NEWS | New Thursday Next Book by Jasper Fforde in 2012

It looks like everyone's favorite Literary Detective Thursday Next will be back come next summer. Jasper Fforde's Dark Reading Matter will be the seventh - but probably not final - book in the Thursday Next series. Hodder the UK publisher of the series has the book marked for a July 12th release across the pond. No official word on the US release date, but Viking tends to release their version within a month of the UK release. Dark reading matter or playfully shorten to DRM has actually been mentioned a couple times in past Thursday Next books. This bit is from First Among Sequels:

"The Nothing is a big place," I said without fear of understatement, "and mostly empty. Theoretical storyoloists have calculated that the readable BookWorld makes up only twenty-two percent of visible reading matter - the remainder is unobservable remnants of long-lost books, forgotten oral tradition and ideas still locked in writers' heads. We call it 'dark reading matter.'"

The blurb for Dark Reading Matter (below) is very spoiler heavy if you're not caught up on the series do avoid it, but check out my essay on why I love this series to get in the know.

The Bookworld's leading enforcement officer Thursday Next is four months into an enforced semi-retirement following a near fatal assassination attempt. She returns home to Swindon for what you'd expect to be a time of recuperation and rest. If only life were that simple.


Thursday is faced with an array of family problems - her son Friday's lack of focus since his career in the Chronoguard was relegated to a might-have-been, daughter Tuesday's difficulty perfecting the Anti-Smote shield needed in time to thwart an angry Deity's promise to wipe Swindon off the face of the earth, and Jenny, who doesn't exist except as a confusing memory.


And that's not all. With Goliath attempting to replace Thursday at every opportunity with synthetic Thursdays, the prediction that Friday's Destiny-Aware colleagues will die in mysterious circumstances, and a looming meteorite that could destroy all human life on earth, Thursday's retirement is going to be anything but easy.


If you thought dealing with the Bookworld could be hard, wait until you see what it takes to be a mother.

Fforde's second YA Dragonslayer book The Song of the Quarkbeast was just released in the UK to tide us all over for our Fforde fix. I for one can't wait for the sequel of Shades of Grey though. That was a simply marvelous read all around.

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Mad Hatter's Reading Log Vol 1.

My recent read posts are now going to be called Mad Hatter's Reading Log mostly so I can keep better track of them.  November was my month to read whatever the hell I wanted without any thought to reviewing anything around release. And what a month of lovelies I've had. It has been quite freeing after all the hullabaloo of Steampunk Month, which don't get me wrong I had a lot of fun with as well.  But this month I pulled out lots of books by some of my favorite authors of the last 5 years, which turned into a British invasion of sorts.

City of Ruin  by Mark Charan Newton - This was a doozy of a book.  Charan impressed me quite a bit with Nights of Villjamur, but he explodes this world from the ground up in some very unexpected ways.  Many of the events of Nights of Villjamur don't move forward much, but the new actions, characters, and massive world-building make-up for any disappointment at leaving Villjamur for the rough and tumble Villiren. Highly recommended. Can't wait for the next book The Book of Transformations.

The Heroes by Joe Abercrombie - Review to be held until closer to publication. But I'll say I enjoyed it quite a bit.and if Best Served Cold left you a bit cold than The Heroes will probably warm you up.

The Black Lung Captain by Chris Wooding - This is the sequel to one of my favorites last year Retribution Falls. I'd put it on par with the first book, but there is a formula to the books that will now seem familiar. Regardless if you like a rip-roaring adventure with a colorful cast you'll not be let down in the least. Some deeper mysteries of the crew are to be had as they all try to release the baggage they've been carrying. Highly recommend.

Side Jobs by Jim Butcher - I had read more than half of these stories in various anthologies.  If you are a hardcore Dresden Files fan this is a must.  If you aren't too huge a fan you\re only missing little bits and pieces for the most part, but the inclusion of Backup and Aftermath will probably push you over the edge to get your Dresden fix.  The stories are uneven, but as they progress they do get better.

Peep Show by Joshua Braff - This was a moving story of a boy caught between two worlds. And I don't mean Fantasy worlds.  It is the 1970s and a teenager has to decide if he wants to live the life of his mother a recently devout Orthodox Jew or his burlesque theater owning father. You'd think it would be an easy choice, but leaving behind family never is.  Recommended. This is Braff''s second book after The Unthinkable Thoughts of Jacob Green. And if you're curious Joshua is the brother to the actor Zach Braff.

