Hunter's Death

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

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

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

Here's the blurb:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The final verdict: 8/10

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

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

In hardcover:

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

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

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

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

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

In paperback:

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

Sarah J. Maas' A Court of Thorns and Roses is down three positions, ending the week at number 14. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

More inexpensive ebook goodies!

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

Here's the blurb:

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

What would happen if the world were ending?

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

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

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

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

More inexpensive ebook goodies!

You can now get your hands on the digital edition of Ursula K. Le Guin's The Dispossessed for only 1.99$ by following this Amazon Associate link. This OneLink will take you to the nearest Amazon site serving your country and you'll see if you can take advantage of this sale.

Here's the blurb:

In celebration of its fiftieth anniversary, a commemorative edition of Ursula K. Le Guin’s Hugo, Locus, and Nebula Award–winning classic, a profound and thoughtful tale of anarchism and capitalism, individualism and collectivism, and one ambitious man’s quest to bridge the ideological chasm separating two worlds. This special edition includes a new foreword by Karen Joy Fowler.

The Dispossessed is the spellbinding story of anarchist Shevek, the “galactically famous scientist,” who single-handedly attempts to reunite two planets cut off from each other by centuries of distrust.

Anarres, Shevek’s homeland, is a bleak moon settled by an anarchic utopian civilization, where there is no government, and everyone, at least nominally, is a revolutionary. It has long been isolated from other worlds, including its mother planet, Urras—defined by warring nations, great poverty, and immense wealth. Now Shevek, a brilliant physicist, is determined to unify the two civilizations. In the face of great hostility, outright threats, and the pain of separation from his family, he makes an unprecedented trip to Urras. Greater than any concern for his own wellbeing is the belief that the walls of hatred, distrust, and philosophic division between his planet and the rest of the civilized universe must be torn down. He will seek answers, question the unquestionable, and explore differences in customs and cultures, determined to tear down the walls of hatred that have kept them apart.

To visit Urras—to learn, to teach, to share—will require great sacrifice and risks, which Shevek willingly accepts. Almost immediately upon his arrival, he finds not the egotistical philistines he expected, but an intelligent, complex people who warmly welcome him. But soon the ambitious scientist and his gift is seen as a threat, and in the profound conflict that ensues, he must reexamine his beliefs even as he ignites the fires of change.

More inexpensive ebook goodies!

You can now download Robert Jackson Bennett's The Tainted Cup for only 1.99$ by following this Amazon Associate link. This OneLink will take you to the nearest Amazon site serving your country and you'll see if you can take advantage of this sale.

Here's the blurb:

In Daretana’s greatest mansion, a high imperial officer lies dead—killed, to all appearances, when a tree erupted from his body. Even here at the Empire’s borders, where contagions abound and the blood of the leviathans works strange magical changes, it’s a death both terrifying and impossible.

Assigned to investigate is Ana Dolabra, a detective whose reputation for brilliance is matched only by her eccentricities. Rumor has it that she wears a blindfold at all times, and that she can solve impossible cases without even stepping outside the walls of her home.

At her side is her new assistant, Dinios Kol, magically altered in ways that make him the perfect aide to Ana’s brilliance. Din is at turns scandalized, perplexed, and utterly infuriated by his new superior—but as the case unfolds and he watches Ana’s mind leap from one startling deduction to the next, he must admit that she is, indeed, the Empire’s greatest detective.

As the two close in on a mastermind and uncover a scheme that threatens the Empire itself, Din realizes he’s barely begun to assemble the puzzle that is Ana Dolabra—and wonders how long he’ll be able to keep his own secrets safe from her piercing intellect.

By an “endlessly inventive” (Vulture) author with a “wicked sense of humor” (NPR), The Tainted Cup mixes the charms of detective fiction with brilliant world-building to deliver a fiendishly clever mystery that’s at once instantly recognizable and thrillingly new.

This week's New York Times Bestsellers (April 6th)

In hardcover:

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

Rebecca Yarros' Iron Flame is down one position, ending the week at number 3. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

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

In paperback:

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

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

Callie Hart's Quicksilver is down one position, ending the week at number 13. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

More inexpensive ebook goodies!

You can now download C. S. Friedman's Black Sun Rising, the first volume in the Coldfire trilogy, one of the best dark fantasy series ever written, 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:

Blending science fiction and fantasy, the first book of the Coldfire Trilogy tells a dark tale of an alien world where nightmares are made manifest.

