Warcraft Movie – News Bite.
Hi guys and girls, david here. 
I have some news for all the die-hard Warcraft fans out there.
As most of you know by now, Blizzard is currently working with Legendary Pictures to bring Warcraft to the big screen.
Woop Woop
Latest new on this is that they have signed the AMAZING Sam Raimi to direct the movie.
Most of you will remember him as the very talented director that brought us such movies as The Evil Dead, 30 Days of Night, Spiderman 1,2,3 and most recent, the horrifying Drag Me To Hell.
With such an amazing director at the steering wheel we can definitely expect great things from the movie.
Now to find out who will be playing the lead roles. Any ideas?
As for those of you who don’t yet know about Warcraft, well firstly I feel very sorry for you 
, secondly this is basically what it’s about;
Warcraft is set in a rich fantasy world that revolves around an age old conflict between the forces of the Horde and the Alliance. Think LotR without the whole ring business, just the conflict between the two sides, skewed representation i know but at least that points you in the right direction.
The first game was released in 1994 and developed a loyal following ever since, and now includes a range of award-winning PC games and products such as novels, action figures, comic books etc. The latest expansion to World of Warcraft, Wrath of the Lich King was crowned the fastest selling game of all time with 2.8 million copies sold in its first 24 hours after release. 
Now if that does not give you an indication of the mammoth sized name Sam will have to live up to, nothing will.
If you want to read the full press release you can find on Blizzard’s home page, here.
I will also try to keep you updated with any further development in line with the cast, crew and release dates.
Have a great day.
Carrie Ryan – The Forest of Hands and Teeth Book Review.
Review done by David Jooste
Hey hey guys and girls , I have some new reviews coming up for you, but the first one I just had to share with you was this book from Carrie Ryan.
The Forest of Hands and Teeth has already started to build a small cult following in the two months since its release, and after reading it myself I can see why people find it so entrapping.
Hardcover Version
But let’s get to the story itself so you can get an idea of what is in store for you.
Now first of all, instead of giving you my usual abstract view of the story you can check out this excellent trailer that was made for the book . It is exactly how I imagined the atmosphere of the book.
All that I will say about the book is: 28 Days/Weeks Later vs. The Village , or at least that is the image you get at the start of the book. But as the story progresses it broadens out and becomes a journey of fulfillment and self discovery and evolves into one of those stories you will remember for many, many years to come.
The first thing to take note of if you plan on reading this book is that it is a first person reader. At the start of the book this first person view is a bit difficult to follow. As the reader you feel a bit detached:-(, the main character Mary seems a little detached from here world and this in turn translates back to the reader. The good thing at least is that this does fade away eventually and you do become more involved in this world.
Now with the word of warning out of the way let’s get to the story itself.
Our main character in The Forest of Hands and Teeth is Mary, a young girl in a post apocalyptic world where the unconsecrated, aka zombies, roam free and humans live in small communities surrounded by wire fences. The village Mary lives in follows a very simple pilgrim like life style, ruled by the church and the sisterhood, and protected by the guardians.
The main thing about this book that I loved was the fact that even though these people are surrounded by the undead, this is not your usual survival zombie horror story. Instead this book is all about self discovery and never giving up on your dreams. Through the whole story the zombies remain an ever present entity in the background, pushing our characters forward, but they are not the reason for the story.
This story instead revolves around Mary’s quest to find the ocean, a concept that no one has believed in for hundreds of years . The ocean also serves as a synonym for the concept of self discovery, the longing for something greater and the belief that no matter what one should never give up on your dreams, even though in the end Mary’s dreams cost her everything, her village, her love, her family, everything.
It’s been a really long time since I have read a story that had such deep meaning and brought out that deep need of humans to believe there is more to life than just the everyday march of conformity.
As for the characters, Carrie supply a small collection throughout the story and each and every one of these characters plays an important part in shaping and forming the person that Mary becomes. Most of them though are only around for short parts of the story and thus they do not show much development.
Mary on the other had goes through a roller coaster ride of character development from being a young woman to becoming a sister, becoming a wife, a fugitive and the eventual woman she turns out to be.
Carrie truly gave a great deal of attention to the development of Mary and her growth throughout the story, and the first person view help draw you as the reader into this development. As you progress through the story you see how her thoughts change, how her viewpoints change and how she comes to adjust her feelings and thoughts as she progresses through her journey of self discovery.
