Michael J. Sullivan Signs with Del Rey

This pic's so much better than the last one I had up.

Great news for Michael J. Sullivan fans, especially those fans of his Riyria Revelations world. I'll let the press release explain:

_________________

For release on Wednesday, February 11, 2015

For further information contact:
Laurie McLean, Laurie@FuseLiterary.com, 650-922-0914
Robin Sullivan, Michael.sullivan.dc@gmail.com, 703-953-8705

DEL REY BOOKS LICENSES MICHAEL J. SULLIVAN’S THE

FIRST EMPIRE SERIES IN MAJOR PRE-EMPT

Editorial Director Tricia Narwani Inks 4-Book Deal

February 11, 2015—Fairfax, VA—Best-selling fantasy and science fiction author
Michael J. Sullivan today announced that he has licensed World English print &
ebook rights to his next epic fantasy series for more than half a million dollars to Del
Rey Books, a division of Penguin Random House. Del Rey preempted the deal, which
had already received multiple offers and was expecting several more.

The audio book right for this series was sold for low-six-figures to Troy Juliar of
Recorded Books. As part of that deal, Audie Award Nominee Tim Gerard Reynolds
will once more narrate Michael’s works.

“I was looking for a publisher to take this series to the next level. One who would
both respect what I’ve accomplished in the past, and wanted to grow my career into
the future. I found that in Tricia Narwani and her colleagues at Del Rey,” Sullivan
said.

The deal is comprised of the first four books in Sullivan’s The First Empire series:
Rhune, Dherg, Rhist and Phyre. A fifth book, Fhrey is also planned.

Del Rey’s Editorial Director Tricia Narwani was pleased to welcome Mr. Sullivan to
the Del Rey fold, joining the likes of Terry Brooks, China Mieville and other top SFF
authors.

“I was a fan of Michael’s work before we began discussions about him joining our
team,” Narwani said. “When I shared Rhune with the Del Rey team—our publisher,
my fellow editors, our marketing and publicity directors—the enthusiasm was
instant and electric. On behalf of the entire Del Rey staff, I can say that it is an honor
and a pleasure to welcome Michael to our house.”

The deal was brokered by Laurie McLean of Fuse Literary, a literary agency that
specializes in hybrid authors and Michael will continue to self-published books inbetween
the Del Rey releases. “Michael is one of those rare authors whose pioneering efforts in publishing pave the way for others. His self-publishing, small-press publishing, and big-five
publishing projects have all done exceedingly well, and he is constantly thinking up
new ways to connect with his readership in an ever changing publishing landscape,”
McLean said.

About Michael J. Sullivan
Michael writes classical fantasy and science fiction with unlikely heroes on epic
adventures. His debut series, The Riyria Revelations, has sold more than half a
million English language copies and has been translated into 13 foreign languages.
His works have appeared on more than 100 best-of or most-anticipated lists
including those compiled by Library Journal, Barnes and Noble, and Audible. In
addition, his books have been nominated for the Goodreads Choice Awards in 2010,
2011, 2012, & 2014. Visit website, http://www.riyria.com for more information, or
follow Michael on Twitter @author_sullivan.

About Del Rey
Del Rey Books began as an imprint of Ballantine Books in 1977 with the bestselling
The Sword of Shannara by Terry Brooks. Begun by editor Judy-Lynn del Rey with the
editorial assistance of her husband, author and editor Lester del Rey, Del Rey Books
quickly grew into the most robust science fiction/fantasy imprint in the field. Today,
as an imprint of Penguin Random House, Del Rey’s list has grown to include Arthur
C. Clarke, Isaac Asimov, Stephen Donaldson, Anne McCaffrey, David Eddings, Larry
Niven, Alan Dean Foster, Katherine Kurtz, Jack L. Chalker, Barbara Hambly, and now
Michael J. Sullivan.

About Fuse Literary
Fuse Literary is a hybrid literary agency with offices in San Francisco, New York,
Chicago, Los Angeles, and Vancouver, which blends the knowledge and skills of
traditional publishing with the brash new opportunities engendered by digital
publishing, self-publishing, ebooks, and technology. Partners Laurie McLean and
Gordon Warnock are joined at Fuse by agents Emily Keyes, Connor Goldsmith,
Michelle Richter and Sara Sciuto. Visit the website, http://fuseliterary.com for more
information, or follow them on Twitter @fuseliterary.

