Last year I had a chance to read a series of urban fantasy novels set in Ireland. I did it partially by my friend’s recommendation, and also as a part of my own comparative research for the novel set in Dublin I’ve been working on. And even though I can’t say I didn’t enjoy the story, reading each chapter of these books made me die inside a little. (more…)
Almost every advice out there tell aspiring writers they should read a lot. But the key is not really devouring as many books as possible, but making the reading into a lesson: studying plots, characterization, even the style. There’s much more to reading as a writer than it is to reading as a book lover, and even though writers mostly enjoy reading as much as any other bookworm, aside from entertainment, good story, and food for thought, we have other reasons to read too. (more…)
Some of you might have heard about a successful video game series by CD Project called The Witcher, but probably not many know it all started with a short story sent to a contest organized by a Polish speculative fiction magazine. “The Witcher Saga” by Andrzej Sapkowski that grew out of this one story not only became a source of inspiration for the games, but is also a series on which a whole generation of Polish speculative fiction fans grew up, myself included. (more…)
In today’s A to Z Challenge post I’m going back to Jacek Dukaj, brilliant Polish writer I mentioned already when I was writing about his novel, “Inne Pieśni” (”Other Songs”). “Xavras Wyżryn”, a collection of two novellas, was one of his first books I’ve read, and is also older than “Inne Pieśni” and other brilliant books, but nonetheless interesting. (more…)
Apologies for my English-speaking readers, but today’s A to Z Challenge post is about a book available only in Polish. But do read on, as this is a beautiful story collection and who knows, maybe one day someone will translate it into Shakespeare’s language. (more…)
Today’s A to Z Challenge post carries me back to my early teenage times, when I was only starting to read fantasy, and preferred the light and positive reads (and even though my preferences broadened a lot since then, I still enjoy a good happy ending).
I think I first came across Mercedes Lackey’s “Arrows of the Queen” in a cheap books store, one of the best places for a bookworm with little pocket money. The description intrigued me, and the price was pleasantly low, while the book itself was pleasantly thick. So I didn’t hesitate long before buying it. (more…)
For today’s A to Z Challenge I don’t have one book, I have… fifty of them! But believe me, the superb series by Polish publisher is worth mentioning, and since all these books are available in English, any speculative fiction fan should find something for themselves. (more…)
In my A to Z Challenge posts I’ve already mentioned several times books recommended to me by my mom, and today I’m going about another one.
She handed Brian Callison’s “Trapp’s War” to me around the same time she let me read thrillers from her bookshelf, and as far as I remember, I’ve read it in one sitting. And then again, and again, and again… (Back when I was young and had plenty of time, I loved to re-read books.) (more…)
In yesterday’s A to Z Challenge post I wrote about science-fiction in space, and today’s one stays on good old Earth (how fitting on the Earth Day!), though Ian R. MacLeod’s book, “Song of Time” carries the reader into the not so far future, to the end of 21st century. (more…)
With today’s post in A to Z Challenge we’re going into space with Kim Stanley Robinson.
I found “Red Mars” (the first book in Mars Trilogy) in a library, a massive book promising a lot of words to read, and since I had a science-fiction phase, I grabbed it without thinking too much. Besides, who wouldn’t like a good story of the first colonists on Mars? I knew I would. And I did, but I got much more than I expected. (more…)