Between Two Books

Short Story: Fire Above, Fire Below by Garth Nix

2013-05-13T13:00:00.000+01:00

I'm not a big fan of dragons. There's no need to elaborate on my reasons however this doesn't mean that I don't enjoy good stories involving dragons.

Last week Tor published a short story called Fire Above, Fire Below written by Garth Nix. I really liked it. I think you'll like it too if you decide to give it a try.

My love for short stories has been steadily growing especially thanks to some great books published by Solaris. I believe that reading a good short story is like watching a 100-metre dash. It's explosive and packed with emotions. And if you're too busy to sit down for hours to enjoy a long book it is definitely a great format to enjoy the beginning and the end of a story in one sitting.

Let me know if you have a short story that you'd recommend.

Cover Reveal - The Path Of Anger by Antoine Rouaud

2013-05-09T14:00:00.000+01:00

Gollancz just revealed the cover art of one of their 2013 debuts novels: The Path Of Anger by Antoine Rouaud. This is going to be the first book of a trilogy entitled The Book And The Sword (called originally Le Livre Et L'Epée). The debut novel of Antoine Rouaud, a rising name in French fantasy, will be published simultaneously in many European countries in October 2013.

We don't see many cover reveals in animated GIF, mostly because GIF is a very restrictive format regarding the color palette. However this one looks pretty nice.

Blurb

Dun-Cadal has been drinking his life away for years. Betrayed by his friends - who turned their back on their ideals in favour of a new republic - and grief stricken at the loss of his apprentice, who saved his life on the battlefield and whom he trained as a knight in exchange, he's done with politics, with adventure, and with people.

But people aren't finished with him - not yet. Viola is a young historian looking for the last Emperor's sword, and her search not only brings her to Dun-Cadal, it's also going to embroil them both in a series of assassinations. Because Dun-Cadal's turncoat friends are being murdered, one by one . . . by someone who kills in the unmistakable style of an Imperial assassin . . .

Cover Reveal: Zenn Scarlett by Christian Schoon

2013-03-13T08:00:00.000Z

"Zenn Scarlett is a bright, determined, occasionally a-little-too-smart-for-her-own-good 17-year-old girl training hard to become an exoveterinarian. That means she’s specializing in the treatment of exotic alien life forms, mostly large and generally dangerous. Her novice year of training at the Ciscan Cloister Exovet Clinic on Mars will find her working with alien patients from whalehounds the size of a hay barn to a baby Kiran Sunkiller, a colossal floating creature that will grow up to carry a whole sky-city on its back.

But after a series of inexplicable animal escapes from the school and other near-disasters, the Cloister is in real danger of being shut down by a group of alien-hating officials. If that happens, Zenn knows only too well the grim fate awaiting the creatures she loves.

Now, she must unravel the baffling events plaguing her school, before someone is hurt or killed, before everything she cares about is ripped away from her and her family forever. To solve this mystery – and live to tell about it – Zenn will have to put her new exovet skills to work in ways she never imagined, and in the process learn just how powerful compassion and empathy can be."

Zen Scarlett will be available on 2 May 2013 in the UK, on 30 Apr 2013 in the US. The e-book version will be released on 30 Apr 2013 as well.

Early praise for Zenn Scarlett:

"Christian Schoon knows his xenobiology! ZENN SCARLETT has everything a sci-fi lover craves, from exotic alien life forms to quantum entanglement, all grounded by a stellar YA heroine. Zenn’s moxie and determination make this a debut to remember. Highly recommended!" – Phoebe North, author of Starglass

"Reading Zenn Scarlett is like venturing into a gargantuan alien animal in one of the in-soma pods Zenn uses to provide veterinary care: delightful, bizarre, and occasionally terrifying." – Mike Mullin, author of ASHFALL

"Many young people want to become veterinarians because they love animals. All future veterinarians will want to read Zenn Scarlett and her adventures with veterinary medicine on alien animals." – Temple Grandin, author of Animals in Translation

"Mars, monsters, and mysteries: Zenn Scarlett is a thoughtful and thrilling science fiction adventure that’s perfect for readers who think they’ve seen it all! It’s refreshing to encounter an original young adult story that defies expectations, and the breathtaking conclusion will leave you desperate for more." – E C Myers, author of FAIR COIN and QUANTUM COIN

Cover Reveal: Saxon's Bane by Geoffrey Gudgion

2013-03-12T08:00:00.000Z

"Fergus Sheppard’s world changes for ever the day his car crashes near the remote village of Allingley.

Traumatised by his near-death experience, he returns to thank the villagers who rescued him, and stays to work at the local stables as he recovers from his injuries. He will discover a gentler pace of life, fall in love – and be targeted for human sacrifice. Clare Harvey’s life will never be the same either. The young archaeologist’s dream find – the peat-preserved body of a Saxon warrior – is giving her nightmares. She can tell that the warrior had been ritually murdered, and that the partial skeleton lying nearby is that of a young woman. And their tragic story is unfolding in her head every time she goes to sleep.

Fergus discovers that his crash is uncannily linked to the excavation, and that the smiling and beautiful countryside harbours some very dark secrets. As the pagan festival of Beltane approaches, and Clare’s investigation reveals the full horror of a Dark Age war crime, Fergus and Clare seem destined to share the Saxon couple’s bloody fate!"

Saxon's Bane will be published by Solaris in September 2013.

Early praise for Saxon's Bane:

"An astonishingly accomplished debut novel that blurs the line between genres. Imagine Kate Mosse’s Labyrinth but in the dark shadow of Denis Wheatley, with elements of The Wicker Man…" - Ian Drury, Sheil Land Associates, Literary Agents

"It’s a rare occasion when a submission comes in that I have to read right the way through in one go. Saxon’s Bane was such a book." - Jonathan Oliver, Editor-in-Chief, Solaris

100 books, 100 offers, 25 hours

2013-02-21T09:00:00.000Z

The Book Depository is running another great promotion day. This time, it looks like they increase the scope and the size of the offers.

Starting at 12:00 noon GMT (7:00 AM EST), they are going to push a new book offer every 15 minutes.

I usually buy one or two books during their book-offer days. Let's see what gems I'm going to bring home today.

Game Review: ORC: Vengeance

2013-01-15T21:00:00.000Z

I usually don't blog about games. Mostly because I'm not a serious gamer (or I should say I ceased to be one some time ago). But I consider myself a casual gamer, especially since the beginning of the smartphone era. The games I play on my phone or on my tablet are generally puzzle or strategy type of games that I can play 5 mins here and 10 mins there.

However every now and then I discover a game and I totally get glued to it until I finish it (or it finishes me - that's another kinda-long story when, years ago, I succumbed after sleepless days of playing an awesome game). The game that I absolutely loved and that I wanted to tell you about is called Orc: The Vengeance.

Please visit Speculative Book Review to read the rest of this review...

Cover Art: The Daylight War by Peter V. Brett

2012-11-29T13:00:00.000Z

Please go to Speculative Book Review to read this post.

First Impression: Of Blood And Honey by Stina Leicht

2012-11-23T08:00:00.000Z

Yesterday evening, when I heard about Night Shades Books' wonderful Thanksgiving Ebook Giveaway, I downloaded the books that were on offer: Agatha H and the Airship City by Phil and Kaja Fglio, The Emperors Knife by Mazarkis Williams and Of Blood and Honey by Stina Leicht.

I don't know you but when I receive new books I cannot simply put them down for later and go on with life. I have to look at them, turn their pages, read their first few chapters. I basically need to strike up an acquaintance with them. So I turned the first page of Of Blood and Honey.

It captured my attention immediately because the setting was Northern Ireland during the 70s, more specifically the protagonist seemed to be involved in the Irish-English conflict. I am not Irish but I have lived in Ireland for more than 13 years and I found the setting quite attractive.

