The Wrath Of Angels by John Connolly (Reviewed by Mihir Wanchoo)

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Official John Connolly Website 
Order “The Wrath Of Angels” HERE 
Read Chapter One HERE 
Read Fantasy Book Critic's Review of “The Lovers” 
Read Fantasy Book Critic's Review of “The Whisperers” 
Read Fantasy Book Critic's Review of “The Burning Soul” 
Why You Should Read John Connolly (A Fantasy Literature feature)

AUTHOR INFORMATION: John Connolly earned a B.A. in English from Trinity College and a M.A. in Journalism from Dublin City University. His bibliography includes the long-running Charlie Parker thriller series, which began with the Shamus Award-winning Every Dead Thing, The Book of Lost Things fantasy novel, various short stories, and YA fiction—The Gates and The Infernals. He is also a regular contributor to The Irish Times and currently lives in Dublin, Ireland.

OFFICIAL BLURB: In the depths of the Maine woods, the wreckage of an aeroplane is discovered. There are no bodies, and no such plane has ever been reported missing, but men both good and evil have been seeking it for a long, long time. What the wreckage conceals is more important than money: it is power. Hidden in the plane is a list of names, a record of those who have struck a deal with the Devil. Now a battle is about to commence between those who want the list to remain secret and those who believe that it represents a crucial weapon in the struggle against the forces of darkness.

The race to secure the prize draws in private detective Charlie Parker, a man who knows more than most about the nature of the terrible evil that seeks to impose itself on the world, and who fears that his own name may be on the list. It lures others too: a beautiful, scarred woman with a taste for killing; a silent child who remembers his own death; and the serial killer known as the Collector, who sees in the list new lambs for his slaughter. 

But as the rival forces descend upon this northern state, the woods prepare to meet them, for the forest depths hide other secrets. Someone has survived the crash. Some thing has survived the crash. And it is waiting . . .

CLASSIFICATION: John Connolly's novels combine the noir quality of thrillers with the mystical aspect of supernatural fiction, to create a sub-genre of their own.

FORMAT/INFO: The Wrath Of Angels is 480 pages long divided over five parts and fifty-four chapters. Like its preceding volume there is no prologue or epilogue. Narration is in the first-person via Charlie Parker and in the third-person via Barbara Kelly, Darina Flores, Harlan Vetters, Paul Scollay, Grady Vetters, Thomas Eldritch, the Collector and a few others. Like the previous books, the narrative alternates each chapter between Parker and the rest of the cast. The Wrath Of Angels is the eleventh volume of this series and while it can be read as a standalone novel, it would be a better idea to read it after The Black Angel if not the preceding ten volumes, to enjoy the overall series arc.

January 1, 2013 marked the North American Hardcover publication of The Wrath Of Angels via Atria Books (see cover below). The UK edition was published by Hodder & Stoughton on August 30, 2012.


ANALYSIS: For longtime readers of the blog, it will come as no surprise when I reiterate how much I am enthralled by John Connolly’s writing style and prose. John is a master at writing supernatural mystery thrillers but with the last few years he has diversified his books and become even more enthralling. I’m always amazed as to how he has grown the mythology in his Charlie Parker series, firstly by exploring the past in “The Lovers” then with the varied milieu in the “The Whisperers” as well as “The Black Angel”. The last book “The Burning Soul” while a very entertaining one didn’t quite follow the footsteps of its immediate predecessors but hearkened back to the first four books. John had spoken about this book when I met him last year and had described it as the sort-of-sequel to The Black Angel, which I believe is the epitome of the series so far.

The Wrath Of Angels begins with an abandoned plane that is lost in the forests of Maine. Marielle Vetters and Ernie Scollay approach Charlie Parker with a request to find this missing plane that might have some money as well a list on it. The problem with that list is that it has the names of people dealing in Faustian favors that might doom them or perhaps might be their path to redemption. Barbara Kelly is a person with limited time and yearns for something that might not exactly be in her reach. Rabbi Epstein and his Yiddish henchmen are still quietly going about their task of capturing the otherworldly killers and lastly throwing his lot in this complicated mix is the Collector and his legal acquaintances. As you can guess with this overview that there are several plot threads that make up the mosaic of this tale. This story is a complicated one as Parker finds out in regards to the list, noting is ever sure and his so-called allies might not be so friendly after all.