Another interesting aspect to this story is the role of Religion and the conflict that Mary experiences when she starts to doubt her faith. It plays a prominent role in how she develops and how she sees the world, and causes a great deal of internal conflict for her that she must learn to deal with.
And at the end of this story lies a culmination that some say disappoints and others say suits the story very well. Personally I say it does leave a few loose ends but overall it gives the image of an ending of what has been and the beginning of something new, perfect in a world where even death does not mean an end to what has been.
This was truly a great novel to read and a must for any book case. Personally I’m not the biggest fan of zombie novels but this was a really good journey. I will definitely read it again and would say it’s one of those books that you should read a second time to get the full effect of Carrie’s novel.
I will definitely give this a 7/10; I would have given an 8 if it had not been for the bit of difficulty at the start with the first person view.
If you want to find out more about Carrie Ryan then you can find her website here,
or if you would like to buy the book our SA readers can find it here,
UK readers can find it here,
and US readers can find it here.
Cheers for now.
The What-I’m-Reading Update
Okay, so I have absolutely nothing lined up for today. I’m still busy reading, though, so I thought I might as well give you all an update on how that’s progressing.
Okay, I’ll start off with the Find of the Month – Paul Hoffman’s The Left hand of God. I’ve tried to find other info about this book, not even Amazon listings, though I have managed to find out (and this is by no means a fact) that apparently Paul works for the BBC as a scriptwriter, and that this book was auctioned and (incredibly) foreign rights for 20 countries were sold overnight. As soon as I’ve got a working camera at hand I’ll post a pic of the cover (since I can’t find that, either), but the book will be coming out 2010 (sometime) from Orbit (as far as I can tell) and it’s going to take the fantasy world by storm. It’s incredible! I can honestly say I haven’t been this excited about a book and a debut author since Peter V Brett’s The Painted Man around this time last year. You will hate me for this, but I’m not going to post a review of this book when I’m done – I will instead post any info that I find, and keep the review on hold for when the book is published.
***UPDATE: Thanks to edifanob I have some info you can check out regarding Paul’s excellent debut; in one link you can see the cover, but it’s so small it doesn’t really do it justice. The other link details the announcement of Penguin acquiring world rights. Thanks edifanob!
Next up, Warhammer and Warhammer 40K: I’m reading Chapter War, Heldenhammer and Dawn of War at the moment, enjoying them all. Chapter War is grim, intense and I’m very, very curious about the Souldrinkers Chapter. Heldenhammer is great; Graham McNeill really knows how to tell a story, and they way he’s telling the tale of Sigmar in this book suits the world Sigmar was made in – it really has that epic, wild feel about it. Dawn of War is also damn cool – I finished the first DoW game about 2 weeks before starting to read the book (I’m now practicing to kick some ass in LANs), and not only is the book a great companion to the game (and vice versa) but a great 40K novel.
All of Yesterdays Tomorrows by Corey Cotta: I have to say, first up, that this novel has a lot of potential, but that I’m not entirely hooked so far. There’s an aspect of writing -emotion- that seems to be a bit lacking in the story (so far), but I’m hoping that’ll change as I progress through the book.
Slights by Kaaron Warren: utterly creepy and brilliant. I’ll leave it at that for the moment.
A Darkness Forged in Fire by Chris Evans: I was a bit scared that the book would be peppered with stereotypical characters, but was pleasantly proved wrong. Very cool so far.
The Riven Kingdom by Karen Miller: have to be honest and say that I’m struggling to get into this one, but I know it’s because of the marked change between this and book one of Godspeaker, Empress, so that, and the fact that this is Karen Miller I’m reading, promises good things.
The Return of the Crimson Guard by Ian Cameron Esslemont: Incredible! I just keep thinking back to the almost-intimate affair that was Night of Knives, Ian has blossomed and become an incredible writer! As I am in awe of Erikson, so I am in awe of Esslemont. And if anyone else touches the Malazan world in any form, they need to get shot; leave it to these two guys.
