Blaggard's Moon Sets Sail

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Time to wrap up the CSFF tour for the month. I've been discussing the books of George Bryan Polivka with my new...uh, friend, Spinner Sleeve.

Ye mockin' me boy?

No sir! He's one of the stars of the pirate treasure of a novel Blaggard's Moon. Over the last couple of posts, I've discussed the Trophy Chase trilogy by Polivka. The books, impressive to begin with, improved throughout the series. I wondered how he would follow it up.

Blaggard's Moon is actually a prequel to the series, which is an interesting place to go, as it has the potential for disaster (see Lucas, George). It was advertised as the musings of Smith Delaney, one of the supporting characters from the trilogy, as he awaits his certain death. Which might not be so certain, since he appears in later books.

Don't get cute here. What say ye about the story of Blaggard's Moon?

Always interesting to blog with a sharp, pointy thing in your back. Anyway, as other blog tour members have noted, it has an interesting construction. Delaney is stuck on a pole over a pond from which the vicious mermonkeys (no really, these aren't your old sea monkeys) will surface in the dead of night to munch on his bones. He thinks over his own story on how he ended up in this predicament, yet it interlaces with a story told by master story-teller Ham Drumbone on a pirate ship.

Ham's story follows pirate king Conch Imbry, pirate hunter Damrick Fellows (boo!) and mysterious lady Jenta Smithmiller as intrigue, battle, and death weaves throughout. The reader is left guessing how this all ties together, which it does very nicely at the end.

Ye best be sayin' that.

Actually, I mean it. Even without duress, I loved this book. The beginning is a little confusing as Polivka settles us into the structure of the story, but he soon had me hooked. The author is a gifted story teller in his own right, with a vivid imagination and great description. He must have done exhaustive research, as he sets the reader on the high seas feeling the salt air, or ducking the musket balls and choking on the gunpowder. I'm not a nautical person, but the authenticity shows through strongly.

It is almost as good as the characterization. I've not read another author who so clearly imbues each character with their unique way and feel. I knew the characters, and the myriad cast is very enjoyable without any confusion. From Lady Jenta to minor pirate captains to the businessman Runsford Ryland, each stands strong with their own voice. My only complaint is that Polivka doesn't always stay in one character's point of view in a segment, making it confusing sometimes knowing whose head you're in. He's spoken before on why he writes this way, but it still doesn't change the confusion.

The story has a suspenseful plot with well-described action, heartfelt romance, wrenching tragedy, and a touching theme. I enjoyed it more than the Trophy Chase trilogy because his heroes are more heroic. In the trilogy, he used the main character Packer Throme to wrestle with theological issues (which were pretty much keeping in-character for Packer, being a former seminary student), but this wrestling, while poignant, slowed the action down. There's a touch of that here, but the story blazes on overall.

Okay, yer point has been made. Ye love the book. Good answer, so I guess me n'the boys will be lookin' fer some other bloggers to hassle.

You know, a "blogger" isn't a "blaggard".

It ain't! Why, the lousy rat who sent me here will have a new blowhole when I'm a'done with him. Have ye anything else to say?

Blaggard's Moon is a very enjoyable and highly recommended read for the casual fiction fan. For my writing friends, you should check Polivka out for his talented characterization and rich description and world-building. So far, this is my favorite book of the year. (Oh, and I don't think Mr. Sleeve has read the end of the book. I actually don't think he can read period.)

ADDENDUM: I'm a physician assistant, and I did a physical on a very nice gentleman who would have nonetheless been a perfect fit for one of Polivka's characters. Missing front teeth, bandana on his head, somewhat scraggly beard, he fit the part to a tee. Made me a little nervous about REALLY having a visitor with me while I blog...
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Legend of the Firefish - The Debate

Yesterday I tried to leave my post on the CSFF Blog Tour book Legend of the Firefish by George Bryan Polivka as a cliffhanger to pique interest. I discussed the strengths that I saw in the book and what made it an enjoyable read. Today I'm going to touch three points that dragged the book down for me a little that kept it from being one of my top books of the year (so far).

