Pat's Fantasy Hotlist

The Helium Sea

noreply@blogger.com (Patrick) — Mon, 17 Aug 2026 18:26:18 +0000

When the blurb for Peter F. Hamilton's Exodus: The Archimedes Engine was first released, I was instantly hooked. But when it was announced that the book was set in the universe of an upcoming science fiction action-adventure RPG, I was a bit concerned that it might not be everything I wanted it to be. Ye of little faith, I know, and thankfully my fears were unfounded. Indeed, the book isn't a novelization of the videogame and it takes place thousands of years before. Hence, other than sharing that far-reaching universe, one can fully enjoy the book without playing the game and vice versa.

Not only that, but The Archimedes Engine was Hamilton's best novel in years and my favorite SFF work of 2024! So could its sequel, The Helium Sea, deliver on all fronts and live up the lofty expections generated by its predecessor? The answer is a resounding yes!

Here's the blurb:

The epic conclusion of the Archimedes Engine duology by legendary author Peter F. Hamilton. Set in the universe of EXODUS, a new sci-fi action-adventure RPG coming soon from Archetype Entertainment.

For millennia, the Crown Dominion has been at relative peace, with the Celestials in control and the human population little better than serfs. But now the Crown Dominion is facing a crisis of epic proportions—one that could change the balance of power in the Centauri Cluster forever—as an exiled faction that has been waiting for seven thousand years beyond the Helium Sea has returned to claim their vengeance.

For Finn and his human allies, who have ended up at the center of this conflict either through circumstance or manipulation, this is an unprecedented opportunity. If they can band together, they may be able to outwit the Celestials and finally earn their fellow humans a place of independence and power in the Crown Dominion. But first they must locate and master ancient artifacts of immense power that could give them a needed edge in the conflict ahead. And all while ducking the forces that are determined to knock them off the board for good.

As mentioned in my review of The Archimedes Engine, like all previous series/novels by Peter F. Hamilton, the Exodus duology is vast in scope and vision. Covering more than 40,000 years, from the time the first arkships left Earth to the present day political intrigue within and without the Centauri Cluster, the worldbuilding is extensive to say the least. To say that these novels feature a multilayered plot would be the understatement of the year. Thankfully, there is a timeline and a Dramatis Personae at the start of the book. I rarely say this, but this is a series that would have benefited from having a substantial glossary at the end of each installment. The scale of this story is enormous and somehow the sprawling worldbuilding just gets bigger in The Helium Sea.

The heart of the tale revolves around the Crown Dominion, comprised of six adjacent star systems ruled by a different House. Centuries before, one of the Queens launched a subversive campaign to evolve the Imperial Celestials in a fashion that was anathema to the others, forcing her counterparts to unite their forces and destroy her and her entire House. Since then, the five remaining Queens signed the Imperial Accord and each of them in turn will rule as Empress for sixty years. But cracks have appeared in this alliance and external factors have come into play to destabilize the entire Crown Dominion. Since the Remnant Era, which saw the violent rise and fall of interstellar civilizations through atrocious wars that saw countless worlds laid waste, armed conflicts have become extremely rare. Every Dominion has its Archons and their agents and this Cold War is waged through their proxies. This unwritten rule has defined intra- and extra-Dominion antagonism for ages, yet someone appears to be fomenting chaos that could start a new war and various Archons are now trying to discover which Dominion could be the culprit. Could this be a tale of revenge millennia in the making? In The Helium Sea, Hamilton finally provides the answers to all the questions raised in the first volume and it makes for an exciting read.

Once again, given the number of plotlines, there are a multitude of perspectives that witness events throughout the novel. Some POVs are better and more interesting than others, yet I would say that all are probably important for the author to convey everything that needs to be shared. There is a lot going on all across the Centauri Cluster, so various eyes and ears are necessary to follow the action and make sure that it all makes sense in the end. I found everything that has to do with the Queens of the Crown Dominion to be a lot more interesting in this second installment, what with them taking center stage in the growing conflict that could see their rule reduced to nothing. Once more in this sequel, it's the Archons and their espionage that I found the most captivating. And even if the Crown Dominion might not survive this war, Josias Aponi, the only man alive who has walked on Old Earth, will not settle for a life of servitude under the yoke of an oppressive regime and will continue to fight for the rights of humans and transhuman species, regardless of who will ultimately emerge victorious among the Celestials.

In The Archimedes Engine, it did take quite some time for the overall plot to take shape, and Hamilton needed more than 200 pages to lay the groundwork for everything that came after. There is no such pacing issue in The Helium Sea. The novel kicks off right where the first volume ended. The plot does meander a bit in the middle as various protagonists are sent on side quests, but I wouldn't say that the rhythm is ever a problem. This is another Hamilton doorstopper that turns into a page-turner once it really gets going!

Despite the frustrating cliffhanger ending, I felt that Peter F. Hamilton came up with a thrilling endgame and a rousing finale that closed the show with panache in the first volume. The same can be said of this sequel, though it suffers from the Wheel of Time syndrome. Basically all the good guys survive what could have been an end-of-days scenario, which defies credulity. In addition, the oft-mentioned Elohim, godlike creators of the Gates of Heaven, never make an appearance, which was a bit disappointing.

The Exodus duology is space opera at its very best! The Helium Sea is my favorite SFF read of 2026 so far!

