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BOOK BLURB: Nyx had already been to hell. One prayer more or less wouldn’t make any difference…
On a ravaged, contaminated world, a centuries-old holy war rages, fought by a bloody mix of mercenaries, magicians, and conscripted soldiers. Though the origins of the war are shady and complex, there’s one thing everybody agrees on–There’s not a chance in hell of ending it.
Nyx is a former government assassin who makes a living cutting off heads for cash. But when a dubious deal between her government and an alien gene pirate goes bad, her ugly past makes her the top pick for a covert recovery. The head they want her to bring home could end the war–but at what price?
The world is about to find out!
CLASSIFICATION: A mix of hardboiled noir with SF and mixed with a subgenre that the author refers to as bug-punk. God’s War is a little hard to classify but to sum it up in a line, it’s a tale of a woman warrior’s search for answers amidst a world of chaos.
FORMAT/INFO: God’s War is 286 pages long, divided over thirty nine numbered chapters, which are grouped into two sections. Narration is in the third person mainly via the protagonist Nyxnissa and a few of the chapters from the view of Rhys, Taite and Khos. God’s War is the first volume in the Umayma trilogy and will be followed by Infidel and Babylon (hopefully). This book can be read as a standalone and ends on a clear note.
January 18, 2011 marked the North American trade paperback publication of God’s War via Night Shade books. Cover art is provided by David Palumbo.
ANALYSIS: I was interested in Kameron Hurley’s book since I had heard about it late in 2009, I had originally included it in my 2010 anticipated list, however due to certain publishing dilemmas this book was given the pink slip by its original publisher and then was picked by Night Shade books. This delayed the book’s publication by nearly a year and so when I contacted Ms. Hurley for a review copy, she gladly obliged & I dove in wondering how it would stack up against my anticipation.
God’s War is divided into two parts, of which the first opens with Nyxnissa entering Faleen after selling her organ and looking for a new job of sorts. She looks up an old acquaintance [if acquaintance is indeed the word] however ends up being introduced to her old comrades who have an ulterior motive in meeting her. The first part thus ends soon after introducing Nyxnissa and Rhys and gives the reader a small but mysterious glimpse of the world of Umayma.
The second part opens a few years later showing Nyx with her rag tag band operating as a mercenary unit and trying to survive in a rather harsh world. They get an assignment of sorts which has every other mercenary, both groups and loners hustling to get more information about the bounty and the target. Something seems amiss to Nyx as the summons come from the Queen of Nasheen. Upon attending the summons, she learns that a visitor from the planet of New Kinaan is missing and if that person is not found or if she falls in to the enemy hands, the war will end very badly for Nasheen. Thus begins Nyx’s odyssey which will see her visit old and new places, meet older enemies and find out what really makes her tick.
Kameron Hurley’s book went slightly against my expectations in the sense that it is a far grittier book than I thought it would be; but the ace in the hole is her world building. The world is revealed bit by bit as the pages rush along and the reader realizes that as good as the story is, the world in itself a far more interesting place to ponder about. There are snippets revealed here and there which help the reader in understanding the history and background of the world. In this regards I found the author’s writing to be a bit similar to that of R. Scott Bakker as the history of the world is revealed slowly and the reader will have to piece things together to form the larger picture. However with an advantage that it’s less dense than Bakker’s books. This is a plus (for me) as while I like Bakker’s world-building and his story, sometimes it feels like a chore to read or re-read his books.
Now there are a few kinks in this debut novel as well, namely the first part acts a 50 page prologue and can be a bit confusing with all the new terms which are used by the characters, this can be a bit disorienting to the reader however once the second part begins and the actual plot kicks in, that’s where the book really picks up speed. Some readers might be a bit put off by the hard protagonist, however Hurley shows off Nyx as a person with many sides to her and by the end of the tale, the reader will surely sympathize for her if not empathize with her. A slight drawback to this tale could be that while the reader gets a detailed view into Nyx, the same cannot be said of the other POV characters (besides Rhys to a certain extent).
CONCLUSION: Over all I really enjoyed this debut novel which was a fun mish mash of SF and hard boiled noir set on a distant world wherein even with a singular religion, society has disintegrated and men[in this case women as well] fight against each other for causes which they believe to be true. Kameron Hurley paints a rather bleak picture of the flaws of mankind which sees them fighting a war and thus repeating history as we are doomed to do.
More 2011 Titles of Interest, from ChiZine: Brent Hayward, Claude Lalumiere and Derryl Murphy (by Liviu Suciu)

From the author of the remarkable debut Filaria (FBC Rv), May will see the publication of The Fecund's Melancholy Daughter, a new novel that promises much and starts extremely well. With a title for the ages and a cover that looks pretty cool, here is the blurb:
The city is crumbling . . . . Clouds over Nowy Solum have not parted in a hundred years. Gods have deserted their temples. In the last days of a dying city, the decadent chatelaine chooses a forbidden lover, separating twin outcasts and setting them on independent trajectories that might finally bring down the palace. Then, screaming from the skies, a lone god reappears and a limbless prophet is carried through South Gate, into Nowy Solum, with a message for all: beyond the city, something ancient and monumental has come awake.
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From the author of the remarkable collection Objects of Worship (FBC Rv), April will see the publication of The Door to Lost Pages. From what I gleamed so far, this book is a mix between a novel and a collection of related stories in the vein of the superb Things We Didn't See Coming.
Here is the blurb:
Step through the door to lost pages and escape a life you never wanted . . .
On her tenth birthday, Aydee runs away from home and from her neglectful parents. At first, surviving alone on the streets is harsh, but a series of frightening, bewildering encounters with strange primordial creatures leads her to a bookshop called Lost Pages, where she steps into a fantastic, sometimes dangerous, but exciting life. Aydee grows up at the reality-hopping Lost Pages, which seems to attract a clientele that is both eccentric and desperate. She is repeatedly drawn into an eternal war between enigmatic gods and monsters, until the day she is confronted by her worst nightmare: herself.
