Joshua Palmatier's Blog, page 26

Book Review: "Lost Covenant" by Ari Marmell

Lost Covenant is the third book in Ari Marmell's Widdershins series. I really enjoy this series, possibly because the set-up is similar to my own book The Skewed Throne, with a young rogue-ish girl with morals living in the slums of the city who gets caught up in events far beyond her standing. My book is a little darker in nature (aimed for the adult crowd), while Ari's is aimed more toward the YA market though.





In any case, the premise of this book is that Widdershins has fled the city of Davillon after her last altercation and its consequences, afraid that her presence is endangering all of those she loves. While away, she stumbles over a plot to destroy the Delacroix family. Since Alexandre Delacrois was the nobleman who took her in from the slums and cared for her, she attempts to unravel the plot and save the remnants of her adopted father's relatives. Except none of them trust her. She'll have to convince them her intentions are good while at the same time stopping the criminal underground from killing her . . .

As I said, I enjoy Widdershins, mostly because of her character and especially because of her relationship with the god Olgun. The banter between these two keeps the pace moving along swiftly and brings lighter elements to some of the darker parts of the book. I will admit that it takes some settling in to get used to Widdershins and her conversational style when you start one of her books, but once you adjust, she invariably makes you grin. There are darker moments in the books, as Widdershins deals with the darker side of human nature and how ugly it can get, but her basic morality keeps the reader grounded.

This book was interesting in comparison to the previous two, because the bad guys weren't all that supernatural in nature. The biggest nod in that direction was the alchemy (which I haven't spoiled because they mention it in the cover copy of the book). The criminals are just that--criminals, with no real supernatural element to them. This non-supernatural aspect made this book less terrifying than the previous one (where the bad guy was damn creepy), but it was also refreshing. I found the final twist as to what they really intended gruesome and believable and a cool twist on alchemy.

And there was a subplot woven through everything that is not resolved here and is obviously intended as a hook into the next book. I won't spoil that, but it certainly makes me wish the next book were out now.

Overall, a solid book. Not as good as the previous one (but mostly because it wasn't as dark, and I like dark). Widdershins continues to grow, and I feel that this book was a nice breather in her adventures, before she returns and faces what was so obviously set up as her next challenge in the next book.

Book Review: "Alien vs Alien" by Gini Koch

Alien vs. Aliens is the sixth book in Gini Koch's Alien series. The series is an action-packed mix of science fiction and romance with a warp factor pace. There's usually little to no time to breathe when you read.





This book begins with, of course, hints that the bad guys are up to something. It starts with the appearance of some faked but potentially still scandalous pictures of Kitty herself, followed by an assassination attempt on Kitty when she's trying to pass a test that will let her in on some governmental secrets that everyone else seems to already know about. And it rockets right along from there, with strange presents arriving from Alpha Centauri in the form of alien Peregrines, with ambiguous warning notes attached, ACE acting strange but with dire warnings to get everyone to safety, all while Martini, Chuck, and crew are attempting to provide security for the World One festival. Mayhem ensues.

As usual, the action and plot move along at a fast clip, with convoluted plots mixed within plots. Overall, the plotlines here were easy to follow (unlike a few of the previous books in the series), although in this book Kitty is kept in the dark for a good chunk of the book and I have to say it was done with (what I felt) was no good solid reason. I reached a point where I just wanted someone to spill the beans and let her in on all, or at least some, of the secrets being kept from her. Because of this, it felt like it took forever to get to the main plot's big reveal.

I did like that this book went back to some mysteries and loose ends introduced in past books (which I can't reveal because it would be spoilery). But there are at least two major elements from past books that finally get addressed here, and one of those is tied up quite nicely. All while introducing new material as well to keep the series fresh. I also liked (and there are fans of this series out there that will hate me for saying this) that the romance elements that can be far too strong for my taste were almost completely absent here. This was much more an action-packed science fiction book (although not hard SF) than it was a romance book. This may be because part of the plot revolved around the sudden disappearance of Martini and Chuck. Also great was the general abandonment of the rivalry between Martini and Chuck, which (I felt) had been carried on far, far too long in the previous books. They aren't bosom buddies here, but the jealousy thing on Martini's part was absent.