The first and second points are interrelated. As I mentioned yesterday, the book's two major characters are unapologetically Christian, and they live consistently in this and it fits the story well. However, some of the story suffers slightly because of one of the character's reliance on God's sovereignty and will. This is tricky to discuss, because I believe in the message the author is saying behind it. The problem is that it sometimes hinders the action of the protaganist as he stops and contemplates what he does. There are several instances where Packer wrestles with High Ideals - nothing wrong with that. The trick is when he does it with chaos raging around him. I might use this aspect once or twice, but it happens a few times and slows down several action sequences.

Also, the use of this plot point somtimes stops Packer from acting, since "all is God's will and he is leaving it in His hands". It has some important consequences at the end, but again it happens enough that it bumps the flow of the story and the believability of the scene.

These two points aren't terribly significant, but they were "hiccups" in the story for me. The final point is significant, but is also an interesting point of topic.

A little background: an author has to chose a point-of-view (POV) when writing. Typically the author picks either first or third-person. First person usually sticks with one character throughout the book. Third person can stay with one person, or move around to different characters. However, usually a change of character POV happens at a chapter or a definite point in a chapter.

Polivka just doesn't "break" this rule, he demolishes it. He takes an omniscient viewpoint, meaning he switches POV whenever he wants, sometimes from paragraph to paragraph.

For me, I did not enjoy this. It has the effect of confusing who is doing the talking/thinking - especially when Packer is with guys or Panna with any ladies. It comes across as "head-hopping." It really took me a while to get the hang of it, so I read the first part of the book slowly, not really getting into it until later on.

Now, when I approached the tour I knew I would blog about this, but I was just going to chalk it up to something Polivka would have to work on. However, over the last week I've read a few things that gave me a different slant on it.

1. From Mike Duran at Decompose:

From Day 1: When one lives under the notion that success means strict adherence to a set of rules — as this published author clearly implies — a type of literary legalism follows. Am I suggesting there aren’t things that tighten a story, make it more readable, more cohesive? Heck no. What I’m wondering is if this idea of “rules” is over-emphasized to new authors. The result is — as it was for me — that a lot of new authors live under the burden of legalism...

From Day 3: The writing rules have their place, but they can also blind one to the destination. After all, the ultimate goal of the storyteller is not to obey all the rules, but to get her readers safely across the street.

2. Then there was Becky Miller's interview with Nick Harrison, Polivka's editor from Harvest House:

Bryan’s ability to handle the point of view shifts necessary to pull off this feat [using so many POV's] is awesome—and unique. Not many authors handle point of view as well as Bryan does. I consider Bryan’s use of point of view a huge asset to the book—even though I know that all the writing books warn against such shifts. I think they do this because few authors can handle those shifts well. Bryan is a master at it, in my opinion.

3. Finally, there's Bryan Polivka's own comments in an interview with Valerie Comer:

As for the omniscient point of view, I find that other writers and publishers are very interested in that whole discussion, but I've never yet had a pure reader (who is not also a writer) even ask me about it. It seems odd to me that this should be out of style, or out of favor, particularly in a world where movies and television are having great success with omniscience. Lost, Friends, Rent, Oceans Eleven, even Survivor and Real World--I would argue that any ensemble-cast product gets its appeal from going deep into multiple points of view. Fiction writers are, I think, well behind the times in that regard if they hew to a single viewpoint thinking it is somehow better for the audience. I may not have done it well, but I hope that doesn't put anyone off the approach itself.

And the Christian viewpoint factors in here also. Historically, I believe the omniscient viewpoint went out of favor as secular existentialism took over the mainstream, based on a philosophy that we really can't know anything outside our own single point of reference. And I think that's just incorrect. The reason we have imagination, I believe, is for the apprehension of the infinite. God gave His creation this gift that we might know Him. And if we can know God, surely we can know others.

