Updates

Hear ye, hear ye! Gather around for the newest gossip!

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Orbit Books announced the acquisition of a new series from the author of the Raven's Shadow series (Blood Song, Tower Lord and Queen of Fire), Anthony Ryan.  The new series is named Draconis Memoria and the first book, The Waking Fire, will be released in July 2016. Here's the blurb for this new Epic series:

Anthony has always created memorable characters, and the protagonists of his latest tale are his finest creations yet. Clayton Torcreek is a straight-talking small-time criminal, while Lizanne Lethridge is a formidable spy and assassin. Both of them are ‘Blood-blessed’ – able to consume the blood of wild drakes, which grants them spectacular abilities. 

As the Ironship Protectorate and the Corvantine Empire prepare for war, these two individuals will both find themselves embroiled in the ongoing hostilities. Clay must venture into the uncharted wilds in search of an expedition that disappeared under mysterious circumstances, while Lizanne must go undercover in enemy territory in order to locate an ancient artefact that may just swing the balance of the war – but only if she can reach it first.

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Next up is Scott Lynch, with less good news.  The Thorn of Emberlain, the fourth book in the Gentlemen Bastards sequence is delayed.  Even if that's not the first time for Lynch, this time, he seems enthusiastic as to the length of this delay. A 2016 date is the target.

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Shining in a more positive light is the fate of R. Scott Bakker's The Unholy Consult, the finale of the Aspect-Emperor trilogy. Back in June, Bakker shared a sad news, the publication process being on hold. It seems that the pressure from the fans to the publisher paid off since the process is now back on track and a date should be announced soon enough! Great work guys!

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Finally, I wanted to share to interesting free reads that ought to give you a nice taste of two upcoming novels for September, Twelve Kings (no more in Sharakhai) by Brad (no more P.) Beaulieu and Sunset Mantle by Alter S. Reiss.

Tor.com first chapter of Sunset Mantle

Gollancz first three chapters of Twelve Kings

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R. Scott Bakker's The Unholy Consult update

Back in October 2013, Bakker announced that he had finished his first draft of the Unholy Consult, the third and final novel in the Aspect Emperor series. Since then, the book was supposed to be in the hands of editors but it looks like, as the author mentioned today on his blog, Bakker's publisher may be "re-evaluating their commitment to the series". Fear not for the worst that can happen, at least still from his post, is a delay. I'm really eager to finish the series but I can wait, hoping that I don't forget too much of how things ended in the previous book...

What about you? Any readers of Bakker's work eager for his sixth Fantasy novel? Are the Prince of Nothing and Aspect Emperor series not getting enough press? Is Bakker disregarded for the denser philosophical side of his writing? May the slog continues! Here's the author's comment:

And lastly, things keep dragging on with my publishers regarding The Unholy Consult. My delay turning the manuscript in and the quick turnover of editorial staff in the industry means that no one was up to speed on the series–but six months on from submission, and still we have no word. My fear (not my agent’s) is that they might be re-evaluating their commitment to the series–the way all publishers are reviewing their commitments to their midlist authors. I know for a fact that other publishers are interested in snapping the series up, so there’s no need to organize a wake, but who knows what kind of delay would result. Perhaps shooting them emails explaining why they should believe this series will continue growing might help? I dunno. 

The market only grows more and more crowded, and still there’s nothing quite like The Second Apocalypse. Distinction is key in this day and age…

A Crown for Cold Silver extract and update

With the release of Alex Marshall's ''debut'' right around the corner (A Crown for Cold Silver will be out April 14th) I picked up the ARC to try to post a review soon after its release. With more than 50 pages in, I have to say that so far, it looks like a solid ''debut''.

I also searched for a map of Marshall's world (it would be of great help) and it's still not available online. However, it will be posted soon by Orbit.

Aside from the extract, which I hope will give you a nice enough taste of what were looking at, I found out that: "Alex Marshall is a pseudonym for an acclaimed author who has previously published several novels in different genres.". That's why I put quotation marks on the debut...

So far, I wasn't able to find out who Alex Marshall is. Anybody knows?

Anyway, here's the link for the extract (it includes 7 chapters):

CrimsonEmpire

Summer hiatus

My long and amazing 2014 vacations (thanks to my girlfriend for giving me a couple of weeks from the parental leave) are now over so I will be able to return to a normal posting schedule for the blog!

Here's to great reading!

