NEWS | The Name of the Wind to TV and Abercrombie's new trilogy

According to The Bookseller Job Abercombie has just sold a new loose trilogy to Harper Voyager in the UK with the first book slated for 2014 to be titled Half a King. The new books will not be related to the First Law world, but a more traditional yet alternative ancient Europe in the time of the Dark Ages. The books will also be aimed at both a younger demographic as well as Joe's traditional adult audience. For Abercrombie this probably just means cutting down on the cuss words and graphic sex. Abercrombie said:

“In some ways this is a very different sort of book from what I’ve written so far. It’s aimed partly at younger readers (maybe the 12-16 range). It’s much shorter – 80,000 words compared to 175,000 for my shortest, Red Country, and 230,000 for my longest, Last Argument of Kings (though still over twice the length of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, believe it or not). It’s set in a very different world with what you might call a viking or anglo-saxon feel. It’s much more focused, with a single point of view. It’s not so overtly ‘gritty’ although it’s a long way from smooth. It is punchy. It has drive. I aimed to deliver a slap in the face with every page.”

No word on the US rights, but those should come quickly. Abercombie has mentioned a July 2014 publication date as likely on both sides of the pond for Half a King with the sequels spread 6 month apart thereafter. The rub is the next First Law trilogy is still in the works, but we probably won't be seeing that until at least 2017, but there will be a short story collection of the First Law  in 2015 or 2016. It will be interesting to see how Abercrombie transitions his style to a younger set and if it can truly hold a candle for those of us who are use to Lord Grimdark.

The other big piece of news is according to Deadline.com  New Regency and Fox have have optioned  The Name of the Wind for a TV show.  Now don't hold your breathe too much on this as option often lapse, but Fox is in a period of growth splitting FX into two channels with the new FXX starting in the not too distant future though the credits of some involved don't impress me much. Still I'll be there in a heartbeat once it starts airing.



I'm honestly not sure which piece of news excites me more. More Joe Abercrombie fiction is always a good thing, but being able to see the characters that Rothfuss has brought so well to life on to the page being fully realized could be an amazing thing.



You Might Also Like:

REVIEW | The Heroes by Joe Abercrombie

REVIEW | Best Served Cold by Joe Abercrombie

RE-READING | The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothruss - Part 1

RE-READING | The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss - Part 2

New Procurements

Lot of good books have made it into the house. So many that I had to donate 4 bags of books to my local library this weekend. I'm sadly at the point where I have to make tough decisions every month about what books to keep, both old and new just to keep up with the flow. It is in a way a nice problem to have since when I was young I barely had any books to call my own that weren't school related. I was a library hound for many years so it is wonderful to have an amazing selection at hand. Anyway on with the new. Rather than discuss each book I'm just going to point out the ones I'm likely to read sooner than later. Also, if it is pictured here, but not mentioned don't take that as me not being interested. I want to read them I just know it won't be any time soon. Books I receive that I'm not very interested in go in the donation pile and don't get pictured.

The first 8 above are buys starting with the much lauded The Dog Stars by Peter Heller followed by the Demon Cycle mini-collection The Great Bazaar and Brayan's Gold by Peter V. Brett. The Brett collection is a UK only release, but the stories are available as eBooks readily in the US. Starslip Crisis Vol 1. I picked up signed by Kris Straub at PAX East this year. While at the comic shop I nabbed Manhattan Projects Vol 2. and Elric: The Balance Lost Vol 3. You is the sophomore novel from Austin Grossman, which is his love letter to video games and the people who make them.

The above are all review copies. Carniepunk started as a joke online that quickly tumbled into a full-blown theme anthology anchored by Urban Fantasy stars Kevin Hearne, Seanan McGuire, and Rachel Caine. The Rithmatist by Brandon Sanderson is one I've been looking forward to for a couple years now and is his YA debut. Two Serpents Rise is Max Gladstone's sequel to Three Parts Dead, which was one of my favorite debuts last year. Red Planet Blues is Robert J. Sawyer's detective noir on Mars. Max Barry's Lexicon will be read quite soon as well Zachary Jernigan's debut No Return. The Thousand Names by Django Wexler's debut and another read soon, but not officially out until June. I wasn't aware of Jeff Noon before I received these UK review copies, but his books sound too bonkers to pass by. Ari Marmell is the first to take on the Iron Kingdoms setting in novel form with In Thunder Forged. Iron Kingdoms is an RPG setting I've been interested in for a while as it combines magic and machines and epic battles. That's a recipe for fun.





I just finished reading The Great Bazaar by Peter Brett which was a nice treat and I'm now making my way through Iain M. Banks' Consider Phlebas, which is my firs Culture novel. So far it is slower and more brutal than I thought it would be, but it contains one of the best Prologue's in Space Opera I've ever read.



You Might Also Like:

REVIEW | The Daylight War by Peter V. Brett

REVIEW | Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson

The Hattie Awards 2012!!! Or the best books of 2012 (That I've read)

REVIEW | Machine Man by Max Barry

NEWS | Dangerous Women edited by George R.R. Martin and Gardner Dozois gets a release date

News broke about George R.R. Martin and Gardner Dozois' next big anthology quite sometime ago, but a release date hadn't been set until just now. Dangerous Women will be released December of 2013, which should be just in time for Christmas. And what's better than original stories by Joe Abercrombie, Lev Grossman, and Brandon Sanderson to close out the the year? Well, only if we got a new Martin A Song of Ice and Fire story, which we do. It will cover the Targaryen civil war which has been mentioned a lot in the novels and Dunk & Egg stories, but little detail has been revealed. But don't confuse this with the Dunk & Egg stories as it takes place well before Egg was born. Here's part of Martin's announcement from a few months back that goes into more detail on some of the stories:

The Abercrombie is set against his RED COUNTRY backdrop, the Holland gives us Eleanor of Aquitaine, Jim Butcher returns us to Harry Dresden’s world, Lev Grossman contributes a tale of life at Brakebills, Steve Stirling revisits his Emberverse, Diana Gabaldon’s story features Jamie Fraser of OUTLANDER fame, the Spector is a Wild Cards story featuring Hoodoo Mama and the Amazing Bubbles, and mine own contribution… well, it’s some of that fake history I have been writing lo these many months, the true (mostly) story of the origins of the Dance of the Dragons. The stand-alone stories, not part of any series, feature some amazing work as well. For those who like to lose themselves in long stories, the Brandon Sanderson story, the Diana Gabaldon story, the Caroline Spector story, and my “Princess and Queen” are novellas. Huge mothers.

Here’s the table of contents…

• “Some Desperado” by Joe Abercrombie


• “My Heart Is Either Broken” by Megan Abbott


• “Nora’s Song” by Cecelia Holland


• “The Hands That Are Not There” by Melinda Snodgrass


• “Bombshells” by Jim Butcher


• “Raisa Stepanova” by Carrie Vaughn


• “Wrestling Jesus” by Joe R. Lansdale


• “Neighbors” by Megan Lindholm


• “I Know How To Pick ‘em” by Lawrence Block


• “Shadows For Silence In The Forests Of Hell” by Brandon Sanderson


• “A Queen In Exile” by Sharon Kay Penman


• “The Girl In The Mirror” by Lev Grossman


• “Second Arabesque, Very Slowly” by Nancy Kress


• “City Lazarus” by Diana Rowland


• “Virgins” by Diana Gabaldon


• “Hell Hath No Fury” by Sherilynn Kenyon


• “Pronouncing Doom” by S.M. Stirling


• “Name The Beast” by Sam Sykes


• “Caretakers” by Pat Cadigan


• “Lies My Mother Told Me” by Caroline Spector


• “The Princess And The Queen” by George R.R. Martin

December can't get here soon enough.



You Might Also Like:

Joe Abercrombie Interviews George R.R. Martin

ART | A New Look to GRRM's A Song of Ice & Fire

GUEST POST | Ekaterina Sedia on Anthology Editing

REVIEW | The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson

AUTHOR INTERVIEW | Lev Grossman author of The Magicians

REVIEW | Tome of the Undergates by Sam Sykes

GUEST POST | Industrialization in Epic Fantasy by Brian McClellan

The Industrial Revolution was a time of great change in our history. There were immense technological breakthroughs as well as wave after wave of political and social reform. The class system was breaking down and kings were being pulled from their thrones. Unprecedented economic growth swept across large parts of the world.



This most important of times in human history is often either maligned or ignored by epic fantasy.



The precedent for this seems to have been set by Tolkien. In his Lord of the Rings series, industrialization and technological advancement only seems to happen among the orcs. This is portrayed very well in the film where we can see great clouds of toxic pollution hanging over Mordor, and in Sarumon's lands he tears down the ancient forests to fuel and make room for belching factories to arm his Uruk-hai.

Tolkien focuses on the negative aspects of the industrialization, and why wouldn't he? During the Industrial Revolution people were crammed into dirty, overpopulated cities. Streets overflowed with trash and raw sewage. Rivers became toxic with the filthy runoff. Mining and logging on a large scale destroyed the countryside. All of this industrialization created a world in which it was possible to equip armies for world wars—a fact that Tolkien saw first hand.



There are plenty of others who focus on the disadvantages of technological progress in their epic fantasy. The starkest of these are post-apocalyptic epic fantasy; these are fantasy worlds that take place on a future Earth after nuclear war. Mark Lawrence's Broken Empire trilogy is one example, while Margaret Weiss and Tracy Hickman's Death Gate Cycle is another. In these worlds we see the ultimate endgame of industrialization—near annihilation.

In Promise of Blood, I wanted to treat the Industrial Revolution differently. Not as the means of evil, as Tolkien did, or advancement toward a nuclear holocaust, but as the simple wheels of progress. There is no inherent evil in industrialization—only what man decides to do with the results.



So I asked the question. "What place does magic have in an industrializing world?" The answer I found: a big one.



In my novels, the old school of magic—the Privileged with their elemental sorcery—are deeply entrenched in the nobility of the world. Along with the nobility they oppose this new rising middle class of capitalists and the factories and unions that come with them. At the same time they don't mind getting rich off the backs of the working man, or the canal being built over the mountains that will enable the import of more luxury goods.



The new powder mages, with their sorcery based on gunpowder, embrace industrialization. How better to produce more gunpowder and flintlocks? Factories help the Adran army become the best equipped among all the Nine Nations. The greater population density of the cities make it easier to find and recruit more powder mages.



Then there's the Knacked and their talents. The sorcery of the commoners is turned to whatever use they can find for it. Inspector Adamat uses his perfect memory to aid in his investigations. Olem becomes Field Marshal Tamas' bodyguard because he doesn't need sleep. The commoners adapt. They use their magic to better themselves in an increasingly complicated world.



There are some that might argue that industrialization takes the "epic" out of "epic fantasy." They might say that writing in this time period goes against the whole spirit of the genre. I don't agree. I think there are magic and heroes, good and evil, adventure and intrigue to be found in an industrial world and that the Industrial Revolution opens up a whole new set of possibilities for epic fantasy. Magic does not fade with technological advancement. It adapts along with the people that use it.




*****


Brian McClellan lives in Cleveland, Ohio with his wife, two dogs, a cat, and between 6,000 and 60,000 honey bees (depending on the time of year). He began writing on Wheel of Time role playing websites at fifteen. Encouraged toward writing by his parents, he started working on short stories and novellas in his late teens. He went on to major in English with an emphasis on creative writing at Brigham Young University. It was here he met Brandon Sanderson, who encouraged Brian’s feeble attempts at plotting and characters more than he should have. Brian continued to study writing not just as an art but as a business and was determined this would be his life-long career. He attended Orson Scott Card’s Literary Bootcamp in 2006. In 2008, he received honorable mention in the Writers of the Future Contest. In November 2011, PROMISE OF BLOOD and two sequels sold at auction to Orbit Books. It is due out in April of 2013. More info can be found on his website or on twitter.





You Might Also Like:

REVIEW | The Half-Made World by Felix Gilman

The Brandon Sanderson Interview

REVIEW | The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson

REVIEW | The Heroes by Joe Abercrombie

REVIEW | Prince of Thorns by Mark Lawrence

Meet Tor.com's Newest Contributor: ME!

This is something I've been keeping under my hat for over a month. I'll be running The Way of Kings Reread for Tor.com! It is a gargantuan task that I hope I'm up to. This is one of the secret projects I've mentioned before. The intro post is up and my first chapter post should be going up on the 28th with a new one to follow every Thursday. So join me in the discussion as we try to make sense of Roshar and by extension the mind of Brandon Sanderson. It should be a hoot and a half.



Also, Tor is running a special on the eBook of The Way of Kings for $2.99 as well as a contest for print copies.



You Might Also Like:

The Brandon Sanderson Interview

REVIEW | The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson

REVIEW | Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson

NEWS | New Sanderson YA Novel

GUEST REVIEW | A Memory of Light by Robert Jordan & Brandon Sanderson

Mad Hatter's Reading Log - August to December

I'm posting this just in the interest of keeping my reading log up-to-date, but as this goes down my commentary gets shorter.



August



66. Stormdancer by Jay Kristoff - After a very boring first 100 pages of mostly walking around and explaining the world things finally took a turn for the better in this Steampunk quasi-Japanese influenced tale of a young girl facing off an entire nation with a griffin. Don't let the griffin part throw you off, he's much cooler than you'd think. Think Saphira only with more rage. What Stromdancer does well it excels at (fight sequences, window dressings such as the chainsaw katanas) and what it doesn't do well really shows (such as the use of the Japanese language at odd points and mutilated mythology). Granted this isn't trying to be a true to form Japanese Fantasy like Lian Hearn's work.  Even amid all the problems I enjoyed Kristoff's opening salvo in the Lotus War trilogy. Fans of classic Fantasy who are looking for a bit of Steampunk accents thrown in would enjoy this, but don't expect something deeper.

67. "Devil in the Dollhouse" by Richard Kadrey - The first Sandman Slim short story takes us to what is considered the backwater of Hell. The ending felt off since it negates everything that happens, but damn if that wasn't a fun ride.

68. "Box of Devotion" by Anthony Huso - If you've been on the fence about trying Huso's The Last Page and it's sequel Black Bottle then please check out this short which shows off his considerable writing skills in a compact form. Yes, it is a side story from Black Bottle, but you needn't have read it to enjoy it on more than one level. Recommended.

