As mentioned in the past couple of Sunday posts, the site is going to be quiet for awhile since I am moving next week! I am moving six hours away from my current home and have a lot I need to finish before then, and I will be traveling most of next week since getting everything from one place to the other is going to take a few days. My recent review of the (very good) Beyond the Pale anthology will be my last post until after I have moved and gotten settled in. I’ll have to see how it goes, but the hiatus will probably end the week of September 22.
Sep
04
2014
Beyond the Pale
by Henry Herz
232pp (Paperback)
My Rating: 7.5/10
Amazon Rating: 4.5/5
LibraryThing Rating: 4.75/5
Goodreads Rating: 4/5
by Henry Herz
232pp (Paperback)
My Rating: 7.5/10
Amazon Rating: 4.5/5
LibraryThing Rating: 4.75/5
Goodreads Rating: 4/5
Beyond the Pale edited by Henry Herz is a YA anthology containing fantasy and paranormal stories by some well-known authors in speculative fiction, including Saladin Ahmed, Peter S. Beagle, Jane Yolen, Gillian Philip, and Jim Butcher. It consists of an eclectic mix of writing styles and speculative fiction stories, including mythic and urban fantasy, post-apocalyptic fiction, historical fantasy, a ghost story, and a vampire tale about Dracurat. I found most of the stories enjoyable and will certainly be reading more by some of these authors who are new to me after sampling their short fiction.
My favorite story in the entire anthology is “The Children of the Shark God” by Peter S. Beagle, a lovely but sad tale about a god who falls in love with a human and the tragic consequences, including the effect this has on their children. Mirali, a young woman living on an island, is noticed by the Shark God who protects her home. The Shark God gains her favor, and the two marry and have twins, a boy and a girl. The children grow up without knowing their father or his identity since he only visits once a year while they are asleep. When they are older and Mirali reveals to them that their father is the Shark God, they do not react the way she expected—they are not honored, awed, or fearful but angry at the father who abandoned them—and her daughter Kokinja sets out to find her godly father and tell him exactly what she thinks of his actions. This is a skillfully written story with both excellent storytelling and writing. Every word seems to be crafted with care, and I would now like to read more of Peter S. Beagle’s short fiction even though I usually prefer longer stories.
Another story I particularly loved is “Hooves and the Hovel of Abdel Jameela” by Saladin Ahmed, a well-written story reminiscent of fairy tales with the main character being shown that the world is not as ordinary as he had thought. A young physicker, the Caliph’s son’s personal favorite, is sent away as punishment for falling in love with a woman from a wealthy family. After he is dismissed, he spends time in a small village filled with rumors of the hermit Abdel Jameela. When Abdel Jameela hears that a court physiker is near, he sends a messenger to him to request that he aid his ill wife. Though discouraged from doing so, the physiker goes as requested since he feels it’s his duty to help if he can—and ends up performing a surgery combined with magic unlike anything he’s ever done before. While I enjoyed the writing, I also thought this story was fantastic because of the earnest main protagonist and its wondrous nature.
Gillian Philip wrote two stories in Beyond the Pale, both among the best in this anthology. I especially loved “Frost Child,” a dark historical fantasy and prequel to her novel Firebrand, even though the beginning was not compelling. It begins with the Queen’s captain, Griogair, setting out to destroy his Queen’s enemies and without having any stake in these characters, I found the fighting rather dull. However, once Griogair finds one of his people with his enemies, a rather indifferent little girl named Lilith, it became quite engaging. It’s a story of the Sithe with witches, warriors (both male and female), and kelpies and is the type of setting I find appealing, but it was Philip’s deft hand with portraying her characters that made me want to read Firebrand. Her other story, “South,” is a creepy tale in which an old man watching his grandson reminisces about meeting the boy’s grandmother—a mysterious woman who appeared out of nowhere on a remote, cold island and seemed completely unaffected by the freezing temperatures.
