YOUNG ADULT REVIEW: The Grisha 1: The Gathering Dark - Leigh Bardugo

Release Date: 07/06/12

SYNOPSIS:

The Shadow Fold, a swathe of impenetrable darkness, crawling with monsters that feast on human flesh, is slowly destroying the once-great nation of Ravka. Alina, a pale, lonely orphan, discovers a unique power that thrusts her into the lavish world of the kingdom's magical elite - the Grisha. Could she be the key to unravelling the dark fabric of the Shadow Fold and setting Ravka free? The Darkling, a creature of seductive charm and terrifying power, leader of the Grisha. If Alina is to fulfil her destiny, she must discover how to unlock her gift and face up to her dangerous attraction to him. But what of Mal, Alina's childhood best friend? As Alina contemplates her dazzling new future, why can't she ever quite forget him? Glorious. Epic. Irresistible. Romance.


REVIEW:

OK, this is a book that I originally put on the back burner for a number of reasons, first of all because the burb sounded a little confusing alongside complex and at the time I fancied something straight forward and secondly because I had to be in the mood for a love story.

Whilst I am pleased I left it until I was really in the mood for it, I was a little upset that I left it so long, purely because the author, Leigh Bardugo has put a lot of work in, the world building is up there with a lot of the top adult authors, the characters shine through the pages and the complex plotline works on so many levels keeping the reader guessing from the first page to the last.

Add to this a wonderful sense of roundedness to the characters, wonderful interaction and of course a love thread that really does make this a hard to put down book. But when you throw in a great sense of pace alongside solid prose as well as cracking dialogue the reader really is in for a treat. All in a great novel to use as a break through from Teen to Adult but also one that will enamour itself of a great many readers old and young. Magical.

NEWS: Falcata Times helps Cat Campaign

Hail Mighty Readers,

As many of you already know I have a secret identity.  For I am Catman, tickler of bellies, scratcher of chins, feeder of the masses and hot water bottle for night time.  As such I’ve recently heard about a campaign that’s started out where a gated community in America refuses to get justice for a cat named Panda who was murdered by a Satanist who has killed other animals including Geese and at least one other cat.

As such we’ve agreed to help the campaign out by going against one of our rules.  If you’re an author and we haven’t reviewed your book and you’d like it to be done on site then provided you can get 10 people to sign on your behalf and include your initials in the comment box along with their post here, that’s one ticket into our hat for you.  At the end of a month we will draw one lucky winner per 50 entries who we will then contact to receive a copy and review that book on site following our usual rules. 

So this is your chance to get your name up there with the big boys/girls from major houses and to have your title reviewed on site whether its already published and we missed it or if it’s a self pubbed title.

Remember all you have to do is get 10 people to sign for you, email their names to us and for each ten people that’s one ticket with your name on in the hat.  So for example if you get 50 people signing on your behalf that’s 5 chances that you’ll be picked.   Privacy is paramount with us and as such any who submit will not be spammed nor with their address be passed on and with the Petition site being a subsidiary of Care2.com security is pretty high.

Please mail to our usual address above with your signers names along with your contact details and if you'd like to let as many know as possible we'd be grateful.  Once again the address for the relevant petition is here.

Thank you,

Gareth and Lady Eleanor.

GUEST BLOG: Game of Thrones as a Game Changer - Leigh Bardugo

As a reader, I've always been a bit fickle about genre. If a book comes with a strong recommendation or an interesting hook, there are few things I won't read. So when I wrote The Gathering Dark, I didn't give much thought to its genre beyond "fantasy." When the book was finished and I began looking for a literary agent, I was in for quite an education. I soon learned that agents were very specific about the sub-genres they wanted to see: paranormal, paranormal romance, urban fantasy, historical fantasy, steampunk, dystopian, post-apocalyptic, and so on. The one thing most of them didn't want was high fantasy. It just wasn't a "hot" genre. 

            I do think high fantasy demands a bit more of its readers.  They have fewer familiar footholds and they have to trust the author to establish a sense of order and place. That's not an entirely comfortable thing. And, while genre is by definition generic, I think some people felt that high fantasy tropes had begun to atrophy.

            But there was a broader bias against high fantasy that came out in the way that cultural critics and reviewers initially approached HBO's decision to adapt George R. R. Martin's Game of Thrones. Martin himself admitted that he'd written A Song of Ice and Fire to be "unadaptable." Dense with characters and expensive locations, there was no question that it represented an expensive risk for HBO. Still, critics and commentators seemed less interested in discussing the series itself, than in taking opportunities to snicker at fantasy fans and wax snide about the limitations of the genre. 

            If these reviews and articles (which still crop up with alarming frequency) are to be believed, the only people who read or watch fantasy are horny teenage boys who spend their lonely hours playing Assassin's Creed in the basement. It's an old stereotype, but one that gets trotted out whenever genre fiction is on the table. As a fantasy fan with ladyparts and an active social life, I find this irritating. Also, having actually spent time with Martin's crazily diverse fan club (old, young, gay, straight, white, black, Latino, Asian, white collar, blue collar, male, and yes, female), I find it totally baffling.

