‘Skinwalker’ – Faith Hunter (Roc)

No matter what I say (and no matter how much I may hate what I’m reading at the time) I always end up picking up Urban Fantasy, I just can’t help it. It’s a real guilty pleasure thing; the constant angst may get me down but supernatural creatures laying hurt on each other never gets old :o)
Part of the reason I find myself picking up more Urban Fantasy is that I feel this is a genre that has the potential to come out with some really outstanding books, I just haven’t found them yet... That doesn’t stop me looking though and my latest port of call is Faith Hunter’s opening shot in her new ‘Jane Yellowrock’ series. Was it the book I was looking for? Not quite but it does promise good things for fans of Urban Fantasy...

Jane Yellowrock is a ‘Skinwalker’ of Cherokee descent, able to become any animal that she desires. This ability is rather well suited to her role of hunting down the undead but she is also the last of her kind and cast adrift in uncertainty about a past that she can only half remember...
Now she’s in New Orleans working for people that she would normally work against; a rogue vampire is hunting undead and living alike and the Vampire Council have decided that Jane is the person to sort things out.
New Orleans can be a rough place at the best of times and a rogue vampire can only make things much worse. However, in taking on this job Jane may find some answers to questions of her own...

I knew that I was on to a good thing when I came across this line...

‘Vamps and witches came out of the closet in 1962, when Marilyn Monroe tried to turn the US President in the Oval Office and was killed by the Secret Service.’

That’s as good an explanation as any I guess! I like books that are prepared to go for really out there explanations like this :o) As it happened, this slightly tongue in cheek approach never made any further appearances, being replaced by a grittier ‘detective noir’ feel with plenty of searching for clues and cruising down mean streets on a mean motorbike. This did jar a little with me but the ensuing story was such that I found it easy to forgive this disparity.

‘Skinwalker’ is an oddity (at least as far as my Urban Fantasy reading goes) in that it features a heroine who just wants to get on with the job at hand. Jane has no time for getting all angst ridden over the local Vampire boss, she’s busy dammit! I loved this! For what feels like the first time ever I was reading a tale where the lead character and the plot flowed together instead of having bits shoehorned in to satisfy a need that isn’t really there. The reader gets to find out a lot more about Jane (and her relationship with what is inside her head) and can spend more time on what’s really important, the rogue vampire tearing up New Orleans.

Jane is an interesting character to spend time with and her character goes well with a plot that came across as slightly linear (no real twists in the tale here) but still gave me plenty to chew on and think over. A mixture of brooding streets and vampire politics kept my attention the whole way through and the sporadic shape shifter/vampire fights added fresh impetus to the plot (just when it was needed) and kept the pace moving along nicely.

If I had one real complaint though, it was the fact that ‘Skinwalker’ did have a habit of coming across very much like a ‘first book in a series’ kind of book. To be fair, it is the first book in a series but the moments where introductory pieces were required ended up coming across as a bit too heavy and not only diverting the flow of the story but also slowing it down. I also felt that there were times when Hunter was saying ‘Look! My Urban Fantasy is different to all the others and here’s why!’ Cue more explanatory pieces that detracted from the story itself...

Despite this, ‘Skinwalker’ proved to be a fun read with more than enough there to ensure that I pick up the sequel to see what happens next. I’m not sure about that cover though...

Eight out of Ten

‘Fables: Animal Farm’ – Bill Willingham, Mark Buckingham (Vertigo)

I am one of those people who will go on about how great the opening book in a series is (and swear mighty oaths to read the rest of the books as soon as possible) but then somehow never manage to keep going. I’m full of good intentions but there are just so many books to read and only one of me to read them all! :o)
You would have to go back to Christmas last year to see what I thought of the first ‘Fables’ collection, ‘Legends in Exile’ (to sum it up in two words, ‘bloody good’) and the plan was to read the sequel as soon as possible. Eight months later and I finally got round to it (whilst hoping that the tent didn’t spring a leak, it’s happened before!)
‘Animal Farm’ was bloody good too; I’m certainly not going to hang around before picking up the next book. No, seriously I’m not! ;o)

There’s trouble down at the Farm and this isn’t just any old farm that we’re talking about here. The Farm is where the Fables, fairy tale characters hiding out in our world, who just can’t live in our world (a dragon really wouldn’t go un-noticed in Manhattan) have to live. These Fables aren’t happy with their lot though and the revolutionary rhetoric of Goldilocks and the Three Little Pigs is fanning the flames... Snow White and Rose Red are about to find that the annual trip to the Farm will possibly be a little hotter than they can handle!

I thought I was done with the tales of characters like Snow White and the Three Little Pigs at primary school; how wrong could I be? Willingham brings back all your favourite childhood characters and leaves you in no doubt that this isn’t a kid’s story that we’re talking about here. If you haven’t read ‘Animal Farm’ then I’m willing to bet that you haven’t seen Goldilocks toting a sniper rifle (well, maybe you have but this probably isn’t the place to be talking about that kind of thing...), you will here. This is an adult story with all the trappings that come with such a tale. No-one is safe (well, some are but that’s all part of the story) in the crossfire so don’t be surprised to see at least one of your childhood heroes bite the dust. Willingham also opens things up by redefining the term ‘Fairy Tale’. Characters from other childhood tales also make an appearance (as well as established myths and legends) which results in a wider cast to call upon and this means a richer tale to be told. The sight of the ‘Jungle Book’s’ King Louie up before a war crimes tribunal means that I’ll never look at the book (or Disney film) in the same way again!

I was captivated by a tale in which both sides are evenly matched and only ingenuity can tip the balance. It turned out to be a real page turner where things could change from one panel to the next. There are also a number of interesting hints at future developments that have ensured I will be back to see what happens next (no matter how long it takes this time!) Why is Goldilocks one of the most feared and hated people in the land of Fables...? I also liked the way that Willingham ties classic fairy tale figures in with another modern fairy tale and shows us what could happen when the march of revolution isn’t quite as easy (and not designed at teaching readers about the inherent corruption in humanity)... This ‘Animal Farm’ isn’t so clear cut and it’s that kind of vagueness that appeals to me in a story.

It’s a slight shame then that the artwork didn’t match up to the storytelling, at least in my opinion anyway. For a tale that comes across as very adult, the artwork came across (to me) as a little too cartoonish and not really able to capture what Willingham was putting his characters through. This certainly wasn’t enough to put me off reading though and it won’t be enough to stop me reading the rest of the series. Who knows, the artwork will more than likely grow on me as time goes by.

I’ve decided not to give marks to books that I buy but I think you can probably guess how I feel about this one. The next ‘Fables’ review will not be as long in coming as this one was! Highly recommended...

I'm back!

And despite the fact that both my wife and I managed to get ill in Egypt it still turned out to be one of the best holidays we've ever had (that really says something about our other holidays doesn't it...?) In a complete break from tradition, the camping trip to Dorset wasn't bad either. All I have to do now is go back to work tomorrow... :o(

Thanks for sticking around over the last couple of weeks, things will get back to normal (starting from tomorrow) with plenty of reviews of all the stuff I was reading either while I was in a tent or on the beach. Which reminds me...

All competitions are now closed!

Thanks to everyone who entered and made my email inbox look like I'm really popular :o) I'll be announcing winners on Thursday but not informing people beforehand so be sure to stop by and see if you were one of the lucky ones...

In the meantime, here's details of Brian Herbert & Kevin J. Anderson's signing tour for 'The Winds of Dune' and Kat Richardson's tour for 'Vanished' if you're in the US and are interested...

'The Winds of Dune'

Sunday, August 9th
7:00 PM
Newark Airport, NJ
Hudson Bookstore Terminal C

Monday, August 10th
11:00 AM
Princeton, NJ
Chicklet Books

Monday, August 10th
7:30 PM
Philadelphia, PA
Free Library of Philadelphia

Tuesday, August 11th
7:30 PM
Bailey’s Crossroads, VA
Borders

Wednesday, August 12th
7:30 PM
Bethesda, MD
Barnes & Noble

Thursday, August 13th
7:00 PM
Oakmont, PA
Mystery Lovers Bookshop

Friday, August 14th
7:00 PM
Cleveland, OH
Joseph-Beth Booksellers

Saturday, August 15th
2:00 PM
Buffalo, NY
Talking Leaves Books

Sunday, August 16th
2:00 PM
Ottawa, ON
Saint Brigid’s Centre

Monday, August 17th
7:00 PM
Toronto, ON
Merril Collection of Science Fiction

Tuesday, August 18th
7:00 PM
Boulder, CO
Boulder Bookstore

'Vanished'

11th Aug 2009
07:00 PM, Portland OR, POWELL'S BOOKS/Cedar Hills Crossing
3415 SW Cedar Hills Blvd
Beaverton, OR 97005
USA

14th Aug 2009
06:00 PM, Houston, TX, MURDER BY THE BOOK
2342 Bissonnet St
Houston, TX 77005

21st Aug 2009
07:30 PM, Los Angeles, CA, BARNES & NOBLE- THE GROVE
189 Grove Drive
3rd and Fairfax
Los Angeles, CA 90036

22nd Aug 2009
02:00 PM, Los Angeles, CA, DARK DELICACIES BOOKSTORE
4213 W. Burbank Blvd.
Burbank, CA 91505

24th Aug 2009
07:00 PM, Los Angeles, CA, BOOK SOUP
8818 Sunset Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90069

26th Aug 2009,San Francisco, CA,BORDERS BOOKS AND MUSIC
400 Post Street
San Francisco, CA 94102
USA

There doesn't appear to be a time for the last signing so, if you're interested, then you may want to contact the store first... (There were earlier dates as well but the emails came through while I was away and I'm guessing that you not too bothered about finding out about signings that have already happened!)

‘The Goon: Chinatown’ – Eric Powell (Dark Horse Comics)

The comic books that I love (and will keep on my bookshelves forever) are the ones where the text and artwork combine to make me feel something really strongly; it could be laugh out loud happiness or it could make me surreptitiously wipe my eyes whilst steadfastly denying that I’m about to start crying, either’s good :o) If a story doesn’t do this for me then it can be as entertaining as possible but there will still be that little something missing...
Morpheus’ revenge, on his captors, in ‘Sandman’ dropped a chill right into the pit of my stomach while the climactic scenes from the prison break (in ‘The Walking Dead’) completely blew my mind and left me unable to string a coherent sentence together for a couple of hours afterwards. That’s the kind of comic book action I’m after!

I’ve normally relied on ‘The Goon’ for a good dose of humour and slightly surreal gangland horror but there has always been hints of something slightly more serious going on under the surface; darker business that scarred the Goon both physically and emotionally. I finally got to pick up ‘Chinatown’ (the book that explains it all but never seems to be on the shelves when I go into Forbidden Planet) and found out just what happened. This book isn’t a hard hitter but still managed to leave me totally speechless by the end...

The Goon and Frankie are having trouble with a new guy in town; the mysterious Mr Wicker is taking over all the rackets and seems to be able to anticipate every move against him before it happens. If this wasn’t bad enough it also brings back some painful memories for Goon of his love for one particular woman, the heartbreaking revelations he had to deal with and the resulting confrontation in Chinatown...

Every ‘Goon’ book that I’ve read, so far, has had me laughing out loud and getting strange looks from commuters who wouldn’t dream of reading comic books at all; let alone ones where the main character has to shoot squid off his car and is constantly laying some hurt on a giant spider that owes him money. ‘Chinatown’ was different though. I got into it just as much as (if not more than) the other books but it’s not funny at all. It doesn’t try to be, this is serious stuff...

While the artwork is spot on (as far as I was concerned), the colouring made it difficult for me to follow the story in the way it was meant to be read. The events in Chinatown (Goon’s past) have a sepia colour to them which is very effective, once you realise it’s there, but only after you’ve managed to differentiate between that and the typically sober colours of Goon’s present. There’s not a lot of difference between the two and this was confusing although it also made me get into the book even more as I had to pay a lot of attention to what I was reading...

The artwork itself is as gorgeous as ever and is coupled with a brooding and intense plot that had me constantly trying to work out who Mr Wicker was as well as sharing the highs and lows of Goon’s life. Powell has the book nailed so well that sometimes he doesn’t need to use words at all, letting the pictures tell you everything you need to know. There’s a sequence where Goon has had some horribly bad news and spends the next few panels just staring at himself in the bathroom mirror. No words are spoken but the sequence is no less eloquent for this omission. You know exactly what’s going on in his head and you’re a stronger person than I am if you don’t find your heart strings being tugged just a little bit...

Amidst the bullets and beautiful women, you really get a feel for who Goon is as oppose to the man of mystery we’ve grown used to. I won’t look at him in the same way from now on... We also get a sense of how deep the friendship is between Goon and Frankie in a way that goes far beyond the Gang Boss/Underling dynamic we’ve seen before. These guys mean a lot to each other and it will take a lot for their friendship to be put to the test (the fact that their friendship is put to the test just shows how far Powell takes things here).

I’m a big fan of ‘The Goon’ (as you’ve probably guessed by now) so will admit to a little bias at the same time as saying that ‘Chinatown’ was well worth waiting for as well as more than worth the read. Here’s a book that will cast the rest of the series in a whole new light.

Ten out of Ten

Which cover would you go for...?

Every so often, I get the same book through the post from both the US and UK publisher. Instead of tossing a coin to see which one I'll read (and giving the other copy away without really talking about it) I thought it would be fun to compare the covers and also find out what you guys think of them as well. It worked quite well last month so I thought that I'd go for it again and see what happened.

This time round, both ACE and Orbit sent me copies of Charles Stross' short story collection 'Wireless'. I enjoyed 'The Jennifer Morgue' and 'The Atrocity Archives' but couldn't get into 'Saturn's Children' so it will be interesting to see what 'Wireless' is like...

Here's the UK cover,



And here's the US cover,



This time round I find myself going for the US cover over the UK one. There's a little bit too much happening on the UK cover; sometimes 'simple' is more effective and the US cover has the edge in that regard. What do you think?

Comments please! :o)

Author Interview! Alex Bledsoe

I had a real blast reading Alex Bledsoe's 'The Sword Edged Blonde' (you should read it too, that's all there is to the matter) and had some questions that I wanted to run past the man himself. Alex was kind enough to take time out to answer my questions and here's what he had to say...

Hi Alex, thanks for agreeing to answer a few questions...

If you’d mislaid a princess, would you hire Eddie Lacrosse to find
her? Or do you know enough about the trade, having written a book on it, to find her yourself...

I think Eddie knows more than I do. It's his world, after all. He lives in it, I just visit from time to time.

The last time I saw ‘Sword Edged Blonde’ on the shelves it was with Nightshade, now it’s with Tor. Why the switch?

Tor picked up the paperback and sequel rights. Night Shade did a great job on the hardcover, and of course took a flyer on an untried author with an unproven genre mashup story, so I'm eternally grateful to them.

Was Eddie’s character based on anyone in particular or did he just appear in your mind as he is on the page?

