Win an Advance Reading Copy of Myke Cole's SHADOW OPS: FORTRESS FRONTIER

To contact us Click HERE

Since I received an extra ARC of Myke Cole's Shadow Ops: Fortress Frontier, I'm giving it away to one lucky winner! For more info about this title: Canada, USA, Europe. It's the sequel to Shadow Ops: Control Point (Canada, USA, Europe).

Here's the 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...

The rules are the same as usual. You need to send an email at reviews@(no-spam)gryphonwood.net with the header "FORTRESS." Remember to remove the "no spam" thingy.

Second, your email must contain your full mailing address (that's snail mail!), otherwise your message will be deleted.

Lastly, multiple entries will disqualify whoever sends them. And please include your screen name and the message boards that you frequent using it, if you do hang out on a particular MB.

Good luck to all the participants!

Cover art for Peter V. Brett's THE DAYLIGHT WAR

To contact us Click HERE

Peter V. Brett just unveiled the cover art for the forthcoming The Daylight War and it looks pretty good! For more info about this title: Canada, USA, Europe.

With The Warded Man and The Desert Spear, Peter V. Brett surged to the front rank of contemporary fantasy, standing alongside giants in the field like George R. R. Martin, Robert Jordan, and Terry Brooks. The Daylight War, the eagerly anticipated third volume in Brett’s internationally bestselling Demon Cycle, continues the epic tale of humanity’s last stand against an army of demons that rise each night to prey on mankind.

On the night of the new moon, the demons rise in force, seeking the deaths of two men both of whom have the potential to become the fabled Deliverer, the man prophesied to reunite the scattered remnants of humanity in a final push to destroy the demon corelings once and for all.

Arlen Bales was once an ordinary man, but now he has become something more—the Warded Man, tattooed with eldritch wards so powerful they make him a match for any demon. Arlen denies he is the Deliverer at every turn, but the more he tries to be one with the common folk, the more fervently they believe. Many would follow him, but Arlen’s path threatens to lead him to a dark place he alone can travel to, and from which there may be no returning.

The only one with hope of keeping Arlen in the world of men, or joining him in his descent into the world of demons, is Renna Tanner, a fierce young woman in danger of losing herself to the power of demon magic.

Ahmann Jardir has forged the warlike desert tribes of Krasia into a demon-killing army and proclaimed himself Shar’Dama Ka, the Deliverer. He carries ancient weapons—a spear and a crown—that give credence to his claim, and already vast swaths of the green lands bow to his control.

But Jardir did not come to power on his own. His rise was engineered by his First Wife, Inevera, a cunning and powerful priestess whose formidable demon bone magic gives her the ability to glimpse the future. Inevera’s motives and past are shrouded in mystery, and even Jardir does not entirely trust her.

Once Arlen and Jardir were as close as brothers. Now they are the bitterest of rivals. As humanity’s enemies rise, the only two men capable of defeating them are divided against each other by the most deadly demons of all—those lurking in the human heart.

Win a copy of Felix Gilman's THE RISE OF RANSOM CITY

To contact us Click HERE

I have a copy of Felix Gilman's The Rise of Ransom City up for grabs, courtesy of the folks at Tor Books. For more info about this title: Canada, USA, Europe.

Here's the blurb:

This is the story Harry Ransom. If you know his name it’s most likely as the inventor of the Ransom Process, a stroke of genius that changed the world.

Or you may have read about how he lost the battle of Jasper City, or won it, depending on where you stand in matters of politics.

Friends called him Hal or Harry, or by one of a half-dozen aliases, of which he had more than any honest man should. He often went by Professor Harry Ransom, and though he never had anything you might call a formal education, he definitely earned it.

If you’re reading this in the future, Ransom City must be a great and glittering metropolis by now, with a big bronze statue of Harry Ransom in a park somewhere. You might be standing on its sidewalk and not wonder in the least of how it grew to its current glory. Well, here is its story, full of adventure and intrigue. And it all starts with the day that old Harry Ransom crossed paths with Liv Alverhyusen and John Creedmoor, two fugitives running from the Line, amidst a war with no end.

The rules are the same as usual. You need to send an email at reviews@(no-spam)gryphonwood.net with the header "RANSOM." Remember to remove the "no spam" thingy.

Second, your email must contain your full mailing address (that's snail mail!), otherwise your message will be deleted.

Lastly, multiple entries will disqualify whoever sends them. And please include your screen name and the message boards that you frequent using it, if you do hang out on a particular MB.

Good luck to all the participants!

Daniel Abraham's The Long Price Quartet is finally available in paperback

To contact us Click HERE

This from Abraham's website:

Well, today’s the day.

To those of you who’ve followed my long and storied career may remember that a few years back, I suffered something of a setback. My first series of books was a four book story called the Long Price Quartet. The sales were decent. I earned out my contract. And the reviews were great.

[. . .]

But one thing led to another led to nothing very good, and not only did Tor decide not to pick up The Dagger and the Coin series or the Expanse books, they also chose not to put the last book, The Price of Spring, out in paperback. And so, Price of Spring — the concluding book in a project that I spent a good solid half decade working on and of which I am really quite proud — has only been available in print as a difficult to track and expensive hardback. Until now.

Tor has re-released the series in two omnibus editions. The first, Shadow and Betrayal, came out earlier this year. The second, The Price of War, is out today. It is the first time that Price of Spring has been in paperback, and that the full quartet can be had in matching editions.

Here's the blurb for Shadow and Betrayal (Canada, USA, Europe):

A value-priced omnibus of the first two novels of Daniel Abraham’s classic Long Price Quartet—groundbreaking, unique fantasy of rare power and originality.

In this omnibus edition of A Shadow in Summer and A Betrayal in Winter, the aggressively expansionist Galt empire has already conquered lands across a huge continent. But the cities of the Khaiem resist Galt’s power with the andat—creatures of magic with godlike powers.

Each andat is brought into being by a “poet” who must say the right words and exert the iron will needed to control gods. The industrialized Galt war machine is helpless against the powers of the andat…but political intrigue and deep treachery combine to shift the balance of power in a world of ancient empires and immortal magics.

One man, Otah Machi, stands at the crossroads of history in these imaginary world fantasies, the fulcrum around which the wheels of epic history rotate through achingly poignant cycles of life and death, love and betrayal.

Shadow and Betrayal marks Daniel Abraham as one of today’s most brilliantly original young fantasy writers.

And here's the blurb for The Price of War (Canada, USA, Europe):

Otah Machi, caught between ancient wonders and a modern empire, has survived more than most men endure in two lifetimes. In Price of War, an omnibus collection of An Autumn War and The Price of Spring, magic and treacherous politics bring a bitter harvest of violence and tragedy to the world he must defend.

But when all is darkest and the world seems utterly lost, there is yet hope for the salvation of a future yet undiscovered. All depends on Otah, and those with the power to shape it, if they can find the courage to forgive their own trespasses and redeem their lost hopes.

This unforgettable fantasy epic series, the Long Price Quartet, marks Daniel Abraham as a unique voice and one of the most enthralling fantasy writers to emerge in recent years.

The Queen's Hand

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Ian McElhinney as Barristan Selmy in HBOs GOT

Quentyn Martell is dead, after three days of fighting death. The dragons he loosened have burned parts of Meereen and made their home in two of the pyramids. Only the rains gave quelched the flames in the city. Looking at Quentyn's burned body, Barristan muses about the death by fire and how ugly it is. He admires Missandei for being with the prince day and night and wonders if Dany is dead at all, fiercely denying it without putting his doubts to rest.