           As soon as I saw the billboards cropping up all over town, I knew Game of Thrones would be the proving ground. Despite the books' success, it wasn't a series with broad-based name recognition like Lord of the Rings, and it certainly hadn't had the same cross-generation, epic lead-up. But it had brilliant narrative, insane production values, over the top promotion. If the show failed, it would be proof that the snickerers were right: genre trumps story. High fantasy belongs in the genre ghetto and we should all just pack our broadswords and go home.

            That didn't happen. In fact, that didn't happen in spectacular fashion, and now everyone knows that winter is coming.

            What does this mean for high fantasy in YA? I'm not sure, but I can tell you I've already seen more than one book described as "Game of Thrones for kids." (I'm assuming this means less incest and fewer horse hearts, but who can say.) I think Game of Thrones-- both the power of its content and the success of the series-- opened a lot of minds to the potential of the genre and to the work being done in it. As an author, I hope it changed ideas about how high fantasy fits into the mainstream. As a fan, I'm just glad to be out of the basement.

CRIME FICTION REVIEW: Fire and Ice: Meltwater - Michael Ridpath

Release Date: 01/06/12

SYNOPSIS:

Operation Meltwater: FreeFlow, a group of internet activists committed to the freedom of information have video evidence of a military atrocity in the Middle East and have chosen Iceland as their HQ while they prepare to unleash their greatest coup on the world's media. On the glacial rim of erupting volcano Eyjafjallajokull, they christen their endeavour Operation Meltwater. Minutes later, in the steam and mist, one of them is murdered. The list of people Freeflow has antagonized is long - the Chinese government, Israeli military, a German Bank, Italian politicians, even American College Fraternities. Magnus Jonson has a long list of suspects but he's getting precious little help from FreeFlow - for an organization dedicated to the transparency of information, they're a secretive bunch. But they are not the only ones with secrets. Asta, a newly qualified priest, has contacted FreeFlow with information about a scandal in the church. Her involvement with FreeFlow will cost her dear. And with the return of Magnus's brother Ollie to Iceland, the feud that has haunted their family for three generations is about to reignite.


REVIEW:

Having fallen for Michaels writing style with his first outing, I really couldn’t wait to return to Iceland and see what fate had in store for Magnus in the next outing. As with the other books he’s thrust into a murder investigation but fate and time have a habit of repeating and returning to bring old wounds back to life as he seeks to find answers to the past alongside his current case.

As with the others its wonderfully written, the landscape haunting and befit such a series that brings the old and new together in such a way that its almost cinematic. Back that up with solid prose, great concepts and of course an underlying thread that make waiting for the next instalment harder than that damnable itch that you can’t scratch. All in solid writing although I would say that if you’re to start the series go back to the beginning in order to get the full flavour. Magical. Thank you Michael for a great read.

SCIENCE FICTION REVIEW: Existence - David Brin

Release Date: 21/06/12

SYNOPSIS:

Our continued existence was never a given. We've always wanted to know our destiny. But when the end seems in sight, how will the world react? An alien artefact plucked from Earth's orbit throws the world into chaos with both warning and a promise. For the prophet who dreams of new world order, survival means putting an end to democracy. For the movie mogul with a talent for spinning facts, the public doesn't know what's best for them. And for the reporter determined to discover the truth, the world needs to know what's at stake. All are determined to hold off Armageddon. All will play their part in what's to come. Both brilliant and terrifying, David Brin's novel of the near future is a tour de force of storytelling. It is the work of a modern master of science fiction.


REVIEW:

Brin has always been an author to make me not only think but one that generates a story that as a reader makes me think after I put the title down. It’s inventive and of course the what if questions are ones that haunt you long into your sleep as you try and think what the events would do in our world if the events within were to come to pass.

The pace is solid, the prose decent and as usual with David’s writing the reader is in for a treat as the pages take you through a real journey of discovery. All in a solid read but for me, asking the reader to question their own thoughts as well as understanding is a worthy thing in itself. Solid, capable and definitely a book I enjoyed.

URBAN FANTASY REVIEW: Alex Verus 2: Cursed - Benedict Jacka

Release Date: 07/06/12

SYNOPSIS:

Things are going well for Alex Verus. He's on moderately good terms with the Council, his apprentice is settling in and his shop in Camden is gaining quite a reputation. But when a mysterious woman bursts into the Arcana Emporium one night with an assassin on her tail, Alex is thrown into a plot to revive a long-forbidden ritual. His old enemies are after the secret, as well as a Council mage named Belthas and a mercenary named Garrick, and at least one of them is trying to get Alex killed - if he only knew which. He can see the future, but knowing who to trust is something else.


REVIEW:

A quirky and weird take on the Urban Fantasy with probability mage Alex Verus and whilst I wasn’t the biggest fan of the opening title I wanted to spend a little more time to explore the world that Benedict had loving crafted. Don’t get me wrong, the writing is crisp, the character interesting but without an underlying plot seeking to rear its head I’m left wondering if its just a poor man’s London based version of Harry Dresden without the incredible power almost as if he’s just taking the exploratory road whilst he comes up with a bad guy worthy to hide within the shadows.

All in a reasonable piece of writing and one that whilst not at the top of the genre for me was a middle of the road title but solid enough to keep reading to see what will unfurl next.

