Martha Wells's Blog, page 98
August 11, 2015
Thanks so much to everyone who participated in the sale y...
Thanks so much to everyone who participated in the sale yesterday! I'm mailing books today, so you should start getting them soon.
Everything went pretty fast, though I do still have spare hardcovers of The Ships of Air (second book in the Fall of Ile-Rien trilogy) if anyone's interested. I wish I had more copies of The Wizard Hunters but for some reason I haven't ended up with many. It is still showing up in paperback on Amazon, and I think that's about it.
Everything went pretty fast, though I do still have spare hardcovers of The Ships of Air (second book in the Fall of Ile-Rien trilogy) if anyone's interested. I wish I had more copies of The Wizard Hunters but for some reason I haven't ended up with many. It is still showing up in paperback on Amazon, and I think that's about it.
August 10, 2015
Quickie Book Sale
I'm having a budget shortfall this month, and also I'm storing a lot of books. So I thought I'd combine those things and have a quick sale of older out-of-print books. (These are remaindered copies I purchased over the years.)
I have:
ETA: No trilogy sets left!
ETA again: No copies of Wheel of the Infinite left!
I can also sell single copies of:
* The Ships of Air in hardcover $13.00 + $5.00 postage
* The Ships of Air in paperback $5.00 + $3.00 postage
* The Gate of Gods in paperback $5.00 + $3.00 postage
(I just don't have many copies left of The Wizard Hunters and want to save it for sets.)
POSTAGE:
This is for media mail in the US plus padded envelope.
* For a hardcover set of 3 books: $10.00
* For a paperback set of 3 books: $5.00
* For a single paperback $3.00
* For a single hardcover $5.00
- If you want books shipped internationally, it's going to be more expensive and I'll have to figure that out individually.
Other Info
* All books will be autographed, either just a signature or personalized to your name or someone else's name.
* Sale will end on Wednesday August 12th at midnight CST because I want to hopefully ship the books on Thursday. Payment by Paypal only.
How to buy If you want to buy a book or set, email me at webadmin @ martha wells dot com and I'll email you back the paypal address, etc. Once the buyer pays, I'll mark on this post that that set or book is not available any longer.
Hope that all makes sense. Comment if you have any questions. And thank you!
I have:
ETA: No trilogy sets left!
ETA again: No copies of Wheel of the Infinite left!
I can also sell single copies of:
* The Ships of Air in hardcover $13.00 + $5.00 postage
* The Ships of Air in paperback $5.00 + $3.00 postage
* The Gate of Gods in paperback $5.00 + $3.00 postage
(I just don't have many copies left of The Wizard Hunters and want to save it for sets.)
POSTAGE:
This is for media mail in the US plus padded envelope.
* For a hardcover set of 3 books: $10.00
* For a paperback set of 3 books: $5.00
* For a single paperback $3.00
* For a single hardcover $5.00
- If you want books shipped internationally, it's going to be more expensive and I'll have to figure that out individually.
Other Info
* All books will be autographed, either just a signature or personalized to your name or someone else's name.
* Sale will end on Wednesday August 12th at midnight CST because I want to hopefully ship the books on Thursday. Payment by Paypal only.
How to buy If you want to buy a book or set, email me at webadmin @ martha wells dot com and I'll email you back the paypal address, etc. Once the buyer pays, I'll mark on this post that that set or book is not available any longer.
Hope that all makes sense. Comment if you have any questions. And thank you!
Monday
I haven't been doing much but working on the sequel to The Edge of Worlds (there's a section for it now on my site, though there isn't much there yet).
The cover art is done and I've seen the versions with the titles, so I'm hoping to be able to show that to people soon.
This weekend we babysat a friend's dog while she was out of town, and the dog (Lola) ended up having an upset stomach on Friday and Saturday, probably from nerves at being in a strange house. She was better by Saturday night and fine on Sunday. So that was pretty much it for the weekend: working, sitting with sick but very sweet dog, and watching the Ocean's 11 movies.
I am going to be at WorldCon, and will be reading from the new Raksura book The Edge of Worlds. My schedule is here.
Here's a question from the web site:
Wes asked: Is there a possibility of getting "The Edge Of Worlds" as an audio book? If so can you give a general ETA?
Yes, there is a possibility but it depends on whether Audible makes the decision to acquire the audio rights, which depends on how well the previous audio books in the series sell. If they do decide to make it an audio book, hopefully it will come out at the same time as the print and ebook. Hopefully we'll also get the same narrator, Christopher Kipiniak.
The cover art is done and I've seen the versions with the titles, so I'm hoping to be able to show that to people soon.
This weekend we babysat a friend's dog while she was out of town, and the dog (Lola) ended up having an upset stomach on Friday and Saturday, probably from nerves at being in a strange house. She was better by Saturday night and fine on Sunday. So that was pretty much it for the weekend: working, sitting with sick but very sweet dog, and watching the Ocean's 11 movies.
I am going to be at WorldCon, and will be reading from the new Raksura book The Edge of Worlds. My schedule is here.
Here's a question from the web site:
Wes asked: Is there a possibility of getting "The Edge Of Worlds" as an audio book? If so can you give a general ETA?
Yes, there is a possibility but it depends on whether Audible makes the decision to acquire the audio rights, which depends on how well the previous audio books in the series sell. If they do decide to make it an audio book, hopefully it will come out at the same time as the print and ebook. Hopefully we'll also get the same narrator, Christopher Kipiniak.
August 4, 2015
New Books
Tuesday is new book day:
* The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin
I got to read this in advance and liked it so much I gave it a quote:
"This is an intense, exciting novel, where survival is always on the line, set in a fascinating, original and dangerous world with an intriguing mystery at the heart of it. I can't wait to see what happens in the next book!"
* School for Sidekicks by Kelly McCullough
Publishers Weekly said: When Evan enrolls in the Academy for Metahuman Operatives, aka the School for Sidekicks, he learns that Captain Commanding has had him blackballed—no adult Mask will work with him except for the disgraced Foxman, “a failure, and a drunk,” as Evan puts it. Evan’s smartass narration, dangerous run-ins with evil Hoods, tough moral quandaries, and a wild range of superpowered heroes and villains—including Blurshift, a genderfluid shapeshifer, and the Fluffinator, who commands an army of “plush collectibles” (don’t call them teddy bears)—make this an excellent choice for any reader awaiting the next Marvel film.
* Sorcerer to the Crown by Zen Cho is up for preorder
The Royal Society of Unnatural Philosophers, one of the most respected organizations throughout all of England, has long been tasked with maintaining magic within His Majesty’s lands. But lately, the once proper institute has fallen into disgrace, naming an altogether unsuitable gentleman—a freed slave who doesn’t even have a familiar—as their Sorcerer Royal, and allowing England’s once profuse stores of magic to slowly bleed dry. At least they haven’t stooped so low as to allow women to practice what is obviously a man’s profession...
* The Gulf of Time and Stars by Julie E. Czerneda is up for preorder
First in a new science fiction trilogy, set in the same universe as the Clan Chronicles, by the Prix Aurora Award-winning Julie E. Czerneda.
* Fable: Blood of Heroes by Jim C. Hines
Deep in Albion’s darkest age, long before once upon a time . . . Heroes are thought to be gone from the land. So why have the bards begun singing of them once more? For Fable newcomers and dedicated fans alike, Blood of Heroes delves into a never-before-glimpsed era, telling the tale of a band of adventurers who come together to defend a kingdom in desperate need.
* Public Enemies by Anne Aguirre
Through a Faustian bargain, Edie Kramer has been pulled into the dangerous world of the Immortal Game, where belief makes your nightmares real. Hungry for sport, fears-made-flesh are always raising the stakes. To them, human lives are less than nothing, just pieces on a board.
* GoodReads Giveaway for The House of Shattered Wings by Aliette de Bodard
* The Dead Man's Reach by D.B. Jackson
Publishers Weekly: Usually aided by his magic, Ethan finds that it is being tapped by another conjurer to trigger violence in a city already simmering with rebellion. He suspects that the interloper is his nemesis, Nate Ramsey, a spellcaster who disappeared after a fiery showdown in 2014’s A Plunder of Souls. Worse, Ramsey’s vengeance includes Ethan’s nearest and dearest, forcing him to make ugly choices between personal and civic duty. Jackson deftly mixes in the chaos of the Boston Massacre and the sobering realities of colonial street life, presenting a hero who is driven yet reflective on his responsibilities.
* A Wish Upon Jasmine by Laura Florand
ome explore the south of France, a world of heat and fragrance and tales as old as time, through the stories of the five powerful Rosier cousins and the women who win their hearts. A Wish Upon Jasmine, book two in Florand's addictive new series, La Vie en Roses.
* Jeweled Fire by Sharon Shinn is up for preorder
The next book in the Elemental Blessings series. As one of the four princesses of Welce, Corene always thought she might one day become queen. Only circumstances changed, leaving fiery Corene with nothing to show for a life spent playing the game of court intrigue—until a chance arises to become the ruler of a nearby country.
* The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin
I got to read this in advance and liked it so much I gave it a quote:
"This is an intense, exciting novel, where survival is always on the line, set in a fascinating, original and dangerous world with an intriguing mystery at the heart of it. I can't wait to see what happens in the next book!"