Mainly this book is a terrific return to the heyday antics of the earlier books that I loved and also further enlightens the readers on the mythological aspect of this series. Firstly while the main thread is a simple mystery, the other story threads make up for the complexity of the story. This book is as much about Charlie as it is about the Collector and his earthly origins. We get a look into his family life of sorts and get to know his lineage. There’s also a return of one of John Connolly’s creepiest creations and for many fans it will be simply great to get reacquainted with this infernal characters. This story is the literary sequel to The Black Angel and deals a lot with the events and themes introduced in that book. For me this was a major reason for my higher-than-ever expectations from this book and this book delivers resoundingly with truly terrific revelations about the metaphysical beings and structure of the world.

Some truths are revealed and some mysterious facets are clarified. This book is an excellent payoff for those readers waiting for a reveal in regards to the secrets of the world. For the characters present in the book, John has weaved the theme of redemption in almost all the character arcs. Beginning with Charlie, then going onto Angel, Louis, the Collector and including all the antagonists as well. All characters strive to achieve their preferred goals however not all of them succeed. This book also deals with a character death and it was totally out of the left field. I feel this volume marks a pivotal point in the series as the series arc is getting bleaker and from now on I must say no character is truly safe. I think Charlie might be around till the very last however he might not make it in the end.

Lastly the best point about the book is its atmosphere that is presented by the author; he transforms Maine from its isolated, woody landscape into a land that is almost mystical to the point of overtaking Stephen King as Maine’s magical transformer. His vivid description of Maine forestland is both creepy and enticing to the mystery fan. I believe at the end of his Charlie Parker series, the state of Maine might rival fabled Atlantis in regards to its magical legends and local oddities. Its safe to say that John Connolly’s Maine is something that all of us can’t stop exploring via the books even though we might not personally want to go there.

In regards to drawback of the book, this is a series with this book being the eleventh volume and so there’s no direct resolution in sight but with John at the helm, the journey is still as fresh as the first book. Some readers of course might not find this book to be all that lucrative and this will be entirely subjective. For me this book held no regrets or dissatisfaction, it kept me captivated throughout and wowed me with all its revelations. Expanding the mythos of the series considerably and also by the death of one of my favorite ancillary characters, The Wrath Of Angels marks itself as a high point of the Charlie Parker series.

CONCLUSION: John Connolly delivers and does so with panache, the next Charlie Parker book will be a while from now as John refreshes his literary muscles by writing about other stories that fascinate him. With that in mind, this volume is a perfect stopping point for series readers until we come back to this spectrally fraught Maine and the eternally tormented Charlie Parker.

NEWS: Kickstarter projects, Ilona Andrews and Ian Tregillis (by Mihir Wanchoo)

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On Kickstarter there are often various fascinating projects going on and I came across this one thanks to Moses Siregar. First up is Spectre by Jason Denzel. Here’s what Jason has to say about it:

The story is about a fallen paladin who wakes up wounded on a battlefield. There he finds Spectre, a notorious sword with the ability to speak who's responsible for much of the destruction in the land.

Having lost everything, the paladin vows to take the sword to a temple where it can be destroyed. But as he makes the long and grueling journey over land, he finds the sword is nothing like the world believes it to be.

Spectre is a short fantasy film I hope to complete with your help. About seven years ago, I began developing an original screenplay based on an imaginary world. I did this in my spare time, and took a couple years to get it right.

In 2007-08, I successfully led a team of talented artists and craftsman to produce the foundations of an excellent movie. We collected many hours of high-definition footage, showcasing custom-made costumes and props, great acting, and beautiful locations. Unfortunately, after we finished shooting, I lacked the funds to complete the visual effects and other post-production elements. Spectre needs a lot of work to be completed. We have some great footage, but a lot of empty shots that need to be filled with visual effects.

