tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2216751897705338056.post8133845866212439607..comments2023-10-17T03:41:01.759-04:00Comments on reflexiones finales: Sun Bleached Winter: A Reviewrussell1200http://www.blogger.com/profile/16258915475311426433noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2216751897705338056.post-87077775633662206942013-04-25T06:33:44.808-04:002013-04-25T06:33:44.808-04:00Russel: Ah, I see what you mean. If anything, it&#...Russel: Ah, I see what you mean. If anything, it's the fact that I never actually specified which weapons they were that may cause the confusion. I don't particularly know much about firearms (in fact, having access to anything other than a hunting rifle in Australia is very rare) -- I barely even play video games focusing on firearms, so I felt the safest way to proceed would be to have Lionel identify the guns in generic terms such as "machine gun", firstly because he doesn't know what specific type of weapon it is, and it prevents me from identifying a weapon incorrectly.<br /><br />Funnily enough, the guns were never really meant to be a main part of the storyline; there are only two gunfights in the novel. The "point" of the novel, I guess, is to chronicle Lionel's eventual descent into madness as he tries to cope with situations that he was never prepared for (physically and mentally. Nothing more -- it's basically a psychological sci-fi/horror story with apocalyptic dressings. That said, I understand that some may expect a realistic "prepper" story, and in that instance, the story will fall short. I apologise for the factual inconsistencies. I'm not a prepper by any means, and although I felt that the fantastic elements of the story (the ghosts, the science fiction elements) would distance the novel from reality somewhat, I understand now that this genre is not one to be taken lightly.<br /><br />Again, thank you for your time and comments. I haven't even started the sequel yet (I plan to write a more straight forward supernatural horror novel first), so there is plenty of time to take it all onboard and incorporate it into the story plan.<br /><br />Dayle<br /><br />P.S For the record, the cause of the apocalypse in the novel is officially undefined -- it's basically whatever you want it to be (because there are too many implausibilities for it to be any one particular event). I personally think of an asteroid strike, but I didn't have this in mind when I wrote it. I didn't have any particular event in mind -- the important thing is that SOMETHING happened, and now an ordinary man is out of his depth.<br /><br />Apologies for the long comment, by the way -- I just feel that since you took time out of your day to write this review, I should do it justice and offer you a comparably comprehensive reply.Dark Gaiahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00248095011003412716noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2216751897705338056.post-71591230870594653972013-04-24T14:02:14.204-04:002013-04-24T14:02:14.204-04:00Pioneer: If some of the logic were straightened o...Pioneer: If some of the logic were straightened out, and the combat a little tighter...<br /><br />Dayle:<br /><br />It is because I am old. If I could remember half of what I had read, I would seem a lot smarter.<br /><br />Probably the Lionel's introspection/self absorption clash more with the horror than the apocalyptic portions. McCarthy makes it look easy, but it is not.<br /><br />On firearms: The New Town agent hands Lionel a bag of ammunitions as if all "revolver" ammunition were equal. There are some common pistol, revolver, rifle types in the U.S., but that is a long way from making them generic. The standard military revolver was a .38. Saying that all farms have 32s is like saying all US ganbangers use 9s. I never could tell exactly what sort of "machine gun" the agent was using. It sounded a little like either an assault rifle (full auto carbine) or sub-machine gun (full auto pistol caliber).<br /><br />It is interesting that an asteroid strike is the cause. It makes some of the results a little off beat, but it reminds me a little of British author, David Roger's Dog Eat Dog where cosmic catastrophe meets Cthulhu (and zombies).<br /><br />Jake:<br /><br />There is no doubt that different people will see the same book differently. A number people have commented on past books that they plan to buy a book that I personally didn't like all that much. I attempt to describe enough that people with different preferences will get enough information to see if they will like it. That is why, for myself, reviews that are all about "I like this" or "I didn't get into that" aren't terribly helpful.<br /><br />I am at slight variance on the gun knowledge (or any plot dependent knowledge) issue. It is not important that characters understand what is going on, but it is important that what is happening is plausible. Gunfire was an important element of the text. If you read McCarthy's No Country for Old Men, you will see that he is very careful to understand the weapons and firearms he is describing, when they are an important story element. There are ways to get around an imperfect knowledge, but the story here was too detailed for that.<br /><br />Thank you for sharing your review.russell1200https://www.blogger.com/profile/16258915475311426433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2216751897705338056.post-12776390157337623652013-04-24T01:11:19.052-04:002013-04-24T01:11:19.052-04:00Hi Russel,
That was a comprehensive review--and w...Hi Russel,<br /><br />That was a comprehensive review--and well said--no snark or barbs, just your impressions of the book. One of the things that amazes me about books is how several people can read the same book and get something so different out of it. I was more forgiving with the gun-type issue, I figured as a first person narrative that lionel didn't know what he was dealing with, being citizens in Australia don't have a right to own firearms. There were a couple parts that didn't satisfy me as much as I I'd have expected to seasoned authors like Cormack McCarthy or Stephen King or Robert McCammon. Each had several books under their wing before attempting a post-apocalypse tale, this was Mr. Grixti's first go in the ring.<br /><br />I like how you write, it takes balls to write a less-than-good-review and not be a dick. Honest, exact, balanced--these are the elements that will make Mr. Grixti's next book better.<br /><br />To add artistic contrast, my review is posted here--http://jakeelliotfiction.com/2013/01/21/d-robert-grixtis-sun-bleached-winter/Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13198804309882756432noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2216751897705338056.post-42906518942477249772013-04-23T22:31:31.843-04:002013-04-23T22:31:31.843-04:00Quickly before I forget, however, I must address o...Quickly before I forget, however, I must address one of your points :)<br /><br />"weapons are misnamed, revolver ammunition is universally acceptable by all of that general type"<br /><br />I'll pay you the weapon misnaming (revolvers and rifles are all colloqially called "32s" in Australia) though I don't think I ever mentioned Lionel's revolver being able to utilise ammunition from other weapons. All of the weapons mentioned in the novel are weapons commonly found on farms in Australia -- typically, handguns are all .32s. <br /><br />P.S I personally like to think that the end of the world in my novel was an asteroid strike. Just thought you'd be interested to hear my take on it :)Dark Gaiahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00248095011003412716noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2216751897705338056.post-60128648077787095212013-04-23T22:25:25.504-04:002013-04-23T22:25:25.504-04:00Hi Russel,
Thanks for taking the time to read my ...Hi Russel,<br /><br />Thanks for taking the time to read my work. I regret that you didn't find much enjoyment in it, but I appreciated that you have taken the time to provide detailed feedback and analysis.<br /><br />As a 20 year old who is still in uni, I consider it an honour that anyone has taken the time to read the novel and write such an in depth review about it, especially someone who is so well versed in the apocalyptic genre (whereas my own knowledge of the genre is -- as you can probably tell -- somewhat limited).<br /><br />Sun Bleached Winter is supposed to be a horror novel first and foremost, with a very loose basis in reality (this is why, for example, the end of the world is left ambiguous). That said, as my first work, I'm aware that execution might be lacking, so I will gladly take your comments into account for my next effort.<br /><br />Cheers!<br /><br />DayleDark Gaiahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00248095011003412716noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2216751897705338056.post-76673443028946557902013-04-23T20:25:00.592-04:002013-04-23T20:25:00.592-04:00Hmmm doesn't sound like a run out and buy one ...Hmmm doesn't sound like a run out and buy one to me.<br /><br />End of the world horror is so sub classified as you say that many that would count are counted somewhere else.<br /><br />PioneerPreppyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09269878017447335944noreply@blogger.com