A round of covers

The catalogs release from the publishers for spring and summer of 2013 were not over.  Gollanz released theirs and some new cover art surfaced.  Sadly though, I couldn't find the covers for The Dragon Queen by Stephen Deas and The God Tattoo by Tom Lloyd aside from clips of the catalog.  The last one if the third cover unveiled so far for Time of Contempt by Andrzej Sapkowski.

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The God Tattoo and other stories of the Twilight reign

Tom Lloyd

April 2013

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The Dragon Queen

Stephen Deas

June 2013

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Time of Contempt

Andrzej Sapkowski

June 2013

The Black Mausoleum review

The Black Mausoleum is the fourth dragon novel by Stephen Deas.  The Dragon Queen will follow it next year in what looks to be a second trilogy for the US named Memory of Flames series.  The book was released on August 16th.

Note: if you haven't read the first trilogy of dragon novels, the synopsis hints at some important elements of the story that you may want to avoid...

Two years have passed since the events of the Order of the Scales. Across the realms, dragons are still hatching. Hatching, and hatching free. Skorl is an Ember, a soldier trained from birth to fight dragons. He is a living weapon, one-shot only, saturated with enough dragon-poison to bring down a monster all on his own. Misanthrope, violent and a drunk, to fulfil his purpose and slay a dragon, means to be eaten. Now Skorl has a choice: he can hang for his crimes, or he can go with the last of the Adamantine Men, fighting against an enemy he was born to face. Rat is an Outsider. He's on the run and he's stumbled onto something that's going to make him rich beyond all his dreams. It's just a shame that the end of the world has started without him. Kataros is an alchemist, one of the order responsible for keeping the dragons in check. One of the order that has just failed, and disastrously so. Two men, one woman. One chance to save the world from a storm of dragons ...

The Black Mausoleum marks an important change in term of storytelling and structure for Deas.  Not only the world where his first trilogy took place is forever changed, but also the majority of crucial players have left the board for good.  That new slate feels like the perfect situation for the rise of new protagonists with life as a prey to live with, everything to gain and still much to lose, victims of the aftermath.  In the interview I made with the author, he said that he wanted to explore a world where dragons soar from a different perspective.  He achieves this goal in a totally new manner with this story, while the characters are still at the front.  I may repeat myself from the Order of the Scales review but here's what he had to say back when The Adamantine Palace was released:

"[...] I think the story is very much about the impact that dragons have on the people around them, although perhaps not in the most obvious ways. Yes, they can burn cities and eat villages and still be hungry, but I'm thinking more about what it's like to live in a world where you have these monsters at your beck and call – and to always know they're only a few un-drugged weeks away from razing your entire world to the ground."

Five characters take the spot as the points of view throughout the story, a number not so far from the previous three novels.  Moreover, the pace is still mostly hasty, the chapters are short, the prose is harsh and biting, the action bloody and the world feels more dangerous than ever.  This action element is the key to The Black Mausoleum.  The book is centered on it and this time there's no balance with political intrigue. In conjunction with the fact that for this quintet, a dragon among them, a single quest brings them together, I felt that the scope was slightly too narrow and the proposition not deep enough.

Kataros, the alchemist for The Order of the Scales is back. She's probably one of the most stable minds left and she seeks a solution for all humanity. She a strong female character and her motivations felt genuine. However, in this deathly environment she can't walk alone.  That's where the Adamantine Men come along.  One of them, Skjorl, is the cream of the cream as far as skilled badass dragon killers without mercy can be found. That kind of fearless bravado and dedication comes with a price, a blurred vision of reality and morality.  Skjorl is intense but too much for his own good. His past is tainted and it clashes with some of his comrades, particularly Jasaan, a more balanced man.