SCIENCE FICTION AUDIO BOOK REVIEW: Warhammer 40K: Butchers Nails - Aaron Dembski-Bowden

Release Date: 07/06/12

SYNOPSIS:

The primarch Angron: gladiator-king and Horus's lunatic attack dog. Never having hidden his resentment for his brothers, he now carves a bloody swathe through the galaxy in the Warmaster's name, with the Heresy providing a convenient excuse to indulge his love of brutal warfare. When they are tasked with a secretive mission alongside the Word Bearers Legion, the World Eaters' violent tendencies soon attract the attention of xenos raiders, troubled by the portents surrounding the primarch's berserk fury and his ultimate destiny as 'the Blood God's son'...


REVIEW:

I love a tale of combat, of dark deeds and of course the line between heroes and villains is carefully blurred during the Horus Heresy. As with Aaron’s usual writing its dark, visceral and of course brings to the fore a morbidity that is hard to fight as no one is truly sure where they belong. Add to this a whole host of vocal talent to bring this story to light and it’s a tale that works extremely well for either journeys or of course something to listen to in order to relax or whilst you’re playing some tabletop.

All in a cracking story and one that I really enjoyed as I lay back and let the story take me on its merry way last thing at night. Can’t say I slept that well at the tales conclusion but that just goes to show how deeply drawn in I was.

SCIENCE FICTION REVIEW: The Long Earth - Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter

Release Date: 21/06/12

SYNOPSIS:

t's 1916: the Western Front. Private Percy Blakeney wakes up. He is lying on fresh spring grass. He can hear birdsong, and the wind in the leaves in the trees. Where have the mud, blood and blasted landscape of No Man's Land gone? 2015: Madison, Wisconsin. Cop Monica Jansson is exploring the burned-out home of a reclusive - some said mad, others dangerous - scientist when she finds a curious gadget - a box containing some wiring, a three-way switch and a...potato. It is the prototype of an invention that will change the way Mankind views his world for ever. And that's an understatement if ever there was one..."The Long Earth" is the first novel in an exciting new collaboration between the creator of Discworld Terry Pratchett and the acclaimed SF writer Stephen Baxter.


REVIEW:

To be honest I like Stephen Baxter and I like Terry Pratchett so I was really looking forward to this story for quite some time. After all the last tale that was an amalgamation between Terry and another (Neil Gaiman) was Good Omens and a real joy to read.

What this tale does is unfurl at an incredibly slow and convoluted pace, its sadly lacking the magic that either of the authors bring on their own and sadly feels more like a case of big names selling rather than a tale of gripping imagination. It’s difficult to work your way through, feels like it has no real twists and sadly lacks character wise for me as a reader to have anything to hold onto. All in its OK but at the end of the day it feels like a real let down to me as a reader.

SCIENCE FICTION THRILLER: Stringberg's Star - Jan Walletin

Release Date: 07/06/12

SYNOPSIS:

Taklamakan desert, 1895: a new Pompeii has come to light, and with it two remarkable artefacts, found in a hidden burial chamber. A metal ankh and star - covered in strange inscriptions, feather-light and cool to the touch. Svalbard, 1897: on the skerried islands of Svalbard, a hydrogen balloon is readied for a polar voyage. Publicly, it is a patriotic attempt to put Sweden in the lead of the race to the North Pole. Privately, the three men on board have another objective. But S. A Andree, Knut Frankel and Nils Strindberg will never be seen alive again. Falun, Sweden, 2011: 260 meters under the earth, in a long-flooded mineshaft, a diver's torchbeam plays over a mouldering corpse with a fist-sized hole in its forehead. Skeletal fingers clutch a metal amulet. It is the key to the annals of a secret history so deeply buried that the few who knew of it though it lost forever. Until now...


REVIEW:

I love thrillers so when I had the opportunity to read this title I jumped to it. The blurb grabbed me right from the start and with the possibilities of a tale that blended some of the Scandinavian writing style with a Dan Brown type thriller I thought this couldn’t be a better amalgamation.

Sadly for me, that was as good as it got. Don’t get me wrong, the writing was there but it felt lack lustre as the characters really didn’t strike me as either anything new or potentially believable which caused my first major stumbling block. When this was added to in places what I felt was poor dialogue and forced confrontations to help the pace, I really felt that it wasn’t quite the book that I hoped for.

All in I will look into other titles by Jan when they become available but for this release it isn’t one that will stay with me for any positive reasons. A great shame all round.

HISTORICAL FICTION REVIEW: The Last Caesar - Henry Venmore-Roland

Release Date: 21/06/12

SYNOPSIS:

AD 68. The tyrant emperor Nero has no son and no heir. Suddenly there's the very real possibility that Rome might become a republic once more. But the ambitions of a few are about to bring corruption, chaos and untold bloodshed to the many. Among them is a hero of the campaign against Boudicca, Aulus Caecina Severus. Caught up in a conspiracy to overthrow Caesar's dynasty, he commits treason, raises a rebellion, faces torture and intrigue - all supposedly for the good of Rome. The boundary between the good of Rome and self preservation is far from clear, and keeping to the dangerous path he's chosen requires all Severus' skills as a cunning soldier and increasingly deft politician. And so Severus looks back on the dark and dangerous time history knows as the Year of the Four Emperors, and the part he played - for good or ill - in plunging the mighty Roman empire into anarchy and civil war...