Over a millennium ago, Erna, a seismically active yet beautiful world was settled by colonists from far-distant Earth. But the seemingly habitable planet was fraught with perils no one could have foretold. The colonists found themselves caught in a desperate battle for survival against the fae, a terrifying natural force with the power to prey upon the human mind itself, drawing forth a person’s worst nightmare images or most treasured dreams and indiscriminately giving them life.

Twelve centuries after fate first stranded the colonists on Erna, mankind has achieved an uneasy stalemate, and human sorcerers manipulate the fae for their own profit, little realizing that demonic forces which feed upon such efforts are rapidly gaining in strength.

Now, as the hordes of the dark fae multiply, four people—Priest, Adept, Apprentice, and Sorcerer—are about to be drawn inexorably together for a mission which will force them to confront an evil beyond their imagining, in a conflict which will put not only their own lives but the very fate of humankind in jeopardy.

More inexpensive ebook goodies!

You can now download P. Djèlí Clark's A Master of Djinn 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:

2022 RUSA Reading List: Fantasy Winner
A 2021 NEIBA Book Award Finalist
A Best of 2021 Pick in SFF for Amazon
A Best of 2021 Pick in SFF for Kobo
Included in NPR’s Favorite Sci-Fi And Fantasy Books Of The Past Decade (2011-2021)

Nebula, Locus, and Alex Award-winner P. Djèlí Clark goes full-length for the first time in his dazzling debut novel

Cairo, 1912: Though Fatma el-Sha’arawi is the youngest woman working for the Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments and Supernatural Entities, she’s certainly not a rookie, especially after preventing the destruction of the universe last summer.

So when someone murders a secret brotherhood dedicated to one of the most famous men in history, al-Jahiz, Agent Fatma is called onto the case. Al-Jahiz transformed the world forty years ago when he opened up the veil between the magical and mundane realms, before vanishing into the unknown. This murderer claims to be al-Jahiz, returned to condemn the modern age for its social oppressions. His dangerous magical abilities instigate unrest in the streets of Cairo that threaten to spill over onto the global stage.

Alongside her Ministry colleagues and a familiar person from her past, Agent Fatma must unravel the mystery behind this imposter to restore peace to the city—or face the possibility he could be exactly who he seems…

You can now get your hands on the digital edition of Anthony Ryan's The Pariah for only 2.99$ by following this Amazon Associate link.

Here's the blurb:

The Pariah begins a new epic fantasy series of action, intrigue and magic from Anthony Ryan, a master storyteller who has taken the fantasy world by storm.

Born into the troubled kingdom of Albermaine, Alwyn Scribe is raised as an outlaw. Quick of wit and deft with a blade, Alwyn is content with the freedom of the woods and the comradeship of his fellow thieves. But an act of betrayal sets him on a new path - one of blood and vengeance, which eventually leads him to a soldier's life in the king's army.

Fighting under the command of Lady Evadine Courlain, a noblewoman beset by visions of a demonic apocalypse, Alwyn must survive war and the deadly intrigues of the nobility if he hopes to claim his vengeance. But as dark forces, both human and arcane, gather to oppose Evadine's rise, Alwyn faces a choice: can he be a warrior, or will he always be an outlaw?

Divided Allegiance

Elizabeth Moon's The Deed of Paksenarrion was one of the series I've been meaning to read for years and years. Indeed, I purchased Sheepfarmer's Daughter during the early 90s. As Paksenarrion's story kept growing in scope and popularity, I told myself that I would read it soon. Many SFF readers claim that it's the ultimate paladin tale, which I find extremely intriguing. Fast-forward to 2025, about three decades after buying the first installment, the time had come for me to finally give this series a shot.

Sheepfarmer's Daughter was first published in 1988, but to my surprise it has aged quite well. I was looking forward to reading the sequels, and I'm pleased to report that Divided Allegiance is another compelling, if much darker, read. Moon sure threw readers one hell of a curve ball and this second volume didn't end up the way I ever envisioned!

Here's the blurb:

Once a sheepfarmer's daughter, now a seasoned veteran, Paksenarrion has proven herself a fighter. Years with Duke Phelan's Company taught her weaponry, discipline, and how to react as part of a military unit.

