Blood of Dragons

First of all, special thanks to Robin for sending me a copy of this book when we couldn't work things out with Harper Voyager. Much appreciated!

In my review of City of Dragons, I expressed concern regarding the fact that Hobb's publishers had once again seen fit to split her manuscript into two installments. Given that City of Dragons turned out to be a relatively short novel, it looked as though those publishers were milking Hobb's popularity by forcing her legions of fans to purchase two volumes instead of a single novel. Sadly, it turned out that I was right, what with Blood of Dragons being no doorstopper of a book. Hence, there were no reasons to actually split this manuscript in two. Oddly enough, HarperCollins also publishes Neal Stephenson, whose last two novels clocked at over 900 pages a piece in hardcover format.

Unfortunately, this proliferation of unnecessary installments took something away from both City of Dragons and Blood of Dragons. Taken together, they represent another quality read by Robin Hobb and a nice addition to the Rain Wilds canon. But as a two-volume work, they lose some of their appeal. Especially due to the time gap between the release of the two books. City of Dragons ended somewhat arbitrarily, with no resolution whatsoever. And then, being forced to wait for months to read Blood of Dragons sort of killed the momentum of the storylines and it was hard at first to get back into the tale.

Here's the blurb:

Years ago, the magnificent dragon queen Tintaglia forged a bargain with the inhabitants of the treacherous Rain Wilds. In exchange for her protection against enemy invaders, the humans promised to protect an unhatched brood of dragons. But when the dragons emerged as weak and misshapen hatchlings unable to fend for themselves, dragonkind seemed doomed to extinction. When even Tintaglia deserted the crippled young dragons, the Rain Wilders abandoned the burden of caring for the destructive and ravenous creatures. They were banished to a dangerous and grueling journey in search of their ancient dragon homeland, the lost city of Kelsingra, accompanied by a band of young and inexperienced human keepers, also deemed damaged and disposable.

Against all odds they have found the fabled city, yet myriad challenges remain. Sintara, Mercor, Heeby, Relpda, and the rest of the dragons struggle to find their wings—and their independence. Their human escorts, too, must contend with unsettling upheaval: Thymara, Tats, Rapskal, Sedric, and the others are transforming into Elderlings—true dragon companions. As old rules give way to new alliances, secret fears, and adult desires, the keepers must redefine their lives as they attempt to reawaken Kelsingra to its former glory. But gaps in the dragons' memories leave them all struggling to recover the magic that once animated the great city.

As the young Elderlings risk "memory walking" in the city's hidden history, an outside threat is growing. The Duke of Chalced has dispatched his forces to the Rain Wilds with a compelling mission: slaughter the dragons in an attempt to stave off his own demise. The tide of history is about to turn on a life-and-death battle that will ultimately decide the dragons' fate. If they win, the regal serpents will rule the world once more. And if they lose, they will vanish from the world forever.

Interestingly enough, as Blood of Dragons is essentially the second part of what was meant to be a stand-alone work, my review will more or less be identical to that of City of Dragons.

Once more, the worldbuilding was the most interesting facet of this book. We got even more insight into the lives of dragons, Elderlings and their secrets, as well as the Rain Wilds in general. Additional revelations about Kelsingra were fascinating, with each answer raising yet more questions about that distant past. Via Selden's plotline, we were offered quite a few glimpses of life at the court of Chalced, which was intriguing. The discovery of Silver seems to herald the true return of dragons to Hobb's universe, which bodes well for the future. The way Blood of Dragon is brought to a close leaves the door open for so much more. It will be quite interesting to see where Robin Hobb will take this story next.

As always, Hobb's characterization remains her strong suit. As was the case in the last few Rain Wilds books, the emancipation of women and society's acceptance of gay people continue to be themes that lie at the heart of the tale that is City of Dragons/Blood of Dragons. The same goes for the theme focusing on how individuals shunned by society strive to find their own place in the world. Tillamon's plotline, though extraneous, was a nice touch in that regard. What was at the beginning Thymara, Alise, and Sedric's tale is more spread out in terms of POVs this time around. In Chalced, it was interesting to watch the evolution of the relationship between the Duke, Selden, and Chassim. Again, Robin Hobb took this story in new and unforeseen directions.

The pace can be a bit uneven here and there, as various storylines must move forward so they can be brought together for the finale. Problem is, sometimes it feels as though too much focus is put on a particular plotline, to the detriment of another which at times can feel a bit rushed. Still, Hobb closes the show with a bang and leaves the door wide open for yet more adventures. With the dragons ready to take back their rightful place in the world, with the Elderlings in constant evolution, with the discovery of Kelsingra, and with the changing political landscape between Chalced, the Rain Wilds, and the Six Duchies, it appears that Robin Hobb still has plenty of tales to tell! Perhaps we'll even see Fitz again. . .

Here's to hoping that her publishers will stop taking advantage of the author's fans by splitting her future novels into unnecessary installments. . .

The final verdict: 7.5/10

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

Anyone read FEARSOME JOURNEYS: THE NEW SOLARIS BOOK OF FANTASY??

Fearsome Journeys: The New Solaris Book of Fantasy (Canada, USA, Europe), an anthology edited by Jonathan Strahan which includes short stories by SFf authors such as Scott Lynch, Daniel Abraham, Saladin Ahmed, Glen Cook, K. J. Parker, and many more, has been out for a while now. But I haven't seen any reviews yet. Has anyone read it? And if so, what did you think about this anthology???

Here's the blurb:

An amazing array of the most popular and exciting names in epic fantasy are set to appear in the first in a brand new series of anthologies from the celebrated master anthologist Jonathan Strahan. Featuring original fiction authors such as Trudi Canavan, Daniel Abraham, Saladin Ahmed, Elizabeth Bear, Glen Cook, and Scott Lynch, many more exciting names will appear in this collection. From dragons to quests, cut-throats to warriors, battles and magic, the entire range of the fantastic is set to appear on this first Fearsome Journey!

Seth Patrick contest winner!

