Happy Monday, Paranormal Unbound Readers!
Today, we welcome fantasy author J. A. Garland to the Paranormal Unbound blog. She has noticed a trend in her genre and she’s here to hold it up to the light, give it a little shake, and see what we all think.
Are you ready, dear readers?
Take it away, J. A. …
Hi Everyone! Nice to be here on the Paranormal Unbound blog. 🙂
I like to consider myself an avid reader, but in reality, my bookshelf lacks the clutter of those who have truly earned the title. I read about one book a week, while ardent readers, those gobblers of the written word, read two – three times that amount.
So if I, the casual reader, have noticed the trend while flipping through the e-pages of my cyber device, I suspect those rapacious readers have witnessed it as well.
Many fantasy authors are writing pastiche.
There, I’ve said it. Pastiche.
I’ve read many books in the past several months and each one followed the same theme, the same checklist of foreseeable events. Granted, there IS a formula for writing: set the hook, introduce the dilemma, partially resolve the dilemma, add another dilemma, etc. But when the formula has the same ingredients, right down to the main characters, the dish tastes downright bland.
Where has originality gone?
In Search of the Shiny New Toy
Paranormal Unbound readers: Will you accept my challenge? Please, prove me wrong! Tell me about a book you’ve recently read that didn’t follow the usual 1-2-3 + a-b-c = Fantasy, recipe. Tell me about a novel that threw in unpredictable, spicy mayhem.
I’ll be eternally grateful for the helping hand out of my reading rut! 🙂
About J. A. Garland
J. A. Garland is a professional firefighter in California. She is married and has two children. A graduate of Cogswell Polytechnical with a degree in Fire Administration, Jennifer always knew she wanted to be an author. (Except for a brief two-month period after watching the movie “Top Gun,” when she wanted to be a fighter pilot). She admits she’s an addicted trail runner, mostly because she’s a devout consumer of all things cheese puff. If she misses you at the next mud run, please visit her Web site to see what’s new in the world “where fantasy becomes reality.”
Connect with J. A.
Web site | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads
Urban fantasy by J. A. – Dysus Dreamer
“A powerful half-demon is kidnapped, bloodthirsty werewolves are on the rise, and a planet is dying. A demon warrior and dark elf joining forces are the least of their worries.”
Demon warrior, Slade Aesus, is determined to destroy the werewolves controlling his cousin. But a beautiful elf, consumed by her own vengeance, finds the wolves first. Botching her assassination attempt, Annwyn has the most powerful Packs in the world biting at her heels. Both fiercely independent, can the two join forces long enough to fulfill their missions and stay alive?
Amazon | Burst Books | OmniLit
Paranormal Unbound 
Hi J. A!
Okay, I accept your challenge. 🙂
Let’s see – for fantasy/PNR … I’d have to say your urban fantasy novel, Dysus Dreamer surprised me. And Amber Belldene’s Blood Vine series vampires are quite unique: sexy, rich in cultural heritage…
Laura Kaye totally surprised me in South of Surrender, the third book in her Hearts of the Anemoi series. And Larissa Ione’s Demonica series and Lords of Deliverance series offer up some “Oh wow” moments, too.
Oh! Here’s another one: Prince of Thorns by Mark Lawrence. Paranormal Unbound’s Erica Hayes introduced us to this unique fantasy novel. Venture over to the “What We’re Reading” section to check it out.
Celia,
I knew you couldn’t resist the challenge, lol.
First of all, thank you. I tried really hard to make Dysus Dreamer unpredictable. Secondly, thank you for all the new-to-me authors and novels, but just so you know, I won’t start anything around your next release. It’s GO TIME when that prequel comes out!
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Have you read any Brent Weeks? I love, love, love his Night Angel trilogy and while his Lightbringer series starts out a little slow, it doesn’t disappoint, either. Of course, the series isn’t done, yet. Grrr…why do authors write so slow? 🙂 And what about Anne Bishop’s Black Jewel series? She’s one of my all-time favorite authors.
Hi C.J.!
Thanks for stopping by. And thank you for adding two more authors to my massive TBR list! 🙂
Wow, thank you for your input, my TBR is growing by leaps and bounds!
I’m assuming you’re saying it’s become a pastiche of The Hero’s Journey? I’m just trying to get a feel for what they’ve been a pastiche of, so I can recommend something different…
I argue that many of the books I’ve read recently are imitations of each other. And I’m talking the big fishes in the business. Change the character names, the locations, and wham-o, you could almost be reading the same book over and over again. I’m dying for something new, something with a hell of a twist, something that doesn’t follow the same pre-formulated story line. Help 🙂
I love fantasy romance as a genre, I just finished re-reading C.L. Wilson – Tairen Soul series. But the book I loved the most this year is Written in Red by Anne Bishop. It took me 10 hours to read, and I have already read it 5 times.
Okay, wow. Thanks for the recommendation Xaurianx. Adding that one to the TBR!
Love your avatar 🙂
And, wow, with a reccomend like that, I can’t go wrong. I’m headed to Amazon now.
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