A new column over at Tor.com:
Ilana C. Myer’s first novel, Last Song Before Night, was a well-written variation on a traditional quest narrative: the problem of restoring magic to a realm without it. Its sequel, Fire Dance, takes a much more innovative approach. It deals with the consequences, political and personal, of that restoration—along with who benefits, and who suffers, from the change.
Except more twisty and intriguing even than that sounds.
There is a new postbloke on our route. This morning he rang the door at 0830. I thought I dreamed it, until I woke up properly and discovered the “we missed you, please collect your parcel” inside the letterbox.
Hello, shiny bookses!
That’s Greg van Eekhout’s DRAGON COAST, courtesy of Tor Books. Courtesy of Orbit, Kate Elliott’s BLACK WOLVES (woo!) and Lila Bowen’s WAKE OF VULTURES.
A finished copy!
And here, courtesy of Tor Books, is a finished copy of Ilana C. Myers’ LAST SONG BEFORE NIGHT.
Reviewed over at Tor.com.
I am perhaps a little hard on Last Song Before Night: it is a perfectly cromulent debut. It has the promise of better novels within it. But on the whole, it feels entirely ordinary. Ordinary isn’t necessarily a bad thing: but me? I do rather want more.
I’ve been quiet around here this week. Even quieter than usual. That’s because I a)got a new bike (WHEEEEEEE GO FAST PEDAL FASTER) and b)realised the deadline for my thesis corrections is… much closer than it used to be.
Quietness will probably continue until September. Unless I change my mind, of course.
SHINY
And here are the very shiny books. Sarah McCarry’s DIRTY WINGS and ABOUT A GIRL, which I intend to write a column on; and Ilana C. Myer’s LAST SONG BEFORE NIGHT, which I am supposed to review for Tor.com. BOOKS!
Two here.
From Skyhorse, Melissa E. Hurst’s THE EDGE OF FOREVER, and from Tor, Ilana C. Myer’s LAST SONG BEFORE NIGHT.
One here.
From Tor, the final book in Jaime Lee Moyer’s debut series, AGAINST A BRIGHTENING SKY.
And three here.
And from Titan, Abbie Bernstein’s THE ART OF MAD MAX: FURY ROAD, Rhonda Mason’s THE EMPRESS GAME, and Robert Brockway’s THE UNNOTICEABLES.
Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea 