Book Review: Daughter of Blood: The Wall of Night Book Three by Helen Lowe + giveaway

Daughter of Blood: The Wall of Night Book Three

by Helen Lowe

January 26, 2016
A Gemmell Award-Winning Series
Malian of Night and Kalan, her trusted ally, are returning to the Wall of Night—but already it may be too late. The Wall is dangerously weakened, the Nine Houses of the Derai fractured by rivalry and hate. And now, the Darkswarm is rising...

Among Grayharbor backstreets, an orphan boy falls foul of dark forces. On the Wall, a Daughter of Blood must be married off to the Earl of Night, a pawn in the web of her family's ambition. On the Field of Blood, Kalan fights for a place in the bride's honor guard, while Malian dodges deadly pursuers in a hunt against time for the fabled Shield of Heaven. But the Darkswarm is gaining strength, and time is running out—for Malian, for Kalan, and for all of Haarth...

I don't read a lot of epic fantasy...okay I don't read any cause...have you seen the size of those books? <G>. Years ago Helen Lowe published Heir of Night, the first book in a four book epic fantasy series. It was only 458 pages long and I wanted to help an author out...well, I got hook hard and fast. I wasn't the only one, cause it won some awards, most notably, the Gemmell Morningstar Award for Best Fantasy Newcomer 2012. She was the first woman to ever win a Gemmell Award (there are three).

Here we are at book three, Daughter of Blood. It might have been 750 pages, but it didn't feel like it. There is constant action and I was absorbed in the complexity of the story and watching as all the pieces Lowe has been putting into place since book one start to fall into place. At the end of book one, Malian and Kalan had to take separate paths. It has been six years and both have been changed by their journeys. In Daughter of Blood, they finally meet again. Many mysteries have been uncovered and I was surprised by the turn of events for Kalan and Malian. Can't give any details, cause...spoilers, but it is a sword and sorcery party!

The writing is amazing and I'm captivated by the world Lowe created. This is a very involved story with an incredible number of character and names to remember. You need to give it all your attention. Definitely start from book one.


5 "Blood" Sheep

SharonS

GIVEAWAY

you can win a copy of book one, Heir of Night by going to Helen's I Smell Sheep interview

http://www.ismellsheep.com/2016/01/interview-fantasy-author-helen-lowe.html

About the Author:

website-twitter-blog

Helen Lowe, is a novelist, poet, interviewer and blogger whose first novel,Thornspell (Knopf), was published to critical praise in 2008. Her second, The Heir of Night (The Wall Of Night Series, Book One) won the Gemmell Morningstar Award 2012. The sequel, The Gathering Of The Lost, was shortlisted for the Gemmell Legend Award in 2013 and Daughter Of Blood, (The Wall Of Night Series, Book Three) is forthcoming in January 2016. Helen posts regularly on her “…on Anything, Really” blog.

Interview: Fantasy Author Helen Lowe (Daughter of Blood: The Wall of Night Book 3) + giveaway

Sharon: Hello! My goodness it’s been a long time since we’ve had you in the hot seat...It was April 2012! And you had just released The Gathering of the Lost (Wall of Night #2). So it looks like we have three lost years to catch up on! *shoves plate of moonpies and kool aid over* Betcha haven’t had any of this American goodness since you last visited. <G>

Helen: Hi Sharon, it’s great to be back. :) One of my sisters-in-law is American, though, so although I haven’t had moonpies and kool-aid, I have enjoyed such delights as pumpkin pie, deep-dish apple pie, and brownies “to live for.” However, I must confess–with something of a gulp!–to it being almost four years, rather than three, since we got together to talk The Gathering of the Lost.
Sharon:shudder:

Sharon: What have you been doing with yourself? Pick up any new hobbies? Gone on any adventures? Adopted a dragon?

Helen: I wish I could admit to anything half so exciting as any of that! But alas, mainly I have spent the intervening time working on the various stages of Daughter of Blood. However, I have managed a couple of short breaks, mostly local, but once Daughter of Blood was “definitely done” I did go to Melbourne, in Australia, for ten days. Melbourne is a wonderful city in almost every way – beautiful, heaps going on, and easy to get around.

Sharon: What is something a visitor from America should see or do in Melbourne? Is there something we would be surprised by?

Helen: The Art Gallery of Victoria is amazing (Melbourne is the capital of the state of Victoria) and so, too, is the War Memorial – both are well worth a visit. I also recommend the Mornington peninsula, close by Melbourne, for some wonderful day trips. I don’t know about “surprised by”, exactly, but part of my “easy to get around” is the trams, which I absolutely loved because they were “space age trams”, but also because they went everywhere in a really efficient way – plus being free in the central city, which is great for visitors.

Sharon: For our readers who don’t know about your Wall of Night series, could you give them an idea of what the series is about and where things stand going into book 3? Do readers have to read this series in order?

Helen: To answer the last question first: yes, I do think it would be best to read the books in order. I try to include plenty of ‘wee reminders’ about what occurred in the previous installments, but The Wall of Night series is one story being told in four parts, so the beginning is probably the best place to start. Having said that, aside from the first book – The Heir of Night – I’ve tried to build a sense of completion into each book, so together with the reminders, it shouldn’t be impossible to start with Daughter of Blood – but I still can’t help thinking the beginning is best.

In terms of what’s happening now as Book 3 opens, both Malian of Night and Kalan are heading back to the Wall of Night via their separate paths. Kalan has to fight for a place in the Bride of Blood’s honor guard, while Malian tries to find the fabled Shield of Heaven, which all accounts agree was lost aeons before—and meanwhile, their people’s ancient enemy is rising again at last. Daughter of Blood is an account of intrigue and contests of arms, sieges and long-lost magic waking to life, as well as loyalty and camaraderie, betrayal, vengeance, and duels to the death – and there might be the possibility of romance as well. I’m not telling, though…

Sharon: The third book in your Wall of Night series, Daughter of Blood, comes out Jan 26, 2016. Three years is a long time between books. What about this story makes it take so long to finish?

Helen: As you’ll be aware, The Wall of Night is a big story, and Daughter of Blood wanted to be bigger still, so persuading the story that it (and by implication the series) didn’t need to be ten times the size of the Wheel of Time, while still being told effectively, took some wrangling. Passing the first 70,000-word mark and realizing that things weren’t going in at all the right direction, and that I needed to stop and start over, didn’t make for fast-track writing either. And I suspect I am not speedy to start with – I feel it’s more important to get the story and the characters right for readers, rather than rushing a story out. Sometimes that requires more thinking than writing, or ‘writing and throwing away’ as an analog for thinking – but either way, it doesna add up to fast. I only hope readers feel the end result is worthwhile.

Sharon: Starting over at 70K? Did you have a mini pity party before starting again? You know, one that involved alcohol or baked goods?

Helen: I undoubtedly should have, but it was more of a moment of extreme existential angst. Think Edvard Munch’s “The Scream” and you’d be on the right page! However, I got over it – and myself :)  – and the decision proved to be absolutely right for the story, so there you go!

Sharon: Have you deviated much from your original idea of how the story would play out? I asked you this in your interview after book #2 released and this was your answer:

Helen: Ah, this is a simple answer: no, not in terms of the essential arc. Some ideas have expanded, while others contracted, and occasionally I have to change focus or adopt a new “slant” on unfolding events, but the essence of the original story has always remained true—so far!

Are things still staying the course? Any changes you’ve had to make?

Helen: It is still true and I am still staying the course! A great deal of the good ole story wrangling described above was part of that staying on ‘true’ – although even then the wrangling involved the “how” of reaching the book’s end, rather than “what” the ending would be. The latter was always pretty clear, and although I did get there via a slightly different route than originally anticipated, the deviation was relatively slight – and I did finally arrive safely at the always-intended end.

Sharon: How many more books are coming and what is the time table-ish? Can you tell us what you have planned for when Wall of Night ends?

Helen: The Wall of Night series is a quartet so there is one more book: working title, The Chaos Gate. The time table is fluid, since my books have a mind of their own (as Daughter of Blood proved), but I am currently aim to complete the first draft in July 2017. As for what happens after The Wall of Night series, that is really in the lap of the muses, but I am aware of several possible stories hovering in the wings …

Sharon: Will book four be longer, more complicated to write than the previous ones?

Helen: Iam hoping it will be far more straightforward, in the sense of a “downhill run to the end” – but we’ll see! I certainly wouldn’t like to jinx the Muses …

Sharon: If you could own any piece of art in the world, what would it be?

Helen: Botticelli’s “The Birth of Venus.” I have always loved the painting for its combination of beauty, colour, and freshness, but also because it speaks to my love of myth, legend, and also classical history.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Birth_of_Venus

Sharon: Do you remember your first celebrity crush?

Helen: You know, I really can’t! I’ve never been much of a follower of celebrity in and of itself, which may explain my absence of mind in this respect. But I do remember first meeting Faramir in The Lord of the Rings (the book version of Faramir, I hasten to add, not the film character) and thinking he was all sorts of awesome. Another early favorite was Patricia McKillip’s one-eyed Astrin Ymris, part archaeologist, part wizard, part warrior, and wholly cool, in The Riddlemaster of Hed trilogy.

Rapid Fire:

Sharon: Singing in the Rain or Walking on Sunshine?

Helen: Walking on sunshine!

Sharon: haunted shoes or haunted pants?

Helen: Shoes! Either is bad but haunted pants sounds out of control! ;-)

Sharon: “I make the bed each morning” or “Why? I’m just gonna get back in tonight.”

Helen: Mostly I follow the first approach, but sometimes, especially when the book writing is going down to the wire, I’ll take the second option…

http://goo.gl/LnDK2n

Sharon: Captain American or Iron Man?

Helen: No contest: Captain America.:)

Sharon: *high fives* We’ll have to stick together when Civil War comes around.

Helen: I’m really looking forward to it. He’s one of my favorites among the super heroes – possibly because he has such a strong moral compass, although “Civil War” looks like it may test that!

Sharon: bring tissue to the movie, that's all I got to say...

Sharon: Gothic or modern?

Helen: Ah, there’s a question. It could go either way, but for today, I think I’ll go with modern.

Daughter of Blood: The Wall of Night Book Three

by Helen Lowe

January 26, 2016

Mass Market Paperback

A Gemmell Award-Winning Series

Malian of Night and Kalan, her trusted ally, are returning to the Wall of Night—but already it may be too late. The Wall is dangerously weakened, the Nine Houses of the Derai fractured by rivalry and hate. And now, the Darkswarm is rising...

