This is my first official guest review on the NextRead and I’m excited as I’ve roped in a lover of YA books to help me tackle my growing pile of YA books. I know a lot of people enjoy them and I’m hoping to bring you the occasional guest review so you can see what’s bringing in younger readers into the genre as well as books that you want to read too.
I have been known to pick up the odd YA book but not that often so I’m looking forward to seeing what they choose from the pile of ten or so I’ve given them.
I’ll let them introduce themselves:
I’m Liz Kedge and I’m a 20-something reader. I read pretty much anything with words on it but given my choice, I tend to gravitate toward young adult science fiction and fantasy. I’m a big fan of Diana Wynne Jones and Naomi Novik.
And here is her first review:
Title: Blue Bloods Author: Melissa De La Cruz Pages: 272 Genre: YA Standalone/Series: Series Release: Out Now Publisher: Atom
Synopsis
They’re young, fabulous and fanged and they rule Manhattan from the trendy uptown clubs to the downtown boutiques. Fifteen-year-old Schuyler Van Alen has never quite fit in at her exclusive prep school – she’s more of a vintage than a Versace girl – but that’s all about to change… Because Schuyler has just found out she’s a Blue Blood. The Blue Bloods are the city’s glamorous and secret vampire elite. They’re young, beautiful and powerful. But now they’re being murdered. And Schuyler must find out who – or what – is behind it before she’s next.
Comments/Thoughts/Analysis
From the synopsis I was expecting this to be told entirely from Schuyler’s point of view, focusing on her move from outsider to insider, or possibly the move of the insiders to something more akin to her outsider perspective (perhaps I have been watching too much Glee) but this was not the case. Instead, we got various pieces of story from various perspectives, which worked both for and against this book. It worked well in that there were enough interesting people and different story arcs to keep the story moving, and it also worked well in building up suspense, which is always important in a whodunit. It also helped to make the story more complex, because enough time was given to enough other people that Schuyler didn’t necessarily feel like the main character.
Where it didn’t work well is in the language. There is an awful lot of ‘tell’ as opposed to ’show’ in this book, and what we are told is mostly about physical appearance. Schuyler "was startlingly pretty, with a sweet, heart-shaped face; a perfectly upturned nose; and soft, milky skin – but there was something almost insubstantial about her beauty. […] It didn’t help that she was painfully shy and kept to herself, because then they just thought she was stuck up, which she wasn’t. She was just shy." This follows on from two paragraphs talking about her outfit: long black cardigan with holes in each elbow, smells like rosewater and decay because she bought it in a thrift store, sheer black t-shirt worn over…well, you get the picture. The only thing we are not told in this particular scene is what brand of underwear she’s wearing. Although in this book we are not told which brand Schuyler generally favours, I am sure we will be told later in the series as we are told for Bliss (more on her later). A certain amount of detail is good, when it comes naturally and furthers the plot, but…after the first description of a character the audience generally has an idea of the type of clothing they favour and therefore, by Hollywood-style extension, the sort of person they are. What the viewpoint switching facilitated was the need to constantly give us complete run-downs on everything that everyone ever wore, and for a reader like me who is completely indifferent to clothing that gets wearing after a while.
Bliss Llewelyn functions as a sort of parallel to Schuyler. She’s an outsider because she’s from Texas, rather than because she’s allegedly eccentric. She falls in with the popular crowd but doesn’t like the way queen bee Mimi likes to control everyone and rebels by getting involved with a boy Mimi doesn’t approve of. There is quite a good first kiss here, and a good scene which is a very effective introduction to the flashbacks to previous lives experienced by the Blue Bloods when they are just coming into their powers. I liked Bliss, and I was always pleased when the book was from her point of view. Bliss was at least as concerned with finding the murderer as Schuyler was, possibly more so at the beginning as the first victim was one of Mimi’s crowd.
The eventual revelation of the murderer was somewhat of an anticlimax. Although both Bliss and Schuyler had individually found out a possible reason, relating to this history of vampires. I can’t really say any more, but the eventual killer turned out to be being mind-controlled rather than acting in their own right, and the ending felt a bit rushed.
Summary
I actually really enjoyed this book. It had a nice sense of fun, the characters was interesting and the story worked well. Partly because of the changing viewpoint, the book was varied. There wasn’t too much shopping, the fabulousness was generally amusing rather than aggravating and it was very readable. Occasionally, the murder mystery seemed to take a back seat, but it was fairly obvious from the beginning that this would be the case. I’m glad that I read this book, though I probably wouldn’t reread it, and while I’d read the next book in the series if it came my way, I wouldn’t move heaven and earth to seek it out.
This post is just my thoughts on the series as a whole. It does contain spoilers about the stories, because here I’ll reveal details of the theories that I developed while reading the books.
So if you haven’t read the books yet and don’t want the story spoilt for you, please stop reading this post. I’d rather you did read it, but perhaps leave it until you’ve finished the series. Various thoughts on the series as a whole, including my own personal theories regarding certain aspects of the plot.
