Short Story: Fire Above, Fire Below by Garth Nix

I'm not a big fan of dragons. There's no need to elaborate on my reasons however this doesn't mean that I don't enjoy good stories involving dragons.

Last week Tor published a short story called Fire Above, Fire Below written by Garth Nix. I really liked it. I think you'll like it too if you decide to give it a try.

My love for short stories has been steadily growing especially thanks to some great books published by Solaris. I believe that reading a good short story is like watching a 100-metre dash. It's explosive and packed with emotions. And if you're too busy to sit down for hours to enjoy a long book it is definitely a great format to enjoy the beginning and the end of a story in one sitting.

Let me know if you have a short story that you'd recommend. 

Cover Reveal - The Path Of Anger by Antoine Rouaud

Gollancz just revealed the cover art of one of their 2013 debuts novels: The Path Of Anger by Antoine Rouaud. This is going to be the first book of a trilogy entitled The Book And The Sword (called originally Le Livre Et L'Epée). The debut novel of Antoine Rouaud, a rising name in French fantasy, will be published simultaneously in many European countries in October 2013.

We don't see many cover reveals in animated GIF, mostly because GIF is a very restrictive format regarding the color palette. However this one looks pretty nice.

Blurb

Dun-Cadal has been drinking his life away for years. Betrayed by his friends - who turned their back on their ideals in favour of a new republic - and grief stricken at the loss of his apprentice, who saved his life on the battlefield and whom he trained as a knight in exchange, he's done with politics, with adventure, and with people.

But people aren't finished with him - not yet. Viola is a young historian looking for the last Emperor's sword, and her search not only brings her to Dun-Cadal, it's also going to embroil them both in a series of assassinations. Because Dun-Cadal's turncoat friends are being murdered, one by one . . . by someone who kills in the unmistakable style of an Imperial assassin . . .

Cover Reveal: Zenn Scarlett by Christian Schoon

"Zenn Scarlett is a bright, determined, occasionally a-little-too-smart-for-her-own-good 17-year-old girl training hard to become an exoveterinarian. That means she’s specializing in the treatment of exotic alien life forms, mostly large and generally dangerous. Her novice year of training at the Ciscan Cloister Exovet Clinic on Mars will find her working with alien patients from whalehounds the size of a hay barn to a baby Kiran Sunkiller, a colossal floating creature that will grow up to carry a whole sky-city on its back.

But after a series of inexplicable animal escapes from the school and other near-disasters, the Cloister is in real danger of being shut down by a group of alien-hating officials. If that happens, Zenn knows only too well the grim fate awaiting the creatures she loves.

Now, she must unravel the baffling events plaguing her school, before someone is hurt or killed, before everything she cares about is ripped away from her and her family forever. To solve this mystery – and live to tell about it – Zenn will have to put her new exovet skills to work in ways she never imagined, and in the process learn just how powerful compassion and empathy can be."

Zen Scarlett will be available on 2 May 2013 in the UK, on 30 Apr 2013 in the US. The e-book version will be released on 30 Apr 2013 as well.

Early praise for Zenn Scarlett:

"Christian Schoon knows his xenobiology! ZENN SCARLETT has everything a sci-fi lover craves, from exotic alien life forms to quantum entanglement, all grounded by a stellar YA heroine. Zenn’s moxie and determination make this a debut to remember. Highly recommended!" – Phoebe North, author of Starglass

"Reading Zenn Scarlett is like venturing into a gargantuan alien animal in one of the in-soma pods Zenn uses to provide veterinary care: delightful, bizarre, and occasionally terrifying." – Mike Mullin, author of ASHFALL

"Many young people want to become veterinarians because they love animals. All future veterinarians will want to read Zenn Scarlett and her adventures with veterinary medicine on alien animals." – Temple Grandin, author of Animals in Translation

"Mars, monsters, and mysteries: Zenn Scarlett is a thoughtful and thrilling science fiction adventure that’s perfect for readers who think they’ve seen it all! It’s refreshing to encounter an original young adult story that defies expectations, and the breathtaking conclusion will leave you desperate for more." – E C Myers, author of FAIR COIN and QUANTUM COIN

Cover Reveal: Saxon's Bane by Geoffrey Gudgion

"Fergus Sheppard’s world changes for ever the day his car crashes near the remote village of Allingley.

Traumatised by his near-death experience, he returns to thank the villagers who rescued him, and stays to work at the local stables as he recovers from his injuries. He will discover a gentler pace of life, fall in love – and be targeted for human sacrifice. Clare Harvey’s life will never be the same either. The young archaeologist’s dream find – the peat-preserved body of a Saxon warrior – is giving her nightmares. She can tell that the warrior had been ritually murdered, and that the partial skeleton lying nearby is that of a young woman. And their tragic story is unfolding in her head every time she goes to sleep.

Fergus discovers that his crash is uncannily linked to the excavation, and that the smiling and beautiful countryside harbours some very dark secrets. As the pagan festival of Beltane approaches, and Clare’s investigation reveals the full horror of a Dark Age war crime, Fergus and Clare seem destined to share the Saxon couple’s bloody fate!"

Saxon's Bane will be published by Solaris in September 2013.

Early praise for Saxon's Bane:

"An astonishingly accomplished debut novel that blurs the line between genres. Imagine Kate Mosse’s Labyrinth but in the dark shadow of Denis Wheatley, with elements of The Wicker Man…" - Ian Drury, Sheil Land Associates, Literary Agents

"It’s a rare occasion when a submission comes in that I have to read right the way through in one go. Saxon’s Bane was such a book." - Jonathan Oliver, Editor-in-Chief, Solaris

100 books, 100 offers, 25 hours

The Book Depository is running another great promotion day. This time, it looks like they increase the scope and the size of the offers.

Starting at 12:00 noon GMT (7:00 AM EST), they are going to push a new book offer every 15 minutes.

I usually buy one or two books during their book-offer days. Let's see what gems I'm going to bring home today.

Game Review: ORC: Vengeance

I usually don't blog about games. Mostly because I'm not a serious gamer (or I should say I ceased to be one some time ago). But I consider myself a casual gamer, especially since the beginning of the smartphone era. The games I play on my phone or on my tablet are generally puzzle or strategy type of games that I can play 5 mins here and 10 mins there.

However every now and then I discover a game and I totally get glued to it until I finish it (or it finishes me - that's another kinda-long story when, years ago, I succumbed after sleepless days of playing an awesome game). The game that I absolutely loved and that I wanted to tell you about is called Orc: The Vengeance.

Please visit Speculative Book Review to read the rest of this review...

Cover Art: The Daylight War by Peter V. Brett

Please go to Speculative Book Review to read this post.