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Napier's Bones (tbp March) is a novel that attracted my attention for two reasons; first as being published by Chi-Zine which so far never put a book out that "felt for me" and disappointed; second the blurb is irresistible for someone with a math background, so I decided to give it a try and I will let you know what I think - the first pages read quite well, so I will get to this one sooner rather than later.
What if, in a world where mathematics could be magic, the thing you desired most was also trying to kill you?
Dom is a numerate, someone able to see and control numbers and use them as a form of magic. While seeking a mathematical item of immense power that has only been whispered about, it all goes south for Dom, and he finds himself on the run across three countries on two continents, with two unlikely companions in tow and a numerate of unfathomable strength hot on his tail. Along the way are giant creatures of stone and earth, statues come alive, numerical wonders cast over hundreds of years, and the very real possibility that he won't make it out of this alive. And both of his companions have secrets so deep that even they aren't aware of them, and one of those secrets could make for a seismic shift in how Dom and all other numerates see and interact with the world.
Edit 2/28: I finished this and it was a very good read, conventional (UF) formula in structure but the content made it worth and the author has a flowing style that kept the pages turning. Here are some raw thoughts with the full review in several weeks:
"Napier's Bones is a very entertaining mix of sf and UF; the structure is all UF (evil being with superpowers, awakened in our day and time wants to take over and change all, good guys have to stop it but to start they are too puny, so there are chases, hidden powers, unexpected allies and all the paraphernalia of traditional fantasy set in our world and time) but the content is all sfnal since the conceit of the novel is numbers as magic and there is a lot of real fun numerology - I have no idea if the author has read Martin Gardner's ultra-entertaining essays on numerology but the stuff in the novel is as good as anything there and the book is worth reading if only for that.
The characters are ok though nothing outside stock and some of the major twists are easily seen but the writing flows well, the pages turn by themselves and the book is a very entertaining reading experience with a great ending. Another recommended book - and a positive surprise for 2011."
AUTHOR INFORMATION: James R. Bowman was born and brought up in Ipswich, Suffolk. He currently resides there with his family. He’s been fascinated by Native American culture and has relished his inquisitive nature by making a trip over to the American Southwest. He’s also been shortlisted for the Brit Writer's Published Writer of the Year 2010 award. This is his debut novel.
PLOT SUMMARY: Death, War, Famine and Pestilence; known to the sentient races of the Multiverse as the Absolutes, face their greatest threat since the first race made its mark on the cosmos. The Adversary, Lucifer s right hand and enforcer has decided the time has come for him to take charge instead of orders; freeing Fenris the Dread Wolf to aid him and systematically wiping out the Earth s guardians those individuals whose destiny it was to protect the world from extinction and slavery he gathers his forces, poised to strike and annihilate humanity. The world as mortal kind knows it stands to fall and the age of humans is about to end. Extinction is only moments away.
Two heroes rise to challenge the Adversary, drawn into the conflict by an Arch-Angel, two ancient Dragons and the four Horsemen of the Apocalypse themselves. Tomas a former government operative winds up trapped in Hell and becomes allied with a group of exiled Valkyrie; while Gwen is forced from her home in Santa Fe and is sent on a quest for the First Tree, the tree that seeded all others including the legendary tree of knowledge, and whose whereabouts has been forever lost in the mists of time and memory.
Success depends on their survival and their survival is threatened on an almost perpetual basis by the demonic minions of the Adversary, werewolf like Hounds of Fenris and swarms of possessed, to name but a few. For the sake of the Multiverse, humanity, every other living creature and for the pure life essence of the Earth herself, let battle be joined.
CLASSIFICATION: The Adversary is a mixture of Epic Quest fantasy and Urban fantasy, with an apocalypse impending!
FORMAT/INFO: The Adversary is 1028 pages long divided over twenty numbered and titled chapters with a prologue. Narration is in the third person via many different characters such as Tomas Walker, Gwen, The Adversary, Azaroth, Daniel and a few others. The Adversary is the first volume in a series. There's also an "Acknowledgments" section and an introduction written by the author. Cover art is by Peter Pracownik.
ANALYSIS: The Adversary was a book which got queried at our blog and the premise seemed very exciting for me. After I read the first 25 pages I decided to give it a try. The book blurb reveals it to be quite a mish-mash of genres and the book doesn’t disappoint in the size and scope of the tale imagined by the author.
The tale begins by introducing us to Tomas Walker, an ex-British agent who’s become disgruntled with his life and now has become a wanderer of sorts. He travels around and is soon beset with an otherworldly encounter which convinces him to focus on his self preservation and beguiles him as to the nature of his opponent. He soon meets up with an archangel who convinces him that he’s not losing his mind however events are being precipitated which require his urgent attention and if left unchecked could mean the death of all living things. Tomas being himself is quite skeptical however soon loses all his reservations when he is joined by the four horsemen of the apocalypse. They proceed to lay out his role and why he’s crucial to their battle.
Another thread opens up on the other side of the Atlantic by introducing us to Gwen, who has been living a life of her own but suddenly gets introduced to a paroxysmal shift in the nature of things and soon finds out that two of her best friends are more than what they appear to be. Gwen is also tasked with another responsibility as she finds out that she is akin to a repository and she has been entrusted with new powers. In the third and significantly stronger thread we get a view point in to the Titular character and the antagonist of this tale, the Adversary who has upended hell and its denizens and also whose plans include coercing the power of Fenris and many others who have similar ambitions. There are also a few more players to this mix and it will be best if I don't allude to any more of the plot.
The book is a rather large one at slightly more than 1000 pages encompasses a lengthy tale which is only the opening salvo of the entire saga which the author has planned. The plus points to this book are the author has amalgamated many mythologies and has constructed a vast global mythology to this world which might appeal to jaded Urban fantasy readers. There are also not too many characters and the tale is tightly focused on the POV characters as they travel to new places and continue their quest to save their universe. The writing for a debutant author is good however has some faults which I’ll be discussing next.
The pacing deserves a lot to be said as of there are quite some info-dumps in between as the author tries to explain the world which though required; does detract a bit from the reading experience. Another point was that the main characters of Gwen and Tomas were not fleshed out beyond their roles as chosen ones in the books and this perhaps can lead to a slight disconnect as majority of the plot unfolds around both of them (then again since this is a first book, there might be more to come in the remaining three titles.)
