The Qwillery

Zen Cho (2015) Black Water Sister
Ace, May 11, 2021
Trade Paperback and eBook, 384 pages

“A sharp and bittersweet story of past and future, ghosts and gods and family, that kept me turning pages into the dark hours of the night.”—Naomi Novik, New York Times bestselling author of A Deadly Education

“Ghosts, gods, and supernatural vengeance collide in vividly-depicted modern day Malaysia to create a contemporary fantasy story that’s full of voice and heart.”–Fonda Lee, author of The Green Bone Saga

A reluctant medium discovers the ties that bind can unleash a dangerous power in this compelling Malaysian-set contemporary fantasy.

When Jessamyn Teoh starts hearing a voice in her head, she chalks it up to stress. Closeted, broke and jobless, she’s moving back to Malaysia with her parents – a country she last saw when she was a toddler.

She soon learns the new voice isn’t even hers, it’s the ghost of her estranged grandmother. In life, Ah Ma was a spirit medium, avatar of a mysterious deity called the Black Water Sister. Now she’s determined to settle a score against a business magnate who has offended the god—and she’s decided Jess is going to help her do it, whether Jess wants to or not.

Drawn into a world of gods, ghosts, and family secrets, Jess finds that making deals with capricious spirits is a dangerous business, but dealing with her grandmother is just as complicated. Especially when Ah Ma tries to spy on her personal life, threatens to spill her secrets to her family and uses her body to commit felonies. As Jess fights for retribution for Ah Ma, she’ll also need to regain control of her body and destiny – or the Black Water Sister may finish her off for good.

Amazon : Barnes and Noble : Bookshop : Books-A-Million : IndieBound
Google Play : iBooks : Kobo

Sarah Pinsker (2019) We Are Satellites
Berkley, May 11, 2021
Trade Paperback and eBook, 400 pages

ONE OF BUZZFEED’S BEST SCIENCE FICTION BOOKS OF SPRING

From award-winning author Sarah Pinsker comes a novel about one family and the technology that divides them.

Everybody’s getting one.

Val and Julie just want what’s best for their kids, David and Sophie. So when teenage son David comes home one day asking for a Pilot, a new brain implant to help with school, they reluctantly agree. This is the future, after all.

Soon, Julie feels mounting pressure at work to get a Pilot to keep pace with her colleagues, leaving Val and Sophie part of the shrinking minority of people without the device.

Before long, the implications are clear, for the family and society: get a Pilot or get left behind. With government subsidies and no downside, why would anyone refuse? And how do you stop a technology once it’s everywhere? Those are the questions Sophie and her anti-Pilot movement rise up to answer, even if it puts them up against the Pilot’s powerful manufacturer and pits Sophie against the people she loves most.

Amazon : Barnes and Noble : Bookshop : Books-A-Million : IndieBound
Google Play : iBooks : Kobo

Cat Rambo (2015) Exiles of Tabat
The Tabat Quartet 3
Wordfire Press , May 12, 2021
Hardcover, Trade Paperback, and eBook, 324 pages

Return to a beautifully wrought and immersive world where intelligent magical creatures fight for their right to be free.

Revolution.

Riot.

Enslaved magical creatures and an exiled, reluctant hero.

Bella Kanto finds herself aboard a hostile ship bound for a frontier town. When she encounters an old lover along the way, she has a chance to escape-but does she really want to take it?

Meanwhile apprentice Lucy and her friend Maz have been kidnapped from Tabat and taken to the Southern Isles in search of ancient magic. They fear what will happen when they get there, particularly when their kidnapper realizes he's wrong about Lucy's identity.

Return to a world where magical creatures fight for their right to be free in a system that makes use of their work and sometimes their very bodies in a city full of revolution and riot, ready for the return of its lost champion: the reluctant Bella Kanto.

Amazon : Barnes and Noble : Bookshop : Books-A-Million : IndieBound
 iBooks : Kobo

Book 1

Book 2

Happy Monday!

There are no debuts this week.


From formerly featured DAC Authors:

Lies Sleeping (Rivers of London 7) by Ben Aaronovitch is out in Mass Market Paperback;

The Queen of Swords (Golgotha 3) by R. S. Belcher is out in Mass Market Paperback;

Arabella and the Battle of Venus (The Adventures of Arabella Ashby 2) by David D. Levine is out in Mass Market Paperback;

The Name of All Things (A Chorus of Dragons 2) by Jenn Lyons;

Shield of the People (Maradaine Elite 2) by Marshall Ryan Maresca;

and

Carpe Glitter by Cat Rambo.