Thanks to the folks at Pan Macmillan, our winner will receive a copy of Seth Patrick's Reviver! For more info about this title: Canada, USA, Europe.

The winner is:

Janne Prusti, from Gothenburg, Sweden

Many thanks to all the participants!

Win a copy of Jason M. Hough's THE DARWIN ELEVATOR

I recently reviewed Jason M. Hough's The Darwin Elevator and I now have three copies up for grabs, courtesy of the folks at Del Rey. For more info about this title: Canada, USA, Europe.

Here's the blurb:

Jason M. Hough’s pulse-pounding debut combines the drama, swagger, and vivid characters of Joss Whedon’s Firefly with the talent of sci-fi author John Scalzi.

In the mid-23rd century, Darwin, Australia, stands as the last human city on Earth. The world has succumbed to an alien plague, with most of the population transformed into mindless, savage creatures. The planet’s refugees flock to Darwin, where a space elevator—created by the architects of this apocalypse, the Builders—emits a plague-suppressing aura.

Skyler Luiken has a rare immunity to the plague. Backed by an international crew of fellow “immunes,” he leads missions into the dangerous wasteland beyond the aura’s edge to find the resources Darwin needs to stave off collapse. But when the Elevator starts to malfunction, Skyler is tapped—along with the brilliant scientist, Dr. Tania Sharma—to solve the mystery of the failing alien technology and save the ragged remnants of humanity.

To learn more about the author and his work, check out Hough's official website.

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

Second, your email must contain your full mailing address (that's snail mail!), otherwise your message will be deleted.

Lastly, multiple entries will disqualify whoever sends them. And please include your screen name and the message boards that you frequent using it, if you do hang out on a particular MB.

Good luck to all the participants!

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

In hardcover:

Neil Gaiman's The Ocean at the End of the Lane is up one spot, finishing the week at number 3. For more info about this title: Canada, USA, Europe.

Laurell K. Hamilton's Affliction debuts at number 5.

George R. R. Martin's A Dance With Dragons is up one position, ending the week at number 15. For more info about this title: Canada, USA, Europe.

In paperback:

Stephen King's Joyland maintains its position at number 1 (trade paperback).

Max Brooks' World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War maintains its position at number 2 (trade paperback).

George R. R. Martin's A Game of Thrones is down two positions, ending the week at number 5.

Stephen King's Under the Dome is up three spots, finishing the week at number 8 (trade paperback).

Max Brooks' World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War is down four positions, ending the week at number 8.

Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game is down one position, ending the week at number 10.

George R. R. Martin's A Clash of Kings maintains its position at number 13.

George R. R. Martin's A Feast for Crows is down two spots, finishing the week at number 17.

George R. R. Martin's A Storm of Swords is down one spot, finishing the week at number 18.

More inexpensive ebook goodies!

You can now download AfroSF: Science Fiction by African Writers, an anthology edited by Ivor W. Hartmann, for only 2.99$ here.

Here's the blurb:

AfroSF is the first ever anthology of Science Fiction by African writers only that was open to submissions from across Africa and abroad. It is comprised of original (previously unpublished) works only, from stellar established and upcoming African writers: Nnedi Okorafor, Sarah Lotz, Tendai Huchu, Cristy Zinn, Ashley Jacobs, Nick Wood, Tade Thompson, S.A. Partridge, Chinelo Onwualu, Uko Bendi Udo, Dave de Burgh, Biram Mboob, Sally-Ann Murray, Mandisi Nkomo, Liam Kruger, Chiagozie Fred Nwonwu, Joan De La Haye, Mia Arderne, Rafeeat Aliyu, Martin Stokes, Clifton Gachagua, and Efe Okogu.

Also, you should know that Vertigo is offering the first issue of the first volume of Neil Gaiman's Sandman for free here!

Musical Interlude

Cool tune by a new Canadian band! It was first discovered as part of the soundtrack of a surf TV show. . .

Quote of the Day

There was a time when I was pleased to find that something still scared me. As the years stacked up I kept finding new things to worry over. Pleasure turning to dismay. It seems men have far more to fear than boys.

We all carry the seeds of our own destruction with us, we all drag our history behind us like rusted chains.

If you must run, have something to run toward, so it feels less like cowardice.

- MARK LAWRENCE, Emperor of Thorns (Canada, USA, Europe)

A little trio of quotes from Jorg. . . I have about one hundred pages left to read, and thus far Emperor of Thorns is the sort of finale fans have been waiting for!

Cover art and blurb for Tad Williams' HAPPY HOUR IN HELL

Here's the final cover art for Tad Williams' forthcoming Happy Hour in Hell. For more info about this title: Canada, USA, Europe.

Here's the blurb:

I’ve been told to go to Hell more times than I can count. But this time I’m actually going.

My name’s Bobby Dollar, sometimes known as Doloriel, and of course, Hell isn’t a great place for someone like me—I’m an angel. They don’t like my kind down there, not even the slightly fallen variety. But they have my girlfriend, who happens to be a beautiful demon named Casimira, Countess of Cold Hands. Why does an angel have a demon girlfriend? Well, certainly not because it helps my career.

She’s being held hostage by one of the nastiest, most powerful demons in all of the netherworld—Eligor, Grand Duke of Hell. He already hates me, and he’d like nothing better than to get his hands on me and rip my immortal soul right out of my borrowed but oh-so-mortal body.

But wait, it gets better! Not only do I have to sneak into Hell, make my way across thousands of miles of terror and suffering to reach Pandemonium, capital of the fiery depths, but then I have to steal Caz right out from under Eligor’s burning eyes and smuggle her out again, past demon soldiers, hellhounds, and all the murderous creatures imprisoned there for eternity. And even if I somehow manage to escape Hell, I’m also being stalked by an undead psychopath named Smyler who’s been following me for weeks. Oh, and did I mention that he can’t be killed?

So if I somehow survive Hell, elude the Grand Duke and all his hideous minions and make it back to the real world, I’ll still be the most hunted soul in Creation. But at least I’ll have Caz. Gotta have something to look forward to, right?

So just pour me that damn drink, will you? I’ve got somewhere to go.

Sharknado vs The Hobbit

vs

It was close to 40°C with the humidity yesterday in Montréal. And without A/C in my apartment, I had about as much vitality as a slug. Which is why, I guess, that I was kind of happy to just lie there in my living room, my fan turned up to maximum speed and blowing warm air my way, and watch Sharknado on the Space channel last night.

Yes, it's as bad as it gets. Worse than I thought it would be, actually. But it's so bad it's hilarious. Sharknado is silly, it makes no sense, the actors are crap; bottom line, it's a turd.

But for all that it's utter shit, it's still a hundred times better than The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey turned out to be.

Check out the trailer:

Guest Blog: Michael J. Sullivan

When the folks at Orbit asked me if I'd be interested in hosting a guest blog from Michael J. Sullivan to help promote the upcoming The Crown Tower (Canada, USA, Europe), when I was told that it would on thieves in the fantasy genre I was happy to oblige!

Here's the blurb for The Crown Tower:

Two men who hate each other. One impossible mission. A legend in the making.

Hadrian Blackwater, a warrior with nothing to fight for, is paired with Royce Melborn, a thieving assassin with nothing to lose. Hired by an old wizard, they must steal a treasure that no one can reach. The Crown Tower is the impregnable remains of the grandest fortress ever built and home to the realm's most prized possessions. But it isn't gold or jewels that the wizard is after, and if he can just keep them from killing each other, they just might succeed.

So here it is!
-----------------------------------------

Thieves in Fantasy by Michael J. Sullivan

Thieves are bad. They steal and are frequently dishonest and yet a surprising number are the heroes of stories. With the comparatively recent shift in literature toward cynical, ambiguous main characters, (I hesitate to use the term hero or protagonist) one would think that “bad” thieves would be the vehicle of choice for writers today, and yet most of the ones that come to my mind have that spark of redemption in them.

I suspect the reason for this is where I started out: thieves are bad. There’s no fun in tearing down the virtue of a criminal. Take a righteous knight in shining armor destined by station and the mirror-like quality of his wardrobe to be an example of goodness and loyalty, then reveal his hypocrisy, his racism, his self-serving, wretched cowardice, or blatant stupidity, and you’ve got yourself an accident on the side of the road that everyone will want to slow down for.

But what good are thieves? They lost the compass to their morals long ago. Thieves have nowhere to go but up. Showing a thief to be greedy, cruel, self-centered, and cynical is like stating that snow is white. Not much of a show stopper—it lacks the bells and whistles. But, take a self-serving thief and turn him or her into a hero and voila!

Prometheus has to be one of the first hero thieves, the precursor to what I imagine is the most famous hero thief—Robin Hood. Both robbed from the rich and gave to the poor and crossed the Rainbow Bridge from myth to literature. Then Dickens gave us Fagin and the Artful Dodger. The Dodger I hold responsible for the concept of the gentleman thief, because you just know that if he’d lived, old Artful would have grown up to be Thomas Crown.

Perhaps the most virtuous of all hero-thieves has to be Jean Valjean from Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables, with Hugo going the full gambit from a bread-thief to near saint. Then we had the accidental thief in Bilbo Baggins. The professional in Fritz Leiber’s Gray Mouser, the witty Silk from Edding’s Belgariad/Mallorean series, Jimmy the Hand from Raymond E Feist's Riftwar, Scott Lynch’s Locke Lamora, Sanderson’s Kelsier and Vin, and Rachel Aaron’s Eli Monpress. It appears that people enjoy seeing the world through the eyes of these “bad” men and women and to accompany them as the walk on the edge and disobey the rules.

As an author, I enjoy the limitless potential of the thief character. They’re good for just about any story. As we’ve seen they make excellent reluctant heroes. Thieves are usually smart, because they can’t survive on brawn. This makes them intelligent enough to know better, so when they break character and throw caution and their best interests to the wind to do something decent, it endears them to the reader. Who didn’t cheer when Han Solo came back to knock Darth Vader into space.

Independent thieves are also natural fonts of cynical wit. In the fantasy genre, they are the “bad boys and girls” that smoke, race cars, talk back to their teachers, grease their hair, and get the girls or refuse to marry the handsome prince so they can live life by their own rules. Thieves are rebels in any story they appear in. They don’t conform, they do what they want. They are what most readers want to be. They are, in short, cool.

You can’t do better than a thief as a hero, unless of course you have two. Double your thieves double your pleasure. I didn’t actually write the Riyria Revelations with this in mind, but in retrospect, it didn’t hurt. Take one deeply disturbed thief/assassin, add an idealistic and talented warrior/ex-mercenary, cook over an open flame, and then shake vigorously. You’ll get a great buddy cop movie, or if you pour it into a fantasy novel container, two very entertaining thieves that can surprise each other and the world they live in.

Given all the great potential for drama that thieves provide, it’s little wonder they are so popular in fantasy today. Who are your favorites?

Win a copy of Django Wexler's THE THOUSAND NAMES

I have five copies of Django Wexler's The Thousand Names up for grabs, compliments of the folks at Del Rey UK. For more info about this title: Canada, USA, Europe.

Here's the blurb:

Enter an epic fantasy world that echoes with the thunder of muskets and the clang of steel — but where the real battle is against a subtle and sinister magic…

Captain Marcus d’Ivoire, commander of one of the Vordanai empire’s colonial garrisons, was resigned to serving out his days in a sleepy, remote outpost. But that was before a rebellion upended his life. And once the powder-smoke settled, he was left in charge of a demoralized force clinging tenuously to a small fortress at the edge of the desert.

To flee from her past, Winter Ihernglass masqueraded as a man and enlisted as a ranker in the Vordanai Colonials, hoping only to avoid notice. But when chance sees her promoted to command, she must win the hearts of her men, and lead them into battle against impossible odds.

