Oath of Gold

As you know, I recently decided to give Elizabeth Moon's The Deed of Paksenarrion a shot and I was surprised by how well the series has aged over the years. Many SFF fans consider this the ultimate paladin tale and I was curious to see how it would end.

Divided Allegiance was as compelling, if much darker, than Sheepfarmer's Daughter, and its ending made it impossible to wait long for the conclusion. Oath of Gold comes full circle for Pakse, though one of the major plotlines is so predictable that it does rob the finale of the impact the author meant to convey. Still, it caps off the trilogy with aplomb and definitely makes me want to read the sequels.

Here's the blurb:

Paksenarrion—Paks for short—was somebody special. Never could she have followed her father's orders and married the pig farmer down the road. Better a soldier's life than a pig farmer's wife, and so, though she knew that she could never go home again, Paks ran away to be a soldier. And so began an adventure destined to transform a simple Sheepfarmer's Daughter into a hero fit to be chosen by the gods.

Oath of Gold is the climactic final volume of the epic that Judith Tarr calls "the first work of high heroic fantasy I've seen that has taken the work of Tolkien, assimilated it totally and deeply and absolutely, and produced something altogether new and yet incontestably based on the master... [Moon's] military knowledge is impressive, her picture of life in a mercenary company most convincing. I'm deeply impressed."

As mentioned in my past reviews, Elizabeth Moon, a former member of the US Marine Corps, imbues her military fantasy stories with a realism that civilian authors probably seldom get right. Through Pakse's evolution from new recruit to a more seasoned trooper, and then as she studied and trained as a paladin-candidate, the author's firsthand knowledge was palpable and it added layers to the plot and its characters. This was even more evident in Moon's depiction of Pakse's post-traumatic stress disorder in Divided Allegiance. À la Robin Hobb and Jacqueline Carey, Moon made her protagonist go through the wringer and things got extremely bleak for the poor girl. Oath of Gold picks up right where the second installment ended, with Pakse experiencing such hopelessness after being such a gifted warrior. Those chapters focusing on Master Oakhallow helping her heal her mind and body were by far the best part of this final volume. Not only because it demonstrates that you cannot cure someone physically, mentally, and emotionally overnight, but because Moon shows a deft human touch in those scenes which packs a powerful punch.

Moon's worldbuilding continues to improve, this time focusing more on the North. Once again, we see more of the author's universe, mostly the kingdoms of Lyonya and Tsaia. We finally see more involvement on the part of the elves, which I really liked. As I said, only the lost king storyline is problematic for you see it coming from a mile away. Moreover, it doesn't help that Moon has been telegraphing it for a while. That being said, though it is predictable, its resolution is still interesting and sets the stage for the second series.

Some claim that Paksenarrion is somewhat of a Mary Sue character and that the plot can be a bit formulaic and linear, yet I disagree. Although at times it sure looks as though Pakse can do no wrong, her capture and torture during the quest to find Luap's stronghold, which left her a shell of her former self, put paid to that perception. From then on, it's obvious that Moon decided that Pake's character growth would be through physical, psychological, and emotional struggles. The same happens again in Oath of Gold when she willingly surrenders so that her companions might escape with their lives. As was the case with those gruesome scenes from Divided Allegiance, this is as grimdark as it gets. Hence, even if at times Paksenarrion might come off as Mary Sue-ish, there is a lot more depth to her than that. To be honest, given her plight and the odds stacked against her, it's well nigh impossible not to root for her. The supporting cast is made up of a disparate bunch of men and women who will all leave their mark on Pakse and help shape the woman she's destined to become.

Given its slow beginning, like its predecessor Oath of Gold suffers from pacing issues. Paksenarrion's healing takes time and it also takes a while for the lost king of Lyonya storyline to get going. Wolrdbuilding must needs take precedence over more exciting action sequences and battles, and about a third of the novel is necessary for the author to put all her pieces on the board. It wasn't a problem for me, as all the threads come together for an absorbing endgame. Once again, Elizabeth Moon's prose creates a vivid imagery, one that makes the story leap right off the page.

As I said before, anyone looking for a strong female lead and no romance will probably find a lot to like about this trilogy. Looking forward to reading the Paladin's Legacy series, even though Paksenarrion isn't the main character in that one.