REVIEW:

I love historical fiction and to be honest whilst a number of other authors have danced around the year of the four emperor’s no one has really tackled it from a characters point of view in the heart of the matter. Whilst this book is set around the time, its more of a place setting and allows the reader to get a hold of the life and times prior to the key events basing itself around the Vindex Rebellion.

Whilst Henry may be a newbie to the genre, he writes like a pro, allowing the reader to get deep to the heart of matters with politics, double dealing and of course a fair share of combat. Add to this the fact that you’re glued from one page to the next and all in it’s a very satisfactory novel. Finally throw onto this, great prose and solid pace and all in I really can’t wait to see what Henry fights back with on his second, and perhaps most telling title.

URBAN FANTASY REVIEW: The Reckoning - Alma Katsu

Release Date: 21/06/12

SYNOPSIS:

I turned to Luke and reached for him. My blood felt as though it had seized up in my veins. "Lanny, what is it?" Luke asked. I clutched his lapel desperately "It's Adair. He's free". For 200 years she's been hiding. He gave her immortality. She tried to destroy him. Now he is searching for her. They must not meet. Or there will be a reckoning.


REVIEW:

Having fallen for Alma’s writing in her first release “The Taker” I really couldn’t wait to see how the tale of Lenore would develop as events were brought more up to date especially after the rollercoaster of twists and turns that we were led upon in the first outing.

As with the first the principle player comes over strongly, she has guts, she has a strong personality and for me as a reader I really couldn’t wait to spend more time with her as her immortal existence was revealed a chapter at a time. Add to this Alma’s identifiable writing style, a great ability to bring the reader to the heart of the tale and backed up with a solid supporting cast made this tale a real joy to spend time around. Great stuff.

URBAN FANTASY REVIEW: Newsflesh Trilogy 3: Blackout - Mira Grant

Release Date: 21/06/12

SYNOPSIS:

The year is 2041, and Shaun Mason is having a bad day. Everyone he knows is dead or in hiding. The world is doing its best to end itself for the second time. The Centre for Disease Control is out to get him. With too much left to do and not much time left to do it in, he must face mad scientists, zombie bears and rogue government agencies before the conspiracy that killed Georgia manages to kill the only thing he has left of her - the truth. And if there's one thing he knows is true in this post-zombie, post-resurrection America, it's this: Things can always get worse.


REVIEW:

In this the third part of Mira’s tale, the reader has been awaiting the next instalment for quite some time especially after the revelations in the previous books. Its cleverly written, the plot line addictive and the reader really has to work hard to keep up with the twists and turns as event unfurl.

Add to this some top notch prose, an addictive hard to put down writing style and of course characters that you’ve not only grown to care about but root for and all in this tale is a real gem to enjoy. The only real downside is that the principle character within doesn’t quite pull it all off with quite the same aplomb as the previous but all in the world building is such that you’ll keep on going.

CRIME FICTION REVIEW: Do Me No Harm - Julie Corbin

Release Date: 07/06/12

SYNOPSIS:

When her teenage son Robbie's drink is spiked, Olivia Somers is devastated. She has spent her adult life trying to protect people and keep them safe - not only as a mother, but also in her chosen profession as a doctor. So she tries to put it down to a horrible accident, in spite of the evidence suggesting malicious intent, and simply hopes no-one tries to endanger those she loves again. But someone from the past is after revenge. Someone closer to her family than she could possibly realise. Someone who will stop at nothing until they get the vengeance they crave. And, as she and her family come under increasing threat, the oath that Olivia took when she first became a doctor - to do no harm to others - will be tested to its very limits.


REVIEW:

Having recently read a thriller that didn’t satisfy me I thought that I’d give a Julie Corbin tale a go, after all I’ve had friends recommend her to me so I thought that it was high time with a gap in my reading schedule that I took the chance. What unfurls in this, her third release, is a tale of action, of danger and of course a scenario where a lot of elements clash high above the principle characters head as she struggles to swim in the treacherous sea where one false move will see her dead.

The writing is crisp, the prose just as sharp but for me the key feature of this story was the character of Olivia who really took the tale to emotional heights for the reader as she was not only believable but one that you routed for from the start. Add to this solid dialogue and a pretty good turn of pace to keep you glued and all in I was left more than satisfied at the tales conclusion. I will definitely be reading more of Julie in the future.

VIDEO GAMES NEWS: Doom 3: BFG gets UK Release Date - Bethesda

Hail Mighty Readers and Followers of the Calloused Thumbs,

Our friends at Bethesda have let us know that Doom 3: BFG Edition for the Xbox 360, PC and PS3 is set for release on 19th October.  Here's what they had to say:

"Re-mastered for both Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, DOOM 3 and its expansion pack offer enhanced visuals further immersing you in the demonic world like never before. DOOM 3, Resurrection of Evil, and ‘The Lost Mission’ have been optimized in 3D, featuring 5.1 surround sound, Xbox 360 Achievements, PlayStation 3 trophies, improved rendering and lighting, and a new check point save system allowing for smoother progression through the game. id Software has fine-tuned the controls to bring the intensity of the DOOM single and multiplayer experience to the consoles, and DOOM 3 now features the new armor-mounted flashlight, allowing players to illuminate dark corners and blast enemies at the same time.

