I am working my way through the novels and I read Infernal today. It is by far the best book I have read so far. Very touching and well done.

Unfortunately I went to grab the next book "Harbingers" and realized I didn't have it yet. I have Bloodline and By the Sword (which was the first book given to me so I read it out of order.) Now I am putting in an emergency order to Amazon! Can't wait for the next one!

Infernal has had a mixed reception. It's a bit of a transition book in the series, and more character driven than the usual RJ. Harbingers answers a lot of questions.

Infernal has had a mixed reception. It's a bit of a transition book in the series, and more character driven than the usual RJ. Harbingers answers a lot of questions.

It was mighty. Not as much slam-bang, but all the better for it. Tom...he turned out to be a champ.

Infernal has had a mixed reception. It's a bit of a transition book in the series, and more character driven than the usual RJ. Harbingers answers a lot of questions.

You're killing me! I'm ordering Harbingers tonight!

Still, I really liked Infernal. I measure a lot of what I read against what I feel I can write. (I am a closet writer. One day I will be published!) A big weakness I have is the writing of the more touching stuff. I just don't seem to have a knack for it. The back and forth between Jack, Gia and Vicky and the fact that I felt so bad for them is a writing talent that I am trying to cultivate.

I also get much to bogged down in the details of fighting. Saying something is a kote-gaushe technique is one thing, explaning it tends to take a while and I feel loses the reader.

Oh well, I will continue to work on the craft and the story and characters I came up with. I also have a script that I've been working on that I am frankly sick of. 65 pages of script written. Got a good 25 pages or so to go. I'm aiming for the humor-horror market. Basically something that can be made fairly cheap. After talking to some people it seems like the way to go.

And on that note I will stop. I am tending towards getting more bloggy on my posts. I need to work on that.

You're killing me! I'm ordering Harbingers tonight!

Still, I really liked Infernal. I measure a lot of what I read against what I feel I can write. (I am a closet writer. One day I will be published!) A big weakness I have is the writing of the more touching stuff. I just don't seem to have a knack for it. The back and forth between Jack, Gia and Vicky and the fact that I felt so bad for them is a writing talent that I am trying to cultivate.

I also get much to bogged down in the details of fighting. Saying something is a kote-gaushe technique is one thing, explaning it tends to take a while and I feel loses the reader.

Oh well, I will continue to work on the craft and the story and characters I came up with. I also have a script that I've been working on that I am frankly sick of. 65 pages of script written. Got a good 25 pages or so to go. I'm aiming for the humor-horror market. Basically something that can be made fairly cheap. After talking to some people it seems like the way to go.

And on that note I will stop. I am tending towards getting more bloggy on my posts. I need to work on that.

Keep at it, Ed. As the first American to win the Nobel Prize for Literature, Sinclair Lewis said, "The art of writing is the art of applying the seat of your pants in the seat of your chair."

Keep at it, Ed. As the first American to win the Nobel Prize for Literature, Sinclair Lewis said, "The art of writing is the art of applying the seat of your pants in the seat of your chair."

True! And I also remember what Douglas Adams said: "I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by."

Finding that time to sit down and write is always a problem. Finding time to work on ideas is never a problem. It's the really writing thing that gets me.

True! And I also remember what Douglas Adams said: "I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by."

Finding that time to sit down and write is always a problem. Finding time to work on ideas is never a problem. It's the really writing thing that gets me.

It takes a lot to be a writer. "Talent" is maybe the least important part. You have to keep at it. Never get discouraged (not for long, anyway). If I recall right, Paul described in his collection SOFT AND OTHERS how he was able to paper his basement walls with rejection slips. But he kept at it!

The most frightening thing in the world for a writer can be that blank sheet of paper in the platen (showing my age, here!).

But Poul Anderson advised, just keep your fingers working. Make lists. Old high-school friends, minerals, chili recipies, great dogs of the Civil War. And after a time, your subconscious will say, ENOUGH!, and the creative juices will start flowing.

Me, I write lyrics. And I wait for the muse to visit. But a fictioneer's got to keep at it each day, without fail.

You're killing me! I'm ordering Harbingers tonight!

Still, I really liked Infernal. I measure a lot of what I read against what I feel I can write. (I am a closet writer. One day I will be published!) A big weakness I have is the writing of the more touching stuff. I just don't seem to have a knack for it. The back and forth between Jack, Gia and Vicky and the fact that I felt so bad for them is a writing talent that I am trying to cultivate.

In that case, HARBINGERS will be an excellent case study in exactly how to write the touching stuff while keeping the thrill ride running at breakneck speed.

All I'll say is that it could have been called WRINGERS because by the end you'll feel like you've been put through the wringer multiple times. I think it's one of the best in the RJ series so far - maybe even THE best.

And on that note I will stop. I am tending towards getting more bloggy on my posts. I need to work on that.

Nah, go ahead and be bloggy. How else are we all going to get to know each other better?

You're killing me! I'm ordering Harbingers tonight!

Still, I really liked Infernal.

On my first run-through of the Adversary Cycle, I must admit that Infernal was my second-least favourite, but still far better than most novels by other writers.

Harbingers, on the other hand was, by far, my favourite of them all. I found it more satisfying than most top-grade action movies (and I own almost 2000 discs).

I am currently on pass #2 through the Adversary Cycle and I musty admit that I'm enjoying Infernal far more, right now, than I did the first time.

As my cousin Webby says, you'll have FUN with Harbingers.

-Wapitikev

Tom...he turned out to be a champ.

I disagree. He never did anything to help Jack on purpose; he didn't think it would work.