Monday, May 14, 2012

Book Haul - George III, Knaak, Durham, & Kenyon


Star Trek: Typhon Pact: Plagues of Night [paper, Kindle] by David R. George III - I don't know what to say except that I should really read a Star Trek book already. I think the count's at 9 that I own give or take a few.
In the wake of the final Borg invasion, which destroyed entire worlds, cost the lives of sixty-three billion people, and struck a crippling blow to Starfleet, six nations adversarial to the United Federation of Planets–—the Romulan Star Empire, the Breen Confederacy, the Tholian Assembly, the Gorn Hegemony, the Tzenkethi Coalition, and the Holy Order of the Kinshaya–joined ranks to form the Typhon Pact.

For almost three years, the Federation and the Klingon Empire, allied under the Khitomer Accords, have contended with the nascent coalition on a predominantly cold-war footing. But as Starfleet rebuilds itself, factions within the Typhon Pact grow restive, concerned about their own inability to develop a quantum slipstream drive to match that of the Federation. Will leaders such as UFP President Bacco and RSE Praetor Kamemor bring about a lasting peace across the Alpha and Beta Quadrants, or will the cold war between the two alliances deepen, and perhaps even lead to an all-out shooting war?

World of Warcraft: Wolfheart [paper, Kindle] by Richard A. Knaak - I received the hardcover last year and now the mmpb. This is another world I'd love to read. I only have limited knowledge of the game, but I have friends who absolutely love it.
"New York Times"-bestselling author Knaak continues the thrilling story begun in the record-breaking MMO game expansion World of Warcraft: Cataclysm...
In the wake of the Cataclysm, conflict has engulfed every corner of Azeroth. Hungering for more resources amid the turmoil, the Horde has pressed into Ashenvale to feed its burgeoning war machine. There, acting warchief Garrosh Hellscream has employed a brutal new tactic to conquer the region and crush its night elf defenders, a move that will cripple the Alliance’s power throughout Azeroth. Unaware of the disaster brewing in Ashenvale, the night elves’ legendary leaders, High Priestess Tyrande Whisperwind and Archdruid Malfurion Stormrage, conduct a summit near Darnassus in order to vote the proud worgen of Gilneas into the Alliance. However, resentment of Gilneas and its ruler, Genn Greymane, runs deep in Stormwind’s King Varian Wrynn. His refusal to forgive Genn for closing his nation off from the rest of the world years ago endangers more than just the summit: it threatens to unravel the Alliance itself. Varian’s animosity is only one of many unsettling developments in Darnassus. An uneasiness creeps over the once-immortal night elves as the first of them fall victim to the infirmities of age. While they cope with their mortality, tensions flare over the reintroduction of the Highborne, formerly the highest caste of night elf nobility, into their society. Many night elves are unable to pardon the Highborne for the destruction unleashed millennia ago by their reckless use of magic. When a murdered Highborne is discovered on the outskirts of Darnassus, Malfurion and Tyrande move to stop further bloodshed and unrest by appointing one of the night elves’ most cunning and skilled agents to find the killer: the renowned warden Maiev Shadowsong. Yet with all that is transpiring in Darnassus, the Alliance might be powerless to stop the relentless new warchief Garrosh from seizing the whole of Ashenvale.

Acacia (The War with the Mein, book 1) [paper, Kindle] by David Anthony Durham - I made a comment on Neth Space's post about this series and was shortly thereafter contacted by the author. Neth convinced me I should give these books a try and David made sure I'll be reading it shortly. I'm highly looking forward to it.
An assassin sent from the frozen North on a mortal mission. A mighty empire under siege by its oldest enemy. Four royal children in exile or captivity, bent on avenging their father’s death. Prepare yourself to be astonished and transported by Acacia.

