The Scour

When the folks at Grimdark Magazine approached me for an early read of Richard Swan's The Scour, I wasn't sure I was the right fit for an advance review. Though I've read the author's latest novel, I haven't read the Empire of the Wolf trilogy. Since this novella is a prequel set fifteen years before the events of the first series, even if it was always meant to be a standalone, I wasn't sure I would enjoy it as much as a Swan fan would. Now that I've read it, although someone with no prior knowledge of the original series can follow the plot easily enough, since The Scour features a number of important protagonists from the trilogy it's obvious that people familiar with them and their relationships will get more out of their reading experience than newbies like me likely will.

Hence, you might want to start with The Justice of Kings if you want to give Richard Swan a shot. But if you're a fan, this opportunity to see those characters once more might be a real treat!

Here's the blurb:

A HAUNTED LIGHTHOUSE

A JUSTICE ACCUSED OF MURDER

AND A SINGLE QUESTION

What is The Scour?

In the dying port town of Gdansburg, Sir Konrad Vonvalt finds the unthinkable: a fellow Justice imprisoned for the murder of a young boy. Despite the furious insistence of the townsfolk, the only evidence is a question written on a piece of paper by a dead man: what is The Scour?

The answer begins in the town’s haunted lighthouse and ends in its past–where Vonvalt may dig up more than he bargained for.

In my review of Grave Empire, I mentioned that the book did suffer from pacing issues. It took a long while for all three perspectives to come together. As a matter of course, the author needed time to lay down the groundwork for all three storylines. Problem is, Swan does like to overindulge when it comes to the travelogues and he made sure to showcase every single village/city/region down to the smallest detail. It did make his universe come alive with arresting imagery, yet it also slowed the rhythm of the tale too often for my liking. I was curious to see how he would do when working within the constraints of a novella-length project. And like Tad Williams, who's known for writing doorstoppers, it appears that such restrictions bring the best out of Richard Swan. When he's forced to focus on what's important, the man can be surprisingly concise. Paired with his excellent prose, this, for me at least, was quite an improvement from his only novel-length work I've read thus far.

Konrad Vonvalt and Dubine Bressenger make for an interesting duo. The banter and the interactions between the two will probably be the highlight of this novella for Swan fans. I can only imagine how their relationship will evolve over the years and what will happen to them in the Empire of the Wolf trilogy. Resi August's arrival changed the dynamics of the characterization a bit, but the wit and the humor remained to somewhat balance the darker elements of the tale.

The author created a haunting atmosphere that permeates the entire novella. The Scour is a murder mystery set in a dark fantasy environment spiced with a dash of paranormal horror. My only gripe is that too often the plot turns into a law procedural show, with Vonvalt being an annoying pedant that won't back down, and this is in no way necessary. In fact, it does get in the way of the story time and again, and I feel that such scenes could have been cut to allow for a better flow of the rhythm.

All in all, Richard Swan's The Scour is a compelling read when it's not focusing on the Slovan Criminal Code and the characters are working on solving the mystery they have unveiled. Readers already familiar with the protagonists will inevitably get more bang for their buck, yet that's the way love goes!

The final verdict: 7.5/10

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

More inexpensive ebook goodies!

You can now download Thieves' World, volume one, edited by Lynn Abbey and Robert Lynn Asprin and comprised of Thieves' World, Tales from the Vulgar Unicorn, and Shadows of Sanctuary, for only 3.99$ by following this Amazon Associate link. This OneLink will take you to the nearest Amazon site serving your country and you'll see if you can take advantage of this sale.

Here's the blurb:

Created by the New York Times–bestselling author of the Myth series, as well as the Phule's Company series, Thieves' World® brings together classic fantasy's finest authors to flesh out the shared world with their own unforgettable characters and epic worldbuilding.

The first three books include stories by Lynn Abbey, Poul Anderson, Robert Lynn Asprin, Marion Zimmer Bradley, C. J. Cherryh, David Drake, Philip José Farmer, Joe Haldeman, Janet Morris, Andrew J. Offutt, and others. They introduce you to the nefarious citizens of the city of Sanctuary, including One-Thumb, the proprietor of the Vulgar Unicorn tavern; Regli, a nobleman; Illyra, the seer; Hanes, the thief; Jubal, the crime lord; and Tempus Thales, the immortal mercenary.

This week's New York Times Bestsellers (August 17th)

In hardcover:

Rebecca Yarros' Onyx Storm maintains its positions at number 7. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Stephen King's Never Flinch maintains its position at number 8. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Olivia Rose Darling's Wrath of the Dragons debuts at number 10. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Sarah Beth Durst's The Enchanted Greenhouse is down ten spots, finishing the week at number 14. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

In paperback:

Andy Weir's Project Hail Mary is up one position, ending the week at number 1. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Sarah J. Maas' A Court of Thorns and Roses is up one spot, finishing the week at number 10. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Rebecca Yarros' Fourth Wing maintains its position at number 13. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Rebecca Yarros' Iron Flame returns at number 14. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Sarah J. Maas' A Court of Mist and Fury returns at number 15. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

More inexpensive ebook goodies!

