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Weekly Book Buzz: New George R.R. Martin Novella
Take part in the Pyr Essay Contest By
Tim Janson
March 14, 2010
Warriors featuring a new Novella by George R.R. Martin
© Tor Books
This week the Book Buzz features several high profile new hardcover releases. At the top of the list is Warriors, a new anthology from Tor Books. The anthology includes new stories by Robin Hobb, Joe R. Lansdale, Tad Williams, Peter S. Beagle and includes a long novella by George R.R. Martin set in the world of Song of Ice and Fire. Definitely a must read!
Also out this week is new works from Gene Wolfe, longtime collaborators Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman, Elizabeth Moon, and the late Kage Baker. A true all-star lineup this week!
The 2010 Science Fiction Hall of Fame inductees were recently announced and include: Octavia E. Butler, Roger Zelazny, Douglas Trumbull, and Richard Matheson. The formal ceremony will be held June 26, 2010 at the Experience Music Project/Science Fiction Museum in Seattle, Washington as part of the Science Fiction Awards Weekend, June 25-27, 2010, in conjunction with the Locus Awards.
So you say your really love fantasy and science fiction? Well you can put your love of the genres to the test in an essay contest sponsored by Pyr books. The theme is simple…write a 1500 word or fewer essay on the five reasons that that Sci-Fi and Fantasy is important to you. The grand prize winner will win a round-trip flight to Atlanta, GA for Dragon*Con, one of the largest multi-media, popular culture conventions focusing on science fiction and fantasy, gaming, comics, literature, art, music, and film in the US. Dragon*Con 2010 will be held September 3 - 6, 2010 (Labor Day weekend). The package also includes hotel accommodations, entrance to the show, and much more. See complete details here: Pyr essay contest
Warriors George R.R. Martin (Tor Hardcover)
“People have been telling stories about warriors for as long as they have been telling stories. Since Homer first sang the wrath of Achilles and the ancient Sumerians set down their tales of Gilgamesh, warriors, soldiers, and fighters have fascinated us; they are a part of every culture, every literary tradition, every genre. All Quiet on the Western Front, From Here to Eternity, and The Red Badge of Courage have become part of our literary canon, taught in classrooms all around the country and the world. Our contributors make up an all-star lineup of award-winning and bestselling writers, representing a dozen different publishers and as many genres. We asked each of them for the same thing—a story about a warrior. Some chose to write in the genre they’re best known for. Some decided to try something different. You will find warriors of every shape, size, and color in these pages, warriors from every epoch of human history, from yesterday and today and tomorrow, and from worlds that never were. Some of the stories will make you sad, some will make you laugh, and many will keep you on the edge of your seat.”
Included are a long novella from the world of Song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin, a new tale of Lord John by Diana Gabaldon, and an epic of humanity at bay by David Weber. Also present are original tales by David Ball, Peter S. Beagle, Lawrence Block, Gardner Dozois, Joe Haldeman, Robin Hobb, Cecelia Holland, Joe R. Lansdale, David Morrell, Naomi Novik, James Rollins, Steven Saylor, Robert Silverberg, S.M. Stirling, Carrie Vaughn, Howard Waldrop, and Tad Williams.
The Sorcerer's House Gene Wolfe (Tor Hardcover)
In a contemporary town in the American midwest where he has no connections, Bax, an educated man recently released from prison, is staying in a motel. He writes letters to his brother and to others, including a friend still in jail, to whom he progressively reveals the intriguing pieces of a strange and fantastic narrative. When he meets a real estate agent who tells him he is, to his utter surprise, the heir to a huge old house in town, long empty, he moves in. He is immediately confronted by an array of supernatural creatures and events, by love and danger.
His life is utterly transformed and we read on, because we must know more. We revise our opinions of him, and of others, with each letter, piecing together more of the story as we go. We learn things about magic, and another world, and about the sorcerer Mr. Black, who originally inhabited the house. And then knowing what we now know only in the end, perhaps we read it again.
Secret of the Dragon (Dragonships of Vindras) Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman (Tor Hardcover)
New gods are challenging the old high god, Torval, for rulership of the world. The only way to stop these brash interlopers lies with the five Bones of the Vektia Dragons—the five primal dragons hidden away by the dragon goddess, Vindrash, during the creation of the world. Without these dragons, one of the new gods, Aelon, cannot seize power. The only hope of the Vindrasi lies in finding the dragon bones before the followers of Aelon can use them to destroy the old gods. But the Vindrasi gods have a traitor in their midst…
In the land of mortals, Raegar, a Vindraisi turned Aelon warrior-priest, searches for the spirit bones. The gods have a champion of their own—Skylan Ivorson, sea-raider and high chief of the Vindrasi clans, and sworn enemy to Raegar. But Skylan is a prisoner on his own ship. The ship’s dragon, Kahg, has vanished and some believe he is dead. Skylan and his people are taken as captives to Sinaria, where they must fight in a game known as the Para Dix. The fates of men and gods and are dragons are rushing headlong to destruction. Skylan can stop the calamity, but only if he discovers the secret of the dragon.