The final verdict: 7.75/10

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 Ian Tregillis' Bitter Seeds, the opening volume in one of my favorite speculative fiction series of the new millennium, 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's 1939. The Nazis have supermen, the British have demons, and one perfectly normal man gets caught in between.

Raybould Marsh is a British secret agent in the early days of the Second World War, haunted by something strange he saw on a mission during the Spanish Civil War: a German woman with wires going into her head who looked at him as if she knew him.

When the Nazis start running missions with people who have unnatural abilities―a woman who can turn invisible, a man who can walk through walls, and the woman Marsh saw in Spain who can use her knowledge of the future to twist the present―Marsh is the man who has to face them. He rallies the secret warlocks of Britain to hold the impending invasion at bay. But magic always exacts a price. Eventually, the sacrifice necessary to defeat the enemy will be as terrible as outright loss would be.

Alan Furst meets Alan Moore in the opening of an epic of supernatural alternate history, Bitter Seeds by Ian Tregillis is a tale of a twentieth century like ours and also profoundly different.

More inexpensive ebook goodies!

You can now download Kim Stanley Robinson's Red Mars 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:

In his most ambitious project to date, award-winning author Kim Stanley Robinson utilizes years of research and cutting-edge science in the first of three novels that will chronicle the colonization of Mars.

For eons, sandstorms have swept the barren desolate landscape of the red planet. For centuries, Mars has beckoned to mankind to come and conquer its hostile climate. Now, in the year 2026, a group of one hundred colonists is about to fulfill that destiny.

John Boone, Maya Toitavna, Frank Chalmers, and Arkady Bogdanov lead a mission whose ultimate goal is the terraforming of Mars. For some, Mars will become a passion driving them to daring acts of courage and madness; for others it offers and opportunity to strip the planet of its riches. And for the genetic "alchemists, " Mars presents a chance to create a biomedical miracle, a breakthrough that could change all we know about life...and death.

The colonists place giant satellite mirrors in Martian orbit to reflect light to the planets surface. Black dust sprinkled on the polar caps will capture warmth and melt the ice. And massive tunnels, kilometers in depth, will be drilled into the Martian mantle to create stupendous vents of hot gases. Against this backdrop of epic upheaval, rivalries, loves, and friendships will form and fall to pieces--for there are those who will fight to the death to prevent Mars from ever being changed.

Brilliantly imagined, breathtaking in scope and ingenuity, Red Mars is an epic scientific saga, chronicling the next step in human evolution and creating a world in its entirety. Red Mars shows us a future, with both glory and tarnish, that awes with complexity and inspires with vision.

Quote of the Day

If you ask me, one of the reasons this siege has dragged out for almost a decade is all this time off from the fighting; the Greeks and Trojans have as many religious celebrations as our Twenty-first Century Hindus had and as many secular holidays as an American postal worker. One wonders how they ever manage to kill each other amidst all this feasting and sacrificing to the gods and ten-day funeral celebrations.

- DAN SIMMONS, Ilium

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

Suicide Kings

As mentioned in my previous reviews of the first few installments in Stephen Blackmoore's Eric Carter series, by and large they read like Jim Butcher's early Dresden Files books. Indeed, they're all short and episodic in format. It looked as though we'd reached the end of the first story arc by the end of the third volume, and there was real potential for bigger and better things to come. Then came Fire Season, which hinted that the author was ready to up his game. Followed by Ghost Money, which was Blackmoore's best novel yet.

The resolution of the Djinn's storyline in Bottle Demon left something to be desired. The rushed ending definitely didn't help, that's for sure. And since Darius' threat seemed to be the underlying arc of the entire series, I was wondering if the sixth volume would act as some sort of transition novel that would bridge what has gone before and what will come after. Impossible to tell after reading Suicide Kings, for Blackmoore's latest is only the first half of a two-book arc. And even though it was another entertaining read, it's obvious that the author isn't about to level up. If anything, Suicide Kings is kind of a step backward. This series isn't growing in scope quite as fast as other popular urban fantasy sequences and it's beginning to hurt it in myriad ways.

Here's the blurb:

The seventh book of this dark urban fantasy series follows necromancer Eric Carter through a world of vengeful gods and goddesses, mysterious murders, and restless ghosts.

Family is murder.