While I did not think any of the other stories were as excellent as those four, I did enjoy most of them, especially “Even Hand” by Jim Butcher. Despite not having read any of the Dresden Files, I had fun reading this tale narrated by the villain, Harry Dresden’s enemy Johnny Marcone. He’s an interesting bad guy since he’s not quite as hard as he appears to others, and his narrative voice is well done and contains some good humor. In addition to Marcone, there is a compelling cast of characters in his employ, including a valkyrie and a very competent man who does his job well despite his disapproval of Marcone’s actions.
The only stories I did not enjoy were the two written by Heather Brewer. “Misery” centers on a mysterious town of the same name that is more bland than miserable, and that’s also how I would describe the story: not terrible but quite bland. The characters in “Misery” do not know how they arrived in this place or have memories of their lives before then, and I found the revelation about the actual purpose of Misery predictable. Aside from that issue, I thought the story lacked emotional resonance and did not find the writing as smooth as in other stories. While I didn’t dislike “Misery,” I didn’t like it either, but the same cannot be said of “Shadow Children,” in which a boy afraid of the dark is swallowed by darkness. I had similar problems with it as the previous story—predictability, lifeless writing and characterization—but despite its short length, I found it a chore to get through since it did not have a hook at the beginning like the mystery of the town in “Misery.”
Like most anthologies, Beyond the Pale contains stories varying in quality, but it only has a couple of stories that I did not find at all enjoyable. Most of the stories had more strengths than weaknesses, and some were quite excellent. I found it worth reading for the stories by Peter S. Beagle, Saladin Ahmed, and Gillian Philip alone—and it has certainly added more books and authors to my to-read list!
My Rating: 7.5/10
Where I got my reading copy: Electronic ARC from the editor.
Other Reviews:
Aug
31
2014
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.
Since I spent last weekend getting things ready for moving and working on a book review, this edition covers two weeks of books. I will have a review of Beyond the Pale, a very good fantasy anthology, on Tuesday. After that, the blog will be on hiatus at least until the week of September 22 while I am packing, traveling, and unpacking.
Lowball (A Wild Cards Novel) edited by George R. R. Martin and Melinda M. Snodgrass
The twenty-second Wild Cards book will be released on November 4, 2014 (hardcover, ebook). It’s a mosaic novel written by several authors, and this particular volume contains fiction by Carrie Vaughn, Walter Jon Williams, Ian Tregillis, Melinda M. Snodgrass (who also writes as Phillipa Bornikova), David Anthony Durham, Mary Anne Mohanraj, Michael Cassutt, and David D. Levine. A complete list of stories and major characters can be found on George R. R. Martin’s website.
Decades after an alien virus changed the course of history, the surviving population of Manhattan still struggles to understand the new world left in its wake. Natural humans share the rough city with those given extraordinary—and sometimes terrifying—traits. While most manage to coexist in an uneasy peace, not everyone is willing to adapt. Down in the seedy underbelly of Jokertown, residents are going missing. The authorities are unwilling to investigate, except for a fresh lieutenant looking to prove himself and a collection of unlikely jokers forced to take matters into their own hands—or tentacles. The deeper into the kidnapping case these misfits and miscreants get, the higher the stakes are raised.
Edited by #1 New York Times bestselling author George R. R. Martin and acclaimed author Melinda M. Snodgrass, Lowball is the latest mosaic novel in the acclaimed Wild Cards universe, featuring original fiction by Carrie Vaughn, Ian Tregillis, David Anthony Durham, Melinda M. Snodgrass, Mary Anne Mohanraj, David D. Levine, Michael Cassutt, and Walter John Williams.
Perfect for old fans and new readers alike, Lowball delves deeper into the world of aces, jokers, and the hard-boiled men and women of the Fort Freak police precinct in a pulpy, page-turning novel of superheroics and mystery.
