New Blog

For the 3 (maybe 4) readers of my blog:

As you may have noticed I have begun a trend of NBA blogging, thus, as it has become quite prevalent, I have decided to start another blog for it. Please visit jacemannba.blogspot.com to see the new ones. This will be fed to my Facebook profile as well. Meaning this blog no longer will as you can only have one feed to Facebook at a time.

The Future of Computer Portability

Well, I'm no expert on any thing, but here's my take on what would be cool for future laptop development. I was inspired this morning after a brief discussion regarding the Macbook Air. Simply put, I believe that the future computer ought to be a Nintendo DS with holographic projection. Interface could be done using the stylus and switching between the screens, and standard use could be a keyboard projection from the touch screen and the monitor projection from the second screen. Dunno, I think it'd work.

My Reads: Fantasy (continued from Nov 12, 2007 post)

As promised, I am continuing my recommendations on fantasy novels to read and why you should read them. I apologize that it's been a while since I've continued this, so please forgive me. Let me continue:

C.S. Lewis:
A classic, I'd read anything by him, not just fantasy, but that's where I started. He only really wrote one fantasy series, the Space Trilogy being something of Sci-Fi which I venture into every now and then. Great narrative and character development, excellent, quick reads.
The Chronicles of Narnia - The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe; Prince Caspian; The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, The Silver Chair; The Horse and His Boy; The Magician's Nephew; The Last Battle
Contrary to whatever genius that decided after the fact of reading the series that the books have to be in chronological order, this is how the series should be read. Chronologically The Magician's Nephew occurs first and The Horse and His Boy occurs before the end of The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe but, you should read it in this order. Simply because, it's the order Lewis wrote them in and he writes each one assuming you've read his previous books. Book 6 (The Magician's Nephew) doesn't make a lot of snese if you haven't read book 1 (The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe). Overall, the stories are very well developed and fun to read, I also really appreciate how Lewis puts the Gospel into his work.

J.R.R. Tolkien:
Like Lewis, Tolkien is another classic that I consider a must read. Of course given Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings movies, many people feel this unnecessary. I only have to say, Peter Jackson's movies, as great as they are, hardly do the novels justice. I feel that the movies are even greater in the context of having read the novels, but as a replacement, they are a poor subsitute. Tolkien does so much in depth character development, and touches on so many issues, that he inspires you with the epicness of his story. There's really not a whole lot I can say about it except you have to read it.
The Hobbit
Lord of the Rings - Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, Return of the King
The Silmarillion
A good starting place for Tolkien is always The Hobbit. While his greatest work remains Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, a prequel, is really a wonderful introduction to Tolkien's Middle Earth. The Silmarillion similar to David Edding's Rivan Codex is something of a history book denoting everything that happens before his acclaimed series. The reading can be a little dry, but it does provide a lot of good contextual information.

These are basically all of the "must read" authors from my perspective currently. I'll toss up another list of stuff I've read that you might like (despite my being less enamoured of them than the previously mentioned series and authors) as well.

Much Apologies

So this is for the 3 readers that might be out there avidly following my blog and are wondering where the updates have been over the past week or two. I humbly apologize to them. I have been neglect in updating this post for a while, and while I blame webcomics, I also my blame myself for being lazy. I will attempt to do something more substantial after this cop-out of a post. So again, my humble apologies.

My Reads: Fantasy

So this is going to be a fairly comprehensive list of the authors that I recommend you read if you're interested in broaching the genre of fantasy. Normally I would give you a synopsis, but I figure you can probably find a better one on Amazon or something, so I'll kind of give you my personal review in what I like and don't like about certain series.

Raymond Feist:
I haven't actually read all of his stuff, but I hear things he co-writes with other authors generally isn't as good as things that he writes himself. Overall he has an amazing sense of story and character-development that I really enjoy. His series usually will tie certain consistent characters together and always the same universe that he's built. He moves though, on a very large timeline, so you don't get too bored by the same characters over and over, and you still have a sense of what's familiar. I won't add any further comments to any of the series because I think this sums it up quite nicely.

Riftwar Saga - Magician: Apprentice, Magician: Master, Silverthorn, A Darkness at Sethanon.
Ok, I lied, I have to make a remark here. The first two books are actually two parts of one book simply titled Magician. I've read though that there are certain additions in the two volume addition not originally included in the single volume version. There is a little bit of extra story development, but if you read either the single volume or the two volume versions, both are good (it's kind of like bonus scenes in a movie).
Krondor's Sons - Prince of the Blood, The King's Buccanneer
I didn't expect to do this this much, but as a note, I'm listing these in the order I think you should read them. They aren't exactly chronological, but I believe this is the order that Feist originally wrote them in so sometimes he might refer to stuff or people or places or events that make more sense if you've read the books he wrote earlier.
Riftwar Legacy - Krondor: The Betrayal, Krondor: The Assassins, Krondor: Tear of the Gods
The Serpentwar Saga - Shadow of a Dark Queen, Rise of a Merchant Prince, Rage of a Demon King, Shards of a Broken Crown
Conclave of Shadows - Talon of the Silver Hawk, King of Foxes, Exile's Return
Darkwar Saga - Flight of the Nighthawks, Into a Dark Realm, Wrath of a Mad God
Ok, so I've only read the first book in the series because book 2 hasn't been released in paperback yet and book 3 hasn't even been released, but it's typical Feist writing so I enjoyed the first book and thoroughly expect to enjoy the second and third when I get them.

David (and Leigh) Eddings:
Another one of my favorite authors. I put Leigh in there because Eddings wrote that many of his books he could not have finished without the help of his wife, yet he didn't start attributing her until later in his career. Eddings is somewhat of your stereotypical formula writer. If you read enough of his works you realize that all his characters are exactly the same from series to series. Furthermore, his plots become increasingly similar as time progresses as well. However, what I so enjoy about Eddings is his quick wit in his narrative. Very few authors have gotten me to laugh out loud at their story, Eddings is one of them. The style in which he writes and tells the story is very enthralling and reader friendly, making it a very fun, quick, and relaxing read.
The Belgariad - Pawn of Prophecy, Queen of Sorcery, Magician's Gambit, Castle of Wizardry, Enchanter's End Game
The Mallorean - Guardians of the West, King of the Murgos, Demon Lord of Karanda, Sorceress of Darshiva, The Seeress of Kell
Belgarath the Sorcerer
Polgara the Sorceress
The Rivan Codex
So all of these books follow the same characters in the same world. The two series and the three stand-alones. This I feel is probably the epitome of Eddings's work, the originals of all his characters. The stories are great and at least two of the three stand alones (Belgarath the Sorcerer and Polgara the Sorceress) are good stories that provide a lot of background information referenced in the two series. The Rivan Codex is kind of like Eddings's history book in creating his world as it is, so it can be a little dull.
The Elenium - The Diamond Throne, The Ruby Knight, The Sapphire Rose
The Talmuli - Domes of Fire, The Shining Ones, The Hidden City
Eddings's second set of series which follows a different set of characters with pretty much the same characterizations. Fortunately, since Eddings writes series, we haven't seen too much of his formula and so his characterization style is still somewhat novel.
The Redemption of Althalus
I think that this is probably the greatest Eddings work out there. While he is obviously following his formula again in terms of characterization, this I believe is an excellent summary of his work and writing style. The story is extremely well developed and his narrative again is the draw for most readers. If you fail to read anything else by Eddings, you must read at least this.
The Dreamers - The Elder Gods, The Treasured One, Crystal Gorge, The Younger Gods
At this point in time you can kind of tell that Eddings doesn't really have much else going for him other than his formula and narrative. While he is still enjoyable to read the series story isn't extraordinarily well developed and he has a tendency to repeat events for lack of better things to write about. It's a fun read, but it's definitely not the best that he could do.

