eBooks, Readers, Kindles, and iPads

With the release of Amazon’s third-generation Kindle – including a proper UK release – I thought I’d write something a little longer than normal about eBooks and eReaders. It’s a bit of a rambling article, for which I apologise, but I hope it’s interesting.

General Observations about eReading

I’ve been the proud owner of a Sony Reader for over a year now, and I’ve found reading from the e-ink screen a pleasure. The device is superbly portable, and it’s been to Peru and the US with me (indeed, the reviews I posted in July and August 2009 were almost all eBooks), not to mention all over the UK.

Many of my colleagues and friends still don’t ‘get’ the whole eBook ‘thing’, and why anyone would want to read off a screen, rather than have a physical book in one’s hands. This, I admit, was something I wondered about when I first started to read and learn about eBooks. As I wrote on one of my other blogs, I couldn’t understand why anyone would want to spend £200 (at the time) for a device, plus book/content costs, when thumbs came as standard.

Over the course of the year-plus of eReading, there are some issues that have cropped up; and maybe with the release of the UK Kindle, we might get that little bit closer to resolving them. I’m going to separate this article into different sections: pricing; Amazon Kindle (this will be a pretty long section); eBook potential in reviewing ‘market’; and any other interesting things that have cropped up over time.

Pricing & Format Wars

On the whole, I’ve found eBook prices to be fine, but there is still one major issue, and that’s the price of “hardback” eBooks – without a tangible book, I think the cost can often be prohibitive and frankly unfair to the consumer. This is only compounded by the fact that, upon the release of the paperback edition, eBook prices are rarely dropped to match this (or, at the very least, find a middle-ground).

This is what author Joe Abercrombie wrote about the pricing of his novels in eBook format, back in July 2009:

“The prices are a tad disappointing – £10 and change for Best Served Cold when a hardback is selling at £8.50, and around £6 for the First Law books when mass-market paperbacks are available for a mere £4.”

He goes on to make part of my argument, only better:

“selling ebooks at more than the cost of the paper books is going to look just a wee bit like taking the piss to some buyers, I suspect. I’d like to see them retail at most at the same price as the paper equivalents, and ideally somewhat lower”

The plethora of formats is another huge issue, and is connected to the price issue. As UK devices predominantly seem to prefer ePub (Sony even changed their format to ePub earlier this year), quite why the Kindle has not been released with the capability to read this format seems ridiculous. This will be picked up again in the Kindle-specific section, below.

To return to the pricing of eBook content, it would appear that there might be a price war on the near horizon. I came across this interesting quote:

“Reg Hardware looked at a collection of 36 books bought over the past fifteen months, originally costing £208.65. To buy the same collection from Amazon’s new UK Kindle store would cost £158.97, or £205.61 from WH Smith’s eBook shop.

“To buy the same books from Waterstone’s now would cost £239.59, an increase (allowing for the VAT change at the start of this year) of around 16.5 per cent; with a WiFi-only Kindle on offer at £109, those who read a lot could find it worth switching to Amazon, even if they already have an eBook reader.”

If ever there was evidence to suggest you should buy a Kindle over any other device, this might just be it. This is another reason I think there’s going to be an all-out price war coming. I did some of my own comparisons, too, focussing on the books I would be most likely to buy. My initial search wasn’t too successful, as the book I was looking for - Mark Charan Newton’s Nights of Viljamur – is not available as an eBook on Waterstones.com, or from WHSmith’s eBook store (the second in the series, City of Ruin, was available, for £13.94). It is available for the Kindle, however, for just £3.79. Bargain! My second search was a little more successful: Tom Lloyd’s Stormcaller, the first in his Twilight Reign series. WHSmith’s £6.55; Waterstone’s £7.54; Amazon £6.04 – not exactly huge differences, but still the £1.50 difference between Waterstone’s and Amazon would start to add up if you were as addicted to reading/books as I am. Even in the case of non-fiction, the price differences are considerable. Peter Mandelson’s The Third Man is £11.25 for the Kindle, £15.28 from WHSmith’s, and £16.45 from Waterstone’s eBook store. This is not to say that Amazon’s prices are always fair: Ari Marmell’s The Conqueror’s Shadow, now available in paperback for £4.63 still costs a frankly ridiculous £13.60 for the Kindle, and £15.57 from Waterstone’s.

Moving on from specifics price issues, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking on how publishers and vendors could bridge the gap between physical- and eBooks. There is still something nice, familiar, and cosy about a book: You can curl up with it; you can write on it; it ‘starts up’ instantaneously with a bookmark and the simple use of pre-installed thumbs; there’s no worry about battery life; and if you lose it, the loss is limited. One reader of CR, ‘Bascule’, has this to say about why he would prefer a book over an eBook:

“I like the feel and smell of a book, I love the purchasing process, I love great vividly coloured covers. I love my hundreds of feet of groaning bookshelves. I can sometimes, between books, just sit and look at my bookcases.”

Taking into consideration those who still love to own and read hardbacks – a fondness I share, it’s true – why not create special offers for both? For example, when the hardback edition is released, maybe a special ‘package’ or ‘bundle’ deal could be offered? Given that most/many hardbacks are released nowadays with discounts (sometimes as much as half off), what about offering a special package of, say, £20 for hardback and eBook? This way, collectors would still have the pleasure of owning the hardback edition, but for the purposes of travelling, they could easy transport the book with them, without a care for weight limits or inconveniences caused by lugging a massive tome along with them. It’s a particular example, I know, but take Justin Cronin’s The Passage, which is an absolute beast of a novel. Compare the size of my ARC version of the book with my Sony Reader, in the photo below:

It’s easy to see why someone might be more interested in owning the eBook, but equally the physical book looks great on one’s shelves, and feels satisfyingly weighty in one’s hands. Ergo, a hardback-&-eBook package might be popular. The ability to store hundreds of eBooks without taking up physical space – either on the device itself, on your computer – is a real boon. This is good for voracious readers in small homes (and Japan) and also for students.

Speaking of students, are there other benefits for them? Student accommodation is getting increasingly pokey and limited, so the opportunity to stick all your course texts and articles onto one device would be a boon, surely? For English students studying the classics, resources such as Project Guttenberg could help lower costs of studying even when considering the cost of the reader device itself (Sony comes with 100 classics free, and Amazon offers many classics for rock-bottom prices).

A hardback-&-eBook package might also go some way to alleviating the digital-angst felt by bibliophiles, purists, and snobs – you still get the physical hardback, but also an ultra-portable edition of the book to keep on an eReader in case you fancy reading it on the move. This idea appealed to a number of people I spoke to while writing this. Some didn’t see the viability of idea, however, but there is a precedent for it: I’m referring to the ‘Triple Play’ packages available for some movies (e.g. Iron Man 2, Prince of Persia), which include Blu-Ray, DVD and digital copy, usually for competitive prices. Again, some people didn’t see the point, but considering they are only £15 from Amazon, it would protect your collection from technology advances – future-proofing your DVD collection.

