More inexpensive ebook goodies!

You can now download Ursula K. Le Guin's The Left Hand of Darkness for only 1.99$ by following this Amazon Associate link. This OneLink will take you to the nearest Amazon site serving your country and you'll see if you can take advantage of this sale.

Here's the blurb:

Ursula K. Le Guin's groundbreaking work of science fiction—winner of the Hugo and Nebula Awards.

A lone human ambassador is sent to Winter, an alien world without sexual prejudice, where the inhabitants can change their gender whenever they choose. His goal is to facilitate Winter's inclusion in a growing intergalactic civilization. But to do so he must bridge the gulf between his own views and those of the strange, intriguing culture he encounters...

Embracing the aspects of psychology, society, and human emotion on an alien world, The Left Hand of Darkness stands as a landmark achievement in the annals of intellectual science fiction.

You can also download Terry Brooks' Galaphile: The First Druids of Shannara for only 1.99$ here.

Here's the blurb:

New York Times bestselling author Terry Brooks makes his triumphant return to the world of Shannara, delving deep into the origin story of the druid order and its enigmatic creator that will change the face of the Four Lands forever.

One of the most iconic structures in the Four Lands is Paranor, the fortress home of the Druid Order. Legend holds that it was erected by an Elven leader known as Galaphile Joss. But who was this Galaphile, and how and why did he choose to establish this center of magic and learning?

Within these pages we meet the real Galaphile, following him from a friendless teenage orphan stranded in the Human world to a powerful adult and master mage, studying under the infamous recluse, Cogline. We learn of the forces that shaped him—those he loved, and those he lost; those who aided him, and those who stood against him.

Throughout it all, Galaphile’s goal is a noble one: to bring order to a chaotic world, and to make life better for those trying to survive it. To this end, he commences building the citadel which will one day be known as Paranor with the aid of the King of the Silver River. But there is one other who seeks dominion over the Four Lands—and for far less virtuous ends.

For this foe has been corrupted by an ancient evil—one that will not only reach out and touch Galaphile’s nearest and dearest, but also echo down through the centuries, sowing the seeds for some of the darkest times the Four Lands will ever face.

More inexpensive ebook goodies!

You can now download Gail Z. Martin's Ice Forged for only 2.99$ by following this Amazon Associate link. This OneLink will take you to the nearest Amazon site serving your country and you'll see if you can take advantage of this sale.

Here's the blurb:

From one of the most exciting writers of fantasy adventure comes the first novel in The Ascendant Kingdoms Saga, a tale of unpredictable magic, battling warlords, and the lust for vengeance set in the unforgiving frozen wastes at the edge of the world.

Condemned as a murderer for killing the man who dishonored his sister, Blaine "Mick" McFadden has spent the last six years exiled in Velant, a penal colony in the frigid northern wastelands. Harsh military discipline and the oppressive magic keep a fragile peace as colonists struggle against a hostile environment. But the supply ships from Dondareth have stopped coming, boding ill for the kingdom that banished the colonists.

Now, as the world's magic runs wild, McFadden and the people of Velant must fight to survive and decide their fate . . .

This week's New York Times Bestsellers (July 6th)

In hardcover:

V. E. Schwab's Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil is down one spot, finishing the week at number 2. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Stephen King's Never Flinch maintains its position at number 3. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

K.A. Linde's The Robin on the Oak Throne debuts at number 4. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Rebecca Yarros' Onyx Storm is up three positions, ending the week at number 8. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Rachel Gillig's The Knight and the Moth is up one position, ending the week at number 12. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

In paperback:

Sarah Beth Durst's The Spellshop is up two spots, finishing the week at number 11. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Sarah J. Maas' A Court of Thorns and Roses maintains its position at number 12. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Rebecca Yarros' Iron Flame is down two positions, ending the week at number 13. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Rebecca Yarros' Fourth Wing maintains its position at number 14. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Sarah J. Maas' House of Flame and Shadow is down thirteen spots, finishing the week at number 15. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

More inexpensive ebook goodies!

You can now get your hands on the digital edition of Kim Stanley Robinson's Aurora for only 1.99$ by following this Amazon Associate link. This OneLink will take you to the nearest Amazon site serving your country and you'll see if you can take advantage of this sale.

Here's the blurb:

A major new novel from one of science fiction's most powerful voices, AURORA tells the incredible story of our first voyage beyond the solar system.

Brilliantly imagined and beautifully told, it is the work of a writer at the height of his powers.

Our voyage from Earth began generations ago.

Now, we approach our new home.

AURORA.

More inexpensive ebook goodies!

You can now download A Quest-Lover's Treasury of the Fantastic, an anthology compiled and edited by Margaret Weis, for only 2.99$ by following this Amazon Associate link. This OneLink will take you to the nearest Amazon site serving your country and you'll see if you can take advantage of this sale.

Here's the blurb:

As far back as Homer's Odyssey, "the quest" has been a compelling and popular storytelling vehicle used in many enduring works of Western literature, including Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, The Pilgrim's Progress, and the contemporary fantasy favorite, The Lord of the Rings. Now, in homage to these timeless favorites, Margaret Weis has assembled a sparkling reprint collection of quest-driven gems by such notable fantasy authors as Neil Gaiman, C. J. Cherryh, Michael Moorcock, and Mercedes Lackey.

More inexpensive ebook goodies!

You can now get your hands on the digital edition of Saara El-Arifi’s Faebound for only 1.99$ by following this Amazon Associate link. This OneLink will take you to the nearest Amazon site serving your country and you'll see if you can take advantage of this sale.

Here's the blurb:

Yeeran was born on the battlefield, has lived on the battlefield, and one day, she knows, she’ll die on the battlefield.

As a warrior in the elven army, Yeeran has known nothing but violence her whole life. Her sister, Lettle, is trying to make a living as a diviner, seeking prophecies of a better future.

When a fatal mistake leads to Yeeran’s exile from the Elven Lands, both sisters are forced into the terrifying wilderness beyond their borders.

There they encounter the impossible: the fae court. The fae haven’t been seen for a millennium. But now Yeeran and Lettle are thrust into their seductive world, torn among their loyalties to each other, their elven homeland, and their hearts.

More inexpensive ebook goodies!

You can now get your hands on the digital edition of Tad Williams' The War of the Flowers for only 0.99$ by following this Amazon Associate link This OneLink will take you to the nearest Amazon site serving your country and you'll see if you can take advantage of this sale..

Here's the blurb:

Returning to the fantasy genre that made him a coast-to-coast best-selling phenomenon, Tad Williams writes this stand-alone contemporary fantasy novel, set in Northern California—and also in the strange parallel world that coexists in the farthest reaches of the imagination.Theo Vilmos is a thirty-year-old lead singer in a not terribly successful rock band. Once, he had enormous, almost magical charisma, both onstage and off—but now, life has taken its toll on Theo.

Hitting an all-time low, he seeks refuge in a isolated cabin in the woods. While there, he reads an odd memoir written by a dead relative who believed he had visited the magical world of Faerie. And before Theo can disregard the account as the writings of a madman, he, too, is drawn to a place beyond his wildest dreams...a place that will be, and has always been, his destiny.

Sub-Majer's Challenge

Sub-Majer's Challenge is the 25th installment in L. E. Modesitt, jr.'s Recluce Saga and the third volume in Alyiakal's story arc. As you know, I wasn't happy to learn that what was originally meant to be a three-book cycle was turned into a four-book sequence because Tor Books were loath to release Alayiakal's story as three lengthy novels. I felt that such a split had a negative impact on Beltur's three-volume sequence a few years back and it sure looks as though it will be the same with Alyiakal's series.

My fear was that Overcaptain would ultimately be about half of the book the second installment was meant to be, with Sub-Majer's Challenge being the second half. It is now obvious that both novels were padded to a certain extent and trimming a number of scenes could have allowed the author and Tor Books to release Alyiakal's arc in three installments after all.

Here's the blurb:

L. E. Modesitt, Jr., New York Times bestselling fantasy author, continues his sweeping Saga of Recluce series with Sub-Majer's Challenge. The epic scope of the world, the intricate magic system, and a reluctant hero, continue the story arc that began with From the Forest and continued with Overcaptain.

Alyiakal, a sub-majer in the Mirror Lancers of Cyador, The Empire of Light, is serving the last year of his tour as commanding officer of a remote border post. Rumors hint that the Cerlynese Duke, in retaliation for Alyiakal's success in a border skirmish, is readying an even larger attack.

Against terrible odds, Alyiakal gains victory and a promotion. He takes leave only to discover his courtship of Saelora is opposed by her mother. Disappointed and reposted to the remote Pemedra Post—again—Alyiakal must navigate a rapidly developing war.

In the midst of this, when forces outnumbering his command five to one attack a small town, Alyiakal is given orders to drive out the invaders, whatever the cost.