Thicker Than Water by Mike Carey - The fourth volume in the Felix Castor series.  After getting a taste of Dresden I was in need of a healthy portion of Urban Fantasy. This volume builds off well to the big storyline that has been brewing and left me wanting more as Carey always does. The Castor series is a criminally under read series in the states.  This is possibly because the 4th and 5th volumes weren't available here, but a deal was struck a few months ago and the latest UK editions can now be found on Amazon US and many of the larger book chains. Highly recommend.

First Among Sequels by Jasper Fforde - The fifth book in the much loved Thursday Next series. First Among Sequels lives up to the series and it appears Fforde is an author who can do no wrong as he twists words like no other. There was some repetitiveness here and there with explanations, but it didn't dampen the fun at all. I highly recommend the entire series, but start with The Eyre Affair. You'll be hooked from than on as Fforde packs his stories with so many different storylines and a whole lot of satire.

Superman: Earth One by J. Michael Straczynski - Superman is THE iconic character of Comicdom.  He has been retooled dozens and dozens of times, erased, and killed as well.  Sufficed to say nearly everything that could be done to his has been. Now Straczynski tries to start from scratch while still paying homage to what has gone before by slightly altering the origin story.  I won't go into how, but Superman: Earth One is one of the top comics I've read this year. Superman: Earth One ranks up there with All Star Superman and is a worthy addition to the DC Multiverse. I can only hope the quality stays as high for the next volume and other Earth One stories that are sure to come.


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REVIEW | Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde (Viking)

Shades of Grey Glossary: The Colourtocracy. A system of hierarchy based on the colour you can see. Purple at the top, Reds at the bottom. (Greys don't really count)

Jasper Fforde has stepped away from his beloved Thursday Next characters to create an entirely new, hilarious, beautiful, and incredibly realized world with Shades of Grey, which is much closer to Science Fiction than anything he has done prior. If you are already a fan of his than go out and get a copy, but if you need to be coerced a bit more read on.

Shades of Grey Glossary: Eddie Russett: A happily unambitious drone of the collective 'til he travels to East Carmine and meets Jane Grey.

Narrator Eddie Russett is likable character who is to take his Ishihara shortly. He has some wonderful dialogue and his inquisitive nature is infectious to the reader as he delves into the mysteries of his world. Eddie has grown up following the rules and trying to help keep the status quo of society. An errant joke lands him the inane task of chair census in an outer town where his father has been sent to replace a recently departed Swatchman, which is kind of like a doctor with paint chips. Shades of Grey is a very colorful and downright silly future where classes are divided depending on what color they can see. Everyone is colorblind with most seeing only one color strongly while others that can only see grey are the lowest class and are treated like pack mules performing the most arduous tasks. The citizens have a last name that somehow coincides with their color perception such as Granny Crimson, Roger Maroon, and Bunty McMustard, which has to be the funniest name I've heard in a while.

Shades of Grey Glossary: The Ishihara. A Colour perception test taken at age 20 that determines one's social standing and career

Color is the most important thing to this society. That is besides their spoons, which are a hot commodity as no one has been allowed to make new ones for hundreds of years. Sounds a bit silly doesn't it?  Well that is because it is as is almost every rule this society lives by. Eddie, a strong red, upon entering East Carmine falls in love with Jane who is a grey and also the most notoriously unlikeable citizen in town. The cast of characters is as colorful as you'll likely find with its backstabbing friends, conniving leaders, and power hungry people everywhere. A lot of foreshadowing goes on as Fforde loves to hint at things including the death of one of the main characters right out of the gate. Step into a world that is regressing on purpose and where people can read barcodes and people can be healed or drugged by the use of color.

 Shades of Grey Glossary: The ‘Something That Happened’: Dramatic event that occurred in the distant and unknowable past. Followed shortly by the ‘Epiphany’ and the beginning of the New Order.

Placed hundreds of years after "Something That Happened" this is a society in stasis that likes it that way. The world of Shades of Grey is all about misdirection, but you don't feel confused with the telling, especially when the pieces start falling together in the end. Eddie Russett is every bit as lovable as Thursday Next, but he is a man all his own with an inquisitive streak that could change the world. What is amazing is the book takes place over less than a week or so of time and it is so packed to the brim that it feels like a month given everything covered. Yet the pacing is slower than that of the Thursday Next series. Shades of Grey is some of the most pleasing Fiction you'll likely find in 2010. Fforde hits all the marks of romance, adventure, thriller, and satire perfectly.

Shades of Grey Glossary: The Yateveo. A carnivorous tree able to snatch prey at great speed. Victims are digested alive. Not pleasant.