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

October 29, 2019

TITLE	AUTHOR	SERIES
Lies Sleeping (h2mm)	Ben Aaronovitch	UF/CF - Rivers of London 7
When the Earth Had Two Moons: Cannibal Planets, Icy Giants, Dirty Comets, Dreadful Orbits, and the Origins of the Night Sky	Erik Asphaug	Science/Space Science
The Queen of Swords (tp2mm)	R. S. Belcher	HistF/SF/SP - Golgotha 3
Parable of the Sower & Parable of the Talents Boxed Set	Octavia Butler	SF/LF
The Friend of the Desert	Pablo D'Ors David Shook (tr)	MR/Zen/LF
Tell Them of Battles, Kings, and Elephants (h2tp)	Mathias Énard Chalotte Mandell (Tr)	LF
Rejoice, a Knife to the Heart (h2tp)	Steven Erikson	SF/AC
Fever	Donna Grant	PNR - Dark Kings 16
Inferno! Volume 4	Guy Haley George Mann et al.	F - Inferno! Series 4
Salvation Lost	Peter F. Hamilton	SF/SP/SE - The Salvation Sequence 2
Ghosts	William Huggins	SF
Shattered Bonds	Faith Hunter	UF/CF/P - Jane Yellowrock 13
Wheel of Time Premium Boxed Set I: Books 1-3 (The Eye of the World, The Great Hunt, The Dragon Reborn)	Robert Jordan	F - Wheel of Time
The Dragon Reborn (ri)	Robert Jordan	F - Wheel of Time 3
The Great Hunt (ri)	Robert Jordan	F - Wheel of Time 2
The Eye of the World (ri)	Robert Jordan	F - Wheel of Time 1
Conflict of Honors (ri)	Sharon Lee Steve Miller	SF/SO - Liaden Universe 6
Arabella and the Battle of Venus (h2mm)	David D. Levine	SF/SP - The Adventures of Arabella Ashby 2
The Name of All Things	Jenn Lyons	F - A Chorus of Dragons 2
Shield of the People	Marshall Ryan Maresca	UF/F - Maradaine Elite 2
The Lost Causes of Bleak Creek	Rhett McLaughlin Link Neal	HU/SF
The Death House	Sarah Pinborough	Dys/FC
Carpe Glitter	Cat Rambo	UF
Sisters of the Vast Black	Lina Rather	SF/SO
Of Blood and Bone (h2tp)	Nora Roberts	P/PNR/SupTh/SF/AP/PA - Chronicles of The One 2
The Well of Ascension (ri)	Brandon Sanderson	F - Mistborn 2
Captain Marvel: Liberation Run Prose Novel (h2mm)	Tess Sharpe	SH - Marvel Novels
Alien Archives: Eighteen Stories of Extraterrestrial Encounters	Robert Silverberg	SF/AC/HU/SS
The Red Feast	Gav Thorpe	F - Warhammer: Age of Sigmar 1
Odsburg	Matt Tompkins	AB/SF/HU/LF
Alien: Prototype	Tim Waggoner	MTI/SF/AC

October 31, 2019

TITLE	AUTHOR	SERIES
The Best of Greg Egan	Greg Egan	SF - Collection
Laughter at the Academy	Seanan McGuire	F/H - Collection
Sideways in Time: Critical Essays on Alternate History Fiction	Glyn Morgan (Ed) Charul Palmer-Patel (Ed)	LC - Liverpool Science Fiction Texts and Studies LUP

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 Paperback to Mass Market Paperback
Tr - Translator



AB - Absurdist
AC - Alien Contact
AH - Alternative History
AP - Apocalyptic
CF - Contemporary Fantasy
CoA - Coming of Age
Cr - Crime
CW - Contemporary Women
DF - Dark Fantasy
Dys - Dystopian
F - Fantasy
FairyT - Fairy Tales
FL - Family Life
FolkT - Folk Tales
GenEng - Genetic Engineering
GH - Ghost(s)
H - Horror
Hist - Historical
HistF - Historical Fantasy
HSF - Hard Science Fiction
HU - Humorous
LC - Literary Criticism
LF - Literary Fiction
LM - Legend and Mythology
M&D - Mystery & Detective
MR - Magical Realism
MTI - Media Tie-In
Occ - Occult
P - Paranormal
PA - Post Apocalyptic
PNR - Paranormal Romance
PolTh - Political Thriller
PsyTh - Psychological Thriller
RF - Romantic Fantasy
SE - Space Exploration
SF - Science Fiction
SH - Superheroes
SO - Space Opera
SP - Steampunk
SS - Short Stories
Sup - Supernatural
SupTh - Supernatural Thriller
Sus - Suspense
TT - Time Travel
UF - Urban Fantasy

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

Happy 1st Monday in March!

There are 6 debuts this week:

Creation (Spin Trilogy 1) by Andrew Bannister;

Famous Men Who Never Lived by K. Chess;

The Migration by Helen Marshall;

The Reign of the Kingfisher by T.J. Martinson;

Infinite Detail by Tim Maughan;

and

Today I Am Carey by Martin L. Shoemaker.




From formerly featured DAC Authors:

Fireweed and Brimstone (Grim Reality 3) by Boone Brux;

In the Valley of the Sun by Andy Davidson is out in Trade Paperback;

The Point by John Dixon is out in Trade Paperback;

Mahimata (Asiana 2) by Rati Mehotra;

The Bayern Agenda by Dan Moren,

If This Goes On: The Science Fiction Future of Today's Politics edited by Cat Rambo;

Pure Chocolate (Chocoverse 2) by Amber Royer;

and

The Last Dog on Earth by Adrian J. Walker.

Clicking on a novel's cover will take you to its Amazon page.

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

March 5, 2019

TITLE	AUTHOR	SERIES
12 Tales Lie, 1 Tells True (e)	Maria Alexander	H - Collection
The Sea Beast Takes a Lover: Stories (h2tp)	Michael Andreasen	LF/SS/CF - Collection
Invisible Ecologies	Rachel Armstrong	HSF/SF
Creation Machine (D)	Andrew Bannister	SF/SO/HSF - Spin Trilogy 1
Ancestral Night	Elizabeth Bear	SF/SO - White Space 1
Wild Country	Anne Bishop	DF/CF/AH - World of the Others 2
Firebrand (tp2mm)	Kristen Britain	F/DF - Green Rider 6
Famous Men Who Never Lived (D)	K. Chess	SF/AP/PA
In the Valley of the Sun (h2tp)	Andy Davidson	H
Hoka! Hoka! Hoka! (ri)	Gordon R. Dickson Poul Anderson	SF/SO
The Point (h2tp)	John Dixon	SF/Th
String City	Graham Edwards	SF
Emergent	Lance Erlick	CyP/GenEng - Android Chronicles 3
Jacked Cat Jive	Rhys Ford	CF - Kai Gracen Series 3
Mad Lizard Mambo (ri)	Rhys Ford	CF - Kai Gracen Series 2
Black Dog Blues (ri)	Rhys Ford	CF - Kai Gracen Series 1
Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch (ri)	Neil Gaiman Terry Pratchett	MTI/F/HU
The Women's War	Jenna Glass	F - The Women's War 1
The Far Far Better Thing (e)	Auston Habershaw	F/DF - Saga of the Redeemed
Alice Payne Rides	Kate Heartfield	SF/TT/SP - Alice Payne 2
The Controllers	Paul Kane	SF - Collection
The Hunger (h2tp)	Alma Katsu	PsyTh/Hist/Occ/Sup
Another Kingdom	Andrew Klavan	F - Another Kingdom 1
The Wall	John Lanchester	LF/Dys
The Migration (D)	Helen Marshall	Dys/LF/H
The Reign of the Kingfisher (D)	T.J. Martinson	Sus/SH
Infinite Detail (D)	Tim Maughan	SF/Dys
That Ain't Witchcraft	Seanan McGuire	UF/P/HU - InCryptid 8
Mahimata	Rati Mehrotra	F - Asiana 2
While You Sleep	Stephanie Merritt	Th
The Bayern Agenda	Dan Moren	SF/Th - Galactic Cold War 1
Gingerbread	Helen Oyeyemi	LF/FairyT/FolkT/LM/MR
If This Goes On: The Science Fiction Future of Today's Politics	Cat Rambo (Ed)	SF - Anthology
The Unknown Soldier (e)(ri)	Mickey Zucker Reichert	F
Voices of the Fall	John Ringo (Ed) Gary Poole (Ed)	SF - Black Tide Rising Anthology
Pure Chocolate	Amber Royer	SF/SO/SFR - The Chocoverse 2
Today I Am Carey (D)	Martin L. Shoemaker	SF/HSF
The Last Dog on Earth	Adrian J. Walker	Dys/SF/AP/PA

March 6, 2019

TITLE	AUTHOR	SERIES
Knowledgeable Creatures: A Tor.com Original (e)	Christopher Rowe	F

March 8, 2019

TITLE	AUTHOR	SERIES
Fireweed and Brimstone (e)	Boone Brux	UF - Grim Reality 3
Blood They Brought and Other Stories	Ed Kurtz	H - Collection

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
AH - Alternative History
AP - Apocalyptic
CF - Contemporary Fantasy
CoA - Coming of Age
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)
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
Occ - Occult
P - Paranormal
PA - Post Apocalyptic
PCM - Parnormal Cozy Mystery
PerfArts - Performing Arts
PNR - Paranormal Romance
Psy - Psychological
PsyTh - Psychological Thriller
RF - Romantic Fantasy
SE - Space Exploration
SF - Science Fiction
SFR - Science Fiction Romance
SH - Superheroes
SO - Space Opera
SP - Steampunk
Spec - Speculative
SpecFic - Speculative Fiction
SS - Short Stories
Sup - Supernatural
SupTh - Supernatural Thriller
Sus - Suspense
TechTh - Technological Thriller
Th - Thriller
TT - Time Travel
UF - Urban Fantasy
VisM - Visionary and Metaphysical

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

Happy Monday!

There are 4 debuts this week:

Armed in Her Fashion by Kate Heartfield;

MEM by Bethany C. Morrow;

Freyja's Daughter (Wild Women 1) by Rachel Pudelek;

and

All the Ever Afters by Danielle Teller.




And from formerly featured DAC Authors:

The God Peak (The God Wave Trilogy 2) by Patrick Hemstreet is out in Trade Paperback;

Originators (Netherspace 2) by Andrew Lane and Nigel Foster;

and

Hearts of Tabat (The Tabat Quartet 2) by Cat Rambo is out in eBook.