Publishers and agents still don’t seem to be sure what to make of the eBook market, or how to best serve the interests of themselves, authors, customers, and vendors all at the same time. (It’s difficult to have missed the Amazon-Macmillan snafu earlier this year, when the retailer and publisher clashed over control of eBook pricing.) In the eloquent Mr Abercrombie’s 2009 post, he characterises the industry mentality as not quite sure how to approach the nascent eBook market:

“At the moment most publishers and booksellers are still focused on the paper market where heavy discounts are applying more and more widely, making ebooks something of a speciality item and hence relatively more expensive. Hopefully in due course that will change, and I’ll certainly be pressing them to lower the price as soon and as much as possible but, hey, it’s a start.”

Sadly, we have yet to see too much movement on prices, although Amazon does seem to have made some progress in this direction. (Abercrombie’s books are priced between £3.80-£5.69 for the Kindle.)

If publishers are worried about eBooks cutting into hardback and paperback sales (after all, Amazon sold 180 eBooks for every 100 hardbacks in July, apparently), then why not make the eBook a midway step between the release of the hardback and mass market paperback editions? This might be annoying, though, as many publishers seem to be releasing three stages already (hardback edition, ‘airport’ edition, mass market paperback), and another edition might just get in the way.

Amazon & the Kindle

It’s impossible not to spend some time discussing the Kindle specifically. For one, it’s the best-looking eReading device apart from the iPad. It’s the most competitively priced device, too – and, from the comments above about pricing differentials, the cheapest to, uh, ‘run’. I’ve tried out a Kindle DX (larger screen, only available in the US at the moment, but can be shipped abroad), and I must say that books, PDF articles and magazines look superb on it’s 9.7” screen. I’m not sure how they’ll look on the smaller, 6” screen, but imagine they’ll look pretty good.

Gavin from NextRead had this to say about the iPad and Kindle:

“I’ve had a good chance to try out Sony’s Readers, and Apple’s iPad so why do I want… an Amazon Kindle? Because it combines the best bits of the other two. An e-ink screen with a wireless way of adding books. Don’t get me wrong, I love my iPad, but it’s not good outside and not that portable and Sony’s e-readers just aren’t that easy to use when it comes to getting books... I’d rather have the convenience of a Kindle in all its forms.”

There is also a widely-shared concern nowadays about connectivity. NextRead Gavin, in the same post as above, suggested “that Waterstone’s and a partner (Sony?) need to come up with at least a wireless eReader with a store that supports instant downloads if they are going to compete for sales with Amazon.” Now, Sony does produce the Daily Edition of its Reader, but it is only available in the US (just another example of the UK market lacking the speed and pace of our Atlantic cousins). 3G devices are on the rise, of course – the iPad was the first tablet with 3G capability (at prohibitive costs). With the release of the Kindle, which offers free 3G connectivity, iPad has a serious competitor. The Sony Daily Edition is only available in the US and, according to a March 2010 PC Advisor article, “Sony has yet to reveal when it will be available in the UK”.

Bizarrely, given the popularity of the iPad and new Kindle (which has sold out its first run), in an August 2009 article titled “UK isn’t ready for 3G eBook reader”, Omar Gurnah (Sony UK’s ‘category manager for Reader’) told PC Pro

“We’re expecting the Kindle to arrive [in the UK] before Christmas, I think everybody is, but, to be honest, we don’t see it as much of a threat. It’ll be great, because it’ll raise awareness, but we think it’ll push people towards the cheaper Reader Touch. In the end, it could be a good thing for us.”

This, to me, makes me think Sony is out of touch with the UK market. It’s true that Reader prices have been slashed, but the Reader Touch is actually still more expensive than the top Kindle model: £199.99 vs. £149. And it doesn’t have 3G connectivity. The Pocket Reader (with a smaller screen), is cheaper than the 3G+Wi-Fi Kindle (£99.99), but only just from the non-3G Kindle, which is £109. I therefore think the opposite effect will be the case: with the Kindle’s proprietary format, and the competitive price of both device and content, not to mention the ability to install Kindle Editions on an iPhone, iPad, iPod, and Blackberry device (free, and with total synchronisation between devices as well), I really don’t see any new adopter going for anything but the Kindle. As someone with over 100 ePub books, I’m seriously considering buying a Kindle (the main thing that’s stopped me is that I’m not sure which version would be best for me. Well, that and money...)

Amazon could still benefit further by releasing a patch, program, or update that would allow ePubs to be transferred to the Kindle (certainly in the UK, where I still believe the considerable majority of people will have ePub readers).

As the two must-have gadgets of 2010, though, which would be better, the iPad or a Kindle? The iPad has a colour display that is, frankly, beautiful to behold. The colour option is great for magazines, comic books, etc, but wouldn’t be necessary for ‘proper’ books. Also, over prolonged periods, the iPad’s computer-like screen would apparently be more tiring on the eyes than the e-Ink of a Kindle or Sony Reader. (A colleague has an iPad, and he has actually said he’s experienced no discomfort from reading a novel on the Apple device, so maybe it’s dependent on the individual.) The colour screen also drains the battery life, effectively reducing the iPad’s usefulness on long journeys. The question, therefore, boils down to whether or not it would be better to have two gadgets: one for books (eReader), and one for the general “fluff of life” (iPad)? A recent piece on theBookseller has suggested this might not be a long-lived question:

“The people who know of [Amazon]’s plans said Lab 126 was fostered inside Amazon with this goal in mind, but until recently the company has focused exclusively on the Kindle e-reading platform. Amazon is known to be working on the next versions of the Kindle, possibly integrating touch screens or even creating a colour version of the device.”

There’s still a long way to go, I think, before colour devices are widely available and cost-effective. The lack of colour cover artwork has also never been much of a problem for me – it’s the book’s content that I’m interested in reading. That being said, it would be nice if the eBooks at least came with a black-and-white version of the artwork (some early eBooks were really very poor quality, and yet still expensive).

eBook Potential for Reviewing ‘Market’

Offering eBook editions for review is still not a common option for reviewers. There are some exceptions (Angry Robot, Pyr), but it’s still something that hasn’t taken off. I do, however, think it’s something publishers may want to take a longer look at. It may not cost much to manufacture review copies (though, I believe ARCs are more expensive than normal paperbacks), the option of emailing an electronic copy would certainly save on postage, and stock restrictions would be less of a concern. For example, I was recently sent Jilliane Hoffman’s latest book from the US, and the postage was $14! Pyr, on the other hand, as well as saying they would be willing to send physical books from the US, also offered PDF editions – not only was this quicker and cheaper for the publisher, it also resulted in them sending me two more than I requested.

This highlights another potential benefit of eBook review copies: it could lower or disregard altogether geographical boundaries. This would be a boon for online reviewers, such as myself, but also publishers around the world. Given the international market, the ease of ordering books from the US or elsewhere, not to mention the international readership of blogs, to be able to offer reviews of international releases would benefit bloggers and readers alike. There would be greater scope for more reviews, taken from a broader range of publishers – certainly a boon for those interested in speculative fiction.

This idea probably won’t be popular with everyone, of course – there is a certain thrill one gets from receiving an ARC (more so when it’s a numbered, signed limited edition – of which I have two), and it’s definitely true that not everyone has an eReader of any kind – I don’t count laptops and computers, here, because they are not as nice to read from for extended periods of time. It’s something to think about, anyway, I think.

Conclusion?

