Wednesday, November 30, 2016

What's Up for the Debut Author Challenge Authors, Part 31


This is the thirty-first in this new series of updates about formerly featured Debut Author Challenge authors and their works published since their last update. The year in parentheses after the author's name is the year that author was featured in the Debut Author Challenge.



Part 1 here Part 11 here Part 21 here Part 31 here Part 41 here
Part 2 here Part 12 here Part 22 here Part 32 here Part 42 here
Part 3 here Part 13 here Part 23 here Part 33 here Part 43 here
Part 4 here Part 14 here Part 24 here Part 34 here Part 44 here
Part 5 here Part 15 here Part 25 here Part 35 here Part 45 here
Part 6 here Part 16 here Part 26 here Part 36 here Part 46 here
Part 7 here Part 17 here Part 27 here Part 37 here Part 47 here
Part 8 here Part 18 here Part 28 here Part 38 here Part 48 here
Part 9 here Part 19 here Part 29 here Part 39 here Part 49 here
Part 10 here Part 20 here Part 30 here Part 40 here Part 50 here



Katie Schickel (2015)

 The Mermaid's Secret
Forge, June 14, 2016
Hardcover, Trade Paperback, and eBook, 288pages

From Katie Schickel, one of Booklist's Top 10 Women's fiction of 2015, comes The Mermaid's Secret, an original, fresh, and absolutely captivating beach read.

Life on land is suffocating for Jess Creary, who wastes her summers flipping burgers for tourists on a fishing boat off her quaint resort island home off the coast of Maine. After all, her older sister Kay died in a boating accident two years ago, her mother has disappeared, and her father isn't exactly dealing with things so well. Surfing and the handsome Captain Matthew are about the only bright spots in her life.

Then, on her twenty-third birthday, Jess catches the perfect wave--a wave that transforms her into a mermaid. Under the sea, a startlingly beautiful, dark place, Jess is reborn into a confident, powerful predator with superhuman strength --finally she is someone to be reckoned with. Meanwhile, back on land, Jess's relationship with Captain Matthew heats up, and so does her search for justice for Kay.

Jess has thirty days to choose between land and sea; legs and fins; her humanity and her freedom. Who could ignore the freedom of the sea? Yet, the ocean is a dark, wild, lonely place. Is this a gift or a curse? Will Jess choose family and love, forgiveness and truth, or will she be seduced by the wild call of the sparkling sea forever?





F. Wesley Schneider (2015)

Pathfinder Adventure Path: Strange Aeons 1 of 6 - In Search of Sanity
     by F. Wesley Schneider
Paizo Publishng Inc., September 20, 2016
Paperback, 96 pages

The adventurers awaken within the walls of the eerie Briarstone Asylum, their minds wracked and memories missing. As they work together to recover their missing time, they soon learn that the cause of their eerie amnesia is but a symptom of a much greater cosmic menace. As they struggle to retain their sanity, the heroes must ally with other asylum residents and fight against the monstrosities that have taken over the asylum and plunged it into nightmare. Can the adventurers defeat the terror that stalks the halls and free themselves from their prison of madness?

“In Search of Sanity” is a Pathfinder Roleplaying Game adventure for 1st-level characters. The adventure kicks off the Strange Aeons Adventure Path, a twisted delve into madness that pits the heroes against the cosmic horrors of the Cthulhu Mythos. Several new monsters, details on the Mythos, and the first installment of a new Pathfinder’s Journal round out this volume of the Pathfinder Adventure Path!

Each monthly full-color softcover Pathfinder Adventure Path volume contains an in-depth adventure scenario, stats for several new monsters, and support articles meant to give Game Masters additional material to expand their campaign. Pathfinder Adventure Path volumes use the Open Game License and work with both the Pathfinder RPG and the world’s oldest fantasy RPG.


Pathfinder Volume 5: Hollow Mountain
     by Erik Mona, F. Wesley Schneider, and James L. Sutter
Dynamite Entertainment, September 20, 2016
Hardcover, 192 pages

The iconic heroes of Pathfinder delve deep into an ancient fortress built by the Runelords. Carved in the immense visage of Alaznist, Runelord of Wrath, the Hollow Mountain is home to a honeycomb labyrinth of trap-laden chambers and corridors. The Pathfinder agents must explore the ruins in search of a long-lost mystical artifact... but they're not alone. Competing explorers seek out the mountain's secrets, and it won't be long before open combat erupts! But unbeknownst to the warring factions, Alaznist has not left her former stronghold unprotected. Can the Pathfinder heroes and their bitter rivals put aside their animosity to survive the mountain's fearsome guardians?

written by the collaborative team of Erik Mona (Paizo Publisher and Chief Creative Officer), F. Wesley Schneider (Paizo Editor-in-Chief), and James Sutter (Paizo Senior Editor), and featuring sensational artwork by Tom Garcia (Mercy Thompson: Hopcross Jilly), the Hollow Mountain saga expands upon the mythos of Paizo's award-winning fantasy world, fiction line, and tabletop RPG. Bonus materials include over thirty-pages of encounters and world detail for the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, including a poster map.


