Release Date: 20/06/17
Publisher: Transworld
SYNOPSIS:
To the Danes, he is skraelingr; to the English, he is orcneas; to the Irish, he is fomoraig. He is Corpse-maker and Life-quencher, the Bringer of Night, the Son of the Wolf and Brother of the Serpent. He is Grimnir, and he is the last of his kind--the last in a long line of monsters who have plagued humanity since the Elder Days.
Drawn from his lair by a thirst for vengeance against the Dane who slew his brother, Grimnir emerges into a world that's changed. A new faith has arisen. The Old Ways are dying, and their followers retreating into the shadows; even still, Grimnir's vengeance cannot be denied.
Taking a young Christian hostage to be his guide, Grimnir embarks on a journey that takes him from the hinterlands of Denmark, where the wisdom of the ancient dwarves has given way to madness, to the war-torn heart of southern England, where the spirits of the land make violence on one another. And thence to the green shores of Ireland and the Viking stronghold of Dubhlinn, where his enemy awaits.
But, unless Grimnir can set aside his hatreds, his dream of retribution will come to nothing. For Dubhlinn is set to be the site of a reckoning--the Old Ways versus the New--and Grimnir, the last of his kind left to plague mankind, must choose: stand with the Christian King of Ireland and see his vengeance done or stand against him and see it slip away?
Scott Oden's A Gathering of Ravens is an epic novel of vengeance, faith, and the power of myth.
REVIEW:
I've known Scott's work mainly as Historical Fiction and in more recent times, I had the honour of watching his FB feed to see him asking questions about this story and seeing how fans would like to see it go as well as garnering suggestions which upon reading, brought a tale to the fore that felt realistic, had great action alongside some top notch sequences that took the reader on a journey in historical times but with an Orc as the principle player.
Its well written, I loved the prose and for me, the action sequences really brought the brutality to life in such a way that it felt like a final solution for the last of his kind. Add to this some wonderful twists, support characters that felt rounded enough to be able to accompany the anti hero alongside kick ass plot and I was a more than happy reader. Top notch.
Release Date: 01/12/16
Publisher: Bantam Press
SYNOPSIS:
Fighting in Sweden for an ambitious warlord, Sigurd Haraldarson and his small but loyal band of oathsworn warriors are winning fame and reputation. But Sigurd knows that to take on his hated enemy, the oath-breaker King Gorm - the man who betrayed his father, a man Sigurd has vowed to kill - he must earn riches enough to build an army.
Many believe Sigurd to be Óðin-favoured, but his exploits have drawn the eye of another god, too: Loki the Trickster, and when a daring assassination attempt goes wrong, Sigurd finds himself a prisoner of the powerful Jarl Guthrum. Bound like a slave, his luck having seemingly deserted him, Sigurd is taken to the sacred temple at Ubsola, a place where the blood of human sacrifice flows to appease the gods.
It is at Ubsola that Sigurd will face the sacrificial knife. And it is here that he will find a powerful relic, the great spear that was said to have once belonged to Óðin himself. With such a spear in his possession Sigurd might now assemble a host strong enough to challenge King Gorm and wreak the revenge he craves.
For, like Óðin, Sigurd will be the Wild Huntsman tearing through the sky on his fearsome steed, and the rage of his passing will be the sound of wings of the storm.
With Wings of the Storm, one of our finest young historical novelists brings his extraordinary Viking saga - an adventure to that is sure to satisfy any 'Game of Thrones' fan - to a triumphant close
REVIEW:
The final book in the Rise of Sigurd series and one, as usual with Giles, will grab you from the beginning and not let go until that final page is turned. The writing is crisp, the warfare brutal and bloody which when blended with Giles' own unique storytelling style, generates a book that is a triumph and for me, his best to date.
Back this up with great dialogue, norse mythology alongside some magical twists and all round you'll be in for a treat. If you know a fan of the viking and they haven't yet picked up this series, it is a great gift that they;ll devour this holiday season during the cold winter months. Magic.
Release Date: 30/06/16
Publisher: Transworld
SYNOPSIS:
Retired Chief of the National Crime Police and Swedish Security Service Lars Martin Johansson has just suffered a stroke. He is paying the price for a life of excess - stress, good food and fine wine. With his dangerously high blood pressure, his heart could fail at the slightest excitement.
In the hospital, a chance encounter with a neurologist provides an important piece of information about a 25-year-old murder investigation and alerts Lars Martin Johansson's irrepressible police instincts. The period for prosecution expired just weeks earlier and that isn't the only limitation. Lars Martin Johansson is determined to solve the atrocious crime – from his deathbed.
The inimitable style, distinct voice and dark humour of Leif GW Persson, along with the fascinating exploration of a long-cold murder case, serves to make The Dying Detective a true masterpiece of the genre.
