- MARK LAWRENCE, The Girl and the Stars.
For more info about this title, follow these Amazon Associate links: Canada, USA, Europe.
Quote of the Day
- MARK LAWRENCE, The Girl and the Stars.
For more info about this title, follow these Amazon Associate links: Canada, USA, Europe.
This week's New York Times Bestsellers (February 24th)
Stephen King's The Institute returns at number 14. For more info about this title, follow these Amazon Associate links: Canada, USA, Europe.
In paperback:
Stephen King's The Outsider is up three spots, finishing the week at number 2 (trade paperback).
Andrzej Sapkowski's Sword of Destiny returns at number 8.
More inexpensive ebook goodies!
You can now get your hands on the digital edition of Daryl Gregory's Spoonbenders for only 2.99$ by following this Amazon Associate link.
Here's the blurb:
Teddy Telemachus is a charming con man with a gift for sleight of hand and some shady underground associates. In need of cash, he tricks his way into a classified government study about telekinesis and its possible role in intelligence gathering. There he meets Maureen McKinnon, and it’s not just her piercing blue eyes that leave Teddy forever charmed, but her mind—Maureen is a genuine psychic of immense and mysterious power. After a whirlwind courtship, they marry, have three gifted children, and become the Amazing Telemachus Family, performing astounding feats across the country. Irene is a human lie detector. Frankie can move objects with his mind. And Buddy, the youngest, can see the future. Then one night tragedy leaves the family shattered.
Decades later, the Telemachuses are not so amazing. Irene is a single mom whose ear for truth makes it hard to hold down a job, much less hold together a relationship. Frankie’s in serious debt to his dad’s old mob associates. Buddy has completely withdrawn into himself and inexplicably begun digging a hole in the backyard. To make matters worse, the CIA has come knocking, looking to see if there’s any magic left in the Telemachus clan. And there is: Irene’s son Matty has just had his first out-of-body experience. But he hasn’t told anyone, even though his newfound talent might just be what his family needs to save themselves—if it doesn’t tear them apart in the process.
More inexpensive ebook goodies!
You can now download Tad Williams' Tailchaser's Song for only 4.99$ by following this Amazon Associate link.
Here's the blurb:
Meet Fritti Tailchaser, a ginger tom cat of rare courage and curiosity, a born survivor in a world of heroes and villains, of powerful feline gods and whiskery legends about those strange furless, erect creatures called M’an.
“The hour of Unfolding Dark had begun, and the rooftop where Tailchaser lay was smothered in shadow. He was deep in a dream of leaping and flying when he felt an unusual tingling in his whiskers. Fritti Tailchaser, hunterchild of the Folk, came suddenly awake and sniffed the air. Ears pricked and whiskers flared straight, he sifted the evening breeze. Nothing unusual. Then what had awakened him? Pondering, he splayed his claws and began a spine-limbering stretch that finally ended at the tip of his reddish tail.”
Join Tailchaser on his magical quest to rescue his catfriend Hushpad on a quest that will take him all the way to cat hell and beyond.
More inexpensive ebook goodies!
You can now download Jim Butcher's Grave Peril for only 1.99$ by following this Amazon Associate link. There is a price match in Canada.
Here's the blurb:
Harry Dresden's faced some pretty terrifying foes during his career. Giant scorpions. Oversexed vampires. Psychotic werewolves. It comes with the territory when you're the only professional wizard in the Chicago area phone book.
But in all Harry's years of supernatural sleuthing, he's never faced anything like this: the spirit world's gone postal. All over Chicago, ghosts are causing trouble — and not just of the door-slamming, boo-shouting variety. These ghosts are tormented, violent, and deadly. Someone — or something — is purposely stirring them up to wreak unearthly havoc.
But why? And why do so many of the victims have ties to Harry? If Harry doesn't figure it out soon, he could wind up a ghost himself...
More inexpensive ebook goodies!
You can now get your hands on the digital edition of Andrzej Sapkowski's The Last Wish for only 2.99$ by following this Amazon Associate link.
Here's the blurb:
Geralt of Rivia is a witcher. A cunning sorcerer. A merciless assassin.
