Excerpt: THE REVOLUTIONS by Felix Gilman (Corsair)

CHAPTER ONE

It was the evening of what would later be called the Great Storm of ’93, and Arthur Archibald Shaw sat at his usual desk in the Reading Room of the British Museum, yawning and toying with his pen. Soft rain pattered on the dome. Lamps overhead shone through a haze of golden dust. Arthur yawned. There was a snorer at the desk opposite, head back and mouth open. Two women nearby whispered to each other in French. Carts creaked down the aisle, the faint tremors of their passing threatening to topple the tower of books on Arthur’s desk, which concerned explosives, and poisons, and exotic methods of murder.

Upcoming: THE BULLET-CATCHER’S DAUGHTER by Rod Duncan (Angry Robot Books)

Stumbled across this while looking for information and links for an upcoming interview on the blog. The cover caught my eye and the novel sounds pretty interesting, too. It is the first (of two) novels in the Fall of the Gaslit Empire series. Here’s the synopsis…

Elizabeth Barnabus lives a double life – as herself and as her brother, the private detective. She is trying to solve the mystery of a disappearing aristocrat and a hoard of arcane machines. In her way stand the rogues, freaks and self-proclaimed alchemists of a travelling circus.

But when she comes up against an agent of the all-powerful Patent Office, her life and the course of history will begin to change. And not necessarily for the better…

The Bullet-Catcher’s Daughter is due to be published by Angry Robot Books in September 2014, in the UK and US. Be sure to check out the author’s website and Twitter for more on his writing and novels.

TANYA HUFF Finally Coming to the UK! (Titan Books)

I’ve been aware of Tanya Huff’s writing for a long time – her novels have been mentioned on so many of the US-based book blogs that I read. I also consider he agent a friend. And, of course, I know of the TV show, Blood Ties, that was inspired by her Urban Fantasy series of the same name (sometimes called the Victoria Nelson Series, after the protagonist). I have, however, never read a single one of her novels… This year, Titan Books will be publishing two of her novels, which should help me remedy this oversight – and very soon. Here are the details…

THE SILVERED

The Empire has declared war on the small, were-ruled kingdom of Aydori, capturing five women of the Mage-Pack, including the wife of the were Pack-leader. With the Pack off defending the border, it falls to Mirian Maylin and Tomas Hagen — she a low-level mage, he younger brother to the Pack-leader — to save them. Together the two set out on the kidnappers’ trail, racing into the heart of enemy territory. But with every step the odds against their survival, let alone their success, grow steeper...

This sounds like a pretty interesting fantasy novel. Maybe a little steampunk-y, given the US cover? Regardless, I’m certainly intrigued. The Silvered is already available in the US, published by DAW Books.

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VALOUR’S CHOICE

In the distant future, humans and several alien races have been granted membership in the Confederation — at a price. They must serve and protect the far more civilized species who have long since turned away from war. When her transport ship is shot down, a routine diplomatic mission across the galaxy becomes anything but, and Staff Sergeant Torin Kerr must fight to keep her platoon alive.

This is the first novel in Huff’s Confederation series. I believe Titan will be re-issuing all of the books in this series, although I’m not sure of the timetable. The rest of the series: The Better Part of Valour, The Heart of Valour, Valour’s Trial, and The Truth of Valour. [In the British spelling, of course…] The Confederation series is also published in the US by DAW Books (first published in 2000).

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Neither of these UK editions have a Goodreads listing, yet, but I’m sure that’ll be fixed in the near future. I’m really looking forward to both of them. Be sure to follow the author on Twitter, for more up-to-date news and all the usual stuff one finds on Twitter.

GIVEAWAY! Cherie Priest’s “Clockwork Century” Series (Tor)

So, it’s been a while since I had a giveaway on CR. Thankfully, the lovely people who handle Cherie Priest’s UK publicity have offered one complete set of the author’s Clockwork Century series (below) to be won by one lucky reader of this here humble blog.

All you have to do is email me at…

civilian.reader[at]blogspot.co.uk

… to be in with a chance to get your hands on this complete set. This is UK-only, unfortunately, but fear not international readers – I have a few more giveaways coming up over the next couple of weeks that are open to all.

