Q&A with Jon Sprunk discussion

Besides Son (insert cheesy smile), what are you favorite books and authors?

As I've said in other places, I'm a fan of "classic S&S like Robert Howard, Michael Moorcock, and Fritz Leiber ... and more gothic horror such as Lovecraft.

Jon, you read some Steven Erikson and liked it, right? I keep meaning to give GARDENS OF THE MOON another try. But if you like gritty S&S, have you read any of David Gemmell's work?

Apart from Shadow's Son I love Brent Week's Night Angel Triology and The Black Prism. Tamora Pierce, John Marsden, Richelle Mead and Nalini Singh I read a lot of too. :) They rock <3

JM: I read the first four Malazan books and enjoyed them. I keep meaning to get back to the series.

Clare: I'm holding off reading the Night Angel series until I finish my Shadow Saga, but I've heard good things.

I've heard good things about Weeks' "Night Angel" trilogy, too. Certainly on my to-read list. So Jon, are you holding off out of a concern it could run in a like thread as your series?

Clare, I've not read any of the other authors you mentioned, although Pierce and Mead I've heard of. Who would you suggest among them, and which book?

I stated in another thread that Joe Abercrombie is one of my tops right now. His writing is gritty, his characters are despicable, his themes are bloody, and I'm an avid fan of his Sword & Sorcery style... although there's a lot more sword than sorcery in his titles. Reading Abercrombie is like getting punched in the throat, slashed in the face, and spat on, in no particular order. But in a good way.

Jon: I hope you do read it, it's EPIC :) I started really getting into assassin-y books after I read Shadow's Son, and I happened to see Weeks' Night Angel Triology.

J.M: I'm not suprised you've heard of Pierce and Mead. Richelle Mead's "Vampire Academy" series is becoming really big world-wide and they're trying to turn it into a movie. I LOVE her writing :D It captivates you from the first page.

I would have to suggest...(wow, this is really hard ><) Singh's Guild Hunter series and definately Richelle Mead's Vampire Academy or Succubus Series! (Depends on if you like vampires of more out-there creatures). If you like some more real-life kind of reading Marsden is the way to go. His Tomorrow Series is awesome and the first book, Tomorrow, When the War Began has just currently been turned into the movie. HUGE FAN! =)
Hope that kind of helped =P

Aside from Shadow's Son, and waiting for the next one in the series, I love reading George R. R. Martin, Joe Abercrombie, Caitlin R. Kiernan, Tad Williams, Brandon Sanderson, Robert Jordan. There are others, but I can't remember them right now.

I also read a lot of horror and some science fiction.

JM: Yeah, a little. I didn't want to have another writer's assassin stories in my head while I composed my own.

Clare: If you like vampire series, Pyr Books is putting out a new one this November (I believe). Vampire Empire by Clay and Susan Griffith is getting some great buzz.

I'll check it out if they aren't the normal vampires x] That sounds mean...but I'm so over them. Richelle just offers something new and fresh. Everywhere I turn there's a vampire in my face. It's like, "Gah!" Thanks for letting me know about them though, :)

No problem. I met the authors at Dragon*Con. They are very cool people.

I'm sure they thought the same about you :) I wish cool stuff happened in Australia =\

Jason mentioned Caitlin R. Kiernan. Anyone know if she and Celine Kiernan are related?

Also, everyone, here's a link to that cool Vampire Empire series Jon mentioned above:

The Greyfriar

JM: No idea. lol

Clare: You guys just hosted World Con! My agent was there for like 2 weeks. :)

Haha, that's pretty awesome then. But here in the Central West, nothing much happens. Now I'm going to be on the look-out for more writing events :)

JM, I don't think they are. I could be wrong, though.