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You can get your hands on the digital edition of Neal Stephenson's Fall, or Dodge in Hell for only 2.99$ by following this Amazon Associate link. This OneLink will take you to the nearest Amazon site serving your country and you'll see if you can take advantage of this sale.

Here's the blurb:

A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK

The #1 New York Times bestselling author of Seveneves, Anathem, Reamde, and Cryptonomicon returns with a wildly inventive and entertaining science fiction thriller—Paradise Lost by way of Philip K. Dick—that unfolds in the near future, in parallel worlds.

In his youth, Richard “Dodge” Forthrast founded Corporation 9592, a gaming company that made him a multibillionaire. Now in his middle years, Dodge appreciates his comfortable, unencumbered life, managing his myriad business interests, and spending time with his beloved niece Zula and her young daughter, Sophia.

One beautiful autumn day, while he undergoes a routine medical procedure, something goes irrevocably wrong. Dodge is pronounced brain dead and put on life support, leaving his stunned family and close friends with difficult decisions. Long ago, when a much younger Dodge drew up his will, he directed that his body be given to a cryonics company now owned by enigmatic tech entrepreneur Elmo Shepherd. Legally bound to follow the directive despite their misgivings, Dodge’s family has his brain scanned and its data structures uploaded and stored in the cloud, until it can eventually be revived.

In the coming years, technology allows Dodge’s brain to be turned back on. It is an achievement that is nothing less than the disruption of death itself. An eternal afterlife—the Bitworld—is created, in which humans continue to exist as digital souls.

But this brave new immortal world is not the Utopia it might first seem . . .

Fall, or Dodge in Hell is pure, unadulterated fun: a grand drama of analog and digital, man and machine, angels and demons, gods and followers, the finite and the eternal. In this exhilarating epic, Neal Stephenson raises profound existential questions and touches on the revolutionary breakthroughs that are transforming our future. Combining the technological, philosophical, and spiritual in one grand myth, he delivers a mind-blowing speculative literary saga for the modern age.

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You can download Robert E. Howard's Conan the Barbarian: 20 Adventure Tales of Conan 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. 1740 pages featuring Conan the Cimmerian for less than 1$, it doesn't get much better than this!

I'm almost done with this omnibus and I'm enjoying it a lot more than I thought I would!

Here's the blurb:

Conan The Barbarian is the original stories about adventure stories of conan the cimmerian written by Robert E. Howard in 1934-1936. In this book contains 20 stories of Conan The Cimmerian.

1.The Hyborian Age, first published in The Phantagraph, February-November 1936.
2.Shadows In the Moonlight, first published in Weird Tales, April 1934.
3.Queen Of the Black Coast, first published in Weird Tales, May 1934.
4.The Devil In Iron, first published in Weird Tales, August 1934.
5.The People Of the Black Circle, first published in Weird Tales, September, October and November 1934.
6.A Witch Shall Be Born, first published in Weird Tales in 1934.
7.The Jewels Of Gwahlur, first published in Weird Tales, March 1935.
8.Beyond the Black River, first published in Weird Tales magazine circa 1935.
9.Shadows In Zamboula, first published in Weird Tales, November 1935.
10.The Hour Of the Dragon, first published in Weird Tales, December 1935-April 1936.
11.Gods Of the North, first published in Fantasy Fan, March 1934.
12.Red Nails, First Published in Weird Tales, July, August-September, October 1936.
13. The Shadow of the Vulture, First published in the pulp magazine Magic Carpet Magazine, January 1934.
14.The Phoenix on the Sword, First published in 1932.
15.The Scarlet Citadel, First published in 1933.
16.The Tower of the Elephant, First published in 1933.
17.Black Colossus, First published in 1934.
18.The Slithering Shadow, First published in 1934.
19.The Pool of the Black One, First published in 1934.
20.Rogues in the House, First published in 1935.

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You can now get your hands on the digital edition of Kazuo Ishiguro's Klara and the Sun for only 4.99$ by following this Amazon Associate link. This OneLink will take you to the nearest Amazon site serving your country and you'll see if you can take advantage of this sale.

