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.

One of last week’s books is not included in the list this week because I just mentioned it a few days ago and am giving away 2 copies of it! I also reviewed The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman last week. It’s a lot of fun, and shortly after my review went up, I heard the news that it will be published in the US in June 2016! I was thrilled to hear this since it’s a great book.

Now, on to this week’s book list!

This Gulf of Time and Stars by Julie Czerneda

This Gulf of Time and Stars (Reunification #1) by Julie Czerneda

This Gulf of Time and Stars, the first book in the Reunification trilogy, will be released on November 3 (hardcover, ebook). It takes place in the same setting as the Stratification and Trade Pact trilogies. To read more about the book and cover design, check out the cover reveal on SF Signal!

 

First in a new science fiction trilogy, set in the same universe as the Clan Chronicles, by the Prix Aurora Award-winning Julie E. Czerneda.

Chasing the Phoenix by Michael Swanwick

Chasing the Phoenix by Michael Swanwick

Chasing the Phoenix will be released on August 11 (hardcover, ebook). An excerpt from the book is available Tor.com.

 

A science fiction masterpiece from a five-time Hugo Award winner!

In the distant future, Surplus arrives in China dressed as a Mongolian shaman, leading a yak which carries the corpse of his friend, Darger. The old high-tech world has long since collapsed, and the artificial intelligences that ran it are outlawed and destroyed. Or so it seems.

Darger and Surplus, a human and a genetically engineered dog with human intelligence who walks upright, are a pair of con men and the heroes of a series of prior Swanwick stories. They travel to what was was once China and invent a scam to become rich and powerful. Pretending to have limited super-powers, they aid an ambitious local warlord who dreams of conquest and once again reuniting China under one ruler. And, against all odds, it begins to work, but it seems as if there are other forces at work behind the scenes. This is a sharp, slick, witty science fiction adventure that is hugely entertaining from one of the best SF writers alive.

The Girl with Ghost Eyes by M. H. Boroson

The Girl with Ghost Eyes by M. H. Boroson

This debut novel will be released on November 3 (hardcover, ebook).

 

It’s the end of the nineteenth century in San Francisco’s Chinatown, and ghost hunters from the Maoshan traditions of Daoism keep malevolent spiritual forces at bay. Li-lin, the daughter of a renowned Daoshi exorcist, is a young widow burdened with yin eyes—the unique ability to see the spirit world. Her spiritual visions and the death of her husband bring great shame to Li-lin and her father—and shame is not something this immigrant family can afford.

When a sorcerer cripples her father, terrible plans are set in motion, and only Li-lin can stop them. To aid her are her martial arts and a peachwood sword, her burning paper talismans, and a wisecracking spirit in the form of a human eyeball tucked away in her pocket. Navigating the dangerous alleys and backrooms of a male-dominated Chinatown, Li-lin must confront evil spirits, gangsters, and soulstealers before the sorcerer’s ritual summons an ancient evil that could burn Chinatown to the ground.

With a rich and inventive historical setting, nonstop martial arts action, authentic Chinese magic, and bizarre monsters from Asian folklore, The Girl with Ghost Eyes is also the poignant story of a young immigrantt searching to find her place beside the long shadow of a demanding father and the stigma of widowhood. In a Chinatown caught between tradition and modernity, one woman may be the key to holding everything together.

The Pilots of Borealis by David Nabhan

The Pilots of Borealis by David Nabhan

The Pilots of Borealis will be released on August 11 (paperback, ebook).

 

Top Gun heads to outer space in this throwback to the classic science fiction of Asimov, Clarke, and Heinlein.

Strapped in to artificial wings spanning twenty-five feet across, your arms push a tenth of your body weight with each pump as you propel yourself at frightening speeds through the air. Inside a pressurized dome on the Moon, subject to one-sixth Earth’s gravity, there are swarms of chiseled, fearless, superbly trained flyers all around you, jostling for air space like peregrine falcons racing for the prize. This was the sport of piloting, and after Helium-3, piloting was one of the first things that entered anyone’s mind when Borealis was mentioned.

It was Helium-3 that powered humanity’s far-flung civilization expansion, feeding fusion reactors from the Alliances on Earth to the Terran Ring, Mars, the Jovian colonies, and all the way out to distant Titan. The supply, taken from the surface of the Moon, had once seemed endless. But that was long ago. Borealis, the glittering, fabulously rich city stretched out across the lunar North Pole, had amassed centuries of unimaginable wealth harvesting it, and as such was the first to realize that its supplies were running out.