_______________

Sullivan went to reddit.com/r/fantasy yesterday to let the folks know and it looks like he got quite the deal saying,

The print/ebook was signed "as a major deal" and the audio rights as a "good deal."¹ So I'm pretty sure both publishers will be very enthusiastic about getting these books out "right."

A redditor, eferoth, explains what kind of a deal this means according to Publisher's Marketplace in the comments to the same post:

nice deal: $1 - $49,000

very nice deal $50,000 - $99,000

good deal $100,000 - $250,000

significant deal $251,000 - $499,000

major deal $500,000 and up

Not too shabby. Congrats to Michael and to fans alike. I know I can't wait.

Only the Best of 2014 - My Best Reads This Year

I had a really slow year this year when it comes to reading. It doesn't help that I moved a couple states away, got a new job that keeps me busier than ever, and I'm trying to keep up with three kids any moment they're awake. My Goodreads goal of 50 books, a decrease from last year because I knew there was a possibility of some changes, was only met by 64% (that's only 31 books).

However, a number of those books were new releases and it was a great year for those. Below you'll find my top 7 new releases for 2014. I was going to narrow it down to five, but I found myself trying to cheat by posting "ties" and I honestly hate that so I gave the actual number even if not so round.

Following that list are some more year-end wrap up awards if you can even call it that. Mostly, I wanted to have a chance to talk about the books I loved this year one extra time.

Top 7 New Releases of 2014

7) Hollow World by Michael J. Sullivan

6) City of Stairs by Robert Jackson Bennett (still need to review this)

5) Breach Zone (Shadow Ops #3) by Myke Cole

4) Prince of Fools (Red Queen's War #1) by Mark Lawrence

4) Half a King (Shattered Sea #1) by Joe Abercrombie

3) Veil of the Deserters (Bloodsounder's Arc #2) by Jeff Salyards

2) The Magician's Land (Magicians #3) by Lev Grossman

1) The Crimson Campaign (Powder Mage #2) by Brian McClellan

Biggest Surprise

Pilo Family Circus by Will Elliott - Seriously, you need to read this if you haven't already. At first glance, it doesn't sound like much, but it was absolutely one of my favorites of the last number of years.

Best Stand-Alones

Tie for Angelmaker by Nick Harkaway and Blackdog by K.V. Johanson. Remember, I said I hate ties in numbered lists. No numbers here, so I can have a tie. Both these were absolutely astounding reads. They are completely different, one a contemporary mystery with a wonderful sense of humor (Angelmaker) and one an epic fantasy set in a non-European medieval times (Blackdog).

Best Audiobooks

Ilium and Olympos by Dan Simmons. This is really just one extended book that blew me away from start to finish. Simmons is a mad genius to combine all the elements he combines here and pulls it off stupendously.

Biggest Disappointment 

Impulse (Jumper #3) by Steven Gould - I had high hopes after the first two excellent installments. Combining the elements that made the first two great with teen angst and holier-than-thou characters made it a bit tough to stomach.

Missing

Blood and Iron by Jon Sprunk (currently reading), Of Bone and Thunder by Chris Evans (currently reading), Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson, The Emperor's Blades by Brian Stavely, Assail by Ian Cameron Esslemont (though I did make progress by reading Stonewielder), and tons more. There are plenty of authors I've just gotten behind in keeping up with their new series such as Brent Weeks and Daniel Abraham and tons more I'm dying to begin. I'll have to do better this year I guess.

Catching Up On Reviews - Kinda - Among Others, Bitter Seeds, The Crown Tower

There's no arguing I've been slacking lately. Suddenly my schedule blossomed and I've got hearing after hearing in court the last couple weeks and the next couple as well. I do family law and I have a really hard time turning anyone away and everyone's got a story.

Anyway, here are some catch up reviews. It's ... been a while since I read them. I've been on a good roll the last couple days and I plan on keeping it up for a bit. This will not be the last of these.

Among Others by Jo Walton

This book got rave reviews when it came out, even won the Nebula Award, which I can see. However, I didn't absolutely love it as seems to be the norm.

What I loved:

I did love a few things. I loved that I really wanted to go back and read all the classics of science fiction and fantasy. Walton writes with such a love of the genre that you can't help but become enamored yourself. 

I loved that if you are a fantasy nerd like me and the main protagonist Mori (and it may be safe to assume, Jo Walton), then you can completely relate to living two lives. One in a fantasy land you never want to leave and one in the "real" world where you don't quite completely fit in ... whatever that means.