You can now download the omnibus comprised of all three volumes of Katherine Kurtz's The Legends of Camber of Culdi for only 3.99$ by following this Amazon Associate link. This OneLink will take you to the nearest Amazon site serving your country and you'll see if you can take advantage of this sale. It's the perfect starting point for anyone interested in discovering the Deryni saga! For my money, even though it was a bestselling series in the 70s and the 80s, it's one of the most underrated fantasy sagas out there.

Here's the blurb:

Three fantasy novels of intrigue, betrayal, and magic in medieval Gwynedd by the New York Times–bestselling author of the Deryni series—bonus story also included.

Camber of Culdi: Long before Camber was revered as a saint, he was a Deryni noble, one of the most respected of the magical race whose arcane skills set them apart from ordinary humans in the kingdom of Gwynedd. Now, the land suffers under the tyranny of King Imre, whose savage oppression of the human population weighs heavily on Camber’s heart—a heart that is about to be shattered by a tragic loss that will lead him to confront the usurpers whose dark magic haunts the realm.

Saint Camber: The yoke of tyranny has finally been lifted in Gwynedd, but Camber’s job remains unfinished. The dangerous remnants of a conquered enemy still mass at the borders, and the new ruler is desperately unhappy wearing the crown. With the stability of a fragile kingdom at stake, its greatest champion must make the ultimate sacrifice: Camber of Culdi must cease to exist.

Camber the Heretic: The king’s heir is a mere boy of twelve, and the malevolent regents who will rule until young Alroy comes of age are determined to eliminate all Deryni. Suddenly, the future of Gwynedd hangs in the balance, and Camber—once adored as a saint, but now reviled as a heretic—must find a way to protect his people before everything and everyone he loves is destroyed in the all-consuming flames of intolerance and hate.

Filled with mysticism and magic, these sagas reminds us that “Kurtz’s love of history lets her do things with her characters and their world that no non-historian could hope to do” (Chicago Sun-Times).

More inexpensive ebook goodies!

You can now download Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah's Chain-Gang All-Stars 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 NEW YORK TIMES TOP TEN BOOK OF THE YEAR • FINALIST FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD IN FICTION • A READ WITH JENNA BOOK CLUB PICK • NATIONAL BESTSELLER • Two top women gladiators fight for their freedom within a depraved private prison system not so far-removed from America’s own in this explosive, hotly-anticipated debut novel from the New York Times bestselling author of Friday Black • LONGLISTED FOR THE ANDREW CARNEGIE MEDAL FOR EXCELLENCE

She felt their eyes, all those executioners…

Loretta Thurwar and Hamara “Hurricane Staxxx” Stacker are the stars of the Chain-Gang All-Stars, the cornerstone of CAPE, or Criminal Action Penal Entertainment, a highly popular, highly controversial profit-raising program in America’s increasingly dominant private prison industry. It’s the return of the gladiators, and prisoners are competing for the ultimate prize: their freedom.

In CAPE, prisoners travel as Links in Chain-Gangs, competing in death matches before packed arenas with righteous protestors at the gates. Thurwar and Staxxx, both teammates and lovers, are the fan favorites. And if all goes well, Thurwar will be free in just a few matches, a fact she carries as heavily as her lethal hammer. As she prepares to leave her fellow Links, Thurwar considers how she might help preserve their humanity, in defiance of these so-called games. But CAPE’s corporate own­ers will stop at nothing to protect their status quo, and the obstacles they lay in Thurwar’s path have devastating consequences.

Moving from the Links in the field to the protestors, to the CAPE employees and beyond, Chain-Gang All-Stars is a kaleidoscopic, excoriating look at the American prison system’s unholy alliance of systemic racism, unchecked capitalism, and mass incarceration, and a clear-eyed reckoning with what freedom in this country really means from a “new and necessary American voice” (Tommy Orange, The New York Times Book Review).

A True History of the United States

This book has been on my radar for a while.

As a retired Major, I was curious about what Danny A. Sjursen's perspective on military issues would be. Needless to say, I was surprised by how highly critical--and right--he turned out to be regarding most military conflicts the USA were part of over the years.

In a nutshell, Sjursen's well researched work focuses on the dirt under each president and his administration. It's evident from the get-go that the author is a liberal, so I was expecting him to be scathing when he elaborated on the presidential terms of the usual suspects such as Nixon, Reagan, etc. And yet, it turns out that he's even more condemning when it comes to Democrat darlings like JFK and Obama.

