Saturday, May 23, 2009
NYT bestsellers for May 22nd
Hardcover:
Charlaine Harris’ Dead and Gone slips two spots to number 3 in its second week on the list. (Amazon, B&N)
Stephanie Meyer’s The Host finishes its 53rd week on the list up a point to number 7. (Amazon, B&N)
J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrun falls nine ranks in its second week to number 19. (Amazon, B&N)
Jim Butcher’s Turn Coat rounds out week six down two to number 22. (Amazon, B&N)
Paperback:
Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith’s Pride and Prejudice and Zombies ends its seventh week maintaining its position at number 4. (Amazon, B&N)
Dean Koontz’s Odd Hours is also steady at number four on the mass market list in its third week. (Amazon, B&N)
David Benioff’s City of Thieves is down one spot to number 6 in week seven. (Amazon, B&N)
Charlaine Harris’ From Dead to Worse keeps its previous position at number 11 in week six. (Amazon, B&N)
Alan Dean Foster’s Star Trek makes its debut on the paperback list at number 15. (Amazon, B&N)
Charlaine Harris’ Dead Until Dark is at number 13 and Living Dead in Dallas is at number 20.
Monday, May 18, 2009
Review: Tides from the New Worlds
Tides from the New Worlds
by Tobias Buckell
Format: Hardcover, 293 pages
Publisher: Wyrm
Cover Design: Brian Dow
Release Date: April 2009
ISBN-10: 1-890464074
ISBN-13: 978-1890464073
Tides from the New Worlds is a collection of Tobias Buckell’s short stories. Tobias Buckell burst onto the scene almost three years ago with the publication of his novel Crystal Rain. The science fiction novel, set on a future world and populated with descendents of Aztec and Afro-Caribbean cultures, marked a new and unique flavor in science fiction. Buckell’s next two books Ragamuffin and Sly Mongoose have established him as a fresh new voice in space opera and speculative fiction as a whole.
There are twenty-one short stories in Tides from the New Worlds. Most have been published in various venues such as anthologies and magazines except for “Something in the Rock”, which was written exclusively for this limited edition. The stories range from pure science fiction to fantasy to historical fiction, and to somewhere in between. A few take place in a universe already familiar to fans of Buckell. Others are separate, yet the discerning reader can glimpse echoes of ideas present in his novels. One of Buckell’s strengths as a writer is his characters and all of the stories in this collection reflect that.
I am not providing summaries on all of the stories. Instead I will limit myself to the ones I enjoyed the most. All of the stories are good and these three are my favorite.
The absolutely gorgeous cover of this collection features a scene from the story “Tides”. Siana is a young girl who lives in a stilt-village far out into the ocean and one day she returns from looking for shells to discover that her sister has returned home from the Coastal Wars. At first, Siana is resentful of her siblings return, but magic soon forms a bond between them before a tragic event changes her life forever.
“Something in the Rock” is a tale about a dwarf who leads a mission to rescue a group of trapped miners except that they find far more than they bargain for deep down in the earth. Something of a horror story, the story explores what happens when you face a terrible threat yet are unable to trust your own senses.
In “Necahual”, a young soldier from the League lands on the planet New Anegada to save it from the threat of alien invasion. However, nothing is quite what it seems. The natives don’t necessarily want his help and there’s a slight problem with the Aztecs.
Tides from the New Worlds is a must-read for all fans of Tobias Buckell. Strongly recommended.
Rating: 8.5/10
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Saturday, May 16, 2009
NYT bestsellers for May 15th
Hardcover:
Charlaine Harris’ Dead and Gone makes its debut on the bestseller list at number 1. (Amazon, B&N)
Stephanie Meyer’s The Host finishes its 52nd week on the list at number 8 with no change from last week. (Amazon, B&N)
J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrun also makes its debut on the list at number 10. (Amazon, B&N)
Jim Butcher’s Turn Coat falls three ranks in its fifth week to number 20. (Amazon, B&N)
Paperback:
Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith’s Pride and Prejudice and Zombies is up one position to number 4 in its sixth week. (Amazon, B&N)
Dean Koontz’s Odd Hours finishes its second week at number 4, up two. (Amazon, B&N)
David Benioff’s City of Thieves slips two spots to number 5 in its sixth week on the list. (Amazon, B&N)
Charlaine Harris’ From Dead to Worse, after dropping nineteen points last week, is back up thirteen spots to number 11 in its fifth week. (Amazon, B&N)
Charlaine Harris’ Dead Until Dark is at number 20 and Living Dead in Dallas is at number 30.
