Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas everyone!!!

I hope someone, maybe not these particular Santas, gave you a book!

On the AFR radar

Two new books will be added to my 2015 wishlist.  One is a debut by Peter Newman, for which Fantasy Faction revealed the cover last week and the other one was in the mail last week, courtesy of Orbit books.

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First up is A Crown for Cold Silver by Alex Marshall.  I didn't know the author and it seems that 'Alex Marshall is a pseudonym for an acclaimed author who has previously published several novels in different genres'.  If we take a look at the blur...

FIVE VILLAINS. ONE LEGENDARY GENERAL. A FINAL QUEST FOR VENGEANCE. 

Twenty years ago, feared general Cobalt Zosia led her five villainous captains and mercenary army into battle, wrestling monsters and toppling an empire. When there were no more titles to win and no more worlds to conquer, she retired and gave up her legend to history. 

Now the peace she carved for herself has been shattered by the unprovoked slaughter of her village. Seeking bloody vengeance, Zosia heads for battle once more, but to find justice she must confront grudge-bearing enemies, once-loyal allies, and an unknown army that marches under a familiar banner. 

A CROWN FOR COLD SILVER is an outstanding epic fantasy featuring an unforgettable warrior.

... and at the back cover of the ARC where Orbit mentions that the book is for fans of George R.R. Martin, Joe Abercrombie and Patrick Rothfuss (weird choice, Rothfuss with those two....), the publisher seems pretty confident. Still, how many novels where publicized with these authors on the cover? Anyway, it will certainly draw the attention of Epic Fantasy readers as it did for me (when it releases on April 14th), even more so with an ARC cover like this:

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The next one is The Vagrant by Peter Newman.  I don't have a big list of debut so far for 2015 but this is one of them.  The blurb is somewhat typical but you never know. Moreover, it has a hooded figure on the cover!!! Look for it May 1st from Harper Voyager.

The Vagrant is his name. He has no other. 

Friendless and alone he walks across a desolate war-torn landscape, carrying nothing but a kit-bag, a legendary sword and a baby. 

His purpose is to reach the Shining City, last bastion of the human race, and deliver the sword, the only weapon that may make a difference in the ongoing war. 

But the Shining City is very far away and the world is a very dangerous place.

Poll result - Eager meter 2015

Alright folks, I asked and you answered en masse! The book you are most eager about in Fantasy (and in the specific list I put up) for 2015 is:

The Thorn of Emberlain

Gentleman Bastards book 4

Scott Lynch

Hopefully, Scott Lynch posted an update back in November, stating that the novel was still on track for a mid-year 2015 release.

Here's the list in order of 'eagerness':

The Thorn of Emberlain (Gentleman Bastards Sequence book 4) by Scott Lynch

Queen of Fire (Raven's Shadow book 3) by Anthony Ryan

Shadow of Self (Mistborn) by Brandon Sanderson

The Spider's War (The Dagger and the Coin book 5) by Daniel Abraham

Fall of Light (Kharkanas trilogy book 2) by Steven Erikson

Half the World (The Shattered Sea book 2) by Joe Abercrombie

The Liar's Key (The Red Queen’s War book 2) by Mark Lawrence

The Autumn Republic (The Powder Mage book 3) by Brian McClellan

The Skull Throne (Demon Cycle book 4) by Peter V. Brett

Half a War (The Shattered Sea book 3) by Joe Abercrombie

The Dread Wyrm (The Traitor Son Cycle book 3) by Miles Cameron

The Unholy Consult (The Aspect Emperor book 3) by R. Scott Bakker

The Fool's Quest (The Fitz and the Fool trilogy book 2) by Robin Hobb

The Price of Valour (The Shadow Campaigns book 3) by Django Wexler

The Fifth Season (The Broken Earth book 1) by N.K. Jemisin

The Providence of Fire (Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne book 2) by Brian Staveley

Sword of the North (Grim Company book 2) by Luke Scull

Those Above (The Empty Throne book 1) by Daniel Polansky

The Black Dream (Heart of the World book 3) by Col Buchanan

The Silver King (The Silver Kings book 3) by Stephen Deas

Old Man's Ghosts (The Empire of a Hundred Houses book 2) by Tom Lloyd

Twelve Kings in Sharakhai (The Song of the Shattered Sands book 1) by Bradley P. Beaulieu

Storm and Steel (The Book of the Black Earth book 2) by Jon Sprunk

The Chart of Tomorrows (Gaunt and Bone book 3) by Chris Willrich

Anthony Ryan's Queen of fire cover and blurb

Anthony Ryan posted the US cover (from ACE) for the third and final novel in his Raven's Shadow series (Blood Song and Tower Lord), titled Queen of Fire.  While I loved the first book, the second was a disappointment, thought not bad, and I'll pick up the last book to finish the story of Vaelin. The book will be out July 7th 2015.  Here's the blurb:

Vaelin Al Sorna must help his Queen reclaim her Realm. Only his enemy has a dangerous new collaborator, one with powers darker than Vaelin has ever encountered… 

“The Ally is there, but only ever as a shadow, unexplained catastrophe or murder committed at the behest of a dark vengeful spirit. Sorting truth from myth is often a fruitless task.” 

