eBook Deals - Hobb, Adams, Sakey, McKinley

I found a couple good deals in the last couple days and needed to share.

[$1.99] The Willful Princess and the Piebald Prince by Robin Hobb
[$1.99] By Blood We Live edited by John Joseph Adams (Vampire anthology including Stephen King)
[$1.99] Brilliance by Marcus Sakey
[$1.99] A Better World by Marcus Sakey
[$1.99] Deerskin by Robin McKinley

eBook Deals - Hobb, Meikle, Vonnegut, Zahn, Brown, Sanderson, Card

Some great deals this week I just can't pass up. Assassin's Apprentice is a steal, what a great book. Also, I just started Heir to the Empire a week or so ago and here it is on sale. Great timing. I wonder if it's lost its value as a classic with the changes the new movies are making, not to mention declaring the EU is non-canon. It's been a great read either way and it makes sense to part from the books in my opinion, as great as they are.

[$0.99] Assassin's Apprentice (Farseer #1) by Robin Hobb
[$0.99] The Hole by William Meikle
[$1.82] The Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut - My favorite by Vonnegut.
[$1.99] Heir to the Empire (Thrawn #1) by Timothy Zahn - Reading this now and it's awesome.
[$1.99] Red Rising (Red Rising Trilogy #1) by Pierce Brown
[$2.99] The Way of Kings (Stormlight Archive #1) by Brandon Sanderson
[$3.99] Ender's Game (Ender #1) by Orson Scott Card

eBook Deals

Thought I'd stop by the blog for a quick post about some great deals I found. Sorry for the inactivity, but the bar is just a few weeks away.

[$0.99] A Pair of Aces by Joe R. Lansdale
[$1.99] The Prisoner of Heaven by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
[$2.99] The Demolished Man by Alfred Bester
[$3.79] Ship of Magic (Liveship Traders #1) by Robin Hobb

eBook Deals - Reid, McClellan, Hobb, Card, Martin

Sorry for the absolutely crap-tastic blogging lately. There's been a pretty constant state of influx in my life at the moment and I blog best under routine. Don't worry, I saved you from poor humor by holding back a terrible joke. And another one. You're welcome.

I have a handful of reviews I need to write up and I just keep digging myself a deeper hole. It does not help that I just got an iPhone 5 after my iPhone 3. Going from 10 minutes to start a game of Words with Friends to instant gratification has hampered many things to say the least. :)

[$0.99] Year Zero by Rob Reid
[$1.99] Promise of Blood (Powder Mage #1) by Brian McClellan - Still on sale, still worth every penny.
[$1.99] Dragon Keeper (Rain Wilds Chronicles #1) by Robin Hobb
[$3.98] Ender's Game (Ender #1) by Orson Scott Card
[$4.99] A Feast for Crows (A Song of Ice and Fire #4) by George R.R. Martin

eBook Deals - Jernigan, Russell, Williams, Boyett, McClellan, Pratchett, Hobb, Barron, Hickman, Gladstone, Hill, Martin, Gibson, Aldiss, Cobley

SfSignal.com ran their usual huge post of ebook deals a few days ago and it really makes finding deals easy. I'd highly recommend you check it out. Here's my condensed list of those titles that interest me:

[$0.99] The Bottom of the Sea (short stories) by Zachary Jernigan
[$0.99] The One Kingdom (Swan's War #1) by Sean Russell
[$0.99] The Isle of Battle (Swan's War #2) by Sean Russell
[$0.99] The Shadow Roads (Swan's War #3) by Sean Russell 

[$1.38] The Emperor's Knife (Tower and Knife #1) by Mazarkis Williams
[$1.48] Elegy Beach by Stephen R. Boyett - The sequel to Ariel.

[$1.99] Promise of Blood (Powder Mage #1) by Brian McClellan - OTBSFF Review.
[$1.99] Snuff (Discworld #843 ... or 39) by Terry Pratchett
[$1.99] Dragon Keeper (Rain Wilds Chronicles #1) by Robin Hobb
[$1.99] The Beautiful Thing That Awaits Us All by Laird Barron

[$2.99] Wayne of Gotham by Tracy Hickman
[$2.99] Three Parts Dead (Craft #1) by Max Gladstone
[$2.99] Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill
[$2.99] Wild Cards II: Aces High, edited by George R.R. Martin
[$2.99] Wild Cards: Inside Straight, edited by George R.R. Martin

[$2.24] Stealing Light (Shoal Sequence #1) by Gary Gibson
[$3.03] Nova War (Shoal Sequence #2) by Gary Gibson

[$3.82] Helliconia Summer by Brian W. Aldiss

Today Only:
[$1.99] Seads of Earth by Michael Cobley - OTBSFF review.

Night Shade Books - Free Downloads Yet Again! AND eBook Deals

This nice combined image stolen from Civilian Reader.

I can't help it, who doesn't love free books? The word must be spread. Night Shade Books is giving away three more books in celebration of averting the Mayan prophecy.

Email StillHere@nightshadebooks.com and you'll receive an auto response from us with a username, password and link to our download site where you'll be able to download the .epub or .mobi files of some of our most exciting and appropriately apocalyptic titles...

Like I said last time, give Night Shade Books a try. They've made up for past mistakes, it's time to forgive and forget and read amazing books.


In other eBook deals news:
[$3.99] 11/22/63 by Stephen King
[$0.99] Dragon Haven (Rain Wilds #2) by Robin Hobb
[$1.99] Out of the Silent Planet (Space Trilogy #1) by C.S. Lewis
[$1.99] Perelandra (Space Trilogy #2) by C.S. Lewis
[$1.99] That Hideous Strength (Space Trilogy #3) by C.S. Lewis
[$0.99] The Shadowdance Trilogy by David Dalglish - The entire trilogy is contained in one, nicely priced download.

Today Only:
[$1.99] Prince of Thorns by Mark Lawrence - Excellent debut. See my review. The sequel, King of Thorns (my review), is also excellent if not more so.

(Audiobook) Review - Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb

This is another one of those, how-can-you-call-yourself-a-fantasy-fan-without-reading series. I really am sorry I waited this long because I loved it and can't wait for more...good thing there are 10 more and counting set in the Realm of the Elderlings.

That's not to say I loved it from the beginning, however. I had a bit of a hard time getting into Assassin's Apprentice [US] [UK-Kindle £1.99] [Kindle], but that could also be the fact that I had a hard time with the narrator of the audiobook at first. By the end, I actually found it quite fitting.

Assassin's Apprentice is the first book in the Farseer Trilogy. The Farseer's are a ruling family in the land of the Six Duchies and the book is told from the perspective of Fitz Chivalry, the bastard of Prince Chivalry Farseer.

Everyone knows he's the bastard, his name even connotes such, but he has an uncanny resemblance to his father. Also, no one really knows what to do about the bastard until King Shrewd Farseer decides to put him to good use by putting him to work as the title of the book suggests.

As an assassin for the king, Fitz learns about herbs and languages, stealth and subterfuge. He's given tasks that test his skills such as stealing certain artifacts and then putting them back without being seen.

The setup of the book works really well to build up the world without slowing down the action too much. It's told essentially as Fitz Chivalry writing his memoirs. Each chapter begins with some information about the world, the politics, the peoples of or around the Six Duchies, among other things. Following this, the story resumes as if we're right there with Fitz as he is experiencing things.

In this way, the world becomes a rich tapestry you can't help but feel yourself a part of. The world expands while we continue to see the important role (and roles) that the bastard is beginning to play.

As I talk about this book now, Assassin's Apprentice wasn't nearly as exciting as I thought it would be going into it. We learn a lot about the world, the history, the relationships and the assassin work is really just a small part.

Then again, the story is much more than I ever thought it would be. It's more than just assassins, it's a rich story with a huge history that's told impeccably. Hobb is a master at leading you to expect one thing while her real plans come out of left field...and yet are so obvious at the same time.

4 out of 5 Stars (Loved it!)

Farseer Trilogy
Assassin's Apprentice (1995)
Royal Assassin (1996)
Assassin's Quest (1997)

Liveship Traders Trilogy
Ship of Magic (1998) 
Mad Ship (1999) 
Ship of Destiny (2000)

The Tawny Man Trilogy 
Fool's Errand (2002) 
Golden Fool (2003) 
Fool's Fate (2003)

Rain Wilds Chronicles

Dragon Keeper (2009) 
Dragon Haven (2010) 
City of Dragons (February 2012) 
Blood of Dragons (February 2013)

It's News To Me #18

I love how we never suffer for some good news and updates with genre fiction. Here's the latest:

Cover Art

Hrm...hrm...I think I just threw up with this new one by Robin Hobb.


















Both of these covers, UK on the left, US on the right, have me sold on this series. Any Picks for your favorite?

I'm going with the almost-never-better-and-why-the-heck-is-that US cover by Todd Lockwood and published by Pyr. It's close either way.

News

There's an interview with Brent Weeks over at Grasping for the Wind. I'm really excited for The Black Prism and this has me salivating:



Rowena Cory Daniells, author of The King's Bastard [US] [UK], is guest-posting at Mad Hatter's talking about the books that have influenced her writing:

The Mad Hatter’s post on reading outside the spec fic genre made me think about the books I read outside the genre I write in. Don’t get me wrong, I love fantasy, science fiction and horror and I was reading these books before I knew what genre was.

But unless we want to regurgitate what has gone before, writers need to expand their horizons. So I thought I’d look at some books that have helped fuel my Creative Crucible.

Books


Have you heard of I Am Number Four [US] [UK] yet? Of course of course and the more I hear, the more I like it. Dave Brendon has a number of excerpts going on his blog (chapters 1 through 8 in fact). Here's the blurb:

Nine of us came here. We look like you. We talk like you. We live among you. But we are not you. We can do things you dream of doing. We have powers you dream of having. We are stronger and faster than anything you have ever seen. We are the superheroes you worship in movies and comic books—but we are real.

Our plan was to grow, and train, and become strong, and become one, and fight them. But they found us and started hunting us first. Now all of us are running. Spending our lives in shadows, in places where no one would look, blending in. we have lived among you without you knowing.

But they know.

They caught Number One in Malaysia.
Number Two in England.
And Number Three in Kenya.
They killed them all.

I am Number Four.

I am next.

Chapters 2 & 3, Chapters 4 &5, Chapters 6 $ 7, Chapter 8

I want to read this book for the author's name alone and then the blurb sounds cool too. :)

And that's the news...at least to me.

Anthology Review: Warriors, edited by GRRM

Warriors, the highly anticipated anthology edited by George R. R. Martin and Gardner Dozois will hit shelves in March. Mr. Martin best describes the anthology: "You will find warriors of every shape, size, and color in this pages, warriors from every epoch of human history, from yesterday and today and tomorrow and worlds that never were. Some of the stories will make you sad, some will make you laugh, many will keep you on the edge of your sear." Indeed, Mr. Martin is right on point with his overall description - I found warriors to be a true wonder in both its diversity and talent. The masterful explorations of the warrior archetype will delight fans of any genre, and are sure to titillate even the most hardened veterans of speculative fiction.

The three pieces which follow are my favorites so far in the anthology - all are gritty and bloody, showcasing a fair measure of violence, wit, and emotion.

Soldierin', by Joe Landsdale:

In this daringly nifty piece of historical fiction, Mr. Landsdale brings us back to the old days of slavery and American expansion into the West. Meet an escaped slave headed to sign up as a Buffalo Soldier after narrowly escaping an old fashioned lynching. The tone of the story is reminiscent of Abercrombie in his First Law trilogy - dark and ironic with a healthy abundance of sarcasm masked as humor. Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of the tale, at least for me, is the protagonist's world view and the casual familiarity with which racist epithets - and racism -abound. A true cowboys and indians frontier story, Soldierin' will delight, amaze, and leave one hoping for an expanded novella on the part of Mr. Landsdale.

