Monday, December 26, 2011

Bastard Giveaway: Sins of the Angels by Linda Poitevin


Merry Christmas everyone once again, this time I come with a gift. Got myself an extra copy of Sins of the Angels by Linda Poitevin, and thought someone might be interested in getting it. It's the first novel in The Grigori Legacy series, published by Ace.

I recently read Sins of the Angels, and enjoyed it. People looking for an urban fantasy with a mix of procedural and love drama, then this might be it for you. The book features and interesting take and mythology of angels and demons, heaven and hell, which were my favorite portions of the book.
When homicide detective Alexandra Jarvis is assigned a new partner in Aramael, a Guardian Angel who doubles as a hit man, they have only one thing in common: a fallen angel hell-bent on triggering the apocalypse. Now they have no choice but to work together-relentlessly, fearlessly, intimately. Because only they can stop the rogue angel from ushering in the end of days.

Participants have to be 18 years of age or older to participate. Void where prohibited by law. Giveaway rules are subject to change. 

The giveaway is open for US mailing addresses only, and it will run from December 26, 2011 until 11:59pm ET on January 6, 2012.

How to participate:
  • To enter the giveaway, just place a comment in this post letting me know you wish to participate.
  • One entry per person, or face disqualification.
  • Make sure to provide an email address to which I can contact you.
  • Entries accepted until 11:59pm ET on January 6, 2012.
  • Winners will be chosen by random sorting entries, and then using a random number generator.
  • There will be 1 winner total, who will get one copy.
  • Will have to confirm email to be considered a winner within a week after January 6, 2012.

Additional entries may be had by doing the following:
If you do the steps above, and only by doing those steps, you'd end up with the possibility of 3 total entries:
+1 Comment Entry
+1 Google Friend Connect (Mention your GFC username)
+1 Twitter Follower (Mention your twitter username)

Thanks, and good luck!

It has come to my attention that some people are having problems leaving comments. If that's the case, feel free to email me at bastardgiveaway @ gmail with the proper information of entry (name, GFC, and/or Twitter nicknames).

Saturday, December 24, 2011

Merry Christmas! Now let's watch some NBA


Hey everyone, just wanted to wish you Merry Christmas and hope you guys have a good time with your family, friends, frenemies, or alone...whatever is your poison. The most important thing is that tomorrow we see the return of the NBA. Well that, and getting awesome presents and cash from the loved ones. I'm a huge basketball fan, and an obsessive Celtics fan. I promise not to overload the blog with sports stuff, but just wanted to take the time to say how excited I'm about the coming season after half a year without basketball because of the NBA lockout.

Past few seasons have ended in disappointment for Celtics fans, but I got a good feeling about this year. On a more serious note, Jeff Green, a member of the Celtics, recently failed a physical and was found to have an aortic aneurysm. He'll be having season ending surgery at some point in January, so just want to wish him well and hope for a quick and healthy recovery.

We got five good games airing tomorrow for Christmas opening the season, but my focus will be on the Celtics vs. Knicks game, should be a good one.

That's all, have fun and hope you guys on the naughty list get good shit too. That's what I'm hoping for myself at least, getting tired of all the coal. Be more creative Santa.

While we are at it, go watch the trailer for The Hobbit:

Friday, December 23, 2011

Bastard Giveaway: Winner Updates for Mind Games & Double Cross, Half-Past Dawn & Burned, Den of Thieves & A Thief in the Night

Just realized that I haven't made an update on winners of past few giveaways, which shouldn't have taken this long to announce. Rest assured that winners were contacted early on and prizes sent. Fact still remains that I should make more frequent updates since I know people who participate like to be aware of the results; will do better from now on.

In any case, thanks to everyone who has participated. It's been fun organizing this giveaways, really enjoy spreading free stuff around and hopefully will continue to do so as circumstances permit. I would say this, I recommend to change your names to "Melissa"; for obvious reasons.

Mind Games & Double Cross Winner



We had a guest post and giveaway from author Carolyn Crane, the giveaway was for signed copies of Mind Games and Double Cross. Thanks once again to Carolyn for stopping by and sharing with us an awesome guest post, and those amusing drawings.
  • Naomi Clark


This was a giveaway as a thank you for reaching 300 Twitter and 100 GFC followers. Decided to try something different, offering a couple of thriller books, Burned by Thomas Enger and Half-Past Dawn by Richard Doetsch. It seems like there wasn't much interest of thriller novels here as the participation was a bit low. On the other hand, it gave a good chance for those frequent visitors of the blog who enjoy thrillers to win a copy. Will try to have a few more of those next year. In any case, thanks once again to everyone who's following and contributing in some way to the blog, it's appreciated.
  • Richard Auffrey
  • eks



Once again the folks over at HarperCollins Publishers were generous to provide two copies of Den of Thieves and A Thief in the Night by David Chandler. Together with this giveaway, David Chandler also stopped by with an interesting guest post, so thanks to him also for stopping by. The winners of this giveaway have some things in common, namely they're both called Melissa.
  • Melissa (My World...in words and pages)
  • Melissa from Clearwater

That's it for now, I hope to have more free books for you guys soon. Maybe some things over Christmas and New Years, but nothing sure yet. Keep an eye out just in case. Thanks once again to everyone who has participated, and remember everyone's a winner...or not.

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Seak's Stamp: The Whitefire Crossing by Courtney Schafer

In 2007, a good friend of mine took me to a movie called Into the Wild. You may already know it, but the short version of this true story is that a guy on his way to Harvard and a hugely successful career decides to give up all his money and all his stuff and make his way to Alaska.

