Category Archives: George R.R. Martin

The Great Book of Amber – Roger Zelazny

     

 

The Amber novels were written by Roger Zelazny and published over the years from 1970 to 1991. One of the most revered names in science fiction and fantasy,  Roger Zelazny accumulated numerous awards – including six Hugo and three Nebula Awards – over the course of his legendary career. He wrote more than fifty books, and his Amber novels were some of his best. The Great Book of Amber is a collection of the complete Amber chronicles featuring volumes one through ten. He had a great imagination, and his outstanding storytelling inspired a generation of authors, from Neil Gaiman to George R.R. Martin.

The Great Book of Amber is a ten volume collection of the stories of Corwin and his son Merlin. Both are involuntarily thrust into staying alive while most of the other characters and family members attempt to kill them. Neither considers themselves to be heroes,  although both achieve that status through a series of misadventures along the way.

I found the narrative to be brilliant, entertaining, and humorous, all testaments to Roger Zelazny’s talent with the English language. The books are fast paced and lavishly descriptive, a combination difficult to master, yet Zelazny accomplishes it with ease.
I would recommend these books to anyone who relishes swashbuckling characters, high paced action, and a deep moral conviction for good always becoming triumphant in the end.

The Great Book of Amber includes:

Nine Princes in Amber

The Guns of Avalon

Sign of the Unicorn

The Hand of Oberon

The Courts of Chaos

Trumps of Doom

Blood of Amber

Sign of Chaos

Knights of Shadows

Prince of Chaos

I wish there had been more.

Solitaire

www.solitaireparke.com

 

 

 

5 Authors to read if you enjoyed the works of Sci-Fi/Fantasy author Edgar Rice Burroughs.

     

     

Edgar Rice Burroughs – (1875 to 1950) was an American author, best known for his prolific writing in the adventure, science fiction, and fantasy genres. He is best-known for creating the character Tarzan, and John Carter from the Barsoom series, but also the Pellucidar series, the Amtor series, and the Caspak trilogy. His book, A Princess of Mars, was the one that started everything for me as a young boy.  I have had a love of science fiction/fantasy since the day I read his book.  His Tarzan books and movies are quite well known, and all his books can be found on Amazon today. He is known as the master of adventure.

I highly recommend the following authors if you enjoyed Edgar Rice Burroughs. They are some of my favorites as well.

Piers Anthony an American author in the science fiction and fantasy genres, best known for his long-running novel series set in the fictional realm of Xanth. Many of his books have appeared on The New York Times Best Seller list, and he claims one of his greatest achievements has been to publish a book beginning with every letter of the alphabet, from Anthonology to Zombie Lover.

Roger ZelaznyFantasy, Science Fiction, Mystery, Young Adult Fantasy – The fantasy sequence The Amber Chronicles, which started with Nine Princes in Amber, deals with the ruling family of a platonic realm at the metaphysical heart of things, who can slide, trickster-like through realities, and their wars with each other and the related ruling house of Chaos. His works were very loved, and he was a strong influence on such younger writers as George R. R. Martin and Neil Gaiman. He won the Hugo award six times and the Nebula award three times.

Michael MoorcockMichael John Moorcock is an English writer, best-known for science fiction and fantasy, who has published several well-received literary novels as well as comic thrillers, graphic novels and non-fiction. He has worked as an editor and is also a successful musician. Born in London in 1939, he is a prolific and award-winning writer with more than eighty works of fiction and non-fiction to his name, he is the creator of Elric, Jerry Cornelius and Colonel Pyat, amongst many other memorable characters.

Robert Heinlein – Robert Anson Heinlein was an American science fiction author, aeronautical engineer, and naval officer. Sometimes called the “dean of science fiction writers”, he was among the first to emphasize scientific accuracy in his fiction and was thus a pioneer of the subgenre of hard science fiction. He had a writing career that spanned forty-nine years.  He published 32 novels, 59 short stories and 16 collections during his lifetime. Four films, two TV series, several episodes of a radio series, at least two songs (‘Hijack’ by Jefferson Starship and ‘Cool Green Hills of Earth’ on the 1970 album Ready to Ride and as the B-side of a single by Southwind) and a board game were derived directly from his work.

Algis Boudrys – Algirdas Jonas “Algis” Budrys was a Lithuanian American science fiction author, editor, and critic. He was also known under the pen names Frank Mason, Alger Rome, John A. Sentry, William Scarff, and Paul Janvier. He is known for the influential 1960 novel Rogue Moon. He is the author of ten novels, three short story collections, and five non-fiction works. He has taught at Columbia (Chicago), Harvard, Brigham Young University, CalTech, the Charles Dickens House in London, Pepperdine University, the Taos experimental Writers of the Future workshop, and the Library of Congress, to name a few, as well as several annual workshops in Moscow, Idaho. He was the editor and publisher of Tomorrow Speculative Fiction magazine.

If you love science fiction and fantasy, all these authors are certainly worth reading and may become some of your favorites. There is nothing quite like the world of science fiction. It has the ability to instantly transport you to another world, leaving Earth behind. You also get to explore the capabilities of time travel, interact with androids, and consider artificial intelligence all while imagining what the future might be like.

Solitaire

http://www.solitaireparke.com

 

Fantasy Writing Tips From “Game of Thrones” Author, George R.R. Martin!

“Game of Thrones” is back for the final season.  Who hasn’t watched or at least heard of the TV show, “Game of Thrones?”  The author, George R. R. Martin, has been writing Fantasy books for years before this series came out.  I have been a fan of his for a long time.  Since I write Science Fiction/ Urban Fantasy myself, I was curious what his thoughts were on the subject.  This article on the site, Lifehacker.com, peaked my curiosity.  Here are his top 10 writing tips for Fantasy:

  • Don’t limit your imagination
  • Choose your point-of-view characters to broaden the narrative’s scope
  • It’s okay to borrow from history
  • Talk to real people for a believable point of view
  • Grief is a powerful tool but don’t overdo it
  • Violence should have consequences _ so spare nothing
  • Avoid fantasy clichés
  • The world is full of “grey” characters to draw from
  • Juggling lots of characters takes skill and luck
  • All men must die, but we don’t have to give way to despair

To get the details of each of these tips, click on the link below and enjoy!

https://www.lifehacker.com.au/2013/11/ten-tips-on-writing-a-fantasy-saga-from-game-of-thrones-author-george-r-r-martin/

“The best fantasy is written in the language of dreams. It is alive as dreams are alive, more real than real … for a moment at least … that long magic moment before we wake.”

                                                                                    George R.R. Martin

If you have any tips that have been helpful to you, I’d love to hear about them!  Have a great day!

Solitaire

Check out my Dragomeir Series and Prequel books at my website –

www.solitaireparke.com 

 

Top 10 Fantasy Writing Tips From “Game Of Thrones” Author George R.R. Martin!

index

Just about everyone, including me, has watched or at least heard of the TV show, “Game of Thrones.” The author, George R. R. Martin, has been writing Fantasy books for many years before this series came out. I have been a fan of his for a long time. Since I write Urban Fantasy myself, I was curious what his thoughts were on the subject. So I thought this article on the site, Lifehacker.com, was rather interesting. His top 10 writing tips for Fantasy are as follows:

  • Don’t limit your imagination
  • Choose your point-of-view characters to broaden the narrative’s scope
  • It’s okay to borrow from history
  • Talk to real people for a believable point of view
  • Grief is a powerful tool_but don’t overdo it
  • Violence should have consequences _ so spare nothing
  • Avoid fantasy clichés
  • The world is full of “grey” characters to draw from
  • Juggling lots of characters takes skill and luck
  • All men must die, but we don’t have to give way to despair

To read the details of each of these tips, click on the link below and enjoy!

http://www.lifehacker.com.au/2013/11/ten-tips-on-writing-a-fantasy-saga-from-game-of-thrones-author-george-r-r-martin/

Any tips you’d like to share?  I’m always open to new ideas for improving my writing.  See you soon.

Solitaire

www.solitaireparke.com

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