Tor UK

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

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TchaikovskyA-GunsOfTheDawnAn 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 SHADOWS OF THE APT Covers (Tor UK)

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Adrian Tchaikovsky‘s Shadows of the Apt series is fantastic — so many fellow reviewers and SFF fans have waxed lyrical about his prose, his world-building and stories. Certainly, I thoroughly enjoyed the first novel in the series. I started it after the first four or five had been published, and while I was thoroughly taken with the series and characters, I think at the time I looked at the sheer number of pages involved in getting caught up and came over all read-shy… Shameful, really. As a result, despite picking up the whole series (some as ARCs, others I purchased to fill gaps), I have never finished reading it. I hesitate to set that for a personal goal, as I’m terrible at completing reading goals.

Anyway, back to the purpose of this post. As you can see at the top, there, Tor UK has re-jacketed the novels (actually for the second time). I found them on Amazon UK. They seem to only appear for the Kindle editions, so it’s possible this is an eBook-only set of new covers.

If you’ve never read Tchaikovsky’s work before, I strongly urge you to do so. Start with Empire in Black and Gold. Here’s the synopsis:

THE DAYS OF PEACE ARE OVER

The city states of the Lowlands have lived in peace and prosperity for decades: bastions of civilization and sophistication. That peace is about to end.

In far-off corners, an ancient Empire has been conquering city after city with its highly trained armies and sophisticated warming… And now it’s set its sights on a new prize.

Only the ageing Stenwold Maker, spymaster, artificer and statesman, can see the threat. It falls upon his shoulders to open the eyes of his people — as soon a tide will sweep down over the Lowlands and burn away everything in its path.

But first he must stop himself from becoming the Empire’s latest victim.

The Shadows of the Apt series includes: Empire in Black and Gold, Dragonfly Falling, Blood of the Mantis, Salute the Dark, The Scarab Path, The Sea Watch, Heirs to the Blade, The Air War, War Master’s Gate, Seal of the Worm

Adrian Tchaikovsky is also the author of three stand-alone novels: Guns of the Dawn, Children of Time, and the upcoming The Tiger and the Wolf. I think I’ll be reading Guns of the Dawn very soon — I feel like reading something substantial, but not committing to a big (new) series at the moment. That novel looks like it will certainly do the trick.

Also on CR: Interview with Adrian Tchaikovsky (2012); Guest Posts on “Nine Books, Six Years, One Stenwold Maker” and “The Art of Gunsmithing — Writing Guns of the Dawn“; Excerpt from Guns of the Dawn

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Upcoming: THE TIGER AND THE WOLF by Adrian Tchaikovsky (Tor)

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This post could just as easily be titled “Yay! More Tchaikovsky!” The Tiger and the Wolf is Adrian Tchaikovsky‘s next stand-alone fantasy novel, and it not only has a striking, gorgeous cover (by Neil Lang), but it also sounds pretty interesting:

In the bleak northern crown of the world, war is coming

Maniye’s father is the Wolf clan’s chieftain, but she’s an outcast. Her mother was queen of the Tiger and these tribes have been enemies for generations. Maniye also hides a deadly secret. All can shift into their clan’s animal form, but Maniye can take on tiger and wolf shapes. She can’t disown half her soul, so escapes – with the killer Broken Axe in pursuit.

Maniye’s father plots to rule the north, and controlling his daughter is crucial to his schemes. However, other tribes also prepare for strife. It’s a season for omens as priests foresee danger, a time of testing and broken laws. Some say a great war is coming, overshadowing even Wolf ambitions. But what spark will set the world ablaze?

The Tiger and the Wolf is due to be published in the UK on February 11th, 2016. I’m really looking forward to it.

Tchaikovsky’s two most recent novels are Gun of the Dawn and Children of Time, both of which are published in the UK by Tor Books. Both of which, also, I need to get caught up on! I think they will be perfect for the imminent, very-damned-cold Canadian winter…

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Upcoming: LEVIATHAN’S BLOOD by Ben Peek (Tor UK)

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I shared the cover for Ben Peek‘s second novel a little while ago on Twitter, but Tor UK have recently posted a piece about the cover and novel, and I thought it should be up on CR as well. Leviathan’s Blood is the sequel to The Godless. Here’s what it’s about:

The city of Mireea has been destroyed and its survivors seek shelter, refugees from a great war. Among them, Zaifyr and his companions arrive at the gates of Yeflam, seeking asylum. Zaifyr’s immortal status might gain them access – but will that be enough? And although they are weary indeed, they also face a bigger threat than lack of sanctuary. A new child god has entered the world, and she will do anything to destroy those who might threaten her power. Zaifyr warns Yeflam of the danger she poses. But it’s too late. Priests of the new god have entered the city.

Meanwhile, Ayae becomes enmeshed in Muriel Wagan’s machinations. Now known as Lady of the Ghosts, Muriel seeks leverage to protect her people. But anyone in her way will find politics are more dangerous than the sword. Then on the other side of the world, the saboteur Bueralan returns home. Around his neck he carries a terrible cargo: the soul of a dead man. He’s been set on a dark path by the child god and he must face the consequences. For they will change a whole world.

