REVIEW: "the Book of Life" by Deborah Harkness

"Wild Card," you say, "Why didn't you post at all last week? Why have we been waiting for content since your last book review?"
THIS BOOK IS WHY. Like the last two books in the trilogy, I've been surreptitiously (and not) been reading this book since I did my last review. The only things that have kept me from this book are work, church, and sleep (and the last one may have been compromised by it). Though it doesn't go quite as quickly as the other two in the trilogy, I was still reading 125 pages a day at least (that's a record for me.)

So, real thoughts on The Book of Life?
First, SPOILER WARNING. (this is the third book in a trilogy. If you want to read it unspoiled, proceed with caution and maybe don't proceed at all).

Plot summary: Basically, this is the part where the pieces of Ashmole 782 finally get put back together and the Congregation and the Covenant are faced.
There are questions posed for Act 3: Are any of Matthew's children a threat? (Yes. Matthew's vampire-son, Benjamin, is, lightly speaking, a psychotic asshole of the rape-and-murder variety.) What will the Congregation do about Diana and Matthew's relationship? Are Peter Knox and Gerbert the Vampire going to continue being assholes until the end? (Yes, but someone has to).
There are prior questions answered as well: what is blood rage? What determines which vampire manifests the traits and which vampire is a carrier? How are weavers made, and why is Diana a weaver and not a normal witch? (an interesting answer awaits these two). What does the Book of Life actually say?

There are a lot of answers to a lot of questions. The Book of Life is a fast-paced conclusion to the series, and I loved almost every page, especially because Diana does a lot of saving people by the end of it.

I say "almost" because there are a few issues. SPOILER WARNING REMINDER.



Firstly, Gallowglass. I love this vampire to death, and I wish his plot arc could have ended better. It appears that he fell in love with Diana in 1590, but it wasn't clear whether he was in love or he had actually hoped to mate with her later on. Part of me was wondering whether this would be a situation similar to Twilight, where an ancillary love interest (Jacob) spends a lot of time with the heroine while she's pregnant; it turns out that the heroine's daughter is Jacob's One True Life Partner. Though the process of vampires choosing thier One True Life Partner is not fully explored in the All Souls Trilogy (when the main couple are fully consenting adults, mating only needs to be explained as Somewhat More Than Marriage), I'm a little bit curious as to why Gallowglass's feelings are brought up at all. Is it possible for a vampire to mate when the other being is still a zygote? If so, has Gallowglass actually developed feelings for one of Diana and Matthew's twin children when they're still fetuses? Are his feelings just a reason for Gallowglass to agree to be Diana's bodyguard when Matthew is out?
Given that Gallowglass does have feelings for Diana, it makes sense that he isn't present in the epilogue. I do wish that he could have been there, though.

Secondly, the climax. I can handle a moderate amount of bodily harm in fiction, but there were moments when I felt gross. That, like nothing else, showed how much of a psychotic asshole Benjamin could be. The climax was good for a few reasons: two of Diana's struggles were overcome (lack of magic and hesitating before killing), the fact that she saves Matthew and not the other way around, that Benjamin got a truly fitting death, and that Diana was able to face and run the Congregation.

Thirdly, the ending. Some of it seemed too perfectly wrapped-together. The revocation of the Covenant, which really needed to be revoked, was very good and fitting, but there didn't seem to be enough of a price. Yes, Diana was exhausted and absorbed the Book of Life and all that, but what are the ill effects of that? All it really seems is that now Matthew can truly say to their children, "Pay attention to your mother, because she really does know everything." Though the scientific exploration of creatures is interesting, it just feels too well-wrapped.


The duration of the story into the third act, though, is great. The biggest drawback I can think of is that these books are really heavy and I can't always take them everywhere.
Definitely check them out if you have the chance.

Things I Learned This Semester

So today was the last day of classes before the end of the semester, so it's time for the Semester Roundup, where I write about what I learned this semester and stuff.

