Monday, February 17, 2014

Lords of Dyscrasia Continues to Scare Readers


Rebecca from Goodreads.com reviews Lords of Dyscrasia (review link) (Feb 2014):

"Lords of Dyscrasia reads like a descent into a mania induced visionary night terror. Superficially presented under the 'Sword and Sorcery' umbrella fans of the genre will be taken on a gloriously twisted ride. Whilst the main narrative is one of traditionally breathless action, the underlying psychological back-drop weaves it's way into the reader's imagination. It is a novel that will stay with you, whether you like it or not.

 The landscape created for you to endure along with the characters is one of acrid putridity and horrendous suffering. You have been warned. However, there is a transcendent quality to the writing which is rare. There is imagery here that borders on the ecstatically religious. This is juxtaposed with an old-fashioned yarn so joyously told that at several moments I had to grin with the sheer gusto of it all.

I'd recommend this to fantasy and horror fans who are interested in extremes of behaviour and the subconscious. There is a lot of blood, guts and gore here also. When I say a lot, I mean oodles. The reader is plunged into a world created with flesh and rancid fluids. I was reminded of Clive Barker, and even the body horror of David Cronenberg.
Lords of Dyscrasia is worth taking a risk on. There is a lot more going on here than shock and awe. Several images are extremely memorable and I feel I will revisit this book in the future. All in all, hugely intriguing and revelatory."


Friday, February 14, 2014

The Bladewitch - Review by S. E. Lindberg

The Bladewitch (The Bladewitch, #1)The Bladewitch by Jason E. Thummel
S.E.Lindberg rating: 4 of 5 stars

An Outcast, Beautiful Necromancer Duels A Champion Swordsman
“Instruments of death are often beautiful,” Kayla (the last necromancer and priestess of Naith)

The Bladewitch is entertaining Sword & Sorcery, a stand alone extension of Jason E. Thummel's library of fine adventure (labeled Vol#1 we can expect more). Here, a greater conflict (the Danaen culture versus the Zyrian) is shown through the lenses of two lonely, underappreciated champions. On the one hand, representing the "Sword," we have Captain Jumar of Danae, who expertly conquers the Zyrian city of Tekla so efficiently that he must sustain and manage the occupation at length; and on the opposing "Sorcery" side, we have Kayla, last priestess of Naith and sworn Protector of Zyrians, herself an abject heroine; she is "a lone acolyte in a country that had all but forgotten, but though she was a servant to Death, she did not revel in it—least of all for her people. They had forgotten her, but her duty to protect them still remained....She alone was charged with the duty to protect Naith’s children." Now she is the last Blade of Naith (the titular Bladewitch), willing to sacrifice herself to save the placid Zyrians, who have long worshipped a different God (one that fails to protect them).

There are many memorable scenes in this fast read, which manages to squeeze in more depth than most would expect from the genre. Thummel keeps the action fun with creative duels (beyond just sword play , you'll get several trippy sequences), unique magical artifacts (The Blade of Sealing, the Seven-strand Ropes of Seeing and the Inner Temple cube), and omnipresent/alien sorcery (reminiscent of that from K. E. Wagner's Kane series). Highly recommend for anyone seeking fantasy adventure.

Excerpts: In this book, Death is beautiful. Here is a dose of what to expect:

Forgotten Landscapes: "Fallen and shattered shells of buildings twisted along the ground like colossal skeletons of extinct creatures, slowly being devoured by grass and time. A city of gigantic proportions—perhaps dating back to when the gods still walked the earth—had once filled this dale, but now like all things made by human hands it was lost to time and forgotten."

Epic Battles: "The expectant‑laden peace of the surroundings shattered with sudden cries of conflict: steel clashing; the heavy, dull sound of colliding bodies, of flesh violently hammering against flesh; the screams and prayers of warriors conjuring strength against fear and death. And cutting through it all was a sharp, grunting exhale of breath as the soldier on the ridge brought his arm snapping forward and released the spear toward her."

Vivid Necromancy:"The smell of fetid breath and death wafted to him. Jumar’s stomach clenched. He fought an urge to void his bladder as his bowels became warm, rolled and threatened to loosen. Here was a terror that no amount of experience or preparation could overcome.