I’m not entirely sure what sort of conclusion I was hoping to draw from this. As I said at the beginning of the post, I love all things technological and I’m a fan of the eBook format, so the future of the medium is of interest. I think the Kindle will be an absolute game-changer in the British market, just as the iPad hasn’t been, but I don’t think this will lead to the death of Sony’s market. It will, however, probably come down to a price- and format-war. At the moment, I would say it’s anybody’s guess who or what will come out on top.

“Lock Down”, by Sean Black (Bantam)

Introducing Ryan Lock: Bodyguard, problem-solver, all-round hard man

It may be Christmas in New York, but for ex-military bodyguard Ryan Lock it’s business as usual.

His mission: to protect the CEO of America’s largest pharmaceutical company. But, when an apparently botched assassination attempt goes wrong, leaving bodies littering the streets of midtown Manhattan, Lock is drawn into a complex web of intrigue.

Lock’s search for the truth takes him from the rooftops of a New York skyscraper to a heavily fortified warehouse on the Hudson where he uncovers an explosive secret.

As the clock ticks towards midnight on New Year’s Eve, all routes into and out of Manhattan are sealed, and Lock realizes that not only is his own life in terrible danger but so are the lives of millions of others...

Introducing a new action hero to a genre growing exponentially in popularity and number, Lock Down is a solid debut. Ryan Lock, the hero in question, is working for Meditech, a stereotypical medical corporation. The company is hounded by animal rights protestors and activists – from public demonstrations in front of their Manhattan offices, to more violent activities, the activists have been a considerable thorn in Meditech’s side for some time.

Two seemingly unconnected crimes – the apparently botched assassination attempt mentioned in the synopsis, and also the kidnap of a former employee’s son – Ryan Lock’s life is tipped upside down as he takes it upon himself to investigate the boy’s disappearance. As he delves deeper into the case, he realises that there was more to the kidnapping than a ransom grab, and he soon finds himself fighting for his life. He is aided in his mission by Ty Johnson, a former marine who recruited Lock out of the British military and into private security; and Carrie, a beautiful journalist and former love-interest of Lock’s.

In reality, Lock Down is almost two novels – the kidnap and rescue, which is dealt with in the first half of the novel; followed by the conspiracy-gone-wrong behind the kidnapping and the deadly repercussions of Lock’s investigation. It works well, but around halfway, the plot’s momentum faltered a little. It’s clear that a lot of this is aimed at introducing us fully to Lock, and in this the novel succeeds very well – he’s a likeable character, tough and focussed, but not above normal human emotion and weakness (as a simple example, his scenes with Angel, a rescued dog, are great and should make you chuckle – as well as want a dog…). In this respect, we get a little more than some other fictional action heroes, who sometimes seem to be written purely to create a “I’m considerably tougher than thou” superman. Lock is human, fallible, and an interesting protagonist.

Black writes in very pacey prose - you’ll whizz through the pages of Lock Down (in my first sitting, around lunch, I burned through 74 pages). The main character is likeable, and definitely in the mould of Lee Child’s Jack Reacher, Vince Flynn’s Mitch Rapp, and Kyle Mills’s Mark Beamon. As entertainment, this works as a thoroughly enjoyable novel.

I would hesitate to say this novel is cliché, but it was somewhat predictable – no doubt fans of the genre will recognise some of the above description from innumerable other action-adventure series and thrillers. From the internal struggles and company politics at Meditech, to Lock’s idealised-action-man nature, Black is not reinventing the wheel here, but his take on the genre is very confident and assured for a debut author.

The novel didn’t quite meet the level of Flynn’s or Mills’s earlier novels (which just seem to delve deeper and with more confidence, and just feel meatier in terms of plot and character), though many similar themes are shared and equally well done. I would say this is certainly better than James Patterson’s recent output, but not yet on the same level as Flynn’s novels. I found it easier to get into Lock Down than Andrew Grant’s debut, Even.

On the strength of this novel, I would say Black was akin to an apprentice thriller writer: his work is of great quality, near-indistinguishable from the ‘masters’ in content and themes, but under the surface it’s just not quite of the same quality. For example, the antagonists of the novel are a little predictable and too-familiar from other thrillers (novels and movies), this meant they lacked the menace of some antagonists we’ve come to read about – such as Kyle Craig, Alex Cross’s nemesis from the earlier James Patterson novels. It’s clear that the bulk of Black’s energies went into making Ryan Lock as three-dimensional and realistic as possible, at the unintended expense of fully rounding out the bad-guys and peripheral characters.

We’ll see if the author managed to raise his game with Dead Lock, but I’m confident that he has (the premise is very cool). Lock Down is a solid debut novel, and one that reads better than some established authors.

Definitely an author to watch, I will certainly be reading all of the future Ryan Lock novels – may there be many more to come.

Also try: Vince Flynn, Kyle Mills, Lee Child, Andrew Grant, Brett Battles, Alex Berenson, Chris Ryan, James Patterson, Joseph Finder, Jeff Abbott

New Artwork & Upcoming Books (Black Library)

Black Library has just updated the Coming Soon section of their website, and some of the artwork really stands out. So, here is a selection of the best, along with synopses of their respective novels and a short comment from me. (Really it’s just an excuse to share some of these covers – they’re great!)

“Garro: Oath of Moment” & “Garro: Legion of One”, by James Swallow (December 2010, April 2011)

Two audio-books detailing the further exploits of the hero of Flight of the Eisenstein

In surviving the horrors on board the Eisenstein, Nathaniel Garro proved his courage and absolute loyalty to the Emperor.  On his return to Terra, Garro is despatched on a mission of even greater importance – a mission given to him by Malcador the Sigillite himself. He soon finds himself back amongst the stars and on the fields of battle, thrust into a warzone where the Ultramarnes battle a greenskin invasion. Once again Garro must fight for survival, but now he also fights to achieve a higher purpose...

Nathaniel Garro, loyalist Death Guard, and hero of the Eisenstein, has found a new calling in his service to the Emperor. Surrounded by a cloak of secrecy, Garro travels the galaxy in pursuit of his new goal. His quest will lead him to heart of the most destructive warzones, and reveal a secret that will change the course of the Horus Heresy itself...

I’ve not had much experience listening to Black Library audio-books (only one thus far, with another on the way). Given the Horus Heresy setting, however, I’m rather interested in these two.

“Savage Scars”, by Andy Hoare (March 2011)

Introducing the White Scars

Dal’yth. The forces of the Greater Good have established a strangehold on the planet, and the time has come for the Imperium to move against them.

The White Scars lead the ground assault against the tau, launching into combat with speed and fury, shedding blood as they gain ground against their enemies.

Meanwhile, the members of the Crusade Council are determined to pursue their own agendas, and their politicking and back-stabbing will place the entire war effort in jeopardy. But little do they know that Inquisitor Grand has more extreme measures in mind, and the White Scars must achieve victory quickly or the cost to Dal’yth will be devastating.

The White Scars seem like an interesting Legion, and one that hasn’t received too much attention in the WH40k fiction line. The Mongol-horde inspiration for their character and practices sounds like an interesting alternative to more standard or conservative legions. I’m quite looking forward to this one.

“Broken Honour”, by Robert Earl (March 2011)

The start of a new series from the man who brought us the Adventures of Florin & Lorenzo

The armies of Hochland are at breaking point. Beset on all sides by the feral beastmen, the safety and prosperity of the province is shattered. These are desperate times.

