AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Martha Wells - Emilie and the Sky World (Emilie #2)

Today, we're really excited to be hosting Martha Wells, author of Emilie and the Sky World, which is out now from Strange Chemistry! Martha took some time to answer a few questions for us, and we're happy to share her answers with you. Before we get to her interview though, here's some information about Martha and her newest book!


About the book!

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads | Strange Chemistry

Title: Emilie and the Sky World (Emilie #2)
Author: Martha Wells
Publication Date: March 4, 2014

Ashley's Emilie and the Sky World Review
Ashley's Emilie and the Hollow World Review

Synopsis: When Emilie and Daniel arrive in Silk Harbor, Professor Abindon, an old colleague of the Marlendes, warns them that she’s observed something strange and potentially deadly in the sky, a disruption in an upper air aether current. But as the Marlendes investigate further, they realize it’s a ship from another aetheric plane. It may be just a friendly explorer, or something far more sinister, but they will have to take an airship into the dangerous air currents to find out.

Emilie joins the expedition and finds herself deep in personal entanglements, with an angry uncle, an interfering brother, and an estranged mother to worry about – not to mention a lost family of explorers, the strange landscapes of the upper air, and the deadly menace that inhabits the sky world.

About the author! 

Martha Wells was born in 1964 in Fort Worth, Texas, and graduated from Texas A&M University with a B.A. in Anthropology. She is the author of over a dozen science fiction and fantasy novels, including the Nebula-nominated The Death of the Necromancer, as well as a number of short stories and nonfiction articles. Her books have been published in seven languages.

Her first novel, The Element of Fire, was published by Tor in hardcover in July 1993 and was a finalist for the 1993 Compton Crook/Stephen Tall Award and a runner-up for the 1994 Crawford Award. The French edition, Le feu primordial, was a 2003 Imaginales Award nominee.

Her third novel The Death of the Necromancer (Avon Eos) was a 1998 Nebula Award Nominee and the French edition was a 2002 Imaginales Award nominee.

The Fall of Ile-Rien trilogy, published by HarperCollins Eos -- The Wizard Hunters (May 2003), The Ships of Air (July 2004), and The Gate of Gods, (November 2005) -- is set in the same world as The Element of Fire and The Death of the Necromancer. She has also published three media tie-in novels: Stargate Atlantis: Reliquary, released in March 2006, and Stargate Atlantis: Entanglement in March 2007, and a Star Wars novel, Empire and Rebellion: Razor's Edge in September 2013.

She has had short stories published in Realms of Fantasy, Black Gate, Lone Star Stories, Lightspeed Magazine, and in the anthologies Elemental, Tales of the Emerald Serpent, The Other Half of the Sky, and Tales of the Emerald Serpent II: A Knight in the Silk Purse. She has essays in the non-fiction anthologies Farscape Forever, Mapping the World of Harry Potter, Chicks Unravel Time, and The Kobold Guide to Magic.

Her latest fantasy novels were published by Night Shade Books: The Cloud Roads in March 2011, and the sequels, The Serpent Sea, in January 2012, and The Siren Depths, in December 2012. Her first young adult fantasy, Emilie and the Hollow World, was published in April 2013 by Strange Chemistry Books, and the sequel, Emilie and the Sky World in March 2014. There will be a two-volume print collection (Tales of the Raksura Volume I and Tales of the Raksura Volume II) and individual ebook editions of four novellas set in the world of the Books of the Raksura series in September of 2014.
You can find Martha on her website and @marthawells1 on Twitter.


And now, the interview!

What are some of your favorite classic sci-fi/fantasy books?
Wraiths of Time by Andre Norton, Zelde Metara by F.M. Busby, The Birthgrave by Tanith Lee.

What made you decide you wanted to be a writer?
I don't really remember. I wrote stories (basically fanfic about Godzilla movies) when I was in elementary school, and I know by the time I was in high school I wanted to be a writer. I felt a lot of connection to the books I read, and I was one of those kids who probably wouldn't have survived if I hadn't had access to a library and books to escape into. I think I've just wanted to write stories that other people could escape into too.

If you had to choose, would you rather visit the Hollow World or the Sky World?
Definitely the Hollow World. The Cirathi would be fun to hang out with.

Which character in Emilie and the Sky World was your favorite to write?
I think it's a toss-up between Emilie and Professor Abindon. Lord Engal is a lot of fun too.

How does a typical writing day normally go for you?
I get up and answer email, check out what's going on online, and take care of anything that's time-sensitive, then start writing as soon as I can. I'll usually go from about 9:00 am or so until around 3:00 pm, then I'll take care of any chores or housecleaning that needs to be done. If I'm really on a roll, I'll start writing again after dinner.

