Mar201314
Ian Randal Strock
1
Books Received: first half of March 2013
Shattered Pillars by Elizabeth Bear. (The Eternal Sky, book two), Tor, $26.99, 336pp, hc, 9780765327550. Fantasy.
From Hugo Award-winning author Elizabeth Bear comes Shattered Pillars, the second highly anticipated volume in The Eternal Sky trilogy. Set in a world based on our Asian Steppes, The Eternal Sky is an astonishing saga of magic, politics, and violent interfamily war set in the beautifully crafted world of Celedon Highway where a chosen few must fight the dark forces that have determined to take the great Empires for their own.
In the first volume, Range of Ghosts, Temur, heir to the Great Khagan, was forced into exile, pursued by the sorcerous allies of his uncle Qori Buqua, who usurped his grandfather’s throne. Along the way he meets Edene, a tribeswoman of the Tsareg clan, who becomes his lover and welcomes him into her family’s fold. When Edene is kidnapped, Temur vows to rescue her and sets off on a quest through the war torn empires of the Celadon Highway, joined by once-princess Samarkar, a Wizard of Tsarpheth.
Shattered Pillars finds Re-Temur and Samarkar in the home of Temur’s powerful grandfather, plotting to attack the fortress of Rhazeen and rescue Edene from Mukhtar ai-Idoj, al-Sepehr of the Nameless sect. If they succeed, it will be a hero’s deed, but Temur has sworn a magical oath and he has a wizard of Tsarpheth at his side. However al-Sepehr has made one possibly fatal error: He has allowed the escape of his hostage Edene…
Infestation by Timothy J. Bradley. Scholastic, $5.99, 192pp, tp, 9780545520768. Middle-grade science fiction.
From non-fiction children’s author Timothy J. Bradley comes a contemporary take on the classic creature-feature genre. Infestation, Bradley’s debut science fiction novel, is a thrilling, fast-paced story for middle-grade readers that will leave your skin crawling.
When Andy Greenwood is sent to the Reclamation School for Boys he expects the lousy food, mean drill sergeant instructors, and brutal bullies. What he doesn’t expect is an infestation of weirdly large and aggressive ants, or the itching welts all over the staff and students. Even odder, Andy learns that kids never leave the school when they’re supposed to. They just seem to get stuck there indefinitely. Following a ground-splitting earthquake, however, things quickly go from bad to horrifying. The school is overrun by monstrous bugs, and Andy himself comes face to face with mutant ants the size of humans, equipped with pinchers that can cut steel. Trapped in a cinderblock institutional building in the New Mexico desert, miles from civilization, Andy must figure out a way to save himself and the surviving boys from this nightmare.
The Gate Thief by Orson Scott Card. Tor, $24.99, 384pp, hc, 9780765326584. Fantasy.
One of the true stars of science fiction and fantasy writing, Orson Scott Card is an international bestseller best known for the beloved classic of science fiction, Ender’s Game, which has touched the lives of millions of people around the world. With The Lost Gate, Card launched an original, exhilarating fantasy series that has captivated fans with its new, young hero. Now with the second book of the series, The Gate Thief, the bestselling author continues his fantastic tale of the Mages of Westil who live in exile on Earth.
Here on Earth, Danny North is still in high school, yet he holds in his heart and mind all the stolen outselves of thirteen centuries of gatemages. The Families still want to kill him if they can’t control him… and they can’t control him. He is far too powerful.
And on Westil, Wad is now nearly powerless — he lost everything to Danny in their struggle. Even if he can survive the revenge of his enemies, he still must somehow make peace with the Gatemage Daniel North.
For when Danny took that power from Loki, he also took the responsibility for the Great Gates. And when he comes face-to-face with the mage who is called Bel, he will understand just why Loki closed the gates all those centuries ago.
The second book in the Mither Mages series, The Gate Thief once again showcases Card’s spellbinding storytelling skills. As with Ender’s unforgettable adventures, Danny North’s will engage everyone who reads his story.
The Devil’s Looking Glass by Mark Chadbourn. (Swords of Albion: Book 3), Pyr, $17.95, 311pp, tp, 9781616147006. Fantasy.
1593: The dreaded alchemist, magician, and spy Dr. John Dee is missing….
Terror sweeps through the court of Queen Elizabeth, for in Dee’s possession is an obsidian mirror, an object of great power which, legend says, could set the world afire. And so the call goes out to celebrated swordsman, adventurer and rake Will Swyfte — find Dee and his looking glass and return them to London before disaster strikes. But when Will discovers the mirror might solve the mystery that has haunted him for years — the fate of his lost love, Jenny — the stakes become acutely personal.