Oath of Fealty Elizabeth Moon ( Del Rey Hardcover)
Elizabeth Moon’s bestselling science fiction novels featuring Kylara Vatta have earned her rave reviews and comparison to such giants as Robert Heinlein and Lois McMaster Bujold. But as Moon’s devoted fans know, she started her career as a fantasy writer. The superb trilogy known as The Deed of Paksenarrion is widely judged to be one of the great post-Tolkien fantasies, a masterpiece of sustained world-building and realistic military action. Now Moon returns to this thrilling realm for the first time in nearly twenty years. The result: another classic in the making.
Thanks to Paks’s courage and sacrifice, the long-vanished heir to the half-elven kingdom of Lyonya has been revealed as Kieri Phelan, a formidable mercenary captain who earned a title—and enemies—in the neighboring kingdom of Tsaia . Now, as Kieri ascends a throne he never sought, he must come to terms with his own half-elven heritage while protecting his new kingdom from his old enemies—and those he has not yet discovered.
Meanwhile, in Tsaia, Prince Mikeli prepares for his own coronation. But when an assassination attempt nearly succeeds, Mikeli suddenly faces the threat of a coup. Acting swiftly, Mikeli strikes at the powerful family behind the attack: the Verrakaien, magelords possessing ancient sorcery, steeped in death and evil. Mikeli’s survival—and that of Tsaia—depend on the only Verrakai whose magery is not tainted with innocent blood.
Two kings stand at a pivotal point in the history of their worlds. For dark forces are gathering against them, knit in a secret conspiracy more sinister—and far more ancient—than they can imagine. And even Paks may find her gods-given magic and peerless fighting skills stretched to the limit—and beyond.
Not Less Than Gods (The Company) Kage Baker (Tor Hardcover)
The ninth Company novel (after 2007's The Sons of Heaven) introduces Edward Bell-Fairfax, a child of mysterious origins who gradually discovers that he's not quite like ordinary people. Born to an unmarried aristocratic mother, raised by distant foster parents, and spirited away to boarding school by the sinister Dr. Nennys, Bell-Fairfax serves an unhappy stint in the military and afterward is inducted into the Company of scientists and spies. Using messages from the future and Charles-Babbage-meets-Maxwell-Smart technologia, Bell-Fairfax travels Europe with his mentor, Ludbridge, attempting to swing the Crimean War in England's favor and learning in the process that achieving utopian goals requires a great deal of dirty work.
New In Sci-fi
The Trade of Queens : Book Six of the Merchant Princes Charles Stross (Tor Hardcover)
A dissident faction of the Clan, the alternate universe group of families that has traded covertly with our world for a century or more, have carried nuclear devices between the worlds and exploded them in Washington, DC, killing the President of the United States. Now they will exterminate the rest of the Clan and keep Miriam alive only long enough to bear her child, the heir to the throne of their land in the Gruinmarkt world.
The worst and deepest secret is now revealed: behind the horrifying plot is a faction of the US government itself, preparing for a political takeover in the aftermath of disaster. There is no safe place for Miriam and her Clan except, perhaps, in the third alternate world, New Britain --which has just had a revolution and a nuclear incident of its own.
Sacred Ground (Rogue Angel) Alex Archer (Gold Eagle)
In a land of subzero temperatures and snow-covered vistas, survival is a challenge. But for the Araktak—an isolated and mysterious Inuit people—this harsh tundra is their heritage. Until now. A large mining company has purchased the land, and the sacred Araktak burial site with it. But more than diamond deposits await them under the dark, icy earth….
Contracted by the mining company, archaeologist Annja Creed is to oversee the proper relocation of the burial site. Her job is to ensure that each ancient relic and all human remains are carefully removed. But the sacred ground harbors a terrible secret. One that a powerful group of men intend to unleash on an unsuspecting world—unless Annja can find a way to stop them.
The Crucible Of Empire Eric Flint (Baen Hardcover)
The sequel to the critically acclaimed The Course of the Empire.
Blood Harvest (Deathlands) James Axler (Gold Eagle)
The cataclysm of nuclear winter transmuted the world into a place both torturous and unforgiving. But there are those with the courage and perseverance to seek out something beyond the merciless life-and-death struggle of Deathlands. In a treacherous frontier that plays for keeps, staying alive is the best victory….
Washed ashore in the North Atlantic , Ryan Cawdor and Doc Tanner discover two islands still pristinely intact after Skydark, but whose inhabitants suffer a darker, more horrifying punishment. A hideous strain of mutation manifests, turning some into half-monstrous giants with an unquenchable thirst for blood. The Nightwalkers unleash a hellish feast of horror when the sun goes down. Now Ryan and Doc struggle to survive this enclave of unimaginable terror, trapped in a baronial conflict between the rulers of night and day, with only one way out—internecine war in a world of the damned….
Welcome to the dark side of tomorrow…Welcome to the Deathlands.
New in Horror
Empire David Dunwoody (Permuted Press)
The year i s 2112. The crippled U.S. government and its military forces are giving up the century-long fight against an undead plague. Born of an otherworldly energy fused with a deadly virus, the ravaging hordes of zombified humans and a nimals have no natural enemies. But they do have one supernatural enemy: Death himself.
Descending upon the ghost town of Jefferson Harbor , Louisiana , the Grim Reaper embarks on a bloody campaign to put down the legions that have defied his touch for so long. He will find allies in the city’s last survivors, and a nemesis in a man who wants to harness the force driving the zombies—a man who seeks to rebuild America into an empire of the dead.
A Dangerous Climate: A Novel of The Count Saint-Germain (St. Germain) Chelsea Quinn Yarbro (Tor)
The vampire Count Saint-Germain, disguised as a missing Hungarian nobleman, is on a spy mission in the heart of Czarist Russia. Almost by the power of his will alone, it seems, Peter the Great is wrestling the city that will one day be St. Petersburg out of swampland. Representatives of the heads of all European states are living in tiny, frigid, wooden homes as they jockey for power and influence over the Czar. When a man shows up claiming to be the Count Saint-Germain, the vampire must figure out how to protect his title and wealth without revealing either is true identity or his True Nature.
Reviews
The Wizard’s Tale Kurt Busiek & David Wenzel (IDW Graphic Novel)
Even in today’s diversified comic book marketplace there still isn’t a lot of fantasy-themed books available. Over thirty years ago, Marvel published Weirdworld, still one of the best fantasy comics ever produced. You can now add The Wizard’s Tale to this exclusive list. A lush, humorous, and thoughtful original graphic novel, The Wizard’s Tale fills a huge void in comic book fantasy.
Bafflerog Rumplewhisker is the latest in a long line of evil wizards but there’s just one problem…Bafflerog is a nice guy. Try as he might, his evil spells end up benefiting the local villagers such as the time he tried to call down a plague of locusts and instead rained roast chickens on the village. Despite his lackluster efforts, he is still a member of the Darksome Council although not exactly in good standing. The head of the Council, Lord Grimthorne, charges Bafflerog with locating the lost Book of Worse which will eradicate all good from the world. Years earlier, a good wizard name Gumpwort hid the book in another time and place and was turned into a toad…a toad who is now Bafflerog’s best friend.
Faced with certain death at the Council’s hands if he doesn’t find the book, Bafflerog and Muddle, the son of a local woodcutter, go on an epic quest to find the book. But once found, what will Bafflerog do? Will he truly turn it over to the council? Or will he take another course of action?
Beautifully illustrated by David Wenzel, one of the premiere fantasy artists, The Wizard’s Tale is a joy for fantasy. An honest-to-goodness piece of enchantment that reads like a good old-fashioned fairy tale. Busiek’s script is lively and elicits several laugh out loud moments throughout the story. Wenzel’s light-hearted art brings the magic alive. My highest recommendation! Grade A
Booty! Pirate Queens by Stefano Mazzotti (SQP Inc)
Avast me mateys and shiver me timbers! Get ready to sail the high seas with the hottest babes ever to raise the Jolly Roger all courtesy of artist Stefano Mazzotti. One of the stars of Sal Quartuccio Productions, Mazzotti’s growing reputation as one of the best pin-up artists is cemented by getting his own collection from SQP.
Presented in an oversized edition, the book features alternating color and black & white illustrations of sexy, salty, and spicy female pirates that would make any guy happy to be shanghaied aboard their ship. These beautiful buccaneers are culled from exotic locales all over the world. Mazzotti’s work is incredibly photo-realistic, capturing his subjects in all their seductive glory. His work is lush without being gaudy or over-done. These are women captured in all their natural beauty! Amazing work by one of the best in the business. SQP has another winner on their hands! Grade A
Shadowglass: The Shadowfae Chronicles Erica Hayes (St. Martin’s)
Shadowglass is the second book in Hayes’ Shadowfae urban fantasy series that combines equal parts fantasy, thrills, and eroticism. This is an urban slant on the fairy world and quite different than most of the other works that fall into the urban fantasy vein these days.
Ice is a water fairy who partners with the firefae, Blaze, in acts of petty, but rewarding thievery. However one day, Ice decides to steal the wrong thing from the wrong…uh, thing. Ice steals a small mirror, a powerful artifact actually from a demon lord named Kane. Looking into the mirror relieves all inhibitions from those who look into it. Ice quickly realizes her error when she finds out that everyone is after the mirror…Hell, Heaven…and everything in between.
All of the elements seem to be an odd mix: vampire mafia, seductive banshees, troll bouncers, and shadowy angels, and yet Hayes makes it all work. It’s fast and lively with memorable characters throughout the book. It’s sexy without being indulgent. A very fun read! Grade B+
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So I take it this Warriors is similar to the book Legends that came out about 12 years ago. I haven't read all the authors in the list, but I see Tad Williams in the list, so I'm intrigued.