Wanted Dispatch Dec 28... Year end edition

What other way should the year end but with a long list of great books to read, and a new podcast to become addicted to...

The Cormorant by Chuck Wendig

How else should I start this weeks must haves but with the third Miriam Black book, who doesn't love a woman who can see the way people are going to die and has learned to profit from that unique skill. As Chuck has become my favorite urban fantasy writer and my go to man for writing advise and great unique curse phrases Miriam has become my favorite bad girl heroine. The writing in this series is sharp, sarcastic and a joy to read to an antihero lover like myself and if the darker side of fiction is your thing look here. Angry Robot has printed as of this week three novels in this series and I for one hope it lasts as long as one particular story about a wizard for hire. Oh yeah if this catches your attention you must read Chucks other series about a heel named Mookie Pearl.

Here is the synopsis and a linky to Angry Robots site....

Miriam is on the road again, having transitioned from “thief”… to “killer”.

Hired by a wealthy businessman, she heads down to Florida to practice the one thing she’s good at. But in her vision she sees her client die by another’s hand – and on the wall, written in blood, is a message just for Miriam.

She’s expected…

The Bread We Eat in Dreams by Catherynne M Valente

From one gorgeous book to another we move right along to a mother of my favorite authors and podcast members. If you have been reading my wanted lists you know I adore Catherynne's writing in a way that is probably a bit on the edge of being annoying but this folklorist, poet, weird fiction writer is one of the people I recommend without reservation most often. This book may not be for everyone since its a limited printing from the fine people at Subterranean Press but if you have the dosh to spend this collection of her short fiction and poetry is well worth the investment.

To prove I'm not the only gushing fan here is the synopsis for this... Oh and this book was spotlighted in the NYT book section too (here is a link to that article....). So there you go. Here is a link to the publisher site too...

Subterranean Press proudly presents a major new collection by one of the brightest stars in the literary firmament. Catherynne M. Valente, the New York Times bestselling author of The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making and other acclaimed novels, now brings readers a treasure trove of stories and poems in The Bread We Eat in Dreams.

In the Locus Award-winning novelette “White Lines on a Green Field,” an old story plays out against a high school backdrop as Coyote is quarterback and king for a season. A girl named Mallow embarks on an adventure of memorable and magical politicks in “The Girl Who Ruled Fairyland—For a Little While.” The award-winning, tour de force novella “Silently and Very Fast” is an ancient epic set in a far-flung future, the intimate autobiography of an evolving A.I. And in the title story, the history of a New England town and that of an outcast demon are irrevocably linked.

The thirty-five pieces collected here explore an extraordinary breadth of styles and genres, as Valente presents readers with something fresh and evocative on every page. From noir to Native American myth, from folklore to the final frontier, each tale showcases Valente’s eloquence and originality.

And now a word from our sponsors, well at lest a couple of things I'd love to sponsor and the reason I have less time to read and writer now (damn you Seanan McGuire) so without further adieu a link to the double Hugo Winning podcast the SFSqueecast where SF professionals Squee all fan like about things SFnal and a link to the other podcast bringing me so much joy I just might ask it to marry me Welcome to Night Vale (no offense to my lover and partner). Welcome to Night Vale is the podcast for all weird fiction fans so if the things I write about are your thing... Well why are you waiting go go now.... Listen I can wait its just 20 minutes.. Just listen to the first... Its not dangerous.... Now the weather....

 

Once Upon a Time in Hell by Guy Adams

Another thing that has marked this year is my return to my love of the good old weird western, the year started with the magnificent novels The Six Gun Tarot that I still have yet to fully review and the moderne weird western American Elsewhere. Another book that drew my attention this year was the first in this dark weird western series titled The Good The Bad and the Infernal , I am happy to say that Solaris is publishing a sequel.... Here is a link to their website and the synopsis...

A WEIRD WESTERN, A GUN-TOTING, CIGARRILLO-CHEWING FANTASY BUILT FROM HANGMAN’S ROPE AND SPENT BULLETS.

Wormwood has appeared, and with it a doorway to the afterlife. But what use is a door if you can’t step through it?

Hundreds have battled unimaginable odds to reach this place, including the blind shooter Henry Jones; the drunk and liar Roderick Quartershaft; that most holy, yet enigmatic of orders, the Brotherhood of Ruth; the inventor Lord Forset and his daughter Elisabeth; the fragile messiah Soldier Joe and his nurse Hope Lane.

Of them all, Elwyn Wallace, a young man who only wanted to travel west for a job, would have happily forgone the experience. But he finds himself abroad in Hell, a nameless, aged gunslinger by his side. He had thought nothing could match the terror of his journey thus far, but time will prove him wrong.

On the road to Hell, good intentions don’t mean a damn.

Things Withered Susie Moloney

From one dark book to a darker one. 2013 has also seen the return of my love of horror fiction with my diving into the work of Joe Hill, Stephen King and all the marvelous writers that are chosen by the staff and editors of ChiZine. I know nothing about this author but as with my trust of Pyr and Angry Robots editors the people at ChiZine get my hearty endorsement as top notch...