DOOM 3 BFG Edition will also include the original DOOM® and DOOM® 2 games, making it the definitive collection of the genre-defining games developed by id Software, the pioneers of the first-person shooter genre”

To keep up to date and join the fight visit thier Facebook Page.

YOUNG ADULT FANTASY REVIEW: Miss Felicty Beedles The World of Poo - Terry Pratchett

Release Date: 07/06/12

SYNOPSIS:

From "Snuff": 'Vimes' prompt arrival got a nod of approval from Sybil, who gingerly handed him a new book to read to Young Sam. Vimes looked at the cover. The title was "The World of Poo". When his wife was out of eyeshot he carefully leafed through it. Well, okay, you had to accept that the world had moved on and these days fairy stories were probably not going to be about twinkly little things with wings. As he turned page after page, it dawned on him that whoever had written this book, they certainly knew what would make kids like Young Sam laugh until they were nearly sick. The bit about sailing down the river almost made him smile. But interspersed with the scatology was actually quite interesting stuff about septic tanks and dunnakin divers and gongfermors and how dog muck helped make the very best leather, and other things that you never thought you would need to know, but once heard somehow lodged in your mind.


REVIEW:

I’ve been a fan of Terry’s work for years and absolutely loved his Where’s my Cow book for the young reader. As such I expected something similar this time especially after the descriptions within Snuff, but was sadly mistaken. Don’t get me wrong it is a fun read, but its more an informative book as the lead character collects “samples” for his museum rather than a fun journey around Ankh Morpork I was expecting with Sam Vimes making the grunts and noises along the lines of What noise does Foul Ol Ron make “Oooohhh, its hard buggeritt.”

All in this was a bit of a disappointment but for the young reader (around 8) it could well be a book to interest them although perhaps not quite the way that a lot of the toilet humour will.

FANTASY REVIEW: Warhammer Fantasy: Ulrika the Vampire 3: Bloodsworn - Nathan Long

Release Date: 07/06/12

SYNOPSIS:

I turned to Luke and reached for him. My blood felt as though it had seized up in my veins. "Lanny, what is it?" Luke asked. I clutched his lapel desperately "It's Adair. He's free". For 200 years she's been hiding. He gave her immortality. She tried to destroy him. Now he is searching for her. They must not meet. Or there will be a reckoning.


REVIEW:

Ulrika has really been through the ringer, whether its during her adventures with Felix and Gotrek or after she’s been turned but events within this title bring things to the fore as she has to war against her new instincts alongside what has gone before. The inner turmoil is presented well, the characters interactions vying against her character and when added to Nathan’s prose that leave little space for nonsense.

Add to this some solid combat, a great deal of double dealing with the addition of politics and this title is perhaps Ulrika’s most comprehensive battle yet. Great stuff all in.

URBAN FANTASY REVIEW: Psy-Changeling Series 17: Tangle of Need - Nalini Singh

Release Date: 07/06/12

SYNOPSIS:

Adria, wolf changeling and resilient soldier, has made a break with the past. Now comes a new territory, and a devastating new complication: Riaz, a SnowDancer lieutenant already sworn to someone else. For Riaz, the primal attraction he feels for Adria is a staggering betrayal. For Adria, his dangerous lone-wolf appeal is beyond sexual. It consumes her. It terrifies her. It threatens to undermine everything she has built of her new life. But fighting their wild compulsion toward one another proves a losing battle. Their coming together is an inferno ...and a melding of two wounded souls who promise each other no commitment, no ties, no bonds. Only pleasure. Too late, they realise that they have more to lose than they ever imagined. Drawn into a cataclysmic Psy war that may alter the fate of the world itself, they must make a decision that might just break them both.


REVIEW:

With some author’s feeling that what you need is sex after sex scene, as a reader I want something that allows the passion to develop organically and feel right for the characters. What Nalini Singh’s writing does is allow all that but works by carefully building the characters so that they have multifaceted emotions and that everything that happens feels that it takes not only time but also a lot of work on their parts.

In this, the 17th Instalment of the Psy-Changeling series the author builds complex emotional context alongside a wonderfully woven and inventive story. It has some wonderful touches with great pace, solid prose and of course dialogue that is not only addictive to read but really draws you in as a reader. Finally add to the mix a bit of a cliff-hanger and the readers really will be demanding the next instalment to find out how events unfold.

FANTASY REVIEW: DestinyQuest 1: The Legion of Shadow - Michael J Ward

Release Date: 17/05/12

SYNOPSIS:

You have no memory of your past. With only a sword and a backpack to your name, you must discover your destiny in an unfamiliar world full of monsters and magic. As you guide your hero through this epic adventure, you will be choosing the danger that they face, the monsters that they fight and the treasures that they find. Every decision that you make will have an impact on the story - and, ultimately, the fate of your hero. With hundreds of special items to discover in each book, you can completely customise your hero. You can choose their weapons, their armour, their special abilities - even the boots on their feet and the cloak on their back! No two heroes will ever be alike, which means your hero will always be unique to you. Welcome to a new world. Welcome to Valeron. Welcome to DestinyQuest.


