A Rarefied View At Dawn by David Farland (best story books to read txt) 📕

in the early 2000s, a friend told me that he had gone to a Orson Scott Card’s writer’s boot camp, and that it had been a huge help for him. I’d studied under Mr. Card when I won the Writers of the Future, and had long kept abreast of his work, but I hadn’t studied under him in 15 years. Since I was teaching my own workshops, I became interested in studying Card’s teaching method, so I registered for the workshop. Mr. Card, a very generous soul, insisted that I come for free.

While I was there, as part of the workshop I was asked to write a story—this one. I did a little research into ancient Persia, and that became the inspiration for the world that I created. I had just been to China at the time, and had met a young woman who was raised as a boy until she was eleven, which added a further bit of inspiration.

So I began to write a coming-of-age story about a boy who has been raised as a girl, never knowing his gender, in a world where men are . . . frowned upon. I actually ended up liking the story a great deal, but I have to warn people, some folks are totally freaked out by it. Mr. Card apparently liked it, too, though. It was first published in his Orson Scott Card’s Intergalactic Medicine Show.

What I like most about this story is its’ ability to transport a reader to a strange and wondrous world. I was able to envision the cloud cover above the planet, the lights of zeppelins, like ships of old, lost above seas of mist. The Valkyries are fixed in my imagination, as are the sky whales. So for those who are studying writing, look at the world creation here. I’m afraid, though, that the society that I created is just too distressing for most people—but of course that’s what supplies the conflict for this tale. I’d love to go back and take the tale to its logical conclusion, but it’s probably one of those stories I’ll never have time to finish.

About the Author

David Farland is a New York Times Best-selling Author with nearly fifty novel-length works in print, whose work has been translated into dozens of languages.

He has won various awards for his work, including the Philip K. Dick Memorial Special Award for "Best Novel of the Year," the Whitney Award for "Best Novel of the Year," the L. Ron Hubbard Gold Award for "Best Short Story of the Year," and others.

In 1991, Dave became a judge for the L. Ron Hubbard Writers of The Future Contest, the largest contest in the world for beginning authors of science fiction and fantasy. He soon took over the position of Coordinating Judge, where he selected stories for publication, trained new writers, and oversaw the publication of the annual anthology.

In 1999 he began teaching creative writing at Brigham Young University, where he trained several students who went on to become superstars, including fantasy author Brandon Sanderson, young adult author Dan Wells, and international sensation Stephenie Meyer.

In 1999, Dave also set the Guinness record for the World's Largest book signing.

David has worked in a number of writerly jobs—as a prison guard, an ice-cream pie maker, meat-cutter, missionary, movie producer, video game designer, and editor.

His Runelords novel series is one of the most popular fantasies of our time, but he has also worked with other major properties, including Star Wars, the Mummy, and various video games.

David currently lives in Utah with his wife and five children. In addition to writing, David likes to hike and fish.

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