The worldbuilding has always been one of the most interesting aspects of any new Recluce title. Each tale allows readers to discover how people and events shaped history during their lifetime. Alyiakal's story arc is the earliest series in the Recluce timeline. The action takes place more than three centuries before Magi'i of Cyador and Scion of Cyador, and more than seven centuries before Fall of Angels. In our interview last year, Modesitt stated that we'll probably never get the full story of the arrival of the First from the Rational Stars and the founding of Cyad. Which is too bad, as I'm really curious about this. Hence, I relish the few glimpses from the past that Alayiakal's tale has provided thus far. I was hoping to learn more about the Dissidents and what happened to them, but Sub-Majer's Challenge didn't shine any light on that mystery. Here's to hoping that the final volume, Last of the First, will reveal more about them.

Like its predecessor, Sub-Majer's Challenge is the immediate sequel to Overcaptain. As the title implies, it follows Alayiakal's stint as a sub-majer following his promotion and return to Pemedra Post. His romance with Saelora continues to progress and they finally get married. They have both reached a certain stage in their respective careers which allows them to tie the knot without fear of consequences. Someone from Alayiakal's past makes an unexpected return with some startling news. This was by far my favorite surprise and I'm looking forward to see how it will affect Alayiakal in the final installment. Politics are a bit more prevalent in this one, as decisions made in Cyad have repercussions that trickle down via orders from the Mirror Lancers' headquarters.

As a matter of course, Modesitt continues to explore the relationship between Order and Chaos. Being able to manipulate both Order and Chaos forces Alayiakal to test the limits of what he can do, while keeping his abilities secret. This strange dichotomy wouldn't sit well with some of his fellow soldiers, especially his superiors. The same can be said of the Magi'i, who are beginning to suspect that something is afoot. Throughout the novel, Alayiakal continues to funnel chaos energy from the sun every chance he gets. I was a bit disappointed by the fact that he uses the same tactics and strategies to dispatch enemy forces that he did in Overcaptain, which inevitably makes the action sequences in this book a bit predictable and less interesting.

Not surprisingly, like all Modesitt novels Sub-Majer's Challenge suffers from pacing issues from time to time. With the events taking place in Overcaptain meant to be the beginning and perhaps the middle of a single novel, the author's latest provides the endgame and the ending of that split book. As such, it offers some resolution and a more satisfying end than its predecessor. As expected, Alayiakal gets promoted and sent to the capital to work at the Mirror Lancers' headquarters. How he'll end up becoming Emperor remains to be seen, but I figure this means that Last of the First will be more eventful than most Recluce novels thus far.

Looking forward to see how it all ends!

The final verdict: 7.75/10

For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

More inexpensive ebook goodies!

You can now download Sarah J. Maas' A Court of Thorns and Roses for only 2.99$ by following this Amazon Associate link. This OneLink will take you to the nearest Amazon site serving your country and you'll see if you can take advantage of this sale.

Here's the blurb:

The sexy, action-packed first book in the #1 New York Times bestselling Court of Thorns and Roses series from Sarah J. Maas.

When nineteen-year-old huntress Feyre kills a wolf in the woods, a terrifying creature arrives to demand retribution. Dragged to a treacherous magical land she knows about only from legends, Feyre discovers that her captor is not truly a beast, but one of the lethal, immortal faeries who once ruled her world.

At least, he's not a beast all the time.

As she adapts to her new home, her feelings for the faerie, Tamlin, transform from icy hostility into a fiery passion that burns through every lie she's been told about the beautiful, dangerous world of the Fae. But something is not right in the faerie lands. An ancient, wicked shadow is growing, and Feyre must find a way to stop it, or doom Tamlin-and his world-forever.

From bestselling author Sarah J. Maas comes a seductive, breathtaking book that blends romance, adventure, and faerie lore into an unforgettable read.

More inexpensive ebook goodies!

You can now download Mark Lawrence's Prince of Fools for only 3.99$ by following this Amazon Associate link. This OneLink will take you to the nearest Amazon site serving your country and you'll see if you can take advantage of this sale.

Here's the blurb:

The Red Queen is old but the kings of the Broken Empire dread her like no other. For all her reign, she has fought the long war, contested in secret, against the powers that stand behind nations, for higher stakes than land or gold. Her greatest weapon is The Silent Sister—unseen by most and unspoken of by all.