I’ll leave this open for one week (March 19th 2013), and the winner will be notified via email and also in the comment thread.

Upcoming: “Fiddlehead” by Cherie Priest (Tor)

I have been slowly catching up with Cherie Priest’s popular Clockwork Century novels. I must admit I haven’t been as swept away as some readers, but they are starting to grow on me. Tor recently announced the fifth full-length novel in the series (there was also the novella, Clementine): Fiddlehead. The novel will be published in November 2013. Here’s the synopsis:

Ex-spy ‘Belle Boyd’ is retired – more or less. Retired from spying on the Confederacy anyway. Her short-lived marriage to a Union navy boy cast suspicion on those Southern loyalties, so her mid-forties found her unemployed, widowed and disgraced. Until her life-changing job offer from the staunchly Union Pinkerton Detective Agency.

When she’s required to assist Abraham Lincoln himself, she has to put any old loyalties firmly aside – for a man she spied against twenty years ago.Lincoln’s friend Gideon Bardsley, colleague and ex-slave, is targeted for assassination after the young inventor made a breakthrough. Fiddlehead, Bardsley’s calculating engine, has proved an extraordinary threat threatens the civilized world. Meaning now is not the time for conflict.

Now Bardsley and Fiddlehead are in great danger as forces conspire to keep this secret, the war moving and the money flowing. With spies from both camps gunning for her, can even the notorious Belle Boyd hold the war-hawks at bay?

I really must make an effort to catch up with this series. I’ve read and reviewed Boneshaker and the aforementioned Clementine, and will be sure to read the rest of the series soon: Dreadnought, Ganymede, The Inexplicables.

A Quick Chat with LIESEL SCHWARZ

I went to an author event the other week at Forbidden Planet in London (great store, FYI), for E.J. Swift and Liesel Schwarz (both debut authors published by the new-ish Del Rey UK). I knew of Emma, having interviewed her last year (check out her book, Osiris), but I had sadly not yet heard of Liesel’s novels. Schwarz’s debut, A Conspiracy of Alchemists,is out now in the UK, and I thought it would be a perfect time to find out more about the author’s work and thoughts on the genre.

“Clementine” by Cherie Priest (Tor/Subterranean)

A Steampunk Novella, Clockwork Century #2

Maria Isabella Boyd’s success as a Confederate spy has made her too famous for further espionage work, and now her employment options are slim. Exiled, widowed, and on the brink of poverty…she reluctantly goes to work for the Pinkerton National Detective Agency in Chicago.

Adding insult to injury, her first big assignment is commissioned by the Union Army. In short, a federally sponsored transport dirigible is being violently pursued across the Rockies and Uncle Sam isn’t pleased. The Clementine is carrying a top secret load of military essentials — essentials which must be delivered to Louisville, Kentucky, without delay.

Intelligence suggests that the unrelenting pursuer is a runaway slave who’s been wanted by authorities on both sides of the Mason-Dixon for fifteen years. In that time, Captain Croggon Beauregard Hainey has felonied his way back and forth across the continent, leaving a trail of broken banks, stolen war machines, and illegally distributed weaponry from sea to shining sea.

And now it’s Maria’s job to go get him.

He’s dangerous quarry and she’s a dangerous woman, but when forces conspire against them both, they take a chance and form an alliance. She joins his crew, and he uses her connections. She follows his orders. He takes her advice.

And somebody, somewhere, is going to rue the day he crossed either one of them.

This is the second installment in Priest’s highly popular Clockwork Century steampunk series. Originally a limited edition novella published by Subterranean Press, Clementine has since been made available as an eBook first in the US and now in the UK. I have to admit that I while I enjoyed much of Boneshaker, the first in the series, I was never wholly won over by it. I nevertheless decided to give the rest of the series a try – especially since Tor UK picked up the rights to publish it in Blighty. Clementine does a good job of expanding Priest’s version of a steampunk Civil War-era United States. While still flawed, it is nevertheless an enjoyable book, one that kindled my interest in reading the rest of the series.

Cherie Priest Finally Coming to Blighty…?