When Eric Carter helps a friend with a deadly ritual that could determine the fate of the most powerful mage family in Los Angeles he steps into the middle of centuries-long feuds with people who make the Borgias look like the Brady Bunch.

Eric's just fine with the murder, soul eaters, and death magic. He's just having trouble adjusting to being brought back from the grave.

If he's not careful, somebody's going to put him right back.

With Darius gone, I was expecting Stephen Blackmoore to elevate his game and take the Eric Carter series to another level, with more ambitious story arcs that would add layers to the plot. I was expecting this series to really open up and build on everything that has transpired so far. Hence, to see the author take the micro approach instead of a more macro perspective and have the main character become Amanda Werther's bodyguard during the family's conclave, while another fun and action-packed novel, wasn't exactly what the series needed to finally take off.

Thankfully, there is unanticipated character development in Suicide Kings. Eric's link to Mictlan and Mictlantecuhtli continues to be an important facet of this tale, and Eric will have to make a decision in that regard. One that could have crucial repercussions down the line. Still coping with his unexpected resurrection, Eric must also deal with his convoluted feelings for Gabriela, who's responsible for bringing him back to life and robbing him of the peaceful afterlife that was his. Amanda takes on a new role in the relationship between the two, one which will likely shape the way things are going to go in the future.

What truly hurts this seventh volume is the fact that it's essentially the first half of what should have been a single novel. Weighing in at barely 200 pages, there is no reason why Suicide Kings and Hate Machine couldn't have been published as one work. There is no endgame and finale to speak of, as the book ends with another major cliffhanger. When I said that this series needs to level up, I meant that like the Dresden Files, at some point it needs to start pushing the envelope and echo with more depth. To keep the Eric Carter books so short and episodic at this juncture prevents them from really taking off, methinks. Had Suicide Kings recounted the entire story, chances are it would have been the best of the bunch. But by telling only the first part of the tale, even if it turned out to be a fun and engaging read, something's definitely missing.

I'm aware that Daw Books will no longer publish new Eric Carter material. Which means that, for now at least, the ninth volume is the last one in the series. It will be interesting to discover where Hate Machine takes us in terms of plotlines. I know we're going to Las Vegas for that one. Hopefully Cult Classic will offer some sort of closure. It would be sad if this ends the same way it did for Harry Connolly and his Twenty Palaces series.

The final verdict: 7.5/10

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

More inexpensive ebook goodies!

You can get your hands on the digital edition of Scott Hawkins' The Library at Mount Char 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 missing God.
A library with the secrets to the universe.
A woman too busy to notice her heart slipping away.

Carolyn's not so different from the other people around her. She likes guacamole and cigarettes and steak. She knows how to use a phone. Clothes are a bit tricky, but everyone says nice things about her outfit with the Christmas sweater over the gold bicycle shorts.

After all, she was a normal American herself once.

That was a long time ago, of course. Before her parents died. Before she and the others were taken in by the man they called Father.

In the years since then, Carolyn hasn't had a chance to get out much. Instead, she and her adopted siblings have been raised according to Father's ancient customs. They've studied the books in his Library and learned some of the secrets of his power. And sometimes, they've wondered if their cruel tutor might secretly be God.

Now, Father is missing—perhaps even dead—and the Library that holds his secrets stands unguarded. And with it, control over all of creation.

As Carolyn gathers the tools she needs for the battle to come, fierce competitors for this prize align against her, all of them with powers that far exceed her own.

But Carolyn has accounted for this.

And Carolyn has a plan.

The only trouble is that in the war to make a new God, she's forgotten to protect the things that make her human.

Populated by an unforgettable cast of characters and propelled by a plot that will shock you again and again, The Library at Mount Char is at once horrifying and hilarious, mind-blowingly alien and heartbreakingly human, sweepingly visionary and nail-bitingly thrilling—and signals the arrival of a major new voice in fantasy.

You can also download Anne McCaffrey's Dragonflight, first volume in the classic The Dragonriders of Pern series, for 3.99$ here.

Here's the blurb:

Volume I of The Dragonriders of Pern®, the groundbreaking series by master storyteller Anne McCaffrey.

On a beautiful world called Pern, an ancient way of life is about to come under attack from a myth that is all too real. Lessa is an outcast survivor—her parents murdered, her birthright stolen—a strong young woman who has never stopped dreaming of revenge. But when an ancient threat to Pern reemerges, Lessa will rise—upon the back of a great dragon with whom she shares a telepathic bond more intimate than any human connection. Together, dragon and rider will fly . . . and Pern will be changed forever.