Sjursen says that A True History of the United States is an attempt to bridge what is perhaps unbridgeable; academic and public history. It's a thought-provoking work that turns American exceptionalism on its head. A must read for all Americans and anyone interested in American history.

Here's the blurb:

Brilliant, readable, and raw. Maj. (ret.) Danny Sjursen, who served combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan and later taught history at West Point, delivers a true epic and the perfect companion to Howard Zinn’s A People’s History of the United States.

Sjursen shifts the lens and challenges readers to think critically and to apply common sense to their understanding of our nation's past—and present—so we can view history as never before.

A True History of the United States was inspired by a course that Sjursen taught to cadets at West Point, his alma mater. With chapter titles such as "Patriots or Insurgents?" and "The Decade That Roared and Wept", A True History is accurate with respect to the facts and intellectually honest in its presentation and analysis.

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

More inexpensive ebook goodies!

You can now download Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman's Dragon Wing, first volume in the Death Gate Cycle, the authors' very best series, for only 3.99$ by following this Amazon Associate link. This OneLink will take you to the nearest Amazon site serving your country and you'll see if you can take advantage of this sale.

The second volume, Elven Star, is also on sale.

Here's the blurb:

Preeminent storytellers Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman have redefined epic fantasy. Since the publication of their Dragonlance series, millions of readers have enjoyed their imaginative world-building, rich characterization, and intricate storylines. Now these best-selling authors bring their talents to one of the most innovative fantasy creations ever in Dragon Wing, the first volume in The Death Gate Cycle.

Ages ago, sorcerers of unmatched power sundered a world into four realms—sky, stone, fire, and water—then vanished. Over time, magicians learned to work spells only in their own realms and forgot the others. Now only the few who have survived the Labyrinth and crossed the Death Gate know of the presence of all four realms—and even they have yet to unravel the mysteries of their severed world. . . .

In Arianus, Realm of Sky, humans, elves, and dwarves battle for control of precious water—traversing a world of airborne islands on currents of elven magic and the backs of mammoth dragons. But soon great magical forces will begin to rend the fabric of this delicate land. An assassin will be hired to kill a royal prince—by the king himself. A dwarf will challenge the beliefs of his people—and lead them in rebellion. And a sinister wizard will enact his plan to rule Arianus—a plan that may be felt far beyond the Realm of Sky and into the Death Gate itself.

More inexpensive ebook goodies!

You can now get your hands on the digital edition of Robert Jackon Benett's American Elsewhere for only 2.99$ by following this Amazon Associate link. This OneLink will take you to the nearest Amazon site serving your country and you'll see if you can take advantage of this sale.

Here's the blurb:

From one of our most talented and original new literary voices comes the next great American supernatural novel: a work that explores the dark dimensions of the hometowns and the neighbors we thought we knew.

Some places are too good to be true.

Under a pink moon, there is a perfect little town not found on any map: Wink, New Mexico.

In that town, there are quiet streets lined with pretty houses, houses that conceal the strangest things.

After a couple years of hard traveling, ex-cop Mona Bright inherits her long-dead mother's home. And the closer Mona gets to her mother's past, the more she understands that the people of Wink are very, very different . . .

You can also get your hands on the digital edition of Seth Grahame-Smith's Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter for only 2.99$ here.

Here's the blurb:

Indiana, 1818. Moonlight falls through the dense woods that surround a one-room cabin, where a nine-year-old Abraham Lincoln kneels at his suffering mother's bedside. She's been stricken with something the old-timers call "Milk Sickness."

"My baby boy..." she whispers before dying.

Only later will the grieving Abe learn that his mother's fatal affliction was actually the work of a vampire.

When the truth becomes known to young Lincoln, he writes in his journal, "henceforth my life shall be one of rigorous study and devotion. I shall become a master of mind and body. And this mastery shall have but one purpose..." Gifted with his legendary height, strength, and skill with an ax, Abe sets out on a path of vengeance that will lead him all the way to the White House.

While Abraham Lincoln is widely lauded for saving a Union and freeing millions of slaves, his valiant fight against the forces of the undead has remained in the shadows for hundreds of years. That is, until Seth Grahame-Smith stumbled upon The Secret Journal of Abraham Lincoln, and became the first living person to lay eyes on it in more than 140 years.

Using the journal as his guide and writing in the grand biographical style of Doris Kearns Goodwin and David McCullough, Seth has reconstructed the true life story of our greatest president for the first time-all while revealing the hidden history behind the Civil War and uncovering the role vampires played in the birth, growth, and near-death of our nation.

More inexpensive ebook goodies!