After being distracted by Cherie Priest’s latest Twitter video of her new puppy (who is very cute), I noticed this photo had also been posted by the author:

These are cover flats for the UK editions of two of Priest’s Clockwork Century novels – in this case, books three and four. First off, I think that cover for Ganymede is really good, but the Inexplicables cover is a narrower zoom on the US artwork, which I saw at BEA2012, and much prefer:

I had mixed feelings about Boneshaker, but I fully intend to catch up with the series at some point (I bought Dreadnought and Ganymede while I was in the US, but ran out of time before I could read them – Alyssa is kindly storing them for me until I return). The premise for each novel is great, and I think Priest has done a good job with the world-building. Perhaps the second, third, and fourth books in the series will live up to my expectations. I really hope they will, so expect reviews of them in the near future.

Cherie Priest’s Clockwork Century series will be released in the UK through Tor. The series will be released on a monthly schedule, according to Amazon UK’s listings: Boneshaker (November 2012), Dreadnought (December 2012), Ganymede (January 2013), Inexplicables (February 2013).

Artwork: STORMDANCER by Jay Kristoff (Tor US)

I posted the UK artwork for Kristoff’s upcoming debut last month. Now, the Jason Chan-created US artwork has been unveiled! So I thought I’d share that, as well (because I think it’s brilliant):

There’s an interesting article over on Tor.com by Kristoff and Chan, about the genesis of the artwork.

“Timeless” by Gail Carriger (Orbit)

Alexia in Egypt; or, Pyramids, Mummies, and Hot Air Balloons

Alexia Tarabotti, Lady Maccon, has settled into domestic bliss. Of course, being Alexia, such bliss involves integrating werewolves into London High Society, living in a vampire’s second best closet, and coping with a precocious toddler who is prone to turning supernatural willy-nilly.

Until, that is, she receives a summons that cannot be ignored. With husband, child, and Tunstells in tow, Alexia boards a steamer to cross the Mediterranean. But Egypt may hold more mysteries than even the indomitable Lady Maccon can handle. What does the vampire Queen of the Alexandria Hive really want from her? Why is the God-Breaker Plague suddenly expanding? And how has Ivy suddenly become the most popular actress in all the British Empire?

With Timeless, the Parasol Protectorate series comes to a close. I first read about Soulless on the blog of Carriger’s agent, Kristin Nelson. I was sold on the book as soon as Nelson wrote, “If the author Jane Austen were to have written a vampire novel during her lifetime, SOULLESS would have been it,” and I was beyond excited to read it when it was finally released. Soulless proved to be worth all of that anticipation, and I have immensely enjoyed reading each instalment in the series. Timeless, luckily for me and all the rest of Carriger’s fans, is no exception: I loved reading it, and once again, I find myself eagerly awaiting the release of a Gail Carriger book – I can’t wait to get my hands on her next project.

Artwork: STORMDANCER by Jay Kristoff (Tor)

Ah, finally! I heard about Jay Kristoff’s Stormdancer what feels like AGES ago (but was probably only last year), so when the cover was revealed, it all started to feel rather more imminent. The first in Kristoff’s The Lotus War series, here is the artwork:

I must admit, this isn’t what I was expecting. At the same time, I should probably admit that I’m not really sure what I was expecting. This cover puts me in mind of Lian Hearne’s Tales of the Otori series (Across the Nightingale Floor, etc.).

Published in September 2012, the novel has been described as “a dystopian steampunk fantasy with a flavour of feudal Japan”, here’s the synopsis from Amazon UK:

Griffins are supposed to be extinct. So when Yukiko and her warrior father are sent to capture one for the Shōgun, they fear that their lives are over. Everyone knows what happens to those who fail him. But the mission proves less impossible and more deadly than anyone expects.

Soon Yukiko finds herself stranded: a young woman alone in her country’s last wilderness, with only a furious, crippled griffin for company. Although she can hear his thoughts, and saved his life, all she knows for certain is he’d rather see her dead than help her. Yet trapped together in the forest, Yukiko and Buruu form a surprising and powerful bond.

