Angela VanWell

Author | Reader | Traveler | Tea and Coffee Drinker

epic fantasy

Inspiring Author of the Week: J.R.R. Tolkien

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“You Shall Not Pass!”

While I read the books well before watching the movies, I will forever remember Gandalf and his fight with the Balrog. Slamming his twisted, power-filled staff into the rocks, holding back the Balrog, then Gandalf pulled into the abyss. It sends shivers down my spine. But today, today I am reminiscing about a quiet hobbit pulled by his everyday life into the Fellowship of the Ring.

The Black Cover of the Hobbit is the copy I have

Biblo is content with his life. He lives in his wonderful, cozy hobbit hole, coming from a long line of very respectable Hobbits. Hobbits respected the Baggins because of their lack of excitement and adventure. Bilbo changed all that. Though he was not the one who decided on an adventure. It was not his fault he lost the respect of his neighbours. It all started one morning while Bilbo was enjoying a morning pipe when Gandalf passed by Bilbo’s hobbit hole.

We are plain quiet folk and have no use for adventure. Nasty disturbing uncomfortable things! Makes you late for dinner! I can’t think what anybody sees in them.

Bilbo Baggins, The Hobbit y J.R.R. Tolkien

Bilbo’s Home, Baggin’s End

Fortunately for the readers and Bilbo, Gandalf ignores his remarks and scratched a sign on Biblo’s door. The Dwarves arrived the adventure began. That first meeting was already too much adventure for Bilbo, yet set the tone of the adventure through their “deep-throated singing,” of a dwarven tale.

Far over the misty mountains cold

To dungeons deep and caverns old

We must away ere break of day

To seek the pale enchanted gold.

The dwarves of yore made mighty spells,

While hammers fell like ringing bells

In places deep, where dark things sleep,

In hollow halls beneath the fells.

For ancient king and elvish lord

There many a gleaming golden hoard

They shaped and wrought, and light they caught

To hide in gems on hilt of sword.

On silver necklaces they strung

The flowering stars, on crowns they hung

The dragon-fire, in twisted wire

They meshed the light of moon and sun.

Far over the misty mountains cold

To dungeons deep and caverns old

We must away, ere break of day,

To claim our long-forgotten gold.

Goblets they carved there for themselves

And harps of gold; where no man delves

There lay they long, and many a song

Was sung unheard by men or elves.

The pines were roaring on the height,

The wind was moaning in the night.

The fire was red, it flaming spread;

The trees like torches blazed with light.

The bells were ringing in the dale

And men looked up with faces pale;

The dragon’s ire more fierce than fire

Laid low their towers and houses frail.

The mountain smoked beneath the moon;

The dwarves, they heard the tramp of doom.

They fled their hall to dying fall

Beneath his feet, beneath the moon.

Far over the misty mountains grim

To dungeons deep and caverns dim

We must away, ere break of day,

To win our harps and gold from him!”

J.R.R. TOlkien, The Hobbit

It was the song that stirred Bilbo’s blood and woke his need for adventure. He still denied that he wanted to go, but deep inside the adventure called him. To be a member of the dwarven company on a journey to take back the Mountain from Smaug, the dragon. The story of Smaug taking the Mountain, killing the dwarves, and eating the inhabitants of Dale, was enough to scare the Took out of him, (Took being the adventurous side of his family) ensuring he decided not to go.

Yet when morning came, Bilbo found himself chasing Thorin & Company, on his first adventure.

Bilbo learned that a brave few fought for all beings’ safety.

Trolls almost ate Bilbo in the first part of his adventure. The next part involved Goblins, then the scariest part of his adventure; when Bilbo was alone with Gullum. Gullum remains one of my favourite characters, a truly tortured soul. And a true test of Bilbo’s guile and if he had what it takes to be a burglar.

Riddling with Gullum

If you haven’t read the book, I urge you to. Then follow it up with The Hobbit and The Lord of The Rings Movie Trilogies. It was the first epic fantasy I could see in my dreams, and when watching the movies, I was not disappointed. My family even lived in New Zealand for a short time and visited many of the sights. It was before the filming of The Hobbit, so there were no sets and tourist sites, instead, we hiked out to the sights and would envision the movie. The lands are beautiful and I understood why Peter Jackson set LOTR there.

Happy Reading!

Inspiring Author of the Week: Terry Brooks

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There were several series that I move with, and Terry Brooks wrote two of them. The Shannara Series and the Magic Kingdom of Landover Series. Although I love the Shannara Series, it was Terry Brooks Magic Kingdom of Landover series I read first. I was searching through my highschool library, this book was published in 1986 so you get an idea how long ago this could have been😊, when I came upon the book cover where a dog was reading a book and a man knelt on one knee before him. Instantly intrigued, I read the back cover, and the rest is history.

Magic Kingdom For Sale Sold

I first read this as a teenager, but when I reread it as an adult, I connected with the story even more. Ben Holiday, a widowed man, receives Rosen, his wife’s favourite store’s, Christmas Wishbook. They filled the Wishbook with an eccentric collection of oddball gifts to fulfill the wishes and dreams for those who could afford it. Gifts included everything from a private dinner in a movie star’s house to the purchase of a Magic Kingdom. A place to escape into dreams and “be born again.”

The Witch of the North seemed to think for a time, with her head bowed and her eyes upon the ground. Then she looked up and said, “I do not know where Kansas is, for I have never heard that country mentioned before. But tell me, is it a civilized country?”

“Oh, yes,” replied Dorothy.

“Then that accounts for it. In the civilized countries I believe there are no witches left, nor wizards, nor sorceresses, nor magicians. But, you see, the Land of Oz has never been civilized, for we are cut off from all the rest of the world. There we still have witches and wizards amongst us.”

L. Frank Baum, The Wizard of Oz

The above quote is at the front of the book. It foreshadows the adventure Ben Holiday will have in Landover.

With his disposition delayed and his preliminary injunction impossible as the judge bears stays and pleas was on a 30-day vacation, and Ben feeling lost in life, he meets with Meeks and agrees to start with a ten-day examination as the King of Landover. In the contract, if he does not change his mind and return within the first ten days, then he must stay in Landover until the first year is complete.

Escape into your dreams…

Maybe.

And maybe he would be escaping into his nightmares.

Terry Brooks, Kingdom For Sale Sold

Ben headed out to the Blue Ridge Mountains, wearing the Medallion, which was his key to enter Landover and prove he was the rightful heir. Entering a tunnel cut through the center of a wall of oaks, was attacked by the demon Lord, Iron Mark, and saved by the Knight on his medallion. Not the greatest start. Then Ben finds his guide, Questor Thews, a half-baked wizard lacking control over his magic and that he is the ruler of a dying land.

With the Barons unwilling to recognize him as king, the peasants left hopeless, and a dragon terrorizing the countryside, Ben Holiday’s magical adventure turns out to be a stew of politics, evil plots, and a duel to the death. It is a good thing Ben is stubborn.

Eyes tell more about a man than anything he says. Eyes reflect a mans’ soul. They reflect a man’s heart. Sometimes they even tell the truths a man wants to keep hidden.

Terry Brooks, Kingdom For Sale Sold

The rest of his vessels consist of a man turned into a dog, and a couple of flying monkeys.

I can’t buy a house in downtown Vancouver for one million, so I am not sure what Ben expected paying one million for a kingdom. You get what you paid for. He paid for a Kingdom suffering the Tarnish, with no one paying taxes, and plenty of enemies. And I paid for a light, humourous fantasy adventure in a Wizard of Oz like land and enjoyed every minute. Rereading it was a pleasure. It reminded me of my early preference for light humour and action in a fantasy realm. I love darkness and action, but there are times I need something light to escape into, and Magic Kingdom For Sale Sold provides the perfect escape.