REVIEW:
It probably comes to many readers as no surprise that I love to spend time in the Scandinavian Crime genre. There's soemthing so moreish about the landscape and the culture that populates it that really has you glued from start to Finnish (sorry for the pun. LOL)
Here Leif goes to prove why, if you love crime thrillers, you really need to delve into it and in particular, if this is your first outing, why you should make this book your starting point. As the title states its the story of Lars Martin Johansson, the dying detective, who in his final days seeks to resolve a case that has been ongoing for a quarter of a ventury. Its well written, the characters not only beleiveable but people you feel you could actually meet and when its all bound up with cracking dialogue as well as beautifully written prose, you know that you're on to a winner.
ITs a delightful dive into a dark world but for me, what makes this story more than compelling is the principle character coming to terms with what is to come, hoping to clear his mind and conscience of that one case that has been there since it originated before his death. ITs dark, brings the world into startling colour and whilst I can't vie for all the procedures within, feels like its correct with other titles I've read.
If you only read one Scandinavian crime, please meke sure that its this one. You won't be disappointed and I get the feeling that it will open up a whole new set of titles that will take you away as well as chilling your marrow.
Release Date: 22/10/16
Publisher: Transworld
SYNOPSIS:
Ex-deniable operator Nick Stone has spent a lifetime in harm's way - but when someone he cares for very deeply is murdered in cold blood, he can no longer just take the pain.
A high-level internecine conflict at the dark heart of the resurgent Russian Empire and an assassin's bullet on an isolated Alpine pass propel him from an apparently run-of-the-mill close-protection task into his most brutal and challenging mission yet.
As the body count increases, Stone becomes one of Europe's Most Wanted. He must evade the elite police forces of three nations in his pursuit of faceless men who trade in human misery, and a lone wolf terrorist who threatens to unleash the Western World's worst nightmare.
Vengeance of the most explosive kind is top of Stone's agenda. The fuse has been ignited - but who really holds the detonator?
REVIEW:
OK, you like Thrillers and want something spectacular, you also want something with a historical context alongside a huge sense of danger accompanied by consequences for choices made throughout. So where are you going to go? Well, this recommendation from me is from an author I’ve not read before and whilst I know he has a back catalogue, it was the premise of this title that really grabbed me. Taking us back to the days of World War 2 with a tale of a daring rescue from Auschwitz. Its gripping from page one. Has a cracking protagonist and keeps you glued throughout as the knowledge that it’s all being done for could end the world.
The dialogue is cracking, the time period brought to life and really lets you feel that you are walking through that dark period of history which when backed with a good sense of pace really does deliver a book that I’d put top of any Thriller fans list for the Christmas period. Yes it’s a little early to be thinking that far ahead but this book really was that good. Cracker.
Release Date: 28/07/16
Publisher: Transworld
SYNOPSIS:
'Father, tell me a story?' asks Isaiah, moments before a strange craft falls from the sky and smashes into the jungle near his isolated West African community. Inside the ruined vessel the villagers find the shattered body of a man. His name is Samara and he is a man unlike any the villagers have seen before - a man who is perhaps something more than human.
With his city home of Achenia hiding in the rubble left by a devastating war, Samara has fallen 35,000 km to earth in order to escape the automated hell of an orbiting prison called Tartarus. As he struggles to heal himself, he helps transform the lives of those who rescued him but in so doing attracts the attention of the brutal warlord who rules over this benighted, ravaged post-21st century land. He is not a man to be crossed, and now he threatens the very existence of the villagers themselves and the one, slim chance Samara has of finding his way home and to the woman - and the world - he loves.
And all the while - in the darkness above - waits the simmering fury that lies at the heart of Tartarus . . .
REVIEW:
I love spending time with new authors from different walks of life as I feel that they bring something not only new to the genre but also bring some quirks that work delightfully well to the fore. Whilst this is definitely a different type of Sci-Fi title, I was more than a little smitten with the characters within. I loved spending time with them and whilst there were a few language turn of phrases I had to research, I thoroughly loved the whole experience as Gavin brought solid world building into the mix alongside cracking pace as well as dialogue that just tripped off the page.
All round a great read and one that I was more than happy to spend time with. I can’t wait to embark on the next outing with Gavin to see what other turns he’s going to throw my way. Magic.
Hail Mighty Readers,
I've just got this hot off the press (its scorching incidently.)
"David Gemmell, one of the world’s most acclaimed and widely read fantasy novelists, died almost six years ago. At the time, he was working on a new book for Transworld – the third in a trilogy retelling the legend of Troy. It fell to his widow, Stella Gemmell – who had helped her husband research this series – to complete the finished work. Troy: Fall of Kings by David and Stella Gemmell was published in 2007, a year after David’s death, and became an international sensation.Simon Taylor, Transworld Editorial Director, has now acquired UK and Commonwealth rights to Stella Gemmell’s debut solo novel, The City, a fantasy on an epic scale, and a sequel.Taylor said: ‘Stella has written a breathtaking epic fantasy that is not only going to get David’s fans reaching for their superlatives, but also win her a legion of new readers in her own right.’Transworld MD Larry Finlay added: ‘I couldn’t be more thrilled to be publishing Stella Gemmell’s novels. I was bowled over by The City. Stella has created such a brilliantly realised, emotionally engaging and fully formed world. It’s so exciting to be publishing the Gemmell name once more.’Transworld will publish The City in hardcover and ebook in Spring 2013."
Release Date: 26/01/12
SYNOPSIS:
In the spring of 1971, Owen Brand and his family move to the riverside town of Middlecross in a renewed attempt to escape poverty. For twelve-year-old Owen, it's the opportunity for a new life and an end to his family's isolation and he quickly falls in with a gang of three local boys and forms a strong bond with Jennifer, the rebellious daughter of a violent, alcoholic father. As summer brings release from school, two figures preside over the boys' activities: Walter Gribbs, a benign old watchman at the yacht club, and Hogdson Fisk, a vindictive farmer tormented by his past. Then the boys stumble on a body washed up on the riverbank - a discovery whose reverberations will result, as the year comes full circle, in a cataclysm that envelops them all...Steven Erikson first novel, "This River Awakens", is a lyrical, tender and disturbing portrayal of a rite of passage that is both harsh and revelatory
REVIEW:
Having been a fan of Steven’s Malazan series, I was wondering what he’d come back with and to be honest it’s a title that I really didn’t enjoy. Sadly it lacked a lot of the skill from the Malazan world for me and to be honest I didn’t like the tale overall as I hated the characters within and also had strong feelings about their actions.
Whilst many people will read this book purely for the fact that its Steven name on the cover. Personally I’ll wait for more of Steven’s fantasy stories. So if you’re buying it purely because you love the Malazan series, please be aware that this is completely different.
Release Date: 04/08/11
SYNOPSIS:
In Barefoot Contessa at Home, Ina shares the recipes she loves, and her secrets to making guests feel welcome and comfortable. Here she offers the recipes she makes over and over again because they’re easy, they work, and they’re universally loved.
·For a leisurely Sunday breakfast, she has Easy Cheese Danishes or Breakfast Fruit Crunch to serve with the perfect Spicy Bloody Mary.
·For lunch, she has classics with a twist, such as Tomato, Mozarella and Pesto Panini and Old-Fashioned Potato salad, which are simply delicious.
·Then there are Ina’s homey dinners – from her own version of loin of pork stuffed with sautéed fennel to the exotic flavours of Eli’s Asian Salmon.
·And there are outrageously luscious sweets like Peach and Blueberry Crumble and Pumpkin Mousse Parfait.
Ina also lets readers in on her time-tested strategies for cooking and entertaining - from what she considers when she’s designing a kitchen, to menu-planning basics. In this beautifully illustrated book, Ina Garten proves beyond a shadow of doubt that there truly is no place like home.
REVIEW:
Whilst I’m a Brit through and through, growing up I was raised on all manner of continental cuisine from a homemade curry using authentic spices through to traditional cuisine and fell in love with Italian food when I spent a good few of my teenage years working for an Italian Restaurant in my home town. What the Barefoot Contessa does for me is take me back to some of those roots and helps bring some of attention to detail alongside to adding passion into cooking from scratch.
Add to this a whole host of recipes that will take you on a journey but ones that also show that shop bought can easily be beaten by good kitchen knowhow and someone to show you the ropes. The recipes within are easy to follow, have great flavours and when you add to the whole process recipes that can be done in a quick fashion that concentrates of the meal star then you know that the content and style within is going to be a sheer delight. Cracking.
Release Date: 25/11/10
BOOK BLURB:
Greymane believed he'd outrun his past. With his school for swordsmanship in Falar, he was looking forward to a quiet life, although his colleague Kyle wasn't as enamoured with life outside the mercenary company, the Crimson Guard. However, it seems it is not so easy for an ex-Fist of the Malazan Empire to disappear, especially one under sentence of death from that same Empire. For there is a new Emperor on the throne of Malaz, and he is dwelling on the ignominy that is the Empire's failed invasion of the Korel subcontinent. In the vaults beneath Unta, the Imperial capital, lie the answers to that disaster. And out of this buried history surfaces the name Stonewielder. In Korel, Lord Protector Hiam, commander of the Stormguard, faces the potential annihilation of all that he holds dear. With few remaining men and a crumbling stone wall that has seen better days, he confronts an ancient enemy: the sea-borne Stormriders have returned. Religious war also threatens these lands. The cult of the Blessed Lady, which had stood firm against the Riders for millennia, now seeks to eradicate its rivals. And as chaos looms, a local magistrate investigating a series of murders suddenly finds himself at the heart of a far more ancient and terrifying crime - one that has tainted an entire land... Stonewielder is an enthralling new chapter in the epic story of a thrillingly imagined world.
