This week's New York Times Bestsellers (March 26th)

In hardcover:

Troy Denning's Star Wars: Fate of the Jedi: Apocalypse debuts at number 2.

George R. R. Martin's A Dance With Dragons is up five positions, ending the week at number 8. For more info about this title: Canada, USA, Europe.

Anne Rice's The Wolf Gift is up one spot, finishing the week at number 10. For more info about this title: Canada, USA, Europe.

Patricia Briggs' Fair Game is down seven spots, finishing the week at number 11.

Stephen King's 11/22/63 is down two positions, ending the week at number 14. For more info about this title: Canada, USA, Europe.

David Weber's A rising Thunder is down twelve positions, ending the week at number 15. For more info about this title: Canada, USA, Europe.

Raymond E. Feist's A Crown Imperiled debuts at number 20.

Kim Harrison's A Perfect Blood is down eight positions, ending the week at number 23.

In paperback:

George R. R. Martin's A Game of Thrones is up three positions, ending the week at number 8.

George R. R. Martin's A Game of Thrones is up five positions, ending the week at number 8 (trade paperback).

George R. R. Martin's A Clash of Kings is up five positions, ending the week at number 11.

George R. R. Martin's A Storms of Swords is up eight positions, ending the week at number 16.

George R. R. Martin's A Feast for Crows is up ten positions, ending the week at number 20.

George R. R. Martin's A Clash of Kings maintains its position at number 21 (trade paperback).

Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game returns at number 25.

Seth Grahame-Smith's Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter returns at number 28.

Gail Carriger's Timeless is down nine spots, finishing the week at number 31.

Patrick Rothfuss' The Wise Man's Fear is down thirteen spots, finishing the week at number 33.

Max Brooks' World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War returns at number 34 (trade paperback).

Shadow Ops: Control Point

Around Christmas time, as I was perusing the piles of books I have in my apartment, looking for stuff to bring with me to Belize in January, Myke Cole's debut, Shadow Ops: Control Point initially made it into the rotation. And then, proving yet again how much of a dumbass I can be when I put my mind to it, I elected to bring the new Naomi Novik instead. I know, I know...

Soon, the internet was abuzz with positive reviews of Cole's debut, making me regret my decision. Fortunately, I was rum punching my way through San Pedro and Caye Caulker by then, caught in a perpetual state of happiness that only the sun, the sea, rum, and girls in bikini can bring. However, all too quickly my world came crashing down on me and I was forced to return to reality and winter.

And though I had prior commitments to go through before I could give the novel a shot, I told Myke Cole that I'd be reading Shadow Ops: Control Point as soon as I was done with them. And I'm glad I did, for this book is the absolute shit! A definite frontrunner for the SFF debut of the year, no question about it!

Here's the blurb:

Army Officer. Fugitive. Sorcerer.

Across the country and in every nation, people are waking up with magical talents. Untrained and panicked, they summon storms, raise the dead, and set everything they touch ablaze.

Army officer Oscar Britton sees the worst of it. A lieutenant attached to the military's Supernatural Operations Corps, his mission is to bring order to a world gone mad. Then he abruptly manifests a rare and prohibited magical power, transforming him overnight from government agent to public enemy number one.

The SOC knows how to handle this kind of situation: hunt him down--and take him out. Driven into an underground shadow world, Britton is about to learn that magic has changed all the rules he's ever known, and that his life isn't the only thing he's fighting for.

Although the opening chapter of a trilogy, Shadow Ops: Control Point is an introduction to a tale that's much larger in scope that reads like a stand-alone work. Hence, even though the author introduces a lot of cool concepts and fascinating ideas, Cole nevertheless keeps his cards pretty close to his chest. He gives readers a number of tantalizing peeks, yet he doesn't elaborate much on most of them. I would have liked to learn much more about the Supernatural Operations Corps, the Source, the Goblins and other creatures, the act of Manifesting, as well as many other aspects of the worldbuilding. But it was not to be. As a result, it's difficult to judge the depth of Myke Cole's creation, but he definitely piqued my curiosity and you can label me intrigued.

What originally made me drop this book from my Belizean selections was my doubt that this sort of military fantasy could truly work. Boy was I wrong! I don't know if it's because Myke Cole served in the military and did three tours in Iraq, but the guy managed to incorporate magic in military operations in a way that was realistic and exciting. When Peter V. Brett claimed that Cole's debut was "Black Hawk Down meets The X-Men," he was right.

The tale unfolds through the eyes of Oscar Britton, a lieutenant in the Supernatural Operations Corps whose life take a turn for the worse when he Manifests and suddenly becomes public enemy number one. At first, I feared that the main protagonist was a bit too empathic and introspective. That emo side of his seemed to clash with his kick-ass personality. And yet, Britton gradually grows on you and Myke Cole has quite a few surprises in store for him and the readers. A do-gooder whose good intentions often gets him in trouble, Britton goes through a lot of character growth between the covers of this novel. Whether or not this protagonist can carry the series by himself, or if the author will include the POVs of additional characters in the forthcoming sequels, remains to be seen. But as far as this debut is concerned, letting readers experience everything from Britton's point of view allowed us to truly feel the sense of loss and bewilderment that he is forced to go through as his life is turned upside down.

The pace is crips throughout, with not a single dull moment from beginning to end. There are no info-dumps, but some missions are just an excuse for Myke Cole to showcase how magic operates in combat situations. Having said that, most of those are extremely cool and page-turning action sequences. All good!

Sneaky bastard that he is, the author sort of lulls you into a false sense of security in the last portion of the novel. So much so that you feel that the end will be more or less predictable. And then, without warning, he turns the tables on you, coming up with a thrilling finale that makes it well nigh impossible for anyone not to read the second installment. Say one thing about Myke Cole, say that he sure knows how to bring the house down with a bang!

