Haiku Review Contest
As mentioned the other day, Carrie Harris reviewed The Warded Man (AKA The Painted Man) as a Haiku, which I thought was pretty awesome, and gave me the idea for a fun contest.
The rules are simple. Review the book in Haiku form (three lines, 5, 7, and 5 syllables respectively) and post it in the comments section of this blog. Bonus points if you can do it in Japanese (if my comments section can’t accomodate the characters, you can scan and e-mail your haiku to peat@petervbrett.com and I will insert it as an image file – please include a translation!).
Enter as many times as you like, and I will pick a winner in 17 days (5+ 7 + 5). Contest starts tomorrow, Monday, June 1, and will end on June 17.
First place gets a signed set of the three manga-sized editions that comprise the book’s Japanese translation:
Second place gets a signed first edition US hardcover copy of The Warded Man:
Have fun! I am totally psyched to see what people come up with.
I’m taking myself out of the running for any prizes, since I’ll see you next week and can get you to sign my books anytime, but here’s my haiku (maiku?) to start things off:
Wind, Rock, Sand, and Flame
Badass corelings, all, indeed.
But beware the Mind!
I guess it’s more of a haiku PREview.
He decided to
Take the fight to the demons
With magic skin art.
Judging from the amount of Chinese spam I get, this comment window will have no trouble posting Japanese.
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Ok, japanese text works. No idea what it says, but it works.
No, it doesn’t.
The sun is falling.
The corelings are stirring.
The wards are intact.
I recuse myself from the prize due to friend status, but here’s my submission:
Invulnerable
Killer demons hunting me
I’m pretty much screwed
It occurs to me that was a Maiku Haiku.
Tee hee!
It was a Myku.
Night demons rise but
Inside battle must be won
First face your self fear
P.S.
Double bonus points to anyone who also posts their Haiku as a review for The Warded Man (or The Painted Man, The Painted Man Japan, Malowany Czloweik, Das Lied Der Dunkelheit, or El Hombre Marcado depending on the market you read it in) on whichever internet bookstore you normally use.
Corelings rise at night
Safety lies behind the wards
Freedom lies outside
Misty death rising
Demons forming as night falls
Outside warded doors.
No willing fighters
Just remains and survivors
Hiding behind wards.
Warded walls and doors
Fend off the hordes of demons
Draw well and check twice.
Is he a monster?
Has he lost humanity
Battling demons?
I loved Warded Man.
The characters made the book.
Can’t wait to read more.
Clarification:
Haiku should be a review
or a summary?
I can’t resist this. I figure it won’t hurt to post the original haiku, and I wrote a few more.
A guy fights demons
Using magical tattoos
Hell’s angel, indeed
Peeling arcs of paint
Shifting sand obscures a line
The wards are failing
Corelings take the wall
One-Arm brings granite chaos
The guards fall like rain
Centuries of fear
The tide is turned by a man
Not afraid to fight
Jen, I’m not going to be a rules lawyer about whether it’s a review or a summary, so write whatever you’re inspired to.
I should be writing
Manuscript is due next week
Check sales rank instead
[...] of the Year (in my opinion) Peter V Brett has begun a haiku contest on his blog (which I’ll also be trying my hand at entering because damn! those are some awesome prizes!) [...]
Terror walked the night,
But I took up its dread spear.
Now the dark fears me.
~or~
His hands like hammers.
His heart a weapon, but then
Lost love, found again.
~or~
Fear seeps from the earth,
Disgorging its taloned tide.
Light, Deliver us!
Hm, I actually like my first one better with an extra comma. I wish I could put “me” in italics, too. Oh well.
Terror walked the night,
But I took up its dread spear.
Now, the dark fears me.
The plot moves as fast
As the train he wrote it on
Bestseller List much?
The kids are grown up
Arlen, Leesah, and Rojer
The hope for mankind
Work is calling me
Nothing can make me delay
Cassie is too cute
To WARD is to live
ToWARD another night of hell.
To WAR! Dream of light.
