The Qwillery

Happy 1st Monday in November!

There are 4 debuts this week:

This Book is Not For You by Daniel A. Hoyt;

The End We Start From by Megan Hunter;

Jade City (The Green Bone Saga 1) by Fonda Lee (Adult Debut);

and

The Ruined House by Ruby Namdar.




From formerly featured DAC Authors:

Black Goat Blues (The Mythos War 2) by Levi Black;

Skitter (The Hatching Series 2) by Ezekiel Boone is out in Trade Paperback;

The Operative (San Angeles 2) by Gerald Brandt is out in Mass Market Paperback;

Red Dust and Dancing Horses and Other Stories by Beth Cato;

The Rule of Luck (A Felicia Sevigny Novel 1) by Catherine Cerveny;

Highland Dragon Rebel (Dawn of the Highland Dragon 2) by Isabel Cooper;

The Ship by Antonia Honeywell is out in Trade Paperback;

The Stars are Legion by Kameron Hurley is out in Trade Paperback;

The Sisters of the Crescent Empress (The Waning Moon Duology 2) by Leena Likitalo;

The Realms of God (The Shards of Heaven 3) by Michael Livingston;

The Forbidden Heir (Four Arts 2) by M.J. Scott;

and

Communication Failure (Epic Failure Trilogy 2) by Joe Zieja.

Debut novels are highlighted in blue. Novels, etc. by formerly featured DAC Authors are highlighted in green.

November 5, 2017

TITLE	AUTHOR	SERIES
Romancing the Werewolf (e)	Gail Carriger	SP - Supernatural Society Novella 2

November 6, 2017

TITLE	AUTHOR	SERIES
Hitchhiker: Stories from the Kentucky Homefront	Bob Thompson	FairyT/FolkT/LM/Occ/Sup - Collection

November 7, 2017

TITLE	AUTHOR	SERIES
The Red Men	Matthew de Abaitua	SF/CyP/AP/PA/Dys
Nanoshock	K C Alexander	SF/CyP/GenEng - SINless 2
Valiant Dust	Richard Baker	SF - Breaker of Empires 1
Black Goat Blues	Levi Black	F/DF/H - The Mythos War 2
Skitter (h2tp)	Ezekiel Boone	H - The Hatching Series 2
The Sorcerer's Appendix	P. J. Brackston	F/SupM - Brothers Grimm Mysteries 4
The Operative (h2mm)	Gerald Brandt	SF/CyP/AP/PA - San Angeles 2
Places in the Darkness	Chris Brookmyre	SF
Star Trek: The Book of Lists	Chip Carter	TV/SF - Star Trek
Steal the Stars	Nat Cassidy	SF/AC/MTI
Potions and Pastries	Bailey Cates	PCM - A Magical Bakery Mystery 7
Red Dust and Dancing Horses and Other Stories	Beth Cato	SF/F - Collection
The Rule of Luck	Catherine Cerveny	SF - A Felicia Sevigny Novel 1
More Human than Human: Stories of Androids, Robots, and Manufactured Humanity	Neil Clarke	SF/CyP/GenEng - Anthology
Numenera: The Night Clave	Monte Cook Shanna Germain	SF/GenEng - Numenera 2
Highland Dragon Rebel	Isabel Cooper	PHR - Dawn of the Highland Dragon 2
Vampire Undone	Shannon Curtis	PNR
Snow Magic (e)	Bianca D'Arc	PNR - A Were-Fey Love Story 2
Shadowborn	David Dalglish	F - Seraphim 3
Deja New	MaryJanice Davidson	PNR - An Insighter Novel 2
None But Man (ri)	Gordon R. Dickson	SF
The Spark	David Drake	SF
Nights of the Dark Moon: Gothic Folktales from Asia and Africa	Tutu Dutta	FairyT/FolkT/LM/F/P/H/Gothic
Strange Music	Alan Dean Foster	SF/AC - Adventures of Pip & Flinx 15
Dreamweaver (h2mm)	C.S. Friedman	UF/CF/F - Dreamwalker 3
All Those Explosions Were Someone Else's Fault	James Alan Gardner	CF/SH
Wolf Hunter: A Shifter Romance (e)	Jane Godman	PNR - Arctic Brotherhood 5
Wolf Leader: A Shifter Romance (e)	Jane Godman	PNR - Arctic Brotherhood 6
Childgrave	Ken Greenhall	H
The Unreal and the Real: The Selected Short Stories of Ursula K. Le Guin (h2tp)	Ursula K. Le Guin	F - Collection
The Found and the Lost: The Collected Novellas of Ursula K. Le Guin (h2tp)	Ursula K. Le Guin	F - Collection
The Selected Short Fiction of Ursula K. Le Guin Boxed Set: The Found and the Lost; The Unreal and the Real (h2tp)	Ursula K. Le Guin	F - Collection
The Witch and the Werewolf	Michele Hauf	PNR - Decadent Dames 3
Terminal Alliance	Jim C. Hines	SF/AP/PA - Janitors of the Post-Apocalypse 1
The Ship (h2tp)	Antonia Honeywell	F/CoA/PA
This Book Is Not for You (D)	Daniel A. Hoyt	LF/MU
The Stealers' War	Stephen Hunt	F
The End We Start From (D)	Megan Hunter	LF/Dys
The Stars Are Legion (h2tp)	Kameron Hurley	SF/SO
Wonders Will Never Cease	Robert Irwin	HistF
Perfect Gravity	Vivien Jackson	SFR - Wanted and Wired 2
Down to No Good	Earl Javorsky	M/Occ/Sup/Th/Noir - Charlie Miner 2
Imaginarium 5: The Best Canadian Speculative Writing	Sandra Kasturi (Ed) Samantha Beiko (Ed)	SpecFic - Anthology 5
Frostwing	Richard A. Knaak	SF/AP/PA - City of Shadows 2
Pavlov's Dog	David Kurman	HU/Satire/Absurdist
Supernatural Psychology: Roads Less Traveled	Travis Langley (Ed) Lynn S. Zubernis (Ed)	Psychology
The Jim Baen Memorial Award: The First Decade	William Ledbetter (Ed)	SF - Anthology
Jade City (D - Adult)	Fonda Lee	F - The Green Bone Saga 1
The Rise of Nagash	Mike Lee	F - Warhammer Chronicles Omnibus
The Sisters of the Crescent Empress	Leena Likitalo	HistF/DF - The Waning Moon Duology 2
The Realms of God	Michael Livingston	HistF/AH - The Shards of Heaven 3
The Ruined House (D)	Ruby Namdar Hillel Halkin (Tr)	LF
The Experience Arcade and Other Stories	James Van Pelt	SF - Collection
Down and Out in Purgatory: The Collected Stories of Tim Powers	Tim Powers	CF - Collection
The Wrong Stars	Tim Pratt	SF/SO
A Spoonful of Magic	Irene Radford	UF
Beyond Antares: Dimensional Gates	Brandon Rospond (Ed)	SF - Beyond Antares Anthology
The Forbidden Heir (e)	M.J. Scott	Gaslamp/HistF - Four Arts 2
Invaders From Beyond: First Wave	Colin Sinclair Tim Major Julian Benson	SF/AC
The Un-Discovered Islands: An Archipelago of Myths and Mysteries, Phantoms and Fakes	Malachy Tallack	History/Historical Geography
Ironclads	Adrian Tchaikovsky	SF
The Lay of Aotrou and Itroun	J.R.R. Tolkien	F
Gluttony Bay	Matt Wallace	UF/HU - A Sin du Jour Affair 6
Perfect Shadow	Brent Weeks	F - Night Angel
Cult of the Warmason	C L Werner	SF - Genestealer Cults 1
The Keep (e)(ri)	F. Paul Wilson	SupTh - Adversary Cycle 1
Communication Failure	Joe Zieja	SF - Epic Failure Trilogy 2

