That is all.
Friday, 7 May 2010
Thursday, 6 May 2010
The Speculative Scotswoman On: Of Bees and Mist by Erick Setiawan
Buy this book from
"Up in the house that sits on the hill, a strange spell is brewing...
"To Meridia, growing up with her father Gabriel, who vanishes daily in clouds of mist, and her bewitching mother Ravenna, the outside world is a refuge. So when as a young woman her true love Daniel offers her marriage, it seems an escape to a more straightforward existence.
"Yet behind the welcoming façade of her new home lies a life of drudgery and a story even stranger than that she left behind. Aged retainers lurk in the background; swarms of bees appear at will, and of course, there’s her indomitable mother-in-law, Eva, hiding secrets that it will take Meridia years to unravel. Surrounded by seemingly unfathomable mysteries, can Meridia unlock the intrigues of the past, and thus protect her own family’s future?"
***
It is probably fair to say that my relationship with books has been a tumultuous one over the years. The causal factors in this are many. But one of the prime reasons I lost my ability to truly sit down and enjoy a book cover to cover is university and the courses which just did not cover the things I wanted to read. I’d be damned if maybe one book in a semester was one that actually held my attention. And even if I was lucky and that one, or even two, books would appear in the curriculum, analysing it this way and that in order to take a very slanted and fractured understanding of the text just didn’t do it for me. Well, in 90% of cases it didn’t. There were other reasons that books and I ended up somewhat at loggerheads, but I suppose this is the main one. However I am delighted to be able to report that my initial passion and spark for books, the very spark that prompted me to study English in the first place, has been well and truly reignited. And as I am sure you can all understand, a certain literary Scotsman, whom I like to call my better half [better is pushing it – ED], has been a fundamental element in rekindling that flame.
I have read a lot this year: a couple of really good books and few truly exceptional ones. I am pleased to say that Erick Setiawan’s Of Bees and Mist was very much a book in that latter category. The novel was stuffed under my nose with the promise that not only would it excite my passion for reading, but that it would delight and move me - and my sensibilities as well. It achieved this, truly, and more besides. This is Setiawan’s debut novel - which is starling in itself - as from the first sentence I was hooked. The man has such a clear narrative voice, his prose dances and delights, and ultimately had me squealing for more [squealing, you say? – ED].
Rarely have I come across a book with characters that tug my heartstrings so tightly. Setiawan’s skill lies in his ability to fully develop every facet of a character’s being. There are three main characters, the “three strong women” the cover alludes to: Meridia; her mother, Ravenna; and Meridia’s mother-in-law Eva. Yet there are perhaps another ten characters of significance, ranging from family members to potential suitors and servants. Traditionally, this would likely a cluttered narrative make, but instead this cast work together to provide a united front throughout the text. No matter which narrative thread the text jumps to, as a reader you are more than contented in looking into the aspect of the character you are presented with. Each character works to accentuate another’s virtues or flaws. Indeed, one character’s misgivings and misdemeanours literally shakes the entire web, and all the interwoven narrative threads vibrate and pulse accordingly.
Setiawan has a supreme grasp of dramatic tension: how to manipulate the reader’s sensibilities and ultimately shift their beliefs and sympathies from where they lay initially. There are a few characters whom I had no sympathy with initially, such as Ravenna and Gabriel, Meridia’s mother and father respectively. To begin with I was overjoyed when Meridia made her break for freedom from her detached and downright spiteful parents. Yet, in the later throes of the novel, the mere mention of either Ravenna or Gabriel had me cheering. The narrative, which chronicles decades of these characters lives, is a maze of spiralling relationships. Sympathies turn and lose themselves, only to be rekindled and remodelled around the corner. Indeed, it’s difficult to do justice to the raw and naked emotion that permeates this novel. The frustration, anger and utter bitterness I felt for Eva, Miridia’s venomous mother-in-law, throughout the entirety of Of Bees and Mist had me desperate to jump into the text and have it out with her myself. Yet, and I’m actually somewhat loathe to admit this, Setiawan again flipped all my perceptions and opinions of Eva, and in the end while she was still without doubt a vile woman, I felt somewhat sympathetic towards her. I wanted her to crumble, and whatever her ultimate fate, Setiawan so skilfully managed to play with my very humanity that in the end I was frustrated with myself for my hatred ebbing away. Rarely have I so desperately wanted someone to get their comeuppance as I did this woman, but in the end, I was forced to question everything.
Of Bees and Mist is an exceptionally emotional read, one which is heightened by its author’s deft use of sensory perception. Setiawan has created a tactile world in which every sense is finely tuned and used to construct the reality in which the characters reside. Smells permeate, sounds pulse and light gleams through the pages. Each and every page in fact oozes with sensory descriptors that root the reader firmly in the narrative. You can sympathise with Meridia so completely as it feels very much that you are in the throes of the narrative with her. The sensory element of the text even goes so far as to ground its supernatural elements so that they do not seem the main focus of the text.