Nayu completed the series just after I posted last weeks round-up. The top of this post contains links to all the reviews and if you’ve read the series, which I haven’t, some thoughts and comments. I admit I didn’t scroll down as I still have this on my TBR.
So we have stunning writing, and a crazy amount of spectacular ideas: these still would be nothing if the underlying story were not as gripping and tense as it turns out to be. Matthew Swift has been pulled out of death and is hunting to find out who wanted him returned to life.
This is a great book and so glad it got another fab review!
Altogether, The Midnight Mayor is another triumph of imagination and whimsical storytelling from Kate Griffin. I thoroughly enjoyed working my way through the stunning prose. The effort it takes to immerse yourself in the world of Matthew Swift is definitely repaid in full.
I did start reading this one yesterday but needed to be little bit more on the ball. I’m coming straight back to it after finishing Destroyer of Worlds by Mark Chadbourn
It’s here! It is finally here! We have talked about holding a Steampunk week ever since we started the blog, more than two years ago. For one reason or another, we always ended up postponing it until we set our feet down and said NO MORE: let’s do it! The time is now.
The Book Smugglers have had a great week on the blog this week but you already know that and enjoyed the celebration? Haven’t you??
I am always interested in the speculative fiction awards and I like to see how the final ballot list becomes the list of nominations and finally the winners’ list. I was always curious about what means a nomination for a specific award and how can that change an author’s career. Now I have the opportunity to satisfy my curiosity with the help of some of the nominees for the 2009 Bram Stoker Awards, among them a few that were nominated and won the award before.
They answer: How does it feel to be nominated for the Bram Stoker Award? Is winning the award as important as the nomination? and Can a nomination for an award such as the Bram Stoker Award change an author’s career? Does this nomination set a higher standard for your works?
As usual, I struggle to tell you how much I enjoyed the book without giving away too much and spoiling it for you. In this case, you will have to take my word that the plot twists and turns make for a fantastic ride – so endowed by a unique style and a blend of close quarters drama and hard sci fi. The story arc tends to drag on a bit in the latter half of the novel as the situation of the crew changes dramatically, but the shift felt natural and can even be considered necessary. This isn’t cheap military sci fi after all…
Glad it’s not just me that struggles with writing reviews
It is high time my love fest for Angry Robot Books to start and I am kicking it off with a blitz style interview with the always delightful Kaaron Warren. Since, this is a Marathon dedicated more or less to the publishers through the books and author I meet, this interview will focus on the author’s experience with Angry Robot Books, magic man Lee Harris and his boss Marc Gascoigne.
Harry is having a bit of an Angry Robot Books event this month already there are:
ann does an excellent job keeping the action moving and, while the character of Newbury owes much to Sherlock Holmes, he also feels like his own man and a character that will continue to grow as the series progresses. Veronica, his Watson, shows a strong knack for investigation herself, and Newbury’s active encouragement and appreciation of her strengths makes them a formidable pair.
I bought the limited edition of this one as I loved The Affinity Bridge. Need to get to it before The Immorality Engine come out in September!
Along the way, Mann wrote some short stories featuring Sir Maurice Newbury. We already told you about "The Shattered Teacup". Now, thanks to the author and the kind folks at Snowbooks, SF Signal is pleased to be able to bring you another short story featuring Sir Maurice Newbury…previously available in the UK hardcover version of The Affinity Bridge…
Or, put another way, in the end I couldn’t find the right question to ask of Ark. It seems too much a novel of disparate parts – not by any means all bad; but not unified. Perhaps I shouldn’t be treating it so much as its own book. It’s true that the series Baxter has written over the last decade or so – the Manifold books, Destiny’s Children, even Time’s Tapestry – follow the same general pattern, in that they eschew direct continuity even as they share a setting, and can generally be read in any order, and true that readers coming cold to Ark seem to find things to enjoy. But I can’t see the separation as entirely successful in this case.
If you’ve read yesterday’s update you’ll see that I’m reading Ark for my BSFA Novel week. Should be interesting then…
I have been dealing for some time with bouts of depression, which have been bad, and ongoing panic attacks, which have been orders of magnitude worse– positively crippling.
James reports on Scott Lynch’s post and it’s a good reminder that writers are people too and they put their lives into their books – this isn’t to say that reviewers should be false with their reviews just that we should be kind when giving talking about the bad bits…
I got to wondering about the people who Live With the Writers – those long-suffering spouses and partners that (mostly) dwell in the shadows of those who produce the art we love. How do they cope with the relative fame of their partners? How does the work impact on their lives? With that in mind, I contacted an extremely bemused Michaela Deas to see if she would be kind enough to provide me with a few answers. She wasn’t sure that anyone would be interested, but her answers are illuminating and I invite you to give the whole interview a read.
Barrington Stoke has been publishing books for reluctant readers and young people with reading difficulties since 1997. Based in Edinburgh, the company has scooped up countless awards in its 13 years of existence and has managed to attract work from some of the top children’s authors in the country, as well as some of the top writers of adult fiction. And me.
