Forthcoming: February Releases I'm Looking Forward To

Oh my god February, you are a great gray beast indeed!
         Seven more books on my must-read list! I'm not even caught up on January's books yet!
         Seriously though, these are some great books, and I'm very excited about them. Veronica Schwab's debut novel 'Vicious', got great reviews, and the blurb for this one has me very excited! New short fiction collections from Gaiman and Elliott, the finale of Brian McClellan's flintlock trilogy, and a new novel from the author of the 'Somnambulist'.
          What are you looking forward to in February? Anything that I missed? Let me know in the comments!

Bear, Elizabeth • Karen Memory        02/03
Gaiman, Neil • Trigger Warning: Short Fictions and Discoveries   02/03
Barnes, Jonathan • Cannonbridge                                            02/10
Elliott, Kate • The Very Best of Kate Elliott 02/10
McClellan, Brian • The Autumn Republic                             02/10
Abercrombie, Joe • Half the World 02/17
Schwab, VE • A Darker Shade of Magic                                02/24


Other Releases:
Adams, John Joseph, ed. • Wastelands II                                02/10
Asher, Neal • Dark Intelligence                                  02/03
Elliott, Will • Shadow                                                              02/24
Enge, James • The Wide World's End                                     02/17
Lethem, Jonathan • Lucky Alan and Other Stories                  02/24
Link, Kelly • Get in Trouble                                                    02/03
McAuley, Paul • Something Coming Through                        02/19
VanderMeer, Ann, & Jeff VanderMeer, eds. • Sisters of the Revolution    02/01

What's New In My Reading Stack This Week 01/27/2015

It looks like it's going to be a quiet week, with just a couple of books out that I'm super excited about. Last year's 'California Bones' was a great read, and I'm really looking forward to the sequel. And I'm always excited for another book in Cherie Priest's Clockwork Century, the milieu of her hugely popular 'Boneshaker'.

Van Eekhout, Greg • Pacific Fire                                                         01/27
(Sequel to 'California Bones')
      Okay, yeah, I’m a golem created from the substance of his own magic by the late Hierarch of Southern California. With a lot of work, I might be able to wield magic myself. I kind of doubt it, though. Not like Daniel Blackland can.
       Daniel’s the reason the Hierarch’s gone and I’m still alive. He’s also the reason I’ve lived my entire life on the run. Ten years of never, ever going back to Los Angeles. Daniel’s determined to protect me. To teach me.
But it gets old. I’ve got nobody but Daniel. I’ll never do anything normal. Like attend school. Or date a girl.
      Now it’s worse. Because things are happening back in LA. Very bad people are building a Pacific firedrake, a kind of ultimate weapon of mass magical destruction.  Daniel seemed to think only he could stop them. Now Daniel’s been hurt. I managed to get us to the place run by the Emmas. (Many of them. All named Emma. It’s a long story.) They seem to be healing him, but he isn’t going anyplace soon.
       Do I even have a reason for existing, if it isn’t to prevent this firedrake from happening? I’m good at escaping from things. Now I’ve escaped from Daniel and the Emmas, and I’m on my way to LA.
       This may be the worst idea I ever had.

Priest, Cherie • Jacaranda                                                       01/27
(A novel of the Clockwork Century)
The Ranger
On the island of Galveston, off the coast of southeast Texas, lies a hotel called the Jacaranda. In its single year of operation, two dozen people have died there. The locals say it’s cursed. The Rangers say that’s nonsense, but they know a man who might be willing to investigate. Horatio Korman crosses the water from the mainland, and hopes for the best.
The Nun
But the bodies pile up, and a hurricane is brewing up fast. One of the Jacaranda’s guests sees time running out, so she seeks an authority of a different sort: a priest from El Huizache who is good at solving problems and keeping secrets. Eileen Callahan has a problem to solve, and a secret to keep. She crosses her fingers, and sends a message that could save them all.
The Padre
Juan Miguel Quintero Rios broke a promise to the Virgin, and so he was punished…but his intentions were pure, so he was also blessed. Now he walks the southwest with second sight and a tattoo across his back: Deo, non Fortuna—By God, not chance. The former gunslinger crosses himself, and makes for the Jacaranda Hotel.