Despite my initial expectations of the text, I would not go so far as to say this is in fact a supernatural or particularly magical book [what blasphemy is this? – ED]. There are paranormal, supernatural and indeed magical motifs throughout the narrative, yet cleverly these are themes which the reader can take as literally or symbolically as they so choose. At the opening of the narrative, the supernatural is rather foregrounded, and perhaps during these first few pages an uncertainty as to exactly what direction the text is going to take is to be expected. However, these narrative devices do not encompass a disproportionate amount of time later in the novel. In fact, the devices established in the opening chapter are later used subtlety and strategically in order to establish the nobility and morality of each character. Throughout there are hints and allusions to the otherworldly, yet this is not the main arc of the story. These touches are intrinsic to Of Bees and Mist, but not overpowering: this is a book about the importance of relationships, understanding and truth. The occult is used merely as a means to demonstrate these larger narrative themes, and Setiawan’s deft use of sensory descriptors achieves this end effortlessly. The realism of the text removes the reader from the realm of the fantastical and plunges them deeply into the lives and hearts of the characters.
What I loved about this book was its cyclical nature. Every thread was tied up and woven into another plot. The narrative did not shy away from the harsher aspects of life, nor was Setiawan afraid to have a few – dare I say, many – characters kick the proverbial bucket. Yet each death was related with such style and grace, poetically in fact, that as much as it broke my heart, they felt apt. It is a testament to Setiawan that his prose holds such strength. He constructs and deconstructs relationships and in the end the reader is left questioning exactly where their morality lies. Such a craftsman he is, that he picks you up, swirls you round and in the process shakes up every emotion you could possibly have. In the end, he drops you gently, but nonetheless, you feel shaken inside.
***
Of Bees and Mist
by Erick Setiawan
December 2009, Headline Review
Buy this book from
Amazon.co.uk / Amazon.com /
IndieBound / The Book Depository
Buy this book from
Amazon.co.uk / Amazon.com /
IndieBound / The Book Depository
Introducing... the Speculative Scotswoman!
It's a lot of work to single-handedly keep a blog afloat. No doubt about it. But despite a few very generous offers, not to mention the certain appeal of taking a load off for a day or two, I've resisted the idea of guest posts on The Speculative Scotsman thus far. "Thus far" being the operative phrase in that last sentence...
As of today - hold your breath - all that changes. You needn't worry: I'm not going anywhere, nor should you expect a torrent of posts from an assortment of bloggers alien on these here shores, but I have a special place in my heart for the writer you're going to meet later today; if anyone's capable of changing my mind about something, it's she.
So. Without further ado... readers, I'd like you all to meet the Speculative Scotswoman - the other, and vastly better half (not to mention prettier than I by far). I've alluded to her with alarming regularity on the blog these past few months, and wouldn't you know it: she reads too! In fact, she's a tendency to snatch away my books before I realise what the wee fiend's up to, and so for her first trick, the Speculative Scotswoman is going to be sharing her thoughts on one such: Of Bees and Mist by Erick Setiawan.
Do give her a warm welcome, guys and girls. Roll out the red carpet and wish her a pleasant stay. She means a lot to me; it's an absolute joy, for one thing - I won't sicken you with the saccharine sweetness of the other things - to share my life with someone so ready to partake in my fondness for speculative fiction. If you're nice, come to that, I have a feeling you'll be hearing more from her in the future.
A few parting words from the Speculative Scotswoman herself, before I go. She says to tell you all to "be gentle with me. I'm only little." And it's true. If she's even five feet tall, I'm a monkey's uncle!
And I am not a monkey's uncle.
Wednesday, 5 May 2010
Book Review: Spellwright by Blake Charlton
Buy this book from
"In a world where words can come to life, an inability to spell can be a dangerous thing. And no one knows this better than apprentice wizard Nicodemus Weal. Nicodemus is a cacographer, unable to reproduce even simple magical texts without 'misspelling' - a mistake which can have deadly consequences. He was supposed to be the Halcyon Nicodemus Weal is a cacographer, unable to reproduce even simple magical texts without 'misspelling' -- a mistake which can have deadly consequences. He was supposed to be the Halcyon, a magic-user of unsurpassed power, destined to save the world; instead he is restricted to menial tasks, and mocked for his failure to live up to the prophecy.
"But not everyone interprets prophecy in the same way. There are some factions who believe a cacographer such as Nicodemus could hold great power -- power that might be used as easily for evil as for good. And when two of the wizards closest to Nicodemus are found dead, it becomes clear that some of those factions will stop at nothing to find the apprentice and bend him to their will!"
