Between Two Books

Magic: An Anthology of the Esoteric and Arcane

2012-01-27T08:00:00.002Z

After the brilliant anthologies The End of The Line and House of Fear, Jonathan Oliver, Solaris editor-in-chief, is editing another themed collection called Magic: An Anthology of the Esoteric and Arcane.

The news is given on When The Gravity Fails, The Solaris Editors' Blog with an exciting cherry on the cake: The anthology will contain the international best-selling author Audrey Niffenegger's her first ever story written for a commercial trade anthology.

The bad news is that we, the readers, are going to have to wait a little while because it is due for release in November 2012 in North America and the UK, in both paperback and ebook.

The line-up for Magic: An Anthology of the Esoteric and Arcane is set to include other high profile authors, including Richard and Judy Book Club-choice Alison Littlewood, NYT Bestseller Dan Abnett, and celebrated authors such as Christopher Fowler, Storm Constantine, Robert Shearman, Paul Meloy, Sophia McDougall, Will Hill, Gemma Files, along with new writers such as Sarah Lotz, Lou Morgan and Thana Niveau and more.

Seventh Star Singles Contest Winners

2012-01-23T08:00:00.001Z

Here are the winners of our Seventh Star Singles Contest sponsored by Seventh Star Press:

Denise Zaky
Kevin Bozard
Robin Blankenship

Well done folks! I've passed your details on to the publisher. They'll contact you very soon.

Enjoy the books!
Happy reading!

A Stop-Whatever-You-Are-Doing-And-Read-This-Book Moment

2012-01-16T08:00:00.005Z

I had one of those moments on Friday. You know what I'm talking about, don't you? A stop-whatever-you-are-doing-and-read-this-book moment. I received a copy of one of my most (if not the most) anticipated books of 2012: Kings of Morning by Paul Kearney. I loved the first two books of the Macht Trilogy (The Ten Thousand and Corvus) and you can imagine that I've started to read Kings of Morning with a big appetite. I'm planning to savor each word.

Paperback: 448 pages
Publisher: Solaris (Web | twitter) (1 Mar 2012)
ISBN-10: 1907519386
ISBN-13: 978-1907519383

For the first time in recorded history, the ferocious city-states of the Macht now acknowledge a single man as their overlord. Corvus, the strange and brilliant boy-general, is now High King, having united his people in a fearsome, bloody series of battles and sieges. He is not yet thirty years old. A generation ago, ten thousand of the Macht marched into the heart of the ancient Asurian Empire, and fought their way back out again, passing into legend. Corvus’s father was one of those who undertook that march, and his most trusted general, Rictus, was leader of those ten thousand. But he intends to do more. The preparations will take years, but when they are complete, Corvus will lead an invasion the like of which the world of Kuf has never seen. Under him, the Macht will undertake nothing less than the overthrow of the entire Asurian Empire.

Amazon (UK) | Book Depository (Worldwide)

Giveaway: Bundle of 8 E-books for 3 Lucky Readers

2012-01-10T13:01:00.012Z

Thanks to Seventh Star Press, as part of the Seventh Star Singles Contest, I am giving away 3 sets of 8 e-books. If you would like to be one of these three lucky readers, all you have to do is to drop me an e-mail (betweentwobooks [at] gmail [dot] com) with your name and your format of choice (Kindle, Nook or ePub (for Sony e-readers, iPad, iPhone etc.)).

You can also increase your chances of winning by following Seventh Star Press on twitter and additionally by tweeting about the competition. In this case, please include your twitter name in your e-mail. Additionally, you can "Like" their Facebook page to increase your chances further.

The contest will run until 20 Jan 2012 12:00 GMT. The winners will be selected randomly using an on-line random number generator.

Good luck!

(I took this opportunity to interview Michael West who contributes to the giveaway with two books. I hope you'll like it.)

Here's what each virtual bag of e-books contain:

by Steven Shrewsbury:

Author and Finisher of Our Flesh
The first short story in the Blood and Steel: Legends of La Gaul collection from Steven L. Shrewsbury, Author and Finisher of Our Flesh takes the reader on a perilous Sword and Sorcery adventure in the ancient world alongside Gorias La Gaul. When vessels sent to a farming colony fail to return, and rumors of dark powers being involved begin to swirl, an aging general cleverly secures the help of the centuries-old legendary warrior Gorias to investigate.

In a world where ancient gods still walk, and unnameable horrors lurk at every turn, Gorias must face challenges of many kinds; some on the inside, and others from without.

Insurmountable
A short story in the Blood and Steel: Legends of La Gaul collection, Insurmountable tells an action-packed tale of the centuries-old warrior Gorias La Gaul. Setting out to take care of one last task for his father, Gorias travels to a monastery set high in the mountains where he makes a horrific discovery.

For the reader that loves the Sword and Sorcery genre, this exciting short story series from Seventh Star Press builds upon the legacy of the heroic Gorias La Gaul, first introduced in the novel thrall.

by Michael West:

Goodnight
In this Tales from Harmony short story, a frightened child, in a rural Indiana farmhouse, attempts to fool the Angel of Death.

Goodnight was voted Best Horror Story of the Year in a 2005 P&E Readers Poll. First featured in the magazine Wicked Karnival #6, it was also included in Skull Full of Kisses, a single author collection from Michael West published by Graveside Tales. Now, it debuts Michael’s Tales from Harmony eBook short story collection.

For the River Is Wide and the Gods Are Hungry
In this Tales from Harmony short story, it should be the best time of Becky’s life. Her studies at Stanley University are going well, and her boyfriend, Mark, has just asked her to marry him. But when she returns to her childhood home, Becky finds she must deal once more with the events of one horribly hot summer day, a deadly past that now threatens to steal all her future happiness.

Tales from Harmony short stories offer horror fans much more to experience in the Harmony, Indiana setting that is featured in Michael West novels such as Cinema of Shadows and The Wide Game

by Stephen Zimmer:

(Rising Dawn Series)
Temples Rising
In this short story from the Annals of the Rising Dawn collection, the reader ventures back into an ancient world when demonic entities and humans have bred a race of monstrous creatures. In league with Fallen Avatars that have taken on flesh and blood, the Raven Queen is preeminent among the human rulers involved with the building of a great temple site in Albion.

Cuchulainn, the son of a Fallen Avatar and a human, has rebelled against his origins and sets out to help Cormac and other human warriors as they seek to strike a heavy blow against the coalescing Powers seeking dominion over all humanity.

(Fires in Eden Series)
Into Glory Ride
In this short story from the Chronicles of Ave collection, you are invited into Trogen lands. A brave young warrior of the Sea Wolf clan, Marragesh, sights the approach of an Elven raid while on a scouting foray along the cliffs of the northern coast.

Long under the shadow of the Elves, the Trogens have quietly been preparing a new development to aid in the defense of their lands. As the Elven fleet nears their land, brimming with sky steeds and warriors, a momentous choice must be made that has major implications for the Trogen clans.

Land of Shadow
In this short story from the Chronicles of Ave collection, the reader is invited to take an adventure into the Shadowlands. When a band of hardened Avanoran mercenaries take up an offer to search out a favorable site for a fortress, they are well aware of the warnings about the Shadowlands. Even a large, armed group of warriors is not safe, however, as the knight Godfrey finds out during a harrowing journey.

Lion Heart
In this short story from the Chronicles of Ave collection, the reader is invited to explore the lands of the Amazu and meet Sigananda, one of their greatest, legendary warriors. In this story, Sigananda is shown as a young man, just coming of age. When powerful Wizards threaten the Amazu people, Sigananda is sent on a journey that will test his resolve and courage. At ease against opponents of flesh and blood, he must contend with powers that transcend the laws of the physical world.

You can also buy any of these titles right now on the publisher's singles page.

Interview With Michael West

2012-01-10T13:00:00.003Z

I had the pleasure to interview Michael West, the author of The Wide Game and Goodnight among others, as part of our Seventh Star Singles Contest sponsored by Seventh Star Press. I hope you'll enjoy this interview as much as I enjoyed interviewing Michael West.

Michael West is a member of the Horror Writers Association and serves as President of its local chapter, Indiana Horror Writers. A graduate of Indiana University, West earned a degree in Telecommunications and Film Theory, and since that time, he has written a multitude of short stories, articles, and reviews for various on-line and print publications.

He lives and works in the Indianapolis area with his wife, their two children, their bird, Rodan, and turtle, Gamera. His children are convinced that spirits move through the woods near their home.

For further information, please visit Michael's site at www.bymichaelwest.com.

Don't forget to participate in our contest to be one of the 3 lucky readers to win 8 e-books, including Michael's Goodnight and For The River Is Wide And The Gods Are Hungry.

Hi Michael. Would you like to tell us a little bit about yourself?

Well, anyone who follows me on Facebook and Twitter knows I love two things: coffee and Horror. I’ve loved Horror as long as I can remember; as a child, I used to trick babysitters into letting me stay up late to watch Night Gallery episodes and Hammer films, I subscribed to Fangoria and read every Stephen King that came out, and I wrote my first novel while still in high school (A work that will never, ever see the light of day. Awful. *shudder*). My love of coffee didn't start until much later, but if you took it away from me...well, let's just say that would be a real Horror story.

Let's start with digital books. What do you think of e-books? What does the future hold for paper books and e-books? Do you have an e-reader?

I think e-books offer some great advantages. For older readers, it gives them the ability to adjust the font size and read without glasses. And with the smaller price tag of many e-books, it gives readers a chance to discover new, lesser known talents. People are more willing to take a risk on you when your work costs less than a cup of coffee. LOL I don't have an e-reader, but my wife has a Kindle and my son has a Nook. I hope the future will allow the two formats to peacefully co-exist. CDs have not gone away because of iPods and iTunes, and even vinyl records have made a resurgence for collectors. You can't have your favorite band sign an iPod, but as you can't have your favorite author sign your e-Reader, so I think that physical books will always have a place. I know for me, nothing can replace the experience of reading a book...the weight of it, the smell...digital formats can't replace that.

My following question or my following set of questions are about knowing you as a reader. What kind of a reader are you? Who are your favorite authors? What are your favorite books? How do you choose the books that you read? Do you tend to go for a specific genre more than others? What are you currently reading?

Wow…well, I'm a slow reader. LOL I know people who can read several books a day, but I read several books a year. I also read a lot of short stories. And news articles. LOTS of news articles. I'm always doing research, always looking for that next great story idea. As for favorite authors, I love Clive Barker, Richard Matheson, and Rod Serling, but growing up in the eighties as I did, I’d have to say Stephen King is…well…king. I just love the way he can take a normal, everyday, real-life place or situation and make it into something horrific. Going to the grocery store? Well, you’re going to run into a monster. Oh, and that quiet little town you live in? Overrun by vampires. The hotel you’re staying in and the car you’re driving right now? Haunted. That’s something I try to do in my fiction as well, making the real fantastic and vice versa. My favorite books are King's The Stand and 'Salem's Lot, Barker's Books of Blood, and Michael Crichton's Jurassic Park. I read anything that sounds interesting, but as you can tell, the works are mostly Horror and Sci-fi. If I read Fantasy, it is usually of the dark and Urban variety. I like anything dark, really. I'm currently between books, but I just finished re-reading all six volumes of Alan Moore's Swamp Thing. I've read it several times, and it just gets better with each pass. Next, I need to pick up a copy of The Monster's Corner: Stories Through Inhuman Eyes. My friend Gary A. Braunbeck has a story in it, and I just love stories told from the monster's point of view.

Now let’s talk about Michael West the writer: When did you realize you wanted to be a writer?

I’ve always been a storyteller. Before I could write, I drew pictures to illustrate the tales that were spinning inside my head. As I got older, I wrote screenplays and made films with my parents’ video camera. And, when the stories that I wanted to tell outgrew my meager budgets, I turned them into short stories and novels.

Do you have a specific writing process? Do you follow a regular routine?

I tend to have an ending in mind when I start. That's not to say that the ending doesn't change half a dozen times by the time I get there, but I need to have a goal, something to work toward. I’ve got a coffee mug covered in artwork from my short story “Jiki.” I usually fill that up and turn on music, either film soundtracks or 80s music, I can’t work when it’s totally quiet. I also like the room to be as dark as possible, so I will turn off lights or close blinds before I start. Then, when I finish a novel or short story, I will go to my favorite restaurant and order my favorite thing on the menu to celebrate. And then I start the whole thing over again.

Do you work with an outline?

I don't tend to outline the novel as a whole, but when I get to the next chapter, I first jot down the key things that happen in it, then I fill in the prose. But even then, the characters really dictate what happens. I could do all the planning in the world, but the characters would just do their own thing anyway. LOL

Have you ever experienced writer’s block? Do you have any special remedy or routine that you apply in this situation?

Oh sure. All writers do at one time or another. There are days when I will type a thousand words and other days when I'm lucky to string a sentence together. I have to admit that I hate writing that first draft. For me, that’s the most difficult thing in the world, just getting all the words out onto the page and giving the story a beginning, middle, and end. But you just have to work through it. Sometimes, I'll just take a break and walk, watch a movie, or listen to music until something comes to me that I have to write down. I find that once it’s out there, once I get into the editing process and the re-writes, that’s when I’m most happy. I’ve spoken to writers who feel just the opposite, they love getting it all out there and hate doing edits, but I view it the way a sculptor views a huge block of marble; it’s a pain, getting that stone into the studio, but, when you start to chip away at it, when it starts to like what you envisioned, or, in some cases, better than what you envisioned... there’s no greater feeling in the world than that.

How did you choose the genre you write in?

I don't think it was ever really a choice. As I said, I’ve loved Horror for as long as I can remember. I’d collect toys based on the classic Universal monsters. In the eighties, when a new Horror film opened, I was always first in line. Even when I wrote scripts for Educational Television, I found ways to sneak in Horror themes. I pitched a program called Teen Terrors—a look at the stress, fears, and anxieties that all teenagers must face—and filmed host segments in graveyards and the torture chambers of local haunted houses. It was only natural that, when I finally put pen to paper to write prose, the result would be horrific.

I’ve enjoyed horror books since an age when I shouldn’t even have been allowed to read them and when I look back I see a constant change or evolution in what is popular. What do you think of the genre’s evolution? How has your take on horror changed throughout the years you’ve been writing?

Yes, what's popular is always changing. There was a time when nobody wrote about zombies and vampires were passe, but now they're all the rage. I'm not a big fan of the really extreme Horror. I’m certainly not afraid to hack and slash. I think a certain amount of blood is needed and expected when it comes to Horror fiction or films. But if you have characters who bleed like a lawn sprinklers, more than the body can physically produce, it just becomes laughable. All of my stories so far seem to have centered around relationships of one kind or another. My first novel, The Wide Game, was about first love, and my story "Goodnight," which is now available as a Seventh Star Single e-book, is about the love of a great-grandfather for his great-grandson. Most relationships are complicated, but, in my stories, some of those complications are supernatural.

Do you pay any attention to the reviews of your books? If yes, do they influence your writing in any way?

Sure, I read the reviews, particularly the ones from faithful readers on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Goodreads, etc. They do tend to put a bit of pressure on you. Here are all these people who love your work and say things like, "I can't wait to see what he comes up with next," or "I don't know how he's gonna top this," and you start to wonder, "How am I going to top that? What if I can't top it?" But, ultimately, you just have to tell the best story you can tell and hope it resonates with people.

What has been the toughest criticism given to you as an author? What has been the best compliment?

Luckily, there hasn't been anything really scathing. *knock on wood* But sometimes I'll read a comment that will leave me scratching my head, wondering why the person didn't understand this plot point or that. The best compliments have been the remarks on how well-drawn my characters are. I think the most important element of writing is creating good, believable characters. You can have the most original plot in the world, an amazing monster or villain, but, if the reader doesn’t care about the people in your story, they’re not going to read it. That’s why a lot of movies made from horror novels fail. The filmmakers concentrate on the Big Bad—the vampire, demon, what-have-you—and the characters get short shrift. When you really care about the people in a story, you get lost in the narrative and you feel things on a very visceral level. That’s the type of connection I strive for in my own writing.

Do you have anything specific that you would like to tell your readers?

I just want to thank them for their support. Writing is a very solitary process, just you and your laptop with no idea how your work will be perceived. It's very gratifying for me that so many people enjoy what I do, that they're actually out there waiting for the next thing to come out, and I can't wait to give them more.

In the meantime, however, faithful readers can always get up-to-date information on me and my work at my website, http://www.bymichaelwest.com.

Michael, thank you very much for taking the time to answer my questions.

Short Stories are Alive and Well in Speculative Fiction - But Who's Reading?

2012-01-09T08:00:00.000Z

While bookstores are struggling to compete with the likes of Amazon, book sales in general are in rude health, particularly speculative fiction. Fantasy, science fiction and horror have always had a large and loyal following, and there are no shortage of new writers out there to come up with fresh approaches to keep the speculative fiction market alive. Most new writers of sci-fi, fantasy and horror cut their teeth in the short story market. This too is in rude health, judging by the amount of magazines, anthologies and other markets advertised in Duotrope’s Digest, a website dedicated to listing all available markets for writers of fiction.

Literally hundreds of different magazines, anthologies and websites offer an avenue for writers to submit short fiction stories, and in particular speculative fiction, which is by far the largest market. Some of these magazines offer very little in payment, others advertise “pro rates,” so new writers face no shortage of potential markets. However, when you scrape beneath the surface a little, it soon becomes apparent that with a few rare exceptions, these short story markets are self-perpetuating. Many of these markets get almost as many submissions from writers as they do readers. In fact, other than a few long-standing and notable exceptions, the majority of the reading audience to these anthologies and magazines are writers themselves. It’s a case of writers writing to be read by other writers.

Very few general readers buy these short story publications, and even worse for a writer’s perspective is that very few publishers take any interest in them either. No matter how much of a reputation a writer makes in the short story market, they gain very little attention from mainstream publishers and readers. Few people in the average bookstore would have heard of the likes of Jason Sanford or Alison Littlewood, but they are two of the most exciting writers around in the science fiction and dark fantasy genres today. Yet, like other short story writers, their work goes very much unnoticed.

Publishers are of course interested in turning a profit so concentrate their abilities on promoting novels, as that’s where the money is. Very rarely will a mainstream publisher release a new author’s short story collection - arguing there’s just no money in it because people don’t buy short story collections anymore. But why? In today’s age of the e-book reader and iPad, and with an ever-busier population, with an ever-shortening attention span, the short story should be the ideal medium. As Hemingway suggested, a short story is written for consumption in one sitting. What could be better than reading a story when commuting to work in the morning, another on the way home, or rounding the day off by reading one in your comfiest reading seat? Yet few people do, preferring instead to steadily leaf through a novel.

It wasn’t always this way. Many of the greatest literature figures, particularly in science fiction, fantasy and horror, made their name writing short stories. Edgar Allan Poe only ever wrote one novel and is best remembered for his shorts. H P Lovecraft churned out hundreds of short stories, while Arthur C Clark, Isaac Asimov, Harlan Ellison, Robert A Heinlein and Philip K Dick, all made their names writing shorts. Many big name writers still regularly write short stories too; Stephen King and Neil Gaiman to name but two. But with such a limited audience, it begs the question as to why they bother. Well it’s certainly not for the money. Even the highest paid short fiction markets rarely pay above 7 cents per word. Sure big names like Stephen King and Neil Gaiman will probably attract a bigger audience for the magazines and probably get a bigger payment too, but it won’t be much, certainly not on the same scale as their novels and other writing earns them.

The reason is probably something to do with the art behind short story writing. The short story is perhaps the purest form of storytelling. Unlike a novel, where an author gets the chance to write page after page of verbose description and characterization, a short story requires a writer to cut things down and include only what matters to the story. The plot, narrative, characterization and description need to provide just enough detail to immerse the reader and serve the story. For this reason, some of the greatest works of fiction are written in the short form. So, next time you are browsing your local bookstore, why not pay a visit to the shelves containing the short story magazines and anthologies. You may find you are in for a pleasant surprise.

