Adventures of 2.0

scatteredarts: The Importance of Doodling: Part One Can we...

scatteredarts — Tue, 06 Nov 2012 14:22:18 -0500

The Importance of Doodling: Part One

Can we only create something by following a set formula? No. Can doodles become art? Yes!

This…

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Announcement: We're Taking A Break

scatteredarts — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 06:37:00 -0400

Hi guys! You may have noticed that there has been a severe lack of anything going on over here lately. We had a total of 4 posts in March and that really sucks. Unfortunately, between school and work and thesis stuff and wedding planning something’s gotta give, and that thing is our beloved blog.

Not only are we not writing, I’m barely reading either. My poor brain has no power left by the time I’m done all that other stuff to process the pretty words on the pages. I’ve been reading the second Outlander book for 2 weeks now! It’s ridiculous!

Anyway, I’m finished with uni (forever, yay!) on May 8th (not that I’m counting or anything…) and so hopefully sometime around then we can actually start blogging again! And reading!

In summary: we’re not dead. We still love you. We’ll be back (eventually!). Until then, happy reading!

L xoxo

The Speculative Fiction Challenge: April Link Up

scatteredarts — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 06:28:59 -0400

This is where you can link up your reviews, discussions and other Speculative Fiction type links. You must have already signed up as a participant in the 2012 Speculative Fiction Challenge to add your links and have your books counted towards your challenge goal. You can sign up until November 31st.

Feel free to add posts other than reviews (discussions, author guest posts or interviews and the like), we want to see what you’ve been up to!

Bloggiesta! Mini Challenge: How to put Social Media Icons on Your Sidebar

scatteredarts — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 23:47:27 -0400

Social media is one of the best, easiest and funnest ways to promote your blog and those awesome posts you spend so much time writing. But why go through all that effort creating those accounts, and using them, if no one knows they exist? Our bloggiesta mini challenge for you is:

Put your social media links in your sidebar!

Here’s how:

1) Go search and hunt down some social media icons that you love. It’s better if they match in some way and look good on your blog. You want them to be nice and clear so people can spot them easily. I found the ones for this tutorial {here}.

2) Save the images to your computer and upload them to where ever you normally upload your blog pictures. I use Picassa because it’s connected to my gmail.

3) Go to your blog settings and create a new widget for the html. You want this to be high up enough so people with small screens can see it without scrolling down, so make it one of the first widgets in your sidebar.

4) Add the html (this is for 3 buttons but you can copy/paste for more):

Change the bits in capitals to your links. So mine says:

Your image link is the DIRECT link to your social media image. You can find this by right clicking the image and choosing “Copy image URL”.

5) Make sure the icons are centered and all grouped together. If you want to have a set of icons, say 4, then just repeat the same code, replacing the capitals with the correct links.

This is what you should end up with:

Clicking on these images takes you straight to some of my favorite ways to share posts. It’s a great idea to give your readers a couple of different ways to follow you (RSS, Facebook and Twitter would be the basics for me) to make sure everyone who wants to, has access to your fountain of awesome.

I hope this helped! Happy Bloggiesta-ing! Lisa xxoxo

P.S. - If you need more help than this, this is the best post I’ve found explaining each individual step. Good luck!

Book Bloggers & Publishers Online Conference

scatteredarts — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 06:01:00 -0500

Last year I randomly stumbled across an event that turned out to be the best idea ever: The Book Bloggers and Publishers Online Conference.

Our blog was only 5 months old and I learnt SO much from this online event. The legal stuff, how to talk to big fancy (scary) publishers, how to make your blog so much better, it’s all here.

There are forums to help you answer any possible question and days of panels on specific topics including:

NetGalley and Bloggers
Legal Issues Facing Bloggers
Blog Tours
What Authors and Publishers Look for in Reviews
Standing Out From the Crowd
Review Guidelines

Speakers this year are from Random House Publishing, Penguin (Editor), NetGalley, Wana Consulting, Samhain Publishing, Bloomsbury Publishing, Dreamspinner Press and Book Country.

The conference runs March 7-11 (Wednesday through Sunday) and you can find even more information and register on this website. It’s $45 and you get books!