Their heads were bowed, chins on chests, shoulders stretched and in some cases dislocated against the hanging weight. But it was not these familiar trappings of death that filled Jumar with dread. It was the sound. The corpses’ jaws moved in unison, each voice adding a note to the grisly chorus. And although the whisper could seemingly be heard throughout the square, only now that he was within arm’s length could Jumar hear the words the dead spoke."



View all my reviews

Friday, February 7, 2014

Glass Eyes - Inspirational Crafts - Spawn of Dyscrasia

Doni Hatz crafts inspirational glass eyes for Spawn of Dyscrasia

Consistent with Lords of Dyscrasia, its sequel Spawn of Dyscrasia (due out in 2014) has a lot of artisan themes.  Several human characters are glass-workers; others will require a glass-eye to see the Otherworld (souls, memories, ghosts, etc.).  A previous post details some hands-on research at a glass studio (link).

Another posts revealed the Cover (with illustration from Ken Kelly) that features the key character Helen, a sorceress with one special eye.  For inspiration, I touched based with a local glass maker, Doni Hatz, who created some fantastic example eyes (more info. on her below).  Thanks Doni for showing how glass eyes can be made!  Two of her eyes are featured here under different lighting conditions:
  • The top row is front-lit 
  • The bottom row have the same eyes, back-lit.  
The red-eye is particularly creepy.  The blue one was made from a striped cane of dichroic glass (multicolored, sparkles), which can see best from reflected lighting.

Glass Eyes from Doni Hatz  - Spawn of Dyscrasia

A red and blue eye, lit from front and behind (bottom)


Doni Hatz is an expert glass worker.  For decades she has created industrial-scientific works in the day hours...and all sorts of fine art by night. "Marcie Davis interviews Doni Hatz, scientific glassblower who has risen to the top of a field that is generally dominated by male glassblowers. Doni shares her background preparation at the Salem Community College, her work at Proctor & Gamble, and her venture into creating works of art in glass.  This article was originally published on page 34 of the Winter 2011 issue of The Flow."



Doni pointed me toward a great DVD made by that shows how glass eyes are made professionally (produced by Firelady Productions):
"Walter Hellbach is a third generation glass eye maker in Lauscha, Germany. Using specialized glass tubing and rods, he creates human eyes for prosthetic use. In this demo you'll get a "short and sweet" version of this complex and fascinating process. This is an excerpt from our newest DVD by the same name. (In "The Eyes Have It" DVD you can see the entire exciting process from beginning to end!) And while it takes years of training to make eyes for human use, you'll be able to apply the techniques you see here to your own work with great results. It all starts with white Kryolith tubing, which opacifies as it is worked. As you watch, Walter meticulously adds a variety of multicolored canes, and in just a few minutes an eye of startling realism comes into view."


Spawn of Dyscrasia Cover

Saturday, February 1, 2014

Ken Kelly Cover Art - Spawn of Dyscrasia (3 of 3)

Spawn of Dyscrasia Cover
Spawn of Dyscrasia is due out this year (2014), and this is the last of three posts detailing the evolution of its cover:
  1. Cover Concept (link): The first post covers the goal & concept art
  2. Cover Art (link): The second post chronicles the interactions with master fantasy artist Ken Kelly (from rough sketches to final painting) to yield the key illustration
  3. Cover Design (you are here): This covers the actual design (title placing, masking of the illustration, and overlaid fire).  We have to take the illustration (left) and dress it up for the book (lead design below, on right).

Ken Kelly's portrait reflects a scene from the book and features many important elements that make implicit promises to readers (i.e. expect magic, undead characters); key accessories from the flag to Lysis's sword are accurately presented too.  With that firm foundation in place, we turn to making a cover out of it.  My wife Heidi Lindberg (a trained Interior Designer with a critical eye for all things, and a knack for brutally honest feedback) stepped in to advise on Font & Word placement.  Thanks to her and the folks over in the Sword & Sorcery Group on Goodreads who provided input on some initial compositions (Comp A & B).  Most liked the title being on the bottom (Comp B), and the idea of  the characters standing on a hill of debris resonated with the piece.


