Quick Review: TRUTHWITCH by Susan Dennard (Tor)

December 13, 2015 Civilian Reader Review Alternative History, Most Anticipated 2016, Susan Dennard, Tor Teen, Truthwitch, Witchlands Series

First in a new coming-of-age fantasy series

In a continent on the edge of war, two witches hold its fate in their hands.

Young witches Safiya and Iseult have a habit of finding trouble. After clashing with a powerful Guildmaster and his ruthless Bloodwitch bodyguard, the friends are forced to flee their home.

Safi must avoid capture at all costs as she’s a rare Truthwitch, able to discern truth from lies. Many would kill for her magic, so Safi must keep it hidden — lest she be used in the struggle between empires. And Iseult’s true powers are hidden even from herself.

In a chance encounter at Court, Safi meets Prince Merik and makes him a reluctant ally. However, his help may not slow down the Bloodwitch now hot on the girls’ heels. All Safi and Iseult want is their freedom, but danger lies ahead. With war coming, treaties breaking and a magical contagion sweeping the land, the friends will have to fight emperors and mercenaries alike. For some will stop at nothing to get their hands on a Truthwitch.

I have very mixed feelings about this novel. There’s plenty in it that is interesting and shows great potential, but at the same time it is a novel of almosts. If you are a fan of fast-paced fantasy, with a globe-trotting and conspiracy-laden plot, and also coming-of-age tales, then you’ll probably find something to like here. However, for me, the execution was flawed, and I struggled to fully engage with the story or become invested in the characters’ fates. Continue reading →

First X-MEN: APOCALYPSE Trailer

December 11, 2015December 11, 2015 Civilian Reader Upcoming, Video 20th Century Fox, Apocalypse, Bryan Singer, James McAvoy, Jennifer Lawrence, Marvel, Michael Fassbender, Most Anticipated 2016, Movie, Olivia Munn, Sci-Fi, Trailer, X-Men

The first trailer for X-Men: Apocalypse. I think it looks pretty good (obligatory BWAAAH aside). I wasn’t sure about the look of the movie Apocalypse, but it seems to look better in the clips than he has in the stills that I’ve seen. Will be interesting to see how the movie shapes up.

Guest Post: “Writing Novels vs. RPGs” by F. Wesley Schneider

December 8, 2015December 4, 2015 Civilian Reader Guest Post Bloodbound, F. Wesley Schneider, Fantasy, Hellfire Compact, Occult Adventures, Paizo, Pathfinder, Pathfinder Tales, RPG, Rule of Fear, Tor Books

SchneiderFW-AuthorPic Writing a novel, you’re telling your story. Writing an RPG adventure, you’re telling a thousand stories, none of which are yours. They’re both fantastic mediums, but they’re nothing alike.

I’ve been writing stories for roleplaying games like the Pathfinder RPG and Dungeons & Dragons for more than fifteen years, and as the editor-in-chief at Paizo Inc., my team and I create the former. While RPG players always love new options for their games, published adventures stand at a pinnacle of tabletop RPG design. These adventures look something like a giant outline, detailing monsters, settings, and the behavior of a story’s minor players. But main characters, those run by the game’s players, are complete mysteries. As the writer of an RPG adventure, you’re telling a story without knowing the main characters and have to predict various outcomes for every scenario. It sounds crazy — and it sort of is — but these stories are designed to allow players to create any characters they want and send them in to experience the adventure. Adding to the challenge, the adventure’s author isn’t the one telling players the story, that’s the Game Master’s responsibility. So, on top of these stories’ complexity, the author ultimately hands the story off to someone else to tell. It’s a challenging way to tell a story — and that’s before you even factor in that you have to include game rules. Continue reading →

Interview with MICHAEL LIVINGSTON

December 7, 2015October 21, 2015 Civilian Reader Interview Fantasy, Historical, Historical Fiction, Michael Livingston, Romans, Shards of Heaven, Temples of the Ark, Tor Books

Let’s start with an introduction: Who is Michael Livingston?

I’m someone who wears a lot of hats.

