March releases

I have to admit that March 2012 is not the most prolific month in Fantasy releases.  There is some novels that could be of interest like this list:

Naomi Novik - Crucible of Gold, book 7 of the Temeraire series (March 6)

Raymond E. Feist - A Crown Imperiled, book 2 of the Chaoswar Saga (March 13)

Jon Courtenay Grimwood - The Outcast Blade, book 2 of the Assassini series(March 26)

Mark Chadbourn - Jack of Ravens, book 1 of Kingdom of the Serpent (March 27)

But what piqued my curiosity the most is the following (the final title in the series):

***

Shadow's Master

Jon Sprunk

March 27th

The northern wastes. . . .

A land of death and shadow where only the strongest survive. Yet that is where Caim must go to follow the mystery at the heart of his life. Armed only with his knives and his companions, he plunges into a world of eternal night where the sun is never seen and every hand is turned against him.

Caim has buried his father’s sword and found some measure of peace, but deep in the north an unfathomable power lays waiting. To succeed on this mission, Caim will have to more than just survive. He must face the Shadow’s Master.

***

 Finally, I missed a title of interest in February, which was released on the 28th:

Kings of Morning

Paul Kearney

For the first time in recorded history, the ferocious city-states of the Macht now acknowledge a single man as their overlord. Corvus, the strange and brilliant boy-general, is now High King, having united his people in a fearsome, bloody series of battles and sieges. He is not yet thirty years old. A generation ago, ten thousand of the Macht marched into the heart of the ancient Asurian Empire, and then fought their way back out again, passing into legend. It has been the enduring myth of Corvus' life, for his father was one of those who undertook that march, and his most trusted general, Rictus, was leader of those ten thousand. But he intends to do more. The preparations will take years, but when they are complete, Corvus will lead an invasion the like of which the world of Kuf has never seen. Under him, the Macht will undertake nothing less than the overthrow of the entire Asurian Empire.

Maps - Beaulieu and Ahmed

The Straits of Galahesh by Bradley P. Beaulieu, the second book in the Lays of Anuskaya series will be out soon, on April 3 and Mr. Beaulieu posted two new maps from his world, the regions of Galahesh and Vostroma:

***

Next up is the map for Saladin Ahmed's Throne of the Crescent Moon:

Both were added to the index.

GoT - Season 2 Power and Grace trailer

Even though the series is already sold to many, this trailer can only help in building the expectations :)

 

Season 2 Trailer: Power and Grace

The Scar review

Sergey and Marina Dyachenko are the Ukranian co-authors of several Fantasy novels, novellas and short stories published in Russian. The Scar, the second novel in the 'Wanderers' Cycle, won a prize in 1997 for the best Fantasy in Europe. It is their first book published in America. The translation is the work of Elinor Huntington.

Reaching far beyond sword and sorcery, The Scar is a story of two people torn by disaster, their descent into despair, and their reemergence through love and courage. Sergey and Marina Dyachenko mix dramatic scenes with romance, action and wit, in a style both direct and lyrical. Written with a sure artistic hand, The Scar is the story of a man driven by his own feverish demons to find redemption and the woman who just might save him. 

Egert is a brash, confident member of the elite guards and an egotistical philanderer. But after he kills an innocent student in a duel, a mysterious man known as “The Wanderer” challenges Egert and slashes his face with his sword, leaving Egert with a scar that comes to symbolize his cowardice. Unable to end his suffering by his own hand, Egert embarks on an odyssey to undo the curse and the horrible damage he has caused, which can only be repaired by a painful journey down a long and harrowing path.

Usually, I am not particularly fond of the comparison towards various well-known authors that publishers decide to proclaim on a book. On the other hand, I believe that this time, Tor's bet was right.  Robin Hobb, the novelist behind the Farseer Trilogy is quoted as being a worthy parallel in story structure and I must agree with this statement. Furthermore, after some chapters, I feared having to deal with a protagonist as unlikable as Thomas Covenant from Stephen Donaldson, a story I was not able to finish (my “half-review” of Lord Foul's Bane here). I will refer to it later since I wish to add an essential nuance to the comparison I am making concerning this matter.

