Kur of Gor: An Excerpt

Kur of Gor: The Tale Begins

Chapter, the First: The Containment Device

He thrust violently against the close, curving, transparent walls, howling with rage.

We can understand such emotions.

They are not strange to us.

In his own language his name was said to be Tarl Cabot.

Such things do not really much matter, with such creatures. Nonetheless, to themselves, and to some of their kind, they seem of much importance. I do not know, of course, whether it was important to him, or not. Perhaps some microorganisms arrange their cilia in some bizarre fashion, and then understand themselves as being somehow thereby exalted. Are names so important? Perhaps. But is that which is named not more important? One does not know with such creatures. I think they are strange.

They cannot tell themselves from their names, nor do they care to do so. They name themselves, and things, and think thereby to acquire them. They do not do so.

They have names; reality does not.

How is it, in any event, that they so invest themselves with such importance? What a piteously naive arrogance is therein displayed.

Are they truly so unaware of their small place in the yard of existence, so ignorant of the length of space and the breadth of time, of the flight of galaxies, of the journeys of streaming light, perhaps touching nothing for a hundred thousand years; are they unaware even of the patience of stone, cogitating its memories of a molten youth? It is hard to accept that they are the offspring of stars, a freshened reconfiguration of antique components long ago expelled into the darkness, but are we not all such?

They are so tiny, and so generally useless, an active rash on quietude, a small noise, perhaps brave in its way, in the night.

But are we not, in our way, as well?

When the Nameless One stirred the cauldron of stars did it intend them? Are they not a lapse of sorts? Might it have been distracted at the time? But in what workshop or cauldron was formed the Nameless One itself? From what unseen seas was it itself cast forth, beached on shores burnt by drifting, incandescent tides, and from whence came these, the tides, the continents, these, too, children of the mystery?

Before the Nameless One, you see, is the Mystery.

It is that which was, and that which is, and that which will be. And none have lifted its veil.

I suppose it is offensive to conceive that we are brothers to that woeful life form, the human, one so disgusting and treacherous in its diverse paths, one so despicable in its intolerable vanity. How absurd, how repulsive, one supposes, that we are siblings in virtue of the parentage of stars.

But then we may console ourselves that we are siblings, too, to the diatom, to the smallest living thing, to the worm in the sea, the mote in the air.

But how small, how trivial, is the human.

How easily might he be struck by some astral debris, not noticing him. Or fall prey to a prolific, invasive mite, a thousand mutations from an eye or claw, a mite not even visible to his eye.

And how despicable, how contemptible, is the human!

A spawn of greed, an embracer of comfort, a seeker of ease, a blemish on the world, a wart of vanity, a stranger to honor.

One who guards his mind, fearing it will awaken.

One who guards his mind, as one might guard a prisoner.

One who so treasures his mind that he dares not use it.

His bulwark is stupidity.

And what labor is not expended in its preservation!

How mighty is the sweet shield of ignorance!

How fearfully and carefully he burnishes it!

He is a herd animal. He is unworthy of the stars.

Yet there is in that life form a spark of awareness, for all its frivolity and frailty, for all its egregious contumely and its hideous ineptitude, a flicker of mind, however reluctant, in a largely oblivious, somnolent world. It is one of the rare places the universe has stirred, and awakened, and opened its eye, and looked upon itself, startled to learn that it exists.

Does it recoil, seeing itself in the human?

Surely it rejoices, seeing itself in us, we who are worthy of it.

It is conscious in countless minds, of course, in that of the mouse, and cat, in that of the urt and verr, in that of the barracuda, in that of the viper and leopard, in that of the hith and larl.

But we are most worthy of it.

In us is its nature most fully manifested. Are we not the outward form of its inward horror, or essence? Are we not the choice fruits of its inward terrors, the splendid robes of its dark, shrieking soul? In us, it finds its fangs, and talons, its hunger, its indifference, its terribleness, its sublimity, its rage, its glory.

And it is through our eyes that it sees the stars.

One day, perhaps, the human will disband his herds and be free. One day, perhaps even the human will lift his head, and see the stars.

They are there.

I am personally, you see, not ill disposed to the human.

If I were I should not tell this story, which deals primarily with some humans, and something not human, with the monster.

And, of course, with the Kurii.

I wonder if you know of them.

They know of you.

You could not understand our name for the human with whom we will begin. In fact, you would not even know it was uttered. One might use our name for the human, of course, but you could not pronounce it. For example, if a leopard or a lion, or a larl or a sleen, had a name for you you would doubtless not recognize it as a name, let alone as your name. We will, accordingly, refer to that individual with whom we shall begin by that name by which other humans might know him, namely, as Tarl Cabot, or, as some will have it, Bosk, of Port Kar.

He pounded again, and again, at the transparent walls, until his hands bled.

Bruised, and bewildered, he sank down then, naked, inside the bottlelike container. Such containers taper toward the bottom, that wastes may drain from them. They taper, too, toward the top. Near the top a tube descends periodically, automatically, through which liquid, if the occupant chooses to live, may be drawn by the mouth into his body. The entire facility is automated, though one supposes some supervisory personnel may be in attendance, if only by means of olfactory devices, listening devices, cameras, or such. Certainly one seldom sees them. The tube's descent is indicated by an odor. The corridors are commonly empty and silent. One may conjecture, occasionally, from the outside, that within the containers there is sound, this being surmised from the expressions of the occupant, the motions and configurations of his mouth, the gestures of his limbs, such things. The container is rather oval, or ovoid, rounded, ascending rather vertically, but narrowing, rounded, toward the top and bottom. The diameter, in measurements likely to be familiar to the reader, would be something like four feet, whereas the container, as a whole, is something like eight feet in height, though much of this space is not conveniently utilizable, given the tapering at the top and bottom. In such a container one sleeps as one can. Indeed a soporific gas may be entered into the container remotely, which suggests there is some actual surveillance of the containers. Too, the air in the container may be drawn from the container, should one wish, say, to terminate an occupant, clear the space for a new occupant, and so on. Too, it might be noted that the corridor itself, as most of the structure, is airless. This contributes to the incarcerational efficiency of the facility.

Various life forms may be kept in such containers.

From where he was contained, the human in question, Tarl Cabot, could see several tiers of similar containers, several of them occupied. He did not realize at the time the absence of air outside the container, as the container itself contained a regulated, breathable atmosphere. And probably some of the other life forms did not understand that either. One supposes, incidentally, that there were diversities in the container atmospheres, as, upon inspection, there appeared to be substantial dissimilarities amongst their occupants.

In the human species, aside from some unusual specimens, there are two sexes. Commonly both collaborate in replication. Interestingly, the biological functions of conception, gestation, and nurturance in the human species are all centered in a single sex, that of the female. Among the Kurii, on the other hand, the procedures of replication are conveniently divided amongst three, or, if you like, four sexes. There is the dominant, the submissive, and the nurturant, who gestates and nurtures, until the child is mature enough to chew and claw its way free. At that point it is ready for meat. It is not clear if the nurturant was a naturally evolved entity or if it was the result of biological engineering long ago, in the Kurii's original world, or one of its worlds, for it may have destroyed more than one. Indeed, the technology of the nurturant might have been obtained from another species. It is not known. These thing are lost in the prehistory of a species, so to speak, or at least in the time from which no histories remain. The fourth sex, if one may so speak, is the nondominant. Under certain unusual circumstances the nondominant becomes a dominant. It is very dangerous at such times, even to dominants.