When the Shavepate enters, his mind shifts to questions of politics. The Green Grace whom Barristan send to the Yunkai'i to negotiate for release of the hostages has not yet returned. The Yunkish demands to restore Hizdahr to his throne and to slay the dragons still stand. Since the imprisonment of Hizdahr, the Sons of the Harpy have taken up their killings again, and the toll of the current night and day alone has reached 23, as the Shavepate reports, who demands hostages to be killed instead of Barristan's way to collect blood money from the pyramids. Barristan declines and calls the council into session.
In absence of Daenerys, all the commanders meet as equals under his supervision at a table in the throne room, from which Hizdahr's dragon thrones have been removed. Belwas returns to the council as well, visibly weakened by the poison, but alive. The first discussion point concerns the Dornish, who have been imprisoned. Most demand their death for treason, but Barristan just states that he needs them for something and moves to the next matter, the dragons. Hundreds of sheep were brought to the fighting pits, and as for now, the dragons go there when they are hungry and don't attack humans. They are not controlled either, however. The representative of the Stormcrows has no faith in the negotiations with the Yunkai'i, claiming that they are liars and that they need to free Daario somehow. The discussion moves to the object of the peace, and to everyone's surprise Barristan tells them that if the Green Grace should return without success, he would attack the Yunkai'i, shattering Hizdahr's peace.
That takes the discussion to strategy. For hours they ponder the question how best to deploy their troops, and in the end, the question of the dragons arises. Barristan says he is sure that they will join the fight once it commences, being drawn by blood and violence, but he doesn't say that he isn't sure at all whether the dragons will make any difference between the parties. After the discussion, he goes to the Dornishmen, who tell him how and what they did. Archibald Yronwood proves to be the more prudent of the two, grasping what Barristan wants, who sends them to the Yunkai'i with the rest of the Windblown deserters. Their task is to persuade the Tattered Prince to change sides and to free the hostages.
Barristan stands atop the pyramid again, watching the city and musing about the dragons. Rhaegal is the more dangerous of the two, he is certain. After that, Barristan gets the message that the Green Grace returned. He thinks she is a loyal, faithful friend to Daenerys. Obviously, the negotiations weren't succesful, so Barristan is determined to command the attack. The Green Grace advises him to restore Hizdahr, since the peace is too precious to risk it, but Barristan doesn't concur. Before the conversation can go any futher, the Shavepate enters the room and tells him that the Yunkai'i have flown bodies over the walls with all six trebuchets.
And there goes the peace. Barristan is determined to attack the Yunkai'i, and the negotiations are only a fig leaf with which he conceals it to preserve his honor. His plan seems sound enough: preparing the troops inside the walls, giving everybody an assigned task, and arrange a signal that can be seen in the whole city (the beacon fire) to be able to start every second. The chances are good, since the Yunkai'i are still weakened and they have reason to believe that two of the companies could go over. Barristan makes good use of all the advice he gets, not dismissing anything just because he hasn't thought of it or because he doesn't fully comprehend it. He even accepts clever advice from Missandei, which all speaks for him. He definitely is a good hand.
It remains unclear what bodies are thrown into the city. It doesn't seem too likely that they are the hostages, although I wouldn't object Daario dying (another thing with Joqho, though). I think it more likely to be plague corpses, as to bring the disease into Meereen too. The nobles of the city could barricade in their pyramids, while Dany's power base would suffer, so it seems a valid strategy for the Yunkai'i at that point. I would guess that Barristan isn't the kind of guy to be shocked by such strategies, so after the cliffhanger of this chapter's end he is likely to command the attack to commence immediately. We'll don't know until "The Winds of Winter", of course.
The last big questions centers around the Green Grace. Barristan thinks she's one of Daenerys' truest friends, but somehow I don't believe it. She seems false to me, like the Shavepate does, although the aggressive manner of the latter somehow make it more unlikely that he plays a double role than with the Green Grace, who seems more sinister. Barristan of course isn't the guy to dwell too deep into politics and insight into human nature, but one shouldn't discount the Green Grace too early as the poisoner: she would know that Hizdahr doesn't like locusts, and no one would suspect her. And from the beginning, she manufactured the peace and tried to defend it, and most importantly she is the chief arranger of the marriage with Hizdahr, so she may well be the harpy. Possible that she manufactured the body hauling herself when she "negotiated" with the Yunkai'i.
As to side notes, it's interesting that Barristan fears death in bed and wants to die on the battlefield. Perhaps this sentiment is, subconsciously, responsible for his determination to attack. Second, the knights of the round table he founds in the council are somewhat a blatant parallel, but then again, the theme of a table where everyone is equal is older than the Camelot tales and can be found in various cultures. Third, Barristan obviously knighted two of his squires now, having succesfully disposed Hizdahr. His fear of death certainly plays a role in this. It remains to be seen how knightly they will truly be. Fourth and last, we get some additional knowledge of the dragons: they are drawn to blood and violence, which leaves all sort of indications, especially regarding the use of them by the Targaryen kings as I discussed prior in my essay at the Tower of the Hand. If the dragons get all violent upon seeing it and can't differentiate friend from foe, you really don't want to have three of them on the battlefield at once. 

Win an Advance Reading Copy of Myke Cole's SHADOW OPS: FORTRESS FRONTIER

To contact us Click HERE

Since I received an extra ARC of Myke Cole's Shadow Ops: Fortress Frontier, I'm giving it away to one lucky winner! For more info about this title: Canada, USA, Europe. It's the sequel to Shadow Ops: Control Point (Canada, USA, Europe).

Here's the 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...

The rules are the same as usual. You need to send an email at reviews@(no-spam)gryphonwood.net with the header "FORTRESS." Remember to remove the "no spam" thingy.

Second, your email must contain your full mailing address (that's snail mail!), otherwise your message will be deleted.

Lastly, multiple entries will disqualify whoever sends them. And please include your screen name and the message boards that you frequent using it, if you do hang out on a particular MB.

Good luck to all the participants!

Cover art for Peter V. Brett's THE DAYLIGHT WAR

To contact us Click HERE

Peter V. Brett just unveiled the cover art for the forthcoming The Daylight War and it looks pretty good! For more info about this title: Canada, USA, Europe.

With The Warded Man and The Desert Spear, Peter V. Brett surged to the front rank of contemporary fantasy, standing alongside giants in the field like George R. R. Martin, Robert Jordan, and Terry Brooks. The Daylight War, the eagerly anticipated third volume in Brett’s internationally bestselling Demon Cycle, continues the epic tale of humanity’s last stand against an army of demons that rise each night to prey on mankind.

On the night of the new moon, the demons rise in force, seeking the deaths of two men both of whom have the potential to become the fabled Deliverer, the man prophesied to reunite the scattered remnants of humanity in a final push to destroy the demon corelings once and for all.

Arlen Bales was once an ordinary man, but now he has become something more—the Warded Man, tattooed with eldritch wards so powerful they make him a match for any demon. Arlen denies he is the Deliverer at every turn, but the more he tries to be one with the common folk, the more fervently they believe. Many would follow him, but Arlen’s path threatens to lead him to a dark place he alone can travel to, and from which there may be no returning.

The only one with hope of keeping Arlen in the world of men, or joining him in his descent into the world of demons, is Renna Tanner, a fierce young woman in danger of losing herself to the power of demon magic.

Ahmann Jardir has forged the warlike desert tribes of Krasia into a demon-killing army and proclaimed himself Shar’Dama Ka, the Deliverer. He carries ancient weapons—a spear and a crown—that give credence to his claim, and already vast swaths of the green lands bow to his control.

But Jardir did not come to power on his own. His rise was engineered by his First Wife, Inevera, a cunning and powerful priestess whose formidable demon bone magic gives her the ability to glimpse the future. Inevera’s motives and past are shrouded in mystery, and even Jardir does not entirely trust her.

Once Arlen and Jardir were as close as brothers. Now they are the bitterest of rivals. As humanity’s enemies rise, the only two men capable of defeating them are divided against each other by the most deadly demons of all—those lurking in the human heart.

Win a copy of Felix Gilman's THE RISE OF RANSOM CITY

To contact us Click HERE

I have a copy of Felix Gilman's The Rise of Ransom City up for grabs, courtesy of the folks at Tor Books. For more info about this title: Canada, USA, Europe.

Here's the blurb:

This is the story Harry Ransom. If you know his name it’s most likely as the inventor of the Ransom Process, a stroke of genius that changed the world.

Or you may have read about how he lost the battle of Jasper City, or won it, depending on where you stand in matters of politics.