Hill’s prose is smooth and fluid; he handles exposition superbly and understands the importance of atmosphere (and how best to use it). More importantly, he understands people – for all of the fantastical elements in Horns, it’s a book that is essentially about what it is to be human. I was greatly surprised at how emotionally invested I became in the book; it’s been a very long time since I’ve read a novel that has moved me to such a degree. Unelievably, I even feel a little emotional just writing this and thinking about the book. There were certain scenes that I could personally identify with (not the growing of horns, I’d like to point out), and Hill really does absolutely nail these scenes on an emotional level.
James gets to the heart of Horns, understanding people on an emotional level – a top ten book of the year, probably. It’s a great review too.
Thanks to the power of the Internet, more and more readers are receiving recommendations about authors they should check out. However, given the prolific nature of some authors and their dabbling in multiple series (complete with multiple starting points, thanks to prequels, first-published novels and so on), finding a good starting point can be tricky. A case in point is Peter F. Hamilton, who has written multiple novels, some set in different universes, with his individual settings and universes having multiple entry points. So where is the best place to start with his work?
I started with The Dreaming Void but I could have started elsewhere too!
Then there’s the demon. A serial killer with supernatural abilities, the demon—which is how John describes the killer—immediately adds a unique dimension to “I Am Not A Serial Killer”, especially when John decides to kill the demon himself and uses his extensive knowledge of serial killers and his sociopathic tendencies to study and profile the demon, particularly the demon’s methods, reasonings and weaknesses. What’s really interesting about the demon is how it forces John to analyze himself, and the startling things he learns, like what happens when he lets the monster inside loose…
I have the next one, Mr Monster, here – I never know if I should start at the beginning or not?
Sounds good though.
And that’s it’s it for this week.
Any post you think I’ve missed or ones that I should have mentioned? Please share in the comments.
SFX released a list of the top 25 SFF books and we thought it was lame. We decided to put our money where our mouths are and come up with our own list.
Both of us contributed 25 books to this list. We agreed to only have one book by each author. This may be more representative of what we enjoy and look for in a novel than an accurate 25 best books we have ever read but we think it’s a more diverse and interesting list than the one in SFX.
What we want from you is comment and debate, but we also want you to pick your top ten titles from our combined list. This is being posted on both sites and will be up for a week before we collate the votes and let you know which ten books came out on top.
We’d also love to know some of your top reads. We will be posting some of the highlights from the comments along with the top ten list. Have fun.
Anansi Boys – Neil Gaiman
The Lord of the Sands of Time – Issui Ogawa
Fragrance of You – Steve Savile
Mythago Wood -Robert Holdstock
The Thief of Always by Clive Barker
Spanky – Christopher Fowler
Steeling Light – Gary Gibson
The Dreaming Void – Peter F Hamilton
Fool Moon – Jim Butcher
Stalking Tender Prey – Storm Constantine
Stone – Adam Roberts
The High House –James Stoddard
The Stupidest Angel – Christopher Moore
The Crow – James O’Barr
Rosemary and Rue – Seanan McGuire
A Madness of Angels – Kate Griffin
Bloody Chamber- Angela Carter
Under the Dome –Stephen King
The Hitch Hiker’ Guide –Douglas Adams
Midnight Never Come –Marie Brennan
Lost Souls –Poppy Z Brite
Seeds of Earth –Michael Cobly
Past Imperative –Dave Duncan
Lonely Werewolf Girl – Martin Millar
Greywalker – Kat Richardson
The Last Wish – Andrzej Sapkowski
The Antipope – Robert Rankin
The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch – Philip K Dick
Trading in Danger –Elizabeth Moon
Blood Ties –Pamela Freeman
I Kill Giants – Joe Kelly
Worlds End – Mark Chadbourn
Already Dead – Charlie Hutson
Witches Abroad – Terry Pratchet
Dracula – Bram Stoker
Never the Bride – Paul Magrs
Bitten – Kelly Armstrong
Queen of the Damned – Anne Rice
The Tattooed Wolf – Kim Bannerman
The World House – Guy Adams
The Devil You Know –Mike Carey
Dead Witch Walking – Kim Harrison
Nights of Villjamur – Mark Charan Newton
The Ghost Brigades – John Scalzi
Farenheit 451 – Ray Bradbury
Street Magic – Caitlin Kittredge
This is Not a Game – Walter Jon Williams
Practical Demonkeeping – Christopher Moore
Sabriel – Garth Nix
The Hobbit –J RR Tolkien
A bonus prize from me if you figure out which are mine
It’s been a quiet around here though I hope that I’m giving you enough book choices to keep you happy. I have been doing stuff behind the scenes and I have some special things coming up on the blog.
Reading Challenge
Floor to Ceiling Books jokingly mentioned on Twitter that I don’t do enough reviews. You remember that I have a challenge with Harry to read six books a month?
Well in February I was doing well for the first half having reviewed Horns, The Bookman, and The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms. The only other books I read after that were The Ice-Princess and I started on The Preacher.
