More inexpensive ebook goodies!


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. There is a price match in Canada.

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?


More inexpensive ebook goodies!


You can now download Isaac Asimov's I, Robot for only 1.99$ by following this Amazon Associate link. There is a price match in Canada.

Here's the blurb:

This classic science fiction masterwork by Isaac Asimov weaves stories about robots, humanity, and the deep questions of existence into a novel of shocking intelligence and heart.

“A must-read for science-fiction buffs and literature enjoyers alike.”—The Guardian

I, Robot, the first and most widely read book in Asimov’s Robot series, forever changed the world’s perception of artificial intelligence. Here are stories of robots gone mad, of mind-reading robots, and robots with a sense of humor. Of robot politicians, and robots who secretly run the world—all told with the dramatic blend of science fact and science fiction that has become Asimov’s trademark.

The Three Laws of Robotics:
1) A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
2) A robot must obey orders given to it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
3) A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.

With these three, simple directives, Isaac Asimov formulated the laws governing robots’ behavior. In I, Robot, Asimov chronicles the development of the robot from its primitive origins in the present to its ultimate perfection in the not-so-distant future—a future in which humanity itself may be rendered obsolete.


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

In hardcover:

Sarah J. Maas's House of Sky and Breath debuts at number 1. For more info about this title, follow these Amazon Associate links: Canada, USA, Europe.

Marlon James' Moon Witch, Spider King debuts at number 10. For more info about this title, follow these Amazon Associate links: Canada, USA, Europe.

Stephen King and Richard Chizmar's Gwendy's Final Task debuts at number 15. For more info about this title, follow these Amazon Associate links: Canada, USA, Europe.

Brandon Sanderson's Dawnshard debuts at number 15. For more info about this title, follow these Amazon Associate links: Canada, USA, Europe.

In paperback:

Sarah J. Maas's House of Earth and Blood debuts at number 13. For more info about this title, follow these Amazon Associate links: Canada, USA, Europe.

More inexpensive ebook goodies!


You can now download J. R. R. Tolkien's The Silmarillion for only 2.99$ here.

It's the Celebrate Tolkien reading day on Amazon. Select titles are 3.99$ or less.

Here's the blurb:

A number-one New York Times bestseller when it was originally published, THE SILMARILLION is the core of J.R.R. Tolkien's imaginative writing, a work whose origins stretch back to a time long before THE HOBBIT.

Tolkien considered THE SILMARILLION his most important work, and, though it was published last and posthumously, this great collection of tales and legends clearly sets the stage for all his other writing. The story of the creation of the world and of the the First Age, this is the ancient drama to which the characters in THE LORD OF THE RINGS look back and in whose events some of them, such as Elrond and Galadriel, took part. The three Silmarils were jewels created by Feanor, most gifted of the Elves. Within them was imprisoned the Light of the Two Trees of Valinor before the Trees themselves were destroyed by Morgoth, the first Dark Lord. Thereafter, the unsullied Light of Valinor lived on only in the Silmarils, but they were seized by Morgoth and set in his crown, which was guarded in the impenetrable fortress of Angband in the north of Middle-earth.

THE SILMARILLION is the history of the rebellion of Feanor and his kindred against the gods, their exile from Valinor and return to Middle-earth, and their war, hopeless despite all their heroism, against the great Enemy. This second edition features a letter written by J.R.R. Tolkien describing his intentions for the book, which serves as a brilliant exposition of his conception of the earlier Ages of Middle-earth.

More inexpensive ebook goodies!


You can now get your hands on the digital edition of Guy Gavriel Kay's The Summer Tree for only 1.99$ here.

Here's the blurb:

The Summer Tree is the first novel of Guy Gavriel Kay’s critically acclaimed fantasy trilogy, The Fionavar Tapestry. Five university students embark on a journey of self-discovery when they enter a realm of wizards and warriors, gods and mythical creatures--and good and evil…

It all began with a lecture that introduced five university students to a man who would change their lives, a wizard who would take them from Earth to the heart of the first of all worlds--Fionavar. And take them Loren Silvercloak did, for his need--the need of Fionavar and all the worlds--was great indeed.

And in a marvelous land of men and dwarves, of wizards and gods, five young people discovered who they were truly meant to be. For they are a long-awaited part of the pattern known as the Fionavar Tapestry, and only if they accepted their destiny would the armies of the Light stand any chance of surviving the wrath the Unraveller and his minions of darkness intend to unleash upon the world…

More inexpensive ebook goodies!


You can get your hands on the digital edition of Scott Hawkins' The Library at Mount Char for only 1.99$ by following this Amazon Associate link. There is a price match in Canada.

Here's the blurb:

A missing God.
A library with the secrets to the universe.
A woman too busy to notice her heart slipping away.

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

After all, she was a normal American herself once.

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

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

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

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

But Carolyn has accounted for this.

And Carolyn has a plan.

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

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

Project Hail Mary


Given how much I enjoyed Andy Weir's latest, I feel a little dumb for waiting this long to finally read Project Hail Mary. The novel kept returning to the New York Times bestseller list months following its release and that piqued my curiosity. Now that I've read it, it's easy to understand why. Though it is indeed a science fiction book, it's a decidedly accessible work that can appeal to a much broader audience than just SFF readers.

Once again, Weir's protagonist must science the shit out his predicament and the results make for another entertaining ride!

Here's the blurb:

Ryland Grace is the sole survivor on a desperate, last-chance mission—and if he fails, humanity and Earth itself will perish.

Except that right now, he doesn't know that. He can't even remember his own name, let alone the nature of his assignment or how to complete it.

All he knows is that he's been asleep for a very, very long time. And he's just been awakened to find himself millions of miles from home, with nothing but two corpses for company.

His crewmates dead, his memories fuzzily returning, he realizes that an impossible task now confronts him. Hurtling through space on this tiny ship, it's up to him to puzzle out an impossible scientific mystery—and conquer an extinction-level threat to our species.

And with the clock ticking down and the nearest human being light-years away, he's got to do it all alone.

Or does he?

An irresistible interstellar adventure as only Andy Weir could imagine it, Project Hail Mary is a tale of discovery, speculation, and survival to rival The Martian—while taking us to places it never dreamed of going.


The narrative structure of the novel uses flashback sequences to complement Ryland Grace's real time storyline. Suffering from total amnesia at the beginning, these scenes flesh out his character as he gradually regain his memories and understand why he's so far from Earth and what he and his crewmates were meant to try to accomplish. These past and present timelines worked extremely well and made for compulsive reading. Project Hail Mary is one of those books that you just can't put down.

It doesn't take long for Grace to realize that he's on a suicide mission to save our planet from a star-devouring microorganism that's eating the sun. As a matter of course, Grace must needs science the shit out of this. And this is where Andy Weir proves yet again just how big a nerd he truly is. There is a lot of scientific stuff to dumb down for us readers, that goes without saying. But Grace is a junior high science teacher and he does so with an enthusiasm that is contagious. That's the beauty of Project Hail Mary, the fact that you can follow everything that's going on without a university degree in various fields of study. Some people have complained that some things appear to fall into his lap a little too easily, and that's the honest truth. The linguistic stuff, especially. And yet, this doesn't take anything away from the overall reading experience.

Ryland Grace makes for an interesting main protagonist and given his plight it's impossible not to root for him. With the odds stacked against him and the fate of his world and everyone he loves hanging in the balance, it's hard not to admire his intelligence and ingenuity. Grace attacks each new problem with tenacity and self-deprecating humor, which makes for wonderful read. It's interesting to see Grace's past and present perspectives, as well as how remembering how he ended up light years away affects him as the countdown to extinction keeps ticking. The reason for his amnesia was a shocking revelation. Stratt is the only character that truly stands out of the supporting cast of the past timeline, yet it's Grace's relationship with Rocky that makes this such a memorable read.

Rhythm is never an issue at any point in the book. Although no page-turner, the slower paced portions of Project Hail Mary are never dull and they're almost always complemented by related flashback scenes focusing on the creation of the spaceship which is mankind's only hope for survival.

Fun, clever, and thought-provoking, that's Andy Weir's latest novel in a nutshell!

Highly recommended!

The final verdict: 8.5/10

For more info about this title, follow these Amazon Associates links: Canada, USA, Europe.

More inexpensive ebook goodies!


You can now get your hands on the digital edition of Ursula K. Le Guin's The Found and the Lost for only 1.99$ by following this Amazon Associate link. There is a price match in Canada.

Here's the blurb for the first collection:

Every novella by Ursula K. Le Guin, an icon in American literature, collected for the first time—and introduced by the legendary author—in one breathtaking volume.