So, lots of good things in this novel. I wouldn't say it was strongest book in the series so far, but it's certainly not the weakest. Probably in my top three for this series. Mostly it's because the plot of this book felt a little looser and not quite as cohesive as in a few of the past books. Looking forward to the next book though.

Book Review: "Midnight Riot" by Ben Aaronovitch

Midnight Riot is the first book in Ben Aaronovitch's Rivers of London series. This is urban fantasy, set in London (obviously), and as most of you know, I'm not an avid urban fantasy fan. So take that into account when reading this review.





The premise is that Probationary Constable Peter Grant has "graduated" and is looking forward to being a real detective . . . except it appears he'll be assigned to a desk job. But after a grisly murder, he finds himself talking to an eyewitness ghost. His only hope in avoiding that desk job is to work with Thomas Nightingale, who investigates crimes involving magic. And this murder seems to fit the bill. As the horrific murders continue, Peter finds out there's more to the London streets than meets the eye.

In terms of urban fantasy, this book had a few good hooks going for it, which is why I picked it up in the first place. First, there's no focus on vampires (although their existence is addressed) or werewolves. Instead, the focus seems to be this magical crime and who might be wielding magic to commit the murders. And then there's the slow introduction of the gods and goddesses of the rivers of London. This idea--that each river has a manifestation in human form--was intriguing. I was drawn in by both of those concepts.

I was also drawn into the book by the dry humor of Peter Grant. He's mostly prosaic, but there are sudden punches of humor that bring him suddenly to vivid life. I did wish there were more of these instances in the book, because aside from those, and the scenes where Peter is starting to explore his magical abilities, Peter himself was sort of lifeless. I believe that some of this is to emphasize that he's a cop, and the style of the writing reflects that. But I still (in sections) wanted to see more life from Peter.

In a similar vein, while the manifestations of the rivers was a cool concept . . . I was expecting something more to happen with that in this book. Perhaps it happens in later books, as the series progresses. I was more interested in this plot element than the mystery of the murders, and in the end, this book is focused mostly on that mystery and its resolution. I was hoping for more from the other plotline as well.

So, while I enjoyed the book, in the end I felt as if I wanted more from certain aspects of it. I'll be reading the second, because multiple friends of mine have raved about the series, so I'll see if some of the promise of the rivers of London concept comes to fruition in the later volumes.

SHATTERING THE LEY Cover Hits the Online Bookstores!

So the cover of SHATTERING THE LEY (coming July 1st) has now hit the online bookstores, which is good, since I think the cover rocks and will help people to notice the book AND also help get them to preorder their copies. (Seriously, preorders really help the author, so if you know your going to get the book regardless, please preorder.) Here's the Barnes & Noble link and here's the link to Amazon.com And just in case you missed it earlier, here's the actual cover:

Signal Boost: "Steles of the Sky" by Elizabeth Bear

Elizabeth Bear (contributor to The Modern Fae's Guide to Surviving Humanity anthology) has a new book out this week called Steles of the Sky. It's the final book in her Eternal Sky trilogy. Check out the cover art and the description below. Then swing by the bookstore and pick up the book!





Cover Copy: Re Temur, legitimate heir to his grandfather’s Khaganate, has finally raised his banner and declared himself at war with his usurping uncle. With his companions--the Wizard Samarkar, the Cho-tse Hrahima, and the silent monk Brother Hsiung--he must make his way to Dragon Lake to gather in his army of followers. But Temur’s enemies are not idle; the leader of the Nameless Assassins, who has shattered the peace of the Steppe, has struck at Temur’s uncle already. To the south, in the Rasan empire, plague rages. To the east, the great city of Asmaracanda has burned, and the Uthman Caliph is deposed. All the world seems to be on fire, and who knows if even the beloved son of the Eternal Sky can save it?

CLOCKWORK UNIVERSE: STEAMPUNK vs ALIENS: Table of Contents!

