Review - Crystal Rain (Xenowealth #1) by Tobias S. Buckell

I've been hearing about Tobias S. Buckell's Xenowealth series for years and finally got around to it last month. My schedule made reading time difficult to find, so it probably suffered somewhat from that, but overall, I really enjoyed Crystal Rain, book 1 in the Xenowealth series.

John DeBrun has no memory of his past, but there are a few odd things he's realized about himself, such as the fact that he doesn't seem to age or get sick (unbreakable!). We find him established with a wife and son and living in a Caribbean-esque world that leans toward the steampunk.

In this Caribbean-style world, just about everyone talks in dialect. As far as a unique world, I haven't come across this yet and I thought it was interesting ... at first. Then, it got frustrating and difficult to read after a while. It really threw me off and I never got used to it even by the end. Kudos to putting it in there and diversifying the genre, nonetheless.

The Caribbeans are attacked by the neighboring culture who live across the Wicket High mountain range and who are intent on domination. Again, the actual reasons behind the attack (and the interesting surprises) are much more than one country ruling another and has more to do with who is pulling the strings as we learn as the story progresses.

I don't want to spoil too much, but the payoff in the end is really great after the mysteries finally start to unfold. I blazed through the last hundred pages and it helped I actually found that mysterious reading time I was looking for.

Again, I fear spoiling too much, but this is a brilliant mix of fantasy and science fiction that started off slowly, but really built to a great ending. I did have some problems, but overall I highly enjoyed Crystal Rain and I'm looking forward to the sequels. The reveals were worth the minor difficulties and I think going into the next book, those hiccups will be overcome.

3.5 out of 5 Stars (recommended)

Xenowealth series:
1) Crystal Rain
2) Ragamuffin
3) Sly Mongoose
4) Apocalypse Ocean

(audiobook) Review - Finn Fancy Necromancy by Randy Henderson

Check out my review of Finn Fancy Necromancy by Randy Henderson over on SFFAudio.com. I liked this one a lot more than I thought I would. From the review:

Not your typical urban fantasy in the best possible way.

Giveaway - Trial of Intentions (Vault of Heaven #2) by Peter Orullian

Somehow I ended up with an extra copy of Peter Orullian's Trial of Intentions. While technically book two of the Vault of Heaven series (preceded by The Unremembered), the author tells us Trial can be read on it's own.

I really enjoyed The Unremembered, perhaps because of the similarities to the Wheel of Time, but the characters are also all their own. This is one hefty book, but since it's me running the giveaway on my own, I'll open this one up internationally.

The rules for those who want to enter for their chance to win one copy of Peter Orullian's Trial of Intentions:

1 - Send me an email to onlythebestsff@[remove this]gmail.com with your name and address.
2 - Enter the subject, "Emails of Intentions" which is my book where I have so many intentions of getting back with people and don't. I can't say I recommend reading it.
3 - This is an international giveaway, so ... no aliens from outer space I guess.
4 - Snark increases chances of winning future giveaways! I know I'm terrible, but how can I know how terrible I am? This is how.

Winners - Two Titles From Tor Giveaway for The Ultra Thin Man

I know this has been the story of the blog lately, but I finally have the winners for the Tor Giveaway of The Ultra Thin Man by Patrick Swenson and Echopraxia by Peter Watts.

Winners are:

Kayla Strickland from Virginia who gets The Ultra Thin Man by Patrick Swenson

and

Dan Oliveira from Massachusetts who gets Echopraxia by Peter Watts (Dan's second win in two giveaways, what a jerk ... you know ... because random.org loves him) :)


Thanks to all who entered and good luck next time!

Giveaway - Two Titles from Tor - The Ultra Thin Man by Patrick Swenson and Echopraxia by Peter Watts

Well, I'm heading on vacation this week. You'll probably not even notice the delay in posting what with my terrible record of late. So, to pass the time, I figured I'd post a giveaway from the wonderful folks at Tor. These are two titles I'm really interested in reading, however, who knows if they will fit into my already ridiculously backlogged schedule.

