Guest Blog: Author Justin Gustainis: Haunted Scranton

About a month ago I asked Mr. Gustainis to stop by Sci-Fi Guys and give us a little mouth watering tidbit to warm us up while we waited for the second book in his Haunted Scranton series to come out. But, since it's already been out for a while (I know, Bad Rodney!) consider Mr. Gustainis' guest blog a introduction to the series for those interested.

Welcome to “Haunted Scranton”

My books Hard Spell and Evil Dark (with Known Devil due out next Fall), are set in an alternate universe where supernatural creatures of every sort really exist – and everyone knows it. Although the publisher’s title for the series is “The Occult Crime Unit Investigations” I prefer to call it the “Haunted Scranton” series, since the books are set in and around Scranton, PA – but this is a Scranton with spooks.

The series protagonist (and narrator) is Sgt. Stan Markowski, a veteran detective on the Scranton P.D.’s Occult Crimes Unit. Here’s Stan describing his job: “Being supernatural is legal in Scranton, just like anyplace else. And doing supernatural stuff is also legal – within reason. But if a vamp puts the bite on an unwilling victim, or some witch casts the wrong kind of spell, that’s when they call me.”

I wanted to take this opportunity to introduce you to a few of the people (and some who aren’t, strictly speaking, people) and places in Haunted Scranton.

--Stan’s boss, Lt. McGuire. His wife was kidnapped and murdered by a gang of werewolves, years ago. “McGuire’s a good guy and an okay boss, but there’s a darkness about him that has nothing to so with the fact that he doesn’t see much sunlight. He’s no vigilante – he believes in the law. But God help any supe [cop slang for supernatural creature] who breaks it.”

--Rachel Procter, the Scranton Police Department’s Consulting Witch. One night, Stan visits Rachel’s office, to ask her for a necromancy that she does not want to perform. “Rachel Procter’s about five feet tall and built lean. She’s got auburn hair, smart-looking gray eyes, and a beautiful smile. The smile put in an appearance when I walked into her office, but when I told her what I wanted, it was gone, baby, gone. She was looking at me as if I’d suggested we have three-way sex with a goat some night. A real old, smelly goat.”

--Barney Ghougle (not his real name, but everyone calls him that), a local ghoul and one of Stan’s best informants. “For the latest gossip, a ghoul will put a roomful of Polish grandmothers to shame,” Stan says. To no one’s surprise, Barney’s a mortician. “I hear his funeral home is pretty successful, but I’d never do business with him. I like my relatives to be buried with all their parts intact.”

And if you visit Haunted Scranton, be sure to stop in for a drink (after sundown, naturally) at Renfield’s, the biggest “supe” bar in town. Most nights, you’ll find Elvira tending bar. That’s not her real name, but she’s dressed and made up in a good imitation of a certain TV horror hostess from the West Coast. Stan figures that the cleavage is probably good for tips. Most kinds of drinks are available in Renfield’s, but if you order a Bloody Mary, be sure to specify whether you want it with real blood.

If you get the munchies, Stan recommends Three Witches Bakery. He’s always hearing their commercial jingle on the local radio station, WARD: “Nothing says lovin’ like something from the coven….”

There are a couple of other people who are important in Stan’s life – his daughter, Christine and his partner, Karl Renfer. But I’d rather let you meet them for yourselves – and I hope that, one of these nights, you will.

The Corpse-Rat King Cover Revealed

Angry Robot just recently revealed the new cover and synopsis for what will be a debut novel from author Lee Battersby. Titled The Corpse-Rat King, when AR first made the announcement that they had signed Battersby on, without even knowing what the book was about, I was all in. With a kick ass name like The Corpse-Rat King, how can you not be?

And once again, AR has put my uneasy feelings at rest with providing Mr. Battersby with a kick ass cover (but, then again, aren't all of Angry Robot's covers pretty B.A.?). It definitely has a medieval plague meets Dante's Inferno feel to it. And why shouldn't it, especially with a synopsis like this:

Marius dos Hellespont and his apprentice, Gerd, are professional looters of battlefields. When they stumble upon the King of Scorby and Gerd is killed, Marius is mistaken for the monarch by one of the dead soldiers and is transported down to the kingdom of the dead.

Just like the living citizens, the dead need a king -- after all, the King is God's representative, and someone needs to remind God where they are.

And so it comes to pass that Marius is banished to the surface with one message: if he wants to recover his life he must find the dead a King. Which he fully intends to do.

Just as soon as he stops running away.

With a release date of August 28th, I'm sure readers could start looking a few days before that for this awesome novel to hit the shelves of their local bookstore. And around the same time look for a review of The Corpse-Rat King.

~Rodney

Guest Blog: Author Chris F. Holm: The New Noir

I recently contacted Chris F. Holm after reading his debut novel from Angry Robot, Dead Harvest, and loved it so much I asked him to stop by The Sci-Fi Guys to share a bit about the genre of noir.