I'm proud to announce the official Table of Contents for the Clockwork Universe: Steampunk vs. Aliens anthology, the inaugural release from the new small press Zombies Need Brains! We have a great line-up of authors, including long-standing familiar favorites and a few new names you should watch for in the future. We're hard at work designing the interior of the book, finalizing the cover, and arranging everything with the printer and distributor. We expect to be releasing the book no later than July 1st (with high hopes we can get it out before that). So keep watch here as the timeline develops!

In the meantime, you can check out cool Zombies Need Brains merchandise (t-shirt, baseball caps, totes, art prints, etc) at the new online store, even preorder the anthology if you'd like, if you missed out on backing the kickstarter. It will also be available for ordering on Amazon and Barnes & Noble once published. (Note: Black t-shirts are being printed right now! Watch for those additions in the next few weeks.)

So, without further ado, here's the current version of the cover (subject to change) and the Table of Contents! Enjoy.





Table of Contents:

Introduction by Patricia Bray

“The Cavorite Job” by Ian Tregillis

“Gracie’s Fire” by Leah Cutter

“Quinta Essentia” by Bradley P. Beaulieu

“When Comrade Ekaterina Died for the Motherland” by J.R. Hargenrader

“A Clockwork Alien” by Gini Koch

“Heart of the Empire” by Jason Palmatier

“The Red Queen and the White” by C.B. Pratt

“The Wizard of Woodrow Park” by Jean Marie Ward

“Of War and Wings” by Tansy Rayner Roberts

“Airship Down: A Sound and Fury Adventure” by Gail Z. Martin & Larry N. Martin

“Steamsuit” by David J. Fortier

“Fingers of Steam, Veins of Gold” by Brad Hafford

“Heart of Clockwork” by S.C. Butler

“Lady Antheia’s Guide to Horticultural Warfare” by Seanan McGuire

Author Interview and Signal Boost: "Perfect Pitch" by Mindy Klasky

Hey, all! Today we have an interview with Mindy Klasky, here to promote the start of her new series Diamond Brides with the book Perfect Pitch. I asked her to answer a few interview questions. But first, here's a brief description of the book and the cover art!





Cover Copy: Reigning beauty queen Samantha Winger is launching her pet project, a music program for kids. All she has to do is follow the pageant's rules—no smoking, drinking, or "cavorting" in public.

That's fine, until D.J. Thomas—God's gift to baseball—throws her a wild pitch. He slams her in an interview, and the video goes viral. Sam's no shrinking violet. She parlays D.J.'s apology into a national T.V. appearance—and a very unexpected, very public kiss.

Soon, paparazzi catch the couple in a steamy make-out session, and Sam's music program is on the block. The blazing hot relationship is threatened even more when D.J.'s son begs to trade in Little League for music class.

Can Sam and D.J. sizzle past the sour notes and find their perfect pitch?





Author Bio: Mindy Klasky learned to read when her parents shoved a book in her hands and told her she could travel anywhere through stories. As a writer, Mindy has traveled through various genres, including hot contemporary romance. In her spare time, Mindy knits, quilts, and tries to tame her to-be-read shelf.

Link to where to buy the book!

And now the interview:

1. First, introduce yourself!

I'm Mindy Klasky. Once upon a time, I was a lawyer, and then I was a librarian. Now I write books full time.

I've changed genres almost as often as I've changed careers. I started out writing traditional fantasy (e.g., The Glasswrights Series) and then I wrote light paranormal romance about a librarian who finds out she's a witch (The Jane Madison Series.) After that, I took a spin through category romance. I've written for several traditional publishers and I've published works independently through Book View Café, an author-owned publishing cooperative.

2. Now give us the Hollywood pitch version of your new book/project. Two sentences max. Something along the lines of "[Book Title] is Harry Potter crossed with Aliens, with a touching twist of Knocked Up humor!"

Perfect Pitch is Bull Durham crossed with old-fashioned category romance, with a hot splash of Fifty Shades of Gray (for the heat of the love scenes not the, ahem, writing style.) It's the first of nine short, hot contemporary romance novels in the Diamond Brides Series.