The Bloodline Feud (The Merchant Princes #1-2) by Charles Stross
This revised omnibus edition containing The Family Trade and The Hidden Family will be released in the US on September 9 (trade paperback, ebook) and is already available in the UK. The Traders’ War, containing The Clan Corporate and The Merchants’ War, is available in the UK now and is scheduled for publication in the US on November 11. The final omnibus, The Revolution Trade, consists of The Revolution Business and The Trade of Queens and is also currently available in the UK. Its US release date is in January 2015.
Charles Stross wrote about the series and the omnibus editions at Tor.com.
Bloodline Feud: an omnibus edition of the first two novels in Charles Stross’s The Merchant Princes series The six families of the Clan rule the kingdom of Gruinmarkt from behind the scenes. They are a mixture of nobility and criminal conspirators whose power to walk between their world and ours makes them rich in both.
Miriam, a hip tech journalist from Boston, discovers her alternate-world relatives with explosive results that shake three worlds. Now, as the prodigal Countess Helge Thorold-Hjorth, she finds herself ensnared in schemes and plots centuries in the making. She is surrounded by unlikely allies, lethal contraband, and—most dangerous of all—her family.
To avoid a slippery slope down to an unmarked grave, Miriam must build a power base of her own—with unexpected consequences for three different time lines, including the quasi-Victorian one exploited by the hidden family.
The Rule of Thoughts (The Mortality Doctrine #2) by James Dashner
The second book in this YA science fiction series, following The Eye of Minds, was released last week (hardcover, ebook, audiobook). An excerpt from The Rule of Thoughts can be read on MTV News.
From the New York Times bestselling author of the Maze Runner series comes The Rule of Thoughts, the exciting sequel to The Eye of Minds. Fans of the Divergent series by Veronica Roth and The Hunger Games will love the new Mortality Doctrine series.
Michael completed the Path. What he found at the end turned everything he’d ever known about his life—and the world—completely upside down.
He barely survived. But it was the only way VirtNet Security knew to find the cyber-terrorist Kaine—and to make the Sleep safe for gamers once again. And, the truth Michael discovered about Kaine is more complex than they anticipated, and more terrifying than even the worst of their fears.
Kaine is a tangent, a computer program that has become sentient. And Michael’s completing the Path was the first stage in turning Kaine’s master plan, the Mortality Doctrine, into a reality.
The Mortality Doctrine will populate Earth entirely with human bodies harboring tangent minds. Any gamer who sinks into the VirtNet risks coming out with a tangent intelligence in control of their body.
And the takeover has already begun.
The Bully Bug (A Monsterrific Tale #6) by David Lubar
This middle grade book will be available on September 2 (hardcover, ebook). These are standalone stories, but the previous books are as follows:
- Hyde and Shriek
- The Vanishing Vampire
- The Unwilling Witch
- The Wavering Werewolf
- The Gloomy Ghost
The Bully Bug is the sixth standalone tale in the hilarious Monsterrific Tales series for young readers by acclaimed author David Lubar. The Monsterrific Tales series began with Hyde and Shriek, a Kids’ Indie Next list selection, and is sure to appeal to reluctant readers and fans of Lubar’s short stories collections.
There’s something strange going on at Washington Irving Elementary School. Kids are turning into monsters—literally!
Lud Mellon gets bitten by a bevy of bugs in his basement and the next thing he knows, he’s crawling up walls, drooling on his food, and rolling around in garbage. Turning into a giant insect seems fun at first, almost like having superpowers. But when his dad calls in the exterminators, Lud has to figure out how to stop his transformation before he gets squashed like a bug.
Aug
28
2014
Half a King
by Joe Abercrombie
352pp (Hardcover)
My Rating: 8/10
Amazon Rating: 4.1/5
LibraryThing Rating: 4.19/5
Goodreads Rating: 4.04/5
by Joe Abercrombie
352pp (Hardcover)
My Rating: 8/10
Amazon Rating: 4.1/5
LibraryThing Rating: 4.19/5
Goodreads Rating: 4.04/5
Half a King is the first book in the Shattered Sea trilogy by New York Times bestselling fantasy author Joe Abercrombie, who has also written The First Law trilogy, Best Served Cold, The Heroes, and Red Country. This latest novel, his first YA book, will be followed by Half the World in February 2015. Half a War, the conclusion to the trilogy, is scheduled for release in the fall of 2015.
Prince Yarvi plans to sit beside the Black Chair of the king someday rather than on it. Born with a partial hand in a kingdom that values fighting ability, he does not feel suited to the role of king and is much more comfortable using his mind. He has been training to be part of the Ministry under the tutelage of Mother Gundring, the Minister who currently serves as an adviser to his father. Soon he will take the test, and as Mother Gundring’s brightest student there’s no doubt in her mind he’ll pass and become Brother Yarvi, giving up his place as the second son in the line to the throne completely.
In the way such things often come to pass in stories, Yarvi’s father and brother are both murdered shortly before he is to take the test and he becomes King Yarvi. At their funeral, Yarvi swears vengeance on their murderers. After the ceremony, he and his warriors sail to seek revenge against Grom-gil-Gorm, the leader who killed their king—and Yarvi is betrayed by someone close to him, who tries to murder him and would have succeeded if the young king hadn’t fallen to the rocks below and been assumed dead. Yarvi is found and presented to Grom-gil-Gorm himself as one of the attackers but wisely hides his identity by pretending to be a cook’s boy. He’s given to a slaver, who sells him to a couple of men seeking a rower for their captain’s ship—but he cannot give up his dreams of escape and vengeance against his father’s murderers and his own betrayers.
Half a King is the fifth book I’ve read by Joe Abercrombie and perhaps the most enjoyable, though I also enjoyed the others (for context, the other four I’ve read are the First Law Trilogy and Best Served Cold). It’s not an incredibly original book or one with a lot of depth, but it is one that handles familiar elements well and manages to be at least somewhat unpredictable. I think it works for three reasons: the writing is full of personality and entertaining phrasing, Yarvi is a likable underdog who is easy to sympathize with, and the book is exactly the right length for the story being told without a single chapter seeming overly long or unnecessary. Half a King was simply an engrossing book that left me glad there is not a long wait for the second book in the trilogy.
Joe Abercrombie is known for writing grim books, and Half a King is lighter than his other books I’ve read. It’s certainly not happy—half of Yarvi’s family is killed, then he’s betrayed, nearly killed himself, and made into a slave even before some of the darker turns toward the end—but Yarvi does find friends along the way and they face various obstacles together. Yarvi is also a character it’s easy to root for since he’s forced into a situation that really isn’t what he wants when he’s made king, only to end up in an even worse situation when he is no longer a king. He’s also an outcast, not just because of the way he is viewed because of his hand, but also because his personality doesn’t fit with society’s expectations for a prince or king. While his brother and father reveled in war, Yarvi is sickened by what he sees during his first wartime experience. After all, he has been training to serve Father Peace as part of the Ministry instead of Mother War.
Though it is a successful way to make readers feel connected to a character, this is not a new concept in fantasy; many books have featured protagonists who do not fit into the mold their culture creates, particularly characters living in societies in which men are expected to be mighty warriors. What I did find a little unusual for a country in fantasy headed by a patriarchy valuing fighting skill was that women did seem to have significant influence and power despite there being an obvious division between men’s and women’s roles in the society. (Throughout Yarvi’s adventures elsewhere, there is a woman who captains a ship and fights with a sword as well as a woman who leads her people so I am specifically discussing the customs in his homeland.) Often, societies in fantasy that value strength in men seem to have them at the front and center of all other important roles as well, such as advising the king or managing the country’s affairs.