But the fates of both of these soldiers, and all the men they lead, depend on the newly arrived Colonel Janus bet Vhalnich, who has been sent by the ailing king to restore order. His military genius seems to know no bounds, and under his command, Marcus and Winter can feel the tide turning.

But their allegiance will be tested as they begin to suspect that the enigmatic Janus’s ambitions extend beyond the battlefield and into the realm of the supernatural — a realm with the power to ignite a meteoric rise, reshape the known world, and change the lives of everyone in its path.

To learn more about Django Wexler, check out his official website.

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

Second, your email must contain your full mailing address (that's snail mail!), otherwise your message will be deleted.

Lastly, multiple entries will disqualify whoever sends them. And please include your screen name and the message boards that you frequent using it, if you do hang out on a particular MB.

Good luck to all the participants!

New Tad Williams video interview

Always nice to hear Tad Williams talk about anything and everything!

Does fantasy offer mere escapism? Or escape?

Damien Walter, columnist for The Guardian, wrote a very interesting article on fantasy and escapism for aeonmagazine.com. Here are a few teasers:

The only people who hate escapism are jailers, said the essayist and Narnia author C S Lewis. A generation later, the fantasy writer Michael Moorcock revised the quip: jailers love escapism — it’s escape they can’t stand. Today, in the early years of the 21st century, escapism — the act of withdrawing from the pressures of the real world into fantasy worlds — has taken on a scale and scope quite beyond anything Lewis might have envisioned.

I am a writer and critic of fantasy, and for most of my life I have been an escapist. Born in 1977, the year in which Star Wars brought cinematic escapism to new heights, I have seen TV screens grow from blurry analogue boxes to high-definition wide-screens the size of walls. I played my first video game on a rubber-keyed Sinclair ZX Spectrum and have followed the upgrade path through Mega Drive, PlayStation, Xbox and high-powered gaming PCs that lodged supercomputers inside households across the developed world. I have watched the symbolic language of fantasy — of dragons, androids, magic rings, warp drives, haunted houses, robot uprisings, zombie armageddons and the rest — shift from the guilty pleasure of geeks and outcasts to become the diet of mainstream culture.

And I am not alone. I’m emblematic of an entire generation who might, when our history is written, be remembered first and foremost for our exodus into digital fantasy. Is this great escape anything more than idle entertainment — designed to keep us happy in Moorcock’s jail? Or is there, as Lewis believed, a higher purpose to our fantastical flights?

[...]

As the technology of escape continues to accelerate, we’ve begun to see an eruption of fantasy into reality. The augmented reality of Google Glass, and the virtual reality of the games headset Oculus Rift (resurrected by the power of crowd-funding) present the very real possibility that our digital fantasy worlds might soon be blended with our physical world, enhancing but also distorting our sense of reality. When we can replace our own reflection in the mirror with an image of digitally perfected beauty, how will we tolerate any return to the real? Perhaps, in the end, we will find ourselves, not desperate to escape into fantasy, but desperate to escape from fantasy. Or simply unable to tell which is which.

[...]

There’s a deep irony in the fact that our rational, secular society, driven by science and technology, is emptying out its churches only to reconstruct them as cinemas. Replacing the ‘good book’ with films about Harry Potter and hunger games; reconstructing the inner worlds of our imagination — once the realm of prayer and ascetic meditation — inside the digital domain of computers: it seems that no matter how hard we try to convince ourselves that reality is only material, we continue to reach for the ideal forms that lie beyond. Are we simply recasting age-old delusions for the modern era?

[...]

Do our fantasy worlds, then, help us to escape, not from reality, but from our own limitations? Is it possible that we might bring back from our escapist adventures a renewed sense of our own power and creative potential as human beings? In a world that demands ever more of both, this could the highest function of escapism, and the calling that we should demand of it.

Follow this link to read the full article.

Win a copy of Peter Stenson's FIEND

Thanks to the generosity of the folks at Crown Publishing, I have a copy of Peter Stenson's Fiend up for grabs! For more info about this title: Canada, USA, Europe.

Reminiscent of Chuck Palahniuk, Josh Bazell and Charlie Huston, I'm told that Fiend is Breaking Bad meets The Walking Dead.

Here's the blurb:

When Chase Daniels first sees the little girl in umbrella socks tearing open the Rottweiler, he's not too concerned. As a longtime meth addict, he’s no stranger to horrifying, drug-fueled hallucinations.

But as he and his fellow junkies soon discover, the little girl is no illusion. The end of the world really has arrived.

The funny thing is, Chase’s life was over long before the apocalypse got here, his existence already reduced to a stinking basement apartment and a filthy mattress and an endless grind of buying and selling and using. He’s lied and cheated and stolen and broken his parents’ hearts a thousand times. And he threw away his only shot at sobriety a long time ago, when he chose the embrace of the drug over the woman he still loves.

And if your life’s already shattered beyond any normal hopes of redemption…well, maybe the end of the world is an opportunity. Maybe it’s a last chance for Chase to hit restart and become the man he once dreamed of being. Soon he’s fighting to reconnect with his lost love and dreaming of becoming her hero among civilization’s ruins.

But is salvation just another pipe dream?

Propelled by a blistering first-person voice and featuring a powerfully compelling antihero, Fiend is at once a riveting portrait of addiction, a pitch-black love story, and a meditation on hope, redemption, and delusion—not to mention one hell of a zombie novel.

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

Second, your email must contain your full mailing address (that's snail mail!), otherwise your message will be deleted.

Lastly, multiple entries will disqualify whoever sends them. And please include your screen name and the message boards that you frequent using it, if you do hang out on a particular MB.

Good luck to all the participants!

This week's New York Times Bestsellers (July 8th)

In hardcover:

Neil Gaiman's The Ocean at the End of the Lane is down three spots, finishing the week at number 4. For more info about this title: Canada, USA, Europe.

George R. R. Martin's A Dance With Dragons is down five positions, ending the week at number 16. For more info about this title: Canada, USA, Europe.

In paperback:

Stephen King's Joyland maintains its position at number 1 (trade paperback).

