Well, okay the guide is not really all that small, though nifty is a great word for it. I did have a hard time reading all that fine print although it was much better once I blew it up on the site. It has a couple of great categories like “Where does Magic come from?” and “Is there good and evil?” for each of the universes created in many of the top fantasy books such as Harry Potter or George R.R. Martin’s latest.

One category that really made me think was where it asked if the existence of magic was kept secret from the non-magic world or not, which when you think about it can be a real dividing line between the kinds of worlds you can create in a top fantasy novel. It covers forty-nine different universes or best fantasy book series, depending on how you want to look at it. You can read more about the folks who did the research on it, and see the guide yourself by going to the blastr site and checking it out here.

Title: The Dream-Hunter
Author: Sherrilyn Kenyon
Release: October 3 2011
Pages: audio book
Genre:  Romantic Fantasy 

Arik is a predator. Condemned by the gods to live eternity without emotions, he can only feel when he’s in the dreams of others. He’s drifted through the human unconscious, and now he’s finally found a dreamer whose vivid mind can fill his emptiness.

Dr. Megeara Kafieri intends to prove once and for all that the fabled island of Atlantis is right where her father said it was. One day she finds a stranger floating in the sea with face she’s seen in her dreams. But Arik has made a pact with the god Hades: In exchange for two weeks as a mortal man, he must return to Olympus with Megeara’s soul.

With a secret society out to ruin her, and mysterious accidents threatening her life, Megeara refuses to quit. She getting closer to Atlantis and as she does, she stumbles onto the truth of what Arik really is. But no human can know of a Dream-Hunter’s existence and the only way to save himself will be to sacrifice the very thing he wanted to be human for. The only question is, will he?

Title: Bloodstone
Author: Nancy Holzner
Release: September 27 2011
Pages: Kindle Edition
Genre: Urban Fantasy

Bloodstone is another great addition to the Deadtown series. This time in Boston’s Back Bay district, it is known for high society, not lowlifes. So when mutilated human bodies begin turning up in the area, the entire city takes notice. And even though there’s no real evidence pointing to a paranormal culprit, the deaths are straining relations between human and inhuman residents.

As the reader is taken on a madcap trail after a serial killer like no other, the story take a series of twists and turns. Soon we are caught up in the carnage and mystery. As the bodies pile up, demon-hunter Vicky Vaughn investigates, only to find that the creature behind the carnage has an ancient feud and is after much more than just blood…

 Title: The Bible Repairman
Author: Tim Powers
Release: Oct. 31 2011
Pages: 200
Genre: Fantasy

Tim Powers happens to be one of my favorite authors, so when I saw this book listed to come out soon from Amazon, I just had to share it with you. For a taste, here is what his publisher’s have released to let you know what to expect.

The Bible Repairman is Tim Powers’s first new collection since Strange Itineraries appeared in 2005, and it is well worth the wait. In five stories and an ambitious historical novella, it offers one example after another of the author’s wit, ingenuity, and sheer imaginative reach.

The title story takes us into the life of a man with a most unusual profession, one that claims a little bit of his soul with every transaction. ‘Parallel Lives’ and ‘A Soul in a Bottle’ are thematically linked ghost stories in which the dead attempt, with varying degrees of success, to exert their influence upon the living. In ‘The Hour of Babel,’ an assortment of damaged people experience, once again, the inexplicable encounter that altered their lives more than thirty years before, while in ‘A Journey of Only Two Paces’ a simple legal procedure is transformed into a nightmarish Kabbalistic ritual.

But the real centerpiece of this resonant collection is the novella ‘A Time to Cast Away Stones,’ previously available only in a very limited–and very expensive–edition. Set in the semi-fictional universe first described in The Stress of Her Regard, this beautifully realized narrative centers upon Edward John Trelawny, a contemporary and compatriot of the poets Byron and Shelley, and the momentous decision that faces him. In classic Powers fashion, the story shows us an actual, if little known, historical event reclaimed and transformed by a powerful imagination. The result is a distinctive contribution to modern fantasy and a significant milestone in a unique, constantly evolving career.

But don’t take their word for it – or mine! Check this one out. I know I have mine on order already!

Dragon Soul
by Jaida Jones and Danielle Bennett

For readers of fantasy of manners and fans of Jones and Bennett’s first two novels, Havemercy and Shadow Magic, this thrilling tale set in the aftermath of war asks the question: Do mechanical dragons go to heaven? Beloved by Charlaine Harris, who raves: “I’ve read and re-read this series. I think it’s great.”