Also out this week:
Cole, Myke • Gemini Cell                                                       01/27

Forgotten Gems: 'The White Tribunal' by Paula Volsky

I never know where to begin when it comes to recommending Paula Volsky, I usually select based on who I'm recommending to, which obviously doesn't work so well here. I first enountered Volsky in the ya section, and enjoyed but didn't love her Sorcerers Legacy trilogy, and went on to read and enjoy the rest of her juvenalia. But then it was like she had vanished. In 1992 she retuned, with a breathtaking and wonderful novel of revolution called 'Illusion'.
Illusion was fantastic! It was a gorgeously realized world, and fully drawn characters. The magic's stengths and weaknesses inform the shape of the story, and is used in the most limited of fashions. It's extroidinary.
The follow-up, 'The Wolf of Winter' set in the same world, but in a different country, with a very different traditional magic, is a glory as well. And has one of my favorite endings ever.
The third book, 'The Gates of Twilight' is actually my least favorite of her adult novels. There is something, I've never managed to put my finger on what, that just doesn't quite draw me in. It's not a bad book, and this isn't a universal opinion, but it's my opinion.
'The White Tribunal' is her fourth adult book, and the one I picked as the most universally appealing. It has a little of everything, deception, betrayal, and just a little bit of romance. But underneath, it deals with some very real issues of the costs of revenge, and its unltimate worth. I highly recommend you check it out!

Signing Recap: Brandon Sanderson in Beaverton and San Francisco

Today I FINALLY have my recap of the Brandon Sanderson event at Powells Cedar Hills for you, plus some notes from Tom Smith about the event in San Francisco, which is awesome (Everyone please say thank you Tom).
I'd apologize, but I'm sort of the emperor of this little page, and royalty does NOT apologize.

"I do what I do because it's awesome."

I should say before I start, that I enjoy listening to Brandon speak, and over the last almost ten years, I have seen him at, I think, every Portland event he has done, barring one, and each event he is more interesting. This time he gave a great short talk about how we view the arts. What stuck with me was an analogy he made about the arts, if someone goes out and plays a game of basketball on Saturday afternoon, we don't ask them when they're going to join the NBA, so why do we ask people when they say their writing a book when it's going to be published.
He then turned to add a new Sanderson's Law (if you haven't read 'Sanderson's Laws of Writing' you can find it here:  ) the Zeroth Law:

"Always err on the side that's awesome."

He then read a short selection of a currently unpublished novella about a most unusual King of the World, which was lightweight but fun, and was clearly another opportunity for Sanderson to play with voice and setting, which is one of the things I really enjoy about his novellas.
When it came to the Q and A section, he answered some great questions, including one about how much of the final Wheel of Time books were Robert Jordan and how much were Brandon. As it turns out, RJ had left about 100 pages of prose, which was mostly used for the prologues to the three books, and the epilogue. There was about another 100 pages of notes covering the story lines for certain characters, he revealed that while there was a great deal about Egwene, but only one sentence about Perrin.
When asked about which world he'd want to find himself in, he said that he really loves the Internet, so he'd likely pick Legion, though he'd love to have allomancy.
Moving onto the world of The Stormlight Archives, he says that yes, that is definitely Nightblood in a certain scene.During the signing, I asked him if the insanity of the Heralds was linked to their failure to uphold the Oathpact, or was connected to the Stormfather's gradual diminishing, but he RAFO'd me while implying that it was something else altogether, and that a careful reading of the book might give some hints as to what is causing their insanity.
  Another question I happened to overhear related to Rithmatist 2, which Brandon has said is delayed because book two will take place in that world's version of South America, and the research is taking him longer than he originally thought.
To wrap up, there was some news about film rights, which have sold recently for Steelheart, and he reiterated that both Mistborn and Emperors Soul have sold.
And that's the wrap-up for the Beaverton Event!