Here is the synopsis.... And a link

HERE ARE THE LOST WOMEN OF SUBURBIA,

EVIL IN A T-SHIRT AND A PONYTAIL,

WASHING BLOOD OFF THE WALLS AND

MAKING SURE THE CHILDREN DON’T TELL. . . .

For the first time in one collection, award-winning author Susie Moloney unveils thirteen of her most dark and disturbing short stories.

A middle-aged realtor makes a deal that could last forever. A cheating woman finds herself swimming in dangerous waters. A wife with a dark past can’t bear the fear of being exposed. The bad acts of a little old lady come home to roost. A young man with no direction finds power behind the wheel of a haunted truck.

From behind the pretty drapes of the average suburban home, madness peers out.

 

Hive Monkey by Gareth L Powell

Last year Gareth Powell gave us the weird steampunky action adventure tale starring a monkey in a book called Ack-Ack Macaque and here comes a sequel..... A link and a synopsis...

In order to hide from his unwanted fame as the spitfire-pilot-monkey who emerged from a computer game to defeat the nefarious corporation that engineered him, the charismatic and dangerous Ack-Ack Macaque is working as a pilot on a world-circling nuclear-powered Zeppelin.

But when the cabin of one of his passengers is invaded by the passenger’s own dying doppelganger, our hirsute hero finds himself thrust into another race to save the world – this time from an aggressive hive mind, time-hopping saboteurs, and an army of homicidal Neanderthal assassins!

A Study in Ashes by Emma Jane Holloway

People looking for a differnt approach to the Sherlock Holmes tradition need look no further the here. I have gotten a great amount of enjoyment out of the unique and entertaining reinterpretations from shows like Elementary and the Holmesish stories told by Mark Hodder with his Burton and Swinburne stories so it brings me joy to find another great take on the tale. This is the third in a series that I have hopes lives quite a while... Tor.com has an excerpt here and read further for the synopsis....

As part of her devil’s bargain with the industrial steam barons, Evelina Cooper is finally enrolled in the Ladies’ College of London. However, she’s attending as the Gold King’s pet magician, handcuffed and forbidden contact with even her closest relation, the detective Sherlock Holmes.

But Evelina’s problems are only part of a larger war. The Baskerville affair is finally coming to light, and the rebels are making their move to wrest power from the barons and restore it to Queen Victoria. Missing heirs and nightmare hounds are the order of the day—or at least that’s what Dr. Watson is telling the press.

Their plans are doomed unless Evelina escapes to unite her magic with the rebels’ machines—and even then her powers aren’t what they used to be. A sorcerer has awakened a dark hunger in Evelina’s soul, and only he can keep her from endangering them all. The only problem is . . . he’s dead.

 

So that fills out this years choices... Sure I have missed things and I may just need to play a lot of catchup but it has been a marvelous year.... Look for some best of the year choices to come next week and mayhaps a review or two...

Take care kiddies...

 

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Wanted Dispatch Dec 7th...

The Hexslinger Omnibus by Gemma Files

I seldom post about eBook releases but this one that I have to call some more attention to. Gemma Files wrote a magnificent alternate western with a blend of old west and South American myths that is truly something unique as a disturbing horror western. If violent lawless anti hero tales populated by characters that you like despite yourself appeal to you this should be on your to buy list. Gemma pushes lots of boundaries with this story and I personally enjoy that kind of thing so caution to the easily disturbed and offended...here's a link and the synopsis...

It’s 1867, and the Civil War is over. But the blood has just begun to flow. For asher Rook, Chess Pargeter, and Ed Morrow, the war has left its mark in tangled lines of association and cataclysmic love, woken hexslinger magic, and the terrible attentions of a dead god. “Reverend” asher Rook is the unwilling gateway for the Mayan goddess Ixchel to birth her pantheon back into the world of the living, and to do it she’ll force Rook to sacrifice his lover and fellow outlaw Chess Pargeter. But being dead won’t bar Chess from taking vengeance, and Pargeter will claw his way back out of Hell, teaming with undercover-Pinkerton- agent-turned-outlaw Ed Morrow to wreak it. What comes back into the world in the form of Chess Pargeter is a walking wound, Chess’s very presence tearing a crack in the world and reshaping everything around him while Ixchel establishes Hex City, a city state defying the very laws of nature—an act that will draw battle lines between a passel of dead gods and monsters, hexes galore, spiritualists, practitioners of black science, a coalition set against Ixchel led by allan Pinkerton himself, and everyone unfortunate enough to be caught between the colliding forces.

With the barriers between worlds crumbling, a new war being waged across the american West, and Ixchel preparing to kick off an apocalypse fed by shed human blood while Rook plots one, final, redemptive treachery of his own, everything will come down to Chess Pargeter, once again trapped in a nightmarish underworld. But Chess has fought his way out of hell before . . . .

Experience in one omnibus package the series Publishers Weekly called “a top-notch horror-fantasy saga” full of “potent mythology, complex characters, and dollops of creeping horror and baroque gore.”