Mercenary Captain Eriksson looks to capitalise on the conflict, buying the freedom of a group of prisoners to form a new free company. The criminals are delighted to be released, but this comes at a terrible price – to fight and die in the upcoming conflict. Eriksson must lead his makeshift company into one bloody conflict after another, putting his faith in those who gave up on honour long ago. On the battlefields of Hochland, either damnation or redemption awaits them.

I enjoyed the Adventures of Florin & Lorenzo: with the author’s quirky humour and quickly-paced adventures, it fell into the same category as the Gotrek & Felix series. Naturally, this makes me interested in Earl’s latest novel. And the cover is just brilliant – really stands out among other WH novels.

“Knights of Bretonnia”, by Anthony Reynolds (April 2011)

Knightly Omnibus

Bretonnia is a land shrouded in myth and magic, under siege from the strange creatures of its shadowy forests and those fallen to the lure of the Dark Gods. Against these fearsome foes stand the Knights of Bretonnia, calling upon their faith in the Lady and their guile with the sword to repel their legions of enemies. When young noble Calard starts upon the path to knighthood, he soon discovers the darkness hidden within his homeland and the price that must be paid by those seeking the holiest of honours – the title of Grail Knight. Accompanied by his faithful manservant Chlod, he must face vampires, wyverns, Chaos warriors and goblins, but each battle brings him one step closer to becoming the legend he seeks.

Knights of Bretonnia collects the novels Knight Errant and Knight of the Realm, plus two new novellas, Questing Knight and Grail Knight. The novels and novellas form the complete saga of Calard, following his story from his training as a knight through his most epic of victories. I never read these

“Age of Darkness”, edited by Christian Dunn (May 2011)

Latest Horus Heresy anthology

After the betrayal at Isstvan, Horus begins his campaign against the Emperor, a galaxy-wide war that can lead only to Terra.

But the road to the final confrontation between father and son is a long one – seven years filled with secrecy and silence, plans and foundations being formed across distant stars.

An unknown history is about to be unveiled as light is shed on the darkest years of the Horus Heresy, and revelations will surface that will shake the Imperium to its very foundation...

Not really sure about what we can expect from this anthology. The previous one, Tales of Heresy, was pretty good, but lacked the cohesiveness of a single novel. The synopsis suggests things are getting close to the end of the Heresy, so who knows how many more novels might follow. I’m curious to see how they’ll advance the overall story

Nonetheless, it’s another excellent cover from Neil Roberts.

Anyway, that’s just a selection of the novels coming up from the Black Library. If you’re interested in reading about other forthcoming titles, head on over to the website to see a full listing (from September 2010 to May 2011).

*     *     *

In another piece of exciting, Black Library-related news, I found this image on their website:

While there isn’t too much detail yet about which titles will be available to begin with (though look closely at the iPad, above, and you might be able to get an idea), I can certainly say this is a great development! The chance to get all the back-listed Gotrek & Felix and Gaunt’s Ghosts novels in eBook format is something I’ve been wanting for a long time. The digital format will also, potentially, allow for older titles to be resurrected. Here’s what the press release says:

“We are looking at both our forthcoming releases and backlist to decide how best to make them available, nothing is set in stone at present.”

As for what formats the eBooks are going to be available in, here’s the comment from the website:

“We will most probably produce our eBooks in Mobi (the Kindle format), ePub (most other eReaders such as the Sony Reader and Barnes & Noble Nook) at the very least. We are still looking into this; more info to come.”

So, at least they’re going to do their best to make the novels available to all eBook readers. Now, about the price…? Not a clue.

Anyway, that’s all the news for the moment. Interesting developments, and something I’ll be looking into, when I buy a Kindle (I’ve caved, and I just know I have to have one…).

“Lord of the Changing Winds”, by Rachel Neumeier (Orbit)

Reviewed by Alyssa Mackenzie

An uneven beginning to a new series, The Griffin Mage

The desert winds have come to the village of Minas Ford. Griffins, creatures of fire, have appeared in a burning haze – searing the sky a blinding white and scorching the earth to parched, barren sand. These majestic beasts, half-lion, half-eagle, spread the arid desert wherever they roam.

Iaor, the King of Feierabiand, will not tolerate the destruction of his people’s farmland. He means to drive the griffins from his domain – whether by negotiation or brute force.

But not all those who encounter the griffins fear them. Kes, a timid village girl, is summoned to heal the King of the Griffins himself. She will discover her affinity with these creatures, and come to realize that the menace they flee is even more deadly than the blazing fires of the desert.

Lord of the Changing Winds is the first in The Griffin Mage Trilogy. Neumeier does not simply use this first book to lay the groundwork for the rest of the trilogy: it has an eventful and intriguing plot that stands in its own right. The narrative alternates between the stories of Kes and Bertaud, a courtier with close personal ties to the king. Kes’s journey is one of personal discovery: previously isolated and uncertain of herself, she discovers through her interactions with the griffins powers and abilities she could not have imagined. Bertaud, whose love for and loyalty to King Iaor has been one of the few constants in his life, finds himself forced to pursue unexpected paths in his effort to protect his king and his country.

The political situation that underlies the plot of the novel is complex and well-constructed. The arrival of the griffins in Feierabiand is ultimately tied to the expansionist ambitions of neighbouring Casmantium. As the novel progresses, we discover that not only Kes but also the griffins have been caught up in political conflict that has little to do with them, and is beyond their control.

Emerging through both Kes’s and Bertaud’s stories is the court of the griffins. Neumeier’s griffins are fascinating, described in terms that verge on lyrical, and their culture and nature are compellingly represented. They are beautiful, violent, generous, proud, and utterly unsentimental. The system of magic Neumeier has created is one based on the elements – humans, creatures of the earth, use earth magic, while the griffins draw their power from fire. The clash between these two elements colours every interaction between humans and griffins, and forms an important aspect of the plot.

Unfortunately, the novel suffers somewhat when it comes to pacing. The narrative alternates between the stories of Kes and Bertaud, offering different perspectives on the events as they unfold. However, the sharpness of the distinction between these two narrative threads tends to restrict the development of momentum in the plot, such that I did not find myself truly caught up in the story until the final hundred pages or so, when the two storylines became almost entirely intertwined. I found this to be particularly a problem with Kes’s storyline. Each her chapters seemed to cover discrete episodes, with less continuity between them than I would have liked, and occasionally with important revelations (such as the potential effect of her magical engagement with the griffins) occurring off-stage first.

I would also have liked more time to get acquainted with the everyday life of Feierabiand, and with Kes’s previous existence, before her engagement with the griffins began in earnest. As the novel and her involvement with the world of the griffins progresses, Kes undergoes many changes. These changes are important to the story, but because not as much attention is paid to what she’s changed from, we cannot get a proper appreciation of what she’s changed into. When the plot reaches its crisis point, the author tells us,

“She longed for a simpler, gentler time, for the girl she had been and the life she had owned before the griffins had come. A time when the only choices she had to make were simple, because they did not matter.”

However, because so little of the book is spent on Kes’s life prior to the arrival of the griffins (the novel begins with her first sighting of them), I felt that Kes’s nostalgia for her old life did not have the impact it could have had. Her two most important human relationships – with her sister Tesme, whom she leaves behind to join the griffins, and with Jos, whose love for her makes him, by the end of the novel, her only remaining tie to the human world – are not as well-developed as they could have been, and might have benefited from more time devoted to Kes’s ‘old’ life.