In the aftermath of the war between Volstov and Ke-Han, there is a wary truce between the two nations. Even more wary is the truce between two brothers—Rook, the impulsive and adventurous dragon-rider; and Thom the bookish, reserved tutor. But what they lack in compatability of personality, they make up for in communality of purpose: to find the missing pieces of Rook’s mechanical mount, the dragon Havemercy. For somewhere among the detritus of battle are the parts that make up Havemercy—including her soul. Once again following characters from the critically acclaimed Havemercy (Spectra, 6/08), Dragon Soul is a novel of adventure and magic, danger and hope.

Hounded: The Iron Druid Chronicles
by Kevin Hearne

The first in an original, back-to-back three-book series about Atticus O’Sullivan, last of the Druids—and the coolest, funniest, and most memorable urban fantasy hero since Jim Butcher’s Harry Dresden!

This hilarious and action-packed urban fantasy series is set in a modern world in which all the gods of every pantheon are real, as in Neil Gaiman’s American Gods; its hero is a smart-mouthed, buttkicking magician, like Jim Butcher’s Harry Dresden. But it’s told in a smart, witty, unforgettable voice that’s all Kevin Hearne—a debut author who’s about to become a major new talent in fantasy. The first novel in this addictive and wildly imaginative series introduces us to hero Atticus O’Sullivan: a handsome, tattooed Irishman who looks like a young rock star, but is in actuality a 2,000-year-old Druid with extraordinary magic powers. With a memorable cast of characters—including a seductive death goddess, a talking Irish wolfhound, a vampire lawyer, and a feisty bartender possessed by the soul of a Hindu witch, Hounded gets this new urban fantasy series off to a roaring start!

On Stranger Tides
by Tim Powers

A great new repackage of the historical fantasy that is the inspiration for the upcoming Johnny Depp movie, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

Aboard the Vociferous Carmichael, puppeteer John Chandagnac is sailing toward Jamaica to claim his stolen birthright from an unscrupulous uncle, when the vessel is captured…by pirates! Offered a choice by Captain Phil Davies to join their seafaring band or die, Chandagnac assumes the name John Shandy and a new life as a brigand. But more than swashbuckling sea battles and fabulous plunder await the novice buccaneer on the roiling Caribbean waters-for treachery and powerful vodun sorcery are coins of the realm in this dark new world. And for the love of beautiful, magically imperiled Beth Hurwood, Shandy will set sail on even stranger tides, following the savage, ghost-infested pirate king, Blackbeard, and a motley crew of the living and the dead to the cursed nightmare banks of the fabled Fountain of Youth.

Stonewielder: A Novel of the Malazan Empire
by Ian C. Esslemont

An epic tale in the New York Times bestselling Malazan world cocreated by Esslemont with Steven Erikson

Greymane believed he’d outrun his past. With his school for swordsmanship in Falar, he was looking forward to a quiet life, despite his colleague Kyle’s misgivings. However, it seems it is not so easy for an ex-Fist of the Malazan Empire to disappear, especially one under sentence of death.

There is a new Emperor on the throne of Malaz, and he is dwelling on the ignominy of the Empire’s failed invasion of Korel. From the vaults beneath Unta, the Imperial capital, rises the answers to that disaster: Stonewielder.

In Korel, Lord Protector Hiam, commander of the Stormguard, faces the potential annihilation of all that he holds dear. He confronts an ancient enemy: the sea-borne Stormriders have returned.

Religious war also threatens these lands. The cult of the Blessed Lady, which had stood firm against the Riders for millennia, now seeks to eradicate its rivals. And as chaos looms, a local magistrate investigating a series of murders suddenly finds himself at the heart of a far more ancient and terrifying crime–one that has tainted an entire land…

The Rogue
by Trudi Canavan

Discover the magic of Trudi Canavan with her brand new novel in the Traitor Spy Trilogy…

Living among the Sachakan rebels, Lorkin does his best to learn about their unique magic. But the Traitors are reluctant to trade their secrets for the Healing they so desperately want.

Meanwhile, Sonea searches for the rogue, knowing that Cery cannot avoid assassination forever. The rogue’s influence over the city’s underworld, however, is far greater than she feared.

And in the University, two female novices are about to remind the Guild that sometimes their greatest enemy is found within…

The Traitor Spy Trilogy, which began with The Ambassador’s Mission, is the new series set in the world of the international bestselling Black Magician Trilogy.

