The Leaning Pile of Books
Jan
27
2013

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. 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 quite a few ARCs/finished copies showed up, and a lot of them are ones I’m really excited to read. Half of these were finished copies of books I already discussed when ARCS showed up so I’m not going to show the cover and blurb for them again. However, I am going to list them here with links to the posts where they were discussed in case you’re curious:

I will be reading The Best of All Possible Worlds as soon as I finish the book I just started – it sounds amazing and I’ve heard it’s wonderful!

On to the new books…

Ghost Spin by Chris Moriarty

Ghost Spin by Chris Moriarty

Ghost Spin will be released in trade paperback and ebook on April 30, 2013. It’s set in the same universe as Chris Moriarty’s other two hard science fiction books (Spin State and Spin Control), but all three stand alone. Moriarty’s debut, Spin State, was a finalist for the Philip K. Dick Award, and her second novel, Spin Control, won the Philip K. Dick Award. Spin Control was also a Lambda Literary Award nominee in the category Best SF Novel.

Read an excerpt from the previous two books:

I have heard wonderful things about Chris Moriarty’s books, and I’m really interested in reading some of her work. Plus I think this particular book sounds pretty intriguing.

 

Sometimes a ghost of a chance is all you get.

Award-winning author Chris Moriarty returns to a dazzling cyber-noir far future in this gritty, high-stakes thriller where the only rule is “Evolve . . . or die.”

The Age of Man is ending. The UN’s sprawling interstellar empire is failing as its quantum teleportation network collapses, turning once-viable colonies into doomed island outposts. Humanity’s only hope of survival is the Drift: a mysterious region of space where faster-than-light travel—or something far stranger—seems possible. As mercenaries and pirates flock to the Drift, the cold war between the human-led UN and the clone-dominated Syndicates heats up. Whoever controls the Drift will chart the future course of human evolution—and no one wants to be left behind in a universe where the price of failure is extinction.

When the AI called Cohen ventures into the Drift, he dies—allegedly by his own hand—and his consciousness is scattered across the cosmos. Some of his ghosts are still self-aware. Some are insane. And one of them hides a secret worth killing for. Enter Major Catherine Li, Cohen’s human (well, partly human) lover, who embarks on a desperate search to solve the mystery of Cohen’s death—and put him back together. But Li isn’t the only one interested in Cohen’s ghosts. Astrid Avery, a by-the-book UN navy captain, is on the hunt. So is William Llewellyn, a pirate who has one of the ghosts in his head, which is slowly eating him alive. Even the ghosts have their own agendas. And lurking behind them all is a pitiless enemy who will stop at nothing to make sure the dead don’t walk again.

The Grail of the Summer Stars by Freda Warrington

Grail of the Summer Stars (Aetherial Tales #3) by Freda Warrington

Grail of the Summer Stars will be released in hardcover and ebook on April 23, 2013. The first two Aetherial Tales stood alone, and this one is supposed to be connected to the others while remaining a self-contained story. You can read more about Freda Warrington’s plans for the book in my interview with her, but that was in February 2011 so it’s possible her plans may have changed a bit since then!

I am incredibly excited to read this book because I LOVED Elfland and also enjoyed Midsummer Night (the first two Aetherial Tales books, published in that order). Freda Warrington’s writing is gorgeous, and I also think she did some really interesting things with the latter book, even though I loved the drama of the first book more.

 

The climactic concluding novel in the spellbinding magical contemporary fantasy Aetherial Tales trilogy

A painting, depicting haunting scenes of a ruined palace and a scarlet-haired goddess in front of a fiery city, arrives unheralded in an art gallery with a cryptic note saying, “The world needs to see this.” The painting begins to change the lives of the woman who is the gallery’s curator and that of an ancient man of the fey Aetherial folk who has mysteriously risen from the depths of the ocean. Neither human nor fairy knows how they are connected, but when the painting is stolen, both are compelled to discover the meaning behind the painting and the key it holds to their future.