The distant memories of the horrific planetwide devastation spawned by the petroleum wars were not enough to quell the rising energy and political crises. A new war to rival no other appeared imminent, but the solar system’s competing powers would discover something more powerful than Helium-3: the indomitable spirit of an Earth-born, war-weary mercenary and pilot extraordinaire.

The Song of Synth by Seb Doubinsky

The Song of Synth by Seb Doubinsky

August 4 is the official release date for The Song of Synth (paperback, ebook), but the print edition seems to be available in at least some stores now.

 

Williams Burroughs meets Philip K. Dick in this dystopian drug-fueled novel set in the not-so-distant future.

Synth is a drug able to induce hallucinations indistinguishable from reality. But it’s brand new, highly addictive, and more than likely dangerous. Even the dealers peddling the pills don’t know what long term effects the drug will have on its users. For Markus Olsen, Synth offers an easy escape to his crumbling life. Markus, an ex-hacker, has been caught red-handed, and while his friends were sent to jail for thirty years, Markus decided to cooperate, agreeing to lend his services and particular criminal expertise to Viborg City’s secret service, aiding the oppressive state power he’d been fighting to break in exchange for his relative freedom.

But Markus’ past as an anarchist comes back to haunt him, in the form of a credit card with no account but an seemingly unlimited balance as well as the discovery of a mysterious novel in which he is a main character. How much of his reality is being produced by Synth? How disconnected from real life has Markus become? Forced to face his past and the decisions he’s made, Markus must decide to choose between the artificial comfort of his constructed life and the harsh reality of treason and the struggle for freedom.

The Left-Hand Way by Tom Doyle

The Left-Hand Way (American Craftsmen #2) by Tom Doyle

This novel, following American Craftsmen, will be available on August 11 (hardcover, ebook). The first chapter of The Left-Hand Way can be read on the Tor/Forge blog.

 

Poe’s Red Death returns, more powerful than ever. Can anyone stop him before he summons an apocalyptic nightmare even worse than himself?

In The Left-Hand Way, the second book of Tom Doyle’s contemporary fantasy series, the American craftsmen are scattered like bait overseas. What starts as an ordinary liaison mission to London for Major Michael Endicott becomes a desperate chase across Europe, where Endicott is both hunted and hunter. Reluctantly joining him is his minder from MI13, Commander Grace Marlow, one of Her Majesty’s most lethal magician soldiers, whose family has centuries of justified hostility to the Endicotts.

Meanwhile, in Istanbul and Tokyo, Endicott’s comrades, Scherie Rezvani and Dale Morton, are caught in their own battles for survival against hired assassins and a ghost-powered doomsday machine. And in Kiev, Roderick Morton, the spider at the center of a global web, plots their destruction and his ultimate apotheosis. After centuries of imprisonment, nothing less than godlike power will satisfy Roderick, whatever the dreadful cost.

Chaos Unleashed by Drew Karpyshyn

Chaos Unleashed (The Chaos Born #3) by Drew Karpyshyn

The conclusion to the Chaos Born trilogy will be released on October 13 (paperback, ebook, audiobook). The first two books in the series are as follows:

  1. Children of Fire (Read an Excerpt)
  2. The Scorched Earth
 

The Demon Cycle meets The Wheel of Time in this action-packed adventure! From New York Times bestselling author and acclaimed videogame writer Drew Karpyshyn comes the third and final novel in an original epic fantasy trilogy for fans of Terry Goodkind, Peter V. Brett, and Brandon Sanderson.
 
Four unlikely champions, each touched with Chaos magic at birth, are all that can stop the return of Daemron the Slayer, a hero who became a god—and then a demon. Exiled by the Old Gods, Daemron has long plotted his vengeful return. Now that moment is at hand, as the barrier imprisoning him—the Legacy—crumbles.

Armed with mighty Talismans, the four champions—Keegan, a wizard beset with self-doubt; Cassandra, a seer terrified by her own future; Scythe, a peerless warrior whose only weak spot is a broken heart; and Vaaler, a prince without a kingdom—seek the Keystone, a fabled place where, or so it is said, the Legacy can be restored.

But the plots of the Slayer are cunning and deep, and even the most noble heart can be twisted by the tainted magic of Chaos—as Keegan, Cassandra, Scythe, and Vaaler will soon discover.

 

The Invisible Library, Genevieve Cogman’s debut novel and the first book in a new fantasy series, was released in the UK earlier this year. The second book, The Masked City, will be available in December of this year, and at least one more book will follow. I’m quite looking forward to the next installment since The Invisible Library is one of the better books I’ve read in 2015 so far!