Now, though, Paks feels spurred to a solitary destiny. Against all odds she is accepted as a paladin-candidate by the fellowship of Gird. Years of study will follow, for a paladin must be versed in diplomacy and magic as well as the fighting arts. But before she is fully trained, Paks is called on her first mission: to seek out the fabled stronghold of Luap far to the west. The way is long, the dangers many—and not even the Marshal-General of Gird can say whether glory or ruin awaits.

As a former member of the US Marine Corps, Moon imbues her military fantasy stories with a realism that civilian authors likely never quite get right. As Pakse makes the transition from new recruit to a more seasoned trooper, and then as she travels to Fin Panir to study and train as a paladin-candidate, the author's firsthand knowledge is palpable and it adds layers to the plot and its characters. This is even more evident in Moon's depiction of Pakse's post-traumatic stress disorder, as the author makes her main character go through the wringer à la Robin Hobb and Jacqueline Carey. Those who felt that Paksenarrion could do no wrong and had it easy in the first volume will get the rug pulled from under them. Things will get bleak for the poor girl, to say the least.

The worldbuilding is probably the aspect in which Moon has improved the most, what with Pakse's wanderings taking her all over the place. The plots meanders a bit aimlessly at the beginning because Pakse doesn't quite know what her plans are once she leaves the Duke's company. The good thing about this is that we see more of the author's universe, which makes it quite different from the military movements down in the South that characterized the first volume. I loved the fact that Pakse encounters elves, dwarves, gnomes, magic-users, and yet more people. Her adventures and misadventures are formative and interesting. Up until her departure on the quest to find Luap's legendary stronghold with the members of the fellowship of Gird, though it turned out to be a winding road, Pakesenarrion's storyline seemed fairly linear. Then came her capture and torture, which will leave her a shell of her former self. From then on, it's obvious that Moon decided that Pake's character growth will be through physical, psychological, and emotional struggles. Not that these were totally absent in Sheepfarmer's Daughter, but the author definitely turned it up a notch in this one. I for one never expected such a dark ending.

Although she's no longer a green recruit, for all that she's now a more experienced soldier, Paksenarrion remains a naive country bumpkin do-gooder who wants to live life on her own terms. That's what makes it so easy to root for her and why her suffering from PTSD later on in the book hits you so hard. It's important to remember that, no matter how mature she is for her age, she's only 22 years old. As a matter of course, Pakse takes center stage as the main protagonist. Unlike its predecessor, Divided Allegiance features a more diverse and more engaging supporting cast. Whether it's the half-elven scoundrel Macenion, the Kuakgan Master Oakhallow (a druid-like figure), the impulsive young Suli, Ambros and Marshall Cedfer, or everyone she interacts with at Fir Panir, they will all leave their mark on Pakse and help shape the woman she's destined to become.

Given its meandering beginning, it's no suprise that Divided Allegiance suffers from pacing issues. As was the case in the first volume, these slower portions are offset by more exciting action sequences and battles. Hence, they were never a problem for me. Once more, Elizabeth Moon's prose creates a vivid imagery, one that makes the story leap right off the page.

There is no endgame and finale per se. The last portion of the novel focuses on Pakse's fall into depression and  helplessness and is a world away from the Paksenarrion we've grown to love. Divided Allegiance ends with a cliffhanger of sorts, one that makes it impossible not to jump into the final installment to discover what comes next. As mentioned before, anyone looking for a strong female lead and no romance will probably find a lot to like about this series.

The final verdict: 7.75/10

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

More inexpensive ebook goodies!

You can now get your hands on the digital edition of Brandon Sanderson's Warbreaker 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:

After bursting onto the fantasy scene with his acclaimed debut novel, Elantris, and following up with his blockbuster Mistborn trilogy, Brandon Sanderson proves again that he is today's leading master of what Tolkien called "secondary creation," the invention of whole worlds, complete with magics and myths all their own.

Warbreaker is the story of two sisters, who happen to be princesses, the God King one of them has to marry, the lesser god who doesn't like his job, and the immortal who's still trying to undo the mistakes he made hundreds of years ago.

Their world is one in which those who die in glory return as gods to live confined to a pantheon in Hallandren's capital city and where a power known as BioChromatic magic is based on an essence known as breath that can only be collected one unit at a time from individual people.

By using breath and drawing upon the color in everyday objects, all manner of miracles and mischief can be accomplished. It will take considerable quantities of each to resolve all the challenges facing Vivenna and Siri, princesses of Idris; Susebron the God King; Lightsong, reluctant god of bravery, and mysterious Vasher, the Warbreaker.