Anthony Huso's next book

Anthony Huso, author of the duology including The Last Page and Black Bottle (the first being a masterpiece in my opinion and the follow-up a letdown), posted an update on his writing back at his page. The firsts draft of his next book, Bone Radio is done.  There's still no synopsis and at 64k words, it's quite a short novel, not a novella or a short but far from lengthy.

Good news, hope to read it soon.

Richard Morgan's The Dark Defile update

Richard Morgan posted an update about The Dark Defiles, the next book in the Land Fit for Heroes series. There was some speculations last year whether the book would be split because of its length. Finally, it's confirmed that the book is the final one in the trilogy.  To achieve this, Morgan had to write 247k words. That's 70k more words than the previous book, The Cold Commands. Can't wait!

You can read several extracts of the book here.

The book will be out on August 21, 2014 and the blurb still doesn't say much:

The final part of Richard Morgan's fast-moving and brutal fantasy brings Ringil to his final reckoning and sees the world tipping into another war with the dragon folk. And, most terrifying of all, the prophecy of a dark lord come to rule may be coming true very close to home ...

Releases updates - Lynch, McClellan and Cameron

Some new information surfaced recently in regard to the release of at least three eagerly awaited Fantasy release of 2014.

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The Fell Sword by Miles Cameron, the second book of the Traitor Son Cycle (following the stellar debut The Red Knight, head over here for my review) was supposed to be released at the end of 2013. I have received word from Orbit books that the release dates have been delayed to February 15th in the UK and March 30th in North America.

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Another follow-up to a great debut, The Crimson Campaign, second book in the Powder Mage Trilogy (my review of Promise of Blood is here) by Brian McClellan also received the postponement treatment. This time again, the wait isn't too long with a release date of May 6th instead of February 18th.  Brian posted about the reasons behind this delay at his page.

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Finally, to lift the spirits, there's at least one book release news that should please Scott Lynch readers. The author of the Gentleman Bastard sequence told blogger Fantastical Imaginations that The Thorn of Emberlain, the fourth book in the series should be out by the end of 2014! It's still a tentative date but he's confident he can make it.

New template

Here we go, I finally found a new template I liked for the blog.  It's simple and... grey :)

I would like to have your input if you find some problems with the new template.  Every comments are welcomed!

Thanks!

Slight blogging interlude

So... I'm not used to talk much about my personal life on the blog but for the last three weeks, I've been making home improvements and I have a considerable lack of free time to blog.  I'm still actively reading, having just finished River of Stars by Guy Gavriel Kay and The Grim Company by Luke Scull, so look out for the reviews next week or so.

There was a problem on the blog with the poll that kept resetting, but I have seen enough of the answers to still give it some credit.  A new one is also on the way.

Stay tuned!!!

Various authors updates

In the past weeks, several authors updated the status of their work.  Here's a wrap-up!

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Tom Lloyd signed for new books

Great news for Tom Lloyd, which makes me think that I ought to pick up more of his novels.  The last book (fifth) in his Twilight Reign series, The Dusk Watchman, will be out this summer (August) and the author finally signed a contract for two new books consisting first of mix of stories linked with his saga, called The God Tattoo, and Other Stories of the Land (coming up in April 2013) and a new novel set in a different setting, Moon's Artifice (should be out around summer 2013). Tom seems to be more than happy since the schedule fits his desires.  Here's the blurb:

In a quiet corner of the Imperial City, Investigator Narin discovers the result of his first potentially lethal mistake. Minutes later he makes a second. 

After an unremarkable career Narin finally has the chance of promotion to the hallowed ranks of the Lawbringers. Joining that honoured body would be the culmination of a lifelong dream, but it couldn’t possibly have come at a wrong time. A chance encounter drags Narin into a plot of gods and monsters, spies and assassins, accompanied by a grief-stricken young woman, an old man haunted by the ghosts of his past and an assassin with no past. 

On the cusp of an industrial age that threatens the warrior caste’s rule, the Empire of a Hundred Houses awaits civil war between noble factions. Centuries of conquest has made the empire a brittle and bloated monster; constrained by tradition and crying out for change. To save his own life and those of untold thousands Narin must understand the key to it all – Moon’s Artifice, the poison that could destroy an empire.

