Horus Heresy, McKenna, Asher, & More

By: Pat Ferrara
Date: Tuesday, October 10, 2006

Neal Asher releases the newest Polity novel, McKenna continues the Aldabreshin Compass series, and Black Library author Ben Counter takes over the reins of the newest Horus Heresy installment this week.

Happy Tuesday everyone! A handful of fantasy sagas and fan favorites are propelled forward today and a couple brand spankin' new series get a fresh start with solid openers. To name a few Tor Books continues Asher's Polity Novel series with the release of Polity Agent on hardcover, Games Workshop unveils a new Horus Heresy novel with Galaxy in Flames, and Wizards of the Coast Publishing drops new installments of the Dragonlance: Elven Exiles and The Lost Mark series with Alliances and The Queen of Death (respectively).

Speaking of Dragonlance, fans of the original fantasy epic will be happy to hear that Wizards of the Coast also released a deluxe edition of the trilogy today in one sharp-lookin' leather-bound tome.

New series to look out for include Orbit Books' Winterbirth of the Godless World Trilogy and Baen Books' uber-promising Paladins of the new-and-rising The Paladins series. Enjoy!


New in Hardcover:

Winterbirth, Brian Ruckley, Orbit Books

Read the Prologue courtesy of Brian Ruckley and Orbit Books.

It is a world of ice. It is a world of blood. It is a godless world. An uneasy truce exists between the Thanes of the True Bloods. Now, as another winter approaches, the armies of the Black Road march south from their exile beyond the Vale of Stones. For some war will bring a swift and violent death. Others will not hear the clash of swords or see the corpses strewn over the fields. They instead will see an opportunity to advance their own ambitions. But all, soon, will fall under the shadow that is descending. For while the storm of battle rages, one man is following a path that will awaken a terrible power in him and his legacy will be written in blood. Winterbirth, Ruckley's debut novel and first part of the Godless World Trilogy, is an epic fantasy set in a land where ancient enemies are about to renew their generations-old conflict in the name of honor, justice, and revenge. If Winterbirth's prologue is any indication this could be a solid series opener and a book worth getting into.

Polity Agent, Neal Asher, Tor Books

From eight hundred years in the future, a runcible gate is opened into the Polity and those coming through it have been sent specially to take the alien Maker back to its home civilization in the Small Magellanic cloud. Once these refugees are safely through, the gate itself is rapidly shut down because something alien is pursuing them. The gate is then dumped into a nearby sun. From those refugees who get through, Agent Cormac learns that the Maker civilization has been destroyed by a pernicious virus known as the Jain technology. This, of course, raises questions: why was Dragon, a massive bioconstruct of the Makers, really sent to the Polity; why did a Jain node suddenly end up in the hands of someone who could do the most damage with it? Meanwhile an entity called the Legate is distributing deadly Jain nodes and a renegade attack ship, The King of Hearts, has encountered something very nasty outside the Polity itself. Don't let the boring, cryptic, and overall inadequate synopsis above to deter you from this book. Neal Asher fans will attest that his work, especially this third volume in the Polity Novels, will not disappoint anyone looking for a well-written, superhuman space romp set in the rich runcible universe.

Dragonlance Chronicles Spedial Edition, Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman, Wizards of the Coast Publishing

This beautiful new leather-bound edition of the Dragonlance Chronicles saga marks the first time this story has ever been available for purchase in a premium format. A leather, embossed cover and gilt-edged pages bring a new level of sophistication to the three titles collected inside: Dragons of Autumn Twilight, Dragons of Winter Night, and Dragons of Spring Dawning. This annotated edition will display beautifully on any shelf and marks the Chronicles trilogy as one of the true classics in fantasy literature. If your dedication to Weis and Hickman's archetypal fantasy epic can be quantified at $47.25 you'll probably want to pick up this pretty three-in-one.


New in Paperback:

Pygoya: A Novel of Rebel Art & The Supernatural, Rodney E.J. Chang, BookSurge Publishing

A stunning tale of art, breaking the rules, and a creative spirit that can't be contained, no matter what. In 1625, tribal rebel Leila defies the priests of her community by chiseling artwork in a secret cave. When she's found out, she's put to fiery death by lava, but her spirit lives on, encased in a volcanic stone that transforms everyone who touches it. Carried by a Spanish conquistador, taken to Salem around the time of the witch trials, the rock is finally brought to Maine. But when Leila encounters a modern-day toddler named Anthony, she decides to become his art teacher, following him into his adulthood and transforming him into Pygoya, a digital painter of mysterious black rocks. What is their incredible shared destiny, and can it free them both? Panoramic, mythical and absolutely magic, this is an unforgettable examination of how certain people at certain times are destined to move the world with their art. I couldn't dig up much info on Chang's previous work, but this book's plot sounds interesting enough for me to go out on a limb for this new author.

Eastern Tide, Juliet E. McKenna, Orbit Books

Kheda has travelled incognito more than once to avoid curious eyes as he's made deals with wizards that his culture would utterly condemn. As a result he's learned that mages are men and women of good, bad and indifferent character just like his own people. They can make good and bad choices as they use their magical power, just as the warlords he deals with wield their military and political might. Kheda alone has the knowledge and wizardly contacts to save the domains of those warlords he doesn't even know, of those he's allied with, and of those he detests. Who will he choose to help? How will he help them? He has no authority travelling as a nameless slave. Reclaiming his rank would give him the power to act but would also make him the focus of keen attention. His old enemies have not forgotten why they want him dead. The danger that his dealings with wizards will be uncovered becomes all the more acute. Moreover, he has to face the world he knew in the light of his new ideas. How can he fulfill his responsibilities as a ruler, when his beliefs have changed so much? How can he fulfill his responsibilities as a father, when he has sacrificed his children's happiness for the sake of his wider obligations? How can he return to a marriage of policy and expedience, when he has fallen in love with another woman? What will he do if she refuses to return his love, now he has abandoned beliefs she still cherishes? Following 2005's Southern Fire, Eastern Tide continues the saga of warlord Kheda in the Aldabreshin Compass series.

The Queen of Death, Matt Forbeck, Wizards of the Coast Publishing

They've been hunted across the Mournland, captured in Karrnath, and attacked in a dragon's mountain lair. One band of adventurers has had enough. Time to take the battle to the enemy. Time to fight back. One young woman will have to decide to give in or embrace her destiny as...The Queen of Death. Following Marked for Death (2005) and The Road to Death (2006), Matt Forbeck continues The Lost Mark series with The Queen of Death. Deeeeeeaaaaath!

Galaxy in Flames, Ben Counter, Games Workshop Publishing

Having recovered from his grievous injuries, Warmaster Horus leads the triumphant Imperial forces against the rebel world of Isstvan III. Though the rebels are swiftly crushed, Horus's treachery is finally revealed as the planet is razed by virus bombs, and Space Marines turn on their battle-brothers in the most bitter struggle imaginable. Author of the Soul Drinker space marine trilogy and the Grey Knights series, Ben Counter debuts his first Horus Heresy novel with Galaxy in Flames.

Paladins, Joel Rosenberg, Baen Books

In the seventeenth century, in an alternate universe where Mordred defeated King Arthur-now known as Arthur the Tyrant-and founded the Pendragon dynasty, much of Europe, Asia, and the New World are part of an Empire ruled from England. The Order of Crown, Shield, and Dragon, originally founded as Mordred's personal bodyguard, has become a legion of special agents for the Crown: special emissaries in time of peace, and invincible warriors in more violent times. They carry special weapons: swords, each of which contains the soul of someone of great power. White swords are inhabited by the souls of saints-and red swords by those who were anything but saints. Even in the hands of a knight of the Order, even wielded in the cause of righteousness, a red sword is terribly dangerous to its owner and all around him. In more evil hands, a red sword is the most dangerous and powerful weapon known to mankind. Now, three knights of the Order have just tracked down a previously unknown red sword which was found on a Grecian shore, and which shows all signs of having been recently forged. Worse, the mind encased in the sword remembers that it was only one of many which were cached in the hold of a mysterious sailing ship, origin unknown... I don't know who doesn't enjoy a good Arthurian tale and this new development of the staple legend sounds like the most unique spin-off since Mary Stewart's Merlin Trilogy. With Rosenberg's broad knowledge of weaponry, insightful critique on warrior ethics, and inherent knack for writing sword-wielding action, this first book in The Paladins series already has readers eagerly awaiting the second installment, Paladins II: Knight Moves, due out this November.

The Corrupted, Robert Earl, Games Workshop Publishing

When rogue wizard Grendl flees the Empire, a disgraced wizard and a fanatical team of witch hunters are sent to track him down. But as hunters and hunted stray into the Northern Wastes, all bets are off as the corrupting touch of Chaos starts to affect them all.

Alliances, Paul B. Thompson & Tonya C. Cook, Wizards of the Coast Publishing

The fortunes of war have driven the once-great elven nations into exile in the desert land of Khur. The elves must overcome extraordinary perils including treachery to establish a new homeland. While the Elven Exiles struggle for survival in the distant kingdom of Khur, the elves remaining in Qualinesti face persecution, enslavement, and extermination. Amid great suffering and unrelieved evil, a rebel leader -masked, anonymous, and with strange powers- appears, determined to cleanse the land of invaders. Meanwhile, Kerianseray, the Lioness, Kagonesti general and wife of Speaker Gilthas, finds herself magically transported from certain death in Khur to equally dire straits in her former homeland. As Gilthas leads the elves across the trackless desert in search of a new home, the Lioness fights ruthless slavers and crosses paths with the mysterious masked revolutionary of Qualinesti. Following 2005's Sanctuary, Alliances is the second book of the Dragonlance: Elven Exiles series. Fans of the Elven Nations trilogy will gobble this up as Paul Thompson and Tonya Cook return to take over the reigns of this continuing saga of Elven delight.

Alright guys that does it for this week. Check back next Tuesday for brand new sci fi, horror, and fantasy book releases. Questions or comments? Hit me up at PFerrara.Cinescape@gmail.com.