- Isabella Woods -

Review: 21 Erased by Barbara Rayne

2011-12-14T08:00:00.001Z

Title: 21 Erased
Author: Barbara Rayne
Binding Type: Trade Paperback - 84 pages or e-book
Publication Date: 29 Oct 2011 (Kindle store) - 8 Nov 2011 (paperback)
ISBN: 1466489421 (paperback)
ASIN: B0061BQN76 (e-book, Kindle Store)

"The code is your identity, your bank account, your credit card, the bus fare... your existence. When they take it away, you disappear like you never lived at all. All it takes is a moment and you’re no longer a human being…you’re nothing. Everything you thought you owned is shattering into pieces in front of your eyes, you’re disappearing without leaving a single trace of your existence. You were that insignificant. The system had you that much, nothing was yours but the illusion. They own your life. When you got in their way, they spat you out like a chewing gum that lost its flavor. You no longer exist. You have been erased...

Please find the rest of the review on Speculative Book Review...

Mark Charan Newton Signs a Two-Book Deal with Tor UK

2011-11-21T12:00:00.000Z

Mark Charan Newton, the author of the excellent Legends of the Red Sun series just signed a new deal with Tor UK for the rights of his new fantasy-crime series' first two books. The author had already made his intentions to leave New Weird aside and to try something different public. So now we have something concrete. The press release that came out earlier this morning gives some information about the upcoming series (emphasis mine):

"The first book in a series provisionally titled DRAKENFELD introduces the eponymous hero, an investigator. The series is set in a fantasy world, but will appeal to fans of historical mysteries. In this opening volume, Lucan Drakenfeld is called home after the death of his father – but is immediately thrown into the investigation of a royal death. He also finds that his father’s demise is not as clear-cut as it at first appears..."

After the announcement, Newton blogged about the deal and gave more information about his new books (emphasis mine):

"It’s very much a fantasy novel, but equally a crime novel, with a locked-room mystery at the heart of it. Whilst I’ve dabbled with the odd crime sub-plot before, it was mainly a pastiche – Drakenfeld is much more committed to the crime genre, perhaps along the lines of the CJ Sansom novels. (It needs to be rewarding for readers of both genres.) The world is very much a classically inspired setting (Ancient Rome in particular), and there virtually no weirdness. I’m also really enjoying writing the Drakenfeld novel, much more so than any of the previous series, and especially the locked-room element: the impossible crime."

The fourth and last book of Legends of the Red Sun will be published in the summer of 2012. And it looks like we'll be able to read Drakenfeld, the first book of Newton's new series, in 2013.

I wish him all the best with his new books and I am really looking forward to reading them.

PRESS RELEASE – 21st November 2011

New Deal For Mark Charan Newton

Bella Pagan, Senior Commissioning Editor at Tor UK, an imprint of Pan Macmillan, has acquired world rights to the first two volumes of a fantasy series by Mark Charan Newton. The agent was John Jarrold.

The first book in a series provisionally titled DRAKENFELD introduces the eponymous hero, an investigator. The series is set in a fantasy world, but will appeal to fans of historical mysteries. In this opening volume, Lucan Drakenfeld is called home after the death of his father – but is immediately thrown into the investigation of a royal death. He also finds that his father’s demise is not as clear-cut as it at first appears…

Pagan said ‘Mark writes compulsive adventures set in utterly convincing new worlds – he’s a terrific writer. I couldn’t ask for a better start to my new position at Tor UK than this first deal’.

Tor UK have successfully published three fantasy novels by Mark in the Legends of the Red Sun series since 2009, with a fourth to appear in the summer of 2012. They have been strongly acclaimed by China Miéville, Peter F Hamilton and reviewers on both sides of the Atlantic.

The first book in the new series will be published in 2014. For more information about Mark, see his website markcnewton.com or follow him on twitter @MarkCN.

Contact Chloe Healy or John Jarrold for further details:

Chloe Healy: c.healy@macmillan.co.uk 00 44 20 7014 6000 Twitter: @UKTor
John Jarrold: j.jarrold@btinternet.com 00 44 1522 510544

Seventh Star Press Proudly Announces New Four Book Urban Fantasy Series From Michael West

2011-11-18T08:00:00.002Z

November 15, 2011

Seventh Star Press is proud to announce Legacy of the Gods, an exciting new urban fantasy series from Michael West that begins with Poseidon's Children. Four titles are scheduled in the series. The award-winning horror author's foray into urban fantasy is his second series with Seventh Star Press, joining his Harmony Indiana novels in a schedule that will see two books a year released from the prolific author.

Poseidon's Children has already received high praise from Maurice Broaddus, whose series, The Knights of Breton Court, has been making big waves in the urban fantasy world. As Maurice commented, “Poseidon’s Children is some of Michael West’s best writing and storytelling!”

As with all Seventh Star Press novels, the books will feature interior artwork, with covers and illustrations being done by acclaimed fantasy/horror artist Matthew Perry. His artwork appears in other Seventh Star Press releases from Jackie Gamber, H.David Blalock, Stephen Shrewsbury, and Stephen Zimmer.

"This has been an epic story that I have been passionate about for a long time, an idea that would not let go of my brain, it just kept growing, and growing, demanding that I start writing it all down,” Michael said in regards to the upcoming series. “I've talked about wanting to do this series for years, and my faithful readers kept asking me, 'When are you going to do that? When is it coming out?' Well, I'm happy to say that the answer is now, and I am so pleased that Seventh Star Press has given me the opportunity to finally make this dark, horrific, fantastical dream a reality."

In Poseidon's Children, man no longer worships the old gods; forgotten and forsaken, they have become nothing more than myth and legend. But all that is about to change. After the ruins of a vast, ancient civilization are discovered on the ocean floor, Coast Guard officers find a series of derelict ships drifting in the current--high-priced yachts and leaking fishing boats, all ransacked, splattered in blood, their crews missing and presumed dead.

And that's just the beginning.

Vacationing artist Larry Neuhaus has just witnessed a gruesome shark attack, a young couple torn apart right before his eyes ... at least, he thinks it was a shark. And when one of these victims turns out to be the only son of Roger Hays, the most powerful man in the country, things go from bad to worse. Now, to stop the carnage,Larry and his new-found friends must work together to unravel a mystery as old as time, and face an enemy as dark as the ocean depths.

Michael West is a fast rising force in the speculative fiction world. His work includes novels such as The Wide Game (Graveside Tales), Cinema of Shadows (Seventh Star Press) and a single author collection, Skull Full of Kisses (Graveside Tales). He also has an array of short fiction published, spanning many magazines and anthologies, including appearances in Shroud Magazine, and the Apex Science Fiction and Horror Digest.

Amanda DeBord will be handling editing duties on Poseidon's Children and the other three Legacy of the Gods titles.

"Seventh Star Press is simply amazing to work with,” Michael commented. “They know good fiction, put out hardcover, paperback, and eBook editions of the highest quality, and they support their authors and releases more than any other publisher in the business. I could not be happier to be working with them on my Harmony, Indiana books and now the Legacy series."

The projected release date window for Poseidon's Children is March of 2012, with versions released in limited hardcover, trade paperback, and several eBook formats, such Kindle, iPad, the Nook, and Sony/Sony compatible eBook reading devices. The second novel is slated for spring of 2013, with other titles to follow on an annual basis.

Updates and additional information can be obtained at the official site for Seventh Star Press, at www.seventhstarpress.com, or at the author's site, www.bymichaelwest.com.

Contact: C.C. James
Public Relations, Seventh Star Press
ccjames@seventhstarpress.com

Seventh Star Press is a small press publisher of speculative fiction located in Lexington Kentucky.

Books That Surround Me

2011-11-17T09:00:00.000Z

There are so many books that I'd like to read but so little time... I've been telling myself the same thing for a long while. And today I just wanted to write about the books that I just left behind, the book that I'm currently reading and the books that are patiently waiting to be read.

House of Fear edited by Jonathan Oliver, Infinity Blade: Awakening by Brandon Sanderson and 21 Erased by Barbara Rayne were the last three books that I read. They were all very different but I enjoyed them all. I'm going to post their reviews soon.

Currently I'm reading Courtney Schafer's The Whitefire Crossing. I've already read close to 100 pages and it has been a captivating read so far. I've been particularly impressed by the setting.

The list of the books that are vying for my attention and that are shouting "Pick me! Pick me!" is longer (in alphabetical order):

Final Days by Gary Gibson
Hell Train by Christopher Fowler
Leviathan Wakes by James S. A. Corey
Manhattan in Reverse by Peter Hamilton
Ossard's Hope by Colin Taber
The Recollection by Gareth L. Powell
Solaris Rising: The New Solaris Book of Science Fiction edited by Ian Whates
Spellbound by Blake Charlton
Tattoo by Kirsten Imani Kasai

I don't know about you but most of the time my mood dictates which book I pick from the pile next. Regardless of the next book, I'm dying to go through this list as soon as I can.

Here's more detail about the books that surround me:

House of Fear edited by Jonathan Oliver

The tread on the landing outside the door, when you know you are the only one in the house. The wind whistling through the eves, carrying the voices of the dead. The figure glimpsed briefly through the cracked window of a derelict house.

Editor Jonathan Oliver brings horror home with a collection of haunted house stories by some of the finest writers working in the horror genre, including Joe R. Lansdale, Sarah Pinborough, Lisa Tuttle, Christopher Priest, Adam L. G. Nevill, Nicholas Royle, Chaz Brenchley, Christopher Fowler, Gary Kilworth, Weston Ochse, Eric Brown, Tim Lebbon, Nina Allan, Stephen Volk, Paul Meloy and more.

[Worldwide] - [UK]

Infinity Blade: Awakening by Brandon Sanderson

Trained from birth in swordplay and combat, a young knight named Siris has journeyed to the Dark Citadel with a single purpose: fight through the army of Titans to face the tyrannical God King in one-on-one combat. This was his father’s sacred mission, and his father’s before him, going back countless generations in an effort to free their people from enslavement. But when Siris somehow succeeds where all those from his bloodline previously have failed, he finds himself cast into a much larger world, filled with warriors and thieves, ancient feuds and shifting alliances, Deathless immortals and would-be kings. His quest for freedom will take him on an epic journey in search of the mythical figure known as the Worker of Secrets – the one being in the world who can unravel the secrets of the Infinity Blade.

Based on the bestselling video game from ChAIR Entertainment and Epic Games, this all-new adventure from acclaimed fantasy author Brandon Sanderson digs deeper into the fantastical world of Infinity Blade, a world of mystery and intrigue where magic and technology are indistinguishable, and even life and death are not what they seem.

[UK/Kindle]

21 Erased by Barbara Rayne

The code is your identity, your bank account, your credit card, the bus fare…your existence. When they take it away, you disappear like you never lived at all. All it takes is a moment and you’re no longer a human being…you’re nothing. Everything you thought you owned is shattering into pieces in front of your eyes, you’re disappearing without leaving a single trace of your existence. You were that insignificant. The system had you that much, nothing was yours but the illusion. They own your life. When you got in their way, they spat you out like a chewing gum that lost its flavor. You no longer exist. You have been erased...

[UK/Kindle]

The Whitefire Crossing by Courtney Schafer

Dev is a smuggler. Technically, he's a tracker for the caravan teams that bring legitimate merchandise from the free city of Ninavel into the kingdom of Alathia. The spring trails are treacherous, and it takes an expert climber to locate the safest route through the Whitefire mountains. But with the right connections, one can slip magical gems from one side of the mountain pass, where they are legal, to the other side, where they are not. Having made a promise to a dying friend, Dev is forced to make a singularly dangerous Whitefire crossing. Instead of smuggling gems, he's smuggling a person. Kiran: A blood mage on the run from his master... a blood mage desperate to sneak into a kingdom where blood mages are imprisoned for life. Caught up in a web of subterfuge and magic that endanger the entire caravan, Dev and Kiran must find a way to trust each other with their darkest secrets in order to overcome the forces arrayed against them! The debut novel by Courtney Schaffer, The Whitefire Crossing is the story of a sardonic young smuggler and a runaway apprentice mage caught in a deadly game of intrigue between rival mages that will determine the fate of a city.

[Worldwide] - [UK]

Final Days by Gary Gibson

But this new mode of transportation comes at a price and there are risks. Saul Dumont knows this better than anyone. He’s still trying to cope with the loss of the wormhole link to the Galileo system, which has stranded him on Earth far from his wife and child for the past several years.

Only weeks away from the link with Galileo finally being re-established, he stumbles across a conspiracy to suppress the discovery of a second, alien network of wormholes which lead billions of years in the future. A covert expedition is sent to what is named Site 17 to investigate, but when an accident occurs and one of the expedition, Mitchell Stone, disappears – they realise that they are dealing with something far beyond their understanding.

When a second expedition travels via the wormholes to Earth in the near future of 2245 they discover a devastated, lifeless solar system - all except for one man, Mitchell Stone, recovered from an experimental cryogenics facility in the ruins of a lunar city.

Stone may be the only surviving witness to the coming destruction of the Earth. But why is he the only survivor — and once he’s brought back to the present, is there any way he and Saul can prevent the destruction that’s coming?

[Worldwide] - [UK]

Hell Train by Christopher Fowler

Imagine there was a supernatural chiller that Hammer Films never made. A grand epic produced at the studio's peak, which played like a cross between the Dracula and Frankenstein films and Dr Terror's House Of Horrors... Four passengers meet on a train journeying through Eastern Europe during the First World War, and face a mystery that must be solved if they are to survive. As the Arkangel races through the war-torn countryside, they must find out: What is in the casket that everyone is so afraid of? What is the tragic secret of the veiled Red Countess who travels with them? Why is their fellow passenger the army brigadier so feared by his own men? And what exactly is the devilish secret of the Arkangel itself? Bizarre creatures, satanic rites, terrified passengers and the romance of travelling by train, all in a classically styled horror novel.

[Worldwide] - [UK]

Leviathan Wakes by James S. A. Corey

Humanity has colonized the planets - interstellar travel is still beyond our reach, but the solar system has become a dense network of colonies. But there are tensions - the mineral-rich outer planets resent their dependence on Earth and Mars and the political and military clout they wield over the Belt and beyond. Now, when Captain Jim Holden's ice miner stumbles across a derelict, abandoned ship, he uncovers a secret that threatens to throw the entire system into war. Attacked by a stealth ship belonging to the Mars fleet, Holden must find a way to uncover the motives behind the attack, stop a war and find the truth behind a vast conspiracy that threatens the entire human race.

[Worldwide] - [UK]

Manhattan in Reverse by Peter Hamilton

A collection of short stories from the master of space opera. Peter F Hamilton takes us on a journey from a murder mystery in an alternative Oxford in the 1800s to a brand new story featuring Paula Mayo, Deputy Director of the Intersolar Commonwealth’s Serious Crimes Directorate. Dealing with intricate themes and topical subject this top ten bestselling author is at the top of his game.

[Worldwide] - [UK]

Ossard's Hope by Colin Taber

The wealthy city state of Ossard has fallen amidst blood, rioting and flames. Through the chaotic aftermath, Juvela leads the hopeful to safety within a set of mysterious ruins, but are they already claimed? Whilst leading them, the divine addiction is taking root within her, something she's triggered in her flight from doomed Ossard. The deep hunger of soul feeding has overwhelmed and enslaved every god it has touched; how can she, only newly into her own godhood, possibly beat it? And if she can't, what of the divine war she was born to trigger? Yet hope remains... Ossard's Hope follows the unique tale first begun in The Fall of Ossard.

[Worldwide] - [UK]

The Recollection by Gareth L. Powell

When his brother disappears into a bizarre gateway on a London Underground escalator, failed artist Ed Rico and his brother's wife Alice have to put aside their feelings for each other to go and find him. Their quest through the 'arches' will send them hurtling through time, to new and terrifying alien worlds. Four hundred years in the future, Katherine Abdulov must travel to a remote planet in order to regain the trust of her influential family. The only person standing in her way is her former lover, Victor Luciano, the ruthless employee of a rival trading firm. Hard choices lie ahead as lives and centuries clash and, in the unforgiving depths of space, an ancient evil stirs...

[Worldwide] - [UK]

Solaris Rising: The New Solaris Book of Science Fiction edited by Ian Whates

Solaris Rising is the first in an exciting new series of anthologies that are set to reaffirm Solaris's proud reputation for producing high quality science fiction. The book will feature all original short stories from Peter F. Hamilton, Alastair Reynolds, Stephen Baxter, Paul di Filippo, Adam Roberts, Lavie Tidhar, Ian Watson, Ken MacLeod, Mike Resnick, Tricia Sullivan, Eric Brown, Steve Rasnic Tem along with other top name authors; stories guaranteed to surprise, thrill and delight, demonstrating why science fiction remains the most innovative, satisfying, and downright exciting genre of all.

[Worldwide] - [UK]

Spellbound by Blake Charlton

Francesca DeVega is a successful healer in the city of Avel, wielding magical text to close wounds and disspell curses, but her life is thrown into chaos when a dead patient suddenly sits up and tells her to run. Now Francesca is in the middle of a game she doesn’t understand, one that ties her to the notorious rogue wizard, Nicodemus Weal, and brings her face to face with demons, demigods, and a man she thought she’d never see again.

It has been ten years since Nicodemus Weal escaped the Starhaven Academy, where he was considered disabled and useless, where he battled the demon who stole his birthright and killed his friends. Unable to use the magical languages of his own people, Nico has honed his skills in the dark language of the kobolds, readying himself for his next encounter with the demon. But there are complications: his mentor suffers from an incurable curse, his half-sister’s agents are hunting him, and he’s still not sure what part Francesca DeVega will play. He certainly doesn’t know what to make of Francesca herself...

[Worldwide] - [UK]

Tattoo by Kirsten Imani Kasai

HER FATE IS IN HER FLESH.

In an environmentally fragile world where human and animal genes combine, the rarest mutation of all—the Trader—can instantly switch genders. One such Trader, the female Sorykah, is battling her male alter, Soryk, for dominance and the right to live a full life.

Sorykah has rescued her infant twins from mad Matuk the Collector. Her children are safe. Her journey, she believes, is over, but Matuk’s death has unleashed darker, more evil forces. These forces, led by the Collector’s son, cast nets of power that stretch from the glittering capital of Neubonne to the murky depths below the frozen Sigue, where the ink of octameroons is harvested to make addictive, aphrodisiacal tattoos. Bitter enemies trapped within a single skin, Sorykah and Soryk are soon drawn into a sinister web of death and deceit.

[Worldwide] - [UK]

24 Books! 24 Hours! Up To 80% Off! Today!

2011-11-10T08:00:00.002Z

Today, at 12:00 GMT (7:00 AM EST), The Book Depository is starting a 24-hour campaign where they will be offering up to 80% off on a book every hour on the hour. I don't think that the titles are known yet so you have to check regularly to see if there's something that you'd like (or someone else would like as a present). I'm hoping there are going to be some fiction on the list (and not offered at 4 AM, thank you!)

As usual, the offer include their free worldwide shipping. And if you make a mistake during the buying frenzy, you can always contact them to cancel your order. Of course, if you are not fast enough, there's a chance that the book sells out before you order your copy.

Now that you know about it, you cannot blame me for not having told you ;).

Graphic Novel Review: Orcs: Forged for War by Stan Nicholls & Joe Flood

2011-11-07T08:00:00.001Z

Title: Orcs: Forged for War
Author: Stan Nicholls & Joe Flood
Trade Paperback: 208 pages
Publisher: First Second Books (21 Oct 2011)
ISBN 10: 1596434554
ISBN 13: 978-1596434554

"Orcs: Forged for War is the first graphic novel in Stan Nicholls’ beloved Orcs universe. The fantasy landscape in this world is brutal and unforgiving, and populated by a race of unlikely protagonists: the powerful and violent warriors, orcs.

Orcs: Forged for War is an original story—a new entry in this series, not an adaptation of old material. It follows a ruthless and deadly cohort of warrior orcs as they fight their way free of the dominion of an evil human enchantress. Sitting on an exhilarating peak with high fantasy on one side and the thrilling, gruesome battlefields of graphic novel classics like Frank Miller’s 300 on the other, Orcs presents the world of its ogre-like protagonists with technicolor violence and moments of unexpected sympathy."

Please find the rest of the review on Speculative Book Review...

You can order a copy of Orcs: Forged for War from:

Kultus by Richard Ford - Read the First Two Chapters

2011-11-03T08:00:00.000Z

You can now read the first two chapters of Richard Ford's Kultus on the author's Free Stuff page.

Additionally, you can find The Ballad of Spring Heeled Jack, a thirteen-page Kultus comic, on the same page.

