Characters Are Like Onions

Mike Reeves-McMillan, an author and editor, has posted an analysis of the different types of characters one finds in a story. Beginner and intermediate writers should check out his essay, "Characters Are Like Onions," to learn more.

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DED

Author News - July

July 14th - Mike Reeves-McMillan released The Well-Presented Manuscript, a guide for authors looking to improve their chances of getting published by avoiding the most common issues.

July 20th - Horror maven Michaelbrent Collings released The Deep.

July 24th - Cold Fusion Media, the folks who published the Shared Nightmares anthology, offers Christmas in July. Sort of. The Last Christmas Gift: A Heartwarming Holiday Tale of the Living Dead written by Nathan Shumate is released today. Special book launch party on Facebook!

August 3rd - John Vorhaus will release How to Live Life, his philosophy on—you guessed it—how to live life.

Author News - June

Anne Charnock announced the title of her next book and how it came about.

Mike Reeves-McMillan announced that a story of his has been selected for the Terry Pratchett In Memory anthology. Proceeds go to benefit research into finding a cure for Alzheimer's.

Rob Steiner has been busy lately. Two of his stories have recently appeared in Orson Scott Card's Intergalactic Medicine Show: "The Oath Breaker's Daemon" and "The Cloaca Maxima". He also published the third story in his Codex Antonius series, Muses of the Republic.

Michael J. Sullivan started a Kickstarter campaign to fund a third Riyria Chronicles novel entitled The Death of Dulgath. The campaign was successfully funded in just under 48 hours. I find it interesting that after signing a major book deal, he still feels the need to self-publish.

The Best of 2013

Each year, the reviewers here at the New Podler Review of Books pick the book (or books) which we feel are the very best independently published (or small press) works. The only other requirement we have is that it was reviewed here on the blog. Here are the winners for 2013: The Bookworm: I'm going to go with Realmgolds by Mike Reeves McMillian. It's everything that a reader could want in a steampunk novel. It combines politics, innovation, social unrest and the fight for basic freedoms in a compelling story. And the books in the series are even better.

Rob: Black Book: Volume 1 by Dylan Jones, is my pick for the best of 2013. It had a cool blending of genres (Western, sci-fi, and fantasy) that you don't often see in traditionally published books. However, be aware that it's a serial novel made up of three "episodes." You'll need to buy future volumes to learn the characters' ultimate fates.

DED: It should come as no surprise that my selection for the best book of 2013 is Anne Charnock's A Calculated Life. It is an excellent character study of a young augmented woman named Jayna who works for a global trends analytical firm. Her journey of self-discovery is what makes this story. Charnock deftly bonds the reader to Jayna by granting us unfettered access to her mind, thus making us her mute confidant.

Since my review, the novel was picked up by 47 North, Amazon Publishing's speculative fiction division, and nominated for the 2013 Philip K. Dick Award.

We reviewed 24 stories last year and rejected over 170. Considering that we were closed for seven months, that's still a fair amount of submissions.

Realmgolds by Mike Reeves-McMillan

The Human Purity movement is growing in power and influence in Denning, attacking dwarf businesses and caravans and inciting popular rebellion against the central government, with the passive or active support of many of the ruling Golds. Opposing them almost alone is the Realmgold, a young man named Determined. His problem is that, even though the Realmgold is meant to be in charge, nobody is paying much attention to him. Victory, who rules neighbouring Koskant, would love to support Determined, but an ancient magical treaty between their realms means she can’t send in her troops, her skyboats or her pressure guns. What she can do, though, is share a new magical communications technology – and her elite corps of Gryphon Clerks…

Realmgolds is the first actual steampunk type novel that I can ever remember reading and Reeves-McMillan certainly made a steampunk girl out of me. While the steampunk label may dismay some potential readers, let me assure you that your time will not be wasted reading this book. Reeves-McMillan has built a world that is not only enjoyable and intriguing, but he filled it with a variety of entertaining characters that never fail to evoke an emotional connection for the reader.

I came across a review of this book which stated that it took a while to get started. I couldn't disagree more. Reeves-McMillan quickly builds tension in the beginning by illustrating Realmgold Determined's inability to control his Provincegolds to the point that they outright ignore him. We slowly see the increased activity of the Human Purity movement in the background of all the early action and quickly see Determined and Victory reacting to it.

Reeves-McMillan successfully illustrates the ramifications of each political decision and each counter decision. Nothing is without consequence. Each level of society is affected by the actions (or non-actions) of the other.

If the book is a slow beginner by any measure, it is because the writer does the reader no justice by throwing the reader into political turmoil without laying the foundation of such turmoil and offering the reader some background of it. A charismatic group that works for "the good of the people" in a realm with an ineffectual, shy ruler turns into a virtual powder keg when said ruler, decides to actually work for the good of all people in the realm.

An important (interesting) note on the society in the book is that instead of using "upper", "middle", and "lower" class designations, the author uses the terms "gold", "silver", and "copper". Copper are the commoners. Silvers are the merchant class. Gold is the noble/ruling class. In Reeves-McMillan creation, transitioning from one class to another is not uncommon.

The Human Purity Movement is spearheaded by a group of Golds who have dubbed themselves the "Realm Benefit Party". They have convinced the Coppers (often uneducated) of the worthiness of their cause. The rabble flock to the RBP in droves. It draws definite parallels from our world where charismatic leaders promise the masses whatever it takes to get them on their side, while not ever thinking twice about sacrificing them to save their own hide.

Lately, I find a lot of authors have been using a "flawed villain". They are using a villain, who under the right circumstances you might agree with his actions or do the same thing. That is not the case here. The reader will have no problem disliking Admirable Silverstones (leader of the RBP) and his commanders.

My main gripe about the book is that it wasn't long enough. I was somewhat disappointed when I finished the book. I truly wanted to know what happened after the end of the book.

After this completely rambling review, I give the book 4.5 out of 5 stars and definitely recommend it to readers of steampunk and fantasy alike.

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