To complete the cast, comes Blackscar the dragon and Siff, an outsider dust dealer meddling with things and people he shouldn't.  His fate however is completely changed when he comes in contact with something related to the famed Silver King. He's also a troubled soul and when Kataros find herself in the company of Skjorl and him, a peculiar and messy group is formed. Interesting discussions will follow and Kataros has to use her power and wits to keep them in check while they travel to their goal. That whole dynamic is where the characters really shine and the narrative becomes veritably compelling.

The premise the book begin with is clear enough, dragons now have the upper hand. Fast enough, we discover a possibility for the return in control for the humans. However, when the novel concludes, even though the journey was interesting and the story deepened the dragon vs human perspective, the closure felt hollow. It ended up like a full-length epilogue of the first trilogy.

To add complexity and enrich the linear narrative, Deas uses a simple but effective device, it's told in the past, from a different time period depending on the point of view and the advancement of the tale. However, as simple as it may seem in theory, the organization behind it must be trying for the author, confusion could arise.  The choice of point of view to use and at which time period becomes more imperative than usual.  In my past reviews of the author's novels, I criticized that fact and blamed it on timing.  This time, I think that he succeeded, even with this new artifice. My only problem was that some outcomes were pretty obvious.

Another aspect I liked in Deas' fourth adult novel set in his dragon world is the natural way in which the protagonists are speaking about the world, the locations, the people and their history. Recognition is felt more easily and even if it's typical in a fourth book in a series, I think the author is getting better at it.  Sadly though, the only epigraphs recounting the history of his world are at the start of the sections of the book, they are not present in enough quantity, at least to suit my taste. Likewise, the exploration of blood magic, more extensive in The Black Mausoleum, could still use more scrutiny.

In the end, you can consider this new beginning a fast and entertaining read.  A small contingent of colorful characters surrounded by dread tries to cope with an almost impossible situation.  They are grasping for their old way of life desperately but the world is not what it used to be. In that context, if you like action and character driven plot with scorching fire around the corner, you'll be satisfied.

Technically, I think that the Gollacz looks good with what looks like Skjorl taking on a dragon.  It is the work of Stephen Youll.  The nice map of the dragon realms is still present and the paperback edition of the books stands at 352 pages.

The Black Mausoleum review score :

Characterization............. 8 /10
World building............... 8 / 10
Magic system................. 7.5 / 10
Story.............................. 7 / 10
Writing........................... 8 / 10

Overall (not an average) 8 / 10

Enjoy!

Stephen Deas page

The Adamantine Palace review
The King of the Crags review
The Order of the Scales review

Fresh from the mailbox

Two of my most awaited novels of the year were in the mailbox today!

The Tyrant's Law cover art

The Tyrant's Law by Daniel Abraham is the third novel in the Dagger and the Coin series.  I still haven't picked up the second one, The King's Blood but my expectations are still high. The cover art for The Tyrant's Law, one of the novels who can vote for in my 2013 eager meter poll, was unveiled earlier this week by Daniel Abraham himself.  I added the two previous covers to the post since it looks like a small change in concept without a standing weapon...  However, that's still a work in progress...

New poll - Eager meter 2013

First, let's see where your votes went for the last poll.  My question was "Which cultural inspiration do you prefer for your Fantasy setting?", and the results were:

• Pseudo-medieval Europe                  - 50%
• Middle Eastern (Arabic, Islamic)       - 1%
• Another culture from the real world   - 0%
• Completely out of this world             - 27%
• No preference                                  - 20%

There's no real surprise in the fact that pseudo-medieval Europe ended first, being the most prominent Fantasy setting, but I thought that Middle east would have received more votes.  And then, no votes for another culture from the real world... I thought that people liked to have more references than something completely out of this world. Inspiration can come from anywhere for an author, the important thing is the originality instilled into it, no matter if the end-result is reminiscent of some culture we are aware ought, as long as magic emerges from it... and swords :)

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With the publishers releasing their calendar for spring and summer 2013, we now have a pretty good idea of the big titles coming up next year.  As usual, there will be many surprises and, as we can all hope, many new names crowding our shelves. The last few years were pretty amazing in term of Fantasy books quality and quantity.  2013 may not have as many blockbusters but it sure looks promising!

