Fantasy

Excerpt: GROTESQUE by Elliott Dunstan (Wolsak & Wynn)

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Next week, Wolsak & Wynn will publish Grotesque, the latest book by Elliott Dunstan , the Ottawa-based “poet, historian, author, cook, proud anarchist, drag performer, and otherwise man of many hats.” To mark the occasion, we have an excerpt to share with our readers. The novel is a “darkly erotic fairy tale of death and redemption. Here’s the full synopsis:

Bedhyndann is a small seaside town in Cornwall. A town that travellers feel uncomfortable in. A town where sailors often choose to stay on their ships rather than coming into port. A town where the golem Denvyth has lived for nearly two hundred years and where he has been waiting for his master, the sorcerer Arderne, to return for one hundred and fifty of those. To pass the time he amuses himself at the siren Victoire’s private club, helping the humans around him fulfill their most dangerous desires. Until he crosses paths with Summers, a client who wants more from Denvyth than he should and who has the clues to unlock the secret of Arderne’s disappearance.

But Arderne sought to release an old god and once Denvyth follows his master’s last instructions and finishes the sorcerer’s spell, what he unleashes could make him the monster he’s always feared being and destroy the world.

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Excerpt: THE TOWER OF BEGGARS by Torsten Weitze (Absurd Ventures)

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Today, we have a short excerpt from The Tower of Beggars, the first novel in Torsten Weitze‘s Stormfell Academy series. Weitze is a prolific German fantasy author, and this marks his first publication in North America and in the UK. Due to be published tomorrow, by Absurd Ventures, here’s the synopsis:

When tragedy strikes her family, Niri finds herself penniless and alone in a city determined to turn their back on ‘her kind’.

Her only possession is also her only hope – a copper coin that grants her admission to the prestigious Stormfell Academy, renowned for its magical and combative training.

But the coin only offers her a place to sleep, and Niri must learn to adapt and fight if she is to survive the Academy – and its occupants.

The Tower of Beggars is the first enthralling instalment in the bestselling Stormfell Academy series that has captivated millions of readers in Europe, now available in the US and UK for the first time.

Welcome to the Academy…

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Upcoming: IRRESISTIBLE MONSTERS by Natalie Haynes (Picador)

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Like many people, after watching Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, I found my interest and love for Greek Mythology reignited this summer. This led me, earlier this month, to read Natalie Haynes‘s Divine Might and Pandora’s Jar — two superb, engaging books about Greek Mythology. After finishing them, and buying a few of her novels, I started to look about for any other books the author might be working on. That’s what led me to find Irresistible Monsters, another book about mythology; this time, Haynes takes a look at the “creatures in Greek Mythology”. Here’s the synopsis:

From snaky Echidna – mother of monsters – to the fearsome Minotaur, the strange and terrible creatures of Greek myths have been grabbing our attention for thousands of years. In Irresistible Monsters, bestselling author, broadcaster and passionate classicist Natalie Haynes turns her inimitable gaze on the inhuman, and reveals that even the things we thought we knew aren’t necessarily so: a Cyclops doesn’t always have one eye, and Cerberus doesn’t start out with three heads.

Along the way, she examines how we think about monsters: what makes a monster, and why do we need them? Do they subvert the world as we know it, or subtly reinforce our expectations? Is a monster human or animal, mortal or divine? And how do you defeat a multi-headed snake when it has a giant crab as its henchman?

This is now one of my most-anticipated books of early 2027. Really looking forward to reading it.

Irresistible Monsters is due to be published in the UK by Picador, on March 4th, 2027. At the time of writing, I couldn’t find a North American publisher — Haynes’s aforementioned Divine Might and Pandora’s Jar (and novels) are published in North America by Harper Perennial, so maybe they will pick this one up as well.

