Chapter 1: The Seafarers

Chapter 1

Ok, I have to start out by saying that this isn’t chapter 5. It’s the seafarers, chapter 1. You see these books are divided into different sections to help us keep track of the viewpoint character, which is actually not a bad idea for a story like this where perspective jumps around a bunch. The problem is that every time we reach a new section the chapter count starts over. This part is extremely annoying and makes keeping track of things harder without adding to the story or feeling in any way necessary. Protip for aspiring writers: If it makes your book needlessly more complicated and doesn’t add to the story then don’t put it in.

I’ll put my hand up and admit that my own book contains a timekeeping system which takes a bit of getting your head around, but at least that adds to the setting and is part of the worldbuilding. This? It’s needlessly annoying, and I have no idea why you would bother numbering the chapters at all if you were simply going to reset the count every 60 or so pages.

Right, now that’s out of the way.

This next section of the book is called the seafarers, and follows the charmingly sociopathic pirate/Vikings we were introduced to at the end of the last chapter. Our viewpoint character this chapter is Captain Sorgan Hook-Beak, the lad with firm economic advice about not killing people for kicks if you can still make a buck off of them. I’m going to take a bit of a risk here and post a quote, in spite of the whole ‘no part of this publication can be reprinted’ thing. It’s for a good cause, and if anyone really gets upset let me know and I’ll take it down.

‘Though he would deny it with his dying breath, if the truth were to be known, it was sheer coincidence that led to the discovery of the Land of Dhrall by Captain Sorgan Hook-Beak and the crew of his ship, the Seagull.’

Why was this quoteworthy? Well apart from demonstrating a fondness for commas beyond even my own obsession with them, it generates another plot hole when compared with the series finale. In fact the plot hole comes from the same problem as the preface, so take another shot. There are so many of these that I am convinced that the finale is an ass-pull ending that was never planned at this stage of the undertaking. This is a major problem, and here’s why:

Most stories have a beginning, a middle and an end.

The beginning of the story is where you establish your characters and setting, along with setting in motion whatever plot or conflict is going to drive the series. The beginning can be fast such as in the hobbit, or slow as is the case in the lord of the rings. A strong beginning is vital for getting your readers invested and engaged, and a half-baked beginning can kill an otherwise good book by losing the interest of prospective readers.

The middle of the story is, naturally, everything that happens between beginning and end. Character development, plot progression… almost everything that makes a story enjoyable is going to happen in this section of the series, which is as it should be as this is what makes up the vast majority of the series. Of the three, having only a vague idea of the middle of a book is probably the least damaging as it allows the plot and characters to develop more organically.

Then we come to the end, the culmination of our series. A weak ending can potentially damage a franchise more than several lackluster chapters in the middle of a story, as demonstrated with the fan outcry at the ending of mass effect 3. While knowing exactly how a story will end when you start writing it isn’t vital, having some idea of what is going to happen is a good idea. A good ending will tie up the main plot and preferably deal with the majority of any loose ends still remaining, though with more complex stories one or two threads will inevitable be missed by all but the most methodical and talented.

What you most certainly do not want is an ending that concludes none of your plot threads, comes completely out of left field, and creates a bunch of plot holes. Rest assured, if you stick with me then you’ll see an ending that ticks all of these boxes and more besides.

Ok, major tangent already and we’re only a single sentence in. So let’s take a look at the second sentence. Yes, we’re in for the long haul on this one. It’s basically telling us how awesome Sorgan Hook-Beak is as a sailor, as it’s easier to do this than actually show him being a good sea-captain. Oh, but merely being good isn’t enough for our main character: He’s the best there has ever been. So of the random ships Zelana could have stumbled upon, the first one contains the greatest sea-captain ever. Take a shot, and restock your alcohol because EVERY ONE of our main characters is going to be the best that has ever lived in their respective fields… one of which I will be taking particular issue with as I, an internet reviewer, can out-do him in his field of mastery without even raising a sweat. But more on that later.

We now get some exposition on the land of Maag and the history of Sorgan Hook-Beak. Several pages later we read what we just read last chapter from another point of view (take a shot) and the chapter ends with us catching up to where last chapter left off, his ship and crew getting swept away by a divinely mandated tide and to the land of Drall.