Five Questions With Julie Kagawa, author of The Iron King

Julie Kagawa is the author of the inventive and popular young-adult series The Iron Fey.  The first novel in the series, The Iron King, was recently released in the United Kingdom and was reviewed on Addicted to Media back in January.  Julie is currently conducting a blog tour to promote the Iron Fey series and she took the time to answer five of my questions.

I believe that as writers, you come to love your characters, some more than others.  Who is your favourite character in the Iron Fey series and do you have a least favourite?

My favourite character would have to be Ash, because I love my brooding bad boys. But a certain snarky talking cat runs a very close second. As for least favourite, I don’t think I have one. I like all my characters in one way or another, or at least I understand them.

It is refreshing to read about the dark side of fairies and the land of the fey.  It reminded me of the very old English tales of fairies stealing children and tricking people into deals.  Were those the tales that you grew up on and if not, where did you get your inspiration from?

Those were certainly the tales I drew inspiration from. I love the stories of changelings and the thought that the Fey were these ancient, capricious creatures who were tricky and dangerous. I’ve always preferred the Brothers Grimm faery tales to the Disney fairy tales.

There is a lot of competition between Team Ash and Team Puck across the Blogosphere.  I know that you are not a fan of the Iron Court so which team are you on?

That might be a tad bit spoilery, lol. Let’s say I love both boys for different reasons and leave it at that.

I have to confess that I am probably Team Ash (and hope to explore that further in the next two books!) but I was amazed by the ingenuity and originality of the Iron Court.  It read like a Steampunk dream and I loved the acid rain.  Would you describe the Iron Court as Steampunk and where did you get the idea for the Iron Horse from?

It didn’t start out as Steampunk, but as the series progressed, The Iron Realm sort of became this entity that had definite steampunk elements, so I went with it. For Ironhorse, I wanted an “older” type of fey, one that might be past his prime. The steam engine seemed a perfect fit, so Ironhorse was born.

I think that you've achieved what many people have dreamed of and gone from Livejournal to NaNoWriMo to being a published author.  If you had one single piece of advice to give to other aspiring writers, what would it be? 

Persist. Just keep writing, and try to finish that novel. Remember, all authors started exactly where you are right now; the only difference between a published author and a non-published one is that the published author never stopped writing.

The Iron King focuses on the adventures of Meghan Chase as she ventures into the land of the Nevernever to rescue her younger brother Ethan who has been stolen by Fey.  She is assisted by her friend Robbie, the mysterious Winter Prince Ash and the cantankerous cat Grimalkin.  This is not your average fairy tale and will appeal to fans of supernatural and romance novels.  The Iron King is available on Harlequin UK’s Mira Ink imprint and the second book in the trilogy, The Iron Daughter is due to be released on 15 April 2011 in the UK.

Buy The Iron King at Amazon.co.uk ¦ Amazon.com

Article first published as Interview: Julie Kagawa, Author of The Iron King on Blogcritics.

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Book Review: My Soul to Save by Rachel Vincent

The young-adult romance genre has exploded in recent years and the attraction of the supernatural has been unmistakeable.  Some of the most popular books in the genre have been the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer, PC and Kristin Cast’s House of Night series and Richelle Mead’s Vampire Academy series and this has been augmented by The Vampire Diaries on television and The Twilight Saga in film.  The market has been saturated with tales of vampires and werewolves and therefore, it is always refreshing when an author comes up with an equally alluring and captivating supernatural, young-adult, romance series such as Soul Screamers by Rachel Vincent.

My Soul to Save  is the second book in the Soul Screamers series.  In the first book, Kaylee Cavanaugh discovered that she was a bean sidhe (or banshee as we would pronounce it).  She had long been troubled by the creepy ability to predict people’s deaths and that knowledge caused her to scream bloody murder.  Of course, in My Soul to Take, we discovered that this was literal as young girls in Kaylee’s school and community were being murdered and as she alone could predict their deaths, Kaylee knew that it was up to her to stop it.   Luckily for Kaylee, she had caught the attentions of one of the most popular and attractive boys in school, Nash Hudson and he was the perfect person to tell her more about her destiny and abilities.

My Soul to Save begins with Kaylee and Nash at a concert of the extremely popular, teenage music sensation Eden.  All of a sudden, Eden drops dead on stage and Kaylee expects the usual compulsion to scream bloody murder.  When it doesn’t come, Kaylee and Nash realise with a dawning sense of horror that it is because Eden did not have a soul.  Kaylee soon discovers that Eden is not the only starry-eyed, ambitious teenager who has traded her soul for a chance of fame, fortune and success and she learns just what it means when a human being dies without possession of their soul.  Knowing that she can do nothing for the poor souls murdered in the first book, she becomes determined to do something for these lost souls.

