Thoughts and Links: Sunday 11 July Edition

This week has been bit of a strange one – I really did burn myself out with last weekends massive posts. I’m been decidedly unbookie. Well that’s a but of a lie I made my third trip from Wales to London’s Forbidden Planet to meet an author – though it’s my forth time this year after making a special trip to see Marie Brennan. All great fun – will have to take some pics of the signed books!

Well starting off this weeks catch up with event on the blogosphere we have a wonderful event from Booksmugglers:

link: The Book Smugglers » Blog Archive » Young Adult Appreciation Month: An Open Invitation

Young Adult novels rule, and are currently experiencing something of a boom in the troubled publishing world. And, we Book Smugglers have totally jumped on the increasingly crowded YA bandwagon. It is a genre that we love, and because of that love we are organizing a celebration of the genre: our first ever YA Appreciation Month, from July 19th to August 16th.

And it’s thanks to looking at Garth Nix on Wiki that I spotted this:

link: Garth Nix’s Amazon Blog: Clariel: The Lost Abhorsen and two other books Permalink

Anyway, gather round folks! I have news. It’s been reported in various industry publications, so I might as well post it here too: I will be writing two more novels set in the Old Kingdom and Ancelstierre. They will be published by Allen & Unwin in Australia and by HarperCollins US and HarperCollins UK.

You should read my tweets on Twitter about it! I’m so excited!!

link: Graeme’s Fantasy Book Review: Tim Powers – Where do I start reading?

Tim Powers – Where do I start reading?

Well thank god that’s not only me and strangely the consensus so far is The Annubis Gate. I’ve got that boxed up somewhere…. now I have excuse to pull down boxes for books and have a rummage.

link: Pat’s Fantasy Hotlist: Win a full set of Mark Chadbourn’s THE AGE OF MISRULE

I’m giving away a full set of the US edition of Mark Chadbourn’s The Age of Misrule.

Go enter!

link: Upcoming Interviews, Notes, & News ~ Mad Hatter’s Bookshelf & Book Review

The Subterranean Press signed-limited edition of The Blade Itself has been put up for pre-order. They also announced Peter V. Brett’s The Great Bazaar and Other Stories, which is supposed to expand the world of The Warded Man/The Painted Man with "outtakes from the first novel in the series — really, standalone short stories themselves — as well as additional material to flesh out Brett’s bravura storytelling."

hmmm I don’t know – on reflection I liked but really don’t love The Painted Man so buying a limited edition really isn’t an attractive option. I wonder if I should order the trade paperback? It’s either £45/20 so nothing really expensive either way.

My problem is that I liked the concept more than the story as it felt stretched out. Maybe I’ll change my mind after reading Desert Spear?

link: OF Blog of the Fallen: Personal top 10 lists

What are 10 speculative fiction (the definition of which is left up to you, of course) would you say are among the best ever?

"Best ever" – such a loaded term.

link: Speculative Horizons: Adrian Tchaikovsky book signings

Adrian Tchaikovsky has announced a series of book signings in support of the upcoming third novel in his Shadows of the Apt series, Blood of the Mantis.

And I’ve nicked the date from James’ blog:

Friday 7th August, 12-1 (probably), Forbidden Planet, Shaftesbury Avenue, London Saturday 15th August, 3-5. Waterstones, United Reform Church, 89a Broad Street, Reading Saturday 22nd August, 1-2 (probably) Travelling Man games shop, 32 Central Road, Leeds LS1 Satursday 29th August, tbc, Garforth Bookshop, 15 Main Street, Garforth LS25 1DS

It’s a series I’m going to have to try again on I think I found it hard to get into the opening of the first one but:

I’m hoping to receive a review copy of this one pretty soon, since the previous instalment – Dragonfly Falling – is one of the best books I’ve read this year.

So looks like it has promise.

link: The Book Smugglers » Blog Archive » Book Review: Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson

At the centre of it all though rests Hallendren and as each of the characters reaches a resolution the Kingdom itself and its beliefs are put to test. I watched an interview with Brandon Sanderson in which he talks about a common trope in the Fantasy genre: the “Rebellion against the Empire” when all characters are fighting and going to war to defeat a common threat and how he tried to make just the opposite here: to make the established government work, to make it better. And I think he succeeds beautifully in what he set out to do.