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

May 20, 2018

TITLE	AUTHOR	SERIES
Hearts of Tabat (e)	Cat Rambo	F - The Tabat Quartet 2

May 22, 2018

TITLE	AUTHOR	SERIES
Tiger Striped	Jennifer Ashley	PNR - Shifters Unbound
Dead Men's Boots (ri)	Mike Carey	SupTh - Felix Castor 3
The Strasbourg Legacy (ri)	William Craig	AH/Espionage
1984 and Philosophy: Is Resistance Futile?	Ezio Di Nucci (Ed) Stefan Storrie (Ed)	Politics/SF/F/ HC - Popular Culture and Philosophy 116
Walkaway (h2tp)	Cory Doctorow	SF/AP/PA/TechTh
Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom (ri)	Cory Doctorow	SF/CyP
Someone Comes to Town, Someone Leaves Town (ri)	Cory Doctorow	SF/CyP
The Rapture of the Nerds (ri)	Cory Doctorow Charles Stross	SF/CyP
Makers (ri)	Cory Doctorow	SF/CyP
Eastern Standard Tribe (ri)	Cory Doctorow	SF/CyP
Still So Strange	Amanda Downum	F - Collection
American Hippo: River of Teeth, Taste of Marrow, and New Stories	Sarah Gailey	AH/W - River of Teeth
The Testament of Loki	Joanne M. Harris	FairyT/FolkT/LM
Armed in Her Fashion (D)	Kate Heartfield	DF/HistF/H
The God Peak (h2tp)	Patrick Hemstreet	TechTh - The God Wave Trilogy 2
The Immaculate Void	Brian Hodge	H - Collection
Aetherchrist	Kirk Jones	SF
In the Eye of Heaven	David Keck	F - The Tales of Durand 1
The Outsider (ri)	Stephen King	Th/Sus
Originators	Andrew Lane Nigel Foster	SF - Netherspace 2
MEM (D)	Bethany C. Morrow	LF/F/AfAm/HistF
84K	Claire North	LF/Dys
Deadpool: Paws (ri)	Stefan Petrucha	MTI/SH - Marvel Universe4
Freyja's Daughter (D)	Rachel Pudelek	FairyT/FolkT/LM - Wild Women 1
Topaz Dreams (e)	Patricia Rice	P/Sus - Crystal Magic 2
Season of Storms	Andrzej Sapkowski	F - The Witcher 6
Echo Moon	Laura Spinella	R - A Ghost Gifts Novel 3
All the Ever Afters (D)	Danielle Teller	FairyT/FolkT/LM

May 23, 2018

TITLE	AUTHOR	SERIES
Spiraling (e)	Marie Brennan	F - Born to the Blade Season 1, Episode 6
The Guile: A Tor.com Original (e)	Ian McDonald	SF

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

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

M.C. Plank (2013)

Judgment at Verdant Court
World of Prime 3
Pyr, December 6, 2016
Trade Paperback and eBook, 343 pages

The continuing adventures of Christopher Sinclair, mechanical engineer turned priest of war.

Our hero faces evil on two fronts: a friend turned murderer by the power of magic, and an entire nation of murderous wolf-men. One he has to save from the vengeful clutches of the Druids, and the other from the mercenary greed of the king. But the true enemy is despair: the shame of a man who has done terrible things, and the madness of a man who is doing terrible violence. Can Christopher pick a path through broken and bloody bodies that still leaves room for goodness?

Daniel Polansky (2011)

A City Dreaming
Regan Arts., October 4, 2016
Hardcover and eBook, 304 pages

A powerful magician returns to New York City and reluctantly finds himself in the middle of a war between the city’s two most powerful witches.

“It would help if you did not think of it as magic. M certainly had long ceased to do so.”

M is an ageless drifter with a sharp tongue, few scruples, and the ability to bend reality to his will, ever so slightly. He’s come back to New York City after a long absence, and though he’d much rather spend his days drinking artisanal beer in his favorite local bar, his old friends—and his enemies—have other plans for him. One night M might find himself squaring off against the pirates who cruise the Gowanus Canal; another night sees him at a fashionable uptown charity auction where the waitstaff are all zombies. A subway ride through the inner circles of hell? In M’s world, that’s practically a pleasant diversion.

Before too long, M realizes he’s landed in the middle of a power struggle between Celise, the elegant White Queen of Manhattan, and Abilene, Brooklyn’s hip, free-spirited Red Queen, a rivalry that threatens to make New York go the way of Atlantis. To stop it, M will have to call in every favor, waste every charm, and blow every spell he’s ever acquired—he might even have to get out of bed before noon.

Enter a world of Wall Street wolves, slumming scenesters, desperate artists, drug-induced divinities, pocket steampunk universes, and demonic coffee shops. M’s New York, the infinite nexus of the universe, really is a city that never sleeps—but is always dreaming.

meat+drink
A Tor.com Original
Tor Book, October 26, 2016
eBook, 32 pages

Baltimore isn't safe. Not even for the predatory meat that stalks its nights. Searching for victims who won't be missed, meat doesn't feel regret or pain—only thirst. But the meat remembers something more... doesn't it? is there more to eternal life than finding another drink?