Pathfinder Adventure Path: Curse of the Crimson Throne
by James Jacobs, Nicolas Logue, F. Wesley Schneider, Richard Pett, Greg A. Vaughan, and Michael  Kortes
Paizo Publishng Inc., November 8, 2016
Hardcover, 480 pages

Return to a classic Pathfinder Adventure Path with Curse of the Crimson Throne, one of Paizo’s most popular campaigns! The city of Korvosa is in chaos, and her new queen may well be the source―can a ragtag group of heroes stand before the might of one of Golarion’s most notorious villains? This immense book collects the six classic Curse of the Crimson Throne adventures, and has everything you need to run an entire, full-length campaign covering months and months of play!
The Curse of the Crimson Throne hardcover includes:
• Updates the classic Adventure Path to the Pathfinder RPG rules for the first time!
• Explore expanded adventures, including a brand new mission written by Paizo’s Creative Director, James Jacobs, that sends the heroes into a perilous dungeon run by the queen’s infamous Gray Maidens!
• Features dozens of evocative new illustrations of classic characters!
• New and updated rules for monsters, magic items, and character options





V. E. Schwab (2013)

A Gathering of Shadow
Shades of Magic 2
Tor Books, January 17, 2017
Trade Paperback, 512 pages
Hardcover and eBook, February 23, 2016

From #1 New York Times bestselling author V.E. Schwab

Four months have passed since the shadow stone fell into Kell's possession. Four months since his path crossed with Delilah Bard. Four months since Rhy was wounded and the Dane twins fell, and the stone was cast with Holland's dying body through the rift, and into Black London.

In many ways, things have almost returned to normal, though Rhy is more sober, and Kell is now plagued by his guilt. Restless, and having given up smuggling, Kell is visited by dreams of ominous magical events, waking only to think of Lila, who disappeared from the docks like she always meant to do. As Red London finalizes preparations for the Element Games-an extravagant international competition of magic, meant to entertain and keep healthy the ties between neighboring countries-a certain pirate ship draws closer, carrying old friends back into port.

But while Red London is caught up in the pageantry and thrills of the Games, another London is coming back to life, and those who were thought to be forever gone have returned. After all, a shadow that was gone in the night reappears in the morning, and so it seems Black London has risen again-and so to keep magic's balance, another London must fall...in V.E. Schwab's A Gathering of Shadows.

"A Darker Shade of Magic has all the hallmarks of a classic work of fantasy. Schwab has given us a gem of a tale...This is a book to treasure."—Deborah Harkeness, New York Times bestselling author of the All Souls trilogy


A Conjuring of Light
Shades of Magic 3
Tor Books, February 21, 2017
Hardcover and eBook, 624 pages

Londons fall and kingdoms rise while darkness sweeps the Maresh Empire, and the fraught balance of magic blossoms into dangerous territory while heroes struggle. The direct sequel to A Gathering of Shadows, and the final book in the Shades of Magic epic fantasy series, A Conjuring of Light sees the newly minted New York Times bestselling author V. E. Schwab reach a thrilling conclusion concerning the fate of beloved protagonists--and old foes.





Luke Scull (2013)

Dead Man's Steel
The Grim Company 3
Ace, January 3, 2017
Hardcover and eBook, 400 pages

As the “gripping”* epic from the author of Sword of the North continues, the Grim Company must battle a dangerous new enemy that is determined to destroy all of humanity…

In the City of Towers, former rebel Sasha and her comrade Davarus Cole struggle to keep the peace between the warring mages who vie for dominion. But when the White Lady sends Davarus south to the Shattered Realms to seek allies among the fallen kingdoms, he finds that his hardest battle may be one fought within. The godly essence now residing within him offers power that could be used against the Fade—but with every death that feeds It, Cole risks losing a part of himself.

An association with a Fade officer grants the Halfmage Eremul a position of privilege among Dorminia’s new masters. He witnesses firsthand the fate that awaits humanity. But with his magic pitiful in the face of the Fade’s advanced technology, the Halfmage must rely on his wits alone to save whom he can…

And in the frozen north, the legendary warrior Brodar Kayne fights a desperate battle for his people. He is running out of time: an ancient evil sealed beneath the mountains is about to break free, an evil that is older than humanity, older than the Fade, older even than the gods—and it will not stop until the entire world is drowned in blood…

*The Guardian (UK)





Martin Seay (2016)

The Mirror Thief
Melville House, April 11, 2017
Trade Paperback, 592 pages
Hardcover and eBook, May 10, 2016

A globetrotting, time-bending, wildly entertaining literary tour de force in the tradition of Cloud Atlas.