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Mark C Newton next book/series

Mark announced some time ago that he had started writing a new series set in a completely different setting. He recently posted an update on his progress (first manuscript is finished) with the first Drakenfeld book, tentatively titled A Death Divine.  The prospect emerging from the details sound more than promising.  Here's a extract of his post but you really should head over to his blog to read more about the process behind the writing of his new novel, a very interesting post.

What’s it about? Well, if I could summarise that in a paragraph, I probably wouldn’t have written a book; so I take it as a good sign that I can’t. Essentially it’s about a guy called Lucan Drakenfeld. He’s an officer for an organisation responsible for enforcing the law that binds a continent, and kings and queens, together in a royal union. It’s pretty much his story – he returns to his home city of Tryum when he receives news of his father’s death, and there’s lots for him to cope with on arrival such as burying his father’s ashes, and he spent most of his life living in his shadow. That’s the backstory. From there, Drakenfeld and his assistant are summoned in the middle of the night to investigate a very high-profile murder, which takes place in a locked room (or locked temple to be precise), where despite hundreds of potential witnesses, no one saw anything related to the killing. From there, all sorts of stuff happens. 

The aesthetics for the world, as you might have guessed from various blog posts over the past year or two, is very much borrowed from the ancient world. The more I examined classical cultures – Greece, Rome, Byzantium, Carthage – I was increasingly surprised. These were staggering cultures, massively more sophisticated than I’d ever realised, and even though they were very distant, they feel uncomfortably close to our own. Fantasy writers often borrow from history, usually the middle ages for the most part, whether it’s a conscious or unconscious act. Using classical culture as the starting point allowed me so much more freedom.

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Guy Gabriel Kay next book - River of Stars

The author announced officially his next novel this week.  The book is titled River of Stars and is the follow to Under Heaven.  The same Chinese influence is present as you can guess if you have read the book.  If you want to watch Mr. Kay himself talk about the novel, here's the link (sorry, I can't share it here).

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Peter V. Brett first draft of A Daylight War

(not the cover)

Peter V. Brett also finished the first draft of his new novel, A Daylight War, the third book in the Demon Cycle series.  I admit that I thought Brett's series was a trilogy. Maybe it was intended so at first but it's actually a 5 book undertaking.  The book should be slightly longer than The Desert Spear.  The book should be out on February 2013 and will be followed by The Skull Throne (tentative title).  Here's the link for Peter post.

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UK Cover for A Memory of Light

Updates - Jemisin, Williams and Lawrence

Some interesting news need to be shared!

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New series for N.K. Jemisin

The author of the Inheritance trilogy (The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, The Broken Kingdoms and The Kingdoms of Gods) and the newly released Dreamblood duology (The Killing Moon and The Shadowed Sun) announced that she sold a new series to Orbit books.  That's great news for the author and more interestingly, the description is particularly enticing:

Been sitting on this for a brief while, but finally got the okay to spill the beans. I’ve sold a new trilogy to Orbit! Can’t tell you much about it yet — it’s the Untitled Magic Seismology Project (UMSP) that some of you have seen me talking about here now and again; that was the reason for the research trip to Hawaii a few weeks back. I’m working on the first book now, but I don’t like talking much about my works-in-progress until they’re more complete. So suffice it to say that this will be a postapocalyptic epic fantasy trilogy, set in a world of seismic magic users and enigmatic nonhumans called stone-eaters. I’m experimenting with writing the kind of trilogy that follows a single character through mutliple books; this is the first time I’ve ever wanted to try doing so. And while the books have tentative titles for now, I think I’ll hold off on sharing those, given my usual track record with titles (i.e., they usually get changed. Lots.) Let’s just keep calling this the UMSP for now. 

So, WOO HOO!! Wish me luck and steady wordcount!

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Mazarkis Williams' Knife Sworn cover and blurb

I really enjoyed Mazarkis Williams debut novel, The Emperor's Knife (my review here), the first book in the Tower and Knife trilogy that was released last year.  In November, the author's second book will be out and here you have the cover art, pretty generic but it looks nice enough, and the blurb:

Mazarkis William's debut novel, The Emperor's Knife, was praised for its exotic settings, gripping intrigue, and vivid, full-blooded characters. Now Williams returns to the sumptuous palaces and treacherous back alleys of the Cerani Empire, where intrigue, passion, and dangerous magic threaten the very soul of a newly-crowned emperor. 

