Web Serials...are they worth it?

Good evening constant reader.

I was approached by an author who inquired as to whether or not I'd be interested in reviewing a web serial for The Written Universe.  I took a look at her web page and one belonging to a friend who was also a web serialist, and said, yes, I'd do reviews of both.

I will be completely honest.  Trying to read the stories were like the labours of Hercules. 
Not because they were poorly written or uninteresting.  For me, it was the medium in which they were presented.  That was my own personal hindrance to enjoying them.  Reading a little, then trying to find where I had left off from the last time, writing it down if I forgot, losing the piece of paper with that information;  scrolling, endlessly scrolling down the page; and being stuck to my computer screen, with no way to really "take it with me".  All these factors added up to a bad reading experience.
(My other bias is pdf files, but that's what an e-reader is for).

Were the stories any good?
For the most part.
Are web serials viable for readers?
Possibly.  It depends on what kind of reader you are, if you prefer mobility in your reading, if you can hack sitting behind a computer screen for extended periods of time to read.
These things need to be taken into account before staring a web serial.

Are web serials a good way for a writer to get noticed?
Possibly.
But you're going to have to watch your length and make sure your story moves along.  If you spend too much time establishing a character or describing a location or an action, you're going to bog it down so your reader is falling asleep in front of their computer.

No, web serials are not for me.
I prefer my books in book form for portability, for the ease of marking my place, for being able to go sit in a comfy chair and read.

Here are the authors and their websites for your perusal.

Candace McBride's Tattoo

Candace's site offers her original web serial, Tattoo, as well as a host of other related writings.

Zoe Whitten

Zoe Whitten's site offers not only ebooks to read for free online, but also information on where to obtain her printed works.

Give them a look constant reader and decide for yourself.  You might not have the problems I did and may find jewels you never thought possible.

Review: From Time to Time

From Time To Time
by
Marius Smith
Available through Raiderbookshop.com,
Barnes and Noble on line and Amazon.

In a nutshell, this is the first book I've reviewed which has had the misfortune of failing my "By page 50 test".  If while reading a book, I make it to page 50 and if the characters were to die in a fiery car crash and I don't care, then the book is set aside and I don't continue reading.  From Time To Time is one of those rare books, and I gave it to page 100 before giving up.

The story is of William Herschel, who in the far future is a member of Temporal Security, whose job it is to police time travel in the 26th century.  William is also a vampire, made such by medical science in order to save his life.  William has apparently stumbled on something he shouldn't have, is framed and is exiled for drug possession and sentenced to exile in ancient Egypt.  He knows he's been framed, his friends know it and they set about to try to prove his innocence.

Marius Smith can string words together, that much is certain, and the plot premise is interesting.  However, it's apparent Mr. Smith never read Strunk and White, therefore missing the advice, "Omit needless words."  I made it to page 100, and it was a chore. But you said it failed your page 50 test, right?  Yes, it did, but I was trying to be charitable. I've read a lot of books in my time, but I have never been less compelled to pick up a book and read.  None of the characters had distinct voices.  About as close to that as we came, were all the good guys sounded one way and the bad guys sounded another.  Nothing else distinguished them.  I also ran into my other pet peeve - repeating the same information more than once.  Most readers are smart enough to embrace concepts the first time around and don't need to be beaten over the head over and over with the same information every chapter.
The book also suffers from a glaring lack of editing.  Another thing that pestered me was a lack of page numbers.  This is an error on the publishers part and to me says one word: sloppy.

I cannot in good faith recommend this book

13 Questions With...Elizabeth Hand

1. Name one thing you miss about being a child.
Losing myself for hours in a a make-believe world in the woods with my friends.

2. Do you have any phobias? If so, what are they?
Not really.  I don't like extremely large hairy spiders or scorpions.

3. Are you a collector of anything and if so, what?
I'm more of a forager than a collector: I find cast-off things, broken plates and furniture and whatnot, and fix them up or display them.  We have a lot of first editions of wonderful books, but my partner collects those more than I do.  I have some photographs from the NYC punk scene in the 1970s, and a beautiful photo by Peter Beste, and an original paintings by the British visionary artist Donald Pass, but they don't really constitute a collection.  More just my magpie sensibility.

4. You're about the walk the Green Mile - what do you have for your last meal?
Gilled lamb chops, rare, with garlic.  A nice salad.  A baked potato.  A bottle of good red wine, creme brulee.