And a cold-blooded killer.
His sole purpose: to destroy the monsters that plague the world.
But not everything monstrous-looking is evil and not everything fair is good. . . and in every fairy tale there is a grain of truth.
The international hit that inspired the video game: The Witcher.
This week's New York Times Bestsellers (February 17th)
Stephen King's The Outsider is down one spot, finishing the week at number 5 (trade paperback).
Andrzej Sapkowski's The Last Wish is up one position, ending the week at number 6.
Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale maintains its position at number 14 (trade paperback).
The Vanished Birds
Something about Simon Jimenez's debut intrigued me. To this day, I can't really say what it was. Perhaps it's the fact that everyone seemed to agree that the book was impossible to confine to one genre category. Now that I've read it, it's evident that The Vanished Birds defies all labels. This might be a boon to some readers. But for others, like me, it could make for a novel that's decidedly difficult to get into.
The Vanished Birds is a well-written debut, no doubt about it. It's just that the plot meanders all over the place, often leaving readers completely lost and wondering what the heck is going on. And in the end, although there are signs of brilliance here and there, this book left me totally indifferent.
Here's the blurb:
A solitary ship captain, drifting through time.
Nia Imani is a woman out of place. Traveling through the stars condenses decades into mere months for her, though the years continue to march steadily onward for everyone she has ever known. Her friends and lovers have aged past her. She lives only for the next paycheck, until the day she meets a mysterious boy, fallen from the sky.
A mute child, burdened with unimaginable power.
The scarred boy does not speak, his only form of communication the haunting music he plays on an old wooden flute. Captured by his songs and otherworldly nature, Nia decides to take the boy in to live amongst her crew. Soon, these two outsiders discover in each other the things they lack. For him, a home, a place of love and safety. For her, an anchor to the world outside of herself. For both of them, a family. But Nia is not the only one who wants the boy.
A millennia-old woman, poised to burn down the future.
Fumiko Nakajima designed the ships that allowed humanity to flee a dying Earth. One thousand years later, she now regrets what she has done in the name of progress. When chance brings Fumiko, Nia, and the child together, she recognizes the potential of his gifts, and what will happen if the ruling powers discover him. So she sends the pair to the distant corners of space to hide them as she crafts a plan to redeem her old mistakes.
But time is running out. The past hungers for the boy, and when it catches up, it threatens to tear this makeshift family apart.
Though it can be considered a science fiction work, Jiminez's The Vanished Birds is more a tale of interpersonal relationships and the emotional connections that bond people together. In many ways, it's an ensemble of love stories unfolding across different timelines that span centuries. At its core, it's a very emo novel. Nothing wrong with that, of course. But it's not something I expected, nor is it something I would have been keen to read had I known it would be the case.
Simon Jimenez's lyrical prose makes for a beautifully written novel, and this was one of my favorite facets of The Vanished Birds. Even when nothing happens, the author creates an arresting imagery that fills the mind with wonders. Jimenez came up with some well-drawn weird and exotic locales, many of which I would have loved to discover more about.
The book features the perspectives of three main protagonists. Nia Imani, ship captain approaching the end of her current contract and unsure as to what comes next. Ahro, mute boy full of scars whose only means of communication is the soul-stirring music he plays on his flute. And Fumiko Nakajima, a brilliant scientist whose discoveries have permitted mankind to take to the stars. Though quite disparate in every way, at one point in time their paths will cross, changing the world in the process. Trouble is, it takes a mighty long time for Jiminez to finally reveal what The Vanished Birds is ultimately about. With the plot seemingly going nowhere, as the story progresses one slowly loses interest. By the time things picked up and the various threads came together and were moving forward toward what appeared to be a compelling finale, I had become totally indifferent to what was taking place.
There is no way to sugarcoat this. The pace is atrocious for the better part of the novel. Once the truth about Ahro is unveiled and Fumiko Nakajima's plan for him becomes clear, the rhythm improves a little. Still, even when the plot starts to move forward with more fluidity, The Vanished Birds remains a slow-moving affair.