Lastly not all of this gargantuan effort is all that vexing, there are quite a few positives namely the imagination of the debutant author which has to be lauded for coming up with such a mythological background to this tale and his rather exuberant attempt to connect the dots amongst the various myths mentioned in the book. The characters are decently drawn out however with the drawbacks mentioned above, if the author can remedy these in the remaining part of the sage, this series can indeed become special. This book I would rate as a good debut effort with a lot of heart in it however it could very well do with a trimming of its content page wise and a rather coalescing of the plot so as to remove the tepid flow to the pace of this tale. Most readers should very well try this hefty debut from across the pond as it offers something new in terms of effort and plot while retaining some favored clichés.
"The Oracle of Stamboul" by Michael David Lukas (Reviewed by Liviu Suciu)

Official Michael David Lukas Website
Order 'The Oracle of Stamboul" HERE
Read an Excerpt from The Oracle of Stamboul HERE
INTRODUCTION: The Oracle of Stamboul was the first real positive surprise of 2011 for me as it was a book that came out of nowhere for me and took over my reading with a combination of magical prose and pitch perfect atmosphere.
I recently saw the title in a list of "just published" books when looking for more information about what turned out to be the first big flop of 2011 for me and the title sounded appealing, so I checked the blurb below which made me continue exploring the novel, while the excerpt linked above convinced me to get the novel immediately and then it took over my reading.
"Late in the summer of 1877, a flock of purple-and-white hoopoes suddenly appears over the town of Constanta on the Black Sea, and Eleonora Cohen is ushered into the world by a mysterious pair of Tartar midwives who arrive just minutes before her birth. "They had read the signs, they said: a sea of horses, a conference of birds, the North Star in alignment with the moon. It was a prophecy that their last king had given on his deathwatch." But joy is mixed with tragedy, for Eleonora's mother dies soon after the birth.
Raised by her doting father, Yakob, a carpet merchant, and her stern, resentful stepmother, Ruxandra, Eleonora spends her early years daydreaming and doing housework—until the moment she teaches herself to read, and her father recognizes that she is an extraordinarily gifted child, a prodigy."
OVERVIEW/ANALYSIS: The Oracle of Stamboul is a magical novel, short but fulfilling. Somewhere at the border between historical fiction and the fantastic, not straying away from the possible but hinting at the supernatural, the book has as main protagonist Eleonora, a girl whose birth in unsettled and ultimately tragic circumstances is heralded by portents.Growing up in Constanta on the Black Sea - the ancient Tomis of Ovid and a city I spent many summers on its beaches, though here we see it in the twilight of the Ottoman era and the beginning of the Romanian one in the 1870-1880's - and in a world of prejudice against women and minorities - her family is a Jewish merchant one - Eleonora is grudgingly allowed to develop her stunning intellectual gifts by doting father Yakob Cohen against the wishes of her aunt/stepmother Ruxandra who pushes her into "women stuff" - eg housework of all kinds from as early an age as possible.
There are strict conditions that Eleonora cannot show or tell anyone what she learns since already a flock of rare birds has taken residence around her house and sometimes the birds are following her when she goes out and as Ruxandra knows too well, when you are Jewish and reasonably prosperous, it is not good to attract too much attention. As it's obvious, soon Eleonora will make a naive misstep when shopping with her aunt and the ignorant shop boy miscounts the change, so from then on she is restricted to one book per month.
In very poignant scenes we follow the 8 year old as she must a make a choice as what book she will get to treasure in the next month, until by chance she discovers an old favorite novel of her mother, a 7 volume series called The Hourglass which will open her eyes to the wider world and give her a taste for adventure. So when her father goes to expand his business to Stamboul, it is natural for Ellie to follow what she has learned in her treasured books and sneak in a trunk with all planned as how she will endure the week long sailing trip.
And so Eleonora's adventure begins and in the Ottoman capital we meet an assorted cast of characters that will interact with her in both usual and unusual ways of which the most notable are Yoncef Bey a Turkish official and intellectual with a reputation for subversive liberal thought, Rev. Prof. Muehler who is rector of the American college there and moonlights as a spy for both the Grand Vizier and the US government and of course Abdulhamid himself, the (last true) Sultan of the empire...
As structure, The Oracle of Stamboul mostly follows Ellie's POV but alternates it with the Sultan's one and occasionally with some of the other adults that come into Eleonora's magical circle. There are no other children in the book and in many ways her world is the world of a "real world" child - doing what the adults ask while creating her own separate universe - though the mundane and the fantastic intertwine around her.
The main strength of the book is the superb style of the author - poetic and evocative, but also making one turning the page until the "too soon, I want more" fitting end. From this point of view the book sits comfortably in the tradition of tales of yore without any modern anachronisms regarding the way the world was in the late 19th century. The atmosphere is also wonderfully evocative and I felt the author really understood the flavor of the places where he has his action happening.
The Oracle of Stamboul (A+) also belongs to the category of books that feature children as main protagonists but are not really addressed to them for the reasons expounded above - basically the children live in an adult world and follow adult rules, rather than being the motive power of action, eg saving the day, world, situation, by themselves - the awesome The Children's Book by AS Byatt or the excellent but darker The Good Thief by Hannah Tinti are similar narrative space novels I have reviewed here - and as such it is a book for all ages, but one that I predict will be enjoyed more by lovers of beautifully written "magical" tales than anyone else.
I would like to note that The Oracle of Stamboul is Michael David Lukas' debut though it reads like the work of a quite experienced writer...