***
Blake Charlton is an author, a medical student and a gentleman; a great guy, by all accounts. But a nice writer doesn't necessarily equate to nice writing. And though the buzz on Spellwright has been positive almost without exception, in truth, pretty much all I'd heard about his debut was that it boasted a brilliant magic system. I mean, that's great. I'm all for inventive new takes on exhausted fantasy staples, but however revolutionary, a magic system does not in itself make a novel worth reading.
It was with some trepidation, then, that I began this deceptively slim volume, the first of an apparent trilogy following the adventures of one Nicodemus Weal. Nicodemus is an orphaned, twenty-something cacographer - which is to say a dyslexic spellwright - studying in a grand academy dating back to a bygone era where young wizards are taken into the tutelage of more experienced magicians. Nicodemus' master, Agwu Shannon, is a blind but brilliant spellwright who oversees all the cacographic students - though he has a soft spot for Nicodemus, who came to Starhaven long ago as a child of prophecy.
But the prophecy didn't pan out; Nicodemus' cacography saw to that. For in the world of Spellwright, language is magic - the written word realised in fantastic form - and the chances of a young student whose corrupting "touch misspells all but simple texts" being the destined Halcyon are slim to none. By all rights, it's more likely that Nicodemus is the Storm Petrel, an anti-Halcyon of sorts, and so when a disturbing number of shocking deaths occur within Starhaven's age-old walls, he and Shannon are the prime suspects.
It took all of a chapter for me to realise that there's a whole lot more to Spellwright than some fancy magic. From the very outset, in fact, which has a "grammarian... choking to death on her own words," Charlton's voice rings out with natural rhythm and striking clarity. Stylistically, he is often alliterative and frequently assonant, conjuring up with each passing page such lavish prose and entertaining exposition to set the scene and animate its various players that it's easy to put aside a passing resemblance to the comparatively humdrum Harry Potter books during the story's early going. If the likes of vermillion and incarnadine skies appeal to you more than a red sunset, trust me: you're going to love this. I certainly did.
As a storyteller, Charlton is no less authoritative. Even when its action - much as its protagonist - is confined to the halls and chambers of the vast academy, the narrative moves along at a refreshingly brisk pace. Discussions between Shannon and Nicodemus and a class that cacographic latter lectures serve to enrich the history and environment of Spellwright without resorting to the tedium of worldbuilding. Conflicts evolve without ever seeming stale while characters develop in unexpected ways; you rarely, if ever, detect the slightest hint of contrivance. Charlton is charming and purposeful, pointed and witty, and the many movements of his tale - not to mention the people and creatures with which it's concerned - follow suit.
Charlton's debut boasts a villainous antagonist to propel Shannon and his potentially prophetic pupil along the thoroughfare of its narrative, but the core conflict at the heart of Spellwright is Nicodemus' struggle against his cacography, and it's an absolute joy to see traditional fantasy tropes reinvigorated by such an innovative spin on a formula that so many authors are content to trot with little more than their name on the front cover to distinguish it from other such efforts. Above all else, above even the magic system - creative and expansive though it surely is - this is a fantasy about language, about its capacity to enfeeble some even as it empowers others, and coming from an author who has struggled against dyslexia his entire life, it positively bleeds authenticity.
Clever, gentle and entertaining from end to end, Blake Charlton's brilliant debut marks the emergence of a persuasive new voice in speculative fiction. It introduces readers to a spellbinding world replete with lively and likeable characters; its conflicts are enrapturing in their inventiveness; and it breathes new life into a host of tired old tropes - among them, yes, the magic system. You've a hard heart indeed if Spellwright doesn't work its magic on you.
It was with some trepidation, then, that I began this deceptively slim volume, the first of an apparent trilogy following the adventures of one Nicodemus Weal. Nicodemus is an orphaned, twenty-something cacographer - which is to say a dyslexic spellwright - studying in a grand academy dating back to a bygone era where young wizards are taken into the tutelage of more experienced magicians. Nicodemus' master, Agwu Shannon, is a blind but brilliant spellwright who oversees all the cacographic students - though he has a soft spot for Nicodemus, who came to Starhaven long ago as a child of prophecy.
But the prophecy didn't pan out; Nicodemus' cacography saw to that. For in the world of Spellwright, language is magic - the written word realised in fantastic form - and the chances of a young student whose corrupting "touch misspells all but simple texts" being the destined Halcyon are slim to none. By all rights, it's more likely that Nicodemus is the Storm Petrel, an anti-Halcyon of sorts, and so when a disturbing number of shocking deaths occur within Starhaven's age-old walls, he and Shannon are the prime suspects.
