Monday, February 15, 2021
Cover Spotlight Q&A: Shards Of Earth (The Final Architects #1) by Adrian Tchaikovsky (by Mihir Wanchoo)
3:00 AM | 
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The Reader |
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Official Author Website
Order Bear Head over HERE
Legacy of the Brightwash is scheduled to be released on February 18, 2021! Pre-order it here
Official Author Website
Order the book HERE
Read Caitlin’s review of City Of Lies
OFFICIAL AUTHOR INFORMATION: Sam Hawke
Order the book HERE
Read Caitlin’s review of City Of Lies
OFFICIAL AUTHOR INFORMATION: Sam Hawke
AUTHOR INFORMATION: Born in London in 1972, Shaun spent his formative years in the shadows of the dreaming spires of Oxford, before moving to Nottingham where he graduated with a degree in English and Media.
Shaun lives in Brighton, on the south coast of England, where he splits his time between fiction, geekdom, and garlic bread.
Find out more at shaunpaulstevens.com
Official Author Website
Order the book HERE
Order the book HERE
AUTHOR INFO: Rebecca Roanhorse is the New York Times bestselling author of Trail of Lightning, Storm of Locusts, Star Wars: Resistance Reborn, and Race to the Sun. She has won the Nebula, Hugo, and Locus Awards for her fiction, and was the recipient of the 2018 Astounding (formerly Campbell) Award for Best New Writer.
FORMAT: Published on October 13, 2020, by Simon&Schuster in USA & due on January 21, 2021 in UK (published by Solaris). Length - 464 pages (HC). Available in all formats. Cover art by John Picacio.
OVERVIEW:
Yeah, it was dark.
Black Sun focuses on the cost of vengeance, religious corruption, generational trauma, and politics. It features fascinating (and fun!) characters on their paths to change the balance of powers in their world.
Serapio, a young boy raised (and maimed) to become the vessel of the god Grandfather Crow, has one goal - to end the Sun Priest’s reign. To do so, he needs to get to the city of Tova before the solar eclipse. Almost impossible, unless you can count on someone with the right skills. Enter Xiala, a foul-mouthed and hedonistic Sea captain, and general badass. Only she (and her magic) can make the seafaring adventure possible.
Sun Priest Naranpa, the highest religious authority in the holy city of Tova, is a decent woman caught in political and religious machinations. Others judge her for her low birth and resent her drive to make priests more accessible to Tova’s people. Their stories, set on a collision course, reveal their layered and compelling personalities. Also, each POV character has a different perspective on the story’s events; highly appreciated, as it adds complexity to the world and characters’ fates.
Roanhorse digs into the worldbuilding right away. Ancient powers, god’s avatars, sentient crows, gigantic insects, mysterious powers don’t even begin to cover it. We get lots of detail and symbols that draw inspiration from the indigenous cultures of North and Central America. It felt fresh to me; while we observe a welcomed shift from pseudo-European settings, I haven’t read another epic fantasy inspired by the pre-Columbian culture and beliefs.
Even more impressive, however, are Roanhorse’s characters, who keep her tale from getting bogged down in details, no matter how fantastical. Each is an outsider. Serapio is an avatar of the god, but he’s also a young boy speaking to crows and playing with shadows. Raised as a vessel destined to revenge his people, he deals with trauma and a rather narrow outlook on life. I mean, he is a chosen figure, only he’s not here to save the world... Xiala is a Teek, and most people loathe Teeks and see their value mostly as body parts worth a decent price (paid in cocoa). She’s brash and impulsive, but the story reveals her more vulnerable side. Naranpa, despite her high rank in the religious structures of Tova, doesn’t belong there because of her poor background.
The ensemble of characters feels inclusive–we get queer, trans, and non-binary characters (Roanhorse uses neopronouns xe/xir/xirself to address them), as well as impaired or members of minorities. There’s no social stigma coming with gender-identity or sexual orientation.
I found the worldbuilding impressive, but Roanhorse takes her time to set the stage for the next books in the series. As a result, Black Sun ends on a lackluster cliffhanger and leaves many unresolved loose ends. Readers craving a satisfying closure won’t find it here. I found the characters’ interplay, magic, and the world engrossing and I have no problem with waiting for another fix.
M.L. Spencer is one of the hardest working indie authors whom
I know. Her newest book is an ode to classic epic fantasy and one that I’ve
enjoyed immensely. We were privileged to do the cover reveal for it and today
we have something even more exciting.
We at Fantasy Book Critic along with the author are ecstatic to be giving away one signed paperback edition of Dragon Mage!!!
To enter, please send an email to "fbcgiveaway@gmail.com" with your Name, Mailing Address, and the subject: Mage.
Giveaway will end on Friday (02/19/20) 12:01 PM and is open to participants WORLDWIDE! Thank you for entering and Good Luck!
GIVEAWAY RULES:
1) Open To Anyone WORLDWIDE
2) Only One Entry Per Household (Multiple Entries Will Be Disqualified)
3) Must Enter Valid Email Address, Mailing Address + Name
4) No Purchase Necessary
5) Giveaway will end on Friday (02/19/20) 12:01 PM
6) Winner Will Be Randomly Selected and Notified By Email
7) Personal Information Will Only Be Used In Mailing Out the Prizes To the Winner
Read Fantasy Book Critic's interview with Alexander Darwin
Read Q&A with Alexander
Order The Book of Dragons over HERE(USA) or HERE(UK)
AUTHOR INFORMATION: Jonathan Strahan is an award-winning editor, anthologist and book reviewer. He co-hosts the multiple-award nominated Coode Street Podcast.
FORMAT: The Book of Dragons is 576 pages long and it contains 29 short stories and poems. Published on June 7th, 2020 by Harper Voyager (a division of Simon & Schuster) it's available in all fortmats from most retailers.
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