The Baryon Review

Harriet's Reviews

2012-01-27T01:26:00.002-05:00

Living Violet
Jaime Reed
K Teen/Dafina, Dec 27 2011, $9.95
ISBN: 9780758269249

Samara Marshall goes to school and works at Buncha Books. She likes working there, but cannot understand why women make fools of themselves over the music department assistant manager Caleb Baker, the man with the "intense violet eyes’" whom females have heart attacks over. Her weekend partner exchange student Nadine Petrovsky has the same effect on men.

Caleb is attracted to Samara who somehow resists his lure. At a seniors’ party, Samara serves as referee to her BFF Mia and her boyfriend Dougie, and chaperone to her younger friend Alicia the sophomore who should not be at the party but came with Garrett. When Samara sees Garret on top of Alicia, she kicks him in the face. When he recovers he calls her a name and attacks Samara. Raging Caleb kills the serial rapist. Caleb admits that he is a Cambion, whose body possesses two souls; that of his own and an incubus who lures women to dine on their essence.

This is an engaging romantic urban fantasy with a strong cast especially at the bookstore, who affirms Virginia is for lovers. The story line starts off fast as the audience meets the cast; but slows down in the middle with the moral heroine taming the beast; before accelerating with a tense finish involving Samara’s family. Although the first Cambion Chronicles at times especially in the middle section focuses too much on values that seem demeaning dumbed down, young teen readers will enjoy meeting the strange crew at Buncha Books. Harriet Klausner

Devil’s Kiss
Zoe Archer
Zebra, Dec 1 2011, $7.99
ISBN: 9781420122275

In 1762 Earl of Whitney James Shelbourne is a blue blood Hellraiser as he, like his four friends, loves the thrill of a high stake risk in which the ante is him. Whit visits a Romany camp where he meets intriguing mysterious Zora Grey, an adept card player. Used to always winning even against insurmountable odds, Whit loses to his skilled opponent while being distracted by her hands working the cards rather than his fantasy.

Attracted to James, Zora knows she must help her beloved overcome the devil deal he and the other Hellraisers made in which they gave away their respective souls to obtain their heart’s desire. As they fall in love, Whit realizes the paradox of Zora being his heart’s desire but if they overcome the pact he fears she will no longer be his heart’s desire; however he also knows if he fails to fight back, he loses her anyway and evil will be even further entrenched in the mortal plane.

The first Hellraisers Georgian romance is a terrific tale paradoxical Faustian thriller starring a bad boy hero who sold himself to the devil and the tough passionate female who prays she can rescue his soul though his heart. The storyline is fast-paced from the opening piquet game of cards to the final confrontation as love may not be enough even with a Friend and Lover to Reach Out Of The Darkness. Harriet Klausner

Bound by Darkness
Alexandra Ivy
Zebra, Dec 1 2011, $7.99
ISBN: 9781420111361

The recent death of malevolent Morgana le Fey has freed the Sylvermyst from the evil one who enslaved and tortured them. However used to being liberated to make decisions, the clan reacts differently. Prince Ariyal will do anything to keep the Dark Lord from finding a new vessel to return to while Tearloch insanely obsesses over bring back their former master. He kidnaps a baby that will serve as the vessel for a mage to perform the rite of passage. Ariyal plans to kill the innocent infant so that the Dark Lord cannot return.

The Commission assigns vampire warrior Jaelyn to capture Ariyal to take to the Oracles and to protect the baby. However he stuns her when he takes her prisoner instead; he takes her to the Avalon. As an Oracle proclaims they must work together to prevent global destruction, he asks her to assist him in hunting down his rogue kin controlled by evil.

The latest Guardians of Eternity romantic fantasy (see Devoured by Darkness) is an excellent entry; starring two intrepid souls who are natural enemies though share the bond of love. The storyline is action-packed but driven by the lead couple who go from antagonists to protagonists as their respective missions intertwine on an increasingly deadlier wider scale. Bound by Darkness is a strong thriller. Harriet Klausner

The Demon Lover
Juliet Dark
Ballantine, Dec 27 2011, $15.00
ISBN: 9780345510082

Dr. Cailleach “Callie” McFay feels her lifelong love of gothic literature and folklore has come together with her recently published "The Sex Lives of the Demon Lovers" and her accepting an instructor’s position at Fairwick College. She was hesitant about accepting the job of teaching folklore until she saw Honeysuckle House. The Victorian seemed to whisper her name so she bought the home and took the position.

The house once belonged to historical romance writer Dahlia LaMotte. Her notes, journals and unpublished books can be read by Callie, but must never leave the premises. Each night Callie dreams of a shadowy male having sex with her; each morning she wakes up sexually satiated. Though she knows something is not right with these nocturnal fantasies and LaMotte’s writings affirm her belief, she begins to accept that she has a Demon Lover; of whom she obsesses over in spite of this incubus draining her life essence.

Demon Lover is a strong urban romantic fantasy starring an intrepid heroine who uses her intelligence to fight for her life. The storyline is fast-paced yet ensures that the witches and other paranormal residents of the town of Fairwick seem real. Readers will relish the entertaining tale of the professor and the incubus. Harriet Klausner

Harriet's Reviews

2012-01-26T22:26:00.000-05:00

All That Bleeds
Kimberly Frost
Berkley, Jan 3 2012, $7.99
ISBN: 9780425245804

The demonic slaughter occurs at the Arts & Innovation Benefit held at the House of North. Body guard Mr. Clark takes his charge, Alissa the last heiress muse to a safe location, but she insists they return to rescue the human hostages. He refuses saying unless the Etherlin Council president Dimitri Xanakis orders him to do so she will remain safe. Mr. Clark reminds her that the damned cannot resist the smell of the blood of a muse like she is. Furthermore he blames the ventala hybrid vampires for failing to kill the demon in Varden. Merrick the ventala arrives and easily kills Corthus the demon, who had slaughtered many. Over Mr. Clark’s objection, Alissa thanks Merrick.

Five years later, Alissa and Merrick remain attracted to one another, but each knows that is taboo. However, everything changes when someone abducts the muse and removes her from the safety of the House. Merrick vows to use every tool in heaven, hell and earth to rescue the forbidden female he has loved since she bravely shook his hand after he killed Corthus.

The first Etherlin romantic fantasy is a terrific ultra dark (due to constant violence that lives up to the title as even demons bleed) thriller. The vivid story line is action-packed but it is the forbidden relationship between the muse and the ventala that is at the heart of Kimberley Frost’s turn from the lighthearted frolics of the Southern Witch saga to this dark tale. Harriet Klausner

Gift of Magic
Lynn Kurland
Berkley, Jan 3 2012, $15.00
ISBN: 9780425245200

Not wanting to follow in the footsteps of his evil sire Gair, Ruithneadh of Ceangail hesitates becoming a mage. However, he has no choice but to undo what his notorious father wrought. Thus Ruith and dreamweaver Sarah of Doire, who uncannily can see the deadly spells on a map of sorts, follow the spell trail to destroy them though she believes someone purposely set this up to bring the pair to whoever this individual is.

As the pair find and destroy spells, other Nine Kingdom mages want control of Gair’s legacy and will kill anyone, even innocent civilians, to obtain the enormous but dangerous power. Sarah and Ruith know failure is not an option as that would plunge the world into eternal darkness as each wonders what awaits them at the end of the enchanted trail.

The final tale in the latest Nine Kingdoms quest fantasy (see A Tapestry of Spells and Spellweaver) is a great finish to a strong trilogy. The exciting story line is fast-paced from the onset until the final confrontation against evil. Although readers will know who awaits the lead heroes at the end of the spell trail, it does not matter as Lynn Kurland spins another fabulous fantasy. Harriet Klausner

Kiss Of Frost
Jennifer Estep
K Teen/ Kensington, Dec 1 2011, $9.95
ISBN: 9780758266941

Gwen Frost the Gypsy possesses psychometric power. In her second year as a warrior in training at the Mythos Academy, she still feels like the proverbial outside newcomer who does not belong although Gwen has a few friends. However, she is attracted to Logan Quinn the Spartan, who ignores her entirely as if Gwen does not exist except in swordplay.

