Book Review – Blood of Whisperers by Devin Madson

Should a book review be just about the text between the covers?

Blood of Whisperers is the debut novel from Victorian author Devin Madson.  It’s the first in a trilogy of novels set in the pseudo-Japanese fantasy world of The Imperial Expanse of Kisia.  What drew me to this particular novel is the way in which the author sought to bring us this tale.

The Blood of Whisperers and the following books, The Gods of Vice( due December 2013) and The Grave at Storm’s End are already written and edited.  I hold the paperback of book one in my hand because Madson chose to fund the book’s production through a Pozible campaign- a nail biting experience if the author’s notes on it are anything to go by. 

It’s a bold step putting yourself out there as a relative unknown, hoping that people will support you on an example of your writing.  In this instance it paid off, raising $8000 dollars for three books to be produced to a professional standard(art, editing,distribution etc). 

I hold a book in my hand that is indistinguishable from many commercially(ie traditional publisher) produced books that grace my shelves.  It bears distinctive artwork by artist Viktor Fetsch, whose work also graces the cover of Brandon Sanderson’s German translation of The Emperor's Soul and Sarah J Maas’, Throne of Glass.  The cover design by Isabelle Young you can judge for yourself, but I think it compliments Fetsch’s artwork.  

All in all, it’s a quality container for the tale within.

 

A man of common blood sits on the throne. At his command the last emperor was executed, but now the empire is on the brink of war.

Vengeance is coming.

Endymion is an Empath. He was born with the ability to feel another’s emotions and reach inside their hearts for their deepest secrets. Often despised he lives a nomadic existence, but when he finds himself imprisoned for sorcery and facing death, it is his past that will condemn him. Born Prince Takehiko Otako, the only surviving son of the True Emperor, Endymion is already caught in the brewing storm. Fast losing control of his Empathy he seeks revenge against the man who betrayed him, but for Endymion the truth will come too late.

The Blood of Whisperers is a tale feudal infighting and political manoeuvring with some interesting psionic magic thrown in for good measure.  Endymion is pushed forward as the main protagonist of this tale, but the structure that Madson has chosen to frame the story with really gives us three from different factions.  The tale is told in the first person, giving the reader a certain immediacy, a closeness with the the character who is describing events.  We are introduced to Endymion first, then Lord Darius Laroth, minister of the Left and finally Captain Regent, the right hand man to the rebel, Monarch. 

Madson gets around the confusion generally caused by “head hopping”  by prefacing each chapter with an insignia that signifies that character.  It’s an interesting choice, in line, I think with the setting.  How you find the setting will I think depend on your own preferences.  This is very much a tale focussed on the story. There’s a broad sketch of the psuedo-Japanese setting, enough to give you a general idea, to evoke a flavoured background for the characters.  If you are looking for an in depth interrogation of culture I’d suggest you look elsewhere. In essence the story could be set in a feudal European setting and not suffer for it. This is not a criticism mind you, merely a sign post that the story carries more of the weight in this novel.

Madson’s writing is solid, the tale is well paced and the plot suitably intricate enough to carry most reader’s interest to the end.  There were a couple of scenes that I thought were almost cliché, in the sense that I realised (due to prior exposure) ahead of time that the writer was attempting emotional manipulation. That being said, those are really minor quibbles from a reviewer that has a lifetime of fantasy reading under his belt.

As a debut novel it’s better than some of the traditional “best sellers” I have read over the last 12 months. Madson tells a well paced entertaining tale. I am curious whether or not she had attempted to go the traditional publishing route because I think it would have done well with fans of Trudi Canavan, and Kylie Chan - I think they share similar target audiences. 

If you are a fan of political fantasy. if you like a Game of Thrones but don’t like the brutality or the potential of every character ending up dead then, I recommend The Blood of Whisperers. It’s a comfortable read – an enjoyable and intriguing story that I would like to follow up in The Gods of Vice.

This review copy was provided by the publisher.

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The paperback can be purchased direct from the author at this time and Devin is currently offering Free postage worldwide. Purchase Paperback

Ebook versions can be bought via Amazon or Smashwords

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This review is part of the Australian Women Writers Challenge 2013.  Please check out this page for more great writing from Australian women..