R.A. Salvatore
What draws me the most about Salvatore is his ability to bring the story to life. His vivid descriptions of actions and scenery oftentimes make it feel like you're living in his world. His characters are of the "ridiculously amazing" category in that there seems to be nothing that can stop them, so Salvatore is required to also make "ridiculously amazing" villains to counter them. All-in-all, a great author.
Icewind Dale Trilogy - The Crystal Shard, Streams of Silver, The Halfling's Gem
This series introduces you to the main characters that Salvatore develops and likes to play around with. They've sort of become a cornerstone in the Forgotten Realms universe.
The Dark Elf Trilogy - Homeland, Exile, Sojourn
Legacy of the Drow - The Legacy, Starless Night, Siege of Darkness, Passage to Dawn
Paths of Darkness -The Silent Blade, The Spine of the World, Sea of Swords
I really couldn't bring myself to reading this series. Salvatore does a lot of kind of soul-searching character development, and while interesting, this series is almost entirely devoted to it, so it's hard to read.
The Cleric Quintet - Canticle, In Sylvan Shadows, Night Masks, The Fallen Fortress, The Chaos Curse
This, while a Forgotten Realms series follows a different set of characters that Salvatore has developed. The two sets of characters do meet within the universe.
The Hunter's Blad Trilogy - The Thousand Orcs, The Lone Drow, The Two Swords
The Sellswords - Servant of the Shard, The Promise of the Witch King, Road of the Patriarch
Servant of the Shard was originally part of the Paths of Darkness series, but because of the popularity of these two "villains" that Salvatore created, he decided to dedicate an entire series to them. Different characters, same overall problems and action.
The Spearwielder's Tales - The Woods Out Back, The Dragon's Dagger, Dragonslayer's Return
This is a standalone series that Salvatore wrote, not in the world of Forgotten Realms. It's a pretty standard fantasy tale with the great Salvatore narration.
Crimson Shadow - The Sword of Bedwyr, Luthien's Gamble, The Dragon King
See above.
The Demonwar Trilogy - The Demon Awakens, The Demon Spirit, The Demon Apostle
I differentiate this from The Demonwar Saga because I feel they are two different stories. While they happen one after the other, I feel that the story in these three novels comes to a conclusion, and the second series is just not as well developed.
The Highwayman
This is kind of a "prequel" to the The Demonwar Saga in that it takes place before. A good story giving a lot of background information to the series.

Brian Jacques
I've been reading Brian Jacques's work since fourth grade and I've honestly enjoyed all of the books I've read. The stories are somewhat formulaic in that you always have a general idea of what to expect despite the characters. They all serve somewhat as a standalone, though it oftentimes helps to have reference of his earlier works. The best part I think I like about Jacques is just how well he writes about food. Every book has a feast of some sort and makes you just want to jump in and join the characters in eating.
Redwall - Redwall, Mossflower, Mattimeo, Mariel of Redwall, Salamandastron, Martin the Warrior, The Bellmaker, Outcast of Redwall, The Pearls of Lutra, The Long Patrol, Marlfox, The Legend of Luke, Lord Brocktree, The Taggerung, Triss, Loamhedge, Rakkety Tam, High Rhulian, Eulalia
I haven't actually read Eulalia yet as it's not out in paperback quite yet, but as with Feist, I know I'll like it when I get it.

Those are kind of the big ones right now, I'll add more when I get the chance.

Other Blogs

So, I suppose I'll put it here since this is probably the place people come to the most. I have two other blogs here if you are interested. One at jacemandevo.blogspot.com, which is my reflections on the daily devotions provided through Oswald Chamber's My Utmost for His Highest. The second is found at jacemanmisc.blogspot.com, which entails my current novel in work titled, The Journeys of Marrick Avian. Enjoy!

On Appreciating: Fantasy Novels

Since there are so many different sub-genres within the category of fantasy itself, I cannot proclaim myself an expert by any means. However, I want to give to those that have not ventured into this genre a taste perhaps of what it is I truly appreciate about said genre and what I look for in a good fantasy novel. Of course, there will be discrepancies in taste and you ought to take my opinions and recommendations with a grain of salt knowing that these are all novels I thoroughly enjoy, and perhaps may not be suited to everyone. However, I will try to cover as many bases as I can, and perhaps give each of you an inkling of what it is I find so fascinating about fantasy novels.


I personally am more of a fan of epic fantasy novels, where the world, the peoples, the language, everything is different. The key to reading fantasy novels is having a vivid imagination. I feel that if you can create vivid imagery of the events being described, the people, the objects in the story, the words begin to come to life as though you were sitting through a film. There are three main things that I generally look to in fantasy novels and these are the criteria by which I judge those that I read. Of course, for each person it is different, but if you are looking for a place to begin, this is as good as any;



1.) Characterization

In my view of the world, regardless of how drab and uninteresting any setting may be, if you are around anyone interesting, you will entertained nonetheless. The same holds true for novels, especially fantasy. When you're in an unfamiliar world, you want to cling to the familiar, in that case, the more real and personable the characters are to the readers, the more the readers will become attached to them. It's not really just being able to perform amazing feats either real or fantastic, but the person has to seem like someone you can stand next to and talk to. One author I would recommend with amazing characterization is Raymond Feist. Especially since much of fantasy is written in series, you are dealing with the same characters for a good 3-5 books, unless somewhere in the middle the author decides to kill them off. If any of the main characters is rather unbearable for some reason or another the series becomes a drag and any of the novels then become rather difficult to read. However, as different people have different personalities, they will gravitate towards different characters in different novels.