Sufficed to say I did not want this book to end.  Shades of Grey is without a doubt the best dystopian novel I've read since Brave New World and it will be re-read many times. Fforde has challenged himself to create something entirely new and different which he more than succeeded at. I give Shades of Grey 9.5 out of 10 Hats. A truly can't miss original book. In some ways it reminds me of a satirical version of Ken Scholes's Psalms of Isaak series with its intricate plotting and highly realized characters along with the dystopian long view. There are layers and layers of intrigue with smartly written characters along with a few intentionally stupid ones. Fforde has laid the groundwork for a series that'll keep me coming back for each fresh coat of paint. And the biggest mystery is never answered. What is up with the swans and why is everyone so terrified by them? At this point I still like the Thursday Next series better, but that could change as Fforde plays more with this world as there are at least 2 more books planned. Fforde has created a site for the series with a wealth of information about this new world.

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LOOKING FORWARD | Fantasy Books to Watch for in 2010

Fantasy releases in 2010 are looking to be just as strong as they were in 2009 with Jasper Fforde, Brent Weeks, Karen Miller, and Brandon Sanderson all checking in with new books and 3 out of 4 of those with series debuts.  Debut books are also looking to be strong as well with the much buzzed Tome of the Undergates by Sam Sykes and Spellwright by Blake Charlton.  If you haven't heard of either author take note and follow their entertaining twitters.  Many UK hits of 2009 from the likes of Adrian Tchaikovsky and Mark Charan Newton are now getting US publications with the former getting 3 books published over 3 months from Pyr. All in all this should be a busy year between this list, my Sci-Fi, UF, Steampunk and Anthology lists. I say bring it on!  I'm sure I'll find a few other gems along the way and keep in mind most publishers have only announced books up until August or September so the end of 2010 rush should have some blockbusters as well.  Martin or Lynch anyone?

JANUARY

Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde - Series Debut
Release Date: December 29th  |  Publisher: Viking

Fforde's books always seem unclassifiable and that is no different with Shades of Grey.  I have read it and will post my review shortly, but let's just say it was just as incredible as Thursday Next only sufficiently different and is without a doubt one of the best dystopian books I've ever read.

Part social satire, part romance, part revolutionary thriller, Shades of Grey tells of a battle against overwhelming odds. In a society where the ability to see the higher end of the color spectrum denotes a better social standing, Eddie Russet belongs to the low-level House of Red and can see his own color—but no other. The sky, the grass, and everything in between are all just shades of grey, and must be colorized by artificial means.

Eddie's world wasn't always like this. There's evidence of a never-discussed disaster and now, many years later, technology is poor, news sporadic, the notion of change abhorrent, and nighttime is terrifying: no one can see in the dark. Everyone abides by a bizarre regime of rules and regulations, a system of merits and demerits, where punishment can result in permanent expulsion.

Eddie, who works for the Color Control Agency, might well have lived out his rose-tinted life without a hitch. But that changes when he becomes smitten with Jane, a Grey Nightseer from the dark, unlit side of the village. She shows Eddie that all is not well with the world he thinks is just and good. Together, they engage in dangerous revolutionary talk.

Stunningly imaginative, very funny, tightly plotted, and with sly satirical digs at our own society, this novel is for those who loved Thursday Next but want to be transported somewhere equally wild, only darker; a world where the black and white of moral standpoints have been reduced to shades of grey.

The Many Deaths of the Black Company by Glen Cook

Release Date: January 5  |  Publisher: Tor

The latest Black Company omnibus comprises of Water Sleeps and Soldiers Live.  I might have to give this series another try.  I read the first book and only thought it was okay, not a close friend is now in love with the series so we'll see.

“Let me tell you who I am, on the chance that these scribblings do survive. . .

“I am Murgen, Standardbearer of the Black Company, though I bear the shame of having lost that standard in battle. I am keeping these Annals because Croaker is dead, One–Eye won’t, and hardly anyone else can read or write. I will be your guide for however long it takes the Shadowlanders to force our present predicament to its inevitable end....”

The Left Hand of God by Paul Hoffman - Series Debut

Release Date: January 10 (UK) / June 15 (US)  | Publisher: Michael Joseph (UK) / Dutton (US)

'Listen. The Sanctuary of the Redeemers on Shotover Scarp is named after a damned lie for there is no redempt ion that goes on there and less sanctuary'. The Sanctuary of the Redeemers is a vast and desolate place - a place without joy or hope. Most of its occupants were taken there as boys and for years have endured the brutal regime of the Lord Redeemers whose cruelty and violence have one singular purpose - to serve in the name of the One True Faith. In one of the Sanctuary's vast and twisting maze of corridors stands a boy. He is perhaps fourteen or fifteen years old - he is not sure and neither is anyone else. He has long-forgotten his real name, but now they call him Thomas Cale. He is strange and secretive, witty and charming, violent and profoundly bloody-minded. He is so used to the cruelty that he seems immune, but soon he will open the wrong door at the wrong time and witness an act so terrible that he will have to leave this place, or die. His only hope of survival is to escape across the arid Scablands to Memphis, a city the opposite of the Sanctuary in every way: breathtakingly beautiful, infinitely Godless, and deeply corrupt. But the Redeemers want Cale back at any price...not because of the secret he now knows but because of a much more terrifying secret he does not.