The final verdict: 9/10

For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

This week's New York Times Bestsellers (August 2nd)

noreply@blogger.com (Patrick) — Sun, 16 Aug 2026 22:21:09 +0000

In hardcover:

Matt Dinniman's Carl's Doomsday Scenario is down one position, ending the week at number 8. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Matt Dinniman's The Dungeon Anarchist's Cookbook maintains its position at number 9. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Matt Dinniman's Dungeon Crawler Carl is down four spots, finishing the week at number 14. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Matt Dinniman's The Gate of the Feral Gods is down one spot, finishing the week at number 15. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

In paperback:

Andy Weir's Project Hail Mary maintains its position at number 2. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Matt Dinniman's Dungeon Crawler Carl maintains its position at number 3. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Pierce Brown's Red Rising maintains its position at number 13. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

More inexpensive ebook goodies!

noreply@blogger.com (Patrick) — Sun, 16 Aug 2026 22:13:43 +0000

You can now download Kevin Hearne's A Plague of Giants for only 1.99$ by following this Amazon Associate link. This OneLink will take you to the nearest Amazon site serving your country and you'll see if you can take advantage of this sale.

Here's the blurb:

From the author of The Iron Druid Chronicles, a thrilling novel that kicks off a fantasy series with an entirely new mythology—complete with shape-shifting bards, fire-wielding giants, and children who can speak to astonishing beasts.

MOTHER AND WARRIOR
Tallynd is a soldier who has already survived her toughest battle: losing her husband. But now she finds herself on the front lines of an invasion of giants, intent on wiping out the entire kingdom, including Tallynd’s two sons—all that she has left. The stakes have never been higher. If Tallynd fails, her boys may never become men.

SCHOLAR AND SPY
Dervan is an historian who longs for a simple, quiet life. But he’s drawn into intrigue when he’s hired to record the tales of a mysterious bard who may be a spy or even an assassin for a rival kingdom. As the bard shares his fantastical stories, Dervan makes a shocking discovery: He may have a connection to the tales, one that will bring his own secrets to light.

REBEL AND HERO
Abhi’s family have always been hunters, but Abhi wants to choose a different life for himself. Embarking on a journey of self-discovery, Abhi soon learns that his destiny is far greater than he imagined: a powerful new magic thrust upon him may hold the key to defeating the giants once and for all—if it doesn’t destroy him first.

Set in a magical world of terror and wonder, this novel is a deeply felt epic of courage and war, in which the fates of these characters intertwine—and where ordinary people become heroes, and their lives become legend.

More inexpensive ebook goodies!

noreply@blogger.com (Patrick) — Sat, 15 Aug 2026 03:19:49 +0000

You can now download Scott Lynch's The Smoke of Gold is Glory for only 1.99$ by following this Amazon Associate link. This OneLink will take you to the nearest Amazon site serving your country and you'll see if you can take advantage of this sale.

Here's the blurb:

In an age of high adventure, at the edge of the known world, bad luck has chased the famous thief Tarkaster Crale into a truly desperate venture. The ancient dragon Glimraug sits atop a trap-filled mountain, guarding the wealth of generations, daring poor fools like Crale to make a try for it. Crale's luck seems to be turning when he falls in with even mightier adventurers than himself-- if anyone can pull off the deadliest treasure raid of the age, it's this crew! But as the infiltration unfolds, Crale must face the uneasy realization that not everyone here might be on this mission for the same reason he is...

Originally published in the 2017 anthology The Book of Swords, "The Smoke of Gold is Glory" is a darkly amusing tale of freewheeling fantasy adventure and a rumination on how wecarry the weight of our fate, from the witty and confounding pen of one of the modern masters of sword and sorcery fiction. So finish what's left of your drink, get ready to climb the mountain with Crale and his friends, and try not to think about the song the drunken crowd sings for you as you walk out the tavern door:

Die rich, dragon’s dinner!
Play well the game that has no winner!
Climb the mountain, greedy sinner!
Die rich, dragon’s dinner!

More inexpensive ebook goodies!

noreply@blogger.com (Patrick) — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 14:15:35 +0000

You can now download Christopher Buehlman's The Daughter's War for only 2.99$ by following this Amazon Associet link. This OneLink will take you to the nearest Amazon site serving your country and you'll see if you can take advantage of this sale.

Here's the blurb:

Enter the fray in this luminous new adventure from Christopher Buehlman, set during the war-torn, goblin-infested years just before The Blacktongue Thief.

The goblins have killed all of our horses and most of our men.

They have enslaved our cities, burned our fields, and still they wage war.

Now, our daughters take up arms.

Galva — Galvicha to her three brothers, two of whom the goblins will kill — has defied her family’s wishes and joined the army’s untested new unit, the Raven Knights. They march toward a once-beautiful city overrun by the goblin horde, accompanied by scores of giant war corvids. Made with the darkest magics, these fearsome black birds may hold the key to stopping the goblins in their war to make cattle of mankind.

The road to victory is bloody, and goblins are clever and merciless. The Raven Knights can take nothing for granted — not the bonds of family, nor the wisdom of their leaders, nor their own safety against the dangerous war birds at their side. But some hopes are worth any risk.

All the Shah's Men

noreply@blogger.com (Patrick) — Wed, 12 Aug 2026 15:27:08 +0000

Stephen Kinzer does an amazing job documenting the history of Iran, the discovery of oil fields and how it affected the country, all the way to what led to the coup that overthrew Prime Minister Mohammed Mossadegh and put Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi back on the throne in 1953. Little did anyone know that this would be the CIA's first step in what would become their infamous legacy of ashes and would lead to the Islamic revolution of 1979 and everything that came after.