Magic Slays
by Ilona Andrews

New from the New York Times bestselling author of Magic Bleeds.
“Fans of urban fantasy will delight in Ilona Andrews’s alternate-universe Atlanta.”-Fresh Fiction

Kate Daniels has quit the Order of Merciful Aid, but starting her own business isn’t easy when the Order starts disparaging her good name. And being the mate of the Beast Lord doesn’t bring in the customers, either. So when Atlanta’s premier Master of the Dead asks for help with a vampire, Kate jumps at the chance. Unfortunately, this is one case where Kate should have looked before she leapt.

Number 1 New York Times bestselling author Patricia Briggs called it: “Splendid…an edgy, dark fantasy.”

“Kate is a great kick-ass heroine, a tough girl with a heart, and her adventures…are definitely worth checking out.” – Locus

Dragon Avenger: Book Two of the Age of Fire
by E.E. Knight

BOOK TWO IN THE BESTSELLING SERIES

The last of a dying breed, Wistala and her dragon siblings were born in the safety of a mountain cave. But when her home is attacked, she finds herself forced into independence—and cut off from her family. Now Wistala must overcome her grief and fear to find others of her kind, and bring her wrath to those who would destroy them.

Praise for the book:

“A gritty coming of age story.”—Publishers Weekly

“A kind of Watership Down with dragons.”—Black Gate

Praise for the series:

“Auspicious…a bloody, unsentimental fairy tale.”—PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

Night Mares in the Hamptons: A Willow Tate Novel
by Celia Jerome

Graphic novelist Willow Tate is a Visualizer, able to draw images of beings from the realm of Faerie, bringing them from their world to ours in the process. After a ten-foot-tall red troll follows her from Manhattan to Paumanok Harbor in the Hamptons, Willow realizes that many of her relatives and their neighbors possess psychic talents—truth-knowing, scrying, weaving wishes, picking lucky numbers, and more.

So when magic and mayhem return to Paumanok Harbor, and Willow is called upon to rescue the town, she enlists the local talent. Three magical mares are searching the Long Island village for a missing colt, and their distress is causing sleepless nights, bad tempers, and dangerous brawls among the gifted but peculiar residents.

Though the Department of Unexplained Events sends Willow a world-famous horse whisperer, Texan Ty Farraday seems more interested in whispering in her ear than in rescuing the kidnapped colt whose terror only Willy can feel. Even with help, she still has to struggle with snakes, drug dealers, tourists, hidden caves, a mad scientist—and the almost overwhelming distraction of that sexy cowboy…

The Council of Shadows: A Novel of the Shadowspawn
by S. M. Stirling

New from the New York Times bestselling author of A Taint in the Blood.

Adrian Brézé defied his own dark heritage as a near-purebred Shadowspawn for years, until his power-hungry sister Adrienne kidnapped his human lover Ellen.

Now, Adrienne is dead, and the Council of Shadows is gathering its strength. To stop the Council from launching an apocalypse, Adrian and Ellen must ally with the Brotherhood, a resistance group dedicated to breaking the Council’s hold on humankind…by any means necessary.

In the coming confrontation, Adrian must fight not only the members of the Council but also his own nature-and, as he will come to suspect, traitors within the Brotherhood itself…

“[Stirling] begins a new urban fantasy series featuring a variant version of werewolves, bringing to it an extraordinary eye for detail and a feel for characterizations.” – Library Journal

The Demon Left Behind
by Marie Jakober

A contemporary novel set in North America. Where the “demons”, a spirit life-form inhabiting an “otherworld,” co-exists with our own.

Not to be confused with devil-demons, these invisible demons interact with humans simply to keep an eye on earthly matters (after all they live here too)! As the world’s current global crisis develops, the demons send out a special research team to embody themselves as humans to study the “situation”.

At the end of the mission, the demon team discovers that one their own had failed to return and so they must go back to the world of the “visies” (their term for humanity) to try to find him.

Along the way they must deal with a pair of inept bank robbers, a stand-up comic with a knack for getting into trouble, and a private militia gearing up for the end of the world.

The Inheritance: And Other Stories
by Robin Hobb and Megan Lindholm

Long before she became an acclaimed New York Times bestselling author, Robin Hobb began her writing career to great acclaim under the name Megan Lindholm. Though they derive from the same imagination, Hobb and Lindholm are separate, diverse identities. “They may use the same battered keyboard, the one with the letters worn off the buttons. But they are not the same author, but rather two writers with different styles, issues and choices of tale,” Hobb/Lindholm explains.