The Mirror Thief is a dazzling combination of a genre-hopping adventure, a fast-paced mystery, and literary verve. Set in three cities in three eras, The Mirror Thief calls to mind David Mitchell and Umberto Eco in its serendipitous mix of entertainment and literary mastery.

The core story is set in Venice in the sixteenth century, when the famed makers of Venetian glass were perfecting one of the old world’s most wondrous inventions: the mirror. An object of glittering yet fearful fascination — was it reflecting simple reality, or something more spiritually revealing? — the Venetian mirrors were state of the art technology, and subject to industrial espionage by desirous sultans and royals world-wide. But for any of the development team to leave the island was a crime punishable by death. One man, however — a world-weary war hero with nothing to lose — has a scheme he thinks will allow him to outwit the city’s terrifying enforcers of the edict, the ominous Council of Ten …

Meanwhile, in two other iterations of Venice — Venice Beach, California, circa 1958, and the Venice casino in Las Vegas, circa today — two other schemers launch similarly dangerous plans to get away with a secret ….

All three stories will weave together into a spell-binding tour-de-force that is impossible to put down — an old-fashioned, stay-up-all-night novel that, in the end, returns the reader to a stunning conclusion in the original Venice … and the bedazzled sense of having read a truly original and thrilling work of literary art.

Posted by Qwill at 8:52 AM 0 comments
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Tuesday, November 29, 2016

Interview with Peter McLean, author of the Burned Man Novels, and Review of Dominion


Please welcome Peter McLean to The Qwillery. Dominion, the second novel in The Burned Man series, was published on November 1st by Angry Robot.







TQ:  Welcome back to The Qwillery. Your new novel, Dominion (A Burned Man Novel 2), was published on November 1st. Has your writing process changed (or not) from when you wrote Drake to Dominion?

Peter:  Hi, thank you for having me back. Yes, I think my process has evolved and continues to do so. Drake was my first novel and I wrote it over the space of two years, in which time it evolved from a single line to a short story to a novel as I discovered the setting and the characters for myself along the journey. By the time I started writing Dominion I had the majority of the characters already in place, and a clear idea of how the world works. I outlined Dominion a lot more than I did Drake, and was able to write it a lot quicker as a result. The third book, Damnation, which comes out in May 2017, was written completely from an outline, so as I continue to grow as a writer I’m definitely becoming a plotter rather than a pantser.



TQ:  What do you wish that you knew about book publishing when Drake came out that you know now?

Peter:  Oh gosh, everything really! I knew nothing when I started, I didn’t even have an agent (I still haven’t, in fact), and I got my break with Angry Robot through their 2013 Open Door submissions window. It’s been a very steep learning curve but I’ve been lucky enough to have a great deal of support from my editor and the lovely folks at Angry Robot, as well as the Society of Authors here in the UK.



TQ:  Tell us something about Dominion that is not found in the book description.

Peter:  Papa Armand the Vodou priest gets a much bigger part in this book. I really like him as a character, and he gave me a good excuse to hit the books doing my research on Vodou.



TQ:  You described Drake in 140 characters or less as "A demon-summoning hitman and a murderous, chain-smoking angel fight Furies and the Devil himself in a search for redemption."

Please describe Dominion in 140 characters or less.

Peter:  Betrayed by the ones they most trust, Don and Trixie’s search for redemption becomes a battle to stay alive – and keep their souls intact.



TQ:  Which character in the Burned Man series (so far) surprised you the most?

Peter:  Trixie, definitely. She becomes a much more complex character as the series unfolds, going from a task-driven soldier following orders to an independent person in her own right.



TQ:  The Burned Man is a horrible, nasty archdemon. He's also incredibly funny and oddly (very oddly) endearing. How difficult is it to balance his vileness and his humor?

Peter:  It may say a lot about me, but I find the Burned Man very natural to write. There’s something in the Burned Man that is part of the Old English tradition of the Lord of Misrule, which I think you could also see in earlier versions of Batman’s Joker character. He’s totally amoral but takes nothing seriously, and says whatever comes into his grubby little head. Devoid of any sort of moral conscience or sense of right and wrong, he’s pure human nature with the restraining bolt removed.



TQ:  How many tunnels are there under London? Did you explore any of them for the novel?