The individual, Tarl Cabot, doubtless called out a number of times, angrily, requesting an explanation or justification for the predicament in which he had so unexpectedly found himself. That would be only natural. From outside the container, of course, given the container and the near vacuum of the corridor, he could not be heard, nor, it seemed, was there anyone there to listen. He may not have recognized this, or, if he suspected it, he might have supposed that somehow sounds from within the container might be conveyed, doubtless by means of some listening device, to some point at which they might be audited, or recorded, for future audition. On the other hand, given the emptiness of the corridor, and the absence of intelligible communication from an outside source, he had no assurance that his demands, protests, or such, were anywhere registered, or even that they might be of the least interest to anyone or anything.

Needless to say this can be unsettling.

Indeed, it can derange certain sorts of minds. The instincts of many caged animals, on the other hand, are more healthy. Understanding themselves trapped, they are patient, and wait. Beyond a certain interval they do not exhaust their resources, but conserve them, almost lethargically, for a given moment, for the sudden movement, for the lunge, the movement to the throat. So, after a time, Tarl Cabot, who was not particularly disanalogous to such beasts, became quiescent, at least as far as external observation might detect. This was in conformance, incidentally, with certain recommendations of his caste codes. One can learn much, even from the codes of humans. He was, as we learned, of what on Gor amongst humans is referred to as the scarlet caste. This is a high caste, doubtless because it is armed. Individuals of this caste are of great value to their cities, their employers, their princes, so to speak. Indeed, they are indispensable in their way; have they not, however unintentionally, secured the foundation of law; have they not, however unbeknownst to themselves, raised from the mire of brutishness, insecurity, and terror the towers of civilization? Surely it is they who must man the walls and defend the bridges, who must police the streets and guard the roads, and who will in sunlight, or in darkness and storms, carry forth the standards. They are unusual men and seldom understand their own nature, nor need they. Perhaps it is better that they do not. Let them laugh and fight, and drink and quarrel, and seek their slaves in conquered cities and taverns, and chain them and put them to their feet, and not inquire into the dark and mighty processes which have bred them, which have made them so real, and necessary. And so they are encouraged to emulate the stealth and savagery of the larl, the cunning and tenacity of the sleen, the vigilance and swiftness, the alertness, of the mighty tarn. They are companions to discipline; they are hardened to short rations, long watches, and the march; they are inured to the exigencies of camp and field; and trained to fight, and kill, preferably swiftly and cleanly. They do not know how they came to be, but they would not be other than they are. They are more beast than man, and more man than beast. They are, so to speak, dangerous beasts with minds. And such have their utilities. We may laud them or despise them. They are called Warriors.

Life is very real where they live it, at the edge of a sword.

The reader may be interested in obtaining an account, however superficial, of certain events antecedent to the incarceration of the individual, Tarl Cabot.

It is rumored that within recent years certain tumults or transitions have taken place in the realm of Priest-Kings. I do not know whether that is true or not. Who is to say what thrones may have been toppled, what crowns seized? Surely such things, coups, insurrections, fatalities, suppressions, and such, are not unknown even within the benign civilizations of the habitats. And are they not useful in subverting stagnation, and improving bloodlines? And if such things occurred, it is not impossible that they may have had a role in this business. Again, one does not know. On the other hand, such things, such conjectured events, bloody or otherwise, are not strictly germane to this history.

The individual, Tarl Cabot, had, it seems, upon occasion proved to be of some value to Priest-Kings. In some eyes, though not in his, we may conjecture, he was even taken as an agent of Priest-Kings. And certainly, whether this be so or not, one may well suppose that any behavior of his which might have been deemed counter to the interests or policies of those mysterious beings would not have been likely to be generously countenanced.

We can understand these things.

In this respect I do not think we are so unlike the Priest-Kings, whoever, or whatever, they may be.

In the north of Gor, in its polar regions, inhabited sparsely by tribes of humans known as the Red Hunters, recognizable by the small blue spot at the base of their spine, it is said that he, this Tarl Cabot, once encountered a great war general of the Kurii, Zarendargar, whose name, for convenience, we have transliterated into phonemes hopefully accessible to at least some readers of this tale, certainly in this translation. Colloquially, doubtless with a certain crudity, he, Zarendargar, was spoken of as "Half-Ear." And, of course, few of the Kurii who ascend high in the rings will be without certain blemishes. A certain area of the polar region was at that time being used as staging area, under the command of the aforementioned Zarendargar, a staging area with munitions and such, for an attack on the Sardar enclave, destined to suddenly, decisively, and irremediably terminate the rule of Priest-Kings, destroying them in their own most-favored haunts or lairs. It had taken better than a century for this materiel, bit by bit, to be secretly assembled. One can well understand then its preciousness and importance to the Steel Worlds, its relevance to their projects, and such. The staging area, however, was destroyed, and somehow, in some way, Tarl Cabot seems to have been involved in its destruction. It was supposed at the time that Zarendargar was destroyed in the explosion, or conflagration, or such. But this turned out to be mistaken. When it became clear that Zarendargar had survived the destruction of the staging area, a death squad was dispatched from the Steel Worlds to hunt him down and kill him, for he had, after all, failed the people. The policies and decisions connected with the transmission of the death squad were controversial, incidentally, in the councils of the Steel Worlds, and the decree of termination, some months later, would be rescinded. This, of course, could not have been anticipated by the personnel of the Death Squad. Representatives of the Death Squad contacted Samos of Port Kar, clearly an agent of Priest-Kings, and Tarl Cabot, for assistance in hunting down and executing Zarendargar. It was assumed naturally that this assistance would be readily tendered for Zarendargar was well understood to be significant amongst the Kurii and a relentless, dedicated, and dangerous foe of Priest-Kings. The putative location of the at-that-time-fugitive Zarendargar was the vast prairies of the Gorean Barrens. Tarl Cabot, however, instead of lending his assistance to the Death Squad, himself entered the dangerous Barrens to warn Zarendargar and, if possible, protect him. This effort, of course, was not only contrary to the desires of the Death Squad, but, too, seemed clearly to be an act not in the best interests of Priest-Kings. On whose side, so to speak, was this mysterious, unpredictable, ungoverned Tarl Cabot? Was he an agent of Priest-Kings? Was he an agent of Kurii? If he was an agent, it seems he was his own agent, or an agent of honor, for, long ago, it seems, he and Zarendargar had shared paga.

In any event Tarl Cabot, having returned from the Barrens, and having learned later of his putative outlawry, resolved to leave the maritime city of Port Kar, only to return when it might be safe to do so, this intelligence to be gathered from agreed-upon secret signals to be displayed on the holding of his friend, Samos, of Port Kar.

Tarl Cabot remained at large, so to speak, for some time.

The surveillance of Priest-Kings is rather efficient, as we have reason to know, but it is also, as we have reason to know, far from perfect, particularly so in recent years. Perhaps this has to do with transitions or dislocations in the Sardar, such as have been occasionally rumored. But perhaps not. It is hard to know. Surely small ships, at least, manned by humans, have frequently enough, of late, penetrated the atmosphere of Gor. Many, apparently detected, have been ignored. Others, pursued, have eluded their pursuers. I personally suspect that this lapse of attentiveness or this seemingly tolerant permissiveness, or this seeming lack of zeal, on the part of Priest-Kings, and their ships, presumably mostly automated and remotely controlled, has less to do with technological limitations than with some reordering of priorities in the Sardar, perhaps even with an acceptance of the general harmlessness of the ships involved, and a disinterest in their common cargoes. It may be a simple matter of balancing costs. It is hard to know. Our information is clearly incomplete, and conjectural. On the whole, Priest-Kings seem tolerant of other life forms, their activities, partialities, and such. Indeed, they may even look with approbation, given the apparent current infrequency of their voyages of acquisition, or collection, on the introduction of additional human life forms to the world. To be sure, the chains of human females brought to Gor might conceivably, eventually, in some centuries, depress certain relevant markets. At that point presumably only carefully selected, high-quality merchandise would be brought to her shores. But one knows little about such things.