This week's New York Times Bestsellers (May 11th)

In hardcover:

Rebecca Yarros' Onyx Storm is down one position, ending the week at number 5. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Rebecca Yarros' Iron Flame is up one position, ending this week at number 6. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

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

Juliette Cross' Firebird is down eight spots, finishing the week at number 15. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

In paperback:

J.T. Geissinger's Savage Hearts debuts at number 6. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Rebecca Yarros' Fourth Wing is down four positions, ending the week at number 7. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Sarah J. Maas' A Court of Thorns and Roses is down two positions, ending the week at number 10. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Kaylie Smith's Enchantra is down ten spots, finishing the week at number 14. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Callie Hart's Quicksilver is down two positions, ending the week at number 15. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

More inexpensive ebook goodies!

You can now download Ian Tregillis' The Mechanical 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:

My name is Jax.

That is the name granted to me by my human masters.

I am a slave.

But I shall be free.

Set in a world that might have been, of mechanical men and alchemical dreams, the new novel from Ian Tregillis confirms his place as one of the most original new voices in speculative fiction.

More inexpensive ebook goodies!

You can now download Robert Jordan's The Dragon Reborn 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.

The Shadow Rising is also on sale for the same price.

Here's the blurb:

In The Dragon Reborn, the third novel in Robert Jordan’s #1 New York Times bestselling epic fantasy series, The Wheel of Time®, Rand al’Thor undertakes a journey to prove himself worthy of being the Champion of Light.

Winter has stopped the war—almost—yet men are dying, calling out for the Dragon. But where is he?

Rand al’Thor has been proclaimed the Dragon Reborn. Traveling to the great fortress known as the Stone of Tear, he plans to find the sword Callandor, which can only be wielded by the Champion of Light, and discover if he truly is destined to battle The Dark One. Following Rand, Moiraine and their friends battle Darkhounds on the hunt, hoping they reach the Heart of the Stone in time for the next great test awaiting the Dragon Reborn.

Since its debut in 1990, The Wheel of Time® by Robert Jordan has captivated millions of readers around the globe with its scope, originality, and compelling characters. The last six books in series were all instant #1 New York Times bestsellers, and The Eye of the World was named one of America's best-loved novels by PBS's The Great American Read.

More inexpensive ebook goodies!

You can now download Steven Erikson's Deadhouse Gates for only 1.49$ 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:

In the vast dominion of Seven Cities, in the Holy Desert Raraku, the seer Sha'ik and her followers prepare for the long-prophesied uprising known as the Whirlwind. Unprecedented in size and savagery, this maelstrom of fanaticism and bloodlust will embroil the Malazan Empire in one of the bloodiest conflicts it has ever known, shaping destinies and giving birth to legends . . .

Set in a brilliantly realized world ravaged by dark, uncontrollable magic, Deadhouse Gates is a novel of war, intrigue and betrayal confirms Steven Eirkson as a storyteller of breathtaking skill, imagination and originality--a new master of epic fantasy.

At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

You can also get your hands on the digital edition of Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn: The Final Empire 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 #1 New York Times bestselling author Brandon Sanderson, the Mistborn series is a heist story of political intrigue and magical, martial-arts action.

For a thousand years the ash fell and no flowers bloomed. For a thousand years the Skaa slaved in misery and lived in fear. For a thousand years the Lord Ruler, the "Sliver of Infinity," reigned with absolute power and ultimate terror, divinely invincible. Then, when hope was so long lost that not even its memory remained, a terribly scarred, heart-broken half-Skaa rediscovered it in the depths of the Lord Ruler's most hellish prison. Kelsier "snapped" and found in himself the powers of a Mistborn. A brilliant thief and natural leader, he turned his talents to the ultimate caper, with the Lord Ruler himself as the mark.

Kelsier recruited the underworld's elite, the smartest and most trustworthy allomancers, each of whom shares one of his many powers, and all of whom relish a high-stakes challenge. Only then does he reveal his ultimate dream, not just the greatest heist in history, but the downfall of the divine despot.