If our Kickstarter campaign is successful, I will hire a team of professionals to provide us with a variety of post-production services. There are well over 100 shots requiring visual effects work. I'd also like to hire an editor to help me cut the movie in an exciting and compelling way.

So here your chance of supporting a great campaign, it has 6 more days to go and about $17,333 is pledged with the final goal being of $18,000. Check out this wonderful project and join Moses, Brandon Sanderson, many others and me helping Jason realize his wonderful project.

Another Indie who is making waves with his online efforts is Ben Galley and he has started his own Kickstarter project for a graphic novel based on his debut novel. Here’s what Ben had to say about the inception of the project and the reason for the move to make a graphic novel:

Often described as "Lord of the Rings meets Sin City", 'The Written' is an epic and gritty fantasy book, part mystery, part thriller, crammed with bloody and brutal action, more magick than you can shake a sword at, and twists and turns that will keep the edge of your seat firmly occupied. It's the first book in the Emaneska Series, and has hit the top of the bestseller lists for epic fantasy more than once in the past few years.

So why are we here on Kickstarter? Well, we're glad you asked! The time has finally come to realise the "Sin City part" of its description. It's time turn the Emaneska Series into its own series of graphic novels, and we're kicking off with the first book - 'The Written.'

Myself and artist Mike want to take the book, rip it apart, and stick it back together in an all-new format. The action and pace of 'The Written' makes it perfect for a graphic novel, as does the grand, sweeping Nordic world of Emaneska itself - its cities, its mountains, its creatures, its magick, its fight scenes, its mythology, and its wild people. Aside from the blistering action of the book, there's also a lot of poignancy too, and subtext. 'The Written' is also about struggle and change, one man's fight against another's ideas, splashed against a world that is vast and varied. Essentially, we have the license to go crazy, and make the best damn fantasy graphic novel we can.

For those readers who are yet to read Ben Galley’s work, check out the review of The Written over here. I know I would like to see both these talented guys be given a chance to showcase what they have planned and so consider being a part of this project as it has 35 days to go and currently is at £3,621 of the total £5,000 goal.

This particular announcement was made by Ilona Andrews on her blog and twitter. Basically this was it:

“I hint at new and exciting things to come.”

The authors will most likely be revealing more about it next week and I’m pretty sure it has to do something with new books. I’m hoping that it’s a new series preferably in the epic or dark fantasy genre. Fingers crossed for the actual announcement though ☺


Lastly Tor.com revealed the fantastic cover for Ian Tregillis' upcoming urban fantasy book called “Something Other Than Night” and here’s the synopsis:

Something More Than Night is a Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler-inspired murder mystery set in Thomas Aquinas’s vision of Heaven. It’s a noir detective story starring fallen angels, the heavenly choir, nightclub stigmatics, a priest with a dirty secret, a femme fatale, and the Voice of God.

Somebody has murdered the angel Gabriel. Worse, the Jericho Trumpet has gone missing, putting Heaven on the brink of a truly cosmic crisis. But the twisty plot that unfolds from the murder investigation leads to something much bigger: a con job one billion years in the making. Because this is no mere murder! A small band of angels has decided to break out of heaven, but they need a human patsy to make their plan work.

Much of the story is told from the point of view of Bayliss, a cynical fallen angel who has modeled himself on Philip Marlowe. The yarn he spins follows the progression of a Marlowe novel — the mysterious dame who needs his help, getting grilled by the bulls, finding a stiff, getting slipped a mickey. Angels and gunsels, dames with eyes like fire, and a grand maguffin, Something More Than Night is a murder mystery for the cosmos.

So check out entire piece on Tor's blog and you can also take a look at the alternate artwork, which is as fantastic as the final version if not better.

Shadow Ops: Fortress Frontier by Myke Cole (Reviewed by Mihir Wanchoo)

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Official Author website 
Order “Shadow Ops: Fortress Frontier” HERE 
Read an excerpt HERE 
Watch the Book Trailer HERE 
Read Fantasy Book Critic’s review of Shadow Ops: Control Point

AUTHOR INFORMATION: As a security contractor, government civilian and military officer, Myke Cole’s career has run the gamut from Counter-terrorism to Cyber Warfare to Federal Law Enforcement. He’s done three tours in Iraq and was recalled to serve during the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. He’s also a graduate of the Viable Paradise writer’s workshop and is a close friend of Peter V. Brett. He also won the 2003 Writers of the future award for his story “Blood and Horses”. His passions include comics, fantasy novels and late night D&D games, which eventually set him on a path of being a wordsmith.