You can also download David Weber's Off Armageddon Reef for only 3.99$ here.

Here's the blurb:

Humanity pushed its way to the stars – and encountered the Gbaba, a ruthless alien race that nearly wiped us out. Earth and her colonies are now smoldering ruins, and the few survivors have fled to distant, Earth-like Safehold, to try to rebuild. But the Gbaba can detect the emissions of an industrial civilization, so the human rulers of Safehold have taken extraordinary measures: with mind control and hidden high technology, they’ve built a religion in which every Safeholdian believes, a religion designed to keep Safehold society medieval forever. 800 years pass. In a hidden chamber on Safehold, an android from the far human past awakens. This “rebirth” was set in motion centuries before, by a faction that opposed shackling humanity with a concocted religion. Via automated recordings, “Nimue” – or, rather, the android with the memories of Lieutenant Commander Nimue Alban – is told her fate: she will emerge into Safeholdian society, suitably disguised, and begin the process of provoking the technological progress which the Church of God Awaiting has worked for centuries to prevent.

Nothing about this will be easy. To better deal with a medieval society, “Nimue” takes a new gender and a new name, “Merlin.” His formidable powers and access to caches of hidden high technology will need to be carefully concealed. And he’ll need to find a base of operations, a Safeholdian country that’s just a little more freewheeling, a little less orthodox, a little more open to the new. And thus Merlin comes to Charis, a mid-sized kingdom with a talent for naval warfare. He plans to make the acquaintance of King Haarahld and Crown Prince Cayleb, and maybe, just maybe, kick off a new era of invention. Which is bound to draw the attention of the Church…and, inevitably, lead to war. It’s going to be a long, long process. And David Weber’s epic Off Armageddon Reef is can’t-miss sci-fi.

Safehold Series 1. Off Armageddon Reef 2. By Schism Rent Asunder 3. By Heresies Distressed 4. A Mighty Fortress 5. How Firm A Foundation 6. Midst Toil and Tribulation 7. Like A Mighty Army 8. Hell’s Foundations Quiver 9. At the Sign of Triumph.

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

More inexpensive ebook goodies!

You can now download Jacqueline Carey's Cassiel's Servant 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 lush epic fantasy that inspired a generation with a single precept: “Love As Thou Wilt."

Returning to the realm of Terre d’Ange which captured an entire generation of fantasy readers, New York Times bestselling author Jacqueline Carey brings us a hero’s journey for a new era.

In Kushiel’s Dart, a daring young courtesan uncovered a plot to destroy her beloved homeland. But hers is only half the tale. Now see the other half of the heart that lived it.

Cassiel’s Servant is a retelling of cult favorite Kushiel’s Dart from the point of view of Joscelin, Cassiline warrior-priest and protector of Phèdre nó Delaunay. He’s sworn to celibacy and the blade as surely as she’s pledged to pleasure, but the gods they serve have bound them together. When both are betrayed, they must rely on each other to survive.

From his earliest training to captivity amongst their enemies, his journey with Phèdre to avert the conquest of Terre D’Ange shatters body and mind… and brings him an impossible love that he will do anything to keep.

Even if it means breaking all vows and losing his soul.

More inexpensive ebook goodies!

You can now download Anthony Ryan's A Tide of Black Steel 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 land of Ascarlia, a fabled realm of bloodied steel and epic sagas, has been ruled by the Sister Queens for centuries. No one has dared question their rule.

Until now.

Whispers speak of longships of mysterious tattooed warriors, sailing under the banners of a murderous cult of oath-breakers long thought extinct. A tide of black steel that threatens to vanquish all in its path.

Thera of the Blackspear, favored servant of the Sister Queens, is ordered to uncover the truth. As Thera sails north, her reviled brother, Felnir, sets out on his own adventure. He hopes to find the Vault of the Altvar – the treasure room of the gods – and win the Sister Queens’ favor at his sister’s expense.

Both siblings – along with a brilliant young scribe and a prisoner with a terrifying, primal power – will play a part in the coming storm.

The Age of Wrath has begun.

More inexpensive ebook goodies!

You can now download Martha Wells' Network Effect 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:

You know that feeling when you’re at work, and you’ve had enough of people, and then the boss walks in with yet another job that needs to be done right this second or the world will end, but all you want to do is go home and binge your favorite shows? And you're a sentient murder machine programmed for destruction? Congratulations, you're Murderbot.