Applying some masking layers in Photoshop made (a) the spirit cat easier to see, (b) the edges of the flame more clear, and (c) the rebalancing of the composition (the green flames of the cat tail stretch down into the title to compensate for its "top-heavy" head).  Helen's red-tattoo and the red-blood on Lysis's sword are amplified to match the red in the title and fire.   This is not the final cover design for Spawn of Dyscrasia, but it is fairly close since it covers the below success criteria:
  • Sword & Sorcery:  It promises to deliver "swords/action" and "magic" while revealing a scene from the book
  • Character Focus: The portraiture promises to develop a sorceress and skeletal warrior
  • Internet Appeal: It is easy to recognize as a small icon (as shown via Goodreads or Amazon)
  • Dyscrasia Fiction Look: It continues the look of the first novel, Lords of Dyscrasia (see below side-by-side).  This is important to build the brand of Dyscrasia Fiction.

Small version discernable

Lords and Spawn of Dyscrasia Covers
Consistent with Colors/Composition for Dyscrasia Fiction
Lead Cover Design for Spawn of Dyscrasia (due out in 2014)



Ken Kelly Cover Art - Spawn of Dyscrasia (2 of 3)

Spawn of Dyscrasia Cover
Spawn of Dyscrasia is due out this year, and this is the second in the mini-series describing the cover art, illustrated by master fantasy artist Ken Kelly:
  1. Cover Concept (link)The first post covers the goal & concept art
  2. Cover Art (you are here): This second post chronicles the interactions with master fantasy artist Ken Kelly (from rough sketches to final painting) to yield the key illustration
  3. Cover Design (link) : the last covers the actual design (title placing, masking of the illustration, and overlaid fire)
Ken Kelly - Rogues and Spawn of Dyscrasia

Feedback to First Rough:

The goal was to reapply the composition of Ken Kelly's "Rogues" (that graced the cover of Robert Adam's first Horseclan's novel).  The preceding post (add link) discusses the color selections and design choices.

With this information Ken Kelly set to making some Rough Sketches.  The first featured just Helen, who appeared too zombie-like and her long-nails were accentuated enough but needed to be turned over (to look like she was controlling the fire).  This opportunity allowed me to reinforce that Helen was the living character...and the warrior was the undead one.

Rough Sketches - Spawn of Dyscrasia by Ken Kelly

 Feedback to Second Rough:

I proposed a modified mock-up by placing the Roughs into Powerpoint, and indicated things to tweak (red) and items to keep (blue): 

1.Warrior is undeadà A skeleton…with crown of horns…and fiery aura (cover his biceps, perhaps, since he has no flesh?)
2.He has only 1 sword (his sheath looks like a second)
3.Warriors general stance = cool, no need to change
4.Lady’s stance= cool, no need to change
5.Shadows/lighting = awesome
6.Fire à eventually to be colored with spirits
7.Pennant à I like this shaft… can we add a flag? 

Lastly, Helen needed to be directly connected to the fire, and I wanted to ensure there was one representative Spirit presented within the flames.  Drawing from Ken Kelly's awesome gallery, I lifted one of his great cats (from Feline Warrior), and worked it into another mock-up.  He cautioned that this would throw off the balance of the composition (becoming top heavy).  I agreed, but asked him to work it in anyway; this motivated the "green wisps of ether" special effects to be added later in the Cover Design (post 3 of the series) to compensate.

Ken Kelly - Feline Warrior and Rough Sketch for Spawn

Canvas and Oil Work:

At this point, Ken Kelly began work on a real canvas with his oil paints. I received digital photos periodically:

Ken Kelly - Painting Spawn of Dyscrasia

 The cat turns green and Helen receives a "black-eye."
Ken Kelly - Painting Spawn of Dyscrasia

As the piece approached its end, I had concerns about the bubbles and requested Helen's eye-tattoo to be red, which were easily changed.  Ken Kelly originally titled this "Magic Soldier" but changed it to "Spawn of Dyscrasia" to match the forthcoming book.

Spawn of Dyscrasia - (c) Ken Kelly 2013
Overall, the process consumed a solid nine months. That was partly due to me not specifying a steadfast deadline, taking second-chair to higher priority clients who had real deadlines (i.e. KISS).  Also, given the nature of oil paints, each layer remains wet for some time; so each iteration (paint a layer/get feedback) consumes a few days at best.  Despite this being a commission, our deal was such that he maintained the original.  In addition to the high-resolution photographs created by Ken's photographer, I did order a signed Giclée print (a print on canvas). The last in this blog series captures how the Cover Design incorporated this Cover Art.


