I recently got the chance to read a new Military fantasy novel by Myke Cole and then join the blogtour for the book launch. I took the book away with me camping last week and read it in a field. My review?
The negative points – I did find the military jargon interfered with the flow of the story for me, probably because it’s not something I’m familiar with. Once I’d got to grips with it, the story came together better for me. The lead character is great, although there were a couple of times when I wanted to slap him around the face and tell him to make his mind up – probably not a good move given his military and martial art training 😉 On the plus side, it was good to read a military book by a bloke that did go into characterisation – many that I’ve picked up before have been weak on personal motivation and thought processes, and this isn’t at all. I also enjoyed the new take on magic in our world – I’d thought it was going to be a bit like Heroes, but it isn’t at all. Some of the happenings are really rather gruesome – this is not a sweet and homely fantasy, you have been warned.
As well as reading, I got the chance to put some questions to the author! Here you go:
1) This is the first novel you’ve had published – is it the first thing you’ve written? If not do tell us more…
* I’ve been writing since I was a kid, but started taking it seriously/pushing to go pro in 1998. Since then, I’ve written dozens of short stories, and 3 other novels (including an early version of CONTROL POINT that is so different that I count it as a totally different book). The other two fantasy novels I’ve written are CLOUD SOWER, a
steampunk/fantasy set in a world that looks a bit like 18th C. Poland, and TEA ROAD, a take on Noyes’ Highwayman poem set in a fantasy version of Mamluk Egypt. Both of them are cool ideas, but my craft just wasn’t there
yet. They remain “trunk novels” that will never see the light of day. They are also important reminders of the sheer volume of words you have to put out to learn your craft. Even though they’ll never be published, I’m proud
of both of them. I’ve also written and published a bit of non-fiction. If you want to see the articles and short stories that I have published, you can check them out here
2) It seems you’ve drawn heavily on your own experience to write this novel – is there anything in particular you are envious of that your characters have? Would you like a magical power, and if so, what?
* If I lived in the SHADOW OPS universe, I would NOT want a magical power. Even if you are part of the mighty SOC, to be Latent is to be forever outside normal society, feared even as you are revered. No matter how much people admire you, you are still a walking nuke, and folks don’t particularly want you hanging around at parties. Imagine if you and your friends were meeting at a pub for a pint, and one of your friends showed up with . . . a tank. Sure, they’re not going to fire the tank’s man gun at you, but it’s not exactly comfortable having it parked at the table,
now is it? I’m an intensely social person (one of my biggest challenges in the solitary world of writing) and the idea of being forever and irrevocably outside the normal social order is one of my worst nightmares.
3) What’s your typical writing day like, if there is such a thing?
* There’s no longer any such thing. When I first moved to New York City to try my hand at writing full time, it was just as I imagined it would be: I woke up in the morning, went to the gym, wrote for 4 hours at the coffee
shop/library, took a break, did admin/marketing in the evening, then another 2-4 hours of writing before bed. But then the marketing/promotional end blew up for a while, and I got transferred to a new guard unit that was (literally) 10 times the size/responsibility of my old one, becoming almost a full time job in itself (I’m a reservist, which means I’m *supposed* to be serving part time in the military). Now that I was closer to my family and my circle of friends out here, my social calendar tipped on its side. Since many of these social events are with
other writers and people in publishing, they also double as networking events, so you can’t just blow them off. I also travel a lot for conventions. Long story short? I’m a year and a half into this new life, and I am still trying to find my balance and figure out how best to structure my writing days.
4) What are your future ambitions for your writing – would you like to see it on the big screen? Have you a dream cast line up?
* I’d love to see the SHADOW OPS series be optioned for film. A Hollywood agency did pick the manuscript up, and is currently shopping it around to see if they can find any takers. I was actually asked to cast the lineup
for a SHADOW OPS movie by another blog, and you can read the post here –
5) What’s the question I should have asked you – and what’s your answer?
* Not a question, but I like to ask folks to consider service in the reserve. I’m not blind to the military’s challenges, but I firmly believe it to be an incredible force for social mobility that does incredible things. Today’s militaries do a lot more than just fight wars, they develop technology, engage in disaster recovery operations, and are even a diplomatic force in international relations. Most countries have reserve and auxiliary contingents that can give folks a chance to pitch in and help out. None of us can do this alone, and I’d be honored if you’d stand with me.
So there you have it. And if you’d like to read it for yourself, I can offer you a chance to win this lovely pile of loot
Fab eh?
Just enter via rafflecopter below. Competition is UK only and runs til midnight Weds 22nd so that I can announce a winner Thurs morning before I slip off to 1556 again!
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