Monday, February 21st:
1.00pm: Book Signing
Waterstone’s Birmingham High Street
24-26 High Street
Birmingham
B4 7SL
6.30pm: Talk, Q&A and Signing
Waterstone’s Manchester Deansgate
91 Deansgate
Manchester
M3 2BW
0161 837 3000
Tickets £3 Redeemable against the book on the night
Tuesday, February 22nd:
1.00pm: Book Signing
Waterstone’s Derby
78-80 St Peter's Street
Derby
DE1 1SR
01332 296997
7.00pm: Talk, Q&A and Signing
Waterstone’s Leeds
93-97 Albion Street
Leeds
LS1 5JS
0113 244 4588
Tickets £3 Redeemable against the book on the night
Wednesday, February 23rd:
1.00pm: Book Signing
Waterstone’s Nottingham
1/5 Bridlesmith Gate
Nottingham
NG1 2GR
0115 948 4499
6.30pm: Talk, Q&A and Signing
Waterstone’s York
28-29 High Ousegate
York
YO1 8RX
01904 628740
Tickets £2
Thursday, February 24th:
12.30pm: Book Signing
Waterstone’s Edinburgh West End
128 Princes Street
Edinburgh
EH2 4AD
0131 554 7732
6.30pm: Talk, Q&A and Signing
Waterstone’s Glasgow
153 – 157 Sauchiehall Street
Glasgow
G2 3EW
0141 332 9105
Tickets £3 Redeemable against the book on the night
Friday, February 25th:
7.00pm: Talk, Q&A and Signing
Waterstone’s Milton Keynes
72 Midsummer Place
Milton Keynes
Bucks
MK9 3GA
01908 395384
Tickets £3
Saturday, February 26th:
12.30pm: Book Signing
Forbidden Planet
179 Shaftesbury Avenue
London
WC2H 8JR
020 7803 1890
Monday, February 28th:
6.30pm: Talk, Q&A and Signing
Waterstone’s Truro
11, Boscawen Street
Truro
Cornwall
TR1 2QU
01872 225765
Tickets £3 Redeemable against the book on the night
“The Crippled God” will be published in North America on March 1, 2011 via Tor.
“The Desert of Souls” by Howard Andrew Jones (Reviewed by Robert Thompson)

Order “The Desert of Souls” HERE
Read An Excerpt HERE
AUTHOR INFORMATION: With eight collections edited for the University of Nebraska Press, Howard Andrew Jones is the acknowledged expert on historical fiction writer Harold Lamb. He has also written a number of short stories featuring Dabir and Asim which have appeared in a variety of publications over the last ten years, including Black Gate magazine, where he currently serves as the Managing Editor. The Desert of Souls is his debut novel, with Pathfinder Tales: Plague of Shadows to follow soon after via Paizo Publishing.
PLOT SUMMARY: In 8th century Baghdad, a stranger pleads with the vizier to safeguard the door pull he carries, but is murdered before he can explain. Charged with solving the puzzle, the scholar Dabir soon realizes that the door pull may unlock secrets hidden within the lost city of Ubar, the Atlantis of the sands. When the door pull is stolen, Dabir and Captain Asim are sent after it, and into a life and death chase through the ancient Middle East.
Stopping the thieves—a cunning Greek spy and a Magian who commands fire—requires a desperate journey into the desert, but first Dabir and Asim must find the lost ruins of Ubar and contend with a mythic, sorcerous being known as the Keeper of Secrets. Yet the greatest challenges that Dabir and Asim may have to overcome is choosing where their loyalties lie, resisting a forbidden love, and following the path that fate has written...
FORMAT/INFO: The Desert of Souls is 320 pages long divided over twenty numbered chapters. Narration is in the first person, exclusively via Asim el Abbas, the captain of Jaffar’s guard. The Desert of Souls is self-contained, but promises future adventures starring Captain Asim and the scholar Dabir. February 15, 2011 marks the North American Hardcover publication of The Desert of Souls via Thomas Dunne.
ANALYSIS: What immediately attracted me to Howard Andrew Jones’ The Desert of Souls was the following description: “A thrilling, inventive cross between One Thousand and One Nights and Sherlock Holmes.” Throw in comparisons to Robert E. Howard and a blurb by one of my favorite authors in Glen Cook, and I was completely sold.
For the most part, the publisher and author blurbs had it right. The Desert of Souls is like an old-school Robert E. Howard sword & sorcery tale set against an Arabian Nights backdrop, complete with rousing swashbuckling adventure and dire magic. The Sherlock Holmes comparison is a bit misleading because of the novel’s lack of mystery, but Dabir’s cleverness and gifted intellect possessed more than a passing resemblance to the famous detective, while the relationship between Dabir and Captain Asim is not unlike that of the friendship between Holmes and Watson.
Story-wise, The Desert of Souls is not going to win any awards for originality. Between a fortune teller, bandits, rescuing the kidnapped Sabirah, searching for treasure in a fabled city, the young woman who wishes to marry for love instead of political advantages, the villain seeking revenge, overcoming impossible odds and many other familiar ideas, The Desert of Souls is rife with tried-and-true fantasy conventions. Fortunately, it’s not the content that matters so much as the stylish manner in which Howard Andrew Jones tells the story, which includes energetic pacing, Asim’s engaging narrative voice, well-timed surprises, and a balanced blend of breathtaking action, witty humor and thoughtful insight.
The magic in The Desert of Souls is also lacking in the creative department with djinn, a city of ghosts, an ancient feathered serpent, and sorcerers who can control fire or command the dead the most obvious examples—the Keeper of Secrets and its project is the main exception. Just like the story though, Howard Andrew Jones overcomes this shortcoming with his writing, specifically the exciting flair in which magic is woven into the novel.
Honestly, I was surprised by how polished The Desert of Souls turned out to be, especially for a debut novel. Of course, after finishing the book, I learned that Howard Andrew Jones has been writing short fiction for several years now, and that The Desert of Souls is hardly the first time he has written about Dabir and Captain Asim. In fact, the author even incorporates one of his older short stories, “Whispers from the Stone”, into the novel. With this knowledge, it’s easy to see why The Desert of Souls was such a well-written novel. It also explain the author’s familiarity with Dabir and Captain Asim, which is evident by their undeniable likability, the convincing friendship the two develop, and the way they carry the novel. Negatively, the supporting characters (Jaffar, Sabirah, Hamil the Poet, Firouz, etc.) are one-dimensional, parts of the story could have benefited from tighter execution, and I wish greater detail had been used to explain some of Dabir’s actions and reasonings over the course of the novel. For the most part though, The Desert of Souls is the result of an author who knows what he’s doing.