You can now download Josiah Bancroft's The Hexologists 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 Hexologists, Iz and Warren Wilby, are quite accustomed to helping desperate clients with the bugbears of city life. Aided by hexes and a bag of charmed relics, the Wilbies have recovered children abducted by chimney-wraiths, removed infestations of barb-nosed incubi, and ventured into the Gray Plains of the Unmade to soothe a troubled ghost. Well-acquainted with the weird, they never shy away from a challenging case.

But when they are approached by the royal secretary and told the king pleads to be baked into a cake—going so far as to wedge himself inside a lit oven—the Wilbies soon find themselves embroiled in a mystery that could very well see the nation turned on its head. Their effort to expose a royal secret buried under forty years of lies brings them nose to nose with a violent anti-royalist gang, avaricious ghouls, alchemists who draw their power from a hell-like dimension, and a bookish dragon who only occasionally eats people.

Armed with a love toughened by adversity and a stick of chalk that can conjure light from the darkness, hope from the hopeless, Iz and Warren Wilby are ready for a case that will test every spell, skill, and odd magical artifact in their considerable bag of tricks.

This week's New York Times Bestsellers (August 10th)

In hardcover:

Sarah Beth Durst's The Enchanted Greenhouse is down two spots, finishing the week at number 4. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Elise Kova's Arcana Academy debuts at number 5. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Rebecca Yarros' Onyx Storm is up two positions, ending the week at number 7. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Stephen King's Never Flinch is down one position, ending the week at number 8. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Julie Soto's Rose in Chains is down eight spots, finishing the week at number 13. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

In paperback:

Andy Weir's Project Hail Mary is down one position, ending the week at number 2. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Sarah J. Maas' A Court of Thorns and Roses is up one spot, finishing the week at number 11. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Rebecca Yarros' Fourth Wing returns at number 13. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Witch Queen of Redwinter

You may recall that in my review of the third installment of The Raven's Mark trilogy, I claimed that Ed McDonald had the potential to be the next Joe Abercrombie. Sadly, I quickly realized that the Redwinter Chronicles was a totally different beast. Especially the YA style and tone, which feel ill-suited for the story the author is trying to tell. And yet, despite its flaws, I felt that Daughter of Redwinter marked the beginning of a promising new series. I was hoping that McDonald could step up to the plate and deliver like he did in the past.

Alas, Traitor of Redwinter proved that it wasn't meant to be. I don't know if it was a case of the middle book syndrome, or if there simply wasn't enough material here to warrant a full novel, but not much happens during a rather big chunk of that book. In the end, it turned out to be a slog to finish.

At the time, I was wondering if I'd read the final volume, Witch Queen of Redwinter. I've invested a lot of my time reading the first two volumes, so a part of me wanted to discover how it would end. However, another part of me couldn't even think of spending another minute reading Raine's POV. So it took a while, but ultimately I elected to give this one a shot. And though it was better than its predecessor, taken as a whole this trilogy can be nothing but a disappointment for me.

Here's the blurb:

Having been saved from execution at the hands of the Draoihn—powerful magic users Raine used to count as allies—Raine finds herself in the Fault, a vast magical wasteland, which is falling apart before her eyes.

Alongside her two closest companions, they are searching for the only person Raine believes can help them get back home: the enigmatic and infuriatingly elusive Queen of Feathers.

But what home are they trying to get back to? Ovitus LacNaithe, power-hungry traitor that he is, has taken control of the Draoihn and is unwittingly doing the bidding of a darker master. He is soon to take control of the Crown of Harranir and plunge the land into unending darkness.

The fate of two worlds hangs in the balance. The stakes have never been higher. It’s going to take Raine’s dark, terrible powers, as well as the unbreakable bond of three friends, to ensure everyone lives to see the dawn.

In my review of Daughter of Redwinter, I bemoaned the fact that McDonald came up with lots of fascinating concepts and ideas, yet à la Mark Lawrence he played his cards way too close to his chest and did not elaborate much on them. He was a bit more forthcoming in Traitor of Redwinter, and those revelations are likely the only reason why I managed to reach the end of that book. We did learn a bit more about Raine's grave sight and its repercussions, and we also discovered that she's not the first person the Queen of Feathers has groomed for some nebulous objective. This third installment finally unveils the truth about Maldouen, the Crowns, the Fault, the Sarathi, the Riven Queen, Empress Song Seondeok, Empress Serranis, and the Queen of Feathers. McDonald finally provides answers to our ever-growing list of questions, yet I often felt that it was a case of too little, too late. Still, in Witch Queen of Redwinter at least, the author delivered on the worldbuilding front. Having said that, the facet which continues to sink this story is the incredibly weak political intrigue that has to do with Ovitus seizing control of the kingdom and everything that follows.

