Thursday 19 April 2012
Wednesday 18 April 2012
Exclusive extract from THE MONGOLIAD
The Mongoliad is a collaborative effort from Neal Stephenson, Greg Bear, Mark Teppo, and a few other authors. And thanks to the authors, here's an excerpt for you to read! For more info about this title: Canada, USA, Europe.
Here's the blurb:
The first novel to be released in The Foreworld Saga, The Mongoliad: Book One, is an epic-within-an-epic, taking place in 13th century. In it, a small band of warriors and mystics raise their swords to save Europe from a bloodthirsty Mongol invasion. Inspired by their leader (an elder of an order of warrior monks), they embark on a perilous journey and uncover the history of hidden knowledge and conflict among powerful secret societies that had been shaping world events for millennia.
But the saga reaches the modern world via a circuitous route. In the late 19th century, Sir Richard F. Burton, an expert on exotic languages and historical swordsmanship, is approached by a mysterious group of English martial arts aficionados about translating a collection of long-lost manuscripts. Burton dies before his work is finished, and his efforts were thought lost until recently rediscovered by a team of amateur archaeologists in the ruins of a mansion in Trieste, Italy. From this collection of arcana, the incredible tale of The Mongoliad was recreated.
Full of high adventure, unforgettable characters, and unflinching battle scenes, The Mongoliad ignites a dangerous quest where willpower and blades are tested and the scope of world-building is redefined.
For more information, check out their official website.
Enjoy!
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Ögedei leaned back on silk sheets and breathed the aromatic air infusing his private chambers deep into his lungs. Jasmine and magnolia, with a hint of cedar. It wasn't the same as the rarified scent of the open steppes, but it reminded him nonetheless. In this room, away from the bowing and scraping sycophants and the watchful eyes of his guard, he could forget about the affairs of the empire for a while. His head throbbed faintly, a pressure against the crown of his skull—a lingering reminder of the wine. Dinner with Governor Mahmud Yalavach was a few hours away, and he hoped the headache would be gone by then.
The bed shifted around him, the light presence of his wives as they undid his robe and removed his fur-lined shoes. Hands ran over his muscular chest, and without opening his eyes, he caught them. He heard a quick gasp, and he knew whom he held. Jachin, the tallest. He had chosen her for her eyes, the brightest green color he had ever seen.
One of his wives put her mouth next to his ear, and he felt her breath. “So tense,” she whispered. He released his grip on the pair of fluttering hands and groped for the woman next to him. His hand brushed against her head, touching her thick braids and the thin ribbons she had woven into the strands.
“Toregene,” Ögedei murmured, rolling toward her.
She clucked her tongue, and the sound echoed in his ear. He instinctively moved away from her, and her hands slid under his body, pushing him further. He rolled onto his stomach, still trying to reach back and grab her. She evaded his clumsy grope, and tapped him lightly on the bare shoulder. “Lie still,” she admonished. “Let us see if we can't work these knots out of your back.”
Ögedei grunted and relented, letting his hands fall onto the bed. “If I had my way,” he said, “I'd stay like this all evening, in bed, surrounded by my beautiful wives. We'd make love and then eat fried dumplings, then clean off in a cold bath and take a midnight ride. Out, over the steppes.”
“As if you'd ever be able to keep up with me,” Toregene laughed.
Ögedei opened his eyes and tried to look over his shoulder. “In lovemaking or riding?”
“Both.”
Ögedei smiled. “Would you not leave me my pride, woman?”
Toregene snorted. “You would get it back in a morning at court. All those officials crawling on the floor, calling you High Grand Exalted Master of the World. Begging you to notice them.”
“It is our job to remind you of more important things,” Jachin said as she joined Toregene. She pressed her elbow down hard into Ögedei's shoulder, and he let out a grunt of pleasure. “Tense as a bowstring. What is it that worries you?”
The dust on his shoulders, Ögedei thought. The young emissary from his brother Chagatai. The warrior had ridden countless days across the steppe to reach Karakorum. He had slept outside, nothing but the endless bowl of the heavens over his head. There had been a horse beneath him, and the wind had flowed through him. All he had known was the grass that lay behind him and all he saw was horizon before him.
“Do you know how long it has been since I’ve been on a horse?” he said. “How long it has been since I've ridden freely across the grasses?”
Neither woman answered. Nor will they, he thought bitterly. They know as well as I. “Some nights I dream of escaping this cave,” he confessed. “I'm sitting in that room, watching an endless parade of bureaucrats and officials. They flow in like a spring river, and every time I blink, there are more of them. A flood that will overwhelm me.
“And in this dream, I escape. I leap from a balcony, and there is a strong pony waiting for me. No one can stop me. I ride out of the gates, and I keep riding forever, until I die in the saddle. But the pony doesn't stop. He keeps going, and my body rots away. My bones are scattered across the empire, and the pony doesn't stop until he reaches the place where the sky bends down and touches the ground. All that is left of me then is my hands, my fingers wound in his mane.”
Toregene worked her way down, and Ögedei felt his muscles loosen. He was tight, but it wasn't that half-remembered tightness, that lower back tension that came from being in the saddle overlong. “Tonight,” he sighed, “I have to go to dinner and eat over-spiced foreign food with golden chopsticks. I have to pretend to be interested in talking to overstuffed diplomats. That's all I am now. A man who sits on benches and chairs, who eats and talks. That is all I do.”
“Somebody has to be Khan,” said Toregene. “You've done a better job of ruling the empire than even your father.”
Ögedei scowled. “The empire rules itself. They just need someone to grovel to.” After a beat he added, “And no one compares to my father.”
He felt Jachin shift to his other side, and her elbow descended into the softer flesh below his shoulder. “Before you were Khan this was all empty grassland,” she reminded him. “Because of you, there is a palace now. The grandest palace the world has ever known.”
“It would've been better off staying grassland. A palace for the Chinese is a prison for Mongols.” He flexed his shoulders, shooing his wives off him, and sat up. Their hands were deft, but their words were not helping him relax. He looked at Jachin, and then Toregene, making sure they were paying attention to him. “Would it not be simpler if we rode off together? We could leave all of this to someone else, and go live in a ger on the edge of a river like we used to. We could live off the land again. Eat what I kill.”
His wives said nothing, but they curled up close to him, running their hands through his hair. He clasped his hands on their shoulders, feeling their warm skin. “I think when I die the empire will die with me,” he mused. “I have no worthy heirs. Kadan is too enamored with foreign religions. Khashi is more interested in chasing pretty women than fighting. Onghwe . . .” He shook his head. “Onghwe is worst of all.”
“What about Guyuk?” asked Toregene. “He will be a worthy Khan.”
“Guyuk is too quick to anger. Remember what he did in Rus.”
“Batu is an arrogant fool,” said Toregene. “Guyuk was—”
“Wars aren't won by being cruel to your own men.” Ögedei cut her off. “Guyuk is too temperamental. He does not understand how to rule. And his cousins . . . they would be like wolves in the dead of winter: they would look upon Guyuk as the weakest member of the pack.”
“They wouldn't dare!" Toregene's eyes flashed.
“They would,” Ögedei sighed. “And perhaps . . . ” His shoulders sagged and his hands pressed down more firmly on his wives' shoulders.
“What is it?” Jachin asked. “It isn't the dream of the steppe that haunts you, is it?”
Ögedei shook his head. “An emissary from Chagatai came today, bearing a message.”
“What message?”
“He sent some stripling to keep an eye on my drinking.”
The women were quiet for a moment, and when one of them spoke, her voice was almost too quiet to be heard. “There might be some benefit to such a man,” Jachin said.
Ögedei whirled on her, and she met his gaze for an instant. She dropped her chin, but the damage was done. Ögedei had seen the sharp glitter of her eyes.
“I am Khagan,” he roared. The headache pulsed in his head, returning with furious hammering. “I will do as I please. When I please. How I please. No one—not my brother, not you, and certainly not some dust-covered, boodog-eating horse archer—will tell me what I may and may not do.”
Toregene leaned against him, her weight holding his arm down. Had he raised it to strike Jachin? He had no memory of trying. There was nothing in his head but the pounding reminder of how long it had been since he had had a drink, and that sensation only proved Jachin's point. He pulled away from Toregene, dismissing Jachin with a wave of his hand. “You can't expect a man not to drink from time to time. My father drank. His father drank. Drinking is the only freedom I still have.”
Toregene put her hands on his shoulders. Her braids brushed against his back as she rested her head against his. “Your brother's not trying to insult you, Ögedei. He just cares about you.”
“Does he?” Ögedei stared at the flickering light of the lantern hanging on the wall. “If he really cares about me, then why doesn't he come here himself?”
* * *
Ögedei could not see the sky for all the dust in the air. Men and horses—and the wind, even—had stirred up the dry ground of the Khalakhaljid Sands. The Kereyid army was endless; every time a break appeared in the clouds of dust, it was only to unleash more riders upon Genghis Khan's beleaguered army.
His mouth filled with the taste of dirt and blood, Ögedei whipped the reins of his horse and drove it on through the sands. All around him, he heard the cacophony of battle: men shouting, the clanging of swords, the shrill screams of horses dying. He could not tell if his father's armies were winning or losing. Ögedei's world was reduced to a red cloud, filled with ghosts.
He beat his heels against the ribs of his horse, trying to keep the animal under control, but it sensed his fear and refused to mind him. Starting at every clang of steel around it, the horse kept shying first one direction and then another.
He had seen seventeen winters; he did not think he would see another.
The dust swirled in front of him, billowing out from the shape of a charging horse and rider. There was something wrong with his head, and as he emerged from the cloud, Ögedei glimpsed the warrior's helmet more fully and realized the approaching rider was not from Genghis' army. The Kereyid, the long feather on his helm broken and bent, flicked his spear down and drove its point into his horse's flank.
Ögedei felt the shock of the thrust in his legs, and his horse reared, lurching to the right. The reins jerked from Ögedei's grasp, and as he tumbled toward the ground, he caught a glimpse of the sky through the dust. Blue sky.
The fall knocked the wind from his lungs and made his ears ring. He tried to spit out the dust in his throat, but nothing came out when he retched. His sword was gone, and he tried to remember when it had fallen from his grip. When his horse had thrown him, or when he had hit the ground? The dust had swallowed it up.
The ground shook. A horse. His ears were still echoing with the shock of his fall, and everything was muffled. But he could feel the horse coming at him, and he rolled to the side as the Kereyid thundered past. The tip of the man's sword caught the edge of his helmet, ringing from one of the metal studs in the leather. His head was yanked back and his helmet flew off, eagerly devoured by the dust.
The Kereyid pulled his horse to a stop, wheeling it around again, and as it trotted toward Ögedei, he slipped off its back in a fluid motion. Sword raised, he charged Ögedei.
Scrambling for the dagger in his belt, Ögedei pushed himself off the ground. The wind gusted between them, and the Kereyid's blow came slowly, as if all the particulate in the air was causing resistance against the blade.
Ögedei crouched under the strike, and thrust up into the Kereyid's belly. His dagger hit the edge of the warrior's breastplate, skipped down, and then slid into flesh. Ögedei pulled the blade along the edge of the hard breastplate and blood splashed over his hands. The Kereyid howled, and Ögedei shoved him down. He was still holding his sword, and Ögedei kicked it from his hands and then stomped on the man's face. The Kereyid continued to yell, and Ögedei kept kicking until his boots were covered in red mud.
His horse was still alive. It lay on its side, kicking and convulsing around the Kereyid's spear. Ögedei coughed and spat up sand. His legs trembled as he bent and picked up the Kereyid's sword. It was heavier than his, and the cross-guard wider and thicker than he was used to. It will do. He squeezed the hilt tightly as he staggered toward his dying horse.
It had been a good steed, sure-footed and responsive to his guidance. It had carried his uncle for several months before Jochi gave it to him. There was blood smeared on the horse's nose and its eyes were wide and frenzied. Incredibly, it was trying to stand as Ögedei approached, but its front right leg failed to hold its weight.
“Run,” Ögedei croaked. “Run to the Eternal Blue Sky.” His stroke was clumsy, but the blade was sharp enough. The horse's back legs kicked twice as it died, and Ögedei ground the heel of his hand against his face, fighting the sting of sand and salt in his eyes.
An arrow landed in the side of the dead horse, and Ögedei looked at it dumbly. It was a short Mongol arrow, but the fletching was unfamiliar. A Kereyid arrow. He was still on the battlefield. He couldn't stay here; he had to find his way out of the sand cloud. He didn't know whether to advance or fall back, wouldn't even know where to advance or fall back to. Perhaps he would never see the sky again. He was being buried underground. He wrapped his scarf over his face to keep out the dust, still tasting grit on his tongue.
Something bumped into him, and he fell back against the corpse of his pony. Wildly, he looked around, trying to spot a shadow or a shape in the dust. Who was there? Horses charged past on his right. Their hooves pounded against the sand, kicking up swirling clouds of dust. He brought up a hand to shield his face and pain lanced his neck and shoulder. Glancing down, he saw the bloody tip of an arrow protruding from beneath his chin.