Tom sent me the following from the San Francisco event:

       I had an opportunity to go see Brandon Sanderson speak tonight.  As always, he was highly entertaining and engaging.  I say "as always" because I have seen him in the bay area here 3 times in the last 18 months.  That isn't boasting, it's astonishment at how much he tours.  I don't know how he gets any writing done honestly, he must have enough frequent flyer miles to go to Mars by now.
Sanderson's creative world-building, innovative magic systems and prolific book publishing have endeared him to many fans, but on top of all that, what keeps me going back to signings (without books in hand even) is how personable he is.  The man is genuine and knows how to speak to an audience.  In a world that is rapidly going to digital from brick and mortar, he still packs the house.
My only surprise from the bay area signing is that even though he was here about a year ago with over a hundred people, they crammed him into a tiny corner of the children's section and put out less than 20 chairs.  Huh?  I won't say where it was, but it sounds like Shmarnes and Schmoble....  ;)
He began with a 10 minute mini-speech on the art of creation and then rolled into Q and A.  Q and A is always entertaining with Sanderson because he usually has some sort of collector card which he gives to people who ask questions.  Usually whizzing it at them a la ninja shuriken style with hilarious, but less than ninja-like results.  It's ok, he's not paid for his ninja skills. He's paid to entertain - and he delivers.  My favorite question was concerning advice  for future writers.  His response was that you should approach writing just like anything else you want to do well - practice and practice some more.  He even compared his first few books where he was still drastically improving his craft to his more polished works now.
       A 15 minute reading follows the Q and A, usually from something new that he's working on.              Another perk for going to see him in person.  This time it was from an up and coming novella.  From there it's onto the signing.
       Brandon is a gracious host and will sign almost everything of his.  He will personalize up to 3 books and sign all the rest of his books (or anthologies in which he has a story) and even take pictures with you. He especially dotes on his cosplayers which he seems to have many of for someone who is primarily a novelist.
        My involvement with the writing community as both a beta and first reader is typically to objectively read and review, then criticize.  With that in mind, I would love to be able to find some fault with Sanderson or his work, but so far I have nothing - I love his work.  He's a way solid writer and I have yet to even find a grammatical error in his books and that's usually my forte.  I think of him as on par with Terry Brooks - but for this generation.  If you haven't read anything from the MIstborn, Stormlight Archive or Reckoners' series yet, you are seriously missing out.

Tom Smith
1st Reader
Grimdark Magazine

(Special thanks to my friend Kim for letting me steal her photo.)

Cover Obsession: Bradley Beaulieu's 'Twelve Kings of Sharakhai'

Brad Beaulieu, in his short careeer, has had some amazing cover art.

Which is fitting, as he's written some great books. But Adam Paquette, who did the cover for Brad's debut novel, "The Winds of Khalakovo” has outdone himself with the cover for Brad's first novel with his new publisher "Twelve Kings in Sharakhai", forthcoming in September from DAW.

Aiden Moher at A Dribble of Ink revealed the cover yesterday, and I've been in love with it every since.

I've been deeply impatient to read this book, as the premise and the tidbit I've heard were amazing. This is high on my list of books I'm most looking forward to this year, and September cannot arrive fast enough!

What's New In My Reading Stack This Week 01/20/2015

Would you believe nothing? A chance to get caught up on some of the great books that came out earlier this month!  But I won't leave you with nothing to read, here are a couple of great books that you may have missed when they first came out.
I know I still haven't posted my wrap-up of the Brandon Sanderson signing, but there were some things that I am still trying to figure out how to address. So keep your eyes open, it's coming this week.


The Book of Knights by Yves Menard
(Stand alone)
Young Adelrune is a likable little boy oppressed by his strict stepparents, who are in turn under the thumb of a narrow and harsh religious rule. Finding privacy in his step parents' attic before he has even learned to read, Adelrune discovers a dusty copy of The Book of Knights. The pictures enchant him and obsess him to the point where he is motivated to learn to read, so that he can have access to the words of this secret treasure as well. The years of his young childhood are made bearable by the ideas and images of the book, and he resolves to run away and become a knight - a story that will enchant readers the way Adelrune himself was charmed and entertained.

The Ring of Alaire by Susan Dexter
(Book one of The Winter King's War)

Tristan is a teenaged wizard with dark hair and green eyes--but he’s no Harry Potter. No cozy boarding school for Tristan either--he’s been home-schooled by the old wizard who discovered him as an abandoned infant under an apple tree on Midwinter’s Night. There’s no one to tell Tristan who he is or what abilities may be his. If not for Thomas, his smart-ass cat familiar, he’d be utterly lost.
One ordinary afternoon, Tristan returns home to find that his master has vanished, leaving his unprepared apprentice to take up the entwined quests for the legendary warhorse Valadan and the lost princess Allaire of the Nine Rings. He’d be no one’s first choice, but Tristan’s the only one left to assemble the essentials of the quest--a wizard, the Warhorse, the heir to Calandra’s throne--infiltrate Nimir’s fortress of Darkenkeep, and steal Allaire from beneath the Winter King’s icicled nose. In their hundreds, the other wizards have tried--and died.
Tristan’s training is exemplary. His will is indomitable. His confidence, however, is nonexistent, and his magic is flawed and unreliable. The fate of his world depends on him--whether he thinks himself equal to the task or not.