I like the relatively-simple composition and idea behind the cover — and the execution is quite stunning. It was designed by Neal Lang.

Leviathan’s Blood is due to be published in April 2016.

For more on Ben Peek’s writing and novel, be sure to check out his website, and follow him on Twitter and Goodreads.

Also on CR: Interview with Ben Peek

Guest Post: “Do Writers Deserve to be Paid for Their Work?” by Tony Ballantyne

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BallantyneT-AuthorPicLet’s be honest, not always.

Most writing is unsolicited. Although a fair proportion of my writing nowadays has been commissioned in one way or another, most of the stuff I’ve done has been on spec. The short story market certainly works that way, and only a minority of authors sell a novel through an outline.

Face it, nobody asked us to write, and the fact that we’ve written a story unasked doesn’t mean that someone has to buy it any more than the fact that your local McDonalds has made too many Big Macs means that you have to eat them to stop them being wasted. Continue reading →

Interview with ZEN CHO

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ChoZ-AuthorPicLet’s start with an introduction: Who is Zen Cho?

I’m a lawyer and writer from Malaysia, living in the UK. My short story collection Spirits Abroad was published by Malaysian press Buku Fixi in 2014 and was a joint winner of the Crawford Fantasy Award. I’ve edited an anthology called Cyberpunk: Malaysia, also published by Fixi, which came out this year.

Your debut novel, Sorcerer to the Crown, will be published in September by Tor Books. How would you introduce the novel to a new reader, and is it part of a planned series?

Sorcerer to the Crown is a historical fantasy set in Regency London, about England’s first African Sorcerer Royal, Zacharias Wythe. Zacharias is trying to reverse the decline in England’s magic when his plans are hijacked by ambitious runaway orphan and female magical prodigy, Prunella Gentleman.

The book is the first in a trilogy, but while the books will be linked, the plan is for each book to focus on different characters. The hope is that people will be able to read them as standalones. Continue reading →

Upcoming from Tor UK…

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A handful of titles forthcoming from Tor Books UK that I’m really interested in (and one published by Picador).

ChoZ-SorcerorToTheCrownUKZen Cho, SORCEROR TO THE CROWN (September 10th)

THE FATE OF ENGLISH MAGIC LIES IN THEIR HANDS…

In Regency London, Zacharias Wythe is England’s first African Sorcerer Royal. He leads the eminent Royal Society of Unnatural Philosophers, but a malicious faction seeks to remove him by fair means or foul. Meanwhile, the Society is failing its vital duty — to keep stable the levels of magic within His Majesty’s lands. The Fairy Court is blocking its supply, straining England’s dangerously declining magical stores. And now the government is demanding to use this scarce resource in its war with France.

Ambitious orphan Prunella Gentleman is desperate to escape the school where she’s drudged all her life, and a visit by the beleaguered Sorcerer Royal seems the perfect opportunity. For Prunella has just stumbled upon English magic’s greatest discovery in centuries — and she intends to make the most of it. At his wits’ end, the last thing Zachariah needs is a female magical prodigy! But together, they might just change the nature of sorcery, in Britain and beyond.

To be published in the US by Ace Books on September 1st, 2015.

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DickinsonS-TraitorUKSeth Dickinson, THE TRAITOR (September 24th)

A mask can hide a thousand lies…

Baru Cormorant believes any price is worth paying to liberate her people — even her soul. When the Empire of Masks conquers her island home, criminalizes her customs, and murders one of her fathers, Baru vows to mask her hate, join the Empire’s civil service, and claw her way high enough up the rungs of power to put a stop to the Emperor’s influence and set her people free –whatever the price. A natural savant she is sent as an Imperial agent to distant Aurdwynn — a post she worries will never get her the position and power she craves.

But Baru soon discovers Aurdwynn is a complex and secretive country, seemingly on the brink of rebellion. All it would need is a match to the tinder… Drawn by the intriguing duchess Tain Hu into a circle of seditious dukes, Baru may be able to use her position to help create a revolution that will threaten the Empire’s hold on the country; an outcome, which if successful, could threaten to bring the Empire to its knees.

As she pursues a precarious balance between the rebels and a shadowy cabal within the Empire, she orchestrates a do-or-die gambit with freedom as the prize. But winning the long game of saving her people may be far more costly than Baru imagines.

Published in the US by Tor Books, as The Traitor Baru Cormorant.

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PatrickS-2-LostSoulsUKSeth Patrick, LOST SOULS (August 13th)

JONAH MILLER, REVIVER.

Able to wake the recently dead for testimony that is accepted in courts worldwide, the use of revivers has long been a routine part of police investigation. But now those who consider it blasphemy are in resurgence — well-funded and gaining ground, they threaten the work of Jonah and his colleagues in the Forensic Revival Service. Jonah is still recovering from the injuries received after unearthing the existence of a creature bent on terrible destruction, a creature defeated at the cost of many lives.