Who will be absent in 2013?  George R.R. Martin won't release the next A Song of Ice and Fire novel, Patrick Rothfuss is still working on the third book of the adventures of Kvothe, Joe Abercrombie still hasn't hinted at his next book, with two release in 2013, Ian C. Esslemont may not publish another Malazan novel, Brent Weeks third Lightbringer novel is probably set for 2014, as is Mark Charan Newton first Drakenfeld book. Moreover, we have no news about the release date of The Free by Brian Ruckley and Saladin Ahmed's second book to name a few...

Hopefully, we will probably be granted with a new Eddie Lacrosse novel by Alex Bledsoe, the second book in the Kharkanas trilogy by Steven Erikson, N.K. Jemisin is writing a new series, K.J. Parker will certainly deliver again and 2012 debut author Jeff Salyards may come up with his second book.

But then, "Which novel are you most eager to read in 2013?"

The Republic of Thieves by Scott Lynch
A Memory of Light by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson
The Daylight War by Peter V. Brett
Emperor of Thorns by Mark Lawrence
River of Stars by Guy Gabriel Kay
Sworn in Steel by Douglas Hulick
The Unholy Consult by R. Scott Bakker
The Dark Defiles by Richard Morgan
Stormlight 2 by Brandon Sanderson
Moon's Artifice by Tom Lloyd
Shattered Pillars by Elizabeth Bear
The Tyrant's Law by Daniel Abraham
The Dragon Queen by Stephen Deas
The Crown Tower by Michael J. Sullivan
The Time of Contempt by Andrzej Sapkowski

If the 2013 book you're mostly eager for isn't mentioned, speak now or forever hold your peace!

Giant Thief review

Giant Thief is the first Fantasy novel by David Tallerman.  His debut in Fantasy was released earlier this year and is already followed by Crown Thief, which came out in September 2012.

Meet Easie Damasco, rogue, thieving swine and total charmer. Even the wicked can't rest when a vicious warlord and the force of enslaved giants he commands invade their homeland. Damasco might get away in one piece, but he's going to need help. Big time.

A plentiful supply of heart of gold or conscience challenging thieves or assassins stories crowded our shelves in the last couple of years.  Who doesn't love scoundrels who turn out to be ready to save the princess while they lift her purse from her dress with a smirk?

So, what is Mr. Tallerman bringing to the table?  A failing and oblivious thief by the name of Easie Damasco, who has a knack for trouble.  The tale of Easie is told in the first person perspective with humor and action underlying a clumsy storyline.  I'm often highlighting the fact that in this narrative choice, the paramount element is the importance of the main character since everything falls on his shoulder.  The ground for a story may be grandiose, if the one living it and recounting it isn't up to his game, it can fall short.  For me, that's what happened with Giant Thief.

Easie is not the sharpest tool in the shed but he still can come up with interesting reasoning and witty remarks that more often than not, bring a smile to my lips.  However, his way of over describing and assessing his situation, always with many assumptions can get on nerves. He finds himself at a lost in nearly every situation.  For a thief who got a reputation spanning so large a territory, you ought to wonder what he did in the past and why anyone would rely on him.

Easie doesn't take a great deal seriously and it shows not only on his demeanor, which creates a lighter tone, but on the tale itself.  The thief's course is always driven by someone else or by a life-threatening situation, speeding up the pace, where he's not sure what is really happening.  After the initial thieving that gets him in the company of Saltlick, a giant who would have profited from more exploration, and makes him a runaway, the plot comes noticeably undone.  Easie is going with the flow but that flow doesn't feel right. The narrative takes us from one point to the next without cohesion.

My feeling is that even the new-found nemesis of Easie, the warlord Moaradrid, felt as confused as him as the story went further. Hopefully, some scenes are more entertaining, mostly when Easie is having a break from his running and gets the conversation going.  The author should focus more on this aspect and take more time to define the other characters through the eyes of the narcissist cheat.