His scarf was tangled in the arrow, and he couldn't reach over his shoulder to pull it out. His fingers brushed the shaft, and pain shot through his neck. Screaming, he fell to his knees.
There was blood inside his armor. His scarf was turning red, and what wasn't absorbed by the cloth was running down his chest. His hands were red too, and he realized he was kneeling in the bloody mud of his horse. He shivered, suddenly cold.
The dead Kereyid, though he didn't have much of a face left, seemed to be laughing at him. Ögedei tried to steady himself on his horse. So warm, he thought and the tears started again. He didn't try to hide them this time. He let them run. “I'm sorry,” he whispered, though there was no one there to hear him.
The Kereyid kept laughing. Ögedei could hear his voice—a roaring, rippling sound in his head, like a flash flood in the spring as it filled the dry riverbed. It wasn't just the Kereyid, it was the dead on the battlefield. All of the spirits were laughing at him now.
Dark spots swam in his vision. He dug his fingers into the short hair of the horse, and tried to remember what it was like to ride.
So much blood, he thought as he toppled over.
Musical Interlude
"A Way of Life" is the opening track for the original motion picture score for The Last Samurai by Hans Zimmer. It is, in my humble opinion, one of Zimmer's best soundtracks ever.
But other than just being a terrific and moody piece, "A Way of Life" means more to me. When the movie was released, I was starting to plan a backpacking adventure that would take me through 14 countries across Europe in the summer of 2004. If I'm not mistaken, the film came out just before the Holidays of 2003, and I spent the following months planning my trip to the amazing sound of this CD.
Though the entire soundtrack of awesome, for some reason as soon as the first few notes are hit and "A Way of Life" begins, I'm immediately taken back in time, and I can still picture myself sitting there, surrounded by Lonely Planet guidebooks, pencil in hand, trying to come up with the best possible itinerary. Only that track does that to me.
And now that I'm planning my next adventure, this time in Turkey, Georgia, and Armenia, guess what CD is playing in the background!?!
Tuesday 17 April 2012
New cover art for Mark Charan Newton's NIGHTS OF VILLJAMUR and CITY OF RUIN
Holy crap!
Mark Charan Newton gets his own stuff reissued more often than Rihanna and Katy Perry! That's the third time, if I'm not mistaken.
Here's what he had to say on his website:
There’s more, though: I’ve actually made quite a few (over a hundred) changes to Nights of Villjamur. Call it the ambitions of a first-time author, call it crap writing, but there were a few points of the text in this book that I believed caused a clunky experience. I’ve managed to iron many, many of these out, thankfully. It’s only a word or two here, a line there – not a complete re-edit, mind you, but enough to give me peace of mind that the most ridiculous of the excesses have now been removed.
UNFETTERED anthology, compiled by Shawn Speakman
This from a Grim Oak Press press release:GRIM OAK PRESS TO PUBLISH UNFETTERED FANTASY ANTHOLOGY
Genre’s Best Writers to Contribute Against Fellow Writer’s Cancer Debt
SEATTLE, WA — Grim Oak Press, a new publishing company formed by webmaster and freelance writer Shawn Speakman, will be producing Unfettered, a fantasy short story anthology by some of the best writers in the genre, for a very good cause.
In 2011, Speakman was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma. He completed the recommended chemotherapy, but lacking health insurance, the treatment left him with almost $200,000 of financial debt. At the suggestion of New York Times bestselling author Terry Brooks, and with the help of nearly two dozen authors who call Speakman a friend, Grim Oak Press will publish the short story anthology Unfettered, with the proceeds helping to alleviate the medical bills.
Authors contributing include: Terry Brooks, Patrick Rothfuss, Naomi Novik, Brandon Sanderson, RA Salvatore, Tad Williams, Jacqueline Carey, Daniel Abraham, Peter V. Brett, Robert VS Redick, Peter Orullian, Todd Lockwood, Carrie Vaughn, Blake Charlton, Kevin Hearne, Mark Lawrence, David Anthony Durham, Jennifer Bosworth, Lev Grossman, Steven Erikson, and Shawn Speakman.
Some of the authors will be writing short stories set in the fantasy worlds that made them famous. Other writers will be creating entirely new tales. The contribution by so many noteworthy authors of bestselling titles speaks to the generosity found within the science fiction and fantasy communities.
Unfettered will be published as a trade hardcover as well as a leather-bound, signed and numbered edition limited to 500 copies and autographed by all contributors.
For more information, check out the Grim Oak Press website.
Monday 16 April 2012
Kings of the Morning
I couldn't wait to discover how Paul Kearney would bring The Macht trilogy to a close. Both The Ten Thousand and Corvus had set the stage for an unforgettable finale, and the author didn't disappoint! Kings of the Morning closes the show with a bang and opens the door for more sequels. A veritable master of military fantasy, Kearney's The Macht trilogy is one of the very best SFF series of the new millennium.
Here's the blurb:
For the first time in recorded history, the ferocious city-states of the Macht now acknowledge a single man as their overlord. Corvus, the strange and brilliant boy-general, is now High King, having united his people in a fearsome, bloody series of battles and sieges. He is not yet thirty years old. A generation ago, ten thousand of the Macht marched into the heart of the ancient Asurian Empire, and fought their way back out again, passing into legend. Corvus’s father was one of those who undertook that march, and his most trusted general, Rictus, was leader of those ten thousand. But he intends to do more. The preparations will take years, but when they are complete, Corvus will lead an invasion the like of which the world of Kuf has never seen. Under him, the Macht will undertake nothing less than the overthrow of the entire Asurian Empire.
Kings of Morning is the thrilling conclusion to Paul Kearney's Macht trilogy.
Once again, this novel is dark and gritty military fantasy at its best. And yet, even though Kings of the Morning is at times all about the stark realism of military campaigns, Paul Kearney delivers more than a few poignant and touching moments that demonstrate just how gifted an author he can be.
It's no secret that Kearney has always been known for his brevity. In the past, his books featured minimal worldbuilding that didn't intrude on the storytelling, and the narrative was never bogged down by frustrating info-dumps or long-winded elaborations. And yet, for the first time, I felt that Kings of the Morning would have worked even better had it been longer. Several storylines converge and are brought together, and though the book makes for an incredible reading experience, I feel that it would have benefited from a higher page count. True, Kearney was able to build on the events of both The Ten Thousand and Corvus, which allowed him to flesh out his world and its people to no small degree. But still, just a bit more depth would have made Kings of the Morning the fantasy novel of the year. As was the case with its predecessor, the narrative is written with tight focus, keeping the pace fluid and making Kings of the Morning impossible to put down.