Here's the blurb:

Here is the story of Klara, an Artificial Friend with outstanding observational qualities, who, from her place in the store, watches carefully the behavior of those who come in to browse, and of those who pass on the street outside. She remains hopeful that a customer will soon choose her. Klara and the Sun is a thrilling book that offers a look at our changing world through the eyes of an unforgettable narrator, and one that explores the fundamental question: what does it mean to love?

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You can now download Glen Cook's Sweet Silver Blues, the first installment in the Garrett, P.I. series, 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:

It should have been a simple job. But for Garrett, a human detective in a world of gnomes, tracking down the woman to whom his dead pal Danny left a fortune in silver is no slight task. Even with the aid of Morley, the toughest half-elf around, Garrett isn't sure he'll make it out alive from a land where magic can be murder, the dead still talk, and vampires are always hungry for human blood.

This week's New York Times Bestsellers (August 7th)

There are no speculative fiction bestsellers this week.

Dragons of Deceit


Oh man. . . Took me about a week to finally sit down and write this review. There's no way to sugarcoat this. Dragons of Deceit is by far the weakest Dragonlance offering from Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman.

The Dragonlance Chronicles were my gateway into the fantasy genre. It was my first year of junior high and I was twelve years old. Reading the original trilogy changed my life, so to speak. Dragons of Autumn Twilight was the first "true" fantasy novel I ever read. This was the book that made me fall in love with the genre, and I never looked back! Hence, these two authors will always hold a special place in my heart. Even though they haven't written anything that really captured my imagination since the conclusion of The Deathgate Cycle in 1994, I always give them the benefit of the doubt and give their new material a shot. Unfortunately, since then Weis and Hickman (together, solo, or with other collaborators) have often produced works of average quality at best.

The War of Souls trilogy was a far cry, both in quality and originality, from their popular Dragonlance Chronicles and Legends. That series was followed by The Lost Chronicles a few years later. It was a trilogy that would explore some of the storylines that were not part of the narrative of the original main sequence. Which boded well for fans eager to see Weis and Hickman recapture their erstwhile excellence. After all, they were going back to their old stomping grounds, the world of Krynn, during the War of the Lance. Alas, all three installments were mostly filler and no killer, and the whole series was disappointing.

The premise for Dragons of Deceit was quite similar and got fans (myself included) excited once more. After all, it was Weis and Hickman's first Dragonlance novel to be released in over a decade. Then came the whole fiasco, what with the publisher trying to shelf the project and prevent its publication. In retrospect, I have to wonder if the inherent quality (or lack thereof) of the books had anything to do with that decision. Because simply put, this is probably Weis and Hickman's worst novel to date.

Here's the blurb:

Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman return to the unforgettable world of the New York Times bestselling Dragonlance series as a new heroine—desperate to restore her beloved father to life—sets off on a quest to change time.

Destina Rosethorn—as her name implies—believes herself to be a favored child of destiny. But when her father dies in the War of the Lance, she watches her carefully constructed world come crashing down. She loses not only her beloved father but also the legacy he has left her: the family lands and castle. To save her father, she hatches a bold plan—to go back in time and prevent his death.

First, she has to secure the Device of Time Journeying, last known to be in the possession of the spirited kender Tasslehoff Burrfoot. But to change time, she’ll need another magical artifact—the most powerful and dangerous artifact ever created. Destina’s quest takes her from the dwarven kingdom of Thorbardin to the town of Solace and beyond, setting in motion a chain of disastrous events that threaten to divert the course of the River of Time, alter the past, and forever change the future.


The first part of the novel sets up Destina Rosethorn as the main protagonist. It spans her early years prior to the coming of the dragons, the bloody conflict and the return of the gods, and the aftermath of the War of the Lance. As many other reviewers pointed out, though slow and at times a little boring, it's the first time that readers get a chance to experience a slice of life on Krynn. It adds layers to the tale and gives this small corner of Solamnia a more lived in sort of atmosphere. It's following Destina's father's death and the end of the war that the girl's world comes crashing down and then this books goes down the proverbial crapper. From that point on, the story is all over the place and almost nothing makes sense.