He was inspired by, if not actually based on, Tom Skerritt in the original "Alien." I loved the then-novel idea of a scruffy, mumbly, laid-back hero. Later he took on elements of Robert B. Parker's Spenser and Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlowe, as well as developing his own unique qualities.

I saw Philip Marlowe in Eddie but not not Tom Skerrit, I'm going to have to watch 'Alien' again...

Did you have to read a lot of detective novels to get the feel right for ‘Sword Edged Blonde’? Any favourites that you found?

I didn't read detective novels for any reason other than that I enjoyed them and responded to the style and view of morality. Over time they cross-polinated what was originally a very standard fantasy epic, so that with each draft the sword-and-sorcery tropes were replaced with more and more detective elements. When I had the right balance, the story just came to life.

The works that most influenced the novel are Robert B. Parker's Spenser series, the works of Raymond Chandler and the Burke series by Andrew Vachss.

The sequel, ‘Burn Me Deadly’, is being released in September. Is there anything you’d like to tell us about it before the book hits the shelves?

Given that a series is by nature somewhat repetitive, I'm trying to repeat myself as little as possible. The new book delves a lot more into the politics, religions and civic structures of Eddie's immediate world. Unlike "The Sword-Edged Blonde," which moved around both geographically and chronologically, "Burn Me Deadly" is a linear story that takes place in one location and deals with it in some depth. You'll get a sense of what a regular day is like for Eddie, as well as how many mysteries lurk just beneath the surface of his deceptivedly placid life.

How many books do you see Eddie’s adventures taking up?

As long as I have story ideas that take Eddie somewhere new both professionally and personally, and as long as people are interested in reading those stories, I'll keep them going. All it takes to start a new adventure is for someone to walk into his office with a problem.

You’ve also written a vampire novel, ‘Blood Groove’, that I haven’t read as yet. What can you tell us about it? I forgot to say that you only have ten words to describe it in...

Dracula meets the Lost Boys in 1975 Memphis. No sparkling.

You come across someone, in a book shop, who is trying to decide between buying ‘Blood Groove’ and ‘Sword Edged Blonde’. They can only buy one book, which one do you recommend reading first?

Depends on their mood. If they're feeling optimistic about humanity, I'd recommend "Sword-Edged Blonde." If they're more pessimistic and nihilistic, definitely "Blood Groove."

What are you reading right now and why do you think we should all read it too?

"Shadowfae" by Erica Hayes. It's urban fantasy set in Australia about a hard-luck succubus, and both the character and her world are vividly realized. I also wholeheartedly recommend "The Alchemy of Stone" by Ekaterina Sedia; it has elements of steampunk and fantasy, but ultimately it's not like any other book I've read. And I'm re-reading the Alba and Gorodish novels by Delacorta, staring with the classic "Diva."

Finally, Phillip Marlowe and Eddie LaCrosse are looking for the same missing woman. Which one will find her first?

That depends on whether they're looking in Marlowe's Los Angeles, or Eddie's world. In either case, you'd have the best man for the job.

Thanks Alex!

Click
Here for Jeff's interview with Alex Bledsoe and, when you're done reading that, click Here for Alex's website.

Giveaway! 'Ravenor Omnibus' (Dan Abnett)

Here's a book that I've been meaning to get into for a few weeks now (I love Dan Abnett's work in the 40K universe) but haven't had the time to sit down and have a proper read. There's plenty of pages in this one...

It'll be a while yet before I get round to this (it will be read though!) and, thanks to the Black Library, two lucky people will be reading it before I do...

I've got two copies of Dan Abnett's 'Ravenor' omnibus for anyone who fancies trying their luck at winning a copy (this competition is open to everyone, it doesn't matter where you live!) All you have to do is drop me an email (address at the top right hand side of the screen) telling me who you are and what your mailing address is. I'll do all the tricky stuff :o)

As with all the other competitions, this one will remain open until I get back from holiday and close it...

Good Luck!

Giveaway! 'Codex Alera' (First Two Books)

If you're not sure whether to give this series a go, or not, then this competition could be for you (but only if you're in the UK or Europe, sorry everyone else!)

Thanks to Orbit, I have copies of 'Furies of Calderon' and 'Academ's Fury' to give to two lucky winners. If you want to be one of those two lucky winners then all you need to do is drop me an email (address at the top right hand side of the screen) telling me who you are and what your mailing address is. I'll do the rest.

This competition will run until I get back from holiday and say that it's not running any more :o)

Good Luck!

Giveaway! 'Age of Ra' (James Lovegrove)

I'm waiting on a copy of this but it does sound promising if the blurb is anything to go by...

"...the ancient Egyptian gods have defeated all the other pantheons and claimed dominion over the Earth. The world is divided into warring factions, each under the aegis of a different deity.

Lt. David Westwynter, a British soldier, stumbles into Freegypt, the only place on the planet to have remained independent of the gods' influence. There, he encounters the followers of a humanist leader known as the Lightbringer, who has vowed to rid mankind of the shackles of divine oppression.

David and the Lightbringer have a personal connection. And there is far more to this freedom fighter than it seems, even as he drags the world towards one final, apocalyptic battle."

