Some Books in the Mail

I always like it when others do posts like this so here goes another attempt. I thought I'd also borrow The Speculative Scotsman's rating system for review priority.

Note: All blurbs from Goodreads unless otherwise specified.

Hawkwood and the Kings [US] [UK], Century of the Soldier [US] [UK] Omnibuses

by Paul Kearney

5 out of 5
(Loved The Ten Thousand)

In a land torn by religious war and chaos, rogue mariner Richard Hawkwood leads an expedition to find a lost continent where safe haven may be found. But before the explorers find sanctuary-they must first survive the journey.

The Elephant Tree

by RD Ronald [US] [UK]

4 out of 5
(Promising)

Reminiscent of Irvine Welsh's Trainspotting, this debut novel, The Elephant Tree challenges the reader's sense of morality with shocking plot twists and vivid characters.

Mark Fallon is an overworked detective investigating a spate of attacks at a string of high profile city center nightclubs. Scott is a dejected 24 year old struggling to make ends meet working for his brother and supplementing his income with a small-scale drug dealing operation. Angela is an attractive 23 year old, raised by her father, a career criminal and small time drug dealer who supplies Scott with cannabis.

This is a chilling tale spanning a few months in the lives of Scott and Angela, where realizations about the present combine with shocking revelations from the past leading to an apocalyptic climax where they no longer know whom they can trust.

Nyphron Rising [US] [UK], Emerald Storm [US] [UK], Wintertide [US] [UK]

by Michael J. Sullivan

5 out of 5
(Can't wait to continue this great series)

Books 3 through 5 of Riyria Revelations. Here's the blurb for book 1, Crown Conspiracy:

THEY KILLED THE KING. THEY PINNED IT ON TWO MEN. THEY CHOSE POORLY.
Royce Melborn, a skilled thief, and his mercenary partner, Hadrian Blackwater make a profitable living carrying out dangerous assignments for conspiring nobles until they become the unwitting scapegoats to the murder of the king. Sentenced to death, they have only one way out…and so begins this epic tale of treachery and adventure, sword fighting and magic, myth and legend.

Betrayer of Worlds

by Larry Niven and Edward M. Lerner [US] [UK]

3 out of 5
(Ringworld is supposed to be good, but therein lies the problem)

Since fleeing the supernova chain reaction at the galactic core, the cowardly Puppeteers of the Fleet of Worlds have just barely survived one crisis after another. The rebellion of their human slaves. The relentless questing of the species of Known Space. The spectacular rise of the starfish-like Gw’oth. The onslaught of the genocidal Pak.

Now fresh disaster looms, as though past crises have returned and converged. Who can possibly save the Fleet this time?

This is the first in a series which is the prequel to Larry Niven's Ringworld series.

Marysvale

by Jared Southwick [US] [UK]

4 out of 5
(Promising)

An action-packed story filled with monsters and tyrants, heroes and heroines.

John Casey was ten years old when his mother was murdered...and ten when his father hid the truth from him. Without that knowledge, he has no idea of the enemies that lie in wait.

Now grown up, John lives a solitary life, in a world enslaved by ignorance and superstition, when anyone unusual is treated with distrust and even killed...and John has some very unusual gifts. When he is accused of witchcraft, John does the ony thing he's ever done - Run! That is, until he meets Jane, who lives in the bleak, imprisoned town of Marysvale. Life outside the safety of the town walls means certain death from the brutal monsters that hunt there. However, life inside, under the rule of a tyrannical leader, means no life at all.

As the love between John and Jane grows, the dangers of Marysvale unfold; and for the first time in his life, John discovers that there is something worth dying for.