However, his conclusions are a bit far-fetched and show that he looks at this through rose-tinted glasses. While there's no denying that the Dulles brothers, Dwight Eisenhower, and Winston Churchill are directly responsible for the CIA coup and its far-reaching repercussions, to believe that the nascent Iranian democracy would somehow have resisted the Islamist radicalisation and violent extremism that swept through the Middle East in the 70s and afterwards feels more than a little preposterous.

Other than that, Kinzer's All the Shah's Men is an incredible read that will appeal to anyone interested in learning more about the genesis of the USA-Iran conflict.

Here's the blurb:

With a thrilling narrative that sheds much light on recent events, this national bestseller brings to life the 1953 CIA coup in Iran that ousted the country’s elected prime minister, ushered in a quarter-century of brutal rule under the Shah, and stimulated the rise of Islamic fundamentalism and anti-Americanism in the Middle East. Selected as one of the best books of the year by the Washington Post and The Economist, it now features a new preface by the author on the folly of attacking Iran.

For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

More inexpensive ebook goodies!

noreply@blogger.com (Patrick) — Wed, 12 Aug 2026 14:28:21 +0000

You can now download The Unreal and the Real: The Selected Short Stories of Ursula K. Le Guin for only 1.99$ by following this Amazon Associate link. This OneLink will take you to the nearest Amazon site serving your country and you'll see if you can take advantage of this sale.

Here's the blurb:

A collection of literary, science fiction, and fantasy short stories by the legendary and iconic Ursula K. Le Guin—selected with an introduction by the author and combined in one volume for the first time.

The Unreal and the Real is a collection of some of Ursula K. Le Guin’s best short stories. Spanning realistic fiction, speculative fiction, fantasy, and science fiction, the collection showcases her extraordinary range and her enduring explorations of human nature, society, gender, freedom, and alternative worlds.

Le Guin received numerous prizes and accolades, including the National Book Foundation’s Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters, a Newbery Honor, and the Nebula, Hugo, World Fantasy, and PEN/Malamud Awards. Her stories have appeared in collections throughout her career, but this is the first single volume to combine such a broad range of her work.

This week's New York Times Bestsellers (July 26th)

noreply@blogger.com (Patrick) — Tue, 11 Aug 2026 22:45:48 +0000

In hardcover:

Brigitte Knightley's The Exquisite Torment of Loving Your Enemy debuts at number 4. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Matt Dinniman's Carl's Doomsday Scenario maintains its position at number 7. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Matt Dinniman's The Dungeon Anarchist's Cookbook is down one position, ending the week at number 9. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Matt Dinniman's Dungeon Crawler Carl is down five spots, finishing the week at number 10. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Travis Deverell's He Who Fights With Monsters: Outworlder debuts at number 12. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Matt Dinniman's The Butcher's Masquerade returns at number 13. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Matt Dinniman's The Gate of the Feral Gods is down two spots, finishing the week at number 14. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

In paperback:

Andy Weir's Project Hail Mary maintains its position at number 2. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Matt Dinniman's Dungeon Crawler Carl is up one position, ending the week at number 3. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Kalie Cassidy's In the Wake of the Ruined debuts at number 12. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Pierce Brown's Red Rising is up one spot, finishing the week at number 13. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

More inexpensive ebook goodies!

noreply@blogger.com (Patrick) — Tue, 11 Aug 2026 14:39:34 +0000

You can now download Stephen Graham Jones' The Only Good Indians for only 2.99$ by following this Amazon Associate link. This OneLink will take you to the nearest Amazon site serving your country and you'll see if you can take advantage of this sale.

Here's the blurb:

A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

From Stephen Graham Jones, the master of modern horror and New York Times bestselling author of The Buffalo Hunter Hunter, a novel of revenge and identity hailed by Stephen King as “thrilling, literate, scary, immersive” that is equal parts psychological horror and cutting sociopolitical commentary about the American Indian experience.

From New York Times bestselling author Stephen Graham Jones comes a novel that is equal parts psychological horror and cutting social commentary on identity politics and the American Indian experience. Fans of Sylvia Moreno Garcia and Tommy Orange will love this story as it follows the lives of four American Indian men and their families, all haunted by a disturbing, deadly event that took place in their youth. Years later, they find themselves tracked by an entity bent on revenge, totally helpless as the culture and traditions they left behind catch up to them in a violent, vengeful way.

More inexpensive ebook goodies!

noreply@blogger.com (Patrick) — Tue, 11 Aug 2026 13:36:40 +0000

You can now get your hands on the digital edition of James S. A. Corey's Memory's Legion: The Complete Expanse Story Collection for only 1.99$ by following this Amazon Associate link. This OneLink will take you to the nearest Amazon site serving your country and you'll see if you can take advantage of this sale.

Here's the blurb:

From Leviathan Wakes to Leviathan Falls, James S. A. Corey's Hugo Award-winning Expanse series has redefined modern space opera. Now, available in print for the first time comes the complete collection of short fiction set in the Expanse universe, including both a brand-new novella set after the events of Leviathan Falls and author’s notes on each story.

On Mars, a scientist experiments with a new engine that will one day become the drive that fuels humanity's journey into the stars.

On an asteroid station, a group of prisoners are oblivious to the catastrophe that awaits them.

On a future Earth beset by overpopulation, pollution, and poverty, a crime boss desperately seeks to find a way off planet.