Meanwhile, the country verges on collapse. A toxic fuel is choking the land, the machine-powered Lotus Guild is publicly burning those they deem Impure, and the Shōgun cares for nothing but his own dominion. Authority has always made Yukiko uneasy, but her world changes when she meets Kin, a young man with secrets, and the rebel Kagé cabal. She learns the horrifying extent of the Shōgun’s crimes, both against her country and her family. Returning to the city, Yukiko and Buruu are determined to make the Shōgun pay – but what can one girl and a flightless griffin do against the might of an empire?

Expect more coverage of this novel on the blog, and I will (of course) attempt to interview Kristoff at some point in the near future.

[I found the artwork on The Story Siren, who is running an interview with Kristoff & a signed-copy-giveaway.]

Artwork: “Etiquette & Espionage: The Finishing School Book the First” by Gail Carriger (Orbit)

Gail Carriger today unveiled the preliminary artwork for her next novel, Etiquette & Espionage: The Finishing School Book the First. And I think it’s really nice:

I couldn’t find out who designed it, but I must say, this is quite striking. I think I may prefer these to the Parasol Protectorate covers, too. It’s only going to feature on the novel’s ARCs, however (boo!), but the final version will only be “slightly different” (hurray!). Etiquette & Espionage will also be Carriger’s first hardback release, which is great news for readers and author alike!

More on CR: Reviews of Soulless, Changeless, Blameless, and Heartless (review of Timeless coming soon); and also a recent interview with Gail Carriger.

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UPDATE: CORRECTION (19/03) – Etiquette & Espionage will actually be published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (LBYR).

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.

An Interview with PHILIPPA BALLANTINE

Philippa Ballantine is a very busy author: she has three series in or near publication, Books of the Order, Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences, and The Shifted World. I first heard of her through A Fantastical Librarian Mieneke's review of Geist, which I’ve recently picked up for my Kindle and intend to read as soon as I have a spare moment. In the meantime, after some digging on the interwebs, and finding out a little bit more about Ballantine’s series, I thought an interview would be a great way to introduce her and her work to the readers of this blog.

“Goliath” by Scott Westerfeld (Simon & Schuster)

Reviewed by Alyssa

The exciting conclusion to the Leviathan Trilogy

Alek and Deryn are aboard the Leviathan when the ship is ordered to pick up an unusual passenger. This brilliant/maniacal inventor claims to have a weapon called Goliath that can end the war. But whose side is he really on?

While on their top-secret mission, Alek finally discovers Deryn’s deeply kept secret. Two, actually. Not only is Deryn a girl disguised as a guy... she has feelings for Alek.

The crown, true love with a commoner, and the destruction of a great city all hang on Alek’s next-and final-move.

I am a big fan of Scott Westerfeld, and have particularly enjoyed the Leviathan Trilogy (see my review of Behemoth, the second book in the trilogy, here). Goliath delivers on all of the promise of the first two books. It is a fast-paced adventure that takes us around the globe, filled with fantastic creatures and machines. The rest of the review will contain minor spoilers for the first two books, so if you haven’t already started this series, stop reading now, track down Leviathan and start there – the Leviathan Trilogy is well worth your time.

“The Buntline Special” by Mike Resnick (Pyr)

The OK Corral! Gunfights! Zombies!

The year is 1881. The United States of America ends at the Mississippi River. Beyond lies the Indian nations, where the magic of powerful Medicine Men has halted the advance of the Americans east of the river.

An American government desperate to expand its territory sends Thomas Alva Edison out West to the town of Tombstone, Arizona, on a mission to discover a scientific means of counteracting magic. Hired to protect this great genius, Wyatt Earp and his brothers.

But there are plenty who would like to see the Earps and Edison dead. Riding to their aid are old friends Doc Holliday and Bat Masterson. Against them stand the Apache wizard Geronimo and the Clanton gang. Battle lines are drawn, and the Clanton gang, which has its own reasons for wanting Edison dead, sends for Johnny Ringo, the one man who might be Doc Holliday's equal in a gunfight. But what shows up instead is The Thing That Was Once Johnny Ringo, returned from the dead and come to Tombstone looking for a fight.