If you are looking for a place to escape to, I suggest this series:)

Happy reading!

Inspiring Author of the Week: David Farland

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This series was a thrift store find. A series of books well broke in and enjoyed by their last owners; the spines broke in several places, which made sense as the books are massive. The reason for the 600+ pages was the impressive world building and the unique use of magic. It reminded me of a roleplaying game, where my knight had the strength of ten men and the wit of four. The difference being, the strength and wit wasn’t gained through experience, but through removing them from another being and endowing them to their receiver. Leaving people sacrificing their attributes, weak and slow-witted. It is a dark premise, one that provides a dark look at what people will do to become Runelords.

We bought several books in the series at once, the perk of shopping second hand, and found David Farland’s magic system refreshing. This was the first series I read where branding was related to magic. Where the strength of a nation lay within its halls; the people who now required full-time care as they gave their best attributes to the Runelords, known as endowments. As a reader, the idea was barbaric. And believable.

Prince Gaborn Val Orden, recognized the truth, even though he too is a Runelord, and plans to change the practice once he is in power. But while he is on his way to meet his father’s longtime friend’s daughter, to woo her into becoming his wife, Raj Ahtan, ruler of Indhopal, attacks. Raj Ahtan’s goal is to become the legend figure known as the “Sum of all Men”. A man with so many endowments that he has become immortal. This sets up an eastern culture against a western culture fantasy, showing the eastern kingdoms with the more barbaric goal. I, however, found all the kingdoms barbaric in their abuse of humans and animals to augment themselves, even if the victims sacrifices themselves. 

There are layers upon layers of world building, with each chapter bringing new, interesting details to the story. David Farland also included layers of history with alliances of old holding true if forgotten by many. A connection to the earth, not controlled by the realm of men.

This is a conflict of clashing cultural use of the ruins, fighting over land and the ethical use of the forcibles, metal. Which is already a contentious issue between all kingdoms, there is even more at stake. Gaborn makes a vow to serve the Earth and brings to light a two-thousand year old prophesy, of an Earth King, a mythic figure with “earth site” who can judge the worthy and Choose them. Creating a connection and the ability to to send a message to their Chosen.

Chapter 1 sets the stage with a fight to the death over secret knowledge the kingdom did not know it held.

As Raj Ahtan, the Wolf Lord of Indhopal, presses to make himself the sum of all men, Gaborn and his allies struggle to retain their freedom. It is a deadly battle, and David Farland spares no one in this tale. Pain, loss, and sacrifice are felt by all the characters, and the readers feel it along with them.

The reason I had such visceral feelings about the book is the story is immersive. The barbaric abuse of the people repulsed me and the history of how the cultures justified it to themselves. The lust for power and how it corrupted the individuals provided a stark example of the effects to society, even the imaginary ones. A disturbing example is when the Gaborn’s father, King Mendellas Draken Orden, would rather die than to be a dedicate for Raj Ahtan. They never considered the hypocrisy as they did the same to their own people.

If you enjoy stories with dark premise, searching the darker sides of culture, this series might be a great fit for you.

Happy Reading

Inspiring Author of the Week: Kristen Britain

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I have always loved horses. I had my first and only horse as a teenager. Her name was Skeeter and she was a six-year-old, purebred Arabian. She was my mount in our 4-H Horse Club and I loved her. She loved me for brushing her and treats, so she allowed me to ride her. Allowed, because Arabs have strong personalities. If there was one thing Arabs were well known for it was for their stubbornness. I remember the time the farrier and my father were trimming her hooves, which she did not appreciate, She had both of them pinned against a fence when I arrived. I had to hold her head for them to continue. It made me love her more. I was her favorite.

