More inexpensive ebook goodies!


You can now download Katherine Arden's The Bear and the Nightingale 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:

At the edge of the Russian wilderness, winter lasts most of the year and the snowdrifts grow taller than houses. But Vasilisa doesn’t mind—she spends the winter nights huddled around the embers of a fire with her beloved siblings, listening to her nurse’s fairy tales. Above all, she loves the chilling story of Frost, the blue-eyed winter demon, who appears in the frigid night to claim unwary souls. Wise Russians fear him, her nurse says, and honor the spirits of house and yard and forest that protect their homes from evil.

After Vasilisa’s mother dies, her father goes to Moscow and brings home a new wife. Fiercely devout, city-bred, Vasilisa’s new stepmother forbids her family from honoring the household spirits. The family acquiesces, but Vasilisa is frightened, sensing that more hinges upon their rituals than anyone knows.

And indeed, crops begin to fail, evil creatures of the forest creep nearer, and misfortune stalks the village. All the while, Vasilisa’s stepmother grows ever harsher in her determination to groom her rebellious stepdaughter for either marriage or confinement in a convent.

As danger circles, Vasilisa must defy even the people she loves and call on dangerous gifts she has long concealed—this, in order to protect her family from a threat that seems to have stepped from her nurse’s most frightening tales.


You can also download Evan Winter's The Rage of Dragons 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:

Game of Thrones meets Gladiator in this debut epic fantasy about a world caught in an eternal war, and the young man who will become his people's only hope for survival.

The Omehi people have been fighting an unwinnable war for almost two hundred years. The lucky ones are born gifted. One in every two thousand women has the power to call down dragons. One in every hundred men is able to magically transform himself into a bigger, stronger, faster killing machine.

Everyone else is fodder, destined to fight and die in the endless war.

Young, gift-less Tau knows all this, but he has a plan of escape. He's going to get himself injured, get out early, and settle down to marriage, children, and land. Only, he doesn't get the chance.

Those closest to him are brutally murdered, and his grief swiftly turns to anger. Fixated on revenge, Tau dedicates himself to an unthinkable path. He'll become the greatest swordsman to ever live, a man willing to die a hundred thousand times for the chance to kill the three who betrayed him.

The Rage of Dragons launches a stunning and powerful debut epic fantasy series that readers are already calling "the best fantasy book in years."

You can also download Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman's Dragons of Autumn Twilight 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:

Once merely creatures of legend, the dragons have returned to Krynn. But with their arrival comes the departure of the old gods—and all healing magic. As war threatens to engulf the land, a group of lifelong friends reunite for an adventure that will change their lives and shape their world forever . . .

When Tanis, Sturm, Caramon, Raistlin, Flint, and Tasslehoff see a woman use a blue crystal staff to heal a villager, they wonder if it's a sign the gods have not abandoned them after all. Fueled by this glimmer of hope, the Companions ban together to uncover the truth behind the gods' absence—though they aren't the only ones with an interest in the staff. The Seekers, a new religious order, wants the artifact for their own ends, believing it will help them replace the gods and overtake the continent of Ansalon. Now, the Companions must assume the unlikely roles of heroes if they hope to prevent the staff from falling into the hands of darkness.

King Sorrow


DNF

This is my second DNF in a matter of weeks, which has never happened in the two decades since I've been reviewing novels on the Hotlist. I was really intrigued by the Faustian premise of Joe Hill's King Sorrow, so this is a major disppointment.

The execution leaves a lot to be desired. The book is bloated in Sandersonesque fashion. Indeed, the plot is filled with superfluous scenes that bring little or nothing to the story. Unlike his father who has a knack for writing genuine kids/teenagers/young adults, Hill's cast never quite feel real and their banter sounds off and forced. I simply couldn't root for any of the characters. There are also a few anachronisms that just added to my annoyance.

I slogged through for 250 pages and elected to quit. There was no way I was going to persevere through 800 pages of this. I kind of want to discover how they'll ultimately outwit the dragon, but there's no way I could endure such a grind any longer. I had no choice but to put the book down.