OFFICIAL BLURB: The Great Reawakening did not come quietly. Across the country and in every nation, people began to develop terrifying powers--summoning storms, raising the dead, and setting everything they touch ablaze. Overnight the rules changed...but not for everyone.

Colonel Alan Bookbinder is an army bureaucrat whose worst war wound is a paper-cut. But after he develops magical powers, he is torn from everything he knows and thrown onto the front-lines.

Drafted into the Supernatural Operations Corps in a new and dangerous world, Bookbinder finds himself in command of Forward Operating Base Frontier--cut off, surrounded by monsters, and on the brink of being overrun.

Now, he must find the will to lead the people of FOB Frontier out of hell, even if the one hope of salvation lies in teaming up with the man whose own magical powers put the base in such grave danger in the first place -- Oscar Britton, public enemy number one...

CLASSIFICATION: The Shadow Ops series is a multi volume urban fantasy series, which combines the super-powered human aspect showcased in X-men comics along with the military themes espoused in stories by Glen Cook. Stirring the pot with his own style, the author has created a unique series for the readers.

FORMAT/INFO: Shadow Ops: Fortress Frontier is 368 pages long divided over twenty-eight numbered and titled chapters separated into two titled sections. Narration is in the third person via Oscar Britton, Alan Bookbinder and Jan “Harlequin” Thorsson. There is also a glossary about the terms, acronyms and slang utilized in the story. Fortress Frontier is the second novel of the Shadow Ops series and carries forward the story began in Control Point.

January 29, 2013 marks the North American Paperback and e-book publication of Shadow Ops: Control Point via ACE books while it is being released in the UK on January 31, 2103 by Headline books. Michael Komarck provides the US book cover art again and Larry Rostant continues his turn with the UK cover art.