In my opinion, first-person narratives are always tricky things and can easily make or break a novel. And unfortunately, I feel that Raine's perspective could well be the most detrimental aspect of this series. Two volumes into this trilogy, she has become hard to root/care for. In my review of Traitor of Redwinter, I said that there is only so much self-loathing monologues one can take and I've reached my breaking point in that regard. There is such a thing as character development, and then there's flogging a dead horse. To his credit, Ed McDonald did something quite unexpected about that in this final installment. I'm not going to reveal what it is, because it would be a major spoiler. But it does help a little. Once again, the three-way romance between Raine and the other Draoihn apprentices is full of the teenage angst that so characterize most SFF YA works and things don't improve in that regard. Once more, I can't help but feel that multiple POVs would have given more depth to this series.

Although he failed to do so in the first two volumes, in the past Ed McDonald was known for closing the show with style and aplomb. Both Ravencry and Crowfall featured exciting endgames that led to thrilling finales which packed a surprisingly powerful emotional punch. Again, though Witch Queen of Redwinter is by no means a great read, the author came up with a gripping endgame and a totally unanticipated finale. Whether or not this is enough to save the trilogy as a whole, your mileage may vary. The open-ended conclusion may not please everyone, but I feel that it works rather well.

When all is said and done, though the Redwinter Chronicles show some signs of brilliance from time to time, I believe that the YA style and tone are what made this series a failure to launch for me. Which is not to say that other readers might not love everything about it. It just wasn't for me. . .

The final verdict: 6.5/10

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

Quote of the Day

That was the thing about the truth: it only came out when the cost of lying became too high.

- THOMAS R. WEAVER, Artificial Wisdom

Only 50 pages into this one, but it's pretty good thus far!

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 Andrzej Sapkowski's The Last Wish 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:

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.

You can also download George R. R. Martin's Dying of the Light for only 4.99$ here.

Here's the blurb:

In this unforgettable space opera, #1 New York Times bestselling author George R. R. Martin presents a chilling vision of eternal night—a volatile world where cultures clash, codes of honor do not exist, and the hunter and the hunted are often interchangeable.

A whisperjewel has summoned Dirk t’Larien to Worlorn, and a love he thinks he lost. But Worlorn isn’t the world Dirk imagined, and Gwen Delvano is no longer the woman he once knew. She is bound to another man, and to a dying planet that is trapped in twilight. Gwen needs Dirk’s protection, and he will do anything to keep her safe, even if it means challenging the barbaric man who has claimed her. But an impenetrable veil of secrecy surrounds them all, and it’s becoming impossible for Dirk to distinguish between his allies and his enemies. In this dangerous triangle, one is hurtling toward escape, another toward revenge, and the last toward a brutal, untimely demise.

More inexpensive ebook goodies!

You can now get your hands on the digital edition of Martha Wells' Witch King 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 breakout SFF superstar author of Murderbot comes a remarkable story of power and friendship, of trust and betrayal, and of the families we choose.

"I didn't know you were a... demon."
"You idiot. I'm the demon."

Kai's having a long day in Martha Wells' WITCH KING....

After being murdered, his consciousness dormant and unaware of the passing of time while confined in an elaborate water trap, Kai wakes to find a lesser mage attempting to harness Kai’s magic to his own advantage. That was never going to go well.

But why was Kai imprisoned in the first place? What has changed in the world since his assassination? And why does the Rising World Coalition appear to be growing in influence?

Kai will need to pull his allies close and draw on all his pain magic if he is to answer even the least of these questions.

He’s not going to like the answers.

More inexpensive ebook goodies!

You can now download Hannah Kaner's Godkiller 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:

Enter a land of gods and monsters, soldiers and mercenaries, secrets and wishes—the explosive #1 internationally bestselling fantasy debut in a new trilogy for fans of The Witcher and Gideon the Ninth

Gods are forbidden in the kingdom of Middren. Formed by human desires and fed by their worship, there are countless gods in the world—but after a great war, the new king outlawed them and now pays “godkillers” to destroy any who try to rise from the shadows.

As a child, Kissen saw her family murdered by a fire god. Now, she makes a living killing them and enjoys it. But all this changes when Kissen is tasked with helping a young noble girl with a god problem. The child’s soul is bonded to a tiny god of white lies, and Kissen can’t kill it without ending the girl’s life too.

Joined by a disillusioned knight on a secret quest, the unlikely group must travel to the ruined city of Blenraden, where the last of the wild gods reside, to each beg a favor. Pursued by assassins and demons, and in the midst of burgeoning civil war, they will all face a reckoning. Something is rotting at the heart of their world, and they are the only ones who can stop it.

More inexpensive ebook goodies!