Max Brooks' World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War maintains its position at number 2 (trade paperback).

George R. R. Martin's A Game of Thrones is down two positions, ending the week at number 3.

Max Brooks' World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War is down one position, ending the week at number 4.

Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game is down four positions, ending the week at number 9.

Stephen King's Under the Dome is up six spots, finishing the week at number 11 (trade paperback).

George R. R. Martin's A Game of Thrones is down four positions, ending the week at number 12 (trade paperback).

George R. R. Martin's A Clash of Kings is down seven spots, finishing the week at number 13.

George R. R. Martin's A Feast for Crows is down seven spots, finishing the week at number 15.

George R. R. Martin's A Storm of Swords is down ten spots, finishing the week at number 17.

Musical Interlude

Some awesome Swedish House Mafia to celebrate the weekend!!! =)

Sexism in genre publishing

Julie Crisp, Editorial Director at Tor UK, just wrote an interesting article on the perceived sexism within SFF. Here's a teaser:

In the last few years I have seen numerous articles deploring the lack of female SFF writers, in science fiction in particular. And usually, the blame always comes back to the publisher’s doorstep. Every time I’ve seen one of these articles I get a little hot under the collar because, guess what? I work in publishing. I work in genre. And here’s the kicker – I’m a woman. Yes, a female editor commissioning and actively looking for good genre – male AND female.

I’m just one of a fair few female editors in this particular area. My colleagues (and competitors) are a set of brilliant, intelligent and hard-working women, who have loved genre since they were kids, have fought their way through the ranks, have extensive lists, love their jobs and don’t compromise on the quality of fiction they publish. To name but a few there’s Bella Pagan who works with me at Tor UK, Gillian Redfearn at Gollancz, Anne Clarke at Orbit, Jo Fletcher at Jo Fletcher Books, Jane Johnson and Emma Coode at Voyager, Cath Trechman at Titan and Anne Perry over at Hodder.

That means that every genre publisher in the UK has female commissioning editors and 90% of the genre imprints here are actually run by women. So you can imagine there’s a slight sense of frustration each time I see yet another article claiming that UK publishers are biased towards male writers. And I do wonder if those writing the pieces are aware who is actually commissioning these authors?

Follow this link to read the full piece.

US cover art and blurb for Myke Cole's SHADOW OPS: BREACH ZONE

Geekexchange.com just posted the US cover art for Myke Cole's upcoming Shadow Ops: Breach Zone.

Here's the blurb:

The Great Reawakening did not come quietly. Across the country and in every nation, people began “coming up Latent,” developing terrifying powers—summoning storms, raising the dead, and setting everything they touch ablaze. Those who Manifest must choose: become a sheepdog who protects the flock or a wolf who devours it.…

In the wake of a bloody battle at Forward Operating Base Frontier and a scandalous presidential impeachment, Lieutenant Colonel Jan Thorsson, call sign “Harlequin,” becomes a national hero and a pariah to the military that is the only family he’s ever known.

In the fight for Latent equality, Oscar Britton is positioned to lead a rebellion in exile, but a powerful rival beats him to the punch: Scylla, a walking weapon who will stop at nothing to end the human-sanctioned apartheid against her kind.

When Scylla’s inhuman forces invade New York City, the Supernatural Operations Corps are the only soldiers equipped to prevent a massacre. In order to redeem himself with the military, Harlequin will be forced to face off with this havoc-wreaking woman from his past, warped by her power into something evil….

More inexpensive ebook goodies!

All four Clockwork Phoenix anthologies are available in digital format for between 3.99$ and 4.99$.

- Clockwork Phoenix: Tales of Beauty and Strangeness

The first volume in the ground-breaking, genre-bending, boundary-pushing CLOCKWORK PHOENIX anthology series, newly available in digital format.

"Lush descriptions and exotic imagery startle, engross, chill and electrify the reader, and all 19 stories have a strong and delicious taste of weird."
— Publishers Weekly

Includes critically-acclaimed and award-nominated stories by Catherynne M. Valente, David Sandner, John Grant, Cat Rambo, Leah Bobet, Michael J. DeLuca, Laird Barron, Ekaterina Sedia, Cat Sparks, Tanith Lee, Marie Brennan, Jennifer Crow, Vandana Singh, John C. Wright, C.S. MacCath, Joanna Galbraith, Deborah Biancotti and Erin Hoffman.

- Clockwork Phoenix 2: More Tales of Beauty and Strangeness

The second volume in the ground-breaking, genre-bending, boundary-pushing CLOCKWORK PHOENIX anthology series, newly available in digital format.

"Allen finds his groove for this second annual anthology of weird stories, selecting 16 wonderfully evocative, well-written tales. ... Each story fits neatly alongside the next, and the diversity of topics, perspectives and authors makes this cosmopolitan anthology a winner."
— Publishers Weekly

Includes critically-acclaimed and award-nominated stories by Claude Lalumière, Leah Bobet, Marie Brennan, Ian McHugh, Ann Leckie, Mary Robinette Kowal, Saladin Ahmed, Tanith Lee, Joanna Galbraith, Catherynne M. Valente, Forrest Aguirre, Gemma Files and Stephen J. Barringer, Kelly Barnhill, Barbara Krasnoff and Steve Rasnic Tem.

- Clockwork Phoenix 3: New Tales of Beauty and Strangeness

The third volume in the ground-breaking, genre-bending, boundary-pushing CLOCKWORK PHOENIX anthology series, newly available in digital format.

"Allen's third volume of extraordinary short stories reaches new heights of rarity and wonder ... Without a wrong note, all the stories in this anthology admirably fulfill Allen's promise of 'beauty and strangeness.'"
— Publishers Weekly

Includes critically-acclaimed and award-nominated stories by Marie Brennan, Tori Truslow, Georgina Bruce, Michael M. Jones, Gemma Files, C.S.E. Cooney, Cat Rambo, Gregory Frost, Shweta Narayan, S.J. Hirons, John Grant, Kenneth Schneyer, John C. Wright, Nicole Kornher-Stace and Tanith Lee.

