Wanted Dispatch Jan 21 '14

 

Dirty Magic by Jaye Wells

When it comes to Urban Fantasy I tend to like books that lean towards noir or police procedural so when I heard about Dirty Magic which was compared to both The Wire and Breaking Bad I knew I had to read it. Sometimes its a dangerous thing to make such comparisons but having read the advance reader copy I have to say I tend to agree. Jaye Wells has put together a tightly plotted first person narrated police drama that involves a very crunchy almost hard version of magic based on the pseudo science of alchemy. She includes lots of ins and outs and layers to the politics and relationships in this book which felt very much like the pilot story arc for an compex cop drama. Is it the Wire of Breaking Bad well no, like many of the books I've loved its a mix of things the author knows well and loves combined to make something new. .... I plan a review this week but till then here is a link to an excerpt from the Orbit website and synopsis....

MAGIC IS A DRUG. CAREFUL HOW YOU USE IT.

The Magical Enforcement Agency keeps dirty magic off the streets, but there's a new blend out there that's as deadly as it is elusive. When patrol cop Kate Prospero shoots the lead snitch in this crucial case, she's brought in to explain herself. But the more she learns about the investigation, the more she realizes she must secure a spot on the MEA task force.

Especially when she discovers that their lead suspect is the man she walked away from ten years earlier - on the same day she swore she'd given up dirty magic for good. Kate Prospero's about to learn the hard way that crossing a wizard will always get you burned, and that when it comes to magic, you should never say never.

 

What Makes This Book so Great by Jo Walton

A few years back Jo Walton won awards for her book Among Others that featured a heroine that loved classic science fiction and now she has written a book about the classics she loved. This book collects the essays that Jo wrote for the tor.com website and includes her thoughts about books across the history of speculative fiction.... You probably could go back and find them all but its nice to have a collection all in one place.... Here is the announcement from tor.com for your reading pleasure...

 

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Wanted Dispatch Jan 14' 14

 

The Emperor's Blades by Brian Staveley

Back in November when I was in the midst of writing another bad nanowrimo novel Tor.com was posting the first seven chapters of this far eastern influenced fantasy novel and I missed out on reading them at the time and just got back to it. Flavor wise this one is somewhere midpoint between the grim dark of Abercrombie and the Epic High Fantasy of Brooks and stylistically Brain seems to lean towards leaner chapters not seen in lots of fantasy novels recently. Its got definite points for style and when two out of three viewpoint characters hook me I think its a good thing. Here's a link to the seven chapters tor.com posted and a synopsis....

The emperor of Annur is dead, slain by enemies unknown. His daughter and two sons, scattered across the world, do what they must to stay alive and unmask the assassins. But each of them also has a life path on which their father set them, their destinies entangled with both ancient enemies and inscrutable gods.

Kaden, the heir to the Unhewn Throne, has spent eight years sequestered in a remote mountain monastery, learning the enigmatic discipline of monks devoted to the Blank God. An ocean away, Valyn endures the brutal training of the Kettral, elite soldiers who fly into battle on gigantic black hawks. At the heart of the empire, Minister Adare, elevated to her station by one of the emperor’s final acts, is determined to prove herself to her people. But Adare also believes she knows who murdered her father, and she will stop at nothing—and risk everything—to see that justice is meted out.

 

Shovel Ready by AdamSternbergh

Came across this one just by chance yesterday but a novel that gets the nod by Lauren Buekes for being hardboiled noir certainly is worth a look. With the quickly widening gap between the rich and the poor in the western world its not hard to imagine the world that seems to be the near future setting briefly mentioned in the synopsis of this book. Its got my interest I just hope its as good and well realized as Lauren's Shining Girls from last year. Here is the synopsis from Random house books...

Spademan used to be a garbage man. That was before the dirty bomb hit Times Square, before his wife was killed, and before the city became a blown-out shell of its former self.

Now he’s a hitman.

In a near-future New York City split between those who are wealthy enough to “tap in” to a sophisticated virtual reality, and those who are left to fend for themselves in the ravaged streets, Spademan chose the streets. His new job is not that different from his old one: waste disposal is waste disposal. He doesn’t ask questions, he works quickly, and he’s handy with a box cutter. But when his latest client hires him to kill the daughter of a powerful evangelist, his unadorned life is upended: his mark has a shocking secret and his client has a sordid agenda far beyond a simple kill. Spademan must navigate between these two worlds—the wasteland reality and the slick fantasy—to finish his job, clear his conscience, and make sure he’s not the one who winds up in the ground.