Hope to see you there! L xoxo

Me, Earl and the Dying Girl: Jesse Andrews

scatteredarts — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 08:30:18 -0500

Greg Gaines has been purposely spending his life on the edges of high school, dipping in and out of each and every social group. When his mother declares that he must spend time with a dying girl, Rachel, Greg is highly unimpressed. But as their friendship grows, Greg and his best friend Earl try to make her days suck less with one of their (not so) famous films.

This is a great book. Simple, honest and not trying to be anything it’s not. Even though there is a young girl with cancer, the story isn’t overwhelmingly sad. You know what’s coming and Greg, Earl and Rachel respond like teenagers, not like some fictionalized characters where the focus becomes some grand life lesson.

The absolute best part of this book was Earl, Greg’s best friend and possibly the most random person ever. I found myself looking forward to every scene Earl was in. He was the perfect, straight forward contrast to Greg’s occasional moroseness. The writing style is clear cut, full of humor and had me laughing out loud, not something you’d generally expect from a book about teen cancer. The teenagers are teenagers, bad language, self-absorbed and all.

Books that stay true to their characters personalities are always the best. Highly recommend to those looking for something a little out of the ordinary or for something easy, funny and interesting to pick up.

L xoxo

The Speculative Fiction Challenge: March Link Up

scatteredarts — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 07:05:00 -0500

Each month we will select one or two books to be highlighted as our challenge recommendations to give you guys some ideas!

Feel free to add posts other than reviews (discussions, author guest posts or interviews and the like), we want to see what you’ve been up to!

Bloggiesta!

scatteredarts — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 20:20:52 -0500

Last year I missed this awesome event but this year (even though I have no time at all), I’m signing up to participate in Bloggiesta, a kick ass blogathon. I’m going to try and spend at least a couple of hours each day working on those things I’ve been avoiding… like our review archive *yuk*.

It’s time! Do you plan to fiesta with us the weekend of March 30, 31 and April 1? Do you have things you’d like to do on your blog that you haven’t managed to get to in forever? Do you want to do those things with lots of other bloggers from all over? Talk things over with them? Bounce ideas off them? Learn from them? Teach them too?

Stuff I need to do:

The review archive of doom
Catch up on my backed up NetGalley reviews and add to Goodreads and NG
Make a cover image for the Facebook page

And probably a zillion other things.

Joining in? Sign up here. L xoxo

P.S. - We’re not dead or anything, though our lack of posts may suggest otherwise, just crazy busy. We still love you guys though! :)

Guest Post: Character Backstage with AT Audot (Matchbox Girls by Chrysoula Tzavelas)

scatteredarts — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 06:27:15 -0500

Hi guys! We have a special treat today, Chrysoula Tzavelas has been awesome and sent us this great guest post as part of the Matchbox Girls tour. Look out for my review on Friday and be sure to check out all the stops to make sure you don’t miss anything!

Today’s interviewer at Character Backstage is AT Audot. In-story, she plays the role of “newfound ally.” She’s interviewing Jeremy White, a lawyer.

AT: Hi! I’m interviewing Jeremy White, who has that just-stepped-out-of-a-commercial scent.

Jeremy: Scent… You’re the girl with all the dogs, aren’t you.

AT: Uh, yeah.

Jeremy: Do you have licenses for those dogs? It’s very easy for a pack of dogs to run wild, especially if they’re not in the hands of somebody able to control them.

AT: I can control them just fine. They do everything I want. [quickly] So, you’re a pure human, right?

Jeremy: Of course. What else would I be?

AT: How did you get dragged into all this craziness?

Jeremy: Craziness? What are you talking about?

AT: You know. [pause] You do know your employer isn’t exactly human, don’t you?

Jeremy: I know he’s got access to many unusual resources.

AT: Why are you working for him?

Jeremy: He pays well. Plus, we’re going to change the world. That makes for a nice bonus, don’t you think?

AT: Don’t you ever wonder what you’re sacrificing by working with him?

Jeremy: Kid, sacrifice is not in my job description. So you can be pretty sure I’m not doing it. I always aim to come out ahead.

AT: I guess that’s a perk of being fully human. You get that choice.

Jeremy: Whoa, that sounds kind of bitter, kid. What’s your problem?

AT: I’m not bitter. I’m just… Nevermind. How did you first meet your employer?

Jeremy: He’s the patron of a charity I work with. He needed a representative in certain matters, and I was available and trustworthy.

AT: Doesn’t it bother you that sometimes you sort of… drift outside the law?

Jeremy: Do you have any actual proof of that? Proof that would hold up in a court of law?

