haven't read before.  I just wish Koontz put more time into the characters that mattered to the story, and followed through on the idea of the black room, or not introduced it at all.

Perhaps the black room comes into play in one of the later books of the series but appearing in the first book and the POTENTIAL launch for a series, I don't think he should have left such a glaring plot thread unresolved in this book.

As for a rating, if you're a Dean Koontz fan, you've probably already read the book, or you will regardless of the rating.  If you aren't a fan or haven't read any of him before I'd rate it a Page 75

It's not worth the commitment to read the entire book and potentially be lured into reading more from the series.  I personally will be staying away from any of the sequels. On to the next one...

Intro 5: The Anonymous Portrait

Although this was the 4th story I had published it was the first story I ever had accepted, and as such certainly holds a special place with me.  I'd like to think that even if it weren't the first accepted one, it'd still be one of my favorite stories just from a quality standpoint.

I read the call for submission from this upstart company asking for horror stories revolving around a found item, hence the title of the anthology "Look What I Found". The writing prompt intrigued me and I wanted to write something for it but I couldn't think of a fitting story that didn't seem like a rehash of a dozen other books/stories I've read.  Resigned to let this antho pass by I began writing something else, but more importantly, at the time I was reading Stephen King "The Reaper's Image" and while I truthfully can't remember much about that story the description of the mirror sparked an idea for "Look What I Found".  From there I was just in the zone, the way a basketball player can get on a hot streak, the story just flew out of me.

This is also probably a reason why I like this piece so much, that it was inspired by a Stephen King story, who is one of my inspirations. From the haunted mirror sparked the idea for "The Anonymous Portrait" a twisty tale of the past coming back to haunt you, although it may not always be your own past.

Without further delay, the intro to "The Anonymous Portrait"...

"Sir Riley, what a pleasant surprise. Thank you for gracing my humble establishment." Luis Feldman, proprietor of Feldman's Antiques is unaware that Sir Malcolm Riley is there by chance. His automobile broke down just outside and Sir Riley entered in an attempt to escape the heat.

"Stop your cobbling man. Money and a title doesn't make me a better person, nor is this a humble shop if it provides for you and yours." Sir Riley stands at an impressive 6'2" with a good 300 pounds of supporting girth. "Now, why don't you show me around your fine establishment, while I wait for my automobile to be repaired."

Luis didn't need any more of an invitation; he takes Sir Riley directly to his backroom of fine antiques that the average customer couldn't afford. Hoping to make his first sale in a fortnight, he begins rattling off the history of each item Sir Riley even momentarily pauses on. "Ah, that chest migrated to Baltimore by way of Rio Jaina, originally brought across the ocean during Columbus' fourth and final voyage.

Sir Riley replies more flippantly than Luis would have preferred, "hmm, interesting."

"If that doesn't suit your tastes, perhaps this credenza salvaged from the original White House when most of the interior was burnt beyond repair in 1814."

As it appears that Sir Riley's interest is piqued by the credenza, his attention is pulled through a doorway into what appears to be a closet. "What's in there? I'd very much like to explore that room if you don't mind."

Not wanting to outright refuse a man of stature like Sir Riley, Luis explains, "Ah, that is just a storage room for items labeled 'undesirables'. Nothing that would be of interest to a man of your wealth."

"Tsk, tsk. I didn't become a rich man by passing up a good deal. Consider this, if I don't find something of interest in there, I'll purchase the chest."

Unable to reject such an offer, Luis leads the gentleman through the clutter of coverless books, broken mirrors, scratched furniture, and....

"Who is that in this portrait?"

"Apologies sir, this is an unidentified portrait, by an unrecognizable artist. That is the reason it is among the undesirables. However, in this portfolio, there's a rare sketch by author H.P. Lovecraft."

Unable to pry his eyes from the painting, "No, you must tell me about this painting. I know this man, I cannot place his face but I undoubtedly know this man."

"I'm sorry sir, but I've done all the research I can, but the subject and artist remain a mystery. If you know this man, I dare say you may be the only person who does."

"Nonsense, why would you purchase a painting you knowingly couldn't sell?"

"Again sir, I must apologize, the painting was amidst a crate of paintings from a private collection. The bank auctioned off the entirety of the collection when Lord and Lady Williamson were found dead with no heirs."

"How did they die?"

"It appears each of your inquiries lead to another mystery I do not know the answer of."

Before Sir Riley can ask another unanswerable question, they are interrupted by his driver. "Sir, the automobile is operational. It needs extensive repairs, however it will return you to your home."

"Very good. Load this painting as well." Shaking Luis' hand, "Thank you for indulging my elderly curiosity Mr. Feldman. Please send me a voucher for three times your asking price, and not a penny less."

Well that seems innocent enough, right?  If you want to know how this becomes a horror story published in an anthology with such a creepy cover, you can purchase it at the usual spots; amazon.com, Joker's Child (located in Fair Lawn), and the AzarRising Mobile Bookstore (trunk of my car).

While this story was going through the editing process an interesting issue came up.  The editors didn't like that "Sir Riley" was referred to as 'sir'.  They read this as meaning he was a British royal 'sir' and as such must have been a UK citizen at the time the story takes places since the only person at the time to have dual citizenship was Winston Churchill.  I kindly pointed out that he was called sir only as a sign of respect, not as a title.  The editors weren't satisfied with this explanation and changed the title from Sir to Mr.