What I thought was more three stars out five:

This was really a love note to SFF with a story at the far background, if any. It's obviously there, but only mildly mentioned and then all of a sudden some stuff happens in the end. 

I think I expected more of a blend of the two; references to classic SFF stories and a story itself as opposed to more of the former and less of the latter. 

It's still a decent story, but not really a classic. I see why it won the Nebula, it's essentially a love letter to the Nebula Award and, therefore, a dead-ringer from the get-go, but it didn't quite work for me.

I'll leave with a couple great quotes for your nerdy heart:

"Interlibrary loans are a wonder of the world and a glory of civilization."

"Glory Road is deeply disappointing ... I love Heinlein but he clearly doesn't get fantasy. It's just stupid." (I felt the exact same way reading Glory Road. Starship Troopers is amazing, but I don't know if I'll attempt his fantasy again)

3 out of 5 Stars (Recommended with reservations)

Bitter Seeds (Milkweed Triptych #1) by Ian Tregillis

I don't always get behind alternate histories. There's something in me that screams for the truth. These are definitely not the truth, look in a history book.

Yeah, that's from the guy who reads 99 fantasy books out of 100.

Oh and one of my favorites is Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell (though that's much more magical and fairyland-ish). But once you change the past, that just throws me off too much. I don't know why. Still haven't read a thing by Harry Turtledove.

But throw superheros into an alternate World War Two and for some reason that just clicked with me.

I had a great time with this book. I guess it doesn't hurt that I lived in Germany for a while, speak German and all that. It did kill me during a part where the English-speaker gets by speaking flawless German (which is just close to impossible without speaking it as a child), but otherwise, I enjoyed this from start to finish.

I got this as a review copy on audio, but publishers have this problem with not sending the sequels ever. I know, wo is me, I have to buy a book, but that explains why I haven't made it any further. Got sidetracked with other books while waiting for the sequel.

Kevin Pariseau did an excellent job on the narration, did a fine German accent, which is what really counted in this one. :)

4 out of 5 Stars (highly recommended)

The Crown Tower (Riyria Chronicles #1) by Michael J. Sullivan

I love Michael J. Sullivan and this book's no exception. Before The Crown Tower was released, I'd read that Michael was wary going into a prequel series, because let's face it, they rarely go well, but that he would only do it if there was something good there to write about. I.e., he didn't want to beat a dead horse.

I'm so glad he went for it. The Crown Tower ranks up there with the best of the original series (that I've read, still two more if you can believe it!). Michael writes fun fantasy that's hard to put down. What more could you ask for? There's always room for more of his work. What need I say more? Definitely no more of these questions?

4 out of 5 Stars (highly recommended)

Review - Hollow World by Michael J. Sullivan

Michael J. Sullivan has made a name for himself by not only mastering the self-published market, but by making the transition to traditional publishing. Successful on both fronts, Sullivan continues to publish books whether a publishing house wants to pursue it or not. This is ideal for an author because their ideas need not be limited by whether a traditional publishing house can make money or not. The author can just write stories.

In the case of Hollow World, it was the best of both worlds. Traditional publishing passed on the idea so Michael decided to self-publish it with the help of Kickstarter. There, he obtained the money for two excellent editors who are known for excellent work in traditional publishing markets. Once this got going and the interest was obvious, Tachyon publishing jumped on board - a smaller house, but with plenty of audience reach. 

I jumped on the Michael J. Sullivan bandwagon when he was self-publishing his Riyria Revelations series (because that's how cool I am).  I took a safe bet, what with blogs and forums being abuzz at the time, which is the effect Goodreads and blogging have had on my life. I tend not to read many bad novels anymore.

Wow, lots of rambling today.

Hollow World is a time travel novel about a distant future when individuality has been obliterated in favor of peace and longer life. Sullivan explains in the introduction that the reader shouldn't get bogged down in how time travel works in his novel because that's not the important part - it's about exploring the new world and the characters who are doing it. And at the same time, I was perfectly convinced that time travel could work the way it's explained.

But I think that was a good primer. This book is science fiction, but it's not really about the science. Okay, it's not about the science at all. It's about the future society, the trade-offs, the character interactions, and a compelling mystery to boot.

It's amazing how many trade-offs we, as a society, are willing to endure. We accept automobiles because of how useful they are, yet they cause how many thousands of deaths a year. David Foster Wallace has a short article on the trade offs of the patriot act and our lack of public discussion about whether we, as a society, were willing to sacrifice our privacy for security. 

Are we willing to trade individuality for peace, for longer life, for the cure to cancer and any other disease? That's what Hollow World invites you to discover and that's only peripherally. Against this background, he throws in a page-turning mystery where in a world with no disease and crime is unheard of, murders are suddenly occurring. 

Michael J. Sullivan proves his hand at science fiction and ideas just as he proved it in his excellent fantasy series, The Riyria Revelations and Chronicles. I had a great time with this one. Yes, there were some parts you have to suspend disbelief, but I was engaged with the story too much to care, and it is time travel so you have to expect that. 

Hollow World is a place you want to keep exploring. Sullivan's typical style is present here, no getting bogged down with info-dumps. The pages fly by and you get the necessary information as you go. This was a great break in my typical epic fantasy heavy reading schedule and highly recommended.

4 out of 5 Stars (highly recommended)

A copy of this book was provided by the author (and I contributed to the kickstarter for that matter).

Guest Post - Six Reviews By Ryan from Battle Hymns!

I am an idiot.

What's that you say? That's not news to you? Somehow, I'm the only one who has to keep finding this out.

So, I screwed up. The inimitable Ryan from Battle Hymns offered to put together a post that I could publish while I was studying for the bar the last couple months and distinctly not blogging much if at all. Not only does he have excellent things to say (seriously, he knows what he's talking about - you will read excellent books if you do), but he's just an all around awesome guy.

Of course I jumped at the chance to see Ryan back in the blogging world as he closed shop on his own blog not too long ago and I was and am truly grateful for his offer.

Months pass, I just figured he was busy, I could understand at the time I was working full time, studying for the bar, and managing to see my family (three kids three and under!) every free minute.

Well, it turns out he did respond and write up a great post (which you'll see below), only with all the filters I use on the blog for giveaways and such, it went through to a random folder that I didn't see until just last week. Doh.

Yeah, I'm an idiot. Without any more idiocy, here's that post that Ryan so excellently and beneficently prepared...
______________________________

Hi everybody! Bryce has been brave kind enough to loan me his blog for a bit while he is out doing important adult things like taking the bar exam, working a job, and raising kids.  Sheesh! Sounds like a lot of work! I suppose introductions of some sort are in order… My name is Ryan, some of you may or may not know me, (the latter is more likely), I once ran a little known, (aka “underground”) fantasy, sf, comics, metal music blog called Battle Hymns.  I hung up the blogging pants about a year ago, but when I read that OTBSFF would be semi-inactive due to a life-nado event I figured I’d offer up my services. I dangled the vaguest of guest post ideas, Bryce took the bait and here I am!

Here’s what I have to offer: a quick post filled with mini-reviews of books I read in 2013 that, for better or worse, have lived long in the memory.

The Red Knight: At the height of my blogging prowess I was receiving free books here and there, and The Red Knight was one of those that I was really pumped to get my paws on. It was one of those books that didn’t sit long on the reading pile. Overall I was pretty pleased with this book. It is pretty damn action packed and the titular character is a pretty interesting guy, and some secrets lie buried beneath his surface that I was intent on uncovering as the story played out.

The plot here is kinda standard; siege situation where the good guys are severely outnumbered and outgunned. (Out-sworded?).  But, there is a giant-ass tree-wizard, some sweet beasties and monsters and the most realistic battle, arms, armor and life-of-a-medieval-warrior depictions I’ve read since Mary Gentle’s Ash.  This one scratched a lot of my itches so I’m looking forward to the next installment.

Demon Squad Vol. 5 Beyond the Veil: Ahh, Demon Squad. How do I love thee? Let me count the ways:exactly like mine.  Two, you mix in a sweet blend of brutal gun slinging action with magic, mayhem and bad ass demons, angels, aliens and more. Three, there’s a whole bunch of metal references strewn about the text, which I really appreciate. Four, you get better with each installment. Five…okay, I’ll stop there, you catch my drift.
One, You have a principle character whose moral fiber is slightly (okay, totally) questionable and whose brain seemingly functions

Like Bryce, I’m a big Demon Squad fan. In this installment Frank finds himself doing some inter-dimensional travel all in an attempt to save his lady. All the while, in typical Frank fashion, he’s been dealt a terrible hand: drafted into the service of the Almighty, and forced to work with his lady’s dad. Sound shitty? Well, that’s just how Frank Trigg rolls. As per usual, this book is loaded with all the goods I drooled over earlier.

