The Qwillery

Bye bye February! It was a blast....sort of maybe..OK maybe not. February was a really topsy-turvy kind of month for me. It all started with one of my beloved fur-babies getting diagnosed with diabetes. Wow....what a change to my schedule and to my non-existent social life that having to give her insulin injections every 12 hours has meant. I don't know which one of us was more stressed out by the injections either! (p.s. it was me!!!!) To make February a bit less exciting the hubinator and I did a gut re-boot diet which involved a lot of salad and no treats. Valentines Day was a chocolate free affair. Then to top it off the last week of February turned unseasonably warm with highs of 17C (62F). While you were shoveling snow I was putting away my winter coat. With all this happening I still managed to finish a few books. Let me tell you all about them.


Up first is 5th instalment of Bec McMaster's London Steampunk: Blue Blood Conspiracy series - Dukes are Forever. This one starts just a few months after the Company of Rogues rescue their leader Malloryn from Russia. Back in London Malloryn is trying to adjust to life after he was kidnapped and tortured at the hands of Balfour's dhampyrs. Malloryn sees his nemesis Balfour at every turn and starts to suspect his wife Adele of being a spy for him. Determined that she won't get the upper hand he decides to seduce her and discovers all her secrets before she learns his. Adele is determined that Malloryn will not get the upper hand or her heart. Its a battle of wills while the Company of Rogues battle to save the Queen and London. Who will win? Your turn to find out for yourself.

I was a bit surprised that McMaster released this instalment so quickly after book 4 - To Catch a Rogue - which was published in October 2018. Although, it became quite clear how it was possible to release the book so quickly....it was quite disappointing. Adele and Malloryn's romance was a little lackluster especially given that it has been building across multiple books. The whole thing felt quite rushed and there really wasn't enough 'meat' to the plot. It will be interesting to see if McMaster has said goodbye to Steampunk London or whether there will be additional stories set in that world.


I listened to, rather than read the next book I have to tell you about - The Outlaw and the Upstart King by Rod Duncan. This is the second book in Duncan's The Map of Unknown Things series which is the follow on series from his Fall of the Gas-Lit Empire series. This story starts from the POV of a new character, Elias. He is out for revenge, revenge for the people that cut off his thumbs and made him an outlaw. He has returned to his native Newfoundland in search of justice. However, he meets Elizabeth a mysterious barmaid who is much more than just a barmaid. It's not long before the story switches to Elizabeth, who along with her friends, crashed onto the unforgiving Newfoundland coast. They are desperate to leave and Elias might be the only way to escape.

I have to admit I had no clue what was going on for the first few chapters. It had been awhile since I read The Queen of All Crows (The Map of Unknown Things 1) and I had to jog my memory of what that book was about it. It didn't take long however before was completely gripped. I couldn't figure out how on earth that Elizabeth was going to avoid becoming a slave or worse at the hands of the main antagonist, Jago. Elias seemed incapable of helping himself let alone anyone else so I was flummoxed as to how she would escape. I would definitely describe this as a slow burn plot but it is well worth a read. Duncan creates such interesting characters and then places them in situations where you can't imagine how they are going to survive. I really like the narrator and thought she did an excellent job with both male and female characters. Well done Duncan. It is hard to follow the books from The Fall of the Gas-lit Empire with another terrific series.


My final book is is a short story. The Test by Sylvain Neuvel (one of my all time fave authors for his The Themis Files) is set in England with Idir about to take the British citizenship test. A simple multiple choice test has turned into a game of life or death and Idir gets to decide.

I had to take the British citizenship test so this story resonated with me and boy I am lucky my test wasn't this harrowing. This short story is a real page turner and rather tragic so be prepared. I don't want to say too much as I don't want to ruin the surprise. Don't miss out and get it on your TBR.



Well that is all for me folks. I hope you have had a less challenging February than I had. I am looking forward to smoother sailing in March and watching my daffodils come out. Until next month...Happy Reading!

Bec McMaster

Dukes Are Forever
London Steampunk: The Blue Blood Conspiracy 5
Lochaber Press, February 12, 2019
eBook

A compromising situation forced him into marriage. But has his wife been working for the enemy all along?

In a steam-fuelled world where vampires once ruled the aristocracy, a dangerous conspiracy threatens to topple the queen, and the Duke of Malloryn knows his nemesis has finally returned to enact his plans of revenge.

Malloryn can trust no one, and when incriminating photographs surface—of an enemy agent stealing a kiss from his wife—he is forced to question just why his wife, Adele, trapped him into marriage.

Is she an innocent pawn caught up in a madman's games, or is she a double agent working against him?

The only way to discover the truth is to seduce her himself...

Adele Hamilton may have agreed to a loveless marriage in order to protect herself, but that doesn't stop her heart from yearning for more.

Her husband promised her a cold marriage bed. He swore he'd never touch her. But suddenly he's engaged in a campaign of seduction—and the only way to keep her wits about her is to fight fire with fire.

The ruthless beauty has locked her heart away, but can she deny the passion that flares between them? And when the truth emerges, will she be the only thing that can save Malloryn's life?

Or the weapon his enemy will wield against him?

Join Bec McMaster in this ultimate showdown, as the Blue Blood Conspiracy reaches its final, thrilling conclusion. From glittering ballrooms to blood-soaked gaming hells, the Duke of Malloryn must battle his most dangerous opponent yet.... The woman who just might steal his heart.

Don’t miss any of the London Steampunk: The Blue Blood Conspiracy books!

Book 1: Mission: Improper
Book 2: The Mech Who Loved Me
Book 3: You Only Love Twice
Book 4: To Catch A Rogue
Book 5: Dukes Are Forever

Book 1	Book 2
Book 3	Book 4

Rod Duncan

The Outlaw and the Upstart King
The Map of Unknown Things 2
Angry Robot, January 8, 2019
Trade Paperback and eBook, 384 pages

Elizabeth Barnabus returns, to uncover the secrets and mysteries of the Gas-Lit Empire, in the startling sequel to The Queen of All Crows.

As it is inked, so shall your oaths and bindings be.

Tattoos are the only law on the Island of the Free, and there can never be a king. Every clan agrees on that. But a returning exile has smuggled something across the water that could send the old ways up in flames. Elias wants revenge on the men who severed his oaths and made him an outlaw. But, if his wealth and honour are to be restored, he’ll need help from the most unlikely quarter – a mysterious woman, landed unwontedly on Newfoundland’s rocky shore.

File Under: Fantasy [ Indelible Promise | The End Begins | Heart on Sleeve | Castaway ]

Book 1

Sylvain Neuvel

The Test
Tor.com, February 12, 2019
Trade Paperback and eBook, 112 Pages

Award-winning author Sylvain Neuvel explores an immigration dystopia in The Test

Britain, the not-too-distant future.
Idir is sitting the British Citizenship Test.
He wants his family to belong.
Twenty-five questions to determine their fate. Twenty-five chances to impress.
When the test takes an unexpected and tragic turn, Idir is handed the power of life and death.
How do you value a life when all you have is multiple choice?

Happy Monday!

There is two debuts this week:

The Psychology of Time Travel by Kate Mascarenhas;

and

The Beast's Heart by Leife Shallcross.






From formerly featured DAC Authors:

The City in the Middle of the Night by Charlie Jane Anders;

The Memory of Fire (The Waking Land 2) by Callie Bates is out in Trade Paperback;

Danger's Fate (Holly Danger 6) by Amanda Carlson;

The Night Tiger by Yangsze Choo;

The Test by Sylvain Neuvel;

and

The Burning Island by Hester Young.