Then the discovery of a bizarrely mutilated corpse makes Jonah suspect that the victory was not as complete as it seemed, and that not all the evil was destroyed. For in the darkness, shadows are waiting. And they are hungry…

The sequel to Reviver. Published in North America by Thomas Dunne Books in November 2015.

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YanagiharaH-ALittleLifeUKHanya Yanagihara, A LITTLE LIFE (August 13th, Picador)

A masterful depiction of heartbreak, and a dark and haunting examination of the tyranny of experience and memory.

An epic about love and friendship in the twenty-first century that goes into some of the darkest places fiction has ever travelled and yet somehow improbably breaks through into the light.

When four graduates from a small Massachusetts college move to New York to make their way, they’re broke, adrift, and buoyed only by their friendship and ambition. There is kind, handsome Willem, an aspiring actor; JB, a quick-witted, sometimes cruel Brooklyn-born painter seeking entry to the art world; Malcolm, a frustrated architect at a prominent firm; and withdrawn, brilliant, enigmatic Jude, who serves as their centre of gravity. Over the decades, their relationships deepen and darken, tinged by addiction, success, and pride. Yet their greatest challenge, each comes to realize, is Jude himself, by midlife a terrifyingly talented litigator yet an increasingly broken man, his mind and body scarred by an unspeakable childhood, and haunted by what he fears is a degree of trauma that he’ll not only be unable to overcome — but that will define his life forever.

Published in North America by Doubleday.

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New Books (May)

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Featuring: Michael Arnold, Rob Boffard, Mike Brooks, James L. Cambias, Wesley Chu, John Henry Clay, James S.A. Corey, Cindy Dees, Bill Flippin, David Hair, Laurell K. Hamilton, Nalo Hopkinson, Andrew Michael Hurley, N.K. Jemisin, Chuck Klosterman, Gayle Lynds, K.M. McKinley, David Mitchell, Keith Richards, Slash, Bradley Somer, Adrian Tchaikovsky, Mick Wall, Django Wexler, Bill Willingham Continue reading →

Upcoming: CHILDREN OF TIME by Adrian Tchaikovsky (Tor)

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TchaikovskyA-ChildrenOfTimeUKHot(ish) on the heels of stand-alone fantasy novel Guns of the Dawn, the details of Adrian Tchaikovsky’s first sci-fi novel have emerged! Children of Time is due to be published by Tor Books in the UK in June 2015. To the right is the rather nice cover, and here is the synopsis:

WHO WILL INHERIT THIS NEW EARTH?

The last remnants of the human race left a dying Earth, desperate to find a new home among the stars. Following in the footsteps of their ancestors, they discover the greatest treasure of the past age – a world terraformed and prepared for human life. But all is not right in this new Eden. In the long years since the planet was abandoned, the work of its architects has borne disastrous fruit. The planet is not waiting for them, pristine and unoccupied. New masters have turned it from a refuge into mankind’s worst nightmare. Now two civilizations are on a collision course, both testing the boundaries of what they will do to survive. As the fate of humanity hangs in the balance, who are the true heirs of this new Earth?

Also on CR: Interview with Adrian Tchaikovsky; Guest Posts on “Nine Books, Six Years, One Stenwold Maker” and “The Art of Gunsmithing – Writing Guns of the Dawn“; Excerpt from Guns of the Dawn; Reviews of Empire in Black & Gold and The Bloody Deluge

An Interview with LUCY HOUNSOM

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HounsomL-AuthorPicLet’s start with an introduction: Who is Lucy Hounsom? 

I am a hopeless dreamer who spends half her time in other worlds and the other half inside her own head… which is pretty much the same thing. I used to get told off at school for not listening except when we studied English or wrote poems/ stories. You know that loner you saw squandering their lunch break in the library reading Dragonlance? Yeah – that was me. Before then, I was training to be an actress and a dancer at theatre school and I worked a fair bit in the industry. I can’t imagine being an actress now, but that’s what might have happened had I not discovered how much I loved telling stories. Today I live in East Devon on the shores of the Jurassic Coast, dividing my time between writing and bookselling. And occasionally playing the piano.

Your debut novel, STARBORN, was recently published by Tor Books in the UK. How would you introduce the novel to a potential reader? Is it part of a planned series?

Starborn is the first book in a trilogy called Worldmaker, a traditional fantasy with the flavour of Eddings and Canavan. It’s the story of a young woman called Kyndra who discovers that she (and indeed the world as she knows it) might not be all they appear. After a disastrous coming of age ceremony, she finds herself fleeing her home in the company of two strangers, who take her halfway across the world to a hidden subterranean citadel – the home of the fabled Wielders, who can draw upon the energy of the sun and moon. It’s here she begins to uncover a truth long forgotten by everyone except a fanatical sect living in the depths of the citadel and their mysterious leader – a truth inextricably bound up with her own destiny. Continue reading →