The New Noir

Chris F. Holm

“Noir” is perhaps the slipperiest term in all of literature. That’s in large part due to its muddy origins; our modern use of the term derives from the film noir of the ’40s and ’50s, which in turn borrowed heavily from the bleak crime tales that began cropping up in the U.S. during the Depression. James Cain, author of THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE and DOUBLE INDEMNITY, is widely credited as the creator of the modern roman noir. Before Cain, the term was used to refer to what we’d now call Gothic novels, but afterward, the term took on a life of its own.

Thing is, Cain wasn’t wild about the label, and those classic film noir flicks? Yeah, they weren’t called that then. The title was bestowed upon them by a French critic years after they began popping up in theaters, and the so-called noir canon wasn’t really well-defined until the ’70s, when critics and cinema historians adopted it en masse; before then, most of what we consider film noir were simply melodramas. So really, noir fiction is the result of a decades-long game of telephone that bounced from books to movies and back again, with stops on two continents along the way. (For a modern analog, ask any group of kids what “emo” means. I’ll bet you get a couple dozen different answers, none of which will correctly trace the term back to the hallowed ’80s D.C. hardcore punk scene. But I digress.)

The definition that’s gotten the most traction of late is noir preservationist Eddie Muller’s; he called noir “working-class tragedy,” That ain’t half-bad, but it’s more descriptive of where noir’s been than what noir is. For my money, noir boils down to bleak humanism. It’s all about lousy options, bad decisions, and dire consequences.

But regardless of whose definition you go with, you’ll notice something’s lacking: namely, any mention of genre. That’s because for as much as noir’s assumed to be a subset of crime fiction, it’s more vibe than subgenre. And, as many an enterprising modern writer seems intent on proving, that vibe is one that plays just as well with fantasy and science fiction as it does with crime. Witness William Gibson’s brilliant NEUROMANCER (which, okay, came out a while back, but then Gibson’s always been ahead of the curve), Jeff VanderMeer’s unsettling FINCH, or any number of works put out by my (utterly fantastic) publisher, Angry Robot, by folks like Adam Christopher, Tim Waggoner, and Lauren Beukes.

Or, if you’d prefer, witness my humble entrant in the realm of fantastical noir, DEAD HARVEST.

DEAD HARVEST is the tale of Sam Thornton, a man condemned to collect souls of the damned for all eternity, and ensure they find their way to hell. Sam was collected himself decades ago, after striking a deal with a demon to save his dying wife. When Sam’s dispatched to collect the soul of a young girl accused of slaughtering her family, he comes to believe she’s been framed. So he decides to do something no Collector’s ever done before: he defies hell and sets out to prove her innocence.

Yeah, sure, DEAD HARVEST contains its share of crime. But I’d argue it’s not the crime that makes it noir. What makes it noir is Sam’s predicament – the fact that his choices led him down a path where the only redemption he’ll ever achieve in life is in his own mind, because his fate is long since sealed. What makes it noir is the fact that every option available to him is shit, and absolution’s off the menu.

Of course, I could be wrong. But then, the book is what the book is, regardless of how it’s tagged. And if I’m very, very lucky, maybe twenty years from now, some enterprising historians will lump me and all those other folks together under the moniker of new noir.

Hell, if I’m read that far out, they can call me whatever they’d like.

Dead Harvest Book Review

Title: Dead Harvest

Author: Chris F. Holm

Publisher: Angry Robot

Pages: 384

ISBN: 9780857662187

Dead Harvest is the riveting debut of author Chris F. Holm. The novel first caught my interest several months back when Angry Robot made the announcement on their website that they had acquired a new author for a two book deal. I'll admit, the announcement piqued my interest, but what really got me all revved up and ready to review were the amazing hardboiled, pulp-style covers for both books. Without peeking at the first page, I knew what to expect.

With Dead Harvest, Holm introduces Samuel Thornton, an archetypal, chain-smoking, hardboiled badass. But he's not your typical badass; he's a Collector of Souls. After striking a deal with a demon to save his dying wife, he's now damned to an afterlife worse than Hell, Sam hunts the souls of those who have been marked with similar fates. When he's assigned to pluck the soul from a young woman named Kate, whom he believes to be innocent of the horrific crime of killing her family, he does something no Collector has ever done before: Sam refuses to dispatch her soul to Hell. What culminates within the pages of Dead Harvest are the repercussions of uttering such a phrase. Sam will have to do everything within his power to keep the world from ending while proving the innocence of his assignment.

With such a powerful synopsis, I found myself jonesing for more before I had even managed to crack the spine of Dead Harvest. From the cover of the book to the basic premise, I couldn't wait to dive in. When I finally did, I found myself prolonging the inevitable: finishing it. 