Eventually, however, we may conjecture that the presence of Tarl Cabot was detected. This may have been a matter of chance. On the other hand, he may have been sought for ardently, perhaps because of the heinousness of his offense, his treasonous concern for the welfare of an enemy. Perhaps he was to be used as an example. It is not known.

We now find him, at any rate, naked, in his container, in perfect custody.

He is completely helpless, and fully at the mercy of his captors, or keepers. In this respect he is not much unlike the human females whom men of his sort, on Gor, are wont to keep for their work and pleasure. They, of course, are not at the mercy of captors or keepers, but of owners, and masters. They are owned, you see. They are properties, possessions. Also, they are legally, and in the eyes of all, animals. And as such, as any other form of such an animal, an owned animal, for example pigs or verr, they are subject to barter, exchange, gifting, sale, and such. They are spoken of as slaves.

Whereas Kurii may own humans, and several do, they do not think of them as "slaves," no more than men of Gor would think of their verr and kaiila as slaves, or those of, say, Earth, would think of their pigs and horses, or cattle, as slaves. They are simply domestic animals. The slave, then, from the Gorean view, is a domestic animal, but a particular type of domestic animal, one different, obviously, from other types, such as the verr or kaiila. Thus, not all domestic animals are slaves, but all slaves are domestic animals. Too, many Gorean men seem to be as fond, or even more fond, of their slaves than of, say, their sleen or kaiila, animals commonly much more expensive. To be sure, they master them with firmness, and do not let them forget that they are only slaves. That is seemingly the Gorean way.

Tarl Cabot was not certain how long he had been incarcerated in the heavy, narrow, glassine container. Nor are we. It was perhaps some days, or weeks. Given the absence of clocks, the unknown periodicity of feedings, if they were periodized, the nature of the soporific gas, and such, it would be hard to say.

The gravity in the venue, the Prison Moon, was currently indexed to that of its mother world, Gor, to which it was a satellite. We are not clear, given the small size of the moon, a mere several pasangs in diameter, how this was managed. It is done differently, certainly, and perhaps more primitively, in the cylinders and spheres, in the Steel Worlds. The capabilities of the Priest-Kings, whoever or whatever they may be, are not well understood. Certainly it would not do to underestimate either their power, resolve or sagacity. Four times the Kurii erred in this regard, and their mistakes were costly. That such, the Priest-Kings, have form, and can interact with matter, however, seems obvious. The Prison Moon, for example, seems to make that clear, as it is obviously an artificial moon, with its architectural steel, its absorbing cells, its focusing and power mirrors, its shielding, and such, one perhaps once used for purposes of extra atmospheric observation, perhaps low-gravity experiments, and such. It seems unlikely that it was originally designed as a facility for the retention and storage of life forms, or, if you like, as a maximum-security prison for, say, particular prisoners.

Shortly before the unexpected disruption, one which seems to have taken even Priest-Kings unawares, this seemingly adding indisputable and welcome evidence as to their limitations and vulnerability, two human females were entered into the container in question.

It is clear they were females, as the human species is characterized by an obvious and radical sexual dimorphism.

It is seldom difficult to tell a human female from a human male.

Their sexes are quite different.

Too, as is common in the human species, these two females were considerably smaller than the average male, and considerably weaker.

That tends to be a characteristic of the human female.

Size and strength are common features of the human male, and accordingly the human female, smaller and weaker, often seeks to secure and protect herself within the shelter of these features.

These two females were in some respects similar, and in other respects quite different. Both were, as we understand it, of the sort which would be attractive, even excruciatingly so, to a human male. One was darkly pelted, with brown eyes, and the other was lightly pelted, or blondishly pelted, with blue eyes. Both were young, the darkly pelted one perhaps a bit older than the other. Each was, as tests later demonstrated, healthy and fertile. Each, too, was characterized by delicate, even exquisite, features, of a sort so clearly different from the coarse type found commonly in the human male. This has perhaps to do with several millennia of sexual selection. Too, both were, as humans understand such things, deliciously figured, this, too, doubtless having to do with generations of sexual selection. Indeed, the figures of both were nearly, if not quite, at what merchants in these matters refer to as the optimum block measurements for their size and weight. Block measurements, taken presale, are commonly, and in some cities this is required by law, included in a female's sales information. They are often available, as well, before the female is put on the block, hence the name 'block measurements'. Needless to say, too, given the female's subjection to severe regimens of rest, diet, and exercise, it is almost assured, as is desired, by attention to these "block measurements," that she will come to the block in excellent condition, healthy, vital, and well-curved. That is the way she is to be sold. She is, after all, merchandise, and, hopefully, good merchandise. Too, we may suppose, being healthy, each had the needs and desires of a healthy female, and, considering their selection, may have had these drives, and such, in an acute fashion, even uncomfortably so, which would render them particularly sexually vulnerable. Gorean slavers, for example, often pay close attention to such things. After all, most men buy women for pleasure.

Both of these females were of the sort, then, which, on Gor, would be of interest to buyers. They were typical of the females found in Gorean markets, and were perhaps, we suspect, given their insertion into the container, somewhat above average. Presumably both would have gone for a good price, and certainly so if they had been brought within suitable block measurements, to which, as noted, they were already in close approximation.

At the time that these females were entered into the small compass of the container Tarl Cabot was sedated, and thus unaware of their insertion into his small world.

They, too, at the time, must have been sedated.

The corridor was doubtless pressurized prior to their insertion into the container, and then returned to its near-vacuum condition.

This was done shortly prior to the disruption, as well.

That was seen to.

I have mentioned that the females were quite different, and you must understand that these differences pertained to far more than their pelting, eye color, and such. Before I discourse, however briefly, on certain of these differences, I mention something you, or some of you, may find of interest. That is that the human female, and the male, as well, for that matter, is relatively hairless. This may be an adaptation to facilitate heat loss in long-distance pursuit and pack hunting, or, again, it may have to do merely with preferences involved in sexual selection, or both. It is hard to know about such things. A consequence of this lack of hair, or fur, is that the species, in its wanderings and migrations, certainly into colder areas, must clothe itself. This seems to have been done first by taking the skins and fur of other animals, with which the Nameless One, if it was concerned at all with such matters, had refused to provide them, and later particularly by the utilization of plant fibers, and such. Clothing also, it seems, interestingly, is often worn by the species even when it is not climatologically indicated, and, indeed, sometimes when it is even uncomfortable. It can serve, of course, as a decoration, a symbol of status, a concealment of provocative or vulnerable areas, and so on. The harnesses and accouterments of the Kurii are presumably not dissimilar, at least in some of these respects. Female slaves may or may not be clothed, of course, as the master pleases. This increases their sense of vulnerability, and dependence. The female slave is seldom unaware of her condition but, too, interestingly, seldom does she wish to be. Her bondage may be her terror, but more often it is her meaning and joy. This apparently has to do with a variety of genetic antecedents and endowments, dispositions and complementarities, selected for in the long and interesting course of human evolution. One does not note with surprise that such complementarities should occur in a species so sexually dimorphic. Indeed, one would expect them. When they are clothed, the female slaves, it is often minimally, and provocatively. This reminds them, too, of their bondage, and is sexually stimulatory not only to the masters but to the chattels, as well. The pelting of the Kur female, of course, on the other hand, is thick, abundant, rich, and glossy, and, in season, heavy. How could a human female even begin to compare with a Kur female in beauty, let alone in power or ferocity? Her fangs for example, are negligible. The human female could not, for example, in three or four Ihn, tear loose a limb from a terrified, struggling tabuk.

But now to the more important aspects which characterized the new additions to Tarl Cabot's container.

Neither, in effect, at least as yet, was Gorean...