AT: Well…

Jeremy: Word to the wise, kid. Law is complicated. There are a lot of different jurisdictions. Some of them are more meaningful than others. You go wandering in blindly, you’re going to get in over your head and drown. [laughs] You need more than the dog paddle to stay afloat, if you know what I mean.

AT: You’re just hilarious. Look, I—

[A dark-haired, olive-skinned woman in a neat suit steps onstage, handing Jeremy a cup of coffee as she bends over to whisper something in his ear.]

Jeremy: What? Her? You’re kidding. [He stares at AT for a moment. His coffee sloshes over his hand.]

[The suited lady stands up, smiles, and moves offstage again.]

AT: Oh, no. I was doing fine, Tia! Uh, sorry about that. You want a towel?

Jeremy: [stands up] I’m… I’m done with this interview. I have places to be, people to see. [mutters] People people.

And that’s today’s Character Backstage Interview. Thanks, AT and Jeremy!

Tune in for the next Character Backstage tomorrow at Hopeless Bibliophile! And don’t forget to join the discussion here and then stop by the Candlemark & Gleam blog to get your entry in our Matchbox Girls giveaway!

Marley Claviger is just trying to get her life together. Stumbling into an ancient conflict between celestial forces is going to make that a whole lot harder…

When Marley wakes up to a phone call from a pair of terrified children, she doesn’t expect to be pulled into a secret war. She rescues them from an empty house and promises to find their missing uncle. She even manages to feed them dinner. But she barely feels competent to manage her own life, let alone care for small children with strange, ominous powers…

And when a mysterious angelic figure shows up and tries to claim the girls, it all falls apart…

Plagued by visions of disaster, Marley has no idea what she’s gotten herself into, but she knows one thing: magical or not, the kids need her.

Matchbox Girls by Chrysoula Tzavelas will be published in paperback and digital form by Candlemark & Gleam on February 21, 2012. You can pick up a copy through the Candlemark & Gleam website, where all paperbacks come with a free digital edition, or through your favourite indie or mainstream book source.

Follow the author online at www.dreamfarmer.net or on Twitter @chrysouladreams

The NetGalley Review-a-thon: Go!

scatteredarts — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 20:26:08 -0500

It’s Friday! Some of you may have been reviewing away already, but I managed to double book myself with the awesome Love-A-Thon so I’ll be starting bright and early tomorrow morning.

The review-a-thon has only one rule: REVIEW. Make a post with your goal, list the books you review as you go along (you don’t have to post them yet), and feel the relief of a bunch of books ticked off your to do list.

These are the books I’ve got awaiting me:

My goal is to review 5 books properly. If I can sneak in a set of 2 or 3 mini reviews on top of that, I’ll be ecstatic but I’m trying to be realist…

Just leave a comment with your post and I’ll come over and cheer you on! I’ll be on twitter using the hash tag #netgalleyrat if you want to chat.

Good luck! L xoxo

Mini Challenges!

scatteredarts — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 18:02:00 -0500

#2 - New (to me) Bloggers!

I’m being pretty vague with the term ‘new’ here. If I’ve only recently (let’s say past 3 months) found a blog, I’ll count it as new. I generally find my new blogs from twitter so make sure to follow these guys on there too!

Completely Booksessed @TheJennJenn - A super awesome blogger who offered to attempt A Game of Thrones readalong with me. She finished, I’m still reading… Anyways, Jenn has a really fun eclectic blog!

A Literary Odyssey @alliedanielson - Allie has a goal and she’s kicking its ass. She has a bucket list of (250) classics that she’s working her way through. I’m crazy impressed.

Bookish Evie @SeoEvie - First of all, pretty! Secondly (and more importantly) a fabulous mix of reviews, bookish deals, interviews and pretty much anything else you can think of!

My Books. My Life. @michelleerin - Michelle reviews a great selection of books. She’s one of those bloggers that if she likes it, I’ll almost certainly like it too! She’s super nice and always willing to talk to new people on twitter.

Po(sey) Sessions @PoseySessions - Found today! This is a great blog with lots of thoughtful reviews. Megan has a couple of really interesting posts up on her blog right now that need some love *poke*.

#3 - Book Blogging: Me, me, me.