REVIEW:

For those of us with a certain age you’ll have fond memories of Ian Livingstone and Steve Jackson’s Fighting Fantasy that started with Warlock of Firetop Mountain and with these memories comes nostalgia alongside a want to recapture those days. So into this arena steps Michael J Ward with a modern retake on these classics.

What you get within this, the first book of the series, is a story that works its numerous ways through the quests where what you’ve done prior can effect what you’ve undergone before. Add to this fun maps to follow alongside a writer who has a whole host of additions alongside a simple, easy to follow combat system and its hours of fun within. For me I loved revisiting this genre and will eagerly await others in the series, the only thing that I’d perhaps recommend would be a laminated pull out for the stats in order for you to keep up with whats what, and also perhaps pull out maps to help make things easier. That said, it was fun and I absolutely loved getting back to my roleplaying roots. Great stuff.

URBAN FANTASY REVIEW: Anita Blake 21: Kiss the Dead - Laurell K Hamilton

Release Date: 07/06/12

SYNOPSIS:

Sunday Times and New York Times bestselling author Laurell K. Hamilton returns with another exciting, thrilling and addictive adventure for her vampire hunting heroine Anita Blake. I knew without doubt that if any more of the vampires tried to attack us I'd kill them, too, regardless of apparent age, race, sex, or religious affiliations. I was an equal-opportunity executioner; I killed everybody. My name is Anita Blake and I am a vampire hunter and necromancer, as well as a US Marshal. So when a fifteen-year-old girl is abducted by vampires, it's up to me to find her. And when I do, I'm faced with something I've never seen before: a terrifyingly ordinary group of people - kids, grandparents, soccer moms - all recently turned and willing to die to avoid serving their vampire master. And where there's one martyr, I know there will be more...But even vampires have monsters that they're afraid of. And I'm one of them...


REVIEW:

To be honest I think that Anita should be allowed to rest for a while as to me this book felt more like a filler than anything else. Not a lot was accomplished and whilst the sex was restrained about half the title, once it started it really didn’t stop. It’s disappointing and a real let down for someone who has been a fan of the series for years.

All in, in my opinion, the book is a disappointment and not worth shelling out the full price for, if you want it to keep your collection looking nice, that’s one thing, but when it feels that it is just a case of what can I do, insert (no pun intended) sex scene here or emotional inner turmoil then it really does leave you wondering about motivation for the character as well as if you really want to keep reading as a paying customer.

URBAN FANTASY REVIEW: The Concrete Grove 2: Silent Voices - Gary McMahon

Release Date: 12/04/12

SYNOPSIS:

Twenty years ago three young boys staggered out of an old building, tired and dirty yet otherwise unharmed. Missing for a weekend, the boys had no idea of where they'd been. But they all shared the same vague memory of a shadowed woodland grove…and they swore they'd been gone for only an hour. When Simon returns to the Concrete Grove to see his old friends and unearth painful memories from his childhood, things once buried begin to claw their way back to the surface. The hummingbirds are flying again, bringing a warning of something terrible. Bad dreams take on physical form and walk the streets of the estate. A dark, hideously patient entity is calling once again from the shadows, reaching out towards three terrified boys who have now grown into emotionally damaged men. And the past is about to catch up with them all, staining their lives with a darkness they could never truly escape. Welcome back to the Concrete Grove. The place you can never really leave...


REVIEW:

Following on from Gary’s previous title Concrete Grove, this tale brings together three characters that readers will love as this horror story wends its way into the darkest recesses of your mind. Its quirky, it brings together a bleakness that few have explored and really sets itself up well as a second book in a trilogy.

Add to this Gary’s unnerving ability to work on the readers own fears as well as giving them an adrenaline packed adventure and all in this is a book that really should be read in sunlit hours rather than in the depth of the night. Cracking fun and with Gary’s usual ability to add a spartanesque descriptive prose that speak volumes alongside a tightly woven story leave the reader in no doubt that this could be a new British Classic horror series that is just demanding either a TV series or film.

URBAN FANTASY REVIEW: The Armageddon Rag - George RR Martin

Release Date: 12/04/12

SYNOPSIS:

Onetime underground journalist Sandy Blair has traveled far from his radical roots in the '60s-until the bizarre and brutal murder of a millionaire rock promoter draws him back. As Sandy sets out to investigate the crime, he finds himself on a magical mystery tour of the pent-up passions of his generation. For a new messiah has resurrected the once legendary rock band Nazgul-but with an apocalyptic new beat that is a requiem of demonism, mind control, and death only Sandy may be able to change in time...


REVIEW:

Whilst this tale was released in 2007 for many readers of GRRM, its one that will be new to them and probably rereleased to fulfil readers demands whilst awaiting the next instalment from the Song of Fire and Ice series. As with all of Georges work, it repeats certain themes that are not only familiar but also allows the reader to delve into a world that has a reality about it that is hard to not love.

It’s cunningly crafted, brings back the good old days of rock and when backed with a lead protagonist that is not only knowledgeable but one you want to spend time around, gives the reader a murder mystery that will keep them gripped from start to finish. Back that up with George’s dry wit, a bit of mischief and of course a tale that is every bit as mysterious as the fantasy tales and all in the reader will be hooked. Great stuff.

