“Speed of Dark” by Elizabeth Moon (Orbit)

A superb, endearing, and moving modern classic

Lou is different to “normal” people. He interacts with the world in a way they do not understand. He might not see the things they see, however, but he also sees many things they do not. Lou is autistic.

One of his skills is an ability to find patterns in data: extraordinary, complex, beautiful patterns that not even the most powerful computers can comprehend. The company he works for has made considerable sums of money from Lou’s work. But now they want Lou to change – to become “normal” like themselves. And he must face the greatest challenge of his life. To understand the speed of dark.

As I’m sure a lot of other reviewers have found, Speed of Dark is not the easiest of novels to review. Reading Speed of Dark was illuminating, engaging, and moving. Lou is a powerful and endearing voice, and to get a glimpse of how his mind works and how he sees the world was fascinating. I don’t know nearly as much about autism as I should, but I felt Moon has written an intelligent and nuanced tale of an autistic man’s experiences in a world that doesn’t know how to accept him as he is, nor properly understand how he sees the world. This is a great novel, and it is absolutely clear to me why it won a Nebula Award.

Author-Of-Many-Genres: Jeff Somers

I was spending some time on Goodreads, recently (as you do), and I noticed that Jeff Somers wrote in a number of genres. On the face of things, that is not at all a groundbreaking discovery. But, given the publishing industry’s preference for author branding, I thought it was interesting that Somers wrote under the same pen-name for all of the genres. Again, not exactly an earth-shattering discovery, but it gives me the opportunity to feature his work on the blog, before I get around to reading any of it. So, without further ado…

Author Bio: “Born in Jersey City, N.J., Jeff Somers has managed to migrate just five minutes away to nearby Hoboken, land of overpriced condominiums and a tavern on every corner. Between weekly drunks, Jeff manages to scrawl enough prose onto cocktail napkins and toilet paper to keep up a respectable fiction career.”

Genres: Avery Cates (Cyberpunk), Ustari Cycle (Urban Fantasy), Lifers, and Chum (fiction)

Guest Post: “It’s the End of the World -- Bring Charmin” by Gail Z. Martin

In the post-apocalyptic TV show “Revolution,” one of the characters, a former Google executive, says, “80 million dollars in the bank and I would trade it all right now for a roll of Charmin.” Of all the things that society has lost, at that moment, he misses commercially-produced toilet paper. It’s the little things that count.

I write the Ascendant Kingdoms Saga, a post-apocalyptic medieval epic fantasy series, for Orbit Books. In Ice Forged, the first book in the series, my characters have to come to terms with what they’ve lost, both big and small. Oddly enough, sometimes it’s the small things that matter the most.

Epic fantasy usually deals with the sweeping repercussions of events and decisions — the wars, assassinations, dynastic conflicts and economic collapses that change the balance of power. Certainly anything worthy of being called an apocalypse affects the superstructure of society: government, commerce, economics, and technology. Add in plague and natural disaster and a nation, continent or kingdom loses a significant portion of its workforce, its intellectual capital, its history and its physical infrastructure. Those losses are guaranteed to change what daily life is like for the survivors, and to make just getting by much more difficult.

“Before the Fall” by Francis Knight (Orbit)

Rojan Dizon’s second outing – good, but unfortunately doesn’t live up to potential of book one

MAHALA IS A CITY OF CONTRASTS: LIGHT AND DARK. HOPE AND DESPAIR.

Rojan Dizon just wants to keep his head down. But his worst nightmare is around the corner.

With the destruction of their power source, his city is in crisis: riots are breaking out, mages are being murdered, and the city is divided. But Rojan’s hunt for the killers will make him responsible for all-out anarchy. Either that, or an all-out war.

And there’s nothing Rojan hates more than being responsible.