Overall, I found Lord of the Changing Winds to be an uneven read – the pacing and structure prevent it from being as good as it could have been, but the imaginative work that has gone into it is clearly impressive.

The second book, Land of the Burning Sands, is out now; the third, Law of the Broken Earth, is scheduled for release in December 2010. It will be interesting to see how the story and characters develop as the series progresses.

Also try: Maggie Furey, Naomi Novik, Trudi Canavan

“The Black Lung Captain”, by Chris Wooding (Gollancz)

The Ketty Jay flies again

Darian Frey is down on his luck. He can barely keep his squabbling crew fed and his rickety aircraft in the sky. Even the simplest robberies seem to go wrong. It’s getting so a man can’t make a dishonest living any more.

Enter Captain Grist. He’s heard about a crashed aircraft laden with the treasures of a lost civilisation, and he needs Frey’s help to get it. There’s only one problem: The craft is lying in the trackless heart of a remote island, populated by giant beasts and subhuman monsters. Dangerous, yes. Suicidal, perhaps.

Still, Frey’s never let common sense get in the way of a fortune before. But there’s something other than treasure on board that aircraft. Something that a lot of important people would kill for. And it’s going to take all of Frey’s considerable skill at lying, cheating and stealing if he wants to get his hands on it...

Chris Wooding is a well-established author (having at least 16 novels published), yet I only really came across his work with the release of the first Ketty Jay novel, Retribution Falls. Having loved that novel, I eagerly awaited the release of The Black Lung Captain. As the synopsis is above, and delving too much into the plot will ruin the story for you, I’ll just focus on my impressions – mainly on the crew, as this is in actuality, a very human tale. The most important thing to state, however, was that I was addicted to reading this novel, reading it at any and every opportunity (much to the annoyance of my companions for the weekend), and was sad that it had to end.

The story itself is great. Wooding has managed to write a great premise, revealing only small parts of the overall mystery as the story unfolds, keeping the reader (not to mention the crew of the Ketty Jay) guessing almost up until the end. The crew are lead on a couple of merry chases around the world, getting into plenty of scrapes and tricky situations, relying on their wits and blind, dumb luck to get them through. The novel manages to blend so many elements and themes together – a treasure hunt, copious piracy, double- and triple-crosses, mysterious agendas, and a crew seeking to find themselves.

The greatest strength of the series is the cast of characters. Three-dimensional and sympathetic, everything from their dialogue, their thoughts and interactions with each other to their environment is believable. The banter between the crew members is still great fun to read, and the characters feel even more real and well-rounded. It took just a short while to remember everyone, but after I did (within a couple short chapters, really), I just sank into the novel and right back into the world. In this second novel in the series, Wooding fleshes out the characters and also rounds out more of the world, science, supernatural, politics and religion that go into making this a thoroughly unique creation.

We learn more of Cray’s “deamonism” and quest for redemption; Jez’s true nature and her attempts to deal with new revelations; more about the Manes, inhuman marauding pirates from the frozen north; and Captain Frey’s lingering feelings and history with Trinica Draken, the fearsome pirate queen who consistently foils all of Frey’s carefully-laid plans at every turn. Frey is also not feeling himself for most of the novel, and is more introspective and dour than in Retribution Falls. He seems, actually, to be rather depressed – especially when it seems as if his crew is falling apart and dispersing, leaving him with a sense of abandonment.

The crew all have their flaws, often sharing neuroses: abandonment issues, self-doubt, a predisposition towards the maudlin… On top of this, three of them have pretty huge secrets (none bigger or potentially more dangerous than Jez’s). Wooding really delves into the emotions and internal monologues of his characters, and it makes for an introspective and considered novel, populated by thoroughly believable and expertly-crafted characters. Even the new faces are well done and instantly feel real: for example, Grist, the Black Lung Captain of the title, is great and unpredictable, even though you quickly cotton on to his true nature (but not his specific plan).

Life for Frey & Co is not easy, not by a long shot – they are poor, in need of work and supplies, and their enthusiasm for their criminal careers is not exactly matched by their abilities. They are a true motley bunch, but one that shares a strong camaraderie and loyalty, even if it is fragile. Throughout the novel, Wooding builds a picture of the crew that is at once touching and realistic; they are basically a big, dysfunctional family. As Frey ponders, at one point:

“He was pleased that his crew were just about capable of working together as a unit nowadays; he just wished they could do it without all the bitching and bickering. But then, he supposed, they wouldn’t be his crew.”

The ship’s cat, Slag, continues to torment and bully Harkin, the Ketty Jay’s worrier pilot. There are a great couple of chapters, written from the alternating perspectives of these two antagonists, which were very amusing – giving you a good example of Wooding’s dry, slightly dark sense of humour. The inclusion of this struggle could have made the book farcical, but the author has managed to anthropomorphise this feline with aplomb, and one can’t help but feel sorry for Harkin.

To say I thoroughly enjoyed this novel would be a considerable understatement. It’s not the quickest read, but it’s paced perfectly – more languid passages are interspersed with intense, quick action sequences, held together by a great plot and sense of humour that runs throughout. I laughed out loud plenty of times (from the very first page), and shared quotes with friends and colleagues. There aren’t many novels I can say that I’ve loved, but this is certainly one of them. I honestly can’t think of anything I didn’t like about it. Except that it had to end, sometime.

This is a great adventure series, and even though it’s only two books in, I wouldn’t be surprised if it was destined to become a classic. It’s received quite a lot of hype from the sci-fi and fantasy community and blogosphere, but it is that rare thing: entirely justified hype.

Tale of hope, friendship, loss, betrayal, revenge, and redemption, The Black Lung Captain just might be the best sci-fi novel of the year. Utterly brilliant, I would urge everyone to read it. Now.

[For some information on the third book in the series, see Wooding’s blog, here]

CR Readership Keeps on Growing

A while back, I wrote a quick post about the growing number of readers this site was receiving, particularly happy about the diverse locations represented by frequent readers. Well, it’s been a while, so I thought I’d post a then-and-now comparison.

Each red dot represents a city in which at least one person has visited the site. Certain cities and countries have higher numbers of visitors, but there have been some pleasant surprises (you can’t see the number of visits in these images, unfortunately). Certain areas also have a higher density of cities (Europe, East Coast of the USA), so it’s impossible to specifically identify by sight which cities have been flagged.

Anyway, as the line goes, “a picture is worth a thousand words”…

First of all, the Americas:

April 26th 2010:

August 4th 2010:

And now for the rest of the world:

April 26th 2010:

August 4th 2010:

As you can see, word has been getting out!

So, a big thank you to everyone who told their friends and families to check us out, or spread the word some other way – especially those who (re-)tweeted links, or linked through Facebook – and an even bigger thank you to everyone who keeps coming back to read the reviews and ramblings I throw up here.

I played with a Kindle today…

… and I loved it. In fact, I think my level of interest was highly inappropriate for a public setting (I was in the middle of a bar shift).

Just a short post, this, but I just wanted to point out that it’s a great gadget that any technophile would no doubt get joy from.