Marquitz has honed his skills with each installment in this series and at this point a new Demon Squad book is a sure-fire hit for me. If you haven’t given this series a go, do it. It is highly entertaining stuff.

The Ryiria Revelations Series: Back in the day when this was just a little known indie series, I read the first installment, then it got picked up by Orbit and the six book series got turned into three hefty omnibuses.  I picked up the new editions, re-read the first piece and the next thing I knew I had read the whole damn series.

Let me just be frank, this is a very good fantasy series. And you know what else? It is complete, so you don’t have to wait eons for the next book to come out.

The Ryiria Revelations is a fantasy buddy hero epic ala Fritz Leiber’s Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser and Paul S. Kemp’s Egil and Nix stuff. The two main characters Royce and Hadrian are extremely likable and Sullivan does a great job of making each and every installment of the series stand alone with a legitimate ending.  That being said, each of the six installments tie into this greater tapestry that he’s crafted.  It is a really nice touch and one I really appreciated.  This series manages to be lots of fun, offers a strong plot, interesting characters and plenty of excitement.  I highly recommend this, especially if you want to get away from the grimdark side of the fantasy genre.

The Lies of Locke Lamora: Before you start thinking: “Where has this guy been? The Lies of Locke Lamora came out years ago!” Let me explain. I read this book way back in the day (’08) like all the other cool kids who are up on the fantasy game. The thing is, I wasn’t a huge fan. I even went as far as selling my copy to a used book store. Then, some blogger dude who is keen on posting ebook deals at his blog, (I’m looking at you Bryce!) mentioned something about this book being on sale for .99 cents. I figured I’d give it another shot and you know what? AMAZING!

All I could do while reading this book (aside from enjoying each and every page) was look back at my 2008 self with hate.  I don’t know what the hell ailed me back then. This is simply a fantastic fantasy book.

 Lynch’s prose is strong, his plotting is deft, his characters are enchanting, and it is all set in an extremely well-imagined world. The whole book builds to this amazing crescendo that Lynch pulls of masterfully.

This is an A+ fantasy novel for me and I’m keen to delve further into the series.

On Basilisk Station: Late in the year last year I found myself with a strange urge to read some military SF. After waffling back and forth between Weber’s Honor Harrington series and Bujold’s Mile Vorkosigan series, I finally settled on the Weber stuff ‘cause the ebook was free on Amazon.

Well, I was sorely disappointed. This book proved to be very thin on character development and thick on the techno-porn. 

Yuck. (don’t hate me for my opinion if you are an Honorverse fan!)

I thought I’d enjoy immersing myself in some interstellar space battles, and I did (sorta) but I didn’t find anything else to enjoy. Well, that’s not totally true, kudos to Weber for crafting a female lead who is strong, smart, and bad-ass in a not clichéd way.  I just wish there was more surrounding her to make the series worth my time.

And last but certainly not least… my non-genre must-read recommendation:

Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche: This was the first book I read in 2014 and I can already tell it
is going to be nearly impossible to top.  Adiche is flat out a phenomenal writer. Her prose is incredibly captivating, her characters are extremely real and this book deals with modern real-world issues in an extremely frank, honest and open way…its often pretty funny too.

At the heart of this novel is a love story between the two primary characters Ifemelu and Obinze. These two meet in high school and fall in love but go their separate ways for college because the military dictatorship in their native Nigeria is driving folks abroad. The story takes place over a span of about 15 and will resonate strongly with readers who are navigating the tricky waters of their 20’s and early 30’s. This is a story about the many social, political, and racial conundrums in our society, but is also about much, much more. This is a fascinating and provocative read and one that is truly worth the read. 

Only the Best (of the Year) - Top Ten New Releases of 2013

It seems like more and more of these end of the year posts are going up less and less close to the end of the year. I've always tried to get close and sometimes I realize I won't be able to finish anything new by the end of the year, so it's understandable. I've done so myself even. However, I think I'm done with that.

Maybe it's because I have a December birthday and I'm sick of this perfectly great month getting neglected when it comes to "best of" lists. Goodreads starts their process in November for crying out loud. I vow right now to do December justice ... erm ... to wait until the new year for any of my year-in-review type posts because come on. For December!

Disclaimer and all that: Please remember that this is from the books I read so if your favorite didn't make the list it's probably because it's a terrible book and you have just as abismal taste I didn't read it.

Top 10 New Releases of 2013

10) A Discourse in Steel (Egil & Nix #2) by Paul S. Kemp - Review - Even better than the first, Egil and Nix are becoming one of my favorite duos.

9) The Garden of Stones (Echoes of Empire #1) by Mark T. Barnes - Review - This was a surprising find for me. I was curious given the beautiful by the same artist as for Abraham's The Long Price Quartet, but blown away by the world Barnes has created here.

8) The Lives of Tao (Lives of Tao #1) - Review - and The Deaths of Tao (Lives of Tao #2) by Wesley Chu - Review Not Yet Posted - Interview - Wesley Chu

7) The Crown Tower (Riyria Chronicles #1) by Michael J. Sullivan - Review Not Yet Posted - I find I can't put Sullivan's books down and this is yet another.

6) Promise of Blood (Powder Mages #1) by Brian McClellan - Review - This series is only just started and I'm dying to read its sequel. For any release, this was excellent, for a debut, it's incredible.

5) Fortress Frontier (Shadow Ops #2) by Myke Cole - Review - Myke Cole keeps getting better and better and Breach Zone is already in my hands. Very much looking forward to this.

4) The Forever Knight (A Novel of the Bronze Knight) by John Marco - Review - The discerning reader will notice this is actually rated lower than the previous book on the list. I'm not saying there's a failing in a number rating system (okay, yes I am), but I rated this compared to the prior series probably a little more than compared to any book ever. Yeah, it makes ... sense?

3) The Daylight War (Demon Cycle #3) by Peter V. Brett - Review - I was dying to get my hands on this book. I know many were disappointed as this installment contains lots of backstory, but let's just say that Brett will have to really throw this series off for me not to love it.

2) Joyland by Stephen King - Review - A big surprise in a little package, especially for Stephen King. It's more coming of age than anything it proclaims to be (horror? no; hard case crime? no), but still a great tale.




And the best release for 2013 goes to ...

1) Emperor of Thorns (Broken Empire #3) by Mark Lawrence - Review - Lawrence does the impossible and writes an excellent conclusion to an already stellar trilogy. He's jumped quickly into my list of authors to slavishly follow.


Honorable Mentions:

Inheritance (Heir to the Blood Throne #1) by Tim Marquitz - Review - This just barely missed the list. I enjoyed it immensely and thought it an excellent spin on the typical vampire tale.

The Gate Thief (Mither Mages #2) by Orson Scott Card - Review Not Yet Posted - Yet another I still need to review. This one was slow to start but had a great ending. Lots needed to be explained for the ending to make sense, so it gets bogged down for a while because the world is so intricate yet fascinating.

Missing From the List:

American Elsewhere by Robert Jackson Bennett - I was waiting for the perfect time to read this book. I know I'll enjoy every bit of it and I wanted to savor it ... but somehow that perfect time never happened to reveal itself. Ever happen to you? It happens to me all the time.

The Rithmatist (Rithmatist #1) by Brandon Sanderson - Review - I enjoyed this enough to lend it to a friend to read, but it just didn't quite hit everything exactly as it could have. I do see the potential and I'll be lining up for the next installment.

There are actually quite a few missing. I haven't kept up with Daniel Abraham's The Dagger and the Coin series and The Tyrant's Law came out this year. Then there's Neil Gaiman's The Ocean at the End of the Lane and of course the final installment of the Wheel of Time, A Memory of Light and a couple more that just didn't quite fit into my schedule. To this coming year!

Looking Forward to 2014 - Most Anticipated Books

Last year, I had high hopes, as I usually do, that I would read quite a few books in the year. I wasn't too far off, having read 57 or so, but lots of those were in the form of audiobooks, none of which were on my list last year. I'm getting a bit more conservative this year in terms of what I think I can actually read and leave a bit more open to what I randomly pick up throughout the year, which I know I will do regardless of any plans I make. It makes for happier reading that way anyway. In bold are those books I actually think I have a chance of reading this year.

Keep in mind, this is by no means an exhaustive list (or even remotely close), these are just the titles I'm especially interested in and I know I'm probably missing quite a few that I'll have to add later.


Jan:

Brian Stavely, The Emperor's Blades - January 14

Myke Cole, Breach Zone (Shadow Ops #3) - January 28

Paul Kearney, A Different Kingdom - January 28

Miles Cameron, The Fell Sword (Traitor Son #2) - January 30

Feb:

David Edison, The Waking Engine - February 11

March:

Scott Lynch, The Bastards and the Knives (Gentlemen Bastards Novellas) - March 3 (UK) Brandon Sanderson, Words of Radiance (Stormlight Archive #2) - March 4

Jon Sprunk, Blood and Iron (The Book of the Black Earth #1) - March 11

April:

Michael J. Sullivan, The Hollow World - April 8 (Just finished)

Elizabeth Bear, Steles of the Sky (Eternal Sky #3) - April 8

Robin Hobb, The Fool's Assassin (The Fitz and the Fool Trilogy #1) - April 10

Sam Sykes, The City Stained Red - April 17 (UK Date)

May:

Brian McClellan, The Crimson Campaign (Powder Mages #2) - May 6 Jim Butcher, Skin Game (Dresden #15) - May 27 Douglas Hulick, Sworn in Steel (Tales of the Kin #2)

Jun:

Mark Lawrence, Prince of Fools (The Red Queen's War #1) - June 3

Jul:

Joe Abercrombie, Half a King

Aug:

Lev Grossman, The Magician's Land (Magician's #3) - August
Daniel Abraham, The Widow's House (The Dagger and the Coin #4) - August 5
Jim Butcher, The Aeronaut's Windlass (The Cinder Spires #1) - August 7

Brent Weeks, The Broken Eye (Lightbringer #3) - August 26

Ian Cameron Esslemont, Assail (Malazan Empire #6)

Sep:

Robert Jackson Bennett, City of Stairs - September 9

Oct:

Bradley P. Beaulieu, Twelve Kings in Sharakhai - October 1
Ernest Cline, Armada - October 7

Nov:

Dec:

Steven Erikson, Willfull Child - December 4 (says Goodreads)

TBD: (Mostly just hoping all these come out in 2014)
John Marco, The Bloody Chorus
Courtney Schafer, The Labyrinth of Flame (Shattered Sigil #3) 

Scott Lynch, The Thorn of Emberlain (Gentlemen Bastards #4)

Orson Scott Card,  (Mithermages #3)

Jeff Salyards, Veil of the Deserters (Bloodsounder's Arc #2) Steven Erikson, Fall of Light (Kharkanas Trilogy #2) - Have to read Forge of Darkness first. Janny Wurts, Destiny's Conflict (Wars of Light and Shadow #10)

Not Counting On:
Patrick Rothfuss, The Doors of Stone (Kingkiller Chronicle #3)
George R.R. Martin, The Winds of Winter (ASoIaF #6) 
Peter V. Brett, The Skull Throne (Demon Cycle #4) - Probably 2015

EDIT: Added a few I'd completely forgotten (like Cline's Armada for instance!), which makes no sense because I'm dying to read them. 

EDIT #2: Bennett's City of Stairs apparently has a release date in September.

eBook Deals - Sullivan, Williams, Stephensen, Kadrey, Sheehan, Wurts

I know it's been a while, sorry about that. I've been insanely busy and sick and still busy. I have a couple books to review (Sword of Angels, The Magicians, and A Discourse in Steel) and a couple more I should finish up soon (Ships of Merior and Leviathan Wakes). I'm thinking about changing my reviews a bit, really just adding some info that people might find helpful, including a link to the reason I read the book in the first place, if a review or mention exists.

Anyway, here are some cheap books to tide you over.

[$2.99] Theft of Swords (Riyria Revelations #1 & #2) by Michael J. Sullivan - This is an omnibus so you get two books for the price of one. My review.
[$0.99] Angel Station by Walter Jon Williams - I've been collecting Williams' books since I read his excellent (greatly understated) short story in Songs of the Dying Earth.
[FREE] Daddy's World by Walter Jon Williams - The Nebula winner for Novelette.
[$2.99] Reamde by Neal Stephensen
[$2.99] Devil Said Bang (Sandman Slim #4)by Richard Kadrey
[$2.99] A Private Little War by Jason Sheehan
[$0.99] The Curse of the Mistwraith (Wars of Light and Shadow #1) by Janny Wurts - Because I'm reading book two now, I have to repost these deals. These books are so good with insane amounts of depth. My review.
[$1.99] Ships of Merior Wars of Light and Shadow #2) by Janny Wurts - Worth so much more than this, this is a steal!
[$3.79] Warhost of Vastmark Wars of Light and Shadow #3) by Janny Wurts

Michael J. Sullivan's Kickstarter Ending Soon

You know, when I first heard of Kickstarter my immediate reaction was to hate it. I really don't know why especially as my viewpoint has changed considerably (in the 180 degree amount). What could possibly be bad about (1) being a part of something you love at the ground level, (2) often getting content for cheaper than you would buying it new, and (3) helping make something you will already love that much better because they have more of an ability to make it better. It's win-win. Seriously, I have no idea what my problem was...oh, it was the fact that I had zero understanding of it.