After spending most of his life in captivity and solitude, Sarmin now sits upon the Petal Throne of Cerana. But his reign is an uneasy one. Ambitious generals and restless soldiers want war at any cost. An insidious foreign religion stirs fear among the people and the court. And the emperor's own heart is torn between two very different women: Mesema, a Windreader princess of the northern plains, and Grada, a lowborn untouchable with whom Sarmin shares a unique bond. A natural-born mage, Sarmin also carries within him a throng of bodiless spirits whose conflicting memories and desires force him to wage a private battle for his sanity. 

In times past, a royal assassin known as the Emperor's Knife served as the keen edge of justice, defending the throne from any and all menaces, but the last Knife has perished and his successor has yet to be named. For his own safety, and that of the empire, Sarmin must choose his own loyal death-dealer . . . .but upon whom can be he bestow the bloody burden of the Knife-Sworn?

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Movietime!

Selling the rights of a book for the big screen or the TV isn't the confirmation that it's gonna be a reality in itself (that's probably why it's called "options") but it must start somewhere.  With Game of Thrones receiving the big and successful TV treatment and options like Richard Morgan's Altered Carbon having considerable chances of becoming a movie, one can only hope.  That's the case for Mark Lawrence. The debut author posted this last Friday:

I’m pleased to announce that Stephen Susco, writer of THE GRUDGE, and writer/producer of upcoming films HIGH SCHOOL (June 1st) and THE POSSESSION (Aug 30), has optioned the film and tv rights in Prince of Thorns and the Broken Empire trilogy published by Ace/Berkley in the US and Voyager in the UK.

Great news, I hope that it can be concretized!

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Updates, tidbits.... things!

Since a considerable list of interesting tidbits for the Fantasy readers community surfaced in the last couple of days, I thought that a little round-up was appropriate.

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First of all, Aidan at A Dribble of Ink stumbled upon a piece of news from Brandon Sanderson that really went under the radar. The prolific author wrote a short novel named The Emperor's Soul (no link with any series so far) that will be released in December this year:

Shai is a Forger, a foreigner who can flawlessly copy and re-create any item by rewriting its history with skillful magic. Though condemned to death after trying to steal the emperor’s scepter, she is given one opportunity to save herself. Despite the fact that her skill as a Forger is considered an abomination by her captors, Shai will attempt to create a new soul for the emperor, who is almost dead from the attack of assassins. 

Delving deeply into his life, she discovers Emperor Ashravan’s truest nature—and the opportunity to exploit it. Her only possible ally is one who is truly loyal to the emperor, but councilor Gaotona must overcome his prejudices to understand that her forgery is as much artistry as it is deception. 

Skillfully deducing the machinations of her captors, Shai needs a perfect plan to escape. The fate of the kingdom lies in one impossible task. Is it possible to create a forgery of a soul so convincing that it is better than the soul itself?

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If you're looking at Reddit from time to time, you know that since of couple of months, several Fantasy authors participated in AMA's (ask me anything...). You can get some very interesting pieces of information from these sessions. Here the list of some authors who participated or will do so in the near future:

Brandon Sanderson - September 2011
Robin Hobb - October 2011
Patrick Rothfuss - December 2011
Joe Abercrombie - January 2012
Paul S. Kemp - January 2012
Guy Gabriel Kay - February 2012
Howard Andrew Jones - February 2012
Saladin Ahmed - February 2012
Steven Erikson - February 2012
Brent Weeks - March 2012
Jon Sprunk- March 2012
Peter V. Brett- March 2012
Mark Lawrence - March 2012
Scott Lynch - April 4th 2012
Michael Sullivan - April 24th 2012

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Stephen Deas is another busy author. He posted that the last rewriting of The Dragon Queen, the fifth book in the Memory of Flames/Dragon series is done and should be out in 2013. The wordcount is at 204 000. Now, you may ask: "The fifth?" Indeed, the fourth novel, The Black Mausoleum will be out on May 31 (UK). The author is also working of the third Thieftaker novel (after The Thieftaker's Apprentice and The Warlock's Shadow) that will be out this summer.

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Orbit books posted an excerpt from the upcoming follow-up to Daniel Abraham's The Dragon's Path, The King's Blood. Here's a glimpse and the link for the full extract:

The apostate, called Kitap rol Keshmet among other things, stood in the soft city rain, the taint in his blood pressing at him, goading him, but being ignored. Fear and dread welled up in his throat. 