The Inheritance brings together the diverse imagination of this award-winning writer for the first time, featuring classic and new short works under both names. The collection is comprised of three expansive stories from Robin Hobb, including the title story, “The Inheritance” never before available in the U.S., and a brand new tale, “Cat’s Meat.” Contributions from Megan Lindholm include her Hugo and Nebula finalist story, “A Touch of Lavender” and Nebula finalist “Silver Lady and the Fortyish Man.” In addition, there will be several new Lindholm stories as well as some older stories brought back into print.

Fascinating, compelling, and wonderfully entertaining, The Inheritance reveals the full spectrum of skill and talent of one of the finest writers in the genre—the author known to fans as Robin Hobb and Megan Lindholm.

Dead Reckoning: A Sookie Stackhouse Novel
by Charlaine Harris

New in the #1 New York Times bestselling Sookie Stackhouse series-the basis for HBO’s True Blood!

Fans and critics find Sookie Stackhouse irresistible-onscreen and on the page.
“What sucked me in?…” (Seattle Times)

With her knack for being in trouble’s way, Sookie witnesses the firebombing of Merlotte’s, the bar where she works. Since Sam Merlotte is now known to be two-natured, suspicion falls immediately on the anti-shifters in the area.

Sookie suspects otherwise, but her attention is divided when she realizes that her lover Eric Northman and his “child” Pam are plotting to kill the vampire who is now their master. Gradually, Sookie is drawn into the plot-which is much more complicated than she knows…

Chasing the Moon
by A. Lee Martinez

Diana’s life was in a rut – she hated her job, she was perpetually single, and she needed a place to live. But then the perfect apartment came along. It seemed too good to be true – because it was.

As it turns out, the apartment was already inhabited – by monsters. Vom the Hungering was the first to greet Diana and to warn her that his sole purpose in life was to eat everything in his path.

This poses a problem for Diana since she’s in his path…and is forbidden from ever leaving the apartment.

It turns out though that there are older and more ancient monstrous entities afoot – ones who want to devour the moon and destroy the world as we know it. Can Diana, Vom, and the other horrors stop this from happening? Maybe if they can get Vom to stop eating everything…and everyone.

I think it’s sometimes a little scary to like a book series so much, just in case the author has a bad case of writer’s block and ends the series halfway in the middle. I know this rarely happens but I just started reading the Harper Connelly books and like them a lot so at the end of the second book (Grave Surprise) I was on tenterhooks as I searched Amazon to see if there were other books in the series. Thankfully Harris seems to be some sort of writing machine, kind of like Stephen King, and I quickly ordered An Ice Cold Grave.

Harper Connelly, besides having the ability to find dead people, also possesses the ability to get herself in trouble with alarming frequency. In An Ice Cold Grave, Harper and her stepbrother and manager Tolliver embark on their third case.

Several teenage boys from Doraville, NC have gone missing. Harper and Tolliver are hired by a woman looking for the body of her grandson. Harper is helped by Sandra Rockwell, the local sheriff, who, unlike the previous sheriff who refused to believe that anything was wrong, is convinced that something more sinister than runaway cases and suicides is going on.

Soon after the investigation gets underway Harper is attacked by an unknown assailant. Shaken, Harper is just about ready to leave town as soon as she gets paid gets but the local law demands that she stay and help solve the mystery of the missing boys. The gruesome nature of the case eventually attracts media attention and Harper’s friends, a psychic and her son, turn up to lend a helping hand.

This book had me sitting on the edge of my sofa. If you thought the two previous books were exciting, wait until you read An Ice Cold Grave. This storyline is noticeably much darker than the previous books but I think that’s because in this book Harper’s powers are much stronger. For those interested in how Harper and Tolliver’s troubled relationship is panning out, here’s a teaser: in this book, the dynamics of their relationship change DRASTICALLY.

As always, Harris effortlessly captures the reader’s attention. The flow of the writing is natural and excitement punctuates the book from beginning to end. If you plan on reading this book do it at the start of a weekend so you don’t end up bleary-eyed at work on Monday after staying up all night finishing it. An Ice Cold Grave is thrilling, thought-provoking and immensely satisfying. Two thumbs up!

Despite its title, I wasn’t expecting anything special when I read Nancy Werlin’s Extraordinary. My friend had lent it to me for me to read during an extended hospital stay, and having to choose between this book and Reader’s Digest copies dating back to 1989, I decided to read this book. I’m glad I did.