If you are looking for an extremely emo work that explores themes such as love, relationships, corporate greed and capitalism, colonialism, technological wonders that change the course of humanity, mass tourism and its repercussions on the environment and its inhabitants, and more, Simon Jiminez's The Vanished Birds just might be what the doctor ordered.
The final verdict: 6.5/10
For more info about this title, follow these Amazon Associate links: Canada, USA, Europe.
Quote of the Day
- MARK LAWRENCE, The Girl and the Stars.
For more info about this title, follow these Amazon Associate links: Canada, USA, Europe.
More inexpensive ebook goodies!
You can now download S.A. Chakraborty's The Kingdom of Copper for only 1.99$ by following this Amazon Associate link. There is a price match in Canada.
Here's the blurb:
S. A. Chakraborty continues the sweeping adventure begun in The City of Brass—"the best adult fantasy I’ve read since The Name of the Wind" (#1 New York Times bestselling author Sabaa Tahir)—conjuring a world where djinn summon flames with the snap of a finger and waters run deep with old magic; where blood can be dangerous as any spell, and a clever con artist from Cairo will alter the fate of a kingdom.
Nahri’s life changed forever the moment she accidentally summoned Dara, a formidable, mysterious djinn, during one of her schemes. Whisked from her home in Cairo, she was thrust into the dazzling royal court of Daevabad—and quickly discovered she would need all her grifter instincts to survive there.
Now, with Daevabad entrenched in the dark aftermath of a devastating battle, Nahri must forge a new path for herself. But even as she embraces her heritage and the power it holds, she knows she’s been trapped in a gilded cage, watched by a king who rules from the throne that once belonged to her family—and one misstep will doom her tribe.
Meanwhile, Ali has been exiled for daring to defy his father. Hunted by assassins, adrift on the unforgiving copper sands of his ancestral land, he is forced to rely on the frightening abilities the marid—the unpredictable water spirits—have gifted him. But in doing so, he threatens to unearth a terrible secret his family has long kept buried.
And as a new century approaches and the djinn gather within Daevabad's towering brass walls for celebrations, a threat brews unseen in the desolate north. It’s a force that would bring a storm of fire straight to the city’s gates . . . and one that seeks the aid of a warrior trapped between worlds, torn between a violent duty he can never escape and a peace he fears he will never deserve.
This week's New York Times Bestsellers (February 10th)
Stephen King's The Institute is up one position, ending the week at number 13. For more info about this title, follow these Amazon Associate links: Canada, USA, Europe.
In paperback:
Stephen King's The Outsider is down two spots, finishing the week at number 4 (trade paperback).
Andrzej Sapkowski's The Last Wish returns at number 7.
Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale is down three positions, ending the week at number 13 (trade paperback).
Sixteenth Watch
If you've been been a fan of the Hotlist for some time, you have heard me complain that it often feels as though Myke Cole remains one of the genre's best-kept secrets. Not everyone is a military fantasy fan, true, yet his first two series are as accessible as they are captivating. Indeed, the Shadow Ops and the Gemini Cell trilogies were fun, intelligent, action-packed, and entertaining reads. From the get-go, you could tell that Cole would become one of speculative fiction's brightest new voices. And he did. In this house at least. Unfortunately, following Siege Line Ace and Headline did not renew the series and the Shadow Ops sequence came to an abrupt end.
I remember corresponding with the author at the time and Cole truly believed that his writing career was over. Thankfully, he was wrong and the Sacred Throne trilogy was published by the folks at Tor.com. More novelette than novels, you probably recall that I didn't enjoy these books as much as I expected. Everything about the plot was black-and-white, which was a disappointment. Myke Cole habitually writes in shades of gray and there is always more than meets the eye. Trouble is, that new series was thoroughly YA in style and tone. It lacked all the shades of gray and substance that had made Cole one of my favorite SFF authors writing today. It didn't deliver the way Cole's novels normally did. Be that as it may, plenty of readers absolutely loved the Sacred Throne series and the author signed a new book deal with Angry Robot for a science fiction work that would feature the US Coast Guard in space.
And I'm pleased to report that Sixteenth Watch is a return to form for Cole!
