Hey there, everyone,
That's the end of the review, guys; thanks for sticking through it. Now, onto the good part - Kaiyuh was gracious enough to answer some of my questions, so I have an exclusive (it sounds haughty, but nobody else is posting this) interview with the author herself. You can visit Kaiyuh's own blog here. Thanks!
2. How has living in Taiwan and being an expatriate influenced your writing?
Probably subconsciously more than consciously. The characters and the feel of Shinken is pretty grounded and familiar, which is everything Taiwan wasn't when I first moved here. Of course, I love Taiwan; it has become a second home to me.
3. How long did it take you to write Shinken?
I started writing under my desk in math class in the eighth grade. Including editing, it took about two years. [Note from Ari: Just to say, she started it in 2007, and finished in late 2009.]
4. Who's your favorite character in your book? Why?
Call me cliche, but I love Elenry. She is the epitome of the person I would love to be. She doesn't settle with common-day social castes or "the way things should be done". She is a hardcore medical, and spiritual dissident. She's enlightened, and that's always a nice quality.
5. Why did you decide to self-publish? Are you glad you did?
Mostly the fact that I didn't have any other connections. Fortunately, there are companies like Outskirts Press, which is a company that facilitates the entire publishing process and makes it really simple for people like me who just like to write and walk away(okay, I've done my promoting!).
6. Do you want to be an author as a living, or is it just a hobby?
I would love to become a self-sustaining author. It is truly my dream. Actually, I am in the process of looking at a high school of the arts in Boston where I would be able to write as my main focus in school. I must apply and such, so fingers crossed!
7. Who are your favorite authors? Why? Did they inspire you at all?
In recent months, I have fallen in love with William Faulkner. Thus, in my recent writing, I feel that I have developed beyond the standard shades of young writing and am finding my own voice as I mature and read. Reading for me is an essential part of my writing. There is nothing new under the sun in literature, but if I can glean some good stuff from good writers (John Steinbeck, William Faulkner, Homer, Annie Dillard, J.K. Rowling...), then I think I'll be in functional shape.
8. Do you listen to music when you write?
For Shinken specifically, I listened to a lot of Enya and, brace yourselves, Lord of the Rings. Dorky as it may be, they have really eerie melodies perfect for channeling sick little village people with.
9. Any other stories in the works?
It's finally getting to be May around here on the island, which means the weather has taken a turn for the warmer, which is great. I can finally go outside without having to bring a jacket. On the down side, it's humid, and foggy a lot of the time, but we'll see how that goes. I'm sorry to go so long without a substantial post, but it's been busy (IB exams) and I've been pretty sick for the last few months, so yeah. But no worries, I'm back.
I'm here today with a special post: a detailed review and synopsis of Shinken, a book published by a newfound friend of mine, Kaiyuh Rose Cornberg. It was published a few months ago by Outskirts Press, a self-publishing company based in the United States. I ordered the book off Amazon a few weeks ago, and it arrived last Thursday - since then, I've been reading it, and I've actually been impressed.
Self-publishing has a kind of bad image in the literary world and I can see why. I myself usually scorn self-published books, mostly because the majority of them just aren't that good. They're clichéd, with hackneyed writing and flat characters, and the only difference between them and all the other unpublished novels in the world is that the author paid a lot of money to get it printed. But it never hurts to keep an open mind, so I decided to hold judgement until I actually read the book. And hey, guess what? I actually really enjoyed it.
Shinken is 339 page fantasy/science fiction book that takes place on the planet of Asthekia, a world situated on the other side of our moon. In Kaiyuh's story, the people of Earth and the people of Asthekia (who look like Earthlings superficially in almost every way) have discovered each other, and have become fast allies and eager friends. People from Earth have migrated to Asthekia, and a small population now lives there, mixed in with the natives. The book itself focuses on an Asthekian girl named Sagel, who lives in the remote mountain-town of Shinken. Since it's obvious I know Kaiyuh in real life, I'm going to mention here that I'll be doing my best to give a fair, unbiased review, without slamming anyone too hard. Let's get started with the review of Kaiyuh Rose Cornberg's debut novel.