But even with the best criminal crew ever assembled, Kel's plan looks more like the ultimate long shot, until luck brings a ragged girl named Vin into his life. Like him, she's a half-Skaa orphan, but she's lived a much harsher life. Vin has learned to expect betrayal from everyone she meets, and gotten it. She will have to learn to trust, if Kel is to help her master powers of which she never dreamed.

This saga dares to ask a simple question: What if the hero of prophecy fails?

You can also get your hands on the digital edition of S.A. Chakraborty's The City of Brass 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:

Nahri has never believed in magic. Certainly, she has power; on the streets of eighteenth-century Cairo, she’s a con woman of unsurpassed talent. But she knows better than anyone that the trades she uses to get by—palm readings, zars, and a mysterious gift for healing—are all tricks, both the means to the delightful end of swindling Ottoman nobles and a reliable way to survive.

But when Nahri accidentally summons Dara, an equally sly, darkly mysterious djinn warrior, to her side during one of her cons, she’s forced to reconsider her beliefs. For Dara tells Nahri an extraordinary tale: across hot, windswept sands teeming with creatures of fire and rivers where the mythical marid sleep, past ruins of once-magnificent human metropolises and mountains where the circling birds of prey are more than what they seem, lies Daevabad, the legendary city of brass—a city to which Nahri is irrevocably bound.

In Daevabad, within gilded brass walls laced with enchantments and behind the six gates of the six djinn tribes, old resentments run deep. And when Nahri decides to enter this world, her arrival threatens to ignite a war that has been simmering for centuries.

Spurning Dara’s warning of the treachery surrounding her, she embarks on a hesitant friendship with Alizayd, an idealistic prince who dreams of revolutionizing his father’s corrupt regime. All too soon, Nahri learns that true power is fierce and brutal. That magic cannot shield her from the dangerous web of court politics. That even the cleverest of schemes can have deadly consequences.

After all, there is a reason they say to be careful what you wish for . . .

This week's New York Times Bestsellers (May 4th)

In hardcover:

Rebecca Yarros' Onyx Storm maintains its position at number 4. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Rebecca Yarros' Iron Flame is up one position, ending this week at number 5. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Juliette Cross' Firebird is down four spots, finishing the week at number 7. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Rebecca Yarros' Fourth Wing is down one position, ending the week at number 12. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

In paperback:

Rebecca Yarros' Fourth Wing returns at number 3. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Kaylie Smith's Enchantra is down three spots, finishing the week at number 4. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Sarah J. Maas' A Court of Thorns and Roses is up two positions, ending the week at number 8. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Callie Hart's Quicksilver 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 Martha Wells' Between Worlds: the Collected Ile-Rien and Cineth Stories 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:

This collection of short stories and novelettes includes the previously published stories “The Potter’s Daughter” (a prequel to the novel The Element of Fire), “Holy Places,” “Rites of Passage,” “Houses of the Dead,” “Reflections” (the Giliead and Ilias stories, prequels to the Fall of Ile-Rien trilogy), as well as “Night at the Opera” (a Nicholas and Reynard story original to this collection, set before the Nebula-nominated novel The Death of the Necromancer).

More inexpensive ebook goodies!

You can now download Alastair Reynolds' Eversion 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 the master of the space opera comes a dark, mind-bending adventure spread across time and space, where Doctor Silas Coade is tasked with keeping his crew safe as they adventure across the galaxy in search of a mysterious artifact.

In the 1800s, a sailing ship crashes off the coast of Norway. In the 1900s, a Zepellin explores an icy canyon in Antarctica. In the far future, a spaceship sets out for an alien artifact. Each excursion goes horribly wrong. And on every journey, Dr. Silas Coade is the physician, but only Silas seems to realize that these events keep repeating themselves. And it's up to him to figure out why and how. And how to stop it all from happening again.

This week's New York Times Bestsellers (April 27th)

In hardcover:

Jasmine Mas' Blood of Hercules debuts at number 2. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Juliette Cross' Firebird debuts at number 3. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Rebecca Yarros' Onyx Storm is down two positions, ending the week at number 4. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Rebecca Yarros' Iron Flame maintains its position at number 6. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Jade Presley's The Never List debuts at number 8. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Rebecca Yarros' Fourth Wing is up four positions, ending the week at number 11. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

In paperback:

Kaylie Smith's Enchantra debuts at number 1. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Sarah J. Maas' A Court of Thorns and Roses is down four positions, ending the week at number 10. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Callie Hart's Quicksilver is down two positions, ending the week at number 11. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

More inexpensive ebook goodies!