In any of the cities and villages of the Keshet or Borja or Put, the temple would have been the central fact of the community, a point of pride and honor, and the axis about which all life turned. In the vast glory of Camnipol, it was only another of a thousand such structures, awe-​inspiring in its scope, beauty, and grandeur, and rendered unremarkable by its company.

The city was the heart of Imperial Antea as Imperial Antea was the heart of Firstblood power in the world, but Camnipol was older than the kingdom it ruled. Every age had left its mark here, every generation growing on the ruins of the old until the earth below the dark-​cobbled streets was not soil, but the wreckage of what had come before. It was a city of black and gold, of wealth and desperate poverty. Its walls rose around it like a boast of invulnerability, and its noble quarters displayed great mansions and towers and temples casually, as if the grandeur was trivial, normal, and mundane. Had Camnipol been a knight, he would have worn black-​enameled armor and a cloak of fine-​worked wool. Had it been a woman, she would have been too handsome to look away from and too intimidating to speak with. Instead, it was a city, and it was Camnipol. 

Soft rain darkened the stone walls and high columns. Wide steps rose from street to landing and then again to the shadowed colonnade. The great spider-​silk banner—the red of blood with the eightfold sigil of the goddess at its center—hung beneath the overhanging roof, dark at the bottom from the rain and at the top from the shadows, and the breeze sent ripples across it. The carriages and palanquins of the highest noble families of Antea filled the narrow road, each trying to reach a more prestigious place on the smooth-​cobbled street and none willing to retreat a step that might give a rival some opportunity. And it was still hardly past first thaw. When summer and the court season came, the place would be unnavigable. To the north, the great tower of the Kingspire was greyed by mist, its top shrouded so that it appeared to grow up into the spreading cloud: the Severed Throne reaching out in all directions and weighing down the world.

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Alongside the release of the season 2 of Game of Thrones (Hurrah!!!), HBO added an interactive map of Westeros and Essos (here's the link):

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Finally, the next Malazan novel by Ian C. Esslemont now has a name, a blurb and a release date (thanks to Adam at the Wertzone for the heads up!).  The book is named Blood and Bone and will be out in December 2012 (I know... two in the same year...cool but I really have to pick up Orb, Sceptre, Throne):

In the western sky the bright emerald banner of the Visitor descends like a portent of annihilation. On the continent of Jacuruku, the Thaumaturgs have mounted yet another expedition to tame the neighboring wild jungle. Yet this is no normal wilderness. It is called Himatan, and it is said to be half of the spirit-realm and half of the earth. And it is said to be ruled by a powerful entity whom some name the Queen of Witches, and some a goddess: the ancient Ardata. Saeng grew up knowing only the rule of the magus Thaumaturgs -- but it was the voices out of that land's forgotten past that she listened to. And when her rulers mount an invasion of the neighboring jungle, those voices send her and her brother on a desperate mission. 

To the south, the desert tribes are united by the arrival of a foreign warleader, a veteran commander in battered ashen mail whom his men call, the Grey Ghost. This warleader takes the tribes on a raid like none other, deep into the heart of Thaumaturg lands. While word comes to K'azz, and mercenary company the Crimson Guard, of a contract in Jacuruku. And their employer... none other than Ardata herself.

E-reading for a year

Last year, roughly at the same date, I decided to go digital. Then after a couple of months, in June last year I posted an update with my feelings so far (I had finished my first e-book reading on my e-reader, The Crippled God by Steven Erikson).  I thought that after one year and approximately half of the books read since that date in an electronic way, it was time to share again on this subject.

Back in June, I mentioned these pros:

• Incredible portability
• Effortless sessions when holding the reader :)
• Stands easily (Nazgûl not an obligation)
• Pricing (it's even more significant since I don't buy much MMPB...)
• Book storage capacity
• Live dictionary
• Enables me to take notes

Now for the cons:

• Number of lines on a page with a comfortable font size
• DRM/non-amazon reader (I know... my choice and my fault...)
• Loss of physical sensation

I don't need to spend more time on these points since they are still quite as valid as they were after my first reading. However, they are more and more appreciable.  Even though I still like the weight and feel of a "real" book in my hands or on a crowded shelf in my bedchamber, I think that the digital revolution is a must for the readers. By now, if I have the choice, I will probably always go with an e-book over a paper book.

