Category Archives: ebooks

ebooks

Inherently Better

Audiobooks are inherently better than print/ebooks.

Yes, that’s what I said and yes, you can argue with me. I am quite comfortable with that.

audiobkjkbxbadgeBut first, let me explain (or bore you with) why I believe this to be so. I started my own little book review blog this past summer and I accept books for review. I can work with audio, ebook, or print. I started off with several audiobooks for review through Audiobook Jukebox. Through them, I had access to a variety of books, some produced by well-known publishers such as Blackstone Audio, Brillance, etc. Other books came from smaller publishers, like Iambik Audio and Mind Wings Audio. I have even had the pleasure of listening to self-published books such as Colony by Scott Reeves.

The vast majority of these review audiobooks have been Good to Beyond Excellent. Truly, I haven’t really had a negative experience even though several were outside my normal genres of scifi, fantasy, and historical fiction.

I have also been accepting ebooks and print books for review. The quality of these books has varied greatly from Why Are You Sending Me A Second Draft to Completely Awesome. Honestly, several of these books, even print which I think is more expensive to produce, have had serious flaws in story development: timeline issues, is it possible in the world you created?, characters melding together, staging issues (such as a weapon is suddenly no longer in the scene).

So, why the difference?

I think it is because someone, perhaps a publisher or even the author, must read the book through out loud in order to turn it into an audiobook. Therefore, several errors are noticed right off and either corrected or the publisher chooses to pass on that book for audio production.

Have you run into books that could have benefited from an ‘out loud’ read through? Do you find audiobooks in general to be of higher quality in the sense of story crafting?

Stunted by DRM

Digital Rights Management (DRM) has stunted my love affair of the ebook.

If I buy a book, or an album, or a movie, I will do what I believe most people will do with such items: enjoy them and then pass them on in some manner. Sometimes I am an impulse buyer of books (not that any of you all have ever suffered from this) and I will pick up a hardback or paperback because I like the cover, the sound of the author’s name, the genre, or because it is the perfect size for my remaining empty pocket in my bookbag.

However, I have not had this impulse with ebooks, mostly because they are difficult to share. Once I’ve read a book, I like to have options. A few remain on my shelves forever, but most get passed on to friends, coworkers, neighbors, my favorite library and a few get sold or traded in for bookstore credit.

Let me be clear: I do not condone ebook piracy. I believe DRM was created to protect the authors and publishers, who deserve to get paid for their work. However, by and large, this has backfired. This is primarily for two reasons: 1) Those who wish to circumvent the law for nefarious reasons will always find a way – DRM or not, they will exploit your electronic material; 2) Those who want to respect the reasons behind the DRM are constrained by it because DRM reduces the number of things I can legally do with MY property (lending it out for a lengthy time, selling it, donating it) – DRM makes it hard to justify buying a book I can’t pass on, especially one by an author I haven’t read before.

If the publishers are going to ‘lawfully’ reduce the uses of my property, then the product needs to be damn good – no typos, perfect formatting, multiple fonts, maps, color, ability to use on multiple devices, coverart, linked table of contents and indices. In short, your ebook needs to meet the highest quality if you expect me to pay good money for an item that I and I alone will get to enjoy. If such quality was rampant throughout the ebook market (which it is currently not), I would buy a few more a year. However, that still leaves the issue of lack of versatility.

The great thing about hardbacks and paperbacks is they keep selling the author. They circulate around in used bookstores, left at hotels, passed from friend to friend. Some of my greatest book love affairs started this way – Jacqueline Carey, Jim Butcher, Guy Gavriel Kay. They were all used paper books that were passed to me and now I own nearly every book they have published. They sit on my forever shelf. Ebooks could act the same way.

Last year, a friend of mine gave me an ecopy of his ebook Warchild by Karrin Lowachee, an author I had never heard of but whose book he had greatly enjoyed. Another book love affair was born. Now I own all her books in paper version and they are the latest addition to my Eternal Bookshelf. Did my friend break the DRM to provide a single copy to me? Probably. Did he profit from doing that? No, other than stimulating conversation over a shared book. Did the author and publisher profit? Yes! Twice over – I bought the paper books, read them, raved about them, and my friend went on to by the rest of her books also.

I read a lot – perhaps 150-200 books per year. I have two ereaders because I like the ease of transporting a minilibrary around with me. Most of those ebooks are from copyright free sites, like Project Gutenberg. With TOR’s announcement this past week of going DRM free, I can see a near future where my ereaders will have more mainstream ebooks. I have noticed other publishers going DRM free and Kindle started their lending program this year also. Perhaps impulse ebook buying will soon be acceptable.

Mike Allen 101

“I’m pleased to know my evil plan is working.” –Mike Allen

Mike Allen publishes Mythic Delirium, a speculative poetry magazine in its 25th issue. He is also the editor of the Clockwork  Phoenix anthologies, and a Hugo-nominated poet and writer.