 

 

 

 

 

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Book Review – The Wild Girl by Kate Forsyth

The Wild Girl is Kate Forsyth’s latest foray into the milieu of fairy tales.  I have been eagerly awaiting its publication since finding out it was in the works in my interview with her last year  It features the same attention to detail that fans of Bitter Greens enjoyed, that feeling of immersion in the past, created by a confident rendering of the tumultuous years surrounding Napoleon’s rise and fall.

Where the two books differ, however, is that The Wild Girl is historical fiction, where Bitter Greens was a mix of historical fiction and the fantastique, skillfully weaving historical fiction with fairy tale.
Where they do share similarities (apart from Forsyth’s beautiful and subtle writing) is in the revealing of a woman obscured by history.  Forsyth brought to life the wonderful Charlotte-Rose de la Force in Bitter Greens and in The Wild Girl she gives us the life of Dortchen Wild. 

Dortchen who?
If you are not into history or perhaps even fairy tale scholarship then you probably didn’t know about Dortchen Wild, when even a mention of the Grimms these days will get you a blank look or a reference to the TV show, it’s perhaps not surprising.  Dortchen Wild was the girl next door to the Grimms, the source from which they gleaned about a quarter of their stories and later the wife of the brother Wilhelm.

The Wild Girl is Dortchen’s story, a story which parallels a number of fairy tales in both the misfortunes that beset her and her eventual triumph.  At 538 pages it is not a slight tome, but Forsyth’s skill as a storyteller makes the narrative a pleasure to read through, a joy of immersive reading.
I must give fair warning that what starts off as a nice dramatic historical, does take a darker turn, for some of the tale.  Some elements of the narrative will be confronting, despite the deftness and sensitivity Forsyth brings to bear on them.  Without spoiling it too much, let us say the tale All Kinds of Fur is one of those tales that parallels Dortchen’s life.

I emerged from this story feeling as though I had some sense of the woman and her times, that this could have been her life.

I hesitate to call The Wild Girl a romance, though of course we know from the beginning that Dortchen and Wilhelm get married and that outcome end stops the story. I’d call it a drama, if that would encourage male readers to pick it up.

Please do, pick it up that is. I think your reading life if not your wider existence will be enriched by the process.

This book was provided by the author at no cost to myself.

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This review is part of the Australian Women Writers Challenge 2013.  Please check out this page for more great writing from Australian women.

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Australian Women Writers gets air time thanks to Tara Moss

Thanks to the wonderful Tara Moss, the Australian Women Writers Challenge got a mention on Radio Nationals Drive.

You can find the segment here.

And while you are here.

Are you male and have you signed up for the 2013 challenge? If not, why not – feel free to answer in the comments?

 

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eBook Review–Flesh by Kylie Scott

Zombies and erotic romance, though not erotica with the Zombies cause that’s a “hot, wet mess”, to quote a line from the book, of a rather icky kind.

No, Kylie gives us an erotic romance set in a post apocalyptic, post zombie infected Brisbane.  The end of civilisation as we know it, throws characters together that perhaps would not have met and formed relationships otherwise.

It was Scott’s energy and humour in the free first chapter that intrigued me and the rest of the novel didn’t disappoint.

Now it is erotica and if you blush rather easily or prefer sex between characters to be handled off page, then you probably won’t enjoy Flesh. Though you could just read the action scenes.

Scott’s a fan of B grade horror movies so I was expecting something a little more camp.  The background is light, but has an Australian flavour it carries the romance and the action well. Anything more would possibly have distracted us from the aim of the novel which was to arouse and entertain.  So I was pleasantly surprised at the action genre elements she presented.

There’s almost as much action as their is romance and I find myself a little surprised at how balanced the novel is.  I don’t know what I was expecting, my erotica reading has been limited to short stories which regardless of whether they are considered literature or “smut” tend to be a brief set-up followed by an “action scene”.