The first few chapters that I read were short, dividing the story nicely. The author had a very pleasant-to-read, fluent style. And I found the plot (or I should say the beginning of it) interesting enough to make me want to continue to read.

When I put down Stina Leicht's Of Blood and Honey I was decided to get back to it very soon. It had just climbed at the top of my pile of books to be read.

Paperback: 288 pages
Publisher: Night Shade Books (@nightshadebooks)
Series: Book One of The Fey and The Fallen
ISBN-10: 1597802131
ISBN-13: 978-1597802130

"Fallen angels and The Fey clash against the backdrop of Irish/English conflicts of the 1970s in this stunning debut novel by Stina Leicht.

Liam never knew who his father was. The town of Derry had always assumed that Liam was the bastard of a Protestant. Liam’s mother never spoke of the man, so Liam had assumed him dead.

When the war between The Fey and The Fallen begins to heat up, Liam and the woman he loves are pulled into a conflict invisible to most humans— a conflict in which Liam’s father fights on the front lines. This centuries-old battle between supernatural forces seems to mirror the political divisions in 1970s-era Ireland, and Liam is thrown headlong into both conflicts.

Only the direct intervention of Liam’s father and a secret Catholic order dedicated to fighting The Fallen can save Liam from the mundane and supernatural forces around him, and from the darkness that lurks within."

2 New Additions To My TBR Pile

2012-11-20T08:00:00.000Z

The first book that went in my TBR pile is Jonathan Green's Time's Arrow. I think you're all familiar with Abaddon's Steampunk world Pax Britannia however it might still be a good idea to give a brief introduction:

Pax Britannia is a steampunk alternative history set in a late twentieth century in which Queen Victoria - now nearing the end of her sixteenth decade on the throne, and wholly dependent on steam technology for survival - rules over the vastly wealthy, powerful and decadent Empire of Magna Britannia. Airships ply the skies overhead as gentlemen of leisure admire the dinosaurs in the London Zoo, while the Empire has extended to the Moon. Across the pond, the United Socialist States of America, loosely allied with the might of Magna Britannia, is home to dreamers, poets, madmen, and heroes, poised to usher in a new era.

Jonathan Green's Time's Arrow is the final instalment of an interesting publishing experiment. With the first two books of the series, Green gave his readers a choice about what would happen next. Time's Arrow is the single volume that contains all three books.

Paperback: 256 pages
Publisher: Abaddon Books (8 Nov 2012 - UK, 13 Nov 2012 - US, CA)
ISBN-10: 1781080631
ISBN-13: 978-1781080634

"Paris. City of lights. City of lovers. City of dreams. Yet if one man gets his way, its inhabitants will soon be forced to endure a nightmare such as they have never known.

Hero of the British Empire Ulysses Quicksilver is determined to stand in his way... even as he returns from the past to appear on the scene of a horrific murder!

Before he can hope to rescue the French capital from its fate, Ulysses must go on the run and track down the real killer. His intention: to clear his good name, and get back to England in one piece. And quickly, for the love of his life is about to take a most ill-advised trip to the Moon.

Can Quicksilver stop the terrorist known only as 'Le Papillon'?"

The second book that just made into my TBR pile is Juliet E. McKenna's conclusion to her The Hadrumal Crisis Trilogy: Defiant Peaks.

Paperback: 528 pages
Publisher: Solaris (6 Dec 2012 - UK, 27 Nov 2012 - US, CA)
ISBN-10: 1781080577
ISBN-13: 978-1781080573

Archmage Planir and the wizards of Hadrumal have demonstrated their devestating powers and the corsair threat is no more. The mainland rulers' relief is overshadowed with fear of one day facing such a threat to their own dominion. Will Tormalin's Emporer make an alliance with Solura's wizards, who so openly covet Hadrumal's secrets? Will he seek out that other mysterious magic, Artifice, to counter Planir's magecraft? How will the aloof Aetheric adepts of the mountains answer such an appeal?

