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You can now download Brent Weeks' The Black Prism 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:

Gavin Guile is the Prism, the most powerful man in the world. He is high priest and emperor, a man whose power, wit, and charm are all that preserves a tenuous peace. But Prisms never last, and Guile knows exactly how long he has left to live: Five years to achieve five impossible goals.

But when Guile discovers he has a son, born in a far kingdom after the war that put him in power, he must decide how much he's willing to pay to protect a secret that could tear his world apart.

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You can now download Kate Elliott's Cold Magic 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:

The Wild Hunt is stirring - and the dragons are finally waking from their long sleep...

Cat Barahal was the only survivor of the flood that took her parents. Raised by her extended family, she and her cousin, Bee, are unaware of the dangers that threaten them both. Though they are in beginning of the Industrial Age, magic - and the power of the Cold Mages - still hold sway.

Now, betrayed by her family and forced to marry a powerful Cold Mage, Cat will be drawn into a labyrinth of politics. There she will learn the full ruthlessness of the rule of the Cold Mages. What do the Cold Mages want from her? And who will help Cat in her struggle against them?

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

In hardcover:
 
Stephen King's Fairy Tale is down one position, ending the week at number 3. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

In paperback:

George R. R. Martin's Fire and Blood is up one spot, finishing the week at number 11.

Quote of the Day

Of course, the writer can impose control; it’s just a really shitty idea. Writing controlled fiction is called “plotting.” Buckling your seatbelt and letting the story take over, however…that is called “storytelling.” Storytelling is as natural as breathing; plotting is the literary version of artificial respiration.

- STEPHEN KING, 'Salem's Lot

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

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A shitload of Marvel Epic Collection omnibus digital editions are on sale for as little as 3.99$ each. Those include Avengers, X-Men, Spiderman, Black Panther, and more.

Follow this Amazon Associate link to browse what's available.

King's Dragon


Damn, I'm really late to this party. It's not the first time and it probably won't be the last, but I doubt I've ever been this late before. At least I hope not! I felt bad being fourteen years late reviewing Alastair Reynolds' House of Suns, and deservedly so. And yet, Kate Elliott's King's Dragon was published way back in 1997, twenty-five years ago.

My excuse? I have none. Other than having too many books to read, of course. The funny thing is that I have a full set of the Crown of Stars series, for I bought each installment as they came out. King's Dragon was a Nebula award finalist and I remember buying it when the paperback edition was released. Robert Jordan had already burned me as far as long series are concerned, so I elected to wait till a few more volumes were written before jumping into that series. You'll recall that I did the same with George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire (after GRRM told me it would be a trilogy). 

Back in the 90s and the early 2000s, I bought a slew of Daw titles. Starting with Tad Williams, Melanie Rawn, and C. S. Friedman, followed by Kate Elliott, Michelle West, Jennifer Roberson, Mickey Zucker Reichert, and many more. The books were big, sported distinctive SFF covers, and they were good. When I created Pat's Fantasy Hotlist back in 2005, I never would have thought that I'd still be blogging nearly two decades later. And if you'd told me that I would receive hundreds of review copies over the years, I would have said you're crazy. Still, with the emergence of new quality authors like Joe Abercrombie, Scott Lynch, Naomi Novik, Patrick Rothfuss, R. Scott Bakker, and so many others; and with the discovery of established talents such as Jacqueline Carey and Steven Erikson; and with new releases from favorites such as Robin Hobb, George R. R. Martin, and Neil Gaiman, it's no wonder that every week or so my books-to-read pile grew and grew and grew. So much so that I'm acutely aware that I won't likely manage to read all the novels I have before leaving this world. First World problem, I know.

Long story short, my backlog's just getting bigger every week. And about all those books and series I've owned since before the creation of the Hotlist, it often feels as though they just keep getting pushed back to the end of the line. Moving out of my loft in January 2011 meant that I could no longer have all of my books with me. Which means that I have hundreds of them in storage in various locations. Truth be told, I wasn't supposed to read Kate Elliott's King's Dragon. I've been looking for Michelle West's The Broken Crown ever since it was announced that PRH had forced Daw to drop her. But try as I might, I couldn't find any of my West books. Rummaging through boxes in my locker allowed me to get my hands on my Elliott books, however. Feeling that the universe was somehow speaking to me, I decided that it was high time to finally give Crown of Stars a shot!

Not surprisngly, I feel quite stupid for waiting this long, for King's Dragon is a quality read and the opening chapter for bigger and better things to come. As for West, no worries, for I ordered a copy of The Broken Crown and will get to it shortly. At least that's the plan. . .

But it's going to be difficult not to read Prince of Dogs and the subsequent installments in the near future. Again, First World problem.

Here's the blurb:

Set in an alternate Europe where bloody conflicts rage, the first book of the Crown of Stars epic fantasy series chronicles a world-shaking conflict for the survival of humanity

It begins with civil war….

For though King Henry still holds the crown of Wendar, his reign has long been contested by his sister Sabella. There are many eager to flock to her banner, and there are ways to make even the most unwilling lord into a weapon pointed at the heart of Henry’s realm.

Torn by internal strife, Wendar also faces deadly raids from the north by an inhuman race, the Eika. And now terrifying portents are being seen; old ruins restored to life under the light of the full moon and peopled by the long-vanished Lost Ones; dark spirits walking the land in broad daylight. And suddenly two innocents are about to be thrust into the middle of the conflict.

Liath, who has spent her early years fleeing from unknown enemies, is a young woman with the power to change the course of history if she can only learn to master her fear and seize what is rightfully hers.

While Alain, a young man who may find his future in a vision granted by the Lady of Battles, must first unravel the mystery of who he is—whether the bastard son of a noble father, the half-breed child of an elfin lord, the unwanted get of a whore, or the heir to a proud and ancient lineage. For only when he discovers the truth can he accept the destiny for which he was born.

Liath and Alain, each trapped in a personal struggle for survival, both helplessly being drawn into a far greater battle, a war in which sorcery not swords will determine the final outcome, and the land itself may be irrevocably reshaped by the forces unleashed….