Flesh features a good number of sex scenes, some unconventional and kinky but these are carried along by well structured action story and some decent emotional characterisations.

My one concern throughout the novel was that Ali was a bit passive.  There is character growth though and the relationship between her, Finn and Daniel is fairly even by the end.

It was fun, eminently readable ( I could not get past the first paragraph of Fifty Shades) and I must admit that I will be interested in the follow up novel – for the characters of course.

In all seriousness, it’s a good blend of erotica, action and romance. The romance tag might put male readers off, but I’d say they’d be missing out.

This book was provided by the publisher at no cost

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This review is part of the Australian Women Writers Challenge 2012.  Please check out this page for more great writing from Australian women.

 

 

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Book Review–The Traitor Queen (Traitor Spy Trilogy #3) by Trudi Canavan

The Traitor Queen concludes the Traitor Spy Trilogy.  There are,however, some tantalising ideas dropped in the closing chapter; possible future conflicts, an indication to the reader that the world that might be undergoing technological change. 

Whether this is Canavan  just rounding out the world or leaving a door open I don’t know. When I interviewed her there were no plans to write any follow on works.

If you have read books one and two, Canavan hasn’t deviated from her uncomplicated prose. It’s entry level fantasy with broad appeal, an uncomplicated introduction to a field that can sometimes be daunting for those not acculturated in SF& F fandom.

Which is not to say that it doesn’t cover some challenging issues.  Lorkin our ambassadorial assistant is released from the Traitor society only to be imprisoned by the Sachakan King for failing to reveal the Traitor’s location.  Lorkin finds out the lengths that the Sachakans will go to to extract the information from him and has to confront significant ethical and moral realities about himself.

Cery is hounded to his last safe place- the catacomb like tunnels under the Guild, while Skellin has elected himself King of Thieves and is crushing all opposition.  Cery, Gol and Anyi conceive a plan to trap him, but the best laid plans...

Lilia, as secondary character introduced in book two comes to the fore in The Traitor Queen and it seems there is more of her story to tell beyond the confines of the trilogy. She’s a young lesbian protagonist that doesn’t fit into stereotypical representations of lesbian characters in fantasy, a quiet achiever who is given space in this story, to shine. 

The Traitor Queen, continues to develop the relationships that were built through books one and two.  I think Canavan is to be commended for featuring a variety of homosexual relationships and carrying that through the series.  One gay character or relationship could fall prey to claims of tokenism but The Traitor Queen features three, presented matter of factly.

In looking back over the series I’d recommend it from ages 14 and up.  Its accessible, moves at an engaging pace and features a group of characters I am sad to see the end of.
This book was provided by the publisher at no cost to myself

Reviews of previous books in the trilogy can be found:

Book Review - The Rogue (Traitor Spy Trilogy #2) by Trudi Canavan

Book Review - The Ambassador's Mission(Traitor Spy Trilogy #1) by Trudi Canavan

An audio interview with Trudi can be sourced here:

Adventures of a Bookonaut: Galactic Chat 14–Trudi Canavan

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This review is part of the Australian Women Writers Challenge 2012.  Please check out this page for more great writing from Australian women.

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What impact has AWW had in 2012?

Readers who have been with me for a year will know that I have been participating in the Australian Women Writers Challenge for 2012.  I will be doing so again in 2013 – you can sign up here if you would like to challenge your reading habits and participate.

I really encourage blokes to join up.  Even if you think you have a fairly balanced reading diet gender wise.  In my experience the perception usually doesn’t quite match up to reality, we all like to think that we are modern blokes, behind equality etc.

I especially extend the challenge to those blokes who think that they don’t want to read books by women, by virtue of their gender alone, as well as men who think they read quality regardless of gender.   I think you’ll be plenty surprised.

But to the purpose of the post -  Participants in the Challenge or readers who read some books by Australian women this year please go to this post at the Australian Women Writers blog to participate in a survey that will be presented to Bookseller and Publisher magazine.

What impact has AWW had in 2012? « Australian Women Writers Challenge

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eBook Review–The Last City by Nina D’Aleo

The Last City by Nina D’Aleo is one of the growing number of novels that have been picked up by the PanMacmillan digital offshoot Momentum.  It's available in both digital and print on demand format as per Momentums business model.

The Last City was characterised as Perdido Street Station meets Blade Runner.  I haven't read the Miéville title but going on online summaries I can see the comparison.  With D’Aleo’s Scorpia we have an ancient city, that is falling down in as much as it is being built up. Comparison could be made to the Mega Cities that feature in 2000 AD as well.

The allusion to  Blade Runner is apt in that hi tech is juxtaposed with the crumbling mish-mash of a patchwork city.  To my mind it lacks the hardboiled single detective element though. It’s mystery/investigation elements have their roots more in recent police procedurals like CSI.

Scorpia – the last city of Aquais – where the Ar Antarians rule, the machine-breeds serve and in between a multitude of races and species eke out an existence somewhere between the ever-blazing city lights and the endless darkness of the underside.

As a spate of murders and abductions grip the city, new recruit Silho Brabel is sent to the Oscuri Trackers, an elite military squad commanded by the notorious Copernicus Kane. But Silho has a terrible secret and must fight to hide her strange abilities and monstrous heritage.

As the team delve deeper into Scorpia’s underworld, they discover a nightmare truth.
Hunted by demons, the Trackers must band together with a condemned fugitive, a rogue wraith and a gangster king and stake their lives against an all-powerful enemy to try to save one another and their world.

To this setting D’Aleo brings a plethora of diverse races and a magical abilities tied to bloodlines and evil curse worked sorcery.  If I could praise one thing about D’Aleo’s work its the originality of her world building around races and their abilities.  It’s definitely not elves and dwarves with small transistor radios stuck to the side of their head. She’s put a good deal of work into giving the reader something fresh to look at while telling an interesting story.  The names and places, the nomenclature of the world of The Last City is colourful and fresh.

It begins as somewhat of a police procedural and I liked the band of Oscuri Trackers that we were introduced to.  A group of misfits who shouldn’t be able to work together but somehow do. D’Aleo gives the reader poorly lit streets, tensions between races - I was prepared to knuckle down into a good “hard as nails” techno fantasy version of CSI. 

Then we changed tack a bit and the tale tends to become larger in scale - we move towards the epic adventure.  Now there are plenty of police procedurals that start with the small events that go on to reveal conspiracies but the scale is still small i.e. uncovering a small group of corrupt but powerful conspiring politicians.

This change in itself was okay but I think that D’Aleo tried to keep a foot in both camps and I found it hard to settle again. Was this detective fiction or epic adventure?

D’Aleo is great at painting the setting of Scorpia, a place that you can smell and see, a setting with real texture.  This works well for the small scale mystery less so for the action adventure, which to my mind needs to move fast. There’s a scene where we are introduced to the multitude of gangs that inhabit the seedier parts of Scorpia. We are treated to beautiful rich descriptions of the various gangs and their affiliations. Only two of these,however, feature throughout the rest of the novel - I can’t help feeling that D’Aleo would have been better served giving us broad brushstrokes on the less important gangs for the sake of pacing.

I also found it difficult to decide which character I should be rooting for.  That’s not to say that each book needs to have one main protagonist but I did find myself at a loss as to who to place most of my care in until nearer the end of the novel.  In the end it was the comical character of Eli that seemed to identify with the most and I am not sure if shouldn’t have been Silho Brabel.

Original and ambitious, The Last City is part mystery, part police procedural, part epic world saving adventure and I am not sure if some of the elements quiet work together. The book, however is full to the brim with a rich detailed setting.   I’ll be very interested to see which direction D’Aleo takes with book 2.

If you are a fan of Games workshop’s gothic infused 40K and its spinoffs like Necromunda you should check it out. 

This book was provided by the publisher at no cost.

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This review is part of the Australian Women Writers Challenge 2012.  Please check out this page for more great writing from Australian women.

 

 

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Galactic Chat 16 Rowena Cory Daniells

The new Galactic Chat is up thanks to the tireless work of the silent producer.  You can now listen to myself and Rowena talk about Fantasy, Gender and fiction that takes you out of your comfort zone.