Peter:  I honestly wish I knew, but it’s a lot. I wish I could have gone exploring but apart from the London Underground and the old Cabinet War Rooms nothing is open to the public. There really are disused Tube stations down there that have barely been touched since the Second World War though, and great vaulted Victorian waterworks, not to mention the old River Fleet which was covered over and built on in the 19th century. I did a fair bit of Internet research, mostly on Urban Explorer forums where you can find some amazing photos people have taken in places they really weren’t supposed to be.



TQ:  Please tell us about the Dominion cover.

Peter:  I’m really pleased with the cover. It’s by Chris Thornley again, the same artist who did the cover for Drake. I love his work, and he’s done another marvellous job of blending the supernatural elements with the urban noir feel of the series. I was even allowed to design a little bit of it myself! You can check out some more of Chris’ awesome work at Raid71.com



TQ:  Please give us one or two of your favorite non-spoilery quotes from Dominion.

Peter: 

“No, I’m not in the business of bumping off sweet little old ladies, but murderous devil-worshipers? Yeah, those I’ll kill.”

“I love her, I really do, but she is a bit mental if I’m honest about it.”



TQ:  What's next?

Peter:  The third Burned Man book, Damnation, comes out in May 2017. We’re all done with the edits on that now, and although I very much hope to bring you more Burned Man in the future I’m currently working on something new. More on that soon, hopefully!



TQ:  Thank you for joining us at The Qwillery.

Peter:  Thank you for having me!





Dominion
A Burned Man Novel 2
Angry Robot, November 1, 2016
Mass Market Paperback and eBook, 336 pages

In the tunnels deep under London, the Earth Elementals are dying.

Hunted by something they know only as the Rotman, the Elementals have no one trustworthy they can turn to. Enter Don Drake, drunken diabolist and semi-reformed hitman, and an almost-fallen angel called Trixie.

When Don learns that Rotman is actually the archdemon Bianakith, he knows this is going to be a tough job. The fiend is the foretold spirit of disease and decay whose aura corrupts everything it comes near, and even the most ancient foundations of London will crumble eventually. Now Don, Trixie and his ever-annoying patron the Burned Man have to hatch a plan to keep Bianakith from wiping out the Elementals and bringing down the city. But the Burned Man has other plans and those may have dire consequences for everyone.

The past never stays buried, and old sins must be atoned for. Judgement is coming, and its name is Dominion.

File Under: Urban Fantasy [ The Devil You Knew / Deeped & Down / Great Irresponsibility / London’s Burning ]



Qwill's Thoughts

Don Drake, diabolist, is up to his eyeballs in problems in Dominion, the second novel in the Burned Man series by Peter McLean. But Don can tackle anything with the help of Trixie (an angel who nearly fell) and the guidance of the Burned Man, an archdemon stuck on earth in a fetish. Don agrees to help some Earth Elementals that live below London's Underground system. Their underground home is being destroyed by the Rotman who is really another archdemon.

In Dominion McLean gives more background into the early days between Don and The Burned Man. This is fascinating and plays an important roll in Dominion. Don is trying to be a better person since the events in Drake. Being a diabolist makes that very challenging, but there are lines that Don won't cross now... it seems. I don't think we've fully seen the depth of Don yet.

Trixie, who almost fell, is also trying to be better and change, but struggles. She is very straightforward and often does not get the nuances of human speech. She can't stand The Burned Man, but does realize he's a necessary evil in some ways.

Many of the characters from book 1 make appearances in Dominion. I was especially happy to see Papa Armand, who is a Houngan (a Vodou priest of the Haitian tradition). He's charming, fabulous, handsome, and very dangerous if he's not your friend.

The Burned Man is his usual awful self. He has no filter whatsoever. I adore him even though he's frightening, very clever and evil.

I thought I had figured out what was going on several times but McLean kept moving the end game in surprising and wonderful (for the reader; not the characters) ways. Dominion is deeply layered and intricate much like the tunnels under London and has huge consequences for both Don and Trixie. Things happen that change both of them.

There is a lot of expected snark and humor in the novel. There is plenty of action, battles and danger. McLean delves into several different mythologies and magic systems giving depth to the story. Dominion is wonderfully crafted and full of terrific characters. This is a marvelously complex story. There will be repercussions from what has happened in Dominion. I can't wait to see where McLean takes Don, Trixie and The Burned Man next.





Previously

Drake
A Burned Man Novel 1
Angry Robot Books, January 5, 2015
Mass Market Paperback and eBook, 320 pages
Cover Art: Raid71

Hitman Don Drake owes a gambling debt to a demon. Forced to carry out one more assassination to clear his debt, Don unwittingly kills an innocent child and brings the Furies of Greek myth down upon himself.

