Guest Author; Lavie Tidhar

I'm excited to start off the week with my very first guest post, from Lavie Tidhar. Lavie is a science fiction author who is originally from Israel but has been living the life of a nomad since he was a teenager, traveling across the world and visiting a variety of interesting and exotic locations.

Lavie's works include The Tel Aviv Dossier, which he co-wrote with Nir Yaniv and The Apex Book of World SF, a collection of science fiction short stories written by authors from all over the world. I recently discovered that Lavie has new book out called The Bookman, a steampunk novel published by Angry Robot (a division of Harper Collins) and so asked him over to talk a little about his book.

And so without any further ado... here's Lavie Tidhar....

I didn't Know That
by Lavie Tidhar

My new book has just come out on Thursday; called The Bookman, it tells of a young man, Orphan, and his quest to bring his love back from the dead. You may have read it in first draft, when it was called Orpheus & Eurydice...

Or not quite. It’s hard for me to come up with “copy” about the book. What do you say about it? That it’s an adventure novel? That it’s a strange and loopy Victorian alternative history? Or that it’s a book about books, or a retelling of Greek mythology, or that it’s a pulp novel?

I guess it’s all of that. It’s a retelling of Greek classics and a pulp novel. Why not? Paprika and cumin go well together. You can put coriander into chicken soup – as shocking as that sounds.

If anything, I’m a little bemused about the book coming out at all. I guess I still think of myself as the guy writing strange short stories and, at best, novellas – things like HebrewPunk, with its Jewish vampires and golems in the fighting ring... or Martian Sands, a short novel forthcoming this year or the next from Apex Books, which can best be described as “Schindler’s List meets Total Recall”... yet suddenly here I am with a three-book contract for one of the major publishers in the business – HarperCollins – with pretty-much world-wide distribution and a cover artist I had long admired.

Also, of course, the fame, the drugs, the groupies – the usual things you get with a book deal.

Which is all very strange.

For the last month of writing (the first draft of) The Bookman, I didn’t even have a place to live. Not as such. I was... well, I’ll spare you the details. I was hunched up in an attic room in someone else’s house, trying to finish it while it was snowing outside. While my hero sailed the seas, being assailed by – variously – pirates, automatons, long-lost relatives and the British army (not to mention Jack the Ripper, sundry revolutionaries and giant lizards) I was dreaming of the South Pacific and escaping to the pub. I did end up in the South Pacific, incidentally – I spent a year in a bamboo hut on the beach in one of the most remote places on Earth, with no electricity, no clean water to drink, and nothing but a view of the volcano in the distance every morning.

Which kind of puts things in perspective, or at least it should. It never does, of course – though my favourite prayer still remains, ‘Thank you, O Lord, for this hot shower I am about to take...”

Hot showers are Godly. Everything else is a bonus.

But anyway. The Bookman got written in London, re-written in South Africa (per instructions of my patient and saintly agent, John) and sold while I was living in Laos. I’m getting ready to leave Laos as the book’s being published, but again, I will be the last person to actually see a copy of the book. Puts it in perceptive, doesn’t it? when you’re thousands of miles away from the nearest bookshop with your book in it.

At least, I’m assuming there are bookshops with the book in them.

I’m assuming there are still bookshops.

Somewhere.

The Bookman is the first of – well – who knows? A series? A trilogy? A never-ending trail of paperbacks each growing larger than the other? At this point it is hard to tell. Is it fun? I think so. Does it say something profound about the human condition? Well, that’d be telling... does it have any swearing in it – no, though I’d like to write something that has a lot of that in it, at one point... say, if I see a negative review.

Just kidding. There are other ways.

No, I didn’t get hold of untraceable poison unknown to modern science in the South Pacific and, no, I will not use it to poison critics.

Of course not.

Don’t be ridiculous.

So there we are. The Bookman’s out, rather upsetting my carefully-planned schedule of writing weird-things-no-one-would-want-to-buy by writing a, well, weird thing someone might actually want to buy.

I love the cover.

They say not to judge a book by its cover but I always do. So do you, admit it.

I’m thinking of retiring now. Maybe a place in the desert? Or I could just buy my own island – what? sorry, that’s my agent on the other line. What do you mean I can’t afford my own island? How much did we get paid for this book? Seriously? That’s all?

Oh well. Scrap that one, then.

So I guess maybe I won’t retire just yet. Guess I’ll write a few more books – actually, the second book, Camera Obscura, is just about to be delivered. It’s fun – with 30% more explosions!

They told me to say that.

The voices.

Oh, that’s just the publicist telling me I really need to stop now, so...

Try the book. Or try a book. Any book. It doesn’t matter! The Impossibility of Air Travel is a good one. What an idea! Air travel! What nonsense!

What? You mean... you have something called an “air ship” in your world? How does it work?

Remarkable.

I did not know that.

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For more information about Lavie Tidhar you can visit his website.
You can also read my review of The Tel Aviv Dossier and Randy Lazarus's review of The Apex Book of World SF

The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

When eleven year old Daniel wakes up crying one night because he can no longer recall his deceased mother’s face, his father takes him by the hand and brings him to the Cemetery of Forgotten Books. In this immense building of winding passageways and rows of bookshelves, Daniel is invited by his father to choose for himself one book from the vast selection; a book that will be his to guard. After wandering through the isles of books, Daniel finds himself drawn to a leather bound book entitled Shadow of the Wind by Julian Carax, an author whom neither Daniel nor his father have ever heard of.

After devouring his new book, Daniel is eager to find more works by this unknown author, but he soon discovers that all of Carax’s books have slowly disappeared over the years, as someone has set out to burn them all. Determined to learn more about Carax and the disappearance of his books, Daniel soon sets off on a path that will lead him on a journey of discovery which he never could have anticipated, as he slowly unravels the mystery that is Julian Carax.

The Shadow of the Wind is not the kind of book I usually read, and I had actually assumed it would have some elements of fantasy in it because I had seen it mentioned on a couple of fantasy book blogs that I follow. It turned out to be a historical, gothic mystery- very far from my regular genre reading- but I still enjoyed it.

There are so many wonderful characters in this book, from Daniel and his colorful friend Fermin to the psychotic and dangerous Inspector Fumero. Julian Carax is at the center of it all, and as one mystery after another is slowly revealed, you get to know Julian and his friends and family, and discover unexpected relationships between many of the various characters.

I did have a bit of hard time with the dark tone of the book. As you learn more about Julian, you come to care and root for him, even as you watch his life slowly spiral down into one of misery and misfortune. I just couldn’t see how the story could possibly end satisfactorily and I spent most of the book impatient to get to the conclusion, which is probably why I’m not much of a mystery reader. The pace of the book is also unhurried, as the story is slowly built, and some readers might have trouble with this, though I found it interesting enough that the slow pace didn’t bother me.

The Shadow of the Wind was an excellent book that still has me thinking back to it a few days after finishing it. I did find the ending to be satisfying though it took me a while to dispel the somber mood that the book had put me in. And while I would like to follow up with the second book by Zafon, The Angel’s Game, I think I’ll need to fortify myself first with a few more lighthearted books.

Soulless by Gail Carriger

Alexia Tarabotti is a 26 year old spinster with a featherbrained mother, a dead Italian father and no soul. When Alexia finds herself attending yet another tiresome ball, she retires to the library to enjoy some refreshments, only to be rudely attacked by a vampire. Luckily for Alexia, her lack of soul neutralizes the vampire, vanishing his fangs and giving her the opportunity to eliminate her foe with a wooden hatpin.

Unfortunately, the perennially disapproving Lord Maccon arrives on the scene ( he’s never forgiven her for the hedgehog incident), and Alexia has some explaining to do. Who was the poorly behaved and badly dressed vampire? Where did he come from and what caused him to attack Alexia? And it’s not only the werewolves who need some answers, because the vampire queen soon requests an audience from Alexia as well.

As Alexia attempts to unravel the mystery surrounding her attack at the ball, she repeatedly finds herself coming head-to-head with Lord Maccon, not an entirely unpleasant experience. And the Earl suddenly can’t seem to stop himself from thinking about the irritating and headstrong Ms. Tarabotti, who always seems to be in the center of every commotion. It doesn’t help that Lord Maccon’s protective instincts have been particularly strong lately as it becomes apparent that someone is trying to kidnap Alexi, but Alexi herself refuses to be protected.

I had recently decided that I've had enough of vampire and werewolf themed books, most of which seem to just recycle the same ideas as every other previously published book in the genre. I didn’t have much expectations for Soulless and ended up pleasantly surprised with how much I actually enjoyed this book.

To begin with, the book takes place in Victorian London and is told in a style similar to that of a historical romance, which immediately grabbed my interest (historical romances are my secret and guilty pleasure). And then the ideas that Carriger introduces, of the soul and it’s influence on ones ability to become paranormal, are unique and intriguing. As someone who does not possess a soul, Alexia is able to neutralize any paranormal creature, turning them into a regular human for the amount of time that she in physical contact with them. I thought this was a really interesting concept.

In addition, Carriger assumes that had vampires been in existence in Victorian times, then the technology would have been much more advanced. And so Soulless includes inventions such as steam powered airships and floating carriages, lending the book some exotic steampunk flavor.

There were also some really wonderful characters here. I loved Alexia; a strong and intelligent woman who is not afraid of being herself, which is often reflected by her opinionated ideas, healthy appetite and bravery in defending herself against adversaries with her trusty parasol. Alexia’s friend Ivy is another great character, with her penchant for wearing ridiculous hats and her understanding with Alexi to agree to disagree. Their humorous banter was particularly enjoyable.

“Ivy, my dear,” said Miss Tarabotti as her friend bustled up, “how marvelous of you to find time to walk at such short notice! What a hideous bonnet. I do hope you did not pay too much for it.”


“Alexia! How perfectly horrid of you to criticize my hat. Why should I not be able to walk this morning? You know I never have anything better to do on Thursdays. Thursdays are so tiresome, don't you find?” replied Miss Hisselpenny."

Unfortunately I thought that Lord Maccon’s character seemed a little flat and generic, lacking the depth and originality of the other characters. I was also a little confused as to what exactly the soul is, in Soulless. Is the soul just a measure of a person’s ability to become immortal or is it more similar to a soul, as we understand it? For someone without a soul, an ailment that sounds rather shocking, Alexia appeared to be no different then other humans, aside from her unusual boldness. This lack of a clear explanation bothered me.

And one final criticism that I had is that some of the more “adult” scenes between Alexia and Lord Maccon seemed to take place at strangely inappropriate times which made them rather unbelievable. I can’t say more without giving away too much of the plot but while reading one such scene I was thinking to myself in irritation “come on, is that really what you are thinking about at a time like this?”

Otherwise I thoroughly enjoyed Soulless as a delightful, lighthearted read and I highly recommend it to readers of both fantasy and romance who are looking for some bookish fun.

For some Soulless fun, visit Gail Carriger's website where she talks about her books and about different aspects of steampunk, of which she seems to have a particular interest.

And at the publisher's website for Soulless you can dress up a Victorian doll in period clothing, which is actually quite challenging. It's amazine how many layers they had to wear back then.

Ever wonder if a Wookie is kosher?

I just received The Kosher Guide to Imaginary Animals, by Ann and Jeff Vandermeer, and I'm having a lot of fun going through it. I had seen this book mentioned on SF Signal and I was immediately intrigued, since I myself keep kosher. So I wrote to the publisher, Tachyon Publications, to request a copy for review. I never heard back from them and so it was a delightful surprise to find the book in the mailbox today (don't you love when that happens?).

So far I have only perused the book but I've already learned that Pollo Maligno, the evil cannibalistic chicken of Columbia origins, would be considered kosher, though a lot of fruit and wine should be added while braising, to mask the taste of evil (evil, according to Duff Goldman, tastes kind of like the skin inside a walnut shell). See recipe below:
























There is also a delicious looking recipe for Grilled Mongolian Death Worm Mali, though unfortunately this creature has been deemed not kosher (sadly, the best ones never are). But Wookies apparently are kosher, and if you can find one, they make a good stew that goes nicely with a sharp Cabernet.

Hmm..all this talk of cooking is making me hungry.

If you would like me to check up on the kosher status of any particular imaginary animal, I would be happy to do so. And I can also pass along any cooking tips that might be included. And I'll be providing a full review of The Kosher Guide to Imaginary Animals once I complete the book

It's Tuesday...Where Are You

It's Tuesday...Where are You?
Hosted by An Adventure in Reading

I'm in Spain, in 1954, and searching with Daniel for the story behind the mysterious author of the book The Shadow of the Wind. Daniel had discovered The Shadow of the Wind when he was just 11, and ever since, he has been curious about the book's author, Julian Carax. But Daniel's interest in the book and it's author has drawn the attention of a frightening, faceless stranger who for some unknown reason is hunting down every book written by Carax, in order to burn them.

Daniel has just met with a childhood friend of Carax's and made some surprising discoveries. He is also trying to figure out what to do about his growing attraction to his best friend's sister, a scenario that seems strangely similar to that of Julian Carax's, and which might have led to the disappearance of the girl Carax once loved.

I'm reading The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

The Monthly Book Giveaway

Enter to win the book of your choice from our online bookstore, by recommending a book that you have enjoyed.

Just fill in this form with the title and author of the book, and a comment about why you enjoyed it, and you will be entered into the drawing. With each recommendation you provide, you will receive one entry. At the end of each month we will randomly select one winner who can choose for themselves any one book from the bookstore.

Visit our Reader's Recommendations page to see what books other visitors have recommended

Contest Winners Announced

Congratulations to the winners of my recent book giveaway:

Bryce Lee
Ramona Lazar
Esther Shchory

All of the winners of have been contacted by email and your books are on the way.

Thank you to everyone who participated in the contest. I really enjoyed seeing the different books that you all would have chosen, had you won. It was an interesting mix of new releases and some older classics. I also loved hearing from all you scifi and fantasy fans in Israel.

And if you didn't win this time, don't give up. I will soon be having another book giveaway, so keep an eye on my blog for upcoming details.