I’m just adding this third post onto the bottom of the second because I’m so far behind. I’ve talked about this before on the blog, my issues with stress and avoidance. There was a bit there in the middle where I was letting the blog run away with itself and I was not enjoying it at all. My reading slowed down, I wasn’t commenting and posts became something I dreaded.

Then I decided that was stupid, got through my remaining obligations and purposely distanced myself from the bits of book blogging that weren’t working for me (endless blog tours and memes) and started figuring out what bits I wanted to keep.

And that’s where we are now! It’s so much more fun! I only do stuff I really want to do. I haven’t got enough time to spend my free/hobby time being bummed out. We have fewer posts, but they are better quality. It’s awesome. :D I’m glad everyday that I figured it out (with lots of twitter help) and stuck with blogging, I really do love it and the community that books tie together.

L xoxo

My Book Blogging Inspirations

scatteredarts — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 08:00:36 -0500

I started to write this post with a whole long monologue about why I started blogging and which blogs I found first and all that, and then my computer decided it was time to restart and it’s all disappeared. It’s probably better for you guys though because now I can just jump into the actual point of this post, giving a shout out and saying thank you to those bloggers who made me want to start (and keep) blogging.

Boof at The Book Whisperer: The absolute first book blog I stumbled on completely by accident during a manic google search for something I can’t even remember. I lost hours looking through her old posts and reviews, just reveling in the booky nerdishness of it all. I came back to Boof’s blog a dozen times before I realised that I could have a book blog too. Still one of my absolute favorites!

Chris at Chrisbookarama: I think I found Chris through a comment somewhere. I have no clue but she has always been a blogger I admire. I love her writing style, her confidence and her reading choices. Anything she recommends, I’ll probably enjoy!

And then there are the bloggers I found as I stumbled along. Miss Remmers’ Reviews, La Toya Literally, GReads!, Novel Niche, Red House Books, Books from Bleh to Basically Amazing and Books Devoured are blogs that all spring to mind. Every one of these bloggers has inspired and encouraged me in my year and some of blogging.

A biiiiiig THANK YOU to all of these bloggers (and a zillion others I haven’t mentioned). You constantly inspire me and make me want to be a better blogger.

Much love - L xoxo

Under the Never Sky: Veronica Rossi

scatteredarts — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 09:25:02 -0500

Aria has lived her whole life in the protected dome of Reverie. Her entire world confined to its spaces, she’s never thought to dream of what lies beyond its doors. So when her mother goes missing, Aria knows her chances of surviving in the outer wasteland long enough to find her are slim.

Then Aria meets an outsider named Perry. He’s searching for someone too. He’s also wild - a savage - but might be her best hope at staying alive.

If they can survive, they are each other’s best hope for finding answers. (Goodreads)

Under the Never Sky is one of those 2012 YA debuts that everyone was very excited to get their hands on. When I started reading it in December, I was not impressed. Nothing was happening, the setting was kind of weird and the characters seemed quite unlikeable. But, after a slew of very positive reviews came out, I kept reading and suddenly everything I didn’t like came together to make something amazing.

While the setting and ideas were amazing, what really made the book was the connection between the characters. Perry and Aria… Aria seems soft but is secretly badass. Perry is badass but actually has a ooey gooey melty center. A perfect balance that only got better as they moved through their quest. The story is told from their alternating viewpoints, an element I loved because it really lets you see the whole story, what’s actually going on.

With a completely original plot, twists and turns, and enough back story to make everything come together perfectly, Under the Never Sky is a wonderfully written book. One of the absolute best parts is that the current story is wrapped up to a satisfying ending, with plenty of potential for a great sequel (no cliffhangers, yay!).

Overall, a fabulous and unique contribution to this years round of YA debut novels. With plenty of action and great characters, I highly recommend Under the Never Sky to readers looking for something a little different.

L xoxo

Book Club: The Tiger's Wife, Chapters 1 through 4

scatteredarts — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 19:39:56 -0500

So far I am loving this book. It feels like taking a step into something magical. As Natalia looks into her Grandfather’s life I feel like I’m making much more of a connection to her than I was at first. She seemed a bit cold and distant but through her Grandfather’s stories more of her personality is coming through. Most of all, I’m enjoying how the chapters are set up as tales all by themselves, with the connecting thread of the Tiger.

The fables (that’s what they seem like to me) give an interesting look into the past of the Balkan Wars. My favorite bit so far is the idea of the 40 days of the souls journey. The deathless man creeped me out entirely, much too reminiscent of vampires. I love the Jungle Book references and how they help the tiger story become much more possible (if that makes any sense at all) in my head.