About the Book

Title: Kultus
Author: Richard Ford
Paperback: 368 pages
Publisher: Solaris (14 Nov 2011)
ISBN-10: 1907992278
ISBN-13: 978-1907992278

A steam-powered burlesque of brutal demonic action!

Thaddeus Blaklok mercenary, demonist, bastard and thug-for-hire is pressed into retrieving a mysterious key for his clandestine benefactors. Little does he know that other parties seek to secure this artefact for their own nefarious ends and soon he is pursued by brutal cultists, bloodthirsty gangsters, deadly mercenaries and hell-spawned monsters, all bent on stopping him by any means necessary. In a lightning-paced quest that takes him across the length and breadth of the steam-fuelled city of Manufactory, Blaklok must use his wits and his own demonic powers to keep the key from those who would use it for ill, and open the gates to Hell itself.

About the Author

Richard Ford originally hails from Leeds in the heartland of Yorkshire but now resides in Wiltshire, where he can now be found frolicking by the Thames, drinking cider and singing songs about combine harvesters.

The Heroes Wallpaper, Wild Cards Film & TV Deal and The Liveship Traders Graphic Novel

2011-11-02T13:00:00.000Z

Joe Abercrombie's The Heroes was one of my top reads this year. For the other fans out there, I'd like to point out that Orbit posted a The Heroes-themed wallpaper in various sizes (including iPad and iPhone).

If you're into graphic novels then you probably already know the graphics novel publisher Soleil. They had already published Robin Hobb's Farseer Trilogy and now it seems they signed the deal to continue the job with the following trilogy, The Liveship Traders. Unfortunately, they are not available in English but French and Dutch speakers can enjoy them.

The current success of the new TV series Game of Thrones seems to be helping George R. R. Martin a great deal. The fans of Martin's Wild Cards series will be delighted to hear that SyFy Films has acquired the rights to this series. I look forward to seeing them.

Catching Up

2011-10-21T09:00:00.000+01:00

Work has been hectic this week and despite my best intentions, I couldn't find the opportunity to post these news at the right time so forgive me for bundling them together but this is the best I could do this week.

A new press released announced Tor UK's new acquisition. To hear King's and Koontz's names is enough for me to pay attention to Seth Patrick's Reviver series. But I'm afraid we're going to have to wait a little while before we can lay our eyes on the first book.

Tor UK captures Seth Patrick

Reviver by Seth Patrick has been acquired by Tor UK in a six-figure pre-empt from Luigi Bonomi.

It is the first of three books in the Reviver series, all of which have been acquired by Tor UK and Thomas Dunne Books in New York for World English Language rights. Comparable to Stephen King, Justin Cronin and Dean Koontz, this supernatural thriller has a fantastic lead character, Jonah Miller, who will feature in all three books.
Seth Patrick is in his late 30s and lives in West Sussex. A very successful computer games developer who works for Sega, Reviver is his first novel.

Reviver is set in the USA and introduces readers to Jonah Miller, one of the world’s most gifted revivers. Revivers are those who can make contact with the dead and bring them back for a short period of time to say goodbye to loved ones or, more importantly for the police, tell them who their killers were.

But while reviving the victim of a brutal murder, Jonah discovers that a sinister presence is watching from the other side. When he starts to investigate, what he uncovers threatens everything he knows . . .
Julie Crisp, Editorial Director of Tor UK says,

“This is a hugely exciting project and everyone who read this loved it! Seth Patrick is a wonderful writer and there's a real sense of action and pace combined with an imagination and storyline in the novel that readers of Justin Cronin will love. Jonah Miller is going to be a very popular character.”

Luigi Bonomi comments,

“Seth Patrick has written one of the most captivating and original stories I’ve read in ages. I first read the material sitting on a train and had to ring the author there and then as I knew it was going to be terrific. I couldn’t be more delighted that Macmillan and Thomas Dunne Books are going to be publishing it.”

Reviver is currently scheduled for publication in the UK in 2013.

Mark Lawrence's upcoming book, King of Thorns, second book of the Broken Empire series, has a cover now:

My first reaction to it was: "A hooded figure (again) but I like it (again)." I think, just like in the first book's cover, I really like the posture of Jorg (the King). The first book of the series, Prince of Thorns has been very well received (reviewed here) so I'm sure most of you are looking forward to its publication in August 2012.

I also caught my first glimpse of Anthony Huso's Black Bottle:

Huso has created a big fan base with his very successful previous book, The Last Page. Black Bottle is going to be published in 2012 but I haven't heard a more precise date yet.

UK Cover Art: City of Dragons by Robin Hobb

2011-10-18T08:00:00.005+01:00

Harper Voyager has revealed the UK cover of Robin Hobb's City of Dragons, the third instalment of The Rain Wild Chronicles.

I like this cover much better than the US cover shown below:

City of Dragons will be published on 7 Feb 2011.

Blurb

The dragon keepers and fledgling dragons have discovered a route to the lost city of Kelsingra but there is one problem: they need to be able to fly to cross the treacherous waters and enter the fabled city. At first, only a few dragons are willing to try – the others are either too ashamed of their deformed wings and feeble muscles or too proud to risk failure and humiliation.

But the rewards waiting at Kelsingra for those brave enough to take to the air are worth more than they could possibly imagine. This was a city built for dragons and their keepers. Alise Finbok is overwhelmed by the treasures she finds there, and spends hours carefully uncovering wonder after wonder, recording her findings for posterity. She knows the knowledge will change everything the world thought about dragons and the Elderlings.

Yet rumours of the city’s discovery have floated down the Rain Wild River and reached envious ears in Bingtown and beyond. Adventurers, pirates and fortune hunters are coming in droves to pillage what they can from the city. Will the dragons, only just finding their strength, and their keepers, who are changing in their own mysterious ways, be able to fend them off?

And what has happened to Tintaglia, the dragon-mother who started it all? Has she really abandoned her offspring forever? Or will she too return to seek the riches of Kelsingra…

Harper Voyager to Reissue A Song Of Ice And Fire in Hardback

2011-10-08T08:00:00.000+01:00

After releasing A Dance with Dragons, one of the most anticipated books of recent years, Harper Voyager decided to reissue the first four books of the amazingly popular series A Song of Ice and Fire in hardback. Their cover art will follow and complement the theme of A Dance with Dragons' cover.

Book Review: The Ritual by Adam Nevill

2011-10-05T13:00:00.000+01:00

Title: The Ritual
Author: Adam Nevill
Trade Paperback: 368 pages
Publisher: Macmillan (6 May 2011)
ISBN 10: 0230754929
ISBN 13: 978-0230754928

"And on the third day things did not get better. The rain fell hard and cold, the white sun never broke through the low grey cloud, and they were lost. But it was the dead thing they found hanging from a tree that changed the trip beyond recognition.

When four old University friends set off into the Scandinavian wilderness of the Arctic Circle, they aim to briefly escape the problems of their lives and reconnect with one another. But when Luke, the only man still single and living a precarious existence, finds he has little left in common with his well-heeled friends, tensions rise.

With limited fitness and experience between them, a shortcut meant to ease their hike turns into a nightmare scenario that could cost them their lives. Lost, hungry, and surrounded by forest untouched for millennia, Luke figures things couldn’t possibly get any worse.

But then they stumble across an old habitation. Ancient artefacts decorate the walls and there are bones scattered upon the dry floors. The residue of old rites and pagan sacrifice for something that still exists in the forest. Something responsible for the bestial presence that follows their every step. And as the four friends stagger in the direction of salvation, they learn that death doesn’t come easy among these ancient trees..."

Please find the rest of the review on Speculative Book Review...

Cover Art: Daniel Abraham's The King's Blood

2011-10-01T08:00:00.000+01:00

Daniel Abraham's The Dragon's Path has been, without a doubt, one of my best reads this year (as of this writing, its review is still 'work in progress'). And I'm truly looking forward to reading the second book of The Dagger And The Coin series. So when I saw the cover art of The King's Blood, I had the great feeling to be closer to the publication date.

Even though this cover is following the same theme, I liked the cover of The Dragon's Path better. It had more life. But maybe that's the whole intention behind the cover of The King's Blood: Red, reminiscent of blood, and devoid of life, announcing deaths to come.

The Cover of Adam Nevill's new book: Last Days

2011-09-30T08:00:00.006+01:00

Adam Nevill has quickly become one of my favorite horror writers. His latest book, The Ritual was simply brilliant (my review). Today I saw the cover of Nevill's next book, Last Days.

Adam Nevill's books have consistently had good looking covers and this one, in my opinion, is no exception. I really liked The Ritual's cover and I really like this one too. It certainly conveys the heart-squeezing horror-story message pretty well. I simply can't wait to read it.

Last Days will be published in May 2012. And here is the blurb:

They visit after dark and they never let go . . .

When indie filmmaker, Kyle Freeman, is offered a deal to make a documentary about a notorious cult, an opportunity to avoid both bankruptcy and obscurity is finally on the table.

Led by the infamous Sister Katherine, The Temple of the Last Days reached its bloody endgame in the Arizona desert in 1975. Ever since, rumour and speculation about the group’s mystical secrets and paranormal experiences have lain half-concealed behind a legacy of murder, sexual deviancy and imprisonment.

The shoot’s locations take Kyle and his one-man crew to the cult’s original bases in London, France and finally to the desert crime scene where the cult self-destructed in a night of ritualistic violence. But when Kyle interviews the remaining survivors, who haven’t broken silence in decades, a series of uncanny events and unexplained phenomena plague the production. And what exactly is it they are managing to record in any place the Temple once resided?

Troubling out-of-body experiences and nocturnal visitations, the sudden demise of their interviewees and the discovery of ghastly artefacts soon pitches Kyle into the unnerving realisation that he is entangled in the cult’s hideous vestiges.

And whenever the old friends call, there’s no light, no warning and no mercy ...

Short but Great Stories

2011-09-14T08:00:00.000+01:00

I'm not your typical short-story lover. In general, I wouldn't really consider short story my favourite format however I've always believed that they fit some genres much better than others. The obvious one is horror. And I would add to that science-fiction.

Sometimes, depending on my mood, I find it very liberating not to commit to a whole book to fully enjoy a good story. I also happen to read a couple of books at the same time therefore short stories suit much better the genre switching that my mood might dictate. They also provide a great way to discover new authors and new styles.

Here are some of my recent books containing some great stories:

House of Fear
edited by Jonathan Oliver

Paperback: 408 pages
Publisher: Rebellion (14 Oct 2011)
ISBN-10: 1907992065
ISBN-13: 978-1907992063

The tread on the landing outside the door, when you know you are the only one in the house. The wind whistling through the eves, carrying the voices of the dead. The figure glimpsed briefly through the cracked window of a derelict house.

Editor Jonathan Oliver brings horror home with a collection of haunted house stories by some of the finest writers working in the horror genre, including Joe R. Lansdale, Sarah Pinborough, Lisa Tuttle, Christopher Priest, Adam L. G. Nevill, Nicholas Royle, Chaz Brenchley, Christopher Fowler, Gary Kilworth, Weston Ochse, Eric Brown, Tim Lebbon, Nina Allan, Stephen Volk, Paul Meloy and more.

Manhattan in Reverse
by Peter F. Hamilton

Hardcover: 320 pages
Publisher: Macmillan (7 Oct 2011)
ISBN-10: 0230750303
ISBN-13: 978-0230750302

A collection of short stories from the master of space opera. Peter F Hamilton takes us on a journey from a murder mystery in an alternative Oxford in the 1800s to a brand new story featuring Paula Mayo, Deputy Director of the Intersolar Commonwealth’s Serious Crimes Directorate. Dealing with intricate themes and topical subject this top ten bestselling author is at the top of his game.

Engineering Infinity
edited by Jonathan Strahan

Paperback: 416 pages
Publisher: Solaris (15 Jan 2011)
ISBN-10: 1907519513
ISBN-13: 978-1907519512

The universe shifts and changes: suddenly you understand, you get it, and are filled with a sense of wonder. That moment of understanding drives the greatest science-fiction stories and lies at the heart of Engineering Infinity. Whether it's coming up hard against the speed of light and, with it, the enormity of the universe, realising that terraforming a distant world is harder and more dangerous than you'd ever thought, or simply realising that a hitchhiker on a starship consumes fuel and oxygen with tragic results, it's hard science-fiction where sense of wonder is most often found and where science-fiction's true heart lies. This exciting and innovative anthology collects together stories by some of the biggest names in the field, including Stephen Baxter, Charles Stross and Greg Bear.

The End of The Line
edited by Jonathan Oliver

Paperback: 374 pages
Publisher: Solaris (1 Nov 2010)
ISBN-10: 1907519327
ISBN-13: 978-1907519321

New horror stories set on and around the Underground
In deep tunnels something stirs, borne on a warm breath of wind, reeking of diesel and blood. The spaces between stations hold secrets too terrible for the upper world to comprehend and the steel lines sing with the songs of the dead.

The End of The Line collects some of the very best in new horror writing in an themed anthology of stories set on, and around, the Underground, the Metro and other places deep below. This collection of 19 new stories includes thoughtful, disturbing and terrifying tales by Ramsey Campbell, Christopher Fowler, Mark Morris, Pat Cadigan, Adam Nevill and Michael Marshall Smith amongst many others.

The Thing (2011)

2011-07-22T08:00:00.015+01:00

I rarely blog about movies and TV series however sometimes I feel I have to.

There is a handful of movies that scared the hell out of me when I was young and John Carpenter's The Thing was one of them. In the movie, an alien life-form infiltrated an Antarctic research station and started to kill everyone. But what added to the paranoia of the staff was that the extraterrestrial organism was capable of imitating them. It was a brilliant movie and I was absolutely delighted to hear that a prequel is going to be released very soon, on 14 Oct 2011.

John Carpenter's movie started with an Alaskan Malamute that was trying to evade a Norwegian helicopter with an on-board sniper frantically trying to kill it. Matthijs van Heijningen Jr.'s The Thing takes place right before the first movie, following the exploits of the Norwegian and American scientists who originally discovered the alien.

I realize that it's going to be almost impossible to match or surpass Carpenter's movie but nonetheless I'm still very excited about it:

New "Spartacus: Blood and Sand" Novel by Paul Kearney

2011-06-30T18:00:00.001+01:00

I just heard from Adam (The Wertzone) that Paul Kearney is writing a Spartacus: Blood and Sand novel.

A quick Web search reveals that Amazon's Kindle Store has already had an entry for the e-book version, simply entitled Spartacus Novel: #2. The publisher is Titan Books and the publishing date is March 6, 2012.

Paul Kearney is a very talented author (one of my favourites) and I think the setting of Spartacus would fit very well his style. The recent success Kearney has enjoyed with his The Ten Thousand and Corvus proves this very well.

After hearing such a news, I just rub my hands and wait for the book to be published.

Two New Acquisitions for Seventh Star Press

2011-06-15T08:00:00.001+01:00

June 13, 2011

Seventh Star Press Acquires H. David Blalock's New Urban Fantasy Series, The Angelkiller Triad

Seventh Star Press is proud to announce the acquisition of The Angelkiller Triad, a provocative new urban fantasy series, as H. David Blalock becomes a member of the publishing company's growing family of authors.

The acquisition comes right on the heels of the addition of D.A Adams' fantasy series, The Brotherhood of Dwarves, and follows a strong run of releases that has seen titles such as Jackie Gamber's Redheart (YA fantasy) and Steven Shrewsbury's Thrall (heroic fantasy) meet with a very warm reception from reviewers and readers alike. It is yet another strong testament to Seventh Star Press's committment to releasing quality titles exhibiting many facets of speculative fiction.

H. David Blalock commented on his recent partnership with SSP. "I am excited about doing the Angelkiller series with Seventh Star, and honored to be in such talented company. I just hope I can keep up with this high-energy group!"

The first book introduces Jonah Mason, the oldest, and most experienced of the Angelkillers, an elite force in the Army of Light. They are fighting an ancient war, one in which the Darkness achieved a great triumph long ago that has had profound influence on the fabric of life as we know it. It is the simple answer as to why bad things happen to good people. The great battle may have been lost, but the war continues in a modern age, pitting Jonah against the Enemy in a way even he had never faced. A provocative mixture of the supernatural and technological, Angelkiller is a very special, thought-provoking tale, one that shines forth in the upper realms of urban fantasy literature.

Based out of the Memphis area, H. David Blalock has an impressive writing career of 35 years and counting that has achieved numerous publishing credits in print and online mediums. He is most known for his fantasy novel Ascendant (Sam's Dot Publishing), which was the basis for a twenty minute short film produced in 2010 that featured former WWE wrestler Al Snow. The sequel to Ascendant, Emperor (Sam's Dot Publishing), was released in March of 2011. David is also the founder of Imagicopter, an author-driven organization that creates an array of event opportunities for small press authors and artists, while also publishing the highly-regarded Imagyro magazine.

“I was a fan of H. David Blalock since I read Ascendant, which is one of the true gems in fantasy out of the small press world,” fellow Seventh Star Press author Stephen Zimmer commented. “Angelkiller represents something that is compelling, thought-provoking, and highly relevant. With David's mastery of narrative and character, this series is going to be a force to be reckoned with in urban fantasy.”

The projected release date window for Angelkiller is fall of 2011, in limited hardcover, trade paperback, and several eBook formats, for readers with the Kindle, the iPad, the Nook, Sony eReaders, and other electronic reading devices.

Book 2, Traitor Angel, and Book 3, Doom Angel, will be released over the course of 2012 and early 2013.

Updates and additional information can be obtained at the official site for Seventh Star Press, at www.seventhstarpress.com, or at the author's site at www.thrankeep.com.

June 2, 2011

Seventh Star Press Proudly Announces the Acquisition of Fantasy Author D.A. Adams' The Brotherhood of Dwarves Series

Seventh Star Press is proud to announce the addition of fantasy author D.A. Adams to its family of writers, with the acquisition of The Brotherhood of Dwarves series.

The Brotherhood of Dwarves and Red Sky at Dawn, the first and second books of the series, were originally released by Third Axe Media. The two installments received excellent reviews, and sold very strongly on the convention circuit. Planned for five books total, the third title in the series, The Fall of Dorkuhn, will be released in its first edition by Seventh Star Press. The series is known for its fresh approach to an iconic fantasy race, blending traditional lore with all-new twists.

“With their outstanding marketing and promotional campaigns, Seventh Star can provide *The Brotherhood of Dwarves* with the exposure it deserves. I'm excited and proud to be the newest addition to their stable of talented writers, ” commented D.A. Adams, regarding his relationship with the Lexington, Kentucky-based publisher.

The Fall of Dorkuhn continues the story of the dwarf Roskin. In the newest adventure of the series, Roskin returns home to a kingdom divided by war with the ogres. On one side, his father desires to restore peace, but on the other, Master Sondious, seeking revenge for having been crippled, seeks to escalate the offensive aggression. Roskin and his friends make a desperate attempt to resolve the growing rift, but unknown to the dwarves, new and powerful menaces threaten to destroy the entire kingdom...

Living and working in East Tennessee, D. A. Adams is an established novelist, a farmer, a professor of English, and has contributed writing to literary as well as fine art publications. He also maintains an active blog, entitled "The Ramblings of D. A. Adams".

“D.A. Adams is an outstanding addition to our group of authors,” fellow Seventh Star Press author Stephen Zimmer commented. “The Brotherhood of Dwarves series is well-crafted storytelling with compelling characters, set within a richly developed fantasy setting. It has very strong appeal to those who like character-driven stories, as well as to fans of epic fantasy. For those who love seeing dwarves in fantasy literature, it is immensely rewarding.”

The projected release date window for The Fall of Dorkuhn is late summer of 2011, in limited hardcover, trade paperback, and several eBook formats, covering owners of the Kindle, the iPad, the Nook, Sony eReaders, and other electronic reading devices.

The Seventh Star Press editions of The Brotherhood of Dwarves and Red Sky at Dawn will receive trade paperback and eBook releases in late summer of 2011, with a hardcover edition of each to follow shortly afterwards.

Books four and five in The Brotherhood of Dwarves series are slated for tentative releases in late 2012 and 2013.

Updates and additional information can be obtained at the official site for Seventh Star Press, at www.seventhstarpress.com, or at the author's site at www.brotherhoodofdwarves.com.

Contact: C.C. James
Public Relations, Seventh Star Press
ccjames@seventhstarpress.com
Seventh Star Press Mailing Address:
3801 Dylan Place Suite 116, #7
Lexington, Ky. 40514-1062

Seventh Star Press is a small press publisher of speculative fiction located in Lexington Kentucky.

