Brave Men Run
An alternate history novel by Matthew Wayne Selznick. Your comments are welcome!
Presenting an alternate history where the sudden appearance of people with remarkable powers promises to change the course of human destiny!
“Brave Men Run” is the story of Nate Charters. Born different, unsure of his origins, he’s an outcast at Abbeque Valley High School, a self-proclaimed “boy freak” with few friends and low self-esteem. When the Sovereign Era dramatically dawns, Nate finds himself on a quest to discover the truth: is he more than he seems, a misfit in a miraculous and powerful new minority… or something else entirely?
Fans of Silver Age comics and “Brat Pack” movies from the eighties will find a lot to love in “Brave Men Run.” It’s “The Breakfast Club” with super-powers!
December 22nd, 2005 at 2:26 pm
This book rocks. No, I’m serious. I’m on the fifth installment, and I literally am waiting on the edge of my seat for more. Take a look, and you’ll see this is the first book I’ve commented on. Yeah, it’s really that good.
Audio Quality: Top notch. This is a great example of how good sound quality of a podiobook can be.
Narration Performance: Exceptional. Matt isn’t a trained voice actor, and doesn’t even make a big attempt at changing up voices, but he delivers a solid performance each time.
Writing Skills: Quite good. It’s obvious that Matt put a lot of thought into the story he’s trying to convey. It’s engaging, the characters are robust, and the plot of the book is progressing nicely.
I’m genuinely enjoying this novel and am looking forward to hearing more from Matt in the future. If you’re a fan of “what if” and are looking for something you just won’t find at your local bookstore, check out Brave Men Run. You won’t be disappointed.
January 29th, 2006 at 12:28 pm
Teenage crisis and Scfi in the same podiobook seems to be a trend.
Pocket & the Pendant, Tom Corvin and now Brave Men, but I gobble these things up.
My test for a successful serialized novel is to say, “What’s going to happen next!” each time I put it down—I mean turn off my iPod.
This one passes with flying colors.
I can’t wait to find out shat happens next!
Way to go, Mattthew.
February 8th, 2006 at 9:46 am
Matthew,
I don’t understand why people don’t discuss your book. Perhaps they do so somewhere else. I truly can’t wait to find out where you are going to take this story.
On a related subject Minnesota Public Radio is going to be starting up their next fundraising beg-a-thon soon, I’m stocking up on podiobooks before it begins. I donate to podiobooks and to public radio, but I would have never found you had it not been for MPR.
Hurry! More! Please!
February 8th, 2006 at 7:08 pm
Lots more discussions happen at Matthew’s website, http://bravemenrun.com if you’d like to check them out.
E.
February 11th, 2006 at 4:28 pm
This book is great!!! I love it. Like Evo said, I am to waiting on the edge of my seat for the next episode. I really enjoy listennig to this podiobook. I NEED MORE!!!
February 14th, 2006 at 11:00 am
More! More! More! More! NOW!
February 22nd, 2006 at 4:07 pm
Hey everyone! I just had the bright idea of searching the blog for references to “Brave Men Run,” and lo and behold, all the nice comments!
Evo’s right — there’s a discussion forum, as well as show notes for every episode, at http://www.bravemenrun.com. Of course, there are also links for folks to buy the print, e-book, and soon, audio versions of the book!
Thanks everyone — I’m off to visit your web sites now!
February 25th, 2006 at 1:11 pm
chapter fourteen cannot be downloaded on my itunes!
It says that there was a problem loading Episode 14 because the file might be corrupted…
HELP!
February 25th, 2006 at 2:26 pm
Chels…
I just checked it and downloaded it in iTunes. It’s fine. Try it one more time.
February 26th, 2006 at 3:36 pm
It still didn’t work!
Even when I re-subcribed to the podcast…
February 27th, 2006 at 11:12 am
Never mind…
After a million tries, it worked!
Thanks
March 10th, 2006 at 7:31 pm
This is the first “Podio Book” I’ve ever listened to and I have to say I’m quite impressed. The author is passionate about his work and it’s apparent in every word.
I had the pleasure of talking with Matthew the other day and above his skill as a writer is his understanding of this new format for media. I hope everybody who listens to his work realizes that it is up to us the listeners to make sure Matthew (and others like him for that matter) is successful. If we don’t support writers who are brave enough to put their work out in this way, it’ll be no surprise when it all goes away.
Personally I’m willing to put my money where my mouth is. So far I’ve purchased a copy of BMR and I intend to do the same for every other “Podio Book” that I enjoy. I hope others will do the same.
I’m really looking forward to Matthew’s next book.
March 19th, 2006 at 10:26 am
Loved the Book. Great SCI-FI for the Breakfast Club years. Gota check this one out and listen. You wont be wrong….
March 21st, 2006 at 10:23 am
Can’t get the Q & A to download, ipodder downloads a corrupt 939bytes files while itunes won’t even attempt to download it.
March 21st, 2006 at 6:48 pm
Sorry about that. Fixed now.
June 10th, 2006 at 3:31 pm
A great story. Everyone who ever felt like a geek in high school can identify with Nate Charters, except they probably don’t have his superpowers. The story grabs you in the first episode and doesn’t let go until you (reluctantly) reach the last episode. Definitely a keeper!
June 29th, 2006 at 7:30 pm
More! More! I thoroughly enjoyed Brave Men Run, for its sympathetic characters, its eighties nostalgia, and its comic industry in-jokes, as well as its thoroughly entertaining story! If John Hughes had written the X-Men films, this is what we would have gotten. Please re-visit this universe and these characters.
July 14th, 2006 at 9:20 pm
A really great story. I was surprised when I found myself cheering when this geeky kid got the girl, or feeling bad for him when somethingn went wrong. MWS’s voice is perfect for the reading, and it really causes you to buy into the characters. Top marks.
July 18th, 2006 at 5:04 am
I really liked the book. The resemblance to X-Men is “uncanny” (couldn’t resist that pun!) but thankfully is truly the author’s own unique take on “super-heroes”. I thought the dialog was realistic. I loved the fact that it was set in the ’80s. Why make it contemporary when you can use a really interesting era of recent history? It has the added bonus of flooding the 30- to 40-year olds with nostalgia. The theme song was so good that I bought it from iTunes. I liked the author’s speaking voice too. It was easy to tell when a different character was talking.
August 22nd, 2006 at 5:47 pm
Brave Men Run is simply one of the best books I have read this year. It is a fast paced, edge of your seat, thrill ride. Each episode leaves you wanting more.
August 26th, 2006 at 7:12 am
This is the first book I’ve gotten off this site, and I was wondering if it is supposed to download the episodes in reverse order… I think I have itunes set to download all available episodes, but I really don’t know…
Does anyone know how to fix this? Or is this just the way it works?
I would greatly appreciate some help. Thanks.
August 26th, 2006 at 9:58 am
The podcatching feature of iTunes, like all podcatchers, is designed to periodically check for new client and retrieve it for you. When you decide to “release all chapters”, you have to do a bit of wrangling to get it to accommodate your request.
There is a “settings” button on the lower right hand corner of iTunes which will allow you to grab them all. Or you can click the triangle next to the name of the book and “get” episodes individually.
August 26th, 2006 at 7:52 pm
thank you evo. now i have another question… do the episodes show up individually in itunes or does the time just get longer on the first thing that is labeled Brave Men Run? … I am so confused.
August 26th, 2006 at 8:33 pm
okay so i figured it out and i have all the episodes.. i just clicked that triangle next to the name in itunes and i guess they became visible or something..
yay!!!!
August 27th, 2006 at 1:45 am
I loved this story and have recommended it to many people because of the many excellent elements that it incorporated. I could go on and on about it, but the thing is that Matt debuted well with this one. Well, that is another post. I should move on to the task of posting my ratings now, I guess.
November 9th, 2006 at 6:14 am
Great story. You’ve created a fantastic and real world one that I’d love to go back to so we can see what happened to Byron, to Nate and how it all turns out. It’s hard to write a superhero story that doesn’t A.) Make fun of superheroes and B.)Take itself too seriously. Even though this is serious story you still had fun with it. My only real complaint was I wanted to see more sovereign on sovereign fighting! But, that’s just a minor one.
Nice job, defiantly one of my favorite stories so far.
January 3rd, 2007 at 4:47 pm
Great world peopled with memorable, believable characters. I’m very eager to read/listen to more by Mr. Selznick and particularly keen for more tales set in this universe, although, alas, it seems likely I’ll have to wait a bit for that.
January 23rd, 2007 at 2:36 pm
Samantha, Tim, and everyone else… while the wait for the next Sovereign Era isn’t exactly over, it is a lot closer — and you can be there!
Visit http://www.pilgrimagenovel.com — it’s the official site for “Pilgrimage — A Novel of the Sovereign Era.” If you sign on with a membership (it’s free) you’ll have access to every stage of the novel’s creation, from research and brainstorming through the first draft, production and publication, and promotion. It’s an experiment where you get to look over my shoulder (and comment!) as I write the book.
I hope to see as many “Brave Men Run” fans there as possible. Take a look!
April 13th, 2007 at 11:09 am
Okay, this was the first podiobook I ever listened to. And it’s great!
I read all these comments about this book coming out of a comic book era. Maybe that’s true, but I’ve never read comic books, so I don’t know. I reminds me most of the young adult novels of…wait for it…Daniel Pinkwater. Engaging, slightly zany, deeply understanding of the teenage years as experienced by something of an outsider.
It’s an interesting choice to set this novel in the time frame it is. I got (I think) all of the allusions…Pink Floyd, Kate Bush, even (Gawd Help Us) Ed Meese. I don’t know, though, how many of the younger listeners will fully understand the surreal nature of the Reagan years. Does one need to? Nope. Good novels, we know, are about characters…and this is a good novel.
And Peril Dance rocks!
April 19th, 2007 at 8:12 am
This isn’t the first audiobook I have listened to, but it is the most creative and original. It’s a theme that can certainly be developed more. the quality was superb, and I was kept on the edge of my seat waiting for what was going to come next.
For me, the real proof is in how I couldn’t wait for the next chance I would get to continue listening to the story and to find out what was going to happen next. I only listened to the story once it was complete, I dont know how I would have been able to handle waiting for each episode to be released.
This is a story I would reccomend to all who are interested in future / sci-fi stories.
Keep up the good work mathew.
April 22nd, 2007 at 9:53 am
Jeff — Daniel Pinkwater!!!! Wow. That’s high praise — “Lizard Music” was an important book for me when I was a kid. Thanks! As for whether or not younger listeners will get all the eighties references… probably not, but I never set out to write a young adult novel (although it’s often thought of as such.) And yes, Peril Dance does, in fact, rawk.
Craig — thanks for getting caught up in the cliff-hanger structure of the book. And thanks for saying BMR is the most creative and original audiobook you’ve listened to! I’m gonna need a new hat, your comment has made my head so big.
July 24th, 2007 at 4:26 pm
Don’t bother reading it if you like books that actually have an ending. Maybe it’s supposed to make us beg him to write a sequel?
August 11th, 2007 at 4:45 am
Let me get to this quickly. I truly believe everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but what kind of ending did you want? Nate Charters and the rest of the characters are just starting out on their lives; people are just learning about sovreigns. Selznick could not in any reasonable manner close out this book in any other way, if he did it would have been, I think, a contrived and forced ending. He left the possibilities and future endings like any good narrator to the reader. This is an empowering mechanism to his audience, and I for one enjoyed it and yes I look for more.
So Matthew I salute you and congratulate you on a job well done: Bravo.
October 3rd, 2007 at 2:13 am
I really enjoyed this book. It has all the good ingredients: A great story, characters with personality, lively dialogs, a conflict that thrills and touches you, great writing style, humor. I was hooked from page 1. Matthew has a voice made for audio books– I could listen to him all day. I am very much looking forward to Pilgrimage. Keep up the good work, well done!
October 9th, 2007 at 12:52 pm
Great book. Would have been better with an ending.
I get that this is the beginning of an large story arc. However, each episode inside that larger arc should have a beginning, a middle, and an end. This book feels like it has a beginning, a middle, and a target word count.
October 19th, 2007 at 11:20 pm
I very much appreciate the positive feedback that so many people have had for Brave Men Run… and I appreciate the criticism, too. By far, the most common critique has been about the ending.
It’s next to impossible to comment on that without giving away elements of the story… but for those folks who are reluctant to invest time in listening to the book, I will say this: BMR is a character driven story, and the lead character’s story arc is satisfied. Are questions left unanswered about the larger world? Sure… but this book is about Nate Charter’s journey of self-discovery, and the story question is answered by the end.
Give it a shot — and get ready for Pilgrimage, the next novel of the Sovereign Era, coming in early 2008.
November 22nd, 2007 at 7:43 pm
As a person who was born just AFTER the setting of the book (I think just I can’t quite remember if it was 1984 or 1985) I could still get the references to the pop culture of the time. It is a nice book and I listened to it in ONE DAY. I literally could not put it down.
I am about to be without internet for a couple of months and I am downloading podiobooks so I have something interesting to listen to during that time. (I also have discworld audiobooks…but you can only listen to so much pratchet in a row.)
November 26th, 2007 at 5:37 am
This book has a good story line, is well written and well narrated. I am looking forward to more from this author. Being me I have to give my small criticisms. First I have to agree with the reader comments on the ending. It has the feel of the author just stopping without warning. I would not care to say how it should end but certainly not this way. Secondly, unlike the author and some readers I really hated the music. I am no music expert but this wasn’t for me.
