In The Mail: GREATSHADOW & PAX OMEGA

This is what Mr. Mailman brought me this week!

Greatshadow by James Maxey
Book 1 of the Dragon Apocalypse series
Genre: high fantasy

About Greatshadow:

Greatshadow is the primal dragon of fire, an elemental evil whose malign intelligence spies upon mankind through every candle flame, waiting to devour any careless victim he can claim.

The Church of the Book has assembled a team of twelve battle-hardened adventurers to slay the dragon once and for all. But tensions run high between the leaders of the team who view the mission as a holy duty and the super-powered mercenaries who add power to their ranks, who view the mission primarily as a chance to claim Greatshadow's vast treasure trove. If the warriors fail to slay the beast, will they doom mankind to death by fire?

Source: Info in the About Greatshadow was taken from GoodReads at http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13418675-greatshadow on 19/07/2012.

Pax Omega by Al Ewing
Genre: fantasy

About Pax Omega:

Doc Thunder's last stand against a deadly foe whose true identity will shock you to your core El Sombra's final battle against the forces of the Ultimate Reich The Locomotive Man in a showdown with cosmic science on the prairies of the Old West Jackson Steele defends the "25th Century" against the massed armies of the Space Satan A duel of minds in the mystery palaces of One Million AD Blazing steam-pulp sci-fi the way you crave it From the Big Bang to the End Of Time - eleven tales from "Pax Britannia"'s past, present and distant future combine into one star-spanning saga set to shake the universe to its foundations - or destroy it.

Source: Info in the About Pax Omega was taken from GoodReads at http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/14570959-pax-omega on 19/07/2012.

THANK YOU to Harper Collins for the copies of Greatshadow by James Maxey and Pax Omega by Al Ewing received!!

Review: A DISCOVERY OF WITCHES

A Discovery Of Witches by Deborah Harkness
Book 1 of the All Souls Trilogy
Genre: urban fantasy
Format: paperback

About A Discovery Of Witches:

A richly inventive novel about a centuries-old vampire, a spellbound witch, and the mysterious manuscript that draws them together.

Deep in the stacks of Oxford's Bodleian Library, young scholar Diana Bishop unwittingly calls up a bewitched alchemical manuscript in the course of her research. Descended from an old and distinguished line of witches, Diana wants nothing to do with sorcery; so after a furtive glance and a few notes, she banishes the book to the stacks. But her discovery sets a fantastical underworld stirring, and a horde of daemons, witches, and vampires soon descends upon the library. Diana has stumbled upon a coveted treasure lost for centuries-and she is the only creature who can break its spell.

Debut novelist Deborah Harkness has crafted a mesmerizing and addictive read, equal parts history and magic, romance and suspense. Diana is a bold heroine who meets her equal in vampire geneticist Matthew Clairmont, and gradually warms up to him as their alliance deepens into an intimacy that violates age-old taboos. This smart, sophisticated story harks back to the novels of Anne Rice, but it is as contemporary and sensual as the Twilight series-with an extra serving of historical realism.

Source: Info in the About A Discovery Of Witches was taken from http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8667848-a-discovery-of-witches on 21/06/2012.

Review:

It took a few chapters before I could get into the story but once I did, it was easy going and became quicker and quicker towards the end. And after which, I was so glad I have book 2, Shadow Of Night, handy to read right after hitting the ending of this book. Speaking of endings, the entire book is just a chapter of a bigger book, but then again, this series has always been advertised as a trilogy so we are already expecting that the finalle would come with the third book. So the ending in this book is not really the ending of the story...

I also like Ms. Harkness's spin on this tired old vampire genre. It's a slightly different angle and gives a slightly different flavour. Even as I am looking forward to reading the subsequent books in this series, I am also dreading the fight scenes. Ms. Harkness seriously needs help with them. The ones in this book is so unreal that it drops the suspension of disbelief a couple of notches. So we have an alpha vampire with uber protective instincts with his love-of-his-life facing off an enemy and doesn't lift a finger to protect himself from the blows. Just stands there and let the blows land... Yeah, very real! Warner Brothers bought the movie rights to All Souls Trilogy and let's hope that the director would make the fight scenes more convincing. Anyway, which vampire face do you think best suits Matthew Clairmont for the silver screen? Out of the four selections here, which face would you give him? How about Diana Bishop? Now, her... I wouldn't be so unkind as to call Diana Bishop too stupid to live (TSTL), but I get irritated with her at times....