The premise of The Invisible Library will probably appeal to many fans of genre fiction—the main character, Irene, is a spy who collects books from alternate worlds for the Library, an organization with headquarters outside time and space. Sometimes this is an easy job, simply requiring that she go to the world and purchase the book in question; sometimes it’s even a glamorous job when acquiring the book requires posing as a rich member of society, complete with stays at classy hotels and expensive, delicious meals. Other times, the assignment is difficult and laborious, such as the one Irene is attempting to complete at the beginning of the novel: spending months working as a maid at Prince Mordred’s Private Academy for Boys with the goal of stealing a book on necromancy.

After being outed as a thief and chased by hellhounds, Irene returns triumphantly to the Library with the book, planning to spend some time reading and working on her own projects. However, her supervisor has other plans for her, and soon Irene is headed to one of London’s alternates in search of a specific copy of Grimm’s Fairy Tales along with a new student to mentor, Kai. Unfortunately, they arrive to the news that the situation has changed significantly since the initial report was submitted: the book changed hands from an elderly man to a vampire, the vampire who purchased the book has been staked, and the book has been stolen by an infamous cat burglar. Irene knows this may be a dangerous assignment when she begins to suspect Fae involvement, but she’s not expecting the news she receives in an urgent message from the Library: to beware of Alberich, a notorious traitor to the Library who has been known to kill Librarians.

The Invisible Library is a story that seems custom made for bibliophiles, especially those who love fantasy and mystery, and it is so much fun. Any number of settings are possible due to the alternate worlds, and the idea of being a Librarian is quite appealing despite the possibility of not-so-fun missions. After all, when not on assignment, a Librarian is surrounded by books, plus once Librarians get older they no longer have to go to different worlds if they don’t want to do so. They can remain in the Library where no one ages. Also, they have their own sort of “magic” called the Language that requires using the correct words precisely. It’s necessary to study and keep up to date with it, and it can be a very powerful tool when used logically.

Irene is a bookworm who particularly loves mysteries and is therefore delighted to make the acquaintance of a renowned detective in her quest to recover the Grimm book. Although I wasn’t quite as invested in her as many characters I’ve read about, I still really liked her and thought she was a wonderful protagonist not just because she too loves fiction but also because of her personality. She is a quick thinker with the ability to evaluate the situation and decide the best course to follow when she is on a mission. Sometimes that means taking action like diving on top of a bucket of dirty water so it looks like someone pushed her over and ran off with the book she stole or hitting an attacker on the back of the head with a chair; other times it means letting someone else take the lead while she plays a role that fits what someone expects of her. She’s very practical, and she seemed like she was quite good at her job since she was able to quickly make decisions based on current circumstances.

Irene’s narrative voice is a great combination of practicality and humor. She does frequently make observations about reality compared to fiction, such as how competent detectives can be much more inconvenient in real life or how it’s not necessary to dash into potentially dangerous situations like fictional characters often do. Normally I find reading statements about a character’s life in relation to fiction irritating, but in this particular case, I thought it worked quite well. As someone who has devoted her entire life to books, it makes perfect sense that Irene would analyze her surroundings this way, plus her thoughts are not as hackneyed as the horrible conceit of “This isn’t how things happen in books, but of course not, because this is my life, not a book!”

There are some intriguing secondary characters as well, although I wasn’t overly attached to any of them. The Earl of Leeds (the famous detective Irene meets) has a somewhat mysterious past related to his family, and Irene’s student Kai has a secret identity that is revealed partway through the novel. I really enjoyed the dynamic between Kai and Irene and thought it was quite refreshing that Kai respected that she was the one in charge and didn’t test her authority. He’s willing to do his share of the work, and he doesn’t seem to have any problems at all with her taking the lead, although he does become angry and argue with her when he strongly believes her to be wrong at one point—but in the end, he accepts her decision because she’s the leader in this mission. When Kai does challenge Irene’s views on what they ought to do, Irene listens to his concerns and suggests ways she may be able to but him feel better about it, but she remains firm when she believes her choice is their best option.

By the end, the book also sets up some intriguing mysteries about Alberich and the Library that I’m quite eager to learn more about in the next books in the series. When I start reading a new series, I want to know more than when I started but be left with some questions to ponder related to the bigger picture, and this first volume managed to do that quite well.

I know I already said this, but I just need to emphasize it again one last time: The Invisible Library is so much fun. The concept of the Library is delightful, Irene’s narrative voice is engaging, Kai and Irene are great together, and there are hints of more to be revealed in future volumes. While I do wish I had been a little more invested in the characters, I enjoyed it immensely and recommend it to my fellow bibliophiles, especially those who are particularly fond of genre fiction!

My Rating: 8/10

Where I got my reading copy: ARC from the publisher.