Characterization has always been Weis and Hickman's bread and butter. Over the years, these two have created a variety of memorable characters. One only has to think about the Heroes of the Lance; Raistlin, Caramon, Tanis, Sturm, Tasslehoff, Lauranna, and the rest of the gang. The original Dragonlance series also featured a number of great secondary characters such as Lord Soth, Dalamar, and Kitiara. The Darksword trilogy had Joram, Saryon, Simkin, and Mosiah. The Rose of the Prophet had Matthew, Khardan, and Zohra. The Death Gate Cycle featured Haplo, Alfred, Hugh the Hand, Xar, Marit, Zifnab, and more. These characters are the main reason why millions of readers kept coming back, begging for more stories from these two bestselling authors.

Unfortunately, Destina will never join the ranks of these unforgettable characters. Indeed, she could well be the dumbest protagonist in the franchise's history. Having lost my mother last year, it's easy to understand her pain and feel for her. But then to see her blundering around in a clueless yet hypocritical way, as she quotes the Measure at every opportunity and claims to hate magic at every turn, and yet her crazy plan requires the aid of various magical artifacts, it just makes you want to throw the book across the room. Initially, I hoped that the appearance of Tasslehoff and other familiar faces would help the plot. Alas, though he has always been silly in a good-hearted fashion, the kender's silliness takes a turn that stretches credulity to its breaking point. Add to that the time-travel aspect and you end up with a recipe for disaster. Literally.

True, hardcore Dragonlance fans will buy Dragons of Deceit no matter what people say about it. And I guess that in the end, this is what helped settle the lawsuit. But I have to wonder how an editor (the same one who edited GRRM's A Song of Ice and Fire) could let such an uninspired addition to the Dragonlance franchise be released as it was. There were seeds of a very good story in this book. Yet it feels as though Weis and Hickman didn't even try to make them work. That they're simply going through the motions, never trying to accomplish anything worthwhile.

Another things that needs to be said is that they're not writing for teenagers anymore. Most Dragonlance fans are in their 30s, 40s, even their 50s. We have grown older and our tastes in books have evolved. It's the same with the Star Wars franchise. For once, just for once, I'd like for the powers that be to remember that and offer us material that we can enjoy and relate to as adults. Perhaps, if I was still fourteen, I would have loved this novel and would have overlooked all its flagrant flaws. But as an adult?

It's just plain bad. . .

The final verdict: 3/10

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

You can read an extract from the book here.

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You can now download Raymond E. Feist's Magician: Apprentice for only 1.99$ by following this Amazon Associate link. This OneLink will take you to the nearest Amazon site serving your country and you'll see if you can take advantage of this sale.

Here's the blurb:

A worthy pupil . . . A dangerous quest

To the forest on the shore of the Kingdom of the Isles, the orphan Pug came to study with the master magician Kulgan. But though his courage won him a place at court and the heart of a lovely Princess, he was ill at ease with the normal ways of wizardry.

Yet Pug's strange sort of magic would one day change forever the fates of two worlds. For dark beings from another world had opened a rift in the fabric of spacetime to being again the age-old battle between the forces of Order and Chaos.


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All of Neil Gaiman's The Sandman omnibus editions are on sale for 3.99$ each. Follow this Amazon Associate link to take advantage of this sale. 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.

If, like me, you wanted to read, or reread, the source material before watching the Netflix TV series, this is a great opportunity!

Here's the blurb for the first volume:

Neil Gaiman's seminal series, THE SANDMAN, celebrates its 30th anniversary with an all-new edition of THE SANDMAN VOL. 1: PRELUDES & NOCTURNES!