In Half a King, the Ministers–who acquire a range of knowledge and skills and serve as advisers to kings–are generally women. While Yarvi’s father was clearly the one considered the primary ruler of the two as his death resulted in his son’s ascension to the Black Chair, Yarvi’s mother Laithlin seems to be far more powerful and influential in reality as the renowned “Golden Queen” whose financial skills and strong integrity made the country prosperous. When King Yarvi is betrothed, his bride-to-be’s primary concern has nothing to do with her relationship with the king—it’s living up to the example set by this Golden Queen, revered and even worshiped for her cleverness and competence at managing the entire kingdom. She isn’t in this book very much, but I hope Laithlin is in the next book more since she seems like one of the more interesting characters.
Actually, the adult characters were both numerous and compelling, which I think is unusual for a YA book. Nothing, a slave on the ship with Yarvi, is more restricted than the others because the captain learned firsthand that he can do a lot of damage on his own, and he also has quite the mysterious past. The ship’s captain, Ebdel Aric Shadikshirram, is a little too over-the-top with her constant drunkenness and proclamations of her greatest weakness being her mercy, but she is entertaining and seems like one who may have had a rather colorful past (even if roughly three quarters of it was made up or embellished).
The fantasy aspects of the world are generic and not incredibly well-fleshed out, but I did get the feeling that this was just an introduction to the setting and the world is waiting to be opened up and explored in future installments. This may be due to the skill with which the book was paced and wrapped up: it seemed just long enough for the story told, and it also concluded in a satisfying manner without closing the door to sequels.
While I find it likely that the rest of the trilogy will delve further into the world, I think this particular book is best read for narrative voice, dialogue, and the occasional plot twist. Half a King is not a terribly unique story, but the way it was told made it a very engaging familiar story—one that’s just the right length, diverting, and filled with some interesting personalities. I’m glad there is not a long wait for Half the World.
My Rating: 8/10
Where I got my reading copy: ARC from the publisher.
Other Reviews:
Aug
17
2014
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’s books include one purchase of a book I had to have, and all are written by New York Times bestselling authors (two of which are among my favorite authors).
Before getting to the books, a quick announcement: this blog will be on hiatus for awhile next month while I move to a new state. I’ll have to see how it goes, but I think at least the first three weeks of September will be pretty quiet because of this. The entire second week of the month will definitely be devoted to moving since our stuff will be packed on Monday and won’t arrive at the new place until Thursday. This will be the first time I have lived anywhere other than Maine so this will be an interesting experience!
Due to preparing to move, I’ve had less spare time during the evenings and weekends than usual lately so I have not yet finished the review of Half a King I’m working on. I am hoping to have it up sometime this week, though!
On to the books!
Fool’s Assassin (The Fitz and the Fool Trilogy #1) by Robin Hobb
A few days ago, my husband placed an order and asked if I wanted anything, to which I said, “Didn’t the new Robin Hobb book about Fitz and the Fool JUST come out?” We looked it up and found it had just been released so it ended up being my choice. I loved the Farseer, Liveship Traders, and the Tawny Man trilogies so I was very excited to learn that there would be another related trilogy. I don’t know when I’ll get to read it due to the aforementioned move and this book’s length, but it is going on the (rather large) pile of books I really want to read soon.
The first 50 pages from Fool’s Assassin are available on Suvudu.
Nearly twenty years ago, Robin Hobb burst upon the fantasy scene with the first of her acclaimed Farseer novels, Assassin’s Apprentice, which introduced the characters of FitzChivalry Farseer and his uncanny friend the Fool. A watershed moment in modern fantasy, this novel—and those that followed—broke exciting new ground in a beloved genre. Together with George R. R. Martin, Robin Hobb helped pave the way for such talented new voices as Scott Lynch, Brandon Sanderson, and Naomi Novik.
Over the years, Hobb’s imagination has soared throughout the mythic lands of the Six Duchies in such bestselling series as the Liveship Traders Trilogy and the Rain Wilds Chronicles. But no matter how far she roamed, her heart always remained with Fitz. And now, at last, she has come home, with an astonishing new novel that opens a dark and gripping chapter in the Farseer saga.