Shadow Ops: Control Point is a fun, intelligent, action-packed, entertaining read with a generous dose of ass-kicking! In all likelihood, this work won't get nominated for any genre awards. But it's been quite a while since I've had this much fun reading a book!

As far as the speculative fiction debut of 2012 is concerned, Myke Cole now sits in pole position. And he'll probably be hard to beat!

The final verdict: 8/10

For more information about this title: Canada, USA, Europe.

New R. Scott Bakker Q&A

Crap, I can't believe I missed this one!

Orbit Books recently posted a new Q&A with R. Scott Bakker. Here's a teaser:

The next book in the series is THE UNHOLY CONSULT, which you’ve already spoken of as being the biggest gamechanger in the whole series to date. How is work progressing with that book and when do you think it might be done?

THE UNHOLY CONSULT has been progressing more slowly than I would like. I was hoping for a fall release, but it will likely have to be pushed back to next year. Each book has had it’s particular struggles attached, but none quite so profound as this. We have a small child now, and this has forced me to abandon all my old habits and routines–two things which have been the cornerstone of my productivity since the beginning. I’ve also had to do some teaching and other work; if publishing does go the way of the music industry, all mid-list writers need to be prepared. Good writing is typically a maniacal, obsessive, experience for me–of the kind which, quite frankly, parenthood and moonlighting simply do not allow (certainly when children are quite young). There’s life and there’s the book–and there’s me, trying to write in the middle of what seems a war sometimes!

But war can be good, so long as it finds its way to the page in the right way.

Follow this link to read the full interview.

More inexpensive ebook goodies!

You can now download Neal Stephenson's Anathem for only 1.99$ here. Considering that the hardback is 937 pages long, that's a sweet deal!

Here's the blurb:

Anathem, the latest invention by the New York Times bestselling author of Cryptonomicon and The Baroque Cycle, is a magnificent creation: a work of great scope, intelligence, and imagination that ushers readers into a recognizable - yet strangely inverted - world.

Fraa Erasmas is a young avout living in the Concent of Saunt Edhar, a sanctuary for mathematicians, scientists, and philosophers, protected from the corrupting influences of the outside "saecular" world by ancient stone, honored traditions, and complex rituals. Over the centuries, cities and governments have risen and fallen beyond the concent's walls. Three times during history's darkest epochs violence born of superstition and ignorance has invaded and devastated the cloistered mathic community. Yet the avout have always managed to adapt in the wake of catastrophe, becoming out of necessity even more austere and less dependent on technology and material things. And Erasmas has no fear of the outside - the Extramuros - for the last of the terrible times was long, long ago.

Now, in celebration of the week-long, once-in-a-decade rite of Apert, the fraas and suurs prepare to venture beyond the concent's gates - at the same time opening them wide to welcome the curious "extras" in. During his first Apert as a fraa, Erasmas eagerly anticipates reconnecting with the landmarks and family he hasn't seen since he was "collected." But before the week is out, both the existence he abandoned and the one he embraced will stand poised on the brink of cataclysmic change.

Powerful unforeseen forces jeopardize the peaceful stability of mathic life and the established ennui of the Extramuros - a threat that only an unsteady alliance of saecular and avout can oppose - as, one by one, Erasmas and his colleagues, teachers, and friends are summoned forth from the safety of the concent in hopes of warding off global disaster. Suddenly burdened with a staggering responsibility, Erasmas finds himself a major player in a drama that will determine the future of his world - as he sets out on an extraordinary odyssey that will carry him to the most dangerous, inhospitable corners of the planet . . . and beyond.

Christopher Priest rips into the Arthur C. Clarke Award

KABOUM!

Holy shit, but Christopher Priest doesn't pull any punches! Most genre fans don't give a damn about awards, yet even those who do opined that this year's shortlist for the Arthur C. Clarke Award was kind of weak.

In a day and age in which the credibility of such awards continues to be questioned, Christopher Priest goes all out!

Here's an excerpt from his article:

It seems to me that 2011 was a poor year for science fiction. Of the sixty books submitted by publishers, only a tiny handful were suitable for awards. The brutal reality is that there were fewer than the six needed for the Clarke shortlist. Many of the submissions were fantasy of the least ambitious type, and many of the science fiction titles were almost as firmly embedded in genre orthodoxies, to their own huge disadvantage (and discredit), as the plodding, laddish works of Mr Mark Billingham. Discounting all those submissions did not leave many competitors at the top.

[...]

In short, the winner of the award must be found within an excellent shortlist, that the win must seem to have been hard-won, and that the choice was the result of reasoned argument and intelligent debate amongst the judges.

[...]

Miéville has already won the Clarke Award three times – which is not his fault, and one assumes not his intention. No doubt he is pleased to have done so. His current novel is the leading contender for this year’s award, and if it becomes the winner then it will be his fourth. Again, not his fault and not apparently what he necessarily seeks, but also it’s safe to assume he would not turn it down.

However, a fourth award to this writer would send out a misleading and damaging message to the world at large: it suggests that not only is Mr Miéville the best the SF world can offer at the moment, he is shown to be more or less the only writer worth reading. Worse even than this, it would send a misleading message to China Miéville himself.

Although Miéville is clearly talented, he does not work hard enough. For a novel about language, Embassytown contains many careless solecisms, which either Mr Miéville or his editor should have dealt with. This isn’t the place to go into a long textual analysis, but (for example) a writer at his level should never use ‘alright’ so often or so unembarrassedly. He also uses far too many neologisms or SF nonce-words, which drive home the fact that he is defined and limited by the expectations of a genre audience. On the first few pages, alone, he uses the words ‘shiftparents’, ‘voidcraft’, ‘yearsends’, ‘trid’, ‘vespcams’, ‘miab’, ‘plastone’, ‘hostnest’, ‘altoysterman’ … Yes, of course, it’s possible to work out what most of these might mean (or to wait until another context makes them clearer), but it is exactly this use of made-up nouns that makes many people find science fiction arcane or excluding. A better writer would find a more effective way of suggesting strangeness or an alien environment than by just ramming words together. It’s lazy writing.