November 8, 2017

TITLE	AUTHOR	SERIES
Threshold of Eternity	John Brunner Broderick Damiem	SF/SO
The World is Full of Monsters: A Tor.com Original	Jeff VanderMeer	SF
Deep Magic - First Collection (Ke)	Deep Magic Magazine	F/SF - Anthology
Every Face a Forgery (e)	Paul Witcover Liz Duffy Adams	HistF - Tremontaine Season 3 #5

D - Debut
e - eBook
Ed - Editor
h2mm - Hardcover to Mass Market Paperback
h2tp - Hardcover to Trade Paperback
ri - reissue or reprint
tp2mm - Trade to Mass Market Paperback
Tr - Translator



AC - Alien Contact
AH - Alternate History
AP - Apocalyptic
Bio - Biography
CF - Contemporary Fantasy
CoA - Coming of Age
CyP - CyberPunk
DF - Dark Fantasy
Dys - Dystopian
F - Fantasy
FairyT - Fairy Tales
Fict - Fiction
FM - Folklore and Mythology
FolkT - Folk Tales
FR - Fantasy Romance
GenEng - Genetic Engineering
GH - Ghost(s)
Gothic - Gothic
H - Horror
HC - History and Criticism
Hist - Historical
HistF - Historical Fantasy
HU - Humor
LC - Literary Criticism
LF - Literary Fiction
LM - Legends and Mythology
M - Mystery
MR - Magical Realism
MTI - Media Tie-In
MU - MashUp
Noir - Noir
Occ - Occult
P - Paranormal
PA - Post Apocalyptic
PCM - Paranormal Cozy Mystery
PHR- Paramormal Historical Romance
PM - Paranormal Mystery
PNR - Paranormal Romance
Psy - Psychological
PsySus - Psychological Suspense
PsyTh - Psychological Thriller
R - Romance
Ref - Reference
RP - Role Playing
Sc - Science
SH -Superheroes
SF - Science Fiction
SFR - Science Fiction Romance
SO - Space Opera
SP - SteamPunk
SpecFic - Speculative Fiction
Sup - Supernatural
SupM - Supernatural Mystery
SupTh - Supernatural Thriller
Th - Thriller
TT - Time Travel
UF - Urban Fantasy

Note: Not all genres and formats are found in the books, etc. listed above.

Happy Monday!

There is one debut this week:

The Tethered Mage (Swords and Fire 1) by Melissa Caruso.




From formerly featured DAC Authors:

Danger's Vice (Holly Danger 2) by Amanda Carlson;

Magic of Wind and Mist: The Wizard's Promise; The Nobleman's Revenge by Cassandra Rose Clarke;

Path of Gods (The Valhalla Saga 3) bu Snorri Kristjansson is out in Trade Paperback;

The Gates of Hell (The Shards of Heaven 2) by Michael Livingston is out in Trade Paperback;

The Beautiful Ones by Silvia Morena-Garcia;

and

Switchback (Nightshades 2) by Melissa F. Olson.

Debut novels are highlighted in blue. Novels, etc. by formerly featured DAC Authors are highlighted in green.

October 23, 2017

TITLE	AUTHOR	SERIES
Danger's Vice (e)	Amanda Carlson	SF/Dys/PA - Holly Danger 2

October 24, 2017

TITLE	AUTHOR	SERIES
Something Wicked This Way Comes (ri)	Ray Bradbury	H
The Tethered Mage (D)	Melissa Caruso	F - Swords and Fire 1
Wrath of the Ancients	Catherine Cavendish	H/Occ
Magic of Wind and Mist: The Wizard's Promise; The Nobleman's Revenge	Cassandra Rose Clarke	F
Ready Player One (ri)	Ernest Cline	SF/Dys/Th
Babylon's Ashes (h2tp)	James S. A. Corey	SF/SO - The Expanse 6
Ka: Dar Oakley in the Ruin of Ymr	John Crowley	MR/F
Hunter's Moon	David Devereux	F/DF
Leopard's Blood	Christine Feehan	PNR - A Leopard Novel 10
Halloween Carnival Volume 4 (e)	Brian James Freeman (Ed)	H - Anthology
Dragonfly in Amber (25th Anniversary Edition)	Diana Gabaldon	Hist/HistF/R/TT - Outlander 2
Strange Weather: Four Short Novels	Joe Hill	H
Nightblade's Vengeance	Ryan Kirk	HistF - Blades of the Fallen 1
Path of Gods (h2tp)	Snorri Kristjansson	HistF - The Valhalla Saga 3
Blade of Empire	Mercedes Lackey James Mallory	F - The Dragon Prophecy Trilogy 2
The Gates of Hell (h2tp)	Michael Livingston	HistF/AH - The Shards of Heaven 2
Tales from a Talking Board	Ross E. Lockhart (Ed)	H - Anthology
Tangled in Time	Barbara Longley	TTR
Above the Timberline	Gregory Manchess	SF
Doctor Who: Dalek: The Astounding Untold History of the Greatest Enemies of the Universe	George Mann Justin Richards	TV - Doctor Who
Blood of the Lost	Shannon Mayer	UF - Rylee Adamson 10
The Beautiful Ones	Silvia Moreno-Garcia	HistF/FR
Anno Dracula - One Thousand Monsters	Kim Newman	HistF/H/DF - Anno Dracula
Switchback	Melissa F. Olson	UF - Nightshades 2
Firewalk (h2tp)	Chris Roberson	UF/SupTh/CF/P
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Official Grimoire: A Magickal History of Sunnydale	A. M. Robinson Willow Rosenberg	MTI
The Infinite Now	Mindy Tarquini	HistF/CoA/MR
The Apothecary's Shop: Venice 1118 A.D.	Roberto Tiraboschi Katherine Gregor (Tr)	Occ/Sup/R
Blue Plague: Sacrifice	Thomas A. Watson	F/DF - Blue Plague 3

October 27, 2017

TITLE	AUTHOR	SERIES
Doctor Who: A British Alien?	Danny Nicol	PerfArts

D - Debut
e - eBook
Ed - Editor
h2mm - Hardcover to Mass Market Paperback
h2tp - Hardcover to Trade Paperback
Illus - Illustrator
ri - reissue or reprint
tp2mm - Trade to Mass Market Paperback
Tr - Translator



AC - Alien Contact
AH - Alternate History
AP - Apocalyptic
CB - Coloring Book
CF - Contemporary Fantasy
CoA - Coming of Age
CW - Contemporary Women
DF - Dark Fantasy
Dys - Dystopian
F - Fantasy
FairyT - Fairy Tales
Fem - Feminist
FL - Family Life
Folklore - Folklore
FolkT - Folk Tales
FR - Fantasy Romance
GenEng - Genetic Engineering
GH - Ghost(s)
Gothic - Gothic
H - Horror
HC - History and Criticism
Hist - Historical
HistF - Historical Fantasy
HU - Humor
LF - Literary Fiction
LM - Legends and Mythology
M - Mystery
MF - Military Fantasy
MR - Magical Realism
MTI - Media Tie-In
Noir - Noir
Occ - Occult
P - Paranormal
PA - Post Apocalyptic
PerfArts - Performing Arts
PCM - Paranormal Cozy Mystery
Phil - Philosophy
PM - Paranormal Mystery
PNR - Paranormal Romance
Psy - Psychological
PsyTh - Psychological Thriller
R - Romance
Sc - Science
SH -Superheroes
SF - Science Fiction
SFR - Science Fiction Romance
SO - Space Opera
SocHis - Social History
SpecFic - Speculative Fiction
Sup - Supernatural
SupM - Supernatural Mystery
SupTh - Supernatural Thriller
TechTh - Technological Thriller
Th - Thriller
TT - Time Travel
UF - Urban Fantasy
UFR - Urban Fantasy Romance
VM - Visionary and Metaphysical

Note: Not all genres and formats are found in the books, etc. listed above.