Now, armed with all of this information and opinion, I made an adjustment to my opinion. The thing that especially struck me was Bryan's contention that basically he's using an older style and we're conditioned to accept a status quo that this "shouldn't be done". Especially with the discussion Mike Duran has been having at his blog.

I've argued before that authors need the freedom to create as they feel called and are inspired. I applaud Polivka for making a challenging artistic stand and sticking with it. Since it was intentional, I can't fault it.

Nick Harrison thought that Bryan pulled this off well. There I might disagree some. I've seen other books that switch through a lot of POV's and I didn't get lost. My favorite book of the year so far, Abiding Darkness by John Aubrey Anderson, has some occasional POV hops and doesn't suffer from it. Interestingly enough, I would say that Anderson's hops were likely more accidental, while Polivka's were intentional, and that it is apparent in reading. Again, it didn't work for me 100%.

SO...is this a big deal? It might not be a big deal at all. I've also discussed how trying to write can ruin an easy-to-please reader. If you read this and think it is much ado about nothing, then ignore it and go buy an enjoyable book. Don't forget that I liked the book overall and recommend it. The POV issue was something that had come up during the tour, and this is my extremely long-winded response to it (best value for 2 cents ever).

I have one more little tidbit about Legend of the Firefish, but it will come a little later. Enjoy the rest of the blog tour!

Blogging Via Cutlass

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O-o-okay. We're continuing the CSFF tour featuring George Bryan Polivka's book Blaggard's Moon. I've got a few special guests with me. Spinner Sleeve and his boys have, um, commandeered this blog and...OUCH. Hey!

Yak too much, and ye'll be shorter than ye already are. Don't be expectin' any help soon. Jus' do as we say, n' this'll be over n' done. If ye want to be smack solid sure to end this here "bloggin'" career, then open yer yap some more.

Ye told us about The Legend of the Firefish and The Hand that Bears the Sword the day before. What do ye have fer us now?

Uh, just a second guys...

The Trophy Chase trilogy culminates in The Battle for Nearing Vast. Packer and Panna Throme are thrust into leadership to save their kingdom from the invading Drammune forces. As Panna tries to navigate the serpentine politics at home, Packer boards the Trophy Chase one more time to sail into the heart of the enemy. The Hezzan of Drammune, the ultimate leader of that warlike nation, wants the secret of the Firefish, but will Packer be able to give that secret away?

Get to the fights!

Straight away! As the climax of the first book ended in the waters of the Achawuk Islands, the feeding ground of the Firefish, so the third book winds its way to these fateful isles, where the final confrontation will occur and Packer has one more surprise in store.

The momentum that Polivka built with the first two books carries him full sails into the gripping finale. After enjoying the twists and turns of the second book, I couldn't turn away from finishing, and it was a worthy tale for pub master and priest alike. The surprise wasn't too much of one, but he did a good job of tying up the loose ends from the series in a satisfying way. The Epilogue may have been a little too "romantic," but I'm a sucker for happy endings.

Overall, the Trophy Case trilogy starts a little slow, but rich and elegant in language and description. As the wind blows through the three books, the action and suspense builds into a wholly satisfying tale. If you like pirates or fantasy, these are books in the CBA realm that shouldn't be missed.

Is that good, guys?

I suppose. Ye share the same annoyin' flowry words with Ham Drumbone. But we reckon the point is made - this feller Polivka is a worthy pirate storyteller. Don't think yer off the hook yet. Jes sit tight until tomorrow, and we'll be seein' if ye can wrap this up to our likin'. The lads here are gettin' ready fer a little action.

There's others in the tour. See here for a list of updated blogs. And I'll wrap up tomorrow, if I can keep these fine fellows entertained. Cribbage anyone?

Yarrr!

Legend of the Firefish - The Goods

Again, this month's CSFF blog tour is for Legend of the Firefish. If you are looking for a unique book in Christian fiction, if you are looking for a adventurous tale to end the summer with, or if you are wondering whether to name your next child Jack Sparrow (the last one I hope is a little too out there...), then this is a book you should check out.