CONCLUSION: Howard Andrew Jones’ debut novel may utilize a number of recognizable ideas from the likes of Robert E. Howard, One Thousand and One Nights, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes, but blended together, The Desert of Souls offers a fantasy experience that is fresh, fun and absolutely riveting. Best of all, The Desert of Souls is only the beginning of Dabir and Captain Asim’s remarkable adventures together, and I can only hope that there will be many more adventures yet to come...
"Magic Bleeds" and "A Questionable Client" by Ilona Andrews (Reviewed by Mihir Wanchoo)
Official Ilona Andrews WebsiteOrder Magic Bleeds HERE
Order Dark and Stormy Knights (anthology containing A Questionable Client) HERE
Read an Excerpt from the Novel
Read FBC Review of Magic Bites and Magic Burns
BOOK BLURB: Atlanta would be a nice place to live, if it weren’t for the magic. When the magic is up, rogue mages cast their spells and monsters appear, while guns refuse to fire and cars fail to start. But then technology returns, and the magic recedes as unpredictably as it rose.
Kate Daniels works for the Order of the Knights of Merciful Aid, officially as a liaison with the mercenary guild. Unofficially, she cleans up the paranormal problems no one else wants to handle—especially if they involve Atlanta’s shapeshifting community. When she’s called in to investigate a fight at the Steel Horse, a bar midway between the territories of the shapeshifters and the necromancers, Kate quickly discovers there’s a new player in town. One who’s been around for thousands of years—and rode to war at the side of Kate’s father.
This foe may be too much even for Kate and Curran, the Lord of the Beasts, to handle. Because this time, Kate will be taking on family…
FORMAT/INFO: Page count is 349 pages divided over twenty-seven chapters with a prologue & an epilogue. For all the books narration is in the first person and features Kate Daniels as the sole voice. Again "Magic Bleeds" has a self-contained plot however this is the 4th book in the series and by now majority of the series plot arc has set in. Readers who jump in with this book could understand it however it wouldn’t be advisable as there will be many situations and characters that are mentioned from the previous books.
May 25, 2010 marked the North American paperback publication of "Magic Bleeds" via Ace Books.
ANALYSIS: In “Magic Bleeds” we see the fall out of the climax of “Magic Strikes”, while Kate has been recuperating from her ordeal at the Midnight Games, she also happened to lose a certain bet which has dastardly consequences for her in terms of Curran's plans. Though Curran has given her a time and date for the event to occur, secretly it seems Kate is looking forward to the same event as well. However due to certain events occurring with the Pack, a huge misunderstanding is created, leaving our favorite couple jumping back to their earlier status quo.
Nearly eleven weeks have passed since the events of Midnight games & Kate is called to investigate a weird breakout fight in a bar which shares boundaries with the People & the Pack. At the bar Kate finds out that there was a person/ group who caused the fight by their presence however no one can remember anything about him besides his cape. What’s more there’s supposedly a monster trapped in the cellar that turns out to be a big surprise for everyone and launches a very funny sub-plot within the tale. The main turn of events leads Kate to check for mythological origins of a disease spreading entity which she does narrow down and therein begins the plot for this book.
Also around the same time, this entity keeps on hitting other spots as well, thereby escalating the tension felt through Atlanta & shapeshifters seem to be mortally terrified around the entity’s presence. Another sub plot sees the return of Saiman who wishes to get one up on Curran for his (alleged) humiliation in the previous volume however he fails to reason with Curran’s wild love for Kate & the situation he puts both of them in. Kate also has her own ax to grind with Curran over their date fiasco and this causes a terrific confrontation. With these various subplots ongoing, Ilona Andrews really ratchet up the tension as the series arc is finally coming into play. We see a person from Kate’s mysterious past & that person doesn’t seem to have any fondness for reunions & this means even bigger trouble for Kate.
This is another standout book from the authors as after last year’s volume which was so action packed and moved the series into a new way, we get another salvo in the similar direction and this one is even more forceful. The actions of this book will have far-fetched repercussions for both Kate & Curran, who at the end of the book go through a powerful change in status. Not only is Kate’s past laid bare to Curran, he also gets an inkling as to what he and the Pack might be up against. The climax of this book is its highlight as Kate has to fend off a variety of attacks on herself and her status and basically revert back to mercenary days while at the same time retaining her dignity.
Similar to Magic Strikes, the entire cast is featured nicely with the exception of Derek. [The authors noted this and so we’ll get to see more of him in Book 5]. Now with all the set pieces rolled up I can’t wait to see what Ilona & Andrew have in store for us in Magic Slays which will see the evolution of Kate & Curran’s relationship & also possibly the first appearance of Roland (Kate’s nemesis).

Last year also saw the release of the P.N. Elrod Anthology “Dark and Stormy Knights”, in which we got a prequel story “A Questionable Client” which introduces us to the event wherein Saiman and Kate got acquainted with each other. The short story is 45 pages long however readers need not despair, there’s enough action, humour and “Kate-Saiman banter” to satiate the fans of the series.
This story is set before the events of the first book “Magic bites” and we get to see Kate as she was a mercenary who’s doing the best to survive and hide from her blood past. She gets a job offer in which the pay is more than fabulous however the job seems too easy. It involves babysitting a client in his own home however there’s a slight catch, a couple of other mercs have had a go at it and were unsuccessful. Kate takes up on it and then proceeds to Atlanta’s sole surviving skyscraper which is magically enthused to make it a part of the magic waves. Herein she meets Saiman who is an awkward position to say the least and will not say why or who is attacking him.
Kate has her hands full when the apartment is attacked by mages of Russian Lore who seem to be hell bent on recovering a person. What they do not know is, that specific person was an impersonator and ultimately Saiman wanted his hands on a specific artifact to help him in his unholy quest to gather knowledge of the arcane sorts.
The story then veers off as Kate struggles to fight the mages and Saiman’s obfuscatory explanations. The ending is perhaps a bit anticlimactic however doesn’t detract from the entire reading experience. It also gives the main reason as to Saiman’s apparent fascination with Kate and why he gives her a discount to his services. All in all a very nice prequel addition to the ever expanding world of Kate Daniels and it only serves to heighten the anticipation for this year’s book “Magic Slays”.