Friends called him Hal or Harry, or by one of a half-dozen aliases, of which he had more than any honest man should. He often went by Professor Harry Ransom, and though he never had anything you might call a formal education, he definitely earned it.

If you’re reading this in the future, Ransom City must be a great and glittering metropolis by now, with a big bronze statue of Harry Ransom in a park somewhere. You might be standing on its sidewalk and not wonder in the least of how it grew to its current glory. Well, here is its story, full of adventure and intrigue. And it all starts with the day that old Harry Ransom crossed paths with Liv Alverhyusen and John Creedmoor, two fugitives running from the Line, amidst a war with no end.

The rules are the same as usual. You need to send an email at reviews@(no-spam)gryphonwood.net with the header "RANSOM." Remember to remove the "no spam" thingy.

Second, your email must contain your full mailing address (that's snail mail!), otherwise your message will be deleted.

Lastly, multiple entries will disqualify whoever sends them. And please include your screen name and the message boards that you frequent using it, if you do hang out on a particular MB.

Good luck to all the participants!

Daniel Abraham's The Long Price Quartet is finally available in paperback

To contact us Click HERE

This from Abraham's website:

Well, today’s the day.

To those of you who’ve followed my long and storied career may remember that a few years back, I suffered something of a setback. My first series of books was a four book story called the Long Price Quartet. The sales were decent. I earned out my contract. And the reviews were great.

[. . .]

But one thing led to another led to nothing very good, and not only did Tor decide not to pick up The Dagger and the Coin series or the Expanse books, they also chose not to put the last book, The Price of Spring, out in paperback. And so, Price of Spring — the concluding book in a project that I spent a good solid half decade working on and of which I am really quite proud — has only been available in print as a difficult to track and expensive hardback. Until now.

Tor has re-released the series in two omnibus editions. The first, Shadow and Betrayal, came out earlier this year. The second, The Price of War, is out today. It is the first time that Price of Spring has been in paperback, and that the full quartet can be had in matching editions.

Here's the blurb for Shadow and Betrayal (Canada, USA, Europe):

A value-priced omnibus of the first two novels of Daniel Abraham’s classic Long Price Quartet—groundbreaking, unique fantasy of rare power and originality.

In this omnibus edition of A Shadow in Summer and A Betrayal in Winter, the aggressively expansionist Galt empire has already conquered lands across a huge continent. But the cities of the Khaiem resist Galt’s power with the andat—creatures of magic with godlike powers.

Each andat is brought into being by a “poet” who must say the right words and exert the iron will needed to control gods. The industrialized Galt war machine is helpless against the powers of the andat…but political intrigue and deep treachery combine to shift the balance of power in a world of ancient empires and immortal magics.

One man, Otah Machi, stands at the crossroads of history in these imaginary world fantasies, the fulcrum around which the wheels of epic history rotate through achingly poignant cycles of life and death, love and betrayal.

Shadow and Betrayal marks Daniel Abraham as one of today’s most brilliantly original young fantasy writers.

And here's the blurb for The Price of War (Canada, USA, Europe):

Otah Machi, caught between ancient wonders and a modern empire, has survived more than most men endure in two lifetimes. In Price of War, an omnibus collection of An Autumn War and The Price of Spring, magic and treacherous politics bring a bitter harvest of violence and tragedy to the world he must defend.

But when all is darkest and the world seems utterly lost, there is yet hope for the salvation of a future yet undiscovered. All depends on Otah, and those with the power to shape it, if they can find the courage to forgive their own trespasses and redeem their lost hopes.

This unforgettable fantasy epic series, the Long Price Quartet, marks Daniel Abraham as a unique voice and one of the most enthralling fantasy writers to emerge in recent years.

Dreamsongs, Volume 2

To contact us Click HERE

When I read and reviewed Dreamsongs, Volume 1 (Canada, USA, Europe) way back in 2007, George R. R. Martin told me that the second volume was even better. Hard to believe, I thought. After all, as a compendium of GRRM's early work, the first installment was a veritable journey through the author's long and celebrated career. What I enjoyed the most, and it's the case in this second volume as well, was that each section begins with an extensive and insightful commentary that allows readers to learn so much about the stories behind the stories. As good as the material is, I often found Martin's commentary to be as fascinating as the tales themselves.

For all you GRRM fans out there, the collection of short fiction found within the pages of both Dreamsongs volumes is the perfect opportunity for you to get better acquainted with the material which allowed George R. R. Martin to win every possible speculative fiction award out there. And believe me when I tell you that at times it gets as good as A song of Ice and Fire. Indeed, in my opinion Dreamsongs, Volume 2 is second only to A Storm of Swords in terms of quality. So for all those clamoring for The Winds of Winter, if you need a GRRM fix, then look no further. Taken as a whole, the Dreamsongs books offer nearly 1500 pages' worth of GRRM awesomeness.

Martin never much liked labels. For him, it's about writing good stories. Maybe this approach is the reason why he somehow managed to work his magic regardless of the genre he's writing in. In Dreamsongs, Volume 2, GRRM comes across as a veritable master storyteller, be it in fantasy, science fiction, horror, urban fantasy, or whatever other label you'd like to attach to any of the tales found between the covers. Yes, it's that damn good!

Here's the blurb:

Dubbed “the American Tolkien” by Time magazine, #1 New York Times bestselling author George R.R. Martin is a giant in the field of fantasy literature and one of the most exciting storytellers of our time. Now he delivers a rare treat for readers: a compendium of his shorter works, all collected into two stunning volumes, that offer fascinating insight into his journey from young writer to award-winning master.

Whether writing about werewolves, wizards, or outer space, George R.R. Martin is renowned for his versatility and expansive talent, highlighted in this dazzling collection. Included here, in Volume II, are acclaimed stories such as the World Fantasy Award-winner “The Skin Trade,” as well as the first novella in the Ice and Fire universe, “The Hedge Knight,” plus two never-before-published screenplays. Featuring extensive author commentary, Dreamsongs, Volume II; is an invaluable chronicle of a writer at the height of his creativity—and an unforgettable reading experience for fans old and new.

In the first section of this collection, "A Taste of Tuf," we are introduced to Haviland Tuf, an eccentric ecological engineer. Not the most endearing of fellows, but nevertheless a very interesting protagonist. Both "A Beast for Norn" and "Guardians" may not be as great as some of the other material that comprises this collection, yet they set the tone and demonstrate how multilayered GRRM's talent truly is. It will become much more evident later in the book, but you immediately realize that Martin is as comfortable writing science fiction stories as he is with fantasy. Having said that, "Guardians" offers a few unexpected surprises that were quite satisfying.

The "The Siren Song of Hollywood" section contains two scripts from two projects GRRM worked on; Twilight Zone and Doorways. When it was aired, The Roads Less Traveled was cut and edited in such a way that it never reflected what the original script was all about. Here we have the full script, so those who saw the show years ago can now discover how it was always meant to be. A pilot was filmed for Doorways, but ABC pulled the plug and production ceased afterward. Again, the full script is found here. Martin refers to Doorways as the great "what if" of his career and it's easy to understand why.

The "Doing the Wild Card Shuffle" section has to do with the Wild Cards project and how it came to be. Since nowadays GRRM edits but doesn't write in the Wild Cards universe, it's interesting to read some older material from him. "Shell Games" features the Great and Powerful Turtle and Dr. Tachyon, and is a good introduction to the Wild Cards universe. But "The Journal of Xavier Desmond" is a powerful tale of a man dealing with cancer and approaching death. To a certain extent, it's also a study of America's foreign policy around the world through the 70s and the 80s and the impact it had on this alternate history. This one contains a number of poignant and touching moments, and was one of my favorite reads.

"The Heart in Conflict" is the section that literally blew my mind, however. Basically every single story found within was incredible! "Under Siege" is about time travel and an attempt to prevent the creation of the USSR. In a nutshell, "The Skin Trade" is a werewolf tale. But it's so much more than that. Essentially, it might be the best thing GRRM has written as far as short fiction goes. It's scary and awesome, and I for one would love to read more about PI Randi Wade and Willie the werewolf collector agent. Hands down the best piece in this collection. "Unsound Variations is an interesting chess and time travel tale that was also surprising.