You can now download David Hair's Mage's Blood, opening chapter in The Moontide Quartet, 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. All three subsequent installments are also on sale.

Here's the blurb:

For years the Leviathan Bridge was a boon for prosperity and culture. But when the Rondian Emperor turned his avaricious eyes toward it, peace became war. In successive crusades the Imperial legions and their mighty battle-mages plundered the East unopposed.

Now the Moontide has come again, the Bridge is rising from beneath the waves, and the Third Crusade is poised for release. The board is set and the pieces are moving. But three lowly pawns, barely regarded, threaten the game: A failed mage, a jaded mercenary and a lowly market-girl are about to be catapulted into the maelstrom. Their choices and their courage are about to change the world.

Come to Urte, where the moon covers half the sky and the tides render the seas impassable. Where windships ply the skies and magi with god-gifted powers rule the earth. Where East and West are divided by colour, creed, language and the sea, but drawn to each other irrevocably in a dance of life and death. The Moontide is coming, to sweep away all in its path.

This week's New York Times Bestsellers (August 3rd)

In hardcover:

Sarah Beth Durst's The Enchanted Greenhouse debuts at number 2. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Mai Corland's Three Shattered Souls debuts at number 3. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Julie Soto's Rose in Chains is down four spots, finishing the week at number 5. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Stephen King's Never Flinch isup two positions, ending the week at number 7. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

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

Brigitte Knightley's The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy is down thirteen positions, ending the week at number 15. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

In paperback:

Andy Weir's Project Hail Mary is up seven positions, ending the week at number 1. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Sarah J. Maas' A Court of Thorns and Roses returns at number 12. 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 Adam Oyebanji's Esperance 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 whip-smart thriller in the vein of Blake Crouch, Andy Weir, and Neal Stephenson, Esperance plumbs the depths of a seemingly impossible crime rooted in racism, intergenerational trauma, and an inhuman concept of justice

Detective Ethan Krol is on the twentieth floor of a Chicago apartment building. A father and son have been found dead, their lungs full of sea water—hundreds of miles away from the ocean.

Abidemi Eniola has arrived in Bristol, England. She claims to be Nigerian, but her accent is wrong and she can do remarkable things with technology, things that her new friend, Hollie Rogers, has never seen before. Abi is in possession of a number of heirlooms that need to be returned to their rightful owners, and Hollie is more than happy to go along for the ride.

But neither Abidemi Eniola nor her heirlooms are quite what they seem. Abi is a target of Ethan Krol’s investigations, and Hollie’s life is about to become far stranger than she bargained for. In a clash of cultures, histories, and different ideas about justice, the consequences will be deadly…

You can also download Grace Curtis' Floating Hotel for only 2.99$ here.

Here's the blurb:

This cozy science fiction novel tells a story of misfits, rebels, found family—and a mystery that spans the stars

Welcome to the Grand Abeona Hotel: home of the finest food, the sweetest service, and the very best views the galaxy has to offer. All year round it moves from planet to planet, system to system, pampering guests across the furthest reaches of the milky way. The last word in sub-orbital luxury—and an absolute magnet for intrigue. Intrigues such as: Why are there love poems in the lobby inbox? How many Imperial spies are currently on board? What is the true purpose of the Problem Solver’s conference? And perhaps most pertinently—who is driving the ship?

Each guest has a secret, every member of staff a universe unto themselves. At the center of these interweaving lives and interlocking mysteries stands Carl, one time stowaway, longtime manager, devoted caretaker to the hotel. It’s the love of his life and the only place he’s ever called home. But as forces beyond Carl’s comprehension converge on the Abeona, he has to face one final question: when is it time to let go?

More inexpensive ebook goodies!

You can now download David Hair's Map's Edge for only 0.99$ by following this Amazon Associate link. This OneLink will take you to the nearest Amazon site serving your country and you'll see if you can take advantage of this sale.

Here's the blurb:

Follow a renegade sorcerer off the edge of the map, in a thrilling adventure perfect for fans of Scott Lynch, Brandon Sanderson and Sebastien de Castell

'A page-turning adventure filled with excitement and intriguing characters. For those loving an epic fantasy with plenty of sword-fights, gun-play, bare-fisted combat and battles between sorcerers, this book's for you' Amazing Stories

Soldier, sorcerer and exiled nobleman Raythe Vyre has run out of places to hide. When the all-conquering Bolgravian Empire invaded, Raythe grabbed his daughter Zar and after taking part in a disastrous rebellion, they washed up on the edge of the continent.

Now he's found a chance of redemption for himself and the precociously talented Zar: a map showing a hitherto unknown place that's rich in istariol, the rare mineral that fuels sorcery. Mining it will need people, but luckily there are plenty of outcasts, ne'er-do-wells and loners desperate enough to brave haunted roads through the ruins of an ancient, long-dead civilisation, to seek wealth and freedom.

