What Xavier Is Reading

This book had been on my TBR list for far too long.

I finally got around to reading it and I wasn’t disappointed. It’s the kind of book that you read and then feel sad when it ends, though the ending was a bit abrupt. Such a fun read! I’m looking forward to the rest of the series (cough), though I probably won’t continue past book one until Mr. Rothfuss writes some more books.

In this short book Chris Fox teaches some of the greatest advice on the whole editing process. From developmental to line to proofreading, this book covers it all.

Good writing is re-writing, or editing. If you want to become a better writer, buy this book!

I read this book because I felt I owed it to my newsletter subscribers. I have treated them badly far too many times, and I want to become better at treating them well. I want to give them more than I ask for in return.

This book focused primarily on the reader-magnet aspect of email marketing and provided some highly practical advice on creating and advertising your own reader magnets.

I found it very inspirational, and I now look back at my own library of reader magnets with some regret, but also with hope. I did handle things poorly, but I now know what to do and what to avoid. I can therefore make some improvements to my methodology. Thanks to Tammi, at least. Thanks, Tammi!

I have been bombarded for quite some time with recommendations of this book, implored to read it by many trusted sources, so finally I forced myself to spend an Audible credit and listen through the whole thing.

I was not disappointed.

One of the things I expected was a plot much more akin to something that either Joe Abercrombie or Brandon Sanderson might create, but I was pleasantly surprised (not that I don’t like those other authors; indeed I adore their work). To my surprise, The Will of the Many was similar in many ways to another of my favorite reads: Red Rising by Pierce Brown. Some similarities I found were in the style of prose (first person, present tense, which was handled beautifully I might add) and in the characters and shape of the plot of both stories.

One problem I saw with the recommendations I received was that the book was pitched as sci-fi, but to my delight it was more of a sci-fantasy once you actually delve into the worldbuilding. This seems to be a growing genre, but I have often found it hard to express the nuance of such stories compared to either of their straight counterparts.

At first I found it hard to force myself through the first chapters, as I found them disjointed and a poor sign of the rest of the narrative. The main character seemed like a Gary Stu, overly talented and unable to fail, but the farther I got the more intrigued I became as to where the author intended to lead him, the plot lurking in the subtext. The worldbuilding that seemed bland and vague at first glance was slowly deepened throughout the mystery of the character’s background, so that by the end I was jumping at the chance to read the next book, The Strength of the Many.

I highly recommend this book if you are a fan of Brandon Sanderson and Pierce Brown and have ever wished that they would co-author something together. That book would be The Will of the Many.

Like The Will of the Many, this book was pushed heavily to the top of my TBR. Unfortunately, I appreciated it less.

I suspect the rating I gave Dungeon Crawler Carl is a result of my prerequisite reading of the litRPG genre. I have already had the privilege of enjoying other works in the genre such as Battle Mage Farmer (whose author I am familiar with), Advent, and He Who Fights With Monsters. All of these were so great!

Then, stepping back to read the most popular litRPG series of the current era, I found myself let down by my own expectations. I want to be clear that this is not the book’s fault.

It was enjoyable, but it wasn’t groundbreaking or particularly well written. Still, I will keep reading the series in hopes that it grows stronger.

When I started The Sword of Kaigen, I was not expecting the ending or the experience that M. L. Wang delivered.

I was, however, not disappointed by the delivery.

In the corners of the indie world that I read in, I will admit that I am oversaturated with grand, sweeping epic fantasies and expansive, earth-shattering stakes. The Sword of Kaigen is not one of those books.

It is instead something quite a bit smaller in scope and scale, but what it leaves by the wayside of genre norms and expected length, it makes up for with its characters.

The book itself is extremely conscious of the tropes and norms, and manages to take many of them by the throat and subvert them in interesting ways. With multiple POVs, only one of which is permanent, this book offers well-tempered and thoughtful social commentary through character struggles that you can nearly forget are fictional.

I will certainly recommend this book to my friends, though they will have to prove some literary worth beforehand.

Full review coming later.

I thought this was quite good. Fox gives writers a practical approach to outlining while leaving room for the story to grow during the draft.

This was really good and genuinely helpful as I plan my next book launch. Fox turns a complicated process into advice I can put to work.

A really enjoyable and insightful science-fiction story with a philosophical side. It carries the tropes, general vibe, and intensity of classic 1980s science fiction, and it made me want to keep reading. A refreshing book.

Pixar co-founder Ed Catmull’s account of building and protecting a creative culture. Full review coming later.

A really insightful look at a possible dystopian future. Understanding where society might go is part of a science-fiction and fantasy author’s job, and this book sharpened the way I think about the future. Its warning has helped generations recognize a fate worth avoiding.