So I’m still behind. By the end of March I should be on 18. I’m on 10 as I’ve finished The Preacher and Florence & Giles.
I’m hoping that my numbers improve in March a little as you’ll see.
Läckberg Week
I’ve not posted my reviews, though I have written them, of The Ice-Princess or The Preacher yet and that’s because I’m hoping that the talented Camilla Läckberg is able to do an interview for me.
It’s all being sorted at the moment and as soon as it is I’ll post reviews of those two plus the The Stone-Cutter and hopefully the interview and make it a week long event.
Speaking of events I have two more planned…
BSFA Awards Best Novel Week
I mentioned the BSFA Awardsat the end of January and my vague plan to read the nominees – Ark by Stephen Baxter (Gollancz), Lavinia by Ursula K Le Guin (Gollancz) The City & The City by China Mieville (Macmillan) and Yellow Blue Tibia by Adam Roberts (Gollancz). Well I’m going to. Though it’s going to be five books as I’m reading Flood as well.
Mark you calendars. I’m doing that starting Monday 29th March. I’m going to read the four nominees, review them and then give my verdict on who should win.
Short Story Month and NextRead Magazine
The next big event is Short Story Month and this is tied though not directly to the launch of NextRead Magazine. I’ve already roped in a few people to write stuff and I’ll be putting out a big call and song and dance about it shortly.
Short fiction is brilliant when it’s done right and I’m using as an excuse to get some more read. Anyone else want to joint in? I’m hoping for some features, reviews, competitions and general love-fest for the shorter fiction form.
In related news the first submission arrived so I have my fingers crossed that it’s going to turn from a trickle into a flood soon.
The Men of Urban Fantasy and Sci-Fi Appreciation Month
Two events I’ve signed up to write stuff for are coming soon.
The first is by Book Chick City. BCC is celebrating the male authors of urban fantasy from the 22-28th March with ‘the Men of Urban Fantasy Week’. I’m writing something about two of my favorite authors so that’s fun.
I have a couple more books that I need to read so I can bring you some more interviews too.
And the TBR has some brilliant books all vying for attention like Changes by Jim Butcher, The Midnight Mayor by Kate Griffin, The Forest of Hands & Teeth by Carrie Ryan, Terminal World by Alastair Reynolds, Dark Matter by Juli Zeh, Spellwright by Blake Charlton, In Great Water by Kit Whitfield and The Snowman by Jo Nesbo to name a few!
Title: Florence & Giles Author: John Harding Pages: 272 Genre: Gothic Horror Standalone/Series: Standalone Release: 4 Mar 2010 Publisher: Blue Door
Synopsis
In a remote and crumbling New England mansion, 12-year-old orphan Florence is neglected by her guardian uncle and banned from reading. Left to her own devices she devours books in secret and talks to herself – and narrates this, her story – in a unique language of her own invention.
After the sudden violent death of the children’s first governess, a second teacher, Miss Taylor, arrives, and immediately strange phenomena begin to occur.
Florence becomes convinced that the new governess is a vengeful and malevolent spirit who means to do Giles, her younger brother, harm.
Against this powerful supernatural enemy, and without any adult to whom she can turn for help, Florence must use all her intelligence and ingenuity to both protect her little brother and preserve her private world.
Comments/Thoughts/Analysis
I love first person narration. There is an intimacy and insight that can be gained from being inside the same character’s head for a whole story and being limited to their point of view narrows builds a closeness with the fate of the character that you rarely get in third person perspective.
I like feeling the characters emotions and understanding why they think and act the way they do. Though it can be a turn off as much as turn on if I don’t connect with the voice.
In the case of Florence her tale and her way of telling her tale is immediately drags you in.
You feel for her being left isolated in her Uncle’s house with only the servants and Giles for company.
Harding feeds you everything that could possibly make you feel sorry for her. She is practically an orphan without any real emotional comfort and support. She is intelligent but banned from exercising her mental capacities being a mere female. She has a brother that she is trying her best to protect even when he can’t or won’t go along with her plans to keep them safe. And she is also in danger from her new governess.
Harding does a good job of dragging you into the world that Florence & Giles find themselves in with all its frustrations and oddities. And when it comes time for that environment to change with the new governess he, through Florence, shows you the lengths she feels she has to go to protect her brother.
And as this is a Gothic tale the danger she faces seems extraordinary for if it was plainly described, and there are several occasions when Florence wants to tell others what is going on but has to resist as in the cold light of day, the danger she faces doesn’t seem as concrete as it appears at night.
What makes it worse is that Giles, her brother, is slowly slipping under the grip of the new governess and away from Florence.
As absorbing as the narration is there is a slow build as every day life progresses not a lot happens in terms of location or people. So you really do need to be absorbed by Florence and her fate, which I found it very easy to do and was quite happy to keep reading. The only problem is the solution to the puzzle that Florence finds herself in and how everything is going to get resolved.
I did wonder towards the end if Harding was going to able pull anything off and that I was nervous that the whole experience would be let down in the final pages. It’s quite the opposite in fact.