Other Reviews:

I’m thrilled to be giving away two copies of Magic Shifts by Ilona Andrews today! The Kate Daniels series is one of my favorites, and the third book in the series (Magic Strikes) is my #1 favorite urban fantasy book. The authors have done an incredible job with developing Kate’s character throughout the series, and the books are fun with a great sense of humor—and I always look forward to a new book about Kate Daniels! Magic Shifts, the eighth novel in the series, will be released on August 4.

Magic Shifts by Ilona Andrews

ABOUT MAGIC SHIFTS (read an excerpt):

In the latest Kate Daniels novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Ilona Andrews, magic is coming and going in waves in post-Shift Atlanta—and each crest leaves danger in its wake…

After breaking from life with the Pack, mercenary Kate Daniels and her mate—former Beast Lord Curran Lennart—are adjusting to a very different pace. While they’re thrilled to escape all the infighting, Curran misses the constant challenges of leading the shapeshifters.

So when the Pack offers him its stake in the Mercenary Guild, Curran seizes the opportunity—too bad the Guild wants nothing to do with him and Kate. Luckily, as a veteran merc, Kate can take over any of the Guild’s unfinished jobs in order to bring in money and build their reputation. But what Kate and Curran don’t realize is that the odd jobs they’ve been working are all connected.

An ancient enemy has arisen, and Kate and Curran are the only ones who can stop it—before it takes their city apart piece by piece…

Courtesy of Penguin Random House, I have two copies of Magic Shifts to give away! This giveaway is open to residents of the US only.

Giveaway Rules: To be entered in the giveaway, fill out the form below OR send an email to kristen AT fantasybookcafe DOT com with the subject “Magic Shifts Giveaway.” One entry per household and two winners will be randomly selected. Those from the US are eligible to win this giveaway. The giveaway will be open until the end of the day on Thursday, August 6. Each winner has 24 hours to respond once contacted via email, and if I don’t hear from them by then a new winner will be chosen (who will also have 24 hours to respond until someone gets back to me with a place to send the book).

Please note email addresses will only be used for the purpose of contacting the winners. Once the giveaway is over all the emails will be deleted.

Good luck!

Update: The form has been removed since the giveaway is now over.

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 past week brought a few books, but first here’s what will be going up tomorrow: a giveaway of a book in one of my favorite series! I’m hoping to finally finish my review of The Invisible Library this week as well now that I have finished reading through the book again.

And now, last week’s books!

Cold Iron by Stina Leicht

Cold Iron (The Malorum Gates #1) by Stina Leicht

My husband was killing time in a bookstore, came across this book, and picked it up for me. Stina Leicht was a finalist for the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer, and I have heard that her books are wonderful.

Cold Iron was published earlier this month (hardcover, paperback, ebook). The second book in the series, Blackthorne, is scheduled for release in 2016.

 

Fraternal twins Nels and Suvi move beyond their royal heritage and into military and magical dominion in this flintlock epic fantasy debut from a two-time Campbell Award finalist.

Prince Nels is the scholarly runt of the ancient Kainen royal family of Eledore, disregarded as flawed by the king and many others. Only Suvi, his fraternal twin sister, supports him. When Nels is ambushed by an Acrasian scouting party, he does the forbidden for a member of the ruling family: He picks up a fallen sword and defends himself.

Disowned and dismissed to the military, Nels establishes himself as a leader as Eledore begins to shatter under the attack of the Acrasians, who the Kainen had previously dismissed as barbarians. But Nels knows differently, and with the aid of Suvi, who has allied with pirates, he mounts a military offensive with sword, canon, and what little magic is left in the world.

Last First Snow by Max Gladstone

Last First Snow (Craft Sequence) by Max Gladstone

Last First Snow is both the first and fourth book in the Craft Sequence (first in chronological order and fourth in publication order). It’s available now in hardcover and ebook formats, and an excerpt from Last First Snow can be read on Tor.com. If you missed it, Max Gladstone also recently wrote a guest post here about discovering new facets of characters when grouping them together in this book.

If you do want to read them in publication order, they are as follows:

  1. Three Parts Dead
  2. Two Serpents Rise
  3. Full Fathom Five

The number that matches each book’s chronological order can be found in its title.

 

The fourth novel set in the compellingly modern fantasy world of the Craft Sequence

Forty years after the God Wars, Dresediel Lex bears the scars of liberation—especially in the Skittersill, a poor district still bound by the fallen gods’ decaying edicts. As long as the gods’ wards last, they strangle development; when they fail, demons will be loosed upon the city. The King in Red hires Elayne Kevarian of the Craft firm Kelethres, Albrecht, and Ao to fix the wards, but the Skittersill’s people have their own ideas. A protest rises against Elayne’s work, led by Temoc, a warrior-priest turned community organizer who wants to build a peaceful future for his city, his wife, and his young son.

