Cover Unveiled for The Prisoner of Heaven by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

Behold the cover for Zafon's The Prisoner of Heaven. As with many of Zafon's covers we can't escape an  ornate street light. Somehow that has become the symbol of Gothic Barcelona. But what is with the duck head at the top?



The Prisoner of Heaven is the third book in Carlos Ruiz Zafon's mosaic series that started with The Shadow of the Wind, followed by The Angel's Game. Shadow is one of my favorite books and while The Angel's Game doesn't hit nearly as a high mark it isn't too shabby either.  With The Prisoner of Heaven we're going back to spend more time with Sempere and Sons and what looks to be an extended visit to The Cemetery of Forgotten Books compared to the first two novels. Both these reasons have stuck a grin on my face every time I think about this book. Here's the blurb:

The Prisoner of Heaven returns to the world of The Cemetery of Forgotten Books and the Sempere & Sons bookshop, where Daniel, and his old friend Fermín Romero de Torres, are tending shop. Daniel is now married with a son, and Fermín is soon to follow. Both men lead relatively happy and quiet lives. Enter an enigmatic visitor--a grim old man with a piercing gaze--who inquires about Fermín’s whereabouts. When told he is not in, the old man proceeds to buy the most expensive item in the store, a first edition of The Count of Monte Cristo, adds a dedication and leaves it as a present for Fermín. When Daniel reveals the details of this unsettling encounter to his friend, Fermín reads the dedication, turns pale, and at Daniel’s insistence, decides to open up about a past that has come back to haunt him…a story that will leave Daniel questioning his very existence.

The Prisoner of Heaven will be released June 19th (just in time for my birthday) from Harper.



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Recommendations | Non-European Fantasy by Women

Fantasy by Women Who Broke Away from Europe

A List Complied by Martha Wells

This is a sampler list of fantasy novels and short story collections with non-European settings, or secondary fantasy worlds drawn from non-European influences, all by women writers.



Non-European fantasy can be hard to find, so this is meant to be a resource for readers and a way to focus on older or less well-known books by women writers. Hopefully at some point it can be expanded and annotated.



This list was compiled in a couple of days from my bookshelves and from recommendations, so I know there are many more authors and books that should be included. If you know of any fantasy novels that should be added, especially books published in languages other than English, please leave them in the comments. (Remember, the list is focusing on fantasy by women writers; there were some great books suggested but they were left off the list because they were categorized as science fiction.)



The main two things I was trying to avoid (at least for now) were 1) fantasies where European-type characters traveled to non-European settings (for example, Naomi Novik's Temeraire books) and 2) books primarily set in the US, even if they use a fantasy element from another source (like Tananarive Due's books). I did include a book by Judith Berman set in North America, but it has all Native American characters, is set before Europeans arrived, and a book by Sharon Shinn which is set mostly in an alt universe where China colonized North America.



Thanks to Kate Elliott, N.K. Jemisin, Kari Sperring, and Judith Tarr for suggestions and encouragement, and thanks to all the people who made suggestions on Twitter. Thanks to Marie Brennan for many additions from her similar list here. And thanks to the Mad Hatter Review.



At the moment, there are 96 97  100 102  106 writers on the list.

Lynn Abbey

Daughter of the Bright Moon



Alma Alexander

Secrets of Jin-Shei, Embers of Heaven



Elizabeth Bear

Range of Ghosts



Carol Berg

Transformation

Revelation

Restoration

Judith Berman

Bear Daughter



Beth Bernobich

Fox and Phoenix



Clare Bell

The Jaguar Princess



Hilari Bell

Farsala Trilogy



Aliette de Bodard

Servant of the Underworld, Harbinger of the Storm, Master of the House of Darts



Alice Borchardt

The Silver Wolf



Gillian Bradshaw

The Horses of Heaven



Marie Brennan

Warrior, Witch



Octavia Butler

Wild Seed



Lillian Stewart Carl

Wings of Power



Rae Carson

The Girl of Fire and Thorns



Kylie Chan

White Tiger, Red Phoenix, Blue Dragon



Joy Chant

Red Moon, Black Mountain

The Grey Mane of Morning



C.J. Cherryh

Rusalka, Chernevog, Yvgenie

The Paladin



M. Lucie Chin

The Fairy of Ku-She



Catherine Cooke

Winged Assassin Trilogy

Juanita Coulson

The Web of Wizardry, The Death God's Citadel



Leah Cutter

The Jaguar and the Wolf

Paper Mage

The Caves of Buda



Kara Dalkey

Goa, Biajipur, Bhagavati

Little Sister

The Heavenward Path

The Nightingale

Genpei

Euryale

Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

The Brotherhood of the Conch series

The Palace of Illusions



Sara Douglass

Threshhold



Amanda Downum

The Drowning City, The Bone Palace



Doris Egan

Gate of Ivory



Kate Elliott

Crossroads Trilogy

Spiritwalker

Cold Fire

Jennifer Fallon

Lion of Senet, Eye of the Labyrinth, Lord of the Shadows



Nancy Farmer

The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm

The House of the Scorpion



Catherine Fisher

The Oracle Betrayed

The Sphere of Secrets

The Scarab

Susan Fletcher

Alphabet of Dreams



Eugie Foster

Returning My Sister's Face and Other Far Eastern Tales of Whimsy and Malice (short story collection)