However, Gwen has a bigger than life problem other than an unrequited teen crush as Reapers and werewolves want her dead with two failed attempts including an invisible archer at the Library of Iniquities. A third try at the Winter Carnival also is thwarted as Gwen with Vic the sword realizes she needs to uncover the identity of the Reaper stalking her before the adversary finally succeeds.

With a nod to Greek mythology in a high school setting, the second Mythos Academy young teen fantasy (see Touch of Frost) is a charming tale filled with a strong cast especially Gwen’s archenemy Savannah Wren the Amazon and her BFFs. The fast-paced twisting story line contains misdirection as to who wants the heroine dead while is also filled with comedic moments, but avoids exploring the darker side of Gypsies. Still readers will enjoy Gwen’s non-academic adventures at school in which someone wants her as dead as her late mom. Harriet Klausner

Blood of Eden
Tami Dane
Kensington, Dec 1 2011, $7.99
ISBN: 9780758267092

In Baltimore, twentyish FBI intern agent Sloan Skye is assigned to the newly formed Paranormal Behavioral Analysis Unit. She has no idea that the human Resources Division erred but PBAU chief Alice Peyton takes her on her scorned X-Files-like cell.

Peyton calls for a team meeting attended by Agents Jordan Thomas, Chad Fletcher and Brittany Hough, and Sloan. Baltimore PD asked for assistance with a murder in which the suspect appears to be a vampire. Although her late father the professor insisted vampires were real, Sloan does not believe even when her team assumes she is an expert due to being a chip off the paternal block. While she and her teammates work the case, Sloan, ignoring her mother’s zillion calls to her cell, is attracted to Jordan.

This is an engaging police procedural paranormal starring a likable heroine. The fast-paced story line engages the reader although the investigation is more Noir than urban fantasy. Still with a touch of romance in the air and some comedic relief, fans will enjoy Tami Dane’s Baltimore murder mystery. Harriet Klausner

New Anthologhy

2012-01-24T08:29:00.000-05:00

International best-selling author Audrey Niffenegger is to pen her first ever story for a commercial trade anthology, after signing to Solaris’ forthcoming short story collection, Magic.

Solaris are proud to announce that Niffenegger, whose novel The Time Traveller's Wife has sold more than 2.5 million copies worldwide, is to produce a story for the themed anthology of the occult and arcane, due for release in November 2012 in North America and the UK, in both paperback and ebook.

The story marks Audrey’s first ever appearance in any commercial trade anthology and is the third themed collection from Solaris editor-in-chief Jonathan Oliver. The previous critically-acclaimed anthologies include The End of the Line, which featured stories set on the Underground, and House of Fear, which rebooted the haunted house for the 21st Century. The titles garnered ecstatic reviews, with The Times describing End of the Line’s stories as “exceptionally good”.

“I'm delighted to be involved in this project,” said Audrey Niffenegger. “My story is called The Wrong Fairie and is about Charles Altamont Doyle. He was a Victorian artist who was institutionalized for alcoholism. He was also the father of Arthur Conan Doyle, and he believed in fairies.”

Niffenegger became a publishing sensation thanks to The Time Traveller’s Wife, published in 2003 and made into a Hollywood movie in 2009, and her subsequent novel was the subject of intense bidding by publishing houses.

“It's really very exciting to be working with Audrey, whose novels The Time Traveller's Wife and Her Fearful Symmetry show an author with a great talent for subverting genre norms and delivering the unexpected,” said Jonathan Oliver. “Audrey's story is sure to make a great addition to Magic.”

The line-up for Magic: An Anthology of the Esoteric and Arcane is set to include other high profile authors, including Richard and Judy Book Club-choice Alison Littlewood, NYT Bestseller Dan Abnett, and celebrated authors such as Christopher Fowler, Storm Constantine, Robert Shearman, Paul Meloy, Sophia McDougall, Will Hill, Gemma Files, along with new writers such as Sarah Lotz, Lou Morgan and Thana Niveau and more.

New ebook from Abaddon

2012-01-20T08:01:00.000-05:00

The Twilight of Kerberos:

The Wrath of Kerberos
by Jonathan Oliver

£7.99 (UK) ISBN 978-1-907992-35-3

$9.99/12.99 (US & CAN) ISBN 978-1-907992-36-0

An ebook-only release from Abaddon Books

Suddenly stranded in a desert by a magical storm, Silus Morlader must lead the crew of the Llothriall across the harsh landscape in search of civilisation. What they find will change their view of the world forever.

A new race reveals to Silus that his god, the planet-deity Kerberos, is not all he appears to be; that everything they understand about life on Twilight may be wrong.

The ninth and latest in the Twilight of Kerberos series, The Wrath of Kerberos is the first time Abaddon Books has published a brand new title onlyas an ebook.

And with the success of the recent series omnibuses – including the The Best of Tomes of the Dead and Afterblight: America – and capitalising on the growing US readership who are discovering Abaddon’s startlingly fresh shared-worlds, Abaddon Books has decided to focus the Twilight range on this format.

The long-awaited third book of the Lucius Kane Trilogy by Matthew Sprange, Legacy’s Price, will see print this March as part of the first Twilight of Kerberos Omnibus, with two more omnibuses in the series to collect the titles by Mike Wild and Jonathan Oliver.

News from Abaddon

2012-01-19T08:22:00.000-05:00

Chuck Wendig returns to Abaddon

The author behind Abaddon’s fastest-selling title of 2011 is set to return with a follow-up novella and a brand new series.

Abaddon is delighted to announce that Chuck Wendig has signed up to write an ebook sequel to the popular Double Dead, as well as create a brand new series for Abaddon in 2013.

An October 2011 release from Abaddon, Double Dead was Wendig’s first original novel and became the fastest-selling Abaddon title to date, with a particularly strong showing as an ebook.

The freshest take on the undead for years, Double Dead saw the vampire Coburn awaken during the zombie apocalypse, only to realise that if he wants to survive he has to protect his food source from the undead hordes.

Now Wendig is set to return to the world of Coburn later this year with Double Dead: Bad Blood, an ebook-only novella sequel. It will be released on May 14th on all e-platforms.

Wendig is also working on an exciting new urban fantasy series for Abaddon Books, bringing gods and monsters onto the city streets in a thrilling new-take on classic genre tropes. The first in this new series is due for release in 2013.

With his prominent online presence, including his popular blog on which he is not afraid to give his opinions on the process of writing and the industry at large.

“It’s wonderful to be welcoming Chuck back to the Abaddon team,” said Jon Oliver, editor-in-chief of Abaddon Books. “He’s certainly one of the most exciting new writers around and Chuck is going to build on the success of Double Dead while bringing a brand new series to Abaddon.”

"The vampire Coburn kicked his way out of my skull and onto the pages of Double Dead,” said Wendig, “so it's great to be revisiting that cantankerous old bloodsucker. And I'm utterly geeked to be working with Abaddon to help birth this brand new series of gods and monsters."

Gideon's Angel

2012-01-17T21:38:00.000-05:00

Figure the English Civil War is all about dashing Cavaliers and dour Roundheads?

Think again…

Solaris is proud to announce it has acquired Gideon’s Angel by Clifford Beal, due for publication in 2013, which takes the seemingly familiar history of the mid 17th Century but introduces an infernal plot that makes this much more than just a history lesson!