Sean Williams Dicusses Books of Change

"A meditation on our sense of place and a hymn to the secret landscapes of its author's heart."
James Bradley
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“An alchemical blend of elemental magic, tragic romance and the coming of age of a young boy ... poised between Earthsea and Mad Max, where the magic of fantasy meets the wonder of science fiction”
Jonathan Strahan
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Like a lot of readers, I was entranced at an early age by J.R.R.Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. I’ve been reading fantasy enthusiastically ever since. It takes me to other places, to imaginary landscapes where mythic conflicts and battles unfold. Over time, however, it came to feel to me that the many different locations in which these stories occur were actually the same place, and it’s a place almost anyone would recognise--one of high, ice-capped mountains and dense forests, of rolling, grassy plains and dangerous swamps.

The Stone Mage & the Sea is the first fantasy novel I ever wrote. When I started, the natural thing to do was to set my story in that place. After all, I had visited there many times; I felt that I had come to know it well. I soon discovered, however, that I couldn't honestly picture these sorts of places because I'd never been there. I’m Australian; I have no conscious memory of snow or wild forests or raging rivers. I did travel a lot as a child, but only through the Northern Territory and to nearby Asian destinations like Singapore and Manila. I knew--and still know--nothing about Europe except second-hand.

As I hadn't visited a forest or a glacier, I couldn't appreciate their reality except in terms that I had read about in other fantasy works--and those terms tend to be rather polarised. Forests are either light and soothing or dense and threatening; ice is associated with dangerous mountain passes or northern wastelands; deserts are lifeless barriers in which bandits are frequently found; and so on. Like a lot of writers, I wanted to portray both sides of the story. The sea can be beautiful, yes, but it's also very dangerous. A desert is not as obviously fertile as a forest, but it does contain a rich variety of life. There are two sides to every vista, just as there should be to characters, and in order to make my fantasy novel work for readers I felt that I had to portray those sides as authentically as possible.

If I couldn't set the scene, how could I expect to carry off a full-length novel?

The answer was to make the genre fit the landscape. I turned for inspiration to the vistas of my youth--of the far north and the west coast of South Australia--and the result is a story set in a world many Australians know intimately--one of beaches and sand dunes, of deserts and barren hills, of scrub and stony plains--subtly changed and enlivened by the fantastic.

The changes this required ran deeper than just swapping the compass bearings on the map so the cold regions were to the south, not the north. The sort of landscape I’m used to would have camels rather than horses, for instance, and it's hard to imagine a hero in the mould of Aragorn slouching to the rescue on the back of such a rough beast. In the world I knew there would be vast distances to cross that would, for the most part, contain little of interest to humans. So no Shire, that’s for sure. There isn't a forest in sight, not a single snowflake, and no rivers; instead, there's the sea, the sun and the sand; there's space and dryness and the terrible struggle to survive.

But it's not Australia, either. One of the great things about working with your home in the genre of speculative fiction is that you change it as much as you like--or even destroy it, as I've done several times in other works. This is a fantasy world I know well, to which I instinctively respond. I’ve certainly returned to them often enough: ten books now; several short stories and novellas; over a million words of fiction, and this is where it all started.

The Stone Mage & the Sea was nominated for the Aurealis Award for Best Fantasy Novel of 2001. Subsequent Books of the Change have gone on to win the same award, been nominated for the Ditmar, and have been recommended by Locus magazine as one of the best young adult fantasies of 2002, alongside work by Clive Barker, Michael Chabon, Neil Gaiman and Isabel Allende.
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Reviews of The Stone Mage & The Sea and the Books of the Change

"The Stone Mage and the Sea is not simply a clone of plot devices that have gone before, or simply the struggles for identity and insecurities that typify the usual coming of age story. Throughout these tropes Williams has interwoven an unfolding mystery that remains unresolved at the end, the hints at its identity only partially revealed, lingering tantalizingly just out of reach. This mystery is framed within a mysticism that lends itself to the naturalism of its setting, a world of the spirit whispered upon the breeze, the hiss of sand across a dune, the raucous call of gulls, or the pounding drum of surf. Within a stark and empty landscape, stillness is but the soundless echo of as yet unheard life, just as shadows suggest the presence of light. Something stirs just beyond sight, felt only as a vibration upon the skin, a barely perceived hum, a fugitive odour upon the air. There is a sense of pregnancy building within this story, much as yet out of sight, but no more diminished, no less real because unseen...

"The Stone Mage and the Sea is a welcome and assured debut that understatedly blends elements from both fantasy and science fiction in a way bound to intrigue and engage the interest and imagination of most readers, be they young or old. Immediately setting out its own territory, and written with a realism and appreciation of descriptive detail and characterization that generates a great degree of vitality, this opening narrative may well herald a new series already on its way to gaining the author a wider, more international audience. This first book is certainly deserving of notice."
(William Thompson, SF Site)
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"...original, unconventional and imaginative. The Stone Mage & The Sea is no pseudo-medieval romance with a few dragons and wizards thrown in for color. It is a far future fantasy of Australia that Jonathan Strahan described being "poised between Earthsea and Mad Max". Different? You bet."
(Cheryl Morgan, Emerald City)
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"Stark South Australian landscapes imbued with Tolkienesque flavour"
(Colin Steele)
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"Spare, allegorical and haunting in its evocation of the world it depicts, The Stone Mage and the Sea is at once the story of a young boy's coming of age, a meditation on our sense of place and a hymn to the secret landscapes of its author's heart."
(James Bradley)
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"Williams has developed a world of magic in a setting that breathes the atmosphere of the southern Australian coast, with a menacing sea at its edge... The Stone Mage & the Sea has much appeal for fantasy readers..."
(Stella Lees, ViewPoint)
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"The novels have been described as a synthesis of Earthsea and Mad Max. I'd add Tolkein and something of the unexpected mystery of Kafka - that is if Kafka had been well informed about the social and political conditions of Australia in the 21st century. The tropes of city and the bush are hauntingly there in the Strand and the Interior, and the novel traces recognisable but allegorical spaces. Similarly, the haunted city serves as a metaphoric centre of the country while 'the sea is its heart'. The land's vast regions are under constant surveillance and like the early writing of Peter Carey, this mix of realistic and surreal elements destabilises certainties causing the reader to interrogate the workings of the known world anew. Interestingly, these epic parables involving powerful and magical elites are similarly counter-balanced by demonstrations of the transformative power of love and individual belief."
(Lyn Jacobs)
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"The Stone Mage and the Sea is remarkable for its lyrical openness to landscape and the natural world; the sea swirls like a backdrop, heaving and restless. After the earlier Williams novels, reading this book is like tuning to the outdoor action of Water Rats after the claustrophobically darkened settings of The X-Files or Burnside.
(Van Ikin, Sydney Morning Herald)
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"What makes the story worthwhile, and what makes The Stone Mage and the Sea worthwhile, is what Williams had added to it: a convincing cast of characters taking meaningful actions when faced with difficult choices, set in a detailed world that is at once reminiscent of some of the post-apocalyptic Australias that have featured in recent science fiction, and yet has the aura of classic fantasy. The Stone Mage and the Sea makes it clear that Williams is an increasingly adept storyteller who is getting better and better, and is only beginning to hit his stride."
(Jonathan Strahan, Locus)
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"Williams continues to move comfortably around the wide possibilities of science fiction and here has come to rest in a blending between the ideas of sci-fi and fantasy.... It's a tribute to Sean Williams' emerging power that he keeps a powerful tone of mystery and the flavour of the landscape uppermost in this interesting book."
(Tim Lloyd, Adelaide Advertiser)
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"Sean Williams' The Stone Mage and the Sea is an alchemical blend of elemental magic, tragic romance and the coming of age of a young boy who is yet to come into his own power which exists, poised between Earthsea and Mad Max, where the magic of fantasy meets the wonder of science fiction. It is one the most rewarding genre novels to come out Australia this year."
(Jonathan Strahan)
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"Magical and mesmerising, The Stone Mage and the Sea is a story to disappear into, whether you're 15 or 50."
(Kim Wilkins)
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"A wonderful, magical fantasy set in a landscape that is both eerily familiar
and strangely alien, and peopled with mages and villains and heroes that
keep the story pounding along."
(Simon Brown)
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"A stunning new fantasy - a world where Sky Wardens and Stone Mages wield
unthinkable power. And caught in the middle, between the forces of Air, Water, Cloud, and Earth, Sun, Fire, is a young fugitive whose own raw talent for magic is the greatest risk of all. Williams has a sure touch: he invents a future that feels as real as today."
(Janeen Webb)
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"[Williams] has delivered a Fantasy story that has a texture and vibrancy that captures, enraptures and carries the reader along on a journey they will not wish to end... The tension builds well and the pages turn easily. [Williams] delivers poetical images of a world where imagination is still the vital key to existence. And beneath the harshness of the landscapes of the world, of life and its changes weaves a softer tale of developing love, understanding and acceptance. This is a book all will enjoy."
(Robert Stephenson)
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"Sean Williams is one of the most successful and amazingly prolific science fiction and fantasy writers in Australia. He has written or co-written everything from exquisitely crafted short horror stories to galaxy-spanning trilogies, including best-selling Star Wars: New Jedi Order novels. The Storm Weaver & The Sand is the final book in his Books of the Change trilogy, a wonderfully inventive fantasy and coming-of-age story that has already been compared to LeGuin's Earthsea books, set against a future Australian landscape as fascinating as that of Terry Dowling's Rynosseros tales....