Here's the blurb:

Arthur Oakes is a reader, a dreamer, and a student at Rackham College, Maine, renowned for its frosty winters, exceptional library, and beautiful buildings. But his idyll—and burgeoning romance with Gwen Underfoot—is shattered when a local drug dealer and her partner corner him into one of the worst crimes he can imagine: stealing rare books from the college library.

Trapped and desperate, Arthur turns to his closest friends for comfort and help. Together they dream up a wild, fantastical scheme to free Arthur from the cruel trap in which he finds himself. Wealthy, irrepressible Colin Wren suggests using the unnerving Crane journal (bound in the skin of its author) to summon a dragon to do their bidding. The others—brave, beautiful Alison Shiner; the battling twins Donna and Donovan McBride; and brainy, bold Gwen—don’t hesitate to join Colin in an effort to smash reality and bring a creature of the impossible into our world.

But there’s nothing simple about dealing with dragons, and their pact to save Arthur becomes a terrifying bargain in which the six must choose a new sacrifice for King Sorrow every year—or become his next meal.


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

More inexpensive ebook goodies!


You can now get your hands on the digital edition of Jim Butcher's The Aeronaut's Windlass for only 1.99$ by following this Amnazon 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:

Jim Butcher, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Dresden Files and the Codex Alera novels, conjures up a new series set in a fantastic world of noble families, steam-powered technology, and magic-wielding warriors…

Since time immemorial, the Spires have sheltered humanity, towering for miles over the mist-shrouded surface of the world. Within their halls, aristocratic houses have ruled for generations, developing scientific marvels, fostering trade alliances, and building fleets of airships to keep the peace.

Captain Grimm commands the merchant ship, Predator. Fiercely loyal to Spire Albion, he has taken their side in the cold war with Spire Aurora, disrupting the enemy’s shipping lines by attacking their cargo vessels. But when the Predator is severely damaged in combat, leaving captain and crew grounded, Grimm is offered a proposition from the Spirearch of Albion—to join a team of agents on a vital mission in exchange for fully restoring Predator to its fighting glory.

And even as Grimm undertakes this dangerous task, he will learn that the conflict between the Spires is merely a premonition of things to come. Humanity’s ancient enemy, silent for more than ten thousand years, has begun to stir once more. And death will follow in its wake…


More inexpensive ebook goodies!


You can download C. J. Cherryh's Hugo award-winning Downbelow Station 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:

Pell's Station, orbiting the alien world simply called Downbelow, had always managed to remain neutral in the ever escalating conflict between The Company, whose fleets from Earth had colonized space, and its increasingly independent and rebellious colony worlds. But Pell's location on the outer edge of Earth's defensive perimeter makes her the focal point in the titanic battle of colony worlds fighting for independence.

A legend among sci-fi readers, C. J. Cherryh‘s Union-Alliance novels, while separate and complete in themselves, are part of a much larger tapestry—a future history spanning 5,000 years of human civilization.

Here is the 20th anniversary edition of Downbelow Station, the book that won Cherryh a Hugo Award for Best novel in 1982. A blockbuster space opera of the rebellion between Earth and its far-flung colonies, it is a classic science fiction masterwork.

More inexpensive ebook goodies!


You can now download Tad Williams' The Navigator's Children 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:

The latest saga in the New York Times bestselling world of Osten Ard concludes in the fourth and final Last King of Osten Ard novel.

The Hayholt is besieged by the Norns. Once the home of their immortal brethren, the Sithi, now capital of the kingdom of men, the fabled castle is under attack. And as the world is distracted by this strike against humankind, the Norns’ deathless witch-queen Utuk’ku turns towards the mysterious fateful valley called Tanakirú—the Vale of Mists.

Meanwhile, Queen Miriamele hurries to save the Hayholt and capture the treacherous noble Pasevalles, but arrives to discover the traitor has escaped.

