COVER REVEAL ROUND-UP (XIV)

   I'll begin this time with the cover for the third book in Ian Sales's Apollo Quartet from Whippleshield Books. (I've reviewed book one and two.) The cover is by Kay Sales, and it will be available in November. I like this minimalistic approach, it fits very well with both the other covers, and I like the "subtle" hints in the art. This is one I'm looking forward to.

   This one is from Solaris, with art by Jake Murray. The book will be out in December. I really like this cover, the art is great. The perspective is a bit disorienting though, but that is what's really eyecatching.

   Another Terry Brooks Shannara book, this one is coming out in April of 2014 from Del Rey. This is certainly a departure from the last Shannara trilogy's covers (see: here, here and here). I really like this cover, the art is great and it hints at magic. (It also reminds that it's been a long time since I read the original Shannara Trilogy, but that is another story altogether.)

    This isn't exactly a new reveal, but it slipped under my radar. The book is out in April 2014 from Tor/Forge. The cover is by Will Staehle, and you can see different versions of it here. I like this cover, the old style newspaper page layout really appeals to me.

   From Gollancz we have this one, designed by Benjamin Carré, and released in April 2014. I like these simple, symbolic, covers when they are done well. And I think this one is. You can read what Sam Sykes has to say about it, and the book, here.

   The forth Department 19 book has gotten a cover. It will be published 27 March 2014 by Harper Collins Children's Books. (NOTE: It's a Young Adult book.) The cover falls neatly into line with the previous three, and I like it.

   This one I wasn't even sure I should include. The reason is that despite the inclusion of the weapon this isn't really a cover in the sense that it has cover art. I totally understand that when you have an anthology co-edited by G.R.R.M., you want his name prominently on the cover. Dozois is well known for editing anthologies, so he certainly deserves equal billing.

   So, I understand this cover from a promotional standpoint, the name recognition will certainly make people pick it up. But I don't like this as a cover, I prefer art on  my covers. Preferably something that would look good in a frame on the wall if you stripped off the text.

   Here's one with art by Sarah Anne Langton. It's an anthology that will be out at Loncon 3, in August next year. I love this cover, the thoughts the images on it, together with the title, brings to mind makes me want to read the book.

   I'll finish up with four beautiful covers from Strange Chemistry. And SC has really made a reputation for having very good covers. I think the ones in this "batch" are all great. They are different, but still manage to give a sense of belonging together. All of them draw my eye. -I'll just leave it at that and add some info beneath each.

Art by Steven Wood, coming January 2014.

Sequel to Pantomime. Art by Tom Bagshaw. Coming January 2014.

Coming May 2014. Cover by Argh! Oxford.

Sequel to Zenn Scarlett. Art by Steven Meyer-Rassow.

BONUS LINKS:

   There's a couple of cover related posts I want to bring to your attention. One is this post over on Hodderscape, showing off the different covers for Stephen King's Carrie. 

   The other one is about some books that are part of a series curated by Guillermo Del Toro. For some reason that hasn't got much attention. Which is really strange to me, I know there's a lot of GDT fans out there. And also, there are some great classic Horror books in that series.

I'M BACK! / READING HIGHLIGHTS OF 2010

I'M BACK!

   After over a month with a computer that seizes up after 5-15 minutes, I have finally gotten a computer that works as it should again. This is quite a relief, it's been a pain being cut off from interacting with all the nice people I've gotten to know in the last year. Most of these I've met through Twitter. I could mention names, but I'll go with the Norwegian saying:  No-one mentioned, no-one forgotten.

    I also missed being able to blog a lot. I have of course been reading quite a bit, and have some reviews lined up for the blog. 2010 has been a sort of test year for me when it comes to blogging, and it is something I want to continue doing. I'm planing to post 2-3 reviews a week on the blog from now on. The first one will be up later today (European time).

    I hope you will follow the blog in the future, whether you're here for the first time, or if you are a regular visitor.

READING HIGHLIGHTS OF 2010

   These are some of the books that I have appreciated reading the most in 2010. Not all of them were published in 2010, and I have not reviewed all of them. Some of them I read before I started reviewing, and some of them will be reviewed on the blog later.

-I'll start at the beginning, with the first book I read last year, one I got for Christmas in 2009:

PANSERHJERTE by Jo Nesbø

This is of course the original Norwegian edition, published by Aschehoug in 2009. It's a great book, Nesbø just keeps getting better.

The English edition is called The Leopard, and is published by Random House this Thursday (20 January).

Note: The Norwegian title translates as Iron Heart/ Heart of Iron. Or more directly Armor Heart/Heart of Armor. (Panser=armor, hjerte=heart.)

  THE PARASOL PROTECTORATE BOOKS by Gail Carriger

  Soulless (review) came out in 2009, and has since been followed by Changeless

  (review) and Blameless in 2010.

  The humor and action in these books have made them favorites of mine. They are not

  the type of books I would typically look for, so I am grateful that I discovered these

  through Twitter.

  Note: I have already read Blameless, and will review it soon.

LEGENDS OF THE RED SUN by Mark Charan Newton

Nights of Villjamur (review) was published in 2009 and was followed in 2010 by

City of Ruin (review).

 A more or less city-bound fantasy series. Interesting and different from the myriad Tolkienesque fantasy books out there. Book three is on the way, and Mark said on Twitter that he is already 10.000 words into book four. (Hope that wasn't supposed to be a secret, Mark.)