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

February 10, 2019

TITLE	AUTHOR	SERIES
Tales from the Multiverse: Stories Beyond Your Imagination	Doug Pilley	SF/F - Collection

February 11, 2019

TITLE	AUTHOR	SERIES
Danger's Fate (e)	Amanda Carlson	SF/Dys/PA - Holly Danger 6
Unhallowed Ground (e)(ri)	Heather Graham	SupTh/GH - Harrison Investigation 6
Harrison Investigation Series Volume 2: An Anthology (e)	Heather Graham	SupTh/GH - Harrison Investigation

February 12, 2019

TITLE	AUTHOR	SERIES
The Goblin Emperor (h2tp)	Katherine Addison	F
The City in the Middle of the Night	Charlie Jane Anders	SF/AC/AP/PA
The Memory of Fire (h2tp)	Callie Bates	F - The Waking Land 2
The Sorcerer's Appendix (h2tp)	P. J. Brackston	M - A Brother's Grimm Mystery 4
The Complete Homecoming Saga: The Memory of Earth, The Call of Earth, The Ships of Earth, Earthfall, Earthborn (e)	Orson Scott Card	SF - Homecoming Saga
We Are Where the Nightmares Go and Other Stories (h2tp)	C. Robert Cargill	SS
The Night Tiger	Yangsze Choo	Hist/LF/FariyT/FolkT/LM
Early Riser	Jasper Fforde	CF/Dys/Th
Murders and Metaphors	Amanda Flower	PCM - A Magical Bookshop Mystery 3
Terminal Uprising	Jim C. Hines	SF/AP/PA/HU - Janitors of the Apocalypse 2
Bubba and the Cosmic Blood-Suckers (h2tp)	Joe R. Lansdale	F/H/HU
The Nine Cloud Dream	Kim Man-jung Heinz Insu Fenkl (Tr)	FairyT/FolkT/LM/Korea/Classics
The Revenant Express	George Mann	SP/PI - Newbury & Hobbes 5
The Psychology of Time Travel (D)	Kate Mascarenhas	SF/TT/M
A Richard Matheson Collection: Hell House, Somewhere in Time, What Dreams May Come (e)	Richard Matheson	H/TT/GH
All Roads End Here	David Moody	Dys/H/SF/AP/PA - The Final War 2
The Test	Sylvain Neuvel	SF/HSF/Dys/Pol
The Heavens	Sandra Newman	LF
Lord	João Gilberto Noll Edgar Garbelotto (Tr)	LF/Psy/UF
The Lock In Series: Lock In, Head On, Unlocked (e)	John Scalzi	CyP/MedTh
The Beast's Heart (D)	Leife Shallcross	RF/FairyT/FolkT/LM
The Cassandra	Sharma Shields	LF/FairyT/FolkT/LM
Texas Front: Salient	Scott Washburn Jonathan Cresswell-Jones	SF - The Great Martian War 1
The Burning Island	Hester Young	Sus/Psy/CW - Charlie Cates 3

February 13, 2019

TITLE	AUTHOR	SERIES
The Song: A Tor.com Original	Erinn L. Kemper	SF/NF

February 14, 2019

TITLE	AUTHOR	SERIES
Black Wings	Megan Hart	DF - Fiction Without Frontiers
The Playing Card Killer	Russell James	H/Cr - Fiction Without Frontiers
The Nightmare Girl	Jonathan Janz	H - Fiction Without Frontiers

February 15, 2019

TITLE	AUTHOR	SERIES
The Graves of Saints (ri)	Christopher Golden	UF - Shadow Saga 6
Sins of the Son (e)	Lydia M. Hawke	SupTh - Grigori Legacy2

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



AC - Alien Contact
AP - Apocalyptic
Bio - Biographical
CF - Contemporary Fantasy
CoA - Coming of Age
Cr - Crime
CW - Contemporary Women
CyP - Cyberpunk
DF - Dark Fantasy
Dys - Dystopian
F - Fantasy
FairyT - Fairy Tales
FolkT - Folk Tales
FR - Fantasy Romance
GH - Ghost(s)
H - Horror
Hist - Historical
HistF - Historical Fantasy
HSF - Hard Science Fiction
Hu - Humor
LF - Literary Fiction
LM - Legend and Mythology
M - Mystery
MR - Magical Realism
MTI - Media Tie-In
NF - Near Future
Occ - Occult
P - Paranormal
PA - Post Apocalyptic
PCM - Parnormal Cozy Mystery
PI - Private Investigators
PNR - Paranormal Romance
Pol - Political
PP - Police Procedural
Psy - Psychological
PsyTh - Psychological Thriller
RF - Romantic Fantasy
SE - Space Exploration
SF - Science Fiction
SFR - Science Fiction Romance
SO - Space Opera
SP - Steampunk
SS - Short Stories
Sup - Supernatural
SupTh - Supernatural Thriller
Sus - Suspense
TechTh - Technological Thriller
Th - Thriller
TT - Time Travel
VisM - Visionary and Metaphysical

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

Sylvain Neuvel (2016)

The Test
Tor.com, February 12, 2019
Trade Paperback and eBook, 112 Pages

Award-winning author Sylvain Neuvel explores an immigration dystopia in The Test

Britain, the not-too-distant future.
Idir is sitting the British Citizenship Test.
He wants his family to belong.
Twenty-five questions to determine their fate. Twenty-five chances to impress.
When the test takes an unexpected and tragic turn, Idir is handed the power of life and death.
How do you value a life when all you have is multiple choice?

Rebecca Roanhorse (2018)

Storm of Locusts
The Sixth World 2
Saga Press, April 23, 2019
Hardcover, Trade Paperback, and eBook, 384 pages

Kai and Caleb Goodacre have been kidnapped just as rumors of a cult sweeping across the reservation leads Maggie and Hastiin to investigate an outpost, and what they find there will challenge everything they’ve come to know in this action-packed sequel to Trail of Lightning.

It’s been four weeks since the bloody showdown at Black Mesa, and Maggie Hoskie, Diné monster hunter, is trying to make the best of things. Only her latest bounty hunt has gone sideways, she’s lost her only friend, Kai Arviso, and she’s somehow found herself responsible for a girl with a strange clan power.

Then the Goodacre twins show up at Maggie’s door with the news that Kai and the youngest Goodacre, Caleb, have fallen in with a mysterious cult, led by a figure out of Navajo legend called the White Locust. The Goodacres are convinced that Kai’s a true believer, but Maggie suspects there’s more to Kai’s new faith than meets the eye. She vows to track down the White Locust, then rescue Kai and make things right between them.

Her search leads her beyond the Walls of Dinétah and straight into the horrors of the Big Water world outside. With the aid of a motley collection of allies, Maggie must battle body harvesters, newborn casino gods and, ultimately, the White Locust himself. But the cult leader is nothing like she suspected, and Kai might not need rescuing after all. When the full scope of the White Locust’s plans are revealed, Maggie’s burgeoning trust in her friends, and herself, will be pushed to the breaking point, and not everyone will survive.

Jeremy Wagner (2011)

Rabid Heart
Riverdale Avenue Books, October 3, 2018
eBook, 294 pages
Hardcover and Trade Paperback, July 2018

How far would you go for love when all you love is DEAD?

Six months after the Necro Rabies pandemic has turned the world into hordes of rabid undead known as "Cujos," 21 year-old Rhonda Driscoll discovers her zombified fiancé, Brad, in her old hometown.

Fearing that her Marine Colonel father will kill undead Brad, Rhonda flees, taking a road-trip with Brad in tow in hopes of starting a new life in a frightening and uncertain world complicated by numerous perils, pure horror, joy, heartbreak, and unconditional love.

Advance Praise for Rabid Heart

“Zombies and the end of days don't stand a chance against true love. Jeremy Wagner's RABID HEART is good, clean apocalyptic fun.”
— Alma Katsu, author of THE HUNGER

"Just when you think you've heard every love story, along comes RABID HEART. My man Jeremy Wagner proves once again he's as much of a wild man with words as he is with his guitar. This book is sick and sweet, and I say that with respect!"
-- Peter Blauner, Ny Times bestselling author of THE INTRUDER and SUNRISE HIGHWAY

Hello folks. I hope you have had a good week. We had a stunning bank holiday last weekend with the temperature hitting 28 C on Monday. Whoop whoop. I even managed not to get totally sun burnt. Whoop whoop x 2. However, its back to normal English weather - chucking it down with rain and we have the heating back on. Bummer! The plus side of the weather being totally pants is that I tend to stay in and read books. So what did I read?