Ursula K. Le Guin has won multiple prizes and accolades from the Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters to the Newbery Honor, the Nebula, Hugo, World Fantasy, and PEN/Malamud Awards. She has had her work collected over the years, but never as a complete retrospective of her longer works as represented in the wonderful The Found and the Lost.

This collection is a literary treasure chest that belongs in every home library.

More inexpensive ebook goodies!


You can now download the omnibus comprised of all three volumes of Katherine Kurtz's The Legends of Camber of Culdi for only 2.99$ here. There is a price match in Canada. It's the perfect starting point for anyone interested in discovering the Deryni saga! For my money, even though it was a bestselling series in the 70s and the 80s, it's one of the most underrated fantasy sagas out there.

Here's the blurb:

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

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

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

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

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

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

 Not a single speculative fiction title on the list again this week. :/

More inexpensive ebook goodies!


You can download Katherine Addison's The Goblin Emperor for only 2.99$ by following this Amazon Associates link. There is a price match in Canada.

Here's the blurb:

The youngest, half-goblin son of the Emperor has lived his entire life in exile, distant from the Imperial Court and the deadly intrigue that suffuses it. But when his father and three sons in line for the throne are killed in an "accident," he has no choice but to take his place as the only surviving rightful heir.

Entirely unschooled in the art of court politics, he has no friends, no advisors, and the sure knowledge that whoever assassinated his father and brothers could make an attempt on his life at any moment.

Surrounded by sycophants eager to curry favor with the naïve new emperor, and overwhelmed by the burdens of his new life, he can trust nobody. Amid the swirl of plots to depose him, offers of arranged marriages, and the specter of the unknown conspirators who lurk in the shadows, he must quickly adjust to life as the Goblin Emperor. All the while, he is alone, and trying to find even a single friend . . . and hoping for the possibility of romance, yet also vigilant against the unseen enemies that threaten him, lest he lose his throne–or his life.

Katherine Addison's The Goblin Emperor is an exciting fantasy novel, set against the pageantry and color of a fascinating, unique world, is a memorable debut for a great new talent.

Rogue Protocol


In my reviews of the first two novellas, I mentioned that I've grown wary of works that get a whole lot of love from critics and go on winning genre awards. Too often, it seems, politics have become part of the selection process and that leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Still, when Martha Wells' Murderbot Diaries won every major SFF award out there, I had no choice but to pay attention and ultimately give those books a shot.

It took me a while, true, but I did it. As mentioned, I felt more than a little stupid for waiting this long. But on the other hand, I don't have to wait months between each installment. So my stupidy paid off. Sort of.

Like its predecessors, I went through Rogue Protocol in no time. And though it was as entertaining as the previous volumes, I have to admit that I'm getting tired of always having Murderbot babysit a new group of well-meaning and naive do-gooders. Hopefully this plot device will be put to rest after this novella.

Here's the blurb:

SciFi’s favorite antisocial A.I. is again on a mission. The case against the too-big-to-fail GrayCris Corporation is floundering, and more importantly, authorities are beginning to ask more questions about where Dr. Mensah’s SecUnit is.

And Murderbot would rather those questions went away. For good.


Given the novella-length format of Rogue Protocol, the worldbuilding facet is once again kept to a bare minimum. If anything, this third volume might be the one in which we learn almost nothing new. Although not problematic in and of itself, at least regarding this book, I'm getting more and more concerned about the episodic format of the Murderbot Diaries. There seems to be more than meets the eye, true. Limited in scope and vision as the first three installments appear to be, numerous signs hint that there is a depth to the storylines that will be explored in the sequels. Just how ambitious and multilayered the series turns out to be remains to be seen. Personally, I would have thought that this volume would have moved the plot further than it did. Yes, I'm well aware that this is more about Murderbot's perspective and its interactions with humans and non-humans. But at some point, hopefully sooner rather than later, the overall story arc will have to gain definition.

Feeling bad about running away from Dr. Mensah, Murderbot wants to find evidence of illegal wrongdoing on GrayCris' part to help convict them. Hence, the rogue SecUnit heads off to Milu, a deserted terraforming facility recently abandoned by GrayCris. Murderbot feels that this operation may have been a cover meant to allow them to search for artifacts from alien civilizations. Problem is, there is no way it can just show up there and snoop around. Posing as an augmented human security consultant, Murderbot will follow scientists from the GoodNightLander Independent company and their security team, on their way there to make an initial assessment of the facility. The SecUnit believes that it can explore, find what it believes is hidden there, and return to the shuttle with no one the wiser. Sadly, when the proverbial shit hits the fan, Murderbot has no choice but to save them from certain death if it is to accomplish its mission. Nothing is ever easy for this poor AI.