FitzChivalry—royal bastard and former king’s assassin—has left his life of intrigue behind. As far as the rest of the world knows, FitzChivalry Farseer is dead and buried. Masquerading as Tom Badgerlock, Fitz is now married to his childhood sweetheart, Molly, and leading the quiet life of a country squire.
Though Fitz is haunted by the disappearance of the Fool, who did so much to shape Fitz into the man he has become, such private hurts are put aside in the business of daily life, at least until the appearance of menacing, pale-skinned strangers casts a sinister shadow over Fitz’s past . . . and his future.
Now, to protect his new life, the former assassin must once again take up his old one. . . .
The Abyss Beyond Dreams (Chronicle of the Fallers #1) by Peter F. Hamilton
The first half of a new duology set in the Commonwealth universe is scheduled for release in the US on October 21 (hardcover, ebook, audiobook). Its UK publication date is October 9 (hardcover, ebook). Its place in relation to the other books in this universe is between the Commonwealth Saga and The Void Trilogy.
An excerpt from The Abyss Beyond Dreams is available on the UK publisher’s website, as well as the author’s tour schedule.
The wait is over. Bestselling science fiction master Peter F. Hamilton is back with the first of a new two-book saga set in his popular Commonwealth universe. Distinguished by deft plotting, a teeming cast of characters, dazzling scientific speculation, and imagination that brings the truly alien to life, The Abyss Beyond Dreams reveals Hamilton as a storyteller of astonishing ingenuity and power.
The year is 3326. Nigel Sheldon, one of the founders of the Commonwealth, receives a visit from the Raiel—self-appointed guardians of the Void, the enigmatic construct at the core of the galaxy that threatens the existence of all that lives. The Raiel convince Nigel to participate in a desperate scheme to infiltrate the Void.
Once inside, Nigel discovers that humans are not the only life-forms to have been sucked into the Void, where the laws of physics are subtly different and mental powers indistinguishable from magic are commonplace. The humans trapped there are afflicted by an alien species of biological mimics—the Fallers—that are intelligent but merciless killers.
Yet these same aliens may hold the key to destroying the threat of the Void forever—if Nigel can uncover their secrets. As the Fallers’ relentless attacks continue, and the fragile human society splinters into civil war, Nigel must uncover the secrets of the Fallers—before he is killed by the very people he has come to save.
Shifting Shadows: Stories from the World of Mercy Thompson by Patricia Briggs
Shifting Shadows will be released on September 2 (hardcover, ebook, audiobook). It contains all six previously-published stories and four new stories set in the same universe as the Mercy Thompson and Alpha and Omega books, plus outtakes from Silver Borne and Night Broken. There is also currently a giveaway for Shifting Shadows on the author’s website.
I love the Mercy Thompson series so I’m quite intrigued by this one! (If you haven’t read this series yet and want to read it, the book to begin with is Moon Called.)
Mercy Thompson’s world just got a whole lot bigger…
A collection of all-new and previously published short stories featuring Mercy Thompson, “one of the best heroines in the urban fantasy genre today” (Fiction Vixen Book Reviews), and the characters she calls friends…
Includes the new stories…
“Silver”
“Roses in Winter”
“Redemption”
“Hollow”
…and reader favorites
“Fairy Gifts”
“Gray”
“Alpha and Omega”
“Seeing Eye”
“The Star of David”
“In Red, with Pearls”
Sleeping Late on Judgement Day (Bobby Dollar #3) by Tad Williams
The final Bobby Dollar book will be released on September 2 (hardcover, ebook). Its UK publication date is September 11 (also hardcover and ebook).
The previous books in the series are as follows:
- The Dirty Streets of Heaven
- Happy Hour in Hell
Where does an angel go when he’s been to Hell and back?
