Master of the Abyss: The Epic Conclusion to the Painted Souls Series by Rob Samborn

1/14/2024

Multi-volume, historical-fantasy-thriller author, Rob Samborn introduces us to the third volume in the Painted Souls series:
“Impossible odds.
A relentless pursuit.
The brink of world domination.

With her husband imprisoned in eternal purgatory, Julia O’Connor and her friends must use every tool in their arsenal to stop Salvatore della Porta from completing his plan of global supremacy through Veritism—the one veritable religion—and save millions of souls from a similar fate.

Della Porta’s men doggedly track the team across Europe to Asia and back to Venice, as they seek an age-old journal that will either catapult della Porta to triumph or crush him for good. To free the souls and end the madness, they must also unearth an ancient relic that can destroy the Sun Crystal—the key to our past, present, and future.

In a final, desperate gambit, Julia and her band of renegades have one last chance to save her husband, liberate the imprisoned souls, and stop della Porta from gaining boundless power. Their every move is a race against destiny in this gripping, globe-spanning historical thriller.”

I was on the edge of my Kindle for nearly the entire story!
The author's writing is superb! He paints such a wonderful picture in my mind with location details in the right amount. That is an important balance to find difficult to maintain because too little detail and the reader is left in the dark, too much detail can muddy the story or plot.
I am babbling because I don't give spoilers but this time it's so hard because I want to exult about the ending! I loved it.
You will just have to read it for yourself. Do yourself a favor and start with the first book, you can thank me later.
I give this story 4.8 stars.

You can buy this book at your favorite retailer:
https://books2read.com/masterabyss

You can follow the author:
https://twitter.com/RobSamborn
https://robsamborn.com
https://www.facebook.com/RobSambornAuthor
https://www.instagram.com/robsamborn

Here is the link to the review of the first book and interview with the author: https://www.wordrefiner.com/book-reviews/the-prisoner-of-paradise
Here is the review of the second book and the continued interview with the author: https://www.wordrefiner.com/book-reviews/painter-of-the-damned

Action, adventure, spies, religion, supernatural, travel, secret society

Copyright ©2024 Mark L. Schultz except for the author’s introduction

24 Comments

Rob Samborn link

1/14/2024 04:28:12 pm

Thanks for reading and for the amazing review, Mark! I'm thrilled you loved Master of the Abyss and the whole Painted Souls series.

Mark

1/14/2024 04:44:32 pm

You're welcome, Rob and welcome back to the Word Refiner channel.

The last we talked was for the promotion of your second book in the series, "Painter of the Damned" and I wasn't at all sure you could top that. I was wrong.

My last question for you was about newsletters and podcasts that you consume on a regular basis.

New question.

What are your favorite reference books for grammar and writing?

1/16/2024 12:45:05 pm

Thanks, Mark. My favorite books on grammar and writing (mostly writing) are Stein on Stein by Sol Stein, On Writing by Stephen King, Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott, and Story by Robert McKee.

Craig Crawford

1/16/2024 02:20:21 pm

It was reading Steven King's, On Writing where I realized he really does know what he's doing. So much helpful information in there for writers.

1/16/2024 02:06:22 pm

You're welcome, Rob.

I have only one of those books, "On Writing" by King. I started it on an airplane flight and only got about halfway through. I should read the rest.

New question.

Have you ever created a throw-away character that developed into a major player?

1/16/2024 10:05:09 pm

Mark,

To be honest, I don't think I've ever created a throwaway character at all. Other than "extras," every character serves a purpose in some way. However, I have created supporting characters who developed into major players and there's a strong instance of that in the Painted Souls series.

The first book, The Prisoner of Paradise, was originally meant to be a standalone. In fact, I first wrote it as a script (I'm also a screenwriter). That script was optioned by a production company founded by DreamWorks execs. Unfortunately, it was never made into a movie, but when the rights reverted back to me, I decided to adapt it into a book.

During that process, the story evolved and grew organically into a trilogy and beyond. Minor spoiler here but the character of Carlo, the present-day Venetian artist, you could say is a strong supporting character in The Prisoner of Paradise but becomes one of the main characters (if not the protagonist) by Master of the Abyss. You can consider book 1 an origin story of sorts.

1/16/2024 03:21:51 pm

Thanks for stopping by, Craig. Long time no see. ;-)
I haven't hit the good stuff yet in King's book. Only the biographical material. I need to finish it. I wonder what other authors think about his book.

