I Am Legend

(Amazon, Barnes & Noble)

Robert Neville is the last human on Earth. Every one else has been infected with a plague that turns them into nocturnal, bloodthirsty creatures. By day he scavenges for supplies and tries to learn the cause behind the calamity while hoping desperately to find other survivors. This is the tale of terrible struggle for survival in the horrifying aftermath of a human apocalypse. 

I have not seen the movie though it was partially the impetus for reading this classic horror story. Fairly short at only 160 pages, I Am Legend packs a lot of punch for a lightweight. As can only be expected of a book about grim survival, the novel has a very gritty and dark tone to it. The book’s strength is that Matheson really makes you feel Neville’s emotions, which run the gamut from utter despair to boundless hope. Definitely recommended. 

Rating: 9 out of 10.

The Anubis Gates

(Amazon, Barnes & Noble)

Academic Brendan Doyle is hired by a wealthy entrepreneur to be a guide on a time travel trip back to 1810. Things go wrong right from the start and Doyle is stranded back in the 19th Century. He struggles to survive while trying to find a way back to his own time, but gets caught up in the actions of an oddball collection of characters ranging from body-switching murderers and immortal Egyptian sorcerers, as well as rogue elements from his own time. Doyle soon realizes that history never works out quite the way it seems, yet somehow remains precisely the same.
First of all, I have never liked time travel stories. I’ve never been entirely certain why, but part of it may have to do with the obsessions many people have about time, but also because I think it’s a cheesy concept for entertainment. Don’t have any ideas? Tell a time travel story! It creates a whole new plot without using an original idea.
So you can understand that I approached this book with some unease even though I always try to start a book without preconceptions. I have to say I admire Powers’ restraint in the matters and questions raised by the idea of time travel. He put a unique spin on the concept without beating you over the head with it. Powers’ main focus was on the characters, in particular Brendan Doyle. He is a completely average person who happened to have both small and profound impacts on history without actually changing anything.
The author’s characters also happen to be the weak point of the novel. I couldn’t bring myself to care what happened to any of them. None of them really stood out at all or made me feel any real emotions. The Anubis Gates is a good book, but I’m afraid it’s a bit bland.
Rating: 7.5 out of 10.

New releases for the week of January 1

Spotlight:

(Amazon, Barnes & Noble)

Synopsis:
As William the Conqueror's men attempt to stamp out the flames of rebellion, a prophecy is uttered. A bedraggled woman in a ruined chapel speaks of civilizations in conflict, armed by the engines of God...And that prophecy proves to be true as the fearsome war between Christianity and Islam leaves its mark across the land. In Spain, a rogue priest dreams of the final defeat of Islam, for he has found a rent in the tapestry of time, a point where agents from the future used diabolical weapons of destruction to change history. Centuries later, in 1492, as men of vision weary of the strife and are drawn to the unknown West, one such explorer seeks the funding for his voyage-while a mysterious Weaver plots to unravel the strands of time and stop him.

Hardcover:
> Ruby Dice, Catherine Asaro
(Amazon, Barnes & Noble)

> Passing for Human, Michael Bishop
(PS Publishing)

> The Unnatural Inquirer, Simon R. Green
(Amazon, Barnes & Noble)

> Star Wars: Allegiance, Timothy Zahn
(Amazon, Barnes & Noble)


Paperback:
> Wastelands: Stories of the Apocalypse, John Joseph Adams
(Amazon, Barnes & Noble)

> Iron Kissed, Patricia Briggs
(Amazon, Barnes & Noble)

> Deliverer, C. J. Cherryh
(Amazon, Barnes & Noble)

> Thunder of Time, James F. David
(Amazon, Barnes & Noble)

> Shadows Past, Lorna Freeman
(Barnes & Noble)

> Fantasy: The Best of the Year, 2008 Edition, Rich Horton
(Amazon)

> James Tiptree Award Anthology 4, Pat Murphy
(Amazon, Barnes & Noble)

> Return to Quag Keep, Andre Norton, Jean Rabe
(Amazon, Barnes & Noble)

> To Hell and Back, Lilith Saintcrow
(Amazon, Barnes & Noble)

> Kitty and the Silver Bullet, Carrie Vaughn
(Amazon, Barnes & Noble)

> Off Armageddon Reef, David Weber
(Amazon, Barnes & Noble)

New York Times bestsellers for December 30

Hardcover:
Terry Goodkind’s Confessor rounds out its sixth week on the list down one to number 17. United States, Europe, Canada.