Described as The Day of the Jackal meets The Devil Rides Out, this swashbuckling historical fantasy set in the aftermath of the terrible English Civil War sees science and alchemy as strange bedfellows with witchcraft and magic.

An epic adventure in the tradition of Robert E. Howard’s Solomon Kane, it is set in England in 1653. Colonel Richard Treadwell, an exiled Royalist officer in the service of Cardinal Mazarin, returns home in secret from France on a self-appointed mission to assassinate Oliver Cromwell, now king in all but name. He quickly learns however, that his is not the only plot in motion.

A secret army run by a deluded Puritan is bent on the same quest, guided by the Devil’s hand. When demonic entities are summoned, Treadwell finds himself in a desperate turnaround: he must save Cromwell to save England from a literal descent into hell. But can he convince the man sent to forcibly bring him back to the Cardinal? A young king's musketeer named d'Artagnan.

“Not only is Clifford’s novel a rip-roaring blood and thunder horror fantasy,” said Jon Oliver, editor-in-chief of Solaris, “it is also a brilliant historical thriller. His sense of history and depth of narrative really transports you deep into a post-civil war London. It’s always a real joy to discover an accomplished debut novelist, and I know that Gideon’s Angel is really going to make its mark on the genre.”

About the Author

Originally from Providence, Rhode Island, Clifford Beal is an award-winning journalist and the former Editor of the authoritative London-based international news magazine Jane’s Defence Weekly. He worked as a defence journalist for over 20 years in both the US and the UK before he began writing books.

Beal is the author of Quelch’s Gold, the true story of a little-known but remarkable Anglo-American pirate of the 18th century who was the first man to be tried in a British Admiralty court outside of England (Praeger Books, 2007).

And writing realistic sword fighting scenes in fiction is second nature to Beal. He began medieval style armoured combat at the age of 17 in the US and later, in the mid-1990s, he organised a group of friends to begin the practical study of renaissance rapier and dagger techniques. This became the Sussex Rapier Society and is now the Sussex Sword Academy in Brighton. Gideon’s Angel is his debut novel.

THE WOMAN by Jack Ketchum & Lucky McKee

2012-01-15T21:10:00.000-05:00

THE WOMAN, Jack Ketchum & Lucky McKee, Cemetery Dance, $35, 208 pages, 9781587672538, reviewed by Barry Hunter.

Jack Ketchum has surprised me before with his writings, but this time he has caused me to move his name up several notches on my list of horror writers. This is one novel (and bonus novella) that will cause you to question the inhumanity of man and his treatment of his family and others.

THE WOMAN is a feral creature that has survived by her wits and her careful nature. Christopher Cleek is a husband, father, and lawyer that rules all aspects of his life with an iron hand. Cleek is out hunting one day and comes across THE WOMAN bathing in a stream and develops a plan that will affect his entire family.

Cleek captures THE WOMAN and shackles her in his root cellar. He gives each member of his family – his wife Belle, his son Brian, and his daughters Peg and Darlin’ – a chore in her keeping. There are many secrets in the Cleek household and he has managed to buy out his neighbors in order to continue his amoral and savage longings.

The presence of THE WOMAN causes Belle to question some of her choices; Brian starts behaving more like his father; and, Peg, keeping her own secret, tries to shield Darlin’ from what is happening. Cleeks brutality and unstable behavior comes to a head in a final battle where his secrets are revealed and few are left standing.

THE WOMAN is a story that shows that the savage may not be as savage as the human who is in control. Also included is a novella, “Cow”, which shows us what is happening a year after the grand finale of THE WOMAN. Be prepared for this dark work. I would love to say more, but I don’t want to spoil the surprises that lie between the covers of THE WOMAN.

Reviews from Barry

2012-01-13T15:16:00.002-05:00

After too long a wait, her are some new reviews from me.

Hopefully, I'm starting to get back in the groove.

GULAG MOON, Tom Ciolli, Amazon Kindle, $2.99, 57 pages, reviewed by Barry Hunter.

Tom is the author of the exciting Chronos Series and this too brief novella is a prequel to the earlier books. This is the story of the meeting of Zep Hedgewick and Zach Murphy who are major characters in the other books of the trilogy.

Zep and Zach meet during high school and seem to be on different paths until the machinations of the Mining Syndicate starts transporting older factory workers to a forest moon and leaves them to fend for themselves. They must learn to survive and prepare for an eventual showdown with the Syndicate.

Zach recruits Zep into an underground movement against the Syndicate and this story of their adventures shows their growth and experiences as they mature into the characters of the other works in this series.

This is an enjoyable, although, short adventure that will help you learn more about the characters and their motives. Check all of the books in the series on Amazon.com.

SENSE AND SENSUALITY, Erotic Fantasies in the World of Jane Austin, edited by J Blackmore, Circlet Press, www.circlet.com, $5.99, 159 pages, reviewed by Barry Hunter.

It seems that Jane Austen’s works have been zombified and vampirised in the recent past. Now J Blackmore has taken it to the next level and sexualized the various characters that have inhabited a rather chaste world and has now filled it with passion.

The writers have taken some of the lesser known characters and given them a different path than expected by their actions in the original books. Who would have thought that Mary Bennet would lean to the world of witchcraft? Read “A Woman of Uncommon Accomplishment” by Elizabeth Reeve for all the details. Emma Woodhouse lends her matchmaking ability to aid Lord Rigby end up with her cousin Nate in “Lord Rigby’s Scandalous Secret” by Jack Dickson.

Wickham makes an unusual pact with a woman that affects the rest of his life in “The Lamia’s Proposal” by Kaysee Renee Robichaud. Darcy makes a too brief appearance as Heath is perplexed with the thoughts of marriage as Jay Starre relates in “The Page of Wands”. “The Amber Cross” by MeiLin Miranda features Fanny Price in an adventure that shows that, she too, has feelings.

J Blackmore shines again with this volume of unusual erotica that proves again that she knows how to bring out the best in her writers and present the reader with a well done volume.

WHISPERS IN DARKNESS, Lovecraftian Erotica, edited by J Blackmore, Circlet Press, www.circlet.com, $5.99, reviewed by Barry Hunter.

Everyone knows Lovecraft was raised with Puritanical values and the last thing you would expect from him is something erotic. With this in mind, J Blackmore has delivered eight tales that use the ideas and settings of Lovecraft. This is a volume that will surprise you.

In “Ink” by Bernie Mojzes, a private eye looking for a missing girl finds the Eldrich Sam who is selling experiences to all comers. “Koenigsberg's Model” by Peter Tupper is a quest story that turns into a fixation as Rick seeks to solve a mystery and finish his thesis. In “A Reflection of Kindness” by Kannan Feng, a young bride finds true happiness, but is it really her husband.

Other stories take on other aspects of the mythos and Lovecraft’s peculiarities. “The Artist's Retreat” by Annabeth Leong; “The Dreams in the Laundromat” by Elizabeth Reeve tells of Miskatonic’s students; “Sheik” by Angela Caperton features Nyarlathotep the Great; “The Flower of Innsmouth” by Monique Poirier; and “When the Stars Come” by Alex Picchetti features Lavinia Whatley and Yog-Sothoth.
This is an interesting and unusual collection that leaves you wanting more and makes you look at The Great Old Ones in a different way.

Dragons

2012-01-12T09:15:00.000-05:00

Book One of the Dragon Apocalypse

Greatshadow

by James Maxey

Arriving 31st January (US & Canada) and 2nd February (US)

£7.99 (UK) ISBN 978-1-907992-73-5

$8.99/$10.99 (US & CAN) ISBN 978-1907992-72-8

Available as an ebook

Solaris is proud to present the first in a breathtaking new trilogy by one of its most popular authors: Greatshadow is the first book in the Dragon Apocalypse series by James Maxey, author of the Dragon Age series.