Thanks to Solaris, I've got five copies of 'The Age of Ra' to give away (this competition is open to anyone, it doesn't matter where you live!) You've got to be in it to win it and all you have to do, to be in with a chance, is to drop me an email (address at the top right hand side of the screen) telling me who you are and what your mailing address is. I'll do the rest...

This competition is open until... I'll tell you when it closes so get your emails in quickly!

Giveaway! 'Lord of Silence' (Mark Chadbourn)

I actually started reading 'Lord of Silence' this morning (about a fortnight ago now, thanks to the miracle of post scheduling) and it's looking good so far.

Thanks to Solaris, I've got five copies of 'Lord of Silence' to give away to anyone who fancies their chances at winning a copy. By 'anyone' I do mean 'anyone' as this competition is open to all, it doesn't matter where you live!

All you have to do to enter is send me an email (address at the top right hand of the screen) telling me who you are and what your mailing address is. That's all you have to do! I'll be doing everything else ;o)

I'll be leaving this one open until I get back. Then, and only then, will it be closed...

Good luck!

Giveaway! 'Cadian Blood' (Aaron Dembski-Bowden)

There's going to be a number of competitions appearing on the blog in the next few days, the week before we went away was very busy and I didn't have time to schedule the content that I wanted. Hope you guys don't mind... ;o)

I had one hell of a ride reading this book and now five of you are going to get the chance to have exactly the same ride! Thanks to the Black Library I've got five copies of 'Cadian Blood' to give away (this competition is open to everyone, it doesn't matter where you live!) To be in with a chance of winning, all you need to do is drop me an email telling me who you are and what your mailing address is. Leave the rest to me... :o)

This competition is open until... I get back from holiday and say that it isn't open any more!

Good Luck!

Giveaway! 'The Dwarves' (Marcus Heitz)

Thanks to Orbit, I have three copies of 'The Dwarves' (which I might just be reading by the pool as you're reading this...) to give away to three lucky readers. This competition is only open to people from the UK and Europe though, sorry everyone else!

To be in with a chance of winning all you need to do is drop me an email (address at the top right hand side of the screen) telling me who you are and what your mailing address is. I'll do the rest... :o)

As with all other competitions happening at the moment, this one will be left open until I get back from holiday and close it...

Good Luck!

‘The Boys Vol.1: The Name of the Game’ – Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson

You know how it is sometimes, you’re in a comic shop and you really want to buy something. You just don’t know what you want...
Isn’t that the most infuriating feeling? Especially when there’s so much to choose from... I encountered this problem, a few weeks ago, and got round it by saying to my friends that what I was after was something completely different that I’d never read before. They gave me the first volume of ‘The Boys’ and once I’d stopped retching at the brutal scenes within that was it, I was hooked.

Not all superheroes are squeaky clean, most of them are out for whatever they can get and hide their dark side behind a veneer of heroism. They don’t care what happens to the little people, especially people like Wee Hughie whose girlfriend died after being caught up in a super powered brawl. He’s not after compensation; all that Wee Hughie wants is justice. Enter ‘The Boys’, a CIA backed team whose job is to make sure that superheroes do not get away with murder. Wee Hughie is about to find out that these guys are not above a little blackmail and intimidation, to keep the superhero community in line, and when the chips are down they can dish out a few beatings of their own...

Garth Ennis’ story and Darick Robertson’s artwork grabbed me by the eyeballs and refused to let go, even after I’d finished the book (I kept going back to re-read little bits here and there). This is a story that redefines the phrase ‘not pulling any punches’, casting it in a cold and bloody new light. ‘The Name of the Game’ isn’t a comic book for children or those who are easily offended. I’m neither of these and I loved it.

‘The Name of the Game’ is real edgy stuff (ably backed up by Robertson’s cool, crisp artwork) that asks the question of what superheroes would really do if they though they could get away with it. The answer is pretty much anything and ‘The Boys’ are the ultimate answer to the ensuing questions that arise. They’re not a lot better than the ‘heroes’ that they’re watching but they do what they do for all the right reasons... right? Once you’ve met Billy Butcher, The Frenchman and The Female you may not be so sure...

While ‘The Name of the Game’ is clearly setting things up for future storylines there’s still plenty of fun to be had with Wee Hughie’s induction into the team and the introductions to the other ‘Boys’. There are also interesting hints of a world that has gone along a slightly different path to ours, I want to find out what happened to the Brooklyn Bridge...
And if all that wasn’t enough for you, the final faceoff between ‘The Boys’ and ‘Teenage Kix’ (a teenage super group) is well worth the price of admission!

My wallet is about to take another battering with yet another series that I’ll be collecting but it will be worth it though... :o)

Giveaway! 'Twelve' (Jasper Kent)

What's better than a competition to win copies of Jasper Kent's 'Twelve'? Why, a competition where you can win signed copies of course! :o)
What's even better than that? A competition that anyone can enter. It doesn't matter where you live, this competition is open to all!

Thanks to Transworld Books, I have three signed copies of 'Twelve' to give away to three lucky readers. To enter, all you need to do is drop me an email (address at the top right hand side of the screen) telling me who you are and what your mailing address is. I'll do the rest :o)

How long is this competition open for? I'm on holiday for the next week and a bit so that's how long you've got to enter... (There will be a post, when I get back, that says all competitions are closed...)