We’re still waiting for the official UK release of Sanderson. I wonder if we’ll get this one in the future.

link: My Favourite Books: Twisted Metal by Tony Ballantyne (Guest Review)

Another reason I enjoyed this book so much was that Tony also makes robots a fresh and interesting concept – these robots are damn cool! They may not be able to stand up to a T800 (then again, they don’t have to) but they are a damn sight more interesting! Yet each robot is also unique, and the concept behind the creation of robots, how they are conceived, is utterly unique, cool and creepy at the same time. Oh, you will also wince in the battle scenes – Tony isn’t afraid to bring the pain!

Liz @ MFB is lining up some Guest Reviewers and Dave has done a great job of persuading me that this does robots like no one else!

ink: Jon’s Review: The Tenth Case, by Joseph Teller | Bookgeeks

there is a vast array of contemporary literature based around the legal wrangles of court cases,
doubtless contributed to by public interest being aroused by television and film. In The Tenth Case Teller manages to combine these two concepts, albeit ones that naturally cross-pollinate, in a skillful and well informed manner. It would be of no surprise to a reader of this offering that his pre-writing experience involved both undercover work for the Federal Bureau of Narcotics and over three decades as a defense attorney.

I do like a good legal thriller though can’t remember reading one since A Time To Kill by John Grisham and that’s some time ago. Might be time to retry the genre?

link: Walker of Worlds: Review | Wrath of the Lemming Men by Toby Frost (Myrmidon)

From the depths of Space a new foe rises to do battle with mankind: the British Space Empire is threatened by the lemming-people of Yull, ruthless enemies who attack without mercy, fear or any concept of self preservation. At the call of their war god, the Yull have turned on the Empire, hell bent on conquest and destruction in their rush towards the cliffs of destiny.
When the Yullian army is forced to retreat at the battle of the River Tam, the disgraced Colonel Vock swears revenge on the clan of Suruk the Slayer, Isambard Smith’s homicidal alien friend. Now Smith and his crew must defend the Empire and civilise the stuffing out of a horde of bloodthirsty lemming-men- which would be easy were it not for a sinister robotics company, a Ghast general with a fondness for genetic engineering and an ancient brotherhood of Morris Dancers- who may yet hold the key to victory…

The problem with my fellow blogger is that do too good a job of brining books to my attention that I’ve already dismissed. I’m having to reconsider. I might actually read this one or at least the start of the series.

link: Speculative Horizons: Mark Chadbourn on researching his ‘Age of Misrule’ trilogy

Just a heads-up: UK author Mark Chadbourn has written a little piece over at amazon blog Omnivoracious, about his experience of writing his Age of Misrule trilogy.

I missed this! I met Mark on Thursday. He’s a lovely man with an amazing imagination. I really don’t want to read the last one. I don’t want to know how it ends! (That’s the end of the third trilogy, US readers have a few more books to go yet, lucky buggers!)

link: Walker of Worlds: 2009 Books I Need To Read

So, this post is a reminder for myself as much as you on what is out there from the first half of 2009. I’ve got a couple of these on the shelf at the moment and will definitely be keeping my eye out for more of them in the future

The highlight on this list is Jaine Fenn I really want to read Principles of Angels and Consorts of Heaven.

link: The Wertzone: God of Clocks by Alan Campbell

Twelve powerful arconites walk the earth, preparing to bring about the destruction of humanity and bringing its souls under the command of Menoa, Lord of Hell.

Good start to a novel and I wasn’t expecting that when I read Scar Night. I have Iron Angel down as a Summer Read 2009 which has already got me intrigued by it’s opening. So Adam was so so about it. Not stopping me though will just set the bar lower.

link: Newsflash – John Connolly opens The Gates – Highlander’s Book Reviews

…what I am really excited about is John’s latest project The Gates…why? well because when John Connolly turns his hand to Horror or Fantasy as he did in Nocturnes or The Book Of Lost Things then generally something very special happens. Judge for yourself by heading here and reading the first chapter of The Gates then hang around twiddling your thumbs until the book is published in October.

I’ve read the first two of John Connolly’s Charlie Parker series and have Nocturnes and The Book of Lost Things. I’m told that Killing Kind is where it really kicks off

link: Speculative Horizons: Book review: Jasmyn

I was disappointed to find that all of the problems and flaws that marred the first novel are all present and correct in Jasmyn. Worse, they’re even more prominent and intrusive than the first time around. The result is a book that becomes more infuriating and ridiculous with each chapter.

