New covers, prologue and poll

I'm currently reading Nights of Villjamur by Mark Charan Newton and so far so good. It seems to be the start of something great but I have some reserves and I'll share them in my review soon. Meanwhile, Mr. Newton posted on his blog the cover and the blurb for the second book of the Legends of the Red Sun series, City of Ruin. The city in the background of the cover is nice but the character depicted in front is kind of messing it up for me.

Viliren: a city of sin that is being torn apart from the inside. Its underworld is violent and surreal. Hybrid creatures shamble through shadows and there is a trade in bizarre goods. The city’s inquisition is rife with corruption. Barely human gangs fight turf wars and interfere in political upheavals. The most influential of the gang leaders, Malum, has nefarious networks spreading to the city’s rulers, and as his personal life falls down around him, he begins to embrace the darkness within.

Amidst all this, Commander Brynd Adaol, commander of the Night Guard, must plan the defence of Viliren. A race that has broken through from some other realm and already slaughtered hundreds of thousands of the Empire’s people. As the enemy gather on next island, Brynd must muster the populace – and the gangs. Importing soldiers and displacing civilians, this is a colossal military operation, and the stress begins to take its toll.

After a Night Guard soldier is reported missing, it is discovered that many citizens have also been vanishing from the streets of Viliren. They’re not fleeing the city, they’re not hiding from the terrors in the north – they’re being murdered. A serial killer of the most horrific kind is on the loose, taking hundreds of people from their own homes. A killer that cannot possibly be human.

It is whispered that the city of Viliren is about to fall – but how can anyone save a city that is already a ruin?

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A new cover for The Blade Itself was unveiled by Joe Abercrombie on his blog (here). I think the cover is beautiful but that's not the way I pictured Logan.... wasn't he much bigger? Aside from this, I think I like that cover more than the original one. Glokta and Jezal will be the next stars to get the spotlight for the covers for Before they are Hanged and Last Argument of Kings.

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The first chapter of The Gathering Storm by Brandon Sanderson/Robert Jordan is available to read for free at Tor.com. Just follow this link and register. I'll get back with my impressions.

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The poll about the presence of maps in fantasy books is over. I have to admit that I'm happily surprised since 80% of the respondent answered yes. I remember reading about this subject on a couple of blogs over the years and I thought that less people were interested in the maps. Bring them on!

For the new poll, I would like to know if you prefer a stand-alone book or a novel part of a series? In my case, I like series better. It's not that I dislike stand-alones but with all the work the authors put in creating rich worlds and compelling characters, a series feel better suited to do justice to their effort. However, even though I like to read more than one books about characters I love, some authors should learn to know when to stop.