When I walked out, all I wanted to do was go on one big, epic adventure meeting random people, learning how to survive on leaves and grass (hehe) and sky and rainbows.

I think we ended up heading to Vegas a week later on a sweet road trip, nothing life-changing, but still somewhat of an adventure.

When I finished The Whitefire Crossing, not only did I want to be able to wield sweet magical powers and amulets and charms, but I really wanted to go mountain climbing. Really the cover says it all:

That's one of the greatest parts of this book, you can just feel the author's love of climbing and the outdoors and on top of it she's created an amazing world around it that will suck you in right from the beginning.

Dev is a guide for caravans through the Whitefire mountains from Ninavel to the country of Alathia, but he also makes money on the side by smuggling. And by makes money on the side, I mean the side job is really guiding the caravans.

You see, the country of Alathia is a highly restrictive place when it comes to magic and you can make good money smuggling charms and magical artifacts through the border. If you get caught, though, you're in really big trouble, oh and there’s also border magic that detects and prevents magic from entering the country.

So his job ain't no walk in the park (wow, did I just write that?) on an average day, but this time he's agreed to smuggle something else into Alathia...a person. Not that easy to do, but still Dev isn't getting the whole story. Luckily for Kiran, the person to be smuggled, Dev's in dire need of money and the price is right. They head out on the first caravan of the season.

Just when you think things are going well, or about to go well, there is always another problem around the corner, whether it's the weather (go homophones!), people in the caravan, or other things I'm really trying not to spoil, but it's so cool, I promise I won't spoil it.

And the best part is it's not contrived in any way. Each new problem is logical and fits so perfectly in the world Schafer's created. I've always been a fan of more magic over less (although A Song of Ice and Fire is still a favorite), it's one of the reasons I love Erikson so much. The Whitefire Crossing is full of magic. It plays such a huge part in everything, adding to the world-building and the plot as well.

The city of Ninavel, where the story begins, was founded to be place for magicians to practice freely and some are even really scary. There are charms for most things such as healing or hurting things, there are all types of magicians, including the worst of which, bloodmages, and the story involves magic constantly.

Told in first person from Dev's point of view and then third person limited when it comes to Kiran, there are chapters, but each section is also divided up between (Dev) and (Kiran). I thought this was a bit odd at the beginning, but it proved to move the story along quite well and it worked, so who am I to say.

When To Read The Whitefire Crossing?
(Sometimes you need to be in a certain mood to jump into a book no matter how good it is.)

As you may have noticed, I really enjoyed myself with this one. I was really surprised how much I enjoyed The Whitefire Crossing. It's is perfect if you want some straight-forward fun, focused on only a few characters and filled with magic. Also, be ready to go on your own adventures, this may just be the incentive you need.

4 out of 5 Stars (Loved it)
*********
I would like to say that Seak begged me to give him a chance to share his thoughts with you guys, but truth of the matter is that I was blackmailed into doing so. Details will remain private, I hope. In any case, I thought it turned out quite well, so thanks Seak for stopping by. Since I met his request, he was gracious to invite me over to his Only the Best blog (a reminder that it pays to play nice), and share my own reaction to Courtney Schafer's debut, The Whitefire Crossing. You can read it here:

Buy The Whitefire Crossing on The Book Depository.

Please visit Courtney Schafer's website for more information and also stop by The Night Bazaar blog.

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Bastard Reaction: Dexter - Season 6


Together with 24, Dexter has been a favorite show of mine. No surprise there since I've made known how I love protagonist who have a bit of a psycho tendency, and Dexter Morgan certainly fits the bill. Last Sunday, we saw the season 6 finale.

This season Dexter has been a big disappointment for me, easily my least favorite season to date. Can't really point to why this was, only that it wasn't as fun as the previous ones. I think it was partly because Dexter was more subdued this season, and it seems like this season went away from the "monster of the week" setup that worked quite well in previous seasons. That meant less killing. I believe we went for 3 episodes or so in a row at one point without Dexter having someone on his table. Unacceptable. The plot was also slow progressing, and I didn't care much for the villain this time around in all honesty.

Season had some positives though, mainly with the performance of Jennifer Carpenter who plays Dexter's step-sister, Debra. Excellent performance, certainly Emmy worthy. It would be a travesty if she comes off this without some recognition. She was put through an emotional and dramatic roller-coaster, and Carpenter nailed just about every scene.

Additionally to Carpeter's performance, I have to say the kills, particularly the ones perpetuated by the big bads this season, were quite creatively disturbing and excellent all around. Don't know if future seasons will be able to top that aspect, but will be interested seeing how they attempt to.

Season 6 finale in general was more of the same as previous episodes this season, but it ended in quite an interesting cliffhanger. Been waiting for this sort of plot line, so looking forward to how it's handled. Regardless of my opinion of this season, I love Dexter, and even with my complaints, I thoroughly enjoy every moment spent watching this show. Season 7 can't come soon enough.

Anyways, here's a quick scene which was one of my favorites this season.

Monday, December 19, 2011

Mihir on FBC November 2011

As you may have noticed, we haven't had Mihir around for a while; he's been a busy man working nonstop. Or so he tells me, I'm of a mind to believe he's partying like it's 1999. In any case, here are his posts last month in Fantasy Book Critic:

Review: November 4, 2011 - The Mensch With No Name by Edward M. Erdelac
Second book in the Merkabah Rider series, a fantasy western. Looks like a good one, hope to give it a try next year.

fantasybookcritic.blogspot.com/2011/11/merkabah-rider-mensch-with-no-name-by.html

Review: November 5, 2011 - Betrayal by Tim Marquitz
Demon Squad short story taking place during the events of the 2nd book, Resurrection, serving as a good setup for At the Gates, which was recently released. I reviewed Betrayal here.

fantasybookcritic.blogspot.com/2011/11/betrayal-by-tim-marquitz-by-mihir.html

Review: November 7, 2011 - Ex-Heroes by Peter Clines
This is the first book in the Ex Trilogy, and it's been highly recommended to me by Mihir, so looks like another book which I'll have to check out soon.

fantasybookcritic.blogspot.com/2011/11/ex-heroes-by-peter-clines-reviewed-by.html

Review: November 9, 2011 - Cold Vengeance by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child
Haven't had the time to read this review, so don't know anything about this one other than Mihir seems to think that it's an "excellent thriller".

fantasybookcritic.blogspot.com/2011/11/cold-vengeance-by-douglas-preston.html

Review: November 11, 2011 - City of the Snakes by Darren Shan
Third book in The City Trilogy, another series Mihir has been kicking me for a while now to give a try. Looks like a good one and that it ended strong.

fantasybookcritic.blogspot.com/2011/11/city-of-snakes-by-darren-shan-reviewed.html

Interview: November 14, 2011 - Brian Justin Shier
Great interview from the author of urban fantasy books Zero Sight and Zero Sum. Been hearing a lot of good things from these books, from what I can tell, favorite reads of Mihir this year.

fantasybookcritic.blogspot.com/2011/11/interview-with-brian-justin-shier.html

Review: November 18, 2011 - Geist by Philippa Ballantine
Read this when it came out, enjoyed it quite a bit, but had a few reservations. The sequel, Spectyr, is really good though, so worth the look certainly. First in the Books of the Order series.

fantasybookcritic.blogspot.com/2011/11/geist-by-philippa-ballantine-reviewed.html

Review: November 21, 2011 - At the Gates by Tim Marquitz
Here he is again, damn Tim Marquitz. This is the 3rd book in the Demon Squad series, which is among my top urban fantasy reads this year. Love me some Frank, I hope to review it soon.

fantasybookcritic.blogspot.com/2011/11/at-gates-by-tim-marquitz-reviewed-by.html

Review: November 25, 2011 - Kiss of Frost by Jennifer Estep
Second book in the Mythos Academy young adult series. Been meaning to give this series a shot, but haven't found time.

fantasybookcritic.blogspot.com/2011/11/kiss-of-frost-by-jennifer-estep-w-bonus.html

Review: November 26, 2011 - Spectyr by Philippa Ballantine
Second novel in the Books of the Order series, and it's one I very much enjoyed. You can read my review here.

fantasybookcritic.blogspot.com/2011/11/spectyr-by-philippa-ballantine-reviewed.html

Review: November 28, 2011 - The Emperor's Knife by Mazarkis Williams
One of my more anticipated books, and seen plenty of praise for it around. Hope to read it later this month if not early next one. Mihir reviews it together with Robert Thompson.

fantasybookcritic.blogspot.com/2011/11/emperors-knife-by-mazarkis-williams.html

Interview: November 29, 2011 - Anne Sowards
Here's a great interview with an executive editor at Penguin, she's worked on quite a few of my favorites. Interview also has a guest appearance of Ilona Andrews.

fantasybookcritic.blogspot.com/2011/11/interview-with-anne-sowards-interviewed.html

Review: November 30, 2011 - Ex-Patriots by Peter Clines
Second book in the Ex Trilogy, sequel to Ex-Heroes. Looks like another good entry in the series, hope to give both a try sometime next year.

fantasybookcritic.blogspot.com/2011/11/ex-patriots-by-peter-clines-reviewed-by.html

Friday, December 16, 2011

Bastard Reaction: Prince of Thorns by Mark Lawrence


Jorg Ancrath is a charming fourteen year-old sociopath who has set in motion a path to reach the high throne. Prince of Thorns is the debut book by Mark Lawrence, first of the The Broken Empire trilogy. It's a novel I've been highly anticipating, and it didn't disappoint when I finally managed to read it.

Prince of Thorns introduces us to Jorg as he travels with his band of Brothers; stealing, killing, and raping at their will and pleasure. Behind all these atrocities, Jorg has been setting a plan towards winning the game of thrones, to become the king above all kings, fueled by his fearful reputation and war genius; win the war, become Emperor. Along this road, he has to face his father as well as a quest of revenge as we learn about Jorg's past, and the reality of the world he lives in where all may not be what it seems.

It was a real pleasure to read this book, there's just something that I find quite alluring at being inside the head of a sociopath, or a psychopath for that matter, particularly when narrated in the first person. It always comes to answering the questions "why", "what", "how"; why is Jorg acting the way he does, what motivates his actions, and how he reasons the world around him. As such, this book will have some detractors because it can be an uncomfortable read, particularly when coupled with the imagery of the depicted atrocities. It's also subject to misconceptions. Worth mentioning that not all atrocities are detailed in a graphic manner, like the allusions to rape, but mainly the violent action scenes are detailed as such. A great deal of the enjoyment of this book will depend on how you find Jorg as a character, and more importantly as a narrator.

On the surface this is a straightforward book, which can be entertaining for some or confused as shallow by others. My main interest in the book is that what happens behind the scenes, so in many ways what is left unsaid forcing the reader to fill in the blanks and speculate; hungry to see what comes next to shed a better light on the events that compose Prince of Thorns. It's one of those books that I think it's very dependent on reader perspective and how much work they put into it. I am by no means a good reader, but I like to think that I delved enough into it. Don't like to read books more than once, but once you're done reading it, this book can be read from an entirely different perspective than with the one you entered the experience, giving new insights about what occurred.