REVIEW:
With previous offerings, Ian’s writing has felt that it hasn’t quite matched up to par with Eriksons, not that the word building or the characters have felt less detailed but Ian’s pace felt a little lacklustre. Here in this title, his writing has gone from strength to strength. The characters are cracking, the dialogue is also wonderful but it’s the way that he brings together the threads from previous titles that clearly demonstrates an understanding of the world as well as the deeper machinations of the desires of the players within that make this an epic in its own right.
Add to this some great sense of timing, solid world building and topped off with a masters touch of creativity and you know that Ian’s writing is going to be something that fans will just demand in a similar way to Steven. This is a real gem of a title and one that shows the way in which the author is growing with each successive tale. Great stuff.
Having had the pleasure of interviewing Scott a few years ago, we thought it was about time that we caught up with him to see how things have changed alongside how he has adapted as a writer.
What better time to do it than with the release of a new novel? So here, for your reading pleasure, Scott Oden, laid bare about lifes little addictions, which of his "babies" he loves most and author superstitions...Falcata Times: How would you say that your perspective has changed about selling your own work with multiple novels under your belt?Scott Oden: After three books, I think I’m more confident about where I stand in the publishing food chain. I am by no means a “major player”, but a track record even as marginal as mine fosters a certain sense of self-worth: I can deliver a manuscript of publishable quality and a segment of the reading population will purchase it. For a raging neurotic like me that’s an awesome feeling.FT: How would you sell yourself as an author?SO: As an historical fantasist. I write books that I hope will bridge the gap between pure historical fiction and 30’s style pulp fantasy—bloody, rollicking action set in a historically accurate milieu with just a touch of sorcery and mysticism.FT: How would you say that your experience of writing and publishing has changed your methods of writing?SO: I wish I could say it has made me faster and more effective, but I remain a very slow—and somewhat chaotic—writer. And, oddly enough, the very act of publishing has bolstered rather than banished some of the fears I had as an unpublished writer. Namely, the fear the words will stop, dry up, vanish. With every book, devilish little voices in my head try to convince me that this will be the book that reveals my true colors: an untalented hick with literary pretensions. It is rough going, sometimes, but I’ve always been adept at ignoring naysayers . . . even when the naysayers reside in my own skull.FT: With the experience that you've gained now, what do you wish you could have told yourself when you were starting out that you now know?SO: I would have told myself to fight tooth-and-nail to hang on to the subsidiary rights for my first two books. Subsidiary rights have the potential of being a very lucrative stream of income for otherwise impoverished writers, and some publishers tend to rely on said writers being desperate or uninformed. It’s almost predatory. Publishers are purveyors of books; why on earth do they need merchandising rights, video game rights, or movie rights? I wish someone would have told me to fight harder to keep them . . .FT: What characteristics of your protagonists do you wish that you had yourself and why?SO: All three of my protagonists possess decisiveness and an absolute clarity of purpose. I think I wrote them that way because I’m the polar opposite. I’m wishy-washy. I dither. Hell, even something as simple as answering these questions fills me with a fearful sense that I might answer them improperly. No, if I could have any of their traits, it would be the ability to decide and follow through on the decision without a second thought. Though I wouldn’t mind the ability to fight like the Devil, himself, either . . .FT: Which of your characters are most like you and why?SO: Callisthenes from MEN OF BRONZE is probably most like me: he’s bookish and timid, though he possesses a surprising core of strength with a temper that’s slow to boil. I like to think I have a similar core, and his temper is in every way my own.FT: What of life’s little addictions could you not live without and why?SO: My fiancé, though one could argue my addiction to her is in no way a little thing. Honestly, though, it’s probably my addiction to pen-and-paper role playing games. I am a dice-rolling, goblin-killing junkie. I love sitting around a table with my friends, telling interactive stories of times and places that never were. And when the fate of a beloved character rests on a single throw of a twenty-sided dice . . . that’s the definition of drama, my friend!FT: With regular trips for book tours around the country as well as to various Conventions, what is an absolute travel essential that you couldn't do without?SO: I don’t travel much, but when I do I make sure and pack a little makeshift tea set; I love nothing more than to relax in my room with a good cup of Earl Grey (with a dollop of honey and no milk, please!). It’s hard to find good tea here in the States. Oh, and if it’s a hot evening, I pour the Earl Grey over ice! A facet of my Southern upbringing is an affinity for sweet iced tea . . .FT: Previously you've had some problems when others have criticized your work, how do you think you've changed to adapt to it or would you say that you're just the same?SO: I’ve not changed in that regard. But it’s not legitimate criticism—from those well-versed in the art and who have read the book—that bugs me. It’s the Amazon-style opinion bits from people who, in fact, haven’t even read the book which truly irritate me. For example: one Amazon reviewer took me to task on my second novel, MEMNON, for changing Memnon of Rhodes to a Caucasian! This so-called reviewer hadn’t even bothered to read—or perhaps didn’t understand—the basic synopsis of the story. He assumed I’d appropriated the mythical king of Ethiopia, Memnon, for my own nefarious and anti-African purposes. Luckily, other reviewers thrashed him soundly.FT: On long journey's, reading is often the pleasure of choice, who's work will you grab at the airport to ensure a good