- Clockwork Phoenix 4

The ground-breaking, boundary-pushing, award-nominated series of fantasy anthologies series returns for a fourth installment through the miracle of Kickstarter, bringing you eighteen brand new tales of beauty and strangeness. You'll find the light-hearted and the bleak, the surreal become familiar and the familiar turned inside-out. Each story leads you into unmapped territory, there to find shock and delight. With stories by Yves Meynard, Ian McHugh, Nicole Kornher-Stace, Richard Parks, Gemma Files, Yukimi Ogawa, A.C. Wise, Marie Brennan, Alisa Alering, Tanith Lee, Cat Rambo, Shira Lipkin, Corinne Duyvis, Kenneth Schneyer, Camille Alexa, Benjanun Sriduangkaew, Patricia Russo and Barbara Krasnoff.

Awesome Game of Thrones tune/parody!

So funny!! =)

Great North Road

When I was looking for books to bring with me on my trip, I received the mass market paperback edition of Peter F. Hamilton's Great North Road. Since this stand-alone novel has been sitting on my "books to read" pile for over a year, I told myself that the time was right to give it a shot! And weighing in at almost 1100 pages, I felt that it would allow me to kill time during those long bus and train rides around Ukraine. Turns out I met many cool people in Kyiv, Lviv, and Odessa, so I read the better part of it back home.

This being Hamilton, this doorstopper title is understandably space opera. But what I loved the most about Great North Road was that it is essentially a mix of genres and styles. At times murder mystery work, at times police procedural book, and at times science fiction, for all of its size and cast of characters, the novel remains a surprisingly accessible work of fiction. Hence, if you have yet to try anything by Peter F. Hamilton, Great North Road is the perfect opportunity for you to sample what has made the man the biggest selling science fiction author in the UK.

Here's the blurb:

When attending a Newcastle murder scene, Detective Sidney Hurst finds a dead North family clone. Yet none have been reported missing. And in 2122, twenty years ago, a North clone billionaire was horrifically murdered in the same manner on the tropical planet of St Libra. So, if the murderer is still at large, was Angela Tramelo wrongly convicted? She never wavered under interrogation, claiming she alone survived an alien attack.

Investigating this potential alien threat now becomes the Human Defence Agency’s top priority. St Libran bio-fuel is the lifeblood of Earth’s economy and must be secured. A vast expedition is mounted via the Newcastle gateway, and experts are dispatched to the planet – with Angela Tramelo, grudgingly released from prison. But the expedition is cut off deep within St Libra’s rainforests, and the murders begin. Angela insists it’s the alien, but her new colleagues aren’t sure. Did she see an alien, or does she have other reasons for being on St Libra?

Hamilton's evocative prose creates an imagery that makes everything come alive. Be it the cold and windy streets of Newcastle here on Earth, or the jungles of St. Libra, the author's eye for details makes for awesome worldbuilding. One would think that the two main storylines, the murder investigation and the military expedition on St. Libra, would clash and make for an incongruous balance between the panoply of multilayered plotlines, but for the most part it works quite well. As is habitually my wont, I often found myself preferring the occasional fashback scenes that raised as many questions as they provided answers, but that's just me.

Oft-times you find yourself wondering exactly why the narrative switches to an aging surfer dude whose importance in the bigger scheme of things appears to be negligible. There are times when you question the wisdom of having such a high number of POV characters, or why this or that fashback sequence has been inserted in the story. Yet in the end, it all makes sense.

There are three principal protagonists, though their respective importance often shifts as the tale progresses. Detective Sydney Hurst is in charge of the murder case. Colonel Vance Elston leads the St. Libra military expedition. And Angela Tramelo, who is released from prison to help track down the alien responsible for the two murders. All three are solid, well-drawn characters with good backstories. I could maybe have done without Elston's religious fucktardness, but it is part of his character and important to the story. The supporting cast is enormous, and many men and women are also at one point or another POV protagonists. While some of them, such as Corporal Paresh Evitts and Ravi Hendrik, are important to help fill in the blanks, offer another perspective, or help flesh out various storylines, others, such as Saul Howard and Madeleine Hoque, take a long time to reveal their importance. Although there are quite a lot of disparate points of view throughout the novel, by the time I reached the last page I realized that, in order for everything to fit together, they were all more or less needed for the book to work. All except perhaps Ian Lanagin, whose POV doesn't really bring anything to the dance.

For a work of this size, the rhythm is surprisingly crisp. Although there are times when the pace is lagging in one particular plotline, and then things immediately pick up in the following chapter in another storyline. I felt that Hamilton may have let the murder investigation drag for a few chapters, but I figure he needed to synch everything up with the St. Libra expedition so that both plotlines could continue to move forward and make sense. But overall, for a novel of almost 1100 pages, Great North Road features a pretty fluid pace from start to finish.

Given the number of storylines, there is a lot of build-up taking place. So much so that the finale, when it comes, is decidedly abrupt and perhaps not as satisfying as it was meant to be. There are no cliffhangers and pretty much everything is more or less wrapped up. And yet, considering the build-up necessary to get us there, I felt that the ending could have been fleshed out a little more. Mind you, it doesn't take a whole lot away from the overall reading experience. But when an author moves a plot forward for more than a thousand pages, I believe that Hamilton could have elaborated a bit more on the ending without the story losing any steam at the end.

All in all, Peter F. Hamilton's Great North Road is a complex, multilayered space opera/murder mystery that offers plenty of bang for your buck. Indeed, if you are looking for a big and enjoyable book to bring with you on vacation, this is just what the doctor ordered!

The final verdict: 8/10

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

Hereafter

Director Johnny Kenton recently sent me a link to a new science fiction short film they made titled Hereafter. Starring Anthony Head (Buffy / Merlin) and Lydia Wilson (Black Mirror / Never Let Me Go), I thought it was pretty good, so I'm sharing it here! =)

Here's the blurb:

Hereafter is a supernatural sci-fi thriller directed by Johnny Kenton starring Lydia Wilson, Anthony Head, Hedydd Dylan, Emma Blackery and Ashley Holland from the Storm Free Run Team.