As Elayne drags Temoc and the King in Red to the bargaining table, old wounds reopen, old gods stir in their graves, civil blood breaks to new mutiny, and profiteers circle in the desert sky. Elayne and Temoc must fight conspiracy, dark magic, and their own demons to save the peace—or failing that, to save as many people as they can.

Zer0es by Chuck Wendig

Zer0es by Chuck Wendig

Zer0es will be available on August 18 (hardcover, ebook).

 

Five hackers—an Anonymous-style rabble-rouser, an Arab Spring hacktivist, a black-hat hacker, an old-school cipherpunk, and an online troll—are detained by the U.S. government, forced to work as white-hat hackers for Uncle Sam in order to avoid federal prison. At a secret complex known only as “the Lodge,” where they will spend the next year working as an elite cyber-espionage team, these misfits dub themselves “the Zeroes.”

But once the Zeroes begin to work, they uncover secrets that would make even the most dedicated conspiracy theorist’s head spin. And soon they’re not just trying to serve their time, they’re also trying to perform the ultimate hack: burrowing deep into the U.S. government from the inside, and hoping they’ll get out alive. Packed with electric wit and breakneck plot twists, Zer0es is an unforgettable thrill ride through the seedy underbelly of “progress.”

The Edge of Dawn by Melinda Snodgrass

The Edge of Dawn (Edge #3) by Melinda Snodgrass

The third book in the Edge series will be available on August 4 (hardcover, ebook, audiobook). An excerpt from The Edge of Dawn can be read on the Tor/Forge blog.

The first two books in the series are as follows:

  1. The Edge of Reason (Read the first 169 pages)
  2. The Edge of Ruin
 

The final battle approaches for a band of modern paladins, fighting for the light of science and reason, and against an ancient supernatural army poised to destroy the world

What do you do when the Earth is under assault from monstrous creatures by alternate dimensions and you’re the only person who can wield the weapon that can destroy them? That’s the situation facing Richard Oort, hero of the Edge novels.

Lonely and overwhelmed after a series of terrifying, catastrophic global and personal events, Richard is still determined to save the world from the horrific Old Ones. He goes undercover in a Christian fundamentalist compound, playing house with an attractive FBI agent. At first, this only serves to increase his loneliness, missing his real family, but against all odds discovers another unique human who can use the paladin’s weapon, one who might be able to join him and lighten the burden of responsibility. There’s only one problem — Mosi is a nine year old Navajo girl.

Their enemies are trying to kill both Richard and Mosi—and have already killed Mosi’s family. To keep her safe Richard becomes her guardian, but an error in judgement leads to disaster and betrayal, and now the odd pair will need to summon all their strength to survive the coming battle. From the American southwest to a secret society in Turkey, the paladin and his ward try to stay in front of their enemies, but the world is at stake—and time is running short.

The Devil's Only Friend by Dan Wells

The Devil’s Only Friend (John Cleaver #4) by Dan Wells

The fourth book in the John Cleaver series, which is also the first book in a new trilogy, is available now (hardcover, paperback, ebook, audiobook). An excerpt from The Devil’s Only Friend can be read on Tor.com.

The books in the previous trilogy are as follows:

  1. I Am Not a Serial Killer
  2. Mr. Monster
  3. I Don’t Want to Kill You

There’s also a novella, Next of Kin, that introduces this new trilogy.

 

John Wayne Cleaver hunts demons: they’ve killed his neighbors, his family, and the girl he loves, but in the end he’s always won. Now he works for a secret government kill team, using his gift to hunt and kill as many monsters as he can…

…but the monsters have noticed, and the quiet game of cat and mouse is about to erupt into a full scale supernatural war.

John doesn’t want the life he’s stuck with. He doesn’t want the FBI bossing him around, he doesn’t want his only friend imprisoned in a mental ward, and he doesn’t want to face the terrifying cannibal who calls himself The Hunter. John doesn’t want to kill people. But as the song says, you can’t always get what you want. John has learned that the hard way; his clothes have the stains to prove it.

When John again faces evil, he’ll know what he has to do.

The Devil’s Only Friend is the first book in a brand-new John Wayne Cleaver trilogy by New York Times bestselling author Dan Wells.

The Dinosaur Lords by Victor Milán

The Dinosaur Lords (The Dinosaur Lords #1) by Victor Milán

This novel will be released on July 28 (hardcover, ebook). An excerpt from The Dinosaur Lords can be read on Tor.com.