When it's a Jar by Tom Holt

Along with likely rereading the Hexslinger book this holiday season I'm reading Scott Siglers Pandemic and some HP Lovecraft so something a little humorous will be in order and though I have never read Mr.Holt I know he is supposed to be particularly fun. I particularly like the odd dry style of humor that British authors have and well you know if that this s your sort of thing....

Maurice has just killed a dragon with a bread knife. And had his destiny foretold... and had his true love spirited away. That's precisely the sort of stuff that'd bring out the latent heroism in anyone. Unfortunately, Maurice is pretty sure he hasn't got any latent heroism.

Meanwhile, a man wakes up in a jar in a different kind of pickle (figuratively speaking). He can't get out, of course, but neither can he remember his name, or what gravity is, or what those things on the ends of his legs are called... and every time he starts working it all out, someone makes him forget again. Forget everything.

Only one thing might help him. The answer to the most baffling question of all...

WHEN IS A DOOR NOT A DOOR?

Strykers by K.M. Ruiz

An omnibus edition yes another one graces my blog this week. This one is a post nuclear war survival story about people with psionic powers in the future to me that make me thing of the Japanese movies Harmageddon, one of my favorites and one I must see again and the comic series come movie Akira. Here is a synopsis of the first and second volumes collected in this one... The first volume Mind Storm....

After the world was nearly wiped out by a nuclear war 250 years ago, what’s left of society fights over the scraps of the Earth as the rich and powerful plan to secretly ascend to another planet. But the deadly new breed of humanity that the rulers have enslaved to protect their interests is about to change everything.

This is the story of Threnody Corwin, a psion with the ability to channel electricity like lightning through anything she touches. As a soldier-slave for the human government, Threnody is recruited by an unknown enemy: the son of Earth’s most powerful human family.

But Lucas Serca is far from human and he intends to make Threnody and her fellow psions meet their destiny, no matter how many people he has to kill to do it. Mind Storm chronicles the fight for survival by the psions and other gene-trash humans, before they’re killed by a corrupt world government or left to die on a crumbling Earth.

 

 

And from the second volume Terminal Point...

Threnody Corwin and her team of rogue Strykers must contend with the aftermath of the events in Mind Storm and the unlocking of a new kind of psion power. They're on the run with Lucas Serca, who is closer than ever to destroying the World Court and his father's grip on the planet. Targeting the hidden cache of the planet's food supply meant to transform Mars into a paradise for the chosen few, Lucas triggers an escalating fight with the ruling government as worldwide chaos ensues. It's up to Threnody to save society before it destroys itself, but the cost is high and in the end, there is no such thing as compromise.

There is only survival.

 

 

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Wanted Dispatch for Dec 3

Something More than Night by Ian Tregilis

During the nineties I spent a lot of my reading time working my way through the noir classics of Raymond Chandler and Dashell Hammett and the synopsis of this noir urban fantasy sound like it hits on a lot of the things I enjoy. Angels seem to be the thing on the rise with urban fantasy with yet another season of the series Supernatural and the recent well received Bobby Dollar novels of Tad Williams. Ian Tregillis' Milkwood tryptic is high on my list of must reads so this is really tempting for me to get on board for what looks like a great ride. Here is the synopsis...

 

Something More Than Night is a Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler-inspired murder mystery set in Thomas Aquinas’s vision of Heaven. It’s a noir detective story starring fallen angels, the heavenly choir, nightclub stigmatics, a priest with a dirty secret, a femme fatale, and the Voice of God.

Somebody has murdered the angel Gabriel. Worse, the Jericho Trumpet has gone missing, putting Heaven on the brink of a truly cosmic crisis. But the twisty plot that unfolds from the murder investigation leads to something much bigger: a con job one billion years in the making.

Because this is no mere murder. A small band of angels has decided to break out of heaven, but they need a human patsy to make their plan work.

Much of the story is told from the point of view of Bayliss, a cynical fallen angel who has modeled himself on Philip Marlowe. The yarn he spins follows the progression of a Marlowe novel — the mysterious dame who needs his help, getting grilled by the bulls, finding a stiff, getting slipped a mickey

Angels and gunsels, dames with eyes like fire, and a grand maguffin, Something More Than Night is a murder mystery for the cosmos.

 

Lost Covenant by Ari Marmell

A while ago I gave a growing review to the first book in this YA fantasy series that I'm sure will thrill adult sword and sorcery fans equally as teen readers. Widdershins is a marvelously sarcastic thieving heroine and Ari's setting though fairly European-ish has some very cool tweets to gods, societal conventions and myths. The second book which I still have to post my review of was much grimmer and action packed and left me wondering where he could take us next. Glady this third volume is out now.... Here is the synopsis and a link to PYR books.

It's been six months since Widdershins and her own "personal god" Olgun fled the city of Davillon. During their travels, Widdershins unwittingly discovers that a noble house is preparing to move against the last surviving bastion of the Delacroix family. Determined to help the distant relatives of her deceased adopted father, Alexandre Delacroix, she travels to a small town at the edge of the nation. There, she works at unraveling a plot involving this rival house and a local criminal organization, all while under intense suspicion from the very people she's trying to rescue. Along the way she'll have to deal with a traitor inside the Delacroix family, a mad alchemist, and an infatuated young nobleman who won't take no for an answer.