Leodan Akaran, ruler of the Known World, has inherited generations of apparent peace and prosperity, won ages ago by his ancestors. A widower of high intelligence, he presides over an empire called Acacia, after the idyllic island from which he rules. He dotes on his four children and hides from them the dark realities of traffic in drugs and human lives on which their prosperity depends. He hopes that he might change this, but powerful forces stand in his way. And then a deadly assassin sent from a race called the Mein, exiled long ago to an ice-locked stronghold in the frozen north, strikes at Leodan in the heart of Acacia while the Mein unleash surprise attacks across the empire. On his deathbed, Leodan puts into play a plan to allow his children to escape, each to his or her separate destiny. And so his children begin a quest to avenge their father's death and restore the Acacian empire—this time on the basis of universal freedom.

Acacia is a thrilling work of the imagination that creates an all-enveloping and mythic world that will carry readers away. It is a timeless tale of heroism and betrayal, of treachery and revenge, of primal wrongs and ultimate redemption. David Anthony Durham has reimagined the epic narrative for our time in a book that will surely mark his break-through to a wide audience.

The Other Lands (The War with the Mein, book 2) [paper, Kindle] by David Anthony Durham
The thrilling new installment in the ambitious Acacia trilogy, praised by the Washington Post as "gripping and sophisticated."

A few years have passed since the conquering of the Mein, and Queen Corinn is firmly in control of the Known World--perhaps too firmly. With plans to expand her empire, she sends her brother, Daniel, on an exploratory mission to the Other Lands. There Daniel discovers a lush, exotic mainland ruled by an alliance of tribes that poses a grave danger to the stability of the Known World. Is Queen Corinn strong enough to face this new challenge? Readers of this bold, imaginative sequel will not be disappointed in the answer.

The Sacred Band (The War with the Mein, book 3) [paper, Kindle] by David Anthony Durham
With the first two books in the Acacia Trilogy, Acacia and The Other Lands, David Anthony Durham has created a vast and engrossing canvas of a world in turmoil, where the surviving children of a royal dynasty are on a quest to realize their fates—and perhaps right ancient wrongs once and for all. As The Sacred Band begins, one of them, Queen Corinn, bestrides the world as a result of her mastery of spells found in the ancient Book of Elenet. Her younger brother, Dariel, has been sent on a perilous mis­sion to the Other Lands, while her sister, Mena, travels to the far north to confront an invasion of the feared race of the Auldek. Their separate trajectories will converge in a series of world-shaping, earth-shattering battles, all ren­dered with vividly imagined detail and in heroic scale.

David Anthony Durham concludes his tale of kingdoms in collision in an exciting fashion. His fictional world is at once realistic and fantastic, informed with an eloquent and dis­tinctively Shakespearean sensibility.

