In the B&N SCI-FI & FANTASY Mailbag: Nov. 18, 2016, Joel Cunnigham previews the novel.
THE BIBLIOSANCTUM posts about receiving the book.
I was also thrilled with the arrival of this ARC from the wonderful folks at Tachyon Publications. This will be my first time reading Peter S. Beagle.
Photo by Paul Todisco
For more info about IN CALABRIA, visit the Tachyon page.
Cover design by Elizabeth Story
The latest reviews and mentions of Tachyon titles from around the web.
Lavie Tidhar, Jacob Weisman, Nalo Hopkinson (Photo: IRFAN KHAN/GETTY IMAGES), and Ellen Datlow (Source: Tom Joyce)
SF SIGNAL lavishes praise upon the new cover for Lavie Tidhar’s forthcoming novel CENTRAL STATION.
Tachyon Publications has posted the excellent cover art for their upcoming publication of Lavie Tidhar’s Central Station. Cover art is by the wonderful Sarah Anne Langton. I love the retro feel and the monochromatic look of this.
The GEEKY NERF HERDER expressed similar sentiments by simply posting the cover with #CoolArt.
Mogsy at THE BIBLIOSANCTUM is excited about Jacob Weisman’s new anthology INVADERS: 22 TALES FROM THE OUTER LIMITS OF LITERATURE.
When book mail arrived from California, I was thrilled to discover it was this sci-fi anthology from Tachyon Publications! From aliens to nanotech, this wild collection features all manner of science fiction and beyond. I’m not even a big reader of short stories, but I do want to read this one.
IAFOR, the International Academic Forum, announced Belén Martín-Lucas (Associate Professor, University of Vigo, Spain) as the Keynote Speaker at The IAFOR International Conference on Global Studies 2016 (Global2016) in Barcelona.
Her Keynote Presentation, “Speculations on Posthuman Love: Nalo Hopkison’s Response to Neoliberal Necropolitics”, will discuss TransCanadian author Nalo Hopkinson’s critique of the devastating regime of the expulsion of a majority of the population from the networks of economic globalization, and from life itself.
THIS IS HORROR announced Ellen Datlow’s THE MONSTROUS as the runner-up for their Anthology of the Year award.
For more info about CENTRAL STATION, visit the Tachyon page.
Cover by Sarah Anne Langton
For more information about INVADERS: 22 TALES FROM THE OUTER LIMITS OF LITERATURE, visit the Tachyon page.
Cover by Goro Fujita
Design by Elizabeth Story
For more information on FALLING IN LOVE WITH HOMINIDS, visit the Tachyon page.
Cover art by Chuma Hill
Design by Elizabeth Story
For more on THE MONSTROUS, visit the Tachyon page.
Illustrations by John Coulthart
Cover by Reiko Murakami
Cover design by Elizabeth Story
The reviews keep on rolling in for Peter V. Brett’s fascinating and thrilling THE GREAT BAZAAR & BRAYAN’S GOLD.
Photo: Karsten Moran
From BIBLIOSANCTUM:
Every fan of Peter V. Brett’s Demon Cycle series should check out this collection. I promise you won’t regret it! Not only does The Great Bazaar & Brayan’s Gold contain two excellent short stories, it also features fun little extras like “outtakes” from earlier versions of The Warded Man and a ward grimoire complete with illustrations of the wards themselves. While longtime readers of the series will likely be the ones to get the most out of this volume, I believe it can also serve as a great introduction and the perfect jumping-on point for newcomers to the Demon Cycle.
Not usually being one to pick up short stories outside of main novels, I was really surprised how much I enjoyed this book. It probably helped that both The Great Bazaar and Brayan’s Gold take place during my favorite period of Arlen Bales’ life; that is, back when he was still a humble messenger traveling the world and going on his adventures, and before he was corrupted by demon’s flesh (and Renna Tanner – hey, I’m only being honest here) to become the Warded Man and the Deliverer.
While this one certainly isn’t required reading, the story Brayan’s Gold alone probably makes this book worth picking up.
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This edition of The Great Bazaar & Brayan’s Gold is a wonderful contribution to the world of the Demon Cycle, packed with bonus content-like material that enhanced my experience with the setting and characters. Filled with goodies for fans of the series and yet still accessible enough for new readers, this volume both thrilled and fascinated me. Highly recommended.