* School for Sidekicks by Kelly McCullough
Publishers Weekly said: When Evan enrolls in the Academy for Metahuman Operatives, aka the School for Sidekicks, he learns that Captain Commanding has had him blackballed—no adult Mask will work with him except for the disgraced Foxman, “a failure, and a drunk,” as Evan puts it. Evan’s smartass narration, dangerous run-ins with evil Hoods, tough moral quandaries, and a wild range of superpowered heroes and villains—including Blurshift, a genderfluid shapeshifer, and the Fluffinator, who commands an army of “plush collectibles” (don’t call them teddy bears)—make this an excellent choice for any reader awaiting the next Marvel film.
* Sorcerer to the Crown by Zen Cho is up for preorder
The Royal Society of Unnatural Philosophers, one of the most respected organizations throughout all of England, has long been tasked with maintaining magic within His Majesty’s lands. But lately, the once proper institute has fallen into disgrace, naming an altogether unsuitable gentleman—a freed slave who doesn’t even have a familiar—as their Sorcerer Royal, and allowing England’s once profuse stores of magic to slowly bleed dry. At least they haven’t stooped so low as to allow women to practice what is obviously a man’s profession...
* The Gulf of Time and Stars by Julie E. Czerneda is up for preorder
First in a new science fiction trilogy, set in the same universe as the Clan Chronicles, by the Prix Aurora Award-winning Julie E. Czerneda.
* Fable: Blood of Heroes by Jim C. Hines
Deep in Albion’s darkest age, long before once upon a time . . . Heroes are thought to be gone from the land. So why have the bards begun singing of them once more? For Fable newcomers and dedicated fans alike, Blood of Heroes delves into a never-before-glimpsed era, telling the tale of a band of adventurers who come together to defend a kingdom in desperate need.
* Public Enemies by Anne Aguirre
Through a Faustian bargain, Edie Kramer has been pulled into the dangerous world of the Immortal Game, where belief makes your nightmares real. Hungry for sport, fears-made-flesh are always raising the stakes. To them, human lives are less than nothing, just pieces on a board.
* GoodReads Giveaway for The House of Shattered Wings by Aliette de Bodard
* The Dead Man's Reach by D.B. Jackson
Publishers Weekly: Usually aided by his magic, Ethan finds that it is being tapped by another conjurer to trigger violence in a city already simmering with rebellion. He suspects that the interloper is his nemesis, Nate Ramsey, a spellcaster who disappeared after a fiery showdown in 2014’s A Plunder of Souls. Worse, Ramsey’s vengeance includes Ethan’s nearest and dearest, forcing him to make ugly choices between personal and civic duty. Jackson deftly mixes in the chaos of the Boston Massacre and the sobering realities of colonial street life, presenting a hero who is driven yet reflective on his responsibilities.
* A Wish Upon Jasmine by Laura Florand
ome explore the south of France, a world of heat and fragrance and tales as old as time, through the stories of the five powerful Rosier cousins and the women who win their hearts. A Wish Upon Jasmine, book two in Florand's addictive new series, La Vie en Roses.
* Jeweled Fire by Sharon Shinn is up for preorder
The next book in the Elemental Blessings series. As one of the four princesses of Welce, Corene always thought she might one day become queen. Only circumstances changed, leaving fiery Corene with nothing to show for a life spent playing the game of court intrigue—until a chance arises to become the ruler of a nearby country.
August 3, 2015
A Few Things
WorldCon Schedule: WorldCon is in Spokane, WA this year. (It was in London last year.) The program is searchable online, and I think the sign-ups for the Kaffee Klatches are online this year too.
You Like That on Doctor Who? But How Could You Not Like This?
Thursday 13:00 - 13:45, 300C (CC)
Think "The Rings of Akhaten" is better than it gets credit for? Or that "The Caves of Androzoni" is overrated? What episodes of Doctor Who do you like that few others do and why? Which always rank near the top of fan polls but you just don't like? And which are nearly forgotten (and should be)?
Jim Mann (M), Warren Frey, Steven Schapansky, Martha Wells, Charlie Reeves
Writers Workshop section
Thursday 16:00 - 19:00,
All workshop sections are closed to non-participants.
Autographing - Kendare Blake, Randy Henderson, Jason Hough, Lee Moyer, Robert J. Sawyer, Martha Wells
Friday 11:00 - 11:45, Exhibit Hall B (CC)
Reading - Martha Wells
Friday 14:00 - 14:30, 304 (CC)
Martha Wells
From Middle Earth to Westeros: Fantasy Worldbuilding
Saturday 10:00 - 10:45, Integra Telecom Ballroom 100B (CC)
Building a believable world, with believable geography, culture, and rules, is at least as important in fantasy as it is in SF. The panel looks at how to create fantasy worlds, citing examples of the good (and maybe the not so good).
Martha Wells (M), Matthew Johnson, Mary Soon Lee, Michael Swanwick, Pat Cadigan
Kaffee Klatche - Martha Wells
Saturday 13:00 - 13:45, 202B-KK4 (CC)
Join a panelist and up to 9 other fans for a small discussion. Coffee and snacks available for sale on the 2nd floor. Requires advance sign-up.
