Release Date: 18/11/10
BOOK BLURB:
We all know the holiday season can bring out the beast in anyone - but it's especially hard if you're a lycanthrope! Gathered here together is a veritable feast of fears and tears: fifteen of the scariest, saddest, funniest werewolf tales, by an outstanding pack of authors, best read by the light of the full moon, and with a silver bullet close at hand. In 'Gift Wrap', Sookie Stackhouse is feeling mighty sorry for herself, all alone for Christmas - until she meets someone with bigger problems than loneliness ...Patricia Briggs gives us the story of lone wolf David Christiansen, who needs to mend fences with his daughter, before it's too late. In 'Christmas Past', Keri Arthur tells the tale of Hannah, who gets an unmerry and potentially life-threatening Christmas present when the hunky werewolf who dumped her last Christmas Eve turns up as her partner on the hunt for a vampire serial killer. All these and more feature in WOLFSBANE AND MISTLETOE, the perfect antidote to Christmas mawkishness!
REVIEW:
A series of short stories edited by one of the biggest names in the Urban Fantasy Genre which when backed with the sheer talent and scope of the authors within, make this title a must own. It’s great for the holiday period and will get you in the festive mood and when backed with the fact that each short story is self-contained will definitely put a smile on many an Urban Fantasy Readers face.
Failing all else, the fact that within are a large number of the big names makes this a pretty good bet as a pleaser as well as allowing readers the chance to try some of the authors that they may not be quite as familiar with or just know the name in passing.
Finally, this title is definitely worth the outlay although make sure that the giftee (the reader) has all their creature comforts to hand as they’ll pretty much be glued and possibly even snarl if their reading time is disturbed. With lycanthropy being a transferable disease through bite, making sure to their comfort or you may well find out how true this is. LOL
Release Date: 20/09/10
BOOK BLURB:
The Glitter Rose Collection features five short stories by Marianne de Pierres – four previously published and one new story. Each copy of this limited edition print run is signed and presented in a beautiful hardbound cover, with internal black and white illustrations.
The Glitter Rose stories are set against the background of Carmine Island (an island reminiscent of Stradbroke Island, Queensland) where a decade ago spores from deep in the ocean blew in, by a freak of nature, and settled on the island. These spores bring fierce allergies to the inhabitants of the island. And maybe other, more sinister effects. As we follow Tinashi’s journey of moving to and settling into island life, we get a clearer picture of just what is happening on Carmine Island.
Glitter Rose is named after the glitter rose dusks that happen at certain tides on the island – when the last of sunset has fallen, a strange phosphorescence can be seen on the sands of the beaches. Colourless at first, it rapidly changes to a “carpet of tiny, shining, rose-coloured grains” as the sky darkens.
REVIEW:
Brought together in this compendium for the first time, a collection of short stories that helped to launch Marianne’s writing career which demonstrate beautifully the talent behind her work.
All appeared in print in various compendiums over the years and yet when you read them back to back you get an eerie sense of beauty as well as the lovingly crafted characters that inhabit this world. Each individual tale builds upon the previous making it pretty hard to put down and whilst this offering is quite short there is a bonus title at the end that demonstrates an almost Poeish twist to the author that allows the reader to wonder where her talents end. A seriously delightful collection and one that I can’t recommend enough to the reader. Great stuff.
(For more details on where to purchase please see the authors own website.)
BOOK BLURB:
Shine: a collection of gems that throw light on a brighter future. Some of the world's most talented SF writers (including Alastair Reynolds, Kay Keyon and Jason Stoddard) show how things can change for the better. From gritty polyannas to workable futures, from hard-fought progress to a better tomorrow; heart-warming and mind-expanding stories that will (re-) awaken the optimist in you!
REVIEW:
Whilst a great number of Sci-Fi books look at the darkside of mankind’s future, this offering Edited by De Vries really does look at some of the positive aspects of what is yet to come. Its put together with a lot of raw new talent and as such allows a reader the chance to try new people for a relatively cheap price. A great deal all round and back that up with the different angle it’s a real gem of a title to own.
Great Stuff.
Release Date: 18/11/10