"Every character in the novel has his or her own voice and own agenda, and the relationships between father and son, and student and teacher, are explored with a depth and insight that is rare in genre fiction.

The strongest point of the series, however, is the setting. Instead of the usual pseudo-medieval European background of Tolkien imitators, Williams has created a new world of deserts and beaches, camel caravans and bone ships, Stone Mages and Storm Weavers, ghosts and golems, man'kin's and strandbeasts. There are no swords, but plenty of sorcery; no dragons, but some great dungeons.

"The Storm Weaver & the Sand is a superior Australian fantasy novel, but more than this; it is simply superior fantasy."
(Stephen Dedman, The West Australian)
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"Why are Sean Williams’ books such page-turners?

"Easy: because they engage and intrigue the reader on every level and at every turn.

"For instance: in Williams’ hands, setting becomes a vital force. His landscape, welcomingly familiar and open, yet charged with exoticism, takes on a character of its own as it stands against the dark and brooding threat of the sea. The tension between these two key elements of Book One is wrapped by a powerful mystery that drives the story relentlessly – and spills forward into the Interiors of Book Two. In this regard, Williams wastes nothing. From book to book, the scale of his vision never falters.

"But he is at his best with his characters. Sal and Shilly, the main protagonists, are young. They are brave and vital, but with all the insecurities of the young. Williams balance of the forces acting on them is assured. Reactions and decision-making, be they by major characters or minor, heroes or villains, seems always to be real. And the characters grow, as they should, be they the young, coming of age both within the commonality of their day-to-day lives and also the epic tale that ebbs and flows around them, or be they the lesser players, finding their personal light within the swirl of emotions and events.

"These stories are for everyone, from the very young to the very old. They tread the line between SF and fantasy – but use those elements purely to engage. These are no ordinary tales. Sean Williams is a young writer who’s already mastered his trade.

"And yet he keeps getting better and better. He’s on his way – and at high velocity – to being the Best genre writer this country has ever produced."
(Peter McNamara)
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Aurealis Award Judges' Report for the Storm Weaver & the Sand (the Third Book of the Change), winner of the 2002 Best Fantasy Novel category

"Sean Williams' conclusion to his Change trilogy...is an impressive and assured work, a coming-of-age novel in the true sense, which eschews the usual dramatic confrontation between good and evil for shades of grey, as the protagonist is thrust into adulthood and the complexities this entails. Williams shows an impressive maturity and courage in offering us a novel that doesn't fall back on sword battles or the wizard version of gunfights, but instead focuses on the mind of a young boy as he explores an unfamiliar world. The fact that this doesn't result in an anticlimax, but rather in a thought-provoking and emotionally involving conclusion, is testament to Williams' talent."
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Reading Notes

Topic 1: Fantasy vs Science Fiction vs Mainstream

What is fantasy? What is science fiction? Is The Stone Mage & the Sea science fiction or fantasy, or a mixture of both? What makes The Stone Mage & the Sea fantasy, as compared to realist fiction, and what (if anything) makes it science fiction? Is it set in the future of our world or a completely different world altogether?

The Books of the Change have frequently been compared to Ursula Le Guin's classic Earthsea series. The Stone Mage & the Sea has also been compared to early Peter Carey. What other influences are visible in the text?

(See the references to Edgar Allen Poe and post-apocalyptic writing below.)

The magic of The Stone Mage & the Sea is very different to that seen in other fantasy novels, such as the Harry Potter books and The Lord of the Rings. How is it different, and how does that affect the story?

What is the relationship between landscape and the Change? What are the laws governing the use of both?

Given that The Stone Mage & the Sea is set in an Australian landscape and deals with many themes familiar to Australian readers, should it be on "Australian Literature" course lists as well as the "Fantasy & Science Fiction"?

Speculative Fiction novels are often actually about the world of the author, disguised as sci-fi or fantasy. Are there any connections between The Stone Mage & the Sea and the world in which we live?

Topic 2: Story

The Stone Mage & the Sea and the rest of the Books of the Change are a coming of age story. Sal and Shilly (and other characters) take significant steps through the course of the story along the road to become both independent and adults. Does this make The Stone Mage & the Sea a Young Adult novel or could it be read by people of all ages?

Given the post-apocalyptic setting of The Stone Mage & the Sea, is it a pessimistic novel, depicting the depths to which humanity can descend after falling from technological highs, or an optimistic novel, showing our capacity to rebound and recover from any catastrophe?

How does the fact that The Stone Mage & the Sea is set in an Australian landscape (unlike much traditional fantasy) change the nature of the story?

The Stone Mage & the Sea does not refer to native Australian myths for stories. This was a deliberate attempt by the author to avoid claims of appropriation. Is that a valid concern for an Australian writer? How does the absence of Aboriginal myth affect the novel's "Australian-ness"?

The Stone Mage & the Sea leans heavily on [19th Century British author] Edgar Alan Poe for inspiration. As well as the lines from "A Dream Within A Dream" quoted on p.269, there are references to "The Tell-Tale Heart" in the story of Polain the Butterfly Merchant and "The Purloined Letter" in Lodo's attempt to hide Sal. Is this appropriation, or an honest means of seeking inspiration?

Topic 3: Setting

The Stone Mage & the Sea is set in a very Australian landscape. There are no mountains with snow on them, or lush forests, or wide rivers. It is based loosely on Cowell, a town south of Whyalla, on Eyre Peninsula. (The map at the front of the novel is simply a section of that coast reversed.) The Sky Wardens have elections and censuses. In what other ways is it like our world?

The Stone Mage & the Sea does not source mediaeval European history for landscapes and settings. Other fantasy novels (such as The Lord of the Rings) do just that. In what other ways do they differ from The Stone Mage & the Sea?

Post-apocalyptic fiction is a well-known sub-genre of science fiction and fantasy. Two are John Wyndham's The Kraken Awakes and Stephen Donaldson's The Second Chronicles of Thomas Covenant. What others are readers reminded of when they read The Stone Mage & the Sea?

Topic 4: Characters

Is anybody in The Stone Mage & the Sea completely good or completely evil? Are Kemp and his father, Alder Sproule? Are the people who kidnapped Sal's mother while he was still a baby? Is Tom's brother, Tate, for betraying Sal in order to gain favour with the Alcaide? Sal's decision to defy the Sky Wardens cost him his adopted father, and Shilly her home and mentor. Sal's parents cuckolded Sal's real father, and ran away with his child. Do the characters feel more real for being so ambiguous? Does it make The Stone Mage & the Sea feel less like normal fantasy and more like real life?

Are Sal and Shilly friends, or enemies, or potential boyfriend-girlfriend? He has something that she desperately wants (the Change) but that same thing has caused them untold grief. Where might that lead them in future books? (The answer can be found in the Books of the Cataclysm.)

Sal's father turns out not to be the man Sal thought he was. How does this affect Sal's relationship with his adopted father? Should it have any affect at all?

Topic 5: Themes

Sal has light-coloured skin and stands out among people with dark skin. The dark-skinned people of the Strand inhabit the coastal regions of his world, while light-skinned people inhabit the Interior. This is a reversal of the existing situation in Australia. In what sort of light does this reversal encourage the reader to look at racial relationships?

Both the Strand and the Interior impose a strong sense of law and government on their people, yet they are otherwise very different cultures. How are they different? How do they each attempt to impose order on chaos? Is this an important theme of fantasy, or all mainstream fiction?

There are many degrees of community infusing Sal's world. That of Fundelry (a small, isolated fishing town) is fundamentally different to that of the Strand (a vast, centrally governed nation). How does this affect the relationships between Sal and the people around him? Is there a difference between the Alders of Fundelry and the Sky Wardens from the Haunted City?

The setting of The Stone Mage & the Sea is a post-apocalyptic one: there are various relics of a lost civilisation in evidence, and a story of ancient times sounds very much like the world in which we live. Such writing often emerges as a reaction to the times in which it was written, e.g. the Depression or the Cold War. What current events might the author of The Stone Mage & the Sea have been responding to? (It was written in 1998.)

Topic 6: Structure

The Stone Mage & the Sea contains several stories within its central storyline. The most obvious example is that of Polain the Butterfly Merchant, told to Sal by his father. What other examples are there? How does the way these stories (or histories) told reflect the culture in which they are told?

Harlequin FAQ re Horizons

Harlequin Horizons FAQs

KEY POINTS:

Ø For the first time since figures have been kept, print-on-demand titles outpaced traditionally-published titles in 2008 according to Bowker. Self-published print-on-demand titles make up a large portion of this expanding sector. This is not traditional vanity press publishing; self-publishing is a large and vibrant part of the publishing industry today.

Ø Horizons books will not be distributed by Harlequin. They will not appear in stores next to your book. Self-published books are generally distributed through large online catalogs.

Ø Horizons books will not have Harlequin branding. Horizons is a separate brand and will carry the double-H Horizons logo on the spine only, NOT the Harlequin brand.

Ø Readers will not be confused. Harlequin is the gold standard for romance. Readers purchase Harlequin because they trust Harlequin to provide a great story. There will be no ‘dilution’ of quality. Horizons is a separate imprint with no Harlequin branding.

Ø We’ve taken care to be very transparent. The website is very clear that this is self-publishing; we make no promises that Harlequin will in any way publish and distribute Horizons books in the traditional sense. The Harlequin Horizons author keeps her copyright.

Ø We’re doing this to support aspiring romance authors who choose to self-publish. Although we do not promise this, we will in fact be monitoring sales/editorial for new voices.

1. What is Harlequin Horizons?

Ø Self-publishing is one of a suite of publishing options an aspiring author can choose from these days; with the launch of Carina Press we can provide the flexibility of a digital-only press, and Horizons offers a self-publishing option.

Ø It is a partnership with Author Solutions – they provide the self-publishing services, we provide our brand name and we make authors we have rejected aware of this service.

Ø It is a publishing service in which authors pay for their work to be published in print and/or eBook formats. Authors purchase publishing “packages” with varying levels of service options including (but not limited to) editing, cover design, and a certain number of print copies of their work.

Ø Competitive examples include Cross Books and West Bow Press from Thomas Nelson.

2. How is this related to Harlequin?

Ø Horizons will be a division of Harlequin, operated by Author Solutions.

Ø Authors published with Harlequin Horizons are not published by Harlequin. The books will carry the double-H Horizons logo on the spine.

3. Why is Harlequin launching a self-publishing business?

Ø Many aspiring authors choose self-publishing as a way to see their work in print – to give copies as gifts, to have a bound copy to help in finding an agent, or simply as a keepsake.

Ø Horizons will make it possible for thousands of authors, whose manuscripts Harlequin or other traditional publisher cannot publish, to see their books in print.

Ø This offers aspiring authors an opportunity not only to be published, but to grow and develop as writers and refine their personal brand.

4. Why is this branded Harlequin?

Ø We’re proud to offer this option to those who choose to self-publish, and for aspiring romance authors, an association with the Harlequin brand makes sense.

Ø The brand, however, is only author-facing; Harlequin will not be branded on the books or in any of the metadata or sales information accompanying the book.

Ø We hope to discover new authors through this service and welcome them into the Harlequin brand family proper.

5. Isn’t this misleading for aspiring authors?

Ø We are not misleading people, but simply offering a Harlequin-approved option for those authors who choose to self-publish.

Ø This does not change our commitment to finding, publishing, and developing new authors through our series and imprints.

Ø Our partnership with Author Solutions is not an endorsement of self-publishing over submitting to a publisher or press; but if you choose to self-publish, we endorse Author Solutions through our partnership with them.

6. Why would authors submit slush to us if this is a better option for them?

Ø For the same reasons they have always submitted slush – not just for the chance to be published by Harlequin, but with the hope of beginning long and fulfilling career as a Harlequin author.
7. Will Harlequin and Author Solutions work together?

Ø Yes and no. The self-publishing house is a separate business with separate staff, website, contract, etc.

Ø However, if a title sells very well, Harlequin can acquire the title for future print publication.

8. What’s going to happen with the slush Harlequin currently receives?

Ø We will continue to welcome unsolicited manuscripts from aspiring authors.

Ø All standard/form/template rejection letters will include a short note about Harlequin Horizons as a self-publishing option for the aspiring author.

Ø Author Solutions will not have access to the author contact information in our eHERS database.

Ø No one from Author Solutions will contact any aspiring authors unless they opt-in through the website (www.harlequinhorizons.com).

9. Will eHarlequin.com sell these self-published books?

Ø No.

Rave Reviews for Sex and Violence in Hollywood

Sex and Violence in Hollywood by Ray Garton

Nasty, raucous, at times hilarious, Garton’s (Live Girls) latest delivers what the title promises, in spades. But the core of the book is a sensational murder trial clearly inspired by the O. J. Simpson case. The cast features an abrasive female judge who swoons over the film stars who flit in and out of the courtroom, tongue-tied prosecuting attorneys, a nerdy defendant who reserves his right to silence, and Rona Horowitz, a pint-sized, high-octane defense lawyer. Even Johnny Cochran, among a host of real-life celebrities, makes a brief appearance. The defendant may be guilty as hell, but part of the fun is watching dynamo Rona cook up one outrageous legal trick after another to try to extricate her client. Meanwhile, the story’s hero, young buck Adam Julian, is sleeping with his hated schlock-film producer father’s new wife, as well as her underage but wildly sexed, drugged and dangerous daughter. [Julian’s sweetheart] Alyssa is the unlikely chip the author will eventually cash in to supply enough gore for two or three more trips to the courtroom…. This over-the-top excursion into the underside of Tinseltown provides more thrills than a high-speed car chase on an L. A. freeway.
Publishers Weekly
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Lives up to the title 10 times over. This is the most fun I've had with a book all year. I would advise you to not begin reading this book right before you have something important scheduled, such as performing surgery, or need to get anything constructive done, because you will NOT be able to put it down once you’ve started. I had planned to sort of dole it out to myself a little at a time, but by 20 pages in, I thought “screw everything else, it can wait till I finish this book”. Took me about 3 days to catch up with everything I blew off reading this book, but man, was it worth it. ... One of the things that I enjoy about Garton’s writing is almost never being able to second-guess what happens next, and this book...well, I think the book holds the record for the amount of times I've laughed out loud ... or just muttered, 'Jesus!' at how shocking or ballsy some development was. Whether the book is describing a wild, dangerous party in Compton or some especially nasty new evidence coming up in Adam’s trial, I had so much fun that I was just disappointed when I realized only a certain number of pages were in the book, and it was going to end. The book lives up to the title. ... Fans of Jackie Collins would enjoy it, just be ready to have the fun factor amped up about 70 times more than hers. If you want a fun, thrilling, shocking read, pick it up. If you haven’t read Garton before, this may be a good book to start on, Sex & Violence in Hollywood (the title alone sold me) is more ‘mainstream’ then his horror fiction. He’s got a great eye for visuals, writes some of the best and most realistic dialogue, and bottom line, is simply an excellent storyteller.
Rusty Martin, Barnesandnoble.com
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It is almost impossible to put down!... I've already awakened my husband a couple times laughing out loud. The scenes are so vivid I can almost touch them. This is a great book!
Horrornet.com
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I absolutely loved it. Great writing, very exciting. I couldn't put it down. I own and have read everything [Ray Garton has] written. This looks like it could be [his] best!!!
Horrornet.com
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You know how you can tell how much I like a book? By watching my chair language. If I'm reclined and the book is pup-tented on my nose - it's not a book I'd recommended. If I notch the recliner up one and the book is balanced on my knees - it's interesting. If I'm in a straight up and down chair with the book on my knees and my body curled so's my face can hover over the page - it's enthralling. I'm sure there are varying degrees to this, but you get the point. I read Sex and Violence in Hollywood in a vertical fetal position. This is no small feat for me, as my neck is fused and doesn't bend. Excellent read.
Horrornet.com
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A great f****g book! This is one of Ray's finest works. Trust me -- it will be a movie some day.
Horrornet.com
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[Sex and Violence in Hollywood] worth every penny of its price. You are in for one mean, hard, vicious ride; it's about as searing a satire as you're likely to encounter. I defy anyone to survive the last 50 pages unshaken.
Gary Braunbeck (Gorezone.com)
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[5 stars out of 5] Sex and Violence are Fun With Garton, November 23, 2001
Reviewer: Regina Mitchell (see more about me) from USA
Garton fans rejoice: Sex and Violence in Hollywood will not let you down. Never a dull moment in this book, it jumps from one scene to the next in a mix of action, sex, and fun. ... This is the best kind of read: it's fun, it's fast and just slightly sleazy.
Amazon.com
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[5 stars out of 5] Most fun I've had with a book all year, November 14, 2001
Reviewer: kittenwithawhip (see more about me) from The Beverly Hilton
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I've been reading Garton for over 10 years now; about 7 years ago I got to the point where I would simply pick up anything with his name on it and purchase it without even bothering to check the price or flip through it (there's a dozen or so authors in this category for me, which may explain my high credit card debt) After Shackled and Biofire blew me away, I didn't think Garton could top himself, but he does it here.
Amazon.com
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Sex and Violence in Hollywood is a realistic, non-supernatural melodrama of greed, murder, and twisted family relations that offers exactly what the plainspoken title promises….It’s a kinetic, plot-driven novel filled with cliffhangers, betrayals, unexpected developments, and moments of stark, disturbing violence. It’s also, at times, a very funny book, filled with cogent observations of an insular, narcissistic society. Sex and Violence possesses wit, energy, and a relentless momentum that carries the narrative steadily forward. At its best, Garton’s latest has the raw, in-your-face power of a Quentin Tarrantino film. It comes highly recommended to anyone looking for a nasty, colorful, high adrenalin good time.
Bill Sheehan , Locus
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Visceral, provocative, and graphic, Sex And Violence In Hollywood would make a perfect vehicle for the next Quentin Tarantino film. Equal parts crime novel, Hollywood expose and legal thriller -- Garton alternately channels Jim Thompson, Joe Esztherhas, Dominick Dunne and John Grisham -- it's a genuine pleasure to read, a trashy thrill ride with unexpected depth. Gleefully milking the dramatic potential of Adam's dysfunctional family, various Hollywood lowlifes and America's legal system for all they're worth, Garton also slips in some sly commentary on modern culture, the media, and the judicial system, celebrating and condemning their excesses.

Purists might ask, "Is it horror?" Well, not in the supernatural sense, but certainly in the utter emptiness of the main characters' lives. Rest assured, however -- there are some genuinely horrific moments, not the least of which is the shocking denouement.
Henry Wagner, Hellnotes
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Trust Ray Garton. This talented author of many of the more distinctively strange horror novels of the past decade and a half could – probably – write the sort of break-out commercial novel that would make his name a household word right up there somewhere in the alphabet just before the King, Koontz K-section in the book stores… Check out his substantial new novel, Sex and Violence in Hollywood . It’s a fascinating work with all the commercial elements: greed, Hollywood, murder, Hollywood, lust and graphic sex, Hollywood, psychopathia. Oh, and Hollywood. Garton’s novel is muscular, paced something like a car with a brick duct-taped to the throttle, and edgy with a sharp and nasty little tongue lodged firmly in cheek….

The deliberately broad and superficially bland title manages to reel in vivid portraits of a generation more lost than usual, an accurately jaundiced view of how thin the dividing line seems to be between fantasy and reality… As a bonus, the readers gets a sardonically entertaining legal thriller slipped between the ribs of what might be termed a dark associational suspense work…The author cranks his epic to a balls-to-the-wall ending that could trigger late-night reader debates for quite a while.
Edward Bryant, Locus
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I think this is hands down the best things you've ever written. It quickly passed Live Girls, Dark Channel and all my other favorites. And that ending...Damn!
Horrornet.com
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CUSTOMER REVIEWS - An Open Forum
Number of Reviews: 2 Average Rating:
Mikey, a writer and editor, December 13, 2001,
It's A Promise
Some titles set the book's mood. Others go for the elusive single word synopsis. When Ray Garton chose 'Sex And Violence In Hollywood' he chose a title with a promise. And he makes good on the promise; you get sex, you get violence, and you get Hollywood. And, as an added bonus, he mixes in a love story, true friendship, and family conflict. It's all there.

Choosing to tell the story from Adam Julian's point of view is one of SaViH's greatest strengths. Usually we're treated to Hollywood stories from the eyes of an 'insider' - someone John and Jane Q. Public really can't identify with. Adam Julian is an insider once removed (which, ostensibly, makes him closer to us.) As the son of a very successful screenwriter, he gets some of Hollywood's perks. Dad's 'friends' with major movie stars. The Julian house is huge. They drive expensive cars and vacation on their own yacht. But Adam isn't really one of them. He's an outsider. A hanger-on.
Being a real person in a celluloid world disaffects Adam. His father is callous, his real mother dead, and his stepmother tends to crawl into bed with him. He finds true comfort only with his horror movies and the company of his friend Carter. But he's still living as normal a life as one might expect under the circumstances. Things don't really start sliding downhill until Adam's neurotic, manipulative, and horny stepsister moves in. She's young, she's sexy, and she's trouble. Most importantly, she's the catalyst that brings Adam's hatred to a boil. Then the mayhem begins.
While I enjoyed the story's twists and turns, I have to say it's the substance of the characters and the pacing that made this book for me. Yes, the characters are colorful (especially Rona…gawd) - but they're not cartoonish. You can empathize with these people. You can believe in them. And this story's Indy 500 pacing keeps you hanging on - tightly. I'm not the marathon reader type; so few books are difficult for me to put down for the night. This one was an exception - often a 2 am exception.

