Happy Halloween 2015

The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet One Day Deal 10/30/15

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Born of Swords by Steven Shrewsbury

Gorias La Gaul, a barbarian’s barbarian,  is back and as I said in my review of Thrall and Overkill , he would kick Conan’s butt.  If you are looking for traditional heroes you may want to look elsewhere.  Those sentences prefaced several of my Goria La Gaul book reviews.  This book has Gorias being interviewed by Jessica, a young scholar.  

I repeat from previous reviews, Gorias is a protagonist that I can identify with in many aspects.   Pragmatic beyond reason,  he is accepting of his age and doesn’t let it stop him from doing what he wants to do.   His ruthlessness is deplorable but it is highly effective.  In this book, Gorias clearly demonstrates his love (obcession) with family.  He has surprising skewed soft spots that pop up with frequency.   He is a much, much larger than life character.  That is what makes him so entertaining. 

This book ties together multiple stories together in the context of Jessica interviewing Gorias.  Jessica is never dewy eyed but by the end of the book, she has had her stomached turned several times.  This is classic Gorias La Gaul.

I highly recommend the book.

Body of work of <a type="amzn"> Steven Shrewsbury </a>

Web site: http://www.seventhstarpress.com/current_authors/steven_shrewsbury.html

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

Steven L. Shrewsbury's Born of Swords Virtual Tour

Steven L. Shrewsbury's Born of Swords Virtual Tour

About the author: Steven L. Shrewsbury lives, works and writes in rural Central Illinois. Over 365 of his short stories have been published in print or digital media since the late 80s. His novels include WITHIN, PHILISTINE, OVERKILL, HELL BILLY, BLOOD & STEEL, THRALL, STRONGER THAN DEATH, HAWG, TORMENTOR and GODFORSAKEN. He has collaborated with other writers, like Brian Keene with KING OF THE BASTARDS, Peter Welmerink in BEDLAM UNLEASHED, Nate Southard in BAD MAGICK, Maurice Broaddus in the forthcoming BLACK SON RISING and Eric S. Brown in an untitled project. He continues to search for brightness in this world, no matter where it chooses to hide.

Book Synopsis for Born of Swords: 

Deliverance will come... But that is another story. What makes a legend but the stories told about him? Interviewing Gorias La Gaul, the biggest legend of them all, is a dream come true for young scribe Jessica. Where other girls her age would swoon beneath the steely gaze of the warrior, Jessica only has eyes for his mouth, and the tales that come from it...when he takes a break from cursing or drinking. Unfortunately for Jessica, Gorias doesn't really have time to babysit. She's found him in the midst of an annual pilgrimage of sorts, and though he agrees to let her come along, it's not without a warning: You may not like what you see and hear. Just don't come crying afterward. Whether viewing past visions with magical gemstones or jumping into the fray alongside the barbarian, Jessica's about to get firsthand accounts she won't soon forget...and discover legends are far from reality, and just as far from being pretty. You wouldn't expect a youth of love and friendship from the greatest killer to walk the Earth, would you? These are tales of some of Gorias' earliest days, back before he'd found his swords, to a time when a dragon needed killing. Tales back before his heart had hardened. Maybe. For most men, the future is not certain and the past is prologue. For a legend like Gorias La Gaul, even the past is up for debate. One thing is for certain about these tales. They will be bloody. Such is always the way for a man... Born of Swords...


Author Links: Website: https://sshrewsbury.wordpress.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorstevenshrewsbury

Tour Schedule and Activities

10/26 Armand Rosamilia, Horror Author   Guest Post
10/26 Man's Midnight Garden    Review
10/26 Sapphyria's Book Reviews   Guest Post
10/27 Azure Dwarf    Review
10/28 Book in the Bag    Interview
10/29 Creatives Help Board.How may I direct your call?   Interview
10/30 WebbWeaver Reviews   Guest Post
10/30 Sheila's Blog   Guest Post
11/1 Dice Upon A Time   Top-Tens List

Hellscapes II and Heart of a Lion Tours Contest

Hellscapes II and Heart of a Lion 
Tours  Contest

The grand prize, a shiny brand new Fire HD 8 (or gift card equivalent if the winner is international).   5 first place winners will get their choice of a signed Heart of a Lion or Hellscapes book in trade paperback.  Then 7 runner ups will win eBooks of both new releases.

Contest will go active October 25, 2015.  It will run all the way to November 10th to cover both tours. Click the link below to enter. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

From Amazon:

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• Fast quad-core processor up to 1.5 GHz. Rear-facing 5 MP camera and front-facing HD camera.
• All-new Amazon Underground, a one-of-a-kind app store experience where over $10,000 in apps, games and even in-app items are actually free - including extra lives, unlocked levels, unlimited add-on packs and more
• Enjoy more than 38 million movies, TV shows, songs, books, apps and games
• 8 GB or 16 GB of internal storage. Free unlimited cloud storage for all Amazon content and photos taken with Fire devices. Add a microSD card for up to 128 GB of additional storage.
• Updated user interface - Fire OS 5 designed for quick access to your apps and content plus personalized recommendations that make it easy to discover new favorites

Web site:  http://www.stephenzimmer.com/

If you are motivated to read between or beyond the lines you may enjoy a very soul searching post by author Stephen Zimmer at his blog.

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

Three Days in April by Edward Ashton

This story occurs in a relatively close future.  Nanotechnology is booming and people are using both nanotech and biological modification to "improve" them selves.   The destruction of a town is the first shot in a revolution but who is revolting.

There is friction between the altered and unaltered.  The altered are those who have used technology to improve themselves.   Whether a "pretty" which is enhancement for beauty or a "gear head"  which is more literal in this interpretation than normal gear head definitions.

There is a strong hacker overtone to the book as well as the rebellious nature of the unknown enemy.   This book address the question of viability of AI  with the same reservations found in the book, Zeroes

The character interaction feels real with smarmy comments and smart ass remarks.  Ashton does a very good job capturing the personalities of his characters. 

There is action, hacking, bio-mods, a dark government agency and even some mysticism, in other words, something for everyone.  Oh and you get a new appreciation of crowbars.

I really liked the book.

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

Cover Reveal for Stephen Zimmer's Hellscapes

Cover Reveal for Stephen Zimmer's Hellscapes, Volume II and eBook Release Information!

Seventh Star Press is proud to reveal the cover art by Aaron Drown (of Aaron Drown Design) for Stephen Zimmer's Hellscapes, Volume II. This new collection of horror tales arrives in eBook next week in time for Halloween!

Hellscapes, Volume II represents Stephen's 11th book release and will be available in eBook format this Monday with the print version to follow in one week.  The eBook release will coincide with a blog tour and a contest with a Kindle Fire HD8 giveaway.

Hellscapes, Volume II returns readers to the nightmarish, shadowy realms of Hell in the latest installment of the Hellscapes series. Six brand new, macabre tales of the infernal await you … but be that you only visit these realms, you do not want to share the fates of the inhabitants you will encounter!

Included in the pages of Hellscapes, Volume II:

In “The Cavern”, a man finds his way into a nightmare, subterranean world that leads to an even greater, and more devastating, revelation.

A police officer takes pleasure in violently executing his duties and it appears to be open season in “The Riot” when he is part of an operation sent to crack down on a gathering of people protesting an economic summit nearby. But this is an operation that is going to take a very different kind of turn, one that opens his eyes to a new reality.

A woman finds herself stranded on a high, rocky ledge, along with many other men and women, surrounded by a frothing sea in “Above as Below”. Shadows glide beneath the surface and soon she will discover what lurks within the depths.

“Spots Do Not Change” tells the story of a man who has never had any qualms lying, cheating, or deceiving the women in his life. A reckoning day looms as he comes to understand that his actions have harmed the lives of many others, actions that in the realms of Hell take on forms of their own.

Having spun webs of intrigue and personal destruction at the heights of national politics throughout his life, a man finds webs of another sort to present grave danger when he finds himself lost within a strange wilderness in “Weaving Webs”.

Many are drawn to “The Club” in the heart of the decaying, shadow-filled city of Malizia, hoping for some entertainment and release, or even safety from the monstrous dangers lurking in the darkness. One man struggling against amnesia finds his way to the seemingly popular establishment and its confines give him momentary hope; until he discovers the nature of this night club and those who run it.

About the Author: Stephen Zimmer is an award-winning author and filmmaker based in Lexington Kentucky. His work includes the cross-genre Rising Dawn Saga, the epic fantasy Fires in Eden series, the sword and sorcery Dark Sun Sawn Trilogy, featuring Rayden Valkyrie, the Harvey and Solomon Steampunk tales and the Hellscapes and Chronicles of Ave short story collections. 

- See more at: http://seventhstarpress.blogspot.com/2015/10/cover-reveal-for-stephen-zimmers.html#sthash.54xzHta4.dpuf