A Shadow All Of LIght by Fred Chappell, See the Trailer Here

A New Fantasy Novel by

Fred Chappell

Watch the Trailer: HERE

This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations.

Dark Matters by Michael Dow

The haves and the have nots, perhaps clearly demonstrated by the current political climate.  Billionaires running for public office with open distain for the less fortunate.   The 1% garnering more and more of the world's wealth is not just science fiction.  Michael Dow takes current events and extrapolates them to the near future.  

The idea of an elite group of wealthy dictating the course of the world is not new.   The Illuminati, the Cabal, Free Masons or the Knight Templars have all been reputed to be the behind the scenes puppet masters.   Today the super wealthy appear to be trying to control life as we know it.   Dow takes these fears and creates a near future that is dominated by a secret group of ultra wealthy who claim to be working for the greater good.  

It appears that a small handful of paranormals are being setup to be the  foes of this world wide wealth conspiracy.   This book is volume one so it is unclear if that is the direction the trilogy will be taking but the plot seems to be going that direction. 

This is a thought provoking book.

I enjoyed it and recommend it.

Site:  http://www.darkmattersbook.com/

This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations.

Death's Bright Day by David Drake

This is a new story in the Daniel Leary's Cinnabar RCN series.   Adele Mundy, Tovera and Hogg are all back to provide the normal semi-controlled violence.   After the inception of a truce in the war with the Alliance, Daniel finds himself embroiled in a politically sensitive skirmish in the Tarbell Stars.

The current conflict in Syria comes to mind in this story.  Large countries that don't want to confront each other use an internal conflict to increase their political sphere of influence.  Think of Iran,Turkey, Russia and the US.  Although Drake credits history for as his muse in this case current events could also be an underpinning for a story.

The Tarbell Stars are facing a rebellion and the rebellion appears to be supported by a faction in the Alliance intelligence community.   Cinnabar surreptitiously intervenes on the side of another Alliance faction with the services of Daniel Leary and Adele Mundy.

Leary and Mundy do the impossible once again and discover things are not always as they are purported to be.   Leary also gets married in this book and the reader discovers that he chose well.

I enjoyed the book and have enjoyed the series.

Web site: http://david-drake.com/

This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations.

Elminster in Myth Drannor by Ed Greenwood

Mystra, Elminster's personal lover and god has made him her chosen and sent him on a quest.  A major problem with this is that Elminster has no idea what her eventual goal might be and therefore does a lot of painful floundering.

Elves bring new meaning to discrimination and prejudice.  It appears that the Elves are mankind's KKK.   The prejudice is exemplified by their myriad ways of trying to kill Elminster. 

The book delves into the political maneuverings and Machiavellian behavior of  elven society.   Greenwood seems to revel in describing the magical events and their often gruesome execution.

This is the second book in a series and Greenwood uses the book to further educate   Elminster.   I liked that personal growth was not limited to just spells and sword play but character and patience were extolled as well.  Elminster looks to be a protagonist that will be enjoyable to follow.

This book also abounds in spell casting, shape changing, sword play and thievery.  

I really enjoyed it. 

Web Site:  none I could fine but here is his Facebook link.

This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations.

The World of Beth Cato

I have read  The Clockwork Dagger, The Clockwork Crown , Wings of Sorrow and Bone and The Deepest Poison and enjoyed every one of them.   Click on my links to read my reviews. 

I have heard  from her publicist that Beth Cato’s novella, WINGS OF SORROW AND BONE, received a very well-deserved nod from the folks at SFWA. Beth Cato is an immensely gifted steampunk writer, and her Clockwork Dagger series has continuously received rave reviews from such outlets as NPR, Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, and many more. We at Harper Voyager firmly believe that Beth Cato is destined to become one of the major players in the SFF genre—and it seems that critics and taste-makers agree! This Nebula nomination comes on the heels of another nomination for her full-length book, THE CLOCKWORK CROWN, for best Steampunk novel from the 2015 RT Booklovers Award. Additionally, Beth’s debut novel, THE CLOCKWORK DAGGER, received a Locus nomination for Best First Novel last year as well!

Wings of Sorrow and Bone

On Sale: 11/10/2015 | ISBN: 9780062411266

After being rescued by Octavia Leander from the slums of Caskentia, Rivka Stout is adjusting to her new life in Tamarania. But it’s hard for a blossoming machinist like herself to fit in with proper society, and she’d much rather be tinkering with her tools than at a hoity-toity party any day.

When Rivka stumbles into a laboratory run by the powerful Balthazar Cody, she also discovers a sinister plot involving chimera gremlins and the violent Arena game Warriors. The innocent creatures will end up hurt, or worse, if Rivka doesn’t find a way to stop Mr. Cody. And to do that means she will have to rely on some unexpected new friends. 