On an alien world, a human family struggles to establish a colony and make a new home.

All these stories and more are featured in this unmissable collection of short fiction set in the hardscrabble world of The Expanse.

Contents:
The Expanse Short Fiction
Drive
The Butcher of Anderson Station
The Churn
Gods of Risk
The Vital Abyss
Strange Dogs
Auberon
The Sins of our Fathers

More inexpensive ebook goodies!

noreply@blogger.com (Patrick) — Mon, 10 Aug 2026 14:01:03 +0000

You can now get your hands on the digital edition of Alastair Reynolds' House of Suns for only 1.99$ by following this Amazon Associate link. This OneLink will take you to the nearest Amazon site serving your country and you'll see if you can take advantage of this sale.

Here's the blurb:

Six million years ago, at the dawn of the star-faring era, Abigail Gentian fractured herself into a thousand male and female clones, which she called shatterlings. She sent them out into the galaxy to observe and document the rise and fall of countless human empires. Since then, every two hundred thousand years, they gather to exchange news and memories of their travels. Only there is no Gathering. Someone is eliminating the Gentian line. And now Campion and Purslane -- two shatterlings who have fallen in love and shared forbidden experiences -- must determine exactly who, or what, their enemy is, before they are wiped out of existence . . .

More inexpensive ebook goodies!

noreply@blogger.com (Patrick) — Sun, 09 Aug 2026 14:06:20 +0000

You can now download Ann Leckie's Radiant Star for only 2.99$ by following this Amazon Associet link. This OneLink will take you to the nearest Amazon site serving your country and you'll see if you can take advantage of this sale.

Here's the blurb:

Space opera's sharpest mind returns to the world of the Imperial Radch in this brilliant standalone from award-winning author Ann Leckie.

The Temporal Location of the Radiant Star has always been a source of both conflict and hope for the people of Ooioiaa. However, the imperial Radch see it only as an inconvenience, an antiquated religious site soon to be absorbed into their own, superior culture. But local politics is complicated, and the Radch have made a final concession: One last man will be allowed to join the mummified bodies in the temporal location to become a “living saint”.

But this decision will ripple out to affect every part of the city. Amidst a slowly worsening food shortage, riots, and a communication blackout from the rest of the Radch Empire, a religious savant will entertain visions of his own sainthood, a socialite will discover hir comfortable life upended, and a young man sold into servitude will find unlikely escape.

More inexpensive ebook goodies!

noreply@blogger.com (Patrick) — Sat, 08 Aug 2026 14:19:12 +0000

You can now download Joe Abercrombie's Sharp Ends for only 1.99$ by following this Amazon Associate link. This OneLink will take you to the nearest Amazon site serving your country and you'll see if you can take advantage of this sale.

Here's the blurb:

The Union may be full of bastards, but there’s only one who thinks he can save the day single-handed when the Gurkish come calling: the incomparable Colonel Sand dan Glokta.

Curnden Craw and his dozen are out to recover a mysterious item from beyond the Crinna. Only one small problem: no one seems to know what the item is.

Shevedieh, the self-styled best thief in Styria, lurches from disaster to catastrophe alongside her best friend and greatest enemy, Javre, Lioness of Hoskopp.

And after years of bloodshed, the idealistic chieftain Bethod is desperate to bring peace to the North. There’s only one obstacle left – his own lunatic champion, the most feared man in the North: the Bloody-Nine . . .

Sharp Ends combines previously published, award-winning short tales with exclusive new short stories. Violence explodes, treachery abounds, and the words are as deadly as the weapons in this rogue’s gallery of side-shows, back-stories, and sharp endings from the world of the First Law.

You can also get your hands on the digital edition of Stephen King's Dolores Claiborne for only 2.99$ here.

Here's the blurb:

When Vera Donovan, one of the wealthiest and most ill-natured residents of Maine’s Little Tall Island, dies suddenly in her home, suspicion is immediately cast on her housekeeper and caretaker, Dolores Claiborne. Dolores herself is no stranger to such mistrust, thanks to the local chatter and mysterious circumstances surrounding her abusive husband’s death twenty-nine years earlier.

But if this is truly to be the day of Dolores Claiborne’s reckoning, she has a few things of her own that she’d like to get off her chest...and begins to confess a spirited, intimate, and harrowing tale of the darkest secrets hidden within her hardscrabble existence, revealing above all one woman’s unwavering determination to weather the storm of her life with grace and protect the one she loves, no matter what the cost...

More inexpensive ebook goodies!

noreply@blogger.com (Patrick) — Fri, 07 Aug 2026 13:38:53 +0000

You can now get your hands on the digital edition of Mira Grant's Into the Drowning Deep for only 1.99$ by following this Amazon Associate link. This OneLink will take you to the nearest Amazon site serving your country and you'll see if you can take advantage of this sale.

Here's the blurb:

New York Times bestselling author Mira Grant, author of the renowned Newsflesh series, returns with a novel that takes us to a new world of ancient mysteries and mythological dangers come to life.

The ocean is home to many myths,

But some are deadly...

Seven years ago the Atargatis set off on a voyage to the Mariana Trench to film a mockumentary bringing to life ancient sea creatures of legend. It was lost at sea with all hands. Some have called it a hoax; others have called it a tragedy.

Now a new crew has been assembled. But this time they're not out to entertain. Some seek to validate their life's work. Some seek the greatest hunt of all. Some seek the truth. But for the ambitious young scientist Victoria Stewart this is a voyage to uncover the fate of the sister she lost.

