Claudia Shannon
I listened to this as an audiobook, and it can kick you into taking action in your life. It's not the most rigorous treatise on living your best life, but if you need to get unstuck, listening to this audiobook is a great start. Read lightly.
The first two stories are strong - this independent author seemed like a master by the time I finished the second story. The third is a little less satisfying because the cause and effect in Prince Laurence's reasonings are not so clear, hence a 4-star rating.
I wanted to give this book 6 stars...
K.M.'s Outlining and Structuring books are great, but THIS is the book that kickstarted me into completing two shorter pieces of writing, each in 24 hours, and I'm confident that the same theories I learned from it apply to my longer works-in-progress. The questions cut to the chase, and made my outlines much more focused than they used to be.
The best part? Your characters will finally cooperate with you to craft the best story ever.
If you're still floundering and upset that the story refuses to go your way, that the structure still seems contrived, that the characters want to challenge your deity...
You see, the other day one of my colleagues envied my successes professionally and literarily and said I was a god. I replied, “Gods still have a lot to learn.”
Same goes for you.
I was imagining Joseph Millson (who voiced Eric Blair/George Orwell in the four-part The Real George Orwell radio drama on BBC Radio 4) speaking Eric Blair's words. Eric Blair made some great observations, but the call to action is weak...
Had the villain died because of our heroes' decisions, the ending would have been more satisfying.
YA fiction writers must not miss this book; this book contains a section that happens to also explain the history behind adolescent rebellion and the modern zeitgeist of inclusive diversity. There aren't many academic references or citations in this book, and the few explicit ones are inline in the narrative, and some of the predictions about the future (this book was written in the 1960's) turn out to be wrong, such as on Turkey's prospects and the unification of Germany, but overall this tome is sorely not to be missed.
The first time I read it, I couldn't take the advice. But now I can. This book is systematic and an easy read. Recommended for the writer who needs an extra push to outline that pesky novel idea.
This is the first novel I've read in the Western genre, so I had high expectations. The characterisations of the “good” characters were satisfactory, and the plot has a twist which initially appeared surprising, but, in hindsight, I daresay I saw it coming – it wasn't as thickly veiled as I'd expected.
But the issue that disappointed me the most was that I couldn't empathise with the antagonist. Without giving out any spoilers, I couldn't identify strongly enough with the motivation behind his greed, as it was sketched scantily. Also, paradoxically, he seems both extremely cunning and outrageously complacent in that he almost always gets his way, yet only does so with the same horrifying mindset throughout...
This book sheds light on the physiological side of mental health, and I recommend skimming the promotional parts to mine the book's gems.
This is an evil narrator. Perfect voice for the 21st century version of C. S. Lewis's “Screwtape Letters”.
I'm not very much into time travel tales, but this one is terrifying, riveting and irresistible. Worth a read for the chills and the chance to reflect on racial issues.
