Book Previews
Written by Karlissa J
Did you know I posted previews of my first four books to my blog? It was a long time ago, so I thought I’d repost the links here!
Click on each of the books to read the first few pages!
Book Review Dwelling in Darkness
It’s been a while since I read my third published book, “Dwelling in Darkness.”
I’ve called it a ‘loose sequel’ to “Kingdom of Bats.” But really, the two have different writing styles and characters, and take place on different worlds with different technology. They are in the same universe, and one character is in both, but that’s about it.
Rereading “Dwelling in Darkness” today, I’d say it’s one of my favourites. The threats to the heroes are introduced right from the start. And the story is fast-paced, but still allows time to get to know the characters involved.
One of my readers described this book as “nerdy,” and I think that’s a pretty accurate description! I wanted it to be more informative and fact-based than “Kingdom of Bats,” so I dived deeper into the animals represented.
I also wanted to stretch and challenge myself as a writer.
I took a swing at tapping into traditional stories, with references to Mayan and Malagasy (Madagascan) mythologies.
Chapter thirteen gave me an opportunity to dive into what it might be like to experience the world from the perspective of deep-sea fishes, creatures very unlike us. I enjoyed writing that chapter, challenging myself to think outside the box.
This is one of those books that someone like me may love, but someone else may find infuriating.
The mystery concerning how, why, and to what extent the dream-world is real never gets answered. I think it works fine that way, but I could see it frustrating certain readers.
The nerdiness was something I enjoyed, something I can appreciate in animal fantasy stories; though I know some may find it distracting.
And my dive into the weird world of cave and deep-sea creatures – especially the latter – really was designed to stretch the mind a little. I can see some people finding that a bog to get through.
The book has flaws, but I still had fun reading it, and I felt very passionately about it when it first got published. I find it sad it hasn’t succeeded as well as “Kingdom of Bats” and “Black Mists,” but I suppose it is more written for a niche audience than either of those.
If it sounds like your type of book, then give it a read! It’s available online, and in ebook form from various sellers!
Dwelling in Darkness: Prelude Opening
TSINGY CLOSED HIS EYES, SWALLOWING TO SUBMERGE THE PANIC welling up inside. He forced himself to take deep breaths of the stale underground air. What do I do? I don’t remember being trained for this. Think, Tsingy. What would a captured warrior do?
His fear pushed away any and all clever solutions that may have come, leaving him with nothing but dread.
Tsingy opened his eyes. There in front of him stood Kassador.
Kassador reminded Tsingy of a gorilla in both size and build, though like him, Kassador was a lemur. Tsingy felt puny next to the giant, tucked away in a corner of the monster’s overarching shadow.
Humming filled the air, drawing Tsingy’s eyes to the black boxes— the machines—situated all around Kassador. A series of wires led from each box, over the dirt floor, to dozens of needle points embedded in Kassador’s skin.
Tsingy shivered involuntarily. How can he stand having so many needles in him? I would be in pain. Which led to a follow-up thought: What if they intend to torture me? How long can I hold up under pressure?
Tsingy couldn’t imagine Kassador having ever been a friend to Indri, yet not all too long ago, Tsingy’s inventor teammate had trusted Kassador.
Indri trusted you, too, a voice inside said.
Tsingy silenced it. Hand firmly set in his coat pocket, he grasped the plans Indri had given him.
“They won’t expect me to have the plans,” Tsingy had encouraged the older lemur. “I can find a place to hide them before the enemy searches me. I promise.”
It’s good to have a bargaining tool, Tsingy tried telling himself. I needed to make Indri give me the plans. I had no choice.
“There’s a hard way we can do this.” Kassador’s voice sounded weary. Not the forceful bellow Tsingy had expected. Still, Tsingy’s heart thudded sharply. “Or there’s the simple way. These blueprints Indri has drawn up for the robot that will hypnotize us into surrendering…”
Not quite how Indri would have put it. The Peacemaker’s—the robot’s— song would uplift its allies while adjusting the mindset of the enemy, calming their violent desires and bringing them into a compliant mood.
I guess that’s pretty close to hypnotizing. Tsingy fought the instinct to tighten his grip on the plans in his pocket.
“Indri would never give me the blueprints,” Kassador said. “You, I believe, are more reasonable.” He eyed Tsingy’s coat pocket. “Hence why you’ve already done the grunt work of getting the plans for me. Now the question stands: will you hand them to me with or without a fight? If you fight, my underlings will kill you. Both of you.”
Five creatures materialized from a dark corner. Four were servants of Kassador, wispy and pale monsters… Angatra. The fifth, whose limp body they carried between them: Indri.
Indri’s chest rose as he breathed, though his eyes were closed. Tsingy’s heart caught in his throat at the sight of the big, grandfatherly lemur.
“If you don’t fight, you may both live,” Kassador said. “A simple choice, don’t you agree?”
Tsingy didn’t even hesitate. He pulled the plans from his pocket and stretched out his arm towards Kassador.
Sorry for getting us captured, Indri, Tsingy thought. And sorry for tricking you. But this will all be over soon. I promise.
Kassador took the blueprints in one enormous hand, and with the other he signalled his underlings. One of them drew a dagger and held it over Indri’s heart.
“B–but,” Tsingy stuttered, disbelieving, “you… you promised!”
A malignant grin darkened Kassador’s face. “As I understand it, you too made a promise you didn’t keep.”
The Angatra brought the dagger down into Indri’s chest.
Tsingy blacked out.
Madagascar Inspired: Dwelling in Darkness
In what ways did the island of Madagascar and the creatures on it inspire my book, Dwelling in Darkness? Over the last week, I posted three Fun Facts visuals answering this question!
Is there any special place, creature, or person that's given you new ideas for your writing? I'd love to hear about it, and encourage you to take a moment to write about your inspiration!
BatWeek Kingdom of Bats
Last year during BatWeek (the week of Halloween), I posted three sets of fun facts about bats and the inspirations behind Kingdom of Bats on FaceBook and Twitter.
This year, I'd like to do the same thing for Dwelling in Darkness and the island of Madagascar. In what ways did the island and the creatures on it inspire my book? Find out over the course of next week, when I'll be posting #DwellinginDarkness Fun Facts over FaceBook and Twitter!
What Is Chibi?
I mentioned in the Summer 2017 blog post that I’m creating Chibi-style sketches for a few of my characters from Kingdom of Bats and Dwelling in Darkness.
You might be someone who immediately knows what I’m talking about; or you might be asking yourself, “What is Chibi?”
The Japanese word actually means something along the lines of “little;” apparently, it’s an endearing term when applied to a child, and a bit of an insult when applied to an adult (not too surprising).
But the Western world has taken the word ‘Chibi’ as a direct reference to Japanese-style artwork in which the characters are given enlarged heads and simplified bodies in order to make them look more child-like or cute. (Think Powerpuff Girls.)
It’s a style I’ve played around with a little in my personal art sessions, and I decided it’d be a fun venue for creating pictures of some of my favourite characters from my two animal-themed books.
When these pictures are done, I’ll start posting them to FaceBook, Twitter, and Pinterest. So be on the lookout for lemurs, a bat, and a swallow all coming soon!