Tom Doyle (2014)

War and Craft
American Craft 3
Tor Books, September 26, 2017
Hardcover and eBook, 352 pages

America, land of the Free…and home of the warlocks.

The Founding Fathers were never ones to pass up a good weapon. America’s first line of defense has been shrouded in secrecy, magical families who have sworn to use their power to protect our republic.

But there are those who reject America’s dream and have chosen the Left Hand Path. In this triumphant conclusion to Tom Doyle’s imaginative alternate historical America, we start with a bloody wedding-night brawl with assassins in Tokyo. Our American magical shock troops go to India, where a descendant of legendary heroes has the occult mission they’ve been waiting for.

It all comes to a head in a valley hidden high in the mountains of Kashmir. Our craftspeople will battle against their fellow countrymen, some of the vilest monsters of the Left Hand Path. It’s Armageddon in Shangri-La, and the end of the world as we know it.

The American Craft Trilogy
#1 American Craftsmen
#2 The Left-Hand Way
#3 War and Craft

    Note: The cover has been revealed by the author on Twitter here.

Vic James (2017)

Gilded Cage
Dark Gifts 1
Del Rey, July 25, 2017
Trade Paperback, 384 pages
Hardcover and eBook, February 14, 2017

MAGIC RULES. WE SERVE.

In a darkly fantastical debut set in modern-day Britain, magic users control everything: wealth, politics, power—and you. If you’re not one of the ultimate one-percenters—the magical elite—you owe them ten years of service. Do those years when you’re old, and you’ll never get through them. Do them young, and you’ll never get over them.

This is the darkly decadent world of Gilded Cage. In its glittering milieu move the all-powerful Jardines and the everyday Hadleys. The families have only one thing in common: Each has three children. But their destinies entwine when one family enters the service of the other. They will all discover whether any magic is more powerful than the human spirit.

Have a quick ten years. . . .

Tarnished City
Dark Gifts 2
Del Rey, February 6, 2018
Hardcover and eBook, 416 pages

MAGIC COMPELS. WE BLEED.

The captivating dystopian trilogy that began with Gilded Cage continues. In a modern Britain where magic users control wealth, politics—and you—an uprising has been crushed. In its aftermath, two families will determine the country’s fate. The ruthless Jardines make a play for ultimate power. And the Hadleys, once an ordinary family, must find the extraordinary strength to fight back.

Abi Hadley is a fugitive. Her brother, Luke, a prisoner. Both will discover that in the darkest places, the human spirit shines brightest. Meanwhile, amid his family’s intrigues, Silyen Jardine dreams of forgotten powers from an earlier age.

As blood runs in the streets of London, all three will discover whether love and courage can ever be stronger than tyranny.

How do you choose when you can’t save everyone?

Michael Livingston (2015)

The Gates of Hell
The Shards of Heaven 2
Tor Books, October 10, 2017
Trade Paperback, 400 pages
Hardcover and eBook, November 15, 2016

The Gates of Hell is the follow up to Michael Livingston’s amazing The Shards of Heaven, a historical fantasy that reveals the hidden magic behind the history we know, and commences a war greater than any mere mortal battle.

Alexandria has fallen, and with it the great kingdom of Egypt. Cleopatra is dead. Her children are paraded through the streets in chains wrought of their mother's golden treasures, and within a year all but one of them will be dead. Only her young daughter, Cleopatra Selene, survives to continue her quest for vengeance against Rome and its emperor, Augustus Caesar.

To show his strength, Augustus Caesar will go to war against the Cantabrians in northern Spain, and it isn't long before he calls on Juba of Numidia, his adopted half-brother and the man whom Selene has been made to marry—but whom she has grown to love. The young couple journey to the Cantabrian frontier, where they learn that Caesar wants Juba so he can use the Trident of Poseidon to destroy his enemies. Perfidy and treachery abound. Juba's love of Selene will cost him dearly in the epic fight, and the choices made may change the very fabric of the known world.

“Livingston has spiced real history with a compelling dose of fantasy! Wonderfully imaginative and beautifully told.” —Bernard Cornwell, bestselling author of The Pagan Lord, on The Shards of Heaven

The Realms of God 
The Shards of Heaven 3
Tor Books, November 7, 2017
Hardcover and eBook, 320 pages

The Realms of God is the thrilling conclusion to Michael Livingston's historical fantasy trilogy that continues the story begun in The Shards of Heaven and The Gates of Hell.

The Ark of the Covenant has been spirited out of Egypt to Petra, along with the last of its guardians. But dark forces are in pursuit. Three demons, inadvertently unleashed by Juba of Numidia and the daughter of Cleopatra, are in league with Tiberius, son and heir of Augustus Caesar. They’ve seized two of the fabled Shards of Heaven, lost treasures said to possess the very power of God, and are desperately hunting the rest.

Through war and assassination, from Rome to the fabled Temple Mount of Jerusalem and on to the very gates of Heaven itself, the forces of good and evil will collide in a climactic battle that threatens the very fabric of Creation.

It's Monday. Yay?

There are no debuts this week. From formerly featured DAC Authors:

Faithful (Birth of Saints 2) by Michelle Hauck;

The Gates of Hell (The Shards of Heaven 2) by Michael Livingston;

and

Culdesac (War with No Name 2) by Robert Repino





Debut novels are highlighted in blue. Novels, etc. by formerly featured Debut Author Challenge Authors are highlighted in green.