ACADEMICS

1. In Shakespeare class, I learned that there are a bunch of different ways to insult people. One of those ways is to address someone as "thou," as opposed to "you." (I already knew this, but it's worth repeating). I also learned my new favorite oath: "OUT, VILE JELLY!" (from King Lear. Someone's eyes got poked out).
2. In Greek Historiography, I learned that Herodotus is allegedly the Father of History, but he was far more mythologically inclined than Thucydides. Thucydides is far more fact-based and wrote history in a manner that is closer to what we see today. Also, Xenophon wrote the Anabasis, or the March Up Country, which is about Cyrus trying to do some conquering, but gets killed 1/3 of the way through. The rest of it is about how people try and not get killed by residents of places where the army doesn't reside. Also, that Shakespeare drew some inspiration from Plutarch.
3. In Uses of the Bible in Literature, I learned that pretty much everything is a reference to either the Bible or Shakespeare. And sometimes Shakespeare alludes to the Bible. Also, Satan was never explicitly stated as being the Fallen Angel Who Was Mean To Everyone. He was referred to as The Accuser in the book of Job. He took over Judas's brain in the book of Luke and John. He is never described in detail, however, so the whole "Satan is Evil McEvil, the fallen red demon with a pointy tail and horns" description isn't entirely Biblical.
4. In Journalism, I learned how a proper news story (PUT HUMAN ELEMENTS FIRST), and how to write a personality profile. I learned that, as a blogger, my professor thinks I am narcissistic. I learned that there are two kinds of ledes (the lede is the opening paragraph or so): the hard ledes get the WHO WHAT WHEN WHERE WHY out of the way immediately; the soft ledes tell a bit of a story about a person affected by the thing before you get to the news about the thing.

OTHER THINGS

1. It's possible for a college student to write a novel in 30 days.
2. That student may or may not doom themselves to carpal tunnel syndrome later in life.
3. back up your files. You never know when your computer is going to crash on you.
4. Sometimes, it's important to take a break and play with puppies.
5. It's hard to let people go - from relationships, from organizations, from life. That doesn't mean you can't talk to them again. That doesn't mean you have to be on horrendous terms with them. You still need to be civil, and it is possible to be so.
6. It's important to have someone to talk to, but it's also important to act. If you need to go on a tangent, do it. But when the tangent is over and your friend offers a solution, do your best to take it.
7. Talking to authorities can be intimidating. What could wind up being more intimidating is the consequences - is it worth freaking out now to have a terrible resume/ GPA/ whatever later?
8. Losing someone in a romantic capacity could lead to the romantic partner you never realized you liked.
9. DILIGENCE, PEOPLE.

Lessons from Finals Week

I have learned the following from my fourth finals week:

1. Do your research before you do your essays.
2. Do your research well before you do your essays.
3. Like, have your quotes and everything done way before.
4. Don't write a 20-page paper in a day. It will be a festival of quotes and footnotes.
5. Presentations before papers are your friends, because you can have a lot of materials before your essay is actually written.
6. If you're going to write a paper, pick a topic you really like.
7. I don't like long papers.
8. Sleep is important.

On Ending Things

I've discovered something about my writing style: I'm a huge fan of the open-ended ending - the one that implies that, while this story arc is completed, there is another one to come.  In my FYEC play, a character gives another character advice; the implication is that the latter takes it and avoids suicide.  In the J-Term play, there's the opportunity for more adventures in the Senate and a budding relationship between two of the three major characters.  In the NaNo novel that I have finished, there is a marriage proposal involved.

I think there is a lot to be said for an open-ended ending - it allows the audience to contemplate the future endeavors of the characters and gives them a chance to think back to the beginning of the work.  On the other hand, I know it frustrates some people because of the lack of a definitive ending - why does there have to be implications of further things ahead?
The point of an open-ended ending, however, is not necessarily to irk you, it is mostly just to draw parallels and conclusions.  If done correctly, all the plot lines are still drawn together and there is hope for the future characters, and you have to tilt your head and smile because it is all going to be okay.

How to Defeat a Dragon

I've discovered something that can be kind of interesting if used right.

My play for FYEC is going to involve dragons and people who contemplate suicide.  I know that much for certain.  However, I making my main character, who attempted suicide multiple times, also fluent in Old Draconic (like Old English for dragons), which brings up the interesting point: will she kill the dragon, negotiate with the dragon, or talk to the dragon in Old Draconic and win it over?  (I'm not telling you this.  I already know.  I've already written that part).