George Bryan Polivka has begun an ambitious and admirable tale with The Trophy Chase Trilogy, of which LotF is the first book. He has several strengths as a writer which made the book quite enjoyable.

The first thing I noticed about the book is the great description that he uses. He has a way with words that sets the atmosphere and tone for the situations in the book. Whether it is a poor village tavern, a ship fighting a gale, or a character wrestling with heart issues, Polivka has a gift for word craft and painting a visual picture with the language he chooses.

The mythology of the story's world is strong as well. He skillfully builds the setting of sea craft. His characterization of the titular Firefish is a masterful touch, making the wily prey more than just a prize for a fisherman's net. I really enjoyed these sections in the book.

The heroes of the story, Packer and Panna, have faith yet are flawed. They do not have all the answers, and they end up in some desperate situations. Their faith does not come across as a tack-on just for the CBA, but it is a real part of their character, and their responses are mostly very much in line with this.

The antagonist Talon is a delicious literary creation. Her palpable evil makes her a very strong opponent, one that seems impossible for the heroes to overcome. This always makes for a good obstacle for the protagonists, but there is a depth to her that is revealed throughout the story that makes her character all the richer. The pirate captain Scat Wilkins is also a very well thought out character in the story. He doesn't become one dimensional (like Cap'n Sparrow in the last 2 Pirates movies), but confounds the reader through the book.

One final thought is that this is a very strong Christian novel. In that I mean that God and faith features very prominently. A lot of the conflict is internal conflict of God vs. man - trying to live to the ideals of a faith and not always succeeding. It seems that the world of Christian fiction is shifting. It used to be a critique that Christian fiction was "preachy," and that this stigma kept people from enjoying these novels. I've noticed a backlash, in that books have been published lately without a lot of overt mention of God or the type of spiritual wrestling that is shown in Firefish. This is not necessarily a bad thing. The last CSFF book, Fearless, has no overt Christianity, and the author Robin Parrish admits that he is not writing to the standard CBA reader and has different goals with his writing. Polivka obviously has his own goals, and I applaud him. He does not hold back - he writes it as he sees it and I think it is in service to the story, not tacked on as preaching (for the most part). I was encouraged by his bold declarations of faith, and found it totally appropriate for this story.

Again, my opinion is that this is an enjoyable read, an unique book in the CBA currently, and well worth the time and investment. Yet there were a couple of things in the book that I wrestled with, and I want to discuss tomorrow. These issues play into some writing blog conversations from the last week, so come back tomorrow and I'll tie these together and we can work out together whether these "weaknesses" of LotF really are such.

Trish Anderson Brandon Barr Wayne Thomas Batson Jim Black Justin Boyer Grace Bridges Amy Browning Jackie Castle Valerie Comer Karri Compton Frank Creed Lisa Cromwell CSFF Blog Tour Gene Curtis D. G. D. Davidson Merrie Destefano Jeff Draper April Erwin Beth Goddard Marcus Goodyear Russell Griffith Jill Hart Katie Hart Sherrie Hibbs Christopher Hopper Kait Karen Dawn King Tina Kulesa Lost Genre Guild Terri Main Rachel Marks Karen McSpadden Rebecca LuElla Miller Eve Nielsen John W. Otte John Ottinger Lyn Perry Deena Peterson Rachelle Cheryl Russel Hanna Sandvig Chawna Schroeder Mirtika Schultz James Somers Steve Trower Speculative Faith Jason Waguespac Daniel I. Weaver

Boarding a Blog Tour

First thing, don't forget to leave a comment to win the latest Ted Dekker hardback.
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Whew, time for another blog tour! My favorite tour is the Christian Sci-fi/Fantasy tour, and this month we're featuring the pirate-y musings of George Bryan Polivka in...

Hey, who are you?