The Church of the Book has assembled a team of twelve battle-hardened adventurers to slay Greatshadow, the evil elemental dragon who spies through every candle flame, once and for all.

But tensions run high between the leaders of the team who view the mission as a holy duty and the superpowered mercenaries who add power to their ranks, who view this as a chance to claim Greatshadow’s vast treasure. If the warriors fail to slay the beast, will they doom mankind to death by fire?

A striking mix of adventure, fantasy and lurking menace, Greatshadow promises to be the beginning of a stand-out new series in 2012, written by a real master of the genre.

“…a book that feels like fantasy but is, at core, smart science fiction. It feels like — and is — a magnificent hero story.”

– Orson Scott Card on James Maxey’s Bitterwood

The Wind Through the Keyhole, A Dark Tower Novel

2012-01-11T15:10:00.000-05:00

Welcome to issue #76 of the Donald M. Grant Newsletter

11 January 2012

We hope you all had a good Holiday Season and a Happy New Year. May 2012 be better for all of us.

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THE DARK TOWER: THE WIND THROUGH THE KEYHOLE
1. WEB ORDER PAGE
2. TRADE EDITION SLIPCASE
3. PRINTED FLYER
4. ORDER CONFIRMATION
5. LITTLE SISTERS - MATCH YOUR NUMBER

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

DARK TOWER: THE WIND THROUGH THE KEYHOLE

1. WEB ORDER PAGE

We have added another of Jae Lee’s color illustrations to the web page.

Since we began accepting advance orders on December 19 we have received over 3,000 orders. We are accepting advance orders for both the Deluxe and Artist Editions of THE DARK TOWER: THE WIND THROUGH THE KEYHOLE at:

https://secure.grantbooks.com/z-sk-dt-twttk.html

Please read the rest of this Newsletter before placing your order.

2. TRADE EDITION SLIPCASE

We will be producing a slipcase for the Scribner Trade Edition which will match the three slipcases we produced for the first seven Dark Tower books:

https://secure.grantbooks.com/z-sk-dt-slipcases.html

This will not be shipped until 6-8 weeks after the Trade Edition is released so that we can be sure it will fit properly. Cost is $30.00 plus a $1.00 shipping charge. We will not be charging the $5.00 order fee on orders where the slipcase is shipping by itself.

3. ORDER CONFIRMATION

If you send a check and the check is cashed we have received your order. If you sent an order via our website you will receive as confirmation an email titled “RE WWW Form Submission”. We have received over 3,000 email orders but are now sending
confirmations within 3 or 4 business days. If you call or email us this will only delay getting orders ready but if you sent in your order in December and did not receive an order confirmation please send us an email with the subject NO ORDER CONFIRMATION to karenf@grantbooks.com.

We have a small staff and will be hiring extra help but it will take time to process orders, especially for people expecting a specific numbered copy. We appreciate your patience.

Please do not call or email us for further details as we will just refer you to our web site and suggest you remain subscribed to our email newsletter.

4. PRINTED FLYER

Our usual full-color printed flyer will be in the mail next week.

5. LITTLE SISTERS - MATCH YOUR NUMBER

Due to financial considerations at the time many of our customers who bought the Deluxe Edition of LITTLE SISTERS OF ELURIA chose not to purchase the matching numbered Gift Edition. As we have been shipping copies from the higher number down we still have many of the Gift Editions up to number 690. If you would now like to match your Deluxe Edition with the same numbered Gift edition please email Karen French at karenf@grantbooks.com under the subject title “Little Sisters Gift Number” with your number and Karen will confirm if we still have that number.

We will send out another Newsletter when we know when shipping THE WIND THROUGH THE KEYHOLE will begin.

Thank you.

Robert K. Wiener, President
Donald M. Grant, Publisher, Inc.

Small Town horror

2012-01-09T09:26:00.000-05:00

The Faceless

by Simon Bestwick

OUT ON 2ND FEBRUARY (UK) AND 31ST JANUARY (US & CANADA)

£7.99 (UK) ISBN 978- 1-907992-74-2

$8.99/$10.99 (US & CAN) ISBN 978- 1-907992-75-9

Available as an ebook

In the Lancashire town of Kempforth, people are vanishing.

When two-year-old Roseanne Trevor disappears, the local kids blame ‘The Spindly Men’. But even as Detective Chief Inspector Renwick vows to stop at nothing until she finds her, terrifying visions summon TV psychic Allen Cowell and his sister Vera back to the town they swore they’d left forever and local historian Anna Mason pieces together a history of cruelty and exploitation almost beyond belief.

Meanwhile, in the decaying corridors and lightless rooms of a long abandoned hospital, something terrible is waiting for them all.

In a chilling tale of contemporary small-town horror, Bestwick has truly evoked the terror of films such as The Orphanage and the writing of James Herbert, Adam Nevill and M R James.

“Simon Bestwick writes with great imaginative flair and an excellent grasp of colour and narrative pace.'”

– Daily Telegraph

Babylon Steel available now

2012-01-08T00:27:00.001-05:00

Babylon Steel
by Gaie Sebold

OUT NOW in the UK, US and Canada

£7.99 (UK) ISBN 978-1-907992-37-7
$7.99 (US & Canada) ISBN 978-1-907992-38-4

Also available as an eBook

Hello boys! What’s your kind of fantasy…?

Ex-sword-for-hire Babylon Steel runs the best brothel in the city. She’s got elves using sex magic upstairs, S&M in the basement, a green troll cooking breakfast in the kitchen, and she’d love you to visit, except…

She’s not having a good week. The Vessels of Purity are protesting against brothels, her girls are disappearing, and if she can’t pay her taxes she’s going to lose her business. Despite giving up the mercenary life, when the mysterious Darask Fain pays her to find a missing heiress, she has to take the job. And then her past starts to catch up with her in other, more dangerous ways.

Babylon Steel sees the start of an exciting new fantasy series. Witty and fresh, debut author Sebold delivers the most exciting take on the fantasy genre in years.

"A unique and richly realised setting, a vivid cast, a plot that coils and divides and fakes and deceives... Ingenious, gripping, and full of pleasures on every level. Exceptional."
– Mike Carey, author of NYT Best Seller The Unwritten and the Felix Castor novels

About the Author

Gaie Sebold was born in the US but has lived in the UK most of her life. She grew up in a country village near Oxford and now lives in a moderately dodgy bit of South East London. She works for a charity, reads obsessively, grows vegetables and sometimes runs around in woods hitting people with latex weapons. She has won a few awards for poetry (her collection, Urban Fox, was published by Tall Lighthouse), has sold some short stories and has been known to commit performance poetry.

Gaie is a member of T Party Writers, a London-based genre critique group; she has the standard cat apparently issued to most fantasy writers, a very understanding boyfriend, and a large desk full of undone paperwork.

New Horror Title

2012-01-07T00:27:00.001-05:00

Out now in the UK and North America!

Hell Train by Christopher Fowler

£7.99 (UK) ISBN 978-9-07992-43-8

$8.99/$9.99 (US & CAN) ISBN 978-1-907992-44-5

Available as an ebook

At its peak in the 1960s, the legendary Hammer Films embarked upon an ill-fated new horror movie that was Dracula, Frankenstein and Dr Terror’s House Of Horrors all rolled into one…

Christopher Fowler, who created some of the most memorable taglines in movie history – including Alien’s “In space, no-one can hear you scream” – and whose company designed the iconic Trainspotting and Reservoir Dogs film posters, has crafted a terrifying tale set in the halcyon days of British horror cinema.

In his first book for Solaris, the multi-award winning author of the Bryant & May mysteries conjures up bizarre creatures, satanic rites, terrified passengers and the romance of train travel, all in a classically-styled horror novel that evokes the real-life spirits of this most British of movie studios.