***
ArmadilloCon in Austin was a lot of fun this year. It's a small con, with maybe 500-600 people, focused on books and art, but with a lot of authors. Everything seemed to go pretty smoothly, and the all day writers workshop on Friday, run by Marshall Ryan Maresca, went really well. The first half of the day there are two writing-related panels for the workshop participants only, then we break into groups for the rest of the day and do the critiquing. It was neat to see people who had been students in the workshop several years ago now coming back to teach as pros.
Ken Liu was the guest of honor and did a presentation on translating Chinese SF, "Betrayal With Integrity: Conformance and Estrangement in Translating Chinese SF" and a panel on Silkpunk: Asian themes and influences in SF/F.
Most of my panels were on business aspects of writing, and we answered a lot of questions. I also did a reading from the new Raksura book, The Edge of Worlds, and had a pretty good-sized audience of about twelve people.
A lot of the non-panel, non-reading activity took place in the lobby bar area, and it was very noisy and happy down there on Friday and Saturday nights.
And a friend of mine got her nails done in a very cool Raksura pattern: photo on Tumblr
You Like That on Doctor Who? But How Could You Not Like This?
Thursday 13:00 - 13:45, 300C (CC)
Think "The Rings of Akhaten" is better than it gets credit for? Or that "The Caves of Androzoni" is overrated? What episodes of Doctor Who do you like that few others do and why? Which always rank near the top of fan polls but you just don't like? And which are nearly forgotten (and should be)?
Jim Mann (M), Warren Frey, Steven Schapansky, Martha Wells, Charlie Reeves
Writers Workshop section
Thursday 16:00 - 19:00,
All workshop sections are closed to non-participants.
Autographing - Kendare Blake, Randy Henderson, Jason Hough, Lee Moyer, Robert J. Sawyer, Martha Wells
Friday 11:00 - 11:45, Exhibit Hall B (CC)
Reading - Martha Wells
Friday 14:00 - 14:30, 304 (CC)
Martha Wells
From Middle Earth to Westeros: Fantasy Worldbuilding
Saturday 10:00 - 10:45, Integra Telecom Ballroom 100B (CC)
Building a believable world, with believable geography, culture, and rules, is at least as important in fantasy as it is in SF. The panel looks at how to create fantasy worlds, citing examples of the good (and maybe the not so good).
Martha Wells (M), Matthew Johnson, Mary Soon Lee, Michael Swanwick, Pat Cadigan
Kaffee Klatche - Martha Wells
Saturday 13:00 - 13:45, 202B-KK4 (CC)
Join a panelist and up to 9 other fans for a small discussion. Coffee and snacks available for sale on the 2nd floor. Requires advance sign-up.
***
ArmadilloCon in Austin was a lot of fun this year. It's a small con, with maybe 500-600 people, focused on books and art, but with a lot of authors. Everything seemed to go pretty smoothly, and the all day writers workshop on Friday, run by Marshall Ryan Maresca, went really well. The first half of the day there are two writing-related panels for the workshop participants only, then we break into groups for the rest of the day and do the critiquing. It was neat to see people who had been students in the workshop several years ago now coming back to teach as pros.
Ken Liu was the guest of honor and did a presentation on translating Chinese SF, "Betrayal With Integrity: Conformance and Estrangement in Translating Chinese SF" and a panel on Silkpunk: Asian themes and influences in SF/F.
Most of my panels were on business aspects of writing, and we answered a lot of questions. I also did a reading from the new Raksura book, The Edge of Worlds, and had a pretty good-sized audience of about twelve people.
A lot of the non-panel, non-reading activity took place in the lobby bar area, and it was very noisy and happy down there on Friday and Saturday nights.
And a friend of mine got her nails done in a very cool Raksura pattern: photo on Tumblr
July 30, 2015
Thanks for the great comments on the new book sale, every...
Thanks for the great comments on the new book sale, everybody! (If you missed it, the publisher's announcement is here.)
More info that was on Twitter but not here:
* The first book, The Edge of Worlds: A Novel of the Raksura, will be out in hardcover in April 2016.
* It's already written and turned in.
* The cover is by Yukari Masuike, whose work you can see here. I've seen the art but can't show it yet, argh.
* It will also be out in ebook and hopefully audiobook. I'll post about that once I know for sure.
* The hardcover is already up for preorder on Amazon US, Powell's, Barnes and Noble, Chapters Indigo, Mysterious Galaxy, Books-a-Million, Amazon UK, Amazon Canada, Amazon France, and all the other Amazons. (If you have trouble finding it, use the ISBN 9781597808439.) Order it locally in the US from an independent bookseller through Indiebound
More info that was on Twitter but not here:
* The first book, The Edge of Worlds: A Novel of the Raksura, will be out in hardcover in April 2016.