I've said it before and I'll say it again: Paul Kearney doesn't get the credit he deserves for his characterization. Once more, the man came up with a disparate yet amazing cast of characters for this one. Much like in Corvus, there is also a great balance between the various POV sections, with the novel focusing in turn on Rictus, the slave boy Kurun, the Great King Ashurnan, Lady Orsana, and Prince Kouros. Seeing events unfold through the eyes of such different protagonists imbues this book with a human touch that elevates this work far above what is the norm in military fantasy offerings.
I doubted that the author could outdo himself and top Corvus. And yet, he did just that! Kings of the Morning delivers on all fronts. As is usually Kearney's wont, the book features terrific pace, a grim and stark setting, superb characterization, and bloody and violent battles. Doubtless, Kings of the Morning definitely is Paul Kearney writing at the top of his game.
A brutal and uncompromising, yet surprisingly touching, tale of warfare and conquest written by what could well be the most underrated talent in genre. That's Kings of the Morning in a nutshell.
Paul Kearney has written one of the fantasy novels to read this year. Kings of the Morning is a sure candidate for the best fantasy book of 2012!
Along with C. S. Friedman's the Magister trilogy and R. Scott Bakker's Prince of Nothing, Paul Kearney's The Macht trilogy can stand tall as one of the best speculative fiction series to have been published since the turn of the millennium. And like these aforementioned series, Kearney's latest creation remains inexplicably underrated and criminally unread. . .
An awesome conclusion to a superior fantasy series.
The final verdict: 9/10
For more info about this title: Canada, USA, Europe.
Sunday 15 April 2012
Night Shade Books 50% Off Sale!!!
This from Night Shade Books:
Greetings all,
It’s not a secret to anyone that publishing, and the book biz in general, has been pretty rough over the last year. Borders going out of business, plus them selling off their existing inventory at huge discounts, has really put a pinch on everyone. More so on those of us who don’t have huge international conglomerates to back us up.
So it’s time to turn to that old chestnut, the 50% off sale. But this is a little different. In the past when we did this, it was more about clearing out inventory and making space for new books…it’s still kind of like that, but it’s also about getting caught up after the Publishing Apocalypse of 2011.
If you’ve ever thought that Night Shade does nice work, or want to support independent publishing that brings you new voices, stories, and ideas you wouldn’t run across otherwise, now is the time to show your support! Know that every book you buy in this sale is putting money directly into the pockets of authors, artists, designers, and all the other fantastic people that allow us to put out great books each and every month. Pass the word, mention it on your website/Facebook/Twitter/whatever your social media of choice is.
In addition, we will be adding a few new things. We’ll be opening up a very limited number of lifetime subscriptions again, as well as holding daily raffles. Each day, we’ll pick a winner from people who placed an order that day, and there are some very nifty prizes, as well as a final raffle that we’ll find the winner for from anyone who placed an order during the entire sale.
Make no mistake, Night Shade isn’t going anywhere. The future looks
bright, and some huge changes are coming. But the last year hurt, and we could really use a little help getting caught back up.
***Please note that there is a 4 book minimum to participate in the sale.
Thank you, from everyone at Night Shade.
Jason Williams
Publisher
Night Shade Books
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So what are you guys waiting for!?!
More inexpensive ebook goodies!
You can now download Cormac McCarthy's bestselling The Road for £2.99 here.
Here's the blurb:
A searing, postapocalyptic novel destined to become Cormac McCarthy's masterpiece.
A father and his son walk alone through burned America. Nothing moves in the ravaged landscape save the ash on the wind. It is cold enough to crack stones, and when the snow falls it is gray. They sky is dark. Their destination is the coast, although they don't know what, if anything, awaits them there. They have nothing; just a pistol to defend themselves against the lawless bands that stalk the road, the clothes they are wearting, a cart of scavenged food—and each other.
The Road is the profoundly moving story of a journey. It boldly imagines a future in which no hope remains, but in which the father and his son, “each the other's world entire,” are sustained by love. Awesome in the totality of its vision, it is an unflinching meditation on the worst and the best that we are capable of: ultimate destructiveness, desperate tenacity, and the tenderness that keeps two people alive in the face of total devastation.
Saturday 14 April 2012
UK cover art for Myke Cole's SHADOW OPS: CONTROL POINT
Myke Cole unveiled the cover art for the UK edition of his debut, Shadow Ops: Control Point. I have to admit that it's much better than its American counterpart.
For those of you who have yet to give this book a shot, do so ASAP!
This week's New York Times Bestsellers (April 9th)
In hardcover:George R. R. Martin's A Dance With Dragons maintains its position at number 11. For more info about this title: Canada, USA, Europe.
Stephen King's 11/22/63 is up two positions, ending the week at number 13. For more info about this title: Canada, USA, Europe.
Troy Denning's Star Wars: Fate of the Jedi: Apocalypse is down seven spots, finishing the week at number 16.
Anne Rice's The Wolf Gift is down seven spots, finishing the week at number 17. For more info about this title: Canada, USA, Europe.
Patricia Briggs' Fair Game is down four spots, finishing the week at number 26.
David Weber's A rising Thunder is down two positions, ending the week at number 27. For more info about this title: Canada, USA, Europe.
In paperback:
Charlaine Harris' Dead Reckoning debuts at number 4.
George R. R. Martin's A Game of Thrones is up one position, ending the week at number 5.
Seth Grahame-Smith's Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter is up five spots, finishing the week at number 10 (trade paperback).
George R. R. Martin's A Storms of Swords is down three positions, ending the week at number 20.
Max Brooks' World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War maintains its position at number 21 (trade paperback).
Seth Grahame-Smith's Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter debuts at number 22.
George R. R. Martin's A Feast for Crows is down three positions, ending the week at number 24.
George R. R. Martin's A Clash of Kings is down six positions, finishing the week at number 25 (trade paperback).
Sherrilyn Kenyon's Retribution debuts at number 26.
Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game is down seventeen positions, ending the week at number 33.
Thursday 12 April 2012
Bradley P. Beaulieu contest winners!
Thanks to the folks at Night Shade Books, our two winners will get their hands on a copy of Bradley P. Beaulieu's The Straits of Galahesh! For more info about this title: Canada, USA, Europe.The winners are:
- Paulina Piazza, from Markham Ontario, Canada
- Eric Toczek, from Tonawanda, New York, USA
Many thanks to all the participants!