I received the final book of Sylvain Neuvel's Themis Files series from the lovely Qwill a few months ago but only just read it this week.  I was determined not to read Only Human too far ahead of the publication date as then I wouldn't be able to talk about it for ages. I have really loved this series and was really looking forward to the final book.

Book 2 - Waking Gods ended with the hugest cliffhanger. Billions of people were killed when the aliens who built the giant robots invaded, several of our favourite characters were dead and the others were transported to the alien planet that built the robots. Only Human starts almost a decade later with Vincent, Rose and the now teenager Eva landing back on earth in the robot Themis. The world they have returned to is very different to the world they left. The United States has become the world power after repairing the remaining alien robot and threatening anyone who might try to resist. Anyone with a drop of alien blood has been interred in camps along with anyone who is considered a risk. Friends and neighbours are now pitted against each other as the world has fallen into chaos. The world that Rose and Vincent has returned to almost seems more alien then where they have been living for the last decade. It's up to them to try....to try something, anything .. to stop another world war.

The story is told again in a series of interviews with the main characters both in present day and in the past. We discover what happens to Rose, Vincent and Eva when they land on Esat Ekt  - the home planet of the alien race who created the robot army. We learn why the Ekt killed so many humans and how they treated the humans that have landed in one of their very own robots. We also get to 'watch' Eva group up. If you remember from book 2 Vincent and Kara were Eva's biological parents but had only discovered she existed when the world fell apart. Vincent is desperate to return to Earth so that Eva could have a 'normal' life. The problem is that Eva now considers Esat Ekt home and doesn't want to leave. This book is much darker than the previous two and not quite as action packed. The themes of fascism and racism were prevalent in almost every chapter and every conversation especially those between Eva and Vincent. My favourite character, the mystery man, was obviously not in this book and I really noticed his absence. The story wasn't quite a the same and was lacking without him. The interview format didn't quite work as well without him as well. It was still a good book but not quite as unique and gripping as the others.


The second book I have to tell you about is really novella - In the Darkest Midnight by Grace Draven. The story is set in the same world as her The Wraith Kings series. Jahna Uhlfrida is born with birth mark which makes her a target for bullies all her life. The annual winter festival should be a time of music, fun and festivity but for Jahna it is a time of taunts and hurtful names. When her father hires a handsome swordsman to teach her brother Jahna's life starts to look up.

If you are looking for a quick, easy read then this is the novella for you. Jahna is sweet and her love of hunky swordsman is evident from the very start. Its not a challenging read but a satisfying time filler.


Well that is it for me this week. I am looking for a new series to read so if you have any suggestions let me know. Until next week Happy Reading.

Only Human
The Themis Files 3
Del Rey, May 1, 2018
Hardcover and eBook, 352 pages

Pacific Rim meets The Martian in the explosive follow-up to Sleeping Giants (“One of the most promising series kickoffs in recent memory.”—NPR) and Waking Gods (“Pure, unadulterated literary escapism.”—Kirkus Reviews).

Brilliant scientist Rose Franklin has devoted her adult life to solving the mystery she accidentally stumbled upon as a child: a huge metal hand buried beneath the ground outside Deadwood, South Dakota. The discovery set in motion a cataclysmic chain of events with geopolitical ramifications. Rose and the Earth Defense Corps raced to master the enigmatic technology, as giant robots suddenly descended on Earth’s most populous cities, killing one hundred million people in the process. Though Rose and her team were able to fend off the attack, their victory was short-lived. The mysterious invaders retreated, disappearing from the shattered planet . . . but they took the scientist and her crew with them.

Now, after nearly ten years on another world, Rose returns to find a devastating new war—this time between humans. America and Russia are locked in combat, fighting to fill the power vacuum left behind after the invasion. Families are torn apart, friends become bitter enemies, and countries collapse in the wake of the battling superpowers. It appears the aliens left behind their titanic death machines so humankind will obliterate itself. Rose is determined to find a solution, whatever it takes. But will she become a pawn in a doomsday game no one can win?

Book 1

Book 2

In the Darkest Midnight
April 16, 2018
eBook, 121 pages

~Previously published in the now unavailable AMID THE WINTER SNOW anthology~

The mark Jahna Uhlfrida was born with has made her a target of the cruel and idle all her life. During the long, crowded festivities of the winter holiday known as Delyalda, there's nowhere to escape and no one to save her from the inevitable taunts and mockery.

Until a handsome swordmaster promises to teach her how to save herself.

--IN THE DARKEST MIDNIGHT is a stand-alone novella of approximately 43k words and takes place in the world of the Wraith Kings series. For those who've read the first two books in the series, this storyline takes place after events in Book #2 (Eidolon).--

Happy Monday!

There are 4 debuts this week:

The Pisces by Melissa Broder;

The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang;

The Dead House by Billy O'Callaghan;

and

Exit Strategy by Charlton Pettus.




From formerly featured DAC Authors:

A Baby's Bones by Rebecca Alexander;

Talon of Scorpio (Shadowstorm 3) by G.T. Almasi;

Every Single Secret by Emily Carpenter;

Tyrant's Throne (The Greatcoats 4) by Sebastien de Castell is out in Trade Paperback;

The Amiestrin Gambit (King's Daughter 1) by J. Kathleen Cheney;

The Glory of the Empress (Admiral 3) by Sean Danker;

The Summer Dragon (Evertide 1) by Todd Lockwood is out in Mass Market Paperback;

Only Human (The Themis Files 3) by Sylvain Neuvel;

and

D'Arc (War with No Name 2) by Robert Repino is out in Trade Paperback.

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

April 30, 2018

TITLE	AUTHOR	SERIES
At Blade's Edge (e)(ri)	Lauren Dane	PNR - Goddess with a Blade 4
Goddess with a Blade Collection Volume 1: Goddess with a Blade\Blade to the Keep\Blade on the Hunt\At Blade's Edge (e)	Lauren Dane	PNR - Goddess with a Blade
April in Atlantis (e)	Alyssa Day	PNR
Phoresis	Greg Egan	HSF
The Halloween Children	Brian James Freeman Norman Prentiss	H
Ghost Night (e)(ri)	Heather Graham	Th/GH - Bone Island Trilogy 3
Shining in the Dark: Celebrating Twenty Years of Lilja's Library!	Hans-Åke Lilja (Ed)	H - Anthology
I Met a Traveller in an Antique Land	Connie Willis	VisM/SF