New York Times best-selling author Neil Gaiman's transcendent series THE SANDMAN is often hailed as the definitive Vertigo title and one of the finest achievements in graphic storytelling. Gaiman created an unforgettable tale of the forces that exist beyond life and death by weaving ancient mythology, folklore and fairy tales with his own distinct narrative vision.

In PRELUDES & NOCTURNES, an occultist attempting to capture Death to bargain for eternal life traps her younger brother Dream instead. After his 70 year imprisonment and eventual escape, Dream, also known as Morpheus, goes on a quest for his lost objects of power. On his arduous journey Morpheus encounters Lucifer, John Constantine, and an all-powerful madman.

This book also includes the story "The Sound of Her Wings," which introduces us to the pragmatic and perky goth girl Death.

Collects THE SANDMAN #1-8.


This week's New York Times Bestsellers (July 31st)

There are no speculative fiction bestsellers this week.

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You can now download Charles Soule's Star Wars: Light of the Jedi for only 3.99$ by following this Amazon Associate link. This OneLink will take you to the nearest Amazon site serving your country and you'll see if you can take advantage of this sale.

Here's the blurb:

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Long before the First Order, before the Empire, before even The Phantom Menace . . . Jedi lit the way for the galaxy in The High Republic

It is a golden age. Intrepid hyperspace scouts expand the reach of the Republic to the furthest stars, worlds flourish under the benevolent leadership of the Senate, and peace reigns, enforced by the wisdom and strength of the renowned order of Force users known as the Jedi. With the Jedi at the height of their power, the free citizens of the galaxy are confident in their ability to weather any storm But the even brightest light can cast a shadow, and some storms defy any preparation.

When a shocking catastrophe in hyperspace tears a ship to pieces, the flurry of shrapnel emerging from the disaster threatens an entire system. No sooner does the call for help go out than the Jedi race to the scene. The scope of the emergence, however, is enough to push even Jedi to their limit. As the sky breaks open and destruction rains down upon the peaceful alliance they helped to build, the Jedi must trust in the Force to see them through a day in which a single mistake could cost billions of lives.

Even as the Jedi battle valiantly against calamity, something truly deadly grows beyond the boundary of the Republic. The hyperspace disaster is far more sinister than the Jedi could ever suspect. A threat hides in the darkness, far from the light of the age, and harbors a secret that could strike fear into even a Jedi’s heart.


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You can now get your hands on Neil Gaiman's American Gods: The Tenth Anniversary Edition 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:

First published in 2001, American Gods became an instant classic—an intellectual and artistic benchmark from the multiple-award-winning master of innovative fiction, Neil Gaiman. Now discover the mystery and magic of American Gods in this tenth anniversary edition. Newly updated and expanded with the author’s preferred text, this commemorative volume is a true celebration of a modern masterpiece by the one, the only, Neil Gaiman.

A storm is coming . . .

Locked behind bars for three years, Shadow did his time, quietly waiting for the magic day when he could return to Eagle Point, Indiana. A man no longer scared of what tomorrow might bring, all he wanted was to be with Laura, the wife he deeply loved, and start a new life.

But just days before his release, Laura and Shadow’s best friend are killed in an accident. With his life in pieces and nothing to keep him tethered, Shadow accepts a job from a beguiling stranger he meets on the way home, an enigmatic man who calls himself Mr. Wednesday. A trickster and rogue, Wednesday seems to know more about Shadow than Shadow does himself.

Life as Wednesday’s bodyguard, driver, and errand boy is far more interesting and dangerous than Shadow ever imagined—it is a job that takes him on a dark and strange road trip and introduces him to a host of eccentric characters whose fates are mysteriously intertwined with his own. Along the way Shadow will learn that the past never dies; that everyone, including his beloved Laura, harbors secrets; and that dreams, totems, legends, and myths are more real than we know. Ultimately, he will discover that beneath the placid surface of everyday life a storm is brewing—an epic war for the very soul of America—and that he is standing squarely in its path.