One winner will get, The Ultra Thin Man by Patrick Swenson.

Another will get Echopraxia by Peter Watts

 

The rules:

- Email your name and physical address to: onlythebestsff@[remove this]gmail.com

- Please list the order of the books you'd prefer. I'll pick two people and the first person gets their first pick. The second person will get their first pick if it's not the first person's first pick. Crystal clear right?

- For the subject of your email: "The Ultra Thin Man, or The Story of My Life Until 5 Years Ago" (Yes I do often try to see how many people will put a ridiculously long subject in their emails, usually it's everyone.)

- Snarky Comments get you extra entries to future giveaways (and make looking through entries fun for me!) 

- US only *ducks fruit*

- This giveaway ends in two weeks from today (August 28, 2014)

- Thanks!

- Snarky comments get you extra entries for future giveaways (and make reading entries much more entertaining on my end)
- US only **ducks rotten fruit** - See more at: http://onlythebestscifi.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2014-08-02T12:00:00-04:00&max-results=4#sthash.hkubyBUO.dpuf

Tor has offered to give three copies of The Wurms of Blearmouth to three random entrants.

If you would like to enter, please follow the exceedingly simple instructions below:

- Email your name and address to: onlythebestsff@[remove this]gmail.com
- As the subject, write "Wurms? What's a wurm? Oh a Wurm..."
- Snarky comments get you extra entries for future giveaways (and make reading entries much more entertaining on my end)
- US only **ducks rotten fruit**
- This giveaway ends a week from today - See more at: http://onlythebestscifi.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2014-08-02T12:00:00-04:00&max-results=4#sthash.hkubyBUO.dpuf

Tor has offered to give three copies of The Wurms of Blearmouth to three random entrants.

If you would like to enter, please follow the exceedingly simple instructions below:

- Email your name and address to: onlythebestsff@[remove this]gmail.com
- As the subject, write "Wurms? What's a wurm? Oh a Wurm..."
- Snarky comments get you extra entries for future giveaways (and make reading entries much more entertaining on my end)
- US only **ducks rotten fruit**
- This giveaway ends a week from today - See more at: http://onlythebestscifi.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2014-08-02T12:00:00-04:00&max-results=4#sthash.hkubyBUO.dpuf

Review - The Hollow City by Dan Wells

Dan Wells is my hero.

In his debut novel, I Am Not A Serial Killer (review), he takes on a protagonist who's a teenage sociopath. In The Hollow City [US] [UK], his protagonist is a schizophrenic mental patient. Both get you into their heads and both make you feel like you understand people a little bit better. Both are compulsively readable and impossible to put down.

I gotta hand it to Wells, that's quite a way to start a writing career.

The Hollow City is like Memento goes to the nuthouse. Not that it's told in a similar format, such as the whole starting at the end and ending at the beginning, but because your narrator is that unreliable. You really want to trust Michael Shipman, you want to believe that the "Faceless" men are chasing him, that all electronic devices are sending out signals and reporting on him (not just cell phones, but TV's and watches too), that the people he's talking to are all more than figments of his imagination.

But the facts are all there. Not only is he actually in a mental institution where all the doctors have him pegged as a schizophrenic, but he's got the typical narcissism that puts such a person at the center of every conspiracy that ever existed. Wells has obviously done a lot of research here, but it's not bogged down in any technical jargon.

And yet you can't help but think he might have something, he might be telling the truth about everything. What if he is? And then we find out that something or someone else Michael's seeing isn't real (or is it?). That wouldn't be annoying if I did that after every sentence would it?

The Hollow City is quite the trip.

Adding to the conspiracy and schizophrenia we see in Michael we are introduced to a mystery regarding a killer that's on the loose. In fact, the prologue takes us to one of a string of murders by one known as the Red Line Killer who's been not only killing people, but mutilating their faces. With no other leads, you begin to see why the police might be looking to Michael, a schizophrenic who's running away from "Faceless" men.

The jury's still out on the ending, though. I'm not sure whether I thought it was great or just so so. I liked it well enough, I think I just had too many other possibilities in my head that I was let down a bit. It's definitely fitting and the more I think about it, the more I like it. Given what happens at the end, it's actually a pretty cool idea ... and I'll stop there.

The Hollow City is pegged as science fiction, at least it's being marketed as such, but that only plays a minor part. I'm actually surprised they aren't marketing it as more mainstream, since most in the publishing biz try to distance themselves from the anathema that is SFF. So, cheers to Tor I guess. :)

I won't go into anymore detail for fear of ruining anything, I've done enough I'm sure. Let's just say that you should read The Hollow City if only to see this unique perspective, but also to get an incredibly unique experience. And once you're reading it, you won't be able to stop, I mean, it's Dan Wells.

4 out of 5 Stars (Highly Recommended!)

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher

Twitter Chat with Brandon Sanderson

I couldn't resist this bit of news from Tor. (Speaking of Twitter, follow me if you don't already: @seaksstamp or Alec at: @bloggerat)

From the Press Release:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November #TorChat lineup revealed!

You guessed right…it’s Brandon Sanderson month

New York, NY – Friday, November 11th – Tor Books (@torbooks) is thrilled to announce November’s #TorChat, part of a monthly series of genre-themed, hour-long chats created by Tor Books and hosted on Twitter.

November marks one of our most anticipated releases of 2011: The Alloy of Law, the new standalone Mistborn novel by #1 New York Times bestselling author Brandon Sanderson. While Brandon (@brandsanderson) is on tour for the new book this week, he offered to join us from the road for our monthly chat on Monday, 11/14 from 1 – 2 PM (EST) to answer questions from fans and talk Mistborn, Wheel of Time, Way of Kings, and his obsession with Magic the Gathering…

Monday also comes along in the middle of the second annual “Great Hunt,” a digital scavenger hunt for the codes to unlock an exclusive secret piece of content relating to the final WoT novel, A Memory of Light, hosted on an encrypted page on Brandon’s website

(www.brandonsanderson.com/greathunt). As fans find and enter each of the 35 codes, secreted in books along Brandon’s tour or handed out in answer to his cryptic hints (follow along with the twitter hashtag #wotgh), the page will slowly unlock its secret. And if you’re lucky, he just MIGHT announce when that first draft of A Memory of Light will be ready to hand-in…

The chat will be loosely moderated by Justin Golenbock (@jgolenbo), Brandon’s publicist at @torbooks, and Laura Fitzgerald (@Laura_FitzG) of Tor’s digital marketing department, who claims to know a thing or two about Ter’angreal.

Come join us on Monday at 1 PM!

About the Author

Brandon Sanderson (@brandsanderson) grew up in Lincoln, Nebraska. He teaches creative writing at Brigham Young University and lives in Utah with his wife and children. He is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Alloy of Law, Towers of Midnight, The Way of Kings, The Gathering Storm, Warbreaker, Elantris, the Mistborn trilogy, and the middle grade “Alcatraz” series. In December of 2007, Brandon was chosen to complete Robert Jordan's bestselling Wheel of Time series. He is now hard at work on the final volume, A Memory of Light, which is due out in November 2012.

For fascinating behind-the-scenes information on Brandon Sanderson’s work, visit him at www.brandonsanderson.com.

“I have never had the pleasure of returning to a universe in quite the same way as Brandon Sanderson has managed in his book, ‘The Alloy of Law’...This book stands on its own, and is a wonderful read that kept me reading well into the early hours of the morning. If you’ve read the series, then you’ll love this; if you haven’t, then I can almost guarantee you that you’ll want to after having read this…9.8 out of 10.”

—Fantasy Book Review

“An engaging and fun romp of a read. The characters really shine in this book.”

—Romantic Times

“The Alloy of Law is one of the finest Fantasy novels of the year. For fans of Sanderson, or neophytes just discovering his work, it’s an enjoyable adventure with wonderful characters, a unique, believable setting and all the hallmarks that make Sanderson one of the genre’s most exciting young writers… The Alloy of Law is the best Mistborn novel since the first volume and comes with my highest recommendation.”