Rescued by an almost-fallen angel called Trixie, Don and his magical accomplice the Burned Man, an imprisoned archdemon, are forced to deal with Lucifer himself whilst battling a powerful evil magician.

Now Don must foil Lucifer’s plan to complete Trixie’s fall and save her soul whilst preventing the Burned Man from breaking free from captivity and wreaking havoc on the entire world.

File Under: Urban Fantasy [ One Last Hit / Both Ends Burning / Going Underground / London’s Finest ]





Upcoming

Damnation
A Burned Man Novel 3
Angry Robot, May 2, 2017
Mass Market Paperback and eBook
Cover Art: Raid71

Don Drake is living rough in a sink estate on the outskirts of Edinburgh, doing cheap spells for even cheaper customers while fending off the local lowlifes. Six months ago, Don fled from London to Glasgow to track down his old girlfriend Debbie the alchemist.

With the Burned Man gradually driving him mad, Don meets with an ancient and mysterious tramp-slash-magician, with disastrous consequences. Now his old accomplices must step in to save Don from himself, before he damns himself for good this time.

File Under: Urban Fantasy





About Peter

Peter McLean was born near London in 1972, the son of a bank manager and an English teacher. He went to school in the shadow of Norwich Cathedral where he spent most of his time making up stories. By the time he left school this was probably the thing he was best at, alongside the Taoist kung fu he had begun studying since the age of 13.

He grew up in the Norwich alternative scene, alternating dingy nightclubs with studying martial arts and practical magic.

He has since grown up a bit, if not a lot, and now works in corporate datacentre outsourcing for a major American multinational company. He is married to Diane and is still making up stories.


You can find Peter online at his website, on Twitter @petemc666 and on Facebook.
Posted by Qwill at 9:28 AM 0 comments
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What's Up for the DAC Authors, Part 30


This is the thirtieth in this new series of updates about formerly featured Debut Author Challenge authors and their works published since their last update. The year in parentheses after the author's name is the year that author was featured in the Debut Author Challenge.



Part 1 here Part 11 here Part 21 here Part 31 here Part 41 here
Part 2 here Part 12 here Part 22 here Part 32 here Part 42 here
Part 3 here Part 13 here Part 23 here Part 33 here Part 43 here
Part 4 here Part 14 here Part 24 here Part 34 here Part 44 here
Part 5 here Part 15 here Part 25 here Part 35 here Part 45 here
Part 6 here Part 16 here Part 26 here Part 36 here Part 46 here
Part 7 here Part 17 here Part 27 here Part 37 here Part 47 here
Part 8 here Part 18 here Part 28 here Part 38 here Part 48 here
Part 9 here Part 19 here Part 29 here Part 39 here Part 49 here
Part 10 here Part 20 here Part 30 here Part 40 here Part 50 here




Beth Cato (2014)

Call of Fire
Breath of Earth 2
Harper Voyager, August 15, 2017
Trade Paperback and eBook, 362 pages

At the end of Breath of Earth, Ingrid Carmichael had barely survived the earthquake that devastated San Francisco and almost crippled her with an influx of geomantic energy. With her friends Cy, Lee, and Fenris, she flees north, keenly aware that they are being pursued by Ambassador Blum, a cunning and dangerous woman who wants to use Ingrid’s abilities as the magical means to a devastating end.

Ingrid’s goals are simple: avoid capture that would cause her to be used as a weapon by the combined forces of the United States and Japan in their war against China, and find out more about the god-like powers she inherited from her estranged father. Most of all, she must avoid seismically active places. She doesn’t know what an intake of power will do to her body–or what damage she may unwillingly create. After all, her father was the cause of San Francisco’s obliteration.

A brief stopover in Portland turns disastrous when Lee and Fenris are kidnapped. To find and save her friends, Ingrid must ally with one of the most powerful and mysterious figures in the world: Ambassador Theodore Roosevelt. Their journey together takes them north to Seattle, where Mount Rainier looms over the city. And Ingrid is all too aware that she may prove to be the fuse to alight both the long-dormant volcano…and a war that will sweep the world.

[description from Author's website]





Anthony Ryan (2013)

The Legion of Flame
The Draconis Memoria 2
Ace, June 27, 2017
Hardcover and eBook, 592 pages

[cover not yet revealed]
Empires clash and a fell power stakes its claim in the second in a new series from the New York Times bestselling author of the Raven’s Shadow Trilogy.





Jeff Salyards (2012)

Chains of the Heretic
Bloodsounder's Arc 3
Night Shade Books, February 14, 2017
Trade Paperback, 524 pages
Hardcover and eBook, February 2016

[cover not yet revealed]
The third volume in Jeff Salyards’s gritty, clever, and inventive grimdark fantasy saga.