This week Sean interviews Australian Fantasy novelist Rowena Cory Daniells.  Rowena has long history of involvement in Australian fantasy and science fiction and has released 4 novels this year.  Sean asks Rowena about the pressure of releasing so many books in such a short time.  What drives the exploration of Gender and Sexuality in her most recent series, The Outcast Chronicles and what she has planned for the very near future? They also discuss the potential for self publishing and the benefit of being picked up by overseas publishers.

(Note: In recording this interview we encountered everything the Gods of the Internets could throw at us. The final product has been cut and edited together from about 5 parts. Sean apologises for the less than optimal listening experience).

Rowena can be found on her  website or on Twitter.

You can stream from the player below or you can download here (right click & save as)

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If you really like crunchy, mature fantasy fiction you should check out The Outcast Chronicles.  They are available on Booktopia and if you purchase a book by Sunday evening and type NICE in the coupon area they’ll give you free shipping.

 

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eBook Review–Ms Cellophane by Gillian Polack

Ms Cellophane, published by Momentum, is a digital reissuing of Polack’s previously titled Life through Cellophane published by Eneit Press in 2009.

It’s the tale of Elizabeth, a newly redundant public servant, who is finally free of an overbearing and underworking psychopath of a boss.  Or so she thinks.

It’s a inward looking tale of a woman's self discovery.  Redundancy gives her the time and space to find the person buried by life and work traumas.

It’s a tale of a mirror with its own unnerving and at times unpleasant agenda.

Kaaron Warren described it as “part gentle love story and part bizarre horror tale”.  I think if forced, I’d be inclined to categorize it under general fiction as opposed to genre fiction.

There were elements of romance and a blossoming relationship but it’s not a central focus for me and so I’ll respectfully disagree with Kaaron.  For me its more a drama than a romance.  On the charge of bizarre horror tale I’ll quote one of the characters on the situation surrounding the mirror:

”if this were a horror tale we would know its[the mirror’s] parameters”

So for me the horror elements of the book are a little too nebulous and understated for it to fit wholly under horror.  It sits on the boundary, perhaps unnerving magical realism might be worth chucking in here.  Personally the more horrific part of the tale is the treatment of Elizabeth by her boss, all the more horrific because situations like this do occur.

Ultimately it’s a good read.  I think Polack’s mix of perspectives; first person diarised accounts, juxtaposed with third person narrative gives us a very real sense of Elizabeth’s inner thoughts while not becoming overbearing.  The novel takes awhile to pick up pace as we get to know Elizabeth but by the end we are treated to an edge of your seat mystery.

You’ll appreciate the work if you have ever had the fortune(misfortune?) to work for a government department and you enjoy a work that is focussed on a personal journey.  The fantastical elements straddle that border between genre and literature so that if you are coming from either camp you won’t have an issue.

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This review is part of the Australian Women Writers Challenge 2012.  Please check out this page for more great writing from Australian women.

 

 

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Shine Light out soon

Shine Light third volume in Marianne de Pierres’ Young Adult series is released on November 1st.

If you’re quick you can snag a pre-order from Booktopia today for $14.95 and if you put SALE in the coupon section that's all you’ll pay. Take a look around because you can chuck any number of books on that order and pay no postage –see here for links to the Science Fiction and Fantasy Bargains.

 

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Great News for Rowena Cory Daniells’ Fans

 

A couple of news items for Rowena’s fans:

• I have just finished editing and interview i did recently for Galactic Chat, so keep your eyes peeled and your ears open.
• Rowena has the rights back to her now out of print first T’En trilogy.  She will be releasing it herself under the series title Fall of Fair Isle – see her website for the new covers designed by Daryl of R&D Studios
• She’s hard at work on the fourth book in the King Rolen’s Kin Trilogy

 

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Book Review–Exile (Book 2 of the Outcast Chronicles) by Rowena Cory Daniells

Exile is the second book of the Outcast Chronicles, the first I reviewed here. 

