The Book Plank

The Blue Blazes by Chuck Wendig, Mookie Pearl #1 Meet Mookie Pearl. Criminal underworld? He runs it. Supernatural underworld? He hunts in it. Nothing stops Mookie when he’s on the job. But when his daughter takes up arms and opposes him, something’s gotta give… Last year I read my first Chuck Wendig book, Double Dead and I was very pleased with and hooked onto Chuck Wendig's writing style. He writes with a message, "You either love or hate my book and if it is the latter... I don't care." Chuck Wendig is perhaps best know for his Miriam Black series including Blackbirds (published by Angry Robot), The Blue Blazes marks his latest series dubbed "Mookie Pearl" which was published last year also by Angry Robot. Just as with the synopsis of Jay Posey's Three , The Blue Blazes created the same must read sense. You just know Mookie Peal to be a bad-ass, and trust me he is. Chuck Wendig kick-off an exciting new Urban Fantasy series, this is the good stu...

(p)review forecast March part 2 1. The Tyranny of Night by Glen Cook, Tor Welcome to the world of the Instrumentalities of the Night, where imps, demons, and dark gods rule in the spaces surrounding upstart humanity. At the edges of the world stand walls of ice which push slowly forward to reclaim the land for the night. And at the world's center, in the Holy Land where two great religions were born, are the Wells of Ihrain, the source of the greatest magics. Over the last century the Patriarchs of the West have demanded crusades to claim the Wells from the Pramans, the followers of the Written.  Now an uneasy truce extends between the Pramans and the West, waiting for a spark to start the conflict anew. Then, on a mission in the Holy Land, the young Praman warrior Else is attacked by a creature of the Dark-in effect, a minor god. Too ignorant to know that he can never prevail over such a thing, he fights it and wins, and in so doing, sets the terrors o...

A Natural History of Dragons: A Memoir by Lady Trent, Memoir by Lady Trent #1 You, dear reader, continue at your own risk. It is not for the faint of heart—no more so than the study of dragons itself. But such study offers rewards beyond compare: to stand in a dragon’s presence, even for the briefest of moments—even at the risk of one’s life—is a delight that, once experienced, can never be forgotten. . . . All the world, from Scirland to the farthest reaches of Eriga, know Isabella, Lady Trent, to be the world’s preeminent dragon naturalist. She is the remarkable woman who brought the study of dragons out of the misty shadows of myth and misunderstanding into the clear light of modern science. But before she became the illustrious figure we know today, there was a bookish young woman whose passion for learning, natural history, and, yes, dragons defied the stifling conventions of her day. Here at last, in her own words, is the true story of a pioneering spirit who risk...

Author interview with Mark Lawrence Author bio: Mark Lawrence is married with four children, one of whom is severely disabled. His day job is as a research scientist focused on various rather intractable problems in the field of artificial intelligence. He has held secret level clearance with both US and UK governments. At one point he was qualified to say 'this isn't rocket science ... oh wait, it actually is'. Between work and caring for his disabled child, Mark spends his time writing, playing computer games, tending an allotment, brewing beer, and avoiding DIY.  ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Hi Mark, Welcome over to The Book Plank and for taking your time to answer these few questions! BP: First off, could you give us a short introduction as to who you are? What are your likes and dislikes? What are your hobbies. ML: I could list the hobbies from my dust jackets but the tr...

The Boy with the Porcelain Blade by Den Patrick, The Erebus Sequence #1 Lucien de Fontein has grown up different. One of the mysterious and misshapen Orfano who appear around the Kingdom of Landfall, he is a talented fighter yet constantly lonely, tormented by his deformity, and well aware that he is a mere pawn in a political game.  Ruled by an insane King and the venomous Majordomo, it is a world where corruption and decay are deeply rooted - but to a degree Lucien never dreams possible when he first discovers the plight of the 'insane' women kept in the haunting Sanatoria. The Boy with the Porcelain Blade is another big debut release this year. So far 2014 has treated me well with several debuts . Gollancz has been steadily feeding the media with more and more information about this book and it has gotten me psyched about it. The Boy with the Porcelain Blade is written by Den Patrick, who has been an comic book editor, bookseller and has worked at Games Works...

Author Interview with Vaughn Entwistle Author bio: Vaughn Entwistle grew up in Northern England. Weekends included family outings to ruined castles, gothic manors, and his Grandmother’s antique shop (the most haunted place he’s ever been. Vaughn is a product of the British school system of the 1970s, with all the psychological damage that entails from having one’s psyche flogged of its self-esteem. In the early nineties he moved to Seattle to work as a writer/editor. In his spare time he ran a successful gargoyle-sculpting company for ten years (yes, really!) When not attempting to write with one cat on his lap, a Brittany lying across his feet, and one or more cats sauntering across the keyboard, he likes to strap into a hang glider and hurl him self off various mountains. Entwistle recently moved back to England and currently lives in North Somerset, an area of great natural beauty. When not writing he can be found walking the dog in the Mendip hills, and ex...