Dance of Mirrors by David Dalglish

So this is another of one of those great experiments of Orbit books of publishing a series one a month for three months. I have yet to really dive in but based on the past choices like Brent Weeks Way of Shadows I have great hopes for this assassin based series. Here is the synopsis....

Haern is the King's Watcher, protector against thieves and nobles who would fill the night with blood. Yet hundreds of miles away, an assassin known as the Wraith has begun slaughtering those in power, leaving the symbol of the Watcher in mockery.

When Haern travels south to confront this copycat, he finds a city ruled by the corrupt, the greedy and the dangerous. Rioters fill the streets and the threat of war hangs over everything. To forge peace, Haern must confront the deadly Wraith, a killer who would shape the kingdom's future with the blade of his sword.

Also a digital only short story called Cloak and Spider also hits today so you can go and get a taste of David's fiction if you like...

 

Malice by John Gwynne

As a fan of sword and sorcery and the more recent iteration e grim dark, GRRM more realistic fantasies this one seems to be something I must read. To give you a taste there is an excerpt you can look at here and for your reading pleasure here is the synopsis from John's website....

A black sun is rising … Young Corban watches enviously as boys become warriors under King Brenin’s rule, learning the art of war. He yearns to wield his sword and spear to protect his king’s realm. But that day will come all too soon. Only when he loses those he loves will he learn the true price of courage. The Banished Lands has a violent past where armies of men and giants clashed shields in battle, the earth running dark with their heartsblood. Although the giant-clans were broken in ages past, their ruined fortresses still scar the land. But now giants stir anew, the very stones weep blood and there are sightings of giant wyrms. Those who can still read the signs see a threat far greater than the ancient wars. Sorrow will darken the world, as angels and demons make it their battlefield. Then there will be a war to end all wars. High King Aquilus summons his fellow kings to council, seeking an alliance in this time of need. Some are skeptical, fighting their own border skirmishes against pirates and giants. But prophesy indicates darkness and light will demand two champions, the Black Sun and the Bright Star. They would be wise to seek out both, for if the Black Sun gains ascendancy, mankind’s hopes and dreams will fall to dust.

Ascension by Jacqueline Koyanagi

Now I believe I did mention this sci if novel a few months back when it came out in eBook version and I have to mention it again because it is coming out in paperback version this week. I can't say why but books that explore issues of sexuality and society have a draw for me and the little bit of this novel that I have read reminds me of the book Light by M John Harrison setting wise and in its tone. Here is a bit of a synopsis for you and a link to an excerpt...

Alana Quick is the best damned sky surgeon in Heliodor City, but repairing starship engines barely pays the bills. When the desperate crew of a cargo vessel stops by her shipyard looking for her spiritually-advanced sister Nova, Alana stows away. Maybe her boldness will land her a long-term gig on the crew.

But the Tangled Axon proves to be more than star-watching and plasma coils. The chief engineer thinks he’s a wolf. The pilot fades in and out of existence. The captain is all blond hair, boots, and ego... and Alana can’t keep her eyes off her. But there’s little time for romance: Nova’s in danger and someone will do anything—even destroying planets—to get their hands on her!

But the Tangled Axon proves to be more than star-watching and plasma coils. The chief engineer thinks he’s a wolf. The pilot fades in and out of existence. The captain is all blond hair, boots, and ego... and Alana can’t keep her eyes off her. But there’s little time for romance: Nova’s in danger and someone will do anything—even destroying planets—to get their hands on her!

Darkwalker by E.L. Tettensor

This one I found because I was looking through the recent issue of Writers magazine. Looks like this is a second world version of nineteenth century with its own Sherlock Holmes or Sexton Blake who has a dark secret and according to reviews I read it sounds like something I'll like. Check out the review over on goodreads...and here is the synopsis...

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…...

Dangerous Women edited by George RR Martin & Gardner Dozois

This is a collection that I have been anxious for since I read about it so long ago and will likely not be waiting for the paperback version as I do with most of these like I did Legends and Warriors. Dangerous Woman includes many of my favorite authors and the tease of more Somg of Ice and Fire history especially Targarian history is too strong a draw. If your a fantasy fan of any stripe this will more then likely be on your wish list... Speaking of wish lists here is the contents and over at Tor.com there are multiple excerpts you and check out at this here link.