What are you doing? Let me gooooooo

Quit yer yakkin', ye landlubber weasel. I just wanta be borrowin' yer lousy blog. If'n I get fed up with ye, I may be borrowin' yer liver as well.

I'm Spinner Sleeve, and yer probably wonderin' what's going on. It seems this here tour is talkin' about my fellow pirate Smith Delaney and the story told in Blaggard's Moon. 'Ol Delaney spins a good yarn, retelling the story of pirate hunter Damrick Fellows n' the beauty Jenta Smithmiller, while Delaney waits fer his death at the claws of mermonkeys.

Before this here blogger tells ya what he thinks of Delaney's tale, the boys n' me want his opinion of t'other pirate yarns by the gent Polivka. So speak up, or my sword will help yer memory.

R-r-right.

I've blogged about the first book in the Trophy Chase series, The Legend of the Firefish, before. The second book is The Hand that Bears the Sword. The hero of Nearing Vast, Packer Throme, has married his love Panna but is torn from her yet again as a new threat rises from the kingdom of Drammune. Packer is sent off on the Trophy Chase, the former ship of pirate Scat Wilkins, even as the wily rascal plots to take back his ship and get revenge on Packer. As Packer and the crew, including Smith Delaney, face impossible odds, Panna is brought under the "protection" of Prince Mather. She has to face her own conflicts to ward off the advances of the amorous royalty.

When Nearing Vast is invaded, there is another great challenge for the couple, and the future of the whole kingdom is at stake.

Polivka introduces some delightful surprises in this middle book. Characters thought dead return to drive events. Panna battles with her wits as well as her fists, as Packer wrestles with his vow to not pick up his sword again in battle, even as the whole kingdom calls for it.

Any introduction to a series is a challenge, and there is a lot to assimilate in Firefish. The second book allows the reader to soak and enjoy more, even as the stakes are raised even higher.

Is that all ye got?

Um, all I've got time for today?

You'd best be workin' hard fer tomorrow then, 'cause me n' the boys will be back.

Sooo, I guess there will be more pirates tomorrow. If you be needin' (now I'm talking like them) more buccaneer blarney, visit Nearing Vast or see the other tourmates below.

*Participants’ Links:
Brandon Barr
Jennifer Bogart
Keanan Brand
Amy Cruson
CSFF Blog Tour
Stacey Dale
D. G. D. Davidson
Jeff Draper
April Erwin
Karina Fabian
Alex Field
Marcus Goodyear
Todd Michael Greene
Ryan Heart
Timothy Hicks
Cris Jesse
Kait
Carol Keen
Mike Lynch
Magma
Margaret
Melissa Meeks
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Nissa
John W. Otte
Steve Rice
Crista Richey
Chawna Schroeder
James Somers
Rachel Starr Thomson
Steve Trower
Speculative Faith
Jason Waguespack
Fred Warren
Phyllis Wheeler
Jill Williamson

Top Books for 2009

Ah, that time of year. What books stood out in 2009? I didn't read nearly as many books in '09 as I did in '08. I read 44 books in '08, but I didn't have 4 kids for most of the year, and I rode the bus to work all the time. Almost an hour both ways makes for good reading time.

The following are all books released in '09. I have a couple of other comments on books not from last year at the end.

5. Through the Fire by Shawn Grady. This impressive debut from a former firefighter weaves a tale of revenge and finding oneself through the haze of smoke and embers.

4. Cyndere's Midnight by Jeffrey Overstreet. The second strand in the Auralia thread, this fantasy series continues with lyrical writing, wounded characters trying to reach for nobility, and a little more action than the first book. This is a stand-out series in Christian fiction, and I'm looking forward to further strands.

3. Blaggard's Moon by George Bryan Polivka. Polivka has created a rich fantasy world rich in pirate-y tales. Moon is a prequel of sorts to his Trophy Chase trilogy, but stands on its own with humor and a heart-felt story of two lost souls intertwining, along with colorful buccaneer commentary!