November 15, 2016

TITLE	AUTHOR	SERIES
The First Law Trilogy	Joe Abercrombie	F - The First Law Trilogy
The Man Who Could Make Things Vanish	Jack Cady	SupTh
Dark Horizons: An Anthology of Dark Science Fiction	Charles P. Zaglanis (Ed)	SF - Anthology
An Empire Asunder	Evan Currie	SF - The Scourwind Legacy 2
The Usurper (ri)	Rowena Cory Daniells	F - King Rolen's Kin 3
Mosaic	Sarah Fine	UF - Reliquary Series 3
Assassin's Creed: Heresy	Christie Golden	SF - Assassin's Creed
The Selected Short Fiction of Ursula K. Le Guin: The Found and the Lost; The Unreal and the Real	Ursula K. Le Guin	Fict - Short Stories
Faithful (e)	Michelle Hauck	HistF - Birth of Saints 2
Demons of the Flame Sea (e)	Jean Johnson	F - Flame Sea 2
The Gates of Hell	Michael Livingston	F - The Shards of Heaven 2
New Worlds, Old Ways: Speculative Tales from the Caribbean	Karen Lord (Ed)	SpecFic - Anthology
The Cthulhu Casebooks - Sherlock Holmes and the Shadwell Shadows	James Lovegrove	F/P/M
Catalyst: A Rogue One Novel	James Luceno	SF - Star Wars
For the Bear's Eyes Only	Kathy Lyons	PNR - Grizzlies Gone Wild 3
Priceless	Shannon Mayer	UF - Rylee Adamson 1
Immune	Shannon Mayer	UF - Rylee Adamson 2
The Oxford Inheritance (h2tp)	Ann A. McDonald	Sus/Magic
Wraith Knight	C.T. Phipps	F - Three Worlds 1
Culdesac	Robert Repino	F/Dys/SF/AP/PA - War with No Name 2
The Time-Travels of the Man Who Sold Pickles and Sweets	Khairy Shalaby Michael Cooperson (Translator)	SF
Treasure and Treason	Lisa Shearin	F - Raine Benares 8
Pirate Utopia	Bruce Sterling	SF/HistF/Th
Rosewater	Tade Thompson	SF
Star Trek Beyond - The Collector's Edition	Titan	SF (Movie Tie-In)
Extreme Makeover	Dan Wells	Sus
Penguin Galaxy Series 6-Book Deluxe Boxed Set	T.H. White Robert Heinlein Frank Herbert Arthur C. Clarke Ursula K. Le Guin William Gibson	F/SF
Jeffrey's Latest Thirteen: More Alabama Ghosts, Commemorative Edition	Kathryn Tucker Windham	Sup/GH - Collection
Beyond Earth: Our Path to a New Home in the Planets	Charles Wohlforth Amanda R. Hendrix, Ph.D.	NF - Astrophysics / Physics / Astronomy / Space Science

November 16, 2016

TITLE	AUTHOR	SERIES
Sign of the Labrys	Margaret St. Clair	SF /AP/PA - Dover Doomsday Classics

November 18, 2016

TITLE	AUTHOR	SERIES
Inside the Magic: The Making of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them	Ian Nathan	F/Movie Tie-In
The Art of the Film: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them	Dermot Power	F/Movie Tie-In
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: The Original Screenplay	J.K. Rowling	F/Movie Tie-In
The Case of Beasts: Explore the Film Wizardry of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them	Mark Salisbury	F/Movie Tie-In

D - Debut
e - eBook
Ed - Editor
h2mm - Hardcover to Mass Market Paperback
h2tp - Hardcover to Trade Paperback
mm - Mass Market Paperback
ri - reissue or reprint
tp2mm - Trade to Mass Market Paperback


AC - Alien Contact
AH - Alternate History
AP - Apocalyptic
CF - Contemporary Fantasy
CM - Cozy Mystery
CoA - Coming of Age
CW - Contemporary Women
CyberP - CyberPunk
DF - Dark Fantasy
Dys - Dystopian
F _ Fantasy
FairyT - Fairy Tales
Fict - Fiction
FolkT - Folk Tales
FR - Fantasy Romance
GenEng - Genetic Engineering
GN - Graphic Novel
H - Horror
HC - History and Criticism
HistF - Historical Fantasy
HU - Humor
LC - Literary Criticism
LF - Literary Fiction
LM - Legends and Mythology
Meta - Metaphysical
NF - Non-Fiction
Occ - Occult
P - Paranormal
PA - Post Apocalyptic
PNR - Paranormal Romance
PsySus - Psychological Suspense
SF - Science Fiction
SFR - Science Fiction Romance
SH - Superheroes
SO - Space Opera
Sup - Supernatural
SupTh - Supernatural Thriller
TechTh - Technological Thriller
Th - Thriller
TT - Time Travel
UF - Urban Fantasy


Note: Not all genres and formats are found in the books, etc. listed above.

Robert Levy (2015)

The Glittering World
Gallery Books, January 3, 2017
Trade Paperback, 352 pages
Hardcover and eBook, February 10, 2015

In the tradition of Neil Gaiman (The Ocean at the End of the Lane), Scott Smith (The Ruins), and Jason Mott (The Returned), award-winning playwright Robert Levy spins a dark tale of alienation and belonging, the familiar and the surreal, family secrets and the search for truth in his debut supernatural thriller.

AS A BOY, HE VANISHED INTO THE WOODS. SOMETHING ELSE CAME BACK.

It’s a long way from the grit of New York City to the stark beauty of Nova Scotia, and many years separate Blue Whitley’s only two journeys between them. One occurred at age five, when his mother stole him away from the hinterlands of Canada. Now, twenty-five years later, he’s returning to sell a house left to him by a grandmother he barely remembers. Envisioning the trip as a week of countryside leisure, Blue is accompanied by his best friend Elisa, her stalwart husband Jeremy, and Gabe, his young and admiring co-worker. Starling Cove, however, is not your typical vacation spot. Blue senses secrets withheld. Strange whispers on the wind welcome him home, and at first he finds himself staring transfixed into the woods. Then he feels them gazing back. After a shocking discovery—that Blue went missing in these forests for weeks as a child—life as he knows it begins to fall apart. And when another abduction strikes, the truth about Starling Cove begins to emerge.

Told from all four characters' points of view, through lush, evocative prose Robert Levy conjures a fascinating, sinister landscape. A unique blend of taut psychological thriller and supernatural suspense, The Glittering World is a stunning debut novel about belonging and betrayal, the mysteries of the natural world and the secrets buried deep within the human heart.

Ken Liu (2015)

The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories
Saga Press, October 4, 2016
Trade Paperback, 464 pages
Hardcover and eBook, March 8, 2016

Bestselling author Ken Liu selects his multiple award-winning stories for a groundbreaking collection—including a brand-new piece exclusive to this volume.

With his debut novel, The Grace of Kings, taking the literary world by storm, Ken Liu now shares his finest short fiction in The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories. This mesmerizing collection features many of Ken’s award-winning and award-finalist stories, including: “The Man Who Ended History: A Documentary” (Finalist for the Hugo, Nebula, and Theodore Sturgeon Awards), “Mono No Aware” (Hugo Award winner), “The Waves” (Nebula Award finalist), “The Bookmaking Habits of Select Species” (Nebula and Sturgeon Award finalists), “All the Flavors” (Nebula Award finalist), “The Litigation Master and the Monkey King” (Nebula Award finalist), and the most awarded story in the genre’s history, “The Paper Menagerie” (The only story to win the Hugo, Nebula, and World Fantasy awards).

Insightful and stunning stories that plumb the struggle against history and betrayal of relationships in pivotal moments, this collection showcases one of our greatest and original voices.

The Wall of Storms
The Dandelion Dynasty 2
Saga Press, October 4, 2016
Hardcover and eBook, 880 pages

In the much-anticipated sequel to the “magnificent fantasy epic” (NPR) Grace of Kings, Emperor Kuni Garu is faced with the invasion of an invincible army in his kingdom and must quickly find a way to defeat the intruders.

Kuni Garu, now known as Emperor Ragin, runs the archipelago kingdom of Dara, but struggles to maintain progress while serving the demands of the people and his vision. Then an unexpected invading force from the Lyucu empire in the far distant west comes to the shores of Dara—and chaos results.

But Emperor Kuni cannot go and lead his kingdom against the threat himself with his recently healed empire fraying at the seams, so he sends the only people he trusts to be Dara’s savvy and cunning hopes against the invincible invaders: his children, now grown and ready to make their mark on history.

