The Book Plank

WAR FEVER You can tell when writers are sucking up to readers. The giveaway in Historical Fantasies is the War Weary Warrior. Ironjaw Misgivings murders ten men before breakfast but guilty nightmares keep him from his beauty sleep. He'd run rings around Alexander, make Genghis Khan look a sissy, but all Ironjaw yearns for is his little highland farm where he raises organic lima beans. Ironjaw is as peace-loving as Gandhi but somehow he's always the one holding his sword aloft crying ‘Charge!’ Convenient that. I’m musing about martial matters because my war of the worlds is drawing to a close. In Spira Mirabilis, a multi-ethnic coalition faces down an empire of fanatics . The empire is crumbling from within, but the coalition is fracturing, and the winner will not be the greatest killer, but the one who falls apart last. The composition of each army then is crucial, and my recruitment policy was catholic: I handed out weapons to underage cripples, blind pacifis...

Author interview with Aidan Harte Last year Aidan Harte's debut was published by Jo Fletcher Books, I only read it recently but let a great impression in terms of character development, world building and the story overall. Aidan Harte introduced the reader to interesting and engaging alternate version of Europe in Irenicon, in The Warring States this world is even more broadened and for it's these kind of sequel that really make a series, taking the story further. The third and final book of The Wave Trilogy, Spira Mirablis , will be published next year Author Bio:  Aidan Harte (b 1979) is a writer and sculptor. His fantasy novels Irenicon and The Warring States are published by Jo Fletcher Books, an imprint of Quercus. Spira Mirabilis, the conclusion of the trilogy, will be out in 2014. He studied in the Florence Academy of Art. His sculpture can be seen in Sol Art Gallery in Dublin and The sculpture Company in London. He works in the classical tradit...

The Warring States by Aidan Harte, The Wave Trilogy #2 After the rout at Rasenna, Concord faces enemies on all fronts, and nobody believes that the last surviving Apprentice is equal to these crises – but Torbidda didn’t become Apprentice by letting himself be manipulated. While Sofia is struggling to understand her miraculous pregnancy, the City of Towers grows wealthy. But it’s not long before the people of Rasenna start arguing again, and as the city falls apart once more, Sofia realises she must escape Etruria to save her baby. When prophecy leads her to another cesspit of treachery, the decadent Crusader kingdom of Oltremare, Sofia begins to despair, for this time she can see no way out… The Warring States is the second book in The Wave Trilogy written by Aidan Harte, the first book in the series, Irenicon, saw its release in 2012. I only read Irenicon recently but was very impressed by how Aidan Harte had written up his debut. Irenicon left the series on a open end...

Irenicon by Aidan Harte, The Wave Trilogy #1 The river Irenicon was blasted though the middle of Rasenna in the 1347 th year of Our Lady, created overnight by Concordian engineers. But Wave technology is mysterious, even to its creators; they never guessed the river would become conscious – and hostile. Now Giovanni, a guilt-ridden Concordian engineer, has been sent to bridge the Irenicon – not to reunite the sunder city, but to aid Concord’s mighty armies, for they have their sight set firmly on conquest and Rasenna is in their way. Sofia Scaligeri, Rasenna’s young Contessa knows she has no chance of saving her city from Concordian domination unless she first unites its feuding factions, but this is an impossible task – until Giovanni starts to question his own allegiances. But times are changing, and whether the like it or not, the feuding families of Rasenna are going to have to change too: for Concord is once again preparing to release the Wave. Irenicon is Aidan H...