Michael G. Munz

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May 4, 2014 By Michael G. Munz Leave a Comment

“I saw part of the newsletter he–“
“I seem to have subscribed.”

Perhaps you’ve seen the various boxes around my blog and website inviting you to subscribe or stay informed about geek stuff and my writing. First of all, thanks to all of you who’ve already subscribed! For those of you who haven’t yet, I’m now pleased to offer this additional incentive:

Subscribe to the website mailing list now and get a FREE copy of my short story collection Mythed Connections: A Short Story Collection of Classical Myth in the Modern World!

Mythed Connections contains three stories written prior to when I began to write the upcoming, full-length novel Zeus is Dead. You might say it’s a spiritual prequel. (Go on, say it. There, wasn’t that fun?) And yeah, I know, the title is long. When I picked it, being concise was not the foremost thing on my mind. Perhaps the fact that they’re SHORT stories made me want to go with a long title to balance them out?

So subscribe! The form is right below this post. I promise to never use your email address for anything beyond sending an occasional newsletter with updates on my writing and other fun geek-related things, and I’ll especially never give or sell your contact information to any third parties. (And if you ever change your mind, you can always unsubscribe.)

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Short Story: “Squirrel!”

May 2, 2014 By Michael G. Munz Leave a Comment

Though I’ve been writing since I was a little kid, my first ever published short story (not counting stories published in school magazines and such) came out in 2003 in a little literary magazine known as “The Armchair Aesthete.” It wasn’t even a story I’d originally intended to publish. Heck, technically it wasn’t even a story at all, in the beginning.

I can still remember writing it on a sunny day out in the Quad on the UW campus. Though I’d graduated, I used to go there sometimes to sit among the cherry trees and write. Yet whatever I’d planned to work on that day just wasn’t flowing. Still, “a writer writes,” so I figured it couldn’t hurt to practice. Essentially it was just a bit of tongue-in-cheek journal writing. I wrote the first section, then went home, and on the way, other things…occurred to me.

Just a few days ago I decided to post the story up on a reading site called Wattpad. While I’d like to think my writing has improved since then, I wanted to share it with people again–and if it leads to more attention for my upcoming comedic fantasy Zeus Is Dead: A Monstrously Inconvenient Adventure, then so much the better.

And so, here ’tis. Enjoy “Squirrel!”

And don’t forget to sign up for my mailing list below!

Top 5 List: Villains

April 26, 2014 By Michael G. Munz 5 Comments

And we’re back with another geek-related Top 5 list! (Who is this “we”? I’ve no idea! I suspect I’ve somehow split into two or three people in order to deal with all the things I have to do lately. On the other hand, maybe I’ve just turned pompous and I’m using the royal “we”? Or I’ve been assimilated by the Borg.) This time I’m going with the top five villains in fiction, as judged by me. In totally subjective fashion. In relation to my mood at tastes right at this moment on April 26th, 2014, because I am flighty and I apparently lack conviction. Oh! I nearly forgot to toss up the title in fancy title-fashion. So here it is:

Top Five Fictional Villains

Good. Got that out of the way. As always, this list is in no particular order due to my usual inability to rank favorites. (Well, okay, so the first one in the list is likely the one that occurred to me first, but…) [Read more…]

Book Review: On the Matter of the Red Hand

November 16, 2013 By Michael G. Munz 1 Comment

A few days ago I read a novella by J.M. Guillen called The Herald of Autumn. Below is the review I’ve posted on Amazon and Goodreads…

On the Matter of the Red Hand by J.M. Guillen

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I picked up On the Matter of the Red Hand immediately (and I do mean immediately) after loving another novella by J.M. Guillen called The Herald of Autumn. I was not disappointed.

The novella, written in first person, is narrated by Thom, a detective known as a judicar. Guided by an alchemical serum that gives prophetic visions and waking nightmares, Thom must inject himself into the search for the sister of a dangerous guild master, knowing that he may not emerge alive.

The novella is as much about Thom’s investigation as it is about Thom himself. Time is taken to show the man behind the badge (or the stave, in his case); his thoughts, his means for dealing with the burdens of his position, and his inner conflict with the serum that both aids him and disturbs him. Guillen’s portrayal has a distinctive voice that I found very enjoyable.

The novella paints an intriguing pre-industrial setting filled with alchemy, guilds, and danger. One of the details I enjoyed most about this book was the concept of each judicar having as a partner a trained raven. Guillen hints at a richer background in his setting (such as a rare firearm that seems to be a product of the setting’s past). I wanted to know more.

In fact, wanting more is the main reason I nearly rated this book 4 stars instead of 5; the end left something unresolved that I wanted to know more of. I came to discover that the novella is intended to lead into a larger series, which I’m certainly looking forward to. My only complaint here would be that Thom himself seems to sense that it was time for the novella to end, as he finds a greater sense of closure in certain events than I would have in the same situation. If Goodreads allowed me to rate it 4.5 stars, I would, but as that’s not possible, I’m rounding up.

I look forward to more.

View all my reviews

Book Review: The Herald of Autumn

October 4, 2013 By Michael G. Munz Leave a Comment

I recently finished reading a novella by J.M. Guillen called The Herald of Autumn. Below is the review I’ve posted on Amazon and Goodreads…

The Herald of Autumn by J.M. Guillen

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Find yourself caught between a centuries-long struggle between spirits of the old world and the new, witness beings of faerie who can make a story real with their powers of Telling, and risk nightmares given form by what lurks in the darkness, just read this book!

This is a fantastic novella. I’m drawn to tales of old-world faeries (the kind of creatures that will steal 2 decades of your life with longing, or strip the flesh from your bones if offended), and The Herald of Autumn doesn’t disappoint. Guillen crafts his writing with an amazing, poetic care that not only makes the world palpable but paints in marvelous fashion the concepts behind it: stones that have never known flight, singing in joy as they’re flung from a sling; the power of a true name; and the titular Herald of Autumn himself. Descriptions of dark things encountered (both real and sent as nightmares into the main character’s mind) are both imaginative and frightening: “I saw a capering, giggling boy in the shadows, with extra joints in his fingers. They bent backwards, serpentine. He would tickle sleeping children until they bled…” Twisted.

Within 5 minutes of finishing it, I had already told three friends to tell them to pick it up as soon as I could, and that’s honestly not something I’ve ever done before. My only complaint–and I mean this in the best way–is that it’s just a novella and not a full-length novel. Don’t get me wrong, it’s the perfect length for the story it tells, I was just sorry to see it end!

View all my reviews

Reblogging: Revolution! A Manifesto for Readers

September 18, 2013 By Michael G. Munz Leave a Comment

A fantastic call to action for book-lovers everywhere, from J.M. Guillen…

Revolution! A Manifesto for Readers

Imagine having the power to change the stories of a generation.

You could define what their ideas of “heroism” were. You could shape what they found funny, or noble, or tragic. People who you would never meet or touch would share deep, inherent concepts with you, and carry them forward to a time beyond your death.

If you could shape the stories of a generation…

(read more)

A Memory in the Black: Free Sept 9th & 10th!

September 9, 2013 By Michael G. Munz Leave a Comment

If you haven’t snagged your copy of A Memory in the Black, now’s your chance! (I won’t say “There’s never been a better time…” because I absolutely loathe that particular marketing phrase, but it IS accurate in this case…) Or, rather, now is your chance if it’s currently September 9th or 10th–but I’m being pedantic. The point I’m trying to make here is: