Finding time for reading a book -- or a magazine, or all my e-mail -- shouldn't be such a fight, and it wasn't, once upon a time. I used to look at non-readers as if they were three-headed freaks. How could they live?
But now I've pretty much joined them. For a writer and avid reader, editing as an occupation is akin to a gourmet foodie making a living as a cook at a greasy spoon: one's hunger increases even as one's stomach sours.
Thanks to recent conversations with a friend who recommended a couple science fiction novels, a fantasy featured in a blog tour last month, and a few more SF offerings written by acquaintances, my reading taste buds have been reawakened.
So, beginning at the bottom of my reading stack, with the volumes that have been longest in my queue, I offer as hors d'ouvres the first two books in Bryan Thomas Schmidt's science fiction series, The Saga of Davi Rhii: The Worker Prince and The Returning.
Excerpt from The Worker Prince:
“You’ve
got to be kidding me,” Yao muttered.
Davi
turned to the cab-bot. “Please outrun that taxi and take us to the
north shore.”
The
cab-bot’s facial LEDs lit up in the shape of a smile. “I am
attempting
to adjust our velocity, sir.”
The
taxi jerked as Bordox rammed them again. Davi leapt over the safety
bar and pulled the manual override lever, pushing the cab-bot to one
side and placing himself at the controls.
“Do
you know how to drive this?” Vivi said, alarmed.
“Davi’s
the top pilot in our class,” Farien said and smiled.
“Let’s
see what this thing is made of.” Davi began pushing buttons,
bringing the air taxi to a much faster speed.
Bordox
launched another run at them, but Davi braked, and then slid in
behind him, taking an onramp back up onto the air highway overhead.
As
he turned onto the onramp, Bordox’s frustrated face appeared in the
rearview mirror. Bordox’s bulky body looked ridiculous behind the
wheel of the air taxi. His dark beard couldn’t hide his aggravation
as he struggled to turn the air taxi around.
As
they merged into traffic, Davi couldn’t see Bordox behind them.
“Maybe
we lost him,” Bela said.
“I
doubt it,” Yao said as he and Davi exchanged looks.
In
a moment, Davi saw another taxi racing up from behind. “Here he
comes.”
Bryan takes the Old Testament story of Moses, sets it in the far future, and turns it into space opera -- with chase scenes. Some reviewers have complained about the overt Christian faith in the books, but I set those comments aside. After all, there are science fiction or fantasy novels with other religions, such as Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism, pantheism, etc., as the dominant faiths, and I've read them just fine. (Hey, did any of those reviewers bother to point out that Moses is in the Old Testament, and therefore the faith of the workers/slaves would more closely associate with Judaism? Oh, well.)
Although my
internal editor itched to break out the red pencil and go to crazy,
fixing misplaced or missing punctuation and such, the story itself is a
quick, easy read that will appeal to adult and young adult audiences
alike.
ither his eyes were failing or the shadows were alive.
Dru
blinked as he listened to his fellow cadets breathing and snoring
around him. He lay at the center of a row of seven bunks with seven more
lining the opposite wall. All twenty-eight were occupied and no one
else seemed to be stirring.
As
he lifted his head, he saw a dark shape like a shadow, slinking down
the center aisle. The figure moved quickly, sliding between the bunks on
the opposite wall and leaning over one of them. He saw a sharp
movement. Did the shadow have four arms? Who could it be? His mind raced
for answers. His clothes stuck to his body, an odd feeling. He never
sweated at night. There was a gargling, then he watched as the shadow
shot upright and ran back the way it had come. Dru heard wheezing coming
from the bunk and sat up, planting his feet on the floor. What was
happening with Cadet Kowl? He jumped up. “Kowl, are you ok?”
No
sign of the shadow. A metallic smell filled his nostrils. Others
stirred around him. He heard a click as reflector pads flicked on
overhead.
Dru
gasped and stepped back as he stared down at Cadet Kowl's slashed
throat as blood drained from it into two pools on either side of his
bunk on the floor. He shivered, a sudden chill coming over him.
“Gods!
He's dead!” The cadet behind him sounded as shocked as Dru felt. Cadet
Walz was it? Dru couldn't remember. Then chaos erupted as someone pulled
the alarm and he was shoved aside by arriving instructors.
In Bryan’s second novel, The Returning, new challenges arise as Davi Rhii’s rival Bordox and his uncle, Xalivar, seek revenge for his actions in The Worker Prince,
putting his life and those of his friends and family in constant
danger. Meanwhile, politics as usual has the Borali Alliance split apart
over questions of citizenship and freedom for the former slaves.
Someone’s even killing them off. Davi’s involvement in the investigation
turns his life upside down, including his relationship with his
fiancée, Tela. The answers are not easy with his whole world at stake.
Author Spotlight
Bryan Thomas Schmidt writes science fiction and fantasy, not only for grownups but for children, too.
His goal? "To
write family friendly, fun stories both parents and children can enjoy
which inspire wonder and a desire for adventure and a lifetime of
learning. To write the kinds of stories that inspired me when I was
growing up, safe stories with fun, admirable characters, interesting
worlds, humor and action that you can’t put down and won’t easily
forget."
Bryan's favorite authors include en, C.S. Lewis, John Grisham, W.E.B. Griffin, Nicholas Sparks, Timothy Zahn, Gail Carriger, A.C. Crispin, Leigh Brackett.
He hosts #sffwrtcht (Science Fiction and Fantasy Authors Chat), a live chat with science fiction and fantasy authors, editors, etc., on Wednesdays at 9 ET on Twitter. #sffwrtcht also posts interviews and reviews on a blog, as well as at SFSignal, Grasping For The Wind, and other sites.
Bryan's work includes novels, anthologies, and more:
The Saga of Davi Rhii: The Worker Prince (October 2011
The Saga of Davi Rhii: The Returning (June 2012)
The North Star Serial, Part 1 (May 2009)
Space Battles: Full Throttle Space Tales 6 (editor & contributor)(April 2012)
102 More Hilarious Dinosaur Jokes For Kids (Forthcoming 2012)
A member of SFWA, ASCAP, and CCL, Bryan is also available for conferences, and he moonlights as a freelance editor. He can be reached via his website, where readers can catch up on his blog or SFF Writers Chat, buy his books, and read excerpts of novels.
I've challenged my eldest niece to write reviews of books she reads, and posting them on this blog and on bookseller sites, in exchange for food and drink from, say, Panera. (She's partial to their giant carrot cake portions and cold lemonade.) I figure that's a fair exchange for a teenager, especially one who point-blank says she can be bribed with edibles.