With many of the Wizard Council disputing Planir's chosen course, he must look beyond the island city for allies. To Suthyfer, the controversial haven for mageborn far away in the Eastern Ocean. To Caladrhia, where Corrain, Baron Halferan and Lady Zurenne believe they have finally won respite from all their trials. But absence of strife is hardly peace. The lull before winter's storms descend from the distant northern peaks will be a short one.

Cover Art: The Age Atomic by Adam Christopher

2012-11-08T08:00:00.000Z

Above is the beautiful cover of Adam Christopher's The Age Atomic, the sequel to Empire State, a superhero, noir fantasy thriller set in an alternate New York. It is going to be published on 26th March 2013 in the USA/Canada and on 4th April 2013 in the UK.

"The Empire State is dying. The Fissure connecting the pocket universe to New York has vanished, plunging the city into a deep freeze and the populace are demanding a return to Prohibition and rationing as energy supplies dwindle.

Meanwhile, in 1954 New York, the political dynamic has changed and Nimrod finds his department subsumed by a new group, Atoms For Peace, led by the mysterious Evelyn McHale.

As Rad uncovers a new threat to his city, Atoms For Peace prepare their army for a transdimensional invasion. Their goal: total conquest – or destruction – of the Empire State."

Book Depository's 24 Hours Of Offers

2012-11-07T13:00:00.000Z

Book Depository is going to run another one of their 24 Hours of Offers tomorrow. Each hour, they are going to offer a book at a price discounted up to 70%. The campaign will run from 8th Nov 2012 Noon (GMT) till 9th Nov 2012 Noon (GMT).

Shiny New Covers For Gary Gibson's Shoal Series

2012-11-07T08:00:00.000Z

Gary Gibson's Shoal series (Stealing Light, Nova War and Empire of Light) gets shiny new covers. I liked the old covers (especially the cover of Empire of Light) however the new artwork looks pretty good. Furthermore the new covers look more harmonious together. What do you think?

Stealing Light (The Shoal Sequence - Book 1)

For a hundred and fifty thousand years, the alien Shoal have been hiding a terrible secret behind a façade of power. In the twenty-fifth century, they dominate the galaxy and control all trade and exploration, possessing the secret of faster-than-light travel. Mankind has established just a handful of interstellar colonies; their freedom and knowledge of the galaxy limited by the Shoal’s punitive colonial charter.

Dakota Merrick is a machine-head pilot on the run from one of the Consortium’s most powerful criminals. Desperate for escape, she contracts to ferry an expert team to a remote star system. Her passengers hope to scavenge a functioning FTL-drive from a derelict starship – rumoured to pre-date the Shoal. But they’ll expose an ancient genocide the Shoal will do anything to hide. And Dakota will be forced to face demons from her own military past.

Nova War (The Shoal Sequence - Book 2)

Found adrift far from Consortium space, pilot Dakota Merrick and Lucas Corso are taken prisoner by the alien Bandati. There, Dakota discovers that humanity’s knowledge of the galaxy is frighteningly inaccurate. The Shoal has apparently been fighting a frontier war with a rival species, the Emissaries, for thousands of years. As yet, the latter seem unaware of their FTL technology’s full destructive capabilities. But the Bandati now have this information, and they will use it for profit.

Dakota realises, to her shock, that the Shoal may therefore hold the Galaxy’s best chance for peace. Forging an alliance with Trader, a Shoal-member, she’s determined to prevent the Bandati’s deadly knowledge from reaching the Emissaries. Yet despite her efforts, a nova war now seems inevitable – a war that will destroy millions of inhabited worlds.

Empire of Light (The Shoal Sequence - Book 3)

The nova war spreads across the galaxy, as the Emissaries wage a fierce and reckless campaign. They’ve already reached human-occupied space and forced the alien Shoal into a desperate retreat. And when Dakota leaves to pursue a lead, Corso’s luck turns bad. Now commanding a fleet of human-piloted Magi ships, his authority crumbles before assassination attempts and politically motivated sabotage. Their best hope lies with Ty Whitecloud, currently light-years beyond Consortium borders. Only Ty can decipher messages left behind by ancient star travellers – which could be crucial to their cause.