With that, here's the second time I'm promoting something great that's happening on Kickstarter because why not make something awesome more awesome?

Michael J. Sullivan is not only a self-publishing superstar, but a great author and person. Having been a self-published and traditionally published author, his perspective is extremely valuable in this day where the hybrid author is becoming more and more prevalent.

This year he has three books coming out, two traditionally (Orbit books) and one self-published with the help of the aforementioned Kickstarter campaign. Already, this campaign has beautiful artwork (as depicted above) and lots of people backing it. And yet it's still worth jumping in at this point. Like I said, you can get a good deal on the book, plus things like limited posters of the artwork and more.

In a Goodreads email, Mr. Sullivan explained his book releases for this year and the Kickstarter (which only has 6 days left) as follows:



The first two are a new series that feature Royce and Hadrian from my Riyria Revelations. These are prequels that tell how Riyria began. It was a lot of fun exploring the roots of the pair, espcially given they didn't like each other upon first meeting. I'm not sure how much you know about "the book business," but pre-orders dictate a great deal for an author. It will determine the print run, the marketing budget, and titles with large pre-orders generally get more attention from the sales department. So if you are a fan of Riyria, and will be purchasing anyway, it would be a great help to me if you did so now by pre-ordering. Here are some links to make it easy:

* The Crown Tower: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
* The Rose and the Thorn: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

The last book, Hollow World, is a project that I'm very excited about. It's a non-Riyria story and combines science fiction, fantasy, and mystery in a seemless cross-genre adventure/thriller. I'm going to return to my self-publishing route with this title, and due to some restrictions in my current contract I'm not able to release any book between April 6, 2013 and January 17, 2014. So, I'm doing something rather interesting with this. I'm doing a Kickstarter Campaign. It will end on April 4 and anyone who pre-orders will get their copies of the book in June or July, which will be 6 - 7 months before it goes officially on sale.

In additon, since I'm doing a kickstarter I can offer backers all types of perks such as a poster, bookmarks, short stories, bundled ebook when paper copies are ordered, and a chance for you to be a character in one of my future books.

* Learn more & contribute here by April 4, 2013.

Here's a little bit about each book:

The Crown Tower (Aug 6, 2013): TWO MEN WHO HATE EACH OTHER. ONE IMPOSSIBLE MISSION. A LEGEND IN THE MAKING.
A warrior with nothing to fight for is paired with a thieving assassin with nothing to lose. Together they must steal a treasure that no one can reach. The Crown Tower is the impregnable remains of the grandest fortress ever built and home to the realm's most prized possessions. But it isn't gold or jewels that the old wizard is after, and if he can just keep them from killing each other, they just might do it. 

The Rose and the Thorn (Sep 17, 2013): TWO THIEVES WANT ANSWERS. RIYRIA IS BORN.
For more than a year Royce Melborn has tried to forget Gwen DeLancy, the woman who saved him and his partner Hadrian Blackwater from certain death. Unable to get her out of his mind, the two thieves return to Medford but receive a very different reception--Gwen refuses to see them. The victim of abuse by a powerful noble, she suspects that Royce will ignore any danger in his desire for revenge. By turning the thieves away, Gwen hopes to once more protect them. What she doesn’t realize is what the two are capable of--she’s about to find out.

Hollow World (Jan 20, 2014): THE FUTURE IS COMING...FOR SOME, SOONER THAN OTHERS.
A Detroit factory worker who has always played it safe and done the right thing is rewarded with unemployment, a loveless marriage, and a terminal illness. Now with nothing to lose, he’s willing to take an insane gamble. He’s spent months building a time machine, and if it works, he could find a place that challenges what it means to be human, what it takes to love, and the cost of paradise. If only he can survive…Hollow World.

Riyria Revelations: Theft of Swords | Rise of Empire | Heir of Novron
Riyria Chronicles: The Crown Tower | The Rose and the Thorn
Standalone Novels: Hollow World | Antithesis | A Burden to the Earth