Esther Friesner

Nobody's Princess, Nobody's Prize

Wishing Season

Sphinx's Princess, Sphinx's Queen

Child of the Eagle



Jane Gaskell

The Serpent, Atlan, The City, Some Summer Lands

Pauline Gedge

The Scroll of Saqqara



Heather Gladney

Teot's War

Bloodstorm



Lisa Goldstein

The Red Magician



Allison Goodman

Eon: Dragoneye Reborn



Angelica Gorodischer

Kalpa Imperial



Hiromi Goto

Half World

Jo Graham

Black Ships

The Hand of Isis



Kathryn Grant

The Phoenix Bells

The Black Pearl Road

The Willow Garden



Kerry Greenwood

Cassandra

Electra

Medea



Shannon Hale

Book of a Thousand Days

Barbara Hambly

Sisters of the Raven, Circle of the Moon



Anne Harris

Inventing Memory



Lian Hearn

Across the Nightingale Floor, Grass for His Pillow, Brilliance of the Moon, The Harsh Cry of the Heron, and Heaven's Net is Wide



P.C. Hodgell

Godstalk



Nalo Hopkinson

The Salt Roads

The New Moon's Arms

Skin Folk (short story collection)

N.K. Jemisin

The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, The Broken Kingdoms, The Kingdom of the Gods

The Killing Moon, The Shadowed Sun



K. V. Johansen

Blackdog



Alaya Dawn Johnson

Racing the Dark, The Burning City



Kij Johnson

The Fox Woman, Fudoki

Sylvia Kelso

Amberlight



Lee Killough

The Leopard's Daughter



Patrice Kindl

Lost in the Labyrinth



Naomi Kritzer

Freedom's Gate, Freedom's Apprentice, Freedom's Sisters



Glenda Larke

Watergivers trilogy

The Mirage Makers trilogy

The Isles of Glory trilogy



Ursula LeGuin

Earthsea Books

Lavinia



Tanith Lee

Tamastara (short story collection)

Cyrion

Night's Master

Death's Master

Delirium's Mistress

Night's Sorceries

A Heroine of the World



Grace Lin

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon

Malinda Lo

Huntress



Karen Lord

Redemption in Indigo



Nathalie Mallet

The Princes of the Golden Cage, The King's Daughters



Zoe Marriott

Shadows on the Moon

Ardath Mayhar

The Seekers of Shar-Nuhn

How the Gods Wove in Kyrannon



Carole McDonnell

Wind Follower



Juliet E. McKenna

Aldebreshin Compass series



Antonia Michaelis

Tiger Moon

Karen Miller

Godspeaker Trilogy



Sasha Miller

Ladylord



Miyuki Miyabe

The Book of Heroes

Ico: Castle in the Sky



Donna Jo Napoli

Bound

Beast

Andre Norton

Wraiths of Time

Shadow Hawk

Dragon Magic

Empire of the Eagle (co-written with Susan Shwartz)

Imperial Lady: A Fantasy of Han China (co-written with Susan Shwartz)



Noriko Ogiwara

Dragon Sword and Wind Child



Nnedi Okorafor

Zahrah the Windseeker

Akata Witch

Who Fears Death



Fuyumi Ono

The Twelve Kingdoms



Holly Phillips

The Engine's Child



Cindy Pon

Silver Phoenix, Fury of the Phoenix

Jessica Amanda Salmonsen

Tomoe Gozen, Thousand Shrine Warrior, The Golden Naginata



Fay Sampson

Star Dancer



Marella Sands

Sky Knife

Serpent and Storm



Courtney Schafer

The Whitefire Crossing

Susan Shwartz

Heirs to Byzantium Trilogy

The Grail Of Hearts

Silk Roads and Shadows

Arabesques I and II, editor

Empire of the Eagle (co-written with Andre Norton)

Imperial Lady: A Fantasy of Han China (co-written with Andre Norton)



Carol Severance

Demon Drums, Storm Caller, Sorcerous Sea



Nisi Shawl

Filter House (story collection)

