Archive for New Fantasy Books
New Fantasy Books for May 2011
Posted by: | CommentsI was excited to see some of my favorite authors come back out with their latest… this includes a Sookie Stackhouse novel!! I cant wait to get my hands on the latest in the Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris. Here’s a list of all the brand new releases for this month.
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.
Bone Gods by Caitlyn Kittredge
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Title: Bone Gods
Author: Caitlyn Kittredge
Pages: 352
Genre: Fantasy
A few years ago I was something of a book snob. If a book wasn’t on a bestseller list or written by a famous author, I wouldn’t even consider reading it. I’m glad to say that I’ve since loosened up a bit and broadened my horizons and as such, I’ve discovered lots of little-known writers and their amazing works, like Caitlyn Kittredge and her Black London urban fantasy series, of which Bone Gods is the third installment.
Petunia “Pete” Caldecott, a professional investigator and Weir (think goddess-like), is mourning the loss of her mentor and friend, crow-mage and punk rocker Jack Winter, amidst escalating tension among the necromancers, witches and mages in Black London. Jack made a deal with the demon Belial and bartered his soul in exchange for his life. The demon came back to get what he was owed and Jack Winter is in Hell – literally.
Pete barely has time to pull herself together when she’s called to assist in solving a mysterious murder case. In no time at all she finds herself in the middle of what can be described as supernatural turf wars. To further complicate matters Jack shows up and he looks (and acts) like Hell. Pete eventually finds herself on one side of the vicious battle for London with Jack on the other.
Although Jack doesn’t figure as prominently in Bone Goods as he did in the previous two books in the series we get to know a little bit more about him and even get to meet his mother. One of the great things about this series is that no matter how strange and out-of-this-world the events in the book are, the characters are always realistic and multi-faceted. There are times when I wanted to hit Pete upside the head and slap some sense into Jack, but on the whole Pete is a decent person: tough, courageous, ethical, and unabashedly moral. Jack remains a puzzle, but I expect that the fourth book will give us more insight into his behavior and his strange relationship with Pete.
Bone Gods is the third book in Caitlyn Kittredge’s Black London series and perhaps the strongest. The book is well-written, the story is original and the characters are believable, if not always likeable. Bone Gods is an urban fantasy thriller with all the right ingredients: dark magic, London fog, shadows in the graveyard, witches, wars and more. I fully recommend this book to people who love scary stories, murder mysteries, fantasies and thrillers, as Bone Gods is all of them wrapped in a neat package.
City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
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Title: City of Bones
Author: Cassandra Clare
Pages: 512
Genre: Fantasy
I was a bit skeptical about Cassandra Clare’s City of Bones first because I read somewhere that Stephanie Meyer liked it and recommended it. Suffice it to say that I have not been sufficiently impressed by Meyer’s writing skills to want to go within ten feet of a book that she thinks is worth reading. However, my best friend, who’s sort of a bookworm, told me that City of Bones was a pretty good read. I put off reading it for about a month, but I finally got round to it a few weeks ago and I was happy to learn that although Stephanie Meyer is not the best writer in the world, at least she has pretty good taste in books.
Clary Fray, an artistic, imaginative 15-year-old girl with red hair and freckles, is enjoying an evening at the Pandemonium Club when she becomes witness to a horrifying murder. Unfortunately for freaked-out Cary, she couldn’t report the murder because no one apart from her could see the killer, a handsome blond boy named Jace. To make matters even more complicated, Jace claims that the blue-haired boy he killed was a demon.
And then the victim vanished right before Clary’s eyes.
As some of our friends in law enforcement might say, “No body, no murder.”
Clary is all for forgetting whatever she saw that night and getting on with her life but no such luck. Jace turns up and tells Clary that he’s actually a Shadowhunter, a human trained to hunt and kill demons. Jace is intrigued by Clary because she’s not supposed to see Shadowhunters since she’s a Mundane (a human with no supernatural powers). In the middle of their conversation Clary’s cellphone rings prompting her to quickly run home. She finds the place ransacked and her mother, Jocelyn, missing. She also finds an ugly, scaled demon loitering in her hallway.
Clary has no option but to go with Jace who offers her temporary shelter in the Clave, the home of the Shadowhunters. While there, Clary is made privy to astonishing secrets about the world of the Shadowhunters, nightmarish demons and herself. The rest of the book deals with Clary’s race to find and save her mother and Clary’s growing interest in Jace and Simon, Clary’s best friend.
This book is incredibly action-packed. To keep things balanced the writer occasionally slows the pace a bit and provides interesting back story on the characters. The good news is that there are several more books in The Mortal Instruments series and a movie based on the books is already in production, with Lily Collins taking the role of Clary. Yeah!