Tom Pollock (2012)

The City's Son
The Skyscraper Throne 1
Jo Fletcher Books, April 5, 2016
     Trade Paperback, 376 pages
Jo Fletcher Books, November 5, 2013
     eBook, 465 pages

Tom Pollock's debut novel and the first volume of the Skyscraper Throne series, The City's Son is an imaginative tale of adventure set in a city that is quite literally alive.

Beneath the streets of London lies a city of monsters and miracles, where wild train spirits stampede over the tracks and glass-skinned dancers with glowing veins light the streets.

Following a devastating betrayal, Beth Bradley, a sixteen-year-old graffiti artist, is suspended from school. Running from a home that she shares with her father who has never recovered after Beth's mother's death, Beth stumbles into the hidden city and meets Filius Viae, London's asphalt-hued crown prince. And her timing couldn't have been more perfect. An ancient enemy is stirring under St. Paul's Cathedral, determined to stoke the flames of a centuries-old war, and Beth and Fin find themselves drawn into the depths of the mysterious urban wonderland, hoping to prevent the destruction of the city they both know and love.

The Glass Republic
The Skyscraper Throne 2
Jo Fletcher Books, October 4, 2016
Trade Paperback and eBook, 448 pages

Pen Khan is burdened by a life of secrets, the biggest of which is written across her face. Following a devastatingly close encounter with a living coil of barbed wire called the Wire Mistress that almost killed her and her best friend Beth, Pen's face is strangely disfigured by dozens of crisscrossing scars, making her an outcast among her peers. The only person who understands her-and the trauma she's experienced-is her mirror sister, Parva, a twin confined to the world of London-Under-Glass.

Following Parva's abduction, Pen strikes a terrible bargain with the unforgiving Chemical Synod in exchange for the means to track her down, and she ventures into the unknown. In London-Under-Glass, appearance is everything, and Pen's peculiar scars make her a valuable ally. But some in the reflected city are doing everything they can to prevent Pen from learning the truth about the disappearance of a girl who shares her face.

Our Lady of the Streets
The Skyscraper Throne 3
Jo Fletcher Book, April 4, 2017
Trade Paperback and eBook, 464 pages

Ever since Beth Bradley found her way into a hidden London, the presence of its ruthless goddess, Mater Viae, has lurked in the background. Now Mater Viae has returned with deadly consequences.

Streets are wrecked by convulsions as muscles of wire and pipe go into spasm, bunching the city into a crippled new geography; pavements flare to thousand-degree fevers, incinerating pedestrians; and towers fall, their foundations decayed.

As the city sickens, so does Beth--her essence now part of this secret London. But when it is revealed that Mater Viae's plans for dominion stretch far beyond the borders of the city, Beth must make a choice: flee, or sacrifice her city in order to save it.

Stephen S. Power (2016)

The Dragon Round
Simon & Schuster, June 13, 2017
Trade Paperback, 336 pages
Hardcover and eBook, July 19, 2016

The Count of Monte Cristo with a dragon: a dark literary fantasy in which “Power paints his scenes with vivid and meticulous detail, and takes his tale of revenge in unexpected and refreshing directions” (Marie Brennan, author of the Natural History of Dragons series).

Jeryon has been the captain of the Comber for more than a decade. He knows the rules. He likes the rules. But not everyone on his ship agrees. After a monstrous dragon attacks the galley, the surviving crewmembers decide to take the ship for themselves and give Jeryon and his self-righteous apothecary “the captain’s chance”: a small boat with no rudder, no sails, and nothing but the clothes on his back to survive on the open sea.

Fighting for their lives against the elements, Jeryon and his companion land on an island that isn’t as deserted as they originally thought. They find a baby dragon that, if trained, could be their way home. But as Jeryon and the dragon grow closer, the captain begins to realize that even if he makes it off the island, his old life won’t be waiting for him. In order get justice, he’ll have to take it for himself.

From a Pushcart Prize–nominated poet and short story writer, The Dragon Round combines a rich world, desperate characters, and tightly coiled prose into a complex and compelling tale of revenge, perfect for fans of George R.R. Martin, Gene Wolfe, and Scott Lynch.

Cat Rambo (2015)

Altered America: Steampunk Stories
Plunkett Press, June 12, 2016
eBook, 143 pages

Steampunk fans will rejoice in the appearance of Altered America: Steampunk Stories, collecting Nebula and World Fantasy Award-nominated author Cat Rambo’s steampunk fantasies, including “Clockwork Fairies,” “Snakes on a A Train,” and “Her Windowed Eyes, Her Chambered Heart,” into a single book. Rambo’s wry humor, precise and evocative descriptions, and ability to create a world with a few deft touches are showcased in these ten tales.

Rambo has a gift for immersing her reader into a vivid universe full of adventure, sensuality, wit, and poignant observation. -Jody Lynn Nye

“Cat Rambo is endlessly innovative, ingenious, and just plain entertaining. Read her stories.” -Kevin J. Anderson, New York Times bestselling author of The Dark Between the Stars.

