Yeah It's Here. Today we start discussing The Warded Man by Peter Brett

[Heather]

I asked Brynweir to start the discussion for this month. She has been raving about it so I thought it only fair to that she would lead off our discussion. Please post your thoughts and questions below and I will send it off to Peter on May 12th. So let's begin

From Brynweir

The Warded Man by Peter Brett

Imagine a world where demons rule the night. Humans live in constant fear, rushing through their days so they can be safely behind magical wards by dusk, hoping...praying that the wards will not fail. Though humans still survive in this hostile world, there are many that would not call it living. Among those are three children, Arlen, Leesha and Rojer. They refuse to live the lives that their elders lay out for them. They refuse to stand aside and watch as demons destroy what they love. They refuse to give in to fear.

I absolutely love this book! I enjoyed the story from start to end and the story moved so well that I read it straight through the same day I got it. I can't think of a single moment where the story dragged. Though the story jumped around between three main characters, Brett made the transitions so smoothly that I didn't even notice. I really got to know the characters and I liked them all, even the ones I wanted to see die. Arlen is bright and strong and so determined that you can't help liking him. Leesha is smart and good-hearted, but she's no pushover. And Rojer, though he isn't very world wise or brave in the beginning, really comes through in the end. All three characters grow and change as the story unfolds, and I'm glad to see a male author who can write strong women characters without making them seem like men in skirts.

I was immediately attached to Arlen. When he left the porch to save his mother, and the way he just became so disappointed in his father over his choices, made me identify with him. I could honestly feel his pain and I wanted him to defy his father and continue on the road to save his mother. I think I was just as angry and hurt as Arlen when she died. Then later, to rub salt in the wound, he finds that she could have easily been saved by a common root. I really like Arlen as he grows up and chooses to try to save humanity and make everyone's lives better, rather than just making his own life easy. I like and respect him the entire journey. The part where Arlen started to dissolve with the demon and go to the Core really set me on edge and I can't wait to find out what's going to happen with that.

I also like Leesha. She's one tough girl. I'm glad that she found it in her to stand up to her mother and the village and that her father did too. I hate it when good people get walked on and they LET people take advantage of them. I also like the way Brett pointed out all the hypocracies in society... it just makes me smile. I did find it a bit odd that right after she gets gan raped, Leesha almost immediately wanted to have sex with Arlen. That just didn't sit right with me. Brett did a good job of explaining her reasoning, and having never gone through that I can't argue it, it just felt wrong.

As for Rojer, well, I'm hoping that he continues to grow and become the man that he's trying to be. He didn't have very much going for him in the beginning and he's had a lot go against him. I'm kind of hoping that he finds himself a nice girl in one of those hamlets and they go off and kill demons together.

I enjoyed the story and the characters so much that I can't wait to read the sequel. Brett has given us so much knowledge of the characters and the world that I can't wait to see if my predictions come true.

A few questions:
First, will Ragen be in the sequel? I really liked him and I hope he does more than make a guest appearance.
Second, did you use people in your own life as inspirations for the characters? Some of them seem so real, like you are describing people you know.
Third, where did you get the inspiration for the story? I mean, some of the stuff seems like vampire legends, but it's far enough removed to be unique. Just curious about what sparked the idea.
Fourth, as for Arlen becoming more like the demons.... nah - I'm not going to ask what might be a spoiler :-D

[Peter V. Brett]

The Jerle Shannara ones were solid, but I would put them lower on the list. First King is really good, too.

[Kensei]

Hello Peter,

Reading The Warded Man now by the way and really enjoying it....

Regarding this unpublished series you mentioned with a katana-wielding protagonist....any chance we will see that someday? Sounds cool!

Thanks for coming by!

[Peter V. Brett]

Hi Kensei,

Glad to hear you're enjoying The Warded Man.Your question got me thinking, and that got me rambling. I wrote a long post about those books on my blog:

http://www.petervbrett.com/2009/05/24/reinvention/

"Heart's Guard" is actually the name of the katana.

[Kensei]

Many thanks Peter. I appreciated reading your blog post. Perhaps we will indeed see those stories some day....until then we will continue to enjoy the journey of TPM!

[Miluiel]

There's another question that has been nagging at my mind.
What compelled you to write about fear, specifically? There are many emotions that are equally as strong, and I do take into account that you witnessed 9/11 - but so many other emotions, surely, were expressed that day. So, to cut it short - Why fear?

Thank you for your time! :)

[Peter V. Brett]

I think because it is fear more than anything that causes societal change. Fear and the need for security has been shaping civilization since its inception, and it was a phenomenon that was very apparent in New York City after 9/11. Enhanced security had an effect on almost every aspect of daily life, because people were all convinced that more attacks were coming, and were willing to give up everything from day-to-day conveniences to constitutional rights without a fight, just to feel "safer".

It was an amazing thing to witness, and I wanted to write about it.

[wild_ice]

Have you had any problems with Amazon? I know that quite a few authors have had issues with Amazon selling their books for a £1 (I think that's $1.3) online.

Also I loved The Painted Man, the characters were really interesting and the story flowed with masterly precision.

[Peter V. Brett]

Thanks for the kind words. Glad you liked the book.

I haven't really had any problems with Amazon, especially now that I'm getting over my addiction to checking my sales ranking. Sales rank on Amazon isn't really a good indicator of how well a book is doing, anyway.

There are always going to be online discount sources for used books that have prices sellers of new material can't compete with. I think it remains to be seen if Amazon made a mistake by bringing those sellers in and letting them sell through their site, but I think it was probably wise. They dealt a heavy blow to eBay by doing that, and they keep all the other sellers where they can see (and influence) them.

[Crimson]

Mr. Brett,

Do you have a "best time" to write? or a time of day that is seems to be the best time for creative ideas? Or do you just write whereever, whenever?

I have found that my most creative, idea producing moments are those few minutes lying in bed, when I'm just almost asleep. There is always a war inside my head, at those times. The voices argue: "Get up. Write that down or you'll forget." and "Don't get up. Go back to sleep. Sleep is good."

Unfortunately, when I wake in the morning, i have only a fuzy recollection of my "great idea" as the "go to sleep" voice always wins. *sighs*

lol

[Sethanel]

you need a notebook and pen for your nightstand. Get an idea, jot down the basics to jog your memory in the morning.
trust me, it works!

[Crimson]

thanks. i'll keep that in mind. :)

[Peter V. Brett]

I have a 10 month old baby at home, so even in my office with the door closed, it can be hard to concentrate. I get most of my work done after she and my wife go to bed, usually from about 9PM -4AM. It's a brutal schedule I don't recommend to anyone that has other options.

However, since I do a lot of my writing on my phone, I can work pretty much anywhere, anytime, if given some peace. I do a lot of writing on the train, in the park, in the back of taxicabs, and the like.

I'm generally not too worried about forgetting good ideas, though. My belief is that if an idea is good enough, there's no way I'd forget it. If I do, it probably wasn't that great, after all.