And inside Tanakirú, Vale of Mists, the bond between Prince Morgan and Nezeru, a renegade Norn, has become something deeper and stranger than either of them could have anticipated. They journey ever deeper to the heart of the valley’s mystery, encountering wonder and horror, and come face to face at last with the ancient secret that has kindled the Norn Queen’s war—a secret that will destroy immortals and humans alike.


This week's New York Times Bestsellers (October 5th)

In hardcover:

Samantha Shannon's Among the Burning Flowers debuts at number 4. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

R.F. Kuang's Katabasis is down three positions, ending the week at number 5. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Hannah Nicole Maehrer's Assistant to the Villain debuts at number 6. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Rebecca Yarros' Onyx Storm is up seven positions, ending the week at number 8. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Callie Hart's Quicksilver is down one spot, finishing the week at number 15. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

In paperback:

Andy Weir's Project Hail Mary is up one position, ending the week at number 5. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Sarah J. Maas' A Court of Thorns and Roses maintains its position at number 12. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Rebecca Yarros' Fourth Wing returns at number 15. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

More inexpensive ebook goodies!


You can now get your hands on the digital edition of Joe Abercrombie's The Devils for only 6.99$ 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 brand-new epic fantasy from New York Times bestselling author Joe Abercrombie, featuring a notorious band of anti-heroes on a delightfully bloody and raucous journey.

Holy work sometimes requires unholy deeds.

Brother Diaz has been summoned to the Sacred City, where he is certain a commendation and grand holy assignment awaits him. But his new flock is made up of unrepentant murderers, practitioners of ghastly magic, and outright monsters. The mission he is tasked with will require bloody measures from them all in order to achieve its righteous ends.

Elves lurk at our borders and hunger for our flesh, while greedy princes care for nothing but their own ambitions and comfort. With a hellish journey before him, it's a good thing Brother Diaz has the devils on his side.


More inexpensive ebook goodies!


You can now get your hands on the digital edition of Robert R. McCammon's Boy's Life, winner of the World Fantasy and the Bram Stoker Awards, 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.

One of the best books I've read in a long time!

Here's the blurb:

An Alabama boy’s innocence is shaken by murder and madness in the 1960s South in this novel by the New York Times–bestselling author of Swan Song.

It’s 1964 in idyllic Zephyr, Alabama. People either work for the paper mill up the Tecumseh River, or for the local dairy. It’s a simple life, but it stirs the impressionable imagination of twelve-year-old aspiring writer Cory Mackenson. He’s certain he’s sensed spirits whispering in the churchyard. He’s heard of the weird bootleggers who lurk in the dark outside of town. He’s seen a flood leave Main Street crawling with snakes. Cory thrills to all of it as only a young boy can.

Then one morning, while accompanying his father on his milk route, he sees a car careen off the road and slowly sink into fathomless Saxon’s Lake. His father dives into the icy water to rescue the driver, and finds a beaten corpse, naked and handcuffed to the steering wheel—a copper wire tightened around the stranger’s neck. In time, the townsfolk seem to forget all about the unsolved murder. But Cory and his father can’t.

Their search for the truth is a journey into a world where innocence and evil collide. What lies before them is the stuff of fear and awe, magic and madness, fantasy and reality. As Cory wades into the deep end of Zephyr and all its mysteries, he’ll discover that while the pleasures of childish things fade away, growing up can be a strange and beautiful ride.


You can also download Robert McCammon's Swan Song 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:

McCammon’s epic bestselling novel about a girl psychic struggling to survive in the aftermath of a nuclear holocaust.

Something flashes in nine-year-old Swan’s brain, telling her that trouble is coming. Maybe it’s her mother, fed up with her current boyfriend and ready to abandon their dismal trailer park and seek a new home. But something far worse is on the horizon. Death falls from the sky—nuclear bombs which annihilate American civilization. Though Swan survives the blast, this young psychic’s war is just beginning.

As the survivors try to make new lives in the wasteland, an evil army forms, intent on murdering all those tainted with the diseases brought by fallout. When Swan finds a mysterious amulet that could hold the key to humankind’s salvation, she draws the attention of a man more dangerous than any nuclear bomb. To rescue mankind, this little girl will have to grow up fast.