Here's the blurb:
The Coast Guard must prevent the first lunar war in history.
A lifelong Search-and-Rescuewoman, Coast Guard Captain Jane Oliver is ready for a peaceful retirement. But when tragedy strikes, Oliver loses her husband and her plans for the future, and finds herself thrust into a role she’s not prepared for. Suddenly at the helm of the Coast Guard’s elite SAR-1 lunar unit, Oliver is the only woman who can prevent the first lunar war in history, a conflict that will surely consume not only the moon, but earth as well.
The premise of the novel is that both China and the USA are endeavoring to secure access to lucrative Helium-3 extraction points on the Moon. Tensions between the two countries have been rising and it appears that an armed conflict is fast becoming inevitable. Given the current situation, the US Navy has been overseeing most of the conflicts along the borders between American and Chinese lunar territories. But with the Navy considering every case as a potential military engagement, some believe that the Coast Guard, a branch of the US armed services but more of a law enforcement agency, could help deescalate those tensions if they patrolled the borders and dealt with smugglers and any other problems. Alas, the American military powers that be don't seem to have much faith in the Coast Guard.
Having served in the military allowed Cole to imbue the Shadow Ops books with a credibility regarding the realism of the use of magic and its ramifications up and down the chain of command. As a US Coast Guard veteran, the author was able to imbue Sixteenth Watch with an authenticity even as he extrapolates on the Guard's future duties in space. I also found it interesting that he was able to throw his reality TV experience into the mix. This book is unlike anything you have read so far. And that's a good thing.
All Shadow Ops installments were character-driven affairs and the same can be said of Sixteenth Watch. Myke Cole always had a knack for creating genuine three-dimensional protagonists with absorbing back stories. Pushing the envelope even more, this time his main protagonist is an "older" Coast Guard female officer approaching retirement. A no-nonsense type of woman, Captain Jane Oliver is put in charge of what can only be called a PR mission whose objective is to persuade politicians and the military brass back on Earth that the Coast Guard is indeed the best branch of American armed services to help secure the country's lunar borders. As was the case with Colonel Alan Bookbinder, the main character from Shadow Ops: Fortress Frontier, Cole came up with an unusual protagonist readers are not supposed to root for. And yet, from the start, you can't help but love Oliver. The supporting cast is made up of a diverse group of men and women, but sadly they are not as well-drawn as the only POV character. Other than some sequences with Oliver's Executive Officer and some with General Fraser, I feel that the other members of the cast could have benefited from a bit more depth. I always thought that Cole never did receive the credit he deserves for having a deft human touch which allows him to come up with unexpected emotional scenes packing a powerful punch. And this is certainly the case once again in this novel.
Sixteenth Watch features a lot of military lingo and acronyms. In order to maintain authenticity and not interrupt the narrative, Myke Cole elected not to define those acronyms for the most part and included a glossary at the end of the book. As a reader unfamiliar with such lingo, personally I would have preferred to have most of them defined the first time they appeared instead of having to go back to the glossary time and time again. It's not off-putting per se, but it does slow down the momentum of the novel when you're forced to do so.
As was the case with each new Shadow Ops novel, Myke Cole continues to grow and become more mature as a writer and he's in better control of his craft. As is usually his wont, the author keeps the pace nice and crisp. As political as it is action-packed, Sixteenth Watch is another compelling and entertaining read.
Sixteenth Watch is another military speculative fiction title with heart and soul. Here's to hoping that Myke Cole has plenty more such works in the pipeline.
The final verdict: 8/10
For more info about this title, follow these Amazon Associate links: Canada, USA, Europe.
More inexpensive ebook goodies!
You can now download Stephen R. Donaldson's Seventh Decimate, first volume in The Great God's War trilogy, for only 1.99$ by following this Amazon Associate link. There is a price match in Canada.
Here's the blurb:
Fire. Wind. Pestilence. Earthquake. Drought. Lightning.
These are the six Decimates, wielded by sorcerers for both good and evil.