Come for the pew-pew space battles, stay for the most relatable A.I. you’ll read this century.

—

I’m usually alone in my head, and that’s where 90 plus percent of my problems are.

When Murderbot's human associates (not friends, never friends) are captured and another not-friend from its past requires urgent assistance, Murderbot must choose between inertia and drastic action.

Drastic action it is, then.

US cover art for Steven Erikson's NO LIFE FORSAKEN

Last week, Bantam unveiled the cover art for Steven Erikson's upcoming No Life Forsaken. The US cover art has just been released!

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

More inexpensive ebook goodies!

You can now download Harry Turtledove’s Beyond the Gap 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:

Bronze Age meets Ice Age in this compelling alternate-history adventure trilogy opener from a Hugo Award–winning author.

Count Hamnet Thyssen is a minor noble of the drowsy old Raumsdalian Empire. Its capital city, Nidaros, began as a mammoth hunters’ camp at the edge of the great Glacier. But that was centuries ago, and as everyone knows, it’s the nature of the great Glacier to withdraw a few feet every year. Now Nidaros is an old and many-spired city; and though they still feel the breath of the great Glacier in every winter’s winds, the ice cap itself has retreated beyond the horizon.

Trasamund, a clan chief of the mammoth-herding Bizogots, the next tribe north, has come to town with strange news. A narrow gap has opened in what they’d always thought was an endless and impregnable wall of ice. The great Glacier does not go on forever—and on its other side are new lands, new animals, and possibly new people.

Ancient legend says that on the other side is the Golden Shrine, put there by the gods to guard the people of their world. Now, perhaps, the road to the legendary Golden Shrine is open. Who could resist the urge to go see?

For Count Hamnet and his several companions, the glacier has always been the boundary of the world. Now they’ll be travelling beyond it into a world that’s bigger than anyone knew. Adventures will surely be had . . . in Harry Turtledove’s Beyond the Gap.

This week's New York Times Bestsellers (March 30th)

In hardcover:

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

Rebecca Yarros' Iron Flame maintains its position at number 2. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Penn Cole's Heat of the Everflame debuts at number 4. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

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

Matt Dinniman's The Gate of the Feral Gods debuts at number 9. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

In paperback:

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

Callie Hart's Quicksilver is up one position, ending the week at number 12. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Sarah J. Maas' A Court of Thorns and Roses maintains its position at number 14. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

More inexpensive ebook goodies!

You can now download Raymond E. Feist's The Dark War Saga omnibus 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:

Get all three fantasy novels in New York Times bestselling author Raymond E. Feist's the Darkwar Saga in one e-book, including: Flight of the Nighthawks, Into a Dark Realm, and Wrath of a Mad God. This explosive trilogy revisits Feist's signature worlds of Midkemia and Kelewan that ushers in the third, and most dramatic Riftwar yet: the Darkwar.

More inexpensive ebook goodies!

You can now download N. K. Jemisin's The Inheritance trilogy omnibus for only 2.99$ by following this Amazon Associate link. That's nearly 1500 pages for only 3$! 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:

After her mother's mysterious death, a young woman is summoned to the floating city of Sky in order to claim a royal inheritance she never knew existed in this award-winning fantasy trilogy from the NYT bestselling author of The Fifth Season.

Yeine Darr is an outcast from the barbarian north. But when her mother dies under mysterious circumstances, she is summoned to the majestic city of Sky. There, to her shock, Yeine is named an heiress to the king. But the throne of the Hundred Thousand Kingdoms is not easily won, and Yeine is thrust into a vicious power struggle.

The Inheritance Trilogy omnibus includes the novels: The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, The Broken Kingdoms, The Kingdom of Gods, and a brand new novella set in the same world: The Awakened Kingdom.

You can also download Shannon Chakraborty's The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi 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:

Shannon Chakraborty, the bestselling author of The City of Brass, spins a new trilogy of magic and mayhem on the high seas in this tale of pirates and sorcerers, forbidden artifacts and ancient mysteries, in one woman’s determined quest to seize a final chance at glory—and write her own legend.

Amina al-Sirafi should be content. After a storied and scandalous career as one of the Indian Ocean’s most notorious pirates, she’s survived backstabbing rogues, vengeful merchant princes, several husbands, and one actual demon to retire peacefully with her family to a life of piety, motherhood, and absolutely nothing that hints of the supernatural.