Egert is a pretentious young ass who accidentally perpetrates the irrevocable, an act very difficult to forgive.  In a certain way, it is the consequence of his deeds, he simply receives what he deserves, judging from the point of view of one of the characters. From the moment he is cursed, he becomes an entity of insecurity, apprehensive of everything that surrounds him, who decides to seek redemption at all costs, provided that this price does not imply a terror based on harmless elements, which is always the case from there on.  It is at this point that my feelings of resemblance to the work of Donaldson were dissipated.  Even if I find that the premise of the book is overemphasized, I speak here about the cursed situation of Egert, at least he starts by seeking to get rid of it in several manners, creatively or fatally but ultimately quite stoically. He does not remain completely dumb and the action that started it all is not completely conscious or voluntary.

It is not evident to witness and follow the setbacks and adventures, which are not particularly extravagant, of a person under this wasting condition during a whole novel.  The feelings of the young and pitiful captain are at the heart of the account and the complete pallet of possible reactions and state of mind come to pass.  Sergey mentioned that he added a layer of psychology and even of psychiatry to the story.  This element is literally palpable. Doubtlessly, the real interest of The Scar can truly be found in the quest of Egert and all the difficulties he has to cope with.  It is by pondering this aspect that you should decide if this kind of tale is for you.  We are far from an epic account, it is personal, very human and emotional, slightly too much for me in retrospect. I think that the core of the novel is probably from the mind of Marina more than Sergey.  It is all assumptions but the feminine writing is felt all over the narration in the depiction of the characters behaviors.

The book could still be categorized as some sort of sword and sorcery novel but the authors themselves saw it from another perspective:

"[...]  we started with pure fairy-tale, then villainously cheated on the genre and sunk into social fantasy. Then we got tired, shrugged it off and are now writing a good old fantasy under a conventional name All Is Possible for Wizards." 

"[...] Personally, I named our creative method "M-realism". What is it? It is not clearly known. Some may understand it as "meta-realism", others - as "magical"."

Considering this, it is safe to say that it is a cross genre novel defined by romance Fantasy, simple philosophical fiction and magic realism. The Scar is set in a post plague affected world where a chosen few archmages are wielding magic.  When Egert is put aside, the sub plot that is slowly building to create a climax is revealed through a group of fanatics proclaiming the end of the world. Sadly, there are no big surprises or distinctly creative ideas surrounding these storylines.  I found one exception in the character of the Wanderer himself but his story seems to be detailed in other books, he is a mean to an end.

At least, Egert is not the only point of view used to work out the narration.  Toria and her father, the Dean Luayan, add mentally healthier elements to a story significantly encumbered by the exploration of the situation of the cursed young man by the authors. That's were romance comes in and it is approached meticulously and genuinely. Magic, factions intrigue and swordplay are present and they spice things up in a small dose but the world feels a bit empty.

Unfortunately, it is very difficult to judge the quality of the writing style of the authors. Did Elinor Huntington make a good work?  I have serious doubts.  Firstly, it seems like someone tried at every opportunity to force beautiful turnings of sentences or use uncommon words to give the prose a higher quality.  Moreover, and I must acknowledge that I am somewhat an abusive user of the comma (that probably comes from my native language), but in this case, it is really a party of comma and everyone is invited.  With regard to these two observations, I would have liked to have the opinion of somebody who read the Russian edition but it is not easy to find.

Moreover, and this is perhaps due to the Advance Uncorrected Proof edition that Tor sent me, certain sentences simply do not make any sense or made me raise an eyebrow. I felt that sometimes we are lost in translation. I hope that this will be corrected since in my case, that made me drop out of the story regularly. Here some examples:

[...] The gray-robed man smiled from under the hood. In his hand - with the tattoo on the wrist - coins tinkled. "Tail, Nutty, be moderately greedy," said the man in a soft voice that made the killer tremble. "I require your assistance."

[...]He stopped in front of the tavern; there is no telling what compelled him to turn toward the wide, well-known door.

And the worst:

[...] Just when Egert became sure that he would not hear another word out of her, the girl shivered and whispered, "And, you know, especially thunder, when it goes off without warning. Ita told me that in our village there was one little girl who was killed dead by thunder...."

Personally, I would not want to live in a world where thunder can kill you...

If you are the kind of reader that sympathize easily with characters even when they are helplessly miserable but with hope for redemption and grander designs, The Scar will appeal to you.  However, if you're looking for a sword and sorcery novel with a touch of Russian influence you probably should look elsewhere, except if you want it to be impregnated with romance and psychology.

Technically, I have to praise the cover, it is simply gorgeous, one of the best I have seen for a long time.  There is no map and the hardcover edition of the book stands at 336 pages.

The Scar review score :

Characterization.............   7 /10

World building...............   7 / 10

Magic system.................   7.5 / 10

Story..............................   7 / 10

Writing...........................   6.5 / 10

Overall (not an average) 7 / 10

New map - Mazarkis Williams

I started reading the debut novel of fantasy author Mazarkis Williams this week.  Sadly, the map on the ebook edition of The Emperor's Knife is not very clear.  Hopefully, Mr. Williams posted the map on his Facebook page.  Here you go (also added to the index, as usual...):

Really?

Each year, Tor.com presents its Readers' Choice Awards.  I looked at the results today and came upon the winner (most vote from the readers) for the cover category. All I have to say is: "Really?".....

A Memory of Light official release date

Tor.com posted the news, the release date of the final novel in the Wheel of Time series, A Memory of Light by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson will be out on :

January 8, 2013

After all this time I don't mind being kept waiting for a time.  I eager to read the ending, more so since it's supposedly taken from extensive notes by Robert himself (even though I like Brandon's work, but it's still Jordan's work).  So, although it's sad that it will see the light of day in 2013, at least this gigantic saga will be ending (watch-out the expectations...)!

The Sacred Band review

The Sacred Band is David Anthony Durham's third and ultimate novel in the Acacia trilogy.  The book concludes the first epic Fantasy series for the author, who worked on several historic fictions before. He will return to this type of novel next but judging by the result of his fantasy project, I sincerely hope that he returns to the genre eventually.

As The Sacred Band begins, Queen Corinn bestrides the world as a result of her mastery of spells from the Book of Elenet. Her younger brother, Dariel, has been sent on a perilous mission to the Other Lands. And her sister, Mena, travels to the far north to face an invasion of the feared race of the Auldek. As their separate trajectories converge, a series of world-shaping, earth-shattering battles will force the surviving children of the Akaran dynasty to confront their fates head on--and right some ancient wrongs once and for all.

Unfortunately, I never reviewed The Other Lands and too much time has passed for me to write a fully detailed review giving it justice. However, I remembered enough of the tale to read the final book. Moreover, there's a useful "The story so far" at the beginning of the book to raise memories back to the surface.

These days, big epic series tend to stretch over several books even if it started with the genre's beloved trilogy in mind. Having an author who's able to restrict his number of thread and produce a strong feeling of things being set from beginning to end throughout the whole series is commendable. That doesn't mean that I don't like series like Erikson's Malazan tale (on the contrary) where the number of concurrent characters storyline is huge and not all of them resolve but if you take Wheel of Time, the narrative can get tangled or muddled at times...

Now, you might ask what this series is all about?  The Sacred Band is the conclusion of the story of the Akaran siblings, the twenty second descendants of the dynasty and their close entourage.  We followed them from their young age right to their adulthood where they try to redeem all the pernicious deeds made or sanctioned by their ancestors, each by distinctive methods and motives.  Looking at the protagonists, I can't proclaim that their story is the stuff of legend by the way we usually assume that something is mythic but in an entirely original perspective, mostly so after discovering the outcome of their struggles.