2. Try Fear by James Scott Bell. The third installment of Bell's legal thrillers starring smart (and smart-mouthed Ty Buchanan) continues the fast paced, zig-zagging, and humorous prose which Bell has about mastered. I don't know if this series is going to continue, but I certainly hope it is. The last 3 years now he's held down my #2 spot for favorite books.

1. Pirate Hunter by Tom Morrisey. Yes, this blog has a soft spot for anything related to pirates, but that doesn't explain the allure of this book. Morrisey wrote two stories in one, bouncing between the tale of a freed slave in the 1700s and a modern setting of shipwreck diving. He is an adventure aficianado, so his books have great detail, but his characters make the books so compelling. Tom Morrisey doesn't get enough credit in the CBA, and this is a shame.

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The top three books were almost interchangeable, and there were a couple of near misses for the list as well:

Exposure by Brandilyn Collins wins the most exasperating award for spinning my head around with the twist at the end.
North! Or Be Eaten by Andrew Peterson wins for best title (and there's a pirate!).
Curse of the Spider King by Wayne Thomas Batson and Christopher Hopper gets best cover and best blurb by a 7 year old.

Bust of the year:
I've heard so much about Flannery O'Conner, how a Christian writer has to read her books. I read Wise Blood recently, and only finished it to try and figure out "why." I've never read a more pointless, bizarre book. I must not be sophisticated enough...

Tune in tomorrow for my favorite book (that's not new) I read in '09, by my favorite author!
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The CSFF Greatest Hits - Number 1

What??

Ah, this is it!

The CSFF Tour for August has the loose theme of "favorites." Some bloggers have talked about their all-time favorite books. My take was to go over all the tours I've been a part of and pull out my favorite books and tours. Which books inspired me?

Honorable mention goes to Robin Parrish and his book Fearless. A wildly suspenseful read, and it inspired my most-visited post, "Why Do We Need Heroes?"

BUT...out of over 40 Christian Sci-Fi and Fantasy Blog Tours, the book (and tour) that came out on top..

I give you number

Blaggard's Moon by George Bryan Polivka.

This book is special.

Bryan writes with a descriptive touch that "sets the reader on the high seas feeling the salt air, or ducking the musket balls and choking on the gunpowder." He writes characters that each leap off the page, with individual voices that make them seem real (sometimes too real).

This book was written after his Trophy Chase trilogy of pirate books, but is actually a prequel. It sets up the trilogy in a marvelous way, but stands on its own with a heartfelt tale of revenge, love, and loss.

Make it so, number one

The book has a unique structure, with pirate Smith Delaney waiting for a certain, gruesome death recalling a story told by master pirate storyteller Ham Drumbone. The back and forth between two different storytellers and the story is a little confusing at first, but is well worth the effort.

The book follows pirate king Conch Imbry, pirate hunter Damrick Fellows and mysterious lady Jenta Smithmiller as intrigue, battle, and death weaves throughout. The reader is left guessing how this all ties together, which it does very nicely at the end. Will Damrick succeed in clearing piracy from the waters, or will the wily Conch outwit the determined vigilante? And how does beautiful Jenta affect both men's plans?

That's right! #1!

I have to say that I had fun with the tour as well because I had a special visitor for this blog tour. One of the scurvy scoundrels from the book, Spinner Sleeve, stopped by to, uh, "oversee" what I had to say. Having a pirate at your back and a cutlass at your throat makes for an interesting blogging experience.

For the rest of my posts on Blaggard's Moon and the rest of Polivka's Trophy Chase trilogy, see these posts.

This tour has a lot of interesting posts featuring a variety of speculative fiction. Get the updated list here.

Christian Fiction Paradox

I've noticed a paradox in some Christian fiction books recently. It manifested in The Legend of the Firefish by George Bryan Polivka and The Shadow and Night by Chris Walley. It presents an interesting conundrum for those who pursue writing Christian fiction. It really strikes at the heart of how to write effective, engaging fiction, and it has the potential to create a couple of theoretical camps in this realm of fiction.