Whatever the truth may be, it will only be found below the waves.

But the secrets of the deep come with a price.

More inexpensive ebook goodies!

noreply@blogger.com (Patrick) — Thu, 06 Aug 2026 13:28:12 +0000

You can now get your hands on the digital edition of Richard Morgan's excellent Altered Carbon for only 2.99$ by following this Amazon Associate link. This OneLink will take you to the nearest Amazon site serving your country and you'll see if you can take advantage of this sale.

Here's the blurb:

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • NOW AN EXCITING NEW SERIES FROM NETFLIX • The shell that blew a hole in his chest was only the beginning in this “tour de force of genre-bending, a brilliantly realized exercise in science fiction.”—The New York Times Book Review.

In the twenty-fifth century, humankind has spread throughout the galaxy, monitored by the watchful eye of the U.N. While divisions in race, religion, and class still exist, advances in technology have redefined life itself. Now, assuming one can afford the expensive procedure, a person’s consciousness can be stored in a cortical stack at the base of the brain and easily downloaded into a new body (or “sleeve”) making death nothing more than a minor blip on a screen.

Ex-U.N. envoy Takeshi Kovacs has been killed before, but his last death was particularly painful. Dispatched one hundred eighty light-years from home, re-sleeved into a body in Bay City (formerly San Francisco, now with a rusted, dilapidated Golden Gate Bridge), Kovacs is thrown into the dark heart of a shady, far-reaching conspiracy that is vicious even by the standards of a society that treats “existence” as something that can be bought and sold.

More inexpensive ebook goodies!

noreply@blogger.com (Patrick) — Wed, 05 Aug 2026 13:50:16 +0000

You can now download Mercedes Lackey and Andre Norton's Elvenbane for only 2.99$ by following this Amazon Associate link. This OneLink will take you to the nearest Amazon site serving your country and you'll see if you can take advantage of this sale.

Here's the blurb:

From Grand Masters Mercedes Lackey and Andre Norton — the landmark dragon-and-rebellion saga, revised, illustrated, and complete at last.

The elves rule a world where humans are property. The one thing they fear is a child who is not fully human.

For a thousand years the immortal elven lords have bred, collared, drugged, and discarded their human slaves at a whim. They fear revolt — but they fear something else far more: a halfblood child born with gifts no slave should possess. The elves have a name for such children. Wizards.

They hunt them, execute them, erase them, because prophecy whispers that one of them will rise as the Elvenbane.

When Serina Daeth is cast into the desert for carrying her master's child, she dies giving birth beneath a merciless sun. Her daughter should have died with her. Instead the infant is found by Alara, a dragon shaman who saves the strange little creature on impulse and carries her home to the hidden lairs of the Kin.

Raised among dragons, named Shana, taught to believe she is one of them, the child grows into a girl with impossible gifts, dangerous questions, and a destiny no one fully understands. To the elves she is an abomination. To the dragons she may be a tool, a threat, or the key to remaking the world. And as Shana uncovers the truth of her birth, she is drawn toward a legacy of magic, vengeance, and freedom that could shatter elven rule forever.

Before a world can be freed, one girl must learn what she truly is — and why so many would kill to keep her from becoming it.

An epic of dragon-raised wizards, immortal tyrants, and a long-prophesied rebellion, in the tradition of Anne McCaffrey's Pern. Elvenbane opens the complete four-book Halfblood Chronicles: newly revised and illustrated, and finished at last with the long-awaited finale.

This week's New York Times Bestsellers (July 19th)

noreply@blogger.com (Patrick) — Tue, 04 Aug 2026 14:20:34 +0000

In hardcover:

Matt Dinniman's Dungeon Crawler Carl returns at number 5. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Matt Dinniman's Carl's Doomsday Scenario maintains its position at number 7. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Matt Dinniman's The Dungeon Anarchist's Cookbook maintains its position at number 8. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Matt Dinniman's The Gate of the Feral Gods is up one spot, finishing the week at number 12. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Matt Dinniman's A Parade of Horribles is down three positions, ending the week at number 15. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

In paperback:

Andy Weir's Project Hail Mary maintains its position at number 2. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Matt Dinniman's Dungeon Crawler Carl is down one position, ending the week at number 4. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Pierce Brown's Red Rising returns at number 14. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

More inexpensive ebook goodies!

noreply@blogger.com (Patrick) — Tue, 04 Aug 2026 13:49:19 +0000

You can now get your hands on the digital edition of Travis Baldree’s Miss Gentle and the Case of the Very Flat Monk for only 0.99$ by following this Amazon Associate link. This OneLink will take you to the nearest Amazon site serving your country and you'll see if you can take advantage of this sale.

Here's the blurb:

A peculiar detective takes on a monastic murder mystery in a darkly funny fantasy short story by the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Legends and Lattes series.

Nobody really liked Brother Gorm, but his untimely and abrupt descent from the abbey’s bell tower has the Order of Venerous the Petulant on edge. Desperate to settle the case before the bishop returns, the abbot enlists the highly unorthodox investigator Miss Gentle. As she clanks through the abbey in a full suit of armor, the cantankerous detective has no problem asking awkward questions—but will she get any answers?

Travis Baldree’s Miss Gentle and the Case of the Very Flat Monk is part of the Magic and Mystery collection, puzzle-box mysteries from top fantasy authors. They can be read or listened to in one enchanting sitting.