 

A world made by the Eight Creators on which to play out their games of passion and power, Paradise is a sprawling, diverse, often brutal place. Men and women live on Paradise as do dogs, cats, ferrets, goats, and horses. But dinosaurs predominate: wildlife, monsters, beasts of burden – and of war. Colossal planteaters like Brachiosaurus; terrifying meateaters like Allosaurus and the most feared of all, Tyrannosaurus rex. Giant lizards swim warm seas. Birds (some with teeth) share the sky with flying reptiles that range in size from batsized insectivores to majestic and deadly Dragons.

Thus we are plunged into Victor Milán’s splendidly weird world of The Dinosaur Lords, a place that for all purposes mirrors 14th century Europe with its dynastic rivalries, religious wars, and byzantine politics…and the weapons of choice are dinosaurs. Where we have vast armies of dinosaur-mounted knights engaged in battle. And during the course of one of these epic battles, the enigmatic mercenary Dinosaur Lord Karyl Bogomirsky is defeated through betrayal and left for dead. He wakes, naked, wounded, partially amnesiac – and hunted. And embarks upon a journey that will shake his world.

Book Description from Goodreads:

He used to be the best detective on the job. Until he became the hunted…

Once a legendary police inspector, Nicolas Lenoir is now a disillusioned and broken man who spends his days going through the motions and his evenings drinking away the nightmares of his past. Ten years ago, Lenoir barely escaped the grasp of the Darkwalker, a vengeful spirit who demands a terrible toll on those who have offended the dead. But the Darkwalker does not give up on his prey so easily, and Lenoir has always known his debt would come due one day.

When Lenoir is assigned to a disturbing new case, he treats the job with his usual apathy—until his best informant, a street savvy orphan, is kidnapped. Desperate to find his young friend before the worst befalls him, Lenoir will do anything catch the monster responsible for the crimes, even if it means walking willingly into the arms of his own doom…

Darkwalker, E. L. Tettensor’s debut novel and a Compton Crook Award finalist, is the first book in the Nicolas Lenoir series. The second book, Master of Plagues, was released earlier this year.

Honestly, I’m having some difficulty figuring out what to think of Darkwalker as a whole. The second half is enjoyable and left me with a somewhat positive impression of it, although it was never captivating enough for me to love it and want to pick up the next book immediately. However, due to life, it took me a few months to get back to reviewing it so I ended up rereading most of the book in order to write a review. While I still think it became a fun book eventually, this also reminded me of just how dull and tedious earlier parts of the book are, and the weaker aspects of the novel left more of an impression this time.

Darkwalker is a mystery in a secondary world fantasy setting revolving around an antihero—and the first few chapters constantly reminded me of these elements. I felt the story did not flow naturally because it was too apparent that someone was trying to make sure I, the reader, got the point that Nicolas Lenoir was a flawed detective living in a world not our own. Nicolas has imperfections; therefore, there is much about how jaded and apathetic he is complete with comparisons to a more idealistic character, topped off with a discussion about flaws in humanity. He’s an inspector so there’s a scene where he has dinner with the orphan Zach (who, of course, wants to be an inspector himself when he grows up!) and plays a detective game that allows him to share his thought processes when investigating. It’s a fantasy: the line of questioning involved in solving the crime revolves around learning about the Adali people and their culture. While some of this contains information important to the novel, I felt that it could have been less convenient and heavy-handed at times, especially toward the beginning of the book.

Once Zach disappears and Nicolas actually begins investigating rather than going through the motions of doing so without any actual thought or effort (because of how very jaded and apathetic he is, of course), it becomes more compelling. While it does still sometimes suffer from a lack of subtlety, the story starts to unfold more naturally, especially after the Darkwalker is introduced. Nicolas has encountered this spirit in the past, and part of the story is not just revealing more about the Darkwalker and his connection to the mystery but showing Nicolas grappling with his past—and the resulting growth of his character. Although he’s not explored enough for him to be what I’d call an incredibly deep character, he is one of the more intriguing aspects of the book since he does possess a mixture of both good and bad qualities. In addition to feeling defeated by what he’s seen, he’s an irritatingly arrogant know-it-all, but he also does have a heart, as shown by the way he looks out for Zach and goes to great lengths to find him when he does disappear. In this book, Nicolas seems a bit too much like the stereotype of the jerk with a heart of gold underneath it all, but it is an interesting character type and I’d like to see his character developed further in future books.

