Book Review: The False Prince

The False Prince

by Jennifer A. Nielsen

Last week, I read this book in six days, and half of it in one (a day well spent). That’s the fastest I’ve read any complete work in…probably since I was required to for a college class three years ago. It was that good.

We follow teenage orphan Sage and his capture into a deadly political game, pitting him against two other boys to be the best, him against his clever capturer, and, well, he’s basically on his own against everyone including the servants.

Thus the weaving of clever and accidental schemes of how a boy who just wants to be himself must put on the most complicated mask in order to survive to the next day. Every page, watching Sage maneuver, succeed, and fail made me wonder how much longer he would last. How much longer he could hold on to being himself.

Certain scenes from this book follow me to my late night thoughts when my mind is free to race, as I mull over the comparison of events as I knew them when reading and as I know them now having finished the book, adding a level of storyplay with reader that makes this one last beyond the final page.

Nielsen’s first book in the Ascendance trilogy is full of layered characters, unexpected twists, and anticipation that will keep you turning the page for more. The False Prince was published in April 2012 and The Runaway King came out less than a year later in March 2013. The third piece to the story, The Shadow Throne, is set to be released in less than six months, March 2014.

I want some time to fully process The False Prince before I pick up the second book, but I can tell you Jennifer Nielsen has a new fan and I intend to continue with her Ascendance Trilogy.

  

The War of Art - A Compass

Ah hah.

Like a magnetized needle floating on a surface of oil, Resistance will unfailingly point to true North--meaning that calling or action it most wants to stop us from doing.

We can use this. We can use it as a compass. We can navigate by Resistance, letting it guide us to that calling or action that we must follow before all others.

Rule of thumb: The more important a call or action is to our soul's evolution, the more Resistance we will feel toward pursuing it.

            The War of Art by Steven Pressfield, page 12

This is a handy book when I need a boost or reminder in those times when the writing I want to do or another goal I dream of seems nigh on slipping through my fingers (or more accurately, like I'll never sit down to work on it). Filled with brief, sweet, and poignant explanations and wisdom regarding the artist's life. So far I'm in Book 1, all about Resistance, my enemy and apparently my guide.

Sensei did tell me to "Persevere." Here it seems is another tool toward that.

Persevere.

The Hunger Games

www.checkthefilm.com

 May The Odds...

The Hunger Games. A popular book, trilogy, and now movie. I have a lot of thoughts on the books, and I'm still somewhat processing the movie. It's a big story. And it's also not. What makes it great? What makes it not? And what do we do with that?

I have no idea what to tell you to do with the books, movie, or overall story. I don't know what to do with it myself. All I can do is share some of my mixed thoughts.

For starters, it's brilliant. No, really. The books, in first-person point of view, show us an intimate, in-depth look at a world that feels like the Great Depression + nuclear war aftereffects + ruling politics gone terribly, terribly wrong. And since it's in first person, we get just about every single thought and feeling that Katniss experiences. (I even used it in a paper I recently re-found as a useful book for examining the reality of facing one's own death.) And the use of present tense amplifies the immediacy and intensity of every. single. thing.

And the movie is a pretty great adaption of the story from the print media to audio/visual media. The actors portrayed their characters spot on. The additional points of view of the gamemakers, President Snow, and Rue's district fleshes out the world with things that wouldn't have translated from the book otherwise. The core conflict of the games is lived out. The subtext conflict of fighting corruption is shown a little more than in the book.

Some things in the movie were a little weird, like the crossover of worlds when Katniss has delusions from the Tracker Jacker venom. And, honestly I was really looking forward to the visual portrayal of Katniss' costumes, Cinna's masterpieces...and was disappointed. They were nice, but for me a little of a let down. And we didn't get to see Haymitch's character arc as clearly, even though we saw him working behind the scenes (a nice touch). But all in all, those things 1) aren't enough to detract from the movie as a whole and 2) are a part of the media.

It's Good, Or Is It?

It's a compelling story. Katniss obviously has a lot of determination and bravery. Peeta carries his compassion with him into the arena. Rue and Prim motivate Katniss to action. Haymitch...well, Haymitch is one of my favorite characters, sweetheart. He actually has a defined arc of character growth. The worlds are clearly distinct, and the complications are simple enough to follow while still making things interesting and hard for the characters. So what's the problem? What bothers me about the book and movie?

1.       As much as the characters distaste the concept of the Hunger Games to begin with, they follow through with it, not even really trying to stem the symptoms, much less trying to stop the problem.
2.       It's a rather draining read or viewing experience.
3.       Katniss' defiance is mostly accidental.
4.       And there is a distinct lack of hope. Throughout. Even the happy ending (in the book) has immediate hopelessness and loss to it. (The movie's happy ending felt like, "Yes, we 'won.' But it wasn't enough.")

And that last one, even more than the others individually, gives me pause. Put these all together, and by the end of the story, whether book or movie, I feel hollow, even dirty. I feel like I have been torn down just about as much as Katniss has been. But it's not because I've literally gone through everything she has, and it's not because I relate with her 100%. I like her okay, and I understand a degree of where she's coming from, her motivations, and her actions. But I'm very different from her and get frustrated along the way.

What Kind of Message?

It's not a happy book. Not every book has to be happy; I get that. But the "no hope" laced throughout and coloring the ending is, I think, damaging to people. People need hope. It's damaging to me. I need hope in order to get up in the morning. This work of fiction tends to sap it from me, translating into real life where I interact with real people, oozing a loss and hopelessness through my actions by taking root in my thoughts and feelings.

What is the message of The Hunger Games? What do you take away from it? Can you see how things could be better (and if you can, why couldn't/didn't the author?)? Is it a warning story? Watch out, or this will happen to our world (it is, after all, futuristic United States of America). Is that Suzanne Collins' goal? Is that enough?

Now we have to ask what we do with the story. It does get us to think, I'll give it that. Where do our thoughts take us?

And Happy Hunger Games

There are many more things I could say about The Hunger Games. Things I like, and things that concern me. And I could continue on into Catching Fire and Mockingjay. But for now, I think this is plenty.

Do you have a reply for my concerns? What are your thoughts on The Hunger Games, both book and movie?

Speak Up

I've had something on and off my mind for a while, and it's recently come up again. I've thought about blogging about it for months, but never got up the nerve to talk about it. My thoughts had been fairly organized, but now it's been a while so I have to do some re-thinking. But it's time. I may not be liked for my stance, I may get zero feedback, but it's important enough that it's time I step forward and say my peace.

I'll be back as soon as I can get my thoughts organized enough to share.

A Quick Look At Writing Techniques

We all know when we like something in a story, and when something doesn't sit right with us.  But do we always know why?  I'm taking a look at novels and looking specifically at how the writing techniques are applied.  My goal is to learn from published authors in order to improve my own story writing.  The technique of this post is character introduction.

       Character introduction is critical to hooking readers...and it's something I struggle with.  I've recently had a refresher lesson on character introductions, and I thought I could learn something from my look at The Path of the Fury.  Specifically I looked at the methods used to introduce the Fury and Alicia, two main characters in this novel.

       For the Fury, we have a prologue which largely uses habitat to introduce a nameless "she."  It gets the idea across, but it's not reader friendly.

       For starters, who is "she"?  As a reader, without that all-important name tag, I have nothing to hang onto.  I can barely see a murky black smokiness, but that's not really helpful.  We could be in the emptiness of space, among the stars.  We could be in a non-physical realm.  She's clearly not human, so what kind of alien is she?  She's the first character we meet, assuming we read the prologue, so is she the protagonist?  What are we dealing with here?  The blankness is too blank.  Give me something to go on.

       The prologue introduction shows we have a truly alien setting, but it's one that I personally cannot imagine well.

       It is effective with the emotional reaction—the confusion of suddenly missing a group and the loneliness that follows.  But even that is hard to grasp without knowing more about this group that "she" was a part of.

       Alicia's introduction is actually similar to the Fury's, though it works better since it uses some characteristic entry action (an action that flows from a character's personality and reveals a trait [bold, quirky, fearful, etc.] about the character, used in this case to introduce the character to the story, but the action does not have to be limited to the introducing moment).

       Once again, we have the nameless "she."  Is this the same "she" as from the prologue?  This she has hair, a face, and eyes and interacts with a physical world, so probably not, but it's not clarified (for all I knew the Fury was capable of that and just hadn't at the moment of her introduction).

       Also I'd like to know what the "tick" is that pulses within Alicia.  Without more details, that could mean too many different things to be helpful as a specific introduction tool this early on.

       But Alicia's action takes off and we see some of her character.  She is calculating, collected, and capable.  It tends to suggest either she's something of a robot—though maybe not since she has a brother—or she's hardened by battle, training, or some sort of harsh times.  This works better to whet my appetite to know more about her.  But I still wish I knew her name at this point.  I don't want to be surprised by the identity of the protagonist; I want to see the world through her eyes.

       And there is a lot of reminding the reader about her eyes.  They are green—jade to be specific.  Why should that be emphasized over and over and over?  It takes me out of her point-of-view and makes me see it as Dorathea outside of the story, watching a movie instead of allowing the closer connection to a protagonist that a novel should offer.