You can also download Alex Aster's runaway bestseller Starside for only 2.99$ here.

Here's the blurb:

Hundreds of years ago, a brutal war split a land in two. Starside is the realm of magic and immortals—the descendants of the gods, living in a power-rich paradise. Stormside is where mortals fight for scraps of that magic.

Every fifty years, the gates between them open, and fifty challengers are allowed to journey across Starside on a deadly quest to access a pool of magic that can heal, grant wealth, or extend life. Everyone has their reasons for entering, but Aris has only one: vengeance. As a child, a goddess set fire to her village, killing her family. Aris isn’t after the gods’ magic—she’s going to kill them.

First, she must survive the Culling, the king’s deadly competition to choose his fifty challengers. An orphaned blacksmith’s apprentice, Aris doesn’t have the superior weapons of the heirs from the Great Houses. But the greatest swords—ones that contain power—are not inherited or bought, they are claimed, by both sides. And when Aris claims a great sword, it makes her not just a real competitor—but a target.

Getting past the gates is only the beginning. Starside is deadlier than it seems. If the ancient creatures, magic-wielding beasts, and bloodthirsty immortals weren’t dangerous enough, a new peril has even immortals fearing what rises from the ground at night. With a blade most would kill to claim, Aris can’t trust anyone. Especially not Harlan Raker, the merciless and mysterious king’s guard who betrayed her years ago—and who may now be the key to her survival.

But Aris is hiding a secret tied to her family’s death. And when it’s revealed, not even the gods will be able to stop what’s coming…

More inexpensive ebook goodies!

noreply@blogger.com (Patrick) — Mon, 03 Aug 2026 13:46:14 +0000

You can now download Scott Lynch’s The Wizard Who Kept Himself Suspicious for only 0.99$ by following this Amazon Associate link. This OneLink will take you to the nearest Amazon site serving your country and you'll see if you can take advantage of this sale.

Here's the blurb:

When egos clash during an assemblage of wizards, grandstanding displays of magic become a matter of murder in a witty and suspenseful short story by a New York Times bestselling author.

Curmudgeonly conjurer Shiverick joins a conclave of fellow wizards on the strangest beach in the world expecting the usual flashy outfits, hammy miracles, and predictable suspicions that his own powers are nil. After all, he’s never so much as cast a spell in public. When accusations of fraud end in a flamboyant murder, Shiverick must piece together the truth amid the chaos. An observant and logical thinker, it’s his time to shine.

Scott Lynch’s The Wizard Who Kept Himself Suspicious is part of the Magic and Mystery collection, puzzle-box mysteries from top fantasy authors. They can be read or listened to in one enchanting sitting.

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noreply@blogger.com (Patrick) — Mon, 03 Aug 2026 01:03:14 +0000

You can now download Fonda Lee's Jade City, winner of the World Fantasy Award for Best Novel, for only 1.99$ by following this Amazon Associate link. This OneLink will take you to the nearest Amazon site serving your country and you'll see if you can take advantage of this sale.

Here's the blurb:

In this epic saga of magic and kungfu, four siblings battle rival clans for honor and power in an Asia-inspired fantasy metropolis.

* Aurora Award for Best Novel, winner
* Nebula Award for Best Novel, nominee
* Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel, finalist
* World Fantasy Award for Best Novel, finalist

Jade is the lifeblood of the island of Kekon. It has been mined, traded, stolen, and killed for -- and for centuries, honorable Green Bone warriors like the Kaul family have used it to enhance their magical abilities and defend the island from foreign invasion.

Now, the war is over and a new generation of Kauls vies for control of Kekon's bustling capital city. They care about nothing but protecting their own, cornering the jade market, and defending the districts under their protection. Ancient tradition has little place in this rapidly changing nation.

When a powerful new drug emerges that lets anyone -- even foreigners -- wield jade, the simmering tension between the Kauls and the rival Ayt family erupts into open violence. The outcome of this clan war will determine the fate of all Green Bones -- from their grandest patriarch to the lowliest motorcycle runner on the streets -- and of Kekon itself.

Jade City is the first novel in an epic trilogy about family, honor, and those who live and die by the ancient laws of blood and jade.

You can also download Robert Jackson Bennett's The Troupe for only 1.99$ here.

Here's the blurb:

Vaudeville: mad, mercenary, dreamy, and absurd, a world of clashing cultures and ferocious showmanship and wickedly delightful deceptions.

But sixteen-year-old pianist George Carole has joined vaudeville for one reason only: to find the man he suspects to be his father, the great Heironomo Silenus. Yet as he chases down his father's troupe, he begins to understand that their performances are strange even for vaudeville: for wherever they happen to tour, the very nature of the world seems to change.

Because there is a secret within Silenus's show so ancient and dangerous that it has won him many powerful enemies. And it's not until after he joins them that George realizes the troupe is not simply touring: they are running for their lives.

And soon...he is as well.

Last of the First

noreply@blogger.com (Patrick) — Wed, 29 Jul 2026 19:22:39 +0000

Last of the First is the 26th installment in L. E. Modesitt, jr.'s Recluce Saga and the fourth volume in Alyiakal's story arc. As you know, I wasn't happy to learn that what was originally meant to be a three-book cycle was turned into a four-book sequence because Tor Books were loath to release Alyiakal's story as three lengthy novels. I felt that such a split had a negative impact on Beltur's three-volume sequence a few years back and it sure looked as though it would be the same with Alyiakal's series.