You can now download Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale 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:

A gripping vision of our society radically overturned by a theocratic revolution, Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale has become one of the most powerful and most widely read novels of our time.

Offred is a Handmaid in the Republic of Gilead, serving in the household of the enigmatic Commander and his bitter wife. She may go out once a day to markets whose signs are now pictures because women are not allowed to read. She must pray that the Commander makes her pregnant, for in a time of declining birthrates her value lies in her fertility, and failure means exile to the dangerously polluted Colonies. Offred can remember a time when she lived with her husband and daughter and had a job, before she lost even her own name. Now she navigates the intimate secrets of those who control her every move, risking her life in breaking the rules.

Like Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World and George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four, The Handmaid’s Tale has endured not only as a literary landmark but as a warning of a possible future that is still chillingly relevant.

You can also get your hands on the digital edition of Christopher Ruocchio's Empire of Silence for only 4.99$ 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.

The second and third volumes are also on sale for 4.99$ each.

Here's the blurb:

Hadrian Marlowe, a man revered as a hero and despised as a murderer, chronicles his tale in the galaxy-spanning debut of the Sun Eater series, merging the best of space opera and epic fantasy.

It was not his war.

The galaxy remembers him as a hero: the man who burned every last alien Cielcin from the sky. They remember him as a monster: the devil who destroyed a sun, casually annihilating four billion human lives—even the Emperor himself—against Imperial orders.

But Hadrian was not a hero. He was not a monster. He was not even a soldier.

On the wrong planet, at the right time, for the best reasons, Hadrian Marlowe starts down a path that can only end in fire. He flees his father and a future as a torturer only to be left stranded on a strange, backwater world.

Forced to fight as a gladiator and navigate the intrigues of a foreign planetary court, Hadrian must fight a war he did not start, for an Empire he does not love, against an enemy he will never understand.

More inexpensive ebook goodies!

You can now download Samantha Shannon's A Day of Fallen Night for only 4.99$ 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:

In A Day of Fallen Night, Samantha Shannon sweeps readers back to the universe of Priory of the Orange Tree and into the lives of four women, showing us a course of events that shaped their world for generations to come.

Tunuva Melim is a sister of the Priory. For fifty years, she has trained to slay wyrms – but none have appeared since the Nameless One, and the younger generation is starting to question the Priory's purpose.

To the north, in the Queendom of Inys, Sabran the Ambitious has married the new King of Hróth, narrowly saving both realms from ruin. Their daughter, Glorian, trails in their shadow – exactly where she wants to be.

The dragons of the East have slept for centuries. Dumai has spent her life in a Seiikinese mountain temple, trying to wake the gods from their long slumber. Now someone from her mother's past is coming to upend her fate.

When the Dreadmount erupts, bringing with it an age of terror and violence, these women must find the strength to protect humankind from a devastating threat.

More inexpensive ebook goodies!

You can now get your hands on the digital edition of Django Wexler's How To Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying for 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:

Groundhog Day meets Deadpool in Django Wexler’s raunchy, hilarious, blood-splattered fantasy tale about a young woman who, tired of defending humanity from the Dark Lord, decides to become the Dark Lord herself.

"Takes the old saying 'If you can't beat 'em, join 'em,' to the next level. A sarcastic, action-packed, intrigue-filled (mis)adventure. One of the funniest books I've read in a long time."--Matt Dinniman, author of Dungeon Crawler Carl

Davi has done this all before. She’s tried to be the hero and take down the all-powerful Dark Lord. A hundred times she’s rallied humanity and made the final charge. But the time loop always gets her in the end. Sometimes she’s killed quickly. Sometimes it takes a while. But she’s been defeated every time.

This time? She’s done being the hero and done being stuck in this endless time loop. If the Dark Lord always wins, then maybe that’s who she needs to be. It’s Davi’s turn to play on the winning side.