At the end of the book is a short Krasian dictionary (the one included with The Skull Throneis bigger) and something really cool: a grimoire of wards. This section includes pictures of fourteen wards, detailing their uses against demons, as well as some nice descriptions of each of the different kinds of demons. So not only is it a guide to wards, but it’s also a guide to demons.
Having recently finished reading The Skull Throne, I was left in the aftermath of another great emotional epic of adventure. It also left a void of needing something else to read. How can anything compare to Peter V. Brett book? Well, the answer is simple, another Peter V. Brett book. Thus I dove into The Great Bazaar & Brayan’s Gold and was pleasantly surprised by how well Brett was able to capture the same magic of the series in these short stories. It’s a must read for fans and I give it a five out of five metal bikinis.
For hardcore fans of the Demon Cycle series — especially those trying to track down earlier versions of the two titular novellas — this one’s a no-brainer. More casual fans will probably get a kick out of the two longer pieces, while newcomers can probably pick a better place to start. Still, Tachyon is doing readers of Brett’s work a service by putting this short collection together, and its intended audience will no doubt receive it warmly.
Writing interstitial short stories between novels is becoming increasingly popular among fantasy authors–a trend I couldn’t enjoy more (I love a little snack between courses). While these were originally (I believe) written after Brett’s first novel, I read them just now (in the gap before Brett’s last novel in the Demon Cycle series). But my enjoyment wasn’t lessened having read them so “late.” It’s nice to revisit Arlen as a young Messenger full of passion and eagerness to take the fight to the demons, Leesha when she’s just getting a handle on her new authority, and Abban when he was just a small-time schemer. More importantly, as someone who’s very interested in process, I really liked the introductions and commentary by Brett.
I had to travel recently for work, and I hate being cramped on planes. Having this to read definitely had me smiling throughout my flight. Anyone who has enjoyed the Demon Cycle so far would enjoy these stories. It’s a perfect little treat while waiting for the next novel. But for those who have never read Brett, I’d suggest picking up THE WARDED MAN/THE PAINTED MAN first. Just jump right in. You’re going to love these stories and these characters.
For more info about THE GREAT BAZAAR & BRAYAN’S GOLD, visit the Tachyon page.
Cover design by Elizabeth Story.
The weekly BIBLIOSANCTUM feature TOUGH TRAVELING focuses on the slimy and tentacled.
The Thursday feature “Tough Traveling” is the brainchild of Nathan of Review Barn, who has come up with the excellent idea of making a new list each week based on the most common tropes in fantasy, as seen in (and inspired by) The Tough Guide to Fantasyland by Diana Wynn Jones. Nathan has invited anyone who is interested to come play along, so be sure to check out the first link for more information.
This week’s tour topic is: Otherworldly Creatures (Tentacles Preferred)
Among the numerous books (fiction and non-), comics, games, and movies were two Tachyon related titles.
Harrison Squared by Daryl Gregory
When Harrison Harrison (nicknamed Harrison Squared by his scientist mother, because geek humor is the best kind of humor) was a toddler, his family’s boat was capsized by something huge in the water. Officially, the authorities said that it was a sharp piece of metal that claimed Harrison’s leg, and that the storm was what drowned his father, but Harrison knew he saw: GIANT TENTACLES.
HARRISON SQUARED is the young adult prequel to Gregory’s Shirley Jackson award winning novella WE ARE ALL COMPLETELY FINE.
The Desert Spear by Peter V. Brett
I honestly don’t remember this part at all, but I recently finished reading the Demon Cycle novella collection THE GREAT BAZAAR & BRAYAN’S GOLD and in the back of it was a description of water demons that first mentioned in The Warded Man and appeared in The Desert Spear. And I quote, “Some breeds have tentacles ending in sharp bone.”
Read the rest of the fascinating tentacle selections at BIBLIOSANCTUM.
For information on WE ARE ALL COMPLETELY FINE, visit the Tachyon page.
Cover design by Elizabeth Story
For more info about THE GREAT BAZAAR & BRAYAN’S GOLD, visit the Tachyon page.