Still, even though my fear that Overcaptain would ultimately be about half of the book the second installment was meant to be, with Sub-Majer's Challenge being the second half, was confirmed, in the end the latter turned out to be better than I expected. In this economy, unless you're one of the genre powerhouses, I figure that splitting books will become an unfortunate reality.

From bits found in Magi'i of Cyador, we already knew that Alyiakal will somehow make his way up and become Emperor of the Land of Eternal Light. And yet, though his accomplishments and memory should be revered, he has become the "One Never to be Mentioned" among the Magi'i and Mirror Lancers of Cyad. I was looking forward to the last chapter in this simple man's rise to power and glory. And though it's another good read and a fitting conclusion to this latest Recluce story arc, Last of the First wasn't exactly what I expected.

Here's the blurb:

L. E. Modesitt, Jr., New York Times bestselling fantasy author, continues his sweeping Saga of Recluce series and concludes his four book story arc (From the Forest, Overcaptain, and Sub-Majer's Challenge).

The Mirror Lancer Alyiakal has been ordered to Mirror Lancer Headquarters and promoted to Subcommander, ostensibly to advise the high command on tactics—except t Alyiakal’s successful military campaigns have removed most external threats to the Empire of Light.

The external threats to Cyador are nothing next to the internal threats of a weak emperor controlled by his manipulative empress, a ruthless Merchanter clan embezzling the Empire's finances, an indecisive high commander of the Mirror Lancers, and a power struggle among the Magi’i.

Alyiakal will navigate the dangerous streets and politics of Cyador and meet his destiny.

The worldbuilding has always been one of the most fascinating facets of any new Recluce title. Each tale allows readers to discover how people and events shaped history during their lifetime. Alyiakal's story arc is the earliest series in the Recluce timeline. The action takes place more than three centuries before Magi'i of Cyador and Scion of Cyador, and more than seven centuries before Fall of Angels. In our interview in 2024, Modesitt stated that we'll probably never get the full story of the arrival of the First from the Rational Stars and the founding of Cyad. Which is too bad, as I've always been extremely curious about this. For that reason, I relish the few glimpses from the past that Alyiakal's tale has provided thus far. I was hoping to learn more about the Dissidents and what happened to them, about the First and their technology and how they walled the Great Forest. Alas, like its predecessor, Last of the First didn't shine any light on those mysteries. Which makes me wonder if we'll get a novel or a sequence dealing with the schism between the First and the Dissidents in the near future. The author offers a few hints about Angloria, the Anglorian Unity, Winterhold, and of the weapons wielded against and by the Dark Angels of Winter that could twist worlds out of time and space and were best left to the Rational Stars. A reread of the short story "The Vice Marshal's Trial" featuring Vice Marshal Kiedral, who will one day become the second Emperor of the Land of Eternal Light, appears to be a propos. . .

Sub-Majer's Challenge ended with Alyiakal being promoted and requested to travel to the capital to serve directly under Captain-Commander Laartol. His growing fears are confirmed when he quickly realizes that Cyador is in dire straits. Led by a young puppet emperor dominated by a demanding and insecure empress, plagued by the intrigues of competing Magi'i, undermined by two major merchant houses that control commerce and the enumerators, which in turn gives them control over the amount of money that flows into the empire's treasury and leaves the Mirror Lancers and the Mirror Engineers grasping for resources, Cyador is on the brink of collapse. Considered the most efficient and ruthless battlefield commander since the Second Emperor, Alyiakal was officially called back to write a new manual on tactics and strategy to be disseminated among the Mirror Lancers in the hope that they can duplicate his exploits against Cyador's many enemies. The truth is that he's in the capital to protect Captain-Commander Laartol from those who don't want to see him replace Majer-Commander Mheryt. It appears that the Emperor's cadre, as well as the Magi'i and the rich Merchanters, would prefer a more pliable man at the head of the army. Based on that premise, it's easy to understand that political intrigue is at the heart of Last of the First. As such, it's much different in style and tone than the previous installments. Alyiakal must still find ways to overcome the obstacles set in his path, but Cyador is not some distant post were he can do what he must far away from prying eyes.

As expected, like all Modesitt novels, Last of the First suffers from pacing issues from time to time. A stranger in a strange land, Alyiakal must be careful as he navigates the currents that characterize political life in the capital. He must discover who he can and cannot trust among the members of the Triad, all the while preventing the assassination of the Captain-Commander. He'll soon find out that he's not wanted in Cyad and that his own life is also at risk. How he ascends the throne turned out to be a bit anticlimactic. Having said that, various battles are fought on different battlefields and it was obvious that Alyiakal wouldn't become Emperor at the head of an army. Still, it was interesting to see how he bound the Triad to serve his purpose. Something tells me that we have seen the last of him. Yet I wouldn't be surprised if his daughter is the protagonist of a future Recluce title.

The fact that Last of the First offers absolutely no answers regarding the First and the Dissidents was a big disappointment for me. Especially if we're not getting any Recluce novel or sequence that focuses on that particular era. Here's to hoping that L. E. Modesitt, Jr. has a few surprises in store for us in that regard. As the earliest story arc in the Recluce timeline, Alyiakal's tale turned out to be a fine and worthy addition to this great saga.

It's been 35 years since The Magic of Recluce was published. And 26 books down the line, I'm still hoping for more to come!