When American screenwriter Shane Carter is asked to revive the classic studio’s fortunes and, inspired by an old board game, writes a script where four strangers who meet on a train journey through Eastern Europe during the First World War must solve a terrifying mystery if they are to survive.

As they race through the war-torn countryside, they must uncover the secrets of a locked casket and of the veiled Red Countess who travels with them. And what exactly is the devilish riddle of the train itself?!

“The very British spirit of Hammer Horror rises from the grave in Christopher Fowler’s rattling, roaring yarn” – Kim Newman, author of Anno Dracula

Free Ebook

2012-01-06T00:08:00.000-05:00

PRESS RELEASE - London/New York.
Thursday 5th January 2011

Genre author Stephen Hunt has made the first novel of his two-book 'Six Against The Stars' science fiction series free for readers to download on the Amazon Kindle. The free download offer is running from now until the end of Sunday 8th December.

Here’s the book’s blurb…

As the self-proclaimed biggest coward in the galaxy, Horatio has it easy on what passes for 40th century America. A much-favoured sycophant in the court of the King of Earth, Horatio lives in a genetically engineered paradise where there’s a vat-grown slave waiting around every marble column with a bunch of grapes to drop into his oh-so perfectly designed mouth.

Unfortunately for Horatio, the artificial intelligence that rules the great mass of humanity spread across the stars has other plans for this feckless seducer. So, if you ever wonder how the galaxy’s biggest coward finds himself actually trying to save it, you’re not alone… but then, unfortunately, neither is our hero!

His misadventures are abetted by a psychotic Martian warrior, a robot who thinks it’s related to Sherlock Holmes, a beautiful genetically enhanced assassin, a scientist with a computer for a brain, and a millennia-old clone who was alive when the last U.S. President was executed by a firing squad.

It’s six against the galaxy. Six against the stars. They’ll save the universe… but they might damage it first.

And here’s the download links…

Amazon USA
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005DLKX4Y

Amazon UK
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B005DLKX4Y

Amazon Germany
http://www.amazon.de/dp/B005DLKX4Y

Amazon France
http://www.amazon.fr/dp/B005DLKX4Y

Amazon Italy
http://www.amazon.it/dp/B005DLKX4Y

Amazon Spain
http://www.amazon.es/dp/B005DLKX4Y

A cover graphic of the novel can be found at http://stephenhunt.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/SIXagainstthestars_volume1_amazon.jpg

ABOUT STEPHEN HUNT

Stephen Hunt is a fantasy, science fiction and thriller/crime author, currently living and working in the UK. His fantasy/SF books are written as Stephen Hunt, while his crime/thrillers are published as Stephen A. Hunt. His web site can be found at www.StephenHunt.net

Press Release

2012-01-05T10:08:00.000-05:00

To kick off 2012 here at Solaris, we’re happy to announce that we have acquired Serene Invasion, a brand new novel by award-winning SF author Eric Brown.

The novel will be delivered at the end of 2012 for a summer 2013 publication. The agent was John Jarrold, and the deal was for UK/US rights.

Serene Invasion spans the first twenty-five years following an entirely peaceful invasion of Earth by aliens who believe they are saving humanity from self-destruction. The novel opens in 2025, with the world plagued by war, terrorist attacks, poverty and increasingly desperate demands for water, oil, resources. The West and China are sending forces into Africa and South America in order to 'stabilise' regimes, but in reality to garner precious land on which to farm intensively, mine for resources and drill for oil. Much of the global conflict surrounds the dearth of natural resources in an overpopulated world, with the rich West and China doing nothing to alter their materialistic life-style. And then the Serene arrive…

Eric’s highly-acclaimed Kings of Eternity was published in 2011, going on to top several ‘best of’ lists in the New Year, and the imprint also published his novels Helix, Xenopath, Necropath, Cosmopath, Kethani, Engineman, and Guardians of the Phoenix.

“I'm delighted to be doing The Serene Invasion for Solaris,” said Brown. “It's a book that has been on the back-burner for years, and a project I'm very excited about. Alien invasion with a difference, set in Britain, India and Africa, featuring a varied cast of human characters who each in their own way respond to the coming of the Serene.”

“For me, Eric is up there with the greats – Silverberg, Clarke, Leiber,” said Jonathan Oliver, editor-in-chief at Solaris. “So it’s always a delight to bring a new work by this brilliant author to genre fans.”

“Even a collaboration between John Wyndham and Clifford D. Simak at their best would be hard pressed to equal this."

– Peter F. Hamilton on Kings of Eternity

Reviews from Jim

2012-01-03T21:21:00.000-05:00

Have been without phone and internet service for almost a week.

Here are some reviews from Jim to introduce you to a couple of good books.

HIMMLERS WAR, Robert Conroy, Baen, $25.00, 368 pages, ISBN: 9781451637618, reviewed by Jim Brock.

HIMMLER’S WAR is one of those exceptional alternate histories that don’t take a big stretch of the imagination to accept the premise. That’s not to say that I’m unwilling to take big stretches or giant leaps of imagination for a good alternate history. You just don’t have to in this case.

Adolph Hitler survived a series of events that could have wiped his evil presence from our planet and possibly prevented at least a part of his murderous rampage. Of all his followers, SS leader Heinrich Himmler was perhaps the best positioned and capable of assuming the role of Reichfuhrer should that have happened.

Conroy postulates that very thing occurring shortly after D-Day when, in a comedy of errors, an American bomber dumps its bombs and unknowingly, at the moment, blasts Der Fuhrer to bits. From this beginning, Conroy takes World War II on a believable and exciting course with a blend of the true historical heroes and villains of the time and a cast of likeable and diverse fictional characters. Their stories set in the backdrop of this great conflict are engrossing. Robert Conroy’s HIMMLER’S WAR is truly excellent.

EXPEDITION BEYOND, Roger Bagg, Fiction Studio Books, $26.95, 404 pages, ISBN: 9781936558223, reviewed by Jim Brock.

This is Roger Bagg’s first novel in what I hope to be a long string of them. EXPEDITION BEYOND establishes “The Anderson Theory” which offers a unique and imaginative idea about what’s inside the Earth. When a rift opens in the Artic and a corresponding rift appears in Australia the doors, so to speak, are opened for the proof of that theory and the discovery of an exciting world ripe for exploration and adventure in future novels.

This first venture into that world focuses on the surface as two rescue operations. The one in Australia is to find the son of a rich and powerful man who disappears in the area when the rift opens. The operation near the North Pole is to rescue the leader of an expedition sent to explore the crevasse who fell in and dropped miles into the Earth.

What really gripped me weren’t the rescue operations as much as it was the adventure of the North Pole leader and the world in which he finds himself. It is a world inhabited by Aztecs, Anasazi and Neanderthals. There he finds love and chaos and fights for his life and that of the people he finds. This world is imaginative and engrossing and this book is difficult to put down. I can’t honestly say Bagg handles the mechanics of storytelling as well as came up with terrific ideas for that story, but that matters little because EXPEDITION BEYOND is one good reading experience.

Baryon 122

2011-12-28T21:10:00.001-05:00

Baryon 122 as been sent to Pete for posting on the web. I have also emailed it to everyone on the list.

If you haven't received a copy and would like one, please email me at barry@baryon-online.com with Baryon 122 in the header.

More new stuff is on the way but meds still have me weird and flaky at the moment.

Baryon 122

2011-12-28T20:56:00.001-05:00

I have sent the new Baryon to Pete for posting on the web. I have also emailed copies to everyone on the mailing list.

If you would like me to email you a copy, please email me at baryon@bellsouth.net.

There's some more reviews coming soon. Meds have me groggy and

Merry Christmas

2011-12-23T21:11:00.003-05:00

Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and Best Wishes for a terrific 2012.