The Red Queen’s grandson, Prince Jalan Kendeth—drinker, gambler, seducer of women—is one who can see The Silent Sister. Tenth in line for the throne and content with his role as a minor royal, he pretends that the hideous crone is not there. But war is coming. Witnesses claim an undead army is on the march, and the Red Queen has called on her family to defend the realm. Jal thinks it’s all a rumor—nothing that will affect him—but he is wrong.

After escaping a death trap set by the Silent Sister, Jal finds his fate magically intertwined with a fierce Norse warrior. As the two undertake a journey across the Empire to undo the spell, encountering grave dangers, willing women, and an upstart prince named Jorg Ancrath along the way, Jalan gradually catches a glimmer of the truth: he and the Norseman are but pieces in a game, part of a series of moves in the long war—and the Red Queen controls the board.

This week's New York Times Bestsellers (June 29th)

In hardcover:

V. E. Schwab's Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil debuts at number 1. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Stephen King's Never Flinch maintains its position at number 3. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Rebecca Yarros' Onyx Storm maintains its position at number 11. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Rachel Gillig's The Knight and the Moth is down six positions, ending the week at number 13. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Stephen King's The Life of Chuck debuts at number 14. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

In paperback:

Sarah J. Maas' House of Flame and Shadow debuts at number 2. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Rebecca Yarros' Iron Flame is down three positions, ending the week at number 11. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Sarah J. Maas' A Court of Thorns and Roses is down one position, ending the week at number 12. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Sarah Beth Durst's The Spellshop is down three spots, finishing the week at number 13. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Rebecca Yarros' Fourth Wing is down one position, ending the week at number 14. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

More inexpensive ebook goodies!

You can now download Iain M. Banks' The Algebraist for only 2.99$ by following this Amazon Associate link. This OneLink will take you to the nearest Amazon site serving your country and you'll see if you can take advantage of this sale.

Here's the blurb:

It is 4034 AD. Humanity has made it to the stars. Fassin Taak, a Slow Seer at the Court of the Nasqueron Dwellers, will be fortunate if he makes it to the end of the year.

The Nasqueron Dwellers inhabit a gas giant on the outskirts of the galaxy, in a system awaiting its wormhole connection to the rest of civilization. In the meantime, they are dismissed as decadents living in a state of highly developed barbarism, hoarding data without order, hunting their own young and fighting pointless formal wars.

Seconded to a military-religious order he's barely heard of - part of the baroque hierarchy of the Mercatoria, the latest galactic hegemony - Fassin Taak has to travel again amongst the Dwellers. He is in search of a secret hidden for half a billion years. But with each day that passes a war draws closer - a war that threatens to overwhelm everything and everyone he's ever known.

This week's New York Times Bestsellers (June 22nd)

In hardcover:

Stephen King's Never Flinch is down two positions, ending the week at number 3. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Rachel Gillig's The Knight and the Moth is down four positions, ending the week at number 7. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Rebecca Yarros' Onyx Storm is down two positions, ending the week at number 11. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

In paperback:

Rebecca Yarros' Iron Flame is down one position, ending the week at number 8. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Sarah Beth Durst's The Spellshop debuts at number 10. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Sarah J. Maas' A Court of Thorns and Roses maintains its position at number 11. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Rebecca Yarros' Fourth Wing is down two positions, ending the week at number 13. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

More inexpensive ebook goodies!

You can now get your hands on the digital edition of Hannu Rajaniemi's Invisible Planets: Collected Fiction for only 2.99$ by following this Amazon Associate link. This OneLink will take you to the nearest Amazon site serving your country and you'll see if you can take advantage of this sale.

Here's the blurb:

Mindblowingly inventive and beautifully written short stories from the most exciting new name in SF.

Hannu Rajaniemi exploded onto the SF scene in 2010 with the publication of his first novel The Quantum Thief. Acclaimed by fellow authors such as Charles Stross, Adam Roberts and Alastair Reynolds and brilliantly reviewed everywhere from Interzone to the Times and the Guardian he swiftly established a reputation as an author who could combine extraordinary cutting edge science with beautiful prose and deliver it all with wit, warmth and a delight in the fun of storytelling.

It is exactly these qualities that are showcased in this his first collection of short stories. Drawn from antholgies, magazines and online publications and brought together in book form for the first time in this collection here is a collection of seventeen short stories that range from the lyrical to the bizarre, from the elegaic to the impish. It is a collection that shows one of the great new imaginations in SF having immense fun.

More inexpensive ebook goodies!