What do you enjoy doing when you aren't writing?
Reading, and watching movies and TV.

Do you have any plans to continue Emilie's story?
Not at this point. The book I want to write next is a bit different.

How did you come up with the ideas for The Hollow World and The Sky World?
I had wanted to write a Jules Verne-ish story for a long time, and I had some ideas for hollow earth stories, but once I thought of making it for younger readers and came up with Emilie's character, the books just came together. After Emilie and the Hollow World, it just seemed natural to send them in the opposite direction, into space.

What three words best describe Emilie?
Gutsy, resilient, and curious.

Are there any books currently on your nightstand?
Right now I'm reading The Avalon Chanter by Lillian Stewart Carl, a contemporary mystery/ghost story. The last few books I read were Dirty Magic by Jaye Wells, Ancillary Justice by Anne Leckie, A Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan, and London Falling by Paul Cornell.

A huge thank you again to Martha for taking the time to stop by and answer our questions!

--Ashley & Paul

Emilie and the Sky World (Emilie #2) by Martha Wells - Ashley's Review

*I received this book as an eARC from Strange Chemistry/Angry Robot on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Title: Emilie and the Sky World (Emilie #2)
Author: Martha Wells
Publication Date: March 4, 2014

My Emilie and the Sky World Pre-Reading
My Emilie and the Hollow World Review
My Emilie and the Hollow World Pre-Reading

Synopsis: A Girl’s Own Adventure in the spirit of Jules Verne

When Emilie and Daniel arrive in Silk Harbor, Professor Abindon, an old colleague of the Marlendes, warns them that she’s observed something strange and potentially deadly in the sky, a disruption in an upper air aether current. But as the Marlendes investigate further, they realize it’s a ship from another aetheric plane. It may be just a friendly explorer, or something far more sinister, but they will have to take an airship into the dangerous air currents to find out. 

Emilie joins the expedition and finds herself deep in personal entanglements, with an angry uncle, an interfering brother, and an estranged mother to worry about as well as a lost family of explorers, the strange landscapes of the upper air, and the deadly menace that inhabits the sky world.

---------------------------------------------------

Review: I thought that Emilie's adventures in the Hollow World were exciting and terrifying and fun and that it would be a little bit of a challenge to live up to them. But Emilie and the Sky World took all that and made it even better! Don't get me wrong - I loved the Hollow World and the Cirathi, but I really loved reading about the Sky World and learning about new creatures and a new world and the aether. 

The Sky World is actually pretty terrifying. Things are constantly changing, and you never know what's going to happen. There are humans and plant creatures and a mysterious thing that might be out to destroy whatever it meets... And Emilie and her friends are always finding themselves in some sort of trouble. I mean, Daniel starts off nursing an injury from Emilie and the Hollow World, so he wouldn't be very helpful in a fight anyway.  The crew has to be smaller since they're traveling skyward, so there's not any room to bring additional people to act solely as guards. And once again, it's up to Emilie to save the day and her friends.

I really admired Emilie, and I'm glad that she still had some room to grow after her experiences in the Hollow World. Since this book takes place shortly after the Marlendes and their crew return from the Hollow World, Emilie has barely had any time to adjust to being Miss Marlende's assistant She's still dealing with Daniel being shot, almost being killed, seeing some of her friends killed, and with everything that Lord Iver did. Even though she grew up and had to be brave and sly and witty in the first book, she has to come to an understanding with her younger brother. I really enjoyed the sibling relationships in this book, and I wish there had been even more in the first book. 

My favorite thing about this book was how it read very much like a Jules Verne novel, only more modern and more fantastical. In Emilie's world, there's magic and aether currents, airships and mysterious lands, and all sorts of things that I almost wish our world had. Her adventures and the characters are very much in the vein of Verne though, and I think that fans of his books would really like this duology. It also reads quite a bit easier than a Verne novel, since the language is more updated and more tailored to today's YA crowd.

Although this is a YA novel, Martha shows more things than she tells and doesn't shy away from science. I feel like there's a really heavy steampunk influence to these books intermixed with the fantasy, and I never felt like anything was "dumbed down." None of the science or the magic is complicated, per se, but Martha makes the reader feel like they're in on all of it and know exactly what she's trying to get across. I think that seeing things from Emilie's perspective really helps that, since Emilie's knowledge of the aether and the spells is pretty much on par with ours.

I don't want to ramble about this book too much, but I definitely think it's worth the read! If you enjoyed Emilie and the Hollow World, I would definitely recommend this sequel. It's everything the first book was and so much more! I would also recommend this book to anyone looking for a Jules Verne-type novel, or a fantasy with some sci-fi thrown in. Also, to anyone who wants a magical steampunk adventure. 4/5! 