Among Grayharbor backstreets, an orphan boy falls foul of dark forces. On the Wall, a Daughter of Blood must be married off to the Earl of Night, a pawn in the web of her family's ambition. On the Field of Blood, Kalan fights for a place in the bride's honor guard, while Malian dodges deadly pursuers in a hunt against time for the fabled Shield of Heaven. But the Darkswarm is gaining strength, and time is running out—for Malian, for Kalan, and for all of Haarth...

About the Author:

website-twitter-blog

Helen Lowe, is a novelist, poet, interviewer and blogger whose first novel,Thornspell (Knopf), was published to critical praise in 2008. Her second, The Heir of Night (The Wall Of Night Series, Book One) won the Gemmell Morningstar Award 2012. The sequel, The Gathering Of The Lost, was shortlisted for the Gemmell Legend Award in 2013 and Daughter Of Blood, (The Wall Of Night Series, Book Three) is forthcoming in January 2016. Helen posts regularly on her “…on Anything, Really” blog.

GIVEAWAY
print copy of Heir of Night (Wall of Night #1)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

International Gemmell Legend Award nominee update with Helen Lowe + 3 book giveaway (INT)

Remember a while back we asked epic fantasy author Helen Lowe about being long listed for the International David Gemmell Legend Award for Best Fantasy (in the epic-heroic genre, published during 2012.)? Well, she is back to let us know how she did! (original post)

Cheers, Helen! Last time we talked you were on the long list for the International David Gemmell Legend Award for Best Fantasy (in the epic-heroic genre, published during 2012.) So of course we want to know if your book “The Gathering of the Lost” made the short list? 
Helen: It did! And I can tell you, Sharon, that I was Really Very Excited when the news came through. There was definitely a “happy dance’ and maybe an air punch or two – but I’m not sure I should either confirm or deny on that last point! J I’m also tremendously grateful for all the support I’ve had to get this far toward – as one reader put it – “becoming Legend.” 

Have you experienced any benefits by being one of the finalists?
Helen: It’s too early to know with respect to sales, but I got a lovely email of congratulation from my US editor, who I think was almost as excited as I was, and a gorgeous bunch of spring flowers from my publisher here in NZ as well. And a definite ‘yes’ to the more attention, with lots of requests for interviews and guest blog posts – but there was never any question that I was coming back to ismellsheep after our fun chat when The Gathering Of The Lost was longlisted! 

Also, I am very glad to have the opportunity this shortlisting represents, and the flow-on opportunity for increased publicity to get the word about the series out to more people. To help that along, my US publisher is doing a .99c special deal on the e-book to celebrate the shortlisting. I believe that will run right through until September 30. (It’s US only though, so my apologies to international readers.)

amazon buy link for $.99 The Gathering of the Lost

What is the next step in the award process?
Helen: The next step is that voting is now on to determine the winner –and as we all know from Highlander, there can be only one! So it is all very intense as well as exciting! The deadline for voting is also 30 September, and the result will be announced on 31 October, as part of this year’s World Fantasy Convention, which again is very exciting. 

If ismellsheep readers would like to vote, these are the steps: 

i) Click on the following link: Legend Award 2013 Shortlist 
or here: http://www.gemmellaward.com/page/the-legend-award 

ii) Then click again in the circle above the author name and book you wish to support: for example, 'Helen Lowe - The Gathering Of The Lost'

iii) Finally, scroll to the bottom of the page and click on the "Vote" button.

Again you are the only woman author in the finals. If you win will you be the first woman to win the Gemmell Legend award? (Helen was the first woman to ever win the Gemmell Morningstar Award for Best Fantasy Newcomer)

Helen: That’s right, Sharon. To be fair, it’s only the fifth year of the awards, but so far no woman author has won the Legend Award from their inception, and when I won the Morningstar Award (for Best Fantasy Newcomer) last year, I was the first woman to win both that particular award, and either of the two award categories for books. (The third award, the Ravenheart, is for cover art.) 

I’m also the only woman on either of the two book award shortlists this year, which does tend to underline the perception that epic fantasy is a male domain. I’m not convinced though, that the perception is accurate. I know a great many women who, like me, love epic storytelling and read widely in the genre. Women authors are writing great epic fantasy as well, and if the correspondence I am getting is an indicator, are being taken seriously by readers of both genders. At the end of the day, the reason I write epic fantasy is because I love it—and I hope that comes through in the storytelling. As an author, all I can do is write the very best books I am capable of and hope that readers will judge my storytelling on its merits.

Thanks for checking in with us and good luck!

Helen: Thank you, Sharon – it’s always a pleasure to be here on ismellsheep. I would love to give something back to your readers, so I thought I’d do a giveaway of all three of my published titles, Thornspell, The Heir Of Night and The Gathering Of The Lost – all signed, of course, and fully international. J 'Helen Lowe - The Gathering Of The Lost', then scroll down & click 'vote': done!)

my review of Heir of Night

my review of Gathering of the Lost

my review of Thornspell

Wow, what an extremely generous giveaway! I've read all three of these books and this is a fantasy lovers dream giveaway!

About the Author:
website-blog-twitter

Helen Lowe's first novel, Thornspell, a critically praised retelling of Sleeping Beauty, was published by Knopf Books for Young Readers in September 2008. Thornspell was a Storylines Notable Book 2009 and won the Sir Julius Vogel Award for Best Novel, Young Adult 2009; Helen also won the Sir Julius Vogel Award for Best New Talent in the same year. Helen Lowe lives in Christchurch, New Zealand, and writes fantasy and sci-fi novels, poetry, and short fiction.