City of Bones is a dark, neo-Gothic thriller that derives from classic depictions of werewolves, demons and other supernatural creatures. People who like young adult fiction with supernatural themes (like me) will definitely enjoy City of Bones as it has everything that we love about the genre: monsters, cute boys, teen romance and a peek at a world more dangerous and more exciting than the one we live in.
Grave Secret by Charlaine Harris
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Title: Grave Secret
Author: Charlaine Harris
Pages: 288
Genre: Fantasy
I love paranormal books that include something extra. There’s something immensely satisfying about a book that keeps you guessing for pages and pages, keeping you glued to your seat until the emotional payoff of the final pages. Grave Secret, and the rest of the books in Charlaine Harris’ best-selling Harper Connelly series, fall into this category.
Grave Secret is the fourth book in the Harper Connelly Mysteries series. If you’re not familiar with it, I fully recommend that you read the three previous books so you’ll fully appreciate Grave Secret.
Harper Connelly is a young woman with the ability to sense the presence of the dead and deduce the cause of their deaths. Harper uses this ability to earn a living, and she and her stepbrother Tolliver run a business dedicated to helping people track down the bodies of their loved ones.
In Grave Secret, Harper has finally come to terms with her strange ability and is finally realizing a new relationship with Tolliver. Although their relationship isn’t looked on kindly by the people around them they weather through it at the best of their abilities.
Harper and Tolliver head to Texas after being summoned by the members of an affluent family whose patriarch, Rich, has gone missing. While working on the case they find out that their dad has gotten out of jail and is eager to make amends. Harper soon learns that the case they’re working on may be linked to her own troubled family history. Harper makes a discovery that lands her and the people around her in more danger than ever before. Left alone to fend for herself, Harper must solve the case and find the person who seems to be eager to see her dead.
Although Harris could have gone the easy route and used this book just to tie up the loose ends left over from the previous novel she instead wrote an amazing fourth book with a new case, new dangers and more revelations. Grave Secret also reveals a lot about Harper and Tolliver’s past. It’s a shame that the series ended so quickly, as Harper’s character is so much stronger than it was in the previous three books. It would have been great to see a new Harper Connelly but unfortunately, all good things must come with an end. I’m glad that Harris wrote such a fantastic series ender that gave me, like Harper’s clients, closure.
But wait, there’s more!
CBS is working on a new TV series based on the Harper Connelly books! The series will be called Grave Secret and will focus on the cases that Harper and Tolliver work on. Hurrah!
So, who do you think will play Harper and Tolliver?
Grave Surprise by Charlaine Harris
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Title: Grave Surprise
Author: Charlaine Harris
Pages: 320
Genre: Fantasy
I’m the type of person who reads a series until the end, whether I like it or not. Call me obsessive-compulsive, but after slogging through pages and pages, I’ll be darned if I don’t get to at least find out how the series ends. More so if I actually liked the series. I’ve been looking forward to reading Grave Surprise, the second book in the Harper Connelly series, after thoroughly enjoying the first book, Grave Sight. Despite the rather uninspired titles, the books in the series are anything but boring.
Harper, a 24-year-old woman gifted with the ability to sense the presence of the dead and know how they died, and Tolliver, Harper’s stepbrother and manager, are contacted by a university professor and invited to demonstrate their abilities to him and his class at Bingham College in Memphis, TN. Professor Clyde Nonley is obviously eager to expose Harper as a fake, but to his surprise, she proves that she is actually able to find the dead.
Nonley takes Harper to a graveyard and asks her to determine what caused the deaths of the people buried there. Nonley is astonished when Harper senses that the body of missing 12-year-old girl Tabitha Morgenstern has been placed in the grave of a long-dead man.
Harper is shaken by this discovery. Two years ago she and Tolliver had been tasked to find the body of Tabitha but failed. This time around Harper and Tolliver set out to discover the identity of Tabitha’s killer.
To further complicate matters, the lines between Harper and Tolliver’s relationship as stepsiblings are starting to blur. Harper is becoming increasingly aware of her attraction to Tolliver and is still doing all she can to make it go away. Or is she?
Charlaine Harris has written another gem of a book. The story moves swiftly, the plot is entertaining and Harris’ writing style is descriptive and detailed. Harper is a likeable character: honest, kind, and unapologetically ethical. Tolliver as the wise-cracking ladies man is equally likeable, and although they’re stepsiblings, you may find yourself rooting for them as a couple. Their unlikely relationship is a welcome change from the typical love affairs in supernatural thrillers and mysteries: what’s keeping them apart isn’t the fact that they’re so different, but the fact that they’re so alike – they share the same family.
Grave Sight, the first book in the Harper Connelly series is a great read but Grave Surprise is even better. Grave Surprise introduces several new characters and reveals answers to questions posed in the previous book. There’s so much action in this book that you’ll probably fly through this in a few days but if so, it’s worthy of a re-read as it provides a lot of insight into the next book in the series.
A Feast for Crows by George R. R. Martin
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Title: A Feast for Crows
Author: George R. R. Martin
Pages: 784
Genre: Fantasy
A Feast for Crows is the long awaited fourth book, in the Song of Ice and Fire epic fantasy series from author George R. R. Martin. The series is one of the best epic fantasy stories we’ve had in a while. Its wide renown has lead to this book opening at No. 1 on the New York Times bestseller list! This series is known to have made ardent fans of even those who normally don’t care much for epic fantasies – like me! The series’ appeal, in my opinion, lies in its coarse realism. If this is the first time you’re considering books of this series, I would recommend you start with book one – A Game of Thrones.
The series has been translated to twenty different languages and has sold more than seven million copies worldwide! Its mounting fame lead to HBO adapting it into a TV series called ‘Game of Thrones’ which premiered on the 17th of April. The series has even inspired several board games, role-playing games and a video game called ‘A Game of Thrones: Genesis.’
In keeping with the tone of the series, A Feast for Crows is also filled with Martin’s bountiful imagery and sharp dialogue. After centuries of war, blood shed and deception, the seven kingdoms vying for the Iron Throne have completely destroyed one another, forcing them to declare peace… at least temporarily! The death King Joffrey has left Cersei ruling King’s Landing, and Robb Stark’s tragic end has landed a shattering blow to the northern rebels. Robb’s siblings are scattered throughout the kingdom and there’s hardly anyone left to claim the Iron Throne.
From among the ashes of this long and savage war that eventually burned out, rise the survivors – rebels and outlaws, traitors and deserters, now fighting over the spoils of war. As these human crows gather together over the corpses and the ashes in the seven kingdoms, treacherous new plots and precarious new alliances are formed. Some familiar characters and other surprising characters are seen emerging from the past to continue their struggles. This is a time for acquiring the magic, the skills and the power needed to survive the menacing times ahead. Many enter the banquet but only a few will survive the feast – truly ‘A Feast for Crows.’
Grave Sight by Charlaine Harris
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Title: Grave Sight
Author: Charlaine Harris
Pages: 310
Genre: Fantasy
After reading the entire Southern Vampires Series and finding myself thirsty for more, I bought Grave Sight, which was written by the same author. I had high hopes for Grave Sight, and I’m definitely not disappointed. In fact, I’m thrilled! I can honestly say that Grave Sight and the rest of the books in the Harper Connelly Series are as well written and captivating as the Sookie Stackhouse books.
Harper Connelly is a 24-year-old woman who comes from a rich family that has fallen on hard times. Harper, a nice girl burdened with the memory of a horrible childhood is kind, honest, trustworthy and a bit eccentric.
When Harper was 15 she got hit by lightning. In addition to giving her a weak leg, spider web-like scars, and a fear of storms, the accident gifts her with the ability to sense dead people and know how they died. When Harper is near a spirit she hears a buzzing sound; the louder the sound, the more recent the death, is the rule of thumb.
Harper tries to make money from her gift by charging people who seek closure for the death of their loved ones. In Grave Sight, Harper and her stepbrother Tolliver, who acts as her manager, journey to a small town in Arkansas to find the body of a missing teenage girl.
Although the dead can’t hurt you the living can. The sleepy town isn’t as friendly as it initially seems and the residents turn increasingly hostile and unwelcoming. Perhaps the locals just can’t abide strangers, especially strangers with very odd abilities, or perhaps they have something to hide. Harper and Tolliver soon find out.
I’ve been a fan of Charlaine Harris ever since I read the first Sookie Stackhouse novel, Dead Until Dark.
Simply put, Harris is a master of the thriller and mystery genres and she is gifted with the rare ability to entertain and provoke without stooping to gimmicks. You will never find a Mary Sue in a Charlaine Harris novel. Her characters are realistic, which help make the story more believable. The sexual tension between Harper and Tolliver makes for several minutes of intense knuckle-biting, but their relationship is not the main focus of this book, which makes it so refreshing. Their (unconscious) reaction to this semi-forbidden attraction is quite believable too.
Grave Sight is a fantastic start to a great series. Even if you’re not a fan of supernatural thrillers, you’ll be hard pressed to put this down, and once you’ve read Grave Sight you’re going to want to keep going until the last book in the Harper Connelly series. May lightning strike me if I’m wrong!