With London under siege by supernatural powers, time is running out. Will is left with no choice but to pursue the alchemist to the devil-haunted lands of the New World — in the very shadow of the terrifying fortress home of the Unseelie Court. Surrounded by an army of unearthly fiends, with only his sword and a few brave friends at his back, the realm’s greatest spy must be prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice — or see all he loves destroyed.
Teaching with Harry Potter: Essays on Classroom Wizardry from Elementary School to College edited by Valerie Estelle Frankel. McFarland, $35.00, 288pp, tp, 9780786472017. Non-fiction.
The Harry Potter phenomenon created a surge in reading with a lasting effect on all areas of culture, especially education. Today, teachers across the world are harnessing the power of the series to teach history, gender studies, chemistry, religion, philosophy, sociology, architecture, Latin, medieval studies, astronomy, SAT skills, and much more.
These essays discuss the diverse educational possibilities of J.K. Rowling’s books. Teachers of younger students use Harry and Hermione to encourage kids with disabilities or show girls the power of being brainy scientists. Students are reading fanfiction, splicing video clips, or exploring Rowling’s new website, Pottermore. Harry Potter continues to open new doors to learning.
[Contributors: Lana A. Whited, Tenille Nowak, Denise Dwyer D’Errico, J. Malcolm Stewart, Kristine Larsen, Valerie Estelle Frankel, Jen Scott Curwood, Clare Diviny, Savannah Sharp, James B. Kelley, J. Steve Lee, Cynthia K. O’Malley, Renee Ward, Whitney E. Jones Francis, Amanda Firestone, Asma Mansoor, Elisabeth C. Gumnior, and Susan Johnston.]
The Dark Heroine: Dinner with a Vampire by Abigail Gibbs. William Morrow, $14.99, 534pp, tp, 9780062248732. Fiction/Romance/Paranormal.
Erika Tsang (Executive Editor, HarperCollins US) and Amy McCulloch (Commissioning Editor, HarperCollins UK) have pre-empted World English language rights to The Dark Heroine: Dinner with a Vampire, and a sequel, by 17-year-old online sensation and debut novelist Abigail Gibbs, from Scott Mendel at Mendel Media Group, LLC, for a significant six figure sum.
Abigail is a phenomenon online, publishing The Dark Heroine: Dinner with a Vampire serially on writing website Wattpad since she was 15 years old. To date, it has been read almost seventeen million times. She has a global following, with readers all over the world who have become fans of her characters as well as of their creator. There is already an enthusiastic online subculture of devotees to Violet, Kaspar and Fabian.
The Dark Heroine follows the feisty 18-year-old Violet Lee as she is swept into a glittering world of extravagance and luxury, but all the riches of the world can’t hide the darkness underneath — embodied in the charismatic but dangerous Kaspar Varn.
To satisfy the desire for this fabulous book, William Morrow released the eBook in September, and now, for the first time, a beautiful paperback edition is available.
Hellhole: Awakening by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson. Tor, $27.99, 528pp, hc, 9780765322708. Science fiction.
In Hellhole, New York Times bestselling authors Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson created an all-original science fiction epic about colonists battling to survive on a blasted planet. Now, in the trilogy’s exhilarating second novel Hellhole: Awakening they expand the panoramic story on a galactic scale packed with nonstop adventure, fascinating characters, and wondrous concepts.
After declaring his independence from the corrupt Constellation, exiled rebel General Adolphus knows the crackdown is coming to Hellhole. On this blasted frontier world that no one else wants, his colonists have discovered the remnants of an amazing and powerful alien civilization, and now the Constellation wants the planet back. But General Adolphus and his followers, including an ever-growing group possessed by alien memories, won’t go down without a fight.
Building an alliance with other discontented frontier worlds, Adolphus struggles to mount defenses for Hellhole. If his colony is to have any chance at all against a massive inbound space military fleet, he has to open the Pandora’s Box of alien memories and technologies — but that could be even more dangerous than the threat they know. In order to protect his people, Adolphus may be attracting a new enemy so powerful it makes the Constellation fleet seem insignificant.
Herbert and Anderson are each critically acclaimed and bestselling authors in their own right; they have been collaborating since 1999 with their wildly successful novels set in Frank Herbert’s classic Dune universe. After writing eleven Dune books together, the two combined their talents and imagination to create a landmark epic distinctly their own, the Hellhole trilogy.
In the tradition of the Dune series, Hellhole Awakening will captivate and awe their many fans and science fiction readers everywhere.
A Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin. Bantam, $9.99, 1216 pp, pb, 9780345543981. Fantasy.
The official tie-in to Season 3 of HBO’s Game of Thrones, premiering March 31st.
Of the five contenders for power, one is dead, another in disfavor, and still the wars rage, as alliances are made and broken. Joffrey sits on the Iron Throne, the uneasy ruler of the Seven Kingdoms. His most bitter rival, Lord Stannis, stands defeated and disgraced, victim of the sorceress who holds him in her thrall. Young Robb still rules the North from the fortress of Riverrun. Meanwhile, making her way across a blood-drenched continent is the exiled queen, Daenerys, mistress of the only three dragons left in the world. And as opposing forces maneuver for the final showdown, an army of barbaric wildlings arrives from the outermost limits of civilization, accompanied by a horde of mythical Others — a supernatural army of the living dead whose animated corpses are unstoppable. As the future of the land hangs in the balance, no one will rest until the Seven Kingdoms have exploded in a veritable storm of swords.
The Scrivener’s Tale by Fiona McIntosh. Harper Voyager, $14.99, 504pp, tp, 9780062237309. Fantasy.
Gabe Figaret is an ex-psychologist turned writer who now works in a Paris bookshop as he is coming to terms with his past. When Reynard, a doctor and one of his regular customers, asks him to mentor a patient — a young, delusional woman named Angelina — he can’t refuse.
Gabe soon discovers Angelina is not what she seems. As their relationship deepens, Gabe’s life in Paris becomes increasingly unstable. He senses a presence watching, following every move he makes. And then there is a raven which eerily appears wherever he turns.
Angelina tells Gabe there is only one way to save them both: he must flee to Morgravia. Gabe believes her claim to be part of her delusion but when she begins to link minds and show him the realm — including a cathedral that he has dreamed about since his youth — he is drawn into her spell and her plan. But the journey to Morgravia comes at a price higher than he may be willing to pay: he must kill Angelina and absorb her spirit.
Though Angelina is exquisitely persuasive, Gabe is not a murderer. But his morality cannot protect him for what is to come. Soon, Gabe’s world will be turned upside down, and he will learn shocking truths about who he is… and who he can — or cannot — trust.
The Story of X by A.J. Molloy. William Morrow, $13.99, 329pp, tp, 9780062268525. Fiction/Erotica.
Written by A.J. Molloy, The Story of X is 50 Shades of Grey meets Eyes Wide Shut.
Shy American student Alexandra Beckmann — ‘X’ to her friends — arrives in Naples desperate for adventures beyond the sheltered life she has left. She is there to study the infamous Italian crime organization, the Camorra. But on the sun-soaked, ancient city streets, her research leads her to a man like no one else she has ever met.
Lord Marcus Xavier Roscarrick is an Italian aristocrat, irresistibly handsome with a mysterious past. Yet, underneath his smooth exterior, X senses a man who is well-acquainted with danger.
Soon they begin a passionate affair, and X is drawn into Roscarrick’s world of ancient secrets and sexual experimentation. A world she never dreamed existed. But as she falls ever more deeply under Roscarrick’s spell, X must decide whether she dares to submit entirely to this shadowy world of dark desire.
A.J. Molloy is the pseudonym of a bestselling novelists who lives in London.
On Space: The Canadian Magazine of the Fantastic. Winter 2012/2013, #91, Vol 24, No 4. $6.95, 108pp, tp, www.onspec.ca.
Contributors: Steven Popkes, JD DeLuzio, Gaie Sebold, Kevin Cockle, Leslie Claire Walker, Kim Neville, David Gordon Buresh, Diane L. Walton, Allan Weiss, Roberta Laurie, Cat McDonald, and William B. Robison.
Can You See What I See? Out Of This World by Walter Wick. Scholastic, $13.99, 40pp, hc, 9780545244688. Puzzle.
Can You See What I See? Out of this World is a work of art, an imaginative adventure, and an engaging game. In the latest installment of his bestselling Can You See What I See? series, award-winning and renowned photographer Walter Wick will draw children of all ages into his world of wonders.
Working with a team of studio assistants, Wick designs and painstakingly builds miniature sets and then meticulously photographs these models to create the works of art seen on each page. In Can You See What I See? Out of this World, Wick’s photographs and riddles weave an imaginative narrative where a princess in a faraway castle and a robot on a mission in space meet and discover that while they seem to come from very different places they are truly part of the same world — the world of a child immersed in creative play, where any world is possible.
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