69. Devil Said Bang by Richard Kadrey - I stand amazed that Kadrey has been keeping this series at such high level with blistering action and one of the best anti-heroes of the last decade. He is still holding out on us on the Aelita confrontation though.

70. Irredeemable vol 8 & 9 by Mark Waid - It is over and got a bit convoluted towards the end to the point I wish I stopped a bit sooner. But I needed closure. Sigh.

71. The Troupe by Robert Jackson Bennett - A couple years back I read Bennett's Mr. Shivers and found it to be more than decent, but not my cup of tea. The Troupe on the other hand feels like one of those book tailored to my taste. Believable yet odd setting: check. Endearing yet aloof characters: check. Genuinely original mythology: BIG CHECK. For me this came off as a period American Gods only it was even more epic towards the end. Vaudeville, evil monsters, dark family secrets. Just bliss. Highly recommended. This is also my book of the year.

72. The Twelve by Justin Cronin - Even though it didn't live up to the promise set forth in The Passage Cronin's characters are some of most magnetic and well-drawn people. Things escalate, however slowly and in more telegraphed ways. Recommended, especially if you devoured the first.

73. The Maze Runner by James Dasher - Decent YA Dystopian, but I finished without a urge to continue with the series as the ending was completely opaque to me. Anyone have an opinion on whether I should continue on to The Scorch Trials?

74. The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving by Jonathan Evison - This bittersweet story centers on a man who has lost everything and has given up searching for a new life. Driven by the need to pay his bills he turns to becoming a caregiver to a young man with muscular dystrophy. At times heart wrenching and other times laugh-out-loud. Recommended

75. Mr Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan - Secrets codes in books, a book cult, and genius use of tech that is on our doorsteps made this a very fun read with an ending that lost the push the rest of the novel had.Highly recommended.

76. Ex-Patriots by Peter Clines - This is the sequel to the Zombie/Superhero mash-up Ex-Heroes. It wasn't as strong as the first book, but still a good time. Recommended. I'll be checking out the third book when it is released.

77. Trapped by Kevin Hearne - The fifth in the Iron Druid series. I'm more than a little bit smitten with Atticus and Granuaile. So if you've been on the sidelines with the series try the first out as the whole series has been on an even level. Highly recommend.



September



78. The Blinding Knife by Brent Weeks - Even better than The Black Prism and the series veers away from a more predictable path. Highly recommended for Epic Fantasy fans.

79. Two Ravens and One Crow by Kevin Hearne - The author refers to this novella as Iron Druid 4.5. Recommended.

80. The Dirty Streets of Heaven by Tad Williams - This goes in the unexpected book of the year category. Who knew Williams detailed Fantasy skills would translate so well to an Detective Noir Urban Fantasy? Really well done and I can't wait for the next volume.

81. The Boolean Gate by Walter Jon Williams - This is almost a brief history lesson about Sam Clemens and Nikola Tesla with great touches of New York City history. Is Telsa a mad man not working under his own power? Will Sam get his thousand island dressing? You have to read to find out.

82. The Labyrinth of Dreaming Books by Walter Moers - Taken as part of the whole of the Zamonia novels this is the only tedious volume to date. I'm hopeful it gets better because this is the first part in a duology that the next volume something actually happens.



October



83. The Kingmakers by Clay & Susan Griffith - The third and final volume of the Vampire Empire closes out things very strongly. Series highly recommended. It feels pulpy yet modern with a tinge of romance.

84. Savage Worlds: Explorers Edition - Gaming is afoot! This is a new RPG system for me so I've been studying up.

85. John Dies at the End by David Wong - Like the Evil Dead bucket loads? Then you'll love this. I also bought the sequel before I finished this, which should say a bit all on its own. Very twisted, funny Horror. Highly recommended.

86. The Emperor's Soul by Brandon Sanderson - Recommended and also a good introduction to Sanderson's writing with an Asiatic bent.

87. Sundiver by David Brin - A classic with loads of good ideas. Recommended and I hope to continue with the series in 2013.

88. Rapture by Kameron Hurley - Simply bad-ass. I love this series and this volume gives us plenty of closure. Highly recommended.

November



89. Red Country by Joe Abercrombie - An all-star cast from the world of the First Law is a fan's delight. It is not nearly as strong as Best Served Cold, but still one of the strongest Fantasy releases of 2012.

90. The Fractal Prince by Hannu Rajaniemi - If you thought The Quantum Thief was a bit of a mindfuck then you haven't seen anything yet. All though very confusing at times I fell hard for what Rajaniemi is doing to Science Fiction. Recommended.

91. The Woman Who Died A Lot by Jasper Fforde - Fforde has brought the series back to form after the last volume left me disappointed. It also seems the series is coming to a close, which is probably the way to go.

92. Jagannath by Karin Tidbeck - A gorgeous collection. The best of the year and perhaps the best of the last 10 years. Dark, strange, beguiling. Buy it.

93. Cold Days by Jim Butcher - See short review here.

94. Santiago by Mike Resnick - A bit too slow for my liking given I went in with high expectations as it is supposed to be a forebearer to Firefly. The Western/outlaw in space feel is definitely there though. Recommended with reservations.

95. Life Among Giants by Bill Roorbach - A very well told story, but the characters felt too detached. Yet there is something about this story that has stayed with me. Recommended.

96. The Inexplicables by Cherie Priest - One of the most "fun" books in the Clockwork Century series this time with a more YA friendly tone and character POV. And again a revisit to Seattle and many characters from the past with big things lurking in the fog. A nice close off to the Seattle storyline overall, but I'm at the point where I want to see what else is going on in this world. Recommended.

97. Osama by Lavie Tidhar - I think Tidhar was channeling Philip K. Dick in this reality bending pulp fiction. A very impressive read that is sure to create controversy and discussion. Recommend.

98. The Siren Depths by Martha Wells -  This the third book of the Raksura has cemented Wells' work as a staple on my shelves from now on. Highly recommended for those wanting an exciting and original Fantasy novel.



December



99.  City of Hope and Shadow by Ian Whates - I enjoyed the first book in this trilogy so much (City of Dreams and Nightmares), but second and this, the last volume, never entirely took off further for me. I just kept wishing more more of that discovery magic that happened with the first.

100. Becalmed by Kristin Kathryn Rusch - The latest in the Diving Universe series is actually a prequel on how a certain ship became stuck. Recommended.

101. Star Wars: Scoundrels by Timoty Zahn -See review here.

102. Among Others by Jo Walton - A gorgeous novel about a troubled young girl's experience with books, making friends, and leaving the past behind with some magic thrown in. Highly recommended.

103. Crystal Rain by Tobias Buckell - This was a reread as I wanted to get to the rest of the series. It is still a wonderfully big Sci-Fi adventure with a diverse cast. Cyborgs, gruesome aliens, and warring cultures. Good stuff. Highly recommended.

104. Mockingbird by Chuck Wendig - Our favorite foul-mouthed death-predicting vixen Miriam Black returns and this time she's going back to private school. Hilarity and death ensue. Highly recommended.