You can now download Margaret Weis' The Lost King for 6.99$ by following this Amazon Associate link. This OneLink will take you to the nearest Amazon site serving your country and you'll see if you can take advantage of this sale. These space opera books were a big hit when they were published inthe 90s and I've always had a soft spot for them. They've been described as Battlestar Galactica meets Game of Thrones, and I guess that's a good description.

Here's the blurb:

A galactic revolution has toppled the Starfire dynasty, and swept into power the harsh Democratic Republic. To support the murdered king is now punishable by death. But on distant worlds, the few surviving Guardians carry a dangerous secret: Somewhere in the galaxy, they shield the rightful heir to the throne.

Stalking the hidden king is the warlord, a ruthless Republican general who wields the bloodsword. Only a few brave rebels dare to oppose him: young Dion who fights to find his destiny: the mercenary Tusk, the outlaw commander Dixter, and the beautiful Lady Maigrey, the only person alive who can match the the Warlord's cunning. Theirs is the ultimate battle against a star-spanning corruption – the ultimate sacrifice for the glory of the lost king's throne.

Fated

Since his name kept turning up every time I reviewed an urban fantasy title, I've been meaning to give Benedict Jacka's Alex Verus series a shot for a long time now. As lots of fans pointed out, comparisons with Jim Butcher's Dresden Files are inevitable. Indeed, though both main protagonists couldn't be more different, the premise of the two series nonetheless bears many similarities. Too many? Up to you to decide if that's the case or not.

With seventeen installments already published and another one coming out in 2026, Butcher's saga has grown in the telling and has become one of my favorite SFF series of all time. As such, it's impossible to say how well Jacka's own series will eventually measure up. In the end, Fated shares many of the qualities and basically the same shortcomings as Storm Front.

Here's the blurb:

Enter a “gorgeously realized world” and meet a mage destined for greatness in the first novel in the national bestselling Alex Verus series.

Alex is part of a world hidden in plain sight, running a magic shop in London that caters to clientele who can do much more than pull rabbits out of hats. And while Alex’s own powers aren’t as showy as some mages, he does have the advantage of foreseeing the possible future—allowing him to pull off operations that have a million to one chance of success.

But when Alex is approached by multiple factions seeking his skills to crack open a relic from a long-ago mage war, he knows that whatever’s inside must be beyond powerful. And thanks to his abilities, Alex can predict that by taking the job, his odds of survival are about to go from slim to none....

Although Alex Verus is quite different than Harry Dresden in terms of personality, they share the same type of predicament to begin with. Both ran away from their past and are down-on-their-luck with crappy jobs. Needless to say, both will also be drawn into bigger things that will test them in ways they never envisioned. What the Dresden Files do for Chicago, it appears that the Alex Verus books will do for London, England. And when all the known diviners go to ground so as to not get involved in something that divides the Council and could have grave repercussions for anyone involved, Alex gets press-ganged by competing factions to help them recover an ancient artifact, all the while knowing that he likely won't be allowed to survive its retrieval.

Compared to Harry Dresden, Alex Verus is a more low-key character. As such, you would think that he'd be easier to relate to. And yet, at least in this first volume, I didn't find myself rooting for him like I did for the only wizard in Chicago's phonebook in Storm Front. Being virtually powerless in terms of brute strength against other mages, Alex must rely on his wits to come out on top. He's an interesting protagonist to follow, but his first-person narrative isn't as witty and entertaining as that of his counterpart from the Dresden Files. Alex doesn't have the charisma and the repartee that made Harry such a likeable character. He's a more thoughtful and humane person, mind you, yet I'm not sure he has the superstar potential that Harry Dresden had even at the very beginning. It will be interesting to see how Alex grows as a protagonist as the series progresses. The supporting cast isn't all that memorable, with the exception of Luna and her curse. I'm hoping we see more of her in subsequent installment and that Jacka will explore her relationship with Alex in more details.

One thing that's obvious from the get-go is that Benedict Jacka isn't as talented a writer as Jim Butcher was at the same stage in their careers. Jacka relies on info-dumps way too often in such a short book. He also has a tendency to use deus ex machina solutions to get Alex out of trouble, which becomes tiresome. I understand that this is the author's debut, so hopefully he will grow as a writer with each new volume. Fated offers lots of glimpses regarding lots of aspects of Jacka's universe, but nothing concrete about most of them. The magic system, in particular, could have been more fleshed out. There seems to be a lot more than meets the eye about Alex, his powers, and everything else. But until the author provides more substance, it's hard to say how much potential this series truly has.