Dirae, by Peter S. Beagle:

Unique in its structure, Dirae is a dreamscape like staccato narrative of a hero in the truest sense; a being who exists only in the moments of greatest need to protect the innocent and punish evil. Part superhero quest and journey of self-discovery, Dirae holds more twists than is proper for such a short story, showcasing a profound sense of loss and sorrow that seems all to personal. Peter S. Beagle is undoubtedly a modern master of the short story who has once again amazed me with his raw skill and daring narrative style. I would give this one three thumbs up, but physically that would be a bit awkward.

The Triumph, by Robin Hobb:

Brutal and bloody, The Triumph is a story of friendship, honor, and courage in an age in which warriors dreamed and lived for glory - to be remembered - and where mythical beasts roamed the land. The story, more than anything, highlights the timeless bond between warriors that is forged in the heat of battle, that endures unto, and even beyond, death. In a historical sense, Mr. Hobb highlights a worldview that is long extinct, and was perhaps even doomed to extinction from the start. Gruesome and bloody, Triumph is a story of a bond broken and friendship lost, but a memory sustained. Highly recommended and second only to Mr. Beagle's Dirae at this point.

... to be continued.

Bona Fide: Weekly Roundup #26

Hello and welcome to a new issue of my weekly roundup. Last Sunday we entered the summer season in Europe, which is nice as long as we don't get temperatures above 25 °C. But I know we will get some hot days... Then I only want a leafy bower, an iced drink, and an awesome book. Another possibility is to watch a good movie in an air-conditioned cinema. Hope you enjoy summer and my roundup.


Authors

Even in this economic crisis it is possible to earn a lot of money with SFF books. Here are two examples:

Brandon Sanderson sold four books to Tor. A deal which could exceed $2.5 million.

Science fiction author Alastair Reynolds signed a 10-book deal with Gollancz worth £1m.
To be honest I'm not envious. I hope that both of them will write extraordinary good books which we will love.

And there is one more author worth mentioning: George R.R. Martin. Like a lot of other people I'm still waiting for the release of A Dance with Dragons. He mentioned on his Not A Blog that he has had a very productive period. Fingers crossed that this period will continue... because god knows we have all waited long enough.

Books

Robin Hobb is one of my favorite authors. This week, The Dragon Keeper, the first book of her new Rain Wild Chronicles series hits bookstores. The following book trailer contains more information. I can't wait to read it:


Hopefully you read the review of Hyperion by Dan Simmons on this blog. But he is more than only a science fiction author. He wrote books in other genres. I think during the summer you should read books with a cool background. And Mr. Simmons has something to offer:

Terror

Dan Simmons tells the story of the last expedition of John Franklin, who tried to find the Northwest Passage in 1845 with the ships HMS Terror and HMS Erebus. Based on the know facts, Dan Simmons presents an expressive and quite impressive metaphor of the expedition. I felt the cold on nearly every page. Let's not forget the intense description of the feelings of the expedition members. Beside all the obvious fun, the reader gets to learn a lot about the customs and traditions of the Eskimos.

The appendix contains the list of crewmembers, a glossary and explanations of Eskimo terms. I recommend this book warmly to everyone who is interested in Arctic Zones, Explorers, and the depths of the human soul.

Blogosphere

Don't know whether you followed the heated debate over at OF-Blog in his "When Do You Stop Whoring Yourself Out" or not. I don't want to comment here--I left comments over there. From my point of view, Aidan responded very well and in a positive way. Please read A Dribble of Ink » Blog Archive » Article | Where’d the Enthusiasm Go?
Andrew Lipson likes LEGO. And I admire when he renders Escher pictures into LEGO. Visit his site. I promise you won't regret it...

Quote of the Week

The quote of this week just impress my love for books:

Books to the ceiling,
Books to the sky,
My pile of books is mile high.
How I love them! How I need them!
I'll have a long beard by the time I read them

Arnold Lobel, (1933 -1987)