Jack Campbell’s The Lost Fleet: Relentless tumbles eighteen points to number 34 in its second week. (Amazon, B&N)
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Review: Devil's Cape
Devil's Cape
by Rob Rogers
Format: Paperback, 409 pages
Publisher: Discoveries
Cover Design: Chris McGrath
Release Date: April 1, 2008
ISBN-10: 0-786949015
ISBN-13: 978-0786949014
"A city where corruption and heroism walk hand-in-hand, and justice and mercy are bought and paid for in blood, Devil’s Cape has never been kind to its heroes. But when a new band of vigilantes rises from the ashes of one of the city’s most horrific murders, they set in motion a course of events that will change the city forever – but not necessarily for the better."
The book begins in flashback, giving the background of the major characters as well as several minor characters in the novel. The story then catches up to the present day as a team of superheroes arrives to avenge the death of a teammate twenty years earlier, however a gang of super-powered criminals guns them down in cold blood. Their deaths galvanize others into action intent on bringing down the former circus freaks. And watching and manipulating everything from the shadows, is the mysterious Robber Baron.
The city of Devil’s Cape is itself practically it’s own character; built in the swamps of Louisiana not far from New Orleans, by an honest-to-God pirate by the name of St. Diable. The extremely detailed background really brings the city to life and makes it feel as if it really exists. As a haven for criminals and corruption, I can’t help but be reminded of DC Comics Gotham City, likely the inspiration for the author’s city. The existence of superheroes is another similarity to the comic book universe with characters’ powers and costumes much like those of popular superheroes. Though perhaps I should say super-powered people instead, as not everyone with superpowers in Devil’s Cape would be considered a hero.
As can be guessed from the book’s plot, the setting is quite dark and gritty so it’s not surprising that the characters are as dirty as the city in which they live. Everyone is, to some degree, tainted or touched by the city’s influence. Characters fall on both sides of the line between good and evil and sometimes cross it several times in the novel. And everyone has their own reason and motivations for what they do. As for the Robber Baron, well, you’ll just have to read the book. If anything, I thought the characters could have been a little grayer than they were actually portrayed, but it’s only the author’s first novel.
Devil’s Cape is an impressive debut novel. There is more than enough material for more books sequels and hopefully Rob Rogers will write more in this setting and in others as well. Strongly recommended.
Rating: 8.5/10
Sunday, May 10, 2009
New releases for the week of May 12th
Spotlight:
Synopsis:
When the British Arean Company founded its Martian colony, it welcomed any settlers it could get. Outcasts, misfits and dreamers emigrated in droves to undertake the grueling task of terraforming the cold red planet--only to be abandoned when the BAC discovered it couldn't turn a profit on Mars.
This is the story of Mary Griffith, a determined woman with three daughters, who opened the only place to buy a beer on the Tharsis Bulge. It's the story of Manco Inca, whose attempt to terraform Mars brought a new goddess vividly to life; of Stanford Crosley, con man extraordinaire; of Ottorino Vespucci, space cowboy and romantic hero; of the Clan Morrigan, of the denizens of the Martian Motel, and of the machinations of another Company entirely, all of whom contribute to the downfall of the BAC and the founding of a new world. But Mary and her struggles and triumphs is at the center of it all, in her bar, the Empress of Mars.
Hardcover:
> A Grey Moon Over China, Thomas A. Day
> Night of Knives, Ian C. Esselmont
> Monster, A. Lee Martinez
Paperback:
> Tigerheart, Peter David
> Dark Integers and Other Stories, Greg Egan
> Star Trek, Alan Dean Foster
> The Best of Michael Moorcock, Michael Moorcock
> From the Earth to the Moon, Edward Roth, Jules Verne
Saturday, May 9, 2009
NYT bestsellers for May 8th
Hardcover:
Stephanie Meyer’s The Host is down two spots to number 8 at the end of its 51st week. (Amazon, B&N)
Jim Butcher’s Turn Coat slumps seven points in its fourth week to number 17. (Amazon, B&N)
Paperback:
David Benioff’s City of Thieves maintains its position at number 3 for the third week in a row and its fifth week overall. (Amazon, B&N)
Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith’s Pride and Prejudice and Zombies climbs back up another five ranks in its fifth week to number 5. (Amazon, B&N)
Dean Koontz’s Odd Hours makes its debut on the paperback bestseller list at number 6. (Amazon, B&N)
Likewise, Jack Campbell’s The Lost Fleet: Relentless also makes its debut this week at number 16. (Amazon, B&N)
Charlaine Harris’ From Dead to Worse falls a whopping nineteen positions to number 24 at the end of week five. (Amazon, B&N)
Charlaine Harris’ Dead Until Dark is at number 24.
