The Book Plank

Media Alert: James A. Moore to sign two more Seven Forges books As you might have seen on my blog, I reviewed the first two books of James A. Moore's Seven Forges series with a lot of praise. And they deserve it fully. This is great Epic Fantasy stuff with a  very cool idea's and some horrific horror elements. Now it was unclear until just a few days ago if the series would end with The Blasted Lands or if it would continue. When I got the following press release in the mail is did a dance. James A. Moore will write not one but TWO extra books in this excellent series. As I said with my review of The Blasted Lands "There will be was and it wont be pretty". I cant wait till November when the third book will be released by Angry Robots. BRING IT ON! Official press release of AR: We are delighted to have shared with you our recent re-signings and new author deals. There are two new author announcements to come very soon, but today we are thrille...

Covenant's End by Ari Marmell, Widdershins Adventures #4 The thief Widdershins and her own "personal god," Olgun, return to their home city of Davillon after almost a year away. While Shins expects only to face the difficulty of making up with her friends, what she actually finds is far, far worse. Her nemesis, Lisette, has returned, and she is not alone. Lisette has made a dark pact with supernatural powers that have granted her abilities far greater than anything Widdershins and Olgun can match. Together, Widdershins and Olgun will face enemies on both sides of the law, for Lisette's schemes have given her power in both Davillon's government and its underworld. For even a slim chance, Shins must call on both old friends--some of whom haven't yet forgiven her--and new allies. Even with their help, Widdershins may be required to make the hardest sacrifice of her life, if she is to rid Davillon--and herself--of Lisette once and for all. I was t...

(p)review forecast February part two Here are my selected books for the second half of February, what will you be reading? Cheers, Jasper 1. Guns of the Dawn by Adrian Tchaikovsky, Tor A standalone, action-packed pseudo-Napoleonic historical fantasy adventure from the esteemed author of the Shadows of the Apt series. Denland and Lascanne have been allies for generations, but now the Denlanders have assassinated their king, overthrown the monarchy and marched on their northern neighbour. At the border, the war rages; Lascanne's brave redcoats against the revolutionaries of Denland. Emily Marshwic has watched the war take her brother-in-law and now her young brother. Then comes the call for more soldiers, to a land already drained of husbands, fathers and sons. Every household must give up one woman to the army and Emily has no choice but to join the ranks of young women marching to the front. In the midst of warfare, with just enough training to hold a musket, ...

Firefight by Brandon Sanderson, Reckoners #2 They told David it was impossible--that even the Reckoners had never killed a High Epic. Yet, Steelheart--invincible, immortal, unconquerable--is dead. And he died by David's hand. Eliminating Steelheart was supposed to make life more simple. Instead, it only made David realize he has questions. Big ones. And there's no one in Newcago who can give him the answers he needs. Babylon Restored, the old borough of Manhattan, has possibilities, though. Ruled by the mysterious High Epic, Regalia, David is sure Babylon Restored will lead him to what he needs to find. And while entering another city oppressed by a High Epic despot is a gamble, David's willing to risk it. Because killing Steelheart left a hole in David's heart. A hole where his thirst for vengeance once lived. Somehow, he filled that hole with another Epic--Firefight. And he's willing to go on a quest darker, and more dangerous even, than the fight ...

Media Alert: Gateway welcomes many new authors!   Gateway to welcome classic SF & Fantasy authors from Orbit, Hodder & Stoughton and Headline Gateway, an imprint of the Orion Publishing Group and sister company to the UK's oldest science fiction publisher Gollancz, is thrilled to announce the addition of some of the world's finest SF & Fantasy authors, including Iain M. Banks, David Gemmell, and Jean M. Auel, amongst others, to the Gateway website. Gateway is an eBook publisher of classic SF and Fantasy.  It is part catalogue site, highlighting and promoting the thousands of eBooks; part gateway to online retailers from whom these eBooks can be bought; part social network for readers who wish to discuss and recommend authors. Gateway's parent company, the Orion Publishing Group is owned by the Hachette UK Group, which also owns Little, Brown, Hodder & Stoughton and Headline publishers, among others. Little, Brown is home to one of t...

The Viscount and the Witch by Michael J Sullivan, The Ryria Chronicles #1.5 Eleven years before they were framed for the murder of a king, before even assuming the title of Riyria, Royce Melborn and Hadrian Blackwater were practically strangers. Unlikely associates, this cynical thief and idealist swordsman, were just learning how to work together as a team. In this standalone short story of The Riyria Chronicles, Royce is determined to teach his naive partner a lesson about good deeds. Join Royce and Hadrian in this short story. One of the coolest thieving series out there is the Ryria Revelations and Chronicles of Michael J. Sullivan. When I read the firs prequel series The Crown Tower , I was immediately taken by the main characters Royce and Hadrian. Last year I read the short story The Jester which again made me realize how cool this story is. I recently found out about this short story, The Viscount and the Witch which was actually written before as a short story but...

Impulse by Dave Bara, The Lightship Chronicles #1 Lieutenant Peter Cochrane of the Quantar Royal Navy believes he has his future clearly mapped out. It begins with his new assignment as an officer on Her Majesty’s Spaceship Starbound, a Lightship bound for deep space voyages of exploration. But everything changes when Peter is summoned to the office of his father, Grand Admiral Nathan Cochrane, and given devastating news: the death of a loved one. In a distant solar system, a mysterious and unprovoked attack upon Lightship Impulse resulted in the deaths of Peter’s former girlfriend and many of her shipmates. Now Peter's plans are torn asunder as he is transferred to a Unified Space Navy ship under foreign command, en route to an unexpected destination, and surrounded almost entirely by strangers. To top it off, his superiors have given him secret orders that might force him to become a mutineer. The crisis at hand becomes a gateway to something much more when the...