Weighing in at barely 218 pages, Fated is a very short work. Kind of par for the course for urban fantasy, I know, and a debut at that, yet it does preclude a lot of exposition and the depth that comes with that. Still, it's a nice introduction, one that you'll go through in no time and, more importantly, one that makes you want to discover what happens next. Here's to hoping that, like Jim Butcher, Benedict Jacka will up his game with each new title and that each new addition will allow this series to reach new heights.

The final verdict: 7.5/10

For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

More inexpensive ebook goodies!

You can now get your hands on the digital edition of Ken Liu's The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories for only 1.99$ by following this Amazon Associate link. This OneLink will take you to the nearest Amazon site serving your country and you'll see if you can take advantage of this sale.

Here's the blurb:

A publishing event: Bestselling author Ken Liu selects his award-winning science fiction and fantasy tales for a groundbreaking collection—including a brand-new piece exclusive to this volume.

With his debut novel, The Grace of Kings, taking the literary world by storm, Ken Liu now shares his finest short fiction in The Paper Menagerie. This mesmerizing collection features all of Ken’s award-winning and award-finalist stories, including: “The Man Who Ended History: A Documentary” (Finalist for the Hugo, Nebula, and Theodore Sturgeon Awards), “Mono No Aware” (Hugo Award winner), “The Waves” (Nebula Award finalist), “The Bookmaking Habits of Select Species” (Nebula and Sturgeon award finalists), “All the Flavors” (Nebula award finalist), “The Litigation Master and the Monkey King” (Nebula Award finalist), and the most awarded story in the genre’s history, “The Paper Menagerie” (The only story to win the Hugo, Nebula, and World Fantasy awards).

A must-have for every science fiction and fantasy fan, this beautiful book is an anthology to savor.

Quote of the Day

What do we call a fearless man? His father’s voice. His father’s voice, offered from the certainty of childhood memories, for he did not think he would hear it again while he lived.

A hero? he had asked, shorn of certainty; it had been such an odd question.

In the shallows of dusk, in the time between the reign of the Lord of the Sun and the Lady, doubt and uncertainty could be voiced—but carefully. Even as a child, he had known that.

His father had shaken his head. He was not displeased with the answer; he had clearly expected it. But it was the wrong answer.

A corpse.

- MICHELLE WEST, Hunter's Redoutb

For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

WTF!?!

Not sure what happened today, but the Hotlist garnered 69,895 page views!

That's more than three times the previous daily record!

Official Truth, 101 Proof

After loving Duff McKagan's biography, my brother suggested that I read Rex Brown's Official Truth: 101 Proof next. I was a huge Pantera fan back in the 90s, so when he lent me the book I knew I had to read it!

If you were a fan back in the day, you probably recall that Brown never had much to say during interviews. Turns out he has a LOT to say in this biography. I never would have thought that this guy was so full of himself, or that he would piss on a lot of people, especially his own drummer.

To hear him talk, it's almost as though Rex Brown was the best thing since sliced bread. Now, I'm no pro, but none of his basslines were ever memorable and I can't really name one song in which he truly shines. He's a far cry from Steve Harris from Iron Maiden or Flea from Red Hot Chili Peppers, and yet he seems to consider himself one of the very best bassists to ever walk this Earth.

One of the main problems with this biography is that it's not that insightful. I was hoping for more regarding Pantera's creative process for each album and the history of the band. But it was not to be. Moreover, several sections are poorly written and repetitive. The book was supposedly cowritten with Mark Eglinton, but it seems evident that certain chapters were done by Brown alone.

In the end, especially since we're only getting one side of the story, there's not a whole lot to like about this biography, even for long-time fans. It's okay, but nothing you should be rushing to read. RIP Dimebag.

Here's the blurb:

Few heavy metal acts survived the turmoil of the early 1990s music scene. Pantera was different. Instead of humoring the market, the band instead demanded that the audience come to them by releasing a series of fiercely uncompromising, platinum albums, including Vulgar Display of Power and Far Beyond Driven—two #1 albums that, like Metallica’s And Justice for All, sold millions of copies despite minimal airplay.

Rex Brown’s memoir is the definitive account of life inside one of rock’s biggest bands, which succeeded against all odds but ultimately ended in tragedy when iconic lead guitarist Darrell 'Dimebag' Abbott was murdered mid-performance by a deranged fan.

This is a lucid account of the previously untold story behind one of the most influential bands in heavy metal history, written by the man best qualified to tell the truth about those incredible and often difficult years of fame and excess.

For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.