February 28th, 2008 at 2:19 pm
This is a good story and very entertaining. I think it needs a warning for the violence and explicit language (neither of which is suitable for younger listeners, IMNSHO). In spite of this, I would agree with Keith that the “book has a good story line, is well written and well narrated.”
Since I was an adult with children of my own during the 80′s I “get” most of the 80′s references. If I missed anything, it was only because I wasn’t a teenager during those years. That means I’m well I’m well into middle-age now (who am I kidding? I qualify for AARP), and I still enjoyed listening to the book. Of course, because I am a mature adult, I related more to Nate’s mother than to Nate or any of his contemporaries.
All in all, a good book, well developed, with a fairly consistent story-line. I’ll read (listen to) another of Matthew’s books.
March 2nd, 2008 at 11:48 am
THE END! *slaps forehead* PLEEEEASE Mike dont end like that when you dont have a sequel underway or completed :’( now i have to wait forever!
April 22nd, 2008 at 10:41 pm
Hey everyone! Thanks for listening to the podiobook edition of “Brave Men Run – A Novel of the Sovereign Era!”
I want to remind everyone about a few of things:
First, there are extended show notes for every episode available from the Brave Men Run web site, with all kinds of inside information — check ‘em out, and feel free to comment there as well as here!
Second, I hope you’re interested enough in my work to sign up for my mailing list — I send updates once a month or less, so it’s very low traffic. Check it out here.
Third, “Brave Men Run – A Novel of the Sovereign Era” is being published by Swarm Press this summer! I hope you’ll consider supporting the book’s success by picking up a copy — I’ll keep you posted as the release date gets closer.
Thanks very much for enjoying “Brave Men Run!”
April 27th, 2008 at 7:56 am
I absolutely adored this book. It reminded me a bit of a cross between “The Wonder Years” and “Heroes”.
Whatever, it is a beautiful mix, the dialogue between the main characters is just sublime. MWS’s reading is equally top notch. If like me you are around 40 there are some great 80′s references too, it really took me back to my own geeky youth.
I cannot recommend this highly enough. The rest of my family are listening to it now. That is a rare thing in my household.
April 29th, 2008 at 12:34 pm
I’ve just finished this today and I’ve got to say thankyou to the author. There are hundreds (thousands, tens of thousands?) of stories about super-powered people but this was something different. The blending of the 1980′s setting along with real people who wanted to get on with their lives and the whole way the world changed was fantastic.
And the bonus short story confirmed that there is so much more going on in this world than was seen by the main characters. I’d love to get another glimpse into this world… and i hope we all do soon
June 1st, 2008 at 6:20 pm
I thoroughly enjoyed this book! I must be the same age as the author because the 80s references were right on, and part of the fun of this book. I really enjoyed his style of writing and the intricate plot. I can’t wait to learn more about this world. It was very well performed and produced as well. Great job!
June 12th, 2008 at 8:06 am
I’m not big on the superhero genre or the teen drama genre (or the 80′s, for that matter), but after BoingBoing.net recommended this book I thought I’d give it a listen and I was very impressed.
The audio quality struck me as particularly good with the author’s voice easy to listen to and clearly engaged (and the themesong is catchy too!).
The writing itself is quite good, particularly the dialogue, which is usually realistic with only the occasional hint of contrivance. I found Nate’s relationship with Lina to feel a little unnatural, the sort of thing geeks like me wish would happen to them but never does, and for most of the book I was expecting a twist that never came. Still, both characters were written convincingly enough that I quickly came to care about them and was willing to overlook how unlikely it is that a rich, beautiful young woman would instantly fall in love with a younger teen who, for all intents and purposes, has physical deformities. I felt the writing was the weakest when describing the powers of characters, particularly those of Nate, since they broke out of very engaging narrative to essentially give a laundry list of superpowers, though I suppose in this genre that can be hard to avoid. On a similar note I was a little disappointed Selznick resorted to the old trope of having Nate look at his reflection in order to describe himself, but it wouldn’t be a trope if it didn’t work. The storyline is good and as believable as any superhero story I’ve ever seen though it feels like some details are missing (I won’t elaborate on that due to spoilers). On the other hand, as soon as the “super-sovereign” was introduced early in the story I was worried that this story would try to be too self-important, as very often I’ve read stories of 15-year-olds facing off against great evils and changing the world (particularly when they have superpowers). I was very relieved to find that this is not the case in Brave Men Run. Selznick keeps the story focused and the emphasis not on doing incredible things with supernatural powers, but rather the effects of a world-changing event on a teen as he struggles to find his identity (even moreso than most teens!). It’s an angle that is sadly rarely explored and Selznick did it very well. The only problems I found with the storyline was that there were a few leaps of logic, ones that didn’t really seem to follow yet all the characters acted like that was the reasonable conclusion. The ending is also somewhat abrupt and while it is thought provoking I’m not sure there’s enough meat tying it to the title to give me a good sense of closure.