It took all of a chapter for me to realise that there's a whole lot more to Spellwright than some fancy magic. From the very outset, in fact, which has a "grammarian... choking to death on her own words," Charlton's voice rings out with natural rhythm and striking clarity. Stylistically, he is often alliterative and frequently assonant, conjuring up with each passing page such lavish prose and entertaining exposition to set the scene and animate its various players that it's easy to put aside a passing resemblance to the comparatively humdrum Harry Potter books during the story's early going. If the likes of vermillion and incarnadine skies appeal to you more than a red sunset, trust me: you're going to love this. I certainly did.
As a storyteller, Charlton is no less authoritative. Even when its action - much as its protagonist - is confined to the halls and chambers of the vast academy, the narrative moves along at a refreshingly brisk pace. Discussions between Shannon and Nicodemus and a class that cacographic latter lectures serve to enrich the history and environment of Spellwright without resorting to the tedium of worldbuilding. Conflicts evolve without ever seeming stale while characters develop in unexpected ways; you rarely, if ever, detect the slightest hint of contrivance. Charlton is charming and purposeful, pointed and witty, and the many movements of his tale - not to mention the people and creatures with which it's concerned - follow suit.
Charlton's debut boasts a villainous antagonist to propel Shannon and his potentially prophetic pupil along the thoroughfare of its narrative, but the core conflict at the heart of Spellwright is Nicodemus' struggle against his cacography, and it's an absolute joy to see traditional fantasy tropes reinvigorated by such an innovative spin on a formula that so many authors are content to trot with little more than their name on the front cover to distinguish it from other such efforts. Above all else, above even the magic system - creative and expansive though it surely is - this is a fantasy about language, about its capacity to enfeeble some even as it empowers others, and coming from an author who has struggled against dyslexia his entire life, it positively bleeds authenticity.
Clever, gentle and entertaining from end to end, Blake Charlton's brilliant debut marks the emergence of a persuasive new voice in speculative fiction. It introduces readers to a spellbinding world replete with lively and likeable characters; its conflicts are enrapturing in their inventiveness; and it breathes new life into a host of tired old tropes - among them, yes, the magic system. You've a hard heart indeed if Spellwright doesn't work its magic on you.
***
Spellwright
by Blake Charlton
May 2010, Harper Voyager
Buy this book from
Amazon.co.uk / Amazon.com /
IndieBound / The Book Depository
Recommended and Related Reading
Buy this book from
Amazon.co.uk / Amazon.com /
IndieBound / The Book Depository
Recommended and Related Reading
Monday, 3 May 2010
If You Go Down to the Woods Today...
As per usual, I'm as busy as all get-out, both with blog-related stuff and things relating to Real Life, and - wouldn't you know it - the weather forecast for hereabouts tells me to expect rain, rain and more rain over the next couple of days. So I asked myself... what better way to spend a few days than hiding out from all the reponsibilities I've taken on in a tent, in the rain, somewhere in the Scottish countryside? I'm off camping!
By the time you all read this, I'll be pitching the shiny new two-room tent my other half and I invested in yesterday near some pretty highland lakeside copse of trees, maybe getting my first open-air swim on if we're lucky with weather, or else reading the rest of the wonderful Wolfsangel and perhaps a few short stories from the new Neil Gaiman-edited collection coming from Headline in June. It promises to be a fine time, come rain or shine.
Most likely rain...
So. All's going to be quiet on The Speculative Scotsman for the next few days, is what I'm saying, but never fear: presuming we don't get drowned in what I should say is characteristically miserable weather for Scotland in spring, or attacked and subjected to an Eden Lake-esque experience by that rarest of creatures - the highland ned - normal service should resume on Wednesday, with the usual assortment of news, opinion and reviews of Spellwright by the lovely Blake Charlton and Helen Oyeyemi's mind-boggling White is for Witching. None of which is to mention one very special guest-post I have on the cards.
That's right. For the first time, though likely not the last, I'm going to be handing the blogging reins over to another writer. I'll introduce you properly when I get back, but readers, it's just about time to meet... The Speculative Scotswoman!
I know. Tres exciting. For all that and more, keep your browsers and RSS readers of choice tuned to TSS.
Wish us a happy holiday!
Sunday, 2 May 2010
The BoSS for 02/05/10
Nothing in this week's healthy haul of proofs and ARCs really gets my blood pumping in the way Kraken, the collection of Stories edited by Neil Gaiman and some of the other books from the last few editions of the BoSS have, but what do I know? There are a whole host of unknown quantities this time out, and as ever, I'm game for new experiences. Of particular note, I think is Carrie Ryan's The Dead-Tossed Waves - though as yet I've no real idea why. Help me out here, readers; please. What is this book?
Click through to read Meet the BoSS for an introduction and an explanation as to why you should care about the Bag o' Speculative Swag.
Read on for a sneak peek at some of the books - past, present and future - you can expect to see coverage of here on The Speculative Scotsman in the coming weeks and months.