Good Luck!

From My Bookshelf... ‘Otherland’ – Tad Williams

Tad Williams is one of those authors where I will go out and buy anything that he has written. I’m such a big fan in fact that if he was to release a series of shopping lists and reminder notes that he has written then I would probably already have it on advance order from Amazon... My face has gone red just typing this but it’s true.

It wasn’t always like this though. It was about ten years ago and I had pretty much everything that Tad had written fantasy wise, I wasn’t sure whether to get started on the new ‘Otherland’ series that I had noticed in the bookshop. I was on a real fantasy fix back then and this science fiction series was a little too far outside my zone, it was seven pounds for the first (admittedly very thick) book and my budget couldn’t stretch that far! Thank the Book Gods for birthdays, that’s all I have to say. I ended up with a copy of ‘City of Golden Shadow’ and was too busy getting into a tale of two worlds to have time to wish that I’d picked this book up sooner...



Renie Sulaweyo is drawn into a mystery spanning continents and lands across two worlds when her little brother falls into a coma while online. Rumour of a golden city draws her ever onwards and she comes across several others who have also fallen under the spell of the same vision. Someone wants these people to find ‘Otherland’, a virtual world created by the world’s elite. What will Renie and her friends do though when they realise that they are stuck in Otherland and cannot leave? And who is the mysterious Paul Jonas...?

Whether you’re a fan of Tad Williams, or not, you won’t be able to escape the validity of the accusation that once again he’s written a series that sometimes almost drowns under the weight of excessive padding. Otherland is made up of countless smaller worlds and Williams doesn’t want to leave any of them until he has told you everything he can about them. What you get as a result is a series where the balance shifts away from the plot and towards the world building, almost to the point of no return. If you’re not a fan of the minutiae of world building then you may want to steer clear of these books!

I’m a fan though and I loved it.



Williams really pours himself into each of these worlds and this ‘personal feel’ is evident in both the background and the characters moving through it. Personally, I was sad to leave each world (the world of ‘The Looking Glass’ and the one with the giant insects have always been my favourites, Felix Jongleur’s Egyptian world gave me the shivers...) but this was tempered by the fact that I was about to go somewhere new and discover a whole load of great stuff.

You have to dig for it but there is a story here as well and Williams does very well to keep everything going for as long as he does (considering all the strands he had to weave), I wasn’t too convinced by the ending but the journey there was more than worth it! The ‘Otherland’ series is chock full of ordinary people doing very brave things in a world that’s more dangerous than they first realised. Jongleur is a very dangerous individual but Dread is far worse.
I was gripped, by the story, the whole way through and definitely begrudged the time I had to spend waiting for the next chapter!

I came to the ‘Otherland’ series as I was a fan of Tad Williams; I stayed because of the story itself. If you’re after a series with plenty to chew on then you could do a lot worse than check this out...

The ‘Otherland’ series comprises...

‘City of Golden Shadow’
‘River of Blue Fire’
‘Mountain of Black Glass’
‘Sea of Silver Light’

Author Interview! Tim Lebbon ('Hellboy' this time...)

I enjoyed reading Tim Lebbon's 'Hellboy' novel, 'The Fire Wolves', and thought it would be cool to run a few questions past Tim about the book. Tim's a very busy guy (just finding out all the stuff he has on made me want to have a lie down!) but found the time to answer my questions. Thanks Tim!

Here's what he had to say for himself...

Hi Tim, thanks for agreeing to answer a few questions for the blog...

Thanks for asking them!

How did you come to write a ‘Hellboy’ novel for Dark Horse? Did they come to you about it or did you have to pitch the idea to them? Or was it a mixture of both?

Well, I’ve already written a Hellboy novel a couple of years back for Simon & Schuster – Hellboy: Unnatural selection. And when this new series started up with Dark Horse I was asked to pitch an idea to them. Luckily it was well received!

Were you a Hellboy fan prior to writing ‘The Fire Wolves’?

Yeah, a big fan. Although I have to admit, my first Hellboy writing experience – a short story called The Glass Road for the Dark Horse anthology Odder Jobs – required me reading all the graphic novels to get into the gist of things. … I’d read some of them before, but reading it all in one go made me realise just what a wonderful, rich universe Mignola has created. And that artwork …

How have you found the experience of writing in a universe created by someone else? Did you feel a weight of expectation from fans or were you just too busy writing the story?

I’d done a couple of tie-in books before. The first Hellboy book, and the novelisation of the movie 30 Days of Night. There’s a certain amount of trepidation, but that usually disappears from page one onwards when I get into the story. Obviously with this I couldn’t do anything that would have affected the Hellboy timeline too much, but I had quite a nice amount of freedom to play with. It’s an interesting process, but it still gives me the usual storytelling thrill.

Are you contracted for any more Hellboy novels (or anything else with Dark Horse)?

Not at the moment, but never say never. I’d love to write an Alien novel one day.

What’s the recipe for a good Hellboy story?

