Some Books Received… (May 2013)

A nice selection of books have arrived, recently (also some non-fiction books, but I’ll feature them over on the other website in the near future). So, here’s the latest selection of delectable and intriguing ARCs, etc., that have arrived…

“The Gods of Gotham” by Lyndsay Faye (Headline)

New York City: Political, social, religious powder-keg.

August 1845 in New York; enter the dark, unforgiving city underworld of the legendary Five Points... After a fire decimates a swathe of lower Manhattan, and following years of passionate political dispute, New York City at long last forms an official Police Department. That same summer, the great potato famine hits Ireland. These events will change the city of New York for ever.

Timothy Wilde hadn’t wanted to be a copper star. On the night of August 21st, on his way home from the Tombs defeated and disgusted, he is plotting his resignation, when a young girl who has escaped from a nearby brothel, crashes into him; she wears only a nightdress and is covered from head to toe in blood. Searching out the truth in the child’s wild stories, Timothy soon finds himself on the trail of a brutal killer, seemingly hell bent on fanning the flames of anti-Irish immigrant sentiment and threatening chaos in a city already in the midst of social upheaval. But his fight for justice could cost him the woman he loves, his brother and ultimately his life...

The Gods of Gotham is a great novel. Mixing history, thriller and social commentary, it brilliantly portrays mid-19th Century New York society, both high and low. Social and political troubles form the backdrop (as well as obstacles) for an investigation into a string of child deaths in the city. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel.

An Interview with LYNDSAY FAYE

A little while back, a rather intriguing press package turned up on my doorstep. It was for Lyndsay Faye’s second novel, The Gods of Gotham (which I had originally learned of from Fantastical Librarian Mieneke). As a sucker for anything New York-related, I promptly put it on my TBR pile. And have not yet had time to read it, for which I’m rather annoyed with myself. So, in lieu of a timely review, I decided to get in touch with Ms Faye, and ask her some questions about her work, writing, and so forth.

Catching Up With the Book Haul

It’s been a loooong time since I did one of these, but because the past few weeks have been amazing for books, I thought I’d use this opportunity for a quick round-up of what you can expect to appear on the blog in the next few weeks and months – some of these have arrived quite early, so I’ll hold back on them until closer to their publication dates.

This is not exhaustive (some very exciting books came in the mail after I took the photo below), so there is actually going to be even more awesome stuff up here as well. This post also doesn’t talk about the comics and graphic novels that will feature on the blog, but I’ll do a separate post for those.

The Week in Review (Feb.26-Mar.2)

The second links post, and one that’s a bit more varied.

New York Post “NYPD in 1850” by Lyndsay Faye

This is a very good, short article by the author of Gods of Gotham (Headline), which I intend to read very soon. It has a really intriguing premise, so I’m looking forward to reading this historical take on the NYPD.

Staffer’s Musings: Interview with Elspeth Cooper

With Songs of the Earth finally available in the US, Justin sat down with Elspeth (uh, metaphorically) for a very interesting interview. For more on Songs of the Earth, check out my review of SotE and interview with Elspeth from last year.

io9: “Rejected Star Wars Toys: George Lucas is denying you an inflatable Emperor’s Throne!”

Some of these are great fun, and the uber-geek in my would really like to own a Death Star Basketball and Cloud City Desk Lamp. And the Darth Vader Magnetic Chip Clip with Sound? “I have you now!” – Brilliant!

Simon Spurrier: “London Super Comic-Con: Panel Parity”

Simon Spurrier, author of A Serpent Uncoiled and Marvel’s X-Club series, talks about London’s inaugural Super Comic-Con and how “this convention was also notable for a slight controversy [he] happened to create”. It’s a nice, long post in support of Paul Cornell’s thoughts on the gender-balance in comics. Written in Spurrier’s trademark zaniness, it’s a thoughtful, thought-provoking and intelligent read.

“At the moment it’s all too easy for the lip-curlers and sneermonkies of the world to dismiss Western Comics as the sole preserve of thirtysomething-plus men in teeshirts who never properly grew up because that’s the only face of comics they ever see. Which is terrible. And I say that as a thirtysomething man in a teeshirt who never properly grew up.”

Washington Post: “Book Review: The Annotated Sandman” by Mike Musgrove

A good, proper review of the ground-breaking graphic novel. Which I still haven’t read. I don’t think I could ever justify the cost of this annotated version, but I may pick up a paperback edition to read at some point. [If I remember correctly, the Strand have a load of copies.]

Barnes & Noble SciFi & Fantasy Blog: Jim Butcher & Benedict Jacka

A good discussion between the two authors and more.

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And, of course, there was also all the content on Civilian Reader – an interview with E.C. Myers and a review of his debut, Fair Coin; my review of Ari Marmell’s first YA novel The Thief’s Covenant; and yesterday’s guest post from A. Lee Martinez.