TOP 10 novels 2010
1. The Folding Knife by K. J. Parker – This book was by far one of the best books I have read in many years, combining an alternate historical world with fantastical characters and political intrigue K. J. Parker has shot to the top of my reading lists. What made this book extra special; was the main character Basso and his struggles in the political arena. K. J. Parker combined her trademark style with fine characters and hence emerged this book which I believe can be made into an excellent TV series ala “Dexter”.
2. Changes by Jim Butcher – Jim Butcher is another constant topper amongst my reading lists and this year was no different however this book utterly changed the series equation and now proclaims a dark future for next year’s entry. The cliffhanger-ish ending also makes one want to get one’s hands on the arc of Ghost story as early as possible.
3. Edge by Jeffrey Deaver – While Jeffrey Deaver is another top favourite of mine, his last year’s book wasn’t upto his standards, this year however was a whole different story, JD returned to his standalone novels with EDGE which can be easily counted as one of his best. It is also one of the best thrillers ever written. A cat & mouse story between 2 adversaries and with Deaver’s trademark twists and multiple endings. This book was a complete winner from the current thriller maestro.
4. Magic Strikes by Ilona Andrews – Magic Strikes is the third book in the Kate Daniels series and is the first book wherein the actual potential of the series which was showcased by the earlier 2 books but never fully realized, was resoundingly seen. Part dark fantasy, part thriller and a whole gamut of other things. This was the book which made me a through and through fan of this wonderful pair.
5. Inside Out by Barry Eisler – Inside Out is the second book in the Ben Traven series and is a vast improvement than the first one. This book can be picked up as a standalone and even though the main protagonist is hardly likeable. The best part about this book is its storyline and the political subtext which is written by the author, Barry Eisler is an intelligent man and herein he showcases how to write a good thriller whilst also putting forward a specific viewpoint without it being disruptive to the storyline. A brilliant political thriller and has a unpredictable conclusion with pointers towards the next book which could see a reunion of his earlier beloved characters from the John Rain series.
6. The Desert Spear by Peter V. Brett – The Desert Spear was the highly anticipated sequel to PVB’s debut the Painted Man & while that book has become an alltime favourite of mine. TDS had a pretty difficult mountain to overcome its predecessor’s expectations. While it did succeed on most fronts, it also left a lingering taste of being a setup up in terms of events for the 3rd book & hence climbs down a few notches from its veritable position in the top three.
7. The Silver Skull by Mark Chadbourn – The Silver Skull was Mark Chadbourn’s opening Salvo in the Will Swyfte Alternate Hist-Fantasy series. It was a much darker re-imagining of Victorian England and its battle with the Fey court who are as devious as legends foretell and deadlier than the human imagination. Bringing together a cast of characters and a quick paced plot MC fascinatingly showcases bits and pieces of history mingled with a fast paced storyline to give jaded readers a new series to follow and cheer for.
8. The Palace of Impossible dreams by Jennifer Fallon – The POID is the penultimate chapter in the Tide Lords saga & it is still a mystery to me as to how this exciting series is yet unheard of amongst many fantasy readers. Combining epic fantasy twists with political upheavals and also featuring a very varied cast of characters. Jennifer Fallon has written a most exhilarating storyline which still manages to surprise the reader at the climax of the 3rd book and now features a most world-deafening climax uniting all of the Tide lords.
9. Cold Magic by Kate Elliott – Cold Magic was a different kind of book for Kate Elliot, usually featuring a large cast of characters and a varied world. She chose to write in a more compact manner and utilized a first person POV to give an alternate world afflicted by ice and a tightly focused story. A vastly different read from her previous Crossroads trilogy, I look forward to the sequel Cold Steel which would reveal further about this character cast and world.
10. Procession of the Dead by D. B. Shan – POTD was a huge surprise for me, not having any idea about the book and the author’s style. Part noir thriller, part urban fantasy and wholly an interesting read. D.B. Shan’s take on a city filled with mystery and redemption was a exhilarating read and a fresh one as well, making its sequel a must read for me.
TOP 10 DEBUT NOVELS

1) A Devil in the details by K. A. Stewart - This book was the debut of the year for me, an urban fantasy focusing upon a samurai warrior fighting demons is not quite original however the way Kari Stewart dwelled into the mind of J.J. Dawson creating an atmosphere for the reader which was exciting as well as familiar. Kari Stewart drew inspiration from her idol Jim Butcher and managed to surprise a variety of UF readers and drawing strong comparison with other UF greats. A very erstwhile debut with the promise of more mayhem to come, this book is what truly shone in the field of UF.
2) Shadow’s Sun by Jon Sprunk - This book was another winner from Pyr who are fast becoming a stable for new fascinating authors. Jon Sprunk debuted with his tale of an assassin with a semblance of a conscience and a unique-ish partner. This tale was very fast paced and in spite of utilizing tropes it managed to give the readers a fresh feel. This book was my nomination for The David Gemmell Legend Award as I feel it best encapsulates DG’s book themes
3) The Spirit Thief by Rachel Aaron - The Spirit Thief was a left field entry for me, totally unexpected and a whole amount of fun to read as well. It introduced a world wherein every inanimate object has a soul. Eli Monpress is the main protagonist and along with his band of followers who are unique and face further unique problems of their own. A light caper fantasy book though its sequels managed to add the darkness within the world. This book was a fun read and heralded the debut of a good writer.
4) Buddha’s Thunderbolt by Jacob Asher Michael – Buddha’s Thunderbolt is quite possibly the most understated book of the year featuring a storyline combing the Arthurian mythology with Buddhism. Author J.A. Michael has to be venerated for taking this difficult journey and giving us a rather unique storyline which while being a take on a very popular subject manages to come across a vastly different story due to the addition of certain unique elements.