J.R.R. Tolkien’s Children of Hurin is up one spot to number 23 in its second fourth week on the charts. United States, Europe, Canada.

R.A. Salvatore’s The Orc King is back on the New York Times bestseller list at number 31. United States, Europe, Canada.


Paperback:
For the second week in a row, and the eighth week on the list, the mass-market paperback of Richard Matheson’s I Am Legend keeps its number 2 ranking. United States, Europe, Canada.

The paperback of Richard Matheson’s I Am Legend also maintains its number 6 spot for another week and its sixth week on the charts. United States, Europe, Canada.

Cormac McCarthy’s The Road is back up another point to number 7 at the end of week 38. United States, Europe, Canada.

Gregory Maguire’s Wicked is also up one spot at the end of week nine to stay near number 13. United States, Europe, Canada.

Stephen King’s The Mist is steady at number 18 in its tenth week. United States, Europe, Canada.

Max Brooks’ World War Z, finishing its eighth week, jumps to number 19 and up three points. United States, Europe, Canada.

Aaron Allston’s Fury falls twelve positions to number 20. Will it make it for a fourth week? United States, Europe, Canada.

Orson Scott Card’s Empire drops four spots in week two to stop at number 25. United States, Europe, Canada.

And finally Anne and Todd McCaffrey’s Dragon’s Fire is at number 28 in its fourth week after losing three points. United States, Europe, Canada.

The Drawing of the Dark

I figured it was time I finally checked out Tim Powers so I picked up this book as well as several others.

(Amazon, Barnes & Noble)

Aging soldier of fortune Brian Duffy is hired as a bouncer to defend the Zimmerman Inn in Vienna and its famous beer, the Herzwestern. However, multiple attacks, normal and supernatural, against him on the road and later against the inn convince him that far more is at stake than just keeping the peace in a tavern. Somehow the beer is crucial to the survival of the west from the Turkish hordes as well as being connected to a mysterious Fisher King and dreams of a sword and arm rising from a lake.
Despite multiple action scenes early on, the book starts a little slow until you finally get a sense of the circumstances as well as the stakes. After that it’s pretty fluid though it speeds up and slows down in various places. But I think that makes the story more realistic rather than detracting from it. Characterization was a little weak and the plot was a little predictable, but I liked how Powers set out to write something other than a typical fantasy novel. I liked how he put a twist on several old legends and how the outcome of the battle between the West and the Ottoman Empire ultimately came down to beer. I would definitely recommend this to any fantasy fan.
Final rating: 8/10.

New releases for the week of December 25

Spotlight:

(Amazon, Barnes & Noble)

The Firstborn -- the mysterious race of aliens who first became known to science fiction fans as the builders of the iconic black monolith in 2001: A Space Odyssey -- have inhabited legendary master of science fiction Sir Arthur C. Clarke's writing for decades. With Time's Eye and Sunstorm, the first two books in their acclaimed Time Odyssey series, Clarke and his brilliant co-author Stephen Baxter imagined a near-future in which the Firstborn seek to stop the advance of human civilization by employing a technology indistinguishable from magic.


