2013

Upcoming: “The Eidolon” by Libby McGugan (Solaris)

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McGuganL-EidolonI stumbled across this book completely by accident, but it looked kind of interesting (which makes me wonder why it hasn’t been mentioned more often, elsewhere…). The Eidolon is Libby McGugan’s debut novel, and here is the synopsis:

When physicist Robert Strong loses his job at the Dark Matter research lab and his relationship falls apart, he returns home to Scotland. Then the dead start appearing to him, and Robert begins to question his own sanity.

Vincent Amos, an enigmatic businessman, arrives and recruits Robert to sabotage CERN’S Large Hadron Collider, convincing him the next step in the collider’s research will bring about disaster. Everything Robert once understood about reality, and the boundaries between life and death, is about to change forever. And the biggest change will be to Robert himself…

The Eidolon will be published by Solaris Books in October 2013.

Upcoming: “Blood Song” by Anthony Ryan (Ace)

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Anthony Ryan’s Blood Song was originally self-published, but Penguin snapped it up in 2012. I know a few other reviewers have already read the novel, and general consensus seems to be that it’s one to watch.

An epic fantasy exploring themes of conflict, loyalty and religious faith.

We have fought battles that left more than a hundred corpses on the ground and not a word of it has ever been set down. The Order fights, but often it fights in shadow, without glory or reward. We have no banners.

Vaelin Al Sorna’s life changes forever the day his father abandons him at the gates of the Sixth Order, a secretive military arm of the Faith. Together with his fellow initiates, Vaelin undertakes a brutal training regime – where the price of failure is often death. Under the tutelage of the Order’s masters, he learns how to forge a blade, survive the wilds and kill a man quickly and quietly.

Now his new skills will be put to the test. War is coming. Vaelin is the Sixth Order’s deadliest weapon and the Realm’s only hope. He must draw upon the very essence of his strength and cunning if he is to survive the coming conflict. Yet as the world teeters on the edge of chaos, Vaelin will learn that the truth can cut deeper than any sword.

Blood Song, the first book in Ryan’s Raven’s Shadow series, will be published by Ace Books in July 2013 in the US.

UPDATE: Rather quietly, it was announced that Orbit has bought publishing rights for the UK. The novel will be released as an eBook in April, and a Hardcover later in July. The UK artwork has been added to the top of the post, on the right.

Disturbing New Marvel Cover Art…

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There’s something wrong with this cover. Cyclops looks real bad-ass, sure, but part of me wants to make inappropriate jokes at “Daddy’s Home.” The other part of me thinks it’s a really sinister piece of art…

This is the cover of Cable & X-Force #7, which will be published April 17th 2013. The issue is written by Dennis Hopeless, with the cover and internal artwork by Salvador Larroca.

Upcoming: “The Tyrant’s Law” by Daniel Abraham (Orbit)

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Abraham-D&C-3-TheTyrantsLawDan Abraham is one of my favourite authors. Despite the very odd (and annoying) fact that his books are so often books I Save For Later… Anyway, The Tyrant’s Law is the third book in Abraham’s current fantasy series, The Dagger & the Coin, which began with the excellent The Dragon’s Path and was followed by the as-yet-unread-by-me The King’s Blood.

The great war cannot be stopped.

The tyrant Geder Palliako had led his nation to war, but every victory has called forth another conflict. Now the greater war spreads out before him, and he is bent on bringing peace. No matter how many people he has to kill to do it.

Cithrin bel Sarcour, rogue banker of the Medean Bank, has returned to the fold. Her apprenticeship has placed her in the path of war, but the greater dangers are the ones in her past and in her soul.

Widowed and disgraced at the heart of the Empire, Clara Kalliam has become a loyal traitor, defending her nation against itself. And in the shadows of the world, Captain Marcus Wester tracks an ancient secret that will change the war in ways not even he can forsee.

The Tryant’s Law will be published in the US and UK by Orbit, in May 2013.

Upcoming: “Riyria Chronicles” by Michael Sullivan (Orbit)

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Later this year, Orbit are publishing two more novels set in Michael Sullivan’s Riyria fantasy world. The two books are set before Theft of Swords and the Riyria Revelations series, but do not have to be read first – they fill in some details that are alluded to in the first series (which also includes Rise of Empire and Heir of Novron).