Follow the Author: Website, Goodreads, Instagram, BlueSky

Quick Recommendation: DIVINE MIGHT and PANDORA’S JAR by Natalie Haynes (Harper Perennial)

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Like many people who saw and enjoyed Christopher Nolan’s take on The Odyssey this summer, my long-standing interest in mythology has been given a bit of a boost. Unconnected to the upcoming Nolan movie, I had started reading Stephen Fry’s Mythos series last year, with Mythos and Heroes. After seeing the movie, I decided to finally finish Fry’s series, which I did over the past couple of months or so. Afterwards, I found myself casting about for something else to try, craving a bit more mythology. (It’s just so much more interesting than what’s going on in the real world, to be honest, that I’ve found myths to be a rather pleasant escape.) That’s when I noticed Natalie Haynes’s Divine Might (2024) and Pandora’s Jar (2022). Continue reading →

Excerpt: THE SLEUTH OF FERREN CITY by S. M. Beiko (ECW Press)

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Next week, ECW Press will publish The Sleuth of Ferren City, the third novel in the Brindlewatch Quintet by S. M. Beiko. To mark the occasion, the publisher has provided CR with an excerpt to share; something to tide existing series fans over until the book’s release, and also give new readers a taste of what they can expect from the novel/series. First, here’s the synopsis:

Monsters are real. Well, monstros are, anyway — an emerging group of citizens trying to find their place in Brindlewatch, ever since the Camillites made a splash in the small town of Quixx, and the Jettites climbed out of their subterranean city beneath Lake Mallion. The Far Cities are bristling with newcomers looking for a fresh start in this brand-new world, but is it as safe for them as they think?

Sable, a Camillite who still lives on Mount Quixx, isn’t so sure. She sees the world through the distorted lens of the novels she steals from Professor Bedouin’s observatory and is slow to trust the strangers in the world beyond the page. She is a side-character in her own story, and she wants to keep it that way.

But a desperate letter begging for help rewrites Sable as the protagonist sleuth of her favorite novels, and hot on the trail trying to find her vanished friend, Sable uncovers more than she bargained for in the bright lights of the big a famous author with the ability to make every monstro’s dream come true, a dastardly underworld targeting vulnerable monstros, and a sweet bookseller who may be at the heart of the mystery.

And on the airwaves, a broadcast like no other promises a bold new world for everyone. Will Sable find her voice and save those terrified of speaking up, before it’s too late?

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CR20 Favourites: MILKWEED TRIPTYCH by Ian Tregillis (Tor/Orbit)

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As you may have noticed, Civilian Reader recently celebrated its 20th anniversary — a milestone that is still quite amazing to me. In addition to sharing the first review and interview I posted, I wanted to publish some other “CR20” content. One of the ideas I keep coming back to, recently, is some kind of “CR20 Favourites” series of posts: what are the books, interviews, and other things over the past 20 years that have stood out to me.

I thought I’d kick off this series of posts by revisiting, and re-recommending, Ian Tregillis‘s superb, not-as-widely-read-as-it-deserves Milkweed Triptych! Continue reading →

Upcoming: SOULSTEALER by Miles Cameron (Gollancz)

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This September, Gollancz are due to publish Soulstealer by Miles Cameron, the first novel in the Soulflake fantasy series! The excellent cover by Fran Vegas was unveiled earlier this week by Grimdark Magazine, along with the synopsis, and both the artwork and plot caught my attention. Here’s what it’s about:

Bekka Trevelyan is an arcanist, and the first woman to be made a Gentleman Scholar of Arcany at the University of Kabakak. Her graduate work was in refining a device to measure the potency of the winds of magic. Over her Yule holidays from teaching, she travels east on a field trip to test her theory about the Winds in the true Wyld. Instead, she finds herself swept up in the investigation of a kidnapping of an indigenous woman and her child by a demon that has possessed the body of a tracker.

Tam Warden was a war hero, and then a sort of government enforcer. He gave up rank and fame to marry across class lines. But government isn’t done with him yet. He’s called back to action to investigate Bekka’s claims – discreetly. This is delicate work, because the truth could unbalance the nation.

Essa Bateman is a mercenary spy, a hard woman with no attachments and very few ethics. Few, it turns out, is more than ‘none.’ She sees the ripples of unrest from the underbelly of society, but deciding what to do about them is a different beast entirely.

In a world where gunpowder is manufactured from the souls of executed criminals, and the ultra-rich seek immortality at any price, where children labour in factories and the desperate poor turn to vampirism, where slavery is rampant and gangs rule the streets…

A few people are about to be heroes. They just don’t know it yet.

But maybe, just maybe, the Revolution is coming.

Mile Cameron’s Soulstealer is due to be published by Gollancz in the UK, on September 3rd. The author’s sci-fi series, Arcana Imperii, is also published in the UK by Gollancz, and in North America by Saga Press. (He is also a prolific historical fiction author, as Christian Cameron.)

Also on CR: Excerpt from Storming Heaven, Guest Post on “How I do Research”

Follow the Author: Website, Goodreads, Instagram, BlueSky

Excerpt: MOON OVER BRENDLE by Jeff Noon (Angry Robot Books)

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A couple of weeks ago, Angry Robot Books published the latest magical contemporary fantasy novel from Jeff Noon: Moon Over Brendle. Already very well-received, the publisher has provided CR with an excerpt to share with our readers (in case you need any more convincing to give it a read). Before we get to that, though, here’s the synopsis:

The Dust tells the story…

1968, Lancashire: It is Joe Sutter’s last summer before going to secondary school. His world is like ours but beyond and beside what we know is Greot; a vast swirling rainbow of many-coloured dust. It settles on the dead, it swathes cities and fields. Joe is one of the few who have the gift of always being able to see it. But no one knows what Greot is. Is it the trillion-eyed god? The history of everything told grain-by-grain? Prophecy? The magic of creativity?

Joe can’t know; all he wants to do is draw comics and listen to music. Then one day, after climbing up to the ancient tower on Brendle hill, he meets an old writer of pulp SF books who is determined to pass on the power and joy of telling stories. And everything changes.

Decades later Joe is a successful SF novelist, and the time has come to tell his story, not only of how he became a writer but also how the secrets of the dust were revealed to him, one grain at a time.

And now, on with the excerpt…

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Excerpt: GREEN CITY WARS by Adrian Tchaikovsky (Tor Books)

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This summer, Tor Books will publish Green City Wars by Adrian Tchaikovsky. A fantastical spin on the noir detective genre — “Philip Marlowe meets Redwall” — this has been on my must-read list ever since I read the synopsis. Luckily, I do have a review copy, which I’ll be reading very soon. In the meantime, the publisher has allowed CR to share a substantial excerpt!

Here’s the synopsis:

In the solar cities of the future, the humans relax in the sun and the animals work in the shadows. Genetically engineered Little Helpers, serving humanity—unseen, unheard.

Meet Skotch. Raccoon, PI—yours for a few buttons as long as the job isn’t too illegal, whatever that means.

A mouse has gone missing. Normally this wouldn’t raise any hackles, nor any alarms, but this mouse has something that everyone seems to want, though nobody appears particularly eager to say what that something is.

The fee is good—perhaps too good. Certainly not something Skotch can easily turn down.

If only Skotch can work out where the mouse is hiding, what he’s hiding, and why his secrets are upsetting a lot of animals caught up in the Green City wars.

And now, on with the excerpt!

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Excerpt: NOT ALL DRAGONS by David Ly (Poplar Press)

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On May 19th, Poplar Press are due to publish Not All Dragons by David Ly. It’s a debut fantasy novel that offers a new take on the myth of dragons, and the publisher has provided CR with an excerpt to share with our readers. First, though, here’s the synopsis:

What is it that you are, Rhys?

In a land of magic and myth, Rhys awakens on the shore of Lanilia with mysterious wounds on his back and no memory of his life before. Disoriented, he stumbles on the Mernese estuary protected by the mermaid Delia, who is quickly intrigued by this male who doesn’t smell like any Lanilian she’s ever met and who is unable to answer questions about himself.

Determined to figure out his past, Rhys convinces Delia to help, and begins a dangerous journey to discover who he is, or was, and who he might become as they hunt for the truth beneath story and prophecy.

And now, on to the excerpt, which is the Prologue.

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