Books received
Today’s schwag was collected from the post office by the minion while I was at the Melbourne Writers Festival, selling tickets in the Box Office and waving to Michael Pryor (author), Dorothy Tonkins (publicist from Random House) and Thomas Bull (local SFF personality). *wave*
Lord of Lies by Sam Bowring
Lord of Lies is part two of a duology. If you’re curious about who Sam Bowring is and about his books, I recently interviewed Sam. The characters in part one were evolving, so I’m curious to see where he takes them.
Hachette says:
The spellbinding conclusion to the STRANGE THREADS duology …
The world is crumbling. Fissures crack the shaking ground, babes are born with twisted limbs and the taste of apples is just a memory.
Rostigan and the Priestess Yalenna must face those Wardens who remain bent on steeping the land in ruin and, somehow, close the growing Wound in the Great Spell. Standing in their way is a pitiless army commanded by a madman, a sky full of silkjaws and, worst of all, an old friend, once betrayed, whom they must now convince to join them again.
There is only one thing for it Rostigan must break an ancient oath and use powers he has dared not touch, powers that could tip the balance in favour of the spreading corruption. Caught in a web of his own deceit, he struggles to live the lies he has spun, for if he cannot, Aorn itself may well be doomed.
Defiance by C J Redwine
Defiance looks, at first glance, like a paranormal romance but according to the media release is actually YA fantasy/dystopia and part of a series. It’s aimed at fans of Trudi Canavan, Christopher Paolini and Kristin Cashore, ages 14 and up.
Hachette says:
The start of a fantastic and fast-paced new coming-of-age fantasy series.
When Rachel Adams’ father disappears, she is determined to go after him, even if it means breaking every rule and defying every authority. Her efforts catch the eye of the city’s cruel ruler, the Commander, who grants Rachel permission to search the unprotected Wasteland beyond the city walls for her father. Her father’s apprentice Logan convinces the Commander to allow him to accompany her; though Rachel is sure of her skills, Logan is all too well aware of the dangers that lurk along the roads and beneath the ground of the Wasteland.
But the Wasteland is not the only place where dangers hide beneath the surface. Rachel was meant to be the Commander’s pawn, her compliance bought by his relentless cruelty. But Rachel has never been like other girls. In the crucible of Baalboden, she has been transformed from a courier’s daughter into a deadly weapon and she and Logan have forged a bond that even the Commander’s iron fist cannot break.
The Blinding Knife by Brent Weeks
The Blinding Knife is part two in the Lightbringer series. I read Brent Weeks’ debut novel a few years back: it was the paper equivalent of a comic book movie. Back then I said I’d be interested in reading Weeks’ novels when he’d developed his writing more, because I enjoyed his style but I picked holes in that first story (he jumped, from a tower, out over the rocks into the water, and he doesn’t have superpowers?!) Weeks is a best-selling author in Australia so either his audience doesn’t care (who doesn’t enjoy a fun romp?) or his writing has improved as I expected it would. Or both.
Hachette says:
The second compelling instalment in the epic new fantasy series from the author of the internationally bestselling Night Angel Trilogy.
Gavin Guile is dying.
He’d thought he had five years left – now he’s got less than one. With fifty thousand refugees, a bastard son and an ex-fiancee who may have learned his darkest secret, Gavin’s got problems on every side.
As he loses control of his magic, all magic is running wild, threatening to destroy the Seven Satrapies. The old gods are being reborn. Their army of color wights is unstoppable and the only salvation may be the brother whose freedom and life Gavin stole sixteen years ago.
The Demon Code by Adam Blake
The Demon Code is spruiked as a conspiracy-thriller but from the blurb I’m thinking it probably has elements of urban fantasy, or at least fantasy. Adam Blake, the author, is apparently an internationally bestselling novelist writing under a pseudonym but they’re not saying who it is; revealing his other identity is a double-edged sword. The publisher says this will appeal to fans of Clive Cussler and Andy McDermot.
Hachette says:
The relentlessly exciting new thriller from the bestselling author of THE DEAD SEA DECEPTION.
Three years ago, Heather Kennedy left the Metropolitan police under a shadow that has followed her ever since. Now she has been called in to advise on a supposed burglary in the now-defunct British Museum reading room. Kennedy soon establishes that rather than steal anything, someone has broken into the stacks in order to photograph pages from books about Johann Toller, a crazed prophet of 17th century Europe. Toller believed that the end of days was at hand, and he made a number of prophecies relating to the Apocalypse and the events that would precede it. None of them came true.
Until now.
One after another, the grotesque signs and wonders Toller predicted come to pass, no matter how unlikely they seem. The river Rhine runs bright red, the towers of London bow to kiss the ground, and an angel with a fiery sword is seen over Jerusalem. With the help of a nineteen-year-old girl from a secretive tribe and ex-mercenary Leo Tillman, Kennedy must work to stop the next prophecy coming true – the destruction of an unnamed city.