So that was my first clash with editorial, and honestly I didn't put up a fight.  The title wasn't a big deal to me, and again it was the first story I had accepted to be published, I didn't want to jinx it and/or ruin my standing with the editors for future publications, and it's a good thing too, I was published twice more with them.

Free Thoughts 4/26/13

A few days ago I was listening to music, can't remember if it was my headphones or while driving, but it really doesn't matter.  What's important is that whatever song it was had the phrase "straw dogs" in it.  And the reason this is important, or at least important to this train of thought I'm expressing, is that it made me think of the movies entitled... yup you guessed it "Straw Dogs".  This created two questions in my mind 1) what the hell 'straw dogs' means.  I'm sure I could do a quick Google search and find a definition of the term, if it is in fact a term.  And 2) why are some movies titled what they are, but this really isn't limited to movies.  The same could be asked of certain books, plays, and Lord knows how many songs have senseless titles.

Mind you, I have a smart phone and put it to use on a daily, if not hourly, but sometimes I prefer to learn things the old fashioned way.  I know I can easily search for the reason the movie is actually called what it is, but I'd rather watch it (eventually) and learn that way.

I extend that preference in other ways as well. I still have reference books on chemistry, psychology, kinesiology, and an encyclopedia of dictionaries, that has a bible dictionary, a crossword dictionary, medical dictionary, synonyms and antonyms.  It's a great source for pretty much anything you could ask for... prior to 1980.  Again, all this information could be found on the internet with a few clicks and keystrokes, and that's great for what it's worth, but sometimes I just really enjoy the hunt for knowledge and all the peripheral facts you pick up during your search.

Addressing the second question, there are just some movies/books for the life of me I can't think of the meaning behind the title.  My favorite book for instance, "A Clockwork Orange", the title is never used in the book (or movie) and I'm pretty sure the word 'clockwork' was never used.  I've recently searched for the meaning, and found that Anthony Burgess has given multiple reasons and meanings behind the title, but none of them are explicitly described in the book.  Same goes for "Reservoir Dogs", none of the characters ever refer to themselves as such, nor is the word reservoir nor dogs ever used in the movie.

I'd like to think that the titles I use not only make sense, but are explained within the story, even the abstract ones.

If you have any other examples of oddly titles books/movies mention them in the movies...

Post 100! Poll 1!

AzarRising has been around for several years, and the past two years in particular have seen a lot of activity with my first acceptance through my ninth published piece.  And today we've hit 100 posts.  I wanted to do something special for this momentous post, so for the first time you can choose what I write next.  You'll notice just below the creepy eye looking at you when you visit the page there's a poll (also a first!) with three options for my next story that I'll write and submit for publication in a new publishing company. Now do your patriotic duty and vote!

Depending how this poll turns out I'll have more in the future. So don't forget to vote

What I'm Reading Now 4/9/13 UPDATE

This book has long been on my to read list, and it's finally worked its way up the list.  I've long been excited about reading it, but wanted to let the hype die down before getting into it. Here it is...

Ender's Game

by Orson Scott Card

I've owned this book for several years, even lent it out for about a year to a cousin, but just got around to reading it.  My cousin who borrowed the book loved it, this became one of his favorites instantly, which built on the hype I've heard of for this book.  That hype caused me to delay in reading it.  Much like a movie every one of your friends sees and likes thus setting an impossible bar to attain, so goes the reading experience for me.  

Originally published in 1985 the novel is based off of a short story Card published in 1977, and is about a boy nicknamed Ender in a future Battle School orbiting the planet training to defend Earth from a third alien attack.  All the kids at the school are recruited at young ages but Ender was the youngest yet at about 6 years old.  The commanders at the school believe Ender to be capable of leading the human army to victory when the alien Bugger army inevitably returns.  

I'm about halfway through, and am enjoying the book.  It's well written with some interesting original (for it's time) ideas.  There are several issues I have with the book, mainly being that there's been no real conflict.  Everything Ender has gone up against has been a laughable challenge you, as the reader, know he's going to make it out of.  I fully believe that this looming threat of the Bugger army is going to be saved for one of the subsequent books (of which there are more than a few) leaving the only climax in this book to be graduating Battle School, and of course he will have to for there to be other books.  This lack of challenge has made Ender an uninteresting character to read.  He starts the school off as the perfect soldier, and quickly becomes the perfect army leader within the school despite the teacher breaking the rules to challenge him more differently than any other squad leader.  

The charm of the book comes from the other characters that he interacts with.  He leaves a sister and brother behind on Earth who are proving to be more involved in the story than the early chapters wold have you believe.  At the school he makes some friends, enemies, and (though I hate the term) frenemies. 

I'm passed the halfway mark, and look forward to the conclusion, no matter how predictable it may be.

UPDATE

Color me surprised, the ending was not what I expected.  In the final chapters it became evident that my earlier assumption was incorrect and what the ending was, made me really like this book. I find it unfortunate that you have to read through a couple hundred pages of predictability to get to the enjoyable ending, but if you stick with it, you'll enjoy it.

Prior to the ending I was going to rate the book lower, however as it stands now I'm giving it a "Cover to cover"


If you like science fiction, I definitely recommend reading this book.  I've heard word that some of the superlative books are also worth the read, and whenever I get around to them I'll let you know what I think.