More seriously, though, I think the device would actually be really useful for me. It was the Kindle DX (currently still only available through Amazon.com), which a friend had brought back with them. The larger screen (9.7”) looks like it would be brilliant for work-articles, as well as the magazines I subscribe to in PDF format, and also the PDF ARCs I receive from a handful of US publishers.

The text clarity was great (much better than my beloved Sony Reader), and the on-board PDF reader had a great feature that appeared to get rid of much of the white border on the page, therefore making the text bigger and easier to read – this is a huge advantage over the Sony, which can’t handle some PDFs, particularly those with images (which would include watermarks – such as those on PDF ARCs).

[If there are any publishers/publicists reading – I intend to buy a DX, so if you’d like me to take a look at any books as PDFs, then I’d be happy to do so. Always interested in reading new things from any publisher.]

Incoming! (#2 of 2)

Ok, here’s the second round up of recent acquisitions, and they just happen to be the ones I’m most excited about:

Chris Wooding, “The Black Lung Captain” (Gollancz)

The Ketty Jay Flies again!

Darian Frey is down on his luck. He can barely keep his squabbling crew fed and his rickety aircraft in the sky. Even the simplest robberies seem to go wrong. It’s getting so a man can’t make a dishonest living any more.

Enter Captain Grist. He’s heard about a crashed aircraft laden with the treasures of a lost civilisation, and he needs Frey’s help to get it. There’s only one problem: The craft is lying in the trackless heart of a remote island, populated by giant beasts and subhuman monsters. Dangerous, yes. Suicidal, perhaps.

Still, Frey’s never let common sense get in the way of a fortune before. But there’s something other than treasure on board that aircraft. Something that a lot of important people would kill for. And it’s going to take all of Frey’s considerable skill at lying, cheating and stealing if he wants to get his hands on it...

I really enjoyed Retribution Falls, so I was extremely happy when I received Black Lung Captain as a gift this weekend – the person who gave it to me has earned a near infinite number of Friend Points! I’m also reading it now (a quarter done), so the review will hopefully be up by the end of the week, Monday at the latest.

James Barclay, “Dawnthief” (Gollancz)

Book one of the Chronicles of the Raven

The Raven have fought together for years, six men carving out a living as swords for hire in the war that have torn Balaia apart, loyal only to themselves and their code. But when they agree to escort a Xesteskian mage on a secret mission they are pulled into a world of politics and ancients secrets.

For the first time the Raven cannot even trust their own strength and prowess, for the first time their code is in doubt. How is it that they are fighting for one of the most evil colleges of magic known? Searching for the secret location of Dawnthief; a spell that could end the world? Aiming not to destroy it but to cast it.

Thanks to Waterstone’s 3-for-2 on all paperbacks campaign – a most seductive campaign, if ever there was one – I finally managed to pick up the first book in this series. I’ve been hearing some good stuff about it, from readers on both sides of the pond, and as my commitment to reviewing “old” titles is genuine, I will be reading this relatively soon. If it’s any good, then I will probably review the rest of the series as well.

Sean Black, “Dead Lock” (Bantam)

A new action hero arrives on the scene

It may be Christmas in New York, but for ex-military bodyguard Ryan Lock it’s business as usual.

His mission: to protect the CEO of America’s largest pharmaceutical company. But, when an apparently botched assassination attempt goes wrong, leaving bodies littering the streets of midtown Manhattan, Lock is drawn into a complex web of intrigue.

Lock’s search for the truth takes him from the rooftops of a New York skyscraper to a heavily fortified warehouse on the Hudson where he uncovers an explosive secret.

As the clock ticks towards midnight on New Year’s Eve, all routes into and out of Manhattan are sealed, and Lock realizes that not only is his own life in terrible danger but so are the lives of millions of others...

I’ve been hovering around buying this book for a long time. When it finally was released in paperback – and after the second in the series, Lock Down, popped up on Amazon’s Vine newsletter – I decided to give Black’s novels a go. Given the good things I’ve heard, I’m confident the two novels will be pretty entertaining.

Sean Black, “Lock Down” (Bantam)

Outing #2 for action-man Ryan Lock

The notorious California supermax State Prison at Pelican Bay houses three and a half thousand of America’s most dangerous prisoners. Three thousand, four hundred and ninety nine of them want the remaining inmate dead. Your job is to keep him alive until he testifies...

Elite bodyguard Ryan Lock and his trusted friend, Ty Johnson, have just become convicted felons, sentenced to twenty years in Pelican Bay. Or at least that’s what the FBI and the United States Justice Department want everyone to believe.

Their mission should be straightforward: to keep one man alive for one week. But the inmate, Frank ‘Reaper’ Hays, is a founding member of the white supremacist Aryan Brotherhood prison gang, who’s about to give evidence against members of his own gang for the brutal slaying of an undercover ATF agent and his family. And just to make an already trying job next to impossible, Hays point blank refuses to go into protective custody. In a world dominated by violent gangs where alliances are constantly shifting and no one can be trusted, Lock knows that he faces the toughest assignment of his career — just to stay alive...

As mentioned above, I got this through Amazon.co.uk’s Vine Programme, and I rather like the sound of it. I recently watched The Shawshank Redemption, and I’m a big fan of Prison Break, so this just seemed to come through at the right time. Really looking forward to it, and as both of Black’s books look like relatively quick reads, I’ll get them done together and probably after I finish The Black Lung Captain (unless any surprise, too-exciting-to-wait releases come my way in the next couple of days).

Jilliane Hoffman, “Pretty Little Things” (Vanguard)

A Chilling Tale of Kidnap

“You should never put anything in writing or in pictures that you wouldn’t want to see or read on the front page of The New York Times,” Elaine Emerson’s mother preached on a regular basis.  Thirteen-year-old Lainey would naturally roll her eyes.

She hated her family and school, and except for her friend Molly, stayed pretty much to herself.  So when the cute boy she met in an online chat-room starting paying attention to her, Lainey was flattered.  When he wanted to see her photograph, she dressed up to look older, did her makeup and nails, and sent him a picture.  Then he wanted to meet.  How was she going to pull this off?

Special Agent Bobby Dees, head of the Crimes Against Children (CAC) Squad for the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE), is called in when Lainey Emerson is reported missing.  His job is to try to determine when a runaway is simply a runaway, or if something more sinister has taken place.  And as successful and acclaimed as he is, the ironic truth is that his own daughter is a missing runaway, who he has been unable to find.

Then the paintings start turning up.  Grotesquely distorted images of tortured teen-aged girls – each with enough detail to send law enforcement to the specific locations where their bodies are found.  The walls of the CAC office are filled with photos of missing teens – how many of them have fallen victim to this murderer?  Will one of them be Lainey Emerson?  Or Dees’ own daughter?  What kind of sick serial killer are they looking for?

This was kindly sent to my by Hoffman’s US publicist, and it will be my first novel by the author. It’s times like these that I really love book reviewing: in certain book-related instances, I must admit to being blind – there are just some authors I don’t try, if I have to buy the books myself. This has, I’ve come to realise, resulted in my missing out on a great deal of brilliant fiction (certainly in the fantasy and sci-fi genres, but also with thrillers, too). I’ve heard very good things about Hoffman’s writing, so I will get to this in the next round of thriller-reviewing (which will be pretty soon, I imagine).

*   *   *

Some pretty cool stuff on there, so hopefully some interesting reviews coming up in the very near future.