If you could define Kate Elliott's worldbuilding with just one word, it would have to be "meticulous". With an uncanny eye for detail, her portrayal of this medieval European analog occasionally makes you feel as though you're reading a historical novel. In that respect, King's Dragon can be reminiscent of some of Guy Gavriel Kay's titles. Based on true cultures and the history of the early Middle Ages, the book is nevertheless spiced up with way more fantasy elements than any of Kay novels. Such a conscientious depiction of the historical period will please fans of worldbuilding. Personally, I loved it. But there's no denying that it often gets in the way of the plot and also slows the pace throughout the book. Hence, your mileage will vary in that regard.

Another element that sets Crown of Stars apart from most epic fantasy series out there, at least as far as this first volume is concerned, is the presence of religion and the major role it plays in every single aspect of this tale. Elliott's gender-egalitarian rebranding of the Roman Catholic Church affects people from all walks of life, from king to peasant. Not since Katherine Kurtz's Deryni saga has any SFF author tried to make religion such an all-encompassing facet of every day life in their fantasy universe. It is particularly well-done in King's Dragon, though I can understand that many a reader found that offputting. As I mentioned, religion affects everything. Whether or not Elliott's portrayal of the Church can be as impressive as Kurtz's remains to be seen, but I must say that I have high hopes for the volumes to come. Given that the use of sorcery has been formally accepted at a past religious council, although only if under the Church's supervision, here's to hoping that we will get POVs from members of the clergy to explore that aspect in future installments. I felt that not including the perspectives of characters such as Frater Agius or Biscop Antonia turned out to be a missed opportunity to delve into whether or not the use of magic is a form of heresy. The notion is obviously not clear-cut.

Although good overall, the characterization can at times be uneven. In true 90s fashion, we get two young, naive, and somewhat vulnerable main protagonists through whose eyes the bulk of the story will unfold. Alain, a compassionate young man destined to become a monk but who yearns to be a warrior. And Liath, a young girl who has spent years running away from a past she knows little about with her father and who's been taught forbidden knowledge that she must keep secret if she wants to stay alive. There seems to be a good balance between the two perspectives, although I found Liath's story to be the more compelling of the two. Especially early on. Though traumatic and often difficult to read, Liath's plotline is more fascinating. On the other hand, it takes a long time for Alain's importance to become evident and for him to come into his own, so to speak. It all comes together towards the end, but some sequences featuring Alain can be a bit boring until you reach about the halfway point of the novel. The third POV in importance is that of Rosvita, a female cleric and advisor to King Henry. It's through her perspective that the reader learns about the history and the politics of the kingdoms of Wendar and Varre. Hanna, Liath's friend, becomes a POV character almost by default, for we need to know what happens when the two are separated. We also get the point of view of Prince Sanglant, King Henry's child by one of the Aoi (name by which the elves are known) and leader of the Dragons, the king's militia, yet those scenes are few and far between. King's Dragon is by no means a slim novel and it already features a number of POVs, but I feel that the tale would have benefited from the perspectives of people such as Wolfhere, Frater Hugh, and/or other clergyman/women.

The political intrigue which is the backdrop of this tale is rather simplistic. Which could be detrimental to the overall storyarc if it doesn't improve in the sequels. Then again, at face value the political intrigue of George R. R. Martin's A Game of Thrones appeared a bit simple early on and we all know how that turned out. Time will tell if Kate Elliott can be as good as Katherine Kurtz and GRRM in that regard.

Given the size of the novel (King's Dragon weighs in at 625 pages) and the fact that it's an introduction to a much bigger and more ambitious tale, it's no surprise that it suffers from some pacing issues. All of them found in the first two-thirds of the book, as Elliott lays the groundwork for this opening chapter and the rest of the series. And even though the rhythm can drag in some portions, you always get the feeling that, even if it doesn't make sense now, those scenes will have their importance in the greater scheme of things. The endgame might not be as rousing as expected (those expecting great battle scenes à la Robert Jordan, Brandon Sanderson, and Steven Erikson might be disappointed), yet the author brings this one to a satisfying conclusion. Not a standalone by any stretch of the imagination, this first installment is still more self-contained than most of its epic fantasy counterparts.

Some argue that Kate Elliott's Crown of Stars is one of the most underrated fantasy series on the market. Time will tell if that is indeed true. But there's no denying that King's Dragon shows a lot of promise. I'm eager to see if what comes next will live up to that potential.

One thing's for sure. If you are looking for a big, multilayered fantasy novel featuring intricate worldbuilding and interesting characters, then King's Dragon is definitely for you!

The final verdict: 7.75/10

For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link. At 2.99$ for the ebook, it's a great deal!

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You can now download Pat Cadigan's Synners 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:

In Synners, the line between technology and humanity is hopelessly slim. To be a Synner is to join the online hardcore, an outlaw band of hackers, simulation pirates, and reality synthesizers hooked on artificial reality and virtual space. Now you can change yourself to suit the machines - all it costs you is your freedom, and your humanity.

Synners shows us a world perilously close to our own. A constant stream of new technology spawns new crime before it hits the streets, and the human mind and the external landscape have fused to the point where any encounter with "reality" is incidental. Equal parts thrill-ride and cautionary tale, this classic novel by the Queen of Cyberpunk offers us a terrifying glimpse into the future of our race.

Winner of the Arthur C. Clarke Award for best novel, 1992


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You can now get your hands on the digital edition of Brian McClellan's In the Shadow of Lightning 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 Brian McClellan, author of The Powder Mage trilogy, comes the first novel in the Glass Immortals series, In the Shadow of Lightning, an epic fantasy where magic is a finite resource—and it’s running out.

Demir Grappo is an outcast—he fled a life of wealth and power, abandoning his responsibilities as a general, a governor, and a son. Now he will live out his days as a grifter, rootless, and alone. But when his mother is brutally murdered, Demir must return from exile to claim his seat at the head of the family and uncover the truth that got her killed: the very power that keeps civilization turning, godglass, is running out.

Now, Demir must find allies, old friends and rivals alike, confront the powerful guild-families who are only interested in making the most of the scraps left at the table and uncover the invisible hand that threatens the Empire. A war is coming, a war unlike any other. And Demir and his ragtag group of outcasts are the only thing that stands in the way of the end of life as the world knows it.



