Hello, Readers! Clevenger here again.

So, we are on to talk about books. There was a lot to unpack there in Graham’s last post, but I think that the most striking thing that stood out to me was about “the boundaries”. Where I had little guidance while beginning my reading journey, I also had little boundaries. I was trusted to read what I wanted to. It empowered me to establish my pathway to what I thought was appropriate for me. While, certainly, it could have been a “dangerous” gambit, it was one of the most significant definitions of who I became as a consumer of art.

This leads me to one of the most influential books of my life. Stephen King’s “It.” This was my fourth-grade book report. I remember talking to my teacher and being told, “I can give you credit for the first and second nine weeks, but you will have to read another book during the year. This can’t count for all of your reports.” I smiled and held up the next 700+ page book and said, “Okay.” Looking back, this book set the stage for how I would consume stories.

I was obsessed with this book. I carried it everywhere. I remember sitting by the pool on family vacation in Florida, reading in the sun while everyone else was playing. I remember visual images, such as the Turtle, staying with me for years. Meanwhile, scenes that were more “mature” faded as I read them. (Last year I went back and reread the book and found scenes that I certainly did NOT remember the first go.) All in all, I learned to take the high points of story telling and build my own narratives between the beats. This story gave me the freedom to tackle anything that I wanted.

The other major book by King that still stands out to me is “The Dark Half.” Knowing what I know now, I was just eager to glimpse at what being a writer could look like. The mundane life of a novelist. It was the dream that I never knew that I had. But this book took that dream and played it as a nightmare, and it was brilliant. King’s works such as “Dark Tower,” “Eye of the Dragon,” were my first exposure to “fantasy” but they were only the whetting of the appetite that would come later.

As I stated, I didn’t really get into Fantasy until my late teens/early twenties. Books like Robert Jordan’s “Eye of the World” and David Eddings’ “Pawn of Prophecy” stood out to me as the new classics. The magic systems that they penned were amazing to me. Setting my mind into deep dives of metaphysical and logical debate as I read them, and fell in love with the texture of those worlds. These books stood out as the foundation of how “different” magic could be. Over the last twenty years, I’ve been trying to build a foundation of a magic system that feels unique, but stable. Challenging myself to meet the standards that these masters set. It will be up to you, the readers, to see if Graham and I succeeded.

I also look at the characters in those books. In Jordan’s, the story arc of Rand is the centerpiece, but seeing the supporting cast, it often feels that they are better characters when he is not in the scene with them. This influenced how Jesse and Symon interact, both with each other and supporting cast, in our books. We wanted to have a friendship between two characters where they sacrifice for each other, not just the good of the plot. Where each secondary character lives outside of their relationship to the MCs.

Also, looking at the “breaking” of traditional gender roles as told in Edding’s books. Polgara was a force, and Queen Porenn was amazing, but these women were seen as “exceptions to the rule.” In our tale, we want to break the rules themselves. In a modern culture, we want equality and independence between everyone, and you will see a wide variety of domestic, service, leadership, and mentor roles filled equally by all genders (Including trans and non-binary).

Another of those books that just captivated me was Piers Anthony’s “Bearing an Hourglass.” I remember reading it and being floored. While the entire “Incarnations of Immortality” series is impressive, this book particularly stood out at me because of the concept of time travel and fatalism. It was a gorgeous and new idea that was so well plotted out, that the series as a whole still resonates with me as a favorite. I found myself referring to and explaining this book while watching Doctor Who with my wife in the story arc with River Song. The influences of this book are subtle, but visible, in many media streams. To me, it was also where my obsession with organization, outlining, and structuring began. I couldn’t help but imagine how intense the planning of this book must have been, and knew that to achieve that, it had to be organized to the hilt.

And most recently, and Graham would mock me endlessly if I didn’t mention this book, I encountered Brent Week’s “Way of the Shadows.” Hoo-boy! This book was a revitalization for me. I had sort of tapered off in reading fantasy. A lot of the books I had read during that timeframe were stale or rehashes of old ideas. And then, I encountered this. I looked at the cover, and thought, “That’s a really simple, but very pretty cover.” I read the blurb, saw the word “assassin” and thought it would be a good fit. Ultimately, I put it back on the shelf (I have trouble spending money on books for myself, see previous post) and walked away. My wife, however, grabbed it and told me that we were buying something for me, and I should just accept it.

I got home that afternoon, opened the book and began to read. And didn’t stop. I lost the world and all concept of time. I only was disturbed once my wife came back home (I don’t remember her leaving) and dropped books two and three on the table. She said, “At the rate you’re reading, I expected you will need these sooner rather than later.” She was right. They reset the passion I had for fantasy literature, and brought me back. The world was rich, lived in, and I liked his writing style of “exposition by discovery” and how a nation would be mentioned, but not revealed until chapters later.

While not perfect, these books fascinated me. A jaw-dropping revelation in the series that made me immediately plan a full re-read. Graham and I have talked endlessly about things we can do that hopefully will have a similar impact. Keeping a reader guessing, pulling twists and delivering gut punches all took me back to my mystery roots. I was so enamored by this series that I recommended it to pretty much anyone who would listen to me.

Now, as I write, I find myself changing the way that I take in these stories. I’ll go into some of this in the next post as Graham and I talk about movies, games, and other media that influence us. More and more, as I read, I pull little snips of ideas and inspiration from each new tale. Seeing arcs that do not get the spotlight but capture my imagination, I now look to how I can tell that tale in our books. Some will wind their way into the “Stories of Sainan,” other are now in a parking lot of random snippets that will become other novels that Graham and I have planned.

Honestly, I could sit here and write about books all day. There are so many great ones that are on my shelves and hold a special place in my heart. Orson Scott Card’s “Hart’s Hope,” Anne Rice’s “Memnoch the Devil,” and Terry Goodkind’s “Wizard’s First Rule” all had impacts on me, both good and bad. Each book held nuggets of inspiration that I have carried with me and can now use as a writer.

I do plan on making a “Author’s Corner” and putting a reading/recommendation list together for all of the above mentioned books (and some that have yet to make the list). For now, I’ll sit back and watch Graham wander into the wide world of mixed media and the stories that are there. Should be a good time.

Be kind.

-Clevenger

Photo by Tamás Mészáros from Pexels