GIVEAWAY

Helen is offering one reader all three of her books signed

International

This contest will be open till the end of the voting period Sept 30th

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Gemmell Legend Award Nominee: Helen Lowe

Gemmell Legend Award

Helen Lowe writes epic fantasy, a tough genre for women to break into, but she did when her debut The Heir of Night won the international Gemmell Morningstar Award 2012 for Best Fantasy Debut. She also has the distinction of being the first woman to ever win a Gemmell writing award. 

Now, one year later, book 2 The Gathering of the Lost has been nominated for the international Gemmell Legend Award. 

I invited Helen here to tell us a little more about the Gemmell Awards and what this means to her.

Sharon: Congrats on being long listed for the Legend! Tell our readers a bit about the Gemmell awards.

Hi Sharon—thank you for having me back on ismellsheep and for the congratulations: I’m still feeling a little giddy from seeing The Gathering of the Lost come out on the long-list [fans self!]

In terms of the awards, they were established to honor heroic fantasy author David Gemmell who passed away in 2006. There are three classes of awards, all named after his books: the Ravenheart is for cover art, the Morningstar is for the best newcomer, and the Legend Award is for the best novel, published in the preceding calendar year, in the epic, heroic, or high Fantasy genres.

One of the reasons it’s so exciting for me to see Gathering on the list is not just because I've made it into the open category, but because there are so many other fabulous authors present whose work I've “hearted” for some time—the wonderful Robin Hobb, Steven Erikson with his Malazan series, Juliet Mckenna and Trudi Canavan, to name just a few! Alternatively, as my partner Andrew would put it, I’m now in the ring with some “heavy hitters.” :) 

Sharon: How does a book make it to the short list for voting?

Once the longlist comes out, every step thereafter is by “audience voting”—so for The Gathering Of The Lost or any other book to make it to the shortlist, it will have to be “voted in.” A further round of voting will then commence for the overall winner—who receives a battleaxe as the award, just by the way! How awesome is that—although I imagine you wouldn't want to drop it!

“But seriously,” a big part of the Gemmell Award process is to get readers and lovers of the genre discussing and discovering new books, all as part of celebrating the genre. The voting provides an incentive to do just that, which is enhanced for those books that make it to the shortlist. As for winning… Ooh la la! 

Sharon: The Heir of Night (book 1) won the Gemmell Morningstar, and now The Gathering of the Lost has been nominated for the Gemmell Legend. How does this feel as an author? Can we see a pic of the Gemmell Morningstar award you won?

You can indeed see a copy of the Morningstar and here it is: it’s “shiny.” <G>  

You know, I do sometimes reflect on the relationship between writing and awards and ‘why they matter.’ Arguably, at one level they don’t, because the reason I write—and I imagine it’s pretty much the same for other authors—is because of the delight of storytelling, and because the stories are just there “in the air” and demand to be told. And sometimes you get the occasional ‘message in a bottle’ that lets you know you have connected with a reader; that he or she loved your story, which is what it’s all about.

Yet when I found out I had won the Morningstar it was just such a buzz, not just knowing “my story” had won an international award, but realizing people I had never met must have cared enough to vote for it.

And because writing is essentially a very solitary occupation–I sometimes refer to it as ‘the loneliness of the long distance writer’— winning an award like the Morningstar is a tremendous affirmation that you are, through those solitary scribblings, connecting with people around the planet. It’s the ‘message in a bottle’ scaled up a hundredfold, which is amazingly motivational and humbling at one and the same time!

Another aspect to the Morningstar win that was “kinda cool” was that I was the first woman to win either of the Gemmell book awards, the Legend or the Morningstar. In terms of the Legend Award, Juliet Marillier and Kristen Britain have both made the shortlist before—and given the number of fine women authors on this year’s longlist, 2013 may see a breakthrough to ‘take the axe.’ So in the spirit of the battleaxe: let the games continue! 

Thanks to Helen for stopping by. 

Want to help Helen make the short list for voting? 

It is as easy as one-two-three! Go to the voting site and click in the circle above The Gathering of the Lost, then scroll down and hit Vote and you are done! (The order of the list changes every day so you may have to look near the bottom of the very long list.) 

link voting page

Voting closes on July 31, UK time.

If Night falls, all fall . . .

In the far north of the world of Haarth lies the bitter mountain range known as the Wall of Night. Garrisoned by the Nine Houses of the Derai, the Wall is the final bastion between the peoples of Haarth and the Swarm of Dark—which the Derai have been fighting across worlds and time.

Malian, Heir to the House of Night, knows the history of her people: the unending war with the Darkswarm; the legendary heroes, blazing with long-lost power; the internal strife that has fractured the Derai's former strength. But now the Darkswarm is rising again, and Malian's destiny as Heir of Night is bound inextricably to both ancient legend and any future the Derai—or Haarth—may have.

Tarathan of Ar and Jehane Mor, ride into the great city of Ij in time for it's grand Festival of Masks. But soon after their arrival they witness a terrible slaughter as their fellow heralds are targeted an assassinated. They must flee for their lives across the city as they discover Swarm agents at work as they attempt to destabilise the entire River Cities network for their own ends. And five years after her great flight from the Derai Wall, Malian remains hidden to those who seek her. But she has not been idle. Her goal is to muster all Derai magic users that have fled into exile rather than face destruction. Only by uniting against the Swarm menace can they hold their own against the dark tide and she has hunted down every rumour of their presence. And she has developed her own powers that the Swarm must learn to respect ? and to fear. For Malian won't see her people fall to a dark tide of twisted magic as demonic forces subvert a way of life.

