So I was perusing Orbit’s blog and I have been noticing some odd posts here and there…it turns out it was a tidbit of Kate Griffin’s new book trailer for A Madness of Angels.
Now, normally I think book trailers are kind of lame, but have a look below..it’s a perfect book trailer..not too long, not overdone, and best of all, kindles a reader’s curiosity..Excellent!
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Inkdeath is the final piece of the Inkworld trilogy. Having said that Inkheart was just so-so, and Inkspell was better, Inkdeath failed to make a lasting impression on me.
The book begins with Meggie and her parents in Ombra, with Aunt Elinor left behind in the original world that they came from. Dustfinger has been taken away by the White Women, and the Adderhead is immortal, thanks to a bargain he made with Mo. Meggie is torn between Farid and Doria, a young man in the Prince’s motley band. Mo has taken on the identity of the Bluejay, and risks his life daily on raids with the Black Prince’s men. Orpheus, a character who has Mo’s talent for reading things “out of books”, soon becomes an enemy who wants nothing more than Mo’s death. However, when Death itself makes a deal with Mo, no one can change the events of the Inkworld.
At 500+ pages, I found myself gravitating towards other books while I was trying to finish Inkdeath. The plot meanders mercilessly and I found myself practically screaming to just be done with it. The “love interest” was interesting at first, but I am never quite sure what Meggie is thinking, and she is the background much more often. To top it off, Mo and Resa are constantly at odds, as though their marriage will dissolve any minute, and everything simply gets better at the end of the book without explanation.
Overall, I didn’t love the series and probably would not be on my re-read list. It seems to have gained quite a bit of popularity with the YA crowd, so perhaps there’s something there that I’m missing. There is also a movie titled Inkheart that came out in January, starring Brendan Fraser. Watch the trailer below if you haven’t already!
Tags: Cornelia Funke, Inkdeath
Congrats to the 2 lucky winners of Jim Butcher’s Turn Coat,
Josephine M. from San Francisco & Melissa S. from Surrey, UK
They will also be notified by email and will receive TURN COAT very soon! Congrats, ladies!
I love being a wizard. Every day is like Disneyland.
So says Harry Dresden, caught in the midst of a White Council meeting gone bad. The search for a turn coat in the White Council is Harry’s current predicament. It all started when Harry, (now a warden of the White Council) finds a badly injured Morgan on his doorstep, begging for help (uh, you may recall Morgan as Harry’s Number One Antagonist and Constant Evil Shadow). A White Council member, LaFortier has been murdered, and Morgan was found at the scene of the crime holding the murder weapon. Now, we all know that Harry has gotten by partly on luck and his extreme paranoia. Is Morgan for real? Does this mean Harry’s suspicions about a supposed “Black Council” is true? (After all, we know that “someone” has been causing trouble–giving wolf belts to FBI Agents, riling up Red Court Vamps, and making Faerie Queens idealistic and overthrowing Faerie’s status quo, the list goes on. Basically everything that has happened since book one!)
But first Harry must deal with a powerful a Skinwalker, a Native American nightmare, drawn by Morgan’s weakened state.
Side Note: In this sense, the books are a little formulaic, but that’s what makes them so ‘comfortable’ to me– Someone comes to Harry for help. Big baddies come after Harry while he investigates. Help is going to take a lot more than Harry anticipated. Harry outsmarts/outlucks/outmaneuvers baddies. Harry saves the day.
So, Harry finds a Skinwalker (promptly dubbed Shagnasty, Dresden-style) after him while he tries to follow the clues in LaFortier’s death, leading him to ally with his old werewolf friends Billy and Georgia, as well as Lara Raith, head of the White Court vamps. On the home front, Harry has to deal with his apprentice Molly (who has grown up fast!) and her interest in dark magic. Also, it’s worth noting that Harry has gotten used to relying on Thomas for backup. In Turn Coat, Thomas suddenly goes missing and Harry has to deal on his own. We also find out that Mouse, Harry’s Foo dog, has quite a few abilities, including acting.
Turn Coat involves a myriad of characters, leading to a sprawling plot line. However, it ensures that the action never quits and that we learn much more about characters who were previously sidelined, including leaders of the White Council, Captain Luccio and more. As usual, Harry’s sardonic sense of humor will make you laugh out loud. Overall a fun, excellent read—just what the wizard ordered.
My only regret is that Bob the skull only made one appearance, and a late one at that—you won’t see him until Chapter 29!
Preview the first five chapters, posted on Jim Butcher’s website, and make sure to enter my giveaway!