***
The Dragon Keeper
by Robin Hobb
by Robin Hobb
Release Details:
Published in the UK on
04/03/10 by HarperVoyager
Review Priority:
3 (Moderate)
Plot Synopsis: "Guided by the great blue dragon Tintaglia, they came from the sea: a Tangle of serpents fighting their way up the Rain Wilds River, the first to make the perilous journey to the cocooning grounds in generations. Many have died along the way. With its acid waters and impenetrable forest, it is a hard place for any to survive. People are changed by the Rain Wilds, subtly or otherwise.
"One such is Thymara. Born with black claws and other aberrations, she should have been exposed at birth. But her father saved her and her mother has never forgiven him. Like everyone else, Thymara is fascinated by the return of dragons: it is as if they symbolise the return of hope to their war-torn world. Leftrin, captain of the liveship Tarman, also has an interest in the hatching; as does Bingtown newlywed, Alise Finbok, who has made it her life's work to study all there is to know of dragons.
"But the creatures which emerge from the cocoons are a travesty of the powerful, shining dragons of old. Stunted and deformed, they cannot fly; some seem witless and bestial. Soon, they become a danger and a burden to the Rain Wilders: something must be done. The dragons claim an ancestral memory of a fabled Elderling city far upriver: perhaps there the dragons will find their true home. But Kelsingra appears on no maps and they cannot get there on their own: a band of dragon keepers, hunters and chroniclers must attend them. To be a dragon keeper is a dangerous job: their charges are vicious and unpredictable, and there are many unknown perils on the journey to a city which may not even exist!"
Commentary: My mum - the Speculative Scotsmaw, as I like to call her (though never, ever to her face) - reads Robin Hobb. Which, for all the gratitude I'm due her for setting me down the road towards the genres of literature I've love since I was but a wee beast, makes me, umm... rather question these books. I should say I won this in a giveaway on Twitter, so there's certainly no pressure on me to review it, but I think my somewhat divergent perspective on The Dragon Keeper - the first volume of a duology called The Rain Wild Chronicles of which the concluding volume just saw release - might make for interesting reading, so don't be surprised to see a Robin Hobb review on TSS at some point in the future.
"One such is Thymara. Born with black claws and other aberrations, she should have been exposed at birth. But her father saved her and her mother has never forgiven him. Like everyone else, Thymara is fascinated by the return of dragons: it is as if they symbolise the return of hope to their war-torn world. Leftrin, captain of the liveship Tarman, also has an interest in the hatching; as does Bingtown newlywed, Alise Finbok, who has made it her life's work to study all there is to know of dragons.
"But the creatures which emerge from the cocoons are a travesty of the powerful, shining dragons of old. Stunted and deformed, they cannot fly; some seem witless and bestial. Soon, they become a danger and a burden to the Rain Wilders: something must be done. The dragons claim an ancestral memory of a fabled Elderling city far upriver: perhaps there the dragons will find their true home. But Kelsingra appears on no maps and they cannot get there on their own: a band of dragon keepers, hunters and chroniclers must attend them. To be a dragon keeper is a dangerous job: their charges are vicious and unpredictable, and there are many unknown perils on the journey to a city which may not even exist!"
Commentary: My mum - the Speculative Scotsmaw, as I like to call her (though never, ever to her face) - reads Robin Hobb. Which, for all the gratitude I'm due her for setting me down the road towards the genres of literature I've love since I was but a wee beast, makes me, umm... rather question these books. I should say I won this in a giveaway on Twitter, so there's certainly no pressure on me to review it, but I think my somewhat divergent perspective on The Dragon Keeper - the first volume of a duology called The Rain Wild Chronicles of which the concluding volume just saw release - might make for interesting reading, so don't be surprised to see a Robin Hobb review on TSS at some point in the future.
Unholy Ghosts
by Stacia Kane
Release Details:
Release Details:
Published in the UK on
15/06/10 by HarperVoyager
Review Priority:
Review Priority:
2 (Fair)
Plot Synopsis: "Murderous spirits and ruthless drug dealers combine to create serious problems for fiercely independent heroine, Chess, in these fast-paced, sexy and addictive novels -- fitting for a witch with a serious drug problem. The world is not the way it was. The dead have risen and constantly attack the living. The powerful Church of Real Truth, in charge since the government fell, has sworn to reimburse citizens being harassed by the deceased.
"Consequently, there are many false claims of hauntings from those hoping to profit. Enter Chess Putnam, a fully-tattooed witch and freewheeling Debunker and ghost hunter. She's got a real talent for nailing the human liars or banishing the wicked dead. But she's keeping a dark secret from the Church: a little drug problem that's landed her in hot and dangerous water. Chess owes a murderous drug lord named Bump a lot of money. And Bump wants immediate payback. All Chess has to do is dispatch a very nasty species of undead from an old airport.