Hardcover:
Thunderer, Felix Gilman
(Amazon, Barnes & Noble)

Star Wars: Darth Bane: Rule of Two, Drew Karpyshyn
(Amazon, Barnes & Noble)

Dragon Harper, Anne McCaffrey, Todd J. McCaffrey
(Amazon, Barnes & Noble)

Rise of the Blood Royal, Robert Newcomb
(Amazon, Barnes & Noble)


Paperback:
Mistress of Winter, Giles Carwyn, Todd Fahnestock
(Amazon, Barnes & Noble)

Prayers for the Assassin, Robert Ferrigno
(Amazon, Barnes & Noble)

Rumble in the Jungle, Matt Forbeck
(Amazon, Barnes & Noble)

Shield of Thunder, David Gemmell
(Amazon, Barnes & Noble)

Dark River, Erin Hunter
(Amazon, Barnes & Noble)

Defenders of Ulthuan, Graham McNeill
(Amazon, Barnes & Noble)

March into Darkness, Robert Newcomb
(Amazon, Barnes & Noble)

Oath of Fealty, Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle
(Amazon, Barnes & Noble)

Moonsinger, Andre Norton
(Amazon, Barnes & Noble)

The Complete Clive Barker's The Great and Secret Show, Chris Ryall, Gabriel Rodriguez
(Amazon, Barnes & Noble)

Sly Mongoose preview

Tobias Buckell has a cover image and some info on his next book, Sly Mongoose, which is slated to be releasesd in August 2008.

"Welcome to Chilo, a planet with corrosive rain, crushing pressure, and deadly heat. Fortunately, fourteen-year-old Timas lives in one of the domed cities that float 100,000 feet above the surface, circling near the edge of a monstrous perpetual storm. Above the acidic clouds the temperature and pressure are normal. But to make a living, Timas like many other young men, is lowered to the surface in an armored suit to scavenge what he can.

Timas’s life is turned upside down when a strange man crash-lands on the city. The newcomer is fleeing an alien intelligence intent on invading the planet and discovering the secret hidden deep inside the perpetual storm — a secret that could lead to interplanetary war.

As the invaded cities fall silent one by one, Chilo’s citizens must race against time to stop the enemy. And Timas will find out what kind of man he has become in the harsh conditions of Chilo’s surface."

It certainly sounds intersting and it's nice to see that he'll be examining some more of the universe revealed by Crystal Rain and Ragamuffin. This book is definitely on my To-Buy List.

New York Times bestsellers for December 23

Hardcover:
Terry Goodkind's Confessor slips a point to number 16 in its fifth week on the list. United States, Europe, Canada.

.R.R. Tolkien’s Children of Hurin, rounding out its second third week, climbs one spot to hit number 24. United States, Europe, Canada.

Jim Butcher’s Captain’s Fury falls a whole eighteen positions to the very bottom of the list to number 35 at the end of week three. United States, Europe, Canada.


Paperback:
The mass-market paperback of Richard Matheson’s I Am Legend maintains its position at number 2 in the seventh week. United States, Europe, Canada.

The paperback Richard Matheson’s I Am Legend is also steady at number 6 in week five with no change in position. United States, Europe, Canada.

Aaron Allston’s Fury stays on the list for a third week but falls four points to number 8. United States, Europe, Canada.

Anybody know the record for a book on the NYT bestseller list? Cormac McCarthy’s The Road slips a single spot to number 8 in its amazingly 37th week. United States, Europe, Canada.

Gregory Maguire’s Wicked is down two in its eleventh week on the list to hit number 14. United States, Europe, Canada.

Stephen King’s The Mist falls to number 18, down seven in week eleven. United States, Europe, Canada.

Orson Scott Card’s Empire rides the holiday sales to make its debut on the New York Times bestseller list at number 21. United States, Europe, Canada.

Max Brooks’ World War Z beats back the zombies to climb one spot to number 22 in week nine on the charts. United States, Europe, Canada.

Anne and Todd McCaffrey’s Dragon’s Fire finishes its second week down two to number 25. United States, Europe, Canada.

The Orphan's Tales: In the Cities of Coin and Spice

(Amazon, Barnes & Noble)

In the conclusion to The Orphan’s Tales, the stories and myths continue in all their vibrant imagery. From the Lake of the Dead and the City of Marrow to the artists who remain behind in the ghost city of spice, here are stories of hedgehog warriors and winged skeletons, loyal leopards and sparrow calligraphers. Singing manticores, mutilated unicorns, and women made entirely of glass and gears, all of it to tell just one tale.
Once again Catherynne Valente scores with an incredibly rich tapestry of tales weaving in and out of each other to the final thread of the story. The conclusion of the duology has no real surprises but that’s perfectly all right since the real stars of the book are the tales themselves. Full of the the strange and fantastical, monsters and myths abound. I didn't mention this for the first book but the characterization is quite well done. None of the fantastic creatures are inherently good or evil, often shaped by both nature and circumstance. If you haven’t read In the Night Garden or In the Cities of Coin and Spice, you don’t know what you’re missing.
Final Rating: 8.5/10.

