Two great new debuts to award on this here beautiful Sunday afternoon: Seeds of Earth by Michael Cobley and Spellwright by Blake Charlton, science fiction and fantasy respectfully. I read Spellwright on Michael's recommendation and could not recommend it more.
Congratulations to Frank N. whose e-mail address leads me to think he works in advanced weapons research for the man. If you are reading sci-fi as research material...The snark for Seeds of Earth wasn't exactly snarky, but I do so enjoy being called royalty. From the Keeper of Yetis:
The title of the book in ALL CAPS, per your request, your ma-jes-ty!
Thank you kind sir!
There was fierce competition for the Spellwright giveaway but one reader reigned supreme. Sadly, the selection method this time was anything but random. Browsing the entries for snark and sitting alongside my significant and beautiful other, she noticed that a contestant was from Massachusetts. So, all I have to say is that Woodge, you had better be a Red Sox fan... grats!
The snark for Spellwright comes from Logan, and if you are so inclined might actually be considered valid criticism...
Like I need another book with a mysteriously hooded hero on the cover. Is that magic coming out of his hands, too? Wow...
Thats all for this week folks. Stay tuned for a blockbuster giveaway tomorrow - and by blockbuster I don't mean a DVD.
Congratulations to Kay Anna K. from GA on winning an uncorrected proof copy of The Left Hand of God, by Paul Hoffman. Sadly, there were no snarky comments this week, so you will all have to wait till the Seeds of Earth giveaway by Michael Cobley finishes up to get your fill. I hope every one had a good weekend and stay tuned for more exciting posts this week.
For a teaser of things past, present and future make sure to follow Michael's Weekly Roundups, where spirit crushing knowledge of all things sf/f will let you know what's hot and what's not.
Michael's review of Seeds of Earth strong-armed me into adding the book to my pile-0-shame. Nuf said.
Giveaway Rules
Want a copy of Seeds of Earth? Done. Just follow these simple giveaway instructions for your chance to win (giveaway runs till 3/10/10 @ 11:59 PM EST):
1) E-mail me [bloggeratf@gmail.com] your name and address, with the title of the book in caps, as the subject. Snarky comments increase your chances of winning and the snarkiest comment of the week gets free entries for future giveaways. 2) Sign up for site updates either in RSS or with Friend Connect on the side. This will also let you know about future giveaways! 3) Think happy thoughts. 4) (OPTIONAL) Share or link to any post on the blog--this earns you brownie points as well as increasing your (if you have made it this far) already significant odds. 5) There is no rule number five. I just like odd numbers.
At a time when WWW was an unknown abbreviation I liked to read science fiction. Anyone here who remembers authors like E. E. Smith or A. E. Van Vogt? -- to keep it short I press now fast-forward -- STOP -- In Roundup #03 I wrote about my plan to read some sci-fi within 2010. And I mentioned the book which I review today: Seeds of Earth (2010, mass market paperback) [US][UK], by Michael Cobley. It is the first book in the Humanity's Fire series. As it has been published first in 2009 several reviews are available. Just follow the links: Walker of Worlds, Dave Brendon's Fantasy & Scifi Weblog, SFF World, Fantasy Book Critic, King of the Nerds !!! To be honest there are more reviews available and now the time has come to add my two cents:
The Setup
A dream came through.Mankind gets in contact with intelligent life from outer space. But it didn't take long and the dream turned into a nightmare. The Swarm - relentless, merciless, unstoppable - knew only one target: Conquer the Earth. In a last desperate attempt Earth send out three colony ships: Hyperion, Forrestal, Tenebrosa - the Seeds of Earth.
CUT
150 years later. Somewhere in space. Planet Darien. New home for the colonists of the Hyperion. They have established a peaceful relationship with the aboriginal Uvovo. Together they try to discover the secrets beneath Dariens's forest moon which is a secret in itself. Secrets which arouse attention of other galactic civilizations. Coincidence or Predetermination - Darien gets in the focus of different races and beyond them people from Earth....
My Take in Brief
My first sci-fi book in 2010. the lusciously start of a space opera according to my taste. It is sad that I have to wait for the sequel - The Orphaned World - until April 2010.
I spent several evenings with thinking about how to review Seeds of Earth without giving any spoiler. In the end I think I found a way to express my thoughts.
Obviously the story is divided in a prologue, 56 named chapters and an epilogue. The prologue gives an insight on what happened 150 years ago on Earth. It reminded me partially on Starship Troopers. Each of the 56 chapters is titled with the name of the character we follow in that chapter. The epilogue gives you a few hints about what to come and that's intriguing...