In this discussion, he talks about the books that have inspired him, how he sees his place in the genre, and about what is forthcoming from Mythic Delirium Press. Continue reading →

The Name of the Wind, Reread

I couldn’t help it. It was calling to me. Patrick Rothfuss kicks major Fantasy ass. I had to pick up The Name of the Wind for a second read.

So, I got sucked into his world again tonight and I took a small moment to comment on just how good the writing is to My Main Man.

nrlymrtl: You know how water is easy to drink and good for you?

M3 with a grin on his face like he is truly trying to hold back a guffaw: Uh, Yeah.

nrlymrtl: Well, imbibing this book is like water on the brain.

M3: Isn’t that a deadly medical condition?

And so goes my compliment to Patrick Rothfuss and his most excellent series The Kingkiller Chronicles.

 

What’s a Reader, or a Writer, to Do?

Copyright 2011 by Paula S. Jordan

I got a new toy today, an early Christmas gift from my husband and best friend, Ken. It’s a Kindle. I’ve already played with it, and read it, half the day.

I am very pleased.

But it’s brought me face-to-face with an issue that’s been only theoretical for me until now.

Here’s the scenario:

Part 1: A beginning writer with genuine creative ability drafts a novel. It is very rough, as first drafts usually are. A few friends read it, see that there’s a story there somewhere and say polite, useless things. The writer edits a bit and produces a better second draft, but misses the sometimes awkward sentences, stilted dialog, unintended regionalisms, etc. Then it goes on sale as an e-book for $0.99.

Part 2: A few readers browsing for something new are taken by the title, or maybe the best passage in the book is offered as a sample, and some copies are sold. The readers also see the story there, but find the writing too hard a slog and toss it aside. And neither the book not that writer, who could have been good someday, are ever heard from again.

So what can new writers do to produce a better book? The short, expensive way is to hire a professional editor. But writers can still be stuck if they don’t have the experience to work effectively with an editor who may not really ‘get’ their intent with the story. The far less expensive, more educational, but longer-term approach is to find a good writers’ group; one that includes experienced, even professional writers as well as beginners.

Then the question is, how does that professionally edited or well-workshopped novel make its way out of the crush of weaker e-books to reach the attention of readers?

That, my friends, is where Darkcargo really shines, with serious readers willing to try new books, give honest reports on the ones that didn’t fly well, and do a really fine job of letting you know about the ones that do.

Check out AtHomeCon II, right here, Noon Friday, Dec 2nd, till Noon Monday, Dec.5th, and see what I mean.

Now, excuse me, please. Gotta get back to my Kindle.

eBook Review: Owl Dance by David Lee Summers

In David Lee Summers seventh novel, Owl Dance, he explores the American Southwest in a crazy 1800s Wild West Steampunk adventure. This was the perfect brain candy for me and diving into the first chapter, I felt right at home. Ramon Morales, a Mexican-American sheriff, and Fatemeh Karimi, a Persian healer, are our two main heroes. Throughout their travels across NM, AZ, and CA, they come across a variety of delightfully unexpected characters – from the gun-slinging kid Billy to entrepreneurial scientist Maravilla, to the California Coast inventor-turned-pirate Cisneros, to General Sheridan.

Owl Dance by David Lee Summers

Ramon and Fatemeh have to avoid several trips and falls of life, such as being burned at the stake, or killed by miners, or shot, or blown up, or captured by bounty hunters. But their greatest challenge doesn’t come from the Southwest. No, there is something much more ominous brewing in Mother Russia. A land dispute between resident Russian descendants in CA and a powerful rancher sparks off the drive for Russia to grab some land in the American West. But this time, they are aided by an unlikely source…..which I will leave for you to discover.

Clockwork wolves and owls, cutting edge submersibles, dirigibles, and one Persian lady who whistle-talks to owls. It’s a great ride. If you’re looking for a good read and satisfying adventure, jump into Owl Dance.

Note: I had access to a PDF eARC version of the book. An e-version of Owl Dance is int he works. For now, readers can go to David Summers’s website for a paper version of the book.

TreeBook Review: The Thief’s Gamble by Juliet E. McKenna

The Thief’s Gamble is the first book in the Tales of Einarinn series. And I really, really enjoyed it and look forward to the rest of the series. Juliet McKenna has built a world mixed of practicalities, like the useful skill of lock-picking, and the fantastic, such as wizard research into the distant past through tuning into memories contained in ancient artifacts.