All in all I was impressed with this book and would recommend it to fans of the genre, as well as cynical and jaded readers such as myself who think if they’ve read one superhero novel they’ve read them all, as this one goes places I’ve never been.
June 12th, 2008 at 9:51 pm
Cactusnic, psionandy, and Kelly… thanks so much for your comments, and I’m so pleased you enjoyed “Brave Men Run — A Novel of the Sovereign Era.”
Lobster, thanks for taking the time to write such an insightful critique — it shows that the book had an impact on you, and for that, I’m grateful!
I hope I’ll see you all in the comments and on the budding forums over at http://www.mattselznick.com — at the site, you can also read (and comment on) the detailed show notes for the podcast edition of “Brave Men Run,” download wallpaper featuring cover art, and even buy songs mentioned in the book to make your own soundtrack album!
Also, of course, mattselznick.com is where I continue to update everyone on the upcoming events I have planned for July 13, 2008, that very special day this Sovereign Summer when “Brave Men Run” is released in a new paperback edition from Swarm Press.
See you there – and thanks again!
July 4th, 2008 at 3:11 pm
I really enjoyed this book. I ride my bike to podiobooks, and with certain podiobooks, I can’t wait to get home, but others I just want to keep on listening and listening. This was one of those podiobooks. It moved at JUST the right pace, not too fast, and not too slow, the characters were great, and the plot fascinated me. I love Alt. History settings, and while I may not have been alive at the time, I liked to imagine what it would have been like if I had been in that setting. The audio quality was also very good, with only a couple of little problems spread throughout.
Over all, I sincerely enjoyed this novel. Thank you for bringing such an amazing story to my ears. =-)
July 4th, 2008 at 6:23 pm
Jacob, thanks so much for your kind words — and I’m pleased I’m kept you on that bike (just make sure to stay hydrated.)
If you can’t live without “Brave Men Run” on your bookshelf, remember that it will be available on July 13, 2008 in paperback — visit http://www.bravemenrun.com for all the details on that day… and it’s going to be amazing!
September 2nd, 2008 at 3:10 pm
I had to have a listen after I heard the first chapter on the Knitwitch podcast. After that first chapter I went straight home and downloaded the book and loaded into my Zune. I am very pleased with the book and found it to be a good read. I actually cared about the characters and found the story moved at a smooth pace and progressed very well with no parts that I wanted to skip. I have to say thank you Mr. Selznick books like yours make my work day go much better cant wait to get the sequel.
September 3rd, 2008 at 7:19 am
Hi Kevin,
Thanks very much for your kind words! Wow, I was on the Knitwitch show… it must be over a year ago, now! More proof of the validity and value of podcasts, I suppose, if it’s bringing in new listeners after so much time.
I’m glad you enjoyed “Brave Men Run.” Did you check out the extended show notes at http://www.bravemenrun.com? There’s a little “behind the curtain” information for every episode. That site is actually part of my own website, http://www.mattselznick.com, where you can join the user forums, comment on blog posts, and subscribe to my personal podcast, Sonitotum. Come say “hi!”
If you have a moment, please consider rating and writing reviews for the book in iTunes and on Amazon.com — if you haven’t already, that is! Many thanks, and please tell everyone you know about “Brave Men Run!”
January 1st, 2009 at 9:52 pm
If you want to step into the frustrating and exciting world of Nate Charters I promise you wont be disappointed. He has always been different and now he knows why. I highly recommend you give this book a listen you will be surprised at the ending. Mathew Wayne Sleznick has done a fabulous job of wetting the reader’s appetites for the series to come by creating a believable story, solid characters and young love blossoming in chaos. Now I want to know when there will be more of the Sovereign Era? I found the story concept of extraordinary powers and government conspiracy gripping.
Yes, Brave Men Run!
March 8th, 2009 at 10:46 am
Well written book, good story well told. Nate is very believable and you defiantly get to like the guy very quickly. The relationships with the other characters work very well. I am enjoying the book very much. I guess the only issue is that there is a little too much use of strong language. OK accept some may be needed to give “realism” but it can be overdone. Apart from this minor winge the book is very good. And I will recommend it.