Short but sweet today, my brain is feeling a bit off with being sick. So my questions for you are:

Flashbacks: Love ‘em or hate ‘em? Some people find flitting back and forth in a story to be distracting and a sneaky way for the author to add interesting bits without much effort. I personally enjoy flashbacks and the way they let the plot develop a back story even while the protagonist moves on.
Folklore vs. Reality/Realism: What do you think about the contrast between Natalia’s real life and the almost magical life she is living through her Grandfather’s stories?

That’s all I can think to ask except, what do you think happens next? Do you predict that the two stories, past and present, will somehow meet up (because that’s what I’m hoping will happen!)?

How is your reading going? And what are your thoughts on the characters and stories so far?

Next Sunday we will be discussing chapters 5-8 inclusive.

Happy reading! L xoxo

Sunday Salon: NetGalley Review-A-Thon

scatteredarts — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 13:37:21 -0500

I’ve been mumbling and grumbling for months now about how I’m always behind with my reviews. I’m getting much better at actually squishing out time to read what I have for review, only asking for and accepting review books I’m itching to read and restraining myself from going request crazy on NetGalley and Edelweiss.

And while I haven’t read everything I’m ‘supposed’ to (and probably won’t be able to until summer), I am very happy with how much I’m getting though. And I’m enjoying it! The next problem is getting my butt into gear with these gosh darned reviews.

And so, I present:

A weekend of as much reviewing as humanly possible. While I’m happy to rock this by myself, it’s so much more fun with friends! To participate you simply do the following:

Stick up a post somewhere declaring how many books you are aiming to review (this is important) with a link back to this post.
Comment here letting me know who you are and that your post exists.
Clear as much time as possible over next weekend!
Optional: Tweet as you review with #netgalleyrat
REVIEW!

Ta da! I’m going to work on the honour system here. If you tell me you met your goal of x reviews, you get the cute badge thing. You guys probably don’t want to be posting all your reviews at once so keep them, schedule them and just enjoy being a bit more caught up.

I will be hosting these events the first full weekend after each of Emily’s (Red House Books) NetGalley month (January, April. July and October) and remember, anything you read and review counts towards the NetGalley challenge!

How do you keep up with your reviews? I have a calendar but am terrible at sticking to it. I have 12 to review from NetGalley and a handful from other random sources.

I hope you’ll be joining us next weekend!

L xoxo

P.S. - Thinking up a hash tag really makes me want to make a NetGalley rat mascot for the next review-a-thon!

Neverwhere: Neil Gaiman

kwritestoo — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 09:52:31 -0500

In the tradition of Wizard of Oz and Alice in Wonderland, the reader is transported into another reality where the only way to survive to give up all we know and accept the realm of the seemingly impossible.

In London, Richard Mayhew is just an average guy, who is about to marry a beautiful woman, Jessica. One night, against his fiance’s wishes, he stops to help poor girl in tatters who seems to appear from nowhere. Her name is Door, and she comes form a very different London, ‘London Below’. A magical world of its own reserved for those people who have fallen through the cracks. A world where danger lurks around every corner. In helping her, Richard has found that he has fallen through the cracks, and his relatively quiet life is about to become a lot more interesting.

Gaiman populates the novel with all sorts of colorful characters like The Marquis de Carabas, a shifty character who owes a debt to Door’s family, Mr Croup and Mr Vandemar, two cut-throats who take great pride and enjoyment in their work who are sent after Door, and Hunter a legendary warrior who dreams of slaying ‘the beast of London’. There is even an Angel.

I think the idea of a parallel London is brilliant, though it’s not a place I would ever want to visit. It certainly puts landmarks, and the suspect street characters that one would normally avoid, in a new light.

I found it to be a nice and easy read, that hooked me from beginning to end. Here is another for SF and Gaiman fans!

Kwame

Book Blogger Love-A-Thon

scatteredarts — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 09:00:43 -0500

I’m posting this partly so I don’t forget that I’m excited to participate (I hate when that happens!) and partly so you guys can all run over and sign up to share the love. Katelyn over at Tales of Books and Band’s is determined to share some bloggy love over this Valentines, and I’m more that happy to join in!