This week's New York Times Bestsellers (September 28th)

In hardcover:

R.F. Kuang's Katabasis is down one position, ending the week at number 2. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Rebecca Ross' Wild Reverence is down seven spots, finishing the week at number 10. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Callie Hart's Quicksilver is down four spots, finishing the week at number 14. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Rebecca Yarros' Onyx Storm is down one position, ending the week at number 15. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

In paperback:

Andy Weir's Project Hail Mary is down one position, ending the week at number 6. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Sarah J. Maas' A Court of Thorns and Roses is up one position, ending the week at number 12. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Stephen King's You Like It Darker debuts at number 15. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

More inexpensive ebook goodies!


You can now download Django Wexler's Ashes of the Sun 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:

Long ago, a magical war destroyed an empire, and a new one was built in its ashes. But still the old grudges simmer, and two siblings will fight on opposite sides to save their world in the start of Django Wexler's new epic fantasy trilogy.

Gyre hasn't seen his beloved sister since their parents sold her to the mysterious Twilight Order. Now, twelve years after her disappearance, Gyre's sole focus is revenge, and he's willing to risk anything and anyone to claim enough power to destroy the Order.

Chasing rumors of a fabled city protecting a powerful artifact, Gyre comes face-to-face with his lost sister. But she isn't who she once was. Trained to be a warrior, Maya wields magic for the Twilight Order's cause. Standing on opposite sides of a looming civil war, the two siblings will learn that not even the ties of blood will keep them from splitting the world in two.

More inexpensive ebook goodies!


You can now download Chelsea Abdullah's The Stardust Thief 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:

Inspired by stories from One Thousand and One Nights, this book weaves together the gripping tale of a legendary smuggler, a cowardly prince, and a dangerous quest across the desert to find a legendary, magical lamp.

Neither here nor there, but long ago . . .

Loulie al-Nazari is the Midnight Merchant: a criminal who, with the help of her jinn bodyguard, hunts and sells illegal magic. When she saves the life of a cowardly prince, she draws the attention of his powerful father, the sultan, who blackmails her into finding an ancient lamp that has the power to revive the barren land—at the cost of sacrificing all jinn.

With no choice but to obey or be executed, Loulie journeys with the sultan's oldest son to find the artifact. Aided by her bodyguard, who has secrets of his own, they must survive ghoul attacks, outwit a vengeful jinn queen, and confront a malicious killer from Loulie's past. And, in a world where story is reality and illusion is truth, Loulie will discover that everything—her enemy, her magic, even her own past—is not what it seems, and she must decide who she will become in this new reality.


This week's New York Times Bestsellers (September 21st)

In hardcover:

R.F. Kuang's Katabasis maintains its position at number 1. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Rebecca Ross' Wild Reverence debuts at number 3. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Callie Hart's Quicksilver is down seven spots, finishing the week at number 10. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Rebecca Yarros' Onyx Storm is down seven positions, ending the week at number 14. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

In paperback:

Andy Weir's Project Hail Mary maintains its position at number 5. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Sarah J. Maas' A Court of Thorns and Roses maintains its position at number 13. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Rebecca Yarros' Fourth Wing returns at number 14. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

More inexpensive ebook goodies!


You can now download Brandon Sanderson's excellent Legion 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:

Brandon Sanderson is one of the most significant fantasists to enter the field in a good many years. His ambitious, multi-volume epics (Mistborn, The Stormlight Archive) and his stellar continuation of Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series have earned both critical acclaim and a substantial popular following. In Legion, a distinctly contemporary novella filled with suspense, humor, and an endless flow of invention, Sanderson reveals a startling new facet of his singular narrative talent.