This is the Wild West like you’ve never read before. The undead drink in saloons, electric lights shine on the streets of Tombstone, and horseless stagecoaches protect passengers from the angry natives. It took me quite a while to get to this novel, for some reason. I’m a big fan of westerns, and Doc Holliday and Wyatt Earp are particular favourites. A Steampunk reimagining of the US Western Expansion era and the gunfight at the OK Corral? This was great fun.

“Boneshaker” by Cherie Priest (Tor)

Introducing the Clockwork Century

At the start of the Civil War, a Russian mining company commissions a great machine to pave the way from Seattle to Alaska and speed up the gold rush that is beating a path to the frozen north. Inventor Leviticus Blue creates the machine, but on its first test run it malfunctions, decimating Seattle’s banking district and uncovering a vein of Blight Gas that turns everyone who breathes it into the living dead.

Sixteen years later Briar, Blue’s widow, lives in the poor neighbourhood outside the wall that’s been built around the uninhabitable city. Life is tough with a ruined reputation, but she and her teenage son Ezekiel are surviving until Zeke impetuously decides that he must reclaim his father s name from the clutches of history.

Boneshaker is a novel I had been dancing around for quite some time. I’d heard and read plenty of praise aimed at the novel – not to mention seen the glowing blurbs from Scott Westerfeld, Warren Ellis, and Mike Mignola printed on the cover. While in Los Angeles, I read the first handful of chapters when in a bookstore’s cafe. What I read intrigued me, so I bought a copy of the book. My thoughts are mixed, which makes it a tough review to write. The novel has obvious strengths, but it also has some weaknesses.

“Heartless” by Gail Carriger (Orbit)

Reviewed by Alyssa Mackenzie

Are treason and conspiracy threatening London?

Lady Alexia, soulless, is at it again – only this time the trouble in the air is not her fault.

When a mad ghost threatens the queen, Alexia is on the case, following a trail that leads her deep into her husband’s past. Top that off with a sister who has joined the suffragette movement (shocking!), Madame Lefoux’s latest mechanical invention and a plague of zombie porcupines – and Alexia barely has time to remember she just happens to be eight months pregnant.

Will she be able to figure out who is trying to kill Queen Victoria before it’s too late? Is it the vampires again or is there a traitor lurking about in wolf’s clothing? And do they really have to take up residence in Lord Akeldama’s second best closet?

I have been a fan of The Parasol Protectorate since I read Soulless last year: the series is consistently charming, original, and laugh-out-loud funny. Heartless, the fourth volume of the series, is no exception, and Carriger’s readers will not be disappointed.

“Changeless” & “Blameless” by Gail Carriger (Orbit)

Reviewed by Alyssa

Alexia Tarabotti is back with a vengeance

Changeless: Lady Alexia is rudely awoken in the wee hours of the mid-afternoon to find rather peculiar events transpiring. Her husband, who should be decently asleep like any normal werewolf, is yelling at the top of his lungs. Then he disappears – leaving her to deal with a regiment of supernatural soldiers encamped on her doorstep, a plethora of exorcised ghosts and an angry Queen Victoria.

But Alexia is armed with her trusty parasol, the latest fashions and an arsenal of biting civility. Even when her investigations take her to Scotland, the backwater of ugly waistcoats, she is prepared – upending werewolf pack dynamics as only the soulless can.

She might even find time to track down her wayward husband, if she feels like it.

When I read Gail Carriger’s Soulless last year, I was delighted. It was fresh, and funny, and utterly original. Since then, I have lent my copy of the book to two friends and bought another for a third - this is a novel you want to share. With the strength of her debut, Carriger set herself quite a challenge for the rest of her series, but Changeless and Blameless, the next two books, not only meet but surpass the high standard of the Soulless. The second and third volumes of The Parasol Protectorate series are every bit as funny as the first, but with an added emotional depth. These books are unlike anything else out there, and they are marvellous. [There are very minor spoilers in this review.]

An interview with JONATHAN GREEN

Steampunk adventures, fighting fantasy, Dr Who, and science fiction… There seems to be no sub-genre Jonathan Green has not dabbled in. Currently penning the popular Pax Britannia series published by Abaddon Books, Jonathan was kind enough to answer a few questions about steampunk, writing, and more.