Back in January, I developed a bit of a book-crush on Fade to Black, the first book in Knight’s Rojan Dizon series. (I believe “ZOMG!” and “amazeballs” were used in the review…) It was with great anticipation, therefore, that I awaited the arrival of Before the Fall. As it turns out, though, this sophomore novel did not live up to my expectations. It retains the marvellous world (well-realised and atmospheric), fascinating and dark magic system, and generally interesting characters. But… Well, there were a lot of issues that I ordinarily would only have expected in a debut novel. Sad to say, this just didn’t grab me as much as the first.

Breaking News! The Way Of Shadows gets Manga Adaptation

Ok, so it’s not really breaking news, as Brent Weeks already announced it on his website on Friday. Nevertheless! This is news for me! And it’s very good news, I think, so just wanted to share a quick mention on the blog.

Here’s what the man himself had to say about the deal:

I’m so happy I can FINALLY share this! This afternoon, at their annual San Diego Comic-Con panel, Yen Press announced their upcoming adaptation of The Way of Shadows. The Way of Shadows graphic novel will be a single-volume adaptation, and is slated for release in 2013.

Yen Press is a leader in the field of graphic novels, having adapted works like Witch & Wizard by James Patterson and Gail Carriger’s Soulless among many others…

I’ve already been discussing artists with Kurt whom we believe will bring a unique and bold vision to The Way of Shadows. I’ll announce who we’ve contracted and release samples of their art as I am able to do so.

I’m a huge fan of Weeks’s writing, and can’t wait to check out the adaptation.

Also on CR: Reviews of Way of Shadows, Shadow’s Edge & Beyond the Shadows, Perfect Shadow, Black Prism

[Writing this post, I also realised I’ve never interview Brent… I will have to rectify this…]

An Interview with DAN ABRAHAM

Dan Abraham is one of my favourite authors. Ever since I read the first book of his Long Price Quartet series, I’ve been eagerly awaiting every new book of his fiction. Abraham is also one of the busiest authors I’m aware of, writing novels in the fantasy, science fiction and urban fantasy genres, as well as writing graphic novel adaptations of Game of Thrones and a handful of other projects. With so many excellent projects on the go, it’s really a wonder he ever manages to sleep… I decided to ask him about this, and many other things besides…

Interview: GAIL CARRIGER

This week’s interview is with Gail Carriger, author of the Parasol Protectorate series. Alyssa has avidly read this series since the first book came out, and is seriously considering giving up her uni work so she can read Timeless right away. Carriger has some more work set in this world coming in the future, but with the initial series now wrapped up, I thought it would be an excellent time to get in touch with Gail and ask her some questions.

The Subterrene War Interviews…

Yesterday I stumbled across the Subterrene War website, dedicated to the science fiction series by T.C. McCarthy. The series begins with Germline, which I thoroughly enjoyed, and is followed by Exogene (available now) and Chimera (out later this year).

If you like your sci-fi gritty, grim, and with a brutalist aesthetic, then this series is definitely for you. As I say in my review, it also reminded me a little of Hunter S. Thompson in tone.

I’ll be reading and reviewing Exogene in the very near future, but in the meantime, I thought I’d share the character interviews McCarthy scripted. So, without further ado…

Colonel Martin:

Lieutenant Chopiak:

Dr. Parsons:

Private Matthews:

Also on CR: An Interview with T.C. McCarthy

An Interview with ROBERT JACKSON BENNETT (& Giveaway!)

A purveyor of fine dark genre fiction, a new Robert Jackson Bennett novel is always eagerly anticipated (or should be, if you’re new to his work). Therefore, with his third novel now out in the wilds and receiving good buzz, I thought it would be a good time to learn a little bit more about the author’s writing and thoughts on genre fiction.

In addition, I am able to offer a giveaway for FIVE copies of Robert’s latest novel, The Troupe. So, have a read of the interview, then follow the instructions at the end for your chance to win.