 

He Drank and Saw the Spider by Alex Bledsoe

I always look forward to a new novel from Alex Bledsoe wether it is a new rural fantasy Tufa novel or if its another Eddie LaCrosse sword and sorcery noir novel like this one. Alex to me is one of the kings of the modern non-epic fantasy. If you have not read him yet you are missing out.... Here is a synopsis and a link to an excerpt from Tor.com....

After he fails to save a stranger from being mauled to death by a bear, a young mercenary is saddled with the baby girl the man died to protect. He leaves her with a kindly shepherd family and goes on with his violent life.

Now, sixteen years later, that young mercenary has grown up to become cynical sword jockey Eddie LaCrosse. When his vacation travels bring him back to that same part of the world, he can’t resist trying to discover what has become of the mysterious infant.

He finds that the child, now a lovely young teenager named Isadora, is at the center of complicated web of intrigue involving two feuding kings, a smitten prince, a powerful sorceress, an inhuman monster, and long-buried secrets too shocking to imagine. And once again she needs his help.

 

 

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Wanted Dispatch Jan 7 2014

The Girl with all the Gifts by M.R. Carey

In spoiling nothing in revealing that MR Carey is a pen name for British comics and urban noir writer Mike Carey. I first read his work when he was working for DC on the Sandman spinoff Lucifer that followed the story of the prince of lies after he abdicated e throne of hell and gave the keys to The Lord of dreams to deal with. He writes with that cynical eye on the world that sometimes only the British can pull off well. Orbit/Hachette is releasing this book in the English speaking world today and I am sorry I'll have to wait a few days to grab up a copy... Here is a link to Orbits site where there is a book trailer and hopefully some preview chapters....

A terrible, wonderful, heart-breaking story about hope and humanity and a young girl who tries to save the world.

Melanie is a very special girl. Dr Caldwell calls her 'our little genius'.

Every morning, Melanie waits in her cell to be collected for class. When they come for her, Sergeant keeps his gun pointing at her while two of his people strap her into the wheelchair. She thinks they don't like her. She jokes that she won't bite, but they don't laugh.

Melanie loves school. She loves learning about spelling and sums and the world outside the classroom and the children's cells. She tells her favourite teacher all the things she'll do when she grows up. Melanie doesn't know why this makes Miss Justineau look sad.

 

Dreams if the Golden Age by Carrie Vaughn

Carrie Vaughn is well known for her urban fantasy series about a late night radio host named Kitty and her dealings with the things that go bump in the night. This is not that series, a few years back she wrote a love letter to the golden age of comics with a book I much want to read called After the Golden Age and low and behold there is a sequel to remind me of that book I have so sadly overlooked. As a long time reader of superhero comics and science fiction this is one I really should not have put off for so long....here is a synopsis and a link to the excerpt at Tor.com. Here also is a link to Carrie's blog where she celebrates the book release....

Like every teen, Anna has secrets. Unlike every teen, Anna has a telepath for a father and Commerce City’s most powerful businessperson for a mother. She’s also the granddaughter of the city’s two most famous superheroes, the former leaders of the legendary Olympiad, and the company car drops her off at the gate of her exclusive high school every morning. Privacy is one luxury she doesn’t have.

Hiding her burgeoning superpowers from her parents is hard enough; how’s she supposed to keep them from finding out that her friends have powers, too? Or that she and the others are meeting late at night, honing their skills and dreaming of becoming Commerce City’s next great team of masked vigilantes?

 

Black Arts by Faith Hunter

I know I have mentioned the Jane Yellowrock urban fantasy series by Faith Hunter who seen rather prolific because I'm pretty sure it's been less then a year since then. I have yet to read her well loved series about the Skinwalker heroine of American Indian descent but it is a series that has been on my wanted list for a while....here is a synopsis for this ROC publication and there is also a story bible like books for the series coming out pretty soon too... Here is a link to Faith's website too...

W hen Evan Trueblood blows into town looking for his wife, Molly, he’s convinced that she came to see her best friend, Jane. But it seems like the witch made it to New Orleans and then disappeared without a trace.

Jane is ready to do whatever it takes to find her friend. Her desperate search leads her deep into a web of black magic and betrayal and into the dark history between vampires and witches. But the closer she draws to Molly, the closer she draws to a new enemy—one who is stranger and more powerful than any she has ever faced.

 

 

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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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