Depending on the angle from which you approach this book, to me this novel was mainly one about manipulation and a twisted and inhuman cost-benefit analysis interposed by a journey of self-discovery.

Aside from the discomfort of content for some, this is an easy book to read and a page turner. For all intents and purposes a short book, but not a light one. I thought the prose was excellent, distinct, and economic. As mentioned before, found the narrator to be quite interesting and enjoyed his observations, at times inflicted with a bit of humor, while disturbing at others.

Don't know if there are any manga readers among you, but if you're a fan of Berserk you might want to have a look a this novel, and if you're not a manga reader and you enjoyed Prince of Thorns I think it would be worth your while to give it a go. The antagonist of that series reminds me of Jorg a bit, and has a few other elements in common, but we warned Berserk is quite disturbing and sick.

Mark Lawrence's Prince of Thorns was an excellent read for me, certainly one of my top ones for the year, one that I'm highly recommending. Once again, how you find Jorg's narrative will greatly influence how you experience the book. Well received and praised by the majority, it has also been a book that has become a bit polarizing for some; inducing strong reactions. Jorg to me is an awesome character, and can't wait to experience this world more through his eyes and in his mind. Maybe I'm just bit twisted myself. I hope you join Brother Jorg in his journey, but remember not to get on his way. Wouldn't want you to lose your head for saying something stupid. Looking forward to the sequel, King of Thorns which should be released at some point in 2012.

You can buy Prince of Thorns from The Book Depository.

Please visit Mark Lawrence's website and his blog for more information.

Monday, December 12, 2011

Guest Post: Don’t Buy eBooks for Your Kids this Christmas! (Save Them for Yourselves) by David Chandler

David Chandler is the author of the Ancient Blades Trilogy, which has been recently released, composed of Den of Thieves, A Thief in the Night, and Honor Among Thieves. Please welcome him to our blog. Of interest, we currently have a giveaway ending December 16 for two copies of Den of Thieves and A Thief in the Night.

Glad to have David here as he shares with us his thoughts on eBooks and the experience of reading during childhood:

DON’T BUY EBOOKS FOR YOUR KIDS THIS CHRISTMAS! (SAVE THEM FOR YOURSELVES)
by David Chandler

The eBook has changed the way I read, probably forever.  Like most people I was hesitant about them at first, thinking I could never be comfortable reading on a screen.  Now I download a new eBook to my phone every week and read them on the train.  I’m reading more books than ever, and taking chances on books I never would have tried if I had to lug them home from the store.  The convenience, low price (sometimes), and portability of eBooks combine to create the biggest advance in print technology since Gutenberg.

But it’s funny—the other thing eBooks have done for me is convince me how much I love good old-fashioned paper books.

pBooks (we need a new term for something that has existed since the Fifteenth Century.  “p” can stand for “paper” or “print” as you please) were all I had as a kid.  I was a lonely child and a nerdy one and I spent years of my youth with my nose buried between big pillowy sheets of high acid paper.  I lugged paperbacks with me everywhere I went, and sometimes hardcovers, those massive, unwieldy tomes that always seemed more serious, more important, than their smaller cousins.  Books were my constant companions.  I had a beautiful edition of The Lord of the Rings that I kept under my pillow so I could read them by flashlight when I was supposed to be asleep.
       
I loved pBooks, but I didn’t really think about them.  They were everpresent and therefore invisible.  The rise of eBooks, however, has brought them back to life as objects, as totems, as prized possessions.
       
This is never more true than with fantasy novels.  A good fantasy is a world unto itself, bound up between two covers.  As a child, reading fantasy novels wasn’t just an intellectual exercise.  It was a kind of humble, innocent religion.  It was participating in a myth, it was living a secret life.  The wonder and joy that came from those pages was my great consolation and salvation.
       
That kind of rapport with a book just isn’t possible with text on a tiny touch screen.  No, don’t get me wrong.  I’m no Luddite—I got my start as a writer by posting my early novels online.  They were eBooks long before they ever made it to the printed page, and that format was perfect for what I was writing.  But there are some stories that need to be read—savored—in quiet, in solitude, as opposed to those you can bolt down on a crowded train.  The ritual escape I experienced as a child was only possible because I could hold the actual book in my hands, make it mine.  Make it real, make it feel more real, because here was a physical object that described an abstract reality.
       
As adults our relationships with books are very different.  We read for information, or simple pleasure, or to avoid boredom.  I download dozens of books on my phone I don’t expect to be any good, but I read them anyway, for one reason or another.  I don’t read them as deeply.  I don’t revisit them—I can’t imagine wanting to read an eBook more than once.
       
But as a child, a pBook is more than just words.  It’s a method of establishing your identity.  It’s a badge, a sign you belong to a certain confraternity of people reading the same book, either all at once like the Harry Potters or over a great ocean of time, as with the classics, where every page breathes with all the thoughts and inspirations of the generations of readers who came before you and the potential, the legacy of all those readers yet to come.
       
See?  No eBook ever inspired someone to such flights of purple prose.
       
Kids—and those experiencing a love of reading for the first time, regardless of age—should always read pBooks first.  They should get the experience, find out what library paste smells like, feel the roughness of the wood pulp page against their fingertips, bend back the spine of a paperback and feel that delicious, sinful crackling as the binding starts to give way.  They should dog-ear pages. They should ruffle through a book looking for a particular passage.  They should mark them up with highlighters and leave cryptic marginalia for the next person to read the book.
       