You can also download R. A. Salvatore's The Crystal Shard for only 1.99$ here.

Here's the blurb:

Drizzt Do’Urden finds new friends and foes in the windswept towns of Icewind Dale, also the setting of the DandD adventure book Rime of the Frostmaiden

With his days in the Underdark far behind him, drow ranger Drizzt Do’Urden sets down roots in the windswept Ten-Towns of Icewind Dale. A cold and unforgiving place, Ten-Towns sits on the brink of a catastrophic war, threatened by the barbarian tribes of the north.

It’s in the midst of battle that a young barbarian named Wulfgar is captured and made the ward of Bruenor, a grizzled dwarf leader and a companion to Drizzt. With Drizzt’s help, Wulfgar will grow from a feral child to a man with the heart of a dwarf, the instincts of a savage, and the soul of a hero. But it will take even more than that to defeat the corrupt wizard who wields the demonic power of Crenshininbon—the fabled Crystal Shard.

The Crystal Shard is first book in the Icewind Dale Trilogy and the fourth book in the Legend of Drizzt series.


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You can now download Brandon Sanderson's Rhythm of War 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 Stormlight Archive saga continues in Rhythm of War, the eagerly awaited sequel to Brandon Sanderson's #1 New York Times bestselling Oathbringer, from an epic fantasy writer at the top of his game.

After forming a coalition of human resistance against the enemy invasion, Dalinar Kholin and his Knights Radiant have spent a year fighting a protracted, brutal war. Neither side has gained an advantage, and the threat of a betrayal by Dalinar’s crafty ally Taravangian looms over every strategic move.

Now, as new technological discoveries by Navani Kholin’s scholars begin to change the face of the war, the enemy prepares a bold and dangerous operation. The arms race that follows will challenge the very core of the Radiant ideals, and potentially reveal the secrets of the ancient tower that was once the heart of their strength.

At the same time that Kaladin Stormblessed must come to grips with his changing role within the Knights Radiant, his Windrunners face their own problem: As more and more deadly enemy Fused awaken to wage war, no more honorspren are willing to bond with humans to increase the number of Radiants. Adolin and Shallan must lead the coalition’s envoy to the honorspren stronghold of Lasting Integrity and either convince the spren to join the cause against the evil god Odium, or personally face the storm of failure.


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You can now get your hands on the digital edition of Blake Crouch's Upgrade 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 mind-blowing new thriller from the New York Times bestselling author of Dark Matter and Recursion—currently in development as a motion picture at Steven Spielberg's Amblin Partners

“You are the next step in human evolution.”

At first, Logan Ramsay isn’t sure if anything’s different. He just feels a little . . . sharper. Better able to concentrate. Better at multitasking. Reading a bit faster, memorizing better, needing less sleep.

But before long, he can’t deny it: Something’s happening to his brain. To his body. He’s starting to see the world, and those around him—even those he loves most—in whole new ways.

The truth is, Logan’s genome has been hacked. And there’s a reason he’s been targeted for this upgrade. A reason that goes back decades to the darkest part of his past, and a horrific family legacy.

Worse still, what’s happening to him is just the first step in a much larger plan, one that will inflict the same changes on humanity at large—at a terrifying cost.

Because of his new abilities, Logan’s the one person in the world capable of stopping what’s been set in motion. But to have a chance at winning this war, he’ll have to become something other than himself. Maybe even something other than human.

And even as he’s fighting, he can’t help wondering: what if humanity’s only hope for a future really does lie in engineering our own evolution?

Intimate in scale yet epic in scope, Upgrade is an intricately plotted, lightning-fast tale that charts one man’s thrilling transformation, even as it asks us to ponder the limits of our humanity—and our boundless potential.


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You can now download John Scalzi's The Kaiju Preservation Society 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 Kaiju Preservation Society is John Scalzi's first standalone adventure since the conclusion of his New York Times bestselling Interdependency trilogy.

When COVID-19 sweeps through New York City, Jamie Gray is stuck as a dead-end driver for food delivery apps. That is, until Jamie makes a delivery to an old acquaintance, Tom, who works at what he calls “an animal rights organization.” Tom’s team needs a last-minute grunt to handle things on their next field visit. Jamie, eager to do anything, immediately signs on.

What Tom doesn't tell Jamie is that the animals his team cares for are not here on Earth. Not our Earth, at least. In an alternate dimension, massive dinosaur-like creatures named Kaiju roam a warm, human-free world. They're the universe's largest and most dangerous panda and they're in trouble.

It's not just the Kaiju Preservation Society who have found their way to the alternate world. Others have, too. And their carelessness could cause millions back on our Earth to die.


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You can now download The End of the World: Stories of the Apocalypse, an anthology edited by Martin H. Greenberg 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:

Before The Road, by Cormac McCarthy, brought apocalyptic fiction into the mainstream, there was science fiction. No longer relegated to the fringes of literature, this explosive collection of the world's best apocalyptic writers brings the inventors of alien invasions, devastating meteors, doomsday scenarios, and all-out nuclear war back to the bookstores with a bang.

The best writers of the early 1900s were the first to flood New York with tidal waves, destroy Illinois with alien invaders, paralyze Washington with meteors, and lay waste to the Midwest with nuclear fallout. Now collected for the first time ever in one apocalyptic volume are those early doomsday writers and their contemporaries, including Neil Gaiman, George R. R. Martin, Lucius Shepard, Robert Sheckley, Norman Spinrad, Arthur C. Clarke, William F. Nolan, Poul Anderson, Fredric Brown, Lester del Rey, and more. Relive these childhood classics or discover them here for the first time. Each story details the eerie political, social, and environmental destruction of our world.

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In hardcover:
 
Stephen King's Fairy Tale is down one position, ending the week at number 2. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

In paperback:

George R. R. Martin's Fire and Blood is up two spots, finishing the week at number 12.

More inexpensive ebook goodies!


You can now download P. Djèlí Clark's The Black God's Drums 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:

Rising science fiction and fantasy star P. Djèlí Clark brings an alternate New Orleans of orisha, airships, and adventure to life in his immersive debut novella The Black God's Drums.

Alex Award Winner!