But Whitecloud is imprisoned onboard a dying coreship, awaiting execution for war crimes against Corso’s own people. For humanity’s very survival, Corso must get to Whitecloud and keep him alive … if Dakota doesn’t kill him first.

Adam Nevill's New Three-Book Deal

2012-11-01T13:00:00.000Z

Adam L. G. Nevill

There are only a handful of writers whose books I would buy without even reading their blurbs and Adam Nevill is one of them (I'm currently reading his The Last Days. I'm nearing the end of it and I'm loving it). Therefore you can imagine how glad I was to hear about Nevill's new three-book deal with Pan Macmillan.

According to the press release, after the upcoming (May 2013) House Of Small Shadows, two more books will be published in 2014 and 2015. Nevill's Banquet For The Damned will also be re-published as a paperback.

Here's the official press release:

Pan Macmillan acquires two new horror novels by British author Adam Nevill

Julie Crisp, Editorial Director at Pan Macmillan, has concluded a world rights deal for two further horror novels by British author Adam Nevill with agent John Jarrold. The deal also involves re-publication of Adam’s first novel, BANQUET FOR THE DAMNED, as a Pan paperback. The new books will be published in 2014 and 2015.

Adam Nevill’s novels APARTMENT 16, THE RITUAL and LAST DAYS have already been published by Pan Macmillan, with HOUSE OF SMALL SHADOWS due for publication in May 2013. THE RITUAL won best horror novel at this year’s British Fantasy Awards and the Guardian recently dubbed Adam ‘Britain’s answer to Stephen King.’

Julie Crisp said: ‘I’m absolutely thrilled that on the perfect day for it – Halloween – we’ve acquired the next two books from Adam Nevill. We have a proud tradition of publishing horror at Pan Macmillan and Adam is a shining example of brilliant – and terrifying – British horror writing!’

Adam Nevill said: ‘I am thrilled about this opportunity to keep building a body of work with a terrific publisher, and one with such a significant legacy in the field of British horror fiction. On Halloween too. Perfect timing. In celebration, sacrifices will be made to strange gods.’

For further information, contact Chloe Healy at Pan Macmillan:

c.healy@macmillan.co.uk

00 44 20 7014 6186

@UKTor

Don't Do It If You Can't Kill It With Science!

2012-09-10T14:00:00.000+01:00

I'm a software engineer. And there's a cheeky but widely used principle in our industry, especially among people working with servers (on the server-side): KIWI or "Kill It With Iron". When one has a scalability (hear "performance") problem, one of the options is usually applying KIWI, meaning throwing more server at it.

Where am I going with that? Well... I watched Total Recall last weekend (it is the remake of 1990 movie with the same name starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sharon Stone. It is loosely based on the 1966 short story "We Can Remember It for You Wholesale" by Philip K. Dick). Once again "the believability" of yet another sci-fi movie busied my mind.

I think, in Science Fiction, the author (or the director, if it's a movie) has the option to explain something with "advanced science". Drilling a tunnel from the UK to Australia through the earth is amazing. With enough resources and sufficiently advanced technology it is also probably achievable.

However if one has to rely on free fall, it is easy to imagine that 17 minutes won't get you from one end to the other. I'm not going to waste my time on precise calculations, but I'm pretty sure gravity would decrease as the shuttle gets closer to the core and the whole journey would take much longer than just 17 minutes.

Even if we think that the speed is linear and we accept that the passengers can get from one end to the other in 17 minutes (assuming the distance is earth's diameter for simplicity's sake) then this would correspond to a speed of approximately 28,000 miles/hour (45,000 km/hour). Can you imagine blowing a hole through the window, sticking your head out to shoot, climb a ladder etc. with that speed? Come on!

The moral of my complaint is: "Don't Do It If You Can't Kill It With Science". If you want to stretch what's acceptable or believable, try throwing science at it. If it doesn't work, just don't do it.