TOME OF THE UNDERGATES by Sam Sykes


Tome of the Undergates (review) is a 2010 debut novel.


This is action-packed Sword and Sorcery that manages to both be classic in style, and a fresh breath in today's fantasy landscape. 
Book two, Black Halo, is coming later this year. And I'm eagerly awaiting it.

THE WAY OF KINGS by Brandon Sanderson


The Way of Kings (review), published in 2010, this is the first of what is said to be ten books in The Stormlight Archive.


I really liked this book, and although I look forward to reading the rest of the series, I don't particularly look forward to the long wait until the last book is published.
If I remember correctly six years was mentioned.

INVISIBLE FIENDS: MR MUMBLES by Barry Hutchison


Invisible Fiends: Mr Mumbles (review) is another 2010 debut.


This is marketed as a children's book (9+), but I found it worked as a Horror novel for all ages. 
It is another book/author I've discovered through Twitter.
Book two, Invisible Fiends: Raggy Maggie, is already out.

WOLFSANGEL by M.D. Lachlan


Wolfsangel is a 2010 debut for M.D.Lachlan, but the author behind the pseudonym has published several books before.


Fantasy set in the lands of the old Norse Sagas.
I'll review this later in the week.

THE SOLARIS BOOK OF NEW FANTASY edited by George Mann


This collection of short stories was published in 2007. 


I won't say much about it here. But I have included it in my highlights of 2010 for a reason. A review will be coming shortly.


   This post is starting to approach the point where it's getting very long, so I'll round off with mentioning a couple of authors that I've read for the first time in 2010.

-IAIN M. BANKS: I've heard of him for years, and started on his Culture novels in 2010. I read Consider Phlebas (review) and The Player of Games -review coming up soon.


-IAN McDONALD: Also an author I've heard lots about, but never gotten around too before 2010. River of Gods (review) and Brasyl (review coming up), are the two I've gotten through.

REVIEW: TOME OF THE UNDERGATES BY SAM SYKES

Cover illustration: Paul Young

TOME OF THE UNDERGATES

THE AEON'S GATE BOOK ONE

BY

SAM SYKES

ISBN: 978-0-575-09029-3

Pages: 692

Publisher: Gollancz

Publishing Date: 15 April 2010

On the Cover:

Adventurers. long loathed for their knowledge of nothing beyond murder and thievery, they are the savages, zealots, heathens, monsters; the thugs of society. And Lenk, a young man with a sword in his hand and a voice in his head, counts  them all as his sole and most hated companions.

His otherwise trivial employment under an esteemed clergyman is interrupted when bloodthirsty and eloquent pirates, led by an ageless demon risen from the depths of the ocean, pilfer the object of their protection: The Tome of the Undergates, the key to opening a door that guards the mouths of hell. A hell the demons want out of.

Against titanic horrors from the deep, psychotic warrior women, and creatures forgotten by mankind, Lenk has only two weapons: a piece of steel and five companions who are as eager to kill each other as they are to retrieve the book.

   There is a lot of Fantasy out there with focus on worldbuilding and near perfect heroes going on noble quests, so to read action-filled Sword and Sorcery feels like a breath of fresh air. And that is what Tome of the Undergates is, a good honest Sword and Sorcery adventure. Sure there is elements of  Quest Fantasy here but it doesn't take over and the book stays Sword and Sorcery for me throughout.

    There's been a lot of talk of the "200 page fight scene" that opens this book. I found this quite exaggerated, there is a lot of fighting in the first part of the book but there is also much more. Sykes is good at delivering information to the reader through the thoughts of the heroes as they are fighting. And there are several passages in between the fight scenes where you get more information about what is going on. I also felt that Sykes managed to get the personality of the adventurers across nicely.

    The action is handled very well by Sykes, and so is the interplay between the characters. What can be both a bit confusing and annoying is the fact that Sykes does not reveal much background to the reader. It takes quite a bit of time before you find out what is going on, and even then much is hidden. But as you progress in the story it becomes clear that this is done deliberately, and I felt that Sykes revelations towards the end of the book pays off the patience of waiting for answers. And I also felt that there is a lot here that is being saved for future installments, and I look forward to finding out more about these characters.

    As I stated at the beginning of this review Tome of the Undergates is Sword and Sorcery, although I must say there is a lot more Sword than Sorcery. The book reminded me a bit of Michael Moorcock's Elric, but first and foremost I was reminded of Robert E. Howard's Conan.
    So when the name Venarium pops up about halfway through the book, I immediately thought "Aha, Conan!". (Note: Venarium is the Aquilonian fort inside Cimmeria where Conan participates in his first mayor battle at the age of fifteen.) But not taking anything for granted, I used the wonder of modern social media to ask Sam Sykes if this was the case. This was his answer:

    
   "Hah, not really, no. I had no idea there even was a Venarium until Tome was finished. It's just based off Venarie, the magical source."

   And that got me thinking about a quote from Robert E. Howard of how he felt that he was relating events that had happened, and how when he couldn't write Conan later felt that the man had stopped standing at his shoulder and moved on. (The whole quote is found here, beginning at the sixth paragraph from the bottom.) -And who knows, maybe the spirit that dictated Howard in Texas has moved on to Arizona...


   Tome of the Undergates is a book for people who like the action and adventure of Sword and Sorcery. If you're a fan of Robert E. Howard's Conan, as I am, you really should get Sam Sykes' debut. And after you read it, I'm quite sure that you will join me in eagerly awaiting the next installment in the series.


LINKS: Sam Sykes  Gollancz