Book Review: Among Thieves by Douglas Hulick

2011-05-14T13:00:00.000+01:00

Among Thieves by Douglas Hulick
Publishing Information: Paperback; 384 pages
Publisher: Tor (1 April 2011)
ISBN 10: 0330536206
ISBN 13: 978-0330536202

"Drothe is a Nose, an informant who finds and takes care of trouble inside the criminal organization he’s a part of. He also smuggles imperial relics on the side.

When his boss sends him to Ten Ways to track down who’s been leaning on his organization’s people, Drothe discovers hints of a much bigger mystery. Someone is trying to stir up trouble between lower-level criminal organizations, including the one Drothe belongs to. And there’s a book rumored to contain imperial glimmer (or magic) that a lot of very dangerous people seem to be looking for - including two crime bosses known as the Gray Princes.

When Drothe discovers the book, he finds himself holding a bit of swag that can bring down emperors, shatter the criminal underworld, and unlock forbidden magic…that's if he can survive long enough to use it."

Please find the rest of the review on Speculative Book Review...

Cover Art: Ashes of Candesce by Karl Schroeder

2011-04-22T08:00:00.000+01:00

I know! We shouldn't judge a book by its cover. However, some cover arts are so exceptionally impressive that I can't help but buying a copy of the book in question immediately.

This is the case with the cover art of Karl Schroeder's next Virga novel, Ashes of Candesce. What an amazing cover! Stephan Martiniere is the talent who created it and I invite you to check the on-line gallery of his amazing work.

Ashes of Candesce is the award-winning Canadian author Karl Schroeder's new book in his Virga series. It follows Sun of Suns (2006), Queen of Candesce (2007), Pirate Sun (2008) and The Sunless Countries (2009). The first two books are also published in a single volume called Virga: Cities of the Air (2010).

HBO's "Game of Thrones" And Its 2nd Season

2011-04-20T13:00:00.001+01:00

Just like many other fantasy fans I eagerly sat in front of my TV and watched the first episode of HBO's Game of Thrones. I had to pause regularly to give my wife some background information about the characters and the setting.

I thought the setting was pretty well realized. Winterfell gave the impression that HBO spent enough money to make the setting look nice. I really liked the way the Wall and the North in general looked.

I also liked the casting. I thought the characters were pretty well chosen. There was nothing major that surprised me. I can even say that the few characters who I really wanted to punch in the face while I was reading the book looked like they could do with a few punches too.

I guess, for someone who read and who really thinks very highly of G.R.R. Martin's book, it is impossible not to compare the TV show with the book. That's the reason why I'm relying on my wife's reaction to say that HBO's Game of Thrones seemed to display the potential to be a very successful show. I wasn't surprised at all when I heard the news that they were going to start to film the second season.

Excerpt: The Unremembered by Peter Orullian

2011-04-14T08:00:00.001+01:00

Peter Orullian's The Unremembered is without a doubt one of this year's most popular debut novels. I haven't read it yet but it's hard to resist this amazing cover by Kekai Kotaki so I'll end up ordering my copy soon. In the meantime, Tor.com has generously shared with us an excerpt from The Unremembered.

The gods, makers of worlds, seek to create balance—between matter and energy; and between mortals who strive toward the transcendent, and the natural perils they must tame or overcome. But one of the gods fashions a world filled with hellish creatures far too powerful to allow balance; he is condemned to live for eternity with his most hateful creations in that world’s distant Bourne, restrained by a magical veil kept vital by the power of song.

Millennia pass, awareness of the hidden danger fades to legend, and both song and veil weaken. And the most remote cities are laid waste by fell, nightmarish troops escaped from the Bourne. Some people dismiss the attacks as mere rumor. Instead of standing against the real threat, they persecute those with the knowledge, magic and power to fight these abominations, denying the inevitability of war and annihilation. And the evil from the Bourne swells….

The troubles of the world seem far from the Hollows where Tahn Junell struggles to remember his lost childhood and to understand words he feels compelled to utter each time he draws his bow. Trouble arrives when two strangers—an enigmatic man wearing the sigil of the feared Order of Sheason and a beautiful woman of the legendary Far—come, to take Tahn, his sister and his two best friends on a dangerous, secret journey.

Tahn knows neither why nor where they will go. He knows only that terrible forces have been unleashed upon mankind and he has been called to stand up and face that which most daunts him—his own forgotten secrets and the darkness that would destroy him and his world.

Free Reading - The Lunatics by Kim Stanley Robinson

2011-04-13T13:15:00.004+01:00

You can read Kim Stanley Robinson's dystopian SF tale The Lunatics on Tor.com.

At the end of the nineteenth century, coal mining had become one of the biggest, meanest industries in the United States. Unhealthy working conditions and a reliance on child labor caused accidents and blackened men’s lungs. Crooked business practices like debt bondage and wage-cheating were just part of the misery. But it was dangerous to stand up against the mining companies. Miners didn’t just face losing their jobs—their lives were often at stake, as mining companies fought against unionizing with violence.

The coal miners’ struggles for better conditions were captured in photos and songs that have become a warning for the workers of the world. But in the future, miners might not be so lucky.

What could be worse than working deep beneath the ground, never seeing the light of day? What could be worse than knowing the money in your paycheck was a token worthless outside the company’s store?

[“The Lunatics”] gives us a vision of a mine worse than anything in Pennsylvania. Powered by slavery and jump-started by torment, this mine might as well be hell. - John Joseph Adams

Seventh Star Press e-Book Campaign

2011-04-13T13:00:00.000+01:00

In a new campaign, Lexington (KY)-based speculative fiction publisher Seventh Star Press allows you to purchase some of their e-books in a very affordable price, $1.99 to be more precise.

Here's the official press release:

Try a Seventh Star Press Title for Just Two Dollars!

What is your favorite flavor of fantasy? Do you like character-driven YA Fantasy? Do you like heroic fantasy with loads of action? Do you like epic fantasy with a wide cast of characters, lands, and lore? How about epic scale urban fantasy?

To celebrate the launch week of Jackie Gamber's Redheart, we're announcing a very special sale. The good news is that we've got a title in each of the above areas of fantasy, so that you can try Seventh Star Press eBooks out in this special sale that will be running through Mid-June. Only $1.99 for Redheart, Thrall, Crown of Vengeance, and The Exodus Gate.

What are you waiting for? Just two bucks and you'll be on a grand adventure. Find out what readers around the world are discovering...there's a growing constellation of quality titles at Seventh Star Press!

All eBook titles include the Matthew Perry illustrations that are in the print editions.

Visit the following page for further information and direct links to eBook titles:
http://www.seventhstarpress.com/documents/ebooks.html

Believe in Angels!

2011-04-08T13:00:00.004+01:00

Usually, I don't blog about movies but I couldn't help it when I heard about my all-time-favorite movie's reboot.

According to the news, Juan Carlos Fresnadillo, the director of 28 Weeks Later, will be directing the new The Crow, which will be focusing on Eric Draven originally played by Brandon Lee.

Even though I stubbornly think that no movie would have the same effect on me, I welcome any attempt to keep this amazing movie's memory alive. I wish Fresnadillo all the best with this undertaking and I sincerely hope that the result will be great.

Excerpt from After the Golden Age by Carrie Vaughn

2011-04-07T13:00:00.002+01:00

Tor.com published a generous excerpt from Carrie Vaughn's After the Golden Age. The same day, BookYurt published an interview with the author on her new book.

Hardcover: 304 pages
Publisher: Tor Books; (12 April 2011)
ISBN-10: 0765325551
ISBN-13: 978-0765325556

It’s not easy being a superhero’s daughter. The only daughter of Captain Olympus and Spark, the world’s greatest champions, Celia West has no powers of her own, and the most exciting thing she’s ever done is win a silver medal in a high school swim meet. Meanwhile, she’s the favorite hostage of every crime boss and super-villain in Commerce City. She doesn’t have a codename, but if she did, it would probably be Bait Girl, the Captive Wonder.

Celia has worked hard to create a life for herself beyond the shadow of their capes. But when her parents’ arch-enemy, the Destructor, faces justice in the “Trial of the Century,” Celia finds herself sucked back into the more-than-mortal world of Captain Olympus–and forced to confront a secret that she hoped would stay buried forever ...

Received An Early Copy of A Dance With Dragons - Review Coming Soon

2011-04-01T13:00:00.000+01:00

I consider myself very lucky because this morning I received an early copy of George R. R. Martin's most anticipated A Dance With Dragons. The manuscript looks huge but I took a day off work to read it immediately. So I'm hoping to review it very soon.

Here's a picture of me with the manuscript!

Paul Kearney's Sea Beggars To Be Completed

2011-03-31T09:00:00.001+01:00

Did you hear the news? This is a great one for all present and future Kearney fans: After a long struggle, it looks like Solaris has secured the rights in the existing two Sea Beggars novels and the upcoming third and final volume, Storm of the Dead. Finally we'll have the opportunity to read the completed Sea Beggars series. As a fan, I'd like to thank very much to everyone who made this possible. I don't doubt that the Sea Beggars omnibus will be as successful as the Monarchies of God omnibuses.

The only bad news about this is about the publication date: We're going to have to wait until late in 2012. But I'm sure it'll be worth it. I'm really looking forward to reading and reviewing the Sea Beggars Omnibus.

Here's what John Jarrold (the agent) wrote about the deal:

Jonathan Oliver, commissioning editor of Solaris Books, has acquired UK/US rights in the two previously-published SEA BEGGARS novels by Paul Kearney plus a third and final volume, STORM OF THE DEAD. They will be published in a one-volume omnibus, following the success of Kearney’s MONARCHIES OF GOD books in this form with Solaris (who also publish his Macht novels, THE TEN THOUSAND, CORVUS and the forthcoming KINGS OF MORNING).
The book is due for publication late in 2012, and the agent was John Jarrold.
‘Paul and I are both delighted that this series will be completed and published in its entirety by Solaris,’ said John Jarrold. ‘He is a major talent and anyone reading this or his other novels will see that very quickly.’
‘It’s a great pleasure to welcome Paul back to Solaris,’ editor-in-chief, Jonathan Oliver, said. ‘Fans of Paul’s will be delighted that the SEA BEGGARS series is finally seeing completion and new readers will be bowled over by the work of this brilliant and intelligent fantasy writer.’

The Mark of Ran (Book 1)

In a world abandoned by its Creator, an ancient race once existed - one with powers mankind cannot imagine. Some believe they were the last of the angels. Others think they were demons.

Rol Cortishane was raised in a remote fishing village with no idea of his true place in the world. But in his veins runs the blood of this long-forgotten race and he shares their dangerous destiny.

Driven from home, accused of witchcraft and black magic, Rol takes refuge in the brooding tower sanctuary of the enigmatic Michael Psellos. There Rol is trained in the assassin's craft and tutored by the beautiful but troubled Rowen.

It's no accident that Rol and Rowen have been brought together, but the truth about their past is a secret they will have to fight to discover.

Now they've set their sights across the sea in search of the Hidden City and an adventure that will make them legends... if it doesn't kill them first.

You can read an extract from The Mark of Ran on the author's Web site.

This Forsaken Earth (Book 2)

Nothing moved in all that tangled mass of wreckage and shredded cordage and shattered spars. All along the decks, flesh, wood and iron had been beaten into one unholy, pulped mess from which trickled streams of blood that brightened the brown stains venting from the scuppers. The enemy vessel was a dead thing, which even the wind could no longer stir to life.

The Revenants stared around in wonder, as if uncertain as to who could have brought such a thing to pass. A silence fell, broken only by the weary creak and groan of seaborne wood, the death rattle of a tall fighting ship.

There was a moment almost of reverence.

'This," Rol said, 'is victory.'

But no one can outrun their past, as Rol Cortishane discovers when his old acquaintance in murder, Canker, King of Thieves, turns up unannounced to make Rol an offer that cannot be refused. To safeguard the hidden pirate city that has become his home, Rol must leave behind his beloved ship, Revenant, and take to the mountains of Bionar, where his sister, Rowen, is fighting for possession of the mightiest kingdom in all the world.

Amid siege, pitched battle and betrayal, Rol will discover that his world is not the place he thought it was, and he must relearn his assassin's skills in order to survive.

You can read an extract from This Forsaken Earth on the author's Web site.

Two New Neal Asher Artwork Revealed

2011-03-27T08:00:00.002+01:00

This week Tor UK revealed new artwork for two Neal Asher books: Line War and Hilldiggers.

Line War by Neal Asher

Paperback: 566 pages
Publisher: Tor (3 April 2009)
ISBN-10: 9780330441544
ISBN-13: 978-0330441544

The Polity is under attack from a ‘melded’ AI entity with control of the lethal Jain technology, yet the attack seems to have no coherence. When one of Erebus’s wormships kills millions on the world of Klurhammon, a high-tech agricultural world of no real tactical significance, agent Ian Cormac is sent to investigate, though he is secretly struggling to control a new ability no human being should possess . . . and beginning to question the motives of his AI masters.

Further attacks and seemingly indiscriminate slaughter ensue, but only serve to bring some of the most dangerous individuals in the Polity into the war. Mr Crane, the indefatigable brass killing machine sets out for vengeance, while Orlandine, a vastly-augmented haiman who herself controls Jain technology, seeks a weapon of appalling power and finds allies from an ancient war.

Meanwhile Mika, scientist and Dragon expert, is again kidnapped by that unfathomable alien entity and dragged into the heart of things: to wake the makers of Jain technology from their five-million-year slumber.

But Erebus’s attacks are not so indiscriminate, after all, and could very well herald the end of the Polity itself . . .

Hilldiggers by Neal Asher

Paperback: 551 pages
Publisher: Tor (4 April 2008)
ISBN-10: 0330441531
ISBN-13: 978-0330441537

During a war between two planets in the same solar system – each occupied by adapted humans – what is thought to be a cosmic superstring is discovered. After being cut, this object collapses into four cylindrical pieces, each about the size of a tube train. Each is densely packed with either alien technology or some kind of life. They are placed for safety in three ozark cylinders of a massively secure space station. There a female research scientist subsequently falls pregnant, and gives birth to quads. Then she commits suicide – but why?

By the end of the war one of the contesting planets has been devastated by the hilldiggers – giant space dreadnoughts employing weapons capable of creating mountain ranges. The quads have meanwhile grown up and are assuming positions of power in the post-war society. One of them will eventually gain control of the awesome hilldiggers . . .

From the Inside Flap

"A terrible war once raged between the two rival planets within a distant solar system. Over the centuries their human inhabitants had 'adapted' themselves to the extremely different conditions of their new homes, far outside Polity influence.

In the midst of this merciless conflict, one side encountered a bizarre object suspected of being a cosmic superstring employed as a new weapon by the rival side. Their attack on it caused the object to collapse into four parts, each found to be packed either with alien technology or some unknown form of life. Pending further study, these were quickly encased inside four separate Ozark cylinders and stored in a massively secure space station in orbit.

Sometime later, while conducting research on this alien entity, which they now call 'the Worm', a female scientist falls pregnant and subsequently gives birth to quads. She then inexplicably commits suicide by walking directly out into space . . .

The war was finally brought to an end by the use of new weapons arising as a result of research on the Worm. These weapons were deployed by giant space dreadnoughts nicknamed 'hilldiggers' - and their destructive power was sufficient to create entire new mountain ranges out of the vanquished planet's ravaged terrain. Twenty years after the dust has settled, those four exceptionally talented orphans have grown up to assume varying degrees of power and influence within a post-war society.

And one of this exceptional breed now seems determined to gain total control over the deadly hilldiggers. But why?"

12 July 2011: The Publication Date of A Dance With Dragons

2011-03-03T18:30:00.002Z

I can hear some of you saying "Finally!" with a sigh of relief and at the same time I can hear some others saying "Yeah, right!" crossing their hands over their chests and frowning in a skeptical manner.

Well... Believe it or not, George R.R. Martin's publishers have a publication date for the long awaited book and the fifth of what most would consider one of the best series in modern fantasy, A Dance With Dragons.

You may not believe and think that it is just another publication date following many other disappointments however as the author himself puts it "This date is different. This date is real.": July 12, 2011.

This morning we heard the news from an Entertainment Weekly article and it has become the hottest fantasy topic on twitter and blogosphere. Some have even already pre-ordered their copy on Amazon.

What do you think? Come July, are we finally going to get a book in our hands? Have you ordered your copy already?

New Artwork Revealed for China Miéville

2011-02-23T18:00:00.000Z

Last night, Pan Macmillan unveiled the full re-jacketed backlist of China’s books, to be published alongside his new novel, Embassytown, on 6th May 2011.

Crush Creative designed the covers and they look truly amazing! I can already see the fans wanting to own the entire catalogue.

They all look sublime but if I have to pick the best one, in my opinion, it would be the cover of Iron Council. What do you think?

Hardcover: 432 pages
Publisher: Macmillan (6 May 2011)
ISBN-10: 0230750761
ISBN-13: 978-0230750760

Embassytown: a city of contradictions on the outskirts of the universe.

Avice is an immerser, a traveller on the immer, the sea of space and time below the everyday, now returned to her birth planet. Here on Arieka, humans are not the only intelligent life, and Avice has a rare bond with the natives, the enigmatic Hosts - who cannot lie.

Only a tiny cadre of unique human Ambassadors can speak Language, and connect the two communities. But an unimaginable new arrival has come to Embassytown. And when this Ambassador speaks, everything changes.

Catastrophe looms. Avice knows the only hope is for her to speak directly to the alien Hosts.

And that is impossible.

Book Review: Sea of Ghosts by Alan Campbell

2011-02-21T18:00:00.001Z

Title: Sea of Ghosts
Author: Alan Campbell
Hardcover: 500 pages
Publisher: Tor (1 April 2011)
ISBN 10: 0230742947
ISBN 13: 978-0230742949
Series: Book 1 of The Gravedigger Chronicles

"When the last of the Gravediggers, an elite imperial infiltration unit, are disbanded and hunted down by the emperor they once served, munitions expert Colonel Thomas Granger takes refuge in the unlikeliest of places. He becomes a jailer in Ethugra – a prison city of poison-flooded streets and gaols in which a million enemies of the empire are held captive. But when Granger takes possession of two new prisoners, he realises that he can’t escape his past so readily.

Ianthe is a young girl with an extraordinary psychic talent. A gift that makes her unique in a world held to ransom by the powerful Haurstaf – the sisterhood of telepaths who are all that stand between the Empire and the threat of the Unmer, the powerful civilization of entropic sorcerers and dragon-mounted warriors. In this war-torn land, she promises to make Granger an extremely wealthy man, if he can only keep her safe from harm.

This is what Granger is best at. But when other factions learn about Ianthe's unique ability, even Granger's skills of warfare are tested to their limits. While, Ianthe struggles to control the powers that are growing in ways no-one thought were possible. Another threat is surfacing: out there, beyond the bitter seas, an old and familiar enemy is rising – one who, if not stopped, will drown the world and all of humanity with it..."

Please find the rest of the review on Speculative Book Review...

Stormdancer, a Debut Novel by Jay Kristoff

2011-02-16T15:30:00.001Z

Today, in a press release, Tor UK officially announced the acquisition of the rights of Stormdancer and two subsequent books in the series.

Kristoff's debut novel looks very promising, especially for the fans of far eastern fantasy settings. Here's the official press release:

Press Release – Wednesday 16th February 2011
STORMDANCER, a debut novel by Jay Kristoff, acquired by Julie Crisp at Tor UK

Tor UK, an imprint of Pan Macmillan, has acquired World English rights for Stormdancer and two subsequent books in the series in association with Pete Wolverton at Thomas Dunne Books, an imprint of St Martins Press in the US, from agent Matt Bialer at Sanford J. Greenburger Associates.

Stormdancer is a dystopian fantasy set in steampunk feudal Japan and follows Yukiko and her warrior father who are sent on an impossible mission to capture a legendary Thunder Tiger – a griffin. But an accident means Yukiko finds herself stranded: a young woman alone in her country's last wilderness, with only a furious, broken-winged griffin for company. Even though she can hear his thoughts, and even though she saved his life, all she knows for certain is that he’d rather see her dead than help her.

Meanwhile, the country around them is on the brink of collapse. A toxic poppy-based fuel is slowly killing the land; the omnipotent, metal-clad Guild is publicly burning those that they deem Impure; and the Shogun cares about nothing but his own power.