HEREAFTER follows the story of Katcher (Lydia Wilson) in a near future world where people are having the internet in their heads possesed by a figure called 'The Ghost'. We follow Katcher as she attempts to pass brutal initiations to join the genetically modified police force, known as 'The Guardians'. As she progresses and discovers more about her past she is forced into ever more high stakes decisions on her future and the very future of 'The State'.

Don't know what the budget was, but it's surprisingly well-made!

M. L. Brennan contest winner!

Our lucky winner will receive an autographed copy of M. L. Brennan's urban fantasy debut, Generation V! For more info about this title: Canada, USA, Europe.

The winner is:

- Donna Simmonds, from St. Louis, Missouri, USA

Many thanks to all the participants!

More inexpensive ebook goodies!

The digital edition of Engraved on the Eye, Saladin Ahmed's collection of short stories, is available for only 0.99$ here.

Here's the blurb:

Stories to Captivate the Imagination: Welcome to the worlds of Saladin Ahmed.

A medieval physician asked to do the impossible. A gun slinging Muslim wizard in the old West. A disgruntled super villain pining for prison reform. A cybernetic soldier who might or might not be receiving messages from God. Prepare yourself to be transported to new and fantastical worlds.

The short stories in this collection have been nominated for the Nebula and Campbell awards. They’ve been reprinted in The Year’s Best Fantasy and other anthologies, recorded for numerous podcasts, and translated into several foreign languages. Now they are collected in one place for the first time. Experience for yourself the original voice of one of fantasy’s rising stars!

This week's New York Times Bestsellers (July 1st)

In hardcover:

Neil Gaiman's The Ocean at the End of the Lane debuts at number 1. For more info about this title: Canada, USA, Europe.

George R. R. Martin's A Dance With Dragons maintains its position at number 11. For more info about this title: Canada, USA, Europe.

Dean Koontz's Deeply Odd is down six spots, finishing the week at number 21.

In paperback:

Stephen King's Joyland maintains its position at number 1 (trade paperback).

George R. R. Martin's A Game of Thrones maintains its position at number 1.

Max Brooks' World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War is up one position, ending the week at number 2 (trade paperback).

Max Brooks' World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War maintains its position at number 3.

Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game is up one position, ending the week at number 5.

George R. R. Martin's A Clash of Kings is down two spots, finishing the week at number 6.

George R. R. Martin's A Storm of Swords maintains its position at number 7.

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

George R. R. Martin's A Feast for Crows maintains its position at number 8.

Stephen King's Under the Dome is up three spots, finishing the week at number 17 (trade paperback).

More inexpensive ebook goodies!

You can now download the 10th anniversary edition of Neil Gaiman's Coraline for only 3.49$ here.

Here's the blurb:

When Coraline steps through a door to find another house strangely similar to her own (only better), things seem marvelous.

But there's another mother there, and another father, and they want her to stay and be their little girl. They want to change her and never let her go.

Coraline will have to fight with all her wit and courage if she is to save herself and return to her ordinary life.

Celebrating ten years of Neil Gaiman's first modern classic for young readers, this edition is enriched with a brand-new foreword from the author, a reader's guide, and more.

Win a set of the Thieftaker Chronicles by D. B. Jackson

With the second volume in the Thieftaker Chronicles out this week, I'm giving away a set of the two installments to one lucky winner, courtesy of the author himself! The prizepack includes:

- Thieftaker (Canada, USA, Europe)
- Thieves' Quarry (Canada, USA, Europe)

Here's the blurb for Thieftaker:

Boston, 1765: The British Crown imposes onerous taxes on the thirteen colonies, and intrigue swirls around firebrands like Samuel Adams and the Sons of Liberty. For Ethan Kaille, a conjurer who makes his living tracking down thieves, politics is for others...until he is asked to recover a necklace worn by the murdered daughter of a prominent family. A man with a dark past, Ethan can ill afford to turn this case down. But taking the case means facing the most powerful members of Boston’s high society and its seamy underbelly. And behind it all, another conjurer waits, who has already killed in the service of powerful masters. Ethan is in way over his head, hopelessly overmatched by the deadly spellcraft of someone he cannot even see.

In Thieftaker, D. B. Jackson delivers a thrilling debut tale of magic and intrigue that will leave readers breathless and eager for more Ethan Kaille.

For more info about this series, check out D. B. Jackson's official website.

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

Second, your email must contain your full mailing address (that's snail mail!), otherwise your message will be deleted.

Lastly, multiple entries will disqualify whoever sends them. And please include your screen name and the message boards that you frequent using it, if you do hang out on a particular MB.

Good luck to all the participants!

More inexpensive ebook goodies!

As was the case at the end of last year, you can now download Janny Wurts' Curse of the Mistwraith for only 0.99$ here.

Here's the blurb:

The stunning first volume in Janny Wurts’s epic tale of two half-brothers cursed to life-long enmity.

The world of Athera lives in eternal fog, its skies obscured by the malevolent Mistwraith. Only the combined powers of two half-brothers can challenge the Mistwraith’s stranglehold: Arithon, Master of Shadow and Lysaer, Lord of Light.

Arithon and Lysaer will find that they are inescapably bound inside a pattern of events dictated by their own deepest convictions. Yet there is more at stake than one battle with the Mistwraith – as the sorcerers of the Fellowship of Seven know well. For between them the half-brothers hold the balance of the world, its harmony and its future, in their hands.

You can download the second volume of Wurts' The Wars of Light and Shadow, The Ships of Merior, for only 1.99$ here.

Here's the blurb:

Janny Wurts’s epic tale of two half-brothers cursed to life-long enmity continues in this spectacular second volume.

The half-brothers Arithon, Master of Shadow, and Lysaer, Lord of Light, have defeated the Mistwraith and dispersed the fogs that smothered Athera’s skies. But their victory comes at a high price: the Mistwraith has set them at odds under a powerful curse of vengeance. The two princes are locked in deadly enmity, with the fates of nations and the balance of the world’s mystical powers entangled in their feud.