About the Author:

email-website-blog

Helen Lowe's first novel, Thornspell, a critically praised retelling of Sleeping Beauty, was published by Knopf Books for Young Readers in September 2008. Thornspell was a Storylines Notable Book 2009 and won the Sir Julius Vogel Award for Best Novel, Young Adult 2009; Helen also won the Sir Julius Vogel Award for Best New Talent in the same year. Helen Lowe lives in Christchurch, New Zealand, and writes fantasy and sci-fi novels, poetry, and short fiction.

Book Review: The Gathering of the Lost (Wall of Night #2) by Helen Lowe

The Gathering of the Lost (Wall of Night #2)
by Helen Lowe
March 27, 2012
Tarathan of Ar and Jehane Mor, ride into the great city of Ij in time for it's grand Festival of Masks. But soon after their arrival they witness a terrible slaughter as their fellow heralds are targeted an assassinated. They must flee for their lives across the city as they discover Swarm agents at work as they attempt to destabilise the entire River Cities network for their own ends. And five years after her great flight from the Derai Wall, Malian remains hidden to those who seek her. But she has not been idle. Her goal is to muster all Derai magic users that have fled into exile rather than face destruction. Only by uniting against the Swarm menace can they hold their own against the dark tide and she has hunted down every rumour of their presence. And she has developed her own powers that the Swarm must learn to respect ? and to fear. For Malian won't see her people fall to a dark tide of twisted magic as demonic forces subvert a way of life.

If you haven’t read the first book in the Wall of Night series, Heir of Night, then I suggest you do that before reading The Gathering of the Lost. The Gathering begins 5 years after the end of Heir and I think it is important to understand what led the characters to where they are now. Like all fantasy there is a tremendous amount of world-building and it is best to start from the beginning. In my review of Heir of Night, I admitted Fantasy isn’t my genre. I did read the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, but that is the extent of my fantasy knowledge. However, I love The Wall of Night series because it is a fantastic story full of action, adventure and magic. The Gathering of the Lost is the second book in this eventual 4 book series.

Here is a synopsis of The Heir of Night written by the author. If you have read Heir, then you can skip this part. 

"In the far north of the world of Haarth, the alien Derai garrison the mountain range known as the Wall of Night against their aeons old enemy, the Swarm of Dark—an enemy they have been fighting across worlds and time. The Derai's cataclysmic arrival, several millenia before, threw up the Wall, which their Nine Houses have garrisoned with a series of central Keeps and outlying Holds.

When the story opens, the Derai remain a people under arms, but xenophobically isolated from the other peoples of Haarth. A society divided into warrior, priestly, and artisan castes, the Derai are also bitterly divided amongst themselves by the civil war that took place five hundred years before, setting brother against sister, warrior against priest, House against House. The civil war also culminated in a “night of long knives” that resulted in the loss of the Derai’s greatest power, the Golden Fire of the Keeps. This, together with discrimination against those with the Derai’s old magic powers, has considerably weakened the Derai’s ability to resist their ancient enemy.

In the beginning of HEIR we meet Malian, the daughter and Heir of the Earl of Night. She is only thirteen and has an adventurous nature and befriends Kalan, an exile from the House of Blood. Together they face a destiny that will require unbelievable sacrifice; the Derai Alliance is crumbling and no longer able to hold back the Swarm of Dark and “If Night falls, all fall”"

Now, onto The Gathering. While Heir was about the Deria and life on the Wall, this book is about the life and people of Haarth after the Great Cataclysm, a period of devastating natural disasters followed by civil war and the fall of the Old Empire. I don't want to discuss the plot of this book because there are a ton of revelations and twists that would ruin the first book as well as this one if you knew ahead of time. The unexpected events are one of the reasons I love this series so much. Pretty much what I could talk about is in the Gathering's blurb at the top of the post.

This story is richly layered with multiple story lines coming together and Helen’s depiction of this world is vivid and complete. I would swear this was a real place and the author lives there. We meet so many characters in this book it is almost overwhelming, but none of them feel frivolous.

The writing is exceptional and the clever weaving of a “hiding behind the mask” theme is impressive. I am in awe Helen’s ability to write a story of this scope and not have any plot holes or WTH? moments. This isn’t a light read by any means; every word counts, so if you skim you will miss something. At over six hundred pages this book is one you must give your complete attention to and be actively engaged, but the payoff is worth it. Helen does a good job of occasionally summing up what has happened so far, which is a great help to me because with kids running around I wasn’t able to focus sometimes and I needed that extra help to connect the dots. There is some romance, but it is a bitter-sweet. The Wall of Night series has enthralled me and I look forward to what other surprises are in store for Malian and the House of Night as well as the joy of Helen’s writing. Book 3 will be called Daughter of Blood.

U.K. covers

And it isn't just me who loves this series!
Heir of Night awards
Sir Julius Vogel Award for "Best Novel" for The Heir of Night
International Gemmell"Morningstar" Award 2012 for Best Fantasy Newcomer!


5 “face-stealing” Sheep

SharonS

About the Author:

website-blog-twitter
Helen Lowe's first novel, Thornspell, a critically praised retelling of Sleeping Beauty, was published by Knopf Books for Young Readers in September 2008. Thornspell was a Storylines Notable Book 2009 and won the Sir Julius Vogel Award for Best Novel, Young Adult 2009; Helen also won the Sir Julius Vogel Award for Best New Talent in the same year. Helen Lowe lives in Christchurch, New Zealand, and writes fantasy and sci-fi novels, poetry, and short fiction.

