Walls of Stone (Grey Spaces, Book I)
on Feb. 04, 2014
There are many things I look at when deciding whether I like a novel. They range from things as small and superficial as cover design to heavier things, like plots, characters, and themes. I also look at things that sit outside of the story, like the author and publisher.
Some of the things I admire about this book and its author: This is a fully-realized world, though we don't get to see much beyond a small, small portion of it, and it is filled with believable characters that you can just tell have lives beyond the pages of this book. If, after reading it, there was no intimation of book 2, I'd have felt cheated. As it is, I'll have a hard enough time with the sitting and waiting for it to come out. Jasmine is not my favorite fantasy character of all time. She's moody, childish, and sometimes I wonder how she has any friends. But, that's part of the fun. It's weird finding yourself rooting for someone you don't always like, watching them make decisions and wishing you were there to shake them bodily. Thankfully, there are more likable characters for when you just want to get along with someone for a few pages. These things tell me that I was immersed in what I was reading, and I can't ask more from a good cast of characters. I also really enjoyed the glimpses of McAnelly's vision for magic in the world he has created. I can get tired of the cookie-cutter mage shooting fire from his staff as his robe and wispy beard flutter from the updraft. Magic, here, is alluring, dangerous, and addictive. Spells have costs, and one's own humanity could be that cost.
All in all, I think it is a great story pulled together by a first-time published author. Beginnings are difficult and going it alone has to be a bit unsettling. To juggle writing a novel, without a publisher's advance to pay the bills or give one the free time to devote to the craft of good storytelling, and to have managed it somehow anyway is beyond me. As a would-be someday novelist, I know I don't yet have it in me. It's fun to catch an author at the beginning, because you get to be along for the journey, not only as the story progresses, but as the author's craft matures as well. I imagine this will be a fun journey.