[...]

Sheri S. Tepper’s The Waters Rising (Gollancz) – how can one describe it? For fuck’s sake, it is a quest saga and it has a talking horse. There are puns on the word ‘neigh’.

[...]

We have a dreadful shortlist put together by a set of judges who were not fit for purpose. They were incompetent. Their incompetence was made more problematical because the overall quality of the fiction in the year in question was poor. They did not know how to resolve this. They played what they saw as safe.

They failed themselves, they failed the Clarke Award, and they failed anyone who takes a serious interest in speculative fiction.

[...]

The easy way out of this problem is to do nothing. We wait for 2nd May, we troop along to the awards ceremony and we wait for the decision to be announced. In a sense, it does not matter which one of the six books is announced, because all of them are deficient in the ways I have described. (If this happens, I hope the winner is Jane Rogers, because the deficiencies in her novel are much less serious than those in the others.) The true winner of the award, the writer of the best book of last year, will never be known, because he or she is not on the shortlist.

But there is a better way forward, and here it is.
1. The present panel of judges should be fired, or forced to resign, immediately. Their names are Juliet E. McKenna, Martin Lewis, Phil Nanson, Nikkianne Moody and Rob Grant. Chairman Andrew M. Butler should also resign. These people have proved themselves incompetent as judges, and should not be allowed to have any more say about or influence on the Arthur C. Clarke Award.
2. The 2012 Arthur C. Clarke Award should be suspended forthwith, and the planned awards ceremony on 2nd May should be cancelled.
3. The award fund (£2,012.00, as I understand it) should be held over until next year. Next year’s fund should be added to it, so that the prize for 2013 becomes £4,013.00.
4. The 2013 Clarke Award should be made to the best novel published in the two years ended 31st December 2012. All novels currently eligible for the 2012 award, whether or not they have been shortlisted by this year’s panel, are eligible again.
5. All the other usual rules of the Award should be applied.

Follow this link to read Christopher Priest's full piece.

Cover blurb for Peter F. Hamilton's GREAT NORTH ROAD

Here's the blurb for Peter F. Hamilton's Great North Road:

St Libra is paradise for Earth's mega-rich. Until the killing begins.

In Newcastle-upon-Tyne, AD 2142, Detective Sidney Hurst attends a brutal murder scene. The victim is one of the wealthy North family clones – but none have been reported missing. And the crime’s most disturbing aspect is how the victim was killed. Twenty years ago, a North clone billionaire and his household were horrifically murdered in exactly the same manner, on the tropical planet of St Libra.

But if the murderer is still at large, was Angela Tramelo wrongly convicted? Tough and confident, she never waivered under interrogation – claiming she alone survived an alien attack. But there is no animal life on St Libra. Investigating this alien threat becomes the Human Defence Agency’s top priority. The bio-fuel flowing from St Libra is the lifeblood of Earth’s economy and must be secured.

So a vast expedition is mounted via the Newcastle gateway, and teams of engineers, support personnel and xenobiologists are dispatched to the planet. Along with their technical advisor, grudgingly released from prison, Angela Tramelo. But the expedition is cut off, deep within St Libra’s rainforests. Then the murders begin.

Someone or something is picking off the team one by one. Angela insists it’s the alien, but her new colleagues aren’t so sure. Maybe she did see an alien, or maybe she has other reasons for being on St Libra... This is a stunning standalone adventure, by a writer at the height of his powers.

Sounds good! =)

China Miéville contest winner!

This lucky guy will receive my ARC of China Miéville's Raisea! For more info about this title: Canada, USA, Europe.

The winner is:

- Juan Criado, from Buenos Aires, Argentina

Many thanks to all the participants!

Win a copy of Bradley P. Beaulieu's THE STRAITS OF GALAHESH

I have two copies of Bradley P. Beaulieu's The Straits of Galahesh for you to win, courtesy of the folks at Night Shade Books. For more info about this title: Canada, USA, Europe.

Here's the blurb:

West of the Grand Duchy of Anuskaya lies the Empire of Yrstanla, the Motherland. The Empire has lived at peace with Anuskaya for generations, but with political turmoil brewing and the wasting disease still rampant, opportunists from the mainland have begun to set their sights on the Grand Duchy, seeking to expand their empire. Five years have passed since Prince Nikandr, heir to the scepter of Khalakovo, was tasked with finding Nasim, the child prodigy behind a deadly summoning that led to a grand clash between the armies of man and elder elemental spirits. Today, that boy has grown into a young man driven to understand his past - and the darkness from which Nikandr awakened him. Nikandr's lover, Atiana, has become a Matra, casting her spirit forth to explore, influence, and protect the Grand Duchy. But when the Al-Aqim, long thought lost to the past, return to the islands and threaten to bring about indaraqiram - a change that means certain destruction for both the Landed and the Landless - bitter enemies must become allies and stand against their horrific plans. From Bradley P. Beaulieu, author of the critically acclaimed debut novel The Winds of Khalakovo, comes Book Two of The Lays of Anuskaya, The Straits of Galahesh.

The rules are the same as usual. You need to send an email at reviews@(no-spam)gryphonwood.net with the header "GALAHESH." 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!

Excerpt from James S. A. Corey's CALIBAN'S WAR

Orbit has posted an extract from James S. A. Corey's Caliban's War on their website. For more info about this title: Canada, USA, Europe.