Renegade angel Bobby Dollar does not have an easy afterlife. After surviving the myriad gruesome dangers Hell oh-so-kindly offered him, Bobby has returned empty-handed – his demon girlfriend Casmira, the Countess of Cold Hands, is still in the clutches of Eligor, Grand Duke of Hell. Some hell of a rescue.
Forced to admit his failure, Bobby ends up back at his job as an angel advocate. That is, until Walter, an old angel friend whom Bobby never thought he’d see again, shows up at the local bar. The last time he saw Walter was in Hell, when Walter had tried to warn him about one of Bobby’s angel superiors. But now Walter can’t remember anything, and Bobby doesn’t know whom to trust.
Turns out that there’s corruption hidden within the higher ranks of Heaven and Hell, but the only proof Bobby has is a single feather. Before he knows it, he’s in the High Hall of Heavenly Judgement – no longer a bastion for the moral high ground, if it ever was, but instead just another rigged system – on trial for his immortal soul…
Sleeping Late on Judgement Day is the third installment of Tad Williams’ urban fantasy Bobby Dollar series!
Aug
10
2014
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 brought some books that sound very interesting! A couple of the books that showed up this week have been discussed before:
- The City by Stella Gemmell (Trade Paperback Release Date: September 2; Available Now in Hardcover and Ebook)
- The Scorched Earth (The Chaos Born #2) by Drew Karpyshyn (Release Date: August 19; Available in Trade Paperback, Ebook, and Audiobook)
The Midnight Queen (Noctis Magicae #1) by Sylvia Izzo Hunter
This debut novel will be released on September 2 (paperback, ebook, audiobook). An excerpt from The Midnight Queen is available on Tor.com.
In the hallowed halls of Oxford’s Merlin College, the most talented—and highest born—sons of the Kingdom of Britain are taught the intricacies of magickal theory. But what dazzles can also destroy, as Gray Marshall is about to discover…
Gray’s deep talent for magick has won him a place at Merlin College. But when he accompanies four fellow students on a mysterious midnight errand that ends in disaster and death, he is sent away in disgrace—and without a trace of his power. He must spend the summer under the watchful eye of his domineering professor, Appius Callender, working in the gardens of Callender’s country estate and hoping to recover his abilities. And it is there, toiling away on a summer afternoon, that he meets the professor’s daughter.
Even though she has no talent of her own, Sophie Callender longs to be educated in the lore of magick. Her father has kept her isolated at the estate and forbidden her interest; everyone knows that teaching arcane magickal theory to women is the height of impropriety. But against her father’s wishes, Sophie has studied his ancient volumes on the subject. And in the tall, stammering, yet oddly charming Gray, she finally finds someone who encourages her interest and awakens new ideas and feelings.
Sophie and Gray’s meeting touches off a series of events that begins to unravel secrets about each of them. And after the king’s closest advisor pays the professor a closed-door visit, they begin to wonder if what Gray witnessed in Oxford might be even more sinister than it seemed. They are determined to find out, no matter the cost…
The Falcon Throne (The Tarnished Crown #1) by Karen Miller
This fantasy novel will be published in the US and UK on September 9 (hardcover and ebook with audiobook available in December). It will be available in Australia and New Zealand on August 28.
An excerpt from The Falcon Throne can be read on the author’s website.
NO ONE IS INNOCENT. EVERY CROWN IS TARNISHED.
A royal child, believed dead, sets his eyes on regaining his father’s stolen throne.
A bastard lord, uprising against his tyrant cousin, sheds more blood than he bargained for.
A duke’s widow, defending her daughter, defies the ambitious lord who’d control them both.
And two brothers, divided by ambition, will learn the true meaning of treachery.
All of this will come to pass, and the only certainty is that nothing will remain as it once was. As royal houses rise and fall, empires are reborn and friends become enemies, it becomes clear that much will be demanded of those who follow the path to power.