I also got some awesome new books that I will have to work in: (I will still post a pic of my TBR pile, because there’s plenty more than what I’ll list here)
A Shadow in Summer by Daniel Abraham,
Gears of War: Aspho Fields by Karen Traviss,
The Way of Shadows & Shadow’s Edge by Brent Weeks,
Medicine Road by Charles de Lint,
Shadowmarch by Tad Williams,
Cold Earth by Sarah Moss,
Transition by Iain Banks,
Winterstrike by Liz Williams,
Hater by David Moody,
and plenty, plenty more!
I might even be putting up another poll soon, tell let you all help me decide what I should be reading, but we’ll see.
Be EPIC!
The Wheel of Time: Official Covers for The Eye of the World Comic Book Series
Hey guys and girls, this news is a bit old already but still, it’s awesome stuff!
Dragonmount.com released the official cover images of comics that will comprise The Eye of the World comic series – and they look amazing!
If you haven’t yet seen them, have a look for yourself.
Moiraine and Lan standing against the Trolloc attack on what I assume to be Winternight.
Probably not Narg, but we can hope.
The Forsaken. But you knew that. If you didn’t, though…
Perrin and Egwene, with Elyas and the wolves, Hopper probably among them
Nynaeve with the Braid of Doom
The best Court Bard in all Fantasy!
Rand, Mat and Perrin with a looming Fade…
Fade-killer and Peddler.
Tam finds Rand on the slopes of Dragonmount – amazing image!
Beware its Kiss…
Awesome stuff, huh? I thought so too. And we’re not done yet! I also got a preview of the first The Eye of the World comic – enjoy!
There are also links at Dragonmount where you can order the first few issues! I really hope this makes it to South Africa – plenty of WoT fans here! Awesome work, Dabel Brothers!
Be EPIC!
Review: Twisted Metal by Tony Ballentyne
You wont see the review here.
But you will see it over at Liz & Mark’s blog, My Favourite Books. Liz asked me to do a guest review on her blog -in fact, the review happened as a repayment of many favours Liz has done for me- and then something else happened that made the review even better, but more on that at the end of this post.
Suffice it to say that Twisted Metal is an excellent SF book, a worthy addition to the already-great lore of Robots, and a surprisingly original take on robots themselves. If you’ve been overloaded with robots of all kinds in the past while (what with Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen & Terminator Salvation), don’t worry, Twisted Metal doesn’t emulate them in any way. Trust me when I say that you’ve never quite met robots like those that populate the world Tony has created in Twisted Metal.
Do head on over to Liz and Mark’s excellent blog and read my review.
Next up, I’m also announcing the new giveaway here – it’s already been announced by Liz. Here’s the info, and how to enter.
There are TWO copies of Twisted Metal up for grabs: 1 paperback and 1 hardback.
We are throwing the competition open ONLY to British peeps AND South African peeps. The UK peeps get the chance to win the paperback and the South African peeps get to win the hardback – this is of course due to postage costs.
Here’s what you do: email us with your name and address to EITHER of the following addresses: ours – myfavouritebooksatblogspot(at)googlemail(dot)com or DaveBrendon’s email: davebrendon(at)gmail(dot)com. Duplicate entries will be disqualified! Put TWISTED METAL in the subject line. The two winners will be chosen (via Random.org) from the combined list of entires we get. Competition ends next week Friday: 17th July 2009.
Good luck!
Check out Tony Ballantyne‘s website here, and if you’d like to order the book, click here for SA, here for USA, here for UK.
Be EPIC!
Graceling Giveaway Winner!
No more entries! (Well, let’s face facts – it’s not as if there were plenty )
This lucky reader will be getting a trade-paperback copy of Graceling, reviewed here by David! I’ll be posting the book off on Saturday (will be at work, but will take a break and dash upstairs), so the winner should have the book next week some time.
Without further a-do, the winner is…
Lood De Plessis! Congrats, Lood! You’ll have your copy shortly!
And now, let me show you what I’m reading right now – awesome stuff, really damn cool!
Check out the blog tomorrow for the next giveaway – 2 copies of a really cool SF book! This is also the first time that I will be opening the giveaway for readers in the UK too!
Until then,
Be EPIC!
Spotlight: Underland Press’ Wovel
This is not at all a new thing on the Net: since Underland Press began, the Wovel has been running, but for those who don’t know what it is, here’s the low-down:
A Wovel is a web-novel. A specific author is asked to write a new chapter each week (did that come out right? I mean, the same author writes every chapter), but what makes a Wovel completely different to anything else out there is the fact that you, as the reader, get to help decide what comes next! So every week you read the new chapter, vote on what you would like to have happen next in the story, and then the votes are counted and the winning plot-line in implemented!