I think that Giant Thief would have been an interesting prelude to a more cohesive and lengthier meta story for Easie and his friends, more specifically the Giant Saltlick.  The story of how they met would have been the kind of light and complaisant tale I would have wanted. The narrator would be more at home in a setting and circumstances where his craft and banter found better uses.

David's writing is simple, clear and straightforward but it works well enough.  The world he created, with the giants and cities that seem, but essentially seem, to be populated with diverse and sometimes singular people can use more work but serve the story right for the most part.

Giant Thief should please those who love thieves with a sense of humor in a sword and sorcery/adventure novel. Easie is no Locke Lamora and even if on an epic scale it's smaller, readers of Michael J. Sullivan Ryria Revelations series should find their share of entertainment in the book, as is the case with Paul S. Kemp's The Hammer and the Blade.

Technically, I'd say that the Angry Robot cover is nice enough, representing two of the main protagonists. The paperback edition of the book stands at 384 pages and no map is included.

Giant Thief review score :

Characterization............. 6.5 /10
World building............... 7 / 10
Magic system................. N / A
Story.............................. 6 / 10
Writing........................... 7 / 10

Overall (not an average) 6.5 / 10

David Tallerman page

A round of covers

The release of Orbit Books US and UK spring summer 2013 sneak peak come with two interesting covers that I wasn't aware of, Brian McClellan's Promise of Blood and Francis Knight's Fade to Black.  You can take a look at the US and UK Pinterest pages for the whole lot.

And then, I stumbled on another new cover that couldn't be left in the dark. Another contender for my "Best cover art with an infamous hooded assassin"!  Falling Kingdoms is a new novel published by Penguin by Morgan Rhodes (aka Michelle Rowen), a Game of Thrones for teens, or so it seems. The cover is the work of Shane Rebenschied.

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April 2013

Field Marshal Tamas' coup against his king sent corrupt aristocrats to the guillotine and brought bread to the starving. But it also provoked war with the Nine Nations, internal attacks by royalist fanatics, and greedy scrambling for money and power by Tamas's supposed allies: the Church, workers unions, and mercenary forces. Stretched to his limit, Tamas is relying heavily on his few remaining powder mages, including the embittered Taniel, a brilliant marksman who also happens to be his estranged son, and Adamat, a retired police inspector whose loyalty is being tested by blackmail. 

Now, as attacks batter them from within and without, the credulous are whispering about omens of death and destruction. Just old peasant legends about the gods waking to walk the earth. No modern educated man believes that sort of thing. But they should...

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February 2013

 Mahala: a city built in the dark depths of a valley. A city built up in layers, not across – where streets are built upon streets, buildings balance precariously upon buildings. A city that the Ministry rules from its lofty perch at the sunlit summit & where the forsaken lurk in the shadowy depths of the Pit. 

Rojan is a bounty hunter trying to make his way in the city. Everyone knows he’s a womaniser, a shirker of all responsibility, but they don’t know he’s also a pain-mage: able to draw magic from his own & other people’s pain. He’s not keen on using it (not least because it’s outlawed), but when his niece is abducted and taken to the dark depths of the Pit, he may just be forced to unleash his power . . .

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Fall 2013

Sixteen-year-old Cleo has grown up in luxury, the royal heiress to a peaceful and prosperous kingdom. But below the seemingly calm surface lies dangerous unrest, and whispers of war grow ever louder. Cleo has a deeper, more personal concern: she's desperate to locate a magic long-thought extinct. If it's real, it could be the cure that finally heals her ailing sister. Defying her father's orders, Cleo sets off on a secret and perilous journey into a neighboring country—a country that is about to declare war on hers. As Cleo's path entwines with rebel leader Jonas and rival prince Magnus, the only outcome that's certain is that kingdoms will fall. Can Cleo remain standing when all around her topples?