In Grail of the Summer Stars, a haunting, powerful tale of two worlds and those caught between, Freda Warrington weaves an exciting story of suspense, adventure and danger that fulfills the promise of the Aetherial Tales as only she can.

London Falling by Paul Cornell

London Falling by Paul Cornell

London Falling, the first book in a dark contemporary fantasy series whose name I can’t find, will be released in hardcover and ebook on April 16, 2013 in the US (it is already out in the UK). The author has written for television, including Doctor Who, and he has also written novels and comic books. If you want to read more, here is a brief interview with Paul Cornell and an excerpt containing the first two chapters from London Falling.

 

The dark is rising . . . Detective Inspector James Quill is about to complete the drugs bust of his career. Then his prize suspect Rob Toshack is murdered in custody. Furious, Quill pursues the investigation, co-opting intelligence analyst Lisa Ross and undercover cops Costain and Sefton. But nothing about Toshack’s murder is normal. Toshack had struck a bargain with a vindictive entity, whose occult powers kept Toshack one step ahead of the law – until his luck ran out. Now, the team must find a ‘suspect’ who can bend space and time and alter memory itself. And they will kill again. As the group starts to see London’s sinister magic for themselves, they have two choices: panic or use their new abilities. Then they must hunt a terrifying supernatural force the only way they know how: using police methods, equipment and tactics. But they must all learn the rules of this new game – and quickly. More than their lives will depend on it.

Exile by Betsy Dornbusch

Exile (Seven Eyes #1) by Betsy Dornbusch

Exile will be released in hardcover and audio format on February 5, 2013. I was pretty intrigued by this one when the author contacted me about reviewing it since she had quotes about the book from both Carol Berg and Courtney Schafer (two authors whose work I’ve loved!). I’ve already started reading this, and after reading nearly 50 pages, I’m interested in seeing what happens.

There is an excerpt from Exile on the author’s website.

 

Draken vae Khellian, bastard cousin of the Monoean King, had risen far from his ignominious origins, becoming both a Bowrank Commander and a member of the Crown’s Black Guard. But when he is falsely condemned for the grisly murder of his beloved wife, he is banished from the kingdom and cast upon the distant shore of Akrasia, at the arse-end of the world.

Compared to civilized Monoea, Akrasia is a forbidding land of Moonlings, magic, and restless spirits. It is also a realm on the brink of a bloody revolution, as a sinister conspiracy plots against Akrasia’s embattled young queen–and malevolent banes possess the bodies of the living.

Consumed by grief, and branded a murderer, Draken lives only to clear his name and avenge his wife’s murder. But the fates may have bigger plans for him. Alone in a strange land, he soon finds himself sharing the bed of an enigmatic necromancer and a half-breed servant girl, while pressed into the service of a foreign queen whose life and land may well depend on the divided loyalties of an exiled warrior . . .

Exile is the beginning of an ambitious fantasy saga by an acclaimed new author.

Review of The Desert of Souls by Howard Andrew Jones
Jan
23
2013
The Desert of Souls
by Howard Andrew Jones
309pp (Hardcover)
My Rating: 7/10
Amazon Rating: 4.6/5
LibraryThing Rating: 3.84/5
Goodreads Rating: 3.78/5
 

The Desert of Souls by Howard Andrew Jones is a sword and sorcery novel set in eighth century Baghdad. The second book in The Swords and Sands Chronicle, The Bones of the Old Ones, was released toward the end of last year, and it is supposed to work as a self-contained story like The Desert of Souls. Even though the novels are fairly recent, there have been short stories featuring the same characters written by Jones and published during the last ten years.

When Jaffar’s favorite parrot dies, his Captain of the Guard, Asim, decides his master needs a diversion from his sadness. He suggests Jaffar do as his friend the caliph does: go to the market disguised as a commoner in hopes of returning with entertaining stories to tell his friends. Jaffar agrees, and he, Asim, and the scholar Dabir have their fortunes told by an old woman. She prophesies that Dabir will become known as a courageous slayer of monsters, Asim will become a renowned storyteller, and Jaffar will end up beheaded for falling in love with a woman above his rank. However, she also says if they do not go out into the streets immediately, none of these fates will come to pass.