In an alternate New Orleans caught in the tangle of the American Civil War, the wall-scaling girl named Creeper yearns to escape the streets for the air--in particular, by earning a spot on-board the airship Midnight Robber. Creeper plans to earn Captain Ann-Marie’s trust with information she discovers about a Haitian scientist and a mysterious weapon he calls The Black God’s Drums.

But Creeper also has a secret herself: Oya, the African orisha of the wind and storms, speaks inside her head, and may have her own ulterior motivations.

Soon, Creeper, Oya, and the crew of the Midnight Robber are pulled into a perilous mission aimed to stop the Black God’s Drums from being unleashed and wiping out the entirety of New Orleans.




You can also download Tim Lebbon's Eden for only 1.99$ here.

Here's the blurb:

From the bestselling author of Netflix's The Silence comes a brand-new horror eco thriller.

Earth's rising oceans contain enormous islands of refuse, the Amazon rainforest is all-but destroyed, and countless species edge towards extinction. Humanity's last hope to save the planet lies with The Virgin Zones, thirteen vast areas of land off-limits to people and given back to nature.

Dylan leads a clandestine team of adventure racers, including his daughter Jenn, into Eden, the oldest of the Zones. Jenn carries a secret--Kat, Dylan's wife who abandoned them both years ago, has entered Eden ahead of them. Jenn is determined to find her mother, but neither she nor the rest of their tight-knit team are prepared for what confronts them. Nature has returned to Eden in an elemental, primeval way. And here, nature is no longer humanity's friend.

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You can now download David Dalglish's The Bladed Faith 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 usurped prince prepares to take up the mantle of a deadly assassin and reclaim his kingdom, his people, and his slain gods in this epic fantasy from a USA Today bestselling author.

Cyrus was only twelve years old when his gods were slain, his country invaded, and his parents—the king and queen—beheaded in front of him. Held prisoner in the invader's court for years, Cyrus is suddenly given a chance to escape and claim his revenge when a mysterious group of revolutionaries comes looking for a figurehead. They need a hero to strike fear into the hearts of the imperial and to inspire and unite the people. They need someone to take up the skull mask and swords and to become the legendary "Vagrant"—an unparalleled hero and assassin of otherworldly skill.

But all is not as it seems. Creating the illusion of a hero is the work of many, and Cyrus will soon discover the true price of his vengeance.



You can also download Peter McLean's Priest of Crowns for 0.99$ here.

Here's the blurb:

Gangster, soldier, priest. Governor, knight, and above all, Queen's Man.

Once, Tomas Piety looked after his men, body and soul, as best he could. Then those who ran his country decided his dark talents would better serve in the corridors of power.

Crushed by the power of the Queen's Men and with the Skanian menace rising once more on the streets of Ellinburg, Tomas Piety is forced to turn to old friends, old debts and untrustworthy alliances.

Meanwhile in the capital city of Dannsburg, Dieter Vogel is beginning to wonder if the horror he has unleashed in the Martyr's Disciples might be getting out of control.

With revolution brewing and tragedy and terrorism running rife in the cities, Piety and Vogel must each weigh the cost of a crown.


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You can now download Nnedi Okorafor's Remote Control 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:

An alien artifact turns a young girl into Death's adopted daughter in Remote Control, a thrilling sci-fi tale of community and female empowerment from Nebula and Hugo Award-winner Nnedi Okorafor.

“She’s the adopted daughter of the Angel of Death. Beware of her. Mind her. Death guards her like one of its own.”

The day Fatima forgot her name, Death paid a visit. From hereon in she would be known as Sankofa—a name that meant nothing to anyone but her, the only tie to her family and her past.

Her touch is death, and with a glance a town can fall. And she walks—alone, except for her fox companion—searching for the object that came from the sky and gave itself to her when the meteors fell and when she was yet unchanged; searching for answers.

But is there a greater purpose for Sankofa, now that Death is her constant companion?



You can also get your hands on the digital edition of Nisi Shawl's Everfair for only 2.99$ here.

Here's the blurb:

From noted short story writer Nisi Shawl comes a brilliant alternate-history novel set in the Belgian Congo.

What if the African natives developed steam power ahead of their colonial oppressors? What might have come of Belgium's disastrous colonization of the Congo if the native populations had learned about steam technology a bit earlier?

Fabian Socialists from Great Britain join forces with African-American missionaries to purchase land from the Belgian Congo's "owner," King Leopold II. This land, named Everfair, is set aside as a safe haven, an imaginary Utopia for native populations of the Congo as well as escaped slaves returning from America and other places where African natives were being mistreated.

Shawl's speculative masterpiece manages to turn one of the worst human rights disasters on record into a marvelous and exciting exploration of the possibilities inherent in a turn of history. Everfair is told from a multiplicity of voices: Africans, Europeans, East Asians, and African Americans in complex relationships with one another, in a compelling range of voices that have historically been silenced. Everfair is not only a beautiful book but an educational and inspiring one that will give the reader new insight into an often ignored period of history.

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


House of Suns


The good folks at Gollancz sent me an ARC of Alastair Reynolds' House of Suns way back in 2008. Not sure why it took me fourteen years to finally read it. Especially given how good the novel turned out to be. I have no excuse. Nor should you. If you're a fan of space opera on a grand scale, this book is definitely for you!

Reynolds is best known for his Revelation Space series, which is comprised of several novels, novellas, and short stories. Understandably, delving into such a sequence, even more so for a newbie, can be quite daunting. Yet as a standalone project, House of Suns is the perfect opportunity for readers unfamiliar with the author's body of work to jump in and give him a shot. Believe you me: You won't regret it!

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 . . .


Alastair Reynolds is known for big-concept science fiction novels. Still, the sheer scope of the plot sets House of Suns apart from most space opera offerings out there. What makes it even more impressive is that Reynolds was able to cram it all into a standalone story. And even if the immensity of it all can at times be mind-boggling, unlike lots of hard scifi yarns House of Suns never loses track of the humanity that is the heart of this tale, namely that of the two main protagonists. The scale of most of the conceptual elements was so broad and fascinating that they could have drowned what is essentially the underpinning of the plot.