They should have the ultimate joy of finishing a book, closing the cover with a contented sigh, and then putting it back on the shelf, of seeing it go on existing without them.  Of knowing it’s always there, that the story continues even after they’ve put the book down.
       
There will be time, later, for them to read eBooks on their phones, on their Kindles and their Nooks.  There will come a time when their relationship with books changes, like it does for us all.  They’ll start consuming books like potato chips, unwilling to stop at just one, downloading the next book before they’ve even finished the first.  It’s an important step in any reader’s career, when you realize that books are meant to be taken by the shelf-load, to be taken in the context of other books, to become part of a mental library.
       
But please—please!—don’t ruin that transition.  Don’t give your kids eBooks too soon.  Let them have the magic, if just for a little while.  Just the way you had it when you were a kid yourself.  Because once you make the switch, you can never really go back.


David Chandler is the author of the Ancient Blades Trilogy of fantasy novels: Den of Thieves, A Thief in the Night, and Honor Among Thieves, which are all available now from Harper Voyager.  All of his books are available as eBooks.

Thursday, December 8, 2011

End of Year Reading 2011


End of year and I see that everyone is discussing what the best reads of the year are and what they've enjoyed the most, etc. Though a fun exercise, I always found it to be a daunting task. Among many factors that makes this exercise difficult for me, one of the main ones is once I look at my "to read" pile and notice an abundance of unread books that seem at least on the surface worthy of consideration and discussion of being among the top reads of the year in whatever category I have in mind. Also adding to that fact, books published during December that seemingly get ignored often for these types of considerations (unless you have done some advance reading).

So with that in mind, I compiled a list of books that fit into this preoccupation of mine; books that now at the end of the year I'm tracking down so I may read them. Needless to say, that it was quite a long list and quite obviously an impossibility to accomplish reading them all particularly in this short span of time.

Is anyone else facing similar dilemmas?

Here's my list of books that I've yet to read, but would like to or would've liked to have read by year end (I had to cut it a bit since it was ridiculously long, and might have overlooked some):
  • Awakenings by Edward Lazellari
  • Aloha from Hell by Richard Kadrey
  • Dead Mann Walking by Stefan Petrucha
  • Germline by T.C. McCarthy
  • Infidel by Kameron Hurley
  • Miserere by Teresa Frohock
  • No Hero by Jonathan Wood
  • One Salt Sea by Seanan McGuire
  • Sea of Ghosts by Alan Campbell
  • Shaedes of Gray by Amanda Bonilla
  • Sins of the Angels by Linda Poitevin
  • The Dragon's Path by Daniel Abraham
  • The Emperor's Knife by Mazarkis Williams
  • The Guardians of the Desert by Leona Wisoker
  • The Heroes by Joe Abercrombie
  • The Iron Jackal by Chris Wooding
  • The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
  • The Sea Watch by Adrian Tchaikovsky
  • The Soul Mirror by Carol Berg
  • The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson
  • The Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss
  • Zero Sight by B. Justin Shier

Here's Mihir's list:
  • Carte Blanche by Jeffrey Deaver
  • Infidel by Kameron Hurley
  • Miserere by Teresa Frohock
  • Sins of the Angels by Linda Poitevin
  • Spider's Revenge by Jennifer Estep
  • The Goblin Corps by Ari Marmell
  • The Heroes by Joe Abercrombie
  • Trance by Kelly Meding

Personally I've read nearly 90 books this year (low number I'd say), so it rankles me a bit that I didn't manage to read many of the books I was highly anticipating for one reason or another. Next year I think I'll need to re-organize my reading habits. Oh well, that just means that I may just have a lot of good reading ahead of me, so very much looking forward to that. Already read a 2012 book, Control Point by Myke Cole which I really enjoyed, so looks like I'm off to a good start.

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Update on 24 Movie - Production to start Spring 2012?


I'm a huge Jack Bauer fan, and by extension I'm also a huge fan of the 24 tv series. Even though many people thought 24 had already run it's course and it was time to cancel, I for one wanted to keep getting my 24 dose during Spring season each year. I thought FOX made a horrible decision cancelling the series, and they have been unable to fill the void.

In any case, since before it was cancelled, rumors of a possible movie have been around. I wasn't that hopeful that they would be able to do it, as shows often have rumors of this type only to rarely deliver. So it was quite awesome to learn that the movie script is getting some tweaking with the goal of handing it in before year end, hoping for a production start in Spring of 2012. Still not a done deal, but I'm glad to see some progress being made as I've missed Jack Bauer and his one handed chokes, damn it!

You can read more about it in Deadline.



WHERE IS THE MOVIE!?

Monday, December 5, 2011

Bastard Giveaway: Den of Thieves & A Thief in the Night by David Chandler


To celebrate the release of the last book in David Chandler's The Ancient Blades TrilogyHonor Among ThievesHarperCollins Publishers has provided us with two copies of the first two books in the series to giveaway for two lucky winners. The first book is Den of Thieves and the second book is A Thief in the Night.

Haven't had time to read the series yet, but still looking forward to it when I get the time. In any case, also look forward for a guest post by author David Chandler coming up soon, early next week by the looks of it. It's an interesting one.