Details from her post:

What is a Love-A-Thon, you may ask? It is quite similar to a Read-A-Thon but instead of reading books for an extended period of time, you will be spreading the love to bloggers all over! Basically it will consist of fun posts, mini challenges, lots of commenting, and perhaps a giveaway or two!

When: February 17th 2012 at 12:00 a.m. EST until February 18th 2012 at 12: a.m. EST.

If you are intrigued, you can sign up to participate on Katelyn’s blog and join in the fun! Her post has the answers to any possible questions you might have, so be sure to check it out.

L xoxo

Our February YA Speculative Fiction Recommendation is...

scatteredarts — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 21:21:38 -0500

Every month we post one or two books that we feel are so good, everyone should try them as part of the 2012 Speculative Fiction Challenge.

Kris picked this month’s YA and it’s the first in a series that has captivated readers.

Dru Anderson has what her grandmother called “the touch.” (Comes in handy when you’re traveling from town to town with your dad, hunting ghosts, suckers, wulfen, and the occasional zombie.)

Then her dad turns up dead - but still walking - and Dru knows she’s next. Even worse, she’s got two guys hungry for her affections, and they’re not about to let the fiercely independent Dru go it alone. Will Dru discover just how special she really is before coming face-to-fang with whatever - or whoever - is hunting her? (Goodreads)

Why it was picked: There are two words which sum up my feelings about Strange Angels by Lili St. Crow and they are: Holy Cow. The first book in this paranormal young adult series blew me right off my feet from the get-go. With a beautifully realistic heroine, action that will constantly have you on the edge of your seat and amazing writing, this book will be an instant favourite. It’s not one of those paint-by-numbers books either, the story manages to remain fresh and exciting with an ending that leaves the reader gasping for more. - Kris

Reviews from around the web:

“The book was something out of this world. I enjoyed every single bit of it. The plot and the drama was a lot. Every page was definitely a pager turner only revealing more and more secrets.” Savy from Books With Bite

“Dru’s voice pulled me in from the beginning: it’s tough, smart and not a little sarcastic. But Lili St. Crow keeps it real by giving us flashes of Dru’s vulnerability… Fair warning, there’s some bad language, but if your dad was a zombie, you’d probably cuss, too.” Myra McEntire at Young Adult Books Central

Happy reading!

Lord of Light: Roger Zelanzy

kwritestoo — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 14:51:00 -0500

Award winning American writer Roger Joseph Zelazny was known to snatch up existing mythologies for his own purposes. This one was no exception to the rule. Lord of Light was awarded the Hugo award for best novel in 1968 and apparently nominated for the Nebula for the same reason. It is also part of the SF Masterworks series, whose aim it was bring important books like this back into print. And if all that doesn’t convince you, George R.R. Martin called it ‘One of the five best SF novels ever written’.

Weird fact: It was announced in 1979 that there was going to be a film, but that fell through due to some ‘legal issues’. CIA agent Antonio Mendez stole the script and the production drawings to conceal a rescue mission. Sometimes facts really are stranger than fiction.

Zalazny’s novel is a bizarre blend of science fiction/fantasy with some Hinduism and Buddhism. Yama-Dharma, Tak, and Ratri have been cast down from the heavens cursed to live a mortal existence. Yama builds a massive prayer machine to call Mahasamatman, better known as Sam, back down from ‘Nirvana’ in hope that he may be able to help them in some way. He was the first to dare challenge the dictatorial ‘deocracy’ and, like Prometheus, try to bring knowledge and technology to the common people.

I thought the story was a little cheesy, but it was an enjoyable read. Zalazny’s gods are not much different from the ones that you read about in Greek mythology; using those puny mortals as their playthings and smiting anyone who doesn’t want to go with the flow. The gods seemed so human that early on the novel I began question their divine claims, it almost seems like they were just humans just posing as deities. There also seemed to be a religion versus reason debate going on as the gods attempt to cripple all technological advancements because they saw them as a threat to their power.

All in all, not my favorite novel, but an interesting read. Have you read this novel or any of Zelazny’s other books? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Kwame

The Speculative Fiction Challenge: February Link Up

scatteredarts — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 16:09:00 -0500

Each month we will select one or two books to be highlighted as our challenge recommendations to give you guys some ideas!

We will be choosing a couple of posts each month to be highlighted on our blog! Feel free to add posts other than reviews (discussions, author guest posts or interviews and the like), we want to see what you’ve been up to!