New releases for the week of December 18

Spotlight:
Not a very big release list for this week but then it is almost January. Let's see, the most interesting book seems to be a short story collection on fairies edited by Marvin Kaye.

(Amazon, Barnes & Noble)

Six stories from some of the most famous names in fantasy-all with one common threat-"the fair folk." From blithe fairies to sinister fey, some are fair, some are foul, all are fantastic.

In "The Kelpie," by Patricia A. McKillip, a carefree circle of bohemian artists is confronted by a being more powerful than any muse.

Jane Yolen and Midori Snyder weave a tale of two sisters long-exiled from their magical realm who must survive in ours, in "Except the Queen."

In Tanith Lee's "UOUS," a young woman with a rotten family is granted three wishes by a handsome elf-and learns that nothing good comes free of charge.

A hapless slob finds his world turned upside-down when an eager brownie moves in and proceeds to clean house, in Megan Lindholm's "Grace Notes."

Kim Newman introduces an intrepid government investigator whose latest case pits him against a sinister brood of fairy folk known as "The Gypsies in the Wood."

And the serenity of the Elves is tested in a wry fable of a long-suffering magical apprentice who can't catch a break, in Craig Shaw Gardner's "The Embarrassment of Elves.


Paperback:

• The Lost Fleet: Courageous, Jack Campbell (Amazon, Barnes & Noble)
• The Country of the Blind and Other Selected Stories, H. G. Wells, Patrick Parrinder (Reprint) (Amazon, Barnes & Noble)

New York Times bestsellers for December 16

It's good to be back. I hadn't realized just how much time I spent online until I moved and didn't have internet for over a week. The move went just fine and I have internet working so we're good to go. I thought I'd start my first blogpost from my new place with the bestseller list for this week. Since I didn't do one for last week my list will cover from my last one rather than including the actual list.

Hardcover:
Terry Goodkind’s Confessor falls ten positions to number 15 in its fourth week on the bestseller list. US, Europe, Canada.

Jim Butcher's Captain’s Fury makes its debut on the New York Times bestseller list at number 17. I haven't read the Alera Codex books but I absolutely love Butcher's Dresden Files. US, Europe, Canada.

Incredibly J.R.R. Tolkien’s Children of Hurin is back on the bestseller list at number 25. It must be benefiting from the Holiday sales. US, Europe, Canada.


Paperback:
The mass-market paperback of Richard Matheson’s I Am Legend jumps to number 2, up two at the end of its sixth week on the list. US, Europe, Canada.

Aaron Allston’s Fury makes it debut on the New York Times bestseller list at number 4. I've never read any Star Wars books but there seem to be enough fans to usually put one on the list. US, Europe, Canada.

The paperback version of Richard Matheson’s I Am Legend, in its fourth week, is also up two rankings to number 6. I find it a little confusing to have two versions of the same book on the bestseller list. US, Europe, Canada.

The unstoppable juggernaut that is Cormac McCarthy’s The Road is still going strong in its 36th week jumps two spots to number 7. US, Europe, Canada.

Stephen King’s The Mist reaches number 11 and down two in its tenth week. US, Europe, Canada.

Gregory Maguire’s Wicked, also in its tenth week, climbs to number 12, up nine. US, Europe, Canada.

Max Brooks’ World War Z falls eleven rankings to round out week eight at number 23. US, Europe, Canada.

Yet another debut for the list is Anne and Todd McCaffrey’s Dragon’s Fire at number 23. US, Europe, Canada.

taking a break...

Hello all. I am currently in the process of moving to a new place so there won't be any updates to the blog for a little while until I can get internet access set up. Hopefully it shouldn't be too long. Read on folks!