5. What is your favorite cookie?
Pecan sandies.

6. Who is your favorite author?

7. What musical artist are you currently into?
The Norwegian Black Metal band Enslaved.

8. Have you ever had an imaginary friend? If so, who are they?
When I was little, I had an imaginary friend named Karen Cowgirl.  She was ... a cowgirl.  Bandanna, boots, hat, western shirt, lasso.  I also had an invisible pet mouse named Celery.  When my mother asked me why he was called Celery, I indignantly told her "Because that's his NAME."

9. What's your favorite word?
Tomorrow.

10. What is your current desktop wallpaper?
A beautiful, moody, snowswept landscape featuring the Norwegian musician Gaahl, by the photographer Peter Beste.  I own the original print, and it's gorgeous.

11. You're at a Chinese buffet - what goes on your plate?
Dim sum in all its forms.

12. What person now deceased would you most want to spend some time with and why?
William Shakespeare.  For the obvious reasons ...

13. What are you currently reading?
For review, a not very good book I won't name.  For myself, a reference book on ancient Norse religion.

Review: Black Light

Black Light
by
Elizabeth Hand

Available through Amazon, Borders, Barnes and Noble and other brick and mortar bookstores near you.

In a nutshell, if you like atmospheric, evocative explorations into the human condition, in a time and place not too long ago, this is the book for you.
Elizabeth Hand takes us on a journey to Kamensic, Maine, where life is idyllic at best.  A town full of actors, actresses, artisans, and musicians.  We are introduced to
Kamensic circa 1970 where we meet young Charlotte "Lit" Moylan at a party in a mansion called Bolerium.  It is a fantastic place of sights and smells, of party revelers, of debauchery hinted at but not quite seen.  In the middle of this is one Axel Kern, friend of the Moylan family, godfather to Lit.  He's a filmmaker and a madman...and something more.
As time goes on and Lit grows to teenage-hood, her godfather has returned to Kamensic to begin a new film project, and to open Bolerium up once again, and throw a party to end all of his previous efforts.  Lit is caught up in a series of encounters that boggle the mind - there were times I started to wonder if Hand had dropped acid as she was writing as her set pieces became more and more fantastic.    There are mysterious orders, the Benandanti and the Malandanti, both hinted at tantalizingly; one can't help but want to know more about them and how they play into the melange Hand so skillfully creates.
What is Lit's place in all of this?  That is where the mystery so beautifully lies.
Is there anything really horrific about Black Light?
At times, yes.
At it's heart, it's a coming of age story about a young woman presented with a future that has been predestined for her...or has it?

I've read other novels by Hand and am never disappointed at the way she weaves words together.  Allow me to cite this paragraph:
Everything gleamed with a primal intensity: the crimson and indigo of the carpet so saturated they looked wet, the gold letters on the spines of books sparkling like flame.  Decanters on a small round table glowed as if they held paint rather than liqueurs - emerald green, blood-red, sunflower yellow.  A daybed  was heaped with tapestried pillows and there was a small cast-iron woodstove set into one wall, its isinglass window glowing beneath one of several beautifully carved plaques inscribed with Latin phrases...

Black Light is a voyage into the dark fantastic, some of the finer dark fantasy writing available today.
Try Elizabeth Hand.  You won't be disappointed.

For more information on Elizabeth Hand please visit:
Elizabeth Hand

Review: Horns

Horns
by
Joe Hill
Available through Amazon, B&N.com, Borders.com
and other brick and mortar bookstores.

In a nutshell, if you like a book that will grab you by the shirt collar and not let go until it's story has been told, then this book is for you.

Horns is many things.
It's a love story.  It's a story of misunderstandings.  It's a story of a deeply disturbed young man.  It's a story of how one right made a lot of wrongs.  It's the story of a man who must make peace with events through a medium he never expected.  It's a story of vengeance and redemption.  It is also a story of horror.

When we meet Ignatius "Ig" Perrish, he has just recovered from one hell of a bender and can't remember anything that's happened...except for the fact that his girlfriend-since-they-were-teenagers, Merrin, is still dead and everyone still thinks Ig did it, even thought he was exonerated for the crime.  He has also awakened with an inheritance - a set of horns on his head.
Said horns have an exceptional effect on people - they can't resist telling Ig their innermost secrets.  So, Ig decides maybe he can find out who really killed Merrin...and the fun ensues.
Be warned.  We're introduced to a character that has to be one of the most foul since Hannibal Lecter in a lot of ways...Lee Tourneau.  He's not a nice man at all.  He gives new meaning to the word "psychopath".