Josepha Sherman

The Horse of Flame

The Shining Falcon



Sharon Shinn

Gateway

General Winston's Daughter



Kari Sperring

The Grass King's Concubine



Nancy Springer

The White Hart, The Silver Sun, The Sable Moon

Suzanne Fisher Staples

Shiva's Fire



Judith Tarr

Alamut, The Dagger and the Cross

A Wind in Cairo

The Hall of the Mountain King, The Lady of Han-Gilen, A Fall of Princes

Arrows of the Sun, Spear of Heaven, Tides of Darkness

Lord of the Two Lands

Pillar of Fire

King and Goddess

Throne of Isis

The Shepherd Kings

White Mare's Daughter, Lady of Horses, Daughter of Lir

The Golden Horn

Sheree R. Thomas, editor

Dark Matter: Reading the Bones, Speculative Fiction from the African Diaspora



Heather Tomlinson

Toads & Diamonds



Nahoko Uehashi

Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit, Moribito II: Guardian of the Dark



Catherynne Valente

The Grass-Cutting Sword



Mary Victoria

Tymon's Flight

Martha Wells

City of Bones

Wheel of the Infinite

The Cloud Roads, The Serpent Sea



Elizabeth E. Wein

A Coalition of Lions

The Sunbird

The Lion Hunter

The Empty Kingdom



Michelle West

The Sun Sword series

Leona Wisoker

Secrets of the Sands



Carol Wilkinson

Dragon Keeper



Cherry Wilder

A Princess of Chameln, Yorath the Wolf, The Summer King



Liz Williams

Snake Agent, The Demon and the City, Precious Dragon, The Shadow Pavillion, The Iron Khan



Sarah Zettel

Sword of the Deceiver

***

Many thanks to Martha Wells for compiling this huge list. Again please chime in the comments with any other recommendations that fit with this list.



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Mad Hatter's Reading Log - February

In my long road of getting this blog up-to-date here is what I in February. Many of these were read on a short vacation to New Orleans and a work trip to the West Coast.

11.  The Sugar Frosted Nutsack by Mark Leyner - This book made my head hurt. A lot. It will go down in history as the most self-referential and recursive book ever. It is an absurd story, with what little actual story there is, but if you like bizarre, gonzo, or just plain odd fiction you've found your messiah in Leyner's Nutsack. Although a lot of people will find the book utter nonsense, which I don't think Leyner would mind as he skewers mythology, worship, and gravy.

12.  The Waters of Eternity by Howard Andrew Jones - This short e-only collection is comprised of a half dozen previously published stories starring Dabir and Asim from The Desert of Souls [reviewed here]. Some are stories referenced in the novel fill-in some nice gaps, while others are long after the events of the novel showing this is a duo who will have many adventures. If you're at all on the fence about this Sword & Sorcery series try out this little collection. The title story was the most entertaining and had a very nice twist on the fountain of youth. Recommended. I'm eagerly awaiting the next Dabir and Asim novel The Bones of the Old Ones coming this December.

13.  Royal Street by Suzanne Johnson - The Paranormal and New Orleans clash in this very satisfying Urban Fantasy debut. There are plenty of UF cliches, but the setting is done quite well and I did fall for fledgling wizard DJ more than a little. It probably didn't hurt that I read it while on a trip to New Orleans either. This could certainly be the start to a strong series. Recommended. I'm definitely going to check out the sequel River Road in a few months.

14.  Ragnarok: The End of Gods by A.S. Byatt - A retelling of the Norse myths framed through the lens of young girl in WWII. This is the most faithful adaptation I've read of Ragnarok. Byatt has done a wonderful job retelling and not reinterpreting or modernizing version of the Norse Gods and Ragnarok. Its very faithful yet approachable. Highly recommended.

15.  Arctic Rising by Tobias Buckell - Buckell envisions a very realistic future in which the north pole has become a nation on to itself as temperatures and water levels rise. Highly recommended. Review hopefully to come.

16.  Fated by Benedict Jacka - Another Urban Fantasy debut. This one fits in almost too perfectly in the Dresden Universe, which made it standout a little less. There is even a nod to Dresden early on. The pacing and tension were the saving graces. Jacka does a good job at dangling the mysteries out quite well. I'll hold a recommendation until I've read another volume, but if you're a UF addict take a dip in to test the waters.

17.  The Serpent Sea by Martha Wells - This is the sequel to The Cloud Roads. Wells again surprised me by broadening an already rich world. Highly recommended. This is a series not to be missed by any Fantasy fan.

18.  The Drowning Girl by Caitlin R.Kiernan - Imelda (or Imp to her few friends), an unreliable narrator tells 3 stories about her life. Some are true. Some are mostly true. And some are lies. But she isn't sure which are which. This is a story that messes with your head in beautiful  way. Highly recommended.