Wednesday 11 April 2012
Win a copy of The Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year Volume 6, edited by JONATHAN STRAHAN
I have five copies of The Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year, Volume 6, an anthology edited by Jonathan Strahan, up for grabs, courtesy of the nice folks at Night Shade Books. For more info about this title: Canada, USA, Europe.
Here's the blurb:
An ancient society of cartographer wasps create delicately inscribed maps; a bodyjacking parasite is faced with imminent extinction; an AI makes a desperate gambit to protect its child from a ravenous dragon; a professor of music struggles with the knowledge that murder is not too high a price for fame; living origami carries a mother's last words to her child; a steam girl conquers the realm of imagination; Aliens attack Venus, ignoring an incredulous earth; a child is born on Mars...
The science fiction and fantasy fiction fields continue to evolve, setting new marks with each passing year. For the sixth year in a row, master anthologist Jonathan Strahan has collected stories that captivate, entertain, and showcase the very best the genre has to offer. Critically acclaimed, and with a reputation for including award-winning speculative fiction, The Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year is the only major "best of" anthology to collect both fantasy and science fiction under one cover.
Here's the table of contents:
Neil Gaiman - The Case of Death and Honey
E. Lily Yu - The Cartographer Wasps and the Anarchist Bees
Caitlin R Kiernan - Tidal Forces
Karen Joy Fowler - Younger Women Geoff Ryman - What We Found
Catherynne M. Valente - White Lines on a Green Field
An Owomoyela - All That Touches The Air
Hannu Rajaniemi - The Server and the Dragon
Paul McAuley- The Choice
Peter Watts - Malak
Nalo Hopkinson - Old Habits
K. J. Parker - A Small Price to Pay for Birdsong
Kelly Link - Valley of the Girls
Cory Doctorow - Brave Little Toaster
Michael Swanwick - The Dala Horse
M. Rickert - The Corpse Painter's Masterpiece
Ken Liu - The Paper Menagerie
Dylan Horrocks - Steam Girl
Maureen F. McHugh - After the Apocalypse
Peter S. Beagle - Underbridge
Jeffrey Ford - Relic
Stephen Baxter - The Invasion of Venus
Robert Reed - Woman Leaves Room
Robert Shearman - Restoration
Bruce Sterling - The Onset of a Paranormal Romance
Margo Lanagan - Catastrophic Disruption of the Head
Libba Bray - The Last Ride of the Glory Girls
Nnedi Okorafor - The Book of Phoenix (Excerpted from The Great Book)
Ian McDonald - Digging
Kij Johnson - The Man Who Bridged the Mist
Ellen Klages - Goodnight Moon
The rules are the same as usual. You need to send an email at reviews@(no-spam)gryphonwood.net with the header "FANTASY." Remember to remove the "no spam" thingy.
Second, your email must contain your full mailing address (that's snail mail!), otherwise your message will be deleted.
Lastly, multiple entries will disqualify whoever sends them. And please include your screen name and the message boards that you frequent using it, if you do hang out on a particular MB.
Good luck to all the participants!
Tuesday 10 April 2012
New interview with George R. R. Martin
There is a new Q&A with GRRM at smartertravel.com. Here's a teaser regarding The Winds of Winter:There were a lot of cliffhangers at the end of A Dance with Dragons. Those will be resolved very early. I'm going to open with the two big battles that I was building up to, the battle in the ice and the battle at Meereen—the battle of Slaver's Bay. And then take it from there.
Follow this link to read the full interview.
George R. R. Martin contest winner!
Thanks to the generosity of the folks at Bantam Books, our winners will get their hands on a complimentary copy of George R. R. Martin's A Game of Thrones, the graphic novel (adapted by Daniel Abraham and illustrated by Tommy Patterson). For more info about this title: Canada, USA, Europe.The winners are:
- Rudolf Faust, from Chicago, Illinois, USA
- Danielle Oldfield, from Athens, Ohio, USA
- Nikki Ciuciura, from London, Ontario, Canada
Many thanks to all the participants!
Monday 9 April 2012
The Dirt: Confessions of the World's Most Notorious Rock Band
No book has ever managed to bring me back in time the way Mötley Crüe and Neil Strauss' The Dirt: Confessions of the World's Most Notorious Rock Band did. Yes, it doesn't make me any younger, I know. But in high school and college, there were four bands that drove me wild: Kiss, Iron Maiden, Metallica, and Mötley Crüe.
As soon as I read the first page, I was immediately brought back in time. To the evening of June 15th, 1990, to be exact. I had just turned 16 the month before and this was going to be my first live concert ever. It was also the finals week at school and I had a physics exam the next morning. And my dad warned me that if I failed that exam, I would never be allowed to attend a hard rock/heavy metal concert again for as long as I lived under his roof.
But I couldn't care less, for in a few hours I was going to see two of my teenage heroes, Nikki Sixx and Tommy Lee, play live in front of me. After hitting number one on the Billboard charts the year before, the Dr. Feelgood tour had finally come to Canada and the band was playing in front of a sold out crowd of more than 18,000 fans at the old Montreal Forum. We took the subway to the Atwater station, my friends Simon, Sylvain, Jean-François, and I, and we felt like we were on top of the world. The first thing I did was buy a tour T-shirt that said:
The mother-fucking
Ass-kicking
Ear-splitting
Loudest tour on Earth
Dr. Feelgood World Tour
After being forced to listen to the crap Tesla were playing for about an hour, the interlude between the opening act and the headliners felt like it was taking forever. And then, the lights went out. And when Mick Mars started playing the intro to Kickstart my Heart, I don't believe I've ever been this excited or screamed louder in my entire life. The 90 minutes or so of music which followed made us all experience the sort of euphoria that only a concert like that can generate.
Over the following years, I would see countless shows in various venues, from tiny clubs to the violent riot that followed the Guns N' Roses travesty at the Olympic Stadium. But nothing made an impression on me the way Mötley Crüe did that night.
And when I started reading this book, I felt like that teenager again. I couldn't help it and had no choice but to use my Mötley Crüe CDs as a soundtrack for this reading experience.
Simply put: The Dirt: Confessions of the World's Most Notorious Rock Band made for one of the most enjoyable reading experiences of my life! Sex, drugs, and rock and roll like you've never seen before!