ANALYSIS: Myke Cole’s Control Point was # 5 on my top ten-debut list for last year and amid the slew of fantastic debut releases, it is credit to the author’s vision and skills that the book gained that position. The potential shown in Control Point marked him out as an author to watch for and so it was with high anticipation that I awaited to read the sequel. Also I must disclose at this point that I have a soft spot for this book as Myke graciously allowed me to be a part of its creation by allowing me to provide some help in regards to a few facets of the Hindu mythology and Indian elements integrated within the story and Shadow Ops world.
The book begins during the latter third of the events shown in Control Point as Myke Cole introduces a “Nikki-Paulo” like situation in the story but with significantly better success than the creators of LOST ever imagined. This book has a new POV character and it explores latency through a different set of eyes. This time around we get to experience the latency turn through colonel Alan Bookbinder who is a “paper-pusher and not a true soldier” in his own worlds. Thus begins the first contrasting point between Oscar Britton and Alan Bookbinder and this is just the first of many that the readers will come across as they read through the story. Alan is a simple man who faces rather extraordinary circumstances and is forced to adept to them.
The emergence of his powers means that he goes to the same Forward Operating Base wherein Oscar and the rest of the latent community are sent. He however gets an exalted status because of his previous military position and his own initiative in reporting and turning himself in. His coming out is as explosive as was that of Oscar however his life takes a different route and we get to see a different side to the characters previously introduced such as Fitzsimmons, Crucible, Taylor, Talon etc.
In this book,Bookbinder is the major POV character however we also get to know what happened to Britton and the runaways as well. This book is dedicated to J.R.R. Tolkien and Gary Gygax as the author pays homage to the heroic journey trope. Both the POV characters learn to evolve beyond what they are individually capable of. But the crucial aspect is the journey and what a journey it is. This is what I really loved about the book, namely its exploration of a different magic system and nation, the Sahir Corps of India and the Nagas. Myke Cole absolutely lets fly his imagination and we get to see a trek across the magical landscape that connects the American FOB to the Indian FOB and this plot thread is the heart of the story. The author, I have to say does good by Tolkien and Gygax with his version of the heroic odyssey. Check out the map that accompanies this book to get an idea about the start and end destinations of Bookbinder’s journey.
The action is nonstop and the cast of characters is significantly expanded. We get more of Bookbinder and a relatively smaller dose of Oscar Britton, Not to say that Oscar’s fight is any less important but compared to Bookbinder, it pales slightly in scope of the task and enormous pressure. Myke Cole has to be lauded for his approach to his debut series as he brings in a new POV character and yet manages to make the transition seem seamless. His prose skills have definitely bettered this time around as the readers are exposed to a wider character cast and yet all the plot threads are comfortably ensconced within the compact book plot. There’s also the use of vignettes before the start of every chapter, which like the first book help in making the readers aware of the world and the various different aspects about it. The world which Myke hints at is incredibly complex and I feel it will remain fresh for a long time as the author can possibly explore all its nooks and crannies and keep readers entertained for a long time to come.
There’s an overall story arc, which Myke is attempting to build up and it continues wonderfully in this second book as the problems between the US government and the Selfers are coming to a violent conclusion. I believe Breach Zone will be the book where it all comes down and Myke has promised a terrific climax in New York City. Breach Zone will feature another new POV character besides Britton and Bookbinder and I believe he gives a strong hint about who that might be in this book. The next book will also feature Scylla as a major player as has been hinted at in Control Point and Fortress Frontier. She’s a character that I love to know more about and so I can’t wait to read about her and the mega confrontation Myke has planned in Breach Zone. Plus with Myke’s new revelation that the Shadow Ops series will be continued for a further three books however books four & five will be prequels focusing on the great reawakening. While book six will be featuring an ancillary character featured in Fortress Frontier, I feel that I might know whom this character might be however I‘ll wait till Myke announces it to confirm my presumption. This means that Breach Zone will at least bring an end to the story arc begun in Control Point and so I await it with high anticipation.
Talking about drawbacks, for me Fortress Frontier had next to none, some readers might still complain about the writing style and perhaps about the characters themselves but I feel Myke has outdone himself with this book and proves that he is indeed a wordsmith with a bright future ahead.  The only complaint I can think of is that we will have to wait for a year to find out what happens next and I think that's due credit to the author for making his readers feel such anticipation.
CONCLUSION: Fortress Frontier is a sequel and a better book than its predecessor, it is a book that will have something for fantasy readers of every kind and pays homage brilliantly to Tolkien's legacy. Give it a read to know why Myke Cole is an absolute gift to urban fantasy and military fantasy sub-genres. Shadow Ops: Fortress Frontier is a fantastic book and IMHO is simply a must buy for all fantasy lovers when it releases tomorrow.

'Indigo Springs' Book 1 of Astrid Lethewood Series by A.M. Dellamonica (Reviewed by Cindy Hannikman)