This is the Wovel that Underland currently have up:
EXIT VECTOR
A wovel from Underland Press
by Simon Drax
Start date: June 22, 2009
Mori Kim Marr’s personal force-field of drugs and drink has worn thin: she’s a burned-out teenager in a burned-out world, an Earth wracked by wars and rumors of wars, plagues and disasters, the hopelessness of every human heart. Mori couldn’t care less; just bring her the next fix, please. But when an artificial woman from the 19th century and a boy with psionic powers wander into the smoke and squalor of Mori’s favorite watering hole, gore-drenched violence and city-wide destruction erupts, catapulting Mori and her new-found “friends” into the thick of a battle that began long ago, a war that has raged since before the dawn of civilization, a blood-feud fought and overseen by the sole-survivor of an ancient, pre-human race: Trista Ska Shearn, last of the Cantarans. Trista has been waiting 65,000 thousand years for this, the final battle; she has waited millennia for the glum, sallow teenager, Mori Kim Marr. For Mori is . . . the Exit Vector.
Ancient enemies will clash. Worlds will crumble. The fate of the very universe will be decided in Exit Vector.
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About Simon Drax:
SIMON DRAX was born in Gloomy, Massachusetts in 1965. He began the serious pursuit of writing fiction at 14. Drax has worked as a typesetter, graphic artist, bouncer, steel cutter, counselor to severely handicapped children, building supervisor, film critic, and art director. His stories and essays have been published in The Quarterly, Bonesaw, Midnight Zoo, Fever, After Hours, and VideoScope. His novel, A Very Fast Descent into Hell, will be published in 2010 by Underland Press.
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About Underland Press’ Wovel:
Combining the pace of print journalism, the creativity of fiction, and the interactivity of web 2.0, the wovel is a weekly serial with a vote button at the end of each installment. Every Monday, the author posts an installment, usually about five to seven pages in length. At the end of the installment, readers vote on which direction they want the story to take, and the author incorporates the readers’ decision into the narrative.
Past wovels by Kealan Patrick Burke and Jemiah Jefferson have drawn more than 1,000 readers and 14,000 page views a month. Read the first installment of EXIT VECTOR on June 22 at www.underlandpress.com.
It’s already started (yes, this post is indeed a bit late), and you can find the first installment here and the second installment here – then remember to keep going back! Not only do you get an intimate view into the creation of a novel, but you participate in its writing!
Be EPIC!
Angry Robot Review: Moxyland by Lauren Beukes
Last night (this being Thursday evening through till Friday morning) I plowed through a hectic sinus-headache to finish Moxyland. That’s how good this book is.
Let me try and set the scene for you: Cape Town, South Africa, some time in the future. We follow four pre-thirties characters as they go about their lives and swirl around each other in a world that seems to have gone a bit nuts – corporations run everything, the South African Police Services (SAPS, as we know them) plays pre-recorded messages to disperse unlawful gatherings before using nano-fueled dogs, and your online identity is more important that your physical life, because if you aren’t connected, you can’t do anything; well, you could, but then you wouldn’t be much better off than the homeless kids or the Rurals (more on that later)…
And then all of the above doesn’t even touch on all the subjects that Moxyland deals with.
Reading Moxyland is like being electrocuted with a blend of Philip K Dick’s A Scanner Darkly, George Orwell’s 1984 and Ian McDonald’s Necroville, with a dash of A Clockwork Orange, while enjoying the kind of great characters that writers like Stephen King and George RR Martin come up with.
As a South African reading it, I was struck by how well Lauren had captured our blend of cultures, and then taken those cultures a decade or two into the future; I haven’t ever been to Cape Town, but Lauren wrote Cape Town so well that I got the same feeling about the city after being submerged in the London of A Madness of Angels – you walk the streets, drive on the roads and smell the myriad scents, and even the people, the bergies and the internet-café employees and the shack-dwellers (most of the Rurals; as in, they come from outside SA and aren’t really a part of the country since most of them are too poor to be connected) come alive, lending the tale one of its many aspects of credibility. These aren’t stereotypes at all; they’re all normal people, struggling, as we do every day, to make sense of a world gone weird (or wired, should I say), and the way Lauren handles the integration of technology into everyday life begs the question: “How much place is there for a people’s culture, for their identity, in a world where everyone is connected to everyone else? Are we really better off when people know about the latest trends, products, games, movies and celebrities and are forgetting about who they are, as people?”