Stephen Leeds, AKA “Legion,” is a man whose unique mental condition allows him to generate a multitude of personae: hallucinatory entities with a wide variety of personal characteristics and a vast array of highly specialized skills. As the story begins, Leeds and his “aspects” are drawn into the search for the missing Balubal Razon, inventor of a camera whose astonishing properties could alter our understanding of human history and change the very structure of society. The action ranges from the familiar environs of America to the ancient, divided city of Jerusalem. Along the way, Sanderson touches on a formidable assortment of complex questions: the nature of time, the mysteries of the human mind, the potential uses of technology, and the volatile connection between politics and faith. Resonant, intelligent, and thoroughly absorbing, Legion is a provocative entertainment from a writer of great originality and seemingly limitless gifts.

Quote of the Day

Arenfall sighed. "Why is it marines are so unmanageable?"

"Was that rhetorical, sir?"

"Not intentionally. But I imagine that is a question that’s echoed down the decades."

Hung nodded. "Blame Dassem Ultor."

"We all do. Of course, it then becomes self-fulfilling, in that recruiters send the odd ones their way."

"Aye, sir . We know what to do with them."


- STEVEN ERIKSON, No Life Forsaken

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

More inexpensive ebook goodies!


You can now download Josiah Bancroft's Senlin Ascends 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:

While honeymooning in the Tower of Babel, Thomas Senlin loses his wife, Marya.

The Tower of Babel is the greatest marvel of the Silk Age. Immense as a mountain, the ancient Tower holds unnumbered ringdoms, warring and peaceful, stacked one on the other like the layers of a cake. It is a world of geniuses and tyrants, of airships and steam engines, of unusual animals and mysterious machines.

Thomas Senlin, the mild-mannered headmaster of a small village school, is drawn to the Tower by scientific curiosity and the grandiose promises of a guidebook. The luxurious Baths of the Tower seem an ideal destination for a honeymoon, but soon after arriving, Senlin loses Marya in the crowd.

Senlin’s search for Marya carries him through madhouses, ballrooms, and burlesque theaters. He must survive betrayal, assassination, and the long guns of a flying fortress. But if he hopes to find his wife, he will have to do more than just survive. This quiet man of letters must become a man of action.

Quote of the Day

Where the coward leads, only cowards follow.

- STEVEN ERIKSON, No Life Forsaken

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

Hate Machine


By and large, I've been enjoying the Eric Carter books. Although this series isn't growing in scope quite as fast as other popular urban fantasy sequences and it's beginning to hurt it in myriad ways, the novels are entertaining reads. Still, eight volumes into this series, I feel that there should be more. A lot more.

The first few installments mostly read like Jim Butcher's early Dresden Files books. Short and episodic in format, they helped lay down the groundwork for what was coming. It looked as though we had reached the conclusion of the first story arc by the end of the third book, and there was true potential for bigger and better things to come. Then came Fire Season, which was a step in the right direction, followed by Ghost Money, Blackmoore's best effort yet. Unfortunately, the resolution of the Djinn's storyline in Bottle Demon was a bit of a letdown. And since Darius' threat seemed to be the underlying arc of the entire series, I was left wondering what the author had in store for us moving forward.

What truly hurt the seventh volume, Suicide Kings, is the fact that it was essentially the first half of what should have been a single novel. Weighing in at barely 200 pages, there is no reason why Suicide Kings and Hate Machine couldn't have been published as one work. There was no endgame and finale to speak of, as the book ended with another major cliffhanger. Even though it was another fun read, it's obvious that the author wasn't about to level up. If anything, Suicide Kings felt kind of like a step backward. At least this latest installment would hopefully provide the resolution that was lacking in its predecessor.

Here's the blurb:

The eighth book of this dark urban fantasy series follows necromancer Eric Carter through a world of vengeful gods and goddesses, mysterious murders, and restless ghosts.

If there's one thing Eric Carter can count on, it's his past coming back to bite him in the ass.

Gabriela Cortez, La Bruja, has had her soul trapped... somewhere, and the only one who knows how to get it back is the Oracle of Las Vegas, a powerful artifact that Carter helped create almost thirty years before. It doesn't just predict the future--it makes things happen, influencing events to reach the goal it wants.

Only somebody's gone and stolen it, attempting to turn it into an artifact that doesn't just change the future, but also the past.