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Visit A.M. Dellamonica's Official Website HEREOVERVIEW: Indigo Springs is a sleepy town where things seem pretty normal . . . until Astrid's father dies and she moves into his house. She discovers that for many years her father had been accessing the magic that flowed, literally, in a blue stream beneath the earth, leaking into his house. When she starts to use the liquid "vitagua" to enchant everyday items, the results seem innocent enough: a "'chanted" watch becomes a charm that means you're always in the right place at the right time; a "'chanted" pendant enables the wearer to convince anyone of anything . But as events in Indigo Springs unfold and the true potential of vitagua is revealed, Astrid and her friends unwittingly embark on a journey fraught with power, change, and a future too devastating to contemplate. Friends become enemies and enemies become friends as Astrid discovers secrets from her shrouded childhood that will lead her to a destiny stranger than she could have imagined.FORMAT: Indigo Springs is an apocalyptic, contemporary fantasy. It stands at 320 pages and is told through an alternating narrative between the past and the present. Indigo Springs is the first in the Astrid Lethewood series. It was published by Tor Books on October 27, 2009. ANALYSIS: Sometimes we encounter a book that for some unexplainable reason we fall in love with. For me, Indigo Springs was that book. I read this novel in May of 2012 and I just keep thinking about it over and over again. In fact, I've read it two more times. I am not 100% certain I can fully explain why I love it, but I just do. The core plot of Indigo Springs revolves around the main character, Astrid, being given the responsibility to guard an extremely powerful magic. This magic allows Astrid to enchant everyday objects and give them magical powers that can 'help' people. Astrid is required to guard this powerful magic and keep it a secret from everyone in her life. Unfortunately, Astrid makes a terrible mistake and trusts her best friend and crush, Sahara with the secret. Sahara decides that the magic is too good to be kept a secret and starts using it a little here and there. Slowly, that magic begins to overtake them and bad things start to happen. One of Indigo Springs' strengths is the unique way the story is told. Readers are introduced to the main character, Astrid, who has been taken hostage in a police standoff. It is obvious to readers that something has gone horribly wrong, but nothing is really explained until the end. Readers know that Astrid is involved in something that appears to have caused mass chaos or the 'end of the world', but will learn through the rest of the book how involved she is. The story is then told through a series of flashbacks. Astrid is being interviewed by a police interrogator and she slowly starts to reveal what happened, what is going on, and how she got to that point. The use of flashbacks can sometimes be a little confusing and at first readers might be a little confused with what is going on, but it all works out in the end. All the loose threads and questions readers have are eventually answered, with some being left for the second book. The novel at times can appear to be moving slow, but it isn't. Before you know it, you'll be almost done with the book and you'll wonder where the time went. I think the slower pace really allows readers to fully understand what is going on and really get into the book. However, I feel that some readers are going to feel that the novel moves too slow and put it down. Another real strength of Indigo Springs' is its character building. I really felt connected and close to all the characters in the book. That doesn't mean that I liked all the characters, it's just that I felt really connected to them. I felt like I was along for the journey with them as they explored the unique magic and had it slowly consume them. The characters are also well defined. Astrid has many different sides to her, and doesn't appear to just be this one-sided character. She faces multiple internal conflicts and often struggles between pleasing others and doing what she wants for herself. Sahara is an amazingly unique character who just sweeps you off your feet and just has this powerful personality. There is just a really special, unique aspect to Indigo Springs. It really gave me insight into what would draw someone into using magic for evil. I really feel as if the author allowed readers to climb inside the minds' of the characters and experience everything with them. Overall, I loved Indigo Springs. I really think it should have gotten more coverage than it has because it really is simply amazing. It's unique, gripping and beautifully written. I highly recommend this book.

“Cinder” by Marissa Meyer (Reviewed by Lydia Roberts)

