"Enge's fiction stands out primarily for its rich, witty prose and its juxtaposition of human characters with outrageous situations. Conflict, weirdness, cruelty, and supernatural forces beset the protagonists (Morlock and whomever is unfortunate enough to be with him), but not for the shock value or for gory distraction. Enge creates circumstances where people have to draw on their human qualities to survive, sometimes aided by magic,but more often by stubbornness and the leveraging of opportunity. He does this not just to create a thrilling moment, but to probe what the characters are capable of as they face often bizarre, seemingly intractable challenges. These challenges (from facing down prophecy-maddened hordes to execution by dragon to obsessive, unhinged sorcerers) frequently have a philosophical inflection. "
4.5 out of 5
http://www.sfsignal.com/archives/2011/01/taking-a-hammer-to-wish-fulfillment-a-critical-appreciation-of-james-enge/
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Civilian Reader: A Casual Chat With - James Enge
"After Tolkien, I guess the biggest influence on me would be American writers of sword-and-sorcery (and the allied genre of sword-and-planet): Fritz Leiber, Roger Zelazny, Jack Vance and Leigh Brackett. They are explicitly and unapologetically writing adventure fiction in fantastic worlds, but the adventures and the risks in their fiction are not merely material, and each one is a brilliant stylist (among other things). I like Zelazny’s description of his masterwork, the original Amber series: “a philosophical romance shot through with elements of horror and morbidity.” That’s what I try to write: philorohorrmorbmance."
5 out of 5
http://civilian-reader.blogspot.com/2011/01/casual-chat-with-james-enge-pyr.html
5 out of 5
http://civilian-reader.blogspot.com/2011/01/casual-chat-with-james-enge-pyr.html
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Travellers' Rest - James Enge
Novelette
Number of words : 8500
Percent of complex words : 9.1
Average syllables per word : 1.4
Average words per sentence : 16.5
READABILITY INDICES
Fog : 10.2
Flesch : 68.0
Flesch-Kincaid : 7.9
CHARACTERS
Morlock
A travelling master maker and swordsman. Scary legends of him abound.
Wyrth
Morlock's dwarven maker apprentice.
Sunlar
The Travellers' Rest hostetler who runs the place with his wife.
Gar Vindisc
Old woman who owns the local stream.
Raelio
The hosteller's daughter and waitress.
Kyrkylio
A lifemaker experimenting on the children of the town.
Iagiawôn the Many-Handed
Kyrkylio's swordsman enforcer, a hybrid creation with six arms and insect-like carapace protection.
Ambrosia Viviana
Morlock's sister. The dark eminence behind the imperial throne of Ontil.
Iuinoe
Raelio's sister, taken by Kyrkylio and turned into a spider-ape hybrid monstrosity.
Vikel
Iuinoe lies about him.
PLACES
Boulostreion
A small depopulated run down town south of the Dholich Khund.
Traveller's Rest
The inn at Boulostreion.
WEAPONS
Tyrfing
Morlock's magical sword that comes when he calls.
ANIMALS
Shellbacks
Cattle modified to be more beetle-like.
Crow
A messenger for Morlock, who can talk to them.
CONCEPTS
God Sustainer
Dwarven deity.
Scasp-chewing branticules
People that are likely to dine and dash.
FOOD
Thrinnel
Buttermilk.
Shellback
Cow-beetle meat in various cuts.
PLOT
Morlock and Wyrth are travelling, and find a place to hopefully stay and eat for a while in a small town. They notice strange cow-beetles while entering the town. The innkeeper lets slip he has two daughters, even though only one is present, and the town seems very deserted.
If seems another maker lives nearby, and is taking the children of the town under threat of taking the parents. He is using them in sorcerous experiments at making hybrid-human animal monsters. One of these is his enforcer, tasked with gathering children. Six-armed and beetle-like, Morlock takes a terminal view of such activity. Beating a six-armed and all weaponed competent warrior takes some work, though.
They are really just as scared of Morlock thanks to the stories about him, but he sends a message to Kyrkylio, demanding a meeting so that he can find out what has happened to the other daughter.
On being given a tour by the not wholly human lifemaker, he sees an opportunity for poetic justice, releasing a monstrous creation that soon dispatches the lifemaker.
Morlock and Wyrth then spend some time in making and surgery, returning those who can be altered back enough to make it worth it to their homes, including the severely traumatised and suicidal Iuinoe, Raelio's sister. Then they move on.
3.5 out of 5
http://pyrsamples.blogspot.com/2010/12/travellers-rest-by-james-enge.html
Number of words : 8500
Percent of complex words : 9.1
Average syllables per word : 1.4
Average words per sentence : 16.5
READABILITY INDICES
Fog : 10.2
Flesch : 68.0
Flesch-Kincaid : 7.9
CHARACTERS
Morlock
A travelling master maker and swordsman. Scary legends of him abound.
Wyrth
Morlock's dwarven maker apprentice.
Sunlar
The Travellers' Rest hostetler who runs the place with his wife.
Gar Vindisc
Old woman who owns the local stream.
Raelio
The hosteller's daughter and waitress.
Kyrkylio
A lifemaker experimenting on the children of the town.
Iagiawôn the Many-Handed
Kyrkylio's swordsman enforcer, a hybrid creation with six arms and insect-like carapace protection.
Ambrosia Viviana
Morlock's sister. The dark eminence behind the imperial throne of Ontil.
Iuinoe
Raelio's sister, taken by Kyrkylio and turned into a spider-ape hybrid monstrosity.
Vikel
Iuinoe lies about him.
PLACES
Boulostreion
A small depopulated run down town south of the Dholich Khund.
Traveller's Rest
The inn at Boulostreion.
WEAPONS
Tyrfing
Morlock's magical sword that comes when he calls.
ANIMALS
Shellbacks
Cattle modified to be more beetle-like.
Crow
A messenger for Morlock, who can talk to them.
CONCEPTS
God Sustainer
Dwarven deity.
Scasp-chewing branticules
People that are likely to dine and dash.
FOOD
Thrinnel
Buttermilk.
Shellback
Cow-beetle meat in various cuts.
PLOT
Morlock and Wyrth are travelling, and find a place to hopefully stay and eat for a while in a small town. They notice strange cow-beetles while entering the town. The innkeeper lets slip he has two daughters, even though only one is present, and the town seems very deserted.
If seems another maker lives nearby, and is taking the children of the town under threat of taking the parents. He is using them in sorcerous experiments at making hybrid-human animal monsters. One of these is his enforcer, tasked with gathering children. Six-armed and beetle-like, Morlock takes a terminal view of such activity. Beating a six-armed and all weaponed competent warrior takes some work, though.
They are really just as scared of Morlock thanks to the stories about him, but he sends a message to Kyrkylio, demanding a meeting so that he can find out what has happened to the other daughter.
On being given a tour by the not wholly human lifemaker, he sees an opportunity for poetic justice, releasing a monstrous creation that soon dispatches the lifemaker.
Morlock and Wyrth then spend some time in making and surgery, returning those who can be altered back enough to make it worth it to their homes, including the severely traumatised and suicidal Iuinoe, Raelio's sister. Then they move on.
3.5 out of 5
http://pyrsamples.blogspot.com/2010/12/travellers-rest-by-james-enge.html
Scasp-chewing branticules : Travellers' Rest - James Enge
People that are likely to dine and dash.
3 out of 5
3 out of 5
Boulostreion : Travellers' Rest - James Enge
A small depopulated run down town south of the Dholich Khund.
4 out of 5
4 out of 5
Iuinoe : Travellers' Rest - James Enge
Raelio's sister, taken by Kyrkylio and turned into a spider-ape hybrid monstrosity.
3 out of 5
3 out of 5
Ambrosia Viviana : Travellers' Rest - James Enge
Morlock's sister. The dark eminence behind the imperial throne of Ontil.
3 out of 5
3 out of 5
Iagiawôn the Many-Handed : Travellers' Rest - James Enge
Kyrkylio's swordsman enforcer, a hybrid creation with six arms and insect-like carapace protection.
3 out of 5
3 out of 5
Kyrkylio : Travellers' Rest - James Enge
A lifemaker experimenting on the children of the town.
3.5 out of 5
3.5 out of 5
Sunlar : Travellers' Rest - James Enge
The Travellers' Rest hostetler who runs the place with his wife.
3.5 out of 5
3.5 out of 5
Morlock : Travellers' Rest - James Enge
A travelling master maker and swordsman. Scary legends of him abound.
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
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