Teresa Frohock Reviews “The Blade Itself” by Joe Abercrombie (Gollancz/Orbit)

I have to be brutally honest here: I quit reading genre fiction for about ten years, then I wrote and published a fantasy novel. There’s a certain irony to all of this that I appreciate, because I have strange sense of humor, and you would do well to keep that odd humor in the back of your mind as you read this review. The only reason I mention it is because I think it’s important that you understand that I don’t know Joe Abercrombie. I have never met the man or even heard of him until I was bumping around online and came across an article by Leo Grin, who described Abercrombie’s novels like this:

“Think of a Lord of the Rings where, after stringing you along for thousands of pages, all of the hobbits end up dying of cancer contracted by their proximity to the Ring, Aragorn is revealed to be a buffoonish puppet-king of no honor and false might, and Gandalf no sooner celebrates the defeat of Sauron than he executes a long-held plot to become the new Dark Lord of Middle-earth, and you have some idea of what to expect should you descend into Abercrombie’s jaded literary sewer.”

Well, I thought. I would certainly read that.

Introducing JOHN R. FULTZ

John Fultz and Seven Princes, his debut fantasy, were all over the Orbit Books blog a few weeks ago (articles, wallpapers, and the like). Naturally, this publicity push made me even more curious about the novel. So, as I am wont to do, I got in touch with the author and asked if he’d be interested in an interview. Luckily, he was, so here we go…

US vs. UK Covers

Comparing Covers from across the Pond

Early next year, M.L.N Hanover’s Urban Fantasy series, The Black Sun’s Daughter gets a UK release & new artwork through Orbit Books. “M.L.N Hanover” is one of Dan Abraham’s nom de plumes (alongside James S.A. Corey and his own name, of course). The series will be released over the course of four months, as has become customary for Orbit, and should provide fans of both Abraham and Urban Fantasy with an exciting new series and heroine to follow.

Here’s the UK artwork:

Hm. Very bright and eye-catching colours, which I’m not sure match the Urban Fantasy aesthetic, to be honest. I admit, I haven’t read the novels (I do have book one already, though, from the US), but this puts me in mind of Charlie’s Angels – the woman on the front is reminiscent of Minka Kelly, as well as Rachel Weisz and Nina Dobrev, all at the same time! Is it me, or is there a bit of CSI: Miami about the covers, too? Does Jayné pause dramatically to take off her sunglasses, I wonder…?

For this one, I think it has got to be advantage USA, where the series has an altogether more atmospheric style:

I particularly like the smoky-textures to the artwork (in the first one especially), and the third cover just looks bad-ass. There’s some now-cliche UF tramp-stampage, but I don’t see why that wouldn’t have worked in the UK (see Patricia Briggs’s new covers).

What do you think?

Here’s the synopsis for the first novel, Unclean Spirits:

Jayné Heller thinks of herself as a realist, until she discovers reality isn’t quite what she thought it was. When her uncle Eric is murdered, Jayné travels to Denver to settle his estate, only to learn that it’s all hers — and vaster than she ever imagined. And along with properties across the world and an inexhaustible fortune, Eric left her a legacy of a different kind: his unfinished business with a cabal of wizards known as the Invisible College.

Led by the ruthless Randolph Coin, the Invisible College harnesses demon spirits for their own ends of power and domination. Jayné finds it difficult to believe magic and demons can even exist, let alone be responsible for the death of her uncle. But Coin sees Eric’s heir as a threat to be eliminated by any means — magical or mundane — so Jayné had better start believing in something to save her own life.

Aided in her mission by a group of unlikely companions — Aubrey, Eric’s devastatingly attractive assistant; Ex, a former Jesuit with a lethal agenda; Midian, a two-hundred-year-old man who claims to be under a curse from Randolph Coin himself; and Chogyi Jake, a self-styled Buddhist with mystical abilities — Jayné finds that her new reality is not only unexpected, but often unexplainable. And if she hopes to survive, she’ll have to learn the new rules fast — or break them completely….

An Interview with Jon Courtenay Grimwood

Hot on the heels of his excellent new novel, The Fallen Blade – a novel I very much enjoyed, Jon Courtenay Grimwood took some time to answer a handful of questions for this here humble blog. Given the subject matter of The Fallen Blade, I decided to keep the questions topical and focus on the supernatural.

Tired of Twilight and related teeny-bopper vampire literature? Well, Jon offers recommendations for the more refined palate, and also talks about his writing practices, what he’s looking forward to in 2011, and also the influence of other cultures on his work.

“Last Stormlord” & “Stormlord Rising”, by Glenda Larke (Orbit)

Reviewed by Alyssa Mackenzie

“Water is life, and the wells are running dry…”

The Last Stormlord and Stormlord Rising are the first two novels in Glenda Larke’s brilliant new Stormlord Trilogy. With an original world, and a gripping plot, these books are a pleasure to read (despite some early problems with pace), and should leave readers excited and impatient for the final volume.

More Dresden Files to come!

Orbit Books has acquired three new Dresden Files books by Jim Butcher. Commissioning Editor Bella Pagan bought UK and Commonwealth rights from Ritsuko Okumura at Penguin US.

The Dresden Files books have attracted a loyal army of fans and follow the trials and tribulations of Harry Dresden, the only Private Investigator wizard in the Chicago phonebook.

“The Fallen Blade”, by Jon Courtenay Grimwood (Orbit)

Act One of The Assassini – Assassins, Venice and Vampires

Venice, 1407. The city is at the height of its powers. In theory, Duke Marco commands, but Marco is a simpleton so his aunt and uncle rule in his stead. They seem all powerful, yet live in fear of assassins better than their own.

On the night their world changes, Marco’s young cousin prays in the family chapel for deliverance from a forced marriage. It is her misfortune to be alone when Mamluk pirates break in to abduct her – an act that will ultimately trigger war.

Elsewhere Atilo, the Duke’s chief assassin, cuts a man’s throat. Hearing a noise, he turns back to find a boy drinking from the victim’s wound. The speed with which the angel-faced boy dodges his dagger and scales a wall stuns Atilo. He knows then he must hunt him. Not to kill him, but because he’s finally found what he thought was impossible – someone fit to be his apprentice.

Award-winning author and master storyteller Jon Courtenay Grimwood turns his hand to fantasy for the first time – with impressive results. In The Fallen Blade, he blends history, politics supernatural fantasy and horror to create a compelling, addictive and dark vision of an alternative Venice.

“The Rebel Prince”, by Celine Kiernan (Orbit)

Reviewed by Alyssa Mackenzie

The gripping conclusion to The Moorehawke Trilogy

Wynter is at last reunited with the exiled Prince Alberon, as he plots insurgency from his forest encampment. But she is losing faith with her companions, as they attempt to drive Alberon’s plans in different directions.

Caught between Razi’s complex diplomacy, Alberon’s desire for martial strength and Christopher’s fierce personal loyalty, Wynter finds herself torn. Can she combine these philosophies, and find a way to heal the rift between king and heir? Or will each side destroy the other, causing Wynter to lose everything she holds dear? She fears the answers lie veiled in conflict and loss.

Regular readers of this site will know that I loved the first two books of the Moorehawke Trilogy. With a gift for building both personal and political conflict, Kiernan set herself a hefty task for her final volume – at the end of The Crowded Shadows, there seemed to be innumerable questions and problems to be resolved, all in some way depending on the ambiguous figure of Alberon, the necessary final confrontation with Jonathan, and the ‘bloody machine’ that haunted the first two books. In this last book, Kiernan ably rises to the challenge she has set herself – The Rebel Prince does not disappoint.

For the first two volumes of the trilogy, Alberon emerges as a contradictory character. On the one hand, he is the sweet, loving boy who had been Wynter’s playmate and Razi’s devoted younger brother Kiernan showed through Wynter’s memories. On the other, he is the apparent betrayer of his father, forming alliances with enemies to Jonathan’s crown and plotting his overthrow. True to form, when she does bring him to the page in person, Kiernan does a fine job of creating a nuanced, authentic character. ‘Albi’ is not always appealing; he is harsh, arrogant, and uncompromising. However, in every respect, we see how his character – both the good and the bad – has been formed by the life experience that has differed markedly from that of Razi or Wynter. He is politically pragmatic, occasionally to the point of ruthlessness, in sharp contrast to Wynter’s and Razi’s idealism. While Wynter and Razi see his actions as the cause of the instability of the kingdom, Albi is aware that their position has always been unstable:

“Our own great-grandfather wrest this kingdom from William of Comber. Our historians now call it a legitimate reclamation of title, but let us for one moment admit it for what it actually was, shall we? Two men with big sticks pummeling each other over land – and the man with the biggest stick won. A king only remains a king for as long as he can outsmart, outrun or outfight his opponents ….”

Wynter at one point describes Jonathan’s kingdom as “This small island of tolerance. This little flame of hope in the dark.” The questions that each of the characters in The Rebel Prince must grapple with are what they are prepared to sacrifice – whether it be pride, power, or principle – in order to preserve it, and whether they risk destroying the very kingdom they hold dear in their attempts to keep it safe. In politics – in war – do the ends justify the means? Does political expediency outweigh personal betrayal? Kiernan deftly raises these questions through her narrative, as each character struggles to come to terms with the crisis at hand while also trying not to lose sight of their own ends.

As soon as Wynter and her companions arrive at Alberon’s camp, the plot begins to move quickly. Events build to an almost break-neck speed, with situations constantly changing and circumstances becoming more dire, whether through errors on the part of characters or sheer bad luck. As in the earlier books in the trilogy, Kiernan constantly raises the stakes and increases the danger for her characters. There was actually a point at which I thought to myself, “Ok, things are already so bad, from now on nothing more can possibly go wrong” – and then, of course, something did. The story races towards its climax with the building momentum of a boulder rolling down a hill – the final hundred pages are impossible to read slowly.

As satisfying as I found the book as a whole, I must admit to being at first a little disappointed with the war machine when it was finally explained. I had built it up in my head to be some impossibly twisted and potentially mystical device of torture. However, in keeping with Kiernan’s world – where magical elements like ghosts, talking cats, and werewolves are present but not paramount – the reality is at once more prosaic and more chilling. It is a testament to Kiernan’s writing that the horror with which she invests the machine does not, by the end of the novel, seem remotely unwarranted.

With a fast-placed plot, well-drawn characters, and a brilliantly-imagined world, The Rebel Prince is a pleasure to read. Kiernan is a gifted storyteller, and The Moorehawke Trilogy is a debut series to be reckoned with.

Highly recommended.

The Moorehawke Trilogy: The Poison Throne, The Crowded Shadows, The Rebel Prince

Celine Kiernan’s Website

Upcoming: “Latecomer” Reviews on CR

As some readers may already know, I’ve not been reading fantasy or science fiction for very long. Because of this, most of my SF/F reviews have been of newly or recently released titles.

In 2011, this will change.

I’m not going to stop reading and reviewing new titles (far from it – there are just too many exciting novels published this year to forgo), but I am going to do something I’ve been meaning to do for some time now – that is, catch up on the ‘classic’, ‘great’, and established fantasy titles and series. The reviews will all be prefixed as “Latecomer”, so should be easy to find as and when they start arriving.

I haven’t got them all picked out, yet, but here is a first selection of titles I’ll be reading (please feel free to leave suggestions in the comments):

James Barclay, Dawnthief (Gollancz)

George R.R. Martin, A Game of Thrones (Voyager)

Tad Williams, Shadowmarch & The Dragonbone Chair (Orbit)

Neal Asher, Gridlinked (Tor)

Adrian Tchaikovsky, Empire in Black and Gold (Tor)

Joe Abercombie, The Blade Itself (Gollancz)

Robin Hobb, Assassin’s Apprentice (Voyager)

Brandon Sanderson, The Final Empire (Gollancz)

Tom Lloyd, Stormcaller (Gollancz)

Robert Jordan, The Eye of the World (Orbit)

Steven Brust, The Book of Jhereg (Ace)

Whether or not I get to Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series and Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn series will depend on how much I like the latter’s The Way of Kings, which I have already bought for my Kindle.