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Official Marissa Meyer Website Order “Cinder” HERE (US) + HERE(UK) Listen To An Excerpt HERE
AUTHOR INFORMATION: Marissa Meyer lives in Tacoma, Washington.  Cinder is her debut novel.  Author information can also be found at marissameyer.com.
OFFICIAL SYNOPSIS:  (This synopsis comes from the book jacket.)  “Even in the future, the story begins with Once Upon a Time…
Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Bejing.  A deadly plague ravages the population.  From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move.  No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl…
Sixteen-year-old Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg.  She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past and is reviled by her stepmother.  But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction.  Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.  Because there is something unusual about Cinder, something that others would kill for.”
FORMAT/INFO: Cinder is 387 pagesand has thirty-eight chapters.  The narration is third-person and provides Cinder’s perspective primarily, though there are several instances in which we are shown Prince Kai’sviewpoint.  This book offers the beginning of a quartet of books called The Lunar Chronicles.
Cinderwas published in hardcover by Feiwel & Friendson January 3, 2012. The UK version was published on January 5, 2012 via Puffin Books.
ANALYSIS: While Cinder reflects its fairy tale origins (deceased father figure, cruel stepmother, an overworked, grimy heroine, and an impending ball with a handsome prince), the book has unexpected layers to its plot and characters. One of the main departures from its roots is the book’s science-fiction slant. Cinder is a cyborg, and references to data input and internal system alerts (such as the blinking orange light that notifies her when someone is lying) are woven fairly seamlessly into the narrative. Other futuristic mainstays—like multi-use androids and hover crafts—make their appearance throughout the book, but the heart of the story rests in its characters.
Cinder is well-known for her skill as a mechanic and despite the prejudice that is shown toward cyborgs, she has a steady business that provides her family’s only income. I use the word family loosely. Her stepmother, Adri, alternately ignores and verbally abuses her, all the while heaping any “fix-it” chores on top of Cinder’swork responsibilities. Only one of her two stepsisters shows her any affection, and Adri limits their interaction. Adri blames Cinderfor the death of her husband, Garan, the man who adopted the orphaned cyborg against his wife’s wishes. Not long after traveling abroad to bring Cinder to live with them, Garan became ill with letumosis, a deadly disease that strikes seemingly without rhyme or reason and for which a cure is being desperately sought. Despite her circumstances, Cinderdoes not wallow in despair. Her relationship with a household droid reveals her optimistic nature, inner strength, and a sarcastic sense of humor, all of which she clearly needs as the story progresses.
Prince Kai enters the story when he brings a droid to Cinder for repair. It’s curious why he would venture from the sanctity of the palace where he has a staff to complete a seemingly simple task, but Cinder accepts his explanation even when her optobionics flash the orange light. Kai is the equivalent of a rock star sensation, but even though Cinder is a bit flustered at his appearance, she does not swoon in his presence as her sisters and many others would have done. Their first meeting sets the stage for others to come. Cinder’s reactions to the prince are every bit as complex as a “normal” teenage girl with a few added bonuses: her ability to blush was one of the human elements she lost in her transition to cyborg; instead she gets system alerts that she is overheating and needs to calm down! She remains true to her blunt, sarcastic nature, all the while falling for him, and Kaibecomes more and more drawn to her, even as his responsibility to the crown demands personal sacrifices that could keep them apart.
The world of New Beijing is fraught with tension not only because of the increasing spread of the letumosis plague, but also on account of the impending threat of the Lunars. The Lunars are a race of people from the moon who are rumored to possess the ability to exert mind control. An uneasy peace has been in place for years, but the existence of a Lunar substation in Earth’s orbit and tales of the greedy and violent Queen Levana (who is believed to have murdered her own sister, husband, and niece in her quest for absolute power) keep people on edge. When Prince Kai becomes the emperor after his father succumbs to letumosis, he has to find a way to avoid war with the Lunars and to find a cure for the plague, and Cinder might just hold the key to both.
CONCLUSION: I do not normally tend toward stories featuring androids and aliens, and still Cinder was a compelling read. The beginning is a little slow, but after the first 50 pages, the stakes become a little clearer and that helps the story to pick up in pace. There are a couple of ‘mysteries’ that are pretty clear from the beginning, but the character interactions are interesting enough that it doesn’t matter. The pace slows a bit again toward the end of the book, but that made sense for the way things concluded. In the last two chapters of the book, I did feel like shaking Cinder, though, because she seemed to go a little brain-dead; however, she got it together right at the end.
The next book in the quartet, Scarlet, picks up where Cinder left off, but it has a new protagonist, and its roots originate in the tale of Little Red Riding Hood.

Pre-order Guy Gavriel Kay's RIVER OF STARS at 46% off!!

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You can now pre-order Guy Gavriel Kay's forthcoming River of Stars at 46% off here. I have an Advance Reading Copy on its way and I can't wait to read this book!

Here's the blurb:

In his critically acclaimed novel Under Heaven, Guy Gavriel Kay told a vivid and powerful story inspired by China’s Tang Dynasty. Now, the international bestselling and multiple award-winning author revisits that invented setting four centuries later with an epic of prideful emperors, battling courtiers, bandits and soldiers, nomadic invasions, and a woman battling in her own way, to find a new place for women in the world – a world inspired this time by the glittering, decadent Song Dynasty.