105. Three Parts Dead by Max Gladstone - Apparently I saved one of the best debuts for last. I was at first put off by the premise of a magic system designed along the lines of the legal system, but this world is so different from common Fantasy I was left wanting for more. Highly recommended.



So that was a lot to cover at once. Hopefully my next update won't be so long in the tooth. It was a heck of year of reading. Check here for my year end best of in case you missed it.



You Might Also Like:

REVIEW | God's War by Kameron Hurley

REVIEW | The Black Prism by Brent Weeks

INTERVIEW | Kristine Kathryn Rusch author of Diving Into the Wreck

INTERVIEW | Cherie Priest author of Boneshaker

Covers Unveiled for Lexicon by Max Barry

US Cover, Art by Will Staehle

I've been a fan of Max Barry's since his satirical Sci-Fi winner Jennifer Government, but it was Company that truly won me over with it hilarious views of corporate governance and organization. His last effort from 2011, Machine Man (reviewed here), was quite the twisted view on trans-humanism, but his latest Lexicon, goes after language itself. We've got two covers to gander at. They both do the job well enough, but the type treatment on the US is a bit stronger. The UK cover is clearly going after the style that was done on Jennifer Government. In either case I'm very interested with what going on in the inside. Whatever happens I expect a funny yet intelligent read.

UK Cover, Art by Ben Summers

Here's the blurb:

At an exclusive school somewhere outside of Arlington, Virginia, students aren’t taught history, geography, or mathematics—at least not in the usual ways. Instead, they are taught to persuade. Here the art of coercion has been raised to a science .Students harness the hidden power of language to manipulate the mind and learn to break down individuals by psychographic markers in order to take control of their thoughts. The very best will graduate as “poets”: adept wielders of language who belong to a nameless organization that is as influential as it is secretive.



Whip-smart orphan Emily Ruff is making a living running a three-card Monte game on the streets of San Francisco when she attracts the attention of the organization’s recruiters. She is flown across the country for the school’s strange and rigorous entrance exams, where, once admitted, she will be taught the fundamentals of persuasion by Brontë, Eliot, and Lowell—who have adopted the names of famous poets to conceal their true identities. For in the organization, nothing is more dangerous than revealing who you are: Poets must never expose their feelings lest they be manipulated. Emily becomes the school’s most talented prodigy until she makes a catastrophic mistake: She falls in love.



Meanwhile, a seemingly innocent man named Wil Jamieson is brutally ambushed by two strange men in an airport bathroom. Although he has no recollection of anything they claim he’s done, it turns out Wil is the key to a secret war between rival factions of poets and is quickly caught in their increasingly deadly crossfire. Pursued relentlessly by people with powers he can barely comprehend and protected by the very man who first attacked him, Wil discovers that everything he thought he knew about his past was fiction. In order to survive, must journey to the toxically decimated tow nof Broken Hill, Australia, to discover who he is and why an entire town was blown off the map.



As the two narratives converge, the shocking work of the poets is fully revealed, the body count rises, and the world crashes toward a Tower of Babel event which would leave all language meaningless. Max Barry’s most spellbinding and ambitious novel yet, Lexicon is a brilliant thriller that explores language, power, identity, and our capacity to love—whatever the cost.

Lexicon hits the shelves in June.



You Might Also Like:

REVIEW | Machine Man by Max Barry

MICRO REVIEW | Year Zero by Rob Reid

REVIEW | Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

REVIEW | Redshirts by John Scalzi

REVIEW | How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe by Charles Yu

New Procurements

It is new book time!

To start us off we have two purchases. American Elsewhere is Robert Jackson Bennett's just released novel, which seems to channel a bit of Bradbury and King in small town America. I can't wait to dive in. Next is the first volume of The Manhattan Projects by Jonathan Hickman and Nick Pitarra, a twisted history of the secret program filled with one messed up Oppenheimer, an off Einstein, sadistic Von Braun, and a very vain Feynman. All in all  gorgeous art with a story that slants history towards the darker side. Bad Science indeed.

The rest of the stack are review copies including one of my most anticipated debuts Promise of Blood coming from Sanderson student Brian McClellan. It is a Flintlock Fantasy, which seems to be an up-and-coming area.  Next is a reissue of the classic The Iron King by Maurice Druon that is being heavily pitched as the direct inspiration for A Game of Thrones including a foreword by GRRM. Dreams and Shadows by C. Robert Cargill has been receiving a lot of early praise comparing it to Neverwhere and The Magicians. I'll have to see if it lives up to that.



Reviver is Seth Patrick's debut where the protagonist can bring back the dead for a short time period. It reminds me a bit of Mike Carey's Felix Castor novels, which is a good thing in my book. A few Sub Press novellas showed up including one I preordered called The Gist by Michael Marshall Smith, which has had an interesting journey. The book is comprised of 3 versions of the story with the original in English, a French Translation, then an English translation of the French version. Best of all the story focuses on a mysterious book. Next is The Last Fullmeasure by Lost Fleet author Jack Campbell. I must confess at never having read Campbell before so I might give this a go. Last in the novellas is The Guiding Nose of Ulfant Banderoz by Dan Simmons, which I read a few years ago when it was released as part of the Vance tribute Songs of Dying Earth. Blood Pride is Evie Manieri's US debut that has gotten a decent reaction so far. Gillian Philip's Firebrand has been out for over a year in the UK to much acclaim. At the bottom of the stack is the sequel to Doctorow's Little Brother, Homeland. Maybe a double feature is in order since I haven't read the first book and it seems to be his most universally acclaimed.



So many books....



You Might Also Like:

The Hattie Awards 2012!!! Or the best books of 2012

GUEST POST | What Does It Mean to Be Compelling? by Robert Jackson Bennett

REVIEW | Farlander by Col Buchanan

REVIEW | The Black Prism by Brent Weeks

REVIEW | The Daylight War by Peter V. Brett

The Daylight War is the third book in the Demon Cycle series, which is planned at 5 books at this point. So it is very much a middle volume. Relationships are tested, alliances are made, and demons are killed. What more could you ask for? A book you stay up late for because you're lost in it perhaps? Well that's what Brett has given us.



As The Warded Man was Arlen's book and The Desert Spear was Jardir's the latest is Inevera's. While I do feel an important aspect of Brett's style is reveling in the back stories of his focus characters The Desert Spear felt too bloated on Jardir's part. The Daylight War gives Inevera the limelight this go around and it was much more balanced showing more of what other characters were up to. In fact, I wouldn't have minded a few more chapters on her past as some aspects of her personality were not addressed as much as I hoped. My liking of Inevera's part could be due to the fact it was more interspersed throughout the book rather than being dropped in larger chunks as Jardir's portion was.



Inevera's rise to Dama Ting is the mental game compared to the physical game Jardir rose to the top of. They are very much the two sides of the same coin. The female side of the Krasians society is explored in depth from the very bottom up. Brett's nod to his love of dice-throwing is finally showcased as we learn the secrets to Inevera's dice and how much they mean.



Killing demons seems very secondary to most of the book save a couple very large battles. It really comes down to whether Arlen or Jardir will lead humanity or somehow find a way to work together again.



Brett's characterization is at an all time high, giving each and every character nuance and depth. This is also the volume where I actually found myself liking Gared. Rojer begins to truly master his powers while also gaining companions of his own, which injects just the right amount of levity when needed. Renna goes to extremes to keep pace with Arlen while Leesha, having not decided on her options in time, is left with few alternatives. Renna's relationship with Arlen deepens in many unforeseen ways. She is keeping Arlen tethered to his humanity while she tempts losing her own. Yet even with all of this going on it was the trader Abban I kept waiting to hear from again. Abban comes alive showing his side of things. Or at least a partial view of his side as his grand plans are kept close to his chest. Mark my words he's up to big things.



The ending, while fulfilling some promises, did feel very rushed. It was a confrontation that seemed to warrant more page time given the amount spent on lesser entanglements.The abruptness may also throw off some fans, but at this point I trust that Brett can live up to what he has done so far.



The Daylight War keeps the quality to near the same level as previous volumes while turning up the pacing, but if you haven't dug what's happened so far than this isn't the series for you. If you like your Fantasy big, dramatic, and with characters you grow to love the Demon Cycle will be quite memorable. With The Daylight War, Brett reaffirms his high place in modern Epic Fantasy. I give The Daylight War 4 out of 5 hats. By the end it seems like the deliverer issue was put to bed so that the true war against the demons can begin. The wait for the fourth volume, The Skull Throne also begins...



You Might Also Like:

REVIEW | Scourge of the Betrayer by Jeff Salyards

REVIEW | Control Point by Myke Cole

REVIEW | Prince of Thorns by Mark Lawrence

REVIEW | Best Served Cold by Joe Abercombie

INTERVIEW | Myke Cole author of Fortress Frontier

Myke Cole is the author of the Military Fantasy series Shadow Ops, which started last year with Control Point followed by the just released Fortress Frontier. He’s done three tours in Iraq and was recalled to serve during the Deep­water Horizon oil spill. I finished Fortress Frontier right after this interview and found it to be an even better read the the first in the series. Each book has brought something new to the table while giving a good view of life in the military, granted military with magic, but that just amps it up even more.



MH: Shadow Ops: Control Point introduced us to a world where magic has come alive again and people with abilities are conscripted into the military. Control Point is through the eyes of military lifer Oscar Britton, but Fortress Frontier moves the POV to someone else. Why the change?



MYKE COLE:  All of my favorite fantasy writers, from Peter V. Brett to George R. R. Martin, deal with ensemble casts. I know plenty of writers have been incredibly successful following a single protagonist (Charlaine Harris, Jim Butcher, Devon Monk, etc . . .), but that has never been the story arc that appeals most to me. It's the interplay between characters that we know really well that draws me in. I love the sense of in-depth world building that we get when an author fully fleshes out even the most ancillary characters. The serving boy has a story, so does the guy who pumps your gas. Steve Martin does an amazing job of this in his novella, Shopgirl. Joe Abercrombie is another writer who does this really well. The three books following his outstanding First Law trilogy are all in-depth examinations of 2nd string characters from First Law.



I have worked really hard to give the reader a very different experience with each Shadow Ops book. I understand that this risks those fans who like to follow a single protagonist, but it's just not how I write. I'm proud of the fact that Fortress Frontier and Control Point do very different things. You'll be following an entirely different protagonist for Breach Zone as well.

MH: One of the biggest confrontations Oscar faces in Control Point is revealing his powers to his parents. But one of this things that keeps coming back to mind is Oscar's dad goes through a portal where everyone supposedly dies, but we learn that is not necessarily true. So is there a chance his dad is not dead?



COLE: I'm not going to give spoilers. I will only repeat what you saw in the text: A gate opened, Stanley Britton went through. When the gate closed, he was still alive. Schroedinger's Cat, brother.



MH: Holding out on me, I see. This brings up an old discussion. I understand why authors don't like to give spoilers of their stories, but as a reader do you think there are such a thing as spoilers? This is something I go back and forth on a lot personally, while when I write my reviews I try not to include big reveals, but rarely would learning something "ruin" the story for me.



MYKE COLE: I'm with you. Learning what's going to happen in a story seldom cheapens the experience for me. That said, I recognize that there are people for whom so called "spoilers" really do ruin the experience. I always keep that in mind when talking about stories. It's like a wedding that way: you think it's about you, but it isn't.



MH: Your military experiences permeates Control Point. Did you always plan to go into the service? And were any of the characters based off officers you worked with?



MYKE COLE: If you'd come to me in college and told me I'd be a mercenary and eventually a uniformed officer, I would have laughed until milk came out of my nose. I was raised as a scrawny, nerdy aesthete, and only developed physically because working out was less shameful than sitting alone in the cafeteria during lunch. 9/11 spurred a reinvention for many Americans, myself among them. It created a perfect storm of opportunity: A passionate desire to DO SOMETHING, coupled by a glut of opportunities to do them. As the smoke from those planes cleared, the public was suddenly willing to let contractors do a lot of things they would never permit if they weren't frightened half to death. Once I was working for a private company in a war zone, I felt like my service was cheapened because it ultimately served a for-profit entity. That planted the seed that grew into my deciding to join up.



MH: I had a friend join up as well. I think that's something that ran though a lot of people's minds during that time.



You've an acknowledged Dungeons and Dragons player and last year helped DM and organize the Author D & D event at ConFusion. After watching that I couldn't help but wonder if you ever had a game going during your tours of Iraq.



MYKE COLE: I worked 18 hour days, 7 days a week, so that was definitely not happening for me. However, when I was at the US embassy, I did note with pride that there was an advertisement for a Warhammer 40K game right along side the yoga class flyer on the community bulletin board. Space Marines in Baghdad. Real life is *way* stranger than fiction.

MH: Grueling hours, man. But I'm glad gaming is still out there. Back to Fortress Frontier. What are the biggest differences between Oscar Britton and Alan Bookbinder? Both are military men, but one from the grunt side and the other bureaucratic.



MYKE COLE: Oscar Britton is a *lot* more conflicted than Alan Bookbinder. This is because Oscar never had a sense of being moored somewhere. He didn't get along with his family, never established a lasting romantic relationship, and . . . well, he's a black guy in rural Vermont. He always had a sense of being out-of-place. The army filled that role for him, it became the home he never felt he had. So, when he's suddenly faced with the choice between the army and his own identity, he is really, really, REALLY torn over it.



Alan is the opposite. His life was smooth sailing from jump. Stable, supportive childhood, wife and kids, great career. He is as grounded as they come.



And then there's one more critical factor: Oscar Britton is a Probe. Alan Bookbinder self reports and is embraced by the system. Bookbinder faces some hard choices, but they're not morally conflicted choices. His path is clear. It's just a matter of finding the will to get it done.



MH: Fortress Frontier is the second volume of Shadow Ops with Breach Zone being the third. How will that differ from the first two? 



MYKE COLE: I'm very proud of having made each of the SHADOW OPS books very different from each other. Each book does something totally different (which also plays into my decision to vary protagonists for each book).