Here's the blurb:
After six multi-platinum albums, seven consecutive Billboard Top 20 albums, and four Billboard Top Ten singles, Motley Crue are the undisputed heavyweight champs of rock music. Since the '80s they've been the voice of a barely pubescent Generation X, the anoited High Priests of pentagram rock, pioneers of Hollywood Glam and the creators of MTV's first "power ballad". Their ravenous sexual appetites consumed celebrities from Heather Locklear to Pamela Anderson to Lita Ford, while their legendary scuffles involved everyone from Axl Rose to 2 Live Crew. Now, for the first time, the most influential, enduring and iconic rock band of the 1980s reveals everything in a tell-all of epic proportions. They've collected automatic weapons, pushed the envelope of total drug abuse and dreamt up backstage antics that would make Ozzy Osbourne blanch with modesty. They are the trailblazers of modern excess. Provocatively written and brilliantly designed, this book includes never-before-seen photos and behind-the-scenes paraphernalia. Whether you're a fan of Motley Crue, a fan of rock'n'roll or just a fan of outrageously bad behaviour, you owe it to yourself to read this book - and experience the madness first hand.
If you are a child of the 80s and you have experienced the hard rock and heavy metal scene of that decade and the 90s, you are aware that all these rock and roll bands were comprised of the usual bad boys. Hence, since the members of Mötley Crüe were known far and wide as the Bad Boys of Rock and Roll, it does give you an idea of how outrageous they could be. As a fan of the band for years, I thought I knew a thing or two about how bad and how mad Vince, Mick, Nikki, and Tommy were. Believe you me: You have no idea just how bad these guys were.
First of all, I had no idea how well-written this book would turn out to be. Neil Strauss is a music writer for the NYT and I love his style. Having read/watched countless interviews with the band, I wasn't expecting that level of quality as far as the writing is concerned. And yet, the narrative recounting the wildest days of what could well be the wildest rock and rock band in the history of music, grabs hold of you and draws you into this unrepentant biography that is impossible to put down, no matter if you are a Mötley Crüe fan or not.
I was afraid that this would just be a "we don't give a fuck" look back at the heydays of the band, that they would use this work to glorify their despicable behavior and decadent deeds. Far from it, to my surprise. The Dirt: Confessions of the World's Most Notorious Rock Band is an incredibly detailed account of four notorious musicians, but throughout the book you understand that in retrospect, far from the fame and fortune that used to be theirs, Vince Neil, Nikki Sixx, and Tommy Lee aren't proud and are often ashamed of the way they used to conduct themselves.
I also liked the fact that the structure of the book doesn't simply focus on the periods during which the band sold millions of records everywhere around the world and played in front of sold out crowds every night. Indeed, nearly half of the book focuses on Mötley Crüe's fall from grace after the multi-platinum album Decade of Decadence and its popular tour. Every part of the book is split into POV sections in which the four members reminisce about the events that marked those particular periods of the band's history.
I was shocked by how sensitive and emotional the writing can get at times. Vince Neil's chapter in which he relates the death of his young daughter made my eyes water. Understandably, this is a work that relies on the shock-value of many of its revelations to make an impression. Still, as entertaining as the book can be, there are touching moments throughout.
I've rarely read a more entertaining and interesting work. A "must read" for all rock and roll fans out there! And for Crüe fans, it's Vince, Tommy, Nikki, and Mick like you've never seen them before!
The Bad Boys of Rock and Roll -- always and forever!
The final verdict: 10/10
For more info about this title: Canada, USA, Europe
And if you are one of the 80 million people who bought a Mötley Crüe record at some point, take out that lighter and hold it up high as you watch the video that made all the girls cry!
Sunday 8 April 2012
More inexpensive ebook goodies!
Here are a few more ebooks that you can download on the cheap! Although again, it looks like they are only available on the other side of the pond. . .
You can now download Justin Cronin's The Passage for only £1.99 here.
You can also download Mark Lawrence's Prince of Thorns for £3.99 here.
You can also download Robin Hobb's Dragon Keeper for £1.99 here.
You can also download Douglas Adams' The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, volume 1, for £0.99 here.
And last but not least, you can download Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games and Catching Fire for £2.79 here.
Musical Interlude
David Guetta came a long, long way since he was the headliner of an outdoor show at La Fête de la Musique in Nice, when I was last in France in 2004.
Now he works with all the international pop stars and produces hit after hit after hit. Good for him! =)
Saturday 7 April 2012
Finalists for the 2012 Hugo Awards
The finalists for the 2012 Hugo Awards have just been announced. Once again, many thanks to those who voted for me! =) As I told GRRM and many other people over the years, I don't think I'll ever make the final ballot. But it's nice to know that some people feel I deserve it!
Here's a list of the nominees:
Best Novel
- Among Others by Jo Walton (Tor)
- A Dance With Dragons by George R. R. Martin (Bantam Spectra)
- Deadline by Mira Grant (Orbit)
- Embassytown by China Miéville (Macmillan / Del Rey)
- Leviathan Wakes by James S. A. Corey (Orbit)
Best Novella
- Countdown by Mira Grant (Orbit)
- “The Ice Owl” by Carolyn Ives Gilman (The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction November/December 2011)
- “Kiss Me Twice” by Mary Robinette Kowal (Asimov’s June 2011)
- “The Man Who Bridged the Mist” by Kij Johnson (Asimov’s September/October 2011)
- “The Man Who Ended History: A Documentary” by Ken Liu (Panverse 3)
- Silently and Very Fast by Catherynne M. Valente (WSFA)
Best Novelette
- “The Copenhagen Interpretation” by Paul Cornell (Asimov’s July 2011)
- “Fields of Gold” by Rachel Swirsky (Eclipse Four)
- “Ray of Light” by Brad R. Torgersen (Analog December 2011)
- “Six Months, Three Days” by Charlie Jane Anders (Tor.com)
- “What We Found” by Geoff Ryman (The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction March/April 2011)
Best Short Story
- “The Cartographer Wasps and the Anarchist Bees” by E. Lily Yu (Clarkesworld April 2011)
- “The Homecoming” by Mike Resnick (Asimov’s April/May 2011)
- “Movement” by Nancy Fulda (Asimov’s March 2011)
- “The Paper Menagerie” by Ken Liu (The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction March/April 2011)
- “Shadow War of the Night Dragons: Book One: The Dead City: Prologue” by John Scalzi (Tor.com)
Best Related Work
- The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction, Third Edition edited by John Clute, David Langford, Peter Nicholls, and Graham Sleight (Gollancz)
- Jar Jar Binks Must Die… and Other Observations about Science Fiction Movies by Daniel M. Kimmel (Fantastic Books)
- The Steampunk Bible: An Illustrated Guide to the World of Imaginary Airships, Corsets and Goggles, Mad Scientists, and Strange Literature by Jeff VanderMeer and S. J. Chambers (Abrams Image)
- Wicked Girls by Seanan McGuire
- Writing Excuses, Season 6 by Brandon Sanderson, Dan Wells, Howard Tayler, Mary Robinette Kowal, and Jordan Sanderson
Best Graphic Story
- Digger by Ursula Vernon (Sofawolf Press)
- Fables Vol 15: Rose Red by Bill Willingham and Mark Buckingham (Vertigo)
- Locke & Key Volume 4, Keys to the Kingdom written by Joe Hill, illustrated by Gabriel Rodriguez (IDW)
- Schlock Mercenary: Force Multiplication written and illustrated by Howard Tayler, colors by Travis Walton (The Tayler Corporation)
- The Unwritten (Volume 4): Leviathan created by Mike Carey and Peter Gross. Written by Mike Carey, illustrated by Peter Gross (Vertigo)
Best Dramatic Presentation (Long Form)
- Captain America: The First Avenger, screenplay by Christopher Markus and Stephan McFeely, directed by Joe Johnston (Marvel)
- Game of Thrones (Season 1), created by David Benioff and D. B. Weiss; written by David Benioff, D. B. Weiss, Bryan Cogman, Jane Espenson, and George R. R. Martin; directed by Brian Kirk, Daniel Minahan, Tim van Patten, and Alan Taylor (HBO)
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, screenplay by Steve Kloves; directed by David Yates (Warner Bros.)