This is just one of the many questions this tale seeded in me, and that’s also one of the joys of this book: it’s the kind of book that makes you pick up your head, look around and ask, “Just what the fuck, exactly, is going on?” You may look at the world a bit differently; you may just realize that you had a life, once, without a cellphone or connection to the internet, and that, Oh my Goodness, nothing much has changed – except for the fact that we’re all learning how to be good little marketing drones for the money-makers.
Another aspect of Moxyland that I really enjoyed was the tech – none of it is outrageous or unbelievable, and everything has a proper use. Think your cellphone is cool now? Wait until you read where it may be headed! (Be afraid, I say, be very afraid!) The whole world changes with technology, even if we don’t admit it, and this is definitely reflected in Moxyland – from art galleries to how you clean your house / apartment to the clothes you wear. Not even ol’ Tom Cruise had it this fast and furious in Minority Report!
Going back to the characters, you’ll find yourself either loving or hating them. You’ll meet Tendeka, Toby, Kendra and Lerato – they are our POV-people, and the tale unfolds as we take a ride behind their eyes.
Tendeka wants change, Toby wants fame, fortune and sugar, Kendra is finding herself, and Lerato is poised at the precipice; each character is unique, with their own lives, dramas, voices, hates, dislikes and loves. Sometimes the perspectives overlap, giving us an event from two angles, and it’s through these characters that we really connect with the world Lauren has created (and, some of you may agree, foreseen). You see all the angles, hear all the arguments, and this is particularly great because of the kind of book Moxyland is – like I said, you will question, you will ponder, you will agree and disagree, and I guarantee that at least one of the characters will resonate with you.
Lauren also kicks it into high gear from around the last 120 pages of the book, tension-wise (that’s one of the reasons that I plowed through the headache), and you’ll find yourself flipping the pages faster and faster. All of the character-arcs are resolved and there are more surprises than you can shake a stick at – one of them at least that should knock you into stunned silence. The preceding portions of the book are well-balanced with some laugh-out-loud moments, some moments that’ll have leave your eyes widened in shock, and all through it, you’ll feel amazed by Lauren’s Cape Town and the characters that inhabit it.
It is my opinion that this book will end up being one of the greats of contemporary future-fiction, and it can stand proud among the legends that authors such as Philip K Kick and George Orwell have given us – and also, coming from a South African writer, this is definitely a book that should force the rest of the publishing world to sit up and take notice. We can write here.
8.5 / 10
Check out the official Moxyland website here, check out Moxyland’s spiffy new home here, and order your copies here (for SA), here (for the UK), and here (for the US).
Now that Angry Robot has officially launched (congrats to the guys and to all the authors who’s work will be published by Angry Robot!), expect to see much more from them, on this Blog and elsewhere! My next Angry Robot review will be up soon!
Dark Horse Comics News
Some news from the great people at Dark Horse!
Here’s the press release:
ESSENTIAL NEW PHOTO BOOK FROM DARK HORSE DOCUMENTS THE LIFE AND CAREER OF A PUNK ROCK LEGEND
EERIE VON’S MISERY OBSCURA FEATURES OVER 250 PHOTOS, CHRONICLING A CAREER OF OVER 20 YEARS
JUNE 22, MILWAUKIE, OR–From the deepest depths of punk rock’s 1970s primordial wastelands, through the stygian goth swamps of the 1980s, and on into the bloodstained arenas of 1990s heavy metal, Eerie Von witnessed it all.
Beginning as the unofficial photographer for punk legends the Misfits and later taking charge of the bass guitar as a founding member of underground pioneers Samhain and metal gods Danzig, the evil eye of Eerie’s camera captured the dark heart of rock’s most vital and bleeding-edge period, a time when rock and roll was not only dangerous, but downright menacing. Eerie Von’s Misery Obscura offers firsthand insight into everything from the Misfits’ humble beginnings in Lodi, New Jersey, to the heights of Danzig’s stadium-rock glory alongside metal superstars Metallica.
“I’ve been planning this book for twenty years,” Eerie Von stated. “The fans have been begging for it almost as long. It’s been a great ride, and I’m glad to be able to share some of it with those who were there, and those who wish they were.”
Misery Obscura is not only an essential visual document of music history; but Eerie’s scrapbook-style stories of triumph and damnation bring to life an era the likes of which will never again be seen. Featuring layout and design by Tom Bejgrowicz, who conceived and executed the release of the infamous Misfits “Coffin Box,” Eerie Von’s Misery Obscura: The Photography of Eerie Von (1981-2009) arrives on shelves this October, just in time for Halloween!
Jeremy S. Atkins
Director of Public Relations
Dark Horse Comics
John Jarrold’s Corner: News! & Spotlight: Chris Evans & Light of Burning Shadows
John Jarrold’s Corner:
I have 3 lots have some great news from John Jarrold!
PRESS RELEASE – TWO-BOOK DEAL FOR BRITISH HORROR NOVELIST AFTER AUCTION
Julie Crisp of Pan Macmillan in London has concluded a World Rights deal with John Jarrold, for two untitled horror novels by British author Adam L G Nevill, after a hard-fought auction. She set a floor, which she exercised at the end of the auction for a good five-figure sum. The under-bidder was Emma Coode of HarperCollins UK.
‘Adam is one of horror’s rising stars,’ said John Jarrold. ‘His first novel, BANQUET FOR THE DAMNED, received great praise. Having now read his next book and the synopsis of his third novel, I can say without doubt that he’s going places, and sooner rather than later. Congratulations to Julie – and to all who took part in the auction. The enthusiasm with which this was met really makes me feel positive about horror’s re-birth after a period in the doldrums.’
I’ve actually got a copy of Banquet for the Damned – should bloody well read it, right?! Good news all round!
Next up: A SF Short-Story Collection wins major recognition!
A science fiction collection from defunct indie publisher Elastic Press has won the 2009 Edge Hill Short Story Prize, beating collections from Faber, Vintage, Cape and Hamish Hamilton.
Elastic Press author Chris Beckett won for his collection The Turing Test. He was presented with £5,000 plus a specially commissioned painting by Liverpool artist Pete Clarke at a ceremony held by Edge Hill University at the Bluecoat Centre in Liverpool on Saturday (4th July). He also picked up the £1,000 Readers’ prize.
Anne Enright won the second prize, also worth £1,000, for her collection Yesterday’s Weather (Vintage).
Judge James Walton, journalist and chair of BBC Radio 4′s “The Write Stuff” said: “I suspect Chris Beckett winning the Edge Hill Prize will be seen as a surprise in the world of books. In fact, though, it was also a bit of surprise to the judges, none of whom knew they were science fiction fans beforehand.
“Yet, once the judging process started, it soon became clear that The Turing Test was the book that we’d all been impressed by, and enjoyed, the most—and one by one we admitted it.”
The Edge Hill Short Story Prize was launched by the university three years ago and is co-sponsored by Blackwell; it is the UK’s only award for a short story collection by a single author. This year’s shortlist also comprised: Country of the Grand by Gerard Donovan (Faber), The Atmospheric Railway by Shena Mackay (Cape) and The First Person and Other Stories by Ali Smith (Hamish Hamilton).
Elastic Press closed in November 2008, although it is still selling backlist, it is no longer accepting submissions.
Just goes to show that just because the fiction is speculative and fantastical doesn’t mean that it doesn’t get recognized! Let’s hope that the trend continues!
And finally, this great news:
PRESS RELEASE – DAVID BARNETT NOVEL SOLD TO PENDRAGON
John Jarrold has sold limited-edition rights in popCULT!, a novel by UK author David Barnett, to Chris Teague at Welsh publisher Pendragon Press. David is the Assistant Editor of the Bradford Telegraph and Argus newspaper, and has had two earlier novels published by Immanion Press, Hinterland and Angelglass. He also writes regular blogs for the Guardian books website.
popCULT! is a contemporary SF caper in which a struggling writer is drawn into the machinations of a motley group of underground art prankster rebels who harbour a strange and terrible secret beneath the streets of London.
David said, ‘popCULT! is one of my favourite works and I’m delighted that a press with the reputation of Pendragon has taken it on.’
‘David is both prolific and incredibly inventive,’ said John Jarrold. ‘I’m expecting great things of him as his career progresses!’
One thing is for sure – John Jarrold is working, working, working to give us more and more great reading!
Next up, Book 2 in the series in coming out soon, and I’ve started reading Book 1 (among everything else I’m reading at the moment)… What am I talking about? Well, for starters, this man,
and this book,
I will have back-to-back reviews for A Darkness Forged in Fire and Light of Burning Shadows, plus I will also be doing an interview with Chris and I will also be giving away copies of Book 2!
Here’s some info on Chris; Chris Evans was born in Canada and now lives in New York City. As a military historian he has conducted battlefield tours of Europe, and was the historical consultant on a television documentary on the First World War. He’s earned degrees in English, Political Science, and a Masters in History. Chris is also an editor of history and current affairs/conflicts books including the highly successful Stackpole Military History Series. The Light of Burning Shadows: The Iron Elves Series, is his second novel.
What others have thought of A Darkness Forged in Fire:
“I’m always thrilled by seeing a new author press the boundaries of the conventions of fantasy. Chris Evans does just that–taking the broad sword and sorcery archetypes and placing them squarely in a new and exciting environment.” –R. A. Salvatore
“A gutsy fantasy set in a world of imperial greed and magical plotting, with an eye for the ordinary soldier’s plight that would have done Kipling proud.” — Karen Traviss, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Star Wars: Legacy of the Force and City of Pearl
“Fascinating…combining the best touches of fantasy and military storytelling.” –John Ringo, New York Times bestselling author of the Legacy of the Aldenata and The Council Wars series
“A thrilling epic from beginning to end, filled with wit, intrigue, and twists and turns reminiscent of Glen Cook’s The Black Company. A grand new entry in the field of fantasy masters!” –Richard A. Knaak, New York Times bestselling author in the Dragonlance, The Dragonrealm, World of Warcraft, and Diablo series
“A fantasy in which the gritty realities of war and politics are as important as the magic–and all are handled very well.” –David Drake, national bestselling author of the Lord of the Isles and Hammer’s Slammers series.
So now that you know what some pretty damn good authors thought of Book 1, check out this blurb for Book 2:
In the bestselling traditions of J.R.R. Tolkien, Terry Brooks, and Bernard Cornwell comes the second novel in the acclaimed Iron Elves epic fantasy series!
“They might be doomed, damned, and buggered for all eternity, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t sparkle like a diamond in the sun and grin like a skull in the moonlight on their way to oblivion.”
Musket and cannon, bow and arrow, and magic and diplomacy vie for supremacy once again in this second epic fantasy adventure from acclaimed author Chris Evans. As the human-dominated Calahrian Empire struggles to maintain its hold on power in the face of armed rebellion from within, the Iron Elves’ perilous quest to defeat the power-hungry elf witch, the Shadow Monarch, takes on greater urgency.
The Iron Elves, shunned by their own people for bearing the mark of the Shadow Monarch, and desperately wanting to forever erase this shame, became legendary for their prowess on the battlefield as the Calahrian Imperial Army’s elite shock troops. But when their commanding officer, Konowa Swift Dragon, murdered the Viceroy of Elfkyna, he was exiled, and these brave elves were banished to a remote desert outpost, doomed and leaderless, their honor in tatters.
Recalled to duty to reform his regiment from the dregs of the Imperial Army, Konowa thwarted the plans of the Shadow Monarch at the Battle of Luuguth Jor — ensuring that the fabled Red Star, a source of great natural energy, did not fall into Her hands. Now Konowa must cross storm-tossed seas to seek out the lost elves and the prophesied return of another Star somewhere in a desert wasteland roiling with mysterious power, infernos of swirling magic, and legends brought back to life in new and terrible ways.
And the fate of every living creature will come to depend on a small band of ragged and desperate soldiers, whose very loyalty to the Empire they have sworn to serve is no longer certain. When death is but a temporary condition, a terrifying question arises: who is the true ally — and fearsome enemy — in a growing conflict that threatens all?
Sounds good to me! Stay tuned for the up-coming giveaway, it’s gonna be big! Also, click through here to go to the Iron Elves website, and here to get a sneaky peek at the people behind what’ll be this Blog’s biggest giveaway to-date!
Be EPIC!