But this proposes an interesting alternative to dragon-slaying.

Yes, yes, I know, fantasy is supposed to teach us that dragons can be beaten.  But 'beaten' does not mean 'killed.'  'Beaten' means foiled, quashed, clobbered - not killed.

As the (modified) saying goes, there's more than one way to clobber a dragon.  Just some of the ways are more difficult than others.  The easy way out is just to kill it (though, considering it's twelve times your size and can breathe fire, might not be that easy); the more difficult way is to talk it out with the dragon; this may be only more difficult because the dragon is older and larger and smarter than you, and a battle of the wits is one of many situations where a Dragon of Old benefits from having a larger brain than you (it means it has plenty of room to think about gold and also clobbering humans).

Of course, talking to the dragon is dumb, according to every movie and fairy tale ever.   Who talks to dragons?  Who gets along with dragons?  WHO CARES ABOUT THE DRAGON'S OPINION?
The dragons care about their opinion, thanks very much.

Final Weeks

My J-term class ends on Friday. I'm not sure how I feel about this. I'm excited that we're going to be on break and that spring semester is coming, but I'll be sad to see the excessive amount of time leave.
More relevant, I'm also not sure how I'm going to feel about the final product of the class. If there's one thing I've learned about my own writing process, it's that the editing part is never done. I have a measly seven scenes - I originally had eight, but one got cut before it got typed up - but all of the editing won't help my nerves, in the end.  Does the pacing work?  Are the characters relatable?  Will anyone be able to pronounce Siofra's real name?  Am I using too many cliches?  Is the timing right?  The list goes on.

I know the reason that I'm getting nervous about it, too - more nervous than my other writing.  It has nothing to do with my peers accepting it as decent work - that was what I had issue with at the beginning of the course, a long time ago when I only had to write five pages.  At this point, the trouble is me accepting it as decent work.  When you spend just as much time editing a piece as you do writing it (more time, actually), you tend to worry about it.  If this were a longer work, it would be like a child.  You want the best for it, but sometimes it gives you hell.  A lot of times, actually.  Some things you love to go over, other things you fear to even glance at.

Though this is not my longest work - it barely counts as 30 pages, even with the title page, the character list, and the page-happy formatting that a script must follow - it's still causing me a bit of worry.  In comparison to some other people in the class, I think I'll do fine, and I don't mind how it's written, but sometimes I wonder how it would turn out if I had done things differently.  I could have killed my main character.  I could have made the future relationship of two of my characters less ambiguous.  I could have made one character more sympathetic to the antagonistic party.

When it comes to it, though, I'm glad I had the chance to do this course.  It taught me how not to format a script, and it taught me what to look at and what to ask when going through the editing process.

finals week

I know that finals week is perhaps the worst week in any college student's career - there is a lot of stress, and you realize how much you should have been studying (I know I have), and the prospect of the train/ car/ bus/ plane home is the only thing that might be getting you through the end of exams.

As this is my first finals week ever, I don't know how much I can relate to the feelings of going home being great - does the prospect get better?  Worse?  Stay the same?  Obviously, I'll be excited to go home, but the only thing I'm really stressed about is my Greek final, as Greek is my hardest subject and writing "It's all Greek to me" instead of a verb I forgot is probably going to get me a failing grade.  Of COURSE it's Greek to you, dummy! This is a Greek test! The professor will think as she grades the exams.  Sometimes I wonder how many first-semester Greek students she teaches would dare to put that on one of the tests or quizzes.
The first quiz?  Maybe.
The final?  Never.  Unless you WANT to fail.

Anyway, finals week could make a good climactic sequence for some story - the story of one's first semester of college, most likely, or the story of one's final semester.  Each are equally admirable - for one, it is the conclusion of a new adventure, and leaves the door open for many more to come; the other  is the conclusion of the adventure, and is probably a story about moving on.

You know what would be really interesting?  To write a series of eight novels (or twelve, if your school does a January term), about the eight (or twelve) semesters of college.  Same characters, different stories, and the end of each is finals week; the finals are the Final Test (see what I did there?).

Maybe I should do that.  That would be really cool.  I like that idea.
Now, if I only didn't have about five other novels going at the same time, and a Greek exam to study for, I would totally be willing to keep going with it.

But I have a Greek final to study for.  And then I'll work on it.

December 2: just after the end

Well, yesterday marked the end of another NaNoWriMo, and the first year where I did not make it to the finish line.
Oddly, I have come to terms with this, for a few reasons:

1. I still have a novel out, and this year, I really do only have a couple of scenes - no more than two or three - until I can tie together the ending I wrote on the computer.  Altogether, that's better than what I've done in the past.  My first year's novel still has two bosses to beat, not counting the final boss; my second-year novel, I wound up adding a TON of stuff between the final fight and where November left me.  I'm more done than I have ever been at the end of November.
2. In all honesty, I wasn't as excited about this novel as I was with my others.  Maybe it was because I just didn't plan, and NaNo sprang up almost out of the blue - I have a lot of friends who were also doing it, but I lost track of time when I was doing other things to realize, "HEY! IT'S ALMOST NOVEMBER!  How about a plot?"
3. Speaking of which, it seems like an excuse, but business was a factor.  If you are a high schooler and you are reading this, then let me tell you: time management in college is a LOT different than it is in high school.  NaNoWriMo can be done - of the group I did NaNoWriMo with, and of the people that it was obvious would finish, I was the only one who didn't - but it is more difficult than high school.
4. after all, it IS my first year of college.  School is actually important - you aren't paying thousands of dollars to write a novel for free.

I still enjoy NaNo, and I still want to do it again next year, but I'm kind of glad I didn't finish.  Everyone has to have at least one NaNo loss, right?

Unless, of course, your name is Chris Baty.

On Finishing

Last night, at 12:17 AM, I finally completed a novel.  I don't know how many words it is, though I know it's about 300 pages (290-something, to be more precise) in my handwriting, and I don't know as of yet how well that translates to typed-up-ness. If I had to hazard a guess based on the infamous things called Math and Approximate Words per Page, the Math tells me it would come out between 103,000 and 115,000, but that seems way off to me.  If it's not way off, then I wrote more than I actually needed to, but that happened in November when I started the thing.
Also, cool thing: Chris Baty acknowledged the existence of the Ending of my novel.  I feel really cool.

Anyhow, onto the real thing:
Though I have written the last words of Romeo's journey in pen, the typing and the editing still needs to happen.  I need to see how many words I actually wrote, at the very least, but then I need to make it sound better than it already is (this is a very, very easy thing to do; it's the first draft, so it's its job to be kind of sucky).  I don't know what I'm going to do with it after I type it up and edit it a bit; maybe I'll edit it some more and then do something with it.  I really don't know.
I guess I could send it to a publisher, but I don't want to yet, because I'm a total amateur and I don't know what I'm doing.

But the significant part is over: the manuscript is written.  I haven't been through the entire process of writing/ editing/ editing/ sending a novel, so I don't know what the hardest part is.  But my personal major roadblock has been knocked down.  HUZZAH!

Endings

It's hard to say when I started to be a writer.  Was it in third grade, when I started trying to write a story that was a barely concealed fanfiction of Harry Potter?  Was it when I created one of my favorite characters to write, ever?  Was it when I began to take creative writing classes in high school?  Was it when I attempted my first novel?

Whenever it was, I have had a notorious lack of ability to finish anything.  Maybe it's because I don't like saying goodbye to the characters.  I've always had a bad history with saying 'goodbye' to stuff.  

Well, regardless of the reason why I could never finish anything, I've FINALLY gotten to the point where I'm about to reach the end of a novel I'm writing.

It's the novel I started last November for National Novel Writing Month.  It's kind of exciting, but also slightly terrifying, and I'm already thinking I want to change what just happened.  But enough of that now.  Right now, I need to finish it.

Actually, I need to finish my Intro to East Asia homework, and start some FYEC homework.

THEN I'll finish it.