Invisible Planets: Contemporary Chinese Science Fiction in Translation
Ken Liu, Editor and Translator
Tor Books, November 1, 2016
Hardcover and eBook, 384 pages

Award-winning translator and author Ken Liu presents a collection of short speculative fiction from China. Some stories have won awards (including Hao Jingfang’s Hugo-winning novella, Folding Beijing); some have been included in various 'Year's Best' anthologies; some have been well reviewed by critics and readers; and some are simply Ken's personal favorites. Many of the authors collected here (with the obvious exception of New York Times bestseller Liu Cixin’s two stories) belong to the younger generation of 'rising stars'. In addition, three essays at the end of the book explore Chinese science fiction. Liu Cixin's essay, The Worst of All Possible Universes and The Best of All Possible Earths, gives a historical overview of SF in China and situates his own rise to prominence as the premier Chinese author within that context. Chen Qiufan's The Torn Generation gives the view of a younger generation of authors trying to come to terms with the tumultuous transformations around them. Finally, Xia Jia, who holds the first Ph.D. issued for the study of Chinese SF, asks What Makes Chinese Science Fiction Chinese?

Michael Livingston (2015)

The Shards of Heaven
The Shards of Heaven 1
Tor Books, October 25, 2016
Trade Paperback, 416 pages
Hardcover and eBook, October 26, 2015

Julius Caesar is dead, assassinated on the senate floor, and the glory that is Rome has been torn in two. Octavian, Caesar's ambitious great-nephew and adopted son, vies with Marc Antony and Cleopatra for control of Caesar's legacy. As civil war rages from Rome to Alexandria, and vast armies and navies battle for supremacy, a secret conflict may shape the course of history.

Juba, Numidian prince and adopted brother of Octavian, has embarked on a ruthless quest for the Shards of Heaven, lost treasures said to possess the very power of the gods-or the one God. Driven by vengeance, Juba has already attained the fabled Trident of Poseidon, which may also be the staff once wielded by Moses. Now he will stop at nothing to obtain the other Shards, even if it means burning the entire world to the ground.

Caught up in these cataclysmic events, and the hunt for the Shards, are a pair of exiled Roman legionnaires, a Greek librarian of uncertain loyalties, assassins, spies, slaves . . . and the ten-year-old daughter of Cleopatra herself.

Michael Livingston's The Shards of Heaven reveals the hidden magic behind the history we know, and commences a war greater than any mere mortal battle.

The Gates of Hell
The Shards of Heaven 2
Tor Books, November 15, 2016
Hardcover and eBook, 384 pages

Alexandria has fallen, and with it the great kingdom of Egypt. Cleopatra is dead. Her children are paraded through the streets in chains wrought of their mother's golden treasures, and within a year all but one of them will be dead. Only her young daughter, Cleopatra Selene, survives to continue her quest for vengeance against Rome and its emperor, Augustus Caesar.

To show his strength, Augustus Caesar will go to war against the Cantabrians in northern Spain, and it isn't long before he calls on Juba of Numidia, his adopted half-brother and the man whom Selene has been made to marry -- but whom she has grown to love. The young couple journey to the Cantabrian frontier, where they learn that Caesar wants Juba so he can use the Trident of Poseidon to destroy his enemies. Perfidy and treachery abound. Juba's love of Selene will cost him dearly in the epic fight, and the choices made may change the very fabric of the known world.

The Gates of Hell is the follow up to Michael Livingston’s amazing Shards of Heaven, a historical fantasy that reveals the hidden magic behind the history we know, and commences a war greater than any mere mortal battle.

Todd Lockwood (2016)

The Summer Dragon
Evertide 1
DAW, July 4, 2017
Trade Paperback, 512 pages
Hardcover and eBook, May 3, 2016

The debut novel from the acclaimed illustrator–a high fantasy adventure featuring dragons and deadly politics.

Maia and her family raise dragons for the political war machine. As she comes of age, she hopes for a dragon of her own to add to the stable of breeding parents. But the war goes badly, and the needs of the Dragonry dash her hopes. Her peaceful life is shattered when the Summer Dragon—one of the rare and mythical High Dragons—makes an appearance in her quiet valley. The Summer Dragon is an omen of change, but no one knows for certain what kind of change he augurs. Political factions vie to control the implied message, each to further their own agendas.

And so Maia is swept into an adventure that pits her against the deathless Horrors—thralls of the enemy—and a faceless creature drawn from her fears. In her fight to preserve everything she knows and loves, she uncovers secrets that challenge her understanding of her world and of herself.

Shawntelle Madison (2012)

Surrender to You
An At Your Service Novel 2
Loveswept, July 12, 2016
eBook, 200 pages

In this seductive novel from the author of Bound to You, two career-oriented friends with benefits discover that good morning doesn’t have to mean goodbye.

Late-night booty calls are the most romantic gesture that Carlie Jason expects from business magnate Tomas Goodfellow. Ever since they were teenagers, they’ve provided each other the kind of no-strings pleasures that don’t involve regrets. Now Carlie finds it easier to kiss and run rather than face the fact that she wants so much more. But when she takes a job as a concierge at one of Tomas’s properties, a hotel where the rich and famous get their kink on, Carlie’s tempted to reconsider the rules of surrender.

As the head of an international empire, Tomas knows how to bring out the best in his employees. Putting Carlie in charge of managing the desires of his wealthiest clients was a stroke of genius—only now that she’s close enough to touch, he finds he doesn’t want to let her go. Their long, dark history has built up intimacy in ways he’s only just beginning to understand, but Tomas isn’t ready to trust her just yet. He knows his feelings are more than skin-deep. But first he needs to convince Carlie of one thing: the ties that bind go straight to the heart.

Happy Monday! One week until Halloween!


There are 2 debuts this week:

The Machine Society: Rich or Poor. They Want You To Be a Prisoner by Mike Brooks;

and

Every Mountain Made Low by Alex White.




From formerly featured DAC Authors:

Mortal Sins (A Shadowside Novella) by Michelle Belanger;

Bohemian Gospel (Bohemian Gospel 1) by Dana Chamblee Carpenter is out in Trade Paperback;

Our Lady of the Ice by Cassandra Rose Clarke is out in Trade Paperback;

The Shards of Heaven (The Shards of Heaven 1) by Michael Livingston is out in Trade Paperback;

Cloak of War (Empress Game Trilogy 2) by Rhonda Mason;

Faller by Will McIntosh;

Certain Dark Things by Silvia Moreno-Garcia;

and

A Taste of Honey by Kai Ashante Wilson.




Debut novels are highlighted in blue. Novels, etc. by formerly featured Debut Author Challenge Authors are highlighted in green.