This week's New York Times Bestsellers (April 20th)

In hardcover:

Rebecca Yarros' Onyx Storm is down one position, ending the week at number 2. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Rebecca Yarros' Iron Flame is up one position, ending the week at number 6. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Rebecca Yarros' Fourth Wing is down seven positions, ending the week at number 15. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

In paperback:

Sarah J. Maas' A Court of Thorns and Roses is up eight positions, ending the week at number 6. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Callie Hart's Quicksilver is down two positions, ending the week at number 9. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Rebecca Yarros' Fourth Wing returns at number 11. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

More inexpensive ebook goodies!

You can now download Richard Swan's Grave Empire For only 2.99$ by following thia 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 critically acclaimed author Richard Swan, Grave Empire begins the epic tale of an empire on the verge of industrial revolution, where sorcery and arcane practices are outlawed – and where an ancient prophecy threatens the coming end of days.

Blood once turned the wheels of empire. Now it is money.

A new age of exploration and innovation has dawned, and the Empire of the Wolf stands to take its place as the foremost power in the known world. Glory and riches await.

But dark days are coming. A mysterious plague has broken out in the pagan kingdoms to the north, while in the south, the Empire’s proxy war in the lands of the wolfmen is weeks away from total collapse.

Worse still is the message brought to the Empress by two heretic monks, who claim to have lost contact with the spirits of the afterlife. The monks believe this is the start of an ancient prophecy heralding the end of days—the Great Silence.

It falls to Renata Rainer, a low-ranking ambassador to an enigmatic and vicious race of mermen, to seek answers from those who still practice the arcane arts. But with the road south beset by war and the Empire on the brink of supernatural catastrophe, soon there may not be a world left to save...

Hunter's Death

When I began reading Michelle West's The Sun Sword, some fans claimed that it was a better starting point than Hunter's Oath. They opined that as West's first work, the Sacred Hunt duology wasn't as well written as everything which came after. And yet, though some readers consider it the author's weakest Essalieyan novel, I enjoyed Hunter's Oath a lot more than I thought I would. There was a much tighter focus to the writing, which the rest of the saga lacks.

I was looking forward to Hunter's Death, even if Gilliam and Stephen were leaving Breodanir behind. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that a good chunk of this book turned out to be Jewel's origin story. So, not only do you get that tale in this second installment, but you also revisit it in the first three House War volumes, only to be reminded of it in every single novel that comes after. To say that it's over-the-top in execution would be a gross understatement. Regardless of Jewel's importance in the greater scheme of things, and she is extremely important, I still can't fathom why so much focus and repetition were deemed necessary.

Thankfully, it wasn't a deal-breaker for me. In the end, Hunter's Death chronicles the events that made that infamous month of Henden in Averalaan the turning point in mankind's history as the Lord of the Hells attempts to touch the world once more. That period is alluded to several times in both the Sun Sword and the House War series, so it was nice to find out what happened underneath the capital.

Here's the blurb:

Averalaan—the most ancient of cities, had long been the home of magics both dark and bright. For the site where this most civilized city of mortals now stood had once been a dread place indeed, a citadel of evil ruled by the Lord of the Hells. Only through the greatest of sacrifices had he been contained and cast back into his own dimension. And though the passing centuries had all but obliterated the memories of that terrible time, trouble was once again stirring in the hidden byways of Averalaan.

The first warning that the Dark Lord’s minions were at work came from a pack of street rats led by a young woman gifted with the ability to see the truth even when it was hidden behind carefully spell-crafted illusions. And as she carried her warning to The Terafin, head of one of the most powerful families in the land, others, too, were rallying to Averalaan’s aid.

Blessed or cursed by their Hunter God and gifted with his most unique creation, the Hunter Lord Gilliam and his huntbrother Stephen were about to do the unthinkable. Guided by the seer Evayne, they would journey beyond the borders of their kingdom, something no Hunter Lord had ever done. For only in Averalaan could they find their true destiny, even if it meant facing the Dark Lord himself…

Now that I've read both volumes of the Sacred Hunt duology, I can confirm that it's not a good entry point for potential readers. In many ways, it's even worse than Steven Erikson's Gardens of the Moon. But with The Malazan Book of the Fallen, you don't really have a choice. With Michelle West, I agree that it's better to either start with the Sun Sword or the House War series. Since the Breodanir storyline has nothing to do with these two series, other than the secrets behind Evayne's rings and Kallandras' past, which will be unveiled at some point in any case, the rest of the Essalieyan saga provides much depth and better context that you won't find in the Sacred Hunt. Indeed, I believe that I've enjoyed the duology as much as I did because I know the stakes and I understand how the major plotlines will converge in the future. This knowledge gave me a deeper appreciation for what Michelle West is trying to establish early on. I was impressed by the fact that certain storylines that would only come together more than two decades later were already mapped out and put into play.