March 25th, 2009 at 7:17 pm
Upon finishing this novel only two words came to mind. “Wow” and “MORE!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
May 22nd, 2009 at 6:35 pm
Matthew,
I found myself immersed in this story. I had to listen to it every waking moment until I finished it! (OK I did take breaks for work and meals and such). There were so many interesting dimensions: the youthful angst, the music (I grew up just slightly before Nate’s time but I can relate), the science-fiction aspect, the politics, the family dynamics, — and where would we be without some mysterious dudes in dark suits & sunglasses? Thanks for a terrific story…I look forward to your future work!
May 23rd, 2009 at 9:21 am
Rhonda, Neroon, Literock and carschooner!
Thanks so much for commenting! I’m really pleased you enjoyed the podcast version of my book “Brave Men Run — A Novel of the Sovereign Era.”
Most of you commented on the believable, likable characters — if you like stories driven by strong characterization and you enjoyed the characters of “Brave Men Run — A Novel of the Sovereign Era,” I have some good news for you.
I recently launched a new site — “Hazy Days and Cloudy Nights,” which is a subscription-based ongoing episodic serial fiction webzine.
The stories of “Hazy Days and Cloudy Nights” are set in the Sovereign Era, and feature some of the supporting characters from “Brave Men Run — A Novel of the Sovereign Era” as protagonists. We’ll be following them from the edge of adulthood and across the next twenty five years of their lives as they learn, grow, love, and make mistakes along the way.
“Hazy Days and Cloudy Nights” begins about a year before the events in “Brave Men Run — A Novel of the Sovereign Era.” Since I’ll be telling these stories in a more-or-less linear fashion, that means down the line you’ll see the story of Nate Charters through the eyes of people like Lina Porter, Carson Meunetti and Alex Kent. That should be fun!
Meanwhile, though, “Hazy Days and Cloudy Nights” is in full swing. A year’s subscription (25 installments) is only $14.99. If you’re not sure you want to pay the price of a pizza for a year’s worth of fiction, sign up for a free trial account for “Hazy Days and Cloudy Nights” and see what you think. I think you’ll find it well worth it!
Thanks again, so much, for enjoying “Brave Men Run — A Novel of the Sovereign Era.” Tell everyone you know!
May 27th, 2009 at 12:33 am
sorry can’t say I liked it. The subject and story outline appeals, the narration is good, but I have real trouble believing in the characters/culture. The “normal” part of the characters and culture. I’d like more story on the main character before the action starts. His motivations didn’t seem clear to me, and his high school life is unlike any I’ve seen or heard about. Perhaps I have to be a 80′s kid raised in middle america. I love SciFi but there wasn’t enough Sci to suit.
May 27th, 2009 at 4:00 pm
Hi Anne — thanks for you comments!
Yours is the first negative comment I’ve received on the way I depicted high school life — what’s funny is, one of the reasons I set the book in the eighties is that was when I was in high school (1981 – 1985) and I didn’t feel qualified to accurately depict the southern California high school experience of the early 21st century.
I wrote about high school as I lived it — and many things (going to hang out at a friends’ house before the bus came, the layout of the commons area, the characters of the Discipline Advisor and history teacher, among others) were lifted right from my own past.
Still, if the characters and culture failed for you, the failure is solely mine as the author.
I’m intrigued, though — what was it you had trouble with specifically? Best not to discuss it here (if you want to discuss it at all) to avoid spoilers for other folks. Feel free to contact me directly if you’d like!
Many thanks for your feedback!
June 30th, 2009 at 11:03 am
This is a first novel from the author? An amazingly solid work and compelling listening experience.
June 30th, 2009 at 12:47 pm
I thought the writing and narration were great. Having attended high school and college in the 1980s, it was a fun trip down memory lane.
My only criticism is that it felt like you only told half of a story. The tension of the story was just starting to build and then it ended abruptly. Almost a deus ex machina type ending without any resolution.
A great first effort and I look forward to reading/listening to/supporting future works.
July 1st, 2009 at 10:49 am
Thanks for the kind words, Juuro and Dharma!
I’ve heard the “half a story” comment more than a few times. My intention was to write a story that describes Nate Charters’ journey of self-discovery and answers the story question, “who am I?” I hope that I did that. Of course, just like our real lives, the lives of the characters go on before, after and around the focus of one particular book. That kind of “fuzzy” approach isn’t for everyone, and I respect that.
Dharma, you wrote that you look forward to supporting future works — to get a look at the lives of some of the characters before the events of “Brave Men Run — A Novel of the Sovereign Era” and beyond, check out my serial fiction webzine, “Hazy Days and Cloudy Nights,” with my thanks!
July 8th, 2009 at 6:14 am
Excellent book/podcast. Loved every minute of it. Im sad to see that there hasn’t been any other stories/books. Was hoping for more in this universe.
GREAT Job Matthew!
July 8th, 2009 at 11:09 am
Thanks, Shawn — there certainly is more in this universe — check out “Hazy Days and Cloudy Nights” (http://www.hazydaysandcloudynights.com) and “The World Revolves Around You,” a new short story that will be available from http://www.mattselznick.com on July 11, 2009.
August 27th, 2009 at 12:28 pm
This was the first podiobooks title I listened to, and man am I glad! It brought me back to search for more great books. I loved the Breakfast Club setting with a mutant aspect. Great story, it kept me wanting more all the way through. I loved it! I’m definately going to check out http://www.hazydaysandcloudynights.com to get more of the Sovereign universe!
August 27th, 2009 at 7:56 pm
Thanks for the kind words about “Brave Men Run,” Dan! I look forward to your thoughts on “Hazy Days and Cloudy Nights” — be sure to leave comments on that site!
September 22nd, 2009 at 7:54 am
Fantastic storyline, great universe and loveable characters. The narration is really well done and the action is well paced, although the ending seems to be disappointingly abrupt.
September 22nd, 2009 at 6:03 pm
Thanks for your comments, James! I’m glad you found a lot to love about “Brave Men Run — A Novel of the Sovereign Era.”
If you’d like to read more from the Sovereign Era — as well as some of my other fiction — I hope you’ll visit http://www.mattselznick.com, where you’ll find my ongoing serial fiction project “Hazy Days and Cloudy Nights” and a number of short stories.
Every one of my creative endeavors has a free component, too — so you’re welcome to partake. I only ask that you pay for the things you enjoy.
Best,
Matthew Wayne Selznick
February 4th, 2010 at 1:17 pm
I just compleated the pod book and WOW all I can say is I NEED MORE…
I need to know what Nate will do with his powers please keep with it Matthew and please write some more.
All the best
Jim
Germany
February 4th, 2010 at 3:46 pm
Thanks for you kind words about the podcast edition of “Brave Men Run – A Novel of the Sovereign Era,” Jim!
If you’re interested in more Sovereign Era material, I invite you to check out my ongoing serial fiction project, “Hazy Days and Cloudy Nights.” It begins about a year before the events in “Brave Men Run” and features many of the supporting characters from that book in leading roles.
Also, I have a short story set in the Sovereign Era, “The World Revolves Around You,” on my web site, which you can read for free or enjoy in several e-book formats or as a hand-made, signed, limited edition chapbook.
Finally, look for “The Sovereign Era: Year One,” an anthology of Sovereign Era stories by authors like Mur Lafferty, P.G. Holyfield, J.C. Hutchins, Matt Wallace and others coming from MWS Media, LLC in the coming months!
Lots of Sovereign Era stuff to keep you going! Enjoy — and thanks!
May 20th, 2010 at 10:15 pm
I’m sorry, but over 2 minutes of bad music and overly dramatic author telling us the title… all for an intro… is way to much. I stopped there and have moved on to something else. Seriously. It’s so self-serving and I don’t understand the point of doing that. Just spend 30-45 seconds on an intro with little/no music and get on with it already.
May 21st, 2010 at 2:42 pm
Hi Bored!
Yeah, the intro on the first episode or two is kinda long, isn’t it? That was created back in 2005, when there only a dozen or so podcast novels in existence, and we were all really pretty much making it up as we went along when it came to what was “right” and “wrong.” Good times, back there on the pioneer trail.
I encourage folks who can’t wait to get to the story to use the fast forward controls on their computer or portable media device.
As for being self-serving… I shamelessly admit that. The whole “release your novel in free podcast form” is an exercise in self-promotion. That’s one of the reasons we do this — to promote ourselves and our work, and hopefully encourage the people who enjoy the free content to support us by purchasing the book in other formats like paperback or e-book.
I hope you’ll give it another shot, Bored… and everyone else, just fast forward through the intro if it’s too long for you, with my thanks.
Best,
Matthew Wayne Selznick
August 30th, 2010 at 12:27 pm
This book has a lot of potential, but also suffers from a few pitfalls typical of new writers. Namely, they like their characters too much and don’t want anything really bad to happen to them, and they fail to take advantage of their chosen perspective. The result reads more like a daydream and not enough like a novel.
