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What Should I Read Next…?

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I’m incredibly indecisive when it comes to picking my next read. Usually. There are times, of course, when nothing is going to stop me reading a particular book. (Most recently, that was the case with Peter V. Brett’s The Daylight War, despite my intended wish to mix things up  a bit more… I loved it, so it worked out in the end. Later in the year, it’ll be Scott Lynch’s Republic of Thieves.)

I currently find myself in one of these moments of indecisiveness. Here are the options (followed, after the break, but synopses):

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Richard Ford’s Herald of the Storm (Headline)

Welcome to Steelhaven…

Under the reign of King Cael the Uniter, this vast cityport on the southern coast has for years been a symbol of strength, maintaining an uneasy peace throughout the Free States.

But now a long shadow hangs over the city, in the form of the dread Elharim warlord, Amon Tugha. When his herald infiltrates the city, looking to exploit its dangerous criminal underworld, and a terrible dark magick that has long been buried once again begins to rise, it could be the beginning of the end.

Robert Jackson Bennett’s American Elsewhere (Orbit)

Some places are too good to be true.

Under a pink moon, there is a perfect little town not found on any map.

In that town, there are quiet streets lined with pretty houses, houses that conceal the strangest things.

After a couple years of hard traveling, ex-cop Mona Bright inherits her long-dead mother’s home in Wink, New Mexico. And the closer Mona gets to her mother’s past, the more she understands that the people of Wink are very, very different…

From one of our most talented and original new literary voices comes the next great American supernatural novel: a work that explores the dark dimensions of the hometowns and the neighbours we thought we knew.

Benjamin Percy’s Red Moon (Hodder)

They live among us.

They are your neighbour, your mother, your lover.

They change.

Every teenage girl thinks she’s different. When government agents kick down Claire Forrester’s front door and murder her parents, Claire realizes just how different she is.

Patrick Gamble was nothing special until the day he got on a plane and hours later stepped off it, the only passenger left alive, a hero.

President Chase Williams has sworn to protect the people of the United States from the menace in their midst, but is becoming the very thing he has promised to destroy.

So far the threat has been controlled by laws and violence and drugs. But the night of the red moon is coming, when an unrecognizable world will emerge, and the battle for humanity will begin.

Joe Hill’s NOS-4R2 (Gollancz)

Summer. Massachusetts.

An old Silver Wraith with a frightening history. A story about one serial killer and his lingering, unfinished business.

Anyone could be next.

We’re going to Christmasland…

NOS4A2 is an old-fashioned horror novel in the best sense. Claustrophobic, gripping and terrifying, this is a story that will have you on the edge of the seat while you read, and leaving the lights on while you sleep. With the horrific tale of Charles Manx and his Silver Wraith, Joe Hill has established himself as the premiere horror and supernatural thriller writer of his generation.

C. Robert Cargill’s Dreams and Shadows (Gollancz)

DREAMS AND SHADOWS takes us beyond the veil, through the lives of Ewan and Colby, young men whose spirits have been enmeshed with the otherworld from a young age.

This brilliantly-crafted narrative follows the boys from their star-crossed adolescences to their haunted adulthoods; and takes us inside the Limestone Kingdom, a parallel universe where whisky-swilling genies and foul-mouthed wizards argue over the state of the metaphysical realm. Having left the spirit world and returned to the human world, Ewan and Colby discover that the creatures from this previous life have not forgotten them, and that fate can never be sidestepped.

Of course, I may ignore all of your suggestions anyway, but it will nevertheless be interesting to see what you would like to feature on the site.

It’s also my 30th birthday this coming Friday, and I’m hoping for some Amazon vouchers, so I can get Kindle editions of the third book in Stacia Kane’s Downside Ghosts series and also Joe Abercrombie’s Last Argument of Kings (have become a bit of a fanboy for this series, now…),* so those will likely follow shortly after whichever choice I make from this selection.

Which would you recommend? If you can find the comments, please do leave your suggestions. (Apparently, some browsers are having a difficult time with the new blog template, but I can’t figure out how to fix this or change it back… Apologies about that.)

* Review of Before They Are Hanged tomorrow.

Guest Review: “What Lies Within” by Tom Vowler (Headline)

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Vowler-WhatLiesWithinA tightly spun, atmospheric and powerful psychological suspense.

Reviewed by Milo Milton-Jefferies

Living in a remote Devon farmhouse, Anna and her family have always been close to nature, surrounded by the haunting beauty of the moor. But when a convict escapes from nearby Dartmoor prison, their isolation suddenly begins to feel more claustrophobic than free. Fearing for her children’s safety, Anna’s behaviour becomes increasingly irrational. But why is she so distant from her kind husband Robert, and why does she suspect something sinister of her son Paul? All teenagers have their difficult phases…

Meanwhile, a young idealistic teacher has just started her first job, determined to ‘make a difference’. But when she is brutally attacked by one of her students, her version of events is doubted by even those closest to her. Struggling to deal with the terrible consequences, she does what she can to move on and start afresh.

As the two narratives converge, the tension builds to a devastating denouement, shattering everything you thought you believed about nature, nurture and the true meaning of family.

There are several reasons why I love being a part of the blogging community, but I think one of the more important reasons is that there are literally loads of novels out there that I would never have heard of and discovered were it not for reviewing. When Stefan offered me the chance to guest review What Lies Within by Tom Vowler, I leapt at the chance, and this book turned out to be a very enjoyable reading experience, despite the fact I went into it knowing almost nothing about the book, except for the blurb and the cover.

The first thing that drew me to What Lies Within was that its location, Devon (for all you international readers, a county towards the south-west England), is where I live, and I don’t get the chance to read novels set in the same county as me very often, due to the fact that I’m a big reader of SFF books and very rarely do these take place in the English Countryside. So, I was willing to give Vowler the benefit of the doubt, and gave this book a try…

… And I was pleasantly surprised. This book deals with a touchy subject that not many people may feel comfortable with reading, and I couldn’t help but be compelled to support the teacher when reading this book, especially after all the things she’s subjected to. The theme of What Lies Within is essentially having to remain a good person even while you’re suffering bad events. What I liked about this book was that it really keeps you reading. It is hardly a comfortable read, mainly due to the subject matter, but What Lies Within is nonetheless an enthralling read.

And there’s a slow and gradual build up to this story. This book is very much a character-focused book as opposed to a plot-centric one. When I first read What Lies Within’s blurb, I mistakenly thought it would be a hunt for an escaped convict-type novel. But the book is far more than that, and an interesting read.

The story is told in the “present”, but the use of flashbacks is very interesting and develop over the course of the novel, as we learn more about certain events and discover that all things are not as initially clear-cut as we imagine them to be. Vowler has some strong, positive writing and really captures Anna’s personality. She’s a character with a harsh background and the author paints a sympathetic and empathetic picture of our protagonist.

I don’t want to give away the twist in the book, but it’s a pretty powerful one. What Lies Within is a book that’s full of surprises, and I am struggling to think of anything negative to say about it.