Highly recommended for anyone who enjoyed “The Wild, Wild West” and other steampunk stories. -Galaxy’s Edge Magazine

"A sparkling collection from one of the brightest talents in the field.” -Ursula Vernon

"Each one of Cat Rambo's steampunk stories stands solidly on its own, but as a collection, these stories click together like cogs to depict a complicated, curious alternate Earth filled with magic, technology, and mayhem.” -Beth Cato, author of The Clockwork Dagger

Includes “Clockwork Fairies,” “Rare Pears and Greengages,” “Laurel Finch, Laurel Finch, Where Do You Wander?”, Darrell Award nominated “Memphis BBQ,” “Rappacini’s Crow,” “Her Windowed Eyes, Her Chambered Heart,” “Snakes On a Train,” “Web of Blood and Iron,” “Ticktock Girl” and “Seven Clockwork Angels."

Saladin Ahmed (2012)
Madeline Ashby (2012)
Matthew Kressel (2015)
Cat Rambo (2015)
Nisi Shawl (2016)

Cyber World – Tales of Humanity’s Tomorrow
Jason Heller (2012) and Joshua Viola, Editors
Hex Publishers, November 8, 2016
Trade Paperback and eBook, 260 pages

Cybernetics. Neuroscience. Nanotechnology. Genetic engineering. Hacktivism. Transhumanism. The world of tomorrow is already here, and the technological changes we all face have inspired a new wave of stories to address our fears, hopes, dreams, and desires as Homo sapiens evolve—or not—into their next incarnation. Cyber World presents diverse tales of humanity’s tomorrow, as told by some of today’s most gripping science fiction visionaries.

Edited by Hugo Award winner Jason Heller and Joshua Viola.

Brooklyn Ann (2013)

His Ruthless Bite
Scandals With Bite 4
Broken Angels, April 15, 2016
eBook and Trade Paperback, 272 pages

The Lord Vampire of Rochester doesn’t do a favor without a price. And now it’s time to collect.

Gavin Drake, Baron of Darkwood is being pestered by nosy neighbors and matchmaking mothers of the mortal nobility. To escape their scrutiny, he concludes that it’s time to take a wife. After witnessing the young vampire Lenore’s loyalty to the Lord of London, he decides she is sufficient for the role.

After surviving kidnapping and abuse from rogue vampires, Lenore Graves wants to help other women recover from their inner wounds. She befriends physician John Elliotson and uses her vampire powers to aid him in using mesmerism on his patients. When the Lord Vampire of London declares that Lenore is the price the Lord Vampire of Rochester demands for aiding him in battle the previous year, she is terrified. Will all of her healing and hard work be destroyed by Ruthless Rochester? And yet, she can’t suppress stirrings of desire at the memory of their potent encounter.

After Gavin assures her that the marriage will be in name only, Lenore reluctantly accepts Gavin’s proposal rather than face potential animosity from her new lord. Determined to continue her work, she invites John Elliotson to Rochester. As they help women recover from traumas, Lenore explores her own inner turmoil and examines her attraction to her husband.

Gavin quickly realizes his marriage is a mistake. His new baroness’s involvement with the mesmerist is damaging his reputation among mortals and vampires alike. He knows he should put a stop to Lenore’s antics— yet her tender heart is warming his own and tempting him to make her his bride in truth.

As Lenore and Gavin’s relationship blossoms, the leader of a gang of rogue vampires embarks on a quest for vengeance against Gavin… using Lenore as his key.

With Vengeance
Hearts of Metal 2
Boroughs Publishing Group, May 18, 2016
eBook and Trade Paperback, 194 pages

Katana James is about to become the studio guitarist for her favorite heavy metal band ever—and meet the musicians, music, and man of her dreams.

SHE MEANS BUSINESS

Twenty-three year old Katana James can shred on the guitar. Not that anyone would know, as she’s spent most of her time working on a popular news and gossip website for Heavy Metal fans since her own band broke up. But her dreams are in reach when she gets an audition to play with her favorite band, Bleeding Vengeance. Kat won’t let her gender, her anxiety disorder, or even the pranks of a malicious stalker stand in her way. The only thing to threaten her focus? A growing fascination with the group’s brilliant, mysterious bass player.

HE OFFERS PLEASURE

Klement Burke has always been the heart, soul and brain of Bleeding Vengeance. He’s the kind of rock star who stays in the shadows, a perfectionist more interested in satisfying his brain than other parts of his body. Until he auditions Katana James. At first it seemed a perfect idea, as he’s been aware of her talent for some time. But meeting her in the flesh ignites thoughts far from professional. Despite the conflict of work, the odds against her falling for a geek like him, and a secret he’s been hiding, his heart, body and soul now belong to Kat.

Unleashing Desire
Brides of Prophecy 4
Broken Angels, August 16, 2016
eBook and Trade Paperback, 308 pages

A setup so perfect… it might just be fate.

Radu Nicolae has spent centuries in a guilt-induced hibernation beneath the ruins of his family castle. The only time he awakens is to feast on the occasional vampire hunter. When Lillian Holmes invades his lair, trying to kill him for a crime he did not commit, he decides it is time to rejoin the world. As he feeds on the inept, but delectable hunter and sees her memories, he realizes that he is being used as a weapon to murder her. Radu does not like being used.