I thoroughly enjoyed the first book in the series, My Soul to Take, and I gave it top marks for originality.  I really enjoy Rachel Vincent’s style of writing as she basically multi-tasks and for example, will describe characters making food while they are having a conversation.  She has an easy style which has the effect of putting the reader right there in the conversation with the characters.  Still, I wouldn’t have been satisfied if My Soul to Save had been more of the same story and I am glad to say that it wasn’t.  My Soul to Take is a complete departure and delves much deeper into the bean sidhe mythology; the abilities of bean sidhes and what they can and can’t do; the role of the reapers; and the exact nature of the Netherworld that the bean sidhes can see into when the women summon their scream.

Nash and his dead reaper brother Tod are back to play a major role in the book but there is also a host of new characters such as pop princess Addison, her sister Regan and the ancient and powerful reaper Libby from Special Projects.  My favourite character was the very old and very powerful reaper Levi, Tod’s boss.  He was awesome in the same way as the Volturi Jane in Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight series in that he was a child when he died but he now wields incredible power and is very, very dangerous. 

Perhaps the best part of the book was Rachel Vincent’s description of the Netherworld which was original and imaginative.  She describes a surreal world of deadly, carnivorous plants and deformed, grotesque humanoid beings.  It is the best description of the netherworld that I have read since Garth Nix’s description in his Old Kingdom trilogy.

My Soul to Save is quite an adventure, taking place over just five days (including the Weirdest Wednesday Ever).  It was admittedly a bit slow in the beginning and it is hard to identify with a greedy and selfish pop princess who has sold her soul in order to get fame and fortune but it certainly picked up in the middle with Levi’s devastating entrance.  Whatever doubts I did have in the beginning were erased by the thrilling climax of the book and I rate this book 4 out of 5 stars.

My Soul to Save is available on Harlequin UK’s Mira Ink imprint and the UK edition features yet another stunning cover design by Blacksheep.

Buy My Soul to Save at Amazon.co.uk¦ Amazon.com
Buy My Soul to Take at Amazon.co.uk¦ Amazon.com

 

Article first published as Book Review: My Soul to Save by Rachel Vincent on Blogcritics.

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Blu-ray Review: The Hurt Locker

The Hurt Locker has been hailed as the best war film ever, earning nine Academy Award nominations including Best Actor for the virtually unknown Jeremy Renner. It was eventually awarded six Academy Awards including Best Motion Picture of the Year, Best Director for Kathryn Bigelow and Best Screenplay for Mark Boal.  Boal was a journalist embedded with a US bomb squad in Iraq in 2004 and he based the story on his own experiences. The film had all the necessary credentials but does The Hurt Locker live up to all the hype?

 

The Hurt Locker is about an elite three-man United States Army Explosive Ordnance Disposal team and the film opens in Baghdad during the Iraq War.  In the opening scenes, the unit is called out to investigate a suspicious road-side package and they send in their robot. When the robot gets entangled and fails to extract the bomb, Staff Sergeant Matt Thompson (Guy Pierce) dons his bomb suit and moves out to the package. In one of the most tense opening scenes in movie history, the device is detonated and Thompson  killed. This sets the scene for the arrival of Sergeant First Class William James who takes over as leader of the crew.

From the onset, it is clear to Sergeant JT Sanborn (Anthony Mackie) and Specialist Owen Eldridge (Brian Geraghty) that James is a maverick and a liability on the team. Getting off to a dangerous start, James descends into increasingly dangerous patterns as he begins to put more pressure on his team and exposes them to ever increasing risks.  As the unit embarks on one surreal mission after another against a backdrop of the insanity of this war, it is clear that Sergeant First Class William James is descending into addiction: an addiction to war.  Sanborn and Eldridge have to measure their need to trust their team leader against his suicidal methods and lack of respect for the their safety or his own.

 

It seems impossible to reduce this film to such a simple synopsis because it is not that simple.  Above all else, The Hurt Locker is astounding for its realism and impact. I found it impossible to tear my eyes away from the screen and this is a film that you experience rather than watch. It took my breath away at times and you literally sit on the edge of your seat and absorb every feeling of dread and horror. Rather than tell a story the film lets the story tell itself with subtlety and sensitivity.