Sheep Interview: Helen Lowe + Giveaway

Check out Helen's theme music

Today the Sheep got the chance to sit down and chat with author Helen Lowe. The Gathering of the Lost is the second book in her epic fantasy The Wall of Night. Helen also has a young adult retelling of Sleeping Beauty from the POV of the prince called Thornspell. She is also an accomplished poet. If you've yet to check this author out NOW is a wonderful time. Interview below and giveaway at the end. We hope you enjoy!

US cover

Sharon: Hello Helen and welcome to I Smell Sheep. We have moonpies and Cherry Kool-Aid *passes the silver tray*

Katie: Freshly mixed I might add!
Sharon: Yeah, we don’t want a repeat of *that interview, when everyone starting puking because the Kool-Aid was…er…nevermind.
Helen: I’m thrilled to be here with the ismellsheep team today! Love the moonpies and Cherry Kool-Aid (smiles widely: sampling cautiously.)

Sharon: Can you tell the Flock a little about your fantasy series, The Wall of Night?
Helen: The Wall of Night series (a quartet) is what I call epic or high fantasy. It’s a world of shadow and conflict where the alien Derai people are locked into aeons-old conflict with an ancient enemy, the Swarm of Dark (or Darkswarm.)—but have been divided by civil war with its legacy of prejudice, suspicion and fear. I wanted to explore that ‘fatal flaw’—so although the Derai vs Darkswarm conflict is still important and has its own twists and turns to play out, the focus of the story is as much on the Derai’s internal conflicts and their relationships with other societies. It’s also very much a story of alarms and battles, adventure and mystery, friendship and love, as well as what Robin Hobb has called “strange magic, dark treachery, and conflicting loyalties.”

The first book, “The Heir of Night”, centres on Malian, the Heir to the warrior House of Night, who discovers both the full bitterness of that legacy and realizes that she has to resolve it; and Kalan, a young man thrust into a hateful life who is fighting to break free. I won’t describe all the other central characters, only say that many of them resurface in “The Gathering of the Lost”. Several new and important characters are also introduced. The reader’s knowledge of both the wider world of Haarth and the central characters should deepen in this new book, although it’s still a story of tournaments and flights by night, plots and magic, duty and honor—as well as romance. The characters are five years older you see …

Sharon: Can someone pick up this book and start reading or do they need to begin with the first one Heir of Night?
Helen: My lead editor, Kate Nintzel of Harper Voyager, feels that it can be read on its own and it is realtively self contained as a story—but I do think it would be a lot easier to understand the characters’ relationships to each other, and the issues at stake in the world, if a reader has read The Heir of Night first.

Katie: How did you come up with the concept for this series?
Helen: I think it evolved over a long period. My earliest vision of a dark, wind-blasted environment began when I was a kid living in Singapore and had been reading the Norse myths, including the Twilight of the Gods. There are other influences I can point to, all centered around the evolution of the world and my fascination with epic. But this series really began developing when I decided that I wanted to write epic fantasy, yes, but get away from the tendency to simplify everything in terms of absolute “good” and “evil”—where all the characters need to do is sign up for one team or other. And then put on the correctly shaped or colored hat so everyone can identify them easily. Actual behavior, what the characters in fact do, did not seem to matter very much in some of the stories I was reading. So I wanted to approach the epic story from the angle of a ‘champion’ people, again yes, but also where there is a fundamental disconnect between how they see themselves and some of their collective—and also individual—behaviors. But the day I actually started writing was when I had the first ‘flash vision’ of Malian, fearlessly scaling the wall of the Old Keep despite the physical danger.
Katie: Where were you when this vision came?
Helen: I used to have a job that required me to drive a great deal, mainly through the isolated countryside that makes up much of New Zealand’s Otago and Southland provinces. The terrain is often mountainous as well, with sheer cliffs along deeply incised river beds, and I used to imagine what it would be like to climb fearlessly in an environment like that. (I know people who do and have lost some friends to mountain climbing as well.) During that time I was thinking a lot about the Wall of Night world and the Derai people as I drove. I can’t remember the specific place or time when that first vision of Malian came to me, but I do remember the sense of “a-ha!”—almost of recognition.

Sharon: The protagonists in your series are young. Would you consider this a Y.A.?
Helen: History is a major influence on my writing and in the context of a medieval style world, such as Haarth and the Wall of Night, thirteen and fourteen year olds (Malian and Kalan’s respective ages in “The Heir of Night”) would have been regarded as adult or near adult. (Shakespeare’s Juliet, for example, is fourteen; marriageable age at that time.) And like Elizabeth I of England, Malian has been trained from a very early age to rule. So I don’t think their age in and of itself necessarily makes the book YA, particularly as all the other central protagonists are adult. In this sense, “The Heir of Night” is not unlike the first book in George RR Martin’s “A Game of Thrones” where the pivotal characters, the Stark children, are all young—several of them far younger than Malian and Kalan in “Heir.”

Overall, I believe the decision to publish The Wall of Night series as adult fiction is the correct one, both for the reasons I’ve just discussed but also because the themes are dark and relatively complex—emotionally the story being told is an adult one. Having said that, I read adult books extensively when I was a teen and I do think the Wall of Night story will readily “cross over” between an adult and young adult readership. Although there is not only romance but also—gasp!—sex in “The Gathering of the Lost”, so that may change the perspective for some readers.