In hopes of saving her country – and herself, Yukiko must earn the griffin’s trust to become a symbol to her people; a myth, a legend – a Stormdancer.

Julie Crisp, editorial director at Tor UK, said ‘This is an incredibly imaginative and well-executed fantasy. Think Across the Nightingale Floor and Eragon mixed with steampunk, strong original characters and fast-paced action. It’s a wonderful read that everyone in-house fell in love with. So we’re thrilled that Jay will be joining the Tor UK team’.

Tor UK will be looking to publish Stormdancer in 2012.

Jay Kristoff lives in Melbourne. Follow him on twitter here: http://twitter.com/misterkristoff

For further information, contact Chloe Healy, Senior Press Officer: c.healy@macmillan.co.uk 020 7014 6186
To sign up to receive the Tor UK newsletter, click here
Follow Tor on twitter: http://twitter.com/uktor

This Week's Additions To My TBR List

2011-02-16T13:00:00.002Z

I've received two great books this week:

Cloneworld

Title: Cloneworld
Author: Andy Remic
Format: Paperback - 608 pages
Publisher: Solaris (3 Mar 2011)
ISBN-10: 1906735573
ISBN-13: 978-1906735579

Junks, an ancient evil alien scourge, are flooding Quad-Gal with terror as they spread their toxic plague. Combat K, proficient in infiltration, assassination and demolition, are sent on a mission to find an elusive alien retrovirus which can be used against an enemy. SLAM-dropped to CLONEWORLD, a planet ravaged by violent civil war, not only are Combat K hunted by elite junk assassins, but they get caught in a global conflict between ORGS, huge augmented mechanised war machines, and GANGSTERS, slick, genetically modified humans who have the ability to ganger, or clone themselves at will.

Through a mash of constant battle and vast, war-torn landscapes, through mechanised ORG factories and G.U.N. workshops, through GANGER SlushPits and CloneCities and SexVats, Combat K must think and fight their way to victory, to save the planet, and save the Four Galaxies. But how can Combat K possibly succeed, when their main foe are their own elite and deadly clones?

Order Your Copy: BookDepository (Worldwide) - Amazon (UK)

Loss of Separation

Title: Loss of Separation
Author: Conrad Williams
Format: Paperback - 412 pages
Publisher: Solaris (3 Mar 2011)
ISBN-10: 1906735557
ISBN-13: 978-1906735555

A plane crash survivor questions his sanity when the new life that he has built for himself, in a new town, is suddenly thrown into doubt by terrifying discoveries and the revelations they bring about.

A penetrating psychological horror from the new master of the genre.

Order Your Copy: BookDepository (Worldwide) - Amazon (UK)

Book Review: Corvus by Paul Kearney

2011-02-07T08:00:00.001Z

Title: Corvus
Author: Paul Kearney
Paperback: 464 pages
Publisher: Solaris; 26 October 2010
ISBN 10: 1906735778
ISBN 13: 978-1906735777
Series: Book 2 of the Macht Trilogy

"It is twenty-three years since a Macht army fought its way home from the heart of the Asurian Empire. The man who came to lead that army, Rictus, is now a hard-bitten mercenary captain, middle-aged and tired. He wants nothing more than to lay down his spear and become the farmer that his father was. But fate has different ideas. A young warleader has risen to challenge the order of things in the very heartlands of the Macht. A soldier of genius, he takes city after city, and reigns over them as king. What is more, he had heard of the legendary leader of the Ten Thousand. His name is Corvus, and the rumours say that he is not even fully human. He means to make himself absolute ruler of all the Macht. And he wants Rictus to help him."

Please find the rest of the review on Speculative Book Review...

New Artwork of Peter F. Hamilton's Greg Mandel Trilogy

2011-02-04T08:00:00.001Z

We now have the new artwork for Peter F. Hamilton's Greg Mandel trilogy. The trilogy will be republished in October 2011 by Tor.

The stories are set in a near-future England, centred around Hamilton's own home county of Rutland. Mandel is a former officer of the "English Army", who fought in the "Mindstar Brigade", a tactical psychic unit. He was given the psychic powers of intuition and detecting emotions, skills he uses for his new profession of psychic detective.

Mindstar Rising

It's the 21st century and global warming is here to stay, so forget the way your country used to look. And get used to the free market, too – the companies possess all the best hardware, and they're calling the shots now.

In a world like this, a man open to any offers can make out just fine. A man like Greg Mandel for instance, who's psi-boosted, wired into the latest sensory equipment, carrying state-of-the-art weaponry – and late of the English Army's Mindstar Battalion.

As the cartels battle for control of a revolutionary new power source, and corporate greed outstrips national security, tension is mounting to boiling point – and Greg Mandel is about to face the ultimate test.

A Quantum Murder

Dr Edward Kitchener, a brilliant researcher into quantum cosmology for the Event Horizon conglomerate . . . but no good to anybody now, lying dead with his lungs spread out on either side of his open chest.

The security system at Launde Abbey was premier-grade, yet a mercenary could still have got through, and plenty of people anxious to stop Kitchener’s work would pay the killer’s fee. But why would a professional waste time in ritually slaughtering the target?

Event Horizon needs to know fast, so Greg Mandel, psi-boosted ex-private eye, is enticed out of retirement to launch himself on a convoluted trail involving confrontation with a past which – according to Kitchener’s theories – might never have happened.

The Nano Flower

Julia Evans, billionairess owner of Event Horizon, has for fifteen years been the power behind England’s economic renaissance – but now she’s in trouble.

With her husband missing, and rival companies suddenly claiming to have acquired a technology impossibly superior to anything on Earth, she has no time to take notice of a single flower delivered anonymously. But this flower possesses genes millions of years in advance of any terrestrial DNA.

Is it a cryptic alien message, or a poignant farewell token from her husband? One man might discover its origin – but Greg Mandel will not be alone in his desperate search. And, as they both now discover, simply being first in the race isn’t nearly good enough when the Nano Flower begins to bloom ...

An Exciting New Year Ahead

2011-01-03T15:29:00.061Z

2011 is going to be an exciting year for me, especially on the family-life front. My wife and I are going to meet our son in a few weeks. He is expected to be born late in January, however he is going to be our first baby and as they say, the first ones can be quite late so we're readying ourselves for the beginning of February.

Undoubtedly, our lives will change, hopefully mostly for good. In the very beginning, this may mean some less reading time for me and also more diversity in my reading materials. I've been already reading about babies and what to expect. I think the main subjects of some of my books in 2011 will be about raising a child.

2011 will also bring us some exciting books:

The Heroes by Joe Abercrombie

Hardcover: 512 pages
Publisher: Gollancz (27 Jan 2011)
ISBN-10: 0575083832
ISBN-13: 978-0575083837

They say Black Dow’s killed more men than winter, and clawed his way to the throne of the North up a hill of skulls. The King of the Union, ever a jealous neighbour, is not about to stand smiling by while he claws his way any higher. The orders have been given and the armies are toiling through the northern mud. Thousands of men are converging on a forgotten ring of stones, on a worthless hill, in an unimportant valley, and they’ve brought a lot of sharpened metal with them.

Bremer dan Gorst, disgraced master swordsman, has sworn to reclaim his stolen honour on the battlefield. Obsessed with redemption and addicted to violence, he’s far past caring how much blood gets spilled in the attempt. Even if it’s his own.

Prince Calder isn’t interested in honour, and still less in getting himself killed. All he wants is power, and he’ll tell any lie, use any trick, and betray any friend to get it. Just as long as he doesn’t have to fight for it himself.

Curnden Craw, the last honest man in the North, has gained nothing from a life of warfare but swollen knees and frayed nerves. He hardly even cares who wins any more, he just wants to do the right thing. But can he even tell what that is with the world burning down around him?

Over three bloody days of battle, the fate of the North will be decided. But with both sides riddled by intrigues, follies, feuds and petty jealousies, it is unlikely to be the noblest hearts, or even the strongest arms that prevail...

Three men. One battle. No Heroes.

The Crippled God by Steven Erikson

Hardcover: 509 pages
Publisher: Bantam Press (21 Feb 2011)
ISBN-10: 0593046358
ISBN-13: 978-0593046357

Savaged by the K'Chain Nah'Ruk, the Bonehunters march for Kolanse, where waits an unknown fate. Tormented by questions, the army totters on the edge of mutiny, but Adjunct Tavore will not relent. One final act remains, if it is in her power, if she can hold her army together, if the shaky allegiances she has forged can survive all that is to come. A woman with no gifts of magic, deemed plain, unprepossessing, displaying nothing to instill loyalty or confidence, Tavore Paran of House Paran means to challenge the gods -- if her own troops don't kill her first.

Awaiting Tavore and her allies are the Forkrul Assail, the final arbiters of humanity. Drawing upon an alien power terrible in its magnitude, they seek to cleanse the world, to annihilate every human, every civilization, in order to begin anew. They welcome the coming conflagration of slaughter, for it shall be of their own devising, and it pleases them to know that, in the midst of the enemies gathering against them, there shall be betrayal. In the realm of Kurald Galain, home to the long lost city of Kharkanas, a mass of refugees stand upon the First Shore. Commanded by Yedan Derryg, the Watch, they await the breaching of Lightfall, and the coming of the Tiste Liosan. This is a war they cannot win, and they will die in the name of an empty city and a queen with no subjects.

Elsewhere, the three Elder Gods, Kilmandaros, Errastas and Sechul Lath, work to shatter the chains binding Korabas, the Otataral Dragon, and release her from her eternal prison. Once freed, she will be a force of utter devastation, and against her no mortal can stand. At the Gates of Starvald Demelain, the Azath House sealing the portal is dying. Soon will come the Eleint, and once more, there will be dragons in the world. And so, in a far away land and beneath indifferent skies, the final cataclysmic chapter in the extraordinary 'Malazan Book of the Fallen' begins.

The Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss

Hardcover: 1008 pages
Publisher: Gollancz (1 Mar 2011)
ISBN-10: 0575081414
ISBN-13: 978-0575081413

Sequel to the extraordinary The Name Of The Wind, The Wise Man's Fear is the second instalment of this superb fantasy trilogy from Patrick Rothfuss. Picking up the tale of Kvothe Kingkiller once again, we follow him into exile, into political intrigue, courtship, adventure, love and magic . . . and further along the path that has turned Kvothe, the mightiest magician of his age, a legend in his own time, into Kote, the unassuming pub landlord. Packed with as much magic, adventure and home-grown drama as The Name Of The Wind, this is a sequel in every way the equal to its predecessor and a must-read for all fantasy fans. Readable, engaging and gripping The Wise Man's Fear is the biggest and the best new fantasy novel out there.

The Inheritance by Robin Hobb

Hardcover
Publisher: Harper Voyager (31 Mar 2011)
ISBN-10: 0007273770
ISBN-13: 978-0007273775

A collection of novellas and stories from one of the most critically acclaimed authors in the fantasy genre, Robin Hobb. Including work written under her pseudonym, Megan Lindholm.

Bingtown heiresses rub shoulders in this wonderful collection with vampires and alien musicians, tramps and feral cats.

In The Homecoming, Lady Carillion Carrock and a number of other Jamaillian nobles are sailing to the Cursed Shores. Their journey is not by choice: for plotting against the Satrap, their wealth has been confiscated and they have been exiled. Until now, Carillion has done nothing but lead a life of privilege. She believes they are bound for wondrous cities, cities where ancient kings and queens dusted their skin with gold and wore jewels above their eyes. But when she is marooned by the ship’s unscrupulous captain, she will soon discover the grim reality of what survival in the Rain Wilds entails.

The Silver Lady is a would-be writer, ekeing out a dull existence by working in a Sears store. The one day a man comes in: fortyish, pleasant-looking. Nothing out of the ordinary. Except he says his name is Merlin, and he’s about to change her life.

Rosemary got involved with the wrong man. Pell is lazy, good for nothing, a bully. Her best friend Hilia knew it and so did her tom cat, Marmalade. But love is blind: Rosemary had Pell’s baby, renovated the cottage his grandfather left in his will, turned its land to good use; and then he left her for another woman. Now he’s back, and something must be done…

Sea of Ghosts by Alan Campbell

Hardcover: 500 pages
Publisher: Tor (1 April 2011)
ISBN-10: 0230742947
ISBN-13: 978-0230742949

When the last of the Gravediggers, an elite imperial infiltration unit, are disbanded and hunted down by the emperor they once served, munitions expert Colonel Thomas Granger takes refuge in the unlikeliest of places. He becomes a jailer in Ethugra – a prison city of poison-flooded streets and gaols in which a million enemies of the empire are held captive. But when Granger takes possession of two new prisoners, he realises that he can’t escape his past so readily.

Ianthe is a young girl with an extraordinary psychic talent. A gift that makes her unique in a world held to ransom by the powerful Haurstaf – the sisterhood of telepaths who are all that stand between the Empire and the threat of the Unmer, the powerful civilization of entropic sorcerers and dragon-mounted warriors. In this war-torn land, she promises to make Granger an extremely wealthy man, if he can only keep her safe from harm.

This is what Granger is best at. But when other factions learn about Ianthe's unique ability, even Granger's skills of warfare are tested to their limits. While, Ianthe struggles to control the powers that are growing in ways no-one thought were possible. Another threat is surfacing: out there, beyond the bitter seas, an old and familiar enemy is rising – one who, if not stopped, will drown the world and all of humanity with it ...

Embassytown by China Miéville

Paperback: 448 pages
Publisher: Solaris (7 July 2011)
ISBN-10: 1907519386
ISBN-13: 978-1907519383

Paul Kearney has become one of my favourite authors. I loved the first two books, The Ten Thousand and Corvus, of his The Macht trilogy and its final installment, Kings of Morning, is definitely very high on my list in 2011.

I don't doubt that Corvus is going to invade the Empire however I don't know what surprises the author has at the tip of his pen for us. I can't wait to meet Rictus and Corvus again.

A Dance With Dragons by George R. R. Martin

Hardcover: 704 pages
Publisher: Harper Voyager (29 Sep 2011)
ISBN-10: 0002247399
ISBN-13: 978-0002247399

The last of the Targaryons, Daenerys Stormborn, the Unburnt, has brought the young dragons in her care to their terrifying maturity. Now the war-torn landscape of the Seven Kingdoms is threatened by destruction as vast as in the violent past. Tyrion Lannister, a dwarf with half a nose and a scar from eye to chin, has slain his father and escaped the Red Keep in King's Landing to wage war from the Free Cities beyond the narrow sea. The last war fought with dragons was a cataclysm powerful enough to shatter the Valyrian peninsula into a smoking, demon-haunted ruin half drowned by the sea. A Dance With Dragons brings to life dark magic, complex political intrigue and horrific bloodshed as events at the Wall and beyond the sea threaten the ancient land of Westeros.

Happy New Year!

2010-12-31T13:30:00.001Z

May your favourite incomplete series be completed!
May your starts be action packed!
May your endings be the most surprising!
May your protagonists stay with your for years to come!
May your books be remembered forever!

I wish you all a happy and prosperous new year.

Book Review: The Ten Thousand by Paul Kearney

2010-12-21T08:00:00.000Z

Title: The Ten Thousand
Author: Paul Kearney
Paperback: Paperback; 480 pages
Publisher: Solaris; 26 August 2008
ISBN 10: 1844165736
ISBN 13: 978-1844165735
Series: Book 1 of The Macht Trilogy

"On the world of Kuf, the Macht are a mystery, a seldom-seen people of extraordinary ferocity and discipline whose prowess on the battlefield is the stuff of legend. For centuries they have remained within the remote fastnesses of the Harukush Mountains. In the world beyond, the teeming races and peoples of Kuf have been united within the bounds of the Asurian Empire, which rules the known world, and is invincible. The Great King of Asuria can call up whole nations to the battlefield. His word is law.

But now the Great King's brother means to take the throne by force, and in order to do so he has sought out the legend. He hires ten thousand mercenary warriors of the Macht, and leads them into the heart of the Empire."

Please find the rest of the review on Speculative Book Review...

Free Reading: The Blue Portal by Eric Brown

2010-12-17T18:00:00.002Z

Here is an excellent Christmas gift from Solaris Books:
Free e-book of Eric Brown's The Blue Portal. You can download this short e-book from Solaris's blog site: When Gravity Fails or from Apple's iBookstore.

The Blue Portal is an extract from the beginning of Eric Brown's upcoming novel The Kings of Eternity (published on 1 Apr 2011).

1999, on the threshold of a new millennium, the novelist Daniel Langham lives a reclusive life on an idyllic Greek island, hiding away from humanity and the events of the past. All that changes, however, when he meets artist Caroline Platt and finds himself falling in love. But what is his secret, and what are the horrors that haunt him?

1935. Writers Jonathon Langham and Edward Vaughan are summoned from London by their editor friend Jasper Carnegie to help investigate strange goings on in Hopton Wood. What they discover there - no less than a strange creature from another world - will change their lives forever. What they become, and their link to the novelist of the future, is the subject of Eric Brown’s most ambitious novel to date. Almost ten years in the writing, The Kings of Eternity is a novel of vast scope and depth, full of the staple tropes of the genre and yet imbued with humanity and characters you’ll come to love.

Solaris Books has been publishing some other excellent science-fiction books of Eric Brown's. Here are the two that they've published in 2010:

Engineman (14 Oct 2010)

Once they pushed bigships through the cobalt glory of the Nada-Continuum. But faster than light isn’t fast enough anymore. The interfaces of the Keilor-Vincicoff Organisation bring planets light years distant a simple step away. Then a man with half a face offers ex-engineman Ralph Mirren the chance to escape his ruined life and push a ship to an undisclosed destination. The Nada-Continuum holds the key to Ralph's future. What he cannot anticipate is its universal importance – nor the mystery awaiting him on the distant colony world. Engineman is a thrilling action adventure by the author of Helix and Kethani. Also in this volume are nine stories set in the Engineman universe, including the Interzone award winning 'The Time-Lapsed Man.'

Guardians of the Phoenix (16 Dec 2010)

Global warming has taken its terrible toll. The seas have dried up and deserts cover much of the Earth’s surface. Humankind has been annihilated by drought and the nuclear and biological conflicts following the Great Breakdown. Desperate bands of humans still survive. Some live far underground, away from the searing temperatures and ongoing conflicts on the surface; others scrape a living in the remains of shattered cities above ground. In Paris, Pierre lives like an animal among the sand-drifted ruins of the once great city. Near death, he faces a choice: join the strangers heading south in search of water, or remain in the city and perish. Guardians of the Phoenix tells the story of the last survivors on planet Earth, their desperate fight for survival and their last hope to save the world.

Book Review: Pandora's Star by Peter F. Hamilton

2010-12-13T08:00:00.000Z

Title: Pandora's Star
Author: Peter F. Hamilton
Paperback: 1152 pages
Publisher: Pan - 4 Mar 2005
ISBN 10: 0330493310
ISBN 13: 978-0330493314
Series: Book 1 of Commonwealth Saga

In AD 2329, humanity has colonised over four hundred planets, all of them interlinked by wormholes. With Earth at its centre, the Intersolar Commonwealth now occupies a sphere of space approximately four hundred light years across. When an astronomer on the outermost world of Gralmond, observes a star 2000 light years distant - and then a neighbouring one - vanish, it is time for the Commonwealth to discover what happened to them. For what if their disappearance indicates some kind of galactic conflict? Since a conventional wormhole cannot be used to reach these vanished stars, for the first time humans need to build a faster-than-light starship, the Second Chance. But it arrives to find each 'vanished' star encased in a giant force field -- and within one of them resides a massive alien civilisation.

Please find the rest of the review on Speculative Book Review...

Official Release: Zoolin Vale and the Chalice of Ringtar by Craig Smith

2010-12-11T14:00:00.002Z

Craig Smith's new book Zoolin Vale and the Chalice of Ringtar is officially released. You can read a short excerpt on the author's blog and order your copy on StoneGarden.net.

Paperback: 270 pages
ISBN: 1-60076-190-9

Blurb
A thief in the night. A missing sacred artifact. An evil warlord from ancient history. A mysterious black hawk. These are only a few of the problems facing Tennen, the newly appointed Lord Protector of Melin. Thrown into a desperate race against time, Tennen must take up the pursuit wherever it takes him. Meanwhile, searching for his lost family in a war torn land, Devlin finds a little more than he bargained for, something that will change his life forever.