The brothers, sisters and the people they are overseeing are dealing with the invasion of their lands by the mighty and immortal Auldeks, trying to maintain stability in their homeland with the help of the untrustworthy League and facing a group of all-powerful but tainted sorcerers from the past. From the start, in Acacia, I thought that the fundamental subject matter was that even with the best of intentions, it's almost impossible to right wrongs of this magnitude, while being a slave in a mine or the ruler of an empire.  However, after three novels and quite an evolution from the initial situation, I have to admit that the author succeeded in proving me wrong and the 'classic' epithet I affixed to his novel ought to be removed when I take the whole series into consideration. 

Even if it's the Akaran family who's driving the plot and creating the essence and most attractive aspects of the book, Durham managed to conceive some memorable side characters, in a book where the 'meta story' sometimes seems to override the cast. Examples: the insecure, cowardly and loyal  Rialus Neptos who's giving an insight on things from quite a different perspective and the self-satisfied, dreamer and plotting Sire Dagon who's more typical as a merchantman but who's also bringing more depth to the narrative. However, for Melio the devoted guardsman, Barad the preacher, Devoth the ferocious chieftain, Kelis the brave steppe brother and Delivegu the spy, we're in grounds that are more familiar, straightforwardness and maybe even some stereotypical behaviors.

I won't comment on the principal players specific actions for fear of spoiling for those who haven't started the series. Suffice to say that Corinn, who wasn't the most compelling person to follow, finally became a character of exception.  Her part and those of her kin, all under her direct or indirect influence transform the ideals of their family into commitment, from the peculiar defense of their empire to the newfound territories. There's a huge metamorphosis happening for her and fortunately, it's not coming out of nowhere. In this case, responsibility and dedication redirect the goal of the monarch to its roots.

After three novels full of lore revelation, landscape description and exploration, characteristic wildlife discovery and interaction between more than one race and people, it is clear that Durham spent time and worked hard on his world building.  Alongside the simple but effective magic system taking its roots in a song derived, mostly inadequately by the users, from the words of the creator, the world feels rich and complete. Almost all the extent of the mysteries is finally explored and a feeling of closure spread over all the individual realities.

Alas, not everything is perfect in the Known World and the Other Lands. The second book was a bit of a deception for me because of the revelation of the mysteries surrounding the quota trade to the Lothan Aklun and the Auldeks.  Aside from driving the plot slowly but still steadily forward, which was the book intention, it didn't really stand out until the last few chapters, even if there was action aplenty.  In this last occurrence, the story move progressively in a more perceptible fashion but the pace is still kind of slow due to the presence once more of some overlong descriptions or character reflections.

To give a concise rundown, The Sacred Band is an epic story where morally mitigated characters blend with the common figure and some committed antagonists while the benevolence of humankind is pushed to the limit and where the greater good has firm roots and eventually succeeds in ways that cannot be fathomed. It's a complete tale of redemption over a generation of warfare where the battle is not always won with a sword or with dragons. A fit conclusion to a recommended series.

Technically, I'm not a huge fan of the Doubleday edition cover, mainly because of the lettering but I like the Mena on Elya versus an Auldek on a fréketes illustration for the French edition.  You can take a look at the map of Durham's world here. The hardcover edition of the book stands at 576 pages. Dick Hill is the narrator and as usual, gives a splendid performance for 28 hours or so.

The Sacred Band review score :

Characterization.............   7.5 /10
World building...............   9 / 10
Magic system.................   8.5 / 10
Story..............................   8 / 10
Writing...........................    8 / 10

Overall (not an average)  8 / 10


Enjoy!

David Anthony Durham page
Acacia review

New poll - Gritty Fantasy

In my last poll, I humbly asked you, faithful readers, if you were reading anthologies.  The results are in and it was a close call.  55% of the respondent said that they were doing so.  With a margin that short, the conclusion write itself naturally, you either love them or you're indifferent to them...  As I said, I'm among the non readers but judging by the comments you posted on the topic, there's several anthologies that seem worth our time, whether we read the whole thing or only a couple of short stories from it. Interesting...