—A Dribble of Ink

“Wholly, exuberantly, non-stop, entertaining….The action was briskly paced throughout, the fight scenes filled with energy and cinematic flair…If you’ve read the MISTBORN series, you’re in for a treat; it’s rare I get this freshly enjoyable a feel for revisiting a fantasy world.”

—Fantasy Literature

“The Alloy of Law is enthusiastic and energetic… if you like Sanderson’s books, particularly Mistborn, this will probably turn out to be one of the better books you’ll read this year.”

—Nethspace

“Contains the fast-paced, adventure-filled elements that fans of the original series, particularly Mistborn itself, enjoyed most…The Alloy of Law certainly is one of Sanderson's two best novels in terms of its action and that will be more than enough to sate the appetites of those who enjoyed his earlier Mistborn offerings.”
—Of Blog

“Brandon Sanderson makes it all work seamlessly.”

—SFF Audio

“The pacing is brisk and made for and exciting, page-turning read.”

—SFF World

“Filled with amusing Rough frontier banter in a realm in which early twentieth century technology and science competes with magic, fans will enjoy this action adventure caper. Brandon Sanderson brilliantly provides a refreshing guns and sorcery thriller.”
—SF Revu

“Sanderson has skillfully woven together an intricate plot with new complex, imperfect heroes…a fresh view of how a world can grow, building new dimensions into the best of the old. Sanderson continues to show that he is one of the best authors in the genre.”

—Library Journal Starred Review

“Don your leather duster, and hold onto your bowler hat. Sanderson takes us on a grand old adventure in the latest Mistborn novel…rife with laugh-out-loud moments, religious and philosophical ponderings, and plenty of crime-fighting action, this book fits nicely in any gun-holster.”

—Booklist

“Sanderson gives the world of Scadrial the Wild West treatment in this rollicking adventure tale set 300 years after the popular Mistborn epic fantasy trilogy…part Sherlock Holmes, part X-Men, this exciting stand-alone adventure is full of close shaves, shootouts, and witty banter.”

—Publishers Weekly

Sanderson’s fresh ideas on the source and employment of magic are both arresting and original.”

—Kirkus Reviews

About #Torchat

#TorChat is a genre-themed, hour-long chat series created by Tor Books and hosted on Twitter. Guest authors join fans in lively, informative and entertaining discussions of all that’s hot in genre fiction, 140 characters at a time, from 4 - 5 PM EST on the third Wednesday of every month. Each #TorChat revolves around a different genre topic of interest, often of a timely nature, and strives to provide a new media opportunity for readers to connect with their favorite authors.

About Tor Books

Tor Books, an imprint of Tom Doherty Associates, LLC, is a New York-based publisher of hardcover and softcover books. Founded in 1980, Tor annually publishes what is arguably the largest and most diverse line of science fiction and fantasy ever produced by a single English-language publisher. In 2002, Tor launched Starscape, an imprint dedicated to publishing quality science fiction and fantasy for young readers, including books by critically acclaimed and award winning authors such as Cory Doctorow, Orson Scott Card, and David Lubar. Between an extensive hardcover and trade-softcover line, an Orb backlist program, and a stronghold in mass-market paperbacks, books from Tor have won every major award in the SF and fantasy fields, and has been named Best Publisher 24 years in a row in the Locus Poll, the largest consumer poll in SF.

Giveaway: Ganymede by Cherie Priest

Tor was nice enough to provide a copy of Cherie Priest's newest entry into her Clockwork Century series, Ganymede [US] [UK] [Kindle]!

This series has received quite a bit of praise and excitement. While I have yet to read it, here's a nice review to whet your appetite.

Giveaway Rules

If you are interested in getting your hands on Ganymede, then follow the exceedingly simple instructions below.

E-mail me your name and address at (THIS IS DIFFERENT FROM NORMAL) seaksstamp@[removethis]gmail.com, with "GANY" as the subject of the email.

Snarky comments increase your chances of winning and win bonus entries for future giveaways. Open in the US only (sorry) as long as delivery doesn't require the mounting of an expedition into remote wilderness.