       So, how do I compare?  I practically open with a name, but instead of picking a main characteristic and using entry action to emphasize it, I tend to use physical description dumps, stopping my story without enough life to be memorable.  I forget that, like a stage play, everything should be exaggerated in order to convey the idea clearly to the audience in the back of the auditorium (my readers).

       Also, I'm not good with imagery and similies.  I fear overemphasizing the wrong characteristic (I need to choose a strategy) or offering the wrong dominant impression because I described it in a strange way.

       So, obviously I could use some work, and since looking at The Path of the Fury I've been more careful and deliberate in my introductions.  To keep getting better I could use a list of metaphors and similies, familiar and new, sensible and off-the-wall.  Maybe that would get the wheels in my head turning so I can capture the most appropriate entry action to introduce my characters with effective dominant impressions.  Also, I can look at how characteristic entry action is used for protagonists in several books and compare them to get a better idea of what other writers have done.

       What about you?  Do you have tricks, tips, or troubles introducing your characters?  Do certain methods employed by other writers confuse you?  Or have you read vivid introductions?  What have you seen that works, and what's not as strong as it could be?

Seeker's Intro

I missed a week of blogland and accidentally did not post last Friday.  So, let me tell you what I saw this week.

I saw an episode of Legend of the Seeker for the first time this week.  I think it was the first episode since all of the characters and the story problem were introduced.  I've seen lots of sci-fi on TV before, but I can't say I've ever seen a fantasy series.  It's cool.  Horses, pretty dresses, halfway decent special effect (some better than others).  I'd like to watch more and see where the story goes (I know, I'm behind the times. Please, no spoilers.).

I liked the intro to the characters and the story.  Richard's intro showed him in action in his element.  He's strong, capable, and clever enough to build a bridge by himself.  This we learn before a word is spoken.  It slows up the pace, but after Kahlan's flight a change in pace give viewers a chance to catch their breath.  Then we learn Richard's name with the little boy's "Hi, Richard," adding humor as well.  We're given a chance to see the caring side of Richard—he crosses the bridge to assure the boy it's safe—before we see his other, not quite as favorable characteristics.  This is a good thing.

I have been told to introduce my protagonists at their best.  Yes, they should grow throughout the story, but readers need a reason to want to follow that growth.  This is accomplished by showing the protagonist at his best at the time.

With Richard, once the trouble starts we see he is reluctant, a tad whiny, and not perhaps the most respectful of young men.  But, since I have seen him hard at work and looking out for a little boy, I have hope for him, so I want to keep watching.

Is Richard's introduction dishonest?  I don't think so.  It's just a layer of him, one that we need.  When everything's hunky dory, he is fine, hardworking, and nice.  When things fall apart, he's not so much, but we know that he can be.  He just needs the motivation to reach for the story goal.  Once he's motivated, we have a good dynamic in this one character to keep things real and interesting.  What will kind, stubborn, capable, resistant, hardworking, lazy Richard do when x disaster is thrown in his face?

Good question.  Don't you want to know?
 

Favorite ...Disney Movie

On a recent road trip, out of the blue I asked everyone in the car, "What's your favorite Disney movie?"

When it was my turn to answer, I couldn't limit to just one.  I like several, and for different reasons.  Here's the list I came up with.

• Sleeping Beauty  ~  Princess Aurora is beautiful, but it's Prince Phillip and Merryweather, the fighters and defenders of the movie, who make this one sweet.  I loved Merryweather's spunk so much, I dressed like her for Halloween once.  And who could turn down a man who would face and defeat a dragon of Hell to save his love?
• Beauty and the Beast  ~  The friendship that grows from this one is the highlight of the story.  Belle learns to see past the outward appearance, and she notices when the Beast is selfless.  The Beast is given a chance to act like a human, and the transformation of his heart melts mine.
• Mulan  ~  A coming-of-age story with honor, danger, a hopeful wish of romance, building friendships, and a large goal.  All with a happy ending.  This is my favorite type of story to write, and this one is arranged beautifully.
• The Princess and the Frog  ~  I love to watch opposites Naveen and Tiana, a lazy party guy and a workaholic woman, find the balance of play and work.  And I like that Naveen catches on a little quicker than Tiana does and is ready to sacrifice.  These two are crafted well for each other.
• Tangled  ~  The adventure is fun, Mother Gothel is frighteningly convincing - making an excellent villain, and I couldn't love Eugene and Rapunzel more.  But the end makes this movie.  Eugene's sacrifice ties my stomach in knots, and every time I fear that all is lost.  Yet in that loss, it is beautiful because Eugene's choice reminds me of Jesus of the Bible on His way to and hanging from the cross.  It leaves me speechless.

What's your favorite Disney movie?  What about it touches your heart?