Knowledge of the back-story, an appreciation of the way humour and darkness can co-exist, and more than anything the willingness to explore Hellboy’s vulnerabilities and doubts.

Are you a fan of comic books? If so, what do you recommend?

Not as much of a fan as a lot of my friends. I’ve enjoyed Preacher, Y, Hellboy, Sandman, Watchmen and some others, but I don’t have a weekly comic fix.

Are there any plans for your own work to be adapted into graphic novel format? If not, which of your books would you like to see make the transition?

No plans at the moment. I think my fantasy world of Noreela is a rich vein to be mined. We’ll see.

What are you reading and why should we drop whatever we’re reading to read it as well?

I’m reading Captains Outrageous by Joe Lansdale. Joe’s work is always entertaining, reliable, insightful and exciting. As for what’s up next … maybe another John Connolly book. He’s the master.

What does the next month, or two, hold for you?

I’m writing an original novel set in the 30 Days of Night universe, so I’m trying to squeeze in work on that between the kids being off school, the bathroom being refurbished, writing pitches for a new trilogy, and lots of other stuff. Oh, and I turn 40 on July 28th, so there’s lots of celebrating.

Happy Birthday for the 28th! Finally, you’re being haunted but who do you call? The B.P.R.D... or Ghostbusters?

BPRD of course. They all look cool.

Thanks Tim!

Thank you!

Giveaway! 'The Horus Heresy', Books 1-5

If you're a fan of Warhammer 40,000 then you'll know all about the Horus Heresy. If you haven't heard of it already, it's a pivotal moment when humanity stood on the brink of extinction under the threat of Chaos...

That's all I'm saying right now. Why? Well, thanks to the Black Library, two lucky people are going to get the chance to find out all about the Horus Heresy by winning the first five books in the series! That's...

'Horus Rising' - Dan Abnett
'False Gods' - Graham McNeill
'Galaxy in Flames' - Ben Counter
'The Flight of the Eisenstein' - James Swallow
'Fulgrim' - Graham McNeill

I've read all five books and they're well worth the read if you're a WH40K fan or just a fan of military sci-fi in general.

Do you want in? Simply send me an email (address at the top right hand side of the screen) telling me who you are and what your mailing address is. I'll do the rest. This competition is open to anyone, it doesn't matter where you live!

I really can't be bothered to work out the dates and stuff so this competition will run until a couple of days after I come back from holiday. I'll post to say that all competitions are closed...

Good Luck!

When is a Hiatus not a Hiatus...?

When it's a holiday! :o)

I'm going to be away for the next two weeks in an attempt to chase the sunshine that's been missing from our holidays for... well... years now! Wish us luck...

That doesn't mean that things are going to stop here though as I've loaded up the blog with some cool looking stuff to tide things over while I'm gone. It's all good so stay tuned...

See you in a fortnight!

‘Lord of Silence’ – Mark Chadbourn (Solaris)

No matter how hard I try, I’m never going to be able to get through everything that I want to read. I’m going to give it a damn good go though! :o) One of the names that keeps popping up, in discussion about what to read next, is one Mark Chadbourn; a guy whom (judging by all the nice things that are said about his books) I really should have checked out by now.
Chadbourn’s ‘Age of Misrule’ omnibus has been sat in the ‘to read pile’ casting reproachful looks in my direction but it’s one of those very hefty looking books that are next to impossible to read on the tube to work. I’m on holiday next week so maybe I’ll get a chance to read it then...
In the meantime, the publication of ‘Lord of Silence’ gave me the ideal opportunity to sample Mark’s work without being weighed down by half a ton of paper (figuratively speaking of course, I have no idea what ‘The Age of Misrule’ actually weighs...) As it turned out, ‘Lord of Silence’ confirmed my suspicions; I really shouldn’t have waited so long before reading Chadbourn’s work...

Murder most foul has been committed in the secretive city of Idriss. The people’s greatest hero lies dead and this means that the perils of the surrounding forest have suddenly become a lot more dangerous. Vidar, the Lord of Silence, must take up the mantle of Defender of Idriss and save the city from dangers both without and within. The vampiric jewel embedded in his chest sets Vidar a deadline that he cannot ignore (it’s a case of eat or be eaten...) and the mysteries of his forgotten past will conspire to present him with an impossible dilemma just when victory is within his grasp. Vidar must decide who he is before he can make any choice at all...

‘Lord of Silence’ is a compelling blend of fantasy, detective fiction (which I seem to finding a lot in the fantasy I’ve been reading recently) and... well, I’m not going to tell you as that will spoil a surprise which Chadbourn puts a lot of effort into building up and pulls off with a great deal of verve. I’ve got a lot of time for authors who are prepared to build something up only to knock it all down and cast everything in a new light and this is exactly what Chadbourn does. Maybe it’s done a little too quickly but I think that depends on whether ‘Lord of Silence’ is the first of a series or not. If it is then I think having a broader picture will make up for the slightly rushed feel to the end of the book. Personally I hope that this will be the start of a series (although Solaris is up for sale so I’m not sure what will happen there...) as there is so much more to see.