The Weekly Wrap-up: Gaiman, Game of Thrones, Welcome to Nightvale, and more!

Every week things happen that I don't have time to comment on, make fun of, or say 'fuck it all' to. I've decided this is what Saturday is for, this dustbin of crap that I didn't have time to share with you all week long.

Buzzfeed, one of the clickbaitiest of clickbate sites posed a link to Neil Gaiman's Tumblr(which is an amazing place to lose a few hours anyway), where Gaiman answers the eternal question of joseph-the-mop: 

"I have been trying to write for a while now. I have all these amazing ideas, but its really hard getting my thoughts onto paper. Thus, my ideas never really come to fruition. Do you have any advice?"

(click here to go to Gaiman's Tumblr to read the epic response)

Gaiman nails his answer of course. Cause, Gaiman. And sarcasm.

Oh boy! Game of Thrones is coming to theatres!

Seriously, my little fanboy heart can barely wait to see Jon Snow in the pool with Ygritte... wait. It's just the final two episodes? Well, that's depressing. But still, Jon Snow, Wheee! It looks like it arrives in 200 IMAX theatres across America on January 29th for one week. I'm sure you know where to find me on each of those nights right? Ass in the chair of my local IMAX theatre. I guess I should let me boss know I'm busy that week. Do you think she'll mind? I can just show her a photo of Jon Snow, and I'm sure she'll understand.

Why has HBO missed the obvious cash stream of playing each episode at my local theatre, cause I'd be there every week. Make it so HBO, make it so!

If you listen to podcasts at all, you likely already listen to 'Welcome to Nightvale' which is the community radio of a desert town that's a mix of Innsmouth and the X-Files. If you don't listen to it, you should definitely give it a try, it's great fun (this is where I should thank my roommate Ben, who introduced me to it thanks Ben, now get back to reading 'The Hedge Knight'!).

Anyway, Night Vale will be going on tour this spring (including one hopes, Carlos and his perfect hair), from March 26th to May 20th, all across the US, including April 23rd in Portland, where I will be.

         This week, Amazon's series adaptation of Phillip K Dick's 'Man in the High Castle' went live on Amazon Prime, and early reviews are really positive. I haven't had a chance to watch it yet, but below is the synopsis if you've never read the book:
      'Based on Philip K. Dick's Hugo Award-winning 1962 alternative history novel, one-hour drama pilot THE MAN IN THE HIGHCASTLE explores what would have happened if the Allied Powers had lost World War II, debuting January 15, 2015 on Amazon Prime Instant Video in the U.S., U.K. and Germany. Some 17 years after that loss, the United States and much of the world has now been split between Japan and Germany, the dominating global powers. As tension mounts between the two hegemonic states, a resistance builds as the United States citizens rise against the oppressive regimes.

While Germany controls much of the East Coast and Japan controls the West Coast, the Rocky Mountains have become a "neutral zone" — and ground zero for a rebellion, led by a mysterious figure known only as "the Man in the High Castle." As people struggle with freedom, fear, equality, diversity and ideology, some accept their lives, but others question the authenticity of their history and the government's information. Among them are heroes, leaders, spies, pacifists, tyrants, rebels, enablers and sympathizers.'

         And finally, we have Harry Potter. The Boy Who Lived just keeps on going.
         Coming this October 6th, worldwide, will arrive a whole new format for the books. A full color illustrated edition, with a ribbon marker and illustrated endpapers. The first images were released this week from Scholastic, and they look awesome! Except poor Ron looks a little blank-faced, but well, Ron.
          The other books will also be lavishly illustrated and released on a one per year basis.

         I'll be back next week, with a whole new batch of new books and snark. Let me know what you're looking forward to!