***

As the title of my post evidently stated, this time I'm interested in your opinion on a new "style" or trend affecting many young and not so young authors of epic Fantasy in the last years, gritty, violent, morally ambiguous, full of anti-heroes or even to a certain degree dystopian Fantasy novels (although I know from past discussions that this last term should not be used slightly...). Gritty may not be the perfect term to encompass all these concepts but I'll still use it to summarize this particular fashion of Fantasy.  The complete list of these elements can't be applied to the usual gritty Fantasy book but in the end, I think that they are all aspects of a more realistic Fantasy sub-genre.

When I say realistic, it's not simply in comparison with the real world we're living in or that we can learn about in history books when reading about the medieval era.  I'm speaking of the feeling of authenticity that should come with the kind of worlds the authors create.  The settings I'm relating to are characterized by warfare at the point of swords, nasty magic powers, political agenda where the greater good is not at the heart of concerns and harsh futures for the protagonists and their people.  In these worlds, sex is not always seen as an act of passionate love, the prophetic or prodigal farm boy doesn't become Prince Charming the savior who surprisingly master magic, blasphemes are not censored, a sword thrust can lead to a graphic depiction of an organ being pulled out of a body and death is around the corner.

Hopefully, the characters living in these environments are usually anti-heroes becoming heroes despite themselves where the whole spectrum of morale finds its home (this is the best part for me without question). There's still a good share of pure good or pure evil individuals but they fit in more laboriously. What they experience, their actions and how they interact with each other within a gritty framework is more representative of a complex world centered on survival or personal needs and justification.

This sub-genre, in its modern age, certainly took its roots in series like the Chronicles of Thomas Covenant by Stephen R. Donalson, Michael Moorcock's Elric, Glen Cook's Black Company and George R.R. Martin's aSoIaF.  Then came Steven Erikson, Brian Ruckley and R. Scott Bakker, to name a few, who incorporated this trait into their epic tales, also adding, to a different degree, some philosophical thinking to the pattern.  More recently, Joe Abercrombie, Richard Morgan, Mark Lawrence or Stephen Deas joined the group.

I read Fantasy mostly because I want to escape into another fantastical reality. Consequently, am I interested in that reality if I find it to be gritty?  Yes I am, it's an interesting mix of imaginary creation and realistic interpretation, but I have to admit that I could never read only this kind of novel.  What's important about this gritty wrapping found so often in epic Fantasy these days is the dose and the line that the author has to trace to avoid going too far. That's where a good gritty novel can really bring something to the genre.

You may dispute some of the names I have mentioned or the complete list of elements associated in general with gritty fiction that I chose to talk about but I'm sure you get my point and I'd love to hear you on the subject.

Do you like your Fantasy gritty?


- Yes
- No

Sykes - A French Lenk

The cover art for Sam Sykes' Black Halo where his main protagonist Lenk was standing with his sword out before a sea on fire wasn't received warmly by the "Fantasy covers not too serious analysts crowd".  The book will be released in France soon by Fleuve Noir and the artist chosen for the new illustration is none other than the very talented Marc Simonetti, whose work is often pointed out by the scrutinizing eye of Mihai at Dark Wolf's Fantasy review.  Here's the illustration that Sam posted and the US edition.  Which do you prefer?  I would go with the French one... 

New Game of Thrones characters pics

The season 2 of Game of Thrones is drawing ever closer, although this time it's the spring that is coming :)... Speaking of which, I stumbled on a post at io9 where you can find several pics from new characters appearing for the first time in the second season.  Here's the link and three of the new ones that I found most interesting. As for Davos and Mellisandre, I think they both fit my expectations, but for Brienne and Stannis I had another vision in mind... anyway that's not really important, I'm pretty sure they'll be just fine!