Extraordinary is primarily about friendship. Phoebe Rothschild is a wealthy and popular teenage girl plagued by self-esteem issues, and Mallory Tolliver is the new, strange kid in school. Against all odds, plain Phoebe finds herself drawn to the beautiful and mysterious Mallory. Phoebe actually befriends Mallory, drawing the ire of Phoebe’s clique. And unbeknownst to Phoebe, Mallory is a fairy.

Their friendship blossoms until they’re almost like sisters. Unfortunately, some good things never last, and their idyllic friendship is tested with the arrival of Ryland, Mallory’s handsome older half-brother. Despite Phoebe’s average looks, it’s easily apparent that Ryland has his sights set on Phoebe. Although it feels like the beginning of a romance things aren’t always what they seem – especially when the thing in question involves fairies.

The plot is intricately structured, but never convoluted or confusing. Nancy Werlin’s talent for storytelling shines through in her lush, sensual prose, and character development is amazingly good. Phoebe is written as a very complex, human character. Phoebe’s relationships (with Mallory, Ryland, and her own family) force her to examine her own self-worth. Despite the fact that she believes herself to be ordinary when compared to the rest of her family and her best friend, it’s obvious to the reader that Phoebe is anything but.

Mallory elicits reluctant sympathy as the friend torn between familial obligation and loyalty to Phoebe, and Ryland simultaneously attracts and revolts, just like the kind of real-life bad boy that mothers warn their daughters about. The pacing is rather slow at times, with periods of idyll punctuated with massive twists, which may tempt the reader to flip ahead, but I personally found that the pay-off was worth savoring every page.

Extraordinary is a fantastic coming of age tale that deals with loyalty, trust, friendship, and betrayal. It’s a wonderful read, and a great book to lend to good friends.

The long awaited novel – book five of the ‘A Song of Ice and Fire’ epic fantasy series – A Dance with Dragons is finally set to release on the 12th of July, 2011. Several dates for its release was previously announced but was not accomplished by author George R. R. Martin. Now that the novel is actually (almost) completed, I don’t think we’ll be in for any more disappointments!

Publisher Bantam Spectra made the announcement on March 3rd and after six long years of anticipation, this news comes as a real thrill for fans (by that I mean me!) The publisher estimates the book to run over 900 pages (as long as the longest book of the series – A Storm of Swords.) This news is doubly thrilling especially with the TV adaptation of the series – HBO’s Game of Thrones – is set to make its debut on the 17th of April, 2011. Well, I’m all set for the summer!

Here’s what George has to say about the book:

“I don’t want to spoil any surprises. I can say all the characters people have been waiting for are there: Daenerys, Jon Snow, and Tyrion. There’s also new characters, and viewpoints from characters who did not have viewpoints before.”

According to sources, the novel (as expected) will continue with the outcome of the massive battle. In the north Jon Snow is yet to face the biggest challenge of his life. Jon has powerful enemies not only in the creatures of the mysterious land of ice but also within his own Night watch of the formidable northern frontier.

Daenerys Targaryen, the only remaining scion of House Targaryen, now rules the city of the east with her three dragons. Daenerys however has numerous enemies that have set out for her. As her enemies rise against her, another man has set out to find her with his own plans in mind.

Tyrion Lannister on the other hand, is also on his way to Daenerys, having fled from Westeros with a price set for his head. Tyrion’s allies in this process are not actually what they seem to be. Their real intentions could damage Daenerys’ chances for Westeros forever.

From all corners of the great kingdom conflicts are slowly reviving and once again treachery and betrayal make their way into the war ravaged land. Nobles, slaves, soldiers, skinchangers, priests and outlaws alike will face undefeatable barriers. And although some will fail the survivors will grow in strength as darkness creeps in. A Dance with Dragons tells the tale of the greatest dance of all as the strong waves of destiny and politics take their toll.

It’s been a year since Ivy’s boyfriend, Tristan, died. They’ve both moved on – Tristan to the other side of the afterlife, and Ivy to sweet, dependable Will. Now Ivy’s heading to Cape Cod, hoping to leave the horror of last summer behind. She wants nothing more than to lie on the beach, sip lemonade, and hang out with her friends.

But then a car crash ends Ivy’s life.

As she floats to the beyond, looking down on the life she’s left behind, her former love Tristan breathes life back into her with a passionate kiss. She wakes up in the hospital, surrounded by Will and her family, but all she can think about is the love she lost.

But memories aren’t all that’s come back from the past. Something sinister has crossed over as well. And this time, Ivy’s not sure love will be enough to save her. Evercrossed by Elizabeth Chandler