Diablo III: The Order [paper, Kindle] by Nate Kenyon - Yet another popular game tie-in novel and I have to admit I've only had good experiences with them. This looks really cool, I just hope I have time to fit it in.
Deckard Cain made his way across the floor, following the footprints to an alcove in the far wall. Rotted boards clung to supports, the last remains of an ancient library. This had been a ritual chamber, many centuries before, used to summon things from beyond the human world. A portal to the Burning Hells themselves, perhaps. The shelves were empty now. He saw a speck of yellow underneath a splinter of wood and bent to pick up a corner of parchment paper, curled and speckled with mildew. Something moved in the shadows to his right. He whirled, holding the light up. For a moment it appeared as if the shadows themselves were alive, bunching and swirling like ink in water. At the same time, a voice like the distant moan of wind drifted through the empty room and raised the hairs on the back of his neck. “Deckaaaaarrdddd Caiiinnnn . . .” Cain felt a strange doubling, a memory of a night many years before, when he was just a boy. A whispered voice calling to him, just like this. He backed away, fumbling in his rucksack with one hand, holding the lighted staff with the other against the darkness. Already he was doubting himself: had it just been the wind moving through the broken remains of the building above him, a trick his mind had played after so long in the sun? The voice came again, a sound like bones scraping together in the grave. “Your ghosts are many, old man, and they are active.” A grating of metal over rock seemed to come from everywhere at once. Once again a pool of black smoke thickened and then dissipated, only to reassemble somewhere else: a shape carrying a sword, the form of a man, but with eyes that glowed red with the fires of hell. Cain knew what this was, yanked from the depths of his own mind and used against him: the image of the Dark Wanderer himself, conjured up to weaken his resolve. The smoke-shape swirled and shifted, reforming into two indistinct human shapes, one taller and clearly female, one small and delicate. Shock raced through Cain’s limbs as an older, familiar memory fought to surface. He closed his eyes against the darkness as the yawning pit of despair opened within him, threatening to pull him in. You must not listen.  *** Deckard Cain is the last of the Horadrim, the sole surviving member of a mysterious and legendary order. Assembled by the archangel Tyrael, the Horadrim were charged with the sacred duty of seeking out and vanquishing the three Prime Evils: Diablo (the Lord of Terror), Mephisto (the Lord of Hatred), and Baal (the Lord of Destruction). But that was many years ago. As the decades passed, the Horadrim’s strength diminished, and they fell into obscurity. Now all of their collected history, tactics, and wisdom lie within the aged hands of one man. A man who is growing concerned. Dark whisperings have begun to fill the air, tales of ancient evil stirring, rumblings of a demonic invasion set to tear the land apart. Amid the mounting dread, Deckard Cain uncovers startling new information that could bring about the salvation—or ruin—of the mortal world: other remnants of the Horadrim still exist. He must unravel where they have been and why they are hiding from one of their own. As Cain searches for the lost members of his order, he is thrust into an alliance with an unlikely ally: Leah, an eight-year-old girl feared by many to carry a diabolical curse. What is her secret? How is it tied to the prophesied End of Days? And if there are other living Horadrim, will they be able to stand against oblivion? These are the questions Deckard Cain must answer . . . . . . before it is too late.

Monday, May 7, 2012

Book Haul - Bennett, Wells, King


(Sorry for the crappy photo)

Star Trek: Department of Temporal Investigations: Forgotten History [paper, Kindle] by Chistopher L. Bennett - Never heard of DTI before, looks like a crime procedural for Star Trek.

The agents of the Department of Temporal Investigations are assigned to look into an anomaly that has appeared deep in Federation territory. It’s difficult to get clear readings, but a mysterious inactive vessel lies at the heart of the anomaly, one outfitted with some sort of temporal drive disrupting space-time and subspace. To the agents’ shock, the ship bears a striking resemblance to a Constitution-class starship, and its warp signature matches that of the original Federation starship Enterprise NCC-1701—the ship of James T. Kirk, that infamous bogeyman of temporal investigators, whose record of violations is held up by DTI agents as a cautionary tale for Starfleet recklessness toward history. But the vessel’s hull markings identify it as Timeship Two, belonging to none other than the DTI itself. At first, Agents Lucsly and Dulmur assume the ship is from some other timeline . . . but its quantum signature confirms that it came from their own past, despite the fact that the DTI never possessed such a timeship. While the anomaly is closely monitored, Lucsly and Dulmur must search for answers in the history of Kirk’s Enterprise and its many encounters with time travel—a series of events with direct ties to the origins of the DTI itself. . .


The Hollow City [paper, Kindle] by Dan Wells - This will be released July 3, 2012 and if it weren't for The Wind Through the Keyhole, I'd be all over it. Finals and looming bar study aren't helping either.

Dan Wells won instant acclaim for his three-novel debut about the adventures of John Wayne Cleaver, a heroic young man who is a potential serial killer. All who read the trilogy were struck by the distinctive and believable voice Wells created for John.
Now he returns with another innovative thriller told in a very different, equally unique voice. A voice that comes to us from the  realm of madness.
Michael Shipman is paranoid schizophrenic; he suffers from hallucinations, delusions, and complex fantasies of persecution and horror. That’s bad enough. But what can he do if some of the monsters he sees turn out to be real?
Who can you trust if you can't even trust yourself? The Hollow City is a mesmerizing journey into madness, where the greatest enemy of all is your own mind.