"But the job involves black magic, human sacrifice, a nefarious demonic creature, and crossing swords with enough wicked energy to wipe out a city of souls. Toss in lust with a rival gang leader and a dangerous attraction to Bump's ruthless enforcer, and Chess begins to wonder if the rush is really worth it..."
Commentary: Oh no. I try not to be snooty, neither in my reading nor in life, but I know my own tastes fairly well, and just the cover quote from Sookie Stackhouse mastermind Charlaine Harris leads me to believe this, another of my winnings from Voyager and the first book of the Downside Ghosts series - which despite my reservations I can easily see being the next big thing in the Twilight mode - leads me to believe that Unholy Ghosts won't be my thing. Add to that a snippet from the publicity blurb boasting that these are "fast-paced, sexy and addictive novels" and there's little room left for me to doubt my snap judgment. Firstly, I despise anything by Stephanie Meyer with every fiber of my being, and furthermore, I'd extend that presumption of negativity towards all those novels that dream of snatching some of her suspect popular acclaim... of which this, clearly, is one. But believe it or not, I've been wrong before. So how about this? I'll try to give it a try.
"Consequently, there are many false claims of hauntings from those hoping to profit. Enter Chess Putnam, a fully-tattooed witch and freewheeling Debunker and ghost hunter. She's got a real talent for nailing the human liars or banishing the wicked dead. But she's keeping a dark secret from the Church: a little drug problem that's landed her in hot and dangerous water. Chess owes a murderous drug lord named Bump a lot of money. And Bump wants immediate payback. All Chess has to do is dispatch a very nasty species of undead from an old airport.
"But the job involves black magic, human sacrifice, a nefarious demonic creature, and crossing swords with enough wicked energy to wipe out a city of souls. Toss in lust with a rival gang leader and a dangerous attraction to Bump's ruthless enforcer, and Chess begins to wonder if the rush is really worth it..."
Commentary: Oh no. I try not to be snooty, neither in my reading nor in life, but I know my own tastes fairly well, and just the cover quote from Sookie Stackhouse mastermind Charlaine Harris leads me to believe this, another of my winnings from Voyager and the first book of the Downside Ghosts series - which despite my reservations I can easily see being the next big thing in the Twilight mode - leads me to believe that Unholy Ghosts won't be my thing. Add to that a snippet from the publicity blurb boasting that these are "fast-paced, sexy and addictive novels" and there's little room left for me to doubt my snap judgment. Firstly, I despise anything by Stephanie Meyer with every fiber of my being, and furthermore, I'd extend that presumption of negativity towards all those novels that dream of snatching some of her suspect popular acclaim... of which this, clearly, is one. But believe it or not, I've been wrong before. So how about this? I'll try to give it a try.
Crossing Over
by Anna Kendall
by Anna Kendall
Release Details:
Published in the UK on
24/06/10 by Gollancz YA
Review Priority:
Review Priority:
3 (Moderate)
Plot Synopsis: "Whether it's a curse or a blessing the fact remains: whenever Roger is in enough pain he can cross over to the Land of the Dead and speak to the people there. It's an unexpected gift - and one that, throughout Roger's life, his violent uncle has taken advantage of. Roger has been hauled from fairground to fairground, and beaten into unconsciousness, in order to bring word of the dead to the recently bereaved. It's a hard, painful way of life, deceiving the living for a crust of bread.
"So when Roger has the chance of a new life, it seems a gift. He has a chance at safety and at living a life of his choosing, tucked away in the royal court. But life is unexpected, and when Roger falls in love with the bewitching, willful Lady Cecilia he has no idea what he is letting himself in for. With every step he takes towards her, he is drawn deeper into court intrigue, into politics, and even into war... and when Roger's curious abilities come to the Queen's attention, everything changes forever.
"Trapped in courtly politics, bound by secrets, Roger is torn between his own safety and that of his friends. He can save them... but only if he can bring himself to perform a deed so unthinkable that the living and the dead shrink from it alike..."
Commentary: Crossing Over marks not only the debut of Irish-born author Anna Kendall but also a whole new, Young Adult-oriented Gollancz imprint. Beyond the synopsis above I don't yet know a whole lot above this one, except that there's a sequel called Dark Mist Rising scheduled for publication next year, but I've enjoyed all the all-ages books I've read since launching The Speculative Scotsman, so I'm certainly game for Crossing Over. Also Irish girls... what can I say? They're an Achilles heel of mine.
"So when Roger has the chance of a new life, it seems a gift. He has a chance at safety and at living a life of his choosing, tucked away in the royal court. But life is unexpected, and when Roger falls in love with the bewitching, willful Lady Cecilia he has no idea what he is letting himself in for. With every step he takes towards her, he is drawn deeper into court intrigue, into politics, and even into war... and when Roger's curious abilities come to the Queen's attention, everything changes forever.