Emperor Cynead has usurped command of the Memoridons—Tower-controlled memory witches—and consolidated his reign over the Syldoonian Empire. After escaping the capital city of Sunwrack, Captain Braylar Killcoin and his Jackal company evade pursuit across Urglovia, tasked with reaching deposed emperor Thumarr and helping him recapture the throne. Braylar’s sister, Soffjian, rejoins the Jackals and reveals that Commander Darzaak promised her freedom if she agreed to aid them in breaking Cynead’s grip on the other Memoridons and ousting him.

Imperial forces attempt to intercept Braylar’s company before they can reach Thumarr. The Jackals fight through Cynead’s battalions but find themselves trapped along the Godveil. Outmaneuvered and outnumbered, Braylar gambles on some obscure passages that Arki has translated and uses his cursed flail, Bloodsounder, to part the Godveil, leading the Jackals to the other side. There, they encounter the ruins of human civilization, but they also learn that the Deserters who abandoned humanity a millennium ago and created the Veil in their wake are still very much alive. But are they gods? Demons? Monsters?

What Braylar, Soffjian, Arki, and the Jackals discover beyond the Godveil will shake an empire, reshape a map, and irrevocably alter the course of history.
[description from Hardcover]





Sofia Samatar (2013)

The Winged Histories
Small Beer Press, April 11, 2017
Trade Paperback, 337 pages
Hardcover and eBook, March 1, 2016

Using the sword, pen, body, and voice, four women confront a rebellion and the older, stranger threat behind it.

Four women—a soldier, a scholar, a poet, and a socialite—are caught up on opposing sides of a violent rebellion. As war erupts and their loyalties and agendas and ideologies come into conflict, the four fear their lives may pass unrecorded. Using the sword and the pen, the body and the voice, they struggle not just to survive, but to make history.

Here is the much-anticipated companion novel to Sofia Samatar’s World Fantasy Award-winning debut, A Stranger in Olondria. The Winged Histories is the saga of an empire—and a family: their friendships, their enduring love, their arcane and deadly secrets. Samatar asks who makes history, who endures it, and how the turbulence of historical change sweeps over every aspect of a life and over everyone, no matter whether or not they choose to seek it out.


Tender: Stories
Small Beer Press, April 11, 2017
Hardcover and eBook, 256 pages

The first collection of short fiction from a rising star whose stories have been anthologized in the first two volumes of the Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy series and nominated for many awards. Some of Samatar’s weird and tender fabulations spring from her life and her literary studies; some spring from the world, some from the void.





Jamie Sawyer (2016)

Origins
The Lazarus War 3
Orbit, August 30, 2016
Mass Market Paperback and eBook, 464 pages

"A gripping read that moves at warp speed." - Jack Campbell on The Lazarus War: Artefact

For someone who has died and come back as many times as Conrad Harris, the nickname Lazarus is well-deserved. His elite military teams are specialists in death - running suicide missions in simulant bodies to combat the alien race known as the Krell.

But now the Krell Empire has wreaked such devastation that military command is desperate for a new strategy. And Harris and his team are being sent on a mission that could finally turn the tide of the war.

Posted by Qwill at 8:11 AM 0 comments
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Monday, November 28, 2016

The View From Monday - November 28, 2016


Happy last Monday in November.

There are no debuts this week. From formerly featured DAC Authors:

The Traitor Baru Cormorant by Seth Dickinson is out in Trade Paperback;

Confluence (A Linesman Novel 3) by S. K. Dunstall;

and

Scorpius Rising (Scorpius Syndrome .5) by Rebecca Zanetti.



Clicking on a novel's cover will take you to that novel's Amazon page.

Novels, etc. by formerly featured Debut Author Challenge Authors are highlighted in green.






November 28, 2016
TITLEAUTHORSERIES
Assassin's Awakening (e) N.J. Walters SFR/GenEng - Project Alpha 3