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First up is The Crown Tower, which chronicles Royce and Hadrian’s first job together:

Two men who hate each other. One impossible mission. A Legend in the making.

A warrior with nothing to fight for is paired with a thieving assassin with nothing to lose. Together they must steal a treasure that no one can reach. The Crown Tower is the impregnable remains of the grandest fortress ever built and home to the realm’s most valuable possessions. But it isn’t gold or jewels the old wizard is after, and this prize can only be obtained by the combined talents of two remarkable men. Now if Arcadias can just keep Hadrian and Royce from killing each other, they just might succeed.

And secondly, The Rose and the Thorn, in which we see the soon-to-be-legendary “Riyria” starting to take shape:

Two thieves want answers. Riyria is born.

For more than a year Royce Melborn has tried to forget Gwen DeLancy, the woman who saved him and his partner Hadrian Blackwater from certain death. Unable to get her out of his mind, the two thieves return to Medford but receive a very different reception – Gwen refuses to see them. The victim of abuse by a powerful noble, she suspects that Royce will ignore any danger in his desire for revenge. By turning the thieves away, Gwen hopes to once more protect them. What she doesn’t realize is what the two are capable of – but she’s about to find out.

The Crown Tower will be published in August 2013, with The Rose and the Thorn following in September 2013. I’m really looking forward to these.

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Riyria Revelations: The Viscount and the Witch, Theft of Swords, Rise of Empire, Heir of Novron

Also on CR: Interview with Michael Sullivan, Guest Post (Heroic vs. Gritty Fantasy)

Upcoming: “Martian Sands” by Lavie Tidhar (PS Publishing)

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Tidhar-MartianSandsLavie Tidhar, award-winning author of Osama and The Bookman Histories, will be releasing a new novella this month: Martian Sands. I must sadly admit that I haven’t read much of Tidhar’s work – something I definitely intend to remedy in the near future, probably starting with this. here’s the synopsis:

1941: an hour before the attack on Pearl Harbour, a man from the future materialises in President Roosevelt’s office. His offer of military aid may cut the War and its pending atrocities short, and alter the course of the future…

The future: welcome to Mars, where the lives of three ordinary people become entwined in one dingy smokesbar the moment an assassin opens fire. The target: the mysterious Bill Glimmung. But is Glimmung even real? The truth might just be found in the remote FDR Mountains, an empty place, apparently of no significance, but where digital intelligences may be about to bring to fruition a long-held dream of the stars…

Mixing mystery and science fiction, the Holocaust and the Mars of both Edgar Rice Burroughs and Philip K. Dick, Martian Sands is a story of both the past and future, of hope, and love, and of finding meaning — no matter where — or when — you are.

Upcoming: “Zenn Scarlett” by Christian Schoon (Strange Chemistry)

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Schoon-ZennScarlettThis is a stunning cover, and I have to admit that without it, the book may not have caught my attention. So well done, design team. I’m intrigued to see what this is like. Here’s the synopsis:

Zenn Scarlett is a bright, determined, occasionally a-little-too-smart-for-her-own-good 17-year-old girl training hard to become an exoveterinarian. That means she’s specializing in the treatment of exotic alien life forms, mostly large and generally dangerous. Her novice year of training at the Ciscan Cloister Exovet Clinic on Mars will find her working with alien patients from whalehounds the size of a hay barn to a baby Kiran Sunkiller, a colossal floating creature that will grow up to carry a whole sky-city on its back.

But after a series of inexplicable animal escapes from the school and other near-disasters, the Cloister is in real danger of being shut down by a group of alien-hating officials. If that happens, Zenn knows only too well the grim fate awaiting the creatures she loves.

Now, she must unravel the baffling events plaguing her school, before someone is hurt or killed, before everything she cares about is ripped away from her and her family forever. To solve this mystery – and live to tell about it – Zenn will have to put her new exovet skills to work in ways she never imagined, and in the process learn just how powerful compassion and empathy can be.

Zenn Scarlett will be published by Strange Chemistry in May 7th 2013.

Upcoming: “Drakenfeld” by Mark Charan Newton (Tor)

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Longtime readers of the blog will know that I am a big fan of Mark Charan Newton’s work. His debut series, Legends of the Red Sun, just got better and better with each new book, until the brilliant conclusion in The Broken Isles. Today, Mark unveiled the artwork for his next novel, Drakenfeld:

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I think we can all agree that it’s very eye-catching. The novel is the first in a new series, and sounds pretty fantastic. Here’s the synopsis:

“I am Lucan Drakenfeld, second son of Calludian, Officer of the Sun Chamber and peace keeper. Although sometimes it seems I am the only person who wishes to keep it …”

The monarchies of the Royal Vispasian Union have been bound together for two hundred years with treaties and laws maintained and enforced by the powerful Sun Chamber. As a result, a long harmony has existed, nations have flourished, and civil wars are a thing of the past. But corruption, deprivation and murder will always find a way to thrive…

Upon receiving news of his father’s death and recalled to his home city of Tryum, Drakenfeld is soon embroiled in a mystifying case. King Licintius’ sister, Lacanta, has been found brutally murdered during a night of festivities – her beaten and bloody body discovered in a locked temple. Despite hundreds of revellers, no one saw anything. With rumours of dark spirits and political assassination, Drakenfeld soon has his work cut out for him trying to separate superstition from certainty.

With his assistant, Leana, he embarks on the biggest and most complex investigation of his career, revisiting the ancient streets of his past, tracking down leads, interviewing suspects and making new enemies in his search for the truth.

His determination to find the killer soon makes him a target, as the underworld of Tryum focuses on this new threat to their power…

Drakenfeld will be published in the UK by Tor in October 2013. Which is also the month that Scott Lynch’s Republic of Thieves is being published. So, it’ll be one of the best months ever…

More on CR: Reviews of The Nights of Villjamur, City of Ruins, The Book of Transformations, The Broken Isles; Interview with Mark (2011) & Catch-Up Interview (2012)

Upcoming: “The Blue Blazes” by Chuck Wendig (Angry Robot)

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The latest from the rather excellent Chuck Wendig, THE BLUE BLAZES, has finally got a jacket. Designed by Joey Hi-Fi (who also handled the covers for Wendig’s Blackbirds and Mockingbird), it’s pretty good:

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As I told Abhinav over on The Founding Fields (who had the first reveal), it reminds me a bit of the covers for Chris F. Holm’s Collectors series (also published by Angry Robot): the two-tone background with a central device is certainly reminiscent. However, The Blue Blazes get a much busier, detailed central piece. It’s eye-catching (with the skull-like overall shape), which should catch people’s eyes as they browse bookstore shelves (or online sites). At the same time, it’s detailed enough to justify long, lingering looks to admire the many elements that have gone into the design.

Here’s the synopsis (in typically brief Angry Robot-style):

Meet Mookie Pearl.

Criminal underworld? He runs in 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…

File Under: Urban Fantasy [ Family Matters | When Underworlds Collide | Thrill of the Hunt | Chips and Old Blocks ]

Want to learn more? Check out Wendig’s excellent website, Terrible Minds, and be sure to follow him on Twitter & Facebook.

Upcoming: “Fiddlehead” by Cherie Priest (Tor)

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Priest-FiddleheadI have been slowly catching up with Cherie Priest’s popular Clockwork Century novels. I must admit I haven’t been as swept away as some readers, but they are starting to grow on me. Tor recently announced the fifth full-length novel in the series (there was also the novella, Clementine): Fiddlehead. The novel will be published in November 2013. Here’s the synopsis:

Ex-spy ‘Belle Boyd’ is retired – more or less. Retired from spying on the Confederacy anyway. Her short-lived marriage to a Union navy boy cast suspicion on those Southern loyalties, so her mid-forties found her unemployed, widowed and disgraced. Until her life-changing job offer from the staunchly Union Pinkerton Detective Agency.

When she’s required to assist Abraham Lincoln himself, she has to put any old loyalties firmly aside – for a man she spied against twenty years ago.Lincoln’s friend Gideon Bardsley, colleague and ex-slave, is targeted for assassination after the young inventor made a breakthrough. Fiddlehead, Bardsley’s calculating engine, has proved an extraordinary threat threatens the civilized world. Meaning now is not the time for conflict.

Now Bardsley and Fiddlehead are in great danger as forces conspire to keep this secret, the war moving and the money flowing. With spies from both camps gunning for her, can even the notorious Belle Boyd hold the war-hawks at bay?

I really must make an effort to catch up with this series. I’ve read and reviewed Boneshaker and the aforementioned Clementine, and will be sure to read the rest of the series soon: Dreadnought, Ganymede, The Inexplicables.

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