After fighting back from the brink of death, Queen Lyrna is determined to repel the invading Volarian army and regain the independence of the Unified Realm. Except, to accomplish her goals, she must do more than rally her loyal supporters. She must align herself with forces she once found repugnant—those who possess the strange and varied gifts of the Dark—and take the war to her enemy’s doorstep. 

Victory rests on the shoulders of Vaelin Al Sorna, now named Battle Lord of the Realm. However, his path is riddled with difficulties. For the Volarian enemy has a new weapon on their side, one that Vaelin must destroy if the Realm is to prevail—a mysterious Ally with the ability to grant unnaturally long life to her servants. And defeating one who cannot be killed is a nearly impossible feat, especially when Vaelin’s blood-song, the mystical power which has made him the epic fighter he is, has gone ominously silent…

Goodreads Choice Awards 2014 winners

The 2014 edition of the Goodreads Choice Awards (6th edition) is over. The winner for the Fantasy category is:

The Book of Life

All Souls Trilogy

Deborah Harkness

Congratulation to the winner. My vote was for The Broken Eyes (and may have been for Prince of Fools if I had finished the book). My prediction was for Brandon Sanderson to win with Words of Radiance (finished 2nd).

The Book of Life is a novel with vampires, some say historical Fantasy, or paranormal or romance... that's not really my cup of tea but with 51,462 votes versus the 28,449 Words of Radiance received... it looks like it's quite popular and it's a vote of popularity...

I won't speak ill of the awards because of this as I've seen in several comments and I always thought that awards should be taken with a grain of salt.

I think that the Fantasy category (and maybe other categories) should be broken down. We have the David Gemmell Legends awards for the sub-genre of Fantasy I'm more interested in, but with more than 3 million votes, Goodreads can't be ignored.

Last years winners were:

2013 - The Ocean at the End of the Line by Neil Gaiman

2012 - The Wind Through the Keyhole by Stephen King

2011 - A Dance with Dragons by George R.R. Martin

2010 - Towers of Midnight by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson

2009 - Dean and Gone by Charlaine Harris

What do you think?

December releases

Another slow going month to finish the year.  One new book caught my eye and the other one is a omnibus of interest. Here's to a whole new year of great books!

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The Lady

Marakand book 2

K.V. Johansen

December 9th

In the days of the first kings in the North, there were seven devils… 

Possessed by a ghost who feeds on death, the undying assassin Ahjvar the Leopard has been captured by the Lady of Marakand, enslaved by necromancy to be captain of her Red Masks. His shield-bearer Ghu, a former slave with an uncanny ability to free the captive dead, follows Ahjvar into the war-torn lands of the Duina Catairna to release him, even if that means destroying what is left of Ahj’s tormented soul. 

Deyandara, the last surviving heir of the Catairnan queen, rides into a land ravaged by disease and war, seeking the allies she abandoned months before, though they have no hope of standing against the army led by the invulnerable Red Masks of Marakand and the divine terror of the Lady. 

In the city of Marakand, former enemies ally and old friends seek one another’s deaths as loyalists of the entombed gods Gurhan and Ilbialla raise a revolt, spearheaded by the Grasslander wizard Ivah, the shapeshifting Blackdog, and the bear-demon Mikki. The Lady’s defences are not easily breached, though, and the one enemy who might withstand her, the Northron wanderer Moth, bearer of the sword Lakkariss, has vanished.

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The Inheritance Trilogy

Omnibus

N.K. Jemisin

December 9th

In this omnibus edition of N.K. Jemisin's brilliantly original award-winning fantasy series, a young woman becomes entangled in a power struggle of mythic proportions. 

A REALM OF GODS AND MORTALS. 

Yeine Darr is an outcast from the barbarian north. But when her mother dies under mysterious circumstances, she is summoned to the majestic city of Sky. There, to her shock, Yeine is named an heiress to the king. But the throne of the Hundred Thousand Kingdoms is not easily won, and Yeine is thrust into a vicious power struggle. 

The Inheritance Trilogy omnibus includes the novels: The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, The Broken Kingdoms, and The Kingdom of Gods.

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