Towers of Midnight Full Cover

Not that this means it's final, but here's what's out so far. From Twitter updates, Brandon Sanderson says he's still on schedule to get in by August, which is the latest he can get it in to meet the release date October 26, 2010.

(Audiobook) Review - Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith

Finished Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter on audiobook and review is up. Can't say I'll be going back to many monster mash-ups.

Towers of Midnight and Excuses

I have to apologize, but it's been a busy week this week. Finals are coming up and I'm finally done with my end of the semester Oral Argument, which was a lot of unnecessary stress.

Now the stress is gone in some ways and multiplied in others as I have a long way to go to get ready for finals. That's just a warning that I may be a little slow in posting over the next couple weeks.

In more important news and snatched from The Wertzone, The Towers of Midnight release is just around the corner (hopefully) and the cover art is soon to be released. Here's a teaser that's been floating around the interwebs already:


Book 13 in The Wheel of Time, Towers of Midnight should be the second to last in a great (long) series.

Review - The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

My review of The Hunger Games on audiobook is up at Only the Best. Liked it with reservations.

Die Post

One of the first things english-speakers notice when they go to a german-speaking country is that Germans (and Swiss and Austrians) really don't like their mail. In light of this, I thought it'd be funny to title this post "The Mail" in German.

It was a really great week this week, I received anywhere from 1 to 5 books each day. It was like Christmas...or I guess really more like Hanukkah. :)

For Review:

The Ninth Avatar by Todd Newton

When the slain march, prophecy will be fulfilled.

Thanks to the good folks at Trapdoor books. Todd is a regular at SFFWorld and I love the cover, so I pretty much had to give this a read. Thanks again.


The Mirrored Heavens [US] [UK] by David J. Williams

EdiFanoB from Edi's Book Lighthouse and I will be doing a combined review on this book some time in May, so be ready for that.

Goodreads:

In the 22nd century, the first wonder of a brave new world is the Phoenix Space Elevator, designed to give mankind greater access to the frontier beyond Earth. Cooperatively built by the United States and the Eurasian Coalition, the Elevator is also a grand symbol of superpower alliance following a second cold war. And it’s just been destroyed.

Preview

The Burning Skies [US] [UK]

This is the sequel to The Mirrored Heavens, which I'll be reviewing on my own. :)

The third and final installment, The Machinery of Light will be out in May. Thanks again David!



Bought:

Prophets [US] [UK] by S. Andrew Swann

I won Heretics (Apotheosis Book 2) a while back so I figured I'd better buy the first.






The Eyes of God [US] [UK] by John Marco

I've been a fan of John Marco sine I read his Tyrants and Kings series and I thought I'd better finally get to this series.





Bauchelain and Korbal Broach [US] [UK] by Steven Erikson

I'm a huge Erikson Fan, this is a collection of 3 novellas set in his Malazan Book of the Fallen world.





Winnings:

Horns [US] [UK] by Joe Hill

This has been getting rave reviews and although I'm not usually a horror fan, the reviews have converted me. Plus, I guess it doesn't hurt when you don't have to pay. :P





Avempartha [US] [UK] by Michael J. Sullivan

I loved The Crown Conspiracy (Book 1) and this is supposed to be even better. Thanks Jackie from Housewife Blues.






Black Hills [US] [UK] by Dan Simmons

This will be my first foray into Simmons' work and again I've heard nothing but good things. This comes from The Cajun Book Lady and Hachette.






Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter [US] [UK] by Seth Grahame-Smith

I'm a few CD's in and to be honest I'm not that impressed. It reminds me a lot of The Historian and I was not a fan.

Joe Hill's Horns Giveaway on Goodreads (30 copies)

There are 30 copies up for grabs at Goodreads right now. I recently won a copy from a similar giveaway, so I can vouch for it...plus now that I selfishly have my own copy I can let others know. :) (No, I just didn't think of it at the time) Chances are pretty good still too.

Do NOT visit this site!

...unless you have time to kill. It's addicting and hilarious.

Audiobook Review - The Warded Man by Peter V. Brett

Not only did it rise above the hype, but the hype looks like an ant from up here. This is traditional fantasy done extremely well and with its own unique elements. The Warded Man (The Painted Man in the UK) [US] [UK] is exactly the type of fantasy I love.

Goodreads summary:

As darkness falls each night, the corelings rise - demons who well up from the ground like hellish steam, taking on fearsome form and substance. Sand demons. Wood demons. Wind demons. Flame demons. And gigantic rock demons, the deadliest of all. They possess supernatural strength and powers and burn with a consuming hatred of humanity. For hundreds of years the demons have terrorized the night, slowly culling the human herd that shelters behind magical wards - symbols of power whose origins are lost in myth and mystery, and whose protection is terrifyingly fragile...

Sounds great so far right?

All of this in a world that's fully realized and well plotted; you're almost afraid to go out at night yourself. Each day I couldn't wait to put my headphones back on and get back into this world where wards are life, where becoming a good warder could save your life and making a mistake could get you killed.

We are introduced early on-ish to three main characters, Arlen, Leesha, and Rojer (hope I got that right - no spelling on the audio for some reason). They live in three separate and distinct places and Brett does a great job showing how each part of the world deals with the problem of the corelings. Some tend to ignore them until problems occur. The smaller hamlets are constantly being attacked. But, almost everyone is on the defense and almost no one fights back.

Arlen is sick of living in fear and his dream is to become a messenger, one who braves the night while traveling in between the cities and towns to deliver well, messages, along with trade goods. This dream is only spurred by Arlen's cowardly father who's always taught Arlen to run and hide.

I thought Brett did a great job using traditional epic fantasy elements to create his own unique world. Of course there's a prophecy and a boy from nowhere who goes through a huge change, but the end result is unexpected. I was also entranced with the magic of the wards, which was very unlike traditional magic in fantasy and made for some great action especially toward the end.

When Should You Read The Warded Man?

This is the perfect page turner (at least I assume - should I say track turner?). It's full of action and really sucks you into a wonderfully imagined world full of danger and hope. I loved every bit of it, so I can recommend it for anywhere at anytime...but especially if you're in the mood for that great traditional feeling.

5 out of 5 Stars (Yup, that just happened)

Interview with Peter V. Brett at SFF Chat

Review - A Betrayal in Winter by Daniel Abraham

Daniel Abraham continues his great story in The Long Price Quartet with A Betrayal in Winter, book 2. Check out my review at Only the Best Sci-Fi/Fantasy.

RHCP - Best Pump Up Song Ever

Adding to the Blogroll

Like my growing stack of books, my blogroll is getting a bit unruly, but not unmanageable. My good friend, Michael, who recently left Only the Best Sci-Fi/Fantasy has begun his own blog at Edi's Book Lighthouse. He's got a great schedule of posts and always brings his unique style to the table. Thanks for one more reason to put off doing work. :)

Review - Beyond the Shadows by Brent Weeks

My review of Beyond the Shadows by Brent Weeks is up over at Only the Best Sci-Fi/Fantasy. Great end to an awesome trilogy.

Review - The Gunslinger by Stephen King

My review of The Gunslinger by Stephen King is up over at Only the Best Sci-Fi/Fantasy. Love the cover and enjoyed the book. After giving up on The Stand, I never thought I'd enjoy anything by King.

Glad to be proven wrong.