Relevant and prescient, American Gods has been lauded for its brilliant synthesis of “mystery, satire, sex, horror, and poetic prose” (Michael Dirda, Washington Post Book World) and as a modern phantasmagoria that “distills the essence of America” (Seattle Post-Intelligencer). It is, quite simply, an outstanding work of literary imagination that will endure for generations.

This week's New York Times Bestsellers (July 24th)

There are no speculative fiction bestsellers this week.

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You can now get your hands on the digital edition of Mira Grant's The Rising: The Newsflesh Trilogy 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:

Now, for the first time, Mira Grant's complete New York Times bestselling NEWSFLESH trilogy is available in a single volume.

"Alive or dead, the truth won't rest. My name is Georgia Mason, and I am begging you. Rise up while you can."

The year was 2014. We had cured cancer. We had beat the common cold. But in doing so we created something new, something terrible that no one could stop. The infection spread, virus blocks taking over bodies and minds with one, unstoppable command: FEED.

Now, twenty years after the Rising, Georgia and Shaun Mason are on the trail of the biggest story of their lives —the dark conspiracy behind the infected. The truth will out, even if it kills them.


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You can now download Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman's Dragon Wing, first volume in the Death Gate Cycle, the authors' very best series, for only 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.

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

Here's the blurb:

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

An assassin and the royal child he has been hired to kill form an unlikely and unstable alliance as the plots of human sorcerers, elven pirates, and dwarf revolutionaries threaten to overwhelm the airborne kingdoms of Arianus.

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

Here's the blurb:

From New York Times bestselling and critically acclaimed author Daniel Abraham, co-author of The Expanse, comes a monumental epic fantasy trilogy that unfolds within the walls of a single great city, over the course of one tumultuous year, where every story matters, and the fate of the city is woven from them all.

Kithamar is a center of trade and wealth, an ancient city with a long, bloody history where countless thousands live and their stories unfold.

This is Alys's.

When her brother is murdered, a petty thief from the slums of Longhill sets out to discover who killed him and why. But the more she discovers about him, the more she learns about herself, and the truths she finds are more dangerous than knives.

Swept up in an intrigue as deep as the roots of Kithamar, where the secrets of the lowest born can sometimes topple thrones, the story Alys chooses will have the power to change everything.



You can now download Robert Jordan's The Eye of the World 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 Wheel of Time ® is a PBS Great American Read Selection! Now in development for TV!

Since its debut in 1990, The Wheel of Time® by Robert Jordan has captivated millions of readers around the globe with its scope, originality, and compelling characters.

The Wheel of Time turns and Ages come and go, leaving memories that become legend. Legend fades to myth, and even myth is long forgotten when the Age that gave it birth returns again. In the Third Age, an Age of Prophecy, the World and Time themselves hang in the balance. What was, what will be, and what is, may yet fall under the Shadow.

When The Two Rivers is attacked by Trollocs—a savage tribe of half-men, half-beasts— five villagers flee that night into a world they barely imagined, with new dangers waiting in the shadows and in the light.

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You can now get youur hands on the digital edition of Steven Erikson's The Fiends of Nightmaria 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 king is dead, long live King Bauchelain the First, crowned by the Grand Bishop Korbal Broach. Both are, of course, ably assisted in the running of the Kingdom of Farrog by their slowly unravelling servant, Emancipor Reese. However, tensions are mounting between Farrog and the neighboring country of Nightmaria, the mysterious home of the Fiends. Their ambassador, Ophal D Neeth Flatroq, seeks an audience with King Bauchelain, who has thus far rebuffed his overtures. But the necromancer has some other things on his plate.

To quell potential rebellion nearly all the artists, poets, and bards in the city have been put to death. A few survivors languish in the dungeons, bemoaning their fates. Well, just moaning in general really…and maybe plotting escape and revenge.