Harding knows where this tale is heading from the start the clues are there and have been there all along. It’s not a pretty ending. It definitely fits the story and the overall tale as disturbing enough for me to feel uncomfortable being home alone at night as I was when I was reading it.
I don’t think I’m going to look at mirrors again in the same way.
Summary
Gothic tales rely a lot on atmosphere and feeling the tension build – Harding does that through the eyes of an intelligent and isolated child whose only playmates are her younger brother and a slightly awkward and courting neighbouring child.
Both don’t feel the same dangers that Florence feels and both seem ignorant of their possible fate. As Florence’s life gets more threatened the tension builds until something gives in the most fitting if disturbing way.
A modern day Gothic horror in a 19th Century New England setting. One for fans of suspense, tension and girls who are far more intelligent than for their own good.
Shale knows of no other world than the desert. He knows that his life – and the lives of his family – depend on one thing and one thing only: water. Water is life for all the citizens of the Quartern and it is the Stormlord who brings the rains to the desert.
Shale’s entire civilization stands at the brink of disaster. Water is life and the wells are going dry . . .
But the magic is disappearing. The Stormlord’s heirs lack the talent to bring the water from the distant seas and young students with a certain promise tend to die, mysteriously, out in the wastes. Shale may be the saviour of every life in the Quartern. He can do what no mere Rainlord can, and may be the newest, and the last, Stormlord – if he can learn to control the waters of life and, of course, if he lives that long.
For some reason – it could be the lightening – I really want to read this book!
Over 6 hours of my onscreen compositing, retouching, color correction, type obsessing, all condensed down to a slim sexy one minute 55 seconds of cover design. Trust me, no one wants to watch it in real-time…and even then I left out the not-as-riveting-onscreen stages of my cover design process, such as reading the manuscript, sifting through Alexia photoshoot outtakes, background photo research, etc. And since this is a series look that has already been established for Soulless and Changeless, there weren’t the usual batches and rounds of versions of different designs that happen with standalone or first-in-a-new-series covers. That would be a weeklong video!
There is more on the Orbit Blog but that video doesn’t half hide how much skill is going on to do all that and make it look to easy!
I’m really chuffed they shared – that’s my ideal job that is!
I think me and BookChickCity are pretty much scaredy cats. You’d think we’d both be like the Terminator and Sarah Connor armed to the teeth right?
More interesting though how zombies have been seeping into our collective consciousness
It wasn’t before I started writing my guest post for The Living Dead Blog and I started to make a list that I noticed how much they’ve been lingering in the background waiting for their chance to strike!
Saying that Carolyn is pretty sure they don’t exist in her guest post – I’m sure she’s right, isn’t she??
As March is now a week old, it is more than time to round up my reviews during the past month at Euro Crime, and of these to select a “book of the month” for February.
If I had to choose from the covers I’d go with either the cruel stars of the night or Woman With Birthmark. Anyone read any Nesser or Eriksson?
I think this is the first time I’ve been very disappointed with the cover of a book by Guy Gavriel Kay. I can’t help but asking myself “Why?”. Why did they have to make it look almost like a Paranormal book? Is it just an attempt to seduce a different demographic than the first cover has been appealing to? *sigh* The old cover looks so much nicer:
I think the new one is great and better than the old one but would like the cover model to be less ‘real’.
I was just updating the database with upcoming titles, including Quintin Jardine’s new book, A Rush of Blood published in June and the cover’s slightly familiar…
Hmmm The Redeemer is a bit less realistic but either is disturbing.
The Mystic Art of Erasing All Signs of Death is an exciting read with dialogue every bit as chill inducing and thrilling as the action. For all its gross out moments and laugh out loud bits of witty dialogue it is a surprisingly intimate tale, a metaphor in long form, of one man’s attempt to rediscover life amidst the wreckage of death. I can’t recommend this book highly enough! Great read from a talented author.
I really wish this would get an official UK release!
A debut that really made me sit up and pay attention to the author, who’s crime novel twists the reader round her little finger with clever devises and a plot line that not only interests but keeps you fascinated regardless of what is being perpetrated on the page.
I know last time there was a comment on Falcata Times’ reviews but I keep reading them as they always have some books listed that I missed.
Sigh, another series I’ve been putting on the back burner for so long it’s charred! Loved the Old Kingdom series and very excited that Clariel: The Lost Abhorsen might be out this year!
We had a bit of a cover discussion recently about Henning Mankell’s The Man from Beijing, with most favouring the UK edition over the US. I’ve now found the US trailer which I like though the music seems familiar:
I will get to Mankell on my EuroCrime journey at some point I’m sure!
The Bookman is a bit of a departure for Tidhar as he generally goes for something a bit edgier and weirder than Steampunk. Don’t get me wrong there is still plenty of weird going on and The Bookman is probably the most out there Steampunk novel I’ve yet read.
This was my first Amber review this year – but worth reading for it’s ‘out thereness’
M(DW): Your latest published work is the steampunk novel, “The Bookman”, released by Angry Robot Books. What inspired the writing of “The Bookman”? What attracts you toward steampunk and why a choice for it in writing this novel?