But the Bolgravian Empire is not about to let anyone defy it - and even out here, at the edge of the map, implacable imperial agent Toran Zorne has caught Raythe's scent.

More inexpensive ebook goodies!

You can now get your hands on the digital edition of Kristen Britain's Green Rider, first volume in the NYT bestselling Green Rider series, 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 volume, First Rider's Call, is also on sale.

Here's the blurb:

On her long journey home from school after a fight which will surely lead to her expulsion, Karigan G'ladheon ponders her future as she trudges through the immense forest called Green Cloak. But her thoughts are interrupted by a galloping horse bursting from the woods, its rider impaled by two black-shafted arrows.

As the young man lies dying on the road, he tells Karigan he is a Green Rider, one of the legendary messengers of King Zachary. Before he dies, he makes Karigan swear to deliver the "life and death" message he’s carrying and to complete his mission "for love of her country." The man gives her his green coat, with the symbolic brooch of his office, bestowing upon Karigan the title of Green Rider and changing her life forever. Caught up in a world of deadly danger and complex magic, compelled by forces she cannot understand, Karigan is hounded by dark beings bent on seeing that the message, and its reluctant carrier, never reach their destination.

Green Rider is the first installment of the acclaimed Green Rider series.

More inexpensive ebook goodies!

You can now download Patrick Rothfuss' The Narrow Road Between Desires 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:

Number 1 New York Times-bestselling phenomenon Patrick Rothfuss returns to the wildly popular Kingkiller Chronicle universe with a stunning reimagining of "The Lightning Tree." Expanded to twice its previous length and lavishly illustrated by Nate Taylor, this touching stand-alone story is sure to please new readers and veteran Rothfuss fans alike.

Bast knows how to bargain. The give-and-take of a negotiation is as familiar to him as the in-and-out of breathing; to watch him trade is to watch an artist at work. But even a master's brush can slip. When he accepts a gift, taking something for nothing, Bast's whole world is knocked askew, for he knows how to bargain—but not how to owe.

From dawn to midnight over the course of a single day, follow the Kingkiller Chronicle's most charming fae as he schemes and sneaks, dancing into trouble and back out again with uncanny grace.

The Narrow Road Between Desires is Bast's story. In it he traces the old ways of making and breaking, following his heart even when doing so goes against his better judgement.

After all, what good is caution if it keeps him from danger and delight?

You can also download T. Kingfisher's Nettle and Bone for only 2.99$ here.

Here's the blurb:

This isn't the kind of fairy tale where the princess marries a prince.

It's the one where she kills him.

Marra — a shy, convent-raised, third-born daughter — is relieved not to be married off for the sake of her parents’ throne. Her older sister wasn’t so fortunate though, and her royal husband is as abusive as he is powerful. From the safety of the convent, Marra wonders who will come to her sister’s rescue and put a stop to this. But after years of watching their families and kingdoms pretend all is well, Marra realizes if any hero is coming, it will have to be Marra herself.

If Marra can complete three impossible tasks, a witch will grant her the tools she needs. But, as is the way in stories of princes and the impossible, these tasks are only the beginning of Marra’s strange and enchanting journey to save her sister and topple a throne.

You can also get your hands on the digital edition of Cassandra Clare's Sword Catcher 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:

Two outcasts find themselves at the center of world-altering change in the start of a riveting epic fantasy series from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Shadowhunter Chronicles.

In the vibrant city-state of Castellane, the richest of nobles and the most debauched of criminals have one thing in common: the constant search for wealth, power, and the next hedonistic thrill.

Kel is an orphan, stolen from the life he knew to become the Sword-Catcher—the body-double of a royal heir, Prince Conor Aurelian. He has been raised alongside the prince, trained in every aspect of combat and statecraft. He and Conor are close as brothers, but Kel knows he has one destiny: to die for Conor. No other future is possible.

Lin Caster is one of the Ashkar, a small community who still possess magical abilities. By law, they must live behind walls in the city, but Lin, a physician, ventures out to tend to the sick and dying of Castellane. Despite her skills, she cannot heal her best friend Mariam without access to forbidden knowledge.

After a failed assassination attempt brings Lin and Kel together, they are drawn into the web of the mysterious Ragpicker King, the criminal ruler of Castellane’s underworld. He offers them each what they want most; but as they descend into his world of intrigue and shadow, they discover a conspiracy of corruption that reaches from the darkest gutters of Castellane to the highest tower of its palaces. As long-kept secrets begin to unravel, they must ask themselves: Is knowledge worth the price of betrayal? Can forbidden love bring down a kingdom? And will Lin and Kel’s discoveries plunge their nation into war—and the world into chaos?