In my day job, I wear the hat of being a professor of English at The Citadel in Charleston, SC. I teach courses mostly in medieval literature — Beowulf, Chaucer, and such — but I publish far more widely in literature and history. Most of my colleagues refer to me as a cultural historian specializing in the Middle Ages, and that fits well enough — except that I also publish a fair amount on the works of Tolkien and other modern fantasists.

And now, thanks to The Shards of Heaven, I get to add the Hat of Novel Writerness, much to my great astonishment and glee!

Your debut novel, The Shards of Heaven, will be published by Tor this month. It looks rather fabulous: How would you introduce it to a potential reader? Is it part of a series?

The Shards of Heaven is the first novel in a trilogy of the same name. It’s the story of fantasy and history colliding at the rise of the Roman Empire, as the children of Caesar fight to find and control the legendary artifacts of gods both old and new, and a new myth is born in the struggle. Continue reading →

Review: GUNS OF THE DAWN by Adrian Tchaikovsky (Tor)

December 4, 2015December 4, 2015 Civilian Reader Review Adrian Tchaikovsky, Epic, Fantasy, Flintlock Fantasy, Military Fantasy, Most Anticipated 2015, Must Read 2015, Tor UK, War

An excellent stand-alone novel about war, family and sacrifice

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, Emily comes face to face with the reality: the senseless slaughter; the weary cynicism of the Survivor’s Club; the swamp’s own natives hiding from the conflict.

As the war worsens, and Emily begins to have doubts about the justice of Lascanne’s cause, she finds herself in a position where her choices will make or destroy both her own future and that of her nation.

This is a superb novel. I haven’t read nearly as much of Tchaikovsky’s work as I would like, but this is a fantastic place to start. A fantasy war novel, but one that is focused on the impact of war more than battle itself. After a slightly slow start, this really grabbed hold of my attention and didn’t let up until the very end. Continue reading →

New Books… (October/November)

December 2, 2015August 23, 2018 Civilian Reader New Books Angry Robot Books, Barbra Leslie, Black Library, Catherine Webb, Clare Morrall, David Annandale, David Baldacci, Emma Newman, Grand Central Publishing, Jack McDevitt, James Patterson, Jo Nesbo, Jonathan Carroll, Jonathan Coe, Ken Scholes, Kurt Cobain, Marc Turner, Matt Bell, Matt Hill, Matt Wallace, Maureen Sherry, Michelle Latiolais, ML Brennan, Nick Soulsby, Noah Hawley, Rob Sanders, Robin Wasserman, Susan Philpott, Tim Baker, Tim Lees, Victor Milán

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Featuring: David Annandale, Tim Baker, David Baldacci, Brett Battles, Matt Bell, M.L. Brennan, Jonathan Carroll, Jonathan Coe, Noah Hawley, Matt Hill, Michelle Latiolais, Tim Lees, Barbra Leslie, Jack McDevitt, Victor Milán, Clare Morrall, Jo Nesbo, Emma Newman, James Patterson, Susan Philpott, Rob Sanders, Ken Scholes, Maureen Sherry, Marc Turner, Matt Wallace, Robin Wasserman, Catherine Webb Continue reading →

Review: BURNING MIDNIGHT by Will McIntosh (Delacorte Press)

December 1, 2015December 1, 2015 Civilian Reader Review Delacorte Press, Midnight Burning, Penguin Random House, Sci-Fi, Urban Fantasy, Will McIntosh, YA

Interesting, fast-paced YA horror-sci-fi

Sully is a sphere dealer at a flea market. It doesn’t pay much — Alex Holliday’s stores have muscled out most of the independent sellers — but it helps him and his mom make the rent.

No one knows where the brilliant-colored spheres came from. One day they were just there, hidden all over the earth like huge gemstones. Burn a pair and they make you a little better: an inch taller, skilled at math, better-looking. The rarer the sphere, the greater the improvement — and the more expensive the sphere.

When Sully meets Hunter, a girl with a natural talent for finding spheres, the two start searching together. One day they find a Gold — a color no one has ever seen. And when Alex Holliday learns what they have, he will go to any lengths, will use all of his wealth and power, to take it from them.

There’s no question the Gold is priceless, but what does it actually do? None of them is aware of it yet, but the fate of the world rests on this little golden orb. Because all the world fights over the spheres, but no one knows where they come from, what their powers are, or why they’re here.

McIntosh’s first YA novel is a pretty interesting one: set in a world basically the same as our own, save for one rather intriguing difference — the presence of “spheres”. It’s a fast-paced, entertaining read, which I have no doubt many will enjoy. Continue reading →

Interview with MICHAEL R. UNDERWOOD

November 30, 2015November 30, 2015 Civilian Reader Interview Absconded Ambassador, Fantasy, Genrenauts, Michael R Underwood, Ree Reyes Series, Shield and Crocus, Shootout Solution, Tor.com, Urban Fantasy, Younger Gods

Let’s start with an introduction: Who is Michael R. Underwood?

I’m a geek-turned-professional – sales & marketing manager by day (for Angry Robot) and author by night (or really, whenever I can scrape together some spare time), writing books from geeky Urban Fantasy (Geekomancy) to weird fantasy supers (Shield and Crocus) and more. I keep up with my geekdom by reading comics, gaming, and following as many cool TV shows as time permits.

Your next book, Genrenauts: The Absconded Ambassador, will be published by Tor.com. How would you introduce it and the Genrenauts series to a potential reader?

Genreauts is like Leverage-meets-Jasper Fforde – the titular Genrenauts are interdimensional travelers – each world they visit is the home of a narrative genre – Romance, Science Fiction, Western, and so on. They find and fix broken stories in order to protect their own world. If they fail, the dissonance ripples back to their home world and causes disasters. I’m writing the series in novellas – with six episodes per season a la TV. The Absconded Ambassador is the second episode in the series, so I’d suggest readers start with The Shootout Solution. Continue reading →

Interview with TOM TONER

November 25, 2015 Civilian Reader Interview Amaranthine Spectrum, Fantasy, Gollancz, Night Shade Books, Promise of the Child, Sci-Fi, Tom Toner, Weight of the World

Let’s start with an introduction: Who is Tom Toner?

Hello! Tom Toner is a 29 year-old debut novelist from Somerset with a very patchy beard. Thanks very much for having me.

Your debut novel, The Promise of the Child, is published by Gollancz. It’s already generating quite a bit of attention and praise: How would you introduce it to a potential reader? Is it part of a series?

The Promise of the Child is the first of a six part series called the Amaranthine Spectrum. It’s set in the closing years of the 147th century, over twelve and half thousand years from now, and I suppose you could call it an epic blend of space opera and fantasy. The book has a huge cast of characters, very few of them human in the traditional sense: on the Old World giants live in paper fortresses and singing sea monsters haunt the coasts, while up in the stars of the magisterial Firmament the remains of immortal mankind are slowly going mad. The Promise of the Child has a lived-in, antiquated feel: pure fantasy on one hand and the most ridiculous and frenetic of space operas on the other. Continue reading →

Excerpt: THUNDERBIRD by Jack McDevitt (Ace Books)

November 18, 2015November 18, 2015 Civilian Reader Excerpt Ace Books, Jack McDevitt, Sci-Fi, Thunderbird

McDevittJ-ThunderbirdUS I’ve not read anything by Jack McDevitt before. His next novel, Thunderbird, looks quite interesting, though:

On a Sioux reservation near Devils Lake in North Dakota, a working stargate dating back more than ten thousand years has been discovered. Going through the gate leads the traveler to three mysterious destinations: an empty garden world dubbed Eden, a strange maze of underground passageways, or a space station with a view of a galaxy that looks like the Milky Way.

The race to explore and claim the stargate quickly escalates and those involved divide into opposing camps who view the teleportation technology either as an unprecedented opportunity for scientific research of a disastrous threat to nation, not to mention planetary, security. One thing is for certain though — questions about what the stargate means for humanity’s role in the galaxy cannot be ignored.

Thunderbird is due to be published by Ace Books on December 1st, 2015. To celebrate the impending release, the publisher has sent me this excerpt to share… Continue reading →