As much as I liked the first one I tried and passed on this one. I’d say James got it right. Sorry.

link: The Antick Musings of G.B.H. Hornswoggler, Gent.: Wireless by Charles Stross

Hard Science Fiction used to be all about wonder and amazement, about pushing the limits of knowledge and expectation. But that’s been obsolete for some time; the rump Hard SF that we have these days has been formed by two generations of fannish nitpickers, the failure of the US space program, and an abiding sourness about mankind that has no single source I can detect.

This is an interesting take on Wireless I’m reading it at the minute so I wonder how my thoughts are going to compare?

link: Angry Robot Review: Moxyland by Lauren Beukes « Davebrendon’s Fantasy & Sci-Fi Weblog

It is my opinion that this book will end up being one of the greats of contemporary future-fiction, and it can stand proud among the legends that authors such as Philip K Kick and George Orwell have given us

This is a big claim for any novel. I’ve read the opening chapters of this one. Interesting premise. It’s on the Sony Reader, which is my work reading, might have to stop going to the shops at lunch and pick this up.

link: Reading matters: ‘Snuff’ by Chuck Palahniuk

Quite clearly this isn’t going to be everyone’s cup of tea, but having read pretty much all of Palahniuk’s previous work I wasn’t going to let this one slip by. I very much enjoyed it. And the ending is an absolute riotous cracker!

Wasn’t my cup of tea I must admit but only because I couldn’t get past the boredom of waiting in line. Chuck I think adds depth to his fiction as you peel away and go deeper in. I’m giving Pygmy a go though

ink: Walker of Worlds: Review | Storm Front by Jim Butcher (Orbit) See

>I will quite happily recommend this book to anyone that enjoys urban fantasy (although I suspect I’m the last one joining this train) or to anyone that wants to try something a little different and wants a fun read with nothing too taxing. I’ve already got the sequel, Fool Moon, on the shelf and I’ll be slowly building up this collection with all the releases – it’s just so easy and enjoyable to read!

See it’s not just me!

link: The Book Smugglers » Blog Archive » Books You Really Should Be Reading…

Recently, author Diana Peterfreund had a post over at her blog, discussing books that seem to have gone for whatever reason unnoticed by blogland, or have slipped under the radar of readers

I’ve heard of and am interested in John C. Wright, Juliet Marillier and Heir to Sevenwaters, Fables by Bill Willingham- I have to get back into graphic novels/comics. Where is the time? But haven’t heard of the rest. Hmmm

link: REVIEW | Moxyland by Lauren Beukes (Angry Robot) ~ Mad Hatter’s Bookshelf & Book Review

Overall, I didn’t find Moxyland as thought provoking as the author intended. What could have been a decidedly discussion worthy book turned into more of mishmash of themes not explored well enough and kneecapped by characters you can’t identify with. I give Moxyland 5 out of 10 Hats.

Ok – so I wonder which way the consensus will go?

link: Mathew’s Review: The Lovers, by John Connolly | Bookgeeks

Never have I read a series of books that so depend on the past of one man to determine his future and that of those around him, both friend and foe. Parker has a fascinating and terrible history that I am confident will continue to unravel seamlessly, just as his unsettled present and unpredictable future will play out in one way or another. (The next Parker novel, The Whisperers is due next year). Readers new to John Connolly beware: before sitting down with The Lovers, you must go back into Parker’s past yourself, starting with Every Dead Thing.

Just as I thought I need to carry on reading. And it gets better!

link: The Edge Of The World by Kevin J. Anderson – Highlander’s Book Reviews

I enjoyed this book. The mixture of politics and adventure sustained interest right to the end. I am also sure that the world created here will serve as excellent background for future books in the series. Kevin J. Anderson has shown that his talents are extremely diverse and can now add successful Epic Fantasy to his burgeoning CV, what’s next? Horror, I hope so.

More good thoughts on this one. I love the cover so much!

link: Speculative Horizons: Book review: Retribution Falls

Drawbacks? Can’t think of any. Honestly. The only thought that nagged me was that Malvery needed a little more development, but that – pleasingly – was addressed right at the end of the book. My only complaint is that the book had to end. Wooding has already mentioned that a follow-up is due next year, and believe me – that will be one of the first books on my list for 2010.

I need to read this now!!
Ok and that concludes my catchup of the last couple of weeks.