++++++++++

FEBRUARY

The Ruling Sea by Robert V. S. Redick

Release Day:: February 16  |  Publisher Del Rey

Sequel to The Red Wolf Conspiracy and publishing as The Rats and the Ruling Sea in the UK. 

The great ship Chathrand''s mission of peace was a lie. Now Thasha Isiq and her allies, including the deckhands Pazel and Neeps, must contrive a way to stop the spies and sorcerers intent on launching a worldwide war. But beyond the island of Simja, where powers hidden even from the treasonous conspirators are massing their forces, the Ruling Sea awaits: the greatest ocean in the world, so large that no other ship can cross it, a sea whose southern reaches border lands unknown. And in the crossing, a still darker terror waits in the belly of the ship to be born.

Horns by Joe Hill

Release Date: February 16 | Publisher: William Morrow

Ignatius Perrish spent the night drunk and doing terrible things. He woke up the next morning with one hell of a hangover, a raging headache . . . and a pair of horns growing from his temples. Once, Ig lived the life of the blessed: born into privilege, the second son of a renowned American musician, and the younger brother of a rising late-night TV star, Ig had security and wealth and a place in his community. Ig had it all, and more - he had the love of Merrin Williams, a love founded on shared daydreams, mutual daring, and unlikely midsummer magic. Then beautiful, vivacious Merrin was gone - raped and murdered, under inexplicable circumstances - with Ig the only suspect. He was never tried for the crime, but in the court of public opinion, Ig was and always would be guilty. Now Ig is possessed with a terrible new power to go with his terrible new look, and he means to use it to find the man who killed Merrin and destroyed his life. Being good and praying for the best got him nowhere. It's time for a little revenge; it's time the devil had his due.

The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin - Debut / Series Debut
Release Date: February 25  |  Publisher: Orbit

What little I've heard about this series has been wonderful so it will be a must to check out.

Yeine Darr is heir to the throne of the Hundred Thousand Kingdoms. She is also an outcast. Until, that is, her mother dies under mysterious circumstances.

Summoned by her grandfather to the majestic city of Sky, Yeine finds herself thrust into a vicious power struggle for the throne. As she fights for her life, she comes ever closer to discovering the truth about her mother’s death and her family’s bloody history – as well as the unsettling truths within herself.

With the fate of the world hanging in the balance, Yeine will learn how perilous it can be when love and hate are bound inseparably together, for both mortals and gods alike.

++++++++++

MARCH

Spellwright by Blake Charlton - Debut / Series Debut
Release Date: March 2  | Publisher: Tor

Really looking forward to this one, especially after Aidan's wonderful interview with Charlton.

Nicodemus is a young, gifted wizard with a problem. Magic in his world requires the caster to create spells by writing out the text . . . but he has always been dyslexic, and thus has trouble casting even the simplest of spells. And his misspells could prove dangerous, even deadly, should he make a mistake in an important incantation.

Yet he has always felt that he is destined to be something more than a failed wizard. When a powerful, ancient evil begins a campaign of murder and disruption, Nicodemus starts to have disturbing dreams that lead him to believe that his misspelling could be the result of a curse. But before he can discover the truth about himself, he is attacked by an evil which has already claimed the lives of fellow wizards and has cast suspicion on his mentor. He must flee for his own life if he’s to find the true villain.

But more is at stake than his abilities. For the evil that has awakened is a power so dread and vast that if unleashed it will destroy Nicodemus... and the world.

Empire in Black and Gold (Shadows of the Apt 1) by Adrian Tchaikovsky - Debut / Series Debut
Release Date: March 23 | Publisher: Pyr

From what I've heard this does have a Steampunk angle as well, but is more akin to Fantasy, which is why I left it on this list.  The covers for the whole series are looking spectacular. 

The Wasp Empire has been devouring city after city with its highly trained armies, its machines, it killing Art, and now its hunger for conquest and war has become insatiable. Only the ageing Stenwold Maker, spymaster, artificer and statesman, can see that the long days of peace are over.