(Cover Image Not Yet Available)
The Globe: The Science of Discworld II by Terry Pratchett, Ian Stewart, and Jack Cohen
The second Science of Discworld book will be published in the US for the first time in January 2015 (paperback, ebook).
The description below is from another edition of the book since I couldn’t find one for the upcoming US edition.
‘The Globe’ weaves together a fast-paced Discworld novelette with cutting-edge scientific commentary on the evolution and development of the human mind, culture, language, art and science. The result is an original view of the world we live in.
The Young Elites (The Young Elites #1) by Marie Lu
This young adult novel by the New York Times bestselling author of Legend will be released on October 7 (hardcover, ebook, audiobook). An excerpt from The Young Elites is available on Nerdist, which also includes this quote about the book from Marie Lu:
Marie Lu said of this new series, “THE YOUNG ELITES is an origin story of a villain, and Adelina is essentially Darth Vader or Magneto as a teenage girl. I really wanted to explore what might turn a person to the dark side. Also, writing someone with twisted thoughts is pretty fun.”
I was already quite intrigued by this book after reading the description, but finding out it was a villain origin story made me want to read it even more!
I am tired of being used, hurt, and cast aside.
Adelina Amouteru is a survivor of the blood fever. A decade ago, the deadly illness swept through her nation. Most of the infected perished, while many of the children who survived were left with strange markings. Adelina’s black hair turned silver, her lashes went pale, and now she has only a jagged scar where her left eye once was. Her cruel father believes she is a malfetto, an abomination, ruining their family’s good name and standing in the way of their fortune. But some of the fever’s survivors are rumored to possess more than just scars—they are believed to have mysterious and powerful gifts, and though their identities remain secret, they have come to be called the Young Elites.
Teren Santoro works for the king. As Leader of the Inquisition Axis, it is his job to seek out the Young Elites, to destroy them before they destroy the nation. He believes the Young Elites to be dangerous and vengeful, but it’s Teren who may possess the darkest secret of all.
Enzo Valenciano is a member of the Dagger Society. This secret sect of Young Elites seeks out others like them before the Inquisition Axis can. But when the Daggers find Adelina, they discover someone with powers like they’ve never seen.
Adelina wants to believe Enzo is on her side, and that Teren is the true enemy. But the lives of these three will collide in unexpected ways, as each fights a very different and personal battle. But of one thing they are all certain: Adelina has abilities that shouldn’t belong in this world. A vengeful blackness in her heart. And a desire to destroy all who dare to cross her.
It is my turn to use. My turn to hurt.
Echopraxia by Peter Watts
This science fiction novel will be released on August 26 (hardcover, ebook, audiobook). An excerpt from Echopraxia is available on Tor.com.
Prepare for a different kind of singularity in this follow-up to the Hugo-nominated novel Blindsight
It’s the eve of the twenty-second century: a world where the dearly departed send postcards back from Heaven and evangelicals make scientific breakthroughs by speaking in tongues; where genetically engineered vampires solve problems intractable to baseline humans and soldiers come with zombie switches that shut off self-awareness during combat. And it’s all under surveillance by an alien presence that refuses to show itself.
Daniel Bruks is a living fossil: a field biologist in a world where biology has turned computational, a cat’s-paw used by terrorists to kill thousands. Taking refuge in the Oregon desert, he’s turned his back on a humanity that shatters into strange new subspecies with every heartbeat. But he awakens one night to find himself at the center of a storm that will turn all of history inside-out.
Now he’s trapped on a ship bound for the center of the solar system. To his left is a grief-stricken soldier, obsessed by whispered messages from a dead son. To his right is a pilot who hasn’t yet found the man she’s sworn to kill on sight. A vampire and its entourage of zombie bodyguards lurk in the shadows behind. And dead ahead, a handful of rapture-stricken monks takes them all to a meeting with something they will only call “The Angels of the Asteroids.”
Their pilgrimage brings Dan Bruks, the fossil man, face-to-face with the biggest evolutionary breakpoint since the origin of thought itself.
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