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You can now download Max Brooks' Devolution 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:

FINALIST FOR THE LOCUS AWARD

As the ash and chaos from Mount Rainier’s eruption swirled and finally settled, the story of the Greenloop massacre has passed unnoticed, unexamined . . . until now. The journals of resident Kate Holland, recovered from the town’s bloody wreckage, capture a tale too harrowing—and too earth-shattering in its implications—to be forgotten. In these pages, Max Brooks brings Kate’s extraordinary account to light for the first time, faithfully reproducing her words alongside his own extensive investigations into the massacre and the legendary beasts behind it. Kate’s is a tale of unexpected strength and resilience, of humanity’s defiance in the face of a terrible predator’s gaze, and, inevitably, of savagery and death.

Yet it is also far more than that.

Because if what Kate Holland saw in those days is real, then we must accept the impossible. We must accept that the creature known as Bigfoot walks among us—and that it is a beast of terrible strength and ferocity.

Part survival narrative, part bloody horror tale, part scientific journey into the boundaries between truth and fiction, this is a Bigfoot story as only Max Brooks could chronicle it—and like none you’ve ever read before.


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You can now download V. E. Schwab's The Invisible Life of Addie Larue for only 4.99$ by following this Amazon Associate link. This OneLink will take you to the nearest Amazon site serving your country and you'll see if you can take advantage of this sale.

Here's the blurb:

In the vein of The Time Traveler’s Wife and Life After Life, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is New York Times bestselling author V. E. Schwab’s genre-defying tour de force.

A Life No One Will Remember. A Story You Will Never Forget.

France, 1714: in a moment of desperation, a young woman makes a Faustian bargain to live forever—and is cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets.

Thus begins the extraordinary life of Addie LaRue, and a dazzling adventure that will play out across centuries and continents, across history and art, as a young woman learns how far she will go to leave her mark on the world.

But everything changes when, after nearly 300 years, Addie stumbles across a young man in a hidden bookstore and he remembers her name.



You can also get your ends on the digital edition of Olivie Blake's The Atlas Six for only 3.99$ here. 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 Alexandrian Society, caretakers of lost knowledge from the greatest civilizations of antiquity, are the foremost secret society of magical academicians in the world. Those who earn a place among the Alexandrians will secure a life of wealth, power, and prestige beyond their wildest dreams, and each decade, only the six most uniquely talented magicians are selected to be considered for initiation.

Enter the latest round of six: Libby Rhodes and Nico de Varona, unwilling halves of an unfathomable whole, who exert uncanny control over every element of physicality. Reina Mori, a naturalist, who can intuit the language of life itself. Parisa Kamali, a telepath who can traverse the depths of the subconscious, navigating worlds inside the human mind. Callum Nova, an empath easily mistaken for a manipulative illusionist, who can influence the intimate workings of a person’s inner self. Finally, there is Tristan Caine, who can see through illusions to a new structure of reality—an ability so rare that neither he nor his peers can fully grasp its implications.

When the candidates are recruited by the mysterious Atlas Blakely, they are told they will have one year to qualify for initiation, during which time they will be permitted preliminary access to the Society’s archives and judged based on their contributions to various subjects of impossibility: time and space, luck and thought, life and death. Five, they are told, will be initiated. One will be eliminated. The six potential initiates will fight to survive the next year of their lives, and if they can prove themselves to be the best among their rivals, most of them will.

Most of them.


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

In hardcover:

Adam Christopher's Star Wars: Shadow of the Sith debuts at number 11. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

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You can now get your hands on the digital edition of Shelley Parker-Chan's She Who Became the Sun for only 2.99$ by following this Amazon Associate link. It's a OneLink that will take you to the closest Amazon site that serves your country and you can see if the sale price applies to you.

Here's the blurb:

To possess the Mandate of Heaven, the female monk Zhu will do anything.

“I refuse to be nothing…”

In a famine-stricken village on a dusty yellow plain, two children are given two fates. A boy, greatness. A girl, nothingness…

In 1345, China lies under harsh Mongol rule. For the starving peasants of the Central Plains, greatness is something found only in stories. When the Zhu family’s eighth-born son, Zhu Chongba, is given a fate of greatness, everyone is mystified as to how it will come to pass. The fate of nothingness received by the family’s clever and capable second daughter, on the other hand, is only as expected.

