The Book Plank

SPACE OPERA AND THE HISTORY OF SCIENCE FICTION by D. Nolan Clark             In the 1920s, 30s and 40s, magazines like Weird Tales , Astounding Stories of Super-Science , and Amazing Stories were the cradle of science fiction. H.G. Wells and Jules Verne might have invented the genre but it was the pulps that turned it into what we know today, starting the rich tradition of speculative work. The magazines each had their own editorial style and stable of fan-favorite authors, but they had one thing in common: their lurid, colorful covers. Even today we have no trouble imagining what those old magazines looked like—typically they showed a blond man in a space suit, wielding a raygun against an alien that had more tentacles than were strictly necessary.             The stories in the magazines often had nothing to do with the cover images—even in this nascent era, ...

Kings of the Wyld by Nicholas Eames, The Band #1  Their glory days long past, the mercs have grown apart and grown old, fat, drunk - or a combination of the three. Then an ex-bandmate turns up at Clay's door with a plea for help. His daughter Rose is trapped in a city besieged by an enemy one hundred thousand strong and hungry for blood. Rescuing Rose is the kind of mission that only the very brave or the very stupid would sign up for.  It's time to get the band back together for one last tour across the Wyld. Clay Cooper and his band were once the best of the best -- the meanest, dirtiest, most feared crew of mercenaries this side of the Heartwyld.  Where to begin? Every reader has a sweet spot for a certain style/genre of book. For me it has always been Epic Fantasy. I have been a bit out of the social media scene so i hadn't heard anything about the announcement of Kings of the Wyld right until it dropped in my mailbox. After seeing the cover ...

Author Interview with Nick Eames About the author: Nicholas Eames was born to parents of infinite patience and unstinting support in Wingham, Ontario. Though he attended college for theatre arts, he gave up acting to pursue the infinitely more attainable profession of “epic fantasy novelist.” Kings of the Wyld is his first novel. Nicholas loves black coffee, neat whiskey, the month of October, and video games. He currently lives in Ontario, Canada, and is very probably writing at this moment. BP: First off welcome to The Book Plank Nicholas! Can you tell us a bit of who Nicholas Eames is? What are your likes, dislikes and hobbies? NE:  Hi! Thanks for having me.  Nicholas Eames, huh? He’s a big fan of scotch, he likes his coffee black, and he loves the Ottawa Senators like a beaver loves wood (the Senators are a hockey team, in case you DON’T live in Canada, and beavers are…actually, nevermind—you wouldn’t believe me if I told you). As for hobbies: reading, writing, a...

The Last Sacrifice by James A. Moore, The Tides of War #1 Since time began, the Grakhul – immortal servants of the gods – have taken human sacrifices to keep the world in balance and the gods appeased. When they choose the family of warrior Brogan McTyre, everything changes.  Brogan begins the toughest battle of his life to free his family from their terrible fate. But when you challenge the gods, you challenge the very fabric of society. Declared an outcast, Brogan and his kin are hunted like criminals – but nothing will stand in his way. James A. Moore has come a long way. A few years ago he singed a deal with AR for two books I believe in his new Dark Epic Fantasy series Seven Forges. Just have a look on the internet how many positive reviews this series has gotten. Growing the series from two to four books and several short stories, most of them are featured here on this blog. I didn't know that James A. Moore was working on a new book and new series, so when I got an email...

The Burning Page by Genevieve Cogman, The Invisible Library #3 Librarian spy Irene has professional standards to maintain. Standards that absolutely do not include making hasty, unplanned escapes through a burning besieged building. But when the gateway back to your headquarters dramatically malfunctions, one must improvise. And after fleeing a version of Revolutionary France astride a dragon (also known as her assistant, Kai), Irene soon discovers she's not the only one affected. Gates back to the Library are malfunctioning across a multitude of worlds, creating general havoc. She and Kai are tasked with a mission to St Petersburg's Winter Palace, to retrieve a book which will help restore order. However, such plans rarely survive first contact with the enemy - particularly when the enemy is the traitor Alberich. A nightmare figure bent on the Library's destruction, Alberich gives Irene a tainted 'join me or die' job offer. Meanwhile, Irene's old ...

Darker Gods by James A. Moore Religion as a Dark Force in Fantasy It’s an interesting thing, religion. In the right hands and mindset it can make amazing things happen. Communities can get together and build villages in pretty quickly. Homes and farms ruined by natural forces can be restored in short order because neighbors and friends can gather together and work as a unit. Often times those units are started by the religious leader in an area. The Amish raise barns in a day that no single person could manage in a month. But then we have to look at the other side of that coin. Atrocities have been committed in the name of God or gods. The witch hunts in Europe devastated tens of thousands. Wars were fought in the name of God, not because it was a different god, but merely because the ways of worshipping said god did not match up. Well, okay, and because there was land and gold to consider, but it was all done in the name of the one god. The Crusades. The Holy Inquisition....

Willful Child: Wrath of Betty by Steven Erikson, Willful Child #2 And so we join the not-terribly-bright but exceedingly cock-sure Captain Hadrian Sawback and his motley crew on board the Starship Willful Child for a series of devil-may-care, near-calamitous and downright chaotic adventures through ‘the infinite vastness of interstellar space.' The continuing adventures of the starship A.S.F. Willful Child. Its ongoing mission: to seek out strange new worlds on which to plant the Terran flag, to subjugate and if necessary obliterate new life-forms, to boldly blow the... Last year Steven Erikson managed to surprise me with his new series devoted to his passion for Star Trek: Willful Child . Steven Erikson is of course most famous for his Malazan Empire which he created together with Ian C. Esslemont. I went in Willful Child  expecting nothing and got everything in return. A cool space romp and a hell off an adventure. Back then it wasn't know if Willful Ch...