The Wind Through the Keyhole (Dark Tower 4.5) [paper, Kindle] by Stephen King - I decided to read this before the rest of the series so I've been waiting eagerly for the last month since I finished Wizard and Glass.

Dear Constant Readers,

At some point, while worrying over the copyedited manuscript of the next book (11/22/63, out November 8th), I started thinking—and dreaming—about Mid-World again. The major story of Roland and his ka-tet was told, but I realized there was at least one hole in the narrative progression: what happened to Roland, Jake, Eddie, Susannah, and Oy between the time they leave the Emerald City (the end of Wizard and Glass) and the time we pick them up again, on the outskirts of Calla Bryn Sturgis (the beginning of Wolves of the Calla)?

There was a storm, I decided. One of sudden and vicious intensity. The kind to which billy-bumblers like Oy are particularly susceptible. Little by little, a story began to take shape. I saw a line of riders, one of them Roland’s old mate, Jamie DeCurry, emerging from clouds of alkali dust thrown by a high wind. I saw a severed head on a fencepost. I saw a swamp full of dangers and terrors. I saw just enough to want to see the rest. Long story short, I went back to visit an-tet with my friends for awhile. The result is a novel called The Wind Through the Keyhole. It’s finished, and I expect it will be published next year.

It won’t tell you much that’s new about Roland and his friends, but there’s a lot none of us knew about Mid-World, both past and present. The novel is shorter than DT 2-7, but quite a bit longer than the first volume—call this one DT-4.5. It’s not going to change anybody’s life, but God, I had fun.

-- Steve King

Thursday, May 3, 2012

A Memory of Light (WoT #14) Gets Covered

The new cover for A Memory of Light, the fourteenth and final volume of The Wheel of Time, has been released, from the amazing artist, Michael Whelan (also known for The Way of Kings cover among many others).



The full wrap-around:


I have to say I like it, it's definitely among the best of the WoT covers. Not that it's my favorite if Whelan's by any means, but while different from those by Darryl K. Sweet, it looks similar enough and I think Rand's aged/changed enough by this point in the series that this different-looking person actually works.

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

StampReview | Godslayer

This is an older review that I found out was posted and then un-posted for some reason. Hence the old comments. I thought I'd resurrect it. This just took me back a couple years.

What an amazing conclusion to a great series. I really don't know why I'm even writing a review, if you liked the first, you'll have to continue with this whether I say so or not. But definitely do so.

In some of the interviews I read of Jacqueline Carey on The Sundering series, she always mentions that it is a tragedy, so I don't feel too bad letting you know that she is correct. No matter how much I wanted it to be different, it was so. But, that only makes the amazingly well-crafted characters that much more endearing. Watch out for spoilers below if you haven't read the first volume.


Second and Final volume of The Sundering
mmpb - 404 pages

As we found out at the end of Banewreaker, the ruse failed and even the dragon, Calandor, died defending Beshtanag while Lilias, the sorceress, is imprisoned. The forces of Darkhaven head home and Haomane's allies rally the forces of the West and prepare for war. The prophecy is on its way to fulfillment and still Satoris, third-born of the Shapers, refuses to become what the forces of "good" believe him to be and kill Cerelinde to end the prophecy once and for all.

There is such a struggle when reading Godslayer. The juxtaposition of the two forces is shown beautifully as Satoris refuses to kill Cerelinde to prevent the prophecy while at the same time Haomane's allies refuse to kill Lilias to allow Aracus Altorus to use the Soumanie. Each side does everything they can to keep from stooping to the other's level. Again, things are grey throughout this book and wonderfully done.

Who should read this? Like Banewreaker, be ready for lyrical prose and a wonderfully realized world with amazing characters you can't help but love. Read this if you're ready to break the mold, yet don't want to stray too far. This is a great story you'll be sure to be thinking about for days after.

4/5 Stars for Godslayer
4/5 Stars for the cover art

CymLowell