Sunday, May 3, 2009
New releases for the week of May 5th
Spotlight:
Synopsis:
The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrún is a previously unpublished work by J.R.R. Tolkien, written while Tolkien was Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Oxford during the 1920s and ‘30s, before he wrote The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. It makes available for the first time Tolkien’s extensive retelling in English narrative verse of the epic Norse tales of Sigurd the Völsung and The Fall of the Niflungs. It includes an introduction by J.R.R. Tolkien, drawn from one of his own lectures on Norse literature, with commentary and notes on the poems by Christopher Tolkien.
Hardcover:
> Diamond Star, Catherine Asaro
> Shadow Valley, Steven Barnes
> Flood, Stephen Baxter
> In the Stormy Red Sky, David Drake
> Dead and Gone, Charlaine Harris
> Starfinder, John Marco
Paperback:
> The Shadow Isle, Katharine Kerr
> Fires of Freedom, Jerry Pournelle
> Coraline: The Graphic Novel, Neil Gaiman, P. Craig Russell
> Fall of Thanes, Brian, Ruckley
> Terra Insegura, Edward Willett
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Review: Avempartha
Avempartha
Format: Paperback, 331 pages
Publisher: Ridan
Cover Design: Michael J. Sullivan
Release Date: March 22, 2009
ISBN-13: 978-0979621116
When a destitute young woman hires two thieves to help save her remote village from nocturnal attacks, they are drawn into the schemes of the wizard Esrahaddon. While Royce struggles to breech the secrets of an ancient elven tower, Hadrian attempts to rally the villagers to defend themselves against the unseen killer. What begins with the simple theft of a sword places the two thieves at the center of a firestorm — that could change the future of Elan.
When a destitute young woman hires two thieves to help save her remote village from nocturnal attacks, they are drawn into the schemes of the wizard Esrahaddon. While Royce struggles to breech the secrets of an ancient elven tower, Hadrian attempts to rally the villagers to defend themselves against the unseen killer. What begins with the simple theft of a sword places the two thieves at the center of a firestorm — that could change the future of Elan.
Avempartha is the second book in the Riyria Revelations and picks up about two years after The Crown Conspiracy left off. Royce and Hadrian are off to the eastern wilderness to help the village of Dhalgren to fight off attacks by a mysterious monster. They quickly run into the wizard Esrahaddon, who they set free in the first novel, who claims that the weapon necessary to kill the beast is locked in an elven tower. Of course, the wizard has his own reasons for wanting to get inside. Meanwhile, the Church of Novron is maneuvering to plant a new heir on the imperial throne and thus hoping to gain control of Elan. They plan to accomplish this by having the “heir” kill the same monster attacking Dhalgren. As can be expected with many conflicting agendas, nothing goes according to plan.
The second book in this new epic fantasy series is a bit of an improvement over the first. The plot is, if anything, a little tighter, focusing on the confrontation with the magical beast. There is more background on the main characters of Royce and Hadrian as well as on the Church and the history of Elan. The Crown Conspiracy had a couple places where there was some info dumping close together in the narrative, and Avempartha has this as well, however it is only a minor concern and is otherwise well handled. As in the first novel, the second is essentially self-contained, though it does set up the plot for the next book.
Avempartha is a worthy sequel to The Crown Conspiracy. In fact, I’d say it probably surpasses it. I definitely recommend this new series and I look forward to the third book, Nyphron Rising.
Rating: 8/10
NYT bestsellers for May 1st
Hardcover:
Stephanie Meyer’s The Host is down one to number 6 and marks its 50th week on the NYT bestseller list. (Amazon, B&N)
Jim Butcher’s Turn Coat finishes its third week down seven to number 10. (Amazon, B&N)
Aaron Allston’s Star Wars: Fate of the Jedi: Outcast comes in clear at the bottom of the list at number 35, down eleven points in its fifth week. (Amazon, B&N)
Paperback:
David Benioff’s City of Thieves is steady at number 3 in its week four. (Amazon, B&N)
Charlaine Harris’ From Dead to Worse slips a point in its fourth week to number 5. (Amazon, B&N)
Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith’s Pride and Prejudice and Zombies is down three ranks to number 10 in its fourth week. (Amazon, B&N)
Sherrilyn Kenyon’s Acheron rounds out its fourth week at number 25, up two. (Amazon, B&N)
Charlaine Harris’ Dead Until Dark and Leaving Dead in Dallas are at number 21 and 28 respectively.
Brent Weeks The Way of Shadows is back on the list at number 35.
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