Joe Hill is Stephen King's son, and it shows.  He's rummaged in Dad's toolbox, but Hill has tools and a voice all his own, make no mistake.  The plot is tight, flashes back and forth in time without confusing the reader, and makes some interesting statements on the afterlife, revenge and what a demon will do when given the task of avenging someone.

Now, you may be asking yourself why I'm reviewing Mr. Hill as Horns is his third book, his second book, Heart-Shaped Box has been optioned for a film (Horns has, too) and obviously he is getting to the established section of authordom?
It's because he's so damned good I want everyone to know it.
I liked Horns a lot.  It winds it's way through it's story and by the time I got to the end?  I couldn't turn the pages fast enough to find out how it was going to end.
When I give a positive review, I like to submit the 13 Questions to the author to answer so you the reader can get to know them better.

I broached this with Joe Hill through his Twitter page:

WrittenUniverse  

@joe_hill I want to review Horns for The Written Universe...but I'll need you to answer the 13 Questions I pose to authors. Are you willing? 6:51 PM Jun 24th via web

joe_hill

@WrittenUniverse Sorry, I pro'ly couldn't swing it. Hope you had some fun with the book, tho. Friday, June 25, 2010 9:04:24 AM via web in reply to WrittenUniverse 

WrittenUniverse

@joe_hill No problem - I'll only post at the end of the review you were too busy, but gracious about it (because you were)... Saturday, June 26, 2010 3:15:41 PM via web

For more information on Joe Hill please visit:
Joe Hill Fiction
Joe Hill on Twitter

The Written Universe Will Go On

Good evening constant reader,

I apologize for not posting anything sooner.
On August 11th, my son Evan was involved in a serious auto wreck.  He was unconscious from the time he was taken to the hospital and never regained consciousness.  He seemed to be improving and after a month in the hospital was transferred to a nursing home.  At that point, the doctor was telling us it was between Evan and the man upstairs as to when he would come out of his coma.
On the morning of September 14th, he passed away. 
His brain had herniated and was slowly swelling and ended up pressing on his respiratory center and that was what took his life.  There were no symptoms to warn what was happening and the injury was such that it was undetectable by CT scan or MRI.
My son's viewing and funeral was attended by between 300-500 people.  He touched more lives in his 23 years than people 4 times his age ever do.
Evan I will miss you for the rest of my life.
I love you my boy.

13 Questions with... Sapphire Phelan

 

1.Name one thing you miss about being a child.

Maybe the innocence I had. Though I still ooh and aah at fantastic things, I think my innocence as a child made those oohs and aahs greater. The child within me is still there, but not as perfect as it could be. I hope I made that understandable.

2. Do you have any phobias? If so, what are they?

Spiders and cockroaches. Hate them. Also, I have fear of heights lately.

3. Are you a collector of anything and if so, what?

4. You're about the walk the Green Mile - what do you have for your last meal?

Chicken and dumplings with sushi, mashed potatoes, and green beans.

5. What is your favorite cookie?

Chocolate chip cookies.

6. Who is your favorite author?

Jim Butcher, Shirley Jackson, Ray Bradbury, Anne McCaffrey, really I have a lot of favorites, besides the ones I mentioned.

7. What musical artist are you currently into?

No one artist, and I like the older ones, like CCR, Meatloaf, etc...

8. Have you ever had an imaginary friend? If so, who are they?

I think I had a lot as a child, as I grew up alone (both half-sisters were adults by time I was born) and entertained myself with the stories and people and creatures in my head. I was writing down those stories since I was eight years old.

9. What's your favorite word?

Dream? Because I hope that is where my stor4ies come from. I like a lot of words, especially if I come across cool words that I never heard of or saw before.

10. What is your current desktop wallpaper?

Alaska snow-topped mountains and water with ice floes.

11. You're at a Chinese buffet - what goes on your plate?

Sushi, for sure. Jalapeño chicken and chicken and broccoli.

12. What person now deceased would you most want to spend some time with and why?

My father. Also Edgar Allan Poe.

13. What are you currently reading?

Bloodring by Faith Hunter.