5) Magic bites by Ilona Andrews – This book was admittedly not the author duo’s best effort and they would be the first to admit it, however it did introduce the world of Atlanta and Kate Daniels to us readers. With a decent plotline and some remarkable characters Ilona Andrews have come up with a decent debut and as shown in the future books, the series has blossomed nicely as well
6) Raiders from the North by Alex Rutherford – Raider from the North was a historical fiction book tracing the rise of the Mughal empire in India. The husband-wife duo had clearly done their research as they showcased a world wherein Babur amassed his kingdom and founded an empire. Its usually very hard to hinge one’s plot on just a single character but turns out very well for RFTN as this book also made its sequel Brothers at War a must read!
7) Dante’s Journey by J. C. Marino – This book was a bit of an oddity again as it was based on Dante’s literary work and updated to today’s current standards, coupled with the author’s vibrant imagination made this into a book which was really hard to define but a very good one to read.
8) I am not a serial Killer by Dan Wells – IANASK was Dan Wells’s debut and it instantaneously drew comparisons to the Dexter series of novels by Jeff Lindsay and its corresponding TV series due to its subject matter. What was thoroughly refreshing about this book was while the book featured a serial killer as its protagonist, the author has given the protagonist an anchor for his activities & by including the supernatural in his world. Wells definitely upped his ante and gave us a character who while a killer by heart, definitely had us rooting for him.
9) The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin – The 100K kingdoms is a book which though appearing to be a simple fantasy book is much more. N.K. Jemisin nuanced writing makes this tale a worthy one and gives us a world wherein Gods rule and interfere directly in the lives of inhabitants. The writing was crisp and the setting was engaging as well. A debut which heralded talent as well as an author who would be entertaining readers with her books for a long time hopefully.
10) Mob Rules by Cameron Haley – Mob rules made it on this list solely on two facts namely its settings in an urban LA and secondly because of its Parker-lite protagonist. Cameron Haley has a fair distance to go but there’s definitely a spark shown in this series debut which will have me waiting for the sequel in May.
New Authors to look out for:
Every year I’m on the lookout for newer authors who match my reading interests. Last year’s I got introduced to wonderful books by Tim Marquitz and Peter V Brett .This year was a very good one as I found five more, so here they are in random order:
Ilona & Andrew Gordon- Their “Kate Daniels” is one the best UF series and whilst it has the traditional tropes in it, the best part about them is the witty writing and the full blooded characters and to top it off an apocalyptic world setting which acts as a fascinating character in itself due to its unpredictable nature as well.
Kari A. Stewart – Kari Stewart debuted with Jesse J. Dawson and presented the readers with something which felt fresh and beloved at the same time. Her UF take on samurai culture and a warrior fighting demons for human souls wasn’t truly original, but what was refreshing was her writing and the characters. The JJD series is another new series which I’ll be looking out for in the future and the sequels when released will be must-reads for me.
Dan Wells – Dan Wells surprised a lot of folks with his books and hopefully will be giving a fitting conclusion to the Cleaver series in this year’s “I Don’t Want to Kill You”. Superb characterization and an active imagination have made Dan a writer to look out for. Also keep an eye out for his next possible book called “Pain of Glass” and to learn more about it head over here and read the last Question.

Official Shadows of the Apt Website
Order "The Sea Watch" HERE or HERE (ebook)
Read FBC Review of "Empire in Black and Gold"
Read FBC Review of "Dragonfly Falling"
Read FBC Review of "Blood of the Mantis"
Read FBC Review of "Salute the Dark"
Read FBC Review of "The Scarab Path"
Read FBC Interview with Adrian Tchaikovsky
INTRODUCTION: There is no secret that in the past three years the Shadows of the Apt has become my favorite ongoing fantasy series for its combination of superb world building, great characters and extreme inventiveness. Salute the Dark ended quite emphatically the first part of the series dealing with the war between the Collegium and the Empire in Black and Gold, while The Scarab Path, a standalone withing the larger series context, has been my personal favorite to date and I rated it the best fantasy of 2010.
I strongly recommend to go and get those five books and read them before proceeding further here, though I will try to keep the spoilers to the minimum possible. Be warned that even the blurb of The Sea Watch consists of huge spoilers for the ending of the first part.
After reading The Scarab Path and the synopsis of The Sea Watch which had spoilers about the previous books, but little illumination about its content, I was quite intrigued to see where the author will take us next. And as the title hints The Sea Watch goes indeed to the sea, though in the authors' ingenious world building, a large part of it actually takes place in underwater landscapes and it reads like sense of wonder sf on say Mars of yore.
"A shadow is falling over Collegium. Despite the tenuous peace, Stenwold Maker knows that the Empire will return for his city. Even as he tries to prepare for the resurgence of the black and gold, a hidden threat is steadily working against his people. Ships that sail from Collegium's harbour are being attacked, sunk by pirates. Some just go missing ..."
OVERVIEW/ANALYSIS: After the superb The Scarab Path, Mr. Tchaikovsky switches characters, setting and gears in The Sea Watch. Starting essentially with the return of the Khanaphes mission and the election for the new speaker which Jordy Drillen, Stennwold ally is favored to win partly due to the success of that mission, partly due to Stenwold's backing, the novel switches soon into high gear when conspirators appear with unclear but ominous plans, while Stenwold finally is compelled to check allegations that someone is targeting Collegium's shipping which has expanded due to the war with the Empire and the corresponding reduction in the traditional land commerce.
The Sea Watch is all Stenwold and Teornis with supporting action from a lot of new characters, most notably fly-kinden Laszlo, a young factor from a pirate crew who wants to move legit and whose boss Tomasso agrees to help Stenwold find out who is attacking Collegium ships, while from the under-the-sea kinden, mercenary Wys and Paladrya whom we first see in the prologue set some years earlier are the most important, though we meet a large cast of unforgettable characters.
And of course the usual Collegium cast like Jordy Drillen, Arianna, the wasp ambassadors and their minions, Marius and Acius, the Vekken returned from Khanaphes and some of their Kes rivals, as well as a few other known characters which I do not want to spoil also appear, though Tynissa is still missing, Stenwold is fuming when he gets Che's letter and the news about her new companion, while Teornis returns to prominence as wheeler and dealer and favorite adoptive son of the Collegium...