Agent Lillian Holmes, of the Abnormal Investigation Unit, is sent on a mission to kill the vampire who murdered her father. But when she tries to stake Radu, he awakens. When his fangs sink into her throat, she thinks she’s a goner. To her surprise, she wakes up a prisoner. Furthermore, Radu did not kill her father. The AIU killed Joe Holmes and sent Lillian to Radu to die.

Together, they strike a bargain: Lillian will help Radu travel to the United States to reunite with his long lost twin brother. In return, he will help her take down the men who killed her father. As their relationship deepens on their journey, so does the danger. Not only must they keep government agents from finding out that Lillian is alive, but she also has a secret that will rock the foundations of the vampire world. 

Jill Archer (2012)

Pocket Full of Tinder
Noon Onyx 4
Black Willow
Word Count: ~ 85,000
Cover Artist: Rebecca Frank

Noon Onyx is back! In this long-awaited fourth installment, Jill Archer returns readers to the dangerous world of Halja, where demons, angels, and humans coexist in an uneasy state of détente.

Maegester-in-Training Noon Onyx feels like she’s done it all – mastered fiery magic, become an adept fighter, learned the law, killed countless demons, and survived having her heart broken by both love and an arrow, but now she’ll face her greatest challenge yet…

Far to the north lies an outpost famous for its unrest – Rockthorn Gorge. The town’s patron has specifically requested Noon’s help. Her assignment? Help the neophyte demon lord build his fiefdom and keep what’s his. The problem? Lord Aristos – Noon’s new employer – is her erstwhile lover, Ari Carmine, the aforementioned heartbreaker. And the number one thing he wants is her.

When Rockthorn Gorge’s viaduct is destroyed by Displodo, an enigmatic bomber, killing a dozen settlers and wounding scores more, Noon sets off early to aid in the search and rescue. Ari is listed among the missing and the suspects are legion. But Noon’s search is just the beginning. Her journey forces Noon to confront not only those she loves, but also enemies hell-bent on destroying them.

Stephen Aryan (2015)

Bloodmage
Age of Darkness 2
Orbit, April 12, 2016
Trade Paperback and eBook, 528 pages

The people of Perizzi have survived the battlemage war, but their future is looking darker than ever.

BYRNE is a member of the Watch, investigating a series of murders in which the corpse was drained entirely of life.

FRAY's expertise with magic is needed to catch the killer, but working with the Watch destroyed his father, years before.

CHOSS is a champion fighter, trying to diffuse a war in the underworld that threatens to turn the streets red with rivers of blood.

KATJA is a spy from a foreign land, attempting to prevent a massacre that will topple two dynasties and destroy the fragile peace in the city for ever.

Watchmen and spies, assassins and criminals will clash on the streets in this magic-fuelled adventure from the author of Battlemage.

Chaosmage
Age of Darkness 3
Orbit, October 11, 2016
Trade Paperback and eBook, 480 pages

The final book in the epic fantasy trilogy that began with Battlemage - expect fireball-filled battles, otherworldy enemies, and heroically powerful mages

Voechenka is a city under siege. Decimated by the Battlemage War, its dead now walk the city at night, attacking survivors, calling their names and begging the living to join them beyond the grave.

Tammy is a watchman sent to the city to investigate, so the ruling powers can decide whether to help Voechenka or leave it to its grisly fate.

Zannah is a pariah in Voechenka - making up for her people's war crimes by protecting refugees who fear her far more than they fear their unearthly attackers.

Balfruss is a scholar, a traveler . . . and the infamous mage who single-handedly ended the war.

No one else may enter or leave the city - so if this ragtag group of survivors can't figure out what is going on, they'll live out their last few, short days within its walls.
And night is coming on fast . . .

Madeline Asbhy (2012)

Company Town
Tor Books, July 18, 2017
Trade Paperback, 304 pages
Hardcover and eBook, May 17,2016

Edward Ashton (2015)

Midnight in Absheron: Digital Science Fiction Short Story
Digital Science Fiction, August 18, 2016
Kindle eBook, 25 pages

Midnight in Absheron
By Edward Ashton
Digital Science Fiction Short Story
Presented by DigitalFictionPub.com

It's time to vote for the 2015 Debut Author Challenge COVER OF THE YEAR! Below you will find the 12 monthly winners in alphabetical order by book title (excluding "the").

Voter for your favorite from the monthly 2015 Winners!

I'm using PollCode for this vote. After you the check the circle next to your favorite, click "Vote" to record your vote. If you'd like to see the real-time results click "View". This will take you to the PollCode site where you may see the results. If you want to come back to The Qwillery click "Back" and you will return to this page.

Voting will end sometime on January 9, 2016 - extended voting due to the end of year holidays.

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

Cat:  I started writing when I was a kid, and have always had a facility with language. But in terms of “serious” writing – which I would define as thinking of that as the thing I focus on more than anything else – that would be 2005, when I went to the Clarion West Writers Workshop. I’d always assumed that I’d be a writer, but there came a point where I said well, I guess I’d actually better start on that. Clarion West seemed like a good way to do that.