After all that moaning, however, I really do like the world Ms. Harkness has created and enjoyed this book and is eagerly awaiting the release of the third and final book in this trilogy!

Empirical Evaluation:
Story telling quality = 3.5
Character development = 4
Story itself = 4
Ending = 3
World building = 5
Cover art = 4.5
Pace = 3.5
Plot = 4

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 cherries


Buy Link(s):


Other Books In This series:


Thank you to Headline Publishing for the review copy of A Discovery Of Witches by Deborah Harkness received.

Guest Post: KEVIN HARKNESS

Awesome Reading by Kevin Harkness

Science fiction and fantasy grew me up. I suppose I could have been raised by another genre, but I was a boy in the Sixties and the choices were limited. Horror was associated with comic books. Western novels were fading. War stories languished in a gulf between the memory of WWII and a future terrorism. Romance was the governess of girls, not boys, and literature was what they made you read in school.

So, for a book-reading boy, science fiction and fantasy was it, and I’m grateful for that, because I think it gave me something the others couldn’t – a sense of awe.

I read, and Ray Bradbury took me up to the Martian mountaintop and showed me a desperate, dry expanse. I read, and Arthur C. Clarke sent the millennia scuttling like a slinky down the stairs. I read, and Ursula K. Le Guin and Cordwainer Smith grabbed me by my skinny shoulders and shook me, asking, “Who do you think you are?” Could I ever recover from that?

And it didn’t end with childhood. The old authors remained to be reread, and William Gibson, China Mieville, Jo Walton, were waiting and writing. Their books kept at me, challenging me, amazing me, chivying me away from complacency. I grew up learning to analyze because I was confronted by the alien on page after page. I questioned the easy racism of my youth because some of my heroes didn’t look like me. I distrusted power and valued humanity in all its odd glory because, in the void, only the one would save you. A world view based on wonder. It made for a nice set of ethics.

(I’m glad zombie novels weren’t popular in my youth, or I might have developed a protein-based morality.)

At some point in our lives, we all want the walls to explode, to disintegrate and let a bright light and a cold wind come rushing in. Drugs, booze, and chasing danger will do that – until their walls close in. Birth, death, and love will also serve, if you can separate them from the dross of everyday life. Religion works for some. But for my money, paid cheerfully at White Dwarf Books in Vancouver when possible and to the big chains when necessary, science fiction and fantasy are the best and craftiest transmitters of awe.

City of Demons by Kevin Harkness
Genre: young adult fantasy fiction

About City of Demons :

Demons are invading the Midlands for the first time in centuries.

The farmers have no defences against the murderous creatures. Swords in the hands of ordinary soliders have no effect against demons, for the ability to resist a demon's power - a projection of paralyzing fear - cannot be taught.

Garet's life is forever changed the night his midlands family is attacked. Demonstrating a rare talent for resisting demon fear, Garet is taken to the city of Shirath to become a Demonbane: one who can withstand the demons' psychic assault, trained in combat, and learned in demon lore.

But the ancient city isn't a safe haven, it's a death trap. While opposing political forces vie for the throne, a new demon terrorizes the citizens. To save Shirath, Garet must find friends and allies quickly, because the biggest threat to the city isn't the demons, but the people living within the city's walls.

Source: Info in the About City of Demons was from the media kit provided by the promotions agency.
Buy Link(s):

About Kevin Harkness:

Kevin Harkness is a Vancouver, British Columbia writer who writes in various genres but loves science fiction and fantasy best. Tyche Books will publish his first novel, a YA fantasy titled City of Demons, in July of 2012.

Kevin has just finished a third career as a high-school teacher. His first two careers: industrial 911 operator and late-blooming university student, were nowhere near as dangerous and exciting as teaching Grade 10s the mysteries of grammar and the joys of To Kill a Mockingbird. He also taught Mandarin Chinese – but that’s another story. Outside of family and friends, he has three passions: a guitar he can’t really play, martial arts of any kind from karate to fencing, and reading really good stories. In this fourth career, as a writer, he attempts young adult fiction, science fiction, fantasy, and horror.

Kevin's Link(s):
kevinharkness.ca

In The Mail: SILENCE

This is what Mr. Mailman brought me when I got home yesterday!

Silence by Michelle Sagara
Book 1 of the The Queen of the Dead series
Genre: urban fantasy

About Silence:

"It began in the graveyard... "

Ever since her boyfriend Nathan had died in a tragic accident, Emma had been coming to the graveyard at night. During the day she went through the motions at her prep school, in class, with her friends, but that's all it was. For Emma, life had stopped with Nathan's death. But tonight was different. Tonight Emma and her dog were not alone in the cemetery. There were two others there--Eric, who had just started at her school, and an ancient woman who looked as though she were made of rags. And when they saw Emma there, the old woman reached out to her with a grip as chilling as death....

Emma was not quite like others teenagers. It was true that other girls had experienced grief. Other girls had also lost their fathers, or had their boyfriends die in a senseless accident. But though she hadn't known it till that night in the graveyard, unlike those other girls, she could see, touch, and speak with the dead. In fact, Emma could draw upon the essence of the dead to work magic. That was what Necromancers did. But Emma had no desire to be a Necromancer. She just wanted to help the ghosts who walked the streets of Toronto, unable to escape from the land of the living. And that was just as well, because had she chosen the path of the Necromancer, Eric would have had to kill her.

Instead, Eric and his fellow Necromancer hunter Chase found themselves violating every rule they were sworn to follow, becoming part of Emma's group, helping her to stand against those who preyed upon the dead. But whether Emma and her friends could survive such a battle was anyone's guess. And whether Emma could learn to use the magic of the dead against her enemies without herself falling victim to the lure of such power remained to be seen. Eric seemed to think she could, and her living friends would never abandon her. But only time would tell what Emma's true destiny was....

Source: Info in the About Silence was taken from GoodReads at http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12437907-silence on 10/07/2012.

THANK YOU to Book Labyrinth for hosting Canada Day Blog Hop 2012 and making it possible for me to win Silence by Michelle Sagara!!

WW28: WICKED BUSINESS

WW28
A chance to showcase your favourite!

• First you grab our Wicked Wednesday pic.
• Then you grab a book. Turn to page 28. Take the first sentence. And then you post it in your site with a link back to WW28.
• Come back to Cherry Mischievous - WW28 and give us the url of your post (in a comment at a WW28 post) so that other WW28 readers can find your WW28 offering.

WW28 book offering: Wicked Business by Janet Evanovich

No one came rushing at me.

Now, that's a bit stingy, so here's the next line:

But Wulf appeared out of nowhere, standing motionless, holding my door open, looking down at me.

Now that... sounds a bit ominous... seeing that Wulf is the bad guy. Mean and evil!

About Wicked Business:

Whether it’s monkey business, funny business, or getting down to business, Janet Evanovich’s Lizzy and Diesel series proves that there’s no business like Wicked Business.

Lizzy Tucker’s once normal life as a pastry chef in Salem, Massachusetts, turns upside down as she battles both sinister forces and an inconvenient attraction to her unnaturally talented but off-limits partner, Diesel.

When Harvard University English professor and dyed-in-the-wool romantic Gilbert Reedy is mysteriously murdered and thrown off his fourth-floor balcony, Lizzy and Diesel take up his twenty-year quest for the Luxuria Stone, an ancient relic believed by some to be infused with the power of lust. Following clues contained in a cryptic nineteenth-century book of sonnets, Lizzy and Diesel tear through Boston catacombs, government buildings, and multimillion-dollar residences. On their way they’ll leave behind a trail of robbed graves, public disturbances, and general mayhem.

Diesel’s black sheep cousin, Gerwulf Grimoire, also wants the Stone. His motives are far from pure, and what he plans on doing with the treasure, no one knows . . . but Lizzy Tucker fears she’s in his crosshairs. Never far and always watching, Grimoire has a growing, vested interest in the cupcake-baker-turned-finder-of-lost-things. As does another dangerous and dark opponent in the hunt — a devotee of lawlessness and chaos, known only as Anarchy.

Treasures will be sought, and the power of lust will be unmistakable as Lizzy and Diesel attempt to stay ahead of Anarchy, Grimoire, and his medieval minion, Hatchet, in this ancient game of twisted riddles and high-stakes hide-and-seek.

Source: Info in the About Wicked Business was taken from GoodReads at http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12275680-wicked-business on 16/06/2012.

Mr. Mailman: COLD DAYS

A huge THANK YOU to Ken of Paperless Reading for hosting the "1 Year Blogoversary Giveaway" which made it possible for me to win a copy of Cold Days by Jim Butcher! And HAPPY BLOGOVERSARY to Paperless Reading!!

Couldn't wait to find it in my mail!! *big smile* This wait is worth another Mr. Mailman feature!

About Mr. Mailman:

Mr. Mailman is a kind of "blog meme" started by Juju over at Tales Of Whimsy to feature books which one is anxiously waiting to arrive in the mail!

Cold Days by Jim Butcher
Book 14 of the Dresden Files series

About Cold Days:

Librarian note:

Release date is a best guess based on Butcher's public comments that the manuscript is due in July.

More information: http://www.jimbutcheronline.com/bb/index.php/topic,31273.0.html

Source: Info in the About Cold Days was taken from GoodReads at http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12216302-cold-days on 05/07/2012.

Guest Post: DEBORAH HARKNESS

Love With UK

When I was just eight, my parents packed up me and my brother and we boarded a plane for England. Our destination was Liverpool, my mother’s birthplace, rather than the city of London or a quaint village. It was her first time back to her native country since emigrating to the United States to marry my father. That summer holiday marked a first time for me as well: the first time I fell in love.

Most people remember their first love in sharp detail, and I’m no different. Even now I can recall the bright colors of the Penguin biscuit wrappers, the dim smokiness of the pubs, the instant sense of being home when I saw the hills of Wales for the first time. There were approximately one thousand cousins to meet (or so it seemed) and centuries of history to learn. It was surely during visits to Speke Hall, the city of Chester, and Warwick Castle that I began the slow process of becoming a historian of sixteenth century England. When it was time to return to America, I was inconsolable. My temporary breakup with the UK was as wrenching as the ending of any love affair. It seemed like the end of the world, and I swore to myself I would get back as soon as I could.

For years, the only way I traveled to England was through the pages of books set there and the biographies of long dead kings and queens. When I finally returned to the UK as a young adult, part of me was afraid that all that reading and make-believe had distorted my recollections of the real place. What if I had fallen out of love with England after all this time?

My worries were unfounded. The UK exerted an even stronger pull on me. I am one of the fortunate few whose first love turned into their true love. From the moment I climb into a London cab, spot Oxford’s dreaming spires, or spy someone wearing Liverpool’s red-and-white colors I know I am back home where I belong.

Photos here were all taken in March 2011 on a walking tour of Oxford with Deborah:

A Discovery Of Witches by Deborah Harkness
Book 1 of the All Souls Trilogy
Genre: urban fantasy

About A Discovery Of Witches:

A richly inventive novel about a centuries-old vampire, a spellbound witch, and the mysterious manuscript that draws them together.

Deep in the stacks of Oxford's Bodleian Library, young scholar Diana Bishop unwittingly calls up a bewitched alchemical manuscript in the course of her research. Descended from an old and distinguished line of witches, Diana wants nothing to do with sorcery; so after a furtive glance and a few notes, she banishes the book to the stacks. But her discovery sets a fantastical underworld stirring, and a horde of daemons, witches, and vampires soon descends upon the library. Diana has stumbled upon a coveted treasure lost for centuries-and she is the only creature who can break its spell.