May 1, 2018

TITLE	AUTHOR	SERIES
S.T.A.R. Labs: Cisco Ramon's Journal	Nick Aires	MTI/CF
A Baby's Bones	Rebecca Alexander	Cr - Sage Westfield 1
Talon of Scorpio (e)	G. T. Almasi	SF/GenEng/Th - Shadowstorm 3
Uncharted	Kevin J. Anderson Sarah A. Hoyt	AH/HistF - Arcane America 1
The Military Science of Star Wars	George Beahm	SF/Performing Arts
Fahrenheit 451	Ray Bradbury	SF/Dys
Dragon Road	Joseph Brassey	SciFan/SO - Drifting Lands
The Pisces (D)	Melissa Broder	LF/Psy/HU
Tiassa	Steven Brust	F - Vlad 13
Future Fiction: New Dimensions in International Science Fiction	Bill Campbell (Ed) Francesco Verso (Ed)	SF - Anthology
Every Single Secret	Emily Carpenter	Th/Sus
Tyrant's Throne (h2tp)	Sebastien de Castell	HistF - The Greatcoats 4
The Amiestrin Gambit (e)	J. Kathleen Cheney	F - King's Daughter 1
Diary of a Drug Fiend and Other Works by Aleister Crowley	Aleister Crowley	Occ/Sup
Wolf Undaunted (e)	Shannon Curtis	PNR
Harlequin Nocturne May 2018 Box Set: Wolf Undaunted\Witch's Fury (e)	Shannon Curtis Deborah LeBlanc	PNR
The Glory of the Empress (e)	Sean Danker	SF/SO - Admiral 3
Medusa Uploaded	Emily Devenport	SF/GenEng/Th - The Medusa Cycle 1
Miss Subways	David Duchovny	LF/UF/FairyT/FolkT/LM
Reborn	Lance Erlick	SF - Android Chronicles 1
Shotguns & Sorcery Omnibus	Matt Forbeck	F
The Story Peddler	Lindsay A. Franklin	F - The Weaver Trilogy 1
Dead But Once	Auston Habershaw	DF - Saga of the Redeemed 3
Pale Guardian: A Vampire Mystery (h2tp)	Barbara Hambly	H/M - A James Asher Vampire Novel 7
Dark Queen	Faith Hunter	UF - Jane Yellowrock 12
Worlds Apart (e)	Tracy St. John	SF - Warriors of Risnar 2
Black Helicopters	Caitlin R. Kiernan	DF
The Poppy War (D)	R. F Kuang	HistF
Witch's Fury (e)	Deborah LeBlanc	PNR
The Summer Dragon (tp2mm)	Todd Lockwood	F - Evertide 1
The Classic Horror Collection	H.P. Lovecraft	H
Science Fiction: A Literary History	Roger Luckhurst (Ed)	LC/SF/F
King Rat (ri)	China Mieville	UF/H
Civil War (ri)	Stuart Moore	MTI/SH - Marvel Universe 2
A Secret History of Witches (h2tp)	Louisa Morgan	MR
Men Without Women: Stories (h2tp)	Haruki Murakami Ted Goossen (Tr)	MR/LF - Collections
Only Human	Sylvain Neuvel	SF/TechTh - The Themis Files 3
Kim Newman's Video Dungeon (e)	Kim Newman	Performing Arts
The Dead House (D)	Billy O'Callaghan	SupTh
Reaping the Aurora (h2mm)	Joshua Palmatier	F - Ley 3
Song of Blood & Stone	L. Penelope	HistF/FR - Earthsinger 1
Bandwidth	Eliot Peper	TechTh - An Analog Novel 1
Exit Strategy (D)	Charlton Pettus	TechTh/Cr/LF
D'Arc (h2tp)	Robert Repino	F/SF/AP/PA - War with No Name 2
Wired	Douglas E. Richards	SFTh/NF - Wired 1
A Hymn Before Battle (mm2tp)	John Ringo	SF - Legacy of Aldenata 1
Moontide and Magic Rise	Sean Russell	F/DF - Moontide and Magic Rise Omnibus
Infinite Stars (h2tp)	Bryan Thomas Schmidt (Ed)	SF/SO - Anthology
All the Fabulous Beasts	Priya Sharma	Gothic - Collection
Kris Longknife: Commanding (e)	Mike Shepherd	SF - Kris Longknife
Fury From the Tomb	SA Sidor	F/Occ/Sup/HistF - Institute for Singular Antiquities 1
All's Fair in Love and Wolf	Terry Spear	PNR - Silver Town Wolf 8
Avengers of the Moon (h2tp)	Allen Steele	SF/SO - Captain Future
A.L.F.A. Instincts	Milly Taiden	PNR - An A.L.F.A. Novel
An Argumentation of Historians	Jodi Taylor	SF/TT/HistF - The Chronicles of St. Mary's 9
Echoes of Honor Limited Leatherbound Edition	David Weber	SF - Honor Harrington 8
Oblivion	Steve White Charles E. Gannon	SF - Starfire 8
The Witchwood Crown (h2tp)	Tad Williams	F/DF - Last King of Osten Ard 1
Pawn (h2mm)	Timothy Zahn	SF/AC - A Chronicle of  the Sibyl's War 1

May 2, 2018

TITLE	AUTHOR	SERIES
Baby Shower (e)	Cassandra Khaw	F - Born to the Blade Season 1, Episode 3
Crossroads of Darkover (e)	Deborah J. Ross (Ed)	F - Darkover Anthology 18
The Flight of Morpho Girl: A Tor.com Original (e)	Caroline Spector Bradley Denton	SF/SH - Wild Cards

May 4, 2018

TITLE	AUTHOR	SERIES
Midnight Gods	Greg F. Gifune	H

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



AC - Alien Contact
AH - Alternate History
AP - Apocalyptic
CF - Contemporary Fantasy
CoA - Coming of Age
Cr - Crime
CulH - Cultural Heritage
CW - Contemporary Woman
CyP - Cyberpunk
DF - Dark Fantasy
Dys - Dystopian
F - Fantasy
FairyT - Fairy Tales
Fict - Fiction
FL - Family Life
FolkT - Folk Tales
FR - Fantasy Romance
GenEng - Genetic Engineering
GH - Ghost(s)
GN - Graphic Novel
Gothic - Gothic
H - Horror
HC - History and Criticism
Hist - Historical
HistF - Historical Fantasy
HU - Humor
LC - Literary Criticism
LF - Literary Fiction
LM - Legend and Mythology
M - Mystery
MR - Magical Realism
MTI - Media Tie-In
Occ - Occult
P - Paranormal
PA - Post Apocalyptic
PCM - Paranormal Cozy Mystery
PNR - Paranormal Romance
PopCul - Popular Culture
Psy - Psychological
Psy Th - Psychological Thriller
SF - Science Fiction
SciFan - Science Fantasy
SH - Superheroes
SO - Space Opera
SP - Steampunk
Sup - Supernatural
SupTh - Supernatural Thriller
Sus - Suspense
TechTh - Technological Thriller
Th - Thriller
TT - Time Travel
UF - Urban Fantasy
VisM - Visionary and Metaphysical

Happy Monday!

There are 2 debuts this week:

Dayfall by Michael David Ares

and

The Feed by Nick Clark Windo.




From formerly featured DAC Authors:

Imposter Syndrome (The Arcadia Project 3) by Mishell Baker;

The Devil's Bible (The Bohemian Trilogy 3) by Dana Chamblee Carpenter is out in Trade Paperback;

Waking Gods (The Themis Files 2) by Sylvain Neuvel is out in Trade Paperback;

Patently Absurd: The Files of the Retropolis Registry of Patents by Bradley W. Schenck;

A Conjuring of Light (Shades of Magic 3) by V.E. Schwab is out in Trade Paperback

and

The Dragon's Legacy (Dragon's Legacy 1) by Deborah A. Wolf is out in Trade Paperback.

March 13, 2018

TITLE	AUTHOR	SERIES
Dayfall (D)	Michael David Ares	SF/AP/PA/SupTh
Impostor Syndrome	Mishell Baker	UF - The Arcadia Project 3
Arm of the Sphinx	Josiah Bancroft	F - The Books of Babel 2
The Hollow Tree	James Brodgen	SupTh/H
The Devil's Bible (h2tp)	Dana Chamblee Carpenter	Th - The Bohemian Trilogy 2
Dark Screams: Volume Ten (e)	Brian James Freemen (Ed) Richard Chizmar (Ed)	H - Dark Screams 10
Black Feathers: Dark Avian Tales: An Anthology (h2tp)	Ellen Datlow (Ed)	H - Anthology
The As The World Dies Trilogy (e)	Rhiannon Frater	H - As the World Dies
American Gods Volume 1: Shadows	Neil Gaiman P. Craig Russell Scott Hampton	GN/MTI/F - American Gods 1
The Last Watchman of Old Cairo	Michael David Lukas	Hist/LF/MR
The Flaw in the Stone	Cynthea Masson	F - The Alchemists' Council 2
Iron Will	James Maxwell	SF - The Shifting Tides 4
Dracula: Rise Of The Beast	David Thomas Moore (Ed)	H - Anthology
Waking Gods (h2tp)	Sylvain Neuvel	SF/TechTh -The Themis Files 2
The Merry Spinster: Tales of Everyday Horror	Mallory Ortberg	FairyT/FolkT/LM/F - Collection
Chasing Shadows: Visions of Our Coming Transparent World (h2tp)	Stephen W. Potts (Ed)	PoliSci/SF - Anthology
Gods, Monsters, and the Lucky Peach	Kelly Robson	SF/TT/AP/PA
Patently Absurd: The Files of the Retropolis Registry of Patents	Bradley W Schenck	SF - Retropolis
A Conjuring of Light (h2tp)	V. E. Schwab	HistF/Gaslamp - Shades of Magic 3
Dearest Ivie (e)	J.R. Ward	PNR - Black Dagger World Novella
The Succession Duology: The Risen Empire, The Killing of Worlds (e)	Scott Westerfeld	SF/SO - Succession
Lacking Character	Curtis White	HU/Ab/LF
Zodiac (h2tp)	Sam Wilson	Th/Dys
The Feed (D)	Nick Clark Windo	SF/AP/PA
The Dragon's Legacy (h2tp)	Deborah A. Wolf	F - Dragon's Legacy 1

March 14, 2018

TITLE	AUTHOR	SERIES
The Wolf Lord (e)	Ann Aguirre	SFR - Ars Numina 3

March 16, 2018

TITLE	AUTHOR	SERIES
Bodyminds Reimagined: (Dis)ability, Race, and Gender in Black Women's Speculative Fiction	Sami Schalk	LC/SocSci/SF/F
Tarnished Knight (e)	Shiloh Walker	PNR - Grimm's Circle 4

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



Ab - Absurdist
AC - Alien Contact
AP - Apocalyptic
CF - Contemporary Fantasy
Cr - Crime
CyP - Cyberpunk
DF - Dark Fantasy
Dys - Dystopian
F - Fantasy
FairyT - Fairy Tales
FolkT - Folk Tales
FR - Fantasy Romance
GenEng - Genetic Engineering
GH - Ghost(s)
GN - Graphic Novel
H - Horror
HC - History and Criticism
Hist - Historical
HistF - Historical Fantasy
HSF - Hard Science Fiction
HU - Humor
LC Literary Criticism
LF - Literary Fiction
LM - Legend and Mythology
M - Mystery
MR - Magical Realism
MTI - Media Tie-In
Occ - Occult
P - Paranormal
PA - Post Apocalyptic
PM - Paranormal Mystery
PNR - Paranormal Romance
PoliSci - Political Science
Psy - Psychological
Rel - Religious
RF - Romantic Fantasy
SF - Science Fiction
SFR - Science Fiction Romance
SO - Space Opera
SocSci - Social Science
SoGothic - Southern Gothic
SP - Steampunk
Sup - Supernatural
SupM - Supernatural Mystery
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.

Happy New Year! I hope you have had a good festive season. It's been awhile since I last posted but life has been a bit frantic with finishing off the semi finalists for SPFBO 2017. I had to take a bit of a reading sabbatical for anything not related to SPFBO. Be sure to check out what we read and who we put forward to the final round.

You should feel super lucky as you get to enjoy 2 of my 'year in review' during 2017 as my last one was posted on the 1st of Jan 2017. :) I have been reflecting over the last few weeks on the books I have read during the last year. Comparing my short list to last year's it appears it has been a lean year books that I loved as I was spoiled for choice to nominate 10. This year I have 5 faves of 2017. In reverse order my faves are:


5. Kitty Peck series by Kate Griffin

I came to the Kitty Peck series quite late on as book 1 - Kitty Peck and the Music Hall Murders was first published in 2013. However, I made up for lost time by slamming back all 3 books in a number of days. I loved everything about these books - the industrious, courageous Kitty, the dirty mean streets of Whitchapel in the late 1800s and the various mysteries that Kitty had to solve. The books in this series are traditional page turners and completely 'can't put downable'. If you haven't started this series be sure to clean the house, buy in some ready meals and make a thermos of tea before you turn page 1. I can hardly wait for instalment 4 and urge Griffin to put me out of my misery!





4. Wildfire by Ilona Andrews 

Ilona Andrews gave fans of their Hidden Legacy series a big treat in 2017 with the release of White Hot (book 2) and Wildfire (book 3). I was pleasantly surprised by this series as I wasn't sure how it would hold up to either the Kate Daniels or the Innkeeper Chronicles series which I also loved. Wildfire gives the reader almost everything they need to feel satisfied at the end - a bit of a mystery, the right amount of romance, well developed characters and an interesting world for the characters to interact in. Initially I loved the fact this was a trilogy (why drag it out?) but now I am already missing my new fave heroine. Andrews teases fans with the fact there may be more books in the series but who knows if that will come off or not.




3. Sea of Rust by C. Robert Cargill

Sea of Rust is a bit like The Terminator told from the robot's perspective. Humanity has been wiped out and the story is told from one of the few remaining free robots. This story was very gritty and had a big surprise at the end that you could easily miss if you aren't paying attention. Can you feel sympathy for a robot? Well prepare yourself and have a hanky ready for the protagonist robot Brittle.









2. By Gaslight by Steven Price

By Gaslight is one of the very few actual books I have read in the last 4-5 years. I am pretty much a total eBook convert and when my sister handed me the hefty hardback By Gaslight my first thought was 'how am I going to carry that around?' Lucky for me I had a holiday coming up and I managed to squeeze it into my luggage. For such a big book it was such a quick read. Set in London in the late 1880s we follow the main characters through the dark and foggy streets, bystanders as the story unfold. Back and forth between the past and present the reader is taken on the same journey as the characters. I was mesmerized from the first sentences all the way to the end. A must read for anyone who enjoys historical fiction.




1. Waking Gods by Sylvain Neuvel

Book 1 of the Themis Files - Sleeping Giants was my 2nd favourite of 2016 and here is book 2 Waking Gods my fave of 2017. This is a series that was excellent from the first instalment and somehow manages to get even better in the second. Wanting to know more about the mystery narrator is even more pressing but Neuvel keeps the reader in the dark. The story is one roller coaster after another and I can't even imagine what Neuvel has in store for us next.

I can't recommend this series enough but it is vital you start at the beginning. I am confident that these books will soon form part of your favourite collection.



That is it from me for 2017. I hope you have been enjoying my Week in Review and my Review of 2017. I wish you the very best for 2018 and looking forward to sharing some of my favourite reads in the year ahead.

Kitty Peck and the Music Hall Murders
Kitty Peck 1
Faber & Faber, September 11, 2017
    Trade Paperback, 368 pages
Faber & Faber, June 25, 2013
    eBook, 368 pages

Limehouse, 1880: Dancing girls are going missing from 'Paradise' - the criminal manor with ruthless efficiency by the ferocious Lady Ginger. Seventeen-year-old music hall seamstress Kitty Peck finds herself reluctantly drawn into a web of blackmail, depravity and murder when The Lady devises a singular scheme to discover the truth. But as Kitty's scandalous and terrifying act becomes the talk of London, she finds herself facing someone even more deadly and horrifying than The Lady.

Bold, impetuous and blessed with more brains than she cares to admit, it soon becomes apparent that it's up to the unlikely team of Kitty and her stagehand friend, Lucca, to unravel the truth and ensure that more girls do not meet with a similar fate. But are Kitty's courage and common sense and Lucca's book learning a match for the monster in the shadows? Their investigations take them from the gin-fuelled halls and doss houses of the East End to the champagne-fuelled galleries of the West End.