Cover design by Elizabeth Story.
Several venues included Micheal J. Sullivan among their best of the year selections.
Bibliosanctum: Top 10 Reads of 2013
Hollow World by Michael J. Sullivan
MOGSY SAYS: It’s a great time to be a speculative fiction reader right now, with so many great and original ideas having found their way to being published in recent years. Crowdfunding sites like Kickstarter have their place too, because if it weren’t for them I wouldn’t have had the pleasure of reading this incredible book in 2013.
What struck me about Hollow World isn’t so much the story, but the main character’s personal journey – the things he learns about himself and the questions he asks about life and love. I didn’t expect such heavy subject matters when I first picked this one up, but it was a welcome surprise. The book took my emotions on a roller coaster ride – I felt ecstatic, shocked, angry, sad, annoyed, disturbed, deeply touched, so moved that I was almost in tears…all that and more just from reading the story, and any book that can give me the kind of feels that Hollow World did certainly qualifies ashaving resonated with me. (Review coming in Spring 2014 closer to release)
Shadowhawk’s Shade: Best of the Best Novels-Top 6
4. Riyria Chronicles #1: The Crown Tower by Michael J. Sullivan
Link | Goodreads | Author Blog | My Review | Guest Post: On Self-Publishing | Guest Post: Dealing With Success
Two men who hate each other.
One impossible mission.
A legend in the making.
Hadrian Blackwater, a warrior with nothing to fight for, is paired with Royce Melborn, a thieving assassin with nothing to lose. Hired by an old wizard, they must steal a treasure that no one can reach. The Crown Tower is the impregnable remains of the grandest fortress ever built and home to the realm’s most prized possessions.But it isn’t gold or jewels that the wizard is after, and if he can just keep them from killing each other, they just might succeed.
Bookworm Blues: Best Books of 2013
Michael J. Sullivan
Okay, so I’m breaking my rule twice, but I really love Sullivan’s writing and his books always seem to scratch my itch perfectly. I love his characters, his plots, the easy flow of events. Everything about him is wonderful. His books have been huge hits with everyone who reads them, and there’s a reason for that. Sullivan is just a solid author. You know that his books will be worth the time it took to read them, because they are always good. Furthermore, Sullivan is a success story that so many authors aspire to. He’s a hell of a guy, a magnificent author, and I’m beyond thrilled that I’m one of the people who gets to read his books. Pay attention to this one. He is one of the best.
Fantasy-Faction: Best Fantasy Books of 2013
9) The Crown Tower & The Rose and the Thorn by Michael J. Sullivan
A warrior with nothing to fight for is paired with a thieving assassin with nothing to lose. Together they must steal a treasure that no one can reach. The Crown Tower is the impregnable remains of the grandest fortress ever built and home to the realm’s most valuable possessions. But it isn’t gold or jewels the old wizard is after, and this prize can only be obtained by the combined talents of two remarkable men. Now if Arcadias can just keep Hadrian and Royce from killing each other, they just might succeed.
The Riyria Revelations and The Riyria Chronicles are two separate, but related series, and you can start reading with either Theft of Swords (publication order) or The Crown Tower (chronological order).
Michael Sullivan’s Riyria Revelations are straight up adventure stories with a very fun duo of thieves in the middle of it. His new series, The Riyria Chronicles, serves as a prequel story, telling the tale of how Royce and Hadrian met and became the team of thieves we are familiar with from Riyria Revelations. As we expected, Sullivan delivered a very enjoyable adventure story. We get a better picture and understanding of what caused Royce and Hadrian to become such opposite personalities, and we get more insight into what makes them tick. We are shown how they team up and learn to work together and how they really complement each other. We also get to hear Gwen’s story and how she came to be the character we are familiar with in Riyria Revelations. It’s enjoyable, the characters are as loveable as ever and we have no doubt you’ll finish it and wonder where all the pages went…
Additionally, Sullivan was given the 2013 Reddit Stabby for r/Fantasy Community Achivement Award for Best Overall Editor.
A FREE extended preview of Hollow World which contains the first four chapters of the book (66 pages) is still available.
For information on Hollow World, visit the Tachyon page.
Cover by Marc Simonetti. Design by Elizabeth Story.
