Dear Ronie Kendig,
I usually try to make the first line of a review something strong and quote-able, but I’m having trouble finding the words to do so for Storm Rising. Not because I don’t want to, but because I’m still feeling shell-shocked after that cliffhanger of an ending I read late last night, as I wiggled and mentally cheered as the action climaxed in wonderful ways.
Except, not all so wonderful. I was so pumped up by the story that I was ready to start on the next one, Kings Falling, immediately, even though it was somewhere past midnight. I know that Storm Rising hasn’t released yet, but surely you’ll have the sequel out soon, right? and so I looked up the date.
April of 2020? That can’t possibly be right. It should be something like, July 10. 2019. Because it’s glaringly obvious that you put a masterful amount of talent and effort and creativity into this book, and so of course you’ll take the time to make the next one just as riveting and wonderful as this one is, but ….
I think we might have to revolt. Your reader-fans, I mean. Because I’m not sure how we’re supposed to function for the next nine whole months while we wait for Kings Falling. Take yesterday, for example ….
It was a beautiful sunny Sunday afternoon. I made lunch after church and then grabbed Storm Rising and headed out to my hammock in the backyard. I couldn’t wait to start – usually, I can finish a book out there, swaying gently, under a canopy of blue sky and green leaves.
Except yesterday, the kids were playing kickball nearby, and they kept wanting me to watch. It was so hard to keep closing the book, but I tried to be a good mom and do so. They finally went inside, and I settled in, ready to zoom through the story, but ….
Your writing isn’t quite like that of most suspense stories. Rather than focusing strictly on the action, of which there’s a great deal, your lyrical prose kept catching my attention, slowing me down and forcing me to note the details in the scene. I read lines over and over, thinking about what it must feel like, what the words would look like on a banner or a poster or a hat, framed on a wall somewhere, and had to ponder the sound and the meaning before I could read on again.
Before I knew it, it was time to make dinner, because my people were hungry …. again. I grilled and cooked and hurried, and then, with the guys heading off to fish, I blended a mocha and headed to the deck, ready to finish the story, when ….
My Big Helper showed up, hinting that she wanted to play a game and talk. It soon became apparent, over about 45 games of Sorry, that what she really wanted was to brainstorm ideas for the novel she wants to write this summer. Now, Sorry is my all-time favorite game, and I love that my girl knows that she’s called to write, and I most definitely want to encourage that, but Lief was trying to figure out what was going on with Iskra! I needed to be turning pages and figuring out where you were taking these two, because they are fascinating, but, no, historical fiction was calling her name, and so ….
We brainstormed plot lines, made lists, did some research, and just when I thought I could read some more, because it was getting dangerously close to sundown Sunday, the time when I stop my fun reading and resume my regular evening work, when ….
The guys came home, fishy and excited, ready to talk. I listened to fish stories, and then we watched a few games of Jeopardy!, and then instead of going to bed, the kids had their own story-plotting meeting, and then they wanted to share aaalllllll of their new ideas, until ….
Suddenly it was 11 PM. Everyone disappeared, the lights were off, and I didn’t feel like booting up my computer to continue work on my current project at such a late hour, so reading it was … except should I continue in the Tolkien book for future school planning or pick up Storm Rising again?
I knew I should pick up Tolkien. I mean, The Hobbit is THE HOBBIT. It has this big reputation reminiscent of cult-classic with the costumes and foods and fonts and everything that entails. As much as I love to read, I’m also the homeschooling teacher-mom, and I spend my summers reading books and planning curriculum, and Tolkien is on everyone’s to-read list, but ….
I needed to know Lief’s secret and what Iskra would choose and the secrets that the Book would reveal and so much more. So, smirking a little at The Hobbit‘s cover – they were just hiking and complaining anyway, right? – I picked up Storm Rising again.
I read. Through the action and the drama and the love and the pain and the suspense and the danger, I read. Through the mystery and the hope and the heartache, I turned pages. I read. I paused and considered words and reread. And ….
Finally, when the clock was nearing 2 AM, I turned the last page.
Then immediately picked up my phone to check Amazon for the release date for Kings Falling.
So, here we are. Almost 24 hours later, and I’m still misspelling words and feeling antsy and ready to tune back into The Book of the Wars.
I’m sure I’m not the only one feeling off-kilter about this, so I’m also not sure how we’re supposed to function for the next nine whole months in limbo.
So, please, work your magic. Do your thing. Create. Weave music into your words and love into your characters and bring them to life on the page just like Geppetto did to his boy, and just as you did to Lief and Iskra and the other amazing characters in Storm Rising.
But, please …
do it quickly!
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Your biggest, fannish-reader ever.
Amy
Dear Blog Reader,
Seriously – if you only have time to read one book this month or this summer or this year – make it this one. The Book of the Wars series is like Indiana Jones for a new generation, and it’s awesome. You won’t want to miss it.
I received a copy of this book from the author. My opinions are all my own.