LT: The Bookman is really my sort of love letter to steampunk. It was me sitting down with no other agenda than to write the sort of book I’d like to read. I’ve loved steampunk since I first picked up a copy of Tim Powers’ On Stranger Tides, years ago. The Victorian era – and the way it shaped our own modern world – is just so fascinating. So playing in the same sandbox just proved too much of a temptation
I began seriously pursuing a writing career twenty-eight years ago, and for a good portion of that time I wrote in a home office. But for the last few years, I’ve found it more difficult to write at home for several reasons. For one, I currently live in a two-bedroom apartment, so I don’t have a home office. When I do write at home, I set up my laptop on the dining table, right by the patio door, with an effectively distracting view of the outside world.
This is one of those features you just want to steal! Great insight into the mysteries of a writers life!
While fantasy has gone from strength to strength in recent years, horror has gone the opposite way: the genre stagnated and then began to decline. While the genre’s established authors – such as Stephen King and James Herbert – were still writing horror, there was a serious lack of new talent to drive the genre forwards. Yet 2010 might just be the year that the horror genre shows that there’s life in it yet. And Adam Nevill might just be the author to do it.
I’m slowly getting back into horror through Joe Hill and I’m reading Florence & Giles today which is more Gothic and Zombies Edited by Christopher Golden is coming and George A Romero is writing fiction in the form of The Living Dead: A Novel.
James has great (if you discount Twelve ) so I’m more eager to read this one than I was before and I wanted to read it then!
There was a dash of lightning. Nobody knew what happened, but an idea rose. Gav from NextRead decided that he needs to run a magazine and now this idea is reality
Thanks both and everyone else who has given it a plug!
I’ve mostly been getting great support for the Magazine from my fellow bloggers I’m really hoping that I can live up to expectations – but that’s for the writers to determine. They have a high bar to pass!
This week’s group features a pair of genre-aware fantasy writers, a hard SF prodigy, an Australian rising star, and a puppeteer responsible for some of the best short fiction I’ve ever read.
Out of these i’m most excited by Hannu Rajaniemi’s The Quantum Thief:
Jean le Flambeur is a post-human criminal, mind burglar, confidence artist and trickster. His origins are shrouded in mystery, but his exploits are known throughout the Heterarchy – from breaking into the vast Zeusbrains of the Inner System to steal their thoughts, to stealing rare Earth antiques from the aristocrats of the Moving Cities of Mars. Except that Jean made one mistake. Now he is condemned to play endless variations of a game-theoretic riddle in the vast virtual jail of the Axelrod Archons – the Dilemma Prison – against countless copies of himself. Jean’s routine of death, defection and cooperation is upset by the arrival of Mieli and her spidership, Perhonen. She offers him a chance to win back his freedom and the powers of his old self – in exchange for finishing the one heist he never quite managed
Witchfinder sports some wonderfully dark imagery and a cast of ruthless, utterly creepy antagonists set against a likeable, balanced main character and his mismatched friends. Even better is that the bad guys are allowed to be Bad- self serving, sworn to the forces of darkness and addicted to their demon-granted powers, it’s refreshing to see them acting accordingly and justifying the epithet of ‘evil’.
Liz has been talking this one up alot and it’s now firmly on the radar!
Robert Goddard writes the kind of mysteries and thrillers you can get lost in. Seriously! His novels are often so full of plot twists, interconnected events and characters that you literally risk getting lost. But just as often, you’ll find it worth the effort for the rewards offered. LONG TIME COMING is a perfect case in point. It jumps back and forth across a span of three decades, with secondary characters showing up in almost every chapter. But once taken in, you’ll find, almost to your amazement, that it is increasingly difficult to stop reading until you alearn what happens next.
Ah thrillers…. they are coming to blog in some form. Too many wonderful genres to enjoy!!
It is official, I’ve become addicted of the French cover artwork. And how can I not be since there is not a single month without a book cover illustration that leaves me speechless.
Right where is that French for Beginners handbook? Wow!
Enchanted Glass is another excellent children’s fantasy book from Diana Wynne Jones featuring her trademark elements of magical unreality, peculiar characters and the struggle of good against evil. Wynne Jones is truly gifted at adding magic to the mundane and some of the most wonderful elements of Enchanted Glass are found in the small struggles that the characters engage in, whether they be battles over pianos or problematic vegetables.
I’d want to read Enchanted Glass from that last line of this quote – it’s how people act in the ordinary world that often makes them extra ordinary I think.
The SF Site has revealed the first of two Best-of-2009 lists, this one having been decided by the website’s readers.
The full list can be found here. The City & The City and Yellow Blue Tibia are on the list for this month as I’m hoping to get the BSFA award winner predicted before it’s announced or as least say who I want to win.
I have a half read copy of The Quiet War sitting on my shelves – I just couldn’t get into it – all that training at the beginning isn’t that interesting. Get with the action! Will have another go though as it and Gardens of the Sun have been getting great reviews.