* It's already written and turned in.
* The cover is by Yukari Masuike, whose work you can see here. I've seen the art but can't show it yet, argh.
* It will also be out in ebook and hopefully audiobook. I'll post about that once I know for sure.
* The hardcover is already up for preorder on Amazon US, Powell's, Barnes and Noble, Chapters Indigo, Mysterious Galaxy, Books-a-Million, Amazon UK, Amazon Canada, Amazon France, and all the other Amazons. (If you have trouble finding it, use the ISBN 9781597808439.) Order it locally in the US from an independent bookseller through Indiebound
July 29, 2015
New Book Announcement: Martha Wells’ The Edge of Worlds
This is the new announcement I've been waiting to make!
Night Shade Books is thrilled to be able to announce the acquisition of World English rights to two new novels from Nebula Award-nominated author Martha Wells, set in the same Three Worlds universe as her popular Raksura books. The first book, The Edge of Worlds, will publish in April 2016, and is the start of a new standalone duology, making it a great entry point for new readers.
Martha is one of the most talented (and nicest) authors Night Shade has had the pleasure of working with, and over the course of the past few years we’ve published a Raksura trilogy (The Cloud Roads, The Serpent Sea, The Siren Depths) and a two-volume collection of novellas and short stories set in the same world (Stories of the Raksura Volumes One and Two). We could go on and on about how smart, excited, and emotionally powerful these books are, but don’t take our word for it: Foz Meadows has written an excellent, couldn’t-say-it-better-ourselves review for the recently-released Stories of the Raksura: Volume Two, highlighting so many of the different aspects of what makes these books special.
"Basically, I will die on a f***ng battlefield for these books, and I don’t care how unobjective that makes me sound: they are amazing, and you need to give them a try."
Wells had this to say about the new series: "I’ve enjoyed writing the Raksura books so much, and in a lot of ways they’re books that I’ve always wanted to write—it just took me writing a bunch of other books to figure that out. I hope this new duology can act as a starting point for people who haven’t tried the trilogy yet. Where the trilogy was about survival and rebuilding a home, the two new books take the Raksura’s story out of their colony in the Reaches and out into the wider Three Worlds, and also deal more with some of the mysteries and issues that were just touched on in the trilogy. I hope people enjoy reading them as much as I enjoy writing them."
Acquiring editor Jeremy Lassen added: "The depth and brilliance of Martha Wells’ unique world building is amazing. I don’t think the wider fantasy-reading world realizes what a treasure they are missing. It’s like somebody fused the best parts of China Mieville and Robin Hobb, creating a hybrid (Dare I say shape-shifting? No. That is a metaphor too far.) narrative that grabs the readers attention and doesn’t let go. The Edge of Worlds is something special, and I’m looking forward to it cementing her reputation as one of the most exciting fantasists of the day."
Check out a description of the first book below, as well as a round-up of the great reviews Stories of the Raksura: Volume Two has received.
Martha Wells expands her world of the Raksura with the start of a brand new Three Worlds series.
An expedition of groundlings from the Empire of Kish have traveled through the Three Worlds to the Indigo Cloud court of the Raksura, shape-shifting creatures of flight that live in large family groups. The groundlings have found a sealed ancient city at the edge of the shallow seas, near the deeps of the impassable Ocean. They believe it to be the last home of their ancestors and ask for help getting inside. But the Raksura fear it was built by their own distant ancestors, the Forerunners, and the last sealed Forerunner city they encountered was a prison for an unstoppable evil.
Prior to the groundlings’ arrival, the Indigo Cloud court had been plagued by visions of a disaster that could destroy all the courts in the Reaches. Now, the court’s mentors believe the ancient city is connected to the foretold danger. A small group of warriors, including consort Moon, an orphan new to the colony and the Raksura’s idea of family, and sister queen Jade, agree to go with the groundling expedition to investigate. But the predatory Fell have found the city too, and in the race to keep the danger contained, the Raksura may be the ones who inadvertently release it.
The Edge of Worlds, from celebrated fantasy author Martha Wells, returns to the fascinating world of The Cloud Roads for the first book in a new series of strange lands of uncanny beings, dead cities and ancient danger.
Praise for Stories of the Raksura: Volume Two:
"Wells fleshes out her Books of the Raksura series in this strong short story collection. . . With a strong sense of adventure, horror, and mystery, this is an enjoyable read for fantasy fans seeking a new series to sample."
—Publishers Weekly
"Immensely pleasing. . . the shorter stories still encompass everything that makes the novels so satisfying, from the daily interactions between Raksura to the incredible creatures, mysteries and landscapes of the Three Worlds, and if Martha Wells were to never write anything other than Raksura stories from now on, as much as I love her other work, I can’t say I’d complain."