NEWS: David Gemmell Legend Award Winners Announced

Hail Mighty Readers,

Hot off the press is this years announcement for the winners of the David Gemmell Legend Award and thier special announcement about next years ceremony.  The information is as follows:

 "This year’s David Gemmell Awards For Fantasy were presented tonight in a ceremony held at London’s Magic Circle headquarters.

The winners were:
Ravenheart Award (best cover art): Raymond Swanland - Blood of Aenarion
Morningstar Award (best debut): Helen Lowe - Heir of Night
Legend Award (best novel): Patrick Rothfuss - The Wiseman's Fear

For further details, or to request photos of the ceremony, please reply to stanjnicholls@tiscali.co.uk or millerlau@clara.co.uk


2013: The Gemmell Awards and World Fantasy Convention

We were also pleased to announce this evening that next year’s Gemmell Awards ceremony will take place as part of 2013’s World Fantasy Convention.

The convention takes place in Brighton, UK between 31st October and
3rd November.  The only other times that the World Fantasy Convention has moved outside North America was in 1988 and 1997, when it was staged in London, so we feel privileged to be a part of this prestigious international event.

Held at Brighton’s Metropole Hotel and the West Pier, WFC 2013 boasts an impressive line-up of honoured guests, including Richard Matheson, Richard Christian Matheson, Brian Aldiss, Alan Lee and Tessa Farmer.  The Master of Ceremonies is China Mieville; and a host of other authors, artists, publishers and industry insiders will also be attending.

For full details of the convention visit the official website at http://wfc2013.org/

We hope to see as many of our regular attendees and supporters as possible at WFC 2013.  

As the Gemmell Awards will be presented in October/November next year, and not in mid-June as usual, we’ll be altering our voting cycle to accommodate the change of date.  To keep abreast of the changes check the awards website - http://gemmellaward.ning.com/ - where you can sign-up for our free newsletter.  The change of venue and date is for one year only - 2014 will see the awards returning to the Magic Circle. "

HISTORICAL FICTION REVIEW: A Ship of War - Sean Thomas Russell

Release Date: 29/03/12

SYNOPSIS:

It's 1794, the height of the French Revolution. Charles Hayden sets off aboard the ill-fated HMS Themis with orders to destroy a French frigate sailing from Le Havre and to gather intelligence from a royalist spy. On discovering French plans for an imminent invasion of England, Hayden must return to Portsmouth to give warning before it's too late. But the enemy have been lying in wait for him, and so begins a dangerous chase out into the Atlantic and into the clutches of a powerful French squadron. After a failed attempt to masquerade as French sailors, Hayden and his officers are taken prisoner. A shipwreck following a storm and a case of mistaken identity befall Hayden and his men as they try in desperation to escape in order to warn the Lords of the Admiralty. Failure will mean the invasion of England - and the guillotine for Hayden.


REVIEW:

For me, Sean is one of these authors who does extremely well as turning his hand to multiple genre writing, always presenting a story that not only thrills but keeps you firmly within its fist from the first chapter onwards. As usual with his Historical Fiction the reader is transported back in time with the authors wonderful ability to bring the scenes to life with wonderful prose alongside an ability to almost have you feeling the sea breeze on your face.

It’s got some wonderful twists, a great set of prose alongside a pace that is hard to live up to as each new elements wends its way into the readers imagination that makes it extremely difficult to put down. All in another great adventure and one that I loved from start to finish. Magic.

SCIENCE FICTION REVIEW: Exogene - TC McCarthy

Release Date: 15/03/12

SYNOPSIS:

Catherine is a soldier. Fast, strong, lethal, she is the ultimate in military technology. Bred by scientists, indoctrinated by the government, she and her sisters will win this war, no matter the cost. And the costs are high. The life span of these genetic soldiers is short, and they become unstable as they age. Then on their eighteenth birthday, when their duty is fulfilled, they are discharged - lined up and shot. But the truth is, Catherine and her sisters may not be strictly human, but they aren't animals either. Catherine may have only known death, but she dreams of life - and is prepared to pay any price to get it.


REVIEW:

Having loved TC’s first title Germline, I really couldn’t wait to embark into this dark future society again as it was not only inventive but had all the elements to not only continue to kick ass with the wars but bring to the fore the chance to get to know the Warrior Female Clones to the fore who are the super soldiers. Its well written, the lead characters point of view wonderfully understandable for a reader and expands to increase the readers comprehension of these characters that was glimpsed in the previous instalment.

Add to this a great understanding of pace, some solid dialogue and a whole new set of characters to help flesh out this dark world and all in you can’t help but fail to enjoy TC’s writing. Great stuff for me.