I’m thinking of tackling some of larger books and I’m looking at Galileo’s Dream for it’s Sept paperback release. If I start now I might make it!
I really like this cover – it’s clearly sci-fi and has that optiomistic feel to it. I’ve yet to read any of Jaine’s work, but I’ve got Principles of Angels sitting on the stack at home. Time to get around to it methinks!
I met Jayne and she’s lovely – she must have been working on this one at the time. Publishing is a slow burn but then you get highlights like this! A great cover!
However at some point Farlander pulled the rug from under my expectations and made me reassess all that came before and it remains to be seen how that will pay off. But if anything, this major readjustment of expectations made me very eager to read the next installment which became a big time asap since I am truly curious to see where the story goes from here.
Some great reviews coming for this book including, if the gods will, it one from me
I had a great time reading ‘Farlander’ and it seemed like the only way forward was to run some questions past Col for the blog. The man himself was very obliging! Here’s what Col Buchanan had to say for himself…
Happy March, folks! Hagelrat’s already gone on at length about Steven Savile’s London Macabre, giving it a final review a few days ago, as well as providing little gasps and squeals as she read each portion Steven sent over to her. Having now read it myself, I’ll add just a few points from outside the box, so to speak.
Unbound! has been giving this unpublished book a plug – should we bloggers be doing more of this?? I think if we find a book we love maybe we should.
I must admit to not being 100% sure about having the protagonist named Gavin, as it seems a little… I don’t know… not entirely heroic. I’m sure I’ll get used to it, though. (What a terrible bias to have…)
Oi!! It is too!!! This is a marmite cover. I think I like it…
Horns proved to be one of those rare novels with the ability to reach up and grab my attention and interest with ease. I was hooked from the very first chapter–half a page and two paragraphs–and though the book’s grip slackened a couple times as it progressed, it sure as Hell did not let go.
A wonderful 2nd novel in my opinion looking foward to his next one
he has given us a piece that was excised from the final book as a special treat along with the story of why it just didn’t fit into Spellwright’s final form. Mr. Charlton also made the selection available in audio format as he is a big proponent of audio performances, especially for his fellow dyslexics out there. Also be sure to stop by his blog where is is making more audio selections available. Enjoy!
I’m slowing finding more and more time to listen to audio books and I’ve just swapped from music to The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes (from Audible.co.uk) now that I’ve been reminded I can blog and listen at the same time!
Why: I have been hearing about ‘Spellwright’ for ages [well, since August] and then Blake has been an excellent and friendly chap, who has been a Twitter buddy. His blog is bizarre in the good sense and his writing is enchanting. And he is a doctor. Is that not a reason enough. Behold the funny interview that suddenly became serious.
Verdict: [A++] I am quite biased, when talking about this book. It appealed to me on so many levels to a point, where even if there are serious issues with ‘Spellwright’, I would never spot them. Charlton has converted a life-long fan in me and I am recommending ‘Spellwright’ left and right to everyone. Certainly a superior book and a promising debut, which most likely will result in a healthy and long-lived career.
Harry says that like it is a bad thing! I have simple criteria for reading and making me enjoy myself overrides mostly everything else
This is a week long event, which focuses on male authors in a genre that is predominately written by women. I have some fantastic guests, lots book reviews, as well as awesome contests!
I’ve got to write mine – I’m talking about Jim Butcher and Harry Dreden though I’m also wondering about mentioning Mike Carey’s Felix Castor…. dilemma!!
There are 107 titles listed below for release in March – more than enough choice for anyone! Some titles that I am looking forward to and would like to read are:
Just my luck that March offers an absurd amount of good books to check out, regardless of which subgenre you are looking for.
This are US centric but allows me to mention Changless and the fact that Gail Carriger’s Soulless is coming to the UK!! So excited! I can also mention The Sorcerer’s House – Gene Wolfe. Now that’s a book that I need in the UK.
hilst the artwork is good, I can’t hep but feel the artwork is misleading. Whilst there is military action in the duology, it is a fairly small part of the story. In addition, the artwork looks more near-future military SF than galaxy-spanning space opera in the late 24th Century, and might have been a better fit for Hamilton’s near-future Greg Mandel trilogy.
I wasn’t really keen on Pandora’s Star until Adam’s post which points out that both covers fit together – haven’t read the contents so can’t comment on the fit of the covers but they look as good as the ones before and it’s always nice to see a re-jack.
Though saying that I saw the new Anne Rice covers the other day – Queen of the Damned looked horrid. The old ones where so much nicer!
Peter F Hamilton’s The Evolutionary Void, due from Macmillan in September this year, is my most eagerly anticipated book this year and I have been waiting for this cover for a long time. I like it. I like it a lot. An aerial shot of Makkathran was always going to be good, and while this is not quite what I have in my head when reading, it looks and feels right – Steve Stone has done a great job.
I’ve read The Dream Void breaking my own self imposed ban on long books and I loved it. I need a reading clone….
My books are getting a new look both in the UK and the US this year. Below you can see what the paperback of The Blue Demon will look like when it appears in the UK in September.
I’m currently reading Maskerade by Terry Pratchett, I don’t think I’ll do a full review but just had to say – is this possibly the funniest Discworld book of them all? It’s truly hilarious. From the very first page:
It’s rare i’ll reread anything but Pratchett is one of those rare authors that you can enjoy endlessly. The Witches is also my favourite thread in Discworld
This month Robert Thompson provided most of the book titles with additions by Cindy Hannikman, Liviu Suciu and Mihir Wanchoo. We are featuring 66 books.
Overloaded yet??
How about adding:
“City of the Snakes” by Darren Shan. UK Release Date: March 4, 2010. Lord Sunday” By Garth Nix. Release Date: March 16, 2010 “Thirteen Years Later” by Jasper Kent. UK Release Date: March 18, 2010. (though I’m only mentioning it for the Twelve fans – I’m sure I could use it as kindling…lol) “A Matter of Blood: The Dog-faced Gods Trilogy” by Sarah Pinborough. March 25, 2010. (I’m reading this one this month!!)
“The Age of Zeus” by James Lovegrove. Release Date: March 30, 2010. (Everyone in the US needs to read this! And UK too)
thoroughly enjoyed Jane Casey’s debut novel, The Missing. The story is told from the perspective of Sarah, a young English teacher whose brother Charlie disappeared from the family garden almost 20 years ago. Sarah was in the garden at the time, but half-asleep, so can’t remember exactly what happened. Part of the novel tells the story of the impact of this event on Sarah and her parents. Gradually, we come to see the full effects of the devastation wrought on all three of them – as individuals, as a family, and as the rest of the community in their Surrey commuter town perceives them.
Crime stories are most powerful when they show the community and the families and how they affect the crime and it’s aftermath. Sounds great.
In conclusion, I would say that we cannot apply a sweeping generalization and say that all female characters suffer from a lack of realism in fantasy literature – but I would state that women are struggling in comparison to their male counterparts. I would welcome your thoughts – please leave a comment!
Some great comments too. Haven’t thought about this if I’m honest but then I’m really bad at my male to female writer ratio when reading
I can see that Orbit have chosen a direction for Palmer’s books and I think it’s quite a nice style for this book, although until reading the blurb I wasn’t convinced of it. The plastic toy image is definitely something different and one that worked very well for Red Claw, I’m just not 100% sure it works here, at least not as an instantly recognisable sci-fi cover.
To be honest, this is a really difficult review to write. I started to love this novel very quickly, finding myself swept up by Buchanan’s prose and the story, becoming immersed in the tale each and every time I picked up the book (it was only due to other commitments that I didn’t read this in one or two sittings).
Reading in one or two sittings?? I wish I could do that. I have an inner five year old that can’t sit still that long I swear! Another great review of Farlander though!
And I think that’s more than enough for now! And hasn’t everyone been busy.
Did you manage to make it to the end? I’m exhausted!
World Book Day was designated by UNESCO as a worldwide celebration of books and reading.
It might have slipped past you but today is World Book Day. So I thought it would fun to do a quick survey on Twitter so I asked more or less:
I wanna know one book that everyone should read? I mine is Dracula @vintagebooks
And here are some of the great suggestions so far – some of them cheated and chose two!
Liz_Sara @nextread One book everyone should read – that’s hard! Either Wuthering Heights if we’re talking classics or The Historian if not
Figures @nextreadLord of the Rings. Obvious I know, but still the greatest book ever written!
Figures @nextread If I was allowed a 2nd, I’d say Weaveworld – the book that made me say “You can do that with Fantasy?”
scottvharrison @nextreadA Christmas Carol. Everyone’s seen an adaptation but none have matched the sheer warmth, darkness and power of the book!
BookChickCityDracula is my fav book, but as you’ve chosen it, I would say In Cold Blood by Truman Capote RT @nextread for @worldbookdayuk mine is Dracula
booksmugglers @nextread One book everyone should read: The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
Gollancz @nextread One book everyone should read? Outside of Gollancz? The Periodic Table by Primo Levi
woodge @nextreadCorelli’s Mandolin by Louis de Bernières
artsderbyshire @nextread 1 book everyone should read – Primo Levi, If this is a man. U didn’t ought 2be allowed 2rest yr bones in the ground til you have.
![Weeks-TheBlackPrism[4]](http://nextread.co.uk/wp/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/WeeksTheBlackPrism4.jpg "Weeks-TheBlackPrism[4]")
This is a marmite cover. I think I like it…
![Downum-BonePalace2[3]](http://nextread.co.uk/wp/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/DownumBonePalace23.jpg "Downum-BonePalace2[3]")
![Larke-StormlordRising[3]](http://nextread.co.uk/wp/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/LarkeStormlordRising3.jpg "Larke-StormlordRising[3]")
![Jamieson-DeathMostDefinite[3]](http://nextread.co.uk/wp/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/JamiesonDeathMostDefinite3.jpg "Jamieson-DeathMostDefinite[3]")
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