Tags: Dresden Files, Harry Dresden, Jim Butcher, Morgan, Turn Coat
Thanks to the great people at ROC, I have two copies of Jim Butcher’s TURN COAT (Book 11 of the Dresden Files) for giveaway!
Contest open to everyone. Just send an email to me at dayapillaiATgmailDOTcom with “Turn Coat” in the subject line and your full mailing address. I will draw names April 12, so have your entries sent in by April 11.
The two winners will be notified by email—good luck!
Don’t forget to check out the first five chapters on Jim Butcher’s site.
Tags: Giveaway, Harry Dresden, Jim Butcher, Turn Coat
Boy was I excited when I heard Brisingr was finally coming out. Unfortunately, the interminably long wait meant I had forgotten most of the events of Eragon and Eldest. I remember I really enjoyed Eragon, and so I picked up Eldest, which I wasn’t as crazy about. Unfortunately, Brisingr hit bottom for me.
It begins where Eldest left off: Eragon and his cousin Roran plan to infiltrate Helgrind in order to rescue Roran’s beloved, Katrina. Meanwhile, the Varden needs help (as always) and Eragon attempts to politick with the dwarves while they choose their new king, since Hrothgar was killed in the last battle against Murtagh.
Brisingr, which was supposed to be the end of the Inheritance Trilogy, is unfortunately now a middle book, with “middle book syndrome” to boot. Brisingr simply dragged on. And on.
Eragon did little to improve his knowledge of magic, maturity, or much of anything. He is still very much the immature farm boy from book one. In fact, Brisingr was more about Roran and his character development rather than anything else. Paolini also pulls the “I-am-your-father” thing on us again! In all honesty, that’s really something you can pull on your readers once. Twice is just stupid…It’s already been done!
Further, Paolini’s writing seemed very heavy, filled with tongue twisting words and excessive adjectives. I understand he is attempting to write in an “epic” manner, but considering this is marketed as a young adult book, even I was bogged down by the writing style. There were times I would go back and re-read a sentence, just to make sure I was understanding its meaning through all the purple prose.
Very little was revealed until the very last chapters of the book–this could have easily been edited down, making it a trilogy as originally planned. The most interesting part was when Eragon and Saphira attempted to communicate with a sentient tree, and Saphira ends up getting annoying and blowing fire at it, leading to all kinds of fun.
Overall, if it gets kids to read, great. But content-wise, Brisingr was sorely lacking any substance.
Angry Robot, the new SF&F&WTF imprint from HarperCollins, has announced its new launch titles via press release:
Angry Robot launches in the UK in July 2009, and in the US and the rest of the world from September. Ebook editions will be available worldwide from July. Our first titles are a mix of genres, from street smart neat-future thriller to ultradark horror to wild modern fantasy. Our authors, too, fulfil our mission: two men and two women, two new writers and two established, and from all corners of the globe – in this case the USA, Fiji and South Africa.
Check out the individual pages for more details of both books and authors.
July 2009
* Moxyland by Lauren Beukes (Science Fiction)
* Slights by Kaaron Warren (Horror)August 2009
* Book of Secrets by Chris Roberson (Modern Fantasy)
* Nekropolis by Tim Waggoner (Urban Fantasy)
Tags: Angry Robot
I joined Twitter! Follow me/Help me find you. I can be found using DayaPillai.
I’m still pretty clueless though, but practice makes perfect, right? Now off to go toot. Er, tweet.
I’ll be doing a giveaway in April for TURN COAT, Jim Butcher’s newest installment in The Dresden Files (thanks to the good people at The Penguin Group).
Check back soon for more details!
Meanwhile, don’t forget Jim is posting the first 5 chapters on his site!
Jim Butcher will be posting five “sneak preview” chapters of Turn Coat, the next installement in The Dresden Files. It will be out soon (April), but it definitely won’t hurt to check it out now!
Here is the premise:
The Warden Morgan has been accused of treason against the Wizards of the White Council–and there’s only one, final punishment for that crime. He’s on the run, wants his name cleared, and needs someone with a knack for backing the underdog. Someone like Harry Dresden.
Now, Harry must uncover a traitor within the Council, keep a less-than-agreeable Morgan under wraps, and avoid coming under scrutiny himself. And a single mistake may cost someone his head–someone like Harry.
Hmm given that Morgan detests Harry and that they have butted heads more than once, this one sounds pretty interesting! I also hope we learn more about Mouse’s abilities and Molly’s apprenticeship! Great start, Jim!
Tags: Free Fiction
Currently Reading:
Green Eyed Demon
–Jaye Wells