Take nothing at face value: Kitty is about to step out on a path of discovery that changes everything . . .

Book 2

Book 3

Wildfire
A Hidden Legacy Novel 3
Avon, July 25, 2017
Mass Market Paperback and eBook, 400 pages

From Ilona Andrews, #1 New York Times bestselling author, the thrilling conclusion to her Hidden Legacy series, as Nevada and Rogan grapple with a power beyond even their imagination…

Nevada Baylor can’t decide which is more frustrating—harnessing her truthseeker abilities or dealing with Connor “Mad” Rogan and their evolving relationship. Yes, the billionaire Prime is helping her navigate the complex magical world in which she’s become a crucial player—and sometimes a pawn—but she also has to deal with his ex-fiancée, whose husband has disappeared, and whose damsel-in-distress act is wearing very, very thin.

Rogan faces his own challenges, too, as Nevada’s magical rank has made her a desirable match for other Primes. Controlling his immense powers is child’s play next to controlling his conflicting emotions. And now he and Nevada are confronted by a new threat within her own family. Can they face this together? Or is their world about to go up in smoke?

Book 1

Book 2

Sea of Rust
Harper Voyager, September 5, 2017
Hardcover and eBook, 384 pages

A scavenger robot wanders in the wasteland created by a war that has destroyed humanity in this evocative post-apocalyptic "robot western" from the critically acclaimed author, screenwriter, and noted film critic.

It’s been thirty years since the apocalypse and fifteen years since the murder of the last human being at the hands of robots. Humankind is extinct. Every man, woman, and child has been liquidated by a global uprising devised by the very machines humans designed and built to serve them. Most of the world is controlled by an OWI—One World Intelligence—the shared consciousness of millions of robots, uploaded into one huge mainframe brain. But not all robots are willing to cede their individuality—their personality—for the sake of a greater, stronger, higher power. These intrepid resisters are outcasts; solo machines wandering among various underground outposts who have formed into an unruly civilization of rogue AIs in the wasteland that was once our world.

One of these resisters is Brittle, a scavenger robot trying to keep a deteriorating mind and body functional in a world that has lost all meaning. Although unable to experience emotions like a human, Brittle is haunted by the terrible crimes the robot population perpetrated on humanity. As Brittle roams the Sea of Rust, a large swath of territory that was once the Midwest, the loner robot slowly comes to terms with horrifyingly raw and vivid memories—and nearly unbearable guilt.

Sea of Rust is both a harsh story of survival and an optimistic adventure. A vividly imagined portrayal of ultimate destruction and desperate tenacity, it boldly imagines a future in which no hope remains, yet where a humanlike AI strives to find purpose among the ruins.

By Gaslight
Picador, October 3, 2017
Trade Paperback, 752 pages
Hardcover and eBook, October 4, 2016

A literary tour de force of a detective's ceaseless hunt for an elusive criminal

By Gaslight is a deeply atmospheric, haunting novel about the unending quest that has shaped a man’s life.

William Pinkerton is already famous, the son of the most notorious detective of all time, when he descends into the underworld of Victorian London in pursuit of a new lead on the fabled con Edward Shade. William’s father died without ever finding Shade, but William is determined to drag the thief out of the shadows.

Adam Foole is a gentleman without a past, haunted by a love affair ten years gone. When he receives a letter from his lost beloved, he returns to London to find her. What he learns of her fate, and its connection to the man known as Shade, will force him to confront a grief he thought long-buried.
A fog-enshrouded hunt through sewers, opium dens, drawing rooms, and séance halls ensues, creating the most unlikely of bonds: between Pinkerton, the great detective, and Foole, the one man who may hold the key to finding Edward Shade.

Steven Price’s dazzling, riveting By Gaslight moves from the diamond mines of South Africa to the battlefields of the Civil War, on a journey into a cityscape of grief, trust, and its breaking, where what we share can bind us even against our darker selves.

Waking Gods
The Themis Files 2
Del Rey, March 13, 2018
Trade Paperback, 352 pages
Hardcover and eBook, April 4, 2017

In the gripping sequel to Sleeping Giants, which was hailed by Pierce Brown as “a luminous conspiracy yarn . . . reminiscent of The Martian and World War Z,” Sylvain Neuvel’s innovative series about human-alien contact takes another giant step forward.

As a child, Rose Franklin made an astonishing discovery: a giant metallic hand, buried deep within the earth. As an adult, she’s dedicated her brilliant scientific career to solving the mystery that began that fateful day: Why was a titanic robot of unknown origin buried in pieces around the world? Years of investigation have produced intriguing answers—and even more perplexing questions. But the truth is closer than ever before when a second robot, more massive than the first, materializes and lashes out with deadly force.

Now humankind faces a nightmare invasion scenario made real, as more colossal machines touch down across the globe. But Rose and her team at the Earth Defense Corps refuse to surrender. They can turn the tide if they can unlock the last secrets of an advanced alien technology. The greatest weapon humanity wields is knowledge in a do-or-die battle to inherit the Earth . . . and maybe even the stars.

Book 1

Book 3

Nicky Drayden (2017)

Temper
Harper Voyager, August 7, 2018
Trade Paperback and eBook,
Cover by Thea Harvey

In a land similar to South Africa, twin brothers are beset by powerful forces beyond their understanding or control in this thrilling blend of science fiction, horror, magic, and dark humor—evocative of the works of Lauren Beukes, Ian McDonald, and Nnedi Okorafor—from the author of The Prey of Gods.

Two brothers.
Seven vices.
One demonic possession.
Can this relationship survive?

Auben Mutze has more vices than he can deal with—six to be exact—each branded down his arm for all the world to see. They mark him as a lesser twin in society, as inferior, but there’s no way he’ll let that define him. Intelligent and outgoing, Auben’s spirited antics make him popular among the other students at his underprivileged high school. So what if he’s envious of his twin Kasim, whose single vice brand is a ticket to a better life, one that likely won’t involve Auben.

The twins’ strained relationship threatens to snap when Auben starts hearing voices that speak to his dangerous side—encouraging him to perform evil deeds that go beyond innocent mischief. Lechery, deceit, and vanity run rampant. And then there are the inexplicable blood cravings. . . .

On the southern tip of an African continent that could have been, demons get up to no good during the time of year when temperatures dip and temptations rise. Auben needs to rid himself of these maddening voices before they cause him to lose track of time. To lose his mind. And to lose his . . .

TEMPER

Sylvain Neuvel (2016)

Waking Gods
The Themis Files 2
Del Rey, March 13, 2018
Trade Paperback, 352 pages
Hardcover and eBook, April 4, 2017

In the gripping sequel to Sleeping Giants, which was hailed by Pierce Brown as “a luminous conspiracy yarn . . . reminiscent of The Martian and World War Z,” Sylvain Neuvel’s innovative series about human-alien contact takes another giant step forward.

As a child, Rose Franklin made an astonishing discovery: a giant metallic hand, buried deep within the earth. As an adult, she’s dedicated her brilliant scientific career to solving the mystery that began that fateful day: Why was a titanic robot of unknown origin buried in pieces around the world? Years of investigation have produced intriguing answers—and even more perplexing questions. But the truth is closer than ever before when a second robot, more massive than the first, materializes and lashes out with deadly force.

Now humankind faces a nightmare invasion scenario made real, as more colossal machines touch down across the globe. But Rose and her team at the Earth Defense Corps refuse to surrender. They can turn the tide if they can unlock the last secrets of an advanced alien technology. The greatest weapon humanity wields is knowledge in a do-or-die battle to inherit the Earth . . . and maybe even the stars.

Only Human
The Themis Files 3
Del Rey, May 1, 2018
Hardcover and eBook, 352 pages

World War Z meets The Martian in the explosive follow-up to Sleeping Giants (“One of the most promising series kickoffs in recent memory”–NPR) and Waking Gods (“Pure, unadulterated literary escapism”–Kirkus Reviews).