-----

P.S. I'll deal with a different type on scientific progress in a future post:

Cover Art: The Mad Scientist's Daughter by Cassandra Rose Clarke

2012-08-21T08:00:00.000+01:00

The Mad Scientist's Daughter is Cassandra's second book. The author's first novel, The Assassin's Curse (released October 2012 from Strange Chemistry), has been garnering some wonderful reviews, with praise for her elegant prose and sweeping lyricism.

Here's the blurb:

There’s never been anyone - or anything - quite like Finn.

He looks, and acts human, though he has no desire to be. He was programmed to assist his owners, and performs his duties to perfection. A billion-dollar construct, his primary task is to tutor Cat.

When the government grants rights to the ever-increasing robot population, however, Finn struggles to find his place in the world.

The Mad Scientist's Daughter is being released in February 2013 from Angry Robot Books.

Blood And Feathers by Lou Morgan

2012-07-27T08:00:00.000+01:00

This is a beautiful cover art. Beautiful! The first time I saw it, it reminded me of the cover of Chuck Wendig's Blackbirds.

Lou Morgan's debut novel Blood and Feathers has been on my radar since the first time I read about it on Solaris' Blog. It is going to be published next week and it has been getting excellent reviews. So I really hope that I'll have an opportunity to read it.

"What's the first thing you think of when I say 'angel'?" asked Mallory. Alice shrugged. "I don't know... guns?"

Alice isn't having the best of days. She was late for work, she missed her bus, and now she's getting rained on. What she doesn't know is that her day's about to get worse: the epic, grand-scale kind of worse that comes from the arrival of two angels who claim everything about her life is a lie.

The war between the angels and the Fallen is escalating; the age-old balance is tipping, and innocent civilians are getting caught in the cross-fire. If the balance is to be restored, the angels must act - or risk the Fallen taking control. Forever.

That’s where Alice comes in. Hunted by the Fallen and guided by Mallory - a disgraced angel with a drinking problem and a whole load of secrets - Alice will learn the truth about her own history… and why the angels want to send her to hell.

Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: Solaris (Aug 2, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1781080186
ISBN-13: 978-1781080184

Joe Abercrombie's Red Country Has A Map

2012-07-26T14:00:00.000+01:00

Yes! Joe Abercrombie's upcoming book, Red Country, has a new map and a very beautiful one it is.

I am a big fan of Abercrombie's. And I love it when fantasy books contain maps. Therefore it's no surprise that when one of my favourite authors publishes a map for one the most anticipated books of the year I get very excited.

As you've probably noticed, the map is the one that is used as the background of the wraparound cover art. I simply love its folds and creases, and its worn and torn state. It just adds to the realism.

Red Country will be published on 18 Oct 2012. Pre-order it now: Amazon (UK) - BookDepository (Worldwide).

Book Review: The Devil's Nebula (Weird Space) by Eric Brown

2012-06-18T08:00:00.000+01:00

Title: The Devil's Nebula
Author: Eric Brown
Mass Market Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Abaddon Books (29 May 2012)
ISBN 10: 1781080232
ISBN 13: 978-1781080238

Starship Captain Ed Carew leads a carefree life of smuggling, gun-running and other illicit pursuits in a far future ruled by the fascistic Expansion Authority. But when an Expansion judiciary ship captures Carew leaving the planet of Hesperides, an out-of-bounds world now governed by the fearsome Vetch extraterrestrials, Carew and his crew are sentenced to death...

Unless they agree to travel through Vetch territory in pursuit of a human vessel that set off for the Devil’s Nebula one hundred years ago. Why are the Expansion authorities so eager to track down the ship? Will Carew and co. survive the journey through Vetch territory? And what might they find when they arrive at the Devil’s Nebula?

Please find the rest of the review on Speculative Book Review...

Book Trailer: Death of Kings by Bernard Cornwell

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

In many occasions, I've expressed my indifference to book trailers. They've never worked for me. Well... Almost...

Here is an exception: HarperCollins just posted the book trailer of Bernard Cornwell's Death of Kings and I really like it.