Katie: Were any parts of this latest story based on things that have happened in your life?
Helen: Not directly, no. The manuscript was completed and then revised within the context of the major Christchurch earthquakes between September 4, 2010 and June 13, 2011, but even by September 2010, two thirds of the story was already complete and directed how the remaining story would evolve. By the time the most devastating earthquake struck on February 22nd the manuscript had been completed: I was still undertaking substantial revision but within an established framework. So I think the effects arose more in terms of the environment of the work—trying to maintain the concentration and commitment that completing a book requires in the midst of so much destruction and trauma. Although that experience may very well flow through into future work, I feel it is too early to say to what extent that may occur.

In terms of any direct basis on other events in my life, not so much—or again, not directly. I am a great observer, both of my own behavior and that of others, so I will often draw on my observations of human nature and human reactions to inform characters in my stories, but this very rarely occurs in terms of specific incidents. There is one incident in “The Gathering of the Lost” though, that is drawn directly from an older friend’s stories of wartime experience in Nazi-occupied Holland. Her father used to hide beneath the ivy that grew over the roof of the family home when the German soldiers were rounding up men for the forced labor camps and industrial farms. And in one incident in “Gathering”, three characters hide beneath ivy on a stable roof to avoid their pursuers. So I guess you can say that my friend’s anecdote caught my imagination!

Sharon: What an amazing story about survival for your friend’s father.
Helen: Yes, and I still recall the ring of authenticity to the story as she related it. As a storyteller one’s ear becomes attuned to listening for those notes—and then striving to create the same sense of authenticity through one’s writing, i.e. ‘making it real.’

UK cover

Sharon: You address many issues about loyalty, friendship and sacrifice in your story. What do you want people to take away with them after reading this series?
Helen: Although I wanted to explore how conflicts within individuals and between people might play themselves out in an epic story like The Wall of Night series, I did not set out to write a ‘moral’ tale or to instruct in any way. To me, writing fiction must always, first and foremost, be about telling the story and telling it as well as I possibly can. I want the characters to feel like real people, even if they live in a fantastic world, and for what happens to them to matter to a reader. And I want the experience of the world to leave readers with a feeling of both richness and wonder. But most of all I want them to simply say: “That was a good story. I really enjoyed reading it.”
(Sharon: I’ve read Heir of Night and I just wanted to say it is a very good story and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it)
Helen: Thank you, Sharon—I can assure you that’s the kind of feedback no author ever gets tired of hearing! The kind of story I enjoy reading—and this is probably why I love epic fantasy—is one that centers on storytelling where there is a lot at stake and what’s at stake matters. In those circumstances, protagonists frequently find themselves placed in situations that seem overwhelming and a great deal is demanded of them—perhaps even everything is demanded of them. Some people will rise to meet such circumstances, while others crumble beneath them and a fair few muddle along as best they can. Duty and sacrifice definitely play their part, and so too do friendship and loyalty—and may be the only thing, as human beings, that gets us through. But sometimes even friendship and loyalty fail. I believe the reason these themes come out in my writing is because I am trying to make the characters’ response to their circumstances ring true. And if readers take that sense of authenticity away from any of my writing, then I will feel that I am close to hitting the ‘bullseye’ of ‘what it’s all about” as an author.

Sharon: Have you deviated much from your original idea of how the story would play out?
Helen: Ah, this is a simple answer: no, not in terms of the essential arc. Some ideas have expanded, while others contracted, and occasionally I have to change focus or adopt a new “slant” on unfolding events, but the essence of the original story has always remained true—so far!

Katie: If you could have any power what would it be and why?
Helen: A superpower, you mean? Since I’ve become a writer I’ve rather envied Hermione Granger the power she acquired in “The Prisoner of Azkaban” to ‘turn time’ so that she could literally do two (or probably more, knowing Hermione) things at once. I know she used an artifact, a ‘time turner’, but presumably still needed power to do so.

Katie: And what would two things be you'd like to do at once? Hey! Sharon stop jabbing me that was an innocent question this time!
Helen: [Grins] Well aside from … But never mind that! As an author I would love to be able to both write the next book and do everything else a writer has to do at the same time—spend time with wonderful people like both of you and the Flock (waves), keep my blog and website up to date with interesting material, go to conventions and festivals, do my tax returns. (Actually, I would much rather not do that, but you know—have to!) Hmm, and I haven’t even gotten onto real life yet—I’m thinking this sounds like a job for three or four Helen’s, not just two: aka I’m a lot more like Hermione than I thought! [Looks around.] Now where is that time turner?

Sharon: There needs to be an app for that ;)

Sharon: Writing an epic fantasy like this one is an incredible undertaking when you consider the world building involved. What did you learn from the first book Heir of Night that you applied to writing the second one?
Helen: Both the story development and the world building felt like a natural progression from “Heir” to “Gathering.” In fact it’s probably fair to say that world building is a very natural process for me—once the first idea of a world comes, the rest tends to evolve organically from that point.

In terms of managing a series though, one thing I learned in “Heir” and applied to very good effect in “Gathering”, is that every time I introduce a new point-of-view character, the story expands. So to prevent the story ballooning out, I have learned to say a very firm “no” to even the most enticing character who whispers that, really, he or she should be in the story.
Sharon: lol, I guess that is where short stories come from
Helen: Or new book ideas …

Katie: If you could get one "do over" what would it be used on?
Helen: With two books to go in the series, I think I’d still like to have that one in my back pocket for a while yet.