More inexpensive ebook goodies!

You can now download Joe Abercrombie's The Wisdom of Crowds 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:

Some say that to change the world you must first burn it down. Now the Breakers have seized the levers of power, the smoke of riots has replaced the smog of industry, and all must submit to the wisdom of crowds.

Citizen Brock is determined to become a new hero for the new age. Citizeness Savine must turn her talents from profit to survival before she can claw her way to redemption. Orso will find that when the world is turned upside down, no one is lower than a monarch. And in the bloody North, Rikke runs out of allies . . . while Black Calder plots his vengeance.

The banks fall, the sun of the Union is torn down, and in the darkness behind the scenes, the threads of the Weaver’s ruthless plan are drawn together . . .

WTF again!?!

You may recall that the Hotlist beat its previous record last July with 69,895 page views in a single day. That was more than three times the previous daily record!

Well, not sure how it's even possible, but we recently blew that record right out of the water with an unbelievable 106,300 pages views in 24 hours!!!

Whoever you are and wherever you come from, I hope you find something to like around these parts. =)

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

In hardcover:

Julie Soto's Rose in Chains debuts at number 1. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Brigitte Knightley's The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy debuts at number 2. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Rebecca Yarros' Onyx Storm is up two positions, ending the week at number 7. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Stephen King's Never Flinch is down six positions, ending the week at number 9. 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 13. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Matt Dinniman's Dungeon Crawler Carl debuts at number 14. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

V. E. Schwab's Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil is down nine spots, finishing the week at number 15. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

In paperback:

Andy Weir's Project Hail Mary is down three positions, ending the week at number 8. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

More inexpensive ebook goodies!

You can now download David Drake's The Legions of Fire 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 this novel of magical menace to the survival of all humanity, David Drake introduces a new fantasy world, Carce, based on Europe during the later Roman Empire.

Far in the north, a group of magicians perform a strange dance on a volcanic island. They intend to open a gateway for supernatural creatures that will allow them to devastate the planet and destroy all life. Not knowing the cause, two young men, Corylus and Varus, and two women, Hedia and Alphena, each separately pursue the answer to mysterious and threatening happenings that prefigure disaster in the great city of Carce, the center of civilization. Through magical voyages in other realities where fantastic creatures, and even gods, help or hinder them, each of them must succeed or not just the city but the world will end in fire.

The Legions of Fire is the first of a fantasy quartet set in the world of the city of Carce.

More inexpensive ebook goodies!

You can now download TJ Klune's Somewhere Beyond the Sea 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:

Somewhere Beyond the Sea is the hugely-anticipated sequel to TJ Klune's The House in the Cerulean Sea, one of the best-loved and best-selling fantasy novels of the past decade.

A magical house. A secret past. A summons that could change everything.

Arthur Parnassus lives a good life built on the ashes of a bad one.

He’s the headmaster of a strange orphanage on a distant and peculiar island, and he hopes to soon be the adoptive father to the six dangerous and magical children who live there.

Arthur works hard and loves with his whole heart so none of the children ever feel the neglect and pain that he once felt as an orphan on that very same island so long ago. He is not alone: joining him is the love of his life, Linus Baker, a former caseworker in the Department In Charge of Magical Youth. And there's the island's sprite, Zoe Chapelwhite, and her girlfriend, Mayor Helen Webb. Together, they will do anything to protect the children.

But when Arthur is summoned to make a public statement about his dark past, he finds himself at the helm of a fight for the future that his family, and all magical people, deserve.

And when a new magical child hopes to join them on their island home—one who finds power in calling himself monster, a name that Arthur worked so hard to protect his children from—Arthur knows they’re at a breaking point: their family will either grow stronger than ever or fall apart.

Welcome back to Marsyas Island. This is Arthur’s story.

Somewhere Beyond the Sea is a story of resistance, lovingly told, about the daunting experience of fighting for the life you want to live and doing the work to keep it.

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

More inexpensive ebook goodies!

You can now get your hands on the digital edition of George R. R. Martin's excellent Fevre Dream 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:

Abner Marsh, a struggling riverboat captain, suspects that something’s amiss when he is approached by a wealthy aristocrat with a lucrative offer. The hauntingly pale, steely-eyed Joshua York doesn’t care that the icy winter of 1857 has wiped out all but one of Marsh’s dilapidated fleet; nor does he care that he won’t earn back his investment in a decade. York’s reasons for traversing the powerful Mississippi are to be none of Marsh’s concern—no matter how bizarre, arbitrary, or capricious York’s actions may prove. Not until the maiden voyage of Fevre Dream does Marsh realize that he has joined a mission both more sinister, and perhaps more noble, than his most fantastic nightmare—and humankind’s most impossible dream.