Michelle Sagara – Cast In Flame ’14 & Cast In Sorrow ’13
Cast In Flame 2014 – 10th bookLibrary Summary/Review: “Kaylin returned from the West March in one piece. Now that piece is fraying. She’s not at home in the Imperial Palace–and she never intends to be. All she wants is normal garden-variety criminals and a place of her own. Of course, normal in her new life involves a dragon as a roommate, but she can handle that. She can’t as easily handle the new residents to the city she polices, because one of them is Nightshade’s younger brother”–Amazon.com.
Some time ago I wrote a long review on this author and if you want to see the many books in order and learn more about the series visit – https://readerreading.wordpress.com/2013/07/07/michelle-sagara-the-elantra-chronicles
Tanya Huff – The Future Falls
The Future Falls 2014 -This book is the 3rd in a series. I love this author. I wish she was more prolific but then the work might suffer. She has kept her characters lively and each one has a very distinct personality. Her sense of humour is dry and makes you snicker. These stories are about the Gale family starting a new base in Calgary – a splinter group.
Library Summary/Review for Future Falls: When NASA and Doomsday Dan confirm Auntie Catherine’s prediction of an approaching asteroid, Charlotte “Charlie” Gale turns to her supernaturally complicated family for help and soon discovers that the asteroid is the least of her problems.
2- The wild ways 2011
The following stories are connected to this series. Tanya Huff wrote about the Gales living in Ontario – before the move to Calgary.. They are now available in an omnibus collection.
The second summoning 2001
Long hot summoning 2003
Then there are her 2 Vampire series. She wrote about 10 books in her Blood series [set in Toronto]. These books spawned a TV series. A follow-up Vampire story was set in Vancouver with 5 or so books, in the Smoke series.
Before these Fantasy SF books, she was writing about wars and armies and powerful female heroines in SF. Those were her Valor Stories.
They were also very entertaining. Lots of action and wild stories of keeping it together while the universe tries to kill you.
Tanya Huff is worth checking out.
Rachel Bach – Fortune’s pawn & Honor’s Knight – books 1& 2
book1
Fortune’s Pawn – 1st book
My Review: A new author for me. All 3 books came out in 2013 so they may be her 1st as well. Definitely a Space Opera style Sci-Fi. Fantastic civilizations, compelling story and great action. It was a great read, although a bit too pat in the romantic side but I still enjoyed it. The characters are well thought out and the universe they work in is fantastic. It has a romance novel feel to it sometimes. The story itself has great monsters and moves along at a great pace. I read this book in January.
Library Summary/Review: ““Military science fiction gets a new action hero with Deviana Morris — in the vein of Elizabeth Moon and Lois McMaster Bujold.” –Provided by the publisher”–
Honor’s Knight.
book 2
Honor’s Knight – 2nd book
My Review: Perhaps better than the 1st book which was a bonus. The story picks up quickly with little back tracking. The romantic side is more interesting and part of the mysteries in the story. Once more the monsters are great and the action hero story runs quickly and imaginatively. I look forward to the 3rd book – Queen.
Library Summary
The rollicking sequel to “Fortune’s Pawn” — an action packed science fiction novel. Devi Morris has a lot of problems. And not the fun, easy-to-shoot kind either. After a mysterious attack left her short several memories and one partner, she’s determined to keep her head down, do her job, and get on with her life. But even though Devi’s not actually looking for it — trouble keeps finding her. She sees things no one else can, the black stain on her hands is growing, and she is entangled with the cook she’s supposed to hate. But when a deadly crisis exposes far more of the truth than she bargained for, Devi discovers there’s worse fates than being shot, and sometimes the only people you can trust are the ones who want you dead.
David S. Goyer – Heaven’s Shadow & War – book 1& 2
Heaven’s shadow
by Goyer, David S.
Contributors: Cassutt, Michael.
Heaven’s Shadow 2011 – 1st book
Year/Format: 2011, Book, x, 398 p. :
Subjects:
• Human-alien encounters–Fiction.
• Space flight–Fiction.
My Review: I really liked this book and I have already read the 2nd book and have the 3rd book on hold. It reminded me slightly of Arthur C. Clarke’s Rama. It is the same idea – an alien ship arrives and humans get trapped inside. The two story tellers tell very different stories and both are great reads. The rest of the story is about us learning how and what is happening. The 1st book is pretty scary and well thought out – regarding the strategies of various cultures and politics.
Library Summary/Review: “An object one hundred miles across, originating from Octans constellation, on a trajectory for our sun. Now its journey is almost over. And humanity’s journey is about to begin. As the Near-Earth Object–dubbed “Keanu”–approaches, two manned vehicles race through almost half a million kilometers of space to reach it first and land on the frozen, desolate surface: NASA’s Destiny, originally designed for flights to the Moon and Mars, and the untested lunar ship Brahma, representing the Russian-Chinese-Indian Coalition. Both crews have orders to do whatever it takes to triumphantly claim Keanu as their own. But when the competing missions both arrive on the contested entity, they find that Keanu is much more than a simple rock hurtling through the blackness. It has been sent toward Earth for a reason… A vastly more intelligent race is desperately attempting to communicate with our primitive species. And their interstellar courier carries a message that the very core of humanity has responded to since time began”–
Heaven’s war
Heaven’s War 2012 – 2nd book
Year/Format: 2012, Book, x, 448 p. :
Library Summary/Review: In this astounding sequel to “Heaven’s Shadow,” it has been discovered that the asteroid Keanu is not in fact a space object, but a massive interstellar ship built by aliens. Now, humanity has begun to colonize the ship. The challenge for the refugee population is survival.