"Trapped in courtly politics, bound by secrets, Roger is torn between his own safety and that of his friends. He can save them... but only if he can bring himself to perform a deed so unthinkable that the living and the dead shrink from it alike..."
Commentary: Crossing Over marks not only the debut of Irish-born author Anna Kendall but also a whole new, Young Adult-oriented Gollancz imprint. Beyond the synopsis above I don't yet know a whole lot above this one, except that there's a sequel called Dark Mist Rising scheduled for publication next year, but I've enjoyed all the all-ages books I've read since launching The Speculative Scotsman, so I'm certainly game for Crossing Over. Also Irish girls... what can I say? They're an Achilles heel of mine.
Shadow's Sun
by Jon Sprunk
Release Details:
Published in the UK on
29/07/10 by Gollancz
Review Priority:
3 (Moderate)
Plot Synopsis: "Treachery and corruption lurk at the end of every street, in the holy city of Othir. It's the perfect place for a freelance assassin with no loyalties and even fewer scruples. Caim makes - or perhaps more accurately, takes - his living on the edge of a blade. Murder is a risky business, but so far he reckons he's on the right side of it. Or he was... because when a short-notice contract job goes south, Caim finds himself thrust into the middle of a sinister plot in which he seems to be one of the primary marks.
"Pitted against crooked lawmen, rival killers and the darkest kinds of sorcery, it's going to take more than luck if he's to get through this alive. He may lack scruples, but he's still got his knives, and his instincts, to rely on - and a developed sense of revenge, or should that be justice? - to fall back on.
"But when his path leads him from the hazardous back streets of Othir and into the highest halls of power, will instincts and weapons alone really be enough? If Caim is really going to unravel the plot which has snared him, to unmask a conspiracy at the heart of the empire, he will have to finally claim his birthright as the Shadow's Son."
Commentary: Gollancz are really making their mark on the fantasy landscape this year, publishing one knockout debut after another - from Sam Sykes to MD Lachlan and so on... Enter Jon Sprunk. Shadow's Son is his first published novel, volume one, as is so often the way, of a trilogy due a continuation in Shadow's Lure next year. I'll admit the premise is a little bit been there, done that, but given the sustained quality of the imprint's debuts through 2010 to date, I'm certainly willing to give Shadow's Sun a fair shot. Take note that the cover above is for Pyr's US release of Sprunk's novel: artwork for the Gollancz edition was not yet available at this time.
"Pitted against crooked lawmen, rival killers and the darkest kinds of sorcery, it's going to take more than luck if he's to get through this alive. He may lack scruples, but he's still got his knives, and his instincts, to rely on - and a developed sense of revenge, or should that be justice? - to fall back on.
"But when his path leads him from the hazardous back streets of Othir and into the highest halls of power, will instincts and weapons alone really be enough? If Caim is really going to unravel the plot which has snared him, to unmask a conspiracy at the heart of the empire, he will have to finally claim his birthright as the Shadow's Son."
Commentary: Gollancz are really making their mark on the fantasy landscape this year, publishing one knockout debut after another - from Sam Sykes to MD Lachlan and so on... Enter Jon Sprunk. Shadow's Son is his first published novel, volume one, as is so often the way, of a trilogy due a continuation in Shadow's Lure next year. I'll admit the premise is a little bit been there, done that, but given the sustained quality of the imprint's debuts through 2010 to date, I'm certainly willing to give Shadow's Sun a fair shot. Take note that the cover above is for Pyr's US release of Sprunk's novel: artwork for the Gollancz edition was not yet available at this time.
Bad Boy
by Peter Robinson
by Peter Robinson
Release Details:
Published in the UK on
05/08/10 by Hodder & Stoughton
Review Priority:
05/08/10 by Hodder & Stoughton
Review Priority:
2 (Fair)
Plot Synopsis: "When Juliet Doyle discovers a gun in her daughter’s bedroom, she turns to old friend DCI Alan Banks for advice. But Banks is taking a much-needed holiday, and it's left to DI Annie Cabbot to deal with the removal of the firearm. No one can foresee the operation's disastrous consequences, or that the Doyles will not be the only family affected.
Banks' daughter Tracy has fallen for the wrong boy. Her flatmate’s boyfriend is good-looking, ambitious, and surrounded by an intoxicating air of mystery. He's also very dangerous. When Tracy warns him that the police might be on his tail, he persuades her to go on the run with him, and flattered by his attention, she agrees. Before she knows it, a deadly chase across the country is set in motion.
"And on his return, completely unsuspecting of Tracy's perilous situation, Banks is plunged into his most terrifying, personal case yet."
Commentary: Seems like there might be a significant increase in coverage of crime fiction here on TSS in the weeks and months to come, what with this and last week's John Connolly. This, though, is significantly less interesting to me than The Whisperers. Bad Boy looks to be somewhat run-of-the-mill - and not only that, it's the somethingth novel in an interminable series of books starring DCI Alan Banks. I might give this one the old once-over, and if it grabs me, so much the better, but unless there's someone out there willing to tell me why I should pay attention to Peter Robinson, I can't imagine you'll see further coverage of Bad Boy - what a bore of a title, incidentally - for some time to come.