‘Lord of Silence’ is a story about the search for identity, both in the main characters and in the city of Idriss itself; a city that must remain behind its walls (if it is to survive) but is bursting at the seams with creativity that it’s rigid structure will not allow to flourish. A mystery that must be solved, along the way, and a succession of explosive confrontations (beyond the wall) combine with the main thrust of the plot to form a story that gives you plenty of spectacle but also plenty to think about at the same time. There’s no doubt at all that I was hooked.

Chadbourn takes his time getting into the heads of each character (apart from the main villain who came across as being a little one dimensional, as a result, when set against the others) and this pays off as we get to see Vidar, Rhiannon and the others grow and develop through harrowing situations. Chadbourn asks his reader whether they think redemption is possible in the most evil of characters; I won’t tell you the answer (and this is a question that has been asked before in other books) but what I will say is that it’s never anything less than interesting watching Vidar and the others reach the end of their own personal odysseys.

The city of Idriss is delightfully dark and labyrinthine; a cowed city that still holds traps for the unwary with surprises that made me jump. Chadbourn is very good at writing scenes where everything is so quiet that you hardly dare breathe... until someone leaps out ready to cut your throat! He’s also more than adept at pacing his tale in such a manner that the reader is drawn along effortlessly through the ins and outs of the plot. I found it to be one hell of a ride!

‘Lord of Silence’ is one of those books where I found that the small faults highlighted how good the rest of the book was rather than detracting from it. Hopefully there will be more stories set in this world...

Nine and a Quarter out of Ten

‘The King’s Daughters’ – Nathalie Mallet (Nightshade Books)

It doesn’t seem like two years ago that I read Nathalie Mallet’s ‘The Princes in the Golden Cage’, where does the time go...? This is actually a really good thing, in its own way, as Mallet’s debut work stayed in my head for all the right reasons. There were a few too many secret passageways for my liking (I’m surprised that the palace didn’t collapse as it seemed that there were more tunnels than foundations!) but that didn’t stop the book itself holding my attention the whole way through and being thoroughly entertaining at the same time.
The teaser section at the back, for ‘The King’s Daughters’, ended at just the right moment for me to find myself really eager to read the book and find out what happened next. I finally got that chance when my copy of ‘The King’s Daughters’ arrived, a few days ago, and I have to say that I enjoyed it just as much as its predecessor...

Following the events of ‘The Princes in the Golden Cage’, Price Amir has travelled to the kingdom of Sorvinka to ask the King for his beloved Princess Eva’s hand in marriage. Sorvinka is a dangerous place to live however and getting to the King’s castle will prove to be only the least of Amir’s troubles. Infighting, in Amir’s home land, has reached north and conspired to give him the coldest of welcomes from the King. Amir must also find his place in a hostile caught where the slightest faux pas could set his cause back irretrievably. When one of the King’s daughter’s is kidnapped Amir sees solving the mystery as a chance to gain favour with the King as well as protect Eva (who may be next). What can one man, in a foreign land, do though? Will Amir’s efforts be enough?

‘The King’s Daughters’ is one of those books where you find yourself filtering out the noises and distractions of the outside world so you can pay more attention to what is happening on the page. That’s certainly what I found myself doing with an intriguing mystery interspersed with moments of intense swordplay. You’re given plenty of clues to work with but the answer that Mallet gives us, at the end, won’t be what you were thinking. Even though the reader is given an ‘answer’, early on, which is obviously a red herring Mallet keeps her cards well hidden and deals them out in just the right way to cause a few suprises! I never saw the story turning out the way it did but, looking back at the story, it couldn’t have gone in any other direction. All the clues fit together in a way that complements the ‘detective’ element of the plot and the story sets up plenty of developments for the future. I’m certainly interested to see where it all goes next.

Mallet also paints a convincing backdrop for events to play out against. I’m used to bad weather (living in the UK) but that is nothing compared to what someone used to plenty of heat must endure when visiting Sorvinka. I sometimes found myself shivering on Amir’s behalf! Mallet makes Sorvinka suitably dank and forbidding with forests, in particular, that crowd in on characters whilst hiding dangerous secrets at the same time. I’m not sure that I’d want to live there but Sorvinka was definitely an interesting place to visit.

It’s ironic that a book I enjoyed so much was slightly marred by the main character himself and the issues I had with him. If you read ‘The King’s Daughters’, you will see Amir as either a man out in the wide world (for the first time ever) dealing with what life throws at him or you will see him as a whiny brat too dependant on others to be able to make a decision for himself. I could see how he might be the former but I ended up seeing him as the latter.
Here’s a guy who has plenty going for him, enough to make him worth following, but cannot escape his dependency on Eva to do anything worthwhile for himself. Everything he does is motivated by her and if she cannot see him then Amir finds himself fighting debilitating panic attacks. More than once I found myself wanting Amir to give himself a slap round the face and just get on with it!
Luckily though, Mallet supplies us with a cast of supporting characters worth sticking around for and uses Amir’s fears to send the story off in an interesting new direction...

Even though I found myself sometimes wanting to throttle Amir I still had a great deal of fun reading ‘The King’s Daughters’. Amir will return in ‘Death in the Travelling City’ and I’ll be there when he does.

Eight and a Half out of Ten