Heaven’s fall
Heaven’s Fall 2013 – 3rd book
Year/Format: 2013, Book, xi, 415 pages ;
Library Summary: Spoiler Alert!
Mankind’s first contact with extraterrestrial life led to an incredible revelation. Their last may lead them to extinction.
As the Reivers prepare a devastating strike against the Architects, Rachel Stewart, who grew up in Keanu, leads a small band of human survivors in an attempt to infiltrate the massive Reiver fortress in the American West. But their only hope for victory may yet be somewhere inside the NEO.
If the men and women still in Keanu cannot find it, humanity will be finished. And the galaxy will be next.
Nathan Hawke – The Crimson Shield – book 1 of 3
The Crimson Shield
The Crimson Shield 2013 – 1st book
by Hawke, Nathan, author.
Contributors: Colucci, Alejandro,
Year/Format: 2013, Book, 320 pages
My Review – good story and good character development. The only thing I didn’t like was the romanticism. I’m not a big fan of that. Of course I like the characters to have a life and emotional connections. These connections seemed to be a bit unrealistic and cave-man like. I guess I am not a big fan of fantasy. I do like Nordic tales and this is why I checked it out. I will look at the next one just in case it gets better.
This is a new author for me – will see where this goes.
Library Summary
Fantasy needs a new hero. Meet Gallow—Truesword, Griefbringer, and trouble for anyone who crosses him. The first in a trilogy of fast-paced historical fantasies.
I have been Truesword to my friends, Griefbringer to my enemies. To most of you I am just another Northlander bastard here to take your women and drink your mead, but to those who know me, my name is Gallow. I fought for my king for seven long years. I have served lords and held my shield beside common men. I have fled in defeat and I have tasted victory and I will tell you which is sweeter. Despise me then, for I have slain more of your kin than I can count, though I remember every single face. For my king I will travel to the end of the world. I will find the fabled Crimson Shield so that his legions may carry it to battle, and when Sword and Shield must finally clash, there you will find me. I will not make pacts with devils or bargains with demons for I do not believe in such things, and yet I will see them all around me, in men and in their deeds. Remember me then, for I will not suffer such monsters to live. Even if they are the ones I serve.
The Last Bastion – 2nd book 2013
Cold Redemption 2013 – 3rd book
Mira Grant [Seanan McGuire] – Parasite
Parasite
by Mira Grant
Year/Format: 2013, Book, 608 pages ;
My Review – Great read and good story. The characters seemed a bit wooden [with so many secrets I guess no one but the main character is believable] but I enjoyed reading it every time I picked it up. It’s a solid story. This is a new author for me. She has written other books and some in series. This is the 1st in a series.
Subjects:
Library Summary/Review: Genetically engineered tapeworms that protect most of the human populace from illness, boost everyone’s immune system, and even secrete designer drugs begin to change and want out of human bodies they occupy.
Other books by this author:
The Newsflesh Trilogy
- Feed
- Deadline
- Blackout
Chris Beckett – Dark Eden
Dark Eden
by Beckett, Chris, 1954-
Year/Format: 2012, Book, 404 pages
My Review – great read, interesting story and well told, from a variety of perspectives. The aliens and their environment seem quite real and the challenges of humans living in the dark are good reasons to keep reading. It is a story of Adam and Eve in another kind of Eden. There is room for a sequel or two.
Summary/Review: “You live in Eden. You are a member of the Family, one of 532 descendants of Angela and Tommy. You shelter beneath the Forest’s lantern trees. Beyond the forest lie mountains so forbidding that no one has ever crossed them. The Oldest recount legends of a time where men and women made boats that could travel between worlds. One day, they will come back for you. You live in Eden. You are a member of the Family, one of 532 descendants of two marooned explorers. You huddle, slowly starving, in the warmth of geothermal trees, confined to one barely habitable valley of a startlingly alien, sunless world. You are John Redlantern. You will break the laws of Eden, shatter the Family and change history. You will be the first to kill another, the first to venture into the Dark, and the first to discover the truth about Eden”–Page 4 of cover.
Chadwick Ginther – Thunder Road
Thunder Road – Book One
by Ginther, Chadwick, 1975-, author
Year/Format: 2012, Book, 386 p. ;
Subjects:
-
Fantasy fiction, Canadian.
-
Mythology, Norse–Fiction.
My Review
This is a new author for me and I am thrilled. This is an excellent read – full of fun, adventure, Norse Mythology, Canadian outback and peril. If they had thought to use an illustrator it would have made a beautiful Graphic Novel. I thought it was fantastic and can’t wait for the next two books – they did say on the cover it is a Trilogy. Who would have thought that the isolation and largess of Canada would ever be an advantage to a story line. After reading this book I think they should have considered this story over bringing back the Avengers in the movies. Its kind of like the Avengers meet Jack the Giant Killer. We all know Hollywood is about the fans – maybe they would enjoy this take on Loki and his antics. The book review/summary below is pretty pat – Ted is deeper than they make out and here is where we the audience can take heart.
Library Summary
In a flash, the world Ted Callan knew exploded. The fire on the patch [Canadian Oil Sands] had burned everything to the ground, including his marriage. Now he’s on the road looking for a fresh start. What he finds is a mysterious young woman named Tilda who tells him he’s destined to be a hero or die a quick and painful death.When three stout men break into his hotel room, bind him to the bed and carve his skin with a stylus it appears she was right. The next thing Ted knows, his body is covered in an elaborate norse tattoo, complete with the power of the Gods. As he seeks out the three men who assaulted him, Ted learns that the creatures of Norse mythology walk in the world of humankind and some of them want to see it burn. Accompanied by the trickster Loki and the beguiling Tilda, Ted wants nothing more than to have his old life back. No more tattoos. No more smart-ass Gods. No more mystic powers. The problem is, if he succeeds, it might just be the end of the world.
Happy news for me and anyone just discovering this author and this trilogy – the next book is out and I just put a hold on it.
Tombstone Blues – Book Two
by Ginther, Chadwick, 1975-, author. Year/Format: 2013,
Library SummaryAfter beating back the might of Surtur, Ted Callan is getting used to his immortal powers. The man who once would stop at nothing to rid himself of his tattoos and their power might even be said to be enjoying his new-found abilities.
However, not everyone is happy the glory of Valhalla has risen from the ashes of Ragnarok. With every crash of Mjolnir, Thor, former god of thunder, rages in Niflheim, the land of the dead.
Now that Ted’s woken the dead, there’s going to be hell to pay.
Jack Campbell – The lost stars : tarnished knight
The lost stars : tarnished knight
~ 1st book in new series
Year/Format: 2012, Book, 390 p. ;
Library Summary/Review:
CEO Artur Drakon has been betrayed. The Syndic government failed to protect its citizens from both the Alliance and the alien enigmas. With a cadre of loyal soldiers under his command, Drakon launches a battle for control of the Midway Star System–assisted by an ally he’s unsure he can trust.
The Lost stars : perilous shield
~ 2nd book in new series
byCampbell, Jack (Naval officer
Year/Format: 2013, Book, 406 pages ;
Library Summary
A thrilling spin-off from Jack Campbell’s The Lost Fleet series, The Lost Stars: Tarnished Knight delivered excellent tales of space battles and struggles against tyrants and aliens.”* Now the New York Times bestselling author returns with the next chapter in the overthrow of the Syndicate Worlds’ oppression;
Following a successful coup, the leaders of the rebel Midway Star System struggle to forge a government free enough to please its citizens yet strong enough to secure power. But in a world where former rulers have become new foes, an alien threat to humanity may turn old adversaries into uncertain allies.
Mickey Zucker Reichert – Isaaac Asimov’s I Robot: to obey
Isaac Asimov’s I, Robot : to obey
by Reichert, Mickey Zucker
Year/Format: 2013, Book, 400 pages
My Review: 2nd book about Susan Calvin
Fantastic and so much like Isaac Asimov’s work. This was a great read. As good as any of the 3 B’s [Brin, Benford and Bear] efforts to finish his series after his death. I thought that the author had a lot to offer the story, from the views of a woman and a doctor. She could understand Susan Calvin more than the other authors. I don’t know how she had the time to write this book. It was refreshing to go back to the beginning of the story.
An added plus she is a new author for me. I look forward to her next book and checking out her earlier works. Don’t read the jacket or the library summary if you don’t want a spoiler – I didn’t and it was a great read without knowing what was about to happen. As an Asimov fan I would look at one of these books without thinking.
Library Summary
It is 2036 and robotic technology has evolved into the realm of self-aware sentient mechanical entities. Even as humanity contents with the consequences of its most brilliant creation, there are those who have their own plans for the robots: enslavement or annihilation. Susan Calvin is about to enter her second year as a psych resident at the Manhattan Hasbro teaching hospital when she hears her father has been murdered. His death sets her on a trail of discovery which will lead her to question everything she thought she knew about her father and herself.
1st book – I, robot : to protect
Library Summary
2035: Susan Calvin is beginning her residency at a Manhattan teaching hospital, where a select group of patients is receiving the latest in diagnostic advancements: tiny nanobots, injected into the spinal fluid, that can unlock and map the human mind. Soon, Susan begins to notice an ominous chain of events surrounding the patients. When she tries to alert her superiors, she is ignored by those who want to keep the project far from any scrutiny for the sake of their own agenda. But what no one knows is that the very technology to which they have given life is now under the control of those who seek to spread only death…
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