The characterization is excellent. The bulk of the book features the perspectives of Campion and Purslane, and I felt that there was a good balance between the two points of view. Though deeply in love, their outlook on things can't be quite different and it was interesting to see events unfold through their eyes. Each new part begins with a flashback scene from a young Abigail Gentian. These help readers understand how and why she elected to clone herself and send those shatterlings across the galaxy. Although I did enjoy those flashbacks, in the end they weren't as important to the tale as I first thought they would be. And even if Campion and Purslane take center stage for the most part, one member of the supporting cast really came into its own and upstaged them from time to time. The golden robot Hesperus, one of the Machine People whose memory was erased, played an important role in making this novel what it was.

There are some pacing issues here and there. Mostly in the first half of the novel. Indeed, it does take a while to understand what the story is all about. It's never boring, mind you. But it makes you wonder where Reynolds is going with the plot. Especially given the fact that we know from the blurb that the Gentian line was nearly wiped out as they gathered for their new reunion. From about the halfway point, however, House of Suns becomes a veritable page-turner.

The endgame is thrilling all the way through and Reynolds caps it all off with the sort of grand finale that will make you beg for more. I know that the author wrote the short story "Belladonna Nights" which is set in the House of Suns universe, but I would love for Reynolds to come up with more novel-length projects taking place in the same setting. I feel that there is so much left to explore. Even more so with the ending and the doors it left open.

Six million years of history and exploration, weapons of mass destruction, star dams capable of holding a nebula, ancient races and unfathomable technology, stellar engineering, powerful AI, cloning, wormholes, the nature of longevity and memory, star-crossed lovers, and so much more. How could you not want to read this book!?!

The final verdict: 8.5/10

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 Steven Erikson's Willful Child for only 2.99$ by following this Amazon Associate link. This OneLink will take you to the nearest Amazon site serving your country and you'll see if you can take advantage of this sale.

Here's the blurb:

From the New York Times Bestselling author Steven Erikson comes a new science fiction novel of devil-may-care, near calamitous and downright chaotic adventures through the infinite vastness of interstellar space.

These are the voyages of the starship A.S.F. Willful Child. Its ongoing mission: to seek out strange new worlds on which to plant the Terran flag, to subjugate and if necessary obliterate new life-forms, to boldly blow the...

And so we join the not-terribly-bright but exceedingly cock-sure Captain Hadrian Sawback and his motley crew on board the Starship Willful Child for a series of devil-may-care, near-calamitous and downright chaotic adventures through ‘the infinite vastness of interstellar space.’

The New York Times bestselling author of the acclaimed Malazan Book of the Fallen sequence has taken his lifelong passion for Star Trek and transformed it into a smart, inventive, and hugely entertaining spoof on the whole mankind-exploring-space-for-the-good-of-all-species-but-trashing-stuff-with-a-lot-of-high-tech-gadgets-along-the-way, overblown adventure. The result is an SF novel that deftly parodies the genre while also paying fond homage to it.

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You can now get your hands on the digital edition of N. K. Jemisin's The Stone Sky 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:

Humanity will finally be saved or destroyed in the shattering conclusion to the post-apocalyptic and highly acclaimed NYT bestselling trilogy that won the Hugo Award three years in a row.

The Moon will soon return. Whether this heralds the destruction of humankind or something worse will depend on two women.

Essun has inherited the power of Alabaster Tenring. With it, she hopes to find her daughter Nassun and forge a world in which every orogene child can grow up safe.

For Nassun, her mother’s mastery of the Obelisk Gate comes too late. She has seen the evil of the world, and accepted what her mother will not admit: that sometimes what is corrupt cannot be cleansed, only destroyed.

This is the way the world ends… for the last time.

Quote of the Day

Some destinies cannot be escaped.

- KATE ELLIOTT, King's Dragon. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

I'm really enjoying this book so far. Well worth the 2.99$ you have to fork out for the digital edition!

This week's New York Times Bestsellers (October 23rd)

In hardcover:
 
Stephen King's Fairy Tale is up one position, ending the week at number 1. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

In paperback:

George R. R. Martin's Fire and Blood is up one spot, finishing the week at number 14.

More inexpensive ebook goodies!


You can now get your hands on the digital edition of Mira Grant's Into the Drowning Deep 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:

New York Times bestselling author Mira Grant, author of the renowned Newsflesh series, returns with a novel that takes us to a new world of ancient mysteries and mythological dangers come to life.

The ocean is home to many myths,

But some are deadly...

Seven years ago the Atargatis set off on a voyage to the Mariana Trench to film a mockumentary bringing to life ancient sea creatures of legend. It was lost at sea with all hands. Some have called it a hoax; others have called it a tragedy.

Now a new crew has been assembled. But this time they're not out to entertain. Some seek to validate their life's work. Some seek the greatest hunt of all. Some seek the truth. But for the ambitious young scientist Victoria Stewart this is a voyage to uncover the fate of the sister she lost.

Whatever the truth may be, it will only be found below the waves.

But the secrets of the deep come with a price.


You can also download Adrian Tchaikovsky's Guns of the Dawn for only 3.99$ here.

Here's the blurb:

The first casualty of war is truth . . .

First, Denland’s revolutionaries assassinated their king, launching a wave of bloodshed after generations of peace. Next they clashed with Lascanne, their royalist neighbour, pitching war-machines against warlocks in a fiercely fought conflict.

Genteel Emily Marshwic watched as the hostilities stole her family’s young men. But then came the call for yet more Lascanne soldiers in a ravaged kingdom with none left to give. Emily must join the ranks of conscripted women and march toward the front lines.

With barely enough training to hold a musket, Emily braves the savage reality of warfare. But she begins to doubt her country's cause, and those doubts become critical. For her choices will determine her own future and that of two nations locked in battle.

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You can now download John Scalzi's Redshirts 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:

Ensign Andrew Dahl has just been assigned to the Universal Union Capital Ship Intrepid, flagship of the Universal Union since the year 2456. It's a prestige posting, and Andrew is thrilled all the more to be assigned to the ship's Xenobiology laboratory.

Life couldn't be better…until Andrew begins to pick up on the fact that (1) every Away Mission involves some kind of lethal confrontation with alien forces, (2) the ship's captain, its chief science officer, and the handsome Lieutenant Kerensky always survive these confrontations, and (3) at least one low-ranked crew member is, sadly, always killed.