Davos

 Brienne

Stannis and Mellisandre

Excerpts - Ahmed and Lawrence

Saladin Ahmed's debut novel, Throne of the Crescent Moon is now available.  The reviews so far are very positive and if you're not sure whether you should pick up the book or not, maybe this excerpt could help you decide (from Tor.com):

Nine days. Beneficent God, I beg you, let this be the day I die! 

The guardsman’s spine and neck were warped and bent but still he lived. He’d been locked in the red lacquered box for nine days. He’d seen the days’ light come and go through the lid-crack. Nine days.

 

He held them close as a handful of dinars. Counted them over and over. Nine days. Nine days. Nine days. If he could remember this until he died he could keep his soul whole for God’s sheltering embrace.

 

He had given up on remembering his name.

 

The guardsman heard soft footsteps approach, and he began to cry. Every day for nine days the gaunt, black-bearded man in the dirty white kaftan had appeared. Every day he cut the guardsman, or burned him. But worst was when the guardsman was made to taste the others’ pain.

 

The gaunt man had flayed a young marsh girl, pinning the guardsman’s eyes open so he had to see the girl’s skin curl out under the knife. He’d burned a Badawi boy alive and held back the guardsman’s head so the choking smoke would enter his nostrils. The guardsman had been forced to watch the broken and burned bodies being ripped apart as the gaunt man’s ghuls fed on heart-flesh. He’d watched as the gaunt man’s servant-creature, that thing made of shadows and jackal skin, had sucked something shimmering from those freshly dead corpses, leaving them with their hearts torn out and their empty eyes glowing red.

 

These things had almost shaken the guardsman’s mind loose. Almost. But he would remember. Nine days. Nine . . . . All-Merciful God, take me from this world! 

***

Mark Lawrence, author of the great debut Prince of Thorns has an interesting idea.  He's doing the edits for his next novel, King of Thorns that will be released in August, and he posted today the first of several "fragments" that were cut out from the final version.  Here's why he cut them and the link:

Almost nothing was cut from King of Thorns in editing (quite a few additions). The only real casualties were small fragments from the view points of people in the background/scenery of the story. These were to nestle between chapters and put a human face on a grand conflict. In the end it was felt they distracted from / diluted the main thrust of storytelling. 

The Cold Commands review

In 2009, Richard Morgan decided to venture into Fantasy. Judging by his comments and the readers expectations of Morgan's work, many were hoping that the execution would be ground breaking.  Even though it was slightly shocking (in reference to the numerous discussions about the sexual orientation of his characters), the result was a new fashion gritty and morally ambiguous character driven Fantasy novel that didn't break the barriers. At the end of 2011, Morgan presented the follow-up to the trilogy, The Cold Commands:

Ringil Eskiath, scarred wielder of the kiriath-forged broadsword Ravensfriend, is a man on the run - from his past and the family who have disowned him, from the slave trade magnates of Trelayne who want him dead, and apparently from the dark gods themselves, who are taking an interest but making no more sense than they ever have. Outlawed and exiled from his ancestral home in the north, Ringil has only one place left to turn - Yhelteth, city heart of the southern Empire, where perhaps he can seek asylum with the kiriath half-breed Archeth Indamaninarmal, former war comrade and now high-up advisor to the Emperor Jhiral Khimran II. But Archeth Indamaninarmal has problems of her own to contend with, as does her house guest, bodyguard and one time steppe nomad Egar the Dragonbane. And far from gaining the respite he is seeks, Ringil will instead find himself implicated in fresh schemes and doubtful allegiances no safer than those he has left behind. Old enemies are stirring, the old order is rotted through and crumbling, and though no-one yet knows it, the city of Yhelteth is about to explode ...

Let's throw off the presumptions first, especially if you have read Richard Morgan before: Is it dark and gritty? Yes... Punctuated by scenes of explicit love making (even homosexual)? Yes... Ironic, uses profane vocabulary, accented by brutality and violence inherent to his cruel and gloomy imaginary world? Yes, yes, yes... Now, to the core of things.   

