Bad Victor Gollancz Publishing!

I’m ticked. I just found out that Victor Gollancz Publishing (@gollancz on twitter) has cancelled the hardback edition of the last book of a series I have been reading and patiently awaiting to complete my collection of. The Night of the Swarm by Robert V. S. Redick promises to be an awesome culmination to an epic fantasy series, but Gollancz/The Orion Group has decided to snub its most dedicated customers – the collectors of their authors’ fine works – by cancelling the hardcover edition.

Haven’t heard of Robert V.S. Redick? Don’t take my word on how awesome he is, go check out fantasybookcritic and read Liviu’s reviews of The Red Wolf Conspiracy, The Rats and the Ruling Sea, and The River of Shadows. Then get pissed at VG for doing this and let them know. Perhaps it’s not too late for them to change this decision…

Book Review – The Skybound Sea, 3rd book of the Aeons’ Gate Trilogy by @SamSykesSwears

In writing The Skybound Sea, Sam Sykes has skillfully closed out his carnage strewn adventure while leaving himself the option to write more in his dripping wet universe. This tome is filled with Lovecraftian stylized horrors that sulk about the deepest places urging to drown the world in mucus and blood, all for another taste of their mother’s milk. If you are in anyway squeamish of bodily fluids, the Skybound Sea will desensitize you forever. This is one wet work.

Sykes writes like a T-Rex, howling and ripping fetid entrails loose with each keystroke he mashes. In his world, magic drains its wielders of their very life force, the gods seemingly don’t give a damn for their followers, and invaders from another world are hell-bent on releasing the mother of demons all in a quest to kill her. Our mighty heroes constantly dream of each others’ demises in between epic battles where their foes are eviscerated, decapitated, and emboweled spewing forth every biological liquid known to originate in man or beast. Oh, and there are jellyfish.  You know what they say to do if one stings you, right?

The Skybound Sea is the culmination of an adventure that our heroes set off upon two books ago. Along the way they have battled countless humanoids, beasts, and demons of all shapes, sizes, and of course colors. From the green shicts to the purple netherlings, Lenk and company have perspired and persevered only to become stranded on the isle of Teji. Our adventure continues as they search for the hidden island of Jaga to stop the Abysmyth hordes from reuniting with their mother. What do they get for all their trouble? Do they all perish in a world flooded by the Skybound Sea, or do they accomplish the goals they set out toward in book 1: to retrieve the Tome of the Undergates thus keeping the kraken queen sealed away in hell? And what is their reward for success or failure? Well, that would be a spoiler and I don’t write those.

Sykes’ writing style is unique. Lenk’s internal dialog is the definition of madness while the battle cries and dying screams of our heroes’ foes reverberate in glory and pain. From the truly amazing first chapter, to the glorious final battle that spans countless pages, the action and wittiness that is Syke’s hallmark never lets up. It all works out to a captivating, fast paced read.

I am pleased to give this book five stars and I look forward to reading future works by Mr. Sykes. I also wanted to thank him for the advanced review copy he graciously provided me. I wish I had time to get this review out before the US release, but life sometimes has a way of messing up our plans. At least I beat the UK hardcover release which I pre-ordered months ago to place next to my “Tome” and “Black Halo” copies.

You can buy it here: http://www.amazon.com/Skybound-Aeons-Gate-Book-Three/dp/1616146761/

Book Review – Prophecy, The Children of the White Lions Vol. 2 by @AuthorRTkaelin

Okay, I am biased but I will write as much of an unbiased review that I can. In the sense of disclosure, I have been one of Ryan’s part time/freelance editors for about a year now. I loved Progeny and when I had the opportunity to help tidy up Prophecy I felt honored and excited.  I will do my best to write a spoiler free review so you need not fear reading on!

War has overtaken the Oaken duchies and it falls to our heroes to prepare defenses against the advancing horde of Sudashians. Shaped by battles and diplomacy Nik, Jak and Kenders aren’t mere children anymore. Nik has grown into his powers and Kenders has been honing her own control over magic by apprenticing under one of Terrene’s most powerful mages. Jak has been making great strides of his own while training with the Shadow Manes soldiers. In this newest book, they all face trials of the mind, heart, and arms as the tale weaves about multiple plots.

Prophecy is more complex than Progeny was in so many ways. The stage has shifted from a single duchy to all of them and more. Our heroes we fell in love with in Progeny are all back with a couple new ones thrown in for good measure. Within Prophecy, a clever reader is made more aware of what motivates the “evil” gods of the Cabal and their plans to return. We also become cognizant of the ulterior motives of the “good” and neutral gods and begin to question everyone’s goals. There are even a few new races we meet throughout the adventures within Prophecy’s pages. And for Kaelin’s biggest fans, Prophecy is loaded with references to the short stories Ryan has written and given away for free on his website.

Prophecy was a lot of fun to read and continues the epic tale set forth by Progeny. One of the things I loved about both Progeny and Prophecy was that none of the characters were predefined by the sides they belong to or their races – there were even parts in Prophecy where I came to sympathize with the ultimate bad guy. For you romantics, you will watch as a couple relationships blossom within Prophecy and a couple others come to an end. The slow buildup approach Ryan takes leaves the tale believable and the amount of backstory is enough to give any epic fantasy reader the sense that his (or her) money was well spent. But mostly it is Ryan’s characters that make both Progeny and Prophecy such great books.

