Fated

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

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

Here's the blurb:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The final verdict: 7.5/10

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

More inexpensive ebook goodies!

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

Here's the blurb:

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

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

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

Quote of the Day

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

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

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

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

A corpse.

- MICHELLE WEST, Hunter's Redoutb

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

WTF!?!

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

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

Official Truth, 101 Proof

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

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

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

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

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

Here's the blurb:

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

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

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

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

More inexpensive ebook goodies!

You can get your hands on the digital edition of Joe Abercrombie's excellent Best Served Cold 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:

Springtime in Styria. And that means war.

There have been nineteen years of blood. The ruthless Grand Duke Orso is locked in a vicious struggle with the squabbling League of Eight, and between them they have bled the land white. While armies march, heads roll and cities burn, and behind the scenes bankers, priests and older, darker powers play a deadly game to choose who will be king.

War may be hell but for Monza Murcatto, the Snake of Talins, the most feared and famous mercenary in Duke Orso's employ, it's a damn good way of making money too. Her victories have made her popular - a shade too popular for her employer's taste. Betrayed, thrown down a mountain and left for dead, Murcatto's reward is a broken body and a burning hunger for vengeance. Whatever the cost, seven men must die.

Her allies include Styria's least reliable drunkard, Styria's most treacherous poisoner, a mass-murderer obsessed with numbers and a Northman who just wants to do the right thing. Her enemies number the better half of the nation. And that's all before the most dangerous man in the world is dispatched to hunt her down and finish the job Duke Orso started...

Springtime in Styria. And that means revenge.

More inexpensive ebook goodies!

You can now get your hands on the digital edition of Gene Wolfe's Shadow and Claw for only 2.99$ by following this Amazon Assoiate link. This OneLink will take you to the nearest Amazon site serving your country and you'll see if you can take advantage of this sale.

Here's the blurb:

The Book of the New Sun is unanimously acclaimed as Gene Wolfe's most remarkable work, hailed as "a masterpiece of science fantasy comparable in importance to the major works of Tolkien and Lewis" by Publishers Weekly, and "one of the most ambitious works of speculative fiction in the twentieth century" by The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. Shadow and Claw brings together the first two books of the tetralogy in one volume:

The Shadow of the Torturer is the tale of young Severian, an apprentice in the Guild of Torturers on the world called Urth, exiled for committing the ultimate sin of his profession -- showing mercy toward his victim.

Ursula K. Le Guin said, "Magic stuff . . . a masterpiece . . . the best science fiction I've read in years!"

The Claw of the Conciliator continues the saga of Severian, banished from his home, as he undertakes a mythic quest to discover the awesome power of an ancient relic, and learn the truth about his hidden destiny.

"Arguably the finest piece of literature American science fiction has yet produced [is] the four-volume Book of the New Sun."--Chicago Sun-Times

"The Book of the New Sun establishes his preeminence, pure and simple. . . . The Book of the New Sun contains elements of Spenserian allegory, Swiftian satire, Dickensian social consciousness and Wagnerian mythology. Wolfe creates a truly alien social order that the reader comes to experience from within . . . once into it, there is no stopping."--The New York Times Book Review

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

More inexpensive ebook goodies!

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

Here's the blurb:

THE GREATEST SAGAS ARE WRITTEN IN BLOOD.

A century has passed since the gods fought and drove themselves to extinction. Now only their bones remain, promising great power to those brave enough to seek them out.

As whispers of war echo across the land of Vigrid, fate follows in the footsteps of three warriors: a huntress on a dangerous quest, a noblewoman pursuing battle fame, and a thrall seeking vengeance among the mercenaries known as the Bloodsworn.

All three will shape the fate of the world as it once more falls under the shadow of the gods.

Set in a brand-new, Norse-inspired world, and packed with myth, magic, and vengeance, The Shadow of the Gods begins an epic new fantasy saga from bestselling author John Gwynne.

You can also download V. E. Schwab's Vicious for only 2.99$ here.

Here's the blurb:

V. E. Schwab's New York Times bestseller Vicious is a masterful tale of ambition, jealousy, desire, and superpowers.

Victor and Eli started out as college roommates—brilliant, arrogant, lonely boys who recognized the same sharpness and ambition in each other. In their senior year, a shared research interest in adrenaline, near-death experiences, and seemingly supernatural events reveals an intriguing possibility: that under the right conditions, someone could develop extraordinary abilities. But when their thesis moves from the academic to the experimental, things go horribly wrong.