Livak is our main heroine – a gambler by nature and skilled in stealth, the runes, lock-picking, and scaling the outside of houses. She finds herself in a position for some payback to an old grudge and lifts an old tankard from a violent lord’s house. Of course, she then tries to sell the thing. Unfortunately it is to some wizards collecting ancient items, who quickly see through her fabricated story. She is then blackmailed into assisting them obtain other such items. But this tale soon turns a bit darker, and the stakes are raised considerably.

The artifact hunters soon become the hunted. Livak and her uncomfortable allies, Shiv, Darni, and Geris, quickly become preoccupied with staying alive. In avoiding their pursuers, they soon learn of others who were attacked and usually brutally slain by these fair-haired strangers. Can Livak, with her Forest Sight and half-remembered childhood rhymes, stay ahead of these viscous foes?  Will her wizard companions be able to convince the wizard community of the danger in time?

Livak’s practical and sometimes sarcastic voice was a joy to read. Her comments about the practical nature of skirts went straight to my heart. All the characters were well-thought out and had depth. The world itself is lush with possibilities and intrigue.

eBook Review: Warchild by Karin Lowachee

- nrlymrtl, 07/11/2011

This book invades my sleep and is my copilot on long car trips. I finished it three days ago and CAN NOT get it out of my head. And I don’t want it out of my head. I want the next book. I NEED to know what happens with the war and Jos and the Jets and the strits. Will there be more fighting? Will the interspecies relationships turn into a true treaty? What about Jos’s relationship with Niko, his old teacher? And the intergalactic pirates – when is someone going to catch them? And Slavepoint…what about Slavepoint? Will the kids be rescued or sold off or outright slaughtered?

My library card and I are going on a field trip tomorrow.Our goal: The second in the series.

Karin Lowachee has brought the scifi community an awesome space adventure full of danger, intrigue, trust, coming of age, and battle. The story is told through a young boy, Jos, who becomes a young man by the end of the first book, Warchild, of the trilogy. He is damaged, untrusting, sceptical, in emotional turmoil, and a most fascinating character. From the safety of family on a merchant vessel to the domination and pain of a pirate ship to an alien world, Jos is poised in a center of an on-going war in more ways than one.

I could go on and on about this book, but then this review would be just one big spoiler. Get your buts out there and read this book so I can go on ad nauseum.

Alice Awesomeness!

This is delightful! I can’t imagine how much fun this would be to read with a tyke!

I’ve seen a lot of ebooks. 99% of them are just the text rendered into pixels (or “e-ink”, or whatever). A tiny number of them have pretty sepia scrolly backgrounds to give an antique-y feel. Some of them have embedded movies.

This is the first time I feel I’m looking at the future of e-books.

The App developer Atomic Antelope has created a sort of pop-up book utilizing John Tenniel’s illustrations for an unabridged, dynamically illustrated and interactive Alice In Wonderland for the iPad.

I don’t think I could stomach an animated, pop-up version of Raskolnokov hacking away on the landlady with an axe, but …kids’ classics? Heck yeah, this is neat.

Do Pinnocchio next!

(yes, I know it’s sideways)

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Feed (2011 HUGO)

As a preface: About 8 years ago I made it a mission to read all the Hugo and Nebula Award winning novels, thinking that this was a worthy goal to bend my free time to. Unfortunately, combined it’s only about 100 books. If 100 novels in 6ish years sounds like a lot…you haven’t seen any of the houses where Dark’ and I have lived. This doesn’t even include all the “fluffy” and “real” S/F I read in between award winners. So, it clearly wasn’t enough of a catalog to read, even catching up on 60 years of winners.
- So now I read all of the Nominees, not just the winners. It makes it more timely, broader and I get to be involved in the awards process.

This year’s list has been published a few places on this blog and many others…no sense hashing it over again. I’ll get right into Feed

Feed - Mira Grant - Orbit Books-2010 – I read the epub version from the Hugo Awards Packet

My initial impressions were not terribly favorable. I even commented to Darkcargo that my first impression, first chapter, was “ehhhhh, why is this a nominee?”.  But keep reading (always good advice). After I read the second chapter I was going to tell folks not to judge it based on the first chapter, but the second.  Then I read the third chapter, and was going to tell folks to judge it based on the third chapter…I was repeating this, chapter after chapter, in my head long after a real observer would have caught on to the trend.  (Stupid lack of introspective thought patterns)

The damn thing builds STEAM! Every Chapter is better than the one before. It sucks you in.  You get pulled from a silly McGuyver-ish Y.A. opening chase scene to a climax that honestly hurts because you are so emotionally engaged in the story. It easily tops the list of zombie books I’ve read, and Mira’s Information Culture blows something like Sawyer’s “Wake” totally out of the water. It makes you want to run out and be a blogger (oh…wait)

It’s the first of the field I have read this year, so i don’t have anything “relative” or final to say about it. But, I feel very favorable to it. It broke my expectations for zombie books to come, and sets a pretty high bar for the rest of this years nominees.