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George's protege, Daniel Abraham, has a novel coming out March 9th, which I would highly recommend. It's called "A Shadow in Summer". Like Martin, Daniel has gorgeous, rich prose, but his plots are tighter and his world is more far eastern in flavor (and very, very cool).
I can also vouch for sequels! Books 2 and 3 are better and better still, and they've been completed and will make deadline
Those of you who are hard core Martin fans will know Daniel's name. He cowrote the short story "Shadow Twin" with George RR Martin and Gardner Dozois.
One word of forewarning, the "kick the puppy" scene (where the villian does something especially villianous so that the audience will hate him) in "Summer" is more like a "bake the puppy alive with n-bomb radiation" scene. You'll see what's coming, so it won't shock the squeamish, but what the bad guy does may upset you intensely.
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I like the idea of a more eastern-flavoured world. I wasn't huge on A Game of Thrones, but I loved Martin's Sandkings, so I guess you could say I'm torn. I'll probably go and look at this book in a bookstore, read a few pages, and see if I like the writing style.
Then maybe I'll buy it and add it to the enormous pile of books I keep meaning to read. Posts: 10886 | Registered: Feb 2000
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Thanks for the tip OlavMah. I'll be sure to add it to my list of things to check out. Though telling me he is like Martin puts a lot of pressure on this Abraham fellow...
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I Just read Windhaven by GRRM and Lisa Tuttle. The writing style itself was mildly reminiscent of the Ice and Fire style, I thought, thought the plot and focus were completely different. It was interesting enough for a quick read.
Posts: 624 | Registered: Mar 2005
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Well, he *is* Martin's protege, literally. George has been Daniel's Clarion instructor, his writers group-mate, and has plugged Daniel's work to editors and agents. I think Daniel can withstand the pressure. And if he can't, he'll come pummel me and then it'll all be good.
The magic system in these books is unique. In this world, it is possible to bind concepts, such as "water moving down" and "stone made soft" in human form, and such a creature is called an andat. A person able to bind an andat is called a poet, and after a binding (if it is successful) the poet retains control of his andat and can bend it to his will. In order to hold, the binding must give an andat some deep desire to stay in the human world. Some andat are in love with their poets, some are not allowed to leave unless they complete a task, like beating their poet at a certain game. The andat in "A Shadow in Summer" is called "Removing the Part Which Continues", and he was not well bound. His motivation to stay is a deep and abiding hatred for his poet. And thus... there are issues.
Meanwhile, the neighboring nation of Galt is on the brink of an industrial revolution. Despite their technological advances, they live in fear of the Empire and its andat, for the andat give the Empire the power to create droughts, cause mountains to run like water, and to destroy an entire season of crops. The Empire doesn't pay Galt much heed. They don't need to, for Galt isn't a threat to them - they don't think.
The central character is named Otah. He trained to be a poet, and was offered the robe. Only, he left the school before being ordained. He also happens to be the son of a Khai (the king of an Imperial city-state) and has gone to live under a fictitious name in Sarakheyt, the city that holds "Removing the Part Which Continues". Otah's old friend from the poet school, Maati, has been selected to take over holding this andat.
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Sounds like a fantastically interesting book, OlavMah; thanks for the tip! Looks like I'll be heading to the bookstore on the 9th.
Posts: 16059 | Registered: Aug 2000
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We just finished workshopping book 3, and that ending is AMAZING. I can't tell you much about it without spoilers, but suffice it to say that the magic behind the andat is developed in some simple and subtle ways that have drastic consequences. Daniel's very brave with his plotting. Prepare for events that change EVERYTHING. I can't wait for book 4 (this is a quartet).
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Amazon link here. Nice little synopsis and a bunch of blurbs by other well known authors. I got the pub date wrong, it's March 7, but oh well! And usually a book shows up a week or so before the pub date in bookstores.
Okay... done my bit to plug Daniel. Yes, he is a friend, but that's not why I plug his work. I'll probably annoy quite a few of the rest of my writer friends by choosing him to rave about. So it goes.
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Thanks again Olav, that does sound pretty cool. I'll definately make a trip to check it out. I always feel like I should do my part to support new writers, especially the ones with new and interesting ideas.
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Thanks. So, is the series complete? Are they published? I just don't want to start another series I have to wait for. i have enough of those.
Posts: 10890 | Registered: May 2003
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Book 1 comes out March 7th, and books 2 and 3 are complete. They come out whenever Tor calendars them. Book 4 is in progress.
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Someone I know on another forum got an advanced reader copy of "Shadow in Summer" and she was gushing about it. For what it's worth.
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