Thanks for the Birthday Wishes!

Just wanted to thank everyone for the birthday wishes (those who've already tagged me) and pre-thank those who hadn't gotten to it yet. *grin* It's been kind of a crazy few weeks leading up to this, with holidays and the new book release. This week has certainly been crazed, since Leaves of Flame came out yesterday, so I've been busy doing stuff to help promote that and planning a release party and . . . well, you all get the idea.

If you were looking for what to get me for my birthday, might I suggest that you simply buy my books? It's the best birthday present ever, and we both win, since you (perhaps) get to enjoy the stories when you get around to reading them. And they're conveniently in all possible formats--paperback, Kindle, Nook, etc.

If you've already bought all of them, and preordered Leaves of Flame, then you can pass word of my books along to your friends and possibly get THEM to buy them instead. Or post a review online, at Amazon.com or bn.com, etc. You get the idea. Word of mouth is still the best selling point for any book. And seriously, selling books is the best gift you can give to a writer. Here a list of all of my books, short stories, and anthologies out at the moment.

And don't forget that all of the stories in the After Hours: Tales from the Ur-bar anthology are eligible for a Hugo nomination, as well as the anthology itself. So if you're so inclined, jot it or one of them down on YOUR nomination!

Throne of Amenkor series (published as Joshua Palmatier):
The Skewed Throne
The Cracked Throne
The Vacant Throne

Well of Sorrows series (published under Benjamin Tate):
Well of Sorrows
Leaves of Flame

Short Stories:
"An Alewife in Kish" in After Hours: Tales from the Ur-bar edited by Joshua Palmatier & Patricia Bray
"Mastihooba" in Close Encounters of the Urban Kind edited by Jennifer Brozek
"Tears of Blood" in Beauty Has Her Way edited by Jennifer Brozek
"The River" in River edited by Alma Alexander (sort of out now)

Anthologies edited by Joshua Palmatier & Patricia Bray:
After Hours: Tales from the Ur-bar
The Modern Fae's Guide to Surviving Humanity (coming March 2012)

Book Review: "King's Shield" by Sherwood Smith

King's Shield is the third book in the Inda series from Sherwood Smith. I enjoyed the first two books, with some minor complaints about the sheer amount of titles for the various characters that were thrown at me. I couldn't remember them all and finally gave up, just reading for the story, and that worked well. I admire the depth of the world that Sherwood Smith has created. It's more than just a few simple countries vying for power on one continent. This is worldbuilding with an emphasis on "world." There are numerous countries spread over multiple continents with oceans in between, and the countries are vying not just militarily, but economically as well. While some aren't active players in the storyline currently taking place, you get the sense as a reader that events occuring in those lands are still having an impact on the current plot. And the characters do travel from land to land, especially in the second book.





If you recall, the second book had us following Inda in his escapades as a "pirate," but at the end of the book he came into knowledge that would allow him to honorably return to the home he had been exiled from for the death of his friend at the military academy. We start King's Shield pretty much right where the second book ended, with Inda arriving home . . . and coming up against all of the changes that have occured while he was gone, such as his best friend from the academy now the King and his arranged marriage, even though he's found a lover while away. But the news that Venn are actually ready to invade (after rumors of the invasion having happened for years) supplants all of that and the kingdom immediately begins to prepare. I don't think it's much of a spoiler to tell you that Evred, the King, makes Inda his second in command, called the King's Shield, for the battle that they know is coming. And their first line of defense is the pass to the north.

The rest of the book deals with some politics, the preparation for the battle, Inda and his intended, Tdor, dealing with their own potential marriage and Inda's interest in his Venn mage lover, and of course the invasion by the Venn and the subsequent battles. When stated like that, it seems like there's a ton going on, but the book actually felt too long to me. Not uninteresting, but by the end of the book it didn't feel like as much had happened as in previous novels, and this gives the book more of a "transitional" feel, as if it's set-up for what's going to happen in the fourth and final novel in the series, Treason's Shore. I certainly enjoyed many parts of the book. The Venn mage's storyline was particularly interesting, and how the marriage was going to be handled emotionally by Tdor and Inda. Many of the friends Inda made in the first book at the military academy return and play important roles in the politics and the battle. The battle itself, and the strategy behind it, were realistic and deadly, as they should be, but I found the defense by the women in the castles defending either end of the pass much more interesting and involving than the battle itself.

So, a good book, perhaps a little long, but I'm definitely interested in finishing the series off. I'm hoping that we get to see more of the Venn in the next book (that seems to be where this series is headed), and I'm definitely interested in delving into this spectacularly rich and deep world more.

Arisia Schedule

Hey, I'll be attending Arisia next week in Boston, MA, and thought I'd post my schedule. These are the panels that I'll be on. I don't think I have a read or signing set up, since they haven't contacted me about that. Who else here is going?

Saturday, January 14th:

1pm: Don't Quit Your Day Job
10pm: Mud and Blood: The Grittier Side of Fantasy

Sunday, January 15th:

1pm: Point of View
10pm: Consistent Magic Systems in Fantasy