Bakker's Unholy Consult excerpt

R. Scott Bakker gifted the forum site Second Apocalypse with a nice little teaser this week-end in the form of the first chapter from the final volume in the Aspect-Emperor trilogy, The Unholy Consult. Bakker also shared this interesting tidbit:

The book is inching toward completion, and barring any revisionary madness (no relation), looks like it will be even more of a behemoth than The White-Luck Warrior.

Here's the link to the excerpt. Beware, Madness, the forum user who posted the exclusive mentions that the chapter is full of major Unholy Consult spoilers...

Stands a Shadow review

Stands a Shadow is Col Buchanan second novel in his Heart of the World series, the follow-up to his great Fantasy debut, Farlander. It was released in July 2012 and there's still no word from the author about the next book in the series.

In "Farlander," the first book of the Heart of the World series, readers met Ash, an aging master assassin of the famed order of Roshun, and his apprentice Nico, a boy who always managed to be in the wrong place at the right time. Ash and Nico were sent on a suicidal mission to fulfill a contract against the favored son of the Holy Matriarch, the ruler of Mann. The assassination of the Matriarch's son maintained the honor and reputation of the Roshun, but further destabilized a nation already beset by strife. For Ash, fulfilling the contract came at an enormous personal cost.

Now in "Stands a Shadow," driven by grief and anger, Ash embarks on a journey that takes him through the Free Ports and toward the embattled city of Bar-Khos. He arrives at the city as the Holy Matriarch of Mann orders her forces to breach the walls of Bar-Khos and bring it under her control. Renouncing the ways of the Roshun, Ash disguises himself among the Mannian soldiers, determined to go to any lengths to have his revenge against the Matriarch....

The review of Stands a Shadow is somewhat tricky... there's an element in the plot at the end of Farlander that is having a significant influence on the plot and can't practically be avoided.  Fear not though, this review will be spoiler free.

In Farlander, Master Ash became more human than he had been for a long time, thanks to the feelings woken up in him by his young apprentice Nico.  In the follow-up, Ash is turning away from the Roshun code, he's taking vengeance personal. As you can see, right from the start, the mood is set.  A light feeling of melancholy, despair, suffering and retribution slowly install itself and grows all along the tale.  This kind of atmosphere was inevitable and it's not only surrounding Ash but almost all the other protagonists.  In comparison to the previous book that tone is more intense and more conservative in term of mirthful elements.

In his quest, Ash will encounter the young Roshun turncoat, Ché, who's now a Diplomat (some kind of assassin) riding the coattail of the Matriarch herself as she takes to the field with her two competing arch-generals to confront one of the last bastion fighting against the Mannian, the all-powerful Empire.  Their conquest may look straightforward but more forces than the Matriarch are behind it and political scheming, the balance of power and even the life of the leader of the Empire are at bay. Diplomacy and even shameless intrigue fight their way through Col's book more than ever.

From the side of the oppressed, Bahn is still serving under General Creed, the Lord Protector of Khos.  Bahn's superior and a newcomer, Curl, a prostitute who decides to engage and lend her hand to the struggle of her adoptive people, bring relevant and fascinating new points of view to the story. Looking at what the author is trying to tell in Stands a Shadow, juggling with both sides of the conflict and showing it through the eyes of both the major players and the simple folks dragged into it is well done.

After the table is set, which is done easier in this second opus since the basics of this "steampunkish" fantasy  world, where warfare is explored alongside authentic individuals, are now out of the way and thanks to Buchanan writing skills, one of the most interesting battle I have ever read about is fought. The clash between the Mannians and Creed's forces is so aptly detailed that I couldn't put the book down until it was over. Guns blazing, sword clashing, agile tactics and zeppelin drop-off are all part of the deal!