But when she’s tracked down by the obscenely wealthy mother of a former crewman, she’s offered a job no bandit could refuse: retrieve her comrade’s kidnapped daughter for a kingly sum. The chance to have one last adventure with her crew, do right by an old friend, and win a fortune that will secure her family’s future forever? It seems like such an obvious choice that it must be God’s will.

Yet the deeper Amina dives, the more it becomes alarmingly clear there’s more to this job, and the girl’s disappearance, than she was led to believe. For there’s always risk in wanting to become a legend, to seize one last chance at glory, to savor just a bit more power…and the price might be your very soul.

You can also download Sebastien de Castell's The Malevolent Seven 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:

'Seven powerful mages want to make the world a better place. We're going to kill them first.'

Picture a wizard. Go ahead, close your eyes. There he is, see? Skinny old guy with a long straggly beard. No doubt he's wearing iridescent silk robes that couldn't protect his frail body from a light breeze. The hat's a must, too, right? Big, floppy thing, covered in esoteric symbols that would instantly show every other mage where this one gets his magic? Wouldn't want a simple steel helmet or something that might, you know, protect the part of him most needed for conjuring magical forces from being bashed in with a mace (or pretty much any household object).

Now open your eyes and let me show you what a real war mage looks like . . . but be warned: you're probably not going to like it, because we're violent, angry, dangerously broken people who sell our skills to the highest bidder and be damned to any moral or ethical considerations.

At least, until such irritating concepts as friendship and the end of the world get in the way.

My name is Cade Ombra, and though I currently make my living as a mercenary wonderist, I used to have a far more noble-sounding job title - until I discovered the people I worked for weren't quite as noble as I'd believed. Now I'm on the run and my only friend, a homicidal thunder mage, has invited me to join him on a suicide mission against the seven deadliest mages on the continent.

Time to recruit some very bad people to help us on this job . . .

Grave Empire

I no longer receive review copies from Orbit, so I didn't get the chance to read Richard Swan's Empire of the Wolf as the books came out. I have since then purchased them during ebook sales, but I was loath to give another big series a shot, what with all the unread SFF works that vie for my attention.

When I snatched a free copy of Grave Empire and realized that you didn't need to read the previous trilogy to get into the story, I knew it was time to give Swan a shot.

Here's the blurb:

From critically acclaimed author Richard Swan, Grave Empire begins the epic tale of an empire on the verge of industrial revolution, where sorcery and arcane practices are outlawed – and where an ancient prophecy threatens the coming end of days.

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

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

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

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

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

The Great Silence series takes place about two hundred years following the events of the Empire of the Wolf trilogy. The setting is no medieval European analogue. It's a flintlock fantasy featuring a vast empire akin to the British Empire spanning dominions, territories, colonies, etc, which has reached a certain level of industrialization. As such, the worldbuilding is interesting and well realized. The author does an excellent job depicting the changes brought by urbanization and technological advancements. Swan also portrays the bureaucratic aspects of the imperial apparatus, the army, the diplomatic embassies, companies, etc, quite efficiently. However, certain things make little sense, chief among them why the wolfmen are exterminating each other in the name of a human religious schism similar to that of Catholicism vs Protestantism. I'm not sure whether or not this is a nuance that I would have understood better had I read the previous trilogy. The second thing which appears to make little sense is Renata's position as a minor official for Ambassador Didacus Marushka at the Imperial Office. Why would these two be the representatives of the underwater kingdom of the Stygion when they have never had contacts with the mermen felt odd to say the least.

I have to admit that I was completely captivated by the premise and the plot, yet the characterization didn't quite work for me. Not because the protagonists are not well drawn, mind you. Once again, Richard Swan did a good job fleshing them out and giving them agency. It's just that I never could really root for any of them. Grave Empire features three main characters and a vast supporting cast. The most important protagonist, at least in this first installment, is the aforementioned Renata Rainier. Impulsive and often annoying, I had a hard time getting into her plotline. Especially since a lot of things feel contrived just to keep the story moving forward. No less easy to like is Peter Kleist, a craven commissioned officer in the Sovan army sent to the New East. In over his head, a stranger in a strange land, he nevertheless grows on you as the tale progresses. Peter's storyline is by far the darkest and goriest of the novel, and it's also the most fascinating. I loved how Swan focused on the physical and psychological and emotional hardships of facing an unknown and invisible enemy that decimates your troops and threatens your own sanity. The third perspective is that of Count Lamprecht Von Oldenburg, an opportunistic nobleman bent on reintroducing outlawed magic back into the empire. Needless to say, his dabbling in forbidden knowledge will have grave repercussions on what is to come. There are a few standouts in the supporting cast such as Captain Furlan, Yelena (though her sexual/magical talents felt a bit gratuitous and irrelevant), Broz, and Captain Lyzander.