My biggest problem with Nicolas was not that he could be unlikable at times: it was that he was presented as being brilliant but he didn’t act like he was. That is supposed to be due to the fact that he hasn’t truly cared about being a good detective for years and is too indifferent to spend time thinking about his cases. Yet I felt like someone known to be as intelligent as he should have been much quicker on the uptake at times even if he was out of practice, and I only believed he was a fantastic detective because I kept reading that he used to be the best.

I have very conflicting feelings about Darkwalker. The beginning was dull and obtrusive when laying out the groundwork, but it did get better and develop into an entertaining story once the titular character was more involved. However, it never excited me, but I also realize that it wasn’t exactly the type of book that generally appeals to me since it was focused on mystery and crime first and fantasy second. I also would have liked to have seen Nicolas developed a bit more: he’s an interesting personality, but he’s also a bit of a generic antihero and one I did not find believable as an exceptional detective. There is a lot of potential, but I also thought there was room for significantly better execution even if it was a decent, fun story in the end.

My Rating: 5/10

Where I got my reading copy: Review copy from the publisher at the request of the author.

Read an Excerpt (Click the link below the cover image)

Other Reviews:

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 past week brought several books, including another anniversary present that took a little while to get here since it had to be forwarded a couple times from old addresses.  It sounds great and was worth the wait, though! Another book that I’ve already discussed that is coming out soon also arrived. Here’s the link in case you missed it:

I finally finished the review I was writing but didn’t put it up last week since I finished it toward the end of Thursday, which was the day before Max Gladstone’s post on revisiting old friends was scheduled to go up. It should go up this week, though!

On to last week’s books!

The Innkeeper's Song by Peter S. Beagle

The Innkeeper’s Song by Peter S. Beagle

This signed copy is an anniversary gift that showed up a little late. I’ve read a couple of books by Peter Beagle, and reading his excellent story “The Children of the Shark God” in Beyond the Pale last year reminded me that I really need to read more of his work!

 

The Innkeeper’s Song is the story of young Tikat’s search for the lover whose death and resurrection he witnessed. It is a search that will lead him into a world of magic and mystery beyond his comprehension, for his wild ride sets him on the trail of three women who are blessed – or cursed – to undertake an impossible mission of their own. Each of the three has secrets – from the world, from the two others, from herself. Each is followed by demons she can never escape. And all their destinies will be irrevocably linked in a far distant inn, when hunted and hunters finally meet. Karsh, the innkeeper, has no choice but to let the tangled drama unfold beneath his roof; his stable boy, Rosseth, is so mesmerized by the three cloaked women that he is soon finds a way to uncover what is perhaps their deepest secret; and Tikat continues his journey, refusing to let death bring an end to his love. But it is not until the once-powerful man who has called the three women joins their number that the true quest will begin. And this is a challenge that may claim all their lives before they are done. For he who has been their mentor in the past, he who has been the greatest of wizards, lingers now at the very edge of death. And only they can save him from the enemy who has brought this doom upon him, an enemy who is heir to all the ailing man’s magic, an enemy whom even Death has not been able to defeat…

Dead Man's Reach by D. B. Jackson

Dead Man’s Reach (Thieftaker Chronicles #4) by D. B. Jackson

This historical fantasy will be released on July 21 (hardcover, ebook). It’s the final book in the Thieftaker Chronicles following Thieftaker, Thieves’ Quarry, and A Plunder of Souls (published in that order). Tor.com also has two short stories set in the same world, “A Spell of Vengeance” and “The Price of Doing Business.”

An excerpt from Dead Man’s Reach is available on the publisher’s website.

 

Let the battle for souls begin in Dead Man’s Reach, the fourth, stand-alone novel in D.B. Jackson’s acclaimed Thieftaker series.

Boston, 1770: The city is a powder keg as tensions between would-be rebels and loyalist torries approach a breaking point and one man is willing to light the match that sets everything off to ensure that he has his revenge.

The presence of the British Regulars has made thieftaking a hard business to be in and the jobs that are available are reserved for Sephira Pryce. Ethan Kaille has to resort to taking on jobs that he would otherwise pass up, namely protecting the shops of Torries from Patriot mobs. But, when one British loyalist takes things too far and accidentally kills a young boy, even Ethan reconsiders his line of work. Even more troubling is that instances of violence in the city are increasing, and Ethan often finds himself at the center of the trouble.

Once Ethan realizes why he is at the center of all the violence, he finds out that some enemies don’t stay buried and will stop at nothing to ruin Ethan’s life. Even if that means costing the lives of everyone in Boston, including the people that Ethan loves most.

The Eternal World by Christopher Farnsworth

The Eternal World by Christopher Farnsworth

The Eternal World will be available on August 4 (hardcover, ebook, audiobook).