Here's the blurb:

We are not alone.

The alien protomolecule is clear evidence of an intelligence beyond human reckoning. No one knows what exactly is being built on Venus, but whatever it is, it is vast, powerful, and terrifying.

When a creature of unknown origin and seemingly impossible physiology attacks soldiers on Ganymede, the fragile balance of power in the Solar System shatters. Now, the race is on to discover if the protomolecule has escaped Venus, or if someone is building an army of super-soldiers.

Jim Holden is the center of it all. In spite of everything, he's still the best man for the job to find out what happened on Ganymede. Either way, the protomolecule is loose and Holden must find a way to stop it before war engulfs the entire system.

CALIBAN'S WAR is an action-packed space adventure following in the footsteps of the critically acclaimed Leviathan Wakes.

You can read the extract here.

Quote of the Day

There was a couple who lived down the street and felt sorry for us, so every now and then they'd bring over a big bowl of spaghetti. When we were really hard up, Nikki and I would date girls who worked in grocery stores just for the free food. But we always bought our own booze. It was a matter of pride.

- VINCE NEIL, Mötley Crüe: The Dirt--Confessions of the World's Most Notorious Rock Band (Canada, USA, Europe)

Still have a ways to go, but this book is the absolute shit so far!!!

Musical Interlude

A little rock and roll, courtesy of Aerosmith! =)

Game of Thrones: You Win or You Die

22 minutes of awesomeness! ;-)

More inexpensive ebook goodies!

You can now download Suzanne Collins' bestselling The Hunger Games for 5.00$ here. The second and third volumes, Catching Fire and Mockingjay are also heavily discounted at the moment. Which means that you can download the entire series for a few dollars more than it will cost you to go see the movie!

Here's the blurb for The Hunger Games:

In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV. Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she is forced to represent her district in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before-and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that weigh survival against humanity and life against love.

Acclaimed writer Suzanne Collins, author of the New York Times bestselling The Underland Chronicles, delivers equal parts suspense and philosophy, adventure and romance, in this searing novel set in a future with unsettling parallels to our present.

City of Dragons

When she first intended to write a book about dragons set in the Rain Wilds, the original manuscript Robin Hobb turned in was too long to be published as a single novel. Hence, the story was split into Dragon Keeper and Dragon Haven.

A while back, the author informed us that the same thing had happened, forcing her publishers to once again split the story into two halves, City of Dragons and Blood of Dragons. Problem is, given the relatively small size of City of Dragons, unless Blood of Dragons is a veritable doorstopper of a novel similar to works from Robert Jordan, George R. R. Martin, and Steven Erikson, it does appear that Harper Voyager is sticking it to readers by forcing them two buy two volumes instead of one. And you know how I feel about the proliferation of unnecessary sequels to string readers along. . .

Here's the blurb:

Return to the world of the Liveships Traders and journey along the Rain Wild River in the third instalment of high adventure from the author of the internationally acclaimed Farseer trilogy.

Kelsingra awaits for those brave enough to enter…

The dragons and their keepers have discovered Kelsingra but so far only Heeby has succeeded in flying over the river to enter the fabled city. The other dragons, with their deformed wings and feeble muscles, are afraid to risk failure and humiliation.

But wondrous things await in Kelsingra, a city built for dragons and their Elderling keepers. Alise, overwhelmed by the treasures she finds there, records her finds for posterity. Once the rest of the world knows about the riches the city contains, nothing will ever be the same again.

Already, rumours of the city’s discovery have floated down the Rain Wild River and reached envious ears in Bingtown and beyond. Adventurers, pirates and fortune hunters are coming in droves to pillage what they can from the city. As is Hest Finbok, Alise’s husband…

Meanwhile, Selden Vestrit finds himself a prisoner of the ailing Duke of Chalced, who believes him to be some sort of dragon-man whose flesh and blood may work miracle cures.

Where is Tintaglia, the great sapphire-blue dragon, when all have such need of her? Has she really abandoned her beloved Selden and the fledgling dragons forever? Or will she too return to seek the wonders of Kelsingra?

You can read two extracts from the novel here.

As was the case with the last Rain Wilds novel, the worldbuilding was the most fascinating aspect of City of Dragons. Once again, we get more insight into the lives of dragons, Elderlings and their secrets, and the Rain Wilds in general. Revelations about Kelsingra were engrossing, giving us a few glimpses about the past lives of dragons and Elderlings.

As is usually her wont, Hobb's characterization remains her strong suit. The emancipation of women and society's acceptance of gay people are once again themes that lie at the heart of the tale, as was the one focusing on how individuals shunned by society strive to find their own place in the world. Thymara, Alise, and Sedric take center stage once more, but the storylines also focus on other characters. Leftrin's return to Cassarick brings a number of new plotlines to the fore, many of them quite surprising. Malta and Reyn Khuprus' storyline was the most unanticipated and most interesting. Selden's plotline is also quite intriguing. All in all, Robin Hobb takes this story in new and unforeseen directions.

The pace is fluid throughout, and all too quickly one reaches the end of the book. Trouble is, as this is only the first half of what was a single manuscript, there is no resolution whatsoever and the end lacks the usual Robin Hobb punch. The novel is brought to a close at the point where it probably made the most sense, but the reading experience fails to generate any satisfaction. Hence, one can't help but feel a bit disappointed by it all.

City of Dragons doesn't feel like a novel in the true sense of the word. Indeed, it feels more like a single piece in a multilayered whole. As was the case with the last two Rain Wilds installments, until we read the entire story, it's impossible to judge the inherent quality of this work on its own merit. Too much remains missing. . .

Which is too bad, for based on City of Dragons, Hobb's latest manuscript appears to be her very best work since Fool's Fate. . .