October 25, 2016

TITLE	AUTHOR	SERIES
Roboute Guilliman: Lord of Ultramar	David Annandale	SF - The Horus Heresy: Primarchs 1
Mortal Sins (e)	Michelle Belanger	DF/UF - Shadowside Novella
Charlotte's Story (h2tp)	Laura Benedict	SupTh - Bliss House 2
The Terranauts	T. C. Boyle	Hist
Lost Gods	Brom	DF
The Last Days of Salton Academy	Jennifer Brozek	H
The Plague of Swords	Miles Cameron	F - The Traitor Son Cycle 4
Bohemian Gospel (h2tp)	Dana Chamblee Carpenter	Hist - Bohemian Gospel 1
2001: A Space Odyssey (ri)	Arthur C. Clarke	SF - Penguin Galaxy
Our Lady of the Ice (h2tp)	Cassandra Rose Clarke	SF
Goodnight Batcave	Dave Croatto Tom Richmond (Illus)	Hu/Comics/Parody
Doctor Who: Supreme Dalek and Illustrated Book: With Light and Sound	Richard Dinnick	SF - Doctor Who
Altered Starscape	Ian Douglas	SF - Andromedan Dark 1
Dracula vs. Hitler	Patrick Sheane Duncan	HistF/SupTh
Angel in Chains	Cynthia Eden	PNR - Fallen 3
The Hanged Man (h2tp)	P. N. Elrod	SP
Anansi Boys (ri)	Neil Gaiman	Fict/F
Neuromancer (ri)	William Gibson	CyberP - Penguin Galaxy
The Devil Will Come	Justin Gustainis	H - Collection
Shadowsword	Guy Haley	SF - Astra Militarum
Stranger in a Strange Land (ri)	Robert A. Heinlein	SF - Penguin Galaxy
Dune (ri)	Frank Herbert	SF - Penguin Galaxy
Not on Fire, but Burning (h2tp)	Greg Hrbek	Dys/LF/SF/AP/PA
Cat's Eye (e)(ri)	William W. Johnstone	H
Dark Detectives: An Anthology of Supernatural Mysteries (tp2mm)	Stephen Jones (Ed)	F/DF/M - Anthology
Patterns of the Wheel: Coloring Art Based on Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time	Robert Jordan Amy Romanczuk	F - Wheel of Time
Black Ice Burning	A. R. Kahler	UF - Pale Queen Series 3
The Dark Tower I: The Gunslinger (ri)	Stephen King	Sus - The Dark Tower 1
The Left Hand of Darkness (ri)	Ursula K. Le Guin	SF - Penguin Galaxy
Coldbrook	Tim Lebbon	H/SF/AP/PA
The Shards of Heaven (h2tp)	Michael Livingston	HistF - The Shards of Heaven 1
Hallow Point (tp2mm)	Ari Marmell	UF/DF - A Mick Oberon Job 2
Cloak of War	Rhonda Mason	F/CF/SF/SO - Empress Game Trilogy 2
The Star of the Sea	Una McCormack	SF/SO - Weird Space 2
Faller	Will McIntosh	SF
Prey: Book Two: The Jackal's Trick	John Jackson Miller	SF - Star Trek
Certain Dark Things	Silvia Moreno-Garcia	CF
Onward, Drake! (h2tp)	Mark L. Van Name (Ed)	SF - Anthology
The Famished Road (e)(ri)	Ben Okri	MR/LF
The Immortal's Guide	S.C. Parris	DF - The Dark World 2
The Two Swords	S.C. Parris	DF - The Dark World 3
Doctor Who: The Whoniverse: The Untold History of Space and Time	Justin Richards George Mann	TV - Doctor Who
Cast in Flight	Michelle Sagara	F/M - Chronicles of Elantra 12
Hero: Homecoming, Book III	R. A. Salvatore	F - Homecoming 3
DemonWars: First Heroes: The Highwayman and The Ancient (e)	R. A. Salvatore	F - Saga of the First King 1
Shadow of Ullanor	Rob Sanders	SF - The Beast Arises 11
The Stairway to the Sun & Dance of the Comets: Four Fairy Tales of Home and One Astral Pantomime	Paul Scheerbart	SF/LF
The British Lion (h2tp)	Tony Schumacher	AH/Th
Kris Longknife: Bold	Mike Shepherd	SF - Kris Longknife 14
A Vampire's Hunger	Carla Susan Smith	PNR - Vampire's Promise 4
The Blood Mirror	Brent Weeks	F - Lightbringer 4
Every Mountain Made Low (D)	Alex White	F
The Once and Future King (ri)	T. H. White	F - Penguin Galaxy
A Taste of Honey	Kai Ashante Wilson	F
Dragon and Thief (ri)	Timothy Zahn	SF - Dragonback 1

October 28, 2016

TITLE	AUTHOR	SERIES
The Machine Society: Rich or Poor. They Want You To Be a Prisoner (D)	Mike Brooks	Dys

D - Debut
e - eBook
Ed - Editor
h2mm - Hardcover to Mass Market Paperback
h2tp - Hardcover to Trade Paperback
Illus - Illustrator
ri - reissue or reprint
tp2mm - Trade to Mass Market Paperback


AH - Alternate History
AP - Apocalyptic
CF - Contemporary Fantasy
CW - Contemporary Women
CyberP - CyberPunk
DF - Dark Fantasy
Dys - Dystopian
F _ Fantasy
FairyT - Fairy Tales
Fict - Fiction
FolkT - Folk Tales
FR - Fantasy Romance
GenEng - Genetic Engineering
GH - Ghosts
H - Horror
HC - History and Criticism
Hist - Historical
HistF - Historical Fantasy
Hu - Humor
LC - Literary Criticism
LF - Literary Fiction
M - Mystery
Meta - Metaphysical
MR - Magical Realism
Occ - Occult
P - Paranormal
PA - Post Apocalyptic
ParaTh - Paranormal Thriller
PCM - Paranormal Cozy Mystery
PNR - Paranormal Romance
Psy - Psychological
R - Romance
SF - Science Fiction
SO - Space Opera
SP - Steampunk
Sup - Supernatural
SupTh - Supernatural Thriller
Sus - Suspense
Th - Thriller
TT - Time Travel
TV - Television
UF - Urban Fantasy

Note: Not all of these genres and formats are represented in the books above.

Alex Gordon (2015)

Jericho
Harper Voyager, April 5, 2016
Trade Paperback and eBook, 464 pages

In this follow-up to the masterful debut Gideon, a young witch must risk death and damnation to defeat a powerful ancient evil.

In unearthing her father’s secret past, Lauren Reardon discovered a shocking truth about herself. She is a Child of Endor, a sect of witches who believe they are the guardians of the “thin places”—areas across the globe where evil can seep through the divide between the worlds separating the living and the restless dead. At any time, she can be called upon to close one of these breaches and prevent demons from infiltrating our realm. When Lauren has a disturbing vision of an Oregon forest, she is drawn back to the familiar woods of the misty Pacific Northwest to investigate.

Locals had long whispered about an abandoned logging camp known as Jericho—of the strange disappearances and eerie sounds heard in the woods deep in the night. But these ghost stories only hint at the true evil lurking within the camp’s dilapidated buildings, a primeval malevolence far more terrifying than Lauren’s darkest imaginings. And now, Lauren must face this evil, even if it takes her life . . . even if it costs her soul.

Ken Liu (2015)

The Grace of Kings
The Dandelion Dynasty 1
Saga Press, August 9, 2016
Mass Market Paperback, 656 pages
Trade Paperback, August 9, 2016
Hardcover and eBook, April 7, 2015

Two men rebel together against tyranny—and then become rivals—in this first sweeping book of an epic fantasy series from Ken Liu, recipient of Hugo, Nebula, and World Fantasy awards. “A magnificent fantasy epic” (NPR).

Wily, charming Kuni Garu, a bandit, and stern, fearless Mata Zyndu, the son of a deposed duke, seem like polar opposites. Yet, in the uprising against the emperor, the two quickly become the best of friends after a series of adventures fighting against vast conscripted armies, silk-draped airships, and shapeshifting gods. Once the emperor has been overthrown, however, they each find themselves the leader of separate factions—two sides with very different ideas about how the world should be run and the meaning of justice.

