I thoroughly enjoy this series and even wrote a paper on it and the self-publishing market for my Intro to Modern Science Fiction class at national university www.national.edu . One day this week, I will really dig into the self-publishing market and lay out some ground work, likely boring one of my two readers out there. First though, Mr. Halstead does a great job with the Voidhawk series.His books can be found on Amazon here: http://www.amazon.com/Jason-Halstead/e/B0049AXHP2/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1364312389&sr=8-1 among other places. I haven't been able to read his other works yet, mostly due to time, but I have already loaded my Kindle with some of them for the next trip. I am still trying to finish Needful Things by Stephen King alone, at night, with only my Kindle lamp to guide me, so I get a little scared, plus King is wordy as hell. Onto the review:
The new and exciting digital book market has brought in a score of new readers and writers alike. With the explosion of both demand and production of books, many new sub genres and marketing tools have been created to keep up. Jason Halstead is one of those exciting young writers that is paving a new way forward and taking advantage of an ever-changing marketplace. He has published forty four novels which span the genres of science-fiction, fantasy, action and pulp. This author has also managed to mold science-fiction and fantasy seamlessly into one comfortable genre with his Voidhawk series. This series represents Halstead’s use of unconventional tactics, genre flexibility and eBook marketing strategy.
Eventually, the roster is somewhat complete as the story continues into the second book of the series. The crew is ultimately rounded out with a female elf, half-elf, human juggernaut, a werewolf/paladin, an adolescent female slayer creature, and an indestructible pleasure golem. Others characters appear throughout the series who are either permanent or temporary. The diversity of fantasy characters which Halstead develops to make the crew of the Voidhawk is somewhat typical of the fantasy quest. Each character adds unique skills to the ever-changing mission as the crew flies through space for hire.
Mixing of typical fantasy characters with a common goal would seem trite in this day in age. J.R.R. Tolkien was one of the most well-known authors who created many of the character types we see in modern fantasy. With so many Tolkien knock-offs and Dungeons & Dragons, or gamer quest based tales produced, it can be difficult for an aspiring author to find a niche. After the release of The Lord of the Rings movies, the challenge for the author lies in pulling a fantasy work off and succeeding with a very expecting audience. On the other hand, the physical qualities of these characters are already set for a writer in this genre. A writer rarely has to explain what an elf or a dwarf looks like. This allows an author to build further on these traits and focus on substantial character development.
Book three of the Voidhawk series, Redemption, is largely devoted to an offshoot story of the main human juggernaut crew member, Rosh. Rosh’s character is another example of shallow turned deep. This character starts as a happenstance oaf who is guarding the original crew after being captured. He later becomes immortal, convinces an entire world that he is their creator, and is an excellent example of the duality of man. It often proves quite successful for a series writer to devote one or two books in a line to one character with an offshoot story. This adds to the development and allows the writer free reign on new content without repetition.
The author’s knowledge of nautical jargon is excellent and the mode in which the characters travel the void is quite unique. Basically, ships and objects retain their own atmosphere and gravity bubble. This freedom of movement concept gives the author free reign on design of ships traveling throughout space.
The Voidhawk and other ships in the series follow a comparable design of ships of the 18th and 19th centuries. The vessels host weapons such as harpoon cannons, boarding gear and single shot pistols or swords for crew members. Descriptions of the quarters along with the overall use and purpose of the transport vessel in the story is also similar to the colonial era. The idea of solar sail propulsion, a method of fueling the ships, becomes a believable concept without the overuses of technical speak usually found in science fiction.
The Voidhawk crew explores new worlds and strange species, always dancing between magic and mysticism, science and speculation. There is surprise for both the sci-fi reader and fantasy fanatic around every page. With these unique qualities in mind, one could argue that a series of this type would be a tough sell to a publisher or agent. Which genre would a writer of this kind of work target? Publishers could easily scoff at the idea of marketing a fringe concept to a reader base that can often be polarized.
Tomorrow, I will lay out the ground work for self-publishing a book like this among others. The point will essentially be to educate my two readers (if they are willing) on the eBook market, hopefully someone, anyone will continue the discussion. Can I get anybody more coffee?
If anyone else would like me to review their book/magazine/crayon drawings, send $200 dollars in a hilarious birthday card to Kennesaw, GA. They'll know where to find me. Or, you could simply email me: marc.crepaux@gmail.com
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