If you take a look at the stats, it looks like a fast going trend. Back in January, the USA Today reported that 32 of its 50 top titles were selling more copies in digital format than in print. Moreover, I found out form a post on Zdnet that "The Harris Poll also found that, quite unsurprisingly, owners of tablets and e-reader devices often buy and read more books in a year than someone who doesn’t." Interesting! That Harris Interactive survey also points out that three in ten Americans own e-readers (mostly iPads, Nooks and Kindles). For even more statistics on the subject, you can head on the The Digital Reader.

So then, as we are seeing with the movie rental shop increasingly closing, will we see libraries closing up soon? I think that it will probably take more time but it will probably happen faster than we think. I mean, cookbooks don't belong to e-readers but on a tablet, even them could sell less and less in paper format. Sadly, we will probably also hear "Oh, you're reading [that]!" less often...

Have you switched to e-reading? Completely, partially? On which device?  I'd like to hear you out!

Erikson's The Forge of Darkness cover and blurb

Steven Erikson first novel in the new Kharkanas Trilogy set in the past from the Malazan Book of the Fallen will be released later this year, on September 25th. The cover for The Forge of Darkness was found on the web this week alongside the blurb. Here you go:

The Forge of Darkness takes readers to Kurald Galain, the warren of Darkness, and tells an epic tale of a realm whose fate plays a crucial role in the fall of the Malazan Empire. 

It's a conflicted time in Kurald Galain, the warren of Darkness, where Mother Dark reigns. But this ancient land was once home to many a power… and even death is not quite eternal. The commoners' great hero, Vatha Urusander, longs for ascendency and Mother Dark's hand in marriage, but she has taken another Consort, Lord Draconus, from the faraway Dracon Hold. The idea of this union sends fissures throughout the realm, and as the rumors of civil war burn through the masses, an ancient power emerges from the long dead seas. Caught in the middle of it all are the Sons of Darkness, Anomander, Adarist, and Silchas Ruin of the Purake Hold.

Joe Abercrombie's A Red Country update

Joe Abercrombie posted an update about his upcoming novel, A Red Country.  He has finished his first draft of the whole novel and the words count so far is at 171 000 words, making it his shortest book (even though, as he mentions, after the edits, it could change a bit). He offers some words count for his previous books but here's the complete list:

Blade Itself - 194,000

Before they are Hanged - 200,00

Last Argument of Kings -  236,000

Best Served Cold - 230,000

The Heroes - 207,000

Even more interestingly, he also confirms the release date in the US, which will be on November 20th 2012 and it will be out in the UK in September or October.

Here's an extract of his post and the link:

Joe's blog

Finished the first draft of A Red Country today.  Well, kind of finished.  Any of you who’ve been through this process with me before will remember that there is a lot of work to do between writing the final words and seeing the book on the shelves.  Some of the most important work.  But also some of the most satisfying.  This is the part I really enjoy, cutting, refining, seeing the poor parts chopped away and the good parts refined and the whole hopefully coming into shape.  This week I’ll look over and tidy up this last part before sending it off to my editor, and then it’s a quick read through to see what I’ve got, some additions and heavy rewriting of one of the two central characters.  But hey, it’s a step in the right direction.

The synopsis again you ask? There 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 - Lynch, GoT, Fultz, Williams & Sprunk

Some interesting tidbits surfaced this last week or so. Here's a wrap-up :

Republic of Thieves status update

Courtesy of Neth, at his space, there is now more information about the release of the highly awaited third novel in the Gentleman Bastards Sequence, The Republic of Thieves. Even though Scott is still coping with his problems, it seems that the book will see the light of day this Autumn.  Great!

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Game of Thrones Season 2 air date confirmed

HBO confirmed that the first episode of the second season of Game of Thrones will be airing on Sunday April 1st.  Bring on the clash of kings!!!

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Jon Sprunk's Shadow's Master final cover art

Lou Anders from Pyr posted on my blog that the previous cover art (posted below) unveiled for Jon Sprunk third novel, Shadow's Master was not the final art.  I believe that the final result is much better. Still the infamous hooded figure but with Michael Komarck doing the work, you can't get it wrong!

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John R. Fultz - Seven Princes excerpt

Seven Princes seems to be one of the novels to look for in January of 2012 and it received good reviews so far in addition to the nice vibe coming from the community.  I looked online and found that there is an excerpt available on the publisher's website, here you go.

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Mazarkis Williams -  The Emperor's Knife excerpt

I did the same search for The Emperor's Knife by Mazarkis Williams, another Fantasy debut that looks promising and I found this excerpt posted by SF Signal.  Good reading!