Ten years later, Victor breaks out of prison, determined to catch up to his old friend (now foe), aided by a young girl whose reserved nature obscures a stunning ability. Meanwhile, Eli is on a mission to eradicate every other super-powered person that he can find—aside from his sidekick, an enigmatic woman with an unbreakable will. Armed with terrible power on both sides, driven by the memory of betrayal and loss, the archnemeses have set a course for revenge—but who will be left alive at the end?

In Vicious, V. E. Schwab brings to life a gritty comic-book-style world in vivid prose: a world where gaining superpowers doesn't automatically lead to heroism, and a time when allegiances are called into question.

Audible deal

If you're into audio books, Audible has a promotion that allows you to get the first three months of your membership for only 0.99$ per month.

Follow this link if you're interested.

More inexpensive ebook goodies!

You can now download Kim Harrison's First Contact 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 the wake of the solar eclipse, a portal between our world and a paranormal realm opens—and a scientist’s life will never be the same, in this thrilling serialized adventure from the New York Times bestselling author of The Hollows.

Dr. Renee Caisson knows there are worse things than an attractive man in uniform drafting her into a secret government project—especially when Major Jackson makes it clear that he isn’t bothered by her questionable past. But when her labs come back with decidedly odd results, the Major is forced to come clean over who the government is actually studying. Renee is shocked to learn her subjects are demonic-looking beings who call themselves “Neighbors”—refugees from a dying world, who arrived during the nation-wide solar eclipse.

The Neighbors’ technology is unlike anything Renee’s ever encountered. At first, she dismisses an injury that inexplicably heals as “just one of those things”. And surely August, the most gregarious Neighbor, begins to speak English overnight because of the team linguist’s skills?

Not until August begins evolving in real time to withstand Earth’s brighter, dryer atmosphere does she admit that the Neighbors’ “tech” feels less like science and more like magic—the same magic that brought them here in the first place, and the same they’re trying to rekindle with a mysterious labyrinth in order to return home and save their world.

At least, that’s what August claims they came for…

More inexpensive ebook goodies!

You can now download Robert Jackson Bennett's Foundryside 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:

In a city that runs on industrialized magic, a secret war will be fought to overwrite reality itself–the first in a dazzling new fantasy series from City of Stairs author Robert Jackson Bennett.

Sancia Grado is a thief, and a damn good one. And her latest target, a heavily guarded warehouse on Tevanne’s docks, is nothing her unique abilities can’t handle.

But unbeknownst to her, Sancia’s been sent to steal an artifact of unimaginable power, an object that could revolutionize the magical technology known as scriving. The Merchant Houses who control this magic–the art of using coded commands to imbue everyday objects with sentience–have already used it to transform Tevanne into a vast, remorseless capitalist machine. But if they can unlock the artifact’s secrets, they will rewrite the world itself to suit their aims.

Now someone in those Houses wants Sancia dead, and the artifact for themselves. And in the city of Tevanne, there’s nobody with the power to stop them.

To have a chance at surviving—and at stopping the deadly transformation that’s under way—Sancia will have to marshal unlikely allies, learn to harness the artifact’s power for herself, and undergo her own transformation, one that will turn her into something she could never have imagined.

You can also download Scott Lynch's The Lies of Locke Lamora for only 1.99$ here.

Here's the blurb:

An orphan’s life is harsh—and often short—in the mysterious island city of Camorr. But young Locke Lamora dodges death and slavery, becoming a thief under the tutelage of a gifted con artist. As leader of the band of light-fingered brothers known as the Gentleman Bastards, Locke is soon infamous, fooling even the underworld’s most feared ruler. But in the shadows lurks someone still more ambitious and deadly. Faced with a bloody coup that threatens to destroy everyone and everything that holds meaning in his mercenary life, Locke vows to beat the enemy at his own brutal game—or die trying.

You can now get your hands on the digital edition of Brent Weeks' The Way of Shadows for only 2.99$ here.

Here's the blurb:

The first novel in the Night Angel trilogy, the breakneck epic fantasy from New York Times bestselling author Brent Weeks.

For Durzo Blint, assassination is an art--and he is the city's most accomplished artist.

For Azoth, survival is precarious. Something you never take for granted. As a guild rat, he's grown up in the slums, and learned to judge people quickly--and to take risks. Risks like apprenticing himself to Durzo Blint.

But to be accepted, Azoth must turn his back on his old life and embrace a new identity and name. As Kylar Stern, he must learn to navigate the assassins' world of dangerous politics and strange magics--and cultivate a flair for death.