As the three head out to the streets, Jaffar comes to the conclusion that the woman confused his fortune with Dabir’s, believing Dabir to be in love with his own niece, Sabirah. Before Jaffar can finish arguing his case, a wounded man falls before them and dies while trying to tell them they need to relay a message to the caliph about door pulls. The three are unsure of the exact meaning of this, but they find some rather magnificent door pulls among the man’s belongings and decide to investigate this matter. Dabir and Sabirah discover they appear to be associated with Ubar, a wealthy city destroyed by Allah. Those who killed the one possessing them may be seeking this lost city, its riches, and the Keeper of Secrets, who exchanges souls for knowledge. When the door pulls are stolen from them, Asim and Dabir go on a journey to find them—but can they work together to stop the thieves with Jaffar’s newfound distrust of Dabir hanging over them?

The Desert of Souls is largely an adventure containing dark magics, undead animals, a djinn, and a lost city, but I think its major strength is its emphasis on storytelling. At the beginning of the story, it’s foretold that Asim will become known as a great storyteller, and it is assumed that The Desert of Souls is one of these stories he wrote later in his life. There’s a scene in which Asim is asked to tell a story firsthand, and the observations the poet Hamil makes about Asim’s tale relate directly to the story. Hamil notes that a good storyteller does more than just give the facts about what happened and tailors the story to the audience. Asim’s narrative is a perfect example of how to tell a story since he does do much more than relate events, but gives them life through his descriptions. For example, his brief description of Jaffar’s dead parrot tells the reader more than that he simply died, managing to give a picture of what the bird’s personality was like when he was alive:

 

The parrot lay on the floor of his cage, one claw thrust stiffly toward the tiny wooden swing suspended above him. The black olive clenched in his beak was the definitive sign that Pago was a corpse, for while he had fooled us all by playing dead in the past, he had never failed to consume an olive. [pp. 1]

When some bandits who were chasing them disappear, Asim gives some insight into the nature of bandits instead of simply stating they relented in their chase:

 

Men given over to vengeance or greed might have pursued us more vigorously; these men, though, were weary, and it must be remembered that bandits by inclination are lazy, else they would have chosen a profession that required more sustained effort and less hazard of life. [pp. 120]

Asim also conveys much about his nephew in a couple of brief sentences:

 

I had found him his post, and I was ever proud to say so. He was not one of those relatives you shamefacedly found minor positions for while hoping no one would later recall your blood tie; he was the sort you boldly pointed out as a sign that God had smiled upon your family. [pp. 121]

I loved the writing style and thought it showcased Asim’s ability to tell a story very well, and I also enjoyed wondering just how much he embellished. When he told a story to the other characters, it was later pointed out to him by his nephew that some of the details were different last time he told it. Asim reminded him that a good storyteller tailored the story to his audience, and I had to wonder just what he had modified in his story told in The Desert of Souls. The story itself was fun to read but ultimately not that memorable or original, and I think Asim’s narration was easily the best part of The Desert of Souls.

While I enjoyed Asim’s voice, he could be a very frustrating character. To be frank, he could be very numb. There was one point he made a stupid mistake that seemed as though it would end badly, and it was indeed a very costly error. He also started off thinking Sabirah was a “silly girl” when she was quite obviously more intelligent than he was. Despite his glaring faults, Asim is mostly likable since he is brave and honest, but it is both interesting and infuriating to read about a character who can be so blind to the obvious. Asim does have his moments of clarity, though, and there are times when he sees more clearly than even the smartest people around him, which I thought added some nice depth to some characters who weren’t particularly fleshed out.