Arithon, forced out of hiding, finds himself hounded by Lysaer and his mighty army. He must take to his natural element – the seas – in order to evade pursuit and steal the initiative. However, his efforts are impeded by outside magical factions, not to mention a drunken prophet sent to safeguard his life, but who seems determined to wreck his cause by misadventure.

And you can download the third volume, Warhost of Vastmark, for 3.79$ here.

Here's the blurb:

Tricked once more by his wily half-brother, Lysaer arrives at the tiny harbour town of Merior, to find that his brother’s ship yards have been meticulously destroyed and abandoned. But where is Arithon? The forces of light and shadow circle and feint, drawing ever closer to a huge conflict.

Tricked once more by his wily half-brother, Lysaer, Lord of Light, arrives at the tiny harbour town of Merior to find that Arithon’s ship yards have been abandoned and meticulously destroyed, and that the Master of Shadow has disappeared as if into thin air.

Meanwhile Arithon and the Mad Prophet Dakar are travelling on foot through the treacherous Kelhorn Mountains towards the Vastmark clans, there to raise further support for his cause. But raising a warhost is a costly business. Is it mere coincidence that Princess Talith – Lysaer’s beautiful, headstrong wife – is taken captive and held for a vast ransom by a master brigand?

The forces of light and shadow circle and feint, drawing ever closer to a huge conflict. And in the background the Fellowship of Seven Sorcerers and the Koriani Enchantresses watch and plan, and wait…

Joe Abercrombie on movements within the fantasy genre

Bestselling fantasy author Joe Abercrombie has an interesting post on his blog. He responds to this question:

Do you consider yourself as part of a general movement within fantasy (Third Wave?) and do you find yourself consciously comparing your work to traditional fantasy, or even some other new strands of fantasy (e.g New Weird – Mieville springs to mind)? Or do you just write what you know and others have imposed these tags/descriptions on you?

Here's a teaser:

I wanted to write gritty, honest, truthful, funny, surprising, exciting, entertaining, thought-provoking epic fantasy. Whether I have succeeded in any of those aims is, of course, for others to judge…

Other than Martin, I was pretty ignorant of what had been going on in the genre during the previous decade, let alone of what people were writing at that moment, but it does seem that there were quite a few people with similar experiences and approaches to me, because around the time I was published in 2006 a whole crop of other authors appeared who have gone on to be very successful by employing various twists on epic fantasy – many gritty, many witty, many surprising in all sorts of ways – and I’ve heard quite a few of them give very similar answers about their influences and intentions to the one I just gave above.

Follow this link to read Abercrombie's full response.

Book trailer for WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE'S STAR WARS

Just received an email about Ian Doescher's William Shakespeare's Star Wars (Canada, USA, Europe) and decided to post the book trailer.

Here's the blurb:

Return once more to a galaxy far, far away with this sublime retelling of George Lucas’s epic Star Wars in the style of the immortal Bard of Avon. The saga of a wise (Jedi) knight and an evil (Sith) lord, of a beautiful princess held captive and a young hero coming of age, Star Wars abounds with all the valor and villainy of Shakespeare’s greatest plays. ’Tis a tale told by fretful droids, full of faithful Wookiees and fearstome Stormtroopers, signifying…pretty much everything.

Reimagined in glorious iambic pentameter—and complete with twenty gorgeous Elizabethan illustrations–William Shakespeare’s Star Wars will astound and edify Rebels and Imperials alike. Zounds! This is the book you’re looking for.

For more info about this title, check out the Quirk Books website.

James S. A. Corey contest winner!

Our winner will receive a copy of James S. A. Corey's Abaddon's Gate, compliments of the folks at Orbit. For more info about this title: Canada, USA, Europe.

The winner is:

- Brice Busselman, from Sioux Falls, South Dakota, USA

Many thanks to all the participants!

Sword & Laser Video Rewind: Game of Thrones Special

Good stuff!

Win a copy of Jon Steele's ANGEL CITY

Thanks to the folks at Blue Rider Press, I have a copy of Jon Steele's Angel City up for grabs. For more info about this title: Canada, USA, Europe.

Here's the blurb:

It 's been almost three years since we left Detective Jay Harper and high-priced escort Katherine Taylor on the esplanade of Lausanne Cathedral, bruised and battered from a biblical showdown with the Nephilim. Katherine has retreated to small-town life in the woods of Washington State with her son, Max and a close protection detail of heavily-armed, elite members of the Swiss Guard. Harper is living in Paris, haunted by voices in his head and bone-tired after what turns out to be two and a half million years on Earth.

Though Katherine and Harper have been prevented from remembering each other , baby Max has unwittingly stirred the interest of vengeful spirits and only a worldwide (and cosmic) effort to save his life will bring Harper and Katherine together again.

Meanwhile, from the shadows steps a defrocked priest named Astruc, whose face looks as if it has been clawed by some terrible beast and who hides his eyes behind blue lenses. He and his brilliant young ward, Goose, have discovered something unfathomable in the Catacombs under Paris, something that will confirm that the time of the prophecy is at hand. . .

Electrifying from its explosive first scene to its unexpected and shocking conclusion, Angel City reunites the unforgettable characters from The Watchers to reveal more of the earthly and otherworldy mysteries of the Angelus trilogy.

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

Second, your email must contain your full mailing address (that's snail mail!), otherwise your message will be deleted.

Lastly, multiple entries will disqualify whoever sends them. And please include your screen name and the message boards that you frequent using it, if you do hang out on a particular MB.

Good luck to all the participants!

M. L. N. Hanover contest winner!

Our winner will receive a copy of M. L. N. Hanover's Graveyard Child, courtesy of the author himself (Daniel Abraham). For more info about this title: Canada, USA, Europe.

The winner is:

- Mike McDonnell, from Naples, Florida, USA

Many thanks to all the participants!