But a seventh Decimate exists—the most devastating one of all…
For centuries, the realms of Belleger and Amika have been at war, with sorcerers from both sides brandishing the Decimates to rain blood and pain upon their enemy. But somehow, in some way, the Amikans have discovered and invoked a seventh Decimate, one that strips all lesser sorcery of its power. And now the Bellegerins stand defenseless.
Prince Bifalt, eldest son of the Bellegerin King, would like to see the world wiped free of sorcerers. But it is he who is charged with finding the repository of all of their knowledge, to find the book of the seventh Decimate—and reverse the fate of his land.
All hope rests with Bifalt. But the legendary library, which may or may not exist, lies beyond an unforgiving desert and treacherous mountains—and beyond the borders of his own experience. Wracked by hunger and fatigue, sacrificing loyal men along the way, Bifalt will discover that there is a game being played by those far more powerful than he could ever imagine. And that he is nothing but a pawn…
More inexpensive ebook goodies!
You can now download Elizabeth Ann Scarborough's The Healer's War: A Fantasy Novel of Vietnam for only 1.99$ by following this Amazon Associate link.
Here's the blurb:
Winner of the Nebula Award: “A brutal and beautiful book” that follows the surreal, fantastical journey of a Vietnam War nurse (Minneapolis Star-Tribune).
A literary departure for acclaimed fantasy author Elizabeth Ann Scarborough, The Healer’s War draws on her personal experience as an army nurse in Da Nang to create a classic novel of the Vietnam War, enriched with a magical, mystical twist.
Lt. Kitty McCulley, a young and inexperienced nurse tossed into a stressful and chaotic situation, is having a difficult time reconciling her duty to help and heal with the indifference and overt racism of some of her colleagues, and with the horrendously damaged soldiers and Vietnamese civilians she encounters during her service at the China Beach medical facilities. She is unexpectedly helped by the mysterious and inexplicable properties of an amulet, given to her by one of her patients, an elderly, dying Vietnamese holy man, which allows her to see other people’s “auras” and to understand more about them as a result. This eventually leads to a strange, almost surrealistic journey through the jungle, accompanied by a one-legged boy and a battle-seasoned but crazed soldier—as McCulley struggles to find herself and a way to survive through the madness and destruction.
This week's New York Times Bestsellers (February 3rd)
William Gibson's Agency debuts at number 10. For more info about this title, follow these Amazon Associate links: Canada, USA, Europe.
Stephen King's The Institute is down three positions, ending the week at number 14. For more info about this title, follow these Amazon Associate links: Canada, USA, Europe.
In paperback:
Stephen King's The Outsider is up two spots, finishing the week at number 2 (trade paperback).
Andrzej Sapkowski's Sword of Destiny debuts at number 9 (trade paperback).
Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale maintains its position at number 11 (trade paperback).
James S. A. Corey's Tiamat's Wrath debuts at number 14 (trade paperback).
More inexpensive ebook goodies!
You can now download Fonda Lee's Jade City, recent winner of the World Fantasy Award for Best Novel, for only 2.99$ by following this Amazon Associate link. There is a price match in Canada.
Here's the blurb:
In this epic saga of magic and kungfu, four siblings battle rival clans for honor and power in an Asia-inspired fantasy metropolis.
* Aurora Award for Best Novel, winner
* Nebula Award for Best Novel, nominee
* Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel, finalist
* World Fantasy Award for Best Novel, finalist
Jade is the lifeblood of the island of Kekon. It has been mined, traded, stolen, and killed for -- and for centuries, honorable Green Bone warriors like the Kaul family have used it to enhance their magical abilities and defend the island from foreign invasion.
Now, the war is over and a new generation of Kauls vies for control of Kekon's bustling capital city. They care about nothing but protecting their own, cornering the jade market, and defending the districts under their protection. Ancient tradition has little place in this rapidly changing nation.
When a powerful new drug emerges that lets anyone -- even foreigners -- wield jade, the simmering tension between the Kauls and the rival Ayt family erupts into open violence. The outcome of this clan war will determine the fate of all Green Bones -- from their grandest patriarch to the lowliest motorcycle runner on the streets -- and of Kekon itself.
Jade City is the first novel in an epic trilogy about family, honor, and those who live and die by the ancient laws of blood and jade.