—Foz Meadows, A Dribble of Ink
"I wonderfully enjoyed these stories. . .I urge readers with any interest in secondary world fantasy who have not done so to pick up The Cloud Roads and begin there and work your way to this volume. And then, like me, you can hope and wait for future volumes set in Wells’ rich and endlessly entertaining world, peoples and characters."
—Paul Weimer, Skiffy and Fanty
"This short story collection deserves all the praise it gets, because there’s no fluff here, only quality fantasy from start to finish … it’s a perfect collection for fans of the Raksura."
—Rising Shadow
"All in all it’s a great collection of stories…all of them colorful, imaginative and fun… Must reads for fans of the series."
—Roqoo Depot, 5/5
Martha Wells is the author of more than a dozen science fiction and fantasy novels, including the Ile-Rien series (The Death of the Necromancer) and the Books of the Raksura (The Cloud Roads). Her work has been nominated for the Nebula and Compton Crook awards, and published in seven languages. Check out her website here and follow her on Twitter @marthawells1.
Night Shade Books is thrilled to be able to announce the acquisition of World English rights to two new novels from Nebula Award-nominated author Martha Wells, set in the same Three Worlds universe as her popular Raksura books. The first book, The Edge of Worlds, will publish in April 2016, and is the start of a new standalone duology, making it a great entry point for new readers.
Martha is one of the most talented (and nicest) authors Night Shade has had the pleasure of working with, and over the course of the past few years we’ve published a Raksura trilogy (The Cloud Roads, The Serpent Sea, The Siren Depths) and a two-volume collection of novellas and short stories set in the same world (Stories of the Raksura Volumes One and Two). We could go on and on about how smart, excited, and emotionally powerful these books are, but don’t take our word for it: Foz Meadows has written an excellent, couldn’t-say-it-better-ourselves review for the recently-released Stories of the Raksura: Volume Two, highlighting so many of the different aspects of what makes these books special.
"Basically, I will die on a f***ng battlefield for these books, and I don’t care how unobjective that makes me sound: they are amazing, and you need to give them a try."
Wells had this to say about the new series: "I’ve enjoyed writing the Raksura books so much, and in a lot of ways they’re books that I’ve always wanted to write—it just took me writing a bunch of other books to figure that out. I hope this new duology can act as a starting point for people who haven’t tried the trilogy yet. Where the trilogy was about survival and rebuilding a home, the two new books take the Raksura’s story out of their colony in the Reaches and out into the wider Three Worlds, and also deal more with some of the mysteries and issues that were just touched on in the trilogy. I hope people enjoy reading them as much as I enjoy writing them."
Acquiring editor Jeremy Lassen added: "The depth and brilliance of Martha Wells’ unique world building is amazing. I don’t think the wider fantasy-reading world realizes what a treasure they are missing. It’s like somebody fused the best parts of China Mieville and Robin Hobb, creating a hybrid (Dare I say shape-shifting? No. That is a metaphor too far.) narrative that grabs the readers attention and doesn’t let go. The Edge of Worlds is something special, and I’m looking forward to it cementing her reputation as one of the most exciting fantasists of the day."
Check out a description of the first book below, as well as a round-up of the great reviews Stories of the Raksura: Volume Two has received.
Martha Wells expands her world of the Raksura with the start of a brand new Three Worlds series.
An expedition of groundlings from the Empire of Kish have traveled through the Three Worlds to the Indigo Cloud court of the Raksura, shape-shifting creatures of flight that live in large family groups. The groundlings have found a sealed ancient city at the edge of the shallow seas, near the deeps of the impassable Ocean. They believe it to be the last home of their ancestors and ask for help getting inside. But the Raksura fear it was built by their own distant ancestors, the Forerunners, and the last sealed Forerunner city they encountered was a prison for an unstoppable evil.
Prior to the groundlings’ arrival, the Indigo Cloud court had been plagued by visions of a disaster that could destroy all the courts in the Reaches. Now, the court’s mentors believe the ancient city is connected to the foretold danger. A small group of warriors, including consort Moon, an orphan new to the colony and the Raksura’s idea of family, and sister queen Jade, agree to go with the groundling expedition to investigate. But the predatory Fell have found the city too, and in the race to keep the danger contained, the Raksura may be the ones who inadvertently release it.
The Edge of Worlds, from celebrated fantasy author Martha Wells, returns to the fascinating world of The Cloud Roads for the first book in a new series of strange lands of uncanny beings, dead cities and ancient danger.
Praise for Stories of the Raksura: Volume Two:
"Wells fleshes out her Books of the Raksura series in this strong short story collection. . . With a strong sense of adventure, horror, and mystery, this is an enjoyable read for fantasy fans seeking a new series to sample."
—Publishers Weekly
"Immensely pleasing. . . the shorter stories still encompass everything that makes the novels so satisfying, from the daily interactions between Raksura to the incredible creatures, mysteries and landscapes of the Three Worlds, and if Martha Wells were to never write anything other than Raksura stories from now on, as much as I love her other work, I can’t say I’d complain."
—Foz Meadows, A Dribble of Ink
"I wonderfully enjoyed these stories. . .I urge readers with any interest in secondary world fantasy who have not done so to pick up The Cloud Roads and begin there and work your way to this volume. And then, like me, you can hope and wait for future volumes set in Wells’ rich and endlessly entertaining world, peoples and characters."
—Paul Weimer, Skiffy and Fanty
"This short story collection deserves all the praise it gets, because there’s no fluff here, only quality fantasy from start to finish … it’s a perfect collection for fans of the Raksura."
—Rising Shadow
"All in all it’s a great collection of stories…all of them colorful, imaginative and fun… Must reads for fans of the series."
—Roqoo Depot, 5/5
Martha Wells is the author of more than a dozen science fiction and fantasy novels, including the Ile-Rien series (The Death of the Necromancer) and the Books of the Raksura (The Cloud Roads). Her work has been nominated for the Nebula and Compton Crook awards, and published in seven languages. Check out her website here and follow her on Twitter @marthawells1.
July 20, 2015
ArmadilloCon
This weekend (July 24-26) I'll be at ArmadilloCon in Austin, TX. This is one of my favorite ever conventions, and the first one I was ever guest of honor at back in 2002.
I'll be there Friday, but I'll be teaching in the writers workshop all day.
Sa1100D Learning to Write: Recommended Workshops, Books and Classes
Sat 11:00 AM-Noon Ballroom D
Cardin, Catmull*, K. M. Hoover, Maresca, Wells, Yoachim
A look at formal and informal education for beginning writers or those who want to improve their craft
Sa1300B Reading
Sat 1:00 PM-1:30 PM Southpark B
Martha Wells
Sa1500E Career Adjustments for the Writer
Sat 3:00 PM-4:00 PM Ballroom E
Liu, Maresca, Southard, Swendson, Weisman, Wells*,
Knowing when it's time to switch agent, publisher, genre, or even (last resort) your name.
Sa1600DR Autographing
Sat 4:00 PM-5:00 PM Dealers' Room
Cheney, Eudaly, Finn, Latner, Reed, Webb, Wells
Sa2100F Economics and Infrastructure in Worldbuilding
Sat 9:00 PM-10:00 PM Ballroom F
Bakutis, Carl, Dimond*, K. M. Hoover, Stoddard, Wells
Building a fictional world that would actually work
Su1100F Hardcore Business of Writing
Sun 11:00 AM-Noon Ballroom F
Cheney, Jacobs, Maresca, Swendson*, Wells
Book Recs
* Bradley Denton's earlier novels are finally available in ebook: Blackburn and Lunatics
* Linda Nagata's The Trials is coming out in August, sequel to The Red: First Light
Publishers Weekly: Nagata (The Bohr Maker) writes very good action sequences and the book moves well, even when its protagonist is pinned to a bed and relearning how to use his body. Shelley is a nicely developed character with an interesting voice. Fans of thoughtful, cynical, and not particularly jingoistic military SF will love this book.
* Barbara Hambly has put her short fiction and novellas in ebook. These were previously available only on her web site. There are Sherlock Holmes stories, Benjamin January stories, Sunwolf and Starhawk, and Windrose stories.
I'll be there Friday, but I'll be teaching in the writers workshop all day.
Sa1100D Learning to Write: Recommended Workshops, Books and Classes
Sat 11:00 AM-Noon Ballroom D
Cardin, Catmull*, K. M. Hoover, Maresca, Wells, Yoachim
A look at formal and informal education for beginning writers or those who want to improve their craft
Sa1300B Reading
Sat 1:00 PM-1:30 PM Southpark B
Martha Wells
Sa1500E Career Adjustments for the Writer
Sat 3:00 PM-4:00 PM Ballroom E
Liu, Maresca, Southard, Swendson, Weisman, Wells*,
Knowing when it's time to switch agent, publisher, genre, or even (last resort) your name.
Sa1600DR Autographing
Sat 4:00 PM-5:00 PM Dealers' Room
Cheney, Eudaly, Finn, Latner, Reed, Webb, Wells
Sa2100F Economics and Infrastructure in Worldbuilding
Sat 9:00 PM-10:00 PM Ballroom F
Bakutis, Carl, Dimond*, K. M. Hoover, Stoddard, Wells
Building a fictional world that would actually work
Su1100F Hardcore Business of Writing
Sun 11:00 AM-Noon Ballroom F
Cheney, Jacobs, Maresca, Swendson*, Wells
Book Recs
* Bradley Denton's earlier novels are finally available in ebook: Blackburn and Lunatics
* Linda Nagata's The Trials is coming out in August, sequel to The Red: First Light
Publishers Weekly: Nagata (The Bohr Maker) writes very good action sequences and the book moves well, even when its protagonist is pinned to a bed and relearning how to use his body. Shelley is a nicely developed character with an interesting voice. Fans of thoughtful, cynical, and not particularly jingoistic military SF will love this book.