URBAN FANTASY REVIEW: Home Improvements: Undead Edition - Ed. Charlaine Harris and Toni LP Kelner

Release Date: 01/03/12

SYNOPSIS:

There's nothing like home renovation for finding skeletons in the closet or otherworldly portals in the attic. Now here's the perfect treat for any homeowner who's ever wondered, 'What's that creaking sound?' (just before the ceiling comes crashing down!). Editors Charlaine Harris and Toni L. P. Kelner return with an all-new collection, this time on the paranormal perils of Do-It-Yourself. As well as a brand-new Sookie Stackhouse story by the Number 1 Sunday Times bestselling author Charlaine Harris, there are 13 more cautionary tales of home renovation by bestselling authors Patricia Briggs, James Grady, Heather Graham, Melissa Marr, amongst others. This is an outstanding line-up of frightening and funny fixer-upper tales guaranteed to shake foundations and rattle readers' pipes. This is the fourth anthology following on from Wolfsbane and Mistletoe, Many Bloody Returns and Death's Excellent Vacation.


REVIEW:

If there’s one thing that Charlaine and Toni do, is bring together a whole host of talent from the Urban Fantasy genre in order to present a series of stories that not only work their way into the readers imagination but give the reader a chance to try out other names for a smaller outlay to see if the writing and characters are to their taste.

Each book has a theme and whilst each story has their own way of dealing with them, it presents the reader with something from all aspects of the genre that will work their way deep into their imagination. They’re all snappy, they all have wonderful prose and solid pace which, when you add the ability to dip in as and when you want, gives you a book that is a cracking addition to any collection as well as giving the reader a solid sense of tales for all occasions. Great stuff and a wonderful collection for the Jo Fletcher stable.

URBAN FANTASY COMEDY REVIEW: The Spellmans #5: Trail of the Spellmans - Lisa Lutz

Release Date: 28/02/12

SYNOPSIS:

FOR THE FIRST TIME in Spellman history, Isabel Spellman, PI, might be the most normal member of her family. Mom has taken on an outrageous assortment of extracurricular activities—with no apparent motive. Dad has a secret. Izzy’s brother and sister are at war—for no apparent reason. And her niece keeps saying “banana” even though she hates bananas. That’s not to say that Izzy isn’t without her own troubles. Her boyfriend, Henry Stone, keeps wanting “to talk,” a prospect Isabel evades by going out with her new drinking buddy, none other than Gertrude Stone, Henry’s mother. Things aren’t any simpler on the business side of Spellman Investigations. First, Rae is hired to follow a girl, only to fake the surveillance reports. Then a math professor hires Izzy to watch his immaculate apartment while he unravels like a bad formula. And as the questions pile up, Izzy won’t stop hunting for the answers—even when they threaten to shatter both the business and the family.


REVIEW:

Merging comedy and crime together is often something that is not only tricky but can come off as either the author being too smart and full of themselves or a title that often falls by the wayside as one element or the other overtakes and doesn’t quite present what the reader wanted.

What this title by Lisa does is a wonderful amalgamation of the two, it has solid characters who over the previous books in the series have developed and grown with their own quirks with laughs that work wonderfully well to the reader. Add to this a great set of ideas, wonderfully inventive prose as well as a lead protagonist that you can’t help but love and all in the reader is in for a treat.

The only downside is that you can’t pick up these tales part way through, you have to start at the beginning to get the full flavour. All in it’s a great series and one that I’ll continue to enjoy as this was a wonderful way to spend a sunny day.

URBAN FANTASY REVIEW: Apocalypse Cow - Michael Logan

Release Date: 10/05/12

SYNOPSIS:

When scientists with warped imaginations accidentally unleash an experimental bioweapon that transforms Britain's animals into sneezing, bloodthirsty zombies with a penchant for pre-dinner sex with their victims, three misfits become the unlikely hope for salvation. Abattoir worker Terry Borders' love life is crippled by the stench of death that clings to his skin from his days spent slaughtering cows; teenage vegan Geldof 'Scabby' Peters alternates between scratching furiously at his rash and baiting his overbearing New Age mother; and inept journalist Lesley McBrien struggles forlornly in the shadow of her famous war correspondent father and the star journalist at the Glasgow Tribune. When Britain begins a rapid descent into chaos and ministers cynically attempt to blame al-Qaeda, Lesley stumbles upon proof that the government is behind the outbreak. During her bumbling quest to unveil the truth, she crosses paths with Terry and Geldof, and together they set out to escape a quarantined Britain with the evidence and vital data that could unlock a cure for the virus. Standing in the way are rampaging hordes of animals, a ruthless security agent and an army ready to shoot anybody with a case of the sniffles on the off-chance the virus has mutated. Three losers. Overwhelming odds. A single outcome: the world is screwed.


REVIEW:

Having felt disappointed by the other winner of the inaugural Terry Pratchett Anywhere but Here, Anywhere But Now Award, I wasn’t expecting that much from tale and thought that it would be a book that I’d take my time with rather than indulge within a very short time.

So as such I found that it sat on my TBR pile for a little while and as such with great worry I picked it up to begin (after making sure I had a real gem to enjoy after.) What unfurled within was a story that for me should have been the clear winner in its own right. I loved the lead trio of characters, I relished the new take on the Zombie myth and of course I thoroughly devoured the pages as the tale wove its unusual story with great aplomb.

The prose was crisp, the laughs when they came were witty and whilst the subject was quite dark all in it was a story I enjoyed from start to finish. Throw into the mix that this is a debut author and for me, if future titles live up the standards set here, I’ll have a firm favourite for that much needed laugh.