2.) Plot

This one seems obvious, for any story to succeed you have to have a good storyline. I think that beyond just being an interesting story, the protagonist must have a cause that you can root for and the antagonist must have some sort of evil scheme that you also wish to see fail. Of course if you can have many such ranges with such a general criterium, from novels of epic preportions such as Tolkien's Lord of the Rings or Weis and Hickman's Dragonlance: Chronicles or even down to personal successes of being accepted or overcoming societal heritage such as in Salvatore's Dark Elf Trilogy or Icewind Dale Trilogy. To keep it interesting and from getting redundant and predictable of course, authors are liable to introduce plot twists, which are all very good and keep readers on their toes. Of course, if the story becomes too complex or convoluted or the plot becomes unclear, it oft becomes tedious to read, for me, such examples would be Weis and Hickman's Stone of Tears series or George R. R. Martin's Game of Thrones. Beyond just the plot in the book, I believe that plot throughout a series must be maintained as well. Several authors meeting with successes in earlier volumes of their series have tended to drag out their stories, begging for resolution, which won't be forthcoming for several more volumes. In my opinion such authors are; Robert Jordan, The Wheel of Time (series starts getting stale after about book 5-6, probably could have ended in book 3), or Terry Goodkind, The Sword of Truth (I got to book 6 and I felt like there was no longer any direction in this series).

3) Narrative

I believe that even given predictable plots and characters what makes formula writers somewhat enjoyable to read is simply that they have amazing narrative. If you add good narrative to an original story it makes it all the better. A couple of formula writers that I still enjoy, simply because of their narrative style are; David Eddings (The Belgariad, The Mallorean, The Elenium, The Talmuli,...) and Brian Jacques (Redwall series). By narrative, I mean how the book is written or how the story is told. The style in which the narrator speaks oftentimes can make any story interesting, which pretty much can be summed up in discernment of what is important. Sometimes authors like to add too much description into everything, adding a lot of useless information that ultimately doesn't add anything to the story. An author with good narrative will include only that information which you need and is pertinent to the story or development of the character.

I don't believe that you need all three of these to get a "good" novel but the more the better. So long as it has any one of the three though, I feel that it at the very least will be a moderately enjoyable read. Below is a list of my favorite authors and their series (I will probably compile a more complete list later):

Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman
Dragonlance: Chronicles -Dragons of an Autumn Twilight, Dragons of a Winter Night, Dragons of a Spring Dawning (technically Dragons of a Summer Flame goes in here too, but that was kind of written as an afterthought and isn't truly part of the series)
Dragonlance: Legends - Time of the Twins, War of the Twins, Test of the Twins
Deathgate Cycle - Dragon Wing, Elven Star, Fire Sea, Serpent Mage, Hand of Chaos, Into the Labrynth, The Seventh Gate

R.A Salvatore
Icewind Dale Trilogy - The Crystal Shard, Streams of Silver, The Halfling's Gem
Dark Elf Trilogy - Homeland, Exile, Sojourn
Legacy of the Drow - The Legacy, Starless Night, Siege of Darkness, Passage to Dawn
The Hunter's Blade Trilogy - The Thousand Orcs, The Lone Drow, The Two Swords
The Sellswords - Servant of the Shard, The Promise of the Witch King, Road of the Patriarch
Spearwielder's Tales - The Woods Out Back, The Dragon's Dagger, Dragonslayer's Return
Crimson Shadow - The Sword of Bedwyr, Luthien's Gamble, The Dragon King
Demonwar Trilogy - The Demon Awakens, The Demon Spirit, The Demon Apostle

Raymond Feist
Riftwar Saga - Magician: Apprentice, Magician: Master, Silverthorn, A Darkness at Sethanon
Krondor's Sons - Prince of the Blood, The King's Buccaneer
Riftwar Legacy - Krondor: The Betrayal, Krondor: The Assassins, Krondor: Tear of the Gods
Serpentwar Saga - Shadow of a Dark Queen, Rise of a Merchant Prince, Rage of a Demon King, Shards of a Broken Crown
Conclave of Shadows - Talon of the Silver Hawk, King of Foxes, Exile's Return