Devour this blockbuster tale of assassination and magic by Brent Weeks, which has delighted readers all over the world--with over one million copies in print!

Quote of the Day

What you know can hurt you, but what you don’t know can hurt you a lot worse.

- BENEDICT JACKA, Fated

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

More inexpensive ebook goodies!

You can now download William Gibson's Mona Lisa Overdrive 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:

William Gibson, author of the extraordinary multiaward-winning novel Neuromancer, has written his most brilliant and thrilling work to date . . .The Mona Lisa Overdrive.

Enter Gibson's unique world—lyric and mechanical, sensual and violent, sobering and exciting—where multinational corporations and high tech outlaws vie for power, traveling into the computer-generated universe known as cyberspace. Into this world comes Mona, a young girl with a murky past and an uncertain future whose life is on a collision course with internationally famous Sense/Net star Angie Mitchell. Since childhood, Angie has been able to tap into cyberspace without a computer. Now, from inside cyberspace, a kidnapping plot is masterminded by a phantom entity who has plans for Mona, Angie, and all humanity, plans that cannot be controlled . . . or even known. And behind the intrigue lurks the shadowy Yazuka, the powerful Japanese underworld, whose leaders ruthlessly manipulate people and events to suit their own purposes . . . or so they think.

More inexpensive ebook goodies!

You can now download Ann Leckie's The Raven Tower 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:

Gods meddle in the fates of men, men play with the fates of gods, and a pretender must be cast down from the throne in this masterful first fantasy novel from Ann Leckie, New York Times bestselling author and winner of the Hugo, Nebula, and Arthur C. Clarke Awards.

For centuries, the kingdom of Iraden has been protected by the god known as the Raven. He watches over his territory from atop a tower in the powerful port of Vastai. His will is enacted through the Raven's Lease, a human ruler chosen by the god himself. His magic is sustained via the blood sacrifice that every Lease must offer. And under the Raven's watch, the city flourishes.

But the power of the Raven is weakening. A usurper has claimed the throne. The kingdom's borders are tested by invaders who long for the prosperity that Vastai boasts. And they have made their own alliances with other gods.

It is into this unrest that the warrior Eolo--aide to Mawat, the true Lease--arrives. And in seeking to help Mawat reclaim his city, Eolo discovers that the Raven's Tower holds a secret. Its foundations conceal a dark history that has been waiting to reveal itself...and to set in motion a chain of events that could destroy Iraden forever.

This week's New York Times Bestsellers (June 15th)

In hardcover:

Stephen King's Never Flinch debuts at number 1. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Rachel Gillig's The Knight and the Moth is down one position, ending the week at number 3. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Devney Perry's Shield of Sparrows is down three spots, finishing the week at number 8. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Rebecca Yarros' Onyx Storm is down one position, ending the week at number 9. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

In paperback:

Rebecca Yarros' Iron Flame is down 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 11. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

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

Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale returns at number 13. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Margaret Atwood's The Testaments returns 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 George R. R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire 5-book omnibus 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:

For the first time, all five novels in the epic fantasy series that inspired HBO’s Game of Thrones are together in one eBook bundle. An immersive entertainment experience unlike any other, A Song of Ice and Fire has earned George R. R. Martin—dubbed “the American Tolkien” by Time magazine—international acclaim and millions of loyal readers. Now this bundle collects the entire monumental cycle in the most convenient format available:

A GAME OF THRONES
A CLASH OF KINGS
A STORM OF SWORDS
A FEAST FOR CROWS
A DANCE WITH DRAGONS

More inexpensive ebook goodies!

You can now download Elizabeth Moon's Sheepfarmer's Daughter for only 5.99$ 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:

Paksenarrion Dorthansdotter may be the daughter of a humble sheep farmer in the far north end of the kingdom, but she dreams of so much more. After refusing her father’s orders to do the sensible thing and marry the pig farmer down the road, Paks, runs away to join a band of mercenaries, dreaming of daring deeds and military glory. But life in the army is different than she imagined, and her daydreams at first seem to be turning to nightmares. But Paks refuses to let her dreams die—and does her duty with honor and integrity. Her path is an arduous one, but it will transform her into a hero remembered in songs, chosen by the gods to restore a lost ruler to his throne.

The Compton Crook Award‑winning first novel from Nebula‑winning author Elizabeth Moon. The first in the Paksenarrion Trilogy—now with an all‑new introduction by the author.