Michael Cobley offers a lot of information, plots and subplots and without the change of the characters you easily would get lost. And by following the mostly well depicted characters you will easily find minimum one of them which you connect with. I must admit I liked more than one. It seems I have a knack for mechs. And so it should be no surprise that I liked the mech Drazuma-H* a lot. I really, really would like to tell more about him but that would be definitely a spoiler. Fortunately there are some more loveable characters like the as unobtrusive as mysterious Chel, an Uvovo. He changes in body and soul. Then we have Kao Chih, a descendant form the Tenebrosa colonists. Not to forget Robert Horst, the Earth ambassador and his daughter...... and "Black Theo" Theodor Karlsson former soldier who has been involved in Darien political coup some twenty years ago. The very good thing is that each of he characters has own motives which of course collide with greater plans.
One eerie thing is the the use of AI implanted to the bodies of alien races, especially the visitors of the powerful Sendruky Hegemony coalition.
MichaelCobley created a vast and interesting world. Every time when I read about Darien Avatar the movie came up in my mind. Mostly because of the forest. The aliens are definitely aliens in shape and size and thoughts and actions and reactions.
Coming back to the plot which is more than a plot divided in subplots full of twist and turns. The story lines of the characters are insolubly interwoven with the the main plot. Beside this the story is ensnared and stuffed with history, mystery, science, drama, serendipities, emotion, battles. Not to forget a splash of philosophy.
Finally I found something which reminded me of my youth (Michael Cobley and I share not only the first name we are also the same age group. And it seems we shared the same taste for music. Kao Chih tries to sell his audiobud (Must be something similar to a mp3-player nowadays) to an alien. Now read what kind of music the alien likes:
"... but this rokinrol is, ah, crude, harsh and fully alive, especially the Deep Purple,the Black Sabbath and the Led Zeppelin."
As a lover of epic fantasy I tell you that is the kind of space opera I want to read. For me it is epic fantasy in future. I recommend it! Give it a go.... Bona Fide's Book Oracle
What is Bona Fide's Book Oracle? To keep it short. It is a palaver about the reviewed book held by ediFanoB and his alter ego Bona Fide. And I am the keeper of the minutes. Now read my minutes..
Bona: "Napoleon. NAPOLEON! Bastard! Why don't you answer me? I hate this implant." Fide: "Hey Bona, what's the matter? Once again problems with Napoleon?" Bona: "Yep. That megalomaniac AI tries to drive me mad in order to come into power!" Fide: "Maybe your choice hasn't been a clever one." Bona: "It is more than obvious why you chose a kind of Patrick AI." Fide: "Ha! You are envious! You can't imagine how relaxing the absence of intelligence is." Bona: "Unbelievable! Finally you told me your secret. That is the explanation for your permanent pribble-prabble!" Fide: "I don't know what you mean. Give me a cookie please. We can try to count crumbs afterwards [giggle]." Bona[sighing]: "You will get a cookie as soon as we finish to talk about Seeds of Earth." Fide: "Hey Bona, how are you? Why don't we talk about Seeds of Earth? Why is it always up to me to upbraid you?" Bona [soliloquizing]: "Stay calm.Stay calm. Ask Napoleon for a plan to switch off this f*cking Patrick AI." Fide: "It is so sad. Bona is aging rapidly. Now we reached the stadium of soliloquizing. Don't desperate keeper of the minutes. I read Seeds of Earth and I would like to tell you my impressions." Bona: "Of course I read Seeds of Earthtoo. And of course I want to conquer the universe." Fide: "So we both read it and mentioned Seeds of Earth five times so far." Bona: "And now tell us your opinion." Fide: "Great stuff. Likable characters with own personality. Gorgeous world descriptions. A story full of twists and turns on several levels from single character to galaxy-spanning. That is epic fantasy settled in future. I want more! I want more! I want more! I want more! I want more! I want more!..." Bona[shouting]: "SHUT UP!!!!" Fide: "My work is done. Hello. It's me, Patrick. And I want to tell you that I like to sing space operas under the shower." Bona[shouting]: "Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeelp! Keeper of the minutes,please put me out of this misery." I'm the keeper of the minutes and I must confess Bona and Fide are going insane. Dear readers please apologize. I hope I can do something against it until our next meeting. I think you today I will go back to Bona Fide's appraisal:
My favorite quote is all at once a good description of the book:
"...the shooting, the event that would set the first cogs in motion, their turning bringing certain forces into play, allowing larger cogs the freedom to turn, while other things moved and stalked between the stars..." [p. 160]
More Michael Cobley
For more information about the author you can use following links: INTERSTELLAR TACTICS
More Humanity's Fire
The whole series is a trilogy. Look forward to April 2010 when book two The Orphaned World (2010) [UK], [US unknown] will be published. The final volume The Ascendant Stars is announced for 2011 [UK], [US unknown].