journey?SO: I always pack ample reading material in my carry-on: Mary Renault’s THE PRAISE SINGER or THE MASK OF APOLLO; Steven Pressfield’s GATES OF FIRE, or a compilation of Robert E. Howard’s CONAN tales. If I’m in a non-fiction frame of mind, I always have with me my dog-eared copy of THE HISTORIES by Herodotus.FT: Out of all your novels, which is your favourite and why?SO: I’m fond of them all, for different reasons: MEN OF BRONZE because it was my first-born; MEMNON because it was the book of my heart. But, as I write this, I have to say I’m proudest of THE LION OF CAIRO. It’s written in a more mature voice, with a better sense of pacing and structure; I wove little homages to Robert E. Howard into the narrative—my way of saying thank you for all the inspiration he’s given me over the years.FT: With everyone having their own personal view as to who should be cast in a film version of their work, who do you think should play your principle protagonists and why?SO: I cast the various roles in my mind as I write, so I have a pretty good idea of who I’d like to play the protagonists, were I given the opportunity. Hasdrabal Barca from MEN OF BRONZE reminds me quite strongly of Oded Fehr (with Rufus Sewell as Phanes of Halicarnassus); from MEMNON, Eric Bana would make a fine Memnon of Rhodes. And Assad, the protagonist from THE LION OF CAIRO, I based on Mido Hamada, after his turn as the Afghan hero, Ahmed Shah Massoud, in “The Road to 9/11”.FT: Authors are generally a superstitious lot and upon completion of novels follow a certain ritual, what is yours and how has it changed from the original?SO: I actually wrote a blog post about this very subject earlier this year (15 April 2010). If you’ll allow me to quote myself: “I am a superstitious writer. Like an ancient Roman haruspex, I begin every writing day by reading the omens in my sacrificial toast and egg-substitute; is the pulp in my orange juice trying to tell me something? Can I divine the arc of my day by observing the movements of my folks, just as the ancients observed flights of birds? Yet, regardless of the omens, I always start work by burning a little cone of incense in front of my collection of writing totems.“Like I said: superstitious. But, I’m not alone in this. Especially in the collecting of totems. Steven Pressfield enumerates his in the opening paragraph of THE WAR OF ART; agent and author Betsy Lerner lays out hers on her blog. These totems are to writers what the tiny figurines of his family were to Maximus in “Gladiator”. Little household gods that channel creative energy (if you believe that sort of thing). For me, at least, these totems give me a tangible link to the worlds I write about.“Some of my totems are pictures clipped from books or magazines; some are postcards or geegaws picked up by tourists. For MEN OF BRONZE, it was a little stone skull (representing mortality), a picture of an Eye of Horus amulet, and a Corinthian helmet. Nor do I discard these after a particular book is done. I add to them. For MEMNON, I added a vial of sand from a beach on Rhodes, a postcard of Santorini at twilight, a replica coin of Alexander, and a high-res copy of an Egyptian wall fragment depicting Alexander as pharaoh. With THE LION OF CAIRO, I added an Afghan salawar (not a replica, but the real thing), a watercolor postcard showing a desert oasis, and a David Roberts print (‘Boulak’).”FT: What was your impression of an author’s lifestyle and status and how has that interpretation changed since you've published a number of books?SO: I’ve never really harbored any illusions about the lifestyle or status of authors, perhaps because I’ve known several who “hit the big time” before I ever published. Most authors I know, both published and not, live their lives more internally than externally; everything we experience becomes fodder for a story. I didn’t realize to what extent I did this myself until I happened to be interviewed by a local newspaper. What most struck the reporter was the starkness of the walls in my workspace. They were, and remain, a bland, featureless white, like an empty canvas. And though I might stare at them for hours upon hours, I don’t see what that reporter saw. To my eyes those white walls become vistas of ancient grandeur, pyramids and sand-scoured ruins, or bustling markets that reek of the mysterious East . . . As for status, authors remain a curiosity, as envied as the scribes of ancient Egypt. I do wish strangers would stop asking me how much money I make, though.FT: What are the best words of wisdom or tip that you'd give to a new or soon to be published author?SO: Patience is less a virtue than it is a necessity. Cultivate patience, as well as professionalism and grace in the face of adversity. As a newly-published writer, I believed the hardest part of the process lay behind me once I typed “the End”; in reality, a finished manuscript is but the first step in a journey that’s just as likely to make one swear off this business of books as it is to inspire confidence. Oh, and get a good agent. A well-connected agent is worth his weight in gold . . .To keep up to date with all of Scott's Books please visit his website: HEREOrTo keep up to date with news and titbits of information please visit his blog: HERE
BOOK BLURB:
Cairo, 1167 AD. On the banks of the river Nile, from a palace of gold and lapis lazuli, the Fatimid Caliph al Hadid rules over a crumbling empire. His city is awash with intrigues and in the shadow of the Grey Mosque, generals and emirs jockey for position under the scheming eyes of the powerful grand vizier, Jalal. In the crowded Souk, these factions use murder and terror to silence their opposition...Egypt is bleeding and the scent draws her enemies in like sharks: the Sultan of Damascus, the pious Nur al-Din, whose master is the rival Caliph of Baghdad; Shirkuh, the swaggering Kurd who would lead the armies of Damascus to victory and then, of course, Amalric, Christian king of Jerusalem whose insatiable greed knows no bounds. Yet the Caliph of Cairo has an unexpected ally: an old man who lives in a place that even eagles fear. He is Shaykh al-Jabal, called the Old Man of the Mountain, and it is he who holds the ultimate power of life and death over the warring factions of the Moslem world, and it is he who sends his greatest weapon into Egypt, to serve the Caliph. He is but a single man but he is an Assassin: the one they call the Emir of the Knife...