3. Give us an expanded description of the book/project. What makes this project different and worth checking out? What sets it apart from everything else in the field?

Perfect Pitch (and the other Diamond Brides books) are perfect summer reads. They're short--around 150 pages each--and they're fun. Each book tells the story of a different player on the (imaginary) Raleigh Rockets baseball team.

Perfect Pitch is different from most of my books, because there isn't a hint of anything magical or paranormal in the story. Also, each book is narrated from two third-person points of view--the hero's and the heroine's--which is different from the first person narration of my Jane Madison Series and the As You Wish Series.

(Savvy readers will probably realize they're reading a Klasky book, though. I couldn't get away from the descriptions of food that mark my writing. And I had to keep a strong line of humor running through the books!)

Oh! And the books aren't just for baseball fans. They're for anyone who enjoys reading hot stories about men and women who are smart, confident professionals. Each one stands on its own, telling a complete love story that just happens to have a baseball stadium as its backdrop.


4. What part of the writing process for this book/project did you struggle with the most? Why was that particularly difficult? What did it teach you about the writing process (if anything)?

The Diamond Brides Series is hitting the market on a rapid release schedule--nine complete novels in eight months. (Perfect Pitch launched on March 31, Opening Day for Major League Baseball. Catching Hell hits stores on April 13, and Reaching First will be out on May 4. After that, each book will launch on the first Sunday of the month, through November 2.)

Although the books are self-contained, they all involve the same baseball team, and there are many recurring characters, along with a number of common places (Artie's Steakhouse, the Club Joe coffee shop, etc.) In order to manage the massive number of details that anchor the series, I needed to change my writing process. Instead of keeping each novel in a separate "Project" on Scrivener (my preferred writing software), I kept all nine in one massive Project.

That single huge Project allowed me to cross-reference details. For example, I could make a global change to a character's name and be confident that I'd made the adjustment in every book. Along the way, I discovered that the single Project also allowed me to track writing tics. I discovered that far too many of my characters used certain phrases ("one hundred percent certain" was a particularly glaring one), and way too many characters shared actions and reactions. (At one point, I had more than ten different people "offering a mock salute" at various points in the series!)

Ultimately, juggling these nine stories has taught me a lot about my writing "defaults," the words and phrases I fall back on without thinking. I've learned to recognize many of my weaknesses, even correcting a number of them in the drafting stage, instead of waiting for edits.

5. What was your favorite part of writing this book/project? What gave you chills when you wrote it and made you think, "Oh, this is GOOD!"?

Many of my books have had romantic storylines, and several of my characters have ultimately found their true loves. Perfect Pitch, though, was the first of my books to have a flat-out, not-behind-a-closed-door love scene, in quite graphic detail.

And I found, while writing that scene (and ones in the other Diamond Brides books) that it's fun to write sex! Especially when there's the added challenge of making each scene different from the others, true to the specific characters, and inventive enough to entertain readers of the entire series. A good love scene isn't just a graphic description of body parts and what they're doing. It's also a revelation of character--it shows who the hero and heroine truly are, what they value, what they believe. (In that respect, a good sex scene is like a good battle scene--the careful blocking reveals far more than the unadorned events.)

I've had a wonderful time writing Perfect Pitch and the other books in the series. And I hope you'll have a great time reading them!

Thanks, Joshua, for the chance to stop by and talk to your readers!

New Releases From DAW Books!

I've just posted the new releases for April over at the DAW Books blog (dawbooks)! No joke! We've got a new C.J. Cherryh hardcover in the Foreigner series this month, plus a paperback release of John Marco's last Bronze Knight book. Swing on by and check them out!

New Book Discussion!

I've just posted the next book discussion over at the DAW Book blog ( dawbooks )! We're looking at Seanan McGuire's Half-Off Ragnarok, the third Incryptid novel. Swing on by and check it out! Leave a comment if you've already read it.

Latest Book Discussion!

I've just posted the book discussion for Stephen Leigh's Immortal Muse over at the DAW Books blog ( dawbooks )! Swing on by and see what the buzz is all about. And leave a comment if you've already read the book!