November 29, 2016
TITLEAUTHORSERIES
Slipping: Stories, Essays, & Other Writing Lauren Beukes M/SF/F/Th - Collection
Hawk: A New Novel Vlad Taltos (h2tp) Steven Brust F - Vlad 14
Styx (h2tp) Bavo Dhooge Th/Crime
The Traitor Baru Cormorant (h2tp) Seth Dickinson F
Confluence S. K. Dunstall SF - A Linesman Novel 3
1635: A Parcel of Rogues (h2mm) Eric Flint
Andrew Dennis		 AH - Ring of Fire 20
Neverwhere: Author's Preferred Text Neil Gaiman CF
Flash: The Haunting of Barry Allen Susan Griffith
Clay Griffith		 SF/Media Tie-In
The Magician King (ri) Lev Grossman F/TV Tie-In - Magicians Trilogy 2
Good Vampires Go to Heaven Sandra Hill PNR - Deadly Angels 8
Kill Baxter (tp2mm) Charlie Human DF
The Fate of the Tearling Erika Johansen LF/F - The Queen of the Tearling 3
The Blockade Jean Johnson SF - First Salik War 3
Sins of the Night (ri) Sherrilyn Kenyon FR/P/CF - Dark-Hunter Novels 7
It (ri) Stephen King Th/Sus
The Dead Zone (ri) Stephen King Th/Sus
Her Brother's Keeper (tp2mm) Mike Kupari SF/SO
The Corporation Wars: Dissidence Ken MacLeod SF - The Corporation Wars 1
Doctor Who Psychology: A Madman with a Box Katy Manning Psychology
The High Mountains of Portugal (h2tp) Yann Martel Meta
Star Trek: The Hall of Heroes John Jackson Miller SF - Star Trek: Prey 3
Feverborn (h2mm) Karen Marie Moning PNR - Fever 8
Gloriana;: Or, The Unfulfill'd Queen (ri) Michael Moorcock HistF
League of Dragons (h2mm) Naomi Novik HistF - Temeraire 9
CHOP Line (e) Henry V. O'Neil SF - Sim War 4
The Phoenixes of the Nest S.C. Parris DF - The Dark World 4
The Dead Lands (tp2mm) Benjamin Percy LF/PA/Th
Aliens vs Predator Omnibus Steve Perry
Stephani Danelle Perry
David Bischoff 		SF/H/Media Tie-In
Haunted Is Always in Fashion Rose Pressey CM - A Haunted Vintage Mystery 4
Prince Lestat and the Realms of Atlantis Anne Rice Occ/Sup/P/Th - Vampire Chronicles 12
Seven Crow Stories Robert J. Wiersema DF - Collection
The Ace of Skulls Chris Wooding SP - A Tale of the Ketty Jay 4
Scorpius Rising (e) Rebecca Zanetti PNR - Scorpius Syndrome .5



November 30, 2016
TITLEAUTHORSERIES
The Four Thousand, the Eight Hundred Greg Egan SF
Dead on the Bones: Pulp on Fire Joe R Lansdale F - Collection
Street Magick: Tales of Urban Fantasy Charles P Zaglanis (Ed) UF - Anthology



D - Debut
e - eBook
Ed - Editor
h2mm - Hardcover to Mass Market Paperback
h2tp - Hardcover to Trade Paperback
mm - Mass Market Paperback
ri - reissue or reprint
tp2mm - Trade to Mass Market Paperback


AC - Alien Contact
AH - Alternate History
AP - Apocalyptic
CF - Contemporary Fantasy
CM - Cozy Mystery
CoA - Coming of Age
CW - Contemporary Women
CyberP - CyberPunk
DF - Dark Fantasy
Dys - Dystopian
F _ Fantasy
FairyT - Fairy Tales
Fict - Fiction
FolkT - Folk Tales
FR - Fantasy Romance
GenEng - Genetic Engineering
GN - Graphic Novel
H - Horror
HC - History and Criticism
HistF - Historical Fantasy
HU - Humor
LC - Literary Criticism
LF - Literary Fiction
LM - Legends and Mythology
Meta - Metaphysical
Occ - Occult
P - Paranormal
PA - Post Apocalyptic
PNR - Paranormal Romance
PsySus - Psychological Suspense
SF - Science Fiction
SFR - Science Fiction Romance
SH - Superheroes
SO - Space Opera
Sup - Supernatural
SupTh - Supernatural Thriller
TechTh - Technological Thriller
Th - Thriller
TT - Time Travel
UF - Urban Fantasy


Note: Not all genres and formats are found in the books, etc. listed above.
Posted by Qwill at 8:12 AM 0 comments
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McNaught-E November - November 28, 2016


We are excited to share with you that the fourteen Judith McNaught titles listed below are available for the first time in eBook starting on November 1st! If you previously read any of these titles, revisiting them in eBook is not “All for Naught,” as each eBook will contain original, new content (a letter) from Judith McNaught.

To celebrate Whitney, My Love (Westmoreland Dynasty Saga 1) has a $2.99 special price from November 1st - December 4th, 2016. Please check back on McNaught-E Mondays - November 1st, 14th, and 28th! Check out the excerpt from Paradise below.

And the Giveaway winner for the 14 Judith McNaught eBook is ...... Tanya G.!!!!