Merry Christmas

2011-12-23T21:11:00.001-05:00

Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and Best Wishes for a terrific 2012.

What I've Learned This Year

2011-12-22T23:22:00.000-05:00

Thanks to Michael Bishop for the following.

As we progress toward the end of the year, I want to thank all of you for your educational e-mails over all of 2011. I am totally screwed up now and have little chance of recovery.

I no longer open a bathroom door without using a paper towel, or have the waitress put lemon slices in my ice water without worrying about the bacteria on the lemon peel.

I can't sit down on the hotel bedspread because I can only imagine what has happened on it since it was last washed.

I have trouble shaking hands with someone who has been driving because the number one pastime while driving alone is picking one's nose.

Eating a little snack sends me on a guilt trip because I can only imagine how many gallons of trans fats I have consumed over the years.

I can't touch any woman's purse for fear she has placed it on the floor of a public restroom.

I must send my special thanks to whoever sent me the one about rat poop in the glue on envelopes because I now have to use a wet sponge with every envelope that needs sealing.

Also, for the same reason, I now I have to scrub the top of every can I open.

I no longer have any savings because I gave it to a sick girl, the infamous Penny Brown, who is about to die for the 1,387,258th time.

I no longer have any money, but that will change once I receive the $15,000 that Bill Gates/Microsoft and AOL are sending me for participating in their special e-mail program.

I no longer worry about my soul because I have 363,214 angels looking out for me, and St. Theresa's Novena has granted my every wish.

I can't have a drink in a bar because I'll wake up in a bathtub full of ice chips with my kidneys gone.

I can't eat at KFC because their chickens are actually horrible mutant freaks with no eyes, feet, or feathers.

I can't use cancer-causing deodorants even though I smell like a water buffalo on a hot day.

Thanks to you I have learned that my prayers only get answered if I forward an e-mail to seven of my friends and make a wish within five minutes.

Because of your concern, I no longer drink Coca-Cola because it can remove toilet stains.

I no longer buy gasoline without taking someone along to watch the car so that a serial killer won't crawl into my back seat while I'm filling up.

I no longer use Cling Wrap in the microwave because it causes seven different types of cancer.

And thanks for letting me know that I can't boil a cup of water in the microwave anymore because it will blow up in my face, disfiguring me for life.

I no longer go to the movies because when I sit down I could be pricked with a needle infected with AIDS.

I no longer go to shopping malls because someone will drug me with a perfume sample and rob me.

And I no longer answer the phone because someone will ask me to dial a number for which I will get a phone bill with calls to Jamaica, Uganda, Singapore, and Uzbekistan .

I no longer buy cookies from Woolies since I now have their recipe.

Thanks to you I can't use anyone's toilet but mine because a big black snake could be lurking under the seat and cause me instant death when it bites my butt.

And thanks to your great advice, I can't ever pick up $2.00 coin dropped in the parking lot because it probably was placed there by a sex molester waiting to grab me as I bend over.

I can't do any gardening because I'm afraid I'll get bitten by the Violin Spider and my hand will fall off.

If you don't send this e-mail to at least 144,000 people in the next 70 minutes, a large dove with diarrhea will land on your head at 5:00 p.m. tomorrow afternoon, and the fleas from 120 camels will infest your back, causing you to grow a hairy hump. I know this will occur because it actually happened to a friend of my next-door neighbour's ex-mother-in-law's second husband's cousin's best friend's beautician.

Oh, by the way . . .

A German scientist from Argentina, after a lengthy study, has discovered that people with insufficient brain activity read their email with their hand on the mouse.

Don't bother taking it off now; it's too late.

P.S. I now keep my toothbrush in the living room because I learned via email that water droplets splash over six feet out of a flushing toilet.

NOW HAVE YOURSELVES A VERY GOOD DAY . . . AND, OF COURSE, A HEALTHY LIFE.

More from Harriet

2011-12-22T00:42:00.000-05:00

Mack Dunston’s Inferno
Paul Collins
iUniverse Publishing, $12.95
ISBN: 9781462032761

Mack “Max” Dunstan the actor dies. He will be remembered for his starring roles in The Ten Commandments, Planet of the Apes and Ben-Hur, etc. but also for his rigid stand on gun rights as an NRA spokesman and president.

He enters the spirit world where the “Supreme Court” rules him unworthy though he has problems understanding why. He meets the ancient Roman poet Virgil who will serves as his tour guide of Hades before Max’s day in Judgment Court overseen by Judge Satan. Max’s journey introduces him to a capitalist loan shark and other burning traveling sinners ranging from the infamous like Manson, Dahmer and the Ripper to the sex revolutionaries like Heffner and Flynt to the holier than God pseudo religious like Swaggert, Robertson and Graham. The dead actor also encounters those who died because people like him and his NRA cronies blocked gun control. This group condemns him for enabling violence as people may kill people but guns is an easily available enabler.

Modernizing Dante’s Divine Comedy while also mindful of Billy Joel’s "We Didn’t Start the Fire” with Max as Heston and other twentieth century personal like General Powell and Rowlings making appearances in Paul Collins’ powerful satirical lampooning of righteous American society. The journey into the inferno is filled with mockery and biting humor as Max meets the obvious infamous and a horde of the famous he never would have guessed would be inside the fires. However, it is the victims of guns who bring the poignancy to the parable as they never got to speak when alive; but the muffle of the Second Amendment advocates no longer applies (except as a condemnation) inside of Mack Dunstan’s Inferno. Harriet Klausner

The Traitor's Daughter
Paula Brandon
Spectra, $15.00
ISBN: 9780553583809

On the Veiled Isles, the eighteen year old daughter of affluent Faerlonnis Overlord the Magnifico Aureste Belandor, Jianna travels to the home of her fiancé Magnifico Tribarri. However, she never completes her journey; highwaymen capture the spoiled Jianna and take her to a rebel stronghold.

Jianna quickly realizes she is prisoner to her Aunt Magnifico Onarto. Estranged from her brother the family patriarch, Onarto plans to use her niece to help her take control of the Berlandor fortune and to keep Aureste under her thumb. Though the teen hears horrible tales accusing her father of atrocities, she rejects them as she believes he is a kind person. Meanwhile only rebel sympathizer Falaste Rione the physician is nice to her. As she begins to see her privileged lifestyle though the eyes of the lower classes, Jianna reconsiders what she knows about life on the increasingly treacherous Veiled Isles.

The key to the complex coming of age fantasy is the intricate society that is becoming unglued with one of the cornerstones (magic) beginning to fail. Jianna emulates the changes that are occurring to the veiled isles as open rebellion has begun. With a strong cast including the fully developed Brandon world, sub-genre readers will enjoy visiting the Veiled Isles. Harriet Klausner

Shock Wave
John Sandford
Putnam, $27.95
ISBN: 9780399157691

Three weeks ago a bomb at the Michigan headquarters of the chain PyeMart left Executive Assistant Kelly Brown dead although CEO Willard Pye escaped unscathed. In Butternut Falls, Minnesota, townsfolk are angrily divided over the superstore company setting up shop there. Environmentalists know the poor record of the firm when it come to anything interfering with the bottom line profits while the small town’s storeowners know they will be driven out of business as has happened elsewhere.

A bomb ignites at the superstore’s construction site killing construction superintendent Gilbert Kingsley. ATF investigates both explosions that have left PyeMart's leadership shaken and behind on the Minnesota project. Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension Agent Virgil Flowers also looks into the homicide at Butternut Falls, but finds many townsfolk remain defiant and hostile towards the company’s “invasion”, but who would take the opposition to such deadly lengths remains hard to determine.