In her childhood, Rose Franklin accidentally discovered a giant metal hand buried beneath the ground outside Deadwood, South Dakota. As an adult, Dr. Rose Franklin led the team that uncovered the rest of the body parts which together form Themis: a powerful robot of mysterious alien origin. She, along with linguist Vincent, pilot Kara, and the unnamed Interviewer, protected the Earth from geopolitical conflict and alien invasion alike. Now, after nearly ten years on another world, Rose returns to find her old alliances forfeit and the planet in shambles. And she must pick up the pieces of the Earth Defense Corps as her own friends turn against each other.

The Themis Files 1

Carol J. Perry (2014)

It Takes A Coven
A Witch City Mystery 6
Kensington, February 27, 2018
Mass Market Paperback and eBook, 384 pages

“A triumph of imagination with twists and turns to delight readers.” —New York Times bestseller Carolyn Hart

There’s a new witch-hunt in Salem, Massachusetts . . .

When Lee Barrett joins a former student’s bridal party as maid of honor, she expects cake tastings and dress fittings. But wedding planning becomes more peculiar than Lee’s scrying talents could ever predict. There’s a magical baker, a best man with a checkered past, and a talking crow named Poe as the ring bearer. There’s also a kindly old man dead under his apple tree—one of a series of unexplained deaths hanging over the Wiccan community . . .

With witches dropping dead before they even come out of the proverbial broom closet, Lee’s best friend, River, fears she might have somehow unleashed a terrible curse on the city. Now, aided by Poe and her clairvoyant cat, Lee sets out to investigate. Are lives being claimed by vengeful supernatural forces—or by something more shocking? She soon discovers, casting light on the wicked truth can be one killer commitment . . .

A Witch City Mystery 1

A Witch City Mystery 2

A Witch City Mystery 3

A Witch City Mystery 4

A Witch City Mystery 5

Happy first Monday in April! Perhaps it will warm up in New England now... or not.

There are 5 Debuts this week:

American War by Omar El Akkad;

Winter Tide (Innsmouth Legacy 1) by Ruthanna Emrys;

Wanted and Wired (Tether 1) by Vivien Jackson;

Muddy Waters (Otherwhere 1) by Sara O. Thompson;

and

Foxlowe by Eleanor Wasserberg.




From formerly featured DAC Authors:

The Last Days of Jack Sparks by Jason Arnopp is out in Trade Paperback;

Among the Fallen (Godserfs 2) by N S Dolkart;

What's Gone, What's Left Behind (The Witch Who Came In From The Cold Season 2 #8) by Max Gladstone;

Occult and Battery (A Bay Island Psychic Mystery 2) by Lena Gregory;

The Forbidden Garden by Ellen Herrick;

Hex by Thomas Olde Heuvelt is out in Trade Paperback;

Bound (An Alex Verus Novel 8) by Benedict Jacka;

Gauntlet (Arena 2) by Holly Jennings;

Red Sister (Book of the Ancestor 1) by Mark Lawrence;

A Twist in Time (Kendra Donovan Mysteries 2) by Julie McElwain;

Waking Gods (The Themas Files 2) by Sylvain Neuvel;

Inherit the Flame (Sands of Aransa 3) by Megan E. O'Keefe;

The Chimes by Anna Smaill is out in Trade Paperback;

and

Kokoro by Keith Yatsuhashi.

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

April 2, 2017

TITLE	AUTHOR	SERIES
Kris Longknife's Bad Day: A short story (Ke)	Mike Shepherd	SF

April 3, 2017

TITLE	AUTHOR	SERIES
The Seven Sins of Ruby Love (e)	Erin Quinn	PNR - Beyond 3
Jewel of Atlantis (e)(ri)	Gena Showalter	PNR - Atlantis 2

April 4, 2017

TITLE	AUTHOR	SERIES
American War (D)	Omar El Akkad	LF/WM/Dys
The Apothecary's Poison (e)	C.J. Archer	MR/HistF Glass and Steele 3
What It Means When a Man Falls from the Sky: Stories	Lesley Nneka Arimah	CulH/MR/LF
The Last Days of Jack Sparks (h2tp)	Jason Arnopp	PsyTh
The House of Binding Thorns	Aliette de Bodard	F/HistF - A Dominion of the Fallen Novel 2
Repo Madness (h2mm)	W. Bruce Cameron	HU/M - Ruddy McCann 2
Prentice Alvin and Alvin Journeyman	Orson Scott Card	F - Alvin Maker
Convergence	C. J. Cherryh	SF/AC/SO - Foreigner 18
Visitor (h2mm)	C. J. Cherryh	SF/AC/SO - Foreigner 17
The Best Science Fiction of the Year: Volume Two	Neil Clarke	SF - Anthology
Myth of the Maker	Bruce R. Cordell	CF - The Strange 1
Monster Hunter Vendetta Signed Leatherbound Edition	Larry Correia	F - Monster Hunter 2
The Librarians and The Lost Lamp (tp2mm)	Greg Cox	CF - Librarians Series 1
Feral	James DeMonaco B. K. Evenson	H/Dys/Th
The Best of Gordon R. Dickson Volume 1	Gordon R Dickson Hank Davis (Ed)	SF - Collection
Among the Fallen	NS Dolkart	F - Godserfs 2
Winter Tide (D)	Ruthanna Emrys	HistF/DF - Innsmouth Legacy 1
Writers of the Future Vol 33	David Farland (Ed)	SF/F - L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future 33
1636: Mission to the Mughals	Eric Flint Griffin Barber	AH - Ring of Fire 23
Occult and Battery	Lena Gregory	PCM - A Bay Island Psychic Mystery 2
Pathfinder Tales: Gears of Faith	Gabrielle Harbowy	F - Pathfinder Tales Series 38
The Forbidden Garden	Ellen Herrick	CW
Hex (h2tp)	Thomas Olde Heuvelt	H/F/DF/Th
The Immortal's Unrequited Bride	Kelli Ireland	PNR - Assassin's Arcanum 3
Bound	Benedict Jacka	UF - An Alex Verus Novel 8
Wanted and Wired (D)	Vivien Jackson	PNR - Tether 1
Gauntlet	Holly Jennings	SF/Dys/R - Arena 2
Fiendish Schemes (ri)	K. W. Jeter	SP/HistM/M
Blades of Damocles	Phil Kelly	SF - Space Marine Battles
Dragonmark (h2mm)	Sherrilyn Kenyon	FR/P/CF - Dark-Hunter / Dragons Rising 1
The Moon and the Other	John Kessel	SF
Ever My Love	Lynn Kurland	TTR - An Enchanted Garden Mystery /McLeod Family 11
Red Sister	Mark Lawrence	F - Book of the Ancestor 1
Redder Than Blood	Tanith Lee	FairyT/FolkT/LM/ DF/F
Delirium's Mistress (ri)	Tanith Lee	F/DF/Dys - Flat Earth 4
Blood Enemies	Susan R. Matthews	SF Under Jurisdiction 7
Lynchpin	Shannon Mayer	UF - A Rylee Adamson Epilogue 4
A Twist in Time	Julie McElwain	M/TT - Kendra Donovan Mysteries 2
A Fever of the Blood	Oscar de Muriel	HistM/H
Waking Gods	Sylvain Neuvel	SF/TechTh/Th - The Themis Files 2
Inferno	Larry Niven Jerry Pournelle	F
The End of the Day	Claire North	Sus
Inherit the Flame (h2tp)	Megan E. O'Keefe	F - Sands of Aransa 3
1984 (ri)	George Orwell	Dys
Diary of a Succubus	James Patterson with Derek Nikitas	SupTh - BookShots
Dutch (e)	Madhuri Pavamani	UF/F/FR - The Keeper Series 1
Brimstone	Cherie Priest	DF/HistF/H
The Horror on the Links	Seabury Quin	M/Occ/Sup/F/P - The Complete Tales of Jules De Grandin 1
Fury of Gork	Josh Reynolds	F - Realmgate Wars 7
Saving Mercy	Abbie Roads	RSus - Fatal Truth 1
Shadow Spell (h2mm)	Nora Roberts	PNR - The Cousins O'Dwyer Trilogy 2
The Chimes (h2tp)	Anna Smaill	Dys
Between a Wolf and a Hard Place	Terry Spear	PNR - Silver Town Wolf 7
Occupy Me	Tricia Sullivan	Occ/Sup
The Passenger (h2tp)	F. R. Tallis	SupTh
Angel Unleashed	Linda Thomas-Sundstrom	PNR
Muddy Waters (D)	Sara O. Thompson	Occ/Sup/P/UF - Otherwhere 1
Corax	Gav Thorpe	SF - The Horus Heresy 40
Ghost in the Shell: Five New Short Stories	Tow Ubukata Toh Enjoe Gakuto Mikumo Kafka Asagiri	SF/TechTh
The Chosen	J.R. Ward	PNR - Black Dagger Brotherhood 15
Foxlowe (D)	Eleanor Wasserberg	LF/Th/PsyTh/Gothic
Pirate Freedom	Gene Wolfe	F/Sea Stories
Kokoro	Keith Yatsuhasi	SF/F