The final verdict: 7.5/10

For more information about this title: Canada, USA, Europe.

More inexpensive ebook goodies!

You can now download Jacqueline Carey's Santa Olivia for 2.99$ here.

Here's the blurb:

Loup Garron was born and raised in Santa Olivia, an isolated, disenfranchised town next to a US military base inside a DMZ buffer zone between Texas and Mexico. A fugitive "Wolf-Man" who had a love affair with a local woman, Loup's father was one of a group of men genetically-manipulated and used by the US government as a weapon. The "Wolf-Men" were engineered to have superhuman strength, speed, sensory capability, stamina, and a total lack of fear, and Loup, named for and sharing her father's wolf-like qualities, is marked as an outsider.

After her mother dies, Loup goes to live among the misfit orphans at the parish church, where they seethe from the injustices visited upon the locals by the soldiers. Eventually, the orphans find an outlet for their frustrations: They form a vigilante group to support Loup Garron who, costumed as their patron saint, Santa Olivia, uses her special abilities to avenge the town.

Aware that she could lose her freedom, and possibly her life, Loup is determined to fight to redress the wrongs her community has suffered. And like the reincarnation of their patron saint, she will bring hope to all of Santa Olivia.

This week's New York Times Bestsellers (March 19th)

In hardcover:

David Weber's A rising Thunder debuts at number 3. For more info about this title: Canada, USA, Europe.

Patricia Briggs' Fair Game debuts at number 4.

Anne Rice's The Wolf Gift is down five spots, finishing the week at number 11. For more info about this title: Canada, USA, Europe.

Stephen King's 11/22/63 is down two positions, ending the week at number 12. For more info about this title: Canada, USA, Europe.

George R. R. Martin's A Dance With Dragons maintains its position at number 13. For more info about this title: Canada, USA, Europe.

Kim Harrison's A Perfect Blood is down seven positions, ending the week at number 15.

Naomi Novik's Crucible of Gold debuts at number 19. For more info about this title: Canada, USA, Europe.

Erin Morgenstern's The Night Circus maintains its position at number 35.

In paperback:

George R. R. Martin's A Game of Thrones is up thirteen positions, ending the week at number 11.

George R. R. Martin's A Game of Thrones is up three positions, ending the week at number 13 (trade paperback).

George R. R. Martin's A Clash of Kings is up ten positions, ending the week at number 16.

Patrick Rothfuss' The Wise Man's Fear debuts at number 20.

George R. R. Martin's A Clash of Kings is down three spots, finishing the week at number 21 (trade paperback).

Gail Carriger's Timeless is down five spots, finishing the week at number 22.

George R. R. Martin's A Storms of Swords is up seven positions, ending the week at number 24.

George R. R. Martin's A Feast for Crows is up three positions, ending the week at number 33.

Deborah Harkness' A Discovery of Witches returns at number 35 (trade paperback).

TIFF: In Conversation With George R. R. Martin

Enjoy!

Win a copy of the A GAME OF THRONES, the graphic novel

I have three copies of George R. R. Martin's A Game of Thrones, the graphic novel (adapted by Daniel Abraham and illustrated by Tommy Patterson) up for grabs, compliments of the folks at Bantam Books. For more info about this title: Canada, USA, Europe.

You can check out a preview of the graphic novel here.

Here's the blurb:

You’ve read the books. You’ve watched the hit series on HBO. Now acclaimed novelist Daniel Abraham and illustrator Tommy Patterson bring George R. R. Martin’s epic fantasy masterwork A Game of Thrones to majestic new life in the pages of this full-color graphic novel. Comprised of the initial six issues of the graphic series, this is the first volume in what is sure to be one of the most coveted collaborations of the year.

Winter is coming. Such is the stern motto of House Stark, the northernmost of the fiefdoms that owe allegiance to King Robert Baratheon in far-off King’s Landing. There Eddard Stark of Winterfell rules in Robert’s name. There his family dwells in peace and comfort: his proud wife, Catelyn; his sons Robb, Brandon, and Rickon; his daughters Sansa and Arya; and his bastard son, Jon Snow. Far to the north, behind the towering Wall, lie savage Wildings and worse—unnatural things relegated to myth during the centuries-long summer, but proving all too real and all too deadly in the turning of the season.

Yet a more immediate threat lurks to the south, where Jon Arryn, the Hand of the King, has died under mysterious circumstances. Now Robert is riding north to Winterfell, bringing his queen, the lovely but cold Cersei, his son, the cruel, vainglorious Prince Joffrey, and the queen’s brothers Jamie and Tyrion of the powerful and wealthy House Lannister—the first a swordsman without equal, the second a dwarf whose stunted stature belies a brilliant mind. All are heading for Winterfell and a fateful encounter that will change the course of kingdoms.

Meanwhile, across the Narrow Sea, Prince Viserys, heir of the fallen House Targaryen, which once ruled all of Westeros, schemes to reclaim the throne with an army of barbarian Dothraki—whose loyalty he will purchase in the only coin left to him: his beautiful yet innocent sister, Daenerys.

The rules are the same as usual. You need to send an email at reviews@(no-spam)gryphonwood.net with the header "THRONES." 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!

Prometheus Wondercon Trailer

I'm getting more and more excited! Hopefully it won't end up being a stinker...

Steven Erikson contest winner!

This lucky bastard will get his hands on a copy of Steven Erikson's This River Awakens. For more info about this title: Canada, USA, Europe.

The winner is:

- Matt Coughlin, Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, USA

Many thanks to all the participants!

Win a copy of Matthew Stover's CAINE'S LAW

Since I don't really have any interest in this book but I know that many of you are eagerly awaiting its release, I'm giving away my review copy of Matthew Stover's Caine's Law. For more info about this title: Canada, USA, Europe.

Here's the blurb:

SOME LAWS YOU BREAK. SOME BREAK YOU.

AND THEN THERE’S CAINE’S LAW.

From the moment Caine first appeared in the pages of Heroes Die, two things were clear. First, that Matthew Stover was one of the most gifted fantasy writers of his generation. And second, that Caine was a hero whose peers go by such names as Conan and Elric. Like them, Caine was something new: a civilized man who embraced savagery, an actor whose life was a lie, a force of destruction so potent that even gods thought twice about crossing him. Now Stover brings back his greatest creation for his most stunning performance yet.

Caine is washed up and hung out to dry, a crippled husk kept isolated and restrained by the studio that exploited him. Now they have dragged him back for one last deal. But Caine has other plans. Those plans take him back to Overworld, the alternate reality where gods are real and magic is the ultimate weapon. There, in a violent odyssey through time and space, Caine will face the demons of his past, find true love, and just possibly destroy the universe.

Hey, it’s a crappy job, but somebody’s got to do it.

The rules are the same as usual. You need to send an email at reviews@(no-spam)gryphonwood.net with the header "CAINE." 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!

More inexpensive ebook goodies!

You can now download Lois McMaster Bujold's The Curse of Chalion for 0.99$ here.

Here's the blurb:

A man broken in body and spirit, Cazaril returns to the noble household he once served as page and is named secretary-tutor to the beautiful, strong-willed sister of the impetuous boy who is next in line to rule. It is an assignment Cazaril dreads, for it must ultimately lead him to the place he most fears: the royal court of Cardegoss, where the powerful enemies who once placed him in chains now occupy lofty positions.

But it is more than the traitorous intrigues of villains that threaten Cazaril and the Royesse Iselle here, for a sinister curse hangs like a sword over the entire blighted House of Chalion. And only by employing the darkest, most forbidden of magics can Cazaril hope to protect his royal charge -- an act that will mark him as a tool of the miraculous . . . and trap him in a lethal maze of demonic paradox.

Game of Thrones Season 2 "Price of Our Sins" Trailer

Man, this is going to be a doozy!!!

Official Full Trailer for Prometheus

Looks great!

Paul Kearney contest winners!

Thanks to the generosity of the folks at Solaris, our winners will get their hands on a copy of Paul Kearney's The Kings of Morning. For more info about this title: Canada, USA, Europe.

It's the sequel to the excellent The Ten Thousand and Corvus. Check them out if you haven't read them yet! You won't be disappointed!

The winners are:

- Wout Bittremieux, from Dilsen-Stokkem, Belgium

- Kevin Przybilla, from Büren, Germany

- Srdjan Ladichorbic, from Belgrade, Serbia

Many thanks to all the participants!

UK cover art for Steven Erikson's THE FORGE OF DARKNESS

Really looking forward to this one! =)

Win a copy of David Constantine's THE PILLARS OF HERCULES

Thanks to the folks at Night Shade Books, I have five copies of David Constantine's The Pillars of Hercules up for grabs! For more information about this title: Canada, USA, Europe.

You can also visit David Constantine's official website here.

Here's the blurb:

Alexander, Prince of Macedon, is the terror of the world. Persia, Egypt, Athens . . . one after another, mighty nations are falling before the fearsome conqueror. Some say Alexander is actually the son of Zeus, king of the gods, and the living incarnation of Hercules himself. Worse yet, some say Alexander believes this . . . .

The ambitious prince is aided in his conquest by unstoppable war-machines based on the forbidden knowledge of his former tutor, the legendary scientist-mage known as Aristotle. Greek fire, mechanical golems, and gigantic siege--engines lay waste to Alexander's enemies as his armies march relentlessly west--toward the very edge of the world.

Beyond the Pillars of Hercules, past the gateway to the outer ocean, lies the rumored remnants of Atlantis: ancient artifacts of such tremendous power that they may be all that stands between Alexander and conquest of the entire world. Alexander desires that power for himself, but an unlikely band of fugitives--including a Gaulish barbarian, a cynical Greek archer, a cunning Persian princess, and a sorcerer's daughter--must find it first . . . before Alexander unleashes godlike forces that will shatter civilization.

The Pillars of Hercules is an epic adventure that captures the grandeur and mystery of the ancient world as it might have been, where science and magic are one and the same.

The rules are the same as usual. You need to send an email at reviews@(no-spam)gryphonwood.net with the header "HERCULES." 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!

This week's New York Times Bestsellers (March 12th)

In hardcover:

Anne Rice's The Wolf Gift is down one spot, finishing the week at number 6. For more info about this title: Canada, USA, Europe.

Kim Harrison's A Perfect Blood is down six positions, ending the week at number 8.

Stephen King's 11/22/63 maintains its position at number 10. For more info about this title: Canada, USA, Europe.

George R. R. Martin's A Dance With Dragons maintains its position at number 13. For more info about this title: Canada, USA, Europe.

Erin Morgenstern's The Night Circus maintains its position at number 35.

In paperback:

George R. R. Martin's A Game of Thrones is up seven positions, ending the week at number 16 (trade paperback).

Gail Carriger's Timeless debuts at number 17.

George R. R. Martin's A Clash of Kings is up seventeen spots, finishing the week at number 18 (trade paperback).

Seth Grahame-Smith's Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter is up two spots, finishing the week at number 22.

George R. R. Martin's A Game of Thrones is down fifteen positions, ending the week at number 24.

George R. R. Martin's A Clash of Kings is is down eight position, ending the week at number 26.

George R. R. Martin's A Storms of Swords is down ten positions, ending the week at number 31.

George R. R. Martin's A Feast for Crows is down thirteen positions, ending the week at number 33.

Cover blurb for Steven Erikson's THE FORGE OF DARKNESS

Can't wait! ;-)

Here's the blurb:

Enter the New York Times bestselling Malazan universe... at a time that sets the stage for all the tales already told.

Steven Erikson entered the pantheon of great fantasy writers with his debut Gardens of the Moon. Now Erikson returns with a trilogy that takes place before the events of the Malazan Book of the Fallen. The Forge of Darkness takes readers to Kurald Galain, the warren of Darkness, and tells an epic tale of a realm whose fate plays a crucial role in the fall of the Malazan Empire.

It’s a conflicted time in Kurald Galain, the warren of Darkness, where Mother Dark reigns. But this ancient land was once home to many a power… and even death is not quite eternal. The commoners’ great hero, Vatha Urusander, longs for ascendency and Mother Dark’s hand in marriage, but she has taken another Consort, Lord Draconus, from the faraway Dracon Hold. The idea of this union sends fissures throughout the realm, and as the rumors of civil war burn through the masses, an ancient power emerges from the long dead seas. Caught in the middle of it all are the Sons of Darkness, Anomander, Adarist, and Silchas Ruin of the Purake Hold.

Steven Erikson brings to life this ancient and important tale set in the world he introduced in the Malazan Book of the Fallen in a way that should appeal to fans of George R. R. Martin.

Game of Thrones (RPG): Combat System Preview

You can pre-order the Game of Thrones video game here.

More inexpensive ebook goodies!

For a limited time, you can download Bradley P. Beaulieu's The Winds of Khalakovo for free here.

Here's the blurb:

Among inhospitable and unforgiving seas stands Khalakovo, a mountainous archipelago of seven islands, its prominent eyrie stretching a thousand feet into the sky. Serviced by windships bearing goods and dignitaries, Khalakovo's eyrie stands at the crossroads of world trade. But all is not well in Khalakovo. Conflict has erupted between the ruling Landed, the indigenous Aramahn, and the fanatical Maharraht, and a wasting disease has grown rampant over the past decade. Now, Khalakovo is to play host to the Nine Dukes, a meeting which will weigh heavily upon Khalakovo's future.

When an elemental spirit attacks an incoming windship, murdering the Grand Duke and his retinue, Prince Nikandr, heir to the scepter of Khalakovo, is tasked with finding the child prodigy believed to be behind the summoning. However, Nikandr discovers that the boy is an autistic savant who may hold the key to lifting the blight that has been sweeping the islands. Can the Dukes, thirsty for revenge, be held at bay? Can Khalakovo be saved? The elusive answer drifts upon the Winds of Khalakovo...

Win an Advance Reading Copy of China Miéville's RAILSEA

Since I received two ARCs for China Miéville's upcoming Railsea, I'm giving one away to you guys! For more info about this title: Canada, USA, Europe.

Here's the blurb:

On board the moletrain Medes, Sham Yes ap Soorap watches in awe as he witnesses his first moldywarpe hunt: the giant mole bursting from the earth, the harpoonists targeting their prey, the battle resulting in one’s death and the other’s glory. But no matter how spectacular it is, Sham can't shake the sense that there is more to life than traveling the endless rails of the railsea–even if his captain can think only of the hunt for the ivory-coloured mole she’s been chasing since it took her arm all those years ago. When they come across a wrecked train, at first it's a welcome distraction. But what Sham finds in the derelict—a series of pictures hinting at something, somewhere, that should be impossible—leads to considerably more than he'd bargained for. Soon he's hunted on all sides, by pirates, trainsfolk, monsters and salvage-scrabblers. And it might not be just Sham's life that's about to change. It could be the whole of the railsea.

From China Miéville comes a novel for readers of all ages, a gripping and brilliantly imagined take on Herman Melville's Moby-Dick that confirms his status as "the most original and talented voice to appear in several years."

The rules are the same as usual. You need to send an email at reviews@(no-spam)gryphonwood.net with the header "RAILSEA." 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!

Why I am leaving the Empire, by Darth Vader

This from The Daily Mash:

Today is my last day at the Empire.

After almost 12 years, first as a summer intern, then in the Death Star and now in London, I believe I have worked here long enough to understand the trajectory of its culture, its people and its massive, genocidal space machines. And I can honestly say that the environment now is as toxic and destructive as I have ever seen it.

To put the problem in the simplest terms, throttling people with your mind continues to be sidelined in the way the firm operates and thinks about making people dead.

The Empire is one of the galaxy's largest and most important oppressive regimes and it is too integral to galactic murder to continue to act this way. The firm has veered so far from the place I joined right out of Yoda College that I can no longer in good conscience point menacingly and say that I identify with what it stands for.

For more than a decade I recruited and mentored candidates, some of whom were my secret children, through our gruelling interview process. In 2006 I managed the summer intern program in detecting strange disturbances in the Force for the 80 younglings who made the cut.

I knew it was time to leave when I realised I could no longer speak to these students inside their heads and tell them what a great place this was to work.

How did we get here? The Empire changed the way it thought about leadership. Leadership used to be about ideas, setting an example and killing your former mentor with a light sabre. Today, if you make enough money you will be promoted into a position of influence, even if you have a disturbing lack of faith.

What are three quick ways to become a leader? a) Execute on the firm's 'axes', which is Empire-speak for persuading your clients to invest in 'prime-quality' residential building plots on Alderaan that don't exist and have not existed since we blew it up. b) 'Hunt Elephants'. In English: get your clients - some of whom are sophisticated, and some of whom aren't - to tempt their friends to Cloud City and then betray them. c) Hand over rebel smugglers to an incredibly fat gangster.