The second important aspect of the Sea Watch is the large expansion of its universe. Among many goodies, I will mention: kinden bonding with and traveling in animals like sea-horses and huge jellyfish or riding octopuses and crabs; seagods, prophecies, dart-cavalry, but also Aptness, submersibles, engines in a no-fire world based on springs and siphons, accretion of materials and more; there are also mysterious kinden like the builders and the savage echinoi, while more familiar ones like the spider analogue, the krakind, and their servants/followers, and the huge crab-like warriors that grace the cover, the onychoi, and their followers, appear too.
The tone of the novel is back to the expansive non-stop action of the first four volumes, as opposed to the more intimate Scarab Path. While there are some superb personal scenes including a restatement of one of the best and most chilling moments in Salute the Dark, The Sea Watch is first and foremost action oriented, taking the reader on a page-turning ride to its superb finale...
The Sea Watch has a clear beginning and ending - ending that is another for the ages - though despite its completeness, I felt quite sad when it ended since I really wanted more; August and volume 7 "Heirs of the Blade" cannot come soon enough, though to be honest I have no real idea how the author's hint of another partial tie-up as in Salute the Dark will happen since for now I see no clear main direction away from the regular power play of the series universe - Collegium vs Wasps vs Spiders...
I had the highest expectations for The Sea Watch (A++) and it delivered everything I came to expect from the series and consolidating its front-runner status in my fantasy reading. To end this review here is one of the best lines of the book that makes one want Heirs of the Blade asap...
‘There will come a tomorrow, ...., when we shall speak again. Remember that."

Order "Home Fires" HERE
Gene Wolfe at Wikipedia
Read FBC Review of The Sorcerer's House
INTRODUCTION: After last year's super fun The Sorcerer's House, I was very excited about the announcement for Home Fires, though the blurb below made me a bit unsure if we will get an entertaining mind-bender like last year or a mess like An Evil Guest which I found unreadable.
"Gene Wolfe takes us to a future North America at once familiar and utterly strange. A young man and woman, Skip and Chelle, fall in love in college and marry, but she is enlisted in the military, there is a war on, and she must serve her tour of duty before they can settle down. But the military is fighting a war with aliens in distant solar systems, and her months in the service will be years in relative time on Earth. Chelle returns to recuperate from severe injuries, after months of service, still a young woman but not necessarily the same person—while Skip is in his forties and a wealthy businessman, but eager for her return. Still in love (somewhat to his surprise and delight), they go on a Caribbean cruise to resume their marriage. Their vacation rapidly becomes a complex series of challenges, not the least of which are spies, aliens, and battles with pirates who capture the ship for ransom. There is no writer in SF like Gene Wolfe and no SF novel like Home Fires."
For anyone interested in collecting books, UK boutique PS Publishing has come up with some awesome-looking editions of both The Sorcerer's House and Home Fires and I have to include their cover of Home Fires here since it is much more suggestive than the bland US cover released for the general market, while in the US, Subterranean is also selling the PS editions in limited quantities.

OVERVIEW/ANALYSIS: "Home Fires" turned out to be a very entertaining mind-bender from Gene Wolfe that ultimately made full sense, though for a long while it kept me guessing while adding new twists every page.
The world building while scant in some ways, is sketched perfectly for the needs of the book since we get all the little details we need about this future Earth split into several not-so-friendly blocks - NAU, EU, Greater Eastasia, Third World - which faces a war in space with the mysterious Os over habitable planets with no real inkling about the technology involved. A familiar but also strange future in which the author drops his little bombshells - sometimes in a literal sense too - quite often.
The structure of the novel is also interesting - and not dissimilar with The Sorcerer's House except that here there is more conventional 3rd person action plus first person interludes rather than letters. The main storyline of the book is followed by interludes narrated - except once - by the main hero, Skip Grisom, a 49 year old managing partner of a succesful law firm who keeps telling us he wants only one thing - that his "contracta" - civil law wife - master-gunner Chelle Blue coming back a bit earlier from space due to injuries - earlier being relative as 20+ years have passed on Earth, while only several for her - stays with him, age difference and all.
So he has a plan to woo her including "resurrecting" her deceased mother Vanessa - whom actually Chelle has "divorced" before enlisting but to whom she turns when back on Earth as a familiar presence since after all Vanessa now still looks near the 40's she was when Chelle left Earth, while Skip at 49 is not instantly recognizable to his chagrin. The "wooing over" includes taking Chelle on a cruise, while dumping Susan, his secretary and longtime lover, in the process too, though of course things start going wrong soon, but Skip is nothing but inventive.
One of the narrative devices that confounded me in the beginning was that the introspective interludes in which we learn a lot about this future world and about Skip, are followed by forward jumps in the main action that pass over quite important happenings that are then mentioned. So, at least to start with, I was like: "Oh, this happened? When and how could I miss it?", only to realize that actually what we get now is everything we will know. So lots of space for misdirection, clues and disorientation, but done so well that the pages turn by themselves.
There is quite a lot of action with occasional unforgettable moments are just. The main draw of the novel is Skip Grissom who is one of the most compelling and unusual for the sff genre characterized by "young guns and old mentors" - sfnal characters in recent memory, with Vanessa also stealing the show in all her appearances. Chelle remains mostly an enigma though we get to see a little of her "true self" at some point.
Adding to the above we have a remarkable secondary cast, including the aforementioned Susan, the handless beggar Achille - a refugee from Sharia law EU with hands cut for stealing - who attaches himself to Skip, various other returning comrades of Chelle, cruise ship officers, hijackers, Skip's junior partner Mick and more...
Home Fires has also a great ending - which in many ways it was the only one reasonable to boot - and you want to parse it carefully when reading it the first time, followed by an immediate reread to see what you missed earlier. The title has also an interesting connotation, being explicitly linked to the situation of Skip (remained on Earth to "keep the home fires" going) and Chelle (went to fight in space to preserve humanity at great costs for her and her loved ones - and here there is this nice touch too, of the reversal of the usual sex roles), but also to the quite unsettled situation on Earth that is glimpsed in the action of the novel and the reminiscences of Skip.
All in all, Home Fires (A+/A++) is another winner for Gene Wolfe and mind-bending sf-without-gadgets/superscience at its best.