Grave Empire does suffer from pacing issues from time to time. It takes a while for all three perspectives to come together, but that was to be expected. The author needed time to lay down the groundwork for all three storylines, so this wasn't a problem. Trouble is, Swan does like to overindulge when it comes to the travelogues and he makes sure to showcase every single village/city/region down to the smallest detail. It does make his universe come alive with arresting imagery, yet it also slows the rhythm of the tale too often for my liking. I guess it's just a question for him to find the right balance.

Slow-moving as it can be at times, even if it takes a while the various plotlines eventually come together and set the stage for an interesting endgame. Grave Empire features a number of exciting chapters near the end, with thrilling action scenes and a captivating visit to the underwater kingdom of the Stygion. Revelations are made that elevate this tale to another level, but the rushed finale and the way an important magical artifact falls into the hands of Count Lamprecht left something to be desired. Still, this dark fantasy novel sets the stage for what appears to be an ambitious and multilayered saga that many should find appealing. Looking forward to the next volume.

The final verdict: 7.5/10

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

Quote of the Day

There were things it was best not to ask because answers often had their price.

- MICHELLE WEST, Hunter's Death

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 Alastair Reynolds' House of Suns 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:

Six million years ago, at the dawn of the star-faring era, Abigail Gentian fractured herself into a thousand male and female clones, which she called shatterlings. She sent them out into the galaxy to observe and document the rise and fall of countless human empires. Since then, every two hundred thousand years, they gather to exchange news and memories of their travels. Only there is no Gathering. Someone is eliminating the Gentian line. And now Campion and Purslane -- two shatterlings who have fallen in love and shared forbidden experiences -- must determine exactly who, or what, their enemy is, before they are wiped out of existence . . .

You can also download Jim Butcher's Furies of Calderon, first volume in the Codex Alera 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, Academ's Fury, is also on sale for 2.99$.

Here's the blurb:

In this extraordinary fantasy epic, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Dresden Files leads readers into a world where the fate of the realm rests on the shoulders of a boy with no power to call his own...

For a thousand years, the people of Alera have united against the aggressive and threatening races that inhabit the world, using their unique bond with the furies—elementals of earth, air, fire, water, wood, and metal. But in the remote Calderon Valley, the boy Tavi struggles with his lack of furycrafting. At fifteen, he has no wind fury to help him fly, no fire fury to light his lamps. Yet as the Alerans’ most savage enemy—the Marat horde—return to the Valley, Tavi’s courage and resourcefulness will be a power greater than any fury, one that could turn the tides of war...

Cover art and blurb for Steven Erikson's NO LIFE FORSAKEN

The folks at Bantam have just unveiled the cover art and blurb for Steven Erikson's forthcoming No Life Forsaken. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Here's the blurb:

A goddess awakens to a new world, only to find that some things never change.

Amidst the ashes of a failed rebellion in Seven Cities, new embers are flaring to life.

There are furrowed brows at the beleaguered Malazan Legion headquarters in G’danisban for it would appear that yet another bloody clash with the revived cult of the Apocalyptic is coming to a head.

Seeking to crush the uprising before it ignites the entire subcontinent, Fist Arenfall has only a few dozen squads of marines at his disposal, and many of those are already dispersed - endeavouring to stamp out multiple brush-fires of dissent. But his soldiers are exhausted, worn down by the grind of a simmering insurrection and the last thing Arenfall needs is the arrival of the new Adjunct, fresh from the capital and the Emperor's side.

The man's mission may be to lend support to Arenfall’s efforts . . . or stick a knife in his back. 'Twas ever thus, of course. That a popular commander should inevitably be seen as a threat to the Emperor - such is the fatal nature of imperial Malazan politics.

And what of the gods? Well, as recent history has proved, their solution to any mortal mess is to make it even messier. In other words, it's just another tumultuous day in the chequered history of the Malazan Empire.

More inexpensive ebook goodies!

You can now download Neal Stephenson's Anathem 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.