Here's a description from Den of Thieves:
"Born and raised in the squalid depths of the Free City of Ness, Malden became a thief by necessity. Now he must pay a fortune to join the criminal operation of Cutbill, lord of the underworld—and one does not refuse the master . . . and live.
The coronet of the Burgrave would fulfill Malden’s obligations, though it is guarded by hungry demons that would tear the soul from any interloper. But the desperate endeavor leads to a more terrible destiny, as Malden, an outlaw knight, and an ensorcelled lady must face the most terrifying evil in the land."


Participants have to be 18 years of age or older to participate. Void where prohibited by law. Giveaway rules are subject to change. 

The giveaway is open for US mailing addresses only, and it will run from December 5, 2011 until 11:59pm ET on December 16, 2011.

How to participate:
  • To enter the giveaway, just place a comment in this post letting me know you wish to participate.
  • One entry per person, or face disqualification.
  • Make sure to provide an email address to which I can contact you.
  • Entries accepted until 11:59pm ET on December 16, 2011
  • Winners will be chosen by random sorting entries, and then using a random number generator.
  • Limit of one prize per winner; each prize will consist of a copy of both books.
  • There will be two winners total.
  • Will have to confirm email to be considered a winner within a week after December 16, 2011.

Additional entries may be had by doing the following:
If you do the steps above, and only by doing those steps, you'd end up with the possibility of 3 total entries:
+1 Comment Entry
+1 Google Friend Connect (Mention your GFC username)
+1 Twitter Follower (Mention your twitter username)

Thanks, and good luck!

It has come to my attention that some people are having problems leaving comments. If that's the case, feel free to email me at bastardgiveaway @ gmail with the proper information of entry (name, GFC, and/or Twitter nicknames).

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Guest Post: Michael J. Sullivan – Editing: Traditional vs Self-published

Please welcome Michael J. Sullivan, author of The Riyria Revelations fantasy series which is now being released by Orbit. The first Orbit release is Theft of Swords which collects the novels The Crown Conspiracy and Avempartha. Just read it and found it to be quite awesome.

In any case, both Mihir and I are glad to have Michael here as he shares with us his experience with the editing process:
Michael J. Sullivan – Editing: Traditional vs Self-published


Hello, my name is Michael J. Sullivan, and I’ve written a six-book fantasy series, The Riyria Revelations. I’m one of the few authors that have seen both sides of the publishing fence. I’ve self-published five of my six books and now these same works are being re-released by Orbit as a trilogy.  Bastard, (wow it’s strange typing that without feeling like I’m being insulting), asked me here today to peel back the veil and talk a bit about editing…in particular how it differs between the two worlds.

To understand the editing process, I’d like to first take a minute to talk about the differences between talent and skill. While I’m sure people could debate the subtle nuances all day, let me at least lay out my particular beliefs so you know where I’m coming from. By my definition talent is something that you are born with…it is inherent in you and cannot be taught. Skill, on the other hand, is the component that you learn, and in fact it improves with practice. When you learn techniques, you are adding to your skill set. The ability to conceive an idea from nothingness is a trait that all sentient beings possess, but not all people can take an idea and develop it into a compelling medium.  A person can imagine a beautiful scene in their head, but to be able to recreate that on canvas, so that others can experience the same image, requires talent and skill.

So, why did I bother bringing up talent and skill? Well as it turns out, for me at least, it aligns pretty nicely with the types of editing that every book should go through.  The first type of editing is developmental and revolves around the story as a whole. The developmental editor’s job is to make sure that the books are well paced, the characters are realistic, and any potential plot holes are firmly plugged. The developmental editor is primarily focusing on the talent portions of the book…basically concentrating on the storytelling elements.

Copy editing (or line editing) concerns itself primarily with the skill portion. During copy editing, an awkward sentence may be restructured, homophone errors corrected, and commas are added and removed in great number. It is the copy editors job to make sure that the books are free of all grammatical errors and reads smoothly.

There is a debate these days about whether authors should self-publish or go traditional, and there are valid points on either side. Self-publishing provides for complete freedom and a higher per book income, but traditional rules in two very important areas: distribution and editing.

To even consider the possibility of self-publishing I think you have to have a hearty dose of talent…in other words your storytelling better hold up well on its own without the need of much developmental editing. Most self-publishers rely on a trusted partner (in my case this is my wife), and fellow writer friends, generally through critique groups. To hire a developmental editor, if you can find a good one, is VERY expensive. In many ways, it’s like the posh restaurant with no prices…if you have to ask, you probably can’t afford it. If you look critically at your book, and conclude you need a developmental editor, then I don’t think self-publishing is the right choice for you.

Copy editing is another matter altogether. This is a skill that many people do, both full- and part-time, and it can be hired at a reasonable cost. While most often this work is done by professionals, I’ve also found some of the best line editors come from astute readers with a high sensitivity to errors. The problem with copy editing is that I’ve never found a single person that finds ALL the little nits. When you think about it there are literally millions of possible errors in a book of 100,000 words.  Everything from punctuation of a dialog tag verses an action tag, to making sure that titles in apposition are lower case while those used in direct address are capitalized.  To have a well copy edited book will require more than one person, and hiring multiple people will drive up the book’s cost.

Traditional publishing is going to have both types of editors on staff and working to make your book the best it can be. I’ve read many a blog post where authors rave about the contributions of their developmental editors, and how their books were tremendously improved because of their hard work. To be honest the Orbit books are actually very similar to my self-published versions, but there are a number of reasons for this: a tight deadline, existing fans, interwoven plot elements, and the fact that I liked them the way they were ;-). Still, there have been some nice changes that came about, and I can’t adequately sing the praises of just how good the copy editing and proofing folks were.