Debut novelist Deborah Harkness has crafted a mesmerizing and addictive read, equal parts history and magic, romance and suspense. Diana is a bold heroine who meets her equal in vampire geneticist Matthew Clairmont, and gradually warms up to him as their alliance deepens into an intimacy that violates age-old taboos. This smart, sophisticated story harks back to the novels of Anne Rice, but it is as contemporary and sensual as the Twilight series-with an extra serving of historical realism.

Source: Info in the About A Discovery Of Witches was taken from GoodReads at http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8667848-a-discovery-of-witches on 21/06/2012.
Buy Link(s):


Shadow Of Night by Deborah Harkness
Book 2 of the All Souls Trilogy
Genre: urban fantasy

About Shadow Of Night:

"Together we lifted our feet and stepped into the unknown"—the thrilling sequel to the New York Times bestseller A Discovery of Witches

Deborah Harkness exploded onto the literary scene with her debut novel, A Discovery of Witches, Book One of the magical All Souls Trilogy and an international publishing phenomenon. The novel introduced Diana Bishop, Oxford scholar and reluctant witch, and the handsome geneticist and vampire Matthew Clairmont; together they found themselves at the center of a supernatural battle over an enchanted manuscript known as Ashmole 782.

Now, picking up from A Discovery of Witches’ cliffhanger ending, Shadow of Night plunges Diana and Matthew into Elizabethan London, a world of spies, subterfuge, and a coterie of Matthew’s old friends, the mysterious School of Night that includes Christopher Marlowe and Walter Raleigh. Here, Diana must locate a witch to tutor her in magic, Matthew is forced to confront a past he thought he had put to rest, and the mystery of Ashmole 782 deepens.

Deborah Harkness has crafted a gripping journey through a world of alchemy, time travel, and magical discoveries, delivering one of the most hotly anticipated novels of the season.

Source: Info in the About Shadow Of Night was taken from GoodReads at http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11559200-shadow-of-night on 29/06/2012.
Buy Link(s):

About Deborah Harkness:

I grew up in the suburbs of Philadelphia and have lived in western Massachusetts, the Chicago area, Northern California, upstate New York, and Southern California. In other words, I’ve lived in three out of five time zones in the US! I’ve also lived in the United Kingdom in the cities of Oxford and London.

For the past twenty-eight years I’ve been a student and scholar of history, and received degrees from Mount Holyoke College, Northwestern University, and the University of California at Davis. During that time I researched the history of magic and science in Europe, especially during the period from 1500 to 1700. The libraries I’ve worked in include Oxford’s Bodleian Library, the All Souls College Library at Oxford, the British Library, London’s Guildhall Library, the Henry E. Huntington Library, the Folger Shakespeare Library, and the Newberry Library—proving that I know my way around a card catalogue or the computerized equivalent. These experiences have given me a deep and abiding love of libraries and a deep respect for librarians. Currently, I teach European history and the history of science at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.

My previous books include two works of non-fiction: John Dee’s Conversations with Angels: Cabala, Alchemy, and the End of Nature (Cambridge University Press, 1999) and The Jewel House: Elizabethan London and the Scientific Revolution (Yale University Press, 2007). It has been my privilege to receive fellowships from the American Council of Learned Societies, the Guggenheim Foundation, the National Science Foundation, and the National Humanities Center. And I was honored to receive accolades for my historical work from the History of Science Society, the North American Conference on British Studies, and the Longman’s/History Today Prize Committee.

In 2006, I took up my keyboard and entered the world of blogging and Twitter. My wine blog, Good Wine Under $20, is an online record of my search for the best, most affordable wines. These efforts have been applauded by the American Wine Blog Awards, Saveur.com, Wine & Spirits magazine, and Food & Wine magazine. My wine writing has also appeared on the website Serious Eats and in Wine & Spirits magazine.

My career in fiction began in September 2008 when I began to wonder “if there really are vampires, what do they do for a living?” A Discovery of Witches is the unexpected answer to that question. The book debuted at #2 on the New York Times bestseller list, and was also a bestseller in the UK, France, and Germany. Thirty-eight foreign editions and translations will be published. The story of Diana and Matthew will continue in the second and third books of the All Souls Trilogy.

Deborah's Link(s):
deborahharkness.com
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