In the first six episodes, our hero (who already has a quiver full of pretty cool superpowers) falls for the super-hot girl (who immediately likes him) stands up to the bully/tormentor (and pretty much beats him up), and gets license to reveal his powers to just about anyone and everyone since “superman” has announced that he will destroy anyone who harasses a Sovereign (aka, person with superpowers). True he does have to leave town for a little while, but his very reasonable mother has him back in plenty of time for his perfect date with the aforementioned hottie.
These issues (trouble with the ladies, bullying, not revealing “who you really are” and parental difficulty) are the hallmarks of teen books superhero and otherwise. Don’t let your boy off the hook so easily! Pile on the bad stuff, let him suffer. Your story will be better off for it!
Hitchcock once spoke (can’t remember where) about the art of suspense. I will summarize: Two people are having a banal conversation at a table and a bonb under the table explodes. If you don’t show the bomb there’s boredom then a moment of excitement. If you show the bomb under the table first, every word takes on a new tension and suspense builds with every second.
While the story is told from the perspective of the hero, it is still third person omniscient. That means that the author can break away from the character to show the evil forces gathering against him. The ticking bomb so to speak. In first person singular, you’re kind of stuck with what the character knows so you have to keep the hits flying at him, but there’s no need for that here.
There’s potential for this story. Good dialog. Good idea. But it needs more conflict early on to hook the listener.
August 31st, 2010 at 4:20 am
The writing is solid, the character voice is wonderful, the narration and audio quality are very good, though the production has very long intro and outtro that could be much shorter (but this has been discussed). I agree with Librarybill to a certain degree that there could have been more tension early on to build the story conflict, but I did find myself wanting more from the first chapter, so it was not too lacking. The first person perspective limits how much of the “ticking bomb” feeling you can put in, since the reader cannot see anything that the main character cannot see… I found the characters compelling, real and sympathetic, so good work there.
The only real problem I had with the story is the abrupt change-ups, the introduction of the hidden mutant lurking in the woods, seemed out of place. The mechanism of “and while I was out walking at night this happened” was used twice, and while it works, it could have been done better, with more tension, if he was not alone, and he could sense this lurking mutant while the person he was with could not…
Solid work!
December 16th, 2010 at 2:33 pm
I love your characters and you have a nice writing style!
April 22nd, 2011 at 12:26 am
I’ve only listened to part of the story but so far it seems kinda preachy. Good example would be that fight when he gets off the bus where he doesn’t strike back just evades and then gets a speech about how disapointed she is in him. Why. He made only defensive moves and then he says nothing back of significance to defend himself. Its like the situation was written to make the character look cool and then followed by putting to much emphasis on the idea that he shouldn’t be fighting back at all.
April 22nd, 2011 at 3:07 pm
Hello Olstar18!
Thanks for starting to listen to the podcast edition of my book “Brave Men Run – A Novel of the Sovereign Era.”
You’ve hit on something about the character all right: that he’s torn between doing as he’s told, or making decisions for himself. I hope you’ll keep listening — the book is all about the choices Nate makes and how those choices change his concept of who he is.
Best,
Matthew Wayne Selznick
April 23rd, 2011 at 5:11 pm
I’ve finished the story but that conversation still does not fit. If there had been more directly connected to clashes between normals and sovereigns it would have fit better but that was kept in the background. I’m hoping you plan to write another book focused more on the ramifications of donner’s announcement. To me at least the most interesting part was the lecture they were given right after the scene.
April 25th, 2011 at 3:17 pm
Hello again, olstar18!
Thanks for following up and offering your opinions! If you’re interested in more Sovereign Era material, there’s currently a short story, “The World Revolves Around You” written by myself and an anthology collection, “The Sovereign Era: Year One,” featuring stories by J.C. Hutchins, Nathan Lowell, Mur Lafferty, Matt Wallace, P.G. Holyfield, J.R. Blackwell and Jared Axelrod.
I have plans for more Sovereign Era material in the future… you can stay up to date on that either by signing on to my Facebook page or my mailing list.
Thanks again for your comments!
Best,
Matthew Wayne Selznick
November 7th, 2011 at 8:25 pm
X-L-ENT! Great book. I get kind of frustrated at times trying to find really well written and read book. This was an outstanding story, and very fun to listen to.
December 26th, 2011 at 10:22 pm
This was a great book to listen too. It kept my attention and kept me interested through the entire book.