With his debut novel, Holm's managed to do something that not many authors have been able to do in the span of an entire career, let alone with their debut novel: flawlessly mesh urban fantasy with a darker, grittier sub-genre that urban fantasy demands. Although not the first to do so, Holm has certainly managed to set himself apart from authors who preceded him. I think within the next six months to a year, a handful of authors will float to the surface to be the new torchbearer's for the noir genre, and Chris F. Holm will be leading the charge. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if Angry Robot spearheads this quasi-renaissance. With such an arsenal of titles already in their quiver (and with more in the works, they'll be hard to stop.

On the run from demons, angels, forgotten gods, and a kamikaze Collector named Bishop, Thornton will do anything he can to save the life of Kate, even if that means being chased through New York City while he plans his next move (cue: Robert Johnson's "Hellhounds on My Trail"), and decides on Kate's innocence.

With succinct prose and believable characters, Holm introduces not only a hardboiled hero, but a supporting cast that carries the pace, while also building the intensity. Something I would have never expected from a first novel.  Holm does a wonderful job of filling in the reader as the story unfolds, using flashbacks perfectly; right when I wanted to keep reading, he threw me into the past. There wasn't a single infodump throughout the entire novel. Instead, Holm flawlessly jumps through time and space to show the reader everything they need to know.

For those that like noir or are curious to see it blended with a more popular genre, then don't miss Dead Harvest . Memorable characters, situations and style are all the things that will keep me coming back for more of Holm's work in the future. The Wrong Goodbye, -- the sequel to Dead Harvest -- is already on my TBR pile for 2012, and will probably land at the top when an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) surfaces. Holm delivered in spades, and I loved every second of it. That's why I'm giving Dead Harvest 8.5 out of 10 TARDISes. 

  

Yeah, it was that good.

~Rodney

The Best of 2011: Publishers

While writing up my Top 11 of 2011 post, my brain kept coming back to dozens of titles, all of which were excellent, and all of which I read in 2011. Needless to say, it wasn't easy trying to come up with a list of the best reads of last year. Each title I mulled over, until, finally, I had a preliminary list. As I looked over each title that had made the list, one thought kept sticking out to me: the publishers.

Just as important as the author, the publishers are the ones who make it possible in most cases for the authors on my 2011 list to be read and reviewed by people like me. After some thought, I finally decided to do two Best of 2011 posts, the first being books, and the second post -- this post -- focusing on the publishers.

So, who were my top publishers of 2011? Well, when I broke it down, there were only a handful that immediately came to mind. In no particular order, they are:

Seventh Star Press - Although Seventh Star has been around for a few years, it hasn't been until recently that they've made a splash in the water. 2011 saw their author roster increase significantly with authors such as: D.A. Adams, David H. Blalock, and Michael West.

2011 also saw some major releases from Seventh Star as well. The Fall of Durkhon, Redheart, Cinema of Shadows, Angelkiller, The Seventh Throne, are all titles that hit the shelves this year. And if that's what they've managed to produce in 2011, I can't wait to see what they do in 2012! Fantasy, Horror, and Urban Fantasy fans should take note. If you want good, quality reads that don't take a bite out of your check should head over to Amazon and check out there $2.99 e-books.

And for those of you that might be unsure, or don't want to spend $2.99 on an e-book that they might not enjoy, should check out their 8 e-book short stories for only $.99, from authors Stephen Zimmer, Michael West, and Steven Shrewsbury.

I have no doubts that 2012 will be a very good year for Seventh Star!

Deadite Press - A relatively new small press -- and an imprint of Eraserhead Press -- Deadite specializes in cult horror authors that have managed to make a name for themselves, and along the way amassed overflowing flocks of followers. So it's no surprise that they produce great and sometimes hard to find titles from authors including: Brian Keene, Bryan Smith, Edward Lee, Robert Deveraux, Wrath James White, G.F. Gonzalez, and Nate Southard. Two of the eleven titles that made it onto my Top 11 of 2011 list were Deadite titles, so they must be doing something right!

Angry Robot - And finally, the sleeping giant of the list, and of 2011: Angry Robot. Founded in 2008 by Marc Gascoigne, Angry Robot has been going strong since, and gaining momentum at every turn. In less than three years, Angry Robot has managed to enlist some of the biggest names in Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror (Dan Abnett, K.W. Jeter, Tim Waggoner) and along the way found new names of future greats (Maurice Broaddus, Lauren Beukes, Lavie Tidhar, Adam Christopher, Matt Forbeck).

Angry Robot managed to release a massive list of titles in 2011, and have already begun to announce some great titles for 2012, including Giant Thief, Dead Harvest, Carpathia, Evil Dark, The Corpse-Rat King, The Alchemist of Souls, The Hammer and the Blade (all titles I'm looking forward to with much excitement).