Books 2 and 3 in the series are going to be published consecutively with book 2 Dragonfly Falling on April 27 and book 3 Blood of the Mantis on May 25.

++++++++++

APRIL

Tome of the Undergates by Sam Sykes - Debut / Series Debut
Release Date: April (UK) / Fall (US)  |  Publisher Gollancz (UK) \ Pyr (US)

This is one of the highest buzzed Fantasy novels of 2010 so far and I hope it lives up to it.  As Gollancz put it:

It is the debut novel from an extraordinarily talented twenty-five-year-old author. Fantasy's next global star has arrived.

Lenk can barely keep control of his mismatched adventurer band at the best of times (Gariath the dragon man sees humans as little more than prey, Kataria the Shict despises most humans, and the humans in the band are little better). When they're not insulting each other's religions they're arguing about pay and conditions.

So when the ship they are travelling on is attacked by pirates things don't go very well. They go a whole lot worse when an invincible demon joins the fray. The demon steals the Tome of the Undergates - a manuscript that contains all you need to open the undergates. And whichever god you believe in you don't want the undergates open. On the other side are countless more invincible demons, the manifestation of all the evil of the gods, and they want out.

Full of razor-sharp wit, characters who leap off the page (and into trouble) and plunging the reader into a vivid world of adventure this is a fantasy that kicks off a series that could dominate the second decade of the century.

Fantasy’s newest star has arrived. A manuscript that contains all you need to open the undergates has been stolen. And you don’t want the undergates open. On the other side are countless invincible demons, and they want out. Lenk and his misfit companions have to get it back.

Under Heaven by Guy Gavriel Kay
Release Date: April 27 | Publisher: ROC

Shen Tai is the son of a general who led the forces of imperial Kitai in the empire’s last great war against its western enemies, twenty years before. Forty thousand men, on both sides, were slain by a remote mountain lake. General Shen Gao himself has died recently, having spoken to his son in later years about his sadness in the matter of this terrible battle.

To honour his father’s memory, Tai spends two years in official mourning alone at the battle site by the blue waters of Kuala Nor. Each day he digs graves in hard ground to bury the bones of the dead. At night he can hear the ghosts moan and stir, terrifying voices of anger and lament. Sometimes he realizes that a given voice has ceased its crying, and he knows that is one he has laid to rest.

The dead by the lake are equally Kitan and their Taguran foes; there is no way to tell the bones apart, and he buries them all with honour.

It is during a routine supply visit led by a Taguran officer who has reluctantly come to befriend him that Tai learns that others, much more powerful, have taken note of his vigil. The White Jade Princess Cheng-wan, 17th daughter of the Emperor of Kitai, presents him with two hundred and fifty Sardian horses. They are being given in royal recognition of his courage and piety, and the honour he has done the dead.

You gave a man one of the famed Sardian horses to reward him greatly. You gave him four or five to exalt him above his fellows, propel him towards rank, and earn him jealousy, possibly mortal jealousy. Two hundred and fifty is an unthinkable gift, a gift to overwhelm an emperor.

Tai is in deep waters. He needs to get himself back to court and his own emperor, alive. Riding the first of the Sardian horses, and bringing news of the rest, he starts east towards the glittering, dangerous capital of Kitai, and the Ta-Ming Palace – and gathers his wits for a return from solitude by a mountain lake to his own forever-altered life.

++++++++++

JUNE

Nights of Villjamur by Mark Charan Newton (US) - Series Debut

Release Date: June 1 | Publisher: Spectra

I've been very close to ordering the UK version since I've heard so many good things, but with the US release around the corner I'll wait it out, especially since the sequel City of Ruin is still due out.

Political intrigue and dark violence converge in a superb new action series of enthralling fantasy. An ice age strikes a chain of islands, and thousands come to seek sanctuary at the gates of Villjamur: a city of ancient spires and bridges, a place where banshees wail the deceased, cultists use forgotten technology for their own gain and where, further out, the dead have been seen walking across the tundra.When the Emperor commits suicide, his elder daughter, Rika, is brought home to lead the Jamur Empire, but the sinister Chancellor plans to get rid of her and claim the throne for himself. Meanwhile a senior investigator in the city inquisition must solve the high-profile and savage murder of a city politician, whilst battling evils within his own life, and a handsome and serial womanizer manipulates his way into the imperial residence with a hidden agenda. When reports are received that tens of thousands of citizens are dying in a bizarre genocide on the northern islands of the Empire, members of the elite Night Guard are sent to investigate. It seems that, in this land under a red sun, the long winter is bringing more than just snow.