Despite the fact that I expected Cold to be distinctive from a bridging novel, my assessment changed marginally.  Far from being a negative aspect and interestingly enough, the book follows the same pattern as the first one.  Ringil, Egar and Archeth are evolving in separate storylines for most of the novel, with their threads eventually merging. At that, Ringil is late to the party.  The main attraction takes several chapters before making his first appearance and it was about time. Hopefully, as was the case with Steel Remains, when things start to go ugly and they decide to take the matters into their own hands, the pace escalate and the story becomes more gripping, an aspect where Morgan is in his element.

If you didn't like the fact that not everything was detailed in the first novel, meaning that there's several gaps between PoV situations/locations that are bridged by recaps at the start of the next chapter to bring the reader up to speed, you won't be pleased here either.  Personally, I feel that a lengthier novel would have been easily possible and the book is slightly longer than its predecessor, but the author chose to get to the point and the story doesn't really suffer because of it, it's actually tighter and there's still enough room for the protagonists to ponder.

The Steel Remains was exploring the post-traumatic life of war veterans struggling to find a new meaning to their life and flashbacks from the war against the lizard folk were in abundance.  They are less frequent in Cold Commands but the theme is still approached. Following the provoking events of the first book, anger is now emerging even more energetically. The three protagonists are exasperated at their situation and the means they take to overcome their problems are not mimicked from the typical behavior of the honorable knight in his shiny armor, they kick asses.  You're not really shouting for the good guys, you're experiencing the harsh reality of ex heroes mingling their way blindly with unforgiving forces, even if this mean several murders.

However, that experience was somewhat marred for me in some instances. Ringil spends a lot of time in the grey places.  These scenes are not always explicitly comprehensible, probably simply because of their nature, the grey places being alternative realities. I love the dedication and the 'throw it in my way I don't care' attitude of Ringil but in this weird dimension, his reactions seem a bit out of character, even though he becomes more pensive. My only explanation would be Seethlaw's remembrance is twisting his feelings. Sadly, again in connection with the grey places, there's a part of his narrative where some of his special powers are greatly improved and without understanding them they actually help him save the day, for himself and for his quarry.  A bit easy without certain explanations aside from the assumption that a master puppeteer is holding some of his strings.

Egar's story is more straightforward, as is the man himself.  City life and age are creeping up on him but he still tries to make something of his days. His progression is less intangible, the influence of the dwellers seems to have less impact this time around. He has time to play the veteran lecturer and it suits him even if it ends up quite bloody. As for Archeth, she is bored but that doesn't mean that her actions are monotonous. Even if I feel that Morgan is much more skilled with male protagonists, her presence is essential in driving the plot forward and her connection to the Kiriath adds some perspective to the sci-fish world of the author.

For all three, what's Morgan's hinting at is something of bigger proportions or implication but it's not fully witnessed in the second book of A Land fit for Heroes, which can be seen as a complete novel with a climax/ending but with tentacles spreading toward a third book.  You feel that there's a meta story creeping up on the characters and more specifically on their world and it's significantly closer than at the end of Steel. Therefore, the looming prospect of things is the most compelling element of the series.

At some point, the name of the book was The Dark Commands and eventually Morgan optimistically announced that he found a way to switch it back to Cold. When you read the novel, you'll understand the implications and I think he made the right choice.  The reference is toward the Dark Court. Their motivations in the first book were shrouded in mystery and it's not totally clear after two books what their ultimate goal really is or why they are meddling with the Dwenda's return and Ringil's "development". By the way, I think he should have more inkling by now that his path is being guided.

So, are we reading a story were the world will be saved by an unlikely redeemer or the creation of a new sinister overlord or unconscious deliverer?  I may repeat myself but having to ponder this even after two books is what makes this great. More so since it's through the characters themselves that this interrogation occurs.  When I started reading the book, I had some difficulties remembering the story of Steel Remains.  In a comment concerning that topic on Twitter, Justin of Staffer's Musing mentioned that it could be because the characters were strong and overrode the plot. I think he was spot on and that it shows again in Cold Commands.