REVIEW:
As a long time reader of historical fiction, I originally came across Scott’s writing set in ancient Greece. It was solid, it had great plot and above all else it had all the combat that the reader could handle. So I expected pretty much the same from Scott in this, his latest offering. What unfurls within not only brings the authors strengths to the fore but also gives the reader a touch of other magical elements, part Prince of Persia, part Assassin’s Creed and also part political intrigue, this offering really does bring everything together. It’s beautifully written, has some great lulls as well as peaks and takes the reader on an emotional journey. Great stuff.
BOOK BLURB:
His mission should have been straightforward: to keep one man alive for one week. One prisoner - Super-intelligent and brutally violent, Frank 'Reaper' Hays is a leading member of America's most powerful white supremacists prison gang. One bodyguard - Ex-military bodyguard Ryan Lock has been hired to protect him. His mission is to keep Reaper alive for a week until he can be brought to trial. One week to stay alive - But Lock soon realises that he faces the toughest assignment of his career - just to survive ...
REVIEW:
As a fan of the concrete thriller, I was more than intrigued by the latest offering from Sean Black after being tipped the nod about him, by a friend last year. What unfurls within this offering is something a little different to a lot of the books out there. You have a white supremacist group, you have government departments and have course the obligatory all action, no holds barred hero.
The pacing of this piece is incredibly fast and soon leaves the book blurb far behind as the whole tale speeds along to an explosive conclusion in its almost unbelievable plot outline that could have come straight from Hollywood (and probably will at some point shortly.) It is fun, its incredibly fast and above all else it was a tale that I highly enjoyed due to its unrelenting pace and moralistic stand. Great fun.
Sir Terry Pratchett and Transworld Publishers are proud to launch a new award for aspiring debut novelists, The Terry Pratchett Anywhere But Here, Anywhen But Now Prize. Transworld will offer the winning author a publishing contract with a £20,000 advance.
The award will be judged by the esteemed Sir Terry Pratchett, the wise Tony Robinson, the savvy Mike Rowley from Waterstone’s and two members of the editorial team at Transworld Publishers. Sir Terry Pratchett had this to say:“Anywhere but here, anywhen but now. Which means we are after stories set on Earth, although it may be an Earth that might have been, or might yet be, one that has gone down a different leg of the famous trousers of time (see the illustration in almost every book about quantum theory).We will be looking for books set at any time, perhaps today, perhaps in the Rome of today but in a world where 2000 years ago the crowd shouted for Jesus Christ to be spared, or where in 1962, John F Kennedy's game of chicken with the Russians went horribly wrong. It might be one day in the life of an ordinary person. It could be a love story, an old story, a war story, a story set in a world where Leonardo da Vinci turned out to be a lot better at Aeronautics. But it won’t be a story about being in an alternate Earth because the people in an alternate Earth don’t know that they are; after all, you don’t.But this might just be the start. The wonderful Peter Dickinson once wrote a book that could convince you that flying dragons might have existed on Earth. Perhaps in the seething mass of alternate worlds humanity didn't survive, or never evolved -- but other things did, and they would have seen the world in a different way. The possibilities are literally endless, but remember, it’s all on Earth. Maybe the continents will be different and the climate unfamiliar, but the physics will be the same as ours. What goes up must come down, ants are ant-sized because if they were any bigger their legs wouldn't carry them. In short, the story must be theoretically possible on some version of the past, present or future of a planet Earth.”The deadline for submissions will be 31 December 2010 and a shortlist of six entries will be announced on the 31 March 2011. The winner will be announced by the end May 2011.Entrants must be over 18, have no previous published full-length works of fiction and live in the UK, Ireland or the Commonwealth. Submissions should be emailed to:
pratchettprize@transworld-publishers.co.uk
BOOK BLURB:
Aleksandr made a silent promise to the Lord. God would deliver him - would deliver Russia - and he would make Russia into the country that the Almighty wanted it to be. He would be delivered from the destruction that wasteth at noonday, and from the pestilence that walketh in darkness - the terror by night...1825. Russia has been at peace for a decade. Bonaparte is long dead and the threat of invasion is no more. For Colonel Aleksei Ivanovich Danilov, life is calm. The French have been defeated, as have the twelve monstrous creatures he once fought alongside, and then against, all those years before. His duty is still to his tsar, Aleksandr the First, but today the enemy is merely human. However, the tsar himself knows he can never be at peace. He is well aware of the uprising fermenting within his own army, but his true fear is of something far more terrible - something that threatens to bring damnation upon him, his family and his country. Aleksandr cannot forget a promise: a promise sealed in blood...and broken a hundred years before. Now the victim of the Romanovs' betrayal has returned to demand what is his. The knowledge chills Aleksandr's very soul. And for Aleksei, it seems the vile pestilence that once threatened all he held dear has returned, thirteen years later.