Not surprisingly, a great deal of energy below decks is expended on avoiding, at all costs, being assigned to an Away Mission. Then Andrew stumbles on information that completely transforms his and his colleagues' understanding of what the starship Intrepid really is…and offers them a crazy, high-risk chance to save their own lives.

Redshirts is the winner of the 2013 Hugo Award for Best Novel.

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You can now download John Gwynne's The Shadow of the Gods 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 GREATEST SAGAS ARE WRITTEN IN BLOOD.

A century has passed since the gods fought and drove themselves to extinction. Now only their bones remain, promising great power to those brave enough to seek them out.

As whispers of war echo across the land of Vigrid, fate follows in the footsteps of three warriors: a huntress on a dangerous quest, a noblewoman pursuing battle fame, and a thrall seeking vengeance among the mercenaries known as the Bloodsworn.

All three will shape the fate of the world as it once more falls under the shadow of the gods.

Set in a brand-new, Norse-inspired world, and packed with myth, magic, and vengeance, The Shadow of the Gods begins an epic new fantasy saga from bestselling author John Gwynne.


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You can now download Miles Cameron's Against All Gods 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:

The tyranny of the gods is absolute, and they are capricious, malevolent and almost all-powerful, playing cruel games with the fates of mortals for their own ends . . .

A vibrant and powerful epic set against an alternate Bronze Age, this tale of gods, men and monsters, conspiracy and war, is a rich, compelling and original read from a master of the historical and fantasy genres. The people caught up in toils of the gods are merely trying to survive. Victims of vicious whims, trapped by their circumstances or pushed beyond what the mortal frame can bear, a handful of god-touched mortals - a scribe, a warlord, a dancer and a child - are about to be brought together in a conspiracy of their own.

A conspiracy to reach the heavens, and take down the corrupt and aging gods . . . who are already facing troubles of their own . . .

An epic that draws on a wide variety of myths and legends, gods and heroes, this new trilogy is a must read for fans of Dan Simmons and Madeline Miller alike.



You can also get your hands on the digital edition of Megan E. O'Keefe's The First Omega for 3.99$ here.

Here's the blurb:

Mad Max meets X-Men in this razor-sharp new dystopian novella by the Philip K Dick award nominated author of Velocity Weapon.

It doesn't matter what you call her. Riley. Burner. She forgot her name long ago. But if you steal from the supply lines crossing the wasteland, her face is the last one you'll see. She is the force of nature that keeps the balance in the hot arid desert. Keep to yourself and she'll leave you well enough alone. But it's when you try to take more than you can chew that her employers notice and send her off to restore the balance. Then she gets the latest call. A supply truck knocked over too cleanly. Too precise. And the bodies scattering the wreckage weren't killed by her normal prey of scavengers. These bodies are already rotting hours after the attack. Cowering in the corner of the wreckage is a young girl. A girl that shouldn't be there. A girl with violently blue eyes. Just like hers.


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You can now get your hands on the digital edition of Miles Cameron's Artifact Space 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:

Out in the darkness of space, something is targeting the Greatships.

With their vast cargo holds and a crew that could fill a city, the Greatships are the lifeblood of human occupied space, transporting an unimaginable volume - and value - of goods from City, the greatest human orbital, all the way to Tradepoint at the other, to trade for xenoglas with an unknowable alien species.

It has always been Marca Nbaro's dream to achieve the near-impossible: escape her upbringing and venture into space.

All it took, to make her way onto the crew of the Greatship Athens was thousands of hours in simulators, dedication, and pawning or selling every scrap of her old life in order to forge a new one. But though she's made her way onboard with faked papers, leaving her old life - and scandals - behind isn't so easy.

She may have just combined all the dangers of her former life, with all the perils of the new . . .


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You can now download Raymond E. Feist's King of Ashes 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 first volume in legendary master and New York Times bestselling author Raymond E. Feist’s epic heroic fantasy series, The Firemane Saga—an electrifying tale of two young men whose choices will determine a world’s destiny.

For centuries, the five greatest kingdoms of North and South Tembria, twin continents on the world of Garn, have coexisted in peace. But the balance of power is destroyed when four of the kingdoms violate an ancient covenant and betray the fifth: Ithrace, the Kingdom of Flames, ruled by Steveren Langene, known as "the Firemane" for his brilliant red hair. As war engulfs the world, Ithrace is destroyed and the Greater Realms of Tembria are thrust into a dangerous struggle for supremacy.

As a Free Lord, Baron Daylon Dumarch owes allegiance to no king. When an abandoned infant is found hidden in Daylon’s pavilion, he realizes that the child must be the missing heir of the slain Steveren. The boy is valuable—and vulnerable. A cunning and patient man, Daylon decides to keep the baby’s existence secret, and sends him to be raised on the Island of Coaltachin, home of the so-called Kingdom of Night, where the powerful and lethal Nocusara, the "Hidden Warriors," legendary assassins and spies, are trained.

Years later, another orphan of mysterious provenance, a young man named Declan, earns his Masters rank as a weapons smith. Blessed with intelligence and skill, he unlocks the secret to forging King’s Steel, the apex of a weapon maker’s trade known by very few. Yet this precious knowledge is also deadly, and Declan is forced to leave his home to safeguard his life. Landing in Lord Daylon’s provinces, he hopes to start anew.

Soon, the two young men—an unknowing rightful heir to a throne and a brilliantly talented young swordsmith—will discover that their fates, and that of Garn, are entwined. The legendary, long-ago War of Betrayal has never truly ended . . . and they must discover the secret of who truly threatens their world.

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You can now download Stephen Baxter's Galaxias 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:

What would happen to the world if the sun went out?

New epic sci-fi from Stephen Baxter, the award-winning author whose credits include co-authorship of the Long Earth series with Terry Pratchett.

By the middle of the 21st century, humanity has managed to overcome a series of catastrophic events and maintain some sense of stability. Space exploration has begun again. Science has led the way.

But then one day, the sun goes out. Solar panels are useless, and the world begins to freeze.

Earth begins to fall out of its orbit.

The end is nigh.

Someone has sent us a sign.


This week's New York Times Bestsellers (October 16th)

In hardcover:
 
Stephen King's Fairy Tale maintains its position at number 2. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Naomi Novik's The Golden Enclaves debuts at number 4. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

In paperback:

George R. R. Martin's Fire and Blood is down three spots, finishing the week at number 15.

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You can now get your hands on Robert Jackson Bennett's The Company Man 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:

The year is 1919.

The McNaughton Corporation is the pinnacle of American industry. They built the guns that won the Great War before it even began. They built the airships that tie the world together. And, above all, they built Evesden-a shining metropolis, the best that the world has to offer.

But something is rotten at the heart of the city. Deep underground, a trolley car pulls into a station with eleven dead bodies inside. Four minutes before, the victims were seen boarding at the previous station. Eleven men butchered by hand in the blink of an eye. All are dead. And all are union.

Now, one man, Cyril Hayes, must fix this. There is a dark secret behind the inventions of McNaughton and with a war brewing between the executives and the workers, the truth must be discovered before the whole city burns. Caught between the union and the company, between the police and the victims, Hayes must uncover the mystery before it kills him.


You can also download Robert Jackson Bennett's The Troupe for only 1.99$ here.

Here's the blurb:

Vaudeville: mad, mercenary, dreamy, and absurd, a world of clashing cultures and ferocious showmanship and wickedly delightful deceptions.

But sixteen-year-old pianist George Carole has joined vaudeville for one reason only: to find the man he suspects to be his father, the great Heironomo Silenus. Yet as he chases down his father's troupe, he begins to understand that their performances are strange even for vaudeville: for wherever they happen to tour, the very nature of the world seems to change.

Because there is a secret within Silenus's show so ancient and dangerous that it has won him many powerful enemies. And it's not until after he joins them that George realizes the troupe is not simply touring: they are running for their lives.

And soon...he is as well.



You can also download Robert Jackson Bennett's Mr. Shivers for only 1.99$ here.

Here's the blurb:

Discover Robert Jackson Bennett's stunning debut, "set during the Great Depression and reading like a collaboration between Stephen King and John Steinbeck" (Publishers Weekly -- starred review).

In the ruins of the Dust Bowl, thousands have left their homes looking for a better life, a new life. But Marcus Connelly is not one of them. He searches for one thing, and one thing only: Revenge.

Because out there, riding the rails, stalking the camps, is the scarred vagrant who murdered Connelly's daughter.

One man must face a dark truth and answer the question -- how much is he willing to sacrifice for his satisfaction?



You can also download Robert Jackson Bennett's Vigilance for only 2.99$ here.

Here's the blurb:

Robert Jackson Bennett's Vigilance is a dark science fiction action parable from an America that has permanently surrendered to gun violence.

The United States. 2030. John McDean executive produces "Vigilance," a reality game show designed to make sure American citizens stay alert to foreign and domestic threats. Shooters are introduced into a "game environment," and the survivors get a cash prize.

The TV audience is not the only one that's watching though, and McDean soon finds out what it's like to be on the other side of the camera.

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



Finally, you can get your hands on the digital edition of Brian Ruckley's The Edinburgh Dead for only 1.99$ here.

Here's the blurb:

Edinburgh: 1828

In the starkly-lit operating theaters of the city, grisly experiments are being carried out on corpses in the name of medical science. But elsewhere, there are those experimenting with more sinister forces.

Amongst the crowded, sprawling tenements of the labyrinthine Old Town, a body is found, its neck torn to pieces. Charged with investigating the murder is Adam Quire, Officer of the newly- formed Edinburgh Police. The trail will lead him into the deepest reaches of the city's criminal underclass, and to the highest echelons of the filthy rich.

Soon Quire will discover that a darkness is crawling through this city of enlightenment -- and no one is safe from its corruption.

The Edinburgh Dead is a powerful fusion of gothic horror, history, and the fantastical.


Age of Ash


As you know, I'm a big fan of the Expanse. So when it was announced that Daniel Abraham would release a new fantasy trilogy, I was eager to get my hands on it. I was never able to get into the Dagger and the Coin series and stopped after reading the first installment. But nearly a decade later, and with the critical and commercial success of the Expanse under the author's belt, I was curious to see if Age of Ash would work better for me. Alas, it took everything I had in me to simply finish the book.

I nearly quit at least a dozen times, only to persevere in the hope that there would be some sort of payoff in the next chapter. Yet it was not to be. Age of Ash turned out to be the slog of slogs for me.

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.


It's obvious that a lot of work went into creating a vivid setting. Indeed, Abraham detailed descriptions of Kithamar bring the city alive with an imagery that is seldom seen. Trouble is, I have a feeling that Abraham went overboard with this. We're talking about Tolkienesque descriptions that attempt to capture the excruciating minutia of the city and its inhabitants, high and low, throughout the seasons of a full year. Every new chapter, every new POV change, every new section will begin with multiple paragraphs describing the daily lives of all and sundry. To a certain extent, Kithamar almost becomes a character in its own right. But as is often the case, less is more. Although it's incredibly unfair to compare Daniel Abraham with Carlos Ruiz Zafon, the latter managed to make Barcelona the focal point of his story without spending page after page after page describing every little detail about it. Giving Tolkien a run for his money in that regard was, in my humble opinion, overkill on Abraham's part. I understand that Age of Ash was meant to be an atmospheric novel, but this is just too much.

The characterization was my favorite aspect of this book. Not that it's perfect, mind you. Abraham's depiction of living in poverty and how hard it is to grow up in such a brutal environment was particularly well-done. It helped flesh out the two main protagonists, Alys and Sammish. And yet, no matter how well-drawn both young women turned out to be, there is no denying that they're quite bland and hard to root for. Though you feel for them and their plight, both can be boring for long periods of time and I often found myself losing interest in whatever happened to them. Some will call this novel a slow burn, but others, like me, will find it a veritable slog to go through. There is a story hiding beneath all those endless descriptions, sometimes a very good one. But sifting through all those extraneous details in order to get to the good parts will not appeal to everyone. It also doesn't help that it takes a very long time for the story to truly come together and start to make sense. A lot of effort went into making Alys and Sammish three-dimensional protagonists, yet the same cannot be said of the supporting cast. There is an age-old power struggle between at least two political factions that lies at the heart of this tale. But it's never elaborated on in a way I found satisfactory, nor are its players really that well-realized. Given their importance in the plot, they would have benefited from more depth.