- Hugo, screenplay by John Logan; directed by Martin Scorsese (Paramount)
- Source Code, screenplay by Ben Ripley; directed by Duncan Jones (Vendome Pictures)
Best Dramatic Presentation (Short Form)
- “The Doctor’s Wife” (Doctor Who), written by Neil Gaiman; directed by Richard Clark (BBC Wales)
- “The Drink Tank’s Hugo Acceptance Speech,” Christopher J Garcia and James Bacon (Renovation)
- “The Girl Who Waited” (Doctor Who), written by Tom MacRae; directed by Nick Hurran (BBC Wales)
- “A Good Man Goes to War” (Doctor Who), written by Steven Moffat; directed by Peter Hoar (BBC Wales)
- “Remedial Chaos Theory” (Community), written by Dan Harmon and Chris McKenna; directed by Jeff Melman (NBC)
Best Semiprozine
- Apex Magazine edited by Catherynne M. Valente, Lynne M. Thomas, and Jason Sizemore
- Interzone edited by Andy Cox
- Lightspeed edited by John Joseph Adams
- Locus edited by Liza Groen Trombi, Kirsten Gong-Wong, et al.
- New York Review of Science Fiction edited by David G. Hartwell, Kevin J. Maroney, Kris Dikeman, and Avram Grumer
Best Fanzine
- Banana Wings edited by Claire Brialey and Mark Plummer
- The Drink Tank edited by James Bacon and Christopher J Garcia
- File 770 edited by Mike Glyer
- Journey Planet edited by James Bacon, Christopher J Garcia, et al.
- SF Signal edited by John DeNardo
Best Fancast
- The Coode Street Podcast, Jonathan Strahan & Gary K. Wolfe
- Galactic Suburbia Podcast, Alisa Krasnostein, Alex Pierce, and Tansy Rayner Roberts (presenters) and Andrew Finch (producer)
- SF Signal Podcast, John DeNardo and JP Frantz, produced by Patrick Hester
- SF Squeecast, Lynne M. Thomas, Seanan McGuire, Paul Cornell, Elizabeth Bear, and Catherynne M. Valente
- StarShipSofa, Tony C. Smith
Best Professional Editor — Long Form
- Lou Anders
- Liz Gorinsky
- Anne Lesley Groell
- Patrick Nielsen Hayden
- Betsy Wollheim
Best Professional Editor — Short Form
- John Joseph Adams
- Neil Clarke
- Stanley Schmidt
- Jonathan Strahan
- Sheila Williams
Best Professional Artist
- Dan dos Santos
- Bob Eggleton
- Michael Komarck
- Stephan Martiniere
- John Picacio
Best Fan Artist
- Brad W. Foster
- Randall Munroe
- Spring Schoenhuth
- Maurine Starkey
- Steve Stiles
- Taral Wayne
Best Fan Writer
- James Bacon
- Claire Brialey
- Christopher J Garcia
- Jim C. Hines
- Steven H Silver
John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer
- Mur Lafferty
- Stina Leicht
- Karen Lord
- Brad R. Torgersen
- E. Lily Yu
More inexpensive ebook goodies!
This time in the UK!
You can now download Robin Hobb's excellent Assassin's Apprentice for only £1.99 here.
Here's the blurb:
A glorious classic fantasy combining the magic of Ursula Le Guin’s The Wizard of Earthsea with the epic Mastery of Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings. Now reissued in gorgeous new livery.
In a faraway land where members of the royal family are named for the virtues they embody, one young boy will become a walking enigma.
Born on the wrong side of the sheets, Fitz, son of Chilvary Farseer, is a royal bastard, cast out into the world, friendless and lonely. Only his magical link with animals - the old art known as the Wit - gives him solace and companionship. But the Wit, if used too often, is a perilous magic, and one abhorred by the nobility.
So when Fitz is finally adopted into the royal household, he must give up his old ways and embrace a new life of weaponry, scribbing, courtly manners; and how to kill a man secretly, as he trains to become a royal assassin.
This week's New York Times Bestsellers (April 2nd)
In hardcover:Troy Denning's Star Wars: Fate of the Jedi: Apocalypse is down seven spots, finishing the week at number 9.
Anne Rice's The Wolf Gift maintains its position at number 10. For more info about this title: Canada, USA, Europe.
George R. R. Martin's A Dance With Dragons is down three positions, ending the week at number 11. For more info about this title: Canada, USA, Europe.
Suzanne Brockmann’s Born to Darkness debuts at number 12.
Stephen King's 11/22/63 is down one position, ending the week at number 15. For more info about this title: Canada, USA, Europe.
Patricia Briggs' Fair Game is down eleven spots, finishing the week at number 22.
David Weber's A rising Thunder is down ten positions, ending the week at number 25. For more info about this title: Canada, USA, Europe.
Kim Harrison's A Perfect Blood is down five positions, ending the week at number 28.
Erin Morgenstern's The Night Circus returns at number 34.
Raymond E. Feist's A Crown Imperiled is down fifteen spots, finishing the week at number 35.
In paperback:
George R. R. Martin's A Game of Thrones is up two positions, ending the week at number 6.
George R. R. Martin's A Game of Thrones maintains its position at number 8 (trade paperback).
George R. R. Martin's A Clash of Kings is up one position, ending the week at number 10.
Seth Grahame-Smith's Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter is up thirteen spots, finishing the week at number 15.
Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game is up nine positions, ending the week at number 16.
George R. R. Martin's A Storms of Swords is down one position, ending the week at number 17.
George R. R. Martin's A Clash of Kings is up two positions, finishing the week at number 19 (trade paperback).
George R. R. Martin's A Feast for Crows is down one position, ending the week at number 21.
Max Brooks' World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War is up thirteen spots, finishing the week at number 21 (trade paperback).
Deborah Harkness' A Discovery of Witches returns at number 33.
Friday 6 April 2012
Win a copy of George R. R. Martin's FEVRE DREAM
Since I already own a copy, I'm giving away my copy of the mass market paperback edition of George R. R. Martin's Fevre Dream to one lucky winner! For more info about this title: Canada, USA, Europe.
Here's the blurb:
Abner Marsh, a struggling riverboat captain, suspects that something’s amiss when he is approached by a wealthy aristocrat with a lucrative offer. The hauntingly pale, steely-eyed Joshua York doesn’t care that the icy winter of 1857 has wiped out all but one of Marsh’s dilapidated fleet; nor does he care that he won’t earn back his investment in a decade. York’s reasons for traversing the powerful Mississippi are to be none of Marsh’s concern—no matter how bizarre, arbitrary, or capricious York’s actions may prove. Not until the maiden voyage of Fevre Dream does Marsh realize that he has joined a mission both more sinister, and perhaps more noble, than his most fantastic nightmare—and humankind’s most impossible dream.
You can read an extract here.
The rules are the same as usual. You need to send an email at reviews@(no-spam)gryphonwood.net with the header "FEVRE." Remember to remove the "no spam" thingy.
Second, your email must contain your full mailing address (that's snail mail!), otherwise your message will be deleted.
Lastly, multiple entries will disqualify whoever sends them. And please include your screen name and the message boards that you frequent using it, if you do hang out on a particular MB.
Good luck to all the participants!
Thursday 5 April 2012
EA defends itself against thousands of anti-gay letters
This from gamesindustry.biz:
Kudos to EA for standing up for same sex relationships in video games despite outrage from some religious fuckwits and retarded reprobates.
Here's an extract from the article:
EA has been inundated in recent weeks with what GamesIndustry International understands to be "several thousand" letters and emails protesting the inclusion of same sex or LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) content in its video games, most notably Mass Effect 3 and Star Wars: The Old Republic. When asked, EA confirmed that this has indeed been occurring, and unsurprisingly, EA has no plans to censor any of its games.
"Every one of EA's games includes ESRB content descriptors so it's hard to believe anyone is surprised by the content. This isn't about protecting children, it's about political harassment," Jeff Brown, VP of corporate communications told us.
The letters have been directed to EA's executive team, creative heads, its board of directors and just about anyone at a high level. Many of them threaten to boycott EA's titles if the publisher refuses to remove same-sex relationship content.
[...]
The games are not for children, nor do they force LGBT content on a player - it's merely an option for gamers who wish to replicate their real-life sexual orientation.
[...]
"EA has not been pressured by any groups to include LGBT characters in our games. However, we have met with LBGT groups and sponsored industry forums to discuss content and harassment of players in online forums. In short, we do put options for same-sex relationships in our games; we don't tolerate hate speech on our forums."
[...]
Speaking to the larger issue at hand for the industry and LGBT content in video games, Kane remarked, "A lot of game makers are realizing that in order to create a believable universe it has to be a universe that is very diverse, and in some ways it sort of reflects the make-up of the culture we live in as well. I think it's very logical that you'll start to see more LGBT characters appearing in games."
[...]
"As in all media, there remains work to do in order for more people to feel represented and included. This is true for video games and for LGBT people. EA's step in this instance is indicative of a continuing cultural shift toward greater inclusion," he said.
Follow this link to read the full article.
US cover art for Joe Abercrombie's RED COUNTRY
And a bit of a teaser:
Shy South comes home to her farm to find a blackened shell, her brother and sister stolen, and knows she’ll have to go back to her bad old ways if she’s ever to see them again. She sets off in pursuit with only her cowardly old stepfather Lamb for company. But it turns out he’s hiding a bloody past of his own. None bloodier.
Their journey will take them across the lawless plains, to a frontier town gripped by gold fever, through feuds, duels, and massacres, high into unmapped mountains to a reckoning with ancient enemies, and force them into alliance with Nicomo Cosca, infamous soldier of fortune, a man no one should ever have to trust. . .
Can't wait!!!
More inexpensive ebook goodies!
You can now download Andrzej Sapkowski's Blood of Elves for 2.99$ here.
Here's the blurb:
Watch for the signs! What signs these shall be, I say unto you: first the earth will flow with the blood of Aen Seidhe, the Blood of Elves...
For over a century, humans, dwarves, gnomes, and elves have lived together in relative peace. But times have changed, the uneasy peace is over, and now the races are fighting once again. The only good elf, it seems, is a dead elf.
Geralt of Rivia, the cunning assassin known as The Witcher, has been waiting for the birth of a prophesied child. This child has the power to change the world - for good, or for evil.
As the threat of war hangs over the land and the child is hunted for her extraordinary powers, it will become Geralt's responsibility to protect them all - and the Witcher never accepts defeat.
Following The Last Wish, BLOOD OF ELVES is the new novel starring Geralt of Rivia, the inspiration for the critically-acclaimed videogame The Witcher.
UK cover art for Peter F. Hamilton's GREAT NORTH ROAD
Brought you guys the blurb last week, so here's the UK cover art!
Tuesday 3 April 2012
Agents and authors beware: Foreign rights sold to France
Some of you may be aware of this, but I figure that most of you don't. Since March 1st, 2012, a new law has been passed in France which takes away an author's intellectual rights regarding some of his literary works.Indeed, if you have at some point sold foreign rights of your novels to a French publisher prior to January 1st, 2001, and if some of those books are out of print and have not been reprinted since, it turns out that such works are now fair game to anyone who wishes to create digital editions of those novels.
The way the new law is conceived, this means that the author will not receive any advance or royalties from the sales of such ebooks...
France, the cradle of democracy. And now, they have just made online piracy (à la Google) legal.
Unbelievable! =(
For more information, read this article (in French only).
Quote of the Day
Matthew Stover contest winner!
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