Now that I've been melodramatic, what does crazy Jason have in mind? Well, I'm not ready to say. But any good product finds a way to create some buzz. I'm hoping that dropping a little teaser will have people wonder what those two books have in common that may portend what I'm talking about.

If anyone has any thoughts, feel free to post comments and I'll be back in a couple days to open up what I want to discuss.

See you then...

CSFF Tour - Legend of the Firefish Overview

Ah, that time of month again, when the bloggers of the Christian Sci-fi/Fantasy Tour set sail to bring you a new highlight from the world of Christian speculative fiction.

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This month we are featuring Legend of the Firefish, book one of The Trophy Chase series (Harvest House), by George Bryan Polivka. There's a lot of great people posting on this book below - make sure to check them out.

I will be doing an overview of the book today. Tomorrow I'll discuss the good features of the book I enjoyed, and to be fair I'll talk about the writing weaknesses I picked up on, and if they are truly "weaknesses".

The Legend of the Firefish sets the reader in a new world, starting in the kingdom of Nearing Vast with young Packer Throme. He has a mysterious past as the son of a local fisherman who started off in seminary and has returned to his village with a talent for swordplay. He is in love with the beautiful, if sheltered Panna Seline, daughter of the local priest.

His motivation is twofold- to restore the fortunes of the declining fishing villages of his home region and to be worthy of the love of Panna. His plan entails hooking up with Scat Wilkins, notorious pirate captain of the Trophy Case, and tracking the elusive, legendary Firefish. This beast is a true sea serpent that is dangerous to all who dare hunt it, but its meat confers healing and power to the person who eats it.

Getting near Scat won't be easy with his security officer, the mysterious Drammune woman Talon, whose infamy with the sword is only equaled by her cruelty and her mysterious powers.

This is a book that is unique in Christian fiction right now (as far as I know). It has the feel of a historical novel with the fantastical elements of the sea creatures and mystery of Talon to place it in a different category. There is action aplenty- swordfights, storms, disguises, subterfuge. It also presents questions of faith, and challenges the bonds of the Spirit and of love.

Again, check out the other blogs below over the next couple of days for more on this book, and I'll have more tomorrow.


Trish Anderson
Brandon Barr
Wayne Thomas Batson
Jim Black
Justin Boyer
Grace Bridges
Amy Browning
Jackie Castle
Valerie Comer
Karri Compton
Frank Creed
Lisa Cromwell
CSFF Blog Tour
Gene Curtis
D. G. D. Davidson
Merrie Destefano
Jeff Draper
April Erwin
Beth Goddard
Marcus Goodyear
Russell Griffith
Jill Hart
Katie Hart
Sherrie Hibbs
Christopher Hopper
Kait
Karen
Dawn King
Tina Kulesa
Lost Genre Guild
Terri Main
Rachel Marks
Karen McSpadden
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Eve Nielsen
John W. Otte
John Ottinger
Lyn Perry
Deena Peterson
Rachelle
Cheryl Russel
Hanna Sandvig
Chawna Schroeder
Mirtika Schultz
James Somers
Steve Trower
Speculative Faith
Jason Waguespac
Daniel I. Weaver

It Be A Pirate Holiday

Arrr, yeah!

It be that favored holiday of this here blog, International Talk Like A Pirate Day. For years Spoiled For The Ordinary has championed September 19th as a high day of silliness and pirate-y things. This year be no exception.

For today only, get the excellent pirate novel Pirate Hunter by Tom Morrisey free on Kindle, Nook, or whatever preferred vessel o'reading ye have.

Here be some other fine pirate tales from the master story-teller George Bryan Polivka. This blog has featured these tales before as well.

The Library of Congress has some excellent reading for you scurvy dogs that can actually read.

I may not fancy these Buccaneers, but anyone who has a pirate ship in their stadium is a salty dog.






And these rascals of the Seven Seas 'ere not to be trusted. They make break out in brawlin' or a piano duet at any time. ARRR!