Banks' daughter Tracy has fallen for the wrong boy. Her flatmate’s boyfriend is good-looking, ambitious, and surrounded by an intoxicating air of mystery. He's also very dangerous. When Tracy warns him that the police might be on his tail, he persuades her to go on the run with him, and flattered by his attention, she agrees. Before she knows it, a deadly chase across the country is set in motion.
"And on his return, completely unsuspecting of Tracy's perilous situation, Banks is plunged into his most terrifying, personal case yet."
Commentary: Seems like there might be a significant increase in coverage of crime fiction here on TSS in the weeks and months to come, what with this and last week's John Connolly. This, though, is significantly less interesting to me than The Whisperers. Bad Boy looks to be somewhat run-of-the-mill - and not only that, it's the somethingth novel in an interminable series of books starring DCI Alan Banks. I might give this one the old once-over, and if it grabs me, so much the better, but unless there's someone out there willing to tell me why I should pay attention to Peter Robinson, I can't imagine you'll see further coverage of Bad Boy - what a bore of a title, incidentally - for some time to come.
The Dead-Tossed Waves
by Carrie Ryan
Release Details:
Published in the UK on
08/04/10 by Gollancz
Review Priority:
08/04/10 by Gollancz
Review Priority:
4 (Very High)
Plot Synopsis: "Gabry lives a quiet life, secure in her town next to the sea and behind the Barrier. She's content to let her friends dream of the Dark City up the coast while she watches from the top of her lighthouse. Home is all she's ever known and, and all she needs for happiness. But life after the Return is never safe and there are threats even the Barrier can't hold back. Gabry's mother thought she left her secrets behind in the Forest of Hands and Teeth, but, like the dead in their world, secrets don't stay buried. And now, Gabry's world is crumbling. One night beyond the Barrier... one boy Gabry's known forever and one veiled in mystery... one reckless moment, and half of Gabry's generation is dead, the other half imprisoned. Now Gabry knows only one thing: if she has any hope of a future, she must face the forest of her mother's past."
Commentary: For the life of me I don't get what all the fuss over The Dead-Tossed Waves has been about. Don't misunderstand me. I'm excited to get started on this one, the hype has been that huge, but I simply don't know what this book and its predecessor, The Forest of Hands and Teeth, are. Are they urban fantasy? Are they horror for young adults? Those of you who've been reading the blog for long enough to have a handle on my tastes, I ask you: will I despise this book?
Commentary: For the life of me I don't get what all the fuss over The Dead-Tossed Waves has been about. Don't misunderstand me. I'm excited to get started on this one, the hype has been that huge, but I simply don't know what this book and its predecessor, The Forest of Hands and Teeth, are. Are they urban fantasy? Are they horror for young adults? Those of you who've been reading the blog for long enough to have a handle on my tastes, I ask you: will I despise this book?
Elves: Once Walked With Gods
by James Barclay
Release Details:
Published in the UK on
19/08/10 by Gollancz
Review Priority:
19/08/10 by Gollancz
Review Priority:
2 (Fair)
Plot Synopsis: "The elves have fled to Calius, seeking to escape the overwhelming power of the demonic Garonin. A desperate last stand in their own dimension saved the race, at the cost of 100,000 elves lost to the Garonin. The elf who led that fight, Takaar, is blamed for the losses and has gone into hiding. Now the weakened elf race is tearing itself apart in civil war, human mercenaries have arrived in Calius and are ripping the continent apart. Only one elf can unite the elves. And only one elf believes in him. A young warrior named Auum sets out to bring back the shamed hero and save the elven race. James Barclay's Elves trilogy will tell the whole story of his immortal elven race, and will appeal to all fans of Tolkien and fantasy - this is a uniquely entertaining take on a fantasy staple perfect to bring new readers to Barclay. And old readers of James Barclay will welcome a return to one of their favourite creations and will also love seeing one of their favourite characters again - the Tai Gethan warriror Auum destined to be one of the Raven."
Commentary: Another rather meh addition to the rank and file this week. I mean, I like fantasy, and I'm a devoted Tolkien reader - I know... what a shocker - so the publicity clearly has me pinned right into this book's apparent target market, but Elves: Once Walked With Gods, from the author of the Orcs series (oh God really?) just comes off a bit naff in my view. But perhaps I'm jumping the gun. This books is some months out from publication yet, so I'll have plenty of time to at least try out the waters, see if they're as tepid as I suspect, and I will, be sure. Any James Barclay fans out there ready to tell me why this might be more than the sum of its so-so sounding parts?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)