Blog Tour:

*****Harlequin Junkie: Spotlight Q&A with Judith McNaught!

A Midlife Wife
Agents of Romance
Alpha Heroes
Always Reviewing
Art, Books & Coffee
Black ‘N Gold Girl’s Book Spot
Books and Boys Book Blog
Books, Movies, Reviews! Oh My!
Celticlady’s Reviews
Dark Faerie Tales
Dear Author
Dew On The Kudzu
Dirty Girl Romance
Feeding My Addiction Book Reviews
KT Book Reviews
Live to Read
Mrs. Leif’s Two Fangs About It
Poof Books
Romancing the Readers
Romantic Reads and Such
Stephanie’s Book Reports
Temppatt
The Book Enthusiast
The Qwillery
The Romance Reviews
Treat Yourself With Books
Undeniably Book Nerdy
Wrapped Up In Reading
WTF Are You Reading?





About Judith

Judith McNaught is the New York Times bestselling author who first soared to stardom with her stunning bestseller Whitney, My Love, and went on to win the hearts of millions of readers with Once and Always, Something Wonderful, A Kingdom of Dreams, Almost Heaven, Paradise, Perfect, Until You, Remember When, Someone to Watch Over Me, the #1 bestseller Night Whispers, and other novels. There are more than thirty million copies of her books in print. She lives in Houston. Please visit her at JudithMcNaught.com and on Facebook at AuthorJudithMcNaught.







The Giveaway

What:  One entrant will win codes for digital copies of the 14 Judith McNaught novels courtesy of the publisher.


How:  Log into and follow the directions in the Rafflecopter below. Note that comments are moderated.

Who and When:  The contest is open to all humans on the planet earth with an email address. Contest ends at 11:59 PM US Eastern Time on November 27, 2016. Winner announced on the November 28, 2016. Void where prohibited by law. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 years old or older to enter.

*Giveaway rules and duration are subject to change without any notice.*

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Click Read more to see information for all of the novels included in The Giveaway and to read an excerpt from Someone to Watch Over Me:

Read more »
Posted by Qwill at 8:11 AM 0 comments
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Saturday, November 26, 2016

Melanie's Week in Review - November 26, 2016




Hello. Happy Thanksgiving to my American friends and readers. Feel free to post me a piece of pumpkin pie. I did read two excellent books this week. So what did I read?

I was really excited when I had my request for The Hanging Tree approved by the publisher on NetGalley. This is the 6th book in the Peter Grant / Rivers of London series. I love Aaronovitch's funny but at the same time very tense tale of Peter Grant, the cop and apprentice sorcerer.

Peter had been enjoying a relatively normal life with his girlfriend who just happens to be an immortal river goddess and his job as an investigator in a special wing of the police that deal with all things supernatural. When Peter gets a call to investigate the death of a teenager due to a drug overdose he doesn't see the magical connection ....well at first. Its not long before Peter is on the trail of his arch nemesis the Faceless Man and his former colleague who joined the dark side, Lesley.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Hanging Tree. While I have loved this series the last two books have been very dark. I went from regular bouts of lol'ing to barely cracking a smirk. I felt that Aaronvitch got the balance between humour and the darker side of the plot development a bit more even this time. Peter's inner musings, especially in relation to Nightingale and the Folly were especially humorous. The scenes with Lesley were super tense and I kept thinking 'how could you'. Aaronovitch does an admirable job of describing Peter's London. I especially like the history of the various rivers, however, his facts aren't completely accurate (specially about Queen Mary a college within the University of London but that is just me being picky because I used to work there).

Overall this is an excellent instalment and I highly recommend it if you are a fan of the series.



Book two was another book from the finalists of the SPFBO - Fionn: Defence of Ráth Bládhma by Brian O'Sullivan. We are providing joint reviews of all the finalists so I am afraid you are going to have to wait to hear what I thought. I will leave you to look at the cover instead.



That is it for me this week. I hope you have a good one. I am jetting off for a few days in Berlin (Germany) so I won't be writing a WIR next week. Hopefully, I will have lots to tell you about in my next one. Until then Happy Reading.





The Hanging Tree
Rivers of London 6
DAW, January 31, 2017
Mass Market Paperback and eBook, 336 pages

Where the Marble Arch stands today in London was once the Tyburn gallows—also known as The Hanging Tree. The walk toward those gallows along Oxford Street and past the Mayfair mansions has a bloody and haunted history as the last trip of the condemned. Some things never change. For both blood and ghosts have returned to those mansions of the super-rich. And it’s up to Peter Grant—England’s last wizard and the Metropolitan Police’s reluctant investigator of all things supernatural—to get to the bottom of the sinister doings.

Posted by Melanie at 7:17 AM 0 comments
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