The fifth Virgil Flowers police procedural (See Rough Country and Bad Blood) is a great whodunit as the state cop makes inquires using modern technology and inductive reasoning to try to solve a case with too many suspects. The town already tense before the deadly explosion brings a profound look at development vs. preservation/environmentalism, but does it inside a well written investigation starring the amusingly self deprecating Minnesota cop. Harriet Klausner

Done Awakenings
Edward Lazellari
Tor, $24.99
ISBN: 9780765327871

Married with children NYPD officer Cal MacDonnell loner photographer Seth Raincrest seemingly have nothing in common. Yet both share something critical in which neither can remember anything about their lives beyond the past thirteen years. The past just seem to never exist for either man.

They soon share a second problem when otherworldly essences stalk them. These malevolent seem to know what happened to Cal and Seth thirteen years ago. Leilani the centaur arrives and asks the two beleaguered males to trust her as she will help them learn what they forgot and why. She escorts them to Aandor, where they performed a major duty thirteen years ago before the amnesia curse made them forget and now must begin a quest for the lost heir who can save the kingdom.

This is an entertaining quest fantasy that starts off as an urban fantasy when the two Manhattan residents are being hunted by paranormal creatures on the streets of the city. Part of the fun is the reaction of secondary characters especially in the city like Cal’s twenty first century wife Cat having doubts that their Kindergarten aged daughter Bree marrying a minor medieval mindset is reasonable for her. Although Aandor is more typical of the genre, readers will relish the two heroes struggling with remembering what happened on their last visit while dodging some nasty beings who are also searching for the lost heir in two realms. Harriet Klausner

Mercury Rises
Robert Kroese
AmazonEncore, $15.95
ISBN: 9781612180861

Banner religious reporter Christine Temetri had become indifferent to the frequent End of Times until she met even more indifferent than her Mercury the Fallen Angel who believes Rice Krispy Treats is heaven. They teamed up with others to delay Karl Grissom the Antichrist leaving his mom’s attic to start Armageddon (see Mercury Falls) though much of the Banner staff died in the Anaheim earthquake. Meanwhile author Eddie Pratt the demon has a book to write; a tale about a rogue angel and Armageddon.

After negotiating with a heavenly and hellish bureaucracy that makes Congress look proactive, the angel and the journalist have no time to rest on their laurels. While FBI Agent Slater investigates the Anaheim destruction that has ties to Africa, billionaire Karl Grissom using the scientific method prepares them to learn the secret of the universe by smashing the universe to see what happens. At the same time, Ancient Ones claim a higher order than angels and demons. Temetri and Mercury first must stop the end of the universe in the name of the tree of knowledge experiment from occurring and if successful must find a compromise with the Ancient bureaucracy that makes heaven, hell and congress seem cooperatively active.

Once again Robert Kroese satirizes the commercialization and cynical claims of owning heaven while demonizing others with mocking shots at industry, politics, science and religion making sure everyone lives a hellish life. The story line is amusingly fast-paced as time has begun ticking down to the self-fulfilling prophecy of the End of Times. With a nod to Travolta’s Michael inside of Smith’s Dogma, fans will appreciate Mercury Rises as the reporter demands the angel stop snacking on sugared treats as that is bad for your health. Harriet Klausner

Reviews from Harriet

2011-12-21T22:43:00.000-05:00

Black Light
Patrick Melton, Marcus Dunstan, and Stephen Romano
Little, Brown/Mulholland, $25.99
ISBN: 9780316196710

Years ago when he was seven Buck Carlsbad lived a normal happy childhood until the Horrible evil murdered his parents and left him dead too. Instead he came back but with a skill from the beyond that enables him to be the exorcist of last resort. However, in spite of his success at ingesting malevolent spirits like normal people eating candy, Buck remains obsessed with finding the Horrible who ended his childhood; so far he has failed at the one objective that keeps him alive.

In July 2012, Buck and the voices only he hears are disturbed by a high speed rail from Los Angeles through the California desert to Las Vegas in under an hour. The train will go through a spot at over four hundred miles an hour where Buck knows personally how paranormally dangerous it is. He prefers not to ride the Jaeger Laser on its maiden voyage, but Buck feels he has no choice but to return to where his parents were murdered and he changed. Thus he agrees to keep the evil away from the Jaeger Laser as top celebrities and politicians take to the rails.

Black Light is an exciting noir urban fantasy horror novel starring an intriguing yet somewhat underdeveloped hero. The story line is as fast as the speeding Jaeger Laser while the audience anticipates the desert devastation as Buck battles some vicious opponents. Sub-genre fans will enjoy this entertaining thriller as Buck learns you can go home but do you want to risk that as the screenwriters of some of the Saw movies provide an engaging tale. Harriet Klausner

Cosmic Forces
Gregory Lamberson
Medallion, $14.95
ISBN: 9781605424088

Private investigator Jake Helman has successfully fought against the darkest Cosmic Forces. Mrs. White better known as Marla Madigon wife of the corrupt New York City mayor, wants to hire him to prove her spouse Myron is cheating on her. His NYPD time tells him to stay out of a domestic dispute, but she tosses the kids card at the softy and besides her spouse is a vindictive vicious piece of trash so he accepts the case. That inquiry leads to influential Karlin Reichard.

Joyce the girlfriend of his former partner Edgar the Raven asks Helman to speak with her angry teenage son Martin. He follows a raging Martin to the Dreamers Castle. Helman investigates the Dreamers only to find the trail leads to abuses of power. Meanwhile his late wife Sheryl Agent of the Sphere of Light asks Helman to do her a favor. She wants him to locate the Destroyer of Souls who may be involved in her missing boyfriend Abel of bible fame.

The third Helman hard-boiled urban fantasy horror tale (see Personal Demons and Desperate Souls) is an exciting entry as the tough sleuth with a heart fights monsters from the otherworld and from this plane. Readers will enjoy his three investigative cases as all roads lead to those who abuse power whether they are from hell, earth or otherwise. With a nod to Dresden, readers will appreciate the case load of kick butt softy Jake Helman. Harriet Klausner

Floating Staircase
Ronald Malfi
Medallion, $14.95
ISBN: 9781605424361

With the success of The Ocean Serene, bestselling horror writer Travis Glasgow and his wife Jodie buy a house in rustic Westlake, Maryland near where his brother Adam resides. Travis feels good to reconnect with his sibling and believes he will finally move past the guilt he has felt since he was thirteen and his other brother Kyle, the actual star of his novel, drowned.

Travis learns that a previous resident’s son Elijah Dentman drowned in the nearby lake. The tragedy reminds him of what happened to Kyle; that and other clues lead the author to conclude the death is being covered up. Feeling an obsessive need to learn the truth and a sense of something, perhaps the essence that wakes him with bumps in the night, is prodding his out of control need. Thus, Travis investigates what happened to Elijah believing the truth will set him free of his compulsion.

This is a super haunted house ghost story starring an interesting protagonist and a great final turn of the screw twist. The story line is fast-paced as tension mounts while Travis begins to learn much more than he expected. This is a must read for horror fans. Harriet Klausner

Shadow Highlander
Donna Grant
St. Martin’s, $7.99
ISBN: 9780312533489

In 1603 Galen, the Druid-created Highlander warrior is sent to an isolated Scottish loch to find a key powerful artifact that should enable the Castle McLeod forces to defeat their enemy Deirdre, the evil Druid. There instead of the arcane relic he came to retrieve, Galen meets Reaghan the Druid without any magical power.

Both are stunned by their immediate attraction to one another. She and her villagers join Galen as he returns to Castle MacLeod to help defend the Druids from Deidre’s malevolent assaults. Her horde attacks the travelers severely injuring Reaghan, the focus of the assault. As Reaghan heals and she and Galen fall in love, they will learn the dark powerful reason Deirdre wants her captive.