It should come as no surprise that the pace is atrocious. In Age of Ash, Daniel Abraham makes Guy Gavriel Kay look like R. A. Salvatore. It has a lot to do with the interminable descriptions of Kithamar, true, but the plot moves at a snail's pace regardless. As I mentioned, it was extremely hard for me to maintain focus and not lose interest in what was going on. Because every time a new element piqued your curiosity and renewed your interest, you have to go through an extra 50-75 pages or so before it paid off. Weighing in at 436 pages, I wonder if this work wouldn't have worked better as a novelette or novella. Stripped down of everything that truly matters, I doubt that there was enough material for a novel-length project. As things stand, Age of Ash is all filler, no killer.

And sadly, the ending offers very little in terms of resolution. Will I read the next two volumes? Hard to tell. God knows I have little interest in doing so at the moment. The Kithamar trilogy will be comprised of three somewhat standalone novels, with each installment working together to create a bigger and more ambitious story arc. This was Alys' story. Time will tell what the other two books will be about and which characters from Age of Ash will make appearances. We'll have to wait and see. . .

It has dawned upon me that perhaps Ty Franck brings the best out of Daniel Abraham. That together they come up with plotlines and characters that scratch my itch and make be beg for more. Maybe on his own, for this is the second series that fails to really capture my interest, Daniel Abraham simply isn't for me. Food for thought.

The final verdict: 5/10

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

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You can now download Richard Morgan's Market Forces for only 3.93$ 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 coup in Cambodia. Guns to Guatemala. For the men and women of Shorn Associates, opportunity is calling. In the superheated global village of the near future, big money is made by finding the right little war and supporting one side against the other–in exchange for a share of the spoils. To succeed, Shorn uses a new kind of corporate gladiator: sharp-suited, hard-driving gunslingers who operate armored vehicles and follow a Samurai code. And Chris Faulkner is just the man for the job.

He fought his way out of London’s zone of destitution. And his kills are making him famous. But unlike his best friend and competitor at Shorn, Faulkner has a side that outsiders cannot see: the side his wife is trying to salvage, that another woman–a porn star turned TV news reporter–is trying to exploit. Steeped in blood, eyed by common criminals looking for a shot at fame, Faulkner is living on borrowed time. Until he’s given one last shot at getting out alive. . .


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You can now download Silvia Moreno-Garcia's Mexican Gothic 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 receiving a frantic letter from her newly-wed cousin begging for someone to save her from a mysterious doom, Noemí Taboada heads to High Place, a distant house in the Mexican countryside. She’s not sure what she will find—her cousin’s husband, a handsome Englishman, is a stranger, and Noemí knows little about the region.

Noemí is also an unlikely rescuer: She’s a glamorous debutante, and her chic gowns and perfect red lipstick are more suited for cocktail parties than amateur sleuthing. But she’s also tough and smart, with an indomitable will, and she is not afraid: Not of her cousin’s new husband, who is both menacing and alluring; not of his father, the ancient patriarch who seems to be fascinated by Noemí; and not even of the house itself, which begins to invade Noemi’s dreams with visions of blood and doom.

Her only ally in this inhospitable abode is the family’s youngest son. Shy and gentle, he seems to want to help Noemí, but might also be hiding dark knowledge of his family’s past. For there are many secrets behind the walls of High Place. The family’s once colossal wealth and faded mining empire kept them from prying eyes, but as Noemí digs deeper she unearths stories of violence and madness.

And Noemí, mesmerized by the terrifying yet seductive world of High Place, may soon find it impossible to ever leave this enigmatic house behind.



You can also download R. F. Kuang's The Poppy War, which many consider the fantasy debut of 2018, for only 1.99$ here.

Here's the blurb:

A "Best of May" Science Fiction and Fantasy pick by Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Audible, The Verge, SyFy Wire, and Kirkus.

A brilliantly imaginative talent makes her exciting debut with this epic historical military fantasy, inspired by the bloody history of China’s twentieth century and filled with treachery and magic, in the tradition of Ken Liu’s Grace of Kings and N.K. Jemisin’s Inheritance Trilogy.

When Rin aced the Keju—the Empire-wide test to find the most talented youth to learn at the Academies—it was a shock to everyone: to the test officials, who couldn’t believe a war orphan from Rooster Province could pass without cheating; to Rin’s guardians, who believed they’d finally be able to marry her off and further their criminal enterprise; and to Rin herself, who realized she was finally free of the servitude and despair that had made up her daily existence. That she got into Sinegard—the most elite military school in Nikan—was even more surprising.

But surprises aren’t always good.

Because being a dark-skinned peasant girl from the south is not an easy thing at Sinegard. Targeted from the outset by rival classmates for her color, poverty, and gender, Rin discovers she possesses a lethal, unearthly power—an aptitude for the nearly-mythical art of shamanism. Exploring the depths of her gift with the help of a seemingly insane teacher and psychoactive substances, Rin learns that gods long thought dead are very much alive—and that mastering control over those powers could mean more than just surviving school.

For while the Nikara Empire is at peace, the Federation of Mugen still lurks across a narrow sea. The militarily advanced Federation occupied Nikan for decades after the First Poppy War, and only barely lost the continent in the Second. And while most of the people are complacent to go about their lives, a few are aware that a Third Poppy War is just a spark away . . .

Rin’s shamanic powers may be the only way to save her people. But as she finds out more about the god that has chosen her, the vengeful Phoenix, she fears that winning the war may cost her humanity . . . and that it may already be too late.


You can also get your hands on N.K. Jemisin's The Fifth Season, Hugo award winner, for only 2.99$ here.

Here's the blurb:

THIS IS THE WAY THE WORLD ENDS... FOR THE LAST TIME.

A season of endings has begun.

It starts with the great red rift across the heart of the world's sole continent, spewing ash that blots out the sun.

It starts with death, with a murdered son and a missing daughter.

It starts with betrayal, and long dormant wounds rising up to fester.

This is the Stillness, a land long familiar with catastrophe, where the power of the earth is wielded as a weapon. And where there is no mercy.