In addition, several other Stephenson titles like Quicksilver, The Confusion, The System of the World, Polostan, Reamde, and The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O are also on sale!

Here's the blurb:

Anathem, the latest invention by the New York Times bestselling author of Cryptonomicon and The Baroque Cycle, is a magnificent creation: a work of great scope, intelligence, and imagination that ushers readers into a recognizable -- yet strangely inverted -- world.

Fraa Erasmas is a young avout living in the Concent of Saunt Edhar, a sanctuary for mathematicians, scientists, and philosophers, protected from the corrupting influences of the outside "saecular" world by ancient stone, honored traditions, and complex rituals. Over the centuries, cities and governments have risen and fallen beyond the concent's walls. Three times during history's darkest epochs violence born of superstition and ignorance has invaded and devastated the cloistered mathic community. Yet the avout have always managed to adapt in the wake of catastrophe, becoming out of necessity even more austere and less dependent on technology and material things. And Erasmas has no fear of the outside -- the Extramuros -- for the last of the terrible times was long, long ago.

Now, in celebration of the week-long, once-in-a-decade rite of Apert, the fraas and suurs prepare to venture beyond the concent's gates -- at the same time opening them wide to welcome the curious "extras" in. During his first Apert as a fraa, Erasmas eagerly anticipates reconnecting with the landmarks and family he hasn't seen since he was "collected." But before the week is out, both the existence he abandoned and the one he embraced will stand poised on the brink of cataclysmic change.

Powerful unforeseen forces jeopardize the peaceful stability of mathic life and the established ennui of the Extramuros -- a threat that only an unsteady alliance of saecular and avout can oppose -- as, one by one, Erasmas and his colleagues, teachers, and friends are summoned forth from the safety of the concent in hopes of warding off global disaster. Suddenly burdened with a staggering responsibility, Erasmas finds himself a major player in a drama that will determine the future of his world -- as he sets out on an extraordinary odyssey that will carry him to the most dangerous, inhospitable corners of the planet . . . and beyond.

More inexpensive ebook goodies!

You can now get your hands on the digital edition of Dan Simmons' Ilium 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. The sequel, Olympos, is also on sale for the same price.

Here's the blurb:

The Trojan War rages at the foot of Olympos Mons on Mars -- observed and influenced from on high by Zeus and his immortal family -- and twenty-first-century professor Thomas Hockenberry is there to play a role in the insidious private wars of vengeful gods and goddesses. On Earth, a small band of the few remaining humans pursues a lost past and devastating truth -- as four sentient machines depart from Jovian space to investigate, perhaps terminate, the potentially catastrophic emissions emanating from a mountaintop miles above the terraformed surface of the Red Planet.

For a limited time, you can also download the entire The Soldier Son trilogy by Robin Hobb for 1.99$ by following this Amazon Associate link. This omnibus edition is comprised of Shaman's Crossing, Forest Mage, and Renegade's Magic.

Here's the blurb for Shaman's Crossing:

Here's the blurb:

Nevare Burvelle is the second son of a second son, destined from birth to carry a sword. The wealthy young noble will follow his father—newly made a lord by the King of Gernia—into the cavalry, training in the military arts at the elite King's Cavella Academy in the capital city of Old Thares. Bright and well-educated, an excellent horseman with an advantageous engagement, Nevare's future appears golden.

But as his Academy instruction progresses, Nevare begins to realize that the road before him is far from straight. The old aristocracy looks down on him as the son of a "new noble" and, unprepared for the political and social maneuvering of the deeply competitive school and city, the young man finds himself entangled in a web of injustice, discrimination, and foul play. In addition, he is disquieted by his unconventional girl-cousin Epiny—who challenges his heretofore unwavering world view—and by the bizarre dreams that haunt his nights.

For twenty years the King's cavalry has pushed across the grasslands, subduing and settling its nomads and claiming the territory in Gernia's name. Now they have driven as far as the Barrier Mountains, home to the Speck people, a quiet, forest-dwelling folk who retain the last vestiges of magic in a world that is rapidly becoming modernized. From childhood Nevare has been taught that the Specks are a primitive people to be pitied for their backward ways—and feared for their indigenous diseases, including the deadly Speck plague, which has ravaged the frontier towns and military outposts.

The Dark Evening brings the carnival to Old Thares, and with it an unknown magic, and the first Specks Nevare has ever seen . . .