The latest Dark Sword historical romantic fantasy (see Untamed Highlander, Dangerous Highlander and Wicked Highlander) is a terrific tale that deftly merges early seventeenth century Highlander tidbits inside of Donna Grant’s Druid mythos. The story line is fast-paced but driven by the lead protagonists and their dangerous adversary. Readers will enjoy this strong thriller as Galen and fans wonder if love can overcome insidious evil. Harriet Klausner

Night of the Living Dead Christian: One Man's Ferociously Funny Quest to Discover What It Means to Be Truly Transformed
Matt Mikalatos
Tyndale, $14.99
ISBN: 978141433880

Chief Officer of the Neighborhood Watch Matt Mikalatos is on patrol when he encounters mad scientist Doc Culbertson. Doc tells Matt that he constructed a gizmo that gets into a werewolf’s head. Matt ridicules the claim insisting there are no monsters until he observes a horde of zombies pursued by a werewolf. Fearing the neighborhood will become unsafe,, Matt accompanied by Doc trace the Lycan to the home of Luther Martin whose wife left him a week ago when she noticed the changes.

Luther wants to rid himself of his inner beast so he can become a normal human. He knows transformation to Christianity is the king of conversion, but he is not a Christian having turned away from his father’s rigid religious doctrine. Matt and his new friends want to help Luther. They visit a church filled with a flock of zombies, a vampire who like Luther wants to revert to pure human, and a psychiatrist who counsels them. The despondent werewolf asks a pastor for answers. The response is simple, but Luther wonders how he failed to grasp the Word before; as he and his friends comprehend a transformed life starts with faith.

In his follow-up to the Imaginary Jesus, Matt Mikalatos provides a thought-provoking parable insisting there are monsters amongst us disguised as Christians claiming to be faithful yet unable to control their inner beast. Focusing on converting those beastly desires to become the type of person God wants of us takes different paths for different people at different times in their lives. Readers will appreciate Mr. Mikalatos’ profound Christian morality tale. Harriet Klausner

Dark Tower News

2011-12-19T10:34:00.000-05:00

Welcome to issue #75 of the Donald M. Grant Newsletter

19 December 2011

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
THE DARK TOWER: THE WIND THROUGH THE KEYHOLE
1. WEB ORDER PAGE
2. DEPOSIT/INSTALLMENT OPTION
3. ARTIST EDITION
4. DELUXE EDITION
5. SCRIBNER TRADE EDITION
6. TRADE EDITION SLIPCASE
7. PRINTED FLYER
8. ORDER CONFIRMATION

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

DARK TOWER: THE WIND THROUGH THE KEYHOLE

1. WEB ORDER PAGE

We are now accepting advance orders for both the Deluxe and Artist Editions of THE DARK TOWER: THE WIND THROUGH THE KEYHOLE at:

https://secure.grantbooks.com/z-sk-dt-twttk.html

Please read the rest of this Newsletter before placing your order.

2. DEPOSIT/INSTALLMENT OPTION

Because of the state of the economy if your order totals over $300 we are willing to accept a 1/3 deposit with your order, 1/3 a month later the final 1/3 will be charged when the order is shipped. If you wish to send checks you may send three post-dated checks. For foreign orders we will put the full shipping amount in the final charge.

3. ARTIST EDITION

There is a 5,000 copy Artist Edition signed by Jae Lee and issued in a stamped slipcase. Retail price is $75.00 plus shipping. Unlike the Artist Editions of the DARK TOWER 5, 6 & 7 there is no limitation on who may buy this edition.

4. DELUXE EDITION

Stephen King has agreed to sign only 800 copies of a Deluxe Edition which is also signed by Jae Lee and issued in a stamped clamshell tray case. Retail price is $350.00 plus shipping.

As usual there is a much greater demand for our Deluxe Editions than copies available, so in keeping with our policy of supporting our long time customers, the S&N Deluxe Edition can be ordered only by those who have a S&N THE LITTLE SISTERS OF ELURIA below # 801 (you must still own it when we ship THE WIND THROUGH THE KEYHOLE or your order will be cancelled and any deposit/payment refunded and the Deluxe Edition sold to the new owner.).

We will then do a lottery drawing approximately six weeks after the Deluxe Editions are shipped for remaining available copies but as we expect there to be very few copies available the lottery will be restricted to owners of Numbered THE LITTLE SISTERS OF ELURIA between 801 and 1,250.

LOTTERY: Send us a POSTCARD (NOT an email or letter) which reads:

“Please put me in the lottery to purchase a copy of the signed & numbered Deluxe The WIND THROUGH THE KEYHOLE. I have # ____ of THE Little Sisters of Eluria.” Includeyour name, address, phone number, and if you wish, email
address.

REMEMBER, only send in ONE post card per copy of The Little Sisters of Eluria that you have. If we receive more than one request from anyone we will throw them ALL away. We want everyone to have an equal chance.

5. SCRIBNER TRADE EDITION

Scribner has announced their release of a trade hardcover edition of THE DARK TOWER: THE WIND THROUGH THE KEYHOLE on April 24, 2012.

6. TRADE EDITION SLIPCASE

We will be producing a slipcase for the Scribner Trade Edition which will match the three slipcases we produced for the first seven Dark Tower books:

https://secure.grantbooks.com/z-sk-dt-slipcases.html

This will not be shipped until 6-8 weeks after the Trade Edition is released so that we can be sure it will fit properly. Cost is $30.00.

7. PRINTED FLYER

We are doing our usual full-color printed flyer but felt it made more sense to mail it in January rather than just before Christmas.

8. ORDER CONFIRMATION

If you send a check and the check is cashed we have received your order. If you sent an order via our website you will receive as confirmation an email titled “RE WWW Form Submission”. As we expect to receive 1,500 or more email orders within 24 hours of sending this Newsletter you may not receive your confirmation for several weeks. If you call or email us this will only delay getting orders ready.

We have a small staff and will be hiring extra help but it will take time to process orders, especially for people expecting a specific numbered copy. We appreciate your patience.

Please do not call or email us for further details as we will just refer you to our web site and suggest you remain subscribed to our email newsletter.

We will send out another Newsletter when we know when shipping will begin.

Thank you.

Robert K. Wiener, President
Donald M. Grant, Publisher, Inc.

New Arthurian Novel Coming in 2012

2011-12-15T01:26:00.001-05:00

From book editor to knight in an afternoon! Abaddon Books transformed one of its staff in an unusual photo shoot for the cover of its next blood-thirsty Arthurian novel.

Editor David Moore donned the hand-made armour owned by Rebellion CEO and professional jouster, Jason Kingsley, for the photo shoot as an Oxfordshire car-park was temporarily turned into mythical Camelot!

The photos have been turned into the cover for the latest novel in the Malory’s Knights of Albion series, Dark North written by Paul Finch and due out next year, by photographer and designer Luke Preece.

Jason has himself modelled for the covers of the two previous books in the series, The Black Chalice and The Savage Knight. But with Dark North set in the wild north of Arthurian England, a somewhat … different face was needed for this cover.

Representing stories from the true Dark Ages, Malory’s Knights of Albion brings the dark underbelly of the Arthurian dream to life with tales of blood-thirsty revenge, Godless wastelands and unholy missions.

In Dark North, a new Empire has risen in Rome, and the Emperor, Lucio Bizerta, is determined that Britain shall kneel before him as they once did to the Caesars. As Lucio’s forces mass in France and his ambassadors come to Camelot, Arthur hurriedly convenes his court to meet them. Sir Lucan, one of Arthur’s most stalwart supporters, comes from his cold northern home with his squire, Alaric.

Lucan’s beautiful wife Trelawna has come as well, for among the Italian delegates is her lover, the noble Rufio. The world stands poised on the brink of a terrible war, in which the fates of lives and hearts will play as great a role as those of nations...