I can’t recommend it strongly enough.
From BarnesandNoble.com

Revised and Sweetened Google Settlement

This is the text of the Authors' Guild Statement on the revised settlement filed with the court:

1. Smaller Class; Representation of Foreign Countries on Registry Board. We've narrowed down the class to authors and publishers of works registered in the U.S. and authors and publishers of works published in the three other countries that have contributed the largest number of English-language works to American libraries: Australia, Canada, and the U.K. Each of these countries will have an author and a publisher seat on the Book Rights Registry board.

2. Independent Fiduciary for Unclaimed Works. An independent fiduciary approved by the court will be solely responsible for decisions regarding unclaimed works.

3. Unclaimed Funds Held for up to 10 Years, Will Go Only to Charities and Finding Rightsholders. The Book Rights Registry will now hold unclaimed funds for ten years, instead of five. (After five years, one-quarter of the unclaimed funds can be earmarked for finding rightsholders.) There will be no distribution of any of the unclaimed funds to claiming rightsholders. Instead, unclaimed funds will go to charities in the U.S., Canada, the U.K., and Australia as determined by court order after 10 years.

4. Elimination of "Most-Favored Nation" Clause, Restrictions on Discounting. The so-called "most-favored nation" clause is out (if you don't know what it is, no need to get up to speed on it). Also out are various restrictions on discounting by Google. Authors will get their cut, regardless: Google's discounts still come out of its own pocket.

5. Well-Defined Future Potential Business Models. Future business models have been pared down to three: individual subscriptions, print-on-demand, and digital downloads. None of these business models can be implemented by Google without approval of the Registry's board, and none can be implemented without notice to all claiming rightsholders, who will have the absolute right not to participate. (The Unclaimed Works Fiduciary, of course, will determine whether unclaimed works will participate in any future business models.) Note: this doesn't affect the previously well-defined business models that get the green light on approval of the settlement -- ad-supported previews, consumer online editions, page-fees for print-outs from public access terminals, and institutional subscriptions.

6. Plenty of Time. There's extra time to make claims for the $60 to $300 per book digitization payments -- it's been extended to March 31, 2011. There's also plenty of time to remove your works from Google's database: you can ponder this until March 9, 2012. (Remember, we don't recommend removal, since it's irreversible: you'll remove yourself from this market forever.)

* * *

What hasn't changed? Almost everything else.

The settlement still provides these benefits to authors:

Find new readers. Out-of-print books need no longer be relegated to the used book market. The settlement will make out-of-print works available to hundreds of millions of readers, through ad-supported previews, sales of online editions, and institutional subscriptions. If a book catches on, there will be sales data to prove it, which may create an opportunity to bring the work back into print in traditional form.

In-print books are unaffected. A cardinal rule in the negotiations was not to disturb the market for in-print books. Titles that are in print won't be made available through any of the means described in the settlement, unless the author and publisher expressly want them to be.

A Book Rights Registry to protect rightsholders. A non-profit registry governed by authors and publishers will oversee the settlement on their behalf, to help make sure rightsholders receive the benefits they're entitled to. (Sign up for the Registry by filing a claim at googlebooksettlement.com.)

A fair share of revenues. 63% of gross revenues go to authors and publishers; Google keeps 37%. The funds will be paid to the new Book Rights Registry, which will pay authors and publishers after retaining a modest administrative fee. If rights have reverted to authors, they will receive 100% of the rightsholder revenue.

Unprecedented control for authors and publishers. Authors and publishers will manage their rights through an account management page at the Book Rights Registry. Authors who control rights to their works, for example, may choose to allow Google to display ad-supported previews of books, sell online editions (authors may set the price or let an algorithm do it for them), and license the work to colleges and universities, or they may choose to block all display uses. Authors can change their minds, at any time, with reasonable notice. What if a book comes back into traditional print? The rightsholder can then simply turn off all display uses, if it chooses, and permit the publisher to sell the work through standard retail outlets.

Authors' estates, too. Authors' estates exercise the same rights as authors.

At least $45 million in payments for unauthorized scanning. Any of Google's digitizing of in-copyright books done before May 5, 2009 is considered unauthorized under the settlement. Google will pay to obtain a release of these copyright infringement claims. Under the settlement, Google will pay at least $60 and as much as $300 to rightsholders for each book that it scanned without authority, for a total payment to rightsholders of at least $45 million.

Full Text of Harlequin Announcement of All-Digital Publishing House

TORONTO, Nov. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- Harlequin Enterprises Limited, the global leader in series romance and one of the world's leading publishers of women's fiction, announced today the launch of Carina Press(TM), a digital-only publishing house that will operate independently of their traditional publishing businesses.

Carina Press (http://www.carinapress.com) is a digital-only publishing house whose eBooks will be sold direct to consumers through the Carina Press Web site and numerous third-party Web sites. Carina Press will publish a wide range of women's fiction -- romance, erotica, science fiction, mystery, family sagas, choose your own adventures, horror, thriller and more, including every conceivable subgenre of these categories.

"As a digital-only publisher Carina Press is a natural extension to our business; it builds on our digital strength and leadership position. We expect to discover new authors and unique voices that may not be able to find homes in traditional publishing houses," said Donna Hayes, CEO and Publisher of Harlequin Enterprises. "It definitely gives us greater flexibility in the type of editorial we can accept from authors and offer to readers. As well, we hope to reach a new group of readers with niche editorial."

Brent Lewis, Vice President Digital, is delighted to announce that Angela James is joining Carina Press as Executive Editor. A veteran of the digital publishing industry, James is a well-known advocate for digital publishing. James has enjoyed a long and varied publishing career, including senior editorial positions at digital-first publishers. "I have admired Harlequin's digital initiatives for years, and have always thought of them as leaders in the digital arena, so I'm unbelievably excited to join the Carina Press team," said James. "I believe Harlequin can bring digital publishing to the next level for both authors and readers."

Lewis added, "Angela has been a key player in growing the digital marketplace for romance. Her experience and insight is a tremendous benefit to the Carina Press team."

Carina Press is currently accepting submissions in all genres of commercial fiction. Carina Press will consider shorter stories, genre novels of 50,000 to 100,000 words and longer, and complex narratives of over 100,000 words. Carina Press will also acquire books that have been previously released in print form, but for which the author has either retained digital rights or had digital rights revert to them. All submissions should be sent to submissions@carinapress.com.

Carina Press plans to launch in summer 2010 and will release new titles on a weekly basis. Between now and the launch, readers and writers can follow the progress of Carina Press via its blog (http://carinapress.com/?page_id=9).

For full submission guidelines (http://carinapress.com/?page_id=2) and more information on Carina Press please go to www.carinapress.com.

About Harlequin Enterprises
Harlequin Enterprises Limited is the global leader in series romance and one of the world's leading publishers of books for women, with titles issued worldwide in 28 languages and sold in 114 international markets. The company produces more than 110 titles monthly in print and digital and publishes more than 1,100 authors from around the world. Harlequin Enterprises Limited is a wholly owned subsidiary of Torstar Corporation (http://www.torstar.com), a broadly based media company listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TS.B). Harlequin's Web site is located at www.eHarlequin.com. Harlequin has offices in 19 countries, including offices in Toronto, New York and London. For more information please visit www.eHarlequin.com or press.eHarlequin.com.

SOURCE Harlequin Enterprises Limited