So there you have it: Editing 101 from both a self-published and traditional published viewpoint. For me, writing a book is easy, but it is the editing that takes the real time.  I’ve been known to write a book in a month, and then spend six to nine months editing it. For any aspiring authors out there I hope this helps…and please, if you do plan on self-publishing, don’t scrimp on the editing. You have the responsibility to put out a book of the highest possible quality…yes it will take a great deal of effort, and that is one of the disadvantages of self-publishing, but it is a crucial component and one corner you simply can’t cut.

********
Thanks Michael once again for stopping by, it's appreciated. For those of you who haven't bought a copy yet of his books, make sure to do so: Theft of Swords, Rise of Empire, and Heir of Novron.

Please visit his website and blog for more information.

Monday, November 28, 2011

Bastard Reaction: Betrayal - A Demon Squad Story by Tim Marquitz


As I've mentioned multiple times before, I'm a big fan of Tim Marquitz's urban fantasy series, Demon Squad featuring Frank Triggs. Recently a short story titled Betrayal set in this world was released, this one with a side-character as it's narrator; Scarlett who's Frank's angelic cousin.

In Betrayal we find Scarlett in Heaven after the events of Armageddon Bound as she ruminates on her life and on how the situation has progressed to its current state. And then the fun begins. Betrayal is a two scene story which comes off as a "thank you" from the author for fans of the series, and as an opportunity to see the world from a different set of eyes than that of Frank. More than anything, Betrayal is the perfect setup for the next release At the Gates as the events lead right up to the start of the book, but also it sets the right atmosphere, a more serious one, making a smoother transition.

Additionally to Betrayal, Tim has also included another short story in this release, this one featuring Frank in the Prohibition era in what I can only explain as an amusing story with a Valentine's Day inclination. Fans of mob history should get a kick out of it. This one is called Prohibition Black and Blues.

Both can be read and obtained freely by following any of the following links:
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/101881
http://www.tmarquitz.com/books.html

Keep an eye out for the next Demon Squad adventure with At the Gates, which is going to be released in a few days, December 1, 2011. It's the best one yet. Looks like the Kindle version is available already.

Sunday, November 27, 2011

Update on the Twenty Palaces prequel by Harry Connolly


A few weeks ago, I reviewed Circle of Enemies by Harry Connolly, third book in the Twenty Palaces series. While I enjoyed the book very much, was saddened to learn that Del Rey had decided not to continue with the series. It's with great joy that I just stumbled into a self-published prequel to the series which recently came out, titled the same as the series, Twenty Palaces. Really like the cover too.

Here's the book's description:
When Ray Lilly was 13 years old, a handgun accident landed his best friend, Jon Burrows, in a wheelchair and turned Ray into a runaway and petty criminal. Fifteen years later, Ray returns home after a stint in prison; he’s determined to go straight, but he knows he can’t do that without making peace with his old friend.
What Ray doesn’t expect is to discover that Jon has just received a mysterious cure–not only is he out of his wheelchair, he seems stronger and faster than… well, pretty much anyone. Worse, his cure has drawn all sorts of unwanted attention: the media are camped out on his block, the police are investigating him for insurance fraud, and weird shadowy figures have begun to draw closer, figures who clearly do not mean to do Jon any good.
Can Ray atone for the biggest mistake of his life by protecting his oldest and best friend? What’s more, should he?
Very much looking forward to reading this. Hopefully there's a lot of positive reaction to this and plenty of sales so that we can motivate Harry for even more Twenty Palaces awesomeness sooner rather than later.

It's only available as an ebook, so please visit Harry Connolly's blog for more info on this book and for buy links:
http://www.harryjconnolly.com/blog/?p=5696

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Bastard Reaction: Hellbent by Cherie Priest



I really enjoyed Bloodshot by Cherie Priest published earlier this year, first of the Cheshire Red Reports. It was fun, fast moving, and some good action. Was excited to learn a sequel was due out months later, one that I read recently. Hellbent continues the story of Raylene Pendle, an OCD vampire and master thief.

After the events of Bloodshot, we see Raylene in a more domestic setting living what can be construed as a family life. She gets contracted to steal mystical penis bones, which doesn't go as planned. Complicating matters, the patriarch from Ian's vampire house is murdered, making Ian next in line to become head of the house, something he can't do since he would get killed himself because of his current handicap. Yet, there are people who could get targeted if he doesn't avail himself, people he cares for. It's up to Raylene to figure out a way around this, travelling to California to investigate the matter. All the while, trying to recover the mystical penis bones in the hands of a crazy sorceress fueling her magic to disastrous proportions.

Hellbent was a fun roadtrip of a book, sadly it was simply that and left me wanting for something more. I really enjoy Raylene as a narrator, which I find to be pretty much the most important aspect in a first person narration. Not only that the book is filled with some good dialogue and plenty of fun banter with other characters. The problem was that the book's plot was lacking and the action very much subdued, particularly when compared with Bloodshot.

I thought the best aspect of the book was Adrian, a Marine drag-queen who has become Raylene's sidekick. He's fairly badass, plus there's some cool banter with Raylene making the novel quite the fun read. But other than that, there wasn't much here. My other problem was that the resolution to the plot was heavily hinted at in the middle of the book, which made the ending quite predictable. Not only that, events occur in quite a convenient manner for our heroes, particularly towards the end. The book has some good humor, but it becomes a bit repetitive after a while so it got old for me fairly quickly.

Action-wise, which was one of the main draws of the first book and what many had praised Bloodshot for, was also scant. Though, at the risk of contradicting myself, there was still quite a bit of action. Problem was when the action was featured it wasn't as exciting as the first book. The sense of tension and danger was not present in this book, something which I thought Bloodshot did quite well.