REVIEW:
Fans of Jaspers original novel will be dying to get their hands on this offering and it pretty much brings back the horrific history of the Russian Napoleonic war as the principle protagonist returns to face the events that helped shaped Russia’s history. Personally I enjoyed Jaspers writing style but it is one that is a pretty hard slog and so will turn a number of readers off as they try to adjust to this almost Dickensian style that fits into the style of telling presented within. The dialogue is pretty good, the descriptiveness pretty straight forward as if the character thought that the tale was told just to those who were familiar with the area and of course we’re introduced to new characters to help our hero in the struggle ahead.
On a negative side however you really will have to have read the original to get the full benefit from this tale as otherwise you’ll be not only out in a Siberian Cold snap but left for dead pretty damn quick and possibly even mad with confusion as to what’s happening. I suspect its only down to myself refamiliarising myself with a reread of the original that allowed me to keep the idea’s fresh in my memory as I read this novel. Remember you’ve been warned.
BOOK BLURB:
Georgina Kincaid has formidable powers. Immortality, seduction, shape-shifting into any human form she desires, walking in heels that would cripple mere mortals child s play to a succubus like her.
Helping to plan her ex-boyfriend s wedding is a different story. Georgina isn t sure which is worse that he s marrying another woman or that she s having to run around trying on bridesmaid dresses. Still, there are distractions. Thanks to her roommate, her apartment s crackling with sexual tension plus there s Simone, the new succubus in town who seems intent on corrupting Georgina s soon-to-be-wed ex.
But the real danger lies in the mysterious force that s taken to visiting Georgina s thoughts. It s trying to draw her into a dark, frightening, otherworldly realm and there s going to come a point when she won t be able to resist. And when that happens, she s going to discover who she can trust, who she can t and that there are far worse places than Hell in which to spend eternity...REVIEW:
As a long time fan of Richelle, you always wonder what she’ll do with Georgina considering the tempest twisting romantic intentions between everyone’s favourite succubus and successful author. Some magical twists are brought to the fore in this offering with some magical revisits to Georgina’s past, as event’s are twisted by those behind this titles power play. Beautifully plotted with prose that just keep you hooked and romantic intentions that really do bring this modern Romeo and Juliet to the readers imagination. I really can’t wait for the next offering.
BOOK BLURB:
In America to escape London and the violence that nearly killed him, forensics expert David Hunter has returned to the research facility where he trained – the Body Farm in Tennessee. He needs to know whether he's still up to the job of confronting death in all its strange and terrible forms.
So when his former mentor invites him to accompany him to a crime scene, he agrees. He'll be there as an observer, so what could possibly go wrong?
But even he is unprepared for what awaits them in the remote cabin out in the woods. The victim has been bound and tortured, the body has decomposed beyond recognition. Although fingerprints seem to identify the killer, Hunter is uneasy: nothing is quite as it should be.
Then a second body is found. And it becomes clear that the investigating team faces a nightmare of deception and misdirection. Hunter knows they're dealing with a killer who is dangerously familiar with the intricacies of forensics. As the death toll rises and tensions mount, he is pushed deeper into the heart of a desperate manhunt. But has he met his match? This time is David Hunter on the trail of a maniac who simply cannot be stopped?
REVIEW:
I’ve loved Simon’s work since I discovered it with his debut “The Chemistry of Death.” Wonderfully engrossing with factual tip bits dropped into the readers lap, the author has not only kept he reader glued to his writing but comes up with believable plots as well as characters that you just want to get to know. Whilst other authors in the Forensic Crime genre tend to get more attention focused on them, you really have to try a Beckett novel. It’s a title that not only keeps you focused but he weaves some left handed magic whilst keeping you distracted with the right up to and including the titles confrontational conclusion.