When a bandit attack orphans the two children, though, it is Zhu Chongba who succumbs to despair and dies. Desperate to escape her own fated death, the girl uses her brother's identity to enter a monastery as a young male novice. There, propelled by her burning desire to survive, Zhu learns she is capable of doing whatever it takes, no matter how callous, to stay hidden from her fate.

After her sanctuary is destroyed for supporting the rebellion against Mongol rule, Zhu takes the chance to claim another future altogether: her brother's abandoned greatness.

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


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You can now get your hands on the digital edition of Joe Abercrombie's Red Country for only 2.99$ by following this Amazon Associate link.

Here's the blurb:

A New York Times bestseller!

They burned her home.
They stole her brother and sister.
But vengeance is following.

Shy South hoped to bury her bloody past and ride away smiling, but she'll have to sharpen up some bad old ways to get her family back, and she's not a woman to flinch from what needs doing. She sets off in pursuit with only a pair of oxen and her cowardly old step father Lamb for company. But it turns out Lamb's buried a bloody past of his own. And out in the lawless Far Country the past never stays buried.

Their journey will take them across the barren plains to a frontier town gripped by gold fever, through feud, duel and massacre, high into the unmapped mountains to a reckoning with the Ghosts. Even worse, it will force them into an alliance with Nicomo Cosca, infamous soldier of fortune, and his feckless lawyer Temple, two men no one should ever have to trust . . .

RED COUNTRY takes place in the same world as the First Law trilogy, Best Served Cold, andThe Heroes. This novel also represents the return of Logen Ninefingers, one of Abercrombie's most beloved characters.

The Art of Prophecy


I've become wary of short fiction authors moving on to novel-length projects. Too often, they seem to forget what made their short stories and novellas such good reads and end up padding their storylines with boring and extraneous character arcs and plot devices. But Wesley Chu's upcoming The Art of the Prophecy sounded intriguing and I gave it a shot.

Alas, I should have followed my instincts. Not only does Chu's latest lack depth and substance, it is also more or less YA from one end to the other. I wish the book had been marketed that way, like Del Rey did with Peter V. Brett's newest. Had I known, I would have given this one a pass.

Here's the blurb:

So many stories begin the same way: With a prophecy. A chosen one. And the inevitable quest to slay a villain, save the kingdom, and fulfill a grand destiny.

But this is not that kind of story.

It does begin with a prophecy: A child will rise to defeat the Eternal Khan, a cruel immortal god-king, and save the kingdom.

And that prophecy did anoint a hero, Jian, raised since birth in luxury and splendor, and celebrated before he has won a single battle.

But that’s when the story hits its first twist: The prophecy is wrong.

What follows is a story more wondrous than any prophecy could foresee, and with many unexpected heroes: Taishi, an older woman who is the greatest grandmaster of magical martial arts in the kingdom but who thought her adventuring days were all behind her; Sali, a straitlaced warrior who learns the rules may no longer apply when the leader to whom she pledged her life is gone; and Qisami, a chaotic assassin who takes a little too much pleasure in the kill.

And Jian himself, who has to find a way to become what he no longer believes he can be—a hero after all.


What really made me want to read this novel was the fact that, according to the press release at least, it was inspired by Chinese culture, history, and mythology. That it would appeal to readers looking for a fantasy series that steps outside of Western influences. Trouble is, as was the case with novels like S. A. Chakraborty's The City of Brass, everything that has to do with non-Western influences is little more than window dressing. Sure, you witness such details in the food, the clothing, the martial arts, etc. But in the end, The Art of the Prophecy reads like your typical Western SFF book. You never feel yourself immersed in the setting the way you were when reading Guy Gavriel Kay's Under Heaven and River of Stars. This was a major disappointment for me, because I expected Chu to imbue his latest work with the sort of imagery that makes the setting come alive and leap off the page. Kind of the way authors like Jacqueline Carey, R. Scott Bakker, Steven Erikson, or even James Clavell were able to do so. As it is, there is little to differentiate Wesley Chu's latest from what's out there.