"The Glass Flower" explores GRRM's science fiction future history. It's got a weird vibe at times, but is also an engrossing read. Most people reading this review are already familiar with "The Hedge Knight," the first tale featuring the unlikely duo Dunk and Egg. If you're not, then know that there are a few more ASOIAF stories out there! The novelette "Portaits of His Children" caps off the collection with a bang. It's a disturbing story about the price paid by writers when they put their ideas on paper.

Fascinating and unforgettable, Dreamsongs, Volume 2 is an amazing collection of short fiction from a man who has become a master of essentially every single sub-genre of speculative fiction. This book deserves the highest possible recommendation. Looking for the best possible Christmas present for GRRM fans everywhere? These two volumes have to be it!

The final verdict: 9.5/10

For more info about this title: Canada, USA, Europe

The Crown of Embers by Rae Carson

To contact us Click HERE
Elisa, Queen Regnant of Joya d'Arena, has defeated the invading armies of Invierne. However, she finds ruling her new nation difficult. An outsider from another land, her commands are not respected and she faces challenges from both the nobility and the masses, whose taxes must pay for the rebuilding of the country. Elisa must also face down a renewed threat from Invierne. Defeated on the battlefield, they now play a game of misinformation and intrigue, with assassins stalking the rooftops of Elisa's capital. In the midst of this Elisa discovers a vital clue to the origins of the magic of her Godstone, but dare she leave the capital in the hands of her rivals to pursue this quest?


The Crown of Embers is the sequel to Fire and Thorns and is the middle volume of a trilogy. Like its predecessor, the book is an easy, light read but is unfortunately rather less successful. Whilst the first book featured a solid, eventful plot which unfolded with focused conciseness (a relief from the too-many flabby epic fantasies around), this second book is comparatively uneventful and repetitive. There are several assassination attempts, which are foiled. Elisa angsts over how to rule her kingdom more effectively, to no conclusion. She angsts who whom she should marry for the good of the kingdom, to no conclusion. She moons over a potential love interest, even in the middle of a dire assassination attempt. Rinse and repeat.

These problems are confounded by regressive characterisation of the lead: Elisa evolved, in a standard but nevertheless reasonably-well-handled way, from coddled princess to warrior leader in the first book. In this second volume she seems to lose all of the confidence and skills gained in the first book and becomes a lame duck ruler, unable to assert her authority. This would be more convincing had we not seen Elisa already weld a band of desert villagers into a fearsome guerrilla army. No real explanation is given for Elisa's fall from competence in this volume save it was necessary for plot purposes. Some of the secondary cast get some decent character development (such as Tristan, one of Elisa's potential suitors), but overall the characters are less interesting than in the first book.


Where the novel does spring to live is in its depiction of the unusual magic system and the revelation that a lot of what is assumed about the world's backstory may be untrue. But these moments where character (and reader) assumptions are overturned are fleetingly brief. Otherwise for the bulk of the novel we are subjected to pretty standard YA fantasy fare, with the added irritation of an undercooked love story that utterly fails to convince.

The Crown of Embers (**) is a serious letdown after the first novel in the sequence. There are flashes of inspiration and interest, but overall this is a book that is content to rest on its laurels rather than build on the successes of its predecessor. It is available now in the UK and USA.

STAR WARS Episode VII finds its writer

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According to Hollywood sources, screenwriter Michael Arndt has written a 50-page story treatment for Star Wars: Episode VII and is a front-runner to write the full script.


Arndt has previously written Little Miss Sunshine (which he won an Oscar) and Toy Story 3 (for which he was nominated for an Oscar). He has also written the scripts for the in-production The Hunger Games: Catching Fire and Oblivion, a major SF movie starring Tom Cruise. He is also working on an as-yet-untitled Pixar movie for 2015.

Arndt is a logical choice for the role as he has lectured extensively on Hollywood scriptwriting, often citing the 22-second climax of the original Star Wars (between Han Solo destroying one of the TIE Fighters during the trench run and the Death Star blowing up) as the perfect emotional end to a film.

Apparently the treatment is currently doing the rounds of directors, with copies sent to Brad Bird, Steven Spielberg and J.J. Abrams. Spielberg and Abrams are far too busy with other projects to be able to helm Episode VII, but could handle either VIII or IX further down the road. Bird is a firm fan-favourite choice for the role of director on the film but may also be unavailable, with him having committed to the disaster picture 1906 and then a big SF epic called 1952.

At the moment it appears that Disney want to include Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher and Harrison Ford in the new films, possibly in extended cameos as the baton is passed to a new generation of characters. Apparently the new trilogy will form an all-new story, not based on any pre-existing Star Wars storyline.

Grand Theft Auto: The Ballad of Gay Tony

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Luis Fernando Lopez has escaped from a life of drug-dealing to gain respectable work as a bar manager for Anthony 'Gay Tony' Prince, one of the most famous club-owners in Liberty City. However, Gay Tony's business is not going to plan and he has been forced into some shady deals to keep things afloat. Lopez's skills are called into use to help Tony survive a brewing crime war...and resolve the mystery of some missing diamonds.



The Ballad of Gay Tony is the second of two self-contained expansions to Grand Theft Auto IV and - as of this time of writing - is the most recent entry in the Grand Theft Auto franchise. As with The Lost and the Damned before it, The Ballad of Gay Tony pursues its own storyline whilst also being a supporting part of the storyline of GTA4. Several missions cross-over with the events of both GTA4 and The Lost of the Damned, so players will finally get the full story to what's been going on in all three titles.

As is standard in the GTA franchise, the game casts you in the role of a guy of dubious morality who must fulfil a series of missions to complete the game. These missions are given to you by various characters, some of whom you help willingly and others more reluctantly. Between missions you can chill out, drive around the city, watch a bit of TV or engage in social activities such as playing golf. Later in the game other activities are unlocked, such as base-jumping from buildings or engaging in multi-vehicle races. You also interact with other characters through your mobile phone, from being able to call in favours (such as having cars or weapons dropped off at your location) to socialising with them in bars or clubs. However, unlike GTA4 where it famously got rather annoying after a while, characters rarely call you to ask you to hang out.

The meat of the game, as always, lies in the missions. Tony has gotten himself into debt with several gangsters, and to help pay them off Luis has to do various jobs with them. In several cases this backfires badly, but Luis does make one genuine friend in the form of the ludicrously OTT Yusuf Amir (voiced with ridiculous enthusiasm by comedian Omid Djalili), the son of a multi-billionaire with a curious predilection for stealing unobtainable vehicles (a tank, a combat helicopter and a subway car, which he plans to turn into a submarine). As the game continues, the self-contained narrative with Luis trying to save Tony's business entwines with the story of the previous games, with the fate of the famous diamonds finally being revealed.

The Ballad of Gay Tony is great fun. After the previous two games were criticised for being, by normal GTA standards, po-faced and restrained, The Ballad of Gay Tony brings back the crazy. The game features missions involving shooting up the harbour with a helicopter and throwing a nasty blogger out of an aircraft and then base-jumping to rescue him before he hits the ground (I guess some of those critical GTA4 reviews hurt Rockstar's feelings). Those who've missed the series' more demented sense of humour will likely welcome the lighter, funnier approach to this game.

Unfortunately, despite being a bit lighter than previous entries to the series, the game is not as successful as The Lost and the Damned in integrating the optional between-missions stuff with the main game storyline. In The Lost and the Damned the gang wars and bike races linked in with the central narrative, but in The Ballad of Gay Tony there is a bit of a disconnect between the base-jumping and multi-vehicle races and the main storyline. More connected are optional sequences where Luis has to manage the club overnight, but these get rather dull and repetitive quite quickly.

As a result, The Ballad of Gay Tony is dependent on its missions to succeed and they are pretty decent, with some great voice acting. The game's biggest success is developing a genuinely warm relationship between Luis - a heterosexual Dominican-American - and the gay Anthony Prince without descending into the cliches the Grand Theft Auto franchise gleefully normally employs. This relationship is explored in some depth and is surprisingly effective. This is in stark contrast to the game's failure to employ any female characters of note in the game, which is a bit more inexplicable.

The Ballad of Gay Tony (***½) is a fun game with some unexpectedly good development of character and relationships. The missions are entertaining, although the optional game elements are a bit less successful this time around. Overall, however, it sees out the Grand Theft Auto IV era in style. The game is available now in a collected package with GTA4 and The Lost and the Damned on PC (UK, USA), X-Box 360 (UK, USA) and PlayStation 3 (UK, USA). Grand Theft Auto V will be released in mid-2013.

MERLIN to conclude after Season 5

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The currently-airing fifth season of Merlin will be the last, according to the BBC and the producers.



This news came as a bit of a surprise. When the show started in 2008 the producers claimed to have a 'five-year-plan' for the show which they would follow until its end. However, last year the producers also claimed to have ditched this plan in favour of the letting the show continue as long as it was popular, and were actively planning a sixth season and beyond.

The reasons for this about-face are unclear, but the BBC, actors and producers are all claiming that the show has come to a natural conclusion and it hasn't been cancelled. In fact, the show is still pulling in seven million viewers a week, which compares favourably to what Doctor Who does in the same timeslot.

The current favourite theory is that since the show was originally planned to last five years, the actors were only contracted for five years. When the producers decided to continue the show beyond that point, they entered contract re-negotiations with the actors. Since most of the actors (Tony Head and Richard Wilson aside) were complete unknowns when the show started, their resulting boom in profile has likely meant that they would be entitled to far more money for additional seasons, which may have made the series too expensive to produce.

Whatever, the situation, apparently the two-part season finale can effectively pull double-duty as a series closer as well. Here's hoping they knew about the end early enough to effectively close down the major storylines.

The production company are considering early ideas for a potential spin-off series, whilst the BBC are developing new dramatic projects to serve as a potential replacement next year.

The Queen's Hand

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Ian McElhinney as Barristan Selmy in HBOs GOT

Quentyn Martell is dead, after three days of fighting death. The dragons he loosened have burned parts of Meereen and made their home in two of the pyramids. Only the rains gave quelched the flames in the city. Looking at Quentyn's burned body, Barristan muses about the death by fire and how ugly it is. He admires Missandei for being with the prince day and night and wonders if Dany is dead at all, fiercely denying it without putting his doubts to rest.

When the Shavepate enters, his mind shifts to questions of politics. The Green Grace whom Barristan send to the Yunkai'i to negotiate for release of the hostages has not yet returned. The Yunkish demands to restore Hizdahr to his throne and to slay the dragons still stand. Since the imprisonment of Hizdahr, the Sons of the Harpy have taken up their killings again, and the toll of the current night and day alone has reached 23, as the Shavepate reports, who demands hostages to be killed instead of Barristan's way to collect blood money from the pyramids. Barristan declines and calls the council into session.
In absence of Daenerys, all the commanders meet as equals under his supervision at a table in the throne room, from which Hizdahr's dragon thrones have been removed. Belwas returns to the council as well, visibly weakened by the poison, but alive. The first discussion point concerns the Dornish, who have been imprisoned. Most demand their death for treason, but Barristan just states that he needs them for something and moves to the next matter, the dragons. Hundreds of sheep were brought to the fighting pits, and as for now, the dragons go there when they are hungry and don't attack humans. They are not controlled either, however. The representative of the Stormcrows has no faith in the negotiations with the Yunkai'i, claiming that they are liars and that they need to free Daario somehow. The discussion moves to the object of the peace, and to everyone's surprise Barristan tells them that if the Green Grace should return without success, he would attack the Yunkai'i, shattering Hizdahr's peace.
That takes the discussion to strategy. For hours they ponder the question how best to deploy their troops, and in the end, the question of the dragons arises. Barristan says he is sure that they will join the fight once it commences, being drawn by blood and violence, but he doesn't say that he isn't sure at all whether the dragons will make any difference between the parties. After the discussion, he goes to the Dornishmen, who tell him how and what they did. Archibald Yronwood proves to be the more prudent of the two, grasping what Barristan wants, who sends them to the Yunkai'i with the rest of the Windblown deserters. Their task is to persuade the Tattered Prince to change sides and to free the hostages.
Barristan stands atop the pyramid again, watching the city and musing about the dragons. Rhaegal is the more dangerous of the two, he is certain. After that, Barristan gets the message that the Green Grace returned. He thinks she is a loyal, faithful friend to Daenerys. Obviously, the negotiations weren't succesful, so Barristan is determined to command the attack. The Green Grace advises him to restore Hizdahr, since the peace is too precious to risk it, but Barristan doesn't concur. Before the conversation can go any futher, the Shavepate enters the room and tells him that the Yunkai'i have flown bodies over the walls with all six trebuchets.
And there goes the peace. Barristan is determined to attack the Yunkai'i, and the negotiations are only a fig leaf with which he conceals it to preserve his honor. His plan seems sound enough: preparing the troops inside the walls, giving everybody an assigned task, and arrange a signal that can be seen in the whole city (the beacon fire) to be able to start every second. The chances are good, since the Yunkai'i are still weakened and they have reason to believe that two of the companies could go over. Barristan makes good use of all the advice he gets, not dismissing anything just because he hasn't thought of it or because he doesn't fully comprehend it. He even accepts clever advice from Missandei, which all speaks for him. He definitely is a good hand.
It remains unclear what bodies are thrown into the city. It doesn't seem too likely that they are the hostages, although I wouldn't object Daario dying (another thing with Joqho, though). I think it more likely to be plague corpses, as to bring the disease into Meereen too. The nobles of the city could barricade in their pyramids, while Dany's power base would suffer, so it seems a valid strategy for the Yunkai'i at that point. I would guess that Barristan isn't the kind of guy to be shocked by such strategies, so after the cliffhanger of this chapter's end he is likely to command the attack to commence immediately. We'll don't know until "The Winds of Winter", of course.
The last big questions centers around the Green Grace. Barristan thinks she's one of Daenerys' truest friends, but somehow I don't believe it. She seems false to me, like the Shavepate does, although the aggressive manner of the latter somehow make it more unlikely that he plays a double role than with the Green Grace, who seems more sinister. Barristan of course isn't the guy to dwell too deep into politics and insight into human nature, but one shouldn't discount the Green Grace too early as the poisoner: she would know that Hizdahr doesn't like locusts, and no one would suspect her. And from the beginning, she manufactured the peace and tried to defend it, and most importantly she is the chief arranger of the marriage with Hizdahr, so she may well be the harpy. Possible that she manufactured the body hauling herself when she "negotiated" with the Yunkai'i.
As to side notes, it's interesting that Barristan fears death in bed and wants to die on the battlefield. Perhaps this sentiment is, subconsciously, responsible for his determination to attack. Second, the knights of the round table he founds in the council are somewhat a blatant parallel, but then again, the theme of a table where everyone is equal is older than the Camelot tales and can be found in various cultures. Third, Barristan obviously knighted two of his squires now, having succesfully disposed Hizdahr. His fear of death certainly plays a role in this. It remains to be seen how knightly they will truly be. Fourth and last, we get some additional knowledge of the dragons: they are drawn to blood and violence, which leaves all sort of indications, especially regarding the use of them by the Targaryen kings as I discussed prior in my essay at the Tower of the Hand. If the dragons get all violent upon seeing it and can't differentiate friend from foe, you really don't want to have three of them on the battlefield at once. 

Excerpt from Jim Butcher's COLD DAYS

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Jim Butcher's posted a third excerpt from the forthcoming Cold Days on his website! For more information about this title: Canada, USA, Europe.

Here's the blurb:

HARRY DRESDEN LIVES!!!

After being murdered by a mystery assailant, navigating his way through the realm between life and death, and being brought back to the mortal world, Harry realizes that maybe death wasn’t all that bad. Because he is no longer Harry Dresden, Chicago’s only professional wizard.

He is now Harry Dresden, Winter Knight to Mab, the Queen of Air and Darkness. After Harry had no choice but to swear his fealty, Mab wasn’t about to let something as petty as death steal away the prize she had sought for so long. And now, her word is his command, no matter what she wants him to do, no matter where she wants him to go, and no matter who she wants him to kill.

Guess which Mab wants first?

Of course, it won’t be an ordinary, everyday assassination. Mab wants her newest minion to pull off the impossible: kill an immortal. No problem there, right? And to make matters worse, there exists a growing threat to an unfathomable source of magic that could land Harry in the sort of trouble that will make death look like a holiday.

Beset by enemies new and old, Harry must gather his friends and allies, prevent the annihilation of countless innocents, and find a way out of his eternal subservience before his newfound powers claim the only thing he has left to call his own…His soul.

Follow this link to read the extract.

This week's New York Times Bestsellers (November 12th)

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In hardcover:

Karen Marie Moning’s Iced debuts at number 9.

Justin Cronin's The Twelve is down one spot, finishing the week at number 12. For more information about this title: Canada, USA, Europe.

George R. R. Martin's A Dance With Dragons is up three spots, finishing the week at number 18. For more info about this title: Canada, USA, Europe.

In paperback:

David Mitchell's Cloud Atlas is up one position, ending the week at number 4 (trade paperback).

Erin Morgenstern's The Night Circus is up four spots, finishing the week at number 12 (trade paperback).

George R. R. Martin's A Game of Thrones is up sixteen positions, ending the week at number 14.

Stephen King's 11/22/63 is up three positions, ending the week at number 25 (trade paperback).

George R. R. Martin's A Storm of Swords returns at number 27.

George R. R. Martin's A Feast for Crows returns at number 28.

James Luceno's Star Wars: Darth Plagueis debuts at number 29.

David Mack's Star Trek: The Next Generation: Cold Equations: The Persistence of Memory debuts at number 30.

Max Brooks' World War Z is up three spots, finishing the week at number 30 (trade paper back).

Mike Shepherd's Kris Longknife: Furious debuts at number 32.

George R. R. Martin's A Clash of Kings returns at number 34.

Win an Advance Reading Copy of Myke Cole's SHADOW OPS: FORTRESS FRONTIER

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Since I received an extra ARC of Myke Cole's Shadow Ops: Fortress Frontier, I'm giving it away to one lucky winner! For more info about this title: Canada, USA, Europe. It's the sequel to Shadow Ops: Control Point (Canada, USA, Europe).

Here's the 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...

The rules are the same as usual. You need to send an email at reviews@(no-spam)gryphonwood.net with the header "FORTRESS." Remember to remove the "no spam" thingy.

Second, your email must contain your full mailing address (that's snail mail!), otherwise your message will be deleted.

Lastly, multiple entries will disqualify whoever sends them. And please include your screen name and the message boards that you frequent using it, if you do hang out on a particular MB.

Good luck to all the participants!

Cover art for Peter V. Brett's THE DAYLIGHT WAR

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Peter V. Brett just unveiled the cover art for the forthcoming The Daylight War and it looks pretty good! For more info about this title: Canada, USA, Europe.

With The Warded Man and The Desert Spear, Peter V. Brett surged to the front rank of contemporary fantasy, standing alongside giants in the field like George R. R. Martin, Robert Jordan, and Terry Brooks. The Daylight War, the eagerly anticipated third volume in Brett’s internationally bestselling Demon Cycle, continues the epic tale of humanity’s last stand against an army of demons that rise each night to prey on mankind.

On the night of the new moon, the demons rise in force, seeking the deaths of two men both of whom have the potential to become the fabled Deliverer, the man prophesied to reunite the scattered remnants of humanity in a final push to destroy the demon corelings once and for all.

Arlen Bales was once an ordinary man, but now he has become something more—the Warded Man, tattooed with eldritch wards so powerful they make him a match for any demon. Arlen denies he is the Deliverer at every turn, but the more he tries to be one with the common folk, the more fervently they believe. Many would follow him, but Arlen’s path threatens to lead him to a dark place he alone can travel to, and from which there may be no returning.

The only one with hope of keeping Arlen in the world of men, or joining him in his descent into the world of demons, is Renna Tanner, a fierce young woman in danger of losing herself to the power of demon magic.

Ahmann Jardir has forged the warlike desert tribes of Krasia into a demon-killing army and proclaimed himself Shar’Dama Ka, the Deliverer. He carries ancient weapons—a spear and a crown—that give credence to his claim, and already vast swaths of the green lands bow to his control.

But Jardir did not come to power on his own. His rise was engineered by his First Wife, Inevera, a cunning and powerful priestess whose formidable demon bone magic gives her the ability to glimpse the future. Inevera’s motives and past are shrouded in mystery, and even Jardir does not entirely trust her.

Once Arlen and Jardir were as close as brothers. Now they are the bitterest of rivals. As humanity’s enemies rise, the only two men capable of defeating them are divided against each other by the most deadly demons of all—those lurking in the human heart.

Win a copy of Felix Gilman's THE RISE OF RANSOM CITY

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I have a copy of Felix Gilman's The Rise of Ransom City up for grabs, courtesy of the folks at Tor Books. For more info about this title: Canada, USA, Europe.

Here's the blurb:

This is the story Harry Ransom. If you know his name it’s most likely as the inventor of the Ransom Process, a stroke of genius that changed the world.

Or you may have read about how he lost the battle of Jasper City, or won it, depending on where you stand in matters of politics.

Friends called him Hal or Harry, or by one of a half-dozen aliases, of which he had more than any honest man should. He often went by Professor Harry Ransom, and though he never had anything you might call a formal education, he definitely earned it.

If you’re reading this in the future, Ransom City must be a great and glittering metropolis by now, with a big bronze statue of Harry Ransom in a park somewhere. You might be standing on its sidewalk and not wonder in the least of how it grew to its current glory. Well, here is its story, full of adventure and intrigue. And it all starts with the day that old Harry Ransom crossed paths with Liv Alverhyusen and John Creedmoor, two fugitives running from the Line, amidst a war with no end.

The rules are the same as usual. You need to send an email at reviews@(no-spam)gryphonwood.net with the header "RANSOM." Remember to remove the "no spam" thingy.

Second, your email must contain your full mailing address (that's snail mail!), otherwise your message will be deleted.

Lastly, multiple entries will disqualify whoever sends them. And please include your screen name and the message boards that you frequent using it, if you do hang out on a particular MB.

Good luck to all the participants!

Guest Blog: Killing Them Quietly by Ian Rogers.

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When asked to describe the type of stories in my debut collection, Every House Is Haunted, I tend to pause and try to think about how exactly I should phrase my response.

It would be easy to say the book is a horror collection, but it wouldn’t be entirely accurate. Yes, some of the stories could be classified as “horror,” but not all of them. Some are thrillers or mysteries with a supernatural bent.  One of them, “The Tattletail,” about a kid with a pet demon, would even qualify as young adult.

I prefer to call Every House Is Haunted a collection of dark fiction, which is still a copout of sorts, but it’s also the only way I can describe the ground covered in the 22 stories that make up the book.

This is not to say that I shy away from the horror label. I’ve seen some authors blow a gasket when someone has dared to call them a “horror author.” You’d think they’d just been told they smell bad. Which makes sense, I guess, since those writers who avoid the horror label tend to do so because to some readers it does have a kind of stink on it.

I don’t mind calling myself a horror author, and I certainly don’t mind if someone else refers to me in that way. I’ve gotten over the urge to follow it up with: “Oh yes, I write horror, but not that kind of horror.” By which I meant pointlessly gory horror, with two-dimensional characters and the kind of plots (I use the term loosely) that are more interested in the body count than telling any kind of story.

Although I consider myself to be a fairly big Stephen King fan, when it comes to my own work, I often cite authors like Shirley Jackson and Charles L. Grant as influences. Grant especially with his brand of “quiet horror,” eschewing the “gore for the sake of gore” tales that made up so many books during the horror boom of the 1980s. Which is not to say that I don’t like the occasional gory story. But that doesn’t mean these tales can’t be executed with a certain sense of style. Take, for example, the work of Clive Barker, one of, if not the best, writer of graphic horror fiction.

Grant is also the one credited with using the term “dark fantasy” to differentiate between his brand of “quiet horror” and the gorier variety. While I appreciate Grant’s need to distance himself from those stories, “dark fantasy” is not a term I’d use to describe my own work, mostly because “dark fantasy” is an actual genre to some people, usually referring to tales of high fantasy (knights, wizards, dragons, etc.) with a strong horror element.

I think “quiet horror” is a much better term, both in general and to describe the stories in Every House Is Haunted. After all, when it comes to haunted houses, whether it’s Shirley Jackson’s Hill House, or a “real” one featured on an episode of Unsolved Mysteries, what better way is there to describe the horrors that always start out so innocuously.

At least the horrors start out quiet. The screaming comes later.


Ian Rogers is a writer, artist, and photographer. Every House Is Haunted (ChiZine Publications) is his first collection. A second collection of stories, SuperNOIRtural Tales, featuring supernatural detective Felix Renn, is forthcoming from Burning Effigy Press. For more information, visit ianrogers.ca.

Website - everyhouseishaunted.com
Twitter - @onemoreshadow
Facebook Author Page - http://www.facebook.com/supernoirtural

November 1, 2012 Writing, Publishing, and Speculative Fiction Links and Plugs

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Interviews and Profiles

• The Writer Librarian interviews Janice Hardy.
• Geek's Guide to the Galaxy interviews Lemony Snicket (podcast). 
• SFWA (Lucas Johnson) interviews Strange Horizons.
• My Bookish Ways interviews Benjamin Kane Ethridge.
• The Future and You interviews Ramez Naam (podcast).
• A Fantastical Librarian interviews Nethspace.
• Read in a Sitting interviews Charles Tan.
• John Scalzi Podcast.
• NPR on Jagannath (podcast).

Advice/Articles

• Theodora Goss on Writing a Novel.
• Smart Pop Books (Adrienne Kress) on The Inevitable Decline of Decadence.
• Kirkus Reviews (John De Nardo) on The Best SF/F Reads in November.
• Darkcargo on I (heart) Joe R. Lansdale.
• Canada Writes (Susan Juby) on Sci-fi and the bolognium theory.
• Graeme's Fantasy Book Review (Lawrence Santoro) on The Dragon I Know.
• Kindle Daily Post (Sarah Fine) on A Dark City Survival Guide.
• Open Culture on Philip K. Dick: A Day in the Afterlife Revisits the Legacy of a Sci-Fi Legend.
• The Future Fire (Kyell Gold) on Outlaw Bodies: Furries.
• TV Guide (Shawna Malcom) On the Set Exclusive: Castle Investigates a Sci-Fi Convention Murder.
• Book Riot (Amanda Nelson) on 10 Vonnegut-Centric Sites: So the Internet Goes.
• WhatCulture! (Shaun Munro) on Star Wars Episode 7: 10 Things To Avoid.

Reviews

• Staffer's Book Review (Justin Landon) on Three Short Reviews of Recently Read Books (October).

Art

• The Cover For The Final Southern Vampire Mysteries Novel.
• The Great Discovery by Mathias Verhasselt.

News

• Ellison’s Big Pair.

Shine Light by Marianne de Pierres

November 2, 2012 Writing, Publishing, and Speculative Fiction Links and Plugs

To contact us Click HERE
Interviews and Profiles

• Speculate! interviews Amber Benson and Anton Strout (podcast).
• The Enchanted Inkpot (Cindy Pon) interviews Sarwat Chadda.
• Tor Books Blog interviews Jeff Noon. 
• My Bookish Ways interviews James Lovegrove.
• Macabre Republic interviews David Herter.
• David Brin on The Postman (video).

Advice/Articles

• Chuck Wendig on 25 Motivational Thoughts For Writers.
• Book Life Now (Mercedes M. Yardley) on How To Write When You Don’t Have The Time.
• Weird Fiction Review (Elwin Cotman) on WFR’s 101 Weird Writers: #15 — Elizabeth Hand.
• Weird Fiction Review (John Clute) on The Darkening Garden: Strange Stories.
• John Scalzi's The Big Idea: John Picacio.
• Ian Sales on The journey is the metaphor, not the spaceship.
• Kirkus Reviews (Andrew Liptak) on A Kind of Fairy Tale: George MacDonald.
• Wired (Michael V. Copeland) on Why Buzz Lightyear Is Worth Billions More Than Han Solo.
• Brian Ruckley on The Force is Strong With This Mouse.
• Tor.com (Grady Hendrix) on The Great Stephen King Reread: The Shining.
• Kristine Kathryn Rusch on The Business Rusch: No Reader Left Behind.
• Harper Voyager (Mark C) on Argh! Zombies!
• ThinkProgress (Alyssa Rosenberg) on Dear Internet, Joss Whedon Shouldn’t Run Everything, Including ‘Star Wars’.
• Black Gate (Sarha Avery) on Teaching and Fantasy Literature: Escape as Homecoming.
• Cosmos (Lucie Bradley) on Giant supernovae offer insight into young universe.
• WhatCulture! (Brendan Foley) on New Star Wars Trilogy: 3 Do’s and 4 Don’ts.
• WhatCulture! (Peter Henne) on 5 Ways Star Wars Episode 7 Could Help Us Forget The Prequels.
• WhatCulture! (David Molofsky) on Star Wars Episode 7: 5 Actors Who Should Play Jedi.
• Book Riot (Rebecca Joines) on Book Riot Readers’ Top 50 Favorite Novels.

Art

• Edison Rex.
• "Batman: Li'l Gotham" Brings Stylistic Watercolor To Batman.
• Cover Reveal: Hell to Pay by Matthew Hughes, Awesome Artwork by Tom Gauld.

News

• ’1000 genomes barrier’ broken.
• Locus 20th and 21st All-Centuries Poll Ballot.
• The Voyager Blog.
• New Imprint: Heron Books.
• George Lucas to Donate Most of his 4 Billion to Education Charity.
• Eaton Journal of Archival Research in Science Fiction. [via Andrew Porter]
• Book View Cafe Donating part of book sales to Sandy relief.
• R.T. Kaelin on Anthology for Victims of Sandy.

Events

• Forbidden Planet November Events.

Electric Velocipede 24

November 12, 2012 Writing, Publishing, and Speculative Fiction Links and Plugs

To contact us Click HERE
Interviews and Profiles

• Odyssey Workshop interviews Nancy Holder.
• The Coode St. Podcast episode 122. 
• NPR interviews Philip Pullman (podcast).
• Sci-Fi Fan Letter interviews Steve Bein.
• SQ Mag (Sophie Yorkston) interviews Gary McMahon.
• Ginger Nuts of Horror interviews Derek Gunn.
• Marianne de Pierres interviews Suzie Plakson.

Advice/Articles

• Book View Cafe (Sherwood Smith) on Reading without a net.
• Charles Stross on 2512.
• Book Life Now (Carol Penn-Romine) on Crafting a Non-Fiction Book Proposal.
• Genevieve Valentine On Sagan.
• The Cultural Gutter (Carol Borden) on The Specter of Frankenstein.
• My Bookish Ways (Wil Mara) on The Gemini Virus.
• SFX (Dave Golder) on Isn’t It About Time You Gave Lifeforce Another Chance?
• Neatorama (Jill Harness) on God Bless You, Mr. Vonnegut. [via Bill Crider]
• CNN (Blake Snow) on Why console gaming is dying.
• Slate (Torie Bosch) on How Would Lifelong Perfect Health Change Our Society? via Paul Di Filippo]
• Tor.com (Jo Walton) on Something Else Like... Roger Zelazny.
• IFC (Jordan Hoffman) on The top 10 Captain Picard moments from “Star Trek”. [via Bill Crider]
• WhatCulture! (Stuart W. Bedford) on World War Z Trailer: 10 Reasons It Will Probably Suck and 1 Reason It Might Not.

