The Leaning Pile of Books is a feature where I talk about books I got over the last week – old or new, bought or received for review consideration (often unsolicited). Since I hope you will find new books you’re interested in reading in these posts, I try to be as informative as possible. If I can find them, links to excerpts, author’s websites, and places where you can find more information on the book are included.
This week I added an ebook to the to-read pile, which is pretty unusual. I usually stick to reading print books since I much prefer the format and already have many print books I want to read. This book is also a short story collection, which I almost never read, so the author has to be pretty phenomenal for me to make an exception! Before I talk about the book a little, an update on plans for Sci-Fi Month hosted by Oh, the Books! and Rinn Reads.
Tomorrow there will be a guest post by Martha Wells, author of the fantastic Books of the Raksura, Wheel of the Infinite, The Death of the Necromancer, and much more. I’m also a participant in the third blogger panel for Sci-Fi Month, which will be posted at Oh, the Books! on Friday. I’m not sure when I’ll have my next review up since I haven’t yet finished reading the next book I’m reading for the month, Burndive by Karin Lowachee.
Last week, Karina Sumner-Smith stopped by to discuss hope and wonder in science fiction. I also reviewed Yesterday’s Kin by Nancy Kress, one of the best books I’ve read in awhile and one of the better books I’ve read this year.
On to this week’s book!
The Very Best of Kate Elliott by Kate Elliott
The Very Best of Kate Elliott will be released on February 10, 2015. The only books by Kate Elliott I’ve read are the Spiritwalker trilogy (Cold Magic, Cold Fire, and Cold Steel), but I loved them and now want to read everything she’s ever written.
Next year is a great year for Kate Elliott fans since this is only the first of three of her books that are planned for release in 2015! Court of Fives, a YA fantasy, is scheduled for release in August, and Black Wolves, the first book in a new epic fantasy series, is scheduled for release in the fall. I’m excited about all three of them!
Strong heroines and riveting storytelling are the hallmark of groundbreaking fantasy author Kate Elliott (Crown of Stars, Crossroads). Elliott is a highly-compelling voice in genre fiction, an innovative author of historically-based narratives set in imaginary worlds. This first, retrospective collection of her short fiction is the essential guide to Elliott’s shorter works. Here her bold adventuresses, complex quests, noble sacrifices, and hard-won victories shine in classic, compact legends.
In “The Memory of Peace,” a girl’s powerful emotions rouse the magic of a city devastated by war. Meeting in “The Queen’s Garden,” two princesses unite to protect their kingdom from the blind ambition of their corrupted father. While “Riding the Shore of the River of Death” a chieftain’s daughter finds an unlikely ally on her path to self-determination.
Elliott’s many readers, as well as fantasy fans in search of powerful stories featuring well-drawn female characters, will revel in this unique gathering of truly memorable tales.