Ren Daiyan was still just a boy when he took the lives of seven men while guarding an imperial magistrate of Kitai. That moment on a lonely road changed his life—in entirely unexpected ways, sending him into the forests of Kitai among the outlaws. From there he emerges years later—and his life changes again, dramatically, as he circles towards the court and emperor, while war approaches Kitai from the north.

Lin Shan is the daughter of a scholar, his beloved only child. Educated by him in ways young women never are, gifted as a songwriter and calligrapher, she finds herself living a life suspended between two worlds. Her intelligence captivates an emperor—and alienates women at the court. But when her father’s life is endangered by the savage politics of the day, Shan must act in ways no woman ever has.

In an empire divided by bitter factions circling an exquisitely cultured emperor who loves his gardens and his art far more than the burdens of governing, dramatic events on the northern steppe alter the balance of power in the world, leading to events no one could have foretold, under the river of stars.

The Baker's Boy by J.V. Jones

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Conspiracies and treachery run deep at Castle Harvell. King Lesketh is dying of an illness, the Four Kingdoms are at war with the neighbouring land of Halcus and Chancellor Baralis is intriguing with the Knights of Valdis and the Duke of Bren. The other major powers of the continent, sensing a coming clash of nations, are arming for war. But such things are flying high over the head of Jack, a simple baker's apprentice who just wants to get on with his life. When Jack manifests powers that mark him as a sorcerer, he earns the enmity of Baralis. Fleeing into the wilderness along with Lady Melliandra, who is trying to escape a marriage to the sinister Prince Kylock, Jack has to come to grips with his powers and discover his role in the unfolding events.


The Baker's Boy, originally published in 1995, is the debut novel by British fantasy author J.V. Jones and the opening volume of the Book of Words trilogy (itself the opening three volumes of a longer fantasy epic continued in her current Sword of Shadows sequence). As a glance at the plot summary will reveal, we are deep in the heart of Traditional Fantasy Territory here. There's a young boy destined for great things. There's evil sorcerers conniving to bring about dark ends. There's cruel and unworthy heirs to thrones, and beautiful ladies trying to escape from pre-arranged fates. It's all very traditional.

Traditional does not necessarily mean bad, and Jones laces her story with some darker and more interesting elements. The book is fairly 'low fantasy' in nature, dwelling on conspiracies, murders and assassinations. Characters such as Baralis are ruthless and merciless, but do not see themselves that way and are presented as the hero of their own story. Blurring the moral boundaries nicely, Jones sets up the greatest threats to Baralis as coming from Tavalisk, Archbishop of the distant city of Rorn, who himself is a venal, vain, arrogant and cruel man, little better than Baralis; and Maybor, Baralis's rival at court and the father of Melliandra, who is also presented as a violent and unpleasant man. The fact that these three characters are as bad as one another makes it hard to root for any side, although Jones gives a more sympathetic portrait of the three characters caught up in the three connivers' webs: Jack, Melliandra and Tawl, a knight who is searching for a young boy whose coming is foretold in prophecy (yes, one of those). There is also a tremendously satisfying vein of black humour running through the book, such as Tavalisk's wry observations of events being accompanied by a battle of wits with his much put-upon manservant.


Whilst Jones mixes the traditional fantasy ingredients up a little, and the book is always readable, regular genre readers will find little here that has not been done before, and better. As a first novel, The Baker's Boy is certainly very rough in places. Where the book gains some additional value is that Jones later went on to write The Sword of Shadows, a fantasy epic that is categorically superior to almost everything else in the genre (certainly it's batting at the same level as A Song of Ice and Fire, the Malazan series and the works of Guy Gavriel Kay). Whilst The Book of Words is nowhere near as good, though there is an escalation in quality from book to book that is impressive to watch, it's certainly worth a look as some characters that re-occur in the later Sword of Shadows do first appear here, and knowing their backstory has some worth for the later books.

The Baker's Boy (***) is as traditional a start to a fantasy series as there has ever been, though it remains resolutely entertaining. There are some rough spots as Jones comes up to speed but there's a rich vein of dark humour, some solid characterisation and an ending that was rather startling and refreshingly bleak in those altogether more cliched times when the book first came out. The novel is available now in the UK and USA.