If 2011 is any indication, I have a feeling that 2012 is going to be one hell of a year for books!

~Rodney

Book Bombed! The Doctor and the Kid! Darkness Falling! Red Phoenix! The Complete Drive-In!

Thanks to Pyr Publishing, I've just been book bombed! Luckily enough I decided to eat lunch at home today, otherwise I would have been forced to wait for the UPS man to come back around.

Although it's not due to hit shelves until December, I have an ARC (advanced reader copy) of Mike Resnick's newest Weird West Tale, sitting on my bookshelf. I recently mentioned, in August's Updates and More, that the cover for The Doctor and the Kid had been released on the net, and now I'm happy to announce that there's a synopsis for those interested, as well. Here it is:

The time is 1882. With the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral behind him, the consumptive Doc Holliday makes his way to Deadwood, Colorado, with Kate Elder, where he plans to spend the rrest of his life, finally moving into the luxurious facility that specializes in his disease.

But one night he gets a little to drunk and loses everything he has at the gaming table. He realizes he needs to replenish his bankroll, and quickly, so that he can live out his days in comfort under medical care. He considers his options and hits upon the one most likely to produce income in a hurry: he'll use his skill as a shootist and turn bounty hunter.

The biggest reward is for the death of the young, twenty-year-old desperado known as Billy the Kid. With the enlisted aid of both magic (Geronimo) and science (Thomas Edison), Doc goes out after his quarry. He will hunt the Kid down, and either kill him and claim the reward or die in the process and at least end his own suffering.

But as he is soon to find out, nothing is as easy as it looks.

****

I was pleased to recieve an e-mail a few weeks ago from the kind folks at Angry Robot, that stated there were extra review copies of Peter Crowther's Darkness Falling. So, I didn't hesitate to grab a copy. Now I'm looking forward to grabbing enough alone time to devour it and let you all know how great it is! Here's the synopsis:

First the flash. A glare of light, just before dawn, followed by utter darkness. A vast blanketing darkness that covered the whole world.

The the dissapearances. Friends and strangers alike, swallowed by the darkness... and the returned, altered, changed.

For the people of Jesman's Bend, it feels like the end of the world. But this is only the very start.

File Under: Science Fiction [Zombie Apocalypse; Bodysnatchers; They Return]

 

****



Red Phoenix is the sequel to Kylie Chan's White Tiger, and the second book in the Dark Heaven's Trilogy. Halfway through the first book of this series, I have no doubt that Red Phoenix is a read I'm honestly looking forward to. Combining something that I haven't seen in recent past: Chinese Mythology and Urban Fantasy. Here's the Synopsis for Red Phoenix:

Immortals, martial arts, gods, and demons...

The intrigue deepens as the demon threat closes around mortals and gods alike.

When Emma Donahue took the position of nanny to John Chen's daughter Simone, she never expected to be caring for the child of a Chinese god, and she didn't expect that demons would want him dead. Nor has moving from nanny to partner in his heavenly realm made Emma's life any easier. Now a powerful race of demons has been created to hunt her and her family from Hong Kong to Europe. And she and Simone have become targets -- pawns to be used in a deadly celestial power play.

****

Last, but not least for this Book Bomb is the omnibus The Complete Drive-In by Champion Mojo Storyteller Joe R. Lansdale. Several weeks ago, Mr. Lansdale ran a quick contest on his fan page over on Facebook, and lucky me, I was the first to respond with the correct answer. The person who could answer the question correctly won a free, signed book of their choosing by the Champion Mojo Storyteller himself. I chose The Complete Drive-In. Hopefully I'll be able to review it in the next couple of months. Here's the synopsis for those interested:

Friday night at the Orbit Drive-in: a circus of noise, sex, teenage hormones, B-movie blood, and popcorn. On a cool, crisp summer night, with the Texas stars shining down like rattlesnake eyes, movie-goers try to leave, their bodies dissolve into goo. Cowboys are reduced to tears. Lovers quarrel. Bikini clad women let their stomachs' sag, having lost the ambition to hold them in. The world outside the six monstrous screens fade to black while the movie-goers spiral into base humanity, resorting to fighting, murdering, crucifying, and cannibalizing to survive. Part dark comedy part horror show, Lansdale's cult Drive-In books are as shcoking and entertaining today as they were 20 years ago.

~Rodney

Updates and More: The Rift Walker. Into the Hinterlands. All the Earth, Thrown to the Sky. Debris. Blood Rights. The Hum and the Shiver.

Currently at the top of my list of reviews is The Rift Walker, book two of the Vampire Empire trilogy: the sequel to The Greyfriar, which I reviewed in full, here. For those who have read the review, or the first book and are interested in seeing what The Rift Walker is about, here's the back cover blurb for your reading pleasure:

Princess Adele struggles with a life of marriage and obligation as her Equatorian  Empire and their American Republic Allies stand on the brink of war with the vampire clans of the north. However, the alliances horrific strategy for total victory drives Adele to abandon her duty and embark on a desperate quest to keep her nation from staining its hands with genocide. Reunited with her great love, the mysterious adventurer known to the world as the Greyfriar, Adele is pursued by her own people as well as her vengeful husband, Senator Clark.