The final verdict: 7.75/10

For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

More inexpensive ebook goodies!

noreply@blogger.com (Patrick) — Wed, 29 Jul 2026 01:53:27 +0000

You can now get your hands on the digital edition of Stephen Graham Jones' The Buffalo Hunter Hunter for only 2.99$ by following this Amazon Associate link. This OneLink will take you to the nearest Amazon site serving your country and you'll see if you can take advantage of this sale.

Here's the blurb:

This chilling historical novel is set in the nascent days of the state of Montana, following a Blackfeet Indian named Good Stab as he haunts the fields of the Blackfeet Nation looking for justice.

It begins when a diary written in 1912 by a Lutheran pastor is discovered within a wall in 2012. What is unveiled is a slow massacre, a nearly forgotten chain of events that goes back to 217 Blackfeet dead in the snow, told in the transcribed interviews with Good Stab, who shares the narrative of his peculiar and unnaturally long life over a series of confessional visits.

This is an American Indian revenge story, captured in the vivid voices of the time, by one of the new masters of literary horror, Stephen Graham Jones.

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noreply@blogger.com (Patrick) — Tue, 28 Jul 2026 14:09:11 +0000

You can now download China Miéville's Perdido Street Station for only 1.99$ by following this Amazon Associate link. This OneLink will take you to the nearest Amazon site serving your country and you'll see if you can take advantage of this sale.

Here's the blurb:

BONUS: This edition contains an excerpt from China Mieville’s Embassytown.

Beneath the towering bleached ribs of a dead, ancient beast lies New Crobuzon, a squalid city where humans, Re-mades, and arcane races live in perpetual fear of Parliament and its brutal militia. The air and rivers are thick with factory pollutants and the strange effluents of alchemy, and the ghettos contain a vast mix of workers, artists, spies, junkies, and whores. In New Crobuzon, the unsavory deal is stranger to none—not even to Isaac, a brilliant scientist with a penchant for Crisis Theory.

Isaac has spent a lifetime quietly carrying out his unique research. But when a half-bird, half-human creature known as the Garuda comes to him from afar, Isaac is faced with challenges he has never before fathomed. Though the Garuda's request is scientifically daunting, Isaac is sparked by his own curiosity and an uncanny reverence for this curious stranger.

While Isaac's experiments for the Garuda turn into an obsession, one of his lab specimens demands attention: a brilliantly colored caterpillar that feeds on nothing but a hallucinatory drug and grows larger—and more consuming—by the day. What finally emerges from the silken cocoon will permeate every fiber of New Crobuzon—and not even the Ambassador of Hell will challenge the malignant terror it invokes . . .

A magnificent fantasy rife with scientific splendor, magical intrigue, and wonderfully realized characters, told in a storytelling style in which Charles Dickens meets Neal Stephenson, Perdido Street Station offers an eerie, voluptuously crafted world that will plumb the depths of every reader's imagination.

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noreply@blogger.com (Patrick) — Mon, 27 Jul 2026 14:05:13 +0000

You can now download Orson Scott Card's classic Ender's Game for only 2.99$ by following this Amazon Associate link. This OneLink will take you to the nearest Amazon site serving your country and you'll see if you can take advantage of this sale.

Here's the blurb:

In order to develop a secure defense against a hostile alien race's next attack, government agencies breed child geniuses and train them as soldiers. A brilliant young boy, Andrew "Ender" Wiggin lives with his kind but distant parents, his sadistic brother Peter, and the person he loves more than anyone else, his sister Valentine. Peter and Valentine were candidates for the soldier-training program but didn't make the cut—young Ender is the Wiggin drafted to the orbiting Battle School for rigorous military training.

Ender's skills make him a leader in school and respected in the Battle Room, where children play at mock battles in zero gravity. Yet growing up in an artificial community of young soldiers Ender suffers greatly from isolation, rivalry from his peers, pressure from the adult teachers, and an unsettling fear of the alien invaders. His psychological battles include loneliness, fear that he is becoming like the cruel brother he remembers, and fanning the flames of devotion to his beloved sister.

Is Ender the general Earth needs? But Ender is not the only result of the genetic experiments. The war with the Buggers has been raging for a hundred years, and the quest for the perfect general has been underway for almost as long. Ender's two older siblings are every bit as unusual as he is, but in very different ways. Between the three of them lie the abilities to remake a world. If, that is, the world survives.

Ender's Game is the winner of the 1985 Nebula Award for Best Novel and the 1986 Hugo Award for Best Novel.

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noreply@blogger.com (Patrick) — Sun, 26 Jul 2026 22:41:29 +0000

You can download Brandon Sanderson's Steelheart for only 1.99$ by following this Amazon Associate link. This OneLink will take you to the nearest Amazon site serving your country and you'll see if you can take advantage of this sale.

Here's the blurb:

There are no heroes.

Every single person who manifested powers—we call them Epics—turned out to be evil. Here, in the city once known as Chicago, an extraordinarily powerful Epic declared himself Emperor. Steelheart has the strength of ten men and can control the elements. It is said no bullet can harm him, no sword can split his skin, no explosion can burn him. He is invincible.

It has been ten years. We live our lives as best we can. Nobody fights back . . . nobody but the Reckoners. A shadowy group of ordinary humans who spend their lives studying powerful Epics, finding their weaknesses, then assassinating them.

My name is David Charleston. I’m not one of the Reckoners, but I intend to join them. I have something they need. Something precious, something incredible. Not an object, but an experience. I know his secret.

I’ve seen Steelheart bleed.