The Clockwork Dagger

On Sale: 9/16/2014 | ISBN: 9780062313843

THE CLOCKWORK DAGGER is the story of a gifted young healer, Octavia Leander, who sets off on her first mission. Her goal is to get to a plague-ridden village and help the people there, but a series of strange occurrences—including murder—rock the airship she is traveling on. The dashingly attractive steward may be one of the infamous Clockwork Dagger assassins, her cabin-mate hides secrets (and an alarming penchant for writing pulp novels), and Octavia is beginning to discover that her magical gift for healing may be even more powerful than anyone thought. In short, this airship voyage is much  more eventful than Octavia expected, and she’s stumbled into the midst of a conspiracy that may reach the crown itself.

The Clockwork Crown

On Sale: 6/9/2015 | ISBN: 9780062313980

Beth Cato delivers an action-packed, magic-filled sequel to her debut fantasy novel. Octavia Leander is a powerful magical healer who has just narrowly avoided assassination and is on the run with handsome ex-Clockwork Dagger Alonzo Garrett. They travel across Caskentia searching for safety, and for answers - how is Octavia so powerful, and why does it look like she’s undergoing a transformation unlike any seen for hundreds of years? Joined by unlikely allies, Octavia must get to the source of her power, the Lady’s Tree, before a brewing civil war disrupts her entire world. 
With a rich magic system set in a lush world and a spunky heroine, THE CLOCKWORK CROWN is a strong follow-up to THE CLOCKWORK DAGGER.

These book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations.

Burt Holmes, P.I. by A. M. Roelke

 

I'm a sucker for private eye books let alone private eye in space books.   In a way that makes me more critical of the genre as I do know what I like.   This does not have the overtones of humor that the Glen Cook Garrett books have, which I dearly love.   However this does have a lot of soul searching angst.  That can get tedious but Roelke did a great job in making it real rather than tedious.

The tale is of a P.I. on the Perseus space station gets a client who he is inexplicably attracted to, despite their dramatic age differences.  Burt, the P.I., is both protective and derisive of the client and can not determine why. 

The client, Wade Hampton, is an ancestral starship captain which imbues her with wealth, prestige and power.   In Wade's case this does not mean maturity.   Wade is a teen with great power, great self control and periodically normal teen behavior in spite of her best efforts to be an adult.

Burt's personal demons are hidden and a source of enormous frustration.  He does not know what some of his greatest motivators are and is unawre that they are intentionally shrouded in mystery.

The story has action, brutality, robots and space ships, what more could you want.

The hard nose P.I. discovers many things about himself as does his client.

I really enjoyed the book and hope to see a sequel!

Web Site:  none, https://www.createspace.com/6020631

This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations.

The Dragon Round by Stephen S. Power

This tale is of a rigidly principled sea captain, a equally principled apothecary and an unprincipled dragon. 

Jeryon lived by rules.   He followed the company rules and set his own rules on the sea.   Sadly he discovered that following the rules can have some seriously negative consequences when faced with greed and moral depravity.

Jeryon finds himself supported by an unlikely source, the foreign apothecary who refuses to be a party to his crews rebellion.   The resulting events lead to an apparent platonic marooning where they discover a potential savior in the guise of a dragon.

The moral rigidity of Jeryon leads him down the path of justice that eventually turns into revenge.  

This is a tough book to review without spoilers.   The profit at all costs Trust which morphs into the Shield suppresses the people of Hanosh.   The face of capitalism is tarnished by the goal of profits regardless of the impact on the people who are both the basis for the labor force and the customers.  

The appetite of the dragon and it's indifference to the sources of it's nourishment provided another glimpse of commentary regarding unbridled appetites.

This was a interesting read with some social commentary on the military industrial complex.   

It is also possible that I am reading more social commentary than the author intended.

I recommend it and look forward to the sequel. 

Web Site:  http://authors.simonandschuster.com/Stephen-S-Power/476073740

Elminster: The Making of a Mage by Ed Greenwood

This puts new swash in buckling.   Elminster is driven by the untimely deaths of his family and set on a path of vengeance by the demise of his folks.   This is a coming of age in a magic laden society where gods walk the earth and shape changing is ubiquitous.

This is the first book in a series and Greenwood uses the entire book to develop the skills and character of  Elminster.   I liked that personal growth was not limited to just spells and sword play but character and patience were extolled as well.  Elminster looks to be a protagonist that will be enjoyable to follow.

This book abounds in spell casting, shape changing, sword play and thievery.  

I really enjoyed it.  (Hopefully that is not a reflection on my character.)

This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations.