It’s been quite a while since I read any Zenescope titles. Not really sure why. Anyway, their take on fairy tales should appeal to anyone who enjoys Grimm, Once Upon A Time and other such TV series, not to mention similar novels and other comics. Anyway. In a press release I received today, I saw the image below. That is one scary-ass Tooth Fairy…
The cover is by Giuseppe Cafaro (this is the B Variant).
A very quick and simple artwork post, because I saw it and it caught my eye. And because I love the series it is a part of. This issue is the conclusion to the current storyline (I’m waiting, as always, for the collected edition to read and review). The piece is by Adam Hughes:
You can check out a preview of the issue on Comic Book Resources. Here’s the synopsis:
The epic conclusion is here! As all roads have led back to Fabletown, Cinderella leads the battle against the seemingly endless onslaught of mice/mundy hybrids! This one has it all: Blood! Guts! Romance! Swordplay! Magic! Mystery! Noble sacrifice! And… cheese? Read it before the clock strikes midnight!
Published by Vertigo Comics, the issue is written by Marc Andreyko, with art by Shawn McManus.
One of the most-anticipated follow-up fantasy novels of the year, Ace Books has provided three copies of Doug Hulick’s SWORN IN STEEL! All you have to do to enter the competition is leave a comment or email me (at the address at the bottom of the page), and I’ll randomly select three winners on Friday evening. Competition is open to US and Canadian residents only, I’m afraid.
In case you haven’t heard of the series (shame on you!), here is the synopsis for Sworn in Steel…
It’s been three months since Drothe killed a legend, burned down a portion of the imperial capital, and unexpectedly elevated himself into the ranks of the criminal elite.
Now, as the newest Gray Prince in the underworld, he’s learning just how good he used to have it. With barely the beginnings of an organization to his name, Drothe is already being called out by other Gray Princes. And to make matters worse, when one dies, all signs point to Drothe as wielding the knife. As members of the Kin begin choosing sides – mostly against him – for what looks to be another impending war, Drothe is approached by a man who not only has the solution to Drothe’s most pressing problem, but an offer of redemption.
The only problem is the offer isn’t for him. Now Drothe finds himself on the way to the Despotate of Djan, the empire’s long-standing enemy, with an offer to make and a price on his head. And the grains of sand in the hour glass are running out, fast…
Both Among Thieves and Sworn in Steel are out now in the US, published by Ace Books (Penguin). The novels are published in the UK by Tor, and Sworn in Steel is out tomorrow! Among Thieves was published in 2011. You can find my review here, and an interview with the author here.
The third novel in M.L. Brennan’s great Generation V series has a cover! Brennan unveiled it on her website earlier today, and because I enjoyed the first two books I thought I’d share it here, too. It’s not due out until November 2014 (no UK publisher as yet, sadly, so if you’re in Blighty you’ll need to seek import options). Here’s the synopsis:
In the third Generation V novel, Fortitude Scott proves that working with family can be deadly…
Former film student Fortitude Scott is finally gainfully employed. Unfortunately, said employment happens to be with a group of sociopathic vampires – his family. And as much as Fort is loath to get too deep into the family business, when his brother, Chivalry, is temporarily unable to run the territory, it’s up to Fort to keep things under control.
So when the leader of a powerful faction of shifters turns up murdered, Fort finds himself tracking down a killer while navigating dangerous rivalries, longtime grudges, and hidden agendas. Even with the help of his foxy kitsune sidekick, Suzume, he’ll need to pull out all the stops to hunt for the paranormal assassin.
But as he calls on fairies, witches, and ghouls for help, he discovers that the problem is much bigger than a single dead werebear. The supernatural community is preparing for a massive shift in power within the Scott family leadership – and Fort has landed right in the middle of the gathering storm…
“Werebear”? Cool… I’m looking forward to this.
Also on CR: Reviews of Generation V and Iron Night, Interview with M.L. Brennan
Today, Tor UK unveiled this frankly gorgeous cover. It’s for the UK paperback edition of Brandon Sanderson’s YA fantasy, THE RITHMATIST. It’s an interesting take on, while still in keeping with, the overall aesthetic that Gollancz pioneered for Sanderson’s adult fantasy novels. And I think it may actually be my favourite of his UK covers…
In case you haven’t been aware of this novel, here’s the synopsis:
In a school for the magically gifted, your talent could cost you your life…
Young student Joel is fascinated by the magic of Rithmatics, but few have the gift and he is not one of them. Undaunted, Joel persuades Professor Fitch to teach him about this geometric magic. For although Joel can’t infuse his protective lines and circles with power, or bring his chalk-drawn creatures to life, he can really understand how it works. However, a daunting test lies ahead, when someone starts kidnapping top Rithmatic students at his school, Armedius Academy.
