The Backlot Gay Book Forum discussion

After a hiatus, author T.J. Klune is publishing again, and the first new work is a comic fantasy titled The Lightning-Struck Heart .

Once upon a time, in an alleyway in the slums of the City of Lockes, a young and somewhat lonely boy named Sam Haversford turns a group of teenage douchebags into stone completely by accident.

Of course, this catches the attention of a higher power, and Sam's pulled from the only world he knows to become an apprentice to the King's Wizard, Morgan of Shadows.

When Sam is fourteen, he enters the Dark Woods and returns with Gary, the hornless gay unicorn, and a half-giant named Tiggy, earning the moniker Sam of Wilds.

At fifteen, Sam learns what love truly is when a new knight arrives at the castle. Sir Ryan Foxheart, the dreamiest dream to have ever been dreamed.

Naturally, it all goes to hell through the years when Ryan dates the reprehensible Prince Justin, Sam can't control his magic, a sexually aggressive dragon kidnaps the prince, and the King sends them on an epic quest to save Ryan's boyfriend, all while Sam falls more in love with someone he can never have.

Or so he thinks.

Holy cow, what to say about this book? How about we start with I loved it. The description had me at "hornless gay unicorn named Gary"---ha! The sense of humour on display is in line with Klune's Tell Me It's Real , meaning it's so, so vulgar---but absolutely hilarious. I couldn't stop laughing at the interplay between the characters; the conversations between these fellows constantly cracked me up.

Now, some people have commented that it's a bit too similar to Tell Me It's Real . Hmmmm... well, the interaction between the characters is familiar; in comparing the two books you could say that Sam=Paul, Gary=Sandy, and Ryan=Vince. But I don't think this is a bad thing, considering that I also loved Tell Me It's Real (up to now, my favourite of Klune's books). And this really is its own story, despite the similarity of the type of humour involved.

It's true enough that Sam is certainly a "Mary Sue" type of character (well, since he's a fellow in this case I supposed you'd call him a "Gary Stu")---you know, the type of person who is so talented and gifted and universally adored that you want to slap them? But in this case I didn't mind it a bit, because he's so darn goofy and silly and likable. What a fantastic trio he, Gary, and Tiggy make.

So, I read it once, waited a day or two, then read it straight through again. Since then I've re-read certain individual passages/chapters over and over again (more than a dozen times). I'm rarely so enthusiastic about a book; this was just so darn funny. Now, your mileage may vary; it really does depend if this type of silly, over-the-top humour appeals to you. For me---yep, a perfect fit.

While this story is complete in itself, it's the first of an intended trilogy, and I can't wait for the next volume. Highly recommended!

And in this post, the author (amusingly) talks about how The Lightning-Struck Heart came to be written:

Pre-Release Thoughts on The Lightning-Struck Heart; Or, How I Learned To Like Myself Again

Here's my bit:
I knew I was going to read this long before it was published. I’m a die-hard TJ Klune fan, but am also aware that his intense writing style is something of an acquired taste. Both the cover and the title fell within the expected range of what I know and love about Klune’s previous books. However, nothing prepared me for what lay between the covers of “The Lightning-Struck Heart.”

Imagine, if you will, an epic “Lord of the Rings” sort of fantasy, somewhat mixed with Harry Potter tropes, with a hefty sprinkling of “Princess Bride” humor.

Then imagine that all the characters in the book talk like they’re horny gay teenagers from Santa Monica. Hogwarts meets “Clueless.”

So, so gay.

Having spent nearly twenty-four hours laughing my way through the book, I tried to read sections of the dialogue to my husband and daughter at the dinner table tonight. It was clear from their expressions that they were questioning the life choices that led to me being their father/husband.
Lucky for them I am awesome and patient. So I forgive them. Maybe.

Sam Haversford, a slum child elevated by accident when the king’s wizard stumbles across him in a dark alley, is a remarkable character. Possibly, in his volubility, he is not unlike the author (at least as I imagine the author to be from what I know of him and his literary voice). Sam himself is fairly absurd, but he is impossible not to love. This is especially true because he is surrounded by a bevy of even more absurd characters, from his best friends Gary (a hornless gay unicorn) and Tiggy (a possibly gay half-giant); to Ryan Foxheart, central heartthrob of the piece, and Sam’s wizard mentor, Morgan.

Then there are Sam’s parents, who have a loving, bemused presence throughout the narrative and serve as Sam’s moral anchor. Morgan and Ryan try to be normal, but with Sam and his friends driving the conversations, things tend to get out of hand and off topic. Always.

What makes this book work so well for me is its consistent outrageous humor and its love-filled big-heartedness. Comedy is hard to write, and Klune carries his offbeat tone consistently through what is a long novel. As for the big heartedness: the title is neither random nor unimportant. It speaks to Sam’s vast, generous humanity, which manages to shine through all of the smutty, puerile banter that fills the dialogue and keeps the reader unnerved and slightly aghast.

For all the dirty words in the book, there is but a single explicit scene in the whole book. This is an epic about feelings. And the feelings are, I can assure you, epic. So epic.

Ulysses wrote: "... I tried to read sections of the dialogue to my husband and daughter at the dinner table tonight. It was clear from their expressions that they were questioning the life choices that led to me being their father/husband. "

Ha! I know what you mean. There is no one I know in my everyday life with whom I could share this---they just wouldn't get it (and would probably be horrified by the vulgarity!). But I think it's hilarious---I can so clearly hear the silly conversations of the characters in my mind as I read. Plus, I can picture so much of it very vividly too---like Tiggy and Gary doing fist/hoof bumps. It's just so silly; I love it.

But now I'm incredibly impatient for volume two, and I don't think T.J. has even begun writing it yet, has he? Arrrrrgh.....

There's a volume TWO???

Ulysses wrote: "There's a volume TWO???"

Well, not yet! But there's going to be. Remember, (view spoiler)[we still have to have Sam get through his wizard-training-trials, find Gary's horn, find Tiggy's parents, figure out what the deal is with the dragons---why did Kevin show up all of a sudden?---and discover what the ancient prophecy is concerning Sam. (hide spoiler)]

To anyone who hasn't read this book yet---what I wrote above makes it sound like the story is very open-ended! But I promise, there is no cliffhanger ending and the plot winds up most satisfactorily, no problem.

And here TJ talks a little more about the background of the book and the future of what has turned out to be a series (caution: spoilerific).

Post-Release Thoughts on The Lightning-Struck Heart & What's Next

Yes--very fun to read after reading the book. "Lightning Struck Heart" is the most directly personal story TJ has written...it's his pure voice.

For those who can't get enough of The Lightning-Struck Heart , here's a short follow-up titled Tales from Verania, or The Tragic Life Of Lady Tina DeSilva .

Looks like it will be fun! I've just run it through Calibre and loaded it onto my Kindle. You can find it here:

http://tjklunebooks.blogspot.com/2015...

I have to say, Tales from Verania (complete with a reading of really bad erotic fan-fiction) simply cracked me up! Best part---Gary and Tiggy (making snarky remarks) in disguise at the fan club meeting ---they were both wearing long beards, with Gary having a fake paper horn taped to his head.

And in honour of The Lightning-Struck Heart , here is a cartoon I found on artist Jim Benton's site which made me laugh (I made one small alteration of the original, by changing the name from "Steven" to "Ryan"):

I loved this book very much.

I've re-read this books 2 or 4 times because it's so funny and sassy yet sweet! :) The characters are a hoot! Sam has no filter and still "learns his lesson in the end".

Tales of Verania:
1 - The Lightning-Struck Heart
2 - A Destiny of Dragons
3- The Consumption of Magic
4- A Wish Upon the Stars

There are one or two side stories and I believe there might be one or two more coming.

I've read all four books multiple times, now---I just LOVE this series! It's hilarious---and at times, very touching. I'm very much looking forward to when TJ revisits this world; the next book is to be about Justin, and told from his point of view. However, the release of that book isn't expected for a few years, yet.