Have a nice week!

Updates

Just a quick post to talk about some updates I did on the blog.

First of all, at the end of the Reviews index, I added a list of scores for novels for which I can't write a full review right now.  Those are the books I read too long ago.  Since it's not everyone who is on Goodreads and can take a look at the score I would have given those books, I thought that it was a good place to put them.  It can give you some insight on my taste.  I hope to complete it later.

Secondly, the Maps index has been change to show the links directly on the name of the maps.  The full link were displayed before, which was looking kind of weird.

Then, I removed Walker of Worlds from the Blog list since Mark isn't blogging anymore, that's sad but understandable.  To refresh the list, I added Floor to Ceiling, Civilian Reader and The Fantasy Bookshelf.

The Share buttons are now visible on the posts! Happy sharing!

Finally, I added a"spoiler alert" to one of my Kick ass moments.  Because... it may contain spoilers :)

New on the shelves

In addition to these printed copies, I also got The Cold Commands by Richard Morgan and Theft of Swords by Michael Sullivan on e-books and in audiobooks, I'll soon be able to listen to The Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson, The Ruling Sea by Robert V.S. Redick, The Left Hand of God by Paul Hoffman and The Sacred Band by David Anthony Durham.

Quite a nice autumn in the offing!

Rating my reviews

Something has been nagging at me for some time. To score or not to score, that is the question (hum... not really... but how to do it)! When I first started reviewing on the blog, the rating system I decided to go with came to me naturally, without much second thoughts. After several reviews, I started to like it, probably because it was the kind of thing I looked for when reading other reviews.  Then, on some occasions, I started to have problems with the 10 points review scores, more so when putting half points.  I don't mean to say that I don't like it anymore but I'm thinking that maybe I ought to make some changes. 

First of all, let me say that I really like to put a number on a review. I won't stop scoring or rating them (I even caught myself on some hasty browsing looking down at the score before deciding to read the full review...).  However, I think that a five star (or something like that, it doesn't have to really be stars...) system could be a better fit and I would like your input on this. Judging a book by an 8.5 vs an 8 is not always a hundred percent fair. I mean, is there really a big deal between the two or is it only used for sorting them out from best to worst?

I found on some instances that a couple of months after giving a score to a review and reading many more novels, the score that I gave earlier became problematic in comparison with a score I would like to give a new review. Both books could have been 4 or 5 stars novels but since I gave the first one a 9 and the other book was not near perfection, I struggled to put an 9.5. Maybe they both deserve to be five stars and I should say that both were "Highly recommended" and the actual review will clear things out...

A five stars rating system could come out with a better expression of my feelings.  But then, you could argue for the contrary... All of this may not be of much importance but if you could give me your insight on the subject, it would be appreciated. So, is a scoring system on 5 more interesting with "Amazingly brilliant", Highly recommended", "Nice read", "Put it at the bottom of the pile", "My god what was that" or "Touch this novel only at your greatest peril" (ok... that would not be the real labels I would use but I'm sure you grasp the meaning).

Another question would be the 5 categories of rating I usually put up (Characterization, World building, Magic system, Story and Writing)... still of interest? Maybe it would be more meaningful to "score" these aspects when they are more significant in both ways...

Here's some examples of what it would mean for a couple of my reviews :

5 "stars"
The Heroes by Joe Abercrombie (9.5/10)
The Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss (9.5/10)
The Crippled God by Steven Erikson (9/10)
City of Ruin by Mark Charan Newton (9/10)

4 "stars"
The Steel Remains by Richard Morgan (8/10)
The Way of Shadows by Brent Weeks (8/10)
The Broken Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin (7.5/10)
The Warded Man by Peter V. Brett (7.5/10)

3 "stars"
The Unremembered by Peter Orullian (7.5/10)
The Well of Ascension by Brandon Sarnderson (7/10)
The Dragonbone Chair by Tad Williams (7/10)

2 "stars"
A Darkness Forged in Fire by Chris Evans (6.5/10)
Imager by L.E. Modesitt Jr. (6.5/10)
Midwinter by Matthew Sturges (6.5/10)

1  "star"
Lord Foul's Bane by Stephen R. Donaldson - (4/10)

0  "stars"
Confessor by Terry Goodkind (2.5/10)

Thanks!

New arrivals!

Two eagerly awaited novels have become sitters on my shelves...  and I really need to read those soon...