Way back in the mists of time (2008), when I was but a wee new book reviewer, Orbit Books were kind enough to send me a certain debut novel: The Way of Shadows, the first novel in Brent Weeks‘s Night Angel trilogy. I was still relatively new to the “modern” fantasy genre, only just venturing into the land of grimdark and non-Elves-and-Dwarves or shared universe fantasy (e.g., Warhammer). I remember blitzing through The Way of Shadows, eager to read the rest of the series. (If I remember correctly, I think I pestered the poor Orbit publicist quite a bit for the next book… Apologies!) Anyway, why am I sharing this? Well, it was recently announced that Weeks is going to return to the world of the Night Angel trilogy, with Night Angel Nemesis! Here’s the synopsis:
Return to the world of the Night Angel, and follow master assassin Kylar on a new adventure as the High King Logan Gyre calls on him to save his kingdom and the hope of peace.
After the war that cost him so much, Kylar Stern is broken and alone. He’s determined not to kill again, but an impending amnesty will pardon the one murderer he can’t let walk free. He promises himself this is the last time. One last hit to tie up the loose ends of his old, lost life.
But Kylar’s best–and maybe only–friend, the High King Logan Gyre, needs him. To protect a fragile peace, Logan’s new kingdom, and the king’s twin sons, he needs Kylar to secure a powerful magical artifact that was unearthed during the war.
With rumors that a ka’kari may be found, adversaries both old and new are on the hunt. And if Kylar has learned anything, it’s that ancient magics are better left in the hands of those he can trust.
If he does the job right, he won’t need to kill at all. This isn’t an assassination—it’s a heist.
But some jobs are too hard for an easy conscience, and some enemies are so powerful the only answer lies in the shadows. Continue reading
Today, I’m very happy to be able to host this (substantial) annotated excerpt from Alex White‘s latest space opera novel, August Kitko and the Mechas From Space! The action-packed first novel in the Starmetal Symphony series, here’s the synopsis:
The Clark Award-winning 
Let’s start with an introduction: Who is Chelsea Abdullah?
Today, we have an annotated excerpt taken from David Dalglish’s upcoming new novel, The Bladed Faith. The first in a new series, the Vagrant Gods, here’s the synopsis:
Writing books is so weird.
Welcome back to CR! For newcomers, let’s start with an introduction: Who is R.S. Ford?
An excellent start to a new fantasy series
Printed ARCs of Richard Swan‘s debut novel, The Justice of Kings, have already been doing the rounds among the lucky few, and the reception seems to have been pretty universally positive (even glowing). I’m always on the look-out for new fantasy series (well, any series, really) to give a try, and this one sounds rather intriguing. Here’s the synopsis:
The cover for the second novel in Adrian Tchaikovsky‘s Final Architecture series, Eyes of the Void, was unveiled a little while ago (perhaps officially today). If you haven’t had a chance to read the first book — 
Civilian Reader 