The Desert of Souls is most successful in its narration and focus on storytelling. The narrator has some intriguing quirks with his oversights, but neither he nor any of the other characters are particularly deep. The story can be entertaining, but it’s a conventional adventure with a standard setting and not terribly memorable on its own merits. However, the writing shines by painting a detailed picture with brevity, making it believable that the narrator Asim is indeed a great storyteller, writing down his adventures for the ages.

My Rating: 7/10

Where I got my reading copy: I purchased it.

Read an Excerpt from The Desert of Souls

Other Reviews of The Desert of Souls:

The 2013 Hugo Awards
Jan
21
2013

Hugo Award

This year is the first year I have signed up to nominate and vote for the Hugo Awards. I’ve considered it a few times, but I always felt like I’d never read enough from a given year to vote. Thanks in part to an article encouraging fans to vote for the Hugo Awards written by Renay from Lady Business, I started to think about it more seriously, especially after reading this part:

 

There’s no wrong way to participate. There’s no wrong way to be a fan. There’s space on that rocket for everyone, if we want to get all sappy about it, and the more diverse the participants engaging in this fan award are, the more it becomes an inclusive, representative award that’s going to reach more people and bring them into fandom. No, it will never be perfect; no popular award can be. But we can make it better with as many perspectives as possible.

I’ve definitely hesitated to even think about voting before because I did feel that maybe I hadn’t read the very best books worthy of nomination. But you know what? The Hugo is a fan award: all one really needs to do to participate is vote for a work they feel strongly about. No one would ever vote if it was necessary to read EVERY novel, novella, novelette, and short story and watch every movie/TV episode eligible in a given year. And the more people who vote, the more different work can be given recognition. It’s a win/win for everyone when there are more works discussed so more people can discover new work they may not have otherwise. So this year I am getting over feeling like I don’t know enough to vote and voting.

For those not attending WorldCon, you can buy a supporting membership to LoneStarCon for $60. Time to sign up is running out, though—the deadline to register is January 31. After registering, the deadline for receiving nominations is March 10. To learn more about the nomination process, I’d recommend reading this article at Kirkus written by The Book Smugglers which discusses signing up. (It also discusses their own picks for awards and I was pretty blown away to see Fantasy Cafe listed for Best Fanzine!!!!)

Another great point Renay made is that you don’t have to vote for everything. There are certainly categories I can’t vote in, like the Best Short Story category (the one year I read a book of short stories I LOVE published that year it’s a collection of previously published stories). But I definitely have some categories I feel very strongly about, and there are books I’d love to see win Best Novel, book blogs I’d love to see win Best Fanzine, and both book bloggers and authors I’d love to see win Best Fan Writer. While it’s not a Hugo, this does include the opportunity to vote for the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer, which is another category I’m eager to vote on.

I’m not 100% sure what I’ll nominate yet, but here are some possibilities:

Best Novel

The Killing Moon by N. K. Jemisin

Range of Ghosts by Elizabeth Bear

The Tainted City by Courtney Schafer

The above novels are the three I read last year that I loved the most, other than one novel I read that was published before 2012 (Patricia A. McKillip’s The Forgotten Beasts of Eld, a World Fantasy Award winner). All three are very well-executed fantasy novels with thoughtful characterization and world-building.

Best Fanzine

SF Signal – They were last year’s winner with good reason. SF Signal has the most comprehensive coverage of SFF of any blog I can think of with reviews, their Mind Meld discussions with several participants, interviews, giveaways, news, and posts on upcoming books.

The Book Smugglers – They cover other genres in addition to SFF, but they cover a LOT of SFF with reviews almost daily. Their 2012 Smugglivus event in which authors and bloggers write about various topics was a treat, and I’d also be quite happy to see either Ana or Thea recognized with Best Fan Writer since I think they write some of the best reviews and articles in the blogosphere. They manage both quality and quantity on their blog, which I think is a HUGE accomplishment.

Calico Reaction – Shara is another blogger who does well with both quantity and quality, and I also think her thoughtful reviews are some of the best written. She writes lots of book reviews, discusses movies and TV shows, and runs a book club on her blog.