Title: Death of Kings
Author: Bernard Cornwell
Format: Paperback, 384 pages
Publisher: HarperCollins
Publishing Date: 29 Sep 2011
ISBN-10: 0007331800
ISBN-13: 978-0007331802

The master of historical fiction presents the iconic story of King Alfred and the making of a nation.

As the ninth century wanes, England appears about to be plunged into chaos once more. For the Viking-raised but Saxon-born warrior, Uhtred, whose life seems to shadow the making of England, this presents him with difficult choices.

King Alfred is dying and his passing threatens the island of Britain to renewed warfare. Alfred wants his son, Edward, to succeed him but there are other Saxon claimants to the throne as well as ambitious pagan Vikings to the north.

Uhtred‘s loyalty – and his vows – were to Alfred, not to his son, and despite his long years of service to Alfred, he is still not committed to the Saxon cause. His own desire is to reclaim his long lost lands and castle to the north. But the challenge to him, as the king’s warrior, is that he knows that he will either be the means of making Alfred’s dream of a united and Christian England come to pass or be responsible for condemning it to oblivion.

This novel is a dramatic story of the power of tribal commitment and the terrible difficulties of divided loyalties.

This is the making of England magnificently brought to life by the master of historical fiction.

Order your copy (BookDepository)

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: Earth Girl by Janet Edwards

2012-04-25T08:00:00.000+01:00

Author: Janet Edwards

Title: Earth Girl
Format: Paperback, 400 pages
Publisher: Harper Voyager (16 Aug 2012)
ISBN-10: 0007443498
ISBN-13: 978-0007443499

"Jarra is stuck on Earth while the rest of humanity portals around the universe. But can she prove to the norms that she’s more than just an Earth Girl?

2788. Only the handicapped live on Earth. While everyone else portals between worlds, 18-year-old Jarra is among the one in a thousand people born with an immune system that cannot survive on other planets. Sent to Earth at birth to save her life, she has been abandoned by her parents. She can’t travel to other worlds, but she can watch their vids, and she knows all the jokes they make. She’s an ‘ape’, a ‘throwback’, but this is one ape girl who won’t give in.

Jarra invents a fake background for herself – as a normal child of Military parents – and joins a class of norms that is on Earth to excavate the ruins of the old cities. When an ancient skyscraper collapses, burying another research team, Jarra’s role in their rescue puts her in the spotlight. No hiding at back of class now. To make life more complicated, she finds herself falling in love with one of her classmates – a norm from another planet. Somehow, she has to keep the deception going.

A freak solar storm strikes the atmosphere, and the class is ordered to portal off-world for safety – no problem for a real child of military parents, but fatal for Jarra. The storm is so bad that the crews of the orbiting solar arrays have to escape to planet below: the first landing from space in 600 years. And one is on collision course with their shelter."

I usually don't read YA novels. It's not because I am opinionated about them (I hope I'm not), it's simply because there are too many books to read and I end up being picky about what book I choose from the tall pile standing in my study (or from the virtual pile of e-books). However, if I have, in my hands, a book by an author whom I'm not familiar with, I quickly read a chapter or two to get a feel for her style and her story.

Earth Girl is told in the first person, through the eyes of Jarra, its teenage protagonist. It's late 28th century and portal technology has been around for more than six centuries. Since mankind stepped onto another planet a century after the discovery of the technology, babies incapable of supporting interplanetary portal travel have been condemned to live on earth abandoned by their parents. They are considered handicapped and labelled as "ape"s because of their genetic differences. By the 28th century, this makes Earth a planet nobody cares about and inhabited by people who cannot do otherwise.

This gives the author a very good way of introducing the setting to the reader. Because people are uninterested to know about life on Earth and the conditions of its inhabitants, the fact that Jarra goes through some of the details of life on Earth becomes natural. She even makes the reader feel guilty of not knowing such details.

All Jarra wants is to feel normal and travel to any planet just like the "norm"s (or "exo"s) do. As she is of age to decide what she's going to study at university, she tells her ProMum about her plan to take a course run by an off-world university.

Even though I've only read a couple of pages, Earth Girl strikes me as a book that I would like to read more. I simply would like to hear more about Jarra. I also think that Janet Edwards created a very interesting setting which contributes to my curiosity.

Order your copy (BookDepository)

Cover Art: Red Country by Joe Abercrombie

2012-04-05T23:32:00.000+01:00

For many, Joe Abercombie's Red Country is one of the most anticipated books of 2012. It is going to be a long wait until November however every little new detail gives the impression that we're getting there slowly.

Here's some blurb to whet your appetite:

"Shy South comes home to her farm to find a blackened shell, her brother and sister stolen, and knows she’ll have to go back to her bad old ways if she’s ever to see them again. She sets off in pursuit with only her cowardly old stepfather Lamb for company. But it turns out he’s hiding a bloody past of his own. None bloodier.

Their journey will take them across the lawless plains, to a frontier town gripped by gold fever, through feuds, duels, and massacres, high into unmapped mountains to a reckoning with ancient enemies, and force them into alliance with Nicomo Cosca, infamous soldier of fortune, a man no one should ever have to trust . . . ."

Vengeance by Ian Irvine - Free Chapter

2012-03-30T13:30:00.000+01:00

Vengeance, the first book of Ian Irvine's new series, The Tainted Realm, will be released next week. For those of you who cannot wait or who would like to get a feel for the book, Orbit posted its first chapter freely.

Happy reading!

Format: Paperback - 512 pages
Publisher: Orbit (5 April 2012)
ISBN-10: 1841498289
ISBN-13: 978-1841498287

A story of a betrayal, murder and a girl's hunt for justice in a world where two peoples are divided and where mistrust can only lead to war.

Pre-order on Book Depository.

Railsea by China Miéville - Limited Signed Slipcased Edition

2012-03-29T14:00:00.000+01:00

I just pre-ordered my copy of Limited Signed Slipcased Edition of Railsea by China Miéville and I'm very excited about it. "High expectations" anyone?

Please correct me if I'm wrong but I think only The Book Depository is running such a deal:

Railsea: Limited Signed Slipcased Edition

Greatshadow by James Maxey - Free Chapter

2012-02-02T08:00:00.001Z

James Maxey's Greatshadow (Book One of the Dragon Apocalypse) is released this week. To celebrate that, Solaris Books decided to give away its first chapter.

Happy reading!

Format: Paperback - 448 pages
Publisher: Rebellion (2 Feb 2012)
ISBN-10: 1907992731
ISBN-13: 978-1907992735

Greatshadow is the primal dragon of fire, an elemental evil whose malign intelligence spies upon mankind through every candle flame, waiting to devour any careless victim he can claim. The Church of the Book has assembled a team of twelve battle-hardened adventurers to slay the dragon 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 the mission primarily as a chance to claim Greatshadow's vast treasure trove. If the warriors fail to slay the beast, will they doom mankind to death by fire?

About the author

James Maxey's stories have appeared in a score of anthologies and magazines. The best of his short fiction is now available in the collection There is No Wheel. He continues to write about ghosts and pirates, also spaceships, monkeys, and circus freaks and other geeky delights. His novels include the cult-classic superhero tale Nobody Gets The Girl and the Dragon Age trilogy.

Magic: An Anthology of the Esoteric and Arcane

2012-01-27T08:00:00.002Z

After the brilliant anthologies The End of The Line and House of Fear, Jonathan Oliver, Solaris editor-in-chief, is editing another themed collection called Magic: An Anthology of the Esoteric and Arcane.

The news is given on When The Gravity Fails, The Solaris Editors' Blog with an exciting cherry on the cake: The anthology will contain the international best-selling author Audrey Niffenegger's her first ever story written for a commercial trade anthology.

The bad news is that we, the readers, are going to have to wait a little while because it is due for release in November 2012 in North America and the UK, in both paperback and ebook.

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.