1/16/2024 04:39:37 pm

I'm reading Maurice Barkley's Lost and Forgotten series, which I discovered here which is reallllllly good, so I think I'll use this as a resource to build my reading list :) :)

To Ron--added your book! Sounds like an adventure I can get behind!

Continue on and don't mind me :)

1/16/2024 09:57:40 pm

Thanks, Craig! I recommend starting with the first book, which is The Prisoner of Paradise. I hope you enjoy it!

1/16/2024 06:27:02 pm

Barkley is an amazing writer! I love his series, very imaginative and it ticks a lot of my boxes!

You are going to enjoy Rob's books! I certainly have. There is a richness in the earlier timeline that revolves around Venice as a world maritime power.

1/17/2024 08:59:55 am

Supporting character is better term. I think I will amend the question.

Carlo did move into the limelight, no question. He played a pivotal role in several instances and his worldview was slowly torn asunder.

New question.

Do you ever put a story aside and come back to it at a later date?

1/17/2024 01:08:03 pm

Yes, quite frequently! Some people suffer from writer's block. I suffer from the opposite. I have a list of over 100 different story ideas. Some of those I test out and write a bit but then put aside. If the idea sticks with me, then I'll go back to it.

I'm also currently working on novelizing another script I wrote about 8 years ago.

1/17/2024 03:08:04 pm

You are not alone in that issue. Many writers suffer from a deluge of ideas and I have recommended they do as you do, keep an idea journal. Get that buzz out of their head so they can focus on the task at hand.

New question.

Is it easier to novelize a script or turn a book into a screenplay?

1/18/2024 02:33:11 pm

This is a great question! In short, neither is easy. The more difficult one probably depends on the project, as well as the state of it. For example, if a movie has already been produced and released, the novelization will be very faithful to the movie. We all know about the inverse.

People often complain when screen adaptations aren't faithful to the original source material, but there could be many reasons for the changes, including running time, budget, and simply how to translate something from someone's head to a screen.

I've adapted one script into a book and two books into scripts (one of which is a current project). The script hadn't been produced and was my own, so I could do whatever I wanted. I used the script as an outline. As I mentioned in a previous answer, during that process, the story evolved and grew organically into a trilogy and beyond.

Both books were published so I was and am more limited to the source material, which could make it more challenging. With screenwriting, you're very confined to page count. I think I'm realizing the answer as I write this, LOL. It's more difficult to adapt a book into a script. It's harder to condense an existing story and keep it good than to expand an already-good story.

Now that said, the author I'm currently working with has been amazing. She fully understands the nature of a book-to-screen adaptation. The first draft, which was largely faithful to the book, was pushing 180 pages. The current draft is about 125 pages. I'm shooting for 114. She recognizes that whole storylines and characters need to be cut or combined. Many times that leads to changes elsewhere. She's all about making this the best version of her story for telling it as a visual medium on the screen.

1/18/2024 05:34:55 pm

I am one of those complainers! The book, as it plays out in my head is always better than the movie, in my opinion. However, it's also my opinion that Tolkien's Lord of the Rings books, made into a series of movies directed by Peter Jackson is the best adaptation of a book or series. By best I mean most faithful adaptation. Regardless, every time a person reads a book, they get a slightly different story from the others who read the same story. Therefore, it's easy to see why most people are displeased at some level whenever a popular book is translated into a visual medium.

I read the LOTR trilogy three times before graduating from high school. It was my introduction to the fantasy genre and fantasy is now my second favorite genre to read close behind science fiction.

That is a short page count, it seems to me. Is that page count suitable for a 30-minute show or a 60-minute show?

New question.

Why do most authors write in 3rd person POV instead of first and second POV?

1/19/2024 06:54:21 pm

LOTR is certainly one of the greatest book-to-film adaptations, except for the six endings of The Return of the King. And the three-film Hobbit is a perfect example of what I was talking about in my previous message. Had they not had the money to invest in what was surely going to be a money maker, they never would've turned one book into three movies.

For me, adaptation is all about the best way to tell a story for the particular medium. The book and movie versions of Annihilation and Cloud Atlas are wonderful examples of telling the same essential story in different ways. Not everybody likes either of those books or movies, but nobody likes everything.