Eric needs to find it and steal it back before this comes to pass. If he doesn't, Gabriela's soul is lost. And quite possibly the future as well.


As mentioned in my review of Suicide Kings, with Darius gone, I was expecting Stephen Blackmoore to elevate his game and take the Eric Carter series to another level, with more ambitious story arcs that would add layers to the plot. I was expecting this series to really open up and build on everything that has transpired so far. It is no wonder that I was disappointed to see the author take the micro approach instead of a more macro perspective and have the main character become Amanda Werther's bodyguard during the family's conclave. While it made for another fun and action-packed novel, in my humble opinion it wasn't exactly what the series needed to finally take off. But a trip to Las Vegas in search of a way to free Gabriela's soul sounds like a nice way to kickstart everything. But first, Eric must find the Oracle, an artifact that he helped create years ago. Trouble is, not everyone is happy to see Eric back in Vegas. And out of necessity, he must reunite with the old gang he used to run with in order to survive long enough to hopefully get his hand on the Oracle and discover what the hell is actually going on.

Structurally, everything would have worked better if Suicide Kings and Hate Machine had been a single novel. The Werther family conclave would have been the first part, with the Vegas trip offering something different in the greater scheme of things. Both installments also offer new and interesting supporting casts, which would have made that book the best of the bunch with Ghost Money. Eight volumes in, Blackmoore has yet to level up compared to his contemporaries. As I said before, to keep the Eric Carter books so short and episodic at this juncture prevents them from really taking off.

Hate Machine features a thrilling endgame, but the finale itself doesnn't offer the sort of resolution I expected. It raises more questions than it provides answers. Which would be all well and good if we knew there were plenty of sequels on the way.

However, Daw Books will no longer publish new Eric Carter material and I'm not sure if Blackmoore is allowed to try to get future installments released elsewhere. Which means that, as things stand, the ninth volume is the last one in the series. It will be interesting to discover whether Cult Classic will offer some sort of closure. Indeed, it would be sad if this one ended the same way it did for Harry Connolly and his Twenty Palaces series.

The final verdict: 7.5/10

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

More inexpensive ebook goodies!


You can now download the digital edition of the first Shannara trilogy 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:

BONUS: This edition contains an excerpt from Terry Brooks's The Measure of the Magic.

Twenty-five years ago, New York Times bestselling author Terry Brooks wrote a novel that brought to life a dazzling world that would become one of the most popular fantasy epics of all time, beloved by millions of fans around the world. Ten more Shannara books would follow. Now, for the first time in one elegant collector’s edition hardcover, and featuring an introduction by the author, here are the first three novels of that classic series: The Sword of Shannara, The Elfstones of Shannara, and The Wishsong of Shannara—the beginning of a phenomenal epic of good and evil.

The Sword of Shannara

Long ago, the wars of the ancient Evil ruined the world. In peaceful Shady Vale, half-elfin Shea Ohmsford knows little of such troubles. But the supposedly dead Warlock Lord is plotting to destroy everything in his wake. The sole weapon against this Power of Darkness is the Sword of Shannara, which can be used only by a true heir of Shannara. On Shea, last of the bloodline, rests the hope of all the races.

The Elfstones of Shannara

The magical Ellcrys tree is dying, loosening the spell that bars the Demons from enacting vengeance upon the land. Now Wil Ohmsford must guard the Elven girl Amberle on a perilous quest as she carries one of the Ellcrys’ seeds to a mysterious place where it can be quickened into a powerful new force. But dark on their trail comes the Reaper, most fearsome of all Demons, aiming to crush their mission at any cost.

The Wishsong of Shannara

An ancient Evil is stirring to new life, sending its ghastly Mord Wraiths to destroy Mankind. To win through the vile growth that protects this dark force, the Druid Allanon needs Brin Ohmsford—for she alone holds the magic power of the wishsong. Reluctantly Brin joins the Druid on his dangerous journey. But a prophecy foretells doom, as Evil nurses its plans to trap the unsuspecting Brin into a fate far more horrible than death.

Thus begins Terry Brooks’s thrilling Shannara epic, an unforgettable tale of adventure, magic, and myth.

The End of the World As We Know It


DNF

I've been waiting for over a year for this anthology edited by Christopher Golden and Brian Keene and I had somewhat high expectations for it. Advance reviews were good and I couldn't wait to sink my teeth into it.

Stephen King left an immense sandbox for these authors to play in and the cast of contributors was stellar. Alas, most of the stories were uninspired tales that failed to impress. I persevered for about 500 pages, but I had to quit when it became obvious that there would be no saving grace for this collection. Which is a shame given the quality of the authors assembled to participate.

The worse aspect of It's the End of the World As We Know It is that it's a veritable slog from the get-go. Weighing in at more than 700 pages, it's much longer than it needed to be. Especially since virtually all the stories follow the same template and explore the same themes. It's all too repetitive, with very few tales that stand out.

We were promised stories set outside the USA to experience how society unraveled across the world. Sadly, all we ended up with are two tales set in Puerto Rico (not exactly international in style and tone), a totally forgettable one set in London, England, as well as an intriguing one set in Pakistan.

A scant few stories are original, chief among them Tim Lebbon's "Grace," which takes place aboard the space shuttle Discovery. But for the most part, the anthology features a bunch of lackluster tales that did little to keep me interested.

As a matter of course, your mileage may vary.

Here's the blurb:

An original short story anthology based on master storyteller Stephen King’s #1 New York Times bestselling classic The Stand!

Since its initial publication in 1978, The Stand has been considered Stephen King’s seminal masterpiece of apocalyptic fiction, with millions of copies sold and adapted twice for television. Although there are other extraordinary works exploring the unraveling of human society, none have been as influential as this iconic novel—generations of writers have been impacted by its dark yet ultimately hopeful vision of the end and new beginning of civilization, and its stunning array of characters.

Now for the first time, Stephen King has fully authorized a return to the harrowing world of The Stand through this original short story anthology as presented by award-winning authors and editors Christopher Golden and Brian Keene. Bringing together some of today’s greatest and most visionary writers, The End of the World As We Know It features unforgettable, all-new stories set during and after (and some perhaps long after) the events of The Stand—brilliant, terrifying, and painfully human tales that will resonate with readers everywhere as an essential companion to the classic, bestselling novel.

Featuring an introduction by Stephen King, a foreword by Christopher Golden, and an afterword by Brian Keene. Contributors include Wayne Brady and Maurice Broaddus, Poppy Z. Brite, Somer Canon, C. Robert Cargill, Nat Cassidy, V. Castro, Richard Chizmar, S. A. Cosby, Tananarive Due and Steven Barnes, Meg Gardiner, Gabino Iglesias, Jonathan Janz, Alma Katsu, Caroline Kepnes, Michael Koryta, Sarah Langan, Joe R. Lansdale, Tim Lebbon, Josh Malerman, Ronald Malfi, Usman T. Malik, Premee Mohamed, Cynthia Pelayo, Hailey Piper, David J. Schow, Alex Segura, Bryan Smith, Paul Tremblay, Catherynne M. Valente, Bev Vincent, Catriona Ward, Chuck Wendig, Wrath James White, and Rio Youers.

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

More inexpensive ebook goodies!


You can get your hands on the digital edition of Steven Brust's The Book of Jhereg, an omnibus comprised of the first three Vlad Taltos books, 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 first three fantastical adventures of assassin Vlad Taltos—now in one volume.

A welcome addition to any fantasy fan's library, The Book of Jhereg follows the antics of the wise-cracking Vlad Taltos and his dragon-like companion through their first three adventures—Jhereg, Yendi, and Teckla.

There are many ways for a young man with quick wits and a quick sword to advance in the world. Vlad Taltos chose the route of assassin. From his rookie days to his selfless feats of heroism, the dauntless Vlad will hold readers spellbound—and The Book of Jhereg will take its place among the classic compilations in fantasy.