“Action and suspense”
Writes Terry Brooks, Bestseller
“Concept is brilliant”
Read this book right now
it is the best of the year.
amazing and grand!
Or-
The Warded Man by Peat:
This book made me catch my breath,
and hold it ’til done.
Or-
Keep one thing in mind:
Though the process does amaze,
The book is better.
The dark night entered
Thirst of wisdom creates best
Fear of dark suppressed
Darkness, blah, blah, blah
And some demons, waaa, waaa, waaa.
Where’s the vampire sex?!
Want a piece of me?
Here’s a close look at the wards
Circling my nose!
Looks like Lauren upped the ante!
An oldie (and free form modern haiku):
double thumbs
the supplicant’s throat opens up
its tattoos
2nd Prize, Presence SciFaiku Contest (1998)
dark demon devils
delve deeply in the darkness
delivering death
When the darkness falls,
Demons with form and substance
Wreak havoc on earth.
Deliverer’s gone.
Who’s going to take his place?
Is Arlen the One?
Rojer wields a war;
His music is his weapon…
How will it all end?
Take up spear again,
O painted one, darkly sent.
Our fierce revenant.
legends live and die
some last for eternity
like, The Warded Man
outside the cities
the night is a time to fear
as demons roam free
Brett’s The Warded Man
is best read in the daylight,
unless you are brave…
Arlen kills demons
not for destiny but choice;
no whiny heroes.
Reading Warded Man
Too good! Missed my subway stop–
Now late but happy.
Best contest ever. This comment thread is a daily dose of awesome.
Night breeds fear, contempt.
Human souls exposed in print.
Demons feed, torment.
Irezumi Ka?
Yakuza Ja Nain
Kimi no Saiban!
Translation: -
Are those tattoos?
It is not the Yakuza
It is your judgement!
Demons Play with Fire
The Little Boy Kills with Paint
Who is Your Daddy?
Also posted on Amazon: -
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/cdp/member-reviews/A1L455MRGFCE2D/ref=cm_pdp_rev_title_1?ie=UTF8&sort%5Fby=MostRecentReview#R25HNK7E0OAV25
P.S. A lot of great stuff up there! What a fantastic idea by Carrie Harris.
Leesha’s herb apron
Arlen’s Anoch Sun tatoos
Rojer’s violin
or
Three wounded chlidren
Now adults, come together;
Fights fear and demons
Demons rise nightly
Humans using talismans
War has just begun
I hope you don’t mind me taking the liberty of submitting another entry. This time, I wrote it to describe actually reading your work:
His name is Arlen.
He likes to beat up corelings.
What’s up with Jardir?
Arlen’s got time off.
He’s staying inside the Core.
Demons run a mile.
“If it was you out there…
I swear I would fight like mad…”
Yeah right, Jeph. Yeah right.
Poor little Rojer.
Stuck with Sweetsong as master…
Play, fiddler boy!
Mmm, herb gatherer.
Not Leesha, the older one.
She’s some piece of ass.
-
That’s all for now, folks!
I couldn’t think of clever ones…
It’s a good book, though.
Fearing the dark night
Finding courage and ones self
Facing great trials
If demons too long
one spends fighting, a demon
not long one’ll become
Oh crap! Does the contest stop at the end of the day, June 17th Eastern Time? It’s still the 17th where I am!
And before I run out of time, I’d like to submit one more:
Yes, ma’am. All over.
Wow! Wards everywhere? Even—
I have one there too (;
I hope smiley faces don’t count as a syllable!
Oh oh , and I think Jennifer’s poem is amazing.
Thanks to everyone who participated! I will be taking the weekend to judge, and will announce the winners soon.
Kevin, your entries were a little late, but I will let you off on a time-zone technicality. I agree with you about Jennifer’s poem. More on that soon.
Spear. Twenty Dollars.
Warded Circle. Eight Dollars
Haiku Review. Priceless
if only I’d been inspired before the deadline.
Oops.
Spear. Twenty Dollars
Warded Circle. Eight Dollars
This Review. Priceless
Inspiration with improper count, worthless