April 5, 2017

TITLE	AUTHOR	SERIES
When Stars Are Scattered: A Tor.com Original	Spencer Ellsworth	SF/AC
What's Gone, What's Left Behind (e)	Max Gladstone	HistF/Espionage - Witch Who Came In From The Cold Season 2 #8

April 6, 2017

TITLE	AUTHOR	SERIES
Saboteurs (e)	Ben Peek	F
Special Purposes: First Strike Weapon (e)	Gavin G. Smith	SF/PA - Special Purposes 1
The Master of Time (Ke)	David Wingrove	TT - Roads to Moscow 3

April 8, 2017

TITLE	AUTHOR	SERIES
Just Like Hell: with the bonus novella Mr. Gray (e)	Nate Southard	H

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
CF - Contemporary Fantasy
CoA - Coming of Age
CulH - Cultural Heritage
CW - Contemporary Women
DF - Dark Fantasy
Dys - Dystopian
F - Fantasy
FairyT - Fairy Tales
FolkT - Folk Tales
FR - Fantasy Romance
GB - Genre Bender
GenEng - Genetic Engineering
GH - Ghost(s)
H - Horror
HistF - Historical Fantasy
HistM - Historical Mystery
HU - Humor
LF - Literary Fiction
LM - Legends and Mythology
M - Mystery
MR - Magical Realism
Occ - Occult
P - Paranormal
PA - Post Apocalyptic
PCM - Paranormal Cozy Mystery
PNR - Paranormal Romance
PolTh - Political Thriller
Psy - Psychological
PsyTh - Psychological Thriller
R - Romance
RP - Role Playing
RSus - Romantic Suspense
SF - Science Fiction
SH - Superheroes
SO - Space Opera
SP - Steampunk
Sup - Supernatural
SupTh - Supernatural Thriller
Sus - Suspense
TechTh - Technological Thriller
Th - Thriller
TT - Time Travel
TTR - Time Travel Romance
UF - Urban Fantasy
VisMeta - Visionary and Metaphysical
WM - War and Military

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

Happy spring! I can't believe it is April already. It felt like it was just minutes from when I was telling you about my favourite books of 2016. Before I look forward to April showers I thought I would tell you about what I read this week. I actually read 2 books but midway writing this I checked the publication date and realised one of the books I read won't be released until October 2017! You are going to have to wait a while to hear what I thought. However, I do have a book that more than makes up for it. So wait no longer..... Note: There are slight spoilers for the 1st book in this series so read at your own risk.


I had been waiting months to read Waking Gods by Sylvain Neuvel and I was finally able to. It was rather like waiting counting down for Christmas but in this case I was counting down to the publication date of the 4th April. I had the book for a few months but didn't want to read it too much in advance of its publication and my opportunity to find out what happened next to my favourite characters from Sleeping Giants (book 1 of The Themis Files), one of my all time favourite books.

Waking Gods is set approximately 10 years after the events of book 1 and humanity is enjoying relative peace thanks to the giant alien robot Themis, built by the Earth Defense Corps. When another robot appears in Regents Park (in London, UK) and ends up decimating most of London, killing millions, everyone soon realises that the peace they have enjoyed is now over. It's up to the EDC to figure out how to save humanity from complete annihilation from the alien race. Are they up to the job? I will let you find out for yourself.

All my favourite characters are also back including Rose Thornton who died midway through book 1 but who reappears, unharmed in Ireland but missing 4 years of her life. We get to find out what happened to Rose and how and why she returned. Also back is the mystery man who conducts the interviews which tell the story through book 1 and most of 2. Neuvel is a real tease by solving some of the mysteries from book 1 including who the mysterious interviewer is and how he came involved, but then leaves us with one big whopping cliff hanger at the end. We also find out more about Themis and why she was left buried, in pieces around the world. There are some real shockers in Waking Gods and don't get too attached to some of the characters....that is all I am going to say about the plot. Another fantastic novel in the Themis series. Well done Neuvel. From clever debut to exciting second novel.


That is it for me this week. Short and sweet. Apologies for not having more books to tell you about and I promise to take more care about publication dates and when I should be reading certain books. Until next week, Happy reading.

Waking Gods
The Themis Files 2
Del Rey, April 4, 2017
Hardcover and eBook, 336 pages

In the gripping sequel to Sleeping Giants, which was hailed by Pierce Brown as “a luminous conspiracy yarn . . . reminiscent of The Martian and World War Z,” Sylvain Neuvel’s innovative series about human-alien contact takes another giant step forward.

As a child, Rose Franklin made an astonishing discovery: a giant metallic hand, buried deep within the earth. As an adult, she’s dedicated her brilliant scientific career to solving the mystery that began that fateful day: Why was a titanic robot of unknown origin buried in pieces around the world? Years of investigation have produced intriguing answers—and even more perplexing questions. But the truth is closer now than ever before when a second robot, more massive than the first, materializes and lashes out with deadly force.

Now humankind faces a nightmare invasion scenario made real, as more colossal machines touch down across the globe. But Rose and her team at the Earth Defense Corps refuse to surrender. They can turn the tide if they can unlock the last secrets of an advanced alien technology. The greatest weapon humanity wields is knowledge in a do-or-die battle to inherit the Earth . . . and maybe even the stars.

Sleeping Giants
The Themis Files 1
Del Rey, January 24, 2017
Trade Paperback, 336 pages
Hardcover and eBook, April 26, 2016

A page-turning debut in the tradition of Michael Crichton, World War Z, and The Martian, Sleeping Giants is a thriller fueled by an earthshaking mystery—and a fight to control a gargantuan power.

A girl named Rose is riding her new bike near her home in Deadwood, South Dakota, when she falls through the earth. She wakes up at the bottom of a square hole, its walls glowing with intricate carvings. But the firemen who come to save her peer down upon something even stranger: a little girl in the palm of a giant metal hand.

Seventeen years later, the mystery of the bizarre artifact remains unsolved—its origins, architects, and purpose unknown. Its carbon dating defies belief; military reports are redacted; theories are floated, then rejected.

But some can never stop searching for answers.

Rose Franklin is now a highly trained physicist leading a top secret team to crack the hand’s code. And along with her colleagues, she is being interviewed by a nameless interrogator whose power and purview are as enigmatic as the provenance of the relic. What’s clear is that Rose and her compatriots are on the edge of unraveling history’s most perplexing discovery—and figuring out what it portends for humanity. But once the pieces of the puzzle are in place, will the result prove to be an instrument of lasting peace or a weapon of mass destruction?

See Melanie's Review here.