In my review of Hunter's Oath, I said that as the first book in a saga that is now comprised of seventeen novels and several short stories, there was an absence of the scope and vision that made so many storylines in the following series such compelling reads. Michelle West's worldbuilding is what made the Essalieyan saga so amazing in the past, and you could see her placing pieces on the board that will have dire repercussions down the line. With the plot now moving to Averalaan, the author ups her game quite a bit in that regard. I also have a feeling that, even though most of the major storylines were mapped out at that point, West didn't know exactly how the overall story arc would progress from book to book. As a result, some closely guarded secrets such as who and what the Sleepers are, are disclosed openly within the pages of Hunter's Death while their identity and background aren't mentioned at all until you get quite far into the House War novels. I found that very interesting.

As I've said before, characterization is what ultimately sunk the House War series. Alas, the poor characterization and the weird choice of perspectives often undermined what should have been key and emotionally charged moments. As was the case with its predecessor, I have a feeling that her editor didn't give her as much leeway as she would in the future, which explains the tight focus and the smaller number of POV characters. Moving the plot to Averalaan meant that we'd lose the perspectives of Lady Elseth and Cynthia. Which is too bad, as they added layers to the tale. My favorite aspect of the characterization is the fact that Evayne's POV definitely humanizes her as a protagonist. Reading her perspective gives her a dimension that the seemingly cold-hearted seer never gets in the rest of the Essalieyan saga. I know that there are already way too many POVs in these books, but I believe that the story would benefit from Evayne's perspective from time to time. Hunter's Death does the same, but to a lesser degree, with Kallandras and Meralonne APhaniel. It made me appreciate them both even more, especially given the foreshadowing regarding the bard and the magic-user.

Though Hunter's Oath was by no means a fast-paced affair, West keept the story moving at a good clip. This second volume doesn't move as fluidly as the first installment, but I wouldn't say that it suffers from some pacing issues. Understandably, I had a problem with the sections focusing on Jewel and her den, but we all know by now that I'm biased in that regard. So your mileage will vary.

With the Sacred Hunt under my belt, I'm excited to give Hunter's Redoubt a shot. The End of Days is nigh and I'm curious to see what Michelle West has in store for us!

The final verdict: 8/10

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

This week's New York Times Bestsellers (April 13th)

In hardcover:

Rebecca Yarros' Onyx Storm maintains its position at number 1. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Gregory Maguire's Elphie debuts at number 4. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Rebecca Yarros' Iron Flame is down four positions, ending the week at number 7. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

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

Carissa Broadbent's Slaying the Vampire Conqueror debuts at number 9. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

In paperback:

Callie Hart's Quicksilver is up six positions, ending the week at number 7. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Sarah J. Maas' A Court of Thorns and Roses is down three positions, ending the week at number 14. 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 Neal Stephenson's Seveneves 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:

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Anathem, Reamde, and Cryptonomicon comes an exciting and thought-provoking science fiction epic—a grand story of annihilation and survival spanning five thousand years.

What would happen if the world were ending?

A catastrophic event renders the earth a ticking time bomb. In a feverish race against the inevitable, nations around the globe band together to devise an ambitious plan to ensure the survival of humanity far beyond our atmosphere, in outer space.

But the complexities and unpredictability of human nature coupled with unforeseen challenges and dangers threaten the intrepid pioneers, until only a handful of survivors remain . . .

Five thousand years later, their progeny—seven distinct races now three billion strong—embark on yet another audacious journey into the unknown . . . to an alien world utterly transformed by cataclysm and time: Earth.

A writer of dazzling genius and imaginative vision, Neal Stephenson combines science, philosophy, technology, psychology, and literature in a magnificent work of speculative fiction that offers a portrait of a future that is both extraordinary and eerily recognizable. As he did in Anathem, Cryptonomicon, the Baroque Cycle, and Reamde, Stephenson explores some of our biggest ideas and perplexing challenges in a breathtaking saga that is daring, engrossing, and altogether brilliant.