Since he’s not a magic user, Joel appears to be safe and he’s desperate to investigate and prove himself. Then people start dying – but can Joel really stop a killer alone? He’ll need the help of Rithmatist apprentice Melody, as even more students disappear. Together, they must race to find clues before the killer notices them – and takes them out too.
The book features illustrations by Ben McSweeney, which depict the magical elements of the novel with great elegance and insight.
The Rithmatist will be available from May 22nd.
Tom Kell returns…
A top-ranking Iranian military official is blown up while trying to defect to the West. An investigative journalist is arrested and imprisoned for writing an article critical of the Turkish government. An Iranian nuclear scientist is assassinated on the streets of Tehran. These three incidents, seemingly unrelated, have one crucial link. Each of the three had been recently recruited by Western intelligence, before being removed or killed.
Then Paul Wallinger, MI6’s most senior agent in Turkey, dies in a puzzling plane crash. Fearing the worst, MI6 bypasses the usual protocol and brings disgraced agent Tom Kell in from the cold to investigate. Kell soon discovers what Wallinger had already begun to suspect – that there’s a mole somewhere in the Western intelligence, a traitor who has been systematically sabotaging scores of joint intelligence operations in the Middle East.
This is the second novel to star Tom Kell, disgraced SIS agent, and apparently the services new go-to problem fixer. At least, for problems that need to be fixed quietly and delicately – more so than the secret service normally requires. A Colder War improves on A Foreign Country in almost every way (quite the feat, given how good the previous novel was), and hopefully marks the beginning of a long-running series to star Kell. This is another engrossing, expertly crafted espionage thriller.
An excellent spy thriller
On the vacation of a lifetime in Egypt, an elderly French couple are brutally murdered. Days later, a meticulously-planned kidnapping takes place on the streets of Paris.
Amelia Levene, the first female Chief of MI6, has disappeared without a trace, six weeks before she is due to take over as the most influential spy in Europe. It is the gravest crisis MI6 has faced in more than a decade. Desperate not only to find her, but to keep her disappearance a secret, Britain’s top intelligence agents turn to one of their own: disgraced MI6 officer Thomas Kell.
Tossed out of the Service only months before, Kell is given one final chance to redeem himself – find Amelia Levene, at any cost. The trail leads Kell to France and Tunisia, where he uncovers a shocking secret and a conspiracy that could have unimaginable repercussions for Britain and its allies. Only Kell stands in the way of personal and political catastrophe.
Charles Cumming is one of my favourite authors – in the thriller genre or otherwise. He writes tightly-plotted, gripping espionage thrillers in the tradition of John le Carré and others of that era. [It is, perhaps somewhat cliché to now compare Cumming to le Carré, but it really is apt.] Cumming’s novels are decidedly British, in that they are devoid of melodrama or the dick-swinging swagger that can characterise American-authored espionage thrillers (see, for example, Vince Flynn and Brad Thor). They are, however, just as gripping.
I appear to have published the previous post a little prematurely, as yet more awesome books have recently come in the mail.
Featuring: David Annandale, Monica Byrnes, C. Robert Cargill, Steven Erikson, Ari Marmell, Josh Reynolds, Rob Sanders, & graphic novels
Featuring: Jim Butcher, Trudi Canavan, Stephen Hunt, Kameron Hurley, Richard Kadrey, Stephen King, Shane Kuhn, Mark Lawrence, Sarah Lotz, Elizabeth Moon, & Graphic Novels
Here’s the thing.
If you’ve read an American thriller, there’s a fair chance the protagonist will use a gun. There’s no way to sugarcoat that. Read any James Lee Burke and you’ll see either Dave Robicheaux or Clete Purcell pressing a gun to some bad guy’s head in the swamps of south Louisiana. Same with the great Richard Stark’s ‘Parker’ character in The Hunter, which became a film with Lee Marvin or later, Mel Gibson’s Payback.
Guns, some people think, go to the heart of what it means to be an American. It’s even written into the constitution, the right to bear arms.
My protagonist in the conspiracy thriller Hard Road Jon Reznick, an ex-Special Forces operative, is assigned a Beretta 9mm semi-automatic pistol – amongst a host of other gadgets and hardware including electronic jamming equipment – to carry out an assassination of a government scientist.