• “Some Desperado” by Joe Abercrombie - A First Law story
• “My Heart is Either Broken” by Megan Abbott
• “Nora’s Song” by Cecelia Holland
• “The Hands That Are Not There” by Melinda Snodgrass
• “Bombshells” by Jim Butcher - A Harry Dresden story
• “Raisa Stepanova” by Carrie Vaughn
• “Wrestling Jesus” by Joe R. Lansdale
• “Neighbors” by Megan Lindholm
• “I Know How to Pick ’Em” by Lawrence Block
• “Shadows For Silence in the Forests of Hell” by Brandon Sanderson - A story from Sanderson’s cosmere
• “A Queen in Exile” by Sharon Kay Penman
• “The Girl in the Mirror” by Lev Grossman - A Magiciansstory
• “Second Arabesque, Very Slowly” by Nancy Kress
• “City Lazarus” by Diana Rowland
• “Virgins” by Diana Gabaldon - An Outlander story
• “Hell Hath No Fury” by Sherilynn Kenyon
• “Pronouncing Doom” by S.M. Stirling - An Emberverse story
• “Name the Beast” by Sam Sykes
• “Caretakers” by Pat Cadigan
• “Lies My Mother Told Me” by Caroline Spector - A Wild Cards story
• “The Princess and the Queen” by George R.R. Martin - A Song of Ice and Fire story

 

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For those about to read.,,,

Now, I'm researching the books that are coming on Tuesday for those in the US... I know this is a big week but I want it to be throught since well something called Xmas. My usual source is silent this week so I'm on my own...

 

And well for all who care nanowrimo was awesome this year... Hit the 50k but didn't hit the end and didn't feel like a winner because there was more story demanded by both the plot and the characters. My darlings still want to live and I'm willing to let them and tell the rest of their story. I'm their bitch now even the ones I didn't like in the beginning. So no badge for me but I've managed to succeed at continuing writing the day after for once... Yeah me....

My blog sadly has not gotten its wanted update and it will be delayed till Monday or Tuesday and I'm sorry for that...

Thanks for checking in and if anyone asks I'll post my word count.... Ask if you like...

I'm happy I participated this year...

 

Comics and reading posts to come

Shop local ....

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Noir is the Law

Magic is the Science and Art of causing change to occur in accordance with the Will - A Crowley.

- nobody ever lost money betting against the cops - Dawn Seliger

I'm opening this review with those two quotes and this section from the end of chapter one..,

But somebody killed my Bernstein, and ruined absolutely everything. But I am a fucking genius, and I was determined to find out who killed Bernstein and bring them to... No not Justice. To something else. - Dawn Seliger

Just like his protagonist in Love is the Law Nick Mamatas is determined to tell this story in all its in your face style and passion that only a disaffected teen punk girl can have and the primal scream on the cover is totally appropriate. Nick packed a whole lot into this brief novel including a great Scandinavianesque worthy detective story, political and philosophical rant that fits its right in with my memory of 1989, and that is fully prophetic of our own era nearly twent five years hence. Love is the Law is told through Dawn's jaundice coloured glasses in the wake of the latest tragedy in her life, the aparent suicide if her middle aged occult mentor and occasional lover Bernstein. The twisty turny investigation she starts takes her on a journey of discovery that links through her crack addicted father, her brilliant and now dead mentor to the comic shop , teen peers avant guarde basement shows and the rich white fucks in her Long Island town. Through Dawn Nick has a lot to say about the end of Eastern European communism, the philosophy and practice of Crowley-esque Satanism, the nature of family and the value of trusting others. Love is the Law is a rough bitter little pill of a noir novel as it sould be, borrowing from the tradition of Jim Thompson, Andrew Vacchs and Chandler Nick says a lot with his brutal brevity if your willing to listed to it. I will say this is not the book for the easily offended and it contains fucking harsh language, blatant and in your face sexual situations but its punk what do you want.

The story is told in the first person voice of punk rock girl Dawn, she spends almost no time thinking or talking about herself, her only description amounts to ' punk as fuck, studs and ripped everything, a bright orange Mohawk and I don't give a fuck about my "figure" '. What matters to her is her ability to be invisible to her fellow citizens, her interest in the occult, and like her mentor Trotskyist communism; (when we meet her achieving something other then Justice for her 'friend'.) Mixing Crowley occultism,and Communist philosophy Nick takes a new track on the urban fantasy train. The tale spins out from there introducing her dementia suffering grandmother who she lives with and reluctantly cares for, her crack addict of a loser father, the further subjects of her obsessive voyeurism and her absolute need to see someone suffer for the loss she now can't let go of. Nick started Dawn with little having taken her mother long before this story to cancer and her dad more recently to his various addictions; he continues to take away from her and test her resolve with each new thing she learns about the web of conspiracies and deceits that abound in this corner of whiteville. The triumphs of Nick's storytelling is his commitment to the voice Dawn tells her story in, sex is perfunctory lacking titillation, violence is equally perfunctory lacking aggrandizement all of it like the rest of the events in the story just are like punk anyone can do it. Nick's slim little murder myster is what all great noir novels are, a study of lead character and like the heroes of the above mentions classics Dawn takes it upon herself to right the wrongs around her and punish the apprently guilty revealing more about herself along the way they even she realizes.

I've been sitting on my feeling about this book for a week and I've come to love it more because of its complexity; Nick's stories always do that to me, give me more to think about. I know his noir heroine would spit on me for my thoughts of her as a heroine in the same vein as Lisbeth Salinder but its an apt comparison. Both woman are in a horrible place in the story, they are not the pretty heroine no matter ones screen portrayal. Dawn starts in her own urban fantasy here but it has none of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer nor even Harry Dresden glamour, its closer to the novels of Mark Teppo that I loved and his failed to gain aside fan base. This novel like most of the UF I love dredges the depths of the human soul where things are not shiny, pretty and safe. Nick is brutal, plain and blunt and that is why I enjoy his work. His characters wether they are brutal, stupid venal or just foolish they read as real to me. I was bullied for years and its great to see someone give as good as she gets. There is a brief episode of remorse when Dawn 'punches down' and it is telling that she realizes it; I like Dawn for her compassion or at least the compassion I see even if she would deny it.

