Helen Lowe's Blog, page 228
March 8, 2013
Just Arrived: “Frost Burned” by Patricia Briggs
I have loved Patricia Briggs‘ Mercy Thompson urban fantasy series—about an automative mechanic who is also a coyote shapeshifter—since I first read Moon Called in 2011.
So I’m very pleased to have my very own copy of Frost Burned, the very latest in the Mercy Thompson series on my TBR table already. 
Given some time out and a sunny corner, I’ll give you three guesses what I might be doing this weekend…
Meanwhile, here’s the blurb from the back cover:
“Mechanic……Shapeshifter……Fighter
Mercy Thompso...
March 7, 2013
A Geography of Haarth: Ar
The Wall of Night Series map; design by Peter Fitzpatrick
The A Geography of Haarth series features locales and places from The Wall of Night series’ world of Haarth.
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“Ar: a city of The River.”
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“I am called Tarathan of Ar and I am a herald from the Guild House in Terebanth, in the lands of the River. Amongst other things, I seek out the hidden and find the lost. “
~ from The Heir of Night: The Wall of Night Book One; Chapter 12 — The Hero’s Fire
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“…And this”—the tune became eerie, with a thread...
March 6, 2013
Book Review: “The Twelve” by Justin Cronin — Reviewed by Lou Stella
Introduction:On September 10, 2011, I posted a “What I’m Reading” report on Justin Cronin’s, The Passage. I liked it, so today I’m very pleased to bring you a review of the sequel, The Twelve, from another new “…on Anything, Really” reviewer, Lou Stella.
Lou’s reviewer bio is below, but I feel the review more than speaks for itself.
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Book Review: The Twelve by Justin Cronin — Reviewed by Lou Stella, (Orion Books, 2012, 568 pp)
The Twelve is the sequel to The Passage, in which Justin Cronin’s pos...
March 5, 2013
Celebrating “The Gathering Of The Lost”: Historical Influences
UK/AUS/NZ
On Monday, I talked about the antecedents of contemporary High Fantasy in the context of The Gathering Of The Lost and the discussion touched on both the romantic epics of the Medieval era, as well as tales such as Ivanhoe, from the Romantic period.
With the mass market edition of The Gathering Of The Lost recently published in the UK, I’ve also been re-posting a few of the feature posts from last year’s Blog Tour. Given Monday’s discussion, today seemed the perfect time to republish...
March 4, 2013
Tuesday Poem: “Shall I Compare Thee To A Summer’s Day?” by William Shakespeare
Shall I compare thee to a Summer’s day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And Summer’s lease hath all too short a date:
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimm’d;
And every fair from fair some-time declines,
By chance or nature’s changing course untrimm’d;
But thy eternal Summer shall not fade
Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow’st;
Nor shall Death brag thou wandr’st in his shade,
When in eternal lines to...
March 3, 2013
Antecedents Of Contemporary High Fantasy — A Few Thoughts
UK/AUS/NZ
Last Friday I posted on US-based genre site the Supernatural Underground, on the topic of “High Romantic Fantasy and The Gathering Of The Lost.”
The thrust of my premise was that;
“The Gathering Of The Lost (and Wall of Night series) is the style of epic that is also known as High Fantasy, or alternately High Romantic Fantasy.
Rightly, I believe, because the chivalric epic of the High Medieval period is a major influence on this style of storytelling: for example, the Morte D’Arthur an...
March 2, 2013
Just Arrived: “Rebellion” by Ian Irvine
Last year, when the trade paperback edition of The Gathering Of The Lost was released in the UK (the mass market edition was just out on 21 February), I and Australian epic fantasy author, Ian Irvine, did an ‘exchange of interviews’ on our UK publisher’s Orbit blog.
To read what Ian had to say, click on “Helen Lowe Interviews Ian Irvine.”
In that interview, we were focusing on Ian’s novel Vengeance, the first novel in The Tainted Realm series.
And now as a “Just Arrived” I have Rebellion, the se...
March 1, 2013
High Romantic Fantasy and “The Gathering Of The Lost” On The Supernatural Underground
UK/AU/NZ Cover
The 1st of the month (US time) is my regular guest post day on the Supernatural Underground—and with the mass market edition of The Gathering Of The Lost newly released in the UK I’ve posted about its particular style of epic: High Romantic Fantasy.
“…The Gathering Of The Lost (and Wall of Night series) is the style of epic that is also known as High Fantasy, or alternately High Romantic Fantasy.
Rightly, I believe, because the chivalric epic of the High Medieval period is a majo...
February 28, 2013
A Geography of Haarth: Aldermere
The Wall of Night Series map; design by Peter Fitzpatrick
The A Geography of Haarth series features locales and places from The Wall of Night series’ world—which is “Haarth”, of course!
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“Aldermere: a liege-hold of Falk of Normarch, Castellan of the Northern March of Emer, one of the Southern Realms of Haarth.”
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“And somehow, he knows her,” Alianor put in, “even though he came to us as your ward, my lord. A Sondsangre,” she added, shooting a defiant glance between Kalan and Lord Falk, “from your...
February 27, 2013
“Fun With Friends” On SF Signal: I Interview Karen Healey
Karen Healey
My regular “Fun With Friends” interview has now posted on SF Signal — and my February (just!) guest is Karen Healey.
Mainly we’re talking about Karen’s new novel When We Wake, but also about her YA writing generally — but check it out and see for yourself:
Fun with Friends – Helen Lowe Talks with Fellow Authors from Australia and New Zealand: Today’s Guest Is Karen Healey
Enjoy — and please feel free to add a comment or ask a question!