I do think this is the best war film I have seen in years (and I do consider myself to be a fan of the genre).  It was powerful and gripping yet did not glorify war.  I’m not sure why it took me so long to see The Hurt Locker but absolutely that anyone who hasn’t seen it yet do so.  The special features on the Blu-ray include a Behind the Scenes featurette; interviews with Jeremy Renner and co-stars; a backstage segment describing the filming conditions in Jordan; and a visually stunning photo gallery.  The cinematography is absolutely incredible in this film and credit goes to Barry Ackroyd and directed Kathryn Bigelow for his realisation of her vision.  If, like me, you were unfortunate enough to have missed this film in the cinema then this is a perfect film for Blu-ray.

This is a film that immerses the viewers, almost assaults them with a shock of sound, colour, sweeping desert vistas and music.  The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 is impressive and was brilliant on my surround sound system.  I jumped out of my skin at that first explosion as the sound felt like it had come from behind me.  The video is 1080p MPEG-4 AVC and is absolutely crisp.

Adding to the overall experience is the musical score by Marco Beltrami and Buck Sanders that is expertly woven into the scenes.  There were no great orchestral sequences but the score certainly caught my attention as it is quite beautiful.  This fantastic score certainly deserved the Academy Award nomination for Best Original Score. 

 

 

Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie and Brian Geraghty gave outstanding performances as the three members of the unit and Jeremy Renner certainly deserved his BAFTA and Academy Award nominations for Best Actor.

It has been a long time since I have seen a film that has impressed me as much as this film and I cannot fault the acting, cinematography, direction, musical score, screenplay or story.  The last time I unreservedly gave a film a score of 10/10 was two years ago when I watched Slumdog Millionaire.  I have no hesitation in giving this film full marks and I will definitely be watching it again in the future.

Buy The Hurt Locker at Amazon.co.uk¦ Amazon.com

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Book Review: Inside Out by Maria V. Snyder

Maria V. Snyder is a best-selling author best known for her award-winning Study Series.  She published her first novel, Poison Study in 2005 and followed up with Magic Study in 2006 and Fire Study in 2008.  The Glass Series was a spin-off trilogy featuring characters from the Study Series and included Storm Glass and Sea Glass (both published in 2009) and Spy Glass which was released in 2010.  Both young adult series were set sometime in the past, in a world of fantasy, magic and sorcery but Maria now returns with powerful dystopian novel, Inside Out.

Trella is a scrub, a nobody.  Her sole purpose in life is to keep the pipes and air vents of Inside clean in order to benefit those living in the upper levels.  Inside is divided between those living on the upper and lower levels.  The Uppers are the privileged and fortunate, those people permitted to live in spacious family units in the upper levels of Inside.  Those living on the lower levels experience overcrowding and squalor and must work to support the systems that keep the inhabitants of Inside alive.  There are literally thousands of Scrubs living on the lower levels and they live in constant fear of being caught by the Population Control Police and being recycled as fertiliser.   Yes, that’s right, fertiliser.  Inside is a contained unit, like a box and sheep are farmed and vegetables produced using hydroponics and they will use anything they can use as fertiliser.  

Nobody knows how big Inside is but Trella estimates that her world is approximately 2,000 metres long by 2,000 metres wide by twenty-five metres high.  She knows this because Trella prefers to be alone, to escape the corridors of the lower levels teeming with other Scrubs.  She spends her time in the pipes and hidden spaces between the levels and knows the layout of Inside like no one else.  This is how she comes to meet Broken Man.  He is literally broken and was the victim of a horrendous accident that left him confined to a wheel chair.  It was around the time that he was cast out from the upper levels and exiled to the lower levels so perhaps it wasn’t an accident after all?  Her best (and only) friend Cogon introduces Broken Man to Trella as a prophet and he tells Trella that he knows the location of Gateway, the mythical door between Inside and the outside world.  They know nothing about Outside and certainly don’t know for sure whether Gateway exists but Broken Man assures Trella that he can prove it to her if she risks everything to retrieve his discs from the upper levels.

Trella should have just said no.

Inside Out is an incredibly imaginative, dystopian novel.  There are so many astonishing levels of innovation in Inside Out including the design of Inside; the structure of the working week and division into time scales divisible by ten; the social structure and hierarchy; and the detail of the hydroponics and self-sustainability of Inside.  Perhaps the best aspect of the novel are the two powerful, incredible twists in the story and the novel ends with the promise of further twists. 

The book is strangely compelling considering the claustrophobic atmosphere of Inside and I found myself unable to put it down.  There were jaw-dropping moments where my heart was pounding out of my chest and that is no small feat for a young adult novel! At the beginning of the novel I had thought that Trella was a rather flat character but towards the middle of the book it emerged that this was by design, that individuality and free-thinking had just about been engineered out of the Scrubs.  All told, it is an enjoyable and exciting book and really well-written.