First-person narratives are always tricky, yet Martha Wells created an extremely engaging and endearing main protagonist. Murderbot's perspective definitely gives these novellas their unique flavor and makes this antisocial SecUnit one of the most interesting protagonists in science fiction today. Its interactions with the childlike robot Miki make our introspective narrator reconsider relationships between humans and non-humans. And while the back and forth between Murderbot and ART was hilarious, this time around we are served with a number of touching moments.

All Systems Red was an introduction meant to allow readers to get acquainted with Murderbot and Artificial Condition provided answers pertaining to its past. Rogue Protocol looks like it will be the one that bridges the first two and Exit Strategy, fourth volume and final chapter in this first Murderbot story arc. Short fiction pieces mean a more episodic format, which isn't always optimal. There's no helping that, I know. When each new novella builds on the groundwork laid by its predecessor, I have no problem with that. But this latest one doesn't appear to cover a lot of ground. Rogue Protocol may be as good as its predecessor, yet my expectations have grown with each one. Martha Wells needs to find a way to elevate her game and not fall into the trap of giving us the same old recipe.

Thankfully, the novella-length format precludes any sort of pacing issues. Regardless of its faults, Rogue Protocol is another page-turner. Let's hope that the author can close the show with a bang!

The final verdict: 8/10

For more info about this title, follow these Amazon Associates links: Canada, USA, Europe.

More inexpensive ebook goodies!


You can download The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow for only 2.99$ by following this Amazon Associate link. There is a price match in Canada.

Here's the blurb:

In the early 1900s, a young woman embarks on a fantastical journey of self-discovery after finding a mysterious book in this captivating and lyrical debut.

In a sprawling mansion filled with peculiar treasures, January Scaller is a curiosity herself. As the ward of the wealthy Mr. Locke, she feels little different from the artifacts that decorate the halls: carefully maintained, largely ignored, and utterly out of place.

Then she finds a strange book. A book that carries the scent of other worlds, and tells a tale of secret doors, of love, adventure and danger. Each page turn reveals impossible truths about the world and January discovers a story increasingly entwined with her own.

Lush and richly imagined, a tale of impossible journeys, unforgettable love, and the enduring power of stories awaits in Alix E. Harrow's spellbinding debut--step inside and discover its magic.

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

 Not a single speculative fiction title on the list this week. :/

Win a copy of Scott Drakeford's RISE OF THE MAGES


I'm giving away my review copy of Scott Drakeford's Rise of the Mages to one lucky winner. For more info about this title, follow these Amazon Associates links: Canada, USA, Europe.

Here's the blurb:

Scott Drakeford's epic fantasy debut, Rise of the Mages combines gripping, personal vengeance with compelling characters for an action packed first book in a trilogy.

Emrael Ire wants nothing more than to test to be a weapons master. His final exam will be a bloody insurrection, staged by corrupt nobles and priests, that enslaves his brother.

With the aid of his War Master tutor, herself an undercover mage, Emrael discovers his own latent and powerful talents.

To rescue his brother, Emrael must embrace not only his abilities as a warrior but also his place as last of the ancient Mage Kings—for the Fallen God has returned.

And he is hungry.


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


You can now download Ken Liu's The Veiled Throne for only 2.99$ by following this Amazon Associate link. There is a price match in Canada.

Here's the blurb:

Princess Théra, once known as Empress Üna of Dara, entrusted the throne to her younger brother in order to journey to Ukyu-Gondé to war with the Lyucu. She has crossed the fabled Wall of Storms with a fleet of advanced warships and ten thousand people. Beset by adversity, Théra and her most trusted companions attempt to overcome every challenge by doing the most interesting thing. But is not letting the past dictate the present always possible or even desirable?

In Dara, the Lyucu leadership as well as the surviving Dandelion Court bristle with rivalries as currents of power surge and ebb and perspectives spin and shift. Here, parents and children, teachers and students, Empress and Pékyu, all nurture the seeds of plans that will take years to bloom. Will tradition yield to new justifications for power?

Everywhere, the spirit of innovation dances like dandelion seeds on the wind, and the commoners, the forgotten, the ignored begin to engineer new solutions for a new age.