Sharon: You live in Christchurch New Zealand, which was hit by a massive earthquake in Feb 2011. How are things for you and your city?
Helen: Thank you for asking, Sharon. We’ve had close to 10,000 earthquakes now since September 2010, with 4 distinct major events, and the geo-scientists say we still can’t assume that the worst is over. So in that sense we are still very much “in it.” Even if the earthquakes were definitely finished, two thirds of the city’s infrastructure was taken out in under 30 seconds on February 22nd —i.e. water, power, and sewerage, as well as major damage to roads and bridges. So I expect readers can well imagine what I mean by saying I live in a “broken city,” one that is going to take many years of fixing. That takes its toll, as does dealing with insurers and recovery agencies, and I think it would be fair to say that we’re all more than a little weary. But there are really only two choices: to leave, or to keep going and make the best of it.

Katie: What's something super famous in New Zealand? I know sheep are big but what else?
Helen: Hmm, super famous … Milford Sound and Mitre Peak, in remote Fiordland, are pretty much part of the national psyche. And the All Blacks, of course, the national rugby team.
Sharon: Absolutely stunning! The natural wonders are nice too;)

Sharon: If you could have theme music play every time you entered a room, what would it be?
Helen: Oh dear [feeling out of her depth], theme music … I am rather fond of Tchaikovsky’s “Waltz of the Flowers.”
Sharon: I could listen to anything from the Nutcracker forever. Good choice.
Helen: Thank you.

Sharon: What flower would you say is your favorite?

Helen: Ah [feeling on surer ground now]—if there ‘can be only one’ then I feel reasonably confident going with the iris.

Rapid Fire Round

Sharon: Hansel and Gretel or Little Red Riding Hood?
Helen: Hansel and Gretel
Sharon: Cause of the gingerbread house, right? I love gingerbread…
Helen: Mmmm, gingerbread… But I suspect it could also be because Hansel and Gretel have more agency—they save themselves.

Katie: Chocolate covered fruit or chocolate covered pretzels?
Helen: Chocolate covered fruit
Sharon: *pulls yucky face*
Katie: Both are a win in my book.
[Helen high fives Katie.]

Sharon: Paisley or plaid?
Helen: Urgh, do I have to choose? Yes? In which case I’ll go with plaid just to stay in true with my Scottish heritage.
Katie: Oh if you were a male the things I could say here…ok now THAT was a good time to jab me. *winks*
Helen: [innocently] I thought we were talking about plaid, not kilts, Katie.
Sharon: With Katie, everything goes back to kilts...or the men in them <G>

Katie: So true.

Katie: Smart Nerd or Dumb jock?
Helen: Smart Nerd
Katie: Very good choice.
Helen: [smiles]

Sharon: Pepsi or Coke? (and you have to choose!)
Helen: Wine. (I truly really don’t drink either Coke or Pepsi & have never tasted the latter.)
Sharon: Well that explains why you can’t pick. If you had tasted Pepsi you would easily have answered so <G>
Katie: Says the Pepsi crazy person. It matters not cause she would LOVE Coke.
Helen: [rolls eyes] You two are on your own with this one…
Sharon: Maybe we should have two men in kilts come fight it out for us...in mud...

Katie: I love how I've rubbed off on your Sharon!

Katie: Tiny Tim or Kid from Jerry Maguire?
Helen: Tiny Tim

Sharon: Rubies or emeralds?
Helen: Rubies

Katie: Big Axe or Big Sword?
Helen: Big sword
Sharon: But what if the woodsman (Chris Hemsworth) is attached to that axe?
Helen: Hmm, that could be cause for a rethink … But then again, there’s Aragorn (Viggo) with Anduril in The Lord of the Rings movies … Some days, choosing is just too difficult!

Sharon: Robots or cyborgs?
Helen: Cyborgs

Sharon: Basket of cookies or plate of fruit?
Helen: Plate of fruit

Katie: Thriller or Action?
Helen: Thriller

Sharon: Short cut or scenic route?
Helen: Scenic route

Katie: Thank you for taking the time to chat with us Helen, would you like to add anything before we wrap?
Helen: Thank you very much to you both for inviting me along to day; it’s been a huge amount of fun. And you know, I think we’ve covered a lot of ground—I really can’t think of anything more to add.

***GIVE AWAY***

Big thanks to Helen for being brave enough to visit us and she has brought gifts...for you!

1 winner will get BOTH Wall of Night books- Heir of Night and The Gathering of the Lost

5 winners will get a Gathering cover flat + signed bookplate

This contest is INTERNATIONAL

To enter:

1. Leave a way to contact you

2. Do you have a favorite Fantasy book or hero/heroine?

*followers get double entries-you must mention how you follow

Contest ends April 16th at midnight

Helen Lowe is a novelist, poet, and interviewer. She has twice won the Sir Julius Vogel Award for achievement in SFF, for Thornspell(Knopf) in 2009 and The Heir of Night (The Wall of Night Book One) in 2011 and is currently the writer-in-residence at the University of Canterbury.

Helen posts every day on her Helen Lowe on Anything, Really blog on the 1st of every month on the Supernatural Underground and occasionally on SF Signal. You can also follow her on Twitter.

The Wall of Night books are only $4.99 for the kindle
Heir of Night-The Gathering of the Lost

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Heir of Night- The Gathering of the Lost