Another problem is that, like Brandon Sanderson, Chu appears to be a not terribly funny person who tries like hell to be funny. Not everyone can be a Joe Abercrombie, Scott Lynch, or Terry Pratchett, and no amount of trying can change that. It also doesn't help that the humor tends to be quite juvenile. Ultimately, though some jokes are actually funny, the bulk of Chu's humerous attempts tend to fall rather flat and become annoying after a while. The dialogue is reminiscent of late-night B-movies that didn't even make it straight to DVD. À la Sanderson, Chu also steers clear of profanities and replaces them with ridiculous phrases that made me roll my eyes at every turn. What in (insert name)'s shrivelled scrotum is this all about? I mean, come on. . .

The premise of this novel was very interesting. What if a prophecy is wrong? Such a premise promised so many different avenues to explore. In that regard, it feels as though the author didn't even try. True, The Art of the Prophecy acts like an introduction to what, one can only hope, will be a more compelling and multilayered tale. But like its supposedly Chinese backdrop, the book lacks depth and substance. Doesn't have any, from what I could perceive. I wish Chu would have worked more on his plotlines and protagonists instead of focusing on insipid jokes and action scenes. There are a few bright sparks that show that the story had potential, but overall the execution leaves a lot to be desired. Had this been a debut from an unknown writer, it never would have been published.

Try as I might, I never could bring myself to root for any of the characters, or even stay invested and interested in any of them. They are all over-the-top caricatures, each more badass than the other. I mean, they make Drizzt Do'Urden seem like a blundering oaf. Taishi is by far the worst, but Sali and Qisami are not far behind. Jian, the closest thing to a main protagonist, is a cardboard cutout we've seen a million times. The supporting cast is no better, with Xinde being the only exception.

Surprisingly, for all of its faults and its 526 pages, The Art of the Prophecy doesn't suffer from pacing issues. Sure, there are portions in which the plot meanders through Sali and Qisami chapters. But overall, Chu keeps his tale going at a decent clip. It just might be this novel's only saving grace. That and a few revelations near the end.

Sadly, for me it was a case of too little, too late. Had I known that it would be a black and white YA sort of book filled with action and juvenile humor, I never would have read this book. Having said that, for people looking for a light read to bring on vacation this summer, it just might do the trick. For more demanding readers, well. . .

The final verdict: 5.5/10

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

You can read an extract from the novel here.

More inexpensive ebook goodies!


You can now get your hands on the digital edition of Jonathan Maberry's Glimpse for only 2.99$ by following this Amazon Associate link

I'm giving Amazon's OneLink another shot after so-so results a few years back. Technically, clicking on this link will take you to the nearest Amazon website serving your region and you can see whether or not this title is on sale there.

Here's the blurb:

A chilling thriller that explores what happens when reality and nightmares converge, and how far one will go to protect the innocent when their own brain is a threat.

From New York Times bestselling author Jonathan Maberry comes a novel that puts a bold new spin on the supernatural thriller.

Rain Thomas is a mess. Seven years an addict and three difficult years clean. Racked by guilt for the baby she gave up for adoption when she was sixteen. Still grieving for the boy’s father who died in Iraq. Alone, discarded by her family, with only the damaged members of her narcotics anonymous meetings as friends. Them, and the voices in her head.

One morning, on the way to a much-needed job interview, she borrows reading glasses to review her resume. There is a small crack in one lens and through that damaged slice of glass she sees a young boy go running down the aisle of the subway train. Is he screaming with laughter or just screaming? When she tries to find the boy, he’s gone and no one has seen him.

The day spins out of control. Rain loses whole chunks of time. She has no idea where her days went. The voices she hears are telling her horrible things. And even stranger things are happening. Unsure whether she is going insane, Rain sets out to find answers to long buried questions about an earlier life she has avoided for years—in what may be the most dangerous collision of all, that between reality and nightmare.

How far will one person go to save someone they love?

Read on at your own peril...