This novel may not titillate you, it may not drive up your heart rate but it will give you lots of great story and things to think about. Love is the Law is a great murder mystery that has more to offer. It pulls on the occult and tarot tradition and communicated a useful message to me; The Tower is real because all things fall into chaos; the hedgemony of kings, the rise of the merchants, the time of capitalist corporate power and whatever come next all structures fall, everything changes, babalon always will fall, its just the nature of things. Survival is getting even. That's my takeaway, that is the hope offered hope to see you again Dawn. Looking forward to the next road story Nick or whatever come next Take care.... Excelsior ...

So if your local bookshops can't get it you can go to any of the following places to get this excellent tome I encourage you to bloody do so, but support your local stores if you can. Dawn rocks and so does Nick by association. Get in touch with your inner punk if you dare. At places that give stars I will be posting a five star review since I liked this book that much.

Nick Mamatas is know for his weird horror fiction tales that have connection to Lovecraftian mythos, the beats and to Hunter S Thompson among other things and edits the excellent line of SF&F translations for Haikasoru a division of Viz Comics. His fiction has also been published independently by Spectacular Fiction and by ChiZine one of my favorite small presses out of Canada.

LitReactor did an interview here

NPR review is here for your reading pleasure

Here is the link to the Dark Horse site

Barnes and Noble link here

Here is the link for Amazon and Besos supporters

 

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Wanted Dispatch Nov 23 (

Happy Fiftieth Anniversary Doctor Who.....

 

Watcher of the Dark by Joseph Nassise

I missed mentioning this one last week. Joseph's urban fantasy series that began with Eyes to See a couple years ago and its great to see he's got three novels out of it and its so wrong that I will have to get the first as an eBook at this point. This one sounds like a descent into darkness with a protagonist that unintentially sells his ability to see in daylight to see all the things that really exist when the sun goes down. You can go here on tor.com to read an exerpt and take a look at the synopsis.

Jeremiah Hunt has learned a lot since his life was irrevocably hijacked by fate months ago. But when he performs an arcane ritual to reclaim the soul of the magically gifted, beautiful woman who once saved him, he must flee the law once again, to Los Angeles, city of angels, a temporary sanctuary.

In L.A., he has to contend with Carlos Fuentes, who sees in Hunt a means to obtain the mystical key that would open the gates of Hell. Fuentes knows Hunt’s weakness—his loyalty to the woman he loves, and to another “gifted” friend—and uses the real threat of torturing them as a way to get Hunt to help complete his dread quest.

End of the Road edited by Jonathan Oliver

As people who have read my blog for a while know I love themed and even un themed anthologies. The short story is an under appreciated art and I have hopes that Internet sites like Clarkesworld, Apex, Lightspeed and Nightmare magazines and collections like this can help spread the love. Solaris had done several science fiction and fantasy collections over the years and this is one I've been looking forward to for months since I saw the first cover sample... Here is the synopsis and gives little hint as to who in part of the contents but knowing the history of Solaris with these its likely to be awesome.... Here's the link to Solaris also

An incredible anthology of orginal short stories by an exciting list of writers including the bestselling author philip Reeve and the World Fantasy award-winning Lavie Tidhar.

Each step will lead you closer to your destination, but who, or what, can you expect to meet at journey’s end? Here are stories of misfits, spectral hitch-hikers, nightmare travel tales and the rogues, freaks and monsters to be found on the road. the critically acclaimed editor of Magic, End of The Line and House of Fear has brought together the contemporary masters and mistresses of the weird from around the globe in an anthology of travel tales like no other. Strap on your seatbelt, shoulder your backpack, or wait for that next ride... into darkness.

The Land Across by Gene Wolfe

So Gene Wolfe has been my favorite speculative fiction writer since early in 1980's when I first read the amazing red sun story Shadow of the Torturer and made long distant Jack Vance fantasies among my favorite stories. I'm willing to say anything Gene writes is worth reading and that's silly but this does sound good. You can get to an excerpt here and below find the synopsis.

An American writer of travel guides in need of a new location chooses to travel to a small and obscure Eastern European country. The moment Grafton crosses the border he is in trouble, much more than he could have imagined. His passport is taken by guards, and then he is detained for not having it. He is released into the custody of a family, but is again detained.

It becomes evident that there are supernatural agencies at work, but they are not in some ways as threatening as the brute forces of bureaucracy and corruption in that country. Is our hero in fact a spy for the CIA? Or is he an innocent citizen caught in a Kafkaesque trap?