Hate to be negative on this book because it's still an enjoyable read that I'm sure plenty urban fantasy readers would enjoy, but can't help feeling disappointed with the lackluster plot which didn't grab me. The novel itself serves more as a bridge novel to what is to come, and I'm still looking forward to reading more in the series now that the pieces are in their respective places. Sadly, I just learned that Cherie Priest only has a two book contract for this series, and it's unknown whether she'll be able to return to this series.

As mentioned before, I very much enjoy Raylene as a narrator, a very much needed bright-spot for this book. She comes off as this person you just met in the bar, who is a bit nuts, but there's an instant connection and you became quick best friends. There's an intimacy in the way she narrates, as she was speaking directly at you over a bottle of wine (I'd say beer, but Raylene prefers her wine).

Hellbent is simply quite an entertaining lighthearted roadtrip of a book with an OCD vampire which plenty will enjoy. Those looking for something more, particularly a strong plot, will have some trouble with it. In any case, hoping for more as I'm sure that series will get better from here, and hopefully back to the form we found in Bloodshot.

Buy Hellbent from The Book Depository.

Please visit Cherie Priest's website for more information.

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Bastard Reaction: Demonized by Naomi Clark



Ethan Banning is back and on the verge of a psychotic break. We first saw him as a side-character in Afterlife, reviewed here, first of the Shoregrave series. The Demonized novella can be considered a loose sequel, as it take place not long after the events of Afterlife and Ethan is now dealing with the aftermath of those events.

Hoping for a return to normalcy and leave the supernatural world behind, Ethan is back in his city doing his usual PI work. He's on a missing person case, when he stumbles into the person's dead body where he soon realizes something supernatural was involved. Together with police detective Anna Radcliffe, he tries to figure out what happened to the victim. Problem is that he's battling a demon possession who's trying to take control of his body and mind. Ethan's sanity is degenerating, filled with thoughts of rape, torture, and murder and it's taking every ounce of his will to keep himself from acting on his psychotic desires.

I found Demonized to be a quite a cool novella, and I just love Ethan Banning as a character. His psychosis aside, he really embodies what I imagine many private eyes to be. He comes off as a man's man hardboiled detective, nosy, rude, and completely politically incorrect. A bit of a sleaze bag too. But I found him quite likable; he has his charm I think.

Demonized suffered from some of the same problems I noticed in Afterlife, in particular that the mystery was predictable. The good thing in Demonized, is that all told the mystery is secondary to what is going inside Ethan Banning's head. His psychosis makes him a very unpredictable character, which I think balances out the predictability of the mystery. Also had a few problems with some character decisions towards the end that I thought were a bit out of character, but they were grounded on despair, impatience, and on the edge of sanity so in certain angles they make better sense.

The book is quite twisted, has plenty of disturbing scenes, some that I'm sure won't sit well with more sensitive readers. Some are just plain gross as we see Ethan feeding the demon with sick images in the hopes that it'll satisfy itself enough to not attack Ethan's mind. I thought it was very interesting ride.

I loved reading Demonized, though I'm not much for reading short stories and novellas. Enjoying a lot being inside a narrator's head who's a sociopath or has psychotic tendencies; characters like Dexter Morgan, John Cleaver, and Jorg Ancrath have become favorites. So glad I can add Ethan Banning to the mix. Looking forward to reading further adventures into his mind.

You can buy Demonized here.

Please visit Naomi Clark's website and blog for more information on this series and others.

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Bastard Giveaway: Half-Past Dawn & Burned


Last week the @BastardBooks twitter account reached 300 followers, while the GFC reached 100 followers. As a thank you, we at Bastard Books decided to do a giveaway for a couple of thriller books which seem interesting. Hope they're to your liking.

The books are a hardcover copy of Half-Past Dawn by Richard Doetsch and a trade paperback copy of Burned by Thomas Enger.

Participants have to be 18 years of age or older to participate. Void where prohibited by law. Giveaway rules are subject to change. 

The giveaway is open for US mailing addresses only, and it will run from November 15, 2011 until 11:59pm ET on November 27, 2011.

How to participate:
  • To enter the giveaway, just place a comment in this post declaring intention to participate.
  • One entry per person, or face disqualification.
  • Make sure to provide an email address to which I can contact you.
  • Entries accepted until 11:59pm ET on November 27, 2011
  • Winners will be chosen by random sorting entries, and then using a random number generator.
  • There will be two winners, one book per winner.
  • The first winner will choose the book he prefers, and the second winner will take the remaining one.
  • Will have to confirm email to be considered a winner within a week after November 27, 2011.

Additional entries may be had by doing the following:
This time I'm giving additional bonus entries to GFC and Twitter followers since this giveaway is a thanks to them.
  • Follow me on my blog publicly so that you appear on Google Friend Connect to get 2 additional entries. Make sure to provide your GFC username.
  • Follow me on twitter, @BastardBooks to get 2 additional entries. Make sure to provide your twitter username.
If you do the steps above, and only by doing those steps, you'd end up with the possibility of 5 total entries:
+1 Comment Entry
+2 Google Friend Connect (Mention your GFC username)
+2 Twitter Follower (Mention your twitter username)

Even though you don't get an additional entry, consider subscribing to my Facebook Bastard Books page.

For those who have trouble with posting comments, feel free to email me at bastardgiveaway @ gmail with all the information depicted above, and I'll manually make your comment entry for you personally.

Thanks, and good luck!