Books sent for review include:
1) City of Ruins - Kristine Kathryn Rusch
Boss, a loner, loved to dive derelict spacecraft adrift in the blackness of space...
But one day, she found a ship that would change everything—an ancient Dignity Vessel—and aboard the ship, the mysterious and dangerous Stealth Tech. Now, years after discovering that first ship, Boss has put together a large company that finds Dignity Vessels and finds "loose" stealth technology.
Following a hunch, Boss and her team come to investigate the city of Vaycehn, where fourteen archeologists have died exploring the endless caves below the city. Mysterious "death holes" explode into the city itself for no apparent reason, and Boss believes stealth tech is involved. As Boss searches for the answer to the mystery of the death holes, she will uncover the answer to her Dignity Vessel quest as well—and one more thing, something so important that it will change her life—and the universe—forever.
City of Ruins was published by Pyr on 24th May 2011.
I have Diving into the Wreck and was always interested in reading it, after some great reviews by reviewers I trust. As usual, it was one of those novels that past me by and I now need to catch up on.
2) Imperial Glory - Richard Williams
Tired and broken by war, the men of the Brimlock Eleventh Imperial Guard are a force on the verge of collapse. Having been stretched across the galaxy by their loyalty to the Emperor, they are presented with one final battle that will allow them reward they all seek: to colonise the distant world of Vorr and live out the rest of their days in peace. All that stands in their way is a force of savages - a plague of feral orks that has spread across the planet. But can the Brimlock's battered bodies and minds hold up to this greenskin invasion?
Imperial Glory will be published by Black Library on 4th August 2011.
Imperial Guard versus Orks? Yes please! I've not seen Richard Williams' name on a Black Library novel before, so shall be very interested in seeing what he does with his slice of the Warhammer 40K universe.
3) Nagash Immortal - Mike Lee
In the tunnels of Nagashizzar, a new threat to the realm of the undead is rising. Nagash must call upon all his reserves of power to defeat the skaven assault and continue his unholy reign. But when Nagash realises he can use his enemy for his own nefarious needs, an uneasy alliance is struck and a vast, nightmarish army is formed. The necromancer launches his final attack on the lands of Nehekhara, sweeping all before him. Only one man dare stand in his way - Alcadizzar, a peerless warrior and the leader of a defiant force. Their confrontation will not just decide the fate of Nehekhara, but of all the Old World.
Nagash Immortal will be published by Black Library on 4th August 2011.
Beautiful cover - but... third in a trilogy. I am going to try and get my hands on the first two, since I hate diving into a trilogy or series partway through.
4) Witches of the East - Melissa de la Cruz
Freya, Ingrid and Joanna Beauchamp love their sleepy life in the East Hamptons. A new engagement, promotion at work, a happy home - its all going perfectly. And, to top it off, no one's come close to discovering the secret of what they can really do in hundreds of years. But throw a few accidental love potions in the mix the Beauchamp girls are going to need more than a broomstick to clean up this mess...
Witches of the East will be published by Sphere on 21st June 2011.
Haha, the description of this novel is "Sex and the City meets Witches of Eastwick - and I'm afraid I'm sold *giggles* It just seems so funny and sexy and something light to get my teeth into on a summer's day. I'm slightly hesitant because I didn't enjoy Blue Bloods so much by the same author, but this book is for an adult audience and so I'm happy to try her writing again.
5) Chasers - James Phelan
Jesse is on a school trip in New York when his subway carriage is rocked by an explosion. When he and three friends crawl out of the wreckage they discover a city in chaos. Streets are deserted. Buildings are in ruins. And the only other survivors are infected with a virus that turns them into horrifying predators...
Chasers was published by Atom Books on 2nd June 2011.
Oooh! Zombies, right? Or something akin to them? Atom is branching out from strictly paranormal romance style novels aka Twilight with books like Chasers, and I, for one, welcome the new approach and the different styles.
6) Envy - Gregg Olsen
This new 'Young Adult fiction' series stars Hayley and Taylor Ryan, crime solving (as long as mum doesn't know), butt-kicking (when they have to) and otherwise normal 15 year-old twin girls. Each novel takes place in Port Gamble, Washington, otherwise known as 'Empty Coffin', so dubbed thanks to an old town legend. Each novel in the series is based on a ripped-from-the-headlines news story with fictionalised characters, real crime-solving techniques and a bit of twin 'senses' thrown in. Told in a non-linear narrative that flashes back and forth in time and bit-by-bit revealing a secret past that even Hayley and Taylor don't know about, each novel tells a satisfying true crime inspired tale as well as peeling back another layer of the overall series arc for the reader at the same time that the main characters discover it.
Envy will be published by new imprint Splinter on 7th September 2011.
Creepy cover, hey? I'm not too sure about the twin senses thing, but I like the idea of taking real news headlines and creating a story out of them. This could be good or it could be awful, but I'm intrigued enough to try.
7) The Necklace of the Gods - Alison Goodman
Once she was Eon, a girl disguised as a boy, risking her life for the chance to become a Dragoneye apprentice. Now she is Eona, thrust into the role of her country's saviour. But Eona has an even more dangerous secret - she cannot control her power. When she tries to bond with her Mirror Dragon, the anguish of the ten spirit beasts whose Dragoneyes were murdered surges through her. The result: a killing force that destroys everything before it. On the run from High Lord Sethon's army, Eona and her friends must help the Pearl Emperor, Kygo, wrest back his throne. Everyone is relying on Eona's power. Can she face her own darkness within, and drive a dangerous bargain with an old enemy? A wrong move could obliterate them all.
The Necklace of the Gods was published by Bantam Press on 26th May 2011.
I'm dense, I admit it, but it took Liz telling me yesterday that The Two Pearls of Wisdom and The Necklace of the Gods are the UK editions of Eon and Eona (from the US), which I have been looking to get hold of after some great reviews from people like The Book Smugglers. So, yay for me having the books already! But boo for not making that much clearer.
Now, here is a picture of all the books I bought yesterday *grins*
I won't be going through them all individually, but here is a list of them all (with all links going to Amazon):
Magic's Pawn - Mercedes Lackey
How to Flirt With a Naked Werewolf - Molly Harper
The Exiled Queen - Cinda Williams Chima
Fall of Giants - Ken Follett
Bordertown - Various
Harbour - John Ajvide Lindqvist
Red Mars - Kim Stanley Robinson
A Dance to the Music of Time: Volume 1 - Anthony Powell
The Horse Girl - Mary Finn
Monster Blood Tattoo: Foundling - D M Cornish
One Seriously Messed-Up Week: in the Otherwise Mundane and Uneventful Life of Jack Samsonite - Tom Clempson
Mechanique - Genevieve Valentine
Promises to Keep - Charles de Lint
Green - Jay Lake
The Last Werewolf - Glen Duncan
The Profession - Steven Pressfield
Oh dear Gods, I simply don't know which to read first!
Which are you coveting right now? Have you read any of the above - what did you think? Which should I read first?
That's quite a haul! I assume Mieneke talked you into MAGIC'S PAWN? It's a great choice, either way. Lackey's early work is emotionally-charged and difficult to put down.
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