BREACH ZONE does two things that the first two books don't do. It is a tragic love story and an in-depth look at a single battle (a la Joe Abercrombie's THE HEROES). It also shifts focus to the political landscape in America following the upheaval resulting from . . . certain actions by the protagonists in books I and II. It has been the most difficult of the 3 books for me to write, and that's likely because it's the most ambitious. Here's hoping I pulled it off.



MH: You've also mentioned that you're writing a media tie-in novella. Is there anything you can say about that publicly?



MYKE COLE: Only that it won't be media tie-in. I have worked very hard with a few companies to find ideas that work with their franchises, but unfortunately, my writing just doesn't seem to be wired to fit those molds. In the one case where we were able to agree on an idea, the contract specifications were, frankly, unacceptable. I am certainly open to media tie-in work, but I'm not going to write something my heart isn't in just to make money.

MH: What is one your favorite D & D character names you've created?



MYKE COLE: When Pete (Peter V. Brett) and I played D&D in college, he got the Complete Book of Humanoids (2nd ed) and I rolled up a Wemic fighter. I a lot of . . . leonine stuff, I guess. Kicking down doors, killing people without talking to them and generally mucking up the campaign. Pete shook things up by killing me, then binding my soul into a statue. The resultant character had 18 in every stat, but was completely immune to all magic, including positive spells. Made for a fascinating game.



Oh, wait. You wanted to know his name. I don't remember.



MH: Do you have any celebration rituals when a new book is out?



MYKE COLE: I grab my agent and we hit every bookstore in the area, signing as many copies as we can find. I also try to chat up all the booksellers, even buying them a copy if they're willing to give it a read. A lot of the people working in bookstores are serious genre fans, and getting them interested in your work (or thinking you're a nice guy) is a great way to accelerate a launch. Sadly, this ritual takes less time every year, as more and more bookstores are closing.



MH: What is the greatest advice you've even been given as a writer?



MYKE COLE: It's the same advice I've been given as a military officer, government drone and human being: quit your bitching and get to work.



MH: Now on to the important issues. What is your favorite hat?



MYKE COLE: Of course it's my Mich 2002 combat helmet. Here's a shot of me posing with it during my 2nd tour.

MH: Awesome. What books are you reading at the moment?



MYKE COLE: Joe Abercrombie's Red Country and 2 other books for prospective blurbs. This is probably the most frustrating thing about being a pro writer. You barely have time to read as it is, and when you do, you can't simply get lost in a book and enjoy it. You're either deconstructing the reading experience as you try to improve your own craft, or you're reading a manuscript that your publisher sent you and feeling like a jerk because you're either too busy to finish it by the blurb deadline or don't like it enough to attach your name to it (I only blurb books I *really* love. So far, that's been just two: Daniel Polansky's Tomorrow, The Killing and Wes Chu's Lives of Tao). Going pro really does suck a lot of the joy out of leisure reading, which is ironic, because that's what made you want to go pro in the first place.



MH: Is there anything you'd like to say to close us out?



MYKE COLE: My blog, FB and Twitter are great places to see what I'm up to. I'd also like to call on your readers to consider a commitment in the military reserve. Seems like the nation has been going through some tough times lately, and nothing has done more for my mental health than feeling like I was able to ante up and HELP. I've deployed for the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, Hurricane Irene and now Hurricane Sandy, and I sleep so much better at night knowing that I pitched in and did something. If you can, I think you should. Stand with me.



You Might Also Like:

REVIEW | Control Point by Myke Cole

REVIEW | Low Town by Daniel Polansky

REVIEW | The Heroes by Joe Abercrombie

REVIEW | Empire in Black and Gold by Adrian Tchaikovsky

REVIEW | Dragonfly Falling & Blood of the Mantis by Adrian Tchaikovsky

REVIEW | Throne of the Crescent Moon by Saladin Ahmed

New Procurements

My shelves seem to be overflowing more than ever before. This is despite cutting back drastically on the number of review copies I actually request for the last year. This is even the case after donating more than 4 large bags of books (at least 70 books) to a nearby library that was hard hit by Sandy and lost much of their collection. Hopefully their regular patrons are big Sci-Fi and Fantasy fans because, man, I just filled that place up with lots of new books and some older books I decided I could live without. So what do I do after all that? Well, I, of course add to the collection. The first pic is of my recent buys and the second 2 are review copies that have come my way.

For Christmas I received only 1 book, which was self-published phenomena Wool by Hugh Howey. I did however also get quite a few gift cards, which fuel the purchase of most of this pile. I read the first of Seanan McGuire's October Daye last year and want to continue on this year hence the next 2 books in the series A Local Habitation and An Artificial Night. I also started David Brin's much loved Sundiver series last year and grabbed the third book so I'll have nothing to hold me back from continuing on in the series along with his Earth, which is a standalone. Did you hear I loved Robert Jackson Bennett's The Troupe? If not I LOVED IT. Buy it. Now. That's not a request. This also meant I had to get his previous book The Company Man so my shelves looked complete.



Yes, I already own The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde. But no I didn't own a first edition, first printing of the hardcover. I nabbed it for $8, which is a steal from prices I've seen online. A Once Crowded Sky is Tom King's debut novel, which is a prose superhero story that has gotten a decent rep so far. I also filled out my HC collection of Tobias Buckell's Crystal Rain series with Sly Mongoose and Ragamuffin. The last in the pile is Unidentified Funny Objects, which is a Sci-Fi/Humor anthology I Kickstarted last year. On to review copies.

I lucked into an ARC of probably one of my most anticipated titles for the year with NOS4A2 by Joe Hill. Especially since Hill's last was an incredible read. Blood Oranges is Caitlin Matthews aka Kathleen Tierney's start to a new Urban Fantasy series. It seemed like Caitlin considers this her less serious work hence the nom de plume. The Explorer by James Smythe has already been devoured and very much enjoyed. I hope to do a review soon. Karen Lord's The Best of All Possible Worlds is another I've been looking forward to this year. Blind God's Bluff is Richard Lee Byers debut, which intrigues me, but I generally don't care for books with a gambling theme for some reason. Maybe because I'm not much of a gambler. The Kassa Gambit is M.C. Planck's debut Sci-Fi, which I've heard mixed things about. Impulse by Steve Gould is his latest Jumper novel. I loved the original and liked the sequel so I may take it for a spin though I was hoping for another 7th Sigma related story from him. Five Autobiographies and a Fiction is Lucius Shepard's latest collection. Good-Bye, Robinson Crusoe is a new collection coming from John Varley. Doktor Glass is Thomas Brennan's debut which looks to be a Steampunk/Horror of some sort. Looks interesting.  Stephen Baxter's The Wheel of Ice is the latest Doctor Who novel. Though I'm a latecomer to Who I have fallen for it, even the old stuff.

The fat daddy at the top is another of my most anticipated: The Daylight War by Peter V. Brett. Though I haven't done proper reviews of the first two in the series it has quickly become one of my favorites from the last 5 years. The man knows how to do a dark Epic. I've already read Shadow Ops: Fortress Frontier by Myke Cole, which is a marked improvement over Control Point. More on that later. The Six-Gun Tarot is R.S. Belcher's Weird West debut and I love the Raymond Swanland cover art. Wolfhound Century is Peter Higgin's debut, which I just heard called Ian Fleming meets China Mieville. That's sounds mighty good to me. The Many-Coloured Land is the first in a reissued series by Julian May that should be hitting the shelves in the UK soon. It sounds like the TV show Terrra Nova only much more interesting. No word on US reissues, but the Kindle editions appear to be up.  Exile is Betsy Dornbusch's debut, which I don't know much about.  Yet Night Shade usually comes out with Fantasy books I like and it seems to be a revenge story, which I like. The Departure is the start to a new Sci-Fi series from Neal Asher that might work if a hard Sci-Fi mood hits me.