Ken Liu returns to the series that draws from a tradition of the great epics of our history from the Aeneid to the Romance on the Three Kingdoms and builds a new tale unsurpassed in its scope and ambition.


More inexpensive ebook goodies!


Once again, you can now get your hands on the digital edition of Andy Weir's Project Hail Mary for only 3.99$ by following this Amazon Associate link. There is a price match in Canada.

Here's the blurb:

Ryland Grace is the sole survivor on a desperate, last-chance mission—and if he fails, humanity and the earth itself will perish.

Except that right now, he doesn’t know that. He can’t even remember his own name, let alone the nature of his assignment or how to complete it.

All he knows is that he’s been asleep for a very, very long time. And he’s just been awakened to find himself millions of miles from home, with nothing but two corpses for company.

His crewmates dead, his memories fuzzily returning, Ryland realizes that an impossible task now confronts him. Hurtling through space on this tiny ship, it’s up to him to puzzle out an impossible scientific mystery—and conquer an extinction-level threat to our species.

And with the clock ticking down and the nearest human being light-years away, he’s got to do it all alone.

Or does he?

An irresistible interstellar adventure as only Andy Weir could deliver, Project Hail Mary is a tale of discovery, speculation, and survival to rival The Martian—while taking us to places it never dreamed of going.


The Dead Zone


As you know, these last few years I've been revisiting a number of Stephen King classics. It's quite interesting to reread these novels as an adult and see if my outlook is different from that of the young teenager who used to devour every new King title. Some have aged better than others, but's it's been great to return to such early works. I'm currently reading Carrie, the novel that launched King's career, and you can expect reviews of 'Salem's Lot, Pet Sematary, and more in the months/years to come.

Oddly enough, unlike The Shining, The Stand, and It, I had never read The Dead Zone before. I have no idea why, to be perfectly honest. It's even weirder given the fact that most fan sites rank this book in King's Top 5. Considering how many novels Stephen King has under his belt and the number of memorable reads that comprise his backlist, one would have thought that I would have read it by now. Alas, no. So when I found a copy at a used bookstore a while back, I decided that it would be a worthy investment. At 3.99$, you can't go wrong, right!?!

The Dead Zone is King's seventh published novel, but only the fifth written under his own name. I've never read any of his Richard Bachman titles and I figure I will have to give at least one a shot at some point. Given the enormous commercial success his previous books enjoyed, I was surprised to discover that The Dead Zone was King's first work to figure among the Top 10 bestselling novels of the year in the USA. I guess that there were a lot more people purchasing books in the late 70s than there are now.

All of which made me want to read it, of course. Yet what clinched it was the fact that the American Library Association named The Dead Zone the 82nd-most banned and challenged book in the United States between 1990 and 1999. I mean, how could I not want to find out more about this story after learning that?

Here's the blurb:

A #1 national bestseller about a man who wakes up from a five-year coma able to see people’s futures and the terrible fate awaiting mankind in The Dead Zone.

Johnny Smith awakens from a five-year coma after his car accident and discovers that he can see people’s futures and pasts when he touches them. Many consider his talent a gift; Johnny feels cursed. His fiancée married another man during his coma and people clamor for him to solve their problems.

When Johnny has a disturbing vision after he shakes the hand of an ambitious and amoral politician, he must decide if he should take drastic action to change the future.


The Dead Zone is a compelling tale that showcases Stephen King's extraordinary talent and imagination. It features ideas and concepts that appear in past and future King works. Mental powers and a religious nutjob parent are just two of them. What I found fascinating was that one of the themes explored, namely to travel back in time to kill a monster like Hitler and whether or not it would be a good thing, became the backdrop of 11/22/63, one of my favorite King novels of all time. But as good as it is, I found that there was something missing. It's a little too straightforward for my taste and lacks the depth of other King novels. Having said that, it is a book with heart and soul, no doubt about it. In many ways, The Dead Zone is more about Johnny's rehabilitation and his coping with loss than anything else.