So, there’s the selection I’ve come up with for the moment. I’m sure there are others, and there’s no set order in which I’m going to read them, and there’s no guarantee that I will end up in the mood for them, but they’re all series I’ve been meaning to read for some time, and I just don’t want to keep putting them off for much longer. If I had to put money on it, I’d say James Barclay and Joe Abercrombie are the certainties, with Tom Lloyd and Adrian Tchaikovsky the two most likely after them.

Anyway, watch this space…

Upcoming: “The Dragon’s Path” by Daniel Abraham’s (Orbit)

Continuing the Orbit Books-theme we’ve been enjoying this month on the site, here’s an introduction to Daniel Abraham’s upcoming The Dragon’s Path – the first novel in the new The Dagger and the Coin series from the author of the critically acclaimed The Long Price Quartet. I have read the first half of that series (collected in the Shadow & Betrayal omnibus), and I’ll be trying to get to the second half of the series (Seasons of War) before Abraham’s new novel hits the shelves.

Some of you might have read my “Coming up in 2011” post a couple of weeks back that also featured The Dragon’s Path. Why revisit it so soon? Well, for one thing, the lovely people at Orbit have just revealed the final cover artwork – and it’s much better than the ‘original’ (which as actually still pretty good).

Here it is for your viewing pleasure, designed and “noodled with” by Lauren Panepinto:

Here’s the teaser synopsis, too:

Summer is the season of war in the Free Cities.

Marcus wants to get out before the fighting starts. His hero days are behind him and simple caravan duty is better than getting pressed into service by the local gentry. Even a small war can get you killed. But a captain needs men to lead — and his have been summarily arrested and recruited for their swords.

Cithrin has a job to do — move the wealth of a nation across a war zone. An orphan raised by the bank, she is their last hope of keeping the bank’s wealth out of the hands of the invaders. But she’s just a girl and knows little of caravans, war, and danger. She knows money and she knows secrets, but will that be enough to save her in the coming months?

Geder, the only son of a noble house is more interested in philosophy than swordplay. He is a poor excuse for a soldier and little more than a pawn in these games of war. But not even he knows what he will become of the fires of battle. Hero or villain? Small men have achieved greater things and Geder is no small man.

Falling pebbles can start a landslide. What should have been a small summer spat between gentlemen is spiralling out of control. Dark forces are at work, fanning the flames that will sweep the entire region onto The Dragon’s Path — the path of war.

If you haven’t checked out Abraham’s writing yet, his work is epic fantasy, with – at least in terms of The Long Price Quartet – an eastern flavour, and in my opinion some of the best writing in any genre, let alone just fantasy. His novels aren’t necessarily the quickest reads, but neither are they on the scale of Robert Jordan and/or Brandon Sanderson. I was very much blown away by Shadows & Betrayal and only through other commitments did Seasons of War slip through the cracks – something I am very eager to rectify.

The Dragon’s Path is published by Orbit Books in April 2011, and is one of my Most Anticipated Books of 2001.

Calling all Jim Butcher fans! (Orbit)

Orbit UK has just opened one of the most generous competitions I’ve ever seen. To mark the re-release and re-packaging of Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files series, the publisher has put together the following prize:

A complete set of new Dresden Files paperbacks (that’s 12 in total,  including Changes ahead of it’s March 2011 publication)

Advance copies of Ghost Story and Side Jobs: Stories from the Dresden Files

One copy each of Kate Griffin’s The Midnight Mayor and The Madness of Angels

One copy each of Trent Jamieson’s Death Most Definite, Managing Death and The Business of Death

To be in with a chance of winning all of this, all you need to do is tell Orbit why you love Jim Butcher. To do so, head over to their website by clicking on the image below…