New releases for the week of December 4

I'm trying a slightly different format for the new releases this week. Let me know what you think.

Spotlight:

(Amazon, Barnes & Noble)

After two years of bitter conflict with the hordes of invading Canim, Tavi of Calderon, now Captain of the First Aleran Legion, realizes that a peril far greater than the Canim exists--the mysterious threat that drove the savage Canim to flee their homeland. Now, Tavi must find a way to overcome the centuries-old animosities between Aleran and Cane if an alliance is to be forged against their mutual enemy. And he must lead his legion in defiance of the law, against friend and foe--or no one will have a chance of survival . . .

Hardcover:

• Annotated Elminster Collector's Edition, Ed Greenwood (Amazon, Barnes & Noble)
  

• Template, Matthew Hughes (PS Publishing)
  

• The Morcai Battalion, Diana Palmer (Amazon, Barnes & Noble)
  

• Opening Atlantis, Harry Turtledove (Amazon, Barnes & Noble)
  

• The Last Book, Zoran Živkovic (PS Publishing)
  

Europe:

• Jack Of Ravens, Mark Chadbourn (Amazon.co.uk, Book Depository)
  

• Cybele's Secret, Juliet Marillier (Amazon.co.uk, Book Depository)

The Last Wish

(Amazon.co.uk, Book Depository)

The Last Wish is a mosaic novel by Polish author, Andrzej Sapkowski. I had never heard of him before Filipa on the ASOIAF message board started raving about him on the Literature forum. Sapkowski has been a pretty big name in Poland for the past 20 years, but The Last Wish is his first book to be printed in English and is currently only available in the United Kingdom. So if you want to buy it, you’ll probably have to get it online, although it seems Amazon.co.uk and the Book Depository are both out of stock. Look around and perhaps you can find it.
Like I said above The Last Wish is a mosaic novel, meaning it’s a collection of several short stories in a novel form. The stories are from the Sapkowski’s Witcher series where Witchers are mutant warriors who have been trained to hunt down and destroy monsters. The main character is a Witcher by the name of Geralt who travels from town to town searching for work. The Last Wish is written in a story within a story framework in which Geralt is injured in a battle and has flashbacks to events in his life.
I really, really enjoyed this book. Despite the original language being Polish, the translation is quite good and captures much of Sapkowski’s prose. None of the characters in Sapkowski’s world are black or white; they are all shades of grey, including Geralt and the monsters. In fact, other humans tend to be greater monsters than the ones Geralt is sworn to track down and destroy. The background mythology is incredibly rich and only loosely touched on in the short stories. I thought the only real drawback of the book was that the last story had too neat a resolution to the climax. Other than that, it was great book and can’t wait to read Blood of Elves being released by Gollancz next year.
Final Rating: 9/10.

New York Times bestsellers for December 2

Hardcover:

Terry Goodkind’s Confessor finishes its second week droping three spots to number 5. US, Europe, Canada.

Laurell K. Hamilton’s A Lick of Frost falls four points to number 21 at the end of week five. US, Europe, Canada.

R.A. Salvatore’s The Orc King climbs up two notches in its ninth week to reach number 22. US, Europe, Canada.

Clive Barker’s Mister B. Gone drops to number 27 in its fourth week and down five. US, Europe, Canada.

Paperback:

Richard Matheson’s I Am Legend benefits from the release of the movie with the mass-market paperback jumping seven spots to number 4 in its fourth week and the paperback version rounds out week two at number 8. US, Europe, Canada.

Juggernaut Cormac McCarthy’s The Road is still going strong in its 34th week on the list dropping one point to number 9. US, Europe, Canada.

Stephen King’s The Mist also benefits from its movie release climbing eight rungs to number 9 in its eighth week on the mass-market paperback list. US, Europe, Canada.

Max Brooks’ World War Z jumps to number 12, up seven in week six on the NYTimes bestseller list. US, Europe, Canada.

Gregory Maguire’s Wicked is also up, three points to number 21 in its eighth week. US, Europe, Canada.