“Nemesis”, by James Swallow (Black Library)

The Fight for the Galaxy enters the shadows…

After the horrors of Istvaan V, Horus declares outright war against the Imperium.

In the shadows of the Emperor’s Palace, powerful figures convene. Their plan is to send a team of assassins to execute the arch-traitor Horus and end the war for the galaxy of mankind before it's even begun. But what they cannot know is that another assassin is abroad already, with his sights firmly set on killing the Emperor.

In Nemesis, Swallow takes a look at the Horus Heresy from a different perspective. Namely, the shadows. Removed from the front lines, where legions of Adeptus Astartes do battle against xenos threats and uncompliant human worlds, this novel takes a look at the Horus Heresy through a narrower lens.

Malcador the Sigillite (humanity’s number two, if you will), a character only hinted at or mentioned from a distance in past Horus Heresy literature, has issued a controversial order. The Imperium’s temples of assassins – each with their own styles, methodologies and internal politics – have been tasked to work together, for the first time ever, to bring down the ultimate target: the traitorous Warmaster Horus.

The novel is basically made up of three stories, all of which form a cohesive whole. The first follows the assassins’ Execution Force, as they plan and organise their team and how they will approach their task. The second thread has the feel of a great serial killer thriller, as local law enforcement tracks the evolving slaughter and plan of the ‘evil’ assassin. The third story, of course, is the overall backdrop of the Horus Heresy and the growing tensions generated across the galaxy by Horus’s betrayal – the uncertainties that arise among loyal and turncoats forces alike, the confusion felt by the local populaces of varied planets.

The Execution Force, drawing one operative from each assassin ‘clade’ (sect), is shipped off to a remote planet to lie in wait for their target. To delve too much into detail would spoil the novel, so suffice it to say that the characters drawn together – usually loners and misanthropic killers – develop a strained though respectful working relationship, as they draw on their individual strengths to bring down the most difficult mark they will ever face. The diversity of characters allows for a number of perspectives of the job, and as their plan unfolds the relationships between the assassins develop in surprising and humanising ways. The plan itself is not revealed until it’s executed, allowing for some decent build-up.

The other assassin mentioned in the synopsis above, is a real horror – a being twisted by Chaos and malice into a perfect killing machine, hell-bent on its one goal: killing the Emperor, the most powerful man in the universe. Using very different and sinister methods than the Imperial assassins, this monster cuts a swathe of carnage over the course of its mission.

Swallow’s writing is exceptional, and the novel’s plot is brilliantly crafted to draw the reader along. The pace of the story rattles along and I found myself easily devouring considerable chunks of it; I read this 500-page novel faster and with more enjoyment than many shorter novels.

The Horus Heresy series (which has sold over a million copies) is improving in leaps and bounds. After a slight dip in a couple of the novels that followed Ben Counter’s Galaxy in Flames (which formed the third in the series’ truly excellent opening trilogy), the novels have picked up again in great style. Each novel in the series adds a little more depth and colour to the mythology of the Warhammer 40,000 universe.

Nemesis is an excellent science fiction novel, with a gripping, engaging plot; three-dimensional and complex characters; a horrific antagonist; and brilliant writing. Is there anything else someone could want from a novel?

Very highly recommended, I really can’t wait for the next instalment to the series.

Series Chronology: Horus Rising, False Gods, Galaxy in Flames, The Flight of the Eisenstein, Fulgrim, Descent of Angels, Legion, Battle for the Abyss, Mechanicum, Tales of Heresy, Fallen Angels, A Thousand Sons, Nemesis, The First Heretic (Nov.2010), Prospero Burns (Jan.2011), Age of Darkness (May 2011)

Incoming! (#1 of 2)

Yup: I’m still trying to come up with a good title for these posts. “Recent Acquisitions” was too boringly descriptive, and I unfortunately couldn’t come up with something as interesting as the Speculative Scotsman’s Bag of Speculative Swag. Which is a very good title. Alas, ‘Civilian Reader’ does not lend itself well to such puns. As I’m reading a military science-fiction novel at the moment, I thought I’d go with Incoming! for this one (and the next one, which will go up in the next couple of days)…

It’s been a slow couple of weeks, which isn’t a bad thing – I’m making my way through the books I really want to read rather quickly, which has left me in somewhat of a pickle of late. I am very eagerly awaiting a number of books that will be released over the next couple of months, so I’m currently trying to fill the in-between time. I still have a number of interesting-looking Black Library titles, not to mention some great Orbit releases (see below for one in particular).

As of this month, I will also be properly working on more retrospective reviews. I never got around to publishing my response to a months-old meme about the obsession with “newness” in reviews, but my main point was that ‘newness’ is in the eye of the beholder. Therefore, I’ll be reading a few more older novels each month, as well as posting reviews of some of my favourite novels (Terry Pratchett, Anne Rice, Scott Lynch, to name but three).

Gary Gibson, “Empire of Light” (Tor UK)

Book Three in the Shoal Series

The nova war has begun to spread as the Emissaries wage a fierce and reckless campaign, encroaching on the area of space occupied by humanity and forcing the Shoal into a desperate retreat. While Dakota goes in search of the entity responsible for creating the Maker caches, Corso, left in charge of a fleet of human-piloted Magi ships, finds his authority crumbling in the face of assassination attempts and politically-motivated sabotage.

If any hope exists at all, it lies in an abandoned asteroid a thousand light-years beyond the Consortium’s borders, and with Ty Whitecloud, the only man alive with the skill to decipher the messages left behind by an ancient race of star travellers. Unfortunately Whitecloud is locked in a prison cell aboard a dying coreship adrift in space, awaiting execution for war crimes against Corso’s own people. But if humanity has any hope of survival, Corso is going to have to find some way to keep him alive - and that's only if Dakota doesn't kill him first ...

I’ve only heard good things about Gary Gibson, but have yet to actually read anything by him. As the third book in a pretty long series, I imagine it might take a little while for me to get to this. I will, however, endeavour to do so at some point.

Tony Ballantyne, “Blood and Iron” (Tor UK)

Second book of Robot Wars! (Actually, book two in Penrose series)

Appointed Commander of the Emperor’s Army of Sangrel, Wa-Ka-Mo-Do of Ko tries to establish relations between the existing robot population and the humans who have recently arrived on Yukawa.

On the continent of Shull, Kavan forms the Uncertain Army and is marching to Artemis City. Upon discovery that the city’s generals have made an alliance with the humans, he retreats to Stark where he plans the eventual overthrow of Artemis and the humans.

Meanwhile, Karel is heading South, hoping to be reunited with Susan, his wife. As he walks, he hears more of the stories of the robots, and begins to understand something about his place on the world of Penrose.

But with limited resources and tensions growing between robot and human it’s only a matter of time before problems arise. And it’s becoming more and more apparent that the humans are a lot more powerful than the robots first expected…

This looks very cool. I have the first in the series on my shelf, ready for reading and reviewing, so as soon as I get a thirst for robot-sci-fi, I get them both reviewed.

Peter F. Hamilton, “The Evolutionary Void” (Macmillan)

In The Evolutionary Void, Hamilton concludes the highly acclaimed Commonwealth saga that has unfolded in The Dreaming Void and The Temporal Void.

