Shard Mountain - A science fiction fantasy novel

[JoeMitchell]

Hello,
My name is Joseph Mitchell, and I'd like to introduce my first novel, Shard Mountain.  It's a post-apocalypse fantasy adventure that tells the story of three young men who wake up five-hundred years in the future, some time after an apocalyptic war reduced most of civilization to ruins.

The story is filled with mystery and surprises, so I don't want to give too much away beyond the basic premise.  

Shard Mountain
  Two hundred years from now, a great glass dome is built over the top of a mountain.  The dome stands for less than a decade before it's shattered in the great war, leaving the mountain covered in monolithic glass shards.  Survivors would later call it Shard Mountain, and in the centuries that follow, generations of survivors and mutants will live and die in its shadow.  The mountain is haunted, the local people say, by spirits of the ancients who started the great war.
  Charles Rogers, a young computer geek from our time, sleeps through it all, safely stored in a cryogenic hibernation pod in a dark metal tomb near the base of the mountain.
  Upon waking, a computer generated hologram informs him that he's become the property of the Synaptech Corporation, and that technically, he's no longer a human being.  This is shocking news to Charles, who thought he was only going for a bus ride, never intending to sleep for five centuries.
  This begins Charles' quest to discover what happened to him while he slept, and to cope with his new life in the future.  A dangerous and unforgiving world, populated by mutants, beast-men, cyborgs, and live metal monsters.  He's not the first to wake up from the long sleep, but will he be the first to survive?

The book has got some good reviews at amazon.com, and I'd love to see more posted as people continue to discover the book.
You can download a free preview for the kindle at Amazon.com, or if you live outside the USA, it's available at Amazon UK, and at Smashwords, where you can download the entire first half of the book as a free preview.

I'm happy to answer any questions about the book, or just to hear your thoughts, but please don't post any spoilers that might ruin the surprise for people who haven't yet read it.

[Betsy the Quilter]

Joe--

Welcome to KindleBoards and congratulations on your book!  

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[M.R. Mathias]

You have some pretty substantial reviews and I have heard (in another forum, people discussing the quality of this book) It was recomended.  I look forward to checking out the sample as soon as I get the time.  Interesting concept.  At first I thought is was about a mountain of meth!

[Steven L. Hawk]

I read Shard Mountain a while back and gave it a 5-star review.  One of the best books I've read this year.

Joe, I honestly believe I promote your book more than you do -- almost as much as I promote my own.  We need to start talking about some commission payments, bubba.   

j/k, of course.  Loved the book and glad to help spread the word.

[JoeMitchell]

Thank you so much, Steven, I've seen a couple of your random posts about my book and it always makes me smile, knowing that you enjoyed it enough to help spread the word.  I'm really a terrible salesman and don't put enough time into promoting, even though I'd love for everyone to read my novel, I hate coming off like some slick salesman in my posts.  I waited three days to reply to this, because I didn't want to say something pointless, so I guess this is the point.  I'll let this thread languish for weeks without bumping it, hoping that my book will become popular by word of mouth, or something like that.  I put a link to this post in my forum signature, so people who see my book cover and wonder 'Is that a mountain of crystal meth?'  can come here and find out more about the story.

[JoeMitchell]

Warning: this topic has not been posted in for at least 120 days.
Unless you're sure you want to reply, please consider starting a new topic.

Wow, it's been that long?

I'm currently writing the sequel to Shard Mountain as reviews continue to pile up on Amazon.com.

It's been a crazy roller-coaster ride for me, emotionally, as I see people post reviews saying how much they loved or disliked the story.  "It's a real page turner!"  Some have said, while others say it's too long and boring.  I read these reviews and one day I'm elated, then the next day, wallowing in self-doubt.  How can some people love it and others say it's so bad?

Here's the thing...This is a long book.  Most of the mediocre reviews say that it's too long.  I really could have split it into two books, but then I'd have two books about the beginning of the story, with some of the main plot points spanning two books.  I didn't want to do that.  I sacrificed the chance to sell two books, to sell one very long book instead, because I thought the story needed to be told in full.  I never thought people would be annoyed about getting two books for the price of one, but now I know.  170k words is technically three novels long, as the standard definition of a novel is 50k words or more, but most fantasy novels come in at around 100-120k words, so mine is pretty long.

There are things in this book that are controversial, and I examine it all realistically, with a lot of thought behind everything that's in the story.  At it's heart, it's a story about addictions in many forms.  Addictions to food, technology, drugs, money, and power, to name just a few things.  I tried to depict the characters realistically, and to show the wonder of a new world through the eyes of regular people from our time.  I kept the descriptions to a minimum, I thought, just enough to get these important things across to the reader and give them the full view of what the characters experience, because to them, it's all very interesting.

I've thought of releasing a lite-version of the book for those seeking the fast-food equivalent of a novel, alongside the 'extended version', which would be this.  My wife says I'm insane, and to just keep writing because she's dying to read the next book.  So am I, but I'm conflicted now, like my reviews.

If you're a reader who's read my book, please say hello.  Maybe this thread will not sit by another 120 days.

If you're thinking about reading it, I hope you do.  Go ahead and read the Amazon reviews, good and bad.  Personally, I like the 5-stars, because those people, well, they really enjoyed my story.  With them, I hit a home run.  The bad ones, you'll see, talk about the book being too long, or about the controversial aspects.  Most of them still liked the story despite it being too long.  If you think it's too long, just go ahead and stop reading after Part II.  You can set it aside for a day, then read Parts 3 & 4 like it was a new book you got free with the first one.  I hope that helps.  Thanks for taking the time to read.  I've sold over 2,000 copies already, so I know that some people like it enough to tell their friends.  I hope you like it too.