The sequel to Inside Out is called Outside In and was released February 15 in the USA and will be released in March 2011 in the UK.  Many young adult authors are concentrating on series and sequels at the moment and it can often be disappointing or tiresome to reach the end of a novel and discover a cliff hanger.  This was not the case with Inside Out and in fact, the book could easily be read as a stand alone novel.  I am looking forward to reading the sequel though as I know further twists are on the way.

I would recommend Inside Out to all fans of young adult, teen romance or dystopian fiction and give the book five out of five stars.

Buy Inside Out at Amazon.co.uk¦ Amazon.com

Buy Outside In at Amazon.co.uk¦ Amazon.com

Article first published as Book Review: Inside Out by Maria V. Snyder on Blogcritics.

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Music Video: DIOYY - The Monkeys Are Coming

Continuing with the warped and crazy videos, this is the first single from the new Does It Offend You, Yeah? album Don’t Say We Didn’t Warn You which is out in March.  I can’t wait, of course.

I really like this song but I absolutely love “We Are The Dead” which they released last year.

 

Roll on 14 March 2011!

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Music Video: Justice vs Simian–“We Are Your Friends”

This is without a doubt one of the best music videos I have ever seen and in fact, it won the award for best video at the MTV Europe Video Awards 2006 (much to the dismay of Kanye West).  I have always loved this song which is a Justice remix of Simian’s “Never Be Alone”.  Simian went on to break up and James Ford and James Shaw formed Simian Mobile Disco.

I’ve spent the whole weekend listening to new rave and dance punk music including Does It Offend You, Yeah?, New Young Pony Club, Crystal Castles, Hadouken!, Klaxons and Justice.  Maybe I should add some Simian Mobile Disco to that mix?

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New Does It Offend You, Yeah? album finally out in March

The wait is almost over.  The long anticipated second album from UK dance-punk act Does It Offend You, Yeah? (DIOYY) is finally available for pre-order on Amazon and iTunes.  DIOYY first burst onto the dance-punk and new rave scenes in 2008 with their debut album You Have No Idea What You're Getting Yourself Into.  They’ve been compared to bands like Justice and Klaxons but it their raucous live shows set them apart from other bands in the genre.  I had the pleasure of seeing the band at Exit Festival 2010 and they blew me away.  None of the locals that I had spoken to had heard of DIOYY before but after the gig, everyone was speaking about them.  Such is the live power of James Rushent on lead vocals and guitar; Rob Bloomfield on drums; Dan Coops on synthesizer; Matty Derham on guitar; and Chloe Duveaux on bass guitar that once you’ve seen them, you never quite forget them.

Don't Say We Didn't Warn You will be released on March 14, 2011 in the UK and March 15, 2011 in the US.  It was recorded in 2009 and 2010 and fans were originally expecting the album to be released in October 2010.  In August 2010, the release date was pushed back to January 2011 and in a bid to appease fans, the band offered their single “We Are The Dead” as a free download.  The second single, “The Monkeys Are Coming”, was released on January 23, 2011 and now, with a firm track listing for Don't Say We Didn't Warn You, it seems that we can finally stop holding our breath.

1. "We Are The Dead"
2. "John Hurt"
3. "Pull Out My Insides"
4. "Yeah"
5. "The Monkeys Are Coming"
6. "Wrong Time Wrong Planet"
7. "Wrestler"
8. "Wondering"
9. "The Knife"
10. "Broken Arms"

Together with the massive Australian band Pendulum, DIOYY are currently supporting Linkin Park on their nationwide tour of the United States.

Pre-order Don't Say We Didn't Warn You from Amazon.com ¦ Amazon.co.uk ¦ iTunes

Article first published as New Does It Offend You, Yeah? Album Finally Out in March on Blogcritics.

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Sunday Express offering 1,000 free copies of The Iron King

The Iron King is an imaginative and exciting young adult novel by Julie Kagawa.  It is a page-turner that follows the adventures of Meghan Chase as her brother is abducted by fey and she must travel to the land of Nevernever to rescue him.  With suspense, enchanted forests and magical creatures, The Iron King is also a romance novel that should attract fans of the Twilight, Vampire Academy and House of Night series.  I reviewed The Iron King in January 2011.

Sunday Express and publishers MIRA Ink are teaming up to offer 1,000 free eBook copies of The Iron King.  Visit the Sunday Express website to find the download link as well as the code required to claim your free eBook.  The giveaway is not exclusive to just Sunday Express readers so go ahead and get your free copy of this exciting novel today.