Origin of the copy
I bought the copy of Seeds of Earth which I read and used for this review.
Hello and welcome to issue #03 of my Weekly Roundup. The upcoming week I will be on a business trip to UK. That means the next Roundup will be a bit shorter. Hopefully I will find some time to read because I'm behind my reading schedule. I was not sure whether someone would leave comment related to my questions in the last Roundup. But some of you, my dear readers, left helpful comments. Thank you for that. Enjoy reading...... Bona Fide's Menu
In the last Roundup I tried something new. I asked you (my dear readers) two questions and I received comments. Thank you. It seems it should be worth to have a Facebook account in order to improve my network related to books. I will join after my return from my business trip. There are more people like my who like to discover PODs (Print on demand). But blogger like to decide on their own which book they want to read and maybe review. I decided for myself that if I'm interested in a POD I will contact the author. So I hopefully avoid to put my nose in books I don't like.
How do you decide whether to buy a book or not? I know people who go to a bookshop, buy a book and are happy. And I know people like me with several strategies to decide which book to buy. I never buy books on impulse. I'm a fan of list, book lists. I have a neverending book wish list on Goodreads. I have detailed to buy lists for ervery month and nearly a year in advance. Am I insane? I spend hours to reate these lists. Before I add a book to my list I normally read the blurb, up to 10 reviews if available and excerpts. The cover is not that important for me. But I'm also constantly changing my to buy list because of discovering new books or deleayed publishing. And I have a budget limit of 50 EURO per month. I order books up to more than year in advance. Am I insane? Am I the only one who makes a big fuss about his process of to buy a book decision?
Dear readers let me know how do you decide which book to buy. Are there more people like me or do I need to be admitted to a book bedlam?
Books
This week I received the paperback copy of a book which has been published first in 2009. Let me start with the book trailer:
Based on this trailer I searched for more information about Beat The Reaper (2009) [US][UK], by Josh Blazell and it didn't take long until I found the awesome Beat The Reaper site. I know it is completely different compared to what I read normally but sometimes I need to read something different. This is the new paperback cover and synopsis from the site:
"Dr. Peter Brown is an intern at Manhattan’s worst hospital. He has a talent for medicine, a shift from hell, and a past he’d prefer to keep hidden. Whether it’s a blocked circumflex artery or a plan to land a massive malpractice suit, he knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men. Pietro “Bearclaw” Brnwna is a hit man for the mob, with a genius for violence, a well-earned fear of sharks, and an overly close relationship with the Federal Witness Protection Program. More likely to leave a trail of dead gangsters than a molecule of evidence, he’s the last person you want to see in your hospital room. Nicholas LoBrutto, aka Eddy Squillante, is Dr. Brown’s new patient, with three months to live and a very strange idea: that Peter Brown and Pietro Brnwa might — just might — be the same person . . . Now with the mob, the government, and death itself descending on the hospital, Peter has to buy time and do whatever it takes to keep his patients, himself, and his last shot at redemption alive. To get through the next eight hours — and somehow beat the Reaper. Spattered in adrenaline-fueled action and bone-saw-sharp dialogue, Beat the Reaper is a debut thriller so utterly original you won’t be able to guess what happens next, and so shockingly entertaining you won’t be able to put it down."
Mark your calendars! February 16, 2010 is the date you can again board the gargantuan ship Chathrand when Robert V.S. Redick's The Ruling Sea comes to bookstores everywhere. But if you haven't yet met the Chathrand's motley crew whose saga began in last year's The Red Wolf Conspiracy, don't worry! We are giving away copies of the paperback edition of The Red Wolf Conspiracy to 10 lucky readers. For your chance to win, send your e-mail to delrey@randomhouse.com with RED WOLF in the subject line, including your full name and address in the body of the e-mail. (NOTE: your personal information will not be used for any purpose other than this content.) Ten (10) lucky winners will be selected at random and will receive a copy of the book. All submissions must be received by Wednesday, January 27th.
I could not detect any restriction. Therefore the giveaway should be open for all. This could be your opportunity to enter the Chathrand Voyage series by Robert V.S. Redick. Good Luck to all participants.Both books are really worth to read and I recommend them.