Art

• Iron Man 3 Teaser Poster.
• Shanghai Ruins by JonasDeRo.

News

• In Memoriam: Kevin O’Donnell, Jr., 1950-2012.
• Marine 'treasure trove' could bring revolution in medicine and industry.
• Judy Garland's Wizard of Oz dress fetches $480,000. [via Paul Di Filippo]
• Doctor Who Mixes Neil Gaiman, Cybermen and Warwick Davis.

Crandolin by Anna Tambour

November 26, 2012 Writing, Publishing, and Speculative Fiction Links and Plugs

To contact us Click HERE
Interviews and Profiles

• Fantasy Book Critic (Mihir Wanchoo) interviews Rachel Aaron.
• Omnivoracious (Jeff VanderMere) interviews John Skipp.
• Duckter Yezno's Weird Word Orb Spurts interviews Rudy Rucker.
• Robot 6 interviews Chris Roberson.
• The Guardian (Joanna Moorhead) interviews Simon Tolkien. [via Andrew Porter]
• Euradionantes interviews Lionel Davoust (podcast).

Advice/Articles

• Muddy Colors (John Picacio) on The Making of The Creative Fire. 
• Fantasy Faction (Eric Christensen) on Which Writers Are Asking The Hard Questions Today?
• Salon (Samjuel Sattin, The Weeklings) on Has the apocalypse gone the way of vampires? [via Paul Di Filippo]
• Nocturnal Book Reviews (Chris F. Holm) on The Collector 101: A Syllabus.
• Wired Science (Adam Mann) on Tracking Mars: Curiosity Makes Its Mark on the Red Planet.
• Jim Van Pelt on One Paragraph Could Inspire a Career.
• Myke Cole on Librarians Rock.
• Mythic Scribes (Martin White) on What Fantasy Writers Can Learn From Horror.
• Oxford University Press (Dennis Baron) on The e-reader over your shoulder.
• Mike Allen on My ongoing free Kindle story giveaway: things I have observed and learned.
• The Inferior 4 (Paul Di Filippo) on My Brief Career as a Fanfic Writer.
• Comics Worth Reading (Johanna Draper Carlson) on I Found the Fake Geek Girl… 24 Years Ago. 
• Lou Antonelli on Comprehensive survey explains all things “Steampunk”.
• WhatCulture! (David Andrew McCabe) on Doctor Who Series 7: 5 Things We Want From The Last Cyberman.
• Tor.com (Ryan Britt) on The Dreamer and the Dream: 6 Fictional Science Fiction Authors.
• Flavorwire (Tom Hawking) on 10 TV Shows Better Than the Books They Were Based On.

Reviews

• Rich Horton's Summary: Asimov's, 2012; Analog, 2012.

Art

• Chief vs. Knight - by John Liberto.
• Doodle Monsta by Furio Tedeschi.
• 30 Amazing Robot Illustrations.

News

• KGB November 21, 2012 photos by Ellen Datlow.

International Speculative Fiction #1

November 13, 2012 Writing, Publishing, and Speculative Fiction Links and Plugs

To contact us Click HERE
Interviews and Profiles

• Buzzy Mag interviews Alethea Kontis (video). 
• Locus interviews Tim Pratt.
• The Outer Alliance interviews Michael M. Jones (podcast).
• Ted x Rainier video with Terry Brooks.
• My Bookish Ways interviews Erec Stebbins.
• Diabolical Plots (Carl Slaughter) interviews Dean Wesley Smith.
• Locus Roundtable on Reviewing.
• Writing Excuses Episode 7.46 (podcast).

Advice/Articles

• io9 (Annalee Newitz) on 20 Essential Books About the Next Step in Human Evolution. 
• Omnivoracious (Susan J. Morris) on Writing Meaningful Description.
• Gail Carriger on Gail's Top 5 Tips for Coping with Writing Pain.
• Clarion Blog (Kristene Perron) on Writer’s Craft # 98 Murderous Men with Vaginas.
• Kate Elliott on Andevai’s Character Development (Spiritwalker Monday 32).
• Cheryl Morgan on It’s Not Amazon, It’s You.
• Alyx Dellamonica (Jaine Fenn) on Off my Lawn! Jaine Fenn versus “Write every day!”
• The Qwillery (Sharon Lynn Fisher) on You got Sci-Fi in my Romance.
• Brian Ruckley on Perusing the Podverse: Nerdist.
• Pornokitsch on Invisible Cities: Great Imaginary Cities.
• Bastard Books (Justin) on Urban Fantasy Anonymous.
• Wired Science (Adam Mann) on Almost Being There: Why the Future of Space Exploration Is Not What You Think. [via Paul Di Filippo]
• BBC News (Jason Palmer) on Invisibility cloaks: Will we ever really have them? [via Paul Di Filippo]
• Lisa Goldstein on A Review That -- Sorry -- Turns into a Rant.

Reviews

• Tor.com (Brit Mandelo) on Queering SFF: Have A Little Theory, or Queer Theories by Donald E. Hall. 
• Tor.com (Grady Hendrix) on The Great Stephen King Reread: Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining.

Art

• Knight vs Undead by Alexey Zaryuta.
• Sci-fi Art: BattleTech Board Game: Era Report 3062 by Bruno Werneck.
• Brownie Coats.

News

• Pam Fremon, F.N. Passes Away.
• Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander Series Slated for Starz.
• Sword and Mythos Guidelines.
• The Black Library releases Inquisitor Ascendant.

Season of Wonder edited by Paula Guran

November 14, 2012 Writing, Publishing, and Speculative Fiction Links and Plugs

To contact us Click HERE
Interviews and Profiles

• MotherJones interviews Philip Pullman.
• The Qwillery interviews A.J. Colucci.
• My Bookish Ways interviews Derek Haas.
• Sword and Laser interviews Dave Gross and James L. Sutter (podcast).

Advice/Articles

• Strange Horizons (Rochita Loenen-Ruiz) on Movements: Identity and the Indigenous Spirit.
• SFWA (Mike Brotherton) on Ten Classic Hard Science Fiction Novels featuring Physics and Astronomy.
• Chuck Wendig on 25 Ways To Unstick A Stuck Story.
• Mary Robinette Kowal (Lev AC Rosen) talks about All Men of Genius.
• Kat Howard on A Book in the Door.
• Theodora Goss on Our Need for Romance.
• Weird Fiction Review (Nancy Hightower) on Mechanical Hybrids and Organic Angels: The Art of Richard A. Kirk.
• Thespec.com (Mark McNeil) on McMaster’s secret stash: The original clockwork Orange manuscript.
• Fortykey (Brian O'Leary) on Publishers Need to Think Themselves As Community Organizers.
• Tor.com (Ryan Britt) on Why Star Wars: Episode VII Needs NEW Characters.
• The Consumerist (Chris Morran) on Bookstore Combats E-Books With One Thing Your Kindle Can’t Offer.
• Gollancz (Michael J. Ward) on Just say… ‘yes’.
• Juliette Wade on Is character more important than worldbuilding? 
• Fantasy Author's Handbook on Character vs Gimmick: A Tale of Two Short Stories.
• SFX on 10 Episodes That Every Sci-Fi Show* Must Have.

Reviews

• Graham Edwards on Revisiting Cinefex (27): Aliens. 
• Sci-Fi Fan Letter reviews Knife Sworn.

Art

• Artemis by Michael C. Hayes.
• Foundation by Ioan Dumitrescu.
• Treehouse Valley by ~Kamikaye.
• The Many Covers of Bram Stoker’s ‘Dracula’.

News

• BVC announces Flyers by Vonda N. McIntyre.
• Multiple Nebula Award Winner John Kessel’s Novels and Stories Now Available in Ebook Format from Baen Books.
• Tor.com is Seeking an In-House Publishing Liaison.
• New Genre Army: An International Conference on the Writing of Adam Roberts.
• Table of contents - Fish Eats Lion edited by Jason Erik Lundberg.

Errantry: Strange Stories by Elizabeth Hand