You Might Also Like:

INTERVIEW | Neal Asher author of The Skinner

REVIEW | Horns by Joe Hill

INTERVIEW | Steven Gould author of 7th Sigma

Some Love for the Thursday Next series by Jasper Fforde

REVIEW | Control Point by Myke Cole

GUEST REVIEW | A Memory of Light by Robert Jordan & Brandon Sanderson

Two diplomas, three jobs, one marriage, one kid, three dogs, twenty years. Those are a few of the things that have happened to me since I read Robert Jordan's The Eye of the World for the first time. I've since read it a dozen times. I love it almost as much today as I did then. Rand's long walk from his home to Emond's Field, his father laid out on the horse cart clinging to life, still instills the same sense of dread and determination it always has.

I'll be the first to admit that as the Wheel of Time spun out new books over the years they got worse, and worse, and worse, until a time came that I hardly anticipated their release.  I challenge anyone to casually mention 'the Bowl of Winds' to any Wheel of Time fan. The reactions are almost assured to involve crude language. That isn't to say they were bad books, on par with Piers Anthony or Terry Goodkind, but they weren't the same kind of magic captured in first four, and to a lesser degree the first seven.

Much of that changed when Jordan passed and Brandon Sanderson took over the franchise. I write that not to condemn Jordan's writing, but to highlight that he had perhaps reached a point in the series where a new set of eyes was needed to finish it. First with Towers of Midnight, then with The Gathering Storm, Sanderson was able to put aside some of Jordan's pet projects and, for the first times in years, progress the story to the places it needed to go to complete the series. At the time, it was an incredible thing to witness; the seeds of Jordan's labors were finally bearing fruit.

While that continues in A Memory of Light, the final Wheel of Time novel, some warts are also exposed as Sanderson is forced to cut the cord on extraneous story lines in order to accomplish the necessary greater good of completing Jordan's opus. The result is a novel that finishes the mission, so to speak, but leaves me wondering about Jordan's actual vision.

Before I go any further let me assure everyone that A Memory of Light wraps up the stories of Rand, Mat, and Perrin entirely. It leaves nothing unresolved, or dangling. In almost every way, this fourteenth volume is the novel Wheel of Time fans have waited the better part of twenty years to read. The Last Battle comes. Rand confronts the Dark One. Taim is revealed. Loial turns into Chewbacca. And the great swordsman question is put to rest. I admit to a certain amount of sheer joy at watching these things unfold. I also admit to a certain disappointment that they all unfold in such expected ways, with only a few minor twists.

The largest among those twists, related to an often unseen but prominent villain, fails because it just wasn't properly foreshadowed and/or developed with a point of view character. I feel confident that had Jordan lived to finish his series, there would have been one. I say that on faith, but faith is an important part of a series of this length. I had faith that Moraine's eight book absence amid endless speculation would pay off in the end, and that Cadsuane for all the posturing would serve some significance. That same faith had me believing that the transposition of Padan Fain and Slayer/Luc within the narrative would tie together. Perhaps that faith was misplaced. While there is resolution to all those arcs, they are inadequate given the amount of time devoted to them.

I don't want to be misunderstood. There's almost nothing Sanderson could have done to fix these problems short of writing two more books, or rewriting the ones that came before his involvement. The record was too long and the future not tolerant enough for more exposition. Many of my frustrations are merely the cause and effect of a series that spans fourteen books, two authors, and twenty three years. I strongly believe that Brandon Sanderson wrote the best books that anyone could have written who wasn't Robert Jordan himself. He treated the material respectfully and brought the series to a satisfying conclusion. In so doing, he gave much needed closure to a rabid fan base that grew up with Rand, Perrin, and Mat. I'm one of them.

Because of that, what follows here was difficult to write, but I also cannot in good conscience not write it.

I'm often asked, "Is the Wheel of Time worth it?" In other words, should I invest the better part of a year's reading in the series? My answer for the last decade has been, "I don't know, I'll let you know when the series is finished." With the final novel now in my rear view mirror, I feel capable of answering it.

The answer has to be no. But, like so many things it isn't that simple. To anyone who's read deep into the series, and put it aside until it was finished, please make good on that promise. Sanderson's first two books in the series are iconic, full of huge moments and promised pay-offs. The third lacks those eye brow raising theatrics, but it provides the closure the Wheel's fans needed. But, for the reader just beginning, I believe there are better places to look. The miasma of the eighth through eleventh books is a slog I cannot wish on anyone, full of bloat and wasted words. The payoff, however good, can never overcome the frank and utter disregard for editorial oversight that those novels exemplified.

And still. . .

My inner fan says thank you Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson. My memories of the Wheel of Time will be with me always. The series wasn't the beginning of my reading life, but it was a beginning. For whatever that's worth.


------
About Justin Landon



Justin Landon is the Overlord of the genre blog Staffer's Book Review (and occasional musings). When he's not writing things of dubious value to the world, he's at the gym or being a dad. You can follow him on Twitter, Facebook, and Goodreads, which is strongly suggested lest you miss out on vital information that could someday save your life.



You Might Also Like:

The Brandon Sanderson Interview

REVIEW | The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson

REVIEW | Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson

NEWS | New Sanderson YA Novel

Introducing Our First Guest Reviewer

Mad Hatter's Bookshelf will be entering its fifth year in a few months and in all that time other than a review written with my wife I have been the sole reviewer. For the longest time I've liked it that way despite many offers. I do like to host the occasional guest post on the odd topic from authors and a few others, but later this morning will be the first time another writer has done a review here. It is the last book in a very special series, which is partly how this came about. I wanted to give the book coverage, but didn't feel I was up-to-date enough with the series to do it proper justice.

That's where Justin Landon comes in. Many of you will be familiar with Justin as his blog Staffer's Book Review has been putting out high quality reviews and erudite commentary for almost two years now. He is also co-editing Speculative Fiction 2012: The Years Best Online Reviews, Essays and Commentary with Jared Shurin coming out later this year. Justin and I have been looking to do something together for awhile now and we do have another idea brewing so hopefully this will just be the first post of others to come.



I hope you enjoy his review, which I'm sure will create discussion and visit his site to see what else he's been up to. This man gets around.



You Might Also Like:

On Retiring One’s Bloody Beloved Characters by Kameron Hurley

GUEST POST | What Does It Mean to Be Compelling? by Robert Jackson Bennett

GUEST POST | Jeff Salyards on Why I Love Bloody Fantasy So Much

Growing Pains: Lessons in Writing the Sequel by Bradley P. Beaulieu

The Hattie Awards 2012!!! Or the best books of 2012 (That I've read)

In 2011 I clocked in with 125 books read. This year I just skirted by 100 with 105 books read with many of those graphic novels. Overall, 2011 was a better year of reading for me and I felt the debuts were a bit stronger, granted I didn't get to check out as many debuts this year as in the past as I have been trying to vary my reading even more than in the past. I still have plenty ground to gain in that regard.