Christian Heroes and Miscellany

Gah. Sometimes I am not inspired with a brilliant thought for this here place. Like...oh say the last two days. Like Dory from Finding Nemo's trailer - "Nope, nothin' in my noggin'". Bleh. Yet here I am, attempting to say something intelligent (this would be a perfect place to link to something regarding Miss Teen South Carolina's now famous "map answer" and drive traffic to my site...yeah, I'm shameless - here's a link to the YouTube posting).

Now for something completely different:
Becky Miller is again having an interesting discussion regarding what should make up a Christian hero. It is related to last week's blog tour over The Legend of the Firefish. Bryan Polivka blogged about the repeated comments that viewed Packer as a potentially weak hero. Several times in the book he steps back and lets things happen according to God's will, whether it ends up in his death, disaster for all around him, or deliverance. Bryan has a great point to make, and Becky gives her take on it. Make sure to check the comments of Becky's post for more of the discussion.

My thoughts: I didn't have a problem with what Packer did, because it is truly a great Christian response - one that I would have a problem duplicating in real life. I would suggest that perhaps the way it was written is more of the contention (which I admitted in my post last week was a minor contention).

The discussion made me think of the book Germ, which is quite a different book than Firefish. In it, the Christian character has regret for past violence, and sacrifices himself in the end to allow others to survive - a very Christian act and imagery for the book. The points being made in Becky's discussion are very valid, but I think that examples like this are in other places in CBA fiction right now as well.

There's a lot that could be said, and I don't have the inspiration to work it out at the moment. I've got a heaping plate ahead of me for the next 6 weeks. Mainly my wife and I are in charge of bringing in and promoting Noel Richards for a worship seminar and concert at our church on September 22. Then I have to take a major recertification test for my physican assistant license on October 5, so I have to be studying through this time. Of course, it doesn't help that I sign up for things like fantasy football.

Don't worry, I'll be around. Hopefully I'll have more to offer in a day or two.

The Stand of the Marcher Lord

The Marcher Lords of England were knights given land at the edge of the kingdom. These brave, devoted warriors were set as the first line of defense against menace from raiding tribes in Scotland and Wales. They were placed in the frontier, without an easy life of a regular noble, charged with clearing the way and establishing their hold on new land.

This is according to Jeff Gerke's website, Marcher Lord Press, a new Christian publisher for speculative fiction. This is the stand that Jeff is taking in his love for exciting stories that aren't your typical Christian worldview title.

From the site:

What is Christian speculative fiction, you ask? It's the "weird" stuff: fantasy, science fiction, time travel, spiritual warfare, alternate history, chillers, superhero fiction, near-future technothrillers, and supernatural thrillers. All the Christian stories that are off the edge of the map.

This is a unique, daring venture his part. Marcher Lord Press is purposely smaller in order to have a lower overhead to be able to support the speculative fiction genre that is often short-changed in Christian book stores. It is a print on demand publisher, meaning that it will be printed when you order it. It is not a vanity press (the type of publisher that an author PAYS in order to see their book in print). The authors are truly solicited and paid.

Jeff Gerke is a visionary and a risk-taker. He sees the great potential in well-crafted stories that dare to go into realms that don't include prairie and Amish romances. I am hopeful to see more speculative fiction (such as Robin Parrish, Jeff Overstreet, and George Bryan Polivka) picked up in the regular CBA/Christian fiction market. However, I am very excited to see someone like Jeff stand up and make a way for some intriguing tales to find readers who like something a little outside of the ordinary. I am convinced that the realms of sci-fi and fantasy offer great opportunity to share powerful spiritual truth in a way that flows from the story, not forced upon it. I hope you will take some time to check out Marcher Lord.

Tomorrow, I'll share about the launch books for Marcher Lord Press, why you need to mark October 1st on your calendar, and the joy of PRIZES!!! Don't miss out!

Also, see my fellow tourmates for more.