Last to Rise by Francis Knight

I loved the urban fantasy introduction to this second fantasy world with the novel Fade to Black a some months ago and have been anxious for each subsequent volume. This dark fantasy that to me seemed equally influenced by my favorite sword and sorcery tales my love of the near future stories of 200AD, Judge Dredd and the grim future settings like 40k. Francis pulled from so many of her sports entertainment and fictional lives in crafting this world and its inhabitants; I for one hope this is not the last sojourn there and I hope she has more in store for us as a writer no matter what it is.

Here is a link to the except from the book and in the days to come i will link back to my previous posts and excerpts from this marvelous series...

 

 

Hope Doctor Who totally rocks....... I love them all even the ones I've seen so few of....

For honesties sake my first doctor who was the non canonical Peter Cushing... Followed by Tom Baker.. Sonic screwdriver for the win....

 

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Wanted Dispatch Nov 17th...

Sorry for the days delay... Had to work yesterday she did not have the file ready to post...

Wild Fell by Michael Rowe

So Clive Barker has some really nice things to say about Michael Rowe's novel soon to be out from ChiZine Publications is enough to get me on board. I'm enclined towards this from it being ChiZine alone but if horror is your thing at all I thinkmthis will probably be right up your alley as it is mine....her is the synopsis on ChiZine for your perusal and a link to the post itself here...

The crumbling summerhouse called Wild Fell, soaring above the desolate shores of Blackmore Island, has weathered the violence of the seasons for more than a century. Built for his family by a 19th-century politician of impeccable rectitude, the house has kept its terrible secrets and its darkness sealed within its walls. For a hundred years, the townspeople of alvina have prayed that the darkness inside Wild Fell would stay there, locked away from the light.

Jameson Browning, a man well acquainted with suffering, has purchased Wild Fell with the intention of beginning a new life, of letting in the light. But what waits for him at the house is devoted to its darkness and guards it jealously. It has been waiting for Jameson his whole life . . . or even longer. and now, at long last, it has found him.

 

Romulus Buckle & the Engines of War by Richard Ellis Preston Jr.

As a fan of steampunk I'm anxious to read this series, it may get some very differing opinions over at goodreads but sometimes that is a good thing because it means he's touched a nerve with people. Its one of the few steampunk stories set in the west cosast of the US but that makes a good deal of sense given the realities of the mid 1800's. Here is the synopsis from the amazon publishing site...

The frozen wasteland of Snow World—known as Southern California before an alien invasion decimated civilization—is home to warring steampunk clans. Crankshafts, Imperials, Tinskins, Brineboilers, and many more all battle one another for precious supplies, against ravenous mutant beasts for basic survival, and with the mysterious Founders for their very freedom.

Through this ruined world soars the Pneumatic Zeppelin, captained by the daring Romulus Buckle. In the wake of a nearly suicidal assault on the Founders’ prison city to rescue key military leaders, both the steam-powered airship and its crew are bruised and battered. Yet there’s little time for rest or repairs: Founders raids threaten to shatter the fragile alliance Buckle has risked everything to forge among the clans.

Even as he musters what seems a futile defense in the face of inevitable war, Buckle learns that the most mysterious clan of all is holding his long-lost sister in a secret base—and that she holds the ultimate key to victory over the Founders. But rescuing her means abandoning his allies and praying they survive long enough for there to be an alliance to return to.

And that's all for now ... Next week I know is a bit bigger seeing as there were no new strait up fantasy or SF expected in the third week of the month...

Sorry for the tardiness of this post... I hope to get some comments in the comics controversy this last week and my thoughts and reactions to the matter. Take care....

 

 

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Wanted Dispatch Nov 9...

There are just a couple for this week...

The Waking that Kills by Stephen Gregory

Solaris along with Pyr, ChiZine and Angry Robot are the publishers I watch and visit constantly to see what great shiny new things are coming out. My attraction to these kinds of titles, supernatural horror or thriller, may have been triggered by just how great Nos4a2 by Joe Hill was and I'm searching for more no it may just be I'm in a horror kind of mood. The synopsis for this sounds pretty good and I'm general I'm always up for trying authors new to me... Here is a link to Solaris and a bit of the synopsis.

The ghosts that haunt us are not always strangers.

When his elderly father suffers a stroke, Christopher Beale returns to england. He has no home, no otherfamily. adrift, he answers an advert for a live-in tutor for a teenage boy. the boy is lawrence lundy, who possesses the spirit of his father, a military pilot – missing, presumed dead. unable to accept that his father is gone, lawrence keeps his presence alive, in the big old house, in the overgrown garden.

His mother, Juliet lundy, a fey, scatty widow living on her nerves, keeps the boy at home, away from other children,away from the world. and in the suffocating heat of a long summer, she too is infected by the madness of her son. Christopher Beale becomes entangled in the strange household... enmeshed in the oddness of the boy and his fragile mother. only by forcing the boy to release the spirit of his father can there be any escape from the haunting.a dark novel of possession.