Fantasy Novel of the Year

Winner - The Troupe by Robert Jackson Bennett

Runner-up  - The Blinding Knife by Brent Weeks

Honorable Mentions - Red Country by Joe Abercrombie, The Dirty Streets of Heaven by Tad Williams,

The Throne of the Crescent Moon by Saladin Ahmed, 

and The King's Blood by Daniel Abraham

Overall, Fantasy in 2012 wasn't as strong for me as in 2011, but there is still plenty to crow about with some memorable reads. The Troupe is one of those novels that just sticks with you long after closing it. Think of it as a period American Gods through the lens of Steinbeck. Yes, that's heavy praise, but this book deserves it. The Blinding Knife surprised me and then surprised me some more. Abercrombie gave us back many memorable characters from the past with Red Country, a very nice spaghetti western, yet it still isn't as much of a standout as his previous work. I haven't read a Tad Williams book in quite a few years, but I was immediately drawn to The Dirty Streets of Heaven, his first bonafide Urban Fantasy series where he uses his complex story skills to great effect with an Angel detective. Again Abraham is developing some of the smartest Fantasy with his latest Dagger and Coin novel, The King's Blood, but I think the next will cement the series as a favorite as he takes his time building things up.

Top Science Fiction

Winner - Faith by John Love

Runner-up - The Fractal Prince by Hannu Rajaniemi

Honorable Mentions: Redshirts by John Scalzi

It was an interesting year for Sci-Fi, but an early call on Faith still remained the most accomplished Science Fiction I've read this year. Rajaniemi remains one of the most heady writers of the last few years and The Fractal Prince turns things up to 11 in terms of complexity leaving me very eager for the next in the series. I do wonder though if I'll have to draw a line as his writing can get so complex you have hardly any idea exactly what something is supposed to be. As I mentioned in my review of Redshirts, Scalzi hit so many of the right buttons I could not resist enjoying the hell out of it. Definitely a grin worthy read. Many of the books that could have fallen in this category such as those by Kameron Hurley and G. Willow Wilson are elsewhere on this list as they are mixing quite a few things into their cauldrons than something that would typically be called Science Fiction. Had I included them here this list would look very different. Which brings me to the next category.

Top Hybrid - Forging New Ways

Winner - Alif the Unseen by G. Willow Wilson

Runner-up (tie) - Rapture by Kameron Hurley 

and Angelmaker by Nick Harkaway

Honorable Mentions - The Coldest War by Ian Tregillis

and Three Parts Dead by Max Gladstone

This category which I've referred to as Cross Genre before, is probably my favorite because each of these authors are trying to bring out fictions that haven't been conceived of before. Or at the very least combing seemling disparate genres together in innovative ways. Wilson's Alif the Unseen brought an authenticity rarely seen, especially when combined with magical beings and hacking. Hurley is in the vanguard of those authors bringing new perspectives and entirely new worlds into being. Rapture also finished off a storyline for one of the most badass characters to come along in a decade that should be remembered for decades to come. Harkaway's Angelmarker nearly blew my mind with this Spy Thriller/beepunk fest. Tregillis again is redefining alternative history while Max Gladstone's debut Three Parts Dead created a Legal Magical Thriller. Good stuff all around.

Top Mind Fucks

Winner - The Croning by Laird Barron

Runner-up - The Drowning Girl by Caitlin R.Kiernan

Honorable Mention - John Dies at the End by David Wong

I went with a different title for this category instead of calling these Horror as the flavor of darkness I typically enjoy isn't the bloody sort. Barron's The Croning is also a debut and works the big "DREAD" angle to the utmost in a novel filled with atmosphere. The Drowning Girl is just flat out beautiful and mind bending. Including John Dies at the End is a bit of cheat since it came out a couple years back, but it epitomizes fucking with one's head.

Top Short Takes

Winner - Jagannath by Karin Tidbeck

Runner-up - The Thorn and the Blossom by Theodora Goss

Honorable Mentions: Stories for Nighttime and Some for The Day by Ben Loory

and After the Apocalypse by Maureen F. McHugh

I adored Karin Tidbeck's debut short story collection Jagannath. It is a virtuoso performance of the askew combing Scandinavian folklore with a modern weird sensibility. Theodora Goss's pair of novellas is a beautiful love story mixed with slightly familiar mythology. After the Apocalypse and Stories for Nighttime were both release in 2011, but I only managed to get to them in 2012. Both a very worthwhile collections to seek out. Loory's collection is on the funny side of things while McHugh fixates on the dark.

Mad Hatter's Library Lover Award (i.e. books concerning books)

Libriomancer by Jim C. Hines

Among Others by Jo Walton

I love books about books. Libriomancer pulls the magic out of books while Walton's Among Others makes the experience of reading pure magic.

Top Popcorn - Ohhh, that was fun!

Alexander Outland: Space Pirate by G.J. Koch

Railsea by China Mieville

The Iron Jackal by Chris Wooding

If you're just looking for a pure good time these will certainly sate you.

Top Debut Novel

Winner (Tie) - Alif the Unseen by G. Willow Wilson

and Faith by John Love

Runner-up (Tie) - Throne of the Crescent Moon by Saladin Ahmed

and The Croning by Laird Barron

Honorable Mentions: Three Parts Dead by Max Gladstone

and Shadow Ops: Control Point by Myke Cole

I try and think of this category of who has shown the most potential and Wilson and Love both certain do.That said  I can't wait to see what each of these authors has up their sleeves next.

Series That Keep Turning Out the Hat-tricks

The Woman Who Died A Lot (Thursday Next) by Jasper Fforde 

Cold Days (Dresden Files) by Jim Butcher - See short review here.

The Siren Depths (Raksura) by Martha Wells

Devil Said Bang (Sandman Slim) by Richard Kadrey

People always want to know if a long-running series is worth grabbing on to and each of the above is the 3rd or later book each of which are on par or superior to earlier volumes in said series.

Top Reads from Previous Years

Winner - Blindsight by Peter Watts

Forerunner by Andre Norton

The Desert Spear by Peter V. Brett

Noctuary by Thomas Ligotti

Best Overall Book of the Year - You guys have got to read this!

The Troupe by Robert Jackson Bennett

This category is all about which book I loved and think will stand the test of time being talked about more than a decade from now. The other front runners were Jagannath by Karin Tidbeck, Alif the Unseen by G. Willow Wilson, and Angelmaker by Nick Harkaway, but as soon as I finished The Troupe I knew there would be no other book that could beat it this year. I also want to throw an Honorable Mention to The Prisoner of Heaven by Carlos Ruiz Zafon since I haven't mentioned it elsewhere even though I had some reservations about it. It still fills-in the world nicely, if a bit lightly compared to the first two books.



You Might Also Like:

The 2011 Hattie Awards!!! Or the Best of 2011 (That I've Read)

Best Books of 2010 (That I've read)

The Mad Hatter's Gift Guide

Best Books of 2009 (That I've read)