“This is classic fantasy full of all the great elements fantasy readers love: a well-balanced magic system, a complex political world and a series of interweaving storylines told from the perspective of several engaging characters. Full of pace, energy and intrigue, Stormlord Rising is a must read for lovers of high fantasy.”

My daughter (who hasn’t yet read Stormlord Rising) went to her local Waterstones this week, only to be told that yes, they had the book in, but it was embargoed until today, release day.

That’s right. You can now go out and buy it! Right this minute! You can read it over the weekend. And post an Amazon review, or something.

(Do I sound desperate to know what you thought? How did you guess?)

Oh, and look – on the back of the book there is a tiny sneek preview of what the cover of Stormlord’s Exile looks like…

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I’ve always hated the expression “chick lit”, even though I’ll admit I have used it myself in the past to describe books written in a lighthearted way about modern woman and non-serious issues. Light reading is a better description, and in the past those are the words we used to describe these books; and other books like them that weren’t about women. Not particularly deep novels, but fun. Light reading, and who doesn’t need that sometimes! (Tell me you only read novels of significance and depth, and I’ll tell you to lighten up once in a while.)

The expression “chick lit”, though, has singled out one type of light read and given it a derogatory twist. It’s by chicks for chicks. Not by or for women. Chicks. Fluffy little things without stature that look at you with a vacant stare. And the expression is used now by some readers with a sneer, with the implication that these books are worthless reads, beneath the notice of all men, and also beneath the notice of women of substance.

Here is a marvellous Huffington Post article from Diane Meier, American author of a book about an intelligent middle-aged woman, “The Season of Second Chances”.

As she herself puts it: “Most critics felt the need to talk about how “surprisingly” intelligent the book was. Their tell-tale phrase: how many “notches above Chick Lit” they deemed the book. Or they registered amazement that a book so domestic in tone might have been intended for — can you imagine — educated, intelligent readers.”

Later on in the article (and do read the whole thing) she writes:

She goes on to question the idea of having a prize just for woman novelists, and I’m not sure that I agree with her on that issue, but mostly she is spot on.

I especially agree with her at this moment…Why this week? Well, because it hit home. (Yeah, I admit it. I wait till things get personal, before I get vocal. Mea culpa.)

Stormlord Rising is a fantasy novel, but it does deal with issues of war and its effects, especially on the woman and children who are caught up in the battle. Ok, so it’s a story, not a treatise, but it touches on things like: how much should a woman do to keep her unborn baby safe? Should a woman use her sexual allure and her body to stay alive? How much should you compromise your principles for those you love?

Universal themes, one would assume. One Amazon reviewer didn’t much like the latter two-thirds of the book – his privilege, of course, and I don’t mind that – but he says it’s chick lit and therefore automatically disappointing, not worth the read. Pregnancy in war time, love and life and death of loved ones, are chick issues apparently, not universal after all. Chick lit. Light-hearted comedy.

Let’s stop using the expression “chick lit” even if we enjoy the books now so designated. Let’s be careful how we use the expression “women’s issues” when such issues are usually universal to humanity. If a reader doesn’t like a book about what women feel or what happens to them, or the way in which women live and love, let him say so outright, and not hide behind a derogatory dismissal: “It’s chick lit”.
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Buy Stormlord Rising

Read the whole thing here at the Rob Will Review blog.

Oh, sands. My intermittent medical condition –  a swelled head – has returned. Maybe I should pop over to Good Reads for a cure, and re-read the reviewer who said (of The Last Stormlord): “600+ pages of boring world-building without a plot with a resolution.”

Buy The Last Stormlord
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 Firstly, so far so good. Stormlord Rising has been selling well in US, an indication that readers of The Last Stormlord want to know what happens next. I have my first Amazon reviews, and — as I am totally into watching Amazon ratings because I’m ridiculously pathetic — I am delighted that they are 5 stars; as are the ratings over at Barnes&Noble. (Yeah, I look at those too. Didn’t I just say I’m pathetic?)
So, for those of you haven’t read it yet, what’s Stormlord Rising all about?
 
Read the rest of this post at the Orbit site, here.

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• …20,100 people from 125 countries visited this blog, according to ClusterMaps. (I’m not going to rock the world with those figures, am I?)

• Google Analytics has a higher number, almost 23,000, of whom  9,657 were distinct visitors from 122 countries…

• Australia and USA together accounted for 52% of visits and those two countries plus Malaysia and U.K. made up 80% of visits.

• Top of the list: Stormlord Rising. By far!! I’m really chuffed! That means that folk are really hanging out for this one!!

• The Last Stormlord was high up there too, along with “Ryka Feldspar”. 

•  So was “whose”  “whom” “who’s” in various forms, linked to grammar questions; “fantasy tropes” “First person novels” etc

 And here are a couple of funny ones I cannot explain:

• “I raise my eyes, and there is Kinabalu, presiding over the forest” (74 visits)

• “if you prune my orchid, I will pay you rs.600 a day for the work, as soon as you have finished it.” (14 visits)

One reviewer called it the best middle-book-of-a-trilogy ever!

See reviews here.
And here.
And here.

Buy from Amazon by clicking on the button above.
Buy from Barnes & Noble here. They say you can reserve and pick up from your local store in 60 mins.
Buy from Borders here.

Cover of the US/UK edition is from Steve Stone (artist) and Peter Cotton (designer). Thanks, guys, I love it! Do click on the link to Steve…there are pix there to die for.