 

The author of the cult favorite President’s Vampire series combines historical fiction with modern-day action, adventure, vengeance, and paranormal twists in this page turning thriller in the spirit of James Rollins, Brad Thor, and Douglas Preston

Five hundred years ago, a group of Spanish conquistadors searching for gold, led by a young and brilliant commander named Simon De Oliveras, land in the New World. What they find in the sunny and humid swamps of this uncharted land is a treasure far more valuable: the Fountain of Youth. The Spaniards slaughter the Utiza, the Native American tribe who guard the precious waters that will keep the conquistadors young for centuries. But one escapes: Shako, the chief’s fierce and beautiful daughter who swears to avenge her people?a blood promise that spans more than five centuries. . .

When the source of the fountain is destroyed in our own time, the loss threatens Simon and his men, and the powerful shadowy empire of wealth and influence they have built. For help, they turn to science, to David Robinton, a scientific prodigy who believes he is on the verge of the greatest medical breakthrough of all time. But as the centuries-old war between Shako and Simon reaches its final stages, David makes a horrifying discovery about his clients and the mysterious and exotic woman he loves. Now, the scientist must decide: is he a pawn in game of hunter and predator . . . or will he be its only winner?

Bat out of Hell by Alan Gold

Bat out of Hell: An Eco-Thriller by Alan Gold

This novel will be released on September 1 (hardcover, ebook).

 

From the jungles of Indonesia to the very heart of New York City comes a plague that kills 100 percent of its victims. Medicine’s greatest nightmare, this modern black death is caused by the most virulent and uncontrollable mutant virus humanity has ever witnessed. And medicine can do nothing to stop its merciless spread.

Scientist Debra Hart and her team of experts are tasked by the United Nations to stop the disease. Racing against time, they must find the cause and the cure and figure out why this deadly disease—spread by bats—is killing thousands in cities across the globe. Debra and her team will struggle to stop the disease from spreading to millions more, even if it means killing off every bat alive. But fighting to prevent her are manic animal rights’ activists who rail against species genocide, even if it means risking the deaths of human beings. And hidden behind a cloak of secrecy is a crazed academic who’ll even kill top American government officials to save one living creature.

This is the nightmare scenario that Debra faces as the public becomes so terrified of bats that entire communities become vigilantes.

The Way of Sorrows by Jon Steele

The Way of Sorrows (The Angelus Trilogy #3) by Jon Steele

The Way of Sorrows will be released on August 4 (hardcover, ebook). It’s the final book in The Angelus Trilogy following The Watchers and Angel City.

An excerpt from The Way of Sorrows is available on the publisher’s website (click “Read an Excerpt” below the cover).

 

The earthly—and cosmic—adventures of Katherine Taylor and Jay Harper come to an electrifying, action-packed conclusion in The Way of Sorrows, the final installment of Jon Steele’s critically acclaimed Angelus Trilogy.

The Scorch Trials by James Dashner

The Scorch Trials (The Maze Runner #2) by James Dashner

This movie tie-in edition of the second book in the #1 New York Times bestselling series The Maze Runner includes a foreword by Wes Ball, the director, and eight pages of photos from the film. The book (hardcover, paperback, and ebook) will be released on August 4; the movie will be in theaters on September 18.

An excerpt from The Scorch Trials is available on the publisher’s website (click “Read an Excerpt” underneath the cover). The previous book in the trilogy is The Maze Runner and the following book is The Death Cure. There is also a prequel, The Kill Order.

 

Read the second book in the #1 New York Times bestselling Maze Runner series that is soon to be a motion picture, hitting theaters September 18, 2015, and is perfect for fans of The Hunger Games and Divergent. This special movie tie-in trade paperback edition features an eight-page full-color insert with photos from the film and an exclusive fan sticker. The first book, The Maze Runner, is now a movie featuring the star of MTV’s Teen Wolf, Dylan O’Brien; Kaya Scodelario; Aml Ameen; Will Poulter; and Thomas Brodie-Sangster! Also look for James Dashner’s newest series: the Mortality Doctrine that includes The Eye of Minds and The Rule of Thoughts.

Solving the Maze was supposed to be the end.

Thomas was sure that escape from the Maze would mean freedom for him and the Gladers. But WICKED isn’t done yet. Phase Two has just begun. The Scorch.

There are no rules. There is no help. You either make it or you die.

The Gladers have two weeks to cross through the Scorch–the most burned-out section of the world. And WICKED has made sure to adjust the variables and stack the odds against them.

Friendships will be tested. Loyalties will be broken. All bets are off.

There are others now. Their survival depends on the Gladers’ destruction–and they’re determined to survive.