As Adele labors to bring order to her world, she learns more about the strange powers she exhibited in the north. Her teacher, Mamoru, leads a secret cabal of geomancers who believe Adele is the one who can touch the vast power of the Earth that surges through ley lines and wells up at the rifts where the lines meet. These energies are the key to defeating the enemy of mankind, and if Princess Adele could ever bring this power under her command, she could be death to vampires. But such a victory will also cost the life of Adele's beloved Greyfriar.

****

After the discovery of Baen Publishing's free online library came the discovery of science fiction author David Drake. Since that day I've kept him on my radar of authors to always follow. So I was extremely happy when I found out he would be writing a new series of books for Baen with John Lambshead. Into the Hinterlands is the product of that, and it hits shelves on September 6th. Here's the synopsis from the inside jacket:

When Allen Allenson, scion of a noble family that has fallen on hard times, gets a mission to roust the power-hungry Terrans from a "wild" star sector where they're encroaching, he jumps at the chance to show his individual worth, improve his family's fortunes -- and gather enough lucre to make a good marriage. But the wily Terrans are not so easily persuaded by a young colonial they think of as a rube.

Worse, Riders, the beings who naturally ply the wilderness between the stars, are playing their own deadly political games -- against the Terrans, against the colonials, and against one young greenhorn commander in particular: niave young Allen, whom they figure they can manipulate to do their bidding. The one thing nobody has counted on is the fact that Allen, while young and inexperienced, and much to his own amazement, happens to be a hero in the making.

From that alone, it sounds like this will be one hell of a series. For those into harder sci-fi, this just might be the book for you!

****

Another author who is always on my radar: Joe R. Lansdale. September 13th will see the release of his newest young adult novel All the Earth, Thrown to the Sky. A coming of age novel set in the ere of the Dust Bowl, this one sounds like a definite winner. Here's the description for the novel:

Jack Catcher's parents are dead -- his mom died of sickness and his dad of a broken heart -- and he has to get out of Oklahoma, where dust storms have killed everything green, hopeful, or alive. When former classmate Jane and her little brother Tony show up in his yard with plans to steal a dead neighbor's car and make a break for Texas, Jack doesn't need much convincing. But a run-in with one of the era's most notorious gangsters puts a crimp in Jane's plan, and soon the three kids are hitching the rails among hoboes, gangsters, and con men, racing to warn a carnival wrestler turned bank robber of the danger he faces and, in the process, find a new home for themselves. 

****

Debris is one of those novels that has three very important things going for it: 1.) It's got a kickass cover, 2.) It's got a kickass premise, and 3.) It's published by Angry Robot.

I know I've said it before, but Angry Robot has got everything going for it right now, including Jo Anderton's Debris. I'm seriously looking forward to reviewing it. With such an intriguing synopsis, I'm ready to hide away for as long as it takes to devour it whole.

And this is why: After being exposed to radioactive particles as part of a clean-up gang in the depths of space, Tanyana is told she has developed a hitherto-unseen ability to understand the apparently sentient stuff. Powerless, penniless and scarred, Tanyana must adjust to a new life collecting magical garbage -- 'debris' -- but starts to realize debris is more important than anyone could guess.

****

I never really ever liked reading about vampires, even before they blew up the horror industries. But, lately, I've been reading more and more stories with them. Not because they've become such a powerhouse in the Horror genre, but because, believe or not, there's still a handful of fresh tales to be told with the trope. And I'm hoping Blood Rights, book one in the House of Comarre series by Kristen Painter is one of those. Or, it could very well be a more serious and grounded Twilight novel for adults. I'm looking forward to finding out. Here's the synopsis from Orbit Publishing:

Born into a life of secrets and service Chrysabelle's body bears the telltale marks of Comarre -- a special race of humans bred to feed vampire nobility. When her patron is murdered, she becomes she becomes the prime suspect, which sends her running into the mortal world... and into the arms of Malkolm, an outcast vampire cursed to kill every being from whom he feeds. 

Now, Chrysabelle and Malkolm must work together to stop a plot to merge the mortal and supernatural worlds.

****

To round out this edition of Updates and More is Alex Bledsoe's The Hum and the Shiver. Most notably known for his Eddie Lacrosse fantasy/mystery series, The Hum and the Shiver is a stand-alone from Macmillion books.