In conclusion, I really feel that Morgan's writing transpire intelligence. He uses a peculiar way at times to render his dialogue but I felt that there was serious thinking behind all that is being said or thought of by the characters and where he wants them to be. The second time around, I think that he didn't try to disturb, shock or write a revolutionary work of Fantasy and it created a better novel.

Technically, I think that the dagger on the cover is indubitably sharp (sorry for the pun...), with no real connection to the cover of the first book but anyway it looks better.  You can take a look at the map of Morgan's world here. The Del Rey hardcover edition of the book stands at 512 pages.

The Cold Commands review score :

Characterization.............  9 /10
World building...............  8 / 10
Magic system.................  7.5 / 10
Story..............................  8 / 10
Writing...........................   9 / 10

Overall (not an average) 8.5 / 10


Enjoy!

The Steel Remains review
Richard Morgan Page

Newton's The Book of Transformation new cover

Mark shared with us the final cover for the UK paperback edition of the Book of Transformations. Another hooded figure, that means that I have a new contender for my "Best cover with an infamous hooded assassin", although in this case, I would have to switch assassin with superhero...  Anyway, hooded or not, I like it but the way the hood falls on the right side is kind of weird.  What do you think?

Abercrombie's A Red Country's synopsis

Joe Abercrombie posted an update about the writing of his latest novel, so far known as A Red Country (it's a working title). The book, some kind of Fantasy western will be set in the Old Empire, still from Abercrombie's First Law world,  now has a synopsis.  Sadly for the folks waiting for a return of Logen, there's no mention of him. At least, Nicomo Cosca is back!  Here you go:

“Shy South comes home to her farm to find a blackened shell, her brother and sister stolen, and knows she’ll have to go back to bad old ways if she’s ever to see them again.  She sets off in pursuit with only her cowardly old step-father Lamb for company.  But it turns out he’s hiding a bloody past of his own.  None bloodier.  Their journey will take them across the lawless plains, to a frontier town gripped by gold fever, through feuds, duels, and massacres, high into unmapped mountains to a reckoning with ancient enemies, and force them into alliance with Nicomo Cosca, infamous soldier of fortune, a man no one should ever have to trust…”

Updates - Sanderson, Marmell and Kemp

Subterranean Press announced officially a new novella by Brandon Sanderson, titled Legion. Aside from his YA series Alcatraz, I think this is his first foray into non epic-fantasy.  The novella had been hinted at before when Brandon read an extract from it and now we have the synopsis:

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.

***

Paul S. Kemp will release two new sword and sorcery novels, the tales of Egil and Nix.  The first of these book, The Hammer and the Blade will be out in July this year and the cover illustration was unveiled recently. Hum... this looks like heavy hammers... Here you go, with the blurb:

A pair of down-at-heel treasure hunters and incorrigible rogues. Egil is a priest, happy to deliver moral correction with his pair of massive hammers. Nix is a sneak-thief; there’s no lock he cannot open, no serving girl he cannot charm. Between them, they always have one eye open for a chance to make money – the other eye, of course, is on the nearest exit. Only this time the treasure they’ve thieved is an important relic of a most sinister and ancient family, who will stop at nothing to get their bloody revenge...

***

Del Rey announced that Ari Marmell, in collaboration with Random House and THQ will be releasing a novel based on the Darksiders videogame series. The theme of the four horsemen of the apocalypse as portrayed in the game is an excellent framework for a Fantasy story.  The book is titled Darksiders: The Abomination Vault and will be published in May 2012.

Taking place millennia before the events of the first game of the Darksiders series, the Horsemen of the Apocalypse (beings charged with maintaining the Balance between the forces of Heaven and Hell) have uncovered a plot to resurrect ancient weapons of unimaginable power. Death, with the help of his compatriot War, must track down and neutralize the mysterious individuals behind the scheme before the entire universe is plunged into a devastating conflict.