Best Fan Writer

This one is tough because there are both authors and bloggers I’d love to see make it to the final ballot. I’d be thrilled to see Ana, Thea, or Shara nominated for this, and there are also some authors I think have written some fantastic articles. My favorite of these is:

N. K. Jemisin – Her own blog is pretty awesome, but she’s also written some amazing articles for other blogs in 2012. One of my favorites is “Don’t Fear the Unicorn,” an amazing article she wrote about sexism and books for the Women in SF&F series that was here in April. (Trust me, just read it. It is AWESOME. It’s personal, thoughtful, and told with a sense of humor. I love this article SO MUCH.) I also enjoyed the article she wrote at The Book Smugglers in 2012, “The Unexotic Exotic.”

John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer

Teresa Frohock – Her novel Miserere: An Autumn Tale really impressed me with its uniqueness and characterization.

Courtney Schafer – The Tainted City had the kind of complex, balanced world and characters that I love. And an intriguing magic system based on engineering!

Are you voting on the Hugo Awards this year? If so, what are you voting for? Does anyone have any recommendations for TV shows? I’m really picky about television and Game of Thrones is the only SFF TV show that I really loved last year.

The Leaning Pile of Books
Jan
20
2013

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. 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 quite a few ARCs/finished copies showed up, and I also bought (and read) a novella yesterday.

Tuf Voyaging by George R. R. Martin

Tuf Voyaging by George R. R. Martin

This is another one of George R. R. Martin’s older books that will now be back in print. Tuf Voyaging is a collection of shorter fiction, most of which was originally published in Analog in the 1980s, focusing on the character Haviland Tuf. It was released as one volume in 1986, and it will be available again in trade paperback and ebook on January 29, 2013. Tuf Voyaging also contains some black and white illustrations.

An excerpt from Tuf Voyaging containing the first 50 pages is available online.

 

Long before A Game of Thrones became an international phenomenon, #1 New York Times bestselling author George R. R. Martin had taken his loyal readers across the cosmos. Now back in print after almost ten years, Tuf Voyaging is the story of quirky and endearing Haviland Tuf, an unlikely hero just trying to do right by the galaxy, one planet at a time.
 
Haviland Tuf is an honest space-trader who likes cats. So how is it that, in competition with the worst villains the universe has to offer, he’s become the proud owner of a seedship, the last remnant of Earth’s legendary Ecological Engineering Corps? Never mind; just be thankful that the most powerful weapon in human space is in good hands—hands which now have the godlike ability to control the genetic material of thousands of outlandish creatures.

Armed with this unique equipment, Tuf is set to tackle the problems that human settlers have created in colonizing far-flung worlds: hosts of hostile monsters, a population hooked on procreation, a dictator who unleashes plagues to get his own way . . . and in every case, the only thing that stands between the colonists and disaster is Tuf’s ingenuity—and his reputation as a man of integrity in a universe of rogues.

River of Stars by Guy Gavriel Kay

River of Stars by Guy Gavriel Kay

River of Stars is set in the same world as Kay’s last novel, Under Heaven, but takes place 4 centuries later. It will be released in hardcover and ebook on April 2, 2013 (my birthday, which seems to be a very popular release date for books that sound awesome this year!).

I loved Kay’s Tigana, but the only other book of his I’ve read is Ysabel. This is something I really need to remedy since Tigana was quite excellent.

 

In his critically acclaimed novel Under Heaven, Guy Gavriel Kay told a vivid and powerful story inspired by China’s Tang Dynasty. Now, the international bestselling and multiple award-winning author revisits that invented setting four centuries later with an epic of prideful emperors, battling courtiers, bandits and soldiers, nomadic invasions, and a woman battling in her own way, to find a new place for women in the world – a world inspired this time by the glittering, decadent Song Dynasty.

Ren Daiyan was still just a boy when he took the lives of seven men while guarding an imperial magistrate of Kitai. That moment on a lonely road changed his life—in entirely unexpected ways, sending him into the forests of Kitai among the outlaws. From there he emerges years later—and his life changes again, dramatically, as he circles towards the court and emperor, while war approaches Kitai from the north.

Lin Shan is the daughter of a scholar, his beloved only child. Educated by him in ways young women never are, gifted as a songwriter and calligrapher, she finds herself living a life suspended between two worlds. Her intelligence captivates an emperor—and alienates women at the court. But when her father’s life is endangered by the savage politics of the day, Shan must act in ways no woman ever has.

In an empire divided by bitter factions circling an exquisitely cultured emperor who loves his gardens and his art far more than the burdens of governing, dramatic events on the northern steppe alter the balance of power in the world, leading to events no one could have foretold, under the river of stars.

Myth-Quoted by Jody Lynn Nye

Myth-Quoted (Myth Adventures) by Jody Lynn Nye

The newest book in the Myth Adventures series was released in trade paperback and ebook in December 2012. Powell’s Books has an excerpt from it.

This is one of my husband’s favorite series, and he’s read some of the books so many times they’re falling apart. He’ll be helping me out with this book (even though it is supposed to stand alone just fine!), and I recently read the first book in the series and am hoping to review it sometime soon.

 

A CAMPAIGN OF MYTH-INFORMATION

Since it was founded, M.Y.T.H. Inc. has dealt with all manner of vile and evil creatures. But not even a magician of Skeeve’s caliber is prepared to face the most duplicitous monsters of all: politicians. Emo Weavil and his cousin Wilmer Weavil-Scuttil have been running for governor of the island of Bokromi—for five years. Their magickal mudslinging (literal and otherwise) strategies continue to postpone the election leaving the realm in a state of leaderless chaos.

Hired to moderate a fair and balanced race between the candidates, Skeeve and Bunny attempt to clean up the dirty politics, only to become targets of the tabloids and paparazzi, who are more interested in innuendo than the facts…

Magic Dreams by Ilona Andrews

Magic Dreams (Kate Daniels #4.5) by Ilona Andrews

This novella related to the Kate Daniels series, told from the point of view of Dali, is set between Magic Bleeds and Magic Slays. It was originally published in the anthology Hexed, but it is also available on its own as an ebook (I bought my copy for $2.99). I read this one yesterday and had fun with it, although it’s not my favorite story in the series. It’s enough of a departure from the main series that I don’t think it’s necessary to read the other books first, but I’d recommend it just because I think it’s preferable to have a bit of an idea of who Dali and Jim are already.

I’m probably not going to review this one since I’m so behind on reviews at this point that I’ll probably end up writing many of them as mini-reviews (I am planning to write full reviews for the two older books I’ve read lately since I haven’t seen them reviewed). So instead I will refer you to this review of Magic Dreams written by Heidi from Bunbury in the Stacks (whose blog I’d definitely recommend checking out if you haven’t already!).

 

Magic Dreams originally appeared in the anthology Hexed.

From New York Times bestselling author Ilona Andrews comes a tale of darkness, desire, and werecats.

Alpha Pack leader Jim Shrapshire has always been the strong, silent type. But something has come over him–a magic force currently residing in one of the Pack’s headquarters. Were-tigress Dali Harimau has always wished she could get Jim’s attention–but now he needs her help.

Stricken with a magic-sickness, Jim needs Dali’s flair for magic. And to save him, she must challenge a powerful, dark being to a battle of wits.

Includes an excerpt of Ilona Andrews’s upcoming novel in the world of Kate Daniels, Gunmetal Magic, available in August 2012.

Necessary Evil by Ian Tregillis

Necessary Evil (Milkweed Triptych #3) by Ian Tregillis

Necessary Evil will be released in hardcover and ebook in April 2013. This is another series I haven’t yet read, although I have been wanting to since I’ve been hearing it’s really good. Excerpts from the first two books are available online:

  1. Bitter Seeds
  2. The Coldest War
 

12 May 1940. Westminster, London, England: the early days of World War II.

Again.

Raybould Marsh, one of “our” Britain’s best spies, has travelled to another Earth in a desperate attempt to save at least one timeline from the Cthulhu-like monsters who have been observing our species from space and have already destroyed Marsh’s timeline. In order to accomplish this, he must remove all traces of the supermen that were created by the Nazi war machine and caused the spectors from outer space to notice our planet in the first place.

His biggest challenge is the mad seer Greta, one of the most powerful of the Nazi creations, who has sent a version of herself to this timeline to thwart Marsh. Why would she stand in his way? Because she has seen that in all the timelines she dies and she is determined to stop that from happening, even if it means destroying most of humanity in the process. And Marsh is the only man who can stop her.

Necessary Evil is the stunning conclusion to Ian Tregillis’s Milkweed series.

The Night of the Swarm by Robert V. S. Redick

The Night of the Swarm (The Chathrand Voyage #4) by Robert V. S. Redick

This is the final book in The Chathrand Voyage series (another series I haven’t read but have heard really good things about). It will be available in trade paperback and ebook on February 5, 2013. An excerpt from The Night of the Swarm can be read on the publisher’s website. The previous books in the quartet are as follows:

  1. The Red Wolf Conspiracy (Read an Excerpt)
  2. The Ruling Sea (Read an Excerpt)
  3. The River of Shadows
 

Robert V. S. Redick brings his acclaimed fantasy series The Chathrand Voyage to a triumphant close that merits comparison to the work of such masters as George R. R. Martin, Philip Pullman, and J.R.R. Tolkien himself. The evil sorcerer Arunis is dead, yet the danger has not ended. For as he fell, beheaded by the young warrior-woman Thasha Isiq, Arunis summoned the Swarm of Night, a demonic entity that feasts on death and grows like a plague. If the Swarm is not destroyed, the world of Alifros will become a vast graveyard. Now Thasha and her comrades—the tarboy Pazel Pathkendle and the mysterious wizard Ramachni—begin a quest that seems all but impossible. Yet there is hope: One person has the power to stand against the Swarm: the great mage Erithusmé. Long thought dead, Erithusmé lives, buried deep in Thasha’s soul. But for the mage to live again, Thasha Isiq may have to die.

The Death Cure by James Cashner

The Death Cure (Maze Runner #3) by James Dashner

This New York Times bestselling novel became available in paperback for the first time on January 8, 2013. It is also available in hardcover, ebook, and audiobook formats.

The first two books in this young adult trilogy are The Maze Runner (excerpt) and The Scorch Trials. There is also a prequel, The Kill Order.

 

Thomas knows that Wicked can’t be trusted, but they say the time for lies is over, that they’ve collected all they can from the Trials and now must rely on the Gladers, with full memories restored, to help them with their ultimate mission. It’s up to the Gladers to complete the blueprint for the cure to the Flare with a final voluntary test.

What Wicked doesn’t know is that something’s happened that no Trial or Variable could have foreseen. Thomas has remembered far more than they think. And he knows that he can’t believe a word of what Wicked says.

The time for lies is over. But the truth is more dangerous than Thomas could ever imagine.

Will anyone survive the Death Cure?

God of War II by Robert E. Vardeman

God of War II by Robert E. Vardeman

The official novel of the videogame will be available in trade paperback and ebook on February 12, 2013. An excerpt is available on the publisher’s website.

 

All the majesty and mayhem of Greek mythology springs to life once more in the powerful second novel based on the bestselling and critically acclaimed God of War® franchise.

Once the mighty warrior Kratos was a slave to the gods, bound to do their savage bidding. After destroying Ares, the God of War, Kratos was granted his freedom by Zeus—and even given the ousted god’s throne on Olympus.

But the other gods of the pantheon didn’t take kindly to Kratos’s ascension and, in turn, conspired against him. Banished, Kratos must ally himself with the despised Titans, ancient enemies of the Olympians, in order to take revenge and silence the nightmares that haunt him.