Sounds like it might have a noir/mystery feel to it like some of his other stuff. Here's the synopsis from the publisher's website:

No one knows where the Tufa came from, or how they ended up in the Smokey Mountains of East Tennessee, yet when the first Europeans arrived, they were already there. Dark-haired, enigmatic, and suspicious of outsiders, the Tufa live quiet lives in the hills and valleys of Cloud County. While their origins may be lost to history, there are clues in their music -- hints of their true nature buried in songs they have passed down for generations.

Private Bronwyn Hyatt returns from Iraq wounded in body and in spirit, only to face the very things that drove her away in the first place: her family, her obligations to the Tufa, and her dangerous ex-boyfriend . But more trouble lurks in the mountains and hollows of her childhood home. Cryptic omens war of impending tragedy, and a restless "haint" lurks nearby, waiting to reveal Bronwyn's darkest secrets. Worst of all, Bronwyn has lost touch with the music that was once a vital part of her identity.

With death stalking her family, Bronwyn will need to summon the strength to take her place among the true Tufa and once again fly on the night winds...

~Rodney

Roil Book Review

Title: Roil

Author: Trent Jamieson

Publisher: Angry Robot

Pages: 416

ISBN: 9780857661845

Shale is disappearing; the land is being devoured by the Roil, a sentient mass of heat, darkness and swarms of horrible creatures. Where once stood twelve major cities to fight back the engulfing Roil, now there are only four bastions of humanity that remain to fight. Including a drug-addicted boy, a man thousands of years old, and a young woman bent on avenging her parents deaths.

As the story begins -- hundreds of miles north of the Roil -- David Milde watches as his father bleeds out from a slit throat in the streets of his hometown. Forced into hiding he heads to the underground tunnels that worm beneath the city of Mirleess, all the while suffering from Carnival withdrawels (a type of drug). Soon after an old man named Cadell arrives to whisk David away, with Carnival aplenty, and a plan to save Shale.

Hundreds of miles away, nestled in the Roil, Margaret Penn discovers that her parents -- the geniuses credited for the still standing city of Tate -- are dead. Left with nothing, Margaret is forced to fight her way through the Roil into the areas of Shale that have yet to suffer from the heat. From there the story takes off, leaving the reader to ride the waves of excitement and confusion. Shortly after, the three saviors of Shale finally meet, the story plateaus and comfortably carries on well past the climax.

Opening each chapter Jamieson includes an excerpt from personal diaries, historical texts, or quotes that pertain  to the world of Shale. Their purpose is to add flavor, and somehow tie in to each chapter in their own way, enriching the story. Jamieson manages to do a remarkable job with this in the first handful of chapters, but after that they only add to the spiraling miasma that begins soon after these flavor texts lose their flavor. A clever idea, if executed throughout the full length of the novel, I still enjoyed reading each one, even if they didn't carry the story in that particular chapter.

Established early on that David is a addict of the drug Carnival, the addiction continues through the majority of the book, but is only mentioned in spots where it's important. Never is it actually portrayed that David has a true addiction, one where he's constantly trying to find his next fix, but rather it's used as a tool to fill space, or thrown in only to further the scene or plot. David's addiction is promemant within the first few chapters, but then slowly begins to dwindle off, until it is convenient to mention it.

Throw in a handful of ideas, -- that if executed properly would have added intense depth and a wider scope to the world created -- that didn't coalesce or gel in any form or fashion and left more questions at the end of the novel than resolutions.

However, as painful and confusing as it was to read, I still thought the premise of the story was a fresh allegorical take on global warming and how we humans have been and still are the catalyst for something that could very well be our downfall.

There's not much that really redeemed Roil for me, which means I probably won't be picking up the second book in the duology, Night's Engines, anytime soon. So, I'm giving Roil 4.5 out of 10 TARDISES.


~Rodney

Updates and More: Black Prism. Roil. The Doctor and The Kid. White Tiger. Wizard Undercover. Farlander.

Here's another book update for those interested.

First up is Brent Weeks novel Black Prism, published through Orbit,  which will see an August 23rd release in paperback.

Here's the synopsis for Black Prism: Guile is the Prism, the most powerful man in the world. He is high priest and emperor, a man whose power, wit and charm are all that preserves a tenuous peace. Yet Prisms never last, and Guile knows exactly how long he has left to live.

When Guile discovers he has a son, born in a far kingdom after the war that put him in power, he must decide how much he's willing to pay to protect a secret that could tear his world apart.

And for those who have an interest in book trailers, you're in luck! Below is the book trailer for Black Prism, one of the most badass book trailers I've seen in recent years:

I'm happy to announce that I'll be doing a review for Black Prism here in the next few weeks.

****

It seems as though the only thing Angry Robot Publishing has been capable of doing since letting their presence be known in speculative fiction, is finding authors with brilliant ideas and publishing them. They've managed to do it again with Trent Jamieson's Roil, book one of a two book series called The Nightbound Land. The release date for Roil is August 30th, when it'll be found on the shelves of your local book store.