The Iron King is the first novel in Julie Kagawa’s The Iron Fey series.  Below is a trailer for the series.

 

Buy The Iron King at Amazon.co.uk ¦ Amazon.com

Article first published as Sunday Express Offers 1,000 Free Copies of The Iron King on Blogcritics.

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DVD Review: Merlin: The Complete Second Season

“In a land of myth and a time of magic, the destiny of a great kingdom rests on the shoulders of a young boy.  His name: Merlin”.  So begins each episode of the BBC series Merlin, narrated by the great John Hurt, otherwise known as the voice of the dragon.  The third season of this popular series recently aired in the United Kingdom and a fourth season will begin filming in the spring.  Now BBC America and Warner Bros. Entertainment bring you the DVD release of Merlin: The Complete Second Season for the first time on region 1. 

Merlin is the story of the young Merlin (Colin Morgan) and how he comes to meet and serve Prince Arthur.  Arthur’s father, King Uther of Camelot (Anthony Head, Buffy the Vampire Slayer), has outlawed magic and the practice of sorcery is a crime punishable by death.  In the first season of Merlin, we discover that Prince Arthur (Bradley James) is arrogant and entitled while Merlin is young and unsure of himself.  Everything changes in the second season as Merlin learns more about his destiny and the powerful magic that he bears while Arthur embraces his sense of duty and learns humility and love. 

 

The second season of Merlin gets off to a fantastic start with a host of guest actors representing the cream of the British acting world.  Mackenzie Crook stars in “The Curse of Cornelius Sigan” as the ambitious crook Cedric who breaks the curse of Sigan and is possessed by his spirit.  In “The Once and Future Queen”, Adrian Lester stars as the assassin Myror while Colin Salmon stars as the druid Aglain in “The Nightmare Begins”.  Sarah Parish makes a mid-season appearance as the troll Lady Catrina in the two-part “Beauty and the Beast” and veteran actor Charles Dance is the conniving vigilante Aredian in “The Witchfinder”.  Druids, curses, magical creatures and sorcery make this one of the most exciting seasons of British television in years.

 

 

 

The special effects in Merlin are a treat and the most notable example is the Great Dragon, Kilgharrah (voiced by John Hurt).  The wildren (giant human-eating rats) in “Lancelot and Guinevere” were as terrifying as they were realistic and the bastet in “The Lady of the Lake” (a large panther-like creature with bat wings) was just incredible.

While the season forges ahead as Arthur and Merlin battle assassins, monsters and powerful sorcerers, it is the underlying story that keeps viewers coming back for more.  It is during this season that Morgana begins to learn of the existence and extent of her magical powers.  She makes deadly liaisons with the likes of Mordred, the druid boy that she and Merlin helped escape in the first season and Morgause (played by Emilia Fox), a powerful sorceress who plays a massive part over the next two seasons.  For those that know the Arthurian legend, this is the season where Morgana’s destiny finally begins to unravel.

 

Merlin continues to learn about his own magic and destiny but the biggest revelation occurs in the final episode “The Last Dragonlord”.  In this episode, Merlin learns not only who his father is but also realises he has more power than he ever could have imagined.  While much of the series is light-hearted and focuses on the cheery banter between Arthur and Merlin, we get to see Merlin’s heartbreak, determination and fury and realise for the first time what a good actor Colin Morgan really is.

In the midst of the battles and talk of destiny and greatness there emerges one of the greatest love stories of all time.  Without going into the specifics and revealing the plot, might I just say that the kisses in “The Once and Future Queen”, “Lancelot and Guinevere” and “The Lady of the Lake” had me squealing with glee.  Santiago Cabrera reprises his role as the gallant and courageous Lancelot and we can only hope that he will have a much larger role to play in future seasons.

Merlin: The Complete Second Season is available as a box set and includes several DVD extras including a cast and crew introduction to season two, audio commentaries, “Behind the Scenes” and “The Making of Merlin” featurettes as well as photo galleries and wallpapers.  The packaging features several high quality images of the cast and each of the five discs is imprinted with a separate image.

The BBC’s Merlin is one of the best fantasy adventure shows on British television at present and this season does not disappoint.  Merlin is officially a children’s show airing early on a Saturday evening but I would recommend this show for adults and children alike. 

For magic, adventure, intrigue and romance, I highly recommend Merlin: The Complete Second Season and give it five out of five stars.

Buy Merlin: The Complete Second Season at Amazon.com¦ Amazon.co.uk

All images © BBC

Article first published as DVD Review: Merlin: The Complete Second Season on Blogcritics. Affiliate links are used in this post.

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