Two New Books? How Does Brandon Sanderson Do It?

2010-12-02T13:30:00.007Z

I'm not a writer so I won't pretend that I know anything about the time it takes to write a book. However I'm impressed how productive Brandon Sanderson is. Not only he can write fast but he writes great books too.

Tor just announced the acquisition of two of his novels: Mistborn: The Alloy of Law and The Rithmatist. I remember having read about the first one but I hadn't heard about the second one previously.

From the press release:

Tor Books is proud to announce the acquisition of two new novels by acclaimed fantasy author Brandon Sanderson, whose recent book Towers of Midnight, Book Thirteen in Robert Jordan’s The Wheel of Time®, recently debuted at #1 on the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Publishers Weekly, and ABA National Indiebound bestseller lists. Sanderson is also the author of New York Times bestselling novels The Way of Kings, The Gathering Storm, The Mistborn Trilogy, Warbreaker, Elantris, and the middle grade “Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians” series. He is currently working on A Memory of Light, the 14th and final volume in The Wheel of Time, and planning a sequel to The Way of Kings.

Sanderson’s first new project will be an original, standalone short novel set in the universe of his Mistborn trilogy (Mistborn, The Well of Ascension, and The Hero of Ages). Sanderson previously announced plans for a sequel trilogy set in the far future of that world, and the new novel, entitled Mistborn: The Alloy of Law, is set during a frontier era where “allomancy” meets gunplay. The Alloy of Law will be published in late 2011.

Sanderson’s second project, titled The Rithmatist, was first drafted in 2007 and perfected this year. Set in an alternate-history America where magic users (called “Rithmatists”) battle wild chalk creatures, The Rithmatist introduces Joel, a student at the Rithmatist academy with great interest in but no ability to use the magic. But when students start vanishing, it’s up to him to expose the sinister figure behind the disappearances. The Rithmatist will be published in 2012 after the publication of A Memory of Light.

This year and next will also see major publications in the Wheel of Time franchise, including the graphic novel adaptations of New Spring (January 2011) and The Eye of the World: Volume 1 (September 2011) before the landmark publication of A Memory of Light, the final volume in the series. The third annual JordanCon will take place April 15–17 2011 in Atlanta, GA. Pre-registration is currently ongoing at www.ageoflegends.net.

Fore more information visit www.brandonsanderson.com.

Exclusive Excerpt from Orson Scott Card's The Lost Gate

2010-11-30T18:00:00.001Z

The Lost Gate is Orson Scott Card's upcoming book and the first book in his new Mither Mages fantasy trilogy. The book will be released on 4 January 2010. Today, you can read an exclusive excerpt on Tor.com (you must login to Tor.com to access this exclusive preview - signing up is free).

Hardcover: 400 pages
Publisher: Tor Books (January 4, 2011)
ISBN-10: 0765326574
ISBN-13: 978-0765326577

This contemporary urban fantasy introduces the North family, a clan of mages in exile in our world, and their enemies who will do anything to keep them locked here.

Danny North knew from early childhood that his family was different -- and that he was different from them. While his cousins were learning how to create the things that commoners called fairies, ghosts, golems, trolls, werewolves, and other such miracles that were the heritage of the North family, Danny worried that he would never show a talent, never form an outself.

He grew up in the rambling old house, filled with dozens of cousins and aunts and uncles, all ruled by his father. Their home was isolated in the mountains of western Virginia, far from town, far from schools, far from other people.

There are many secrets in the House, and many rules that Danny must follow. There is a secret library with only a few dozen books, and none of them in English--but Danny and his cousins are expected to become fluent in the language of the books. While Danny's cousins are free to create magic whenever they like, they must never do it where outsiders might see. Unfortunately, there are some secrets kept from Danny as well. And that will lead to disaster for the North family.

Winter is Coming

2010-11-29T13:30:00.001Z

I just came across this new trailer of Game of Thrones. It brings back the memories of such an amazing book. I'll be the first one to sit and watch this TV series but I just wish that the book series were complete.

"The Reindeer People" and "Wolf's Brother" Reissued by Harper Voyager

2010-11-26T13:30:00.000Z

Robin Hobb is one of my favourite fantasy authors. She wrote under the pseudonym Megan Lindholm from 1983 to 1992 and now Harper Voyager are reissuing two of her books, The Reindeer People and Wolf's Brother. The books will be published right after Hobb's upcoming book The Inheritance containing short stories written as Hobb and Lindholm (a duality that is perfectly captured by the beautiful cover art).

The Reindeer People

Paperback: 336 pages
Publisher: Harper Voyager; (Reissue) edition (28 April 2011)
ISBN-10: 0007425449
ISBN-13: 978-0007425440

Book Depository - Amazon UK

A voyage of discovery into the life of a remote aboriginal community in the Siberian Arctic, where the reindeer has been a part of daily life since Palaeolithic times.

The Reindeer People is the first in a series of reissues of Megan Lindholm’s (Robin Hobb) classic backlist titles. It is set in the harsh wilderness of a prehistoric North America, and tells the story of a tribe of nomads and hunters as they try to survive, battling against enemy tribes, marauding packs of wolves and the very land itself.

Living on the outskirts of the tribe Tillu was happy spending her time tending her strange, slow dreamy child Kerlew and comunning with the spirits to heal the sick and bring blessing on new births.
However Carp, the Shaman, an ugly wizened old man whose magic smelled foul to Tillu desired both mother and child. Tillu knew Carp’s magic would steal her son and her soul. Death waited in the snows of the Tundra, but Tillu knew which she would prefer…

Gritty and realistic, it’s reminiscent of Jean Auel’s Clan of the Cave Bear but written in the compelling style of the author who produced the bestselling Assassin’s Apprentice.

Wolf's Brother

Paperback: 240 pages
Publisher: Harper Voyager; (Reissue) edition (28 April 2011)
ISBN-10: 0007425430
ISBN-13: 978-0007425433

Amazon UK

The compelling sequel to The Reindeer People , a saga of magic and triumph in an ancient world.

Kerlew stared at the immense stone that jutted up from the tundra. Power radiated from it like heat from a fire. It attracted the boy and filled him with fear.

And then he was alone.

There was a brush of sound, of dark moving shadows and then the sudden flash of a glistening eye. He pressed his palms back against the stone’s rough surface and faced the night creatures that surrounded him.

The magic is strong in Kerlew. Every day it grows, reaching out to the Wolf spirit that will be his guide. But the magic in Kerlew that calls to the beasts and to the spirit world also calls to Carp, the evil old shaman, who follows Kerlew and his mother, Tillu, across the frozen wastes. When he finds them, he will bind them to him, and shape Kerlew’s powers for his own uses.

The Inheritance

Hardback
Publisher: Harper Voyager (31 Mar 2011)
ISBN-10: 0007273797
ISBN-13: 978-0007273799

Book Depository - Amazon UK - Amazon US

A collection of novellas and short stories from one of the most critically acclaimed authors in the fantasy genre, Robin Hobb. Including work written under her pseudonym, Megan Lindholm

Bingtown heiresses rub shoulders in this wonderful collection with vampires and alien musicians, tramps and feral cats.

In The Homecoming, Lady Carillion Carrock and a number of other Jamaillian nobles are sailing to the Cursed Shores. Their journey is not by choice: for plotting against the Satrap, their wealth has been confiscated and they have been exiled. Until now, Carillion has done nothing but lead a life of privilege. She believes they are bound for wondrous cities, cities where ancient kings and queens dusted their skin with gold and wore jewels above their eyes. But when she is marooned by the ship’s unscrupulous captain, she will soon discover the grim reality of what survival in the Rain Wilds entails.

The Silver Lady is a would-be writer, ekeing out a dull existence by working in a Sears store. The one day a man comes in: fortyish, pleasant-looking. Nothing out of the ordinary. Except he says his name is Merlin, and he’s about to change her life.

Rosemary got involved with the wrong man. Pell is lazy, good for nothing, a bully. Her best friend Hilia knew it and so did her tom cat, Marmalade. But love is blind: Rosemary had Pell’s baby, renovated the cottage his grandfather left in his will, turned its land to good use; and then he left her for another woman. Now he’s back, and something must be done…

Press Releases from Angry Robot and Seventh Star Press

2010-11-26T00:00:00.001Z

PRESS RELEASE
22nd November 2010 ~ For Immediate Release

ANGRY ROBOT ANNOUNCES DIGITAL SHORT STORY STORE

On December 1st 2010, Angry Robot will be launching “Nano Editions”. Exclusive to the publisher’s own webstore at angryrobotstore.com, Nanos are digital short stories by Angry Robot novelists, sold at sensible prices in ePub format, ready to load onto the world’s most popular eBook readers.

Most Nanos will be in the 5,000 – 15,000 word range. Shorter works than that will be automatically bundled with another story to ensure value for money.

Talking of which – stories will cost just 59p each (approximately US $0.95). Readers can bundle a collection of any 10 by any combination of authors, for only £3.49 (US$5.59). The files will be DRM-free and available worldwide. If demand for the stories takes off, AR plan to also sell them via eBook retailers.

Angry Robot Editor Lee Harris said, “Publishing is changing, but our role as publishers remains the same – to find cool stories and bring them to readers. This is another step in Angry Robot’s ongoing plan to embrace the new opportunities digital formats provide – and an excellent way for readers to sample unfamiliar authors, without breaking the bank.”

Authors included in the Nanos series include multi-million-selling novelist Dan Abnett and award-winning short fiction authors Kaaron Warren and Aliette de Bodard, along with many others. We will have at least 30 Nanos available for the December 1st launch, with more added at regular intervals.

Lee Harris
Editor, Angry Robot

For Immediate Release
November 23, 2010

Seventh Star Press is proud to announce the release of DREAM OF LEGENDS, the second book in the epic fantasy Fires in Eden Series from Stephen Zimmer.

Now available for pre-order in a specially priced limited edition hardcover and trade paperback, DREAM OF LEGENDS continues the adventures begun in CROWN OF VENGEANCE, when it was released in fall of 2009.

DREAM OF LEGENDS journeys forward with several characters from the modern world, who discover that finding themselves in the fantastical lands of Ave was just the beginning. The assault upon the Kingdom of Saxany and the tribes of the Five Realms ignites, as the eyes of The Unifier turn southward, across the seas towards faraway Midragard. Within this maelstrom, some find themselves on a path of discovery, to uncover powers that lie within, while others must brave perilous journeys, to seek out the things said to exist only in the faded mists of myth and legend. Epic battles, plot twists, and new environments abound in DREAM OF LEGENDS.

Book Two of the Fires in Eden Series, DREAM OF LEGENDS is immersive, epic fantasy, for those who love to explore richly developed fantasy worlds alongside an ensemble of intriguing, diverse characters. Readers of the great epic fantasy authors such as Robert Jordan, George R.R. Martin, and J.R.R. Tolkien will find a wondrous trove of adventure, characters, and depth in this next step of the Fires in Eden series.

Working with Stephen for the first time, and taking on the editorial reins of the Fires in Eden Series to keep the dedicated yearly release schedule on course, was Karen Leet.

"Working with Stephen has been a joy. He is totally professional about his work, meets deadlines and edits cheerfully," Karen commented. "He makes editing easy for me, and I have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know his characters, who now seem to me like actual people with genuine depth. His plotlines stride across the pages on swift, sure feet and sweep the reader along with them."

“Having Karen as my editor on DREAM OF LEGENDS was a wonderful experience. She did a meticulous analysis of Crown of Vengeance to ensure full continuity of tone and style with the new book. I am fortunate to be working with two excellent editors on my two series. The new book is loaded with action, and there are some very big revelations in regards to the full series,” Stephen said. “DREAM OF LEGENDS builds strongly upon the foundation set in place by Crown of Vengeance, keeping storylines tight while introducing many new and exciting elements. I am confident that readers who enjoyed the first book are going to be elated with this new installment of the series.”

Continuing one of the most extensive collaborations between an artist and an author in the fantasy sphere, a brand new set of illustrations and cover art were created for DREAM OF LEGENDS by fantasy artist Matthew Perry. With the two Rising Dawn Saga books and the two Fires in Eden books, a growing body of over 50 full page illustrations have been created by Matthew for Stephen’s literary work.

In addition to writing two active epic-scale fantasy series, The Rising Dawn Saga and the Fires in Eden Series, Stephen also saw his first foray into the steampunk genre published a couple of months ago with “In the Mountain Skies”, which was included in the Dreams of Steam Anthology (Editor Kimberly Richardson, Kerlak Publishing). Stephen is also a screenwriter and director in the world of film, with a new fantasy short film on the horizon in early 2011, “Swordbearer”, which features professional wrestler Al Snow, and is based on the H. David Blalock novel Ascendant (Sam’s Dot Publishing).

By the third week of December, DREAM OF LEGENDS will be available in hardcover, trade paperback, and several eBook formats, for owners of the Kindle, the iPad, the Nook, Sony eReaders, and other compatible electronic reading devices.

Already maintaining one of the most active year-round appearance schedules of any fantasy author, Stephen will be hitting the road extensively in 2011 in support of the Fires in Eden Series, the Rising Dawn Saga, and the “Swordbearer” short film. The third book in the Rising Dawn Saga is slated for summer of 2011, and the next Fires in Eden Book for December of 2011.

Updates and additional information can be obtained at the official site for Seventh Star Press, at www.seventhstarpress.com, or at the author's site at www.stephenzimmer.com

Contact: C.C. James
Public Relations, Seventh Star Press
ccjames@seventhstarpress.com
Seventh Star Press Mailing Address:
3801 Dylan Place Suite 116, #7
Lexington, Ky. 40514-1062

Seventh Star Press is a small press publisher of speculative fiction located in Lexington Kentucky.

Thrall by Steven L. Shrewsbury - Press Release from Seventh Star Press

2010-11-12T13:00:00.002Z

For Immediate Release
November 5, 2010

Seventh Star Press Proudly Introduces Steven L. Shrewsbury's Thrall.

Seventh Star Press is proud to announce the release of THRALL, the new heroic fantasy novel from author Steven L. Shrewsbury.

Now available for pre-order in limited edition hardcover and trade paperback, THRALL is the first published adventure of a brand new hero in fantasy literature, Gorias La Gaul.

Set in an ancient world, Thrall is gritty, dark-edged heroic fantasy in the vein of Robert E. Howard and David Gemmell. It tells the story of Gorias La Gaul, an aging warrior who has lived for centuries battling the monstrosities of legend and lore. It is an age when the Nephilum walk the earth, and dragons still soar through the air … living or undead. On a journey to find one of his own blood, Gorias' path crosses with familiar enemies ... some of whom not even death can hold bound.

Having also worked with Steven on his novel Tormentor (Lachesis Publishing), Louise Bohmer served as the editor on Thrall. "Working with Steven Shrewsbury on a novel is an enjoyable experience. Steve is a conscientious author who is easy to work with. His stories are grand adventures in imagination,” Bohmer commented.

Steven Shrewsbury is a rising star in fantasy, with a host of published work spanning novels, magazines, anthologies, and other publications. In addition to the release of THRALL, Steven recently saw his collaboration with Nate Southard, BAD MAGICK, published in hardcover by Bloodletting Press. He has two other highly-anticipated releases on the horizon. His collab novel with Peter Welmerink, BEDLAM UNLEASHED, was recently accepted by Belfire Press for an early 2011 release. The novel HELL BILLY is to be published by Bad Moon Books in 2012.

“Sometimes I think Steven Shrewsbury could very well be the reincarnation of Robert E. Howard, in a writing sense,” commented fellow Seventh Star Press author Stephen Zimmer. “As a huge fan of David Gemmell and Robert E. Howard, I can say with absolute confidence that Steven Shrewsbury is exceptional at writing dark-edged heroic fantasy. It is not an exaggeration to say that Gorias La Gaul could one day join the heroic fantasy pantheon with Conan, Druss the Legend, and other legendary fantasy figures. I can’t wait to read more adventures with Gorias in the future.”

The Seventh Star Press editions feature cover art and additional illustrations from fantasy artist Matthew Perry. The limited edition packages feature the artwork in a special set of 5X7 glossy prints, a set of bookmarks, and a full-sized Gorias poster that come with every pre-ordered hardcover or trade paperback.

By the first week of December, the book will be available in hardcover, trade paperback, and several eBook formats, for owners of the Kindle, the iPad, the Nook, Sony eReaders, and other compatible electronic reading devices.

An extensive series of special events and signings in support of THRALL are in the planning stages, slated to begin in early 2011.

Updates and additional information can be obtained at the official site for Seventh Star Press, at www.seventhstarpress.com, or at the author's site at www.stevenshrewsbury.com

Contact: C.C. James
Public Relations, Seventh Star Press
ccjames@seventhstarpress.com
Seventh Star Press Mailing Address:
3801 Dylan Place Suite 116, #7
Lexington, Ky. 40514-1062

Seventh Star Press is a small press publisher of speculative fiction located in Lexington Kentucky.

Cover Art - Prince of Thorns by Mark Lawrence

2010-11-11T13:00:00.012Z

Blogosphere and on-line forums are full of discussions about the typical hooded figures on the cover of fantasy books. I know that some of the fantasy lovers can't stand covers displaying single hooded figures. I, personally, don't close the door on them categorically. It is art after all, and it depends on various facts such as the composition, colour scheme, movements etc.

Mark Lawrence's upcoming book (published on 4 Aug 2011 by Harper Voyager), Prince of Thorns, has such a cover. Even though the typical hooded figure is at the centre of the cover art, I really like it. At first glance, I thought the idea of being misty didn't go well with strong winds capable of lifting a cloak, but I must admit I quite like its black-and-white and lifeless background. In contrast, the main figure's colours and the movement of his cape create the main contrast. We are not sure if this young and delicate looking warrior is responsible of the carnage around him but the planted swords raise from the ground like the bloody thorns of a battlefield. The cover art is created by Jason Chan.

Prince of Thorns by Mark Lawrence

Hardcover: 384 pages
Publisher: Harper Voyager (4 Aug 2011)
ISBN-10: 0007423292
ISBN-13: 978-0007423293

Before the thorns taught me their sharp lessons and bled the weakness from me I had but one brother, and I loved him well. But those days are gone and what is left of them lies in my mother’s tomb. Now I have many brothers, quick with knife and sword, and as evil as you please. We ride this broken empire and loot its corpse. They say these are violent times, the end of days when the dead roam and monsters haunt the night. All that’s true enough, but there’s something worse out there, in the dark. Much worse.

Once a privileged royal child, raised by a loving mother, Jorg Ancrath has become the Prince of Thorns, a charming, immoral boy leading a grim band of outlaws in a series of raids and atrocities. The world is in chaos: violence is rife, nightmares everywhere. Jorg’s bleak past has set him beyond fear of any man, living or dead, but there is still one thing that puts a chill in him. Returning to his father’s castle Jorg must confront horrors from his childhood and carve himself a future with all hands turned against him.

Prince of Thorns is the first volume in a powerful new epic fantasy trilogy, original, absorbing and challenging. Mark Lawrence’s debut novel tells a tale of blood and treacher, magic and brotherhood and paints a compelling and brutal, sometimes beautiful, picture of an exceptional boy on his journey toward manhood and the throne.

"This is a lean, cold knife-thrust of a novel, a revenge fantasy anchored on the compelling voice and savage purpose of its titular Prince. There is never a safe moment in Lawrence’s debut." — Robert Redick, author of The Red Wolf Conspiracy

Order at Amazon (UK)

Halloween Reading

2010-10-31T08:00:00.003Z

Happy Halloween! Have you done or are you doing anything special for Halloween? We don't go crazy at home but we still decorate a little bit and we do carve one or two pumpkins. Just to welcome trick-or-treating kids and to create some atmosphere (You can see my prize-winning pumpkin on the left :) ).

Back to the books! I've recently received a few books that suit perfectly this time of the year (except maybe the last one, but I included it in the below list as I think I'm going to like it very much):

Best of Tomes of the Dead
edited by Jonathan Oliver
featuring Matthew Smith, Al Ewing & Rebecca Levene

Paperback: 671 pages
Publisher: Abaddon (11 Nov 2010)
ISBN-10: 1907519343
ISBN-13: 978-1907519345

A Collection of Three Terrifying Zombie Tales

The Zombie Apocalypse Starts Here...

The masters of flesh-munchingly, gut-wrenchingly, eyeball-poppingly great zombie fiction bring you three of the best books from the first years of the critically-acclaimed Tomes of the Dead line.

The Words of Their Roaring
In a London overrun by the zombie hordes, former thief Gabe O'Connell's loyalty to his employer Harry Flowers is challenged when a routine job goes south and he uncovers the full extent of the gang lord's plans for the city.

I, Zombie
John Doe has been dead for then years. If the price is right, he'll kill for you, steal for you, or save your life for you. There's no mystery you can't hire him to solve... except for the secret behind his own existence. A secret that could end all life on Earth.

Anno Mortis
Beautiful and deadly, the gladiator Boda is brought to Rome in the reign of Caligula, where she uncovers a plot to breach the barrier between life and death. For all that she hates her captors and their decadent city, she may be the empire's only hope.

The Pan Book of Horror Stories
selected by Herbert van Thal

Paperback: 300 pages
Publisher: Pan (1 Oct 2010)
ISBN-10: 0330518682
ISBN-13: 978-0330518680

Fifty years ago Pan launched a series of books that were to delight and disgust - sometimes even on the same page – readers for thirty years. From classics in the genre to scraping-the-barrel nastiness, the Pan Books of Horror had them all and they continue to be a major influence in published anthologies to the present day.

We're delighted, therefore, to announce the reissue of the very first Pan Book of Horror. Specially selected for Pan, here are 22 terrifying tales of horror by such famous authors as Peter Fleming, C. S. Forester, Bram Stoker, Angus Wilson, Noel Langley, Jack Finney and L. P. Hartley.

Stories of the uncanny jostle with tales of the macabre. Stories of subtle beastliness---like Rasberry Jam; of sickening horror---like The Fly or His Beautiful Hands; and of utter chilling terror---like The Horror of the Museum!

The perfect bedside book---for those with nerves of steel!

Pax Britannia: The Ulysses Quicksilver Omnibus
by Jonathan Green

Paperback: 734 pages
Publisher: Abaddon (11 Nov 2010)
ISBN-10: 190751936X
ISBN-13: 978-1907519369

Action and adventure in a new age of steam.

Join Ulysses Quicksilver - dandy, adventurer and agent of the crown - as he battles the enemies of the Empire in this collection of rip-roaring steampunk adventures. This action-packed tome brings you three sensational tales...

This omnibus collects together the first three Ulysses Quicksilver novels: Unnatural History, Leviathan Rising and Human Nature.

Book Review: The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson

2010-10-18T13:30:00.001+01:00

Title: The Way of Kings
Author: Brandon Sanderson
Paperback: 1008 pages
Publisher: Tor Books - 31 Aug 2010 (US), Gollancz - 30 Dec 2010 (UK)
ISBN 10: 0765326353
ISBN 13: 978-0765326355
Series: Book 1 of The Stormlight Archive

"Roshar is a world of stone and storms. Uncanny tempests of incredible power sweep across the rocky terrain so frequently that they have shaped ecology and civilization alike. Animals hide in shells, trees pull in branches, and grass retracts into the soilless ground. Cities are built only where the topography offers shelter.

It has been centuries since the fall of the ten consecrated orders known as the Knights Radiant, but their Shardblades and Shardplate remain: mystical swords and suits of armor that transform ordinary men into near-invincible warriors. Men trade kingdoms for Shardblades. Wars were fought for them, and won by them.

One such war rages on a ruined landscape called the Shattered Plains. There, Kaladin, who traded his medical apprenticeship for a spear to protect his little brother, has been reduced to slavery. In a war that makes no sense, where ten armies fight separately against a single foe, he struggles to save his men and to fathom the leaders who consider them expendable.

Brightlord Dalinar Kholin commands one of those other armies. Like his brother, the late king, he is fascinated by an ancient text called The Way of Kings. Troubled by over-powering visions of ancient times and the Knights Radiant, he has begun to doubt his own sanity.

Across the ocean, an untried young woman named Shallan seeks to train under an eminent scholar and notorious heretic, Dalinar’s niece, Jasnah. Though she genuinely loves learning, Shallan’s motives are less than pure. As she plans a daring theft, her research for Jasnah hints at secrets of the Knights Radiant and the true cause of the war.

Speak again the ancient oaths,

Life before death.
Strength before weakness.
Journey before Destination.

and return to men the Shards they once bore.

The Knights Radiant must stand again."

Please find the rest of the review on Speculative Book Review...

Holidays

2010-10-13T12:30:00.000+01:00

After 3 weeks of radio silence, I'm back. What happened? I went to San Francisco for work for a week. I go there every year to attend JavaOne (a big IT conference built around Java development platform). It all went well.

Then, I visited friends in Colorado for 10 days. This was my first time in Colorado and I was really looking forward to it. First I stayed with friends in Boulder. Then I went to Denver to stay with other friends for a few more days. What did I think of the place? I absolutely loved it.

The weather was amazing. We had 10 days of sunshine and blue sky. I'd love to see Colorado in winter, though, with all the snow and skiing. The people looked very much into outdoors activities.

We drove around the place a lot and while climbing the Rockies, we came across old mining equipment left from the mining era. I thought they looked cool, almost like out of a steampunk novel.

After coming back home for a few days, I left to attend the wedding celebration of some friends during a long weekend break. Now I'm tired but I had great time.

Well... Of course I did some reading during these busy times. I'm hoping to post my review of The Way of Kings on Monday.

Book Review: The Usurper by Rowena Cory Daniells

2010-09-20T08:00:00.001+01:00

Title: The Usurper
Author: Rowena Cory Daniells
Paperback: 448 pages
Publisher: Solaris (2 Sep 2010)
ISBN 10: 1907519068
ISBN 13: 978-1907519062
Series: Book 3 of King Rolen's Kin trilogy

Now a slave, Piro finds herself in the Merofynian Palace where, if her real identity is discovered, she will be executed.

Meanwhile, Fyn is desperate to help his brother, Bryen, who is now the uncrowned King.

Bryen never sought power but now he finds himself at the centre of a dangerous resistance movement as the people of Rolencia flee vicious invaders. How can Byren defeat the invaders, when half his warriors are women and children, and the other half are untrained boys and old men?

Please find the rest of the review on Speculative Book Review...

Book Review: Century of the Soldier by Paul Kearney

2010-09-13T08:30:00.002+01:00

Title: Century of the Soldier
Author: Paul Kearney
Paperback: 814 pages
Publisher: Solaris (2 Sep 2010)
ISBN 10: 1907519084
ISBN 13: 978-1907519086
Series: The Monarchies of God - Volume 2

The time of the wolf is at hand...

Struck down in his moment of victory, Hebrion's young King Abeleyn lies in a coma, his city in ruins and his fiancée and former lover vying for the throne.

Corfe Cear-Inaf, now a colonel, is given a ragtag command of ill-equipped savages and sent on a hopeless mission by a jealous King who expects him to fail.

Richard Hawkwood and Lord Murad return bearing news of horror on a savage new continent, with something terrible lurking in the hold.

The Church is tearing itself apart, even as the champions of truth fight to bring peace between Ramusian and Merduk; but in the far West, a terrible new threat is rearing its head...

The Century of the Soldier collects the final three books in Paul Kearney's explosive The Monarchies of God series, revised and expanded for this edition: The Iron Wars, The Second Empire and Ships From The West.

Please find the rest of the review on Speculative Book Review...

Losing Yourself in Malazan? Here's What Erikson Thinks

2010-09-07T22:30:00.002+01:00

Even though I haven't read all of the published books of the epic Malazan Book of the Fallen series, I am a big fan of Steven Erikson and Ian Cameron Esslemont's work.

I remember when I started to read Gardens of the Moon, the first book of the series, I stopped after a few chapters and wondered if I had missed a few introductory chapters or a previous book. But I quickly appreciated Erikson's style. And over the years, I've heard how readers love to re-read Malazan books. These topics have been continuously discussed among the fans but now here's a chance to hear what Steven Erikson thinks about them:

I'd like to take you all back more than a few pages, and talk about why these novels seem to thrive in the context of re-reads, and why first-time readers are often left feeling bewildered. I think the two are very much related.

It goes back to how I first started writing fiction. I was in a Master's program in archaeology when I came second in a local short story contest in Winnipeg, a tale called 'Wooden Trucks.' On the weight of this one venture into writing I applied to attend a creative writing program at the University of Victoria. I recall being in a sweaty phone box in Belize, on the phone with my mother back in Winnipeg, as she opened the envelope telling me I'd got in. From that moment onward, my entire world changed.

The writing program at Uvic at that time was at its zenith. When I showed up it was as a wide-eyed neophyte with a secret love of genre fiction (one keeps these things secret if one wants to be taken seriously). What I learned, almost from day one, was that I knew nothing about anything; that my writing to that point had only 'worked' because I was instinctively consistent, with emphasis on the word 'instinctively.'

Uvic taught me the craft of writing; it taught me to be mindful. The key though is this: it made me a short-story writer. Short stories are a particular beasts. In them, not a single word is superfluous. Everything carries extra weight, or at least that's how I saw it.

Track forward a few years and scores of short stories later, and I begin writing novels, only to discover that my 'muscle memory' is now absolute -- the obsessive adherence to multifunctional, multilayered writing (line by line, word by word) is not something I can relax -- when novel writing in fact demands just that: an ease with wandering, with transitive passages, with a gentler hand taking hold of the reader, etc. Instead, novel-writing for me is the building of ever more elaborate structures, designed to carry ever more weight.

A long ramble to get to this: on one level details in making a setting carry the more obvious virtues -- placing the characters somewhere, giving them things with which they can interact; in creating an atmosphere and a tone; and in painting a picture for the reader's imagination. But other levels are possible. Setting as 'animated environment' can feed your sense of the characters in it; can foreshadow elements of plot; can reveal theme.

Take some opening scenes in Gardens as examples, and see how they relate to subsequent scenes for those select characters. Whiskeyjack and Fiddler on Mock's Hold: high above a burning city, in a place of power. There's smoke and the smell of carnage -- they are above it but only moments from descending into it. But we don't see that bit. They are on stonework, but it's cracked, and their backs are to the sea. All of these details shapes the reader's sense of them to some extent. When next we see them, they are on the ground, far away from Malaz City, surrounded in destruction and desolation. It's a different place, but their descent began in the prologue, if you see what I mean. And even then, they were only a short time earlier under the ground itself.

If we look to Kruppe, things get a little more complicated. Kruppe and his city are the same things; just as his language and attitude (and mystery) reflect the exotic, byzantine confusion of Darujhistan, so too his half-mocking smile and spark in the eye invite you into the labyrinthine cityscape (and the literally over-the-top assassin/Crokus chase). Kruppe is both flashy but on close examination somewhat scuffed, stained. He has a cherubic face, but plenty hides behind that. And so on. His voice is the city's voice, and it begins in a dream, as all great cities do.

Where is all this going? It goes here. Three storm clouds converging over Lake Azure, into which Whiskeyjack and co. are headed. A reader comments that I'm too smart to now say that there was deliberate portent in the detail of three clouds warring over the lake. Hmm. It's been too many years since that for me to be more specific than this: I could have written 'there was a storm over the lake,' and left it at that. The foreshadow is obvious enough. But, if I'd written that description, I would have immediately seen the foreshadowing element -- it's almost too cinematic and verges on cliche. I could then have changed it to two storm clouds, but then, that wouldn't have made sense; or rather, it would have been suggestive but inaccurately so. There are three forces converging on the city. Two storm clouds would have been lazy and misleading; careless.

Of course there are three storm-clouds. Of course this detail is relevant. It's how short stories work.

Uh oh. This ain't a short story though, is it? And therein lies the problem. I know what I'm up to; I know how I think and how I write. And to make matters worse, everything I put into a narrative is saying (pleading, begging) 'you can trust me, honest.' But I'm not taking the reader by the hand. I've invited them into a place, left them standing, looking round, wandering a bit but not far, not far at all. And every now and then I tap a shoulder, point, nod to over there, or here. And that's it.

Re-readers will nod and smile. First-timers will blink, bewildered -- and will decide to either trust me or not. I really want them to trust me, but I don't know how to manage that... beyond making sure that everything fits, that everything has meaning.

A virtue or a flaw in my writing? Maybe both. You see, I already know that world, but the only details I show you are the important ones. There's no filler. And that's not fair.

And the structure is such a crazed, manic machine, an engineer's nightmare, a spider's acid trip, it's really no wonder that readers will doubt, and on occasion give up on the effort, on the trust I so desperately ask for.

So, to all you new readers on this, I am ever amazed and slightly astonished to find you staying with me. I tell myself that what is happening is a kind of education process: read me this way, it's the only way. Pay attention! You will be tested on all of this, I guarantee it. Stay with me and in turn I will promise you that it will be a blast.

And even better, then you'll have all those re-reads, when things will really get wild.

You can find the entire article on Tor.com - The Malazan Re-read of the Fallen: Gardens of the Moon, Chapters 16 and 17

Book Review: The Uncrowned King by Rowena Cory Daniells

2010-09-06T08:30:00.001+01:00

Title: The Uncrowned King
Author: Rowena Cory Daniells
Paperback: 448 pages
Publisher: Solaris (5 Aug 2010)
ISBN 10: 1907519041
ISBN 13: 978-1907519048
Series: Book 2 of King Rolen's Kin trilogy

Thirteen year old Piro watches powerless as her father’s enemies march on his castle. A traitor whispers poison in the King’s ear, undermining his trust in her brother, Byren.

Determined to prove his loyalty, Byren races across the path of the advancing army, towards the Abbey. Somehow, he must get there in time to convince the Abbot to send his warriors to defend the castle.

Meanwhile, the youngest of King Rolen’s sons, Fyn, has barely begun his training as an Abbey mystic, but he wakes in a cold sweat, haunted by dreams of betrayal...

Please find the rest of the review on Speculative Book Review...

Book Review: Animythical Tales by Sarah Totton

2010-08-30T08:30:00.001+01:00

Title: Animythical Tales
Author: Sarah Totton
Trade Paperback: 126 pages
Publisher: Fantastic Books (27 February 2010)
ISBN 10: 1604599324
ISBN 13: 978-1604599329

"In this elegant volume, award-winning author Sarah Totton takes her readers on speculative journeys of the heart and mind that will both challenge and engage you. Within these tales, readers will learn the meaning of darkness and pain and fear. Yet they will also learn about love and happiness and laughter. Sarah Totton explores the full kaleidoscope of the human heart and peels it back, one layer at a time. She offers her readers a full palette of emotions and stories to sift through, never settling, never holding back, and never flinching. Whether she is writing about the loss of innocence through dark revelations, the point to which a human mind can be stretched before succumbing to the magic of faerie, or something as preposterous as cloud-fishing in a world with pink yaks, the stories in Animythical Tales are always told with an eye toward revealing something important about the human condition. If you have ever yearned to fall into fabulous adventures in unforgettable worlds, Animythical Tales is the collection for you."

Please find the rest of the review on Speculative Book Review...

Book Review: Hawkwood and the Kings by Paul Kearney

2010-08-24T08:30:00.004+01:00

Title: Hawkwood and the Kings
Author: Paul Kearney
Paperback: 704 pages
Publisher: Solaris (5 Aug 2010)
ISBN 10: 1906735700
ISBN 13: 978-1906735708
Series: The Monarchies of God - Volume 1

The western world is burning...

For Richard Hawkwood and his crew, a desperate venture to carry refugees to the uncharted land across the Great Western Ocean offers the only chance of escape from the Inceptines' pyres.

In the East, Lofantyr, Abeleyn and Mark - three of the five Ramusian Kings - have defied the cruel pontiff's purge and must fight to hold their thrones through excommunication, intrigue and civil war.

In the quiet monastery city of Charibon, two humble monks make a discovery that will change the whole world.

Aekir, the Holy City, has fallen and all now seems lost, but even on the eve of destruction the Faithful still war amongst themselves...

Please find the rest of the review on Speculative Book Review...

Sony's New e-Readers

2010-08-23T13:00:00.034+01:00

If this news from engadget is true, the new Sony e-readers will rock.

The pictures look like they were taken during an internal presentation. So we don't know if this is the real deal but it only makes sense that Sony soon commercializes new and better reading devices responding to the recent launch of Amazon's Kindle 3, which is using the new E Ink Pearl display giving the reader 50% better contrast (You can check this article on iReader Review to see the difference between Kindle 2's and Kindle 3's displays).

On the picture above, you can clearly read 6 very interesting characteristics of the new Sony readers:

Full clear touch screen
Multiple language dictionaries
Faster page turn
Increased built-in storage capacity
Intelligent zoom
Enhanced battery life

Of those six, three made my heart beat faster:

Full clear touch screen: No additional layer over the E Ink display means that the glare that the touchscreen devices were cursed with won't be there anymore. So the reader won't have to hold her device in strange angles to avoid the nearest source of light.

Multiple language dictionaries: This is awesome! I read in a few different languages and I'm not at all lazy about checking words or terms that I'm not familiar with. This especially in Spanish which happens to be my weakest language.

Enhanced battery life: This is not as important as the two above however longer battery life is always a good enhancement. Furthermore 25% of improvement is quite significant.

The remaining three characteristics are good to have but I, personally, am not too excited about them:

Faster page turn: Page turns never bothered me that much. Once the user gets used to her device, it becomes automatic to click the page-turn button a few words before the end of a page so that right after the last few words are read the page turns.

Increased built-in capacity: 1200 e-books in 2GB of memory. This is a significant investment in terms of books (I know there a lot of public domain ones). I've yet to come close to fill my device's memory with my e-books, web articles and work-related documents. For me it's a matter of organization. I usually get rid of the Web articles and work documents once I'm done with them.

Intelligent zoom: I have to see this working before being able to comment about it. I usually don't read PDFs so I'd better leave that uncommented but it seems like it is a good feature to read newspapers and magazines.

Book Depository

2010-08-20T17:00:00.005+01:00

I've been buying my books, personal and professional alike, on Book Depository for a while. And on every occasion I've been telling people how satisfied I am with their service and with their prices.

This morning, I was very happy to read that Book Depository's sales have increased by more than 20%. They have deserved this kind of success.

I'm sure most of you know them already. However if you don't, have a look at their Web site and compare the prices and the availability of some of the titles that you are interested in. They may be based in the UK however they offer free worldwide shipping.

Preview Chapter of The Ragged Man by Tom Lloyd

2010-08-19T17:03:00.000+01:00

Tor just posted a preview chapter of Tom Lloyd's upcoming book. The Ragged Man, book four of the Twilight Reign will be released by Gollancz in the UK on 19 August 2010, and by Pyr in the US on 24 August 2010.

Blurb

Continuing the powerful epic that started with THE STORMCALLER; the Lord Isak is dead, his armies and entire tribe in disarray. It falls to King Emin to continue the war alone, and the Menin are only too happy to meet his challenge. In Byora, Ruhen is developing his 'Saviour' persona. The Harlequins start preaching in his name and many of the pilgrims who flock to him are recruited to be 'Children', disciples who spread Ruhen's message. All over the Land people are starting to see Ruhen as the answer to their troubles. A showdown is coming: battle lines are finally drawn and the atrocities quickly mount. The spectre of the Great War looms, but in this age the Gods cannot and will not come to King Emin's aid. With the peoples of the Land turning against Emin and his few remaining allies, their only chance for survival lies in the hands of a dead man.

Click here to read the preview chapter on Tor.com.

Book Review: The King's Bastard by Rowena Cory Daniells

2010-08-17T13:00:00.001+01:00

Title: The King's Bastard
Author: Rowena Cory Daniells
Paperback: 448 pages
Publisher: Solaris (31 June 2010)
ISBN 10: 1907519017
ISBN 13: 978-1907519017
Series: Book 1 of King Rolen's Kin Trilogy

"Cloaked in silent winter snow the Kingdom of Rolencia sleeps as rumours spread of new Affinity Seeps, places where untamed power wells up. Meanwhile, King Rolen plans his jubilee unaware of the growing threat to those he loves.

By royal decree, all those afflicted with Affinity must serve the Abbey or face death. Sent to the Abbey because of his innate Affinity, the King’s youngest son, Fyn, trains to become a warrior monk. Unfortunately, he’s a gentle dreamer and the other acolytes bully him. The only way he can escape them is to serve the Abbey Mystic, but his Affinity is weak.