Here's the gripping synopsis: Shale is dying. A vast, chaotic, monster-bearing storm known only as the Roil is expanding, consuming the land. The last humans are fighting back with ever more bizarre new machines, but the Roil seems unstoppable. Whole cities have been consumed -- where once there where twelve, only four remain.

It's up to a decadent wastrel, a four thousand year-old man, and a young woman bent on revenge, to try to save their city -- and the world.

I'll be posting a review for Roil soon.

****

After reading Mike Resnick's The Buntline Special earlier this year and loving it for the most part, I've been keeping my ears to the ground, waiting for news of a sequel to it. And sure enough, pictures of the cover for The Doctor and the Kid finally popped up on the web, with a now updated release date of December 20th of this year. 

There isn't much in the way for a synopsis or brief explanation for The Doctor and the Kid, thus far, except for this little nugget:

Doc Holliday needs to replenish his bankroll quickly and uses his skill as a shootist to turn bounty hunter. The biggest reward is for the death of Billy the Kid. Doc enlists the aid of both magic (Geronimo) and science (Thomas Edison).

Sadly, that's it for now. If it's not the first book I review for 2012, it'll probably be the last for 2011. Either way, expect a review.

****

One of the more recent procurements for my collection is Kylie Chan's White Tiger from Harper Voyager. From what I can tell, White Tiger is Urban Fantasy with an Asian twist. I'm looking forward to reviewing it.

It's slated for release on August 30th. For those interested, here's the synopsis:

Emma Donahoe has just started her new job as nanny to Simone, the daughter of John Chin, a very rich Hong Kong businessman.

She understands that Simone may be a target for kidnappers but she does not expect to be drawn into a world of martial arts, magic and extreme danger, where gods and demons can exist in the mortal domain.

When John and his American bodyguard, Leo, teach Emma their particular style of martial arts, they realize that Emma herself is more than she seems.

****

Here's another novel that I've been keeping my ear to the ground about. Originally it was slated for a September 27th release date according to Amazon.com only a month or so ago. Because of unfortunate health issues, K.E. Mills (Karen Miller) recently posted on her blog that Wizard Undercover, published through Orbit Publishing, has been pushed back until January of 2012. 

So, expect reviews posted for both Witches Incorporated, the second book in the Rogue Agent series, and Wizard Squared, the third book in the series, before the end of this year.

And of course, here's the synopsis for Wizard Undercover:

There may be trouble ahead...

Wedding bells are ringing for the constantly battling nations of Splotze and Borovnik, and the upcoming royal nuptials could at last put an end to their dangerous hostilities. But in a development that hardly bodes well, one of Gerald's fellow janitors goes missing -- after delivering a dire warning of danger surrounding the marriage treaty. So Gerald must embark on a dangerous mission to uncover the troublemakers, before wedded bliss becomes international war.

But going undercover isn't as easy as it looks, even with Melissande and Emmerabiblia for camuoflage. Soon Gerald finds himself fighting for his life as well as world peace.

****

To round out this awesome update list, I figured I would mention the paperback release of Colin Buchanan's Farlander, published by Tor, which hits shelves on the 30th of August. I was excited about it when it first came out in hardcover, and I'm even more excited about it coming out in paperback, because now I can afford it, which means I'll be doing a review for it in the near future! For those interested, here's the back cover blurb:

The Heart of the World is a land in strife. For fifty years the Holy Empire of Mann, an empire and religion born from a nihilistic urban cult, has been conquering nation after nation. Their leader, Holy Matriarch Sasheen, ruthlessly maintains control through her diplomats, priests trained as subtle predators.

Ash is a member of an elite group of assassins, the Roshun, who offer protection through the threat of vendetta. Forced by his ailing health to take an apprentice, he chooses Nico, a young man living in the besieged city of Bar-Khos. At the time, Nico finds himself hungry, desperate, and alone in a city that finds itself teetering on the brink.

When the Holy Matriarch's son murders a woman under the protection of the Roshun, he forces the sect to seek his life in retribution. As Ash and his apprentice set out to fulfill the Roshun orders, their journey takes them into the heart of the conflict between the Empire and the Free Ports... into bloodshed and death.

****

There's the roundup for now! Look for more reviews soon!

~Rodney

Hard Spell Book Review

Title: Hard Spell

Author: Justin Gustainis

Publisher: Angry Robot

Pages: 336

ISBN: 9780857661159

We humans are not alone. In an alternate timeline, the reader is informed that Supernaturals, or "Supes" walk among us. Since the end WWII Supes have been given the same rights as humans, whether they be goblins, werewolves, vampires, witches, ghouls, or trolls. Throw in the element of a supernatural, the knowledge and experience it would take to solve a murder involving a werewolf or vampire, and you get The Supernatural Crimes Investigations Unit.

