COMPARISONS
How often do you compare one writer’s work to another?
I believe it is natural when trying to define or describe a story you just read to another by using metaphors, movie or book titles to help another reader understand what they are in store for. I know I do. It’s just as common for an author when pitching their work to an agent or editor to use two movie or book titles in the introduction.
“Gone with the wind meets Hercules in this epic tale of love and betrayal…”
Okay, that’s a bit of an exaggeration, but it happens all the time. I know when I was pitching Eternal Lovers, the first book in my series, I immediately thought of Underworld and Stargate; not that my book was exactly like either one of them. Yes, my heroes came from another dimension, a world which looks exactly like ancient Egypt, and there are vampires living in a modern day setting right here on Earth. Still I couldn’t put my finger on two exact titles I wanted to use to relate what the stories about. To be truthful, I’m still trying to come up with something similar.
In the mean time and since several more volumes of the series have been released, several reviewers have begun to call Sekhmet’s Guardians as a modern day Game of Thrones. This had me confused for a while until my husband said, “I think they are comparing it to Game of Thrones because of the multi-plots. Alright that makes sense, but my stories are not set in a fantasy middle-age world.
The most recent review I had on Eternal Tuat blew me away when one reviewer compared the book to Stars Wars Episode Four. It took me a few minutes to understand what he was saying. Like Stars Wars, we begin in the future, not knowing the back story around the villain. Book four, like Star Wars Episode Four, takes us back in time… Through Bagsu’s POV and through his eyes we experience first hand what happened in his life to make his become the modern day villain.
Like any villain, Bagsu, this once the perfect son, destined to become the next high priest of Sobek, encounters life altering events which change not only his destiny but those he loves and calls family. At the end of book four, Bagsu returns to the present after revisiting his past and the choices he made determined to rectify at least one of his mistakes. He doesn’t believe in redemption nor does he ask for forgiveness. In essence he has accepted his wrong doings and his fate. But as an author who has grown particularly found of this villain, the immortal enemy of my heroes, I cannot help but hold out hope, someday he will regain that which he once was. Is he redeemable? Is there hope for Bagsu? Is there a slight chance he and his brother, Gabriel, the leader of Sekhmet’s Guardians will be re-united? Once can only hope, wait and see.
Happy reading, V.