Fiercely loyal, thirteen year-old Piro is horrified to discover she is also cursed with unwanted Affinity. It broke their mother’s heart to send Fyn away, so she hides her affliction. But, when Fyn confesses his troubles, Piro risks exposure to help him.

Even though Byren Kingson is only seven minutes younger than his twin, Lence, who is the king's heir, Byren has never hungered for the Rolencian throne. When a Seer predicts that he will kill Lence, he laughs. But Lence Kingsheir sees Byren’s growing popularity and resents it. Enduring loyalty could be Byren’s greatest failing."

Please find the rest of the review on Speculative Book Review...

Book Review: Black Hand Gang (No Man's World) by Pat Kelleher

2010-08-09T08:42:00.001+01:00

Title: Black Hand Gang (No Man's World)
Author: Pat Kelleher
Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: Abaddon Books (16 Jun 2010)
ISBN-10: 1906735352
ISBN-13: 978-1906735357

On November 1st, 1916, nine-hundred men of the 13th Battalion of The Pennine Fusiliers vanished without trace from the battlefield, only to find themselves stranded on an alien planet. There they must learn to survive in a frightening and hostile environment, forced to rely on dwindling supplies of ammo and rations as the natives of this strange new world begin to take an interest. However, the aliens amongst them are only the first of their worries, as a sinister and arcane threat beings to take hold from within their own ranks!

Please find the rest of the review on Speculative Book Review...

News from Abercrombie's "The Heroes"

2010-08-05T12:45:00.001+01:00

Joe Abercrombie's The Heroes is probably one of the most anticipated books for me. I love his style, I love his characters, I love his stories and I just can't wait for his next book. It is going to be a long 167-day period.

In the meantime, you can read the exciting blurb of The Heroes on the author's blog:

"They say Black Dow’s killed more men than winter, and clawed his way to the throne of the North up a hill of skulls. The King of the Union, ever a jealous neighbour, is not about to stand smiling by while he claws his way any higher. The orders have been given and the armies are toiling through the northern mud. Thousands of men are converging on a forgotten ring of stones, on a worthless hill, in an unimportant valley, and they’ve brought a lot of sharpened metal with them.

Bremer dan Gorst, disgraced master swordsman, has sworn to reclaim his stolen honour on the battlefield. Obsessed with redemption and addicted to violence, he’s far past caring how much blood gets spilled in the attempt. Even if it’s his own.

Prince Calder isn’t interested in honour, and still less in getting himself killed. All he wants is power, and he’ll tell any lie, use any trick, and betray any friend to get it. Just as long as he doesn’t have to fight for it himself.

Curnden Craw, the last honest man in the North, has gained nothing from a life of warfare but swollen knees and frayed nerves. He hardly even cares who wins any more, he just wants to do the right thing. But can he even tell what that is with the world burning down around him?

Over three bloody days of battle, the fate of the North will be decided. But with both sides riddled by intrigues, follies, feuds and petty jealousies, it is unlikely to be the noblest hearts, or even the strongest arms that prevail...

Three men. One battle. No Heroes."

Holidays: 3 Books & 3 Reviews

2010-07-16T13:30:00.001+01:00

Finally!!!

As you may have noticed, my blog has been quieter these last past few weeks. It's just that work has been so hectic, I've barely found some time to breath. But tomorrow, I'm going on a well-deserved holiday. I'm going to be away for 2 weeks. I may not be able to read as much as I wish due to the nature of the holiday but I'm bringing with me 3 Books:

The King's Bastard by Rowena Cory Daniells

The Kingdom of Rolencia sleeps as rumours of new Affinity Seeps, places where the untamed power wells up. By royal decree all those afflicted with Affinity must serve the Abbey or face death. Sent to the Ab bey, the King’s youngest son, Fyn, trains to become a warrior monk. Elsewhere others are tainted with Affinity and must fight to survive. Political intrigue and magic combine in this explosive first book in an exciting new fantasy trilogy.

Hawkwood and the Kings by Paul Kearney

The world is in turmoil. In the east the savage Mer duks, followers of the Prophet Ahrimuz, have cap tured the holy city of Aekir. The western kingdoms are too distracted by internecine bickering to intervene and the Chruch seems more obsessed with rooting out heresy. It is an age where men go to the stake for the taint of magic in their blood, where gunpowder and cannon co-exit with werewolves and sorcerers. It is the turning point when two get reilgions will fight to the death and the common folk will struggle to merely survive.

Animythical Tales by Sarah Totton

In this elegant volume, award-winning author Sarah Totton takes her readers on speculative journeys of the heart and mind that will both challenge and engage you. Within these tales, readers will learn the meaning of darkness and pain and fear. Yet they will also learn about love and happiness and laughter. Sarah Totton explores the full kaleidoscope of the human heart and peels it back, one layer at a time. She offers her readers a full palette of emotions and stories to sift through, never settling, never holding back, and never flinching. Whether she is writing about the loss of innocence through dark revelations, the point to which a human mind can be stretched before succumbing to the magic of faerie, or something as preposterous as cloud-fishing in a world with pink yaks, the stories in Animythical Tales are always told with an eye toward revealing something important about the human condition. If you have ever yearned to fall into fabulous adventures in unforgettable worlds, Animythical Tales is the collection for you.

And When I come back, I am going to post 3 Reviews:

Dante's Journey by J C Marino

A flash of light and Detective Joe Dante steps through. No longer on the cobblestone streets of 1961 Boston, Joe finds himself in a horrifying new world-Hell itself. Joe was in hot pursuit of his family's killer, drug lord Filippo Argenti, when both were killed, and isn't about to let a little thing like death slow him down. So, with a healthy dose of New England stubbornness and the help of a mysterious guide, Virgil DiMini, Joe must evade angry demons, and search ever-lower through the rings of the original Dante's Inferno in hopes of finding justice for his wife and children. However, Joe will soon discover that behind every sin lies a secret and each secret revealed could land Joe in an eternity of hot water... VERY hot.

Kraken by China Miéville

Deep in the research wing of the Natural History Museum is a prize specimen, something that comes along much less often than once in a

lifetime: a perfect, and perfectly preserved, giant squid. But what does it mean when the creature suddenly and impossibly disappears?

For curator Billy Harrow it's the start of a headlong pitch into a London of warring cults, surreal magic, apostates and assassins. It might just be that the creature he's been preserving is more than a biological rarity: there are those who are sure it's a god.

A god that someone is hoping will end the world.

No Man's World: Black Hand Gang by Pat Kelleher

On November 1st 1916, 900 men of the 13th Battalion of the Pennine Fusiliers vanish without trace from the battlefield only to find themselves on an alien planet. There they must learn to survive in a hostile environment, while facing a sinister threat from within their own ranks and a confrontation with an inscrutable alien race!

Book Review: Necroscope: Harry and the Pirates by Brian Lumley

2010-07-13T08:00:00.001+01:00

Title: Necroscope: Harry and the Pirates - The Lost Years
Author: Brian Lumley
Paperback: 416 pages
Publisher: Solaris (13 May 2010)
ISBN-10: 1906735646
ISBN-13: 978-1906735647

Harry Keogh makes his long-awaited return as the Necroscope in this collection of novellas ans short stories. Set during the fan-favorite Lost Years era of Keogh's career, these tales see the Necroscope do battle with horrors both real and imagined, eternal et ethereal. In "For The Dead Travel Slowly" Harry Keogh's encounter with an old school friend leads to a fight for his very soul against an ancient evil lurking in the woods. "Harry and the Pirates" finds the Necroscope hearing the confession of a long-dead pirate but is all as it seems or is Harry being taken for a fool?

"The world is full of dead things. How would you feel if you could hear their thoughts?"

Please find the rest of the review on Speculative Book Review...

SFF Blog Recap

2010-07-05T18:00:00.000+01:00

28 Jun - 4 Jul

Welcome to this week's SFF Blog Recap! I enjoy gathering these very interesting posts every week. I hope you enjoy reading them too.

Please go to Speculative Book Review to read the entire post.

Read the First Chapter of The King's Bastard by Rowena Cory Daniells

2010-06-29T09:00:00.001+01:00

Rowena Cory Daniells' The King's Bastard is coming out on 8 July 2010 and thankfully it is already in my to-be-read pile. One of the good things about this series, called King Rolen's Kin, is that if you like this first book, you won't have to wait very long. The following two installments are to be released in August and in September.

Today, the publisher is generously offering the first chapter of The King's Bastard if you are curious about the author's style and if you'd like to get a feel for the book.

Blurb

Only seven minutes younger than Rolencia's heir, Byren has never hungered for the throne. He laughs when a seer predicts that he will kill his twin. But the royal heir resents Byren's growing popularity. Across the land the untamed magic of the gods wells up out of the earth's heart. It sends exotic creatures to stalk the wintry nights and it twists men's minds, granting them terrible visions. Those so touched are sent to the Abbey to control their gift, or die. At King Rolen's court enemies plot to take his throne, even as secrets within his own household threaten to tear his family apart. Political intrigue and magic combine in this explosive first book in an exciting new fantasy trilogy.

Book Review: The Noise Within by Ian Whates

2010-06-28T08:30:00.000+01:00

Title: The Noise Within
Author: Ian Whates
Paperback: 416 pages
Publisher: Solaris (13 May 2010)
ISBN-10: 1906735646
ISBN-13: 978-1906735647

On the brink of perfecting the long sought-after human/AI interface, Philip Kaufman finds his world thrown into turmoil as a scandal from the past returns to haunt him and dangerous information falls into his hands. Pursued by assassins and attacked in his own home, he flees. Leyton, a government black-ops specialist, is diverted from his usual duties to hunt down the elusive pirate vessel The Noise Within, wondering all the while why this particular freebooter is considered so important. Two lives collide in this stunning and innovative space-opera!

Please find the rest of the review on Speculative Book Review...

SFF Blog Recap

2010-06-15T08:00:00.000+01:00

7 Jun - 13 Jun

Welcome to this week's SFF Blog Recap! I enjoy gathering these very interesting posts every week. I hope you enjoy reading them too.

Please go to Speculative Book Review to read the entire post.

Book Review: The God Catcher by Erin M. Evans

2010-06-14T08:00:00.003+01:00

Title: The God Catcher
Author: Erin M. Evans
Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Wizards of the Coast (2 Feb 2010)
ISBN-10: 0786954868
ISBN-13: 978-0786954865

Tennora would give anything to be a wizard. And Clytemorrenestrix, a strange woman with uncanny blue eyes, whose name means "She Will Thunder in the Sky" and who claims to be a dragon, promises to make her just that–in return for aid in returning her to her true form. But soon after Tennora seals the deal, a bounty hunter presses a note into her hands claiming the dragon woman is actually a human–a violent, criminally insane human who murders those who fail her.

Please find the rest of the review on Speculative Book Review...

SFF Blog Recap

2010-06-07T21:00:00.000+01:00

31 May - 6 Jun

Welcome to this week's SFF Blog Recap! I enjoy gathering these very interesting posts every week. I hope you enjoy reading them too.

Please go to Speculative Book Review to read the entire post.

Book Review: The City & The City by China Miéville

2010-06-03T08:00:00.000+01:00

Title: The City & The City
Author: China Miéville
Hardcover: 312 pages
Publisher: Macmillan (UK) (15 May 2009)
ISBN-10: 1405000171
ISBN-13: 978-1405000178

When the body of a murdered woman is found in the extraordinary, decaying city of Besźel, somewhere at the edge of Europe, it looks like a routine case for Inspector Tyador Borlú of the Extreme Crime Squad. But as he probes, the evidence begins to point to conspiracies far stranger, and more deadly, than anything he could have imagined. Soon his work puts him and those he cares for in danger. Borlú must travel to the only metropolis on Earth as strange as his own, across a border like no other. With shades of Kafka and Philip K. Dick, Raymond Chandler and 1984 , "The City & The City" is a murder mystery taken to dazzling metaphysical and artistic heights.

Please find the rest of the review on Speculative Book Review...

SFF Blog Recap

2010-05-31T19:00:00.000+01:00

24 May - 30 May

Welcome to this week's SFF Blog Recap! I enjoy gathering these very interesting posts every week. I hope you enjoy reading them too.

Please go to Speculative Book Review to read the entire post.

Cover Art: The Republic of Thieves by Scott Lynch

2010-05-25T19:00:00.001+01:00

The new UK cover of Scott Lynch's The Republic of Thieves is outstanding. The bloody daggers and the name of the book are a nice touch too. The two characters definitely create a creepy atmosphere. I especially like the male mask.

Blurb

After their adventures on the high seas, Locke and Jean are brought back to earth with a thump. Jean is mourning the loss of his lover and Locke must live with the fallout of crossing the all-powerful magical assassins the Bonds Magi. It is a fall-out that will pit both men against Locke's own long lost love. Sabetha is Locke's childhood sweetheart, the love of Locke's life and now it is time for them to meet again. Employed on different sides of a vicious dispute between factions of the Bonds Sabetha has just one goal - to destroy Locke for ever. The Gentleman Bastard sequence has become a literary sensation in fantasy circles and now, with the third book, Scott Lynch is set to seal that success.

The Storm Guardians by Stephen Zimmer

2010-05-24T18:00:00.004+01:00

I recently reviewed The Exodus Gate by Stephen Zimmer. The Exodus Gate was the first book of the Rising Dawn Saga. Last week, Seventh Star Press announced the second installment of the series, called The Storm Guardians:

For Immediate Release
May 18, 2010

Stephen Zimmer’s The Storm Guardians, Book Two of the Rising Dawn Saga, Set For Launch at Hypericon

Seventh Star Press will be launching Stephen Zimmer’s second Rising Dawn Saga novel, The Storm Guardians, at the Hypericon science fiction and fantasy convention in Nashville, TN, taking place from June 4-6, 2010.

Book two in the epic urban fantasy series, the release reflects the commitment of Seventh Star Press to have a new title out each year in the Rising Dawn Saga. The Storm Guardians follows the events and characters introduced in The Exodus Gate, and is an installment full of action and intrigue set in a parallel world very similar to Earth.

With a multi-threaded style that focuses on a diverse range of characters, the novel appeals to readers of epic and urban fantasy alike. The danger rises and the stakes grow throughout all of the story threads in The Storm Guardians: A massive battle looms in the spirit realms, as the Fallen Avatar Beleth's legions pour into the Middle Lands. Babylon Technologies prepares to unveil its greatest invention, a technology that will impact every living being on the face of the world. The shape-shifting An-Ki find themselves in grave peril, as the Night Hunt resumes once again. A small group of high school students make an incredible discovery, even as tensions swirl in a small town over a law enforcement deadlock that causes a sheriff to question his own part in the course of events. The Convergence continues its steadfast march towards a global legal and economic order, using all means at its disposal. The question is: Who will be the guardians against the storm?

The Rising Dawn Saga is just one of two active fantasy series by Stephen Zimmer, whose epic medieval Fires in Eden series was set in motion with the release of Crown of Vengeance, in November of 2009. The second book in the Fires in Eden series is slated for winter of 2010.

Amanda DeBord, chief editor at Seventh Star Press, and who was the editor for Zimmer’s The Exodus Gate and Crown of Vengeance novels, said about the new book, “I'm so excited for the release of The Storm Guardians, and happy to be one of the first to tell readers that they're going to love the developments in this second installment of Zimmer's Rising Dawn Saga. Fans of The Exodus Gate will be happy to see the return of familiar faces, and some real heroes arising from the action. However, Stephen has taken care to ensure that new readers to the series will be able to jump right in to the story.”

The Storm Guardians also continues the artistic collaboration between fantasy artist Matthew Perry and Stephen Zimmer, featuring no less than thirteen brand new, full page illustrations, as well as the cover art. Along with The Exodus Gate and Crown of Vengeance, Matthew has now done more than 40 full page illustrations and three covers in his association with Stephen’s literary works. “Stephen's narratives cover the gamut of deep introspectiveness to epic, world-changing events. To have that range, and to be to able to go in and out of those possibilities, makes it an adventure for me to see what emerges from the empty canvas,” said Matthew.

One of the most active fantasy authors in productivity and appearances, Stephen will be visiting numerous conventions and bookstores throughout 2010 in support of The Storm Guardians and his other literary works and film projects.

The Hypericon visit from June 4-6th in Nashville kicks off the support of The Storm Guardians, along with a June 7th appearance at Davis-Kidd Booksellers in Memphis, TN. “I am really honored to be launching the new book at Hypericon, which has always been a wonderful event, with many special friends, readers, and amazing guests, like this year’s guest of honor, a living literary legend, Ramsey Campbell. I’m very thankful to Fred Grimm for this opportunity. I can’t wait to find out what readers think of The Storm Guardians, as I believe it shows how I build upon my foundations in a series. Expect loads of action, and many surprises!” Stephen said.

A special collector’s edition hardcover, limited to 75 copies, is now being offered with a full package of collectibles, with trade paperback, hardcover, Kindle, and eBook editions to follow.

Updates and additional information can be obtained at the official site for Seventh Star Press, at www.seventhstarpress.com , or at the author's site at www.stephenzimmer.com

Hypericon’s official website can be found at: www.hypericononline.com

Contact: C.C. James
Public Relations, Seventh Star Press
ccjames@seventhstarpress.com
Seventh Star Press Mailing Address:
3801 Dylan Place Suite 116, #7
Lexington, Ky. 40514-1062

Seventh Star Press is a small press publisher of speculative fiction located in Lexington Kentucky.

Here are some of the illustrations from The Storm Guardians done by Matthew Perry:

SFF Blog Recap

2010-05-18T08:00:00.001+01:00

I posted this week's SFF Blog Recap covering the period of 10-16 May on Speculative Book Review.

Cover Art: Imager's Intrigue by L. E. Modesitt, Jr.

2010-05-12T18:00:00.002+01:00

WOW!!!

L.E. Modesitt, Jr.'s Imager's Intrigue gets an amazing cover art. Not only it follows the artistic path drawn by the two previous books of the Imager Portfolio, namely Imager and Imager's Challenge, but it easily becomes the most impressive among those three.

Looking at the light, the posture of the figures, their movements and especially the general style of the cover art, I almost expect to see it in a classic setting among the paintings of divinities or compositions about medieval plague.

Beautiful!!!

Book Review: The Dwarves by Markus Heitz

2010-05-10T08:00:00.001+01:00

Title: The Dwarves
Author: Markus Heitz
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Orbit
Publishing Date: 6 Aug 2009
Paperback: 752 pages
ISBN-10: 1841495727
ISBN-13: 978-1841495729
Book One of the Dwarves tetralogy

For countless millennia, no man or beast has ever succeeded in breaching the stone gateway into Girdlegard. Until now ...Abandoned as a child, Tungdil the blacksmith is the only dwarf in a kingdom of men. But when he is sent out into the world to deliver a message and reacquaint himself with his people, the young foundling finds himself thrust into a battle for which he has not been trained. Not only his own safety, but the life of every man, woman and child in Girdlegard depends upon his ability to embrace his heritage. Although he has many unanswered questions, Tungdil is certain of one thing: no matter where he was raised, he is a true dwarf. And no one has ever questioned the courage of the Dwarves. "

Please go to Speculative Book Review to read the entire review.

French Did It Again! Cover Art of "Drone"

2010-05-07T13:00:00.002+01:00

Here's another one! There's definitely a trend here! The awesomeness of most French Sci-Fi & Fantasy cover arts is an undeniable fact. I hope we'll see this gripping quality in the US and the UK cover arts too.

Magnifique!

Book Review: Shine edited by Jetse De Vries

2010-05-04T08:00:00.002+01:00

Title: Shine: An Anthology of Near-Future Optimistic Science-Fiction
Edited By: Jetse de Vries
Genre: Sci-fi
Publisher: Solaris
Publishing Date: 15 April 2010
Paperback: 416 pages
Standalone

On the Back of the Book

A collection of near-future, optimistic SF stories where some of the genre's brightest stars and most exciting new talents portray the possible roads to a better tomorrow. Definitely not a plethora of Pollyannas (but neither a barrage of dystopias), SHINE will show that positive change is far from being a foregone conclusion, but needs to be hard fought, innovative, robust and imaginative. Let's make our tomorrows SHINE.

(You can read the full review on Speculative Book Review.)

SFF Blog Recap

2010-05-03T19:00:00.001+01:00

I posted my last week's blog recap on Speculative Book Review. Thanks for reading!