Ken Kelly Cover Art - Spawn of Dyscrasia (1 of 3)


Spawn of Dyscrasia Cover
Spawn of Dyscrasia is due out this year (2014), and this three post mini-series describes the cover design process, featuring a custom illustration by master fantasy artist Ken Kelly:
  1. Cover Concept (you are here): This first post covers the goal & concept art
  2. Cover Art (link): The second post chronicles the interactions with master fantasy artist Ken Kelly (from rough sketches to final painting) to yield the key illustration
  3. Cover Design (link) : The last covers the actual design (title placing, masking of the illustration, and overlaid fire)

1) Character Portraits

Whereas its predecessor Lords of Dyscrasia (2011) is a set of narrative tales stressing plot & action with varying points of view, Spawn of Dyscrasia (2014) follows the development of a single character, Seer Helen. The sequel's cover had to embody this new emphasis on characterization, so an appropriate portraiture composition was targeted.  It may seem strange to intentionally pose characters passively on the cover, but there are plenty of precedents. For example, Larry Elmore did this effectively with the original Dragon Lance trilogy (authored by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman, including: Dragons of Autumn Twilight, Dragons of Winter Night, and Dragons of Spring Dawning).  Also, Frank Frazetta did this effectively with his Deathdealer character:
Elmore Dragon Lance covers

Frazetta's Death Dealer

These portraits promise books with developed characters...without showing any action.  Ken Kelly has many of these, like his Death's End and Rogue's illustrations (the latter was the cover to the first Horseclan's book by Robert Adams).  In Spawn of Dyscrasia, the character Helen does not develop in isolation; rather she teams with the protagonist from the first book, the skeletal Lord Lysis (who is featured on the cover of Lords of Dyscrasia).  Hence, Ken Kelly's "Rogues" stood out as a good example of what I wanted: a female and male duo portrayed against a fiery scene. 
Ken Kelly Death's End and Rogues

I reached out to Ken Kelly via his website's commission section.  In short, pricing depends on the canvas size and amount of detail; other factors to be arranged are timing and who owns the original.  Here is a snippet from his commission page:
"Fees start at $750. for a single figure, oil painted on 10x14" illustration board with a very simple background.  Fees rise from there depending on what needs to be added and size of original." (copied 2013 from Ken Kelly's commission webpage)
After arranging the commission for two key figures (which prompted a 22"x28" canvas), I sent him the concept art of the two characters to be placed in a similar composition in his Rogues piece.  

Lord Lysis Concept Art

I had drawn Lysis many times already for the illustrated Lords of Dyscrasia, so it was easy to assemble a board to describe his undead state and unique sword, Ferrus Eviscamir.  I also scoured Ken Kelly's vast gallery of oil paintings to identify what Lysis may look like from a painting already made by Ken; Path of Fright worked well for this, since Ken painted some eerie skeletal gargoyles.

Lord Lysis concept board

Ken Kelly's Path of Fright

Helen Concept Art:

Helen had been written about well enough in the draft transcript, but I had never drawn her.  Some internet browsing followed by Photoshopping (namely color inversion) enabled a concept board. Another search of Ken Kelly's library led me to his KISS Girl #5 pencil.  Here Ken's experience painting for the band KISS worked well (he has painted their albums and guitars), since Helen required a tribal tattoo around her left eye.  Helen is not the KISS girl, but referencing her was useful.
 Helen Concept Board

Ken Kelly's KISS Girl

Lighting & Character "Color"

Lastly, a board explained that any fire would simultaneously (a) provide lighting and (b) represent the sorcery that Helen and Lord Lysis command. The magic system in Dyscrasia Fiction motivated the need to have "grayscale" characters: Helen and Lysis can see, feed upon, and cast magic via creative energy (represented by ethereal fire).  Spellcasters are mostly colorless (monochrome); they feed on color, draining it from enemies and sacrificed art, so perform sorcery.
Ether Fire Burning Elder