When I was not out hiking, riding Skeeter, or reading, I was watching Young Riders on TV. I fell in love with Kid and his horse Katy. I cried when the horse was shot and celebrated when she was saved. I wanted to be a horse messenger and loved that the show had a female messenger, even if she was pretending to be a boy on the show. Now that I have rewatched the series as an adult, I find it just as impressive🙃 I still would love to be a messenger, but maybe for the slower mail. So I don’t end up shot at so much and in trouble as those horse messengers seem to always be in. Reading Kristen Britain’s Green Rider series takes me back to the dream of the horse messenger service and with an added bonus, theres magic.

Unlike the ruffians on Young Riders, Karigan G’ladheon did not sign up for the horse messenger service for her Kingdom. Instead, she was interrupted on her escape from school by a dying messenger with two black arrows in his back. He begs Karigan to deliver his message to the King, shares it is a matter of life and death.

At her promise, Karigan begins the long and treacherous journey through the country following a path only her horse knew She is pursued by assassins and a silent spectre of the dead messenger. Along the way she learns a little about magic and how it is central to the conflict she has been pulled into.

I swept through the first book so quickly the first time, I regretted it. The story was fast paced with Karigan, along with the Kingdom she grew up in, in danger. The interactions of Karigan and Condor, who she calls Horse, and their growing trust was my favourite relationship. As a previous horse owner, I loved watching their growing trust and support of each other. Karigan learned to trust Horse’s instincts, and Condor learned she was willing to help him fulfill his partners dying request. In a land with magic, it was no surprise to me the horses had a spark as well, but as a previous horse owner, it was something I already believed.

Beyond Karigan, there are many characters introduced and the beginning of many relationships that wane and wan throughout the series. All of them delightful and fell real. Family, coworkers, love-interests, all become a part of Karigan’s life and all put themselves at risk for their Kingdom.

Bottom line, the series is full of adventure, internal and external struggles as Karigan fights for what she holds important. All during a mad dash against evil and time. Take a chance on the series, you won’t regret it.

Inspiring Author of the Week: Joseph R. Lallo

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I found Joseph R. Lallo, who I knew as Joe, through the Sc-Fi& Fantasy Marketing Podcast hosted with Lindsay Buroker and Jeff Poole. The podcast, which I found through Lindsay Buroker, provided hours of interesting information on independent publishing and marketing. It was this podcast, along with NaNoWriMo that gave me the push to publish a book in 2021. They are also the reasons I pushed myself to start this blog. Sharing pieces of myself seemed so scary. But then I realized the authors I admired were sharing pieces of their writing failures and wins with me and how much I appreciated it. The blog readers and podcast listeners were all people like me, passionate about fantastic stories.

After enjoying hours of entertainment and information listening to their podcast, I grabbed a free copy of The Book Of Deacon. This was early on before I committed more to one e-retailer than an other. Back in those days I might have books from one author on more than two platforms. I would buy a book based on whichever e-retailer I was using at that time. It was a big mistake. Not I have to hunt for the books to finish reading a series I already own. I guess that is my way of asking “Should you still be reading?” As though I am Netflix and worried about a 12 hour read-a-thon. It does work the same. I realize half the weekend has went by and I only left my hammock to warm up my coffee or have something to eat.

I was warned from the beginning, by Joe himself during one of the podcasts, that he did not intentionally write a trilogy. Rather, he wrote an exceedingly long epic fantasy, then realized it could be broken into three books. Armed with this information, I was prepared for immersive settings and epic battles. I was correct on the settings. The grittiness of the landscape, a place worn by generations of war. The remaining battlecry of the lands now the reverence of sacrifice. Where soldiers and their families brag about how many of the enemy they will kill with the unwritten understanding it is hope for before they die. And in a multigenerational war, the only people as vile as the enemy are those who don’t believe in the war. Enter the protagonist Myranda Celeste.

Myranda is an orphan of the war, and feels empathy for all who fall to it. This makes her an outsider and unwelcome in the lands she was raised in. She also comes across as extremely virtuous. She is unwilling to lie about her beliefs to find a place to belong, even though that is her greatest desire. If anyone shows her any kindness, she believes it to is virtuous. Such folly is what leads her into many of the challenges she faces in The Book of Deacon. Scavenging a priceless sword off a battlefield draws her deeper into the Perpetual War she despises. It is also what brings her a baby dragon as a travel companion. Who else would take a baby dragon to care for when she can barely care for herself?