Blogosphere
There is a story behind following post. On Thursday Marc from Walker of Worlds posted about a competition. Nothing unusual. Except for me because the price of the competition is a book which is on my to buy list for February. And it is a sci-fi novel! Yes, I really want to read some sci-fi within 2010. Before I continue with the story you should know about which book I talk: Seeds of Earth (2010, mass market paperback) [US][UK], by Michael Cobley. It is the first book of the Humanity's Fire series. As has been published first in 2009 several reviews are available. Just follow the links: Walker of Worlds, Dave Brendon's Fantasy & Scifi Weblog, SFF World, Fantasy Book Critic, King of the Nerds !!! And this time I show you the whole cover. For all of you who have no magnifying glass at hand I repeat the blurb from the cover above:
"The first intelligent species to encounter Mankind attacked without warning. With little hope of halting the savage invasion, Earth's last, desperate roll of the dice was to dispatch three colony ships, seeds of Earth, to different parts of the galaxy. The human race would live on ...somewhere. Over a century later, the planet Darien hosts a thriving human settlement. But mankind's new home harbours secret dating back to the dawn of history. Secrets that could yet see a devastating war erupt across the entire galaxy..."
Now let's continue with the story. Of course I visited the competition site and found following question:
"There is a range of mountains on Darien which are named after a Scottish saint – what is that saint’s more popular name?"
What a disappointment! It is not possible to answer the question without knowing the book. The means it is a competition for people who read the book. Of course I left a comment. Only a few hours later following post appeared:
"(Slaps forehead) – my god, you`re absolutely right. Flipping norah – gonna have to come up with an alternative pronto."
Now a new question is available and I say thank you to Michael Cobley. By the way the new question is still a challenge...
Two authors, two artists and TOR.COM You know TOR.COM? It is a site for news and discussion of science fiction, fantasy, and all the things that interest SF and fantasy readers. Over there you can find two stories from two authors and two paintings from two artists. Anything else? NO. Let me go more in detail and you may understand why I wrote this post. Earth, USA, San Francisco, Mission District, 866 Valencia Street, Borderland Books, 2009, March 28th. Jay Lake and Ken Scholes wrote stories in front of a crowd. Each of them started a story and after finishing the first part they exchanged papers and each continued the story of the other. And as a result we have two stories. For details of the event please read On a Certain Day by Shannon Page. TOR.COM was eager to present the two stories. But that was not enough. The brought together Greg Manchess, the artist on Ken’s Psalms of Isaak series and Stephan Martiniere, the artist on Jay’s Clockwork books. Each started a painting for one of the stories and the other finished it. For details please read Martiniere/Manchess mashup for "The Starship Mechanic" and "Looking for Truth in a Wild Blue Yonder" by Irene Gallo. And this is the result. I hope you enjoy the stories and the paintings as much as I did.
The Starship Mechanic by Jay Lake and Ken Scholes Illustration by Stephan Martiniere & Greg Manchess
"If you were a technologically advanced alien race named Todd, what kind of mechanic would your ship have? And what if that mechanic liked to spend its time petting the naked cats at Borderlands Books?"
"Don't do drugs, kiddies, unless you really need to and/or they are recommended by a licensed therabot. And either way, don't have sex under the influence. Unless, of course, you're dealing with complicated grief."
If you want to meet interesting people, talk about fantasy books, share your opinions in a friendly fantasy atmosphere, support your favorite book and SIGN IN:
This week I didn't find a movie or a trailer worth to present you. But I found another interesting topic: Houses on bridges. One famous example is the old London Bridge. For more information visit the London Bridge Museum. And when you would like to see examples from around the world then I recommend to visit Modern Trolls: Bridges as Homes & Mini-Cities. As always the people from WebUrbanist put together a lot of information and pictures. And what is my contribution to this topic? A video! Yes, I found a video which explains how to design a bridge house. I must admit that could not live in this house due to my vertigo.....
Quotes
Seeds of Earth inspired me to search for quotes related to contact........
"You can judge your age by the amount of pain you feel when you come in contact with a new idea” Pearl S. Buck, American author, 1938 Nobel Prize for Literature (1892-1973)
"A happy childhood is poor preparation for human contacts.” by Colette, French novelist (1873 - 1954
"Sometimes I think the surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that none of it has tried to contact us.” by Bill Watterson, cartoonist, "Calvin and Hobbes" US cartoonist (1958 - )
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