Fans of intrigue, intimate plots, and fast-paced action will find a new series to embrace in the Dandelion Dynasty.

Invisible Planets: Contemporary Chinese Science Fiction in Translation
Edited and Translated by Ken Liu
Tor Books, November 1, 2016
Hardcover and eBook, 288 pages






Note:  The Wall of Storms (The Dandelion Dynasty 2) will be published in Fall 2016.

Michael Livingston (2015)

The Shards of Heaven
The Shards of Heaven 1
Tor Books, October 25, 2016
Trade Paperback, 432 pages
Hardcover and eBook, November 24, 2015

Julius Caesar is dead, assassinated on the senate floor, and the glory that is Rome has been torn in two. Octavian, Caesar's ambitious great-nephew and adopted son, vies with Marc Antony and Cleopatra for control of Caesar's legacy. As civil war rages from Rome to Alexandria, and vast armies and navies battle for supremacy, a secret conflict may shape the course of history.

Juba, Numidian prince and adopted brother of Octavian, has embarked on a ruthless quest for the Shards of Heaven, lost treasures said to possess the very power of the gods-or the one God. Driven by vengeance, Juba has already attained the fabled Trident of Poseidon, which may also be the staff once wielded by Moses. Now he will stop at nothing to obtain the other Shards, even if it means burning the entire world to the ground.

Caught up in these cataclysmic events, and the hunt for the Shards, are a pair of exiled Roman legionnaires, a Greek librarian of uncertain loyalties, assassins, spies, slaves . . . and the ten-year-old daughter of Cleopatra herself.

Michael Livingston's The Shards of Heaven reveals the hidden magic behind the history we know, and commences a war greater than any mere mortal battle.

[description from Hardcover edition]

Marshall Ryan Maresca (2015)

Susan Murray (2015)

Waterborne Exile
Waterborne 2
Angry Robot Books, August 4, 2015
       (North America Print and eBook)
  August 6, 2015 (UK Print)
Mass Market Paperback and eBook, 432 pages

A nameless priestess will stop at nothing to get revenge on the killers of her lover.

In a world of turmoil, following the king’s death, the traitor Vasic is struggling to secure his rule over the combined Peninsular Kingdoms whilst the exiled queen, Alwenna, has taken refuge with a freemerchant community whose elders fear her dark power.

Mistrust rules the day with bribery, drugs, trafficking of children, and murder rife throughout the kingdom.

As the priestess’ plot for revenge continues, Alwenna leaves to seek the outcast group of loyal kinsman. Marten attempts to restore Alwenna to the throne but as the priestess closes in, will he succeed?

File Under: Fantasy [ Unholy Office / Blood Ties / Dark Visions / Betrayals & Betrothals ]

TQ:  Welcome to The Qwillery. When and why did you start writing?

Michael:  Hi there! Thanks for having me.

I started writing stories as a kid, and the encouragement of my teachers really helped me to aspire to the craft. In fact, I started down the path to becoming a professor in part because I thought it would leave me with blissfully free summers in which I could write novels. Little did I know that I would need to be writing academic books, too!



TQ:  Are you a plotter, a pantser or a hybrid?

Michael:  The Shards of Heaven features a rather intricate series of plots and point of view characters, and it's situated amid the real events of history -- all of which means that at some level I need to be a plotter. The history has to work.

At the same time, my outline is actually nothing more than a simple spreadsheet that describes the events of each chapter in one or two sentences. So I afford myself as much room as possible within that script to let my characters take over.

I guess that makes me a hybrid.



TQ:  What is the most challenging thing for you about writing?

Michael:  As a professor I have a fairly busy life of teaching, grading, and doing research and writing on the academic side of my life. So finding the time to get into the mindset of my fiction is by far the most difficult thing for me. I've had to learn to keep the Muse on speed-dial, ready and waiting for any chance I get to steal an hour of time here or there to write.



TQ:  Who are some of your literary influences? Favorite authors?

Michael:  My tastes in literature are really quite diverse, from medieval writers like Chaucer to modern writers like Brandon Sanderson. On my shelf you'll find J.R.R. Tolkien next to Tennyson, Dan Simmons next to Shakespeare, and Parke Godwin next to Gilgamesh. I try to learn something from every author I've read.



TQ:  Describe The Shards of Heaven in 140 characters or less.

Michael:  It is history and fantasy colliding at the rise of the Roman Empire as Caesar's children fight to control the artifacts of gods old and new.



TQ:  Tell us something about The Shards of Heaven that is not found in the book description.

Michael:  At its core, this novel is about fashioning a reality from the fog of mythology. I have long been fascinated by the similarities between various legends of the ancient world, and so I tried to find a hidden thread that would bind them all together into a historical adventure that's part Indiana Jones and part Game of Thrones.

As an added bonus, if you liked Pullo and Vorenus from the HBO series 'Rome', I'm pleased to say that they ride again in this book.



TQ:  What inspired you to write The Shards of Heaven? What appeals to you about writing Historical Fantasy?

Michael:  The Shards of Heaven is actually the backstory for another Historical Fantasy I started writing years ago. It grew so intricate and interesting that I realized it simply needed to be told on its own merit.

As for my interest in Historical Fantasy, it really stems from my interest in both worlds: I was trained as a historian, but I've always loved the fantastic. Like J.R.R. Tolkien, another professor of medieval literature who wrote his fantasies in his spare time, I have simply grown fascinated with the holes in our knowledge about the past, and the exciting tapestries we can weave through them.



TQ:  What sort of research did you do for The Shards of Heaven?

Michael:  Given the strong historical element, I write with stacks of research at hand: whether that constitutes the tactics of a battle, the archaeological remains of a temple, or the technological workings of ancient armor, I need to know everything I can about my topic. My hope is that this knowledge base doesn't overwhelm the story but instead quietly percolates under its surface, making it all the more real.

Plus, I think it will lead to some surprises when those who know the history come across the various Easter eggs I've slipped into the narrative.



TQ:  Who was the easiest character to write and why? The hardest and why?

Michael:  The easiest point-of-view character for me was Didymus, the chief librarian of the Great Library in Alexandria. He's a polymath, and while I wouldn't call myself that I do recognize the thirst he has for knowledge. He needs to know, and that need runs so deep it can be all-consuming. For better or worse, I never had any problem facing the question of what someone like that would do or say.

Far more difficult for me at the beginning was the daughter of Cleopatra and Mark Antony, Cleopatra Selene. She's a headstrong little girl in the novel -- something I have no experience being! -- but historically she grows up to become one of the most remarkable rulers of her age. It was hard to get that balance right at first, but as I'm writing her in the sequels I'm finding she's one of my favorite characters to engage. I hope readers will adore her as much as I do.



TQ:  Please tell us a bit about the historical Juba II on which your character is based.

Michael:  Juba II, like Cleopatra Selene, is an amazing historical figure who should be far better known. His father, the king of Numidia, fought against Julius Caesar and ultimately chose suicide over being paraded through Rome in Caesar's Triumph. Young Juba was taken into Caesar's household as an adopted son -- an act intended to demonstrate his mercy. Add into this potent background his ethnic separation from the Romans surrounding him and the passionate intellectualism that ruled his life, and you could hardly ask for a more fascinating figure to build a story around.

For more about what he does, and the power he learns to wield, read the book!



TQ:  Which question about The Shards of Heaven do you wish someone would ask? Ask it and answer it!