(There are spoilers if you haven't read the book!)
(There are spoilers if you haven't read the book!)
The Cover
I'll admit, the cover kind of turned me off. It had distinct Twilight vibes emanating from it, just like all the recently published YA novels, and I've never been fond of the Papyrus font. Not to mention that the fact that the title wasn't properly centered....however, it's important to remember that this is a self-published book, and it's not really Kaiyuh's fault that she didn't have a team of design editors at her hand to make her book look pretty. So I'm not going to judge here.
Plot
Shinken is one of those books can't can't really be pegged into fantasy or science fiction - it has elements of both, and integrates both pretty smoothly. The book begins with a lengthy, and, I'll admit, kind of unnecessary prologue. It details the history of Asthekia, and how the people of Earth discovered it, etc., and lists some of the facts about this world on the other side of the moon. For people who have an interest in evolution or zoology, try to suspend your disbelief here - Asthekia is basically the same as Earth, with a few minimal differences. This is where the story swings away from science fiction and more towards fantasy, but it can be let go.
The main story is told, as I mentioned before, through a girl named Sagel, who lives in the town of Shinken. She's your normal, kind of wide-eyed, innocent protagonist, with a bit of a stubborn streak and a natural tendency towards bravery that fantasy writers love so much. Something's wrong in Shinken, though: there's a strange disease that's cropped up, and more and more people are getting sick. Even the trees are being affected. The only sign of hope is the appearance of Elenry, a wandering Medicine Woman, who learns of a cure for the disease, and needs someone to go with her to find it...
In short, the plot is basic, but surprisingly fresh. I expected a storm of cliches to barrage me, and while there were a few, many of the plot twists were unexpected, even a bit of a surprise. There's aspects of the good old Hero's Journey, but most of the book actually is composed of foreshadowing and set-up. It's kind of a double-edged sword: I was prepared to have the main characters romp through the fantasy world that Kaiyuh created for the majority of the book, but they don't get started on their journey until nearly the end of the book. Much of the story is composed of exposition, which can get a little tedious after awhile - but it's forgivable.
Plot: 6/10
Characters and Worldbuilding
Where the plot is enjoyable, I'm reluctant to admit that the characters are Shinken aren't the most impressive part of the book. The main character, Sagel, is moderately fleshed out, but there are no defining traits that really make her stand out from other fantasy characters - at least, at the beginning. By the end of the book, there's a fair bit of character development, which makes up for the lack of detail. Other characters, like Elenry, the mysterious Medicine Woman, are more interesting - and don't worry, there's chapters from her point of view as well. The rest of the characters range from nicely written to a little flat, but overall, Shinken has a nice cast.
The worldbuilding, in my opinion, is much better than the characters - though at first the world of Asthekia seems a little like the generic high fantasy world, it has some redeeming qualities that, in retrospect, make it pretty interesting. My favorite parts are the culture - there's some nifty writing on Kaiyuh's part here; the language of Asthekia is called Sdrawkcab (for people who are like me and aren't that good at word puzzles, it's backwards - backwards.) Other tidbits like this fill the novel, so that by the end, Asthekia is a good-natured reflection of our own rural Earth. What it lacks in originality and believability, it makes up for in charm. Some of the details are unnecessary, but it still makes for a good trek through Kaiyuh's imaginary world.
Characters: 5/10
Worldbuilding: 7/10
Writing
I'll say it here first: I was a little apprehensive about the writing, even before I read the book. I've written and read enough prose by young authors to know that most of us are still in the stage of "more is more, and the more, the better." I used to be terrible adding in big words I didn't know (the layman's term is thesaurus rape - kind of crude, but it gets the point across) and avoiding the word said at all cost (why use it when there are words like assuage to be taken advantage of?). Thankfully, Shinken stays clear of this - mostly. There's a mention of eyes as "orbs", and describing something as an "orgy" (what?). For the most part, though, the writing is clear and brisk, without getting dragged down too much. Some of the descriptions are quite nice, but others don't really stand out. Some of the dialogue is kind of awkward (there's a distinct lack of contractions) but for the most part if flows quite nicely, and sounds appropriately realistic.
As a self-published novel, however, Shinken lacks the typographical finesse of a traditionally published book- the only "editors" here were Kaiyuh and here father, and though they did a fine job themselves, some grammatical, spelling, and formatting errors got through. They're not abound, but they're numerous enough to be noticeable, and if you're stringent when it comes to grammar and spelling, you might be bothered a little. I myself was fine, and the errors aren't numerous enough to detract from the story.
Writing: 5/10
Total score: 5.75/10
That's the end of the review, guys; thanks for sticking through it. Now, onto the good part - Kaiyuh was gracious enough to answer some of my questions, so I have an exclusive (it sounds haughty, but nobody else is posting this) interview with the author herself. You can visit Kaiyuh's own blog here. Thanks!1. Where did you get the inspiration for Shinken?
Unequivocally, my dreams. I have always dreamed in vivid color and oddly developed plots. Shinken, the actual village, came to me in a dream about a beautiful village on a mountainside. I pretty much crafted a plot around that one little hole in the rock.
Unequivocally, my dreams. I have always dreamed in vivid color and oddly developed plots. Shinken, the actual village, came to me in a dream about a beautiful village on a mountainside. I pretty much crafted a plot around that one little hole in the rock.
2. How has living in Taiwan and being an expatriate influenced your writing?
Probably subconsciously more than consciously. The characters and the feel of Shinken is pretty grounded and familiar, which is everything Taiwan wasn't when I first moved here. Of course, I love Taiwan; it has become a second home to me.
3. How long did it take you to write Shinken?
I started writing under my desk in math class in the eighth grade. Including editing, it took about two years. [Note from Ari: Just to say, she started it in 2007, and finished in late 2009.]
4. Who's your favorite character in your book? Why?
Call me cliche, but I love Elenry. She is the epitome of the person I would love to be. She doesn't settle with common-day social castes or "the way things should be done". She is a hardcore medical, and spiritual dissident. She's enlightened, and that's always a nice quality.
5. Why did you decide to self-publish? Are you glad you did?
Mostly the fact that I didn't have any other connections. Fortunately, there are companies like Outskirts Press, which is a company that facilitates the entire publishing process and makes it really simple for people like me who just like to write and walk away(okay, I've done my promoting!).
6. Do you want to be an author as a living, or is it just a hobby?
I would love to become a self-sustaining author. It is truly my dream. Actually, I am in the process of looking at a high school of the arts in Boston where I would be able to write as my main focus in school. I must apply and such, so fingers crossed!
7. Who are your favorite authors? Why? Did they inspire you at all?
In recent months, I have fallen in love with William Faulkner. Thus, in my recent writing, I feel that I have developed beyond the standard shades of young writing and am finding my own voice as I mature and read. Reading for me is an essential part of my writing. There is nothing new under the sun in literature, but if I can glean some good stuff from good writers (John Steinbeck, William Faulkner, Homer, Annie Dillard, J.K. Rowling...), then I think I'll be in functional shape.
8. Do you listen to music when you write?
For Shinken specifically, I listened to a lot of Enya and, brace yourselves, Lord of the Rings. Dorky as it may be, they have really eerie melodies perfect for channeling sick little village people with.
9. Any other stories in the works?
Yes indeed. It is called The Master. It has absolutely no relation whatsoever to Shinken (i.e., not a sequel, prequel...). I don't know when I'll be finished, of IF it will be finished. That's half the fun.
That's all for now, folks. Thanks for tuning in. Until next time.
-Ari
Music: "Captain" by Biffy Clyro
Spark Progress: 122,000 words, currently editing