Shadow's Son by Jon Sprunk - Debut / Series Debut

Release Date: June 22  |  Publisher: Pyr

Caim makes his living on the edge of a blade, but when a routine job goes south, he is thrust into the middle of an insidious plot. Pitted against crooked lawmen, rival killers, and sorcery from the Other Side, his only allies are Josephine, the socialite daughter of his last victim, and Kit, a guardian spirit no one else can see. To unmask a conspiracy at the heart of the empire, he must claim his birthright as the Shadow's Son....

The Office of Shadow by Matt Sturges

Release Date: June 22 | Publisher: Pyr

The follow-up to Midwinter should be another fun adventure with some interesting characters that I enjoyed immensely in the first volume.  This time the action focuses on Silverdun, which should mix things up a bit.

Midwinter has gone, but that cold season has been replaced by a cold war in the world of Faerie, and this new kind of war requires a new kind of warrior.

Seelie forces drove back Empress Mab at the Battle of Sylvan, but hostilities could resume at any moment. Mab has developed a devastating new weapon capable of destroying an entire city, and the Seelie have no defense against it. If war comes, they will almost certainly be defeated.

In response, the Seelie reconstitutes a secret division of the Foreign Ministry, unofficially dubbed the "Office of Shadow," imbuing it with powers and discretion once considered unthinkable. They are a group of covert operatives given the tasks that can't be done in the light of day: secretly stealing the plans for Mab's new weapon, creating unrest in the Unseelie Empire, and doing whatever is necessary to prevent an unwinnable war.

The new leader of the "Shadows" is Silverdun. He's the nobleman who fought alongside Mauritane at Sylvan and who helped complete a critical mission for the Seelie Queen Titania. His operatives include a beautiful but naïve sorceress who possesses awesome powers that she must restrain in order to survive and a soldier turned scholar whose research into new ways of magic could save the world, or end it.

They'll do whatever is required to prevent a total war: make a dangerous foray into a hostile land to retrieve the plans for Mab's weapon; blackmail a king into revolting against the Unseelie Empire; journey into the space between space to uncover a closely guarded secret with the power to destroy worlds.

++++++++++

JULY

The Reluctant Mage by Karen Miller
Release Date: July 28  |  Publisher: Orbit

This is really the 2nd half of a long story following the events of The Prodigal Mage in the world that started with The Innocent Mage.

Nine months have passed since Rafel disappeared in the expedition over the mountains. Deenie, now eighteen, starts having disturbing dreams about her brother. She comes to believe he's not dead after all, but is in trouble and needs her help.

She enlists the aid of her friend Charis, and the girls hatch a plan to escape from Lur. They succeed and survive the hazardous journey round the coastline past the mountains. But to their dismay, they discover that the lands beyond Lur are blighted with lawlessness and chaos. The remnants of Morg's consciousness that survived his death splintered at his downfall and sought refuge in whatever bodies could be found to host them.

Throughout their travels and adventures they get some answers about the other lost expeditions, and keep hearing about one fearsome mage whose stronghold is in the blighted near-mythical land of Dorana. Deenie knows this is her brother - and that Rafel is not only in danger, but has become dangerous. If he's not stopped he could become a threat to the whole world. Perhaps even another Morg.

++++++++++

AUGUST

The Way of Kings (The Stormlight Archive) by Brandon Sanderson - Series Debut
Release Date: August 17  |  Publisher TOR

The Way Of Kings introduces the three protagonists who will be our windows on the strange and wondrous world of Roshar and the drama about to unfold there:

• Dalinar, the assassinated king’s brother and uncle of the new one, is an old soldier who is weary of fighting.
He is plagued by dreams of ancient times and legendary wars, visions that may force him into a new role he could never have imagined.
• Merin, a highborn young man who has been brought low, indeed to the most miserable level of military slavery, and like Ben Hur must suffer and struggle to survive and rise again.
• Shallan, a naïve but brave and brilliant young woman who will do anything to save her impoverished noble house from ruin.

These are people we will come to know deeply and take to our hearts. But just as important to The Way Of Kings is a fourth key ‘character,’ the unique world of Roshar itself, a richly imagined setting as real as science fiction’s Dune, as unforgettable as epic fantasy’s Middle Earth. Through all the volumes of The Stormlight Archive, Brandon Sanderson will make Roshar a realm we are eager to visit.

The Black Prism by Brent Weeks - Series Debut
Release Date: August 25  |  Publisher: Orbit

The first in a new series from Brent Weeks has me excited.  I do love color magic and I'm anxious to see Weeks's take on it.  There are numerous descriptions around the net that Weeks said are all partially wrong or reveal too much.  If you search my site you'll find some.

++++++++++

SEPTEMBER

The Dark Commands by Richard K. Morgan
Release Date: September 14  |  Publisher: Del Rey

Sequel to The Steel Remains, which I'll finally be cracking sometime in the New Year.

Ringil, Egar and Archeth are back. In a world still cursed by slavery, a corrupt aristocracy and a vicious church, justice is in short supply.

Richard Morgan brings his trademark visceral writing style, turbo-driven plotting and thoughtprovoking characterisation to the fantasy genre, producing a follow-up to his first foray into fantasy, and taking Ringil and Co. on the beginnings of a hopeless quest.

++++++++++

OCTOBER

The Tales of Odd by Neil Gaiman
Release Date: October 4 (UK)  |  Publisher: Bloomsbury

This edition comprised of an entirely new Odd story in addition to the already released Odd and the Frost Giants.  No US date has been announced yet for the new story.

The two stories in this exciting novella follow the adventures of the intrepid young Viking Odd. As a brave and solitary twelve-year-old, in the first tale, he endeavours to free three Norse Gods trapped in the bodies of an eagle, a bear and a fox; then, in the second, a few years older, taller and stronger he sets off on a testing and epic journey to the Holy City of Jerusalem. But of course with Neil Gaiman's wit and style the stories transcend the normal and become humorous, rich and layered tales of a life lived courageously.

++++++++++

Long Leads We Are All Hoping For:

The Republic of Thieves by Scott Lynch

I've seen July, Aug, and November so until Lynch himself confirms this is in the air.

The Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss

The first draft is done, but much polishing is going on.

A Dance With Dragons by George R.R. Martin

Yeah...ummm.  Fingers crossed.


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Some Love for the Thursday Next series by Jasper Fforde

A few months back I finished the 4th Thursday Next novel Something Rotten by Jasper Fforde, which finished off the first story arc. Instead of doing a review for book 4 in a series I haven't reviewed on this site before and one that has been out for a few years I thought I'd show some love for the series on a whole and in turn hopefully entice people to try it out.

I admittedly got on the Jasper Fforde bandwagon very late since his first book The Eyre Affair came out a little more than 7 years ago. I was introduced to the series by a good friend about 2.5 years ago who told me I would devour them and that they only get better. How right he was. However, the first book in the series The Eyre Affair ended up sitting on my shelf for 6 months until I finally cracked. I'm not much of a Jane Eyre fan so I was a bit thrown off by the title and the fact that the books are pushed to the literary crowd rather than the fantasy. The series now stands as one of my favorites and the font of ideas that Fforde manages to fill a chapter with is often more imaginative than most authors devout in half of their books.

Fforde has accomplish an amazing feat by seamlessly combining a work full of literary references, good and bad puns, Sci-Fi, Mystery, Thriller, Paranormal, and Fantasy elements and yet they all meld into something very comprehensible and an absolute joy to read. The series arc is also clearly well planned as seemingly insignificant things are mention in early books only to be pivotal later on. I can also attest that the series only gets better as Fforde lets loose his imagination.  Fforde is kind of like a classy version of Christopher Moore.  So if you like your books with a touch of humor look no further than Thursday Next, which oozes funny goodness with heart and lots of action.  Read on to learn more about this series.

The Eyre Affair - In which we Meet Thursday, her world, and her enemies

Thursday Next is a female Literary Detective or LitTech in Britain on an alternative earth with a slightly different history than our own. Britain is still fighting the Crimean War with Russia. Thursday's father Colonel Next has been eradicated by the Chronoguard (Time Police) yet she and her brother still live even though no one else can remember him except her mother, which never makes sense fully but if you go mucking about with time you get what you deserve. A similar action befalls someone else Thursday loves in later books, which leads to a long storyline. In Thursday's world literature is considered of the highest order and protected vehemently.

Neanderthals have been brought back by science as well as dodos that are no longer extinct and are common pets, which includes Thursday's lovable Pickwick. Thursday's Uncle Mycroft is a genius inventor. His invention is the Prose Portal which allows people to enter books. There is an evil Corporation fronted by a character aptly named Jack Schitt as well as a super villain of sorts which Thursday must capture or he will use the Prose Portal to change the ending of a literary classic, which cannot be allowed. Thursday also lends a hand to a Werewolf hunter for extra cash, who seems to pop-up in every book.  All in all this is a splendid introduction to Thursday and even through all the oddness connects you to Thursday as a strong and smart character.  The world building is immense for such a short book and you get many inklings of things to come.