Sadly, the narrative kind of drags down after that, even if several manhunts ensues and some characters make important moves or die.  When the Khosian forces draw back, the story loses some of its drive, although the strategic component is still evolving. The book clearly falls into classic bridging novelization, stalling the pace to enable a re-positioning of the different protagonists storylines. Sometimes it felt almost as an epilogue, which shouldn't be the case since the tale is far from over. At least, this is less true for Ash.

Fans of Farlander will find that the author decided to give them a harder and more serious tale to follow in this second opus. Moreover, the list of point of views presented is quite different.  That really shouldn't stop you. The Heart of the World series is about genuine characters for whom you'll easily fall in love and between that stellar debut and the end of that compelling adventure, there is some moments where their endeavors may feel a bit sour.  Believe me however, that battle scene alone is worth the read.

Technically, the even though I kind of like the Tor cover for the book, I'm not sure who is represented, I don't remember reading about someone with a bow... The hardcover edition of the book stands at 432 pages and the map of Midères is still present (also here).

Stands a Shadow review score :

Characterization............. 8.5 /10
World building............... 8.5 / 10
Magic system................. 6.5 / 10
Story.............................. 7.5 / 10
Writing........................... 8 / 10

Overall (not an average) 8 / 10

Enjoy!

Farlander review
Col Buchanan page

Emperor of Thorns cover art

Mark Lawrence posted on Goodreads the cover art (still a work in progress, but it already looks good) for the final volume in his trilogy, Emperor of Thorns.  The illustrations is the work of Jason Chan.

October releases

Will Joe be able to pull it off once again?  We'll see soon enough and I think that the release of Red Country will probably eclipse everything in October, everything!

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Red Country

Joe Abercrombie

October 23th

They burned her home.

They stole her brother and sister.

But vengeance is following.

Shy South hoped to bury her bloody past and ride away smiling, but she'll have to sharpen up some bad old ways to get her family back, and she's not a woman to flinch from what needs doing. She sets off in pursuit with only a pair of oxen and her cowardly old step father Lamb for company. But it turns out Lamb's buried a bloody past of his own. And out in the lawless Far Country the past never stays buried.

Their journey will take them across the barren plains to a frontier town gripped by gold fever, through feud, duel and massacre, high into the unmapped mountains to a reckoning with the Ghosts. Even worse, it will force them into alliance with Nicomo Cosca, infamous soldier of fortune, and his feckless lawyer Temple, two men no one should ever have to trust . . .

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The Red Knight

Miles Cameron

October 25th

This is a world dominated by The Wild.

Man lives in pockets of civilisation claimed from The Wild. Within men's walls life is civilised, the peace punctuated by tournaments, politicking, courtly love and canny business. Beyond those walls men are prey - vulnerable to the exceptionally powerful and dangerous creatures which populate the land and even more vulnerable to those creatures schemes.

So when one of those creatures breaks out of The Wild and begins preying on people in their homes, it takes a specialist to hunt it down or drive it out...and even then, it's a long, difficult and extremely dangerous job.

The Black Captain and his men are one such group of specialists. They have no idea what they're about to face...

Forget George and the Dragon. Forget Sir Lancelot and tales of Knightly exploits. This is dirty, bloody work. This is violent, visceral action. This is a mercenary knight as you've never seen one before.

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The Night of the Swarm
Robert V.S. Redick
October 25th

The evil sorcerer Arunis is dead, yet the danger has not ended. For as he fell, beheaded by the young warrior-woman Thasha Isiq, Arunis summoned the Swarm of Night, a demonic entity that feasts on death and grows like a plague. If the Swarm is not destroyed, the world of Alifros will become a vast graveyard. 

Now Thasha and her comrades — the tarboy Pazel Pathkendle and the mysterious wizard Ramachni — begin a quest that seems all but impossible. Yet there is hope: One person has the power to stand against the Swarm: the great mage Erithusmé. Long thought dead, Erithusmé lives, buried deep in Thasha’s soul. But for the mage to live again, Thasha Isiq may have to die.