Amazon.com Blurb: After losing everything he owns, forester Will Scarlet embarks on a search for none other than King Raven, whose exploits have already become legendary. After fulfilling his quest–and proving himself a skilled and loyal companion–Will joins the heroic archer and his men. Now, however, Will is in prison for a crime he did…
Continue ReadingPublishers Weekly Review: Canadian author Bakker’s impressive, challenging debut, the first of a trilogy, should please those weary of formulaic epic fantasy. Bakker’s utterly foreign world, Eärwa, is as complex as that of Tolkien, to whom he is, arguably, a worthier successor than such established names as David Eddings and Stephen Donaldson. Bakker creates an…
Continue ReadingMy “to be read” pile seems to expand every day. Currently, I’m almost done with “The Darkness That Comes Before” and should have a review of it posted by this weekend at the latest. I’m about half way through “Scarlet,” which is an incredibly fast read. Anyway, with two books nearing the finish line, my…
Continue ReadingI’ve seen a few other blogs do this “around the web” thing and I enjoy it because it seems to streamline my browsing experience (while allowing me to delay getting actual work done a little longer). Free Books/Excerpts/Giveaways: 1. Over on DaveBrendon’s Weblog you can read an excerpt of “I am Number Four” by Pittacus…
Continue ReadingI wrote in a previous entry about how I won a contest recently (my very first, even). Well, my winnings have arrived! I know this will only excite me, but regardless, I will regale my 3 readers with new prizes. So, I ghetto-smudged my last name out of the picture but other than that, that’s…
Continue ReadingCover blurb: Logan Gyre is king of Cenaria, a country under siege, with a threadbare army and little hope. He has one chance – a desperate gamble, but one that could destroy his kingdom. In the north, the new Godking has a plan. If it comes to fruition, no one will have the power to…
Continue ReadingFrom Publishers Weekly: Lawhead (Byzantium), known for his historical and fantasy fiction, reimagines the tale of Robin Hood in his latest novel, the first in the King Raven Trilogy. Based on detailed research, Lawhead places the folk hero (whom he names Bran) in Wales in 1093, at a time when the land was under constant…
Continue ReadingPublisher’s Weekly: In this stand-alone novel set in the same monster-haunted universe as last year’s much-praised Perdido Street Station, British author Mieville, one of the most talented new writers in the field, takes us on a gripping hunt to capture a magical sea-creature so large that it could snack on Moby Dick, and that’s just…
Continue ReadingFrom Publishers Weekly: Many centuries in the future, Earth’s small, more or less human population lives an enjoyable, if drone-like existence. Elsewhere, on some alternate Earth, or perhaps it’s the distant past, the battle for Troy is in its ninth year. Oddly, its combatants, Hector, Achilles and the rest, seem to be following a script,…
Continue ReadingI have been procuring books recently. A library sale here, a clearance sale there. It adds up. After picking up four more books today I decided I should blog my cheap finds and see if anyone has read them and, if so, what their opinions are. So, here are my recent four-dollar-and-under finds. Yes, I…
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