Lost in a Good Book - In which Thursday loses someone important and travels to Bookworld

The Goliath Corp is upset with Thursday. She finds out that their is a police force of sorts that look after books called Jurisfiction who live in Bookworld made up of characters from books and a few humans. Thursday is under investigation for possibly changing something while in a book. This opens the Thursday Next series wide as characters from books come to life and it also goes into the psychology of book characters as they are forced to replay the same roles over and over and what they are doing when no one is reading them. We also learn about creatures that ruin books like locusts call grammarsites and a few other related creatures. The best part though is visiting the Great Library where all books ever written are housed. This is truly a book lovers dream come true. Catching the literary references will be half the fun as many of things brought up are not strictly literary as Fforde brings in other genres such as creating his own Darth Vader-like character.

The Well of Lost Plots - In which Thursday helps Jurisfiction and battles another super villain type

This is the book that made the Thursday next series one of my favorite as Fforde keeps surprising me with his wit and charm. The Well of Lost Plots explores Bookworld indepthly and many literary works as you visit their pages. Thursday is living in The Well of Lost Plot which is a subsection of the Great Library for works-in-progress or works that will probably never be published. A book character has escaped into the real world, which really mustn't happen. Thursday has to go toe-to-toe with many fictional and mythical characters and creatures. There is a lot of intrigue in this volume as there may be a rogue member of Jurisfiction. Fforde also introduces the footnoterphone, which could have been annoying in other hands.

Something Rotten - In which all things are answered, well most things

All I can say is it was quite a ride and Neanderthals rules.  Now go out and read The Eyre Affair to start you on becoming a lifelong fan. Fforde is every bit as wonderful as Douglas Adams was in his glory and as great a storyteller as, dare I say it, Neil Gaiman.

Whoops! I almost forgot to mention the importance of toast.  Well, it is important and don't forget it lest the Toast Marketing Board come after you for defamation.

Summation - In which I discuss other stuff by Fforde

Fforde has a second series starring Thursday and a relative of hers, which is already begun with the aptly named Thursday Next: First Among Sequels.  And than there is the spin-off series of sorts called Nursery Crimes starting with The Big Over Easy followed by The Fourth Bear with at least one more title planned. The Nursery Crimes series takes place in one of Thursday regular haunts, but from what I know you needn't have read the Thursday books at all to enjoy them.  Also, the first Nursery Crime book was originally written prior to the first Thursday book but later adapted to fit in.  Oh, and Fforde has an entirely new series starting this year with Shades of Grey, which stands apart from the Thursday Next universe.  Lastly, check out Jasper Fforde's site which has loads of info.


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COVER ART | Jasper Fforde's Shades of Grey

Jasper Fforde is best known for his Thursday Next series and the spin-off series of sorts called Nursery Crimes. Shades of Grey is the start to a new unrelated series, which saw its release delayed for a little while, but things are now on schedule for a release right after Christmas. Here is the blurb followed by the cover originally used when the book was first announce followed by the just released and most likely final art.

Part social satire, part romance, part revolutionary thriller, Shades of Grey tells of a battle against overwhelming odds. In a society where the ability to see the higher end of the color spectrum denotes a better social standing, Eddie Russet belongs to the low-level House of Red and can see his own color—but no other. The sky, the grass, and everything in between are all just shades of grey, and must be colorized by artificial means.

Eddie's world wasn't always like this. There's evidence of a never-discussed disaster and now, many years later, technology is poor, news sporadic, the notion of change abhorrent, and nighttime is terrifying: no one can see in the dark. Everyone abides by a bizarre regime of rules and regulations, a system of merits and demerits, where punishment can result in permanent expulsion.

Eddie, who works for the Color Control Agency, might well have lived out his rose-tinted life without a hitch. But that changes when he becomes smitten with Jane, a Grey Nightseer from the dark, unlit side of the village. She shows Eddie that all is not well with the world he thinks is just and good. Together, they engage in dangerous revolutionary talk.

Stunningly imaginative, very funny, tightly plotted, and with sly satirical digs at our own society, this novel is for those who loved Thursday Next but want to be transported somewhere equally wild, only darker; a world where the black and white of moral standpoints have been reduced to shades of grey.

I liked this version when I first saw it, but did feel it was a bit austere for a Jasper Fforde book.

I love the new art and wonder if it will have a die-cut cover given the title art. Either way I think it fits much more with Jasper's other covers. It especially reminds me of the UK covers, which are brillant. Also, Jasper recent paid Joseph Mallozzi a visit where he talked about Nursery Crimes and a few other things.