Scranton, Pennsylvania: a hotbed for all things that go bump in the night. It's also Detective Sergeant Stanley Markowski's beat. As a member of The Supernatural Crimes Investigations Unit, or the "Supe Squad," it's up to Markowski and his partner to solve any crimes or murders involving supernaturals.

What starts as a typical night for Markowski and his partner Renfer, turns into something far worse than either of them could have ever imagined. When the two arrive on scene they realize that the victim was a Vampire. But unlike most vampires, and most cases, the victim in question has three very unfamiliar symbols carved into his body. It's these three symbols that send Markowski and Renfer racing to stop a very, very bad thing from happening.

Gustainis doesn't mess around. Within the first thirty pages of Hard Spell Gustainis does three things incredibly well: he introduces you to the main character of the novel, explains the highlights of the Supernatural's history, and the slang and terminology the reader will need to understand what's going in the book. Although there isn't too much slang used, Gustainis still makes the reader aware.

On a whim I decided to review this book. And I'm damn glad I did. In less than nine hours, and one sitting, I had devoured Hard Spell from cover to cover, including the ten page excerpt for Evil Dark, the next book in the series. To say that I loved it was an understatement.

Admittidly at first, I had my reservations about Hard Spell. After reading the synopsis on the back cover I was afraid that it would read like every episode of CSI, NCIS, Criminal Minds, or every other CSI knock-off on television today, just with a bit fangs thrown in for good measure. I'm very happy to report that I was wrong. 

Dead wrong.

From page one Hard Spell builds momentum, and keeps going all the way to the end. 

Hard Spell is a rip-roaring, hard hitting mystery, crime wrapped in creepy old dudes, Witchfinders, hybrid magic users, meth-head goblins and a slew of Supes that would put the average Boogie Monster to shame. Witty dialogue, interesting characters, and a universe quite different from any I've read in the Urban Fantasy genre in a long time, makes Hard Spell one hell of a book. That's why I'm giving Hard Spell 9.0 out of 10 TARDISes.


If you like reading about things that go bump in the night, and are tired of the typical werewolf or vampire trope, then I would highly picking up a copy of Hard Spell.

~Rodney

Embedded Book Review

Title: Embedded
Author: Dan Abnett
Publisher: Angry Robot
Pages: 350
ISBN: 9780857660916


Embedded is Abnett’s first science fiction novel outside of the Warhammer 40,000 series. I must say, I’m very, very pleased with Embedded. The beginning is a bit confusing as Abnett uses a different lingo, one that you could expect to see 300 years post Cold War. With the setting being very imitative, we find characters drinking “-effect” beers and sitting on “-effect” furniture, synthesized to imitate the real thing. New habitable planets are numbered and then named after they are colonized becoming a part of the "United Status”, and we find our story taking conflict with planet 86.

Our main character, a journalist named Lex Falk, is the best as what he does. Major Gillard even says “I can see why you came so highly recommended. Probing questions. Incisive. Agile mind. I like it.” One thing I loved about Embedded is that I felt like I was actually Falk. Drawn into the character, I became comfortable with my surroundings, my friends, and my job as a reporter. Then, unexpectedly, Abnett upsets the story line by Falk making a split-second decision to take the chance of a lifetime and “link” up with a soldier named Nestor Bloom, a 26 year old first class private in the SOMD. Before long, Lex finds himself chipped into a soldier on the front line behind Bloom’s eyes.

The action scenes come alive in Embedded with a descriptive approach and you can almost smell the scenery. The soldiers have high-tech weapons and gear and vehicles similar to ones we use today, but much more efficient and effective. One piece of gear in particular which you can see on the cover is an arm stabilizing apparatus on the left arm of the soldier, the Limb Assist Exo Frame, or LEAF, used to support a soldier’s arm in extensive combat situations. The soldiers have a color targeting heads-up-display which highlights and distinguishes between non-threats and threats. It’s futuristic equipment like these that push Embedded further into the future and add to the “science” in “science fiction”.

I had to read Embedded slowly, just around 2 to 4 chapters at a sitting. It was a lot to digest and, at times, became so much that I had to reread a few parts as I would find myself sometimes asking who or what was that? I had only read 2 other books of Abnett’s and never would have classified myself as a “fan boy”. Now that I’ve read Embedded, however, I’m begging for more! The end to Embedded (no spoilers ahead) left me feeling a little let down, as there were questions still unanswered. Does this leave room for a sequel? I don’t know. Would I read it if there was? Of course!

I give Dan Abnett’s Embedded a 9 out of 10 Mechs. With a gripping story line, intrepid characters, and crisp settings, it’s a bold book gripping you till the end. My only complaint is the slow beginning, but it works with Embedded, just something I’d not prefer. I would confidently suggest this book, and I plan to visit Abnett’s other works very soon.

::Phil::