--Ashley

Emilie and the Sky World (Emilie #2) by Martha Wells - Ashley's Pre-Reading

*I received this book as an eARC from Strange Chemistry/Angry Robot on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Title: Emilie and the Sky World (Emilie #2)
Author: Martha Wells
Publication Date: March 4, 2014

My Emilie and the Hollow World Review
My Emilie and the Hollow World Pre-Reading

Synopsis: A Girl’s Own Adventure in the spirit of Jules Verne

When Emilie and Daniel arrive in Silk Harbor, Professor Abindon, an old colleague of the Marlendes, warns them that she’s observed something strange and potentially deadly in the sky, a disruption in an upper air aether current. But as the Marlendes investigate further, they realize it’s a ship from another aetheric plane. It may be just a friendly explorer, or something far more sinister, but they will have to take an airship into the dangerous air currents to find out. 

Emilie joins the expedition and finds herself deep in personal entanglements, with an angry uncle, an interfering brother, and an estranged mother to worry about as well as a lost family of explorers, the strange landscapes of the upper air, and the deadly menace that inhabits the sky world

Why?: I enjoyed Emilie and the Hollow World, and although it could have acted as a standalone, I'm pretty excited that there is a sequel. I'm interested in learning more about Emilie, her family, and this mysterious Sky World. The Hollow World was unique and interesting and I can't wait to find out what secrets the Sky World is hiding.

Expectations: My expectations for this book are moderately high. I think it will be pretty similar to the first book in terms of content and pacing, only this time the new world is in the sky instead of in the center of the world. I do expect there to be quite a bit of world building and definitely more scientific discoveries. Maybe some more explanation to things that were left a little open-ended at the end of the last book.

Judging a book by its cover: I really love this cover. The colors are interesting, and I love how it's mostly blue - like the sky! It also matches really well with the cover for Emilie and the Hollow World, which is a huge bonus. I would most likely pick this book up based on the cover alone if I saw it chilling on a shelf somewhere. 


--Ashley

Emilie and the Hollow World by Martha Wells - Ashley's Review

*I received this book as an eARC from Angry Robot/Strange Chemistry on Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

My Pre-Reading

Title: Emilie and the Hollow World 
Author: Martha Wells
Year Published: 2013

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Synopsis: While running away from home for reasons that are eminently defensible, Emilie’s plans to stow away on the steamship Merry Bell and reach her cousin in the big city go awry, landing her on the wrong ship and at the beginning of a fantastic adventure.

Taken under the protection of Lady Marlende, Emilie learns that the crew hopes to use the aether currents and an experimental engine, and with the assistance of Lord Engal, journey to the interior of the planet in search of Marlende’s missing father.

With the ship damaged on arrival, they attempt to traverse the strange lands on their quest. But when evidence points to sabotage and they encounter the treacherous Lord Ivers, along with the strange race of the sea-lands, Emilie has to make some challenging decisions and take daring action if they are ever to reach the surface world again.


Review: This book really surprised me. I mean, the description sounded really interesting to me, so I was already looking forward to reading it, but I got so much more than I expected from it. Emilie is not the strongest heroine out there, but over the course of her journey she grows so much and matures into a fairly strong young women. All in the course of a month or so! But I thought Wells did an excellent job with her development - it didn't occur too quickly and Emilie adapted very well to all of the situations thrown at her.

I really enjoyed the descriptions Wells gives about the Hollow World. I think it's so cool that there's a world with in a world (world-ception?), and the inhabitants of one world don't really believe that there are people who live in the other one. And then the two worlds collide, and it's super cool. I wish I could travel through aether currents and discover such exciting new things. Even as dangerous and scary as it was. 

Steampunk novels have not really been my thing, and I don't actively seek them out. But I really though that this one was done very well. The steampunk parts are there, but they aren't overwhelming and in your face. Elements of steampunk are present in the science portion of the aether and the ships, but they serve as enhancements more than the main focus of the story, and I really appreciated that. Plus there's a little magic and sorcery thrown in, and I do love my science mixed with magic. 

This was a super easy read. The plot chugs along at a pretty constant pace, and I never felt like anything was dragging or any descriptions were too long. It's a fairly simplistic story, and pretty predictable, but it was a nice change of pace from all of the epic adventure fantasy dystopian novels I've been reading recently. I do wish we had had more minor character development, but I know there's only so much you can have in a standalone. I think it would be easy enough for a younger audience to read, but that it's also engaging enough to keep an older audience engrossed in the story. 

I would recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of science fiction/fantasy, and to people who are looking to get their feet wet in the steampunk genre. I think even fans of steampunk would like this book, even with its minimal steampunk content. I would give it a 3/5. 

--Ashley