Michael:

Q: In your book, several of your characters decide that God is dead. Do you anticipate any hate mail from that?

A: I don't think that's a terribly shocking thing for my characters to conclude, but if it does bother anyone, I hope they don't write me about it. I hope instead they purchase boxes and boxes of my books and burn them. On live TV. You simply can't buy that kind of publicity.



TQ:  Give us one or two of your favorite non-spoilery lines from The Shards of Heaven.

Michael:  My favorite passage is this:

Like a sudden exhalation, matched with an echoing boom that reverberated in Vorenus' chest, the rain came back against them, stinging like a thousand tiny arrows.

And behind the rain came the roar of an angry god.



TQ:  What's next?

Michael:  I'm polishing off The Temples of the Ark right now, which is the sequel to The Shards of Heaven. It is scheduled for release in November of 2016. The adventure of the Shards, I'm happy to say, is just getting started!



TQ:  Thank you for joining us at The Qwillery.

Michael:  Thank you for having me. Happy reading, everyone!

The Shards of Heaven
The Shards of Heaven 1
Tor Books, November 24, 2015
Hardcover and eBook, 416 pages

Julius Caesar is dead, assassinated on the senate floor, and the glory that is Rome has been torn in two. Octavian, Caesar's ambitious great-nephew and adopted son, vies with Marc Antony and Cleopatra for control of Caesar's legacy. As civil war rages from Rome to Alexandria, and vast armies and navies battle for supremacy, a secret conflict may shape the course of history.

Juba, Numidian prince and adopted brother of Octavian, has embarked on a ruthless quest for the Shards of Heaven, lost treasures said to possess the very power of the gods-or the one God. Driven by vengeance, Juba has already attained the fabled Trident of Poseidon, which may also be the staff once wielded by Moses. Now he will stop at nothing to obtain the other Shards, even if it means burning the entire world to the ground.

Caught up in these cataclysmic events, and the hunt for the Shards, are a pair of exiled Roman legionnaires, a Greek librarian of uncertain loyalties, assassins, spies, slaves . . . and the ten-year-old daughter of Cleopatra herself.

Michael Livingston's The Shards of Heaven reveals the hidden magic behind the history we know, and commences a war greater than any mere mortal battle.

About Michael

MICHAEL LIVINGSTON holds degrees in history, medieval studies, and English. He is an Associate Professor of English at the Citadel, specializing in the Middle Ages. His short fiction has been published in Black Gate, Shimmer, Paradox, and Nature.










MichaelLivingston.com  ~   Twitter @MedievalGuy
Goodreads

Happy Monday before Thanksgiving (in the US). Please note that The Qwillery will probably not post on the 25th and 26th so that all of us may also enjoy T-Day.


There is one debut this week: The Shards of Heaven by Michael Livingston.


From formerly featured Debut Author Challenge Authors:

Heir to the Jedi: Star Wars by Kevin Hearne is out in Mass Market Paperback;

and

Yesterday's Hero (Arthur Wallace 2) by Jonathan Wood is also out in Mass Market Paperback.

November 24, 2015

TITLE	AUTHOR	SERIES
Feel the Burn	G.A. Aiken	PNR - Dragonkin 8
A Vision of Fire (h2tp)	Gillian Anderson Jeff Rovin	SF - Earthend Saga 1
Black Heart	Holly Black	UF - Curse Workers 3
Luke Skywalker Can't Read: And Other Geeky Truths	Ryan Britt	PopCul/LC/SF
Convergence Point (e)	Liana Brooks	SF - Time & Shadows Mystery 2
Child of Two Worlds	Greg Cox	SF - Star Trek: The Original Series
Andromeda's War (h2mm)	William C. Dietz	SF/AA - Legion of the Damned 3
Dinosaurs and a Dirigible (tp2mm)	David Drake	SF/TT - Collection
Wild Cat	Christine Feehan	PNR - Leopard 7
1636: The Viennese Waltz (h2mm)	Eric Flint Gorg Huff	AH - The Ring of Fire 18
Bound in Darkness	Jacquelyn Frank	PNR - The Immortal Brothers 3
The Dead Play On (h2mm)	Heather Graham	Th/Sus/P - Cafferty & Quinn 3
Chimera	Mira Grant	H - Parasitology 3
The Magicians (TV Tie-In Edition)	Lev Grossman	F - Magician 1
Heir to the Jedi: Star Wars (h2mm)	Kevin Hearne	SF - Star Wars
The Eye of the World: The Graphic Novel, Volume Five	Robert Jordan	F/GN - Wheel of Time
The Seventh Bride	T. Kingfisher	FairyT/FolkT/L&M
Stars in Your Eyes	Lynn Kurland	TTR - De Piaget 17
The King's Deryni (h2mm) (ri)	Katherine Kurtz	F - Deryni 3
The Shards of Heaven (D)	Michael Livingston	HistF - The Shards of Heaven 1
Dragon Storm	Katie MacAlister	PNR - Dragon Fall 2
Giving Up the Ghost	Max McCoy	PM - Ophelia Wylde Occult Mystery 3
The Golem of Solomon's Way	Jon Messenger	SP - Magic & Machinery 3
Burned (h2mm)	Karen Marie Moning	PNR - Fever 7
The Country of Ice Cream Star (h2tp)	Sandra Newman	LF/Dys
The Morcai Battalion: Invictus	Diana Palmer	SF - The Morcai Battalion 3
Doctor Who: The Secret Lives of Monsters (h2tp)	Justin Richards	SF - Doctor Who
Charmed: Let Gorgons Be Gorgons Part 2 (e)	Paul Ruditis	UF - Charmed
Charmed: Let Gorgons Be Gorgons Part 1 (e)	Paul Ruditis	UF - Charmed
Charmed: Let Gorgons Be Gorgons Part 4 (e)	Paul Ruditis	UF - Charmed
Charmed: Let Gorgons Be Gorgons Part 3 (e)	Paul Ruditis	UF - Charmed
Cast in Honor	Michelle Sagara	F - The Chronicles of Elantra 12
The Bite of Winter (e)	Lauren Smith	PNR - Love Bites 1
Positive (h2mm)	David Wellington	H
Double Contact (e)(ri)	James White	SF - Sector General 14
Yesterday's Hero (tp2mm)	Jonathan Wood	UF - Arthur Wallace 2

November 26, 2015

TITLE	AUTHOR	SERIES
Blurring the Line (e)	Marty Young (ed) Geoff Brown (ed)	H

November 28, 2015

TITLE	AUTHOR	SERIES
Beneath an Oil-Dark Sea	Caitlin R. Kiernan	SF/F/H - Best of Caitlin R. Kiernan 2

D - Debut
e - eBook
h2mm - Hardcover to Mass Market Paperback
h2tp - Hardcover to Trade Paperback
tp2mm - Trade to Mass Market Paperback
ri - reissue or reprint

AA - Action Adventure
AH - Alternate History
Dys - Dystopian
F - Fantasy
FairyT - Fairy Tale
FolkT - Folk Tale
GN -  Graphic Novel
H - Horror
HistF - Historical Fantasy
L&M - Legend and Myth
LC - Literary Criticism
LF - Literary Fiction
P - Paranormal
PM - Paranormal Mystery
PNR - Paranormal Romance
PopCul - Popular Culture
SF - Science Fiction
SP - Steampunk
Sus - Suspense
Th - Thriller
TT - Time Travel
TTR - Time Travel Romance
UF - Urban Fantasy