BOOK BLURB:
"The Other Lands" begins a few years after Acacia, and Queen Corinn Akaran is firmly in control of the Known World. Her primary goal is to topple the Lothan Aklun and so she sends her brother Daniel, disguised as a slave, on an exploratory expedition to the Other Lands. Daniel soon discovers a mainland that is a more lush, exotic, and expansive than the Known World; and the ruling tribe, the Auldek, are more numerous and powerful than the Numrek. But unbeknownst to the Corinn and her siblings, the Numrek and Auldek are ancient ancestors and their inevitable alliance could mean the downfall of Acacia. In this bold and imaginative sequel to Acacia, Queen Corinn must unite the battered and abused people of the Acacia Empire against the powerful tribes of the Other Lands.
REVIEW:
What I love about David’s work is not only his careful character creation but also his efforts on world building including cracking magic systems, careful political scenarios and also looking at everything from religion to the creature inhabitants. So it was a bit of a shock that I felt a little let down with this book.
Don’t get me wrong its still a strong offering but when you compare it against his previous outings. especially after Accacia: The War with the Mein it really didn’t hit the spot. What perhaps was my key gripe was the characters, I just didn’t like them as much as I had the originals which made this novel a bit of a stretch to stick with at some points. Add to the mix a story that felt like it over complicated itself and didn’t devote as much time to the main arc as it should have done and I wonder if he’s tried to squeeze too much into this one book.
It’s a shame and had this been a new authors offering it would definitely bode well for their future as it is a good offering and allows the reader to explore new lands and peoples within. But for an author with the reputation that he has perhaps David would have been better re-examining the tale and then split it into separate components allowing for two books instead of just the one. It may all come good in the next book and explain why it needed to feel so rushed but for now, I was a little disappointed.
BOOK BLURB:
An ancient code: A clay tablet covered in ancient writing is found by an English couple in Morocco. A day later they are dead, killed in a car crash. But where is the relic they died to protect? A sinister secret: determined to uncover a secret that's endured for two millennia, Chris Bronson follows a trail of clues that lead him from the hustle of a Moroccan souk to the deserted caves of Qumran; from the sinister echoes of a water-filled tunnel under the city of Jerusalem to a windswept fortress whose name spells death. A deadly chase for the truth: threatened on every side by violent extremists, Bronson is plunged into a mystery rooted in biblical times. For the stone he must find is older and far more dangerous than he could ever have imagined.
REVIEW:
If there’s one thing that’s clear from the offing its that the author has a very good knowledge of the subject to which they’ve based the novel. It takes the best of the contemporary crime genre and blends it with an adventure that more than matches that of Dan Brown. Here, in the author’s second offering, the principle protagonist from his original returns with plenty of twists as well as character growth to keep you guessing until the final page is turned. A great bit of escapism and fun that would make this ideal reading material for any late break holidays that you have in mind.
BOOK BLURB:
In this essential guide to living wild, Bear Grylls reveals the secrets of his years of fieldcraft experience. This is the information you really need to know about living in the field from the man who has passed 21 SAS selection, climbed Everest and survived in some of the most inhospitable regions on Earth. In his inimitable style, Bear has thrown out everything that's boring about scouting and fieldcraft and concentrated only on what's exciting, inspirational and a little bit edgy. It's all here, from mastering the art of making the perfect campfire and constructing the best camp, to navigating safely through all terrains in all weathers - with or without a map...The only other thing you'll need is this book!
REVIEW:
OK, you’ve watched the TV series and you’ve seen this guy put some pretty disgusting things in his mouth. You’ve watched him eat, drink and puke things that you would never consider trying alongside leaving you with very little desire to go to any of the places Bear has been.
What appears in this book is however a lot more friendly. It deals with everything from respecting your environment to giving you good survival tips alongside solid information on the basics from the setting up of camp to the preparation of a fire. It’s a good solid book and one that I’ll definitely be reading from cover to cover a few times before embarking on my next camping trip. If you want something different this year for that survival fan or just something for that adventurous person in your life then this will certainly hit the spot. Just make sure that they have a good supply of food beforehand as lets face it “doing a bear” will become part of the English language before long for eating something disgusting.
Hail Mighty Readers,
Our friends and associate Bridgeburner Allies at Transworld have managed to smuggle 5 copies of the Tenth Anniversary Edition of Gardens of the Moon by Steven Erikson out for us.To get your hands on a copy send us an email with your answer, name and address where you'd like the prize sent, to drosdelnoch(at)hotmail(dot)com:Steven Erikson's Malazan Series culminates with which title:1) Deadhouse Gates2) Toll the Hounds3) The Crippled GodCompetition closes on the 27th November 2009 with winners receiving their prizes directly from the publisher.