TQ:  Are you a plotter or a pantser?

Cat:  Both! My process is kinda weird because it varies very much from story to story. Sometimes they come to me whole. Other times I have to scrape them out from the inside of my skull in a somewhat painful and tiresome process.



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

Cat:  Butt in chair. I am a highly distractible creature, and the Internet is full of all manner of shiny things.



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

Cat:  I have so many that I love. Recently I’ve been rereading Robert Silverberg’s Lord Valentine’s Castle, which I first read as a teen and which blew me away. It’s been pleasant to find it just as compelling the second time around.

For short stories, influences include Carol Emshwiller, Theodore Sturgeon, and James Tiptree Jr. For novels…holy smokes, so many but if there’s one writer that really influenced Beasts of Tabat, it’s Thomas Burnett Swann.



TQ:  Describe Beasts of Tabat in 140 characters or less.

Cat:  In a world that depends on intelligent magical creatures for its economy, what happens when they demand their rights? Plus there are gladiators.



TQ:  Tell us something about Beasts of Tabat that is not in the book description.

Cat:  There is a circus that, like Teo, hides a secret.



TQ:  What inspired you to write Beasts of Tabat, your first adult fantasy novel? What themes run through the novel and do you believe that fantasy should address big issues?

Cat:  I think fiction is about being human. One of the things I tried to explore in the book is what happens on either side of the equation when you have a group that is oppressed, in a system that is designed to perpetuate that system. I’m fascinated by how we view the Other, and how we demonize and infantilize sometimes in order to keep the boundary between ourselves and that Other distinct.

At the same time I wanted to write a kickass, fun story, with interesting characters, in a deeply immersive and awesome world. I think I managed that.



TQ:  What sort of research did you do for Beasts of Tabat?

Cat:  I looked at things. I thought about what it would be like to be inside a body that has extra limbs, or wings, or a tail. And I thought about what it would be like to live in that world. In some cases I’ve read sources from 18th and 19th century America, and often I’ve borrowed from that history in shaping Tabat’s story.



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

Cat:  The easiest was Teo, who is young and for whom everything is new and wonderful and worth describing. He’s deeply romantic and believes the best of everyone, and while that’s a mindset that sometimes leads to his getting hurt, it’s one I share some aspects of.

The hardest? Bella Kanto. Because I wanted her to be charming and infuriating and awesome, and that is a pretty hard mark to hit.



TQ:  Which question about Beasts of Tabat do you wish someone would ask? Ask it and answer it!

Cat:

Q: You spent roughly nine years on this novel. Was it worth all the work?
A: Beyond any question, yes.



TQ:  Give us one or two of your favorite non-spoilery lines from Beasts of Tabat.

Cat:

“I don’t like to read much, as a rule. It isn’t a particularly useful skill. There are too many things you can’t learn from a book, from how to birth a basilisk whose eggs are stopped (one of the most delicate arts Jolietta taught me) to how to deflect a dagger blow. And things in books aren’t true sometimes, something which I know better than most.”



TQ:  What's next?

Cat:  I’m hard at work on the second book, Hearts of Tabat. And I’ve got some stories that I’ve promised as well as some for my ongoing Patreon campaign, so it’s a busy 2015. I have another two-sided collection, this time of fantasy stories, coming out in the fall, as well, and I’m finishing up a new Ms. Liberty story for that right now.



TQ:  Thank you for joining us at The Qwillery.

Cat:  Thank you so much for allowing me to be here!

Beasts of Tabat
The Tabat Quartet 1
Wordfire Press, March 27, 2015
Trade Paperback and eBook, 325 pages

When countryboy Teo arrives in the coastal city of Tabat, he finds it a hostile place, particularly to a boy hiding an enormous secret. It’s also a city in turmoil, thanks to an ancient accord to change governments and the rising demands of Beasts, the Unicorns, Dryads, Minotaurs and other magical creature on whose labor and bodies Tabat depends. And worst of all, it’s a city dedicated to killing Shifters, the race whose blood Teo bears.

When his fate becomes woven with that of Tabat’s most famous gladiator, Bella Kanto, his existence becomes even more imperiled. Kanto’s magical battle determines the weather each year, and the wealthy merchants are tired of the long winters she’s brought. Can Teo and Bella save each other from the plots that are closing in on them from all sides?

About Cat

Photo by Cat Rambo

Cat Rambo lives, writes, and teaches by the shores of an eagle-haunted lake in the Pacific Northwest. Her 150+ fiction publications include stories in Asimov’s, Clarkesworld Magazine, and Tor.com. Her short story, “Five Ways to Fall in Love on Planet Porcelain,” from her story collection Near + Far (Hydra House Books), was a 2012 Nebula nominee. Her editorship of Fantasy Magazine earned her a World Fantasy Award nomination in 2012. For more about her, as well as links to her fiction, see http://www.kittywumpus.net


Facebook ~ Twitter @catrambo

The Final Results

The March 2015 Debut Covers