The Outcast Chronicles are a prequel to Daniells’ 1999 sell-out series The Shadow Kingdom (called The Last T’en Trilogy in the US).

Whereas the Shadow Kingdom was an intimate fantasy tale, the Outcast Chronicles is a political power fantasy that is mature, confronting and damn near impossible to put down.

Exile is carefully crafted to background readers who have the misfortune to only have discovered book 2 in the series. I do, however, implore you to pick up Besieged. You’ll appreciate the additional build up of tension, and exploration of character.

The final pages of Besieged left us at the outskirts of the Celestial City with the forces of King Charald breaching the walls.  With Exile, readers will be relieved to note, the T’En are able to hold off the attack and there is an uneasy cessation to the fighting as King Charald seeks their surrender. 

Imoshen is elected Causare of the T’En, more through Brotherhood division than popular sentiment and seeks to gain precious time for her people who are spread out and surrounded by the Mieren (humans) settlements. 

King Charald wants to wipe the T’En from his kingdom.  Imoshen must save what she can to lead them into exile.  Can she hold her divided people together while their enemy contemplates genocide?  Can King Charald hold his Kingdom together with traitorous, barons nipping at his heals?

Exile is tightly written and rarely lets up the pace.  Any breaks in the pacing are filled with rich scenes of character development  that allow Daniells to entice you into caring deeply for her darlings.  Only when you have fallen in love with them does she apply the pressure, turning Exile into a page turner of exquisite torture.

But it doesn’t stop at the excellent display of craft. The exploration of gender and sexuality in Exile is a mature look not only at the possibility of real female political power but at the destructive culture that can develop in male only institutions.

Some of the treatment of Brotherhood members by their own organisations has echoes of the real life abuse and bastardisation that occurs  in organisations such as the military. 

It was a discomforting read for me as a male, because it turned a critical eye to issues that we might like to handle with humour or not talk about at all.  Nonetheless it’s the fact that Daniells doesn’t shy away that makes the book and the series not only enjoyable fiction but a creation of something with substance.

I’d like to see a book from the series win the Norma K Hemming Award.

If you’re tired of the standard fantasy tale.  If you would like a fantasy with depth and colour, pick up the outcast chronicles.  All three titles were released this year so you will be treated to the rare delight of being able to pick up all the books in what I am sure will become your favourite trilogy.

This book was provided by the Author at no cost to me.

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This review is part of the Australian Women Writers Challenge 2012.  Please check out this page for more great writing from Australian women.

 

 

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Book Review - The Rogue (Traitor Spy Trilogy #2) by Trudi Canavan

The Rogue picks up from where The Ambassadors Mission finished.  There’s some backgrounding for those readers who might be coming in at book two instead of book one.  In essence though, it’s your standard book two with a continuation of the overarching plot and some interesting subplots thrown in to increase the tension.

The Rogue is characterised by uncomplicated prose, a focus on relationships, adventure and as I have mentioned in the review of book one - magic that serves to enhance the narrative rather than be a complicated feature that needs considerable exposition.

In The Rogue Skellin is still at large.  Lord Lorkin is still under house arrest among the Sachakan Traitors and Dannyl, the Guild Ambassador is concentrating on searching for the answers to fill the holes in Guild History. The series seems to be building to a conflict, though at this stage I can’t quite work out whether its going to between the Sachakans and the Kyralians or if the hints that Canavan has dropped about Skellin’s people will feature more.

What impressed me about The Rogue was Canavan’s continual positive portrayal of same sex relationships.  It would have been easy to continue on just featuring the tension between Dannyl, Tayend and Acharti and left it at that. But Canavan went further than that and by books end we have three times as many same sex relationships featured than heterosexual. Its refreshing to see that the series is so widely well received.

I’d recommend Traitor Spy Series series as a gateway book into the fantasy genre as a whole and as an example of an author who can deliver positive representations of same sex relationships in what is generally a masculine centric and conservative field.

If you are a veteran reader of the field you may find the prose too uncomplicated, and the fantasy elements not particularly new , then again I think that Canavan’s exploration of gender roles and of sexuality are something worthy of reflection  I eagerly await the conclusion of book three.

I reviewed The Ambassadors Mission here.

I interviewed Trudi Canavan for Galactic Chat here.

I note that Booktopia have The Rogue and The Ambassadors Mission significantly discounted here. 

This book was provided by the author at no cost to myself.

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This review is part of the Australian Women Writers Challenge 2012.  Please check out this page for more great writing from Australian women.

 

 

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E-Book Revolution Mini Podcasts - Laura Anne Gilman

 

Emily Craven of the E-Book Revolution blog is heading to the Northern Hemisphere shortly to enjoy the wonder that is the World Fantasy Convention. 

As part of the lead up to the Convention she is doing some sort interviews with authors likely to be in attendance.  So without further ado please check out the interview with Laura Anne Gilman.

Over the next four weeks E-Book Revolution Podcast is going to diverge into the realms of fantasy authors and writing in the lead up to the World Fantasy Convention in Toronto. For those listeners who are unaware I am a fantasy author and early this year I was awarded a grant by the South Australian Government to attend the convention.

Today's World Fantasy author is Laura Anne Gilman. Laura Anne is the author of the popular Cosa Nostradamus novels for Luna, and the award-nominated The Vineart War trilogy from Pocket, as well as the story collection Dragon Virus.

[Read on for detailed show notes]

You can subscribe to the podcast here

You can download directly from here

You can stream from the player below:

 

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Demon Hunter finds a home

Cheryse Durrant’s Demon Hunter has found a home with Clan Destine Press, another Australian Small Press producing quality genre fiction. 

Cheryse is in good company with such writers as Narelle M Harris and Rowena Cory Daniells also releasing works through Clan Destine.

Check out her reaction to picking up a contract below:

When Publishers land and offer you a book contract…

Breaking news! My gutsy Shahkara and her page-turning adventures have finally found a publishing home – within the talented ranks of Clan Destine Press (CDP). Demon Hunter (aka Shahkara), the first book in my newly-dubbed Heart Hunter series, will be released in print and e-book formats by May next year.

Okay, it’s not really breaking news since it’s almost a week ago that I was offered my shiny, three-book contract, but I was without internet for nearly a week while I was wining and dining with My Publisher and some awesome authors at the Gold Coast and attending RWA Conference workshops and parties. So, I haven’t been able to e-spruik my news until now (Cheryse dusts a couple of extra days beneath the speckled, lounge room rug). [read on]

So, congrats to Cheryse and Clan Destine.

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Sentients of Orion gets US makeover

The Award winning Sentients of Orion by Marianne de Pierres has received a makeover from US Ebook distributor Ereads. 

There’s been some difficulty trying to get the series in ebook form but it’s due to be released with all new eBook covers in a couple of months.

 

 

Me I have a fondness for the old covers seen right. But when you compare them at thumbnail size I think the new ones have the edge.  What do you think?  Let Marianne know over at her site.

 

 

 

 

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Tobsha Learner on Tobsha Learner

After an impromptu panel on 50 Shades of Grey in my local second hand book store (where I may have been convinced to push past the very ordinary prose to find the core story of.. ehem love), I had Tobsha Learner suggested to me, for both her literary skill and the fact that she mixes magical realism with her fiction, erotic or otherwise.

Learner is both a playwright and novelist who has been somewhat pigeonholed as a writer of erotic romance.  Enjoy the youtube clip of her explaining the breadth and sophistication of her work.

You’ll note the wit .

Tobsha writes a remarkable array of genres from Thrillers, to Magical Realism to Erotica.

I am currently reading her first book Quiver , a collection of erotic short tales, and it’s challenging, slightly transgressive but ultimately a showcase of great Australian talent.

Booktopia, I note have her book The Witch of Cologne on special and on the strength of her prose in Quiver I will add it to the wish list.

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The Chronicles of Dion–Jane Routley

I had the pleasure of listening to Jane Routley speak on a couple of panels  at Continuum 8.  It turns out that Ticonderoga are rereleasing her Chronicles of Dion series.

 

 

 

 

 

 

All of these titles can be ordered through Indie books online, either individually or as a trilogy set in paperback  or hardcover.

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Sea Hearts shortlisted for the Queensland Literary Awards

I reviewed Sea Hearts (Brides of Rollrock Island in the northern hemisphere) here. 

Young adult book award

• Night Beach (Kirsty Eagar, Penguin)
• The Ink Bridge (Neil Grant, A&U)
• Three Summers (Judith Clarke, A&U)
• Sea Hearts (Margo Lanagan, A&U)
• All I Ever Wanted (Vikki Wakefield, Text)

 

It’s good to see Margo getting shortlisted for a prize and I think the book is worth it.

Sea Hearts is nominated in the young adult section.  I tend to think Margo’s work has a very wide appeal and if you think that because it’s YA  it lacks depth or substance, then you are missing out. 

Read the review. 

Buy it or borrow it from the library. 

Help support great Australian Speculative Fiction.

Oh and Bravo Queenland for maintaining the prestige of the State Awards without the help of that vandal Campbell Newman.

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Book Review– Besieged by Rowena Cory Daniells

Besieged is the first book in The Outcast Chronicles by Rowena Cory Daniells.  The Chronicles see Daniells return to the world which she created in the T’En Trilogy.  The Chronicles are a prequel to that series and take place at a considerable distance from the evens featured in the earlier works.
It is not necessary then to have read the earlier trilogy, to understand or enjoy Besieged.

Where to start on Besieged?

There are good books that you can appreciate and enjoy, then there are books that you will lose sleep over or have to get you significant other to hide from you so you can get work done.  Besieged, for me is the latter.  I found its story and Daniells’ writing tugging at my consciousness at every waking moment of the two days it took me to read it.

The dark and twisted tale

Besieged is a saga of blood, family inheritance and the struggle for acceptance. A tale of political scheming, intrigue, and up close and personal violence.  A tale of character’s wants, desires, and ambitions causing misery and misfortune for those around them.  It is a story of two people and two cultures and a path of destruction they seem unable to avoid.

Sorne is the half blooded son of King Charald in a kingdom where T’En and the half blooded Melanjue are slandered as Wyrd’s, abominations in the eyes of the true men who follow the Churches of the Seven.  He is raised in secret by a high priest and forged, through deprivation and holy torture, into a weapon to use against the T’En.

Imoshen is secretly raised by a T’En Brotherhood, an action the breaks the 400 year old covenant between the male and female factions of T‘en culture. She has an untrained talent for wielding the T’En gift and an inquisitive nature unfettered by the dictates of the covenant.
Imoshen searches for acceptance and a home for her children.  Sorne searches for love and affection from a father who will give him none.
Both these characters are agents of change in two cultures set to collide with one another.

Dark fantasy not for the squeamish

I have been a fan of Rowena’s since consuming the King Rolen’s Kin Trilogy last year. Besieged features the same pacey writing but with much darker content.

The battles in Besieged occur off page.  Daniells focuses on the interpersonal, which makes some of the content darker than your general fantasy tale.  There’s not much left untouched – children die, and characters are tortured.  The violence isn’t gratuitous but Daniells’ skill in getting you to love characters and invest in them before she hurts them in front your eyes, is superlative. You simply must read on to ensure that characters obtain justice or carry out revenge.

If you were squeamish about the inclusion of a gay character in the King Rolen’s Kin series, then you may have to put on your big boy/girl pants to read Besieged.  The T’En culture is split into Brotherhoods and Sisterhoods, same sex coupling is common and expected, in addition to trysts that result in offspring. 
There’s also aspects of sexual politics within in the Brotherhoods that might make male readers squirm uncomfortably.

Similar in tone to a Song of Ice and Fire, but complete

I have made comparisons between Daniells’ work and that of George R.R. Martin before, stating my preference for the former.  If you are looking for dark, gripping adult fantasy, but in a finished product, Besieged and I venture, the rest of the Chronicles, will sate your palate.

This book was provided to me by the author.

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This review is part of the Australian Women Writers Challenge 2012.  Please check out this page for more great writing from Australian women.

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