Regarding your question about POV, I'm not sure if it's a correct statement that most authors write in third person, especially not today. Historically, yes, but first person is very popular now.

In any event, I think it boils down to preference. Second-person POV is nearly impossible to pull off properly, IMO, and though first-person POV is the style of the moment, I'm not a huge fan if it's fiction. I find it takes me out of the story since I know the protagonist is not the actual narrator. This is especially true if the book is written in present tense and is historical.

My other issue with first person is when authors mix it with third person. I find it very jarring.

All that said, I can see the flip side to this argument, which is that limited third-person POV is actually truer and deeper POV in first person.

But going back to my first gripe with first person, since the protagonist isn't the true narrator anyway, what's the difference?

I write in a very limited third-person POV. For each chapter or section for which I'm in a particular POV, I'm completely immersed in that character's head. I find this leads to a richer experience for the reader, in which they think I'm telling a story about people that could've actually happened, though it's fictional. If my books were written in first person, I don't think they would've been received as well.

1/19/2024 07:59:52 pm

The Hobbit trilogy was fun and visually stimulating but I was a little miffed that Gollum's backstory was not included until the end or was it in the LOTR? I don't recall now.

First person POV is very enjoyable for me when it is done correctly. I don't always notice a shift from first to third person. When I have to ask myself who is speaking then I have been kicked out of the magic. That is very disappointing.

My introduction to first person POV was a book I promoted a few years ago, "The Divinity Bureau" a dystopian love story. The author switched POV with each new chapter and moved the story forward pretty well. The climax told the ending twice, once from each of the two protagonists. There was even a short chapter for the dog. That was cute.

I like limited third person also. It is pretty intense and almost as intimate as first person for me.

New questions.

Were you a plotter or a pantser when you started writing?

How about now, has that changed?

1/20/2024 04:46:26 pm

I've always been a plotter, and much of that stems from my screenwriting education. I learned quite a bit of outlining tools and techniques, which are necessary to create a tight screenplay.

If anything, I've become more of a plotter. I apply the screenwriting tools and techniques to novel writing. I think it invariably creates a smoother and shorter process. That's not to say I don't come up with ideas as I go - that happens during the outlining stage, as well as in the writing stage. Nothing is written in stone.

By the way, I think I missed one of your side questions about script length. As a general rule of thumb, 1 page = 1 minute of screen time. A 114-page script will be just under two hours. Now, many movies are well above two hours, but a spec script should be under 120 pages.

1/20/2024 05:59:56 pm

If I were to write a book I would probably be a plotter also. I would update my Scrivener software and dive in. I haven't used Scrivener yet and I have heard it has a steep learning curve but once that peak is crossed it gets easier.

Thanks for providing that information about screenplays.

New question.

Do you think you were born to write or did you have to learn the craft?

1/22/2024 12:36:41 am

I was definitely born to write, or more so, to be a storyteller. Even as a very young child, I've always loved telling and writing stories. I've also been in love with stories told in any medium.

1/22/2024 09:36:06 am

I think I was born to read. I learned to read before I started first grade and I have loved reading ever since. We make a good pair. -

Last question.

What is the most difficult part of your artistic process?

1/22/2024 11:43:30 am

The most difficult part of my process is time -- not having enough of it! I have so many ideas but there's just not enough time in the day. I'm also a bit of a perfectionist, so each project takes a while. If only I could clone myself...

Otherwise, to be honest, coming up with the ideas and doing the writing comes easy.

Of all the projects I've worked on, I'd say that writing the first act of Master of the Abyss was the most challenging, since it was the third book in a sequential series. It was very difficult to recap the previous two books by weaving the exposition into the narrative and action without making it boring. After all, there was a year between books 2 and 3, but there are some people who read them back to back. Therefore, I had to accommodate both types of readers.

So, the first act took the most time but I'm very happy with the result and overall, I think it's my best book to date.

Many more books to come!

Mark, this interview has been an absolute pleasure, as always. I look forward to working with you again.

Rob

1/22/2024 11:47:10 am

I agree, this is an excellent story with fabulous storytelling!

I and your other fans are pleased to know more books are coming.

Our time has come to an end, and I thank you for being such a wonderful guest.

Until next time, keep on writing.

1/22/2024 12:10:09 pm

Thanks, Mark!

Master of the Abyss: The Epic Conclusion to the Painted Souls Series by Rob Samborn

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