Book One, The Book of Deacon is focused on Myranda learning who she can be and what impact she can have on the world around her. Her belief in the Five Chosen, and their ability to end the Perpetual War provides her with the resolve to train and learn how she can help end the war, rather than running from it.

In Book Two, The Great Convergence, Myranda continues her journey, this time in search of the Chosen Five. Book Three, The Battle of Verril, is the final book in the trilogy where Myranda and the Chosen Five fight for the end of the war. As I stated before, all three books were written together as one epic novel so they stories run seamlessly together.

I reread The Book of Deacon and The Great Convergence this weekend. A lot of the world build up and Myranda’s character are the focus of the first book. The action picks up in the second book. I appreciate Jo Lallo’s attention to detail with magic development and explanation. It make magic seem matter-of-fact in the world. If you are looking for some deep world building and epic fantasy, check out his The Book of Deacon Series.

You can find Joe Lallo’s work on his website. He also has a sci-fi series for you to check out.

Happy Reading!

Inspiring Author of the Week: Brandon Sanderson

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I found the book Mistborn at a used book store called Fair’s Fair in Calgary, Alberta years ago. I loved fantasy books but could not always ready them quickly when I was in university. I forced myself to finish school assignments and study for and complete exams before I was allowed to enjoy a new book.

Rather than borrow books from the library and renew them over and over again until I finally had time to read them, I would travel to my favourite used book store. Fair’s Fair originally had three locations within my train and walking area. The fantasy and scifi section was vast and brought me many new-to-me authors to enjoy.

Mistborn was one of those books. Kelsier, a half-Skaa prisoner, ensures the prison’s torture until the one day that he ‘snap’ed’ and his Mistborn talents are awaked. He then takes of the mantle of troublemaker, rebel, forcing his Skaa people into rebellion.

Vin is another half-Skaa her life hard, filled with a bitter betrayal. It is her skill of luck, a skill she does not fully understand, that has kept her alive and who can make the difference in Kelsier’s rebellion.

The story is gritty and dark. Where the only hope for the Skaa is forced upon them. They have toiled too long in the darkness and do not have the spark to start a rebellion themselves. At the end, as with many epic fantasy books, it ends with sacrifice, blood, and tears. But there are many plot threats left open and the idea of a Darkness in prophecy that may still need to be dealt with, not to mention, rebuilding a nation.

Brandon Sanderson left himself a lot to work with for plot threads to run through the series. They remain epic, gritty, and filled with pain and hope. suspect it was this series that showcased his skills and gave him the opportunity to complete the Robert Jordan, Wheel of Time Series.

Anytime a tyrant is taken down, there are new enemies vying for that position and old enemies no longer stopped by that tyrant. Both series have this plot arc. The rise and fall of kingdoms, makes for gritty action-filled pages. If you like one series, you will like the other. It was wonderful Robert Jordan’s wife approached Brandon Sanderson to finish his series. Without him, the Wheel of Time Series may never have ended. I found his continuation of the series to be mostly satisfying. The characters felt like themselves, to the most part his writing and Robert Jordan’s wife’s editing made the transition seamless. There were a few threads left open, but maybe we will see them in a short story or a novella in the future. We never know.

While his each of his series are independent, Brandon Sanderson has created a greater connection, he calls it the Cosmere. His worlds are connected by a greater plan. Or as Kelsier would say, more secrets. He had a character, Hoid, who is connected to the words who do not know each other. There are other easter eggs, other foreshadowing in his books. I for one look forward to finding out what they are as the Cosmere becomes more clear.

If you are new to Brandon Sanderson’s writings, check out his website. He and excerpts from many of his books and free stories as well. He is one of my favourite authors in epic fantasy with a strong female protagonist in his crew. Happy Reading!