When I was a first-year analyst I didn't know where the bathroom was, or how to tie my shoelaces telepathically. I was taught to be concerned with learning the ropes, finding out what a protocol droid was and putting my helmet on properly
so people could not see my badly damaged head.

My proudest moments in life - the pod race, being lured over to the Dark Side and winning a bronze medal for mind control ping-pong at the Midi-Chlorian Games - known as the Jedi Olympics - have all come through hard work, with no shortcuts.

The Empire today has become too much about shortcuts and not enough about remote strangulation. It just doesn’t feel right to me anymore.

I hope this can be a wake-up call. Make killing people in terrifying and unstoppable ways the focal point of your business again. Without it you will not exist. Weed out the morally bankrupt people, no matter how much non-existent Alderaan real estate they sell. And get the culture right again, so people want to make millions of voices cry out in terror before being suddenly silenced.
-------------------

It's a sad day in history when even Darth Vader has lost faith in our politicians!

The Book of Transformations

The Book of Transformations is the third installment in the Legends of the Red Sun series, sequel to Nights of Villjamur and City of Ruin. The second volume was an improvement on the first and set the stage for what appeared to be an exciting book three.

Here's the blurb:

A new and corrupt Emperor seeks to rebuild the ancient structures of Villjamur to give the people of the city hope in the face of great upheaval and an oppressing ice age. But when a stranger called Shalev arrives, empowering a militant underground movement, crime and terror becomes rampant.

The Inquisition is always one step behind, and military resources are spread thinly across the Empire. So Emperor Urtica calls upon cultists to help construct a group to eliminate those involved with the uprising, and calm the populace – the Villjamur Knights. But there’s more to Knights than just phenomenal skills and abilities – each have a secret that, if exposed, could destroy everything they represent.

Investigator Fulcrom of the Villjamur Inquisition is given the unenviable task of managing the Knights, but his own skills are tested when a mysterious priest, who has travelled from beyond the fringes of the Empire, seeks his help. The priest’s existence threatens the church, and his quest promises to unravel the fabric of the world. And in a distant corner of the Empire, the enigmatic cultist Dartun Súr steps back into this world, having witnessed horrors beyond his imagination. Broken, altered, he and the remnants of his order are heading back to Villjamur.

And all eyes turn to the Sanctuary City, for Villjamur’s ancient legends are about to be shattered...

Peter F. Hamilton once claimed that genre labels just don't apply to Mark Charan Newton. And that's certainly true for this novel as much as for the previous two installments. Problem is, by daring to be different from the norm in several ways, the author often puts himself in a position in which the habitual genre points of reference don't apply. At times, this can result in unanticipated originality and rewarding scenes. Unfortunately, other sequences can be off-putting or failures to launch for the very same reasons.

In the past, I always felt that the aspect at which Newton excels the most was the worldbuilding. His evocative narrative made Villjamur and Villiren come alive, both cities becoming characters in their own right. I was disappointed that this facet of the author's talent was not exploited in The Book of Transformations. Indeed, as was the case in Nights of Villjamur, the characters' introspection and the often heavy-handed social commentary got in the way of what was essentially a very good tale.

I was happy to discover more about the Cultists devoting their lives to the study of ancient artifacts and technology. More revelations about the alien invading forces were also welcome, yet in retrospect not much was gleaned in the end. Which, truth to tell, was more than a little odd. With the coming ice age and aliens coming from another dimension, one would think that these storylines would have taken center stage instead of being relegated to secondary plotlines to be explored in the fourth volume.

Let it not be said that Mark Charan Newton is not a daring author! After making one of the main characters gay, in The Book of Transformations one of the principal POV protagonists is a transsexual circus entertainer. Overall, I felt that Brynd's homosexuality was well-portrayed in City of Ruin and it added another dimension to a multilayered novel. I'm afraid the same cannot be said of Lan's portrayal in this book. Not that it isn't well-done, though I don't possess enough knowledge on the subject of transgender folk to judge whether or not Newton did as good a job with Lan as he did with Brynd. It's just that Lan's storyline and the introspection associated with it took way too much space in this novel. And with what appears to be the end of the world coming, I felt that there were bigger fish to fry as far as storylines are concerned.

As was the case with its predecessors, Newton's noirish prose once again works well and sets the mood just right. The pace, however, is sluggish throughout but at the very end, with too much instrospection bogging down the narrative at every turn. Having said that, Mark Charan Newton, as always, remains true to himself. Social and political commentary and the exploration of themes such as humanitarian issues, equality, etc, will always be present in his work. Hence, if one doesn't necessarily share the author's political views, then certain aspects of his work might occasionally put them off.

The characterization was uneven. Some characters are well-defined and genuine. Investigator Fulcrom is a good example of a three-dimensional protagonist, but we spend too much time inside his head and the inevitable love story that takes place was too predictable for my taste. The Villjamur Knights was an incredibly cool idea, but in the end the execution left a bit to be desired. I loved the idea of creating genetically improved superheroes, but they did very little for the most part. I felt that Shalev, who is so important to the overall plot of The Book of Transformations, was underused and should have been fleshed out more. The same goes for Ulryk, whose actions will shape the way the rest of the series will go.

I opined that City of Ruin demonstrated that there is much more to the Legends of the Red Sun than met the eye. Revelations and mysteries hinted at a blend of fantasy and science fiction elements that could set this series apart from its peers. Although The Book of Transformations failed to live up to that potential, Mark Charan Newton ends the novel with a bang, making me quite eager to discover what comes next. I can only hope that cool ideas and fascinating concepts will trump the introspection and the social and political commentary that plagued this books. If Newton can achieve the right balance between these aspects, the way he did with City of Ruin, the fourth volume could well be a doozy!

The final verdict: 7/10

For more info about this title: Canada, USA, Europe.