Strangely, I couldn’t find a blurb for this easily available on the internet. The proof that arrived in the mail is wonderful – a signed and numbered limited edition (thank you, Tor!).

Unfortunately, it’s also huge and book three in the series… I have no idea when I’ll be able to get to this.

R.J. Frith, “The Nemesis List” (Tor UK)

Winner of the War of the Words competition

Humanity has expanded into the stars, but at the price of its freedom. An autocratic and overbearing government now rigidly controls every technical and scientific advancement. Deviation is punishable by death.

Out on the edges of space, criminals thwart the law, making money out of illegal tech, their ships jumping from galaxy to galaxy to avoid detection. Ex-soldier Frank Pak doesn’t care about politics or breaking the law, he just wants to keep his ship running. When he’s offered a contract to escort a runaway back home to his loving family – he doesn’t ask questions.

But his cargo is more dangerous than he realizes. Jeven Jones is no ordinary passenger. A result of illegal human experimentation, he’s a fast-tracked evolutionary leap into the future. Thanks to his ability for perfect recall and a series of mental skills that he has no control over, Jones is a wanted man. The government wants him dead. A fledgling revolution want to use him to unlock every advancement the government has ever denied them.

If Jones lives he’ll start a war. If he dies the entire future of humanity dies with him…

This sounds very interesting. I will definitely be reading and reviewing this over the course of the next month or so.

Gav Thorpe, “The Crown of the Blood” (Angry Robot)

A new trilogy, and Thorpe’s first non-Black Library novel…

He had brought his master’s Empire to the furthest reaches of the world. All had fallen before him. Now he longs for home.

But home isn’t what it was. Could it be that everything he’s fought for all those years has been a lie?

A sweeping fantasy of immense battles, demonic magic, and dark politics.

I’ve liked Mr Thorpe’s novels and short fiction for Black Library, so I was eager to see how he fared outside the comfort-zone of the well-established Warhammer and Warhammer 40,000 settings. From a quick glance through the book, he seems to have managed it quite well. Expect a review of this up on the site pretty soon.

I’ve been tempted to make some of August into the ‘Great Heroes’ week, which would allow me to read a selection of books that seem to revolve around the experiences or troubles of great heroes – it would include this one, K.J. Parker’s The Folding Knife, and Brent Weeks’ The Black Prism (which will be reviewed as soon as I get my hands on a copy). I still might do this, of course, so keep an eye out.

Nicole Peeler, “Tempest Rising” (Orbit)

Book one in the Jane True series

Living in small town Rockabill, Maine, Jane True always knew she didn’t quite fit in with so-called normal society.

During her nightly, clandestine swim in the freezing winter ocean, a grisly find leads Jane to startling revelations about her heritage: she is only half-human.

Now, Jane must enter a world filled with supernatural creatures that are terrifying, beautiful and deadly – all of which perfectly describe her new ‘friend’ Ryu, a gorgeous and powerful vampire.

It is a world where nothing can be taken for granted: a dog can heal with a lick; spirits bag your groceries; and whatever you do, never – ever – rub the genie’s lamp.

Emma pinched this off me very quickly, and has almost finished it, so a review should be forthcoming pretty soon. Initial reports seem to be positive.

Trent Jamieson, “Death More Definite” (Orbit)

The first in the Death Works series 

Steve knew something was wrong as soon as he saw the dead girl in the Wintergarden food court. Nothing new – he saw dead people all the time – but this one was about to save his life...

Steve is a necromancer in the family firm, tasked with easing spirits from this dimension to the next after death. And he’s kind of OK with that, until someone high up the corporate hierarchy makes a bid to be Australia’s new Regional Death. This means killing all of the current Death’s staff. After his parents, relatives and pretty much every other necromancer he ever knew has been killed, Steve is left to make a reluctant stand.

But to do this he must stay alive. Threatened at every turn, Steve and the perilously attractive (and dead) Lissa go on the run to save what’s left of their world.

This sounds great, and I’ve been eagerly anticipating its release for some time. Expect a review relatively soon.

Jeff Somers, “The Terminal State” (Orbit)

The latest Avery Cates techno-thriller

Avery Cates is in better shape than ever with the top-class augments the army’s fitted him with. Pity he’s no more than a puppet then, because they’ve also got a remote that can fry his brain at any second. And now a corrupt colonel is selling his controls to the highest bidder.

Avery has visions of escape and bloody revenge – until he realises just who’s bought him. Because the highest bidder is Canny Orel himself, Avery’s oldest enemy. And as the System slides into chaos, Canny wants Cates to do one last job. Avery just needs one chance to get back at the old gunner – but this time, it’s Canny who’s holding all the cards.

I have a couple of these novels ready for reading, now, so I think I’ll probably try to find some time to delve into Cates’ world. All the novels sound interesting and original; and the feedback I’ve seen has been uniformly positive.

Celia Friedman, “Wings of Wrath” (Orbit)

The Second in the Magister Trilogy

In a world where the price of magic is life itself, a group of seemingly immortal sorcerers appear to have cheated the system.

And now Kamala has breached their secrets, she seeks to join their ranks as the first female Magister. But they would rather see her dead, forcing her to flee to the frozen north. There Kamala will find an evil far greater than a sorcerer’s enmity, and will hear a dire prediction of a future war.

In a past age, an ancient bloodline was cultivated to stand in the path of darkness. Now its warriors must unearth the truth at the heart of the legends, and stand firm against an enemy that brought mankind to the very edge of destruction. And Kamala must join their battle.

Yet another great premise. This is the second book in the series, and the synopsis is interesting enough that I will probably buy the first book to give it a try at some point in the future.

Kate Elliott, “Traitor’s Gate” (Orbit)

Third in the Crossroads series

Reeve Joss is struggling to defend a country ravaged by the assaults of twin armies. His men now patrol a land of burning villages and homeless refugees as Joss tries to separate traitor from friend.

The Reeve’s thoughts are also plagued by the intriguing Zubaidit, pleasure-giver, spy and temple-trained assassin. But Zubaidit is focused on a dangerous mission, her target being warped Guardian Lord Radas. His death would leave the invading militia in chaos, but the old tales tell truly of the Guardians’ immortality – and of the powers they now wield to twist the hearts of men.

Joss’s nights are also troubled, disturbed by dreams of Marit. His lost love has returned from death to become a feared Guardian herself, but Marit rejected the corrupt temptations they offered. She now seeks others of her kind, praying some are yet uncontaminated by the blight on the land – and have the will to fight it.

Another third volume, unfortunately. It’s a series I’ve long-considered reading, as the premise does sound interesting. However, I have no idea when I’ll be able to get around to it. I do  know, however, that Elliott’s next book – Cold Magic (published in September) – sounds really interesting, so if that arrives I will definitely read that: it seems to be a mixture of fantasy, magic, steampunk, and dragons!

*   *   *

So, some excellent looking books, but a number of them are sadly going to probably remain unread for quite some time. It’s an unavoidable hazard, I suppose – when someone is new to reviewing, then sometimes excellent books that come later in a series will get missed as the reviewer has not read the previous volumes – when each instalment is over 500 pages long, this is only more likely. I’ve written about ‘lost’ series before – specifically, Adrian Tchaikovsky’s Shadows of the Apt series, and Brian Ruckley’s Godless World trilogy – and I will get around to reading them, but it will likely take some time.

Happy reading.