19.  After the Fall, Before the Fall, During the Fall by Nancy Kress - A story told from 3 different points in time. One of the strands doesn't even have any characters while in another people are trapped in a giant shell. Sounds a bit odd, right? But this mix of time travel, first contact, and survival works well together with believable characters and an even if you see it coming wouldn't be any less effective for it.. Recommended.

20.  Forerunner by Andre Norton - As far as I can remember this is my first Norton novel despite her very long career. Taking place on an alien world the story comes off as more a Fantasy then Science Fiction. Told in a simple yet evocative style, it reminded me of the style Wells employs with with The Cloud Roads . Highly recommended. This won't be my last Norton, that's for sure.

21.  A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs - A brush-up before the movie was needed. Overall, it was a good, action filled time, but certain negative aspect seem more opaque then ever. Recommended if you're in the mood for a classic Sword and Planet adventure. And for god sake read this and not the novelization of the movie!

22.  Heartless by Gail Carriger - Relationships are the key to this Steampunk series, which has remained on a even level ever since the start with Soulless. And this is the penultimate volume to the series and it is nearly  time for the finale.The series is as witty and charming as its main characters. Recommend, especially if you're in the mood for something light.



Overall, February was one of the strongest months of reading I've had in sometime. 7 out of 12 reads were by women, which is probably higher than average for me in any given month. I think variety was the key. I didn't try to read anything based off publication time frames, but more about what I was excited by or what I've been meaning to read for awhile. And it had a little of everything from Classic Genre (A Princess of Mars, Forerunner) to some that will become classics of the genre (The Drowning Girl, The Serpent Sea).



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Cover Unveiled for Charles Yu's Sorry Please Thank You: Stories

Charles Yu's fiction always seems to draw austere, clean designs and his publishers just may have met the limits of what that can mean for his second short story collection Sorry Please Thank You: Stories. The question is have they taken that idea too far? For me the answer is yes, as if it didn't have Yu's name on it I would gloss over it on the shelf at a bookstore. There is just nothing about it that gives me an urge to pick it up otherwise. I was introduced to Yu by finding his first collection Third Class Superhero [seen at the bottom] in a store while traveling and the cover sold me right away. It was colorful and perfect to convey the odd and funny stories it contained. While this one just seems overly dry. Here's the official blurb for Sorry Please Thank You: Stories:

A big-box store employee is confronted by a zombie during the graveyard shift, a problem that pales in comparison to his inability to ask a coworker out on a date . . . A fighter leads his band of virtual warriors, thieves, and wizards across a deadly computer-generated landscape . . . A company outsources grief for profit, their tagline: "Don't feel like having a bad day? Let someone else have it for you." Drawing from both pop culture and science, Charles Yu is a brilliant observer of contemporary society, filling his stories with equal parts laugh-out-loud humor and piercing insight into the human condition. He has already garnered comparisons to such masters as Kurt Vonnegut and Douglas Adams, and in Sorry Please Thank You, we have resounding proof of a major new voice in American fiction

Doesn't all of that sound a bit more colorful? Sorry Please Thank You: Stories will be out July 24th.

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Update on Cold Days by Jim Butcher

One of the most searched terms that lands people here are Dresden Files queries and the Cold Days search is getting ever more popular. My Dresden Files Has Jumped the Shark post has gotten so crazy I shut down the comments as I was just tired of being the place where people went to argue about it. I stand by that post and still feel very much the same way. I've discussed the story with a lot of other people in person and I'm not the only one who feels the same. Don't get me wrong some of my friends loved it too. But I digress...



Anyway, this was supposed to be an update on Cold Days. Well, there is no firm update. Butcher started writing the book in earnest around the beginning of the year after finishing a trio of Bigfoot/Dresden short stories. So it is coming, but being a 2012 release is pretty out the door. I tweeted back and forth with Jim's US editor briefly and she said it has not been decided/announced yet. There is a 2013 listing for Cold Days on Amazon UK with a January 2013 release, but I wouldn't set that in stone until Jim says so. January is probably the hope, but we'll see.



Jim has said that he is also working on a pitch for a Steampunk novel, which seems likely to be his next project after Cold Days. Those hoping he would do a run of a couple Dresden books in a row will have to be disappointed. Butcher mentioned many times he needs to take a breather from that world every other book. Before the Alera books did this. I was mostly hoping for his Sci-Fi cop series United System Marshalls to be the next, but I certainly wouldn't turn a Steampunk read down.



And for all those fans that can't wait for the next Dresden files I point you towards Kevin Hearne's Hounded, Benedict Jacka's Fated, and Seanan McGuire's Rosemary and Rue. Those series should definitely tide you over.



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