dead wood ...: Wanted Dispatch August 30 2014

Looking at September in Speculative Fiction there is a lot good to look forward to no matter your tastes... I'll finish with the book that needs no signal boost so here are the ones that may not be on your list just yet.

Grudgebearer by J.F. Lewis

This is one that I know next to nothing about other then the fact that the great editors at PYR thought it worthy of print which is just about good enough endorsement for me based on how much I've loved the books chosen by Lou Anders and his staff over the years. Being a little image oriented the feeling of the cover reminds me of Stormlord by Tom Lloyd which I particularly loved; the description of this reminds me of it too to a small extent. So here is the synopsis for you and you can decide...

Kholster is the first born of the practically immortal Aern, a race created by the Eldrennai as warrior-slaves to defend them from the magic-resistant reptilian Zaur. Unable to break an oath without breaking their connection with each other, the Aern served the Eldrennai faithfully for thousands of years until the Sundering. Now, the Aern, Vael, and Eldrennai meet every hundred years for a Grand Conjunction to renew their tenuous peace.

While the tortures of slavery remain fresh in Kholster's mind, most of the rest of the world has moved on. Almost six hundred years after the Sundering, an Eldrennai prince carelessly breaks the truce by setting up a surprise museum exhibit containing sentient suits of Aernese armor left behind, never to be touched, lest Kholster kill every last Eldrennai. Through their still-existing connection with their ancient armor, the Aern know instantly, and Kholster must find a way to keep his oaths, even those made in haste and anger. While Kholster travels to the Grand Conjunction with his Freeborn daughter and chosen successor Rae'en, his troops travel by sea, heading for war.

Stories of the Raksura by Martha Wells

Martha Wells has apparently written many more stories set in the same world that began with the book The Cloud Roads and expands the world with several novellas and short tales set both before and during the series. I would hope that these tales stand well on their own and can bring more readers to what was a great second world fantasy that duly deserves more readers. Here is a link to Martha's website and the synopsis for a couple of the stories..

"The Falling World"
Jade, sister queen of the Indigo Cloud Court, has traveled with Chime and Balm to another Raksuran court. When she fails to return, her consort Moon, along with Stone and a party of warriors and hunters, must track them down. Finding them turns out to be the easy part; freeing them from an ancient trap hidden in the depths of the Reaches is much more difficult.
"The Tale of Indigo and Cloud"
This novella explores the history of the Indigo Cloud Court, long before Moon was born. In the distant past, Indigo stole Cloud from Emerald Twilight. But in doing so, the reigning Queen Cerise and Indigo are now poised for a conflict that could spark war throughout all the courts of the Reaches.
Also includes the short stories "The Forest Boy" and "Adaptation," both set before The Cloud Roads.

Acceptance by Jeff Vandermeer

I've been looking forward to this since closing the cover on my copy of Authority. I honestly don't know if Jeff has any intention of answering any of the questions I have about Area X or if the closing volume of this series will raise another series of thought provoking questions but I am fully on board for the rest of the journey. Jeff manages to writer weird fiction that hints at things wondrous chilling and sometimes hilarious but always worth the price of admission and the time invested in the trip. .... So here is the synopsis... I fully expect the owl on the cover to have something to do with the story like the rabbits on Authority...

It is winter in Area X. A new team embarks across the border on a mission to find a member of a previous expedition who may have been left behind. As they press deeper into the unknown—navigating new terrain and new challenges—the threat to the outside world becomes more daunting. In Acceptance, the last installment of Jeff VanderMeer’s Southern Reach Trilogy, the mysteries of Area X may have been solved, but their consequences and implications are no less profound—or terrifying.

Maplecroft by Cherie Priest

Cherie Priest has been well known for the last several for her Steampunk series that began with Boneshaker but now she is returni to her southern gothic horror inspired roots with a story that grown out of the Lizzie Borden history. This may I fear go unnoticed because its not something with gears and guns on the cover..... Here is the synopsis ...

Lizzie Borden took an axe and gave her mother forty whacks; and when she saw what she had done, she gave her father forty-one....

The people of Fall River, Massachusetts, fear me. Perhaps rightfully so. I remain a suspect in the brutal deaths of my father and his second wife despite the verdict of innocence at my trial. With our inheritance, my sister, Emma, and I have taken up residence in Maplecroft, a mansion near the sea and far from gossip and scrutiny.

But it is not far enough from the affliction that possessed my parents. Their characters, their very souls, were consumed from within by something that left malevolent entities in their place. It originates from the ocean’s depths, plaguing the populace with tides of nightmares and madness.

This evil cannot hide from me. No matter what guise it assumes, I will be waiting for it. With an axe.

Though Seanan Mcgiure probably needs little signal boost I have to add her newest Toby novel Winter Long to this week.... For all the urban fantasy fans out there who need a new series to love...