For those who haven’t read Progeny, of all the fantasy series I’ve read (more than a few) Progeny and Prophecy remind me most of the Inheritance Cycle (Eragon) by Christopher Paolini. They are not the same tales, but the elegances found in those books are found in these ones too. The cleanliness of the worlds and the use of typical fantasy tropes in original ways make both worlds comfortable and fresh to any reader, new or old.

I am pleased to give this book five stars and I look forward to reading the next novel in this epic fantasy series. Ryan is destined for greatness, so do yourself a favor and pick up both Progeny and Prophecy now so you can look back one day and say “I knew him when …”.

You can buy it here (Available September 25, 2012): http://www.amazon.com/Prophecy-Children-White-Lions-Volume/dp/0615678858/

Book Review – King of Thorns, 2nd Book of the Broken Empire by @mark__lawrence

I just finished King of Thorns today. To quote my own tweet posted minutes after, “WOW! Most powerful book I’ve read since… well, shit! I don’t know.” If the rating scale would allow, I’d enthusiastically give it a 10/10 or a 100/100 for that matter.

Nothing in this book gave me any kind of pause – from thinking some character was acting too unrealistic, even for fantasy, to feeling the events simply couldn’t have unfolded the way they did – everything in King just made logical sense. Structurally the book was organized as scenes taking place in the present followed by memories from Jorg’s past (or Katherine’s diary) giving insights into what is to come or shedding light onto what just happened. Past and present alike were full of adventure and as the book progressed Jorg’s shattered mind was slowly pieced back together.

In KoT Dr. Mark Lawrence (one very smart guy who holds a Ph.D. in Mathematics and works on Artificial Intelligence) writes a book that is chock full of magic both mysterious and lucidly detailed at the same time. This coupled with sinister court intrigue and our antihero’s occasional, unquenchable bloodlust make this book my hands down favorite read of the year, maybe even the decade! Although even some of my own past reviews make comparisons between authors, I have grown to hate the practice, so I won’t name names here. This said I’m sure Mark Lawrence is a name you will begin to see a lot more of and I hope his stories are made for HBO someday.

Two final notes: There is a heart wrenching scene dog lovers are going to have a very difficult time getting through. Also, let’s just hope Dr. Lawrence never actually cracks that AI code and creates the world he envisions in his books.

You can buy it here: http://www.amazon.com/King-Thorns-The-Broken-Empire/dp/1937007472/

Book Store Opened

I just opened my personal book store at http://sffstore.wordpress.com and invite you to take a look at what I have for sale. I specialize in true first edition hard covers in the fantasy and science fiction genres. I will be adding a handful of books to my stock over the next few days and weeks. True firsts of Elfstones and Wishsong of Shannara as well as the Game of Thrones series will be posted for sale soon. Over time I expect the stock to increase so check back often.

Book Review – Tome of the Undergates, 1st Book of The Aeons’ Gate by @samsykesswears

Sam Sykes is the honcho of hullabaloo. His writing style is quite original to me, combining sarcastic witticism with a fresh outlook. The prose is near poetry at times, and downright vulgar at others. His humor is dark and it shows in his work. All of this resulted in a very fun reading of Tome of the Undergates.

What is original to this story? For one, pretty much all the main characters want to kill one another even though they are companions all along for the same adventure. Somehow they are compelled by freak chance and their somewhat insane leader Lenk to hold together against overwhelming odds.

Tome is a very fast paced novel and I found it to be the type of book I just didn’t want to set down. It is big though! If you are looking for twisting and branching plots and deep examinations of characters souls, you won’t find much of that. Instead you will find a beautifully, terrifyingly detailed world of water and monsters reminiscent of Cthulhu’s minions who are hell bent on the destruction of all the world.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in hack and slash, old school dungeons and dragons types of adventures. I absolutely loved this novel. I’m very happy to give this 5 out of 5 stars and I look forward to reading Black Halo.

You can buy it here: http://www.amazon.com/Undergates-Aeons-Gate-Book/dp/1616142421

Book Review – Throne of the Crescent Moon, book one of the Crescent Moon Kingdoms by @saladinahmed

Throne of The Crescent Moon by Saladin Ahmed was plain outstanding and will go down as one of the best books of the year. That’s not just my opinion either. I have read a few reviews and I have to agree with what the critics have almost unanimously said.

Not to overuse what many reviews say, but I feel it needs to be repeated. This book is Sword and Sorcery – it is what S&S should be!

Throne is set in a quasi Arabian world (think Aladdin) where magic abounds. Prayer is the ignition for most of these miracles and one’s own life force is often the catalyst. And then there is the darker side.

Ghuls, are animated dead (well usually dead) that are given great strengths and serve their masters obediently. Raising the dead in the form of a ghul is a heinous act, often costing the victims their very souls. Of course the monsters who employ such fiends must be stopped! That is where Makhsloud steps in.

Dr. Adoulla Mahkslood is a ghul hunter. He is old and wants to retire. “Too bad” says Saladin Ahmed! Poor old doctor has to go out and find who killed a family that was close to him using ghuls to do their dirty work. This drags him into a story with many players including a man who wants to usurp the throne for the good of the kingdom, his apprentice who is quite the holy warrior, and a bestial lion girl with claws of silver.

It all makes for a great story! There are a few religious currents to the book. The author is Muslim and his writing really helps show how similar the different faiths of the world are. There is even a bit of atheism, which I found refreshing. Although the events of this book are entirely fantastical, some bits really make you think about real life current events.

I am giving this read 5 out of 5 stars as I absolutely loved it! Thank you Saladin for bringing me along on another great fantasy adventure.

You can buy it here: http://www.amazon.com/Throne-Crescent-Moon-Kingdoms/dp/0756407117