THE PAINTED MAN (AKA THE WARDED MAN) - PETER V BRETT
Whilst this may cause confusion (as the book has a UK title and a differing US one), here's the place to chat about new author Peter V Bretts novel The Painted Man. Is Arlen brave for facing his fears? What do you think of the book? Why is this a potential winner?
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by DaveBrendon on -
The Painted Man is a strong contender for the award, no doubt; not only is the novel an incredibly strong debut, showcasing the author's confidence in his work, but the story itself speaks to our lives, the fears we face and the trials we must pass through to reach our full potential. Not only is the plot fast-paced (even where the novel's time line stretches across decades) but the action is incredible, the dialogue perfectly suited to every situation, and the characters themselves are fully-realized and alive - no cardboard cutouts and stereotypes here. All in all, this book deserves all the recognition it's been getting, and more. :-)
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Permalink Reply by Liz on -
I can only second Dave's comments below. The Painted Man has to be the best fantasy debut I have read this entire year. It is set to become a classic. The story is gripping, the characters well thought out and individual enough that you can relate that little bit with each one. The world building is tremendous and I really can't wait to get my grubby paws on the follow-up novel.
More than that though, I think the book reflects the spirit of so many of David Gemmell's books: that of people standing up for themselves and fighting against all odds because they are tired of lying down, of being victims. In my mind, the strongest contender thus far for the award.
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Permalink Reply by Crashhot on -
Have to agree, I really liked this book and I am looking forward to the next one (although unfortunately I will have to wait until August 2009).
A very strong showing from someone who has the potential to go a long way in this business and make many of us, the readers, very happy that there is someone out there who is not writing "the usual crap".
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Permalink Reply by Deborah J Miller - Award Administrator on -
Steady on, Julian! I think we're all agreed the Fantasy genre is a "Good Thing" rather than the "usual crap" else we wouldn't be here! lol! I know what you meant though... as in, you feel it stands above the crowd - and I am really looking forward to reading this book, I've been hearing such marvellous things about it.
Cheers
Debs
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Permalink Reply by Crashhot on
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Absolutely, but I've been reading fantasy since I was a kid (far too long now) and I believe that some of what is available now is more about quantity than quality, this book throws that out of the window as it is a brilliant start for a talented star of the future.
Get hold of a copy and read away because you will really enjoy this! ;-)
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Permalink Reply by Adam Whitehead on -
Among 2008's debuts, this was a strong book. Brett's familiar-but-with-a-fresh-spin worldbuilding reminded me of the impact of Robert Jordan's first Wheel of Time book, whilst the characterisation was excellent, as was his handling of a multi-stranded narrative that moved between three central characters with ease.
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Permalink Reply by DaveBrendon on
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I couldn't agree more with Adam, and he actually made some very astute observations about the book; Peter writes with a confidence and ease, as if he's already learnt all the lessons that made Robert Jordan and George RR Martin such incredibly good writers. I keep on thinking that, considering such a strong and talked-about debut, Peter's work will become one of the examples held up to show how inventive and powerful the genre is, and will continue to be.
Adam Whitehead said:Among 2008's debuts, this was a strong book. Brett's familiar-but-with-a-fresh-spin worldbuilding reminded me of the impact of Robert Jordan's first Wheel of Time book, whilst the characterisation was excellent, as was his handling of a multi-stranded narrative that moved between three central characters with ease.
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Permalink Reply by Andrew Guile on -
Great comments. This is one of a great many books on my shelf, soon to be promoted to the bedside table ...
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Permalink Reply by Andrew Guile on
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Oh ...my ...god.
I am only half way through (and will write a full review later) but had to post just a small measure of my thrill at reading this marvelous book.
The writing is understated i.e. easy to read, yet very well crafted with characters looming out of the page at you with deceptive ease. The story in simple and compelling. Set in what could be our distant future (I'm not clear on that quite yet), demons rule the earth at night, coalescing from nightly mists into fire, wood, air (etc) demons who spit fire and crush bones.
Three communities are introduced and the reader learns how they cope with regular deaths at the hands/claws of the demons and how magical 'wards' (magical signs) are essential to their survival as they protect against the demons who cannot pass them. We know from the inside cover that these three children will come tpgether to fight back and the first half of the book has introduced them and various other chararcters and set the scene so far as the world is concerned and how it ticks. We open with Arlen and move on to Leesha and Rojer.
There are many wonderful scenes: Arlen's nights out by himself was truely terrifying and tense. Leesha's mother, Elona, getting a tongue lashing from the previous subserviant Erny (Leesha's father) was a delight. Leesha and Rojer are also well drawn characters (all three are children). The world feels very much like Shyamalan's, The Village in many ways due to the isolation of each community which is brought on by the inevitable danger of travel at night - you can't go far ...
One aspect may worry some people which is that girls are expected to wed and crack-on with a family as soon as they 'flower' and some female characters are sexually active by 13 years old. In the context of the need to survive - get a family sorted quick before the demons get you - then it's appears safe enough but still a little risky I felt. I can't see it would have made much difference to the story had the active children been a coulpe of years older. Anyway, that's perhaps a small point.
Currently, I can't wait to get home each day to open it up as soon as I can (i.e. when the kids are asleep!), which is a good sign.
I am still waiting to meet the 'Painted Man' - I am assuming the picture of him on the book front with various tatoos are the wards that he has painted onto his very skin - so he can walk around at night at will - and kicks some ass! - can't wait.
As for being like DG; well, it's quite different but that said, Arlen has the Druss spirit; a solid view of right and wrong and making a stand where a stand is needed. I will be watching him carefully as the book (and the series) progresses.
Very, very promising.
More when I am done ...
Andrew.
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Permalink Reply by Peter V. Brett on -
Wow. Thanks, Andrew (and everyone else) for the glowing praise. Award or no, I am thrilled that people are enjoying my work. As I'm sure all the other nominated authors will agree, writing is something very private, and when you finish something and put it out there, you never really know what people are going to say.
Regarding the matter of characters getting married and/or becoming sexually active very young, that is something I gave a lot of thought to. My own natural desire was to make everyone a little older, too, in order to conform with our current cultural beliefs, but when I crafted the story that way, it didn't feel... true anymore. The sad fact is that throughout history, cultures with low populations and/or short life expectancies tended to encourage their children to grow up faster, both physically and sexually. It's not just the girls. Arlen is promised to a girl he barely knows when he's only 11, and expected to be man of the house when his father isn't around. That's just life in a world where humanity's survival means having more babies each year than the number of people the demons kill off.
Life isn't always pretty, or fair, and I try to capture that in my stories, while holding a very firm line against using such things gratuitously. They are a small part of the story, not what the story is about.
Anyway, thanks again to everyone who has posted. It's really a huge honor to be nominated.
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Permalink Reply by Mihai, Dark Wolf on -
Indeed "The Painted Man" ("The Warded Man") is a strong contender. I liked Peter V. Brett's novel and sometimes it reminded me of "The Name of the Wind". Not as story, but as character building. Characterization is very good and I grew quite attached to the characters. And I think that Peter is preparing us for the action of the next novels. I believe that the next one will have at least one very interesting conflict (as the last phrase let me believe :)).
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Permalink Reply by Deborah J Miller - Award Administrator on
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Thanks Mahai - and thanks Peter for posting (and all the other posters too, of course!) It's great to hear from the author/Nominees and hear how please they are to be Nominated!
Makes my day, actually!
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