* Barbara Hambly has put her short fiction and novellas in ebook. These were previously available only on her web site. There are Sherlock Holmes stories, Benjamin January stories, Sunwolf and Starhawk, and Windrose stories.
July 17, 2015
Does anybody know how to report pirated books being sold ...
Does anybody know how to report pirated books being sold on iBooks/iTunes? Is it just through the apple.com/legal/contact form? There's a form for reporting pirated works on iTunes but it doesn't work for iBook URLS. Asking because "Booklassic" has pirated one book and three short stories on iBooks now. The short stories had been posted on my web site and were free.
This is why I've removed most of the free short stories (including Raksura stories) from my web site. "Booklassic" has sold/is selling them on Kobo, Barnes and Noble, and now iBooks/iTunes.
I don't want readers paying money for stories I meant to give away as freebies to people who visited my web site, especially when they are short stories the pirate is selling as complete novels. I apologize but there doesn't seem to be anything I can do about it except continue to report it to the retailers, and I'm pretty sure this person intends to sell every piece of free writing I ever put up on my web site.
This is why I've removed most of the free short stories (including Raksura stories) from my web site. "Booklassic" has sold/is selling them on Kobo, Barnes and Noble, and now iBooks/iTunes.
I don't want readers paying money for stories I meant to give away as freebies to people who visited my web site, especially when they are short stories the pirate is selling as complete novels. I apologize but there doesn't seem to be anything I can do about it except continue to report it to the retailers, and I'm pretty sure this person intends to sell every piece of free writing I ever put up on my web site.
July 16, 2015
News of Me
I have some new people following, so hello new people!
The two most recent books I have out are
a novella collection: Stories of the Raksura vol II: The Dead City & The Dark Earth Below in ebook, trade paperback, and audiobook.
"The Raksura world features innovative and alien creatures; Wells thinks far outside the humanoid fantasy box. The line between animal and person is drawn extremely thin, and the power structure among the races resembles nature more than it resembles any human civilization. With a strong sense of adventure, horror, and mystery, this is an enjoyable read for fantasy fans seeking a new series to sample."
- Publishers Weekly
Martha Wells continues her Raksura series with another collection of novellas and shorter works. If you've never read the original trilogy (beginning with Cloud Roads), this is a fine introduction, but you really owe it to yourself to read them all. It's quite unlike anything else in the genre -- with a core cast of non-human characters, it creates an entirely fresh, matriarchal fantasy world with its own biology, ecology, technology, and magic.
- Barnes & Noble's New Book Round-up
an ebook-only story collection: Between Worlds: the Collected Ile-Rien and Cineth Stories which contains a new prequel story to The Death of the Necromancer
There's a review of the collection at Skiffy and Fanty.
* Everything I've published is available in ebook and almost everything in audiobook.
* There's a wiki for the Raksura books, The Three Worlds Traveler's Guide, here: http://www.marthawells.com/wiki/index.php?title=Main_Page
* And the first three Books of the Raksura are available in an ebook compilation here: Kindle, Nook, and Kobo.
The two most recent books I have out are
a novella collection: Stories of the Raksura vol II: The Dead City & The Dark Earth Below in ebook, trade paperback, and audiobook.
"The Raksura world features innovative and alien creatures; Wells thinks far outside the humanoid fantasy box. The line between animal and person is drawn extremely thin, and the power structure among the races resembles nature more than it resembles any human civilization. With a strong sense of adventure, horror, and mystery, this is an enjoyable read for fantasy fans seeking a new series to sample."
- Publishers Weekly
Martha Wells continues her Raksura series with another collection of novellas and shorter works. If you've never read the original trilogy (beginning with Cloud Roads), this is a fine introduction, but you really owe it to yourself to read them all. It's quite unlike anything else in the genre -- with a core cast of non-human characters, it creates an entirely fresh, matriarchal fantasy world with its own biology, ecology, technology, and magic.
- Barnes & Noble's New Book Round-up
an ebook-only story collection: Between Worlds: the Collected Ile-Rien and Cineth Stories which contains a new prequel story to The Death of the Necromancer
There's a review of the collection at Skiffy and Fanty.
* Everything I've published is available in ebook and almost everything in audiobook.
* There's a wiki for the Raksura books, The Three Worlds Traveler's Guide, here: http://www.marthawells.com/wiki/index.php?title=Main_Page
* And the first three Books of the Raksura are available in an ebook compilation here: Kindle, Nook, and Kobo.