 

Fiddlehead by Cherie Priest

Counting the novella Clementine Fiddlehead marks sixth excursion into her steampunk post civil war America in the Clockwork Century series. I'm a bit behind on this series but I'm willing to say that as with books by Catherynne M Valente, and Elizabeth Bear to name just a couple of my favorite authors I'm pretty much hooked into getting a copy ASAP. Here is the synopsis from the US publisher Tor's website and a link for you to follow

Young ex-slave Gideon Bardsley is a brilliant inventor, but the job is less glamorous than one might think, especially since the assassination attempts started. Worse yet, they're trying to destroy his greatest achievement: a calculating engine called Fiddlehead, which provides undeniable proof of something awful enough to destroy the world. Both man and machine are at risk from forces conspiring to keep the Civil War going and the money flowing.

Bardsley has no choice but to ask his patron, former president Abraham Lincoln, for help. Lincoln retired from leading the country after an attempt on his life, but is quite interested in Bardsley’s immense data-processing capacities, confident that if people have the facts, they'll see reason and urge the government to end the war. Lincoln must keep Bardsley safe until he can finish his research, so he calls on his old private security staff to protect Gideon and his data.

 

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Wanted Dispatch Nov 2

So its November and for me that means its NaNoWriMo time. I don't know if any of my readers out there do it or know about it but I'd ask you to wish me luck. If your working away at you fifty k words to I wish you luck and I will not crow about my own only share that I have managed to write at least for the first two days so far and no I am not counting these words. I'm really enjoying this years attempt so far. If your doing it and want a nano buddy I'm glshade...on to this weeks shiny things...

Dance of Blades by David Dalglish

So last month I had the first of the books for this assassin centric sword and sorcery series on my blog and here is the second volume. David as I said before published this through a smaller publisher before and its great for him and since it is coming out monthly great for those of us who are looking for more good sw&s novels. So here is a link to Orbits website for a story excerpt. And if you just want a peek at the synopsis..

 

It's been five long years since the city learned to fear...

The war between the thief guilds and the powerful allegiance known as the Trifect has slowly dwindled. Now only the mysterious Haern is left to wage his private battle against the guilds in the guise of the Watcher - a vicious killer who knows no limits. But when the son of Alyssa Gemcroft, one of the three leaders of the Trifect, is believed murdered, the slaughter begins anew. Mercenaries flood the streets with one goal in mind: find and kill the Watcher.

Peace or destruction; every war must have its end.

Fantasy author David Dalglish spins a tale of retribution and darkness, and an underworld reaching for ultimate power

Swords are My Business Alex Bledsoe

This is a new one for me to point you all towards; This is a collection of the four Eddie Lacrosse Novels that mixed the tropes of sword and sorcery with noir crime novels and I think though popular really did not get the audience it could have. They have collected them into a single volume eBook and should absolutely be on your list if either genre is your thing. Alex is an excellent storyteller and this is a well worth a look if you have an e reader. The people at the website Dragonmount have a full description that you can go look at here

The God Tattoo by Tom Lloyd

This is a short story collection of stories set in the same world as the Twilight Reign series that started with Stormcaller and ended with The Ragged Man. Having read Stormcaller I can say this series tells a tale that to me felt somewhere between Game of Thrones and Malazan Book of the fallen. Tom Lloyd's story had much of the feeling of scope from GRRM's series and the totally crazy gonzo wild magic and tone from Steve Erikson and Ian Esselmont's series. Here is the synopsis and a link to Pry who are the publisher here in the US.

A collection of short stories, set in the world of the Twilight Reign series.

Eleven stories that add further colour and shape to the epic story of the Twilight Reign series - this is an essential volume for Tom Lloyd's many fans.

The history of the Land may remember the slaughter at Moorview or the horror of Scree's fall, but there were other casualties of the secret war against Azaer - more tales surrounding those bloody years that went unrecorded. In the shadow of memorials to the glorious dead, these ghosts lie quiet and forgotten by all but a few.

A companion collection to the Twilight Reign quintet, these 11 stories shine a rather different light on the Land. Look past the armies and politics of the Seven Tribes and you will find smaller moments that shaped the course of history in their own way. But even forgotten secrets can kill. Even shadows can have claws.

Starhawk by Jack McDevitt

And this weeks one non fantasy title is one what snuck up on me in an odd way. Penguin in the US sent me a review copy of this military space opera written by a former naval officer and one of the authors I've been wanting to read for several years now... here is the synopsis (this is the continuation of a series and will be another time I'm diving in mid story...)

Priscilla Hutchins has been through many experiences.

This is the story of her first unforgettable adventure…

Priscilla Hutch” Hutchins has finally realized her lifelong dream: She’s completed a nerve-bending qualification flight for a pilot’s license.

Her timing is far from optimal, however. Faster-than-light travel has only recently become a reality, and the World Space Authority is still learning how to manage long-range missions safely. To make matters worse, efforts to prepare two planets for colonization are killing off native life-forms, outraging people on Earth.

So there’s not a lot of demand for space pilots. Priscilla thinks her career may be over before it has begun. But her ambition won’t be denied, and soon she is on the bridge of an interstellar ship, working for the corporation that is responsible for the terraforming.

Her working conditions include bomb threats, sabotage, clashes with her employersand a mission to a world, adrift between the stars, that harbors a life-form unlike anything humanity has ever seen. Ultimately, she will be part of a life-and-death struggle that will test both her capabilities and her character...

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