Johnny Smith is a remarkable main protagonist. It's impossible not to feel for him. The poor guy lost nearly five years of his life, his girlfriend, his teaching career, and the world has moved on. Accepting all this and trying to get his life back on track will not be easy. As if the operations and physical therapy aren't enough, the neural damage to his brain now allows him to experience precognition when he touches certain objects or people. When he helps solve a murder case, Johnny becomes an instant sensation, but all he wants is a quiet existence as a high school teacher. Unfortunately, fate puts him in the way of Greg Stillson, an ambitious politician on the way up, and a man who might one day become the president of the USA. Something that could spell doom for countless innocents. As a matter of course, Stillson is the antagonist of this novel. Problem is, I don't think the author did as good a job making him a well-drawn character and his entire storyline is a lot weaker than Johnny's. The supporting cast is made up of an interesting bunch of people, chief among them Sarah, Johnny's ex-girlfriend, Johnny's parents, and Dr. Weizak.

The Dead Zone does suffer from some pacing issues, but it's never a deal-breaker. Certain portions, especially those dealing with Johnny's rehabilitation, are slow-moving but never dull. Although you know where Greg Stillson's storyline is headed, the man only really takes his rightful place in the plot in the last third of the novel. A better balance may have helped a little, yet I doubt that there was enough material to warrant more air time for him. Still, while no page-turner, The Dead Zone nevertheless makes for an enjoyable reading experience.

The endgame wasn't exactly what I expected and I was pleasantly surprised by how King used readers' expectations against us. The ending, often something the author has problems with, was quite good and the final scene extremely touching.

In the end, I wouldn't put The Dead Zone anywhere near Stephen King's Top 5. And yet, it's a good read that shows us glimpses of the blockbuster author King was about to become. For that alone, it's worth the read.

The final verdict: 7.5/10

For more info about this title, follow these Amazon Associates links: Canada, USA, Europe.

More inexpensive ebook goodies!


Not SFF, but Casino Royale and all fourteen of Ian Fleming's James Bond novels are on sale, some for as little as 0.79$. Find out more by following this Amazon Associate link. There is a price match in Canada.

Here's the blurb:

In the novel that introduced James Bond to the world, Ian Fleming’s agent 007 is dispatched to a French casino in Royale-les-Eaux. His mission? Bankrupt a ruthless Russian agent who’s been on a bad luck streak at the baccarat table.

One of SMERSH’s most deadly operatives, the man known only as “Le Chiffre,” has been a prime target of the British Secret Service for years. If Bond can wipe out his bankroll, Le Chiffre will likely be “retired” by his paymasters in Moscow. But what if the cards won’t cooperate? After a brutal night at the gaming tables, Bond soon finds himself dodging would-be assassins, fighting off brutal torturers, and going all-in to save the life of his beautiful female counterpart, Vesper Lynd.

Taut, tense, and effortlessly stylish, Ian Fleming’s inaugural James Bond adventure has all the hallmarks that made the series a touchstone for a generation of readers.

The text in this edition has been restored by the Fleming family company Ian Fleming Publications, to reflect the work as it was originally published.


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

 Not a single speculative fiction title on the list this week. :/

More inexpensive ebook goodies!


You can now get your hands on the digital edition of Stephen King's The Eyes of the Dragon for only 1.99$ by following this Amazon Associate link. There is a price match in Canada.

Here's the blurb:

“Once, in a kingdom called Delain, there was a king with two sons….”

Thus begins one of the most unique tales that master storyteller Stephen King has ever written—a sprawling fantasy of dark magic and the struggle for absolute power that utterly transforms the destinies of two brothers born into royalty. Through this enthralling masterpiece of mythical adventure, intrigue, and terror, you will thrill to this unforgettable narrative filled with relentless, wicked enchantment, and the most terrible of secrets…


More inexpensive ebook goodies!


You can now download Anna Smith Spark's The Court of Broken Knives for only 4.99$ by following this Amazon Associate link. It's 5.99$ in Canada.

Its two sequels, The Tower of Living and Dying and The House of Sacrifice are also on sale for 2.99$ each.

Here's the blurb:

Perfect for fans of Mark Lawrence and R Scott Bakker, The Court of Broken Knives is the explosive debut by one of grimdark fantasy's most exciting new voices.

It is the richest empire the world has ever known, and it is also doomed -- but only one man can see it.

Haunted by prophetic dreams, Orhan has hired a company of soldiers to cross the desert to reach the capital city. Once they enter the palace, they have one mission: kill the emperor, then all those who remain. Only from the ashes can a new empire be built.

The company is a group of good, ordinary soldiers for whom this is a mission like any other. But the strange boy Marith who walks among them is no ordinary soldier. Though he is young, ambitious, and impossibly charming, something dark hides in Marith's past -- and in his blood.