God of War II takes the videogame’s action to electrifying new heights, and adds ever more fascinating layers to the larger-than-life tale of Kratos.

Freda Warrington’s Vampire Series Re-Release; New Book Forthcoming
Jan
19
2013

Exciting news for Freda Warrington fans who have been wishing some of her older books were easier to find! Her most popular series, a vampire series written in the 1990s, is going to be re-released by Titan Books, and Warrington is going to write a new fourth book in the series. You can read the announcement on her blog.

According to the publisher’s website, A Taste of Blood Wine will be available on May 3, 2013.

The next two books,  A Dance in Blood Velvet and The Dark Blood of Poppies, will be followed by the brand new book, The Dark Arts of Blood.

A Taste of Blood Wine has a new cover:

A Taste of Blood Wine by Freda Warrington

About A Taste of Blood Wine:

 

1918. A First World War battlefield becomes the cosmic battleground for two vampires, as Karl von Wultendorf struggles to free himself from his domineering maker, Kristian.

1923. Charlotte Neville watches as her father, a Cambridge professor, fills Parkland Hall with guests for her sister Madeleine’s 18th birthday party. Among them is his handsome new research assistant Karl – the man Madeleine has instantly decided will be her husband. Charlotte, shy and retiring, is happy to devote her life to her father and her dull fiance Henry – until she sees Karl …

For Charlotte, it is the beginning of a deadly obsession that sunders her from her sisters, her father and even her dearest friend. As their feverish passion grows, Karl faces the dilemma he fears the most. Only by deserting Charlotte can his passion for her blood be conquered. Only by betraying her can he protect her from the terrifying attentions of Kristian – for Kristian has decided to teach Karl a lesson in power, by devouring Charlotte.

I have wanted to read this ever since I saw this review at the blog for my local library’s book group. Vampire books are not normally something I’m interested in, but I’d be very interested to see what a writer like Freda Warrington did with the concept, especially after reading the review.

The Leaning Pile of Books
Jan
13
2013

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. 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 just got one book that I ordered shortly after finishing the previous book in the series.

The Crimson Crown by Cinda Williams Chima

The Crimson Crown (Seven Realms #4) by Cinda Williams Chima

This is the fourth and final book in the Seven Realms series (young adult fantasy). An excerpt from The Crimson Crown is available on the author’s website.

The first three books in the series are:

  1. The Demon King (My Review | Read Chapter One)
  2. The Exiled Queen (Read Chapter Two)
  3. The Gray Wolf Throne (Read Chapter One)

I just finished The Gray Wolf Throne and loved it, mainly because of the two main characters. I need to know what happens to Han and Raisa!

There are some spoilers for the previous three books in the description below.

 

A thousand years ago, two young lovers were betrayed–Alger Waterlow to his death, and Hanalea, Queen of the Fells, to a life without love.

Now, once again, the Queendom of the Fells seems likely to shatter apart. For young queen Raisa “ana'”Marianna, maintaining peace even within her own castle walls is nearly impossible; tension between wizards and Clan has reached a fevered pitch. With surrounding kingdoms seeking to prey on the Fells’ inner turmoil, Raisa’s best hope is to unite her people against a common enemy. But that enemy might be the person with whom she’s falling in love.

Through a complicated web of lies and unholy alliances, former streetlord Han Alister has become a member of the Wizard Council of the Fells. Navigating the cut-throat world of blue blood politics has never been more dangerous, and Han seems to inspire hostility among Clan and wizards alike. His only ally is the queen, and despite the perils involved, Han finds it impossible to ignore his feelings for Raisa. Before long, Han finds himself in possession of a secret believed to be lost to history, a discovery powerful enough to unite the people of the Fells. But will the secret die with him before he can use it?

A simple, devastating truth concealed by a thousand-year-old lie at last comes to light in this stunning conclusion to the Seven Realms series.

Have you read any of the books in this series? If so, what did you think?